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<DATE>7-3-08</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>THE AXE, AGAINST SIN and ERROR; and the Truth Conquering.</P>
<P>A Sermon on <HI>Matthew</HI> 3. 10.</P>
<Q><P>Now al&s;o the Ax is laid to the root of the trees, therefore every tree, that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire.</P></Q>
<P>At which, a <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> confe&s;&s;ed, &s;he was converted; and becau&s;e it did good to her, de&s;ired it might be preached again at her <HI>Funerall,</HI> that it might do good to others, (&s;aying, they mu&s;t be hewn down, before they can be converted, or builded up) which <HI>Satan</HI> (as he did <HI>Paul</HI>) hindred, which cau&s;ed me the rather to write it out, and &s;end it to the Pre&s;&s;e, becau&s;e the <HI>Enemy</HI> hate it, le&s;t it &s;hould convert more, and en|damage his kingdome, which I have &s;ent foth as <HI>John,</HI> a fore-runner, to make way for a more excellent Work of the coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t to <HI>England;</HI> wherein are &s;hewed the cau&s;es of the &s;word upon <HI>England,</HI> and on the <HI>Lutherans,</HI> and the remedies that mu&s;t be u&s;ed, before the Judgements cea&s;e.</P>
<P>Written by <HI>John Eachard,</HI> M. A. of <HI>Trin. Col. Camb.</HI> and Pa&s;tor of <HI>Dar&s;ham</HI> in <HI>Suffolke.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Matthew 12. 33.</BIBL>
<P>Either make the tree good, and the fruit good; or the tree evill, and the fruit evill.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Rev. 3. 5. &amp; 12.</BIBL>
<P>A white-rayment Chri&s;tian, and a citizen of the new Jeru&s;alem.</P></Q>
<P>Publi&s;hed according to Order.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>Matthew Simmons,</HI> and are to be &s;old by <HI>John Hancock</HI> at his Shop in <HI>Popes-head Alley,</HI> 1646.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
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<HEAD>To all the friends of the <HI>Bridegroom,</HI> the <HI>White-rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> and citizens of the <HI>New Jeru&s;alem.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_DEare and faithfull Brethren, M^r. <HI>Brightman</HI> fore-prophe&s;ied of a Church to ari&s;e, that &s;hould be the <HI>Woman clothed with the Sun,</HI> which &s;hould glitter on every &s;ide round about, with the mo&s;t cleer light of the Scripture, of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, in the doctrine of ju&s;tification (as you may &s;ee, on <HI>Rev.</HI> 19. 17. and chap. 12. 1.) with the cleer knowledge whereof, &s;he being adorned, as it were, with a goodly garment, came forth abroad, and laid her &s;elf open to the view of the world. <HI>And Re&s;t</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>&s;hall be the naturall daughter of the woman, clothed with the Sun,</HI> (meaning a &s;pirituall re&s;t) which are the mo&s;t entire and cha&s;te Congregation of all the re&s;t, (yet no Sect) which above others &s;hine with this glorious aray; And it &s;eemeth, (&s;aith he) that all the chief &s;tre&s;&s;e and violence of the la&s;t battell in the We&s;t, &s;hall be turned again&s;t that holy Congregation, which we &s;aid right now, to &s;tand glittering in the Sun, which are the hill of precious fruits, and the mountain full of holy plea&s;ures, of which God maketh more account then<NOTE PLACE="marg">See 2 <HI>E&s;dr.</HI> 7. 26. 34, 35. See 2 <HI>E&s;dr.</HI> 6. 28.</NOTE> of all delight &s;ome things in the world. Now you white rayment Chri&s;tians, are this <HI>woman, clothed with the Sun;</HI> for you all believe that you are clothed with the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;tand in him before God: Here is an Ax for you; for the ble&s;&s;ing of <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> belongs to you, which he &s;pake to the children of <HI>Jo&s;eph.</HI> Thou art a great people, and ha&s;t great power, therefore the mountain &s;tall be thine, for it is a wood, and thou &s;halt cut it down, and the ends of it &s;hall be thine, and thou &s;halt ca&s;t out the <HI>Canaanites,</HI> though they have iron Chariots, and though they be &s;trong, <HI>J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h</HI> 17. So here are moun|tains of &s;ins, errors and fal&s;e religions, in <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> it is a wood of Sects, Schi&s;mes and Here&s;ies, but thou ha&s;t cut them down, for thou art a great people, and ha&s;t great power (with the Lord in prayer) and <HI>England</HI> &s;hall be thine, and thou &s;halt ca&s;t out the <HI>Canaanites</HI> of &s;in, Idolatry, and fal&s;e Religi|ons, though they have Ordnance of iron, and though they be &s;trong, lay this Ax of the Law to the root of them; and &s;hew them, that now al&s;o eve|ry tree, <HI>i.</HI> Religion, Church, Sect, or man, that bringeth forth &s;in before God, (<HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 1. 16.) is hewn down and ca&s;t into the fire of God wrath, for the wrath of God is now revealed from heaven again&s;t all unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of men, which withhold truth in unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e (<HI>Rom.</HI> 1. 18) for the hour of temptation is come, to try them that are upon the face of the earth, <HI>Rev.</HI> 2. 10. in which friends &s;hall fight with friends, as with enemies, and the earth &s;halll fear with
<PB REF="3">
them, 2 <HI>E&s;dr.</HI> 6. 22. when there &s;hall be &s;een an earth-quake in the world, and an up<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ore of the people, that is, the time wherein the mo&s;t High will begin to<NOTE PLACE="marg">See 2 <HI>E&s;dras</HI> 15 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 6. 14, 15, 16, 17, 8, 19. 22, 23, 24, 26, 26, 37. See 2 <HI>E&s;d</HI> 16. 10, 11. 14, 15. 19. 5. 33. 8. 46.</NOTE> vi&s;it the world which he made, 2 <HI>E&s;dra.</HI> 9. 4. &amp; 3 hard it is for men to keep faith and a good con&s;cience now, yea, the &s;tronge&s;t faith &s;hall finde it difficult. Would not you be glad to be delivered from this hour of temptation? and were it not labour worth the pains, to &s;hew that you &s;hall be delivered? And though all evill trees &s;hall be cut down with the a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the Law; yet that you are good trees of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of his own planting, that God may be glo|ri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ied, and &s;hall be &s;aved? <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 61. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. Come forth, come forth thou Kings daughter, all glorious within, all light in the Lord, the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;hew thy &s;elf to the world, thy garments are of broydered gold, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 45. 13. that is, of the merits of Chri&s;t crucified, death and re&s;urrection, given you freely in your Bapti&s;me into Chri&s;ts death, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, <HI>Rom. 6. 3, 4, Acts</HI> 2. 38. and are made glorious in the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that is ri&s;en upon you, <HI>Mal.</HI> 2. 4. &s;hew your &s;elves to the world, for the &s;tre&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the ba<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ell in the We&s;t (you heare) &s;hall be again&s;t you, but you &s;hall overcome by faith, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5 4. when the ax &s;hall cut down the wicked, yet fear not; you are got into the Sun, and therefore are out of gun-&s;hot for your &s;ouls, yet put on the whole armour of God, <HI>Eph.</HI> 6. 14. and gird up the loynes of your mindes, with the girdle of verity, and put on the bre&s;t-plate of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; and above all, take the &s;hield of faith in your Bapti&s;me, and in the blood of the Lamb, wherewith you may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t of &s;alvation in Chri&s;t, that you are in him that is true, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 20. and the &s;word of the Spirit, the Word of God; and your feet thod with the preparation of the Go&s;pel of peace, that te&s;ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ies of Je&s;us, that came by water&punc; and blood, not by water only, but by water and blood; 'tis the Spirit that bea|reth witne&s;&s;e, and that Spirit is truth, and &s;hall conquer. Therefore &s;tand fa&s;t, and pray, with all manner of pra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er, and &s;upplications, in the Spirit that te&s;ti|fieth of the water and blood of Chri&s;t, for remi&s;&s;ion of your &s;ins, and you &s;hall overcome: For you have a &s;trong city, (of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI>) &s;alvation &s;hall<NOTE PLACE="marg">All that get into this city are &s;afe.</NOTE> God &s;et for wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ls and bulwarks, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 26. 1. open ye the gates of it, <HI>Rev.</HI> 22. 14. that you the righteous nation, that keep the truth, ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> enter in; for by an a&s;|&s;ured purpo&s;e, will Chri&s;t pre&s;erve perfect peace for you, becau&s;e you tru&s;ted in him <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 3 O tru&s;t in the Lord Je&s;us for ever, for in the Lord (our righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>Jer.</HI> 23. 6.) is &s;trength for evermore, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 4. for he will bring down them that dwell on high, that fight again&s;t you, the high city (of <HI>Rome</HI>) will he aba&s;e even unto the ground, and bring it unto the du&s;t, <HI>v.</HI> 5. that your fee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hall tread it down, and all doctrine of infidelity. I call you <HI>White-rayment Chri&s;ti|ans;</HI> if any ask my rea&s;ons, they are the&s;e:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e you are the few names in <HI>Laodicca,</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> (as well as in <HI>Sardis</HI>) that have not defiled your garments, (<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> by a fal&s;e faith, or raigning &s;in) therefore you &s;hall walk with Chri&s;t in <HI>white.</HI> for you are worthy, <HI>Rev</HI> 3. 4.<NOTE PLACE="marg">M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. Mi. Con. M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. Mi. Con.</NOTE></P>
<P>Secondly, who&s;oever overcomes, &s;hall be clo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hed with <HI>white rayment,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 5. but you have overcome, 1 <HI>John 4. 4. Ergo,</HI> you &s;hall be clo|thed with i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, and therefore &s;hall be <HI>white-rayment Chri&s;tians:</HI> for whom&s;oever Chri&s;t &s;aith &s;hall be clothed with <HI>white rayment,</HI> I may truly call a <HI>white-rayment Chri&s;tian;</HI> but you overcommers are they, that Chi&s;t &s;aith &s;hall be clothed with <HI>white rayment, E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">go,</HI> I may truly call you <HI>white-rayment Chri&s;tians.</HI></P>
<P><PB REF="3">Thirdly, who&s;oever have bought of Chri&s;t <HI>white rayment,</HI> that he may be<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma.</NOTE> clothed, that the &s;hame of his nakedne&s;&s;e may not appear, may be called a <HI>white-rayment Chri&s;tian,</HI> becau&s;e he hath bought it, <HI>Rev.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 18. But you are<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mi. Con. Ma. Mi. Con. Ma.</NOTE> they, <HI>Ergo.</HI> Again, who&s;oever watcheth, and keepeth Chri&s;ts garments that are <HI>white,</HI> as (<HI>Rev</HI> 3. 18.) le&s;t hee walk naked, and they &s;ee his &s;hame, is a ble&s;&s;ed <HI>white-rayment Chri&s;tian,</HI> as <HI>Rev.</HI> 16. 15. But you are &s;uch, <HI>Ergo,</HI> you are ble&s;&s;ed <HI>white-rayment Chri&s;tians.</HI></P>
<P>Al&s;o you are citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> for on whom&s;oever Chri&s;t will write upon, <HI>the name of the city of my God,</HI> the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> which cometh down from my God out of heaven, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 12. &s;hall rightly be called a citizen of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> but on you that have overcome, Chri&s;t will write the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mi. Con.</NOTE> name of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem, Rev 3. 12. Ergo,</HI> you &s;hall be called citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI></P>
<P>This was &s;poken to <HI>Philadelphia,</HI> not to us of <HI>Laodicea.</HI> I an&s;wer, what&s;oever<NOTE PLACE="marg">Object.</NOTE> was &s;poken to any one of the &s;even Churches, runs into the la&s;t: for let him that hath an eare, heare what the Spirit &s;aith to the Churches, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. it &s;aith it to you, overcommers in <HI>Laodicea,</HI> in <HI>England,</HI> for, what I &s;ay to you, I &s;ay to all, <HI>Marke</HI> 13. Now concerning the <HI>Philadelphians,</HI> that were admoni&s;hed by Chri&s;t, to hold fa&s;t that they had, that no man take their crown, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 11. I gather the <HI>Philadelphians</HI> being admoni&s;hed, to hold it fa&s;t, &s;hould lo&s;e it, for if man mu&s;t hold fa&s;t a crown, he will lo&s;e it, and that the <HI>La<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d ceans</HI> &s;hould take it from them; for the <HI>white-rayment Chri&s;tians</HI> that have overcome, and taken Chri&s;ts coun&s;ell, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 18. &s;hall take their crown from them, to be called, fir&s;t citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> And you &s;hall take the crown from the <HI>Lutheranes&punc;</HI> (becau&s;e they defiled their garments, and their works were not per|fect before God, <HI>Rev</HI> 3. 2, &amp; 3.) and &s;hall be called fir&s;t <HI>White rayment Chri&s;tians.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, who&s;oever is come to the cele&s;tiall <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and to be citizens<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma. Mi.</NOTE> with the Saints, and of the hou&s;hold of God, are citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem;</HI> but by the blood of Chri&s;t in Bapti&s;me, and by faith, <HI>Eph. 2. 13. Rev.</HI> 1. 5. you are come to the cele&s;tiall <HI>Jeru&s;alem, Heb</HI> 12. 22. and to be citizens with the Saints, and of the hou&s;hold of God, <HI>Ephe&s;. 2. 19. Ergo,</HI> you are citizens of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con.</NOTE> the mew <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> therefore call your &s;elves no more the Church of <HI>England,</HI> or of the <HI>Lu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">herans,</HI> or the like, for they are &s;haken, and &s;hall be removed, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 27. but call your &s;elves <HI>White-rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> and citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> for you &s;ee God calls you &s;o. Now your city is of pure gold, like cleer gla&s;&s;e, <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 18. for your city of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> is built of pure gold, that Chri&s;t hath coun&s;elled you to buy of him, <HI>Rev</HI> 3. 18. which is the lively faith, in the merit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of Chri&s;ts death. in our bapti&s;me, for remi&s;|&s;ion of &s;ins, (<HI>Acts</HI> 2. 38.) in the fir&s;t love of Chri&s;t, (not of &s;uch as have taken a new bapti&s;me, and &s;o for&s;aken their fir&s;t love of Chri&s;t, as the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> did, and therefore the candle&s;tick of the Church was removed out of their place, <HI>Rev.</HI> 2. 5. becau&s;e they tooke a &s;econd bapti&s;me, and for&s;ook their fir&s;t, for which cau&s;e, the Councel of <HI>Nice</HI> made it an Article of their Creed (<HI>I believe one Bapti&s;me, for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins</HI>) and it is like cleer gla&s;&s;e, becau&s;e through this golden gla&s;&s;e of your bapti&s;me, wherein you were wa&s;hed, &s;anctified, and ju&s;tified, in the name of the Lord Je&s;us, and by the Spirit of our God, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. you may &s;ee the face of God through it, what a reconciled,
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mercifull, and loving Father he is to you, that hath &s;ealed a new Covenant to you, to become your father, and you his children, and that your &s;ins and ini|quities &s;hall be remembred no more, <HI>Heb.</HI> 8. 12. and you may &s;ee through this<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 8.</NOTE> gla&s;&s;e of your bapti&s;me, the face of Je&s;us, what a ble&s;&s;ed, meek, and loving Sa|viour he is to you, that hath loved you, and gave him&s;elf for you, (<HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 20.) and wa&s;hed you from your &s;ins, in his own blood, and made you Kings and Prie&s;ts to God his Father, <HI>Ephe&s;. 5. 25. Rev.</HI> 1. 5. and you may &s;ee as in a gla&s;&s;e, (1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 12&punc;) what a ble&s;&s;ed, holy, and &s;weet Comforter you have, that hath wa&s;hed you in the new birth, and the renewing of the holy Gho&s;t, <HI>Titus</HI> 3. 5. And the &s;treet of your city is of pure gold, like to tran&s;parent gla&s;&s;e, <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 21. O walk in this golden &s;treet, for it is tran&s;parent, like per&s;pective gla&s;&s;e; for, as he that hath a good per&s;pective gla&s;&s;e may &s;ee far off, &s;o may you, even your &s;ins, &s;et as far as the Ea&s;t is from the We&s;t, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103. 12. <HI>Peter</HI> com|plaineth<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 9.</NOTE> of many that are blind, and cannot &s;ee far off, becau&s;e they have for|gotten their bapti&s;me, wherein they were wa&s;hed from their old &s;ins; they have forgotten this tran&s;parent gla&s;&s;e. But all you citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI> walk in this golden &s;treet of your bapti&s;me, it is a per&s;pective gla&s;&s;e; and as in a per&s;pective gla&s;&s;e, men look through two gla&s;&s;es, &s;o in this there are two gla&s;&s;es, the fir&s;t is made of the pure river, of the water of life, cleer as Cry&s;tall, which is the pure water of bapti&s;me, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 23. the &s;econd is the blood of the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22. 1.</NOTE> Lamb; both the&s;e meet in one, look through them both together, and anoint your eyes with eye-&s;alve of the Spirit, and you &s;hall &s;ee far off, even into heaven, and behold Chri&s;t to be your wi&s;dome, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;anctification and redemption, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 30. and your ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, happine&s;&s;e, holine&s;&s;e, eter|nall life, everla&s;ting glory, immortality; yea, thou may &s;ee thy name written in heaven: through this golden cleer gla&s;&s;e of thy bapti&s;me, which thou re|ceived&s;t in thine Infancy, and now walk in this golden &s;treet by faith, you may be a&s;&s;ured, and rejoyce, that your names are written in heaven, <HI>Luke</HI> 10. 20. <HI>Que&s;t.</HI> How know you that? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> There be three which beare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Gho&s;t, the&s;e three are one, and beare record in heaven, that he hath given you a new name, <HI>Rev.</HI> 2. 17. in bapti&s;me, for all your names were <HI>Adam</HI> before, <HI>Gen.</HI> 5. 2. but they beare re|cord, that he hath given you a new name and his own new name, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 12. And there be three which bear record in earth, the Spirit, and water, and blood, the&s;e three agree in one, that your names are written in heaven; for to whom|&s;oever<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma. Mi. Con.</NOTE> God hath given eternall life, which life is in his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, his name is written in heaven. But the three in heaven, and the three in earth, do bear witne&s;&s;e, that he hath given you eternall life, 1 <HI>John 5. 7, 8. 11. Ergo,</HI> your names are written in heaven, that believe it on this ground, and you are let into Paradi&s;e again; for though <HI>Adam,</HI> and all his children, were &s;hut out of it, and the Cherubim with a flaming &s;word, which turned every way, to keep the tree of life, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3. which &s;ignifieth this axe of the fiery Law, <HI>Deut.</HI> 33. 2&punc;<NOTE PLACE="marg">See 2 <HI>E&s;dra</HI> 8. 52, 53, 54, to 63.</NOTE> given by Angels (<HI>Acts&punc;</HI> 7. 53.) keepeth every man from the Paradi&s;e, of a&s;&s;u|rance of &s;alvation; for this axe of the Law cuts men off, and &s;huts them out, every way, for originall or actuall &s;ins, mans merits, or humane righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; who&s;oever hath but one &s;in is cut down by the Law. But by your bapti&s;me in|to Chri&s;t, you are let into Paradi&s;e again, and have now right and title by
