ye all falsly say it is that is the Word of God Witnesse not only that so much esteemed Divine in his dayes viz. Ball in his Catechisme but also the Confession of Faith of the Assembly of Divines presented to the Parliament and that of the Congregationals which is verbatim the same also therewith who all unanimously in that Article of the Scripture wherein they falsely affirm it to be the Word of God declare thus in the fifth head viz. by the heavenlinesse of the matter efficacy of Doctrine majesty of the stile excellency and perfection of the whole it doth abudantly evidence it self to be the Word of God yet notwithstanding our full perswasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof i.e. of the Scripture is from the inward work of the holy Spirit bearing witnesse by and with the word in our hearts But thou in page 90. and thorowout thy fifth chapter of thy first Treatise excludest the witnesse of the Spirit immediately in the heart at all or at least the usefulnesse much more the necessity of any such Testimony making as here page 34. the Authority of God shining in it self alone and exclusively of the spirits and words witnesse in our hearts the sole medium of all that evidence which man can have of its being what ye call it viz. The Word of God but as for God and the Spirit who within do give all the evidence that they give at all of the Scriptures being what in truth is is viz a true writing of the truth what if they are willing to grant an evidence within and to afford more then thou talkst of wilt thou bind limit and forbid them so to so who 〈◊〉 unlimitedly here declarest that God is willing to afford and grant no more must not the Spirit blow where it lifts without thy leave or acquainting thee first who art no Prophet with what he will do And this may serve as a sufficient Answer to thy vain Opinion in it it being worth no better to that whole Chapter of thine concerning the Testimony of the Spirit though whether it shall or no so that I 'le say no more to thee about that Chapter is more then I le tell thee here that I may be at liberty to do as I see occasion Only thus much is spoken to that saying of thine above pag. 34. to shew how Majestically still for the eternal Truths of God thou tellest thy own meer trashy untrusty Traditions of which sort I say is that above p. 163 which I am yet in hand with viz. that God probably suffered the losse of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to reduce us to a Consideration of his Care in preserving every Tittle that was in them to this day in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Copies we have But I O. seems to take another Reason out of the bottomlesse pit of his own infinite Fancy and Imagination why God was as willing to let the first Manuscripts perish as careful to preserve every Apex thereof in their adored Transcripts and successively Crowned and Canonized Copies to this day viz. left if the immediate individual Writings had been preserved men would have been ready to adore them as the Jewes to adore their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Synagogues Reply Which if it be Cogent or have any Reason at all in it to prove a willingnesse in God to let the first Writings be left hath it not as much to the full to evince God Regardlesnesse of your so copiously regarded Copies upon if there were no other the very self-same Account as he was so carelesse of the other But I. O. is so totally Talpified that as Eagle-eyed as he is abroad to spie a hole in the Iewes Coat he can't see that Iewish Idolatry neerer home For if God to prevent Adoration of that Brazen Serpent and Idolized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Scripture was so regardlesse of it as to permit it to perish and be brought to nothing is there not as much reason why he should be as Carelesse of your remote tottered Transcripts and false Translations ye are so carkingly careful of as to let what will become of them notwithstanding your uncessant pining and whining and whoring after them and solicitous scoldings and tearings one of another so much about them For as much as though ye Confesse ye have but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet so it is that ye Adore and even Idolize them as much as ye would or likely could the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 themselves had you them to bustle and busie your minds about and as much as the Iewes though ye advance them the Right way no more then they do theirs as I have told you at large above do their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Synagogues Suppose ye had here the very Hand writings of Moses and the old Prophets and the individual Letters and Stories that the Evangelists and Apostles pen'd with their own hands yea the very Two Tables of Stone superscribed with Gods own finger which was a Figure and Type of that Hand-writing of his Law in the fleshly Tables of your hearts by his living Spirit the Truth and Anti-type of which ye as little heed as ye heedlesly over-value the other What could you Ministers of the Letter and not the Spirit and your Literal and Formal more then Powerful and truly Spiritual Professours say or do more unlesse you would down on your Knees to them so soon as ever ye see them in way of outward Honour and Adoration thereof then ye do to your falsified Transcripts and your People to the more unspeakably false Translations which they take for Truth but by Tradition and meer implicite Faith from your selves Le ts Reason and Reckon with you here a little while about your Transcripts and Translations which are all that are extant and enjoyed at this day the first by you that have skill in Hebrew and Greek the second by your Independent on God but on their Priests lips dependent People As for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Memorandum Oh all People by whom these presents shall ever happen to be read I. O. hath quite quitted the World of them Confessing they are all utterly perished and long since past away and lost So that 't is opon Fiction or miracuâ—ous with him for any one to affirm that there 's any one individual Role Writing or Book that was Pen'd by the Holy men that in their several successive Ages wrote the Scripture now alive and not mouldred into dust So that the World hath done with them and they with us so as never to come within our Ocular Inspection more whereby to try whether our Doctors and Divines Adored Transcripts do to a little agree as I. O. absolutely affirms they do with the Touchstone yea or nay so as to believe our own eyes or any otherwise then as I O. who first positively Asserts it doth after as improbly conclude
wherewith thou standest out Pushing and Warring on in vindication of thy Assertion which looses ground more and more at the tayl of which thou again usherest in thy Conclusion viz. The Iewes silly superstitious sayings and doings which thou minglest with thy own shall we thinks as if thou didst not only justifie and side with them in their Absurdities but also build much as to the Evincing of thy Position thereupon there lacks little to be Replyed as to the Routing of them every one that hath any little solidity in him being easily capable to see and feel the foppicalnesse thereof yet at least I shall do thee so much Right who perhaps placest more in them then many a wise man would do as to nominate them The Iewes sayest thou pag. 169 170 171 173. have a Common saying That to alter one Letter of the Law is no lesse sin then to set the whole World on fire The truth is they are prodigious things that are Related of the Exact Diligence and Reverential Care of the Antient Jewes in this Work Ben Asher spent many years in the Careful Exact Writing out of the Bible Let any consider the things which they affirm to Prophane a Book or Copy One is if but one Letter be wanting and Another if but one Letter be Redundant and shall we think that is Writing it they took no more Care then a man would do in Writing out Aristotle or Plato Considering that the Word to be Transcribed was every Tittle and Iota of it The Word of the great God c. that if any failings were made innumerable Eyes of men owning their Eternal Concernment to lye in that Word were open upon it to discover it c. It is no hard work to prove their Care and Diligence to have out-gone that of Common Scribes of Heathen Authors Even among the Heathen we will scarce think that the Roman Pontifices going solemnly to Transcribe Sybills Verses would do it either negligently or Treacherously or alter one Tittle from what they found written And shall we entertain such Thoughts of them that knew they had to do with the living God in and about that which is dearer to him then all the World besides Let men then Clamour as they please and cry out of all as ignorant and stupid which will not grant the Corruptions of the Old Testament they plead let them propose their Conjectures of Mistakes crept into the Original Copies with their Remedies as Capellus We shall acknowledge nothing of this nature but what they can prove by undeniable and irrefragable instances which as to any thing done by them appears upon the matter to be nothing at all It can then with no colour of Probability be Asserted which yet I find some Learned men too free in granting namely that there hath the same Face attended the Scripture in its Transcription as hath done other Books Let me say without offence this Imagination seems to the to border on Atheism Surely the Promise of God for the Preservation of his Word with his Love and Care of his Church of whose Faith and Obedience the Word is the only Rule require other Thoughts at our hands We adde that the whole Scripture entire as given out from God without any losse is preserved in the Copies of the Originals yet remaining What varieties there are among the Copies themselves shall be afterwards declared in them all we say is every Letter and Tittle of the Word Reply Because the Children of the Letter of the Old Testament nor of the Gospel the Spirit and the New are so sortish and senslesse as to surmise that the bare Copies of the Letters and Points and Tittles and loâ—aes are dearer to God then all the World besides so that its a greater sin to mis-transcribe one Letter by either Alteration Ablation or Addition which change by Deficiency or Redundancy may befal the most Critical Curious Careful Scribe that ever was does prophan a Copy so that it s not the Holy Scripture for Prophane and Holy are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is as great a sin and a matter of as much moment as the fiâ—ing the whole World and upon such uncircumcised Conceits are men Excrementiâ—ously exact and diligent to very doâ—age and careful of Pins Points Vowels Accents Tittles Iotaes Apices and Letters of the Text ad Extra not Tantamount to the least of the Truths therein contained no not to so â—uch as Tyth while the Law for it stood of Mint Anâ—is and Commin to utter Carelesnesse of the grand Truths and reverentially respectful to their Book as they were of old to their Brazen Serpent of as divine Original and to as divine an end as the Letter is to very idolatry and spending their time in tedious transcribings of every Apex to the very total loss of many years from the more weighty matters of Judgement Mercy Righteousnesse Faith and Truth which the Text doth but testifie of and prodigious to very Superstition I say because that blinded Generation of men viz. the Iewes whom sometimes thou seemest to tax for their undue Veneration of the Letter and over-weenings of it pag. 236. and to set them at nought as men feeding themselves all their dayes with vain Fables addicted to figments profoundly Ignorant Idolatrous full of foolish Contradictious Triflings bewitched with their Dunghilly Traditions doing how seriously of nothing how Childishly in serious things fools sots froth smoke nothing whose sayings and doings are no more to be heeded then that of wick'd blind mad-men c. pag. 236 239 242 243 246 247. do so adore the letter and dote on the Tittles of it must thou needs be foolish and doting and sottish and superstitious and Idolatrous and so Childishly serious in taking up thy Time and Thoughts so totally and piningly after Toyes and Trifles and Iots and Tittles together with them Vin tu Curtis Judaeis oppedere c. Wilt thou sometimes flert at the Iewes Fancies and Fopperies and odde Conceits and over-curious Carriages of themselves in Boyes Toyes and at that which is the fruit of their fidling minds as not fit to be any other then forgotten and yet forget thy self so other whiles as to entertain their vain Thoughts so as to own them as thine own and own them as thy grounds and foundations to frame thy Arguments upon so as both â—o think the same with them and from thence to impose upon the thoughts and faith of others for if thou judg them ridiculous why dost thou alledge them in so serious a Case as thou dost and if thou justifie them art thou not one with them and because thou think'st as they so superstitiously think and from thence thrusts out thy confident Conclusions in that thy wonted Interrogative way of shall we think this and that shall we entertain such Thoughts can it be imagined c. or if positively then thus it is not unprobable it can with no colour of probability be Asserted this or that
