Spirit but the dark Lanthorn of their own Imagination Ah poor deluded Soul I. O. whom I pitty more really and unfeignedly then thou the Quakers and for pitties sake dare not spare sharpnesse towards thy proud-fleshly Wisdom that interposes and opposes it self against the Light and Power of God in a shew of Science falsly so called that thy Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Thou talkest of certainty of thy Rule which is the Letter and of stedfast Relief against all Vncertainty thereby Alas poor heart whence come all those huge heaps and whole Chapters of Vncertainty it self which thy Tâ—o Treatises doth wholly stand in but from that utter Vncertainty that is in thy meerly literal Rule which thou there Treatest upon that is so far from stedfastnesse that thou art forced to Confesse more variety in it at last then at first entrance to Treat on its fixednesse thou wast either witting or willing enough to do which Rule or Letter as much as it hath been and is capable to be wrested is not by far at such uncertainty in it self as ye that Profess to be Ruled by it and stand upon it as your Basis are at endlesse odds and infinite uncertainty in your Conjectures and Guesses about it insomuch that it grieves me not a little for your sakes to see your Souls so sunk over Head and Ears in Confusion and confused Noises about it in which the sweet still voice and silent whisperings of the Spirit of Christ within can have no Audience in that crowd of Pro and Cons that ye are cumbred with about your very Foundation which ye have not found yet so as to this day to abide fixt and firm or to be quiet concerning it in any Academies upon earth but in vain Ianglings in all Corners thereof from one end of Christendom to another Yea I professe in the sight of God that in such grief and bowels I write about it that this Page and Passage passes not from under my Pen without being watered with many Tears for your sakes whom I see perishing by your own Iuglings unlesse happily ye will yet be pull'd as Brands out of the fire And in no wise think I.O. that I am so Angry at your Folly which the Deceit may suggest unto you as offended at the Enmity it self that flyes up within you and befools you And seeing that thou I.O. seemeth to beg wish and hope for such a thing Crying out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in case of novelty of Points and variety of Lections as nor seeing any means of being delivered from utter uncertainty in and about all sacred Truth that those who have more Wisdom and Learning and are able to look throw all the Digladiations that are like to ensue on these Principles would nather take the pains to instruct thâ—e and such as thou art then be angry or offended with you that ye are not so wise or learned as themselves And desiring such as are shaken in mind to read the useful Miscellany Notes of as thou callst him the Learned Mr. Pocock Reply 1. Not as one Angry or Offended that ye are not so Wise or Learned as my self Nor 2. As one pretending to much of that ye call Wisdom and Learning which lyes more in outward Tongues Arts or Sciences falsly so called then in that of the Spirit for want of which Peter calls men never so wise and well Learned otherwise both unlearned and unstable and for all their buste buslings about it not Openers but Wresters of the Scripture to their own ruine which shelly shallow Theory into things of that nature perhaps I have forgotten more of for the naked Gospels sake then many of our Preachers of the Gospel for Pay ever learned and yet have enough left whereby to discern many Country Teachers or Doctors to be Dunces in it yet what ever my measure is more or lesse further then as an Earthly Talent foolish Instrument or Wooden Tool for a long time laid aside and here taken up again to serve the Truth with against those that fight therewith against Truth it s utterly lost and become dung and losse it self to me for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Lord that Spirit in the Spirit and Truth in the inward parts And of that aforesaid thin foamy Speculation I acknowledge that many of you have not only much more then my long since Countrified self but much more also then either does good or does you good unlesse ye had more of the true Wisdom from above whereby to use it to a better end then ye do Yet 3dly As one who have obtained so much Mercy and Ability froÌ„ God to see throw all the Digladations that are likely to ensue on the Principles that are now in agitation among your selves as wel as between the Quakers and your selves I herein take so much pains as is worth so much Patience as ye men of War are like to have with me for so doing and tell you in the Name and Dread of the living God whether ye bear or forbear that the shakings of mind that are among the learned Lievtenants of Antichrist at their Gates of Hell as honest Iohn Hus and learned Luthur stiled the Vniversities about their own literal and fallible Foundation will assuredly end in the final fall of it as a Foundation and all the Digladiations of those swattering Sword-men who pretend to be fighting with the Sword of the Spirit about their supposed Sword of the Spirit i.e. the bare outward Letter which they mistake for the Word of God when in Reality they are at it with but the Scabbard about the Scabbard will end in no lesse then the very sheathing of the true Sword of the spirit in the bowels of the Babel builders that are so blindly busie about it in their divided speeches confounded languages and in the bringing down the Babel which ye all agree to build upon it whereby to over-top the light and Truth it self the Letter talks on the fall and coming down of which Tripple Tower of the Tripple Tribe of Levi the Clergy or lot as they call themselves of the Lords own Inheritance hath already raised from their Thrones all the Kings of the Nations and moved Hell from beneath to meet them Isa. 14.9 And what work more will attend this great Catastrophe of that Chaos even the Old Heaven and Earth the worldly Rudiments of which begin to melt and the frail foundations thereof to shake that they may remove and the New come in place that must remain will as the Lord lives make the Eares to tingle in a little time to come that now refuse to hear of it from the Tongues and Pens of the Lords Prophets to whom it is revealed and their minds amazed and their Hearts shake and shiver that harden themselves against the troublesome Testimony of it Wherefore if thou art in earnest in thy Enquiry I tell thee I.O. by way of Answer
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
the house then some light from the Sun must be within the said Room also so wee argue Retro from hence If the dark place where the day is to dawn as the lesser light therein is observed be the heart then the place wherein the lesser light shines which even therefore secundum vâ—s O ye bâ—nighted ones cannot be the Letter must be the heart also but verum prius c. the first is true therefore the latter We have a more sure word of Prophesie to which ye do well to give heed as to a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts 2. The word of Prophesie or Prophetical word is a phrase that of it self seems to any but blinde Expositors to intend another thing than the outward Letter and to found forth no less then that more inward Word or immediate Testimony of Christ himself in the conscience elsewhere stiled the Words of Prophesie or Word of God and Witness or Testimony of Iesus or Spirit of Prophesie from which of which and to which the holy men that were internally illuminated thereby and made acquianted with Gods secrets bare Record or Testiminy without by Voice or Writings Rev. 1 2 3.19 10. the trâ—e and faithful words of the Lord himself inlightning such as wrote the Letter who having no need so to do the Lord and the Lamb being their light wrote not by though not against the Directory of I.Os. outward Candle Moon or Sun ad extra i.e. the external Text of others Writings Rev. 21.23 22.25.6 the Words of the Prophesie of this booke as Iohn calls it Rev. 22 8. i.e. the inward Spirit of Prophesie or Testimony of Iesus from which all Prophesie went forth whether by voice or writing which the Angels and Gods servants the Prophets had and kept Rev. 22 9 compared with Rev. 19.10 which book I.O. dreams 't is like was the outward Writing or Copy that Iohn gave forth the uncertain Copies of which to say nothing of the doubts of the old dimn sighted Doctors that were at oddes about the outward Book called the Revelation and some others even of those that are owned as Authentick whether they are not spurious yea or nay only are extant at this day little deeming that was an inward Book which I.O. tells us of too if he will own his own words p. 9. 25. which Iohn took in at first from which he gave out the the other and prophesied in the way of manual wiriting even the inner book of Gods secrets which are only with such as fear him revealed to Christ by the Father and by Christ to Iohn and opened by Christ to his servants at this day who eat it and prophesie out of it again before many Peoples Nations Tongues and Kings though sealed with 7 seals to the Scribes on the backside or outside of it on which backside or outward letter they are busily poring but they cannot read it neither learned nor unlearned because it is a Book sealed Rev. 5.3.10.2 9 10 11 12. Isa 29 9 ao 11 11. 3. That very Epethite which to the Word of Prophesie here spoken of is annexed doth even infallibly evidence it to be intended of that inner Word Spirit and light in the conscience which the Qua. call too and thou scoffest at and not at all of that fallible external Text which thou art so talkative for for it s called a sure permanent firm or stable Word which is more then can be saving all thy blinde bable about it asserted of the best and most original Copies of that Letter thou contendest for that are extant in the world in these dayes and not only so but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a more sure or stable word then that voice which Peter Iames and Iohn heard immediately from heaven out of the Fathers own mouth concerning his beloved Son Christ the light of the world given as a light to the Nations shining and shewing the will of God to them in every one 's own heart so Gods salvation to the ends of the earth saying unto them Hear ye him v. 17. comp with Mat. 27.5 which voice coming from the excellent glory which was infallibly sure to them no cunningly devised fable they heard when they were with Christ in the holy Mount Now the Word Spirit voice and light of Christ in the conscience is properly and truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a more stable firm and permanent Word or standing Rule constant Canon and lasting light and so more sure to us ward then that voice to them not surer in respect of its evidence to the hearers of it or the security given by it that it was no fable nor fancy in which sense thou most foolshly fanciest p. 66. that the immediate voice above said absit absurdum was not so sure i.e. not so certainly evident to be Gods voice as the Letter is certainly evident to be Gods Word for in that sense the said voice was to them that heard it most infallibly sure or evident so as nothing can bee surer to be God and I.O. in saying as he dotingly doth p. 66. that comparatively we have greater security from and by that written Word meaning the Scriptures or Writing for that is the Word written with all along such is his illiterate language then they had in and by that miraculous voice as he calls it and that the Scripture is more sure in respect of its giving out of its evidence to us then that voice of God was doth thereby absit blasphemia render the very voice of God himself whereby he spake in and to the Prophets that wrote the Scriptures to us less sure and certain more doubtful and questionable whether it might not be a mistake or no then the outward Writing or Text they wrote as it is transferred to our hands at this day through the hands of such a mighty multitude of fallible Transcribers none at all of which no not the first were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infallible or divinely inspired so that they could not in any thing mistake by his own confession p. 167. where I.O. confesses and grants also that it s known that failings have been among them from whence various lections of which it cannot be ascertained to men now which is right which wrong are arisen which so variously transcribed Scripture it is shame enough for I.O. to assert as he doth p. 10. under that term of Word by which he terms it and p. 153 under its own name of Scripture that it is come forth to us from God without the least mixture â—r intervenience of medium obnoxious to fallibility as is the wisdome truth integrity knowledge and memory of the best of all men or capable to give change or aâ—teration to the least Iota or syllable and more shame yet to say as hee doth p 27. that every Apex of it is equally Divine and as immediately from God as the voice wherewith or
D. makes no better then dung loss and filthy rags to both the Justification Sanctification and Salvation of sinful men from All their sins then the Quakers do who are by the Parish peoples Blind Leaders most abominably belyeâ— to them as denyers of it And because we do not with the misty Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the meer Letter which the Apostles were not Ministers of but of the Mystery of the New Testament or the Spirit 2 Cor. 3 own the bare External Text of Scripture which themselves confesse to be corrupted vitiated altered and adulterated in all Translations to be at leaâ—t in their Heb. and Greek Transcripts of it entire in every Tittle Letter Vowel Syllable and Jota the self same without any losse as it was at the first giving out but say it hath suffer'd much losse of more then Vowells single letters and single lines also yea even of whole Epistles and Prophecies of inspired men the Copies of which are not by the Clergy Canoniz'd nor by the Bible-sellers bound up in the Bulk and compasse of their modern Bibles and specially because we own not the said alterable and much altered outward Text and Letter or Scripture but the Holy Truth and inward Light and Spirit which the Scripture it self testifyes to which at times that Text and Letter came from to be as to Name and Thing and that properly the Word of God which is Living the only firm infallible Foundation of all Saving Faith and invariable Right Rule of holy Life the most sure sound Balis stable Standard True Touchstone for the due Tryal determination and discerning of all true Doctrines of Christ from mens Tradition and cunningly devised Fables Therefore they cry out against us as Siders with Jews Papists Athiests and All Scripture haters as decrying the due Authority of the Scriâ—tures as such by whom Satan assaults the sacred Truth of the Word of God in its Authority Purity Integrity and Perfection and as Opposers of the Scripture and the Word of God as to both Name and Thing witnesse J. O's Epiâ—t Dedicatory of his doings againâ—t the Quakers to all young Divinity Students p. 28.30 and elsewhere as is seen hereafter Whereas how though Christ and his living Word in the heart which the Scriâ—ture exalts also is Exalted onely on the Throne yet the Scriptures are owned by us in their due place and how though Christs Light and Spirit alone in the Conscience is according to the Scripture asserted to be the only most perfect Rule Foundation c. and not the â—etter as they darkly Divine yet the Letter is acknowledged by us full as much as it is by it self to have been written by men moved of Gods Spirit and to be useful profitable servicable c. to be read and heeded and how all-J O's lying Calumnies against the Quakers as concerning their carriage to the Scriptures and the Word of God and the Foundation and Rule c. are clearly wiped away and cashiered as well as T. D's foul false Aspersions of them in his Narratives as to matters of Fact are in the 1st part of my 1st Exer from p. 18. to p. 38. is to be read at large throwout the 2 d. and 3 d. Exercitations which consist well nigh wholly in vindication of the Truth against their cloudy conceits about the Scriptures And Moreover because we as the Spirit also in the Scripture bids us Jam. 2.1 c. have not the Faith of God with respect of persons as they are high in this world in the Church where Christ is the one Master and all the rest are Brethren Therefore they misrender us as proud obstinate uncivil churlish discourteous disrespecting contemning all mens persons Whereas we truly honour all men in the Lord and what we do in denying those vain Complemental Customs of the Nations as vailing the Bonnet or putting off the Hat which is part of the outward habit and bowing cringing to the ground when we come before men and in our keeping to that plain yet not True Antient and proper English Language of Thee and Thou which is used to God himself to each single person great or small when we haue to do with them who have no law of man neither whereupon to imprison and punish any for doing herein as we do we do it God is witness and will once Iudg between us and them not in a Spirit of Pride Arrogance Disrespect Disdain or Contempt towards any man but in Conscience to the Lord that we may stand clear before him who forbids us to bow to the likeneâ—â—e of any thing in Heaven Earth or under the Earth and in humility onely and that fear of the Lord whereby we are bound to depart from all conformity to all such fond foolish fashioning of our selves according to our former Lusts in our ignorance and to This World which we are chosen out of A more clear discovery of the unsuitablenesse of which Ceremonious services of men to the Saints of God is made as in the Scripture it self so in the 1st of the ensuing Exercitations from page 40. to page 47. And because Christs Headship Kingship and Supremacy alone we together with the True Church which is in God the Father and in Christ Iesus the Light can own in the Court of Conscience and in matters purely Spiritual and of meer Religious and Soul concernment and not any meer mans much lesse the Popes or any Priests in such Sacred Secrets therefore are we mistaken and misranked among such as are utter enemies to the present Kings Supremacy in these Dominions Whereas we do according to what the Spirit requires of us in all civil causes and cases between Man and man submit our selves to every Ordinance of man himself I say in such cases even for the Lords sake whether unto the King as Supream or to such as are sent of him to be a Terrour to evil doers and a Praise to them that do well And if those who have the Sword in hand shall turn it against us for well doing and so act against the good will of God or impose by Gods permission upon us contrary to our Conscience even there where we cannot obey actively we are willing to bear patiently without violent Resistance what God will leave us to suffer from the hands of such as should protect us not reviling nor threatning nor cursing but committing our case in quietness to him that Judgeth Righteously and our Souls to him in well doing And that Passive deportment must be and is judged by All to be Aequivolent to that Active obedience which others yeild for fear to what lawes soever are made among men And because we are no Strikers or Fighters as some men called Christs Minister's alias Servants are though no such should be 1 Tim. 3.3 1 Tit. 7. with Carnal Weapons the Weapons of our War-fare being not Carnall but Spirituall nor such as theirs among whom are found Warrs and Fightings which
