Law above the Gospel and call'd men from the grace of Christ to the works of the Law c. now the Law was but a dead killing letter pronouncing a curse and death not could it quicken spiritually there being no promise in it of writing the Law in our hearts but in the same place he commends his Ministry for the Ministery of the Spirit and of Life therefore this place makes nothing for this wicked cavil of those enemies against the Scriptures V. They equal their books and pamphlets though commonly stuft with non-sense and railing ever with wicked errors to the holy Scriptures then which what can be more disgraceful to the Scriptures and more abominable to all sober spirits This appears clearly to all that have but read their papers for thus they commonly write Moved from the Lord written from the Spirit of the Lord given from the Lord c. and they boast commonly that they speak from God immediately and infallibly as the Apostles did formerly Whether this doth not bring them under that curse Rev. 22.18 for adding to the Scriptures let them look to it VI. They sometimes plead the Church was a long time without the Scriptures and therefore they are not necessary now and if ten thousand of those books were burnt they might do well enough the light in them is sufficient c. This I testifie hath been objected to me and there be others can witnesse it with me For the former part it is an old Popish Argument against the necessity of the Scriptures and I shall only reply what hath been answered the Papists to this formerly Whitaker de perfec Script cap. 7. tells the Papists though of old time when God familiarly shewed himself to the Fathers and by himself manifested to them his will the Scriptures were not necessary yet after God did change the course of teaching his Church and would have the Word written then the Scriptures began to be necessary To the latter part I answer such an expression would suit the mouth of an Irish rebel rather then of any sober Christian and therefore let him repent and pray if perhaps the thought of his heart may be forgiven him VII They appear enemies to the holy Scriptures in their daily practices as their neglecting to use the holy Scriptures Their speakers speak not out of the Scriptures as did Christ Luke 4.17 who opened the book and took his text out of Esay 61.1 and in all his Sermons he opened the Scriptures and proved all things by the Scriptures nor do their speakers exhort people to search the Scriptures to give themselves to reading meditation This they that have been present testifie c. but to look to the light in their consciences let them shew where ever Christ or his Apostles gave such an exhortation to look to the light within them And for their disciples they follow not the example of the noble Bereans Acts 17.11 who searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so but they take all spoken to them as given from God immediately and turn not to the Scriptures to try the doctrines they hear by the Law and testimony When they have no speakers they sit as mutes together looking on the ground or looking at the light within them as they say but not looking on the Scriptures nor conferring about them though sometimes they will read in their Assemblies their quaking letters or books besides some of them have offered to sell their Bibles Now the most ignorant may easily judge by all this what friends they are to the Scriptures I might adde hereunto if it were requisite to shew their enmity to the Scriptures their perverse wresting of the Scriptures in such a manner sometime as shews they have neither knowledge of the Scriptures nor any light of common understanding of men left in them G. Whitehead maintaining of perfection as the Papists do I brought him that place against it Eccles 7.10 not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not he perverted it as if Solomon did speak of a man in an earthy condition Another when that cripture 1 Cor. 6.20 was used to prove that we are not only to give God internal worship and service but outward and bodily he replied the Church was he body that was to glorifie God Again when Paul Rom. 7. cryed out ob wretched man c. he had not the Spirit And that the same Apostle in 1 Cor. 11.14 did not at all condemne long hair And many of them have said that the Apostle 1 Cor. 9.14 saying even so hath the Lord ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel doth not plead for outward bodily maintenance but their living by faith or living spiritually on the Gospel were ever any people more blinded in the world then these how dreadful a judgement is this upon them for leaving the Scriptures and looking to the light in them which appears by these things to be meer darknesse I could fill many pages with such instances of their perverse wrest of the Scriptures but this will appear more fully in the following Sections Let me but summe up these things together and then let the Reader judge whether this first charge is not sufficiently proved against them The proof runs thus if to deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God and thereby to insinuate they never came from God if to deny the special use of the Scriptures to be a rule of faith and obedience and to make as if they