sence the seed is not in the ground though sown till it begin to take root but yet according to the more general sence he is in all men for his illumination and operation cannot be seperated from him Ye say I falsly render the place James 1.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Innate Word But ye only say it without proof it is composed of en in and phyo nascor therefore in tâ—ue English it is innate is so used by Plutarch a Greek Author who saith There is a Faith innate emphutos in every reasonable Creature living and dwelling in the Soul and never leaving the Soul destitute of Guidance and it is used in the same signification by Clemens Alexandrinus writing to the Gentiles where speaking of the inward Witness which was in Unbelievers he calleth it Emphuton Martyra testem innatum fide dignum The innate Witness worthy of Faith and I suppose ye judge not your selves better or so well skilled in the Greek language as Plutarch and Clemens Alexandrinus who were Greek Authors and Grecians by Birth Ye say If the Light be connate with men what needed G. K. make such a splutter about Immediate Revelations It may be said to be both innate and connate with men not as ye imagine Accidents or Qualities to be in a subject but seeing the eternal Word and Wisdom hath created all Souls of men after his Image therefore in a special way of presence that eternâ—l Word and Wisdom is in all Souls of men by a measure of it planted or if ye will grafted in all men for grafted and innate may be of the same signification and this eternal Word and Wisdom hath its operation and influence on the Understanding of the Souls of men generally to enlighten them gradually first with the more common and plain things of Religion and then as the former are learned with the more special and peculiar Mysteries of the Christian Religion yet not without the use of the holy Scriptures in Gods ordinary way so distinctly and perfectly as Christians know them who have the use of the Scriptures and all internal divine Illumination is properly Revelation P. 102. Ye find great fault that I conclude That the inward Dispensation that is among the Gentiles that have not Christ outwardly preached viz. by the Ministry of men and the holy Scriptures hath its glory and great service to those that are faithful in it and ye say This is to talk at liberty my self and to deny all others a liberty to judge But herein ye wrong me I allow all spiritual men a liberty to judge I question not but to all such who have a spiritual discerning and ability to judge what I have affirmed of the glory and great serviceableness of the inward divine Dispensation in the Gentiles will be approved and my Reasons and Proofs both from Scripture and other Authors found vallid And though ye seek to untye that ye call a knot that I judge is indissolvable p. 91. I judge so still that ye shall never be able to untye it as ye persist in your Doctrine But yet ye pervert my words in that ye call the Knot for I did thus argue That seeing Infants by your confession might be saved by Christ and regenerated by the Spirit of Christ that worketh when and where and how he pleaseth Therefore might the honest and faithful Gentiles be saved by the same regenerating Spirit of Christ who worketh when and where and how he pleaseth and by faith in Christ But that ye may with some seeming show appear to loose the Knot ye word my Argument quite another way I Infants may be saved by the working of the Spirit in them why may not the Gentiles be so by giving obedience to the Light in them And thus ye would make me appear to the ignorant as if I did plead that the Gentiles were or could be saved without faith in Christ and the regenerating Spirit of Christ only by obedience to the general dictates of the Light within but I say though none are saved but who are obedient to the Light in them yet no Obedience can save without faith in Christ and the Spirit of Christ regenerating them that is altogether necessary to every mans eternal Salvation Whereas I produced divers very convincing Arguments to prove That the Light in men that did accuse or reprove for sin could not be some natural faculty of mans Soul these Arguments some of them ye pass over very slightly answering by your bare Affirmations without proof and some ye give no answer unto at all nor take any notice of see my Book p. 119 120 121. which I again recommend to the Readers serious consideration I argued That since ye confess that man is wholly defiled and darkned so that he iâ— called Darkness in Scripture therefore the Light in natural men could not be any part or faculty of their Souls for that were to say Men are not fallen totally nor totally defiled but in part And I further argued That since your Confession saith All Sin is a Transgression against the Righteous Law of God and since the Heathen are sinners this righteous Law of God must be in them against which they transgress and this righteous Law cannot be any part oâ— faculty of the Soul which ye confess is wholly unrighteous and dâ—filed for a thing cannot be wholly unrighteous and defiled yet in part righteous holy and clean To this I find not that ye say any thing Ye say I mistake when I think ye reckon it any distinct Faculty but the Mistake is yours not mine I did not think that ye do reckon it any distinct Faculty but on the contrary I blame you for saying It is nothing else but the natural Conscience or some natural Faculty of mans Soul so that ye are wonderfully careless of what ye say see my Book pag. 119. and your Book pag. 98. And yet ye seem to make it now Not the natural Vnderstanding but something there imprinted Well let it be something there imprinted this evinceth that it is properly Gods Word for I hope ye will not deny but that which God writeth or printeth with his own Hand or Finger is Gods Word and doth as well or rather more deserve to be accounted the Word of God as that printed in the Bible seeing God is the immediate Printer of this without the Ministry of men but the Print of the Bible is the work of Men though the Truth there witnessed is immediately of God and therefore by your Confession there is an inward written or printed Word of God in Heathens and generally in all men and that immediately without the use or help of the Scriptures commonly called the outward Word Hence it clearly followeth that the Word without is not the whole Word of God nor the only Rule in contradiction to you who affirm it And seeing by your Confession the Word of God is in the Gentiles or Heathen who have not the
points at Christ as both God and Man that most excellent middle that unites God and Men together for in all the Creation we see how the wonderful Wisdom of God and his wonderful Power hath united extreams by certain means or middles and these do plainly point unto us how as the highest and lowest Creatures are united by a certain medium or mediating nature partaking of both extreams so God the Creator and most high over all is united with men the noblest of his visible Creatures by him that is both God and Man made like to us in all things but without siâ— and therefore behoved to dye and rise again to lay a Foundation for our Faith and Hope that though we dye we shall also rise again Nor is this my single Perswasion but that of very judicious and wise Men long before me and Paulus Ricius a Jew by Birth but who became a Christian in his Treatise de Coelesti Agricultura lib. 1. from pag. 40 to 52. showeth how there are many excellent Symboles in the Creation that as Types and Examples hold forth that great Mystery of Christ God Man that were to be united in one and that this man could be but one only single man in the intire nature of Man of Soul and Body in all essential parts who should be both God and Man and for this he citeth a saying in Aristotle which is this lib. 10. Metaph. In quolibet genere rerum daturmum maximum et omnium ahorum summum i. e. in every kind of things there is one the greatest and highest of all others And who is this but the Man Christ Jesus who only among all men is both God and Man and the Head of all mâ—n And by exceâ—lent Symboles and Examples he showeth how this one man was to dye for all otheâ— men rise again And therefore however strange it may seem unto you not only many things in the Creation but the whole Creation it self is a Book full of Symboles Vails and Figures pointing at Christ even the Man Christ who was to suffer Death and rise again for the Salvation of men and yet I do most freely acknowledge that the Books of Moses and the Prophets did moâ—e fully and distinctly hold forth this great Mystery But seeing ye grant That the Vails and Types of the Ceremonial Law did suffice to the Jews and People of Israel so far as outward helps and means were requisit to shadow and hold â—orth Christ unto them the same may be said as concerning the Gentiles that in some sort sufficient as in respect of outward helps and means for that day and time until more knowledge should come into the World was the Book of the outward Creation together