Survey of the Survey of that Sum of Church Discipline by Hooker, Book 1 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
Of the principal and prime subject of all the Priviledges of special note bestowed in the Mediator Christ upon the Church.
Mr. H. p. 1. cap. 3. pag. 23.
1. WHether the invisible Church be the principal, prime; and onelyonly subject of the Seals of the Covenant, pa. 3.
Ans. It is not such a subject by any argument that Mr. R. brings: But Mr. H. frameth a question of straw, as if I had moved it, and disputes against Mr. R.
My words are: The invisible, not the visible Church, is the Due Right of Presbyt. par. 1. pag. 244, 248.principal, prime, and onelyonly subject with whom the Covenant of Grace is made, to whom all the Promises do belong, and to whom all titles, styles, properties and priviledges of special note in the Mediator de belong, p. 248. The Promises are preached to the whole visible Church, but for the Elects sake; yet they belong, in Gods intention and gracious purpose, onelyonly to the Elect of God, and his redeemed ones, to that invisible Body, Spouse, Sister, whereof Christ alone is Lord, He…d, Husband. I wonder then, if Mr. H. did reade my book, when he will dispute such a Question with me.
1. Whether the invisible Church, and the El…ct, be the prime subject of the Seals? A question that hath no sense, nor any favour The question whether the elect and invisible Church be the prime subject of the Seals, sens…ss; and the affirmative never imagined by Mr. R. The only visible & first external subject of the …xternal seals, is the visible Church.from Mr. R. For can the Elect, of which, some are not born, eat and drink at the Lords Supper, or be washed with water? 2. The Lord hath ordained the Seals in an orderly way, and in an Ecclesiastick and Church right to the visible Church, as to the fi…st, prime, and onelyonly subject external, visible, in foro Ecclesiae, and according to the command of God to Pastors, they are to be dispensed to all Members of the visible Church, to Magus as to Peter, whether the dispensers or Church repute them real Converts, or not. 3. Here the Seals, Ministers, Word, Promises, are considered onelyonly in the sign, letter, external administration by the dispensers, who see not the heart. Now Mr. H. proceedeth against me, Arg. 1. pag. 41. to prove that, to wit, That bare and naked Seals, as Circumcision, are bestowed upon graceless men, Ishmael and Esau: which is to set up an adversary of hay; for I am not the man who either dreamed or wrote, that the invisible Church is the principal, prime, and onelyonly subject of the naked Signs bestowed upon Ishmael and Magus: This will be found the minde of Mr. Hock…r; for I spake expresly of the priviledges of special note in the Mediator, pag. 144. But the bare and empty Seals, the Promises as in the The external seals and promises preached &c. are not priviledges of special note given in the Mediator Christ.letter preached, and as precisely considered and separated from the grace promised and signed, are not priviledges of special note given in the Mediator, for they are priviledges bestowed upon Cain and Magus, as upon real believers, Peter and Iohn, the very same way. 4. But the Lord hath ordained Promises, Sealt, and the like, including the inward grace, Christ, Righteousness, Pardon, Perseverance, Eternal life, in his gracious purpose, as I say, pag. 244. to the invisible and effectually called Church, as to the principal, prime, native, internal subject, a right not onelyonly Ecclesiastick in foro Ecclesiae, which they have also, professing the sound faith, but also with a real and internal right in foro Dei, Upon these Arguments, never touched nor answered by Mr. Hooker.
1. These are the first and proper subject of all Promises. Properties, Priviledges, Seals of special note in the Mediator That the invisible & really believing Church is the prime, proper and principal and onelyonly subject of all the Priviledges of special note in the Mediator Christ, is proved by 5 arguments, never answered by Mr. H.(taking the Priviledges and Sea's as they include Christ, and the graces promised and sealed) to whom the Covenant, and special promises of a new heart, the Law engraven, perseverance are onelyonly promised, and to none other, But these, A new heart, Perseverance, &c. are onelyonly promised to Elect Believers, Ierem. 31. 33, 35. & 32. 39, 43. Ezek. 11. 19, 20. & 36. 25, 26, 27. Isa. 59. 19, 20, 21. Deut. 30. 6. Heb. 8. 8, 9, 10, &c. If these be promised to Cain, Magus, then either absolutely, and so all shall have a new heart, contrary to Scripture and Experience; if conditionally, shew the condition to be performed by the Elect, which being done, they shall be therewith gifted: Such a condition is not in the Word; for the condition should be either of Nature, or Common Grace, and both must be Pelagianism: for if of Grace, the question must recurte, What shall be the condition again?
