A Confutation of the Heresies and Errors of Thomas Collier, To the reader 2 – Errata
TO THE READER.
Courteous Reader,
AMongſt all thoſe vanities which are under the Sun, this is none of the least; That ſome men puft up with a conceit of their ſufficiency for every undertaking, do daily burthen the world with their raw and indigeſted notions; and whilſt they contemn that guidance they might have in the way of truth, from the labours of others who have been raiſed up and enabled of God to tranſmit to poſterity the Doctrine of the Goſpel in a form of ſound words, do darken counſel by words without knowledge: But alas! Our ſorrow on this account may be drowned in Tears for a greater evil, if we reflect on the more bold and dangerous attempts of ſome, who are not ſatisfied to have darkened the ſhining luſtre of divine truth, unleſs they do alſo ſubvert the foundations of the Chriſtian Religion, by a downright oppoſition to ſome of the moſt important Doctrines thereof. And one ſad inſtance of this kind we have in a Book not long ſince publiſhed by Thomas Collier, which he calls An Additional Word, &c. which hath occaſioned my writing this ſmall Treatiſe in anſwer thereto; For although the argument of the Book may not ſeem to require his pains; inaſmuch as there is nothing urged by him to give countenance to his corrupt notions, but it hath either been anſwered many times already by thoſe that have written againſt the Pelagians, Jeſuites, and Socinians, in whoſe ſteps Mr. Collier very frequently treads; or elſe (where he doth tranſcend the Hereſies of thoſe mentioned) its weakneſs and impiety is more manifeſt then to need any refutation by another; yet on many accounts, ſome Anſwer to him was judged neceſsary, not only by my ſelf, but by divers others, whoſe Judgement in this matter I eſteemed much more then my own; That ſo (at leaſt) a Publick teſtimony might be born againſt thoſe groſs Errors therein, by him expos'd to publick view; and by the detection of them, the intanglement and ſeduction of weak (though well-meaning) Souls might be prevented, who otherwiſe were in danger to be drawn away by him, to drink in thoſe notions that will eat as doth a Canker; and alſo that perſons irreligious and ungodly, who are ready to catch at any thing, even againſt the Judgement of their own Conſciences, that may give them quiet in their ſinful ways, might not reſt in peace on thoſe Pillows he hath prepared for them; by his endeavour to perſwade them, That there is no ſuch Eternal wrath and Judgement like to overtake them, as that which they have been warned to flee from by thoſe that know the terrour of the Lord.
Theſe with ſome other things of like import, prevailed with me to account it neceſſary, That thoſe precious truths oppoſed by him, ſhould be vindicated from his cavils and reproaches: though for my ſelf, I can truly ſay, I had much rather for many reaſons, ſome other of my Brethren had undertaken this work; and I have many witneſſes this task was impoſed on, not ſought by me; for I have no ſuch eſteem of my ability, as to deſire to trouble the world in Print; and therefore I beg a candid interpretation of my appearing in publick on this occaſion.
In my anſwer I have been forced very briefly to touch upon many of Mr. Colliers notions, being deſirous to bring it into as little room as might be, leſt by its length it ſhould be rendred the leſs ſerviceable to many of thoſe for whoſe good it was chiefly intended; and therefore have paſſed over many things more remote from the main controverſie, in ſilence, which otherwiſe might have deſerved ſome remark: Amongſt which you may reckon that which ſo often occurs in his Book, viz. This and that is true in a Goſpel ſenſe, or ſome Scripture ſenſe; which ſenſe he yet gives us no account of, but what we muſt gather from his accommodation of that which he ſaith is true in a Goſpel ſenſe, to his own abſurd Opinions, which may ſerve to amuſe and deceive his ignorant and unwary Reader.
This I am abundantly ſatisfied in, That what I have aſſerted againſt Mr. Collier is plainly confirmed in the Scripture of truth, and agreeable to that Doctrine which the Church of God hath always been poſſeſſed of; and are no new notions of my own coyning; and therefore I hope by the Grace of Chriſt to be enabled farther to clear and ſtrengthen what I have written, if occaſion be really offered by Mr. Collier his making ſuch a reply as hath any colour of reaſon urged againſt it; otherwiſe I ſhall not concern my ſelf with a noiſe of vain words, but reſt ſatisfyed in that I have once for all born my witneſs againſt him, and detected his Errors.