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your bapti&s;me, and by faith, to eat of all the trees in the garden, <HI>i.</HI> title to all things to be yours, and you are Chri&s;ts, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. And you may eate of the tree of life in the mid&s;t of the Paradi&s;e of God, <HI>Rev.</HI> 2. 7. that is, of Chri&s;t in the Supper, and be more &s;ure of eternall life, then the tree of life could have made <HI>Adam,</HI> and &s;hall be kept in the Paradi&s;e of Gods protection: For thus &s;aith the Lord, <HI>Becau&s;e you have kept the word of my patience, I will deli|ver thee from the hour of temptation, that is come upon all the world, to try them that are upon the face of the earth,</HI> Rev. 3. 10. Now, what is the word of Chri&s;ts patience, but the faith of bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t crucified, for the remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;ins? for the word of Chri&s;ts patience, is the faith in Chri&s;t crucified, which <HI>Paul</HI> de&s;ired only to know, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. Now what is a man the better, to<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2. 2.</NOTE> &s;ay, I believe Chri&s;t was crucified, dead and buried, except he keep the faith of it for remi&s;&s;ion of his &s;ins? for the devills believe &s;o much. But the word of Chri&s;ts patience, which you keep, is this, that you &s;ay, and believe, that I am in him that is true, in that his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 20. in whom I am crucified, and dead, and buried, and ri&s;en again with Chri&s;t in my bapti&s;me, into Chri&s;ts death, for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and have put on Chri&s;t, <HI>Rom. 6. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, 4 Col. 2. 12. Gal.</HI> 3. 27. That Church that keeps the word of Chri&s;ts patience, <HI>i.</HI> faith in their bapti&s;me into Chri&s;ts death, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins (though they knew not what Chri&s;t did for them, when he wa&s;hed them, as he told <HI>Peter, John</HI> 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. but know it afterward) &s;hall be delivered from this houre of temptation; but all other religious plants, which my heavenly Fa|ther hath not planted, &s;hall be rooted out. The axe of the Law cuts them off, for one &s;in before God; but he that is holy, and true (&s;aith) <HI>be that believeth and is baptized, &s;hall be &s;aved,</HI> Mark 16. 16. (that is, he that believeth one bap|ti&s;me into Chri&s;t, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, &s;hall be &s;aved) but he that believeth not his one bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t for remi&s;&s;ion of his &s;ins, &s;hall be damned, as <HI>Heathens, Turks, Jews, Witches and Apo&s;tates,</HI> that have denied it: For this<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nicen <HI>Creed.</HI> Athana&s;ius.</NOTE> is the Catholike faith, <HI>I believe one Bapti&s;me for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins,</HI> which ex|cept a man believe faithfully, he cannot be &s;aved, the axe cut them off. Now when men have lo&s;t this Paradi&s;e, then they mu&s;t go till the earth, full of fal&s;e religions, all &s;erve an angry God. The <HI>Heathen</HI> run to <HI>Jupiter,</HI> the <HI>Turks</HI> to <HI>Mahumet,</HI> the <HI>Jewes</HI> to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> ceremonies, the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> to <HI>Saints,</HI> to <HI>Pilgrimage,</HI> a <HI>wilderne&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>Purgatory:</HI> Lo, here is Chri&s;t, &s;ay the <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> in the <HI>Popes</HI> chaire, and pardon: Lo, here is Chri&s;t, &s;ay the <HI>Luberans,</HI> in con&s;ub&s;tantiation; and lo, here is Chri&s;t, &s;ay the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> in our new Jordan, and yet it carries them into the lake <HI>A&s;phaltes, mare mortuum,</HI> the dead &s;ea, for he that de|nieth his fir&s;t bapti&s;me, to take a &s;econd, it is a dead and damnable &s;in, as <HI>Heb.</HI> 6. 4, 5, 6. and <HI>Heb</HI> 10. 29. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">5. 38. Lo, there, &s;ay all &s;ects, in our Church way, and yet never a one of them have a&s;&s;urance of &s;alvation, becau&s;e they have not faith in one bapti&s;me, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, for no man can have the knowledge of &s;alvation, but by the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, as <HI>Luke</HI> 1. 77. Well, you &s;ee the houre of temptation is come, a flood of judgements flow upon earth for &s;in. Here is an axe for you, to cut down &s;in, and an ark for you <HI>white-rayment Chri|&s;tians,</HI> and citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> namely, the ark of our bapti&s;me in|to Chri&s;ts death, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins. It hath been building in <HI>England</HI> about an hundred yeeres, you only have God &s;een righteous in this generation, an
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end of all fal&s;e religions is come, and God will de&s;troy them with the earthly men: Enter you, your wives, and your children, into the faith of this Ark,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.</NOTE> but leave not your children out of this Ark, nor take a new one; for that is cur&s;ed, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 8, 9. For, as the Ark &s;aved <HI>Noah,</HI> &s;o <GAP DESC="foreign">, the &s;ame Antitype which now &s;aveth us, Bapti&s;me, (the tran&s;lators were to blame, to call it a figure, for there is as much difference between a figure and an anti|type, as between the brazen Serpent and Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 21.) meaning of the inward Bapti&s;me. Now, as you know many before the flood might come into the A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k, and look upon it, and yet, becau&s;e they did not abide in it, they all peri&s;hed: So now a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lood of Gods judgements are come in this hour of tem|ptation, and many people have &s;een bapti&s;me, and been within it &s;acramentally, but all that do not &s;tay in it by faith, &s;hall peri&s;h. Therefore little children, abide in him (that were &s;hut or graffed into him by one bapti&s;me) that when he &s;hall appeare, we may be bold, (1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 2 28.) for behold, Chri&s;t &s;tandeth at the dore, and knocks, in <HI>Laodicca</HI> in <HI>England</HI> (and he will not leave knock|ing with judgements, till they take his coun&s;ell, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 18.) if any man will heare my voyce, (&s;aith he) and open the dore, I will come in to him, and &s;up with him, and he with me. You &s;ee Chri&s;t raps loud with the &s;word and cannons, and he will knock with an earth-quake, and with pe&s;tilence, <HI>Luke</HI> 21. 11. In <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> where are Saints, with the &s;word and pe&s;tilence, but in <HI>Ireland,</HI> where are mo&s;t Idolaters, with &s;word and famine: rea&s;ons I give in a book to come out, in Chri&s;ts knock at the dores of <HI>England.</HI> Now, is it not good letting of Chri&s;t in to &s;up with us, and we with him, when hee knocks, and calls to us to take his coun&s;el? to buy of him gold to make us rich, in the lively faith of the merits of Chri&s;ts death, in bapti&s;me, for a perfect re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, (for he likes not this lukewarm, lame remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins to halfes, which many profe&s;&s;e) and white-rayment ju&s;tification to cloath us, that the &s;hame of our nakedne&s;&s;e may not appeare, and eye-&s;alve of the Spi|rit that takes of Je&s;us, water and blood, to witne&s;&s;e to your &s;pirits, you are the children of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 17. that thou may&s;t &s;ee, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 18. Chri&s;t will not leave rebuking, and cha&s;ti&s;ing <HI>England,</HI> and knocking, till they heare, and let him in. Now therefore, let the loynes (of your minds) be girt about (with verity) and your lamps (of faith) burning, <HI>Luke</HI> 12. 35. and ye your &s;elves, like men that wait for their Ma&s;ter, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately: Ble&s;&s;ed are tho&s;e &s;ervants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, &s;hall find wa|king, <HI>i.</HI> in the wedding garment; Verily I &s;ay unto you, he will gird him|&s;elf about, and will make them &s;it down at table, and will come forth, and &s;erve them; and if he come at the &s;econd watch, or in the third watch, and find them &s;o, ble&s;&s;ed are tho&s;e &s;ervants, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 36, 37. Now, you ble&s;&s;ed <HI>White-rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> under&s;tand, that Chri&s;t our Ma&s;ter, is now return|ing from the wedding; for I believe not any more Churches of the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> (before the marriage of the Lamb, to the <HI>Iews</HI>) &s;hall be called, and the third watch is come, and the dawning of the day of the <HI>Iews</HI> is at hand, and our Ma&s;ter now knocketh, the dinner of the wedding of the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> hath la&s;ted about 1623. for the marriage of the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> was called a dinner, <HI>Mat.</HI> 22. 4. and the marriage dinner was furni&s;hed with gue&s;ts of good and bad, for all had
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not a wedding garment, and therefore bad. Now, as noble Bridegrooms often times will bid a multitude to dinner, but none but his &s;peciall friends are bid|den to &s;upper; So Chri&s;t, the mo&s;t noble Bridegroom, hath bidden &s;even Churche<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the <HI>Gentiles</HI> to the dinner of the marriage, and now he is return|ing from the wedding of the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> and he knocks and calls, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 20.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 20.</NOTE> Ble&s;&s;ed are you that let him in immediately, for he calls for you, his friends, the <HI>White rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> to come to &s;upper. Give me leave to &s;hew you, the friends of the Bridegroom, why Chri&s;t now knocks, and calls in <HI>England;</HI> it is to call you to &s;upper, all that were bidden to the wedding-dinner: were not ble&s;&s;ed: But now (he &s;aith) write, Ble&s;&s;ed are they that are bidden to the marriage &s;upper of the Lamb; the&s;e are the true &s;ayings of God, <HI>Rev.</HI> 19. 9. The wedding-dinner is pa&s;t, and Chri&s;t is returning from the wedding, as <HI>Luke</HI> 12. 36. and behold, he &s;tandeth at the dore, and knocks in <HI>England,</HI> with the &s;word and pe&s;tilence, let him in; for it &s;eems, &s;ome have not let him yet; &s;ay, it is the voyce of my well beloved that knocks, &s;aying, <HI>Open to me, my &s;i&s;ter, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for mine head is full of dew, and my locks with the drops of the night,</HI> Cant. 5. 2. for men that are let in, u&s;e not to knock, but tho&s;e that are &s;hut out. Chri&s;t is about to marry his wife, of the <HI>Iewes,</HI> that &s;hall make her &s;elf ready by bapti&s;me and faith, and he will grant to her to be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure, <GAP DESC="foreign">, the ju&s;tifications of the Saints, <HI>Rev.</HI> 19. 8. And now Chri&s;t knocks at the dore in <HI>England.</HI> to call his friends, to go with him to the marriage-&s;upper, with his wife, and will begin his &s;upper in <HI>England,</HI> he will &s;up with them, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 20. The mo&s;t rare&s;t junkets are kept for the marriage-&s;upper. Now therefore heark; hee &s;ayes, I will &s;up with him (that lets me in) and he with me; &s;ee how <HI>E&s;dras</HI> prophe&s;ied of you, 2 <HI>E&s;dras 2. 38. Ari&s;e and &s;tand up, and behold the number of tho&s;e that are &s;ealed for the fea&s;t of the Lord, which are departed from the &s;hadow of the world, and have received glorious garments of the Lord: Take thy number, O</HI> Sion, <HI>and &s;hut up them that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the Law of the Lord.</HI> Here you &s;ee, he prophe&s;ied of you <HI>White-rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> &s;ealed for the fea&s;t, as Chri&s;t doth, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 4. &amp; 18. &amp; 16. 15. Now therefore all you, that have put on Chri&s;t in infant-bapti&s;me, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 27. and made your long robes white in the blood of the Lamb, as my Sermon <HI>of the blood of the Lamb</HI> declares, pre|pare a &s;upper for Chri&s;t; the cheere mu&s;t be prepared of hearts, <HI>My &s;on, give me thy heart,</HI> and it mu&s;t be broken, and contrite, for he loves no &s;tones that will not break, for the &s;acrifices of God are a broken &s;pirit, <HI>A br<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ken and a centrite heart, O God, thou wilt not de&s;pi&s;e,</HI> P&s;al. 51. 17. Secondly, the&s;e hearts mu&s;t be &s;erved in at your &s;upper, in gold, that he coun&s;elleth you to buy of him, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 18. which is the lively faith in the merits of Chri&s;ts death, in one bapti&s;me, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins; for thus <HI>Peter</HI> &s;erved in three thou&s;and hearts that were pricked by the Law, in bapti&s;me, in the name of the Lord Je&s;us, for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, <HI>Acts</HI> 2. 38. Thirdly, you mu&s;t &s;erve it in, in the white-rayment ju&s;tification, wherein no &s;hame of nakedne&s;&s;e do appeare, for Chri&s;t cannot endure &s;in. Fourthly, you mu&s;t buy eye-&s;alve, of the Holy Gho&s;t, to anoint your eyes, that you may&punc; &s;ee, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 18. For Chri&s;t will not &s;up with blind &s;inners. Fifthly, the marriage-chamber mu&s;t be paved with the
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love of the daughters of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> Cant. 3. 10. <HI>i.</HI> with love to all the citizens of the new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and now invite him, &s;aying, <HI>Ari&s;e thou North-wind, and come thou South, and blow upon my garden, that the &s;pices thereof may flow out; let my well beloved come into his garden, and eat of his plea&s;ant fruits,</HI> Cant. 4. Now Chri&s;t hath prepared a &s;upper for you; for thus he &s;aith, <HI>I am come into my garden, my &s;i&s;ter, my &s;pou&s;e, I have gathered my myrrbe, with my &s;pice, I have eaten mine honey comb, with mine honey, I have drunk my wine, with my milke, eat, O friends, drink and make you merry, O well beloved,</HI> (Cant. 5. 1.) for the fir&s;t di&s;h that you &s;hall have at my &s;upper, &s;aith Chri&s;t, is <HI>the tree of life;</HI> for, <HI>to him that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">vercometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life in the mid&s;t of the Paradi&s;e of God,</HI> Rev. 2. 7. Eat of Chri&s;t therefore, the tree of life, at &s;upper, and drink his blood, and make you merry. Secondly, you that are faithfull, &s;hall have a crown of life, and not be hurt of the &s;econd death, <HI>Rev</HI> 2. 10, 11. Thirdly; you &s;hall have the hidden Manna, this is good cheere indeed, Eat, O friends, and make you merry, for you &s;hall have a white &s;tone, with a new name writ|ten, that no man knoweth, &s;ave he that receiveth it, (yea, no man can under|&s;tand the&s;e things that I write, but he that hath the white &s;tone,) Fourthly, you that are bidden to the marriage-&s;upper, &s;hall be a conquering people; for you &s;hall have power over nations, and rule them with a rod of iron, and break them in pieces like a Potters ve&s;&s;ell, and &s;hall have the morning Star, which is Je&s;us, the root and the generation of <HI>David,</HI> to be your light, <HI>Rev.</HI> 22. 16. and <HI>Rev</HI> 2. 26. Fifthly, be merry, for you you &s;hall be clothed with <HI>white-rayment,</HI> and he will not blot out your names out of the book of life, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 5. True faith in the <HI>White-rayment,</HI> is an argument, your names are written in the book of life. Sixthly, be merry in the Lord, for he will make you a pillar in the Temple of God, and you &s;hall go no more out; and I will write upon you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> which cometh down from my God, out of heaven, and my new name, the new Chri&s;tian, a new creature, <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 16. Seventhly, be merry, for you &s;hall fit with Chri&s;t in his Throne, as he overcame, and fit with the Father in his Throne, <HI>Rev</HI> 3. 21. Eat therefore, O friends, drink and make you merry, O well beloved, much good do it you at this &s;upper. You &s;ee therefore, that all the promi&s;es of the &s;even Churches, run into the la&s;t, which is ours, and to the &s;upper of the Lamb. Therefore you &s;ee, that the mo&s;t conquering and raigning Church that ever aro&s;e in Chri&s;tendome, is now ari&s;ing in <HI>England;</HI> for you <HI>White|rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> &s;hall &s;it with Chri&s;t in his Throne, therefore you &s;hall raigne: For Chri&s;t hath loved you, and wa&s;hed you from your &s;ins, in his own blood, and made you Kings and Prie&s;ts, to God his Father, and you &s;hall raign on earth, (<HI>Rev.</HI> 5. 10.) for Chri&s;t will be clothed in a garment dipt in blood &s;hortly, if he be not already, and you the ho&s;ts of heaven, &s;hall follow him on white hor&s;es, for you are clothed in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ine linen, white and pure, <HI>Rev.</HI> 19. 13, 14. There be many religions now in <HI>England,</HI> and maay m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e, which &s;hall prevail; &s;ome &s;ay the <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> &s;ome the <HI>Prelate,</HI> &s;ome the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> &s;ome &s;ay the <HI>Browni&s;ts,</HI> and every &s;ect now think to prevail; but I &s;ay the <HI>White|rayment Chri&s;tians</HI> are the <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God, that have not defiled their garments, and they &s;hall walk with Chri&s;t in white, for they are worthy, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 4. Peace
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be upon that <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God, <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 16. for they &s;hall fit with Chri&s;t in his Throne, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 21. And therefore, becau&s;e you can &s;ing the &s;ong of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and of the Lamb, <HI>Rev.</HI> 15. 2. therefore I &s;et <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> ble&s;&s;ing upon you, <HI>Deut.</HI> 33. Ble&s;&s;ed are thou, O <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> who is like unto thee? O people, &s;aved by the Lord, the &s;hield of thy help, and the &s;word of thy glory; therefore thine ene|mies &s;hall be in &s;ubjection unto thee, and thou &s;halt tread upon their high places. Chri&s;t is now &s;haking the heavens of the Churches, and the earth of the <HI>Heathen</HI> now; and &s;haking of the Churches, &s;heweth the removing of tho&s;e things that are &s;haken, that the things which are not &s;haken, may remain, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 26. But the Churches of the <HI>Lutherans</HI> and of <HI>England</HI> are now &s;haken, by a civill war, they are Churches divided again&s;t them&s;elves, <HI>Ergo,</HI> they mu&s;t not &s;tand, but come to nought, as Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Mat.</HI> 12. 25. and <HI>Rome</HI> &s;hall be &s;haken too, and come to de&s;truction, <HI>Ergo,</HI> they &s;hall be removed from be|ing Churches, that the things which are not &s;haken may remain, and that is the Church of the <HI>White-rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> and citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> which &s;hall remain; for we receive the Kingdome which cannot be &s;haken, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 28. and are the pillars in the Temple of God, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 12. Therefore leave your wrangling for a Di&s;cipline, and heare Chri&s;ts voyce, for behold, he knocketh, and will never leave rapping, untill you take his coun&s;ell in <HI>Eng|land,</HI> to buy gold, white-rayment and eye-&s;alve: mark, he knocks to be let in for doctrine, for &s;carce one of a thou&s;and have bought the&s;e three: &s;ay with the <HI>White-rayment Chri&s;tians,</HI> Thou &s;halt guide me by thy coun&s;ell, and after re|ceive me to a glorious Throne, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 73. 24. and city, for they &s;hall enter in|to the gates of the city, and have right to the tree of life, <HI>R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">v</HI> 22. 14. And now, deare friends, I have &s;et before you in this Book, and in that of <HI>the blood of the Lamb,</HI> as it were, the two &s;ides of <HI>Jacobs</HI> ladder, who&s;e foot was on earth, but the top reached to Heaven, and the Angels of heaven a&s;cended, and de|&s;cended upon it, <HI>Gen.</HI> 28. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">. The two &s;ides of this ladder on earth, are <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> and <HI>the blood of the Lamb,</HI> though the foot of it be on earth, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. in vi&s;ible &s;ignes, yet the top of it reacheth to heaven, for we are baptized into Chri&s;t in heaven, and by faith feed upon Chri&s;t, and are &s;prinkled with Chri&s;ts blood in heaven: The Angels of heaven will a&s;cend, and de&s;cend for your protection <HI>Heb.</HI> 1. You friends of the <HI>Bridegroom,</HI> and children of the marriage|chamber, that are clothed in white-raiment; make much of this ladder, for though the foot of it be on earth, in water and blood, yet it reacheth unto heaven, unto Je&s;us that came by water and blood, to &s;end Angels down to you upon it: they that have no faith in their bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, and in the blood of the Lamb, cannot tell, whether the Angels of God de&s;cend or a&s;cend for their protection, as <HI>Heathens, Jews, Turks, Devils, Witches, Papi&s;ts,</HI> and all unbe|lievers. I have writ a little book of <HI>Good news for &s;ouldiers,</HI> or, <HI>the way to overcome the Devill, by the blood of the Lamb:</HI> I finde by <HI>Luke</HI> 21. 11. there is<NOTE PLACE="marg">See 2 <HI>E&s;dras</HI> 13. 31.</NOTE> an earthquake, pe&s;tilence and famine coming; for thus &s;aith my Lord, and my God, When ye heare of wars, and &s;editions, that nation ri&s;e again&s;t nation, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma.</NOTE> kingdome again&s;t kingdome, there &s;hall be great earthquakes, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>i.</HI> in, according to, or through tho&s;e places, and famine, and pe&s;tilence, <HI>Luke 21. 11. Mark</HI> 13. 8. the&s;e are the beginnings of &s;orrows. But in <HI>England, Scot|land</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mi.</NOTE>