belonged to the Saints formerly but did not concern us now if to give vilifying expressions to them and to call them a dead letter if to equal foolish and wicked pamphlets with them if to plead there 's no necessity of them if to practise to slight them and perversly to wrest them if any or if all of these together will prove the Quakers to be enemies to the holy Scriptures then the charge stands good against them Let the weakest hereby discern and see and not be deceived by them though they pretend in words never so fairly to the Scriptures And thus for this first charge SECT II. The Quakers deny Christ come in the flesh as also his Death Resurrection Ascension Intercession and coming to Judgement THe Apostle John in his second Epistle ver 7. speaks of many deceivers and Antichrists come into the world who confesse not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh and forbids to receive such into your houses and to bid them God-speed for such as do so are partakers of their evil deeds Let us therefore in the next place enquire whether the Quakers may be justly charged with this crime that if they be found guilty thereof all such as professe to be Christians may disclaime them and take heed of them as Deceivers and Antichrists I shall here first freely give Testimony for the Quakers and do acknowledge in their behalfs that they have the name of Jesus Christ
gifts in other things as of knowing mens spirits of being infallible of working miracles c. they might finde that there are several words used in Scripture that our translators render the Word of God there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now though the former title be given to Christ yet the latter is not and therefore such places wherein the latter is used can with no colour be expounded of Christ as in Rom 10.17 Eph. 5.26 Eph. 6.17 Heb. 6.5 c. whatever they pretend of the former 4. Let it be considered in what respect Jesus Christ is called the Word and in what respect the Scriptures be called the Word and it will appear this title will with greater propriety of Speech agree to the Scriptures then to Jesus Christ for Jesus Christ is only figuratively called the Word of God that he might through that similitude he hath to a word be more cleerly represented to our understandings as the word is the image and resemblance of ones minde so is Jesus Christ the expresse image of his Fathers person Heb. 1. though no transient image as our words be but co-essential and co-eternal or as the word makes known what is in the minde and heart so hath Christ made known the minde of God unto us others understand he is called the word also because it s he of whom the Word speaks to him give all the Prophets witnesse c. others because he made all things by his Word he spake and they were made But now in none of these respects nor any other that can be further named is Christ properly the word but figuratively But now the doctrines precepts c. of the Scriptures may in a more proper sense and without figure be called the word of God because spoken by God The Lord hath spoken these things by the mouth of his holy servants which have been since the world began Luke 1.70 5. Whereas they call some part of the Scriptures the word of the devil intending thereby that in Gen. 3.1 4 5. and such like places I answer they were the words uttered by the devil originally but now as they be recorded by the penmen of the holy Scriptures and so have a truth of history in them they be the words of God and therefore their malice against the Scriptures only appears herein 6. It would be observed how ignorantly these men do contradict themselves in denying the Scriptures to be the Word of God and yet granting them to be a declaration of Gods minde let them tell what a word is but a declaration of ones minde cannot a childe know that if a man speaks words to another he declares his minde to him what a simple contradiction is this to be found in men that pretend to be infallible but any thing shall be said or done to take down the authority of the holy Scriptures and to lessen the reverence due to them Burroughs against Griffith p. 19. sword drawn p. 1. II. They deny the Scriptures to be a rule of faith and life and hereby seeking to overthrown the great use and end of the Scriptures they are clearly manifested to be enemies to the Scriptures This charge will not be disowned by them for many of their pamphlets manifest their denial of the Scriptures to be a rule of faith and life therefore it rests on me to prove that they are enemies to the Scriptures herein and this will appear in these particulars 1. Without some standing rule and direction given by God we know not how to beleeve in God aright nor worship and serve him acceptably and thereby attain eternal life such as have no standing rule and direction worship they know not what as Christ speaks of the Samaritans John 4. They erre not knowing the Scriptures as Christ saith to the Sadduces Matth. 