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<DATE>2012-05-23</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="B06542">
<STC T="W">W1604</STC>
<STC T="C">R186427</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52529092</BIBNO>
<VID>179239</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Brief, and PLAIN APOLOGY Written By JOHN WHEELWRIGHT: Wherein he doth vindicate him&s;elf, From al tho&s;e <HI>Errors, Here&s;ies,</HI> and <HI>Flagitious Crimes,</HI> layed to his charge by Mr. <HI>Thomas Weld,</HI> in his &s;hort &s;tory, And further Fa&s;tened upon him, by Mr. <HI>Samuel Rutherford</HI> in his Survey of Antinomiani&s;me. Wherein Free Grace is Maintained in three Propo&s;i|tions, and Four The&s;is VIZ.
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Prop. 1.</HI> That the Faith of Gods Elect, whereby they do believe on Chri&s;t, is not grounded upon a conditional Promi&s;e, made to gracious qualifications previous to Faith.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Prop. 2.</HI> That the fir&s;t evidence of our Ju&s;tification, is not any work of Sanctification.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Prop. 3.</HI> That an act of Faith, which is grounded upon gracious Qualifications, previous to &V;nion, and Works as fir&s;t evidences, is legal.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>The&s;. 1.</HI> That A&s;&s;urance of Ju&s;tfication from Works of Sanctifica|tion, is not our A&s;&s;urance of Faith.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The&s;. 2.</HI> That Ju&s;tification goes in order before our Beleeving.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The&s;. 3.</HI> That the Faith of Gods Elect, whereby they do beleeve on Chri&s;t, is grounded upon a free, &s;imple, ab&s;olute promi&s;e of Grace.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The&s;. 4.</HI> That all Promi&s;es proper and peculiar to the Go&s;pel, are ab&s;olute.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<Q><P>He that is fir&s;t in his own cau&s;e &s;eemeth ju&s;t: but his neighbor commeth, and Searcheth him,</P>
<BIBL><HI>Prov. 18.17.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<Q><P>The path of the ju&s;t is as the &s;hining light, that &s;hineth more and more unto the perfect day,</P>
<BIBL><HI>Prov. 4.18.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON;</HI> Printed by <HI>Edward Cole,</HI> Printer and Book-&s;eller, at the Sign of the Printing-Pre&s;s in Cornhil, near the Royal Exchang. 1658.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>To the Chri&s;tian Reader.</HEAD>
<P>IF that old Maxime of <HI>Jeroms</HI> be true; <HI>In &s;u&s;picione haere&s;eas nolo quanquam e&s;&s;e patientem,</HI> &s;urely there is no rea&s;on, I &s;hould &s;uffer what is written again&s;t me, by Mr. <HI>Thomas Weld,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Samuel Rutherford,</HI> without any reply. The <HI>Montani&s;ts, Pri&s;ciliani&s;ts, Gno|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ticks, Borboritae, Caeno&s;y,</HI> that dirty &s;ect, <HI>Thomas Mun&s;terus, Jo|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">annes Leiden&s;is, Kniperdolingus,</HI> have not many more marks of infa|my, and reproach drawn upon them, then the&s;e my adver&s;aries have im|printed upon me. They bring me upon the Stage, pre&s;ent me unto the worlds view, Stigmatize me, for an Arch-Famili&s;t, Antinomian, Li|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ertine, &s;educer: lay me under the guilt of Contempt of Authority, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">edition: relate me to an hundred, and eleven errors, nine un&s;avoury &s;pee|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">s, make al the here&s;ies, and enormous crimes in the Country to center <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">e. My con&s;cience doth acquit me with &s;uch cleer evidence, again&s;t al <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">&s;e horrible accu&s;ations, that I could willingly pa&s;s by al in &s;ilence, were <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> not true which <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;aith; <HI>qui fidens con&s;cientiae &s;uae negligit fa|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">m &s;uam crudelis e&s;t.</HI> I am no &s;toick, but very &s;en&s;ible of al indigni|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">s, and injuries put upon me: yet &s;hould I not in this ca&s;e, have opened <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> mouth, did not the Loud, and &s;trong cal of Mr. <HI>Weld,</HI> and Mr. <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">utherford,</HI> con&s;train me to publi&s;h my Defence. Should I con&s;ent by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">ful &s;ilence, to what they charge upon me, not only to the great di&s;honor of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;elf, Mini&s;try, and my relations here upon earth, but of my Lord, and Ma&s;ter, in heaven Chri&s;t Je&s;us, I &s;hould grievou&s;ly &s;in, again&s;t the Law <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> God, Nature and Grace.</P>
<P>The be&s;t way to cleere up things is to follow that rule of <HI>Ari&s;totles,</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">. The truth I not only evidence it &s;elf, but di&s;cover fal&s;hod. <HI>Veniat veritas ut po&s;|fal&s;itas de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ehendi.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>John Wheelwright,</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>Free Grace maintained, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>THE chief Cau&s;e of all my &s;ufferings in <HI>New England</HI> (&s;o far as I know) was cer|tain Doctrine, with its Application, which I delivered in the Church of <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> concerning the grounds of a &s;pecial Faith, the &s;ub&s;tance whereof is contained in the&s;e three following Propo&s;itions, which I &s;hall confirm.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="proposition">
<HEAD><HI>PROPOSITION I.</HI> That the Faith of Gods Elect, whereby they do believe on Chri&s;t, is not grounded upon a conditional Promi&s;e, made to gracious qualifications previous to Faith.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, There are no &s;uch gracious qualifications precedent to union; for then &s;hould that which is born of the fle&s;h be Spirit, a man dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, and &s;ins, put forth acts of &s;piritu|al life, an evil tree bring forth good fruit, an enemy to God do his Will, a per&s;on without union do &s;omething, he mu&s;t act graciou&s;ly who hath no formal principles of &s;uch acts, then may a man plea&s;e God without Faith, and qualifie him&s;elf by &s;in.</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;etting up of antecedent gracious qualifications, as a ground of our Faith, is quiet oppo&s;ite to the clear revelation of Gods free grace, and the mini&s;tration of his power in our conver&s;ion, and the Lord walks in a contrary way towards his Elect. He cryes down all fle&s;h, all power in our &s;elves to act graciou&s;ly, that the glory of his power may be revealed, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40. He puts out the light of &s;eeming gracious qualifications, and cals us out of darkne&s;s, making us &s;en&s;ible of the palpable darkne&s;s of &s;in, and mi&s;ery, wherein we are inthraled, that the light of his grace, and mercy in Chri&s;t, may appear unto us, (as it is in it &s;elf) marvellous, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.9. The almighty power of God, the marvellous grace, and mercy of God towards us in Chri&s;t, could never be &s;o apprehended of us in our effectual call, did we look at our &s;elves as precedently gracious.</P>
<P N="3">3. They who ground their Faith upon the&s;e gracious qualifications can never be at any cer|tainty. By what light do &s;uch (being in the &s;tate of nature) di&s;cern that they are rightly qua|lified, having performed (as they call it) the Condition of Faith? It is not the light of the Spirit, Faith, and Word.</P>
<P N="4">4. They who are of this judgement, build their Faith upon an imaginary foundation, a Work, and a Word: The Work is done out of Chri&s;t, the Word is a &s;uppo&s;ed promi&s;e made to this Work, unto which the free promi&s;e of Grace hath no re&s;pect.</P>
<P>Object. 1. <HI>The Lord invites &s;uch as thir&s;t, and are gracciou&s;ly qualified to come unto him?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> If it be meant of Evangelical thir&s;ting, it pre&s;uppo&s;eth union, and a formall prin|ciple of life, dead men thir&s;t-not. They are not called upon fir&s;tly to believe, but to renew Faiths act: Neither is it their grace, but their want of grace, which is u&s;ed as an Argument to per&s;wade them to come.</P>
<P>Object. 2. <HI>By gracious qualifications, and preparations for Chri&s;t, is not meant qualificati|ons formally gracious, but only &s;uch as effect, or have relation to true Grace, which doth ne|ce&s;&s;arily follow them.</HI></P>
<PB N="2" REF="3" MS="y">
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is acknowledged that &s;ome Writers thus expre&s;s them&s;elves; They rai&s;e up the&s;e qualifications to a very great height, and a&s;&s;ert that they are proper to Gods Elect, not to be found in any reprobate, calling them the Condition of Faith, and that the Soul thus prepared &s;ees that the promi&s;e belongs unto her; yet deny that they are works of Sanctification. I can|not &s;ee but they who affirm that they are works di&s;tingui&s;hing between Elect, and Reprobates, and Arguments that the promi&s;e belongs unto them, and yet will not have them to flow from a formal principle of &s;aving Grace, do imply a contradiction; Whether the&s;e qualifications, and preparations for Chri&s;t, be denominated gracious, formally, efficiently, or relatively in order to true Grace, it cannot be &s;hewed out of Gods Word, That any promi&s;e runs thus; If you be thus, or thus prepared for Chri&s;t, then he belongs unto you: ye have performed the con|dition, and the benefit conditioned is yours: I do acknowledge that the formal object of an efficacious Call are Elect per&s;ons prepared by the Law, being &s;ick, lo&s;t, dead &s;inners to their own apprehen&s;ions, to the end that &s;in may abound, and grace abound, and that to their &s;en&s;e, and feeling, <HI>Rom</HI> 5.20. But there ate no preparations wrought either by Law, or Go&s;pel which &s;o qualifie the Soul, as a man may conclude from thence, That God cals with a purpo&s;e to &s;ave.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Culverwel</HI> in his Treati&s;e of Faith, much bewailes the cordition of &s;uch, who build their Faith upon the change of their lives, affirming, That they can never have &s;ound, and &s;tedfa&s;t Faith, but an uncon&s;tant, and &s;taggering opinion at the be&s;t.</P>
<P>This grounding of Faith upon gracious qualifications before union, is much oppugned by Mr. <HI>Coltan</HI> in his <HI>New Covenant,</HI> and by Mr. <HI>Norton</HI> in his <HI>Orth. Evang.</HI> Surely this is a do|ctrine which hath too much affinity with that of the Je&s;uites, and Arminians, who imagine that God makes a promi&s;e, that he will give &s;uper-natural Grace to men upon condition they will u&s;e well their common grace.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="proposition">
<HEAD><HI>PROPOSITION II.</HI> That the fir&s;t evidence of our Ju&s;tification, is not any work of Sanctification.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. All good works are to be done in Faith, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.4. <HI>Rom.</HI> 14.23. <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.8. We mu&s;t (as <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">r&s;inus</HI> &s;aith) be per&s;waded, that both our per&s;ons, and our actions are accepted in and through Chri&s;t. If this per&s;wa&s;ion be the cau&s;e of good Works, there mu&s;t be a ground of this per|&s;wa&s;ion precedent to our Works. Good Works are the effects of a former evidence: therefore not our fir&s;t evidences.</P>
<P N="2">2. All Moral Duties are comprehended under this general Precept of Love, by which Faith works, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.6. as being either the elicite, or imperate acts of Love: but we cannot truly love God, or our neighbor, before we know, and believe the love that God hath to us, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Who is righteous (&s;aith <HI>Bernard</HI>) but he that requiteth the love of God with love again? Which is never done, except the Holy Gho&s;t reveal unto a man by Faith, Gods eternal purpo&s;e concerning his future Salvation. <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> 107. If all our acts of evangelical love, flow from the apprehen&s;ion of Gods love to us, they ca~not be procreant cau&s;es of this apprehen&s;ion, nor our fir&s;t evidences.</P>
<P N="3">3. All that the Go&s;pel requires of us, is to believe and repent: We cannot evangelically re|pent before we perceive in &s;ome mea&s;ure that God is reconciled unto us in Chri&s;t, <HI>Zach.</HI> 12.10. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 16.63. Wherefore it is not our repentance, nor any work of Sanctification which is our fir&s;t evidence. A man cannot earne&s;tly apply him&s;elf to Repentance, unle&s;s he know him&s;elf to be of God, <HI>Cato. Inot.</HI> 3.3.2.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="3">
<P N="4">4. All Works of Sanctification are &s;o many acts of gratitude, which hath ever relation to &s;ome former known benefit, and e&s;pecially our Redemption through Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.20. This benefit mu&s;t be known by &s;ome Argument precedent to our works. Therefore Sanctification is not our fir&s;t evidence. <HI>ur&s;inus</HI> makes Gratitude the third part of his Catechi&s;m, and placeth it after mans mi&s;ery, and freedom through Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="5">5. All good works mu&s;t be done in the name of Chri&s;t our Mediator, <HI>Col.</HI> 3.17. in obedience to God our Father. Then are we to know Chri&s;t to be our Mediator, and God our Father, and &s;o by con&s;equence our ju&s;tification, by &s;ome Argument antecedaneous to our works.</P>
<P N="6">6. The appearing of Gods grace which brings Salvation, and of the kindne&s;s and love of God our Saviour, ju&s;tifying of us by his grace is the cau&s;e of all our good works, <HI>Tit.</HI> 2, &amp; 3. If the appearing of Ju&s;tification and Salvation to the eye of Faith, be the cau&s;e of all our San|ctification, then is not Sanctification our fir&s;t evidence.</P>
<P N="7">7. All good works, from the fir&s;t to the la&s;t, are to be done without a &s;ervil fear, <HI>Luk.</HI> 1.74. This &s;ear is never removed, but by a precedent &s;ight of our deliverance from our &s;piritual ene|mies: wherefore our Redemption and Ju&s;tification is made known unto us by &s;ome other means, which goes in order before all works of Sanctification.</P>
<P N="8">8. To begin to evidence a good e&s;tate from works, is oppo&s;ite to the method pre&s;cribed by the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter.</HI> He did write to Chri&s;tians, who knew, and believed their ju&s;tification; for believing they rejoyced in joy un&s;peakable, and full of glory, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.8. He exhorts them to add unto their Faith, Vertue, &amp;c. 2. <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.5. This Faith was exi&s;tent out of its cau&s;es, not to be grounded upon works, but only confirmed by them. He doth not &s;ay, Add unto your works faith of a&s;&s;urance, but add unto your faith works. Therefore this Faith of a&s;&s;urance is not founded upon &s;anctification, as a fir&s;t evidence.</P>
<P N="9">9. We have two di&s;tinct witne&s;&s;es of our good e&s;tate, which in order do precede our &s;ancti|fication. 1 Our inward call of the &s;pirit. 2 Our act of believing on the Son of God. The &s;pirits inward call, accompanying the outward, begets this act of Faith, 1 <HI>Joh</HI> 5.10. 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.5. This act of Faith brings forth works of Sanctification, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.6. Sanctification is in or|der the la&s;t of the three witne&s;&s;es of a good e&s;tate, as being the effect of the two former: where|fore it is not our fir&s;t evidence. <HI>Hoc e&s;t initium &s;alutis no&s;trae, quod in nobis &s;entimus: efficax interna vocatio Dei, &amp; fides no&s;tra a&s;&s;entiens. Zanchie De Cert&acirc; &s;alute Eccle&s;iae.</HI></P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Calvin</HI> (with other learned and godly Divines, living in that age, wherein the light of the Go&s;pel did abundantly break forth) defined ju&s;tifying Faith, not only by an act of the Will, whereby we receive Chri&s;t, and his benefits, but al&s;o by an act of the Mind, by which we are certainly per&s;waded of Gods love to us in Chri&s;t, and he doth con&s;tantly deny &s;ancti|fication to be our fir&s;t evidence; and in his Commentaries upon <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>John,</HI> calls Works after-proofs, Faiths props. Both he, and <HI>Zanchie,</HI> do acknowledge (with all &s;ound Divines, and the whole Church) that good works evidence; but with this caution, There mu&s;t be a former evidence. Mr. <HI>Calvin</HI> thus expre&s;&s;eth him&s;elf, But fora&s;much as of the fruits of Rege|neration the Saints gather an Argument, of the Holy Gho&s;ts dwelling in them, they do there|by not &s;lenderly &s;trengthen them&s;elves, to look for the help of God in their nece&s;&s;ities, when by experience, they find him their Father in &s;o great a matter. And even this al&s;o they cannot do, unle&s;s fir&s;t they have conceived the goodne&s;s of God, &s;ealed with no other a&s;&s;uredne&s;s than that of the promi&s;e; for if they begin to weigh it by good works, nothing &s;hall be more un|certain, or more weak, <HI>In&s;t.</HI> 3.14.19. <HI>Zanchie</HI> doth declare his judgement in the &s;ame expre&s;|&s;ions, <HI>Loco</HI> 11. <HI>De Ju&s;tificatione. Calvin</HI> upon this text, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.19. <HI>And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and &s;hall a&s;&s;ure our hearts before him:</HI> doth thus Comment; <HI>Semper autem me minerimus, non habere nos, ex charitate notitiam quam dicit Apo&s;tolus qua&s;i inde