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and <HI>Ireland,</HI> we heare of wars and &s;editions, that nation ri&s;e again&s;t na|tion, and kingdome again&s;t kingdome. <HI>Ergo,</HI> there &s;hall be great earth-quakes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>i.</HI> in, according to, or through tho&s;e places, and famine and pe&s;ti|lence, the&s;e are the beginnings of &s;orrows; of which I have writ more fully in the <HI>Coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t to</HI> England. Now, as <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> when a pe&s;tilence was comming, coun&s;elled the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> a way to e&s;cape the de&s;troying Angel, by &s;prinking the blood of a Lamb, upon the two dore-po&s;ts, and the upper dore|po&s;t of their hou&s;es, that when God &s;aw the blood, he &s;aid, he would pa&s;&s;e over them, and the plague &s;hall not be upon you, to de&s;truction; &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> coun&s;ell you, the <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God, buy one of them books, for every hou&s;e, and &s;prinkle the faith of the blood of the Lamb upon your two dore-po&s;ts of your bodies and &s;oules, and the upper dore-po&s;t of your &s;pirits, that when the de&s;troying pe&s;ti|lence &s;hall come, God may &s;ee the blood of the Lamb upon your con&s;ciences, he may cau&s;e it to pa&s;&s;e over your hou&s;es, where the <HI>I&s;raelite</HI> of a good con|&s;cience is within; and what&s;oever comes to your bodies, yet your &s;ouls &s;hall be &s;afe: for as the Angels of heaven went up and down on <HI>Jacobs</HI> ladder, &s;o they &s;hall a&s;cend, and de&s;cend for your protection, that believe your bodies were wa&s;hed with pure water in Bapti&s;me, and your hearts &s;prinkled from an evill con&s;cience, by the blood of the Lamb, you may keep your profe&s;&s;ion with|out wavering, (of deliverance) <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 22, 23. For he that dwelleth in this &s;ecret of the Lord, &s;hall abide under the &s;hadow of the Almighty, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 91. 1. and he &s;hall give his Angels a charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy wayes, to beare thee in their arms, that thou da&s;h not thy foot again&s;t a &s;tone, <HI>v.</HI> 11. and peace &s;hall be upon them, that walk according to this rule (of a new crea|ture) and upon the <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God, <HI>Gal</HI> 6. 16.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine in the Lord Je&s;us,
<HI>JOHN EACHARD.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
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<HEAD>JUDGEMENT Denounced again&s;t Unfruitfulne&s;&s;e in grace.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>MATTHEVV 3. 10.</BIBL>
<Q><P>And now al&s;o is the ax put to the root of the tree, therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewne down, and ca&s;t into the fire.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><HI>_IOHN</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> the forerunner of Chri&s;t, was prophe&s;ied of, by two famous Prophets, <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> and <HI>Malachi:</HI> For, this is he of whom it is &s;poken by the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>The voyce</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;aiah 40.</NOTE> <HI>of him that cryeth in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths &s;treight:</HI> And <HI>Malachi</HI> calleth him the Prophet <HI>Eliah,</HI> that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;hould turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and of the children to their fathers. He exhorteth them&punc; to prepare a way<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prepare away in their hearts, Joh. 1. 12. As Kings.</NOTE> (in their hearts) for Chri&s;t, that they may receive him; for &s;o ma|ny as receive him, he gives them prerogative to become the &s;ons of God: That as Princes and great Kings have forerunners, that prepare their wayes, and foretell of a kings coming, to prepare him lodging; &s;o did <HI>John</HI> prepare the way for the Lord, by &s;hewing their lo&s;t, mi&s;erable, and cur&s;ed condition by &s;in. The Vallies are<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vallies.</NOTE> exalted, when men e&s;cape out of the mire of &s;in, and go to Chri&s;t: the Mountains and Hils are brought low, when men ca&s;t away all pride of their own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and tru&s;t in their merits, and imbrace Chri&s;ts; and then crooked things are made &s;treight, when
<PB N="2" REF="8">
men ca&s;t away hypocri&s;ie and &s;imulation, and receive the Go&s;pel &s;incerely. <HI>And he &s;hall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">He &s;hall turn the hearts as <HI>Elias</HI> did.</NOTE> <HI>i.</HI> as <HI>Elias</HI> did, when there was &s;uch a di&s;&s;ention in Religion, that &s;ome fathers were for <HI>Baal,</HI> and the children for God; &s;o on the contrary; But <HI>Elias</HI> brought them all to acknowledge the true God: So <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t</HI> &s;eeing the di&s;&s;ention of &s;o many &s;ects, the fathers <HI>Sadduces,</HI> and the children <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> or <HI>E&s;&s;es,</HI> he by a<NOTE PLACE="marg">He thundred out the Law.</NOTE> divine zeal, thundring out the Law, did convince them all of &s;in, that they were great and damnable &s;inners, and needed to be bap|tized, and confe&s;&s;ed their &s;ins, and were baptized in <HI>Jordan,</HI> and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Was a poin|ter.</NOTE> was a true pointer, for he pointed out Je&s;us Chri&s;t to be the Lamb of God, that taketh away the &s;ins of the world, that men &s;hould receive him; and this he was fore-prophe&s;ied he &s;hould do, le&s;t the Lord &s;hould &s;mite the earth with cur&s;ing, (<HI>i.</HI>) to bring a de&s;tructi|on<NOTE PLACE="marg">Le&s;t he &s;mile with a cur&s;e.</NOTE> upon the whole land for their di&s;&s;ention; for when one part of a Common-wealth oppo&s;eth another, <HI>Ip&s;a Salus non pote&s;t talem Rempublicam con&s;ervare,</HI> Salvation it &s;elf cannot pre&s;erve &s;uch a kingdome, for, a kingdome divided cannot &s;tand. God hath &s;mit|ten our land with this cur&s;ing, that the hearts of the fathers were not towards the children, nor the hearts of the children towards their fathers in the true Religion. Fathers are for an Epi&s;copacie, and children for another way; fathers for one &s;ect, and children for another, none of both for Chri&s;t. O that the Lord would<NOTE PLACE="marg">Oh that the Lord would rai&s;e &s;uch an|other.</NOTE> rai&s;e up &s;ome prophet, or <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> that might thunder out the Law and Judgments of God again&s;t all the &s;ects and divi&s;i|ons, both of Cavilleers, and all others, to &s;hew them they are all cur|&s;ed and damnable &s;inners, the be&s;t of all but luke-warm Go&s;pellers, and therefore wretched and mi&s;erable, and poor, and blind, and na|ked, that they may &s;eek the remedie in Chri&s;t for their &s;ins, and buy of him gold tried in the fire, that they may be rich, which is the live|ly faith in the merits of Chri&s;ts death received in bapti&s;me, which<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 18.</NOTE> makes men rich members of Chri&s;t, children of God, and inheri|tors of the kingdome of Heaven, which would make them leave fighting, if they did believe it; and white rayment, that their filthy nakedne&s;&s;e might not appear; they would then leave &s;tripping one another of their garments; and eye-&s;alve, that they might &s;ee how the Papi&s;ts &s;et them together by the eares, and laugh at them, when they kill one another, they would then leave fightinng one with
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another, and both &s;ides fight only again&s;t them, for murthering of their brethren in <HI>Ireland.</HI></P>
<P>Now Chri&s;ts te&s;timony of <HI>John</HI> was this: that he was that <HI>Elias</HI> that was to come, and is come already and they knew him not, but have done to him what&s;oever they would, <HI>Mat. 17. 12. (i.)</HI> many<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 17. 12.</NOTE> of the <HI>Jews</HI> knew not the Maje&s;ty and office of <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> but &s;aid he had a devill. <HI>Herod</HI> added this to his &s;ins, that he ca&s;t <HI>John</HI> into pri&s;on, and beheaded him; his birth was foretold by an Angel, which appeared at the right hand of the Altar of incen&s;e, &s;aying, <HI>Fear not</HI> Zacharias, <HI>for thy prayer is beard,</HI> (&s;ignifying, that he had prayed for a &s;on) <HI>for thy wife</HI> Elizabeth <HI>&s;hall bear thee a &s;on, and thou &s;halt call his name</HI> John, which &s;ignifies the grace of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI> &s;ignifies the grace of God, there|fore &s;hould be a Preacher of free Grace.</NOTE> &s;ignifying he &s;hould be a Preacher of the free grace of God to wretched &s;inners, pointing with the finger at the Lamb of God, for who&s;e &s;ake we are received into free grace and favour of God: <HI>And thou &s;halt have joy and gladne&s;&s;e, and many &s;hal rejoyce at his birth,</HI> becau&s;e he &s;hall have a new birth; for parents may have great joy<NOTE PLACE="marg">Great, for he &s;hall be a <HI>Bapti&s;t.</HI></NOTE> and gladne&s;&s;e at the new birth of their children: <HI>for he &s;hall be great before the Lord,</HI> although the wicked world &s;hall contemne him, and &s;ay he hath a devil, yet he &s;hall be great, for he &s;hall be a <HI>Bapti&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>They are the greate&s;t before the Lord, that preach mo&s;t &s;ound|ly of Bapti&s;me; <HI>Paul</HI> the greate&s;t of the Apo&s;tles, preached mo&s;t of Bapti&s;me, <HI>Luther</HI> was famous for Bapti&s;me; and <HI>Calvin,</HI> the fourth Angel; and name any that ever was famous in the Church, that was not &s;ound in the faith of his bapti&s;me; for no <HI>Anabapti&s;t,</HI> nor any other &s;hall be great before the Lord in his Church, which is not &s;ound in that point, that do not thunder out the Law to<NOTE PLACE="marg">Filled with the Holy Gho&s;t from the womb.</NOTE> men that may drive them to the faith of their Bapti&s;me in Infan|cie. <HI>He &s;hall be filled with the Holy Gho&s;t from his mothers womb,</HI> which is not &s;o to be under&s;tood, that all the elect do now receive the Holy Gho&s;t in their mothers womb, but that all the elect &s;hould re|ceive the Holy Gho&s;t in their mothers womb of the Church, which is bapti&s;me in their Infancie; when their godly parents, <HI>i.</HI> all the true Church, pray for the holy Spirit to be given to their Infants.<NOTE PLACE="marg">As <HI>Peter</HI> told the <HI>Iews,</HI> Be baptized eve|ry one in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;in, and ye &s;hall receive the gift of the Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>Acts</HI> 2. 38.</NOTE> For why &s;hould not the Lord give his holy Spirit to Infants at bap|ti&s;me, as well as to <HI>John?</HI> And as <HI>Peter</HI> told the <HI>Jews, Be baptized, and ye &s;hall receive the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI> He &s;hall drink neither wine, nor
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&s;trong drink, (<HI>i.</HI>) he &s;hall be no drunken Mini&s;ter: the Holy Gho&s;t &s;hall teach him &s;obriety. <HI>And he &s;hall convert many of the children of I&s;rael unto the Lord God.</HI> The <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> and all that preach mo&s;t &s;oundly of Bapti&s;me, convert mo&s;t to Chri&s;t. I have ob&s;erved that tho&s;e men, and that tho&s;e Mini&s;ters, that have preached the Law, and Bapti&s;me mo&s;t &s;oundly among&s;t men, have converted mo&s;t, and the rea&s;on, why &s;o few are converted in the&s;e dayes, be|cau&s;e few preach the Law cleerly, in the &s;pirituall breach, and Bap|ti&s;me, as <HI>Luther</HI> prophe&s;ied Bapti&s;me after his time, would be lo&s;t; &s;o there be few preach Bapti&s;me cleerly to make the tree good, and the fruit good, for the tree is evill, and the fruit evill by <HI>Adam.</HI> And here is the rule to know all Sermons to be good or bad, by<NOTE PLACE="marg">The rule to know all Ser|mons by.</NOTE> converting, or not: if they make the tree good, and the fruit good, or the tree evill, and the fruit evill, as it is Chri&s;ts own rule, <HI>Mat.</HI> 12. 33. This is the fir&s;t main ground of a faithfull Mini&s;ter, to prove all his Doctrine and Sermons by, if he mi&s;&s;e this ground, he ca&s;t out his net on the wrong &s;ide, and catch no fi&s;h, convert no &s;ouls, though he labour all his life. This is the right &s;ide that Chri&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Make the tree good, and the fruit good, or the tree evill, and the fruit evill.</NOTE> bad <HI>Peter</HI> ca&s;t out the net on, (<HI>i.</HI>) the net of the Go&s;pel, to make the tree good, and the fruit good, or the tree evill, and the fruit evill; and this is the rea&s;on, why hearers get no a&s;&s;urance of &s;al|vation, becau&s;e they do follow &s;uch Preachers, that make neither the tree good, nor the fruit good, nor the tree evill, nor the fruit evill, but partly good, and partly bad: We mu&s;t do &s;omething to make our &s;elves good before God, which is the greate&s;t abomina|tion<NOTE PLACE="marg">The abomi|nation of An|tichri&s;t.</NOTE> that <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> can &s;et up again&s;t God, to affirm that we can make our &s;elves righteous in whole or in part, as the Homily of our Church, for then Chri&s;t died in vain.</P>
<P>Now, &s;eeing <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t</HI> was fore-prophe&s;ied of by &s;o ma|ny<NOTE PLACE="marg">Seing that there is &s;uch a te&s;timony of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t.</HI></NOTE> Prophets, and by &s;o many Apo&s;tles, and by Chri&s;t him&s;elf, that a greater then <HI>John</HI> have not &s;prung up among them, that have been born of women; that he was a burning and a &s;hining candle, and thus te&s;tified by an Angel from heaven; Let us believe his bapti&s;me was from Heaven; let us know that tho&s;e that are <HI>Bapti&s;ts,</HI> that preach mo&s;t of Bapti&s;me, their doctrine is mo&s;t heavenly, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Let us be <HI>Bapti&s;ts.</HI></NOTE> they &s;hall convert&punc; mo&s;t to the Lord; for they point mo&s;t to the Lamb of God, that hath taken away the &s;ins of the world, who drew all his obedient hearers by preaching the Law, from the
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&s;undry &s;orts of &s;ects; 1. to Bapti&s;me, and then &s;hewed them Chri&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">He drew all &s;ects, 1. to bap|tizing, then to Chri&s;t.</NOTE> the Lamb of God, that took away the &s;ins of the world. Wherefore hearken to this <HI>Elias;</HI> Repent, and receive Chri&s;t, the Lamb of God by Bapti&s;me, to take away your &s;ins; for &s;o many as received him, to them he hath given prerogative to become the &s;ons of God, &s;o many as believe in his name, which are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the fle&s;h, nor of the will of man, but of God: So he that would draw all the &s;ects and divi&s;ions of <HI>England</HI> into one, he mu&s;t fir&s;t thunder out the Law, and &s;hew how cur&s;ed they are, all be|cau&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">He that gathe|reth not into Chri&s;ts bap|ti&s;me, &s;cat|tereth. The cau&s;e of all the &s;ects and divi&s;ions of <HI>England,</HI> for when men have lo&s;t bap|ti&s;me, then to work for re|mi&s;&s;ion of their righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</NOTE> they have not taken Chri&s;ts coun&s;ell, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 18. Then he mu&s;t bring them to the faith of their Bapti&s;me, he mu&s;t teach them there is one God, one Faith, one Bapti&s;me, and he that does not gather with <HI>John</HI> and Chri&s;t too, into Bapti&s;me, &s;catter; and here is the cau&s;e of all the &s;ects and divi&s;ions in all the Churches in Chri|&s;tendome; for when men have lo&s;t Bapti&s;me, &s;ome will have ju&s;ti|cation from all eternity; &s;ome from the cro&s;&s;e, all born, and un|born, &s;ome in the womb, &s;ome at faith, &s;ome at conver&s;ion; &s;ome at death, and &s;ome after death, and then they mu&s;t go wa&s;h to get remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins: Thus he that gathers not into Chri&s;t, by Bapti&s;me, &s;cattereth abroad; for, <HI>except I wa&s;h thee, thou &s;halt have no part with me:</HI> &s;o, except thou take thy part with Chri&s;t from thy Bapti&s;me, thou can&s;t have no a&s;&s;urance of &s;alvation.</P>
<P><HI>John&punc;</HI> preached, &s;aying, <HI>Repent, for the kingdome of heaven is at hand;</HI> this is not only to be under&s;tood that he preached nothing<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Law the &s;umme to bring them to repentance.</NOTE> el&s;e, but the &s;umme of his doctrine was by the Law; he &s;hewed them what horrible &s;inners they were, the generation of Vipers, dete&s;t your &s;ins, and your own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, believe in the Me&s;&s;ias&punc; he &s;hall baptize you with the Holy Gho&s;t, and with fire: for all that are baptized into Chri&s;t, have put on Chri&s;t, for in our Bapti&s;me we received remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;ins, in the death of Chri&s;t, into which we were baptized and buried, and in Chri&s;t we received everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, in whom, by bapti&s;me we are rai&s;ed; and he prea|ched,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. In Chri&s;t, righteou&s;ne&s;s, and peace, and joy.</NOTE> <HI>the kingdome of heaven is hand,</HI> becau&s;e Bapti&s;me was at hand, for where Bapti&s;me is truly preached, there the kingdome of hea|ven is at hand. Chri&s;t and his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is at hand, in Bap|ti&s;me peace is at hand, to them that believe their bapti&s;me, they have peace with God, and a&s;&s;urance of &s;alvation; and all the &s;ects and profe&s;&s;ors of <HI>England,</HI> have no peace with God, nor a&s;&s;u|rance
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of &s;alvation but they that believe they have peace with God, from their bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t in infancy, and joy in the Holy Gho&s;t is at hand by Bapti&s;me, as the Eunuch found true, and the Jaylor and his hou&s;hold after Bapti&s;me rejoyced. And I can te&s;ti|fie<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8. 39.</NOTE> that my God &s;hall fill you full of joy and peace in believing, (<HI>i.</HI>) that you are in him that is true, in that his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the &s;ame is very God, and eternall life; and this I know by faith in my bapti&s;me into that Je&s;us, that came by water and blood, not by water of Bapti&s;me only, but by water and blood, 'tis that Spirit that beareth witne&s;&s;e, (<HI>i.</HI>) (unto our &s;pirits, that we are the chil|dren of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 16.) that Spirit is true, and tho&s;e Chri&s;tians that hold the true faith in their bapti&s;me, that by it and by the blood we know we are in him that is true, and by the Spirit that beareth witne&s;&s;e by both the&s;e, they are the right joyfull Chri&s;tians in all the world; the Devill and the world are mad at them for their joy, and are the citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> the &s;treet of it paved with pure gold, like tran&s;parent gla&s;&s;e, &s;ignifie the lively faith of our Bapti&s;me.</P>
<P>And this <HI>John</HI> had his garment of Camels hair, he was no velvet<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Garment.</NOTE> or &s;ilken Preacher, with long Camels hair on his head; no, his garment was hairy, like <HI>Elias,</HI> free from &s;oftne&s;&s;e, or pride, and a lethern girdle about his loynes, not broydered with &s;ilver or gold, but like <HI>Elias</HI> in his lether girdle, 2 <HI>King.</HI> 1. and his meat was Lo|cu&s;ts, and wilde Honey, to &s;hew Humble-Bees honey, and Locu&s;ts could content him, as the Pul&s;e did <HI>Daniel</HI> and the three children, <HI>Daniel,</HI> he did not de&s;ire delicate fare, but he was in his apparel and diet far from pride or luxury.</P>
<P><HI>There went out to him</HI> Jeru&s;alem, <HI>and all Judea, and all the region</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">5. Went out to &s;ee a Prophet &s;ent of God.</NOTE> <HI>round about</HI> Jordan; <HI>and they were baptized of him in</HI> Jordan, <HI>con|fe&s;&s;ing their &s;ins.</HI> They went out into the Wilderne&s;&s;e to &s;ee a Pro|phet, he was not a Reed &s;haken with the wind, to run after every wind of doctrine, but he taught that doctrine and bapti&s;me that he was &s;ent to teach from God; for &s;o he te&s;tified, he that &s;ent me to baptize with water, &s;aid unto me, <HI>Joh.</HI> 1. 33. But when they<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ioh.</HI> 1. 33. He &s;o preach|ed the Law.</NOTE> came to &s;ee him, he &s;o preached the Law, and the wrath of God to come upon them for &s;in, <HI>they confe&s;&s;ed their &s;ins,</HI> (i.) they humbly confe&s;&s;ed they were &s;inners before God, by the Law, and had de|&s;erved eternall damnation, and prayed to God to forgive them
