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CHAP. XVII.
A short Expostulation with, and Appeal to all other
Professors.
Come, let us reason with you, all ye Professors of
Christianity, of what sort or kind soever; and bring forth your
Catechisms and Confessions of Faith to that which
by most of yourselves is accounted the Touchstone or Rule: And suffer
yourselves no more to be blinded, and to Err through your Ignorance of
the Scriptures, and of the Power of God; But freely acknowledge and
confess to that Glorious Gospel and Light, which the Scriptures so
clearly witness to, and your Experience must needs answer; as also to
these other Doctrines, which consequentially depend upon the Behalf of
that Noble and truly Catholick Principle, wherein the Love of God
is so mercifully exhibited to all Men, and his Justice and Mercy do like
Twins so Harmoniously concord; his Mercy in the oft tendering of his
Love through the Strivings and Wrestlings of his Light, during the day
of every man's Visitation; and his Justice, both in the destroying and
cutting away of the Wicked Nature and Spirit in those that suffer
themselves to be redeemed through his Judgments; and in the utter
Overthrow of such, who rebelling against the Light, and doing Despight
to the Spirit of Grace, hate to be reformed: Now, not only this
Fundamental Principle is clearly held forth in this Treatise, but all
these that depend upon it, as the real and inward Justification of the
Saints, through the Power and Life of Jesus revealed in them, their full
and perfect Redemption from the Body of Death and Sin, as they grow up
by the Workings and Prevalency of his Grace; and yet, lest Security
should enter, there is great need of Watchfulness, in that they may even
depart after they have really witnessed a good Condition, and make
Ship-wrack of the Faith, and of a good Conscience, with all the parts of
the Doctrine of Christ, as they lie linked together like a Golden Chain,
which doth very much evidence the Certainty and Vertue of Truth above
all Heresies, Error and Deceit, however so cunningly gilded with the
specious Pretences thereof; for Truth is intire in all its parts, and
consonant to it self, without the least jar, having a wonderful
Coherence and notable Harmony, answering together like the Strings of a
well-tuned Instrument; whereas the Principles of all other Professors,
though in some things most of them come near, and divers acknowledge
that which is Truth; yet in most things they stray from it; so that
their Principles greatly contradict and jar one against another; and
though they may alledge Scriptures for some of their Principles, yet
they are put strangely to wrest it, and to deny it for others. My
Appeal then to, and Expostulation with all sorts of
Professors, is not to prove some one or two Points by the Scriptures
(for there be some general Notions of Truth, which most (if not all)
agree to) but the whole Body of our Principles, as they stand in
relation to each other, which none of them all is able to do, for, among
the many Professors, their Catechisms and Confessions of
Faith, I find none (save the Dispensation of Truth now again
revealed) but such as in most of their substantial Principles differ
greatly, and in many contradict grosly the plain Text and Tenour of the
Scripture. I confess there be certain Men in this Age, who with some
plausible appearance of Reality undertake this Task: These are they that
joyn with, and own not wholly any Imbodied People; but while they
pretend a general Love to all, yet find fault with some part of every
sort, while in the mean time they scarce can give any Account of their
own Religion, and most of them prove at bottom to have none at all:
These Men, I say, may perhaps acknowledge some general Truths, and also
hold to the Letter of the Scripture in some other things, so as thereby
to take Occasion largely to judge others, while themselves offer not to
bring these good things to practise, they blame others for the Want or
Neglect of: But such an Enterprize from these Men will not (when
weighed) prove a fulfilling of this Matter, seeing it is not enough to
acknowledge many Truths, but also to deny and witness against all Error;
and likewise, not to fall short of any Truth which ought to be
acknowledged: Whereas these sort of Men for the most part cannot give
account of their Faith in many things needful to be believed; and
whatever things they may acknowledge to be true, they err most
grievously, and contradict a Truth most needful to be minded and
answered, as is proved hereto, in that they stand not forth to appear
for any of these Discoveries, they pretend they have; but make a shift
to hide their Heads in Times of Tryal, so as not to suffer for, nor with
any: And through these fine Pretences above mentioned, through their
Scruples of joyning with any, they can cunningly shun the Difficulties
of Persecutions, that attend the particular Sects of Christians;
and yet by their general Charity and Love to all, claim a share in any
Benefits or Advantages that accrew to one and all: Such then cannot
honestly lay claim to justifie their Principles and Practices from the
Scriptures: But I leave these Straglers in Religion, and come again to
the divers Sects.