I earneſtly deſire that God would give him Repentance unto the acknowledgement of the truth, that by his own recantation of what he hath publiſhed ſo contrary thereto, and offenſive to true Chriſtians, this conteſt may have an end put to it; And foraſmuch as I underſtand Mr. Collier pretends ſome reſpect to the Labours of Dr. Uſher; I could heartily wiſh he would ſeriouſly read over his Body of Divinity, and his Treatiſe of the Incarnation of the Son of God, called Immanuel, printed at the end thereof; that if he will not attend to what I have written, yet he may by that holy man be better informed about the principles of Chriſtianity. And that he may for the future eſcape that abſurdity and confuſion he hath caſt himſelf into in his firſt Ch. concerning the Perſon of Chriſt, I deſire he would compare this obſervation of the Dr. with what I have written on the ſame head, to the ſame purpoſe;
By reaſon of the ſtrictneſs of the perſonal Union, whatſoever may be verified of either of thoſe natures (the Divine or Humane) the ſame may be truly ſpoken of the whole Perſon, from whetherſoever of the natures it be denominated. And let him take in the other parts of that diſcourſe with it, wherein he ſolidly proves that the Son of God took the nature of man (not an humane perſon) into a perſonal Ʋnion with himſelf, and ſo was manifeſt in fleſh, and wrought out our Redemption; as alſo his pithy and pious diſcourſe of this ſubject in his Body of Divinity, p. 164, 165. &c. and it may prove of ſingular uſe to guide him out of that labyrinth of Errour he is at preſent loſt in, if more groſs tenets do not lye in the bottom of his diſcourſes, then he is yet willing to ſpeak out plainly before the world; which I would not ſuggeſt my ſuſpicion of, did I not diſcern ground for it in what he hath already written, eſpecially if compared with the Hereſies formerly eſpouſed by him; but being willing to wait for his more plain and ingenuous opening of his own ſenſe; I have for the preſent paſſed over many things, eſpecially in his firſt Ch. that are of an harſh ſound in Chriſtian ears, though clouded in ambiguous terms; expecting that his Rejoynder will either give me occaſion to put a better ſenſe upon thoſe phraſes, then the words at preſent ſeem well to bear, or elſe engage me to a farther detection of his abomination couched in them.
With the latter part of Mr. Colliers Book, which he intitles, An healing word, I have not concerned my ſelf, though divers things therein are lyable to juſt exception; but I must tell him, There can be no Goſpel Peace without truth, nor Communion of Saints, without an agreement in fundamental principles of the Christian Religion. We must contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints; and mark thoſe that cauſe diviſions among us by their new Doctrines contrary thereto, and avoid them; And lest any ſhould be deceived by Mr. Colliers good words and fair ſpeeches, I cannot but take notice that his General Epiſtles were uſhered into the world, with the ſame pretext of making peace, and diſcharge of his Conſcience, and with as great ſhew of zeal for God, and other as plauſible pretences, as any he now maketh or can make; And yet one ſhall hardly find more contradictory and blaſphemous notions, in the writings of any called, or pretending to be Christians, then in them: For, beſides his contempt of the holy Scriptures and all Ordinances; there he tells us; To have Communion and Fellowſhip with the Father, is to be one in Common with God; to have fellowſhip, is to be Gods fellow; ſo is Chriſt, ſo are Saints, p. 243. Chriſt is no more then a Chriſtian, p. 244. with other like blaſphemies, which I abhor the recital of. Theſe things indeed (as I am informed) he ſaith he hath repented of; but never yet thought himſelf obliged to publiſh to the world an ingenuous recantation of them; that ſo thoſe concerned might have from himſelf a plain and particular warning to take heed of that poiſon which hath flowed from his own pen: however, it may be a good warning to us not to heed the ſmooth, or ſwelling words of a man carried about with every wind of Doctrine.