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their &s;ins, and took the Sacrament of Bapti&s;me unto repentance, for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and bad them believe in Chri&s;t, that &s;hould baptize them with the Holy Gho&s;t, which <HI>Johns</HI> bapti&s;me could not do, as the twelve men, <HI>Acts</HI> 19. For by our bapti&s;me<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 19. By bapti&s;me we are made made clean.</NOTE> now we are made clean from all our &s;ins before God, and regene|rate, that of the children of <HI>Adam,</HI> we might be made the &s;ons of God; and as <HI>Ananias</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Paul, Ari&s;e, and be baptized, and wa&s;h away thy &s;ins, in calling on the name of the Lord,</HI> Acts 22. And <HI>Paul</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 22. 16.</NOTE> te&s;tifieth, that Chri&s;t doth clean&s;e his Church in the laver of wa|ter through the Word, <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. and Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Except ye be rege|nerate</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5.</NOTE> <HI>of water, and the Holy Gho&s;t, ye cannot enter into the King|dome of Heaven,</HI> Joh. 3. And <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, that Bapti&s;me is the laver<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 3. 5.</NOTE> of regeneration, <HI>Tit.</HI> 3. that we might have this ground of con&s;o|lation<NOTE PLACE="marg">Titus 3. 5.</NOTE> in all afflictions, that we are baptized, and &s;o regenerate, and are adopted to be the &s;ons of God. And &s;eeing Bapti&s;me is a means, &s;aith the Expo&s;itor, whereby we obtain remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and the benefit of regeneration; let us beware of that doctrine of Devils,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine of Devills.</NOTE> that through malice, or fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e, we deprive not our children to come unto Chri&s;t, to obtain remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and the benefit of regeneration in infancy: For, if Chri&s;t &s;ay, <HI>Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of &s;uch is the kingdome of hea|ven,</HI> then they mu&s;t be baptized, for they can come no other way<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 13. 7.</NOTE> to Chri&s;t, but by Bapti&s;me, nor any other way be of the kingdome of Heaven, as <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. 5. but by that of them&s;elves, or of their pa|rents, if they die in the womb, for Bapti&s;me is as the Ark for a man and his hou&s;hold, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 21.</P>
<P>When he &s;aw many of the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> and of the <HI>Sadduces</HI> come to<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;. 7.</HI> Phari&s;ees and Sadduces.</NOTE> his bapti&s;me, he &s;aid unto them, <HI>O generation of Vipers, who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come?</HI> What, you <HI>Phari&s;ees?</HI> that think your &s;elves good, and contemne others? you that tru&s;t to your own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, you that &s;ay, &s;tand apart, I am holier then thou, you that think your &s;elves better then other folks; the Law doth declare you are a cur&s;ed generation, for you are a poy|&s;onable generation, and de&s;irous of hurting; you are the genera|tion of Vipers, for your fathers &s;lew the Prophets, and you are of the &s;ame viperous mind, to kill them that di&s;cover your hypocri&s;ie, for all your plots are again&s;t them that di&s;cover you: And you <HI>Sadduces,</HI> What, are you come to my bapti&s;me? What need you<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sadduces.</NOTE>
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be baptized? as if he &s;hould &s;ay, you believe no re&s;urrection, nor Angel, nor Spirit, you are all cur&s;ed by the Law, for you have not continued in all things, you &s;hall go cur&s;ed into everla&s;ting fire, prepared for the Devill and his angels, you &s;hall finde a Devill in Hell, that will not believe there are Angels in Heaven: Well, both of you are come to my bapti&s;me, look you be both of one faith, to believe in the Lamb of God, that takes away the &s;ins of the <HI>Phari|&s;ees,</HI> and the &s;ins of the <HI>Sadduces,</HI> and of the whole world; and thus he reconciled the&s;e Sects to be all one in their bapti&s;me: So the on|ly way to reconcile all the Sects in the world, is, to &s;hew them their abominable e&s;tate by <HI>Adam,</HI> the generation of Vipers, and how cur|&s;ed they are by the Law, and the wrath of God hangs over them, and bring them all to faith in bapti&s;me, to obtain remi&s;&s;ion of all &s;ins, pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and to come, and how they put on Chri&s;t in bap|ti&s;me, to make them everla&s;tingly righteous: For here is the cau&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">The lo&s;&s;e of Bapti&s;me is the cau&s;e of all &s;ects.</NOTE> of all the &s;ects and divi&s;ions in Chri&s;tendome; for when men have lo&s;t bapti&s;me, then one &s;ect will devi&s;e to get remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins one way, as by a Popes pardon, by pilgrimage, or in Purgatory. The <HI>Anabapti&s;ts</HI> by a new bapti&s;me, and by a new Church-way, not ap|pointed by Chri&s;t, but invented of them&s;elves, to make them more righteous, and holy, and clean then others, that are not of their way, and therfore will not communicate with others, for they think they are more holy then others, by &s;trictne&s;&s;e of their order; and thus all &s;ects imagine, that in that way they walk in, they are le&s;&s;e &s;inners then others, and more righteous then others, and therefore will not communicate with others, and you will be a Church by<NOTE PLACE="marg">O ye &s;ects, flee from the wrath to come.</NOTE> your &s;elves: But I &s;ay unto you, <HI>O generation of Vipers,</HI> all you &s;ects in Chri&s;tendom, come home to the faith in your bapti&s;m into Chri&s;t, there is wrath coming upon all Chri&s;tendome; Chri&s;t is come as a thief, by the judgement of a plundering, robbing, &s;poyling, &s;tealing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;t is come as a thiefe, <HI>Iohn</HI> 10. 10.</NOTE> pillaging, civill war, upon all &s;ects: Here is an Ark for you to be &s;aved in, come unto your bapti&s;me; what foolery have you profe&s;|&s;ed? Can you get a better remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins then Chri&s;t hath pro|cured for you in his own blood in your bapti&s;me? If you &s;hould wa&s;h your &s;elves an hundred yeers, with all your tears and morti|fication, and holy walking, though the&s;e may give &s;ome &s;atisfacti|on to the con&s;cience, yet you cannot wa&s;h your &s;elves more clean from &s;in before God, then Chri&s;t hath made you in bapti&s;me, and
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by his blood: And &s;eeing Chri&s;t hath made you everla&s;tingly righteous in bapti&s;me, by putting on of Chri&s;t, you cannot make<NOTE PLACE="marg">Not make your &s;elves more righ|teous then Chri&s;t.</NOTE> your &s;elves more righteous before God, by all the works in the world, then the wedding garment hath made you already; and if you go about to make your &s;elves more righteous by works before God, you defile his garments; you may make your &s;elves more righteous before men, but you cannot make your &s;elves more righ|teous, or more holy then Chri&s;t hath made you in bapti&s;me; and therefore all you &s;ects, come to your bapti&s;me, into this Ark, and be &s;aved from the blood of Gods wrath coming upon Chri&s;ten|dome, for the contempt of Chri&s;ts coun&s;ell. And all you <HI>Saddu|ces,</HI> that are prophane and loo&s;e livers, that believe not your re&s;ur|rection, for you purifie not your &s;elves, as he is pure, 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 3. Come home to believe your bapti&s;me, and you &s;hall have your part in the fir&s;t re&s;urrection: for, ble&s;&s;ed and holy is he, which hath part in the fir&s;t re&s;urrection, and the &s;econd death &s;hall have no power over you: The fir&s;t re&s;urrection before God, is in bapti&s;me, as <HI>Col.</HI> 2. 12. though before men it be at conver&s;ion and faith.</P>
<P><HI>Bring forth fruits worthy of amendment of life;</HI> (i.) bring forth<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 8.</NOTE> fruits in Chri&s;t, believe you are in him that is true, in that his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and let this faith cau&s;e you to bring forth fruits of piety and charity.</P>
<P><HI>And think not to &s;ay, we have</HI> Abraham <HI>to our father; for I &s;ay un|to</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 9.</NOTE> <HI>you, that God is able of the&s;e &s;tones, to rai&s;e up children to</HI> Abraham. He told them of their thoughts: nouri&s;h not &s;uch proud thoughts as the&s;e, that you have <HI>Abraham</HI> to your father; you have a Church, you have the Word, and you have Sacraments, you are the children of the martyrs; for I tell you all, you are cur&s;ed by the Law for not continuing in all things written in the book of the Law to do them; and therefore come and believe your bapti&s;me, or el&s;e you are cur&s;ed for ever: For God is able of the&s;e &s;tones, yea, &s;tony hearted people, by bapti&s;me, to rai&s;e up children unto <HI>Abraham,</HI> and give them faith to believe it, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 9. and to take away the &s;tony heart, and give them hearts of fle&s;h, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36. 26. For,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 36. 26.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Now the ax is laid to the root of the trees; every tree that bringeth</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e. 10.</NOTE> <HI>not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and ca&s;t into: he fire.</HI> Now Chri&s;t is come by bapti&s;me and faith, to make you good trees, to bring forth none but good fruit; every tree, every church or &s;ect, or particular
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man, that bringeth forth &s;in before God, is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath: Every man or church, that will not believe his bapti&s;me, that by it he is baptized into Chri&s;t, and in|graffed into him, and made a good tree in Chri&s;t, and bring forth good fruit before God, he is hewn down by the Law, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath; for he believeth not that he hath the Son, that he hath his blood, that hath wa&s;hed him from all his &s;ins before God, nor Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to make him everla&s;tingly righte|ous, therfore the wrath of God abideth upon him, <HI>John 3. ver&s;.</HI> la&s;t.</P>
<P>What is meant by the <HI>Ax?</HI> It is taken materially for an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1+ letters">&s;tru|ment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">What the Ax &s;ignifies.</NOTE> to cut down trees: So <HI>Deut. 20. 19. Thou &s;halt not cut down the fruit trees with an ax, when thou be&s;iege&s;t a city, for thou maye&s;t eat of them, for the tree of the field is mans life,</HI> but it is taken metapho|rically for Gods Decree and Judgement, as in this place. Now is the decree of God come forth, that every one that is not made a good tree by bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, is hewn down, and ca&s;t into wrath. In the time of the Law, there was &s;acrifice for wrath, but now bapti&s;me for men to get into Chri&s;t, now no more &s;acrifice for wrath: So <HI>Dan.</HI> 4. 11. 14. 21. Hew him down, is the Decree of the mo&s;t High: So <HI>Zeph. 2. 1, 2. Gather your &s;elves together, gather your &s;elves together, O nation not worthy to be beloved, before the decree come forth;</HI> for Gods decrees are never to be recalled. The ax at the root, is bapti&s;me.</P>
<P>What is meant by <HI>trees?</HI> Metaphorically by trees, are meant<NOTE PLACE="marg">What is meant by trees.</NOTE> men, as is plain by <HI>Jothams</HI> Parable, <HI>Judg. 9. 8. The trees went forth to anoint a king over them; and they &s;aid to the Olive, Come thou raigne over us, but the Olive &s;aid, Should I leave my fatne&s;&s;e, whereby by me they honour God and man, and go to advance me above the trees?</HI> No, I am content with my e&s;tate, to honour God in that e&s;tate I am created, I will be content with my calling, to honour God and man, in that I mu&s;t for&s;ake my fatne&s;&s;e, and by taking of an higher calling of a King, I may &s;o di&s;honour God and man; and the Fig|tree would not for&s;ake his &s;weetne&s;&s;e and good fruit, to be a King, nor the Vine would not for&s;ake his wine, whereby he cheered God and man, to be King, to which he was not called of God, he &s;hould di&s;plea&s;e God and man; but the Bramble would be King, though mo&s;t unfit for it, that would do no good to them, but &s;cratch and fire them: Al&s;o where the tree falleth, there it lieth, whether to|wards
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the South, or the North, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 11. 3. (<HI>i.</HI>) in what e&s;tate men die, whether in a good e&s;tate, or bad, to heaven|ward, or to hell, &s;o they lie: So the per&s;ecutors of <HI>Jeremiah</HI> &s;aid, Let us de&s;troy the tree with the fruit, <HI>i.</HI> let us de&s;tory <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> and his Prophe&s;ie, Let us de&s;troy the Preacher, and his preaching, but thou, Lord God of Sabaoth, that judge&s;t right, let me &s;ee thy ven|geance upon them, <HI>Jer.</HI> 11. 19. declaring the de&s;tiny of all &s;uch as plot to de&s;troy a faithfull Pa&s;tor; and the tree to be hewn down, was <HI>Nebuchadnezzar, Dan.</HI> 4. 21. So <HI>Jude</HI> 12. Corrupt <HI>trees, who&s;e fruit withereth, twice dead, and plucked up by the roots,</HI> are men that are dead by originall &s;in, and then dead by actuall &s;in. Reprobates that cannot repent, are ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath, and then heap up wrath again&s;t the day of wrath, and of the declaration of the ju&s;t judgement of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2. 5.</P>
<P>What is meant by <HI>hewn down? i.</HI> They are cut down before<NOTE PLACE="marg">What meant by hewn down.</NOTE> God, that refu&s;e, or will not believe bapti&s;me, by Gods Law and Decree; for as <HI>Samuel</HI> hewed <HI>Agag</HI> in pieces before the Lord in <HI>Gilgal, 1 Sam.</HI> 15. 33. &s;o are all men that will not receive Chri&s;t by bapti&s;me hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. 36. as <HI>Jews, Turks,</HI> and <HI>Heathens.</HI> Sometimes it is taken for hewing by degrees, as <HI>Exod. 31. 4. Hew thee two tables of &s;tone.</HI> Me|taphorically it is taken for the preaching of the Law by the Pro|phets: So <HI>Ho&s;. 6. 5. Therefore I have hewn them by my Prophets, and &s;lain them with the words of my mouth;</HI> by puni&s;hments and plagues, and cur&s;es of the Law, for their &s;ins. Therefore the Law and the Prophets indured untill <HI>John (i.</HI> hewing them, and &s;laying them, (as in <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI>) for their &s;ins;) and &s;ince that time, the kingdome of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16. 16.</NOTE> Heaven is preached, and every man pre&s;&s;eth unto it.</P>
<P>How is the Kingdome of Heaven to be preached?</P>
<P>By faith and bapti&s;me; for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins is preached by bap|ti&s;me,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> and the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, without which, no king|dome of Heaven; but by bapti&s;me we come into the large heaven of remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, as <HI>Luther</HI> calls it, in which we have remi&s;&s;ion of all &s;ins, pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and to come; for the doctrine and work of Bapti&s;me, it came down from heaven: as Chri&s;t po&s;ed the <HI>Pha|ri&s;ees, The bapti&s;me of</HI> John, <HI>was it from heaven, or of men?</HI> inti|mating it was from Heaven: But why did he call it the bapti&s;me of <HI>John,</HI> not the doctrine or mini&s;tery of <HI>John? An&s;w.</HI> To
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&s;hew, that his bapti&s;me was the mo&s;t heavenly thing: For, <HI>there was a man &s;ent from God, who&s;e name was</HI> John, <HI>Job.</HI> 1. 6. And what was he &s;ent to do? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> To baptize: <HI>He that &s;ent me to baptize with water, &s;aid unto me, &V;pon whom thou &s;ee&s;t the Spirit of God come down, and tarrying &s;till upon him, that is he which baptizeth with the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 1. 33.</NOTE> <HI>Holy Gho&s;t.</HI> By all which, you &s;ee that where bapti&s;me is truly preached and admini&s;tred, there the Kingdome of Heaven is prea|ched, and is at hand; and in it the Kingdome of Heaven is &s;et open to all the elect, and according to the e&s;tabli&s;hed doctrine of the Church of <HI>England,</HI> which all that have taken the <HI>Prote&s;tation,</HI> are &s;worn to maintain; that in my bapti&s;me I was made a member of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5. 30.</NOTE> Chri&s;t, a childe of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdome of Hea|ven;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 3. 26&punc; 27. Joh 1. 12. Rom. 8. 17.</NOTE> which is a heavenly point of doctrine, that agrees with the reformed Churches and Scriptures; for if any be made an inheri|tor of that Kingdome, it mu&s;t be by bapti&s;me: For, <HI>Verily, verily I &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y unto thee,</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot &s;ee the Kingdome of God,</HI> Joh. 3. 5. For, <HI>that which is born of the fle&s;h, is fle&s;h;</HI> and unclean, and unfit for the Kingdome of heaven, untill it be new born.</P>
<P>What is meant by <HI>good fruit?</HI> All the fruit that man brings forth<NOTE PLACE="marg">What is meant by fruit.</NOTE> before God, is &s;in, or righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: every evill man brings forth evill fruit of &s;in, and every good man bringeth forth good fruits of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; <HI>A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, neither can a bad&punc; tree bring forth good fruit,</HI> namely before God, <HI>Matth.</HI> 7. 17. So that every man, Church or Nation, that will not now receive bapti&s;me, or believe, by bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, he is made a good tree, and brings forth nothing but good fruit before God, through remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins and Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, he is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire.</P>
<P>What is meant by <HI>fire?</HI> By fire in this place, is not meant hell fire, though they &s;hall go afterward into hell fire, that do not e&s;cape, but they are ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath; &s;ignifying, that every man that bringeth forth evill fruit of &s;in, before God, that believes not by bapti&s;me his &s;ins are all forgiven, and that in Chri&s;t he bringeth forth fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e before God, he is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath, as is plain, <HI>Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth in the Son,</HI> (which none can do, before he be baptized into him) <HI>bath everla&s;ting life:</HI> he that obeyeth not
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the Son (<HI>i.</HI> to let him wa&s;h him) <HI>Joh.</HI> 13. 8. &s;hall not &s;ee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him; <HI>For fire is kindled in my wrath, and it &s;hall burn to the bottome of hell, and &s;et on fire the foundation of the mountains,</HI> Deut. 32&punc; 22.</P>
<P>Now, in that he &s;aith, <HI>Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doctr.</HI> That all men are good trees or bad trees.</NOTE> we gather, that all men, now bapti&s;me is offered, are good trees, or bad, there are none indifferent; or partly good, and partly bad. This is proved, <HI>Matth. 12. 33. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or the tree evill, and the fruit evill. Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;aith, he com|manded<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> 12. Serm&punc; <HI>de ver|bis <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">om. Mat.</HI> 12&punc; 33.</NOTE> the <HI>Jews,</HI> that they &s;hould be good trees, and to bring forth good fruit; and in that he &s;aith, <HI>make the tree evill,</HI> he admo|ni&s;heth them, that they &s;hould not be evill; for the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> de|clared them&s;elves to be evill trees, by their evill fruit. Others take it, that Chri&s;t &s;pake of him&s;elf, as of a tree. Thus, the tree is known by the fruit, and the fruit is like the tree. The ca&s;ting out devills is a good fruit, as you grant in your children; therefore, if you in your words and judgements make the fruit good, then al&s;o make the tree good, <HI>for an evill tree cannot bring forth good fruit,</HI> Mat. 7. 18. Say of him that ca&s;t out devils, he is a good tree, not the prince of devils; but if you make the tree evill, and &s;ay, I am an evill man, and have the devill, <HI>Beelzebub,</HI> do not attribute the ca&s;ting out of devils, which is good fruit, to an evill tree; for an evill tree, as <HI>Beel|zebub</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t. Emth. Hieron&punc; Theoph.</NOTE> is, cannot bring forth good fruit; nor an evill man by <HI>Adam,</HI> cannot bring forth good fruit before God.</P>
<P>This you may &s;ee, <HI>Matth.</HI> 7. 17. So every good tree that is made good by bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, bringeth forth good fruit before God, and a corrupt tree by <HI>Adam</HI> (as all are by generation) brin|geth forth evill fruit, <HI>i.</HI> before God. <HI>Calvin</HI> noteth, that this was<NOTE PLACE="marg">Opinion of the <HI>Phari&s;ees.</HI></NOTE> the opinion of the <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> that they were partly good trees, and partly bad, and that they brought forth &s;ome good fruit before God, and &s;ome bad, for which they did &s;acrifice, as &s;ome &s;ay now, they are partly fle&s;h, and partly &s;pirit, and therefore do bring forth &s;ome fruits good, and &s;ome bad; and this was the opinion of the old <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> for their fained &s;anctimony was &s;uch, that the people perceived them not. Now Chri&s;t puts away this vizird, and un|ca&s;eth all Hypocrites, and tels them, that all men are good, or bad before God; a good tree bringeth nothing but good fruit before God, and a bad tree nothing but bad, as <HI>Matth.</HI> 7. 18. for there is
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nothing &s;uch an enemy to true Chri&s;tianity, as to counterfeit a man in a twofold e&s;tate before God; but they do in vain think them|&s;elves righteous, that are not made good trees by bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, for &s;uch ju&s;tifie them&s;elves before men, and think to make them&s;elves righteous in whole, or in part, which is the abomina|tion of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> but God knows their hearts, <HI>i.</HI> to be evill trees, <HI>Luke</HI> 16. 15. Now they bear them&s;elves in hand, that they were good and righteous men, though they brought forth &s;ome fruit that was evill before God, they &s;hould &s;acrifice for that, and take it away well enough, but they were deceived; for <HI>John</HI> telleth them, now bapti&s;me is in&s;tituted to wa&s;h away all &s;ins; now you mu&s;t make the tree good, and the fruit good, <HI>i.</HI> the per&s;on and the actions all good through the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins in bapti&s;me, or the tree evill, and the fruit evill, <HI>i.</HI> the per&s;on evill by <HI>Adam;</HI> for, <HI>every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit,</HI> i. if it bring forth any evill fruit (before God, now bapti&s;me is admini&s;tred) <HI>it is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath,</HI> Chri&s;t hath done nothing for them.</P>