depressing the Light which is the Name of Christ exalted above all Names without any colour of light or tolerable evidence of Scripture or Reason that it is by ten thousand degrees so bad a business as thou makest of it into so low a condition as wherein to stand in need so far as a thing that needs no such thing but infallibly evidenceth its own Innocency and Excellency may be said to need it of such Apology as at the end of this work thou wilt find me making for it and so as to put it under every name that is named not only of things in Heaven or pertaining any way to the Kingdome thereof but of things in earth too and if ens be better then non ens as ye count it and a being though a bad one be better then none at all under things that are under the earth also setting it at naught so as to render it worse then naught till what in thee is thou quite annihilatest and mak'st just â—ought or nothing of it at all Having made unto thy self a Graven Image and Golden God of that meer Image thou hast by thee of the old Original Copies of the Scriptures in thy frothy vain light and yet dark and lightless mind thou dost Hos omnes naso suspendere adunco ironically fall a scoffing at the Qua. and the true Light of the true God and consequently at the true God from whom it comes puffing at it as if thou wouldst puff it out at a blast making thy self merry over it among thy Academical Admirers laughing both it and all that own it and so him that gives it out even to very scorn terming it as if thou knewst not what to call it that is bad enough for it I know not what Light that hath no community or correspondency with the Scriptures and jeeringly the Infaâ—lible Dâ—ctâ—r that counterfeited Light or Word within the feigned Imaginary Christ I know not what God or plenâ—iful Horn of the Heavenly Goat better then any God â— hâ—rrible figment a certain Imaginary Christ they lyingly devise which is a Light within common to all I know not what spiritual every thing that is truly nothing the meer imaginary and fancied Christ of a sâ—rt of Fanatical men I know not what Divine Quality or Soul of the World mingled into all things which may be every thing and in very need is just nothing Thus when thou hast made thy self sport enough with vilifying the Light of Christ and Christ who is the Light thou art pleased to end thy Play with a nullifying of it and so de nihilo nihilum nihil in nil c. out of this nothing there can come nothing and thou having done thy do with it hopest to hear no more of it away it must without more ado having nothing to do in rerum natura but to make I. O. merry a while and at his will to become nothing again But I. O. Hoc ego opertum Hoc Ridere meum tam nil nulla tibi vendo Scriptura vel inane tua quacunque vel ipsa As very nothing as this Light of Christ and Word within is with thee and thine whose thin somethings and empty every things in which you yet bless your selves are wearing out and mouldring to nothing yet such as know the true worth thereof will not so undervalue it as to sell it for any of thy vain Scripture for the Scripture nor for the best of that best Scripture which thy vain Scripture for it prefers before it which Scripture yet as to its own proper place and use they are far before thy self in preferring And howbeit thou deemest that the Light thou so damn'st down to nothing hath done with thee thou having thus done with it and done it away as far from thee as a man of thy Cloth can likely fling it yet there is an hour thou art not ware of wherein thy self and it must meet again in which it will find thee out for all thy floutings of it and come nigh to thee to Judgement as a swift Witness against thee for more things then that which thou hast forgotten and set all that thou hast done in thy vile body in remembrance and in order before thee and unless thou repent thee in the time wherein in the goodness of God its given men to lead them to repentance damn thee for ever far further from any sight as to enjoyment of it self and God then ever thou by all thy Judgement past against it canst condemn it from thy self or possibly judge it out of thy sight As for thy pair of Pamphlets T.D. they consist more particularly as follows viz. The first which besides its piece of Preface is a meer five-fold fiction of a treble Tale untrue Relation or cursory crooked crude and decrepid Account of the Three Disputations that were held at Sandwich on the twelf thirteenth nineteenth daies of the second Moneth 1659. between thy self and three of us called Quakers viz. R. Hubberthorn G. Whitehead and my self together with a short Answer as to the saving me that labour who should else have so entitled it thy self most truly superscribedst it p. 34. for indeed thy Devils Bow shoots too short either to hit the mark thou shootest at or hurt that innocent Lamb-like Spirit that speaks in that or any other of R. H. his writings to a trifling Pamphlet put forth by R. H. as thou triflingly termst it And lastly A brief Narrative so thou nam'st that last and most Remarkable part thereof of some Remarkable Passages The second which besides thy Epistle and Preface is but as it were a lesser Chump of the same old Wooden Block with the other subdividing and cleaving it self out also into five smaller chips fit for little else but fewel for the same fire by which as by the day that now declares the Workman and his Work of what sort it is they are all to be both revealed consumed and burnt up among the rest of those bryars and thorns that are setting themselves to battel against the Lord and of those buildings of wood hay and stubble which the Scornets of the Corner-stone are erecting to their own ruine viz. a kind of Epitomical repetition of what was shufflingly said by thy self in thy first Tritie concerning the four Heads or rather and indeed against these four points of Doctrine viz. 1 The Light of Christ. 2 Perfection 3 Iustification 4 The Scriptures with frequent references to thy so call'd Qua. folly for the rest of thy Replyes to us who had replied to them all ore and ore again before And lastly another Narrative not so call'd by thee yet for the lies and naughtiness thereof and nothing else much more Remarkable then the former as will be seen in my Animadversion of it Having said this little to you both I.O. and T. D. about your Books by way of Preface or Dedication of what hereafter follows to your selves and all your Followers and Fellow-Labourers
without more mention or finding fault with it from my self and others yet if my self or any shall henceforth write or cause himself by Pen or Press to be inscribed either M.A. or D.D. or B.D. and any Reader in his ignorance not knowing well how to Cypher or cast Account shall happen to Read Mr. Ass or Dr. Dunce or Blind Divine the Affecter of those Trifling Titles of Mr. of Arts Doctor in Divinity Batchelour in Divinity who is not more Baccalaureus then Laurus sine baccis shall in no wise be Laughed at and as little Lamented at all by me And since I am thus casually fallen upon this Theam about Respect to mens Persons and using Titles of Honour to them It s not much amiss I minding Gods matters more then Mens manners and plain-ness more then that our Masters of Art call Method before I proceed in Examination of T. D's false charge of me as to matter of Popery left I find no fitter Place for it in the after part of this Book to take notice here of another inordinate Charge of T.D. in which it concerning all the Qua. my self also am not a little concern'd which in p. 47. of his first Pamph. upon occasion of R.H. his calling Thomas Rumsey by his own name is on this wise T. D. You Qua. are an unmannerly Generation you might have given a Magistrate the Title of Master Rep. How Contrary are these Teachers Ministers alias Servants of our times who with the rest of their fellow Rabbies painted Sepulchres whited Walls out-side cleansers Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites blind Guides strainers at Gnats and swallowers of Camels Love uppermost Rooms at Feasts Chief Seats in Synagogues greetings in Markets and affect to have men called and to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi Master Master Reverend Sir and such like to the only One Master Christ who condemns all this and cryes Wo against those that are found in it Mat. 23. â—râ—t otum How contrary are they to his Apostles who forbade this respect to mens Persons which these Master Ministers are ever and anon pleading for against the Qua. as a clownish unmannerly Generation for not giving it Iames sayes Iames 2.1 to 10. My Brethren have not the faith of our Lord Iesus with respect of Persons telling the Saints that if they have respect to Rich men that wear gold Rings and goodly Apparrell and set them up on high and despise the Poor in vile Rayment setting them at their heels and putting them under feet as the footstool they are Partial within themselves Commit sin and are Convinced of the Law as Transgressors Elihu when he was to speak for God to Iob and his great Friends sayd Job 32.21 22. Let me not accept any mans Person neither let me give flaâ—tering Tâ—tlâ—s unto man for I know not to give flaâ—tering Titles in so doing my Maker would soon take me away and so goes on using no other Titles to him beside his Name and that plain but now disdained Thee and 〈◊〉 as his words are most truly and properly Translated out of the Oâ—igâ—â—al into Right English thus did the Saints and Ministers of God of old even like to Christ himself of whom t was said by the Pharisees Mat. 22.16 17. that took notice of it and perhaps disgusted it as much as our Modern Ministers now do some of which though they say little yet think the more Master we know thou art true and Teachest the way of God in truth neither carest thou for any man for thou regaâ—dâ—st not the Person of men even Caesars meer Person more then anothers yet he gave Caesar his due too and though he was free gave him Tribute Mat. 17.24 25 26 27. and so did his Saints then and we now give Tribute to whom Tribute custom to whom custom honour to whom honour fear to whom fear obedience to whâ—m obedience is due and with that honour of yielding Tribute and Subjection to as we have the due Benefit of Protection by their Laws while Just and Enacted according to the Law and Light of Christ in Every Conscience which is holy just and good and while as justly executed by Rulers do we honour them yet then only are their Laws justly Enacted and Executed nevertheless when these outward Sword-bearers and their Laws are a Terror to Evil Works and a Praise Encouragement to the good and to them that do well for else they act more Might then Right and as the Devil does who is the Prince of the Power of the air the God of this world and Ruler of the darkness of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to meer will and lust not according to Law itself by permission for a time but not by any true Commission from God himself by whom the Law which we own in its place was added because of transgression and is not for the righteous but for the unrighteous for murderers theeves and whatever is contrary to sound Doctrine and Godliness And this truly divine Honour of subjection and obedience to Magistrates just Laws as justly Executed as Enacted is it and not the meer Humane Hâ—mage of high flattering Titles as You and Sir and complements and cringings and outward worships and genu-flexions and bodily Bowings to mens persons which in the second Commandment by whom ever used as in the Typical shadoâ—y time they were by Iacob to Esau himself by â— David and others whose practice is not our Rule but Gods praecept are prohibited to be given to the Image or likeness of any thing in heaven earth or under the earth is that God cals for and we give for conscience sake And thus we honour all men owing nothing to any but love which works no ill to the neighbour and fulfils the Law and so children are bid by Paul to obey their Parents as 't is fit in the Lord in which obedience though they make not Idols of them kneel not down and ask them blessing as in Popish days they foolishly did to their Godfathers and Godmothers when they meet them they are said according to that Commandment to Honour the Father and the Mother Ehh. 6.1 2. And so Servants in their Relation honour their own Masters when not with eye-service as men-pleasers but in singleness of heart as fearing God the great Master in heaven they are faithful in the business they are entrusted with by them though they never stand cap in hand to them and should never call them by that name of Master which yet we allow as the Scripture it self does as well that of Father Mother King Ruler Magistrate when used not as a flattering Title but as a Note or Term of distinction between the Relatum and the Correlatum in that Relation that is between Princes and Subjects Parents and Children Masters and the Servants that have hired themselves to them and thus only ought things to-be among the Saints Howbeit such a Generation of Parasites are all sorts of Professors now become that without
Rags nay no better nor any other then that which Paul calls his Own which Own of his he having once counted it gain he had now suffer'd the loss of and counted but loss and dung that he might be clothed with Christs which Doctrine of T.D. if it were true but God forbid that any should take it from him for Truth for its most abominably false yet let 's see at least what use of Information were to be drawn from it and in a word it s this 1. That the Righteousness of Christs own working in his Saints and that which the Saints received by Faith from Iesus Christ and that fulness of it that dwells in him is but meer mans Righteousness which he must utterly suffer the loss of and count on not as gain at any hand but as loss and dung before he can know Christ or receive or be clothed with the Righteousness which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteosness which is of God by Faith in him and 2. that the foresaid Righteousness of Christ which he works in us and we by Fath receive from him is but our own and is no better even all of it then our unrighteousnesses are that is as filthy Rags before the Lord he that readeth this let him understand it if he can annd receive it for truth if he dare but if he do not let him know that T.D. hath done his best ill will to the truth that he can to reach it to all men for no less then Truth however though such folly falshood not to say blasphemy it is that worse scarce ever fell from the Pen of a Professed Preacher 4. One Observation more which is scarce fit to be noted to any other use or purpose but to the noting of T.D. to be such a notable none-such as is deservedly Nigro carbone notandus arises from T.Ds. discourse about the two Righteousnesses of Christ one of which he calls mans own and filthy Rags as if Paul when a Pharisee had no Righteousness of his own that he stiled lâ—ss and dung but that which was Christs and which he had received from Christ which what a loud Tale it is he is not much versed in the Truth that cannot tell and that is in such wise as followeth viz. whereas T.D. tells ut of two different ends of the'e two Righteousnesses of Christ as he doth also p. 39. the one whereof i.e. that which is inherent in Christ serves quoth h eto justifie us and give us a Right as a cause of our Title of the inheritance of the Saints in Light the other i.e. the Righteousness wrought in us by Christ which Paul calls lâ—ss and dung and T D. imperfect and filthy Rags to sanctifie us and to make us meet for the Possession of Heaven without which Heaven would not be a place or state of blisâ— nor we fit to enter into such a Glorious Holy Place and Inheritance among Saints in Light which of these two give us Right to enter as the cause of our Title I shall shew plainly by and by saying onely at present against T.D. as 't is said Rev. 22.14 that us doing Gods Commandments by the Power of Christ as they are given out to us in the Light that gives us Right as well as makes us fit to enter as well Ius ad Regnum as Aptitudinem Regnandi but from T. Ds. Doctrine who Teaches that the Righteousness wrought in us by Christ which he also calls OVRS and dung and filthy Rags serves to sanctify us and make us fit and meet to enter into Heaven it s but meet here least I meet not so fair an opportunity for it an on to observe thus much to T. Ds. shame that if his Doctrine were as true as it is false that the Righteousness of Christ in us which yet though wrought in us by him and received by Faith from him is but meerly our own according to T. D. and no gain but loss dung and filthy Rags doth though not enright and entitle us to Heaven yet at least wash purifie sanctifie and make us meet and fit to enter into it so that without being purged cleansed sanctified and fitted by or covered and clothed with the foresaid dung and filthy Rags we can in no wife be clean or fit enough to enter into that Pure and Holy place into which no dung nor fiâ—h nor unclean thing nor ought that defileth can enter nor say I whoever worketh such abomination or maketh such a lye as T. D. doth who danceth the Rounds in this Rotten Doctrine of his till a man can easily find neither head nor tail in it nor Truth nor Unity with it self nor sense nor reason if he look on it in gross as it lyes together in the whole corrupted mass and unleavened lump scarcely from one end of it into the other yet thus it is know all ye Saints that are devoted to dance bud-winkt in the dark to the Tune of T.Ds. loud Trumpetings against the Truth viz. that unless ye be clothed with the Royal Robes of that Righteousness which is inhaerent in Christ Person only which is as they also say as far off you as Heaven is from the earth so that ye can't have it but by that Romish Faith which is Crede quod habes habes believe onely that ye have it and ye have it sure enough though sure enough ye have it not you can have no Iustification no Right nor true Title to enter into Heaven and unless ye put on and be clothed with the dung and filthy Rags so T. D. partly expressly partly implicitly calls it of that Righteousness of your Own as he Terms it which is received from Christ nevertheless and wrought in you by him if ye can believe T. D. ye are not meet in any wife to enter into Heaven but albeit ye have a Real true Right to enter being though still in your sins already justified by the former yet ye may not enter for all that real Right ye have so to do into so Holy an Habitation for want of being cleansed sanctified and made meet for it by this latter So of the things that T. D. hath spoken ye have the summe And so I come to some fuller Examination of the way by which as a meritorious cause our Iustification comes and our Right and Title to enter into the Heavenly Inheritance and our meetness and fitness for the Possession of it also And first I shall shew what these matters come not by 1. None of all this comes by any or all those good works or Righteousnesses which abstract from Christ as the Worker of them in and by man are most truly and properly mans own for howbeit T.D. charges us as crying up Our own works of Righteousness not onely as our Sanctification but as de Iure deserving Iustification also or acceptance in Gods fight and entrance into his Kingdom yet but that his eye is so busie abroad that its utterly blinded
