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
Esau have I hated said of those two single Peâ—sons of which our intricate Expositors interpret that Text before those two children and single pair of twins came out of Rebeccaes wombe neither doth that Text Rom. 9.11 12 13. say so in terminis as our Academical Arithmeticians usually wrong repeat it for the Text sayes that before they had done either good or evil or were boâ—n either it was said to her the elder shall serve the younger and that 's true enough that he did both in the single Type and the foresaid double Anti-type and it s witnest in the Saints whom the world knows not to be truth at this day that the elder doth serve the younger which was an underling to the elder a great while but of the other it s said thus not as it was said unto her but as it is written Jacob have I loved Esau have I hated and where and when was this written before the two-single Persons of Iacob and Esau were born or had done either good or evil I trow not but if our benighted Seers look again they 'l see it was written by Malachi the last Prophet whoâ—e Prophecy was not before but after they were born and had done all the good or evil they ever did in the body yea so long after all this was written that the mens bodies both were 100ds of years before that both dead and rotten And to inculcate this a little further let thus much tâ—e considered that howbeit T. D. denyes Iustificâ—â—ion and Life to be given â—s myself do somewhat more then himself who falsly accuses me of it upon my obedience or good works or Righteousness of Ours onely and properly so called for as much as all Ours as well as Our selves as in the fall without Christ and his in us are as an unclean thing and â—ung and liss and as filthy Rags before the Lord and as he speaks improperly imperfectly good which is no other then evil as I said above or imperfect or to use his own Phrase still imperfect obedience which is but disobedience nevertheless the good works righteousness and â—bedience of Christ in us as well as his without us being when but in part or in the least degree perfect and the fulfilling of the Law tuliter qualiter and not defective or transgressive of the Law for as we have of our selves no other so he hath none such nor are any of his his operations or obediences imperfect or a violation or breaking of the Law and either a violating or fulfilling breaking or keeping of it every deed is that is done at all even these are such by which Iustification may doth and must come if at all and upon which the Gospel gives life And if any doubts it as T. D. himself does or rather denyes the Truth of it I need go no further for an Argument ad hominem then to T.D. himself who p. 45. sayes the Gospel gives life upon imperfect obâ—dience from whose own imperfect speech in that particular I may Argue and perfectly conclude the Truth asserted of the worth weight and vnloar of Christs obedience in his Saints every part of which is perfect a minori aâ— maâ—us if I may be candidly construed in my cauting back to him in his own Language of Imperfect Obedience Thus Arg. If the Gospel gives Life upon imperfect obedience as evrs onely is if any can properly be so called then upon perfect obedience such as at Christs within us and without us is much more But Secundum re T. D. the Gospel gives life upon imperfect obedience therefore upon Christs good works Holy Operations Righteousness and Obedience in us which is perfect and not imperfect much more And if T. D. shall strive by the serpentine sublety to save his head this way by saying he intends by that Term of imperfect obedience not any obedience or righteousness of our own wrought by us without Christ but that wihch is as he sayes Pauls was his own that he received from Christ which own of his Paul counted less and dung Our Own received from and wrought in us by Christ yet let him remember at least 1. that then he calls the gift of Righteousness by Faith received from God and Christ from whom comes every good and perfect gift but not any insufficient defective or imperfect that I or any ever read of imperfect And whereas he may yet twine say that he intends not in such a sence as I take the word imperfect in for evil defect insufficiency to its end or so but for 〈◊〉 onely or a less measure or degree of that fulness every part of which is also in a sense perfect let him 2. consider what I said above viz. of no good heavenly spiritual thing or gift that comes down from above from Christ and the Father of lights that which is but in part is any where no not in 1 Cor. 13. or truly can be called imperfect for the earnest and first fruits of the Spirit and Grace is Spirit and Grace and good as the whole is that its a part of and not imperfect but perfect as the other is perfect and so all that 's born of God is truly Holy as God is Holy and perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect and sins not as he sins not nor can being of the incorruptible non-sinning Seed for all that sins is of the Devil and thereby are manifest the Children of God and of the Devil that that is of God overcometh the world and that which overcometh the world is not overcome by the world but keepeth himself that the evil one toucheth him not and sinneth not as he doth and doth no other that is begotten to it by the Devil and is of the Dâ—viâ— and he that sinneth not doth Righteousness and he that doth Righteousness is Righteous as God is Righteous Pure as he is Puâ—e and so in some measure perfect though not in the same measure perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect that is bearing his perfect Image in his meaâ—ure and not part of Gods and part of the Devils as an Infant in nature bears the perfâ—ct Image of a man in stature and not Centaure-like part of a mans Image and part of a beasts and not having a mixture of sin with his Grace as thou whether more fooâ—ishâ—y or falsly it matters not sith it s both in a great degree supposedst as thou saist p. 18 I meant when in Answer to thy Question viz. Whether thâ—râ— be any true Believers who are not perfect At the Dispute I Replyed There are degrees among Believers little Children young Men Fathers and these things may serve as my Answer to that piece of folly and falshood of thine now I am up on 't for whatever thou T. D. supposest I mean I suppose and mean no such matter when I say perfect for every true Believer and Sanctified one by Christ though but in part is as truly though not â—o totally perfect
of Masters Reverend Sirs c. under the disguise of Servi Servorum-Dei are indeed no less then Masters of all mis-rule and Domini Dominorum Terrae T. D. Thou tellest us alluding to a saying of the Bishop of Alâ—f concerning the Protestants that if the Qua. have Orthodoxos mores an Orthodox conversation yet they have Haereticam fidem an Heretrodox or Heretical belief Rep. Herein thou shewest thy self to be as well as in other things one of the blind Grand Children of that blind Papistical Bishop who can'st not discern how impossible it is that an Orthodox true right or good Gospel conversation should proceed from an Heretical or false faith Silly man Does not true Faith purifie the heart and life work by that love which works no evil give victory over the world with the lust thereof c And does any perfect purity of heart or life any true love that works no ill any victory over the world any truly good manners righteous works holy actions honest or godly conversation flow from an Heterodox unsound untrue dead Heretical false faith Is not that a dead and unprofitable faith and such is yours who deny any perfect purging from sin in this life which doth not avail to the purging of the heart and life Which overcomes not the world And is not all purity and love and victory over the worldly lust c. the necessary effect of a true Faith and of that only and no other and can there possibly be a bad false faith where there are truly good works and an holy life In thy yielding here that the Qua. have a right conversation thou not onely givest thy self the lye in other places where thou accusest them as wanting not having so much as moral honesty as p. 11.2 Pamp. and p. 5. of the Narrative but also to the proving thy own faith consequently to be false evincest the Qua. Faith to be true and not Heretical for good manners and a righteous wel-ordered conversation cannot flow from a false or from any but a true living justifying Soul-saving Faith or Belief within aud if the Heretical faith for so ye will needs call the true one bring forth the right life and the Orthodox for so ye will call your own fruitless one be seconded with and shewed by a prophane conversation then give me our Heretical and take you your Orthodox belief unto your selves give me the Faith that purifies works no ill gives victory over sin and is both proved and perfected by good works shew me T. D. thy faith without thy good works I will shew thee my Faith by my works for where the life is right the Faith cannot be amiss and while the life is crooked corrupt and rotten the Faith is not pure right nor sound yet I know the Clergy will needs count the Qua. Faith Heretical let their life be never so innocent being themselves most in love with that Faith in Christ if they could find it our once that can allow and assure them of not onely Salvation from wrath when they dye but while they live also a vain conversation and no little liberty to sin T. D. Thou say'st G. W. layes the most innocent truths under the odious Imputation of Antichrists deceits Rep. If those 20 of thy Antichristian deceitfull Doctrines with G. W. sees down as thine at the end of his Reply to thee are the most innocent truths with thee that we may be delivered for ever from embracing those as Truths shall be my earnest desire and Prayer to God for myself and all men to whom I wish deliverance from darkness and deceit it self and from delâ—â—sion and damnation for sure I am the contrary to those however ownâ—â— by thee because of the blindness of thy heart are the most innocent soul-â—â—ving Truths of Christ. T. D. Thou tel'st thy Reader thou trustest he will be confirmed in his bad opinion of the Quakers Rep. Here thou confessest thy opinion of the Qua which thou seekest in thy first book to beget men to and in thy second to confirme them in is a bad opinion out of thy own mouth from thy own pen art thou judged as no Minister of Christ but an evill doer oh thou improfitable Servant art thou sent of God are not all that are indeed sent of him as thou in word pretendest only to be sent to turn men from bad to good and to confirm them in those good opinions yet behold T. D. Trusts that the people to whom he Ministers will being by his writings converted thereunto be confirmed in their bad opinions of the Qua. Can more be done by any man in discovery of his own folly nakedness not to say iniquity and wickedness to all men then is here by T. D. Was there ever the like seen save among such Ministers as are like to T. D. himself that a Minister should confess to all the world the end of his endeavours to be the converting of his Hearers and Readers to Bad and the confirming them in their Bad opinions yet T. D. thus writes to his Reader I trust thou wilt be confirmed in thy bad opinion of the Qua. Herein T. D. thou justifiest the Qua. as no such Bad people as thou would'st Render them to be at other times for if they were so indeed it were not a Bad but a Good because not a false but a true and iust opinion to think so Badly as thou speakest of them but since thy own self stilest it a Bad opinion of the Qua. which thy care is to confirm men in to think ill of them it evinces them not to be such evil ones for if men be bad indeed it s a good opinion to deem them to be Bad and to think of them as they are yea because the Devill is Bad A Lyar A deceiver he gives the Devill but his due and does well speaks and thinks well who has that good and true opinion that he is a wicked Lyar and Deceiver and who speaks and thinks no better of him then he is But if it be a Bad opinion to think ill of a man and to be of opinion that he is Bad and Naught it must needs be that that man is Good else 't were not Bad but Good and just to judge him Bad the Goodness and Badness of every opinion consisting in no other thing then in the truth and falshood of it respectively and the Badness of a mans opinion about another man arising ever from the goodness or innocency of that other man lie thinks Badly of Indeed were the Qua. such Bad men as thou belyest them to be and had'st thou said I trâ—st thou wilt be confirmed in thy opinion of the badness of the Qua. thou had'st then spoken according to what thou now evilly and falsly thinkest of them and also the opinion thou seekest to confirm men in about their Badness would be as Good and thy endeavours to confirm them in it as Good as ours are who
because the Priests are generally vile and naught do endeavour to bring people who are begâ—iled into the false and bad opinion of them that they are good and men of God Ministers of Christ and such like when it s nothing less to that good true and right opinion of them that they are but Ministers of mens making and men of Sin and not of God But â—â—th the Qua. are excepting such as are so named for comming among them who are no more of them nor owned by them then all they are Israel that are called Israel an Innocent Honest Trueâ— Iust Righteous Pure Peaceable people and thou say'st its a Bad Opinion of them to think of them as ill as thou would'st have men in that as Caiphas the Priest of old not of himself but as he was ordered unawars to speak more truth of Christ then he himself was aware of thou hast said truly and judg'd thy self as an unjust and evill doer in begetting in peoples minds Bad Opinions of Good men and justified the Qua. as a generation of Iust Ones against thy will T. D. Thou say'st thou shalt blow away the dust the Qua. raise with their Feet Rep. Throwing Dust in the Aire casting mists and thereby blinding men from seeing the Light and Gospell that 's the work of Demetrius the Silver Smith and his Companions who by the craft of holding up false Worships had their wealth and not of Paul the Qua. who are men of like occupation with him these make no Trade of Preaching much less of hiding the Gospell as ye do but seek to publish it freely and what in them lyes to make it without charge T. D. Thou shuttest up thy Epistles to thy Reader with thy short Prayers to this purpose that thâ—se men the Qua. may proceed no further but that their folly may be manifested to all men 2 Tim. 3.9 And that we henceforth be no more Children tossed too and fro with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive but speaking the Truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the Head even Christ is the earnest Prayer of Thy Servant for Iesus sake T. D. That thou maist not know the depths of Satan as they speak Rev. 2.24 But maist hold fast that Doctrine which thou hast already v. 25. is the Prayer of Thy Servant in the work of the Gospel T. D. Rep. Thou art very full of these ejaculatory supplications but thy ejaculations against the Qua. be ever too short to enter into the Eares of the Lord of Hosts to obtain ought of that thou desirest thou maist save thy breath and keep thy Darts to thy self they do but reflect back upon thee dream what thou wilt in the darke as to thy audience and acceptance we know as well as he who e eyes Christ opened heretofore Ioh. 9.24 to 32. that God heares not sinners much less such as thou art who not only beleivest thou maist but even must sin also while thou livest and so regard'st iniquity as to plead against those as broaching of the Devils Doctrine who plead a perfect purging and freedom from it in this world Wert thou a Worshipper of God and doer of his will which none doth while he sins though thou dreamest men may be in a justified Estate while Committing of Adultery and Murder he would heare thee for his spirit would then guide thee to aske according to his will and such things only as are well pleasing in his sight and to make intercession for his Saints and not against them as thou often dost and thou should'st know also as they do that thou hast the things thou desirest of him 1 Ioh. 5.14 15. but poore wretched man that thou art it s now quite otherwise thy sins lye at the doore and shut out thy Cains Sacrifices from comming up as incense in the sight of God so that thou fallest and loosest daily more and more for all thy Prayers the Qua. both have and will proceed yet further and by the Wisdome of God in them will both the Lyars the Lyâ—ns mouths be stop't at laâ—â— and thine and thy fellows folly be manifested to all men as that of old Iannes and Iambâ—s was who in their corrupt minds withstood and resisted Mâ—ses and the Truth 2 Tim. 3.9 and while thy self and all that heed the wind of thy Doctrine unless ye take more heed to the light within shall be henceforth as ye have been hitherto as Children tossed too and fro and driven like the Weathercock which way so ere the wind blowes and turned about as the Priest and his Parish ever hath been into what posture mould or mouldy Religion soever the times happen to settle in the Qua. who are stated on that Corner Stone ye builders refuse on the suâ—◠〈◊〉 the Râ—â—â—â—f agâ—s Christ the Light of the world and Life of all that hear his Voyce will stand upright and not fall nor be wiâ—dâ—d about any more by the â—light of the Shepheards that have driven them from Mountain to Hill in the dark and gloomy day nor catcht by the cunning Craftiness whereby the Clergy lye in wait to deceive but know not so as to own or approvâ— yet so as to â— Scâ—â—n and disprove the depths of Satan as they speak and when thou and thine shall be forced to let go what ye have and holdâ— and hold forth for the Doctrine of God by tradition from men the Qua. shall hold fast what Doctrine they have already learnt from God himself and shall not in that thy Complementall form of words who as the old Servus Servorum Dâ—i doth when that he may be Dâ—mâ—rus Dâ—miâ—orum is that he more desires subscribest thy self thy Servaut in the work of the Gospel for Iâ—sus sake while thou art indeed one of those Master Ministers that serve for filthy Lucres sake against both Iâ—sus and his Gospel but denying your usurped Mastership be made able Ministers of the Gospel or New Testament not of your dead Letter but of the Life and Spirit and speaking the truth in Love and not lies in Envy and Hypocrisie as ye do grow up into him in all things even into his likeness and the Image measure and Stature of the fullness of him who is the Head even Christ into whose likeness though ye live like the Devill here ye look to grow in the world to come only and not before Thus far as to thy petty pair of painted Prologues and as really piteâ—s as seemingly pious Apologies or Epistolary Prefaces to thy two Paultry Pieces CHAP. II. Now as to thy two more Notorious Narratives whereby as by the Epistles on the one so thy two Butterflies are on the other side as with so many wings born up and furnished to fly apace through the world that is in love with lyes I shall need to say the less to them by how much some of the many lves
till the time that we come to see them and that come forth which is the onely Evidence which we come to see them by and he that pâ—ates of that thing as being so or so which to him is not yet known so to be is a buisie body whose tongue runs afore his wit his lips before the light that would lead him out of darkness his thoughts not a little out-run and out-reach his Reason Tum demum apud nos res dicuntur fieri cum incip unt patefieri to us things are onely as they appear so that whoever perks up and prates of what he knows not and of matters that yet to him are not which work which is that of the Priests in many things he that shall count him that 's in it a wise man shall by my consent be canonized a fool for his labour Iustification in Gods sight of a sinner is say the Priests before any Sanctification is at all in him but neither the sinner can know that there is any such matter as pardon of his sin or that he stands just in Gods sight appears not at all to himself not yet is it evident to us who tell him 't is so neither can we know it any more then he till Sanctification appear in him from which as that which goes before it ever in our eyes we come to the sight â—f it yet if he will believe us who speak of a thing we know not and talk we know not what and if he will take our words for it that his Iustification is before he be Sanctified who have no other Evidence of it our selves or whereby to make it Evident to him but this of his Sanctification which is evermore that which goes before the other for ought we see or can discern and if he will trust us implicitly at a venture he may but if he will not say I he may safely chuâ—e And as to that speech of thine out of Diodaâ—us I dare say it was not a Deo datus concerning good works justifying a man declaratively and serving in Iames's sence to approve a Believe in the sight of men for there 's not Truth in 't if meant so onely and exclusively of their use to Iustifie formally and absolve a sinner in the sight of God as it must be if it serve that turn at all to which thou usest it yea I contrarily affirm yet not denying but that they do declaâ—e before men the Faith of him that professes to believe in Christ to be true and not hypocritical that they also tend as well as that tâ—ue Faith they flow from to justifie formally and absolve sinners in the sight of God And though Paul Rom. 3.27 concludes that a man is justified by Faith before God without the deeds of the Law yet he never concluded as you cloudy Expositors of him conclude of his words which ye wrest beside his Right to your wrong meanings any such maâ—â—er as that a man is justified before God without the good works of the Gospel between which of Christs in his Saints and those of the Law which are mens own done without Christ of themselves ye never distinguishing run so far into confusion as ye do which deeds of the Law done in mans own thoughts willings and runâ—ings and not in the Light and Spirit of Christ the Power of God never reach the thing that is run after that is the fulfillâ—ng of it without which there is no life for the Law requires brick but affords â—o 〈◊〉 good works but it gives no strength to weak man in the flesh and faâ— wherewith to perform â—o the Letter onely kills and onely the Spirit givâ—s the Life So both Paul and Iames and we as much as Diodate and T. D. do for ever shut out them yea and so much more then any of you do we deny the deeds of the Law so done as to the doing us any good toward our absolution before God by how much we do both in our Life and Doctrine establish onely the deeds of the Gospel while you who doctrinally exclude the Laws deeds do yet practically establish them to your Iustification for howbeit in words ye establish Faith as that by which ye stand justified formally before God yet that faith ye act who believe God accepts your persons and perfâ—â—mances without his Righteousness inherent in your selves and while ye are yet impurged and not so much as believing you can or must be here purged from your sins is far from the true Faith of the Gospel being no other then the false faith or true fancy of those who were of Moses and the Law that trusted in lying words that could not profit them Jer. 7. Isa. 1. Isa. 58.3 who thought God did them wrong if he justified and accepted them not in their fastings and services though they never fasted from their iniquities nor loosed the bands of wicdedness as if when they had been at their formal humiliations for a day they had procured some dispensation to let Hell loose again and were then delivered to do abomination this kind of barren leafy lean-faith of yours who look for life in it is one of those deeds of theirs who were of the Letter and Law and not that of them who are of the Gospel Faith which formally justifies before God which who are of are blessed with faithful Abraham But now as to the Faith and other good works of the Gospel which all are the works of God himself and Christ Iesus working them in his Saints among which Faith in the Light is the first from whence others come without which they cannot be any more then it can be true without them and by the Name of which Faith for as much as all follow it all the rest are denominated in grâ—ss John 6. This is The work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent these are the Righteousness of Christ and of his Saints which is One the being of which in them and in him and not their being in him and not in them is counted by God to them as their Righteousness nor doth the Faith without them any more then they without it both which concur as one cauâ—e thereunto obtain formal Iustification in the sight of God So that there is a doing some and sometimes the same material good which deserves no good nor acceptation but rather evil and reprobation from God being not good formally but evil before him while the same that does material evil also does that good and such was Cains sacrifice which was else as good as Abels yet had noacceptance by Right as the other had because sin lay still at the door and 't was not the Righteous one but the evil-doer that did the good and the sinner whom we know God heareth not who had he done as bene as it was bâ—num that he did and offered it as well as the thing ofâ—ered was good had been justified as well as his Brother If
even in this present Contest with Thee for all thy perking up into a proud pretensive Prate against us Pro Scripturis as if we stood in some deep Defiance and thou against us in some eminent and more then ordinary Defence of the Scriptures to be in no enmity but in true unity with the Scriptures and to be more real Friends thereunto then either thy self who wilt be found in as real enmity to them as thou art in seeming friendship or any of those aforesaid with whom thou Rankest us as if we were the Rankest Enemies thereof that ever appeared in any Age since the Scripture had a being to this present day Be it therefore fore-known unto thy self and all men who will believe and can receive it for truth and who so will not let the mischief of his mis-belief in this matter be upon him that though we own not thee I.O. and side not with but mostly against thee in that very Book wherein thou standest up so stiffly against Atheists and Papists and all Anti-Scripturists as well as against the men called Quakers whom thou but supposest to be such And though we may possibly be found saying some things soberly which Atheists and Papists say scornfully of the Scriptures which are gain-said by thee and gain-saying at least twenty things that are asserted by thee of the Scriptures in thy zealous Pleadings for them yet we are no Atheists as thou supposest neither are we Papists or Iesuites neither are we Anti-scripturists in any wise nor do we so much as take the part or serve the Interest of nor side or comply with any of them any more then we do with thy self whose Antagonist and T. D's too I am in this present Reply to thy Reproaches of the Quakers in Vindication of whose Interest alone abstract from that of the Papists as much as from thy own and thy Party of Protestants and singly and solely on behalf of the Truth professed by the Quakers and opposed by thee and all the other whom thou opposest And finally for the Scriptures which are truly owned valued used known and Practised only among the Quakers I herein stand up more or lesse against you all as against such who none of you excepted no not those among you Protestant Pretenders to it who would sain seem to others as you do to your selves to be most fervent for it any more then those Decryers and Denyers of it with whom thou slanderously sayest the Quakers side will every one of you be found Foes to denyers of and fiery fighters against the Scripture And this that we are no Atheists nor yet Associates or Assistants to any such as are without God in the World but that People who know God and are known of him above all other People upon Earth the best of which in words professe to know God whom in Truth they know not but in works deny being abominably in their Lives disobedient to his Light and to every good Work void of Judgement will as easily as evidently appear to every Patient and Impartial Reader that can suspend his Censuring till he hath Read these present Animadversions of Thy mad Subversions of the things of God unto the end And that we are neither Papists nor yet Assenting or Adhering to that Synagogue of Rome in any of their abusive defamations depravations depressions decryings disparagements or abominable attempts for the abolition of the Scriptures which they as thou sayest truly would if they were able deprive all others of or of their lives I give the world here to understand as far as they will understand it or take it for truth form me who for Truths sake meerly am of lesse credit and repute in it then else I should be by a present Protesting in the Name and behalf of that People called Quakers against the Papists sordid sottish sinful shameful seeking wholly to suppresse the Scriptures from being seen at all by the Vulgar and scoring out of it what makes most against their bruttish and worse then heathenish Idolatries and wresting those Holy Writings and turning them as they list to their own turns by their most false far off Translations and as utterly untrue Interpretations of them besides both the plain sense of the Words in the Original Languages they were wrote in and mind of the Spirit of God which Originally moved Holy Men to write them and many more such Juggles some of which 't were better for it then it is if the Clergy so called of the Protestant part of Christendom who are too too full of the like were cleare of and fully free from as they are not for all their Protesting so much against the Popedom for its adulterating of the Scripture Which Protestation of mine against the Romish Clergy I the rather and the more largely enter here again not only because I am so generally misreported that by many even thereupon I am also mis-believed to be too great a Favourite and by some flatly a Iesuite and so more then an ordinary Friend to that false Fraternity but also because it may fall out that that slender and senslesse suspition of me if not timely supprest by reason of Three things may in time though groundlesse grow so great in more as it does already in some that for the sake thereof very Truth it self when â—old by me shall not tast well from me nor take place in the hearts of men with whom commonly Damnati Lingua Vocem habet Vim non habet Those Three Things above briefly hinted are more fully Replyed to as followeth 1. In regard that not only T. D. in his Two Toyes puts us and the Popish Party together as Brethren for jumping into one Judgement about the Scriptures but also thou I O. who art a man more beleeved and beloved by the World which heeds and loves its own then I who am not so much heeded as hated by it because I am not of it dost often in thy unquiet Quarrel with the Quakers so called which I who am one of them am now answering so unequally yoak us and the Pontifical Clergy together as Co-conspirators against the Scriptures that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the younger sort for whose instruction thou devotest those thy Latine Labours and more then a good many of those Iunior Novices both in University and Countrey as are ever ready as Rawly as Rashly Iurare in Sententiam Seniorum to drink down desperately all that and digest it by implicit Faith that is imposed and handed out to them for Truth from the Tongues and Pens of their Grand Gamaliels sith thou I. O. DD. sayest it will unquestionably more then think it to be all Truth that thou sayest of our Co-Partnership with the Papists in their basenesse towards the Scriptures in those false sayings of thine that are fore-cited wherein thou injuriously avouchest us to be Approvers of all their Tauntings and joynt Blasphemers with them of the Scriptures 2. In regard that howbeit it is not
self-condemned and that we will not easily yield to a Renouncing of this Confession Is all this then that thy self Confessest of us the Quakers whom thou Condemnest for utter rejecting the Scripture consistent with such an utter rejecting it as thou Chargest them with Dost not here clear the Quakers out of thy own mouth out of which thou Condemnest them for the same thou clearest them in to the Condemning of thy self to be one out of whose one and the same mouth comes to the same men Blessing and Cursing Excusing and Accusing for the same thing Doth any good Fountain send forth sweet Water and bitter at the same time Is not thy Tongue an unruly Member which thy self can'st tame no better then therewith to blesse God and men too that are made after Gods Image as owners of the Scriptures and yet to Curse them with thy Lyes as denyers thereof when thou hast done Art thou not herein right Baalam like who for the Preferments-sake from which God kept him would sain have Cursed Israel with his Divinations as thou dost with thy Divinity Disputations and yet was against his will forced to forbear and to his own shame to blesse them altogether Object Oh but quoth I.O. no matter what the Quakers confesse of the Scripture now no doubt had things fallen out accordinn to their desire and if People could have born the denyal of it who bore such respect to the Scripture that they would have flown with fury on the Quakers Pates if they should have seemed to deny it the Quakers from whom the fear of that more then the force of Truth forces that Confession Proculdubiò Jamdudum rejecissent had doubtlesly Rejected them utterly long ago Ex. 3. S. 19. Reply This is not so true not well-grunded a Surmise as this viz. No matter how the Priests fawn own the Kings Protectors Parliaments or Powers still that are in present Being to save their Standings in their present Places and Preferments No heed's to be given to their Crouchings Cringing and Humble Representations No doubt but as things fall out and succeed to the serving of their Interest they will turn still to what best serves their turns and have Exceptis excipiendis been generally known to have done so now long ago even from Henry the Eighths time to this very day As for the Quakers could they have dissembled so as ye do for fear of mans Fury they might have escaped many if not all those furious Fallings of your bloudy mad-brain'd Parish-Professors upon their Pares and have saved Oxford and Cambridge that labour pains they more like Fiends then Friends of Truth have been at to persecute them long since also Again I.O. Dost not thou say 't is evident enough that some of us Read the Holy Scripture in Private or at least Remember what we have Read or Heard out of it and for the most part carry the Holy Bible about with us and that in our Digladiations or Disputes we very often rehearse and urge the words of the Scriptures and that the reason why we own Translations is because being not learn'd farther then our Mother Tongue we shall then deprive our selves of all use of the Scriptures which we are loath to do Which of these two I O's must we believe Or if it be but one I.O. as no doubt it is divided against himself and telling two contrary Tales whereof but one can be true which of his two Testimonies must men give credit to That wherein he sayes we strive to bereave men of All Vse of the Scripture and count it odious and abominable to have Heresies Errour false Doctors and Doctrines Convicted and Confuted out of it Or that clean Contrary one wherein he tells all men that we use it so as to Read it in Private Remember what we Read or Hear of it Carry it about with us use it and urge out of it in our Disputes and are shy of denying it to be Translated into English for our use least we should be deprived of All that Vse of it our selves which we are willing to make For my part let others do what they will I have found I.O. telling so many Lyes when in his malice he talkes against the Quakers that I shall rather take that for Truth now which against his envious lying self he here talks for them for some Vse and that not a little himself here affirms we make of the Scriptures and in other places quotes many Scriptures out of which we argue against our Opposers and if it be never so little use it s enough to stop his mouth out of his own mouth who sayes we utterly reject the Scriptures as to All its Vse for he that rejects it as to its Whole use or All its use must be one that makes no use of it at all And if I. O's Testimony had been only that we deny many ill uses of it that himself and other Scribes make that spend and take up more time in scraping and scribling for it then take care to live the life of it and that wrest it to their own ruine he had said the Truth Or had he said we deny many of those good lifes that many make of it he had much lessened his Lye and his Folly in it but because we own it not as useful to all those extraordinary weighty and mighty lifes which he sayes falsly are to be made of it which indeed are to be made only of the Eternal Internal Spirit Word and Light it came from to say we deny all Vses of it as if it were good and profitable and useful and fit for nothing this renders his Lye the more lyable to all mens view and himself to be as blind as one that can see no difference between staring and stark mad What I. O. is that which is not said to be good for all things thereupon said to be good for nothing If I should say soft Wax is not useful to stop hot Ovens with must it straitway be thrown away and must it be taken for Granted that I say it s not good to Seal with or that its useful for nothing That may be good to Cut and Kill as a Knife that when it hath so done can't quicken nor heal nor save nor cure The Letter kills as an Executing Instrument but the Spirit only gives the Life And whereas thou sayest we wish it blotted out that men may come to the Light within in which is the life Nay stay I. O. no hast to hang true men we would have all come to the Light and Life within indeed no such hast yet of the Scriptures going hence though old it will wax once and wear away there 's many pretious Uses though not all the Eminent ones thou talkest of to be made of it before it go hence One whereof is that very thing upon the account of which thou falsly sayest we wish it blotted out viz. That men may come to the Light within which