<P>For all men now that bapti&s;me is admini&s;tred, are in <HI>Adam,</HI> or in<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 1.</NOTE> Chri&s;t; either they are regenerate of water and the Spirit, or el&s;e they are not; either they are ingraffed into Chri&s;t by bapti&s;me, and made good trees, or el&s;e they are not ingraffed, but are &s;til in <HI>Adam.</HI> This the Lord &s;hewed in a vi&s;ion to <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> by the two baskets of Figs, the one had exceeding good Figs, even like the fir&s;t, that are<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jerem. 24.</NOTE> fir&s;t ripe, the other had exceeding naughty Figs, they were &s;o evill, the Lord in this place, &s;aith the Expo&s;itor, hath re&s;pect unto the Kingdome of Chri&s;t, in which both <HI>Jews</HI> and <HI>Gentiles</HI> being in|graffed by faith and bapti&s;me, they are made good trees of the ce|le&s;tiall Paradi&s;e, to bring forth good fruit, and the other that are evill by <HI>Adam,</HI> &s;hould have all the cur&s;es and plagues of God to &s;ei&s;e upon them, and be under wrath; <HI>For, thus &s;aith the Lord, of the men of</HI> Jeru&s;alem, <HI>that have obeyed me, I will know them to be good, but the evill, I will give them for a terrible plague;</HI> So, <HI>now the ax is laid to the root of the trees, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire. Era&s;mus,</HI> in the old Latine tran&s;lation, <HI>It is hewn down,</HI> in this pre&s;ent time, 'tis laid to the root of all bad trees, that bear evill fruit, and of &s;uch as bear no fruit, as the un|profitable Fig-tree, that bare nothing but leaves, was cur&s;ed; and
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the tree, the Lord came three yeers, &s;eeking for fruit, and finding none, he &s;aith, <HI>Hew it down, why combreth it the ground?</HI> it hath been digged by the Law, and dunged the&s;e three yeers of Q. <HI>Elizabeths,</HI> King <HI>James,</HI> and King <HI>Charles,</HI> and I find no fruits of faith, in this lukewarm Hierarchie and people, the &s;word is come to cut thee down that combred the ground.</P>
<P>For &s;eeing now Chri&s;t is come, and appointed Bapti&s;me, which<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 2.</NOTE> is the <HI>righteous branch of the root of David,</HI> every one that is not by bapti&s;me and faith ingraffed into him, and made a good tree, bear|ing good fruit, is hewne downe by the Law, and cur&s;ed of God, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath, that will burne to the bottome of hell: but <HI>to &s;o many as received him, he gave prerogative to become the &s;onnes of God:</HI> So many as beleeve in his Name. And what are they? <HI>An&s;.</HI> Such as are <HI>borne of God,</HI> Joh. 1. 12. Whereby we &s;ee how men are made good trees, by receiving Chri&s;t by bapti&s;me, and by be|leeving: but all others have the wrath of God abiding upon them, becau&s;e they are evill trees, and the axe of the cur&s;es of the Law, will cut them downe, or the &s;word, or famine, or pe&s;tilence.</P>
<P>For though God let many trees alone in the time of the Law,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 3.</NOTE> that bare &s;ome fruit good, and &s;ome bad, as <HI>Mo&s;es, Miriam, Da|vid, Jeho&s;aphat,</HI> for which they did &s;acrifice, and God was appea|&s;ed: and &s;ome branches of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were hewne off by the axe of the Law, becau&s;e they bare bad fruits before God, of Idolatry; as the <HI>Danites,</HI> and the <HI>Ephraimites;</HI> yet <HI>Judah</HI> bare good fruit, as <HI>Ho&s;ea 11. 12. Ephraim compa&s;&s;eth me about with lies, and the hou&s;e of I&s;rael with deceit; but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithfull with the Saints.</HI> But now &s;eeing Chri&s;t is come, and appointed bapti&s;me to graff all men into Chri&s;t, to be made branches of the vine Chri&s;t. <HI>.i.</HI> to be taken out of <HI>Adam,</HI> and of the Law, to be graffed into Chri&s;t. <HI>Now if any man abide not in me,</HI> (or will not be graffed in|to me, by bapti&s;me, and faith; for bapti&s;me is the foundation of the lively faith; bapti&s;me, that is the worke of the Father, Sonne, and the holy Gho&s;t: wherein is not onely water, <HI>but water and bloud;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5. 6. Tit. 3. 5.</NOTE> and the <HI>wa&s;hing of the new birth;</HI> and the <HI>renewing of the holy Gho&s;t</HI>) if any branch of man abide not in Chri&s;t, by faith, in his bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, that he is made a good tree of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, to beare good fruit before God; <HI>he is ca&s;t forth as a branch, and withereth, .i.</HI> in the a&s;&s;urance of &s;alvation, and bring forth no fruits of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e
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before God, and men gather them, and by Excommunica|tion, or in the judgement of men, are judged none of the Church, and they ca&s;t them into the fire of Gods wrath, and they burne. Now men are cut off from Chri&s;t three wayes.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Joh.</HI> 15. 6. As the confe&s;|&s;ion of witches</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, When a man for&s;akes his bapti&s;me, and turnes Turke, and will be circumci&s;ed, or turnes Witch, that will make a Covenant with the Devill to deny her bapti&s;me, and deny God and Chri&s;t; or turne Anabapti&s;t, to be rebaptized, he doth not abide in his bap|ti&s;me<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4. 5.</NOTE> into Chri&s;t; the&s;e will have a new bapti&s;me, which is not of God, for he hath but one, the &s;econd mu&s;t be of the Devill; the&s;e are gathered in the judgement of all Churches, and ju&s;tly excom|municated, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath. Such as turne Turkes, Witches, or Anabapti&s;ts, have denied their fir&s;t bapti&s;me, becau&s;e <HI>they have trod underfoot the bloud wherewith they were &s;ancti|fied, and done de&s;pight to the Spirit of Grace, and withdrawne them&s;elves</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">By hypocri|&s;ie.</NOTE> <HI>to perdition,</HI> Heb. 10.</P>
<P>Secondly, Men are cut off, that by hypocri&s;ie fall from Grace, given of God in bapti&s;me, to &s;eek for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, in whole or in part, or to make him&s;elfe righteous, in whole, or in part, before God, and will not beleeve he hath free remi&s;&s;ion of all his &s;innes by the bloud of Chri&s;t in bapti&s;me, and an everla&s;ting righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e, given of God freely in his bapti&s;me, when he puts on Chri&s;t, that man is cut off to his faith, that he does not abide in<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 27.</NOTE> Chri&s;t, and then &s;eekes for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in &s;ome of mans invention, the&s;e abide not in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Men wither in this faith, and are cut off to their ap|prehen&s;ion, which have forgotten they were wa&s;hed from their old &s;innes. <HI>i.</HI> in bapti&s;me, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 9. and fall to a bea&s;tly life, and Epicuri&s;me; which by repentance and faith in their Bapti&s;me, may get out of this &s;nare of the Devill, of whom they are taken pri&s;o|ners, to doe his will, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 26. Now &s;uch as doe not abide in Chri&s;t indeed, &s;uch &s;aith <HI>Bullenger,</HI> not onely &s;hall be, but are ca&s;t out already from the &s;ocietie, and inheritance of Chri&s;t, and his Saints; as he &s;aith of the faithfull, not that they &s;hall have eternall life, but they have it already, as <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. 36. becau&s;e Chri&s;t is po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed, which brings with him righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and the fruit of eter|nall life; as <HI>Calvin,</HI> and <HI>Bullenger,</HI> that he &s;aith, not he &s;hall have eternall life, for now as his own he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth it already, and hath
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it, and by hope expecting that which he knoweth mo&s;t certainly &s;hall be. <HI>i.</HI> He is freed from death, from malediction, and condem|nation, and hath ju&s;tification, ab&s;olution, felicitie, and eternall happine&s;&s;e. And &s;o he &s;aith of the incredulous, that beleeve not<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Devill likes a &s;econd Bapti&s;me well enough, for he never per&s;wa|ded any to de|nie their &s;e|cond Bap|ti&s;me.</NOTE> they are in the Sonne; he &s;aith not, they &s;hall have the wrath of God upon them hereafter when they die, but the wrath of God abideth upon them, (<HI>i.</HI> now) for all men by the &s;in of <HI>Adam,</HI> are fallen under the wrath of God, as <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> and <HI>Eph.</HI> 2. 3. They have with them by naturall birth, the wrath of God upon them, and that for the &s;in of <HI>Adam;</HI> But the Sonne of God came not ha|ving &s;in, and clad with fle&s;h, that he might turne away the wrath of God; if men receive the Sonne of God in Bapti&s;me, as all the Elect, and grace offered by him, otherwi&s;e wrath abides upon them. I heare the Anabapti&s;ts brag they have a Church, but I would know of them, whether the witches of <HI>England</HI> can make a Church? No; why, becau&s;e they have denied their Bapti&s;me; no more can Anabapti&s;ts, becau&s;e they have denied their bapti&s;me, that made them of the Church.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e where Bapti&s;me is refu&s;ed, there grace is refu&s;ed; as is<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> 4. Where Bap|ti&s;me is refu|&s;ed, grace is refu&s;ed, as in Jewes, Turks, &amp; Heathens, and Anabap|ti&s;ts to their children.</NOTE> plaine <HI>Luk.</HI> 7. 30. The Phari&s;ees, and the Expounders of the Law, de&s;pi&s;ed the coun&s;ell of God again&s;t them&s;elves, and were not bap|tized of him, but the people that heard, and the Publicans ju&s;tified God, being baptized with the bapti&s;me of <HI>John,</HI> ver. 29. for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes. So that you &s;ee, that they that de&s;pi&s;e bapti&s;me, for their Infants, de&s;pi&s;e the coun&s;ell of God, again&s;t their owne children, that will not &s;uffer little children to come to him. And all they ju&s;tifie God, that receive and beleeve bapti&s;me, for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and put on Chri&s;t to make them everla&s;tingly righ|teous before God, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 27. they which believe it not, are as with an ax cut down by the roots before God; as all <HI>Heathens,</HI> all <HI>Jews,</HI> all <HI>Turks</HI> and <HI>Tartars,</HI> and all <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> and all <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> and <HI>Pro|te&s;tants,</HI> that do not ju&s;tifie God by bapti&s;me for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, are cut down in con&s;cience, and have no a&s;&s;urance of their &s;alvation, becau&s;e they will have remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins and free righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, by &s;ome other way then God hath appoin|ted. This is the mo&s;t mournfull and lamentable thing in the world, as our Saviour wept over <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>O if thou had&s;t even known, at lea&s;t in this thy day, the things that concern thy peace;
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how often would I have gathered thy children together, as the Hen gathe|reth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?</HI> I would have ga|thered your children by bapti&s;me and faith in me, under the wing<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the Father, and of the &s;un of righteou&s;nes, and of the holy Gho&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> 23. 37.</NOTE> <HI>Behold, your habitation &s;hall be left unto you de&s;olate.</HI> Here is the cau&s;e, why many places &s;hall be left de&s;olate, now Chri&s;t is come as a thiefe by the judgement of a civill war, becau&s;e they believe not their bapti&s;me; the axe is laid to the root of the trees, they bring forth &s;in, they are hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath.</P>
<P>Now this will appear more plain by the &s;econd Doctrine, which<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doct.</HI> 2. That all men by nature are evil trees, and can bring forth none but ill fruit.</NOTE> is this: That all men by nature are evill trees, and can bring forth nothing but evill fruit; all men now that bapti&s;me is preached and admini&s;tred, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Gho&s;t; that are now out of Chri&s;t, and bring forth evill fruits before God of &s;in; he is hewn down by the ax of Gods De|cree, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath, that is, every man that will not receive, or believe his bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, that he hath an eternall redemption through Chri&s;ts blood, the forgivene&s;&s;e of his &s;ins, and in him he hath everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, his per&s;on, or his con&s;cience, is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath. This is proved&punc; not only by the doctrine of <HI>John,</HI> by the Text, but<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">at. 7. 17, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> 19.</NOTE> al&s;o by our Saviour Chri&s;t him&s;elf, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7. 17, 18. So every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, <HI>i.</HI> that is made good by bapti&s;me, and faith in Chri&s;t before God; and a corrupt tree bringeth forth evill fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evill&punc; fruit, neither can a corrupt tree, (as all that are in <HI>Adam</HI> are) bring forth good fruit: <HI>Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and ca&s;t in|to the fire:</HI> So <HI>Luke</HI> 6&punc; 43, 44. For it is not a good tree that brin|geth forth evill fruit, <HI>i.</HI> of &s;in before God; 'tis not in Chri&s;t by bapti&s;me, it hath no benefit of Chri&s;ts blood, or righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that brings forth &s;in before God; neither is it an evill tree that bringeth forth good fruit; <HI>i.</HI> before God: <HI>For every tree is known by his own</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> 6. 43, 44.</NOTE> <HI>fruit;</HI> if it &s;ay, it bringeth forth before God righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e by faith in his bapti&s;me, it is a good tree; but if it bring forth &s;in be|fore God, it is an evill tree; <HI>for neither of Thorns gather men figs, nor of bu&s;hes, or Thi&s;tles gather they grapes;</HI> neither doth God of naturall men, which are but&punc; Thornes and Thi&s;tles, gather any fruits of righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e,
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for they that are &s;ervants of &s;in, are freed from righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e: <HI>Rom. 6. 20. i.</HI> they are evill trees that are out of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 20.</NOTE> that can bring forth no righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e before God, but being made free from &s;in, <HI>i.</HI> by bapti&s;me, and faith, they are made &s;ervants of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and to bring forth fruits of holine&s;&s;e before God; for he that is made an holy tree, &s;hall bring forth holy fruit.</P>
<P>Rea&s;ons why: For, all men are evill trees by generation, all<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">.</HI> For all men are evill by generation.</NOTE> conceived in &s;in, and born in iniquity, all the parts of &s;oul and body are corrupted by that &s;in of <HI>Adam;</HI> &s;o that their throat is become an open &s;epulchre, which &s;ends forth &s;tinking &s;mels before God; their feet are bloody, yea, &s;wift to &s;hed blood, their tongues are deceitfull, their lips poy&s;onable, for the poy&s;on of A&s;pes is under them, their lips, their mouths are full of cur&s;ing and bitter|ne&s;&s;e, de&s;truction and calamity are in their wayes, and the way of peace have they not known, there is no fear of God before their eyes: thus all have &s;inned, and are deprived of the glory of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. 23. and &s;o all men by genera|tion<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 3. 13&punc; to 19. Crab-trees. Serpents.</NOTE> are evill trees, bearing nothing but evill fruit: A Crab-tree bears nothing but Crabs, and as the generation of Serpents and Vipers do not bring forth Nightingals, but a &s;erpentine, viperous, and a poy&s;onable brood; &s;o all men, that are all evill trees by ge|neration, can bring forth nothing but evill fruit.</P>
<P>A &s;econd rea&s;on, why all men are evill trees by nature, and<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> 2. For he hath an evill trea|&s;ure.</NOTE> bring forth nothing but evill fruit, becau&s;e he hath an evill trea|&s;ure of &s;in and wickedne&s;&s;e in his heart, which cau&s;e him to bring forth &s;in before God, that defile the man; as our Saviour &s;peaketh plainly, <HI>an evill tree out of the trea&s;ure of his heart, bringeth forth evill</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6. 45. Mar. 27.</NOTE> <HI>things;</HI> and what are they? &s;ee <HI>Mar. 7. 21. Out of the heart pro|ceedeth evill thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murthers, thefts, cove|tou&s;ne&s;&s;e, wickede&s;&s;e, deceit, uncleanne&s;&s;e, a wicked eye, backbiting, pride, fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e, all the&s;e things come from within, and defile a man.</HI> What an evill trea&s;ure is here? there is not &s;ome fruit evill, and &s;ome good; for the thoughts of his heart are evill continually: <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6. 15.</NOTE> For, <HI>the very thoughts of the fooli&s;h are &s;in, and an abomination to the Lord,</HI> Prov. 15. 26. And &s;o for their words, they are evill conti|nually, for the prayers of the wicked are all &s;in, and are turned in|to<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 15. 26.</NOTE> &s;in, and &s;hall be a wickedne&s;&s;e again&s;t them; for what ha&s;t thou to do, to take my covenant in thy mouth, or my name, when
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thou hate&s;t to be reformed by bapti&s;me and faith, which would have brought forth reformed words? And as for their works, they are all evill before God; for as Thornes and Thi&s;tles cannot bring forth Figs, or Grapes, &s;o cannot the&s;e cur&s;ed trees bring forth good fruit, but cur&s;ed, who&s;e end is to be burned; <HI>The works and &s;acrifices</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 15. 8.</NOTE> <HI>of the wicked, are an abomination to the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Why all are &s;uch evill trees, becau&s;e &s;in is of &s;uch a defiling na|ture,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> 3. For one &s;in is of &s;uch a de|filing nature, that it defiles the per&s;on and actions. <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.</NOTE> that it defileth the per&s;on, and all his actions; as one &s;in in the Angels, and one &s;in in <HI>Adam,</HI> and &s;in in <HI>Cain,</HI> defiled his &s;acrifice; &s;o that God had no re&s;pect to <HI>Cains</HI> per&s;on, nor his &s;acrifice, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. for &s;in had defiled him from the crown of the head to the &s;ole of the foot, that there was nothing but blains, and &s;ores, and pu|trifying wounds, which had made his per&s;on &s;o evill, and abomi|nable before God, that it could bring forth nothing but evill and abominable fruit: Thus all men by originall &s;in are deprived of the glory of God, and are deprived of power to bring forth good fruit, for there is none that doth good, no not one, all are corrupt trees, and can bring forth nothing but corrupt fruit, and an evill tree, &s;aith Chri&s;t, cannot bring forth good fruit.</P>
<P>Cannot an evill man do any good works? Do we not &s;ee, that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob.</NOTE> they give almes, build churches, mend high wayes; are not the&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">Almes.</NOTE> good works?</P>
<P>An evill man may do good works before men, as the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> did, they ju&s;tified them&s;elves by works before men, but God knew their hearts, <HI>i.</HI> that they were abominable, <HI>Luke</HI> 16. 15. and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16. 15.</NOTE> not ju&s;tified before God; therefore he &s;ayes to &s;uch, that which is highly e&s;teemed before men, as great almes, building of Temples, and the like, yet are abomination in the eyes of God, becau&s;e their per&s;ons are not in Chri&s;t, neither are their con&s;ciences ju&s;tified by faith in the blood of Chri&s;t, therefore impure, <HI>Tit.</HI> 1. 15.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Titus 1. 15. &V;&s;e.</HI> Bewail thy generation.</NOTE></P>
<P>Is it &s;o, that all men are evill trees by generation, conceived in &s;in, and born in iniquity? learn to bewail thy generation, and &s;ee how wretched, and mi&s;erable, and poor, and blind, and naked thou art by the &s;ame; what an evill tree art thou by the &s;ame?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> think not to &s;ay, you have godly profe&s;&s;ors to your parents, we are Gentlemen born, or of Noble blood, for all you that boa&s;t of &s;uch things, are no better then the <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> which boa&s;ted they had<NOTE PLACE="marg">Say not <HI>Abra|ham.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Abraham</HI> to their father, and yet being not in Chri&s;t, God was not