the Term Our which quite alters the state of the Question and makes it altogether another This Truth is told us viz That the Terms of the 3. Question were Whether Good works be the meritorious cause of our Iustification which was expressely affirmed by the Qua Witnesse Hen Oxenden Iohn Boys Esquires Mr. Nath Barry Mr. Thomas Seyliard Mr. Char Nicolls Ministers a few of very many Witnesses quoth T.D. in his Epist to the Reader of the Terms of the Questions agreed to by the Qua who will free me and how well they free him let all the world judge from the suspition of a partial Relator Witnesse also T.D. himself who if it be the same T.D. as no doubt it is who wrote both that Book and the Epistle and Narrative thereto annexed in p. 58. of the self-same Book to the Contradicting and Confounding of himselfe in the former Tale together with those his own Witnesses tells all that Truth that is last related 2. They tell us one while that is when we not only assert it but evince it from the Rule of contraries that its rank Popery to say Good works deserve Iustification Otherwhiles that is when to the contradiction of themselves they assert and evince the same from the same Rule then to go round again it 's no Popery Witnesse T.D. who in p. 14. of his 1. Pamphlet sayes S.F. shews himself a rank Papist indeed in so arguing yet p. 15. in proof of himselfe to be a good Protestant no Papist allows himself so to argue viz Evill works which are the violation of the Law deserve damnation Ergo Good works which are the fulfilling of the Law deserve salvation adding That he knows no good works such but Christs To which I answer Nor do I know any good works such but Christs and I adde I own all Good works such that are Christs and there T.D. dissents in not owning all Christs own Good works such but some only namely such as he did at Ierusalem and some even of Christs own Good works as namely all such as he works in his Saints who works all their good works in them Isa 26.12 as no better then dung losse and filthy rags Witnesse his blind blending of these two distinct businesses into one and the same viz The righteousnesse wrought by men without Christ and the righteousnesse wrought in men by Christ or Our good works alias Mans own righteousnesse wrought only by men in their own wills wisdome strength according to their thoughts imaginations conceits traditions c. without Christs Light and Spirit which is that only the Spirit calls Ours that is as an unclean thing as filthy rags Isa 64.4 which God speaking to Israel that being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse went about to establish their own Rom 10.3 calls Thy righteousnesse thy works which cannot profit nor deliver Isa 57.12 13. And which Paul Phil. 3.9 stiles his own righteousnesse which was of the Law as in opposition to that of God and Christ And those good works of Christ in our persons in performing whereof the righteousnesse of the Law is said though by Christs Power only to be fulfilled in us Rom 8.4 Or that righteousnesse which is though in the Saints yet of God alone through their faith in Christ Iesus the Light Phil 3.9 For these two Righteousnesses the one whereof who is not blind may see to be only mans own which is worse then naught and avails not The other only Christs own which must be of infinite worth and desert to justifie as T.D. also to the further confounding of himselfe truly confesses p. 15.1 Pam from the dignity of the person or subject i.e. Christ in us by whom it 's performed T.D. confounds together both into one and the self same and consequently concludes himself unavoidably to be respectively both a Self Contradictor and which is worse a most abominable Blasphemer For if the Righteousnesse and Obedience that is by Christs Power performed in his Saints Persons be both Christs own and yet mans own also Then being one and the same individual righteousnesse it must have a mutual participation of the same Properties and Denominations respectively so that if Christs own righteousnesse may be said to be of worth and desert to Salvation as it truly is by T. D. himselfe then â— mans Pauls the Saints own righteousnesse which T.D. sayes was Christs received from Christ wrought by Christ must be consequently meritorius also and that 's a piece of rank Popery and wretched Foppery of T.Ds. own broaching who yet would Father it upon the Qua which the Qua who own all mans own righteousnesse to be as the Scripture sayes of it unclean dung losse and filthy rags and utterly unprofitable do as utterly abhorre and so T.D. makes himselfe a Merit Monger with a witnesse such as never yet was found among the Qua That dying-Qua at Dover himself whom T.D. belyes in that particular not excepted And again If Mans Pauls the Saints own righteousnesse may be said as it truly is Isa 57.12 13. 64.4 Phil. 3.8 to be unprofitable unclean dung losse and filthy rags then the self same which Paul and other Saints their own righteousnesse being no other then Christs then what they receive from him and he works in them as T.D. sayes for their Sanctification some of Christs own righteousnesse Yea even that too which serves for the Saints sanctification and to make the Saints meet for that possession where â—no unclean thing must enter must be unprofitable unclean dung losse and filthy rags which is no lesse then point blank blasphemy yea in expresse terms p. 23. I deny our justification by Christ in us quoth he by that righteousnesse in us whereof Christ is the Author as if that Christ in us and that righteousnesse of his in us which is the same with that without us deserved nothing 3. Moreover in saying there are two Righteousnesses of Christ when as the Righteousness of Christ whether in himself or in his Saints is but one he crouds confusion upon confusion in the eye of every clear considerer of his inconsiderable stuff which cannot but see that what God joyns together as one this he separates and puts asunder what is truly one and undivided as Christ and his Righteousnesse is this he divides and distinguishes into two righteousnesses 2 Things meant by that one name of Christ his Person and his Operations in us The latter whereof he denys for righteousness to justification But what things are truly and distinctly two and ought accordingly to be and by the Lord are divided separated and put asunder as Mans Pauls the Iewes own righteousnesse and that righteousnesse which is of God by faith in Christ received from and wrought by Christ in his Saints which the Scripture Rom 10 Phil. 3. opposes and speaks of as in contradistinction each to other These two T.D. and his Brother Builders whose work it is to build Babel or confusion as their
in the like lame cause who belabouring your selves in talk about the Letter against the Light live and walk more by the false fire and twinkling flash of your own thred-bare thoughts and infatuated imaginations then either by the Letter or the Light I come now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without much Preamble or more ado ad rem substratam to the businesse and work it self as it lies before me And howbeit I shall not regard any External form order or methodical manner of proceeding with you so much as words and matter of profit and truth it self yet as there is a Quaternity of you or rather a Fraternity of four angry Fighters or Quarrellers with the Quakers and the truths told by them viz. I. O. T. D. I. T. R. Baxter all whom first or last one where or other more or lesse I shall have to do with So though not therefore I shall divide my ensuing undertakings against you in the Name and Power of God on their behalf in such wise as thou I. O. dost thy Doctor-like Divinity Disputations or Latine-labours against them viz. into four Apologetical Exercitations or Earnest Expostulations with you The first whereof is to be more down-rightly directed to thee T.D. the rest who are of the same misty mind with thee not excluded in way of Examination of that Legend of Lyes which thou like some great Benefactor to it bestowest on the Clergies Cause against the Truth and its Children and as concerning the point of Iustification in special which thou makest thy self a main Mannager of against us for all the rest who say little of it and in which thou by thy lies about it in both Doctrine and matter of fact most basely abusest both thy self and the Truth and my self in particular and all the Qua. in general also The second is to be most peculiarly directed to thee I. O. in Examination of sundry of thy base belyings and misreportings of the Qua. as to their mis-behaviour toward the Scripture about which T. D. who sides with three therein doth but give us a short snap and away and as concerning the very formal being nature Text or Letter or the Scripture it self ye call your Canon the Bâ—unds or measure of that your supposed Canon the Hebrew Punctaâ—ion Integrity of the Text to a Tittle without Various â—ection and such like passages which thou more preheminently pratest on then all thy Fellows The third is to relate though partly to T. D. and partly to I. T. and R. B. alâ—o as being all three in some sort tampering together with thee in the same muddy manner about at least some of the same mistaken matters yet principally to thee I. O. who in the dark dream of thy night Vision drivest on more down rightly as the Prime Promoter of these Principles viz. that the Scripture and every sylâ—â—â—le and Iota thereof is the Word of the Great God the most efficacious powerful all-sufficient all-perfecting heart-searching soul-saving living life-giving Word of the living God that it even that outward writing Letter External Text and not any such thing as an Internal Word of God Spirit or Light within is the only Infallible Guide Incorruptible Canon perfect Rule of all Faith holy life saving Spiritual Knowledge or Worship the most certain Sanctuary for the preservation of all Sacred Truth the most sure Touch-stone stable standard firm Foundation true Witness of God the most invariable inviolable way of safety and security to all Divine Verity the most absolutely necessary means of Spiritual and Eternal life cum multis aliis quae nunc praescribere longum est with much more id genus of the same soure leven too long to be reckon'd up here sith they are all to be elsewhere reckon'd with in due time and place The fourth will be promiscuously and interchangeably carried on by way of entercourse with you both I. O. and T. D. which two only were intended to be by me so much as medled with when I first was throughly resolv'd on some Reply to your rude reproachings of the Truth As concerning your denial of the universality and sufficiency to save such as heed it of the Light and Grace of God in all mens hearts of modern immediate Divine Inspiration of Perfection as to the purging away of sin in this life and as concerning your Dream of a peremptory Election and Reprobation of persons unborn viz. of very few to life and of many to one as unchangeably to damnation without respect to their doing good or evil in their life about all which as occasion is I must have in a few words a round reckoning with you both I. T. R. B. and all the rest of that self-reverencing black-mouth'd Brotherhood as blindly banding in one body in the self-same mist of darkness not excluded for the Rounds ye run in as to those particulars at the latter end i. e. in the said fourth and last part of these foresaid Presents in which as occasion is ye four aforesaid Fellow-Fighters for your own follies against Gods Wisdome are likely little or more to be all bespoken in one or other of the Chapters into which also I shall subdivide the fore named four divisions If ye four Foxes that spoil the Vine and her tender Grapes whereof inter-scribendum one successively still started out afresh upon me as I was pursuing the sent and chasing the other had like those of Sampsons turned tail to tail in all points as in some ye do and took several wayes ye could not so well have been caught altogether as now ye may notwithstanding all your Majestical craft but sith ye face all one way and joyntly steer your course in general to one Cave running parallel into the same Wood of your own wisdome there housing your selves in the same holeÌ„ dreaming altogether of no danger neer you in one Den of Darkness there needs no more but to set something to the Mouth of that bottomless Pit ye all belong to out of which the Fox-like strong sent and stinking savour of your erroneous Tenets vents it self to the poysoning of poor peoples Souls throughout the whole Countryes where your respective beings are and so digging you out of your foresaid Dens put you altogether into a Bag. S.F. The First Apologetical and Expostulatory Exercitation CHAP. I. FIrst then though they came out last and began to fly abroad some while after I. Owens yet I shall begin with thy two Butterflyes T.D. which have flown up and down the World not only upon the wind of their own wings but also as fast and far as they could carry them upon the light chaffy leaves of the whiffling news-News-books for some few moneths together to the frightning of all such folk as are befool'd into an Implicit Faith of thy folly to be wisdome out of that little wisdome they have by that fearful flutter they have made thorowout as well the Cities as Vniversities and Countryes with that falâ—e flashy and fair-flourishing