<PB N="4" REF="4" MS="y">petenda &s;it &s;alutis certitude, &amp; certe non aliunde cogno&s;cimus nos e&s;&s;e filios Dei, ni&s;i quia gratuitam &s;uam Adoptionem cordibus no&s;tris per &s;piritum &s;uum ob&s;ignat: Et nos certum ejus pignus in chri&s;to oblatum fide amplectimur.</HI> This is the que&s;tion here determined by Mr. <HI>Cal|vin,</HI> How we come fir&s;t to know that we are the Children of God, and by the like rea&s;on ju&s;tified? He denies that it is by any argument taken from our love. How then? By the in|ward witne&s;s of the Spirit, per&s;wading us of our Adoption. What u&s;e then are we to make of our love to the Brethren, in point of evidencing? It under props, (&s;aith he) and &s;trengthens our per&s;wa&s;ion. The&s;e are his words; <HI>E&s;t igitur charitas acce&s;sio, vel adminiculum inferius al &s;idei fulturam, non fundamentum quo nititur. Zanchie</HI> upon <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.1. draws this as an inference from that text; <HI>Sciamus ergo &amp; pro fundamento chri&s;tianae Pietatis teneamus, hoc primum principium, fidem.</HI> i. <HI>certi&s;simam per&s;wa&s;ionem de remi&s;sione peccatorum, ex &s;ol&acirc; paterna clementia condonatorum, cau&s;am e&s;&s;e omnium virtutum, omnium bonorum operum, omni&s;que verae obedientiae.</HI> They who &s;tand for the fir&s;t evidencing of Works overthrow this fundamental principle. The An&s;wer which Mr. <HI>Cotton</HI> gives to this Que&s;tion, Whether &s;ome &s;aving qualification may be a fir&s;t evidence of Ju&s;tification? is thus &s;et down by him&s;elf <HI>in ter|minis;</HI> A man may have an Argument from thence, (yea, I doubt not a firm, and &s;trong Ar|gument) but not a fir&s;t evidence. In his An&s;wer to Mr. <HI>Baylie,</HI></P>
<P>Object. 1. <HI>Keeping Gods Commandments, and love to the Brethren, are brought in by the A|po&s;tle</HI> John, <HI>as fir&s;t evidences of Ju&s;tification,</HI> 1 John 2.3. &amp; 3.14.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The&s;e, and the like Scriptures &s;trongly argue, That works of Sanctification are cer|rain evidences of a good e&s;tate, which is a truth &s;o clearly held forth in Gods Word, as if it were written with a beam of the Sun: But can it be concluded from hence, That <HI>John,</HI> and the Chri&s;tians to whom he wrote (among&s;t which they of the lowe&s;t rank did know the Father, had received an unction from the holy One, and knew all things) had no former evidence of their ju&s;tification? Did they never hear the inward witne&s;s of the Spirit, nor &s;ee their Falth by which they did receive this witne&s;s? Did they conclude a good e&s;tate, by reflecting upon their keeping Gods Commandments, and love to the Brethren, without any immediate di&s;cern|ing of their inward Call, or their act, or acts of believing, as precedent in order to their works? Whether was this keeping Gods Commandments, and love to the Brethren, the procreant cau&s;e of their knowing, and believing the love of God to them, or the contrary? The Apo&s;tle puts it out of doubt, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4.16.20. <HI>We know and believe the love that God hath to us:</HI> What effect doth this produce? <HI>We love him becau&s;e he fir&s;t loved us.</HI> It is our knowing and believing that God loved us fir&s;t, even from eternity, that makes us love him. This is then the Apo&s;tles meaning, We who have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father, we who are believers, are confirmed in our Faith, becau&s;e it is operative, and works, cau&s;ing us to keep Gods Commandments, and this &s;pecial Commandment of loving the Bre|thren. What is the keeping of Gods Commandments, but charity out of a pure heart, and Faith unfeined? 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.5. Faith whereby we are truly per&s;waded, of Gods mercy towards us in Chri&s;t, is the mother of a good Con&s;cience, and charity. What is love to the Brethren, but an holy affection, wrought in us by the Holy Gho&s;t, whereby upon the apprehen&s;ion of Gods love to us in Chri&s;t, we do from our very hearts, wi&s;h well unto them, and &s;tudy to do them all the good we can? 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4.16.19, 20. Truly we &s;hould neither love God, nor the Bre|thren, nor his Commandments, did he not fir&s;t make known his love in Chri&s;t to us. Mr. <HI>Calvin</HI> upon the&s;e words, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 2.3. <HI>And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his Commandments:</HI> writes thus, <HI>Notandus e&s;t hic orde. quum dicit, nos cogno&s;cere quod no|verimus. Significat Dei obedientiam &s;ic conjunct am e&s;&s;e &s;cientiae, ut tamen haes ordine fit prior: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">cuti nece&s;&s;e e&s;t cau&s;am effectu &s;uo e&s;&s;e priorem.</HI></P>
<PB N="5" REF="4">
<P>Object. 2. <HI>An Effect argues the Cau&s;e, as well as the Cau&s;e doth its Effect; Why may we not begin with keeping Gods Commandments, and love to the Brethren, to evidence a good e&s;tate, and make them our fir&s;t evidences? We can know by fruit, that there is a tree upon which it did grow; and by &s;treams, that there is a fountain from which they did flow, though we never &s;ee the tree, or the &s;pring.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The tree doth naturally bring forth its fruits, and the fountain &s;ends out its &s;treams without any act of ours, whether we &s;ee them, or not: But Ju&s;tification, (which is a gracious act of God, acquitting of us from our &s;ins, and accepting us as ju&s;t, for the righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;ake of Chri&s;t, received by Faith) doth not cau&s;e us to bring forth works of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and true holine&s;s, by a meer Phy&s;ical force, but as apprehended by Faith, which works by love, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.6. The per&s;wa&s;ion that <HI>Mary Magdalene</HI> had of the pardon of her many &s;ins, made her love much, <HI>Luk.</HI> 7.46. If a tree did not bring forth fruit, nor a fountain &s;end out water, but by our looking on them, as the in&s;trumental cau&s;e, &s;urely we &s;hould &s;ee the tree, as going be|fore the fruit, and the &s;pring-head before the &s;treams. Good works are &s;uch effects, as are cau|&s;ed by our apprehen&s;ion of Gods mercy towards us in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Object. 3. <HI>No man can limit God, to what evidence he &s;hall fir&s;t bring into the Con&s;cience of a ju&s;tified e&s;tate.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> True, yet can God limit him&s;elf: He can do more by his ab&s;olute power, than he doth by that which is actual. If the Lord wil have all works of &s;anctification, to be done in Faith, out of love, without a &s;lavi&s;h fear, as &s;o many acts of gratitude, for our Redemption through Chri&s;t, they who deny &s;anctification to be the fir&s;t evidence, do not limit God, but are limitted by God. The Go&s;pel is as immutable in the order, as in the &s;ub&s;tance of its parts, being an everla&s;ting Go&s;pel, <HI>Rev.</HI> 14.6</P>
<P>Object. 4. <HI>Many of Gods Children can evidence to them&s;elves a good e&s;tate, by their love to God, his children, and commandments, who never were per&s;waded of Gods love to them, by any argument taken either from the inward te&s;timony of the holy Gho&s;t, or their act, or acts of be|leeving.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> This is a&s;&s;erted <HI>gratis,</HI> but not proved. How did tho&s;e Children of God come unto Chri&s;t? Surely they were taught of God, and heard the &s;pirits inward call. <HI>He that hath heard, and learned of the Father, cometh unto me,</HI> Joh. 6.45. What made them follow Chri&s;t by Faith, and holy Obedience? It was this inward voyce of the &s;pirit, accompanying the outward word, which they did hear, and know. <HI>Chri&s;ts &s;heep hear his voyce, and follow him, for they know his voyce,</HI> Joh. 10.3, 4. That which made them believe on the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, was the inward witne&s;s of the &s;pirit. <HI>He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witne&s;s in him&s;elf,</HI> 1 Joh. 5.10. Can it truly be &s;aid, That the&s;e Children of God &s;o &s;anctified, as they can thereby di&s;cern their ju&s;tification, did never hear, nor know the &s;pirits inward call, nor &s;ee their &s;aith? Can a man love God, or his children, who knows not, (in &s;ome degree) his re|conciliation? A man in the &s;tate of nature, hates God, and his children, and this enmity is never &s;lain, before peace be revealed, <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.16, 17. We cannot love the law of God, except we know its rigour, and cur&s;e, to be taken from us through Chri&s;t. We mu&s;t be delivered from the law, in re&s;pect of its rigid exaction, and malediction, and that to our apprehen&s;ions, be|fore we can &s;erve, in the newne&s;s of the Spirit, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.6. Suppo&s;e that Gods true children &s;hould &s;ay, That &s;anctification is their fir&s;t evidence, God &s;peaks no &s;uch thing in his Word, to the which we mu&s;t rather attend, but the quite contrary, as hath been proved: neither can they re&s;t in that way of evidencing, who are truly gracious; for the law of grace binds them, fir&s;t to be per&s;waded of remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and then to &s;erve God without fear, from this per|&s;wa&s;ion, and this law is written in their hearts. If men under the law &s;hould glory in their
<PB N="6" REF="5" MS="y">penitency, works of &s;anctification, and &s;trict walking, as fir&s;t evidences, they may be con|vinced <HI>&agrave; priori,</HI> becau&s;e they want this cau&s;e hereof, <HI>viz.</HI> The apprehen&s;ion of Gods mercy to|wards them in Chri&s;t: even as we cut off Enthu&s;ia&s;ts, Antinomians, Famili&s;ts, Libertines, who boa&s;t of their full a&s;&s;urance, <HI>&agrave; po&s;teriori,</HI> by rea&s;on they have not the effects, penitency, works of &s;anctification, and &s;trict walking. The middle way is the Go&s;pel way, to wit, from the appearing of Gods grace, to our own &s;ouls in particular, to deny ungodline&s;s, and wordly lu&s;ts, to live &s;oberly, righteou&s;ly, and godly, in this pre&s;ent world.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="proposition">
<HEAD><HI>PROPOSITION III.</HI> That an act of Faith, which is grounded upon gracious Qualifications, previous to &V;nion, and Works as fir&s;t evidences, is legal.</HEAD>
<P>The Works upon which this &s;eeming act of Faith is founded, are not evangelical, but legal, which I thus demon&s;trate:</P>
<P N="1">1. After that the Commandment comes, the &s;pirit of bondage in the law, we are &s;aid to be married to the law, bring forth fruit unto the law, and to &s;erve in the oldne&s;s of the letter, un|ril we be e&s;pou&s;ed unto Chri&s;t, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7: Before Faith come in the free Promi&s;e, we are kept under the law, &s;chooled, and over-awed by the law, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.23, 24. We are in bondage under the law, til we receive the adoption of &s;ons, <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.3, 4, 5. Acts done by them, as &s;uch, who are mar|ried to the law, in bondage under the law, mu&s;t needs be legal; and of this nature, are all &s;up|po&s;ed gracious qualifications before faith.</P>
<P N="2">2. Works made fir&s;t evidences, (and that <HI>de jure</HI>) though they go under the name of works of &s;anctifitation: yet are they indeed works of the law, becau&s;e they do not proceed from principles evangelical, but legal.</P>
<P N="1">1. They are not done in Faith, whereby we are per&s;waded that our per&s;ons, and our actions are accepted in, and through Chri&s;t. No, our works mu&s;t fir&s;t be done, and our per&s;wa&s;ion mu&s;t be the effect of the&s;e works. We mu&s;t &s;ee our works accepted, before our per&s;ons.</P>
<P N="2">2. They are not done in Love; for how can we love God, before we know, and believe, the love that he hath to us, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 14 16.19. Our apprehen&s;ion of Gods love, mu&s;t only be an effect of our works, and of &s;ome imaginal promi&s;e made to us, in re&s;pect of the&s;e our works.</P>
<P N="3">3. They cannot be acts of Gratitude, for our Redemption through Chri&s;t. The&s;e works mu&s;t be the fir&s;t means, whereby we come to know our Redemption, and ju&s;tification.</P>
<P N="4">4. They are all done out of Bondage, and &s;ervile Fear. This &s;ervile fear is never ca&s;t out, but by a &s;ure per&s;wa&s;ion of Gods love to us, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4.18. And what is the cau&s;e of this fear, but the &s;pirit of bondage? <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.15.</P>
<P>Wherefore it doth nece&s;&s;arily follow, That a conclu&s;ion which doth &s;tay it &s;elf upon the&s;e legal <HI>media,</HI> works done out of this fear, is no conclu&s;ion of Faith, but (if we may &s;o call it) a conclu&s;ion of works, being grounded upon works of the law. <HI>E&s;tius</HI> (though a Popi&s;h writer) &s;peaks to this purpo&s;e upon <HI>Heb</HI> 8.10. <HI>Itaque fatemur, tempore veieris Te&s;tamenti fui&s;&s;e novi Te&s;tamenti filios: Et contra tempore Novi Te&s;tamenti, non paucos cen&s;eri filios Te&s;tamenti ve|teris, videlicet eos omnes, qui carualibus Judaeis &s;imiles, timore poenae legem &s;ervant, imo non &s;ervant: Sed &s;ibi &s;ervare videntur, ut loquitur Augu&s;t. lib.</HI> 3. <HI>conte.</HI> 2. <HI>Epi&s;t. Pel. Cap.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>The Application which I made of this Doctrine, was this for &s;ub&s;tance: They who have no more Faith than is built upon gracious qualifications before union, and works made fir&s;t evidences, are under a covenant of works, and though they be never &s;o much reformed; yet wil they per&s;ecute them under the covenant of grace, as did <HI>Paul</HI> before his conver&s;ion, the
<PB N="7" REF="5">Scribes, Phari&s;ees, &amp;c. Wherefore if any &s;hal profe&s;s them&s;elves to be legal, and rai&s;e up per|&s;ecution again&s;t you, for this truth, contend earne&s;tly for it, in a way of patient &s;uffering, by the &s;word of the &s;pirit, the word of God. The Doctrine contained in the&s;e three Propo&s;iti|ons, and this or the like general hupothetical application, was the cau&s;e of my deep &s;ufferings. It &s;eems that you (Brother <HI>Weld</HI>) with &s;ome others, who pro&s;ecuted again&s;t me, did build the Faith upon gracious qualifications precedent to union, and works as fir&s;t evidences, I cen|&s;ure this Doctrine of yours to be legal, as afore&s;aid: and hereupon you are filled with indigna|tion, ca&s;t me out as the filth of the world, and off-&s;couring of al things, make me a &s;pectacle to the world, and to Angels, and to men, which you effect by the&s;e means.</P>
<P>About two months after the Preaching of my Sermon, before ever I was dealt withal in a brotherly way, I am &s;ent for to the Court, to an&s;wer for what I had delivered; where I have the true cau&s;e of my &s;ufferings &s;uppre&s;&s;ed, and put out of &s;ight, and a feigned cau&s;e clo&s;ely, and &s;ecretly brought in.</P>
<P>Certain of my Brethren, the Reverend Elders, had a great hand in this my&s;terious bu&s;ine&s;s; for whil&s;t my cau&s;e was depending, long before my bani&s;hment, an Accu&s;ation was &s;ecretly drawn up again&s;t me in writing, put into the Court, thus in&s;cribed:</P>
<Q>The Grounds and Rea&s;ons of the Di&s;&s;ent of the Elders of the Churches, from &s;ome things delivered by Mr. <HI>VVhelewright</HI> upon the Fa&s;t-day, which they do here pre&s;ent to the Honored Court, and the Churches of Chri&s;t planted among&s;t us, to be con&s;idered of; de|&s;iring Grace, Truth, and Peace, from God the Father, and the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</Q>
<P>In this Accu&s;ation, I am charged to have delivered the&s;e Four Points:</P>
<Q><LIST>
<ITEM>I. That Faith, and Repentance, are no parts of the Doctrine of the Go&s;pel.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. That to evidence Ju&s;tification by Sanctification, is a covenant of Works.</ITEM>
<ITEM>III. That they who &s;ee in them&s;elves any Sanctification, and thence conclude a good e&s;tate, &s;hall never be &s;aved.</ITEM>
<ITEM>IV. They who hold not according to this Doctrine, are Antichri&s;ts, enemies to Chri&s;t, and un|der a covenant of Works.</ITEM>
</LIST></Q>
<P>VVhether my Brethren the Elders dealt regularly, and ju&s;tly with me, either for the <HI>Man|ner,</HI> or <HI>Matter</HI> of this Accu&s;ation, I &s;hal now make it appear.</P>
