Acts 10. 34. where Peter saith of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons Sixthly where thou sayest there is no absolute decree of Election and reprobation from Eternity and sayest see a late Confession of Faith by Burroughs To this I say there is no such position in his confession of faith as thou here hath asserted but that we do believe that their is a state of Election and Reprobation as is there confest and faithfully acknowledged Seaventhly thou sayest that the Scriptures are not the Rule this is charged upon them by the Ministers of New-Castle as thou sayest To this I say as many as are begotten of the immortal seed to a lively hope by the word of God which abides for ever are his sons and children and such are led by the Spirit of God and it is their rule and not the letter Rom. 8. 14. and yet such are not Papists nor to be parallel'd with Bellarmine who shews the Scriptures are not necessary for they acknowledge that they are necessary that the man of God may be perfect and throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 17. Eighthly thou compares us to the papists for saying the baptisme of Infants is not to be proved by the Scripture and quotes Bellarmine for calling it a tradition that 's no where written To this I say though we are no Papists yet I believe that Bellarmine confesses in this thing more truth than thou for it is very like it is a tradition which in its beginning was instituted by the Papists Church yet however this I am sure of that it is not recorded in the Scriptures of truth that ever God commanded it or any of his Ministers whom he sent forth practiced it therefore the Papist and thou that preaches it up as an ordinance of God is required to prove if you can when God ordained it or any of his Apostles practiced it and if you cannot Confess you have taught for ordinances mens traditions and seeing the Papists do confesse it is a tradition well may you Protestants doe the same for you had the practice of sprinkling Infants from them and in this you have drunk the whores cup. Ninethly whereas thou sayest that one day of seaven which we call the Lords day is no more than any other day and that it is without divine Authority To this I say further there is no command of God in the Scriptures for observing the first day of the week as a Sabboth of rest by ceasing from all bodyly labour of man servant or maid servant cattle and stranger that is within our gates as there was a command of God to the Jewes to observe the seaventh day and keep it holy to the Lord for a Sabboth of rest to them their sons and daughters man-servants and maid-servant cattel and stranger that was within their gates which Sabboth unto them was a signe and thou further sayest we make it Tipecal in which thou compares us to Bellarmine which comparison is altogether unequal for though Bellarmine counted it Tipical yet we make it not Tipecal for it was the seaventh day and not the first day which we say was a signe and concerning the first day of the week if thou hold that it was commanded by divine Authority as the seaventh day once was when thou writes again shew when it was commanded and where the holy Scriptures testifies of any such Command Tenthly whereas thou sayest that we say the Lords Supper as administred in your Churches is nothing but a bit of bread and wine and that we speak scornfully of it To this I say when thou writes again I desire thee to shew us an example if thou canst where ever the Apostles and true Church mett together in a Steeple House or Idolls Temple and broke bread in such a form and manner among unconverted people as you do calling it the Lords Supper or a Sacrament but the Lords Supper which is so in truth we do freely own and whereas thou compares us with the Papists in saying we speak scornfully of that which you call the Lords Supper in this I say thy comparing of us with them is altogether unequal for we do not speak scornfully of it but where we see either the Papists or you in an error we do rather pitty you than scorn you and desires that you may be recovered out of all error and be saved in the day of the Lord yet we do despise and reject the vain traditions of men which is practised for the worship of God by you Eleventhly thou sayest that wee affirm that Protestants Ministers are no Ministers of Christ that we use the vilest Language against you that we can invent deny your call and say you came from Rome c. Answ If thou meanest by Protestant Ministers of such of you as seeks for your gain from your quarters and Preaches for hire and makes a bargain for so much a year these practices being the same as the false Prophets and Papists are in doth in some measure demonstrate that your begining was from Rome for no example can you shew for those practices aforementioned among all the Holy Prophets or Ministers of Christ that have been since the begining And whereas thou sayest that we use the vilest language that we can invent against you I Answer this is utterly false for no vile language do we use or invent against you but the language of truth telling you plainly without flattering of the evil of your wayes that you may repent and in thus doing we have the holy Prophets of old for our example Twelfly that we have the same spirit of Infallability that the Apostles had To this I say further both we and all Gods children who are of the little flock have the same Infallible Spirit according to its measure and manifestation which is given to every child of God to profit withall 1 Cor. 12. 7. and both thou and all that say they have it not but counts it Popery for any to confess they have it art so far from being a Minister of Christ that both thou and they that have it not are not yet of his flock for the Apostle saith plainly if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. and yet he was no Papist nor with them to be parallel'd no more are we that confesse we have the Spirit of Christ I having rightly stated and vindicated our doctrines against thy slanders and proved them by the holy Scriptures to be the wholesome and sound doctrines of the Gospel I shall go on to lay open and reply against thy slanders and falsities concerning us in which thou hast compared us with the Popish Monks but it had been more wisdome and more like a Minister of Christ to enquired truly into our practices before thou had given judgement upon us or have compared us to the Popish Monks in whose discipiline thou sayest we seem to be admirably