with that knowledge they had that they were to sacrifice unto God as is above said And as God gave to the Jews and People of Israel his good spirit to instruct them in the signification of the Mosaical and Ceremonial Law and the Types and Shadows thereof so no doubt he gave a measure of his good Spirit to instruct the Gentiles what these Types and Figures legible in the Book of the whole Creation did signifie for as the Book of Wisdom saith The incorruptible Spirit of God is in all that is confirmed by Scripture for God gave his Spirit unto and by his Spirit strove with the People of the old World and it is the Light of Christ the Word and of the Spirit that convinceth and reproveth of sin that lighteth every man that cometh into the World which however ye call it only natural and humane we have good cause to believe it is divine and supernatural yet lightning the dark nature of Man and as it is absurd for any to hold a Book to a mans face in the dark and bid him read therein when he hath no sufficient light to read with so it were absurd that God hath set so excellent a Book as the whole Creation before the Eyes of men universally I mean the Eyes of their understanding and not give them sufficient Light in some measure to enable them to understand what is writ therein and seeing that Book contains true and real Types and Symboles Figures and Shadows of Christ as he was to come in the flesh and suffer death and rise again it followeth God hath given all men so much inward Light as whereby they might read and understand what is written therein concerning the Man Christ altho the express Hebrew and Greek Names Messiah and Christ be not known to them in such an obscure way and manner as might serve to that time but the great Glory and Light of the Mystery of God manifest in flesh which is Jesus Christ come in the Flesh who is both God and Man and yet one Christ doth incomparably surpass not only what all Vails Types either of the Law or outward Creation can discover but all declaration of words and cannot be perfectly known but by a very high degree of divine Revelation and no doubt the full discovery of it is reserved to the Life to come where it shall be matter of eternal Admiration and Adoration to Saints and Angels And lest you should say This is some new Fancy of mine and some other late Writers or apostate Hereticks as ye use to say I shall recite a Testimony of a very antient Writer who is judged to be either Ambrose or Prosper above twelve hundred Years ago in that famous and noted Treatise De vocatione Gentium i. e. of the calling of the Gentiles much esteemed and cited by Protestants of great note and particularly by Vossius and Grotius learned and judicious Protestants In the said Treatise de vocatione Gentium lib. 2. cap. 1. ad fin he saith in express words citing Acts 14. And indeed he left not himself without a Witness giving Rains from Heaven and fruitfull Seasons filling Your hearts with Food and Gladness But what is this Testimony that was alwayes serviceable to the Lord and never was silent of his Goodness and Power but the very indeclarable Beauty of the whole World and the rich and orderly largition oâ— his indeclarable benefits by which cretain Tables oâ— his eternal Law were given to the hearts of men that the common and publick Doctrine of divine Institution might be read in the pages of the Elements and in the Volumns or Books of the Times therefore the Heavens and all heavenly things Sea and Land and all things in them by the â—armonious Consent of their kind and order did attest the Glory of God and by a perpetual preaching did speak the Majesty oâ— their Author But this is not all he further saith And yet the greatest number of men who were permitted to follow the ways of their own will did not understand and did not follow this Law and the Savour of Life which breathed or inspired unto Life Note is not this in some degree Evangelical was made unto them the savour of Death
and work of Sanctification is before good Works outwardly wrought in order of cauâ—e as the good Tree is before the Fruit. Pag. 108. That Faith is used in Scripture not only to signifie Gospel Doctrine as ye grant but Gospel Holiness and Virtues by a synecdoche of the part for the whole is clear to any who are not partial for the just shall live by Faith and said Paul the Life that I now live I live by Faith and yet certainly his Life was not only the Life of Faith but of Love and other divine Virtues And whereas the Faith of the Elders is frequently mentioned Heb. 11. is it only their single Faith that is there commended or rather the whole Body of divine Virtues whereof the Root as it were is Faith as when we name a Tree by the Root we understand the Branches included and when we number men by the Head we understand the Body also and Gal. 3.5 after that Faith is come that was not the Doctrine only but the Grace of Faith together with all the other accompanying Graces and Virtues and as Unbelief is put in Scripture for all other sin that men generally are under Rom. 11.32 so Faith signifieth the whole Body of the Christian Graces and Virtues but of this ye take no notice but pass it with a dry foot because ye can give no sollid Answer to it though mentioned in my first Book And that it may appear I am not Popish in the Doctrine of Justification hear the Judgment of James Durham a Presbyterian Preacher in his Commentary on the Revelations in one of his Digressions where he saith Who only place Repentance Conversion and Holiness c. but as Conditions necessary to Justification and but equally necessary as Faith and in the same respect with Faith or in words to that effect the are not to be accounted Popish and therefore hitherto ye cannot nor shall find in what â—emaineth any Doctrine asserted by me that is either â—opery or Heresie but what is defended by as good Protestants and better than your selves and which hath the Scripture Authority to warrant it Ye say Ye understand not the meaning of my Rant about a Christ divided a Christ without and a Christ within a Christ in Heaven and a Christ in the Hâ—art we believe say ye that there is but one Câ—rist c. Here ye grosly misrepresent my words and pervert the sense of them as if I did divide Christ or hold two Christs one Christ in Heaven and another Christ in the Heart Let the Reader see my words in my Book and he will find that I am not for dividing Christ but blame them who do divide him either in his Offices or in himself nor do I use these words a Christ in Heaven and a Christ in the Heart as if they were two but I say it is one and the same Christ which is both in Heaven and also in the Hearts of his Children and seeing ye call this a Rant it is plain that ye do not own Christ at all in the Hearts of the Saints Let this be well remembred against you for ye call it a Rant to say Christ is both in the Heaven and in the Heart did not the Lord say He dwelleth in the High and Holy Places and also in the Hearts of them that are Contrite c Ye say He dwelleth in the Hearts of all his People by his Virtue Influence and Grace But I say his Virtue Influence and Grace cannot be in the heart without him and seperated from him for if by Grace ye mean Faith Hope Love they would fail wither and dye if he were not present to nourish preserve them And how sillily and foolishly do ye infer pag. 135. That I hold two Christs because I say That by the Spirit of Christ a man is joyned both to Christ in him and to Christ in Heaven and if two Vnions then two Christs say ye But ye fight against your own shadow I say nothing of two Unions nor do my words infer it more than when I say a Graft that is grafted into a Tree is united both to the Branch that it is grafted into and also to the whole Tree Doth it thence follow that there are here two Unions and two Trees or that the foot is both united to the Life or Soul in it and to the Life or Soul in the Head that therefore there are two Unions and two Heads This shallow way of your Reasoning showeth what learned Clarks ye are Pag. 108 109. Ye deny That Faith hath any assurance in the being and nature of it but only that which is Objective and not Subjective And thus with School-Terms and Phrases ye seek to cover your selves in the Clouds from Ignorant People But let me explain it in English what ye say which is this That Christ Hâ—â—piness hath the Assurance but the Faith hath no Assurance of Knowledge or Evidence in the Nature of it as who would say There is assuredly such a City as London or Paris but he who is going towards it hath no assurance he is in the true way that leads to it Ye say further This assurance may be had without extraordinary Revelation and so say I for it is ordinary to thousands of Gods Saints in all Ages but what is that to you who deny all Revelation both ordinary and extraordinary at present and say The former wayes of Gods revealing his will are ceased And yet many Protestants have acknowledged a Spirit of Prophecy in some of the Martyrs as in George Wisehart and others as is to be seen in Fox's Book of Martyrs which contradict the Confession of the Assembly espoused by you CAP. VIII PAg. 109. Ye commit a great Abuse when ye say I deny the Doctrine of Perseverance I own both the Doctrine and Grace of Perseverance to all to whom God doth give it and my earnest Prayer is frequent unto God for my self and Brethren every where yea all who love the â—ord in any measure is whatever Name they go uâ—der that he may be pleased to establish them in that which is good and crown them with that most noble Grace of Perseverance And upon this head ye and not I give a way the Cause though ye contradict your selves in so doing for ye grant That not only â—ommon and preparatory works that are wrought in men that work a Reformation in many things but also a Faith may be lost that is real and true and not false and hypocritical for ye say expresly Pag. 111. We must distinguish betwixt a false-Faith and one that is not saving So ye grant that Faith which is not false but true may be lost but whether it may be called saving is rather a strife of words than any thing else which I love nâ—t to contend about That it is not finâ—lly and eventually saving is certain otherwise it would have continued but yet that it had a preparatory service and use and began