<P>As for the <HI>Manner,</HI> I &s;hal not much in&s;i&s;t upon it; but the truth is, They accu&s;e me to the Court &s;ecretly. In the Preface to their Charge, after many bitter invectives, ranking me a|mong&s;t the in&s;truments of Satan, acted by him, to put down the Kingdom of Chri&s;t upon earth, becau&s;e I could not do it in heaven, &amp;c. It is pretended by them, That they do not write &s;o much, to aggravate my fault in the eye of Authority, as to convince me in my Con|&s;cience, and to bring me to Repentance: yet al this while they conceal it from me, neither did I ever come to know of this their writing, more or le&s;s, by their means, or by the Court, but a Gentleman my Friend, one of the Magi&s;trates, did procure a copy to be tran&s;cribed &s;e|cretly in al ha&s;te, and &s;ent it unto me.</P>
<P>For the <HI>Matter</HI> of their Accu&s;ation, I &s;hal examine the grounds of the &s;everal branches of their Charge:</P>
<P N="1">I. They inform the Court, That I taught, <HI>That Faith, and Repentance, are no parts of the Doctrine of the Gospel.</HI> The rea&s;on which they give is, becau&s;e I &s;aid, That in the Go&s;pel there is nothing revealed but Chri&s;t. Surely it could not be imagined, that I meant that no|thing is revealed in the whole Go&s;pel, but this &s;imple term Chri&s;t. The words immediately precedent (which they leave out, taking that ab&s;olutely, which I &s;poke in &s;ome re&s;pect) de|clare my &s;en&s;e. When the Lord (&s;aid I) draws his Elect to believe in Chri&s;t, he doth not reveal unto them &s;ome work, and from that work carrieth them to believe on him, there is no|thing
<PB N="8" REF="6" MS="y">revealed but Chri&s;t. I exclude qualifications, from that promi&s;e, wherein Chri&s;t is re|vealed, offered, given to be believed on, and make it ab&s;olute. How &s;hould I deny Faith to be part of the Go&s;pel, in that di&s;cour&s;e, in which my chief &s;cope was, to put a difference be|tween a legal, and evangelical Faith? The two Deputys Te&s;timony, concerning &s;ome expre&s;|&s;ions which I u&s;ed in a Sermon at the Mount, did not agree, made nothing to the purpo&s;e. If I had &s;poken &s;omething then, from which &s;uch a conclu&s;ion would follow, (which I never did) can you nece&s;&s;arily conclude from thence, That I delivered the &s;ame in my Sermon at the Fa&s;t, as you accu&s;e me? As for this Article of your Charge, there is not to be found in my whole Sermon, a &s;yllable &s;ounding that way, <HI>ne gry quidem.</HI> To my be&s;t remembrance, al that I have &s;poken, taught, written at any time concerning Faith, and Repentance, from which you might take occa&s;ion to draw &s;uch a groundle&s;s inference, was this for &s;ub&s;tance:</P>
<P N="1">1. That Faith, and Repentance are law <HI>i. e.</HI> our inherent conformity to the law of the Go&s;|pel, in oppo&s;ition to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Promi&s;e, which is Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s, and that only in point of ju&s;tification. I a&s;&s;erted herein no more but this, That Faith and Repentance, is not that ju&s;tice for which we are acquitted before God, it is alone, the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God which is by Faith.</P>
<P N="2">2. That the&s;e conditional Promi&s;es, <HI>believe, and be &s;aved; repent, and be &s;aved;</HI> are not proper, and peculiar to the Go&s;pel, as conditional, but common to the law with the Go&s;|pel, though not in re&s;pect of their matter, yet in regard of their conditional form, to difference them from ab&s;olut promi&s;es, peculiar to the Go&s;pel, both for matter, and form.</P>
<P N="3">3. Tho&s;e conditional Promi&s;es being made the whole intire Go&s;pel, by an exclu&s;ion of al ab&s;olute Promi&s;es, without any relation unto them, becomes a covenant of Works for form. A meer conditional covenant is a legal covenant. This is one e&s;&s;ential difference, between the covenant of Works, and Grace. In the covenant of Works al the Promi&s;es are meerly con|ditional: in the covenant of Grace, with relation to Gods Elect, the Promi&s;es are either ab|&s;olute, or upon conditions ab&s;olutely promi&s;ed. Will it follow from the&s;e principles, That I deny the doctrine of Faith, and Repentance to be part of the doctrine of the Go&s;pel, or the gifts of Faith, and Repentance, to be evangelical Graces? God forbid I &s;hould. This is a fundamental Errour of the <HI>Antinomians,</HI> who confounding ju&s;tification, and &s;anctification, imagine that Chri&s;t did as wel perform for us, the conditions of the Go&s;pel, as the law, repen|ting, and believing for us. All my con&s;tant hearers can bear me witne&s;s, That I have ever Preached, Repentance towards God, and Faith in our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. I never denyed the&s;e conditional Promi&s;es to be part of the Go&s;pel, but I deny them to be the whole Go&s;pel. I do in the name of the Lord (as I am called) exhort al men, not only to believe, but repent, and you among&s;t the re&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">II. The Second Errour of which you accu&s;e me is, <HI>That to evidence Ju&s;tification by Sancti|fication, is a Covenant of Works.</HI> You infer this from the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions in the broken Notes, taken by others, (which I owned only for &s;ub&s;tance, but not for al expre&s;&s;ions) that if men think to be &s;aved, becau&s;e they &s;ee &s;ome work of Sanctification in them&s;elves, if they be &s;aved, it is without the Go&s;pel, this is a covenant of works. I &s;pake with relation to that which im|mediately went before, to wit, when the Lord is plea&s;ed to convert any Soul unto him&s;elf, he doth not reveal unto him &s;ome work, and from that work carrieth him to believe on Chri&s;t. All that I affirmed herein was this, To make gracious Qualifications previous to Faith the <HI>media,</HI> to baild that act of Faith upon, by which we believe on Chri&s;t, is not evangelical, but legal. What though I called them works of Sanctification? I did not mean they were &s;uch indeed, but in the opinion of &s;ome.</P>
<P N="3">III. This is the Third Errour which you fa&s;ten upon me, <HI>That they who &s;ee in them&s;elves
<PB N="9" REF="6">any Sanctification, and thence conclude a good e&s;tate, &s;hall never be &s;aved.</HI> This conclu&s;ion is inferred by you from the former Pa&s;&s;ages, in none of which I denyed the evidencing of true Sanctification, but of &s;uppo&s;ed Sanctification, as gracious Qualifications before Union, and Works made fir&s;t evidences. You rea&s;on &s;til from that which is &s;poken in &s;ome re&s;pect, to that which is &s;poken ab&s;olutely. You cut off, part of the&s;e defective Notes, and give &s;uch a &s;en&s;e, as the words &s;eem to carry con&s;idered by them&s;elves, without any Relation to that which goes before, or follows. You di&s;-member, wre&s;t, torture, by putting upon the rack, &s;ome broken Notes of an extemporary Sermon, and make them &s;peak what you think good again&s;t the Preacher: and where they are altogether &s;ilent, and &s;peak not one word, you put in words of your own, which makes for your purpo&s;e. Let &s;uch dealings pa&s;s for current, what Sermon can be Preached by any Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, which ye may not arraign, accu&s;e, condemne, bani&s;h, as guilty of Here&s;ie, contempt of Authority, Sedition, and what not? No man can &s;ay with a good Con&s;cience, That I did at any time, in publick, or private, in Old <HI>England,</HI> or in New, deny true Sanctification to be a good evidence. I look at Works of Sanctification, to be no dubious, nor litigious evidence, but demon&s;trative, and infallible, without which the imagined &s;pirits witne&s;s is delu&s;ory, and al &s;uppo&s;ed Faith is vain. The Sanctification which I denyed to be any good evidence, are certain effects of the &s;pirit of bondage, and works of the law; and I taught, That an act of Faith founded upon them, is not &s;aving, and according to the Go&s;pel, but legal, again&s;t them, who never knew their inward call, or hear, and learn of the Father, and &s;o by Faith come unto Chri&s;t. The inward witne&s;s of the Spirit, in a &s;imple promi&s;e of grace, is not immediately, and in it &s;elf di&s;cerned by them, but by their legal Re|formation, going under the name of &s;anctification.</P>
<P>The&s;e are my apprehen&s;ions concerning our evidencing a good e&s;tate. The immediate foundation of that act of Faith, by which we are per&s;waded, That Chri&s;t and his benefits is ours, and by which we do receive him, is the free, &s;imple, ab&s;olute promi&s;e of grace, applied by the &s;pirit in our effectual call, which is called throughout the Go&s;pel, by way of excellency, the promi&s;e, and therefore al Gods children are called <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, the children of the promi&s;e, <HI>Rom.</HI> 9 8. This Promi&s;e indeed is indefinite, yet is it determined to every Elect per&s;on, in his efficacious call. The indefinite Promi&s;e, with a commandment to believe, and make it particular, comes not in word only, but al&s;o in Power, and in the holy Gho&s;t, from whence he can thus conclude; I am per&s;waded to believe by Chri&s;t, not only outwardly in his words, but inwardly by his Spirit in my heart, that the promi&s;e, and Chri&s;t promi&s;ed belongs unto me: therefore Chri&s;t with al his benefits is mine. The <HI>medium</HI> of the particular Appli|cation, of the general Promi&s;e, is the inward witne&s;s of the &s;pirit of Adoption, who, (as Mr. <HI>Perkins</HI> &s;aith, in his Sermon, entituled, <HI>Chri&s;t the true and perfect gain</HI>) beareth witne&s;s to our con&s;ciences, of &s;uch things as God hath given us in particular, and are only in general man|ner, propunded in the Promi&s;e. The Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> grounded his Faith upon this &s;imple pro|mi&s;e. The indefinite runs thus; <HI>Chri&s;t loved the world, and gave him&s;elf for the world. Chri&s;t came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners. Paul</HI> applies it, and makes it particular, (accor|ding to Chri&s;ts command) for thus he expre&s;&s;eth him&s;elf, <HI>He loved me, and gave him&s;elf for me, Gal.</HI> 2.20. Chri&s;t Je&s;us came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners, of which I am chief, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.15. How came <HI>Paul</HI> to make this application? Becau&s;e he was per&s;waded thereunto, not only outwardly in the word, but inwardly by the &s;pirit in his heart, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.12. The A|po&s;tle <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, That <HI>he that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witne&s;s in him&s;elf,</HI> 1 Joh. 5.10. Believing on the Son of God, is the effect; the witne&s;s in him&s;elf the cau&s;e. Mr. <HI>Calvin</HI> thus expounds it; <HI>Non dicit Deum extra loqui, &s;ed unumquemque fidelem intus in &s;eip&s;o &s;entire, fidei &s;uae authorem.</HI> If it be objected, That our fir&s;t act of Faith, cannot be a per|&s;wa&s;ion
<PB N="10" REF="7" MS="y">that Chri&s;t is ours, becau&s;e he is not ours antecedently to our act of believing, that &s;eems to me ea&s;ily to be an&s;wered. Chri&s;t unites him&s;elf unto us by his Spirit, in our effectu|al call, infu&s;ing the &s;eed of Faith, and al other &s;aving graces, <HI>is in us, novo modo operandi,</HI> gives us a new heart, and puts his &s;pirit within us, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36.26, 27. Chri&s;t is ours by a pa&s;|&s;ive Reception, antecedently, in order, to our act of believing. Chri&s;t unites him&s;elf unto us by his &s;pirit, before we joyn our &s;elves to him by an act of believing, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.12. Faith being thus founded, upon the free &s;imple promi&s;e of grace, applied by the &s;pirit of promi&s;e, is confirmed divers wayes.</P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t by works of Sanctification, the immediate proper effects thereof. For though the habit of Faith, be not the cau&s;e of the habits of other Chri&s;tian vertues: yet is the act of faith, the &s;pirits in&s;trument, to produce al acts of &s;anctity, as being apprehen&s;ive of Gods grace, mercy, love in Chri&s;t, and other motives, and per&s;wa&s;ives, to induce to good works, receiv|ing &s;trength from Chri&s;t, enabling us to perform them. So that true faith works by love, which love, with other Chri&s;tian vertues, wherein we do re&s;emble Chri&s;t, to whom we are uni|ted, are unto us a &s;eal of that fellow&s;hip we have with him, according to that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>In whom after ye believed, ye were &s;ealed with the holy &s;pirit of Promi&s;e,</HI> Ephe&s;. 1.13. The &s;pirit in &s;ealing of us, imprints in &s;ome mea&s;ure, the very image of Chri&s;t upon us, con&s;i&s;ting in righteou&s;ne&s;s, and true holine&s;s, being not only holy in his e&s;&s;ence, and nature, but in re|gard of his gracious effects in us. All the&s;e works of Sanctification, are &s;o many arguments of the truth of our Faith, 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.3. &amp; 3.14. They are di&s;tingui&s;hing marks, and put a ma|nife&s;t difference between the children of God, and the children of the Devil, 1 <HI>John</HI> 3.10. They who do not know God to be their God, as wel by putting his law in their inward parts, and writing it in their hearts, as by forgving their iniquities, were never truly taught of God, <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.33, 34. This is one end of the &s;pirits giving, that holy &s;pirit, that &s;pirit of &s;ancti|fication, not only to work &s;anctification, but to teach us to know it, among&s;t other things, which are freely given us of God, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.12. This hath been practi&s;ed by <HI>Job, David, Hezekiah, Paul,</HI> and the whole Church of the Elect, believers, and &s;aints, from time, to time, in al generations, who, after that they had built their Faith upon Chri&s;t, revealed, offered, gi|ven in the free promi&s;e, did under-prop, confirm, &s;trengthen the &s;ame, by works of &s;ancti|fication.</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly by the immediate te&s;timony of the holy Gho&s;t. There is an inward te&s;timony of the &s;pirit, common to al true Chri&s;tians, <HI>Rom</HI> 8.16. which, I take, to be an act of the &s;pi|rit, applying the Go&s;pel with &s;uch power, as we perceive it is the &s;pirit who &s;peaks, and it be gets in us an affured Faith, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.5. This is immediate, in, and by the word of grace: for of his own wil begat he us, with the word of truth, <HI>James</HI> 1.10. The immediate te&s;timo|ny is, (I conceive) an act of the &s;pirit, by which he doth dictate, and &s;trongly &s;ugge&s;t, with a &s;oul-ravi&s;hing inward voyce, to a believing, penitent, humble, over-coming Saint, that he is the child of God, his &s;ins are forgiven, or the like, being compared to hidden Manna, a white &s;tone, a new name, <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.17. which doth exceedingly confirm Faith, and it is not (I &s;uppo&s;e) the portion of every good Chri&s;tian, but a &s;pecial benefit given by God, who is a mo&s;t free agent, before, in, or after &s;ufferings for the name &s;ake of Chri&s;t, or &s;ome &s;pecial &s;ervice done unto him, as God &s;ees meet. Sundry of our learned, godly, orthodox Divines do acknowledge &s;uch a te&s;timony, as Dr. <HI>Pre&s;ton,</HI> Mr. <HI>Bolton,</HI> Mr. <HI>Elton,</HI> with others: and divers of the Martyrs had experience thereof, as (I doubt not) many Chri&s;tians have at this day. This is part of the Comforters office, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, that which is taught in the Word, he &s;hal bring to remembrance, <HI>John</HI> 14.26. The &s;pirit of truth, never revealeth any thing in this kind immediately, for the confirmation of Faith, which is not revealed, in the words of
<PB N="11" REF="7">truth. <HI>He &s;hall not &s;peak of him&s;elf</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>he &s;hall take of mine, and &s;hew it unto you,</HI> Joh. 16.13, 14. This immediate Te&s;timony differs not from that which is mediate by the Word, in the thing te&s;tified, but in the manner of te&s;tifying, and &s;tabli&s;heth the Soul, by making a deeper impre&s;&s;ion, filling it with joy, and with the holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. By &s;piritual &s;en&s;e, and experience: There is in Gods Children, not only <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> and <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, but <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.9. By rea&s;on of u&s;e, they have their &s;en&s;es exerci&s;ed, <HI>Heb.</HI> 5.14. and that by divine objects.</P>
<P N="1">1. They are many times made very &s;en&s;ible of the grace, mercy, and love of God unto them in Chri&s;t. The love of God is &s;hed abroad in their hearts, by the holy Gho&s;t which is given unto them, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.5. The Lord doth again and again lift upon them the light of his counte|nance, and in the light of his favour, they &s;ee the light of all felicity, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 36 9. Chri&s;t doth manife&s;t him&s;elf unto them in the Spirit, <HI>Joh.</HI> 14.21. They hear, &s;ee, look upon, and handle the word of life, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.1. They ta&s;te, and &s;ee that the Lord is good.</P>