as are made Ministers by gifts of God from above and not such as buy their gifts at University that they may fell them again to be both needful useful and profitable both to the turning people of the world to the Light Word within that thereby they may be begotten into Christs Nature and also to the edifying of the Saints in their faith in that Light till they come up into the measure of the fulness of Christs stature a state which ye deny to be so much as attainable in this life so far are ye from building any up into it neither as much as we are call'd to cry out against you as all the true Prophets ever did against the hireling Priests do we at all cry down such gifts or gifted men as God gives to his Church but wot you well that your selves are the men who are found fighters against such who making the Gospel a meer trade to live on ingross that trade wholly to your selves and make every man a Teacher that has been train'd up at University and can handle his tongue well to talk for the Priests and Tythes though never fitted for that holy calling by the gift of Gods Grace or good life witness the general blindness and bruitishnâ—ss of the Brittish Priesthood but own no men as true Teachers but Deluders and Fanatick that in their Ministry do but pretend to be immediately gifted and guided by Gods Infallible Spirit And whereas we say that Christ Iesus receives gifts for all men even for the rebellious also and that no less then this gift that the Lord God may dwell in them if they look to him in his Light in which he draws nigh unto every man yet contrary both to us and that Text out of which you talk which compar'd with that Paul alludes to Ps 68 18. betokens such gifts for the rebellious do you deny All men to have so much as the least measure of such light as however attended to can lead to God oe to witness Gods dwelling in them The eighteenth is from Eph. 1.17 where Paul prayes That God would give them the spirit of Wisdome and Revelation of the knowledge of him that the â—yes of their understandings might be enlightned The Opinion of the Qua. say they of each mans light in him a sufficient safe rule and guide in his way to God makes it unnecessary to pray for the Spirit to enlighten mens eyes in the knowledge of God therefore indeed it is impious Rep. Who would think men should be so blind unless they wilfully shut their own eyes having some grace some measure of light renders it needless it seems by these Seers to pray for more and praying for more and more of Gods Spirit Light and Grace supposes it seems that there 's yet none at all and so upon this account the Church of the Ephesians as yet had no illumination by the Spirit any more then the rest of men because there was prayer made that they might be enlightned and David had none of Gods Spirit because he prayes to be established more and more by it and the humble have none of that Grace of God at all which is sufficient because they may have and God promiseth to give them more What fâ—ivilosity is this for Divines to be found in The nineteenth is urged from Psa. 19.12 Who can understand his errors In brief to this effect No men understand their errors therefore each mans Light in him is not a sufficient and safe rule and guide to him in his way to God Rep. If the falmists Interrogation affirmative concludes negatively and exclusively of any mens having any sufficient Light then it concludes universally also against All mens having any such light and so upon this account the Saints themselves are excluded as having no such Light as well as other men sith according to R. B. and I. Ts. sense on that place they understand not all the errours of their lives but R. B. and I. T. will not deny but the Saints have some measure of such Light and therefore why others have not though they use it not that ignorance of all their errors notwithstanding is more then these two men can give any good reason for The twentieth from Act. 17.30 runs thus God commands all men every where to repent of their ignorant worship of him therefore each mans sight in him is not a sufficient guide for him to go by in Gods worship Rep. From which premises I contrariwise conclude thus viz. therefore all and each man every where though few heed it hath a sufficient Light in him from God as the Heathen had though they glorified and worshipped him not according to that Light and knowledge of him they had Rom. 1.19 c. to guide him aright in Gods Worship who commands no impossibilities nor injoyns any man to worship him otherwise then answerably to what of himself and of his Will is by his own light made manifest in him The 21. is from Prov. 3.5.6.7 Rom. 12.16 on this wise The Quakers Opinion concerning each mans own light in him makes men proud and lifted up and prudent in their own sight to which wo is Isa. 5.21 and to lean to their own understanding and not to depend on God for teaching them in his wayes therefore c. Rep. Cuius contrarium verum est If by own Light these men straggle so far from the Question in hand as to intend as they seem to do mans own wisdome chursâ—l thoughts conceits imaginations c. no men in the world call men more out of these things so plainly so earnestly so constantly as the Quakers do but if they be steady in their dispute as good Disputants ought to be ad Rem substratam to the matter debated which is some measure of the true Light of God and Christâ—s the calling to this is so far from making men lean to their own understanding and Independent on Gods teachings that there 's no man in the world can be said truly to be low emptied of self mean in his own eyes to trust in the Lord with all his heart and in all his wayes to acknowledge him to leave leaning to his own understanding to stand in Gods Counsel which woe to him who does not Isa. 38.1 to learn of God and depend on him alone for teaching to hear his voice c. though he scrape with the Scribes daily in the Scriptures themselves Iob. 5.35 36. till he betake himself to attendance to that which God sayes and shews in him by the measure of that Light wherewith God shines into his conscience Wo therefore unto these men that call Gods counsel mans conceit they are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight though in the sight of God and his Saints not yet weaned from their foolishness as they are also of that Generation that are pure in their own eyes though not yet washed nor believing that while they live here they can
perfectly be washed from their filthiness The 22. is no other then the same with the 21. though alluding to two other Texts from which they fetch them viz. Iudg. 17.6 Psal. 106.39 In those dayes there was no King in Israel but every man did that which was right in his own eyes and they went a whoring with their own inventions where they make doing after mens own thoughts conceits inventions and looking to or following the Light within us Synonimous and this last a sign of wicked men and going a whoring from God and departing from God unsafe and such like concluding thus viz. The truth is God forbid the following of our own supposed light as the greatest impiety which the Quakers place all their godliness in Rep. This is nought but another impudent lye against the Quakers as well as a most evidently foolish extravagancy from the Question which is not about our own supposed Light but some measure of that undoubted Light of God which though ignorantly by you stiled natural yet is not denied to be true Light and that from God and not our own supposed only so to be The Quak. place none of their godliness in such meer supposed light as ye do who suppose the ignis fatius of your dark and silly sâ—nses and suppositions on the Letter as sufficient light for all people to live by their faith stands not in mans wisdome nor in that Science of you opposite Schoolmen which is falsly so called and supposed but in that real infallible Light within which is the Wâ—sdome and Power of God and as for Al departure and going a whoring from God and his Light within after mans own inventions and thoughts in things of God which is that impiety of the Priests that God forbids and abominates we deny and abhor it also The 23. which is from the first of the two last Texts and the 24th which is from Pro. 14.12 are both also besides the business and urg'd in disproof of that sufficiency of supposed light and the way that seems right only in mans eyes and is not so this we have nothing to do with but deny it against the Priests who unawares to themselves are walking therein as the way to death but that we plead for is the true Light Iohn 1.9 which lightens every man and is the only true way that leads to life And whereas the consequence of their 23. seems to be to this effect If every man had a light in him sufficient to guide him in right and good wayes then Kings and Rulers should not punish men for walking in the wrong and evil wayes that seem good and right in their own eyes Rep. I contrariwise conclude that if men had not such a light in them as is sufficient to guide them in good wayes then Kings and Rulers should not punish them for going into evil wayes for as 't were an unjust thing to require not of him that seeing will not see as those Math. 13. of such a blind man as never could see to see the right way which was never shewed him and to punish him for not walking therein so were it in Rulers to punish men for following filthy wayes and evil things if they did not videre meliora i. e. see and know how to do better for to him who knows good and does it not evil and declines it not both which are known by the light that is in the world i. e. in men though some for want of heed say the light in the conscience shews the evil but not the good to him only it is sin to condemnation The 25. from Prov. 22.6.15 concludes That if each man have some such true light in him then there 's no need of training up children in whose hearts foolishness is bound up in the way they should go by the rod and teaching for what need of the rod say they then to drive fully out Rep. I reply to drive it out and bring them into the way of wisdom which is in them and seen by them but not much heeded till they smart far it as well as the way of Folly This Argument holds as much against Gods correcting such whom ye confess to know his will and do it not as against our correcting children whom we correct for not doing what we know they know they shold do for no father but he that 's foolish will whip his child for any thing as a fault but that which his child knew to be so So fools come to be plagued sayes the Spirit because of offences they fly out into that if they be not incorrigible they with the wife may look well to and ponder their goings Our Doctrine concerning All mens knowing in some measure by his Light within themselves the good will of God destroyes not but establishes the whip for the Horse the Bridle for the Afs and the Rod for the back of such fools as turn aside from the truth that 's told them into folly nor does this any more conclude against teaching children then mâ—t with both which it is consistent for the end of our teachings of both are to turn them to attend to the Light and Truth it self within them that doth teach them yea even children as they come to a few years of Discretion I remember well that before I could read the Scripture which I could read when very young I knew by that of God in me and not from my Parents only whose witness without could not have been credited therein by me had not the Witness of God which is the greater testified the same within my self that I should not lye and was judged with fears of wrath if ever I made a lye as children are apt to do to escape a whipping for a lesser fault If then it be ask't why we teach men and children I answer to bring and turn them as Paul was sent to do from the darkness in which they walk beside it into the Light Which whether they walk in it or no is yet in them and because they are not come to it as all true men do but hate and decline it with the evil ones whose condemnation it therefore is because though they come not into it it is already come into them Iohn 3.19.20.21 And with this short self-same Answer now it s brought into my spirit I shall here wipe out of the way a whole parcel of pedling Queries of R. Baxter about the the Light as they lie together in his Epistle to the Reader before I. Ts. book into the pit of darkness from whence they were exerted R. B. Q. I. I would fain quoth he be resolved in these few Questions How comes it to pass that all Nations that never beard the Gospel are utterly void of Faith in Christ when the Nations that have the Gospel do generally know him more or less Aus To say nothing how little true knowledge of God is in these Nations that he grants have the Gospel
subject to passions pollutions extravagancies vanities inordinancies of mind is but an argument to evince how much the more need he hath at all times to stand upon his guard and to put on the Armour of the Light and keep the stricter watch to it which who so does shall find the Power of it in him prevailing more and more in the warfare to the perfect overcoming and the bringing fâ—rth of Iudgement in him unto victory at the last but who so does not while he stands take heed to his way by it as young men are bid in order to the cleansing of their way Psa. 119.9 There is not I confess more necessity nor possibility of the others standing then there is of this mans falling into mischief Howbeit which way soever the man in medio is swayed whether by the lustings of the flesh to covetousness pride envy hatred deceit unrighteousness lasciviousness revenge c. to mind and walk after the flesh or by the lustings of the Spirit to love peace purity meekness temperance patience c. or which way soever that man is born and begotten whether by the Spirit of God from above or the Spirit of the Devil from beneath which in him lusteth unto evil c. Iâ—m 4.5 and consequently whose child soever he is at any time of the twain which is according to the prevalency and predominancy and perminency of this or that Seed in him viz. the Seed or Word of God or that lying Word or Seed of the Serpent for his he is still to whom â—e obeyes yet this is sure enough as I said before that he that abides in that which is of God sinneth not 1 Ioh. 3.6 and he that sinneth is gone from that and born and begotten by the Devil another way even after his Image and he that is so is of the Devil and a man of sin and sinneth uncessantly as his Father doth who hath begot him into his likeness and he that doth true righteousness is born of God to it and he that 's born of God and bears his Image which longer then any man doth he is not of God sinneth not overcomeâ— the world keepeth himself that the wicked one toucheth hâ—m not neither can he sin while so because he is born of God and the Seed of God remaineth is head permanent prevalent and preheminent in him and so which of these two sorts men are matters not much to the point sinners as such are sinners ever and not Saints and Saints are Saints ever as such and not Sinners and each hath his reward from God as his work is and he that 's holy is hely and he that 's righteous is righteous and he that 's unjust unjust still and he that 's wicked is wicked still and he that 's good is good and not evil and he that 's evil is evil and not good and the godly are they that are godly and none else and the ungodly are ungodly and nothing else that 's opposite to it for contraries cannot be denominated both of the same subject at the same time and each of these as they are reapse in very deed so are they in Gods account who accounts all men and things truly what they are and not as man who wearies the Lord with his words saying Every one that do h evil is good in the sight of the Lord and God delighteth in him and who is abuniration with the Lord for sâ—dâ—ing Prâ—v 17.15 Mal. 2.17 calling good evil evil good nor justifying the wicked or condemning the righteous but in his righteous Judgement which evil men understand not Pro. 28.5 as it is revealed in the Light which is the day thereof rendring to all according to their deeds secret as well as open by Christ Iesus according to the Gospel Paul preached to the patient continues in well doing Eternal Life to the contentious ones against the Truth that obey not it but unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish and this to every soul of man that doth evil Iew or Gentile Rom. 2. And so â—he only that doth righteousness is righteous and is of God and accepted with him and he that doth not righteousness is not of God nor he that hateth his Brother hath no Eternal life from God abiding in him and be that sinneth is of the Devil and hereby the Children of God are manifested and the children of the Devil and each hath his own Fathers portion as he bears his image nature and proportion and as no righteous one is rejected or reprobated so no unrighteous one is elected or accepted but without respect of persons in every Nation he that fears God and works righteousness in Christ the Light is accepted with him And howbeit the righteous turning from his righteousness to iniquity may die as the wicked turning from his wickedness to that which is lawful and right may live and the same person may turn and return and turn again and be in possibilities of life or death according as he chuses when both are â—et aâ—ore him yet the wayes of God are equal and his Iudgements according to truth and each man haâ—h from him for ever as he doth and though the man that is now a Sinner may become a Saint like David and a sinner again and by true repentance and purging with hysop a Saint again yet the Saint hath no part with the Sinner in his Lake nor the Sinner any share in the inheritance of the Saints which is in Light but each hath his own peculiar and proper reward and the heart of the one knows his own heaviness and the stranger intermeddles not with the others joy And howbeit men may of unbelievers become believers and believers in the Light may by an evil heart of unbelief draw back to perdition and depart from the living God yet whether they believe or not God abideth faithful and cannot deny himself the believers portion that believes is the Life and the unbelievers part is the Lake And though he that is now an unbeliever mâ—diante side may become a believer and be saved and he that now believes making shipwrack of his Faith and good Conscience as Iudas and others did may come to be damned yet no believer is ever damned nor is any unbeliever ever saved but the Foundation of the Lord who knows his own evermore stands ever sure let men go which way they will who owns none that name the name of Christ and depart not from iniquity and owns all who ere they be that do according to his everlasting and unchangeable Decree that stands thus stedfast without variation for ever viz. that he that believes only shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Mar. 16.16 So then every Saint ceases from sin as T.D. also saves and he that ceases not from it is no Saint or holy one but a Sinner and the sinner cannot but sin and do as his Father the Devil who begets him does and he
to pay his Creditor 20l. should never pay it him upon the pretence of an impossibility to perform his promise if he do once pay the mony I must ever owe him the monâ—y and stand engaged to endeavour to pay it therefore unlesse I make my selfe uncapable of performing my promise which I am alwayes mindfull of performing I must never actually pay it But now as to T. D's place who would it seems willingly be alwayes in Gods debt during his life but never come out of it till after death ever owing so much love as fulfills the Law but never practising it so as to fulfill the Law I must arrest him for all his shift and deny the minor of his Argument We are not required to be alwayes doing or endeavoring to suppre is and mortify sin so as never to bring the work to accomplishment in th ss life but once to effect it before we dye for As they are blamed that are over learning and never able to come to the knowledg of the Truth So are they as little accepted that are allwayes seeking to God dayly in pretence as a Nation that had a mind to do Righteousness asking of him the Ordinances of Iustice seeming to take delight in approaching to God that they might know his wayes alwayes when the appointed time comes Fasting and Praying humbling and afflicting their Souls for a day and hanging down their heads as a Bullrush thinking that to be a Fast of the Lords chusing and the acceptable day of the Lord yet never loosing the bands of wickednesse nor undoing the heavy burden nor breaking every yoak nor letting the oppressed Seed of God in their own hearts nor without neither go free ever and anon fasting for sin never from it ever reforming never reformed ever running never obtaining alwayes making a shew of mortifying sin never making any true effectuall mortification of it ever warring never overcoming nor quenching the fiery darts of the wicked nor dislodging the vain thoughts that are in them nor coming to the end of the Commandement which is love from a pure heart good conscience and faith unfamed allwayes beating the aire but never keeping under the body nor bringing it into subjection to the power of Truth ever owing that love which works no ill but fulfills the Law never performing any thing but that hatred which breaks the law debtors alwayes to the Spirit but living after the flesh and never by the Spirit mortifying the deeds of the body that they may live to God such sluggardly wishers and wouldens and seekers and respecters and pretenders and striuers and runners fighters reformers and mortifiers will be cast away at length for all their constant endeavours sith they do not so much as look to overtake what they run after nor reach the high prize they professe to presse to in this life which if they do not themselves say also t is to late to effect and obtaine it after death But Qui cupit optatam cursu contingere metam Multa tulit fecitque puer sintavit alsit 'T is good for a man to bear Christs Yoak in his youth sith the Soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing but the Soul of the diligent shall be made far As for the residue of T. Ds. reply to the argument above as some of it has bin toucht on before so what was not is scarce worth mentioning He tells us v. 6. which talks of respect to all Gods Commands explaines all the other Rep. T. D. sayes so but wher 's his proof beside if it be so a true real respect though such a slender one as he rests in does not stands in a due and true observation of them is he worthy to be respected as a true respecter of Gods Commandements that breaks them T.D. David excludes himself from the blessed Estate if undefiled and doing no iniquity be meant strictly here sith his wish v. 5. and other passages shew he was not free from sin which surely David did not intend because Psal. 32.2.5 he pronounces blessednesse to the man in whose Spirit is no guile who is sincere as himself was at that time though then under the guilt as is supposed by interpreters of his great sin of murder and adultery for which Psal. 51. was composed Rep. 1st some of this dirty stuff I spoke to but a little before the falsehood of which is evident for whereas the Scripture sayes David was not upright in the matter of Uriah T.D. sayes yea he was sincere and had no guile in his Spirit when under the guilt of those great sins 2d as to the rest what if David did exclude himself If he were under those great evills he might well exclude himself from the blessednesse of sincere ones till he came into the sense of Gods Love again to repentance while he pronounced the undefiled ones blessed that did no such iniquity he had reason to take the curse as his own portion to himself and to cry out of himself Talaiporos Anthroyos O wretched man that I am more deservedly then Paul who though in zeal of God shedding blood yet was 't is like never such a deep Adulterer and deliberate Murderer as David was in Vriahs case and as God said to Israel Hos 9.1 so might David say to himself rejoyce not thou as other honest people for thou aâ—t gone a who â—ing from thy God and if that were his case as thou intimatest it was wherein he was so desperately defiled with filth and blind he might well exclude himself from it having no reason to take to himself the blessing of the undefiled or whether he excluded himself or no from it this I am sure for all thy foolish dreams about Davids good Condition Iustification Blessednesse and Vprightness whilst under the guilt of those sordid Iniquities that the Scripture excludes him in that case so far from blessednesse that it concludes him neither upright as thou simply dost not so much as a respecter of Gods Commands which at least thou dorest he was even when he called that all abomination whiles thou Judg him as Indeed thou doest to have respect to Gods commandments that despises both God and him for 2 Sam. 12. as much as thou smoothest over those abominable businesses the better to sooth thy self and some sinful Saints like thy self in your lusts and iniquities as no more then Saints infirmities who have respect to all Gods Commandemets in respect of design and indeavour though falling short in accomplishing yet when Nathan came to him well-nigh a year after he had lyen in that dirty pickle in impenitency under the guilt of those gross impieties he is so far from sowing pillows and daubing with such untempered morter as thou dost and from including him in the lists of sincerity and owning him as one that had respect to all Gods Commands that he convinces him of his wicked hypocrisies and condemns him as one that had despised both God himself and
the world by some measure of Light at least shining from himself enlightening as it 's said every man that comes into the world shining in darkness in the dark consciences of men though the darkness comprehend it not holding by the hand also as it were leading by the hand those that being in nared in chains of darkness thrust down into the Pit do not winke with their eyes to the further blinding of them but according to the councel of Christ himself believe in the Light whilst they have it that they may become children of the Light for I am the Light of the world saith Christ He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life also I am come a Light into the world that whosoever believeth in me may not remain in darkness I came not to damn the world but to save the world 8. In this manner therefore is Christ the Salvation of the world as he is the Light of the world destroying the works of the Devil who hath wrought in the darkness to the setting up of a Principality and a Kingdom to himself in the hearts of men and redeeming men from the power of the Prince of the darkness of this world unto God who is Light and to see Light even the Light of life in his Light 9. In like manner doth the Prophet Isaiah affirm Christ to be given of God for a Covenant to the people for a light to the Nations to open the blind eyes and to bring out of Prison them that sit in darkness even the blind which have eyes and see not and after him Paul testifieth that Christ was set as a Light to the Nations that he might be the Lords Salvation to the ends of the earth Simeon also speaking by the holy Spirit of the child Iesus calls him that Salvation of his which the Lord had prepared before the face of all people to be a Light to lighten the Nations and the glory of his people Israel 10. In as much therefore as Christ is the light of the world he is the Saviour of the world and so far only are men saved by him as they believe in him who is the Light and in that Light wherewith he doth enlighten every man in his own conscience and set themselves to walk after it which leads no man into iniquity and so far forth are all men liable to condemnation before God as they walk not in this which is in them howbeit not consenting to any but testifying against all iniquiry even the least and also reproving and condemning it even in them who are not in it but walking contrary to it in the darkness 11. For although God in his great love gave his Son for a Light not that he might damn the world but that the world through him might be saved and be that believeth in him is not condemned yet he that believeth 〈◊〉 is condemned already and this is the condemnation that Light is come into the world into the inmost consciences of men there manifesting good and evill but men love the darkness rather then the Light because their deeds are evill for he that doth evill harsth the Light neither cometh to the Light â—ast his deeds should be reproved but who so doth truth he cometh to the Light what his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God 12. And al though all that obtain justification are justified freely by the grace of the Lord through the Redemption that is made in Iesus Christ alone Yea cursed be he and cursed will he be that seeks for justification any other way for he who is the Light of the world is also that Corner stone which however it be set at nought by a thousand and thousand of the 〈◊〉 is yet made the head of the corner neither is there salvation in any other nor is there any other name save that of Christ the Light under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved Nevertheless no further is any man accepted of God or justified by Christ or the grace of God in Christ then as he is directed by Christ the Light and is by the grace of God by that inward with 〈◊〉 of God by the light of God and Christ in his conscience which is given of God for this very end that it may teach and lead taught and led unto repentance from the unfruitfull works of darkness 13. For this Light shewes the riches of the goodness and long suffering and forbearance of him who is long suffering to-us-ward not will that any should perish but that all should come to us by repentance is that very grace of God bringing Salvation that hath appeared to all men teaching all that will learn what it teacheth that denying ungodlyness and worldly lusts they should live soberlys righteously and godly in this 〈◊〉 world which kind of life will otherwise be to late to begin to live in the world to come which grace being received in vain how much more being despised by the hardness of the heart refusing to repent wrath is treasured up against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God who will render unto every one according to his works to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and immortality eternall life but unto them that are contentious and obey not the truth but obey unrighteousnes indignation and wrath For tribulation and anguish is to come upon every soul of man that worketh evill but glory honour and peace to every one that worketh good hath to the Jew and also to the Greek for there is no respect of persons with God but in every Nation he that â—eaâ—eth him and manketh righteousness is accepted with him but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul rateth 14. And howsoever the world which is call'd Christian together with the manifold Sects Professors and meerly nominal Christians and Ministers thereof may dream that they have Christ their Redeemer very often calling him Lord Iesus continuing in the mean time in all disobedience to his Light yet the foundation of the Lord standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth who are his and let every one that nameth the of Christ depart from iniquity 15. For the day of the Lord draweth nigh wherein both every man and his deeds shall be made manifest for the day which is the Light shall declare them for they shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans works of what sort they are and in that day all those Dâ—eamers shall be awakened and shall know that as concerning the truth they have erred far from the mark and that not every one that saith unto Christ Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth what Christ saith and what the will is of his Father whâ—ch is in heaven and though they have prophecyed
no sooner though for shame they say not so much in words because they would seem at least to be at odds with the Pope about that Point then in some certain Purgatory in the world to come not mattering to be Holy here as God is Holy Merciful as he is Merciful to walk as Christ walked to be as he is in this world in whom there is no Sin to be pure as he is pure as men are required to be and till they are 't is Condemnation because of sin and as such as sing with him on Mount Sion Rev. 14.1 2 3. are and must be but contenting themselves to be as ever learning and teaching never learned nor taught so ever purifying though never purifyed And if the work were as truly doing too as 't is pretended to there were then according to 1 John 3.3 some true hope because a hope that it would once be done therefore we own the leaâ—t weakling that is waiting on in his measure of the Light of Christ in his own Conscience as one that is in a truly hopeful way in which keeping he will once come to something though a little child who if he do sin as he knows he should not knows he suffers for it yet is not without an Advocate 1 Iohn 2.1 2. But Alas what hope that the work of purging from sin shall ever be done where its never rightly doing as it is not among the Priests and their people who are not only out of the Light in which alone life comes but also out of the love of it and so at odds and falling out with it as to Blaspheme it by the Names of Figment Fancy Fanaticism c. as J.O. does and out of the faith of the thing also The work is not so far as in Fierâ— yet while men in their Fiery Spirits are fiercely Fighting against the Light which only can do it and believe not it is Possibly to be done What hope then is there that ever it should come forth in Facto esse Having 1st given this Generall Account to All Sorts of the Work hereafter following and of what Points are therein Principally propounded to Publick View and how We hold them a Word or Two more Particularly to Some sorts of Readers Know then 2dly All ye Honest Minded Well-meaning Persons who possibly may conceive your selves not much concern'd in Viewing over such a Volumn as Relates so Directly and Immediately as this mostly seems to do to the Learned Linguists and Academical Scholastick Rabbies who get as much Skill as their Skulls can Scrape together in Scrawling and Scribling against each other about their Hebrew and Greek Texts and Transcripts of the Scripture the very Literal Sense of which ye who may know the Truth nigher hand can Ken no otherwise then by their confessedly untrue Translations Know I say that howbeit this is intended mainly as an Alarm to All Sleepy Shepheards that lye down to Sleep loving to Slumber and so consists of Various matter much of which may Run beyond their Reach who are neither by Nature nor their Nursing Mothers meer Natural Nurture Skil'd any further then their Mother Tongue nor yet by the Spirit in the things of the Spirit neither yet here is some matter and that not a little of such a Nature as is no lesse plain to be understood then Profitable not to say necessary to be Learn't by the Lost Sheep that have long Slept with their Drowsy Shepheards in the Dream of their Night Visions in the Dark and Cloudy day of their dimm Divinations have bin Scattered from their own Border and driven to and fro from Mountain to Hill from Form to Form Profession to Profession Tradition to Tradition and from one outward Observation to another and caused to Erre after them and wander together with them up and down in dry and parched places in the Thick Wood of their own Thoughts in the Wilderness of their own Wretched Wisdom where they have found no Sound Health nor Reall Rest or Refreshment but rather more Wounds and Weariness to their Restlesly Wounded and Wearied Souls Be not therefore bolted out by the fight of sundry passages of it that are pend on purpâ—se to the Pecular Purpose of others from beholding that in it which if Perused by you in as much purity as it was pen'd in pitty to you may be of pretious use to your selves For herein also is an hand lent in love to the lost to lead you in O poor Perishing Parish people by the dore above which you and your Clergy have been long Climbing up as high as Heaven with Capernaum in your self-conceived Luke-warm Laodiceau Literature but are so far from obtaining entrance into that Pure Pasture which Christs Sheep partake of who hear his voice that in stead thereof except ye yet Repent from your Powerless Profession of what ye are out of the true way to the true Possession of ye shall all as assuredly as Shee was of old be brought down to Hell Yea herein all along throughout the whole work lyes as it were a little line before all save such as love to look beside it laid for any that will lay hold on it to lead them not from but to and by and together with the Letter of the Scripture to the Light of him in the heart which the Letter came from who is the only Light that leads throughly to the Life even his Own Life and to Himself who is the Truth Way Door Light and Life it self of the Sheep and looks after them that have gone astray from Him to gather them back to look after himself alone for Salvation in his own and to learn of him alone who alone hath the Words of the Eternal Life which all the foresaid Word-stealers and Truth-sellers while refusing to stand in his COUNCEL and to receive the Word from his own mouth are so living so dying Vniversally shut out from for ever Moreover if any either through Mis-understanding of my honest meaning or Male Construction of my good Intention therein shall be offended at my medling so much as I have done specially toward the latter part of the second Excercitation in matters that seem to any who are more seriously addicted then most Schollars are whose life is wholly lost in looking after littles so Immomentary to the Life of God as the meer External Text of that Eternal Truth that 's therein talk't on and those Hebrew Points Tittles Vowels Accents Letters and Syllables of it are which I am in not a few pages together well-nigh totally taken up in and for a time taken off by from Points of more Immediate Pertinency and truer tendency to Salvation Their unjust Offence at me shall not so far Offend me but that for their sakes I can and shall here stoop so low to take that Stumbling Block out of their way as to tell them and the whole world the Naked Truth how it was with me in that particular and the Real
proof is the Promise Providence and Care of God concerning the entire Preservation of your Originall Texts to a Tittle the Foolishness Falseness Weakness and Absurdity of which together with many other Mediums used by Him not one of which is Taâ—tamount to so much as a Topicall Argument I have sufficiently hereunder discovered One of his Main Subordinate Mediums is not the Infallible Guidance Direction or Assistance of God for that 's denyed by Him to all the Transcribers the first as well as the last p. 197. But only the Religious Care Diligence and Consideration of their Work in Hand and with whom they had to do in it and Gods Loving Aspect over them in it and this is all He does or dares Ascribe to the best of them from whence He inferres no more which yet is not half enough to His purpose then a Probability that they might not be Mistaken at all in a Tittle or at least not so much as the Transcribers of Heathen Authors Concluding in such like Terms as Shall we think Can we Imagine Surely it s very Improbable It seems to border on Atheism to Imagine they were mistaken so as that the same fate attended them and the Text in their Transcribing it as hath done other Books and much more such like Trifling Stuff After this His Arguing to which Probability that they were not so mistaken leaâ—t He should seem to have over-shot Himself in going but so far He begins to fall again by Degrees and Confesse 1 st That though it were very Improbable yet 't was not Impossible for them in any thing to mistake and then 2 dly a little farther yet He falls a Confessing and Granting à Potentiâ ad Actum that they did mistake and that failings have fell out and been found among them and that from thence Various Lections are risen sundry of which He also instances in Notwithstanding all which Concessions and Grants whereby He layes himself and his Arch-Assertion Level with the Ground He yet seeks to Scramble it up again and to save Himself from sinking quite down by catching hold on many weak Twigs and to Lick Himself whole with a Legion of little Worths which as is shew'd hereafter do not heal him of the Wounds which Himself gives to His Own Arch-Assertion Thus while Wisdom builds Her own House The Foolish Woman pulls Hers down with her Own Hands Moreover how Ye Ministers Unminister your selves Every Way who can't but see Ye deny the onely True Foundation the Letter layes which is the Light and lay the Letter in its stead yet what a slender kind of honour ye give to the Letter too for all your so Loud Laudings of it in Words is shew'd Exer. 2. p. 51 52 53. Ye deny any Infallible Guidance of your selves as well as others at this Day by the Infallible Spirit which Holy Men of God ever spake by as they now do in dayes of old Ye deny the only Way of Justification by Christ and his Righteousness Revealed in your selves Ye deny the Light that leads to Life as very Darkness it self Ye deny Perfection here the very End of all Ministry Ye Preach for Hire and Divine for Money and have beguil'd People into a Love to have it so what will become of you and what will ye do when the End of all this comes upon you Ye are such Turners to and fro with the Times Turning and Tempering your Tenets thereunto that there 's no Generation of men unless That of Those who with their Traditions and Empty Formalities make void the End and Equity of the Law as ye with Yours make void the very Power and Perfection of the Gospell can so Generally or so Truly say as ye may of your selves Tempora Mutantur nos Mutamur in illis Witness All Vicissitudes of the Times from Henry the 8 th to this Day wherein Exceptis Excipiendis some Few only in each Turn to be Excepted who rather then Turn would Burn bear the spoil of both Persons and Possessions the Two Nurseries of this Nation and their Respective Nationall Nephewes and Children viz. That Noun-Adjective Priesthood which could never stand yet alone by the Sword of the Spirit without the Sword of Secular Powers to Secure and Support them in their Spirituall Maintenances and Ministrations have for the most part as to their Formes of Religion like Reeds shaken with the Wind and Yielding with the Tide Lean'd all along for Livings sake which Way so â—re the Powers in Present being per force would Form or Frame them to and fro viz. from Popery to Prelacy from that to Popery back again from thence to Prelacy again from thence onward to the Scotch Presbitery from thence on to a more moderate mixt kind of Presbiterian-Independency and after so many Oaths or Vowes and Covenants to Endeavour the Extirpation Root and Branch of that which may as well as any of the other for ought I know serve the Turns of such Turncoat-Teachers as make an External-Temporall Trade of Talking on more then of Walking in the Eternall Spiritual Truth how many are now minded if the Word should be As you were to face about again to the Oâ—ning of that late Episcopall Hierarchy I cannot determine yet I can Divine by the doings of some Divines that not a few of those who were not long since so devoted against it that had not the Tide Turn'd upon them contrary to the Common Course of Presbiterian Expectation one may safely say they would never have said so much for it as they now begin to do will ere long if not comply with it Simpliciter yet by some Simple Secundum Quid or other distinguish themselves into an Union and Compliance with it and dispute themselves into some Share and Division with its Children in their Spirituall Dignities and Preferments Alias Confound themselves into some Common Communion with them therein rather then for non Conformity to their Form and Government be wholly Excommunicated Ipso facto from All Communication with them in those their Carnall Clericalities If their Episcopall Brethren as they have of late began to call them be but as free to entertain them thereinto in this Day of their Dominion as some of the Presbyterian Brethren who Dein'd the other no leave nor liberty to live in their dead Form under them in the day of their as undue Domination seem forward to intrude themselves into a dwelling with them in their Tents it seems to me at least that they may yet Cott'n well enough together with them for their own Ends Witness not only some Words of R.Bs. Book about the Visibility of the Church very newly extant which intimate his owning in some sort a Superintendency of Bps over Presbiters but also in his Preface to that very Book of â— T. I have here to do with which are these viz. I have already told the Episcopall-Brethren that Bishop Vâ—her and I did fully agree in half an hour and therefore it 's
