Truth Law Doctrine or Commandement which is a Light and Lamp is within as Rom. 10.8 witnesses it for me so my two Antagonists I.O. and T.D. do both from the Testimony of that very Text testifie the same with it and me against themselves the one viz. T D. sying p. 30 31. of his 1. Pamph. 't is evident that the word spoken of in the heart Rom. 10.8 is meant of the matters contained in the Scriptures for the Apostle sayes expresly that is the Word of faith which wee preach whereby it seems by your selves the Letter is neither the Word there said to be nigh in the heart and mouth nor yet the Word of faith the Apostles preached but some other thing that was actually properly truly and formally within the heart even the holy Word Law Light Truth Spirit of Truth and Doctrine which wee together with the Scripture do testifie unto and you contrary both to us and the Scripture are continually testifying against and the other viz. I.O. saying Ex. 1. s 40. The Word in us is that Word of faith the Apostles preached but they preached nothing but what was written by Moses and the Prophets Rom. 16.26 yea that that Word was a Word written the Apostle professedly testifies in that place vers 10. 2. The Scripture is nigh us in our hearts and mouth not in respect of the Letter written or the Scripture formally considered as written but of the divine Truth or as it contains and holds forth the divine truth it self Reply V. 11. Thou meanest sure for there the Word Scriptures is named but what of that and who doubts or denies but that the Word in the heart was written as well as preached and testified to by writing as well as by word of mouth but wilt thou ever be so blinde I.O. as to make no difference but when it serves thy turn to do it as thou thinkest against the truth for then thou makest a difference See p. 12. 13. between the Word written Doctrine declared and Declaration Book and Truth Scripturam rem scriptam preaching and thing preached publication and will of God published proclamation of good things and the tidings or good things proclaimed and told of Suppose a man should stand at a Market-cross or in Cheapside and preach publish or proclaim by Word of mouth or set up a Bill or Writing that there is special good Wheat Bread Flesh or the like laid up under the custody of the Lieutenant of the Tower enough for all the poor starvelings of the rich City of London where the more shame and wo to the rich Gluttons in it they ly perishing about the streets by him freely to be dispenced who is sealed or authorised to that end to give to all comers according to their wants or in a time of distress or danger that there is safety in the Tower for all that are willing to run in thither within so many dayes or else the gates shall be shut for thus the Publishers of the glad Tidings of the Gospel of peace and salvation by Christ the Light alone and his Spirit and Light which reproves sin is the heart do declare both by Voyce and Letter or Writing in their times as he himself Isa. 45.22 Look to me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth viz. That in him who is the Light is the life of men to be had and not in the Letter which rather killeth Hee is the strong Tower where safety alone is Him hath God sealed to be the giver of the bread of life and the meat that endureth to eternal life to all that come to him in that time wherein he shines in his Light Now if people should run only to the Cryer and hang alwayes on the hearing of his voice or stand reading the good news in the writing he hath set up doting on and delighting only to read that day by day because its comfortable as it tells of good things and never at all according to the counsel thereof betake themselves to the Tower where they only are might they not stand there poring till they perish pine and starve and would they not lose time and perhaps totally withstand it and would yee judge them to bee well in their wits if they should run up and flock all together to the Proclamation or bare Writing supposing to injoy the things themselves though they never look after the said Lieutenant spinning out the time limited in looking upon the writing and so far dote as our Dr doth that the coming to the Scriptures is the only proper way of coming to Christ himself which he counsels us to Rev. 3. as to think that their comming to that Paper every day is their next way to the Tower their very only proper going to the Lieutenant that is required Mutatiâ— mutandis de te fabula the case is your own O ye untaught better fed then taught Teachers it is yours O ye more letter-lauding then letter-learning Preachers and Priest-admiring people Christ is come from God that men might have life and have it abundantly calls all to look and come to him for it yee like the old Scribes search the Scriptures and therein look for the eternal life because they are they that testifie of it and of him who is the life but yee will not come to him that yee may have the life Ioh. 5.35 c. 2. What need I say more but with T.D. and I.O. to heed and beleeve themselves because they are so dull of hearing that they will neither heed nor beleeve the Qua. for they give the cause in Question between the Qua and them about the Scripture or the Letters being the World of faith or light shining in the dark place of mens hearts which Peter sayes men are to take heed to which said dark place that is the heart and consâ—ience where by their own confession so gross a thing as a formal outward Letter cannot come but only some more subtil thing then that is even a spiritual light as that is not is as evident in the Text as the Word and Light it speaks of is to him that is not blinde for the dark place wherein the Word and Light here is said to thine is the same wherein as the Light is taken heed to the day dawns and the day star i.e. Christ him self arises first as that bright and morning star Rev. 2.28 whereby the day spring from on high visits such as sate in darkness Luke 1.78 79. and at last as the Sun of righteousness it self Mal. 4.2 but that is said expresly to be the heâ—rt so far as from Ioh. 1.5 we argue Where the spiritual darkness is which comprehends not the Light within which darkness the light shines There the true light shineth but that is within in the conscience of all men therefore there the true light in some measure is shining As if the dark place within which the Sun shines be a room within
Apostles and Prophets it self which was not their writings for these were not their foundation nor were given to be ours for if they were then they had been built upon themselves and we are to be upon them which is absurd to say for neither their own preachings nor writings were their own foundation which they were built on nor are we to build onely upon them but both they and we upon that which all holy men were built on from the beginning before any writing was at all viz. Christ Iesus the light the corner stone which the blind builders refuse on whom whoever builds and believes if he never come to read one Tittle of any outward writing shall assuredly never be ashamed In this one grant then thou hast given both the Qua. and all others thou contendest with no lesse then the very cause thou contendest for viz. that the Scripture or Letter is infallibly the infallible word of God and every Letter Tittle and Iota of it also one Iot or Tittle of which can no sooner fail then Heaven and Earth can passe away and that every Iota and Tittle that was in the outward Letter as at first given forth from God by inspiration is preserved to this very day without corruption and remains in the Copies preserved till now for the use of his Church that the whole Scripture entire as given out from God without any losse is preserved in the Original Copies yet remaining yea in them all is every Letter and Tittle For this is the cause thou hast taken in hand in which thou wilt find when once thou awakest that thou hast hold on the wrong end of the staffe and these and much more of the like sort are thy own words and absolute assertions about it up and down in thy Book T. 1. c. 1. S. 14. T. 12. e. 2. S. 7. 9. which if they cannot be made good so high thou runnest but that there be any corruption to be supposed in your present Original Copies and various Lections though it be granted by Capellus and others that the saving Doctrine remaines sound as to matters of moment yet this shall not satisfie nor afford thee relief enough but thou wilt needs give up all thy cause as lost even further then thy own opponents would have thee confessing and professing that all your Doctrine is corrupt not continuing entire no means of its discovery nor of its recovery from a lost condition no means of rectifying it or determining any thing about it see T. 1. c. 1. S. 16.17 yea so as to yeild your selves to be at such a losse as not to know what ground ye stand on yea in thy Dedicatory Epistle pag. 25. lay but these two together first that the Points are the invention of the Tiberian Massorites which by all thy proofs to the contrary thou leavest as uncertain as thou foundst it and little lesse then yeild'st that it 's but uncertain 2 That its lawful to gather various Lections c. and then sayest thou for my part I must needs cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tell me where I must stand as not seeing any means of being delivered from utter uncertainty in and about all sacred Truth and so thou goest on desuing to be instructed by such as see through the deâ—adiations that are likely to ensue on these principles as one that tremblest to think what will be the desperate consequences of imagining alterations in the Points Tittles and Iotaes of your Originals Ep. ded p. 19. now what the issue will be we leave to God though some know it yet thou are too weak to bear the sense of it without amazement being bottomed no better then upon a quavering bogge if it should be told thee yet know it thou wilt when it comes to passe or if thou canst bear it take it now Fiat justuis aut pereat mundus the issue as dreadfull as it seems to thee who aâ—t in fearlesse dangers of greater mischiefs and but dangerless fears of this present object thou so startlest at will assuredly be no worse then this as I said above viz. that while Theeves will fall out True men will come by their good again if all the Divines in the world be in such digladiations as to draw their daggers against each other about it yet the light from which your whole Letter came will be turned to when the Letter is found to be but a fallible uncertain Rule as falsified by mens mis-transcriptions and mis-translations which light is certo certius vera verius if ought can be so even no lesse then infallibility and certainty it self and that very Equity and Truth it self which the Letter teaches and doth but tend to and for my part sink thou and thy fearful fellows boreling Priests and wrangling Lawyers that live altogether on mens lusts trespasses and sins of which when the world comes to the light and by it to be led into love honesty and peace as there will be no need so it will be wiser then to be fooled into a feeding of you for feeding them in their fightings I say sink ye whether ye will and your Quick sandy foundadations together with you till both your selves and them be swallowed up by that greater glory of the light it self now arising again upon the world though they will nor see it I know some that stand so fast in this juncture wherein the old heaven and earth shakes in order to its removing as to see thousands fall besides them and thousands at their right hand yet be out of fear of the fearful fall of the Hypocrites coming nigh them And as it hath never repented me hitherto to see that people that were Priestbewildred and hampered in Latine Letanies English Liturgies divine Scottish Directoryes falling off from their Priests and Scribes to the search of Scriptures so it will never repent either my self or many thousands more that are turned to a true attendance to the light of Christ having witnessed that weaknesse of the Letter it self to save the soules of men which the Letter it self also bears witnesse to Rom. 8 2. to see men fall according to the councel of the Scripture in that behalf Gal. 5.16 such a tall is in truth not from but to the Scriptures from the Scripture it self to the holy Spirit Neverthelesse were I one that did close never so cordially with thee in thy cause about the Scripture yet could I not commend but most condemne the Course in which thou commend'st it to us for as if it were not forward enough te fall of it self thou hastenest to handle it down with thy own hand writing while thou grantest the very first Transcribers of the Scripture to be fallible and also to have erred and failed though it were but in Points Tittles and Iotaes and in no lesse they could fail if they fail'd at all for is they were fallible and what they wrote were falsified in the least then at least thy
onomamachijâ— so but that if thou canst prove the Scripture to demonstrate it self infallibiliteâ— Ex. 1. S. 1. infallibly and uncontroulably pag. 34. to be the Word of God as thou undertakest to evince but ad Graecas Calendas to morrow come never as they say thou wilt do and not before they will then freely grant it to be call'd so whose work with thee and all men is to have all things first known to be what they are in their proper natureâ— and then call'd by those proper Names that are agreeable to those natures Though then we deny the Scripture to be called by that of The Word of God as its proper Name yet it is upon this account because neither thou nor any man in the world is able to prove it to be so in its proper nature whereupon howbeit we eternally own the Word of God properly so to be and infallibly and incontroulably evidencing it selfe so to be and that it ought as by its own proper name to be called the Word of God which if thy tottering ragged way of Argumentation wherein thou ten if not twenty times over and more inadvertently and contrarily to all Rules of true Disputations transposest thy tâ—rms making the Word of God both thy subject and the praedicate also which thou often praedicatest of it self be well observed thou belabourest thy self to prove against I know not whom to be evidently and to be called properly the Word of God and howbeit we also own the Word of God to be all those other things viz Foundation Rule Light Touchstone Witnesâ— of God onely means of the saving knowledge of God most effectual means of bringing men to repentance quickening power power of God to salvation and many more by which thou denominatest it Nevertheless that the Scripture or outward Writing or external text of either your Copies of the Original or the Original Copies which you have not now in the world much more that the text of any Translation thereof into other tongues or the English tongue either which is all that poor English people have who are no higher learnt as to Earthly Languages then their Mother-tongue much more that every tittle Iota and Apex of any of these as thou Apishly contendest it is in your Transcripts at least pag. 168 169. is either the Word of God or any â—ther of those things or properly to be called by that of the VVord of God by which yet thou streinest a point to call it and dost o're and o're either under that term the VVord or that of the Scripture which is onely properly its own this is that which I am here entering the Lists with thee about and am to the undeceiving of both Powers and People of this Nation who by your sophistical sorceries are bewitcht into a blinde Opinion about both the truth and the Qua. who hold it out in that particular notwithstanding thy pretensive proofs to disprove against thee Nevertheless before I can yet come immediately to the examination of thy proofs in particular in order to the disproof thereof or to thy own holding out of any thing to the contrary so many great and gross are the absurdities and illegalities of thy manner of Disputation in proof of this business viz. that the Scripture both as to name and thing is and is infallibly and undeniably known to be the Word of God that I may not honestly pass on here without a discovery to all men of thy most illegitimate and downright dishonest dealing in thy driving on of thy Argumentation inâ—order to the evincing thereof in sundry particulars which I shall exhibit to the view of all men under this one general head viz. thy unworthy Begging of the main question in hand which thou takest upon thee to prove as well in thy English Treatise upon that subject which thou sayest thou hadst preached on which as published is a Dispute too for the Scriptures as in thy Latine illogical and Theological Disputations or Apologeticals pro Scripturis in both the one and the other of which thou never keepest close to thy main terms which ought never to be altered in any legal Disputation but both changest and confoundest them together even the Grand subject that is the Scripture and the Grand Praedicate of it that is the Word of God almost as often as thou hast to do with them insomuch that thy Trâ—ctations and Transactions for and about the outward Letter or Text of the Scriptures which are the subject from whence thy Latine and thy English works in their Title Pages both bear their main denominations of Vindication of and Apologies for the Texts of the Scripture the proof of which to be the known pure perfect powerful living spiritual saving necessary unalterable unchanged uncorrupted c. Word of God is thy main professed work scope drift and intent thoroughout them are such an indistinct term-transposing Argumentation such a â—â—agonized mess of male proof such an underboard piece of double-dealing as proclaims its Author as well to such as know him by neither as to such as know him both by name and face to be one that durâ— not play above-board but digged as deep as he well durst for fear of being too much disâ—ryed in his deceit on the other hand to hide his counsel that he might be the less noted in his turnings of things up-side-down that having once put apart as two specifically different things the Scripture or its Doctrine whereof one was to be his main subject the other his main praedicate throughout his disputation durst not keep them clearly asunder as he should have done all along in his premises till he came to his Conclusion in which onely if at all they were by right to be joined nor speak of them constantly Sigillatim as of two things formally seperated in their nature to be seperated in their names till the one he infallibly or plainly proved to be the other viz. the Scripture to be the Word of God and the Word of God to be the Scriptures But being jealous whether things might grow to the disadvantaâ—â— or hazard of hi cause in question and utter loss of his positive assertion of the Scriptures to be the Word of God if he should was afraid to speak plain so I believe thou I.O. art to utter thy meaning too openly or speak thy mind out too distinctly and so chusest to prosecute thy proofs the more promiscuously and to carry thy ill cause on the more confusedly by the shifting and changing of thy terms ever and anon and to beg the question in hand or take it for granted before it be given thee that the Scripture is the Word to supplant and forestall thy Reader with thy often or ordinary crouding of these each under the other's Name and indifferent denominatings of them each by the other as Synonomaeâ— before thy time i.e. Before thou hast proved the name of the one at all proper to the other by the one 's
If every mans private light be the Rule of obedience then we have as many Rules as men but the Divine Rule is onely one and that only one quoth he falsely elsewhere is the Scripture Rep. His minor as is said above serves our turn and as for his major its consequence is most false if by the Word private light he means every ones particular measure of light that shines from God into his conscience for that doth not make tot Regulas c. so many men so many Rules for the Light and Spirit which is the only Rule is one and the self-same thing in all distributed to every one as to degrees which never vary the nature of any thing severally as seems good to him And this is but a piece of his own peevish private piece of prate so often as he doth in his Disputes to term the light of God we testifie to as one in all though in different measures lumen privatum the private light for its lumen publicum commune that one publick light that comes and is communicated from God and reproves sin in all men and never did nor doth consent to any iniquity but condemns it in all men and all men as found in sin and were I.O. as well skilled in the Scripture as he is in the way of unskilful scribling for it and would once learn of Paul whom he often prates on he would have learnt ere this time with him to stile the light in all the different measures of it attained to by men to be but one Rule one thing still and not to say that if every man minde the light in himself then so many men so many Rules which Apostle Phil. 3 15 16. saith Whereunto we have already attained let us walk by the same Rule let us minde the same thing And as to T.Ds. saying That so much of the matter contained in the Scripture as is written upon the hearts of the Heatbens is a Rule to them I very readily grant that to be the very truth but what will T.D. get by it but 1. The glory of his granting to the Qua. that other Grand Question about which he quarrels with them viz the being of a measure of the same matter and not naâ—â—ral as man is in statu corrupto but supernatural and spiritual light of truth which is contained and testified in the Scripture to be in all men in the world even in the Heathen that have not the Scripture 2. The fuller just censure of a contradicter of himself who by telling the truth herein gainsayes that false Doctrine which he teaches for Truth in another place For here he owns some of the same truth or holy Doctrine declared in the Scripture which himself and I.O. stickle to prove it against such as deny it not for the truth is so though the Text is not that every Tittle and Apex thereof is as equally divine or supernatural and entirely given by God himself and as immediately as the very voice wherewith he spake to and in the Prophets See I.O. p. 27.153 and properly the Word of God 24. and the Gospel and a supernatural and spiritual light and such like See I.O. p. 77. and T.D. p. 1 2. of 1. Pamph. and p. 23. of his 2. Pamph. I say here T.D. owns some of that same Matter Light Truth Law or Gospel the letter declares to be written upon the hearts of the Heathens that never had the letter and to be the Rule from God to them But when we affirm as the Scripture doth and T.D. too that every man in the world is enlightned by Christ the true light 1 Joh. 9. with some measure of that Light the Letter speaks of and hath some of that holy divine supernatural spiritual truth doctrine and Evangelical matter which the whole Scripture either more obscurely or more clearly declares then he denies it asserting the Gentiles or Heathens to have none of those Judgements that God gave to Israel and as T.D. to the contradiction of himself so I O Christus nullâ sub consideratione lumen salutare omnibus stngulis hominibus du sit Ex. 4. s. 17. Christ hath in no kind vouchsafed saving Light to all and every man One ignorant untrue Assertion more of T.D. while my eye is on it I may not here let pass without notifying it to the Reader and then for ought I see I may leave T.D. as to his talk of the Scriptures being in the nature or office or authority of a Rule and see what I.O. sayes as to this T.D. sayes p. 17. of his 2. Pamph. Suppose we had the signs recorded that are not written yet were they not our Rule yet confesses that were they written they might be useful being done for the very same end with those lest us G. W. telling him he contradicts himself in so saying T.D. answers he is not sensible of any contradiction herein but of subordination only between the efficient and instrumental cause That the second creation doth not exclude though the first did instruments or second causes instancing Iam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us by the Word of truth And Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rep. To which say I T.D. is not so little sensible of the contradiction G.W. charges him with as every understanding Reader may be greatly sensible of the flat falshood that is told for truth in this latter clause wherein he asserts the first creation did exclude second causes or instruments though the second doth not whereas if T.D. had not been in a Dream he would have seen that the first Creation is so far from excluding instruments or second causes if that be an instrument or second cause which himself instances to be one in the second Creation viz. The Word of God for as the Scripture sayes that the Saints are begotten to God and faith by the Word of God so it sayes but that our Scriblers for the Scriptures are little skill'd in it and so study it in their dark minds till they cannot see what who is not blinde cannot easily over-look Heb. 11.3 2 Pet. 3.5.7 By faith we understand in plurali the worlds were framed by the Word of God and that by the Word of God the heavens and earth were of old and the heavens and earth that now are by the same Word are kept in store and reserved to fire against the day of Judgement and perdition of ungodly men You had need be ashamed to pretend to be such appearers in publick pro Scripturis that appear so much in your testimony so flatly against them as ye do Now as to J. Os. prosecution of the proof of this matter which he so often over and over again avouches as a truth with divine faith to be imbraced on pain and peril of eternal ruine and damnation viz That the Scriptures are in the Authority of the only and perfect Rule and Canon since the compleating
