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A30904 Truth cleared of calumnies wherein a book intituled, A dialogue betwixt a Quaker and a stable Christian (printed at Aberdeen, and upon good ground judged to be writ by William Mitchell ...) is examined, and the disingenuity of the author, in his representing the Quakers is discovered : here is also their case truly stated, cleared, demonstrated, and the objections of their opposers answered according to truth, Scripture, and right reason / by Robert Barclay. Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690. 1670 (1670) Wing B738; ESTC R22049 63,242 72

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sure then that VVord light life and Spirit from which they came Had not the Scriptures all their sureness from the inward testimony of the spirit How then can they be more sure Thy example of the Schoolmaster the coppy servs not thy turne for the Spirit is unto the Saints both their teacher their Coppy And they need not goe forth for a Coppy if they vvalk according to this by looking upon it eying it they shal be good Schollers Proficients hee writes them a living Coppy in their hearts engraves it on fleshly tables whereas they who looke upon no other Coppy but the VVords without them are those who are ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth Pag. 19. Thou askest why wee disjoine the Spirit and the Scriptures citing Isaiah 50. 21. Answ. Wee are not to disjoine what the Lord putteth together somtimes the Spirit joineth or concurreth with the Scripture VVords and sometimes not how many preach and pray and read the Scriptures and talke of them without the joint concurrence of the Spirit Which wee say they ought not to doe the Scriptures should never be used to preach and pray c. But in the concurrence and assistance of the Spirit for they are not of true use to any without the Spirit but yee disjoine them who would have praying in the letter and useing of it without the motion of the Spirit to such the Scripture is indeed but a dead letter and it is nowayes a reproach unto them to be so called Yea what are the best of men without the Spirit but dead men and this is not a reproach to them but their Glory so nor is it to Scripture Thou sayest they are said to be a killing letter and this shewes that they are not dead Answ. A poor argument indeed Can not dead things kill if men feed upon them If thou feedest upon sand gravell stones shells will not these things kil thee though they be dead And if thou feedst upon the letter without thee and not upon the life thou canst not live yea if one that lived did depart from feeding upon the life to feed upon the letter it would kill him And as for that Scripture cited by thee it makes very much against thee to wit Isaiah 59. 21. For it is one thing for God to put VVords into mens mouths and far another for men to gather these VVords from that without and put them into their owne mouths nor doth it say that the VVords God shall put into their mouths shall be no other words more or lesse but the expresse scripture words why art thou not ashamed to cite this scripture doe yee not say to speake as the infallible Spirit givs utterance is ceased a●d consequently Gods putting VVords into the mouth Gods furnishing them with VVords suggested from his owne Spirit and life which the holy Prophets and Apostles vvitnessed to speake as moved by the holy Ghost doe yee not say this is ceased why then citest thou a scripture which is so plaine and clear for it but that thou art in blindnes and confusion Pag. 19. In thy procedure upon the point of justification thou makest a large step in that crooked path of deceipt wherein Thou hadst too much traced from the beginning but now more abundantly then ever thou displayest the Banner of thy disingenuity and gatherest all thy forces together it should seeme resolving to give the Quakers a finall over throw And to make the matter misty in the very entry of it thou raisest Dust to thy self venting thy own filthy imaginations under the notion of coming from them applauding thy endeavours as if thou wert studying to preserve pure the principle of justification in a point where none is jumbling it among us as thou advancest a litle further Pag. 20. 21 having given a very scant account of their doctrine in this matter couching it in most disadvantagious terms thou takest great liberty to extend thy selfe in a foolish and vaine excursion as if having fathomed the Quakers thou hadst discovered them to be either turned or turning rank Papists therefore to trace thee throughly in this matter that if it be possible thou maist come to have a discovery of thy Vanity and malice or though thou shouldst prove irrecoverable yet others may have a view of both I shall first in honesty and plainnes declare the principle of truth in this matter thereby observing thy misrepresentations Secondly shew what vast difference is betwixt us and the Papists therein And thirdly make manifest how much nearer of kin yee are to the Papists even as to this particular and the things relating thereunto then wee which may serve as a seasonable shower to allay that windy triumph vvhich thou endeavourest to establish unto thy selfe As to the first vvee are justified by Christ Jesus both as hee appeared and was made manifest in the flesh at Ierusalem and also as hee is made manifest and revealed in us and thus wee doe not divide Christ nor his righteousnes without from his righteousnes within but wee doe receive and embrace him wholly and undivided THE LORD OVR RIGHTEOVSNES Ieremiah 23. 