1675. how it was followed by our first reformers, and particularly by them in compiling our Articles. Nor doth he omit any thing considerable, that could be said upon the head of all the rest of the Confessions, to prove that they taught, that besides faith true repentance was moreover necessary for the obtaining remission of sins and justification. Where the words of the noble Confession of Strasburg, which had been misinterpreted by his adversary, are by him challenged; and some passages which had been cited from others very much illustrated. Dr. Tully charged with seve ral errors. XLV. And having fully justified the conformity of his doctrine to the determination of the Church of England, and to that of the other reformed churches, he goeth on to shew, that his learned adversary hath in several points contradicted both. By which he is led into the consideration of several other matters of the greatest moment, which are here distinctly and fundamentally handled; and the true catholic doctrine stated and vindicated, in opposition to certain novel opinions. More particularly, he chargeth his adversary with maintaining these four heterodoxies among others; 1st, That repentance is no ways necessary for obtaining the first justification, or pardon for sin. e2d, That our justification, being once obtained by faith alone, the continuation of it doth not depend upon the condition of good works, to be performed by us for the time to come. 3d, 'That a man, being once endowed with justifying faith, can never afterwards so far fall from it as to be lost for 4th, That Christ did only satisfy and offer ever. d Apol. sect. vii. n. 2. e N. 6. f Apol. vii. n. 7—23. N. 24. &c. himself upon the cross for the sins of the elect. All 1675. which positions he proveth to be repugnant to the clear and express definitions of the Church of England, and of other reformed churches, and indeed of the whole catholic church. Fathers of the Romans. And whereas Dr. Tully had pretended, that the The ancient harmonist had but very few of the ancients of his Mr. Bull's opinion, as to his interpretation of the seventh to upon the the Romans; and that after the life of Pelagius, all, seventh of or almost all of the Fathers were express against him, and that of modern divines, he had not above one or two of any eminency for him; Mr. Bull hath proved, that besides Irenæus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Macarius, Origen, Basil, Cyril, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and as many more that had been cited by Vossius and other learned men, for this interpretation of his; there were six other illustrious testimonies, which he himself had discovered, viz. Justin Martyr, Clemens Alexandrinus, Marcus Eremita, Dorotheus, Pacianus and Ennodius. Then he sheweth, that the interpretation of some of the moderns, espoused by his adversary, is very far from the sense and mind of St. Augustin himself, whom they so much seem to depend on: as also that the Greek fathers and doctors, even after St. Augustin and Pelagius, did constantly adhere to the interpretation received and approved in the catholic church; yea, that even all the Latin Fathers after that time, did still persist in the ancient and primitive exposition of St. Paul. And among the moderns, Mr. Bull produceth both of the Romanists and of the foreign protestants, that were eminent, a considerable number for his opinion, besides Dr. Jackson, Dr. Ham 1675. mond, bishop Taylor, and others of our own countrymen: afterwards he answers several objections of his adversary, particularly that his interpretation was not conformable to the doctrine of our church. And whereas it was urged, that there was a great agreement between the Harmonist's and the Romanist's doctrine of justification; that objection is retorted in this Apology upon the accusers: and it is herein shewn, that the doctor's opinion doth perfectly harmonize with the popish one, established in the council of Trent, which will not have true contrition of sins to be necessary for justification, and which is contended for in opposition to the decree of that council by our apologist. 1676. also answers XLVI. In the year 1676, there was published Mr. Baxter also an Answer to Dr. Tully, by Mr. Richard Baxter, Dr. Tully. under the title of, A Treatise of Justifying Righteousness: in two books; the first related to Imputed Righteousness, and with an Answer to Dr. Tully's Letter; the second contained, A friendly Debate with the learned and worthy Mr. Christopher Cartwright; containing, 1. His Animadversions on my Aphorisms, with my Answer. 2. His Exceptions against that Answer. 3. My Reply to the Sum of the Controversies agitated in those Exceptions. All published instead of a fuller Answer to the Assaults of Dr. Tully's Justificatio Paulina, Lond. 8vo. Of which treatise of Dr. Tully he sticketh not to give this character, that it is defective in point of truth, justice, charity, ingenuity, and pertinency to the matter. Nevertheless he several times acknowledg h Part i. chap. 6. eth the doctor to be a very worthy person, and con- 1676. sequently one, that could not willingly be guilty of any such defect as he is here charged with. And indeed, it was the unhappiness both of Mr. Baxter and him, that they gave but too much reason for the imputation, under which they both equally lay, of being angry writers. This treatment of him by Mr. Baxter I the rather mention, that, if some things in Mr. Bull's Apology may appear a little too severe upon this writer, the reader may easily think there was some occasion for it more than could have been wished. For the good man it seems had represented to himself those three, Bull, Bellarmin, and Baxter, as the three great adversaries of the faith, which was professed by him, and which he verily believed to be no other than that of the Church of England: and thence he falleth so very foul upon each of these, as if they were in a triple league together, and layeth about with all his might to overthrow what he, supposeth to have been designed by them, against that which he esteemed as the very Christian palladium, and is by him so called. The first and last of these pleaded their own cause, as we have seen; and not without success, especially the first; so only Bellarmin is left to shift for himself, who, after all, wrote notwithstanding on this subject with more moderation than most of his communion, or he himself who formed the charge against him, and who for certain was dragged into the controversy, only for the sake of the other two. i Tombes There was also another answer, about the same How Mr. time, to Mr. Bull's Harmonia, written in Latin by animad i Justif. Paulin. P verted upon 1676. John Tombes, B. D. who hath been before mentioned; of which I find very little notice to have been Mr. Bull. taken, though some will have it that there were few better disputants in his age than he was; and it is certain, that he had studied this controversy for some time before, both in his debates with the antinomians, and those which he had with the greatest opposer of them among the presbyterians. For he had, near about twenty years before, written also in Latin m some Animadversions upon Mr. Baxter's Aphorisms concerning Justification; and had, on the other hand, preached likewise in London, before an eminent congregation, several sermons against Dr. Crisp, and certain dangerous mistakes and misapplications of the protestant doctrine of justification. Mr. Baxter, it seemeth, printed these animadversions of his adversary, but without acquainting him first therewith, and replied to them. This dealing, Mr. Tombes, being thereby prevented from explaining himself farther as he had intended, hath complained of as hard; even as Mr. Baxter hath done of Dr. Tully: and hereupon he drew out all his artillery against Mr. Bull, whom he considered as an enemy of greater weight, and one from whom he might expect also other treatment; and therefore was resolved to make his last effort now upon one, that was esteemed the most perfect master in controversy, and who had brought together the whole strength of the cause in which he was engaged, with all the management and learning that could set it n 1 Ed. Calam. Abridgment of Mr. Baxter's m Animadversiones quædam in Aphorismos k Athen. Oxon. n " Epist. Ded. ad |