Admonition to William Eyre, Section 8 – Section 9
§. 8.
THe next place that I find my self snapt at is pag 101 where you say, He gives us a youthfull frolike to shew his gallantry, like Mr. Baxters challenge, [Let the Antinomians shew one Scripture which speaks of Iustification from Eternity.] The Antinomians, saith he (Mr. W.) the Antipapists and Anti-Arminians he means) may read their eyes out, before they produce us one Text, for any other Iustification in Scripture, which is not by Faith or Works.
Rep. This requires small answer. 1. Why could not such a rude challenge as this, once provoke you to open your Bible and transcribe one Text to that sense? Had not one such Text been as soon cited, as all this book written? But something is wanting? He that cannot say what he should, must say what he can, rather then yield or say nothing.
2. I perceive it is not onelyonly I that am a Papist or Arminian with you, or with whom an Antinomian signifies an Antipapist, and an Antiarminian? Mr. Woodbridge fals under the same lash. But, Sir, while the Harmony of Confessions, and the Synod of Dort, and the late Confession of our Assembly are visible, the world hath a better character to know a Papist and Arminian by, then yours; and will hardly be perswaded that all are Papists and Arminians that hold not the eternity of Justification or Remission, and that it is before the death and purchase of Christ, or that hold not that we are justified before we are men, or pardoned before we have sinned; no nor all those that hold not the Justification of Infidels.
But I perceive you are not sparing of your accusations of those that are not of your party and opinion; when pag. 84. you do so let fly at his Brother Mr. John Woodbridge forsooth [as no hearty friend to gathering and reforming Churches, as deserting a Congregation in New-England, whereof he was Pastor, to become a Parish-Parson in the Old; and not onelyonly so, but hath stood to maintain that parishes are true Churches.] And you say, [Its like his Parsonage is better, &c]
Where 1. you venture to cast your censure upon the hidden thoughts of a mans heart, which is Gods prerogative: Who art thou that judgest another mans servant? Do you know that it was a better Parsonage that is the cause of what you mention? You that dare do this, dare do more. 2. If you deny that any Parishes, yea that many hundred Parlishes in England are true Churches, you do more then judge a particular Brother, and more then you are able to make good, and more then the Brethren of New-England would affirm. But I perceive your error is not a single one, not onelyonly in Doctrinals: Separation will not perform in the conclusion, what the …eading Dividers do promise.
Pag. 89, 90. Though I am not named, yet perhaps concerned, I am sure the truth is, where you say, [I desire the Reader to observe how much Mr. W. is beholden to a Popish Tenent, opposed (by all our Protestant Writers) to support his cause, which is [That faith goes before Iustification to dispose us for it.] Bellarmine undertakes to prove, &c. Against whom all our Protestant Divines which my little Library hath obtained, do unanimously affirm, that faith doth not dispose or prepare us for Justification]
Rep. Like Cause, like carriage in maintaining it. 1. I suppose you know that our Divines do speak it of Justification in the Popish sense, which comprizeth sanctification and faith it self. But this you would not see or have your Reader see. This is but pia fraus. 2. I suppose you know that our Divines by [Disposition and preparation] do mean by way of condition sine quâ non; and so your Brethren teach as well as you, that faith the first grace, is given without any prerequisite condition on our parts, properly so called; the contrary is taught by Pelagians, Jesuites and Arminians; but your pious fraud did hide this too. Is deceiving the best Teaching? for error it is, but not for truth. Do you not know that the honest women of your Congregation that ever read Mr. Hookers Souls preparation for Christ, and Souls effectual Vocation, and Souls Justification, or M… Jo. Rogers of Faith, or M…. Balton, Perkins, or the like honest old Practical Divines, could quickly confute your general assertion, and tell you, Sir, our Library is larger then yours, for all these Divines do tell us of a preparation necessary to Justification, yea to faith it self; yea and they make this the great necessary doctrine for the breaking of hard hearts, and confuting the presumptions of the prophane. It is worth the observation of every honest Christian, how prophanness and Antinomianism, do run hand in hand, and speak with one tongue, and put our Divines to one and the same labour. So that in this point of preparation for Christ, and many others, we must confute the same conceits of both. 3. Nay sure you know that the generality of these Divines of ours, do make faith a condition, and most of them an instrument of our Justification: and an efficient cause is a little more then a passive preparation in sensu morali, by the act of faith.
§. 9.
THe next place that I finde my name in, is, pag. 145. (and divers other places in the margin) [Our reconciliation is an immediate effect of the death of Christ, as Mr. Owen hath invincibly proved in his Answer to Baxter, p. 34.] Thus you: and oft that Answer and Mr. Kendall's is cited.
To which I say but this. I so far abhor contention, and thirst after the Churches Peace, that I did impose it as a penalty on my self, not to answer that Book of Mr. Owens, till I saw a clear call proving it my duty, because I had been foolishly drawn to be the beginner of the Controversie: But I would not have you therefore talk of [Invincible proof] of such Tenets as these. Were that Reverend man and I to joyn Wit to Wit, and Learning to Learning, and the contest depended on the strength of the Contesters, I should easily yield that he were invincible by such a one as I, and that the congress between him and me would be as unequal, as I too hastily said it would have been between Mr. Ball and him. But when I see what an advantage the Truth yields to a weak Defendor, and consider the disadvantage that he hath cast himself upon in that Book, I must profess to you, that I take it for as easie a thing to answer it sufficiently, almost as to write so much paper as that Answer will take up. You force me by your frequent references to that Book, to say this much, which else I would not have said, least I should exasperate. And for Mr. Kendall I have told you my thoughts of his Learned Notions more at large.