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their Father, but they were the generation of Vipers before God, &s;o are you that are not born of water and the Spirit, and will not believe it, you are by nature children of wrath, and by generation as abominable before God, as the generation of Vipers before men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Generation of Vipers.</NOTE> a deadly and poy&s;onable generation, for the &s;he&punc; Viper in copula|tion, biteth off the head of the fire, and kils him, and when &s;he hath conceived, the young Vipers gnaw out the bowels of their dam, and kill her, and therefore a mo&s;t cur&s;ed generation; &s;o art thou &s;o poy&s;oned with &s;in, that thou wilt de&s;troy thy father that begat<NOTE PLACE="marg">The <HI>Anabap|ti&s;ts</HI> again&s;t <HI>Luher</HI> at <HI>Mun&s;ter,</HI> &s;hew what genera|tion they are of. Flie to Bap|ti&s;me, to be wa&s;hed as <HI>David.</HI></NOTE> thee in the faith, and mother Church, as the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> and the people of it by per&s;ecuting the children of God. Let this be a means to teach thee to bewail thy old birth, with <HI>David,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>I was conceived in &s;in, and born in iniquity,</HI> and &s;o to be ca&s;t down for thy old birth, that thou maye&s;t flie to thy bapti&s;me, as <HI>David</HI> de|&s;ired it, <HI>Wa&s;h me with Hy&s;&s;op, and I &s;hall be clean, purge me, and I &s;hall be whiter then &s;now;</HI> de&s;ire the Lord to manife&s;t thy bapti&s;me unto thee, for no man can truly de&s;ire the new birth, untill he &s;ee how mi&s;erable he was by the old; for if thou coulde&s;t &s;ee how many &s;ins thou ha&s;t brought forth, by rea&s;on of the old birth, it would be a means greatly to move thee to de&s;ire the new birth for your chil|dren, and de&s;ire to under&s;tand your bapti&s;me which Chri&s;t promi|&s;ed to <HI>Peter,</HI> that knew not what Chri&s;t did, when he wa&s;hed him,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Peter</HI> knew not.</NOTE> but he told him he &s;hould know it afterward: So it would make us to de&s;ire to know afterward what Chri&s;t did for us at our bapti&s;m. When <HI>David</HI> &s;aw that he had committed adultery and murther, he cryed out of his old birth; but thou ha&s;t committed adultery be|fore God; for he or &s;he that looketh on a woman or man, to lu&s;t after them, hath committed adultery in his heart; and thou which<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.</NOTE> hate&s;t thy brother, art a murtherer before God; and he that &s;aith to his brother, <HI>Thou fool,</HI> is worthy to be puni&s;hed with hell fire, and art in debt ten thou&s;and talents of &s;ins, ha&s;t committed them; O flie to Chri&s;t for to reveal thy new birth, or el&s;e thou mu&s;t be damned with the Devill and his angels, becau&s;e they are not born of water and the Spirit, they cannot &s;ee the kingdome of God, and no more &s;halt thou, if thou be not of that faith.</P>
<P>Is it &s;o, that all men by nature are evill trees, bearing evill fruit?<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> 2. An evill trea|&s;ure in the heart.</NOTE> becau&s;e they have an evill trea&s;ure of their heart, that bringeth forth evill things? As evill thoughts, which defile a man before
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God? Then con&s;ider what an evill trea&s;ure thou ha&s;t in thy heart, all this while thou ha&s;t been ready to boa&s;t of it, and to &s;ay thou ha&s;t a good heart to God-ward, though thou can&s;t not &s;peak &s;o<NOTE PLACE="marg">Fooli&s;hnes to boa&s;t of a good heart.</NOTE> much, or pray as others, yet thou mean&s;t well, and &s;erve God, and &s;ay the Creed, the Lords Prayer, and ten Commandements every day. But I tell thee, thou ha&s;t an evill trea&s;ure in thy evill heart, that hath brought forth evill things to God-ward; as evill thoughts, evill words, and evill works, and the&s;e are they that have defiled thee. Doth your heart that is &s;o good to God-ward, as you &s;ay, bring forth &s;uch bad fruit, which defile the man before God? I tell thee thy heart is naught; for how many thou&s;and naughty thoughts hath it brought forth before God? How many idle words to be accounted for at the day of judgement? and how ma|ny<NOTE PLACE="marg">How many thou&s;and naughty thoughts.</NOTE> evill actions hath it brought forth? If thou ha&s;t not a new birth, and therein remi&s;&s;ion of all the&s;e &s;ins, it had been better for thee, that thou had&s;t never been born; therefore learn to &s;ee the naugh|tine&s;&s;e of thy heart, and pray for a new heart with <HI>David, Create in</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pray for a new heart. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 51.</NOTE> <HI>me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right &s;pirit within me.</HI> For they that think they have a good heart to God-ward, never &s;aw them|&s;elves to have a bad heart, &s;uch are in a wofull condition, poor, and blinde, and naked; but they that &s;ee them&s;elves to have a bad heart, and cry to the Lord for a new one, and by faith wa&s;h his heart, with the Hy&s;&s;op of Chri&s;ts blood, by receiving the other &s;acrament of the blood of Chri&s;t, to &s;prinkle his heart. That man that cry|eth unto the Lord again&s;t the corruption of his old heart, and prayeth unto the Lord to create in him a new heart, and goeth unto the Lords Supper, that man hath a new birth, and hath a new heart, though he cannot feel it &s;o new as he would.</P>
<P>Did not the good trees in the time of the Law bring forth bad<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob.</NOTE> fruit before God? as <HI>David, Mo&s;es, Miriam, Jeho&s;aphat,</HI> and yet they were not cut down, and ca&s;t into the fire? And &s;o why may not good trees now do &s;o? bring forth &s;ome fruit good, and &s;ome bad before God?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, in the time of the Law, the axe was not laid to the<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> root of the trees, it was laid to the boughs and branches; for God &s;aid, <HI>I hewed them by my Prophets,</HI> Ho&s;. 6. 5. And you &s;ee how <HI>David</HI> for his ill fruit, had four branches cut off, the childe conceived in adultery was &s;mitten of the Lord, and died, and the Lord &s;aid,
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<HI>The &s;word &s;hall not depart from thy hou&s;e;</HI> three other of his &s;ons were cut off by the &s;word. And <HI>Hiel</HI> the <HI>Bethulite</HI> had two &s;ons cut off by the axe of the Law, as you may &s;ee, <HI>Jo&s;h. 6. 26. Jo&s;hua</HI> &s;aid&punc; <HI>Cur&s;ed be the man before the Lord, that ri&s;eth up, and buildeth Jericho, he &s;hall lay the foundation thereof in his elde&s;t &s;on, and in his younge&s;t &s;on &s;hall he &s;et up the gates thereof;</HI> i. his elde&s;t &s;on &s;hall die by this cur&s;e, when he begins to build, and his younge&s;t &s;hall die when he &s;et up the gates thereof. This cur&s;e &s;eemed to lie a&s;leep many hundred yeers, and forgotten, and therefore in <HI>Ahabs</HI> dayes, <HI>Hiel</HI> the <HI>Bethulite,</HI> builded <HI>Jercho,</HI> he laid the founda|tion thereof in <HI>Abiram,</HI> his elde&s;t &s;on, and &s;et up the gates thereof in his younge&s;t &s;on, <HI>Segub, (i.</HI> they dyed) according to the word of the Lord, that he &s;pake by <HI>Jo&s;hua;</HI> and thus many Tribes of <HI>I&s;rael</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ho&s;. 11. Iohn</HI> 3. 5&punc;</NOTE> were cut off by the Law, though <HI>Judah</HI> remained &s;till. But now Chri&s;t is come, preaching the kingdome of heaven by Bapti&s;me in|to Chri&s;t, to put on Chri&s;t: now the ax is laid to the root of the trees of all Nations, Churches and particular men, to &s;hew that all men now mu&s;t be made good trees in Chri&s;t, to bring forth none but good fruit before God, or el&s;e the ax of the Law and Gods De|cree, and &s;word, or judgements of cur&s;es, is laid to their roots, and are hewn down and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath, as Chri&s;ts<NOTE PLACE="marg">No more &s;a|crifice.</NOTE> own words declare, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7. 19. for there is no more &s;acrifice for &s;in. Chri&s;t hath now &s;et open &s;uch a fountain in Bapti&s;me, that doth more then all the &s;acrifices of the Law: with <HI>one offering, he</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5. 26. Heb. 10. 14.</NOTE> <HI>h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">th perfected for ever, all them&punc; that are &s;anctified,</HI> Heb. 11. 14. <HI>i.</HI> in Bapti&s;me: For, every per&s;on that will not heare that Prophet, (<HI>i.</HI> Chri&s;t) to be wa&s;hed in Chri&s;ts blood, (in bapti&s;me) &s;hall be<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 3. 23&punc;</NOTE> de&s;troyed out of the people, <HI>Acts 3. 23&punc; i.</HI> he that will not let Chri&s;t wa&s;h him he may have part in him, without which he &s;hall have none, <HI>Joh.</HI> 13. 8. as the <HI>Phari&s;es,</HI> i. he that will not be graffed<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 13. 8.</NOTE> into Chri&s;t, to bring forth none but good fruit before God, he is<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 20<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc;</NOTE> hewn down by the Word of God; <HI>he that will not believe, &s;hall be damned,</HI> i. he that will not believe he is in him, that is true, in that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 5.</NOTE> his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which no man can believe&punc; but by his bapti&s;me, as <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. 5. Every per&s;on that will not make the tree good and the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Make the trees&punc; good and the fruit good&punc;</NOTE> fruit good by bapti&s;me and &s;aith, or the tree evill, and the fruit evil by <HI>Adam,</HI> and infidelity, &s;hall be de&s;troyed out of the people. O this civill war, wherein Chri&s;t is come as a thiefe, or with a judgement,
<PB N="24" REF="19">
like thieves, &s;hall de&s;troy multitudes of people, becau&s;e they will not obey Chri&s;t, to let him wa&s;h them, becau&s;e they will not believe their<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;t is come as a thiefe.</NOTE> Bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t in infancy; for evill trees bring not forth good fruit, for &s;ome bring forth none, as the Civilian, <HI>Hew him</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Civilian.</NOTE> <HI>down, why combreth he the ground?</HI> &s;ome bring forth lukewarmne&s;&s;e, &s;ome infidelity, &s;ome ignorance, &s;ome drunkenne&s;&s;e, &s;wearing, ly|ing, banning and cur&s;ing, all the&s;e are bad fruit, &s;uch are hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire; how&s;oever, they are hewn down in con&s;cience; and that remaineth under wrath, without any a&s;&s;u|rance of &s;alvation, though the per&s;on, if it be elect, may be under mercy, graffed into Chri&s;t, and all the&s;e &s;ins forgiven in his bap|ti&s;me, which he knows not till he repent and believe.</P>
<P>Is it &s;o, that all men by nature are evill trees, bringing forth<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> evill fruit, becau&s;e &s;in within them is of &s;uch a defiling nature, that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Is &s;in of &s;uch a defiling na|ture.</NOTE> it hath made both per&s;on and actions filthy and unclean? Con&s;i|der the horrible filthine&s;&s;e of &s;in, how it hath polluted and defiled the heavens and the earth; for they &s;hall wax old as doth a ve&s;ture, and as a garment &s;halt thou change them; they &s;hall be burned, be|cau&s;e they be &s;ubject to vanity, for the &s;in of man, they groan and travell in pain for the pollution of &s;in, &s;o are thy per&s;on and acti|ons become unclean, by the defilement of &s;in. O bewail thy &s;in, make ha&s;te out of thy mi&s;erable and wretched condition by &s;in, make ha&s;te to Chri&s;t by &s;aith, who came to take away our &s;ins, for thy &s;ins have made thee &s;ubject to burning. The heavens and the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heavens.</NOTE> earth, and all things therein &s;hall be burnt, becau&s;e they are &s;ubject to vanity for the bondage of corruption. The Angels that are pol|luted<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 20, 21.</NOTE> with &s;in, &s;hall be burned in hell, for ever burning, and never con&s;umed: The wicked that are not graffed into Chri&s;t, &s;hall be burned with the Devill and his angels, where the worm dyeth not, and the fire never goeth out, and yet dare&s;t thou remain in &s;in, and pollute thy &s;elf more and more? Well, make ha&s;te to believe thy bapti&s;me, for the world will not hold thee long, nor God indure thee to behold the light of this Son, that will walk in darkne&s;&s;e of infidelity out of Chri&s;t; for, <HI>the ax is laid to the root of the trees, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire;</HI> but thou do&s;t bring forth bad fruit of &s;in, <HI>Ergo,</HI> thou art hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire.</P>
<P><PB N="25" REF="19">In the &s;econd place we gather, that all that are made good trees<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doct.</HI> 3. All that are made good trees by Bap|ti&s;me into Chri&s;t, &s;hall be &s;aved.</NOTE> by Bapti&s;m into Chri&s;t, to bring forth fruit before God, &s;hall be &s;a|ved, and not be cut down and ca&s;t into the fire: All men have now the ax of Bapti&s;m laid to their roots (except <HI>Jews,</HI> and <HI>Heathens,</HI> and <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> which de&s;pi&s;e the coun&s;ell of God to their damnati|on) to cut them out of the old <HI>Adam,</HI> to graffe them into the new; for it is certain, that in Bapti&s;me, we put off the old man, and put on the new; for thereby the Father, Son, and Holy Gho&s;t, do<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 27.</NOTE> graffe us into Chri&s;t, and make us trees of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, trees of his own planting, that the Lord may be glorified, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 61. 3. Now,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 61. 3.</NOTE> &s;hould Gods good trees of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e bring forth bad fruit of &s;in before God? He &s;aith, no, <HI>Mat. 7. 17. Every good tree bringeth</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth&punc; 7. 17.</NOTE> <HI>forth good fruit, a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit;</HI> for, by the remi&s;&s;ion of all &s;ins in the blood of Chri&s;t in Bapti&s;me, the actions are made good, by the eternall redemption, and the everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which few men under&s;tand; for by an eternall re|demption by Chri&s;ts blood in Bapti&s;me, we have remi&s;&s;ion of all &s;ins, pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and to come, for ever, before the Throne of God, though we cannot yet believe it; and we have an everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e given unto us freely, which makes us righteous for ever before God. Hence, &s;aith <HI>Calvin,</HI> is to be noted, that men can|not<NOTE PLACE="marg">Calvin.</NOTE> do well before they be made good; and therefore Chri&s;t &s;aith to the <HI>Phari&s;ees, O generation of Vipers, how can you &s;peak good things, when your &s;elves are evill?</HI> i. not graffed in Chri&s;t by Bapti&s;me and Faith in him: For, <HI>out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth &s;peak|eth;</HI> i. from the abundance of good or evill in the heart; and in <HI>Luke</HI> 6. 44. for, <HI>every tree is known by his fruit,</HI> for it is not a good<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6. 44.</NOTE> tree that bringeth forth evill fruit, <HI>i.</HI> of &s;in before God, neither an evill tree that bringeth forth good fruit, &s;ignifying, that the good tree cannot but bring forth good fruit: and hereupon the trees of the Lord are &s;aid to be full of &s;ap, <HI>i.</HI> full of the Spirit of Chri&s;t, which cau&s;e them to bring forth good fruit; for, <HI>the &s;eed remaineth in him,</HI> &s;aith S^t. <HI>John, for who&s;oever is born of God, &s;inneth</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 104. 1 John 3. 9.</NOTE> <HI>not,</HI> for his &s;eed remaineth in him, neither can he &s;in, becau&s;e he is born of God, <HI>i.</HI> though he do &s;in before men, yet he cannot fall out of Chri&s;ts blood and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that he need a new &s;acri|fice before God, <HI>For with one &s;acrifice he is made perfect</HI> (before God) <HI>for ever,</HI> Heb. 10. 14. For <HI>Davids</HI> ble&s;&s;ed man, is campared
<PB N="26" REF="20">
to the tree planted by the rivers of water in infancy (yea, into Je&s;us<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1.</NOTE> that came by water and blood) not by water only, but by water and blood, 'tis that Spirit that beareth witne&s;&s;e, and that Spirit is trtuh, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 6. that bringeth forth fruit in due &s;ea&s;on; for they<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 5. 6.</NOTE> that are planted in the Hou&s;e of God in their youth or infancy, planted into Chri&s;t by Bapti&s;me, &s;hall bring forth much fruit in their age; for, <HI>herein is my Father glorified, that you bring forth much fruit, and be made my Di&s;ciples.</HI> And how &s;hall any bring forth<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15. 8. P&s;al. 19.</NOTE> much fruit before God? except the words of his mouth, and the meditations of his heart, and all the works of his hands be made acceptable unto God, but through Chri&s;ts work in Bapti&s;me; for we cannot make them good, by all the devices, that mans brain can imagine: but Chri&s;t mu&s;t make them all good by his blood and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e freely, without any works of man, and give us faith to believe it.</P>
<P>But how is any man made a good tree before God, that were all<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> &s;uch evill trees by <HI>Adam?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, as trees are made good before men, by planting or graffing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> before they can bring forth good fruit before men, &s;o mu&s;t all men<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 By graffing.</NOTE> be planted or graffed into Je&s;us Chri&s;t by Bapti&s;me, before they can bring forth good fruit before God; this is plain, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 17.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 17. 24.</NOTE> and 24. and though &s;ome of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wilde Olive tree, wa&s;t graffed in for them, and made par|taker of the root and fatne&s;&s;e of the Olive tree; for if thou wa&s;t cut out of the Olive tree, which was wilde by nature, (<HI>i.</HI> by Bap|ti&s;me wa&s;t cut out of <HI>Adam</HI>) and wa&s;t graffed contrary to nature in the right Olive tree, how much more &s;hall they which are by nature be graffed in their own Olive tree? for if we be planted with him into the &s;imilitude of his death, even &s;o &s;hall we be to the &s;imilitude of his re&s;urrection, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. 5. And how is that; that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 5.</NOTE> we are graffed or planted into the &s;imilitude of his death? The An&s;wer is in the 4^t^h ver&s;e, <HI>We are buried with him by bapti&s;me into his death;</HI> that as they buried a man in the Sepulchre of <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> that when the man was down, and touched the bones of <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> he re|vived, and &s;tood upon his feet, 2 <HI>King.</HI> 13. 21. &s;o the elect that were dead in &s;ins, in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, when they are ca&s;t into the grave of Chri&s;t, when they are down, and touch the vertue of Chri&s;ts death by Bapti&s;m, they revive, and &s;tand upon their feet before God.</P>
<P><PB N="27" REF="20">We are made good trees, becau&s;e we are made branches of the<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. For we are made bran|ches of the Vine. <HI>John</HI> 15. 5. Two trees.</NOTE> Vine Chri&s;t: as <HI>John 15. 5. I am the Vine, ye are the branches; Adam</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> are compared to two trees, <HI>Adam</HI> a wilde Olive, the root of all men by nature, Chri&s;t a &s;weet Olive, or a Vine, the root of all men by grace, that are graffed into Chri&s;t by bapti&s;me; <HI>he that abideth in me, and I in him, the &s;ame bringeth forth much fruit, for with|out me ye can do nothing,</HI> i. he that abideth by faith in Chri&s;t, by bapti&s;me, he bringeth forth much fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e before God; but he that abideth not in Chri&s;t to bring forth good fruit, but in &s;uch a dead faith, that he bringeth forth &s;in, he is ca&s;t forth as a branch, <HI>i.</HI> unprofitable, by the judgement of God, and wi|thereth in the a&s;&s;urance of &s;alvation, and men gather them and ca&s;t into the fire of Gods wrath, and they burn; as they that turn <HI>Jews, Turks, Heathens, Papi&s;ts, Witches,</HI> and <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> all the&s;e are ju&s;tly excommunicated out of the true Church of God, and judged to be under wrath, becau&s;e they have denied or for&s;a|ken, or forgotten their Bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Why becau&s;e by Bapti&s;me, <HI>we are made members of his body, of his</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> 3. For we are made mem|bers of his body.</NOTE> <HI>fle&s;h, and of his bone,</HI> i. &s;pirituall members, &s;traitly coupled to|gether unto him; for, &s;eeing Chri&s;t hath loved his Church, and &s;anctified it, and clean&s;ed it through the wa&s;hing of the water, through the Word, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5. 26. he &s;o made us to him&s;elf a glori|ous Church, without &s;pot or wrinkle, or any &s;uch thing, but that it &s;hould be holy and without blame, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 27. and by that Bap|ti&s;me are we made members of his body, of his fle&s;h, and of his bones, as <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 30. And therefore Chri&s;t doth feed us with his bo|dy<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5. 30.</NOTE> and blood, by faith, that we might dwell in Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t in us, that we might be certain that we are incorporated into him by Bapti&s;me. Therefore he took fle&s;h of the Virgine, to te&s;tifie that he acknowledgeth us for his members; for Chri&s;t may as truly &s;ay (of his elect, that are baptized into Chri&s;t, and have put on Chri&s;t) as <HI>Adam</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Evah</HI> when &s;he was married to him, <HI>She is now bone</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2.</NOTE> <HI>of my bone, and fle&s;h of my fle&s;h;</HI> &s;o Chri&s;t may &s;ay of all the elect that are married to him by Bapti&s;me, <HI>They are members of my body, of my fle&s;h, and of my bones.</HI></P>