about the manner and means and true bounds thereof for as to the Question whether it be a Canon that is a Rule at all yea or not I may defer it also to another place let me Expostulate with thee I O. yet more about it yet how and by whom your Standard comes to be so Bounded as ye say it is and to be limited to those Demensions of Latitude Longitude and Profundity that ad amussim exact Measure Heighth Depth Length and Breadth that is allotted to it as without the Apocripha it stands bound up within your late bound Bibles I mean that such and such Parcels Prophesies Proverbs Histories Epistles Holy Sentences Sacred Sayings shall stand Owned Honoured Signed and Authorized with the Sacred High and Holy Titles of Gods Word Gods Witnesse Foundation Rule inalterable Standard and not one piece of Holy Writing more or lesse then those already so Consecrated and Canonized so that such and such puta those that ye now commonly call Canonical shall shand as the Standard and all others viz. those called Apocryphal and whatever are mentioned in that Scripture ye so own shall stand out of and off from it as no part of the Standard while the World stands Who was it Was it God or was it Man that set such distinct Bounds to the Scripture so as to say such and such a set number of Books viz. Those those that are sum'd up together before your Bibles excepting the Apocrypha which stands between them shall be owned as Canonical and the rest though such as were of the same divine Inspiration be rejected as humane and no otherwise accounted on then other meer mens Writings not to be received with such high respect as the other Whence hast thou this Conceit that God himself Commanded the Close of the Canon of the Old Testament to be Malachi and the bounds of it to consist of such Books of the Prophets as ye now have exclusively of such Prophesies therein mentioned as ye have not and the Close of the Canon of the New to be the Revelation and the bulk of it to be those few Histories and Apostolical Epistles as ye have exclusively of such even therein mentioned as ye have not Who was it that said to the Spirit of God O Spirit blow no more inspire no more men make no more Prophets from Ezra's dayes and downwards till Christ and from Iohns dayes downward for ever But cease be silent and subject thy self as well as all Evil Spirits to be tryed by the Standard that 's made up of some of the Writings of some of those men thou hast moved to write already and let such and such of them as are bound up in the Bibles now used in England be the only means of measuring all Truth for ever Who was it God or Man the Spirit in the Scripture it self or the Scribes in their Synods Councels and Consistories that so Authorized or Canonized these and expunged those Was it not meer Men in their Imaginations Doth the Scripture do the Spirit and the Apostles therein give any order for or make any such mention in the least of such a matter Is it not meer man in his Imaginations that hath taken upon him according to the good or ill Conceit that he hath taken to him of these or those respectively to say which thou sayest is a Contradiction to say he will give Authority to the Scriptures Is it not man in his proud mind that comes in with his sic volo sic Iubeo so I 'le have it thus it shall be Saying to the Books of Scripture as God sayes to the Waves of the outward Ocean hitherto shall ye come and no further So many of the Prophets and Apostles Writings shall be in the Authority Nature Vse and Office of the Supream Determiner of all Truth for ever and all others even such as are written by the same men in the motion of the same Spirits shall be but as common mens Writings and be look'd on afar off as Apocryphal i.e. hidden or unknown Writings that no such notice shall be â—aken of as of the other And as for the Books which ye sprinkle with that Name of Apocryphal and give leave to to have a standing with it but not so as to make any part of your Standard What think ye of them upon second Thoughts Are they fit for nothing but to be Cashiered and cast out of your Canon by whole sale by Tradition one from another without trying them Is there nothing among them that may be judiciously Iudged to be of as divine an Original and Authority as some of those particular Letters to private men as that of Paul to Philemon about private personal or Domestick matters which ye own in such a transcendent manner as ye do Surely if some of hem be fictitious or fabulous or but humane so that ye will say no better of them then Vox hominem sonat yet is there none or nothing among them all that is to be noted or counted upon as of divine Authority and Original and of as self-evidencing Efficacy as some of those ye own None that ye can see cause to sign meliore lapillo with some better Name then ye vouchsafe them and standing in the Church then ye allow them As if they were a certain mongrel seed between that of Canaan and Ashdod that ye know not well what to make of nor how to entreat so ill altogether as not to afford them a middle place in some of your Bibles between the Old Testament Writings and those ye call the New nor yet so well as to entertain them into your Canon neither Surely there be some of them which when ye look them over again not so cursorily as to over-look them as ye ordinarily do ye may find ground to receive as such as have as fair a stamp of the beaming Majesty Truth Holinesse and Authority of God and his Spirit as some at least not to say the most of those ye ascribe to God as their main or only Author and that do favour as much of I. O's so much insisted on Theo-pneusty as some other Historical Doctrinal and Prophetical parts of your acknowledged divinely derived Scripture do of which what Infidels soever ye are as concerning them yet I together with many others whereof some are as Booklearn'd as your selves can say Credo Equidem nec vana Fides genus esse Deorum 'T is indeed the Faith or rather Infidelity of such as call themselves Reformed Churches that all those Books called the Apocrypha without exception are in no wise of such divine Original as them ye call Canonical but who first set the one upon the Bench and the other at the Bar I am yet to learn but this I know that howbeit ye second their depression and digradation of the one so far below the other yet as neither one nor t'other were ever Canonized by God himself if we speak of the Outward Text only about which
by Inspiration is preserved without Corruption i.e. variety from the first Original Manuscripts in the Copies we have Pag. 137. The whole Scriptâ—re entire as given out from God without any losse is preserved in the Copies of the Originals in â—hâ—m all we say is every Letter and Tittle Pag. 10. Tâ—e Word i.e. Scripture with thee still for thou denyest the words coming any other-way to your selves or any now is come forth unto us from God without the least mixture or intervenience of any medium obnoxious to fallibility as is the Wisdom Truth Integrity Knowledge and Memory of the best of all men Pag. 13. We have not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Mo es and the Prophets the Apostles and Evangelists but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have or Coâ—iâ—s contain every Iota that was in them Hebraeâ— Volumina nec in unica dictione corrupta intenies S. Pag. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 5. 18. To which Answers that Pag. 316 317. Doth not our Saviour affirm of the Word that was among the Jewes i.e. Scripture Secundum te still That not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it should passe away or perish where let the Consonants themselves with their Apices be intended or alluded to in that expression c. And Epist pag. 27. None are able to shew out of any Copies yet extant in the World and that they can make appear ever to have been extant that ever there were any such various Lections in the Old Testament And pag. 319. Neither the Care oâ— God over his Truth nor the Fidelity of the Judaical Church will permit us to entertain the least suspition that there was ever in the world any Copy of the Bible differing in tâ—e least from that we enjoy or that those we have are corrupted And pag. 317. Let the Authors of this Insinuation prove that there ever was in the World any Copy of the Bible Differing in any one word from those that we now enjoy let them produce one Testimony ne Author of C edâ— Jâ—w or Christian that can or doth or ever did speak one word to this purpâ—se let them direct us to any Relick any Monument any kind of Remembrance of them and it shall b of weâ—ght to us c. Many more exceeding and extraordinary high strict streins thou deliverest thyself in in other places about the non-corruption non alteration of the Text of Scripture in one Letter Tittle Iota or Syllable since the first giving it out so but that in the Copies extant to this day there 's an exact Unity and entire Identity with the first Originals a kind of Summary Collection and Câ—pitulation of which thou makest pag. 153. speaking to this purpose thus viz. I O. The Sum of what I am Pleading for as to the particular Head to be vindicated is That as the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were immediately and entirely given out by God himself his Mind being in them represented unto us without the least interveniency of such mediums and wayes as were capable of giving Change or Alteration to the least Iota or Syllable So by his good and merciful Providential Dispensation in his love to his Word and Church his whole Word alias the Scripture with thee as at first given out by him is preserved unto us entire in the Original Languages where shining in its own beauty and lustre as also in all Translations as far as they faithfully represent the Originals it manifests and evidences unto the Consciences of men without other forreign help or Assistance its divine Original and Authority Reply This is the Capital Cardinal General Assertion or Position which branches it selâ— into several Particulars or petty Propositions viz. The immediate coming forth of the Scripture from God to us its self evidencing power to evince it self by it self alone to be of God and his Word it s descending to us at this day entire to a Tittle without corruption by alteration in the least Letter Iota Vowel Point or Syllable its uncapablenesse of such Change and Alteration in its coming to us so are thy words here and pag. 10. to the least Iota or Syllable Unto which General Head and its branches the Ramuâ—culi lesser twigs or little Sentences scattered here and there throwout thy Book are Reducible and each to its own suitable Branch respectively That which I am here under Consideration of thy piâ—tiful Plea for is both its non-Alteration de facto as it s handed down by Transcribers from the fiâ—st Scribes of it to us in these dayes and its Unalterablenesse or Uncapablenesse of Alteration which if thou mean as thou sayest thou here Assertest to the least Iota or Syllable These are to thee as thou sayest such important Truths that thou shalt not be blamed in the least by thy own Spirit nor thou hopest by any others in contending for them judging them Fundamental parts of the Faith once but say I thou knowest not when delivered to the Saints Reply Though I who cannot hold thee because I cannot find thee guiltlesse in either thy hasty holding or thy heedlesse unhandy handling thy weak vindicatory piece of Probation of them at so high a rate do advise thee to praise a fair day at night assuring thee that if ever thou come to learn the Truth in the plainnesse and power of it as it is in Iesus the Light of whom the Letter testifies thou wilt find these no Fundamental parts of that One Faith which Paul and Iude speak of Eph. 4. Iude 3 which was One even of old from Abraham Enoch Noah and downwards from the beginning before the Letter was delivered to and earnestly to be contended for by the Saints and wilt find thy own Spirit also however it now seems not to blame thee in the least blaming thee nor a little for thy ignorance in due time and howbeit being bolstered up for a while above it by the Aery Academical Applauses Gratulatory Euge's J O's Hic est's and such like blessings of thy blind Brother literatists that are as the rich mans wealth to him Prov. 10.15 thy strong City thy Murus Abaeneus a high Brazen Wall to thee in thy own conceit thou feel'st no Check and seemest Nil Conscire tibi nullâ Pallescere Cultâ Yet let others and thy own heart also Clear Chear and Cheat thee as it will thou wilt once know that as to every work there is a time to do it in and a Judgment after it so thy whole lame Anti-Scriptural work about the Scriptures as well as thy other part of it against the Quakers though fenced in the Frontispice with the fair formal pretence of A Vindication of the Purity and Integrity of the Hebrew and Greek Texts and Pro Scripturis and such like must come to another account then that I am here taking of it before the world even to a Judgment from God within thy own now blinded Bosome and closed Conscience as the Book thereof comes to be