same Fate in that kind hath attended this of mine which hath ever yet attended both the Scripture and His I. T 's and all other Books too of any Bulk in their passage through the Press As for the Faults that have befallen this as they are not very many considering the greatness of the Impression and the smalness of the Print so they are too many to passe altogether Unmended Unminded Unmentioned also Whereupon excepting such as being more gross are with a Pen already rectified to the Readers hand of such as are not mended I shall mention some wishing Him to mend the rest in his own mind Yet some of these hereunder noted were espied and amended before they were wrought off wholly at the Press In the 1. Exercitation page 24. line 13. read Kings p. 28. l. 18. r. stout standing p. 70. in the Margent r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 80. l. 10. r. there p. 90. l. 3. r. life p. 116. l. 31. r. if all p. 144. l. 15. 16. r. more then good ones evill once for more the good ones evil which is set twice ore In Exerc. 2. p. 12. l. 30. r. thou shootest p. 66. l. 11. 12. r. live in sin p. 137. l. 21. r. Rounds p. 164. l. 33. r. and l. 35. r. such silly In Ex. 3. p. 5. M. for emulâ—ate â—enuclâ—ate p. 35. l. 7. r. stirs strifes M. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 64. M. for ut r. at p. 37. mar r. divinus p. 312. mar r. Scripturae Author p. 132. l. 19. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 136. l. 12. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 13. r. upholder p. 141. l. 5. r. for the Scriptures l. 14. r. malicious p. 154. mar r. Synonimous p. 174. l. 8. r. more then thâ—se p. 187. l. 17. r. streining In Exerc. 4. p. 3. 1. 12. blot out we p. 9. 1. 20. blot out of p. 13. 1. 17. r. no indirect l. 39. r. but by p. 133. l. r4 r. Apage p. 16. l. 18. r. and in p. 205. l. 9. r. denomination p. 221. mar r. Israél Midian Ahaz In the Appendix p. 24. l. 13. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the two sheets at the end p. 1. l. 18. for have have r. have Sundry more Typâ—graphical Errors probâ—bly there are uncorrected then I can on a sudden cast my eyes on by some of which possibly the sense is interrupted but of all that are I may safely Say with I. O. in his Vindication of the Entireness to a Tittle of the Originall Texts bate all such as are Evident mistaâ—es consisting only in superfluity and redundancy of unnecessary â— deficiency of words necessary to the sense of the place that is to say Aâ— of what sort soever and then there will be few or none at all In a word Let Every Reader do the Printers that wonted Right of Winking at their wonted doing Wrong And as I by their Failing have fallen under the Common Fate so I ask no more but that Common Favour of Non-Imputation of their Faults to Me â— as Mine Typographi â—e Reputentur Amici S. F. THE PREFACE John Owen who hast been stiled Doctor in Divinity and Dean of Christ-Church Coll. Oxon. and Thomas Danson stiled M. A. Minister of the Gospel at Sandwich in Kent and late Fellow of Magdalen Coll. Oxon. I Have taken a view of three books of you two lately extant against the People commonly called Quakers namely of thy threefold Thing I. O. or double-tongu'd piece of Divinity doings about the Letter and the Light lyingly relating in other parts of it partly and in its Latine part principally to the Quakers Also T. D. of thy two little fardâ—es of much falshood generally superscribed with these two untrue Titles viz. 1 The Qua. folly made manifest to all men in Auswer to R. Hub. 2 The Qua. Wisdome descends not from above in Answer to G. Whit. replying to the other For the Truths sake which now lies at stake openly between you two and them I am minded as moved in way of Reply to say something to both your Books and to your selves and the world also about them I intend not a total Translation of that forraign Language wherein that foresaid Latine part of thine I. O. in which thou fight st most fiercely with thy fore-nam'd Friends was written so much of that shall serve as will serve the turn of such Truths as I hâ—ve plead against thee in the service of nor a total transcription of either of your books they are not worth it not yet an Answer to every falsity that is found therein Hoc opus luc labor est they are more then my measure of Arithmetick can easily reach to reckon up But a due Expostulation with you both on the Quakers and the Truths behalf an Animadversion of some at least of those many absolute absurdities follies confusions false doctrines flat contradictions to yourselves which are eveâ— and anon therein uttered by you a Subversion of your Topsie-Turvies who set the chief things ye have to do withall Aâ—chi-podialiter as it were with the heels upwards a Blowing away of those blasphemies lies calumnies opprobrious titles disdainful subsannations unjust accusations spiteful aspersions abominable abuses breatâ—d out by you against the people abovesaid whom all that curse shall once see and say are a Seed whom God hath blessed and to be short an Examination of many such matters in every part of both your Books how scamblingly soever they lye here some and there some in them as I find bear any reference to the Qua. or to those Doctrines viz. 1 Of Iustification by the Righteousness of Christ in us 2 Of the Letters not being the only Foundation and Rule of Faith and holy life 3 Of the Infallible Spirits Inspiration and Infallible direction of his Ministry at this day 4 Of the Vniversal love and grace of God to all men 5 Of the True saving Light of Christ enlightning every man in the world 6 Of the Attainableness of perfect purity or freedome from sin in this life in each of which ye differ from them and which against you both and your Adherents are held forth by them Sundry false and grosly absurd businesses against the Light and its Children may not improbably be briefly noted as they lye most notably obvious to every common capacity in the nine Sermons of Iohn Tombs B.D. which came piping hot from the Press while this of mine to you two is coming to it put out by R. Baxter which pair of blind Brethren as much enmity threatning and Thunder without Lightning as hath been between them hitherto against each other are it seems like Herod and Pilate now made friends together against Christs Light so as to make one Head though two Horns wherewith to thrust it down if they could for which a Rod a Rod in the Lords hand is already ready for the back of Baxter who and his once Heretical and Heterodox but now Reverend and
in the like lame cause who belabouring your selves in talk about the Letter against the Light live and walk more by the false fire and twinkling flash of your own thred-bare thoughts and infatuated imaginations then either by the Letter or the Light I come now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without much Preamble or more ado ad rem substratam to the businesse and work it self as it lies before me And howbeit I shall not regard any External form order or methodical manner of proceeding with you so much as words and matter of profit and truth it self yet as there is a Quaternity of you or rather a Fraternity of four angry Fighters or Quarrellers with the Quakers and the truths told by them viz. I. O. T. D. I. T. R. Baxter all whom first or last one where or other more or lesse I shall have to do with So though not therefore I shall divide my ensuing undertakings against you in the Name and Power of God on their behalf in such wise as thou I. O. dost thy Doctor-like Divinity Disputations or Latine-labours against them viz. into four Apologetical Exercitations or Earnest Expostulations with you The first whereof is to be more down-rightly directed to thee T.D. the rest who are of the same misty mind with thee not excluded in way of Examination of that Legend of Lyes which thou like some great Benefactor to it bestowest on the Clergies Cause against the Truth and its Children and as concerning the point of Iustification in special which thou makest thy self a main Mannager of against us for all the rest who say little of it and in which thou by thy lies about it in both Doctrine and matter of fact most basely abusest both thy self and the Truth and my self in particular and all the Qua. in general also The second is to be most peculiarly directed to thee I. O. in Examination of sundry of thy base belyings and misreportings of the Qua. as to their mis-behaviour toward the Scripture about which T. D. who sides with three therein doth but give us a short snap and away and as concerning the very formal being nature Text or Letter or the Scripture it self ye call your Canon the Bâ—unds or measure of that your supposed Canon the Hebrew Punctaâ—ion Integrity of the Text to a Tittle without Various â—ection and such like passages which thou more preheminently pratest on then all thy Fellows The third is to relate though partly to T. D. and partly to I. T. and R. B. alâ—o as being all three in some sort tampering together with thee in the same muddy manner about at least some of the same mistaken matters yet principally to thee I. O. who in the dark dream of thy night Vision drivest on more down rightly as the Prime Promoter of these Principles viz. that the Scripture and every sylâ—â—â—le and Iota thereof is the Word of the Great God the most efficacious powerful all-sufficient all-perfecting heart-searching soul-saving living life-giving Word of the living God that it even that outward writing Letter External Text and not any such thing as an Internal Word of God Spirit or Light within is the only Infallible Guide Incorruptible Canon perfect Rule of all Faith holy life saving Spiritual Knowledge or Worship the most certain Sanctuary for the preservation of all Sacred Truth the most sure Touch-stone stable standard firm Foundation true Witness of God the most invariable inviolable way of safety and security to all Divine Verity the most absolutely necessary means of Spiritual and Eternal life cum multis aliis quae nunc praescribere longum est with much more id genus of the same soure leven too long to be reckon'd up here sith they are all to be elsewhere reckon'd with in due time and place The fourth will be promiscuously and interchangeably carried on by way of entercourse with you both I. O. and T. D. which two only were intended to be by me so much as medled with when I first was throughly resolv'd on some Reply to your rude reproachings of the Truth As concerning your denial of the universality and sufficiency to save such as heed it of the Light and Grace of God in all mens hearts of modern immediate Divine Inspiration of Perfection as to the purging away of sin in this life and as concerning your Dream of a peremptory Election and Reprobation of persons unborn viz. of very few to life and of many to one as unchangeably to damnation without respect to their doing good or evil in their life about all which as occasion is I must have in a few words a round reckoning with you both I. T. R. B. and all the rest of that self-reverencing black-mouth'd Brotherhood as blindly banding in one body in the self-same mist of darkness not excluded for the Rounds ye run in as to those particulars at the latter end i. e. in the said fourth and last part of these foresaid Presents in which as occasion is ye four aforesaid Fellow-Fighters for your own follies against Gods Wisdome are likely little or more to be all bespoken in one or other of the Chapters into which also I shall subdivide the fore named four divisions If ye four Foxes that spoil the Vine and her tender Grapes whereof inter-scribendum one successively still started out afresh upon me as I was pursuing the sent and chasing the other had like those of Sampsons turned tail to tail in all points as in some ye do and took several wayes ye could not so well have been caught altogether as now ye may notwithstanding all your Majestical craft but sith ye face all one way and joyntly steer your course in general to one Cave running parallel into the same Wood of your own wisdome there housing your selves in the same holeÌ„ dreaming altogether of no danger neer you in one Den of Darkness there needs no more but to set something to the Mouth of that bottomless Pit ye all belong to out of which the Fox-like strong sent and stinking savour of your erroneous Tenets vents it self to the poysoning of poor peoples Souls throughout the whole Countryes where your respective beings are and so digging you out of your foresaid Dens put you altogether into a Bag. S.F. The First Apologetical and Expostulatory Exercitation CHAP. I. FIrst then though they came out last and began to fly abroad some while after I. Owens yet I shall begin with thy two Butterflyes T.D. which have flown up and down the World not only upon the wind of their own wings but also as fast and far as they could carry them upon the light chaffy leaves of the whiffling News-books for some few moneths together to the frightning of all such folk as are befool'd into an Implicit Faith of thy folly to be wisdome out of that little wisdome they have by that fearful flutter they have made thorowout as well the Cities as Vniversities and Countryes with that falâ—e flashy and fair-flourishing
Councel and receive his word from his mouth to learn of Christ in silence with all subjection to hear his voice which his sheep only hear though swinish Scribes may search the Scriptures to enter by him who is the Door to bear hiâ— Cuâ—â—â— and follow him to pray preach write dispute and do all that I am cal'd to in the lâ—ght in the movings of his Spirit theâ—e all and an hundâ—ed more that might be nam'd are Ordinances of God which I am under and yourselves above who are clambering up another way in your own thoughts councâ—ls wisdâ—m and understanding above his light in the conscience that is the Door which till Ye lofty over-lookers of it the flying fowls of the air the hâ—gh-flown Climbers above vouchsafe to stoop and come down to ye shall never enter into the Sheepfold finally a holy life and that pare Religion that is undefiled before God while all the Religion of imture unbridled Lyaâ—s Wantons Wordlings c stinks before him and is defiled which is to keep a mans self unspotted of the world also to do Good works to be zealous of Good Works to be rich in good works to be wâ—ll reported of for good works to shew our selves Paterns of good works to learn to maintain be careful to maintain good works as necessary which â—ome because O V R works none of which are good the best of which are all evil further then wrought in Christ the light and by Christ in us are of none would make of none effect as to our acceptance with God and to walk in the good works which in Christ Iesus whoâ—e workmaâ—shâ—p we are we are created unto which God hath before Ordained that we should walk in them Eph. 2. 10. theâ—e are Ordinance of God which 't were well for you all if you were as much under the observance of as ye are under the obliuiâ—n of which I neither did nor do nor dare say I am above though as I desire I never may so by the grace and power of Christ to me ward I do not live so far below them as Thousands do who are both above and below them also too proud of their fine forms to be brought down to the plain power and too much sunk down over head and ears in earth lust luxury love of money pleasure wordly-mindedness and buried in blindness brutishness and sensuality to be brought up and rais'd into any heavenliness of conversation yet all crying out of them as denyers of Gods Ordinances that live in the very life and substance of those lifeless Images and shadowy parts thereof which they only call so I affirm therefore here before God and all men that I never affirmd of my self in these Terms in which its here Testifiâ—d viz. that I was above Ordinances and for thy self T.D. and thy two witnesses to it T.F. and T.B. who are three Thomas'es very faâ—thlâ—â—â— and hard to believe the truth and for your faithlesness as hardly to be believed whether you will believe me yea or nay as its false that you here witneâ—s so the witness of all three of you against me in this will be of no more force to fright any friends of Truth into the faith or belief of what you say then so many leaps of a louse since ye are found deceiving or at best deceived in your other so credible information And as for the things viz. Baptism and the Supper which yourselves call Ordinances and keep such a quarter for as if they were the main matters which God hath Oâ—dained which only can lay true claim to the foresaid Title I might possibly say then as I shall plainly now not in any way of 〈◊〉 whateâ—er is of God though but as a Type and shadow in its time and season that to such as are grown throw those Elementary institutions into the Life of God which is the end and substances they Relate to they may be useleâ—s as to their own particulars as the light of a Candle is where the Sun shines yet I deny not the use of them to such as are not satisfied as to the Lord unless they use them But most people either I abuâ—e them and themselves in the use of them who neither knowing their right end nor use nor manner of administration do either chanâ—e and alter them into Images of their own making both in their Subject and their form and thus all Rantizers of Infants do and all feeders of Dogs and Swine with that bread and wine which they call the Supper for these things are not that outwaâ—d washing and supping which were used of old as meer figures and Images of the true but sigments and fooleries and Images of their own Imagining not â—o much as the Bodily Baptism which Iâ—hn baptizeth with but a trashy Tâ—adition of man which who so teach for a Doctrine or Ordinance of God do worship God but in vain not the true outside or shadow of the Supper for that is not a coming together into one place which is to decrease and vanish before the internal and â—ternal which increaâ—eth and is to stand nor the external sign of the True Cup and Table of the Lord but in Truth the very Cup and Table of Devils where drunkards and Swerers Lustfulness and all sorts of sinners and walkers beside the light who say they have fellowship with God but lye and have none sit in fellowship with their Father the Devil Or else secondly dote upon and Idolize those graven Images of their own which if they were as truly the things in use of old as 't is true they are but new inventions of their own yet as the brazen Serpent they must be but Nehushâ—an when once mens hearts go a whoring after them from that which is the end of them all and come not to Christ Iesus the Image and rigteousness of God and to witnesse that wrought and even him who is that Image brought forth and formed in them but continue poring upon those Rudiments or like one that falls in love with his own Image in the water and for love thereof goes down under it and drownes himselfe therein run down so deep into them as to lose themselves from the other and draw such a thick vaile over their hearts as the Iewes so as not to look much lesse enter into the end of the law of which is to be abolished that is of carnall Commandments contained in Ordinances which are not of the new but of the old Covenant which is long since ready to vanish which stood in earings and drinkings and divers Baptismes carnall Ordinances bodily exercises outward Observations in which the Kingdome of God stands not which is in righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Spirit so that he who in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men For those meer Rites and Rudiments of washing eating drinking had their first being beginning rise and institution as Circumcision Passeover sacrifices and such
Commandements and Traditions of men and of the Pope himself in many things still and yet because they did not so much as he appointed them in matters of more moment but were unclean and wicked refusing to walk in the good old way of the Light which was the way before Moses and the letter was turning away their eare from hearing the Law in the heart which is the light were not only vain but abominable in the very best of their Oblations In Preaching therefore in order to Gods acceptance of us and our good works which are not outward worships where the heart and life are yet defiled but where a new Creature created after his own Image of God in Christ Iesus to good works in his nature and by his Power though in it's own person doth perform them is as an utter exclusion of all your own so no fair In-let to any of the Popish Rubbish will worship meer self service and unprofitable devotion for these being only done by man are neither good nor accepted of God But to Teach and maintain and plead for evil works as necessary to be done while we are in this life and Teach down the doctrine of perfecting holinesse and perfect purging our selves from all uncleannesse of flesh and Spirit while we are here in the body which Paul taught up as a doctrine of devils and to deny the possibility of performing this duty of not sinning and make such a grosse state of sin as that was which David stood in when he was guilty of adultery and murder consistent with Gods acceptance of men and their justification before him and that the Saints as some call them in such a pickle while they are in sin up to the ears even in such a case are not in a condemned but in a justified estate and that if the Saints own heart condemn him and his own conscience tell him that God doth not accept him and that his estate is bad in such a bad sinful case and not good it 's defiled and lyes and testifies falsehood to him and leads him into a wrong opinion of himself and that the Saints may be blessed men as David was having no guile in his spirit but sincere upright after Gods own heart though under the guilt of so grosse and great sins when the Scripture saith the contrary viz that David was upright before God saving in that matter of Vriah wherein indeed his very heart was false and rotten and to affirm to the encouragement of men in their imperfections and infirmityes by which name they stile the Saints grossest iniquities as T.D. does contradictorily to himself in other places that the gospel gives life upon imperfect obedience all which and more ejusdem Farraginis is done and utter'd by T.D. and such as own him therein in the 11.19.45.47 pages of his 1. Pamphlet as they were by word of mouth at the disputes This is to strengthen the hands of the wicked that they cannot return from their wickednesse for how is it possible they should do it when 't is preacht and believed as impossible to be done this is to sow soft pillows under their elbowes that they may sleep on securely in sin and take their rest for its all but infirmity and no inpreachment to his justification nor to his standing accepted and in covenant with God that a Saint does and their 's no condemnation to them that are Saints and in Christ no though they be in transgression in which who is say I is out of Christ and not a Saint and though they walk not after the Spirit as all that are Saints and in Christ Jesus do but after the flesh and in a word a very fair In-let to a very worse matter then that whole mare mortuum of the Popes Beggerly observations even no better a matter then the very whole bundle of the Devils own Bag and Beastly Baggage So then I see not hitherto and am perswaded never shall till I come to see as T.D. does in his floting fancy many things with his eyes shut how any Doctrines of the Qua. even such as they and I hold with any more then what we hold flatly against the Popish Priesthood do either conclude my complyance with them or make any way for the incoming and abiding without its own speedier Ruine of their Romish Baggage or how our parochiall Priesthoods preaching and practice too doth any other then uphold the Butt end thereof and preach their own câ—mplyance with those their Brother Ravens in many matters But T. D's Biggest Bolt and weightest Bullet as he counts at least lyes yet behind and that is our doctrine of good works as needful to that use of our justification before God here he iudges that Omne tulit punctum he hath fully hit the white and that this will do if all the rest die and fallen the fault of favouring and fathering the Popish cause upon me as some Iâ—suit if all the other fail Good works for necessary uses viz to manifest faith to be true to sanctify to make meet for the possession c. T.D. and his Associates in words and doctrinally more then practically maintain as much as any but to maintaine good works not only to the use of our sanctification but our justification and to justify not only deâ—laratively in the sight of men but also formally in the sight of God not only to approve a beleiver but absolve a sinner p. 8. not only to fit for but to give right to the inheritance p. 22. not as concurrent and concomitant only but as cooperative and constitutive together with faith and coincident as a cause in the case of our iustification to let good works be accounted not only Via ad Regnum but also carsa Regnandi as your Scools distinguish yea and further yet to dispute it not in these Terms barely of good works but in these Terms of OUR good works and lastly higher yet to rank them so high in order of causes as not only Instrumental with faith but a deserving or meritorious cause of justification This is notorious yea so grosse and Popish that we may well Rank you thinks he among the Papists p. 58. as at least a bringer in of their Baggage yea now quoth T.D. of me p. 14. you shew your self a rank Papist indeed Rep. Ipse dixit T.D. hath said it who of all those Seers with his eyes in Sandwich or else where who giving heed to him from the least to the greatest saying of him This man is the great Power of God have hiâ— hitherto bewitched with his Simonical Sorceries can do any other then believe it to a Tittle This stroke enters with so deep a dint into the thoughts fancies and faith of many that 't is supposed by some we Qua. shall never be able to lick our selves whole of the deadly wound it brings with it both to the doctrines that we maintain as Truth and to our selves also whom we maintain to be no
from the sight of how 't is at home he might see us perfectly clear and himself onely deeply guilty in part yea wholly of the self same Errour for verily we say of all Our own good works done by us out of him and not by him in us which onely are usually by God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also properly Term'd Our own they are as man himself in the fall who does them is altogether become unprofitable either to iustifie sanctifie save entitle to or fit us for Gods Kingdom yea what God himself doth Isa. 57. we do and will declare of Our own Righteousness that it cannot profit us of our Companies we are gone to and Congregatings with them c. in our own wills and thoughts these cannot deliver us the wind will take all these away and as it hath done some already so will all those that truth therein we say as Eph. 2. by Grace we are saved justified not in as you look to be but from our sins in which we were once dead together with you in which we sometime walked with you who cannot believe that ye can he perfectly purged from them while you live but that ye must live in some and some in you till you die after the course of this world the Prince of the air the spirit that still lives in you children of disobedience and in the rich mercy and great love of God wherewith he hath loved us made accepted in his beloved quicknâ—d raised up and made to sit together not in fleshly lusts and eartly Pallaces with painted Professors of him but in Heavenly places in Christ Iesus and all this through Faith not of our selves for its the gift of God nor yet of self works so as that any of us can boast for we are not our own but his workmanship in all this created in Christ Iesus whose new Creatures we are unto the good works we now do in the Light and Movings of his Spirit in a cross to the will of our flesh till it and the lust thereof be wholly crucified and we to the woâ—ld and the world to us which God hath of old ordained in order to the Eternal Life he hath that way ordained us to that we should walk in them yea Tit. 3. we were formerly for all our forms of Religion which yet were to the full as powerful as the best of your or the most Reformed Formalists empty Profession without the Possession of that Godliness ye prate of foolâ—sh disobedient serving diverse lusts and pleasures as ye still do and yet vainly hope to do well enough living in every malice hateful and hating But since the Goodness and Love of God our Saviour to mankind in Christ the Light appeared to us we are from these sins justified and loved for which judgment without mercy wrath without remedy will come on you that judge your selves justified in them yet not by any works in the Righteousnes that we have wrought but according to his own mercy he haâ—h saved us which saves to the uttermost and not by the halves as ye dream he does who Reckon without your Host who will Reckon otherwise with you when he comes nigh to you to Judgement and ye come to Account by the Light that all the sins past and to come of you Elect and peculiarly priviledged unsanctified Saints are Remitted while they are as hourly they are yea and long too before they are committed and that you while as unjust and guilty as David in his very acts of Adultery and Murder are yet acquitted accounted just and held guiltless by him who is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity and not abhor it and call that good that does evil and who will by no means clear the guilty in his guilt nor accept the filthy in his filth I say according to his mercy he hath saved us by the washing Mark of Regeneration and the Renewing of the Holy Spirit which he hath shed on us abundantly by Iesus Christ our Saviour to this end Mark that we being justified by his Grace viz. shed on us freely by Christ not inhaerent in him onely as the Subject might be made Heirs according to the Hope of Eternal Life This and not thine T.D. is the faithful Word and these are the Truths about our Iustification or Salvation that they of old were enjoined stedfastly to Teach that those that believed in God might be careful to maintain good works of this sort as useful good and profitable unto men counting all their own which yet T.D. sayes are necessary to sanctifie and make meet as dung loss imperfect impertinent unprofitable and useless as filthy Rags Yea Finally as Paul said of his own Worships Works Righteousness and Services while he was a proud puft up Pharisee as most of our Formal Scribes and Modern Ministers are for he calls not that his own as T.D. does but Christs which he was after clothed in and by Faith had received from him and by him was enabled to perform and abound in so say the Qua. of theirs and I of mine If any man think he hath whereof to glory in the flâ—sh of flâ—shâ—y wisdom self-righteousness outward performances Well-worships inward workings of the mind in earnest Imaginations and of mans will in zealous hastings willings runnings strivings after God and Righteousness and Good in which yet the Kingdom comes not nor the Righteousness of it I could say more then I am here minded to do but since I came in the Light to feel the Circumcision of the heart to the Lord by himself not made by the hands of man and to witness the worth of the true Worship of God in Spirit and Truth in the inner part which his own witness within onely leads to what good works of mine I once counted gain I am now made by Christ to count loss for those of Christ yea for the excellency of the true knowledge of Christ to be my Lord whom I once so called but did not all that he said for whom I have lost all that and what more he hath yet called me to suffer the loss of and do esteem all but as dung that I may win hâ—m and be found in him not clothed with the old Righteousness of my own which was once Pauls and called by me and T.D. both but as filthy Rags so I know no Righteousness of Christ is called by any besides T.D. but with that Righteousness which is by Faith in his Light in which onely he is known Revealed and Received from him and in the way of that Faith by which God purifies the heart which overcomes the world in it and works by that Love that fulfils the Law in working no ill to the Neighbour wrought in me by him even that Righteousness which through Faith in the Light is of God not as our devising Diviners both Devise and Divine to the making of the wicked ones seem just and good before God when they are nothing
obedience of Christ within his Saints one while saying one thing of it anon another sometimes that its Christs own wrought by him received from him sometimes their own even that own of theirs which is imperfect dung losse and 〈◊〉 Rags which was theirs long before ere they knew him Sometimes in another sense then that the spirit calls them both their own and his own also somtimes this sometimes that now that it serves for nothing being but imperfectly good unlesse filthy Rags be good for anything then that as very losse and dung as Paul counted his own that it serves him for something viz. to fit for heaven but not to enright to it as the same in himselfe dâ—th and so its tantum but not quantum now that its no lesse then losse of life to expect life upon it then that as imperfect as it is the Gospell gives life upon â— so it somtimes this and sometimes that sometimes himself well know not what Thus that single double righteousnesse whereof man is the Actor but whether himselfe or Christ the Author is scarce distinctly determined by T.D. Heating about in the tossing Cock Bâ—at of T. D.'s brain advanced one while up to the highest heaven and by and by debaâ—ed again to the depths of Hell like men in a Ship that are whiffled up and down in a troubled Sea which the wicked who are never well in their wits nor soundly stablish in the truth are ever like to of whom one may say with the Pâ—â— Iamjam Tacturos Sydera Sumna putes Iamjam Tacturos Ta ta aâ—igra putes and with the Prophet Pal. 107.26.27 They Mount up to the heavens they go down again into the depths They â—eel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and 〈◊〉 their wits end Never did I read or see in so small a piece of work so many Ringles and Rounds as T.D. makes and runs in except I. O's who in many things makes whether so many or more I cannot yet say but I am sure many as plain round O's and Cris Crosses to himselfe as most men can likely do it that set not themselves to it in so little a compass as his is contained in since I began to dive into the Bottomlesse pit of that thing call'd Divinity or â—o discern the shallow divinations of the so deemed deep Divines CHAP. 4. HAving hewed my way to it throw those craggy contradictions of T.D. to himselfe about it and dispersed and vanquisht some of the dark vapours wherewith he had vailed that Question that lyes between us I shall now vent my verdit on it in a more plain open view and having negatively declared whose righteousnesse and good works justification and life is not given upon and discarded all those of meer mans own as Dâ—ng Losse Rags Imperfect and what ever T.D. falsly charges on us as affirming it or affirms himselfe of life given upon imperfect obedience and meetnesse to inherit it by Pauls own which he renounced of no worth to give any influence into these matters I shall shew whom and whose good works and righteousnesse life comes by and is given upon yea I here positively affirm that by none but Christ alone Iustification unto life can come nor is there either title to the inheritance or fitnesse to possesse it by any other good works or righteousnesse save those of the Lord Iesus only whose only and all whose works even in the very least degree thereof when or whereever wrought are perfectly good when the best of meet mans are as T.D. sayes but imperfectly good which is as much as to say imperfect-perfect things every truly good thing being properly perfect and every perfect thing properly good and every imperfect thing properly evil and every evil imperfect or rather defect and imperfection it self and every perfect thing good for somthing and every imperfect perfect thing without Gods wisdome who orders sin to his own glory and is easily able to bring good out of evill being properly per se good for nothing Yea this stone of Israel Gen. 49.23 Christ which was ever set at nought by you builders who seem to your selves so much to build upon him but are seen more then any to build beside him and stumble at him is now again become the head in the Corner Act. 4.11.12 Neither is there salvation in any other nor any other name under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved then that of the Lord our righteousnesse who is not here in this world simply so accounted as 't is simplicer satis accounted on by our Acâ—demicks and then made to us of God Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification Redemption hereafter in the world to come but so ready made to us here and that perfectly too so far as he is perfectly trusted to and hâ—ped in 1 Pet. 1.13 for salvation Salvation from God to such as expect not more the pardon and forgivenesse of what is past then puâ—ging from and power to forgo all sin and all unrighteousness in due time to come who have the witness within themselves of all iniquity to be as they waite on him so truly done away and remited as though they meet with temptation as Christ did which is not transgression if withstood not to be done nor at all committed any more 1 Ioh. 1.7.9 2 Cor. 7.1.119 Psal. 1.2.3 And this peculiar priviledge and high prerogative hath he who is the head and hath as he is well worthy in all things the preheminence over his body which he is the Saviour of purchased to himselfe by his free humiliation and bâ—eience to death even the death of the Grosse to be in perfect power to save to the uttermost all that shall ever come unto God by him Now much if not most of this is in general granted and assented to by all viz. that Iustification to life and Salvation is by none but Christ and by no other righteousnesse but that which is most peculiaâ—ly and properly called his and not mans but still the Question about which subâ—judice lis est viz. what Christ it is for T.D. makes two at least if not more viz. a Christ within and a Christ without and what righteousnesse of Christ it is for T.D. makes two righteousnesses of Christ also viz. one within us and another in him without us by whom and upon which the title to Iustification and the inheritance comes And to this I answer that as I know no other person nor thing that gives us title to salvation then Christ and his righteousnesse so I know no other Christ then that one which the Scripture speakes of that dyed at Ierusalem and was crucified in the great City spiritually called Sodom and Egypt and was an immaculate Lamb slain by the beast from the foundation of the World by whose blood his Saints ever were and still are redeemed and cleansed from all their sins and by the eating and drinking whose flesh and blood they have life in themselves