<P N="2">2. They have frequently, and for the mo&s;t part, as of &s;in, &s;o likewi&s;e of the work of Gods grace in them, &s;en&s;e and experience. The wind of the Spirit blows into the gardens of their Souls, and the &s;pices of &s;aving graces, with a fragrant &s;mell flow out, <HI>Cant.</HI> 4.16. The Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hines into the hearts of Beleevers, acts upon the &s;aving graces of his own &s;pirit, excites, and &s;tirs them up, from whence a &s;weet &s;cent goes out, as from &s;ome co&s;tly perfumed Oyntment. When Faith, love, joy, godly &s;orrow for &s;in, humility, patience, with other &s;a|ving graces, are vigourou&s;ly acted, it exceedingly affects the Saints, who are very &s;en&s;ible of it.</P>
<P>The Virgins love Chri&s;t, not only for the &s;avour of the oyntment of his own Righteou&s;ne&s;s, which they perceive, and receive by faith, but even of the&s;e good oyntments powred into them, <HI>Cant.</HI> 1. The <HI>Spou&s;e</HI> in the <HI>Canticles, David, Paul,</HI> with others, do largely expre&s;s the great &s;en&s;e, and feeling they had, of the gifts of Gods Spirit in them, accompanying &s;alvation, as an Argument of that fellow&s;hip which they had with Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. Beleevers have an experimental knowledge of the gracious Works of Gods Providence about them, which doth likewi&s;e confirm their Faith. So had <HI>David,</HI> 1 Sam. 17.37. So had <HI>Paul,</HI> 2 Tim. 4.17, 18 For though there be no marks &s;et upon the outward acts of Gods Providence, whereby they may be di&s;cerned, to proceed from Gods eternal, and fatherly love, yet do the children of God behold them, in, and through the covenant of Grace, as te&s;timonies of Gods favour, and feel them to be &s;uch, by their gracious effects, knowing by experience, that cha&s;ti&s;ements, and corrections for &s;in are for their good, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119.71. So that the long ex|perience which we have of Gods grace upon us, his work of grace in us, the gracious works of his providence about us, is a &s;pecial means to &s;trengthen our faith.</P>
<P>This, (for the &s;ub&s;tance) is all that I have ever Taught, or held forth concerning eviden|cing a good e&s;tate. I am not for the &s;ole witne&s;&s;ing of the Spirit, with Enthu&s;ia&s;ts, nor of Faith alone, with Solifidians, nor of works in the fir&s;t place, with you: but of al the&s;e Three in one, and that in the Apo&s;tles order, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5. The Spirits inward effective te&s;timony of Gods grace towards us in Chri&s;t, in giving him unto us, in the free &s;imple promi&s;e, with a com|mand to beleeve, begets faith, faith produceth works of &s;anctification, &s;anctification con|firms faith. Promi&s;es are &s;o many Declarations of Gods good Will towards us, and it is the &s;pirits office to apply them. I do humbly conceive, That when the Spirit of Promi&s;e applyes the ab&s;olute Promi&s;e of Grace, that by way of excellency, is called The &s;pirits witne&s;s; other|wi&s;e I do not &s;ee, how the &s;pirits witne&s;s &s;hould be a di&s;tinct witne&s;s from water, and blood: If the conditional Promi&s;e made to beleeving be applied, that is the witne&s;s of blood; let the conditional Promi&s;e made to &s;anctification, have its application, that is the witne&s;s of water: He who hath one of the&s;e three witne&s;&s;es, hath them all in &s;ome degree; and he that wants
<PB N="12" REF="8" MS="y">one, wants them all: for all the&s;e three are brought in by Chri&s;t, when he comes into our hearts, in our effectual call, as witne&s;&s;es of his gracious pre&s;ence. So that a Chri&s;tian can rea|&s;on thus; I have the &s;pirits witne&s;s, I am a beleever, I am a Saint; therefore Chri&s;t dwells in me, and I in him. This is the &s;um of all concerning Evidencing; That act of Faith by which we beleeve that Chri&s;t, and his Righteou&s;ne&s;s is given to us, and we receive him, is be|gotten by the inward te&s;timony of the &s;pirit, in an ab&s;olute promi&s;e, confirmed by works of &s;anctification, the immediate te&s;timony of the holy Gho&s;t, &s;piritual &s;en&s;e, and experience. Be|cau&s;e I would not acknowledge your works to be good Evidences, which you will needs have to appear, before Gods Grace, or Faith appear, you are highly di&s;plea&s;ed, and labour to make the Court, Churches, and all the world beleeve, that I taught, That &s;anctification is no good Evidence, and if a man conclude a good e&s;tate from &s;anctification, which he &s;ees in him&s;elf, he &s;hall never be &s;aved.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Fourth Errour which you charge me to have delivered is; <HI>That they who hold not according to this Doctrine, are Antichri&s;tians, enemies to Chri&s;t, and under a Covenant of Works.</HI></P>
<P>If by this Doctrine you had meant, That Doctrine which indeed I taught, owned by me in my fir&s;t Three Propo&s;itions, you had done me wrong. I did never expre&s;ly, nor implicitly affirm; That they who were not of my judgement, about the grounds of a &s;pecial Faith, or order of evidencing, were under a covenant of Works; I was not &s;o cen&s;orious. I doubt not but many of your judgment, who are truly gracious, having an internal principle of true faith, bya&s;&s;ing their &s;pirits another way, than they di&s;cern. The per&s;ons &s;o judged by me, were &s;uch as walked, and only walked according to that judgement which I condemend, not only Theo|retically, but Practically. But &s;eeing by this Doctrine you under&s;tand, that Heretical, Bla&s;|phemous Doctrine, contained in the three former parts of your Accu&s;ation, which you have fathered upon me fallaciou&s;ly, without any ju&s;t cau&s;e, it is a double injury, and this member of your charge, mu&s;t needs vani&s;h away, with the re&s;t of your devi&s;ed calumnies, putting a cor|rupt &s;en&s;e, upon certain expre&s;&s;ions, in the Notes of my Sermon, contrary to all rules of inter|pretation, divine, and humane.</P>
<P>This ground-work being thus &s;ecretly laid, in the conclu&s;ion, I am cen&s;ured by the major|part of the Court, to bani&s;hment, as guilty of tho&s;e two crimes, Contempt of Authority, and Sedition. That I was ju&s;tly condemned, and cen&s;ured by the court, is that which you, in your &s;hort &s;tory, endeavour to prove, but by what evidence of rea&s;on, and force of arguments, falls now into con&s;ideration, to be examined, and di&s;cu&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, You go about to prove <HI>that I was guilty of Contempt of Authority, becau&s;e</HI> (&s;ay you) <HI>I did not &s;tudy Truth, and Peace, which Authority required.</HI> Contempt is an act of the mind, whereby we little, or not at all regard a thing: Contempt of Authority is when a man doth willingly refu&s;e to &s;ubmit to the promulgated ju&s;t Laws, or lawful known commands of Magi&s;trates, as &s;uch, and hereupon proceeds to do &s;omething contrary to tho&s;e laws and com|mands. I know no law, or command prohibiting me to Preach what I delivered: Neither do I &s;ee, how any &s;uch law could be ju&s;t: and it will be a difficult thing for you to prove, That I acted from ob&s;tinacy of Will, and &s;uch a defect of the Mind. I have already proved the truth of my Doctrine, and that I endeavoured to bring my Heaters to con&s;ent to that Doctrine, cannot be denied; &s;o that herein I &s;tudied truth, and peace. Peradventure &s;ome Magi&s;trates, and Elders, intended that I &s;hould not Preach again&s;t gracious qualifications before union, and the fir&s;t evidencing of Works, but rather to have cryed down the contrary Doctrine, as Anti|nomiani&s;me, and Famili&s;m: and becau&s;e I did not Preach according to their Minds, this is looked at as contempt of Authority. If to preach true Doctrine, and unite men in the truth,
<PB N="13" REF="8">contrary to the intent of &s;ome Magi&s;trates, and Elders, be contempt of Authority, &s;urely the Prophets, Chri&s;t, and his Apo&s;tles were notorious delinquents, and guilty of this crime. You &s;peak of other contemptuous carriages, but in&s;tance in no particulars. I came one day tardy to the Court, of which you tell all the world, but that was from mi&s;-information, not out of any contempt. I u&s;ed &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of an acquitting glorying con&s;cience, when I &s;uffered &s;uch &s;hame in your A&s;&s;emblies, and did di&s;pi&s;e that &s;hame, and &s;o did he who was free enough from contempt of Authority, <HI>endure the Cro&s;s, despi&s;ing the &s;hame.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. In the &s;econd place you undertake to make it good, <HI>That I was guilty of Sedition, by the&s;e Arguments:</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t (&s;ay you) <HI>I inflamed the minds of men one again&s;t another, cau&s;ed divi&s;ions, made breaches.</HI> All this was accidental. The word of God is a fire, a &s;word, and hammer to inflame, divide, break in pieces. If &s;imply to make divi&s;ions were Sedition, it would more &s;trongly conclude again&s;t Chri&s;t than <HI>Barrabas.</HI> Your Arguments taken from Ethnick partial de&s;cripti|ons of Sedition, are of no force again&s;t Chri&s;tians. Sedition is a dividing civil Societies, as they are combin'd together, in an unity of ju&s;tice, and common utility. My Divi&s;ion was not Civil, but Spiritual. I did not go about to divide in that which was ju&s;t, and profitable, but in that Errour of gracious Qualifications before Union, and Works fir&s;t Evidencing. <HI>Paul</HI> was accu&s;ed by <HI>Tertullus</HI> the Orator, for <HI>a pe&s;tilent fellow, and a mover of Sedition,</HI> upon the like ground.</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly, You Object, <HI>That I laid mo&s;t of the Magi&s;trates, and Elders, under a Cove|nant of Works.</HI> To lay men under a covenant of Works &s;imply in it &s;elf, is not any tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion Political, Moral, or Evangelical. The Syllogi&s;me which concluded the Elders under that covenant, was this; <HI>They who walk in that way de&s;cribed by me to be a Covenant of Works, are under that Covenant. But the Elders Walk in that way de&s;cribed by me, to be a Co|venant of Works. Therefore the Elders are under that Covenant.</HI> Upon much que&s;tioning in the Court, the <HI>major</HI> was made by me; upon a que&s;tion put by the Court to the Elders, the <HI>minor</HI> was brought into Court, in writing, by them. The <HI>Conclu&s;ion</HI> was made by the Court. My <HI>Propo&s;ition</HI> was conditional, or equipollent thereunto, and <HI>conditionalis prepo&s;itio nihil ponit in e&s;&s;e, &s;eu nihil certe affirmat.</HI> The Elders a&s;&s;umption made it ab&s;olute. The Argument by which I de&s;cribed a man under a covenant of Works, were the internal motions of his &s;pirit, known only to God, and his own con&s;cience, and the Argument <HI>&s;ub un&acirc;, &amp; utr&acirc;que,</HI> is not <HI>&agrave; pari.</HI> In a word, I did not &s;o much as in my thoughts, conclude the Magi&s;trates, and Elders, or any one of them, or any other per&s;on, ab&s;olutely to be under that covenant. This conclu|&s;ion, The Magi&s;trate, and Elders are under a covenant of Works, cannot be deduced from any thing delivered by me, without the Elders A&s;&s;umption, in which I had no hand. This was the Courts frequent, and main Objection again&s;t me, <HI>That I laid them, and the Elders under a Covenant of Works.</HI> I de&s;ired to know of them in what line, or page, prote&s;ting that I neither expre&s;&s;ed, nor intended any &s;uch thing. Far be it from me to take Gods Office out of his hand, who is the &s;earcher of the heart, and the tryer of the reins of all men. If the Elders A&s;|&s;umption, and the Courts Conclu&s;ion be removed, there remains nothing for me to &s;uffer for, but only my Propo&s;ition, which (it &s;eems) did <HI>pungere,</HI> and cut deep. If it cannot be pro|ved out of my Sermon, that I &s;aid, the Magi&s;trates, Elders, and mo&s;t of the Country, were under a Covenant of Works, &amp;c. I am innocent.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, You Rea&s;on from <HI>the Seditious Effects of my Sermon.</HI> I do not know any fol|lowing Seditious practi&s;es; But if there were any &s;uch, they are not to be called <HI>Effects,</HI> but <HI>Events.</HI> That is put for a cau&s;e, which is no cau&s;e I do not &s;ee any innate force in my Ser|mon, to produce any Effects, but the&s;e; 1. To draw the Hearers from your Tenants about
<PB N="14" REF="9" MS="y">Faiths grounds, both in judgement, and practi&s;e. 2. To Unite them in that judgement, and practi&s;e, which I apprehended to be evangelical. 3. To contend by Arguments, and &s;ufferings with &s;uch as did profe&s;s them&s;elves to be legal, per&s;ecuting them for the Truth herein, in ca&s;e any &s;uch &s;hould ari&s;e. Might not all this have been done without <HI>Sedition? Tertullian</HI> re|ports, That the Gentiles u&s;ed to fall upon Chri&s;tians in time of publick Calamity. If <HI>Tiber</HI> and <HI>Nilus</HI> did not over-flow, if the heavens re&s;trained their influence, if there were Earth|quakes, Wars, Famine, Pe&s;tilence, as the cau&s;e of all tho&s;e evils, whenas indeed the cau&s;e was in them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="4">4. You make a great matter of certain typical, &amp; allegorical expre&s;&s;ions, w^c^h I u&s;ed to &s;et forth our &s;piritual combate, taken from bodily fightings, w^c^h you would have to be under&s;tood in their literal, &amp; proper &s;en&s;e, as if I &s;hould &s;tir up to a bodily fight. You confe&s;s that I did otherwi&s;e expre&s;s my meaning, &amp; why wil not you take my meaning as I did expre&s;s it? Why might not I u&s;e &s;cripture expre&s;&s;ions in a &s;cripture &s;en&s;e? To cut off all your Arguments at once; all this while you di&s;pute <HI>ex non conce&s;&s;is.</HI> You have grounded the Courts &s;entence, Cen&s;ure, &amp; all your rea&s;ons to maintain the ju&s;tice of the Court, upon the matter contained in that &s;ecret Accu&s;a|tion before mentioned, which did never &s;hew its face openly, but acted <HI>in tenebris.</HI> Brother <HI>Weld,</HI> you would have your Hearers to take it for granted, That I delivered that which you char|ged upon me in your Accu&s;ation, to which you relate all your defence of the Courts ju&s;tice. You lay this as a ground-work, as will appear by &s;undry pa&s;&s;ages in that which you call a &s;hort &s;tory, but e&s;pecially in your Preface to it. The&s;e are your words; <HI>Now you might hear one of them Preach a mo&s;t dangerous Sermon in a great A&s;&s;embly; when he divided the whole Country into two rancks, &s;ome (that were of his opinion) under a Covenant of Grace; &amp; tho&s;e were friends to Chri&s;t: Others, under a Covenant of Works, whom they might know by this, if they did evi|dence their good e&s;tate by &s;anctification: The&s;e were</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>Enemies to Chri&s;t, Herods, Pi|lates, Scribes, Phari&s;ees, yea, Antichri&s;ts.</HI> I confe&s;s, if this were true, I had de&s;ervedly &s;uffered. But I pray you Mr. <HI>Weld,</HI> let me come a little clo&s;er unto you: With what good con&s;cience can you report the&s;e things? Fir&s;t, That which you relate is not contained in the Notes of my Sermon, which I &s;uppo&s;e, are upon record in the Court of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;achu&s;ets</HI> in <HI>New England,</HI> neither immediately, nor in their principles. Secondly, After your Accu&s;ation before mentio|ned came to my hands, I &s;ent an An&s;wer to you Elders, which you received, &s;hewing my &s;elf much grieved with that your clande&s;tine, unparalled practi&s;e, di&s;claiming the&s;e Errours which you charged upon me, as erronious, and wicked, &s;hewing that you had no ground to father them upon me. Thirdly, I was que&s;tioned in the Court about the&s;e particulars: Fir&s;t, They asked me, <HI>Whether Faith, and Repentance were any Conditions of the Go&s;pel?</HI> I An&s;wered, They were Conditions con&s;equent, but not antecedent; that is, they followed Chri&s;ts giving of him|&s;elf unto us in a free promi&s;e, but went not before. Secondly, They demanded of me, <HI>Whether Sanctification was any Evidence of a good E&s;tate?</HI> Yes; (&s;aid I) it is &s;econdary evidence, but not the fir&s;t. Thirdly, The Court put this Que&s;tion to me, <HI>Whom I meant of by tho&s;e un|der a Covenant of Works?</HI> To which I Replyed, I intend it of none ab&s;olutely, but conditio|nally, if they walk in that way which I de&s;cribe to be legal. I did openly in the Court, and I doubt not, in your hearing, plainly expre&s;s my &s;en&s;e, and meaning. Fourthly, Reverend Mr. <HI>Cotton,</HI> who con&s;tantly in the Court &s;tood by me, &amp; with me, in a &s;peech which he made, bears this witne&s;s to the Doctrine I taught, <HI>I do conceive, and profe&s;s, That our Brother</HI> Whele|wrights <HI>Doctrine is according to God, in the Points controverted, and wholly, and altogether, and nothing did I hear alleaged again&s;t the Doctrine, proved by the Word of God.</HI> Would that learned, judicious, holy man of God give &s;uch te&s;timony to that Doctrine, delivered by me, or would you have &s;uffered it in him, if it had been according to your Report? Certainly he