less imputed but to the true making of them Really just and good who before were wicked imparted without difference to every one that truly believeth in him So that I do not as T.D. sayes we do with the Iews that submitted not themselves to Gods righteousnesse by faith in the light which if they had done they would have left and lost their own go about to establish our own righteousnesse to justification 2. Neither do I cry up our own righteousnesse so high as T.D. does who calls meerly mans own Christs righteousnesse received from and wrought in man by him 3. Neither do cry down Christs righteousnesse in some measure to man infused from that fulnesse of the same that beyond measure dwels in Christ as T.D. does so as with him to term these any otherwise then the spirit it selfe is pleased so to do to our encouragement in obeying Isa. 26. Our own for vix ea nostra voco 4. Much lesse having 1 st depressed and thrust them down far below themselves under that diminitive denomination of OVR own even those own of mans which the Iews ignorant of Gods went to establish which were iniquity and abomination in Gods eyes and which Paul calls dung and losse dare I be so blindly bold so T.D. is after he hath as undervaluingly as untruly term'd them our own as with him blasâ—hemously to vilisy them yet further under that Bullâ—sh Title of works but imperfectly good but imperfect obedience and that more beastly and bâ—llish term which none that dwell in heaven can give as in effect T.D. does to the works of Christ of filthy Rags 5. Least of all or at least last of all dare I venture so far as T.D. does who yet thinks we make too much of our own good works obedience righteousnesse and too little of Christs who having drawn these two righteousnesses and obediences viz. that of Christs and mans which are as far distant from each other as heaven and earth so neere together as to make but one of them which he calls mans own and yet Christs and Christs and yet but mans own yields whether meer mans or Christs to be as Paul cald his but dung and losse and as T.D. calls all ours but imperfect and Rotten Rags after all this concludes that such a meer Chimera and non entity as this mingle-mangle of his own making which hath a being no where but in his own Bâ—ain and is not so much as Ensâ—rationis but rather Ens irrational tatis is available to sanctifie and make meet for heaven for I deny that any righteousnesse that is no better then dung and filthy Rag is available at all as a cause of either justification or sanctification of Right to or fitnesse for the Saints inheritance and howbeit I eternally exalt every 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Christs obedience every grain of that good he works who works no evill and every dram of his righteousness in him else or us to be eternallâ— and dâ—servedly accepted of God and entitling to and fitting for fellowship with God and the Saints in light yet as for that Bipartite Pipald Puppet and meerly imagined Imp of T. D.'s dressing out in what should I call it Christs righteous Robes of Mans Rotten Rags I deny either merit or meetnesse to come by that meer none knows what For if it be Christs Own indeed or ever came from him as good righteousnesse obedience done or perform'd by him though in us â— cannot be imperfect dung and filthy Rags and immeritorious but deservâ—â—g and serving according to the measure of it in us both to justify and sanctifie and as well to give right to as to fit for the Kingdom the desert of every degree of his obedience arising from the dignity of his person that performes itâ—â— But if it be meer mans own as T.D. saves Pauls dung and losse was though wrought by Christ and received from him then it s but dung and losse as Paul call'd his and to speake in T. D.'s bald Phrase but imperfectly good and imperfect obedience and as truly filthy Rags as both truly and properly T.D. calls all Ours But then neither meriting nor so much as making meet for the heavenly inheritance and yet whether T.D. doth not in effect say it doth though he unsay it again for to gainsay himself is as ordinary as it is to say at all wellnigh with him let it be considered by comparing his own sayings T.D. Do you think quoth T.D. p. 22. that righteousnesse which Paul calls his own was not Christs Had be any righteousnesse which he had not receved That righteousness which was in the Apostle never was in Christ as the Subject but was wrought in him by Christ. Rep. I might Reply yea that righteousnesse Paul calls his own and calls dung and losse also and had lost for Christ was not Christs nor received from nor wrought in him by Christ and he that makes Pauls own which was dung and losse and Christs which is all gainfull to man and not dung but most savoury to God both one as T.D. does will once rue it that ever he wrote so over honourably and transcendently of Mans and so dishonourably and disdainfully without more distinction of it from mans of the everlasting righteousnesse of Christ and the living God But yet to do T.D. So much pleasure as to convince him of his confusion and incomparable contradiction to himselfe though every one shall not have it so from me let it passe by way of false supposition that Pauls own righteousnesse he reckons on as dung and losse though once he thought it gain and Christs now received by him and since the losse of Pauls own wrought in him which yet was indeed that true godlynesse which Paul elsewhere calls great gain and profitable to all things mark having the promise of this life and that to come so entaild to it that it can entitle all that live in it thereunto be all one as T.D. will needs have it what serves this imperfect drossy dunghilly worse then nothing righteousnesse of Pharasaicall Paul to alias by T.D. most Duncically called Christs what advantage is to man by this meer loss ' oh much every way quoth T.D. for I though it serves not for our justification nor to give us Right as a cause of our Title to the Saints inheritance for that righteousnesse that dwels in Christ alone no neerer to us in readity but imaginarily only then heaven is where he sits serves only and only serves for that yet the Robes alias filthy Rags of it secundum te T.D. that reach down to cloath us here that we may be adorn'd as like him as filthy Rags can make us like to one in pure Robes These serve to make us suitable to such a glorious presence and meet for such an holy inheritance p. 22. 39. Ipse dixit But I dare not descend after T.D. so deeply into these shallow depths of Satan so as to condescend to it as
truth but must needs condemn it as delusion and deceit for none of Pauls meer own righteousnesse no dung and losse no imperfectly good works nor imperfect obedience nor such as that of the Iews establishing nor any nor all our righteousnesses which T.D. and I together with our unrighteousnesse dare denominate no otherwise then as filthy Rags doth so much as fit for that pure possession neithe can such as this entitle as a Cause thereunto yea if the righteousnesse of Christ within us wrought by him and received from him were indeed no better then T.D. makes it who makes it no better then mans own I should then acknowledge the who'e sentence to be true which T.D. once utterd and sincâ— acknowledges the truth of p. 38. which seeing he intends it of that true righteousnesse of Christ in his Saints which we testifie to that it s not that which Paul calls his own and dung but Christs own indeed who is the only Author of it is somewhat more then a meer lye and little lesse then bâ—astly blasphemy as T.D. affirms it viz. that any man that holds that principle of being justified by a righteousnesse within us living and dying in that principle caâ—nâ—t be saved But indeed Christs righteousnesse within us only is that by which souls can be saved as I shall shew anon for that without which is in kind the same never iustifies makes just righteous holy cleane nor saves from the sin till some of the same be in us every measure of the gift of which though but a part of the whole is as perfect as the 1 st fruit and the meer earnest of the spirit is a perfect gift and as perfectly good in its kind according to its meaâ—ure as the whole lump and fulnesse out of which it is given and is that which is by T.D. though but a part but improperly called imperfectly good and imperfect obedience p. 45. For no obedience nor good that 's of Christ noâ— gift of the heavenly Father in him is any other in nature then they both are i. perfect as they are peâ—fect and as the fulnesse of good that dwels in and flows from them is perfect without any imperfection And 't is only perfect obedience as only that of Christ whether in the head or in the mâ—mbers of his body is not any mans own upon or for which the Gospell gives life and justification Yet Oh the Rounds that T.D. runs in which there 's no way out of but by the Dore that is the Light which all Theâ—ves and Robbers are climbing above T.D. tells us another untrue tale p. 45. which overturns that untrue tale he told before for p. 38. He said no salvation is of any by a righteousnesse within for any that bâ—leive it must come that way for what 's within us though recâ—ved from and wrought by Christ is but imperfâ—ctly good p. 14.15 and Rags But p. 54. he sayes the Gospell gives life mark upon impâ—fect obedience So according to T.D. who sometimes rejects all righteousnesse within us as imperfect as refuse and as uselesse as filthy Rags which are good for noâ—hing sometimes again allowes that which Paul calls his own and dung to be called Christs and good for sâ—mthing viz. though not to justifie and entitle as a Cause or that upon which which term upon though T D would in p. 21 of his 2 Pamphlet shuffle into a more moderate sense then its properly taken in which is as much as to say for as the Cause of he therein doth but more manifest his folly to all men the Gospell gives the inheritance of life yet at least to sanctify and make meet for p. 14.15.22 but then this righteousnesse within whether Christs or our own which is dung and Christs also by gift to him must take heed however of creeping too high for if it aspire so as to assume to it selfe to be own'd us advantagious to justifie and entitle as that upon which the life is given it must be huâ—l'd down again to â—ary Hell for T.D. p. 28. Do 〈◊〉 all them to Damnation by whole â—ale below all possibility of Salvation that dare so much as hold that principle of being saved by it but for fear his damnation should be damned again as too damnable a Doctrine if he should not moderate it as to the legall rigidity thereof seeing he sayes the Law gives life upon perfect obedience and not without it and can't beleive any obedience that Christ can work in his Saints in this life can be perfect but all that he here works within men imperfect and none perfect but that he wrought without them as far off as Ierusalem as long as 1600. years since and hath now inherent in himself no neerer to them then heaven is to the earth he bethinks himselfe or else forgets himself again so far its not matter which as to cut off the entail of eternall life which the Law gives upon no other then absolutely perfect obedience and â—ntaâ—lâ—s the promise of it under the Gospell whether Christs or ours or both I know not which and I think he knows not well himselfe unto an imperfect obedience as that upon which mark life is given under the Gospell and contrary to Christ who tells us Math. 5. That the Gospell righteousnesse which reaches to the thoughts must exceed and be more perfect if more perfect can be but more then perfect cannot be then that of the Pharisees whereof Paul was one that as to the righteousnesse of the Law was blamelesse yet came not neer that of the Gospel there 's in no case any entrance into the Kingdome T.D. sayes p. 45. the Law gives not life without perfect obedience the Gospell gives it upon imperfect obedience thus posito uno absurdo sequuntur milâ— error minimus in principio fit major in mâ—diâ— maximus in fine When our men call'd Ministers erre by one absurdity rather then return they multiply it into a 1000. and rather loose themselves in the Laborinth of their own learned thoughts then learn of Christ and stoop to the simplicity and plainnesse of the truth as it is in Iesus for but that they love that smoother and smoake of the pit Rev. 9. They came out of in aperto et facili posita est salus The grace of God which brings the salvation appeares to all men teaching such as are willing to learn at it to deny ungodlynesse and worldly lusts and to live godly righteously and sâ—berly in this present world which life they hope not to live till the world to come where unlesse the Pope Purgatoâ—y be a truth and their own true doctrine when they say as the Tree faâ—ls so it lyes be a lye 't is too late to begin it And in such a Wood and Wooden Wheele as to and fro in and out up and down round about here and there no way out doth T.D. wander about this matter of our justification by the righteousnes good works and
but a few in it as T.D. at the Dispute so that on this soore our Scribes scape Scot-free still by their shifts To meet with Quakers Priests need never doubt Nor need they when they meet them fâ—ar a Rout If All 's but Some Out 's In and In 's for Out Then they are Alwayes In and never Out Thus the seed of the Serpent saves it self alive in its enmity against the Holy Seed not so much by plain down right dealing nor any bold open facings of the truth quae non quaerit argulos but by cowaâ—dly creeping into corners shameful shâ—frings from sense to sense miâ—â—rable marchings from meaning to meaning â—o that one can hardly know well where to have them nor how to find them nor what they mean any more then they who know not which way to take when they have two or three before them of their own devising nor very well what to mean nor very distinctly what they do mean themâ—elves But as for us Nos mutire nefas we may not safely without their censures so much as take the Scripture to be what themselves are neither afraid nor ashamed to make them viz. a Lesbâ—an Rule a Nâ—se of Wax which may be made yet scarcely is by any more then themselves to shew it self in 7 8 9 shapes at once And though they dare Diâ—pute themselves and argue any way from figurative and fâ—â—aâ—gn and proper and improper literal or mystical meanings and importments of words and Phrases yet they can well digest or diâ—pense with none of all this in us and least of all when we do as we mostly or ever do keep to the â—rue honâ—st ordinary plain purport of the words as they lve open and clear to every ordinary and common capacity that is willing both to know own and do the truth but rather will take any and if one will not serve two meanâ—â—gs at once or one after another whereof one overturns t'â—ther to cross the truest by and leave the Reader to chuse which best likes him of two or three so be he will leave that single one of the Qua witness T.D. who takes on him to domineer over all our truly Divine ones with his different devâ—sed and divided ones who when R.H. puts that one true one even the same that is expressed in the words on 1 Iohn 9. Puts two meanings to oppose it adding p. 35. I would have him to know that both the meanings are the Holy Ghosts though but one is intended in that place the Phâ—ases will bear either senses that is those aforesaid and either of them câ—â—ss his interpretation and p. 6. the meaning of those words Iohn 1.9 cannot be as the lâ—â—tter of them does import but it must be either every man that is enlightned or else some of every Nation and p. 7. It was usual with Christ to speak words of a doubtful sense Christs 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 so that 't is your self quoth he to G.W. and not I that am such a giver of meanings as the Iewes who gave theirs contrary to Christs meaning and p. II. when to prove perfect purging from sin here I urged Psal. 119. 1,2,3 Blessed are the undefiled in the way c. They do no iniquity as for the Phrases quoth T.D. they are hyperbolical thus any T. Y is used to turn the Truth off with and p. 9. when R.H. urged 1 Iohn 3.9 Who so is born of God doth not commit sin Tâ—at cannot be meant of freedom from sin but either there is an Emphasis in the word sin intending by it one sort of sin Or if not on the Substantive on the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which notes to make a Trade of sin So p. 16 to the Scripture under hand 1 Cor. 6. 11. Ye are justified by the Spirit of our God urged by us to prove Iustification by the Spirit in us I might say quoth T.D. Perhaps that clause should be referred to Sanctification or else justified by the Spirit maybe meant of the Spirits Application which is as much as to say Perhaps it s this perhaps it s that but I well know not whether this or that so that the Reader may of two take either But will say I is wise take â—eâ—ber for though two strings to his Bow still T.D. hath for fear one should snap yet neither of theâ—e here will hold on T.Ds. side so much as Ours nor if both could be twined so as to stand together in one as they cannot they are so divers and destructive to each other would they prove strong enough to reach the Butt so but that by his overshort shooting T.D. at this time will loose all he shoots for For first to begin next with thy last clause wherein thou dar'st or at least dost Preach out thy meaning not positively but possibly only or by Perhaps as in the first that justified by the Spirit may be meaâ—t of the Spirits Application meaning the third Person in the Trinity as thou Term'st it which Phrase of justified by the Spirit if it may imply such a thing as the Holy Spirits Applying Christs Righteousness to us yet must it needs imply such a far-from Antick Applying as thou implyest who falsly imaginest that to be truly Applyed to men that stands at such a vast distance as to be no nearer to them then Heaven is to Earth If the Spirit of God Apply Righteousness to any man for his Iustification doth he do it by the halves as thou vainly hopest so as to impute it where he doth not convey it Doth he not do it in a more perfect manner then so as to give him his share part or place in it without its having its share part or any place at all in him Is it false doctrine as thy self p. 39. Relaâ—est R.H. Relating thou said'st it was to say a man must fiâ—st partake of the Righteousness which justifies before it can be imputed to him as his And that is that a mans Righteousness any otherwise then Imaginarily is it so truly properly and perfectly that he partakes no more hath no more partin nor participation of then meerly by way of computation and supposition onely so as to be counted to him to the steading of him till it be some way or other also actually and really conveyed to him And grant we be justified by the Righteousness of another onely and not our own yea curâ—ed for ever be and will be that man say I that looks for Iustâ—fication by any Righteousness that is meerly his own Eccl. 7. 15. for the righteousest man that is onely in his own perisheth in his Righteousness and I have seen such a one as well as Paul he that ever comes to Gods Righteousness Rest or Sabbath hath left and lost his own Righteousness hath ceased from his own works
