written sometimes be A. B. that Man can only be saved and justified by the merits of CHRIST but the contradiction of it is false which she likewise writes that we must add our own merits to CHRISTS Sacrifice This contradiction is not taken away by the subterfuge of the Ap. pt 2. p. 98. 99. Where he says her meaning was that we cannot be saved without mortification for mortification is our duty and not our merit for Mans merit with GOD is Chimerical a thing impossible In the end of the third Section it was shown how A. B. contradicteth her self anent the faculty of knowing Divine Inspiration And another of her contradictions was hinted in the former Number in answering the fourth Objection namly she says that she was Divinely Inspired to write all her Books if that saying be true then the contradiction of it must be false that she wrote the most part of them without Divine Inspiration which clearly follows from her bidding us let alone her Accessories which fill most of her Books To believe and not to believe a Doctrine is a contradiction but A. B. requires the belief of her Doctrine that fills all her Books because written by Divine Inspiration and yet requires us not to believe her Accessories or the most part of her Doctrines because she wrote them not by Divine Inspiration which is a contradiction I shall adduce two or three more of A. Bs. contradictions and then for the time let them alone 1. It is affirmed that many Heathens resigned their wills to God and were faithful to Him tho they had no laws whereby to know Him L W pt 3. p. 123. but herein she contradicteth her self in the very next page viz. 124. by affirming that those Heathens had Laws from GOD with the Doctrine of Jesus Christ 2. Man of himself is more inclined to Good than to Evil L. W. pt 2. p. 2. And yet she writes that our self-will is capable to move it self only to evil L. W. pt 2. p. 76. which is a flat contradiction 3. The Ap. approves A. Bs. crying down all Schools and Learning Pastors and Church-Government and that GOD calls no Man to a place in the Church and yet he says that he would not seperate from a lawful Bishop p. 349. Where are abundance of contradictions for to have no Church Government and yet to join with it is a contradiction so to seperate from those whom GOD hath not called and not to seperate how contradictious is it SECTION V. How Errours in Books shall be discerned IT is somewhat difficult to give certain Rules whereby any person not well versed in Divinity can distinguish Truth from Errour in reading Books except the Holy Scriptures in which there is no Errour at all but infallible Truth only Yet I shall give some helps to know what Truths are written in other Books 1. Consider well if what is written be Conform to the proportion of Faith Rom. 12.6 For false Prophets are known by their fruits that is their Doctrine and Actions Mat. 7.15 Luke 6.45 If they contemn wrest or gainsay the Holy Scriptures in the least they are Erronious 2. We are likewise premonished from the unerring Canon of the Holy Scriptures that the teachers of false Doctrine are very proud overveening of themselves and undervaluing all others in comparison of themselves and their partie Isaiah 65.5 Who say stand by thy self come not near to me for I am holier than thou these are a smoke in my nose and a fire that burneth all the day 2 Tim. 3.2.4 They are proud boasters headie and high minded so 1 Tim. 1.7 Desiring to be Teachers of the Law understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm Thus Simon Magus gave himself out that he was Some great one Acts 8.9 and the following Histories of the Church have narrated that both Hereticks and Schismaticks still vented intolerable spiritual pride such as Manes Arrius Pelagius Novatus and Donatus And albeit St. Paul declared that he was not inferiour to the chiefest Apostles in vindication of his Office against the contempt cast upon it by false Teachers it were most impertinent arrogancie for any now to pretend to such praise since they have not St. Pauls infallible Spirit and an immediat call from GOD to preach and write Books 3. It is a good Rule which is written by Sir Thomas Brown in his Book of Vulgar Errours c. 1. That all deceivers write Sophistically so that any man who is acquainted with the Rules of Logick when he readeth erronious arguing let him try and he will finde it captious and peccant against the Rules of true reasoning either in the matter or the form or in them both where he also proveth clearly by instances from the Scriptures that the first Sophisms or fallacious way of argumenting had the Devil for the Author 4. All erronious