teeth and tongue are in his mouth and I should Reply t is a mistake for that which is in the mouth of a man is not within but without him T.D. would suppose me to be some Monstrous Simpleton and a doer of the said man no little wrong in making no less then a Monster of him by saying his teeth and his tongue are all ad extra without him when they are no otherwise then other mens are al orderly within his mouth but I must take this of his who sayes the word is said to be without a man while it iâ— said to be in his mouth for the voice of wisdome from him or else the Qua. folly will not be manifested to all men by it but much more of his own then all theirs amounts to And so as wise as he is in his own generation byond the children of Light I shall think my think of this to my self and to let it pass with no more then this notice by the way to the Reader 1. That as the word is in the heart shewing good and evil thoughts there searching and separating between the precious and the vile which is the work of the Word and Mouth of God there Ier. 15.19 so it is in the mouth distinguishing between the good and evil words there in the particular persons in whose mouthes it s planted and put for that purpose first according to the promise Isa. 59. ult My word which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor of the mouth of thy seeds seed for ever from out of the mouth of which Seed of God the righteous Race which are mostly babes and sucklings to the wise and Disputeâ—s of this world Psal. 8.2 Mat. 11.25 It is secondarily to go forth as the strength of the Lords ordaining against the enemy in the latter dayes Jer. 1.9 2. That it is no news to me now that T.D. sayes in the mouth is without which was somewhat strange to me at first till I was acquainted with his quaint and coyn'd kinde of distinctions and sinister senses and many uncâ—uth meanings that he puts upon Scripture phrases wherewith to blinde people from being begotten into true wisdome by that which he calls the Qua. Folly for t is his usual manner of expounding and the ordinary meaning that he gives to these two terms In and Out to say by within is meant without and by without within for as he counts the righteousness of Câ—rists person without us to be in us to our justification whilst not inherent in us but in him only So the righteousness wrought and fulfilled in us by his power and Spirit not to be in us but without in his Person only for Rom. 8.4 in us quoth he imports not in out persons but in Christ p. 17. 1. Pamph. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he thought had been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 17.22 by in you in among you without p. 5.1 Pamph. and so I.O. will have to be expounded in that place to avoid the dint of that Doctrine of the Qua who tell of a Kingdome and righteousness within men that are not in it which he confesses is used but in one more place in all the New Testament as he calls the new Letter of it viz. Matth. 23.26 and there it s used for the inside of a Vessel Cup or Platter by Christ saying to the blinde Pharisees first cleanse the inside that the outsiâ—e may be clean also yet in Luke 17. it seems quoth he to be used in the same sense as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so making it thus the Kingdom of God ad vos pervenis is come to you a T.D. does within in effect to signifie without Ex. 3.5.47 and so in the place in hand in the mouth is without quoth T. D. which fine new-fangled way of Respondency to an opponent urging otherwise an irresistible Truth I should never have learnt had I not met with these two Sophistical Shufflers howbeit now I hâ—ve learnt their wonted way of winding away from plain truth I shall tâ—eâ—eby learn at least to avoid it turn from it and pass away but shall never learn how to walk in it it is so crooked unless I mean to leave the good way of uprightness to walk in the wayes of darkness Now as to I.O. though often he puts a difference between the Writing and the Doctrine and sayes the Scriptura formaliter or litera scripta is one thing and the materia or veritas scripta is another yet rather then he will give the Question to the Qua. who care not whether he doth or no which Question as is shewed above he is not ashamed basely to beg he will distemper and conjumble all that together again into one Chaos or lump of confusion which he had once orderly set asunder and therefore drives on in gross without dividing between the Scripture Writing Letter or Text and the Word Doctrine Light or Truth that 's written of and earnestly endeavouring to blend all these into one And though for haste jumbling and posting on he gets many a stumble by the way whereby he layes himself on the ground yet up again he gets and on he goes though haltingly never heeding how he interfears nor feels how he often hacks and cuts one leg against the other hoping that so long as he stands not still nor gives quite out nor lyes flat he rids ground as well while he stumbles on as when he seems to slide away more smoothly but his blinde blunderingâ— in which he thinks he posts on unseen are noted and seen by such as are not far behinde him who finde him full of flâ—ws altering often where he himself supposes his work is most firm and what ever he thinks of it himself yet to every understanding Reader he little lesâ— then gives the cause in effect not onely in other places agâ—inst his will and unawares to himseâ—f but also in p. 71. where is a passage that while it here presents it self to me I must take notice of lest I let it pass altogether and finde not a fitter place hereafter to observe it in J O. It is the Writing quoth he it self it now supplies the roome and place of the persons in and by whom God originally spake to men as were the persons speaking of old so are the Writings now it was the Word spâ—ken that was to be beleeved yet as spoken by them from God and it s now the word written that is to bee beleeved yet as written by the command and appointment of God Rep. all this I grant to be very true but tending to the overturning of J.Os. own cause and purpose in it which is to prove the Scripture or writing to be the Word of God and to the confirming of the Qua. cause who against him deny that assertion for the Word spoken and written even as spoken and written by Gods appointment is that which we say is still within the
Sacred Truth 2. Let it be Considered that Ye who Plead such a Necessâ—y of such Integrity of your Foundation of Faith had need be sure of your hand yea Infallibly certain in your selves and in your Proof of it to others or else ye make your own Graves with your own Hands and pluck up your own Religion by the very Roots Ye stand Eminently concern'd upon the Concession of your Faiths Foundation not to be firm in case one Tittle of the Text ye frame all upon be found wanting or Points added since its giving out to make it not probably onely as incertum aut ignotum per incertius aut ignotius but Unquestionably clear that the Text hath every Tittle and that no Points are superadded since its first Penning or else to begin again with the Qakers at your A.B.C. in the things of God and lay a better Bottom for your Building and surer Ground for your Faith then ere ye have done for as J. O. sayes in another case it s but meet that men should be call'd to Account upon their own Principles and such as suppose Salvation to sinke if every Syllable be not seen and Repose so Eternal a Trust upon a Temporal External Text as to assert All Saving Truth to Fail for Ever if its Transcripts be not as Entire Now as they were some Thousands of Years ago and â—in the Everlasting Gospel of God on so Ticklish a Point as Mens Mistaking or Not Mistaking in Writing out the Bare Letter of it had need to be Not so Suppositive as J. O. is but Positive in Their Proof and Uncontrolably Demonstrative of Their Principall Proposition and Not Impositive of Their Own Thoughts Imaginations Apprehensions Uncertain Conjectures and Pretended Probabilities onely Sith the Stresse of a Case of such Dangerous Consequence Stands upon it that All Souls as J. O. sayes at least so Depend on it as to have No Means of Their Salvation if Their Proposition prove False and They happen to be Out or Miscarry in it Or else in Case Ye can't so Clear it then Confesse as J. O. seemes to do sometimes but that He is loath to stand Long to the Honour of such a Confession that Ye well Know Not Where Ye are nor What to Say about the Various Lections Ye finde to be Crept into Your Text nor What may be the Cause of its Being so and that Ye have Nothing to Blame but Your Own Ignorance of the Scriptures and other Cases And of the True Foundation which is the WORD it self and Not the Scripture or Writing of it And that Ye have Never with Your Shallow Comprehensions and Understandings Ye have Hitherto lean't to reached yet the Vtmoâ—t Depth of Truth and so think it Meet since Ye can make No Demonstration of Your Position to lay it Down Altogether and of Learned Men become meer Wormes not Captivating Others to Your Own Thoughts but Captivating Your Own Thoughts to the Truth and to the Authority of God in his Word nigh in the Heart and Not leaning Alone to the Lesbian Rule of a Naked Letter Without You See J. O. p. 303. 347. For as Error Minimus in Principio fit Major in Medio Maximus in Fine So there being but some Errours in Your Bottom O Ye Builders Your Building must needs stand Awry and be most crooked at the Top. Yea this is a most Vndeniable Truth That the Faith about that which is Beleeved to Be the Foundation of All Saving and Divine Faith in other Things must be Built upon an Undoubtedly Divine Basis and stand in a Ground that Can't be Shaken and on an Infallibly Sure and Unquestionable Foundation and Not on such A Flexible Thing as Mans Conjectures Thoughts Apprehensions Opinions This Way or That Nor on Meer Humane Fallible Perswasions Reports Writings Testimonies Traditions of Authors either on One side or Other Or else as J. O. sayes So say I We shall Quickly see and because of This See it We do Already what Wofull Estate and Condition the Truth that the Scripture Talks of will be brought Vnto And how Brittle the Belief is If the Foundation that any Fabrick Stands on should be Stone and the Ground that Foundation stands in should be but Sand That Building will not Abide when the Stormes and Waves come If the Foundation of Your Faith in other Things be the Integrity of the Text to a Tittle as at first Given Out for so it is with J. O. or else He gives All up for Gone and Your Faith about that Entireness to a Tittle of the Text be Founded no where but in Fancy Conceits Thoughts or in the Opinions of Your Selves and other Men Ye Side with Opposing as Learned as Your selves that Side Against You I here Affirm in Sober Sadness and in the Fear of God not Derisorily that All Your Faith is of No more Force then a Fiddle-â—tick is of to Fight withall as to the Effecting of that full Freedom from Sin and Salvation which Comes by Christ which is the End of his Coming to All those that Unfainedly Believe in his Name 3dly Let it be Weâ—l and Wisely Weighed how Wonderfully farre Short of Scientificall Syllogismes and Clear Demonstrations or of so much as True Topical Evidences either Your Arguments are in Proof of That Entirenesse and Integrity of Your Text in Every Tittle if there be No Better to be Vrged by You as in Truth there are Not then what are Vrged by J. O. in that Case on Behalf of the University and Clergy For after J. O. had stood out as long as He well could with Sticks and Straws against the Novelty of the Points and the Variety of Lections in the Texts of your Transcripts He plainly Yields and Confesses both as is shew'd hereafter 1st Vrging His false Conceits about Gods Promise and Providence and Loving and carefull Aspect over the Transcribers and such like Fancies of His own yea all along His own and others Thoughts against them and concluding thence thus Shall We think this and that Is it not very Improbable Shall We imagine so or so And then at last clearly confessing the same He before contended against Which Grants though when they are gone from him He would gather in again fearing He hath lost aâ—â— if He do not a little qualify them Yet in what a poor way He puts on to Reduce and Recover what He had given by His Yieldings and Acknowledgments and how they are of as little force and to as little purpose as Pharoahs endeavour was to bring Israel back when he had once let them go from him A very Fool may feel by the following Examination of what He uttereth toward the Regaining of His Ground again His Maxime or Main Proposition He fights for all along from first to last being that the Now Copies of the Originall Text are Entire to a Tittle without any losse by the Mistakes of the Transcribers or change by Addition of the Points His Main Medium of
seest not with my eyes that his people should see with his eyes understand with his understanding take things in his sence be of his mind be moulded in their meanings after the Image of his vain Imagination but I say to you all O ye people of Sandwich you must see with your own eyes as the Just must live by his own Faith or else ye will fall with your blind Guide into the Ditch and if yee come to see with your own you 'l see we have cause to Complain of T. D.'s both altering our words and adding to them though it be as to quantity but little thou hast added yet as to quality it is so much as egregiously wrongs us howbest I must needs say so much for thee T. D. and that 's the best I can say to help thee with thy Additions to our words are not by far so Voluminous as thy Ablations from them are thy Rendition of our Argaments is Rude Ragged wrong enough in all Reason yet 't is not so much by way of Additanent as Ablation and detraction as I shewed above our discourses to thee whilst thy own to us are repeated generally by the Dative are Rendered mostly by the Ablaâ—iuâ— Case being rehearsed well nigh totally all away I know thou say'st thou hast not diminishâ—d from our words but that thy dimination of thy deceitfull doings is but an Addition to thy falshood and no little Aggravation of thy lies for which thy unfaithfull dealings with us and misrepresentation of those matters as well as for many more misreports into which the lying spirit hath spawn'd itself forth over â—undry pages of thy whole trifling Pamphlet and especially throughout thy Narratives Annexed at the ends of both thy Babbles so farr will thy pretended fence of a few Gentlemen and false Ministers be from freeing thee from the suspition thereof that all faithfull hearers of those discourses and Impartiall Readers of thy Ragged Relation of them will lay thee under the Condemnation of not only a partiall Relator but of a very Lyaâ— also against the truth as to matters of Account and not a few matters of fact about which thou abusest and beâ—yest the Quakers both in thy cart Accountative and in thy much more notorious Narrative pieces of business which for severall Remarkable follies of thy own therein expressed are as much as any that I know ejâ—â—dem farraginis meritoriously to be marked for a pair of white ones nigro carbone while they have a being under the Sun which after a few more breif Animadversions on thy Epistles I am yet in hand with I shall address to take some Remarkable notice of T. D. Thou say'st thou hast followed thy Antagonisi G. W. step by step and omitted nothing that hath the least colour or shew of Reason unless where thou makest a reference to thy former Book to avoid Repetition lest he should say that like a Child thou skippest what thou canst not Read Only thou confessest thou art not able to match him at his Belinsgate Rhetorick nor would'st thou with Jonah â—e as hot as the Sun that Scalds thee Rep. Thou may'st well say indeed in one or two senses thou followest him for I with all the hast thou mak'st and the best Leggs of Reason thy Ridiculously short Reply to him stands and runs on thou neither reachest nor overtakest G. W. much less 〈◊〉 get before or go beyond him but art found as far behind him in the understanding of the misteries of the Gospell the Spirit and the world â—o come as the wild bruit Beast of the Forrest is behind the naturall mâ—n in the knowledge of the things of nature and this world Poor vain man thou wouldst be wise and taking upon thee to teach those at whose feet'â—would be thy wisdome much more to sit down and learn and so thou sayst to G. W. â— 3 seeing you do not understand I le teach you â— in a matter wherein any but the blind may see by thy Raw delivery of thy self in it thou hast not half learnt thy lesson thy self and wherein as thou hast not a little need of it so thou maist thy self possibly be taught a little otherwise by and by in its proper place and thou are yet but as the wild Asses Colt Ranging in the Wilderness snuffing up the Wind of thy own Wisdom yet there is a time werein thou must be taken tamed and brought to beare and made to see thy self to be as far short of G. W. as one in the fall is of him that is risen again into the innocency Thou followest G. W. the Quakers as the Egyptians did Israel and as the Dragon doth the Woman Cloathed with the Sun that beares the manchild Christ Iesus breathing our malice flinging out a stood of falshood wherewith to cause her to be carryed away but thy Charriot Wheels drive on so heavily that though thou persuest at the heels yet thou wilâ— never reach further then the heel which is all that the Serpents Head which is to be bruised by her avails to hurt yea the very earth it self shall be made to help the woman to swallow up thy flood of Lies and Blasphemies rather then they shall ere be of force for the futâ—re as they have been formerly to overwhelm her As for thy step by step alas poor man G. W. makes such steps to his feet as are much too strict streit for thine to tread and stand in where he is thou in that nature and Wisdome thou yet abidest in canst not come there 's a Gulf between whether he goes thou canst not follow him unless thou loose thy life as thou art loath to do and dye with him and Christ and all Saints that death of the Cross to thy own Carnall will which while in little better then that Woodden way wherein the Papists prate of the Cross of Christ thou in thy vain mind art prating about thou knowest the power of not so much perhaps as many or at best little more as yet then the most of them so farr art thou from following G. W. who as Paul did followeth Christ not in an outward empty Apish way of imitation or setting himself to do what he reads or heares Christ did in which yet thou art farr short of following Christ too but acting speaking moving living worshipping walking in by and from the same Light and Spirit as Christ did which thou art â—o farr from walking by that with I. O. and others thou for the letters sake which yet thou errest from rejectest it as no Rule for thee to walk by And as for that very kind of following him step by step thou meanest who talk'st as if thou had'st traced thy Antagonist to a tittle left nothing of his book unanswered thou hast rather anâ—wered little or nothing of it at all for as in thy second part to the same tune there is fere nil dictum quod non dictum prius scarce ought said of
And last of all if Thou and Thee be not to be used to a single person only it hath no place nor use at all in the English-Tongue for it can't possibly be properly used when we speak to more it being saving when we speak to them as a Collective body and as one and so somtimes the Prophets spake to whole Nations under the Term of Thou and Thee no less unsound and unsavory to say Thou or Thee to 20 men as You or Ye to one and alike foolish to say to two severall men Thou shale both dye I le kill Thee both as to say to one of them only You alone shall dye I will kill You which are two Bulls that deserve both to be soundly baited To conclude this then we see how our Chief Priests Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites of these dayes as they did of old Love the Praise of men more then the Praise of God have that Faith they have in God with respect to the Persons of men which who so has is a Sinner and Transgressor of the Law and though their mouths speak great swelling words of Faith Religion Reformation God Christ Church Ministry Maintenancâ— yet they are but walkers after their own Lusts and Sensuall or meer Animall as Iude sayes verse 16.19 not having the Spirit while they have mens persons in admiration because of advantage and beleive not though they deem themselves every one in his own form to be the true beleivers so long as they are thus busied in begging and buying giving and taking this honour that is from beneath only for not seeking the honour that is only from aboue which all the Saints have Psal. 149.9 lâ—t them say what they will yee sayes Christ Ioh. 5.44 How can ye beleive which receive honour one of another and seek not the Honour that commeth from God only As unmannerly a Generation then as T.D. faith the Qua. are in not using that flattering Title of Mr. to T. Rumsey the Magistrate I say if T. Rs. carriage were more like a Magistrates then 't is according to the Proverb 't is better of the two if that were unmannerliness to be a little unmannerly then so much troublesome as men in the fall are one to another with their Tedious Attendances Antick Adoratious of each other and supersluous Complements buâ— indeed 〈◊〉 good manners to use it by none but that people whose evill Communications corrupt good manners the Heathen whose Customes are vain and as for us if any man list to be contentious about our manners in such matters he must know that as there 's no Law of God or man that hinds us from Keeping on our hats from thee or thou to Cap and Congee and you Sir and Master and such like flatteries not to say meer fooleries which are all in the fall so we have no such manner of manners nor customes among us nor any of the true Churches of God And hereby we appeare to any save such as will needs mistake us to be neither Papists nor Popish Priests for they have as much of that kind of ill manners of honouring each others persons as is to be found among your selves nevertheless who so blind as he that will not see thou T. D. wilt needs so befool thy self as to make it proâ—ablâ— that I am one of them whose words excepting as in the proviso abovesaid â—re now Verbatim to be Rehearsed who having hinted it in p. 55. how Rob. Wilkinson Minister of Staple had accused me to have been at Rome and received a Pension from the Pope goest on as followes T. D. As to the matter whereof Samuel Fisher was accused part of it he denied not namely that he hath been at Rome but that he received a Pension from the Pope he utterly denied which yet that is probably as true for I have it from very good hands that in his late travail to Constantinople and thence to Rome he had as good Bills of Exchange as most Gentlemen that travaile and yet 't is well known that he hath no visible Estate And the Qua. who came to hear the dispute who I suppose would not bely him did report that he did bear his witness against the Pope and Cardinals at Rome and yet suffer'd them not to meddle with him which how unprobable it is let all men judge but how much more probable that the true cause of his safety was his compliance with them the Doctrines which he broaches among us and as he saies in all other places being theirs and a fair inlet to their Bag and Baggage And to assure the Reader of the likelihood of his compliance with the Antichristian Faction thou maist please to know that the 12th instant English account two honest and credible men of Sandwich had some discourse with S. Fisher at Dunkirk and he told them that he looked upon the Jesuits and Friars there to be founder in Doctrine then those we call the Reformed Churches This they are ready to testifie at any time upon call Another passage I have to acquaint thee with viz. that the aforesaid S. Fisher in Conference with the above-named Sandwich men at Dunkirk May 12. English stile did affirm that he himself is above Ordinances and that there is no more use of them in this life to many portions then there is of a Candle-light when the Sun shines and he gave instance in the uselessness of Baptism and the Lords Supper And the same witnesses were credibly informed at Dunkirk that S. Fisher hath great Bills of Exchange from a Quaking London Merchant and may take up four hundred pound if he will And hundreds of people can testifie how light he made of the charge of Popeâ—â— on the first day of the Dispute when I pluck'd Amesus 4th Tome against Bellarmine and offer'd to read part of it out of the Latine into English and with a gesture of derision he replied that Bellarmine held many Truths which must not be rejected because he held them and he gave for instance that Christ is the Son of God Moreover in p. 14. Thou writest thus viz the third Question debated on was though with much ado at length stated in these Termes whethâ—â— OUR good works are the meritorious cause of our justification and S. F. held it in the affirmative S. F. Tâ—us I prove it to these words T. D. now you shew your self a Rank Papist indeed Rep. Monstrum Horâ—endum Informe Ingens cui lumen ademptum what a Horrible bundle of blindness is here what a hidden heap of Hocus pâ—cus this nasty piece of Naâ—â—ative is of itself a little Lake of Lyes and the whole is little better under this Hedg are many Hedg-Hogs hidden many Cockatrices hatched up whose fruit is as a fiery 〈◊〉 Serpent many false Tongues fed with fuell fit for them many Fools fenced in their folly as with a Thicket of Thornes many Sons of Beliâ—â— bolstred up in their Blasphemies and emboldened to throw about in
