In a word, I cannot but look upon it as a discovery of your great weakness, That when you meet with such a difficulty as poses your understanding, and you cannot possibly reconcile with your notion ; as that of PauPs circumcising Timothy, and you affirming that the very act of circumcision did, in its own nature, oblige all on whom it passed to the perfect observation of the law for righteousness, you will rather chuse to leave the blessed apostle in a contradiction to his own doctrine, than to your vain notion : For what do you say, p. 95, of your Reply ? That however the case stood in that respect^ this is certain, SfC. It also argues weakness in you to insist upon, aggravate, jeer, and reproach at that rate you do, p. 38. of your Reply, for the mistake and mis-placing of one figure, viz. Gen. xii. for Gen. xvii. as if the merit of the whole cause depended on it. The like I may say of your charging me with nonsense, for putting Gen. xvii. 7, 8. for Gen. xvii. 9, 10. when yet yourself, p. 205. of your Call, tell us, That circumcision was appointed as a sign, or token of the covenant. Gen. xvii. 7, 8, 9. What pitiful trifles are these to raise such a mighty triumph upon ? When Dureus accused our famous Whitaker for one or two trivial, verbal mistakes, Whit« aker returned him the same answer I shall give you. Bene habet, his in rebus non vertuntur Jhrtunce ecclesice ; It is well the case of the church depends not upon such trifles.
For a conclusion ; I do seriously warn all men to beware of re- ceiving doctrines so destructive to the great truths of the gospel as these are. And I do solemnly profess I have not designedly strain- ed them, to cast reproach upon him that published them ; but the matters are so plain, that if ]VIr. Cary will maintain his positions, not only myself, but every intelligent reader, will be easily able to fasten all those odious consequents upon him, after all his apolo- gies.
Sir, in a word, I dare not say but you are a good man ; but since I read your two books, you have made me think more than once, of what one said of Jonah after he had read his history, that he was a strange man of a good man : Yet as strange a good man as you are, I hope to meet you with a sounder head and better spi- rit in heaven.
THE SECOXD APPENDIX, &C. 551
The Second APPENDIX : Giving a brief Account of the Rise and Growth of Antixomianism ; the Deduc- tion of the principal Errors of that Sect, With modest and seasonable reflections upon them.
X HE design of the following sheets, cast in sls a Mantissa to the foregoing discourse of Errors^ is principally to discharge and free the free grace of God from those dangerous errors, which fight against it under its own colours ; partly to prevent the seduction of some that stagger ; and, lastly, (though least of all) to vindicate my own doctrine, the scope and current whereof hath always been, and shall ever be, to exalt the free grace of God in Christ, to draw the vilest of sinners to him, and reheve the distressed consciences of sin-burthened Christians.
But, notwithstanding ray utmost care and caution, some have been apt to censure it, as if in some things it had a tang of Antinomianism : But if my public or private discourses be the faithful messengers of my judgment and heart, (as I hope they are) nothing can be found in any of them casting a friendly aspect upon any of their principles, which I here justly censure as erroneous.
Three things I principally aim at in this short Appendix.
1. To give the reader the most probable rise of Antinomianism.
2. An account of the principal errors of that sect.
3. To confirm and establish Christians against them by sound reasons, backed witli scripture -authority. And,
I. Of the rise of Antinomianism.
The scriptures foreseeing there would arise such a sort of men in the church, as would wax wanton against Christ, and turn his grace into lasciviousness ; hath not only precautioned us in general to beware of such opinions as corrupt the doctrine of free-grace, Rom. vi. 1, 2. " Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound 't " God forbid:" But hath particularly indigitated and marked thosp very opinions by which it would be abused, and made abundant provision against them ; as namely,
1. All slighting and vilifying opinions or expressions of the holy law of God, Kom. vii. 7, 1^.
2. All opinions and principles inclining men to a careless disregard and neglect of the duties of obedience, under pretence of free grace, and liberty by Christ, James ii. Matth. xxv,
3. All opinions neglecting or slighting sanctification, as the evi*
552 THE SECOND APPENDIX.
dence of our justificalion, and rendering it needless or sinful to try the state of our souls, by the graces of the Spirit wrought in us, •which is the principal scope of the first epistle of John.
Notwithstanding, such is the wickedness of some, and the weak- ness of others, that in all ages (especially the last past, and present) men have audaciously broken in upon the doctrine of free grace, and notoriously violated and corrupted it, to the great reproach of Christ, scandal of the world, and hardening of the enemies of reformation. ' Behold, (saith Contzen the Jesuit, on Matth. xxiv.j the fruit of ' Protestantism, and their gospel-preaching.'
Nothing is more opposite to looseness than the free grace of God, which teaches us, That dcnij'mg all ungodliness and worldly lusts, zve should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Nor can it without manifest violence be made pliable to such wicked purposes ; and therefore the apostle tells us, Jude 4. that this is done by turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness; !j.alali6k\rig, transferring it, sciiybedaititerpretatione, by a corrupt a])usive inter- pretation, to such uses and purposes as it abhors. No such wanton, licentious conclusions can be infeiTed from the gospel-doctrines of grace and liberty, but by wrestling them against their true scope and intent, by the wicked arts and practices of deceivers upon them.
The gospel makes sin more odious than the law did, and discovers the punishment of it in a more severe and dreadful manner, than ever it was discovered before. Heb. ii. 2, 3. " For if the word " spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobe- *' dience, received a just recompence of reward ; how shall we " escape, if we neglect so great salvation t"^ It shews our obligations to duty to be stronger than ever, and our encouragements to holiness greater than ever, 2 Cor. vii. 1. and yet corrupt nature will be still tempting men to corrupt and abuse it. The more luscious the food L<, the more men are apt to surfeit upon it.