already justified and give no right to the kingdom but only a fitness for entrance into it to such as have actuall right before ever they do any good by the power of Christ and T.D. by implicit faith treads in the same common beat'n track telling us p. 16. that surely the leading of the spirit or sanctification is a fruit and effect and not a meritorious cause of not being obliged to the penalty of the Law yet all this is but tittle â—attle of those whom Christ and righteousnesse serves to talk and make a trade on Tell not me T.D. of Thomas of Io. Duns the Scot and other Scepticks Schoolmen and Casuists that make Religion a matter of dispute more then practice for I say and yet no more then what the Scripture proves to any but such as take more care by their innumerable distinctions senses and meanings upon it to defend themselves in their sins then to live the life of it that the good works that are the gift of Christ and the fruits of the spirit of Christ in us and that righteousnesse which is of his working in us who worketh in us both to will and do what are we do that is of worth before God are those by which our Salvation is wrought out 2 Phil. 13. and are not the fruit and effect of but go before Iustification from guilt and acquiting from the penalty and condemning power of the Law which is the fruit and effect of the other and the same that gives the aptitude and meetness for the Kingdom the self same Righteousness of Christ within us wrought and imparted to us gives to us the Ius or Right to inherit it and not another without us onely imputed for as is commonly said quae supra nos and so may it be truly said in this matter quae extra nos nihil ad nos c. what good works and Rigteousness of Christ are done by him without us what ever they are intentionally and conditionally yet are actually and absolutely nothing to us but as we come to see and feel the same by that same power that wrought in him working mightily in us performed within our selves Neither are the good works and Righteousness of Christ which are the fruits of his Spirits leading us thereto subsequent as effects of his not being under the Lawes curse in a person before justified as T.D. and the Scholastick Doctors of whom he learns it indoctrinates but are praecedent as causes of it in persons in order to their peace with God and Iustification in both Gods sight and in mens and in their own for as 't is said Isa. 31.15 16 17 18 19. of the inhaerent Righteousness that resides and remains in the hearts of Saints which is the fruit and effect of the Spirit of God making them of a Wilderness a fruitful Field by the pourings out of the Spirit upon them from on high so it is in truth that the work of that Righteousness is the peace and the effect or fruit of that Righteousnes is quietness and assurance for ever yea that people who of a barren Forrest become a fruitful Field to the Lord bring forth fruits of Righteousness by Christ in them to the praise of God are they onely that when the Nail of Gods wrath indignation and torment comes down by Right on the fruitless Forrest have even eaten us or thereupon a due Right and Title to the dwelling in the peaceable habitation and sure dwelling and quiet Resting-places of the Fathers Love and Abrahams Bosomâ— as well as a fitness for it which fitness and meetness is first and ever goes before the Actual Aâ—solute and Immediate Right there to come for whatever Remote and Conditional Right all men have to the Iustification Life and Peace of God in Christ Mediante fide Iustitia Pieâ—ate Sanctitare c. On Terms of that precedent Faith Righteousness Godliness and Holiness wrought in them by Christ which makes them meeâ— for it yet a Positive and Immediate Right thereto can no man have till he be thus made meeâ— to enter it any more then he that was unmeet for the Marriage Supper for want of his Wedding Garment who had as true a Remâ—â—â— Right as any that were there conditionally he had fitted i.e. clothed himself accordingly had in his old Suit the Rotten Rags of his own Righteousness and not Christs a Real and Immediate Right to intrude himself into so Holy a presence who was with shame thrust forth forth for his labour And whereas our unjust Iusticiaries strike hard against us as they think with that True Story Rom. 9. of Iacob and Esau's being the one loved thâ— other 〈…〉 yet being 〈◊〉 â—me neither good nor evil Rep. 1. I say and so would they too if they could once sea that 〈◊〉 one thing to be denominated aforehand by God who fore-seeing how it will be oft calls those things that yet are not as if they were loved and â—ated Respectively before or good or evil be actually done or the doors born with Reference to the good and evil he fore-saw would be done in time and another to be absâ—lutely and actually lâ—ved and hated not onely without any reference or respect to good and evil fore-seen that it would be done but also before the Subject and doers thereof are in rerum natura as yet in so much as any actual being 2. That those two Persons were Types of the two Seeds that and not Persons but so as they are the Children of one or t'other are the only absolute unchangeable Everlasting Subjects of Gods peremptory in alterable and Eternal decrees of Election and Reprobation viz. the Seed of the Woman and that of the Serpent which the Seed of the Righteous who are ever blessed and the seed of evil-doers who are never to be Renowned are respectively born of and adhaering to 3. That though they will needs mis-understand it as spoken of those Persâ—ns only yet it is not poken of two Persons only but it is spoken of the 2 Nations that strove in the womb of Rebecca and the two manner of people that were to go forth of her bowels viz. Israel and Edom which two Nations also but that what is most Right is mostly a Riddle to them they might Read as born after the flesh were Types yet of a more Mystical and spiritual Israel and Edom then they are yet well acquainted with as neer of kin to Esau that is Edom as they are in Gâ—ds Account both in name and nature 4. That Gods loving one and hating t'other of these was as is most evident in the Letter Mal. 1.2 4. not without but with respect to evil and not evil fore-seen to be done in time for on the Account of Edoms Mountains being the border of wickednâ—ss as Iacobs were not they became the objects of Gods hatred and a people against whâ—m the Lord hath indignation for ever 5. That there was no such thing as Iacob have I loved
and perfected as he shall be by him who is said to perfect for ever all such as are so far as they are for ever Sanctified by him nor yet but that thy senses are sodden so as to Take or rather Rake or Scrape things for granted to thee before they are so given did or do I grant as thou there tatlest sâ—me persons to be justified who never did fulfil the Law personally for though I told thee indeed as thou truly tel'st it again to the world there are but two Estates Iustification and Condemdation and now I tell thee over again that there is no medium between these for every one stands either Iustified or Condemned Guilâ—y or not Guilty before God as his Law which is the Light is broken or fulfil'd by him and he that stands by the Light in his own Conscience by which God Judges him in any Particular Cleared or Iustified stands before God so far uncondemned how ever Judged by man therefore wherein David was clear in himself though clouded with mens false accusations of him he could and did with boldness appeal to God to Iudge and Reward him in that case still according to the integrity of his heart and innocency of his hands in Gods sight and so Abimelech and others see Psal. 25.21 26.1 6.11 18.26 Gen. 20.5 1 Kings 9.4 But he that by the same Light which is no lye in the Conscience of ether Godly or Wicked as T.D. little less then perswades men it often is in both p 19. stands Condemned within himself and so consequently before God whose witness that in him is let him flatter himself as he will let T.D. and all men sing Lullaby and Prophecy as smooth things to him as they can so far as in any Case or Cases he Rebels against the Light is so far inexcusably till he repents and returns to it in such wise condemned by it in the sight of God whereupon even David himself where his heart smote him for iniquity regarded in it and he that does it let him dote the contrary if he dare does I say assuredly so far regard it could stand in no more boldness and guiltlesness in his sight then Adam could after he had fed on the forbidden fruit for which he fled Gods face and where he fell short of that uprightness he sometime stood Iustified in and by before and fail'd so fowly as that flawes fainirgs and falshood were found in him as if ever there were in all his dayes it was in that unjust matter of Vâ—iah and his Wife in which yet even while he was guilty thereby T. D. most impudently affirms he stood with God not in a condemned but in a justified estate there let T. D. lye as he lifts yet David declares when he had done that wickedness in his sight God did not onely speak in wrath and judge him but was worthy to be though himself was justly condemned by it to be justified and cleared in so doing Psal. 51.4 I ay though I said there were but two states in one of which every man is as he does good which since the fall he cannot do but by the Power of Christ or evil at the suggestion of the Dâ—vil viz. Iustification or Condemnation yet I deny any person to be justified in whom the Law which can't be by the weakness of the flesh is not by the Power and Spirit of Christ fulfilled neither do I Imagine as thou imaginest I did a mixture of sin with Believers Grace for though they that drink of the Whores Cup of abomination and fornication which is full of such kind of trashy doctrines and mixtures and medleys which they ministes and measure out to one another supposing I see with such eyes as themselves suppose such a mixâ—ure and suppose I suppose it too yet I neither suppose nor own such mingled messes of doctrine but know that no more then Iron is truly mixed or can cleave into one compositum with miâ—y clay and no more then God and Idols light and darkness Christ and Belial can be mingled into agreement no more mixture is there of the sinners sin which is of the Devil with the Saint's Grace which is of God and so whereas thou thoughtest thou hadst caught me as thou there sayest in a manifest contradiction thou hast but according to thy common custom in that kind caught thy self instead of winding my self out of which contradiction of thy meer coining though thou sayest I replyed not but saâ—e down on the Top of a Seat like a man astonisht and under the Hereticks Iudgement i e. self-condemned yet thou feest I have here so well wound my self out of it as to manifest it to all men that I were never in it and to leave thee in the lurch under the Hereticks Iudgement of self-condemnation for thy folly and fictions about it which are hereby also manifest to all for verily if I were at all astonished at any of the three dayes Disputes thou miserably mistook'st the manner of it it being not at all as the Iewes were at the Wisdom of Christs but as oft as it was at the stupidity of thy understanding and answers Thirdly and lastly From thy foregoing Grant to us which is more then we say and would have thee say That the Gospel gives life upon imperfect obedience let it be well remembred by thee sith it s agreed on all hands that all the obedience that Christ yielded to the Law in that person called Christ without us was perfect and in no wise imperfect that then that imperfect obedience as thou call'st it which the Gospel gives life upon as thou sayest can be no other then that which is inherent in us in ourpersons onely and not his in whom all that is inherent thou darest not on pain of Blaspemy deny but that it was perfect and if so then see how with thy wining to and fro and running up and down round about thou hast at last brought thy Hogs as they say to a fair Mâ—rkâ—â— even till thou hast drawn the dirt of thy fal'd charge of Popery as thou callest that Doctrine of Life upon our imperfect works which thou threw'st at me who never held it by anâ— but Christs perfect obedience upon thy Own indirectly-driving-self so that if any man enquire who is it that holds that Popery of Life Iustification upon Our imperfect obedience T. D. tells it that himself is the man in whose Book p. 45. it is written as legibly to all as if it were branded upon his Bâ—ow as his own Doctrine That the Gospel gives Life upon imperfect obedience â— and if he will take his Term of imperfect and Translate it better by the Term of perfect obedience wrought by Christ in his Saints I 'le give him his word again with all my heart and can afford it for if so he gives me no less then the Question it self which is affirmed by us and not denied if so by himself concerning lifes coming upon
Christs Righteousness received from him and wrought by him in us So then the snare is broken and I am escaped which yet is whole enough to hold T. D. fast enough who set it who while I for whom 't was set am set at liberty by himself cannot with all his struggling strain his own neck out of the string whereinto he hath slipt it unawares Sic ves non vohis fertis Aratra Bâ—ves Further yet much more is to be said in proof of it that our being first led by the Spirit of Christ into the Righteousness of his working in us is Antecedent to our Iustification as a meritorious cause of it though considering how slenderly T. D. slides away from what was at the Dispute urged to that purpose even as he sets it down in his own Relation of it p. 15 16. to his own best advantage there were no great need of more if all wereas wise as some are silly to see the strength of what was urged but some are silly and some are willing rather then to own troublesome truths to wink against it and to seem more silly then they are whereupon when I have Examined the inefficacy of T. Ds. returns to it and turned them home in their native nakedness to the shame of him who sent them out I may not unlikely urge somewhat more 1. To this Argument from Gal. 5.18 They who are led of the Spirit are not under the Law therefore being led of the Spirit is a meritorious cause of not being under the Law and so consequently of Iustification or Non-Condemnation by it Thou T.D. Rep'yest That I am very silly myself or take my hearers to be so thinking this to be a proof of my former consequence or that there is any consequence in this Argument whereas first this Argument is urged not so much in proof of my former consequence as entail'd on that but as entire and absolute within it self for as to the proof of the former consequence viz. Contrariorum contraria est Ratio therefore as evil deserve Condemnation so good works Non-Condemnation in proof of which thou sillily sayeth I should have proâ—â— that there 's Par. Ratio for had I prosecuted that I should have proved that there 's Contraria Barro for the merit of the ones and of the other as I have told thee above I say as to that former consequence it had been sufficiently proved before by telling you but that in such a crowd of conference as ye were in among your selves it could not be heeded that as Condemnation and Non-Condemnation of Iustification were Contraries so good works which I said were not those of our own working without Christ for I oft said not by works of Righteousness we have wrong hâ—â— but what Christs works in and by us none of which are imperfect but all truly good and evil works are truly Contraries and so of contrary desert the one being all as truly good as the other truly evils and as for thy saying I am either silly or take my hâ—â—â—ers sâ—toâ— in that I think there 's any consequence in the Argument from Gal. â— 18 I say I did not take my heedless hearers so silly thus but I now take some of them an â—thy self for one to be much more silly then I did at the Dispute not onely by reason of sundry other remarkably silly passages that are in thy Printed Relation thereof but also in that thou thinkest there is no consequence in that Argument for verily wert thou but as solid as thou art silly in this matter or couldst thou but look an inch or two beyond that 18th verse whereon the Argument is grounded thou might'st see of thy self that which is of force sufficient to prove the seâ—â—et for shewing in the verses between the works of the flesh which the Spirit leads out of and the fruits and works of the Spirit which the Spirit leads such into as follow it the Apostle v. 23 adils this viz. against such there is no Law i. e. such works of the Spirit as Love Ioy Peace Goodness Meekness Temperance and such Persons as are by the Spirit led out of the work of the flesh adultery uncleanness laferviousness hatred wrath envyings drunkenness revellings c. and into the other whence to the proving of the Sequel of that Argument in which thou sillity sayest there 's no no consequence I argue If such as are led by the Spirit out of evill into good works are thereupon deservedly not under the Law then their being led by the Spirit who are led by it from under it is the deserving or meritorius cause of their nor being under the Law and so of Iustification But verum prius ergo posterius The Minor which unless thou wilt deny thy Principles its like thou wilt deny is thus proved Those against whom deservedly there is no Law are thereupon deservedly from under the condemning power of it for such is the Râ—gour of the Law that who ere deserves the Condemnation of it till they come not to deserve it first or last shall assuredly feel it But there is no Law deservedly against such as 〈◊〉 not after the flesh into evil but after the Spirit into good works therefore according to that also Rom. 8.1 deservedly no Condemnation For indeed those and no other what ere ye deem to the contrary being deluded by the Devil to the deceiving of your own Souls are truly in Christ Iesus then those that are led by the Spirit which who is led by is led out of evil for it leads into nothing but good those onely are in the Spirit and all the rest in the 〈◊〉 which follow the flesh in its lustings against the Spirit and so under the Law and câ—â—e thought they name the Name of Christ and after him call themselves Christians while they are not departed from iniquity much more while they plead for its continuance under the name of their infiâ—miâ—ies of necessity while they abide in the body yea those and none else are Christs though millions more may conceit themselves his so as to be interessed into the blessings of Peace Life and Iustification by him and Abrahams Seed and heirs according to the Promise and sons of God that are led by the Spirit of God into good works out of evil to live and walk in the Spirit out of the flâ—sh and the fâ—uits thereof out of vain glory envy hypocrisie and all deceit and if any think he is Christs or any other men are Christs so far as to stand justified before God in him before he be sanctified or while he is guilty of such gross evils as David was defil'd with while he was wallowing in the Mire of that matter of Vriah as T. D. guesses David and all Saints are by which name he paints them out as well while they are in such a nasty pickle as when they are wash of impure the Righteousness of Christ without him to himself or
defiled their Garment had right by promise and so ex debito if promise ought to be kept when made though gratis too because the promise was freely made to walk with Christ in white for they were worthy Rev. 3.4 I say worthy ex bene placito for as much as nothing but the free good will and pleasure of God made him oblige himselfe to give a right to such and yet to confound that nice and needlesse distinction of Criticall Scholasticks which hath confounded most Divines in Christendom into darknesse ex condigno also for as much as by Christs power and gift to will and do they both will and do what is required as the Termes and condition on which the thing is promised which consistency that I make between ex condigno ex beneplacite ex debito ex dono ex operibus ex gratia which T. D. and most Divines deeme to be 〈◊〉 or inconsistent together in the matter of mans iustification being a 〈◊〉 that few of them can get over a meer gnat at which they that in other things can swallow Camells can't but strain I am made free a little more here to uney. T. D. thinks he hath half knockt the Qua. for ever down into their dumps with his deep drawn argument from Rom. 11.6 T.D. If by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work whence quoth he p. 20. if justification be of works as you assert then grace is excluded from having any hand in our justification which is contraâ—y to the Scripture which sayes we are justified by grace Our justification cannot be a debt and a free gift I mean not both in respect of us And this he calls his irrefragabaScripture urged by him that the hearers might be covninc't of the damnablenesse of our doctrine who dare to talk of good works and perfecting holynesse bere as ever we mean to see the face of God hereafter which he and Thâ— Rumsey elâ—ewhere call a Doctrine of Devils and might â—â—â—th and detest us as we deserve and indeed finding his work fail in its force the day before before the fire and the day that declared of what sort it was he prepared this against the 2d dayes dispute as his Corner-stone setting it in the front of his second fight against us and the truth and to this quoth he nothing was replyed Rep. 1. A good cause why say I for there was no room for Reply but like as Pilate when he had askt Christ this Question what is truth As soon as he had so said rose up and went his way not staying to take his answer so I well remember T.D. crouded in the next Argument which I have answered already above concerning the works the Iews went about to establish which Argument is so neer a kin to this that one answer may very well for both in both places Paul by works and own righteousnesse meaning no other then what are wrought without Christ by us and not any that are wrought by Christ in us I say T. D. crouded the one so hard on the back of the other and past so soon from one to the other that without interrupting of him which he would â—â—ve complained on as much on other hand there could be no interposing of an answer and so Pilate-like not expecting it he went his way to another matter without it 2. Yet now as to his Argument itself somewhat may be Replyed and 1st if considered as in conjunction with its fellow that followes it so close at the heeles p. 21. from Rom. 10.34 and beares such a broad shew of backing it it is not so big nor amounting to such a bulky Bulwark but that one may easily put them both in a bag if no more be said but this that in both Scriptures as also Phil. 3. where as inconsistent he opposes his own while a Pharisee to that of Christ within him when converted and a Saint and Tit. 3. where he opposes the works of righteousnesse we have wrought to our being renewed by the holy Spirit and makes grace and renewing by the Spirit all one as well he might for if we be not renewed by the Spirit and saved from the sin then I say grace is no more grace for what use is it of to us if we be left in and unpurged from the sin which Christ came to save his people from 1st so from the wrath of to come which will come unavoidably on all that are disobedient and unrighteous Paul opposes the gift of grace Gods righteousnesse to mans meer own works which are not good though so thought by himselfe and mans own literall righteousnesse of the Law wrought in mans will and Imagination onely out of Christ the light and faith in him and the leadings and movings of his Spirit and does not oppose grace to the righteousnesse of Christ in his Saints or sanctification and holinesse that is of God by faith in the light revealed in and received by every one that beleeves as inconsistent for those are not onely concomitant but consistent and concurrent together to justification as grace and Our works onely are not for these two do tollere se invicem I confesse so that if justification and life be of grace it can't be of Our workâ— et retro if of our works not of grace but grace and Gods righteousesse grace and those good works wrought in us by Christ and for the doing of which we receive the grace or gift of ability from Christ these are indeed one and the same and so Homogeneous or of one kind that they may be Synonomous also and bear both to be called mutually by the same name of either grace or good works and so are they throwout the Scripture as one thing promiseuously denominated sometimes by the Term of grace somtimes the gift of God in Christ the gift of righteousnesse holinesse c. For all this is grace and free gift and yet its inhaerent in us too as the same that was in Christ and being Christs as meritorious maâ—ing not onely meet but worthy also in such measure as it s received in as it was in a higher measure in himselfe whether it be a gift to do or a gift to beleeve or a gift to suffer as 2 Thess. 1.5 Compared with Phil. 1.27 To you given not onely to beleive but also to suffer for his sake and they to whom this grâ—â—e was given were by God counted worthy of the Kingdome for which they suffer'd and so Paul who laboured abundantly in preaching the Gospell sayes this work was the grace which was given him by Christ in him by which grace also he was what ere he was that was worth any thing having nothing but what he had received that made him differ from another by which grace or gift all boasting and glorying in selfe was
Ye King a Requiem to your Souls saying with him Luke 12. Soul thou hast been disquâ—eted perplexed and intangled about these considerations as all men are more or less without exception how thou mayest be Reconciled and at Peace with God or have an attonment for that guilt which Super naturally thou art sensible of and how thou maist attain to true blessedness and come to the enjoyment of God and thou hast miserably groped up and down in the dark not able to â—â—me to any satisfaction what will become of thee in time to come and no way able to stand against the uncontroleable convictions of thy own self-condemning Conscience yet now Soul take thine ease eat drink and be merry there 's merit enough in store laid up in the Righteousness that Christ wrought in that single body of his that long since liv'd and died at Jerusalem for the sins of many years past present and to come so that there 's no need of any Righteousnesse to be wrought as in order to thy Justification and Peace with God in that sinful body of thine own it must may safely fith the Righteousness by which thou standst justified in thy sins as T.D. sayes David did in his murder and adultery resides without thee in another person â—â—n as long as it lives let the Popâ—sh Merit-mongers run when they have no good works of their own to their Treasury of the Saints meritoriâ—us gâ—â—d works the merit of which they buy of the Pope for money and by which they have indulgence and pardon for all sin for many years to come and let the Qua. run to that Righteousness they talk of which is to be wrought by Christ in the persons of men before ere they can be justified with God here 's that which shall administer to all and every one of us satisfaction as to all these things as Plenipotentiary to the quieting and calming of our spirits and cut off any further enquiries after such a thing as Goodness Righteousness Holiness though that of Christs own working as the Qua. say in our selves in order to our peace with God here 's that that gives us wherein to acquiesce and wherein we will be satiated viz The Doctrine of the Scripture which gives as glorious incontroleable a conviction of Peace with God by Christs Righteousness without us not within us as the Qua. prate as that Light in our Consciences they tell us of gives uncontroleable convictions of our sins there it s revealed to those say I the eyes of whoâ—e understanding are blinded by the God of this world that its Christ without and not Christ in us or else the Devil and his Doctors are blind say I which is the hâ—pe of glory and upon which we are lookt on as no Reproâ—ates So that O Soul I would not have thee to cry out of wrath and wo nor sing to thy self of Iudgement but of mercy to the Lord do thou sing yea I must needs cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found an easie broad way to Life by applying the good of another to my self as mine as truely as if it were in me inherent so that I need not turmoil myself as some do and as the Qua. who cant beleeve that what Christ has is theirs till they see it conveyed and derived from him by way of participation to themselves We can beleive that all that Christ hath is ours though all that we have is our own and need not be forsaken for his sake I have found that without me which in vain the Qua. seek elsewhere as within them waxing foolish in their Imaginations viz. the businesse of attâ—nement reconciliation and acceptance with God which they are contriving to find by Christ within them to the producing of such horrible effects and fruits as tedious doing good and induring evill for their Tenets as we are loath to expose our selves toâ—â— What have they not done What have they not suffered What miseries extitusque infelices have not the Qua. puld upon themselves ubivis gentium quo impelluntur Fanatici by their faith and doctrines of Devils so I.O. of Qua. doctrines Ex. 3. S. 35.36 and T.D. and T. Rumsey of perfect holynesse in this life let them meditate terrour and dream of dread and bring themselves into Bondage we will cast these troublesome things far away from our thoughts though we do sin and he that commits sin is the servant of sin as they tell us yet whatever bondage we are in to sin we will not be under the spirit of bondage so far as to fear wrath or dread any danger so long as with such a glorious soul appeasing light which say I is the Devill transformed into an Angel of light in you the doctrine of satisfaction and attonement by the blood of Christ the Son of God comes in upon us This is that that astonisheth us another way so that we can't be astonish't nor afraid of any amazement about the matter of our our sins this conquereth all the Quaâ—â—â—s of conscience this ravisheth and satiateth our souls that though we may yea must sin while we liâ—e yet they have been already reckond for with one that is Our Righteousnesse without us though his Image is not formd nor his righteousnesse wrought in our selves This is the designed of the Apostles discourse to the Romans to prove justification by faith without works of ours by Christs righteousnesse imputed to us as ours to justification before it be infuâ—ed to our sanctification when the Devill is blind say I Oh with what glory and beauty to them that see so much as we do in the worlds glory and the lust thereof with what full and ample satisfaction this Doctrine breaks out this is that we looked for this is that we were sick for want of the knowledge of being wounded by the light of God in our consciences for our sins and withall in such love to them as to be loath to leave them or depart from them viz. to beare of a way or Saviour whereby to be sav'd in them and that we have now found and though we once câ—yed out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were at our wits ends feeling our selves sinking to hell yet this Christ without us without whom we also are feeling neither him us nor our selves in him this and not in the imaginary Christ of the Qua. within them is the stone by which we will stay our minds in as perfect peace as we can by putting away the sense of sin and the evill day far from us Ex. 2. S. 28. Dicat quod quis que volet ex hac opinionem non dimovebimur Though I say these things are in truth the sum and substance of your sayings the very Image proportion lively pourtraiture of your dead faith which ye count living and saving and justifying and what not Yet as the Lord lives you l find it dead even thou I.O.T.D. and your fellowes as well as we have done who
is not possible to attain to such a purging as this in the body no not by the very All-healing herb of grace it self His Antidote to preserve the Saints from too deep a sense of their sins is this whereas the Qua tell them that if the light in their own consciences accuse and condemn them from the face of God for sinning there 's no God nor Christ that holds them guiltlesse sith that of God within is his witnesse and vicegerent that what it sayes and judges in them is as the voice of God himselfe and if that create trouble man cannot create solid Peace Tush quoth T. D for to the same purpose he talkes though not in totidem verbis p. 19. what tell you us of Conscience conscience is often erroneous and not rightly guided in the very Saint Talk of conscience to the wicked its office is to be a witnesse against them for their sins which if it do not check them but tell them God loves justifies and accepts them when they sin it s defiled 1 Tit. 15. and leads them into a wrong opinion of their estates in that it testifies that their estate is good when it s nothing lesse for to the impure is nothing pure but unto the pure all things are pure and when the Saints sin and are defiled thereby the office of conscience as a witnesse in them if it do its office is to cleare and comfort and speak peace and if it offer to trouble them when they fall throw infirmity into fowl enormity and dare be so bold as to darken their evidence of Gods love and of their justification in his sight when they are guilty as David was once of things not fit to be named among Saints yet I dare be so bold as to say it is defiled in the Saints and testifies falshood to them also in saying that their estate is bad when for all their sins it is good no lesse then it tells lyes to the wicked that their estate is good when it s nothing lesse Thus we have the unconquerable and that uncontrolable comfort which T. D. Administers to the Saints when they become sinners and fall into the same folly and filth with other wicked men who is very a Boanerges or Son of thunder as he is in a few slight words more thâ—n the same solid power with Peter and Iohn to the wicked yet to the Saints of his own coyning is he another Barrabas or Son of Consolation I mean not another of the same with him who confirmed the Saints in their goodnesse and grace but another of another kind that comforts confirmes and chears up his sinfull Saints in their sins and dawbs them over who are dirty enough already if such he Saints as he sayes are with his own more dirty doings who would have them live as justified in Gods sight and as uncondemned in themselves as Saints whilst ore head and eares in their sins But will all this hold T.D. little did I once think ever to have seen such a dish of doctrine drawn by a divine from Tit. 1. 15. though unto the pure all things are pure was wont the same way to be wrested by the Ranters and for my own part had I been minded to look for such a licentiâ—us piece of Libertinisme as he would learn men from thence as I am far from it knowing that in maxima libertate there 's minima licentia yet I should sooner have lookt for a needle in a bottle of hey as they say then have lookt for the like from thence or have scrap't in that Scripture to find it if T.D. had not told me it had been there where yet for all his telling me of a justification of a Saint in his sins I cannot yet find or see such a thing nor any else I beleeve but such as are as blind as himselfe for the light in the conscience of both good and bad doth tell them infallibly what they are and testifie to the face of the best man in the world that God doth not justifie him while he sins which witnesse of God within their own hearts is greater then the witnesse of man and will have audience at last when it begins to speake out when such a one as I may easily be slighted who witnesse onely for God from it and therefore I shall say but little more to this matter neverthelesse when T.D. and his unâ—ust justified ones come once to feel it stand upon its feet which like an innocent just hâ—ly Lamb hath been hitherto slain by the beast within them because it torments them with telling too much truth great fear will then fall on such as see it and have made merry over it in its captivity and at the same time there will be a great Earthquake and lightnings and voices and terrible thunderings and great hail out of heaven the Plague whereof shall be exceeding great every stone perhaps about the weight of a Talent Rev. II. Rev. 16. the storm of which shall overthrow their open hiding places and sweep away their refuge of lyes and disanull the Covenant which these D unkards of Ephraim have made with death and hell and passe over them like an overflowing scourge so that they shall be all troden down by it Iudgement also shall be laid unto the line and righteousnesse to the plummet Isa. 28. To take a more exact account of them before God then they are willing to give of themselves who now not knowing the goodnesse and grace of God within them which in his love as a light is given to teach and to lead them unto Repentance Tit. 3. 13. Rom. 2. 4. to 13. Are in the hardnesse and impenitency of their hearts treasuring up wrath to themselves against the day of wrath and the Revelation of the righteous Iudgment of God whâ— in the day when he shall judge the secrets of men by Christ Iesus the Light according to the Gospell that Paul himself preached will mark in his righteous Iudgment Render to every man according to his deeds viz. to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory honour and immortality eternall life Yea glory honour and peace to every soul of man mark that worketh good But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every one that doth evill without respect of persons yet the Iew first who say they are Jewes and are not but do lye and are the Synagogue of Satan and also to the Gentile then shall they know that such as sin whether without the law or in the Law in the Letter shall be judged respectively by that letter such as have it and all by that light in the conscience by which all are a Law to themselves and that it is not the Hearers and Preachers and Praters against the Laws justifying but the doers of the Law onely by the power of Christ which onely does it
this T. D. confesses it p. 17. ' t is true quoth he that the same Spirit is in Christ and in his Saints but then he hath a double bolt for all this wherewith to shut us out from justification by that Spirit in Christ as in us 1. The Spirit in us doth not conform us to the Law fully quoth he notwitstanding your vain assertion of perfection Rep. I never said that the Spirit of Christ in you did conform you fully to the Law if when thou sayst conform us thou meanst your selves for ye are farenough from perfection to whom it seemes A vainâ—assertion A Doctrine of Devils to talk of or reach it and how should the Spirit conform you to the Law who though you have it striving in you and reproving you of sin yet do in the stiffnesse and uncircumcis'dnesse of your hearts and eares alwayes quench grieve resist it refuse to be led by it and will not walk after it but after the flesh But the Saints and such onely are all those that walk after it and not after the flesh it eitheir conforms them to the Law and that fully too or else what doth it conform them to Partly the Law and partly the Lust Partly to it selfe and partly to the flesh Doth it lead any into any sin which is transgression of the Law Or onely out of all sin all such as give up to be guided by it If any be at all deform'd it is because they conform to the flesh and follow it and stop the Spirit but if any conform to the Spirit and follow it it will conform them fully to the Law and not to the forms fashions foolish fellowships and lusts of the world but transform them from all these by the renewing of their minds and lead them to perfect holynesse in the fear of God thy vain assertion to the contrary in any wise norwithstanding Thus the 1 st bolt is broken but 2ly quoth he if the Spirit did conform us to the Law fully yet were not that conformity the merit of justification Rep. Oh strange that T.D. should deem there 's strength in this to stand out against us by which is far weaker then the former Doth the Spirit working holinesse in our natures and persons not merit justification which is non-condemnation are Christ and his Spirits works of lesse or worse merit in one time place and person then another I judg'd they had been every where and alwayes alike and of like good desert from the dignity of the person doing them or else T.D. lyes p. 15. of his 1. Pamp and especially that their good works which are the fulfilling of the Law deserve non-condemnation 1 justification or else T.D. lyes again in that same page but sith the Spirit of life and works of holinesse in our nature and persons conforming them fully to the Law do not as T.D. p. 15. said before they did from the dignity of Christs person deserve non-condemnation for their conformity to it or transgression of it merits one thing or other good or evill and we use to say no truly good work deserves evill more then an evill work merits good we will take it for granted that T.D. thinks the Spirits conforming us to the Law deserves condemnation and so let it stand that all people may understand the Blasphemy and Folly of it Thus T.D. pulls hard to have his own again but what he can't win by force of false position hee l see if he can beg it back from us in these following fawning Questions I would fain know what or whether precedent holynesse in the Saints merits subsequent holynesse or whether the exercise of what they have is the meritorious cause of what they have not or of perfection especially if the Law of sin intends the corruption of nature as the Law of the spirit of the life does holynesse of nature I would be instructed how a nature in part corrupted can deserve totall freedome and I am sure the first work of the Spirit renewes our nature but in part Rep. If I should grant T.D. in the negative all he asks as he thinks I will my negative or denying or saying Nâ— were such answer to his Questions as he desires but if I should say yea to all his Queâ—yes it dashes him down and denyes all he would have and yet I must say yea to most of them if I say the truth Therefore T.D. I say yea to some and nay to some To the 1st I answer yea that precedent holynesse in the Saints merits subsequent holynesse and to the ad I answer yea the exercise of what the Saints have is a meritorious cause of what yet they have not And sith thou askest what precedent holynesse the Saints exercising of when they have it deserves subsequent holynesse or what they have not I answer all that is the fruit of the Spirit in them and the gift of God to them whether Active or Passive if to merit be to be worthy of a thing by right of promise at least 'T was given to the Saints both to believe and suffer Phil. 1. Yet they were worthy of the Kingdome for which they suffered by beleiving the Testimony of it and suffering for it 2 Thess. 2. 'T was the gift of God by promise to such as fight and ouercome to walk with Christ in white and the gift of God to the Saints that they could sight and by his strength overcome yet they shall walk with me in white faith Christ for they are worthy 'T was Gods gift to do his Commandements yet for all that the doing thereof deserves that they yet have not and without the doing of which they should not enter by Right gives right to enter the Citty and eat of the Tree of life Rev. 22.14 Five Talents and two and one were Gods gift yet as he that did not encrease and improve what he had merited at least the losse of it so they that exercised the 2 and the 5 merited the doubling of theirs and by promise had Right using what they had and being faithfull in few littles to many and to more abundance and to the joy of the Lord Much more I might say but T.D. denyes in this the Doctrine of his fellow Divines who tell that the improvement of 〈◊〉 grace as they call it deserves not the gift of speciall but the improvement of special grace deserves more of that still So that though they deny a meritorious transition a genere ad genus from exercising of one kind of grace say they men deserve not another kind as he that improves riches deserves not righteousnesse Yet a desert say they there is by the exercise of some grace of one kind of more of the same kind as he that is holy deserves more holynesse and he that sowes to the Spirit of life shall have life everlasting as he that sowes to the flesh reaps a crop as all persons are to do suitable to their seed of more