22.29 The Heathens that wanted the rule of the word what dark apprehensions and misconceivings had they of God and the things of God how utterly ignorant of many mysteries of faith how besotted in worshipping false gods and deceived variously in their searching out the chief happinesse of man Man since the fall hath lost the knowledge of God and is stricken with blindnesse being able only to grope after God as the Sodomites for Lots door so the Apostle phraseth it Acts 17 They feel or grope after him and besides the darknesse of mans minde the seducements of Satan are such who can transform himself into an Angel of light that if we have not something to try the spirits by we may soon be deceived and therefore to have a rule or direction for mans faith and obedience is most necessary seeing man is a reasonable creature and is not acted by a brute impulse but as a free and understanding agent must act what he doth knowingly and with Councel 2. It 's as certain that there is no other way sufficient to direct man to beleeve in God aright and to worship and serve him acceptably and therby attain happinesse but the holy Scriptures As for traditions of men which the Jews formerly and now the Papists equal with the Word of God they lead men further from God and happinesse And for the light in the conscience which the Quakers so highly cry up though it may convince men there is a God as we see by the Heathens that have no other teacher but it yet is it unable to give a man any cleare distinct knowledge of God only a groping knowledge as before was said nor can it teach a man so much as the name of Christ for which of the Heathens know this by the light in the conscience much lesse the great mysteries of Christs incarnation or taking on him flesh of his death and the new Covenant founded on it his Resurrection Ascension c And for matter of practise though it will witnesse against grosse sins and impieties Rom. 2.14 yet how unable is it to convince of original sin the first entrance of sin into the world and death by Adam and of concupiscence or the motions of sin in the flesh that it is sinne when not consented to which the Papists deny to be sinne and it 's likely the Quakers also or else they would not affirm they are perfectly freed from the very being of sin Paul expressely saith he had not known it to be sinne but by the Law Rom. 7.7 it seems then the light in his conscience could not discover it How grosly such have been misled that have given up themselves to heed that light neglecting to use the Scriptures for their light and rule appears sufficiently in the printed relation of Gilpin and Toldervy and by the delusions that this whole company are given up to by God that pretend to follow it Further as for such special and immediate revelations of the spirit that others have boasted of as their guide and direction the woful miscarriages of such Enthusiasts that have pretended thereunto may
you shall be established and kept from falling into the errour of the wicked Heb. 13.9 2 Pet. 3.17 18. And let your obedience to the faith appear to all Rom. 16.19 He that doth the will of God shall know more thereof John 7.17 and shall be established therein It is the great evil of many professors in this age they covet to fill their heads with knowledge and light letting their hearts be empty of holinesse and grace they are much in searching after new lights high notions and discoveries of smaller concernment but little in working upon their spirits the great and saving truths of Christ and in practising known Commandments it 's no wonder if such prove apostates they whose hearts are deceitful under truth may soon be deceived by errour Can we judge that these persons who deny the doctrines of Christs humanity of justification of the resurrection c. ever lived in the power of these truths received down the comfort of them and had their hearts formed into holinesse by them if they had they would have been hereby fortified against such seducers as tempt them to deny these doctrines for my own part I must professe whilst my faith is acting upon these great and precious truths of the Gospel and the comfort and sweetnesse of them is now flowing into my spirit I cannot mention these filthy and abominable errours but it is with highest detestation and abhorrence Let this therefore be the care of every Christian not to rest in a bare notional knowledge but to get a sanctifying experimental and practical knowledge of the things of God III. Be much in prayer that God would give you the spirit of Truth and thereby guide and keep you in the truth Joh. 16.13 In times of infection you use not to stir out of your houses till you pray God to keep you and your families daily had you as sensible apprehensions of the infections and mortall contagion of the heresies now raigning amongst us you would be as much in prayer to God for to keep you and yours daily from them but all the admonitions in the Scripture will hardly perswade people to believe their danger herein 2 Pet. 2 1. 