daies he said False Prophets should come and should arise and deceive many and the Apostle John he said in his time that there was then already many false Prophets gone out into the world and the world went after them and the false Prophets which Christ prophesied of should come in the last times the Apostles saw were already come and coming in their daies and it was then the last time 1 Joh. 4. and such were they as you may read that were covetous and taught for filthy lucre and through covetousness made merchandize of people and such were they that preached for hire such as these even Wolves in Sheeps cloathing Christ said should come and the Apostles saw were coming in even in their daies and abundance of such as these have over-spread the Christian Nations for many ages so it is not as though the false Prophets were but coming now for that Scripture signifies and plainly saith that the false Prophets and Antichrist did come in even in the Apostles daies and most of the Apostles themselves were Martyred and the Churches of Asia were running into Idolatry and back-sliding from the truth even before the Apostles decease and John in the Revelations he saw what was to come to pass that Power should be given to the Beast and to the Dragon the Devil over all Nations Kindreds and Tongues and that the Martyrs blood should be shed and the Witness slain and the Woman the true Church should fly into the Wilderness and that the Whore the false Church should cause all Nations even the Kings of the earth should drink the Whores Cup and Antichriâ—t should rule and Myâ—…ery Babylon as a Quean should sit upon Peoples Multitudes and Nations and the Saints Blood should be drunk by the false Church the Whore These things John saw was to come to pass in his time as you may read in the Revelations and since Johns daies within these sixteen hundred years we know they have been brought to pass and fulfilled so the present time is not now as though deceivers were but newly comed in for the Nations of the earth have long been deceived by Antichrist in sheeps cloathing and the Lord is now again gathering People from them so be not deceived in your hearts neither be ye ignorant concerning the times and seasons for its the time of the Womans returning out of the wilderness and she shall be adorned with the same gifts and parts that she had in the Apostles dayes and all shall walk in the light of the Lamb and the marriage of the Lamb shall come and the Devil shall be chained to deceive the Nations no more these things will the Lord bring to pass and we are hapned to be even in the beginning of this time of the Churches returning and the fulfilling Gods promises for the light of the Lord hath appeared and the everlasting Gospel must be preached again through the world and this is Gods promises as you may read in the Revelations Therefore be not ignorant but now consider and let the fear of God be in your hearts for the day of vengeance will suddenly come upon the ungodly and them that are not prepared but wants the Oyl in their own Lamps they shall be shut out and left in utter darkness therefore consider now you have time the day of the Lord is at hand And yet though great darkness hath been over the Nations yet the Lord had his people that is a few in every Nation some in every age that were sincere in their hearts did fear the Lord in Spirit and did desire after him and that were in a measure humble before him some such have been among Papists and Protestants in all ages who have according to their present time been zealous in their way towards God and such have been dear to the Lord at all times who sought after him and suffered for him for their present testimony against sin and iniquity as it was manifest to them and such sincerity of heart in any we never have judged Though we say as for the matter of Government Discipline or Ordinances and as for Ministry the Call to it and maintenance of it all this both among Papists and Protestants of all sorts for the generality of it hath been wholly Antichristian Their Church Government Ordinances Worship their Ministry its Call its Maintenance hath been Antichristian and not according to the example of the Apostles And this we judge even by the Spirit of the Lord Though the sincerity in no man nor amongst any sort of people do we judge yet the constitution of Churches and the Worship and Ordinances and Ministry as it hath stood for many ages both among Papists and Protestants we do judge and deny by the Spirit of the Lord. Much more might be said as in these things but if any of you Parishioners of Kendall desire any further knowledge of these things or to be acquainted with our Principles we have given forth divers Books though they have been rejected hitherto yet the time is at hand when those truthes which we have declared both by word and writing shall be pretious throughout the world And we do not impose our Religion upon people by force of external laws as Papists and Protestants have done by Antichrian power But we do leave what we declare by word or writing to the witnesse of God even in all mens consciences thereby to be approved and though we have been sufferers and yet may for good conscience sake yet we are not ashamed of the truths which the Lord hath given us the knowledge of But in all boldnesse and in the fear of God we confidently give forth our witnesse by the Spirit of the Lord. And as for this our answer it is sufficient to you and your Minister and no more needs be said till we hear a reply and further then it is possible the testimony of truth may be given and I would desire that you and he would sincerely compare this and his together and then judge of the one and of the other even by the witnesse of God in your own consciences Here follows certain proposalls which was sent to William Brownsword about a year ago which are worthy here of Inserting that he may yet answer to these things for he would neither meet me to dispute these things nor give me any answer by writing And indeed it had been more equitable for him first to have answered these things than to have gone and sent forth such a foolish book against us and all these things being compared together I doubt not but some of you may be truly Informed and your understandings opened which is my earnest desire that so it may be unto you and that ye may come to a good understanding and perfectly disern betwen truth and error and true Ministers of Christ and deceivers London the 12th Month 59. FOrasmuch as a Paper I have seen which is given abroad in the Country the