Commandements and Traditions of men and of the Pope himself in many things still and yet because they did not so much as he appointed them in matters of more moment but were unclean and wicked refusing to walk in the good old way of the Light which was the way before Moses and the letter was turning away their eare from hearing the Law in the heart which is the light were not only vain but abominable in the very best of their Oblations In Preaching therefore in order to Gods acceptance of us and our good works which are not outward worships where the heart and life are yet defiled but where a new Creature created after his own Image of God in Christ Iesus to good works in his nature and by his Power though in it's own person doth perform them is as an utter exclusion of all your own so no fair In-let to any of the Popish Rubbish will worship meer self service and unprofitable devotion for these being only done by man are neither good nor accepted of God But to Teach and maintain and plead for evil works as necessary to be done while we are in this life and Teach down the doctrine of perfecting holinesse and perfect purging our selves from all uncleannesse of flesh and Spirit while we are here in the body which Paul taught up as a doctrine of devils and to deny the possibility of performing this duty of not sinning and make such a grosse state of sin as that was which David stood in when he was guilty of adultery and murder consistent with Gods acceptance of men and their justification before him and that the Saints as some call them in such a pickle while they are in sin up to the ears even in such a case are not in a condemned but in a justified estate and that if the Saints own heart condemn him and his own conscience tell him that God doth not accept him and that his estate is bad in such a bad sinful case and not good it 's defiled and lyes and testifies falsehood to him and leads him into a wrong opinion of himself and that the Saints may be blessed men as David was having no guile in his spirit but sincere upright after Gods own heart though under the guilt of so grosse and great sins when the Scripture saith the contrary viz that David was upright before God saving in that matter of Vriah wherein indeed his very heart was false and rotten and to affirm to the encouragement of men in their imperfections and infirmityes by which name they stile the Saints grossest iniquities as T.D. does contradictorily to himself in other places that the gospel gives life upon imperfect obedience all which and more ejusdem Farraginis is done and utter'd by T.D. and such as own him therein in the 11.19.45.47 pages of his 1. Pamphlet as they were by word of mouth at the disputes This is to strengthen the hands of the wicked that they cannot return from their wickednesse for how is it possible they should do it when 't is preacht and believed as impossible to be done this is to sow soft pillows under their elbowes that they may sleep on securely in sin and take their rest for its all but infirmity and no inpreachment to his justification nor to his standing accepted and in covenant with God that a Saint does and their 's no condemnation to them that are Saints and in Christ no though they be in transgression in which who is say I is out of Christ and not a Saint and though they walk not after the Spirit as all that are Saints and in Christ Jesus do but after the flesh and in a word a very fair In-let to a very worse matter then that whole mare mortuum of the Popes Beggerly observations even no better a matter then the very whole bundle of the Devils own Bag and Beastly Baggage So then I see not hitherto and am perswaded never shall till I come to see as T.D. does in his floting fancy many things with his eyes shut how any Doctrines of the Qua. even such as they and I hold with any more then what we hold flatly against the Popish Priesthood do either conclude my complyance with them or make any way for the incoming and abiding without its own speedier Ruine of their Romish Baggage or how our parochiall Priesthoods preaching and practice too doth any other then uphold the Butt end thereof and preach their own câ—mplyance with those their Brother Ravens in many matters But T. D's Biggest Bolt and weightest Bullet as he counts at least lyes yet behind and that is our doctrine of good works as needful to that use of our justification before God here he iudges that Omne tulit punctum he hath fully hit the white and that this will do if all the rest die and fallen the fault of favouring and fathering the Popish cause upon me as some Iâ—suit if all the other fail Good works for necessary uses viz to manifest faith to be true to sanctify to make meet for the possession c. T.D. and his Associates in words and doctrinally more then practically maintain as much as any but to maintaine good works not only to the use of our sanctification but our justification and to justify not only deâ—laratively in the sight of men but also formally in the sight of God not only to approve a beleiver but absolve a sinner p. 8. not only to fit for but to give right to the inheritance p. 22. not as concurrent and concomitant only but as cooperative and constitutive together with faith and coincident as a cause in the case of our iustification to let good works be accounted not only Via ad Regnum but also carsa Regnandi as your Scools distinguish yea and further yet to dispute it not in these Terms barely of good works but in these Terms of OUR good works and lastly higher yet to rank them so high in order of causes as not only Instrumental with faith but a deserving or meritorious cause of justification This is notorious yea so grosse and Popish that we may well Rank you thinks he among the Papists p. 58. as at least a bringer in of their Baggage yea now quoth T.D. of me p. 14. you shew your self a rank Papist indeed Rep. Ipse dixit T.D. hath said it who of all those Seers with his eyes in Sandwich or else where who giving heed to him from the least to the greatest saying of him This man is the great Power of God have hiâ— hitherto bewitched with his Simonical Sorceries can do any other then believe it to a Tittle This stroke enters with so deep a dint into the thoughts fancies and faith of many that 't is supposed by some we Qua. shall never be able to lick our selves whole of the deadly wound it brings with it both to the doctrines that we maintain as Truth and to our selves also whom we maintain to be no
thou do well laith God shalt thou not be accepted Again there is a doing good which deserves no Ill nor Condâ—mnation but onely Good and Iustification before God being both bonum and bâ—ne factum also materially good and formally well done and that de jure promissi at least entitâ—es to an entrance into the Kingdom and such are all the good works done on the Gospels account in the Faith and Power of Christ the Light and in the leading of the Holy Spirit whether Faith it self or Lovâ— or any other that follow these which are not of our selves but by way of gift and grace from God and strength from Christ received by us who are weak in our selves the fulfilling of the Righteousness of the Law which is all fulfilled in this word Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self for love worketh no ill to his Neighbour therefore is Love the fulfilling of the Law Gal. 5.14 Rom. 13.8 9 10. and this is the Royal Law that gives Liberty from the lust to envy or any other evil that keeps from stealing and killing and adulteâ—y and from falling in one point as well as in another of which Iames sayes if ye fulfil it as by the Letter none are but by the Light and Spiâ—it which lead into the Love the Saints are enabled to do ye do well Jam 8.2 and what is well done is twice done and so is every little that is done in faithfulness according to the measure of the gift received as from and unto Christ and lets in so far into the Lords acceptance Matth. 25.23 Well done good and faithful Servant was said on the improvement of two talents as well as five thou hast been faithful in a few things enter thou into the joy of thy Lord This is that love which when Cains wrath doth not worketh the Righteousness of God Jam. 1.26 in the doing of which by Christs Power in our selves and not by his doing it without us in himself who not as without us but as within us is the Iustification from the sin and so the hope of glory Col. 1.27 he is made in us the Righteousness of God and we the Righteousness of God in hâ—m And his Light within which leads all that in a cross to the lust follow him in it to this Royal Life of love is that Royal and perfect Law of Liberty every degree of obedience to which is perfect as it self is and not imperfect as all that of those is who are of the Law and not of Faith and as thou T.D. imperfectly and weakly wottest this is for though as to the Law Bonum non oritur nisi ex integris causis yet I say of true Evangelial obedience none of which is imperfect for its Christs in us Bonum oritur ex quâ—libet actu as well as Malum ex quolibet defectu and howbeit any one or more good works as thou sayest p. 14 15. is not a fulfilling of the Law done as Paul in his blind zeal did them before he knew Christ while he served in the oldness of the Letter and not in the newness of the Spirit for then all the bonum he did did but break the Law being done not bene and so what ere he did in any print he was still guilâ—y of all and in that naâ—â—re he did it in it was but Cains sacrifice which was in the Reprobation the Tree not yet being good yet he that doth and teacheth the least of Christs Commandements given out in the Light fulfils so far that he so far enters by Right into and shall be so far great in the Kingdom of Heaven in the observing and obeying of which Law onely Iustification acceptation and approvement comes as an effect of it in the sight of God as well as in the sight of men and so Iames will be found affirming though thy senseless self canst not looking in the Letter without the Light well see his sense which Law or Light who so looketh into and continueth in the doing of what is there shewen this man shall be blessed Mark in his deed even with the blessedness described by David Psal. 32.1 2. and by Paul Rom. 4.4 5 6 7 8 9. which is forgiveness of iniquity covering of sin and non-imputation of it which comes on all circumcision and uncircumcision thaâ—â—elieve without difference Rom. 3.2 as it came on faithful Abraham whose Faith with those works Iames speaks of Iam. 2.21 which were the fruits of it were not one without t'other but altogether for they were Christ the Image of God his operations in him which thou also sayest p. 23. are called Christ accounted or reckoned to him as his Righteousness as well in foro Dei as hominum for hereby saith God know I thou lovest me because thou hast not witheld thy Son and again Mark because thou hast done this surely Blessing I will bless thee c. as also it was said by Christ of Mary Her many sins are forgiven her for this cause Because she loved much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cujus gratia propter quod see Arias Mountanus so Mark 19. If thouâ— wilt enter into Life follow me and we have forsaken all and followed thee saith Peter to Christ What shall we have therefore Ye shall sit on Thrones saith Christ and everyone c. so 2 Thesâ—â— 6 7 10. that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which ye also suffer seeing it is a Righteous thing Mark with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled Rest with us because our Testimony was believed among you here Faith and sufferings are made the cause upon which by Right deservedly and in Righteousness Rest is to be expected as a debt by promise though Phil. 1.29 they are the gift of God to us and not simply our Own works to you it is given not onely to believe but also to suffer for his sake T.D. Does not the Apostle oppose Faith and Works Faith is opposed to it self as a work in the business of Iustification p. 24. 1. Pamph. Rep. Faith is neither opposed as thou frivolouily supposest good works to the Gospel nor yet to it self as a work in the business of Iustification but both it self and all the good works that are done onely in it which together with it are the gift of God to us in Christ Iesus who is ths Authour Worker and Finisher of them in us are altogether as the one good work or Righteousness of God and Christ in the Gospel by which we stand justified before them opposed to mans meer Righteousness and works of the Law by which no flesh living can be justified and though Paul when he sayes to him that worketh is the â—eward not reckoned of grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted to him for Righteousness doth â—ppose Faith and our works the Gospel and the Law which
in which it was written for though their senses are some of them true enough to serve out turn yet as they mean not so fully as the Spirits true one in proof of the truth of which when we who are of the light and of the day and so needing no proof of it to our selves it s so cleare do tell them who are of the night and darknesse that our meaning is drawn from the import of the Phrases and ours is the very meaning of the Word as the Letter of them doth import and ours is the most genuine interpretation of the Words as they are taken in the most Ordinary and literall sense of them and that their meanings are far fetchâ— fOrraign and every way improper T.D. wipes away all this with a wet finger and though himself I know not how oâ—ten argues ad libitum which way he will and none must controle him yet me mutire nefas we must be tyed to take such a sense as is imposed on us As for him he argues sometimes from the figurative and meâ—onimicall as p. 22. Christ is said quoth he to be in us by a metonymy of the cause for the effect so p. 44. holynesse of that state of the Resurrection is cal'd perfect by a metonymy of the Subject for the adjunct sometimes from the forraign and more unusuall yea improper sometimes from the most ordinary usuaâ—l genuine and proper signification of the words sometimes from as he saith at least but falsly the literal sense and import of the phrases as p. 4. As for the Phrase in your hearts it imports the same quoth he with that c. And p. 5. when the Kingdom of God is Luk. 17. 21. by Christ and his said to be in the Pharisees that expression may import quoth he that the Kingdome which they upon a mistake did look for without them was indeed a Kingdome within them and that say I is very true T.D. himselfe hath there imported the very truth for the expression in you imports the Kingdomes not being whiâ—hout them in the outward observation wherein they lookt for it but really within them as he said indeed neverthelesse T.D. who is like his Father that abâ—de not in the truth cannot abide when he happens to be in it to be long in it neither and is never well till he is out of it again therefore when by hap hazard he had utter'd the truth from the right impâ—rt of the Phrase in you cannot rest till he has chang'd his mind and to his first and true hath added another 2d and false meaning so mightily is he enamoured with many meanings and senses and therefore addes another as false as his first was true from another import of the same expression as wrong as his first was right Thus To which I shall add quoth he that upon 2d thoughts secondae cogitationes are mostly meliores but are I must not say maliores for that were false Latine though true in English to him that can English it but longe pepres in this place I judge the most genuine interpretation to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among you so the Preposition may be rendered in which last import of T.D. the case is so altered from what it was before that is stead of that one truth could he have kept to it he uttered before he hath now uttered more errours and falsities and absurdities then one for if the Proposition iâ— may be rendred among and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may possibly sometimes as if ever it seldom does import among you yet first it is not usual nor ordinary much less its primary proper literal nor as T.D. calls it its most genuine but a most unusual forraign secondary illiteral ingenuine and improper import and 2. in very deed if T.D. will vouchsafe that Scripture Luke 17.22 a Review he may come to return to his first judgement which he past in truth viz. that the Kingdom was indeed within them and upon his second looks to Judge as Right as he went from the Right to Iudge amisse upon his second thoughts for what ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may improperly import yet in the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imports not among you and can properly import no other sense then truly and properly within you in in opere longe obrepsit somnus as I.O. saith and sith Non Divinum but Humanum est errare Aliquando bonus dortat Homerus But however there 's two meanings to that one Scripture as T.D. sayes it may import so or it may import so so that the Reader of T. D. may take his choice and read his inalterably Reeling-Rule of the Scribes wrested Scripture which way he will and not let it Rule him but Rule over him as he listeth Thus these two men T.D. and I.O. impose as many meanings according to their own minds which are not the same that was in Christ as they see good on the Scriptures and in stead of Reconciling them and letting people to whom T.D. sayes They seem to be at vaâ—iance among themselves see how well thâ—y are agreed and in stead of causing them like the Cherubims to face one another which T.D. sayes p. 4.36 is his dury and part of their work they set them at variance by their several senses on them and pervert them by their Perhaps's per adventures and pratings against the Phrases most proper and for and about their own improper imports saying perhaps it s so or else perhaps so the Expression may import so but upon the second thoughts I Iudge rather for it may be sâ—â—rendred the most genuine interpretation is so the meaning is not so as the Phâ—ase imports it must be either so or else so or else so or else so as who should say we 'l have it any way rather then the Qua. shall have it theirs and cause it to face three or four wayes at once if never a one of them be right and altogether against within where the onely true way is which wayes the Cherubims alwayes lockt with their faces onely inward and they make to it not onely many meanings but any meanings though never so uncouth and contrary to truth sense and reason so they may but wave off and wind away from the right true meaning and mind of Christ Luke 17.22 The Kingdom in you is not without but indeed within you and yet upon second thoughts quoth T.D. it is not in you but among you p. 5. and Rom. 8.4 The Righteousness of the Law said to be fulfilled in us imports not in our persons but in Christ p. 17 and Omnes everyman is not every man but of every sort some Omnes is not all but here and there one p. 6 so see I.O. Exer. 4 Sect. 24. Hoc est Syncategorema istud Omnis the world whole world John 3. 16. I John 2. 2,3 not the whole world nor the most of it but the Elect onely that are out of it not of it
for Money as Ministers do now adayes And if I. O. insist upon the next words viz. 2 Tim. 3.15 which place mentions the Holy Scriptures and is mentioned I know not how many times over in I. O's Book in proof of that which it in no wise evinces and must be more plainly spoken to by me in due place Rep. I Confess that next Verse doth mention the Scriptures but more against then to J. O's purpose and more disproves then proves what he draws from the other yea it assures us that it was not the Scriptures in any wise meant in the 14. Verse for Paul saith to Timothy That from a Child he had known the Holy Scriptures i.e. of the Old Testament for those of the New were not as yet Canonized nor All Written if any of them were at all Written in Timothies Nonage but the Things he had heard and learned of Paul and was bid to continue in and commit to other faithful men to Teach were such as he had come into the Knowledge and Assurance of after he was taken by Paul Acts 16.1 2 3. to Travel with him which was not till he was grown past a Child If that Expression Knowing of whom thou hast learned Vers. 14. be granted to relate to Paul which yet for ought you Literatists are able to gain say may rather relate to the Lord himself by the Gift of whose Grace i e the Light and Spirit in him Timothy was and yet according to the Scriptures taught both more lately 1 Tim. â— 14 and from a Child So that neither of these two Texts teach any such matter as any of the outward Text of the New Testament Scriptures being either Canonized by the Apostles in their dayes or ordered by them to be stated as a Standard in the Councels of succeeding Ages And whatever men did de facto that way in the Second or Third Centuries the Antiquity whereof as venerable as it is to some Anti-Scriptural and Anti-Spiritual Antiquaries is with us but Novelty and Superstition if it appear not to descend de Iure from the first yet we Quary still quo Iure by what Authority from God Christ or the Apostles the Synods and Men that so Authorized and Canonized what Scriptures seemed to them as Challenging so high a Title and Office as the Word of God Rule Foundation Canon Standard and such like secluding other Writings as Holy as these were Authorized or Commanded so to do themselves Neverthelesse how weakly doth I O. Confessing first That it doth not appear that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the several Writers of the Scriptures of the New Testament and the same say I of the first Manuscripts of the Old which were burnt and lost and scambled away before Ezraes Sâ—nydrim if the Consignation and Bounding of the Canon thereof was done by him and his Companions as I.O. sayes were ever gathered into one Volume there being now no one Church to keep them for the rest and that the Epistles though immediately transcribed for the use of other Churches Col. 4.16 as I. O. thinks at least all were because some were were doubtlesse kept in the several Churches whereto they were directed which Confession if true as sure enough it is clears it that the Original Copies were never viewed together in one Bulk by any Councel or Synod whereby to put it into a Capacity to Iudge and Determine of their fitnesse to make a Canon of but only mens Copies of the Original which but that every man will think his Think and I.O. think as well as may be of it yet who can assuredly insallibly uncontroleably tell as I O. sometimes though sometimes again he will seem but to Think so undertakes to do in his grand Assertion that they answer the first Original in every Tittle and Iota I say before-hand Confessing all this how weakly doth I.O. Assert with Confidence his Thoughts in this as a point of Faith Pag. 166 167. that from those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there were quickly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transcribed Copies given out to faithful men whilst the infallible Spirit continued yet his guidance in an extraordinary manner alluding to 2 Tim. 2.2 as his only Proof thereof out of which Original Copies or rather Copies of the Originals so Transcribed for the Originals themselves never came together to be considered of by any Councel this supposed Canon was Composed by the Annexing of the Revelation to the rest by I O. said to be finally Compleated Paâ— 28. God quoth he doth Command the close of the immediate Revelation of his Will to be Written in a Book Rev. 1 â—â— And so gives out the whole of his Mâ—nd and Councel to us in Writing as a stedfast Relief against all Confusion Darknesse Vncertainty c. Reply As if all Canonical certainty were no where but in a Written Letter then which in regard of its liablenesse to be altered easily many wayes by lewd Criticks whom I. O. Teaches to do it Pag. 21 22 23 24 25. As also by meer mis-Transcriptions mis-Translations misâ—Constructions nothing is more uncertain to make a Standard of unlesse it be the unutterably erring Breast or Head of that Harlot that Rides the Beast and the unwritten Traditions that are Traducâ—d ad infinitum from the same 2. As if the Light and Spirit that shines and breaths in the Hearts of all but most brightly and powerfully in the Hearts of such as heed it were not more infallibly self evidencing and certainly and stedfastly demonstrative of the Mind and Will of God when looked on in its naked Native lustre then when beheld thorow the vail of a Letter which while Moses put over his face the Children of Israel could never see certainly nor distinctly discern nor look stedfastly to the end of that which is abolished but were blind in their minds as our Ministers of the Letter are at this day upon whose hearts the vail is untaken away and ever will be till according to the Call of the Letter they turn to the Light within that comes from and leads to the Lord himself Christ Iesus that Spirit in whom only the vail is done away 2 Cor. 3. Per totum 3. As if the truest and most infallible Demonstration were Non ex veris prioribus certioribus notioribus causis internis Scripturae but Ex fallibilibus flexibilibus posterioribus obscurioribus effectis not by the internal Causes the Truth and the Word it self the Scripture came from which are before it more certain and known then it save to such as are willingly ignorant of them but by the Scripture which is but Effectus per emanationem the Effect that externally flowes from it flexible fallible as alterable at Criticks Wiâ—ls and unavoidably by mens weaknesse in Transcribing Translating Expounding c. at a Nose of Wax a Lesbian Rule more obscure yea obscurity iâ—leâ—f in the most plain Places to the Seers that search it not in the Light and