otherwise Christs own works absit blasphemia are no more works and of no such force and worth as thou blushest not to blaspheme so as to say they are not p. 17. as to merit justification Yea so necessarily is it of such good works as are wrought in us by Christ that otherwise grace it selfe were no more grace for what grace is that of being so or so so long as we are not in truth so as we are accounted to be accounted justified accounted accepted with God and accounted his Children heirs of his Kingdom Righteous Holy saved from our sins which whiles they abide the wrath of God abides and condemnation and cursing hangs over the head of the Subjects thereof and yet not really to be so as none are and as nemine contradicente without all contradiction none can know themselves to be till Sanctification which is the evidence for heaven and that which to us and all men shewes our Title to all the foresaid Priviledges and Prerogatives doth appeare upon us I say what grace is all this What Salvation from sin whiles sin remaines What Redemption from the and curse the effects of sin while sin the cause thereof rests on us unremoved all this faith of the favour of God is but fiction this hope of heaven but vain groundlesse heartlesse and frustraneous this divination of T.D. a meer dream of a hungry thirsty man that dreames he eats and drinks but as it s said before his soul is empty and when he awakes behold its another matter Oh but quoth T.D. the Spirit of God the 3d person in the Trinity he does apply the righteousnesse of Christ to us to our justification and so we are justified perhaps say you Qua. what you will and not upon account of Sanctification of us by his work grace of in our hearts and so that phrase justified by the Spirit which ye insist so much on 1 Con. 6.11 may be meant of the Spirits application Rep. Mark Reader for having run throw the other 3. I return now to the 1st of the 4. Scriptures that we urged from and T.D. answers so lamely to T.D. sayes perhapse it s meant of the Spirits application to which I say 't were better for T. D's cause if it might be so meant but for one reason I shall shew it may not must not cannot unlesse T.D. means a nigher kind of Application then I am sure he does for if by justified by the Spirit be there meant of the Spirits outward Application onely or imputation of Christs Righteousnesse without us to our justifying before God then the work of the Spirits washing and sanctifying us also must be meant of the Spirits outwaâ—d Application only and meer imputation of the cleannesse and holinesse of Christ to us for our washing and Sanctification for Paul sayes the same of them they all hang on one string and must run the same way and be taken in the same sense relating all to that one Author thereof the Spirâ—â— Such viz. Drunkards Effeminate Adulterers c. Were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified by the Spirit of our God so if one 1 justification be by externall application onely then the other viz. our washing and sanctifying is but by such an empty application and outward Imaginaâ—y account and imputation onely and not by the inward Holy operations of the Spirit And indeed all your grace is one part of it as well as another by such outward Application and meer Computation onely and not by any true Real internal Application of Christs Righteousness sufferings and blood to your Souls and Consciences to the purging of them from dead works to the true serving of the living God your Iustification is by imputation and outward Application your Washings Regenerations Sanctifications Holinesses Renovations and all ye have is by such a meer Imputation and Application of what is far off you in Christs person to your selves so that what ever he is in whom is no sin you will deem and dream that God deems you so to be upon nothing but a meer blind confidence and conceit that swimmes in your brain that 't is so when 't is no such thing God knows and so as one that being at the North of Scotland hungry and naked should in his thoughts onely apply a garment or a mess of meat to himself that 's as far off him as the South of England must needs perish for want on 't if it be brought and applyed no neerer to him then so so you in all your Applications of Christ and what ever is in him who is as far off as Heaven whil'st you are but on earth far enough from thence the Lord knows must necessarily faint famish perish pine and starve till ye come to witness Christ and the Robes of his Righteousness and Holiness within your selves and eat his flesh and drink his blood and put him on a little more effectually then ye do by all your dead faith and your eatings and drinkings of bread and wine for all your imagined Spirits applyings and imputings by which that the whole world which dâ—th already may and you together with it lye still in wickedness ye are ever dispelling and disputing all true inherent hâ—liness out of doorâ— And so being but in a meer Aery talk and vain thought of things that ye are in them when ye are out of them and not doers your selves of what ye hear Christ hath done for you before as an ensample that ye should by his Power in the leadings of his Light and Spirit do the same ye do but deceive your own Souls and as both Paul and Iames who both agree and we with them against you in this do truly tell you as Righteous and Religiâ—us as ye seem to be to your selves and each to other all your Religion is but vaâ—n and your hopes that ye are this and that in the account of God that ye are Iust and Pure when really ye are nothing so will prove abortive and as that of the hypocrite when the Lord takes away his Soul no other then the giving up the Ghost for Gal. 6.3,4 if any man think himself to be something and that he is thought of God for that holiness which is in another without him to be something when he is nothing and witnesseth neither that other nor his holiness within himself he deceiveth himself but let every man prove his own work and what he doth by the Spirit of Christ within himself of the Will of God and then shall he have Rejoycing with in himself alone or at least alsâ— and not in another Person without him onely and he that glorieth will glâ—â—y in the Lord Christ in him the hope of glory in the Lord in himself in whom the Seed of Israel finds Righteousnesse and strength and Salvation from the sin is Iustified and shall glory I a. 45. 21 22 23 24 25. or not every one that commendeth himself
by it while it sits in supream Authourity on the Bench as the most perfect infallible Touch stone Lydius lapis and standing Rule for no lesse but much more thou wouldest have it even Light Rule of Trial Iudge Witnesse and all to which all Spirits even Gods own that gave it out as well as all false ones must stand or rather stoop and submit to be judged by and the foundation which the Church or World in the World or Wheel in a Wheel must stand or else fall and fail for ever for as there was a time wherein the Church which is but one from Abel till now can have but one and the same Rule bottom and foundation for ever and one Rock on which its built which is neither Peter nor Paul nor any of their Writings nor of any Prophets that wrote afore them but Christ the Light to the Nations and the Rock of Ages and Generations was without it and not placed upon it so there was a time of thousands of years together wherein it had no place nor use at all in the Church nor so much as any being in the World and as for such high place as thou in thy own will now alowest it as it s own as wise and quick-sighted as thou art to know and see non Entities and things that never were at all I know no such Place that God ever set it in nor time when he so super-eminently exalted it and though I acknowledge and am not ignorant as thou art that meer men and blind builders as seeing as thyself have Canonized it into the Head of the Corner laying him aside whom God hath made so yet I am to learn and so art thou for all thy hasty teaching it as Truth to others where ever the bare Letter or Scripture which is all one was created into such a Lord as thou lookest on it to be over his inward Light Spirit in the heart and authorized so infinitely as thou imaginest over all things by the Lord God of Heaven and Earth the only Author and Creator of all things J.O. Not only to detrade the Scripture from its place but also that by that one only device of denying to the Scripture that glorious Title of the Word of God the Quakers aim and endeavour to divest Christ himself of his Personality and divine Being Reply Was ever man left of God to shew his own Folly by more palpable apparent absurdities then thou here utterest who by that very thing whereby we seek to invest Christ with the proper and peculiar Right both in Name and Nature whereof your selves rob him belyest us so as to say we thereby seek to divest him of it Is not the Word of God not only the proper Name Ioh. 1. Rev. 19. but also the proper Nature and divine Being of Christ which he had before he was made flesh from the very beginning before the Scripture was that declares of him before World it self was which was made by him and all things in it so that without him nothing was made that was made And because that we will not take this glorious Title of his to whom only of Right it belongeth viz. the Word of God who hath no corruptible Word that I know but only one that 's incorruptible and liveth and abideth for ever and is both essentialiter and effective and enunciative too the Word of God and invest such a corruptible thing herewith as the mouldring Letter a Writing with mens hands which Worms may eat and mens Hands blot out deface and destroy and because we will not attribute that everlasting Name of his to that which in Nature is not everlasting as ye do but decaying dost thou say we divest him of his divine Being Dost thou not beget this bastardly businesse of divesting Christ himself of his divine Name and Nature Excellency and Existence in thy own brain by ascribing these to the Scriptures and giving the glory thereof to another under that high Prerogative Title of the Word of God due only and alone to him and not to any Letter that man as moved by him writes of him and then lay it at the door of the Quakers Art not thou the man that appropriatest that Name and Nature which is proper to Christ alone to the Scripture by disputing as to Name and Thing in esse reasi cognoscibili that it is the Word of God that glorious Title is its proper Name and is not this what in you lyes to dethrone Christ who only is so and place another ever him as the only most perfect Light Foundation Touchstone by which his Spirit must be tryed and yet accusest thou the Quakers of displacing him Doth not the Scripture say that Christ is the Light which the Church Ministerially is to hold out bear witness to Ioh. 1 in all her Preachings Administrations and Walkings and the Scripture is written out for the sake and Instruction and profit or use and service of the Church 2 Tim 3.15 16. 1 Cor. 10. yet settest not thou the Letter above the Church and Christ too saying Page 76. The Scripture is Light it is the duty of every Church to hold it up almost the whole of its duty and this Duty it performs Ministerially not Authoritatively A Church may bear up that Light it is not the Light it bears Witnesse to it but kindles not one divine beam to further its discovery All the Preaching that is in any Church its Administration of Ordinances all its walking in the Truth hold up this Light Thus magnifying the Letter above all and making it the main businesse of the Church to magnifie and hold it up much what as the Iewes do whose Work in their Synagogues is to lift up the Letter while they loath the Law and the Light it came from and is but the meer Letter or Writing of J. O. The whole Truth of the Words of God is as to Name and Thing opposed by the poor Fanatical Quakers Satan in these dayes assaults the sacred Truth of the Word of God in the poor deluded Fanatical Souls among us commonly called Quakers Reply It was none but Satan himself that is a Lyar the Father of it who told thee so and in thee tells it out for Truth to the whole World For 1. The whole Word of God which is but of one not of many kinds that I know of as thou wouldest make it as if God had one Living one Dead one Fallible another Infallible one Corruptible another Incorruptible one Eternal one Temporal Word one that 's only Letter another that 's Spirit and Life one Written and another Unwritten one within men and another that 's not the same in Nature without men that one and the same Individual Word of God I say which is the same whether within or without Written or Unwritten neither of which the bare Writing is as to both Name and Thing we own and honour as that which from
very Antient Writer since those that wrote Ioshua who ere they were for himself it was not that wrote it all at least as Moses not all Deuteronomie unlesse he wrote of his own Death and Burial before he died See Iosh. 24.29 do quote him Iosh. 3.10 Where 's that part of Ieremiah the Prophet wherein he spake that which Matthew cites Matth. 27.9 10. about the giving the 30 pieces of Silver the price that Christ was sold at for the Potters field for howbeit Zachary the Prophet Zach. 11.12 speaks of the same thing who was in his work an Exalier of God in his time which the Name Ieremiah seems to signifie and so may be called Ieremiah which is not likely to be Matthews meaning yet in all the Prophesies of Ieremie extant in your Bibles there 's no such thing spoken And for you to say either that Matthew was mistaken quoting throw forgetfulness one Prophet for another or that the Transcribers of the Copies of their Original out of Matthews Original Copy failed so fowlly in their Transcribings for all your Copies that ever I saw so read as to write Ieremie for Zachary will be for I.O. upon his Principles who stands to plead every Letter Tittle and Iota that was in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be now in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as sorry a shift and miserable remedy as he makes for himself and finds who leaps out of the frying pan into the fire Where 's the Prophecy of Enoch spoken of Iude 14. out of whose Prophesie the Iewes can tell you more then ye wot of from that of Iude And as for Ezra or Esdras and his true Companions of whom thou sayest truly enough if not truer then thou art aware of that their care in restoring the Scripture to its Purity when it had met with the greatest Tryal that it ever underwent in this world considering the Paucity of the Copies then extant was great and that the Consignation and Bounding of the Canon delivered to the Judaical Church was in their dayes and that they did labour to reform all the Corruptions crept into the Word of God And that they compleated the Punctation the compleatnesse of which then was not Coaevous with the Text as at first Written in Hebrew as thou contendest to the Consuring of thy self here and that they were guided herein by the infallible direction of the Spirit of God Pag. 177. 211. 302. 303. Did not they in the Spirit and Power of God Write many more Books even 204. most of which are not in your Bibles Read 2 Esdras 14. throughout the Chapter Where are all these and sundry more Scriptures some as and some more Antient then Moses of which I will not now speak particularly And as to the New Where is that First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians mentioned in the first of those Two that we have 1 Cor. 5.9 And that First Epistle of his to the Ephesians for its evident he wrote One to them before That mentioned in that One which ye have Ephes. 33 And that Epistle of his to the Laodiceans mentioned Col. 4.16 Besides several to Seneca Neros Tutor and other of Pauls Writings who was doubtlesse far more Voluminous in his Writings then that poor pittance of Epistles to Churches and Ministers and the Letters to Philemona Tradesman about a Domestick businesse of Receiving his Servant Onesimus that had ben unserviceable to him amounts to of whole Spiritual Scriptures and Speeches that fell from him at his Martyrdom that were taken by such as were present at it some in these dayes have seen more then that which was Written of him by Luke in the Acts and Written by him in the Epistles ye count a part of your Canon And whether that which Iohn wrote to the Church mentioned by him in the 9th vers of his Letter to Gaius were no other then the first of those Three Recorded And whether that of Iude whereof Iude 3. he sayes in the Praeterimperfect Tense When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the Common Salvation it was needful for me to write unto you c. were not One he wrote before This which was now but under his hands is more then all you Sayers of what ye think only are able groundedly to gain-say And whether Clements Epistle whose name was in the Book of Life and that Church of Rome to Corinth wrote 30 years after Pauls may not Challenge to be ranck'd among the rest is worth your enquiry And what think ye of that sweet shorr pretious Reply of Christ Iesus himself in his Letter to Agbarus King of Edessa who wrote so loving'y and beleevingly to him about the Malady that lay upon him as it stood Recorded in the Roles of that City and may do still for ought ye know which is to be read and many other pretious passages about that businesse in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilius Is it not as Christian as Divinum Spiritum non hominem sapiens and worthy as particular as it is to stand in your Standard and claim a room in your Canon as that particular Letter of Paul to Philemon What is become I say of all these and more then may now be mentioned none of which is within the Confines of your Congregationally Constituted Synodically Composed Ecclesiastically Authorized Clerically Conceived Canon 1. Were they not divinely Inspired That were to Render doubtful your undoubted Divine Original of what you have Since some of them are quoted in these you have 2. Are they all utterly lost That were to loose himself much more in his Cause who is lost too much already for I.O. to say so sith more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one jot or one Tittle is then passed away and perished from the Law if the Letter be it not one jot or one Tittle of which Letter quoth I.O. wofully mis-interpreting that of Matth. 5.18 for the lotaes and Tittles of the meer Text and Letter which Christ utters only of the Doctrine Truth and Holy Matter of the Law is to passe away till Heaven and Earth which are yet standing are past away 3. Or did not God Himselfe intend to Dignifie these with the same honour and Crown them with so high an Account as those though as well descended and as immediately derived from him as the rest or did he not design them to the same Spiritual Ends and Renowned Uses with their fellows 4. Or were these Books out of the way and not present at the time and place of the first setting up of your Standard by such Synods and Sanydrims as took on them to stablish Sign Seal and Authorize what Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles should and what should not stand under that honourable Title of the stedfast Standard and so were Censured and Sentenced for ever for not appearing at that sacred Session and high Court of Iudicature which was to Iudge what Books should be from thence-forth
in his Age Assistant to Paulus Fagius in his noble Promotion of the Hebrew Tongue Capellus whom he calls a learned man and a Protestant Io. Prideaux who is before I.O. Luther the renownedst Reformer in his time as ever Europe had Zwinglius and others So he no way doubts but that as we enjoy them they were Compleated no higher upwards then Esdras his time by the men of the Great Congregation guided by the infallible direction of the Spirit of God which was after all the Old Testament was written a thousand years after some of it and so pag. 211. 220. See also pag. 247. 259. where he sayes The Jewes generally believe the Points as Old as from Moses on Mount Sinai or at least quoth he from Ezra so he is in doubts not denying but that they as to their knowledge and use received a great Reviving by the Massorites and Gemarists I. O. That the Word of God i.e. Scripture hath been hitherto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to its litteral sense and reading the acknowledged Touchstone of all Expositions render this now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what have we remaining firm and unshaken pag. 219. See more pag. 217. 218. of Uncertainty Reply The Light Spirit Word it self and the Kingdom and things thereof which cannot be shaken but must remain when the worldly kingdom of worldly Priests and their Foundation and their rich Possession of Letter and Hebrew Points and all their Religion Faith Worship House Bottom and whole Building and Fabrick that stands thereon and the old Heaven and Earth and all the Works of man that are therein and their Writings and Tomes and Talmuds c. ut alibi and such like in which I O. is exercised in his Second Tale of a Tub and Sea and Land and all Nations Formalists and their Forms Professors and their Professions Doctors in Divinity and their false Dreames and Divinations and not only Popes Cardinals Mount-Seniors Monks Friars Iesuites and all that Rabble of Rabbies and Deans and Chapters Arch-Bishops Deacons Deans and their Officials Parsons Vicars Curats and all manner of spiritual Persons of that spawn but also all sorts of those narrow mouth'd Bottles that have none of the new Wine in them and are as long in letting out as in getting in what they have of their old Wisdom as well within Vniversity Liberties as without and all Masters and Prebends and Deans of Colledges and their Christs Churches and all their beggarly Elements must be on fire about their ears and melt away with fervent heat and be burnt up and shaken down as leaves from the Fig-tree by the mighty Wind of the Lords Spirit that now blowes upon all flesh that it withers and is as the Grasse and its Flower and utterly like a Cottage which after much reeling to and fro must be removed for ever and for ever I.O. Thou sayest pag. 221. That thou hadst rather all the Works like to the Biblia Polyglotta which yet thou acknowledgest the great usefulnesse of and art Thankful Owen for it were out of the World then that this one Opinion of the Novelty of the Hebrew Points espoused to that great work Epist. pag. 17 18 19. should be received with the Consequences that unavoidably attend it Reply The Consequences that unavoidably attend the receiving of Truth are dangerous to thee but of no other then good concernment to such as dwell not in the Scriptural Skirts meer literal Suburbs of it as thou dost who being without the Salvation it self which God appoints to his for Walls and Bulwarks startest at the newes of every storm and the shaking of every Leaf but in the holy City and in the substance of the Truth it self The Cup of trembling must be taken out of their hands and put into the hands of thee and thine that have hated and afflicted them and Rid over them and said Bow down thy back that we may go over and they have laid their backs as the street for you while in your wrath and fury you have passed over them I. O. Thou sayest pag. 216. That by this conceit of the Novelty of the Hebrew Punctation the Adversaries Hope with Abimilecks Servants to stop the the Wells or Fountains from whence ye should Draw your Souls Refreshments Reply Poor Souls Poor Wells and Fountains Poor Refreshments if ye go down no deeper then the Letters to draw your Water for they are but the broken Cisterns which ye follow that with the totter'd Buckets of your own Brains that hold not the water of Life The Letter doth but declare of the fountain of living waters which ye have forsaken viz. God himself Christ and the Spirit the fountain shut up and sealed to you yet indeed Cant. 4. 12. but set open to the House of David and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleannesse Zach. 13. 1. The Well of Salvation out of which they that inhabit Sion in the midst of whom the holy One of Israel is now great do with joy draw Water out of whose bellyes flow Rivers of Living Waters which 't is out of the Reach and past the Strength of the Philistims to stop any longer for there 's now Rehoboth or room yea the Water thence given whilst your Euphrates is drying up is as a Well of Water springing up in them to eternal Life I.O. That give this liberty to the audacious Curiosity of men priding themselves in their Critical Abilities and we shall quickly find out what woful state and condition the Truth of the Scripture will be brought unto and if hundreds of words were as 't is said by Capellins the Critical Conjectures of the Jewes what security have we of the Mind of God as truly represented to us seeing that its supposed that some of the Words in the Margent were sometimes in the Line and if it he supposed as 't is that there are innumerabl◠other Places of the like nature standing in need of amendments what a door would be opened unto curious Pragratical Wits to overturn all the certainty of the Truth of the Scripture every one may see pag. 308. Reply Every one may see therefore what Certainty and Security ye are in while ye stand on no bottom but a broken Letter And how wilt thou help the case with all thy prate or hinder Pragmatical Wits from using their Critical Abilities that way Who shall ponere obicem put a stop to them and impose upon all others his Thoughts that things are so or so Shall I.O. who in so many places Confesses he gives men but his Thoughts nay doth nos I.O. Confesse pag. 217 218. that none must give a Rule to the rest the door is open'd man and thou canst not shut it even an effectual door for the Sheep to enter the fold by even him who is the Light as well as the Door opened whereby to see into the uncertainty of your torter'd Transcripts much more ten fold more totterred and untrue Translations much