1 Tim. 3.17 are not heresies damnable and extremely infectious and contagious as gangrenes and plagues our own experiences in these times abundantly testifies it if one person in a family be infected with heresie all the rest soon learne it of them even young ones commonly drink it in its more rarely seen that any good is so soon learnt by them and if one house be infected such as live neare thereto or converse with them they are also indangered What need therefore to be much in prayer to God to keep us in these infectious times wherein if it were possible the very elect should be deceived we had need to commend our selves to him who is able to keep us from falling Jude 24. IV. Expose not yourselves to the tentations of Seducers t is in vain to pray to God to keep you from the infection if you wilfully against the expresse Word of God run into the company of Deceivers you are bidden to avoid them Rom. 16.17 to turn away from such 2 Tim. 3.5 6. to beware of them Mat. 7.15 not to go after them Luke 21.8 if they come to you not receive them nor bid them God-speed 2 Joh. 10. What wilful disobedience to all these cleer commands is it when people will venture to go into the company and frequent the meetings of such seducers if Satan take such among his own how justly may God give them up to him as his own this is contrary to the example of the primitive Saints The Apostle John would not stay in the same hath where Cerinthus the heretick was nor would Policarp entertaine acquaintance with Marcion but termed him the first-born of the Devil Ireneus tells us the Apostles and their Disciples were so full of holy fear that they would not communicate with them in the world who had adulterated the Word If you say we may go and hear whether they broach such errors or no what hurt in this we must try all things and hold fast that which is good I answer may you not as well say you will go into the pest-house and see whether the persons there be infected with the plague before you will beware of them how many poor and weak persons are infected with their errours before they can discern what errours they hold And whereas the Apostle 1 Thes 5.21 bids prove all things hold that fast which is good He intends it of the prophecyings spoken of in the former verse all things spoken by the Prophets in the Church should be proved by the Scriptures whether they be so or no and not received only because they say they are of God as the Quakers receive what their teachers deliver to them without trying them by the Scriptures which they deny to be the rule of faith and life but this place makes nothing for the hearing of convicted hereticks and open enemies to the Church If thou beest therefore an humble and sincere Christian that makest conscience of the commands of the Lord then shun deceivers turn away from them go not to their meeting if they come to thee receive them not into thy house nor bid them God-speed but if thou wilt run upon tentations thou hast no promise of God to keep thee it was the devils deceit to perswade men God will protect them out of his way Mat. 4.6 V. Harbour not any sinful lusts in your hearts allow not of any secret sin it 's sin that makes God give up men to errour 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. because they have pleasure in unrighteousness and it 's sin that makes a man like a piece of wax ready to receive the impression of any errour they who are not sound in the fear of God may easily become unsound in the faith of God Hymeneus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1.19 20. first put away a good conscience then made shipwrack of the faith the women that were led captive by seducers 2 Tim. 3. were such as were laden with divers lusts if the heart be corrupt and love sinne it will strongly encline a man to entertaine corrupt principles that will give liberty unto sin how ready will a wicked heart be to close with the wicked errours of the Quakers that there is no resurrection of the flesh no heaven and hell but what is now in this world that after death nothing remains or with the Libertines opinion that sin is no real evil but to him that thinks it evil to him it is evil as Jos Salmon in his touches of good and evil speaks or with the Atheists opinion that there is no God c. look therefore to your hearts to keep them pure if you would not be given up to impure errors love no sin if you would leave no truth VI. Cleave more to the Ministry of the Word and the
sufficiently convince God would have us to heed his word more and try the spirits by that and the grosse and palpable blindnesse of such as want the direction of the Scriptures may shew God is not pleased to use this way of immediate revelations now nor indeed is it the work of God holy Spirit to discover things to us now immediately having already made a full discovery of them in the Scriptures but to open our eyes to see the wonderful things of his Law to apprehend those discoveries of God made in his word and to sanctifie our hearts so as they may close with those truths revealed and rellish them and to remove the natural enmity that is in as to the things of God 3. It hath pleased the Lord of his infinite goodnesse to give his holy Scriptures the Word of God for so now I will call them whether the Quakers will or no that this may be a direction and rule to us of faith and obedience how we are to believe in God and worship and serve him and to direct us to eternal salvation this is a special pledge of Gods love to us though the enemies of truth will not acknowledge it The Lord hath not done so to all Nations neither have the heathen knowledge of his Laws Psalme 147 19 20. and the end of writing them was that we might be directed in our faith and obedience John 20 last These things are written that ye might beleeve c. we are to try the spirits now by them whether they be of God as the noble Bereans did Acts 17.11 we are to go to the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8.20 to search the Scriptures John 5.39 or otherwise we shall be necessarily exposed to errour Matth. 