thy crooked Copyes and so a door be opened as it is already not more to curious pragmatical wits then plain honest Truth telling downright dealing upright hearted light loving souls to overturn this ticklish foundation and all that thy simply supposed certainty of a true entire and to a Tittle exact conformity of this Hebrew Text of Scripture with that which was pen'd by immediate motion p. 308. and so seem to derâ—gate from the universality of this rash hasty Assertion concerning the preservation of the Original Copies thereof to this hour in every Point Tittle and Iota 296. thou bestirrest thy self what thou canst thorough the whole Chapter aforesaid in vindication of the said universality and verity of thy Arch Assertion by diminishing this vast variation that is in the Keri and Ketib from the first manuscripts into a very little matter too vain to be at all counted upon as a various lection they are of so small weight and importance though I must here tell thee I. O. that of as small moment and importance as thou makest both these of Keri and Ketib as well as all the other varieties that thy self are sain to confesse to viz. those of Ben Asher and Ben Nepthali those of the Oriental and Occidental Iewes those called correctio Scribarum or the amendment in 18 places of some smaâ—l Apiculi as thou diminutively stilest them to salve the credit of thy exquisitely crude expression of thy self often by the Term of Apices and every Apex c. p. 27.317 and those called Ablatio Scribarum or a note of the Redundancy of Vau in five places O thou that art tossed to and fro and yet thou seemest with the superstitious Iewes to hold a Copy to ' e corrupted or prophaned if but one letter be but wanting or redundant sometimes viz. p. 170. yet the least of all these are of weight and importance enough for all thy summary saying of them all together p. 13.14 they are varieties in things of lesse indeed of no importance to knock thy principal position on the head and howbeit thou sayest not in the least p. 181. in the least at least to Impair the Truth o thy Arch Assertion that every Tittle and Letter of the outward Text which thou till stilest the word of God remaines in the Copies preserved by the merciful providence of God for the use of his Church to this day and I must tell thee moreover that the more thou stirrest in defence of the universal verity of that thy unwarrantable and utterly untrue Assertion the more it stinks and that rankly too not onely of unreasonable rashnesse and Real falshood but also of a meer Diotrephetically impudent and impositively prating Spirit in thy self that rather then recant one rashly assented absurdity will run into a thousand to offer so peremptorily to persist in t unlesse thou couldst speak more to the purpose then thou yet hast done or ever art like to do in proof thereof in that universality rigidity and strictnesse wherein thou statest it And as to those of the Keri and Ketib in particular the utmost thou sayest in all that Chapter wherein thou art wholly taken up about them whereby to refell the force of what falls heavily on thy Arch Assertion thence from by such as urge it to the evincing of variety of Lections from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or primitive Text is as strong as stubble it self to stand against it with and of no more force then foam and froâ—b to resell it For fiâ—st p. 297. thou sayest all the difference in these words that is the 840. words of the Keri and Ketib is in the Consonants not at all in the vowels Rep. In which saying thou givest thy whole cause for if there be little lesse then a thousand words now in the Hebrew Text differing in the Transcripts in their Consonants from what they were as written in the first Manuscripts what need any more to prove against thee that there are various Lections and that in more then in Tittles Iota's Vowels Accents Points and Apices in the least of which yet if variation be proved it disproves the universality and verity of thy great Assertion of Identity to a Tittle and what need the Authors of that insinuation over whom thou crowest upon thy own dunghill and triumphest before thy time p. 319. produce the least Testimony as thou falsly affirmest they cannot that there hath been in the world some Copy of the Bible differing mark thy words in the least from those we now enjoy or that those ye have are corrupted thou I. O. provest it against thy self to their hands yea that the Consonants themselves are greater matters then Points and Apices and of more importance with thy self is intimated by thee p. 317. in the eye of any ordinary Reader a yet thou thy self assertest p. 297. that 840. words are found different from what they were at first writing in no lesse then the very Consonants what need we then any further witnesse since we our selves have so much confessed out of thy own mouth or rather extant under thy own hand And what need the Authors of this insinuation prove their Assertion in answer to thy confident universal Challenge of them so to do p. 317. saying let them prove that there was ever in the world any other Copy of the Bible differing in any one word from those that we now enjoy Tu dicis thy self I. O. sayest it that there are differences from the fiâ—st Copies that were writâ—by the inspi el Authors and that of many sorts what needst-thou say let them produce one Testimony one Author of credit Iew or Christian that can or doth 〈◊〉 did speak one word to this purpose let them direct us to any relike any monument any kind of remembrance of them and not put us off with weak conjectures upon the signification of one or two words and it shall be of weight with us is it meet that a matter of so huge importance called into Question by none but themselves should be cast and determined by their conjectures doth they think men will part with the possession of Truth upon so easie Terms that they will be cast from their inheritance by divination Bona verba quaeso Possession of any thing that 's counted an inheritance I confesse is eleven points of twelve and they that are in it commonly count that Truth and Right is on their side right or wrong and the more ado and harder task they have who have to do with them to storm them out but as the case here stands it 's no great matter sith I. O. the possessour fights for us against himself Art thou an Author of credit thy self I. O. whose Testimony may be taken for Truth wilt thou believe thy self if not others I confesse as thou sayest p. 102. of the Romane Harlot the common fate of lyars hath so befallen her for lying mostly in many things she professeth that she deserves
not to be believed when she talks the Truth p. 225. So I may say of thee though I believe thee when thou speakest truth yet thou utterest so many untruths that thou scarcely deservest to be believed when thou tellest the Truth but yet if thou be of any credit with thy self and thou wilt but take thy own word then we are well enough and have wherewith to answer thy challenge having thy self in the self same Book we have here to do with speaking more then one word at least and that 's enough ad bominem to this purpose viz. that there was in the world a Copy of the Bible different from what we now enjoy in one word at least and that 's in more then Tittles which thou who art Callidus more then Callidus in thy Re frigida contendest for sith the Keri and Ketib those 840. words which are confest by thee to vary in their Consonants from what they should be written with if what is in the margin were in the line are confest by thee not to have been so from the beginning which if not then there was once a Copy different from what we now enjoy but of this thou wilt hear more from us by and by Secondly p. 300. thou sayest the difference in the sense taken in the whole context is upon the matter very little or none at all at least each word both that in the margin that in the line yield a sense agreeable to the Analogy of faith Rep. Here thou mendest thy bad cause as well as one can well do that makes it two-fold worse then 't was before for if there be welnigh a thousand words not onely different in Consonants which is greater then that of Tittles but also such as makes the least difference in the sense of the Spirit which how many so e're the Text may bear is acknowledged by all but your selves that make many to be but one alone ever to one word or place then thou thy self overturnest that certainty and Identity of not onely the Text it self thou so loudly contendest for but also in some measure of the Truth it self contained therein which we say is eternally entire let the Text run which way it will but thou here art forced to confesse that in the Keri and Ketib there 's not onely a variation in words but also thereby in the very sense it self And though thou wouldst fain mend it when thou hast done by mincing the matter making as if the Context considered the difference in the sense is upon the matter very little and agreeable either way to the Analogy of faith as ye often speak whereby if not blinded ye might see how for all ye call the Scripture your Rule of Faith yet ye more serne the Scripture into the sense of a suitablenesse to your modern devised model of faith still then suit and model your faith according to the true sense of the Spirit and mind of Christ in the Scripture yet that 's a meer false seeth and â—â—gment of thy own for in some places there arises from the Keri and Ketib a very vast variety not to say clear contrariety in the sense such as if the Context be consulted with is consistent with the faith but one way onely and not the other and sith thou puttest it to the tryall by the variety of those two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are the same in sound yet most distinct in their significations and so of all the varieties that are of this kind seeming to thee of the greatest importance of which it is observable that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose signification is not is fourteen or fifteen times put in the Text or line instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose signification is to him or it which is set in the margin I am willing to be tryed by that very variety that is of thy own naming the better to satisfie thee And whereas thou sayest that though these seem contrary one to the other yet wherever this falls out a sense agreeable to the Analogy of faith ariseth fairly from either word instancing in some places picke out by thee for thy own purpose I say if it do hold it s not worth a pin or point to the proof of what thou sayest if in any one of those fourteen or fifteen places it appear to the contrary and that it does let me be so bold fith thou instancest in two that are fittest for thee to instance but one that makes against thee and then I shall trouble my self no more with thy Keri and Ketib which would make one if not sick yet at least sorry for thee to see how sorrily thou shifts by it Isa. 9.3 thou hast multiplyed the Nation not encreased the joy say the Ketib or word in the Text but the Keri or word in the Margin is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to it which marginal Reading though Translators following the mistake of the mis-transcribers keep to the Ketib is undoubtedly the true and onely sense of the Spirit for the reading in the line as it is in both Transcripts and Translation is considered with the Context a piece of meer non-sensicall contradiction thou hast encreased the Nation not encreased the Ioy they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest as men rejoyce when they divide the spoil what a jarre does the word not encreased the Ioy make in the sense of that verse yea it makes it meet confusion and contradiction to say the joy is not enlarged and yet it is enlarged like to that of men that rejoyce in harvest and at the dividing of the spoil but read it by the Keri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to it thus viz thou hast multiplyed the Nation thou hast encreased joy to it or its joy they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest as men rejoyce when they divide the spoil and then there 's no discord in the sound but it s all sweetly sutable and harmonious and agreeable to the Analogy of the true faith also Arg. thy Eleventh is The security we have that no mistakes were voluntarily or negligently brought into the Text before the coming of our Saviour who was to declare all things in that he not once reproves the Iewes â—n that Account when yet for their false glosses on the word be spares them not And this Argument is urged o're again p. 316 interrogatively thus viz. can it be once imagined that there should be at that time such notorious varieties in the Copies of the Scripture through the negligence of that Church and yet afterword neither our Saviour nor his Apostles take the least notice of it yea doth not our Saviour himself affirm of the word that was then among them Scripture with thee that not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should passe away or perish Rep. 1. Leave calling Christ thy Saviour as thou often dost till thou witnesse thy self saved by his grace from
learned Collectors of various Lections pag. 196 197 in Oâ—ere longo obrepsit somnus and that while he had his hands and mind busied about many Things sundry mistakes did fall into his Work of Disproving various Lections 3. What intendest thou I.O. by that Clause if any various Readings shall be gathered where no mistake can be discovered as their Cause they deserve to be considered Is there any various Lection that mistake in Transcribing is not the cause of Where there various Readings of one Text to be found in the Writing as given out from God at first Was there not Identity and perfect exact likenesse to it self in every Text Term and Tittle of Scripture when 't was written And if there be any varieties now as there are not a few are not those very varieties so many as they are so many mistakes and is it not the Position it self to be vindicated by thee against all those whom in the wildnesse of thy heart thy hand is against that there are no mistakes befallen the Scripture nor such miscariages as befel the Transcribers of Heathen Authors p. 168 See also 167. and pag. 171. Let men sayest thou propose their Conjectures about the Mistakes they pretend are crept into the Original Copies we will acknowledge nothing c. And pag. 177. We have security that no Mistakes were in the Text before the coming in of our Saviour So 191. To relieve their Mistakes c. So 343 345. So pag. 18. in all which places he whose eyes are in his head may see how thou makest Mistakes and Corruptions Mistakes and Errours Mistakes and Falsifications Synonomaes and yet here p. 180. thou makest as if there were various Lections where there 's no Mistake as their Cause And also pag. 192. Thou quarrellest with the Appendix to the late many Tongu'd Bible in that therein whatever varying Word Syllable or Tittle wherein any Book varieth from the common received Copy though manifestly a Mistake superfluous or deficient inconsistent with the sense of the place yea Barbarous is presently imposed as a various Lection And pag. 199. it is sayest thou against all pretence of Reason that every Mistake should be admitted as a various Lection in which self-same page thou renderest Copies corrupted or mistaken as all one And pag. 200. speaking of different places To what end sayest thou should the minds of men be troubled with them or about them being evident mistakes of the Scribes as if mistakes of the Scribes were one thing and Corruption or various Readings from the first Copy were another Was there ever the like piece of Confusion and meer Mangonization of Matters made before by any Master in Israel as this which is here made by thee I.O. who one while makest Mistakes and various Lections one and the same and otherwhiles makes them Two Things so that though they do ever ponere se invicem yet often it s so with thee that posito uno non ponitur alterum Surely whether various Lections and Mistakes be in that Text of Scripture or no and whether various Lections and Mistakes be all one or no here 's both various Lections Corruptions Confusions self Contradictions and abominable grosse Mistakes also in thy talk about the varieties and mistakes of the Letters Transcribing and such an uncouth unhewen indigested disjointed incongruous unharmonious tottered kind of Round-about discourse as no reasonable man ever ran in and no reasonable man can find either head or raylin insomuch that should any Quakes have uttered the Tyth of that Confusion that thy Speech in this matter abounds with thou wouldest have said and justly too what thou unjustly chargest them with in thy Latine Letter ad Lectorem viz. that their Speech is so Crude and nonsensical that thou canst not well perceive their meaning I shall therefore here again as before I have done and might do of Twenty more places of thy Book not without good Cause bespeak thee much-what in thy own words of the Quakers Quiâ— Sermonem illum quo hic uteriâ— bene intelligat Quis inconditum illum verborum sonum omni sano sensu vacuum quo non tantum omnibus aliis qui veritatem asserunt sed ipse tibi in dicendo contradicâ—â—e videris mente percipere possit Epist. ad Lectorem Ex. 3. S. 17. Quaenam sit Tua de diversis Scripturae Lectionibus haud facile quis declarabit praeaâ—erquam enim quod Sermones tui inter se non Conveniant ita ineptè atque odiose in explicando animi tui sensu garris dubiae incertae significationis vocibus ludis nihil sani sensus aut quod ab ullis sanae mentis intelligi possit continentibus ut multo facilius sit argumenta tua profligare quam mentem percipere imo cum Turpis inhonesta est vel ipsam non Palam Eloqueris vel verbis itae consutis consarcinatis ut nibil paene omnino significent eam mangâ—nizas atque ita inscite consilium Sermonibus obtenebrans nibil magis cavere videris quam ne intelligaris Who is able to make any thing of that raw self Contradicting kind of Talk thou tracest to and fro in devoid of all sound Sense uncertain doubtful undistinct patcht together cloudy foolish Childish unsavoury as if thou tookest care more to hide thy meaning then to speak it out plainly or make it manifest as if bâ— Foring and Poking so long into Pococks Miscellanyes thou hadst left thy eyes behind thee there and contracted to thy self some certain Miscellaneous Spirit that cannot tell how to distinguish any thing but mingles all things together into a disorderly Masse and immethodically Messe of impertinent Confusion But to let it passe and proced to an Observation of the rest of thy poor put offs in this kind whereby though-thou grantest various Lections yet thou little lesse then denyest it again that there are any that can properly be so denominated How deservedly is this to be Noted to the shame of thy Confusion and of thy self Conâ—ounding self in it that thou struglest and yieâ—dest and struglest and yieldest and then struglest again like a drunken minded man that reeleth and staggereth to and fro in his vomit in most places of thy Book wherein thou handlest the Point of various lections For as pag. 13 14. thou first sayest That your Copies contain every jot that was in the fâ—â—st without alteration of one Tittle then that it s no doubt but there are some diverse Readings or various Lections in the Copies ye enjoy Then again That the whole is preserved without Corruption in every Letter and Tittle Then again That there is variety in the Copies ye have But then again and that 's the final Resolution of the whole matter which stands to salve all from sinking That where there are any varieties fallen out by Gods permission thereof it s alwayes in things of lesse indeed of no importance So pag. 198 199 200 201 after many Grants
Cause upon and too empty an Engine to carry it by it s carryed along also under that more trusty term of the Word of God by which Name I.O. by a thing call'd Petitio Principij granting himselfe leave to call the Let ter before it 's given undertakes to prove it to be the Word of God and most uncontroulably proves it so to be so far as the Letter he calls the Word of God is really so though for all his seeming to himself to have won all not one jot farther then it s so indeed that indeed is not at all having gotten such a noun substantive as the true Word of God is which can stand by it self under its own Name of the VVord of God without objection in all propriety of speech and signification and is every way able to evidence it self to be the VVord of God and is seen felt heard of them that heed it and understood not denyed so to be by the Qua. to stand by his noun adjective assertion of the scripture so to be which cannot stand by it selfe under that Name in any propriety of speech or sound sence reason or signification then he runs an end nemine c ontradicente none opposing or withstanding him in his progress nor however reserving alwayes a liberty to themselves to dissent as they see occasion from his meaning so much as once gain-saying him in his terms with a hideous Hue and Cry for the Word of God striving to restore it by his over-often repetitions of it to that title which it never lost among the Qua. who being begotten and born again into the Image of God by it are by whom onely it stands truly justified â— the children of it and of the Truth scribling it over with all his might the Word of God the Word of God the Word of God is a Light and the Word of Life the Word of God is the powerful and living and efficacious Word of God the Word of God is the Word that dwells and dives within the heart the word of God doth evidence it self to be and therefore is without controle the Word of God yea thus with a non obstante to all that deny the word to be the word which are none at all J.O. if it may be first granted him that the Scripture is the Word will undertake to prove it beyond without all further question to be the word Thus JO. howbeit by that terme the Word of God he means the Scripture all along in his book saving in one place where he calls the Word essential and effective yet as if he had utterly forgot that his business is to prove the Scripture to be the Word of God as if he had remembred himself after he was entred that his proof would not hold out without a palpable appearance of piteous weakness if he should have prosecuted it throughout under that terme of Scripture takes his predicate and makes that his subject also and in terminis goes all along asserting and assuring us the word of God is un doubtedly the word of God yea Tr. 1. cap. 2. sect 14. he goes on to prove that the word of God doth evidence it self to be of God and is of as much or more excellency and efficacy then his works and innate light to reveal God and give the knowledge of his will not so much as once mentioning the letter or Scripture at all which is the subject he there takes on him to speak of in all the following sections to the Chapters end so be labouring him all along to prove another question then that he affirmed viz. that the word is so and so when his business was to have proved the Scripture to be the known word of God for who denies that the word of God is assuredly his word but that the letter is that word is that which is denied and by him undertaken to be proved yet on he goes in his wonted blundring manner upon that term the word of God the word is undoubtedly evident to be the word making that both Suject and Predicate whereas he should have said all along if the light and Gods outward works do so much more doth the Scripture or the letter evidence it self to be the Word of God so giving his Reader no more to understand what his meaning is but that we know it some way else nor which is which by any distinction in his found or shewing when he speaks of the Scripture which is the Copy of it or the word it self which is that in the heart declared of in Scripture which he was to prove the Scripture to be then the Welch-man that being to give evidence before a Court between two that were fighting who began and was most in fault answered no otherwise then in this confused manner viz. If Him had struck Him as Him did Him either Him had killed Him or Him Him without any indignation of which of the two he meant either this or that by any or by all of his many Hims In this confused indistinct manner doest thou J.O. dispute for the Scriptures being and appearing to be the word of God so that none but folk knows what thou pleadest for viz. whether the Scripture it self singly and formally considered about which the controversie is whether it be the word of God or no or the Word of God it self about which no controversie iâ— at all with the Qu. â— who own Gods Word to be his Word yea draw up all thy Rambling matter into a closer form and thy Arguments which though thou call but some of them Inarteficial and the rest Arteficial yet are in truth the most inarteficial ones that ever I saw fall from the hands of an Artist or ever heard called truely by the name of Arguments into a nearer compass and set them in a true fair syllogistical form and order and they will appear either most false or foul or disorderly or sophistical or deformed Reader for a taste take one or two of J. O.'s mediums letting alone the examination of the strength and force of his Arguments whether such as he calls Arteficial or Inartificial and of their true consequence or inconsequence as to the Scriptures appearing to be the word to its due placeâ— and see what a mamockâ— kinde of matter they make or amount to as J.O. orders or rather disorders his matters by his impostural intruding of one subject in place of another and thrusting in of that terme the Word of God which is the main thing predicated of the Scriptures to stand instead of that terme the Scriptures of which it is by him predicated and to be proved both in esse reali cognoscibili Ex. 1. sect 1. that they are and are assuredly known to be the VVord of God and so properly to be called Having first in T. 1. cap. 1. sect 25. laid the divine original of the Scripture as the Basis of all his Babylonish building and as he saith T.