The Pretended ANTIDOE PROVED POYSON Or The true Principles of the Christian Protestant Religion Defended And the Four Counterfit Defenders thereof Detected and Discovered the Names of which are James Allen Joshuae Moodey Samuell Willard and Cotten Mather who call themselves Ministers of the Gospel in Boston in their pretended Answer to my Book called The Presbyterian Independent Visible Churches in New-England and elsewhere brought to the Test c. And G. K. cleared not to be guilty of any Calumnies against these called Teachers of New-England c. By George Keith With an Appendix by John Delavall by way of Animadversion on some Passages in a Discourse of Cotton Mathers before the general Court of Massachusets the 28th of the Third Moneth 1690. Philadelphia Printed by Will. Bradford 1690. Introduction To James Allen Joshua Moodey Samuell Willard and Cotten Mather Men and Neighbours I Have seen your pretended Answer to my Book which ye call The Principles of the Protestant Religion maintained c. which I have also read and well considered and I find that upon the matter ye have left the substance or principal matter of it wholly unanswered and that your said pretended Aâ—â—wer contains little else but Railing after an extraordinary and unusual manner of Speech scarcely to be paralell'd and many very gross Mistakes and Perversions of my words and some absolutely false Quotations and Recitations alledging Words and Sayings and Doctrines to be mine and delivered by me in my Book which are neither directly nor indirectly to be found there and which are neither my express words nor so much as the most remote true and just Consequence of them But it is altogether unfair and absurd to alledge any thing upon a man which are not either his express words or the plain and manifest sence of them obvious to every intelligent and impartial Reader For to alledge a consequential sense of a mans words which they will no wayes bear is most uncivil and inhumane and argueth at most a weak and desperate Cause when ye are put to use such mean and unlawful Arts to make your part seem fair And surely ye who pretend to find so great fault at the supposed Calumnies of G. K. should have at least upon some prudential consideration as men shown your selves not to be so deeply guilty of that Vice of Calumniating which ye only with great confidence alledge but can never prove against him I find ye are not a little vexed at my Book but since it containeth little else but Non-sence Tautologies Nauseous Repetitions Cavils and Sophisms as ye alledge why are ye so angry fretted why should Non-sence Tautologies Cavils and Sophisms vex you so very much what aileth you that ye come with such a company ye seem in great part to resemble Micah pursuing some of the Children of Dan to recover your lost gods and to answer with him after some manner Ye have taken away our gods which we made and our Priests and ye are gone away and what have we more And what is this that thou sayst unto us what aileth us But I assure you I intend to make no such usage of your gods as the Danites did of the gods of Micah nor have I robbed any of your gods or idols from you but as becoming a true Christian I have fairly and honestly laboured to convince you of your many evil and hurtful Errors which ye set up in your hearts as Idols and false Godds for ye may know that the Scripture telleth of fome that did set up Idols in their hearts yea whatever any men set up in their hearts in the room and place of the true God and his Precious holy and living Truth and the divine dictates and Testimonies thereof are but false gods and idols of mens making It is a most false and injurious Accusation ye insinuate against me as if I did seek to perswade any to part with an infinite and eternal God and having a created Soul blasphemously place in his Throne or to pâ—rt with the precious Bible viz. the holy Scriptures as a dead Letter and to have silent postures of their own in the room thereof or that I seek to perswade these called your Congregations to part with an inestimable Redeemer for a dim Light within them which may prove Darkness it self or to have the whole Gospel Baptism of Christ his Supper taken away from them and the glorious Doctrines of Election Justification Perseverance depraved with Opinions that make man to be all and Grace to have small or no share in the matters of Salvation All which are most false and injurious Accusations with many more of that sort which ye very unchristianly cast upon me as I hope will clearly appear in the sequel and doth sufficiently appear in my former Book My desire and earnest travail of soul is That ye and all others who remain ignorant of God may come to the true knowledge of him and of his Son Christ Jesus whom to know is Life eternal I assert no created Soul or thing to be plac'd in the room of God in his Throne but plead against you that as God and Christ dwell in Heaven so they dwell in the hearts of all the faithful and that not divided or seperaâ—ed from â—heir Operations and Influences but together with them and one with them tho' ye would divide and seperate them asunder and that the same God and Christ as they are one so their operation and influence of Light and Grace are one and that by some gracious operation influence they are pleased to visit the Souls of all men more or less and as God and Christ are every where present in all the Creatures so in a more special way and manner of manifestation beside that universal Omnipresence they are in all men and cannot be excluded from any of the Creatures and therefore it is a most injurious Calumny as if either I or any of my Friends did set up any thing in the room or throne of God for whatover illumination operation or influential Effect of God and Christ we assert to be in men we do not say that it is God or Christ for we do not confound the Cause the Effect nor the Worker and his work but we say God and Christ the Word by which all things were made are most inwardly present in all Creatures and if ye deny this ye and not we deny the true God and God and Christ are Light as the holy Scripture declareth and are no dim Light which is in you Blasphemy to assert but both your Eyes and the Eyes of many are dim yea and blind that ye cannot in this your blind state see the glory of God And for the holy Scriptures ye your selves say The MIND and true SENSE of the Scripture is the Scripture or Word and that was never called by us a dead Letter nor is the Scripture dead to any but to such who are dead and