I have but a word or two more, and that is, to acquaint thee that I have been troubled for the delays that this little work hath met with, both before and ſince it went to the Preſs, which yet I could not help; I have taken what care I could that Errata's in Printing it might be prevented, and deſire that thoſe foreign, which do occur, may be pardoned, and amended in reading (I hope they are not many, nor very material) And that thou maiſt the ſooner have a taste of the Book I anſwer, I have in the following page given thee a ſpecimen of Mr. Colliers ſtrange Heterodoxies collected out of his Book (for the moſt part) in his own terms; which, with very many more contained therein, are detected and refuted in this. And give me leave to expreſs my deſires in the words of that holy man of old, concerning what I have written; Domine Deus unus, Deus Trinitas; quaecun que dixi in his libris de tuo, agnoſcant & tui; ſi qua de meo, & tu ignoſce & tui; Amen! Auguſt.
Let God alone have the glory of any thing ſerviceable to the intereſt of his truth in this Treatiſe; and interpret well my poor Eſſay towards the clearing thereof: much weakneſs therein I am ſenſible of; and know right well that one of deeper Judgement, and greater abilities, endued with a more plentiful anointing of the good ſpirit, would have ſaid much more in leſs room then I have done: But ſeeing no other was engaged in this ſervice, my mite is humbly offered; and that my weakneſs may be pardoned, and my poor endeavours ſucceeded to ſome advantage (if it be but of the weakeſt) of Chriſts ſheep, and the reflecting of ſome glory to his holy Name, is the earneſt prayer of,
The unworthieſt of his Servants, N. C.
Amongſt the many groſs Errours publiſhed by Mr. Collier in his Additional Word, and refuted in this Treatiſe, are theſe following:
1. THat Chriſt is the Son of God only as conſidered in both natures. Addit. Word, Ch. 1. p. 2.
2. As he was the Prince of Life, the Lord of Glory, was he killed and crucified; and that was not in the humane nature only, ch. 1. p. 4.
3. As God-man he was a Creature, ch. 1. p. 9.
4. This Creature God-man made all things, ch. 1. p. 10.
5. The word God-man was made fleſh, ch. 1. p. 11.
6. There are Increated Heavens; for the Eternal God muſt have ſome Eternal habitation, ch. 1. p. 12.
7. Chriſt died for the Univerſe, the Heavens and Earth, and all things therein, ch. 2. p. 13.
8. The Goſpel ought to be preached to the whole Creation, even to that part of it, that is not capable of hearing or underſtanding it, ch. 2. p. 16.
9. The Fooliſh Virgins ſhall obtain ſome great priviledge in the day of Chriſt, ch. 3. p. 23.
10. Thoſe that never heard the Goſpel cannot be under the Judgement of Damnation, ch. 4. p. 26.
11. The ſinful defilement of our nature, is not the ſin, but the affliction of man, ch. 4. p. 27.
12. Its poſſible for men (in reſpect of power) to believe the Goſpel, if God do not work at all upon them by his ſpirit, ch. 5. p. 31, 32.
13. Regenerate Perſons, or True Believers, may finally fall away from God and Periſh, ch. 5. p. 36, &c.
14. None ſhall be Eternally damned but thoſe that ſin againſt the holy Spirit, ch. 7. p. 47.
15. The Goſpel hath been preached to men after they were dead, ch. 7, p. 48.
16. Men may repent ſo as to obtain deliverance from their torment, after death, and the laſt Judgement, ch. 7. p. c. 8.
17. Sluggiſh Chriſtians and Formaliſts may find ſome mercy in the day of Judgement, p. 51.
18. Perhaps the torment of ſome ſinners may not exceed a 100 years, p. 52.
19. The Sodomites have already received their Judgement, and are ſtill ſuffering thereof, and the day of the general Judgement is like to be their day of eaſe, p. 53.
20. The infinite Sacrifice of Chriſt remains the ſame▪ to have its influence for the obtaining of Grace after the Judgement as before, p. 54.