it is not a mans bare saying or signifying this or that to us which is the Formal Ground of our giving credite thereto but the Truth and Honesty of the Person speaking these words nor is the simple Reading or Making known such or such a Command to us the Formal Ground of our receiving it and of yeelding Obedience thereto as a Law but the Legislative Authority of the Person giving out that Law in such a manner So it was not the Prophets their simple declaration or revelation that did solely ground the peoples Obediential beliefe of what they spoke But the Veracity and Authority of God speaking in and by them Revelation whether to the Immediatly Inspired Holy men of God or by them Mediatly to others was a necessary meane to hold forth the particulars to be believed and obeyed but not the total formal Ground upon which the particulars revealed were to believed and obeyed But this Thus faith Iehovah which was also conveyed unto the people and made known unto them by the Sent Prophets As a mans speaking is a necessary meane to make us know both what he asserts as truth and what he would have us believe upon his report And as Promulgation of lawes is a necessary meane to convey the knowledge of the particular Lawes together with the authority enjoyning them unto the Subjects concerned and cannot be the whole but at most a part of the formal object of faith and Obedience or a natural meanes of the Production of the material Object for whether the Revelation be to be looked upon only as such a means as some or as a part of the formal object as others it is all one against the Quakers and we need not fall upon that debate here But if he understand Both together Then neither can that be the Formal Object of Faith divine as is cleare from what is said It is not from the Revelation simply that such or such a Proposition is true but from the Veracity and Truth of him that maketh the proposition Nor is it from the Promulgation that such or such Words framed into the forme of a Command or Law have the force of a Law but from the legislative Authority of him who giveth forth the command Hence we see That it is all one as to the Formal Object or Ground of Faith and Obedience whether the Revelation be Mediat or Immediat One way or Other providing it hold forth the Proposition to be Believed the Law to be Obeyed as coming from Him who is Truth the undoubted supreame Legislator So that our believing of such or such a Proposition with divine Faith is resolved into this Thus saith Iehovah to us who is Truth it self and cannot lie and our divine Obedience to such or such a Command resolveth into this Thus saith to us and thus commandeth us the Supream Lord and Lawgiver Iehovah here the outward testification or declaration of God is not excluded but included rather 16. That we may not walk in the dark with our confused and confounding Author When he calleth Revelation the Formal Object of Faith I would gladly understand whether by this Revelation he meaneth the Lord's making his minde known unto the Patriarchs or Prophets themselves by Voices Visions Dreames c. Or the Revelation made known by these Prophets or Patriarchs unto the people by vive voice or by writing c or doth he meane Both If he understand the first then he speaketh only of the Formal Object of the Faith of these Patriarchs and Prophets who received these Immediat Revelations from God But I would faine know of him what was the Formal Object of the faith of the people to whom these divinely inspired Patriarchs and Prophets made known these Revelations with a Thus saith the Lord The Revelation made to the Prophets could not be the Formal Object of the Peoples faith because it was a Revelation Immediatly made only unto the Prophets and revealed to the people not Inwardly and Immediatly by Vision or Representation to their mindes or God's Vive Voice to their ears but Mediatly by way of Declaration or Preaching outwardly to their senses by the Prophets If he understand the Second then the Immediat Revelation is not the Formal Object of Faith for the Revelation which they had was Mediat If he mean Both. Then his Thesis is defective and this should also have been mentioned for a Divine Revelation coming to us Mediatly by the ministry of Men divinely inspired may hold forth the Formal Object of faith to us as the Scriptures penned by men immediatly Inspired do now hold forth to us the Formal Object of our Faith for we believe with a Divine Faith what is asserted in them because spoken and delivered to us by the Lord Jehovah who is the God of Truth not Immediatly but Mediatly 17. Upon this ground we see what way to Interpret that word in his Thesis Divine inward revelations are absolutely necessary for Founding of true Faith For it is true Nothing can be received by a true divine Faith but what is delivered by God or revealed by the First and Prime Verity who is Veracity it self yet it is not necessary that this First and Prime Verity reveal his minde Immediatly to every person as if none could be or were obliged to beleeve with a true and divine Faith what God saith but only such as are Immediatly inspired Becâ—uâ—e 1. Then the People of old to whom the Prophets were sent with a thus saith Iehovah might have refuised Faith and Obedience and alleiged that these Revelations were not made to them Immediatly and therefore they were not bound to Believe and Obey them But we finde that the Lord spoke even to the Fathers by the Prophets Heb. 1 1. 2. If this were true then the people of Israel that heard not God speaking from Mount Sinay being borne after that time were not obleiged to receive the Law delivered on Mount Sinay with a divine Faith and yet the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression disobedience received a just recompence of reward Heb. 2 2. And he that despised Moses's Law though Moses only had that law from God by Immediat Revelation except the Ten words died without mercy Heb. 10 28. 3. Then the Prophets Patriarchs or such as had the Inward and Immediat Revelations could only be guilty of Unbeliefe and Disobedience and not the People to whom they spoke contrare to the wole tenor of the book of the Prophets How then I pray could Sauls disobedience to the command of God by Samuel be as the sin of witch craft 1 Sam. 15 19 23. See Ier. 7 23. and 11 4 7. and 26 13. and 38 20. and 42 13. and innumerable moe places 4. How then could this aggravate their sin that God himself spoke unto them and called upon them by his Prophets Hos. 6 ver 5. Ier. 7 ver 13 25. and 25 ver 3 4. and 35 ver 14 15. and
Revelations of the Spirit of God and yet they carry no Authority impressed upon them What shall carry the Impressions of a divine Authority if divine Revelations do not why did he assert in the preceeding Thesis that divine Revelation was the formal Object and ground of divine Faith How can they beleeve with a divine Faith the divine Revelations which they pretend unto why doth he plead so much for looking after divine Revelations if divine Revelations have not the stamp of divine Authority upon them But he sayes they ascribe the authority wholly unto the Spirit And do not we so also when we stoop unto the Authority of the Scriptures of Truth because delivered by the Inspiration of God when we say the Acts and Statutes of Parliament have the authority of Lawes and we obey and receive them as authenticque Lawes do we not ascribe the Legislative Authority unto the Parliament what a fancyful distinction must this them be and what a Notional difference doth he here imagine But it may be by these writings he meaneth the Paper and Ink But can he call the Paper and Inck the Scriptures of Truth or say that they did proceed from the holy Revelations of the Spirit of God 6. He reduceth all the contents of the Scripture unto three heads telling us that they containe first an historical narration of the acts of the people of God in not a few ages and of several rare testimonies of the providence of God towards them Forgetting that we have here also a true and faithful Narration of the first creation and that these examples are instructive Secondly a Prophetical narration of many things of which some are past and some are yet to come Making no mention of the great and many Promises nor yet of the threatnings Thirdly a full and large testimony to the chiefe doctrines of the Christian faith and that in certane excellent declarations exhortations and sentences which by the afflatus of the Spirit were said and written at diverse times to diverse churches and pastors according to various occasions that fell out And here is the whole of the high account he hath of the Scriptures and of their perfection Not to Meddle much with that here which he will give us occasion largely to disput of hereafter I would only enquire where or in what book beside the Scriptures shall we finde the whole doctrine of the Christian Faith laid down The Scriptures as he saith only give testimony to the chiefe Doctrines of Christianity Therefore there must be other Doctrines of Christianity that must be found out and searched for elsewhere but where I pray shall we finde these Againe I would know of him how we shall know what belongeth to the chiefe Heads of Christianity and what not we cannot know this by the Scriptures for they are supposed by him to be chief heads of Christianity to us before the Scriptures come which only as he saith beareth testimony to some of them 7. Further when he sayeth the Scripture giveth this Testimony only in certaine declarations c. It would seem we have not our Christian faith from the Scriptures but all the Articles thereof flow to us from some other Immediat Fountaine and are founded as to us upon some other Immediat Ground and the Scriptures only give some testimony thereto and that as it were on the bye in some certane Declarations Exhortations and Sentences Hence it would appeare by him that it is not the maine intendment and principal designe of the Scriptures to set downe delineat and explaine to us the articles of our Christian Faith and the doctrine of our Religion and so Iohn was it seemeth in a mistake when he said Iohn 20 vers 31. These are written that we might beleeve that Iesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing we might have life through his name Why hath the Lord thus made known and written unto us excellent things in counsel and knowledge Is it not that our trust might be in the Lord and that he might make us know the certanty of the Words of Truth Prov. 22 vers 18 19 20 21. See Luk. 1 vers 2 3 4. Why saith Paul Rom 15 vers 4. that whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope For what end did the Spirit inspire these Holy men and by or in them speak to us in the Scriptures if not to give us a solide ground for our Faith to stand upon in receiving and beleeving the articles of Salvation Is not the whole of the Scripture given by the Inspiration of God that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3 16 17 Why doth the Apostle Peter say 2 Pet. 1 19. that we do well to take heed unto this more sure word of prophecy If they be not the ground of our Faith why are we desired thus to take heed unto them and to desire the sincere milk of word that we may grow thereby 1 Pet 2 2. Are we not said to be built upon that foundation which the Prophets and Apostles did ministerially lay by Word and Write Ephes. 2 20. Thus we see he layeth no more weight upon the Scriptures as to the bottoming of our Faith than he would do upon any good Book wherein testimony were given unto the chiefe Doctrines of the Christian Faith by some excellent Declarations Exhortations and Sentences 8. In this account he giveth us of his conceptions of the fulness and perfection of the Scriptures It is observable that he doth not so much as give the least hint of any Authority wherewith the Scripture is cloathed to lay obligations on our Consciences to yeeld Faith and Obedience to it as the signification of the Soveraigne Will and pleasure of the great God and Lawgiver and in this is more injurious to the Scriptures then Papists are who grant it to be a Rule of Faith Hos. 8 12. See Psal. 119. throughout with infinite moe places and this is in effect to destroy the Scriptures which are given to us as the Law of God and must be received as such with Faith and Obedience As if they had not been inspired by the Holy Ghost for this end purpose that we might thereby understand and prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God Is it not called a Law disobedience unto and transgression of which is sin 1 Ioh. 3 4. Iam. 2 8 9 10 11 12. and 4 11. 9. What he saith of the Scriptures being written to certane Churches and Pastors upon certane Occasions which is an old Popish argument neither will quadrate with the whole of the Scriptures nor though it did will it ground any such inference that we have little or no interest therein as our Law and Rule as Quakers say and lest he think I caluminate let him take notice of these few Instances Edw. Borroughs Pag.
in their Worshipe 420 16. God is speaking in every man therefore they should be silent hear that the good seed may arise 422 17. In this silence they must lay aside all sense fear of sin thoughts of death of hell of judgment and of glory prayers all religious exercises 422 18. Thus they must be abstracted from all operations imaginations ejaculations of soul 422 19. And then the little seed planted in every man getteth room to arise becometh an holy birth that Divine aire is it with which mans spirit is fermented then they become fit to hear his voice 423 20. While they are thus Introverted they cannot be deceived 424 21. For the Devil cannot simulate this Introversion nor work there for he is excluded worketh only in Natural men 424 22. When they once introvert they are in a castle they feel themselves to be without the Devils reach 425 23. Hereby they keep communion with other when scattered asunder 425 24. Before they speak or preach they must Introvert consult the dim thing within 441 25. They must be acted moved by Immediat impulses extraordinary motions of a Spirit 443 444 450 452 37. Of Preaching 1. They are against our way of preaching from a text of Scripture 437 38. Of Prayer 1. They are against praying morning evening before after sermon before and after meat 450 451 2. Their inward prayer is an Introversion of the soul 453 454 3. They speak of praying outwardly under a degustation which is neither publick nor private prayer 455 4. They speak of ejaculatory prayers made to mans self 455 5. No publick prayer without Introversion 455 6. Beside Introversion there must be an immediat inspiration calling prompting to prayer or else we must not pray 455 7. They say that praying to God without the feeling of the Influences of the Spirit is a tempting of God 456 8. Men say they must introvert to that place where they may feel that whereby they may be led to prayer 457 462 9. Watching is only the souls attending on the Spirit that it may feel him leading to pray 457 10. To command men to pray without the Spirit is to command them to see without eyes 459 11. They say we pray without the Spirit because we have our limited times 460 12. They say the wicked sometime have the influences of the Spirit to pray and then they may pray acceptably 462 463 39. Of Singing Psalmes 1. They are against our way of singing of Psalmes 463 2. Alledging that thereby ofttimes abominable lies are uttered to God 464 3. And that we Immediatly thereafter in prayer confesse ourselves guilty of the same sins for redemption from which we have given praise 464 40. Of the Sacraments 1. They think if the word Sacrament were laid aside all controversie about the Sacraments would cease 468 2. They think the definition of a Sacrament can agree to many other things 468 41. Of Baptisme 1. They are against baptisme 465 2. They say there is but one sort of baptisme 469 3. They make the outward Element and the inward Grace two baptismes 469 4. Washing of water is not Christ's baptisme with them 471 5. They owne no baptisme but the baptisme of the Spirit 471 6. They deny all baptisme but what is with the H. Ghost with fire 545 7. They would have the ordinance of baptisme wholly laid aside 473 475 8. They say the ark was a type of Baptisme 473 9. And that Johns baptisme was a figure of Christ's baptisme 474 10. Baptisme with water is with them a figure of baptisme with the Spirit 474 11. Washing with water in baptisme is contrary to Christian Religion 475 12. Christ did not warrand his Disciples to baptize 475 13. Washing under the Law and our baptisme are the same 476 14. They reckon baptisme among Jewish ceremonies rites 477 15. They condemne our baptizing in the Name of the Father Son H. Ghost 479 16. They say the Apostles baptised by permission not by Commission 480 17. They say the Apostles mistook Christ's spiritual baptisme took it for Johns water baptisme 480 18. Baptisme with water say they was in use among the Jewes before Johns dayes 481 19. Water baptisme say they is but formal imitation the invention of man and a meer delusion 545 20. In contempt hereof they say outward water cannot wash the soul 550 42. Of the Lords Supper 1. They deny the Lord's Supper to be an Institution of Christ 482 c. 2. Instead of this Ordinance they profanely substitute their ordinary repasts 486 3. To their ordinary repasts they profanely apply the ends of this Ordinance 486 4. The body which they eat blood which they drink is the celestial seed the Divine substance the Vehicle or spiritual body of Christ 486 5. To this spiritual imaginary body of Christ they apply all that is said of Christ's body Iohn 6. 487 6. They say this spiritual seed as it getteth room to rise up in the heart is bread to the hungry and thereby the soul is revived 487 7. They enjoy this breed by beleeving in the manifestation of this light 487 8. They say the Supper of the Lord is truely possessed when the soul introverts c. 489 9. They say beleevers enjoy this at all times especially when they meet together to waite on God 489 10. They say Christ only took occasion from the bread wine to tell his disciples that as these nourished their bodies so His body and blood should nourish their souls And so did institute no Sacrament and this is the only meaning of these words This is my body c. 492 11. They call it a bare ceremonie 492 12. They will have Paul 1 Cor. 11 27. only to say that if they would needs performe this ceremonie they should do it worthily 493 13. With them do this in remembrance of me saith no more but that seing this was to be the last occasion of his eating with them they should look to him that by commemoration of that occasion by his passions death they should be stirred up to follow him 495 14. They call the practising of it a Jewish ceremonie 496 15. They think the wine was meerly accidental 496 16. They reckon the bread wine in the Lords Supper among the things of the earth Col. 3. 499 17. They say we have this Ordinance from the Pope 545 18. They say He whose death we are to remember till he come is the word prayer 545 43. Of Ministers Maintenance 1. They are against the fixed maintenance of Ministers and will only have their necessities supplied if need be 401 2. They will have no limited maintenance 401 3. They will not have people compelled to give any maintenance 407 4. Ministers say they must seek nothing by Law 407 408 4. They say it is a carnal Ministrie that must have maintenance 410 44. Of Magistrats 1.
Thinks he that we beleeve not that there is one faith But what reasoning is this There is one faith Therefore faith hath but one Object what object meâ—neth he Formal or Material Oâ—ject if the first we grant thâ—t alwayes in all ages the formal Object of faith divine was the Truth and Veracity of God as to things beleeved and hâ—s Supream Legislative Authority as to acts of Obedience If he mean the Material Object he speaketh nothing to the purpose because he must here speak of the Object he spoke of in the foregoing Proposition and of none other And yet the man as ignorantly as a childe talketh in the following words of the Material Object for to prove that the Fathers had the same object of faith that we have he adduceth Abraham's faith and the Fathers drinking of the same rock which was Christ 1 Cor. 10. and yet all that drank of that water had not saving faith in Christ whereby he can meane nothing but the same Material Object which we grant to have been the same as to the substance But I would know what he would say of the Material Object of Adam's faith before the fall Was Christ thaâ— Object No certanely and yet Adam had a divine Faith And after this discourse of the Material Object he concludeth rarely and profoundly that the Object of their faith and ours is the same viz. Inward and Immediat Revelation which before he called the formal Object of faith Is this man fit enough to boast all the learned men of Europe who cannot distinguish betwixt the Formal and Meterial Object of Faith who would not pity such an Ignoramus that yet is so confident as if all the wit and learning of Europe were nothing to this rare undâ—rstanding Thinketh he that none of his Readâ—rs were able to observe this master piece of Ignorance and Confusion The same line of Confusion is drawne over the rest of that paragraph for he citeth Gal 1 16. which he may apply to both then he citeth Heb. 13 7. which only speaketh of the Material Object and then he tels us that the diversity of administrations alters not the object what object He addeth a reason that would seem to plead for the same formal object for otherwise saith he God should be knowne some other way than by the Spirit But his next reason is most rare all actions are specified from their Objects saith he These things need no further examination to rehearse them is more than enough so exotick and non-sensical are they 26. But at length he would seem to speak some thing more to the purpose when he saith That such as deny this Proposition of his make use of a distinction granting that God cannot be known but by the Spirit but withal denying that this knowledge is Immediat and Inward because it is by the Scriptures But the same Confusion is continued for we know not whether he speaketh of the Formal Object of faith or of the Material If he mean the Formal I know no man that saith that the Scriptures are the formal Object of Faith but that they containe the material object and express the veracity and authority of God which is the formal object and so are at most but a part of the formal Object If he mean the Material object who granteth that the Spirit is that That the Spirit is what the Scriptures say he is and doth what the Scriptures say he doth is I grant a part of the Material Object of our Faith It may be that through ignorance he falleth upon another question here than his Proposition gived clear ground for and would discuss this question whether the Scriptures containe all that is necessary for us to believe unto salvation or must we have new Revelations making known to us what we ought to believe or what we ought to do in reference to salvation together with this and so still there shall be confusion whetheâ— the Lord doth now Instruct us Inwardly and Immediatly as of old he manifested his minde to the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles or doth he it Mediatly by the Word Ordinances Publick private which he hath appointed for this end But the man walketh in the dark all alongs either through ignorance or worse Waving what he here denyeth concerning Scriptures till we come to examine his next Thesis let us here see what he undertaketh to prove we are here to prove sayes he That the Christians now a dayes no less than of old are led inwardly and immediatly by the Spirit after the same manner though it may be not all together in the same measure Here still nothing but confusion and darkness For 1 How all the People of God of old were led by the Spirit he hath not shewed or what way they were led Inwardly and Immediatly was the privilege of a few Patriarchs and Prophets common to them all were none of them led by the Spirit in an Ordinary way by the Teachings and Information of others the Spirit by his grace and efficacious Operation inwardly concurring were none of them Taught and Instructed by the Ordinances of God established among them and blessed by the Spirit 2 We know not what he meaneth by this Inward and Immediat Leading whether that which is Ordinary and Common to all saints whereby the Spirit dâ—th Efficiently and Powerfully draw determine the soul to a compliance in Faith and Obedience with the will of God revealed in his law and to a right Improvement of his Ordinances which He hath established in his House and Church for building up of his People in their most holy faith or that which is Extraordinary and peculiar to a few whereby for the good of others and their further instruction he was pleased in a singular manner to Communicate his minde and to Reveal Immediatly what others were to beleeve and to do If he meanâ— this last we shall attend his proofs If he first he beateth the winde and fighteth against his own shadow 3. We know not what he meaneth by the same measure of which he speaketh so doubtingly Sure as to the light of saving Knowledge and as to the Object of faith there is much more clear discovery thereof under the New Testament than was in the time of the Old Testament as Paul proveth 2 Cor. 3 concluding vers 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord And as the whole Gospel evinceth See Ephes 3 9. 1 Pet. 1 10 11 12. Act. 2 14-20 Luk. 7 28. From all which it is manifest that we cannot understand what it is which he would prove and what his Arguments must conclude 27. Yet let us see what his reasons are He adduceth § 10. these promises of Christ Ioh. 14 16 17 20. and 16 13. and hence would clear to us three particulars First That the Comforter and the Spirit
hence the Perswasion or Conviction of this truth may be greater in some as more freed from Prejudices Doubts and Exceptions than in Others in whom it may be weaker through some admixture The impression also may be in some deeper than in others 16. If any enquire wherein this differeth from the Opinion of the Quakers I ans In those particulars 1 This which we speak of is not the Spirits saying by any new Revelation Voice or Whisper or Enthusiastick inspiration that this and not that Book is the Word of God The Quakers speak thus 2 By their way the testimony of the Spirit is an Argumentative Medium or an Inartificial Argument adduced to prove this conclusion to themselves that this or that Book is the Word of God so that they must first Perceive and Feel that the Spirit saith or witnesseth this book to be the Word of God and then they inferre that therefore it is to be received as the Word of God But we make no such use of the Spirits Testimony but Assert that He so illuminateth the Minde to see the characters of divinity as withall to work the Assent or Perswasion and that so as the Faith or Perswasion shall be felt oftentimes before the man reflect upon the Operation of the Spirit 3 The testimony we speak of is that Operation of the Spirit whereby the characters of divine Majesty and Authority which are natively inprinted in and do necessarily attend the Sayings of God are Discovered Received and Acquiesced in But the testimony which they speak of is distinct from and hath no connexion with the Objective evidence which is in the Scriptures themselves 4 The Quakers Revelation is purely Objective and New and Immediat declaring a new Truth The work of the Spirit which we speake of as it cleareth up the Objective Evidence which is in the Scriptures by removing Grounds of Mistake and Prejudice and the like so it worketh by these Evidences a Subjective Conviction in the soul and a Perswasion of the truth which only the man did not see before 5 By their Revelation a person getteth no new discovery of the characters of Divinity which the Scriptures carry along with them unless it may be by accident but the Perswasion which we speak of is rationally deduced from and founded upon these Marks and Evidences which the soul is now made to see clearly through the Operation of the Spirit 6 By our way the Scriptures do not receive their Truth and Authority neither in themselves nor as to us from this work of the Spirit as they do by the way of the Quakers for whether this Operation of the Spirit whereof we speak be or not the Scriptures are what they are the very Word of God as the sun is a shineing sun and light is light whether the blinde see it or not The word of the Lord is cloathed with Divine Light Majesty and Authority whether we see it or not Obligeth us though as yet wanting this perswasion and remaining blinde or blinded with prejudice to Imbrace and Receive the same as the Word of God and to yeeld all due Faith and Obedience thereunto as to the Word Law of the great God Lawgiver it is true without this work of the Spirit we cannot attaine to that heart-quieting Perswasion and soul-satisfying Assurance of the infallible Truth and divine Authority of the Scripture yet there is an infallible Truth divine Authority that inseparably attendeth whatsoever is spoken by God delivered as Assertions Lawes whether we see it and beleeve it or not And our blindness though it prejudge us of the rich advantage of Embraceing the Scriptures as the very Word of God yet it Endammageth not in the least the word of God it self But by the way of the Quakers the Scriptures have no Light nor Authority in themselves or to us until this Second Testimony come And thus it is supposed that either the Scriptures have no Characters of Light Power Life and Majesty divine in themselves or that whatever they may have of this kinde it is of no force to Oblige us to Faith and Obedience which were a contradiction till we receive this adventious and second Testimony and so all who want this are under no Obligation to receive the Bible by Faith and Obedience more then the Turks Alcoran which sure must be a very wilde and uncouth Position Let the Reader consult that satisfying Piece of the learned D. Own of the Divine Original c. of the Scriptures Chap. 5. where this is more satisfyingly and clearly expressed 1â— Now this being the very nature and native result of the judgment of the Quakers who sâ—eth not how absurd it is and who can be ignorant of the dreadful Consequences thereof which are so obvious For if their Opinion hold Then 1 there was no Ground for that Challenge Hos. 8 12. I have written to him the great things of my Law but they were counted as a strange thing 2 Then the jewes wanting this testimony could not be blamed for saying Ier. 43 2 Thou speakest falsly the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say go not unto Egypt to sojourn there 3 This might have been alleiged for an excuse of the Unbeleef that Christ himself did meet with for the Jewes might have said we have not as yet the testimony of the Spirit perswading us that Christs sayings and sermons are truely divine or the very sayings and testimony of God and till we have this we are not bound to beleeve 4 This would annul all that Authority and Truth that is in the Revelation of Iesus Christ which God gave untâ— Him to show unto His Servants and sent and signified by his Angel unto Iohn who bare record of the word of God and of the testimony of Iesus Christ. Revel 1 2. So 5 it maketh null that saying Revel 1 3. Blessed is he that readeth and they that heare the words of this prophecy and keep those sayings which are written therein 6 It confronteth all these places following Deut. 11 18 19. and 18 19. Ier. 29 19. and 35.15 Psal. 50 17. Prov. 4 20. and 7 â— Ier. 6 19. and 1â— 10. and 13 10. Ezech. 3 4.10 with multitudes moe which might be cited 7 By this meanes the people of God of old were no more Obliged to receive the Word of God delivered by true Prophets than the lies and dreams of the false Prophets who were Prophets of the deceits of their owne hearts and there was no difference to be put betwixt the chaff and the wheat until this second Revelation came See Ier. 23 21-32 In a word 8 This rendereth the whole Scriptures of the Old and New Test. void and useless as we shall manifest more when we come to consider what he saith to the contrary 18. What he speaketh of the difference among the Ancients and doubtings concerning some Books of Scripture which are now received can prove nothing but that through Prejudice
Christ was not sent to all Universally for he was to reigne over the house of Iacob Luk. 1 13. and was to save his people from their sinnes Mat. 1 21. And that not Possibly only but Really Luk. 1 69 70 71 72 73 74. Which is not verified of all Universally but of all his People who are in due time delivered Actually and Really out of the hands of their enemies and made to serve him without Fear in Holiness and Righteousness and have Actual Remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day spring from on high hath visited them c. vers 74 75 77 78 79. 49. Nor saith he Pag. 70. had the Angels had occasion to have praised said on the earth peace and goodwill towards men Answ. Much lesse had they sung thus if all the salvation that Christ brought with him had been a meer Possibility a may be that might never have been but the ground of the song is clear with us because Christ was certainly to have a Chosen Flock a Redeemed Company out of all the coastes corners of the earth who should be Reconciled unto God and enjoy the fruites of his good will toward them He alleigeth next Christs commission Mark 16 vers 15. to preach the Gâ—spel to every creature adding that of Paul Col. 1 28. But 1. This will no more prove that Christ died for all men than for Devils Beasts for they are creatures 2. Christ's commission now when the partition wall was taken away by the death of Christ Ephes. 2 14. is enlarged He formerly did limite them to the Jewes to the lost sheep of the house of Israel expresly forbad them to go into the way of the Gentiles Mat. 10 5 6. but now he sends them through the World to preach to all Indefinitely without discrimination Mat. 28 19. because the Chosen who were to be brought in by preaching were scattered through the Nations 3. How will this then prove an Universal Redemption when the very enlarging of the commission doth demonstrate the contrary as â—o the ages preceeding the death of Christ the grant of this enlarged commission 4. From the preaching of the Gospel to all indefinitly by Men who know not the hidden Counsels Purposes of God to inferre an Universal Redemption is no rational way of argueing Men must preach to many indefinitly for the Elects sake whom the Lord may have among them as Paul did at Corinth where the Lord had much people Act. 18 10. And sometimes we finde the Lord would not suffer them to preach to some Act. 16 7. 50. But saith he furtâ—er The Gospel inviteth all will God mâ—ck any whom he inviteth and calleth to come to him Sure if Christ hath not died for all and made salvation possible to all Ministers should be sent out to mock people when they are sent to command all to beleeve that Christ died for them This is the summe of what he largely discourâ—eth and is to no purpose for it is founded upon an untruth to wit that the preaching of the Gospel is a commanding of all to beleeve that Christ died for them while as the Gospel commandeth such to whom it is preached to flee to an alsufficient Saviour in the sense of their sin misery conviction of their impotency to save themselves and in the faith that there is not another name given among men by which we must be saved Act. 4 12. And truely this name is an alsufficient name there being herein salvation for all that will come and none by the preaching of the Gospel are debarred who do not by wilful unbeleefe debarre and exclude themselves for thus hath the Lord in his deep wisdome contrived the business And this preaching of the Gospel doth not properly and directly declare the secret purposes of God for secret things belong not to us but unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong to us Deut. 29 vers 29. And the preached Gospel pointeth forth the duty of such to whom it is preached and this word of command is the only Rule of peoples duty and not the hidden and unseen Purposes of God It is true the fixed preaching of the Gospel in a place may say that it is probable God hath some people there and it certainly telleth us that all such as do beleeve the Gospel and obey it shall be saved because of the fixed and indissoluble connexion betwixt that which the Gospel requireth and salvation And though the Lord send his servants upon the same errand that he sent Esaias Chap. 6 9 10. and that Christ himself was sent upon Ioh. 12 37 38 39 40. and Paul Act. 28 25 26 27. we must not say that the Lord is mocking more then that he was mocking Pharaoh when he sent Moses to him commanding him to let the people of Israel go It would become us rather to adore and stoup And this may satisfie for an answere to what he addeth in the end of § 6. Pag. 71. though it be not to the present business But to close this what can all this say for Universal Redemption seing the Gospel the Ministers thereof are not sent to all and every person in every corner of the world and that in all ages 51. He proceedeth Pag. 71. § 7. and tels us That he remembereth not one passage of Scripture where it is said that Christ hath not died for all And it may suffice for answer to tell him that neither do we remember one place of Scripture where it is said that Christ hath died for all men or for all and every man And if he think that the Scripture speaketh this sufficiently by consequence We have showne above that the Scripture saith sufficiently by consequence that Christ did not die for all but for a select company He citeth 1 Tim. 2 1 3 4 6. as did the Pelagians of old as August sheweth lib. 4 contra Iul. c. 8. Enchir. adlaur c. 103. lib. de Corrept Gratia c. 14. all the Arminians of late And after some discourse hereupon he reasoneth thus therefrom Pag. 72. For whomsoever we may pray to him salvation is possible But me may pray for Salvation to every one in the world Therefore salvatiâ—n is possible to every one The assumption he should have said the Proposition I prove thus No man is obliged to pray nor may he pray for that which is impossible But every man is commanded to pray for all Therefore it is not impossible Againe No man is bound to pray but in faith But he who prayeth for what is impossible cannot pray in faith Therefore Againe what God willeth that is not impossible But God will have all Men to be saved Therefore it is not impossible Finally for whom Christ gave himself a price of redemption to them Salvation is possible But Christ gave himself a price of redemption for all Therefore c. 52.