me alone to prove it to them so to be or else I must acknowledge that all I have to say will be just nothing to the purpose and of no validity at all to the proof thereof Reply But stay a while I.O. and take thy answer from us along with thee though we love thee more then we are beloved by thee and are loath to deny thee in any Reasonable Request Yet for the Truth 's sake which we love and prefer before thee and which is not ours to give away we may not give way to thy Petition of the main Principle from us though thou crouch down to the ground to petition for it we must not give thee leave to run away with the Cause so as to consider the Writing the Scripture under the false formality of its being the Word of God written the Verbum Scriptum while thou art but in the meer way of proving it till thou hast as infallibly prov'd it so to be as 't is infallible to us that 't is impossible for thee to prove it For this is the thing sub judice whether the Scripture be formally the VVord of God or no And since thou confessest thou canst not prove it unless we upon thy begging of it yeild it to thee before-hand so to be thou wert better grant it to us that it is not so Nevertheless not unlike to thy Fore-fathers the Bishops and thy fellow-Clergy-men in other Cases so bold a Lord-Beggar thou art that if we give it not thou wilt take it by force though thou crack thy credit for it and get to thy self less of that earthly Honour thou so hastenest after with thy having it by stealth then thou wouldst gain of that heavenly Honour from above by an honest confession of thy former ignorance and a repentance to the future acknowledgement of the truth For upon that score thou resolvest so to go on in thy proof and accordingly dost run rashly on like him who as aforesaid proves a Cock to be a Bull or like one who because he thought so in the dark having ignorantly asserted an Horse to be a Man will rather then recant as impudently go on to prove it to all denyers of it by begging of them first to grant it and if they will not by beating what he can the belief of it into them by his often calling the Horse a Man and bearing them down that he is a man before he begins and under that very Name and formality of his being so begins and proves him to be evidently so in this following form viz. That which doth evidence it self to be a man is a man but a Man Horse he should say but then the naked untruth of this minor would be too manifest doth evidence himself to be a Man Therefore a man alias Horse doth evidence himself to be a man Risum tenoatis A-cade mici For my part if I were now as sometime formerly I have been Petulanti splene cachinno I should hardly hold from laughing at the nugacity of I. O.'s Arguments But now nucibus faciens quaecunque relictis being turn'd into that which leads into more sobriety and seriousness then so I shall dare to laugh no further then 't is allowed the saints to do at the proud Assyrian that haughtily exalteth his voice and lifteth his eyes on high against the holy one of Israel and his holy ones Isa. 37.22 23. But as for many of those juniors what the Seniors may do I know not or younger sort of Students and Gown-men in the Vniversity to whose use and instruction thou dedicatest part of thy Booke though thou being once a man of some Authority among them they may possibly not be so bold nor so loud as to laugh out at thy hum-drum doings and at thy Idem per Idems yet they will scarce forbear laughing at them in their sleeves Yet this is thy sophistry I.O. call'd among Schollars Petitio principij or a Begging of the Question before one begins to prove it a taking of that to be a Ground Principle or Foundation to build on which is not yet granted but to be debated nor another thing from the thing debated or inquired after but the self-same thing which is in controversie and as unknown as that that is disputed For the Question between thee and the Qua. is whether the Scripture be in essereali cognoscibili the Word of God or no we deny it thou being to prove it so to be wouldest have it first granted or at least takest it ungranted so to be and then out of it self it being granted thee so to be thou wilt undertake to prove it so without which concession consideration and resolution thou even grantest the things thou art to alledge will be naked and utterly inefficacious to that purpose out of which way of Sophistry it seems thou canst not prove it and in which way though de jure thou oughtest not yet de facto thou doest prove it as much and no whit more then as is said above the Cock is proved to be a Bull and a Horse a Man whilst thy Argumentation in many places is no better than this viz. that which is the Word of God doth evidence it self to be the Word of God But the Word of God Scripture or writing thou shouldest say but dost not every where lest thy nakedness too much appear is the Word of God Therefore the Word of God doth evidence it self to be the Word of God In which Syllogism which is thine if the long loyns of thy loose dispute and that stragling multitude of thy matter of proof be girded up close into its own mifigured form thy minor hath subjectum aliud à substrato a different subject from that which was of right to stand there and to be proved to be the VVord of God viz. the VVord of God which is Idem cum predicato the self-same with that which is predicated of it and thy conclusion infers aliud à negato quite another thing then that which is denied for that the VVord of God is by it self evidenced to be the VVord of God is as much undenied as it is undeniable by us but that the writing in which the VVord is but held forth and declared is the VVord of God that is held out and declared by it this I shall make as bold and as warrantably against any one to deny as I should against such a Sot as following a Foolshead of his own should assert such a thing that the Glass window thorough which the Sun shines and the Lanthorn thorough which the light of the candle shews it self are of a truth and in very deed respectively the very Sun it self or Candle-light it self that display themselves thorow the said Glass or Horn or that the Cup-glass by which the VVine gives its colour and is handed out that men may drink it is truly and properly the very wine itself that is given out to be drunk of and that sparkles and
affirm nor more nor less yet ye own and justifie your selves as owners and deny and judge us as deniers as of of the Scriptures Ye challenge us to dispute it against us that the Scripture is the Word of God the only Rule c. when we meet you before hundreds to that end you confess with us as Christopher Fowler did at Reading T.D. at Sandwich and I.O. doth in his Declartion or Latine Divinity Disputations that you mean not the Scripture formally considered the Letter or Text it self ye talk for not the Writing but the holy matter and doctrine contained held forth testified to therein the Word in the heart of which we say its a Light a Rule denying the letter only so to be yet the same truth when ye tell it is the truth when we tell it as a lye Ye venture upon the open stage against us a vile persons in our Tenets about the Scriptures when ye are there ye verefie the very self-same truth we vindicate against you and say with us the Scripture or Writing which is the formality of the Scripture quae dat esse Rei sormally considered is not the Word nor the Rule nor any thing but a dead letter only the matter and truth of the Text testified to is the Word Rule Light c. as we say it is only Yet when ye go away though from the first to the last ye give us the cause yet we must give you leave or else you will steal it to carry away the colours and boast and brag and vapour as the men that had the victory till by venting your lyes so fast to manifest the Qua. folly ye fling out your own folly to the view of all men T.D. But quoth T.D. p. 30.1 Pamph. All this while you go about to delude the simple as if you denied only this way of writing to have alwayes been the only way of conveyance and you magnifie the Spirit that with more security ye may throw down the letter of the Scripture and if you would speak out plainly that ye call the Spirit will be found to be the dictates of your consciences blinde and corrupt as they are the Lord knows and you are no further bound to obey the letter of the Scripture then you are willing to obey it Rep. As for thy lyes of the friends of truth that light stuff like the chaffe the winde will drive away The Lord knows whose consciences are blind and corrupt yours or ours and as to thy slighting the dictates of conscience which work I.O. is not behinde thee in flouting at what is dictated by the Light of God in it and by the light therein from it to men as Figment Fannaticism Enthusiasm and such like dirty denominations I need refer no further then too I.O. whose magnifications of the dictates of conscience otherwhiles may well serve to the contradiction and confutation of himself and thee too and stop both thy mouth and his own too who â—ayes pag. 42. â—3 44,45 of the conscience and the voice of God therein and the instinct of good and evil and self-judgement God hath placed and indeleably planted therein it declares it self to be from God by its own light and Authority there is no need to convince a man by substantial witnesses that what his conscience speaks it speaks from God whether it bear testimony to the righteousness of God or that obedience which is eternally and indispensably due to him it shews the work of the Law written in the heart and discovers its Author in whole name it speaks and much more to the like purpose so that he and thou too may with shame enough reflect upon your ignorant vilifications of it As for our obedience to the Letter we are by the Spirit so bound to that not so far only as we are willing as thou belieâ—t us but in a cross to our own wills that while we walk in the Spirit which is our Rule we cannot disobey the Letter but fulfill it while your selves who prate of your being bound to obey it walk at large after your own wills and lusts in the liberty of your flesh and through your boundless boasting of that ye as boundlesly break do dishonour both God and your selves As for our going about to deceive the simple we deny all Deceivers and Deceit teaching no other Doctrine nor Gospel then what Paul delivered then which whoever it is that brings or broaches another whether it be we who are hated as Devils or you who are honoured as Angels of light from heaven by such as dwell in the depths and darkness of hell I say with Paul let him be accursed but those are now marked and manifested plainly enough who cause the Divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine the Saints learned of old by the children of the day are avoided also for they that are such serve not the Lord Iesus Christ but their own bellies and yet by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.17 18. What T.D. sayes in his second Pamph. as to this question of the Scriptures being a Rule is no new thing but a Reference of men for an answer to G. Whiteheads Queries which he was shye of saying much to seeing he had not much to say to his old trite trivial Toy entituled the Qua. Folly the very book that G. Whitehead had Routed before and so dry is T.D. pumped that most of his two Butter-flyes excepting the wings it flyes with i. e. His Epistle and his Narrative consists of Repetitions of what he had uttered in the other that was Routed and new References of his Reader to that old one notwithstanding so much is added to to this head in p. 16. of his second Pamph. as more fully gives us the cause we contend for against him viz. That the Truth Doctrine Matter and not the Scripture Text or Letter is the Rule to men I must quoth he again refer the Reader for an answer to these Queries meaning G.Ws. to Qua. Folly in which yet none of them are answered and I adde the matter contained in the Scriptures is a Rule to all men so far as t is revealed to them and was so before it was put into writing and so much of it as is written upon the hearts of Heathens is a Rule to them Rep. Minde Reader how T.D. yeelds the Question to the Qua. again in his late last Lazy labours which Question between the Qua and the Priests is not about the holy Doctrine Truth and matter for the Qua. still own that to be as to the substantials before which the shadowy figurative part thereof flyes away everlastingly the same an inalterable fixt firm inward spiritual Word and Light which neither doth not can ever perish corrupt or pass away but about the outward Scripture Writing Text or Letter which uno ore with one voice all our Priests and people vote to be the Rule Touchstone Word c.
written for the ends above specified in the Scriptures mentioned yet will it not follow that it was intended for the Rule to the Church much less the only perfect Rule or Standard of Faith and Life because God did not give order for â—s so to be but assured her before the Scripture was at all as much as God thought sufficient to create and preserve faith in the Gospel she had before she had it written in an outward Letter viz. the inward Light Word and Spirit that was in the beginning from which the Letter came And p. 43. to make a Rule much more then the only sâ—anding Rule exclusively of all other of all internal Light Word Spirit Revelation as JO. and T.D. both hold the Scripture to be is necessary Gods appointment of a Writing to that end to which he did and even in the Scripture it appears appoint the Spirit and inward Light and Word as I shew'd above but never at all appointed the Scripture it self And p. 17 18. of T. D's 2 d. Pam. the difference lyes in God's Arbitrary dispensation who from of old disposed the Light Word and Spirit alone to be the Rule without and before the Letter as being far more excellent and fully sufficient without it as to the nature and being of a Rule but never ordered intended designed appointed or established the Writing alone as the Rule as my two Vniversity Antagonists dispute without and câ—â—lusively of the other And as for the third and fourth Classis of J. O's Scriptures which seeing they are so near a kin to these of the first therefore I shall consider them here before those of the second they are of the same kind so that the same general Answer might satisfie sapienti cui verbum sat but seeing such stress is put on them by J.O. to the stablishing of a wrong Standard which iâ— of so great concernment to be stated right or else all the Building faulters I am free to insist a little more particularly on them then else I need to do They contain as thou sayest J.O. commendations of the Scriptures as to all uses of Religion both by the practises and precepts of Christ and the Apostles searching and expounding proving and trying all things by them themselves and also commending and commanding the searching of them and the trying of all things by them in and among all others Rep. That all the places enumerated by thee do contain any such matter at all I utterly deny for some of those thou citest as well as sundry of those afore spoken to neither expresly nor intentionally relate to the Writing or Scripture but onely to the Word of God and the Things and Truth and Commands of God written of onely in the Letter which things in what Text soever thou find'st them talkt of thou present'y run'st blundering on in thy wonted blindness which discerns no difference between the Writing and things written interpreting them without more ado of the Scripture as namely Deut. 28.58 whereby the words written in that Book is not meant the Writings but the Commandmenâ— therein rehearsed the Ceremonials and Morals of which they were to observe before that Booke of Deuteronomy was penn'd which is a story of Moses his repetition by word of mouth a little before his death of such things as he had from the Lord enjoined them to observe and some of them God also from his own mouth well-nigh forty years at least before that was penned Also that in Acts. 26.22 where Paul sayes he witnessâ—d no other things or truths as to the substance and matter of them though the manner was different the one testifying de Christo exhibendo the other exhibito one saying they should come t'other they were come then what the Prophets and Moses said should come Which things Paul could now witness were come if he had not seen their witness that they should And what mention is there of the Scripture at all in that Scripture Also John 1.7 where it s said of John Baptist he was not that Light but came to bear witness of that light which John Baptist wrote no Scripture at all that I know of which Light he testified to was not the Letter or Scripture but the same the Qua. bear witness to even that measure of its light within wherewith he inlightneth every man that comes into the world so that there is no Scripture mentioned or so much as meant in that Scripture Wherever thou seest in thy Concordance the word Scripture written of in the Scripture thou art ready to think straightway it Concuâ—r'â— and hath no â—mâ—l Concordance with thy cause and where thou findest the Words Rule Foundation Law and Prophets of God Light Word Commands Statutes Testimony Prophesie and such like thou as rashly and rawly imaginest the Scripture or meer outward Writing meant and mentioned by them in what ever is predicated of them and that it makes something for thy bâ—inde business of the Scriptures being the only standing Rule and Foundation But alas hoc aliquid verè nihil est this something is plainly nothing at all to that purpose for as it makes not a mice toward the proof thereof as appears above because the Scriptures were written for good ends and are prefiâ—â—blâ— to such and such good uses unless God had Canonized them as a Rule so neither doth it that Christ expounded the Scriptures and that some did search them and were mightily read in them as some are at this day who are supposed to deny them to the confounding the Scribes that searched them daily and therein lookt for life as their only Rule but never came to him that they might have life who was the Life and Light they came from but never heard him whom they testified of that his voice was now to be heard in whom God who under the Law before his coming spake in his servants the Prophets speaks under the Gospel as by his only Son 'T is true Abraham who lived long after Moses and those Prophets whose Writings ye have were born in that Parable which illustrates a precious truth that as to the mystery of it lyes yet hid from thee is brought in by Christ as saying of the Rich mans brethren by way of prevention of their coming into torment They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them if not they 'l not be perswaded by a miraculous message of one to them from the dead but what iâ— this to prove what thou here alledgest it for and more largely inferrest from it p. 63 64 65 66 67. where thou preachest on that Text a Sermon as long as little to thy purpose improving it and that of 2 Pet. 1.19 to the utmost to prove Moses and the Prophets Writings to be the best and most effectual means of bringing men to repentance on which that and all faith is immediately to be grounded and to prove the Scriptures to be that alone which we are sent to to be more effectual
Chrisiumexihibendum those since Chrisium exhibitum the first Christ to be offered the later Christ already offered I say if these later be the New Testament then either one or both of these two absurdities must be owned viz. that there hath been where there should have been none a superadding of very much to the New Testament or rather secondly that the whole New Testament was it self made since it was ratified and confirmed by the Testators death Vtrum horum mavis accipe own thou I.O. which thou wilt or both of these if thou wilt but I le never own that to be a mans Testament only much les Christs but only fained so to be that is added to or rather wholly made after his death whose Testament it is I.Os. other Mediums are all too frivolous to insist upon The third is ab expresso Testimonio the express Testimony of Psal. 16.7 8. Reply Where I have shewed before that by the Law Testimony Commandement of the Lord is intended the Light wee talk of not the Letter The fourth A materia Scripturarum the matter which saith he is all the Councel of God and nothing but what the Prophets and Moses spake alluding to Act. 20.27 and citing Act. 26.22 Reply In neither of which places Paul doth either mention or mean any outward Scriptures or Writings of his own much less other mens but the things he ministred to the Church of Ephesus and her Elders by word of mouth delivering to every of them according to their Stations and Relations how they ought to walk and to please God and with-holding nothing that was profitable either to Elders or flock Act. 20.20 and to all men small and great the summe and substance of things fore-spoken of old viz. Repentance toward God and faith toward Iesus vers 21. and how there was now as to the mystery of truth Nil dictum quod non dictum prius nothing said which was not shewed before in the type and shadow 5. A fine from their end which quoth he is 1. Faith Joh. 20.21 These are written that ye may beleeve and Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing Reply Which first Text if intending faith in the history of things that the Letter may beget men may have and have from Rome to this place and yet perish which latter Text intends a saving faith but that comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God which Word saith Paul above in the same Chapter is not the Letter without but a Light within nigh in the heart and mouth of men that they may hear and do it even the Word of faith which they preached 2. Wisdome to salvation perfect instruction to all good works 2 Pet. 1.19 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Reply Which Scriptures I have spoken to before and shewed how little they make to I.Os. purpose the first speaking not of the Scripture at all The second how throw saith in the light first the letter may be profitable toward but not per saltum to salvation and perfection 3 Attainment of eternal life 5. Joh. 39.30.31 Reply Which life comes as is there said above through Christ and beleeving in his light which is his name whom and which the Scriptures testifie of as appears by the two Texts he cites talked on enough by me already in way of answer to I.Os. Fancies and not by the Letter or Scriptures themselves though searched after and lookt for there by the Scribes that neither heard nor saw the Father nor came to the Son for life nor could abide that his word should abide in them So that howbeit he concludes the Scripture perfect in all respects I say in respect to its own appointed end it is as abiding incorrupted by mens wresting as at first given out by holy men yet not in all the respects in which I.O. and T.D. assert it to be perfect who makes it as now altered and adulterâ—ted the only most perfect Standing Rule of faith and life and way and means of knowing his will our duty and of coming to eternal life and that exclusively of all inward light and Spirit and other Revelation of which but where is the ' proof on'â— his saies there is no need of them but they are fictitious uncertain dangerous abominable and the like Whereas I trust to make it appear there is no knowing God but by other Revelation of him then the outward one that is made in the Scripture even by the Revelation of himself within men As for thy Enthusiasm and colloquia Angelica vel ficta vel facta thou mayest keep that to thy self I pretend not to the defence of discourse with Angels fained or true yet to thy shame I shall say thus much in vindication of truth against thee viz. that thou shewest thy self but a silly man to conâ—emn Colloquia cum Angelis vel sicta vel facta and by whole sale to throw away without making any difference all conference with Angels whether made indeed or but fained for what were all Daniels Maries Pauls Iâ—hns Christs conferences with Angels truly made fit for nothing but thy flours and for thee to make thy self sport with Col. 2.18 which thou cotest below will not save thee from the just censure of ignerant impudence sith that condemns a worshipping of Angels only as also the Angel himself condemns that whom Iohn would have worshipt Rev. 19.10 22.9 and forbids it but conference with Angels not counterfeit and ficta but facta which thou makes no bones of to render detestable in thy dirty driblings as well as fained are of those good things thou speakest ill of because thou knowest them not Having Grubd up by the Roots the first of J. Os. Grand Artificial Arguments grounded inartificially upon Testimonies of Scriptures which he calls inartificial ones and disproved all his petty and subordinate proofs of the minor Proposition thereof on which the whole stress of his evidence stood I proceed to examination of the rest Arg. 2. His second is A perfecta operatione seu effeâ—tu Scripturarum from the perfect operation and effect of the Scripture In English thus If the Scripture doth accomplish in its way of efficacy which is moral All things that can possibly be effected by any Revelation of Gods will whatsoever in order to our due and sincere worshipping of God and coming at last to life eternal Then vain are all those foresaid principles of the knowledge of God viz. The Spirit and Light within which the Fanaticks falsly boast of But the former is true Therefore c. The minor of this Argument which I deny hath a whole Troop of Testimonies or Texts of Scripture pressed to attend the proof thereof which I.O. takes to be such a Trusty Life-guard and most of them are so to the Qua. cause concerning the Light Word and Spirit within that there is no doing any thing in denial thereof that can reach to the rendring of it untrue but unless it be some one or two of them that mention the
