(b) Ifaac Pennington's Answer to the like Objection,.

The Proteftant Church, the bleffed Martyrs, who fuffered for the Testimony of a pure Confcience towards GOD, and all the Worthies of the Lord, in their several Generations, who fought against the Scarlet Whore, were accepted of GOD in their Testimony against her; and are not difowned by us, but dearly owned and honoured therein.. -All Things were not discovered at once; the Times were then dark, and the Light fmall, yet they being faithful, according to what was difcovered, were pretious in the Lord's Eyes.We are not

1660.

against the true Life and Power of Godliness, where-ever it hath appeared, or yet appears under the Veil of any Form whatfoever: Nay, all Perfons, who fingly wait upon the Lord in the Simplicity and Sincerity of their Hearts; whether under any Form, or out of Forms, that matters little to us, are very dear unto us in the Lord.

1

(c) (d) (e). R. Barclay's Apology, 4th Edit. p. 139.

We alfo freely reject the Heresy of Apollinarius, who denied him (Jefus Chrift) to have any Soul; but faid, the Body was only acted by the God-. head. As alfo the Error of Eutychus, who made the Manhood to be wholly fwallowed up of the Godhead. Wherefore, as we believe he was a true and real Man, fo we also believe that he continues to be glorified in the Heavens in Soul and Body, by whom GOD fhall judge the World in the great and general Day of Judgment.

Brief Apology,

p. 6, 7.

Ifa. 49. 6.

Acts 13. 47. 4. 12.

1 Pet. 2. 21, 221 Heb. 4. 15. J Rom. 8. 34. 1 Tim. 2.5, 6... 1 John 2. 1.

As do ye, fo do we alfo hope for and expect Salvation only and alone through the Son of GOD, our bleffed Lord and Saviour. Jefus Chrift of Nazareth, believing that GOD the Father hath ordained him for Salvation to the Ends of the Earth; and that no other Name is given under Heaven, by which Men fhall be faved,, who being conceived by the Holy Ghoft, in the Womb of the Virgin Mary, was born of her at Bethlehem; as alfo his holy and exemplary Life, perfectly free from Sin; his Doctrine, Miracles, Sufferings, and Death upon the Crofs without the Gates of Ferufalem; his Refurrection from the Dead, and Afcenfion into Heaven, where He is at the right Hand of GOD the Father, perfect GOD and perfect MAN. and the alone Mediator between GOD and Man, and is our AdvoIcate with the Father, and ever liveth to make Interceffion for us, and alfo fhall judge both the Quick and the Dead. All which, and whatfoever elfe is recorded of Him in the facred Scriptures, we firmly believe.

Acts 10. 42.

There

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W. Penn's Rebuke to Twentyoně Divines.

There is a final Seffions, a general Affize, and a great Term once for all. where He (CHRIST) will judge amongst the judges, who is Righteous in all his Ways: There private Men fhall anfwer only for themfelves, but Rulers for the People, as well as themselves.

F

REMARKS.

ROM hence 'tis manifeft, our aged Querift even stumbles at the Threshold, and is as void of Charity as Juftice, in infinuating we deny thofe Articles, and confine Chriftianity to our own nar row Sect; whereas, whoever will impartially confider both our diftinguishing Fundamentals, will catily determine which of us confines Christianity to their narrow Sect.

* See Chap. III.

Whether the Querift, who believes according to the Westminster Confeffion, That GOD from all Eternity hath reprobated the far greater Part of Mankind; that CHRIST tafted Death, but not for every Man; and that the faving Grace of GOD hath not appeared to all Men.

8. 10.

Or We, who, with the infpired Penmen, believe, That GOD willeth not the Death of a Sinner; that CHRIST tafted Death for every Man; and that the Grace of GOD, which bringeth Salvation, bath appeared to all Men, &c. according to the following Texts, Ezek. 18. 32. ·3311. Heb. 2. 9. 1 Tim. 2. 3, 4. Titus 2. II.