in another for by that and your as costly as cloudy Interpretations of the Letter which thou sayest fails if that be not upheld in an Antiquity as Antient as the Letter ye have your Wealth making a Trade out of it yea your whole Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth and yoâ—r Dominion Dignity Glory and Authority and all ye are worth stands upon these ticklish Points so that take them away and in thy conceit at least ye know not whither ye sink down ye drop and must be fain to go a begging to the Quakers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tell me where I shall stand Give us of your Oyl for our Lamps are gone â—ut let your Light and Sun shine on us for our Candle is gone out in obscure darknesse we have wearied our selves in the greatnesse of our way in the multitude oâ— our Thoughts in the infinitenesse of our Imaginations to hold up our Forms and Professions and Faith and Christian Religion and Righteousnesse and Life and all by the Letter counting your Lives madnesse and your End without honour that talk of A Light within but now we see 't is we were the fools and blind and the mad-men and the poor and deluded ones and deluders of each other and of other People as well as our selves who have hung all their Faith upon our Fancies about the Letter upon ouâ— high Conceits about our Copies and Transcripts which we deemed infallibly to be the infallible Word of God when all Translations which is all they have that know not Gâ—eek and Hebrew to trust to unlesse they take our words are untrusty and untrue and a Nose of Wax which men have made to stand which way they pleased and no stable stedfast firm Foundation And the Light of the true Righteousnesse hath not risen upon us I. O. Thou sayest pag 220. That thou canst not but tremble to think what would be the issue of this Supposition that the Points Vowels and Accents are no better guides unto you then may be expected from those who are preâ—ended to be their Authors Reply I tâ—ought ye had not been Quakers but against Trembling and Quaking because ye jeer at it so in the Quakers who professe and pretend to Trembling at nothing but at the Word of God it self but I see ye are Trembling at smaller Matters out of the sense of the losse of Toyes and Trifles now the day of Iacobs trouble trembling begins to passe over and he to be saved out of it Trembling it seems begins to take hold on the House of Esau who must assuredly come into it in his stead and that with a witnesse and to some purpose when they who yet stop the ear shall hear the Word of God who is the Strength and Salvation of his People roaring out of Zion and as a Lyon uttering his voice from Ierusaâ—em to the shaking of the Heavens and the Earth and not be able to flee out of the reach or sound of the terrible roaring thereof 2. Do you expect such eminent guidance as ye here seem to do from these pidling Pricks and Points into the Kingdom of God and Salvation so that the Terrours of Hell take hold on you at the very time and thought of the losse of no more then that meer imagined Antiquity and pretended divine original of them from mount Sinai that some fillily ascribe unto them Suppose ye could prove them to be derived from Mount Sinai which is that where there were Quakings and Tremblings Blackness and Darkness and Tempest will they lead guide and conduct you from Condemnation to the safety rest refreshment and consolations of them that are come to dwell on Mount Sion Ah miserably bemâ—ped men and benighted Ministers It grieves me to see how poor People wait upon you for guidance who are groaping up and down for the Wall your selves like such as have no eyes after such small Apices and Scintillula's indiscernable and incomprehensible Attomes as these which are of such infinite variety vanity and uncertainty that 't is as profitable Capere muscas to catch Flyes and sit and peel strawes as to spend time to find out either their Authors or Differences or Services or Vses For so verily are the Hebrew Accents as uselesse as numberlesse in their Offices insomuch that the Learned Christian Ravis of Berlin Professor of the Oriental Languages doth in his Grammar not only utterly deny them as others do to be Coaevouâ— with the Consonants or to be written by Moses but also not to be so ill handled by the Authors who ere they were as to cast so many unnecessary idle unreasonable superfluous useless Fancies upon them as our Doters on them do now a dayes I Confesse quoth he we cannot set down the Time Place Method Authors Crooked knots punctually which were never set down but 't is as old to have Bibles without Points as with them They are not the same in Hebrew Samaritan Chaldee Syriack Arabiâ— Aethiopick The Graecians at first were content with a e o for vowels Persians Turks Tartars Mogul great and little and Malay could be content to this day without Pricks instead of vowels What think you then quoth he was there a Curse of God upon the Jewes and all the Prophets that they nor could nor would understand the Writings one of another without so many superfluities And what a Malediction will you cast quoth he upon Gods Word that when many Hundreds can understand and that without any Haesitation at all thousands of other Books without these Pâ—icks they should not be able to understand Gods Book without such ado If that Infinity of Pricking and Stroking every Line and Letter were in the Bible were it not the greatest injury that could be done to it to have it once Printed without them How would the JEWES dare to Offer such Sacriledge so Vnexpressible Must the JEWES find out an easier way then GOD himself to leave out Pricks What an absurdity is in all the Accents not one excepted Athnack stands in an hundred places as a Boy or Servant Truly I pitty quoth he all those Great Men that are become Boyes and Children playing thus for the Vowels Accents and Diacritical Notes that they Write whole Books about Fancies and Childish-stuff given over to Reprobate minds and without the Bâ—essing of God The Pricks added to the Consonants are various according to the Fancies of the Inventors in various Countries of the Orient in Hebrew Chaldee Arabick and Aethiopick are there naturally none because superfluous The Strokes and Pricks are not of the Essence of this Tongue therefore only in the Bible and are set to the Bible without necessity Only I wish'd that the Vowels and Sheva's quoth he had no greater Credit then the Accents have which by the most learned in Europe for almost 150 years were still left out and not cared for even by them that Translated the Hebrew Bible nor can I well blame them as if they had mightily mistaken
or a whole Iury impannel'd to Try this Case of which this is the Foreman that speaks more then they all for it s insisted on or hinted at or'e and o're and or'e in I know not how many places of thy Book as if thou laydst more stresse and purrest more trust in this than in all the rest and indeed though it is a most piteous poor one yet seeing I know no better it may be called as its rank'r before the Rest the very best in all the pack Let 's see then what force this consideration viz. the love providence care and promise of God to his Church and Word Engaging for the preservation and continuance of it to a Tittle without losse hath in it to evince the entirenesse of the Hebrew and Greek Text to a Tittle That the Love Care and Providence of God is to or ore his Church and so ore his Word for his Churches sake I deny not in the least and that his Word he speaks he magnifies ore all his Name as the most glorious product of his Wisdom and Goodness as his great concernment in this world dearer to him than all the world besides which his Promise is for the continuance of it so inalterably entire and uncorrupt that Heaven and Earth it self shall pass away as Christ saies Matth. 5.18 before one jot and Tittle thereof shall fail or pass away and that not one Apex Tittle or Point of that hath yet failed or been altered or is liable for capable to be altered or corrupted All this I grant for his Word is the incorruptible Seed that lives and abides for ever But what 's all this to thy purpose I. O. whose talk is only about the outward Writings Image Copy Letter Text which talks of that Word and who producest all this to prove every Tittle of that Text to be entire Wilt thou never learn to put or at least to keep that difference which somtimes when thou art deliberate thy self puâ—test between the Word that is written of and the Text which is the meer Writing of it Dost not thou p. 12.13 though I know thou blindly blendest them together both there and throughout thy Book make the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Writing the Book the Letter one thing and the Faith Word Doctrine declared in it another Dost thou not distinguish now and then as every wise man does ever between the Text it self that talks of the Truth and the Truth it self which the Text talks on We know the Truth and Faith and Doctrine and Word of God which is but One and the same in its Nature Essence Being and Substance whether written or not written of whether cloathed or not cloathed in this or that outward accidental forme whether displaying it self through the vail of the Letter or shewing it self more immediately in its naked Native lustre is to a Tittle the same now that it ever was in Substance though all the shadowy Discoveries of it wax old and vanish and as a vesture are folded up and changed and Pass away as a Scrole that 's Roled up and grows out of Date when all Letters and Literal Appearances of it shall be mouldered away The Word was before the Letter was aud is neither more nor less what it was now the Letter is and will be no less than it was of old or what now it is as to its preservation in every point when the Letter shall be no more So that what are all thy Propositions about Gods Promise and Providence and Love and Care of his Church and Word to evince or prove the entire preservation of every Iot and Tittle of an outward Text or an old uncertain Transcript of what was by the Holy men of God some thousands of Years since written between which Word and the Writing or Light and the Letter which leads only to it there 's no more proportion as I may shew thee more anon than is between the Lanthorn and the Light the Glass Window and the Sun that shines through it or then as thy self intimatest there is between the Ark and the Testament or Covenant that for a while was used to be kept in it Dost not thou count the Letter the Ark p. 236. saying the Iews have now the Letter as somtimes they had the Aâ—k among the Philistims to their further ruine and p. 315. For my own part I am sollicitous for the Ark or the sacred Truth of the Original Yea such proportion say I as the Ark that kept it bore to the Letter of the old Testament that was laid up in it the same doth the Old Testament it self the whole 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or bare Letter or Shadowy Dispensation bear unto the Light Word of God or New Testament which is not a Literal but a Spiritual Administration Now as it would be fâ—lly and absurdity in the abstract for a man to Argue the Light to be the proper name of the Lanthorn which exhibits it the Sun the proper Name of the Glass it shines through and the Writing or Letter of the old Testament the proper name of the Ark in which it was laid up and then to affirm all the Properties that appertain peculiarly to the Light Sun Letter belong to the Lanthorn Glass Ark respectively and to plead from the unchangeableness of the Light the permanency of the Sun the long duration of the Letter Some of which in some uncertain Copies abides to this day that the Lanthorn is unalterable the Window inviolable the Ark abiding the self same and not one jor or inch of it is lost or altered to this day but in all points in the same that it was when Moset made it because some Copies Imagess and Pictures of it are found painted on Walls aud Printed in Books or so to this day Semblably as Ridiculous it is to the full to Argue the Letter is immediately come to us from God without interveniency of any Medium obnoxious to fallibility the Text is not capable to be altered not is altered in one Tittle so but that its intirely the same that it was at first in every Point Syllable and Iota because the Light Faith Doctrine Truth and Word which is as the Sun the same still and preserved in the Providence of God full firm and sure as all the Ordinances of Heaven are whether it shews it self through a Glass only or without it Now then howbeit we own all that which I. O. tells of the Providential care and Promise of God as to the preserving of his Word to his Church to be true as told of his Word yet as spoken of the Letter as Gods great Concernment in this World dearer to him than all the World the most glorious Product of his Wisdom and Goodness and such like and as urg'd in proof of the Text and each Tittle of that to be Entire and Eternal as the Heavens I say as so every Tittle of it is false And I would fain know of I
his liberty to make his choice ex dieabus malis of those two evils seems to chuse the latter saying pag. 7. that as far as their personal concernments as Saints and beleevers lay in the Scriptures and in order to their saving knowledge of the truth they studied the Writings and Prophesies of one another I conclude then against I.O. that by that clause the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles is not intended their Writings as if they laid their own Scriptures for the Foundation of the Church and her faith hope obedience but that which the Apostles themselves were built upon together with the whole Church or houshold of God which could not be nor was their own Writings but Christ the Light The Letter indeed is the foundation laid by I.O. and men of his mould of old for his Wheel in a Wheel as he speaks or his false Church whose works like his own run round on and are found to have in them Wheel within Wheel but as for the true Church of the living God which is the Wheel that will turn the worlds Wheels upside down it never did doth nor ever will acknowledge any fallible letter or meer transcribed Text or any other thing to be the true great and blessed foundation of Truth Faith Hope or Obedience then Christ Iesus the same yesterday and to day and for ever who was before it now is and ever will be when the letter shall be no more at all 2. Argument whatsoever the Scripture it self layes down and testifies to be the only true Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and of the whole Church of God and of her Faith Hope and Obedience and of all Truth that is the only true foundation of all these things But the Scripture it self layes down and testifies Christ alone the Light the living Word and not it self to be the only true Foundation of the things aforesaid therefore Christ alone the Light Spirit and inward living Word that is nigh in the heart and not the Scripture it self is the only true Foundation of them The first and affirmative part of the minor is not denied by thee as the major cannot be and if thou deny the second part of the minor which is negative and denies the Scripture to testifie of it self in any place that its the Foundation then assign where the Scripture calls it self the Foundation or else own that it doth not and so that it is not the Foundation at all much less the truest or the only one as thou often intimatest either expresly or in terms equivalent it is Ep. p. 25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not any means of standing out of utter uncertainty about all sacred truth if the Heb punctation be invention also p. 64 65. not a truer Foundation for for faith to repose it self upon 3. Argument if the Scripture be the foundation for the Church and all her Faith and Repentance to be founded and grounded upon then either there was no Foundation for it before the Scripture or else they who lived before the Scripture had one Foundation for their faith and we another and so consequently there hath been two Foundations for the one faith or the one Church or body of Christ but there was a Foundation before the Scripture and there are not two Foundations of faith one to that part of the body of Christ and of Gods building that was before the Scripture and another for that part that is built since the Scripture therefore the Scripture is not the Foundation Argument 4. The Foundation of the faith must be something that is infallible firm fixt certain stable sure and inalterable as the light Spirit and Word within onely is and Gods Foundation 2 Tim. 2 19. the Foundation of God sure to a Tittle for Error minimus in principio for major in medio maximus in fine the least fault or errour and deviation in the principle or Foundation of any building grows greater toward the middle and is greatest at the top as it is seen in a very Tower if the bottome or basis stands never so little awry as is discernable it is discerned more in the middle and much more still as it ascends higher But the Scripture letter Hebrew and Greek Texts how ever I.O. pleads their integrity in every Apex point tittle and iota yet are as I have shewed above more at large in answer to his long Tattle about the Tittles and points and indentity of Lections of the letter by his own confession mistaken and mistranscribed in small things yea and in some matters of more moment and importance in the best transcribed Copies of the Original Text therefore the Text or letter of the Scripture cannot be a fit Foundation for the Churches faith but the spirit and Word within is onely so Psal. 75.3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved faith Christ the Word of God I bear up the Pillars of it and that is the reason why the earth is so shaken as it is and reels to and fro that it is removed as a cottage and all helpers and healers avail nothing because they reject the corner stone Christ the Word for if the Foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do Psal. 11.3 Isa. 24. 18 19. Each of which Arguments hold good against the letters being the Rule the light the witness of God the Gospel the power of God to salvation the only means or way of coming to the saving knowledge of God Word of God and what ever other high Titles I. O. intitles it by as appears in their order That the Light or Word within and not the Scriptures are the Rule or Canon Another thing thou assertest of the Scripture is that it is the only Rule of the faith and obedience of Gods Church p. 173. that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that more sure word of Prophesie to be attended to 2 Pet. 1.18 19 20. not in its self for so it was as sure as sure could be but in its giving out its evidence to us then that great miracle of miracles greater than which the Apostles of Christ never did behold or hear viz. That voice which came from the most excellent glory This is my beloved Son which we have greater security from and by according to Peter then they had in and by that miraculous voice That Moses and the Prophets which who so will not hear will not be perswaded to repent though one arise to them from the dead Luke 16.31 That Word Law and Testimony mentioned Isa. 8.20 according to which who speaks not are said to be in the dark so that there is no light in them by which what every one sayes be it what or whom it will Church or person if it be in and about the things of God concerning his will or worship or our obedience to him is to be tried That which we are sent to that which is and is asserted to be the