opened by the shining out of that Light in it that lyes yet smoothered and then thy misery will be so great upon thee that as I told thee above what thou sayest of the Pope for his misuse of Scripture will be verified not on him only in so much the greater measure by how much his Vilislations and Violations of it may be greater then thine but in some measure also upon thy self so that as thou together with me sayst Papae so say I Et Tibi Tempus erit quo magno optaveris Emptam Scripturam intactam It will once repent thee not a little in thy own Spirit that ever thou appearedst in publick in such a proud and peevish Prate against its purest Friends so pretensively only but not properly for and so piteously and unpolishedly about the Scriptures Now as to thy Vindication or Plea it self for the present Integrity and Indentity of the Text of your Copies with those Original Copies that were first given out which thou positively hadst before Asserted thou failest and fallest short so in thy Confidence of what thou hadst so peremptorily propounded for Truth in ipso limine at the very threshold and entrance thereinto as to stile it no other then an Account of thy Apprehensions a delivery of thy Thoughts and a runing the Hazard of giving out thy Thoughts and of what thy own Thoughts suggested to thee pag. 146 147 149. 163 and a discovery of thy Thoughts 151. As also thy First Treatise wherein thou talkst of the samenesse of the Letter in every Tittle and Iota to what it was at first so Authoritatively so Positively so Impositively so seemingly Infallibly and Uncontroulably a publication of thy Thoughts Though I had thought a Minister of Christ or Doctor in that thing cal'd Divinity especially about the Foundation of all his Faith and in that Chapter where he layes the Basis of his Businesse and of hâ—s building should have bâ— thought himself better before-hand and have saâ—e down and counted his cost and cast it in his mind before he Printed his Propositions out in such peremptory terms as thou dost in this case of non-Alteration of one jot or Tittle of the first divinely inspired Scripture pag. 13 14 28 whether it would hold it out in such a height for certain or no without parching it up with So I think and such loose Conjectures and Imaginaâ—ions as are attended with such great uncertainty that himself confesses as thou dost pag. 297. They ought not to be admitted to any Plea or Place one way or other in so wâ—ighty a cause and Propound things that are false as boldly as undoubted Truths and then puâ—s off such as expect hiâ— pâ—oof with weak Conjectures and his Conceits â—eâ—t men mock him saying This man began to build but was not able to finish Yet now I bethink my self thou pretendest to be no divinely Inspired Prophet nor one that owns any such to be now a dayes but one of those Other men thou speakest of pag. 9. The Pigment and Imagination of whose hearts are the fountain of all that they speak and so no better can be expected from them 2. Thou grantest that ye have not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 13 Nay It is granted sayest thou pag. 163. that the Individual 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Moses the Prophets and the Apostles are in all probability and as to all that we know utterly perished and lost out of the world As also the Copies of Ezra the Reports mentioned by some to the contrary are open fictions The individual Ink and Parchment the Roâ—es or Books that they wrote could not without a Miracle have been preserved from mouldring into Dust before this time Nor doth it seem improbable that God was willing by their losse to Reduce us to a neerer Consideration of his Care and Providence in the Preservation of every Tittle contained in them Had those individual Writings been preserved men would have been ready to adore them as the Jewes do their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Synagogues Reply How like a Child dost thou talk in that groundlesse guesse of thine that God was willing to let the losse of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be for such an end as in thy foolish vain mind thou imaginest and fondly fanciest What a bawbling and blerting dost thou make of thy boyish bolts out of the Cross bow of thy crooked Conceit both here and else-where up and down thy Book Who told thee that trifling Tale which thou tellest for probable Truth that God let all the first Writings be lost for this end to reduce men in the latter Ages to a neerer Consideration of his Care in Preserving every Tittle till now that was contained in them When yet we know as I told thee above and prove by and from that little of the first Scripture that hath happened to come to our hands which ten parts to one of the World never saw neither that not Tittles only but many whole Books of the first divinely inspired Scripture that belonged to the Bulk of Holy mens Writings by the Spirit are not preserved but perished for ought thou knowest both the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of them also Did God himself tell thee this to tell for Tsruth or did the Serpent suggest it to thy Thoughts that suggests a legion more oâ— the like lying vanities Even he surely insinuated this into thy Imagination that crowded those other crude Conceptions and Conjectures which thou hast and holdest out to such Tom of Bediams as will take them for Truth from thee So in pag. 12 14 34. where perking up into Gods privy Councel as if thou wer't one that fate in his Bosom from which thou art yet as far being from the Light as the Rich Gâ—utton was from Abrahams where poor Lazarus saâ—e whom he dispised saving that the gulf was fix't against his passage whereas there 's hope concerning thy coming thither if yet in time thou tern and take hold on Truth and intruding thy seâ—f into what thou hast not seen vainly pufâ— up in thy fleshly mind thou proudly falst a Pratin◠〈◊〉 Propounding for Truth what swims and floats in the Cock-boat of thy Fancy viz pag. â—2 That the Writing was the product of Gods Eternal Councel for the preservation of the Doctrine after a sufficient discovery of the Insuffiency of all other means for that end and purpose Reply Into which piece of Gods Eternal Councel I trow who or what Spirit or Scripture or Key of any kind did ever let in I. O. who Proposes it so peremptorily in his Preachings as if God had discovered something by experience after a while that he was not so well acquainted with before namely that manifesting his mind by Dreams Visions Voices Word of Mouth was after his tryal thereof sufficiently â—ound by the Lord to be an insufficient means to save his Word from loosing which means he intended once to that end and
such Nugacyties as these that are â—atcht in I. O's head piece whom I here give to understand that while they like the Tiberian Massorites at their do-little Academies are so seriously doing of nothing and as childish in serious things yet nos nucibus facimus quaecunque relictis Arg. thy Fourth is the multiplying Copies to such a number that 't was impossible any should corrupt them All wilfully or by negligence Rep. Nugae why Impossible to corrupt them All if not by wilfulnesse yet by negligence was it impossible that there should be variation in Tittles and Iota's which is corruption with thee in them all hast thou any more infallible security against the mis-transcription of them All then thou hast against the mis-transcription of some onely surely a man well in his wits would have Argued thus It was possible to every individual of the Copies to be mis-transcribed through negligence or wilfulnesse or weaknesse and against the will or something of the Transcribers none of them being any more then fallible as thou sayest p. 167. though never so honest therefore it was possible at least and not impossible but that they might be all mis-transcribed and so corrupted â—â—â—â—â—ver might be spoken of every individual Copy as to its lyableness to â—â—â—â—â—ation caeteris paribus supposing All the remote Transcribers to be but fâ—â—lible as well as some may be said of All the Copies as well as of any one of them and if the ability of some Transcribers might be greater then that of other some yet as thou sayest of the 70 Translators p 339. thou having no security of the principles or honesty of the Ablestâ—â—â—s them for what thou knowest what ere thou thinkest they might be A'l mis-transcribed as well as any one and however seeing thou veildest somâ— might be if All could not it would puzle thee not a little to dâ—clare to him that Asks thee which is right and which wrong and in which possibly the Transcribers might be mistaken and in which it was in â—â—ssible they should â—e so and which do and which do not agree with the Autographâ— none of which are left to correct it by there being no more then the Apographa now remaining But assuredly what mistake waâ— possible to befall my one of the Copies was not impossible so befall every of them and so far art thou from denying it to be possible that some mistakes and vâ—â—iations might befall some Copies for all thy peremptory pronouncing it impossible that variations should befall them All in regard of the number of Copies that p. 191. upon that self same account of the multitude of Transcriptions thou pronouncest it utterly impossible that All the Transcriptions should be made without some variations and mistakes thy words there being these viz. that so many Transcriptions most of them by private persons for private use having a standard of correction in the publike Asseâ—â—lyes ready to relieve their mistakes should be made without some variation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or impossible O ye Ridiculous Ringles Round Os that I. O. makes and runs in he complains of Capellus p. 15. for Asserting variations in All the pâ—esent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Transcriptions of the old Testament upon meerly uncertain Conjectures yet upon as meerly uncertain Conjectures himself asserts that they are not All corrupted yea he sayes a he thinks that its impossible there should be mistakes and variations in All the Transcriptions and yet that it is impossible but that mistakes and variations should be in many of them Quis legat haec min tu istud ais quis non ni i nemo Arg. thy Fifth is the preservation of the Authentick Copies frist in the Iewish Synagogues then in Christian Assemblies with reverence and diligence Rep What 's all that in proof that there 's no variation in Copies of the Hebrew and Greek Text in so â—uch as in Tittles and Iota's if thou couldst prove as thou dost bâ—t onely propound it as thy opinion that Authentick Copies were kept with such Reverence and Diligence downward to this day in Christian Assemblies which Christian Assemblyes unlesse thou count upon those of the Romish Synagogue as such which onely remained in an outward way of Assembling were not kept in the posture of constituted Christian Assemblyes themselves much lesse then Authentick Copies of the Original Text entire in them for a thousand years and upward But when they were in Assemblies they rather lookâ— each at their translated Copies their severall Mother Tongues then at the Hebrew and Greek Tittles and Iota's that thou so openly Tatlest for with such earnestnesse as if all divine Truth as to our knowledge thereof did entirely and eternally depend upon them what dribling doings are here for a Doctor Arg. thy Sixth is the daily Reading and Studying of the world by all sorts of persons ever since its first writing rendring every alteration lyable to immediate observation and discovery and that all over the world Rep. What 's this to the purpose when was there more Reading and Studying the Scripture by All sorts all the world over and Tumbling to and fro to wearisomnesse by the Scripture-searching Scribes that never hear Gods voice nor come to Christ the Light that they may have Life and more close and curious prying and Critical observing of the Points and Voweâ—s Accents by Syllabical and Punctual Schoolmen as at this very day in their Academical entercourses and interchangeable pro and con prate about punctations from one nation to another yet when more variety then now in the Copies of their Texts which the more they dive into the more discovery they make of the diversity of their Transcripts but the matter is not mended for all that nor the multiplication of errours and various lections and mistakes of more then Tittles in writings or printings and reprintings and why much reading study should be a means to prevent mistakes of old that 's none now though more forcible then formerly if any efficacy were in it at all that way either I have not reason enough to render the Reason of it or rather there is no Reason for it at all and that indeed is the very Truth Arg. thy Seventh is the consideration of the many millions that looked on every Tittle and Letter in this Book as their inberitance which for the whole world they would not be deprived of Rep. What people be those that lookt on every Tittle and Letter in the Bible as their inheritance which for the whole world they would not part with one Tittle of for my part I look upon them as ne'r the wiser for that if they were as many millions of millions as thou sayest there are millions of them for my part I love the Bible as much as I do any book in the world and upon a true and just account and in a right way honour it as much as any man does I. O. himself not excepted for all his
since it is in being and where it hath a being for the Light tries searches shines shews reveals judges determines as well without the Letter as with it and did dive into the heart where the Letter never was and direct there before the external literal directory was all and yet uses aâ— its pleasure the Letter as its instrument and as a knife to kill which knife yet as an instrument cannot quicken but the Letter doth not enter quâ talis into the heart at all and what ere it doth it doth in subserviency to the Light which is its Author whose instrument it is to use but not the Light its instrument at all Moreover the end of the Letter is but to turn men from the darkness and power of Satan wherein they dwel to the Light within them that shines in the darknes that is also within them which Light is the power of God this Act. 26. is said to be the end of Pauls Ministration which was performed partly by writing and partly by word of mouth that so by beleeving in the light and living in it they might not abide in the darkness but have the light of life but the end of the Light and Spirit within is not to bring to the Letter by the Letter we may have the life for the searchers into the Letter and lookers thereinto for the eternal life which is Christ whom the Letter testifies of never found the life they lookt for there because they heard not Gods voice nor cared for his word abiding in them nor came to Christ the Light and Spirit that they might have the life for the letter killeth but the Light and Spirit gives the life 2 Cor. 3. And howbeit I deny not the Scripture to be perfect praesertim respectu finis especially in relation to that end as J O. sayes for which it was decreed of God yet that that end was to be the only guide and rule of men in their way to life I deny asserting the Light and Spirit still as that which is designed and ordered of God as to that end and was so from the beginning before any Letter without was at all And though I own the Scripture still as useful profitable effectual sufficient and perfectly successful where used by the man of God in the wisdome of God for the many excellent ends and uses formerly spoken to from 2 Tim. 2.15 as being written by inspiration of God yet I still deny that to be thereupon the standing Rule as the Light and Spirit is because no where so denominated nor designed to be by God in all the Scripture as