2. These for whom, and for whose salvation God intends the sweet Marrow of the Ministery, and other Ordinance…, the meeting in the Unity of faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, Ephes. 4. 11, 12, 13. to whom they all belong, 1 Cor. 3. 21. and for whose sake all are, 2 Cor. 4. 15. and for whose salvation onelyonly Christ came and died, Matth. 20. 28. Luke 19, 10. 1 Tim. 1. 15. 1 Pet. 3. 18. Ioh. 15. 13. must be the prime and onelyonly subject of all these priviledges in their marrow and substance.
3. These to whom Christ is given onelyonly, and with him all other things, must be the prime and onelyonly subject, to whom all priviledges of special note in the Mediator are given; or then the visible Church, or some other than the Elect and ransomed of the Lord, must be the principal and onelyonly subject: But he hath given us Christ, and with him all other things, Rom. 8. 32. And Mr. H. cannot say, that to that visible body, as visible, in which Magus, Cain, are joynt Members, having as good Ecclesiastical right as the Apostle Peter, by Mr. H. way, are given all things, Christ, saving grace out of his fulness, &c. as to the first and prime subject.
4. Christ is Head by the influence of saving grace, King, Husband, Saviour, Ransomer, Surety, High-Priest of the really believing Church: If he give any priviledges, then who shall be the first, prime and onelyonly subject of graces flowing from him, but his Liege-people, Spouse, Ransomed ones?
5. The Elect justified, are onelyonly the Sons of the Promises, Rom. 9. 8, 9. and are internally, and not externally onelyonly, as Magus, in Covenant with God, and internally called.
Mr. H. The Catholick Church invisible is not the prime and onelyonly subject of the Seals, as the meaning of foreign is to Mr. R. though the exposition of the Rule be neither safe nor sound, quod convenit foreign, convenit foreign.
Ans. Taking the Seals for bare and naked signs bestowed upon Magus, which is Mr. H. minde, he disputes against himself, not against me.
2. The axiome, what agreeth essentially, and per se, in secundo modo per se, (as aptitude to discourse, or also to laugh, agreeth to man) does both agree universally to all men, and reciprocally; for every man is apt to laugh, and every thing apt to laugh is a man: So the invisible Church is that Company to whom all saving priviledges belong, Effectual Calling, Redemption, Justification, the promises of a new heart, of Perseverance, the Seals including Covenant-grace; and reciprocally the same Company to whom all these priviledges belong, is the invisible, mystical, Living Church, and not the Company visible of which Magus is a Member. Is this axiome neither safe not sound? Mr. H. should shew wherein it is The Rule quod (what agreeth to any) convenit, as such, agrees to it universally & reciprocally, is a safe Rule in Logick.faulty, and not pass with disdain the Rule as neither safe nor sound. It is defended as a truth of Aristotle by Christian Philosophers. What agreeth in any thing foreign and foreign, (which Aristotle saith are the same in secundo modo per se) agreeth to all, and to every one, and to such onelyonly. So the first modus per se is when the Praedicate belongs to the Essence of the subject; so Aristotle taught me long ago. Aristot. poster. A…t. l. 1. c. 4. foreign. Aristot. ibid. foreign, per se autem (in secundo modo) & quâ tale idem sunt. Aristot. Analyt. 1. cap. 4. foreign. Ant. Ruvio, Colleg. Conimbr. Murcia de L…llana poster. Analyt. l. 1. c. 4. Primus modus per se est quando praedicatum pertinet ad essentiam subjecti, quia vel est definitio ejus, vel pars definitionis, unde istae propositiones sunt in primo modo per se, homo est animal, homo est rationalis. Ruvio. Colleg. Conimbr. Toletus, Masius. Secundus modus per se, est quando subjectum pertinet ad definitionem praedicati, ut homo est admirativus, homo est ri sibilis. Ibid. in textu. Convenire …utem praedicatum subjecto secundum quod ipsum idem est, …c convenire illi in quantum tale; hoc est, non secundum rationem commu…m sed propriam, & hoc est, reciprocè.So Collegium Conimb…icense, Ant: Ruvio, Murcia de Lallana, Smyglezius, Toletus, and many; yea, all who Comment upon Aristotle. And the secundo modo per se, is when the subject belongs to the definition of the Attribute; as a man is apt to laugh, to weep, to admire, and reciprocally; yea, and what agrees to any, according to its specifick nature, and last essential difference, agrees reciprocally: and to this old Logick I stand, it is not new.