Letter as profitable in a way that will prove little to his purpose the rest will frustrate his expectation of assistance from them sail him fal in with us neither expressing nor implying any such matter as the Scripture as he supposes but intending all the very truth we contend for against him viz. The efficacy profitable and powerful operation of the inward light Word and Spirit of God which he Ironically glories over as inania inutilia incerta minime necessaria fictitia rejicienda detestanda and such like Those Texts are Ps. 19.8 119.105 Rom. 1.15 16. 2 King 3.15 Iam. 1.21 1 Tim. 4.16 Isa. 55.10 11. Iâ—r 23.29 Ioh. 8.31.5 1. Ioh. 17.20 Rom. 15. â— Heb. 4.12 Here 's a whole Jure impannelled again of which he imagines that they will all give their verdict his way for the Scripture that it doth efficere ea omnia praedicté yea alia omnia perficere c. effect the things aforesaid yea and perfect or accomplish all things necessary to Gods glory and our salvation alone so that inania sunt falsa c. All Revelation or means of Revelation by these things viz. The spirit or Light within the Qua. call to are vain and false c. But setting aside two of them viz. 2 Tim 3.15 Rom. 15.4 as I have shewed above which though they do speak of the outward Scriptures being useful profitable and comfortable to the Saints yet prove them not to be therefore the only perfect standing Rule of faith and life for the reason rendred by T.D. why all Scripture that is by inspiration is not so because besiâ—es inspiâ—ation to make a Rule is necessary Gods appointment of Writings to that end pag. 43. of his 2. Pamph. which said appointment to that end the Book called the Bible hath not saving only that appointment of man not so much as one of all the rest of his Trusty Texts do either mention or mean ought of the outward Scripture I.O. cites and summons them all together to pass their Vote for but do all unanimously give their Verdict on the behalf of that holy Spirit Word and Light within which the Qua. stand to vindicate as the antient most perfect useful certain stedfast standing Rule of faith and life and way of Gods revraling his will to us and of our saving knowledge of himself and it and our duty to him in particular against that venome I.O. and T.D. spit out against them with which they are big I.O. specially under the slanderous disgraceful and opdrobrious compellations of uncertain dangerous unuseful in no wise necessary counterfeit abject detestable So that I might let them all pass take no notice of them unless he had brought such Scriptures in proof the Scriptures power and efficacy as make some mention thereof either expresly or implicitly at least yet since they make not little to I.Os. as they make much for the Qua. cause against him who affirm the word in the heart and light within to be that which he falsely and ignorantly asserts the Letter to be viz. the only standing Rule and way of knowing God savingly and means of Revelation of himself and wâ—â— and our duty to us of our obtaining life and that very self-evidencing effectual light and power of God to salvation I am minded to insist here a little longer upon them and perhaps upon such other Texts as I.O. elsewhere wrests this way in proof of the self-evidencing efficacy light and power of the Scriptures in his English Treatises as well as in his Latine Theses The first of I.Os. Twelve Texts Ten whereof nor talk of nor intend nor mention nor mean the Sripture at all viz. Ps. 19. it hath been talkt with already above where I have shewed that the Law of God which is therefore said to be a restituens animam restoring and converting the soul is the Light the Letter speaks of and not the Letter it self which any but a blinde man may see for what Letter was written when David wrote this very little more then the Books of Moses which I.O. himself and all men conâ—ess to be but the Old Testament which is but the letter that killeth for is that outward Letter of the Apostles and Evangelists were the new Testament as they call it yet none of that was in being till above a thousand years after David and the Old Testament that was in his dayes is now abolished neither it nor the Letter nor outward Statutes and Judgements of it being given to any but Jacob or Israel after the flesh as a type of the New Testament or Covenant that is now made good to Israel after the Spirit but that Text I say hath been unfolded enough before so that though I meet with it again here as I have done twice before and whether I may again or no it matters not but sure I am that some Scriptures thou citest four and some five or six times over at least in thy Book how much more I know not in proof of the Scriptures being this and that which testifie no one Tittle of any thing concerning the Scriptures at all so dry are our Doctors and Divines drawn and nearly driven to finde out furniture in the Scripture in defence of their false faith and meer figments about the Scripture I shall meddle no mo more with it here nor with the second that are sufficiently forespoken to though they both speak something as good as nothing to thy cause concerning the outward Scriptures viz Rom. 15. 2 Tim. 3. As for the other nine they all with one consent and more that elsewhere thou cotest do declare the Authority efficacy self-evidencing light and power of the word of God within which both the Qua. and the Scriptures bear one and the self-same testimony to but predicate nothing at all of the Scriptures which nine together with the rest that are coincident therewith and truly cogent to all mens consciences as concerning the witness they give to the inward word the outward Letter relates of I shall here take under consideration in what order is not very much material As to that Ioh. 8 31.5 1. in which two verses Christ to the Jews speaks of one and the same thing which run thus If ye continue in my words ye are my Disciples indeed and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free If a mâ—n keep my saying he shall never see death I reply Reply Christs Word and his saying is efficacious and powerful to tree them that continue beleeving in it and deliver from death and give life yea that the Words he speaks are spirit and life according as he sayes of them Ioh. 6.63 and vers 68. the Words of eternal life which Text pag. 68. thou I.O. very falsely expoundest of Moses the Prophets and Apostles Writings this who â—â—â—â—ies Which word of his as it s heeded in the heart where it is spoken and laid up there till it dwell richly within sits men to teach
is the Rod of power which God promiâ—ed to send out of Sion even the Rod and sharp Sword of his mouâ—h and breath of his lips wherewith he will now smite the Nations and slay the wicked and reprove with equity on the behalf of the meek of the earth whom the proud oppress even the word of his mouth which he will put into the mouths of his sucklings and their seed and seeds seed out of which he ordains strength to the perfecting his own praise against the persecutor This and not the weak dead letter Bible or Scripture thou so labourest bablest and scriblest for is that Power and Authority of God Able as the outward Writing is not to make it self known so to be for the letter is as lifeless helpless powerless as any other Book Writing or dumb Idols that men adore and receive aâ— ye with the Iews of whom thou speak'st p. 237. do the Bible at this day with the honour and veneration due to God that cannot stir from the place where it s set as neither can the Scripture from where it s laid no more than the Turkish Alcoran yeâ— as Jeremiah in his Epistle saiâ—h of the weakness and vanity of all the Idols of the heathen whom they make powerful Gods of Thâ—se Gods quoth he cannot save themselves from rust and moths though they be covered with purple they wipe them because of the dust of the Temple when there is much upon them men put the Scepter in their hands as if they were the Iudge of the Country and Daggers and Axes but they cannot deliver themselves from Theeves nor of themselves put to death one that offends them as a useless vessel worth nothing when broken so it is with their Gods they are as the beams of their Temples upon their bodies and heads Strâ—Bats Swallows Birds and Cats they are things in which is no breath yet they set and sell and buy them at a high price they are carried having no feet â—o walk with if they fall to the ground they cannot rise up again of themselves the same together with what follows caeteris paribus Baruch 6. may be said of the adored Best Copies of the Great Bibles that lye in the great old mouldy Popish Parish Mass-houses now called the Protestant Churches where the Bells hang the Ministers of the Letter not the Spirit the elder sort of which are Priests by Ordinatioâ—â— fit in their Temples and roar and cry the Word of God the Law the Light the way to life the Gospel the power of God to salvation as the Iews do when their Copy is carried about but these Gods of those Idol Shepherds that leave their poor flock at any time for another that hath a better fleece can do nothing at all cannot withstand any King or enemies are not able to escape either from Theeves or Robbers nor when fire falleth on the houses where they are to help or save themselves or flye away how then shall we think they the Books called Bibles the Scriptures are so powerful and effectual not only in themselves but also in respect of us as without any other helps or advantages to shew themselves to be the great Authority and Power of God vis virtus Dei to our salvation as I.O. dreams If he say he means not the Text but the Word it talks on let him say so then when he writes again and then we will take it for granted he gives the cause in question to the Qua. whom he quarrels with for denying the Bible Letter Scripture outward Writing to be the living effectual able powerful word of God that gives life and saves and such like and so we shall meddle no more with him as to that matter but so long as he will needs damn down the Qua. as denyers of Scriptures and the Word of God too because they deny the Letter or Text to be properly the truth or Word of God it doth but declare and talk on we must thereby understand him to intend the Letter which he talks for Moreover as to the Light of God and Word nigh in the heart which the Apostles preached to turn men to and taught them as the Scripture also doth in its Testimony there to to attend to as the Rule of faith and life this is that Word of the truth of the Gospel which is V is virtus Dei the Power of God by the vertue of which Power it brought forth fruit in the Collossians and in all the World where it so came when it came unto them in the Ministry thereof which was the means by which they heard of it first and then came themselves to hear it and to know the grace of God in truth even that grace that bringeth the salvation and appeareth to all men effectually instructing as well without as with the outward Letter of it all that leâ—rn at it to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world which is the Light of God in the conscience called the goodness of God or grace given to lead them to repentance who despising the riches of it are not led by it to repent and so treasure up wrath to themselves c. Tit. 2 11 12. Rom. 2.4 5. This is it which brought forth fruit in the world without Sword Miracles humane wisdome oratory or any inducements or motives but what are meerly and solely taken from it self consisting in things which eye hath not seen ear heard nor the heart of the animal natural man or of any but the spiritual man that by the Spirit which only searcheth and revealeth them discerneth the deep things of God can discern or conceive This is that that hath exerted its power and efficacy to the conquest of the world so far as it hath been capâ—ivated in the high proud thoughts of it to the true obedience of Christ causing men of all sorts times and places so to fall down before its Divine Authority as to renounce all that its dear undergâ—â— all that it dreadful and destructive to nature in its dearest concernment As for the Letter the Scripture which thou speakest of in a sense abstract from all other helps and advantages as that which without need of any other Revelation by the spirit and light within for these thou call'st superfluous mediums doth plead for reception not onely in comparison with but also opposition to all other wayes of coming to the knowledge of God his mind and will founded thereon and calls for attendance and submission with supreme and uncontroulable Authority 57 58. as that which hath brought forth so much fruit and exerted so much power What power hath it put forth to conquer the world into such submission to the truth as it is in Iesus as Christ requires or as the Letter it self either calls for what fruits of righteousnesse hath it brought forth in the world cal'd Christian to the glory of God for all its being
interpret the term of Light in those two Texts of no other thing then the Letter of the Scripture The words are these the People meaning the land of Zebulun and Nepthali by the way of sea beyond Iordan c. which sate in darkness saw great light and to them that dwelt in the Region and shadow death light is sprung up Rep. The juncture of time of which this is spoken concerning the land of Zebulun and Nepthali seeing great light was when Christ himself the light of the world came among them dwelling at Capernaum a chief City of those two Tribes by the Sea-coast and shone ronnd about them in his own immediate Ministry The Scriptures or letter which by the word Light there is by our great Text-man I.O. said to be intended must be either those of the Old Testament as ye speak or of the New those of Old could not be meant here for if they had been that Light they could not have been said to have sate till now in darkness and shadow of death neither could the light have been said as it is here to have sprung up now so newly to them for the outward Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets was sprung up to that people of Israel long before this time and those of the New it could not possibly beâ— for John the Baptist and Christ having written nothing at all that is extant in your Bibles though Christ after this wrote something that is not there and the Apostles and Evangelists having written nothing yet for not one o them was called till after this as appears by the verses following not one jot or tittle of that was sprung up to them as yet therefore what ever Light it was and what it was is well enough known to the children of the light though not to the children of darkness that despise and wonder and perish not beleeving the work that God is working in their own daye â—et this I can tell them which is as much as is meet for them to know till they live up to what they know already and as much as is needful to the case in hand that it was not the Letter of the Scriptures And now I am so near that Mat. 5.14 it is not amiss to step thither beâ— before I go back to Hosea where the words are Ye are the light of the world which place I. O brings to prove the Letter to be the Light Rep. I should sooner by the half have urged Gen. 1.2 God said let there be light and there was light to prove the Letter to be the Light for that hath a typical mystical reference to the true Spiritual light that inwardly inlighteâ—s every man that comes into the world then that clause of Christ to his Disciples Yee are the light of the world for that hath not the least tittle of tendency to such a thing unless I.O. who is blinde enough in blending the Writing and letter written of into one individium will now grow so gross in his confusions as to confound and thrust a third thing viz. the men that wrote some of the Scriptures into one and the same individium with them and so make a new kinde of Trinity in unity and unity in Trinity which if he shall then letting pass that long tale of the doctrine of the Trinity in seven or eight pages together viz p. 132. to p. 139. in which he talks as T.D. and most Divines do of he knows not whom nor what while he hates the light if I say I.O. shall fain such a new fangled Trinity as Writers Writings and Word written of and jumble them all three into one then t is time to tell these Trinitonians their Bell haâ— not Mettle Nor the Tune of a Bell but the Tone of a Kettle But I.O. hath a saying I toucht on above whereby perhaps hee may think this unfavoury sound is salved it is the writing it self quoth hee p. 71. that now supplies the place and room of the persons in and by whom God originally spake to men as were the persons speaking of old so are the Writings now Rep. Therefore say I as the outward persons of the men which I.O. reckons on were not the Word of God so neither were nor are their Writhings the Word of God Ad hominem Ob. But may he say the persons of the Discipâ—es are here called the Light of the world Rep. As vessels that bore the Name Word Truth or Light of God to the world by the figure or common metonymy as I said above whereby the thing containing is called by the name of that that is contained in it or held forth by it which yet either as to name and thing it really and properly is not I can allow I.O. his denomination of the Apostles by that name of a Light in such wise as commonly by the said figure but not properly the Lanâ—horn in sensu composiâ—o together with the Light shining in it is termed the Light which Lanthorn of it self is so far from being abstractively from the Revelation made in it by the light within it a light of it self that its a dark body that can neither shew any thing else nor bee seen it self without it bee manifested by something else that is truly Light But all this will lend I.O. as little help as none at all in his lame cause who hath entred the lists with Qua. before the world to vindicate the Word of God and the Light to be the proper name and nature of the Letter to evince it against them as to name and thing so to be p. 30. of his Epist. and p. 73 74. that the Scripture both is so and is so called or else it properly could not as having the very nature and properties of light and Ex. 1. s. 253. whos 's dealing with the Qua. is de Scripturae nomine proprio viz. titulo illo glorioso verbo Deo quod nomen sibi vendicat about that proper name of the Scripture to wit the glorious Title the Word of God which name it challengeth to it self and Ex. 3. s. 28 29. who sayes that Revelation the Scripture that is abstractively considered of it self and from the Light and Spirit the Qua. say is necessary is so omnibus numeris absoluta perfecta ut nihil opus sit c. so every way absolute and perfect and accomplishing all things as a Rule or Guide as who should say the Lanthorn is such a sure and sufficient guide of it self in the night that there is not any need at all of any other light the naked Lanthorn is a Revelation and will do well enough alone so that there is no need at all of any other direction to know God to salvation by nor of the Spirit and light within which is superfluous vain useless and dâ—â—estable I.O. is never the nearer as to his cause for all that which I can afford to allow him as abovesaid Moreover if men made after Gods Image