writters usually hyperbolize too much through ignorance or self conceit still running unto extreams either praising or dispraising to an excessive degree as in dispraising avarice they commend Prodigality and contrariwise they cannot reprove Prodigality without perswading to penuriousness but liberality is the virtue in the midst So the Circumcellions of old thought that the only way to Heaven was by suffering therefore they wandred unwisely to and fro like mad-men seeking people to kill them and many writters have fallen into grievous Errours splitting on these Rocks or Shelfs unwarily like the Ships which steering too far off from the hazardous Shylla fall into Charybdis whereas the safest sailing is in the midst betwixt the two In like manner we see some writters in commending the Love of GOD to derogate from Faith and good works they call them merit whereas the writters of Truth aim always to give every thing its due praise or dispraise without declining from the just measure either to the extream of the excess or the defect SECTION VI. Q. If any should read the Books of A. B. An. THey who are well studied in the Systems of Divinity may profitably read some good things in very ill Books such as the Turks Alcaron Socinian-Books Hobs Laeviathan and the Pamphlets of Enthusiasts and still confuting Errours as they meet with them but I think that none can safely read the Books of A. B. excepting only those who can distinguish Truth from Errour according to the Rules given in the last Section because of the snake lurking in the Grass Obj. 1. You despise the writtings of A. B. because she was a Woman Ap. p. 146. A. I honour the Sex but am not bound to approve a Womans Erronious doctrine such excessive respect is not due to an Angel from Heaven Gal. 1.8 Obj. 2. A. Bs. Books are carped at as Philo the Jew and Celsus did with the BIBLE censuring half Sentences in sundry places not heeding the Scope or looking to what is said before or what followes after or is explained in other parts of her writtings A. That Challenge says nothing to one who Censures A. Bs. Books throughly hath taken to task her whose Hypothesis and proved that she was not Divinely Inspired and erred egregiously in her writtings both anent the Essentials of Religion and all the points thereof Obj. 3. She wrote well of Love to GOD. A. You may read other Books on that subject who have written far better and are free of errors Neither knew she well the Love of GOD who had not Charity to Man 1 John 4.20 SECTION VII If Borignianists be a New Sect. THe Ap. p. 349. denyeth that they are a New Sect because they provide no Orders for a new Society forbidding to join with any other I grant they have not done it formally but doubtless they have designed it when their number should increase since they defame all Christian Churches yet they would think it too severe a Censure to compare their pride to Erostratus who since he could not do any great thing that was good did burn the Temple of Diana at Ephesus only to get himself a name in the World I am of opinion that the followers of A. B. shall ere long vanish away as the Bhemanists have done whom I have known to make as great a figure as the Borignianists do now as St. Athanasius said of the Arrians a far more dreadful Party it will be but a little Cloud which will soon pass over in Latine Nubecula citò transitura AMEN
Divinely Inspired or to be led by the Spirit of God in writting to write by an Infallible Spirit as the Prophets and Apostles did who were the Amanuenses of the Holy Ghost 2. Though she durst not speak it out in plain Terms that she acclaimed no less than such a Spirit as the Prophets and Apostles had lest the Readers at the first sight had cryed fy upon her for Blasphemie but goes on in Clouds and Darkness never declaring in what Sense she was Divinely inspired yet I say on the matter she acclaimed no less for these Reasons 1. First because when it was objected to her by Divines that she had not such Knowledge as the Prophets had and wrought no Miracles she shifted to give any direct answer but slily strived to diminish their Credit and of the Holy Scriptures also alleadging that the Prophets knew not all things which they wrote that all of them wrought not Miracles that the Devil had opened the eyes of the blind and raised the Dead and that the Lord himself was mistaken I tremble relating it anent the Fig Tree Mat. 11.19 L. W. pt 1. p. 136. Ap. p. 168.203.204.205.206 and 222.223 All which Calumnies might be easily refuted but I leave that Task to those who are writting against them more Copiously 2. The very Title of her Book is Blasphemous to wit