Mr. H. pa. 37.
Mr. R. proveth, That the visible Church, as such, hath not right to the Seals, but the invisible. These onelyonly who are within the Covenant have right to the Seals; so Peter proves Infant-baptism, Acts 2. 38. but onelyonly the invisible Church hath right to the Covenant.
Ans. Peter, Acts 2. speaks of persons externally within the Covenant, who by profession engage themselves to walk in the ways of God, though they have not, for the present, the sound work of faith in their hearts, and it may be shall never have it. Now that the visible and intelligible being in Covenant, must be understood Acts 2. is clear, else the counsel of Peter to be baptized, had been null; for invisible Christians onelyonly have right to the Seals, (they might reply) but whether we be such, we for the present do not know, and it is certain, and you can neither see nor know the invisible work of grace: it is believed by faith, not known.
Ans. An errour in the first concoction spoileth all: I speak of an internal right in foro D…i, and this way onelyonly real and invisible believers have internal right to the Covenant and Seals, including the blessings and graces rem significatam; otherwise, naked Seals, of which Mr. H. speaketh, are not special priviledges in the Mediator, for they are (himself granting) bestowed upon base hypocrites: so the right internal to the seals, and Christ in them, and to the Covenant and new heart, is the priviledge of special note, whith onelyonly the invisible and really believing Church hath; Mr. Hookers Saints, Magus and Iudas have no such priviledges.
2. The answer of Peter, Acts 2. is indeed of a being in Covenant How the converts, Acts 2. were in Covenant: for Peter renders to the Chosen a healing answer, You are inter nally in covenant; and to the rest an answer to guard against despair, The promise is preached to you.visibly, and that being is not excluded, but it is rather and more principally to be expounded of real and internal being in covenant, Repent, and be baptized every one of you, for the promise is made to you and to your children; that is, ye are within the Covenant. Now Peters answer is a strengthning and comforting answer: for the doubt of their cast-down conscience is, Ah! We murthered the Lord of Life, then must we be rejected of God, we know not what to do! Peter had returned but a comfortless answer, to say, But be of good chear, the promise is onelyonly to you and to your children; that is, ye are onelyonly visibly in Covenant: They might say, So is Magus. I grant it is a ground of comfort, Psal. 147. 19, 20. Exod. 20. 2. Deut. 5. 1, 2, 3. but it was not so healing an answer to their question, which was not, Men and brethren; what shall we do to get in to be Members of the visible Church? What better had they been in a place where Ananias and Magus had as deep a share of the comfort as they; and which having, they might eternally perish? But their question was, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved eternally, and to be Members of the invisible Church? Peter answereth, There is a Covenant made in the holy minde of God really with you Jews, and your children, and to all that are afar off, with the seed of Jews and Gentiles; and so he must have among you a company ordained to life, and internally in Covenant: So Calvin, Gualther, Bullinger, Marlorat, Beza, Brentius. His meaning is not that they were all the same way within the Covenant, and the Promise made one and the same way; some were actually and really, and so invisible in it; some visible, and in profession; some as fathers, some as children and parts of their fathers. (2.) He cannot speak onelyonly of the visible Covenant, but of their being invisible in it; he bids them repent really, not visibly onelyonly, as Magus did, and heals their anxious conscience, by this repenting really, for that end that their doubting may be removed; not that the holy Ghost bid… any within the visible Church repent onelyonly professedly, and onelyonly externally, but the command of repenting, as born in upon the chosen, carries with it the Lords intention often, and his decree to save, and their being internally in Covenant, as here it doth.