to so weighty a place of Scripture with divers others adjoyned But blind men cannot judge of Colours Pag. 29. My Comparison taken from the outward teaching of humane Sciences that presuppose some inward Principles of natural Knowledge in the Learners whereby to show the consistency and harmony of outward teaching of divine things and the inward teaching by the Spirit as presupposed in part and in the other part accompanying the outward Teaching ye understand it not and therefore ye call it Impertinent but impertinently talk against it for I do not intend by the same to hold forth any New Revelation of any new Doctrine as I have oft toâ—d you but a new Revelation of antient Doctrine and the comparison is proper and pertinent in this respect that as outward teaching of natural things require an inward Principle and light of Knowledge that is natural so the outward teaching of spiritual and divine things require an inward Principle of divine and spiritual Knowledge whereby to enable the Soul to perceive them otherwise a man could be no more capable to know divine and spiritual things than a Beast would be capable to know humane things for as the spirit of a man teacheth man things of men so the Spirit of God in men teacheth them who hearken thereto the things of God Pag. 31. Ye blame me for putting a scurrelous Title upon that ye call the reverend Assembly calling them Faith-makers who never pretended to any new Revelations of any article of Faith more than is contained in Scripture But as they pretend not to that so nor to any new Revelation or Inspiration of that Doctrine which is contained in Scripture and that is their great fault to deny all such Revelation even of that Doctrine there contained for without divine inward Revelation and Inspiration the true Faith of the Doctrines contained in Scripture canot be discovered no more than we can see to read what is printed in a Book without light and therefore their Faith is but a made Faith and also that in the ignorance and blindness of their minds they have made things Articles of Faith which are false and contrary to Scripture and therefore I am not to be blamed for so calling them Pag. 33. By your granting That there is a spiritual â—eeling and tasting and intuitive Knowledge of God and divine things ye give away your cause to the Quakers and contradict your grand Principle That there is no divine Immediate Revelation for intuitive knowledge is immediate and immediate knowledge must have an immediate Light and Revelation as when I see a picture of a man in a Table or read a discourse of him in a Book that knowledge of him is only abstractive and discursive as also when I see England only in a Map and that is but remote and mediate knowledge but when I see a man face to face in the clear light of the day and see the Land of England it self that Knowledge is Immediate and Intuitive But tell me in good earnest do ye indeed grant that there is an Intuitive Knowledge of God that is not discursive and abstractive that is certainly to see God and to hear him without a necessity of the interposition of words or other means I am sure this is Immediate Revelation and I am as sure that ye commonly deny it and tell People They shall noâ— hear God nor see him in this mortal Life for the vision of God is râ—served to the future life as ye use to say But ye say and unsay the same thing a vice ye charge upon me but are guilty therein yourselves And grantiâ—g it be so that we have no Intuitive Knowledge of any divine Truth whereof we had not a discursive Knowledge before this saith nothing against our Principle no more than that a man first hath a discursive knowledge of England before he see it We grant the discursive kâ—owledge is serviceable and commonly introductory to the intuitive and yet both may consist together though the intuitive excelleth the discursive as far as the sight of the Land of England excelleth the sight of the bare Map of it Discursive Knowledge cannot be without words or pictures of things and signs of them but Intuitive Knowledge can be without all words sign now if ye grant that men have a knowledge of God and Christ and divine Things without all words i. e. without the Scripture ye fairly give away your cause for if without Scripture then surely by Immediate Revelation for the Scriptures are the means ye say altogether necessary to obtain all the knowledge of God that any have or can have in this mortal Life But for the better Information of the Reader I say the Scriptures are the usual necessary means in God's ordinary way of working whereby men obtain the Doctrâ—nal and Discâ—â—sive Knowledge of the Christian Faith and Religion And seeing the doctrinal and discursive Knowledge is of great service to prepare the Souls of men for thâ— intuitive and sensible Knowledge oâ— God that cometh after that is an immediate enjoyment of him a taste and sight of him that he is good and gracious and also seeing this intuitive and sensible knowledge of God is gradual and is to encrease in the most advanced and that the doctrinal knowledge hath still a preparatory service to the same it followeth that the holy Scriptures have a preparatory service and use to Gods Saints while in the mortal Body yet in so far as the end of this preparatory service is answered by the Souls obtaining some degree of that intuitive and sensible knowledge of God by the sight and taste of him as inwardly revealed in and through Christ that immediate â—ervice and need of the Scripture ceaseth in respect of that degree of intuition sight taste and sensible knowledge of God that the Soul hath for that present time even as when a Husbandman useth many means instruments of Husbandry to procure Bread and other good Provisions for himself the use of these means and instruments are alwayes necessary at times and that frequently but there are times that he enjoyeth the fruits of his labours that he eateth and drinketh and is refreshed and when he sitteth down to eat and drink 〈◊〉 his Table he needeth not in those intervals of time to use his instruments of Husbandry as the Plow the Cart the Hoe c. nor so much as at that time to think of them And thus it is as touching the use and service of the Scriptures and other outward helps and means the use and service and profit of them is great to all the Saints and Children of God in this mortal life to the end of it even as the use of the Instruments of Husbandry is to the Husband-man but yet there are times of feeding in the House of God where the Souls of the faithful either together or apart eat of the heavenly Bread and drink of the heavenly Wine in the House and Kingdom
remote capacity of Holiness thâ—t is nothing else but a simple possibility of being made holy without having any inward Seed or Principle of Holiness lodged in the Soul I call not Holiness but because there is such a Seed and Principle of Holiness placed in all Children even Infants that is the purchase of Christ's Death and which God first promised to our first Parents and renewed to Noah saying And behold I establish my Covenant with thee and thy Seed after thee and yet again renewed to Abraham saying In thy Seed shall all Nations be blessed because of these three general Fathers which were as a holy Root the Branches are holy as I said not actually but in a capacity to become actually Holy through the holy Seed given unto them which before I called a near Capacity that iâ— more remote or near as that noble divine Seed and Principle is more or less clouded or vailed in them and ye show your selves more igâ—orant in Logick than ordinary School-Boyes who generally know that distinction betwixt a thing in actu primo and the same thing in actu secundo which is as much as to say in English betwixt a thing that is in a near capacity and readiness or tendency to be so and a â—hing that is actually and really or in fact so thus A field sown with Corn altho' the Seed is not sprung in it nor hath taken root if sown with Wheat we call it commonly Wheat if sown with Rye we call it Rye because the Seed of Wheat is sown in the one field and Rye in the other and if nothing hinder it may be expected that the one fiâ—lâ— shall bring good Wheat in due season and the other good Rye because the Seeds of Whâ—at and Rye are sown in these fields And how generally all Infants and Men because of Christ's Death and Purchase until they reject the Remedy are clean I proved from Acts 10.12 13 14 15. for by all manner oâ— four footed Beasts and wild Beasts and creeping things and Fowles of the Air all sorts of men are to be understood whom God hath after some sort cleaâ—sed by Christ's Death viz. by putting them in a near capacity to be cleansâ—d and sanctified by that divine Seed of Holiness put in them that is the purchase of Châ—ist who dyed for them But to this most weighty and demonstrative place of Scripture ye say nothing at all but pass it by with a dry foot as you phrase it lest if ye should have meddled with it your folly should have been manifest and this is your common way to pass by what ye cannot give some shadow of Answer unto and if ye give a shadow of Answer it is all Your easiest Answer is which ye have given upon this head viz. That our Doctrine in this iâ— a perâ—ect Arminian Principle and hath been enoâ—gh confuâ—ed by all that have written against them so ye might have spared your Paper and Pains with this one short answer to my whole Book That it hath been enough conâ—uted already by all that have written against us as T. Hicks J Faldo and J. Owen c. aâ—l which have been sufficiently answered But as for the Arminian Principle it is not our Principle nor do the Remonstrants or Jesâ—its hold the Doctrine of Universal Grace as we do as will be obviouâ— to any that will compare our Books and theirs for we say The divine Gospel Principle and Seed of Regeneration and Word of Faith is put by God as his free Gift in all men though it is not manifest or known to be such in aâ—l and this neither the Aâ—minians nor the Remonstrants nor Jesuits ever did affirm but aâ—e generally professed Adversaries to the inward Word and Spirit of God in men as much as your selves witness Bellarmine for the Jesuits who saith in his Treatise de Verbo externo That he is a mad-man who relieth upon the Testimony of a Spirit within him that is oft fallacious and ever uncertain