and write as if with thee they were as one for besides thy stiling the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Writing or Scripture which is well-nigh the total Subject Treated on in that Section by these names viz. the Prophecy of Scripture the word of Prophesie the written VVord the Word of God and thy loud lying in saying that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is above fifty times in the New Testament put absolutely for the Word of God not proving it to be so put so much as once not being able sure I am to prove it to be half so often if thou couldest as I shall shew elsewhere prove it so to be put an hundred fifty times all that would prove nothing to thy chief purpose which utter untruth must be more talk't with in another place thou twice there makest one of them as explanatory onely of thy mind and of what thou meanest by the other in these Terms viz. the writing or written word the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it self or which or is there more conjunctive then disjunctive the Doctrine as written also thou makest the one but explicatory of the other in many other places viz. Ep. Ded. P. 20. Tr. 1. ch 4. S. 2. S. 19. and Ex. 1. S. 24. where thou writest of them not Sâ—orsim as of two but conjunctim as of one and the self same thing thus Scripturam sacram seu verbum Dei scriptum the Scripture or written Word of God sacred Letters the written Word Nâ— so incogiaant art thou as not onely both to divide into two and confound again into one these two distinct Subjects viz. the Scripture and the Word of God the writing and Doctrine of Christ therein declared within so small a compass as the space of two small Sections standing both together but thou both dividest and confoundest them within the little corner of one single sentence witnesse the last clause of the twelfth Section of the first chapter of thy Treatise above cited where thou expressest thy self thus viz. not onely the Doctrine in it but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it self or the Doctrine as written is from God 1 as his Word for so thou meanest still by that term from God in the first part of which the Doctrine written in the Scripture and the Scripture it self are made two in the latter the Scripture the Doctrine written as written in it are made one which is the same Doctrine still as well when considered as written as when considered as not Written and is neither more nor lesse of God whether written or not written and under both these notions a distinct thing from the writing evermore If the Serpent can hansomly and fairly twine himself out here from the just censure of a self confounder let him scape scot-free this once and in this one thing for me but if he cannot do it without dawbing and dribling and shuffling and shifting and cutting and lying against the Light within then let him hang there for me in his Fetters of darknesse till he learn to speak without confusion for I know not how in a way of honesty to help him out or take him down CHAP. II. HAving shewed what truly and properly the Scripture is and what we the Quakers intend and I.O. also if we may take him as meaning what he mostly sayes by that Term Scripture when we deny it to be what thou contend'st it to be and pleadest against us for as its Proper Name viz. the Word of God c. I come next to those base abuses put upon us and false matters charged against us partly by T.D. in his first Pamphlet but principally by thee I.O. as concerning our carriage toward the Scriptures Principally in thy Latine Legend wherein thou lyest more at liberty then in thy two English pieces of emptinesse and the more securely by how much thou seemest to thy self at least to lye more hidden or more obscurely out of the reach of their rebuke whom thou reproachest in that Latine Language then in the other insomuch that by thy own speeches we may conclude that thy whole work as relating to the Quakers which is fronted but fronti nulla fides with Pro Scripturis Adversus Fanaticos for the Scriptures against the Fanaticks with which new nick-name the Quakers by many more besides thy self who Arbitrio Diabolico wast one of the first Imposers of it on that truly enlightned people begin now to be abusively branded seems to be designed more to the sporting thy own and thy School-fellowes leâ—d spightful Spirits by playing upon the Quakers in secret in your dark Divinity cels among your selves then either to convince them to their faces of such errors as thou erroneously accusest them of or by thy crude Theological Disputations Determinations tumultuarie sane fatis conscriptas as thou callest them ad lectorem to confute the Quakers plainly and openly before Plain-hearted people witnesse thy own saying to the like effect which I shall first enter at as it lies in thy little Latine Lecture Ad Lectorem J.O. The Fanaticks or with thee the Quak who are in these dayes most notable in their errors and foolishnesse we here Principally assault But no man could be deemed to dote so much as my self if I aimed at the convincing of them by what I here write sith they no more understand the speech we here use then we at any time can perceive that indigested sound of words void of all sound sense whereby they when they speak seem to noise it out to not onely one another but all others also Ex. 2. Sect. 23. They the Quakers are well nigh all unlearned and skild no further then their mother Tongue Rep The more shame for thee I.O. if the Quakers be all so unlearned and utterly unintelligent in the Latine Tongue as thou sayest that thou talkest therein against them as thou dost and chargest them with much more error in Doctrine and evil in life then will ever be made good against them by thy self or any of thine Abetrours or stand approved for Truth while the world stands among spiritually understanding and honest minded men when they come to be divested as hereby they are to be our of that disguise thou dressest them our in to thy Iunior Ieerers at Christs own Image which is seen upon them Was it not enough for thee to have belved them in English as no lesse then twice ore thou hast done in thy Epistle Dedicatory of thy Dean-like doings to thy Reverend Friends the Prebends and Students in Divinity in that Society so called of Ch. Church Col. in Oxford where thou wast lately Dean but quo jure divino I yet know not but thou must likewise needs lay at them and lye in ambush and talk and take on against them in a Tongue wherein if thy surmise of their Vniversal ignorance of thy Latine Lyes had been as sound as it seemed to be they
it self while they fit under the shadow of your Ministry whilest thousands in this Nation that have been turned to the light and the Truth within by means of the Quakers Ministry which a taking heed to within is the end of are come to witnesse the Word of Christ which your letter is but a witnesse of dweling Richly in themselves and with the Spouse Cant. 3.2 3 4. that sought her Beloved in your broad wayes once wherein she never found him being passed away from you Watchmen who beat and smite and wound them for so doing Cant. 5.7 have in the narrow way which ye have no mind to walk in found him whom their souls loved Ye often tell such as Relinquish your Ministeries that ye have been a means of opening their eyes and think strange that they cannot abide under your Teachings as well as heretofore but were it as true as ye do but deem it so to be that your pains had prov'd so profitable as to open the eyes that now see ye could not but see of your selves that while they abode in blindnesse they abode quietly under you blind guides but when once they came to see they saw they were to abide there no longer Ye call your Universities the eyes and the Wel springs heads fountains mothers and nurseries of Learning and True Religion but the Lord is judging those filthy Fountains and the Rivers that run out of them and turning their waters into blood and giving them blood to drink of which also they are worthy yea and righteous is the Lord in judging for they have ever shed the blood of Saints and Prophets and strove to root out the True Religion that is Pure and undefiled from off the earth and have nourisht up Illiteracy it self if that onely be learning as in Scripture sence it is 2 Pet. 3.1 Cor. 2.1 2. to know Christ and the Scripture by the Spirit and have headed all men in their hatred of the Truth and been mothers of most of that mischief that is now befalling all Nations where they are and the Wells from whence those Legions of learned unlearned ones to whom the vision of all is as a Book sealed have sprang and to whom all people have leaned as their Leaders till they have utterly lost the way to life and the Right eyes of those Idol-shepherds which the sword of the Lord now comes upon till it be night unto them that they shall not divine and till they sha'l be utterly darkned And this I declare not as one that am utterly against that outward Inferiour furniture or lower sort of literature whereon ye live and feed till ye surfet and for having but a little of which for some that pretend to very much have not overmuch of that and as much abuse that little they have more in defiance then in defence of Truth ye Reckon on your selves as exceedingly inriched nay if most of you had more of it then you have it were not much the worse would you use it better then you do and were ye as Rich and learned as ye are in that in the best kind of learning which the light within leads to and ye fight against and the measure of Gods gift of grace in your own hearts that brings Salvation with it to all that submit to be taught by it teaches viz. to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to liue godly righteously and soberly in this present world as little of which learning and life is to be found among young Academical self Admirers as among any people upon earth among whom there is whether magna or parva cura linguarum major or minor Artium I will not say nor is it much material so long as what is of the Lord most expected lies most neglected but I may safely say not maxima but minima pietatis But I speak it as one not a little lamenting over our Nurseries of learning and Religion and not a little grieved to see how little of God and godlinesse in the power of it is either seen or sought after by those Seers and formal Seekers but those of outward letters and writings whereof some are as bad rotten poysonsome false and foolish as othersome are good wholsome true sound and solid in the best of which yet without the Light which universally they hate and look askew at the life of God can never be found and to see how little yet our Nations supposedly learned leaders have learn'd of that Mistery Christ Iesus within themselves whereby to become any other then Ignes fatui or false Leaders to the whole Land which hath been wholly caused to erre by them and hath been led of them to its own destruction Yea this lamentable and shall be for a lamentation of lamentations with which I must make a little out here to lament against you O ye nursing Mothers so called to the Church of God both in this Nation and throughout Christendom that there is none among all the sons which to the vast expending and exhausting of her earthly treasure and the very Quintessence of all her carnal things upon them both in her Vniversities and in all her Parishes when remov'd from thence she hath nourished and that is found able by the Spirit which onely does it to minister spiritual things truly to her or in requital of her who hath so inriched them for it the other way to enrich her with any true lasting heavenly treasure or to measure and tale back again to her even as well in her Protestant and more reformed as in her Popish and more deformed States any other then such Trash Wood Hay and Stubble as is now falling before the fire And that by all the most Learned labours of her most Learned Rabbies Doctors and Students in Theology and Clergy of what sort soever the rest of her children call'd Christians have not learn'd so much as to know Christ and themselves much lesse Christ in themselves so far as make them honest true holy just sober meek pure loving gentle merciful pitiful peaceable patient temperate and after his own Image which is the end of all Learning Ministries Ministrations and doings that pertain ad intra and ad extra too to Christian Religion which Christ or Image of God ad intra and ad extra also who are not come to witnesse in and on themselves know not yet Christ the Mystery the hope of Glory and cannot prove themselves upon due examination to be in the faith or any other in the sight of God then Reprobates And that by and from her Priests and her Prophets whose own eyes are not yet annointed with eye-salve that they may see that have took upon them to be her Supream Guides into goodnesse and took many millions of money for many Ages and generations upwards to make other men learned in the Truth to direct them into Righteousnesse and Holinesse the hands of evil dâ—ers have been strengthened so that none hath returned perfectly from
their feet are swift to shed blood that wasting and misery are in their wayes and the way to true peace they know not yet this one thing I must say too and of our Vniversity Scriblers pro Scripturis that as there are no men in the world more up to the ears in strife about the Scripture and their own Fancies on it as to matter and letter than the Scribes are so there is no one thing that the Scribes are striving scuffling and scolding at each other more about than about their Scriptures That light or word within and not the letter is the Foundation First I shall take account of what thou falsely assertest concerning the Scriptures being a Foundation Thou affirmest the Scriptures to be the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles spoken of Eph. 2.20 pag 33. saying of them that men may quietly repose their souls upon them in beleeving and obedience and of your selves thus are we built 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and calling them Page 48. The Foundation of that world which he hath set up in this world as a Wheel within a Wheel his Church And page 154. The Foundation of faith hope and obedience And page 155. The Foundation of all that faith and obedience which he requires at our hands And page 316. The great and blessed Foundation of Truth All this I own to be very true of the Word of God of which the Scripture speaks but it is utterly false as uttered by thee of the Scriptures The falsehood of which appears plainly by this Argument 1. Argument That which is the great and blessed Foundation of all that truth faith hope and obedience that God requires at mens hands and of the Church and of the Apostles and Prophets must be something which was in being before any of these things were for the Foundation on which these are built must have a being before they can be built thereupon every Foundation being before the building can stand upon it But though the Word of God be so yet the Scripture is not before but long after that truth faith hope and obedience which God requires at mens hands and long after the Church and long after the Apostles and Prophets were yea after those Apostles and Prophets were Respectively who were the Respective pen-men thereof Therefore the Scripture the Writing the Letter the Greek and Hebrew Text is not the Foundation of any of these things The first Proposition is so true that it were no less then disparagement to I. O's wisdom to suppose him to be mentis inops to go about to prove it to him sith as he builds Castles in the air as easily thrown down as erected upon no better Foundation then his own fancy thoughts conjectures and imaginations yet he cannot be so senceless as to think that that Foundation be it what it will firm or brittle on which any thing is built must be before the building can stand thereon And as for the minor in every part thereof it 's as undeniably true to any save such as having once turn'd their backs upon the Truth are resolved to render themselves devoid of eithet Sense or Reason in their Reasonings against it then to own it For none else can deny but the Church and the Truth Faith Hope and Obedience of it and the Messengers Apostles Prophets Preachers of Righteousnesse such as were Enoch Noah Abraham Lot and others were in the Truth Faith Hope Obedience of the Gospel and also built upon Christ the Light the Word of God the Rock of Ages before Moses dayes who is unversally supposed at our Vniversities to have been the first Pen-man of the Scriptures The grand Master-place of Scripture that is us'd in proof hereof that the Scriptures are the Foundation is Ephes. 2.20 where it 's said by Paul to the Ephesians Ye are built on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-Stone Hence it is strenuously stickled for and as confidently as cloudily concluded by our doting Doctors and dreaming Divines that the Church of God as to all her Faith Hope Obedience Knowledge of the Truth is built upon the Apostles and Prophets Writings as that which is there called the Foundaeion whereas were they but at leisure from that lesser and lower literature wherein they are lost from the Lord and the Light and Life of God and the Letter also which issued forth from thence to look into the Light and by it into the Letter it self they more blindly labour for then truly learn by they would soon see that the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets there spoken of is not the Apostles and Prophets themselves much less uncertain transcribed Copies of those few Fragments of their Letters and some other honest mens true stories of what was done in their times good instructions memorandums and litteral recommendations of wholsome Laws and Statutes most of which as laid down in the Letter saving that they remain in the truth and substance whereof they were the types figures and shadows are above 1600-years since cancelled and abolished Promises Prophesies Psalms Proverbs Parables occasional Letters Epistles and other Writings which such as fell into a foolish following and falling down before outward Images and from the infallible Spirit it self that their Scriptures were written to keepe men to found and fardelled together and fram'd in their own fancies into a Foundation of the Faith and of all the whole Fabrick of Religion to be for ever framed and founded upon But Christ Iesus himself who is there also called the chief Corner-stone and 1 Pet. 2.4 that living Stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious on whom the Saints even all together with the Apostles and Prophets and the whole Houshold of God as Fellow-Citizens and lively Stones are built up a spiritual House to offer spiritual sacrifices yea all into one holy Temple or Habitation of God through the spirit This is the true and sole Foundation of all the matters before mentioned Christ Iesus the Rock of Ages on whom whoever believes shall not be ashamed Christ the living Word of God that also quickneth whose words are spirit and life to the hearers of his voice whose words uttered in the heart do good to those that walk uprightly this is the Stone that you Babel-builders refuse which God hath made the very head stone in the Corner Psal. 118.22 Matt 21.42 This verbum lumen internum Christ the eternal internal Word in the heart and Light of the World given a Light to the Nations and as such Gods salvation to the ends of the earth and the precious sanctuary to such as believe in his light is that stone of stumbling and Rock of offence to such as thee I.O. that stumble at the Word in their wrestlings for the Letter being disobedient unto both whereunto also they are appointed and a Gin and a Snare to the
the proofs by me urged against thee are elsewhere discovered thou rouzest up thy self into a new proposal of thy Question in these Terms p. 28. viz. Whether the Hooks commonly called the Old and New Testament were appointed by God for a standing Rule of faith and life which I denying the Books to be thou repliest on this wise viz Now you have spit out your venome which I knew you were big with and I will say to you as the Apostle if any man bring any other Gospel then what we have received let him be accursed To which when I replied I am sure the Gospel you preach will never bring men to heaven Thou relatest thy self replying thus viz. Then friends you hear his acknowledgement and how well he deserves the curse denounced against him By all which passages the Reade may observe these things 1. That thou judgest the Scriptures to be not only the standing Rule of faith and life but also to be the Gospel 2. That there is no other Gospel designed by God as the standing Rules then the Scriptures 3. That he that owns any thing else besides the Scriptures to be the Rule or the Gospel and he that denies the Gospel the Ministers of the letter preach which is but the Letter and the Scripture to be unable to bring men to heaven though I intended by those words viz. the Gospel you preach the false Doctrine and unholy matter ye hold forth when ye deny the Light and plead a necessity of sinning in this life and hold men to be justified and guiltless while under the guilt of Murder and Adultery and damn it as a Doctrine of Devils to affirm any perfect purging from sin in this world and such like and not the Scriptures which ye are far enough from preaching truly the very letter of is big with and spits out venome against the Scriptures and brings another Gospel then that ye have received and to be held accursed and well deserves the curse denounced against him by the Apostle Gal. 1.8 And in all these matters thou art coincident with I.O. who in substance asserts with thee the very same alluding to the self-same place Gal. 1. in proof of the Scriptures to be the Gospel and the only perfect rule of faith and worship Ex. 3. s. 26. Rep. But alas poor simple silly unlearned and ignorant men ye may curse them that bring another Gospel then that ye have received indeed who never at all yet received the true Gospel which the Galatians received from Paul who was not a Minister of the Letter to shew which is all your Gospel but of the spirit and of the light which only while the dead letter cannot do it saves and brings to heaven and gives the Life which Light and spirit is the old Gospel which we bring and minister to men while you for your meer Letters sake alter and despise it I say ye may curse in Pauls words but Pauls Curse will come upon you which being causelesly denounced against us by you cannot come on us Now before I come to urge any new Arguments against the Scripture or Letters being in the Authority of the only standing Rule as both T.D. p. 16. of his second Toy and I.O. p. 18. assert it to be concluding that there is no other Rule or measure of judging and determining any thing about the saving Doctrine of the Gospel but the Writing the Scriptures I shall take some account of some of T. D's and I. O's weak rushy kinde of reasonings by way of Answer to such Arguments as are urged by us against their reasonless suppositions in that behalf Beginning first with T. D's Jejune Replies to what Reasons were rendred by us to him against his Dream that there is no other standing Rule of faith and life but the Scriptures and so proceeding to an Examination of his and I. O's excentrick exhibitions of the Scriptures being the only Rule thereof interchangeably as I see occasion The first Argument urged against thee T.D. at the third Publick Dispute as thy self relatest it in p. 28 29. of thy first Pamphlet to prove the Scripture not the only Rule of faith and life was this Arg. 1. If there be another standing Rule then the Scripture is not it But there is another standing Rule therefore the Scripture is not it The minor thou deniest and sayest expresly that there is no other standing Rule but the Scripture which minor my proof of which thou rendrest as weakly as well as thou canst I proved in these very terms viz. If the Scripture it self sends us to another viz. the spirit as our Rule then it self is not the onely Rule But it self doth so therefore it self is not it The minor of this being denied by thee was proved thus That which the Scripture bids us walk in by after or according to that it sends to but the Scripture it self bids us walk in by a fur or according to the spirit therefore the Scripture sends us to another besides it self as our Rule and consequently is not it self the only standing Rule of faith and life in proof of this minor Gal. 5.16 was cited and some other Scriptures which thou leavest out whether as one loath to tell too much of that truth that makes against thee or no I will leave to thy conscience and not say but some may likely think so for all that as namely Gal. 6.16 besides I know not whether I instanced in any other which I shall here take that leave which in that confused crowd of conference thou strovest as thou sayest thy self to out-word us by for fear of being confuted thou wouldest not then grant me to urge by way of addition at this present viz. Rom. 8.1 4 5 13. Phil. 3.15 and to open as I see occasion in order to the service of that Truth I am now pleading against thee Nevertheless it were not for the Truths sake that it may more fully appear there is little need to say any thing more to thee than thou thy self hast set down in thy Reply to that Text viz. This I say walk in or rather to or according to the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ‑ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dative case which without the preposition's is elsewhere Engliâ—ht by or according to viz. Gal. 6.16 Phil. 3.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as many as walk according to this Rule let us walk by the same Rule is so jejune and wretched and poor and miserably blinde and naked being no other then this viz. that phrase doth denote the priniple not the rule of our obedience in that place where if by principle thou intendest the Foundation which the word principles is sometimes used as synonomous unto then thou quite overthrowest I.O. and helpest me against him however but that is no news for beside that each of you often
of which no inward Light or Spirit or new Revelations about the faith and Divine worship of the Saints are either to be expected or admitted it lyes more in the negative then the positive or affirmative consisting for more largely of disproofs such as they are of any inward Light Spirit or spiritual Revelation to be at all then of proofs of the Letter or Scripture yet some pedling ones are puzled out to such a purpose to be altogether and alone the Rule of faith holy life and divine worship He professes to prove the inward Spirit or Light the Qua. plead for not to be the Rule and that the Scripture or Letter is so two wayes first Authoritative or by the Scripture it self 2. Rationative or by a Rational way of Argumentation But though I own the Authority and veracity of the Scripture so far that if I.O. could produce any place of the Bible as he pretends to do many wherein the Scriptures do ascribe to themselves the Honor Authority and Title of the onely perfect Rule either in terminis or by any such due deduction as is not more duely deniable then so much as probale to a prudent man indeed I should truly submit to one such testimony being perswaded that the Scriptures are writings of truth where not altered and not adulterated by mens mistakings and mistranscribings yet the Scriptures being wrested besides all sense and reason by J.O. and the Theologians he adhears to to that end I deny his proofs to be either Athoratative or Rational The testimonies he urges the Authority of to prove the Text to be in the Authority of the only Rule he casts into four Classes the first sort of which consist of such places as expresse as he sayes and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel per immediatam cousequentiam perfectionem hanc Scripturis ascribunt do expresly verbatim or else by immediate consequence ascribe such a perfection as of the only Rule to the Scriptures The second such as expresly reject all Additions to the Text and Word of God whatever The third such as contain the examples of Christ and the Apostles trying and commanding to try all things by the Scriptures The fourth such as commend the holy Scriptures to all Religious uses Of the first sort he impannels eleven in all not being able it seems to pick out a whole Jury to serve his turn howbeit I acknowledge these if they would as freely as he forcibly would have them pass their verdict for him to be enough being all of them good and true witnesses in another case then he calls them for they stand all together in Ex. 3. s. 26. viz. Joh. 2. ult 2 Tim. 3 13 14 15 16. Psal. 19.18 Luke 1.3 4. Luke 16.29 Act. 1.1 Rom. 10 17. Eph. 2.19 20. 2 Pet. 1.19 2 Cor. 3.24 Gal. 6 16. Of the second seven viz. Deut. 4.2.12.32 Rev. 22 18. Gal. 1.8 Mat. 15.6 1 Cor. 4.6 Isa. S. 20. Of the third four viz. Luke 16.28 29 30 Act 17.11.21 Act. 18.24.28 Act. 26.22 with intimation of very many more commonly cited as he saith to that purpose Of the fourth seven viz. Joh. 1.7 Deut 28.58 Luke 24 27. Joh. 5.39 Rom. 15.4 Phil. 3.1 1 Joh. 1.4 It may do well to take some notice of them at least and hear their evidence I shall draw them up into the form of an Argument and then we shall see what expressnes in them or immediate consequence there is from them to the Scriptures being the only Rule Arg. John sayes Jesus did more signs then are written in his Book or History of him but what he wrote was that men might beleeve that Jesus is the Son of God and beleeving might have life through his Name David that the Law of God is perfect converting the soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple the Statutes of the Lord pure enlightning the eyes Luke that it seemed good to him also seeing some others had taken in hand such a worke having had perfect understanding from the first of the things Iesus did and taught to write an orderly Declaration thereof to Theopilus whether a particular person so called or any lover of God who can tell for so is the name by interpretation that he might know the certainty of the things wherein he by which it seems rather to have been some eminent man had been before in part informed and Christ said Men must hear Moses and the Prophets or else will not be perswaded to repent if one rise to them from the dead Peter that the Saints have a more sure word of Prophesie to which they do well that they take heed as to a light that shineth in a dark place till the day dawn and the day star arise in their hearts Paul to the Romans That faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God To the Corinthians that the minds of the Jews were blinded for until this day the vail remaineth on their hearts untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament which vail is taken away in Christ. To the Galathians that as many as walk according to this Rule peace shall be on them and Gods Israel To Timothy that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived willing him to continue in the things he had learned and been assured of knowing of whom he had learnt them and that from a childe he had known the holy Scriptures which were able to make him wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Iesut that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine Reproof Correction Iastruction in Righteousness that the man of God might be perfect throughly furnished to all good works To the Ephesians that they were no more strangers and forrainerâ— but fellow-citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone God forbids to adde to his Word he commandeth and threatens to adde Plagues to them that so do Paul sayes Let him be accuâ—sed who ever brings another Gospel then that he had preached to the Galathians though the Apostles themselves or an Angel from heaven Christ asked the Pharisees Why they made Gods Commands void by their Traditions Paul sayes He in a figure transferred to himself and to Apollo the things that he had wrote to Corinth that none of them might think of either of them above that which he wrote of them as meerly Ministers by whom they beleeved and not be as they were very apt to be puâ—t up for one of them against the other and glorying in man God bids seek not to Wizzards that peep and mutier but to himself his Law and Testimony The Berean searched the Scriptures daily whether the things were so or no the Apostles preached Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures and as mightily confounded the Jews proving thereby that Jesus was Christ.
written for the ends above specified in the Scriptures mentioned yet will it not follow that it was intended for the Rule to the Church much less the only perfect Rule or Standard of Faith and Life because God did not give order for â—s so to be but assured her before the Scripture was at all as much as God thought sufficient to create and preserve faith in the Gospel she had before she had it written in an outward Letter viz. the inward Light Word and Spirit that was in the beginning from which the Letter came And p. 43. to make a Rule much more then the only sâ—anding Rule exclusively of all other of all internal Light Word Spirit Revelation as JO. and T.D. both hold the Scripture to be is necessary Gods appointment of a Writing to that end to which he did and even in the Scripture it appears appoint the Spirit and inward Light and Word as I shew'd above but never at all appointed the Scripture it self And p. 17 18. of T. D's 2 d. Pam. the difference lyes in God's Arbitrary dispensation who from of old disposed the Light Word and Spirit alone to be the Rule without and before the Letter as being far more excellent and fully sufficient without it as to the nature and being of a Rule but never ordered intended designed appointed or established the Writing alone as the Rule as my two Vniversity Antagonists dispute without and câ—â—lusively of the other And as for the third and fourth Classis of J. O's Scriptures which seeing they are so near a kin to these of the first therefore I shall consider them here before those of the second they are of the same kind so that the same general Answer might satisfie sapienti cui verbum sat but seeing such stress is put on them by J.O. to the stablishing of a wrong Standard which iâ— of so great concernment to be stated right or else all the Building faulters I am free to insist a little more particularly on them then else I need to do They contain as thou sayest J.O. commendations of the Scriptures as to all uses of Religion both by the practises and precepts of Christ and the Apostles searching and expounding proving and trying all things by them themselves and also commending and commanding the searching of them and the trying of all things by them in and among all others Rep. That all the places enumerated by thee do contain any such matter at all I utterly deny for some of those thou citest as well as sundry of those afore spoken to neither expresly nor intentionally relate to the Writing or Scripture but onely to the Word of God and the Things and Truth and Commands of God written of onely in the Letter which things in what Text soever thou find'st them talkt of thou present'y run'st blundering on in thy wonted blindness which discerns no difference between the Writing and things written interpreting them without more ado of the Scripture as namely Deut. 28.58 whereby the words written in that Book is not meant the Writings but the Commandmenâ— therein rehearsed the Ceremonials and Morals of which they were to observe before that Booke of Deuteronomy was penn'd which is a story of Moses his repetition by word of mouth a little before his death of such things as he had from the Lord enjoined them to observe and some of them God also from his own mouth well-nigh forty years at least before that was penned Also that in Acts. 26.22 where Paul sayes he witnessâ—d no other things or truths as to the substance and matter of them though the manner was different the one testifying de Christo exhibendo the other exhibito one saying they should come t'other they were come then what the Prophets and Moses said should come Which things Paul could now witness were come if he had not seen their witness that they should And what mention is there of the Scripture at all in that Scripture Also John 1.7 where it s said of John Baptist he was not that Light but came to bear witness of that light which John Baptist wrote no Scripture at all that I know of which Light he testified to was not the Letter or Scripture but the same the Qua. bear witness to even that measure of its light within wherewith he inlightneth every man that comes into the world so that there is no Scripture mentioned or so much as meant in that Scripture Wherever thou seest in thy Concordance the word Scripture written of in the Scripture thou art ready to think straightway it Concuâ—r'â— and hath no â—mâ—l Concordance with thy cause and where thou findest the Words Rule Foundation Law and Prophets of God Light Word Commands Statutes Testimony Prophesie and such like thou as rashly and rawly imaginest the Scripture or meer outward Writing meant and mentioned by them in what ever is predicated of them and that it makes something for thy bâ—inde business of the Scriptures being the only standing Rule and Foundation But alas hoc aliquid verè nihil est this something is plainly nothing at all to that purpose for as it makes not a mice toward the proof thereof as appears above because the Scriptures were written for good ends and are prefiâ—â—blâ— to such and such good uses unless God had Canonized them as a Rule so neither doth it that Christ expounded the Scriptures and that some did search them and were mightily read in them as some are at this day who are supposed to deny them to the confounding the Scribes that searched them daily and therein lookt for life as their only Rule but never came to him that they might have life who was the Life and Light they came from but never heard him whom they testified of that his voice was now to be heard in whom God who under the Law before his coming spake in his servants the Prophets speaks under the Gospel as by his only Son 'T is true Abraham who lived long after Moses and those Prophets whose Writings ye have were born in that Parable which illustrates a precious truth that as to the mystery of it lyes yet hid from thee is brought in by Christ as saying of the Rich mans brethren by way of prevention of their coming into torment They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them if not they 'l not be perswaded by a miraculous message of one to them from the dead but what iâ— this to prove what thou here alledgest it for and more largely inferrest from it p. 63 64 65 66 67. where thou preachest on that Text a Sermon as long as little to thy purpose improving it and that of 2 Pet. 1.19 to the utmost to prove Moses and the Prophets Writings to be the best and most effectual means of bringing men to repentance on which that and all faith is immediately to be grounded and to prove the Scriptures to be that alone which we are sent to to be more effectual