3. I shall desire Mr. Hooker to be true to his own distinction. If being externally in Covenant make a Church-member, as he expounds Acts 2. Then all to whom the Lord saith, I am your God, and to whom the Covenant is externally preached, and If these be reall Converts one to another who are called the people of God, then all Israel, all the Gentiles must be reall converts in the charity of all the Prophets, and of one another.they by silence hear and accept of it, are to Mr. H. Church-members; then all Israel whom Moses preached to be blinde, hardned, Deut. 29. 4. rebellious and stiff-necked, Deut. 31. 27. who had tempted him in the Wilderness fourty years, and when they had entred in a Church. Covenant with God, Deut. 29. 10. as our Brethren expound it, they were to Moses, to Ioshua, and to all the godly, and to one another, real converts, savouring as if they had been with Christ, and practically reformed. O what strange charity, when Moses and the Prophets preached, they confess, the world knew their life declare the contrary.
2. Why should Mr. H▪ deny but the three thousand who heard with gladness, received the Word with joy, were real converts, The 3000, Act. 2. are pricked at the heart, & converts by a figure, that is, many or most of them were such, but not all, and every one, as Mr. H. saith.by a frequent figure, the part for the whole, because the most part were real converts? Yea. Mr. H. will have Ananias, Sapphira, and all of them in the judgement of charity to be real Saints: But when the Scripture calls Israel these whom Saul and David were to feed and rule, 1 Sam. 9. 16. 2 Kings 3. 18. 2 Chron. 7. 13. even all the murmurers and …bels whom the Lord brought out of Egypt, Deut. 5. 2. Exod. 6. 4. his covenanted people, Will not Mr. H. give us the favour of a figurative speech, a part for the whole?
3. Or then (which is strange) all Egypt, Assyria, Isa. 19. 25. all Nations, Isa. 2. 1, 2. All the kindreds of the earth, Psal. 22. 27. Of the world, Rev. 11. 15. must be in the judgement of charity to one another real Converts.
4. Could not the Lord call them, and make a Church of them, and say, I am your God, and they, We are thy people, while first the Pastors and the Church passed their judgement of charity upon their real conversion?
5. Mr. H. passeth over all the Texts cited by me, which conclude onelyonly the invisible Church to be really within the Covenant; see them above: and contendeth, That the visible Church onelyonly, which is of these who never had, and it may be shall never have any sound work of faith in their hearts, pag. 37. the onelyonly prime subject of those special priviledges in Christ.
6. So the Reason is null, if this be the onelyonly visible being in Covenant, which is Act. 2. 38. it concludes not: Mr. R. said the contrary, both visible and invisible being in Covenant, must be understood Act. 2. as also invisible grace is believed in it self, therefore it is not known in its effects; it follows not, the invisible and really believing Church, is not visible in the effects to men: Isa. 61. 9. Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their off-spring among the people; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed that the Lord hath blessed. Isa. 62. 12. And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A City not forsaken.
Mr. H. p. 37. That onelyonly the invisible Church hath right to the Seals, draws many absurdities: The adversaries of grace will hardly be gained.
Ans. True: if you mean external signs and Ecclesiastick right; if all Israel be in the judgement of charity within the Idolaters and scandalous persons visibly must be visible converts, by M. H. his way.Covenant, we must indeed believe visible Murmurers, Idolaters, Fornicators, Backsliders, Worshippers of Heathen gods, 1 Cor. 10. 1, 2, 3. Exod. 16. 1, 2. Psal. 78. 17, 18, 19, 20. such as slew their sons and their daughters to Molech, openly under every green tree, Psal. 106. 35, 36, 37, 38, 39. Ier. 7. 30, 31. Hos 4. 13. Ier. 3. 2, 3. Isa. 57. 8, 9, 10. Ezek. 16. 31, 32, 33, 34. to be real converts, and all and many other absurdities follow.