6. 1. 30. By which wee are both made and accounted righteous in the sight of God and which ought not nor cannot be divided And the manner and way wherby his righteousnes and obedience death and sufferings without become profitable unto us and is made onrs is by receiving him and becoming one with him in our hearts embraceing and entertaining that holy seed which as it is embraced and entertained becometh a holy birth in us which in Scripture is called Christ formed within Christ within the hope of glory Gal. 4. 19. Coloss. 1. 27. By which the body of sin and death is done away and wee cleansed and washed and purged from our sins not imaginarily but really and we really and truly made righteous and holy and pure in the sight of God which righteousnes is properly enough said to be the righteousnes of Christ for it is immediatly from him and stands in him and is as unseparable from him as the beams are from the sun and it is through the union betwixt him and us his righteous life and nature brought forth in us and wee made one with it as the branches are with the vine that wee have a true Title and right to what hee hath done and suffered for us for being so closely united to Christ his righteousnes becometh ours his obedience ours his death and suffrings ours thus wee know hiw and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffrings being made conformable to his death Philip. 3. 10. By which nearnes and fellowship wee come to know an unity with the suffring seed both in our selves and others and therein to travell for its raising and deliverance which yet no wayes derogats from the worth of the sacrifice hee offred up unto God without the gates of Jerusalem while
his outward coming for which you have no ground to say that hee bid them observe it till his outward coming so many hundred years after for the Scripture speakes nothing so but thus yee shew forth my death till I come now wee say hee did come according to his promise in a Spirituall and inward way of appearance in their hearts feeding them with the heavenly food and refreshment of his owne life and Spirit which is the substance and concerning this coming hee spoke unto them in many places particularly Iohn 14. 18. I will not leave you fatherlesse I will come unto you Yet a little while and the world seeth me not but yet shall see me and ver 23. If any man love me hee will keep my word and my Father will love him and wee will come unto him and make our abode with him which coming was inward according to vers 20 you in me and I in you And those that witnessed him thus come needed not outward bread and wine to remember them of him for his owne Spirit would bring all things to their remembrance they need not looke upon the figure and shadovv who have the Substance Paul said wee looke not upon things which are visible neither will Gods condescendence to their weaknesse who were but newly redeemed from out of a masse of heathenish superstitions prove a command or a rule to the whole Church or a warrant for any now to be found in the Administration thereof to hold up the outward figure doe cloake themselvs by shutting out and denying the Spirituall appearance of Christ as hee doth immediatly reveal himselfe in his children in whom he has made manifest the substance which ends the shadow For an Eighth Reason thou sayest that persons vvho cast off this ordinance are their soules great enemies for they stand in the vvay of their soules Spirituall good in that this is a Spiritual nourishing strengthening ordinance where Spirituall food is offered and delicate meat and drink for strengthening believers in their journey to heaven To vvhich I ansvver that those vvho neglect and despise having fellovvship and communion vvith God and laugh and scoffe at the usefull and necessary duety of vvaiting upon the Lord in silence vvherein his children feele their soules nourished with the Body and blood of Christ and with spirituall Manna which descends from heaven and is distilled into their soules not only once or twice a year which are the seasons wherein that which thou termst Spirituall food is ministred among you but daily and hourely by the fresh incoms of life such indeed are to their souls great enemies though they be sticking to the performance of some externall ceremonies wherein in former times God in condescendence to some becaus of the simplicitie of their hearts appeared and yet even then frequently as much and more at other tymes But now the Sun is set upon those who will needs be upholding the shadovv in opposition to the substance therefore their table is become polluted and may more truely be termed the table of devils then the communion of the Body of Christ where a mixt multitude of all sorts of wicked persons living out of Gods fear sit downe together being seemingly in words excommunicated from approaching by the Preacher and yet presently admitted to it by the same and to turne away from such an Ordinance so called is no sin nor hurt but all who become obedient to the light of Christ in them will find it their place to forsake it as being such an ordinance vvhich the Apostle said touch not tast not handle not vvhich is all to perish vvith the using In the fourth place Pag 41 thou vvilt prove that the ministerie of the vvord is an ordinance of Iesus Christ becaus first Christ appointed Ministers and Pastors to be in his Church But this cannot be asserted in opposition to the Quakers vvho grant the same And vvhy citest thou Eph. 5. 