And Arminius his followers are generally against the Doctrine of inward divine Inspiration and Revelation as is apparent from their printed Books It doth not follow as ye insinuate that the Condition of Pagans is better than that of Christians or thaâ— the Gospel opens a door to mans undoing which ye build on a false supposition That t e Pagans are incapable oâ— rejectiâ—g the Physitian who is neâ—er offered to them This ye assert without all proof and the contrary I have proved and is clear from Scripture that Faith is offered unto all men and the Gospel preached to every creature at one time or another before their end and all are called some at one hour and some at another Pag. 83. Ye most grosly traduce and abuse me by alledging and fathering upon me as mine which are not mine at all two assertions 1st That Grace is propagated by our natural Parents 2dly Tâ—at there is habitual Sanctification in all me by nature That both thâ—se are extream falsly alledged on me the Reader shall see by reading pâ—g 91 and 92. cited by them Yea on the contrary I say that Seed or Principle of Holiness put in Mâ—n and Infants is derived from Christ the second Adam and therefore not from the first Adam or our immediate Parents and I believe the Souls of all men have come from God by Creation and do not believe that the Souls of the Parents generate the Souls of the Children and if the Souls of the Children are not generated from the Souls of the Parents then surely the divine Seed and Principle is not derived by humane Generation as if the Soul of the Parent were the Author or Original of that divine Principle but on the contrary both the Soul and the dvine Seed and Principle in it come from God and Christ nor do my words give you the least occasion to think otherwise for although the Parents are not the Author of the divine Seed and Principle in the Souls of their Children yet according to Paul's Doctrine there is commonly a great diffrence betwixt the Children of Believers and Unbelievers the one he calleth Unclean and the other Clean or Holy and it is plain from Scripture that the Children of the faithfull Israelites were called the Holy Seed and had an excellency in them above the Children of the Moabites Amonites and Canaanites c. because the noble divine Seed and Principle was more clouded and vailed in these last and lay under more Rubbish and Impurity and therfore God forbid the People of Israel to joyn in Marriage with these unclean Nations lest their Seed should be defiled with them and a wrong mixture should happen as sometimes did and therefore the great Uncleanness of Parents commonly doth more vail and cloud the divine Principle and Seed in their Children than where that Uncleanness is not so great and that the Parents are true Believers And because I assert that there is a Seed of Holiness in all men
forth fruit but is thâ—t Talent that is taken away from the slâ—athful and evil Servant and given to him that had ten Talents accord ng to Christ's Doctrine which still I suppose iâ— a great Mystery unto you Pag. 89. Ye alledge I perversly interpret Christ to be the Word spoken oâ— Rom. 10.8 which is evident by the context to mean the Scriptures call'd the Word of Faith because it is an instrument of begetting it But this is your bare alledgance and your proof hath no weight nor solidity that because the Scriptuâ—e is the Instrumâ—nt whereby Faith is commonly wrought in men that therefore it is that Word of Faith Rom. 10. With as great probability ye may say the Scripture is the Spirit oâ— Faith but as the Spirit of God is called in Scripture the Spirit of Faith as being the Author and Object and Foundation of Faith so is Christ called the Word oâ— Faith aâ— bâ—ing the Author and Object and Foundation together with the holy Spirit of the same Faith and that â—hrist and not the Scripture is that Word oâ— Faith is clear from the câ—ntext v. 6 7 9. nor can it be the Scripture because little of the Scripture was writ when Moses spoke these words to the People oâ— Israel and the five Books of Moses were rather the Law than that Word of Faith and Moses told them this Word was nigh them in their hearts and moutâ—es as being of an internal or inward nature directing them to the heart where it was originally placed and not in the outward leaves of the Book or Scroles and he calleth it the Commandment in the Singular number to signifie the excellency of it that being one containeth all and that cannot be the Letter without Next what Moses said to Israel and Paul to the Romans may be said to every man in a day the Word is nigh thee in thy mouth viz. to eat it and in thy heart to believe in it that thou needest not to ascend nor descend nor go over the Seas to bring this Word and therfore it cannot b he Letter of Scriptuâ—â— which came over the seas from Judea to Rome and other places of the world Pag. 8â— â—d finâ— Ye most unchristianly and iâ—humanly wrest my woâ—ds to a â—uite contrary seâ—â—e saying â— interpâ—et that Word o Faith Rom. 10. â—oâ— Câ—rists coming in t e flesh both of Jewes and Gentiles â—nd to show your gross perveâ—sioâ— that seemeâ—h wilful in you I shall set down my words which are these Pag. 110. And because this great Mâ—stery viz. the Word of Faith which was in the Gentiles was much hid in the time of the Law and in all Ages of tâ—e world untill Christ came in the flesh both in Jewes and Gentiles as Paul called it the Mystery hid fâ—om Ages and Generations Where it is most clear to any that will not wilfully pervert the plain sence of my words that the words untill Christ came in the flesh doth not refer to his coming in the flesh in Jews and Gentiles as they wilfully pervert it but to his coming in the Body of his Flesh even in that prepared body that was born of the Virgin Mary c. in the fuâ—ness of time So that the words untill Christ came in the Flesh are insert only by way of Parenthesis although by some omissiâ—n either of the manuscript or print the sign or note of the Parenthesis was omitted that is no hing material for when men 〈◊〉 a Parenth◠〈…〉 no note 〈…〉 when ye must needs make the poor omission of a in my Book a ground to raise your chaâ—ge of Blasphemy or subverting the hopes of Salvation against me although in Contradiction to your selves ye clear me citing Pag. 59. that I did acknowledg that Christ came in the flesh but ye use a fig leaf cover saying ye know not when they own any thing And it was once the received Doctrine of the Quakers that there is no other Incarnation of Christ but only as he dwells in us But this is a most gross Calumny and falsehood which ye can never prove and because ye cannot prove it in the least therefore ye declare your selves to be of that Generation who make Lyeâ— your Refuge which God hath swept away and yet will more abundantly and ye will be seen what sort of men ye are that dare thus falsly accuse the Innocent The like poor shadow of advantage ye seek to catch at pag. 28. of your Book saying my Spirit mi-sinformed me when I cited Cant. 2.4 because of a mistake in the Manuscript or Print of the word and again for the word or in your so doing like thâ— Pharisees of old ye strain at a Gnat and swa low a Camel Pag. 90. Ye say The word Reprobate there used intends only that all Vnbelievers are at present unapproved by God and in a state of Perdition Ans be it so it no wise weakeneth my Argument for seeing all unbelievers by you are not finally reprobated but only at present unapproved and may pass from that state into a better viz. into a state of Faith that is approved this quite overthroweth your Doctrine of Absolute Reprobation that denyeth it possible that a Reprobate can be saved which here ye acknowledge And seeing these Unbelievers by your confession were not absolutely or finally reprobated but unapproved or disapproved what did so disapprove or judge them but Christ in them And therefore still it remaineth that Christ is in all but such who are finally Reprobates Ye say That Christ hath commanded that his Gospel be Preached to all Nations and he tells us that so it shall be before the end of the World is no proof of what it is brought for the many Generations past have no advantage by that being ended and gone before that time comes But this ye meerly begg and assert without all shadow of proof for that Christ told the Gospel shall be Preached to all the world before the end of the world is not surely to be understood that the preaching of it to all the world shall only be in the Last Age of the world yet to come but the Gospel that began to be preached from Adams fall immediately shall be preached to all men that ever lived in the World some time or other before the end of the world so that such who shall not live in the latter ages of the world have had it preached in the former Ages when they lived in the world and therefore the preaching the Gospel to all the World is the preaching of it to all Mankind that ever lived and shall live in the world in all Ages from the beginning to the end for all that part of mankind that is to live in the world in the Last Age or Ages of it yet to come are but a small or inconsiderable part of the world And though it may seem hard to demonstrate how this hath been and shall be effected in a general way and manner it