are other wayes such as a Promise which is different from a precept and divine Institution virtually including a promise And because he taketh no notice of these wayes his whole discourse is to no purpose for we grant there is no Relation here flowing from the nature of the thing And we see not what way a precept hath any efficacy to the making of such a Relation It is not because God hath commanded us to be holy that therefore such as are holy shall see God's face but because of a promise What will he now do his light hath confounded him so as he knoweth not what he saith But howbeit a precept hath no interest here while speaking of his Relation Yet least he boast as supposing we could not maintaine that there was a command for the use of this ordinance we must see What he saith here If there were any such precept saith he it should be found there where the institution is Which is very true for the very Institution hath the force of a command though there were no more Matthew and Mark saith he mentione no command and Luk only saith this do in remembrance of me Answ. Here is an express command mentioned by Luk and what needeth more The Institution say I hath the force of a command and that the Apostles after practice declared and the practice of the primitive Church and beside all this we have Paul's large commentary upon this 1 Cor. 10. 11. for if there had been no command for this why was the Apostle at all that paines to rectifie abuses among the Corinthians about this mater why spoke he of a cup which he blessed and of bread which he brake 1 Cor. 10 16 Why did he deliver this unto them and tell them that he had received it of the Lord 1 Cor. 11 23 Why doth he not discharge this altogether as he doth the Love feasts why saith he not There is no such ordinance of Christ There is no command for it Is there no precept presupposed nor included in all this wonderful The end which paul expresseth saith he 1 Cor. 11 26. is to declare the Lord's death but this hath no necessary â—elation to or connexion with partaking of Christ's body and blood for though such as partake of this cannot but commemorat his death yet his death can be commemorated without this participation Ans. 1. That declaration of Christ's death is a comprehensive end and includeth a Christian improvement and application of Christ's death to all the ends for which he is held forth in this Sacrament which appeareth by the whole context for where this is not there is an eating of the bread and drinking of the cup unworthily and an incurring the guilt of the body and blood of the Lord vers 27. and to which is required self examination as a necessary preparation and an eating of the bread and drinking of the cup so And such as includeth a discerning of the Lord's body the want of which maketh persons eat and drink judgment to themselves and was the cause why many were weak and sickly among them and many were asleep vers 29 30. And such as requireth self judging to this end that we may prevent God's judging vers 31. Thus we see that such a Commemoration of the death of Christ as is here understood cannot be without this partaking 2 This same end includeth a command to use this Sacrament until Christ's second coming 3. What thinks he of the ends mentioned 1 Cor. 10 16 17 4. How such as partake of Christ's body and bloud in his sense cannot but declare his death is a mystery to me Let him clear to me how a Pagan that never heard of Christ or of his death can by introverting unto the light within him declare Christ's death 5. Though Christ's death could be commemorated without partaking of his body and blood in this Ordinance Yet it will not hence follow that it must not be commemorated by this Ordinance He might as well argue that because Christ's death can be declared in this Ordinance therefore it must not be declared in the Word but the truth is this man would have all declaration of it laid aside that it might be quite forgotten or no otherwise declared than as may be by a Pagan introverting to his Light 12. What saith he to these words This is my body and this cup is the New Testament in my blood As Christ saith he used by the use of natural things to lead the mind of his disciples up unto spiritual things so here Christ took occasion from the bread and the wine which was before them while supping to tell them that as bread and wine served to nourish their bodies so his body and blood should be for their souls Answ. Are not these excellent Commentators Is it any wonder that they will not take this word for their Rule Who ever heard even mens words so abused and perverted O the patience of God! Though I think the very reciting of his words were enough to shame him if he could be ashamed and them both yet let me soberly ask him a few things 1. Why doth he not give us a like instance That which he mentioneth of Christ's speaking to the woman of Samaria Ioh. 4. is nothing to the purpose for Christ sayes not there This well is my body Or this well is the New Testament in my blood 2. What signified Christ's blessing of the bread and blessing of the cup if this was all 3. To what end did he break the bread and give it to his disciples and said take eat c. when they had been eating and drinking already 4. Why said he of the cup drink ye all of it if there was no more imported 5. Why said he this do in remembrance of me 6. Was this all that Paul delivered to the Corinthians 7. Was this all that he received of the Lord 8. How cometh it that the Spirit of the Lord in Paul giveth us not that commentary of the words But enough of this piece of profane blasphemous boldness 13 What sayes he to 1 Cor. 10 16. The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ He answereth Pag. 298. That in all this Chapter Paul is not speaking a word of this ceremonie he should say Ordinance Answ. For as bold as he is we will not beleeve him Let us yet hear his reason He saith vers 21. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils c. but they could drink of the cup of Devils and of the outward cup. Answ. Not morally and lawfully because the Apostle here disswades them from having communion with idols upon this very account though they might physically as Robert Parclay may steal and murther But sayes he Paul speaks of one bread vers 17. and this cannot be outward bread
otherwise the inward should be excluded Answ. Both may consist for by the inward they become all one body really and spiritually and by the outward they became one body in profession and open declaration And what inconsistency is here He next tels us that he can see no ground or occasion in the Scripture for this figment of Sacramental union And what remedie seing Institutions of Christ must be figments with him it is no wonder he cannot see what others see But some are so far master of their sight that what they desire not to see their eyes can not see But it may be it is worse with him He cannot but see and yet the light within will not let him see We have mentioned lately some passages to this purpose both in the Old and New Testament and that may satisfie such as will see 14. He findeth the Apostles discourse 1 Cor. 11. A great mountaine in his way therefore Pag. 299 he laboureth all he can to blow it away He must grant that the Corinthians were in use of celebrating this Sacrament and that Paul rectifieth the abuses that were committed in their manner of going about it Yet he saith that the express and special use hereof in the Apostles judgment was to declare Christs death but this is far different from partaking of Christ's flesh and blood Ans. One use doth not destroy another the Apostle had in the preceeding Chapter mentioned the other use and needed not here againe repeat it expresly and we have showne already that this was a comprehensive use and could not but take in their eating of Christs body and drinking of his blood and this is clear in that the Apostle saith that whosoever did eat and drink unworthily were guilty of the body and blood of the Lord and did not discerne the Lord's body Nay himself granteth in the following words that to such as use this it hath an immediat relation to the outward body and death of Christ. And so there is a Sacramental union But he addeth It hath not a necessary relation to the participation of the Spiritual body and blood of Christ. Answ. We grant it as to that which he taketh the spiritual body and blood of Christ to be For there is no relation of the world there But that true beleevers partaking of these elements by faith are really and spiritually made partakers also of Christ and his benefites we assert and he dar not disprove it He addeth That these words of Paul vers 27. say only That seing the Corinthians would needs performe this ceremony as an act of religion they should do it worthily otherwise bring condemnation on themselves Answ. 1. If the Corinthians performed this ceremony as an act of Religion without a divine warrant they were guilty of will worshipe And shall he make us beleeve that Paul or the Spirit of the Lord rather in Paul would not discharge this superstition Nay not only not so but denunce such judgments on them for doing of it but amisse 2. Shall he make us beleeve that Paul would have taught and delivered to them modes of will-worshipe and prescribed the exercise of Superstion Yet Paul sayes vers 23. that he delivered this unto them 3. Shall he make us believe that the Lord would give Paul commission to establish among the Corinthians will worshipe and Superstition Yet he sayes vers 23. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you 4. What way can people go worthily about an act of will-worshipe 5. Would God have punished them with sickness weakness and death for an escape in the manner of will-worshipe and not for the will-worshipe it self What wilde and bold conceits are these He needeth not tell us that from their practice it will not follow that this was a religious act incumbent to others also for we lay not down their practice as our ground but what was their ground is ours the Institution of Christ which he delivered unto Paul and Paul received to deliver unto the Corinthians And therefore it is not a thing indifferent and so not to be compared with that Rom. 14 5. as he dreameth and the practice of things indifferent as such is no act of Religion or of worshipe such as this is And therefore what he addeth Paâ— 300. is but a laying of a further imputation of unfaithfulness on the Apostle for fomenting the Corinthians in their errour and mistake and never once rectifying or informing their erroneous consciences What wonder is it that these proud Quakers account our Ministers unfaithful and what not when this Man dar lay such a foule imputation in Print upon the Apostle Paul Nay blasphemously impute this to the Spirit of God that acted Paul 15. In the next place he thinks he will prove that this Ordinance is not a lasting ordinance § 6 Pag. 300. c. Passing what is but a repetition let us hear his arguments Matthew and Mark sayes he expresseth this as done while they were eating And this was usual among the Iewes as Paulus Riccius observeth for at their eating of the passeover the master of the family took bread and brake it and did distribute it and so did he with wine So Christ who would fulfil all righteousness and would observe the Iewish feasts used this ceremony for his disciples only and took occasion thereby to raise up their mindes to higher things Answ. 1. To this last we have spoken before and why did not Christ take occasion to give this Christian document before this time while they were eating 2. It is true Christ instituted this Supper before they rose from table and what then 3. As for what is reported of the Jewish practice not only by this Paulus Riccius but by several others I doubt if all that is said shall demonstrate that the Jewes had this custome before Christ's dayes seing the eldest of the Jewish writters out of whom they have it wrote not till a considerable time after the Temple was brunt And what credite is to be given to what they wrote when their purpose and designe was to deface and annull Christianity let sober men judge 4. Sure I am there was no divine command for this practice at the eating of the Paschal Lamb and how our Quaker can say that Christ would do this because he would fulfil all righteousness I know not seing righteousness stands in obeying the command of God 5. Though Christ did observe the feasts prescribed to the Jewes by the Lord Yet he would not observe their sinful additions and traditions No he condemned these Mat. 15. 6. That which we are to look to is Christ's practice and we are sure that that should oblige us more then the Jewish practice could oblige Christ. 7. We not only have Christ's practice but a command mentioned by Luk do this in remembrance of me This evinceth no more saith he but that seing that was to be the last occasion of his eaâ—ing with
But if what he saith be true to wit that there is no command for this Ordinance that iâ— is a legal Rite a shadow of good things to come whereof the body is Christ that it is repugnant to the nature of the new covenant dispensation c. I shall be bold to say that no man can out of tenderness of conscience to God after any method or manner goe about it and that no man should be more indulged therein than in practiseing of circumcision What he addeth is but a little bundle of his groundless whimsies without truth sense or consistency We haste to what followeth CHAP. XXVIII Of Liberty of Conscience 1. AS Thieves and Robbers who love to live on spoile and rapine desire earnestly there were no Law nor Judge to reach them in their wicked works So our Quakers conscious as it would seem to themselves of the evil of their wayes and practices and knowing full well how they are looked upon by all as pests and most noxious persons both to Church and Commonwealth to Religion and Civility and that therefore they cannot be tolerated or suffered to enjoy a license to follow forth their wicked designes to ruine all Christianity destroy all Churches in their very Being as well as in their Order and Government introduce Paganisme to the reproach of Christianity and to overturne the very foundations of Religion and Piety Our Quakers I say who are wise enough for evil and sagacious enough to contrive their owne security thought it best for their owne saiftie to adde this to the rest of their errours That Magistrates have no lawfull power over them and so joyne with Libertines Arminians and Anabaptists and with the Donatists of old and Raimundus Lullius and with the old Fraticelli who from their perfection inferred that they were not subject to any humane ordinances either of Church or State in pleading for a liberty of Conscience as it is called but in truth a lawless license to destroy all Religion all Piety and all the precious Concerns of Jesus Christ and of the souls of men Blackwood in his Storming of Antichrist Pag. 23. would adde some limitations or restrictions saying Evil works committed against the light of Nature and Reason as the setting up of Mahomet or any other God beside the Creator of heaven and earth Atheisme when any man shall boldly affirme there is no God Polytheisme when men affirm many Gâ—ds Blasâ—hemy murder these and such like the Magistrate whether Heathen or Christian is to be a terrour unto 2. These evils which are against the light of Nations there is no Nation in the world but in it the Magistrate will punish those that speak against the God that they profess and against that which they think is Scripture So if any raile against Christ or deny the Scriptures to be his word or no rule for us so unsetle our faith this as I take it may be punished by the Magistrate But our Quaker I know will not stand to this He will rather say with Williams Bloody Tenet in the Preface Pag. 2. it is the will and command of God that since the coming of his Son the Lord Iesus a permissiâ—n of the most Paganish Iewish Turkish or Antichristian consciences and worships be granted to all men in all Nations and Countreys For his Thesis is general taking in all opinions about Worshipe and Religion And he grants to the Magistrate only liberty to judge in maters touching the life and goods of others or what is hurtful to humane society and commerce But probably not of Quakers for they are perfect and so cannot do wrong And though this be a very narrow restriction yet I cannot see how he can yeeld to this without destroying the maine ground he standeth upon for Conscience may be pretended for the one as well as for the other and an erroneous conscience way teach â—ome to Sacrifice their children to Moloâ—h and to cut off their nieghbouâ—s head as a revelation taught the Anabaptist in Helvetia to cut off his brothers head and others at Munster to do many villanies 2. Seing our Quaker declineth a full disput upon this head telling us that many have writâ—en largely and earnedly upon it upon this same account I think my self releaved from any large prosecution of this Theme and that I need do no more but examine what he saith for his license and against our Arguments such of them as he is pleased to take any notice of Any who desire to have a full discussion of this question may peruse Mr Rutherfoords free disput against pretended liberty of Conscience Mr Edwards Prin and Others who have fully handled that debate The truth which we owne is summarily set down in our Confession of Faith Chap. 20. § 2 4. God alone is Lord of the Conscience Iam. 4 12. Rom. 14 4. and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandements of men which are in any thing contrary to his word or beside it in maters of faith or worship Act 4 v. 19. 5.29 1 Cor. 7. v. 25. Mat. 23 8 9 10. 2 Cor. 1 24. Mat. 15 9. So that to believe such doctrines or to obey such commands out of conscience is to betray true liberty of Câ—nscience Col. 2 20 22 23. Gal. 1 10. 2 4 5. Psal. 5 1. and the requireing of an implicite faith and an absâ—lute and blinde obedience is to destroy liberty of Conscience and reason also Rom. 10 17. 14 23. Esa. 8 20. Act. 1â— 11. Ioh. 4 28. Hos. 5 11. Revel 13 12 16 17. Ier. 8 9. And because the Powers which God hath ordained and the liberty which Christ hath purchased are not intended by God to destroy but mutually to uphold and preserve one another They who upon pretence of Christian liberty shall oppose any lawful Power or the lawful exercises of it whether it be Civil or Ecclesiastical resist the Ordinance of God Mat. 10 vers 25. 1 Pet. 2 vers 13 14 16. Rom 13 1 8. 13.17 And for their publishing of such opinions or maintaining of such practises as are contrary to the light of Nature or to the known principles of Christianity whether concerning faith Worshipe or Conversation or to the power of godliness or such erroneous Opinions or Practices as either in their own nature or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them are destructive to the extâ—rnal peace and order which Christ hath established in the Church they may lawfully be called to account and proceeded against by the Censures of the Church Rom. 1 32. with 1 Cor. 5 2 3 11 13. 2 Ioh. 10 11. 2 Thes. 3 v. 14. Tim 6 3 4 Tit. 1 10 11 13. 3 10. with Mat. 18 15 16 17. 1 Tim. 1 vers 19 20 21. Revel 5 9 2 2 14 15. And by the power of the civil Magistrate Deut. 13 6 to 12 Rom. 13.3 4. with 2 Ioh. v. 10 â—1 Ezra 7 23 25.26 27 28. Revel
day with joy and of all who would carry as true and loyal Subjects unto Him and would not be charged with the guilt of this God-darring Christ-blaspheming and Spirit-despiting generation of the prodigiously profane and arrogant Seck of Runagad-Quakers to be this day holding them up in their addresses unto God by prayer to our Lord Jesus the righteous Judge as His sworn and stated Enemies and as standing in perfect Opposition to His Kingdom and Interest and to cry unto Him night and day that He would arise and appear against them and plead His own cause in His good time for the glory of His name as also to be mourning for those sinnes that have provoked the Just and Jealous God to suffer such Hellish Locusts to arise and darken with their pestiferous blasphemies all the Glorious Comfortable Truths of the Gospel and to be manifesting the truth and sincerity of our Repentance by the native and kindly effects thereof mentioned by Paul 2 Cor. 7 11. And if it were thus with us sure I am it would not be needful to say much to move all unto a fixed abhorrence of the Errours Wayes and Practices of these Men and to a fleeing from them as from Men carrying about with them the very Credentials of Hell and the Devils Commission to go forth and pervert the right wayes of the Lord and to destroy Souls We would not need to inculcate the duties already pressed in the Scriptures in reference to such Hereticks and false Teachers to wit to beware of them to avoide them turn away from them to reject them and not to receive them in our houses or salute them lest we should be partakers of their evil deeds Mat. 7 15. Rom. 16 17. Phil. 3 2. 2 Tim. 2 5. Tit. 3 10. 2 Ioh. vers 10 11. For every one would of his own accord by a special Christian instinct flee from them more hastily then from persons having the blak botch upon the account that when these could endanger only the Body those were actively seeking to destroy the precious Soul And all who feared to fall under that sad sentence of summar Excommunication from Heaven Anathema Maranatha durst ever enter into a friendly communing with them have any followshipe with them or give them the least token of kindness and affection by word or deed yea or by a cast of the eye let be by more homely Discoursings and Conversings And it is more then probable that if this course had been followed with them at the first they had not prevailed so much as they have done to our Shame Sin and Sorrow this day O that this were yet thought upon and amended Much less would there be any necessity to use much seriousness in disswading all who had any love to their own souls from hearkning to their discourses even though assurance were had which who that know what their Principles and Designes are can expect that they should say nothing but what is consonant to Truth seing it will be easily granted that the Devil speaking in whomsoever and uttering whatsomever should not be listned unto lest afterward he cause these same persons either question or deny these same truths because held and declared by such who by their other abominable Errours declare whose Slaves and Emissaries they are beside the advantage he hath when he getteth an hearing ear to distil and insensibly drop-in soul-destroying venome suggared over with faire Speeches and plausible Insinuations Moreover were all affected with this matter as they ought to be there would not be much need of Arguments disswading from a Perusal and Reading of their Scripts and Pamphlets For this impression would prompt them to an abhorrence of such Libels against the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ against blessed Jesus of Nazareth of whom these Quakers say as their Father the Devil did before them what have we to do with thee thou Ieâ—us of Nazareth And against the holy Spirit of grace Is it not obvious to all that beside the advantage the Devil hath in our losse of so much precious time spent in reading of their heretical and blasphemous writings which may be one end why the Devil prompteth them to be at so much paines and charges to Write and Printe so many pernicious Scripts and distribute them so freely he hath this also that the reading of their Impertinent Reavings in and about the holy things of God and with all of their Presumptuous and ridiculously confident Assertions doth oft excite the Reader to laughter who should rather be weeping over the manifest Effrontry done to the holy and precious Truths of God and Indignity done to the Holy Lord when His name is thus taken in vaine And much more when the reading of their Blasphemous and Outragious Speaches against the Holy One of their Profane and Temerarious Abusings and Wrestings of the holy Word of Truth of their Audacious and Wicked Overturnings of the whole Gospel of the grace of God of their Subdolous and Craftie Undermining of the Fundamental points of our Religion of their Supercilious and Effronted Rejectings of and Mockings at the sacred Truths of God and of their Irreverent and Fearless Prattings about the Mysteries of Divine and Unsearchable Wisdom cannot but insensibly debauch the spirit of the Reader into at least unsutable thoughts about these great Matters if he be not more then ordinarily ballasted with the apprehension of the dreadful Majestie of that God whose Truths these are The consideration of which should me thinks coole our Curiosity and cause us even when some necessity is laid upon us which we cannot evite to read them as when called to write against them and to discover their abominable and blasphemous Assertions for preventing of further mischiefe a necessitie that lyeth not upon every one of our Common People to live nigh to God and to be oft praying for a stayed frame of heart that our spirits be not debauched by the reading of such things as have a native tendency thereunto nor place be given to one thought of these great and glorious matters as if they were but indifferent or of small moment Who can dive into the depths of Satan the mysteries of their Blasphemies and Abominations and not be in hazard of receiving hurt thereby if the Lord do not strengthen and steel the Soul Finally were we as we ought to be there would be no necessity of dehorting any from giving countenance in the least unto their Synagogues of Satan and Diabolical Conventicles where some out of curiosity or some other corrupt ends sisting themselves within the jurisdiction of Satan who there reigneth being there solemnly Served and Worshiped have been as the Quakers themselves do boast and this R. Barclay professeth himself to be a clear instance catched by the Devil and made to drink of the same Cup of Delusion with the rest and to devote themselves to the same service of the Enemy of God and of Mankinde in which these
preaching to save them that believe and make it their work to preach Christ crucified even Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God And on the other hand what enemies to Christ to his Cross to the Preaching of His Truth and to all His Ordinances he and his party are we may have occasion to shew ere all be done And I am not afrayed to say that they will be found among the Chief Enemies of the cross of Christ howbeit he would faine equalize them to the Apostles whom I supposeth he meaneth by the fisher men he mentioneth Hereby also we can see that this new Seck would faine become yea make themselves the only Compurgators of all that hithertil hath been written in Theology and from them alone we must expect the indices expurgatorii which will only except or reserve some writings of Papists Pelagians Semipelagians Arminians Enthusiasts Anabaptists Perfectionists Antiscripturists Libertines and of such as are against the Ministery and the Ordinances of Christ or some special pieces of their writings which serve to confirme his sentiments which are an Hotch Potch made up of the Quintessence of all these and for the rest that any way contradict him they will have but one sentence and censure passed against them viz all is naught It is remarkable also that according to this Mans judgment the pure and naked Truth of god was never unfolded and declared until this Generation of Quakers arose and if some of themselves be to be believed it is far from half an age since they appeared in our Horizon which neither agreeth with truth nor with himself 16. He tels the Clergy That God thrust downe the wise men c. and hath chosen some few despicable and unlearned persons as to Scholastick learning as he did of old fishermen to publish his pure and naked truth by whom no doubt he meaneth himself and his fraternity for which we have nothing but his own assertion If their call be thus immediate and extraordinary it can be evidenced by such characters of credentials as may rationally satisfie any man concearning it and what these characters are I would gladly understand The Apostle Paul hath told us that the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the later times some shall depairt from the faith giving heed to seduceing Spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies in hypocrisie having their consciences seared with an hote yron 1 Tim. 4 1 2. And how fitly this will quadrate with this sort of men the sequel will evince The same Apostle hath told us in that same Epistle Chap. 5 3 4 5. That who ever consent not to wholesome words the words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness is proud or a fool as the margine hath it knowing nothing but doteing about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy striâ—e railings evil surmiseings perverse disputings of men of corrupt mindes and destitute of the truth supposeing that gaine is godliness from which he adviseth Timothy and us all in him to with draw He describeth also in his second Epistle a sort of men whom he would have shuned saying Chap. 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. This know also that in the last dayes perillous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to Parents unthankful unholy without natural affection trucebreakers false accusers or make bates as it is in the margine incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good traitours heady high minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God having the forme of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turne away for of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins led away with diverse lusts ever learning and never able to come to the knowledg of the truth And how appâ—sitely these all or the most of them agree to this generation of Men a few words might evince if it were my present business But all that I now designe is to evince a necessity laid upon us to try Pretenders before we trust them especially such pretenders as are thus described by the Apostle 17. As concearning these fisher men he mentioneth and to whom he compareth himself and his complices by whom I imagine he meaneth the Apostles except Paul who was no fisher man but was learned being brought up at the feet of Gamaliel I would enquire at him if he thinketh that they did publish the naked and pure truth If so he must know that we desire only to follow that as we have it recorded to us in the Scriptures of truth which he and his party do not much value And I would ask further How it cometh to pass that there is such a discrepancy and contradiction betwixt what these Apostles did teach and what he and the rest of the Quakers do teach Truth sure and pure and naked truth cannot be contrary to it self And if he say that there is no difference betwixt his doctrine and the truth delivered by the Apostles he must not be offended if we try the same by their writings and make use of what light within we have to this effect 18. It is not enough for him falsly to accuse all thaâ— have written of Theology of darkning and obscuring the truth but he must also usurpe the throne of God and judge of the heart and intentions of men for he alleidgeth that this was their end That the poor common people might admire them and maintaine them which carryeth as little truth in it as it evidenceth Christian charity in the asserter But we must not storme at such reflexions from the men whose woâ—ks declare what Spirit they are of Nor shall I retaliat though I might nor enquire what way they are maintained it is enough that there are shreud presumptions that their stock lyeth at Rome 19. Whatever we think of them they will needs look upon themselvs as the only called and authorized dispensers of the Gospel for he sayeth that God hath made choise of some few despicable and illiterate persons to publish the pure and naked truth and among the rest of himself to be a dispenser of this Gospel So that among them all are equal administrators and dispensers of this their Gospel for they have no select officers especially set apart for this work and so with them all are eyes eares c. and their body is no organical body so that their Church if their combination may with any propiety of speach be called a Church must needs be a monster But passing this which sufficiently discovereth what enemies they are to Gospel Order and to the institutions of Christ in his Church of which more when we come to his Tenth Thesis we think ourselves concearned to know what for a Gospel this is which they pretend to a mission to preach Sure it is not that which Christ and his Apostles taught and left on record
