A Rejoinder to Mr Drake, Part 2 · Section 3
Sect. 3 THE the third objection is Holy things to holy men: My anſwer was, by diſtinction of outward, and inward, holy things, and perſons.
Mr. Drake excepts page 119. 1 Infants, and the diſtracted are outwardly holy; this is thirteen times.2 Some outwardly holy things, to wit, the word, Mat. 28, 29. may be adminiſtred to thoſe that are not outwardly holy.
Anſw. What then? therefore may it not bee adminiſtred to thoſe that are outwardly holy? 3 Bare profeſsion, if contradicted by prophaneneſſe, cannot ſecure a man from Excommunication, much leſſe from ſuſpenſion. Anſw. But what is this to profeſſion, not contradicted by prophaneneſſe, I meane ſuch, as is not ſufficient to excommunicate him? It is that, I ſay, gives him admiſſion. 4 The Excommunicate doe ſtill profeſſe, and are outwardly holy, therefore Mr. H. contradicts himſelfe, &c. Anſw. I pray Sir, excuſe me, I ſay when a man is excommunicate, he is as a heathen, and not to be reckoned, outwardly holy, or as a Profeſſor.
Whereas therefore he concludes over-leafe, page 120. that Mr. H. his anſwer may vye with the objection in weakneſſe. Bee pleaſed to turne to page 139. In both Sacraments, ſayes he there, Real intereſt is ſealed to reall Saints, as viſible intereſt to viſible Saints. Now I pray compare Mr. H. outward holy things to outward holy men, and inward holy things, to inward holy men; A viſible Ordinance to the viſible Church, and the inviſible grace to the inviſible members that have a ſaving intereſt in them by faith. This was my anſwer, and is it not miſ-fortune thinke yee, that the ſame thing muſt be ſtrength in M. Drake, and yet weakneſſe in M. H. and that M. H. muſt bee thought to contradict himſelfe, when hee, poore creature, is apt to thinke M. Drake doth; Beſides, it is M. Drake ſayes here, not Mr. H. that a man is ſtill a Profeſſor, when hee contradicts his Profeſsion, and is excommunicate from it. So that, by my conſent he may ſet up the trade of a Contradiction-maker; for ſeeing the Laſt of his own invention will ſo well ſerve any body, if hee cannot put off his Ware to others, it is but taking it to himſelfe, and he may never need to be any loſer by it.
Page 121. He cannot deny that All in the Church are in ſome ſenſe in Chriſt, and ſanctified by him, as I quoted thoſe Texts, Jo. 15.2. 2 Pet. 2.1. Heb, 10.29. &c. From whence I argue, that thoſe who are in a Church-ſtate, in Covenant, or viſible communion, ſo that thereby they are ſaid to be in Chriſt, redeemed, and ſanctified, are to bee admitted accordingly to the ſeal and badge thereof, unleſſe ſuch as the Scripture gives ground to except; But all Church-members are in Covenant, Deut. 29.1.10, 11. viſible Saints, &c. and the Scripture allows no bar to any, unleſſe unintelligent, or excommunicate; Ergo.
Unto this ſeeing it concerns the maine, Mr. D. gives us two anſwers; 1 Then Infants againe may be admitted: this is fourteen times.2 In ſhort, He is confident againſt it. A very maſterful argument! which confidence yet (without proofe) whoſoever truſts to, ſhal finde but as a broken tooth, and foot out of joynt. And here I deſire the Reader to take notice, when he ſtill comes to this point, which is the foundation, whether it be ſufficient ſatisfaction, only to viliſie me, and ſlight it off. For as for this paſſage, with which he hath filled ſo many ſheets, about children, it is good for nothing, unleſſe they had happily been in parchment, and then it would have ſerved well, to make them Drums, and ſounded prettily by the emptineſſe.
Page 122. How groſſe is that aſſertion that there is an hiſtorical viſible faith that gives an out ward Church right unto the Elements? Anſw. Nay rather how cleare and firme a truth doth it appear, by the former Argument? That faith, which ſerves to enter a man in external Covenant, and engage him to the termes thereof, wil ſerve to admit him to the Sacraments; but, a faith onelyonly accepting the true God, in oppoſition to all other Religions doth ſerve for that, appears by the Covenanting of the whole body of Iſrael, Deut, 29.10, 12. Ergo, All Profeſſors or Church-members that have but a common, general, hiſtorical, or viſible faith (for any of theſe termes ſerve me) I ſay are in Covenant, but the Covenant is the foundation of the Sacraments, Ergo, neither will the right underſtanding hereof doe any hurt to the Church, I hope, ſo long as we preſſe, nevertheleſſe, a ſolid ſaving faith, to intereſt them in the effectual benefits of them both.
His Exceptions are, 1 Then the Excommunicate have a right, for they have ſtilan hiſtorical faith. Anſw. How vaine is this? who knowes not the ſtate of the queſtion ſuppoſes us within the Church?2 Some excommunicate may alſo have a true ſaving faith. See how fairly, inſtead of oppoſing me, he checks himſelfe. I pray marke his ſtrength in both, becauſe neither an hiſtorical, nor ſaving faith gives a man a right that is excommunicate, and thereby made no Church-member, therefore they cannot give him a right when hee is not excommunicate, and is a Church-member.3 As hiſtorical faith, gives not a right to Chriſt, but faith of adheſion; ſo a viſible faith of adheſion, gives right to Chriſt ſacramental. Anſw. 1 I might returne to him, Why may not ſome excommunicate perſons, have ſuch a viſible faith of adheſion, as an hiſtorical ſaving one: But.2 An hiſtorical faith is ſuo genere, a true faith, as the Eunuchs, I beleeve that Chriſt is the Sonne of God. Act. 8.37.3 An hiſtorical ſaith which was barely ſo, and not ſaving gave Simon Magus admiſſion unto Baptiſme, Act. 8.13. and here Adultis eadem ratio holds firme.4 Faith of adheſion I take to be an aſſent with application, and that is ſpecial faith, which I queſtion whether it may be termed viſible, as diſtinguiſhed from ſaving.5 It is ſufficient to mee, that a faith which generally aſſents to the truth of the Covenant, and engages to it, and yet falls ſhort of juſtifying, entitles to the Sacraments, for otherwiſe we ſhal quite confound the worke of the Miniſter, and the Spirit, the ſymbolical, and effectual Seal, and then no man can be admitted at all without preſumption.6 When the Papiſts prove that hiſtorical faith juſtifies, becauſe it ſufficed unto Baptiſme, Act. 8.37. Some of our able Divines anſwer, It is true, Profeſſion of faith gives intereſt to Baptiſme, yet it is not ſufficient to Juſtification, Dr. Slater on Rom. 3.22.
There is a manifeſt difference between a title to the Sacraments, and intereſt in the ſaving benefits; A general faith gives title to one, a ſpecial to the other. Regeneration is like David, that enjoyes Michal; when Profeſſion, like Phaltiel comes along behinde weeping to Bahurim. A general faith hath ſome union with Chriſt, as a ſpecial, a ſaving union; Profeſſion, like Orphah, may kiſſe Naomi, when a ſaving faith, like Ruth, cleaves unto her.