<PB N="15" REF="9">would have abhorred it, and born as much witne&s;s again&s;t it as you. Mi&s;erable is that cau&s;e which cannot be ju&s;tified, without &s;uch feigned Accu&s;ations, again&s;t &s;o much light. Will the&s;e their Fictions ju&s;tifie the Courts acts? To &s;et a fairer colour upon your cau&s;e, and make it more probable that I was ju&s;tly condemned, and cen&s;ured by the Court, you do in your &s;hort &s;tory take this cour&s;e:</P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, You put upon me many odious, and reproachful Names: I am &s;tiled by you an Antinomian, Famili&s;t, Libertine, Seducer; My con&s;cience bears me witne&s;s, That I do not hold (&s;o far as I know) any opinion of Sectaries, as &s;uch, nor any Doctrine condemned in any approved Council, or Synod, but &s;uch as is maintained by &s;ome Orthodox Divines, not di&s;|con&s;onant from the Harmony of Churches Confe&s;&s;ions, though I do not build my Faith upon the Dictates of men, but only upon the written Word of God. I am not (through Gods in|finite mercy) an Antinomian, Famili&s;t, Libertine, or any other Sectary, but a Chri&s;tian. I do (with Mr. <HI>Calvin</HI>) prefer the Papi&s;ts before them: Mr. <HI>Weld</HI> would drown me in that Pit of Here&s;ies which was privily digged for me.</P>
<P>The Points of Doctrine which I held, wherein I did really differ from my Reverend Bre|thren, in matters of greate&s;t concernment, were (&s;o far as I know) only the&s;e Five following Po&s;itions:
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>That to conclude that Chri&s;t belongs unto us from Qualifications precedent to Union is legal, and no conclu&s;ion of Faith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>That to conclude a good e&s;tate from Works, as fir&s;t evidences of our union, is legal, and no conclu&s;ion of Faith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>That the Faith of Gods Elect by which they do believe on Chri&s;t, is grounded upon an ab&s;olute promi&s;e of grace.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. <HI>That the fir&s;t evidence of Gods grace and mercy in giving of us Chri&s;t, is the inward witne&s;s of the spirit, in an ab&s;olute promi&s;e of Grace.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. <HI>That in our pa&s;sive conver&s;ion, we are ju&s;tified by a pa&s;sive reception of Chri&s;t, prece|dently (in order of nature) to our act of beleeving.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>If I may ju&s;tly be branded for an Antinomian, Libertine, Famili&s;t, Seducer, by rea&s;on of the A&s;&s;ertions, or &s;uch as are dependent upon them, I cannot ju&s;tifie my &s;elf: yet let me be con|vinced that they, or any of them, are erronious, I &s;hall by Gods grace retract. <HI>Errare po&s;&s;um Haereticus e&s;&s;e nolo.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly, You would make your Reader beleeve, <HI>page</HI> 25. That in the Synod I di&s;puted, and maintained the&s;e Points contained in your Charge, which you call the ground-work of my imagined Sedition. You know very well, Brother <HI>Weld,</HI> that long before the Synod in my An|&s;wer to the Elders, I di&s;owned them as wicked Errours &s;hewing that they were your groundle&s;s Inferences, and is it likely I &s;hould defend them in the Synod? There was no &s;uch matter. The Po&s;itions which I brought into the Synod, (to my be&s;t knowledge) were the&s;e en&s;uing, which I &s;hall explicate, and confirm.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="thesis">
<HEAD><HI>THESIS, I.</HI> That A&s;surance of Justification from Works of Sanctification, is not our A&s;&s;urance of Faith.</HEAD>
<P>A&s;&s;urance of Faith may be taken in a Twofold &s;en&s;e; 1. Largely, for what&s;oever a&s;&s;urance we have of Gods &s;pecial love to us in Chri&s;t, from Scripture-grounds, in which &s;en&s;e a con|clu&s;ion deduced from true Works of Sanctification, is a conclu&s;ion of Faith, beleeved in its pre|mi&s;es, or one of them; the other being known by &s;piritual &s;en&s;e. The witne&s;s which the &s;pirit gives in a conditional promi&s;e, is as true, as that which he bears in an ab&s;olute promi&s;e. No
<PB N="16" REF="10" MS="y">man living (&s;aith <HI>Vega</HI>) &s;hould ever draw me to doubt of my being in the &s;tate of Grace, if I might infer it out of two Propo&s;itions, the one beleeved, and the other made &s;ome way evident unto me. <HI>2ly.</HI> A&s;&s;urance of Faith may be taken &s;trictly, and properly, for our fir&s;t per&s;wa&s;ion we have of Gods mercy towards us in Chri&s;t. 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.5 This di&s;tinction is in u&s;e among&s;t Prote&s;tant Writers, and the Papi&s;ts under&s;tand them in this &s;en&s;e. Certainty (&s;aith Mr. <HI>Per|kins</HI>) is either of Faith, or Experimental, which Papi&s;ts call Moral. Certainty by Faith is to apply the promi&s;e of &s;alvation to our &s;elves, and to beleeve without doubting, that remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins belongs unto us. Moral certainty is that which proceeds from Works of &s;anctification, as &s;igns and tokens of true Faith. <HI>Treat. of Con. cap.</HI> 3. <HI>Bellarmine</HI> doth acknowledge this Mo|ral certainty, with this difference from us, That it is only conjectural: but he will by no means admit of that ab&s;olute per&s;wa&s;ion, precedent to our works, calling it the <HI>Lutheran</HI> pre&s;umption. They (&s;aith he) will have their certainty to go before their works, and not to follow them. <HI>Tom.</HI> 4. <HI>Cap.</HI> 9. <HI>De Ju&s;tificatione.</HI> So that in this <HI>The&s;is:</HI> I do not deny &s;imply, that we have any a&s;&s;urance of Ju&s;tification from our works of &s;ancttification, (far be it from me,) but that the a&s;|&s;urance which we have from our works, is our fir&s;t per&s;wa&s;ion of Gods Grace, and mercy to|wards us in Chri&s;t, which properly, in &s;trictne&s;s of &s;peech, is called an a&s;&s;urance of Faith, is denied by me. In which re&s;pect I &s;aid in my <HI>Sermon,</HI> That our fir&s;t per&s;wa&s;ion of Gods love was not by faith it &s;elf. 1. By faith as an argument, though it be by faith as an organ, or in|&s;trument. Con&s;onant to this is that which is affirmed by <HI>Zanchy</HI> in his di&s;pute with <HI>Mazhac|chius,</HI> about the order of evidencing our election, <HI>page</HI> 361. Thus he writes; <HI>Quis hic non videat apert&egrave; qualis fuerit &s;ententia Buceri in h&acirc;c materi&acirc;? Nimirum, ut incipiamus &agrave; priori, id e&s;t, contemplatione &s;oluis divinae bonitatis, &amp; gratiae in Chri&s;to oblatae &amp; in Evangelio reve|latae: Et inde certam per&s;ua&s;ionem concipiamus, nos vere fui&s;&s;e ad aeternam &s;alutem electos, ideoque; nunc efficaciter vocari. Deinde de&s;cendamus ad id, quod etiam revera e&s;t po&s;terius, nimirnm ad certum fidem, a&s;&s;en&s;um, &amp; ob&s;equium vocanti praebendum.</HI> This is all which I do herein a&s;&s;ert, That our fir&s;t per&s;wa&s;ion of Gods mercy towards us in Chri&s;t, is not founded upon any arguments taken from our works of &s;anctification, which I have aboundantly proved in my &s;econd Propo&s;ition, whether I refer the Reader.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="thesis">
<HEAD><HI>THESIS, II.</HI> That Ju&s;tification goes in order before our Beleeving.</HEAD>
<P>Ju&s;tification by a pa&s;&s;ive Faith, goes in order of Nature before our act of beleeving, which is thus confirmed.</P>
<P N="1">1. We have the Spirit of Adoption, are made partakers of divine Nature, become new creatures, before we put forth any act of Faith, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5.1. <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.12, 13. This is Mr. <HI>Cal|vins</HI> Note upon this 13. <HI>ver&s;. Negat Evangeli&s;ta po&s;&s;e quemquam credere ni&s;i qui ex Deo ge|nitus e&s;t.</HI> Now whereas it &s;eems by the twelfth <HI>ver&s;e</HI> that we are not the &s;ons of God, but con|&s;equently to our act of beleeving, he doth thus an&s;wer it; In re&s;pect of our &s;en&s;e we do not begin to be the &s;ons of God, but after faith.</P>
<P N="2">2. We are no &s;ooner living in the fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI> but his &s;in is imputed unto us, before we commit any actual &s;in, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. and by the like rea&s;on, as &s;oon as we live in the &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> his righteou&s;ne&s;s is imputed unto us, before we put forth any act of righteou&s;ne&s;s. As in car|nal Generation all men are born &s;inners, even by imputation: So in &s;piritual regeneration, all men are born righteous, having the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t imputed to them.</P>
<P N="3">3. If we be not ju&s;tified antecedently to our act of beleeving, then can a man in the &s;tate of condemnation, do that eminent work of God, to beleeve on Chri&s;t, whereas except we be in
<PB N="17" REF="10">Union with Chri&s;t, and &s;o by con&s;equence in the &s;tate of Grace, we can do nothing, <HI>Joh.</HI> 15.5. To Beleeve is the act of a Per&s;on either in the &s;tate of Grace, or in the &s;tate of condemnation. Not of condemnation; therefore of grace, and we are ju&s;tified before our act of Faith.</P>
<P N="4">4. Elect Infants dying before they come to years of di&s;cretion, or &s;anctified in their Mothers Wombs, are ju&s;tified by the habit of Faith: Per&s;ons in this &s;tate of Grace being <HI>adulti,</HI> cea&s;e not to be ju&s;tified when they fall into &s;ownes, or otherwi&s;e put forth no act of Faith, which, (I &s;uppo&s;e) would follow, were they not ju&s;tified by the &s;eed of Faith. If the &s;eed failed in &s;uch a ca&s;e, &s;o much as the act doth, by what band &s;hould they be united unto Chri&s;t? And how could per&s;ons out of union with Chri&s;t be ju&s;tified? The <HI>Belgick</HI> Profe&s;&s;ors in the Synod of <HI>Dort,</HI> give this as a rea&s;on, Why the Faith by which we are fir&s;t converted, and from which we are called Beleevers, is not an act but an habit infu&s;ed of God, becau&s;e otherwi&s;e, oft upon one and the &s;ame day, we &s;hould be Beleevers, and Unbeleevers; the children of God, and the children of the Devil. It would (I conceive) upon the &s;ame ground follow, That were we not ju&s;tified by rhe habit of Faith, but only by the act, we &s;hould many times be &s;ucce&s;&s;ively ju&s;tified, and unju&s;tified. <HI>Chamier</HI> thus expre&s;&s;eth him&s;elf, I &s;ay it is mo&s;t true, That ju&s;ti|fying Faith doth follow, if not in time, yet in order ju&s;tification. Mr. <HI>Cotton</HI> &s;aith in his <HI>New Covenant, page</HI> 55. A man is as pa&s;&s;ive in regeneration, as in his fir&s;t generation; only God giveth his &s;pirit, that doth unite us unto Chri&s;t, which is received by Faith, together with A|doption, and Ju&s;tification: and yet by the act of Beleeving we are ju&s;tified al&s;o, <HI>Gal.</HI> 2.16. that is manife&s;ted to be ju&s;tified in our own con&s;ciences.</P>
<P>Object. 1. <HI>This is again&s;t the judgement of our Orthodox Divines, who generally make Faith an in&s;trumental cau&s;e of our Ju&s;tification.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> They who do affirm, That in our active conver&s;ion, we perceive, and receive Chri&s;t by an act of Faith, do not deny a pa&s;&s;ive reception precedent to that act, in our conver&s;ion, wherein we are altogether pa&s;&s;ive.</P>
<P>Object. 2. <HI>The Scripture never &s;aith, That we are ju&s;tified by the habit of Faith, but rather by the act.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The Scripture doth not &s;ay, That we are ju&s;tified by the habit, or act of Faith <HI>in terminis,</HI> but in &s;en&s;e. The&s;e are frequent Go&s;pel expre&s;&s;ions, We are ju&s;tified by Faith. Faith is taken as well for the habit, as the act. When Faith is &s;aid not to fail, that is to be under&s;tood of the habit: When we are commanded to Beleeve, that is meant of the act. <HI>Bucer</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Zanchy</HI>) is not a&s;hamed to &s;ay, That we beleeve &s;ometimes in act, &s;ometimes only in habit, There is no condemnation to them which are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us. Let a man be in Chri&s;t, whether by the act, or by the habit of Faith, he is ju&s;tified. Which way &s;oever Chri&s;t, and his righteou&s;ne&s;s is made ours, this righteou&s;ne&s;s is counted to us for ours by God, who counts things as they are.</P>
<P>Object. 3. <HI>He that beleeveth not, is condemned already,</HI> Joh. 3.18. <HI>We are not then ju&s;tified, but con&s;equently to our act of beleeving.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The act of Faith doth ever follow the habit, and in order of time, they can &s;carce be di&s;tingui&s;hed the one from the other: But in order of cau&s;ality, Gods work goes before ours. A Chri&s;tian is in the order of nature, in the &s;tate of grace before Faiths act, though not in time. In a word, when it is &s;aid, <HI>He that beleeveth not, is condemned already;</HI> it mu&s;t be under&s;tood thus: He that beleeveth not either <HI>actu &s;ecundo,</HI> or <HI>actu primo,</HI> el&s;e what will be|come of us when we are a&s;leep, and put forth no act of beleeving?</P>
<P>Object. 4. <HI>If we be ju&s;tified antecedently to our act of Faith, then ju&s;tification goes before vo|cation, contrary to that</HI> Rom. 8.30. <HI>And whom he called, them he al&s;o ju&s;tified.</HI></P>
<PB N="18" REF="11" MS="y">
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That doth not follow; Vocation is a gracious act of God, by which we are brought into fellow&s;hip with Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.9. We are in our effectual call, drawn into union with Chri&s;t, by a Phy&s;ical act of God, in our pa&s;&s;ive conver&s;ion, precedently to our act of beleeving. Faith goes in order before ju&s;tification, both in our pa&s;&s;ive, and active conver&s;ion: the habit in the one, and both habit, and act in the other.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="thesis">
<HEAD><HI>THESIS, III.</HI> That the Faith of Gods Elect, whereby they do beleeve on Chri&s;t, is grounded upon a free, &s;imple, ab&s;olute promi&s;e of Grace.</HEAD>
<P>The Que&s;tion is, Whether God in the Go&s;pel do fir&s;t reveal his &s;pecial love to his Elect, in giving of them Chri&s;t, and ble&s;&s;ing through him, in a conditional promi&s;e, or in an ab&s;olute promi&s;e? I &s;ay in an ab&s;olute. The&s;e are my <HI>Arguments.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Almighty God him&s;elf, the Prophets, Angels, <HI>John Bapti&s;t,</HI> Chri&s;t, and the Apo&s;tles, in the publi&s;hing of the Go&s;pel, have ever propounded Chri&s;t to be beleeved on, in an ab&s;olute promi&s;e of Grace, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.15. <HI>&amp;</HI> 15.5. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 9.6. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2.19, 20. <HI>Luk.</HI> 2.10, 11. <HI>Matth.</HI> 3.2. <HI>&amp;</HI> 4.17. <HI>&amp;</HI> 10.7.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Elect have alwayes founded that act of Faith, by which they did beleeve on Chri&s;t, upon this principle, <HI>Abraham</HI> beleeved on the Lord, and it was counted unto him for righte|ou&s;ne&s;s. Upon what promi&s;e did he ground his Faith? Upon this ab&s;olute promi&s;e, <HI>Thus &s;hall thy Seed be,</HI> Gen. 15.5, 6. This Faith of <HI>Abraham</HI> is made a patern for all the &s;piritual &s;eed of <HI>Abraham</HI> to follow, <HI>Rom</HI> 4.23, 24, 25. <HI>Paul</HI> de&s;cribeth the Faith by which he &s;piritually lived, <HI>Gal.</HI> 2.20. In what Promi&s;e was Chri&s;t revealed? Even in this ab&s;olute Declaration of Gods good Will towards him: <HI>who loved me, and gave him&s;elf for me.</HI> The Apo&s;tle tells us, That all the Elect are born as <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was: Now we Brethren, as <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was, are the children of the Promi&s;e, <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.28. In what form runs the Promi&s;e? This is the word of Promi&s;e; <HI>At this time I will come, and</HI> Sarah <HI>&s;hall have a Son,</HI> Rom 9.9. The children of this ab&s;olute Promi&s;e are counted for the &s;eed, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 8.</P>
<P N="3">3. The proper immediate effects of ju&s;tifying Faith, do &s;trongly argue, That it is built up|on an ab&s;olute promi&s;e powerfully applyed by the &s;pirit, in our effectual call. How comes Faith to work by Love? It apprehends Gods love to us in Chri&s;t. How doth it cau&s;e Re|joycing? It beholds Chri&s;t given for us, and to us out of Gods eternal love: <HI>Abraham</HI> re|joyced to &s;ee Chrt&s;ts day, and he &s;aw it, and was glad, <HI>Joh.</HI> 8.56. How doth it beget Peace? It looks at God as reconciled unto us in Chri&s;t. How doth it cau&s;e Repentance? It makes us apprehen&s;ive that we have &s;inned again&s;t our Saviour. <HI>Omnium appetitivorum motuum cau&s;a e&s;t bonum, vel malum apprehen&s;um.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. As in Conjugal Contracts among&s;t us, the Husband doth fir&s;t make known his Love, and expre&s;s his ab&s;olute con&s;ent: &s;o doth Chri&s;t when he doth betroth the Church of his Elect unto him&s;elf in their effectual Call. <HI>I will &s;ay unto them that were not my People, Thou art my People, and they &s;hall &s;ay, thou art my God,</HI> Ho&s;. 2.23.</P>
<P N="5">5. If our Faith be not founded upon an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e, then is not the Covenant of Grace e&s;tabli&s;hed upon better Promi&s;es (for form) than the Covenant of Works, contrary to that which is affirmed by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Heb.</HI> 8.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. The New Cove|nant Promi&s;es are better than the Old, in this re&s;pect among&s;t the re&s;t, That they are ab&s;olute, or upon conditions ab&s;olutely promi&s;ed.</P>
<P N="6">6. The ab&s;olute Promi&s;es are either only to be propounded to Beleevers antecedently; or