2. We must believe, That all the visible Church have saving grace; Ergo, we must believe that God hath chosen to life all the Independent Churches on earth.
3. That God intends salvation, and pardon, and perseverance to all and every one of them of the visible Israel, and that to be false, Rom. 9. 6. They are not all Israel which are of Israel.
Mr. H. p. 38. Mr. R. compasseth us about with a crowd of accusations of the grossest Arminian, Popish, Socinian Doctrines.
Ans. Why did ye not clear your selves of conspiring with Papists, in denying the preaching of the Word to be an essential note of the visible Church, and in other points also? 2. Of conspiring with Socinians, in setting up Independent Congregations. 3. Denying the Power of Synods. 4. The necessity of Ordination by Laying on of the Hands of the Elders, &c. to such you say not any thing, in leaving the Reformed Churches, and joyning with these enemies of the truth; but of this hereafter: you have yet place to dismiss the crowd.
Mr. H. p. 38. Let Mr. R. help us to answer the Anabaptists upon his grounds.
Mr. H. Those that I cannot know have any right to the Seals, to them I cannot give the Seals in any faith: But I cannot know that Infants are of the invisible Church, which onelyonly gives them right to the Seals. If Mr. R. grant the proposition, that they give the Seals to such whom they know not to have any right, they triumph.
Ans. No Anabaptist can object to me. That to be of the invisible M. R. disclaims that which M. H. chargethupon him, that to be of the invisible Church onelyonly giveth right Ecclesiastick to the seals.Church onelyonly giveth right Ecclesiastick to the outward Seals, which Magus receiveth, Mr. H. calleth the dispensing of the outward Seals a special priviledge, but such as Magus hath no special or saving Priviledge.
2. It passeth the wit of man to defend Independents against Anabaptists: for 1. The Anabaptists and Independents both agree in the same constitution of visible Churches, that they must be real converts, as far as we can judge: but that we can judge of no Infants born of believing Parents, except we pluck out the eyes of charity, and believe that Cain, Ishmael, Esa…, and all and every one born within the visible Church, are born converts, is impossible. Hence Mr. H. Those that I cannot know have any right to the Seals, to these I cannot give the Seals of the Covenant in faith, as the Apostle calls faith. So Mr. H. But I cannot know that all the Infants of Believers have right to the Seals, because their parents are visible Saints, some of them Elect, some of them Reprobate: Except I 1. Put the Seal of God upon a blank, contrary to our Brethrens Doctrine. 2. Except I profane the holy things of God, and admit heathens to the Church of visible Saints. Let Mr. H. answer the Anabaptists.
Mr. H. Mr. R. helps the Minor with a distinction So, faith Par. 1. p 38, 39in Christ truly giveth right to the Seals of the Covenant, and that in Gods intention and decree, called Voluntas beneplaciti, but the orderly way of the Churches giving the Seals, is, Because such a society is a professing and visible Church, and the orderly giving of the Seals according to Gods approving Will, called Voluntas signi & revelata, belongs to the visible Church. Mr. H. answers, This salve is too narrow for the sore, for the distinction will either make God order the giving of the Seals to such who have no right, and so impeach his wisdom, to appoint the giving of the Seals to such to whom he gives no right to receive them: Or else it doth involve a contradiction and the several expressions contain apparent contradictions; for this voluntas signi which allows the visible Church to give the Seals, it tither gives another right, besides that which the invisible Members have, or else it gives no right: If it give another right, then the invisible Church hath not onelyonly right, which is here affirmed; if it give no right, then the visible Church doth give the Seals orderly to such who have no right to them. I confess, such is my feebleness, that I see not how this can be avoided. How have hypocritical Professors right to the Seals? Not as Members visible: For Mr. R. saith, p. 249. The visible Church, as the visible Church, hath no right unto the Seals; as invisible they can give none, for they have none to give.