Scriptures why may not the same virtue and efficacy be given to it as to that which ye say is contained in the Scriptures It is improper to prefer that which is writ or printed on Paper by the labour and work of Men to that which by God immediately is printed on mens hearts and souls without the woâ—k of men And since ye grant That there is a Law written in mens hearts universally by God himself Why may not that Law be understood to be the same mentioned Psal 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul yea that it must and ought to be so understood is clear from that analogy that the Wisdom of God in David maketh betwixt the preaching of the Heavens and Firmament Day and Night and the course of the Sun and the Preaching or Testimony of this inward Law that as universal as the outwâ—rd is so universal is the inward for the outward is the Symbole Figure and Type of the inward as the Ceremonial Law of Moses was symbâ—lical of the inward Gospel-Law and if both had not been Universal the Analogy would have been improper and false for the true Analogy is betwixt two Universals and not one universal and another particular And Paul by the Spirit of God applyeth the universal Language of the Heavens and Firmament Day and Night and Sun to the preaching of the Gospel Rom. 10.18 by the same Analogy Ye contradictâ— the Scripture expresly when ye deny it thaâ— the Law in the Gentiles so far as they obeyed it made them excusable for as some had thoughts that accused them when they did evil so they had thoughts that excused them when they did well and this excusing of them proceeded originally from the Law it self within them see Rom. 2.15 which ye expresly contradict And for Gods inward speaking to men most frequently without the Ministry of men or books as outwardly I cited divers observable places of Scripture as Psal 94.10 Psal 50.1.16 to 22. Amos 4.13 Micah 6.8 Prov. 8.1 2 3 4. Job 28.28.24.13 and 21.14 and that noted place Luke 12.20 from all which I did conclude that it hath been the way of God and ever will be to speak to men in their hearts to call them and warn them and fore-warn them of evil and danger and to perswade and incline them to that which is good And all these places of Scripture prove thâ—t God doth at present and in every Age move and stir upon mens Consciences and sâ—eak in them by his Word and Voice as really as he did in the Prophets tho' not equally nor the same in all respects and this is immediate Revelation and Inspiration seeing God doth it without the Ministry of men most frequently even in the Heathen and in the Wicked when they are neither hearing men nor reading nor thinking on any place of Scripture and all this ye meerly slubber over with a bare Magisterial Affirmation saying That it is all but the actings of a natural Conscience under legal Convictions But tell me What works these Legal Convictions doth not the Scripture say it is God and he doth it by speaking to them in their hearts for God doth not use to speak to men by an outward audible Voice and therefore there is more in men than what ye call a Relique left in men of a natural Conscience there is that which newly and freshly and immediately calleth to men in their hearts and is a new gift and visitation of God I find not that ye say any thing but one that hath some shadow or appearance of weight and that is from Rom. 8.3 Gal. 3.21 viz. That the Law is weak through the flesh and cannot give Life And this is even that Law which was within both Jews and Gentiles universally and was not the meer outward Law But to this I Answer That by the Law in these places cited by you and in many other places that could be â—â—ted as Rom. 3.19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 c. Gal. 3.8 9 10 â—1 12 13. is indeed to be understood not the meer outward Law given to the People of Israel but the Law within in its first Administration or Dispensation that hath its proper work and service to condemn and not to justifie to wound bruise and kill and not to heal bind up and make alive and this first â—dministration of the Law is most necessary and proper and is the real effect and work of Christ in his inward appearance in mens hearts as a Law-giver and judge but not so properly nor clearly nor distinctly as a Saviour as he appeareth in his second Administration perfectly to save the Soul and deliver it from Sin and Wrath and perfectly to restore and renew it into the Conformity of his own Image by faith in him the whole Christ intire and undivided both as he came in the flesh suffered Death for our sins rose again c. ascended into Heaven and is now in Heaven our Intercessor and Advocate with the Father and as he cometh in Spirit And of this twofold Administration of Christ first as a Law-giver secondly as a perfect Saviour Moses and Joshua were Types Moses was a type of Christ in his first Ministration and Joshua was a type of him as a perfect Saviour in his second Ministration both which are inward for though the true Christian Faith respecteth Christ come in the flesh without us and now glorified in Heaven in the glorified nature of Man c. yet the Mystery of this and the worth of his Death and Intercession must be inwardly opened and revealed in us by the Spirit of Christ And as Moses led the People out of Egypt through the red Sea and thâ—ough the Wiâ—derness and brought them to Jordan and the borders of the good Land and no further and then dyed so Joshâ—a was raised up to bring them beyond Jordan into the good Land therefore Moses begun the woâ—k but Joshua finished it Which two are plain figures of the twofold inward Ministration of Christ the one that is more Legal than Evangelical and hath the Evangelical hid in it but not clearly revealed the other that is clearly and apparently Evangelical and because the second inward Ministration of Christ in mens hearts doth not appear at first in its fulness of vigor and strength but gradually therefore there is a mixture of the first second which is a middle Dispensation consisting of both and this is well known and experienced by spiritual Travellers although to you it is a Mystery and a Riddle that ye mock at rather than enquire into And concerning this diversity of inward Dispensations and Ministrations both having one Author to wit the Lord Jesus Christ not only the people called Quakers but many sober and juditious Protestants have given Teâ—â—â—mony and their Testimony is upon record in print some calling them Three and referring them the one to the Father the other to the Son together with the Father and
of the Assembly is manifest from this thâ—t the far greatest part of them being Presbyterians and but few Independants in comparison of the â—ajor part the Presbyterian Church was then a National Church composed of the whole Body of the Nation both in England Scotland and Ireland as much as possible could be and the Presbyterian League and Covenant did not only take in all who were willing however many thousands of them were of a Scandalous Life but the Promoters of it forced them who were unwilling that either they must take the Covenant or suffer Banishment And it is manifest that the Presbyterian Church in England Scotland and Ireland was as National and consisting of as gross a mixture as the Episcopal or even as the Church of Rome it self as in respect of Scandalous Livers so that what Luther said of his followers in his day may be as much applyed to the Presbyterian Church whose Ministers did mostly compose that Assembly in the fore-cited Book called Mensalia cap. 22. â— 290 The manner of Life said Luther iâ— as Evil among us as among the Papists wherefore we strive not with them by reason of the manner of Life but for and about the Doctrine And it is manifest as the noon day that not only the far greatest part of the People composing the Presbyterian Church were of a dessolute and scandalous Life but too many of their Ministry and Elders which occasioned the breach betwixt the Independents and them that these called Independents thinking that the multitude of Presbyterian Professors were not duely qualified to be Church-Members as in respect of a strict life erected a new Model of Congregational Churches which are now again almost wholly degenerated if not altogether into a Presbyterian Laxeness and how can it be supposed that a National Church as such can have the multitude of its Professors to be free of a scandalous Life seeing no such instance can as yet be given for the Presbyterian National Church as well as the Episcopal and Church of Rome receiveth Men and Women to be Members of their Church either how soon born or by Infant Baptism and rarely if ever doth excommunicate any for their Vitious manner of living except in some extraordinary cases of Adultery Incest or Sodomy c. but if any dissent from them in Doctrine then nothing but dreadful