The Light of the World which is the Epithite given to CHRIST and his Apostles and in assuming that Title she equaliseth her self to them tho injuriously 3. It is evident that she pretended to such a Spirit as the Apostles had when she affirmed that she could write such a Book as the New Testament L. W. pt 1 p 133. Now if she could have so written then she could have done it either by a fallible or infallible Spirit if only by a fallible Spirit then it could not have been such a Book but if by an infallible Spirit then she acclaimed such a Spirit as the Apostles had which the Objector denyes Many more Instances might be adduced to this purpose but these may suffice 3. Thirdly I answer to the grand Objection that she pretended not to write a New Canon or Rule of Faith but only to expound the Scriptures giving but not granting that her pretensions did run no higher that same is too high The Quakers acknowledge that their Spirit is somewhat inferiour to the Prophets Quakerism no Popery p. 32.33 Mr. G. K. The learned Author whereof is no Quaker now Yea the Roman Church it self would be offended if any man should say that they coine new Tenets in Religion or that they did more by their Dogmatising then to expound the Scriptures and dispense the Churches Traditions but by a Prophetical Light and Divine influence as their doctrine in this point is well collected by Amyrald in Thes Salmur de aut Script n. 15.16 So for A. B. to pretend Divine Conduct to expound the Scriptures better than all others is too great Arrogancie Q. Will you not allow A. B. to have had more of Divine Conduct than you have done alreadie that possibly she had it only in some things which she did and taught as ordinarily every Godly Person hath in what he does aright A. I have granted enough in the said Terms and more I cannot because it is sufficiently proved that she was not Divinely inspired as the Pen-men of the Holy Scriptures were either to add to the Canonical Books or to interpret Scripture infallibly as they did neither was she led by the Divine Spirit as an ordinary Officer in the Church to interpret and apply the Scriptures which is Preaching since she was not fitted for that end by the means of Gods appointment nor yet observed the Rules thereof Neh. 8.8 Ezra the Scribe with the Priests and Levits read in the Book of the Law distinctly and gave the sense and made the People to understand the reading Timothy the Evangelist was enjoined Reading 1 Tim. 4.13 and since his Days all Holy and Wise Men who interpret the Scriptures pray to God for the Direction of his Spirit which indyted them that they may Prophecie according to the Proportion of Faith Rom. 12.6 They compare Scripture with Scripture and look to the Scope of the place they study the Languages in which the Scriptures were first written Histories likewise and Customs of several Countries Proverbial Speeches and famous Writters of them which are often cited and frequent Allusions made thereto in the Holy Scriptures they read the Creeds Confessions of Faith Catechisms and Systems of Divinity of the Orthodox Churches both Ancient and Modern they search for Truth by the Literal Sense of the whole Scriptures pondering well whether or no the speech be in Terms proper to the things treated of or borrowed from other things which is called a figurative Speech By these and the like means the settled and ordinary Teachers and Expositors of the Scriptures doe begging the blessing of God Humbly and Assiduously endeavour to be fitted for the great and Sacred function of labouring in the Word and Doctrine But A. B. does not so much as pretend to use these means nor yet to expound the Scriptures by the true Rules but on the Contrary she laid by the Scriptures and contemned all Systems of Divinity and other helps of Learning Therefore she was not fit or qualified to expound the Scriptures even as an ordinary Teacher So since A. B. was not led by the Spirit of God to write her Books and expound the Scriptures either in an Ordinary or Extraordinary way It remains then that she performed these things by no other Faculty but by Guessing and vain Divination nor can I add a Fourth Member to this Tripartite Division tho possibly the fertile Brain of a new Ap. will gender one shewing how one can be led by the Spirit of God to write not by an Infallible Spirit nor as an Ordinary Teacher nor yet to be a Meer Guesser or pretender to it which as the Roman Proverb was Let the credulous Jew believe not I. To put a Period to this long Section I shall produce all the pretended Reasons which the Ap pt 3. p. 240 and 241. Alleadgeth for proving A. B. to have been Divinely