Ans. Were it not conscience to the truth, I would be silent of the infirmity of this pious man.
1. It is a good salve: for it becometh not Mr. H. with Arminians and Socinians to impeach the wisdom of the Holy One, because he appoints the giving of the Seals, Baptism to Iudas and to Magus, who have no right true and real in foro Dei, in the Decree of God, and in his holy intention, as I spake p. 248, 249. to the Seals, and the grace sealed; nor to the engraven Law, and Gods teaching of the heart, and to perseverance; and I Due Right of Presbyt. par. 1. Iac. Gualterius Iesuita in Tabulâ Chronographicâ prim. secu…. ad an. 100. pag. 91. sect. 17. probat liberum arb. contra Cal…inianos Quint. Classis repugnantiam continens quae saepe inter voluntatem nostram & divinam intercedit. Bellar. de amiss. g…at. l. 11. cap. 16. Mr. H. sides with Arminians, Socinians, and Papists, in saying that the Reformed Churches ascribe to God two contrary Wills. Armin. Antip. pag. 668. edit. Bertiana, at aio, id quod Deus in mandatis & prom…ssionibus dicit tale esse ut Deus citra contradictionem dici nequeat, decreto aliquo suo contrarium ejus vellet statuere. 665. insinuat Deum hypocriseos. Cor…. advers. Molinaeum. c. 4. sect. 6. 7. Piscator & alii voluntatem signi & beneplaciti ut opposita considerant, ut Deum non semper seriò velle, quod mandato se velle significat est voluntas in Deum contumeliosa quae simulationem & hypo…ri sin in Deo ponit. Remonst. in Script. Synodalibus Dordracen. ar. 1. de Praedestinat. pa. 245. Is qui intrinsecè & serio ad poenitentiam vocat reprobos; quos tamen intrinsecè arcano & immutabili decreto ab aeterno absolutè ad damnationem, & damnationis causas destin…vit, is stmul it benevolentiam erga eos, & mel in ore, ut dicitur, ostentat, & …l in corde …vet. Doctrina haec pa. 246. Deo duplicitatem animi & simulationem cum deceptione conjunctam attribuit, Deo hypocrisin, mendacium. p. 247. Collocutores Hagienses in appendice de reprobatione. p. 129. Nam ea est simulatio aliquem ad fidem & salutem vocre qui jam ante p…r reprobation is decretum ab utra que est absolutè segregatus. Conrad. Vorst. Amor. duplic. ad Piscatorem, p. 13. par. 1. pag: 293. Esse sic vocationem Dei illusorium. p. 391. Deum …ubere ut credant mendacio. But the Arminians in their Apology all along, especially cap. 6. where this matter is handled; and cap. 20. where they speak of Reprobation, are as dumb as a fish of all these vain Objections, which otherwise seem to serve their end not a little, now as before. But it is like they were convinced in Conscience they did proceed from a false and erroneous Exposition of the Lords will of Pleasure and of Precept, and therefore I doubt not but Mr. H. did not a little sail against the truth, in carping at this distinction acknowledged by all our Divines.cite pag. 249. Ier. 32. 38, 39. & 31. 33. and pag. 244, 245. par. 1. Psal. 89 33, 34, 35, 36, 37. Isa. 54. 10. All which places Mr. H never looked on the face, but suppressed them all. Then let Mr. H. clear the wisdom of God in appointing a Ministerial and Pastoral offer of Covenant-mercies, Christ, Pardon, the Anointing, the new heart, Life eternal, to be made to such as Magus, and Iudas the traytor.
2. Whereas he saith, The distinction of voluntas beneplaciti, and voluntas approbans, contains apparent contradictions. It seems he never heard of this distinction allowed by the Reformed Churches; and that he joyns with the Arminians, who teach, That this distinction placeth in God two contrary Wills; and that he wills and decrees one thing from eternity, and commands and approves the contrary to his creatures: Hence there must be guile and dissimulation, and no serious dealing in the Lords commands, saith Arminius, Corvinus, and the Arminians at the Conference at Hague, and the Synod of Dort.