that every individual soul before they could savingly beleeve and understand the Truth of God behoved of necessity to have the same as Immediatly Inwardly and Extraordinarily revealed to themselves as it was to the Prophets and thus every man was to be an immediatly inspired Prophet to himself and what need was there then of immediatly Inspired Prophets singularly pitched upon and raised up for the use and benefite of others 4. This being plaine a sure basis whereupon we may stand and such a cleare stateing of the Question betwixt us and the Quakers that none needeth be ignorant of the true difference betwixt us and them we may very shortly dispatch this Man and his Doctrine which for the most part as we shall see runeth upon this Confusion and Mistake for thus he beginneth Pag. 5. to tell us That in all ages this hath been acknowledged viz That there is no saving knowledge of God to be had without the Spirit and to this end citeth some passages out of Augustin Clemens Alexandr Tertul. Hierom Athanasius Gregorius Magnus Cyril Alexandr Bernard Luther and Melanchâ—on None of which speak any other thing than what I have already granted and asserted and no true orthodox Christian or any that I know will deny except Pelagians Arminians the like with whom this Man doth too much conspire as we shall heare But can he produce any of the Fathers or of our Reformers maintaining such Inward and Immediat Revelations of the Spirit as the Quakers with their predecessours the Enthusiasts do assert now to be necessary and do pretend to If he be so well acquanted with the writings of the Fathers as by these his citations he would have us beleeve he hath done wisely for himself but not very honestly in concealing what several of the same Fathers and Others write expresly against such high Pretenders as the Quakers now are and in whose footsteps they in many things now tread Theodoretus in Epit. Haeret. Fab. Cap. 3. giveth us Cerinthus as the first Patriarcâ— of Fanaticks pretending to such Revelations Irenaeus lib. 1. advers Valentinum c. Cap. 9. sheweth how Marcus Valentinianus had a great Impostor a certane Devil for his Assessor by whom he himself seemed to Prophecy and foretel things and how he made some certane women whom he accounted worthy of that honour to prophecy and speak some braine-sick discourses when warmed by that empty Spirit so that they supposed themselves to be Prophetisses Theodoret in the forecited book Lib. 3. Cap. 11. tels us that one Montanus out of an ambition to excel all others alleidged that he had all his Opinions from the instinct of his Spirit the Paracleâ—e and did pretend to Enthusiasmes and Revelations and that he took unto him Priscilla and Maximilla as two Prophetisses calling their writings Prophecies or Prophetick Books and preferring them unto the divine Evangel And from this Montanus borne at Pepuza in Phrygia came the Seck of Cataphrygians and Pepuzians Augustine may also be read concerning this Catal. Haeret. Num. 26. and 27. And these men because they pretended much to the Spirit as our Quakers do now were usually called Spirituales and they called and accounted others Carnal Persons Psychici Animales Eusebius Hist. Eccles. Lib. 5. Cap. 16 and 17 may be read to this purpose relateing some of the pranks and opinions of these Cataphrigians and how one Apollonius wrote against them and their revelations and how Serapion and others gave witnes against them Let him if he please read also Epiphanius contra Haeres Tom. 1. Lib. 2. Haeres 48. 49. Where he will meet with some things not unworthy of his consideration Of this sort also were the Euchites who came of the Messalinians who were also called Enthusiasts concerning whom see Theodoretus Epit. Haeret Fab. Lib. 4. Cap 11 and Phylostr Haeres 49. A wonder it is that he citeth not Tertullian's books written de Ecstasi after he turned a follower of Montanus whom and whose ecstasies he laboured to defend in these books sure such could he have fallen upon them had been more apposite to his purpose then what he here citeth out of his book de volandis Virginibus we could also cite his book de praâ—cript advers Haeres Cap. 52. where he inveigheth much against such Prophets Among others of the predecessours of Quakers may the Circumcelliones and Donatistae be reckoned who did pretend to Visions and such Revelations and we may take in Quintius the Liberâ—ine though much later and others of the like stamp 5. In his § 3. he goeth on ranting at the same rate inveighing against all Doctors learned Persons who are not of his judgmeâ—t as being void of the Spirit and so no more to be called Christians as subserving in their writtings and labours the designe of Satan being only instructed in the external letter of the Scriptures whileas others that had only this inward and immediat revelation were true Christians hence he very profoundly doth inferre That the inward and immediat Revelation is only that sure and undoubted methode of true and saving knowledge I shall not be the man that shall plead for Doctors or Professours that deny or are strangers to the workings of the Spirit of God only I may say that the Quakers have not as yet given such irrefragable demonstrations of their being illuminated and led by the Spirit as may make us secure and confident as to the truth of all which they say I suppose the Spirit of God would teach them to speak more soberly of such as they are yet great strangers unto But to what purpose is all this waste of words if he meane nothing else by his Inward and Immediat Revelation than what we formerly § 3. did owne and explaine against whom doth he fight But if he meane as he must if he speak to the purpose what we said was the opinion of the Quakers all his wit and skill shall never be able to inferre his Conclusion from the Premises I grant that the knowledge of the letter of the Scriptures will never bring a man to heaven if with that there be not some gracious and saving Work of the Spirit working up the man to an Imbraceing Closeing with and rightly Improving of the Truths there contained yet I dar not say that the very letter of the Scriptures in its kinde as a compleet Canon and Rule is not able to make us wise unto salvation seing the Apostle is express for this 2 Tim 3.15 nor will I say that to the end the Truths revealed in the Scriptures may be savingly beleeved there is a necessiâ—y that every one have these same Truths revealed and declared unto them Objectively by new Inward and Immediat Revelations as the Prophets and Apostles had the Truths revealed unto them which they delivered unto others in the name of the Lord. And when he shall be able to inferre this Conclusion from solide Premises we shall think our selves concerned to
of God immediatly so made known unto them for the only formal Object of their Faith But withall I say that all others who believed though still the Word and Authority of God was the formal Object of their Faith and ground of their Obedience had not this formal Object conveyed and made known unto them by Inward and Immediat Revelation and of this beside the manifest and unquestionable evidence of the thing it self we have Instances in that same Chapter dar he say that all who beleeved from the beginning that the Worlds were framed by the Word of God c. had this truth revealed unto them by God Immediatly either by Dreames or Vive Voice or the like where readeth he of Revelations Inward and Immediat made to Abel who yet by Faith offered unto God a more excellent Sacrifice than Cain Where readeth he to passe by others of the Inward Immediat Revelations upon which their faith was founded who through faith subdued Kingdomes wrought righteousness stopped the mouthes of lions Quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong waxed valient in fight turned to flight the armies of the aliens received their dead raised to life againe were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection had tryal of cruel mockings and scourgings and moreover of bonds and imprisonments who were stoned sawne asunder were tempted were slaine with the sword who wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins being destitute afflicted tormented who wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth Where readeth he I say of such Revelations made to all these persons who yet had faith and by faith were they Encouraged Enabled Supported and Carried thorow 24. Bâ—cause he foresaw that some would Object That hence it would follow that there is no formal Object of faith now because the Lord doth not reveal his minde by Angels Dreames and Visions and the like Therefore he taketh notice of this Pag. 14. 15. but his answere is so confused and indistinct that you can hardly know what he would say He will not limite the power and liberty of God Wherein he doth wisely But will he say that God eiâ—her did or now doth reveal the whole Object of faith to all beleevers in suâ—h a manner He distinguisheth betwixt what is substantial and universal in the object of faith and what is circumstantial and accidental And hereby he either speaketh non-sense or destroyeth his owne cause for if the Immediat Revelation by those wayes mentioned was but accidental it cannot be called the formal Object of the faith of all believers He distinguisheth next betwixt what was obnoxious to doubting and what was not But he leaveth us in the mist while he explaineth Neither Then he tels us That these vive voices and dreames c. were the thing which they did believe and not the formal object or ground upon which they belâ—eved I should rather think that the word of Truth or Command which was made known unto them by vive voice or dreame c. was the Material Object not the Formal Object quod as he ignorantly speaketh or the thing which they were to believe and receive and that these dreames c. were but the manner of conveyance both of the material Object and of the Formal He addeth a serious truth viz. That they were not ignorant that the Devil could have formed sounds of words in the aire and delude the external senses by false apparitions and this dayly experience proveth Whereby he confirmeth what we formerly said and giveth us faire warning to take heed and beware of such Delusions I wish he and the rest of the Quakers would carry the impress of this Truth alwayes with them But how then was the formal Object of faith secured He answereth There was a secret testimony of the Spirit in their hearts perâ—wading thâ—m that these voices and visions were really from God But was this secret testimony distinct from that which came alongs with these Divine Voices and Dreames c If not what will he gaine hereby or against whom would he fight if it was distinct than it seemeth God's Immediat speaking by Voices Dreames Visions c. were not so clear and evident in themselves as to Compel Move and Bow the intellect that was well disposed by it's owne evidence and clearness unto an assent and were not so clear and evident as the common principles of natural Truthes are viz. That the whole is more than a part Two contradictories cannot be both true and false which move and bow the Minde to a natural Assent and thus he contradicteth what he said in his Thesis See above § 2. Moreover if the matter was so he must say that there was no more Objective Evidence and Clearness in Gods speaking by Voices Dreames c. than in the Devils speaking so for without this new testimony the Prophets themselves could put no difference betwixt the One and the Other Againe could not the Devil come with a false toaken aâ—d perswade the false Prophets that the voices and visions they had were really from God And may not the Devil do so now especially in such as are given up of God to strong delusions to believe a lie But what would he make of this falshood He would Inferre that this Inward Testimonâ— was the Principal and original Object of their faith A wilde assertion for thâ—s Inward Testimony should rather be called the Principal and Original Cause or thâ— Efficient Cause of faith than the Object of it for its use was according to his owne doctrine not to Declare immediatly the Object of then Faith but to work up their soul and minde to receive and close with the Object which was proposed in these Divine Dreames and Visions as that power which openeth the eyes of the blinde is not the formal Objâ—ct but the efficient Cause of the mans seeing the sun Then he addeth That these expressions The Lord spoke the word of the Lord came or was to such or such an one and the like will not evince that God spoke by audible voices and that he who asserteth it must prove it But we need neither Assert it nor Prove it for it is enough to us if these expressions signifie that singular way whatever it was which the Lord used in communicating his Minde to the Prophets and so a way distinct from that which he used with every individual private and particular Believer The answere to his formal argument with which the closeth this Paragraph may bâ— taken out of what is said and I need not spend time with repeating the same things 25. He cometh § 9. to the maine business the last Proposition viz. That the Object he should meane the formal Object of the faith of the Saints is alwaâ—es the same And thinketh he that any Christian will deny this which yet he must spend words about the proof of
he hath gained nothing for I would say so that the Lord Jesus hath by his Spirit revealed Truths even Objectively unto us and even this way made good these promises but how By Inspireing Apostles and others to pen Scripture wherein all New Testament Truths necessary and sufficient for us to be believed and obeyed in order to Salvation are contained and revealed Is not this a proposeing of Truths Objectively Nay more I say the Spirit to this day is proposeing to us truths Objectively in by the work of the Ministrie and Ordinances which are established and maintained by the Spirit for this end to clear up the word of Reconciliation and to explaine all Gospel Truths which we are to believe and obey Here is also an Objective proposal by the Spirit But you will say it is not an Immediat Objective proposal I grant it and yet it is sufficient to confute his reason which mentioneth not this Immediatness nor will he prove any such thing out of these Scriptures in reference to all beleevers 29 Now followeth his Second Argument taken as he sayes from the new Covenant whereby he would prove that we are to be led by the Spirit not only Immediatly but also Objectively A strange conclusion as full of confusion as the former for any would think that by Objectively here he meaneth Mediatly But I suppose he would have said not only Subjectively but also Objectively For clearing of the matter and to prevent a fighting in the dark we would know That the work of the Spirit in order to the beleeving of Truths is either in and about the Soul of the man whom he is to give a Revelation of the truth unto or is in and about the Truth which is revealed and to be beleeved The First is that which is meaned by the word subjective because the man is the subject in which the Spirit is to work faith The Other is that which is expressed by the word Objective because the truth revealed is the Object which is to be beleeved and received Now the Subjective Operation of the Spirit in this matter is by enlightning the Understanding of the man taking away the vail that was over his eyes and thus enabling him to see the Object as when Christ cured the blinde man he put him in case to see the light which he could not do before so the Spirit openeth the eyes of the minde of the man that he may see the wonders out of his law Psal. 119 18. As to this immediat work of the Spirit though the Lord thinketh good to do this ordinarly in and by the use of meanes which he hath appointed so that the word Immediatly must not be so understood as to exclude these he maketh no debate with us But as to the Objective operation of the Spirit it is by proposeing of the Object or Truth to be beleeved unto the Intellect as true and as spoken by God and this is twofold either External or Internal External is when the Truth is proposed by God to the Intellect by outward meanes such as the Scriptures Preachers and the like and this may be also called Mediat Internal which may be called Immediat is when the Lord's Spirit doth immediatly propose the Truth to be believed as true and as spoken to them as a truth now to be believed because thus spoken by Him immediatly unto their souls unto which is requisite a real secret operation of the Spirit immediatly carrying the truth in upon the Understanding by Supernatural and Immediatly Infused intelligible Species's The former mediat way this man is not Satisfied with and this last immediat way is that whereby Truths were revealed extraordinarily to Prophets and Apostles and otherâ— who were Inspired and is usually called Prophetick Revelation and in this sense is the word Revelation ordinarily taken in Scripture And this is the Revelation Immediat and Objective which this man would plead for and which we deny to be common to all believers whether under â—he Old Testam or under the New And which we also deny to be â—he way by which we are to expect the Teachings and Leadings of the Spirit now seing we are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ himself being the chiefe corner stone Ephes. 2 20. 30. Now let us see how he proveth his point He adduceth two passages of Scripture Esai 59 21. and Ier. 31 33. with its parallel Heb. 8 10. where the Lord promiseth that the words which he shall put in their mouth shall not depart out of their mouth nor out of the mouth of their seed nor out of the mouth of their seeds seed from hence forth even for ever And that he will put his law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts c And what I pray can all this Evince Cannot the Lord put his words in the mouth and hearts of his People Mediatly Ay but saith he the Lord saith not that he will do this by Scriptures or other Means Nor doth he say say I that he will do it without them when he opened the heart of Lydia and when he caused the Thessalonians receive the word not as the word of Man though preached by Paul but as it is indeed the Word of God did he not put his word into their mouth and write it in their hearts But saith he hereby is the law and the Gospel differenced that the law was writen in tables of stone but the Gospel in the heart Ans. Said not David Psal. 40 8. that the law of God was in his heart And Ps. 119 11 that he hid Gods Word in his heart If it be so why said he before and went about to prove that the Object of faith of beleevers under the Law and under the Gospel was the same and how had all the Saints under the Law Immediat Revelations Other answers might be given here but these are sufficient to shew the mans Ignorance and Inconstancy when he hath reconciled himself to himself we will have less to do What he speaks afterward of Immediat Communion which is not the same with Immediat Revelation in respect whereof the state of beleevers under the Gospel is better than that under the Law is but to confirme further his self contradiction Let him reconcile this with what he said before of beleevers under the Law and of the sameness of the Object formal of the faith of both and we shall think ourselves concerned to notice what he saith But further to multiply his self contradictions he addeth an Untruth viz. That under the Law they had the high Priest immediatly receiving the Word of God in the holy of holies to teach the people and we say now under thâ— Gospel there is nothing but the external letter of the Scripture in the meaning of one verse of which scarce two do agree For neither can he prove that the High Priest had such Revelations alwayes in the Holy of Holies And we
sandy ground as Mr Rutherfoord witnesseth in his Spiritual Antichrist P. 19. Richard Farnworth said to Mr Stalham as he reporteth Pag. 3. of his forecited book That the Scriptures are the word of God and eternal life as thou wouldest have them thou canst not prove nor all the Magicians to help thee So P. 43. he tels us that one of them in a sheet called Christ exalted c. P. 4. had these words He Christ is the word and the Scripture is not He is the light and the Scripture is not He is the Rule and Guide and Teacher and Iudge and the Scripture is not but a Declaration of Him to be so By which and the like we may see how low an account they have of the Scriptures And how fond and absurd this is to debase the Scriptures under a pretence of exalting of Christ who seeth not Seing the Lord spoke in and by the Prophets unto the Fathers and spoke by the Mouth of the holy Prophets Heb. 1 1. Luk. 1 70. And the word of the Lord came unto them as unto Ieremiah Chap. 1 2 4. 2 1. 14 1. 29 30. unto Ezechiel Chap. 1 3. 3 16. to Hosea Chap. 1 1. to Ioel Chap. 1 1. to Ionah Ch. 1 1. 3 1. to Micab Ch. 1 1. to Zephania Chap. 1 1. to Zechariah Chap. 1 1. 7 4. 8 1. and by Haggai Chap. 1 1. And they declared what they spoke as the word of the Lord and the Lord owned it as His word See moreover 2 Chron. 36 21. Micah 4 4. Act. 28 25. Esai 1 20. Deut. 30 8 Num. 25.5 Ier. 23 28. and the like And seing the Scriptures containe nothing but a Revelation of the will and good pleasure of God it is manifest and clear that they are the Word of God and should bear that title To speak nothing of the Law which the Lord spoke and gave himself immediatly from mount Sinai what he inspired the Prophets to deliver and spoke himself in and by them and moved them infallibly in the very writing thereof cannot but be the Word of God That word which was given by immediat divine Inspiration cannot but beare the name of the Word of God Nay this name is expresly given unto the Scriptures for Mark 7. what is called the commandement of God vers 8. spoken and written by Moses vers 10. is called the Word of God vers 13. The roll written by Baruch Ier. 36 from the mouth of â—eremiah vers 4. is called the words of the Lord vers 6. The sword of the Spirit which is a piece of the Spiritual armour of Christian souldiers wherewith they resist the devil as Christ their Captane did Mat 4 4 7 10. with an it is written see also Mat. 22 31 32. is called the Word of God Ephes. 6 17. I shall not urge that place Heb. 4 12. because it seemeth more to be spoken of Christ than of the Scriptures though several take it as meaned of the Scriptures But that equivalent Expression of the Word of Christ Col. 3 16. may confirme us in this Truth as also that equivalent Expression the Oracles of God Rom. 3 2. and that the sincere milk of the word 1 Pet. 2 2. and that the word of the Lord 1 Pet. 1 2â— what else can the Psalmist's speaking to God and manifesting his affection to his word useing this expression Thy word above thirtie times Psal. 119. import but that the Scriptures are and are to be called the Word of God So these equipollent Expressions have the same import The word which I command you Deut. 4 2. I have written to him the great things of my law Hos. 8 12. when the Spirit of the Lord speaking of the Scriptures useth these expressions well spoke the Holy Ghost saying Act. 28 25 26. As the Holy Ghost saith Heb. 3 7. He spoke in a certane Place Heb. 4 4. He said in David vers 7. See Heb. 5 6. Exod. 20 1. Deut. â— 6. Heb. 13 5. Gal. 3 16. Rom. 10 21. 15 10. 1 Cor. 9 10. Others of this kinde might be cited If this man be of another judgment herein he should clearly express himself howbeit he thereby dissatisfie some of his Brethren But instead of this in his Apology P. 36. he alleigeth that we but calumniate them and speaking in the name of all the rest he saith they account them the most excellent writings in the world but how will he make this agree with their sayings formerly cited and afterward to be adduced He would do well to endeavour some reconciliation but I see not how he can do it 3. As for us we assert that no Prophecie of the Scripture is of any private interpretation For they were not conceived by the mindes nor framed and formed by the Understandings and Reasonings of men nor were they the product of their Study Paines as other books are of their Authors assisted by the Spirit of God Howbeit the penmen of the Scriptures studied the writtings of others as Daniel did understand by books Dan. 9 2. and David was much in the meditation and study of the Law yea they searched and made narrow enquiry after the meaning of what was spoken and delivered by themselves so far as concerned their own faith and Practice as Peter tels us 1 Pet. 1 10 11. yet the work of delivering the Scriptures by Word and Write was not the result of their studious Labour wherein their Mindes Judgments and Memories were exercised and busied nor did these Scriptures proceed from private phancied Revelations and Enthusiasmes they were not the issue of mens Dreams Imaginations Conceptions of fancie or self-Afflation because no way of private Interpretation or Revelation but on the contrary holy men of God spoke as they were not only determined but moved by the Holy Ghost and that in contradistinction both from the acts of mens Phancy and Imagination and the acts of their Will 2 Pet. 1 20 21. The Holy Ghost did Immediatly and Extraordinarily dictat what was written Matter and Expressions as well such things as they had Seen Heard Read Studied and Known before as these they were Ignorant of or had forgotten Hence it is that the Lord spoke in the Prophets by the mouth of the holy Prophets and his word came unto them and by them see Heb. 1 2. Mark 14 36. Heb. 3 7. 9 8. 10 15. Luk. 1 v. 70. 2 King 10 10. 21 10. 2 Sam. 23 2 3. and hence it is that this very word of Prophecy or Prophetical word coming thus unto the Prophets the holy men of God when it was to become a Prophecie of write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was also committed to write through the Spâ—cial acting of the Spirit singularly movâ—ng these Amanuenses hence the Scripture the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given by Inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3 16. on which place the words of Corn a
47. of his works saith as Mr Hicks citeth him Dial. 3. Pag. 58 59. That is no command to me which is a command to another neither did any of the saints act by a command that was given to another And againe Such as go to duty by imitation from the letter which was commands to others their sacrifice is an abomination to the Lord. And againe Pag. 105. he hence inferreth that they who take up a command from the Scriptures are in the witchcraft This is a sufficient proof And that that inference of his Brethren is naught we shall shew afterward 10. In the following words of his Thesis he cometh nearer to that which is the core of the whole of his designe which is to set up Immediat Revelations and Enthusiasmes as the ground and adequate Rule of Faith and Manners and to lay aside the Scripturâ—s as incompetent thereunto for he tels us that the Scriptures are only a Declaration of the Fountaine and not the Fountaine it self and thence inferreth that therefore they are not to be accounted the Principal Original of all Truth and Knowledge nor the adequate primary Rule of Faith and Manners But what ridiculous folly is this did ever man dream that the Scriptures were God or the Spirit of God So he reasoneth as if one should say The acts of Parliament or the Lawes made by the Supream Legislator of a Kingdom or Common wealth are but only declarations of the minde of the Law-givers and not the Law-makers themselves therefore they are not the principal Original of civility or municipality nor the adequate and primary Rule of government And who would not smile at this The Jewes when they heard the law given by God upon mount Siâ—ai might have said likewise This Law is not God himself nor the fountaine it self but only a Declaration of the Fountaine and therefore cannot be accounted our adequate and primary Rule of Faith and Manners but we must look after something else as our Adequate and Primary Rule â—ut I wonder that the man doth not observe that this manner of argueing maketh nothing for his maine designe for he will not I suppose say though others speak little less that the Revelations which he pretendeth unto or the light within which he would have regarded as the Rule is God himself or the Fountaine and principal Original it self of all Truth and Knowledge but only at most a Beame of Light and Truth streaming out from the Fountaine And so the question will only come to this whether the Revelations or Light within which he cryeth up or the Scriptures of Truth which we plead for be the Adequate and Principal Rule of Faith and Manners And if he speak any thing to this question in his Apology we shall examine it One thing I would say here viz. That this Prime Principal Original of all Truth and Knowledge is no Rule of Faith and Manners to us let be the Adequate and Primary Rule being considered in it self but only as declared and manifested to us in manner of a Law whether written and made legible upon the Nature of Man and his Relation to the Creator and to the rest of the creatures or imprinted upon the Minde of Man or delivered by Vive Voice as on mount Sinai or by writing as in the Scriptures God's being the Fountaine and prime Original of all Truth c. did lay no bands on Adam to forbear to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil but there was an express Command given and Law made thereanent God is in Himself and from all Eternity was the prime Fountain and Original of all Truth and Knowledge yet was not that a Law or Rule for a Law or Rule is a relative thing and supposeth Subjects to be Ruled and Governed thereby which were not in being from eternity 11. He talketh further at the same rate of absurdity granting that the Scriptures are and may be accounted a secondary Rule subordinate to the Spirit from whom they derive all their excellency and Certainty But what meaneth he by a Secondary Subordinate Rule This would import that the Testimony of the Spirit which he and others of his perswasion do pretend unto and plead for is a Rule above the Scriptures But how can the Testimony of the Spirit which they say they receive be preferred unto the Testimony of the Scriptures seing by his owne confession the Scriptures were written by a divine Afflatus Is the Spirits speaking unto them more an Afflatus and so a more Primary Rule than the Spirits speaking in the Scriptures This cannot be for sure the Scriptures or Verity declared therein or the Declaration of Gods minde thereby expressed is as Immediat an Emanation from the Prime Original Truth as any which they can receive for the holy Men of God were as Really and as Immediatly Inspired by the Spirit in Speaking Dictating and Writing the Scriptures we are not here speaking of transumpts or of translations as they can suppose themselves to be if not more And so all the difference is that the Inspiration which they receive is to them Immediate but the Inspiration in the Scriptures is but Mediate to us yet sure when they come to dictate their Inspirations to others the case cannot much differ And further we are taught that the Inspirations and Revelations which the Holy-men of God who were his Penmen in writing the Scriptures did receive were not for themselves for the Lord spoke by them or in them to the Fathers Heb. 1 â— And Peter tels us 1 Pet. 1 10 12. that the Prophets when they prophecied of the grace that should come had it revealed unto them that not unto themselves but unto us they did Minister the thingâ— which are now reported It is confessed that the Scriptures were given out by the Infallible Inspiration of the Spirit and that they were given for a Rule and Paul tels us 2 Tim. 3 16 17. that they are able to make us wise unto Salvation to make the man of God perfect throughly fournished unto all good works whence it is manifeâ—t that they are a Sure and Alsufficient Rule and therefore Compleat and Adequate as to what we are to Know and Beleeve in reference to Eternal Salvation But as for their Revelations and Inspirations whatever they make of them we are concerned to enquire whence they come and whither they go eâ—pecially seing they are set up cheek by chole with the Scriptures yea and preferred thereto Nay when the Scriptures command us not to beleeve every Spirit but to try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world 1 Ioh. 4 â— I judge it the saifest course both for them and us to examine these supposed Inspirations And howbeit they may imagine that the Inspirations which they have now and then received or are receiving are undoubtedly Divine Yet because the false Prophets whereof Iohn speaketh might have imagined the same
not full and compleet and â—o unable to reach the end for which they are appointed Shall we say that God could not reveal his whole Will and Counsel Or that he was not so Good and Gracious as to do it I dar say Neither Nay this book of the Scriptures is a called a Testament 2 Cor. 3 6 14. And who dar adde to God's Testament when it is unlawful to adde to a mans Testament Gal. 4 15 And the places formerly cited do clearly evince it sufficient for the ends for which it is designed to which these may be added Psal. 119 105. Rom. 1 16. 1 Tim. 4 16. Ioh. 17 20. And if we must admit new Revelations not only as a part compleating our Rule but as a Supream Rule we declare the Scriptures useless as a Rule for what is not an Adequate and Perfect Rule is no Rule at all nor doth it deserve that name and withal we lay ourselves open to Satans Delusions and to false Revelations wherewith the world hath been too much filled and too long deceived or at best to Revelations and Enâ—husiasmes which we know neither whither they go nor whence they come and let them speak never so highly of their Revelations we judge by their doctrine which is for the most part either False or Dubious and not consonant to the Scriptures of truth We have heard of Impostors who were the greatest of Pretenders as of Simon Magus Act. 8. of Mahomet of several in the Church of Rome and others we have heard also of false Prophets of old and Christ hath foretold us of such Mat. 7. 24 24. and hath bid us beware of them Are we assured that the devil cannot or shall not play his game under these Enthusiasmes One thing is certane that the Lord sendeth us not to these Enthusiasmes to understand his Minde but to the Law and to the Testimony and to the more sure Word of Prophecie One thing I would know Whether he beleeveth that Christ and his Apostles did teach all that was necessary to salvation I suppose he will not deny it considering what Paul alone saith Act. 20 20 21 27. If he confess it then I would ask whether we have not the summe of that doctrine faithfully set downe to us in the Scriptures This cannot rationally be denyed seing Paul saith he taught nothing but what was foretold by Moses and the Prophets Act. 26 22. and seing hence it would follow that God was not so careful of the Church of the New Testament as he was of the Church of the Old Test. nor so careful of us as of the Primitive Church Neither let any say that we have Revelations now to make up our want For beside that we know no warrand for us to look for such in the primitive times there were Persons extraordinarily Inspired having Revelations notwithstanding of which there was a full and compleet declaration of all that was necessary to Salvation Againe why did the Lord commit any thing to write seing he would not commit his whole Counsel unto write Why would he not leave us wholly to Revelations It may be the Quakers will say that we are indeed left wholly to Revelations And this is the true tendency of this Mans doctrine But then of what use are the Scriptures Can he loose this knot and give satisfaction 41. He tels us as to this Pag. 46. The Lord thinks good to comfort some by others whom he raiseth up and inspireth for this end to speak and write seasonable words and so make them perfect And this with him is the whole import of Rom. 15 2. 2 Tim. 3 15 16 17. So that the Scriptures are but like their writings one to another tending to Comfort and Encourage one another who are delighted as he speaketh with the words or writings that come from the same Spirit in another Bellarmine saith They containe only some profitable Admonitions And both this man and Bellarmine deny them to be a Law Compleet and Full. Bellarmine thinketh that their Traditions are of as great authority as the Scriptures and this Quaker thinketh their owne Scriblings are of as great authority And where are we then And what is left us as a ground of our Faith and Hope by the Papists â—nd the Quakers â—ut he citeth as a proof of this 2 Pet. 1 12. which can prove nothing for him for we grant that the Scriptures are for Comfort and Encouragement but we say also They are Profitable for Doctrine and for Reproof and for Correction and for Instruction 2 Tim. 3 16. And that they are able to make the man of God Perfect Yes saith he They make the man of God perfect as Pastors and Doctors do who are ordained for this end viz. Ephes. 4 11 12. And yet as Pastors are not to be preferred to the Spirit so neither are the Scriptures Nay but he should say if he would speak consonantly to himself Though Christ hath ordained Pastors c. for the Perfecting of the Saints and given us Scriptures inspired of God that the man of God may be perfect yet we may lay both aside as useless and betake us to the Spirit for all and thereby declare that we are wiser than Christ was and that we have nothing to do either with the fruits of his Ascension the Ordinance of Officers or with the fruites of his Love and Care of the Church to the end of the world that is the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to show unto his servants But who would not pity such a poor blinded self-deceiving Creature Thinks he that the Appointments of Jesus Christ cannot be owned as meanes perfect in their kinde and for their end but the Spirit as a Principal Efficient Cause must be enjured and that we must lay aside the Scriptures as a Law and Rule that the Spirit may do all and have all the glory I should then think that he were more to be prayed for than disputed with and were it not for satisfaction to Others whom their faire speaches may deceive I should think it hardly worth my paines to blot so much paper in confutation of him 42. Then in the next place he tels us that the Lord would have us see in them that is in the Scriptures as in a glase the conditions and experiences of old saints that observing their case and ours to agree we may be confirmed comforted instructed in righteousness and by the Spirit within us observing the signature of the Spirit in them we may see them fulfilled in us Hence only the Spiritual man of God can profite by them and of such speaketh the Apostle also Rom. 15. others pervert them as Peter tels us By all which we see That the Scriptures are no Law or Rule no not a subordinate Rule or Law for what is such must have some Obligeing force with it binding us to conformâ—ty But according to this Man the Scriptures have no obligeing Force at all
