A Cure for the Cankering Error of the New Eutychians, Title page – Author to the reader
A Cure for the Cankering Error OF THE New Eutychians: Who (concerning the Truth) have erred; SAYING, That our bleſſed Mediator did not take his Fleſh of the Virgin Mary, neither was he made of the Seed of David according to the Fleſh; and thereby have overthrown the Faith of ſome.
By Thomas Monck.
Joh. 17.3.
This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jeſus Chriſt whom thou haſt ſent.
2 Pet. 3.17.
Beware, leſt ye alſo being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own ſtedfaſtneſs, &c.
London, Printed for the Author, Anno 1673.
The Author to the Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
THE matters contended for in this Treatiſe, are on all hands confeſſed to be very weighty, and neceſſary to our Salvation, which in ſhort are theſe, viz. The true knowledge of God, and his Son Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, which to know is life Eternal. Now theſe new Eutychians, which here in this Treatiſe I oppoſe, ſay, That the Divine Nature of Chriſt which was in the beginning with God, and was God, Joh. 1.1, 2. compared with the 14 verſe, was made fleſh, viz. by turning his Divine Nature or Godhead into fleſh, even at the Water was turned into Wine at Cana, Joh. 2.9. which ceaſed. to be Water and became Wine; ſo the Eternal Word, viz. God the Creator of Heaven and Earth, ceaſed from being a Creator, to become a Creature, viz. Man, and died for our ſins, as theſe men ſay, as you may ſee in this inſuing Diſcourſe. Nov this Opinion I call Erronious and Heretical, and indeavour to prove it ſo, as alſo impoſſible; ſith God is Immortal, and Immutable, yea, Perfection it ſelf, and therefore cannot die, nor yet be changed, as I have proved in this Treatiſe.
Secondly, They ſay in plain words, That our bleſſed Mediator did not take his fleſh of the Virgin Mary, nor of David; and ſo by Conſequence he was not the true Son of David: and if ſo, how can we be ſaved? ſith all the Promiſes are Yea and Amen, in him that was the true Son of David, as the Reader may ſee in the inſuing Diſcourſe, which is a conſequence of the former Opinion. Now albeit ſome of them that be more ſubtile, begin to bogle and will not ſpeak plainly to this queſtion, What the Word was before it was fleſh? but ſay they cannot tell.
We ſay, he was either a Creator, or a Creature, ſith we know no other thing that could die for us: and (as was ſaid before) God the Creator of all things could not die, as we believe: Therefore if they deny him to be a Creator, then we think they muſt be Arrians or Socinians, which two Opinions, they ſay, they abhor as falſe and erroneous; but the other part of them ſay ſtill, as they all uſe to ſay heretofore, That he was of the uncreated ſubſtance of his Father, their Eſſence being one: but yet they all agree in this, That he that was the Eternal Word did, not take his Fleſh of the bleſſed Virgin Mary, as we ſay he did.
Now I can aſſure thee, Chriſtian Reader, I have had no mind to Diſpute, much leſs to Write about theſe great Myſteries; which I humbly believe and adore: but the Oppoſition that theſe men of late have made againſt the Truth, & the great danger that I know ſome poor Souls have been & yet are in concerning theſe things about God & Chriſt; as alſo the exhortation of the Apoſtle Jude, which bids us earneſtly contend for that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints, hath ingaged me in this great Work; which I confeſs I am not ſufficient for, but hope by this to open a door to ſome abler Pen to inlarge upon, and further explain theſe great Myſteries, that ſo the little children that John bids keep themſelves from Idols, may know them better than yet I doubt they do.
Now the principal things I treat of in this Book, are theſe Four: Firſt, Of the Eſſence of God. Secondly, Of the Holy Trinity. Thirdly, About the Perſon of Chriſt. Fourthly, Of the union of Natures in that one ſacred Perſon: As you may ſee, if the Lord open your eyes, as he did the two Diſciples that were a going to Emmaus, and that he may ſo do, is and ſhall be the Prayer of the Author of this Book to God for thee.
And becauſe I would be an inſtrument in the hand of God to keep thee from Hereſie, or pluck thee out if thou art in it, I have thought good to open to thee in ſome meaſure the nature of that d…nable ſin of Hereſie, from the words of the Apoſtle Peter, which I will uſe as a Preface to this Book; to the which I refer thee, as alſo to the Book it ſelf, for thy ſatisfaction: and ſhall pray that God would be pleaſed to make it effectual for the end intended; which is Gods Glory, and the Salvation of poor Souls, and remain,
Thine To ſerve in what I may for the Truths ſake, T. M. October 19. 1672