And it shall be a work of difficulty to prove that to be circumcised was necessary to salvation, and these that so taught Act. 115. and Gal. chap. 5. did teach an error of it self fundamental and that subverted the faith: who ever then would be circumcised fell from Christ Gal. 5. as Paul saith, but that was by consequence, sure it was not an error, in terminis fundamental, as this, Christ is not the Saviour of mankind, only it was an error that by consequence subverted the foundation, and was a falling from Christ by consequence, and a coming again under the debt of the whole law, and of salvation by the law, which was ever impossible, and to say it was necessary to salvation, necessitate medij, so as all the Galatians who received Christ and the Gospel and would have plucked out their eyes for Paul, who died ignorant of ⟨p. 63⟩this point (who ever will now be circumcised is fallen from Christ) were eternally damned, and dyed out of Christ is a groundless saying: there was a glorious Church in Galatia before Paul wrote that epistle to them, for he wrote it upon occasion of their being seduced, who were made believe the necessity of circumcision, and it is clear Paul would not have written that of circumcision, if that error had not been sown among them by false teachers, if therefore such as were made believe that had not been bewitched to believe the necessity of Ceremonies for justification, they being in Christ, should have been saved by faith, though this controversy in terminis had never come to their ears: whither are believers justified by faith only, or must they also be circumcised and keep the Law? that they may be justified and saved. And sure many are now in our days (which is more) glorified, who never knew, but only virtually, and implicitly, that to be circumcised, or to keep Jewish days is not necessary to justified persons, yea sure many in Britain are saved who never knew this fundamental truth. 2. Act. 15. it is clear that some taught the brethren, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved: the contrary truth is no express fundamental truth, because a fundamental truth expressly necessary is so necessary (necessitate medij) as without the knowledge thereof we cannot be saved.
And it shall be a work of difficultie to prove that to be circumcised was necessary to salvation, and these that so taught Act. 115. and Gal. chap. 5. did teach an errour of it self fundamentall and that subverted the faith: who ever then would be circumcised fell from Christ Gal. 5. as Paul saith, but that was by consequence, sure it was not an errour, in terminis fundamentall, as this, Christ is not the Saviour of mankinde, onely it was an errour that by consequence subverted the foundation, and was a falling from Christ by consequence, and a comming again under the debt of the whole law, and of salvation by the law, which was ever impossible, and to say it was necessary to salvation, necessitate medij, so as all the Galathians who received Christ and the Gospel and would have plucked out their eyes for Paul, who died ignorant of ⟨p. 63⟩this point (who ever will now be circumcised is fallen from Christ) were eternally damned, and dyed out of Christ is a groundlesse saying: there was a glorious Church in Galatia before Paul wrote that epistle to them, for he wrote it upon occasion of their being seduced, who were made believe the necessitie of circumcision, and it is clear Paul would not have written that of circumcision, if that errour had not been sowen among them by false teachers, if therefore such as were made beleive that had not beene bewitched to believe the necessitie of Ceremonies for justification, they being in Christ, should have been saved by faith, though this controversie in terminis had never come to their ears: whither are believers justified by faith onely, or must they also be circumcised and keep the Law? that they may be justified and saved. And sure many are now in our dayes (which is more) glorified, who never knew, but onely virtually, and implicitely, that to be circumcised, or to keep Jewish dayes is not necessary to justified persons, yea sure many in Britaine are saved who never knew this fundamentall truth. 2. Act. 15. it is cleare that some taught the brethren, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved: the contrary truth is no expresse fundamentall truth, because a fundamentall truth expressely necessary is so necessary (necessitate medij) as without the knowledge thereof we cannot be saved.
- 1To teach the necessity of circumcision not an error formally and primarily; but by consequence fundamental and the contrary truth not necessary necessitate medij.To teach the necessity of circumcision not an error formally and primarily; but by consequence fundamentall and the contrary truth not necessarie necessitate medij.