and have â—othing of it Imputed unto them which though this man may account no way absurd yet all Orthoeox Christians will be of another minde 5 He speaks dubiously concerning the Import of these two words and knoweth not whether their meaning be by which occasion or in which death and we have seen that the meaning cannot be by which Occasion And it will further appear from this that Adams sin could be no Occasion to such as never heard of it and our nearest Parents sins should be a greater Occasion and further what could Paul's meâ—tioning an Occasion contribute to his designe 6. Paul asserts that death passed upon all men and giveth this as a ground thereof that all men had sinned but this Man perverteth the Apostles words and meaning and maketâ— the Apostle speak thus death passed upon all men because all men will sin actually when they become capable 7. The Apostle sheweth that death passed upon all men and reigned even over Infants and so supposeth that Infants had sinned otherwayes his argument vers 12. had been of no value for the Instance of Infants who are a great part of Mankinde had destroyed the Apostles reasoning if they bad not been included under all men 8. He is angry at the Orthodox as we sâ—all hear afterward for restricting the particle all or the words all men though it be according to the exigence of the context But here he excludeth a great part of Mankinde contrary to the whole scope and disigne of the Text yea and to the Apostles expresse including of Infants and making use of their Case as a confirmation of his point 9 If he exclude Infants from this sin he must exclude them also from all benefite in Christs Obedience and then where is his Universal Redemption and his Universal Grace whereof he speaketh in the following Theses 10 That Infants are capable of sinning in their Head is as clear as they are capable of dying for the sin of the Head this the Apostle proveth from their death and from death reigneing over them 11. But sayes he Infants are under no Law But the Apostâ—e sayes the contrare viz. that there was both Sin and Law before Moses dayes because death reigned even over Infants and consequently that Infants were under sin and therefore also under a Law for where there is no law there is no transgressiâ—n But this was the Law given to Adam as head of Mankinde which Law all transgressed when Adam transgressed because the whole Nature transgressed it Adam representing all as their Natural Root and by vertue of the Covenant in which he stood And thus we see how this Man perverteth and inverteth the Words and Arguments and Scope and All of the Apostle 12 If death was inflicted on old Persons because of their actual sins wherefore was death inflicted upon Infants Sure the Apostle maketh no distinction of Deaths nor doth he speak of distinct causes of Death but only mentioneth an universal Cause of an universal Effect sin the cause and death the effect and therefore if the effect come upon infants the cause must also come upon them or the Apostle argueth very loosly and he must impute cruelty injustice to his Maker 13. This addition of his to the text viz. who were capable of sinning is the same that Castalio made saying these to wit who in regaird of age could have sinned And in this he was no lesse bold with the text then our Quaker is for as we have seen and the text is clear it is not all these only that die but even such as come not to that age and the Apostle alwayes speaks of death as the wages of sin And when he here sayeth of Infants that they sinned not after the similitude of Adam's transgression he clearly intimateth that they sinned some other way viz. in Adam which also the 19. verse manifestly proveth 20. He taketh notice Next of our argument from Psal. 51 5. behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me where the Psalmist is exaggerating his iniquity before the Lord as all true penitents will do traceth his sin to the very Spring and Fountaine as to him viz. that Original Corruption which he brought into the world with him and shewing that even while he was a forming and warming as the word importeth in the womb this corruption did adhere to him so that the very masse out of which he was framed was corrupt and what greater proof could we desire of the originaâ—ed part of this Original Sin than is here The Ancient Fathers made use of this passage for the same end as Vossius sheweth us Hist. Pelag. Pag. 144.145 And some Jewes such as Aben Ezra Sal. Iarchi expound it of innate Concupiscence Now what saith this Quaker to this He cannot see our Infâ—rence and why so It seemeth to me sayes he that this iniquity and sin is rathâ—r ascribed to the parents than to the Infants for he sayeth in sin did my mother conceive me not my mother conceived me sinning Ans. Is not this a quick observation and worthy of a Quaker But the misery is it quite crosseth Davids designe This man must think that it was a great argument of Davids Sorrow and Repentance to lay iniquity upon his Parents now in all appearance dead but I should look upon this as no argument of a true penitent heart What could his upbraiding of his Father and Mother after this manner contribute to the aggravating of his own sin And that this is David's designe I think this Quaker will not deny if he but look upon the place and read over the Psalm or the first part of it Is not David about the confessing of his owne sin Read the title of the Psalm the preeceeding verse and see Is he not seeking pardon and remission of his own sin Or shall we suppose that he is praying for remission to the dead all Confession of sin to God is in reference to Remission and if David speak here only of his Parents sin he is tacitely seeking Remission If he speak of his Parents sin in begetting and warming him in the womb it must be as including himself at least as shareing thereof and this will prove that David had sin upon him from his very conception And by his answere he would seem to make marriage duties unlawful contrare to 1 Cor. 7 2 3 4 5. Heb. 13 4. He addeth another answere thus Such an interpretation would contradict the Scriptures formerly cited while it maketh infants to he hurt by their immediat parents sin And there is no mention here of Adam Answ. I do not prove hence that David was guilty of his immediat Parents sins but that original contagion doth so cleave to every ordinary Infant unless we could suppose some singular thing in David without all ground that in his very warming in his Mothers womb he is corrupted and albeit David make no mention here of Adam the
upon what designe himself best knoweth Nor doth he speak any thing of Election that we might thereby understand his meaning better concerning Reprobation It is true Pag. 59. as we took notice in the proceeding chapter he gave us a little taste of his humore in giving a wipe without any true ground or real occasion at absolute Election and so we see that he is equally enraged against Absolute Election and Absolute Reprobation But what his owne true Opinion is he leaveth us to conjecture Some might think that he were of one opinion as to this with Pelagians Iesuites and Arminians who plead for Conditional decrees of Election and Reprobation and for satisfaction to their owne searching minde poreing into this matter The Iesuites do coine a Scientia Media through which as a necessary pair of spectacles they consider God looking a far to read what is written on the will of man placed in such and such circumstances that accordingly he may order his unchangeable decrees either to Elect this man who as he foreseeth through this prospect of Scientia Media will be a good and holy man and continue in faith and obedience to the end or to Reprobate that other man who as he espyeth by the same medium will prove a son of belial and will not beleeve nor repent If this man be of this opinion I am far mistaken if his Election and Reprobation howbeit he call it Conditional be not more fatally Inevitable than what we say for by this opinion the Lord Jehovah himself is under a Fatal necessity of Electing those that are elected and Reprobating such as are reprobated for according as he seeth the determination of mans will which he cannot alter matters standing in the supposed circumstances so must He passe his decrees But others may think that he rather imbraceth the Opinion of the Socinians and Arminians homologate as to several particulars with them who deny all Eternal Decrees whether of Election or Reprobation as concerning particular individual persons granting only one general decree which they call Predestination whereby the Lord decreed to Elect in time all that should be found in time to be Beleevers and Obedient and Consequently to Reprobate and reject the rest and this Election and Reprobation only in time they ascribe unto God because they rob Him of all Fore knowledge and they make it twofold one Infirme Conditional and Imperfect which may alter as men change their manners so that a Reprobat to day may be an Elect tomorrow and an Elect today a Reprobat the next day another Firme Fixed Peremptory and Absolute when the man hath finished his course and ended his dayes In all which the Arminians agree with them except in this one thing that the Arminians grant an eternal Election of Individual Persons upon the foresight of Faith and Obedience which the other grant not Hence the greatest of my difficulty will flow from my ignorance of this mans true principles for I shall not know how to vindicate truth which we maintaine so as to convince him and stop his mouth upon his owne grounds as otherwayes I should not doubt through the assistance of his Spirit and Grace whose cause I plead to do 5. As concerning this matter enough hath been said by the Orthodox against Pelagians Semipelagians Socinians and Arminians and this man confesseth he hath brought no new accusation against our doctrine but he hath only scraped together as it would seem what he could get out of the dunghill of Iesuites and Arminians And therefore we might dismiss him by referring him to such as have written copiously and very far above his reach on this subject even to some papists such as the Dominicans Alvares Estius Rispolis Cajetanus Sixtus Senensis and to others more ancient such as Aegidius Romanus Gregorius Ariminensiâ— and others cited by Estius yet lest he should boast we shalâ— view what he hath said without enlarging much upon the matter And as to our doctrine the Reader may satisfy himself with what is Succinctly Solidly Plainly and Satisfying set down in our Confession of faith cap. 3. sect 3 4. 7. and for clâ—aring of the whole matter he may read the whole Chapter and there finde much in little bounds For facilitating of our way in the fâ—llowing examination I shall only propose a few things here in the entry for understanding the truâ—h about Reprobation without speaking to Election particularly 6. And 1. No man can denâ— a Reprobation but he must withall deny an Election for Election being a choosing of some cannot but import a leaving of others And I suppose this Quaker will grant this unless he be of the opinion of Hilberus who asserted that all men were Elected in Christ to salvation whether they beleeved or not not only contrary to the native proper import of the word Election which is a choosing separating of some from others but to plaine Scripture Mat. 20 16. 24 24. Ioh. 10 26. 1 Cor. 1 26. Rom. 9 22 23. many other places 2. Seing then the Scripture is so full in proving of Election we must assert that there is also a Reprobation and beside the Scripture pointeth forth the matter to us Mal. 1 2. Rom. 9 13.22 1 Pet. 2 8. Iud ver 4. Mat. 25 41. Prov. 16 4. 3. When we speak of Reprobation as opposed to Election as comprehended under Predestination as a species or part we consider either the Act of God Reprobating or the thing Decreed Purposed by the act of Reprobation that is as the Schoolmen speak vel quoad reprobantis actum vel quoad reprobationis terminum When we consider the Act of God reprobating nothing in man can be any moving cause thereof nay it is impossible it should be so for as Aquinas 1. p. quaeâ—t 23. art 5. saith there can be no cause of the will of God a touching the act of willing and the reason is manifest because that act of God's will as all immanent acts of God are is Eternal now man all that is in man is of yesterday could not cause an eternal act yea that act of God's will is God himself unlesse we blasphemously say with Socinians that the decrees of God are accidents in God so destroy his Simplicity and therefore we can no more imagine a cause in man of the act of Reprobation than we can imagine that there is something in man which is a cause of God himself which were absurd blasphemy The will of God hath no cause no antecedent is dependant on limited determined by nothing in man or any creature The learned Doct. Twisse hath this argument further If saith he sin be the cause of Reprobation it is either so of its owne Nature or by the Ordinance of God Not the first as all will confess Not the second for then God should ordaine that upon the foresight of sin he would ordaine man to damnation thus an Eternal Ordination should
made up for destruction and that as the first is done that He might make known the riches of his glory so the last is done that He might shew his wrath and make his power known 10. Christ Mat. 11 25 26. referreth the Lords hiding of the Gospel-manifestations of life and salvation from some unto the good pleasure of God! and if this part of the execution of the decree of Reprobation be referred unto this Absolute Soveraignity good Pleasure of God as its first and only spring much more must the Decree it self be reduced to this only Fountain 11. The like we may observe from 1 Pet. 2.8 from Iud vers 4. from Revel 13 8 17 8. 12. We are told that the Lord added to the Church dayly such as should be saved Act. 2 47. and that as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Act. 13 48. where we see that the appointing some to be saved and ordaining them to eternal life is given as the prime ground and cause of their being added to the Church and Beleeving whence it followeth that the Lord did not adde others to the Church nor give them grace to Beleeve because he had not ordained and appointed them to life the consequence of the Negation is as manifest as the consequence of the Affirmation and is clearly intimated when the other is expressed 11. Thus the Scripture confirmeth our point we shall adde a few reasons as 1. No temporal thing such as is mans sin can be the cause of that which is Eternal as is God's act of Reprobation If it be said that the foresight of what is temporal may be the cause of an Eternal Decree I answere This cannot be for how is it imaginable That God's prescience should be the meritorious cause of his Decree can one eternal Act of God be the meritorious cause and of such a cause we speak here of another All the Eternal Acts of God are one and they are the same with himself how absurd is it then to imagine one to be the meritorious cause of another or the same act as terminated on one object to be the meritorious cause of it self as terminated upon another object If it be said that sin foreâ—een can be the cause of an Eternal act of Reprobation Answ. But sin can not be foreseen as a thing that shall exist without a previous decree concerning its existence by the permission of God and so sin must first be permitted or decreed to be by permission before any man can be Reprobated because of sin by this Objection and then when we suppose sin to be permitted by a decree I ask for what end is this decreed permission God decreeth nothing but for a certane end and what is His End in this is it that he may thereby be moved to Reprobat Then his intention of Reprobation is first for the intention of the End is before the Intention of the midss and how absurd and a theological is that to say that God intended an End and then he Intended Meanes to move him to intend that end Againe by this Assertion the decree of Permitting sin should be before the decree of Damning for sin and so we must imagine the same order in the decrees that we see in the things decreed while as how various soever the things decreed be the decrees themselvs are all one pure act in God who is actus purissimus simplicissimus and therefore sin foreseen can no more be the meritorious cause of the decree of Reprobating for sin than of the decree of Permitting sin And if we should imagine an order betwixt these two decrees of Permitting of sin and of Reprobating for sin it must be such an order as is betwixt the Intention of the End and of the Meanes and so the intention of Permitting sin being first should be of the End which is always first in intention and the intention of Reprobation being the last of these two should be of the Means and so we should be damned for sin that we might be Permitted to sin and that which is first in Intention as the End being last in Execution and that which is a Means being first it would follow that man should be first damned and then permitted to sin which is obviously false and absurd 2. if sin be the meritorious cause of Reprobation then it is so either by necessity of Nature or by the free Constitution of God But neither can be said as we saw above â— The decrees of God can have no more a cause than himself can have all the Acts of God's will being his Will and his Will being Himself we cannot imagine a cause in man of an act of his will more than of himself 4 we should reason proportionably of the decree of Election as we do of the decree of Reprobation as we saw the Apostle doing and so if sin foreseen be the cause of Reprobation grace foreseen must be the cause of Election against the whole Scripture and the Apostles expresse argueing Rom. 9. 5. That procureing cause of Reprobation God could have prevented or taken out of the way if he had pleased else we must imagine a stoical fate overpowering God himself If he might have taken it out of the way and did not can any reason hereof be given beside his owne good pleasure or his designe to manifest the glory of his justice in the just damnation of such and doth not this referre the decree of damning for sin ultimatly unto His good pleasure 6. what are those sinnes which are the procuring cause of Reprobation This man will not say that Original sin is the cause for he denieth it as we saw in the proceeding Chapter And what can that actual sin be and whatever be supposed it must be such as could be foreseen in no other otherwise the foresight thereof could not be the proper meritorious or moving cause why this man was Reprobated more then that man for what is to be foreseen in an Elect cannot be the meritorious cause why the other is Reprobated Againe whatever actual sin that be final Unbeleef or what you will it must either be such as God could have prevented or taken out of the way if he had pleased or not if the first be said then it is manifest that the decree of Reprobation can not ultimatly be resolved into sin as a procuring cause but into the good pleasure of God who would not take that sin out of the way nor prevent its being If this Last be said then God was under a fatal necessitie of decreeing and doing all which he decreed and did and could not hinder sin nor not create that man nor alter any one circumstance which did occasion that sin and thus God himself shall be bound by the fetters of a fatal Necessity yea and all this fatal Necessity shall have its rise from Man which were most absurd and blasphemous 7. if actual sinnes be the consequent of
that all men should be saved and so either all men must be saved or else God's decree is null and if all men must be saved then indeed there is no Election if all men shall not be saved but some damned how then willeth God that all men should be saved Or how is his Will Efficacious and Irresistible 2. It is true the Lord to speak of Him after the maner of men for in God there are no Passions of Joy Delight or Sorrow c. is not a God that taketh delight in the death of sinners yea such delight in their hurt and distruction that whether they repented amended or not he would notwithstanding destroy them as these wicked Iewes to whom this was said did wickedly alleige See and consider vers 10 11 12 13 14 20. so that the whole scope cleareth this to be the proper meaning as also the parallel place Ezech. 18. from Vers. 19. to 30. Now will any hence gather that the Lord hath no delight in the just punishment of impenitent sinners If they do their Conclusion will be contradictory to Scripture Prov. 1.24 25 26. Ier. 9 24. Esai 1 24. Ezech. 6 13. 3. The thing that he would inferre from hence is that God doth not Reprobate any Absolutely that is doth not purpose to punish them out of his mere pleasure and not for their sinnes And say we that he punisheth or purposeth to punish any not for their sinnes but to satisfie his owne pleasure No we say no such thing His Conclusion then can make nothing against us nor doth his Argument hence reach this which we say that God of his meer pleasure without any thing to move him from without decreeth to punish or to inflict Death and Damnation for sin and if he think that the one followeth the other he must lay this down for a ground that the Decree and the Execution of the decree are all one thing or that the decree to damne for sin and damnation for sin is all one thing But he nor any man shall never evince this or that every thing which is the cause of of Damnation must also be a cause of the Decree to damne 21. He proceedeth § 4. tels us that this doctrine is injurious unto Christ the Mediator And why so Because it maketh his mediation ineffectual Answ. Not at all as to these for whom it was intended and appointed that is the Elect. As if he hy his Passions had not broken down the middle wall of partition Ans. That middle wall of partition that was betwixt jew and gentile was quite taken away But the middle wall betwixt the Elect and Reprobat was never Intended to be taken down Nor had pacified the anger of God towards all men Ans. Nor was that the End of Christs coming and dying How he pacified the anger of God towards such as perish eternally and were already in hell we understand not He carps at that which some say viz. That Christ's death was sufficient for all of which saying I seee little use seing Christ's death was a price upon a compact and so its sufficiency and value is truely and properly commensurable with the compact and is so to be considered and sayeth that it cannot helpe if the vertue thereof be not extended to all sâ— as all may be made capable of salvation or if salvation be not thereby made possible unto all And as to this I am not far from his judgment But yet if there be not another way laid down than he yet mentioneth I see not but Christ's death might have been only Sufficient for all and not Effectual for any one for as he is against Reprobation he must be against Election also and so must say that Christ laid down his life for all though he knew not if any one should be saved by it yea that he might have had all he died for though not one should have been saved and how injurious this is unto the death and mediation of Christ let any judge and we will have more occasion to speak of this in the fâ—llowing Chapter 22. In the fourth place Pag. 78. he sayeth The preaching of the Gospel is by this doctrine made a meer mock and illusion if many of them to whom it is preached be secluded from receiving any good thereby by an irrevocable decreeâ— the preaching of faith and repentance is vaine and so is all the scope of the promises and tbreatnings seing all is referred to the foresaid decree c. Ans. 1. The preaching of the Gospel cannot be said to be in vaine when the end for which it was mainly sent is gained viz. the Elect are converted and established thereby and the decree of Reprobation cannot hinder this But as to the Reprobat he will say it is fruitless and vaine Then he should not have spoken so generally but should have restricked his discourse But 2. even as to the Reprobat it may gaine the end for which it was sent of the Lord notwithstanding of the decree of Reprobation even as the Command of God by Moses to Pharaoh had its end and was no Illusion notwithstanding that the Lord hardened his heart that he should not obey till the Lord had brought all the plagues upon Egypt that he resolved to bring And as the commission which Esai gote Chap. 6. was no cheate or moke though it was to make the heart of that people fat and their eares heavy and to shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes hear with tbeir eares and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed vers 10. Will this man say that the Lord was but mocking the people of Israel when he made them see all that he did before their eyes in the land of Egypt unto pharaoh and unto all his servants and unto all his land the great temptations which their eyes had seen and the signes and the great miracles because the Lord did not give unto them an heart to perceive and eares to heare and eyes to see unto that day Deut 29 2 3 4 was it were moâ—king that God sent Ezechiel whether the people would hear or whether they would forbear when yet they should know there had been a Prophet among them notwithstanding that the Lord told the Prophet that the house of Israel would not hearken unto him for they were impudent and hard hearted Ezech. 3 7 11 2 5. 33 33 Did not Christ know that his word should not do good to many that did heare it Shall we therefore think that he but mocked when he preached the word unto them 3. The Apostle tels us that he made himself a servant unto all not as thinking to gaine all but that he might gaine the more 1 Cor. 9 19. And againe vers 22. He became all things to all men that he might by any meanes save some And who were these some See 2 Tim. 2 10. Therefore I endure all things for the Elects sake that they
These sound ill to Christian ears 44. So 33. we may thus reason Either Christ's Redemption is Conditional and Universal as to the Price laid down and Satisfaction made or as to the Application and Actual bestowing of the benefites purchased But neither can be said to the advantage of the Adversaries cause for if the last be said we willingly grant that some of the benefites as Justification Adoption and actuall Glorification are conferred in a manner conditionally but some as faith and the New heart are given absolutely and this cannot help the Adversaries cause for they will not say that either all have faith bestowed upon them or that all are by believing Justified and Adopted c. and so this is not Universall and if the first be said to wit That Christ laid down his life Conditionally it must be said that Christ did not lay down his life Absolutely but upon some condition and what can that Condition be upon which the death of Christ was suspended If it be said that the faith of those to whom it was to be preached was the condition then it must be said that Christ did not die untill these beleeved or that his death was no satisfaction or price untill they actually beleeved and then the Father could not be well pleased with the price as a satisfaction until mens Faith came to make it an Actual price which is both absurd and contrary to Scripture If it be said That Christ did absolutely lay down his life a satisfactory Ransom and that for all yet so as none that would not fulfill the condition should be redeemed I Answer If it was an Absolute satisfactory Ransome and accepted as such something must have been purchased thereby and all behoved actually and really to be delivered from the Law and from the curse or from something by vertue of that Absolute Price and they could not be made to pay over againe what was payed by the price of his blood for Justice could not call for two satisfactions And if all were upon this Absolute Price payed Redeemed from the Law the Curse and the Sentence of the first Covenant no man shall now die for that broken Covenant If it be said No man was Absolutely delivered even from that but only Conditionally I Ans. How then was it an Absolute Price Or what was purchased thereby If it be said That a possibility of Freedom was absolutely purchased Ans. This was rejected above and the Scripture inferreth Actual Redemption from Christs purchase He shall justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities Esai 53 11. which saith That all whose iniquities he did bear shall be Actually and Really Justified by him and not have a meer Possibility of justification 45 Further 34. We may thus argue If Christ died for all and every one He either died for all Absolutely or Conditionally The first cannot be said for the reasons already adduced militate against that Nor can it be said that He died for all Conditionally for then either he died to purchase Life and Salvation to all upon condition of their performance of something proposed as a Condition or to purchase salvation and all the meanes thereunto or conditions thereof Conditionally But neither of these can be said Therefore c. The major is clear from this that the enumeration is full and no other way can this Conditional Redemption be conceived or explained The minor may be thus confirmed The first way cannot be said to wit that life and salvation was purchased to all upon a condition to be by them performed that is upon Condition of their believing for either this Condition is in the power of every son of Adam or not if it be not in their power as all but Pelagians will confess then this Redemption is no Redemption for a Redemption of Captives upon a condition impossible to them is as good as no Redemption Nor can the last way be said to wit that Redemption and all the Conditions and Means thereof were Conditionally purchased for what can be assigned as the Condition of these Conditions And though there were a Condition of the Lords working of faith assigned which yet we finde not in Scripture yet that would not help the matter for that Condition of faith would it self be a mean to salvation and so purchased Conditionally upon another Condition and that other Condition must be purchased upon another Condition and so in infinitum which is absurd 46. As also 35. this is considerable That the asserting of Universal Redemption goeth not alone but there are several other Universalities also affirmed and maintained either as Consequences or Concomitants or Grounds thereof which the Scripture knoweth not such as these 1. An Universal Love and Philanthropie towards all and every one without any difference which they lay down as the ground of the Sending of Christ to die for all indiscriminatly 2. An Universal Will in God to save all which they call an Antecedent Will and hold forth as a Velleity or a wish and desire that all might be saved as if God could not effectuat whatever he desired or could have a velleity towards any thing which either he could not or would not effectuat 3. An Universal Predestination conditional which expression Amerald used untill the Synods in France did disswad him therefrom 4. An Universal gift of all to Christ or an Universal gift of Christ to all that is a Will and purpose that Christ should lay down his life for all and Redeem all at least Conditionally 5. An Universal Justification conditional And why not also an Universal Salvation conditional 6. An Universal Covenant of grace made with all mankinde in Adam wherein is a free universal deed of gift of Christ first and of Pardon Spirit and Glory in and by him to all Mankinde without exception upon condition of acceptance as also an offer of Faith Repentance Conversion with all the conâ—equâ—nces thereof 7. An Universal will in God to call into this Covenant and unto the Participation of the benefites thâ—reof all and every man 8. An Universal execution of this will or promulgation of this Gospel or New Covenant unto all and every one by common favours and benefites bestowed or all whereby all are called to believe in a mercâ—ful pardoning God and all have abundance oâ— Mercies and Meanes of Recovery and of life for the Lord now governeth the world only on termes of grace 9. Upon this followeth an Universal Command to all men to use ceâ—taine duties and meanes for their Recovery by Faith and Repâ—nâ—ance 10. An Universal pardon of the first Sin so far at least that no man shall perish for the meer Original sin of Nature alone unless he adde the rejection of grace 11 Hence followeth an Universal Judgment and Sentence on all in the great day only according as they have performed the new Gospel conditions 12. Some also adde an â—niversal Subjective Grace whereby all are enabled to performe the conditions of