<PB N="19" REF="11">el&s;e al&s;o to Unbeleevers for the begetting of Faith: But they are not only to be propounded to Beleevers antecedently. They were no Beleevers, to whom the Lord by the Prophet <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> applies the ab&s;olute Promi&s;es, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2.19, 20. being &s;uch as were unmarried, and not betrothed to what end did he propound them, if not to build faith upon?</P>
<P N="7">7. There is no conditional Promi&s;e, or Grant in all the Word of God, wherein Chri&s;t doth convey him&s;elf over to us, for the beginning of Salvation. Chri&s;t doth ab&s;olutely pro|mi&s;e to give us a new heart, inhabit in us his Spirit, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36.26, 27. What ever the Re|mon&s;trants &s;ay, to put in any condition, is again&s;t Scripture and Rea&s;on. Wherefore we mu&s;t beleeve on Chri&s;t, and receive him as given in an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e of Grace. This ve|ry Doctrine which teacheth us to ground our faith, whereby we are per&s;waded of Gods Love to us in Chri&s;t, upon an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e, is maintained by <HI>Zanchy</HI> in his <HI>Mi&s;cellanies</HI> again&s;t <HI>Marbuchius,</HI> who objects again&s;t it as one of <HI>Zanchy</HI>'s Errors, and new Revelations: but he doth earne&s;tly contend for the truth hereof, affirming of it to be the Judgment of <HI>Bucer,</HI> and that conformable to the Scriptures. Which he could not but imbrace, proving it by Four Ar|guments, and An&s;wers three Objections. The Definition of Ju&s;tifying Faith, given by Dr. <HI>Zanchy,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Calvin,</HI> declares them to be of this mind: Faith (&s;ay they) is a &s;tedfa&s;t and a&s;&s;ured knowledg of Gods kindne&s;s towards us, which being grounded upon the truth of the free Promi&s;e in Chri&s;t, is both revealed to our minds, and &s;ealed in our hearts, by the Ho|ly Gho&s;t. They make two E&s;&s;ential parts of Faith, 1. An apprehen&s;ion of Gods Love to us in Chri&s;t, which is an act of the Intellect. 2. A receiving and imbracing of Chri&s;t, which is an act of the Will: And they ground both the&s;e Acts upon a free Promi&s;e of Grace, effica|ciou&s;ly applied by the Holy Gho&s;t. The&s;e are the words of Mr. <HI>Calvin</HI> upon <HI>Gal</HI> 3.7. <HI>Faith is not an imagination of our own forging: it is an a&s;&s;uredne&s;s which we conceive of Gods Good|ne&s;s, when he cometh unto us, and uttereth familiarly his love that he beareth to us.</HI> This hath been the con&s;tant Definition of Ju&s;tifying Faith, given by our Orthodox Divines in <HI>Luthers</HI> time, and of many &s;ince: <HI>Fides e&s;t certa per&s;ua&s;io, et</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>qu&acirc; cum &s;ervatorem am|plectimur h&acirc;c fiduci&acirc;, quod crucifixus, &amp; mortuus &s;it in propitiationem pro peccatis, non aliarum tantum, &s;ed et meis. Melanchthon, Beza,</HI> with many others, de&s;cribe Faith after that man|ner, and generally, this is part of the de&s;cription of it: <HI>Faith is a certain per&s;wa&s;ion of Gods mercy towards us in Chri&s;t;</HI> which they could not do, did they not ground it upon an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e. All our Expo&s;itors of the Creed, who make this part of the meaning of that Article, <HI>I beleeve in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> to be, <HI>I beleeve that Chri&s;t is mine,</HI> and place it before that act of the heart, by which we rely on Chri&s;t, do found it upon an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e. Mr. <HI>Perkins</HI> in his Expo&s;ition of the <HI>Creed,</HI> &s;aith, <HI>That no man can put his confidence in God, till he be fir&s;t per&s;waded of Gods mercy towards him in Chri&s;t.</HI> This is Mr. <HI>Dikes</HI> Judgment on <HI>Phil.</HI> 5. <HI>Fir&s;t we mu&s;t beleeve that Chri&s;t is ours, before we can be able to commit our &s;elves to him, for the will and affections follow the under&s;tanding.</HI> Mr. <HI>Cotton</HI> in his N. Covenant, de|clares him&s;elf fully to be of this Judgment, and &s;aith, <HI>Faith to receive Chri&s;t, is ever upon an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e. pag.</HI> 56. which is as much as I affirm.</P>
<P>Object. 1. <HI>The Promi&s;e propounded in the Go&s;pel, for the begetting of faith, is conditional, Beleeve, and be &s;aved.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That is not the Go&s;pels fir&s;t Promi&s;e. There is an ab&s;olute indefinite Promi&s;e (I take an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e for that, which &s;hall certainly be accompli&s;hed in Gods Elect) precedent to this, viz. <HI>The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,</HI> to which the command of Belee|ving in the conditional Promi&s;e, hath relation. As in the Covenant of Works, fir&s;t there is an ab&s;olute Law given, and then a conditional Covenant made, <HI>Do this, and live:</HI> So in the Covenant of Grace, fir&s;t there is made an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e of Salvation through Chri&s;t
<PB N="20" REF="12" MS="y">(taking ab&s;olute in that &s;en&s;e which I have named) and then a conditional Covenant, Be|leeve, and be &s;aved. When I am commanded to beleeve the Go&s;pel, or beleeve on the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, it is intended, that I beleeve this ab&s;olute Promi&s;e, not only Hi&s;torically, but Applicatorily, and that I receive and relie upon Chri&s;t promi&s;ed, and then I &s;hall not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life. The act of faith is not terminated in the Promi&s;e, but in the &s;imple term Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Object. 2. <HI>There is no ab&s;olute Promi&s;e of Salvation through Chri&s;t, in all the Go&s;pel.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That is not &s;o. The fir&s;t Go&s;pel Promi&s;e of Grace and Life was ab&s;olute, <HI>The &s;eed of the Woman &s;hall brui&s;e the Serpents head,</HI> Gen. 3.15. This is renewed to <HI>Abraham, In thee &s;hall all Families of the Earth be ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> Gen. 12.3. Is not this a &s;imple categorical Propo&s;ition, and Declaration of Gods good will in Chri&s;t to the World? And this was Go&s;|pel which was preached unto <HI>Abraham,</HI> Gal. 3.8. To make things more clear: Take an ab|&s;olute Promi&s;e, for that which &s;hall certainly be accompli&s;hed, and then the Go&s;pel alwaies be|gins with an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e both of end, and means, to wit, Salvation, and all means ten|ding thereunto, with relation to Gods Elect: of which kind are the Promi&s;es before mentio|ned, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.15. and 12.3. Let an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e be taken for that which &s;hall receive its accompli&s;hment, without any gracious precedent act of ours, and then the beginning of our Salvation, to wit, a new heart, a new &s;pirit, and faith it &s;elf, is ab&s;olutely promi&s;ed, <HI>Jer.</HI> 3.33, 34. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36.26, 27. If by Salvation be meant the continuance, perfecting, and con|&s;ummation of Salvation in Gods eternal, and everla&s;ting Kingdom, that is indeed promi&s;ed upon condition, we put forth acts of faith, repentance, holine&s;s, and righteou&s;ne&s;s throughout the whol cour&s;e of our lives; all which conditions (as hath been &s;aid) are ab&s;olutely pro|mi&s;ed, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36.27. <HI>Conditiones N Faederis, non tantum praeceptae &s;unt, &s;ed etiam pro|mi&s;&s;ae, Embd. Min.</HI> in the Synod of <HI>Dordt.</HI></P>
<P>Object. 3. <HI>The Promi&s;es to &s;ave ab&s;olutely, and upon condition of beleeving, are incon&s;i|&s;tent.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. To promi&s;e the beginning of Salvation ab&s;olutely, and the continuance, and ac|compli&s;hment of Salvation, upon condition of an holy, penitential faith, &s;tand well together. 2. To promi&s;e ab&s;olutely, that is, a&s;&s;uredly, the continuance, perfecting, and con&s;ummation of Salvation upon condition we actually beleeve, repent, and obey, is not incon&s;i&s;tent, becau&s;e the conditions are ab&s;olutely promi&s;ed.</P>
<P>Object. 4. <HI>The ab&s;olute Promi&s;e of Salvation through Chri&s;t, propounded in the Go&s;pel, is not particular, and per&s;onal, but general, and indefinite: and therefore if we beleeve it by par|ticular application, we beleeve more than is revealed.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Though the ab&s;olute Promi&s;e of Salvation through Chri&s;t, be general, and indefi|nite; yet is it made particular to every Elect Per&s;on, in his effectual call. This Promi&s;e is held forth with a commandment to apply it, and make it particular. So &s;aith <HI>Zanchy, Lib.</HI> 5. <HI>De Natur&acirc; Dei, Cap.</HI> 2. and Mr. <HI>Perkins</HI> upon <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. When we are commanded to beleeve on the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, this is one act that is required of us, to beleeve that Chri&s;t is ours, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5.13. Whil&s;t this Go&s;pel is in preaching in our effectual Vocation, the Lord &s;ends the &s;pirit of Adoption into our hearts, gives us a new heart, and a new &s;pirit, which new &s;pi|rit per&s;wades us to beleeve, and apply the Promi&s;e, and Chri&s;t promi&s;ed, and it is all one as if he &s;hould call us by name, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 43.1. <HI>John</HI> 10.3. They who are thus per&s;waded by Chri&s;t, not only outwardly by his Word, but inwardly by his Spirit in their hearts, have a good ground to beleeve that the Promi&s;e belongs unto them, and that Chri&s;t is theirs, nor do they herein beleeve more than is revealed. To beleeve what Chri&s;t commands, is no Enthu|&s;ia&s;me.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="12">
<P>Object. 5. <HI>If all to whom the Go&s;pel is preached, are commanded to beleeve, that the ab&s;o|lute Promi&s;e belongs unto them, then are Reprobates commanded to beleeve a lye.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w. Zanchy</HI> upon <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2.1. and Mr. <HI>Perkins</HI> in his Treati&s;e of Prede&s;tination, an&s;wers thus in effect: <HI>Let Reprobates beleeve, and they &s;hall not find it fal&s;e, but true.</HI> But becau&s;e our act of Beleeving, works no change in the Object; and our beleeving, makes not a thing true, but it mu&s;t be true before we beleeve, it is not &s;atisfactory to me. Before I &s;et down mine own apprehen&s;ions (with humble &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to better Judgments) I think it requi&s;ite that &s;ome things &s;hould be premi&s;ed: 1. I imbrace it for an undoubted truth, That <HI>fal&s;um non e&s;t objectum fidei:</HI> The Spirit of Truth doth not per&s;wade men to beleeve Lyes. <HI>The Spi|rit is truth, and is no lye,</HI> 1 John 2.27. <HI>2ly,</HI> All to whom the Go&s;pel cometh, are not only bound to put forth acts of Evangelical obedience, but to have the principles of the&s;e acts: for we lo&s;t in <HI>Adam</HI> the very principles of yielding obedience to the holy Will of God, to wit, Integrity of Nature, with the pre&s;ence and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of Gods gracious Spirit. So that it is a &s;in to be unregenerate, and to want the &s;pirit of Grace, where the Go&s;pel is preached, <HI>Jude,</HI> 19. <HI>3ly,</HI> When Reprobates are commanded to beleeve, the Lord requires of them the&s;e two things, 1. That they have a new heart, and a new &s;pirit, which is the &s;pirit of Adoption, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.31. <HI>2ly,</HI> That they Elicite an act of Faith, from this new heart excited by this new &s;pirit. Let Reprobates then (according to the true &s;ence of the Go&s;pels Command) have a new heart, and a new &s;pirit, and beleeve from the&s;e principles, that the ab&s;olute promi&s;e of Grace belongs unto them, and they &s;hall not beleeve a lye. Neither are Elect, nor Repro|bates commanded actually to beleeve, immediately from the principles of Nature, but by the intervening of a new heart, and a new &s;pirit, which are the principles of Grace: let the&s;e in|tervene, and then it is not required that they beleeve more than is revealed, and true. All true Chri&s;tians beleeve that this Promi&s;e belongs unto them, in habit, inclination, de&s;ire, or act, of which there are many degrees.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="thesis">
<HEAD><HI>THESIS, IV.</HI> That all Promi&s;es proper and peculiar to the Go&s;pel, are ab&s;olute.</HEAD>
<P>In the Covenant of Grace there are two &s;orts of Promi&s;es: Some common to the Law with the Go&s;pel, though not for the matter, yet for the form into which they are put: as Beleeve and be &s;aved, Repent and be &s;aved, and the&s;e are conditional, belonging to Elect and Repro|bates. There be other Promi&s;es peculiar to the Go&s;pel both for matter and form; as <HI>a new heart will I give you, a new Spirit will I put within you,</HI> and the&s;e are ab&s;olute, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36.26. Which Promi&s;es though they be propounded in the promulgation of the Go&s;pel to all indiffe|rently, yet are they proper only to Gods Elect. Of the&s;e Promi&s;es is that to be under&s;tood which <HI>Pro&s;per</HI> &s;peaks, <HI>Lib.</HI> 1. <HI>De voc. Gent. Cap.</HI> 9. <HI>Manet pror&s;us, et quotidi&egrave; impletur quod Abrahae Dominus &s;ine conditione promi&s;it, &s;ine lege donavit.</HI> And of the&s;e Promi&s;es doth <HI>Zanchy</HI> mean, <HI>Mi&s;cell. Lib.</HI> 2. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 13. where he &s;aith, <HI>Promi&s;&s;iones de gratuit&acirc; Dei mi&s;eri|cordi&acirc; de&abque; certa, et aeterna &s;alute, et&s;i univer &s;alit&eacute;r omnibus proponuntur, et praedicandae &s;unt: ad ip&s;os tamen tantum electos reip&s;a pertinent.</HI> And again, <HI>De Common. Divinis. Evangeli|um propri&egrave; quod annuntiat, id ab&s;olut&egrave; citr&agrave; conditionem annuntiat.</HI> It was denyed in the Sy|nod that there was any ab&s;olute Promi&s;es. The Remon&s;trants <HI>Collat. Hag. Band. pag.</HI> 190. <HI>lin.</HI> 22. a&s;&s;ert, That the giving of a new heart is promi&s;ed upon condition of our actual con|ver&s;ion. Others would have the&s;e Promi&s;es to be only Predictions and Prophe&s;ies, but &s;eem to exclude them from being any part of the Covenant of Grace, whereas they be the chief, and proper part: or el&s;e I cannot &s;ee that our fir&s;t Parents had any Go&s;pel preached unto them in
<PB N="23" REF="13" MS="y">Paradice, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.15. There is nothing but an ab&s;olute Promi&s;e expre&s;&s;ed, (in which all ab&s;olute Promi&s;es in both the &s;ences before mentioned are wrapt up) though I doubt not but the conditional Promi&s;e, Beleeve and be &s;aved, is implied. Our Orthodox Divines in the Synod of <HI>Dordt,</HI> &s;tand for the&s;e ab&s;olute Promi&s;es as parts of the Covenant of Grace, again&s;t the Ar|minians, and that they are proper to the Go&s;pel in re&s;pect of their ab&s;olute form, cannot be denied, the Law hath no Promi&s;es which run in that form. It is evident which <HI>Zanchy</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Quicquid pertinet ad legem in &s;cripturis, conditionale e&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>I have lo&s;t divers Notes by often removals, but (to my be&s;t remembrance) the&s;e, with one or two more of the like Nature, coincident with them, were all the Po&s;itions which at fir&s;t I intended for Di&s;putation in the Synod. In heat of Di&s;cour&s;e in that A&s;&s;embly, certain expre&s;|&s;ions fell from me, which were numbred among&s;t my Errors, and made the chief matter of Di&s;pute by them who took all occa&s;ions and advantages to make me &s;eem erroneous. Among&s;t the re&s;t (how it came in I do not well know) I &s;aid, That Chri&s;t was part of the new Crea|ture. The Que&s;tion is, What is meant by the new Creature, or new Man, which Chri&s;tians are commanded to put on? I an&s;wer, Partly Chri&s;t with his new created Righteou&s;ne&s;s, partly new created qualities in us. Which (I conceive) may thus be proved: <HI>Adam</HI> is called <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">; and Chri&s;t <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">. <HI>Adam</HI> is the old man, and Chri&s;t the new man. Hereupon (tropically) all &s;in which entred into the World by <HI>Adam,</HI> is cal|led the Old man; and all that righteou&s;ne&s;s which is brought in by Chri&s;t, is called the New man; which righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;ts becomes ours in our New Birth, partly by Imputation, partly by Regeneration, <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.15.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>By the Old man which we are to put off, is only meant Sin, not</HI> Adam<HI>'s Per&s;on: and therefore by the New man, is only meant new qualities in us, and not Chri&s;t's Per&s;on.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> By the Old man may be under&s;tood, not only the corruption of Nature, which pa&s;&s;eth from <HI>Adam</HI> to us, but his di&s;obedience, which becomes ours by imputation. So that in &s;ome re&s;pect we are to put off <HI>Adam,</HI> that is, the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Adam</HI> in eating the for|bidden Fruit, which was his in act, and ours <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, and originally. I am not the fir&s;t who have taken the New man in that &s;en&s;e, which if it be not proper, yet is it true. We are to put on Chri&s;t as well by Faith, as by imitation. I &s;hall not much herein contend. <HI>Zanchy</HI> upon <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.24. having &s;et down the judgment of <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI> what is meant by the New man which Chri&s;tians are to put on, (who under&s;tood it of Chri&s;t him&s;elf) and of others interpreting it of new qualities, delivers his own mind, and joyns them both together. <HI>Novus igitur ho|mo primum e&s;t Chri&s;tus ip&s;e in nobis inhabitans: deinde ip&s;e nova totius hominis qualitas, et natura per Chri&s;tum in nobis creata, po&s;tremo nos ip&s;i Chri&s;to induti, et novae illius naturae par|ticipes effecti, et in virtute (ut loquuntur &s;cholia) viventes.</HI> Ye would likewi&s;e have wre&s;ted other expre&s;&s;ions which fell from me, to a corrupt &s;ence; as if I denied acting from a formal principle of Grace, or that any power was conveyed by the Commandments of the Law to act graciou&s;ly, which was far from my &s;ence. The Opinion of <HI>Peter Lombart, Lib.</HI> 1. <HI>Di&s;t.</HI> 18. that Charity is not any thing created in the &s;oul, but the Holy Gho&s;t him&s;elf, is &s;ufficiently confuted by <HI>Aquinas,</HI> 22. c. q. 23.2. Far be it from me to deny the work of Regeneration or new qualities. This was my meaning in the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages; that we cannot act graciou&s;ly from any inward principle of Grace, further than we are acted upon by the Spirit of Chri&s;t in Union. That the Commandments of the Law, are never accompanied by the Spirit, enabling us to per|form them, being &s;evered from Chri&s;t, and the Covenant of Grace, or before faith come. Surely I maintained none of the&s;e Points in the Synod, which you make the Ground-work of Sedltion.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, I am much condemned by you for ob&s;tinacy after conviction. Of what was
