Innocency Though Under a Cloud Cleared, Letter 1
Dear Brother, for your ſoul-refreſhing Letters I thank you; The Lord encreaſe your Priſon mercies, and bear you up under all your tryals, which I know are very great; but God can, and I hope doth, make them very eaſie. Now dear Brother, if it might not be too much trouble to you, I could heartily wiſh that you would, either in your Book that you are writing, or in ſome other Papers, leave your thoughts to theſe few. Queſtions following, by which you will engage him that is yours in the beſt bonds of Love.
Queſt. 1. The firſt Queſtion relates to the great difference between the Roman Catholicks and Us, and that is to beg your chief grounds from Scripture, to prove, That after the Conſecration by the Prieſt, it remains ſtill bread, and is not become really, but repreſentatively, the fleſh and blood of Chriſt.
Queſt. 2. What is your chiefeſt and moſt ſatiſfying ground, to prove, and that from the Old Teſtament, That Chriſt the Meſſias is come, in anſwer to the Jews profeſſion?
Queſt. 3. Seeing that in the Scripture, the Goſpel is ſo diverſly expreſſed, as ſometimes it is called Gods Gospel, and Chriſts Gospel, and the Apostles Goſpel; and ſometimes the Word is called, the Goſpel, and ſometimes God's Power is ſo called: So the Queſtion is, What is truly and really the Goſpel?
Your brief and exact Anſwer to theſe will refreſh the heart, not only of me, but of many more of your Friends. Farewel.
My hearty endeared Friend, I ſhall do what I can to give you a brief Anſwer to theſe Queſtions: Though I have not much freedom to meddle with that, yet I ſhall briefly ſet down my Grounds and Reaſons from. Scripture, which hath fully ſatisfied me, and I hope it may ſatiſfie you and others.
Queſt. 1. In anſwer to the firſt Queſtion, as to the buſineſs of Tranſubſtantiation; 'tis clear, that after the Conſecration by the Prieſt it's ſtill bread; And you will ſee it, if you mind what is the Ground of the Roman Catholicks judging it otherwiſe: The miſtake is from this word, Mat. 26.26, &c. This is my Body. Now ſay they, Chriſt ſaid ſo, and he cannot lie.
In anſwer to that we ſay ſo too. But you muſt mind how that word [this is] is in Scripture taken: it's taken two wayes,
1. It's taken Really, as in John 20.31. This Jeſus is the Chriſt, that is, Chriſt is really Jeſus.
2. It is taken Repreſentatively, repreſenting a thing, and is not really the thing, though the word, this is, be there uſed; as in Rev. 1.20. The ſeven Stars are the Angels of the ſeven Churches, and the ſeven Candleſticks are the ſeven Churches. Now none will ſay, becauſe the Spirit cannot lie, that the Churches be Candleſticks, &c. But ſee yet more clearly, in 1 Cor. 10.4. And they did all drink of that Spiritual Rock; and that (or this) Rock was Christ. Now none will be ſo fooliſh as to affirm, that Chriſt was a Rock of Stone. So here, This is my Body, that is, it doth really repreſent my Body. Now they have no way to anſwer, but will object and ſay, O but this is a Miracle that Christ then did work, and ſtill doth, by turning the real bread into real fleſh.
Anſw. God and Chriſt never did work a Miracle in all the Scripture, that you or any can prove, but in the working of the Miricle it was ſo wrought, that it did convince the outward ſences of all that ſaw it, or believed it: Did he turn Water into Blood? The ſence of Seeing was convinced, by ſeeing the colour changed. Did he turn Water into Wine? The ſence of Taſting was ſatisfied, and convinced by the taſt, as you may there ſee. And ſo, never was any Miracle wrought but the outward ſences were and muſt be ſatisfied and convinced. Look over all the Scripture and it was and muſt be ſo: but in this it is not; for as before, ſo after the Conſecration, the eye did ſee it Bread and doth ſo ſtill; and the Taſte did taſte it Bread, and ſo it doth ſtill. They, and all the wit of man cannot anſwer this.