22.29 They are now a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our steps Psal 119.105 and through the words of Gods lips we may be kept from the path of the destroyer Psal 17.4 in a word they are able to make wise to salvation to furnish to all good works they are profitable for doctrine reproof correction instruction in righteousnesse c. 2 Tim. 3.16 17. The Lord accompanying them with the blessing and efficacy of his Spirit And let not any ignorantly pretend it is a disgrace to the Spirit to be tried and regulated by an outward rule for gold may be tryed by a touchstone why may not any doctrine or revelation or practice now though pretended to come from the Spirit be tried by the Scriptures which we are more sure came from the Spirit of God they being a surer word of prophecy then any voice we can heare spoken from heaven 2 Pet. 1.18 19. 4. Now let the weakest Reader if he be not wilfully blinded judg whether these people be not extreamly ingrateful to God for his goodnesse in giving the Scriptures to deny this principal use and end of the Scriptures and whether hereby they declare not themselves enemies thereunto I might shew other uses and ends of the Scriptures that they subvert but this may suffice for this second particular to prove the charge that the Quakers be enemies to the holy Scriptures III. They make Scriptures to be but a declaration of the Saints condition an expression frequently to be found in their writings insinuating thereby as if they belonged not to us now Burroughs p. 30 Glory from North. p. 8 9. but concerned the Saints only in former times for so much its clear they intend by comparing this with the former particular they are the declaration of the Saints conditions in former times but they are no rule of faith and life to us what do they then concern us what need we regard them what benefit have we by them A most unworthy expression when God hath written to us the great things of his word and we account them a strange thing Hosea 8.12 as if they did not at all concern us and the Lord had not spoken those things to us but to others But as it delares their enmity against the Scriptures so is it a very false assertion There be some part of the Scriptures that do more concern us now in these last dayes of the world then they did the Saints in former times as many Prophetick Scriptures in Dauid and the Revelations and for other Scriptures the Apostle faith what ever was written was written for our learning Rom. 15.4 and for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world be come 1 Cor 10.6 11. The example of Christ and his Apostles teaches us to make use of the whole Wood of God they frequently cited the writings of Moses and the Prophets in the book of the Psalmes applying them to that generation why may not we then apply the same as also the writings of the New Testament for our benefit In Heb. 13.5 The Apostle applies that promise made to Joshuah to the beleeving Hebrews I will not have thee nor forsake thee See 1 Cor. 7.1 where the Apostle applies the promises made by the Prophet Jer 31.1 to the Corinthians and presses them to duty from thence and indeed to what end are they written down and by the gracious providence of the Lord preserved to this day but for our use and benefit it 's needlesse to adde more here that which was spoken in the former particular will also clear this IV. They call the Scriptures reproachfully a letter a dead letter c. as may be seen in their writings frequently which is but a piece of Popish Rhetorick for this hath been the language of Papists before them who have called them a dead letter divinity of ink and paper with many more such opprobrious tearms But whether we should beleeve Papists and Quakers in vilifying the Scriptures or credit the holy penmen their commendation of them judge ye David saith The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule the testimonies of the Lord are sure making wise the simple the Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart the Commandments of the Lord are pure enlightning the eyes c. and Psalme 119.50 Thy word hath quickened me The Apostle James 1.18 saith he begot us with the word of truth Paul saith faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 's not said by the personal word Jesus Christ but by the word that is preached by men not that we exclude the co-operation of Gods Spirit with preaching for we are workers together with God 2 Cor. 6.1 but that the word written and preached might have it's due place and commendation being mighty through God the power of God to salvation and therefore no dead letter It is a grosse perverting of that Scripture 2 Cor. 3.6 to alledge it for to prove the Scriptures to be a dead letter for the Apostle there compares the doctrine or ministration of the Law and the old Covenant with the ministration of the Gospel Covenant disputing against such as commended the