the first sense and consideration the Gospel is in the hand of God alone for He hath made a certane firme connexion betwixt Grace Glory Faith and Salvation Justification and Sanctifiâ—ation Vocation Effectual and Justification and Adoption and betwixt all these and Final Redemption and Glorification And He in the time and manner which please him best worketh the one for bringing the other to passe He Calleth whom hâ— will and Iustifieth whom he will and Sanctifieth whom he will that he may Glorifie whom he will so that in this respect we must look on all these blessings as ordained for the same individual persons and look on the death of Christ the meriteing and procureing cause of these rich Favours and Blessings as only intended for them whom he intendeth to glorifie and must also look on the whole Gospel as intended for them But as to the Gospel considered in the second sense it is the Ministry and Word of Reconciliation committed unto Men 2 Cor 5 18 19. who as Ambassadours for Christ must pray in Christ's stead that people would be reconciled to God vers 20. The dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto them 1 Cor. 9 17. Ephes. 3 2. And because even these dispensators ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God 1 Cor. 4 1. being but men and unacquanted with the secrets of the Decrees and Counsels of God must speak to all indefinitely beseech all exhort all and every man without exception of those they are sent unto and laboure to present every man perfect in Christ and to wooe them to Christ and to espouse them to one husband that they may present them as a chaste virgin to Câ—rist 2 Cor. 11 2. Col. 1 25 28. It is then a groundless mistake to inferre the Universality of the Purpose of God from the Universality of the Offer or to think that Christ died for all and every one because ministers must dispense the word and hold forth Christ as an al sufficient mediator and command all and every one to whom they preach to beleeve and repent It is unreasonable to make the will of God as the supream and absolute Disposer of all things and his will as the only supream Lawgiver to be of the same complexion and latitude or to inferre the one from the other for that were to commensurate Duty with the Event as if nothing could come to passe but what were duty and nothing duty but what came to passe 58. Once more sixtly we would consider some further designe which the Lord hath in holding forth the matter in his Word and in the mouth of his Servants in such ample termes to wit to encourage poor souls to approach and lay hold upon the offer that is held forth in such indefinite termes that none upon any real ground may shift themselves from under the reach of the tender of the Gospel who have a minde to the bargain Hence it is not alwayes said that Christ died for the elect for poor souls under the conviction of guilt and assaulâ—ed with the feaâ—es of hell are ready enough to concluâ—e themselâ—es Reprobates and to hearken to the temptations of Satan suggesting this and so to their owne prejudice reason themselves out of the reach of Mercy and of the Merites of the death of Christ Therefore hath the Lord in the depth of his Wisdom and Goodness so contrived the letter of the Gospel that though there be sufficient evidence of the truth concernâ—ng the extent of the death of Christ as a price and a ransome to justice for the full comfort and establishâ—ng of the heaâ—ts of beleevers yet the matter is held forth in its Administration and Dispensation by men in such general termes as may give encouragement to such souls keep them from desperat despondency of Spirit for though they cannot see as neither are they warranted at the first to enquire and be anxious about it but to hearken to the word of command obey â—he call that they are among the number of the Elect yet they can see and are convinâ—ed that they are sinners and therefore is Christ said to die for the ungodly and for sinners Rom 5 6 8. and it is said that he came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1 15. And if this should not satisfie as an awakened soul assaulâ—ed with temptations of Satan can devise many evasions and shifts to its owne hurt and disadvantage yet they cannot but croud themselves in among Men and men and women that will come are not excluded and among the World hence the world is mentined in this matter Ioh. 1 29. 3 16. 6 51. 1 Ioh. 2 2. Not that God designed or Christ came to die for the whole World or to take away the sinnes of the whole world or to be a propitiation for the whole world for this would say that he came to redeem Devils and to take away the sinnes of Beasts and Birds c because they come under the word World as well as men but that in the administration of the Gospeâ— which is not now confined to one land as of old to Iury Psal. 76 1. But is extended without restriction indefinitely to all nations Ministers may be allowed to offer peace in the Gospel to all indefinitely to whom they are sent to preach and people may be the more encouraged to come over difficulties and not to hearken to temptations to hold them aback from Christ the Peace maker Thus I suppose this difficulty is sufficiently taken out of the way 59. We proceed now to consider what he saith further Together with 1 Tim. 2. to which passage we have spoken he cited also Ioh. 3 16. would have us compare with it 1 Ioh. 4 9. all which he sayeth of both is this whosoever here is an indefinite terme whereby none are excluded And what can all this say An indefinite terme is not universal unless it be in a necessary matter as this is not 1 Ioh. 4 9. we are told that in this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him Hâ—re is no indefinite terme nor is the world here the same with the world Ioh. â— 16. as every common understanding may see for here it denoteth the Habitable World which containeth inhabitants and in the other place it denoteth the Inhabitants themselves and beside I suppose he will not say that God sent his son into the habitable world out of this designe and intentation that all the inhabitants thereof should live through him that is live the life of Grace and of Glory for all men have not Faith and alâ— men will not be Saved and what should disappoâ—nt God of his Intentions is he not able to accomplish his Designes If it be said that mans unbeleefe standeth in the way I answere Though mans unbeleef standeth in the way of his owne salvation
gracious Esa. 30 18. to be long suffering Exod. 34 6. Num. 14 18. Psal. 86 15. Ier. 15 15 By all which not to mention the impertinency of that citation Esai 30 18. as also of that Ier. 15 15. as may appeare to any at the first view he can only inferre that which we do not deny viz. That God is long suffering and patient even towards the wicked But can he hence conclude that the wicked have power therefore of themselves without the Spirit of regeneration and grace to do what is commanded in reference to life eternal Let him essay this and give yet fuller proof of his Pelagianisme That wicked persons may forbear much wickedness and acts of iniquity without the special grace of God I readily grant and hereby turning from their former wicked courses may prevent their owne temporal ruine and hold off the judgments of God that are threatned and imminent as we see in the people of Nineve and in that wicked King Ahab and so that the old world might have prevented their destruction by turning from their evil wayes and hearkning to the counsel and command of Noah from the Lord who waited with patience 1 Pet. 3 20. All this is true but what is all this in reference to eternal Salvation Is it likewise in their power when they please to turne to the Lord and serve Him with a perfect heart and to walk before Him and bâ— perfect Ere we beleeve this we must see other proofs thereof than what is brought from the word of Command for that I suppose will reach even such whose day of Visitation is at end and to whom salvation is on this account impossible as this man saith 14. He foresaw that it would be answered that the long suffering mentioned 1 Pet. 3 20. was not unto salvation And therefore citeth as a parallel place to cleare that it was unto salvation 2 Pet. 3 15. But the man taketh no notice to whom the Apostle Peter is speaking there in his second Epistle see vers 9. explained and vindicated in the former Chapter They were these whom the Apostle looked upon as having obtained like pretious faith with him and others through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Iesus Christ 2 Pet. 1 1. and whom he stileth beloved Chap. 3 1 8 14 17. and such as were looking for the comeing of the day of God and for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness vers 12 13 14 and such as were in case to grow in grace in the knowledge of Iesus Christ vers 18 Now to these only and such as belonged to the Election of grace whom the Lord was yet to bring-in the Lord's delay to destroy the world with fire which is the long suffering here spoken of as vers 9. cleareth was salvation because he would want none of them that his body to which they belonged as members might be compleat But he tels us further to as little purpose that Peter in this matter looketh to Paul's writtings insinuating that this was the Catholick and common doctrine of the Church And why should it not be so as we have cleared it And Paul also in his Epistle to the Hebrewes which is the writing of Paul to them to whom Peter is now writing as appeares 1 Pet. 1 1. 2 Pet. 1 1. speaketh to this same purpose Heb. 10.35 to the end So that this man is in a fond mistake when he supposeth afterward that in this particular Peter hath his eye towards Paul's Epistle to the Romans Chap. 9. seing that Epistle was not written to them to whom Peter is here writing and that he meaneth such an Epistle as was writen to the same persons is clear from vers 15. Even as our beloved brother Paul also hath writen unto you It is true Peter addeth other Epistles of Paul wherein he speaketh of these things that Peter is here treating of which cannot be said of that place of his Epistle to the Romans And what he speaketh of our wresting of the Scriptures may as is evident enough from what is already said and will appear more ere we end with him without the hazard of a reproach be retorted upon himself and his party But we have some other thing to do than insist upon recriminations 15. He citeth next Pag 95. Rom. 2 4. and then asketh how these could be called riches and bounty unless there had been a time wherein they might have repented become partakers of these riches which were then offered Ans. These might have been the riches of God's goodness and forbearance and long suffering calling them to turne from their wickedness and not treasure up wrath to themselves against the day of wrath though nothing certanely accompanying salvation Nature may teach persons that God's bounty and goodness in spareâ—ng or not cutting off with remarkable judgments as he doth some and continueing life good things necessary for life notwithstanding they deserve to be cut off should be otherwise improven than by taking encouragement therefrom to sinne the more Shall temporal spareing favoures bestowed on such as deserve nothing but hell fire be in so small account with us Was it in their power without the grace of God upon the simple consideration of the goodness of God and his long suffering and patience towards them to repent savingly or could they have been made partakers of Salvation without saving Repentance One of these this Man must prove ere he can evince any thing hence proving salvation possible in his sense to all and every person And I suppose these words of the Apostle vers 7. To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality Eternal life will import some other thing This seeking after glory and honour and immortality that by well doing or as the opposition made vers 8. cleareth by doing the truth obeying righteousness by working good as vers 10. and by continuance in well doing by patient continuance in well doing cannot sure be performed by any by the meer strength of Nature and without the Grace of God And how shall it be performed by them that know nothing of an Eternal life or of Glory and Honour and Immortality so cannot seek after it that in such a manner Will he say that all the Heathens Barbarians the Cannibals Men-eaters such as have little more of Men than the outward visage positure of the body are acquainted with these things can by their owne Industry Paines reach the crowne of immortal glory If he do not both affirme confirme this he proveth not his Universal Day of Visitation granted to every Mothers son in which they may if they please lay hold on eternal life 16. Thereafter § 20. he citeth Esai 5 1 2 3 4. and as parallel parables Mat 21 33. Mark 12 1. Luk. 20 9. which yet differ in several maine points a passage which his predecessours
acquanted with griefe who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities who was brought as a lamb to the slaughter and made his soul an offering for sin and poured it out unto death who bore the wrath of God due for sin and was crucified at Ierusalem But the Christ whom they command us to believe in is a Christ borne with every man that came into the world since the beginning that is neither God nor Man could neither suffer nor die nor satisfie justice So that their Christ is a Christ that the Gospel no where maketh mention of yea against which every Chapter and verse in a manner of the whole Old and New Testament beareth witness 7. He tels us that they exhort all men to beleeve in this Light and obey it And what can the Faith of or Obedience to this Light do Did ever this light teach or require of Aristotle and the wisest of the Heathens as Plato Seneca Cicero Pythagâ—ras and others Faith in the Messias or in Iesus Christ promised or at length exhibited and crucified Is that light Christ crucified and Satisfying justice and paying the Penalty of the Law and broken Covenant What desperat mischievous madness is this what horrid abomination do these men preach hold forth 8. He tels us that Christ is born and risen in every man and all their preaching is to exhort them to know him and yet he told us before that this was the work and proper effect of this Light and if this effect be already wrought in every man in no one person is this light resisted and suppressed and he needeth not preach and exhort every man to beleeve in this light and obey it for that is done in every man already having Christ formed in him and arisen in hâ—m Behold how their abominable doctrines cannot hang together but are ropes of sand yea crosse and contradict one another 9 Then he tels us that it delivereth them from all sinnes Then Heathens have a Christ within sufficient to purge and take away all sin Then all must be saved for who ever is delivered from sin cannot but be saved O what devilish doctrine must this be It may be a doubt if the Devil appearing in mens bodies and coming to preach among people could broach more damnable and soul-destroying Tenets than these are O! what times are â—hesâ— we live in wherein such doctrines are put in print and avowed O woful pagan preachers O hellish Paganisme Whither will these men run and be driven by the Devil 10. We have seen by this short hint what a dash they give unto the whole Gospel and what an indignity they have thereby done unto Iesus Christ cannot be hid from any that knoweth what true Christianity meaneth and he in the following words seeking to alleviate the mater doth in effect make it worse than ever for in stead of exalting Christ he doth with the base Unchristian Socinians debase our Lord Jeâ—us Christ for saith he P. 83. We desire not hereby to equalize ourselves unto that holy man the Lord Iesus Christ who was borne of the virgine Mary in whâ—m dwelt all the fulness of divinity bodyly nor as we destroy the reality of his present existence as some calumniate us Ans. Unworthy man that dar move such an Objection and give so unsatisfyinâ— an answere thereunto O what abjects of blasphemous pride must this gang of creatures be that dar have such thoughts of themselves What and was our Lord who was the Fathers equal no more but an holy Man and born of a virgine and had the fulness of divinity and not of the God head or Deity though the word in the original that is used Col. 2 9 is more emphatick than that used Rom. 1 20. it being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in him bodily And will this Miscreant deny him to be God equal with the father in power and glory But if he be but a man how can he be said to dwell in us He dwelleth not in us saith he immediatly but mediatly as he is in that seed which is in us But himself called this seed Christ born in us and raised in us and thus Christ dwelleth in us by Christ borne in us What demented creatures must these be who speak thus non sensically in these soul-maters He addeth as the top-mystery of their mischievous doctrine Seing He to wit the Eternal word which was with God and was God and immediatly dwelt in that Holy Man so that he is as the head we as the members He the vine we as branches and as the soul is far otherwise and more immediatly in the head and in the heart than in the armes and feet and as the sap and life of the Vine doth otherwayes and more exist in the trunck and root than in the wine branches so God dwelleth otherwayes in the Man Iesus Christ than in us Behold here is all the honour and preference that Christ geteth He was nothing but a mâ—er man as this Quaker is only God dwelt in him as the sap is in the root or trunk of the tree but he dwelleth in the Quaker as the sap is in the branches Christ and He is animated with one God as the Head and the hand are with one soul And thus Christ had no existence before he had it in the womb of the virgine more â—han this Quaker had an hundered yeers ago Where is then the God head of our Mediator Where is our Immanuâ—l How was the Word made flesh Ioh. 1 14 How was God manifest in the flesh 1 Tim. 3 16 Where is he who was the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his person Heb. 1 3 Where iâ— he who being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the forme of a servant c. Phil. 2 6 7 Where is he who is the Image of the invisible God by whom all things were created Col. 1 15 1â— 2 Cor. 4 4 Where is he who toke part of flesh and blood and the see of Abraham Heb. 2 14 16 Thus the Quakers deny the Incarnation of the Son of God and that our Lord Iesus Christ was and is the Second Person in the Trinity very and eternal God of one substance and equal with the Father and so joyne themselves with the wretched Socinians wherefore we if their doctrine be true can no more be said to be purchased by the blood of God as Act. 20 28. And if He had not been true God how could â—e have stood under the infinite wrath of God and the power of death Act. 2 24 25. Rom. 1 4 with 4 25. How could he have given worth efficacy to his suffering obedience and intercession Act. 20 28. Heb. 9 14. 7 25 26 27 28. How could he have satisfied God's justice Rom 3 24 25 26. How could he have
feeling till Free will come in and determine the matter nor hath it any efficacious influence upon Free will to determine it but leaveth it to its free choice 3. Is this all the benefite that is had by Christ's Obedience and Death that people may be turned from evil to good then it seemeth Christ's death was not so effectual for the good of any as Adam's sin was for the hurt of all Is this to magnifie and exalt the Sacrifice of Christ 4. If this be all that Christ purchased to wit a power to turne from evil to good and to feel the vertue of this seed if men will he hath purchased nothing but what is Natural or what is inferiour to common moral vertues for it is natural to have a power to do or not do as men will and a moral vertue is more than such a power because it leaveth not the man in a state of pure indifferency but inclineth him to acts of such a vertue and only to such acts And if Christ purchased only this power he purchased no more a power to do good than a power to do evil for the power of it self is indifferent to both no more inclined to the one then to the other So that Christ hath purchased â—o Supernatural Grace which effectually moveth and determineth to good but only the Pelagian Natural Grace by which no man is more inclined to good than to evil and which a man may make use of or not as he will and so if he will it shall be of no benefite to him 5. If this be all that Christ hath obtained it is not much mater though we say that such are partakers of it that never heard of Christ. 6. But why saith he Many may feel this seed that never heard of Christ not All Is there any difference if there be what is it and upon what is it founded 7. We deny that any partake of the Supernatural and Saving Benefites of Christ's death who are without the Covenant and never heard of him we mean persones come to age for we except the Elect Infants who are within the covenant and are not capable of hearing And this Mans doctrine rendereth the knowledge of the Gospel very useless at least not very necessary though life and immortality be â—rought to light thereby 2 Tim. 1 10. and it be the mean through which people are begotten unto God 1 Cor 4 15. and the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1 16. the glorious Gospel of the blessed God 1 Tim. 1 11. though by it we are called to sanctification of the Spirit and beleefe of the truth to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Iesus Christ 2 Thes. 2 14. And in the word of the truth of the Gospel we heare of the hope which is laid up fâ—r us in heaven Col. 1 5. Though by it the Gentiles be made fellow heires and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ Ephes. 3 6 And it be the Gospel of our salvation Ephes. 1 13. Though it be a glorious Gospel having light in it to shine into the heart of beleevers 2 Cor. 4 4. and hath a blessing and a fulness of blessing in it Rom. 15 29. so it is called the Everlasting Gospel Rom. 14 6. and for preaching of which Christ himself was anointed Luk. 4 18. What unworthy creatures must these Quakers be that think so little of the Gospel of Christ and of the preaching of it and cry up so much the Light within 17 But he saith they beleeve that it is necessary for such as hear the Gospel to beleeve it Ans. Necessary how Wherein consisteth this necessity seing we may be saved without it Is it because it is a Revelation of God's truth But that speaks out no more the necessity of the faith of the Gospel or of the History of Christ unto salvation than the faith of this that Paul left his cloak at Troas or the History of Cain Ismael Iudas c. which is recorded in the Scriptures And thus he maketh the great mercy of enlarging the borders of the Church under the New Testament and of taking-in all nations by the preaching of the Gospel without discrimination to be no mercy at all or at least a very small mercy He addeth That they ingenuously confesse the outward knowledge of this to be full of comfort to such as are under it and are acted by this inward seed and Light Ans. But this comfort is not necessary to Salvation according to them This inward Seed and Light is sufficient for this and we are enquiring after its necessity but finde none in this mans opinion Yet let us see wherein this comfort consisteth For saith he Pag. 86. not only are they humbled by the sense of Christs death and sufferings but they are also confirmed thereby and encouraged to follow his excellent example 1 Pet. 2 2. and are also refreshed by his gracious speaches Ans. And is this all Then I see there is no more necessity for any to be acquanted with the History of Christs life and death than with the History of other holy saints of God and we have no more interest in that than in these is that to exalt Christ's Satisfaction and Propitiation All that was written afore time was written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15 4. And is the History of Christ of the same nature and use with the History of others And is there no more to be gathered therefrom than what an example may contribute This is pure Socinianisme in graine 18. In fine he discovereth to us another mystery concluding thus The History indeed is profitable and comfortable conjoyned with the mystery but not without it but the mystery is and can be profitable without the explicite and external knowledge of the History Ans. That the knowledge of the History without the receiving of Christ held forth therein conforme to the Gospel termes is of little use as to Salvation we grant but what else he meaneth by the mystery I know not unless he meane the light within 2. Can he shew us how the mystery can be known without the History Or to whom and when it hath been known 3. Why was the Gospel written and that by so many several hands And why have we any books of the New Testament And why did Christ appoint Oâ—fâ—cers to continue to the end Why did he send forth his Apostles to bear witness of his Death and Resurrection Why saith Iohn Chap. 20 vers 31. but these are written that ye might beleeve that Iesus is the Christ the Son of God and that beleeving ye might have life through his name Thus we see how at one dash this Mischievous Man would destroy the whole administration of the Gospel by making it altogether unnecessary unto salvation what a desperat designe must these men have 19. In the fift place he cometh to clear how
We reply That it must be proven that what is promised to be given is of a different nature and not of the same nature with what the man hath Both these parables to which this is annexed cleare that the more promised is but of the same kinde with what was had and improved To say then that one that improveth nature shall obtaine grace is as much as to say that one improving health shall obtaine wealth or honour or one by improving wealth and honour shall obtaine health But the meaning of the saying is that such as improve gifts and talents given of God shall get more of the same kinde as he that improveth wealth getteth more wealth 2. What meaneth that by which all ought to beleeve doth Spiritual Grace and Light bestowed only lay on an obligation to beleeve Then it doth nothing for the obligation lay upon the man before to believe 3. Is every thing that layeth on an obligation to beleeve Supernatural and Saving Then the law is supernatural and saving But our Quaker talks he knoweth not what 4 we do not exclude supernatural saving Light as appeareth from what we said But let us hear why this man would have nothing else here understood 32. His first reason is because we are not said to receive what is common and peculiar to our nature from Christ and the Evangelist is here declaring Christ's office as Mediator and the benefites which we get from him as such Answ. If we receive not what is natural and common from Christ we have neither our Being nor Conservation of him contrare to Heb. 1 3. Col. 1 16 17. And that the Euangelist is here chiefly clearing and confirming the Deity of Christ none but Socinians will deny His Second reason is because the light is said to shine in darkness and yet not to be comprehended by darkness but this darkness is nothing but the natural state of man and yet in his natural state man can comprehend what is common and peculiar to him as such Ans. Not to take notice of his calling something both Common and Peculiar which is a sort of repugnancy here we grant that mans natural state is a state of darkness and therefore inferre that while in that state he is voide of all spiritual and supernatural Light for when this cometh the man becometh light in the Lord And though man in his natural state can comprehend that which is natural yet he cannot comprehend the God of Nature who is here called Light This Light may shine by natural effects of Reason and a Natural Conscience in a natural man and yet the man nor comprehend or understand this Light Our Quaker whose light of reason is darkness taketh the light here to be meant of the effect and not of the efficient so practically confuteth himself His third reason is but a repetition of what he said before was answered § 30. He adeâ—h more That in which we are commanded to beleeve that we may become the children of light is supernatural sufficient and saving But we are commanded to beleeve in the light Iohn 12 36. Ans. That we are commanded to beleeve in the light which is God is most true But that we are commanded to beleeve in the light which is but a meer Creature and a work in us as he imagineth is not true Iohn who came to bear witness of the light said unto the people that they should beleeve on him which should come after him that is on Christ Iesus Act 19 4 And told them that he that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Ioh. 3 36. To him gave all the prophets witness that through his name whoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sinnes Act. 10 43. But why do we cite particular places seing the whole Bible confirmeth it Here his Quakerisme setteth up its head while he will have that Light mentioned Ioh 12 36. not to be meaned of Christ himself but of some created thing in every man that is but meer Nature contrare to the very obvious import of the words as connected with the preceeding verse 34. where Christ and the Son of man is mentioned whom the Iewes thought should abide for ever and not be lifted up but he tels them that he was not to stay alwayes and that therefore they should be wise unto salvation and lay hold on him now by Faith and walk in him for darkness would come when he and his dispensations of the Gospel should be removed conforme to that Ioh. 8 12. I am the light of the world he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life See also Iohn 9 5. But sayes he Pag. 100. they could beleeve in his person although he was removed And himself addeth an Answere when he mentioneth afterward a day of visitation so that if they did not lay hold on the faire opportunity they had the day would come when Christ himself and also in his Dispensations and Offers of mercy in the Gospel administration should goe away and then they should walk in darkness His conclusion being so ill founded and destructive of true Christianity substituting some Natural and consequently now corrupt thing common to all men both within and without the Church both barbarous and more moralized in the roome of Christ is to be rejected with all detestation and deserveth not to be once more repeated What he citeth at large out of Cyrillus if it be considered alone without this mans corrupt glosse which we are not to regaird speaketh nothing against the Truth which we owne as might easily be made to appear if we judged it worth so much paines as to clear it 33. The Second ground of his Universal Grace set down Pag. 101. § 22. is taken from the parable of the sower Mat. 13 Mark 4. Luk. 8. and this he saith is the word of faith Rom. 10. and the engrafted word Jam. 1 21. But is any so blinde as not to see that this is utterly impertinent to his purpose seing it is so manifest that our Lord is here speaking of the ordinary fruite of a preached Gospel and that among those that seem to be most docile and are not of the prophane and flagitious mockers opposers and persecuters of the truth Is he not speaking of that word which is heard with the eare And doth not Paul speak of such an outward word Rom. 10. which is preached by such whose feet are beautiful And that word whereof James speaketh is the same which should be received with meekness that it may become an ingrafted word and prove saving Is this word a substantial thing lying in every mans heart Is this word communicated to all the world to all and every man in the world since the very day that Adam fell What uncouth phansies must these Quakers have that are carryed away
Gentiles and sheweth what persons they were and concludeth with the Jewes and then tels us Chap. 3 vers 9. that he had proved both Iewes and Gentiles that they are all under sin It is true he sayes the wrath of God is revealed from haven against all unrighteousness of men c. because that which may be known of God is manifest in them c. But what of this What is made known of God saith he is made known by the Gospel Ans. This is most false for the Law and Light of Nature with the works of Creation and Providence do make known much of God But this is not the Gospel of the grace of God whereby life and immortality is brought to light It is like indeed that this is all the Quakers Gospel Many things have we met with hitherto which confirmeth us in this Apprehension thisi expression here putteth it beyond all doubt Doth this Gospel manifest the righteousness of God from faith to faith Yes saith he that is it revealeth to the soul what is good just and equitable And as the soul receiveth and beleeveeth that divine righteousness it is more and more revealed from one measure to another Ans. What ignorant babling is this What effronted and bold playing with the word of God is this Is every thing that revealeth what is good just and equitable the Gospel Then the Law must be the Gospel Then Adam in innocency had the Gospel Then the dim light of nature is all the Quakers Gospel this is their Grace their Substantial thing their Light within their Seed Are they not then noble Divines And is their Religion any thing but heathenisme Is it not worse then Pelagianisme Socinianisme Arminianisme and Iesuitisme The following words cannot I confesse be well answered for they are nothing but a rabble of non-sense though fit lettuce for their lips And though he should say as some of them use to speak that I am in the witchcraft and cannot understand his meaning I must forbear noticeing of him and his tattles and see if any thing worth an answer followeth for though sayes he the outward creation declareth the power of God yet that which is known of God is revealed within by which inward revelation we are made fit to see and discerne the eternal power of the God head in the outward creation for if that inward revelation were not man could no more understand the invisible things of God by the visible and outward creation than a blinde man see colours c. Ans. 1. What is that Inward Revelation distinct from the Outward Revelation It is it may be the reception or actual intellection of what is outwardly revealed and so the Natural Faculties acting as such must be Evangelick Preachers and Inward Revealers with the Quakers 2. The text speaks of no such Inward Revelation distinct from what was had by the outward Creation For that which may be known of God was shewed unto them by the things which were made vers 19 20. 3. There is no more aptitude requisite to see and discerne God's eternal Power and God-head not the eternal power of the God-head as he speaketh in a natural way and Paul is not here speaking of a spiritual and saving way by the works of Creation than to have a natural faculty of Understanding and Reason freed of prejudices and contracted byasses and blindness for this matter is so deeply rooted in their mindes that will they nill they it cannot be thrust out 4. It seemeth by his simile that this Inward Revelation is the same to the actual understanding of these things that the eye of the body is to seeing and discerning of colours and so it is manifest that it can be nothing else but the inward faculty of the soul whereby such things are known and understood And so this Inward Faculty of the soul with the Light of Reason is the Quakers Preacher and Gospel Poor souls and what will this teach concerning the new Covenant and the way of salvation through a crucified Mediator Do the Quakers know no other Gospel then this whereof all the fruite was that it left the poor miserable heathen without excuse when they fell to their idolatrous courses O how are they to be pitied that under the clear manifestation of the Gospel do thus run back to the Heathens Theology that they may be made much more inexcusable then ever the Heathens were Do they glory so much in Paganisme 37. He tels us moreover that the Apostle saith first that that which is known of God or the knowledge of God is manifest in them and next that in and by that manifestation granted inwardly and received they were able to read and understand the power of God in visible things Answ. 1. By what authority maketh he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the knowledge of God one the same seing this is more comprehensive and of a larger latitude 2. I do not see the second thing in the Apostles words but I want the Quakers spectacles Then he very learnedly moveth an Objection thus if any should say That the external creation of it self without any inward supernatural and saving grace or seed did declare to a natural man that God is And will he deny this He must then contradict the Apostle But what answereth he What good I pray would that knowledge do if it did not also communicat to me what was the will of God and how I should do that that is acceptable to him Ans. And what would this answere say Either the Inward Revelation which the heathens had that I may speak in his language did also reveal what was the will of God c. Or not if not to what purpose is all this said If it did then the Apostle is quite out and destroyeth hereby his owne cause But I shall help the Quaker with a distinction That same Inward Revelation as he calleth it could and did reveal to the Heathens part of the will of God concerning duties legible by the Law of nature and written upon the creation of God but could reveal nothing of the mysteries of the Gospel because these did depend upon pure Revelation there being no lineaments thereof written upon the Creation nor no vestige thereof impressed in the heart of man Hence though the Heathens knew or might have known to have put a difference betwixt somethings good and evil yet they could never understand the Revelation of Iesus Christ in the Gospel All this cleareth further that the Quâ—kers know no otheâ— Gospel but what the Heathens by the Light of Nature did understand He citeth Pag. 104. Micah 6 8. But most impertinently For the Lord gave not that revelation of his will to the Heathens which he did to the Iewes Psal. 147 19 20. Then he citeth Pauls Words Rom. 1. The wrath of God is revealed against them who detained the truth of God in unrighteousness And what then Could not the Heathens oppresse make a
