To Sir Henry Vane Junior

Sir,

The churches of the saints and the world, may not be unfitly compared to the pearl and the pebble: though both of one natural substance, earth; yet the one of rare price, whose beauty is the sunbeams inclosed; the other wanting it, is cast away as refuse. What makes the saint more excellent than his neighbor, seeing both are born of flesh, both subject to the same corruptions, sickness, death, but this? The saint's excellency is nothing else but the image of Jesus Christ the Sun of righteousness shining in him: for as the moon and stars derive their light from the sun; so all the wisdom, righteousness, holiness a saint has, he derives from Christ. Hence David the King does so prize their fellowship, All my delight is in your saints, your excellent ones that are in the earth, and them that excel in virtue. Yes, it is a sure note of a citizen of Sion, that he honors them that fear the Lord: whereas worldly men without grace, are rendered in his eyes as vile. Hence the Spouse acknowledges that all her excellency comes from plantation; Let my Beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruit. Yes, Christ declares to Nicodemus that a believer's holiness comes from regeneration; that in Christ he may only glory. How does the Lord discover this his excellency to a believer, by his calling, till that time he lies among the refuse of the world, as foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But then the kindness and love of God to man appeared, by delivering him out of the kingdom of darkness, and translating him into the kingdom of his dear Son. By which it is manifest, that he is one of the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the peculiar people, whom he has called out of darkness into his marvelous light. But when does the Lord discover the truth of his calling to his conscience? Then when he gives him precious faith; for that only distinguishes him from the world that lies in sin. (Galatians 3:22) The Scripture concludes (father, mother, son, daughter, no the infant that is born of the most holiest parents) all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. So that in that same hour the Lord gives him faith, he gives him an evidence in himself, that he loved him in Christ before he was born, before he had done good or evil, that he has justified him from all those things he could not be justified by the Law, that he has purged his conscience from all dead works, that his person is accepted, his sin discharged, and he has a right to the purchased inheritance among them which are sanctified. Thus the love of Christ revealed to die for him, to take away his iniquity, and reconcile him to God; the Spirit given to take away his heart of stone, gives him a heart of flesh, to cause to walk in his statutes; yes, and draws his heart to yield obedience to every commandment of Jesus the Christ. The truth of this grace given, Right Worshipful, you can give a true testimonial; for you were once in your natural condition as well as others, till it pleased God who separated you from the womb, to call you by his grace, to reveal his Son in you; you consulted not with flesh and blood, but left your native soil, (in the persecuting times of the Prelates) choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God (according to the light they had received) than to remain in England and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Yet there the Lord exalted your Worship to be the Governor: and in that dawning light, coming forth out of mystical Babylon, the Lord discovered much spiritual knowledge, of the riches of his free grace in Jesus Christ, among you; you being freed from the yoke of the taskmasters here, the Bishops, that kept you in bondage: you had liberty there to debate those questions; which the naming only of them here, would have rendered a man odious. But Satan that envies the peace of the saints; stirred up a spirit of contention among you; especially when these queries came to be debated.

- 1 Whether there are any gracious conditions, or qualifications wrought in the soul before faith? - 2 Whether any man can gather his evidence of the assurance of his justification from his sanctification? - 3 Whether there be an active power of faith, and other gifts of grace in a Christian conversation?

The one side would not believe themselves justified, no farther than they could see themselves work; making their marks, signs, and qualifications, the causes of their justification.

The other side, laid the evidence of their justification, only by faith in the free promise: for there are four things that makes remission of sins perpetual to a believer.

First, the cause of remission, the sacrificed body of Christ on the cross, or accursed tree; (Hebrews 10:4) by one offering, he has perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Secondly, the ground is a free promise tendered to us from God; as to Adam, The seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15; John 3:16; 1 John 4:10).

Thirdly, the means is, faith apprehending it (Philippians 3:9).

Fourthly, the Spirit of Christ sealing of it (Ephesians 1:13).