business avouching that glorious Title of the Word of God and the Light to be the Nomen proprium Scripturae the proper name of the Scripture and that I wrong him not herein see his own stating the Question between himself and the Qua. Ex. 2. s. 1 2 3. de Scripturae nomine proprio nimirum Titulo illo glorioso Verbo Dei and p. 73. the Scripture is a light yet neiâ—her is nor can be called so unless it hath the nature and property of light p. 77. the Scripture a moral and spiritual not a natural Light p. 73 74. Light spiritual hath the preheminence as to a participation of the nature and properties of Light firstly and properly Light from whence the other i. e natural respecting bodily sight is by allusion so denominated in these places either expresly or eventually I.O. calls the Light and Word of God the proper names of Scripture or Letter and so consequently enâ—tails all the other glorious Titles to it as its Right due and proper names which they rob it of and deny it to be what it naturally and properly and really is who own it not properly both to be and be called the Word of God but it neither is actually testified so to be any whereby God nor by its self as I.O. p. 87. most lyingly falsely affirms it in so much that he who owns it not as so doth what in him lyes to make God a lyar And also p. 140. where he sayes If the Scripture be what it reveals it self to be it is then unquestionably the Word of the living God as p. 85. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the living Word of God Truth it self for that it professeth of it self quoth he frâ—m the beginning to the ending neither can it possibly be so stiled properly or unless it be by a figure as it no where is neither by it self that I know ofâ— by which the Image is called by the name of the Person which it properly is but a dead Picture and lifeless representation of the Lanthorn by the name of the Light that displayes it self more brightly when beheld without it which Lanthorn yet neither is the Light nor properly said so to be I am not ignorant of that Common Metonymy Continentis pro re contenta or figure whereby the thing contained is sometimes but never properly where it is exprest by the name of that which câ—ntains it and as well in that Scripture we talk of as in other Writings Matth. 26.43 and 1 Cor. 11.26 If this Cup may not pass away except I drink it As oft as ye dâ—ink of this Cup meaning properly not the Cups but the wine therâ—in viz. the one the bitter red wine of the wrath of the Almighty God the mixture whereof is powred out into the Cup of his indignation and of the fierceness of his Fathers fury which Christ drank deep of in the dayes of his flesh and humiliation to the drawing of supplications from him with strong crying and tears the other the wine of his blood shed for the remission of sins which such as walk in the light come at last to be cleansed by from no less then all sin neither of which Cups or sorts of wine thou hast yet drunk of or truly knowest what they are by all the skill thou yet hast in the Scriptures thou so scriblest for but shalt assuredly have thy part in the first before thou savingly know the second yea whether ever thou attain to witness the saving efficacy of the second yea or nay But what 's all this to the helping of I.O. in his crazy cause whose fighting is not all for figures or meer figurativâ— denominations but for the formal and true proper names of the Scripture which is the name of the Scripture and not the Word of God say we but is saith he that of the Word of God had he fought for no more then figures against the Qua. that stand for the Truth and said so too though in so fighting he had been foolish yet we could have born with him in that frivolous peece of â—olly and have lent him such a latitude as both by the Letter and Light may bee allowed to speak Metonimically and Metaphorically of Methaphorical matters and left him to his liberty without a check and let him alone in his figures to figure out things by other names then their own and to call them that which yet properly they are not to stile the Heusâ— they sit in by the name of the Parliament which it is not to stile the Picture by the name of the Person it is the image of the Voice by the name of the Word it is but the image of and the Scripture by that of the Word it is but the remote expression of and of the voice it is the more immediate image or expression of for vox est imago verbi Scriptura vocis immediata verbi quaedam mediata imago seu expressio and to signifie the Wine and the Light respectively by the names of this Cup this Glass this Lanthorn and the Word and Law by the name of a Scripture specially if by Scripture he mean that inward Writing of it by the Spirit of the living God in the fleshly tables of the heart where the Law of God is written though that writing and the Word written are not all one neither and we could bate him the impropriety of that figurative expression also though it be far further fetcht then the other whereby he should decypher that outward Letter by the name of the Law which it is but a bart Copy of and the written Word by the name of the Writing which yet in truth doth no more then declare of the Word Retro though I know not where in all the Scripture the Srripture is so much as by A figure denominated by that name the Word of God if the Word be any where so called by the name of Scripture as I.O. sayes at least fortyfold falsely that above fifty times in the New Testament the word Graphs or Scripture is put absolutely for the Word of God but if it were a hundred and fifty times so called it would not prove the high point in that height he takes on him to prove it in viz. that the Scripture is properly the Word of God and the Word of God its proper name any more then the Wine is called by the name of this Cup this Glass or the Light by the name of the Lanthorn Retro the Lanthorn by name of this Light which is all figurative not proper But this is not I.Os. case who runs up to the very highest peg and sings of the Scriptures a note above the Ela and quarrels with the Qua. as deniers of the Scripture unless they swerve aside with him in his silly suppâ—sitions and as well unsâ—holler-like as unsaint-like sensless sayings that the outwarâ— Scripture the Writing the Letter and every Letter and Tittle and Iota though but transcribed
that beleeves not both beleeves neither But what of that what follows hence this quoth I O. for that is the very end hee infers this Text for and the very conclusion he infers from it viz. that Moses writings of Christ are more sure and of greater certainty as to the Churches use then Christs own words from his own mouth or then Christs Revelations of Gods minds to men as revealed to him from the mouth of God from the very bosome of the Father Siccine Itane is it so I O. indeed what the ouâ—â—ard remotely transcribed Copies of the writings of the Old servant that put a vail over his face too and spake so darkly in types and figures and shews and shadows that 't was hard to behold stedfastly to what end he spake more plain and stedfast and sure and certain then the immediate Voice Words Revelations of the Son himself whom Moses called to hear as coming and speaking more distinctly out of the very bosome of the Father O the dotage of our Vniversity Doctors the dimness of our Divines who profess to dive daily and deeply into the Scriptures that make the dark Writings and dead Letter and servant more clear and worthy and useful to the Church then the express Voice and Words of the Son which are Spirit and life it self I shall set but one Scripture to face this fancy of I.O. and so leave and let it stand to the shame of it self and its Father Heb. 3. vers 1. to the 8. See and read it Thus of the first The words of the second are these Be not soon shaken in minde nor troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as that the day of the Lord is at hand Rep. The business I.O. cites this in proof of is for this and that next before are of those that are subscribed to that purpose that the certainty of the Scripture is preferred before the certainty of true Revelations and Miracles but which way so much can be drawn unless it be as I.O. draws iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as it were with Cart Ropes from that Text is more then I can tell Paul Silas and Timothy had told them it seems of the coming of the day of God both by Spirit Word and Letter they whose great hope lay in the comming of that day like such as look and long for what they love and are apt to thinke and hope it to be as they would have it did hope it to be nearer hand then it was and fearing left finding it further off then they thought they might bee troubled and shaken in minde and failing in their faith of it he gives them to understand the worst of it that the best might the better help it self that they should not mistake them in their Doctrine about that day as if they had said it was immediately to shine out upon them and so waver in their mindes flag in their faith and be troubled with doubts as if it would never come to them because not so soon as they wisht it might for there was a long night to interpose it self first he wills them withall to remember v. 5. that he told them no less in the Spirit by Word of his mouth as now he doth over again by Letter or Writing when was present with them howbeit as that 's never long that comes at last so that day would come at last to their salvation and destruction of the man of sin who caused the night with the brightness of it Here 's the short and the long of the business of that verse and those about it from which I who can see the Sun can see no such Doctrine follow as I.O. dreamingly draws from it nor one dram of Reason nor the least grain of Assent to his Asasâ—inated Assertion that the Scripture is of more certitude as to the Churches use then any true Revelations Other Arguments I.O. urges why the Light and Spirit cannot bee the Rule c. Therefore the Scripture must be it J.O. That to which we are never no where sent of God that we might learn the knowledge of himself and his will and take direction in our duty that cannot be the Rule Canon Principle or directory of our Faith Learning Knowledge and obedience But we are never no wheresent of God to any inward Light or internal Private spirit c. Therefore c. Les the Fanaticks produce but one place of Scripture wherein we or any are sent to their Rules or directions of faith and obedience and we will not say but they have cause to triumph in earnest but if they speak of their own they are Lyars they bear witness to themselves and their witness is not true Reply As for thy word Private Spirit we deny all leading by any Private Light and Spirit It is the Common Light and Publick Spirit of God which is one and the same in all though not in the same measure and not any thing of our own that we testifie to and profess to follow as our guide It is the gift of Gods grace in us that appears to all bringing salvation which teaches all that are led by it and learn at it to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live godly righteously and soberly here that we intend nor do we so much as pretend to any other inwardlight but that of God in the conscience which though thou foolishly stile it Natural yet thy self be â—rest such an ample testimony to sometimes that we need use no other then thy own words to prove it to be infallibly of God and from him an infallible guide and that we are sent of God to this inward Light Word or Spirit in answer to thy challenge to produce one Scripture I say what need wee produce one Thy own pen if thou l't beleeve it points out almost iâ—numerable places yea all in which the Word of God is said to be preacht publisht multiplied received where the Word nigh in the heart is meant and the outward Scripture that is the declaration of it considered formaliter or as written not at all intended yet for fear thou shouldest not beleeve thy own pen when such Truths drop from it as make against thee and indeed it hath let fall so many untruths pro and cons and fellaries from it that it little deserves to be beleeved by thy self but rather suspected when it writes the truth I am free here to produce some out of many more that might bee produced wherein men are sent in the Scripture if that be of God by whom thou sâ—yest they nunquam nusquam never no where are so sent to the rules and directions we call to which are not any mans own private spirit or fained light or Enthusiasms or dreams as thou dreamest and to the abusing of us to the world out of thy own narrow private light-loathing spirit divinest they are but the Word Light and Spirit of God which is
Spirits and ye also shall beare witnesse saith he putting a difference between his Disciples testimony by the Spirit and that of the Spirit by it self for that of the Spirit is the Word it self that is testified to by inspired men whether in writing or speaking and not the writing or the speaking it selfe The Word I say put by the Spirit into mens mindes and into their mouthes which Word is promised to abide with his for ever and so saith I. O. many times over in his Book repeating that Scripture and putting almost the whole stresse of his ill cause upon it and bringing it in the folly and blindnesse of his minde to prove the letter by the promise of God himself of necessity to remaine inviolated inalterable and uncorrupted for ever whereas the Spirit speaks it not of the letter at all but of the Word which should be put into his peoples mouth Isa. 59.21 The Word which I put into thy mouth shall not depart from thy mouth nor the mouth of thy seeds seed from henceforth and for ever which strengthens what I have now in hand to prove i.e. the continuance of the Spirits immediate movings of God people under the Gospel more or lesse even for ever And doth not Christ also say Mat. 28.20 to his Disciples and in them to his Church which is a successive body and not simultaneous nor appearing wholly in this world at nor altogether at one time Lo I am with you alwayes even to the end of the world and if there have been a time of more darknesse then ordinary even to his own by reason of Christs absence and the Devils presence in the world yet more or lesse to his own which are those that own him and heed his voice he hath ever appeared but however as his promise was to be with his more or lesse to the end so at the end his promise is to be by his Spirit more with them then ever I will saith he speaking of his returne after the mournfull time of his absence who is the Bridegroom from the Bride see you againe and your heart shall rejoyce as a woman when her houre of travel is over having no more remembrance of her sorrow because a man child is borne unto her and into the world and your joy shall no man take away so that in these dayes we may expect more then ever was enjoyed before the glory of the second Temple being to be greater then that of the first which was trodden down more pourings out of the Spirit then the primitive ages had these being the dayes wherein refreshment is to break forth from the face of the Father wherein he will send Act. 3.19 20 21 22 23 to his Church Iesus his Son who hath withdrawn and retired and been retained in the heavens till these times who so readeth this let him understand which are the times of the restitution of all things that ever haue been out of order and of his people since they ran astray from God which have been spoken of by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began Why then sayest thou while the infallible spirit continued his guidance as if after he should come he was to go suddenly quite away again of whom Christ while present in flesh saith he was after his passing hence to come and to continue in and with his people Mat. 28. throughout all ages in all which ages he had people and a seed as in Eliahs time Rom. 9.27 29. and a remnant though small and unseen Rom. 11.4 left trodden under foot by the outward Israel that held the outward Court which were as the sand of the Sea for multitude even to the end Iohn 14.25 26. What did the promise of Christ fail to his own because of the worlds unbelief and did he leave them to be guided by the Prince of this world that was to come and by his blind guides to guide and govern the world and have his kingdome in it a while and was his own seed which never consents to any iniquity but condemnes it given up by God because the seed of evil doers was to be guided by the spirit of the God of this world that totally blinded some from looking at the light and by the man of Sinne and Son of Perdition to be strongly deluded to damnation by the mystery of his iniquity who was Permitted indeed to withhold and hinder and let not a little till he should be taken away but after That wicked should be revealed in his time was not the Lord to be revealed again in his time which is the principall and most proper and seasonable opportunity for Christ to appeare in his Spirit and shew himself in 1 Tim. 16.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in its proper times And was he not to conjure the other lying spirit with the spirit of his mouth which is not the letter that declares of the Word but the living Word it self which opens the Letter also the sword of his mouth put then into the mouth of his seed as aforesaid yea into the mouths of very Babes to the stilling of the enemy and avenger and to destroy it with the brightnesse of his coming What Spirit was to take the guidance of his people if his own infallible spirit were not to continue with them for ever or would he deprive them of the presence of his infallible spirit in their hearts and place it without in the fallible Letter so that if ever they would see or speak with his spirit they must look for him and hear what he testifieth there onely so I. O. talkes T. 1. c. 5. and must go forth and talk with him there onely i.e. without but not within he being gone forth from his dwelling in the hearts of his people now to dwell in the Letter onely and minded there and no where else to be spoken with And why sayest thou while the infallible spirit of God continued his guidance in an extraordinary manner And again T. 2. C. 5. S. 1. the infallible direction of the spirit of God Hath God any other then that infallible spirit and if he meant to direct his people at all by his spirit in the dismal times that were to come must it it not be by that infallible spirit continuing his infallible which thou callest extraordinary guidance and direction or else by none at all Or hath God two spirits to direct his own by at sundry times one extraordinary and infallible the other fallible and ordinary and hath that nfallible spirit of his two kinds of guidances and directions one extraordinary and infallible the other fallible and ordinary which extraordinary and infallible spirit and his extraordinary and fallible guidance was to continue with them but a while it being for high and holy and extraordinary dayes and times the ordinary and fallible for more ordinary and lower dayes and times as that the presence of which may as well serve the
Tâ—mbs R. Bax. dark conceits to the contrary which is sufficient to bring them that follow it to Salvation but only that it s not attended to And this together with that about the Letter above spoken to which ye lay as your chief foundation being the chief matters at first intended by me to be controverted with I.O. but that well nigh at my beginning in carnest to enter the Lists with him T. Ds. two young Cubâ— one some while after another coming out upon me occasioned me to make many an extravagant vagary after them into some other doctrinal accountative and narrative businesses for the Truths sake more then my own that people might no longer unless they will be led aside from it by his lyes and guâ—â—'d with his guilded glosses and counterfeit colours wherewith â—he â—awbs and smooths and sooths them up in sin and sinister suâ—mizes against the truth and the tellers of it in the points abovesaid and covers himself and his false doctrines of Iustification of Saints in Sin personal Election of all but a very few non-puâ—gation from sin in this life and sundry others either more directly and largely as that of Iustification or more briefly occasionally or but interlinearily resured before in which I.O. is as co-incident with him as he with I.O. in the rest I shall now betake my self to some more single though short Animadversion thereof as it lies in difference between the Qua. who hold it out for truth and I.O. T.D. I.T.R.B. and the owners of their books extant in which they oppose the Qua. in print very much if not more then in any other whatsoever and so I shall have done with them both at this time And first I shall begin with T.D. his two Do-littles and take account of his mighty weak mannagement of his many meanings as to that matter of the light against the Qu. of which in many things he means much what as I.O. does and is confused and contradictory to himself not a little about it yet I must needs say not by ten-fold so much as I.O. is in his mad mangâ—nization of his mind in this matter howbeit T.D. as to his Dispute goes clear beside the Question as it was stated about the Light as he did about the Letter and Iustification and strikes much more upon the Anvil then on the iron and yet he gives us the Quest. too at the very beginning to dispute it as he did those two about Iustification and the Scripture as may appear by what follows The Question between the Qua. and T.D. was as he relates p. 1. of his 1. Pamph. viz. Whether every man that cometh into the World be enlightned by Christ which when R H. affirmed T.D. as himself relates replyed thus viz. But what Light is it you intend we grant that every man hath some Light by which he discernes though dimly many sins and duties and severall divine attributes but the mystery of Godliness as it is summ'd up 1. Tim. 3. ult God manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit c. we deny that all men have the knowledge of To which Question of T.D. What Light is it you intend When R.H. honestly and truly replyed thus viz. The Light i.e. the Light of Christ about which only the Question was is but one T.D. replies thus viz. The Lights mentioned viz. â—aturall and supernaturall Light are two and though all have the one yet few have the other Rep. 1. Here let all reasonable men judge whether thou T. D. dost not clearly yeild us our Question which was not at all about the measure of the Light whether all have the same measure of it or not for we affirm not that but whether all have some measure of that same light that shines from Christ the light of the world yea or nay not whether all have so much as whereby they actually see all the things of God and the Gospel which are to be seen or arè seen by some but whether every man hath some or no i.e. so much as whereby to discern some of the things of the Spirit of God and the Gospel severall divine Attributes and many duties i.e. so many or such as God requires of him in particular who requires of every one according to the ability and degree of light he giveth and accepteth every one according to what he hath from him and not according to what he hath not which measure walking answerably to they stand excused uncondemned alias justified in the sight of God but rebelling against stand accused or condemned and this T.D. thon consentest to and affirmest with us so clearly that all thy after dispute upon it does not fetch that again which thou grantest to us it being about another Question of thy own starting which we deny not viz. Whether all have the actuall knowledge of the mystery of the Gospel in the light yea or no For mark We grant sayest thou that every man hath some light i.e. is in some sort enlightened by Christ for thy grant is to the Question above whether by Christ or not or else thy Answer is beside the purpose And besides p. 4. thou denyest not but the Gentiles afore Christ were enlightned by Christ as God though yet to the contradiction of thy self again as if the being enlightned to know and a man knowing were all one thou there sayest they were afarre off from the knowledge of that by whose light be discernes though dimly and how dimly or clearly is nothing to the purpose many sins and duties and several divine attributes In which words thou sayest as much to our purpose as we would desire thee It s ill stumbling at the threshold T. D. at the very entrance of thy work and yet no lesse thou didst again in Limine at the very beginning of our Disputation with thee about the Scriptures being the Word of God as is to be read in thy own Relation of the second dayes work p. 25 26. of 1. Pamph. where thou sayest the Question I promised to discourse upon was Whether the Scriptures were the word of God and that indeed was the Question to which as soon as in answer to thy desires of knowing what I held about it I denyed that the Graphe the Gramma the Scriptures ieâ—te writing or outward text is the Word of God thou repliedst by way of compliance with me saying You cannot believe us so simple surely as to affirm the Scriptures in that sense to be the Word of God And I say if not in that sense then in no sense are they so truly and properly that I know of but I.O. his foresaid non-seâ—sâ— who howbeit he is forced to confess Ex. 1. S. 28.40 to the yielding the cause to the Qua. that the matter contained in it only is said to be so but that the Scripture formally considered or the littera Scripta or letter written is not within and is not intended in those innumerable places of Scripture where the word