able to save to the utmost all them that his light love and obey for the Author to the Hebrews speaking concerning Jesus the true light of the world that lighteth every man saith he being made perfect he became the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 4. 9. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Heb. 7. 25. II. Doctrine we say that the perfection of the Saints was and is attainable in and through Christ even while they were and are upon the Earth or else the work for which the true Ministry was given had been void if the work for which they were begifted among the Saints which was Ephes 4 11 12 13. For the edifying of the body of Christ till they came all to 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 Could not have been accomplished while they were upon the Earth but Saints are redeemed from Sin and have escaped the pollutions of the world and by the word of God are sanctified according to what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 6. 11. Such were some of you but you are washed but you are sanctified but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And Jude in his general Epistle to the Saints saith they are santified by God the Father and preserved in Christ Jesus And the Author to the Hebrews speaking of himself and the Saints saith by the will of God we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once for all Heb. 10. 10. And the same Author saith in the 14th of the same chapter by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and yet he and the Saints that was sanctified and perfected for ever even while they were upon the earth and preached it and exhorted the Saints to press after it were not Papists nor rightly could be compared with Idolators in their Generation no more can we that preacheth perfection and exhort to press after it and believe it to be attainable in and through Christ be rightly compared to the Papists in our Generation And as concerning the third which thou states as out of our Doctrines in which thou compares us with the Papists we do deny it it is not any of our Doctrines either held or preached by us as thou hast stated it and in stating that we hold Justification by obedience thou hast not done honestly was not thou formerly answered that we are not justified by any obedience that is of the Creature but by the free gift of God in Christ Therefore I further say that we are not justified by our obedience or for our obedience but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ to whom we are obedient Whereas thou further saith and eminent speaker among them in the hearing of multitudes asserted that the righteousness that was wrought by the Power of God in the hearts of the Gentiles mention'd Rom. 2. 14. 15. is a righteousnesse whereby they were justified in the sight of God Answ To this I say concerning the Gentiles in doing well and working righteousnesse they were accepted and justified in the sight of God according to that of the Apostle where he saith God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that fears him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him Acts 10. 34. 35. Whereas thou sayest in the hearing of multitudes why dost thou call so few people as were there multitudes except thou would have some to believe thou gave us a fair meeting in some publique place which thou denyed to do though much urged to it but it is no wonder seeing thou had accused our doctrines to be Popery and our practices to be fetcht out of the rules of Popish Monks altogether without any true ground as is and will be fully manifest by the proof of our doctrines to be sound and true and our practices to have example among the Prophets and Ministers of Christ And whereas thou accuses James Naylor in the fifth page of his Book tituled The salutation to the Seed To say the Doctrine of Faith is the work of the Devil Answ Thy Accusation is utterly false as that page of his Book and all that reads it may bear Testimony against theâ— And whereas in the fourth thou speaks of Judas Being a godly man until Christ gave him the Sop the Devil thereupon entered into him Answ In that thou hast stated these words again thou hast not done honestly because thou hast formerly been answered that we did not own this Principle as it is stated to wit That Judas was a godly man till he received the Sop and we had ground for the denying of this Principle and others as they were stated because the young men themselves did affirm they were not so written as they spoke them but this we do affirm that Judas who was numbred with the Apostles and had obtained part of the Ministry and others fell away as we can fully prove by the Scriptures of truth where it is said Acts 1. 25. That he may take part of this Ministry from which Judas by transgression fell and Heb. 4. 5 6. and 2 Pet. 2. 20 21 22. where it it is said It had been better for them not to have known the way of Righteousness then after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto them but it is happened unto them according to the true Proverb the Dog is turned to his vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire more Scriptures might have been mentioned as Ezek. 18. 24. and others but by the mouth of two or three witnesses every truth shall be confirmed but these Scriptures I have not asserted to plead for falling away from grace and truth but to beare witnesse to the truth of our judgement in this particular and to manifest the wickednesse of our adversary who counts that Popery that is plain Scriptures as some of which he himself hath quoted doth bear testimony but it is no wonder seeing he saith the proofs themselves which is Scriptures is fetcht out of the Councel of Trent Bellarmine and others Fifthly that Pagans and Turks living justly and honestly may be justified and saved To which I say further that there is no respect of persons with God but in every Nation whether they be Jewes or Gentiles Turks or Pagans yet if they fear God and work righteousnesse of him they are accepted and whether he be a Turk or Pagan if he come to believe in Christ and follow his Spirit and light which leads to live justly and honestly he may be justified and saved in and through Christ And this doctrine is no Popery nor rightly can be parallel'd with theirs any more than the Apostles doctrine was to be parallel'd with the Papists