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to fear the Lord, that is not purchased and procured for us, by the oblation and intercession of the Lord Jesus, a godli ness that is not promoted by the consideration of the viciousness, and corruption of our hearts by nature, and their alienation from God, and that doth not in a good part of it consist in the mortifying, killing, slaying, of the sin of nature, that dwelleth in us, and an opposition to all the actings and workings of it. A godliness that is performed by our own strength, in yielding obedience to the precepts of the word, that by that obedience we may be justified before God, and for it accepted, &c. there is not one tittle, letter, nor iota in the whole book of God tending. Mr. B. closeth his preface with a commendation of the Scriptures, their excellency, and divinity, with the eminent success that they shall find who yield obedience to them, in that they shall be even in this life equal unto angels. His expressions at first view seem to separate him from his companions in his body of divinity, which he pretends to collect from the Scriptures, whose low thoughts, bold expressions, concerning the contradictions in them, shall afterward be pointed unto. But I fear

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And in this kiss of the Scripture with hail unto it, there is vile treachery intended, and the betraying of them to the hands of men, to be dealt withal at their pleasure. I desire not to entertain evil surmises of any (what just occasion soever be given on any other account), concerning things that have not their evidence and conviction in themselves. The bleating of that expression, the Scriptures are the exactest rule of a holy life,' evidently allowing other rules of a holy life, though they be the exactest, and admitting other things, or books, into a compartnership with them, in that their use and service, though the pre-eminence be given to them, sounds as much to their dishonour, as any thing spoken of them by any, who ever owned them to have proceeded from God. It is the glory of the Scriptures, not only to be the rule, but the only one of walking with God. If you take any other into comparison with it, and allow them in the trial to be rules indeed, though not so exact as the Scripture, you do no less cast down the Scripture from

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its excellency, than if you denied it to be any rule at all. It will not lie as one of the many, though you say never so often that it is the best. What issues there will be of the endeavour, to give reason the absolute sovereignty in judging of rules of holiness, allowing others, but preferring the Scriptures, and therein without other assistance, determining of all the contents of it, in order to its utmost end, God in due time will manifest. We confess (to close with Mr. B.) that true obedience to the Scriptures, makes men even in this life, equal in some sense unto angels: not upon the account of their performance of that obedience merely, as though there could be an equality between the obedience yielded by us, whilst we are yet sinners, and continue so, (for if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves'), and the exact obedience of them who never sinned, but abide in doing the will of God; but the principal, and main work of God required in them, and which is the root of all other obedience whatever, being to believe on him whom he hath sent,' to as many as so believe on him, and so receive him, 'power is given to become the sons of God;' who being so adopted into the great family of heaven and earth, which is called after God's name, and invested with all the privileges thereof; having fellowship with the Father and the Son, they are in that regard, even in this life, equal to angels. Having thus briefly as I could, washed off the paint, that was put upon the porch of Mr. B.'s fabric, and discovered it to be a composure of rotten posts and dead men's bones, whose pargeting being removed, their abomination lies naked to all; I shall enter the building or heap itself, to consider what entertainment he hath provided therein, for those, whom in the entrance he doth so subtilely and earnestly invite to turn in, and partake of his provisions.

CHAP. I.

Mr. B.'s first chapter examined. Of the Scriptures.

MR. BIDDLE having imposed upon himself the task of insinuating his abominations, by applying the express words of Scripture, in way of answer to his captious and sophistical queries, was much straitened in the very entrance, in that he could not find any text or tittle in them, that is capable of being wrested to give the least colour to those imperfections, which the residue of men, with whom he is in the whole system of his doctrine in compliance and communion, do charge them withal. As that there are contradictions in them, though in things of less importance; that many things are or may be changed and altered in them; that some of the books of the Old Testament are lost, and that those that remain, are not of any necessity to Christians, although they may be read with profit; their subjecting them also, and all their assertions to the last judgment of reason, is of the same nature with the other. But it being not my purpose, to pursue his opinions, through all the secret windings and turnings of them, so to drive them to their proper issue, but only to discover the sophistry and falseness of those insinuations, which grossly and palpably overthrow the foundations of Christianity; I shall not force him to speak to any thing, beyond what he hath expressly delivered himself unto.