the Iesuites or Molinists and Arminians with whom we may joine as to this the Lutherans that upon which dependeth the efficacy of grace and it self is not the proper Effect of grace because they will not grant that God whatever way he work upon the will doth by his Preventing and Antecedent grace produce and infallibly effectuate this Non-resistance or Consent or that he doth more by this Grace to produce and effectuate this non-resisting in him that yeeldeth than in him that yeeldeth not 8. Though the man can make no progress out of his natural state until grace lay hold upon him as sufficient grace in the judgment of Quakers and Arminians layeth hold on all he can and may resist and all that grace of God can cause no progress till the man of his owne Free accord and good will yeeld and lay aside his resistance And this yeelding or laying aside of the resisting humore is not caused by grace because the same measure yea a greater measure of the same grace could not cause it in another who would continue in his unwillingness and resistance 9. Though it be possible for man in that case to suffer and not resist because it is possible with Quakers Iesuites and Arminians that Lord Free will shall be good natured and well disposed yet all the grace of God cannot make it certain and infallible for Grace must not enter within the Wills Iurisdiction but stand cap in hand without doors Lord Free will must not be encroached upon 10. One thing more I would desire to know of this Quaker what he meaneth properly by this Sufficient grace Hitherto he hath given us big words but yet upon the mater nothing but the meer Light of Nature or some common gifts and favoures wherein he is worse then some Arminians Pelagians and Iesuites who will grant the necessity of the outward preaching and dispensation of the Gospel which this our Quaker plainely slighteth and undervalueth But among theâ— all where is that grace of God that effectually draweth teacheth and causeth the soul to come and consent where is that heart of flesh c. Ier. 31 33 34. 32 39 40. Ezech. 11 19 20. 36 26 27. Ioh. 6 44 45. Phil. 2 13. Ephes. 1 18 19. 2 Thes. 1 11. 2 Pet. 1 3. Psal. 119 36. 1 King 8 vers 37. â— Thes. 5 23. 1 Cor. 3 5 6. 2 Tim. 2 25. Col. 1 12.13 It seemeth all our prayers must be made to Lord Free will for that is the supreme Master of all if the doctrine of our Quakers and their Masters the Iesuites and Arminians be true 6. Next the saith That though our nature be corrupt and polluted and prone to all evil yet grace can work upon it as fire can make yron soft But can grace change the will with him Can grace work upon it immediatly and cause it bow willingly and consent Why doth he not say this No Arminian Pelagian Socinian nor Iesuite will say that grace cannot work upon nature He addeth as yron removed from the fire returneth to its old hardness so the heart of man when it resisteth or recedeth from grace returneth to its old condition And will not Arminiaâ—s say the same Is not this manifest pleading for the Apostasie of the saints It seemeth then grace can make some change upon nature but cannot alter it as fire though it can make yron warm and soft yet it cannot change the yron so for all that grace can do corrupt nature shall remaine corrupt nature still though a little softened and mollified is this all that grace doth Where is then the new heart and where is the heart of flesh that grace worketh He saith the â—eart of man returneth to its old condition when it resisteth But doth not grace take away this resistance It would seem then that at the first the heart resisteth not and how can this be seing the heart naturally is prone to all evil yea is enmity against God and is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be 7. He adduceth Pag. 91. some similitudes which may serve indeed to illustrate what is already confirmed but are of no use to confirme any thing that is in question Yet let us see what the mater is He compareth a man in his natural state to one that is very sick Which already discovereth the mans vanity and dâ—clarth his simile to be a dissimile for man in his natural state should be compared rather to one that is dead for the Scripture doth so point him out Ioh. 6 53 57 and 5 21 24 25. Ephes 2 1 5. and so is he indeed What would he say more He compareth God to a Physitian that putteth the Physick in the sick mans mouth and layeth him on his bed and if the sick man will but be passive the physick will work but if he be unwilling and rise up eat what he should not eat it cannot work because he hindereth its operation and so though the physick of its own nature be wholesome tend to health yet it proveth deadly to that man he is the cause of his owne death yet if he had been quiet passive the physick had wrought he could not have said that he healed himself but that the physick did it Ans. 1. Physick cannot work upon a dead man but must have some strength of Natuâ—e concurring and cooperating How agreeth this simile with his owne doctrine He told us before that in the first progress man doth not co-operat and yet here nature must co-operate or nothing will be done 2. Bodily physick worketh only upon the body and humors but reacheth not the will of the man but the soul humors lye most in the will and grace that would cure these must work upon the will for till the will be cured the man is never cured So that 3. This simile doth more sufficiently demonstrate him to be a Pelagian Arminian and Iesuite than any thing he hath yet said for let the physician give what physick he will the patients will is wholly at liberty so let God work what he will and employ all his grace the mans will is at freedome and so at freedome that all that God can do shall not availe the man will if he be ill disposed hinder the physick to work as the patient may do in the similitude 4. Though the man cannot properly say that he purged away his own humors because the physick did that yet he was truely the concurring cause of his owne health and may thank himself therefore For had he been so ill disposed as his neighbour all the physick should not have saved his life more than it saved his neighbours who hindered its operation 5. Have we not here enough to Demonstrate to us how devoted the Quakers are unto Lord Free will And how according to them Christ and the grace of God must be beholden to Free will for every soul that is saved and must come
more harden them as clay c. But the Sun can never make a thistle bring forth grapes or a carcasse to smell as a rose so neither can the Sun of righteousness by this Man's opinion cause a dead man live or a rotten withered branch bring forth fruit And the change of the corrupt nature of man is not from the Sun of righteousness but from himself and it lyeth at the mans own door and is in his option whether he will bring forth fruite or not let the sun shine as it will And further let him explaine to me How grace can properly harden a man I know that by accident of mans corruption abusing it the man may thereby grow worse but this is not the proper work of grace as the heat of the sun hardeneth the clay as natively and properly as it causeth the flower to smell fragrantly However we see clearly what are this mans thoughts of grace and let any tell me if ever a Pelagian Semipelagian Socinian Arminian or Iesuite spoke more to the undervalueing and disparagment of the grace of God 10. Finally he tels us § 18. that he acknowledgeth that God doth operat in some in a certain special manner in whom grace so far prevaileth that salvation necessarily followeth and God suffereth them not to resist This I confess is the expression that seemeth most orthodox of any he hath yet had in this matter and yet Arminians will say the same But is it not thus with all whom God effectually Draweth and Converteth Or are there any really converted and saved without this special operation of grace If it be not thus with all then all are not alike beholden to God and his free grace for Conversion and out of what Scripture can we learne this If it be thus with all and it must be so with all who are truely converted why doth he trouble us with his Sufficient Grace which alone without this special manner of operation never brought a soul to heaven Was ever or will ever a man that is born in sin be converted till grace take away that resistence which is in him naturally And did ever that sufficient grace alone do it Yet saith he in that none did want that measure of grace whereby they might be saved they are made justly inexcusable and they that perish while they remember the dayes of Visitation wherein God by his Spirit and light did strive with them are forced to câ—nfesse that tâ—ere was a time wherein the door of mercy stood open and that they are justly condemned Ans. 1. We see no ground for such a day of Visitation as he dreameth of granted to all and every son of Adam as appeareth from what was said above upon that hâ—ad 2. That no man shall have anâ— just ground of pleading his excuse before God when condemned we nothing doubt though we feigne no devices of our owne to this end 3. what sense or remembrance of a day of Visitation wherein mercies door stood open Heathens and such as never heard of Christ can have we are yet to learne 4. Nor do we understand how that grace can absolutely be called Sufficient which removeth not the greatest of impediments that is to say Mans Reluctancy But Quakers their brethren the Arminians Iesuites can imagine strange things 11. We come now to see what way he proveth the necessity of this light unto salvation or how such as hear the Gospel are saved by the operations of this Light Pag 107. c. He citeth that Ioh. 3 3. except a man be born againe or from above he cannot see the Kingdom of God And what can this evince That the outward preaching of the Gospel alone the literal knowledge of Christ historical faith in him doth or can save a soul we never said though he falsly insinuateth so much in the following words Yet we see here the mans wicked designe to wit to cry up this grace to the end he may destroy all the Ordinances of Christ which he hath appointed as meanes whereby he is pleased to bring about this effect We never said that the external preaching of the Gospel alone could save any yet we know that by the foolishness of preaching the Lord saveth such as beleeve 1 Cor. 1 21. And Paul tels us that he begote the Corinthians through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4 15. And he begote Philem. 10. Onesimus in his bonds The word becoming ingraffed is able to save souls Iam. 1 21. But the maine thing here to be noticed is that this can make nothing for his point we grant that a man must be regenerated by the Grace and Spirit of God but we deny that any thing call it as he will that is common to all the Heathen is the Seed or Cause of this new birth It is wholly from above and of the Spirit who is not given to all persons only such as were foreknown are predestinate to be conforme to the image of Christ and they who are thus predestinated are effectually called Rom. 8 29 30. Se also Ephes. 1 4 5. It is they only who are given of the Father to Christ who will come to him Ioh. 6 37. 17 19 20 For they only partake of that which is obtained by Regeneration viz. the New Creature Gal. 6 15. the New Man Ephes 4 24. the Image of God Col. 3 10. the Divine Nature 2 Pet 1 4. the Spirit Gal 5 17. the Inner man Rom 7 2â— the Law of the minde vers 24. When he hath proven that this Common and Sufficient Grace is able to effectuate this new birth then he shall speak something to the purpose But neither he nor his Masters the Pelagians Iesuites nor Arminians shall ever be able to do this 12. What he saith of the necessity of this New birth and its preferableness to any external knowledge of Christ from 2 Cor. 5 16 17. we shall not oppose only we must say that it is wilde and unreasonable from that place to inferre that the knowledge of Christ is but like the Rudiments that children use which must be laid aside when they attaine to more perfection seing the knowledge of Christ is our life Ioh. 17 3. and he who knoweth him knoweth the Father Ioh. 10 â—8 14 9 10 11 17 21. His granting that every similitude halteth doth not much alleviate the mater for he addeth that such as do not advance above the outward knowledge of Christ shall never inherite the kingdom of heaven Unless by the outward knowledge of Christ he understand a meer literal superficial book-knowledge which inded will nor availe unto salvation and yet the want of which maketh the case of Heathens and such as are without the Church desperate 13. He tels us afterward Pag. 108. that the new creation whereof the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5 16 17. proceedeth from the operation of this Light and Grace And this is the thing which he should prove for we deny it of the
Light and Grace whereof he talketh and which he will have common to all men breathing His saying that the Word of which he spoke is lively and penetrating c. Is no proofe For that word is not a Word or Seed or Grace implanted in every man as we shewed He addeth this seed is called the manifestation of the Spirit given to every man to profite for it is written that by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body And Peter ascribeth this birth unto this seed 1 Pet. 1. being born againe not of corruptible seed c. Ans. 1. If this Seed be the manifestation of the Spirit whereof Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 12 7. It is not common to all the world for the Apostle is there speaking of the Church whereof the Corinthians who were sanctified in Christ Jesus called saints 1 Cor. 1 1. were a part and being an homogeneal part are called the Body of Christ 1 Cor. 12 27. Where doth this Quaker read in the Scriptures that Heathens and such as are without the Church are called the Body of Christ 2. Nay if this seed be the manifestation of the Spirit it is so far from being common to all men that it is not common to all Church members For these gifts as they are called vers 4. were peculiar only to some members of the Church given in order to Administrations Operations vers 5 6. are particularly specified vers 8 9 10. Therefore saith the Apostle vers 11 12. But all these worketh that one and the self same Spirit divideing to every man severally as he will for as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ. Which is abundantly confirmed by the scope and whole contexture of the discourse 3. The Apostle for pressing of union and concord among the members of the Church of Corinth with an edifying use of their several gifts saith vers 13. That by one Spirit all we are baptized into one body c. that is that by baptisme all the Professours of the Name of Iesus are outwardly made members of the visible body of Christ and such as are really baptized by the Spirit and made partakers of his grace are made members of the invisible mystical body of Christ and so should lay forth themselves in the use of their gifts and graces for the common good of the whole body And what I pray can this make for the Quakers point Doth the Apostle say that this is common to all such as never were baptized nor heard thereof or did never partake of the other Sacrament imported by these words made to drink c. in the end of the verse as some suppose And if not what way will this Quaker hence prove the operation of the new birth by that which is common to all men breathing The Apostle it is true saith here whether Iewes or Gentiles Yet he meaneth only such as are comprehended under we that is such as were already members of the Church Will this Quaker say that all and every man are baptized by the Spirit and have bin made to drink into one Spirit Then I suppose he will next say That all must needs be saved 4. As for that Word or Seed whereof Peter speaketh every one may see that will beleeve Peter himself Chap. 1. vers last that this word of the Lord which is the incorruptible seed which liveth abideth for ever is not any thing abideing in all men but is that which is preached by the Gospel 14. He proceedeth and saith Though this seed in the first manifestation be small as a graine of mustard seed Mat 13 31 32. and though it be hid in the earthy part of mans heart yet life and salvation is hid in it and is revealed according as they yeeld unto it And in this seed the kingdom of heaven doth potentially lurk to be produced or rather exhibited as it getteth ground is nourished and is not suffocated Answ. 1. Are not these noble proofs Do the Quakers think that we are bound to take their groundless and inconsistent assertions for probations 2. How can this seed have its manifestation and yet be hid and latent 3. Hath a natural carnal unregenerat and heathen man a spiritual part of an heart or is the heart of every man partly earthly and partly heavenly and why doth this seed lye hid in the earthy part and not in the heavenly part of the heart are these any thing but Quakers dreames or new Pelagian Notions sufficiently confuted above 4. This must needs be a hid salvation which is hid in a seed which is hid in the earthy part of mans heart and that even in its first manifestation What idle fancies do these men feed upon 5. This hid salvation must be a wonderful salvation for it is revealed according as these in whom it is hid yeeld unto it But must it not first work appear in its operations before men can yeeld to it who can yeeld to a latent lurking thing that worketh not nor appeareth not 6. If Salvation be hid in this seed the kingdom of heaven is more then potentially in it for we say not that an apple is hid in the seed especially seing he saith that this kingdom of heaven is not produced as the seed can produce in its way a tree its fruit but rather exhibited 7. This seed he saith is already hid in the earthy part of mans heart and if so sure it hath ground how can he then say that it is exhibited as it getteth ground 8. The summe of all is pur◠Pelagianisme or worse viz. that there is something in every man which is sufficient of it self to Produce Grace Glory Life and Salvation if man will be but that well natured as to suffer it to work not suffocate it so that there is no need either of the outward Preaching of the Gospel or of the inward Operation of the Spirit upon the minde which Pelagius at length did acknowledge let be of the special Operation of the Spirit of grace renewing the will and creating a new heart of flesh c. This is doctrine for Pagans indeed 15. But how is this proven He citeth Luk. 17 20 21. and would have n◠beleeve that Christ saith there that the Kingdom of Heaven was in the Pharisees But judicious Calvin thinketh these words were spoken to the disciples upon occasion of that question of the Pharisees And though we take them as spoken to the Pharisees it will not hence follow that this Kingdom was already in them though the greek preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be used which as was showne above doth not alwayes carry this import as might be evidenced by a number of places as Luk. 14 1. Mark 13 24. where it importeth after So Mat. 20 26. Luk. 16 15. Rom. 16 7. 1 Cor. 2 6 Rom. 8 29. 1 Thes. 5
16 15. Dan. 8 14. Iob 32 2. 9 2. 33 32. Esai 53 11. Dan. 12 3. Mat. 12 37. Ier. 3 11. Gen. 44 16. Prov. 17 15. Not to mention other passages where justification of a sinner before God is handled because he may think to affix his vaine glosse unto them as we have seen in part and shall see more 3. How Iustifico I Iustify can signifie him who is made just I would faine know of what Master he hath learned 27. This man will needs be the master of words and therefore he will have Iustifico to be like sanctifico honorifico sacrifico Ans. And why not also as verifico Sure honorificare signifieth not to infuse honour but publickly to declare our respect for such a person and he knoweth the common saying honor magis est in honorante quam in honorato And Sacrifico signifieth sometimes I sacrifice and offer in sacrifice and ask God pardon Is that to make holy But sayes he all these are spoken of a subject really endued with that vertue from which he hath that denomination No man is said to be sanctified who is really profane so nor can any man be said to be Iustified who is not really just Ans. And do we say that a man is said to be Justified who is not really just No. He is really just by Righteousness imputed and then declared and pronunced just by Justification But he should show that as to sanctify signifieth sometimes to infuse holiness so to Iustify is to infuse righteousness or that a man can not be denominated Iustified but upon the account of infused and inherent righteousness as one cannot be denominated sanctified without inherent holiness But this is too hard for him 28. His perversness discovereth it self in the following words where playing with the forensical use of the word Iustify he sayes it is as when one really guilty is freed from the punishment and so he is Iustified that is put in the place of him who is just Insinuating hereby that in our justification there is nothing but a fredom from punishment while as we say that the cautionary righteousness of the Lord our Surety is imputed to the beleever and he thereupon Justified He proceedeth and telleth us that this use to wit forensical of the word proceeded from this supposition that none should be liberated but innocents Ans. Rather from this supposition that none ought to be absolved but either he who is not guilty of what is charged or hath satisfied the Law and accusation by a Cautiner What he addeth is nothing to the purpose Hence we say saith he I shall Iustifie this or that meaning that such a thing is Iustifiable For beleevers are Justifiable by the imputation of Christ's righteousness What he citeth out of Pareus against Bellarm de justific p. 469. where Pareus is shewing how Bellarmine at length cometh to his hand is nothing to the purpose for when he sayes we are not formally righteous or so called by the imputation of Christs righteousness his meaning is that thereby we are not made such as never sinned as his following words import but that the Righteousness of Christ is not so imputed to us as that it becometh the formal objective reason of our Justification Pareus saith not The matter is cleared thus though a man who is not solvendo can not be made by his cautioners paying of the debt for him one that is formally just and that hath never failed in paying his debt nor can the cautoners payment be so imputed to him when he is absolved yet the Cautioners payment is so imputed to him as that thereupon he is absolved and justified and so declared one that hath payed his debt by his cautioner and consequently free from any execution of the Law against him that payment of the cautioner is so imputed to him as that it becometh the Formal Objective Reason why he is absolved 29. He wonders that we should place our hope and confidence in a matter of such moment upon a figurative use of a word and exclude that or at least not account it necessary without which we cannot see God Ans. We deny that our use of the word is figurative and though it were yet the thing imported thereby is such a sure ground that if he misse it it may cost him his soul. We account not holiness and good works unnecessary but only exclude them from being any part of the Formal Objective Reason in our Justification And though he could not but know this Yet he would maliciously calumniate us Then he tels us that the word is sometimes used in Scripture of them who arrogat righteousness to themselves though it do not belong to them citeing Exod. 23.7 Iob 9 20. 27 5 Prov. 17 15. Esai 5 23. Luk 10 29. 16 15. Ioh. 11 2 3 22. Ier. 3 11. Ezech. 16 5. 15 2. Ans. Though impertinency enough might be observed here Yet this satisfieth us that both in some of those places and others cited by us before the word is not taken in his sense I wonder how he can say that all these places speak of men Justifying the ungodly when the very first is spoken of God himself And some of them speak of a not justifying as Iob 9 20. 27 5. Many of them speak nothing of Justifying at all as Esai 5 23. Ioh. 11 2 3 22. Ezech. 16 5. 15 2. So unhappy is the man in his citations 30. But Pag. 137. He cometh to speak of the word as used in those places of Scripture where the matter of Justification is handled And in the very entry he ushereth his way with a false ignorant calumnious insinuation as if we held that Justification were but supposititious and imaginary and not real when as by what we have already said the judicious may see that the Justification he pleadeth for is no reall thing but a popish dream And another ignorant cheat he useth saying that the signification which he putteth on the word is genuine and ours but figurative Whileas our sense of it is proper ordinary for any thing I know constant sure he hath given no one instance to the contrary and his is fictitious forged at Rome confirmed by no appoven author But sayes he In pauls Epistles to the Romans Corinth Galat. and else where where this doctrine is handled he saith frequently that we are not justified by the Law nor by the Law of Moses and here the word may be taken in its proper and genuine sense without any absurdity Ans. But what is this proper and genuine sense Is it that we are made just by infused righteousness Then this absurdity will follow that the Apostles meaning is the Law doth not infuse righteousness and who dreamed that it did Is it that we are declared just because of Inherent Holiness and Righteousness then this proper and genuine sense should be a perfect contradiction to what Paul saith or his meaning
members for then all Church-members must be Officers seing with him all Church members must be thus qualified If the last be his meaning Whether thinks he this qualification essential or not that is so necessary that one that wanteth it cannot be accounted a Pastor neither before God nor before men neither in foro poli nor in foro soli Againe I would enquire what he meaneth by this qualification if we interprete it by his former doctrine why we may not Yea must not do so I know not this will be a good qualification for a Pagan-preacher but no qualification for a Gospel-minister for it is nothing else than the power efficacy of Natures Light of a Natural Conscience informing enlightning concerning duties required by the Law of nature it hath no affinity with the sanctifying Spirit of Christ promised in the New covenant bestowed upon the elect and chosen vessels of mercy and principling the beleever to new obedience Howbeit this might suffice for an answere Yet I shall say more to clear the matter unto the Reader I confess holiness is required of Gospel ministers The Apostle tels us Tit. 1 8. that he must be a lover of good men or of good things as it is in the margine sober just holy temperate And he must be blameless Tit. 1 7. 1 Tim. 3 2. vigilant sober and of good behaviour ibid And therefore all who are to be imployed in the examination tryal of ministers should be careful in the searching after this as well as in the tryal of their gifts and other qualifications and when clear and manifest evidences appear of their hatred of good things and of the godly of their insobriety injustice unholiness intemperance want of vigilancy and of their evil behaviour they ought to be laid aside from that holy function as well as when their want of gifts of other requisite qualifications clearly appeareth Yea if there be not some positive probable evidences of this love and of seriousness in the maters of God giving faire probable ground of concluding them to be faithful men they ought not to commit the word unto them See all this fully cleared and confirmed by worthy and learned Mr Durham in his exposition of the Revelation Pag. 198. c. Yet because grace the saving workings of the Spirit are latent hid in the heart there is no outward signe evidence thereof whereby others can certainly or infallibly discerne and judge of the same in all so hid that the man in whom it is is more privie to his owne spirit heart than others can be will not alwayes be in case to discerne the same I dar not say that the reall being of grace is such a qualification as that the want thereof shall render the man no minister and all his performances null before God or man though the person being a real stranger to grace can expect no acceptance of God through Jesus Christ for what he doth Christ's imploying of Iudas in the ministry will sufficiently verify this and I need say no more See Mr Durham in the place cited 6. What addeth he For saith he seing true knowledge in things spiritual is received by this gift and grace he that is purified and sanctified by the same is at length also called by it and moved to ministrate to others and is made capable of showing to others what by real experience he hath himself found 2 Cor. 5 11. And his words and ministry proceeding from inward power and vertue penetrat into the hearts of the hearers and obtaine their approbation and subjection Ans. 1. This gift and grace being but natural and Pelagian as was shown above can never give true knowledge in things spiritual saving and evangelick 2. Nor can it ever purifie and sanctifie a man according to the Gospel whatever it may do as to outward civility and morality 3. Qualifications are no call 4. Then it seemes there is no Outward call requisite and so this man joyneth with Socinians and Arminians laying aside all outward call by men as not necessary in the Church of God and saying that all who understand the truth of the Gospel and are able to Instruct others may and have a right to teach See Smalcius Pag. 379. though Pag. 377. he confesseth that this outward call is decent and comely in a constitute Church which this man doth no where acknowledge See also Apol. Remonstr Cap. 21. and Episcop disput 26. privat Thes. 4. 5. 5. Every motion to tell others what we know in the things of God is not a call to the Work and Office of the Ministry See Psal. 66 16. privat persons in their private capacities may and ought to seek to promove the edification of others 1 Pet. 4 10 11. 6. Is this telling of what they have found in their owne experience the whole work of the Ministrie Or is this the preaching of the Gospel The divideing of the word of truth 2 Tim. 2 15. Is this speaking exhorting and rebuking with all authority Tit. 2 15 Is this be seaching as Ambassadours in the name of God and in Christ's stead 2 Cor. 5 19 20 Is this that which Paul layeth upon Timothie 2 Tim. 4 1 2. I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom Preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine Or that which we â—inde 1 Tim. 4 13 14 15 16. Give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them take heed unto thy self and unto the doctrine continue in them For in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee But I should have remembered that these men are against Preaching 7. Some may think that by this gift and grace which he mentioneth he can mean at most nothing but what the Papists call gratia gratis data and which is different from gratia gratum faciens but I see no ground to judge him so orthodox 7. He goeth about to prove that this qualification is absolutely necessary and his first argument is thus That which is necessary to make a man Christian is much more necessary to make one a Minister of Christianity But this inward call power vertue of the Spirit is necessary to make a man a Christian. Therefore c. Ans. This argument is easily answered by a distinction thus That which is necessary to make a man a Real Upright and Sincere Christian or true member of the Invisible Church is also necessary to make a man a sincere and upright Minister before God and approven of him in what he doth but is not simply and absolutely necessary to make one a Minister before