This truth revealed for the comfort of poor drooping saints found great opposition; but the good Lord, stirred up your gracious spirit, to countenance, and defend them in the midst of strong opposition; and though you were slighted, and set light by at the end of your Government, as not worthy to be an assistant, with many other instruments more; yet the good Lord stood by you, and strengthened you, and delivered you from the hands of your opposers, preserved you from the dangers of the Sea; and though at your return to your Native Soil, you lived like Joseph, a while, in a despised condition, yet the Lord raised you up to sit among Princes. So that though you were willing to lose life, friends, preferment, for Christ; found you not then, life, peace, joy, in the Lord Jesus, which was better to you, than all worldly amity; according to his own promise, In the World you found affliction, but in him you found peace. And when you were called to be a Member of the high Court of Parliament, in our distressed and distracted times; the Lord made you an instrument to detect the Treacherous plot of those two brethren in evil; Thomas Lord Strafford; and William Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, that contrived the destruction of our fundamental Laws, ratified by the Statute of Magna Charta, by laboring to set up an Arbitrary Government, and keeping on foot a Polish Army, consisting of Irish Rebels, and others, to compel the faithful, and true-hearted Nobility, and loyal Commons of England, to subject themselves to their illegal Taxations: hazarding the loss of the favors of the King, Nobility, Parents, Friends, and Allies, together with those places of Honor and Maintenance, the King of clemency had freely bestowed; rather than his Country should be ruined, and enthralled, by such accord [illegible] a branch of that goodly Cedar, under whose shade, the Innocent and oppressed, tender Consciences that stand for a thorough Reformation, agreeable to the Word of God, find rest ever be forgotten, and left unrewarded; God forbid. It is worthy to be written on a Pillar of Marble; and recorded in the Chronicle: that after-ages may never forget to show kindness, and mercy to your Noble Posterity that did not think your life together with your nearest relations dear to you, so as to part with them, that you might purchase your Country's Liberty. I cannot judge him England's Friend, that envies your honor, and promotion; seeing you are (for the love you have showed to Christ his Truth, and poor Members, together with your Native Country) worthy of double honor. Now (worthy Sir) seeing all your excellency is nothing else, but the image of Jesus Christ, the Son of righteousness shining in you. Disdain not to receive from the hand of a poor despised instrument that presents this Treatise, The Learned Conference of Master John Cotton, that he had with the Elders, at the Bay of Boston in New England. Though I am the least of all saints, not worthy to be called a saint; because in the time of the Prelates' reign; I sided with them, in persecuting the faith of Jesus Christ, and imprisoning of his Members; but did it ignorantly, through unbelief, and when the Lord pierced my heart for it; I trembling, cried, What shall I do? The Holy Spirit and the Bride said, Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, for the remission of sins, and I should receive the gifts of the Spirit, &c. Then Noble Sir, though I procrastinated it for a season, at last, I was not disobedient to the heavenly voice, but arose, and was Baptized; for this cause, have been much opposed by my old Friends, and Countrymen. But yet remain a Loyal Covenanter, that stands for a Reformation in England, and Ireland, agreeable to the Word of God, and the best Reformed Churches: seeing it is not the voice of the Churches, but Christ in the Churches we Covenanted to hearken to as Master Case his Sermon yet testifies.

First, To extirpate Popery; (which I apprehended at the taking of the National Covenant) was that doctrine of Antichrist, which does universally oppose the doctrine of Jesus the Christ. Affirming what Christ denies; and denying what Christ affirms.

Secondly, Prelacy, namely the Government of Arch-bishops, and Bishops, and all Ecclesiastical Officers depending on that Hierarchy, Root and Branch: as a plant the heavenly Father has not planted.

Thirdly, Superstition: namely, whatever is supra Statutum, that has not the word of God to warrant it.

Fourthly, Schism: namely, from all those that teach, and consent not to the wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; from such I must withdraw (1 Timothy 6:3, 5).

Fifthly, Heresy: even from all them that deny that Jesus is the Christ; they are Antichrist that deny the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son, the same has not the Father (1 John 2:22, 23).

Sixthly, That the Lord may be one: namely, even the Lord Jesus the Christ, whom God raised from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places; far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but that which is to come: and has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all (Ephesians 1:20, 21, 22, 23).

Seventhly, And his Name to be one in the three Kingdoms: (that is, as I conceive it) his power, authority, and royal Commission must be exalted in all his Offices, to be the eternal King, eternal Prophet, and eternal Priest, in all things appertaining to the conscience: seeing the loyal Spouse of Christ has no Head, no Husband, no Lord, no Law-giver, but royal King Jesus. That we, and our posterity after us, may live in faith, and love; and the Lord may delight to dwell among us.

For the keeping of which Covenant, I had rather choose to die, than to deny the faith of Jesus the Christ: knowing, that he which confesses him before men, him he will confess before his Father. But he which is ashamed of Christ, and his words, in this sinful and adulterous generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with the holy Angels (Mark 8:38). Thus I desire, in the first place, to give to God the things that are God's; and, in the next place, render to the high and honorable Court of Parliament, whereof your Honor is a Member, and to your King, when the Lord shall put it into his heart to return to his Parliament, and to join with you, all your dues, tributes, customs, fear, honor; and subject myself to obey all your just, legal, and civil commandments: knowing, that you set not up the sword for nought; but to be a terror to them that do evil, and a praise, a guard and defense, for them that do well.

Your poor orator at the throne of grace, that earnestly prays, that the Lord will give you, and the great council of the kingdom, wisdom and prudence, to bear with tender consciences, that desire to exalt Jesus the Christ in all his royal offices, FRAN. CORNWELL. Orpington, in Kent, the ninth month, 1645.