the things written in this book meaning that particular Writing he was now in hand with not if any man shall write any more Scripture with so high a pretence as by Revelation from the Spirit or loose or shut out any of the Scriptures that are already written by inspiration from the Canon for if he had meant so then as brisk as ye are to breath out Threatnings and Plagues and Curses to such as pretend to write any thing by inspiration revelation or motion from the holy Spirit since the dayes of the complearing and closing of your Canon as you call it which you count from Iohns writing his Revelation though ye are far from adding any inspired Scripture to the Bible but only such Scripture as is the fruit figment and imagination of your own hearts which thou confessest to be the Fountain of all that other men that are not Apostles as ye say ye are not do deliver p. 9. not daring to pretend to the infallible guidance of the infallible Spirit in your Ministry yet yee 'l not scape the taking your names out of the Book of Life and from the good things written in the Revelation for your fault of taking away detracting and diminishing from the Scriptures for ye exclude from your Canon very much of that inspired Scripture that was written some of which is extant at this day too or hath been shewed before But considering the nature and true being of your guilt I confess in this case of varying from the Rule if that were the onely standing Rule of the outward Scripture should be found to be much more in the Ablative than in the Dative Case But of this more hereafter These are J.Os. inartificial Arguments or Testimonies of Scripture used by him as mediums of artificial ones that may be drawn from thence of which Scriptures he affirms that they are as commonly cited so already vindicated à nosâ—â—i Theologis by our Divines from exceptions of Papists and others that hee need not insist any more on them to name them of which say I as he Communiter citantur nonproprie they are commonly but not properly cited but not yet vindicated from the exceptions of all I shall now come to consider his more Artificial Arguments drawn â—rom some of these and some other Scriptures by the Cart Ropes of J.Os. Carnal Reasonings in proof that the inward Light Word Spirit and its Revelations are not at all but the outward Letter Text Writings Scriptures are only and altogether the standing Rule to the Church and all men of all Truthss Doctrines and things that are to be done beleeved tried or determined in point of Gods worship and our obedience J. O s. Arg. 1. The first is on this wise Ex. 3. s. 28. Si Revelatio c. If the Revelation of the will of God in the Scripture be so perfect compleat and every way absolute that there is no need of any other Revelation by the Spirit and Light within Enthusiasm Heavenly breathing discsurses with Angels fained or true to instruct us in the knowledge of God 〈…〉 in order â—o the attaining eternal life then its plain that all those wayes and means of knowing God and his will which the Fanaticks fain to be the means thereof are uncertain dangerous unprofitable and in no wise necessary thereunto and therefore to be rejected and detested But it s so c. Therefore c. Rep. Oh full of all fallacy as well as falsity folly and blindness in the things of God of whom I may truly say Et si non casâ—etamen cause thou art not so little honest in it but thou art well-nigh as much crafty to hide what thou canst the dishonesty of what thou holdest not only from the Qua. as thou thinkest in the Latine language but also from all that would handle thee for thy ill handy-work by thy dark discoursing in words of a double and doubtful reference and signification that thou mayest the more privily pervert the right wayes of the Lord and prepagate thy perverse Propositions the more securely to the prejudice of them what means else thy foisting in of that foolish phrase quae simulant fanatici by the inserting whereof thou mayest either intend thus viz. that all wayes that are fained by the Qua. are unprofitable unnecessary and to be rejected and detested and so creep thy neck out of the collar and shelter thy self from that censure of falshood thou fore-sawest would else befall the minor for meer fained mediums of knowing God and his will wherever found are to be rejected as useless unnecessary and no less then detestable indeed that is true enough who doubts it but then withall how Serpent-like wouldest thou hereby subtilly insinuate it into the younger sort to whose use thou devotest this thy peece of dotage under that Vnive sâ—y vendible Title of Theological determinations Theses or Apologetical exercitations pro Sâ—ripturis as if the Qua. professed means were but a fained Light and Spirit as if thou foughtest against nought but the Qua. fictions and not any true internal Light or Spirit of God or heavenly Revelations or inspirations but only such meer imaginary spiritual Divine motions and notions as the Qua. fain or falsely fancy so to be Whereas no figmentitions matters are found formented or sought for by the Qua. to be the Rule but only the true Revelations Light and Spirit of God himself within the heart Or else thou mayest intend thus as thy words express that forenamed clouding clause being excluded viz. That the Scriptures alone make such an absolutely perfect Revelation of Gods will that there is no need at all of any other Revelation by the Spirit and Light of God within which the Qua. affirm to be useful and needful to instruct in the knowledge of God and his will to the attainment of life eternal but those are uncertain perillous unnecessary means of knowing our duty and so to be rejected and detested in which way understanding thy minde there is so much the less fallacy indeed but the more falsely even so much as amounts to little less then great blasohemy and so thy minor is to be denied with a witness ex duobus malis absurdis hisie unum saltem est elegondum utrum horum mavis accipe if the first which is fallacy and foolery it s the least and the best yet too bad if the last which is falshood and blasphemy it s so bad that its worse then nought yet judging by thy undertaking to prove thy minor which else were true and needing no proof thou intendest the Letter which is the greater of the evils I enter the lists with thee about that and deny utterly thy minor which thou proceedst in proof of by man particular confiderations viz. 1. Of the Author of the Scriptures namely God from whom sayest thou Nothing can come that is imperfect any way much less in respect of that end to which he decrees any work J.O. from a
since it is in being and where it hath a being for the Light tries searches shines shews reveals judges determines as well without the Letter as with it and did dive into the heart where the Letter never was and direct there before the external literal directory was all and yet uses aâ— its pleasure the Letter as its instrument and as a knife to kill which knife yet as an instrument cannot quicken but the Letter doth not enter quâ talis into the heart at all and what ere it doth it doth in subserviency to the Light which is its Author whose instrument it is to use but not the Light its instrument at all Moreover the end of the Letter is but to turn men from the darkness and power of Satan wherein they dwel to the Light within them that shines in the darknes that is also within them which Light is the power of God this Act. 26. is said to be the end of Pauls Ministration which was performed partly by writing and partly by word of mouth that so by beleeving in the light and living in it they might not abide in the darkness but have the light of life but the end of the Light and Spirit within is not to bring to the Letter by the Letter we may have the life for the searchers into the Letter and lookers thereinto for the eternal life which is Christ whom the Letter testifies of never found the life they lookt for there because they heard not Gods voice nor cared for his word abiding in them nor came to Christ the Light and Spirit that they might have the life for the letter killeth but the Light and Spirit gives the life 2 Cor. 3. And howbeit I deny not the Scripture to be perfect praesertim respectu finis especially in relation to that end as J O. sayes for which it was decreed of God yet that that end was to be the only guide and rule of men in their way to life I deny asserting the Light and Spirit still as that which is designed and ordered of God as to that end and was so from the beginning before any Letter without was at all And though I own the Scripture still as useful profitable effectual sufficient and perfectly successful where used by the man of God in the wisdome of God for the many excellent ends and uses formerly spoken to from 2 Tim. 2.15 as being written by inspiration of God yet I still deny that to be thereupon the standing Rule as the Light and Spirit is because no where so denominated nor designed to be by God in all the Scripture as I have shewed suffiâ—iently above in answer to all the Texts whence thou mistakest it so to be and because Damnati lingua vocem habet vim non habet a Hereticks words are never heeded I must here make use again of T.D. to defeat I.O. who sayes p. 27 28.43 of his first Pamph. p. 17 18. of his second That all that was written by holy men and preserved for our use is not therefore our standing Rule because God did not intend them nor give order for them to be so and beside such inspiration and usefulness to make a Rule is necessary Gods appointment of a writing to that end which appointment the Letter never had from God what ever it had from men the difference lyes in Gods arbiâ—rary dispensation who assured his Church what was sufficient as to her standing Rule before the Letter was viz. his his Light and Spirit in which regard though we highly respect the Letter yet we can look upon it as p. 44. first Pamph. T.D. sayes of some useful things of God with reference to othersome no more with such regard as the only standing Rule as we do upon the other And though with thee I.O. we assert and deny not but that by the efficacy of the Light and Spirit the Letter is more savingly understood for the Spirit well knows its own yea by the Light and Spirit only is the Letter understood and read to profit and not by that twinckling twilight of thy fidling fancy for that Ignis fatuus finds little as to the inside of the letter but fuell to feed thee in fierce and fiery twittle twattles about the outside sense of it and the truth of Transcripts and Translations pidling points Tittles Iota's yea who hath known the minde of the Lord or the things of the Spirit declared in the Letter but the Spirit and they that live after the Light thereof and no more after the flesh to whom only the Spirit only doth reveal them yet Monstrum horrendum cui lumen ademptum what Scriptureless lightless spiritless speeches are these of J.O. who depresses all inward light whatsoever even that within the living Word of God within so much below the meer Letter formally considered as an outward writing and abstract from these as to assert them from which the Letter had all the being it hath and that thousands of years after all these antient Rules and Lights that are to day and yesterday and for ever the same without the least shadow of alteration had been famous in the world among all the Worthies from Abel to Moses to have all their being from God to us ward meerly for the sake of the Letter which was but of yesterday and as well every day as every way mutable and that so easily that 't is done in a time in but the turning of a hand yea by the Transposing of Letters Heb. Points and like as himself asserteth as many various lections may be in its several copies welnigh as lines and to represent all these which gave the Letter the being of a certain sub sub unto themselves as subservient unto it as if they were of and for no other use nor end in the world but to teach men to come not to God himself for life but to the Letter and to read the Book call'd the Bible which doth but imminde men that forget them to minde the Light and Spirit I shall therefore only take this Tale of J.O. mutatis mutandis transform it by a transposition of the two subjects thereof viz. the Light and Letter which I.O. hath mis used and mis-placed each into its proper place use and order and so quite quit it here Nullius literae externae cujuscunque tandem c. in plain English thus Of no external letter whatsoever although the holy Scripture it self which J.O. calls saving is this the use and end that we should attend to it as to the guide of our way and Rule but to this end only is it graciously granted of God that by means thereof we may perceive to our salvation that Rule i.e. the Spirit Light and Word of God ad intra and the minde of God revealed therein In this Translation is no truth hid that shall not be revealed nor covered that shall not be known So having turned J.Os. Babel with the bottome upwards I shall
that shall say the Horn-book is per saltum perfect to this end that without need of reading or learning any other books a person may by it alone become capable immediately of Commenâ—ing Dr. in Divinity shall by my consent be counted as ridiculous silly and senseless as such as side with J. O s. sayings are who say of the Scripture or Letter alone exclusively of the Spirit and Light within it calls to walk in that by it men may have the Life it gives the Life it is the only most perfect standing Rule of faith and life yea is so perfect and absoluâ—â— in all respects that there is no need of any other Revelation by the Spirit or Light within to instruct us in the knowledge of God and our duty to this end that we may obtaine eternal life yea all these means of knewing God and his will are uncertain dangerous unprofitable in no wise necessary and therefore to be rejected and detested as Fanatick figment For the foresaid honâ—urer of the Horn-book in his Hyperbolical adoration of it would be as contrary to common sense and reason as I.O. and T.D. in their absolute admirations of the Scripture and abominations of the Spirit and Light within for its sake are both to sense and reason and the common Testimony of the Scripture it self also which testifies every where concerning the Old Testament or Letter which I confess to be profitable perfect and absolutely able to the ends and uses of Gods appointment as a Typical testimony of those things which were to be spoken after that is weake imperfect and unprofitable as to that end for which I O. asserts it per salium to be so absolutely able powerful and perfect to that is to say to salvation and eternal life for it faith that it is the Light and Spirit that give the life and the liberty from the lust and sin to which the mother that is under the Old Testament or Letter of the Law is yet in bondage with her children and that the Old Testament or Letter lyes only in eatings and drinkings and diverse Baptisms and carnal Ordinance imposed only till the time of Reformation Heb. 9 10 in weakè and beggerly rudiments or elements of the world unto which who having once begun in the Spirit are tuâ—ned aside to are foolish and bewitched and disobedient to the Truth and do but think in vain to be made perfect by the flesh and desire again to be in bondage and know not yet Christ formed in them but know him only outwardly and after the flesh Gal. 1.3.4.9 19. 2 Cor. 5.16 18. are Iews outwardly only not truly nor inwardly nor circumcised with the Circumcision made without hands which is that of the heart in the Spirit not of letter whose praise is not of men but of God but Concis'd and conformâ—d according to the outward bodily exercises found in the letter loving the praise of men more than the praise of God and according to the law of a carnal Commandement not the inward worship of God in Spirit nor after the power of that endless life the light leads to That the law of the Letter which had but the shadow of good things and not the very image of the things themselves could never make the corners thereunto perfâ—ct as pertaining to the conscience Heb 9.9.10.11 That the Old Testament was faulty and failing and defective whereupon Gâ—d made a new one that could bring to life as it could not for if there had been a Law which could have given life verily righteousness should have come by it Gal. 3.21 for if it had been faultless or perfect or could have made perfect or given life there had been no occasion for the second Heb. 8.7 8. That there is a disanulling of the Commandement going before which was attendance to an outward letter because of the weakness and unprofitablness thereof because it could make nothing perfect but only was the ushering in of a better Hope even of the Light and Spirit by which we may draw nigh to God who is Light Heb. 7.16 18 19. and with whom no Letter lauder that lives beside the light the mystery of the Letter also can have any fellowship at al. And lastly as to thy saying that every Testament if it be but mans is perfect so that when once confirmed none may disanul or addâ— to it I answer no perfect Testament is to be dianulled when confirmed and in full force as it is only by the death of the Testator but that shews thy assertion to be false who sayeâ— that every Testament is perfect inasmuch as the Old Testament or Letter was disanulled which secundum te could not have been if it had been perfect and so omnibus numeris absolute as thou sayest in regard of the weakness unprofitableness of it to bring to life and for the the faultiness and imperfection of the first God himself whose Testament it was dedicated with the blood of Bulls Goats Lambs and Calves for the time then being only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as intended for a while only 't was called a Ceremony takes it away that he might establish the second Heb. 7.18 19.8 7 8 9. that is perfect to the giving of the life which is ignorantly asserted by thee of the Letter for the Letter that was perfect to its own end as a shadow was altogether imperfect thereunto And that nothing is to be added to any Testament once come in full force and vertue by the death of the Testator as all Testaments do then and never till then for Heb. 9.16 17. where a Testament is there must of necessity also be the death of the Testator for a Testament is of force after men be dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the Testator liveth This I freely grant as a truth but utterly overturns all thou contendest for which that is the Books of the Apostles and Evangelists which were all written after Christ the Testators death ' are the New Testament which how they can possibly be if thy own Position be true as it is that to a Testament if but mans when confirmed as it only and alwayes is by the Testators death much more God's New Testament after once confirmed by the Death of Christ the Testator as it was before one letter of that Scripture thou callest the New Testament as written nothing must be added thereto let all who are not void of judgement judge For if the writings of the Apostles and Evangelâ—sts which were all added and penned after Christs death the Testator of it by whose death it came into full force and strength be the New Testament an outward literal Declaration of which New Testament I know it is as the Writings of Moses and the Prophets also are both which are but the Letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Old Testament that in an external way declares the New with this difference only that the writing before Christ declared
is the Rod of power which God promiâ—ed to send out of Sion even the Rod and sharp Sword of his mouâ—h and breath of his lips wherewith he will now smite the Nations and slay the wicked and reprove with equity on the behalf of the meek of the earth whom the proud oppress even the word of his mouth which he will put into the mouths of his sucklings and their seed and seeds seed out of which he ordains strength to the perfecting his own praise against the persecutor This and not the weak dead letter Bible or Scripture thou so labourest bablest and scriblest for is that Power and Authority of God Able as the outward Writing is not to make it self known so to be for the letter is as lifeless helpless powerless as any other Book Writing or dumb Idols that men adore and receive aâ— ye with the Iews of whom thou speak'st p. 237. do the Bible at this day with the honour and veneration due to God that cannot stir from the place where it s set as neither can the Scripture from where it s laid no more than the Turkish Alcoran yeâ— as Jeremiah in his Epistle saiâ—h of the weakness and vanity of all the Idols of the heathen whom they make powerful Gods of Thâ—se Gods quoth he cannot save themselves from rust and moths though they be covered with purple they wipe them because of the dust of the Temple when there is much upon them men put the Scepter in their hands as if they were the Iudge of the Country and Daggers and Axes but they cannot deliver themselves from Theeves nor of themselves put to death one that offends them as a useless vessel worth nothing when broken so it is with their Gods they are as the beams of their Temples upon their bodies and heads Strâ—Bats Swallows Birds and Cats they are things in which is no breath yet they set and sell and buy them at a high price they are carried having no feet â—o walk with if they fall to the ground they cannot rise up again of themselves the same together with what follows caeteris paribus Baruch 6. may be said of the adored Best Copies of the Great Bibles that lye in the great old mouldy Popish Parish Mass-houses now called the Protestant Churches where the Bells hang the Ministers of the Letter not the Spirit the elder sort of which are Priests by Ordinatioâ—â— fit in their Temples and roar and cry the Word of God the Law the Light the way to life the Gospel the power of God to salvation as the Iews do when their Copy is carried about but these Gods of those Idol Shepherds that leave their poor flock at any time for another that hath a better fleece can do nothing at all cannot withstand any King or enemies are not able to escape either from Theeves or Robbers nor when fire falleth on the houses where they are to help or save themselves or flye away how then shall we think they the Books called Bibles the Scriptures are so powerful and effectual not only in themselves but also in respect of us as without any other helps or advantages to shew themselves to be the great Authority and Power of God vis virtus Dei to our salvation as I.O. dreams If he say he means not the Text but the Word it talks on let him say so then when he writes again and then we will take it for granted he gives the cause in question to the Qua. whom he quarrels with for denying the Bible Letter Scripture outward Writing to be the living effectual able powerful word of God that gives life and saves and such like and so we shall meddle no more with him as to that matter but so long as he will needs damn down the Qua. as denyers of Scriptures and the Word of God too because they deny the Letter or Text to be properly the truth or Word of God it doth but declare and talk on we must thereby understand him to intend the Letter which he talks for Moreover as to the Light of God and Word nigh in the heart which the Apostles preached to turn men to and taught them as the Scripture also doth in its Testimony there to to attend to as the Rule of faith and life this is that Word of the truth of the Gospel which is V is virtus Dei the Power of God by the vertue of which Power it brought forth fruit in the Collossians and in all the World where it so came when it came unto them in the Ministry thereof which was the means by which they heard of it first and then came themselves to hear it and to know the grace of God in truth even that grace that bringeth the salvation and appeareth to all men effectually instructing as well without as with the outward Letter of it all that leâ—rn at it to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world which is the Light of God in the conscience called the goodness of God or grace given to lead them to repentance who despising the riches of it are not led by it to repent and so treasure up wrath to themselves c. Tit. 2 11 12. Rom. 2.4 5. This is it which brought forth fruit in the world without Sword Miracles humane wisdome oratory or any inducements or motives but what are meerly and solely taken from it self consisting in things which eye hath not seen ear heard nor the heart of the animal natural man or of any but the spiritual man that by the Spirit which only searcheth and revealeth them discerneth the deep things of God can discern or conceive This is that that hath exerted its power and efficacy to the conquest of the world so far as it hath been capâ—ivated in the high proud thoughts of it to the true obedience of Christ causing men of all sorts times and places so to fall down before its Divine Authority as to renounce all that its dear undergâ—â— all that it dreadful and destructive to nature in its dearest concernment As for the Letter the Scripture which thou speakest of in a sense abstract from all other helps and advantages as that which without need of any other Revelation by the spirit and light within for these thou call'st superfluous mediums doth plead for reception not onely in comparison with but also opposition to all other wayes of coming to the knowledge of God his mind and will founded thereon and calls for attendance and submission with supreme and uncontroulable Authority 57 58. as that which hath brought forth so much fruit and exerted so much power What power hath it put forth to conquer the world into such submission to the truth as it is in Iesus as Christ requires or as the Letter it self either calls for what fruits of righteousnesse hath it brought forth in the world cal'd Christian to the glory of God for all its being
conceived in thy brain to be the power of God both in it self and in respect of you Look upon all litteral Professâ—rs that run a whoring from God the Lord the Spirit and the Light that shines in them there shewing moral good and evil and spiritual good and spiritual wickedness also for the fruites of the spirit and works of the flesh and the lusts thereof envy hatred lasciviousness c. are manifest and what ever manifests them and all things in the conscience is the light within which is the Armour against the one and the enabler to the other and not the Letter wihout which only sayes so of the Light and see what works most abound in the most Reformed Nations and Churches of it that are turned aside from the truth it self to a meer talking of the Text that talks of it are they not the same that are to be found among Papists that live by no other professed Rule but tradition and Popish putasion yea set aside that grosser sort of superstition and thicker cloud of superfluous Ceremonies in matter of outward observations in Religion in which the Kingdome of God which stands in inward Righteousnâ—â—s of the heart expressing it self outwardly in the life comes not as to Moralities Mercy Iudgement Equity Honesty Innocency Love Purity Humility Faith and Fear of God unfained which are the end of carnal Commandements contained in Ordinances and bodily exercises that else are profitable to little which said Moralities as little as thou makest of Moral obedience Moral good is that which the light in all mens hearts may avail to lead them to p. 42 43 45. as if these were some pedling trivial matters that God regards not which yet indeed being done in the Light out of which God who is Light accepts of nothing nor hath pleasure or delight in any of your litteral performances are nâ— less then Spiritualities fruits of the Spirit and of the Spirics only and not the Letter bringing forth for the Letter never yet brought forth the Spirits fruits in its Ministers and children who for all their searchings and lookings into and labouring for the letter sow to the flesh still as the Scribes and Pharisees did of old that trusted in Moses and the Prophets Writings and of the flesh reap corruption whilest the Ministers not of the Letter but the Spirit the children of the Light sow to the Spirit and of it and the Light reap the life it self and these are the weightier matters of the Law I say as to the foresaid Moral matters saving the grosser dimnest of their devotions are not the same that is to say as good fruits found among poor Papists as amongst you and as bad among you as with them and as unsound yea V in tu câ—rtis Iudaeis â—ppederâ— wilt thou judge and disdain the concised Letter-lauding â—ew O thou meerly Rantized Scripture-profissing-Christian when they who make their boast of the antient Ceremonies and Letter of the Law do not more through breaking the Law in the Morals and Spirituals of it then ye who boast of the later Letter and Ceremonies thereof through breaking the weightier Moral and Spiritual matters of it do dishonour God Is not your Vine aâ— the vine of Sodome to the Lord notwihstanding your solemn meetings and Sabbaths and Fasts and fained forms and many things that God never required at all as much as theirs who were punctualin performance of the very things that God himself required and are not your goodly Grapes of Injustice Cruelty Whippings imprisonings Persecutings of tender conscences for telâ—â—ng truth for not paying Tythes c. and all other iniquity dissoluteness and propaneness that overflows in Vniversities Cities Countries as the Grapes of Gommorrah as theirs were and as clusters of Gall and Wormwood yea shall not the Gentile the Heaâ—hen as ye call them the uncircumcistâ—n the unchristned people as to the Letter that by the remants of the pure nature for the corâ—upt nature only breakes the Law do the things contained in the Law and shewed them in the Light within them by which they are a Law to themselves and go accused or excused in their own conscences before God judge as well thee who by the Letter and Baptism transgressest it as the Iews who by the Letter and Circumcision do transgress the Law and Rebel against the Light is not as much of the true Righteousness found among many Heathens as among most litteral Christians who ever name the Name of Christ but never depart from iniquity What geat efficacy and power then hath the Letter alone of it self without any other helps advantages or any other Revelation by the Spirit and Light within put forth and exerted to the conquering of the world and the bringing forth of fruit in all the world when as it is evident that it never yet subjected any one whether Minister or Professor of it to the perfect obedence of it self in the main matters of it as the Light and Spirit hath done done the children of it As for our Parochial and Academical livers by the Letter temporally I mean for otherwise they live neither by the Letter nor the Light but beside both both they and their Bible-blessing Beleevers are far from answering the call of their very literal Rule which is all they own under that name and notion that they are not come by it into the faith that ever they shall conform to it or be perfected in holiness or cleansed from sin by it either in this world or that to come for whereas much of it is written in way of warning not to sin 2 Ioh. 2.1 and is profitable and powerful as they say themselves from 2 Tim. 3.16 which speaks of Timothy men of God only and also not exclusively of all other helps and advantages from the Spirit and Light as I.O. but as in conjunction with faith which is in the Light as is shewed above to make men wise to salvation and perfect in good works they are so far from beleeving it possible in this world not to sin and be perfected in holiness or good works that they deny it as little better than plain Popery to affirm any works done though by Christs own power in us to be truly or perfectly good or any better than dung and filthy Rags witness T.D. who as above said p. 13â— of his 1 Pamp. sayes the Righteousness wrought in Paul after his onversion was Christs and yet renounced by him as dung damn it down â—â— Doctrine of Devils to teach men that they may be fully free from sin here witness T. Rumsey whose blinde judgement therein T.D. justifiâ—r in p. 41. of his â— Pamph. and that its most false to say the Scripture either doth or can obtain its end fully towards us while we are in this world and yet that it is of no use to us in the world to come also so denying again what other whiles they affirm of the power and perfection of the Scripture
the light of God the wisdome saving truth immediate witness clearest way of Revelation soul-cleansing Law sure foundation most perfect Rule immoveable stedfast Standard of Gods setting up but it self is nos all nor any of this nor doth it at all any where avouch it self to be any of it at all The Scripture points to that which is the Power of God by the being of which in and upon his people who only own and joyn to it they are made a willing people in the day thereof when such as turn from and against the light which is the power and labour in the weak naked Letter labour in vain and are left unwilling to leave their lusts and lives for Christ as his Maryrs or outward witnesses did in all Ages But the Letter it self is not Power of God that sustained them in the suffering and inabled them to forgo what was dear to them and to undergo what was dreadful and destructive to nature in its dearest concernments The Letter tells us that the Saints did so and tells us and all Saints that we should do for Christ but the Power by which this is done is another matter then a Letter ad extra even the inward light Word and Spirit that thou doest despite to even that in the conscience that made them indure as seeing him who is invisible and discovered the darkâ—â—ss upon the discovery of which they rather chose death then to own it as Light and Truth not only in ages as high as Moses who by faith in the Light chose affliction rather then sin and feared not the wrath of Pharaoh but also from him downward as low as Maries dayes in which some died for denying the darknâ—ss of the Popes Dâ—ctrines of Transubstantiation c. which the Light in their consciences told them were too gross to be of God who yet by their confession could not dispute against it with Vniversity Sottish Sophisters Doctor Dunces out of Letter nor so much as read a letter therein and also as low as these dayes wherein by the Power of God many are born up to bear the Trials of the cruel Academical mockings scoffings scourgings inâ—lictings stonings bonds imprisonments abuses to death witness one of the first of the Lords two Hand-maids that were sent to warn the Vniversity of their universal abomiâ—ations at Oxford in the time of I.Os. Vice chancellorship there who perhaps may not be so learned literally though mystically and spiritually more in the Letter as obtuse aÌ„cuti â—omunâ—ioneâ— many of those dull-beaded nimble disputers out of it are in their bald fashion of Syllogistical form Neither did the Letter either of the Old Testament which is the Letter without of what things soever written or the outward Letter of the New ever conquer the world in which thou sayest it brought forth so much fruit further then into a meer empty fruitless form of Godliness without the power thereof insomuch that though as to the Primitive Christian Churches while they kept in the Light which the Apostles Ministry whether by word of mouth or Writing Letter Scripture was to turn them to walk by and beleeve in and in the Spirit in which they began till fooâ—ishly being bewitched from obeying the truth it self they turned aside to the outward Text that tells it and so thought to be made perfect by the flesh and the fleshly bodily exercises they found in the Letter which once used were as low weak beggeâ—ly elements for a time the power of God and godliness was much â—elt among them and abode with and upon them to the prevailing against the Powers of the earth and the overcomming the world it self and Satan the Prince of it by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of his Testimony not loving their lives to the death and much fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness was brought forth to the glory and praise of God But when Synods and Councels doting Doctors infatuated Ghostly-Fathers and such as admired their persons as they the persons of the Apostles and primitive Disciples began to bundle together what they could get of the Wâ—itings of such as were coaetaneous with Christ and the Apostles and without any such order from either Christ or the Apostles to canonize what in their conceits might be useful to others as they had found them t is like to be to themselves into a Rule or Canon and stated them into a common Standard for all to have their sole recourse to in soul-cases and matters of Christian faith and holy life and so to adore the dead letters of those holy living men and to run a whoring after some remnants of Writings that dropt from them then in the whole world now called Christendome instead of an Apostolical Spouse of Christ as Christians were at first presented a chaste Virgin to himself by them there stands up an Apostatical Strumpet that had the Letter and good words written there but neither the life of God nor the Word of life therein testified to that according to the nature of Error which is ever multiplying degenerated more and more into the dark till at last being gone from the Word Spirit Light and Life within to the outward Letter that relates of it they ran into the Wildernes of their own numberless senses upon it so that they lost the Letter also and fell from it into Tradition and a thousand Old Wives Fables and though it is good and acknowledged so to be so far as it is that the Protestants have marched from Rome under the conduct of the Leâ—ter yet for all they are come back from the blinde screel scrawls of the Popish Scribes for their smoaky imaginations to a pretensive profession of and prate prâ— Scripturis for the Scriptures unless they march on according to the conduct of the Scriptures till they come into the Light and Spirit which they point to and by a dotage upon the Scriptures ye would run from they are not so much as come yet to the Scriptures nor to conform to that counsel of the Prophets and Apostles given in it but are yet erring from the Scriptures even in and by their very eager Scriblings for it as the only most perfect Rule and from the only Rule of faith and way to Life the Letter is as loud for but that they are dull of hearing as they in their naked Writings are loud for the naked Letter it self And so it comes to pass that as Israel was of old who was as laborious in the Letter busie about the Bible and strict for his Scripture-standard as our Israel for the self-same which yet they confess too is abolished as to the Litteral observation of it with the Appendix of a few of Stories and Letters and Revelations of those holy men next to Christs time who by the Spirit wrote much more then is there own'd as their Standard I say as the old Israel proved as to God an empty vine Hos. 10.1 bringing forth