I have shewed suffiâ—iently above in answer to all the Texts whence thou mistakest it so to be and because Damnati lingua vocem habet vim non habet a Hereticks words are never heeded I must here make use again of T.D. to defeat I.O. who sayes p. 27 28.43 of his first Pamph. p. 17 18. of his second That all that was written by holy men and preserved for our use is not therefore our standing Rule because God did not intend them nor give order for them to be so and beside such inspiration and usefulness to make a Rule is necessary Gods appointment of a writing to that end which appointment the Letter never had from God what ever it had from men the difference lyes in Gods arbiâ—rary dispensation who assured his Church what was sufficient as to her standing Rule before the Letter was viz. his his Light and Spirit in which regard though we highly respect the Letter yet we can look upon it as p. 44. first Pamph. T.D. sayes of some useful things of God with reference to othersome no more with such regard as the only standing Rule as we do upon the other And though with thee I.O. we assert and deny not but that by the efficacy of the Light and Spirit the Letter is more savingly understood for the Spirit well knows its own yea by the Light and Spirit only is the Letter understood and read to profit and not by that twinckling twilight of thy fidling fancy for that Ignis fatuus finds little as to the inside of the letter but fuell to feed thee in fierce and fiery twittle twattles about the outside sense of it and the truth of Transcripts and Translations pidling points Tittles Iota's yea who hath known the minde of the Lord or the things of the Spirit declared in the Letter but the Spirit and they that live after the Light thereof and no more after the flesh to whom only the Spirit only doth reveal them yet Monstrum horrendum cui lumen ademptum what Scriptureless lightless spiritless speeches are these of J.O. who depresses all inward light whatsoever even that within the living Word of God within so much below the meer Letter formally considered as an outward writing and abstract from these as to assert them from which the Letter had all the being it hath and that thousands of years after all these antient Rules and Lights that are to day and yesterday and for ever the same without the least shadow of alteration had been famous in the world among all the Worthies from Abel to Moses to have all their being from God to us ward meerly for the sake of the Letter which was but of yesterday and as well every day as every way mutable and that so easily that 't is done in a time in but the turning of a hand yea by the Transposing of Letters Heb. Points and like as himself asserteth as many various lections may be in its several copies welnigh as lines and to represent all these which gave the Letter the being of a certain sub sub unto themselves as subservient unto it as if they were of and for no other use nor end in the world but to teach men to come not to God himself for life but to the Letter and to read the Book call'd the Bible which doth but imminde men that forget them to minde the Light and Spirit I shall therefore only take this Tale of J.O. mutatis mutandis transform it by a transposition of the two subjects thereof viz. the Light and Letter which I.O. hath mis used and mis-placed each into its proper place use and order and so quite quit it here Nullius literae externae cujuscunque tandem c. in plain English thus Of no external letter whatsoever although the holy Scripture it self which J.O. calls saving is this the use and end that we should attend to it as to the guide of our way and Rule but to this end only is it graciously granted of God that by means thereof we may perceive to our salvation that Rule i.e. the Spirit Light and Word of God ad intra and the minde of God revealed therein In this Translation is no truth hid that shall not be revealed nor covered that shall not be known So having turned J.Os. Babel with the bottome upwards I shall
let it stand and pass on about my business concluding against thee I.O. in thy own words for the Light and Spirit to be that Rule thou sayest the Letter is from its perfection ab Authore A causa perfecta c. From a perfect voluntary cause nothing but what is perfect can be expected for nothing can hinder God being willing to reveal his will from revealing it perfectly as before the Letter was so now where the Letter is not among heathens by his Light and Spirit by which thou confessest he reveals it very far in the words forecited but either because he cannot which denies his infinite Wisdome and Omnipotency or because he will not which agrees not with his goodness and grace Therefore God hath and doth give out by his Light and Spirit within a perfect Revelation of his will so that they consequently must be secundum te by thy own Argument J.O. the only perfect standing Rule for there are not two so far is the Letter that came from them from being so as thy fancy fancies it to be alone and exclusively of them as uncertain useless needless perillous and detestable The second medium by which thou goest about to prove the foresaid conclusion viz. That the Letter or Scriptures are the only perfect Rule Revelation of God his will and our duty that gives to know him to eternal life and not the Spirit and light which as Enthusiasm dubious useless figment c. are with thee to be detested is A naturâ librorum sacrae Scripturae c. from the nature of the books of the holy Scripture which are sayest thou those of the Old and New Testament so sayest thou the Apostle clearly dilates of the Old Testament 2 Cor. 3.14 in the reading of the Old Testament of the New there 's the same reason vers 6. Now every Testament sayest thou alluding to but not quoting Gal. 3.15 though but a mans is perfect and being once confirmed no man disanulleth or superaddeth thereunto Reply Never did I discern such absolute self-overturnings proceed from a professed Doctor as do from J.O. thick and threefold in the very cause he prosecutes whose proofs of his own producing do as frequently confound him and as fully foil him as to the matter he would prove thereby as any that can likely be produced against him by those he opposes and yet I verily beleeve he speaks the sense wellnigh of the whole Vniversity it self in which he hath in the late clawing cringing corresponding and climing times atchieved to become a Chieftane And that it may appear le ts reason J.O. hereabout a little with thee let me ask thee Is the Gospel is the New Testament Letter Scripture external Text and outward Writing as the Old Testament is Is it such a passing perishing dark low obscure thing as writing or graving of Points Tittles and Iotaes in Tables of stone though with the singer of God himself much more it such a mouldring matter for so thy self callest the most Original Copies of the external Text of the holy Scripture that ever was in the world p. 167.164 and therefore well may I so call thy best bare transcribed copies of it as Writings with inke and stamping with Lamb-black in Roles and Books and Papers and Parchments with press hands and tools which cannot be preserved so long as from Ezra till now from mouldring without a Miracle Is the Gospel the New Testament no more than such as thou talkest of Is it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Typography which meer men can take and turn and translate and tumble to and fro and transcribe and tear and dash out and do what they will with Is it outward writings of Epistles and Recommendations and Histories and Letters as that of Paul to Philemon about private personal and domestick affairs and such like Is it not an Epistle of Christ in the table of the heart though ministred sometimes by man at the motion of his Spirit or if a Writing yet not with Inke but with the Spirit of the living God in fleshly Tables of the heart 2 Cor. 3. Is is as the Old Testament as all meer writing ad extra only is whether of old or since Christ and all outward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Letter only that cannot quicken nor cure but killeth such as serve as thou yet doest in the oldness of it Is it not Spirit Light and Life Is it not the Words of Christ spoken by the Lord himself alone which are Spirit and Life in newness of which the true children of the New Covenant that are more then Bastards that pretend to it do serve and not in the oldness of a letter or that old way of the old Scribes that came no nearer to Christ the Life then the outside of the outward Scripture which was wrote of him Is it any of these things are not these the best Instruments of the Old Testament foolish Shepherds wherewith for a time they were suffered to feed who made the poor of the flock the flock of the slaughter taken up again since Christ directly beside the intent of Christ and such as wrote the later Scriptures by our Idol Shepherds that leave the flock to starve so they can be better fed themselves who are not behinde those of old in feeding with Gall and Wormwood the flock of the slaughter in not pitying but slaying them and yet holding themselves not guilty for which the sword of the Lord is now upon their arm and upon their right eye so that their Arm or Power is now to be clean dryed up and their right eye utterly darkned Ah poor be-wildred be-nighted blind-guides of your blindly-guided people that by custome and tradition from your mouths who take it so to be by tradition from your Fore-fathers are now naturallized into a naming the naked dead letter by the name of the living Word of the living God and the four mis-transcribed and mis-translated Copies of Matthew Mark Luke and Iohns Manuscript of what Christ did in that body wherein he was born at Bethlehem and dyed at Ierusalem by the name of the Gospel and those four bare Books with the rest of those few that follow fardelled together with them in what fashion men most fancy and bound up as the Bible sellers please by the name of the New Testament So thou talkest I.O. telling the world of the nature of the Books of the Scripture as ye now have it is this they are the Old Testament and the New so thou intendest in thy saying Sunt autem veteris novi Testamenti 1. Citing Paul who calls the Books of Moses the Old Testament 2 Cor. 3.14 as â—â—ll well he might for the Old Testament was indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Letter or Writing writen with Inke and Pen or ingraven outwardly on Tables of stone and not Spirit or writing with the Spirit of the living God in the fleshly Tables of the heart as the New is which the
it s a Spirit that quickens even the words he speaks which are Spirit Life not an outward flesh much less an outward Letter but this is a great mystery when we speak of Christ and his Church that eats his flesh and drinks his blood to cleansing from all sin and to life as the eaters and drinkers of bread and wine yet do not and are flesh of his flesh bone of his bone this is childrens bread a knowledge too wonderful for our Accademical Scribes and Scripture-searchers for the life while they hate the light who are so lost in their laudings of the letter and hampered in their heads about their senses of the History and taken up with tattle for every tittle of the Text that they have not time to turn in to the light whereby to see it and so miss the mystery of the Gospel which is revealed only to them that live and walk therein by the light and spirit in the heart As to that Hos. 6.5 hee must bee more then Moon-blinde that takes the word Light there to be intended of the Letter since the place sufficiently explains it self in the next clause before that and expresses it to bee the words of Gods own mouth the same that I have said enough to above even that Sword and Spirit and Rod of his mouth and breath of his lips and brightness of his own coming wherewith he Smites the Nations Consumes the man of sin Reproves for the meek and slayes the wicked T is true he sayes in the first clause of the verse hee hews them by his Prophets for hee comes not to do any judgements on the wicked which hee reveals not first to his servants the Prophets who go forth and warn them of the the doom that from the Lord himself is drawing nigh upon them but t is the words of his own mouth the light from himself that condenms them in their own consciences for their evil deeds by which he slayes and executes his wrath and judgement under which they are left inexcusable upon them which judgements are as a light that goeth forth purging away the sin and preparing a way for the Lords coming in mercy to such as wait quietly on him in the way of his judgements while they pass as at the house of God they do whereat they begin till her Righteousness at last go forth also as brightness Isa. 62.1 2. and her glory and salvation as a lamp that burneth As to that Ioh. â— 20 21. One would not think it that had not seen the Lord hiding the plain truth of the Gospel as it lyes open in the Text from the wise and prudent which hee is revealing unto Babes that one of the Renowned Scribes and disputers of this world should be so confounded as to conceive that by light there is meant the letter since t is as clear as the light it self from the verses themselves and those that go immediately before them that that light alone which the letter only points to and not the letter it self can so much as possibly be there intended Where 's th Scribe where 's the Disputer of this world for the Scriptures that he cannot see the Scriptures themselves he is so scraping for is hee not a miserably be-moped mis-led Leader that would lead men to mis-beleeve the letter in its Testimony to the light which letter hath no higher end then to bring men to beleeve in that true light of the world which it self doth but testifie of which light is no other then that which shines immediately whether the glass of the letter be beheld yea or nay from himself