Inspired and shall answer them severally as if they had been Objected against my Conclusion on this Head Obj. 1. Her Doctrine was conform to the Scriptures therefore she was Divinely Inspired A. 1. Denying the Antecedent for her Doctrine was mostly contrary to the Scriptures as God willing shall be Manifested in the next Section 2. I deny likewise the Consequence because a persons Doctrine may be conform to the Scriptures who had no extraordinary Inspiration Obj. 2. She was Unlearned and yet exceeded the greatest Divines A. 1. She exceeded them only in Vanity 2. George Fox was unlearned so he gave it out that all his Divinity was revealed to him among the Hils of Lancaster And Jacob Bhemen the pretended illuminated Sutor wrote seventeen Books
Sacraments have we not as luculent Precepts for the constant use of them as of any other duties Mat. 28.19 Go teach all Nations baptising them c. 1 Cor. 11.23 I have received of the LORD that which also I delivered unto you and V. 26. As often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup c. A. B did snatch the Objection against the baptising of Infants from the Socinians and Anabaptists which is most frivolous that it is not commanded in express terms in the Scriptures Origen who lived in the second Centurie writting on Mat. 6.5.6.7 Assureth us that the Church had it always and that by tradition from the Apostles Yet are we more sure that it is a clear consequence from the Scriptures which being natural from the Text and undistorted doth ever import a Scriptural truth As we read Mat. 22.29 Our Saviour charged the Saducees anent the great Article of the Resurrection That they did err not knowing the Scriptures albeit not the express words of the Text Exod. 3.6 which he cited were directly against them but the consequence thereof so upon this sound foundation Infant Baptism is firmly grounded for the Sacraments are not only Signs but likewise Seals of the New Covenant and they to whom the gracious promises and conditions of the Heavenly Charter belong have a right also to the Seals appended thereunto Gen. 17.7.10 The Promise is to Thee and thy Children said GOD to Abraham Baptism comes in the place of Circumcision which was administred to Children when eight days old The right Preaching of the Word and Administration of the Sacraments are the ordinary means of our Salvation and undoubted marks of the true Church The Ap. pt 2 p. 154. to 159. Alleadgeth what he can to justifie A. B. in this which doth not satisfie 1 That she was above Ordinances Which is a vain boasting and contrary to GODS direction Gant 1.8 2 That she durst not go to the Popish Churches for fear of her life She could not be in alike hazard every where and how doth that excuse her for teaching that no Bodie needs go to Church or partake of the Sacraments 3 That she wrote a Book in defence of the Sacraments against the Quakers The Quaker who offended her was rebuked therefore by his Partie and they were reconciled with A. B. And at the best she contradicteth her self in this Point POINT VII Of Pastors and Church Government THe supposed Gentle-woman and pretended Illuminated A. B. and her Defender or Ap. transforming themselves into Angels of Light S. V. pt 1. p. 112 in all their writtings about Religion have indulged the swing of their absolut and independent free will in nothing more than in their ranting and railing at the Pastors of CHRISTS Flock and the Church Government For thus they write that it is unlawful for any to make it a trade or office to teach others S. V. pt 1. p. 115. L. W. pt 3 p. 90. The office of a Priest is an enemie to the resignation of Souls to GOD and Ap. pt 1. p. 53. All the evils of Christendom comes from the Pastors and all the Peoples degeneracie from their Guides I could adduce many more passages to the purpose but it is needless when the Ap. pt 2. p. 158. declares that the L. W. which is the chief of A. Bs. Books the Key and Rule of all the rest was written on purpose against the Pastors because of the degeneracie of the Roman Church Hereupon it may be reflected without debaiting if she was not injurious to write so against all the Pastors of the Church of Rome without exception of any how can it be thought true that she wrote against the Pastors of that Church only since she declares the Pastoral-Office it self to be unlawful and declaims as much against Protestants as Papists and besides them all Pastors in Christendom not excepting any either in the Greek or Abassine Churches or any where else in the World But on the matter it self how contrary is their Doctrine to the Holy Scriptures Whereby we are well instructed