This first chapter then, concerning the Scriptures, both in the greater and less catechisms, without farther trouble, I shall pass over; seeing that the stating of the questions and answer in them may be sound, and according to the common faith of the saints, in those who partake not with Mr. B.'s companions, in their low thoughts of them, which here he doth not profess. Only I dare not join with him in his last assertion, that such and such passages are the most affectionate in the book of God; seeing we know but in part, and are not enabled, nor warranted, to make such peremp

a Socin. de Authorit. Sa. Scrip. cap. 1. Racov. An. 1611. p. 13. Socin. Lect. Sacr. p. 18. Episcop. disput. de Author. Script. thes. 3. Volkel, de vera Relig. lib. v. cap. v. p. 375. Socinus autem videtur rectius de SS. opinari, Epist. ad Radec. 3. p. 140. Ego quidem sentio, nihil in Scriptis, quæ communiter ab iis, qui Christiani sunt dicti, recepta, et pro divinis habita sunt, constanter legi, quod non sit verissimum : hocque ad divinam providentiam pertinere prorsus arbitror, ut ejusmodi scripta, nunquam depraventur aut corrumpantur, neque ex toto, neque ex parte.

tory determinations, concerning the several passages of Scripture set in comparison and competition for affectionateness by ourselves.

CHAP. II.

Of the nature of God.

His second chapter, which is concerning God, his essence, nature, and properties, is second to none in his whole book, for blasphemies and reproaches of God and his word.

The description of God, which he labours to insinuate, is, that he is one person, of a visible shape and similitude, finite, limited to a certain place, mutable, comprehensible, and obnoxious to turbulent passions, not knowing the things. that are future, and which shall be done by the sons of men, whom none can love with all his heart, if he believe him to be one in three distinct persons.

That this is punctually the apprehension, and notion concerning God and his being, which he labours to beget, by his suiting Scripture expressions to the blasphemous insinuations of his questions, will appear in the consideration of both questions and answers, as they lie in the second chapter of the greater catechism.

His first question is, 'How many Gods of Christians are there?' And his answer is, 'One God;' Eph. iv. 6. Whereunto he subjoins, secondly, 'Who is this one God?' And answers, "The Father of whom are all things;' 1 Cor. viii. 6.

That the intendment of the connexion of these queries, and the suiting of words of Scripture to them, is to insinuate some thoughts against the doctrine of the Trinity, is not questionable; especially being the work of him, that makes it his business to oppose it, and laugh it to scorn. With what success this attempt is managed, a little consideration of what is offered will evince. It is true, Paul says to us, 'there is one God:' treating of the vanity and nothingness of the idols of the heathen, whom God hath threatened to deprive of all worship, and to starve out of the world. The question as here proposed, 'How many Gods of Christians are there,' having no such occasion administered unto it as that expression of Paul, being no parcel of such a dis

course as he insists upon, sounds pleasantly towards the allowance of many gods, though Christians have but one. Neither is Mr. B. so averse to polytheism, as not to give occasion (on other accounts) to this supposal. Jesus Christ he allows to be a God. All his companions, in the undertaking against his truly eternal divine nature, still affirm him to bebHomo Deificatus,' and 'Deus Factus,' and plead 'pro vera Deitate Jesu Christi,' denying yet with him that by nature he is God, of the same essence with the Father: so indeed grossly and palpably falling into, and closing with that abomination, which they pretend above all men to avoid, in their opposition to the thrice holy and blessed Trinity. Of those monstrous figments in Christian religion which on this occasion they have introduced, of making a man to be an eternal God, of worshipping a mere creature, with the worship due only to the infinitely blessed God, we shall speak afterward.

2. We confess that to us there is one God, but one God, and let all other be accursed. The gods that have not made heaven and the earth, let them be destroyed, according to the word of the Lord from under these heavens. Yet we

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say, moreover, that there ared three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, Word, and Spirit, and these three are one.' And in that very place, whence Mr. B. cuts off his first answer, as it is asserted, that there is one God; so one Lord, and one Spirit, the fountain of all spiritual distributions are mentioned, which, whether they are not also that one God, we shall have farther occasion to consider.

To the next query, concerning this one God, who he is, the words are, the Father from whom are all things;' in themselves most true. The Father is the one God, whom we worship in spirit, and in truth; and yet the Son also is our Lord, and our God;' John xx. 28. even God over all blessed for ever;' Rom. ix. 5. The Spirit also is the God 'which works all in all;' 1 Cor. xii. 6. 11. And in the name of that one God, who is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

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b Smalcius de divinit. Jes. Christ. edit. Racov. An. 1608. per Jacob. Sienienskia. Volkel. de vera Relig. lib. v. cap. 10. p. 425. 468. et antea. p. 206. Catech. Rac. cap. 1. de cognit. Christ. quæst. 3. confession de foi, des Chrestiens, qui croyent en un seul Dieu le Pere, &c. p. 18, 19. Jonas Schlichtingius, ad Meisner. Artic. de Filio Dei p. 387. Socin. Res. ad Wickum p. 8. et passim reliqui.

• Jer. x. 11.

1 John v. 7.

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