who is the Sun of Righteousness into the world that is in mens hearts condemning the evil-doer and his deeds laying open to them not de jure only what the lusts of it are and in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they are to bee avoided even those of the eye flesh pride c. but de facto how far forth they are or are not avoided and accordingly censuring them within themselves where the Letter cannot come in the inmost cells of the consciences of such men of the world as live where the Letter without was never so much as outwardly seen or heard of is not hee of whom and whose light all that iâ— spoken vers 16 17 18 19 19 20 21. recorded by the same Evangelist Joh. 12 35 36 46. c. saying I am come a light into the world that whoever beleeveth in me may not abide in darkness and Ioh. 8.12 Hee that followeth me â—â—ark me the true light Joh. 1.9 that enlighten every man that cometh in the world shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life is all this and much more in that book Joh. 9.5 and much more throughout the Epistles of the same holy man who speaks of the word that was in and was the light from the beginning before any letter was and of the Son of God and the holy unction c. intended and to be interpreted of no other then the little letter and of no more then that little of the letter that was written by motion of that Spirit which is bound up and bounded within the brief bounds of your now hide-bound Bibles Pellibus exiguis Arctatur Fili usingens Pellibus exiguis Arctatur Spirit usingens O thou that art named Mic. 2.7 The house of Jacob is the Spirit of the Lord so straitned are these his doings do not his words which are heard from his own mouth do good to him that walketh uprightly by them now as well as in former dayes Moreover the Letter is not come into all the world so universally de facto actualiter for de jure potentialiter it may by right and possibly enough be so transmitted but that were too much cost for our covetous Clergy to bestow Bibles without coin upon poor heathenish Nations into all the dark corners of the earth as the light spoken of Ioh. 3. must necessarily bee supposed to do or else it is not adequate to the case there handled for the Letter is actually seen and read but in a small part of the world but the world into all which the Word that is the true light is said to come both in Col. 1.6 Joh. 1.9 and in Joh. 3. which is parallel to them is the whole world that lyes in wickedness and every man in it thaâ— dwells in darkness and shadow of death yea where ever the spiritual darkness is and that is in all mens hearts where the Letter comes not among such as carry it under their arms there is this true light said to shine though the darkness doth not comprehend it Joh. 1.5 I know the narrow pinching conceits of such as would winde the wide World here spoken of within the short circuit of his Church or the Elect which they confess though as personally predestinated to life as all the rest are peremptorily to damnation without any respect to
God comes in his righteous Iudgement to take full and finall vengeance upon them Whereupon it is called the riches of Gods Goodness which is never the lesse to them though they perish in their wills even to them that yet despise it by which they are not left without faithful reproof and warning within themselves but are put in fair capacity for Salvation from the wrath for the despising of which Light that will not let them sin themselves to ruine without stopping them till they be obstinate they treasure up wrath to themselves against the day of it Rom. 2.4.5 Despisest thou the riches of his grace c. not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance c. Arg. That which is the riches of Gods goodness and grace to the very wicked that despise it and perish which would else lead them to repentance and Life must needs be a part of the Gospel and its Light but such is that which leaves and is in all men in the very wicked leaving them inexcusable if they repent not by it therefore that Light in all men Iew and Gentile good and bad is a measure of the Light of the Gospel which ye puffers at it would fain shut up from shining in common in al men among a few such unhallowed Elect ones and seeming Saints as your selves for that the Grace of God that brings Salvation where it is to such as put it not far from them should be said by us as it was of Paul Tit. 2.11 12. to appear to all men is as damnable Heresie with you in us as 't is undeniable truth with you as told by Paul Yea this ye are impatient at that Proclamation of Grace and good will from God to all men with true intent that all should have it that are as willing to have it as God is they should or otherwise then pretendedly as you make it should be made And yet the Churl that practises hypocrisie and utters errour against the Lord and howbeit he sayes Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly every one that thirsteth Life as well as death is freely and truly set before you chuse Life that ye may live and welcome Christ is come that ye may have life and that abundantly yet makes empty the soul of the hungry and causes the drink of the thirsty to sail by telling them that God freely proffers this to all but intends it only to a few would be called bountiful and liberal for all this but it must not be in the day that is coming wherein the eyes of such as see shall not be dim and the eye of the old Seer be darkened the tongue of the stammerer tell the plain truth and the mouth of the University Student be stopped and the lips of the Lyar be shut up Isai. 33.3 4 5 6 7 8. This common Salvation Iude 3. ye cannot digest 't was wont to be said Bonum quo câ—mmâ—n us eo Melius But if I should say instead of Peâ—us Bonum quo communius eo Melius it were not more false Latine then the tale of a tender of life from God to all men intended only to a few is the false Doctrine of our undoctor-like Divines which false Doctrine they contradict and confute themselves in also if once they could see wood for trees as fast as another can well confound them while themselves tell us of not only a Special but a Common Grace which is the common distinction of the Schools for if it be Grace though Common Grace it must be a Light a Gift a part of the Gospel of Gods Grace out of which Gospel no Grace is and such a part and gift too as must at least by its sufficiency to save such as improve it put all in a capacity for Salvation and not sufficient only to leave them without excuse and aggravate wrath and condemnation upon them otherwise that Grace is no true Grace or favour or if it be give me none of that Grace take you O ye Graceless Gravers of that Grace whose Graven Image it is that hath a being only in your imaginations that Grace wholly to your selves that is given for no such gracious end or purpose as to put men into possibility of Salvation as upon your principles of personal Repro 〈◊〉 this common Grace does not but only to render them unavoidably lyable to sorer condemnation and fuller wrath then they should ever have known had they never had it But what e're ye carve to your selves in your own conceits God had 〈…〉 to the whole world as well as to you choice sinners and in as fair a capacity â—â—ally to partake of it are the very Heathen who by you are repâ—obated by the lump as your Antichristian selves except ye repeâ—â— â—uâ—â— then Iâ—â—e by your books ye have ever yet done to a â—ound and sinâ—â— acknowledgement of the truth Nor did God send his Son a Light 〈◊〉 the wâ—â—â— that mostly perish in their wills to any such intent that the world it self should be condemned but that the world through him might be saved So then it s no less then a measure of the Light of the Gospel it self a dram at least and degree of Gods Grace and that not natural but spiritual supernatural sufficient for men and saving to such as submit to be taught by it which from God is imparted and by his hand as thou I.O. speakest indelibly implanted in the minds of all men whereby his things and the things of Christ and his Spirit come by such as wait on him in it to be both spiritually and savingly discerned And Ob. If ye object yet further as some do we yield that what is to be known of God his invisible things his Eternal Power and Godhead Divine Attributes and our moral duties to him in declining moral evils and doing much moral good as to our Creator eternally and indispensably due are manifested in measure by that common light but deny that any thing of Christ still and of the mysteries of the Gospel is so and so it s still but a natural nor a spiritual light Answ. Though what I said above from 1 Cor. 2. concerning the things that eye hath not seen c. and the deep things of God which must be of the mysteries of the Gospel might suffice yet I shall add thus much more viz. That it savours of little less then a little of that gross darkness which is to cover the earth and its people when the Light of God arises upon his own to say that God can be known in or by any Light in which Christ first is not known I know this is a Riddle to you Rabbies and may seem to all sottish Seers as a piece of a mad mans Divinity but I dare aver it to be truth though I can't believe many of our English Infidels will believe it till they see it so clearly that they cannot chuse for how many wayes of knowing God ye may
and Paul useth this exprâ—bation Where 's the wise where the Disputer of this world Rep. The Phylosophers and the Iewish Rabbins whereof the one had the Light within which ye call natural but is indeed Gods Law which is spiritual and not the Scripture without and the other both that Light within which is the Law and the Letter without also did neither of them improve it to the utmost as ye falsly assert nor follow that Light but one their own thoughts inventions and imaginations only of things as ye do yours the other their own senses meanings and traditionary interpretations of the Letter and so ran both out mostly into a Phylosophy and Science falsly so called and into meer vâ—in deceit as your selves do who are the same Generation of Disputers of this world whose wisdome God is making foolish and by that foolishness of preaching as ye count that of the Qua. saving such as believe in that Light they call to If the Iewish Rabbins who were as well skill'd in Scripture as your selves did get so little saving knowledge of God by their study of the Law or Letter and Tradition of Elders because not looking to the Law or Light in the heart which the Letter sends to ye may â—ee the reason why ye are so succesless in your seeking God as to know so little of him as ye do who are yet seeking him in no other way then they Ioh. 5.39 And as much as ye despise the Heathen Phylosophers as Ethnicks some even of them that did according to the Law or Light they had wil as much judge many of you nominal Christians as they did the Iews who with the Iews make boast of the Letter of the Law yet through breaking thereof dishonor God and cause the name Christian to be a stink among the Gentiles Reas. 9. If every mans Light within him were a safe guide to him in Religion and Morality then do all Law-makers ill c. and judges ill in passing sentence of condemnation on men then aâ— mâ—â—â—ill to reprove c. Parents Tutors Schoolmasters ill to teach men otherwise then is all Government and Magistracy unprofitablâ— Rulers are not Ministers of God to us for good but only to molest and oppress us then they that set their children to School do foolishly Vniversities and Schools of Arts to breed up in liberature and good manners are vain and all these are to be abolished which were the way to lay all waste c. to level people in manners and knowledge c. to reduce to Barbarism to make the Nation a Wilderness in fine to drive Gods Spirit from us and introduce unclean spirits to repossess our Land to expel all that is excellent and may better us and to fill the Nation with a Generation of fools in whom God hath no pleasure Eccl. 5.4 and by consequence to condemn all the man of worth in the world since the Câ—â—ation of folly and blindness Rep. The former part of this Rantipole Reason is refell'd before in former parts of this book of mine where the very contrary rather is abundantly shewed viz. that 't were ill in Judges Rulers Magistrates Parents whose correction of ill doers for whom the Law only is 1 Tim. 1.9 we own to reprove condemn and punish any for doing contrary to the puâ—e Religion and undefiled before God which is morality or good manners and to keep a mans self unspotted of the ill manners and pollutions of the world if the persons so reproved condemned punisht and corrected had not a Light in them sufficient to teach them that true Religion for all just condemnation must arise from mans having Light not loving to live by it and the Light only is the worlds condemnation Ioh. 3.19 And as for the last clauses about Tutors and Schoolmasters Vniversities and Schools of Arts to breed up in literature and good manners as they pretend to do they had more need then any other places and people in this Nation to be taught themâ—elves what true Religion and good manners are yea the very principles thereof if that Light in every mans conscience that teaches them to live honestly righteously and soberly as in truth it is and to keep a mans self unspotted of the world be that pure Religion â—hat's undefiled before God as the Scripture sayes it is and not that of those who are pure and religious in their own eyes and yet never mean to be washed from their filthiness I have spoken much above how vain they are of all places throughout this Nation and add thus in brief that unless they come to be better reformed then ever they have been since I knew them they are at this day not for want of a Light within but of attending to that Light that is in their hearts that teaches them better so full of vaâ—ity pridâ— luxury filth enmity hatred malice against truth insolent scoffing at good men abusive carriages toward the Qua. in their Meetings 〈…〉 â—eastliness rudeness ignorancâ— violence as that of the Horse and Mule whose mouths lest they do mischief must be held in with bit and bridle as the Schollars have not been of late so much as they should be by either Mayâ—rs or ViceChancâ—llors without in our two Vniversities nor by the Light in themselves which how ere they bear the names of Nurseriâ—s of Religion and have some seeming shews thereof shews all their Religion to be in vain Iam. 1.26 That the abode of them in the Nations in this deformed state wherein they stand as Nurseries of naughtiness more then honesty is rather as it hitherto hath been a way to lay wast all common civility and corrupt all good manners and bring men to barbarism and make the Nation a Wildeâ—â—â—ss yea an Acheldama or field of blood if people every where should be as bloody as the Schollars have been at Oxford and Cambâ—idge against the Saints witness what 's above declared and the late pranks at Cambridge since that was written and in sine to drive away the Spirit of God fâ—om among us introduce unclean spirits to repossess us and our Lord to expel all that is and all them also that are excellent and may better us as the Qua. do who seek to bring all men to innocency and honesty a little of which shall 〈◊〉 weigh all Scholastical sibtilis and 〈◊〉 Piety in the day that are coming on and in a word to fill the Nation still which hath been too full of such for many Ages and Generations upwards with that Generation of Locusts and Caterpillars that have eat up every green thing in it and that whole FFFraternity of Fools in whom God hath no pleasure who are more ready to offer their Cains Sacrifices then to hear and obey what God himself saith in them Eccles. 5.4 And lastly to condemn all the sincere hearted Saints and honest hearts since the Creation which are men of such worth in the world that what ere the worthless wise men
