Some drops of the viall, powred out in a season when it is neither night nor day, or, Some discoveries of Iesus Christ His glory in severall books ... : all which books are here reprinted in one booke entirely after the severall impressions of them and presented to the reader / by John Saltmarsh ...

Master Gataker.

(1) That John, Christs, and his Apostles Method were all one for matter and manner; for they all preached Faith and Repentance; and yet we are tax∣ed for these things as Legalists by this Author. (2) John and the rest prea∣ched life and salvation upon condition of Faith, and Repentance, and Obedi∣ence. (3) Where we find Faith only preached, it is because we have but the Summaries or heads of their Sermons.

Answer.

To the first, that I taxe you for preaching Faith and Repentance, as the Apostles did, and John did, as Legalists. Nay, I tax ye only because ye preach it not as they did, according to the full revelation of it in the New Testa∣ment; but you preach it only as you find it in their Summaries, and in the briefe narration of their Doctrine; and this you ought not to do, if you will preach according to that glorious Analogie of the Gospell: and to this, I shall only bring in your own words to convince you, and so from your own mouth condemn you. You say of the Apostles, We have but Sum∣maries of them, as in Acts 2. 40 and 16. 32. and you knowing this, preach only by their first Methods and Summaries, not looking to the revelation of the mystery, which the Apostle saies is now made manifest. And for Iohns manner of preaching, his Preaching is to be no more an example to you then his Baptism. You know the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater then he.

To the second, That Faith, Repentance, and Obedience, were conditions of life and salvation. Why keep you not to the Forme of wholesome words in Scripture? Where doth the Scripture call these conditions of salvation? They that are Christs, do beleeve, and repent, and obey; but do they be∣leeve repent, and obey that they may be Christs? Hath not God chosen us in him, & predestinated us unto the adoption of children in Jesus Christ? But I know you wil say, That when the Apostles did beleeve, repent, and obey, it is by consequence as much as a condition, and the same with a condition. But answer: The interpreting the Spirit thus in the letter, and in conse∣quence,

hath much darkned the glory of the Gospell. When some of Christs Disciples took his words as you do, under a condition, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man; &c. the words, saith he, that I speake, are Spirit. Consider but what st••••••ts you bring the Gospell into: first, you make life appearing to be had in the Covenant of Grace, as at first in the Covenant of Works; Do this, and live; so, beleeve, repent, obey and live; thus runs your Doctrine: nor can you with all your distinctions make Faith in this consideration, lesse then a worke, and so put Salvation upon a condition of works againe. Is this Free-Grace▪ But you say Faith is a gift freely given of God, and here is Free-grace still. But I pray, Is this any more Free-Frace respectively to what we do for life, then the Cove∣nant of works had? All the Works wrought in us then, were freely of God, and of free-gift too, as Arminius well observes in the point of uni∣versall Grace; and we wrought only from a gift given. Either place Sal∣vation upon a free bottom, or else you make the New Covenant but an Old Covenant in new tearmes; in stead of Do this and live, Beleeve this and live, repent and live, obey and live: And all this is for want of revea∣ling the mystery more fully.

To your third, That where we find Faith only preached, and so Salvati∣on made short work; that it is because we have but the Summaries. I agree with you that we have but the Doctrine of the Apostles, as Johns, of whom it is said, He spake many other things in his exhortation to the peo∣ple: It is true, we have much of what they said, and we want much; yet we have so much, as may shew us, that according to the work of Salva∣tion in us, Faith is the worke which gives most glory to God: Abraham believed, it is said, and gave glory to God; they that beleeve, give glory; and Faith of all the works of the Spirit, is the glorious Gospell-worke; Christ cals it the worke indeed, this is the worke that ye beleeve: So as the only reason why we heare so much of Faith in the Gospell, is not on∣ly and meerely as you insinuate, because we have but their Sermons in Summaries, and because of another reason of yours, drawn from the qualification of some they Preached to, that had other gifts, and not Faith: But because Faith is of all Spirituall encreasings in us, the most gloriously working towards Christ, Faith goes out, and Faith depends, and Faith lives in Christ, and Faith brings down Christ, and Faith o∣pens the riches, and Faith beleeves home all strength, comfort, glory, peace, promises.

And Faith hath so much put upon it, as becomes a stumbling stone, and a rock of offence, to many: Justification, imputation of righteousnesse is put upon Faith; Salvation upon Faith as Christs Bloud, is put upon the Wine; the Cup that we blesse, is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ; and Christs body upon the bread, the bread that we breake, is it not the

Communion of the body of Christ? and yet neither the Wine nor the Bread, is his Bloud or his Body, no more then Faith is either Justification or Righteousnesse; but such a work as goes out most into him, and carries the soule into him who is Righteousnesse and Justification to us.

The Word were no mystery, if it were not thus ordered, and things so mingled, that the Spirit only could discerne and distinguish; Do not the Papists stumble at Works? And why? because they see not Faith for Works: And do not others stumble at Faith? And why? because they see not Christ for Faith! Do not some say that the words, world, and all, and every man, makes some stumble at the Election of some, and so conclude Redemp∣tion for all.

Notes

• Mat. 3. 2, 8. Mat 4. 17. Marke 1. 15. Acts 20 21. P. 11, 12, 13.
• See p. 13.
• Rom.: 6. 25, ••6▪
• Ephes. 1.