this mans doctrine who seemeth to be one of the most sober among them all have we found any thing hithertil but Pelagianisme Secinianisme Arminianisme Enthusiasme Antiscripturisme Yea and Paganisme c have we seen any thing that doth not directly enough tend to overthrow the whole Gospel And what further we are to hear a little patience will help us to see He talks that they teach no new doctrine But doctrine more diametrically opposite yea contradictory to the whole Gospel of the grace of God a man shall finde no where else in such an heape So that albeit they should pretend to Miracles as they do to Immediat Revelations of the Spirit of God should do somethings more then ordinary like wonders I should account them but lying wonders their coming to be after the working of Satan according to 2 Thes. 2 3. Yea though an angel from heaven should come to head them and preach the doctrine which they preach I should remember that word of Paul's Gal. 1 vers 8 9. And therefore must account these Quakers no more Christians but an Antichristian Antievangelick brood of men acted and led by an evil Spirit designing the destruction of the Gospel and the setting up of Paganisme What he saith § 13. about the Independants and their gifted Brethren is not worth the noticeing for as to the matter he referreth us to what he had said before upon the Scriptures and we have eâ—amined Chap. IV. Only I would enquire If as he saith no man can know by the Scriptures that he in particular is called to be a Minister and therefore must recurre to an Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit he must also say that no man can know that another is a Minister but by the Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit and therefore he cannot be offended at us that we do not beleeve that he and the rest of the Quakers are sent of God because we have no Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit concerning this and we are confident never shall have from the Spirit of God And though the Scriptures do not particularly and expresly tell us that Robert Barclay is a false Teacher and ought to be shuned as a false Teacher it saith that which is enough to us concerning him and his complices when it saith that all that bring another Gospel are to be accounted accursed and the whole Scripture that pointeth forth and declareth the Truth and condemneth their Errours as we have seen and shall see is as good to us as an Immediat Testimony saying the Quakers and particularly Robert Barclay are deceivers yea better more sure for some men can take the dreams of their owne head the impressions of Satan upon their phantasie for immediat testimonies of the Spirit of God but enough of this above Chap. III. 15. But he hath something Pag. 190. § 14. that would seem to answere that question we just now proposed for after hee hath againe nakedly told us that this extraordinary call for he nameth it so here is as well necessary when the Church is setled as when it is under a general Apostacy he saith that such as are thus called are made manifest in the mindes of their brethren and their call is verified in them who by the sensation of that life and virtue that floweth out by them are dâ—yly edified in their most holy faith and become the signes of their Apostleshipe according to 2 Cor. 13 v. 3. Ans. 1. But as yet there is no Inward Testimony of the Spirit directly saying that such men are truely called and without this in his judgment they cannot be said to be taught and led of the Spirit nor can they beleeve without this 2. Is this manifestation alwayes at every discourse or sometimes only Is it upon all their hearts or upon some only It may be there lyeth an answere in these words their brethren But the signes of the Apostleshipe of Paul were among strangers whom he converted and brought in to the faith And if this manifestation be alwayes and upon all present he layeth down a ground to question Christs Apostleshipe and Call for his preaching had not alwayes this effect as is notoure Nor Pauls and Barnabas theirs among the Jewes as the book of the Acts sheweth and 2 Thes. 2. Nay let that word be considered 2 Cor. 2 15 16. for we are unto God a sweet savour in Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life And that Esai 49 4. Then said I I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought and in vaine surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God and that Esai 53 Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed if he think it enough that this manifestation be made sometimes upon the the mindes of some Alas Poor man thinks he that there are none of all the servants of Christ who dar not be so bold as he is to pretend a Divine Immediat Call through an Extraordinary and Immediat Revelation that can say the same and that upon a more just account As for his brethren they are under the same delusion with their Teachers and the sensation they have of life and vertue is but the sensation of the workings of delusion and no edification or building up in the holy faith but in opposition to that faith which was once delivered to the saints as is manifest to all that heare them and read their books and as this book which is now under examination hath made more manifest to me than all that ever I heard or read of them before 15. He addeth This is that which giveth the true and substantial call and title unto the Minister whereby he is a real successour of the vertue and power that was in the Apostles Ans. 1. Then the extraordinary call was no true and substantial call or title Then Ezechiel who was sent to a rebellious house that would not heare had no true and substantial call nor Moses when he was sent unto Pharaoh 2. They who are a savour of death unto death to some may yet for all that be successours to the Apostles 3. But I see what this man would be at The Quaker-Preachers though as we have manifested above nothing in truth but Pagan preachers must be the only successours of the Apostles and Possessours of the power and vertue that was in them What more Such Ministers stand not in need of the ceremony of Ordination and Imposition of hands Ans. Why then were hands laid upon Paul Barnabas Act. 13 3. And why had Timothy the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery 1 Tim. 4 14. If such made use of this ceremony shall any Minister now a dayes think it below him to do the like But sayes he Our adversaries
science wherein I know none more expert and skilled than are our Quakers He may read Calvin on the place if he will And for a close to this How great a prejudice so ever he hath against Philosophy yet in the primitive times Christians who had been Philosophers was not by their Philosophy less fitted but more to defend the truth against heathen Philosophers as Iustin Martyr against Valentinus Tertullian against Marcion Origen against Celsus Chrysostome against Libanius and Prudentius against Symmachus 10. The last part of humane literature which he inveigheth against is that which is called Scholastical Theology by which I suppose he meaneth that only which now commonly goeth under that name as distinct from Polemick divinity handling controversies debated betwixt the orthodox and heretical or erroneous persons such as Pelagians Socinians Arminians Anabaptists Antinomians Quakers and the rest And as to it I shall say no more than I have said Chap. 1. § 12. and suffer him to go on in his ranting Only I must take notice of some expressions which he hath here and there in this discourse Though I cannot understand how Origen should be among the first who by this art gave himself to interpret Scriptures nor how hereby Arius fell into his errour seing this Theology is commonly commenced from Peter Lombard yet I am glade to hear him Pag. 201. calling that heresie of Arius who denyed the Son to be equal with the Father in power and glory and of the same essence horride for many of his Brethren the Quakers either doubt of or directly deny the Trinity Yea Mr Clapham in his book against the Quakers Sect. 3. tels us they call this doctrine a lie and citeth for it Saul's errand to Damascus p. 12. and the sword of the Lord drawn p. 4. And in this if he thinketh as he speaketh I would know how he will reconcile himself unto them but it may be he taketh Father Son and holy Ghost for one Person as well as for one essence as some other Quakers do He speaketh like a Quaker that is calumniously when he saith § 22. that this knowledge is accounted a necessary qualification for a Minister when the pure teaching of the Spirit of truth is contemned He may speak thus if he thinketh good against his old friends the Iesuites for we are for the teaching of the Spirit and preferre it to all other whatsomever but we are for the teaching of the Spirit in the way he hath appointed that is by waiting upon him in his ordinances meditating on his word and useing all other lawful meanes to come to the right understanding of his meaning in his word especially prayer But we dar not with this deluded bold generation tempt the Lord by looking for immediat Revelations and laying aside all Meanes and Ordinances in coming to the saving knowledge of his Name as revealed in the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ. We account it also a calumny for him to say ibid. that he who is to be a Minister must lairne the airt of playing a hookster in the word because we say he must attend unto reading of what is written for the understanding of Scripture And whereas he thinketh the Devil could make as good a sermon as the most learned I only demand and may he not also make as good a discourse without book as they do I fear he hath too great a hand in all their discourses and scriblings too 11. What he saith Pag. 202. § 23. is but a groundless commendation of their way and of themselves as the only men raised up of God to be witnesses foâ— him If they have shaken the foundations of Babylon as he saith how cometh it that Babylon and they are so well agreed and that in principal matters as 1. In vilifying the Ministers of Christ and calling them deceivers 2. Denying our Churches to be true Churches 3. In calling the Scriptures but a dead letter 4. In denying it to be the judge of controversies 5. In refuseing to have all Spirits tryed by the written word 6. In crying up the sufficiency of a common light within 7. In maintaining Free will 8. Perfection 9. Apostasie of the Saints 10. Justification by inherent holiness 11. In confounding Justification and Sanctification 12. In mocking at the â—mputed righteousness of Christ. 13. In placeing holiness in outward observations of their owne deviseing 14. In Pretending so much to Revelations Visions Raptures c. 15. In pretending to Infallibility As for the Increase of their number whereof he boasteth it is a clear verification of that 2 Thes. 2 9 10 11 12. whoâ—e coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders with all deceivablenes of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Wâ—at he talketh further of his owne experience of the power of their discourses is but a further demonstration of what we said to wit of his being given up to strong delusion as this volumne of his putteth beyond all question with such as believe the Scriptures And for a recompense of his exhortation to us in the close I shall also obtest him in the Lord to consider his wayes over againe and search after the procuring cause of this dreadful judgment of the Lord 's giving him to up to those delusions that he may repent and be saved for what high thoughts soever he may now have of that way he will finde his delusion in end either here which I shall wish or when it shall be too late which the Lord prevent in mercy CHAP. XIX Of the Ministerial Office 1. WHen our Quaker beginneth to speak of this matter Pag 203. § 24. he followeth his usual manner of crying up themselves and loading all their Opposites with what expressions of disrespect and contempt he thinketh meet We are the men with him as the orthodox were of old with the Swenkfeldians Familists and Antinomians who alwayes adhere to Externals following our External Rule and Methods devised by our carnal and humane Wisdom because we follow and desire to cleave unto the Rules and Methods and all the Orders prescribed by Christ to be observed in his owne House And upon the other hand They are the men who follow the wayes of the Spirit and his immediat Help and Influence and he leadeth them as he saith in such an Order and Methode as becometh the Church of God though this order and methode of theirs wherein they suppose the Spirit leadeth them be no prescribed Order in the word but the meer Invention of their owne fantastick â—raine blasphemously Fathered upon the Immediat Teaching and Leading of the Spirit of God for we know no ground to imagine that the true Spirit of God will lead
Answ. But how could they take so much as that if that sentence be applied to the necessary aliment It is not said freely give to all that will give you nothing but not to all who will give you must not give them freely but take from them So that this reason destroyeth it self But the true meaning of the words is you have received freely the extraordinary gifts of healing the sick of cleansing the lepers of raising the dead and of casting out of devils freely use these gifts and who would have ministers selling to the greatest offerers their paines in ordinary ministerial imployments which yet hath coste them paines and study No that were the hight of baseness they should freely serve their Master in the Gospel with a free and generous minde yet this taketh not away their aliment or honorary which Christ ensured to these 70. Disciples for that short work They should live of the Gospel as we have seen and if people be that unjust and inhumane as not to give when able what the Lawes of the land allow and have setled as an honorary justice should compel them fâ—r the labourer should have his wages and this comporteth well with a free giving in the Minister otherwise Christ had not joyned them together in the same discourse If this Quaker cannot see a consistency betwixt these two he must either profess his owne ignorance or blame Christ. He addeth Hence it is clear that Ministers may seek nothing Ans. Might not the disciples have sought a cup of cold water Sure Christ did as much as all that himself Ioh. 4.7 But sayes he They may seek nothing by violence or compulsion Ans. Faire Law and justice is neither violence nor compulsion They may not covenant before hand how much they must have by year Ans. True and he may know that our Church lawes account such dealing Simony As for Arnoldus's answere which our Quaker confirmeth with an oath saying ex animo or speaketh bad latine I leave it to Arnoldus to vindicat His saying Pag. 212. § 29. that the passages of Scripture here adduced are of the same nature with such as presse bounty to the poor Is convicted of falshood by what was said upon these places But he addeth Albeit Christians be bound to give outward things to Ministers yet there can no determination be made of the quantity without the consent of the giver Ans. This maketh against him for when the owners of the land did willingly allote the tithes to Ministers as their honorary the determination of the quantity was made with their consent what is thus determined should stand and cannot be diminished but by fraud and iniquity He cannot say that the present possessours of the Land have power to make a new determination for beside that that were sacrilege in devouring sacred things once devouted to pious uses it were the hight of injustice for when they purchased that Land they payed nothing for the tithes but made their purchase cum hoc onere as is done in all purchases of Land burdened with any publick thing He is mistaken when he saith that there can no more any limitation be made here then in acts of bounty and hospitality for the Scripture told us that this is the workmans hire and reward and no gratuity His following objection is none of mine and therefore I may let the answere passe 10. He tels us that Paul did prohibite this unto the Elders of Ephesus Act. 20 v. 33 35. Answ. No such matter appeareth there He saith indâ—ed vers 33. That he coveted no mans silver or gold or apparel And I grant all Ministers should be in case to say the same and not only ministers but all Christians yea all men by vertue of the Tenth command He saith moreover vers 34. Yea you yourselves know that these hands ministred unto my necessities and to them that were with me This is true 1 Cor. 4 12. 1 Thes. 2 9. 2 Thes 3 8. Will our Quaker think that this obligeth all Ministers Why then will â—e allow his Brethren to take so much as a bit of bread from any Why did Christ allow his 70. Disciples to take bread and drink both Did Paul thus every where He took more then bread from the Church of Philippi Phil. 4 10 15 16. Nay he tels the Corinthians 2 Cor. 11 v. 8. That he robbed other Churches taking wages of them Had he done so every where and to every Church he had hardly freed himself of the imputation of avarice He saith next vers 35. I have shewed you all things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Iesus how he said it is more blessed to give then to receive Hence indeed it is clear that the Apostle willed these Elders of Ephesus to follow his example in supporting the weak and in giving no offence unto them for the word properly signifieth an holding up with the hand such as otherwise would fall through weakness and so if the case fell so out with them as it did with himself in the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 9 15. 2 Cor 11 10. that before they stumble the weak and hinder the course of the Gospel they should rather work with their owne hands than be burdensome to any And I shall willingly say the same of every Minister of the Gospel that is placed in the like circumstances But this will say nothing against the Equity and Justice of an honorary as we have seen Paul proving at large nor against a Minister seeking his due by Law oâ— what is established upon him by Law when thereby he shall give no just ground of offence or stumbling And it is observable that these who lay at a catch to have some thing to say against Paul for taking maintainance were very like our Quakers pretending to be Apostles and yet were but transformed after the manner of Satan their Master and were deceitful workers whose end should be according to their works 2 Cor. 11 v. 13 14 15. And as for these words of Christ it is more blessed to give than to receive they held true of the Ministers under the Law yet they had their set salary and might seek it It holdeth true also in all Christians and yet notwithstanding thereof the workman hath right to his wages and may seek it and a person may justly crave his debt But this is indeed a noble argument to disswade from avarice and to presse to bountifulness 11. He sayes Pag. 213. § 30. That a limited and forced maintenance maketh the Ministers of Christ like these mercenaries that the Prophets so often reproved Answ. I should rather think the contrary But let us hear his reason If one saith he be hired to preach to such or such a people for so much yeerly so that he would not preach without it it is clear that he should then preach for a reward c. This may be all granted
entered within himself with the rest he is no sooner entered then that power if it be a little raised in the meeting layeth hold upon him and begetteth in him the sense of this vertue to the softning and warming of his heart just as fire will warme a man and burne combustible mater that is neare Answ. Here is a further confirmation of the power of that deluding Spirit that acteth in their meetings But how is it known that that person was not entred within himself Doth this Introversion cause such an alteration on the body that all on lookers may see it Why might not this Power if it were indeed a divine power work this effect howbeit it were not as yet alittle raised in the meeting What are the consequences of this softning and warming of heart Are they only a confirmation of them in their errours and delusions We see no ground then to think that all this is of the Spirit of God And it is known how easy it is for the Devil to play the Ape and transforme himself as to the manner of his operations into an Angel of Light that he may deceive poor souls that foolishly give up themselves to be led and acted by him All which is sufficiently confirmed by what he addeth yea sayes he if it happen that many of these that are assembled wander in their mindes and be turned out from the measure of grace and wander in their imaginations one in whom the life is raised shall feel labour for the rest by co-suffering with the seed that is oppressed in them and if he abide attending upon the Light and persisting in the divine work the Lord oft times heareth that secret labour and the secret breathings of his owne seed by such an one so that the rest may finde themselve secretly pricked albeit there be no words spoken and hereby that one is as a midwife unto the rest to produce life in them by the secret labour of his owne soul Who seeth not hereby the strength and power of Satan working in the souls and imaginations of Men given up to strong delusion Who ever heard of such Operations among men not under the power of the Devil The midwife here must have the child-birth paines Nay more he telleth us Thâ—t if all the meeting be introverted into the life pardon these termes for they are his owne as near as I can translate them an uncouth Religion must be set forth to us in uncouth and unintelligible termes which the Spirit of God never taught us and the life be a little raised though not one word be spoken but all be silent yet a stranger come to gaze it may be or to mock is so terrified that he cannot resist but the power of darkness is depressed by this power and vertue which if his day of visitation be not gone will penetrate into the measure of grace within him and raise it up to the redeeming of his soul. That is maketh him convert after their manner viz. without the Spirit of God infuseing the seed and habite of grace and turning him from darkness to light by a new creation But whence can this wonderful change come It is when and not before the whole meeting is introverted and all of them are now formally under the terrible Power and Movings of the Devil which causeth such a change on their countenances and such shakeings in their bodies as we shall heare that on-lookers cannot but be affrighted and the Lord may in his righteous judgment for a further judicial upgiving of them unto a reprobate minde and for a punishment of such as out of a sinful curiosity and without a call did cast themselves within the reach of a rageing Devil suffer some such curious spectators to be carried away with the same Spirit of delusion whereof this man is a manifest instance as himself relateth in the following words But withal it is remarkable by what he saith that if a person be not thus changed at the first sight of them in this condition his day is gone and it is impossible he can be saved should he be present an hundered times thereafter 10. If we enquire at him whence their quakeing and shakeing of body cometh which is the ground of their being called Quakers He tels us P. 230. § S. That when the minde is introverted and looking for the apparition of the Life this is no other then their waiting for the operation of the devil and the power of darkness is resisting in the soul whereby you may judge of their perfection then the good seed this is either blake nature or worse riseth up and is felt working like medicine and by these contrary workings there is a strugling felt in the soul as really in the mysterie as Rebecca found the striveing of the twines in her womb and such a travail and labour in the soul that the outward man is affected and the body wonderfully agitated many sighs and groanes sent forth yea the very paines of a woman in travail is felt And this cometh not only upon one but sometimes upon many yea upon all Which may further confirme any sober Christian that there is at least much of the work of the Devil here these being the very passions of the old Phythonicks and the Devil dealing with them much after the same manner as he dealth with the Old Pagan Prophets and Priests Where read we of the Lords exerciseing thus his people in all the New Testament who were meeting about his solemne worshipe All this strugling can be nothing but the strugling of contrare humores in the body if it be not more immediatly by Satan who useth to be a merciless Master even to such as formally serve him such a hater is he of mankinde and such delight taketh he to afflict and torment even those who pay him all homage and devotion as hath been demonstrated by many instances in America and other parts of the world And this cannot but be looked upon as a righteous judgment in God giving them so up unto this cruel handling who wearying of the easy yoke of his Ordinances and Institutions shake all off at once and so declare themselves to be no more Christians We need not forget the Story of Gilpin in the Town of Kendal attested by the Magistrats thereof Where read we that the true Prophets of old even in their Trances and Ecstasies wherein their outward senses were bound had such wild anticque and unnatural motions of body as these Quakers sometimes have who will foame swell and froath at the mouth like persons in an Epilepsie Where read we of any such bodily shakeings quakeings tremblings and that from any such cause as is here given in all the primitive Churches or in any orthodox Church since meeting for the solemne worshipe of God I do not say that the deep exercises of the minde will have no influence on the body but such have no resemblance or affinity with the Quakers
remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee seing gifts were of no use and the stirring up of gifts were in vaine because all without gifts or stirring up of gifts was to be done by the immediat impulses and motions of the Spirit 12. in vaine also should he have said as 2 Tim. 1 13 14. Hold fast the forme of sound words which thou hast heard of me That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost For he was to regard no forme of sound words nor take any notice of that gooâ— thing which was committed to him but do and say as he was acted and inspired 13. what roome is left by this opinion to that word 2 Tim 2 14. Of these things put them in remembrance charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words For he could remember them of nothing nor lay any charge upon them if they were to do all as the Spirit moved them 14. The following injunction vers 15. is made also useâ—ess by this way Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed rightly divideing the word of truth For it taketh away all care and study in this matter and the preacher can make no other division of the word of truth than what is of and by the Spirit and that must alwayes be right 15 All that the Apostle sayeth 2 Tim. 3 14 15. should also be in vaine and to no purpose 16. If this way be the truth why did the Apostle say 2 Tim. 4 1 2. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom Preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine might not Timothy have replied I have nothing to do with that charge I cannot I may not preach either in season or out of season nor can I Reprove Rebuke nor Exhort nor have I Doctrine wherewith to do it The Spirit doth all must move me and inspire me to every Doctrine Preaching Rebuke and Exhortation and that at every time and season 17. Hâ—reby that should be also rendered useless which is said 2 Tim 4 5. But watch thou in all things endure afflictions do the work of an Evangelist make full proof of thy ministry 18. If this be the way why did Paul say to Titus Chap. 1 17 wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith seing Titus could have said againe I shall do as the Spirit moveth and more I cannot I may not 19. So it taketh away the force of Paulâ—s injunctions Tit. 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15. For Titus was to have his eye upon no Doctrine but speake what the Spirit moved him to speak nor was he to speak to either one or other age or sex or quality but as the Spirit acted him and what Uncorruptness Gravity Sincerity was requisite in his doctrine he was not to be anxious there about all would be so because dictated and inspired immediatly by the Spirit And what sounâ—ness of speach was requisite the Spirit would see to that and therefore he was not to regard what the Apostle enjoyned vers 15. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority 20. The command Tit. 3 1 2. Put them in minde to be subject to Principalities c. must hereby be laid aside as not obligeing Titus who was purely to follow the Motions of the Spirit 21. How opposite unto this opinion is that word Tit. 3 8. This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirme constantly What was not Titus to waite upon the motions of the Spirit 22. If matters be thus how could the Collossians say to Archippus take heed to the ministrie which thou haâ—t received in the Lord that thou fulfil it seing Archippus was to follow the free and arbitrary motions of the Spirit 2â— This opinion rendereth that injunction of Paul's unto the ministers of Thessalonica 1 Thes. 5 14. useless Now we beseech you brethren warne them that are unruly comfort the feble minded support the weak c. as to preaching 24. It would hence follow that all that such ministers spoke were infallibly true for what the Spirit speaketh through men or by men as his meer organs must of necessity be truth and nothing but truth and that certainly and infallibly and so must be esteemed of and regarded as Scripture 25. If the matter be thus it is all one thing whether the preacher be Young or Old a Childe or a Mâ—n of experience for it is not he that speaketh but the Spirit in him yet Paul requireth that he that is put into the Ministrie be not a novice 1 Tim. 3 6. 26. Thus did the Prophets and Apostles preachâ— and declare their visions as undâ—r moral commands though they were under no such commanâ—s to receive the visions where they had no election Ier. 1 v. 17. 26 15. Esa. 6 8 9. Ier 15 19 20. 1 Cor. 9 16. 9. More might be said upon this head but this may suffice and I have said the more of it because they use to make it one of their common theames while they would in their popular discourses inveigh against the Ministrie seek to make it contemptible with people Let us now come and consider what he saith And first he beginneth to speak against the methode Pag. 249. And what is this methode Ministers are free to follow what method they think most edifying and are not bound to one certain prescribeâ— methoâ—e But sayes he when Christ sent his disciples to preach he told them they should not premeditate what to say nor speak of themselves but the Spirit should in the same houre teach them Mat. 10 20. Mark 13 11. Luk. â—2 vers 12. Ans. Knoweth he not that at that time Christ gave them their preaching with them telling them what they should say saying And as â—e go preach saying the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Mat. 10 7. Knoweth he not that in these places by him cited our Lord is speaking of their appearing before Magistrates and Higher powers where they might through fear and anxiety be so discomposed as not to know well how to speak in their owne defence and that our Lord addeth these words to free them of all anxiety about the matter But sayes he if it was so with them when standing before men much more in preaching when they stand before God Ans. This consequence is weak and contradicted by the Text it self where we see they had their sermon taught them before hand and beside when they were sent out to preach they knew what they were to say but when called before Magistrates they could not know before hand what questions might be proposed unto them and upon that account might be anxious and troubled which to prevent this promise is made
and comest thou to me And Christs answere vers 15. Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness saith that it was a divine institution and that righteousness required his submission to it but there was no divine institution for it under the Law therefore it must have been a Gospel institution and consequently a continueing institution having such necessary ends and uses as it hath and Christ did this to consecrate our Baptisme in his own person 14. Unto that express command of Christ to his Apostles Mat. 28.19 He granteth all supposing that it is not meaned of baptisme with water as not being expresly so called in the text and remitteth the proof to us Wherein he is beholden unto the Socinians never man having the forehead to call this into question before them But these things make it evident 1. This is but an enlargment of a former commission as to the Object while as before they were limited to the house of Israel now they are to go to all Nations And before this we heard of their baptizeing with water with Christs warrand authority so as that it was accounted Christs deed Ioh. 4 1. 3 26. 2. It is joyned here with discipling disciple all nations baptizing them and so was it formerly their way of making disciples among the Jewes they made and baptized disciples Ioh. 4 1. 3. Their constant after-practice declareth this to have been the meaning of the command 4. This is the proper acceptation and import of the word and himself saith that the propriety of Scripture words must not be forsaken nor must we run to a figurative sense unless necessity urge Now there is no necessity apparent enforceing a figurative sense here And all greek lexicons can tell us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie washing with water 5. This is the constant acceptation of the word in Scripture except in three or four places where the circumstances enforce a metaphorical acceptation which is not in the least apparent here 6. The word is taken in a threefold sense only so far as I remember in the N. Test. as for baptisme with water for baptisme with the holy Ghost and for baptisme with the cross Luk. 12 50. Now neitâ—er of these two last senses can be here admitted for it cannot be meaned of baptisme with the cross as himself will grant nor can it be meaned of Baptisme with the holy Ghost for these extraordinary gifts of the holy Ghost were not common to all the disciples See Act. 8 16. nor had the Apostles power of bestowing these gifts upon the disciples nor read we that ever they baptized any that way We read of their laying on of hands and of the holy Ghost's coming upon some then Actor 8 and 19. but we read not of their baptizing with the holy Ghost 15. But he hath reasons to the contrary 1. We must not depairt from the propriety of words till necessity force us Answ. This is for us for we owne the word in its proper sense let him give us a more proper or usual sense out of any or all Greek Authors if he can 2. The Baptisme which Christ commanded his disciples was one baptisme Christs owne baptisme but that was not baptisme by water as is proved Answ. 1. If he thinketh that one Baptisme only is to be called Christs baptisme What will he say to that Luk 12 50. But I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished I think this must be it for this was every way peculiar unto Christ and to none else and what will then become of all his former discourse 2. We have showne that that one baptisme Ephes. 4 5. is only to be understood of the baptisme we speak of for no other was common to all professours no other was a fit argument for unity and concord and so no other could suite the Apostles scope there 3. All the three sorts of baptismes are Christs in several senses That baptisme of the cross was his because he alone in a pâ—culiar manner was to be baptized therewith the share that others were to get thereof Mark. 10 v. 39. was but little in comparision with what he was to suffer Baptizing with the holy Ghost was his because he was to bestow and poure out these gifts as the anoynted and crowned King Ephes. 4 8 11. c. Baptisme with water was his also as being instituted by him So that this mans argueing is a manifest fallacy 3. The Baptisme enjoyned to his disciples was such as who ever were thereby baptized did put on Christ But this cannot be said of Baptisme with water Answ. All who are baptized with the bapâ—isme of water without the inward grace have put on Christ by profession All who are baptized with water having the inward grace required have put on Christ in truth and in deed 4. The baptisme that Christ enjoyned his disciples was not Iohns baptisme but the baptisme of water was Iohns Answ. It was the same with Iohns as to the substance as our Divines shew against the Papists and our Quaker inadvertently to destroy his own argument proveth this Pag. 27â— yet he tels us there that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in nomen not in nomine and the name of the Lord in Scripture signifieth his power and vertue Psal. 54 3. Cant. 1 3. Prov 18 10. And so the Apostles did baptize unto this name and power as appeareth from that word as many of you as are baptized have put on Christ. Answ. By this he tacitely condemneth our manner of baptizing in the name of the Father c. but in vaine for the name of the Lord doth in Scripture signifie not only his power but all that whereby he maketh himself known but here to be baptized in the name or into the name can import nothing else then to dedicate unto God Father Son and holy Ghost as is clear from that expression of Pauls 1 Cor. 1 13. were ye baptized in the name or into the namâ— of Paul That is were ye in baptisme consecrated unto him as your Lord and master The meaning cannot be were ye baptized into his power and vertue Nor doth that word which he citeth evince any such thing for though the putting on of Christ doth not necessarily follow the outward washâ—ng with water unless we mean only an outward profession yet it necessarily followeth the right receiving of this ordinance according to Christs Institution for all such as have true faith and to none else doth baptisme seal the great things promised do in baptisme solemnlâ— and formally put on Christ. And knoweth he not that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is oft put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see Mark â— 1. 13 16. 5 34. Act. 2 31. Mark 1 9. in Iordan will he have this to be into the power of Iordan But further to shew that these words in