3. Hence it is, that Mr. H. will have the same very right given by the approved Will of God to Members, that is given by the Decree. Just as Vorstius will have the promises and threatnings every way conform to the Decree: and he and all the Arminians say, We may make them often contrary to the Decree, and make the Holy Lord to deal doubly, and to will one thing within himself, and command the contrary. So Mr. H. saith, we make Gods command to give one right external to the Seals, and his Decree the contrary, or no right at all to some hypocrites.
But we answer to both: God by his Decree ordains what shall come to pass or not come to pass, or what shall fall out or A clearing of that distinction of the Lords will of purpose or decree, & of his commanding or approving Will against Arminians, and against Mr. H. his siding with them in that, though innocently, as Mr. R. in charity judgeth.not fall out, be it good in his effective Decree, or be it evil in his permissive Decree: For all things were written in his book, when as yet they were not, even all Davids Members, Ps. 139. 16. Eph. 1. 11. But God by his approving Will does not decree what shall come to pass or not come to pass, but onelyonly commands what is good, and promises rewards accordingly, and forbids what is evil, and threatneth punishment, whether the good or the evil come to pass, or never come to pass; he commands Iudas to believe, and Cain, and Pharaoh, that is, he approves of their faith as good obedience, and agreeable to his Law, and yet their obedience never falls out, nor did the Lord ever decree they should obey: for what God decree… shall be, must be; but what he commands does not ever fall out: So the Lord forbids the killing of Christ, Exod. 20. 13. that is, he declareth that he nilleth, disapproveth, and hateth the slaying of the Lord of Life; and yet the killing of Christ falls out, a…d was decreed to come to pass by the permission of God, Acts 2. 23. & 4. 27 28. Here The decree & the approving will of God are the same.is no shadow of contradiction here. Again, God giveth a right to the Seals to hypocrites; that is, he commandeth the Church to give the Seals to Magus, whether such really or hypocritically believe, this is a right not properly inherent in visible Members, for their Profession, yea, or their supposed Conversion. 1. Because all saving and real right to Ordinances is relative to Election to glory, and flows from the Merit of Christs death; but visible Professors, as such, of whose society Magus and Iudas are, have not any saving and real right, as chosen and redeemed in Christ, by grant of our Brethren. 2. A right flowing onelyonly from an external profession, and from composed hypocrisie in Magus, is no true right; a lie cannot give a true right, I offend that Mr. H. so anxiously contends for a Charter to such Bastards as Magus. 3. It is a favour to Of the right that real visible Professors have to the Seals; & that that right which Magus & other painted Members have, is no true right. The command to be baptized as a simple command gives no right Ecclesiastical, no right internal to Magus to be baptized except he believe. Yet doth the Church without sin invite & baptize Professors, without passing a sentence upon their real conversion, or hypoctitical. Visible Professors that are sincere, have both right internal & external to the seals & the marrow of the seals.hear the Gospel, and partake of the Seals; and Ius activum, an active right the Church and Ministers have to call and admit to the Seals all who profess as Magus, that the Elect in the visible Church may be converted, but it is not a right propriè dictum ne quidem Ecclesiasticum, that they have who are such hypocrites as Iudas and Magus; for the command and revealed Will of God most unproperly is said to give M…gus a right to the Seals: Except Mr. H. never Divine so spake; the command reveals the right, but gives none. As also the right of visible Professors is Ius passivum, and a conditional and passive right; for Magus and Iudas have no right to be visible Members, or to partake of the Seals, yea or to profess the Covenant and Name of God, Psal. 50. 16. but upon condition of faith: for God cannot command sin and an hypocritical profession: yea, he forbids treading in his Courts, Isa. 1. 12, 13. except they repent and believe, ver. 16, 17. therefore Magus sins in professing, and in being baptized, he remaining rotten: But the Church sins not, but does the command of Christ in calling, inviting all that profess, whether they be really, or in the judgement of charity, Converts or no. Which distinction not being observed, our Brethren and Mr. H. mistake the nature of an Ecclesiastical right; for the Lord in the command gives to all visible professors, such as Peter, who really believe, both the Ecclesiastick and external right to the Seals which he decreed to give them, and the same internal and real right which they have by faith, and no other than according to his eternal decree, they have given them in time by real believing. But for hypocrites, as Magus, they have no right Ecclesiastick to the Seals, but a sort of active and permissive right, by which they claim room in the visible Church, and the Seals from the Church. Therefore taking the Church visible as onelyonly visible, as contra-distinguished from the invisible and really believing: and as visibility is common to both Peter and Magus, and their external profession obvious to the eye of man, so the visible Church hath no right that is true and real to the Seals: So I retort the Argument upon Mr. H.