To begin with these, that are most numerous; I think I need not say much
to the Papists in this Case; for they do not so much as pretend
to prove all their Dogmaes by the Scriptures; sith it is one of
their chief Doctrines, That Tradition may Authorize Doctrines, without
any Authority of Scripture; Yea, the Council of Constance hath
made bold to command things to be believed Non obstante Sciptura,
i:e. Though the Scriptures say the contrary; and indeed it were their
great folly, to pretend to prove their Doctrines by Scripture; seeing
the Adoration of Saints and Images, Purgatory, and Prayer for the
Dead, the Precedency of the Bishop of Rome, the Matter of
Indulgencies, with much more Stuff of that kind, hath not the least
Shadow of Scripture for it.
Among Protestants I know the Socinians are great
Pretenders to the Scriptures, and in Words as much exalt them as any
other People; and yet its strange to see how that not only in many
things they are not agreeable to them; but in some of their chief
Principles quite contrary unto it, as in their Denying the Divinity
of Christ, which is as expressly mentioned as any thing can be;
And the Word was God, John 1. As also in Denying his Being from
the Beginning, against the very Tenour of that of John 1. and
divers others, as at large is shewn in the third Chapter of this
Treatise. Divers other things, as to them, might be mentioned; but this
may suffice, to stop their Boasting in this Matter.
The Arminians are not more successful in their denying the False
Doctrine of Absolute Reprobation, and in Asserting the
Universal Extent of Christ's Death for all, than they are short
in not placing this Salvation in that Spiritual Light, where-with Man is
enlightened by Christ; but wrongously ascribing a part of that to the
Natural Will and Capacity, which is due alone to the Grace and Power of
God, by which the Work is both begun, carried on and accomplished: And
herein they, as well as both the Socinians and Pelagians,
though they do well in Condemning their Errors, yet they miss, in
setting up another, and not the Truth in place thereof, and in that
respect are justly proved by such Scriptures as their Adversaries (who
otherwise are as far wrong as they) bring against them, in shewing the
Depravity of Man's Will by Nature, and his Incapacity to do any Good,
but as assisted by the Grace of God so to do.
On the other hand, Its strange to observe how many Protestants
(the first Article of whose Confession of Faith is, to assert the
Scripture to be the Only Rule) should deny the Universal Extent
of Christ's Death, contrary to the express words of Scripture, which
saith, He tasted Death for every man; or the Universality of
Grace, and a sufficient Principle, which the Scriptures assert in as
many positive Words, as, except we may suppose the Pen-men intended
another thing than they spoke, it was possible to do, viz. A
Manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal; The
Grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared unto all men; and
many more before-mentioned: The like may be said of their denying the
Perfection of the Saints, and asserting the Impossibility of any falling
away from real Beginnings of true and saving Grace, contrary to so many
express Scriptures, as are heretofore adduced in their proper Place. But
to give all that desire to be undeceived, a more full Opportunity to
observe how the Devil has abused many, pretending to be wise, in making
them cloak with a Pretence of Scripture, false and pernicious Doctrines;
I shall take a few of many Instances out of the Confession of
Faith and Catechism, made by the Divines at
Westminster (so called) because the same is not only most
universally received and believed by the People of Britain and
Ireland, but also containeth upon the Matter the Faith of the
French Churches, & of most others, both in the
Nether-Lands, and else-where, that it may appear what wild
Consequences these Men have sought, both contrary to the naked Import of
the words, and to all common Sense and Reason, to cover some of their
Erroneous Principles.