<P>And by this means, <HI>i.</HI> by Bapti&s;me, and by faith, is the heart<NOTE PLACE="marg">How is the heart made good. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">5.</NOTE> made a good trea&s;ure; for God &s;aid, <HI>I will &s;prinkle clean water upon you, and you &s;hall be clean from all your filthine&s;&s;e: and a new heart,
<PB N="28" REF="21">
and a new &s;pirit will I put within you; I will take away the &s;tony heart, and give you an heart of fle&s;h,</HI> Ezek. 36. 25, 26. and this heart is puri|fied by faith, <HI>Acts</HI> 15. 9. for when the heart is made pure, it is made a good trea&s;ure, for all things are pure to it; &s;o that as it is &s;aid on the one &s;ide of them that are not &s;anctified, that the unbe|lieving and impure, they are defiled, <HI>Tit.</HI> 1. 15, 16. But al&s;o as the Prophet <HI>Hagg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i</HI> crieth out, &s;o are all the works of the&s;e peoples hands, and that which they offer in the Temple is unclean, <HI>Hag.</HI> 2. 15. &s;ignifying all comes from an unclean trea&s;ure: So on the other &s;ide, <HI>to the pure,</HI> that is, to them that are wa&s;hed and &s;ancti|fied, and ju&s;tified in the name of the Lord Je&s;us, and the Spirit of our God in Bapti&s;me, and their hearts purified from their &s;ins by faith in the blood of the Lamb, <HI>all things are pure,</HI> and all the<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 11.</NOTE> works of their hands; what they offer in the Temple is made good fruit, in the Spirit of God freely, and thereby acceptable in the &s;ight of God, whom nothing can plea&s;e, but that which is pure; and hereupon <HI>David</HI> giveth this an&s;wer to his own que&s;tion, <HI>Who &s;hall dwell in the Tabernacle of the Lord; and who &s;hall re&s;t in his holy hill?</HI> even he that hath innocent hands, which no man can have, but by remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins in Bapti&s;me, wherein a mans hands are wa&s;hed in Chri&s;ts innocency, and a pure heart, which Chri&s;tians obtain by faith in the blood of Chri&s;t. Thus having our hearts<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 1. 7.</NOTE> &s;prinkled from an evil con&s;cience, and our bodies wa&s;hed with pure water, we may keep our profe&s;&s;ion without wavering, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 22, 23. with innocent hands and a pure heart, which &s;hall &s;ee God, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>Men are made good trees by putting on Chri&s;ts white rayment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. By planting on Chri&s;t.</NOTE> righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as a garment: as <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 27. Now if a man had &s;uch a garment, that would make all his thoughts, words, and works good, it would make him a good tree. <HI>Adam,</HI> you know, hath &s;o clothed all naturall men, that he hath made all their thoughts, words, and actions evill; &s;hall we not grant as much to Chri&s;t? to make the tree good, and the fruit good? If a man can bring a green tree to grow over a drie, the green tree will make the drie green al&s;o, and finde &s;ap enough, and make it bring forth much fruit; as we have &s;een in a part of a tree, being green, grow|ing over a dead and drie part, it makes it fruitfull. So Chri&s;t is a green tree, and we drie, as he &s;aith, <HI>If they have done thus to t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1+ letters"> green</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ke 23. 31.</NOTE> <HI>tree, what &s;hall be done to the drie? An&s;w.</HI> Truly, if Chri&s;t do
<PB N="29" REF="21">
not grow over it, and over the fruit of it, it &s;hall burne.</P>
<P>Men are made good trees by his Spirit; for by one Spirit, we are<NOTE PLACE="marg">5. By his Spirit. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. 13.</NOTE> baptized into one body, and made all to drink into one Spirit, <HI>i.</HI> in Bapti&s;me we are regenerate, and new born of water and the Spirit, that we might be one &s;pirituall body, whereof Chri&s;t is the head; and he that hath not the Spirit of Chri&s;t, is none of his. Therefore in the Supper we drink the blood of Chri&s;t, that we might be made partakers more and more of the Spirit of Chri&s;t, to be all of one minde and &s;pirit. Now he that bringeth forth fruit before God, in the Spirit of Chri&s;t, &s;hall be &s;aved, otherwi&s;e he is hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire.</P>
<P>What, are none made good trees but tho&s;e that are graffed and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> baptized into Chri&s;t, to bring forth good fruit before God? Was not <HI>Cornelius</HI> his prayer and almes good fruit before God, which came up to God before Bapti&s;me? <HI>Acts</HI> 10. And what &s;ay you of Infants dying before Bapti&s;me?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, that <HI>Cornelius</HI> did pray in faith, that Chri&s;t was to<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> come, as the <HI>Jews</HI> did before his coming, which brought forth &s;ome fruits of faith, that Chri&s;t &s;hould come, and take away their &s;ins; and they brought forth &s;ome bad fruits of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law, as <HI>David,</HI> for which they &s;acrificed: Now therefore <HI>Cor|nelius</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 130. 8.</NOTE> being an elect ve&s;&s;ell, that he might not &s;tand in a twofold e&s;tate before God, to bring forth &s;ome fruit good, and &s;ome bad, God &s;ent an Angel from Heaven to him, and bade him &s;end for <HI>Peter,</HI> and he &s;hall &s;hew thee what thou oughte&s;t to do, <HI>i.</HI> to be made a good tree, to bring forth nothing but good fruit; &s;igni|fying,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10. 6,</NOTE> he &s;hall &s;hew thee by faith, in the death and re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t, and by bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, the tree &s;hall be made good and fruit good, <HI>Matth.</HI> 12. 33. For by the Law they were under the heavy yoak, that we nor our fathers were able to beare, which bare &s;ome good fruits, and &s;ome cur&s;ed, as <HI>Jeho&s;aphat, 2 Chro.</HI> 19. 2. and <HI>Hezekiah, 2 Chron.</HI> 23. 25.</P>
<P>Now, if a twofold e&s;tate had been good enough for <HI>Cornelius,</HI> what needed an Angel be &s;ent from Heaven, to &s;end for <HI>Peter</HI> to bring him into a better e&s;tate before God then he was in? which &s;hews that we have now a better e&s;tate before God by Bapti&s;me in|to Chri&s;t, then the Fathers had under the Law, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>God providing a better thing for us,</HI> Heb. 11. 40. we have a
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perfect remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and no more &s;acrifice for &s;in, are with one offering made perfect for ever that are &s;anctified; and how is that?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 14.</NOTE> by Bapti&s;me, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5. 26. and by Faith, <HI>Acts</HI> 26. 18. by Bapti&s;me to the per&s;on, and by faith to the con&s;cience; as <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 22, 23.</P>
<P>And concerning Infants dying before Bapti&s;me, if either of the parents be faithfull, they are &s;aid to be holy, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 14. that is, within the holy covenant of Bapti&s;me: for Bapti&s;me is the Anti|type of the Ark; that as <HI>Noah</HI> prepared the Ark, not only to &s;ave him&s;elf, but al&s;o his hou&s;hold; &s;o the &s;ame &s;igne which now &s;aveth<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3. 22.</NOTE> us, bapti&s;me, I mean the inward Bapti&s;me, is received to &s;ave a mans &s;elf and his hou&s;hold, that die before they can come unto it, as <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI> told the Jaylor, <HI>Believe in the Lord Je&s;us, and thou &s;halt be &s;aved, and thy hou&s;hold,</HI> Acts 16. which he could not do without bapti&s;me; and therefore it is &s;aid, that when he was bap|tized,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 16. 34.</NOTE> he rejoyced that he and his hou&s;hold believed in God; for no man can believe in Chri&s;t before he be baptized into him; for if he &s;hould &s;ay, he believes he is in Chri&s;t, he &s;hould believe a lie, for no man can truly &s;ay he is in Chri&s;t, before he is baptized into him; and this cau&s;ed <HI>Paul</HI> to &s;ay, <HI>Andronicus</HI> and <HI>Junius</HI> his cou&s;ins, and fellow-pri&s;oners, that were notable among the Apo&s;tles, and were in Chri&s;t before me, <HI>i.</HI> they were baptized before me, pro|fe&s;&s;ors and believers before me, they were ingraffed into Chri&s;t be|fore me, when I was without Chri&s;t, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2. 12. and a mur|therer.</P>
<P>If all be done in Bapti&s;me, that men be made good trees to bring<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob.</NOTE> forth none but good fruit, and have perfect remi&s;&s;ion of all &s;ins, and an everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e freely, what need men repent, or mor|tifie &s;in, or pray for remi&s;&s;ion?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, though God hath &s;ealed &s;uch a free covenant with us<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> on his part, yet we cannot know it, untill we repent, and believe, and mortifie &s;in, and pray for remi&s;&s;ion; for the&s;e are to us-ward &s;ignes, that the covenant of Grace was &s;ealed upon us in bap|ti&s;me to God-ward; as that we were made &s;o to him&s;elf, a glori|ous Church, not having &s;pot, to be holy, and without blame, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5. 26. And as <HI>Athana&s;ius,</HI> that Champion of the truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5. 27.</NOTE> &s;aith, that as a woman with childe by the &s;pringing of the Babe in her womb, knoweth for certainty, that &s;he hath conceived fruit, &s;o the &s;oul of a true believer knowes by the &s;prings of his heart, and
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by the inward joyes, that he received the Holy Gho&s;t in Bapti&s;me. Mark the word, &s;prings in the heart, they are repentance, mortifi|cation, praying for remi&s;&s;ion, mourning, hungring and thir&s;ting after righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, love to Chri&s;t, the&s;e would never have come up, if no &s;eed had been &s;own in Bapti&s;me; therefore he that is<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 John.</NOTE> born of God, is &s;aid to have &s;eed remain in him, which comes up afterward.</P>
<P>What? Are the elect ju&s;tified in Bapti&s;me before God, and re|ceive<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE> the Holy Gho&s;t there, and are made Temples for the Holy Gho&s;t to dwell in? How can we believe this, when we &s;ee many live loo&s;ly, and walk in all kinde of &s;ins, a long time after? I will not believe it, except I could &s;ee &s;ome workings of the Holy Gho&s;t in them.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, thou art a faithle&s;&s;e <HI>Thomas</HI> that would not believe, ex|cept<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> he might &s;ee and feel; did not Chri&s;t &s;ay to him, and &s;o to thee, <HI>Be not faithle&s;&s;e, but believing; ble&s;&s;ed is he that believeth, and hath not &s;een.</HI> The Temple of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> was made you know for an holy hou&s;e of prayer, but if you had gone in Chri&s;ts time, you might have &s;een, that they had brought in Oxen, and Sheep, and there was tables of the money-changers, and &s;eats of them that &s;old Doves, and &s;uch a multitude of buyers, and &s;ellers, that they had made the Temple of God a Den of thieves, but they did not un|temple it, but it was a Temple &s;till; but Chri&s;t made a &s;courge of &s;mall cords, and drove all the buyers and &s;ellers out of the Temple: So the elect by Bapti&s;me, are made the Temple of God; <HI>for the Temple of God is holy, which are ye,</HI> 1 Cor. 3. 17. and they buy and &s;ell Oxen, and Sheep, and Doves, and bring in the tables of money|changers, covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and u&s;ury, and make the con&s;cience a Den<NOTE PLACE="marg">As <HI>Arminians</HI> and <HI>Papi&s;ts.</HI></NOTE> of thieves, yet the man is not untempled; therefore Chri&s;t will come to his Temple with a &s;courge of &s;mall cords of the Law, and drive them &s;ins out of the con&s;cience; and the Temple of God &s;hall be|come a hou&s;e of prayer, that was made a Den of thieves; there|fore &s;uch <HI>Antinomians</HI> that will not have the Law preached, will be wi&s;er then Chri&s;t, for Chri&s;t made a &s;courge of &s;mall cords, <HI>i.</HI> of the Law, for &s;mall &s;ins, &s;aying thus, <HI>He that is angry with his bro|ther unadvi&s;edly, is culpable of judgement;</HI> he hath broken the Law, is accur&s;ed by the Law<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> he is of the Devill that loves not his brother,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 3. 10.</NOTE> 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 10. all the cur&s;es of the Law belong to him; for he
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that breaketh the Law in one point, is guilty of all, <HI>James</HI> 2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">James <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 10.</NOTE></P>
<P>A &s;econd cord, but he that &s;aith unto his brother, <HI>Rac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h,</HI> i. gives a taunting &s;peech to his brother in anger, that is, unadvi&s;ed, he is a greater &s;inner, he is worthy to be condemned of a Councel; he loves not his brother, is of the Devill, is cur&s;ed by the Law; what will become of mockers and &s;coffers of their brethren?</P>
<P>A third &s;mall cord, but he that &s;aith unto his brother, <HI>Thou fool,</HI> is worthy to be puni&s;hed with hell fire; he is of <HI>Cain</HI> that hateth his brother, and is a murtherer, and you know, that no murtherer<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> John 3. 5.</NOTE> hath eternall life abiding in him; thou art a railer, thou art cur&s;ed by the Law, for not continuing in all things written in the Book of the Law to do the &s;ame; Wo unto thee, thou railer, thou art &s;hut out of the Kingdome of Heaven, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 10. What will be|come of you that practi&s;e railing again&s;t your brethren? calling &s;ome Rogue, Ra&s;call, Knave, Villain, Drab, Puritain; yea, the mo&s;t godly, by one gro&s;&s;e name or other? wo unto thee, the Law tels thee thou art cur&s;ed, and all cro&s;&s;es and calamities are puni&s;h|ments and plagues for thy &s;ins. Now, if a &s;pirituall murther be &s;o great, what is actuall killing?</P>
<P>A fourth &s;mall cord, he that looketh upon a woman to lu&s;t af|ter her, hath committed adultery with her in his heart, (or the wo|man on a man) he hath broken the holy and pure Law of God, is a damnable adulterer, and accur&s;ed by the Law of God, that &s;aith, <HI>Cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in all things, written in the book of the Law to do them: Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge,</HI> Heb. 13. 4. But thou continue&s;t not, as thy con&s;cience tells thee; <HI>Ergo,</HI> thou art cur&s;ed by the Law. Let the&s;e whip &s;in out of thy con&s;cience, and whip thee to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>A fifth &s;mall cord, Thou ha&s;t been an u&s;urer, or a &s;eller, that ha&s;t defrauded, or cozened thy brother of a peny; he or his wife, or &s;ome of his children, or childrens children, or childrens chil|drens children, to the end of the world, may want that peny, and &s;tarve and die for want of a peny-worth of bread, or drink, thou art guilty of his death; for he that taketh away a mans living, killeth him: Thou that ha&s;t oppre&s;&s;ed or defrauded thy brother, in any thing, God is the avenger of all &s;uch things, thou ha&s;t &s;lain thy brother, wo unto thee, thou man&s;layer, as <HI>Luther</HI> &s;aith to the objection of the U&s;urer, that &s;aid he lent his money to u&s;ury, not
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to the poor, but only to the rich; I thank you, Ma&s;ter man-&s;layer, you will kill no poor men, but only tho&s;e that are rich; but you will make them poor by u&s;ury, and &s;o kill them: if a peny be &s;o much, what &s;hall become of you that have defrauded, cozened, &s;poyled, and plundred your brethren of many &s;hillings and pounds, wo unto you, let this &s;courge of &s;mall cords, or &s;ins driye out all the&s;e &s;ins out of thy con&s;cience by contrition, confe&s;&s;ion, morti|fication, vivification, prayer again&s;t &s;in, love of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that Chri&s;t may dwell in the Temple that was made good by Bap|ti&s;me, but you have made it a den of thieves by your &s;ins, and it will remain an hou&s;e of Prayer, for which it was built of God; <HI>for the Temple of God is holy, which are ye.</HI> And for you that will not believe it is &s;o, becau&s;e you cannot &s;ee it, it &s;hewes you are not dead unto rea&s;on, you have not &s;lain the bea&s;t rea&s;on, you are nor re|&s;olved to believe what&s;oever God &s;ayes, though it be never &s;o con|trary to rea&s;on, you will believe no more then you can mould up with &s;ight and rea&s;on, you are but Dun&s;es in Chri&s;ts School. Do not you know that the Kingdome of God is as if a man &s;hould ca&s;t &s;eed into the ground, and &s;hould &s;leep, and ri&s;e up night and day, and the &s;eed &s;hould &s;pring and grow up, he not knowing how? for the earth bringeth forth fruit of it &s;elf, fir&s;t the blade, then the eare, and after the full corn in the eare; and as &s;oon as the fruit &s;heweth it &s;elf, anon he putteth in his &s;ickle, becau&s;e the harve&s;t is come: What, will you &s;ay there was no &s;eed &s;own, becau&s;e you &s;ee none for many dayes? The Kingdome of heaven is &s;own in<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mar.</HI> 4. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; to 29.</NOTE> Bapti&s;me, wherein the &s;eed is &s;own into the ground, and men &s;leep, and ri&s;e up night and day, and walk in their calling; the &s;eed grow and &s;pring downward fir&s;t, with a feare of hell, and grow to &s;ome knowledge of a way of &s;alvation, he not knowing how, yet by thundring and lightening, hail the law, and rain of the Go&s;pel, the ground of mans heart bringeth forth fruit of it &s;elf, by the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: fir&s;t, the blade of godly &s;orrow, then the eare of faith, after the full corne in the eare, fruits of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e and holine&s;&s;e, and anon he putteth in the &s;ickle, and reaps men unto Heaven becau&s;e the harve&s;t of &s;uch a man is come.</P>
<P>Are we graffed into Chri&s;t by Bapti&s;me, and made good trees,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> becau&s;e we are made partakers of the fatne&s;&s;e of the &s;tock? See that ye abide in Chri&s;t; for though ye be wilde Olive branches
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by <HI>Adam,</HI> yet &s;uch is the nature of the &s;weet Olive Chri&s;t, as <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 52. Chri&s;t is this true Olive tree, that is both fat and &s;weet, and we are graffed into him by Bapti&s;me to bring forth fruit in the &s;tock<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 52. 8.</NOTE> Chri&s;t; know that it is the nature of a fat, and &s;weet Olive &s;tock, to change the nature of a wild Olive branch, and contrary to our manner of graffing, to make it bring forth &s;weet Olives: So Chri&s;t the &s;weet Olive, will change the nature of thy per&s;on and actions before God, and make them all good, that abide in him by this faith in thy Bapti&s;me.</P>
<P>Is it &s;o, Chri&s;t is a Vine, and are we the branches? and how were<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> you made branches, but by Bapti&s;me? look you bring not forth evill fruit before God, for he that bringeth not forth fruit in Chri&s;t, but evill fruit of &s;in, God taketh it away, cuts it off, it withers in faith, and men gather them together, and they burn, &s;uch are hewn down, and ca&s;t into the fire.</P>
<P>Are we members of his body, fle&s;h and bones? For he can &s;ay<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> as <HI>Adam</HI> did to <HI>Evab,</HI> and &s;o may we &s;ay, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5. 30. Then are any of Chri&s;ts members in a twofold e&s;tate before God; partly <HI>Adam,</HI> and partly Chri&s;t; what do any of Chri&s;ts members, hands, feet, legs, arms, fingers, toes, bring forth good fruit, and bad too, be|fore God? no, all Chri&s;ts members are good trees, and a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit before God: here is comfort for thee, if thou abide in this faith, no man &s;hall take thy joy from thee; many lo&s;e their joy, by believing they are in a twofold e&s;tate before God.</P>
<P>Again, are you members of Chri&s;t by Bapti&s;me? where is your love to the members of Chri&s;t, that are baptized into Chri&s;t, as well as you? Here is the rea&s;on of all the &s;ects&punc; and divi&s;ions, and wars in Chri&s;tendome, and no more love, becau&s;e they have for|gotten their Bapti&s;me: as 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 9. they have forgotten they are members of Chri&s;t, and children of God, and inheritors of the Kingdome of heaven; they &s;ay not, why do we wrong one to an|other, for we are brethren? they have forgotten they were wa&s;hed<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7.</NOTE> from their &s;ins, (&s;aith <HI>Peter</HI>) and therefore, if they have not put off the old man, mu&s;t needs live in old hatred, malice, envie and lying; wherefore labour to bring all men to the faith of their Bap|ti&s;me, that in it they were made members of Chri&s;t; for this faith would teach them to &s;ay, Should one hand fight with another?