<PB N="24" REF="13">I convicted? Was it of laying the Magi&s;trates, Elders, and the mo&s;t part of the Country un|der a covenant of works, ab&s;olutely, and that to the knowledg of the hearers, out of Contempt of Authority to &s;tir up Sedition? Contempt of Authority and &s;edition is then made the cir|cum&s;tances &amp; principles of an act, to wit the laying them under a covenant of works in that &s;ort. If that act be not proved, contempt of Authority and Sedition vani&s;h away, having no &s;ubject to which they do adhere. A man cannot be ju&s;tly condemned for wilful murder unle&s;s it appear that he hath committed murder: nor can I be ju&s;tly condemned for laying men under a covenant of works in that manner out of Contempt of Authority, to ray&s;e up &s;edition, except it can be made evident, that I did lay them under that Covenant. That is then to be enquired into, &amp; proved by the Court that the Magi&s;trates, Elders and mo&s;t of the Country were the men whom I de&s;cribed and affirmed to be under a Covenant of works: otherwi&s;e contempt of Authority, &amp; &s;edition falls to the ground having no foundation. The Court proceeded again&s;t me (as they &s;aid Ex officio which in ca&s;e of publick infamy, and manife&s;t evidence of the fact, is not only lawful, but nece&s;&s;ary) and when I humbly reque&s;ted of the Honoured Court, that my accu&s;ers might come forth, it was an&s;wered by them that my &s;ermon was my accu&s;er. Then mu&s;t my Sermon accu&s;e me of that fact which they judged contemptuous, and Seditious, or el&s;e I am con|demned without any accu&s;ation or accu&s;ers, meerly from their wil, and plea&s;ure. How wil they make it appeare that my Sermon was my accu&s;er? The Elders in their &s;ecret Accu&s;ati|on, &s;hewed them a way how to do it, viz. by forcing my Sermon to &s;peak thus; That faith, and repentance are no parts of the Go&s;pel. That Sanctification is no good evidence of a good e&s;tate. That they who &s;ee in them&s;elves any Sanctification, and thence conclude a good e&s;tate &s;hal never be &s;aved. That they who are not of this judgment, are Antichri&s;tians, enemys to Chri&s;t and under a covenant of works. This is made the ground by Mr. <HI>Weld</HI> in the &s;hort &s;tory but the Court did not declare them&s;elves to &s;entence me upon this proofe. How then wil they make my &s;ermon my accu&s;er. I know not how except it was thus; To take a propo&s;ition out of my &s;ermon. And an a&s;&s;umption which the Elders brought in (as hath been &s;aid) and to conclude again&s;t me as though I had been author of them both, was the fal&s;e accu&s;ation, or application &amp;c. of my Sermon. Do you think in your Con&s;cience that this was conviction, and that I per&s;i&s;t ob&s;tinate after conviction, my circum&s;tantial failing I have acknowledged. I did not much inquire after an Apology which I heard was written in the Courts defence, becau&s;e I know very wel that the cau&s;e was uncapable of any ju&s;t defence. I knew that if al the men in the world &s;hould combine together they could not make a bad cau&s;e good, no, not the Lord him&s;elf: the defect lieth not in God, but in the thing. Let a man twi&s;t ten thou&s;and &s;ins, together, he cannot cover &s;in with &s;in. If your cau&s;e was &s;o ju&s;t and convincing why have you de&s;erted the true cau&s;e, and &s;et up a new title? prove the ground of the Courts &s;entence out of my &s;ermon, or el&s;e you &s;ay nothing.</P>
<P N="4">4. Fourthly, You tel a &s;tory of a man, whom (as you &s;ay) I led into the&s;e damnable er|rors, and here&s;ies.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That the free promi&s;es are only for them under the Law.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That al our a&s;&s;urance is by immediate revelation.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That in the New Te&s;tament there are no &s;ignes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That Bapti&s;me of water is of no u&s;e to them, who are Baptized by the holy Gho&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. That a man may be adopted, and not ju&s;tified.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. That every new creature is a dead lumpe, and acts not at al.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. That we have no inherent righteou&s;ne&s;s.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. That the commandments are a dead letter.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I do reject, and abominate al the&s;e corrupt opinions as none of mine again&s;t which I do
<PB N="25" REF="14">oppo&s;e the&s;e following po&s;itions as mine own judgment.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That the free promi&s;es are no parts of the covenant of works, but of Grace.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That we do not only come to an a&s;&s;urance of a good e&s;tate by the immediate Te&s;timony of the Holy-gho&s;t, but al&s;o by that which is mediate, from faith, repentance, and works of &s;anctification.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That in the New Te&s;tament the Lord gives to his confederates &s;ignes of their being in Covenant with him both inward, and outward.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That Chri&s;tians who are inwardly and invi&s;ibly ingraffed into Chri&s;t, &s;tand in need of an outward vi&s;ible baptizing into him, and into one body.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. That ju&s;tification, and adoption, are in&s;eparable benefits, flowing from our union with Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. That every new creature acts from an inward formal principle of Spiritual life.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. That we are not only ju&s;tified by the imputed righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t received by faith, but al&s;o have an inherent righteou&s;ne&s;s infu&s;ed into us by the &s;pirit of regeneration.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. The Commandements are the &s;pirits in&s;trument, to quicken Gods elect.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The authors of the &s;hort &s;tory, do not propound this to be credited barely upon their autho|rity, (for than they might have deluded the reader, who would beleeve it becau&s;e of their re|port) but this witne&s;s which they beare again&s;t me in &s;uch a matter of weight con&s;i&s;ts of this hypothetical propo&s;ition; If M. <HI>Wheelwright</HI> tenderly contradicted this poor man, being newly come to the profe&s;&s;ion of religion, then mu&s;t he needs learne tho&s;e points of Mr. <HI>Wheel|wright,</HI> or draw them as nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equents from &s;ome of his Tenents</P>
<P>The Con&s;equent part of this propo&s;ition doth not follow from the Antecedent, here is no good con&s;equence. And therefore this their Te&s;timony mu&s;t needs appeare to be palpably fal&s;e, to al &s;uch as have the u&s;e of rea&s;on. How they &s;hould con&s;cientiou&s;ly ground &s;uch an accu&s;ation upon &s;uch an argument I cannot apprehend.</P>
<P N="5">5. Fiftly You much glory in my conceived ruine, and cal your proceedings again&s;t me to bani&s;hment, the Lords marvellous doings. If by ruine you meane the ruine of my doctrine, and cau&s;e, there is no &s;uch matter, that you have not touched: it is a doctrine and cau&s;e of your own devi&s;ing, and &s;etting up which you have ruined. If by ruine you under&s;tand ruine in re&s;pect of my outward man, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay you have laboured to the utmo&s;t, to bring me to ruine, in my &s;elf, Wife, Eleven children, Family, po&s;terity by &s;uch acts before, in, and after my bani&s;hment, as I &s;hal not now mention: (for I love not to complaine, I &s;erve no hard ma&s;ter, the Lord is my &s;heild and my exceeding great reward) yet even in this regard, hath not the Lord delivered me over unto the wil of my adver&s;aries, ble&s;&s;ed be his name. If I and mine be ruinated by you temporally, and pro&s;per &s;piritually, ye &s;hal do us no great hurt by &s;uch a ruine. What though ye thought evil again&s;t me? the Lord meant it unto good. But why do you cal your doings in exiling, and afflicting of me, the Lords marvellous doings The que&s;tion then is this; whether your proceedings again&s;t me be Gods work, or yours? This may ea&s;ily be thus determined; If you can make it appear, that I am an Antinomian, Famili&s;t, Libertine. Seducer, guilty of Contempt of Authority, and Sedition, The Author of al the&s;e errors, and here&s;ies to which you relate me, in the &s;hort &s;tory that I am &s;uch a flagiti|ous heretick, evil man, and &s;educer, and vile mi&s;creant as you paint me forth to be, then may the proceedings be accounted Gods worke. If you cannot make this apparent, then is your proceedings again&s;t me, your own injurious, unrighteous, and more &s;inful work, in which you live impenitent to this day, by a dangerous defect which lyeth in your wils, I do acknow|ledg that this worke of which you &s;o much boa&s;t, was the Lords marvellous decreed, and per|mitted work; but if you cannot make it evident, that it was the Lords marvellous comman|ded,
<PB N="26" REF="14">and approved doings, it makes nothing again&s;t me, nor for you. The Lord in mercy grant that this work which you have made with me, that you &s;o highly extol, magnify, and put upon record among&s;t Gods marvellous doings, be never layd to the charge of <HI>New England:</HI> If I &s;hould an&s;wer to al the objections, and criminations made again&s;t me, by the &s;hort &s;tory, I &s;hould to little purpo&s;e weary out my &s;elf, and the reader. What I have thought re|quired any reply, to that I have an&s;wered, the re&s;t I pa&s;s by in &s;ilence, committing my &s;elf, and my cau&s;e, unto him who judgeth righteou&s;ly.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Samuel Rutherford</HI> in his &s;urvey of Antinomiani&s;me finding me deeply wounded and ca&s;t out amoug&s;t a company of Antinomians, Famili&s;ts, Libertines, as their head, and leader, by the writer of the &s;hort &s;tory, falls upon me, &s;mites me <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, &s;hoots many a deadly Arrow through the very heart of my good name. The pa&s;&s;ages which I take notice of in the &s;urvey relating to me, are the&s;e following.</P>
<P N="1">1 Except my heart deceive me, give me leave to borrow an expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Job,</HI> if I lift up my hand, or a bloody pen again&s;t the truly Godly, or have a pick at holyne&s;s, let my arme fal from my &s;houlder blade, and mine arme be broken from the bone, <HI>Job.</HI> 31.21.22. Epi&s;t. Page. 1.</P>
<P N="2">2 It was ob&s;erved in <HI>New England,</HI> when Famili&s;ts grew, and in other parts of <HI>New Eng|land,</HI> Famili&s;ts devi&s;ed &s;uch a difference, between the Covenant of works, and of grace, e&s;pe|cially after a Sermon preached by Mr. <HI>Wheelwright</HI> a prime famili&s;t. &amp;c. Page. 38. 39.</P>
<P N="3">3 If Famili&s;ts have &s;uch revelations. 1. They &s;ee the vi&s;ions of God. 2. They &s;peak as acted by the &s;pirit immediatly, and &s;o we are by the &s;ame certainty of faith to beleeve what H. <HI>Nicholas. Wheelwright,</HI> &amp;c. Pag. 40.</P>
<P N="4">4 Mr. <HI>Knop</HI> prophe&s;ied of the hanging of the Lord of <HI>Grange,</HI> Mr. <HI>John Davi&s;on</HI> uttered prophe&s;ies known to many of the Kingdom, divers holy, and mortified preachers in England, have done the like: No famili&s;ts, or Antinomians, no <HI>David George,</HI> nor <HI>H. Nicholas</HI> no man of that Gang, <HI>Randal,</HI> or <HI>Wheelwright,</HI> or <HI>Den. &amp;c.</HI> Page. 42.</P>
<P N="5">5. The fir&s;t author of the&s;e wicked opinions, were, <HI>N. Wheelwright,</HI> &s;ome adherents to Mr. <HI>Wheelwright, &amp;c.</HI> Page. 176.</P>
<P N="6">6 Mr. <HI>Wheelwright,</HI> and others were convened before a civil Court in <HI>Ma&s;&s;achu&s;et. October.</HI> 2. 1637. For di&s;turbance of the publick peace, where in the Month of <HI>March</HI> Mr. <HI>Wheelwright</HI> was convict of Sedition: upon occa&s;ion whereof a number of Famili&s;ts gave in a petition, or remon&s;trance complaining that their beloved Mr. <HI>Wheelwright</HI> was condemned for no fault, whereas his doctrine was no other then the very expre&s;&s;ions of the Holy-Gho&s;t him&s;elf, though he had &s;aid expre&s;ly that Magi&s;trates, Mini&s;ters, and mo&s;t of the people were under a Covenant of works and therefore were enemies to Chri&s;t, &s;uch as <HI>Herod, Pilate,</HI> Scribes, Phara&s;ees, and encouraged the people to ri&s;e up again&s;t them, as Phyli&s;tins. &amp;c. Page. 177. 178. Part. 1.</P>
<P>By what I have here tran&s;cribed out of the &s;urvey it is evident, that Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> makes him&s;elf my judg. Severing me (in his notion) from the &s;heep, and &s;ets me amon&s;t goats, condemning me among&s;t the re&s;t, as a man not truely Godly. And that he &s;o judgeth, he &s;weares, oppignorating his Arme to the Shoulder blade.</P>
<P>This is a dreadful &s;entence which is pa&s;&s;ed again&s;t me, in re&s;pect of my per&s;onal &s;tanding, by Mr. <HI>Rutherford.</HI> If he had thus judged me according to the Go&s;pel, I &s;hould have trembled but becau&s;e it is done according to his own imagination, and e&s;pecially the &s;hort &s;tory, I de&s;pi&s;e it. Whether I truly feare God or no, is better known to me then Mr. <HI>Rutherford.</HI> I do not love to &s;peak of any great matters concerning my &s;elf, the cheif of al &s;inners: yet &s;ee|ing
<PB N="27" REF="15">I am called, and compelled thereunto. I &s;hal a little glory in the Lord. After &s;even yeares &s;pirit of bondage (as I remember,) for the &s;pace of this five and twenty yeares, or there abouts, ever &s;ince the loving kindne&s;s of our Lord, and Saviour did appeare to the eye of my faith, ju&s;tifying of me freely by his grace, I have (through Gods infinite mercy,) known in whom I do beleeve, and though I have been a&s;&s;aulted with innumerable temptations out|ward, and inward in the&s;e perillous, deluding times: yet have I not (through mercy) put away a good Con&s;cience, or made &s;hipwrack of my faith. Doubtle&s;s Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> is a very learned man, and I hope, a Godly man: yet is he but a man, and this judgment of his is meerly mans judgment, it proceeds not from God. With me it is a very &s;mal thing to be judged of him, or of mans judgment; but he that judgeth me is the Lord. By the grace of God I am what I am.</P>