good and Gods divine Attributes are things of God and the Spirit or else neither I nor those who wrote the Scripture neither know what the things of God and the Spirit are for they tell us that our duties of Love Ioy Peace Meekness Long suffering Temperance Patience and such like are the fruits of the Spirit and that not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh in the sins of adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness hatred wrath strife envy drunkenness revellings and such like works of it is the fruit effect and issue of walking in the Spirit and if these Love c. be not things of the Spirit excuse me if I say the Spirit which moved them to write that Gal. 5. knew not his own things himself and if ye say that Gods Divine Attributes Mercy Iustice Iudgements Truth Holiness are none of his things excuse me also if I favour not foolish fancies so far as to spend time pains and paper to prove they are to them which is so clear that 't were as idle a thing to make clearer then it is as 't were to light a candle to shew a blind man qui ad sâ—lem caecutire vult that the Sun shines And that the light doth manifest not only sins and duties but the said Divine Attributes also as we have had T.Ds. witness against him so let us take I. Os. testimony against himself too and then we shall be pretty well as to that Which I.O. preaches it out in print in two Tongues lest one should not be loud enough in English thus p. 42.43.45.46.47 by the innate light of Nature so he calls it and principles of the Consciences of men that indispensible moral obedience which he requireth of us his creatures subject to his Law is made known by the Light that God hath indelibly implanted in the minds of men accompanied with a moral instinct of good and evil seconded by that self-judgement which he hath placed in us in reference to his own over us doth he reveal himself to the sons of men the Voice of God in Nature so he calls it declares it self to be from God by its own Light and Authority there 's no need to convince a man by substantial witnesses that what his conscience speaks it speaks from God whether it bear testimony to the Being Righteousness Power Omniscience or Holiness of God himself or whether it call for that moral obedience which is eternally and indispensably due to him and so shews forth the work of the Law in the heart c. Those common notions are in laid in the natures of men by the hand of God to this end that they may make a Revelation of him as to the purposes mentioned and are able to plead their own Divine Original Mark of Divine Original here in-laid by Gods hand yet anon flowing ex principis naturae without the least strength or assistance from without and in Latine Ex. 4. S. 14. Non tantum multae Coinat Ennâ—iai c. Englished thus Not only many common notions and principles of Truth abide fixed in the understanding by the efficacie of which men may discern some divine things and discern between good and evil but also by the help of the Conscience take heed to themselves as concerning many duties with respect had to the Iudgement of God which they know they are liable to Moreover this Light in all at years of understanding by the consideration of the works of God Creation and Providence manifesting his Eternal Power and Godhead and in some by the Word preached may be improved and confirmed but how far this Light can direct stir up and provoke mens minds to yield obedience to God and they by it be left without excuse it pertains not to this place more precisely to discuss One of the main things pertaining to this point about the Light to be discussed among the rest yet I. O. I believe was afraid to thrust his fingers too far into the fire here for fear lest prâ—ying too narrowly how far the efficacy of this Light extends he should being forced to see somwhat that he is loath to see both looâ—e his cause and open his conscience too wide and therefore would wade no further there I need not open it to him that is not defective in his naturals how in all this as if not more abundantly then T. D. in that above I. O. confesses and witnesses to the truth of the first part of my minor Proposition viz. that the Light in the Conscience of all as heeded gives the knowledge of those things of God and his Spirit which the Spirit of God only knows searches and shews and reveals to such as wait in his Light to have the mind of Christ manifested in them therein which the natural man by a natural light cannot so know and diâ—cern Only Ob. If it be objected those are the deep things of God there spoken of 1 Cor. 2. which your Light in the Conscience of all is too shallow to search out yea the glorious things of the Gospel it self the mystery of which T.D. who knows it not yet himself for want of turning to it sayes by that Light within All know not and the natural man discerns not Answ. That the natural man which is he that leans to the Letter and his own understanding and looks not to the Lord in his own Light and Spirit in the heart as spiritual men do and in the doing of which men of natural become more and more spiritual de facto discerns no otherwise then naturally not savingly and spiritually I still grant but a non esse ad non posse still nil valet Our question is how far that Light heeded avails that way which I affirm is so far that according to the measure of it in men and their attendance to it it leads gradually as the Light and Spirit and anointing of God is said to do such as abide in it as it in them into all truth the knowledge of the very deep things of God and the Gospel a dim shallow sight of which it gives to such as turn to the least beam of it in them E. G. the Iudgements of God are one of the deep things of God thy Iudgements are a great deep Rom. 11.33 His Judgements and the wayes of it and Wisdome of God therein are a depth O the depthâ—hewr unsâ—archable his Iudgements his wayes past finding out No natural man by the improvement of his natural understanding in reading the Letter can know them Israel did not who had the Iudgements and the Statutes in the Letter for want of looking to the Light and Spirit any more excepting the few spiritual ones and children of the Light that were ever hated among them nay nor so much as many Heathens that had and heeded the Law or Light in the Conscience yet had no Law in the Letter but were more sottish stupid fearless of God ignorant and prophane then the Heathen among whom the
lead them to lâ—fe because their deeds are evil But who so hearkneth to me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from the fear of evil And a number more like to these of solemn Compellations Complaints Counsels Consolations Compassions Wishings and wouldings Adjuâ—ations Corrections Condemnations Intreaties Threatnings Perswasions poured out to All Men the most even a thousand to one of which are personally peremptorily predestinated never to have none of all this Good nor Life nor Salvation nor the least dram of any such Grace Power Light as may be of any efficacy or have any sufficiency in it but a common Grace only that hath nothing but insufficiency in it uâ—cunque et aetendatur howsoever attended to to bring them to it Is all this talked out to men bolted out from it all before ever they were born by an absolute Decree for the personal transgression of one individual man and pre-ordained to have their portion in manifold more wrath and condemnation for refusing to come to God when they were called but never capacitated by any measure of such Light and Grace by which only they can possibly do ought that is required Is all this openly as from the true mercifull God meerly tendred in hypocrisie to millions of miserable sinners to whom it's never intended that they must and shall come within the bounds of so much as a possibility of it nor have so much as Arbitrium Libertatum a Liberty lent them to take or refuse but he kept down under a certain necessity of perishing contracted to them as is supposed from one single sin of one whom they never chose to be their Proxy and Representative of their persons to God so as that they would live or die for ever as he should stand or fall from whose loiÌ„nes it 's doted by our dreaming Divines that there is drawn and derived such by them inevitable damnation upon all individuals that for want of a sufficient Light and Grace vouchsafed them to lead them out of it to escape it as the Four men aforesaid intimate to us the most must necessarily unavoidably unalterably as by Gods particular private Decree without reference to their finall rejection of God first sin from the Womb to the Tomb that they may by filling up their measure become vessels of wrath fit for destruction and upon account of that personal Decree still concerning them not so much as possibly escape the condemnation of Hell Must the most on the account of no Saviours dying for them but for a very few only never see the Lords Salvation and yet be alwayes called upon to look to him for it and told that Christ died for them and have the Salvation tendred to them in the Name of God and be injoyned to believe he died for them for whom on their principle of Christs dying not for all but the Elect only which with these men are but very few one of a thousand in the world its a thousand to one whether they be of that small number he died for yea or no and yet for not bâ—lieving that viz. each person that he died for hâ—m when he died but for some all must be condemned even because they believed not on him for that 's the cause of All Iudgement and Condemnation to the world that perishes for sin Iohn 3. Iâ—hn 16. even because they believe not in me saith he who enlightens all that come into it Must the glad tidings of great joy that a Saviour is born be proclaimed as glad tidings to All people when he is intentionally sent to save but some few and all the rest must hear the sad tidingâ— of a certain sâ—â—er condemnation then if he had never come into the world at all because they believe not in him still that he died for them for whom yet he died not if he died for none but such a few as these men call the Elect What a strange uncouth representation of God and Christ in their great goodness multitudinous mercy inconceiveable kindnâ—ss large love rich grace good will tender bowels incomparable compassion to the whole world is this of these men what a most grievous kind of Glad tidings of great joy concerning a Saviour to All people is this that he died to save one of a thousand but a thousand to one are remedilesly and more inexcusably irrecoverably unavoidably incontroulably and intolerably destroyed by occasion of his dying for every man then if he had never died for any man at all tell me O ye narrow mouth'd old Bottles that vent out so much of the old wine of your own wisdome and Sent so sparingly of the new Suppoâ—e a thousand of you were sentenced to die were it a way to shew the mercy of the King to be matchlesly more then his severity And would you count him gracious to you all and deem it Glad ridings of great joy that is so truly to you All to have a Pardon tendred to you all on terms impâ—ssible by you to be performed but intended really but to one of you so that the benefit of it shall effectually extend to but one and that in such a way as shall occasion the more severe execution of all the rest when 't is in the Kings Power if he be minded to shew the riches of his mercy to be beyond his severity to save 999. and execute but one as an Example were the other a Common Salvation to them all But I say the Salvation of God is Common to all and everyman what ever these men say and even intended as truly as it is tendred and proclaimed to All or elâ—e God who cannot lye would never so proclaim it nor his Spirit stile it a Common Salvation as he does Iude 2.3 Therefore much more common is that saving Grace and Light which brings it to All men and All to it who walk in the teachings and leadings of it or else it could no more be Grace Gospel Good news Glad tidings to All people as it is but Sad tidings truly to the most whereupon it is said of it by such Ministers as sought to magnifie it of old as much as our churlists modern Ministry-seeks to minifie it to be saving Grace to All men though all are not actually saved by it Tit. 2.11.12 The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men hath appeared as it could not be said to do if Christ under no consideration had vouchsafed it to All but to some only as I.O. and the salvation it brings in a true tender to All men were intended only to few as T.D. diminatively declares of it Yea in a word as Grace were no Grace to that man to whom it s given if it were not saving or sufficient he using it to save him So saving Grace is no saving Grace and so no Grace nor glad Tydings of great Ioy at all to All people as 't is callâ—d though it bring Salvation where it is if it appear to be given and to
is more universal according to the very litteral sense of the words then Vper Panton Anthropon Panta Anthropon Ercomenon Eis 〈◊〉 for All men every man that cometh into the world these specially this last every man is so indigitative and absolutely conclusive of each individual that it is not at all exclusive or exceptive of any at all and if every man â—n the woâ—ld be an indefinite phrase as T.D. ayes I know none is universal for All is not if it be so much more comprehensive then that of All without exception and if as he sayes every man that cometh into the world be but some a few of every Nation Kindred Tongue and People then I 'le read and render by the same rule the word every as affixed to Nation Tongue c. so restrictively too for who shall forbid me T.D. of All men can't thus viz. Every man of every Nation that is only some a few men of a few Nations â—f a few Families Tongues and People and then I 'le carry the boundlâ—ss Grace of God and incomprehensible Light of Christ into a small compass and diminutive corner of the world indeed But T.D. perhaps deems se imperatorem esse and so may Leges dare non accipere for when we use any term in a sense that troubles him then the phrase imports otherwise quoth he the words intend so or so it must bind and be cogent to us saying when he sayes Rex sum sic volo sic Iubeo Nil ultra quaero Plebeius but when we tell him as we do in this the words import otherwise the very literal sense of them cannot be that then he tramples that down Tush quoth he the meaning of those word cannot be as the Letter of them does import for then the Scripture must contradict it self it was an usual thing with Christ to speak words of a doubtful sense his meaning may be mistaken when his words are taken in the most ordinary and literal sense and so it would be if by every man we should understand every individual man Rep. Where note first that T.D. yields that the most ordinary and literal sense of every man is every individual man and that the letter of those words every man Iohn 1.9 does indeed import no other then we say against T.D. and I.O. viz. That the true Light which is that of Christ enlighteneth every individual man that comes into the world And so secondly to the contradiction of himself who so calls it that every man is not an indefinite but an universal phrase and so cannot have such a restrained sense as in some cases not all an indefinite expression may for mostly an indefinite it self is equivalent to an universal and if it be taken according to the proper import ordinary and literal sense of it it is to be read every individual man 3. That in those three places Iohn 1.9 Heb. 2 9. 2 Cor. 5.14 Christ enlightneth tasted death for every man died for all The letter and the true proper genuine ordinary and litteral sense which the words All and every man import is on the Qua. side by T.Ds. own free or rather forced confession and whether they who fighting and scoffing at the Light and Spirit within which only reveals it know it not or will grant that or no we know that we have the true meaning and mind of Christ. 4. What hath T.D. and I.O. left then on their sides to help themselves with Nempe velle suum cuique est nec voto vivitur uno every man his own will even what opinion he pleases Quot homines bis tot sâ—ntentiae as many more minds as men for they do not both in every thing fain the same nor doth each of them fancy the thing at all times alike but is at odds about it within himself I.O. hath two shifts as I have shewed but never a good one to slide away by but one of which T.D. shuts in with T.D. hath three two of which as short as they are of truth in his own intent extend far enough as is said above to give the cause contended for to us and the third which is I. Os. also hath nothing to say for it self but that it 's a wresting and restraining the phrases All and Every man besides their ordinary literal signification and import it cannot be as the words and letter of them doth import therefore it must be in this or else that sense which the letter of the words does not import Somewhat they would say but they cannot tell what Somewhat it is but no matter what so it be not the right meaning or true literal sense in a word all they have to trust to is their own muddy meanings foolish figments false 〈◊〉 unccuth imports on plain phrases which none but that some will need at all to mistake which who is such a fool as to be taken with the â—oyâ—shness of them may take and who will not may safely let alone and every wise man will feel to be foolish and every reasonable man will refuse as so 5. 'T is to be noted that when the proper ordinary literal sense of any words do but seem to tend toward their own turns our Divines insist much upon that intent and purport of them though they will needs make them mean another matter then they intend or truly import when the true interpretation of them over turns and thwarts the tenure of their false Doctrines and so Rule o'â—e their Rulâ— as they list according to their own unruly will and lay out the Letter like a piece of lead into what shape sense or form seems good to their own lewd Lesbian or petulant fancies and when it does not â—â—and handsomely to their particular private purpose one way they set it another and sometimes two or three wayes at once not determining which it is but saying It s either this or that or both So Io. Tom. and R. Bax. page 60.62 that Text Iohn 1.9 may be understood of this Light two wayes 1. All who are enlightned 2. The other sense is All sorts and Nations c. but not that of the Qua. though the letter it self imports it But page 35. 1 Pamp. both meanings are the Holy Ghosts the phrases will bear either senses and either of them cross the Qua. interpretation and when they deem they can make any use to help their crazy cause by the literal sense and import of the words then they will have that and so what a deceitful deal of-Do there is with T.D. about the import of the words a very Boy may behold up and down in his two Trisles page 5. 1 Pamp. That expression Luke 17.21 may import that the Kingdome which the Pharisees did upon a mistake look for without them was indeed Mark a Kingdome within them Here it seems T.D. unawares thought the import of the expression would have served his turn and was mistaken it serving the Qua. for truth whereupon upon second thoughts
and truly partaking of the Divine nature and begotten by the light and living Word of Truth from death and darkness into a real union with it self by receiving with meekness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the innate ingrafted word â—am 1.21 by which they become incorporated and as it were transubstantiated into one seed with it self having the Image and glory of God seen upon them and shining in and through them before the world men before whom let your light shine faith Christ Mat. 5.16 Is. 60.1 2 3 c. 2 Cor. 2. ult I say if such men may be stiled the Light of the world as Iohn Baptist was stiled by Christ a burning and shining light Joh. 35 36 then whom yet Christ had a greater witnesâ— Wil I.O. therefore prefer the deaâ— copies of the writings of those living men who wrote from the life light and Spirit of God moving before or at least into an equality with the holy men who under God were the Authors of those writings as they were at first which now are but the fallible â—andyworks of by his own confession but meer fallible Transcribers or if he will will any wise men of God become so foolish with him I trow not in as much as the work-man is more glorious than the work that issues either originally from or but subordinately through his own hands the Writer more honourable than his meer writing as Heb. 3.3 4. Hee who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house for as every outward Writing or Letter yee now have the use of was written by some man as every such house is built by some man but he of whom are all things and he that originally built all things is God indeed Yet me thinks I sent not only I.O. but T.D. also who is so a kâ—n to him that in most matters here hee prosecues the same point unless where he contradicts him and hobbles upon the same notions enthroning the Scriptures or outward Letter very high above the Church whose children it immediately was pend by the hands of and whose meer outward Engine the outward letter is insomuch that I.O. makes it not only dearer to God then the whole world besides p. 171. but also p. 76. the very Darling of God so that his Church whose servant the Letter is and for whose sake written is made by him but some subservant to hold out the honour of the Letter that it may bee the more conspicuous rather then to let her own light image grace glory which is that of God Isa. 10.1 2. shine out before man the duty t is quoth he almost the whole of the Church to hold up that some time and when wee say the Church is a Pillar and Ground of truth from 1 Tim. 3.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which words Pillar and Ground should not bee taken for the supporter or foundation nor inholder of truth in sensu Architectonico which T.D. denies â—e not dispute See p. 356. See p. 355. but grant him his sensum forensem or foreign sense of it in which I.O. also who sayes absurdly however that these words Pillar and Ground may in good coherence of speech refer to the words following viz. the mystery of godliness as well as to the Church will take it in and let them have it yet what follows that the Church is but the Ground and Pillar to set the Letter upon which I.O. calls the light and truth there and to hold forth only the outward literal publication as T.D. pleads p. 18 19. of his 2. Pamph. or the seat or place of residence for the Scripture as upon the Exchange in London are pillars and places upon which hang Tables and Proclamations in no wise surely for though the Pillars of the Exchange are for support as well as shew and so T.Ds. Simile doth not quadrare nor run on all four to bee sure yet to give them the sense of a pillar to hold up or hold out only yet that which the Church is the Pillar to hold up that is hold forth is the Truth whether by or without the Scripture of it between which Truth and the book they both sometimes do distinguish which truth or light is the Foundation or Pillar in sensu Architectonico on which the Church is built and not it on the Church as the letter is which under God the Church that gives no being to the truth or light nor kindles one beam thereof as I.O. sayes but only bears witness to it gives being to and so is in sensu Architonico the Pillar or Foundation of though in sensu forensi of the light and truth only for the Church is more honourable then the letter as the Builder or that which supports the house is more honourable then the house that receives being under God and preservation from it and its Prophets but its less honourable then the light and truth it lives by and hath its being from as a Church in respect of which light and truth t is confest it is not a pillar and ground in sensu Architectonico as it is of the letter but in sensu forensi only that is the seat place or pillar from whence it is held out and shines or as the Church is called Reâ— 1.20 Zach. 4.2 a golden Candlestick that serves to hold out in life and doctrine voice and writing the eternal Word of grace light truth and word of life conveyed in measure to her from the two Olive trees or anointed ones or sons of Oyl the living Word and Spirit that empty themselves into the golden Candlesticks feeding them therewith and from thence shining as God witnesses to the world which two witnesses shining and prophesying to the Church or Candlesticks and through them to the world in power and much patience and sufferings stand before the God of the whole earth Zach. 3. Rev. 11. And if the Saints born of the incorruptible seed the Word of God which liveth and abideth ever may bee stiled the Seed of God Will I.O. thence conclude that a corruptible Letter copied out by corrupt mens hands as the Scripture is at this day may be so stiled also The Word of God took upon him the nature and seed of Abraham but never took upon him however he is written of in it the proper nature of a dead Letter that was written with ink and pen by mens hands There was no time wherein the Word and Light by which all was made was made or born into the true nature of such a Letter but there is a time of its being made flesh and dwelling as their food in the Saints Joh. 1.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 natus est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word was born flesh and dwelt in us Ioh. 6.51 to 64. the bread I give is my flesh c. howbeit all flesh is not the same flesh there is a flesh of Christ that if eaten with a carnal mouth would as so have profited nothing vers 63.