A30137:296
A defence of the doctrine of justification, by faith in Jesus Christ
A defence of the doctrine of justification, by faith in Jesus Christ: showing, true Gospel-holiness flows from thence. Or, Mr. Fowler's pretended design of Christianity, proved to be nothing more then to trample under foot the blood of the Son of God and the idolizing of man's own righteousness. As also, how while he pretends to be a minister of the Church of England, he overthroweth the wholesome doctrine contained in the 10th. 11th. and 13th. of the Thirty Nine Articles of the same, and that he falleth in with the Quaker, and Romanist, against them. By John Bunyan.A defence of the doctrine of justification, by faith in Jesus Christ: shewing, true Gospel-holiness flows from thence. Or, Mr. Fowler's pretended design of Christianity, proved to be nothing more then to trample under foot the blood of the Son of God and the idolizing of man's own righteousness. As also, how while he pretends to be a minister of the Church of England, he overthroweth the wholesom doctrine contained in the 10th. 11th. and 13th. of the Thirty Nine Articles of the same, and that he falleth in with the Quaker, and Romanist, against them. By John Bunyan.
London: printed for Francis Smith, 1673
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Answ. 1. Seeing all these are, and may be known, as you your self confess, by them that have not the Gospel; and I add, nor yet the Holy Ghost, nor any saving Knowledge of God, or Eternal Life: Therefore it cannot be the Design of Jesus Christ, by the Gospel, to Promote, or help forward this Knowledge, simply from this Principle: viz. Natural Light, and the Dictates of it. My Reason is, because when Nature is strained to the highest Pin, it is but Nature still; and so all the improvement of it's Light, and Knowledge, is but an increase of that which is but Natural. Now, saith Paul, The Natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. 2.
But the Gospel is the Ministration of the Spirit; a Revelation of another thing then is found in, or can be acquired to, by Heathenish Principles of Nature.
I say, a Revelation of another thing; or rather, another discovery of the same. As,
1. Concerning the Godhead; the Gospel giveth us another discovery of it, then is possible to be obtained by the Dictates of Natural Light, even, a discovery of a Trinity of Persons, and yet Unity of Essence, in the same Deity.