<P>After that he hath thus judged my per&s;on, then he comes to condemne my doctrine, and practi&s;e. He cals me a Famili&s;t, a prime Famili&s;t, Author of tho&s;e wicked opinions, menti|oned in the &s;hort &s;tory, a man convicted of Sedition, and what not? If I were &s;uch a man as he de&s;cribes, he might wel judg me to be a man that doth not truly feare God, he might know me by my fruit. But this fruit is the fruit of my adver&s;aries vain imaginations, and (through Gods great goodne&s;s) did never grow on me. If I had been &s;uch a man as you repre&s;ent me to the world, the Lord him&s;elf would have Stigmatized me with a witne&s;s. If &s;hould out of Gods judgment, grow wor&s;e, and wor&s;e deceiving and being deceived, my folly, and mad|ne&s;s would have been made manife&s;t unto al men, I &s;hould have been filthy, and unju&s;t &s;til: the Lord who gave <HI>Jezabel</HI> a time to repent, and &s;he repented not, ca&s;t her into a bed, killed her children with death, would di&s;cover my here&s;y. and wickedne&s;s, (though I laboured never &s;o cunningly to palliate the &s;ame, and al the Churches &s;hould have known, that God is he who &s;earcheth the Reines, and hearts. <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.21.22.23. You have &s;et upon me al the fearful works of reprobation. God takes them off by his word and acts of providence. Is not the witne&s;s of God alone more to be credited then the witne&s;s of you al? Indeed <HI>Mr. Rutherford</HI> glories much in one of his witne&s;&s;es, whom he &s;uppo&s;eth to be the Author of the &s;hort Story. Let it then be taken for granted that Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> is my lawful judg, yet he hath no witne&s;s, (&s;o far as I know) but the Author of the &s;hort &s;tory, who is <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, conceales his name again&s;t natures light, and hath born notable fal&s;e witne&s;s again&s;t me in that he did accu&s;e me of &s;educing a man, and leading of him into many wicked errors, upon &s;uch a weak ground as I have &s;hewed: and his other witne&s;s is Mr. <HI>Thomas Weld,</HI> both of them being parties in the cau&s;e. Will he now condemne me upon this account before he heare what I can plead for my &s;elf? Is this righteous judgment? Admit there be more witne&s;&s;es, and Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> &s;tand up as an other witne&s;s (for &s;o he is in this ca&s;e) it is not the multitude nor Godline&s;s of the witne&s;&s;es that makes their te&s;timony true, but the conformity which is be|tween the te&s;timony, and the thing te&s;tifyed. Is Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> certain that what he reports is true? He knows very wel, that <HI>mendacio annumeratur a&s;&s;everatio rei incertae pro certa, quamvis putamus e&s;&s;e veram.</HI> Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> &s;tands as it were upon the &s;houlders of the &s;hort Story-writers, takes his bloody pen (as he cals it) into his hand, draws blood of many &s;ound men in judgment, the deare Saints, and &s;ervants of God, who&s;e blood in the &s;ight of God is precious, and what they report he reports, and more too, with much pa&s;&s;ion, and in mo&s;t reproachful language, where I leave him to &s;tand or fal with them.</P>
<P>To conclude, this is the &s;um of my an&s;wer to Mr. <HI>Thomas Weld</HI> and Mr. <HI>S. Rutherford;</HI> The true real cau&s;e of my &s;ufferings, in my E&s;tate, Liberty, Name, Mini&s;try: in my Self, Wife, Children, Family, under the name of here&s;y, contempt of Authority, and &s;edi|tion, was that doctrine contained in my fir&s;t three propo&s;itions, wherein I differed from &s;ome
<PB N="28" REF="15">of my brethren about the grounds of a &s;pecial faith, and the order of evidencing a good e&s;tate, It was of late attempted to bring me under new &s;ufferings for delivering the &s;ame doctrine in a Sermon which I preached at <HI>Bo&s;ton</HI> at the Court of Election, and it was objected, that I raked up the old matter. This true cau&s;e is &s;ilenced by them both.</P>
<P>Certain of my brethren the Elders devi&s;ed a cau&s;e again&s;t me (as I have &s;hewed and can prove) differing from this in &s;ub&s;tance which they pre&s;ented to the Court, yet never brought it to publick view, but makes u&s;e of it among&s;t them&s;elves, prejudicing the Court and their freinds again&s;t me. This fal&s;e fained cau&s;e is publi&s;hed by the &s;hort Story writers and Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> follows them. I commit the further clearing up of the&s;e things unto the Lord, who wil bring every work to judgment with every &s;ecret thing whether it be good, or whether it be evil. To God only wi&s;e be pray&s;e through Je&s;us Chri&s;t for ever, Amen.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>A Po&s;t&s;cript.</HEAD>
<P><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">. What credit is to be given to the wittne&s;s borne a|gain&s;t me by Mr. <HI>Weld,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Rutherford</HI> wil more evidently appeare by the&s;e oppo&s;ite Te&s;timonies which I do here annex.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Cotton</HI> in his an&s;wer to Mr. <HI>Baly</HI> Pag. <HI>60. 61.</HI> Makes this report; Neither the Church nor my &s;elfe did ever look at Mr. <HI>Wheelwright</HI> either as an Antinomian or Famili&s;t Many of us knew that he had taken good pains again&s;t both, and in that very place where he was wont to preach; in&s;omuch that one of his hearers (who &s;ince joyned to Mr. <HI>Gortons</HI> &s;o|ciety) openly conte&s;ted again&s;t his doctrine as fal&s;e, and Antichri&s;tian. And when Mr. <HI>Wheelwright,</HI> was put out of this Country (though he be &s;ince re&s;tored) ye if he had cleaved to the errors the companys fel into, he would never have refu&s;ed their earne&s;t invitation, and cal of him, to Mini&s;ter unto them. They &s;ent to him, and urged him much to come to them to a far richer &s;oyl, and richer company then where he lived: yet he con&s;tantly refu&s;ed, and upon that very ground becau&s;e of the Corruption of their judgments: Profe&s;&s;ing often while they pleaded for the Covenant of grace, they tooke away the grace of the Covenant.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<HEAD>To The Honoured general Court now a&s;&s;embled at <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> the Petition of the Church, and Town of <HI>Hampton.</HI> 26. 2. 1654.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Humbly Sheweth.</HI></P>
<P>THat whereas our Reverend Pa&s;tor M. <HI>John Wheelwright</HI> doth deeply Suffer in his name, as an heretical, criminous per&s;on, e&s;pecially by two printed books: the one written by <HI>Mr. Thomas Weld,</HI> the other by Mr. <HI>Samuel Rutherford,</HI> Which hath and wil have a &s;ad influence upon his per&s;on, Mini&s;try, Family, Wife, Children, and po&s;terity for ever; and they &s;eem to us cheifly to ground their charge upon this Honoured Courts proceedings again&s;t him, who cen&s;ured him to Bani&s;hment for Contempt of Authority, and &s;edition: and condemned him in a Court order for &s;educing many of the people of <HI>New-England</HI> into dangerous errors, by his opinions, and Revelations, So that it was feared, that they would make &s;ome &s;udden irrup|tion again&s;t them of contrary judgment as they did in <HI>Germany.</HI></P>
<P>Our humble reque&s;t therefore unto this Honored Court is, that they would be plea&s;ed to take into their con&s;ideration their &s;everal acts concerning him and if it appeare that he &s;uffered fur|ther
<PB REF="16">then cau&s;e required through any mi&s;take, that &s;ome cour&s;e might be taken for the healing and reparation of his name. Otherwi&s;e (we do conceive) that we are not long like to enjoy his mini&s;try, and pre&s;ence among&s;t us: whom (to our be&s;t di&s;cerning) we have ever found, orthodox, and &s;ound in judgment, upright and blamele&s;s in life, and conver&s;ation. Who&s;e de|parture from us wil tend to our great detriment both to our inward, and outward man, if not de&s;tructive to our peace, and welfare. We leave our reque&s;t in the hands of your wor&s;hips, for who&s;e good guidance, by Gods gracious pre&s;ence we pray.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="court order">
<HEAD>At a general Court held at <HI>Bo&s;ton,</HI> 24. <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> 1654.</HEAD>
<P>THis Court taking into con&s;ideration the good &s;ervice, and great u&s;e which Mr. <HI>John Wheelwright</HI> hath been, and is of in the Towns of <HI>Hampton,</HI> and adjacent places and the earne&s;t endeavours which that Town hath u&s;ed for his continuance there among&s;t them, and hearing that on &s;ome acts which have pa&s;&s;ed from this Court, that Mr. <HI>Wheelwright</HI> is by Mr. <HI>Rutherford,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Weld</HI> rendred in &s;ome books printed by them as heretical and crim|inous; Now that they the &s;aid Mr. <HI>Rutherford,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Weld</HI> nor any other by their means may be led into mi&s;apprehen&s;ions of the &s;aid Mr. <HI>Wheelwright,</HI> we do &s;ignify that Mr. <HI>Wheel|wright</HI> hath for the&s;e many yeares approved him&s;elf a &s;ound, orthodoxe, and profitable Mini|&s;ter of the Go&s;pel among&s;t the&s;e churches of Chri&s;t of which he now &s;tandeth a Pa&s;tor in one of them. This is a true copie taken out of the Courts Records.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Edward Raw&s;on. Secret.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="author's notice">
<P>The Church and Town of Hampton te&s;tify that they have ever judged me Orthodoxe, and The Honoured Court for many years. Though the Court &s;eem to limit their approving Te&s;timony to certain yeares: yet am I per&s;waded that they are &s;o Godly, and Con&s;cientious, that they wil not &s;ay that I formerly held the&s;e corrupt opinions charged upon me by the &s;hort &s;tory which I have &s;ince revoked. That from the beginning of my troubles they were fathered upon me, without any ju&s;t cau&s;e, my con&s;cience beares me wittne&s;s and God is my wittne&s;s.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. W.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<HEAD>The Names of Books printed by <HI>Peter Cole,</HI> Printer and Book-&s;eller of <HI>London:</HI> and are to be &s;old at his Shop, at the &s;ign of the Print|ing-pre&s;s in Cornhil, neer the Royal Exchange.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Mr. <HI>Hookers</HI> New Books in three Vo|lums: One in Octavo, and two in Quarto.</HEAD>
<P>The&s;e Eleven New Books of Mr. <HI>Thomas Hooker,</HI> made in <HI>New-England</HI> Are atte&s;ted in an Epi&s;tle by Mr. <HI>Tho|mas Goodwin,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Philip Nye,</HI> To be written with the Authors Own hand: None being written by him|&s;elf before. One Volum being a Comment upon Chri&s;t's la&s;t Prayer in the Seventeenth of <HI>John:</HI> wherein is opened, The <HI>Union</HI> beleevers have with God and Chri&s;t, and the glorious Priviledges thereof. Be&s;ides many o|ther Go&s;pel Truths, there is al&s;o &s;hewed.</P>
<PB REF="16">
<LIST>
<HEAD>Twenty one &s;everal Books of Mr. <HI>Wil|liam Bridge,</HI> Collected into two Volumns. <HI>Viz.</HI></HEAD>
<ITEM>1 Scripture Light the mo&s;t &s;ure Light.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 Chri&s;t in Travel:</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 A Lifting up for the Ca&s;t down,</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 Sin again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 Sins of Infirmitie.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 The fal&s;e Apo&s;tle tried and di&s;co|vered</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 The good and means of E&s;tabli&s;h|ment</ITEM>
<ITEM>8 The great things Faith can do.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 The great things Faith can &s;uffer.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 The Great Go&s;pel My&s;tery of the Saints Comfort and Holine&s;s, opened and applied from Chri&s;ts Prie&s;tly Office.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 Satans power to Tempt, and Chri&s;ts Love to, and Care of his People under Temptation</ITEM>
<ITEM>12 Thankfulne&s;s required in every Condition.</ITEM>
<ITEM>13 Grace for Grace.</ITEM>
<ITEM>14 The Spiritual Actings of Faith through Natural Impo&s;&s;ibilities.</ITEM>
<ITEM>15 Evangelical Repentance</ITEM>
<ITEM>16 The Spiritual Life, &amp;c.</ITEM>
<ITEM>17 The Woman of Canaan.</ITEM>
<ITEM>18 The Saints Hiding-place, &amp;c.</ITEM>
<ITEM>19 Chri&s;ts Coming &amp;c.</ITEM>
<ITEM>20 A Vindication of Go&s;pel Ordi|nances</ITEM>
<ITEM>21 Grace and Love beyond Gifts</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Twelve Books of Mr. <HI>Jeremiah Bur|roughs</HI> lately publi&s;hed;</HEAD>
<ITEM>1 Go&s;pel Reconciliation, Or Chri&s;ts Trumpet of Peace to the World. Wherein is Opened Gods exceeding willingne&s;s to be Reconciled to Man; And Gods &s;ending his Emba&s;&s;adors to that End. From. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.19, 20, 2</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 The Rare Jewel of Chri&s;tian Contentment.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 Go&s;pel-wor&s;hip.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 Go&s;pel-Conver&s;ation,</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 A Treati&s;e of Earthly-minded|ne&s;s. A Treati&s;e of Heavenly-mindedne&s;s, and walking with God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 An <HI>Expo&s;ition</HI> on the fourth, fifth, &s;ixth, and &s;eventh Chapters of the Prophe&s;ie of <HI>Ho&s;ea.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>7 An <HI>Expo&s;ition</HI> on the eighth, ninth, and tenth Chapters of <HI>Ho&s;ea.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>8 An <HI>Expo&s;ition</HI> on the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth Chapters of <HI>Ho&s;ea,</HI> being now compleat.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 The <HI>Evil of Evils,</HI> or the excee|ding &s;infulne&s;s of &s;in, on <HI>Job</HI> 16.21.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 Precious Faith, on 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.1.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 Of Hope, on 1 <HI>John</HI> 3.3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12 Of Walking by Faith, on 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.7.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Mr. <HI>Burroughs</HI> his fifty nine Sermons on <HI>Matth.</HI> 11.28, 29, 30. Are Printing</P>
<P>A Godly and Frut|ful <HI>Expo&s;ition,</HI> on the fir&s;t Epi&s;tle of <HI>Peter.</HI> By Mr. <HI>John Rogers,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the word of God at <HI>Dedham</HI> in <HI>E&s;&s;ex.</HI></P>
<P>M^r <HI>Rogers</HI> on <HI>Naaman</HI> the Syrian, his Di&s;ea&s;e and Cure: Di&s;covering the Lepro&s;ie of Sin and Self-love; with the Cure, <HI>viz.</HI> Self-denial and Faith.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Rogers</HI> his Treati&s;e of Marri|age.</P>
<P>The Wonders of the Load&s;tone. By <HI>Samuel ward</HI> of <HI>Ip&s;wich.</HI></P>
<P>An <HI>Expo&s;ition</HI> on the Go&s;pel of the Evange|li&s;t
<PB REF="17">St. <HI>Matthew.</HI> By Mr. <HI>VVard.</HI></P>
<P>The Di&s;cipline of the Church in <HI>New-England:</HI> By the Churches and Synod there.</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Phy&s;ick Books of <HI>Nich. Culpeper,</HI> Gent. Student in Phy&s;ick and A&s;trologie, formerly publi&s;hed.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1 <HI>The Idea of Practical Phy&s;ick. in twelve books,</HI> Viz.</ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>1 The art to pre&s;erve Health.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 Of The preternatural di&s;order of mans body, and their Signs.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 Of Medicaments.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 Of the art of Healing.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 Of the general Cure of Di&s;ea&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 Of External Di&s;ea&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 Of Feavers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8 Of Head Di&s;ea&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 Of middle Belly Di&s;ea&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 Of Lower belly Di&s;ea&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 Of Venemous Di&s;ea&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12 Of Childrens Di&s;ea&s;es.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Written By <HI>John John&s;tone,</HI> Doctor of Phy&s;ick:</HEAD>
<ITEM>1 The Practice of Phy&s;ick.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 A Sure Guide to Phy&s;ick and Chyurgery: That is to &s;ay, The Arts of Healing by Medicine, and Manual Operation. Being an Anatomical De|&s;cription of the whole body of Man, In Six Books. And adorned with a hundred eighty four Figures cut in Bra&s;s.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 Ve&s;lingius Anatomy of the Body of Man.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 A Tran&s;lation of the New di|&s;pen&s;atory, made by the Colledg of Phy&s;itians of London.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. The Engli&s;h Phy&s;itian enlarged.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 A Directory for Midwives.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 Galens Art of Phy&s;ick.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8 A New Method both of &s;tudying and practi&s;ing Phy&s;ick.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9 A Treati&s;e of the Rickets,</ITEM>
<ITEM>10 Medicaments for the Poor, Or Phy&s;ick for the Common People.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11 Health for the Rich and Poor, by Dyet without Phy&s;ick.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The <HI>London Di&s;pen&s;atory</HI> in Folio, of a large Character in Latine.</P>
<P>The <HI>London Di&s;pen&s;atory</HI> in twelves, a &s;mal Pocket Book in Latine.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="author's notice">
<PB REF="17">
<P>THere be &s;undry Faults e&s;caped in the printing (without any no|table change of the &s;ence) which the Reader is intreated to correct.</P>
<P>That part of the Title, <HI>Free Grace maintained again&s;t Mr.</HI> Weld, <HI>late of</HI> New-England, <HI>and Mr.</HI> Rutherford, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> is none of the Authors.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. W.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<PB REF="18">
<PB REF="18">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