Queſt. 2. In anſwer to the ſecond Queſtion, how to prove Chriſt to be come in anſwer to the Jews Objection. Much may be ſaid both from Scripture and Reaſon, too large for me to aſſert; therefore I ſhall onelyonly mention one ground from the 9th of Daniel, beginning at the 24 ver. to the end of the chap. It being that which I never could ſee either here or beyond Sea by any Jew anſwered. There the Angel tels Daniel the ſet time of Chriſt's coming and dying, and tells him, It's ſeventy weeks from the day that the Command went out to rebuild the Temple. Now that day Daniel knew, and from that very day to Chriſt, or the Meſſias death, as it is there expreſſed, is to be ſeventy weeks; ſeven weeks, and ſixty two weeks, and the week in which he dyed; ſixty two, and ſeven, and one week, make ſeventy weeks. Now firſt enquire of the Jews, If they do not own Daniel a true Prophet? they will ſay, yea, they do: Then enquire, if that Prince or Meſſias ſpoken of in Dan. 9.25, 26, 27. be not the Meſſias they look for? they muſt and will ſay, it is: Then enquire, If they have in all their Records any other accompts of weeks, than two, that is, a week of dayes, and a week of years? they muſt and will ſay, they have not: Then reaſon what King reigned, and what time of his Reign it was when the Command came forth to rebuild the Temple, which is openly by them and us known? Now till Chriſt's Death from that time, muſt be but ſeventy weeks; and if they ſhould ſay, ſeventy weeks of dayes, then Chriſt had come before the Temple had been built; but it muſt be ſeventy weeks of years, accounting ſeven years for a week, that is, ſeventy times ſeven years, which is, four hundred and ninety years; and juſt ſo long, and no longer it was, from the Command to build the Temple, to Chriſt's Death, and he dyed in the middle of the laſt week, that is, in the middle of the laſt year. This no Jews can truly anſwer, and it being ſo unanſwerable as to them, and ſo full of clear ſatisfaction, as to any doubting Chriſtian; I ſhall ſay no more in anſwer to this Queſtion, but beg of God it may ſatisfie you as it hath done me.
Queſt. 3. Now in anſwer to the third and laſt Queſtion, conſider theſe Particulars as to the Goſpel.
1ſt. Conſider whoſe it's called; God's; Mark 1.14. 2 Cor. 11.7. 1 Theſſ. 2.2, 8, 9. 1 Tim. 1.11.
2ly. Chriſts; Mark 1.1. Rom. 15.19, 29. 1 Cor. 9.12, 18. 2 Cor. 4.4. 2 Theſſ. 1.8.
3dly. The Apoſtles, Rom. 2.16. chap. 16.25. 2 Tim. 2.8. 2 Cor. 4.3.
Secondly, What is relatively called Goſpel.
1. God's Power, Rom. 2.16. that is to ſay, his Grace, or that wherein his Power is made manifeſt or implied.
2. The Word of God is called Goſpel, Act. 8.…5. Heb. 4.2.
3. The Doctrine of Grace or Juſtification is ſo called, apply Gal. 1.6, 8, 9. with chap. 2.14. and 3.1, 2, 8.
4. Preaching Doctrine whether true or falſe, … it relates to, or pretends Juſtification, is called Goſpel, Gal. 1.6, 8, 9. apply chap. 2.14. chap. 3.1, 2, 8.
5. Preaching, and other Miniſtrations or imployments, for Chriſt or his Church, is relatively called ſo, ſee Phil. 2.22. chap. 4.3. 1 Theſſ. 3▪ 2.
Queſt. What is really the Goſpel?
Anſw. It is the Deliverance or Salvation of poor ſouls through the Free-Grace of God by the …eath and Reſurrection of his Son Jeſus: The …ath of which will appear by Act. 15.7. apply chap. 10.30, to v. 44. and chap. 11.1. chap. …. 24. Epheſ. 1.13. chap. 3.6. apply Epheſ. 6.19, 20. with 1 Cor. 5.20. 2 Tim. 1.10. ſee 1 Pet. 1.11, 12, 18, 19, 20. by applying Tit. 2.20.11, 12. with Col. 1.5, 6. ſee Col. 1.23, 24, to ver. 28. you will ſee this Truth by applying God's Promiſes, Iſa. 61.1, 12. with Luke 4.18, 19.
So much in anſwer to the Queſton, What the Goſpel is: Search the Scriptures and you will ſee it plain. So I ſhall ſay no more to that, but beg of God we may believe, and walk worthy of it, Amen, Amen.