as an horn of salvation in us his people that we being delivered from all our Enemies among which sin even in our selves is the chiefest and from the hands of all that hate us as all sinners do such as preach to them that unpleasing doctrine of perfect purging from the sins they love might serve him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life For as much therefore as in this book of R.B. and T.D. I find them at present uttering so much as that above and perhaps more but that I hasten that makes for it and yield us Arguments out of that their own Armory in proof of that perfect freedom from sin here which we plead for but nothing directly against it though they are against it I shall therefore having made use of that little of theirs above that is very much to our purpose against them quit these 2. R.B. and I.T. And addresse more directly to I.O. and T. D's Deliveries of themselves as against that Doctrine And as for I.O. I have so much the lesse to say to him by how much 't is but little that he meddles in that matter throughout that whole book of his I have herein had to do with but for as much as that little in bulk is as stark naught as it 's nothing to his purpose he must excuse me if for truths sake I be as blunt with him as he is keen and bloody against the Teachers of it and as plain in opening his contradiction to him as 't is plain that he contradicts himselfe in what he sayes against it in the very sight and open view of all men I confess he dilates not so largely against it as T.D. does but barely and nakedly nibbles about the business Yet he puts forth such a Paw as wherby we may guesse how rudely unreasonably Rampant he would be in his repulses of us in that point if we that hold it were not as much out of his reach as 't is out of the reach of the best wisdome he hath to render one solid Reason at all against it One thing that I.O. sayes whereby we may clearly conclude him to be one who as cloudily concludes there 's no attainment to a perfect purging from sin in this Life is this viz. Having in proof of its perfection from its efficacy to effect its own end spoken above of the immediate end of the Scripture to be direction in our knowledge of God and that obedience that is due to him that doing his will as none when he sins does we may attain salvation which is from sin sure or from nothing and the enjoyment of himselfe and told us that the perfection of all discipline consists in its efficacy to effect its own end so that that onely is to be held perfect which is sufficient to effect its end and that imperfect which is not of force to effect it and how in this very respect the Scripture is a most perfect rule as it accomplishes its foresaid end and telling us also that the use of the Scripture by which this end is effected is only in this present world sith the Scripture ceases as to all its uses ends and purposes in that to come and consequently must either effect that its end even our perfect salvation from sin here or not at all so prove it selfe to be contrary to what I.O. sayes of it viz. no perfect Rule he tells us withall to the utter contradiction of his assertion as to the Scridtures perfection being it semes principled against the Qua. as to the point of perfecting holyness so as to cleansing from all sin and left hee run upon that dangerous rock of runing out of all lust while he lives here that its a most false thing to affirm that the holy Scripture doth or can while we are in this world obtain all its own end in respect of us which end he had said before is our obeying God and doing his will which is not to sin 1 Iohn 2.1 and our salvation which is from sin Thus Incidit in Scyllam c. The man of sin to avoid one extream which he is extreamly against viz. being ruined against the rock of perfection he runs down extreamly into another viz. the gulf of self contradiction and confusion Verbum sat sapienti I need do no more to the opening of this round to wisemen then to set it down before them thus for this is the sum of I. Os. sayings nothing is perfect but what effects its end the end of the scripture is making men perfect this end the Scripture cannot effect in this Life for here 's no perfection nor can the scripture effect this end in the life to come for there it ceases to work and effects nothing at all yet the Scripture the perfection of which can consist in no other thing then its effecting its end which end it never effects is for aâ—l that most perfect What more I.O. sayes in short is this That the Fanaticks so he is pleas'd still to stile the Qua. a seed among whom some at least are the most sincere Saints that are at this day upon the earth are not perfect tâ—eiâ—lyes deceits bainour wickednesses and hypocrisies do testifie to us but in very deed punishments and imprisonments ought to be inflicted upon them that impudently glory that they are free from all these and other sins even the least Rep. I.O. it seems and the rest of his Gang of Ghostly Fathers and godly Gameliels are sentenced already by himself as worthy to be persecuted in such wise as the Qua. have been at Oxford by his means and punisht and imprisoned as Impudent Boasters if ever they shall pretend whilst here on earth to be free from lying and fraud and wickedness and hypocrisie and other sins specially if from the least or from all uncleanness of flesh and spirit all ungodliness and worldly lusts which yet they 'l tell men sometimes in a sound of stoln words from those Texts of Paul 2 Cor. 7.1 8 Tit. 11.12 13. they must cleanse themselves from deny and have nothing to do with in this present world because else there 's no purging in the world to come So that we see what fruits we are to expect from that Fraternity of false Prophets and what little likelihood of peoples being much profited by these stealers and sellers of the Apostles good words when they believe it even impossible that the things they impose in the Name of God themselves or any people here where they say it must be done if ever should be impowred to perform 2. I query Whether if Paul had come to Oxford in the time of I.Os. Vice-Chancellorship there and made the same modest confession to the praise of God no other then which the best of the Qua. ever made which he made that he was once in his own conceit alive without the Law or till he and the Law i. e. the Light came
own perverse mind and meaning why cannot that be meant of freedome from sin but that men who are not fully willing to be freed from it and are in love with it and being loath to leave it are loath to see it It s more hard not to see then it is to see that it is meant of freedome from sin What should or can it be meant of else Are not freed me from sin and not committing of sin made synominous as committing sin and not being freed from it are made by Christ himself opposites to each other Ioh. 8.32 33. 34. 35. 36. The Iews thought they had the fullest freedome that men could have in this world because they were the visible Church Abrahams Seed and such like externals as they then trusted in as ye now do though not yet freed from that thing call'd sinning to serve the Lord alone whose service the very common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book it self was wont to call perfect freedome But Christ learns them another Lesson viz. that they had none of that true Gospel freedome that the saving knowledge of the truth gives and which he makes such as continue in his words and so are his Disciples indeed and not in word only as ye are free withall which is a full freedome in deed and truth and not half a one or by the halves such as that is ye talk of who upon the account of some private Patent alias particular personal Election thereto from everlasting prattle to your selves of freedome from guilt while ye remain in your filth and of a general Iustification anâ— pardon for all sins past present and to come in this world expecting your purging or Iustification as to Sanctification from sin and â—ncleâ—â—ness not in this world but that to come But verily verily I say unto you quoth he he that committeth sin is yet the servant of sin and must know for all his boasting he has not long to abide in the House and Church of God wherein Ishmael-like he scoffs at the right Heir Isaac as if himself alone who is but a Bastard born of fornication should inherit all and will prove an out-cast himself at last before the Son who is born of God and free indeed and the only true Heir of all things full freedome from sin and committing of it are oppos'd to each other by Christ therefore freedome from it and not committing it are the same To wind out of this T.D. would seem to say somewhat but of two things he can't tell which but one of the two must be it rather then the Truth Either there is quoth he an Emphasis in the word sin intending under that general term one kind of sin viz. sin unto death or if not in the Substantive on the Verb Poiei which notes to make a trade or business of sin as the Devil does who sinneth from the beginning and never ceased from sin since he began Thus indeed the Saints sin not c. Rep. As to they Emphases they are the foolish empty conceits of thy own and other mens brains there 's no such Emphasis either in the Substantive or Verb as ye all prate whereby the Spirit should be understood as speaking otherwise then he truly means or meaning otherwise then he plainly sayes whose words are plain to the honest heart though not to Idol Shepherd who by the Sword of the Lord hath his right eye utterly darkned because he hath darkned the Lords Counsel by his own words without knowledge And if the eyes of the Seers were not shut up from seeing the very Letter they prate about as well the mysteries of the Spirit which the animal man can never know by all his searchings they being revealed only by the Spirit they might see that the Text it self makes no difference between sinning and committing sin and that the one is no more Emphatical then the other And if T.D. who in the same page 9. where he mentions the words were not so busie in his mind about the meaning and did not make such a warbling noyse as shallow waters ever do more then those that are deepest with harping at this that and t' other silly sense he might in coolness have considered that in the same ninth verse as well as the eigth and others about it the Spirit makes no difference between Amartian Poiein and Amortanein to commit sin and to sin but uses them promiscuously Ouk Amartanei every one that abides in him sinneth not So ver 8. He that commits sin is of the Devil for the Devil Amartanei sinneth from the beginning And because T.D. seems to put an Emphasis upon the word sinneth as well as committeth sin making the word sinneth as here used to amount to somewhat more then an ordinary sort of sinning as here it intends some high or desperate degree of sin even that which 1 Ioh. 5.16 is call'd Kat ' Exoken a sin unto death without remedy or forgiveness for ever because never to be repented of as in opposition to all other sins that men do commit which when this alone being ever joyâ—'d with impenitency is impardonable are all upon that true repentance they are yet in possibility of who commit them pardâ—nable or possible to be forgiven for this is T. Ds. emphasis on the Substantive Sin for I shall not wrong him so much as to take him meaning as the Papists do who put such difference between peccatum veniale and mortale as if some sins only without repentance were mortal or to death and some venial or not to death though not repented of at all your Church of England opposing them in this and holding every sin yea the least unrepented of unto death though T. D. would have suspected me to be a Iesuite for a less matter This concludes him that is born of God to be even qua sic as born of God as easily liable to and excludes him no more then it does the very wicked themselves from the committing of any sin that the wickedest can commit except that ye call the sin against the Holy Ghost it self which is so gross an absurdity that he can be no spiritually wise man that does not feel him to be spiritually infatuated that so imagines For still though the Devil sinneth and he that is of the Devil doth nothing else but Nicodemus though a Master in Israel can't read this Birth of God which is Anothen from above of water and the Spirit John 1.12 John 3. which blows where it lists and the Priests hear an outward sound thereof but know not whence it comes nor whether it goes nor how he is that is born of the Spirit as plain as 't is in the Text which they read more then that truth tells of yet as he that sinneth is of the Devil and he that is of the Devil sinneth altogether so he that sinneth not but doth righteousness only is of God and he that is born of God and the Spirit which is Spirit and not flesh sinneth not at
