152..2. I rd.' 7"reatife of Confcience. i men in this life. Bythisverypoint we are all A 1 pm in mind not to cOtcnt our fe::Iues with this, that we hauc aliking to the Gofpel,and to be– lecucit to bee true (though many Proref\a~;ts by-:C;;ch;-rci.:fl::--to-t 7 h_e_w"'h-o7 le_w_o_r-:-l,:-."';;.._n_,_be_c_a-uft_e,=the Iewes forthe mofiparthaut.-- Jaiesbiiimore ready to receiue any new'and faife religion rh·en to reachtheir own: feCOndly,becaufe the very !ewes themfelues,though they whe1vell il~quamrcd w1th theceremoRies of rheh- r'cii– giOn, yet the fubflance thereof' which was Chn!t figured by external! ceremooie§, they knew not : and hereupon the Pharifes when they made a Profdyre', they mode him renne times more the child ofthe diuell rhen·them– felucs: Thirdly, becaufe men are feldomeor ncuer fuffered to profelfe or make any fpeech ?~t~etr rel:gtonmforratnccounrries. Again, tf 1t be alledged that the doCtrine is fet downe in thefc our daicsthinks itll:flicient·both ;.,· life ~nd death,ifthey hold that they arc to bee faued bv f tith alone in Chrifl without the me'rit·of mans wotkes) but We mufl goe' yet fiuther, and enter into a pra<'flfc of rhe do.- ' Cl:dneofthc Gofpdas well asbf rhe precepts ofthe moral! law; knowing that the Gofpcl doth as well bindc confcience as the law; and ifit be not obeyed, will as well condcmne. Men vncallcd, are fuch as neue~ heard of Chrifl , by reafon the Gofpel was ncue,r re– uealed vnto them , nor meanes of reudation offered. That there hau~ bin fuch in former ages, I make mnnifefi: thus. The world £ince the creation maybe diflinguifhcd into foure ages. The firfl,from the creation tothe flood: the fecond,from the flood ro thegiuing ofthe Law: th<third, from thegiuing ofthe Law to the death ofChrifl:the fourth,from the death B in the bookes of the ola Te!tament, which men rhrough the whole world might haue read,fearcht·d, and k~owne if they "{Ottld: I anfwer, thatthe keeptngofthe bookes of the oldTt!tament, was committed tothe I ewes alone- Rom. 3• •· and therefore they were not giuep tache wholeworld, as alfo the Pfalmi!t ttflifieth,P.fai.t47·19,20. Hefoewttbhi4tiiord vmo lacob ~ his jl4tllt~Js And hiliNdgem~litJvnto 1 [rile!.- he hathnot d~~lt fo witheuery n4tion: n~i~ ther haue thry kgowne his iHdgements. of Chri!t to the lafliudgement. Now inrhe three former age• there w.s adiflinClion of the world intotwo fortsofmen, whereofone WaS> people ofGod; the other no people. In thelir!hge, inthefamilies ofSeth, Noe, &c. were: the fonnes of God, in all other ftmilies the fonnes ofmen, Gcn-6.z. In the fecond age were tbe fonnes of the flen1 and the fonncs of the promih..,Rom9·7· In therhird,IcW~sand C Gentiles:the !ewes being the Church ofGod, Now touching fuch perIons as haue not fo much as heard of Cbri!t, though they are apt and fitto be bound in confcience by the Gof– pell , io as much a; they are the creatures of God ; y~t are they not indeed ac.'lually bound till fuch time as the Gofpel aee reuealed,or at the Jean , meanes ofreuelation offered. Rea– fonshereofmay be thefe. I. Whatfoeuer do– Ctrine orlawdorh biadeconfcience, mu!tin fomc part beknownebynature,orbygrace,or by both; the voderfianding mu!t lirl! of all conceiue, orat rhe kafi: haue meanesof con– ceiuing, beforeconfcience can conll:raine; be– caufe it binderh by verrue of knowne conclu· fions in toe minde. Thorefore things that are altogether vnknowne andvnconcciued ofthe vnderftanding , doe not binde in confcience; now,the Gofpd is altogether vnknowne and vnconceiued ofmany,as I hauealreadicproo– ued; and therefore it binds not them in con• fcience. I I. Pau/Caith,Rom.2•12· They~t~hich all nations befide no Church. But in the lafl age this di!lintlion wa~ taken away,when the Apoflles had a commifsion giuen them that was neuer giuen before to any,namely, to goe teach nor only the!ewes,hut all nations-Now this di(HnClion arofe ofthis, that the Go!pel was not reuealed to the \Vorld before thecO– mingof Chrill,as the Scciptu;:ocs wirueffe.The Prcph<t faith, Efay 52• I 4• that kings {hallj/mt iheir mo~tthes at Chrifl, bms1ifc that whichhad notbintoldthith<jfoalfee,&that rvhichthry had not he•rdfoa/1 they vnderj/and: And 55.-5 ,th4t a nation that k.,notv him not [hall run vnto him. Paut faith to the Ephefians,rhat in theformer times they werewithout Cod,andwithout Chrift,ftr•n– gAersfrom th,couent~.nt~ Eph. l• 12· And to the Athenians he faith~ that the times before the comming of Chrill:, were times of ignorance, .Ail. 17. 30• And that itmaynotbethought that this ignorance was aft~Cled, Palil faith forth<r,th" God mtimes p•f/Ji.fferedtbe Gen– tiles to walk.,eUt theirownnvaus,Ail.I4.I6.and rhat the myjlerieof rhe Gofpell w.u ktptfecm l/rom tb!'beginning ofthe world, andis now in rhe iall: ag~ re~~ealedto the,whole worid;J Rom.x6·25. Some alledge that the lcws being rhc Church ofGod,had traffiquc with ali nations; and by thismeancs fpread fame little knowledgeof theMefsiasthrongh the wholeworld.I anfwer againe, that the conference& fpeech ofIew~ irf1 merchants with forraincrs was no fi1ffici~ ent tneans to publifh the promifcsof faluation D jimuwithouttht lAw[written]fit•// becodtmlied without the larv ; therefore they which fione withoutthe Gofpel, fhal be condemned with– outthe Gofpel: and fuchas fliallbecondem– ned without the Gofpel after this life, were not bound byit in this life• .AI<glif/i•erhemoli iudiciall Diuineofall rhe ancient Fathers, vpon thef< words ofChrifl: BHt"'"'they b""eno r h. txcufefor thesrji1111e, faith on this manner. ~ 2~. If• doubt may bemoued, rvhethtr they to t>hom Chrift Augo~. h4thnot come, neitherh~tthfPok!n11lltO them~hlllle ?';all. 81. anexmft,for theirJinnes. For if tluybaue 1t tJot ;J "" Ioh. why u itfoidth4t thefe (namely the Iewes)h<ue no excuft bmwft he c.me.ndjpalc;tothem? .,d ifthryhttue it,wbetherit be th.;t thetr psmi.Jhment maybetllk._tnAway quite, or inpart /e./fined. Tti thefe de~t~Ands, to my capncitie .u the LwdJhaU in•ble mee, I anjivur, To/lt thry to whom Chrift
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