workings of the Prince of darkness tickling their fanciâ—s and complying with their blinded minds and corrupt humores and hereby draw strength and confirmation to their abominable errours and practices and are more deeply rooted and fixed in the same howbeit contrary to the divine light of the Word of God to the very light of Nature and pure Reason and to all the true experiences of the holy and upright walkers with God and are more fortified and animated in their rage and opposition to all the wayes of God And sure I am the Saints of God though they will not with such a pharisaical froathy ostentation talk of their enjoyments as these wicked deceivers do on all occasions to set forward the desperat designes of the Devil in them and by them yet know what rich incomes of Joy unspeakable and full of glory of Strength and Encouragment in the wayes of the Lord of Peace Serenity of soul of Light and Consolation satisfying all their desires and making their souls to run over and all this in compliance and harmony with the word for a verification and accomplisment of the rich promises of the New Covenant ordered in all things and sure and confirmation of the truth and reality of the workings of the grace of God in their soul whereâ—y they were to their owne feeling sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of their inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory they have had in this Ordinance Melting their hearts with true tenderness and godly sorrow and Kniting their souls more firmly in love to God in Christ and Engaging them to run the wayes of the Lord with all chearfulness enlargedness of heart and delectaâ—ion and to Strive against the enemies of the glory of God and of their salvation whether within or without with more courage alacrity and resolution of soul So that I am perswaded they will upon this very account detest and abominate tâ—ese co-workers with Satan and finde themselves called of God for his glory their owne security to remove far from their tents who drive such a desperate and hellish designe against heaven and against all the Interests of Jesus Christ their Lord and Saviour 4. These desperate Despisers of the goodness and condescensions of love malacious Opposers of all the wayes of God in manifest mockage substitute our ordinary repasts in the room of this soul-feeding Ordinance for thus speaketh that blasphemous wretch Ia. Nayler in his love to the lost Pag 45. as Mr Stalham citeth him in his book for the sake of such who are lost in this thing troubled in mind concerning it what I have received of the Lord that I shall declare unto you which all shall witness to which come to partake thereof as the truth is in Iesus Christ. If you intend to sup with the Lord or shew the Lord's death till he come let your eating and drinking so oft as you do it be in remembrance of him and in his fear that at death you may witness to the lust and excess c. And Pag. 43. he said this was to be done at all seasons when they eat and drank and Pag. â—4 that the Lord commanded his disciples in eating and drinking to shew forth his death till he come to avoide excess and becomeing reprobats in the faith Is not tâ—is a sufficient discovery of the Spirit that acteth them 5 Let us now come to examine what this our Quaker saith in this matter and passing his intrade wherein after his manner he upbraideth all with their ignorance of this mystery as if they only were admitted to the secrets of God and acquanted with the mysteries hid from all the generations of the Christian Châ—rch we come to the answere he giveth to that question what is that body which we eat and that blood which we drink which is this Pag. 288. It is sayes he That celestial seed that divine and spiritual substance of which we spoke Thes. 5. 6. that vehicle or spiritual body of Christ whereby he communicateth life and salvation to all that believe in and receive him by which also man obtaineth communion with God To which we need say nothâ—ng here having fully discovered above Chap. X. what this Seed Substance and Vehicle is in their judgment to wit nothing but what is in every Son of Adam as he comâ—th into the world the dimme light of a natural conscience and of a reasonable soul having some dark notions of a God and of some principles of morality without the least imagination or apprehension of any of the wayes of the grace of God revealed in the Gospel yea which hath a native and inbred enmity at and antipathy against the mysteries of love and grace manifested in the Gospel This this is the Quakers Christ the Food of their souls the Substance whereupon they feed this is all that true bread which they have to eat And while he calleth it a substance he joyneth with the old Heracleonites who said thâ—t man was composed of a Body of a Soul and of a third Substance And the hearkning unto and believing this Natural thing which is in all â—eathens and Pagans receiving its light is all their Feast and all the meanes of Communion which they have or expect to have with God so that it is sufficiently manifest that the hieght of their Religion is moralized Paganisme And yet he dar say that â—his is confirmed Iohn 6. from v. 32. to the end And thereby give us to understand that they acknowledge no other true bread which the Father giveth from heaven but this which all Turks and Pagans have This is their Jesus and their Bread of God that came down from heaven and this is the only thing that giveth them life so that they shall never hunger nor thirst They are given of the Father to this thing and by this will they be raised up at the last day when they hearken to this then they are taught of God and have learned of the Father according to the writings of the Prophets yea if they but believe this they have everlasting life for this is their Bread of life whereof if they eat they shall not die but live forever this is with them the flesh that was given for the life of the world this is all the flesh they eat and all the blood they drink and thus they dwell in Christ and Christ in them O what a desperate delusion is this What a wonder is it that men who believe they have immortal souls and have ever heard of the Gospel dar thus speak and metamorphose the whole Gospel into pure Paganisme This sure must be a more than ordinary judicial stroke of blindness delusion of a reprobat minde and of a perverse Spirit with which these men are manifestly plagued and the Devil must have an extraordinary power in them and over them acting and driveing them
but walk upon fixed and certaine grounds which may fully quiet the consciences of such as stand in awe of the word and I cannot but wonder how he who denieth the word to be the rule of faith and practice can thus press the words contrare to the scope and intendment of the Spirit of the Lord and stand so stifly to the express words yea and for any thing I see ground their judgment and practice wholly and alone upon these words but as we heard above though the light within them be their supream and only Rule they can alleige the Scriptures and pervert them too against us 4. He cometh next Pag. 354. § 11. to reply to our grounds We say that Christ forbiddeth all Oaths by creatures and all vaine and rash Oaths To which he replyeth That the Law did forbid these Oaths but Christ forbiddeth here something that was free under the Law to wit to swear by the Name of God and so dischargeth even such Oaths as were made by the Name of God Mat. 23 22. And he addeth by any other oath Answ. That the Law doth forbid both swearing by the Creatures and also rash and unnecessary swearing by the Name of God is true but the Law did not prohibite but enjoyn swearing in some cases before Magistrates as we see Exod. 22 7 11. Num. 5 19 21. 2. That Christ correcteth or amendeth the Law or dischargeth any thing which was lawful by the moral Law of God is but a Socinian dream without any ground or warrand as is apparent through that whole Sermon and from the very first words of this part thereof vers 17 18. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but fulfil for verily I say unto you till heaven and earth passe one jot or one-title shall in no wise passe from the Law till all be fulfilled But sure if Christ had added to the law or taken away from it he had in so far destroyed it and made it an imperfect law and had taken away from it many Jotes and Titles contrary to his owne expresse profession and declaration 3. The place Mat. 23 16 23. doth clearly explaine this for there their unlawful wayes of swearing are reproved and they discovered to be fools in alleiging such grounds as they did for their profane licentious swearing and satisfying themselves with such pretexts but not one word declareing it unlawful in all cases to sweare by the Name of God 4. These words by any other Oath are to be explained by what went before and so to be understood of any other such like Oath as he had instanced in otherwise Christs discourse shall be incoherent 5. To that which is said That swearing by the Name of God was commanded by the Father and so cannot be now contradicted by the Son who is one with the Father he saith That the father appointed many ceremonial Lawes which were shadowes of good things to come whereof Christ was the substance Answere This is very true but nothing to the purpose for he shall never prove that swearing by the Name of God was a ceremonial thing being a part of natural Worship taught by the Law of Nature Gen. 21 ver 23. Iosh. 2 vers 12. 2 Chron. 36 21. and is several times put for the whole moral Worshipe Esai 19 v. 18. 45 23. Psal. 63 11. And where I pray and when was this ceremonial precept if it be such first given But this one thing is enough to confute this dream not to mentione that we cannot understand whereof it can be a shadow or type nor how then as we shall hear it was used when types were abrogated to wit that Christ did not so early beginne to cry down and to annull the force and power of the ceremonial Law but being made under the Law ceremonial as well as moral was observant thereof in all points to his dying day for in the very night wherein he was betrayed he observed the feast of the Passeover and he came to fulâ—il all righteousness How shall we then imagine that in his very first Sermon he should abrogate the Ceremonial Law and that in moe points then one if our Quaker be to be believed For he will have the mater of Warres a ceremony too and will affirme that Christ abrogated that ceremony also in the last words of this Chapter as we heard 6. He moveth this Argum. in the next place Pag. 355. That Oaths cannot be a part of the ceremonial Law because they were in use before the promulgation of the law An Argument wherein I see little strength yet I think it concerneth him to tell us when this ceremonial law was first given and to whom What answereth he It must be showne saith he that it is an eternal and immutable precept Answ. And what needeth more for this then to show that it is a part of worshipe performed unto God which the law of Nature hath taught all nations and which hath no affinity with what is typical and figurative having a manifestly moral import for it is a solemne acknowledgment of Gods All-seeing eye of his Truth and Veracity of his Righteousness and Justice and of his Power and Might for therein he is called to witness a secret and hidden truth and the swearer doth professe that God is acquanted with the secrets of all things and with the Intentions of the heart Therein we acknowledge that God abhorreth lying and dissimulation and will be a swift witness against false swearers and in justice will be avenged of such as mock him in calling the God of truth to bear witness to an untruth and shew his power in punishing and pursueing such all which being ingraven on the heart of Man by nature and being laid as the ground of this practice among all Nations and having nothing ceremonial in it evince this duty to be moral and the commands enjoyning it perpetually obligeing He tels us that Abel and Cain did offer the tythes of their fruit and the first fruites of their land But I read not this in Scripture I finde it said Gen. 4 3 4. that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and Abel of the firsilings of his flock but no more no word of Tithes nor of First fruites 7. He moveth another Objection after his owne minde as if we said that Swearing by the name of God is a moral duty because it is mentioned with God's essential and moral worshipe But what he meaneth by essential worshipe I know not nor know I who useth that terme This argument I shall thus urge If swearing by the name of God be not only urged together with other acts of moral worship but also as a comprehensive part of moral worshipe and as further exegitical and explicative of other parts of moral worshipe mentioned then it must be a part of morall worshipe But the former is true Therefore c. The Major I suppose needeth
not what others say Parnel in his Shield of truth Pag. 17. said as it is cited by Mr Faldo whose Book is but lately come to my hand 2 Part. Pag. 11. of his book And here is the difference of the Ministers of the world and the Ministers of Christ the one of the letter the other of the Spirit for they are meer deceivers and witches bewitch people from the truth holding forth the shadow for the substance As for the Church so speaketh Isaac Pennington in his Questions P. 49. Q. What is the fold of the sheep Answ. The wisdom life and power of the Father even the same that is the shepherd Obj. Is not the Church the fold A. This in the Church or the Church in this is the fold but not out of this As for prayer or thanksgiving at meat hear Iames Naylor Love to the lost P. 57. But where the pure is not viz. the light all things are defiled when they are not sanctified by the word and prayer and therefore are to be received in fear and therein remembring his death till he come and so this is all their Lord's Supper too who is the word and Prayer And Pag. 13. He casts all Prayer that is not by immediat inspiration saying But as every creature is moved by the Spirit of the living God who is that Spirit who will be served with his owne alone not with any thing in man which is come in since the fall so the imaginations thinkings and conceivings are shut out And Smith Cat. P. 100. So must all come to the Sâ—irit of God by the Spirit to be ordered and cease from their own words and from their own time and learne to be silent till the Spirit give them utterance And P. 107. So the same wisdom may deny the prescribed way as being formal and may invent something instead of it in a higher mystery of iniquity and though they may not speak in such formal words composed yet in the same wisdom their words are formal they can set their own time to begin and end and when they will they can utter words when they will they can be silent and this is the unclean part which offereth to God which he doth not accept Found we not his Mans doctrine abâ—ve consonant hereunto As for Baptisme Parnel Pag. 11. els us They owne the Baptisme which is the Baptisme of Christ with the holy Ghost and with fire but they deny all other And P. 12. and now I see the other that is water Baptisme as they ordinarily call it out of scorne to be formal imitation and the invention â—f Man and so a meer delusion Smith Prim. P. 39. and Higgins warning P. 5 say we have this and the Lords Supper both from the Pope Nay Iames Naylor Love to the lost P. 52. giveth us one word for all for this I say saith he that the Father hath given his Son for a leader and guide to all ages and into and out of all formes at his will and in his way and time in every generation And therefore it is that all who know his will herein cannot endure that any visible thing should be set up to limite his leadings in Spirit And C Atkinson said I deny that God did ever or will ever reveal himself by any of these things thou callest the meanes of grace And G. Fox in his Grâ—at Mystery P. 16. And we say he Christ hath triumphed over Ordinances and blotted them out and they are not to be touched and the saints have Christ in them who is the end of outward formes and thou art deceived who thinks to finde the living among the dead And after all this and much more of the like kinde we must be accounted slanderers for saying that they deny the external part of Christianity Nay not only so but we must be horride liars and the searcher of hearts must be attested hereunto This is but an inconsiderable thing with them who account all that our Preachers say from the word of the Lord nothing but lies and satanical delusions because it is not from the immediat teaching of the Spirit and them but Professours of the Devil upon this account See Fox's Great Mystery P. 5. and 62. 3. Yet more Hence is it saith he that because we exhort people to returne and feel God within themselves saying unto them that if they feel not God neer them the notions which they have of God as he is in the heaven above the cloudes will not much profite them they maliciously endeavour to inferre that we say that God doth not exist without us Answ. Thinks he that we have no other Notion of God but as of one that is up in the heavens above the cloudes Supposeth he that we deny him to be every where present But if they beleeve there is a God in deed and in truth why talk they so much of a measure of God in every man Is the true God such a devisible thing Why do they make the soul of man a part or particle of God What meane they by the Vehicle of God Do these and the like expressions smell of orthodoxy in this matter The true God that is revealed to us in the Scriptures is a God that is one in essence and three distinct persons the Father the Son and the holy Ghost do they believe this Furthermore if they beleeve really a God without them why do they ascribe to something within them that which is peculiar unto God Doth not the morning Watch Pag. 5.6 7. assert the light within every man to be that word which Iohn speaks of Iohn 1 1 See Fox the younger P. 50 53 54. Is that a savoury expression which E. B True faith hath when he saith every man hath that which is one in union and like the Spirit of Christ even as good as the Spirit of Christ according to its measure Was that orthodox which Ed. Burroughs said the morning before he died see F. H. Testimony Now my soul and Spirit is centred in its own being with God and this form of person must returne from whence it was taken Another hath these expressions See Mr Faldo as above P. 124. Againe thou makes a great pudder that any one should witness he is equal with God Answ. A Cathechisme of the Assembly of the Priests in which they have laid down that the holy Ghost and Son is equal in power glory with the Father yet if any come but to witness the Son revealed in him or come to witness the holy Ghost in them as they gave out the Scriptures or witness the minde of Christ and witness that equal with the Father they cry out horrid blasphemy Hear what another saith Now consider what a condition these called Ministers are in They say that which is a Spiritual Substance is not infinite in it self but a creature that which came out from the Creatour and is in the hand of the Creatour which brings it
thorowly to peruse this large examen though I would have every one to have it by him that he might in their perversions of the Scripture have recourse to it for a help to be cleared I would besides other pieces particularly recommend a little piece lately published called a short survey of Quakerisme wherein the Author hath solidly aâ—d clearly said much in little for guarding the people of the Lord against the contagion of these soul-murthering heresies But above all and with this I close all that thou mayest be able to stand when so many once looked upon as persons of some understanding have fallen gird thy loins about with the truth of the Scriptures O prize the word of God that blessed word which these men contradict and contemne as if they would be avenged upon the Scriptures First for foretelling that such a race of Runagadoes from the truth would arise whereby we are confirmed that they are the word of the living God Secondly because of their passing sentence upon them when arisen as seducers and condemning their sentiments as the doctrines of Devils Thirdly because they most peremptorily inhibite us under the pain of his displeasure who hath given us these Scriptures for our rule to converse with such deceivers or receive theâ— into our houses and charge all who would not fall into the same snare and so bring sore and swift damnation on themselves to stand aloof from the men of these abominable and damnable heresies And you are the rather to observe and do this that you finde Satan rageth and goeth mad if this be urged and no wonder since he knowes well what he hath gained by the contrarie practice and is very sure that he who breaks so cleare a command hath wrested himself out of the hand of his guid anâ— so hath put himself out of case to pray or hope for leading which Satan knowing and observing way-layes him when he hath him in his own Synagogue or conversing unnecessarily with his domesticks and thinks himself sure of him And Alas the successe often answers his expectation And therefore he who put that deluded soul to draw up deâ—ile paper with this systeme and compound of all abominations doth prompt him in the next place to penne publish a piece which he calls Vniversal love just of a piece and complexion with cursed Naylor's love to the lost for the men are of the same core and kidney composed of hatred to the Gospel so that if you receive their expressions of love to the lost you are lost however this is a prettie page and pimp to his Apologie and weares its livery and is calculat exactly for the designe of Apollyon O so kinde as they will appeare as kinde as the cruel spider to the flee who while it seems to embrace and kisse it kills it with poison Let them be but warmely welcomed and have accesse to whisper you in the eare and drop-in their poison at that passage it will quickly reach your soul and flee up into your head and so distract you with themselves into a pure and perfect hatred of the way of Salvation but I must tell you he who would not have the Devil run away with him to hell should not throw himself in his embraces or suffer that evil one that liar and murtherer to come so neer him as to touch him Much about the same time also at least much about the same time both came to my hand his brother in iniquitie George Keith in answer as he calls it to a Postscript to Mr Rutherfoords letters written on purpose to disswade all the Lovers of Jesus Christ to converse with these his stated enemies flies furiously into the face of that Author and in his furious transport foams out in that piece his own shame Concerning which at present I have onely this to say to the Reader that he may expect ere long to have G. Keiths notions examined by the same person who hath answered his brothers Apologie and for what relates more particularly to the Postscript it self against which he rageth he may expect to have it considered by the Author of the Postscript But not to detain thee longer consider â— beseech thee and comply with that serious and seasonable exhortation given by this same Author in the preface to this sharp discoverie anâ— solid confutation of these damnable doctrines If not I must tell thee this piece shall rise up in judgement against all who over the belly of so cleare a discovery of the damnablenesse of these delusions and dreams will without feare expose themselves to the hazard of being bewitched by the Seducers But I hope better things of thee though I thus speake and so wishing thy soul prosperitie and establishment in the truth I bid thee fareweel and am Thy servant for Christ and souls well wisher R. M. C. AN INDEX OF PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE Perverted and abused by the Quaker and here vindicated and explained Chap. Vers. Pag GEN. Chap. Vers. 1 2. Pag. 26 Chap. Vers. 2 17. Pag. 98 Chap. Vers. 4 6 7. Pag. 221 Chap. Vers. 5 1 3. Pag. 131 Chap. Vers. 6 5. Pag. 101 150. Chap. Vers. 9 Pag. 345 Chap. Vers. 8 21. Pag. 101 130 Chap. Vers. 17 14. Pag. 132 EXOD. Chap. Vers. 34 6. Pag. 2â—2 NVMB. Chap. Vers. 11 25 29. Pag. 27 Chap. Vers. 14 18. Pag. 222 DEVT. Chap. Vers. 4 4. Pag. 74 75 Chap. Vers. â—1 32. Pag. 74 75 Chap. Vers. 13 1. c. Pag. 509 Chap. Vers. 17 2. c. Pag. 509 1 KING Chap. Vers. 8 16. Pag. 347 NEHEM Chap. Vers. 9 30. Pag. 27 ESTER Chap. Vers. 3 2. Pag. 542 IOB Chap. Vers. 1 1. Pag. 345 Chap. Vers. 2 13. Pag. 429 Chap. Vers. 14 4. Pag. 130 Chap. Vers. 15 14. Pag. 131 PSAL. Chap. Vers. 25 3. Pag. 43 421 Chap. Vers. 27 24. Pag. 420 Chap. Vers. 37 7 34. Pag. 420 Chap. Vers. 51 5. Pag. 126 Chap. Vers. 13 Pag. 27 Chap. Vers. 69 6. Pag. 421 Chap. Vers. 110 3. Pag. 508 Chap. Vers. 139 7. Pag. 27 PROV Chap. Vers. 8 24. Pag. 225 Chap. Vers. 2 22. Pag. 420 Chap. Vers. 28 1. Pag. 459 Chap. Vers. 30 5 6. Pag. 74 75 ECCLES Chap. Vers. 7 20. Pag. 347 ESAI Chap. Vers. 2 4. Pag. 517 Chap. Vers. 5 1 2 3. c. Pag. 224 Chap. Vers. 8 20. Pag. 7â— Chap. Vers. 30 18. Pag. 421 Chap. Vers. 40.31 Pag. 421 Chap. Vers. 42 23. Pag. 421 Chap. Vers. 45 23. Pag. 531 Chap. Vers. 48 16. Pag. 27 Chap. Vers. 49 6. Pag. 285 Chap. Vers. 53 4. Pag. 364 Chap. Vers. 59 2. Pag. 308 â—38 Chap. Vers. 21 Pag. 44 Chap. Vers. 65 16. Pag. 530 531 Chap. Vers. 25 Pag. 518 IEREM Chap. Vers. 1â— 16. Pag. 529 Chap. Vers. 17 9. Pag. 101 Chap. Vers. 18 9 10. Pag. 225 Chap. Vers. 23 29. Pag. 266 Chap. Vers. 31 33. Pag. 44 Chap. Vers. 34 Pag. 45 Chap. Vers. 38.39 40. Pag. 531 LAM Chap. Vers. 5 25. Pag. 421 EZEK
16 17. Pag. 217 Chap. Vers. 22 Pag. 346 IAMES Chap. Vers. 2.17 c. Pag. 320 Chap. Vers. 4.1 Pag. 517 Chap. Vers. 5.12 Pag. 523 524 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 499 1 PET. Chap. Vers. 1.5 Pag. 358 Chap. Vers. 2.22 Pag. 305 Chap. Vers. 3 18 Pag. 305 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 222 Chap. Vers. 21 Pag. 472 Chap. Vers. 4.2 Pag. 421 Chap. Vers. 7 Pag. 424 Chap. Vers. 10 11. Pag. 379 II PET. Chap. Vers. 1.12 Pag. 83.84 Chap. Vers. 3.9 Pag. 151.207 Chap. Vers. 15 Pag. 222 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 222 I IOH. Chap. Vers. 1.7 Pag. 255 Chap. Vers. 8 Pag. 346 347 Chap. Vers. 2.1 2. Pag. 20â— Chap. Vers. 27 Pag. 45 Chap. Vers. 3.9 Pag. 333 Chap. Vers. 4.10 Pag. 304 Chap. Vers. 13 Pag. 48 Chap. Vers. 5.6 Pag. 48 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 459 IVD Chap. Vers. Vers 14. Pag. 557 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 458 REVEL Chap. Vers. 3.20 Pag. 489 Chap. Vers. 19.10 Pag. 542 Chap. Vers. 22.8 Pag. 542 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 320 Chap. Vers. 18 Pag. 74 READER I intended once to have given thee some short animadversions on G. Keith's way cast up so far as concerned maters of doctrine but finding that they would make this book too big I thought best to reserve these to some fitter occasion Only to fill up some vacant pages I shall present thee with some heeds of abominable Quakerisme contained in that book which together with the Index insert after the Preface will give thee a fuller view of the many blasphemous heterodoxies which the Apostate Quakers maintaine The pages here cited are of his book and such as have it may if they please see that I wrong him not 1. CHrist and his Apostles preached Christ within men as well as his coming in the flesh in that prepared body which was crucified 72 2. Christ as Man was and is before all the first the last 38 93 96 97 101 3. To say there are three distinct persons in the Godhead is to darken that mystery 86 87 4. The Godhead of Christ is not properly a person but an invisible power and life 89 5. It is a most foolish distinction to distinguish betwixt the Personality and the nature of man in Christ 89 6. Christ as man excelleth all other men in nature and substance as far as heaven doth the earth 90 7. Of this distinction betwixt the nature and soul of Christ as man the souls of other men speaketh Paul 1 Cor. 15 45 47. 90 8. The man Christ influenceth all men by his life and is in them 90 106 107 108 109 9. The Word made flesh created all things anâ— the â—ord only is not properly the Christ 93 10. Christ as Man came down from heaven 94 11. Christs flesh and blood came down from heaven 94 12 Thus Christ hath spiritual flesh and blood 94 95 13. Of his spiritual flesh and blood did the saints of old eat and drink 95 14. The Man Christ Jesus is the mediator 96 15. The Man Christ is to be understood Prov. 8 23. Psal. 110 1 2 3. 97 98 16. The Man Christ is God's High-Priest 98 17. A measure of the life of the Lamb lived in Adam in innocency 99 18. This measure came to be slain by transgression and to undergo deep sufferings 99 19. Thus Christ was the lamb slaine from the foundation of the world 99 20. It was this life of Christ as man that was pressed as a cart c. Amos 2 13. 99 100 108 21. Thus Apostats crucify to themselves againe the Son of God Heb. 6 vers 6. 100 108 109 22. Thus hath Christ been crucified by the wicked from the beginning 100 23. Christ the heavenly man liâ—ed in Abraham and Moses c. 100 24. Christ was true and real man before he was borne of Mary 102 25. The soul of Christ or the inward man that dwelleth in the outward flesh is the man 102 26. This is the man that was seen Ezek. 1 26 27. Dan. 7 9. Rev. 1 13-19 Esai 6. Gen. 3 8 9 10. 102 27. The Word was made flesh from the beginning and dwelt in us 103 28. The centre and spring of Christ's soul and life was for the most part in heaven until it descended and clothed it self with the likeness of our flesh in the Virgines womb 103 29. In all the Scripture it will not be found that Christ became Man and took to himself the soul of Man but only that he took flesh 104 30. According to his heavenly nature even as Man he was the Son of God 104 31. Christ is not only in Men but in all the world else he should be discontinued in discontinued places 110 32. Christ is hid and vailed in unbeleevers 112 33. Christ is otherwise in the Saints then he was in that Vessel or Temple that suffered at Ierusalem 113 34. The spring centre of Christ's Soul light life is in that Vessel 113 35. Christ hath given to all mankind eternal life as to its seed principle 115 116 36. The Man Christ is the object of divine Worshipe as well as the Father 118 37. Christ as Mediator is to be Worshiped 121 38. The Man Christ is every where 123 39. That is his soul is extended into all in his divine seed and body which is his heavenly flesh and blood 123 40. And this they prove by their Worshiping of this heavenly body praying to it 123 41. It is not enough to say Christ is present as God for if the Man be not present he is not to be Worshiped 124 42. The Man Christ could not know our inward prayers if he were not immediatly present in us and with us 125 43. That which Christ hath left with us of his divine body is God's throne of grace in which we have accesse Heb. 4 15 16. 126 127 44. It is of the same nature and one entire being with that above the altar the mercy seat the cherub Ps. 18 9 10. 127 45. This Cherub is the Man Christ 127 46. Christ is the heavens that God boweth ibid. 47. Christ as Man knew the thoughts of men in the dayes of his flesh 128 48. Christ as Man is omnipercipent and therefore omnipresent 129 49. Christ thus near us in his divine life soul seed and body is the Incarnat Word 133 50. The word made flesh which Iames calleth the ingraffed word dwelleth in them 134 51. And that by way of an emanation 136 52. The blessed Deity is as centrally and essentially in us as in the Man Christ Jesus 136 53. The soul of Christ is that ladder Ioh. 1 51. 142 54. This soul of Christ is not the Nephesch of his soul but the Neschamah 143 55. Even that divine Spirit of life that God breathed into Adam the candle of the Lord the ingraffed word the word made flesh ibid. 56. The Nephesch is that of the soul of Christ which is common to the souls of other men ib. 57. By the Neschamah they underderstand the substantial dignity and excellency thereof ib. 58. Whether these two be two distinct principles or two faculties of one principle he determineth not ibid. 59. Christ cannot sanctifie us but by his soul extended to us 144 145 60. The Spirit or Soul that was in the Son of Mary is in all men but not in its fulness as it was in him but by emanation from him 157 61. And thus Christ is in us immediatly and God through him 157 62. If Christ be mediator in the Saints then he is Man and the word incarnat in them 158 63. Christ sowed the good seed of Regeneration in all ages and in all places of the world and not in some corners only 159 64. This seed is a measure of the same divine and heavenly nature that is in himself ibid. 65. The universal presence of Christ as Man is proved from Luk. 2 49 50. 160 By all which considered and laid together though mayest see What the Apostate Quakers think of our Lord Jesus Christ and how this Man more then confirmeth the charge given-in against them in that Postscript to Mr Rutherfoords letters Edit 3. which I would desire all to read and read over againe that they may see their duty in this day wherein the very aire of Christianity is made blak and infected with Quakeristick Antichristian Blasphemies FINIS