A30137:350
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.
Your large Transcript of other mens sayings, to prove the good success of the Gospel of Old, did better become that People and age, then you & yours; they being a people that lived in the power thereof, but you such Bats as cannot see it. That Saying, you mention of Rigaltias, doth better become you and yours: Those now adays do retain the Name, and the Society of Christians, which live altogether Antichristian Lives: For take away Publicans, and a wretched Rabble, &c. And your Christian Churches, will be lamentable, weak, small, and insignificant things.
Your large Transcript of other mens sayings, to prove the good success of the Gospel of Old, did better become that People and age, then you & yours; they being a people that lived in the power thereof, but you such Bats as cannot see it. That Saying, you mention of Rigaltias, doth better become you and yours: Those now adays do retain the Name, and the Society of Christians, which live altogether Antichristian Lives: For take away Publicans, and a wretched Rable, &c. And your Christian Churches, will be la•entable, weak, small, and insignifieant things.
I shall add to yours another reason of the unsuccessfulness of the Gospel in our days, and that is, because so many ignorant Sir Johns, on the one hand, and so many that have done Violence to their former Light, and that have Damned themselves in their former Anathematizing of others, have now for a long time, as a Judgement of God, been permitted to be, and made the mouth to the People: Persons whose Lives are Debauched, and who in the Face of the World, after seeming serious Detestings of Wickedness, have for the Love of filthy Lucre, and the Pampering their idle Carcasses, made Shipwreck of their former Faith, and that Feigned good Conscience they had. From which number if you, Sir, have kept your self clear, the less Blood of the Damned will fall upon your head: I know you not by Face; much less your Personal Practice; yet I have heard as if Blood might pursue you, for your Unstable Weathercock Spirit, which doubtless could not but stumble the Weak, and give advantage to the Adversary to speak Vilifyingly of Religion.