True real believers, as Peter, and hypocrites, as Magus, have Peter & Magus have not the same right to the seals. M. H. his argument is retorted upon h…mself.either one and the same Church-right to Membership and Seals, or another, and diverse. The same right they cannot have;
1. Because the right of truly and really believing ones, is according to the Decree of Election, such as the Lord ordained to be purchased to them by the Merits of Christ, and also according to the Lords revealed Will. He who believes hath right to eat of the Tree of Life, and to Membership and Seals: But this right Magus and hypocrites have not, for they have no part in Christ.
2. The right that believers, as Peter and Iohn, have, is by fulfilling of the condition. He who believes, and loves to be The right of hypocrites to Church priviledges & seals, which is onelyonly Ecclesiastick & external, is no right real and true.reformed, hath right to the Covenant, Promises, to Perseverance, to the anointing that teacheth all things. These are promised and decreed to them, Ier. 31. 33, 34. & 32 38, 39, 40. Isa. 54. 10, 11. & 59. 20, 21. compared with Acts 13. 47, 48. Ioh. 6. 44, 45, 46. & 6. 37. & 10. 26, 27. and to them onelyonly, not to Magus and to Reprobates.
3. Magus, and such like wooden and tree-legs, might claim the same life, living Membership, lively and vital operations, and to have the anointing, and to be kept through faith unto salvation by the power of God, 1 Pet. 1. 4. and to have the fear of God put in their hearts, that they should not depart from God, as Ier. 31. 39, 40. if they have the same right to Membership and the Seals in their substance and grace signified with sound believers. And this is most absurd.
If hypocritical Professors have another external and Ecclesiastical right then real believers upon these grounds, it must be a false and a bastard Charter, founded upon an hypocritical profession. Let Mr. H. shew how the right of visible professors who are real believers, and the right of painted and rotten Professors, such as Magus and the like have, is one univocally, and in nature the same right; and yet Mr. H. (which darkeneth the Reader) puts them all in one, and would have Christ the same way to be King, Head, (survey pag. 16.) Redeemer, who hath bought with his blood the Elect, pag. 39, 40. and such rotten ones, as Magus and Iudas. 2. How a false and a true right can come from the same command of God, let Mr. H. judge.
Lastly, it is poor to say, How come hypocritical Professors to have right to the Seals? As visible Members they have none, as invisible Members they have none, for such they are not.
Ans. True, they are not; but Mr. H. gives them the same right with invisible Members: quo jure let him shew. Ergo, the Church must give them no Seals, or give them Seals, when she cannot know they have any right, for indeed they have none that is true and real.
Ans. The Church doth obey Christ in giving them Seals; and it well follows, Ergo, The Church giveth them Seals, when she cannot know they have any right, to wit, internal and real, which is a saving priviledge of special note in the Mediator, to the Seals including signes and the grace signified: for so onelyonly they do belong in the Lords intention and eternal decree to real believers, not to Magus and Iudas, except Mr. H. will stand for Arminian Universal Grace, and say that God intends the same saving grace in Ordinances and Seals to Peter and Iohn, and likewise to Pharaoh and Magus.