11. and. 1. for 12. 8. which if they prove the contin●ance of Pastors and teachers prove also the continuance of Prophets Evangelists and Apostles vvhich yee deny As to the second Reason that the Ministrie is not common to all but that there be some Pastors and teachers is also ovvned by us Yet that hinders not but that any at a time may speake vvhen the Saints are mett together as the Lord moves by his Spirit according to 1. Cor. 14. 31. for it is one thing to be particularly called to the Ministrie and another to be moved to speak at a particular time vvhich distinction that it vvas usuall among the Apostles in the Primitive times is easilie observed in the forenamed Chapter For a Third Reason thou sayest whom God calleth to the Ministrie he doth it either immediatly without the intervention of men or mediatly by men authorised for that purpose but for this thou bringst no proofe neither art thou able to make out that ever God called any under the nevv covenant so mediatly to their Ministrie by men as they vvere not to have an immediate call in themselves Though the approbation of good and experienced men in its place is not denyed by us but dearly ovvned Fourthly thou sayest who ever pretends to an immediate call they ought for the satisfaction of others to shew signes and tokens of their Apostleship to which I ansvver That those who come preaching the Gospell not in speech only but also in Power and in the holy Ghost and in the evidence and demonstration thereof As it is 1. Thess. 15. and. 1. Cor. 2. 4. give sufficient proofe that they are called of God though they come not vvith outvvard miracles And though Paul came to some vvith miracles vvhere hee preached the Gospell yet many believed vvho savv no outvvard miracle Also many of the Prophets vvrought no miracle nor Iohn the Baptist. And though some miraculous things came to passe about his Conception and birth those doe not of themselves prove him to be a Prophet for miraculous things miracles vvere vvrought upon many vvho vvere no prophets If Miracles be necessarie to evince a man sent of God hee must come vvith these Miracles before the people vvhich Iohn did not nor did Ionas come vvith any Miracle to convince the Ninivites but simply declared his message And Iohn Calvin asserteth that there is no need of Miracles and yet hee maintaineth that in his day God raised up Apostles or Evangelists saying that it vvas needfull such should be to bring back the poor people that had gone astray after Antichrist Lib. 4. Chap. 3. Inst. Neither did any Protestants pretend to doe any Miracles they pleading against the Papists that there was no absolute need of any in respect they preached not a new Gospell but that which was already confirmed with miracles by Christ and his Apostles And so thy plea against us here is the same that vvas urged by the Papists against the primitive protestants An evill and adulterous generation said Christ
that all vvho ever sinned actually it was upon the occasion of Adams sin For the Apostle is here speaking not of Infants who are not capable of any Law but of such as have a Law and act against it Yea from the Apostles words in the other following Verse it is plaine that sin is not imputed to Infants For saith hee Sin is not imputed where there is no Law Now there is no Law given to Infants as such For they are not capable of it What the Law sayeth it sayeth to them vvho have in more or lesse some exercise of understanding which Infants new borne have not or if the words be translated in which all have sinned that vvord VVHICH hath a nearer relative then ADAM to wit Death for the seed of sin is justly called Dea●h becaus where it is joined unto and obeyed it killeth and so in this seed all have sinned who ever did actually sin and as for the verse 18 of Rom. 5. which is commonly used to prove infants guiltie and under condemnation it is not tightly translated for the word judgement or condemnation or guilt is not at all in the Greek but those who have drunk in this imagination have added this word to the Scripture so bending and bowing the Scripture to their false opinion And whereas tho● sayest wee were all in the loins of Adam and therfore wouldest inferre that infants are sinners in him or guiltie of his sin I say It followes not more then to say wee are guiltie of all the sins of our Fore-fathers becaus wee have beene in their loins again thou labourest to prove that Infants are sinners becaus they are subject to pains and diseases and death But this proveth them not to be sinners as it proveth not that the Earth is a Sinner or that the Herbs and Trees of the field are sinners for even these things have suffred by Adams fall a great decay And as for the outward Death of those that are saved from eternal Death it is rather a sleep then a Death as Christ said concerning La●arus hee sleepeth and concerning the Maid shee is not Dead but sleepeth And therefore that Scripture Rom. 6 23. cannot be applyed to them who dye not or perish not eternally for though the Saints lay downe the outward man it is not as the punishment or reward of their Sins which are forgiven and from which they are delivered And