Thunderings of Excommunication like the Popes Bulls against the primitive Protestants All which showeth that by Profession the Assâ—mbly understood much rather a meer verbal thing than the Practise of a holy Life or so much as the outward appearance thereof And ye may be ashamed to cite 2 Tim. 3.5 for that requireth us To turn away from s ch as having a foâ—m of Godliness dâ—ny the Power thereof and that is to be sure from all Hypocrites and such who have not real inward Piety and Holiness for who have not true piety deny the Power of Godliness And that either the Presbyterian or Independent Constitution of a Church require an uniform Practice of a Godly and Christian Life in all the necessary parts of it as of living Soberly Righteously and Godly and denying Ungodliness and worldly Lusts is no wise apparent from their Practise however it may be allowed that some external Practices in some things that Hypocrites may most easily perform yea and Scandalous Persons also may be and are required as particularly To present their Children to be sprinkled To break Bread twice or four times a year more or less c. together To come to Church as it is called once or twice a week To salute the Minister with a Haâ—l-Rabbi and a low Cringe in the streets and putting off the Hat and most especially as a most necessary practice To pay every one his share of the Preists Wages These and the like vâ—ry ordinary and superficial Practices are the moâ—t that I can find are required in your Church Members and what is there required of the Spirit of God or real inward Holiness in all this surely nothiâ—g by your own confession Nor ought ye to blame me for this Character of your Church Members seeing John Fox giveth me a President in his Book of Martyrs 1. volum Pag. 43. in the like cass where he dâ—fineth a Christian man after the Popes making by his practisiâ—g some outward things no wiâ—â— inâ—â—rring inward Holiness of Life and afteâ— concludeth with these expresâ— words Now look upon this Definition viz. that he hath given of a Member of the Popes Church and tell me good Reader what Faith or Spirit or what working of the holy Ghost in all this Doctrine is to be required Whereby it is most plain thâ—t John Fox a man of great Authority among Protestants agreeth with the People called Quakers against both Presbyterians and Independents in the true definition of a Member of the true Church visible viz. That every such Member should have the true Faith and Spirit and working of the holy Ghost which yet ye openly deny to qualifie them thereunto requiâ—ing only an outside Profession of words and at most some outward Practices that may be and are commonly practised by the greatest Hypocrites Pag. 132. Ye say I find fault with you for using an Hour-glass to know how the time spends and a Bell to gather your Assâ—mblies together But for the use of an Hour-glass simply to know the measure of Time I did find no fault with you but that ye commonly measure the Time of your preaching by the Hour-glass which showeth that none of you preach by the Spirit of God which is not limitted to any stinted measure of Time and the primitive Christian Preachers had no such thing as either Hour-Glass or Dial to measure the time of their Preaching nor are we against the civil use of Bells Clocks or Dials but the superstitions use of Bells hanging in high Steeples like the high places used by Idolators of Old and which ye follow the Papists in to call your Assembly together and the sound of which many ignorant and carnal People are vainly delighted with Hospimian de orig Templ saith Bells were not used for certain in the first five Centuries at most of Christianity when yet their Parishes or Church-Precincts were of a greater extent than the most diffused among us P. 133. Ye call the inward Gospel spiritual Bell ringing in the hearts of the faithful which is the living Word sounding in the hearts a Fancy more fabulous than any thing in Aesop Whereby ye show how carnal dark and ignorant ye are for hereby ye deny the inward Call Voice and Sound of Christ the Son of God in the hearts of the faithful which by a figure I call the Gospel Bell whereof Aarons Bells that did hang at his Garments were a Type and it is common in Scripture that the name of the Type is given to the thing typified by it But that Psal 89.15 intends the Silver Trumpets in the time of the Law ye barely alledge without
Saints outwardly eat together and then also inwardly eat of that inward and spiritual Food and have together an inward enjoyment of the Lord in their hearts that may be called the Supper of the Lord which both may be without and with the outward eating but I did not say nor do I now say that alwayes when the Saints eat outwardly at their ordinary Meals they eat together inwardly but that the times are very frequent of their outward and inward eating together at one time wherein they remember the Lords Death and praise him as for all his Mercies so for what he hath done and suffered for them and this Solemnity may be well used by any Number as well small as great and without any Gown-Man or ordained Priest either of Pope Prelate or Presbyter for all the Faithful are a Royal Priesthood unto God and there is no shadow of ground in Scripture that Saints may not eat and drink together remembring the Lords Death with Prayer and Blessing and Thanksgiving and enjoying an inward and spiritual Communion together though they be ever so small a Number and though having no Priest outwardly ordained as above said And seeing outward Ordination of Priests or Presbyters either by Pope Prelate or Presbyter none of whom have any inward and immediate call is a meer human Invention as John Owen whom ye esteem your reverend Brother hath sufficiently proved and that ye lay the main stress of this Ordinance its being observed or practised hereupon that some ordained Minister consecrate it or Independent Pastor which is of no better Authority than the former Ye can never prove that that ye call the Supper is any thing beyond what is frequently practised among us even as outwardly although as to the inward to Gods praise we know we have the advantage incomparably beyond all of you And instead of proving that your eating together hath any advantage above ours ye say Ye think your Supper is beyond ours as being an holy Ordinance of Gospel Worship and ours is only the common Duty of all men But as ours is not the common Duty of all men as ye falsly alledge so yours is not an holy Ordinance of Gospel Worship for it is essential to all Gospel Worship to be performed in the Spirit because God is a Spirit but ye plead That men called Ministers who have nothing of true Piety or the Spirit of Truth and Holiness may consecrate the Bread and make it a Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord. Pag. 145. Ye commit another gross Abuse falsly alledging on me that I said All outward eating and drinking is a natural and necessary sign of the inward see my Book p. 192. I say not All outward eating drinking but I say such a figure as is natural and necessary to be used by us all c. where ye may see I restrict it to Believers so that the outward eating and drinking of Believers is a natural and necessary sign or figure of the inward to Believers but not to Unbelievers as the whole outward World is a figure of the inward and spiritual as Paul doth expresly call it 1 Cor. 7.31 But whereas ye say There is not one Syllable expresly nor consequentially intimating any such thing there ye show your great Rashness or Ignorance for in the Greek to which I did refer the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latine Scema and Englished Scheme that most commonly signifieth figure and is expresly translated Figure in that very place by Pasor a zealous Protestant in his Lexicon thus Figura hujus Mundi preterit i. e. the Figure of this World passeth away Hence in all Mathematical Schools in teaching Geography or Astronomy we call the draught or figure proposed in the Lesson the Scema or Sceme and any ordinary School-boy or common Shepherd or Plow-man may inform you that this visible World is a Figure of the invisible and the outward a figure of the inward which is a common Saying in the mouthes of men generally and is further confirmed by Paul saying The invisible things of God are understood by the things that are made Rom. 1.20 and by the fore-cited Saying of Luther That in all Creatures we see a Declaration and Signification of the holy Trinity And whereas I said That in our outward eatings sometimes we do use both inward outward Prayer and Thanksgiving and sometimes only inward this in a way of Scoff ye call A new way of Consecration whereby ye declare your selves too great strangers to inward and mental Prayer performed only with the heart and mind for if ye did rightly understand inward and mental Prayer ye would acknowledge that the outward eating is sanctified by the Word of God and by inward Prayer as well as both inward and outward but the outward without the inward hath no virtue to sanctifie the Creatures