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
the perfection of which say they stands in no other thing than in sufficiency to effect its proper end which is with them the most perfect instruction of men in the knowledg and worâ—hip of God so that they may obtain eternal salvation witness I.O. whose Kâ—unds and Contradictions to himself in that point I shal here see down in his own words Englished which were written by him in Latine J.O. God the Author of the Scripture being the most perfect Agent must necessarily act for some end therefore in the Declaratiâ—n of his wiâ—l in the Scripture 't is sure he had some propounded end but â—herâ—as the end is tâ—ofâ—ld â— Vâ—timaâ—e and â—emoâ—e 2. Next and immediate we state the ultimate supream and general end to be his own glory The immediate or next end of his giving the Scriptureâ— and so of the Scriptures themselves we conâ—end to be our direction in the knowledge of God and obedience to be yeelded to him that at length we doing his will may obtain eternal salvation and the enjoyment of himself for this is the end of the worker and of the work What God intends by the Scriptures that they to wiâ— morally and in the way of operation proper to them dâ— effect But when aâ— the perfection of every Discipline consists in relation to its end and that is to be held perfect wâ—ich is sufficent to its next end but that imperfect which cannot obtain it propâ—sed end the perfection of the Scriptures can consist in no other thing then in its sufficiency in respect to its proper end which is the instruction of men in the knowledge and worship of God that they may attain eternal salvation In this sense therefore we assert the Scripture to be the most perfect Rule of the whole worship of God and oâ—r obedience Reply Whether â—â—ere be not a more perfect way of our instructâ—on in the saving knowledge of God then the Scripture appears elsewhere where I shew no saving knowledge of God comes any way but the inward Revelation of himself in us by his Light and Spirit Here only obseâ—ve I O. confusiâ—ns and confutation of himself in this above by that which follows when the Quae. say the Scripture is perfect to its own proper end and its end being obtained it ceases Then quoth he It s most false that the Scripture obtains it whole end in respect of us while we are in the world therefore till heaven and earth pass away not one jâ—t or tittle of the Law i.e. Letter with him shall fail for not only the begetting of faith but also the building up in it while we live here is the end of the Scripture So then its end which is begetting to and building up in the faith is not effected by it here is it then in the world to comes 〈◊〉 no neither quoth he in the self-same Section the use of the Scripture shâ—â—â— cease then being accomodated only to our present state and faith also as founded on it â—â—â—ll be done aâ—ay Ex 3. s. 39. Here then is the round I.O. makes with a Cris-cross in the middle of it viz. The perfection of the Scripture which we plead and affirm and of every thing else is its sufficiency and efficacy to accomplish its own proper immediate end and what ever doth not so is imperfect The immediate end of the Scripture is its direction instruction of men in the saving knowledge of God his will worship their obedience and duty to him the ingeneration of faith and edification up in it to salvation This whole end of the Scripture its most false to affirm that it accomplishes till the world to come it must do it in this world or in the world to come in this world it cannot possibly do it for perfection in the faith in holiness freedom from sin here is not attainable in the world to come it cannot possibly for there both the Scripture it self and also the faith it seâ—f that is founded on it will cease to be of any use at all being of use only here â—nd shall be both done away Verbum sat sapients insipienti plura plus satis Never did I see such Rounds and crosses and confusions and contradictions such self-confutations and Net-works and Checker-work and Webs and Snares as I.O. makes and hangs hampered in himself when he hath done made and woven among any but our wofully benighted Divines all whose works are done in the darke Isa. 29.15 in all my dayes before Is the Scripture then the Power of God to salvation able mighty effectual available to its end that is to save the soul as I.O. sayes it is no quoth I.O. it is not it s most false to say it doth or can avail to its end in this world in the world to come its of no force so if it be the power of God as I.O. affirms it over and over again it is it must be in some world that is past away or some new found world or other for he himself sayes its neither in this present world nor that to come neither now nor hereafter neither here nor there But alas as the world it self wherein he fancies such a thing to be is none knows where but a meer Chimaera of his own coining hatcht no where but in his own head the Shop where and whence many more such like toyes are shapen sold and uttered among such as having sold the truth are willing rather to trade in utter untruths then in nothing at all and not receiving the love of the truth that they might be saved but taking pleasure in unrighteousness more then it are given over to strong delusion to beleeve lyes that they may be damned For seriously that the Letter or Scripture is the power of God to salvation or that Word of God which brings forth any good fruit to perfection among either the Seedsmen the Ministers of the Letter that sow nothing but their own senses and thoughts upon it or in the stony thorny common high-way ground of Parish peoples hearts in which they sow the Letter mingled with their own chaffy cogitations saying Hear the word of the Lord when yet they confess themselves neve heard his voice This however ye imagine Oh ye power less profitless Prophets is a meer no such matter for that is the Word or Seed that is sown by the Supreme Sowes the Son of Man himself in the same Field or World of mens hearts in which the World is where the Devil in the dark night while men sleep and watch not to the light sows Tares among the good Seed which where it lights on honest hearts that hear and heed the Word patiently continuing in the keeping of it brings forth abundantly in some Thirty some Sixty some â—n Hundred fold Indeed the Letter the Text or Scripture declares and bears witness to the Word which is absolutely necessary effectual perfect to the ends aforesaid which is the power of God
whereby bee spake to or in the Prophets and is therefore accompanied with the same Authority in it self and unto us but most shame of all if he be not past shame so as not to see it in that he from this of Peter sets the Scripture the alterable and much altered Copies of his Letter his flexible Transcripts and Text that are and may bee turned and winded as himself confesses p. 22 23 24 25. of his Epist. at the wills of Criticks into â—arious senses not only in equality with but into a state of certainty abâ—ve the very immediate voice of God that was heard from heaven which true vâ—ice of God yet p. 66 67. hee sayes to the contradicting of himself in what he asserts as to the minority of its evidence to us then that of the Scripture hath tâ—at 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accompanying it as evidences it self and ascertains the soul beyond all possibility of mistake and is that which we are at last to rest in as being discernable from and obliging men to discern it from all delusions though yet O Rotas I to go Round again the Scripture is that with him that is ultimately to be rested in and not the voice of God which he sayes may counterfeited witness the same pages where hee bems in and hedges up his speech concerning the infallible certainty of Gods voice beyond all possibility of mistake and concerning our resting ultimately in that a parte ante with this saying viz. Suppose God should speak to us from heaven as he spake to Moses or as he spake to Christ or from some certain place how should wee bee able to know it to bee the voice of God Cannot Satan cause a voice to be heard in the air and so deceive us or may not there be some way found out whereby men might impose upon us their delusions Pope Caelestine thought he heard a voice from heaven when it was but the cheat of his successour must we not rest at last in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that accompanies the true voice of God evidencing it self and ascertaining the soul beyond all possibility of mistake a parte post with this saying viz. If the Question be whether the Dâ—ctrines proposed to bee beleeved are Truths of God or cunningly devised fables we are sent to the Scripture it self and that alone to give the determination Thus ultimately we are to rest in Gods voice and yet ultimately we must rest in the Scripture which is another thing for those that heard and searcht the Scripture as I shewed above never at any time heard Gods voice though yet I beleeve I.O. to bee so sottish to suppose the Scripture or Writing to bee it from which yet himself sometimes distinguisheth it Now the Scripture the Letter what ever thou sayest of it to the contrary I.O. specially as to the present corrupted Copies of it which are your Canon are not Sure much less a Surer matter then the immediate voice of God neither 1 In that false sense in which I.O. interprets that Term more sure viz. more unquestionable and undoubtedly evident to bee of God for if wee grant it to be of equal Divine certainty as we need not it being as now but the Remote issue and product at the hundredth hand perhaps of Gods voice in the Prophets yea but Remote Transcripts of fallible men from the handywork or manuscripts of the first Penmen yet to say its of greater divine certainty then Gods own voice is absurdity in the abstract Nor yet secondly in that genuine sense which the Term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most properly bears viz. more firm stable stedfast standing permanent or the like for the Letter is changeable alterable flexible passing perishing corruptible at mans will who may mistransâ—ribe turn tear change alter burn it c. and so flecting and transient but as for that Voice surer then which I.O. sayes the Scripture is which Scripture he calls the Light or the Word of Prophesie and the Prophesie of Scripture mistaking himself when it is but the Scripture of the Prophesie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Voice was as infallibly sure to its evidencing it self to them that heard it to be of God as any thing can bee though so permanent it was not as the Light within is â—nd the Voice of God that is to be heard in the heart of those that take heed to and turn not away from it for that particular Voice that came to them from God saying of Christ Hear ye him was passing and transient not abiding staying and standing as to the actual â—udibility of it but the Voice and Word of the Son in the heart of whom the Father said Hear ye him this is permanent lasting standing stable sure stedfast alwayes nigh in the heart of men that they may both hear and do it and this and not the oâ—tward Scripture or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I.O. scrafles for is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the more sure word or Prophesie of Scripture i.e. that that Scripture writes of or the light shining in the dark place of the heart good to be taken heed to here spoken of even the voice of Christ speaking from heaven in the heart and conscience of whom the Father sayes vers 17. hear him whose voice his sheep hear and who ever hears not in whatever he sayes shall be cut off from among his people whose voice which shakes the old earth and heaven where it s heeded it s more dangerous to turn from then t is toÌ„ turn from Moses and the Prophets and holy mens outward Writings for these whether old or latter speak and write though by motion from God yet on earth only but hee commeth from heaven and is above all as Iohn Baptist said of himself and Christ Ioh. 3.3.28 29 30 31. c. I am not the Christ I am but sent before him he hath the bride I am but the Bridegrooms friend who stand and hear him rejoycing at his voice he must increase I must decrease he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth he that cometh from above is above all See therfore saith Paul He. 12.25 That ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven Yea not the Letter but this Voice and light in the heart this inwardly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ingrafted innate Word or Spirit imparted implanted indelibly in mens consciences is as God and Christs Vicegerent there both revealing what hee requires of every man as to his own particular and taking account of him also in the name Majesty and Authority of God de facto how he answers it which Voice or Light of God and Christ in the conscience is called by thee p. 42 44 45 57. The
any more accounted on And though this seem such a mervailous matter I.O. in thy eyes and utterly beyond that diminitive belief and that little faith thou hast which if we may believe thy self is for ought thou knowest just none at And what Testimony soever the spirit of God beaves of the Scripture or of the Word of God or of the Gospel or of any anything else to us so as on pain of Gods d spleasure to bind us to the belief thereof it beares it in the hearts of men also as well as in the Scripture though thou say falsly that all it now testifies it testifies in the Scripture and by that onely to the heart and not in the heart immediately by it self or else it requires not the belief of it thou concludest thus viz. And if this be not a â—â—â—teme and foundation of faith and sure enough it is not so if the spirit speak not the same within that it doth without in the Letter then I publickly professe that for ought I know I have no faith at all He that doth not know that he hath any faith may thereby know assuredly that he hath not any all yet must it therefore be such a mervailous thing in the eyes of God and of his people who are not so incredulous of the Scripture as thou art that God should speak with his own mouth to his own people and vouchsase them so much mercy as to heare the joyfull sound of his his own voice and reveale his mind and will to them by his own spirit indeed sometimes he is pleased to speak in one to another as he did much in the Prophets to the Fathers in Paul to the Churches 2 Corin. 13.3 in one Prophet in his Church or two or three to all the rest as he was pleased to move and inspire them by his spirit 1 Cor. 14.24 25 29 30 31. and reveale any thing to them and by his Spirit press them in their spirits and give them utterance to utter it to others yet if any spake as they ought they were to speake as the Oracles of God and to minister not onely as of the ability that God gave and not man bought at University but also as of that which came to them as the Word of God uttered by his own voice in their hearts from his mouth out of the holy Oracle of God 1 Pet. 4.11 when he so speaks his voice is known and owned by his own who own not the voice of strangers when their tongues run before their wits out of their time to tell talk in words of the self-fame truth which but by bare hearesay they know not and at this day he speaks out in his servants to people and to you Scribes that search the Scriptures who call on you to heare what hee saith in you though as your forefathers John the fifth you have not at any time in your selves heard his voice which if it were the Letter you have often heard that read nor yet heeded such as spake to you from him in whom he speaks But doth all this exclude God from speaking when and what he pleases to any or every man immediately within his heart Was there ever any age wherein he debarred himself from this unlesse in the case of aforesaid wherein he was pleased to hold his peace because men would not hear him but stopt the eare like the deaf adder to what he said because being evil doers they did not like it In which case terras Astraea reliquit is there not a time wherein his very Adversaries that will not hear his voice in order to their own peace shall heare it whether they will or no to their own terrour will not he that fits in heaven as far off as you think that is utter his own voice as the roaring of a lion so loud within their consciences that they shall hear him speake to them in his wrath vex them in his sore displeasure who have vexed his spirit And do not the people of God though you do not hear what God the Lord himself will speak And will he not Psal. 85.8 speak peace to his people and to his Saints And are not such as have ears to hear bid to hear what the Spirit saith not in the Scripture onely for that properly is not a voice though figuratively it may be called so no more than my Letter to a friend in which he may read my minde is truly and properly my voice and our controversie with I. O. is much about proper names but in the heart where to them that hear he speaks the same that by his motion is written in the Scripture And do not Christs people hear his voice who though they may read the Letter too yet in that act can no more properly be said to heare his voice than he properly to hear his Masters voice that is an hundred mile off while he is but reading something or other that was written not by his Master neither but by some other by his approbation or appointment And are we not commanded to hear the welbeloved son of God And is it not dangerous to turn away the eare from him that speaks still from heaven more then to turn away from Moses or the Prophets in whom he spake and who spake but from or by him here on earth And is not Christ theâ— Light of the world that great Prophet who preacheth himself the Gospel in every Creature whose voice whoever heareth not in all things whatever he saith must be cut off from his people And is there not much more in the Scripture itself which sends men not to itself so much as to the hearing of God Christ and the Spirit declared to the same purpose Why then should it be thought an incredible thing with thee I. O. or any else that God should speak to men and manifest himself and what is to be known of him and of his mind to their salvation if they heed it to them now in their own hearts and consciences Doth not God himself speak are yea twice though man perceiveth it not Iob 33.14 Rom. 1 19â— or that Christ should manifest himself in a more speciall manner and measure then to the world who observe not when he speaks nor â—what he commands to his servants that love him and keep his commands or that he should come into them Rev. 3.20 sup abide and be familiar with them and not by the Scripture so much for the world hath that declaration that know him not but by his Spirit of truth which the world receives not but resists though it strives in them and not without onely by the ministration of holy men conviaceth them and preacheth to them as in Noahs dayes not by Noah onely but in their consciences should dwell in them and not in writings and proverbs onely shew them plainly of the Father John 14.17 to 26. John 16.25 Or that any of his people that give