so the sting of Death being taken away in those who are saved it is not that Death which is the wages of Sin and seeing the Apostle said unto the Saints that all things were theirs even Death it cannot be that their Death should be reckoned the wages of their Sin how many of the blessed Martyrs have looked upon their suffering a most violent Death for truth and righteousnes as a Gift of God How then could it be said to be the wages of their Sins which implye as if their Sins were not all freely forgiven Pag. 48. From this doctrine thou sayest it will follow First that all Infants that die in their infancy are saved and though charity may be pleaded for this opinion thou sayest yet what Scripture can be alledged for it Answ. If I should bring that Scripture Suffer little Children to come unto me for of such is the Kingdome of Heaven It will much more naturally flow from the words then that they ought to be sprinckled which is the meaning yee put upon them And whereas some object it is not said of them but of such I answer but that such includeth them and all others who are like them in harmlesnesse otherwise if they had beene excluded hee would not have given it as a reason why hee bid suffer them to come unto him but besides the 18. Chap. ver 20. of Ezekiel is a plaine proofe The soul that sinn●th shall die the Son shall not bear the fathers iniquitie unlesse that the Son be found acting the same iniquity and continuing in it for then hee visits the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children Now thou hast produced no Scripture to prove that any infants doe perish and indeed there is nothing in Scripture for it but against it Secondly thou sayest it would follow that infants dying in their infancy stood no in need of Christ as a Saviour for hee is a saviour to save his People from their sinnes Answ. Hee is a Saviour not only to save from sins but also from the consequences of sin and not only from the fruits and branches of it but from the seed and they are saved from sin who are not suffered to fall into it And so these infants whom the Lord takes away in their infancie that they might not sin are saved from it It is salvation to be kept from falling into a pit as truly as to be taken out of it after the falling in And as for that Scripture it maketh against you Math. 1. 12. For it speaketh of a salvation from sin wheras you dreame of a salvation in your sins Nor doeth Rom. 7. 24. Speake of infants so thy citing it here is impertinent And though there be a time wherin there is a crying out for deliverance from the body of sin and death yet there is also a time of deliverance from it even before the laying downe of the outward body as is plaine from Rom. 6. 6. 7. Knowing this that the old man is crucified and hee that is dead is freed from sin Yet wee acknowledge there is great occasion to be low and to be in great feare and care left sin which is once crucified revive againe Pag. 48. Thou chargest us as holding a falling away from Regeneration and as agreeing therein with Arminians But if the Arminians hold a falling away from Regeneration wee hold no such matter For those who fall away never attained unto the Regeneration and so were never the children of God but only were in the way to it by having attained to some beginings of Faith from which some may and have fallen away for that it is expresly said by Christ some beleive and afterwards fall away and some depart from the faith and make shipwrack of it and some who have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come fall away These and many such instances are in Scripture nor do the Scriptures cited by thee prove the contrary as Philip 1. 6. which is to be understood no otherwise then as the condition is performed upon their part As Heb. 3. 14. wee are made partakers of Christ if wee hold fast the principle of our establishment or wherby wee are established firme unto the end and so these who hold fast this Principle witnesse the work which God hath begun in them to be carried on untill the day of Christ even till hee be compleatly formed in them and they in him It may be supposed that Paul was as confident that God would perfect the VVork begun in himselfe and yet hee
not so much as once bowed a knee to call upon God in their families What ground hast thou for this thy beliefe May they not bow their knees in their families though it be hid from the observation of malicious eyes who may so asperse them May they not pray in secret and be seene of the Father to pray according to Matth. 6. 6. Though they cannot be seene by the eyes of malicious Spyes And where a publick testimony in words is required it is also given nor doe wee know any friends of truth who have any whom they can joine with in Prayer in the family but doe meet together in the family and wait together breath together and pray together and that much oftener then thou insinuats sometimes without and sometimes with the outward signification of words so that wee returne this thy charge as false and malicious Thou sayest If this impulse be denyed for Years men all that while according to us must not pray But here thou speakest as one wholly unacquainted with the wayes and motions of the Spirit to suppose such a case which cannot be for the breathings and motions of the Spirit and especially unto Prayer are very frequent unto those who wait for them and are as necessary unto the Children of God as their dayly bread yea and more which the Father withholdeth not but giveth in due season But many times the Spirit of Prayer is felt to move and is answered when there is no liberty given to speake words in the hearing of others nor is thy other supposition lesse vaine and foolish that if aman were at the gates of death and in danger of present drowning yet without an impulse as thou callest it hee must not adventure to cry to God for mercy and help for suppose he did cry vvithout all help of the Spirit vvhat vvould it avail him vvould it have any acceptance vvith God Shew us vvherever a spiritlesse prayer vvas accepted of God or required Nay it is a vaine oblation vvhich is expresly forbidden and it is expresly commanded that praying be alvvayes in the spirit Eph. 6. 