Spirit of his within the hearts of the whole race of wicked ones these things are not common to all Nequé enim spiritus Christi quoth I.O. Ex. 4. s. 21. Esse potest cum sit quid omnibus sommane this Light the Qua. talk of cannot be Christs spirit sith they make it a thing common to all And T D. p. 2. 1 Pamph. you speak of a light that every man hath in all ages and generations And p. 3.4 G.W. saying Christ was given a light to the Nations T.D. denies that the Gentiles had been at all enlightned by Christ unles you mean as God quoth he and say I what should we mean else is not Christ God and his light the light of God and his Spirit and Word the Spirit and Word of God before Christs coming But in the parcel above we have it under T.Ds. own hand what need we say more or use more witness nnless the false witnesses agreed better together then they do within themselves and with each other for vve can either turn each of them to himself or one of them over to another vvellnigh at any time for an ansvver That the Spirit is Christs sword and by it hee works in the hearts of men i.e. all men in proof of vvhich Gen. 6.3 Act. 7.51 are urged by T.D. himself vvhich grant of his vve shall take and lay up against the time to come that if he deny Christ henceforth to have a witness a spirit a light of his in the hearts of all men vve may wound him vvith his ovvn weapon and slay him vvith his ovvn sword vvho yet vvhether the Qua. meddle more vvith him yea or day vvill as to that life he novv live vvâ—ich is partly in wickedness and partly in his ovvn foolish wisdome and unrighteous righteousnesse be slain at last vvith that two-edged sword I am to return to talk of vvith himself and I.O. vvho are to dye to vvhat they novv are by the dint of it before they ever knovv the Lord or that Gospel of his they both fight against and then they shall learn that sword of Christs mouth and sword of the Spirit to be the Light and Spirit within aud not the Letter they are so loud for vvhich Letter yet as an instrument or sword in our hands vvho are acted against them by the Spirit vvill furnish us sufficiently to slay them as to their silly senses on it effectually enough in all Reason and Conscience And novv vvhereas T.D. dreams that by R.H. his saying that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God if he mean like a man in his oppositions he must mean Christ himself who cannot be intended Eph. 6. sith he is not the Spirits Sword but the Spirit his and so thinks he hath it Cock-sure that since t is not Christ himself it must be the Letter that is there called the Sword of the Spirit and the Word of God as if there vvere no third to be assigned as in opposition to the Letter for this is his Argument in form viz. the Sword of the Spirit is either Christ or the Letter not any third but t is not Christ therefore it must be the Letter Reply What if I tell him by the sword of the Spirit there called the Word of God one may mean a third as Paul doth in that place that is neither Christ himself whose Sword his Spirit is nor yet the Letter which undoubtedly is not it and yet mean like a man too yea verily be means not like a spiritual man but smells lik a Minister of the Letter and not of the Spirit that means it of the Letter and not of the Spirit it self for Spirit it is as the Letter is not and the Word of God whether understood of the Lord himself that Spirit 1 Cor. 15.2 3. which is called the Word of God Rev. 19. or of the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.16 17 18. which is also the Word of the Lord and two-edged sword that goes out of Christs mouth called elsewhere the Rod of his Power the Rod of his mouth the breath of his lips the Spirit and life Joh. 6.63 the Spirit of his mouth Isa. 11. and brightness of his coming with which he smites Nations rebukes for the meek consumes and destroyes the wicked man of sin within first in his Saints and throw them as vessels that bear his name without in Myriads of whom hee is now beheld coming to that work Iude 14. as blinde as ye are neither to behold nor beleeve it And that the Sword of the Spirit is not the Scripture or Letter is evident for it is something even a Word and Sword that was before the Letter which only relates of it and therefore the Letter is not it unless a man will be so unmanly as to say the Scripture or Letter was before the Letter was which were nonsense with a witness Again if the Letter be the Sword of the Spirit and Word of God then there was two thousand years wherein theâ—e was none of the Sword of the Spirit or VVord of God that Paul there speaks of and a long time together wherein Christ and the Spirit had no Sword which is most gross absurd and sottish to assert yet is not T.D. alone found in it but I.O. also in the same for these two are seldome otherwise if not contradicting then concurring with each other in the same folly who p. 258. sayes thus of the Text unless he intend it of the Truth it self the Spirit of Truth Joh. 16. and Gods word is Truth abstract from the Text which only tells of it which Spirit and which VVord of Truth was before the Text and is where his Text is not and then I acquit him though by the Word of Truth he usually intends the Text and Scriptures of it as the Tâ—xt stands now pointed and asserted neither Jews nor Socinians shall be able to relieve themselves from the Sword of Truth therein If by therein hee means the Truth declared only I own it the Sword for the VVord which is Spirit is a Sword but if the Text or Scripture that is no other then the Scabbard Besides the Letter the Bible ye bawl for is too blunt a business to cut so close and search so the quick into the secrets of the heart thoughts soul spirit of men as the two-edged Sword we are yet talking about doth and too blinde a business to be denominated as the VVord of God spoken of Eph. 6. Heb. 4.12 13. is a discerner of the intents of the heart before which there is no creature that is not manifest unto the eyes of which as that which we have mainly to do with all things are naked and bare And howbeit I.O. as aforesaid is so dark as p. 87. to tell us of its diving into the hearts consciences and secret recesses of mens mindes there judging and determining upon them terrifying sentencing them in themselves c. yet he wofully erres to
ascribe that to the Scripture or Letter which is peculiar only to the Light and Spirit that only searches the deep things of both God and men and Satan and which reveals and manifests all things and to which all is manifested and revealed And howbeit he appropriates this all along to the Scripture and Letter which he means all along by the VVord of God yet if he did but well understand himself he not far off ascribes the same to the Light that both we and the Scriptures speak of which yet he will advance no higher then to term it natural the voice of God in nature c. for as p. 42 43 44 45. he tells how God by that hath placed a thing called self-judgement in us in reference to his own over us and reveals himselfes the sons of men and much to the like Tune and p. 81 sayes it is by the light in the Scriptures which is say I that which the Scripture testifies of that t is in the heart by which the Scripture dives into the â—earts and there determines judges in the Majesty and Authority of God yet the Crown still is stated on the head of the Scripture by him and that Light it came from in holy men which is the same a small measure of which is in all mens hearts and consciences whose external subordinate instrument sometimes the Letter is is made by him but the subordinate instrument of the Letter by which quoth he the Letter 〈◊〉 and doth this and that and effects and perfects all which yet to go round again contradicts his own excludings in the other fore-cited places of his book of the Spirit and Light within from bring needful or any way concurrent with the Letter but rather as fiâ—â—icious and detestable So thâ— Letter is the supream Judge only most perfect Rule and Ruler of all and transacter of all still as to mans salvation with I.O. who little heeds how the Revelation made by the light in the conscience is of an unexpresiably larger extent then the manifestation of things is that is made by the Letter that came from it for the naked Letter or the light by it only manifests dâ— jâ—re the right of matters what is to be done what not what is good what evill the Moral law shews the Moral good that is to be acted the Moral evil that is to be declined or else no life but cursing but the naked lighâ— without the Letter that was within mens hearts as it now is before the Letter was discovâ—rs not onâ—y as the Letter doth de jure the Moral good and evil as I.O. himself confesses and Moral or Evangelical obedience and righteousness that is the substance of that legal and ceremonies that stood in Typical Transactions and ouâ—side-observations â—or a time but also over and above searches the heart and shews to every man de facto what is and is not done of the will of God de jure revealed and accordingly accuseth or excuseth justifieth or condemmeth in the Majesty and Authority of God so that its particular sentencing of every man either to life or death blessing or cursing acceptation or rejâ—ction stands ratified inalterably in the Court of Heaven yea hereby Christ shews every one as hee did the woman of Samaria all that ever she did and what they do and are think or speak and answerably either acquits or accuses as 1 Ioh. 3. as our hearts condemn us or not by that of God in them so are we justified or condemned have boldness or bashâ—â—â—ness before the Tribunal of heaven for whose sins the light remits are remitted and whose smâ—â—s is retaines are retained and the Ministers of the Light do by it judge the world that lyes in wickedness and justifie the righteous and we know their judgement is true and their sentence sure and shall stand in fore Dâ—i as it doth in farâ— conscienâ—ia But the Letter is too too weak an Engine to enter here and too short a Sword to divide so distinctly within as the Spirit and Law of the Spirit of life doth which is the Light the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God Which Titles I say still against T.D. and I.O. also are not to be all attributed much less as they are by them often appropriated to the Letter of the Scripture but are to be denominated only of Christ or his Spirit either of which a man may mean as in opposition to the Letter T.Ds. conceits to the contrary notwithstanding and yet mean like a man and a Minister also for as Christ whose Name is the Word of God is that Spirit Sword of the Father who is also a Spirit with which he will wound and Rule the wicked unruly Nations to the Spirit of both the Father and the Son or Word which is one Spirit with them for these three are one 1 Joh. 5. is that Sword that goeth out of his mouâ—h to the consuming of that wicked enemy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that sits as God in his Temple both within and without 2 Thess. 2. and both are the Armour of God of Righteousness of Light which we are bid and and said to put on Rom. 13.2 Cor. 6. Eph. 6. And because it may seem such non-sense to T.D. to say the Sword of the Spirit is the Spirit it self and not another outward instrument of a Letter which yet we know the Spirit can use too when he pleases though his operations are most effectual when he is heeded in his immediate workings within the heart for T.D. I wot judges the phrase improper to call the Spirit it self the Sword of the Spirit and that that manner of speech must needs import another thing let me ask thee why so T.D. must it needs import another thing then the Spirit to say the sword of the Spirit why must it be improper so to say hadst thou had thy eyes in thy head and thy wits well about thee when thou busiedst thy self about that Text thou wouldest have seen the Spirit and Paul by it whom thou wilt not dare to charge with speaking nâ—â—-sense though thou chargest R.H. for the same speak in the same way of the whoâ—e celestial Panoply as ye use to caâ—l it Is not the brestplate of righteouâ—sness shiâ—ld of faith preparation of the Gospel of peace faith righteâ—usness and the Gospel of peace it self in the verses next above and the Armor of light the light it self Rom. 13 why then may not the Sword of the Spirit be meant of the Spirit it self and yet a man mean like a man and not mean non-sense as thou wouldest seem to make R.H. to do in so meaning And now to I.O. again about the Text Heb. 4.12 in which there remains one clause more which if he did not ad solem caecutire shut his eyes against the Sun me thinks hee could not possibly relate to the Letter and that is this Epethite of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quick or living and that so
uncontroleablely as he doth even to blinde and obstinate persisting in it for Ex. 3. s. 40. where hee infers the Qua. urging against his Letters being the only most perfect Rule on the behalf of the Spirit hee sayes thus J Oj. Ob Scriptuâ—a est litera mortua spiritus vivificat quis literae mortua nisi ipsâ— fiâ— mortuus adhaerere velit the Scripture is a dead letter it s the spirit that quickneth who but he that 's dead himself will look for life from a dead letter Rep. Falsissima est ista assertio scriptura est verbam Dei quod vivum est efficax neque uspiam litera esse mortua dicitur occidit quidem sed ido viva est That is a most false Assertion the scripture is that Word of God which is living and powerful Heb. 4.12 Neither is the Letter any where at all said to bee dead Reply Verumne Itane Ocyus adsit huc aliquis is it so I.O. that the Letter is no where called dead what no where nec clam nec cum scrobe nusquam hic tamen infodiam Some honest body come hither a little and let us dig up and dive a little deeper into I.Os. own Divinity doings to see if wee cannot finde it so called there by his own self if that be the same I.O. as no doubt it is that wrote the two English Treatises and the blinde Latine Theses about Scriptures in his own book for the Bible which may be cogent to him however in the 237. page thereof vici vidi ipse libelle I finde I.O. himself saying thus of the Letter yea and of the Word too and that is more I dare say then any Qua. dare say that they are both dead without the Spirit as living perfect in all respects efficacious to accomplish all as the Scripture was Ex. 3. s. 28 29. so that there is no need of any other revelation by the Spirit and Light within but those all are uncertain vain useless detestable c. Now t is without the Spirit a dead letter yea the Word is so too with I.O. as if the Word of God and Christ which is Spirit and life was sometimes dis-joyned from the Spirit Take it in his own terms then Reader lest thou think I wrong him all this while The Jews enjoyed the Letter of the Scripture as they do at this day yea they receive it with the honour and veneration due to God Their possession of it is not accompanied with the administration of the Spirit without which as we see in the instance of themselves the Word is a dead letter of no efficacy for the good of souls They have the Letter amongst them as sometimes they had the Ark in battel against the Philistines for their further ruine Here needs no more illustration of this palpable contradiction â—hâ—t I.O. gives to himself t were to suppose men that read his book to be Idiots to shew it more to their sight then it shews it self so with his own in operâ— langâ— obrepsit somnus I shall quit it here but not acquit it quite till he acquits the truth he quarrels with Only as to his occidit quidem ideo viva est the Letter kills for this he cannot deny being the Letters testimony of it self only he concludes as he is wont to do the clean contrary way therefore its living I 1. deny his consequence for many things are said to kill as dead instruments used by living Agents as a Knife a Dagger a Sword which when they have so done as in that subordinate way of an instrument cannot quicken though I own the Letter as healable and honourable an instrument as any is in the hands of men when they are used and moved to use it as an instrument in the hands of God yet as dead a thing as applied by the stealers of it in these times as it was in the mouthes of the old Theevish Prophets of whom God said They shall not profit people at all Jer. 23. And as to I Os. labouring to lick himself whole of this with his litera occidit quatenus litera legis est ab Evangelio seperata quatenus à spiritu verâ— sensu voluntatis Dei destituuntur qui literae adhaerent quae judaeorum conditio fuit contra quoâ— eo loci disputat Apostolus The Letter kills as 't is the letter of the Law and separate from the Gospel and as they are destitute of the Spirit and true sense of Gods will who adhere to the Letter which was the Jews condition against whom the Apostle there disputes Rep. I say Mutato nomine de te fabula c. the self-same is to be said of your selves against whom we dispute since your condition is the same with that of the Iews if once ye would savingly come to see it for liâ—era legis the letter of the Law is but the Old Testament still and not the Gospel and the New which is spirit and life and a life-giving Light to them that according to the call thereof will take heed to the light for life and while you not taking heed to the light for life adhere to the Letter so as yee doe when receiving it with veneration due to God yee fight against the light and spirit within for the sake of it of the Spirit and true discerning of the minde and will of God declared in the Letter and revealed in the light ye are ignorant taliter if not totaliter and as uttely destitute as were the Iews And now as to that Text which remains yet with one more to bee touched on viz. Psal 119.105 Thy Word is a light to my feet and a lamp to my paths which thou also appliest to the Letter as the light and lamp there spoken of and upon that account from that and many more as little to thy purpose and as much to ours as that is lettest out thy minde into a long peece of dark prate about the Letters being the most glorious light in the world as if it were that in Ioh. 3 19. which is not the Letter but the measure of the light come from Christ into all mens consciences almost throughout the fourth Chapter of thy first Treatise I must here have a little parley with thee about that and the other places thou producest which are all parallel with it against thy self and so hasten on what I can towards an end as one more grieved sick and weary in my spirit to see thy confusions then by the power of God upon me bearing me up under the else unsupportable burden of it I am in either body or spirit with confounding them Those other Texts are Iob 24. They are of those that rebel against the light they know not the way nor abide in the paths thereof Psal. 19.8 9. The Commandement of the Lord is pure in lightning the eyes Psal. 119.130 The entrance of thy words giveth light Prov. 6.23 The Commandement is a lamp and
Truth Law Doctrine or Commandement which is a Light and Lamp is within as Rom. 10.8 witnesses it for me so my two Antagonists I.O. and T.D. do both from the Testimony of that very Text testifie the same with it and me against themselves the one viz. T D. sying p. 30 31. of his 1. Pamph. 't is evident that the word spoken of in the heart Rom. 10.8 is meant of the matters contained in the Scriptures for the Apostle sayes expresly that is the Word of faith which wee preach whereby it seems by your selves the Letter is neither the Word there said to be nigh in the heart and mouth nor yet the Word of faith the Apostles preached but some other thing that was actually properly truly and formally within the heart even the holy Word Law Light Truth Spirit of Truth and Doctrine which wee together with the Scripture do testifie unto and you contrary both to us and the Scripture are continually testifying against and the other viz. I.O. saying Ex. 1. s 40. The Word in us is that Word of faith the Apostles preached but they preached nothing but what was written by Moses and the Prophets Rom. 16.26 yea that that Word was a Word written the Apostle professedly testifies in that place vers 10. 2. The Scripture is nigh us in our hearts and mouth not in respect of the Letter written or the Scripture formally considered as written but of the divine Truth or as it contains and holds forth the divine truth it self Reply V. 11. Thou meanest sure for there the Word Scriptures is named but what of that and who doubts or denies but that the Word in the heart was written as well as preached and testified to by writing as well as by word of mouth but wilt thou ever be so blinde I.O. as to make no difference but when it serves thy turn to do it as thou thinkest against the truth for then thou makest a difference See p. 12. 13. between the Word written Doctrine declared and Declaration Book and Truth Scripturam rem scriptam preaching and thing preached publication and will of God published proclamation of good things and the tidings or good things proclaimed and told of Suppose a man should stand at a Market-cross or in Cheapside and preach publish or proclaim by Word of mouth or set up a Bill or Writing that there is special good Wheat Bread Flesh or the like laid up under the custody of the Lieutenant of the Tower enough for all the poor starvelings of the rich City of London where the more shame and wo to the rich Gluttons in it they ly perishing about the streets by him freely to be dispenced who is sealed or authorised to that end to give to all comers according to their wants or in a time of distress or danger that there is safety in the Tower for all that are willing to run in thither within so many dayes or else the gates shall be shut for thus the Publishers of the glad Tidings of the Gospel of peace and salvation by Christ the Light alone and his Spirit and Light which reproves sin is the heart do declare both by Voyce and Letter or Writing in their times as he himself Isa. 45.22 Look to me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth viz. That in him who is the Light is the life of men to be had and not in the Letter which rather killeth Hee is the strong Tower where safety alone is Him hath God sealed to be the giver of the bread of life and the meat that endureth to eternal life to all that come to him in that time wherein he shines in his Light Now if people should run only to the Cryer and hang alwayes on the hearing of his voice or stand reading the good news in the writing he hath set up doting on and delighting only to read that day by day because its comfortable as it tells of good things and never at all according to the counsel thereof betake themselves to the Tower where they only are might they not stand there poring till they perish pine and starve and would they not lose time and perhaps totally withstand it and would yee judge them to bee well in their wits if they should run up and flock all together to the Proclamation or bare Writing supposing to injoy the things themselves though they never look after the said Lieutenant spinning out the time limited in looking upon the writing and so far dote as our Dr doth that the coming to the Scriptures is the only proper way of coming to Christ himself which he counsels us to Rev. 3. as to think that their comming to that Paper every day is their next way to the Tower their very only proper going to the Lieutenant that is required Mutatiâ— mutandis de te fabula the case is your own O ye untaught better fed then taught Teachers it is yours O ye more letter-lauding then letter-learning Preachers and Priest-admiring people Christ is come from God that men might have life and have it abundantly calls all to look and come to him for it yee like the old Scribes search the Scriptures and therein look for the eternal life because they are they that testifie of it and of him who is the life but yee will not come to him that yee may have the life Ioh. 5.35 c. 2. What need I say more but with T.D. and I.O. to heed and beleeve themselves because they are so dull of hearing that they will neither heed nor beleeve the Qua. for they give the cause in Question between the Qua and them about the Scripture or the Letters being the World of faith or light shining in the dark place of mens hearts which Peter sayes men are to take heed to which said dark place that is the heart and consâ—ience where by their own confession so gross a thing as a formal outward Letter cannot come but only some more subtil thing then that is even a spiritual light as that is not is as evident in the Text as the Word and Light it speaks of is to him that is not blinde for the dark place wherein the Word and Light here is said to thine is the same wherein as the Light is taken heed to the day dawns and the day star i.e. Christ him self arises first as that bright and morning star Rev. 2.28 whereby the day spring from on high visits such as sate in darkness Luke 1.78 79. and at last as the Sun of righteousness it self Mal. 4.2 but that is said expresly to be the heâ—rt so far as from Ioh. 1.5 we argue Where the spiritual darkness is which comprehends not the Light within which darkness the light shines There the true light shineth but that is within in the conscience of all men therefore there the true light in some measure is shining As if the dark place within which the Sun shines be a room within
earth and sate on the many waters peoples multitudes nations and tongues with whom both Kings and inhabiters of the earth being drunk intoxicated with the wines of her wisdom have committed fornication run a whoring from the wisdom of God divided and dividing the people that profess the name of Christ without his nature respectively into three PPParts Rev. 16.14.19 Rev. 2.20 21 22 23. Rev. 17.1.2.15.18 viz. 1. Pope and his carnall crue of Cardinals Mount Seniors Priests Iesuits Monks Friars of all sorts and all the other sorts of his spirituall men and women which are enough to weary one to read much more to reckon them all up in writing 2. Arch-Prelates Prelates Deanes under which name I.O. was lately the onely man in England till removed that stood denominated whose Popish Traditionall Title was Dean of Christ-church in Oxford an Officer that Christ never instituted in any Church that he constituted Deans and Chapters and all that hang on that Hirarchy in the fall of whose Spirituall Courts Tithes went down too as to the way of Recovery of them by any law from any that are not free to pay them if our wise Statesmen who sate at the Stern once had been made willing in their time to see what they saw before their fun was setting 3. Presbyters Parsons Vicars Curats and all manner of spirituall persons and their Officials Clerks Sextons c. depending still together with some that were once Independents as none of Christs but nationall messengers for nationall stipends Which said three swarms of Locusts who love the dark smoak they came out of more than the light which dispels it have covered over the whole European â—â—â—th and more too in all corners of it and have what they could withheld the wind of Gods spirit from blowing upon the earth that themselves might eat up the good things thereof and none of Christs spiritual ones appear to hinder them Rev. 7.19.3 But also even among those that truly pretend to it such as pretend falsely to the foresaid inspiration yet do not thou dream that because among these by Gods permission as a snare rained down on Ps. 11.6 and a stumbling-block laid in the way of the wicked that are disobedient Ier. 6.21 1 Pet. 2.8 there arise some false Prophets therefore God himself hath no Time ones for if he hath as so sure as thou hast clothes on thy back he hath many more than thou art yet aware of thou wilt get little by that fond conceit fith as thy self truly sayest Those whom God 〈◊〉 send are to be received on the same 〈◊〉 on which the other are to be refuse i.e. n paine of Damnation Neither deceive thy selfe so far I.O. any more as to make and imagine it such an unwonted wonderfull impossible matter as in a manner thou dost that even in these dayes men and women too should as of old they were be moved and inspired both to speake and write by the holy Spirit howbeit 't is true there are times of Gods going away and returning to his place withdrawing hiding himself his face in a little wrath for their forsakings of him from his own seed as it hath fell out for ages and generations together even 1260. years at least wherein all the inward Temple worship and worshippers therein lay wast and trodden down by the Gentiles or Nations that have had it given them so to do to glory in that name of Christians without any true Christianity and in literall formes and observations of externall Ordinances according to the letter which they have not kept to neither but abominably corrupted themselves in the use thereof and made void by their own tradition without either of those two witnesses the Word and Spirit which have been much more then the letter abused and depressed into so low a condition as to speak low out of the ground and whisper out of the dust and bear their Testimony fiting in Sackcloth regarded and attended to but by a few to which yet God is now giving power again to open their mouths and to devour their enemies and to burn up all that hurt them and to smite the earth and the dwellers in it that rejoyce and make merry over them with all Plagues as often as they will yet thereis a time of his returning to his own again and of being found of them that seek him and of his appearing to all those that love and wait for his appearing to their joy though the shame of their adversaries and of bringing forth the blind that have eyes and the deaf that have eares and of opening the eye of the blind and unstopping the eare of the deaf and causing the waters to break out in the Wildernesse and streams in the desert of pouring of floods upon the dry ground and making the thirsty Land springs of water and of speaking himselfe not so sparingly as before and of pouring out his Spirit on his Sons nad daughters Servants and handmaids that they shall prophesie and of revealing himself in Visions and of the heavens dropping down their dew and of preparing himself as the morning to meet such as follow on to know him that they may live in his sight Though therefore I.O. as little believes this as one of the Lords of King Ioram did Elishas Prophesie of so great plenty in Samaria after the wofull famine that came by the Syrians siege when an Asses head was sold for 41. and the fourth part of a kab of Doves dung for 55. and may come to see it with his eyes but not eat thereof because he saith as that Lord if the Lord make windowes in heaven can this be 2 Kings 7.1 2 17 18 19 20. yet such plenty of the Spirit of God shall be given out to them that believe in the light that out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living water and the spirit shall be a well of water springing up into eternall life and there shall be a measure of fine flower for a shekell and two measures of barly for a shekell and preaching and prophesying by the Spirits motions and writing by his inspirations shall be as good cheap as a measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barly for a penny Rev. 6.6 and abundance of oyle and wine yea new wine that is now in the cluster which must no more be spoyled nor hurt nor destroyed by neither the great nor the little Foxes but we will be to them that hurt or hinder the tender grapes thereof for a blessing assuredly is in it Cant. 2.15 Isa. 65.8 Rev. 6.6 then shall the Asses heads be priz'd no more so high nor the Doves dung be sold so deare nor the chaff that hath been sold for wheat be so costly as it hath been nor any outward Excellencies which are but excrement with the spirit and the spouse who prize the Doves innocency above all that nor fleshly wisdome which is foolishnesse with God be
there are some spiritual in these dayes Are not all that are filled with the Spirit Prophets and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inspired by the Spirit Mic. 2.8 Acts 6. Acts 7. as Micah Stephen and the seven were And are not all Christians bidden to be filled with the Spirit and to let the word of Christ dwell richly in them teaching c. Ephesians 5. Colossians 3.16 And what such difference is there between being led by the Spirit and guided by the Spirit And is not he that is guided by it guided infallibly and every one that is led by it led infallibly And doth not every one that walks after it walk surely and infallibly and he that is enlightned by it enlightned infallibly And he that speaks sees writes acts by it as all Saints should do though fallible in themselves do all this infallibly And is not he that is moved by it whether he obey its motions yea or no moved infallibly into that which is assuredly the Truth and no Lie yet I.O. jeers at all pretence to any infallible guidance by the Spirit of God in these dayes as fancy delusion far aricisme c and at the Spirit of God it self which the Qua own as their truest teacher Ironically under that term of the infallible Doctor and T.D. makes it matter of hainous crime in the Qua to talk of Infallibility in Christs Ministry now saying p. 58. Pamp. thus And as to the Question of the Infallibility of their Ministry Three Iurates of Sandwich will testifie that they did affirme their Ministry to be infallible as if it were matter of amazement to him that men should mention such a matter as infallible guidance of Christs Ministry by his own infallible Spirit in these dayes As if he gave it for granted to us who take him at his word for it is a truth that their own Ministry is but fallible their guidance therein by no more then their own fallible Spirits and may be utterly destitute of the Spirit of God which is infallible for no fallible Spirit hath God that I know of No marvell therefore to me that T.D. so readily grants as himself sayes he does p. 35. of his 1. Pamph. That none of his people can set to their seal that his Ministry hath brought them to a perfect man c. For I know not how it should if it be a fallible one as he confesses 't is while he denies any Ministry now to be infallible and affirmes perfection itself too but so far as to be made free from sin to be not onely unattainable in this life but also to be no lesse then a doctrine of Devils for any to preach it See p. 47.1 Pamph. But whereas he sayes p. 35. The Ministry was not intended for that end i.e. to bring to a perfect man or to perfect men in this life where they deny perfection attainable Rep. I reply that 's false and expresly contradictory to Eph. 4.11 12 13. where its said the Gospel Ministry which obtains its end in this life or else is not perfect according to I.O. and ceases in that to come is given for that end viz. for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ How long till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. And as for T.Ds. asserting the infallibility of the Spirit to be an Idiom a property of the Spirit as incommunicable to the Saints that partake of the spirit as Omnisciency which agreed not to Christ as man or Omnipotency is p. 32.33 1 Pamph. Rep. I say that 's meer flim-flam as to the point in hand for we assert the Saints and Ministers of Christ no farther infallible then they follow the leading of the spirit which is infallible out of which they are not in their Ministry and so far as following that which is given to be all mens guide men and Ministers whom we confess to be all fallible in themselves as abstract from that and not only liable to erre but erring actually as they leave off to be led by that and lean to their own understandings are all so far I say infallible and infallibly guided for as God hath no fallible spirit so his infallible spirit hath no fallible guidance nor leads any fallibly at all but all infallibly who are led by it into all truth so as in all those things it teaches and are needful for them to know to make them otherwise fallible and ignorant thereof in themselves not only infallible but as to all thoe things I say Omniscient as himself is Omniscient in all things absolutely without exception Neither are Omnisciency and Omnipotency themselves as to all those things that are to be known and done by such so altogether incommunicable to spiritual men as our Academical Animals imagine they are for though God Christ and the Spirit only know and can do all things absolutely yet through God Christ and the Spirit teaching leading guiding revealing enabling all things i.e. all things that are truly good fit suitable comfortable profitable for such are both infallibly to be known and possible to be done by the Ministers of God in their respective services and seasons whereupon the Wisdome of God hath spoken thus of the Spirit as in reference to the Saints that learn of him receive and are led by him he shall lead you into all truth bring all things to your remembrance whatever I have said ye have an Unction little children and ye know all things and not only of the Spirit it self that it searcheth all things even the deep things of God but of the spiritual man also to whom the Spirit reveals them that he discerneth all things when the animal man nor doth nor can perceive the things of the Spirit and that the spiritual men had the mind of Christ Ioh. 14.26 Ioh. 16.13 1 Ioh. 2.20.27 1 Cor. 2.9.15.16 and not only so but saith Paul who had no sufficiency of himself to any thing I can do all things thorough Christ that strengtheneth me Phil. 3.13 â—anta ischus and Col. 1.11 of the Saints enpase dunamei dunamumensi strengthened with all might i.e. Omnipotency Whereas therefore T.D. prates as his fellow preachers do of the other incommunicables of these things I say 't is Parret-like of he knows not what himself for as in such wise and measure as Saints are partakers of his holiness purity perfection mercy c. they are holy as he is holy pure as he is pure merciful as he is merciful perfect as he is perfect though not so absolutely and infinitely pure holy meriful and perfect as he is so so far and in such a measure as they are led by his spirit and indued with his power from on high they are and in the Scripture are said to be not only infallibly assured
God comes in his righteous Iudgement to take full and finall vengeance upon them Whereupon it is called the riches of Gods Goodness which is never the lesse to them though they perish in their wills even to them that yet despise it by which they are not left without faithful reproof and warning within themselves but are put in fair capacity for Salvation from the wrath for the despising of which Light that will not let them sin themselves to ruine without stopping them till they be obstinate they treasure up wrath to themselves against the day of it Rom. 2.4.5 Despisest thou the riches of his grace c. not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance c. Arg. That which is the riches of Gods goodness and grace to the very wicked that despise it and perish which would else lead them to repentance and Life must needs be a part of the Gospel and its Light but such is that which leaves and is in all men in the very wicked leaving them inexcusable if they repent not by it therefore that Light in all men Iew and Gentile good and bad is a measure of the Light of the Gospel which ye puffers at it would fain shut up from shining in common in al men among a few such unhallowed Elect ones and seeming Saints as your selves for that the Grace of God that brings Salvation where it is to such as put it not far from them should be said by us as it was of Paul Tit. 2.11 12. to appear to all men is as damnable Heresie with you in us as 't is undeniable truth with you as told by Paul Yea this ye are impatient at that Proclamation of Grace and good will from God to all men with true intent that all should have it that are as willing to have it as God is they should or otherwise then pretendedly as you make it should be made And yet the Churl that practises hypocrisie and utters errour against the Lord and howbeit he sayes Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly every one that thirsteth Life as well as death is freely and truly set before you chuse Life that ye may live and welcome Christ is come that ye may have life and that abundantly yet makes empty the soul of the hungry and causes the drink of the thirsty to sail by telling them that God freely proffers this to all but intends it only to a few would be called bountiful and liberal for all this but it must not be in the day that is coming wherein the eyes of such as see shall not be dim and the eye of the old Seer be darkened the tongue of the stammerer tell the plain truth and the mouth of the University Student be stopped and the lips of the Lyar be shut up Isai. 33.3 4 5 6 7 8. This common Salvation Iude 3. ye cannot digest 't was wont to be said Bonum quo câ—mmâ—n us eo Melius But if I should say instead of Peâ—us Bonum quo communius eo Melius it were not more false Latine then the tale of a tender of life from God to all men intended only to a few is the false Doctrine of our undoctor-like Divines which false Doctrine they contradict and confute themselves in also if once they could see wood for trees as fast as another can well confound them while themselves tell us of not only a Special but a Common Grace which is the common distinction of the Schools for if it be Grace though Common Grace it must be a Light a Gift a part of the Gospel of Gods Grace out of which Gospel no Grace is and such a part and gift too as must at least by its sufficiency to save such as improve it put all in a capacity for Salvation and not sufficient only to leave them without excuse and aggravate wrath and condemnation upon them otherwise that Grace is no true Grace or favour or if it be give me none of that Grace take you O ye Graceless Gravers of that Grace whose Graven Image it is that hath a being only in your imaginations that Grace wholly to your selves that is given for no such gracious end or purpose as to put men into possibility of Salvation as upon your principles of personal Repro 〈◊〉 this common Grace does not but only to render them unavoidably lyable to sorer condemnation and fuller wrath then they should ever have known had they never had it But what e're ye carve to your selves in your own conceits God had 〈…〉 to the whole world as well as to you choice sinners and in as fair a capacity â—â—ally to partake of it are the very Heathen who by you are repâ—obated by the lump as your Antichristian selves except ye repeâ—â— â—uâ—â— then Iâ—â—e by your books ye have ever yet done to a â—ound and sinâ—â— acknowledgement of the truth Nor did God send his Son a Light 〈◊〉 the wâ—â—â— that mostly perish in their wills to any such intent that the world it self should be condemned but that the world through him might be saved So then it s no less then a measure of the Light of the Gospel it self a dram at least and degree of Gods Grace and that not natural but spiritual supernatural sufficient for men and saving to such as submit to be taught by it which from God is imparted and by his hand as thou I.O. speakest indelibly implanted in the minds of all men whereby his things and the things of Christ and his Spirit come by such as wait on him in it to be both spiritually and savingly discerned And Ob. If ye object yet further as some do we yield that what is to be known of God his invisible things his Eternal Power and Godhead Divine Attributes and our moral duties to him in declining moral evils and doing much moral good as to our Creator eternally and indispensably due are manifested in measure by that common light but deny that any thing of Christ still and of the mysteries of the Gospel is so and so it s still but a natural nor a spiritual light Answ. Though what I said above from 1 Cor. 2. concerning the things that eye hath not seen c. and the deep things of God which must be of the mysteries of the Gospel might suffice yet I shall add thus much more viz. That it savours of little less then a little of that gross darkness which is to cover the earth and its people when the Light of God arises upon his own to say that God can be known in or by any Light in which Christ first is not known I know this is a Riddle to you Rabbies and may seem to all sottish Seers as a piece of a mad mans Divinity but I dare aver it to be truth though I can't believe many of our English Infidels will believe it till they see it so clearly that they cannot chuse for how many wayes of knowing God ye may
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.