Prophet Doth not the difference that is serve us against thee whilst it s no other then thus that of the two the spiritual man is the greater for if every Prophet is not a spiritual man yet all spiritual men are Prophets or more then Prophets And that there are spiritual men in these dayes thou wilt prove thy self to be what thou art but a meer animal and fleshly man in denying for as there are millions even many more then a good many spiritual men in Title so assuredly as few as they are there are a good many so in truth and so many as are so are more then Prophets or inspired ones that are but barely mov'd to speak or act by the Spirit for all holy men of God spake and wrote of old and speak and write now as they are acted or moved of the holy Spirit but all that speak as the Spirit of God may move act and give them utterance are not holy men of God for Prophesie is but a gift that wicked men though seldome yet sometimes may have who never come into that more excellent and spiritual way which is to last when all Prophesie is ceased of living in love and other fruits of the Spirit witness Balaam the Prophet that lov'd the wages of unrighteousness and taught Balaak King of Moab to cast a stumbling block before Israel and to eat things sacrificed to Idols and to commit fornication whose way you follow who neither live the life nor will unless ye repent for all your hopes so to do die the death of the righteous and that you will see when you fall into his Trance with your eyes open as you will at last so as to see him even that Star of Iacob as he did afar off not nigh but with a gulf betwixt and Lazarus in his bosome though you are yet in a Tâ—ance of your own with your eyes shut and not come so far into the bare sight of Truth as Balaam was who for all his wickedness was moved of the Lord and overpowred by the Word of God put into his mouth to speak many precious Truths and full sore against his will which would have been at work another way for hire and have cursed and divin'd against them for money to bless Israel altogether Numb 24. Witness also Caiphas the High-Priest who gave the Iews wicked counsel against Iesus and yet prophesied that Iesus should dye for that Nation and gather into one all the children of God that were scattered abroad which not knowing well the true meaning of his own words he spake not of himself as ye do of your selves not understanding well what you say uttering in words many eminent truths out of the Prophets and of the Prophets which not knowing the Prophets voices ye fulfill to your own ruine but by way of Prophesie as the Spirit made use of his mouth to utter it Iohn 11.47 51 52. And was not Saul also among the Prophets so that evil men may be moved and inspired by the Spirit and obey also so as to Prophesie as they are moved led or acted by the Spirit who never obey the Spirits motions of them to better and greater matters that spiritual men obey him in yea fleshly selfish men may be moved and made of the Lord which is more then ye yet are Prophets of True things but what holy and spiritual man is not a Prophet or not inspired or not truly moved of the Lord or however fallible in himself as other men is not anamartetos or infallible as led by the Spirit wherefore then makest thou this matter Theopneustian or divine inspiration or moving of the Spirit such a singular thing as peculiar onely to the dayes of old nay verily though all men are not so far inspired and moved of the Spirit as to be made Prophets yet if by the Term Theopneustia thou mean bare inspiration and motion of the Spirit and speak of that thing it selfe and not of such or such a degree or measure of it canst thou tell me the man or woman vpon earth letting onely Infants and meer Fanaticks aside who are not or have not at some time or other been moved by and with good motions to better things then they follow inspired by the Holy Spirit Who is there â—aving him who walks no more after the Flesh but after the Spirit and so is not excepted from but more highly accepted into this Theopneusty or inspiration in all the world of either Heathens by name or meer nominall Christians that are as reall Heathens as the other who cannot truly say Video meliora prâ—bâ—que deterior a sequor And what is that in them who have no outward Scripture that makes them say and gives them to see that they behold and approve of better things while they practise worse Is it not the same light and Spirit within by which Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison when once the long suffering of God waited while the Ark was preparing Is it not the spirit of Truth that guides the followers of it into all truth and strives with men though the stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and cares alwayes resist and strive against it and lusts in them against the lustings of their flesh to filth and envy c Is it not that which convinceth and reproveth the world of sin because they believe not in Christ and of righteousnesse and judgement so that they know righteousnesse and the righteousnesse and truth of the judgement of God that who do such things as they do are worthy of death though yet they enter not into the narrow path of righteousness and life nor repent to the acknowledgement of the Truth And though the earth by reason of the transgression till God create the Heaven and Earth again anew as he did in the beginning be without form and void and darknesse be upon the face of the deep yet in order to its coming into order again by the new Creation Doth not the Spirit of God move upon the face of the waters where the Whore sitteth peoples multitudes tongues and nations And doth not God say Let there be light and there is light shining in the daâ—knessâ— though the darknesse comprehends it not And doth he not separate these clearly in mens consciences the inner world from each other calling the light day and the darknesse night And do not many of you men called Ministers use to teach your unconverted people to take the advantage of the Spirits moving upon their hearts and not to quench them but to step in while it moves least like those that lay diseased at the Pool of Bethesda waiting for the moving of the waters by the Angel that came down which in the Antitype is not the letter but the Spirit not waiting for the movings or neglecting to observe and obey and close with the Spirits motions before the motions of sin in the flesh step in and cool and quench them they lie
and cause the Sun to be covered with a cloud and the bright lights of heaven to be dark over Aegypt at the putting of it out and at the breaking of its yoke and set darkness upon her Land and search out the hidden things of Esau and take away understanding from his Mount and discover deep things of darkness and bring out to light the shadow of death Job 12. Isa. 19. Isa. 29. Isa. 44. Ezek. 30.18 22.7 8. Obad. 6. c. And that he will do all this to a people that have provoked him to anger with their vanities by a foolish Nation and weary them out by such as are no people in their eyes Deut. 32.21 And choose the foolish and bâ—se and weak things that Are noâ— â—o confound and bring to nothing the things that Are 1 Cor. 1.20 27.28 That the great Mountain of Babel shall become a Plain before Zerubbabel i e. Such as are from Babel as the Word is and this not by might nor power of man but by my Spirit saith the Lord Zach. 4.6.7 That the excellency of the work may be of him and not of man and that he will do great things for his own Land of Canaan whereat they shall rejoyce and be glad Joel 2.21 yet by such instruments as foolish Shepherds such silly tools as shall make subtle Sanballets and tale-bearing Tobyasses and the rest of the scoffers of the same seed of Ammon flout â—t them at first as feeble and say What will these feeble folk do will they revive the stones out of the rubbish and build and fortifie in a day Behold if a Fox go upon their wall will he not break it down Nehem. 4.1.2.3.4 c. Nehem. 6.6.7.16 c. and despise the day of God as a day of small things Zach. 4.10 and yet be amaz'd terrified cast down in themselves and made to confess it to be of God at the last and that he will begin to save not so much by the heads as by the tail of the people and gâ—â—upwards not that Prophet that teacheth lyes which is the tail that would be the head and is to be totally cut off Isa. 9. but the lower and most despised fort of people to whom he will shew his Salvation and by them to the Antient and the Honourable and instruct Apollos by Aquila and Priscila in the way of God more perfectly and make the Daughters of Philip to Prophesie when scarce a Prophetess to be found among the Princesses of the earth and Phabe and other Sisters Ministers in his Church and Labourers with Paul and fellow-helpers to the Gospel Rom. 16.1 1 Phil. 4.3 when he leaves Corvos Prophetas Prophetissas picas many unsavoury gaping Preachers and proud women pratlers of Christ and Faith c. ever teaching and learning but never coming to the knowledge of the Truth and that he will saveÌ„ the Tents of Juda first the plain plow-men and keepers in their own Tents and Country cottages that the glory of the cieled houses of David and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem Kings Governours great ones fine rich Citizens mighty Merchants mincing Ladies Renowned University Schollars Scribes Pastors and such like may no more magnifie themselves against Iuda but stoop to take Truth from stammering lips or be lest ignorant thereof forever and this is one of Gods works and strange Acts which he is working in these dayes whereat the wise despisers wonder yet perish because in no wise believing it though it be declared unto them Zach. 12.7 1 Hab. 1.5 Act. 13.40.41 Isa. 28.21.22 5. The mighty multitude of false Prophets of all shapes seducing and gain saying the truth which are at least four hundred and fifty of one sort and four hundred of another to one of the Lords Elijabs 1 Kings 18. ver 19. For as thou sayest I. O. T. 1. C. 3. S. 10. in the latter dayes of that Iewish Church that poople were most emiÌ„nently perplexed with false Prophets both as to their number and subtilty so and much more is it now in these latter dayes of the out-side Christian Churches that hold the outer Court yet tread down the holy City and of the old World also wherein the old Serpent called the Devil and Satan seeing himself cast out of heaven where he held war as long as he could with Michael and his Angels and is now to have no more place there is come down to the Inhabiters of the earth unto which he is cast in great wrath knowing that he hath but a short time and so bestirs himself more then ever before and like a mad Bull that hath received a fatal blow in the forehead runs bellowing about and tears and rends what he is able and foams against the Man-child the holy Seed of God and Sheep of Christ at his going forth and being by permission more strongly then ever re-entred into the herdâ—of Swine drives them down headlong so violently that there is no saving of them to their own everlasting Perdition to which purpose he musters up all manner of his Ministers that from him as to their Ministerial capacities both live and move and have their being Gog and Magags Ministry and all the Magicians behind all these together running on with open mouth to devoure the Israel of God and iâ—compass the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City till fire come down from God out of heaven and devoure them Isa. 31. yea of a truth it it so now as was foretold 2 Esdras 13. Chap. thoroughout that it should be in the latter dayes when the most High begins to visit and deliver his Saints and come in them to the astonishment of many and as a thief and a snare upon all that dwell upon the earth viz. that though all the false Prophets and their several peoples should be Aurium tenus up to the ears in strife one sort of Seers undertaking to fight against another one City one Realm one sort of their misguided people against another one Troop of these mad Riders and their blind horses Zach. 4. against another in their uncertain fallible minds opinions conjectures thoughts Andabatarum more justling together in the dark at the Revelation of the Son of God and his espoused Sion and at the hearing of his uncouth voice they every one in their own land leave the battel they have one against another and as of old the Ammonites Mâ—â—ites and they of Mount Seir waging war against that typical people of God the outward fleshly Israel so these that hate and ban one another even to the very death make one head together against that spiritual Israel that is of a clean heart and all the false Prophets both anâ—iâ—â— and upstart and all the subtil fâ—xes natura non nomine joyn both little and great old and young together to spoil the Vine that hath clusters of tender grapes and if it were possible to root it out and under a pretence of preserving the Church the true seed of Iacob
they areâ— seldome in unless Out be In with them as In is Out with T. D. the people whose eyes all as of one man should be as the true Israels are Zach. 9.1 toward the Lord being towards their Spiritual Lordships the Clergy do all as one man erre after them and drop together in gross with their blind guides into the Ditch And whereas all have hitherto following the old Interpreters who say the truth with the Quaâ— read that Text thus The true Light enlightens every man that comes into the world they if I.O. may have his will against the Qua. must now read otherwise 4. Suppose we should for Tryals sake and no otherwise will we grant thee that the Greek Text in respect of the words as they may be construed may equally bear I. Os. construction as well as that of the Qua. and of most or all Translators and Interpreters hitherto does not this then overturn the whole business thou so much buslest for throughout thy book viz. the Greek and Hebrew Texts being such a sure fixt steady stable infallible unchangeable inalterable Rule Canon Measure Touch-stone Standard for all Truth to be tryed by and all Spirits Lights even that infallible one which gave it out as well as any other the infallible guidance of which thou deniest to be now in the world or to be the stable Rule Standard or Direction about Doctrines Duties c. for verily if it be so as in some places it is confesâ— by me to be so far more clearly then in this viz. Iob. 5.39 where Ereunate may be read either Indicatively as a Complaint Ye search the Scriptures and look for life there which is Christs mind there or Imperatively as a Command Search ye that one and the same phrase in the Greek may bear â—ivers constructions from which being differently construed according to mens meer different conceits upon them may arise not only various 〈◊〉 ons and senses such as T. D. gives when he sayes it is either 〈…〉 of else perhaps it may be so and the word or phrase may import so and may impâ—rt so c. up and down in his book but also such as are even contrâ— y contradictory and absolutely destructive one to another must not he then pâ—t out the eyes of men first that makes them believe that which I. O. contends and spends himself throughout his whole Book about that not the Light Spirit Word and Truth of Christ in the Hearts and Consciences of men nor any immediate Vision or Revelation of the old inalterable infallible eternal Will and Truth of God to man in his own heart as he waits at Wisdomes gates at Gods own Mouth for counsell is to be the Rule but such an uncertain doubtful fallible flexible thing as an external Text and Letter that may be and is turned twenty wayes and made to stand even in one verse many wayes at once according as men in their foolish vain thoughts are minded to thrust it Art thou so benummed I. O. and hardened against this Truth that the Light is the Rule and not the Letter that because the Quakers rell it thee against whom thou art risen in wrath therefore thou wilt not believe it no not though preached to thee by thy own mouth hand and pen as well as theirs Quid cum iis agamus qui cum revera sintadeo infeliciter stupidi ut nulla neque ratione neque experientia erudiri possint quasi tamen ipsi soli superent vanaperswasione siderati in contemptu eorum quae non intelligunt audaciter persistunt atque cum Comicoillo clamant dicat quad quisque volet nos exhae opinione non dimo vebimur Ex. 2 S. 28. Read that to thy self I. O. if thou canst tell how and see how thou loosest thy ground against us one way while thou seekest to gain against us another way by thy extortion of the Text and thy playing Legerdemane about the Letter 5. Suppose we should as for tryals sake again we will not otherwise for our Nay is stronger then thy Tea as to this place give thee thy own reading of that Text wholly to thyself Jet's see what thou canst make of it against the â—ue lights enlightning every man which is the thing thou denyest and wouldest disprove by it Nempe To Pan hoc est vere nihil just as much and not a jot mere then thou had â—â— before If thou wilt not read it the true way â—ake it then in thy own and make thy best on'r The true light coming into the world enlightens every man here is thy reading which amounts not to one attome more against every mans being enlightned with the true light then if thou quietly without quarrelling with the Quakers read'st it with them thus The true Light enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world for it still proves that every man in the world since the true Lights coming into it is enlightned by it and all that thou thyself concludest and entailest at the end of thy tale about it is no more then an exclusion of that part of the world that died before Christs fleshly coming into it from being mentioned in this Text for so run the words of thy Conclusion Ex. 4. S. 24. Ad maximam ideo partem humani generis quaescilicet ante adventum Christi in mundum fato functa fuerit non pertinet haec assertio Therefore to the greatest part of mankind namely such as died before Christs coming into the World this Assertion appertains not Repl. In which Assertion of thine thou according to the manner of Errour which is a Quick-sand that when men are once in it sucks them in further art sunk more over head and eares then before considering thy meaning of thy own words for how beit if rightly understood there are no men that ever lived or died in the World who had a being in it before Christ and the true Light of the World or Word of which it is said Iohn 1.1 2 3. It was in the beginning with God and was God and as God is not denyed by any of you to have enlightened all men from of old before that Juncture ye count from and by which men and all things were made so that without it not any thing was made that was made in which was the life which life was the light of men which shineth in the darkness even the wicked who are yet darkness though not comprehended thereby Yea to the Wisdome of God 1 Cor. 1. That leads men in the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of Iudgement that it may cause those that love it to inherit substance and fill their treasures was the very beginning of Gods way was set up from everlasting and in being when the heavens and earth were founded and established rejoycing in the habitable parts of the earth and delighting in and lightning the sons of men ever since there were men and blessing those that attended to him Prov.