18. And as for the Saints vvhen they are dying or in any difficulty wee know the Spirit of prayer will never be wanting to breath through them at such occasions and to give words as there is a service for them But further thou alledgest that this Principle of ours leadeth to woefull security for what need you be d●●quieted for refraining prayer before God thou sayest or any other piece of service seing you have salve at hand to heal this sore and that is the want of an impulse Answ. If any fall into security and refraine prayer it is not that our Principle leadeth into it for our Principle leadeth out of all security into continuall watching unto prayer and wating upon the motions of the Spirit of God now if any feel not these motions they are nothing the lesse guilty becaus by their neglect they provoke the Lord to withhold them and render themselves out of frame to feel or entertaine them and thus who neglect the worship of God are justly under condemnation and if they have peace it is but a false peace which will faile them and as for our peace wee have found it to be great peace but wee have not come by it after such a way as thou doest falsely and rashly judge as by neglecting the worship of God and stopping the mouth of conscience but by being turned to that living VVord and Law of God in our hearts by loving it and cleaving to it yea by receiving the reproofes chastisements of God through it and submitting to the judgement of it when it hath beene as a hammer and as a sword and as a fire in us breaking in pieces and destroying all that false unsound peace wee had created to our selves in the day of our alienation from the light of God in us And unto peace wee are come through great tribulation of soule even such as thou art a stranger unto being ignorant both of the one and the other and so hast therein shewed thy folly in judging what thou knowest not And as for woefull security wee know not where it more abounds then among hypocriticall professors who with the VVhore in the Proverbs offer up their sacrifices of morning and evening prayers and thereby create a peace to themselves though they let their hearts goe a whoring after their lusts all the day did not the Pharisees pray much outwardly and were much in orher outward practises of devotion and so created a false peace and esteeme unto themselves And can you deny but that there are many such among you who make up a false peace to themselves by leaning upon their outward performances Now what If I should charge this upon your Principle wouldst thou think it fair dealing Thirdly Pag. 52. Thou sayest Doth not that opinion tend to Atheisme which rendreth mortification of sin even in this life useless c. Answ. Here thou dealest disingenuously Is mortification of sin uselesse where the end of it is attained And is not perfection the end of mortification Againe thou sayest The opinion of a sinles perfection wounds the very vitals of Religion Answ. Who could have expected that one that pretends to Religion would have beene so brazen-faced as to put such an expression in print What is the end of true Religion but to lead out of sin Do the vitals of Religion consist in sinning or in not sinning If it consist in sinning then they that Sin most are most religious But if it consist in not sinning and keeping the commandements of God without sin then to plead for such a thing as attainable hurteth not the vitals of Religion What! Cannot the Saints live better without sin then with it Yea surely they can live well without that which is a burden and as Death unto their life they whose life is in sin cannot live but in sin but the Saints life is not in sin but in righteousnes And thy consequences are vaine and foolish as 1. That men need not pray for pardon of sin 2. That they need not the Blood of Christ to cleanse them from sin 3. That they need not repentance For wee grant that all have sinned and so need those things by which they may attaine unto perfection and who witnesse perf●ction are come to witnesse the true use of these things and as the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all the sin so is preserveth cleane and such have received the forgivenes of their sins being turned from them unto righteousnes which is the fulfilling of repentance And vvhereas thou sayest Bring me to the particular person that is sinlesse and I shall apply to him that of the Apostle 1. Ioh. 1. 8. Thou shevvest openly thy confusion for by thy applying to him that of the Apostle vvouldest thou inferre a sinlesse man to be a sinning man That is a contradiction but though vvee should bring a man to