that the Alwise GOD who made Man a social Creature naturally inclined to society and thereby needing both Laws and Government did always prescribe Laws to Mankind and for the benefite thereof positively appointed the Government both Civil and Ecclesiastick and by a special designation Pastors and Church-Officers for his own immediat service and the Salvation of Peoples Souls Eph. 4.11.12.13 He gave Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of CHRIST till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the SON of GOD unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of CHRIST Heb 5.4 No man taketh this honour upon himself but he that iâ— called of GOD as was Aaron Where the true Pastor is there the true Church is and when the Shepherd is smitten the Sheep are scattered abroad Mat. 26.31 So it is one of the main Policies of Satan for destroying the Church altogether to endeavour to bring all the Pastors under contempt as a fit mean for subverting the office it self and consequently to ruin the Church of CHRIST Such railing against all Pastors and the Sacred Function it self is as A flood of water cast out of the mouth of the Old Serpent the accuser of the Brethren for To drown if he could the Woman who is cloathed with the Sun that is the Church of GOD. Rev. 12.9.10.15 The accute Ap. when he readeth this part of the Advertisement may possibly say that the language savours of too much passion and the inference is too hard for may not A. Bs. words bear a more favourable interpretation such as that of the Disc Academ p. 16. 23. That Pastors and Church Government Sacraments and the publick Worship of GOD have no certain connexion with Mans Salvation nor are they certain necessary and infallible means of recovering the love of GOD and A. B. one where or another of her writtings mentioneth the Office of Pastors as a thing that may be reformed and to say that Sacred Offices or means ordained by GOD for his own Glory and Mans Salvation may be reformed is a more moderat Sentiment to hold their phrase than that they are simply unlawful and should be quite abolished Hereto it is answered that I designed in this Censure to evite all hard words as much as possible could be without prejudice of truth which is herein defended yet it is allowed as a maxime among moralists either in speaking writting or other actions to sharpen reason not by our own passions or affections but by these which the cause requireth I called her writting on this point against the Pastoral Office Ranting because her language to that purpose is the same with that of the wild Sect of the Ranters and railing which is calumniating or a wrongous caracterising and ascribing undue epithites to
4. Subs 1. n. 3. how the exotick opinions of some School-men gave her wrong Sentiments of Angels in like manner hearing of some nice points debated among School men and Philosophers she was apt to adopt the worst side of the Problem which being once made hers out it flyes into the World as a new revealed verity for example A. B teacheth S. V. pt 1. p. 96. And the Ap. homologates pt 1. p. 62. That both our Souls and Bodies are propogated from Adam Contrary to Heb. 12.9 where GOD is called the Father of Spirits or the creatour of our Souls in contradistinction to our natural parents who are there termed the Fathers of our flesh And many other of her Accessories she might have learned by ordinary discourse as that the Heretick Eunomius and generally the Gnosticks out of a pretence of magnifying Faith said that good works were not necessary This false and odious opinion her La. after her charitable manner doth most frequently father upon all Protestants without due consideration that St. Aug. confuted it L. de fide oper Whose orthodox strain is followed by Calvin and all Proteslant writters and Billarmine himself de Justif L. 3 c 6. Vindicats Protestants of the foresaid imputation Obj. 2. It was asserted in my hearing by some whom the Borignianists had mistuned that there are more than two thousand verities speaking of these Accessories set out in the Books of A. B. which are not to be read in all the writtings either of Papists or Protestants A. I have discovered in her Books more than an hundreth falsities but have seen none of these new disclosed verities and if any favorite of hers shall be at the pains to number them let him take heed that he make not a false muster or rather such an appearance as drunken men see of great armies in the Air which instantly and quite disappear when sober people are curious to view them And if Accessories be called New Verities they should be rejected on that very head by