is to but one and 999 are peremptorily personally possitively ordained to dye Yet to go round again If ye all beleeve his love to you ye shall All live if any dye 't is his own fault because he beleeves not the Kings love to him and comes not away out of his Fetters and nothing else and though he can't come out of his Fetters yet let him know its but just that I should leave him there because his father offended the King before he was born it s enough for them that he is so rich in mercy to the whole thousand as to save one and proclaim salvation to All with no intent of pardon that he may take the more advantage on the rest by their refusal to come when they cannot to do execution on them with ten fold more wrath rigour and severity then if the pardon never had been proclaimed to them at all In much what such a rambling confused self-contradictory manner do our Nationall-Messengers and Ministers of Gods grace Consideratis considerâ—ndis hold out their Gospell to All men as Embassadours from God to them All. One while extolling extending it over all Gods works to All men and otherwhiles when they have carryed it about long in a vast circuit and circumference of Commendatory conference To go round again in their niggardly News-books they wind it about and wrap it all up within the narrow corner of their conceited wheel within a wheel or little world of a few Elect ones only extenuating it till they allmost quite extinguish it in their talk preach it welnigh into nothing Witnesse I.O. as is shewed more at large in the book aforesaid and T.D. also telling us indeed that God offers Salvation to All men but intends it only to a few Contradictions Confusions and Rounds about the doctrine of perfect freedom from sin attainable in this life V. As to Salvation from sin in this life which Christ gives to all that follow him in his light One while they teach it to us themselves as attainable here by the grace of God as the Qua do in these or the like deliveryes of themselves in their preachings and writings according to the Scriptures People ye must deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and live Godly righteously and soberly mark in this present world The grace of God that bringeth salvatioe to such as take heed to it and receive it not in vain appears to All men and teaches them so to live but that they turn from it and turn it into wantonnesse and if we walk in the Light as God is in the Light we then have fellowship with him who hath none with sin and sinners and not only so but also the blood of Iesus Christ his son cleanseth us from All sin and though we cannot say we have no sin since we and all men have sinned yet if we confess our sins God is faithful not only to forgive us our sins past but which is a further matter to cleanse us from All unrighteousnesle Having therefore such promises let us cleanse our selves from mark All filthiness of flesh and spirit who knows any more then all perfecting holiness in Gods fear The blessed men Psal. 119.3 are the Saints or Holy Ones that do no iniquity but walk in Gods way and though ye think well of your selves because your sins are little yet no sin is so little but if liv'd died in its damning therefore take heed of the least iniquityes while ye have time and space given you to repent from them in leave forsake foregoe them live according to the Scripture which allows of no sin which is written that men might not sin which is able through faith to make a man of God perfect and wife to salvation from sin which is perfect to its own end which is Salvation which end it attains not hereafter for its of no use then and therefore must do it here or no where so that if you dye in the least of your sins unrepented from better ye had never been born for there 's no Purgatory in the world to come as the Pope sains but as the Tree falls it lyes as death leaves you judgement finds you if ye lye down in your Graves in your sins you will rise out of them full of sorrowes Listen unto Christs Ministers who are given for the work of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints the edifying of the body till we all come to a Perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullnesse of Christ himselfe so as to be as he is in this world and whoever saith he abides in him ought so to walk as himselfe walked in whom was no sin and who hath true hope in him purifieth himselfe as he also is pure and a multitude more sayings of like sort we may hear them utter Otherwhiles that is when the Qua call men to the same living without sin telling them these things are possible to be done by Gods grace who of his good pleasure hath wrought in men to will and to do so that by the power and sufficiency of that they may now work out their own salvation if they neglect not this day of Gods long suffering and salvation wherein God would succour them if they will and that God requires not by either his Ministers or their Scriptures Impossibilities from his creatures under such paenalty as eternall damnation if not performed then to go round again they tell us other matters which as contradictory as they are to those above-said we must notwithstanding or else be held for Hereticks believe from them to be the truth viz. That t is most false to affirm that the Scripture the perfection whereof they plead to lye in nullâ aliâ re in no other thing then its sufficiency to its end which it can't attain hereafter if not here sith there it ceases as to all its uses either doth or can obtain its end which end they say also is salvation from the sin that destroyes the soul dum in hoc mundo haremus so sayes I. O. Ex. 3. while we have a being in this World Then they make as if the Ministry of them who wrote the Scriptures were such as their own is viz. a meer Antick mockage of men a conclave of contradictions confusions absurdities and Rounds a Ministry of flat falsities not to say fooleries a mad-message of impossibilities wherein they stand all their dayes calling upon all men for money as Homines Domini in Nomine Domini in the name of God on pain of his eternall displeasure and their demnation to do what they are to believe to as an Article of their Faith on pain of the Hereticks condemnation All men can never possibly do God empowering but very few by true grace to do ought at all of what he requires nay not empowering any one at all to do all that viz. to cease from all sinning against him in the time of this life
the same Text sence against the Quakers is against him to the confounding of him which Text is Ioh. 1.9 Where the true light is said to enlighten every man coming into the World for howbeit I. O. cloudily concludes with all the other three viz. T.D. R.B. I.T. in concluding and crouding that most universall Terme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every man within the little compasse and narrow corner of his wheel in a wheel i. e. The Elect men only saying Synagogically with the rest Hoc est Syncategorema istud omnis non absolute sed relate ad Electos dicitur This is the Consignification of that Term All it s meant not absolutely but relatively to the Elect yet when he sayes Non dicitur Christum illuminare omnem hominent venientem in mundum sed quod ipse veniens in mundum omnem hominem illuminat Christ is not said to enlighten every man that comes into the World but that becoming into the world lighteneth every man and that this is the sence of those words the falsenesse silliness of which sence the insufficiency nothingness of it also to serve his turn against the Qua if granted him I have shewed in the book it self to which this is but an Appendix Here not only each of his three friends forsake him for T.D. himself among all his many meanings meddles not with this but two of them viz. I.T. and R.B. who backs I.Ts. Book make bold to fight against him for it as well as the Qua. do Witnesse their words p. 1 2. There is a doubt whether it should be read thus that was the true light coming into the World which inlightneth every man by a trajection or as ours read it as the words are placed That was the true light which inlightneth every men which cometh into the World Grotius after Cyrill and Austin and some others see how the Divines are divided and the Founders confounded among themselves likes the former as best but first such trajection disordering the words 2. The phrase being as fitly interpreted of birth as of appearing as a Teacher I rather chuse the reading of our Translators And p. 24. They tell us over again how coming into the World here is related to every man coming and not to Christs coming into it and how they before gave reasons against I. Os. sence So having been walking the Rounds with these men to give the World a Review of the Riddles they are wrapt in and the manifold Contradictions they are by the network of their own hands snared catcht and tangled in about their letter till I am come with them to that main Text at which they leave me because it talks so plainly of the true light which they love not and I leave them to dance about still in the darknesse of their own divinations I proceed in the light in which I see them though they being out of it see not themselves to open briefly to all people who love not to live with them rather in their darknesse then in Christs light the mist of darknesss wherein they mope about and dance the Rounds in their discourses about the Light in their fiery fluttering against which the wicked now is as he ever was snared in the work of his own hands Psal. 9 16. Higgaion Selah consider and note it Contradictions Absurdities and Rounds concerning the Light in the Conscience which the Qua testifie to As concerning the True Light or gift of Gods grace in every man the four men aforesaid do as all their fellowes do uno ore babble somwhat about it and bear witnesse either for or against it but each mans witness agrees no better together within it self then that they give about the other matters abovesaid Somtimes they call it Light truly really naturally and properly so and not metaphorically nor by way of allusion to what is so Witnesse I. O. p. 74. It is spirituall morall intellectuall light that hath the preheminence as to a participation of the nature and properties of Light Otherwhiles the same who excluded it from the name of Metaphoricall by that of naturall and proper to go round again do conclude it to be metaphoricall as in opposition contradistinction to both naturall and proper Witnesse I. O. who confounds his own foresaid saying p. 74. with another division Ex. 3. S. 4 5 6 7 8 c. Where under that same term of metaphoricall he distinguishes that Light he calls morall spiritual intellectuall as respecting and exercising mens minds whether in matters morall civill or spirituall from that which respects bodily sight which he call'd naturall and proper Somtimes they call this very light whereby duties and divine things are discerned universall and common to all as the Qua do i. e. in some measure though not to all in the same but when so then no other but naturall as in opposition to supernaturall and spirituall Witnesse T.D. p. 1.1 pamp Naturall and supernaturall light are two an I though all have the one yet few the other and I. O. Ex. 4 S. 17. Lumen internum omnibus commune naturale est c. The light within common to all is naturall and to be called so S. 18. If this light that is common be not naturall the very Intellect is not naturall So S. 25. Concessimus reliquias primavae lucis esse in omnibus sed eas esse spirituales id pernegamus some relicks of the primitive light we grant to be in all but deny these to be spirituall Nihil non naturale nihil spirituale communicatum c. Nothing but what 's naturall nothing that 's spirituall is common or communicated to all So also R. Bax. I. Tom. A naturall light from Christ is yielded to be in every man c. pag. 33. Otherwhiles this very universall light in all which before was said to be not supernaturall or spirituall but meerly naturall to go round again is by these men yielded to be at least more then naturall and so no lesse according to T. Ds. division of light into two then supernaturall and spirituall Witnesse against themselves R.B. I.T. p. 37. It can hardly be avouched that that knowledge in morality and divinity which they i. e. People that never had the Law nor Gospell made known to them as the Jewes and Christians have had attained to was by meer light of Nature and in Baxters Epistle p. 7. he tells us of a Common supernaturall light given to the unsanctified I might also call in Iohn Horn and the two Thomas Moores that push with him against the truth as Witnesses of the same confusion that is among all the Priests in this matter who in their book stiled A fuller Discovery c. p. 61. affirm the light wherewith Christ lighteth every man is both naturall and spirituall but as my businesse lyes mainly with the other four men So George Whitehead hath sufficienly thrust down the vain thoughts already of those three in his Book stil'd The