good as any of that Religion or Righteousness of our morally unrighteous Pharisaical Christians now gloryed in by our literallists legallists must be made no other then parralel'd with that of man Phil. 3. 6. which had no more also then the Testimony of man as to that denomination of blamlesness Righteousnesse yet was in truth because lying in outward observation of fleshly ceremony more than inward Righteousness and morality no more worth than meer dung with God and as to justification of any one in his sight that doted on it As to that of Zachariah's being guilty of acting sin at that very time in which be as said to be Righteous for which he was punished with dumnes whereupon I told him then that in Elizabeth their was no fault found however and so one instance might stop his mouth who call'd for an instance of one single person only but quoth he shee might be no more free from sin then he though there 's no mention of any sin of hers Rep. I prov'd her to be blameless and righteous from the Text it self it lyes in him to assign some sin of hers if shee had any but that he cannot do but confesses there 's no mention of any So that instance stands ore his head still and whereas at the Taile of his double Tale about his and her sins he tells another to make them three viz. that my mouth was stopt and I was silenced had nothing to Reply because I thought fit to be silent when enough was said T. D. doth but mistake himself for 't was his own mouth that was then stopt insomuch that I saw and heard some of those that stood about him take notice of him as meerly cavelling in that matter but he that chuses to Outword them he cavills with though to little purpose must chuse to have the last word if he can But whereas T. D. sayes thus but in a word to put it out of doubt Zachariah was at that time found guilty of the sin of unbelief and was punisht for it I say it s more then he will ever prove while he lives that he was so at all much lesse in the very time of which its said that he was Righteous For 1st that time was before the time of his not-believing of which its said that in it he was Righteous But 2d in a word to put it out of doubt and bring both instances clear ore his head again ther 's no such thing mentioned in the least of Zachariahs sinning much lesse of being punisht for his sin for howbeit he did not so fully at first as he did after believe the Angells news of his having a Son it being very unlikely sith his wife and he both were very old and thereupon desired honestly a sign by which he might the more assuredly know and give credit to it as others without sin desired in like cases the like before him yet is he neither blamed nor threatned nor lesse puisht as T. D. dreams with dumbnesse for not believing till he had a sign as for a Sin but his dumbnesse was given as an answer of his desire of a sign and as a sign of the certainty of the thing that he might the more undoubtedly believe it Eccle. 1.18.19.20 whereby shall I know this glad Tidings quoth Zachariah for we are old Behold quoth the Angel thou shalt be dumb till the day that these things shall be performed since thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season There remains one Scripture more that T. D. urged against perfection which he desired my answer to at the propounding of which he sayes I was silenced and yet brings me in himself as answering to it in the very next words that I spake at all whereby men may see how he makes a matter of nothing of it to utter lies and to prove them to be lyes as soon as he has done The Text is Eccles. 7.20 there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not the sum of my answer which T. D. renders as raggedly as he can so that men may not tell what to make of it was this viz. There are no dwellers upon earth that sin not but there are some that have a bodily abode upon earth whose dwelling is not on earth but in Heaven whose conversation or Politeuma or habitation Mil. 3.20 cheif businesse being abode and dwelling is in Heaven whom all the inhabitants of the earth or earthly minded men on all whom the day of the Lord comes as a snare Luke 21. viz. the Beast and his worshippers who are said to dwell on earth Rev. 11.10 do Blaspheme Rev. 13 6. and these people of God in Heaven who also are Heaven where God himself dwells Isa. 57. Isa 66. Rev. 18.20.19.1 Sin not as all they do wo to them therefore that are inhabitants of the earth for the Devil is cast out of Heaven and hath no place there and is come down to the other in great wrath But they that are in Heaven are on Mount-Sion with the Lamb redeemed from the earth and in their mouth is found no guile for as the Lamb himself who is their Saviour is unspotted doing no evill so are they without fault before the Throne of God Rev. 14.1.3.5 which answer of mine which was also G.Ws. is mine here again to T.D. so far was I then from using it as a meer evasion as T. D. sayes he verily believes I then did in mine own Iudgment and intention But T. D. not well knowing what to reply to it replyes nothing at all to it in his Rejoinder but p. 7.2 pamp calls it absurd and not worth a further reply then what he gives p 13. 1 pamp which is so jejune that I can find nothing in it but skin and bone he tells us the Iust man being in Heaven in our sense excludes not his local being here on earth Rep. Nor do we say it does though he there thinks we do think so but what of this we deny not his bodily and local abode here on earth T.D. who can do no other then give us all our questions cannot and therefore doth nor deny but confesse it that he hath a present being also in Heaven and that 's as much as we need wish him to yeild to as in order to the yeilding us our cause and if he should deny a true real being of the Sons of God in Heaven while they are locally and bodily here on earth we should force him to confesse it from Iohn 3.13 where it s said of the Son of man mark in praesenti that he is in Heaven while yet he stood bodily on the earth He tells us we run very low in this answer but alas it is too high for him who is on earth with all his reason to reach any sound Reply to as in us seems to be without us and inward to be outward to him who lives
not in Heaven within but on earth without so to him that stands as T.D. doth on his head with his heals upwards and his head down towards the Earth where his feet and heels onely should be as downward seems to be upward so does upward to be downward But so it seems to the great Whore that rides the Beast or that Woman that 's cloathed in Scarlet and for a time tramples the Holy City under feet Rev. 17.4.11.2 yet things seem no otherwise then they are to the Woman cloathed with the Sun who hath her head Crowned with the Starrs and all fading sublunary Glory and the Moon it self under her feet Rev. 12.1 As to T. Ds. trifling reply to what R H. urg'd from Heb 12 23. where Paul sayes the Saints were come to mount Sion the City of the living God the New Ierusalem into which let T.D. esolve himself whether any uncleannesse or defilement can enter from Rev 21.7 and to Myriards of Angels and to the general Assembly and Church of the 1st being whose Names are written in Heaven And to God and to Iesus and to the Spirits of Just men perfected with all whom let T. D. who sayes that place imparts not the perfection of any man on earth Resolve himself whether one dram of darkness or uncleanness can enter into Communion if 2. Cor. 6.14.15.16.17.18 and 1 Iohn 1.3.4.5.6.7 be true much more so as to make one body with them as T.D. Divines it doth as to that I say so far as it is fit to be replyed to G.W. hath done it whose reply stands unshaken by that feminine tempest or stood of impertinent words wherewith T.D. who sayes much to as litle purpose would seem to patch up a return and what G W said in short the body of Christ is perfect may be ventured among wise men to stand as it does against T D's little less then Blasphemous Counter-position that the body of Christ is not perfect for his particle yet whereby he mends that matter saying not yet perfect because some that belong to it are yet unborn this helps him not a tittle who holds with I O. the Scripture to have bin of old from Moses a perfect Rule and Canon I speak ad hâ—minem their own sense not mine whilst many books of it were yet not written and so I shall vouchsafe it no more then so and the rather because that reply of T D to G W was replyed to some months since but that it was neglected to be printed by such as were intrusted to see it done and whether it yet may or may not be printed before this of mine be out I cannot say Unspeakably much more might be said both in disproof of such Toyes as our Dâ—vines talk against it by and in proof of that possibility of a perfect living without sin before death then I shall here take notice of yet 3. or 4 things that are upon me I am free to give some small bint of T D tells us God will have us excercis'd in that work of mortifying sin while we live therefore lest we should have no more worke to do nor worlds to conquer there must be no full conquest over the world nor perfect mortification of the lust of it till we be dead so some tell us Gods Children would be proud if he should not keep them down corruption as well as affliction being a most effectual means to make ashamed God will leave as he did once Caananites to excerise the Israelites and he as Thorns in their sides some sins in his Saints unsubdued as long as they love to humble and prove them and shew them what is in their hearts and such like Rep. But I trow where would pride it self be which is none of the least sins if the Saints come by the Blood and Power of Christs Light and Grace which only humbles to be fully freed and cleansed from all sin and uncleannesse of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness in the fear of God will not pride it self then be brought down as well as other sins and Humility alone be Exalted Some tells us from 1 Kings 1 48. The man lives not that sins not Rep We say that ther 's no man that lives who hath not sinned and as Iohn sayes he is a lyar that sayes otherwise of himself but because men have sinned and have sin must they never be purg'd is there a necessity that they who now have it and now sin must needs have it and must needs sin till they dye and if they may cease from sinning as our Divines also but that they forget themselves tell us they may yea must or dye for ever every tree lying for ever as it falls and there being no Purgatory after death I say if they may and must before they dye is it then unpossible that they should and if they may ne'r so little before they dye suppose a day a week a year leave sinning may they not by the same power and light live without it 2 3 or many years before but that as the plain truth is they are in love with it and loath to part with it till it parts with them and to take heed to that light and grace that is given of the Lord to lead them out of it to repentance from it and to learn them to deny it and to live without it Godly Righteously and soberly in this present world in which neglect the hands of the evil doer are strengthned by our dirty dawbers who tell them they must leave sin all sin little sins and yet to go round again that they cannot possible leave all while they live So strengthening the hands of the wicked that he can't return from his wickedness by such pleasing sing-songs and lullabies as these not a just man uppon earth that does good and sins not and the Saints have their infirmityes and David himself was overtaken with Adultery and Murder and yet stood accepted with God and was even when under the guilt of those gross sins not in a condemned but in a justified estate and Prov 29. who can say I have made my heart clean and such like Not heeding that though none can nor do we assert any such thing that we have any sufficiency of our selves to good yet alsufficiency is in God and his grace is sufficient so that God can if men look to him in his light make clean the heart and man a young man in whom youthful lusts are strong by the Power of God and taking heed to his way by his word in his heart may cleanse his way and so some do though they are but few nor does Who can say I am clean from mine iniquity not one Exclude all from cleannesse implying only as often such interogations do no otherwise then thus viz that few can for though an interogation affirmative of this sort for the most part concludes negatively yet not alwayes universally so but some are included in
dim no light truly such is to be rejected Philosopphers light guided men well in some things yet to go round again in most did lead them into crooked and dangerous wayes Which position of these blind Guides is such an Ignis fatuus such a Will with a wish or whimsicall piece of guidance as they falsly render the light it self to be which they call so as if one and the same light of God should be a safe and sure guide at one time and such a misleading unsafe guide and foolish fire at another as p. 84. will lead into nothing but Bags Praecipices or as if the least measure of the light of God could lead any man into the least measure of iniquity Yea somtimes they call this light of God in the Conscience which is Gods own voyce in Nature at least as I.O. sayes his Law and most immediate Counsell to a man no other then mans own counsell way 〈◊〉 that leads to cursing Witnesse p. 45 40. Where they say thus To leave a person to his own imagination lust to walk in his own counsell his own way which is all one as to leave him to the light within him is the greatest curse and judgment to a man from God for refusing to hearken to Gods voyce Therefore the light within each person is of it self no safe guide and the Qua prescribe that to men as their rule which God counts their curse yet to go round again p. 55. the light within each person is by creation and inward work of the Spirit So to be left to the inward work of the Spirit is it seems with these men the greatest curse yet to go round again as before p. 41. The Qua charge publick preachers with denying the light within each man whereas such light is not at all denyed by them but is acknowledged to be a great benefit to mankind and p. 84. It concerns those who own Christ as their light to judge themselves and their wayes by his light And the light within is his light witnesse Baxt. Epist. above cited This light is from Christ both as the Authour and Restorer of nature all this light within us and without us is to be hearkened to and obeyed it s the greatest benefit of light that it doth make manifest by the light of Christ the evill of our wayes is reproved the wayes of God approved we know the righteousness of God and our own unrighteousness this is no small benefit to have light to discern our own errours which without light from Christ and his light within say I by which only every man knowes de facto what he is we should never have understood a wise Christian therefore will be often judging himselfe And self judgment saith I. O. is from the light indelebly implanted by God within each mans conscience by the light of the Law Which law is light saith the letter Prov. 6. 23. discovering his transgressions yet to go round again p. 85. Oh that all that talk of the light within them would follow the light about them Light within you whatever the Qua tell you will leave you in perplexity when you shall have most need of comfort but to go round again if you believe in the Light of Christ as it s held out to you in the Gospell That is the letter with them which letter yet testifies the light of the Gospell of Christ to be shining from God within mens hearts 2 Cor. 4. you shall see the light of life Therefore to go round again be perswaded Cry they and so they conclude their Book to disclaime the pretended new light within you as your sufficient guide to God and chuse the light of Christ from Heaven in his Gospel to walk by Which Christ say I speaks and shines from heaven to men now no where immediately but in mens hearts and consciences though men write and speak as from him here on earth whom speaking there by his spirit from heaven it 's more dangerous to turn away from then from them that speak but on earth and it say they and so say I will guide and comfort you surely and sweetly to eternall life So I have shewed how these two children of the night and darknesse R B. an I. T. who were wont to bite and tear one another about the Tradition of Infant Baptisme do both concurr in their divinity doings against the Qua and the light within to bawl out somthing uno ore against both far better then their joynt dis-joynted talk concurres together within it self and so run the Rounds and dance the Hay up and down in and out and somtimes round about that the Reader of them can hardly discern or find whether they be fuller of concessions to the Qua by their confessions to and commendations of the light within or of denyalls contemnings and condemnations of it for at severall times somtimes more Expressly somtimes more implicitly they are found in both in a most egregious manner One while as if parturirent montes mightily magnifying the light within for a great way together as if we might warrantably take them to be some trusty friends to it Another while minifying vilifying nullifying it into nothing but some blind lump of darknesse like the Lizard making many good prints upon it with their fore-feet in that sandy way wherein they passe and then dashing them all out again with a long bushy Tail or Tale of it to the contrary like the blind night Bâ—t flying and fluttering up into the Air with a mighty humming noyse of Encomiums about it and then dropping down into a piece of Cow dung As the Devill serv'd him who is the Author of it who after he had set him upon the highest pinnacle of the Temple he would fain have thrown down thence to destruction so deal these by the inward light or Word of Gods speaking in the heart which after in words they with I. O. have magnified over all Gods name they thrust it down as he does below every name yea and every thing almost that hath any name at all and as I. O. after in a sound of words they have set it out as glorious next to God as the Sun in its brightnesse render it under many reviling opprobrious Titles well nigh as odious as Satan himself in his Princely and their own Priestly blindnesse So that which side soever of those two sides and sorts of sayings or double tongu'd talk of the light the Truth stands on yet unlesse contradictories can it 's certain all cannot be true which they utter of it And if the worst should be true as absit blasphemia far be it from any good man to beleeve their blasphemies of it are then the best is false and that at best proves themselves no better then Self-confounders but if the best they say of it be true as most true it is then R. B. and I. T. till they both repent in dust and ashes before the
alterius tamen aedificandae turri é cujus fastigio fastu quodam Giǵanteo signa inferant adversa lucis Perfectioni solio illi Dei literae scilicet in terris suis summâ consentione unâ omnes incumbant See I.O. Ex. 3. S. 2. * See Pag. 314. The Distemper pretended that there are corruptions he allen the Text by varieties from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is dreadful and such as it may well prove mortal to the sacred Truth of Scripture * How contrary is this to J O. pa. 294. who saith Nor let men please themselves with the pretended facility of Learning the Hebrew Language without Points and Accents and not the Language only but the true and proper Reading the distinction of it in the Bible * Ex. 3. S. 24. Discipline cujusuis Perfectio consistit in relatione ad finem eaque perfecta habenda sit quae sufficiens est respecta sinis sui proximi ea vero imperfecta quae finem Propositum assequi potis non est †Let T.D. consider this quotation of two Caâ—dinals by I. O. who would argue me to be a Papist for saying a Truth which he said Bellarmine wrote whom I never cited at all which T.D. will hardly conclude I. O. to be a Papist though he quote two Popish Authors whereof Bellarmine himselâ— is one and makes use of their Testimony against his fellow Protestants whom he fights against but me mutire â—efas and if I mention but any truth that any Papists hold though I cite them not yet it s enough to subject me to suspicion of Popery among our senselesse suspecters truthl fle thinkers and groundlesly confident conjecturers but no marvail fiâ—h as the Proverb is among such evil surmisers Some men whose Brothers will never say they are theeves may more securely steal a â—orse then some true men peep o're the hedge †Tr. 1. chap. 1. S. 22. †Ex. 1. S. 3◠†Tr. â— ch.2 S 1 †If Transcribers might go of 2000. times from the Original in Transeribing a Translation why not once or twice so as to corrupt it in more then Tittles in transcriptions No quoth I. O credat Apella * Quae nam sit tua ipsius sententia de haâ—Questione an Scriptura 〈◊〉 verbum Dei Hand facile quis declarabit preterquam enim quod tocum non convenias ita inepic â—rque odiose in explicandis animi misensibus garris dubiae incertae significatiâ—nis vocibus ludis peregrinis quibuâ—dam phrasibus quae imperitos homines aut reâ—eant aut illiâ—iaâ— nihil sani sensus aut quod ab ullis saâ—e 〈◊〉 intelligi possit continentibus uteris ui multo faciliâ—oâ—r sit Argumenta â—ua pristigare quammenteâ— percipere Imo cum â—â—pis inhâ—nesta sit tua senâ—entia quae emuleatè exposita remoâ—iâ— strophis atque sucis ipsae sibi apud prebos omnes etiam non palam improbos satis esset ad exitiâ—m datâ operâ quâ— imposturam faciaâ— vel ipsam non palam Eloqueris vel verbi i. á consutis consaâ—cinatis ut nihil pene omnino significent eam mangonizas atque ita consilium sermonibus obtenebrans nihil mâgis cavere videris quam ne intelligaris * T. 1. C. 4. S. 7. †T. 1. C. 4. S. 1. * T. 1. C. 4. S. 10 11 12 13 14. †Which witness of God the Word is â—â— confess thou needst not prove it But that word is not the Scripture but that the Scripture writes of * VVhich witness of men for God as mov'd the Scripture iâ— and no more as will be seen anâ—n * Mark how he intermingles these two terms in his discourses T. 1. c. 2. s. 12 13 14 15. * Mark what J. O. here ascribes to the Light in the Conscience the Law in the heart concerning which he makes so strange sometimes that he will not believe there 's any such thing at all Nescio quod Lumen c. †Which Word that God magnifies over all his Name is Christ Jesus whom God hath highly exalted and given him a Name above every Name that is named of things in Heaven Earth and under the Earth that at his Name every knee should bow Phil. 2. And not the Scriptures unless J.O. will say the Scriptures are exalted above Christ and so make God a lyar †And that was by the Truths Opponents at the Disputation at Ashford for Infants Baptism on the 27. of the 5. Month by the Heathen called July 1649. who in the Preface to their own falsly called True Account thereof extant with my Answer to it confessing not onely their own defects and their zeal of Infant-Baptism to be more then their abilities to maintain it but also the weakness of their Arguments on its behalf fall a beseeching people in their charity to cover the weakness of them * Whereupon some Prophesies were stil'd The Burden of the Word of the Lord. * In Linguisistis quibus Scripta est verba disposita sunt per Spiritum sanctum neque arbitrio Scriptorum relicta * Ex. 2. S. 14. Inter media quibus ad sui cognitionem revelandam Deus utitur sacra Scriptura non tantum longissime omnibus aliis antecellit sed fines salutares quod attinet unicum est seu singulare * Pag. 330. But we are in a way and business wherein all things are carried to and fro by conjectures and p. 180. All things here are uncertain uncertain whether any such things were done uncertain who are intended by the Sopherim Ezra and his companions most probably All that I know of the various Readings of the Oriental or Babylonian Occidental Palestine Jews is that they first appeared in Bombergius his Bible under the care of F. Pratensis I wish those that know more would inform me better to professe my ignorance I know no ne that do give account of their original in my present haste I cannot enquire after them and such ike stuff so canis festinans caecos parit catulos * Here 's a deal of Divinity as deep as the dung-hill it self where it s more fit to stand then in divine Labors of Drs. in Diviniâ—y that pretend to be the chiefe Labourers in the plain honest Gospel and servants to that simplicity that is in Jesus †As the feel thinketh so the Clock clinketh * For so saith I.O. Etenim si in sententâ— am hanc cujus patrocinium proviribus suscipâ— mus de plenitudine Scripturarum lubenter disâ— cederent utque omnis cujuseunque tandem generâ— in Religione Controversia verbo Dei i.e. Scriptura secundum te sistatur consentirent erroâ— res isti Teâ—errimi quorum causa lucem Scripturae fugientes Andabatarum more in tenebriâ— demicant atque uti olim Ammonitae Moabitae habitatores Montis Seiris Bellum adversus populum Dei suscipientes internecioni semutuo devovent ad Lumen Solis hujus manifestim ovane scerent Ex. 3. S. 3.4 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