of God and yet certainly ye give too much cause to judge that your outward Prayer wanteth the inward when ye allow both the Members Ministers of your Church to be Members and Ministers without all inward Holiness or working of the Spirit of God And how the Prayer of Unholy Men as ye allow your Ministers may be that consecrate the Bread and Wine to be the Sacrament of the Supper can consecrate sanctifie or make holy evâ—â—â—es Instruments these Elements is as strange a Paradox as how an unclean thing can bring out a clean or one contrary another Pag. 146. Ye alledge That the Seventh day was appointed viz. for a Sabbath before the Fall and so was no Type of Christ. But the former ye barely alledge for that the Seventh Day its being said to be blessed c. suppose a natural or common Day before any mention is made of the Fall of Adam no more proveth its Institution before the fall for a Sabbath than that it can be proved there were diversities of Languages before Babel because Languages or Tongues are mentioned Gen. 10.5.20.31 and yet in the following Chap. vers 1. it s said The whole Earth was of one Language for divers things are recorded in Scripture by Anticipation Pag. 147. Ye say Heb. 4.9 10. it is said Christ entred into his Rest and doth that mean that he entred into himself Answ It is not said that Christ or God entred into his Rest but That God ceased from his Works but allow it That Christ entred into his Rest is not That that he entred into that Glory he had with the Father before the World was and can God or Christ have another or better Rest than Himself or can any natural or common Day be a Rest unto God O blind Man Ye call an inward Day Non-sence but it is because ye have not sence to understand it Is not the Day of Gods Power and the Day of Salvation mentioned in Scripture an inward and spiritual Day Ye say again If I can find an inward Seventh Day in Scripture it will be a rare Invention I Answer As I
were once in a ready way to have broken up all the Good Order whether Civil or Sacred in the Infancy of this Plantation which occasioned the Authority whom they would have undermined then to turn a Sharp upon them by Laws not so severe as those in the Realm of England against their Fathers the Jesuites on the same Account yet those Troublesom Hereticks who had no Business here at all but the overthrowing of our whole Government would push themselves on the Swords point and tho' repeated Banishments with merciful Entreaties to be gone were first used unto them nevertheless two or three of them would rather Dye than leave the Plantation undisturbed Reply How or after what manner the Plantation in its infancy was in such danger our Author is silent in True it is that upwards of thirty Years past some of our Friends as faithful Servants in obedience to their Lord and Masters command the great God of heaven by the spirit of his Son in their hearts did visit N. England in true and tender Love to the Inhabitants thereof for whose Immortal Wellfare they earnestly travailed and were bowed down before the Lord being amongst them in much brokenness of Heart and contrition of Spirit they were grieved and weighted in their Souls with the Hypocrisie in New-England against which they witnessed sealing it with their Blood their hearts being filled with that Message the holy Apostle Paul in his day was imployed in Acts 26.17 18. To open their Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto God directing them to the manifestation of the Spirit of God in them A Teacher not to be removed into a corner nor that would any ways deceive them or suffer them to be at ease in sin This High way of the Lord cast up in his Son Christ Jesus the Light of the World the Sound thereof offended the Ears of New-England's Teachers who not unlike Demetrius the Silver-smith Acts 19.24 proved notable Incendiaries against the Lords Servants left their craft should be in danger so far did they kindle the Rage and Fury of their bigotted Rulers that by cruel Usage and inhumane Laws they far exceeded any thing in the Realm of England against the Jesuites And whilst I am writing there livingly springs up in my heart to you the Inhabitants of Boston New-England a weighty Exhortation and that in tender Love That you would mind the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation and as the holy Scripture testifies hath appeared unto all men 2 Tit. 11. that in the same you may see your blind Guides for if the Blind lead the Blind both shall fall into the Ditch Beware that it be not your Condemnation that Light is come into the World and that you love Darkness rather than Light because your Deeds are Evil I have neither Envy nor Malice against the Priests or People of New-England but earnestly desire the Eternal Well-fare of both yet I cannot but lament the present state of New-England as well as its former whose Priests to the life are drawn out in the 3d of Micah v. 5. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my People Err that bite with their Teeth and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their Mouthes they even prepare War against him vers 11. The Heads thereof judge for Reward and the Priests thereof Teach for Hire and the Prophets thereof divine for Money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us none Evil can come upon us O New-England New-England is not this your present state Are not your Priests crying Peace unto you as if no Evil could come upon you in the midst of these Cloudes of Dangers that are hanging over your heads some of them you have for more than a Twelve Moneth felt to wit A Bloody Cruel War with the Heathen the loss of so many Lives hath humbled me before the Lord and at this time the earnest Cry and Supplication of my Soul unto God is That you may by your speedy sincere Repentance unto him prevent his Judgments for the future That the Jesuits may be properly termed the Fathers of New-England Priests none can doubt if they differ not from their Brother John Cotton of Hampton who in a publick Dispute with G. K. owned To have received his Ministry by the Pope of Rome whose Emisaries they are Beside as they can never prove the Quakers guilty of any one Jesuitical Error yet we can prove these Priests of Boston guilty of many and more especially in their being Incendiaries against the Peace of the Government The further calumniating those who suffered Death to answer your Crucity is but a mean way to expiate the Crime of their innocent Blood which crys aloud for Vengeance and the Lord unto whom it belongs will repay it Thou Cotton Mather nor all thy Fraternity will never be able to prove these 4 Worthies troublesom Hereticks that patiently endured Martyrdom for the Testimony of Jesus by their crul Hands neither will thy poor Insinuation help That two or three of them would rather dye than leave the Plantation undisturbed They had no reason to hearken unto your Hypocritical entreaties to be gone it was their Birth-right as free-born Subjects of the Kingdom of England and so might claim it to inhabit N. England as well as any that there resided as not being forbid to them by either the Law of God or the Realm of England so that being innocent they feared not man that could only hurt the Body but feared him that could cast both Body and Soul into Hell Fire C. M. It is possible a Bedlam had been fitter for those Frantick People than what was inflicted on them and for my own part I must profess with regard unto such Hereticks Ad Judicium sanguinis Tardus sum nor have I the least inclinations to Hereticide as a fit way to suppress their Errors Reply Here our Author doth not a little impeach the Authority of N. England at that time who were accessary to the Death of those â— Worthies by him call'd Frantick People for if according to him a Bedlam had been fitter surely they greatly sinned in passing and executing Sentence of Death upon them the present Governour Simon Broadstead then a Magistrate is greatly concerned in this Charge which amounts to no less than the taking away four Lives by an unjust Judgment for how can that Sentence of Hanging be just against such for whom a Bedlam had been fitter Such as this Author renders our Friends to have been are by the Laws of England exempted from the punishment of Death as also it s reckoned amongst the Abuses of the common Law That such who kill People by false Judgment be not destroyed as other Murderers as may be seen in that noted Book called The Mirror of Justice C. 5. Sect. 108. in express words thus It is abuse that Justices and other Officers who kill People by false Judgment be not destroyed as other Murderers which K. Alfred cause to be done who caused forty four Judges in one Year to be hanged as Murderers for their false Judgments which in the said Book are particularly noted and in the 4th Case he instances how King Alfred hanged Cole because he judged Ive to death when he was a Mad-man Cotton Mather forgot his respect to the venerable Mordocai of his Country as he at other times terms him when he thus exposed him M. C.