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though the children of the Devill fight, and could never agree, &s;hould not the members of Chri&s;t love one another? <HI>O quam ini|quum e&s;t, ut ii di&s;&s;ideant in terris, qui in omnem aeternitatem una victuri &s;unt in coelis!</HI> O! how unfit is it, for tho&s;e to di&s;agree, fight, and hate one another on earth, which &s;hall live together for ever in heaven? So that he that forgets his bapti&s;me, <HI>i.</HI> his wa&s;hing from his old &s;ins, <HI>i.</HI> from originall and actuall &s;ins, that man cannot make his calling and election &s;ure, that hath forgot his Bapti&s;me, for he hath forgot the true faith, <HI>i.</HI> that he is in him that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 5. 20.</NOTE> is true, and he hath forgot to adde to faith vertue, <HI>i.</HI> of Chri&s;ts death and re&s;urrection, and he hath forgot to adde to vertue, knowledge, <HI>i.</HI> of &s;alvation, by the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, which was in bapti&s;me; and he hath forgot to adde to knowledge, temperance, for want of the knowledge of &s;alvation by remi&s;&s;ion of &s;in, cau&s;e men to fall to intemperance; and he hath forgot to adde to tem|perance, patience, and thus they wrangle and fight with his co|members; and he hath forgot to adde brotherly kindne&s;&s;e; he believes not his own &s;ins are forgiven; he forgives not his brother, and he addes not love, for he hath forgot Chri&s;t hath loved him, and wa&s;hed him from his &s;ins in his own blood, he covers not a multitude of offences in his brother; &s;o that you &s;ee, the forget|ting of a mans Bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, is the cau&s;e of all the divi&s;i|ons, &s;ects, wars, and mi&s;chieves that are in the world, and of the damnation of &s;o many thou&s;ands; for he that believeth, and is baptized, &s;hall be &s;aved; but he that will not believe his bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, &s;hall be damned; for he cannot believe he is in Chri&s;t, or hath remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, or an everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, for he that will not believe he is baptized into Chri&s;t, and hath put on Chri&s;t, &s;hall be damned, if he never will be baptized.</P>
<P>What, Do you hold that Bapti&s;me do conferre grace <HI>ex opere operato?</HI></P>
<P>I an&s;wer no; for then all the reprobate that are baptized, &s;hould receive grace at it, but <HI>Judas</HI> and <HI>Simon Magus</HI> did not. But I be|lieve that all the elect do ordinarily receive grace at bapti&s;me, as many Scriptures, Fathers and Churches declare, <HI>Acts 2. 38. Joh. 3. 5. Gal. 3. 27. Tit.</HI> 3. 5. And <HI>Cyprian, Gregory Nazianzen, Athana|&s;ius, Chry&s;o&s;tom, Ba&s;il, Jerome, Ambro&s;e, Augu&s;tine, Luther, Calvin, Beza, Bucer, Zanche, Mourton, Marlorat, Hooker:</HI> the confe&s;&s;ion of
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<HI>Helvetia</HI> of <HI>Scotland, Belgick, France, Argentine, Augu&s;tan, Saxon, Wittenberg, Palatine,</HI> and our Church of <HI>England;</HI> in all which ten Churches, the gro&s;&s;e and damnable here&s;ie of the <HI>Anabap|ti&s;ts</HI> is condemned; and of all &s;uch as hold that grace is not given to the elect Infants at bapti&s;me. And here is the rea&s;on, when the <HI>Jews</HI> are called, they &s;hall never &s;catter more into &s;undrie opini|ons and &s;ects, and fight one with another, becau&s;e they &s;hall be &s;o &s;oundly grounded on the faith of their bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, that they are in him that is true, and &s;o are members and children of God, that they &s;hall love one another &s;o in Chri&s;t, as they &s;hall ne|ver fight one with another more; and then &s;hall the &s;eventh Vial be powred out on the air, which is the kingdome of the Devill; for he &s;hall never have any power to &s;et them together by the ears, as he doth now: <HI>Heathens</HI> again&s;t <HI>Heathens, Turks</HI> again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;tians, Papi&s;ts</HI> again&s;t <HI>Prote&s;tants,</HI> and <HI>Prote&s;tants</HI> one with another; for herein con&s;i&s;ts the &s;ubtilty of the Devill and the Pope, to &s;et <HI>Chri|&s;tians</HI> together by the ears, that he may get both; for he gets more by their killing one another, then by any other way, but after that the &s;eventh Vial be powred out on the kingdome of the Devill, by the preaching of Bapti&s;me, and Faith that we are in him that is true, the Devill &s;hall never have any power to &s;et them at variance any more, for all the true Church &s;hall by the faith of their bap|ti&s;me into Chri&s;t, believe they are members, and love as brethren, and then the Prophe&s;ie of <HI>Micah,</HI> Mic. 4. 2, 3. for the Law <HI>Thorah,</HI> &s;ignifies in generall, doctrine, and &s;o may be taken for Bapti&s;me, as <HI>Johns</HI> Bapti&s;me was from heaven, &s;hall go forth of <HI>Sion,</HI> and the word of the Lord from <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> i. that men are clean by the word that Chri&s;t hath &s;poken in Bapti&s;me: And he &s;hall judge among many people, and rebuke mighty nations a far off of &s;in, of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and of judgement, <HI>John</HI> 16. becau&s;e they believe not in Chri&s;t that believe not their bapti&s;me, he &s;hall bring them to it, and then they &s;hall break their &s;words into mattocks, and their &s;pears into &s;ithes, nation &s;hall not lift up a &s;word again&s;t nation, neither &s;hall they learn to fight any more, but they &s;hall &s;it every man under his vine, and under his fig-tree, and none &s;hall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord hath &s;poken it, <HI>i.</HI> between <HI>Jews</HI> and <HI>Gentiles,</HI> which &s;hall be truly graffed into Chri&s;t by Bap|ti&s;me, there &s;hall be no di&s;&s;ention, as there is now under the corrupt
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&s;tate of the Church, for under that pure &s;tate of the Church, they &s;hall &s;trive to &s;hew all offices of love, as they do now practices of hatred, which is not &s;o to be under&s;tood, as if it were not lawfull now for <HI>Prote&s;tants</HI> to take up arms, as the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts</HI> have held ab|&s;urdly, for &s;o long as Antichri&s;t fight again&s;t Chri&s;t, they mu&s;t de|fend<NOTE PLACE="marg">See <HI>Brightman</HI> on that place.</NOTE> them&s;elves again&s;t him; for the Church is terrible, as an ar|mie with banners, &s;he mu&s;t fight: But in the elect ju&s;tified Church by bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, and faith in the &s;ame, among the right Olive branch, <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> &s;hall &s;how &s;uch love, peace and concord, that they &s;hall fight no more; there is &s;uch love already to be &s;een among the white-raiment <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> that they had rather die then fight one again&s;t another. And this is for the comfort of you the ci|tizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> that are no <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> nor <HI>Antinomians,</HI> though the world may fal&s;ly call you by &s;ome gro&s;&s;e name, for you hold the Law is to be preached in the killinge&s;t manner that can be; and believe your bapti&s;me in infancy, and are &s;ound in the faith of your bapti&s;me, you are the people that God will deliver in this bloody civill war: For thus &s;aith the Lord Je&s;us, <HI>Becau&s;e thou ha&s;t kept the word of my patience, therefore I will deliver thee from the hour of temptation, which will come upon all the world, to try them that dwell up|on earth.</HI> Now the word of Chri&s;ts patience, is the true faith in our<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 10.</NOTE> bapti&s;me, wherein we are baptized into Chri&s;t his death, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. 3. and buried with him, and crucified with him, and rai&s;ed with him; for the word of Chri&s;ts patience is the faith of Chri&s;t crucified (as <HI>Meyer</HI>) dead and buried, and ri&s;en again, which are all included in the faith of our bapti&s;me, that we are in him crucified, dead and buried to &s;in before God in him, and ri&s;en again in him by bap|ti&s;me, which belongs not only to the Church of <HI>Philadelphia,</HI> but to all other Churches, that hear what the Spirit &s;aith to the Churches, <HI>I will deliver thee from the hour of temptation,</HI> i. from the la&s;t per&s;ecuti|on of Antichri&s;t, which is now come upon all the Chri&s;tian world, in the&s;e our dayes, which is like to la&s;t till the Pope be de&s;troyed.<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE></P>
<P>Are we made good trees by putting on of Chri&s;t as a garment? for if a man had &s;uch a garment as would make all his thoughts, words and actions good, it would make him a good tree. Now Chri&s;t is &s;uch a garment of righteou&s;ne&s;s, that is put on at bapti&s;m, and by faith, that it makes the tree good, and the fruit good: Be|hold, Chri&s;t is come as a thief, and the la&s;t per&s;ecution of Antichri&s;t
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is begun; ble&s;&s;ed is he that keepeth his garments unto him, <HI>i.</HI> which were put on at bapti&s;me, <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 27. le&s;t he walk naked, and there &s;ee his filthine&s;&s;e, what an evill tree he is by <HI>Adam,</HI> to bring forth &s;in before God, in thoughts, words and actions, which &s;hould have been all covered, if he had kept his garments that he put on at bapti&s;me; they are all cur&s;ed trees, that keep not Chri&s;ts garments.</P>
<P>Again, are men made good trees by bapti&s;me and faith, becau&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> they are made to drink into one Spirit? Then the way to bring all men to be of one Religion, and to cea&s;e all wars in Chri&s;tendome, is to teach them, how they have all received one Spirit in Bapti&s;me, and baptized into one body, that is, a loving Spirit, a peaceable,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12. 13.</NOTE> meek, and quiet Spirit, that takes of Chri&s;ts water, and &s;hews unto us, and of Chri&s;ts blood, and &s;hews unto us, and of Chri&s;ts righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;hews unto us, <HI>Joh.</HI> 16. 14. But ha&s;t thou an hatefull &s;pirit, a wrangling, angry fighting &s;pirit, that do not take of Chri&s;ts water, but of the Popes holy-water, and &s;hew to thee, not of Chri&s;ts blood, and &s;hews unto thee, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, but of S^t. <HI>Frances</HI> his blood, or &s;ome works of man for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, or not Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in Bapti&s;me, but mans righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;hew unto thee, this is not the Spirit of Chri&s;t that the Saints are made to drink into at bapti&s;me, but thou ha&s;t forgot thy bapti&s;me, and &s;o lo&s;t the Spirit of Chri&s;t; for as the Spirit of God moved upon the waters, <HI>i.</HI> as it were, hatching and nouri&s;hing the cr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">atures in the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 1.</NOTE> creation: So doth the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;till move upon the waters of bapti&s;me, <HI>i.</HI> on the preaching of the faith of the &s;ame, regenera|ting, converting and nouri&s;hing the&s;e trees, to make them bring forth fruit unto eternall life. And therefore the Preachers of Bap|ti&s;me &s;hall convert mo&s;t unto Chri&s;t, becau&s;e his Spirit will move upon the waters. M^r. <HI>Perkins</HI> rule is this, If a man would be a Stu|dent<NOTE PLACE="marg">On <HI>Gal. 2. 27. page</HI> 265.</NOTE> in Divinity, let him learn and practi&s;e his bapti&s;me; Commen|taries are needfull to the &s;tudy of the Scriptures, and the be&s;t Com|mentary to a mans own &s;elf, is his own bapti&s;me; for if a man hath learned to practi&s;e his own bapti&s;me, he &s;hall be the better able to under&s;tand the whole, and without this help, the Scriptures them|&s;elves &s;hall be but a riddle unto us: I de&s;ire to prize this rule, and to make as much u&s;e of it, as ever any Chri&s;tian man did; for untill men under&s;tand by this rule, what is meant by this coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t to <HI>England,</HI> under the type of <HI>Laodicea,</HI> (for it now ap|peareth
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to all the Churches, what Chri&s;t wrote to <HI>Laodicea,</HI> he would &s;pue out him and his Hierarchy out of his mouth) untill this coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t be taken: <HI>I coun&s;ell thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may&s;t be made rich,</HI> Rev. 3. 18. that is, the lively faith in the merits of Chri&s;ts death, in our bapti&s;me into Chri&s;t, which makes us rich &s;ons of God, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 26, 27. and white raiment, ju&s;tification, wherein no &s;hame of nakedne&s;&s;e of &s;in ap|peare, and eye-&s;alve of the Spirit of Chri&s;t, that takes of Je&s;us, and &s;hews unto us, that came by water and blood, not by water of Bap|ti&s;me only, but by water and blood, 'tis that Spirit beareth wit|ne&s;&s;e, and that Spirit is truth, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 6. Untill this coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t be taken in <HI>England,</HI> and of the <HI>Lutherans,</HI> the &s;word &s;hall not cea&s;e, 1. For, <HI>as many as I love, I rebuke and cha&s;ten;</HI> Chri&s;t will not leave rebuking and cha&s;tening, untill they be zealous of this coun&s;ell, and repent of luke warmne&s;&s;e, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 19. 2. For, <HI>behold, I &s;tand at the dore, and knock;</HI> Ergo, he will not be gone, nor leave rapping with &s;word, famine, and pe&s;tilence, untill they heare his voyce to buy gold, white raiment, and eye-&s;alve, and let Chri&s;t in to &s;up with them, and they with him, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 20. Then there &s;hall ari&s;e in <HI>England,</HI> the mo&s;t conquering and raigning Church that ever aro&s;e in Chr&s;tendome; <HI>for to him that overcometh will</HI> I <HI>give to &s;it with me in my Throne, as I overcame, and &s;it with my Father in his Throne,</HI> i. I raign and conquer, and &s;o &s;hall my Church of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> that take my coun&s;ell; they &s;hall conquer the Throne of the Bea&s;t, and the fal&s;e Prophet, they are the woman clothed with the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12. 1.</NOTE> Sun, white raiment, Chri&s;tians, and citizens of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 4.</NOTE> Of this I have written at large, and of the cau&s;es why this &s;word is upon the Land, and what remedies mu&s;t be u&s;ed, before it will<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 12.</NOTE> cea&s;e. O thou &s;word of the Lord! How long will it be ere thou be quiet? Turn again into &s;cabberd; re&s;t, and be &s;till; how can it be quiet, &s;eeing the Lord hath given it a charge again&s;t <HI>Askelon</HI> in <HI>England, Scotland &amp; Ireland,</HI> and again&s;t the Sea-&s;hore? There hath he appointed it, <HI>Jer.</HI> 47. 6, &amp; 7. He hath appointed the &s;word in <HI>Ger|many</HI> and <HI>England,</HI> untill Chri&s;ts coun&s;ell be taken, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 18. For when they wil be guided by his coun&s;el, they &s;hall be received to the glory of his Throne to conquer and raign upon earth, <HI>Rev.</HI> 5. 10.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