well as to chuse death if they would and thereby have shewed the equally of his wayes in letting men have what they will and as they do yet would not do so much for them as that But most certain 't is that Gods wayes are all most equall so as to let men have from him what they chuse viz. Life and Good and Blessing in Christ the Light or Death and Evil and the Curse in the deeds of darkness when both are set before them Deut. 11.26.30.19 Isai. 66 3 4 and as certain 't is that God so sayes as abovesaid and truly wishes rather that the wicked even those that do die should turn and live as else they cannot but that they will not mark Ezek 18 throughout and Ezek 33 v. 8 to v 21. Yea. O saith he that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me c. that it might be well with them Deut 5 29 with a number more of the like wishes Matth 23 37 Luke 13 44. Luke 19 41 42. And whatever God sayes or wishes he doth it truly and honestly meaning as he sayes and is not such an Hypocrite Lyar and Dissembler as T Ds Doctrine of his tendring what he never intends doth make him Therefore he vouchsafeth to All and every man even those that come to perish but that they neglect it at some time or other same measure of saving Grace and a Light sufficient to lead them to Salvation Arg. 2 If God did not give at one time or other to all men such Grace Liberty Light and Power as is sufficient to bring them to life if they will chuse the life and well improve that Light and Power to the working out of their Salvation when he bids them by it then God could not to all men render life by his Ministers nor say Work out your own salvation chuse life that ye may live else my soul shall chuse your greater destruction without mocking of men in in their misery before that time wherein he sayes he will only may justly mock at their calamity which is only when they have filled up their measure of scorning at him set at nought all his counsel and utterly rejected his reproof Prov 1 Si enim lumen seu gratiam salutarem suam dare omnibus Deus nolit tamen omnes ad salutem pervenire Sub poena requirit quid ni per talem gratiam millies mille miseros homunciones ludos facere absit blasphemia â—stimandus est Nay nor yet without horrible cruelty absurdity and non-sense For as much as it is no lesse then non-sensicalnesse absurdity meer mockage and cruelty for a Prince to say to a condemned helplesse Malefactor that is lock'd up in chains ready to be led away to execution without affording him sufficient help so to do and with much threatening of so much the worse torture and pain in his death if he do it not â— would not at all that thou shouldst dye chuse rather to live shake off thy chains run from thy Guard that leads thee save thy self and here is a Pardon for thee but if thou dost not take this my counsel thou shalt be tenfold more severely executed Yea it is against the very nature of choice to lay two things before a man saying chuse which of these two thou wilt and yet leave him under a necessity of taking the worst and put him into no possibility of taking the other but rather lay it utterly out of his reach so that he must needs have the worst or neither such choice as the Proverb is is no other then Hobson's choice which is chuse whether thou wilt have this or none But it is certain that God speaks in such wise as aforesaid by his Ministers to men and it cannot be denyed by your selves unless you deny your own Doctrine for ye usually preach so in his Name to all men yea could the whole World to use T. Ds phrase in his Ep. 2 Pamph. be brought in the reach of your voices ye would offer Salvation to them All as much as ye seem to your selves to know that God intends it only to a Few and would say We as Ambassadours from God set life and death before you Chuse life that ye may live God would not have you die Why will you die Work out your own salvation though ye falsly believe he hath wrought but in a few a sufficient Light Grace and Power to will and de what ye calls them to turn your selves and live here is plenteous Redemption for you else if ye do not this call warning tender fair proffer shall be to you but the sorer condemnation And yet God neither is non-sensicall nor absurd nor cruell nor a mocker of men in their misery by his Ministers till they have utterly set at nought all his councel and finally rejected his reproof Therefore God hath undoubtedly vouchsafed a measure of his saving Grace and Power and a light sufficient to lead them to life if they use well improve they follow â—hat Eight Power and Grace to all and every man 3. If God have not sufficiently and savingly enlightned and impowred all and every man everywhere by such measure of that Grace of his as may lead and enable them to act that Repentance which is to Life and Salvation but some few only i.e. the Elect which according to your Principles too are scarce one of a thousand in the world then he not only requires and commands utter impossibilities from most men but also judges and punishes them most severely yea eternally for the not doing of that in their own persons which he knows they neither can nor in their own persons ever could do for asmuch as sub poena Iudicii on pain of Iudgement and Condemnation at the great day of it by Christ he now at least commandeth all men saith Paul Acts 17â— 30 31. even everywhere to repent and yet he knows that without him and his Grace they can do nothing all their sufficiency to will and to do good must come from him and that his Grace which in the least measure of it is sufficient for them and that he gath given but to very few though he requires of them that have it not to do what they only can do that have it and to give it to the most he never intends it But God does not command from most men though sinneâ—s utter impossibilities and require of them with such rigour as own pain of his doubling condemnation on them the doing of that in their own persons which he knows per se they neither can do nor ever could for this were utterly inconsistent with that tender Mercy exceeding great Love Bowels of compassion and true good Will which the Spirit every where declares God heares to all Mankind even in the Fall to the World even in its Enmity who proclaims Peace Reconciliation Good will towards Men An indefinite phrase aequivalent there to an universal incomparable
appear only to a few Besides your selves tell vs of a Common Grace which is vouchfased to All men But Friends a few words with you and to all you Followers and Fainers of this Fantastical piece of meer falsity not to say foolery who in the night while men sleep dream out this dark and Grace-darkning Doctrine of Divinity which with the abundance of Absurdities and Confusions that are concatenated to it make up such an incredible kind of Creed such a Braky messe of Belief such a Labâ—rynth of lightlesse Literature such a Wilderness of wondrous Wisdome as no wise men nor any but such drunkards of Ephraim as lie like Briars and Thornes enfolded together in one false Faith that at last they may be consumed as stubble fully dâ—y can find any other then a winding way into nor when he is in any other way easily out of but that of the Spirit of God which searcheth and traceth out all the twinings and turnings of the Serpent upon his Rock Are you not yet ashamed the night being so far spent as it is in England and the day so nigh at hand to them that watch for it to appear upon the stage ye may well say not without a Blush as T.D. does before the world with such a Gospel of glad Tidings to it and all Mankind in it as this That God loves all mankind wills not unless they will the death of any of them nor of any sinners but had much rather they should turn from their wickedness and live and would have them all come to repentance and life and not any to perish but all to come to the acknowledgement of the Truth that in it unless they hate and turn from it and then his Justice and Wrath hath place to shew it self to so many persons they might be saved and hath sent Salvation among them in his Son the Light of the World and Word of Life not bolting or excluding any from it but such as put it away from them and thereby judge themselves unworthy of eternal Life and Bath so loved the World as to send his only Son into it to such as were else lost and likely else to perish not to condemn them further but to save them even qua sic as lost so consequently all men quatenus ipsum ever including de omni from condemnation or that alias to that end intent or purpose that unlesse against his honest true sincere wishing and woulding otherwise they needs will they might not perish but have everlasting life and so loved men also as to send his Messengers among them to make universal Proclamations of his large love to all mankind and in his name to publish glad Tidings of great Ioy even to All people and the good will of God toward men An indefinit phrase in a necessary matter equivalent to an universal and to call to every one that will to take of the water of life freely without exception of any positively personally or nominatim who exclude not themselves by their own personal unbelief of his Love to them and refusal to come and without accounting any unworthy of his Supper but such as come not when call'd and put not on the wedding Garment which renders them as taking away all their sins guilt and filth beloved accepted pure and justified in his sight as well as fit and meet to come into his holy presence as by their own righteousnesse that they work and not Christ in them they are not any more then by unclean things dung losse and filthy rags and send out Hue and Cry also to summon all in to himself and blown a Trumpet too even to All people to come and welcome promising to the removing of all obstacles and and objects of discouragement and giving good ground of hope to every man that there is mercy with God for him whatever his sins have been if he come in time before the dore be shut and while God calls and woes and knocks at the dore of his own heart within by the motions of his Spirit that he will receive all comers and though they have râ—n a whoring from him after many other Lovers and few men will receive their wives again that so do yet returning he will receive them so that whoever comes to him he will in no wise cast out but as he hath sent his Son a Propitization for the sins of the whole World and provided plenteous Redemption and purchased Salvation by his blood sufficient for them All so that he is able to save to the uttermost and will too effectually All that come to God by him and that it is his will they should All come also and reveals and publishes it as his will too expostulating very angrily with all men too for despising the riches of his Grace for not being led to repentance in the day of his long-suffering and salvation by his goodness telling them he waits upon them that he might be gracious to them saying O that thou wouldst hearken to me that thy peace might be as a River wilt thou not be made clean for thus cry out Clergy to All people where they preach when shall it once be Why will ye die people I have no pleasure in it that ye should and if any do I delight not in the death of him that doth but that he will and there is no remedy unless I alter my unchangeable will as I will not for mans wills sake fith I have done so much for him already that he may be saved unless he chuse to perish which will of mine is that the soul that sins and turns not from his wickedness that he may live shall die for ever and the very wicked turning from his wickedness and doing right shall not die nor yet have his sins mentioned unlesse he turn back from his righteousnesse into sin again and then be must die and though I forgave him before yet he taking his fellow servant by the throat after I must lay him up for the whole debt Wherefore why why will ye die turn turn your selves and live and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for I have done my part a friends part towards you I have wrought in you both to will and to do of my free grace of my good pleasure it wants but your putting that into act which I of my free Grace have put into your power and your willing and doing accordingly and your getting up and trading with your Talent and turning to the light that I have entrusted you with and reprove your evil deeds by will ye alwayes resist my holy Spirit when it moves in your hearts and be stiffe-necked and stubborn Turn yon at my reproof though ye are fools scorners delighting in scorning and I will pour out my Spirit upon you and make known my words to you if not as I call and ye refuse so the time will be ye shall cry and I will not bear you because ye
did not chuse the fear of the Lord would none of my counsel set at naught all my reproof which otherwise you should have found to have been the way of life I am in Christ reconciling the world to my self not imputing trespasses and I have sent out a Ministry to declare this my Reconciliation to the world as concerning all that 's past if they now do not 〈…〉 and abide in enmity I am friends unless they will needs fight on and fight it out with me to the last and then they will have the worst 〈◊〉 I have made him sin that knew none that they might be righteousness who are yet in their sins I have given him a Ransome for All and he hath offered himself and died for All that were dead in their sins and tasted death for every man Now then hear my Embassadors that pray you without as in my Sons stead who also himself by his Spirit strives with you to the same end within that ye would be reconciled to God and having those promises and received so much Grace as brings Salvation with it to such as despise it not receive not this precious Grace of God in vain but â—korse your selves from all uncleanness of 〈◊〉 spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God I have draâ—n you with the cords of my love ye will perish if ye refuse to return I say are ye not ashamed to go out as from God in whose name yet I am sure ye never went with the Doctrines that here under follow to publish to all people as Ambassadors from him his so large love and the great and wonderful things that he doth for the whole Creation of mankind saying What can he do more for you People the he doth unless you will have him violate his own unchangeable will for your sakes and save sinners in sin which he hath decreed never to do as irrevocably as he hath never to refuse such as come to him when he calls and hath enabled them thereunto And yet after all this good news glad tidings to the whole world offers of a Gospel of Salvation to all people as far as ye are able to proclaim them then to come in with such cold comfort again upon them as this and put such a Bit into peoples Iaws and bridle on their mouths â—â—nsing them to erre so as to go Round and tell them that of a truth and for truth they must take it from them and believe it as an Article of their Faith as Oâ—bâ—dox Doctrine that they are Heretical if they deny it viz. that though ye thus largely tender and offer Salvation from God to them All without exception on condition they come and so that if they come they shall be accepted and there 's Grace Mercy a Saviour and Salvation for them in Christ in whom they are All to believe even every mothers child of them for himself that it s there for him that he died for him and is his Saviour which is the only good news to individuals and to the universal world of mankind also for it s no glad tidings to a thousand to one in the World to hear that Christ will save some one of a thousand among them and damn All the rest or All the rest he is preached to doubly by his coming into it because they believe not in him who yet was never given for them and this on pain of double condemnation And though ye reveal this to them as the Will of God yet there 's no such matter of Vniversal Love or Salvation intended to them All as ye tender extend talk of proclaim and offer from God to them All but his Will in secret is otherwise then ye say these proffers are to another purpose then to this intent that they All or half of them either or any but a very few of them should have it even but to leave men the more in sorer condemnation though ye bid All come and welcome yet All can't come nay none without God who calls give his Saving Grace that 's true enough and most can never come for want of that Saving Grace for want of a sufficient Light to lead them which Grace and Light they want also upon no other account then because God never did nor never intends to vouchsafe it them and that he hath a reserve in his mind a certain secret will within himself not known to man which runs otherwise then his revealed wil does that ye declare even a secret purpos which yet as secret as 't is ye it seems pretend to know it and must be babling about it to the shaming and contradicting your selves i th' t'other even to give this Salvation but to a certain small number in comparison of the rest whom from Eternity he hath Reprobated and purposed personally upon Adams score shall go without it which sin of that single man shall so remain on the score with him for ever that upon the account thereof a thousand to one of mankind his posterity though yet he would in words shew himself more rich in mercy to them All then severe to take advantage against any â—o as to have it told thus in universal terms that his Son died for them All for every man the whole world c. should be left without any interest or share in it or potential title thereunto and howbeit he will have them all call'd to come and lay hold on it and promises made of Life to them on condition they come and believe in his Son and his love to them in him yet he so hates them personally before ever born or doing good or evil that they shall never from him be sufficiently impowered to come or believe as he could impower them if he so pleased nor be put into any capacity by him to châ—se the Life though set before them as well as the death with a chuse life that ye may live but be left for want of a will set at any liberty to chuse the good under a necessity of having the evil and to chuse either that or none and yet if they do not chuse the good too that advantage shall be taken the more against them to double vengeance on their heads for that helpless unavoidable fault of refusing the good and a quarrel picâ—t against them upon the account of the old intended praeterition and so double execution be done upon them now as rebellious against the Gospel of Gods Grace whereby he would in words alias seemingly though secretly he never would nor intended it have saved them and for not believing in his Son as theirs when yet he left them lockt up when he call'd on them to believe so fast that he knew they could not answer and would not so much as unâ—o se them neither to see if they would accept his love believe repent and make use of the remedy yea or nay in whom also if they had All believed most of them had as the case
offer us and tender and not intend at all but conditionally of mens standing or falling rejecting or receiving when he has put them into an Equilibrio for either may be one way or another this or that so or so and yet Gods absolute Decree stand inviolable unalterable â—ut Alibi as namely Adam when he was stated fâ—â—m God upright as a stick may be set upright by a man resolving which way it falls it shall lie either in mire or on fair ground had posse peccare posse non God left him to his choice intending as to the man conditionally that if he fin'd he should die if not live and should have love or hatred from him according as he did but as to the two states of sinning or standing â—â— is Decree was absolutely unalterably thus viz. tthat the Life should be the reward of the standing and the Curse the reward of the sinning happiness and blessing he felt in the one way oe and wrath and misery in the other so is the Election and Reprobation of God not absolute but conditional only as to persons but absolutely without condition and inalterable as unto stares things wayes actions good or bad wickedness or righteousnesse so that in the way of righteousness he hath absolutely intended Life shall be enjoyed and in the path way thereof no death to any as found therein and as absolutely that the way of the wicked or of wickedness and ungodliness shall perish and they in it that forsake it not that the seed of the Serpent shall be bruised Satan and all that serves him as so and the seed of the woman only blessed But now as to persons his Decree and intent is truly â—â— his proffer iâ— i.e. universally and conditionally to all that as they do they shall havâ—â— as they sow reap corruption or life the seed is they serve and are one with their portion shall be as the way is they chuse finally to walk in of good and evil truth or deceit light or darkness life or death which are both set before them so their end shall be without change because though he would have all persons chuse life that they may live yet so as leaving them to their choice yet to this way he hath everlastingly intailed the Blessing to that the Curse without alteration for ever ut alibi t Wayes are absolutely approved or reprobated Men only conditionally as chusing the wayes either approved or reproved so that while ye say God proffers conditionally only to all but intends absolutely that one of a thousand shall not have the benefit of the Salvation besides the mockage that is in that offer he cuts the throat of all that comfort that is or can be conceived by it and is also a flat contradiction to say God offers Salvation to all which is as much as to say pretends himself willing that all truly should have it and yet to say also as T.D. does that God does not pretend to intend the benefit offered to all to whom it is offered for however ye say falssy that he in himself really intends it not to all yet this is true that so long as he proffers it to all he pretends thereby to intend it to all to whom it is offered or else ye run on a much more sleeveless errand then before viz. pretending that to men which yet ye say your selves for all your offering it in his name and pretending to offer it as from God God neither intends nor yet so much as pretends they all shall have it to whom ye offer it which err and God never sent you on but ye run on your own heads with your heels upwards to the work of preaching the Gospel and so no marvell that ye turn it upside-down That God intends not Salvation to all to whom it is offered and yet though he offers it saying Look to me and he saved my hand is not shortened that is cannot save nor my eare heavy that it cannot hear if your sins separate not good from you as I live I would not have any of you perish I would have all saved and know the Truth and come to Repentance and Life I have sent my Son that alias to that intent ye should not be condemned but saved And yet thereby to say he pretends not to intend it as if all his fair proffers are not only without any intent to save or do as he sayes he is willing to do if we be not wanting but as willing but also not so much as Tantamount to apnetence of such a thing is such a mess of Propositions as by which the Propounder thereof little lesse then pretends to intend to proclaim himself â—â— self-confounder before the whole world Yet this is T.D. prittle praâ—le in his parcell I am yet in hand with whose deep Divinity in it I shall take notice of yet a little more as follows T. D. I do not affirm God offers it to all men for many Ages and Generations never had one proffer 1 Tim. 3. last Rep. The mere shame for thee that thou deniest it to the damning of All men in All Ages before the time of Christs appearance in that flesh that died at Ierusalem as thy quoting that intimates Was the Gospel of Salvation because more clearly offered as to the promulgation then not at all offered before was it because now more revealed then so hidden as not at all revealed to any Ages above what abominable grossnesse is here had not All the Iews and some Gentiles as Ninivee by Ionah the Gospel preached to them as well as to us though to us more plainly but that they believed it not That very Text also sayes God was manifest in the Flesh was justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached in the Gentiles En Ethnesin believe on in the World received up into Glory Was the preaching of the Gospel En Pase Te Kâ—sei En Ethnesin in the Gentiles in every Creature though a Mystery I confess and so to you at this day never manifested in any man or in any measure at all before T. D. But I do affirm it s offered to more then intended Rep. Then as R. H. said the proffer is to little purpose T. D. Yea 't is to some purpose too as the Light is given i.e. to leave men without excuse Rep. A cold piece of comfortless glad Tidings a Gospelless-Gospel a Merciless-Mercy to the sâ—nfâ—l World that is given not to save but to this purpose and intent further to condemn most of them to leave them without excuse as thou sayest and thy three fellows also yet I shall shew by and by does not as ye hold it leave them without excuse neither a Truth that if it were so as thou sayest it only were a belying of God as R.H. truly told thee T. D. No for he pretends not to intend it to all to whom its offered the election obtains it the rest are blinded and beside he offers it on
perceive saith Peter Act. 10. 34. 35. and he who is not blinded may perceive it also that God is now no respecter of Nations one above another nor of persons in the Nations so as to give his Statutes Judgements Laws Rule and saving means of Life if the Letter were so to one Nation or Person and not in any measure to another but in every Nation he that feareth God whose fear is to depart from what evil his Light in the conscience makes manifest and worketh righteousness which none do who live not by that and all do who live by it for sin is no other then the transgression of that Law which is the Light is accepted with him Arg. 14. Again let me argue with thee I. O. out of thy own words if others will not answer affirmatively and assent to this as truth yet thou I. O. must who asserts it for truth thy self for this Argument in â—oâ—idem verbis is no other then thine own for with reference to Ioh. 1.9 the very place that we argue the self-same from thou thy self though intentionally against us yet unawares really arguest for us on this wife viz. The Light and Illumination mentioned in this place Ioh. 1.9 are Spiritual without all controversie and pertaining to the Regeneration by Grace not Natural and so pertaining to the Creation for in the same sense in which men are said to be darkness are they said to be enlightned else the Apostles speech would be aequivocal but men are not said onely Spiritually but universally also to be darkness therefore are they by Christ not spiritually only but universally also enlightned And as Contrariorum eadem est ratio so Contrariorum contraria est ratio not only in the same sense in some respects but also in other respects in the very contrary sense to that wherein men are darkned by the Devil are they enlightned by Christ but All mankind is not only spiritually and universally but also damnably darkned by the Devil therefore mankind is not only spiritually and universally but also savingly enlightned by Christ. From what hath been said and shewed above then I affirm that the Grace and Light in the conscience which in some measure or other is from God and Christ given in common to All men is not only universal but saving and though most are by it no more then accused reproved condemned and left without excuse and not â—astified nor saved yet there wants not sufficiency in it to save and that men are not saved but mostly condemned by it 't is only because they answer not the Mind of God revealed in it but love the darkness more then it which they hate to come to as Christ saves because their deeds are evill whereas did they but glorifie him answerably to what he requires of them who noâ— exacts nor expects from any the doing more of his Mind and Will then what he one time or other manifesteth to them to be his Will concerning them in their own consciences they should not be without excuse nor stand condemned in Gods sight but be accepted justified and saved from the wrath which comes only on the Children of disobedience it being the Power of God as sufficient to the excuse and Salvation of those from sin and wrath that obey the measure of it in themselves as to subject those to accusation rejection judgement wrath and condemnation that rebel against it To all the abovesaid Arguments therefore I shall subject this one after the prosecution of which in proof of the sufficiency of that Light to save which is given in common to All men I shall take some notice of R. Bs. and I. Ts. arguings to the contrary Arg. 15. That Light which rebel'd against 〈◊〉 sufficient to accuse and condemn and render a man guilty reprobate or reproved is if obeyed sufficient to excuse clear justifie save from condemnation and render approved But the Light in all is sufficient to condemn all that rebell against it therefore to save as abovesaid such as obey it The Minor is your own the Major I shall proceed in proof of And here since I am so neer it I shall take occasion to refell that foolish conceit and dream of our Divines in which both thou T. D. I. O. I. T. R. B. are all Four found for in most of this main matter of the light ye run parallel and are coincident except now and then a crosse whet each to other concerning the non-sufficiency of the Light to save however improved though yielded to be sufficient to leave excuselesse and condemn for here ye dance between these two Stages still in your stickles with the Qua. against the Light cutting capers to and fro with your legs acrosse and sliding out of one fâ—orry shift into another when they tell you the true Light of God which is but one and that not natural but supernatural though in never so many different degrees in mens hearts is common to All ye yield for ye cannot stand against it that it is so but then it is not saving when they prove it saving ye yield it is saving but then not common which that it is both I have shewed above against you All some words only here as to that absurdity it is sufficient to leave man inexcusable if not obeyed and to condemn him but not to save justifie or render him accepted if obeyed That the whole body of the Gentiles are enlightened and that by Christ thou T. D. dost sometimes confess in Terminis as I have shewed above though at other times thou denyest it but thou addest p. 3. 1 Pamp. not by Christ with the knowledge of salvation alias secundaunte with a light sufficient to save Salvation is of the Iews i.e. among such as have the letter only and by the law of the letter without I speak but thy sense p. 3. 1 Pamp. I. O. also denies this same light however attended to to be sufficient to bring to justification of life or salvation that still he ascribes to his only all sufficient Greek and Hebrew Text and outward Scriptures Ex. 4. S. 17. Lumen hoc utcunque ei attendatur non est ullo respectu salutare sed in rebus omnbius divinis finem ultimum quod attinet mera tenebra caeâ—itas So S. 20. Sufficientiam quidem habet ad Antapologesian ad salutem non-item This Light indeed is sufficient to accuse and condemn but not so to save So T. D. again p. 40.1 Pamp. natural light so ye call it still is to this purpose to leave men without excuse Rom. 1.20 so that they cannot say as we suppose the Heathens might Had we known of a remedy for our misery we would have used it But as for salvation many Ages and Generations neuer had one offer of it and among those who hear the Gospel it is offered to more then it is intended R. B. and I. T. say the same p. 40. The Gentiles light by Nature so
durst not presume to walk by our sense of but to take as interpreted by our Textmen and Churchmen have let us into thy joy And whereas thou swearest thou wouldst not have had us died but much rather lived if we would had we but known indeed as we never did sith we were told that was Free-will a most fearful damnable doctrine that we had had but Arbitrium Liberatum a freed will vouchsafed us from thee whereby to chuse life when life and death was set before us or but a power wrought in us from thee to have will'd and done what thou requiredst we might happily have chosen Life and have come and to turn'd thee then we had either turned to thee or else been utterly inexcusable we confess and thy wayes had been as equal as thou sayest they are and our blood had been altogether on our own heads and our destruction of our selves alone had there been but any of that sufficient help that is in thee vouchsafed to us from thee it would habe been tryed then whether we would have turned to thee or no But alas Lord thou know'st we were told and we thought it our duty on pain of damnation to take all for truth that our Church-men and School-men and learned Doctors and well read men in the Scriptures and Unviersity-made Minister told us that all men had not and that few have so much as sufficient Light or power at all to will or do or think good communicated to them from thee we know indeed that without thee nothing can be done and that all mans sufficiency to good must come from thee But now thou queriest of us why we did not do thy will and wilt judge us for the neglect of it we beseech thee Lord consider and pity us we never knew yee that we were under power and possibility form the most and best and greatest measure of ability Grance and Light given to us to know or do that will thou now art going to require with vengeance the violation of at our hands for if it were so as some said indeed viz. the Qua. seeming also to bring Scripture for it that we and all men have or had though nâ—ne of our selves yet some and so much in our selves of it as we should have stood justified accepted uncondemned in improving and not have had that sin thou sayest we have now no cloak for had we known it we hope we should have done according to it but being out of hope of having strength to overcome we sate still in diâ—couragement and despair for our Ministers told us the Qua. were lyar's and seducers not to be believed and their doctrine damuable ouâ— Ministers belyed thee to us as a hard Master reaping where thou hast not sowed and gathering where thou hast not strawed and requiring that of us even that we should turn to thee and live which thou as they say dost not enable by Light and Grace enough or suitable thereto scarce one of a thousand and so we were disheartned from trading with the talent we had and hid and laid it not out as believing we had as good do nothing at all as nothing to the purpose and upon many more such like considerations as there seeing we were but-mocked by our Ministers telling us of Life and tendring it to us yet telling us as their faith and as that which must be ours that it belongs but to few and that this was thy Secret Will whatever thy Revealed Will was they profested also to be men acquainted with thy secrets we gave our selves over to security to eat and drink and do no good and satisfie our wills in evil for let us do better or worse or the best and most which the best and most of any of us Reprobates could do we saw we could but die and if we happened not to be of the few Elected on es to life that are ordain'd to be brought to it some time or other as a thousand to one we saw we were not we must unavoidably die and perish without hope or remedy From such evil communications of our Clergy which corrupted good manners concluding that we could do no good without thee and had no grace to do good given us from thee we said Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we diâ— therefore let us be excused Lord and held guiltless the rather because we were in ignorance and unbelief of this truth that we could do ought towards our own Salvation by any power or measure of sufficient grace imparted to us from thy self or at least shew us mercy as thou didst to Paul who obtained it of thee that in him thou mightest shew forth an example of thy long-suffering goodness and patience to poor sinners in â—ime to come even to aâ—l that ever should live ungodly 1 Tim. 1. for as he so we seeing our Teachers traduced us so to think of the Qua. that now we find hold the truth suppâ—sed innocently or as least ignorantly that they were Enemies to God Christ Scriptures Word of God Righteousness of Christ Iustification by him alone seduced and seducres and the vilest persons on earth and so thought verily that we did thee service in persecuting killing stoning stocking mocking haling them out of Synagogues and into prisons little deeming what we now see that men are not accepted and condemned the more for not knowing so much as our Professors tell us of this and that notion of doctrine and point of Divinity in the head as for not doing that be it little or more that is already made known with all the heart and that had we done thy will but so far as ' â—is made known we as Christ said indeed should have known more and more of the different doctrines that were which were of God and which men for meer money and maintenance flesh and livelihoods sake taught only of themselves I say may not the Reprobates even in these Nations so plead and can the Light and Grace of God given and tendred to them leave them without excuse at all if it be not at all sufficient if never so well improved to lead them to Life and Salvation Can the Law in their hearts accuse them doing ill and not justifie them doing well Will it kill them if they break it and kill them if they obey it also but how much more excuse the poor Ethnicks as ye call them that have nothing but that Light within of Nature as ye term it which ye your selves sometimes seem to confess and say excused them as T. D. page 40. We may suppose the heathen might say had we known of a remedy we would have made use of it yea thou deniest not T. D. nor do any of you but that the work of the Law written in the hearts of All is accusing and excusing and that the said Law within is sufficient to both these I. O. page 43. owns the same saying that by the Light within the Heathens thoughts excuse
to this purpose viz. that Paul Phil. 3.12 Denyes any such perfection as is exclusive of sin till that last and bodily resurrection from the dead which he looks not for in this life which answer he is so in love with that he hath it in his 1st pamp p. 10. and also ore again in his 2d Pamp. p. 6. Rep. I shall answer that no other wise then out of T. D's own mouth who as I am as to my self credibly enough inform'd by A. P. in a meeting among many at Sandwich since those publike disputes we had since the edition of both his books being 〈◊〉 the precise time wherein perfect purging is answered when the Soul being passed out of the body is in its passage between here and heaven or to that purpose which is but so and no somer must then be before the resurrection he talks of and if he will not be convinced by his own words that sin is excluded before the resurrection much lesse is it likely he should believe any of mine Adding this however viz. That if ye lye down in your graves with your bones full of sin ye shall rise with them full of sorrow was wont to be the Priests argument to the people to perswade them to a purging from all sin before they dye because no purging to be lookt after death much lesse so long of after as at the resurrection Verbum sat sapienti The next answer of T.D. is to the Argument urged from Psal. 119.1 2 3. which he who renders all we said as weakly lamely and decrepidly as he possiâ—ly can for his own ends repeats not half so much as by the halves for I wisht him him to heed all the 3. verses which were then peraphras'd to him and argued fâ—â—m in such wise as followeth viz. they that are undefiled in the way are not defiled in the way they that walk in the Law of the Lord do not transgresse it they that keep his Testimonies do not break them they that seek him with their whole heart serve him not by the halves not him and sin but him alone and wholly they that done iniquity do not sin they that walk in his way do not walk besides it but there were some or else they could not be pronounced blessed for the Spirit blesses not such men as are not and such now may be for quod fieri potuir potest what was then is possible to be now who are undefiled in the way walk in the Law of the Lord that keep his Testimonies and seek him with their whole heart who do no iniquity and walk in his way Therefore 't is possible that the Saints may be freed from sinning in this life The summe of what T. D. Replyes to all this is that the Phrases are hyperbolicall which is a little better at least but how much I list not here to tell then if T.D. had said they are hypocriticall or as his wonted replyes are when he can find no better as I have shewed above the meaning of the words cannot be as the letter of them doth import the Spirit meanes not as he sayes the Spirits meaning may be mistaken when his words are taken in the most ordinary liter all sense and so it would be if undefiled and doing no iniquity should be meant truely of being undefiled and doing none iniquity indeed p. 11. 1. Pamp. It s meant of having respect to all Gods Commandements in respect of design and endeavour though falling short in accomplishment v. 6. being explanatory of the other Rep. Oh the impudency of this man what have we for all this he sayes against the plain literall sense of the Spirits words whereby to assure us that the Spirit means not as his own words import but onely in that shambling sense which T. D. shuffles them into whose words must be taken T. D's or Davids and the Spirits the very literall sense of which is exclusive of all sin and defilement and strictly expressive of doing no iniquity at all who that is born of God doth not see T. D. to be a strict pleader for loosenesse and endeavourer to uphold the Dâ—vills Kingdom the Spirit pronounces them blessed and no more in whose whose Spirit there is no guilt that do no iniquity walk in in Gods way and keep his Testimonies or Commandements T. D. will bring in a bastard brood into this blessednesse that faâ—l short in the accomplishment of this that must be supposed at least to be ever respecting designing and endeavouring to do that businesse which yet notwithstanding all their respects designes and endeavours they are to believe they must never do it being not possible to be done they must alwayes dwell at the sign of the Labour in Vain and be striving to wash the Blak-More white and alwayes roling Sysiphus's Stone ever purifying never pure ever mortifying their earthly members fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection to the world evill concupiscence covetousnesse Idolatry Anger Wrath Lying Filthy Communication but never while they live obtain to witnesse these so mortifyed as to be no more committed least such an absurdity as this should follow that the Scripture which I confesse is found contradicting these meaning-makers on it be found contradictory to it self for quoth T. D. p. 59. 2 Pamp. all the Scriptures which require repentance and mortification during this life do deny the possibility of perfection For they and it are incompatible We are bid quoth he to mortify our earthly members inordinate desires motions and actions of corrupt â—nature that is constantly endeavour to represse and subdue them And there 's no reason but that Gods Commands should run in that old stile though we are not able to fulfill them Rep. Of all the peices of proof against the possibility of perfection that ever I heard made by T. D. himself or any other This is the most monstrously rediculous draw this rude and crude matter into its own form and the force of it runs ihus That which God requires and commands us to be alwayes doing and constantly endeavouring to do during this life can never possibly be done or effected during this life for if it be once fully done effected and accomplished then we can't be alwayes doing it and so not obey what God requires But God requires we should be alwayes mortifying constantly endeavouring to represse and subdue the actions of corrupt nature during this life Therefore its impossible unlesse we be left uncapable of doing what God requires that we should in this life perfectly mortify and subdue them In short that which must be ever in fieri while we live can't be in facto esse till we dy but we are in fieri to be alwayes purifying our selves while we live Therefore least there be no more work of that kind for us to do we may not lawfully or cannot possibly be pure till we ay Rep. This is even as handâ—ome a shift as if a Debtor promising to owe endeavour
army of Samaria and said What do these feeble Iews will they fortifie themselves will they sacrifice will they make an end in a day will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish which are burnt But it came to passe that when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Ierusalem were made up and that the breaches began to be stopped then they were very wroth And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Ierusalem and to hinder it And our adversaries said they shall not know neither see till we come in the midst among them and slay them and cause the work to cease Then call they out for the help of Prisons and punishments cruel mockings and scourgings Pillorings gaggings draggings before Rulers accusations to Magistrates condemnings at Iudgement-seats cutting off ears slitting noses fines confiscations stockings stonings beatings buffetings brandings Borings Banishings Hangings Burnings as men no more fit to live among men nor on the earth of such as conforme not to their conceits as fall not down before what ever Golden Image they set up then the Priests and Prophets like those Mic. 3. that cryed Peace Peace begin to bite with their Teeth and to prepare War against all whose consciences cannot own them as their own and Christs Ministers so as to put into their Mouths then away with all such fellowes from their Families to Courts and Consistoryes holes and dungeons haile them from their houses tear them and theirs to pieces for our Tithes spoile and make havock of their Goods let their Relations perish and beg their bread let their children be fatherlesse and their wives widows This and the like Divinity is divined out from among the Divines to the contradicting of themselves as to that doctrine of liberty of conscience they were most devoted to while they remain sufferers under one another Witnesse as I said the sad sufferings of several of Truths truest friends not only to bloody whippings beatings banishments and bonds but also to the Death of their bodyes by hanging in New-England of late who had not long since fled out of Old-England for their conscience sake and for fear comparatively to their own fearful fleaings of Christs flock of but a few Flea-bitings by the Bishops witnesse also what I. O. himself an High-Priest who soon forgot that ere he was Clark not only did in his Vicechancellorship but also would have had done had he had his own will who when by his loudnesse for it he had got not only a liberty for his conscience to very loosenesse and licentiousnesse but also a large livelihood for his own carkasse not only many other wayes abused the Qua who disturbed nothing but that in every one that will be destroyed but also in the place aforesaid Exer 3. S. 39. bespeaks the whole world on behalfe of that innocent people for nothing but teaching that innocent doctrine of freedom from all sin perfecting holinesse in this life which T.D. and T. Rumsy also wish as well to as to any doctrine of devâ—ls by which name they also call it to this tune Fanaticos non esse perfectos testimonio sunt illorum mendaâ—ia fraudes scelera hypocrisis iis vero qui immunes se esse ab his omnibus aliisque peâ—catis vel levissimis impudenter gloriantur punitiones et incarcerationes quas Akatastasia sua sibi ultro accersunt esse debeant That the Qua are not perfect their lyes frauds hainous crimes and hypocrisies do testifie to us but to them who impudently glory so indeed the Qua do not but assert that freedom attainable that they are free from all these and other sins even the least the more purity it seemsmen come to the more to be punisht with him punishments and Prisons which by their tumultuousnesse such as that of Paul and other Apostles 2 Cor. 7. were proved to be Christs Ministers by they voluntarily pull on themselves as the Saints and Christ ever did by exposing themselves to their malice for mens souls sakes ought to be for which wickednesse of working wishing that evil to others which they would not when they were under others willingly have done to theselves hath the Lord who avengeth the cause of his poor people who had rather suffer persecution ever then either act it themselves or wish that any for meer conscience though blinded should suffer by it yea God who judgeth all truly according to their own false judgement of others justly meteth out to that hypocriticall generation that with Capernaum clim'b up to Heaven in Forms and fair words and fine shews but are now brought down to Hell the same measure they meted to his people and will I doubt not in due time except they yet repent do the like to those holy hypocrites of New-England And let those Priests who have now the preheminence take heed of pushing too hard against the pricks is my desire to them for their own souls who are every way concerned to be wary of that wonted way of wearing out wearying and worrying of Christs little flock for not feeding and cloathing with their Fleeces such Shepheards as do not feed them And that the King and all the Powers that subordinately act under Him may so far know in this their day what makes for their externall internall and eternal peace as not to be found fighters against God nor to touch those anointed ones for whose sakes God hath of old and will again rebuke great Kings and Nations whose true intent is not to use any carnal weapons against any but to let his Prophets Lambs and Little ones alone to live a peaceable and quiet life under them in all godlinesse and honesty As 't is the best good I can so 't is the worst hurt I do wish to him and them For of a truth the Lord himself is risen up for the help of his own seed against all that slayes it and if they hearken to the hasty hue and cry of such Priests as cry out to them for help against his Saints when the Lord ariseth once more against the house of the evil-doers and against the help of them that work iniquity and stretcheth out his hand again as undoubtedly he will do to deliver his ransomed ones that are found in innocency toward the King and all men both he that helpeth shall fall and he that is holpen shall fall and they shall all fail together of their expected ends and aim to root out the seed of Israel for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it Isa. 31.2 3. Be wise now therefore O King be instructed O ye Iudges of this English Nation serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce before him in this day wherein he hath lifted up your heads with trembling Oppose him not by your interpositions and impositions in his own Court which is the Conscience for let Heathenish people rage and imagine