reason that no truth can be new and all Truths are older than Errours Obj. 3. Have there not been some persons Divinely Inspired Teachers in all Ages such as Antonie and Paul the Anachorets St. Terese St. Briget and St. Katharine Theular and Thomas a Kempeis And were it not for fear of your Pastoral Office A. B. would be respected as one of these and her Books held worthy of all acceptation A. 1. There should be no ground to fear the falling of the Pastoral Office altho many now living were inspired in the measure of the Prophets and Apostles which will never be seeing the Canon of the Scriptures is compleat because the Pastoral Office is appointed of GOD for his especial Service and his perpetual presence is promised to be therewith even as if a King should reveal his will secretly to some special favorits it would no wayes follow from thence that the standing Laws should not be the peoples Rule and be expounded and executed by the settled Judges 2. None of these were infallibly inspired and no more was A. B. neither do I read that Paul and Anthonie the Egyptian Monks spake against the established Offices in the Church though they chused a Monastick Life in time of Persecution If A. B. had any Precedent it was the Spanish Nun Teresa who yet pretended not to be the singular or sole Doctrix of the whole World as A. B. did Thomas a Kempis and Teular were good men but why doth not the Ap. call St. Aug. Bernard and many more eminent men as well inspired as they Obj. 4. To what purpose is all this reasoning against A. Bs. Accessorie Doctrines Since the Ap. did premonish pt 1. Car. 13. p. 38. That if any person did not relish the Accessories he might let them alone that is to say he shall not be bound to believe them and let him forbear to dispute against them how much soever he be dipleased therewith A. That is a shift put into the mouths of all who are become raâ—hly fond of all A. Bs. writtings but it is such a silly shift that I marvel to hear any rationall person pronounce it for a defence when he is pressed with good Arguments against her Errours from Scripture and Reason In the common use of the phrase to let a thing alone is to forbear or to medle or concern with it on such an occasion as when a Boy is to be chastised for a fault he cryes let me alone but let us examine the Aps own gloss of the expression 1. First he says the meaning is you need not believe A. Bs. Accessories to be true unless you please Here he enjoins a rare thing Did ever any other persons pretending to be Divinely Inspired in all their writtings leave the Readers at libertie to believe the half of them to be true or no! Why did she mix and confound them in all her twenty two Books with the Essentials of Religion which ought to be believed and how can unlearned people seperate the Gold from the dross 2. He sayes dispute not against them so says Mahomet in his Alcaron c. 5. and elsewhere If Truth be in them it should be believed if falsehood it ought to be confuted or disputed against and many of them are such as is already proven Obj. 5. It hath been said to me that whoso writes against A. B. will be answered even as the writtings of Le. Clerk at Amsterdam and all Socinian Books are still defended by some persons tho they give much offence to the Church men were it not better then to forbear disputing in matters of Theologie than to increase it A. I aprove not A. Bs. Sentiments in this case who declares that the writtings of Luther Calvin and all the Reformers whom she accounts Hereticks should have been quite despised and not answered or themselves cut off L. W. pt 1. p. 27. It is our duty to dispute for the Truth and altho Errours have Abetters and defenders yet the Truth which is stronger than Errours will at last prevail Obj. 6. The harmonie or consent of all the parts of the Holy Scriptures is one evidence that they were given by Divine inspiration so A.B. never contradicteth herself which sheweth that she was led by the Spirit of GOD in all her writtings A. If she was led by the Spirit of GOD in all her writtings then she should not be opposed but there is one thing said and another thing seen and her deeds in writting falsities proves her saying the contrary to be untrue one may write Books without contradicting himself therein and yet without Divine Inspiration but the tryal of that point anent A. B. shall bring the fourth Section anent her Doctrines to an end NUMBER III. Of her Contradictions IF one proposition be true then the contradictory assertion must be false and no palliating or favourable interpretation can reconcile them as for Instance That is a most true saying which also is