And to expofe the monstrous Charity of his former Brethren, I fhall refer my Reader to an old Book, entituled, A Teftimony to the Truth of Jefus, and our folemn League and Covenant (for they must go toge

ther)

ther) fubfcribed by no less than Fifty-three Presby

terians

The Design thereof was to collect the then reigning Errors, as they fuppofed, und bitterly to exclaim against all that incline to favour Toleration: Among many others, thefe are accounted Capital Errors; 1. Hierarchy; 2. Independency; 3. An Oppofition of the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation, as they held it; 4. The Doctrine of the Freedom of Man's Will; 5. That CHRIST died for all Men, or that the Benefit of CHRIST's Death extended to all Men: And further on they add, Doubtlefs that Old Serpent, called the Devil, hath been the grand Agent in propagating thefe ftupendious Errors; all which Errors, Herefies, and Blafphemies, we are con fident we may loath, execrate, and abhor, without the leaft Breach of Charity.

O! the Strength, and Religion of this Charity, that can loath, execrate, and abhor to think that CHRIST died for All; as plain Scripture as any in Scripture.

Concerning this Opinion, in the

dying Words of Jacob, I pray, O Gen. 49. 6. my Soul, come not thou into their Se

cret; unto their Affembly, mine bonour, be not thou united.

Moreover, I request our Querift to recollect the monftrous Uncharitablenefs of his own Brethren, who diffented from the Church of England, not in Effentials, but in fome Matters of Difcipline, yet never ceafed till they laid Epifcopacy in the Duft, and excited the Parliament in thefe Words, " Elijah oppo"fed Idolatry and Oppreffion, fo do ye; down with "Baal's Altars, down with Baal's Priefts; do not, "I beseech you, confent unto a Toleration of Baal's "Worship in this Kingdom upon any publick Confide« ration whatsoever.

Which is as much as to fay, Away with the Archbishops, Bishops, the whole Miniftry and Worship of the Church of England.

Again, "The Mouths of your Adverfaries are opened against you, that fo many Delingents (i. e. Royalifts) "are in Prifon, and yet but very few of them brought "to their Tryal. (Did he mean to release them, I leave my Reader to judge.)

And faith another of his eminent Brethren before the Commons, Auguft 28. 1644. "Te cannot preach "nor pray them down directly and immediately. "Well! that which the WORD cannot do, the "SWORD fall. And in ZIO N's Plea, Fol. 262. “Strike the BASILICK Vein, nothing but this "will cure the PLEURIST of our State. Behold, as in a Glafs, the Power of this active Spirit of An-. tient Presbyterian Charity.

Much more might be faid on this Head, were it pleafant, but enough, and too much, had not his uncharitable Cenfure of his peaceable Neighbours in his first and last Section, given us juft Occafion for fome fuch Retortion, though not without fufficient Proof.:

Moreover, that all Chriftians, both in the Eaft and Weft, agreed in the Articles of the Apostles Creed; and alfo all Chriftians in every Age understood them in that (one) Senfe, is affuming a Knowledge uncommon to Mortals, and much fooner faid than proved; for in one Sheet I can produce above Twenty very differing Creeds made in the firft Four Centuries of Christianity; and how many fince, if their Number be not infinite or numberlefs, I am fure, to me, they are indefinite. But if our Querist himself be fo fond of Creeds, and of that in parti cular, why did not the Westminster Affembly infert it in their Confeffion Directory and Larger Catechifm, .

See Whifton's Collection of Creeds in a broad sheet.

without

without the leaft Variation, were it fo antient and univerfal a Symbol of the Faith of all Chriftians?

Nay, even that very Creed was not, as now in the Liturgy, known in the Primitive Times, but has paft great Alterations; not one of the Fathers, fo called, for three Hundred Years after CHRIST, giving us this Form.

Bishop Uber, that great Searcher into Antiquity, in his Differ. de Symbol, p. 16. gives us an account of the following Additions, viz.

1. Maker of Heaven and Earth,

2. Conceived,

3. Dead,

4. Defcended into Hell,

5. Almighty, after, Right Hand of GOD. 6. Catholick, before, Holy Church,

7. Communion of Saints,

8. Life Everlasting.

Which Additions were not, fays he, made at once,

but at feveral Times.

To close these Remarks, I fhall fubjoin one Authority from that eminent Champion of the Prote ftant Caufe, in his Religion of Proteftants, Chap. VI. N. 56.

By the Religion of Proteftants (fays Chilling "worth) I do not understand the Doctrine of L "ther or Calvin, or Melanchthon, nor the Confef"fion of Augufta, nor the Catechifin of Heidelberg, "nor the Articles of the Church of England, no, "nor the Harmony of Proteftant Confeffions; but "that wherein they all agree, and which they all "fubfcribe with a greater Harmony, as a perfect Rule of their Faith and Actions, that is, the "BIBLE!

B