deny him to be risen from the grave ascended make right application of this or let the wise of the nation that hears thee do it if Christ be still slain for me as thou saist he is it must be bodily for so was his dying for sinners then is he in the grave and not risen or ascended but thou saist the heaven which contains Christ is a mystery to my dark mind But I answer 't is rather thy dark mind which to set up thy mystery of iniquity would cloud the Heaven that contains Christ according to the Scriptures Acts 3.21 and 1 11. Thou returns a slender account of my counsel given unto thee to leave thy false luminaries and turn thy feet into the testimonies of the true light in calling me lyer and false Prophet blasphemer and such like but those who were but in doubt before will now be fully satisfied what light is in thee compared with the pure peaceable Spirit and mind of wisedome John 9.8 the Leopard saist thou cannot change his spots and 't is hard for thee to leave thy lying thou saist I kill the Scriptures can that which is dead be killed Answ I did not say thou killed the Scriptures dost not thou tell a lye then to say I said so I said thou would kill the Scriptures if thou could when thou should obey them and have them alive again to defend thee against others and this was because sometimes thou said the Scriptures thou owned and that they were yours and that thou owned that which gave forth the leaves and would bring them forth to condemn others and at other times when thou art called upon to obey them thou calls them dead letter and life-less books and saist it is a damnable doctrine to say the Spirit is received by the hearing of faith preached and believing according to the Apostles preaching in the Scriptures let the reader now judge whether this loud out-cry against me of lying be not justly returned upon the head of the cryer Martin I have told thee and many of thy generation that you cannot kill the Scriptures but that they are and will be a continual living against you and all opposers of truth and though thou say can that which is dead be killed yet dost thou and thy fellows make all the vile warr you can against them in which you find them so living that it is a torment unto you and makes you rage against the remnant of woman-seed who keep the commandements of God and faith of Jesus according to the Scriptures Thou asks if in two several places I do not call the Scripture dead letter Answ If I do 't is where I call thee a Saint see if thou canst find that in my paper thou tells me I run on in lying because I said thou runs for shelter amonst those thou accounts thy enemies who knows no other burial with Christ but burial in water calling them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal Answ Had not I good cause to tell thee of running for shelter to thy enemies when thou runs to defend thy self against Baptisme with the word sprinkling a word begun and used in way of contempt by those whom thou and thy generation are against as much as against me yet art forced to make use of their weak weapons having none of thy own in this case and now to make them more of thy side and to rise with thee against me thou saist I call them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal but let my paper be looked on with impartial eyes and it will be told thee 't is applyed to thee and thy generation and all who are found to band themselves against the Baptisme of repentance I not nominating any particular but him I writ to though thou say I mean those called dippers yet thou hast not the word dipper from me Thou saist I have invented an abominable lye besides non-sence in two lines and this abominable lye and non-sence is because I say thou bids me prove whether Christ commanded Baptisme to his Disciples yea or nay and did the Lord require it of his people to this day yea or nay Answ Was not the matter we had in question Baptisme see my answer to James Naylors sixt position set down in thy former paper my words there are these it is not faith but a fancy to run to other helps then the Spirit received by the hearing of faith preached by Christ and his Apostles all other teaching or Spirits are but lying vanities leading to the denyal of obedience in that faith required as in the Baptisme of repentance and the like thou undertaking to reply to this said 't is indeed thy darling thy Diana which must down is thy sprinkling with water the Baptisme of Christ did the Lord command or require it of his people to this day Now the reader thy cloak being taken off may see the abominable lie non-sence whether in me who answers thee according to the matter in question or whether it be not rather in thy self who to flie the answer talkest of sprinkling which is from the matter and is neither darling or Diana of mine but that thou must dandle such babbles to delude the spectators surely thou art not so blind in thy self as thou seems to be to think that any who can hear right from wrong will not hear thy guiltiness of Lying and non-sence to call upon me to prove Sprinkling which belongs not to our question to avoid thy answer in denyal of Baptisme But though thou canst not say any thing in answer thou can tell how to give the lie it s an observable thing in thee that when thou hast the least to answer thou makest the greatest noyse in railing accusations thinking thereby to take off the Reader from seeing thy folly but the wise will soon descern thy poverty and miserable nakedness Thou thinks it not enough to tell me I vent an abominable lie nonsence for speaking truth but fearing that insufficient to effect thy will thou tellest me thou never knew of one pretending to more piety then I that excelled or equalled me in the devillish art of lying Answ Surely the violence of thy evil disease through delusion will appear to all men I cannot but think thou speakest contrary to what thy thoughts are of me what a miserable condition is thine in this to accuse me not only to them who knows me not but also to them who knows me of that which in thy thoughts thou dost not think is so but thy denyal of truth in me is to cover thy denyal of truth in the Scriptures as in the matter in question the Baptisme of repentance which yet remains a Conquering truth over all thy Sprinklings and Lyes and non-sence which paper-walls thou patches together to defend thee from answering what was charged upon thee in the point of Baptisme Thou saist in the art of Lying I am a noble servant to my Master Answ That doth but
by this proved one of those who would move men away from and pevert the Gospel of Christ Gal. 1.6 7. May not I justly say of thee as Paul said of thy Brother Alexander the Copper-Smith 2 Tim. 4.14 15. The Load reward thee according to thy works and let all men bewar of thee and all such for you withstand the Apostles preaching sore 't is well thou art no wiser in thy evils but to destroy thy worke with thy own hands and let thy blindness in wickedness to appear to all men not only in this thy gross denyal of the plain truth but in thy sometimes acknowledging that which thou hear denyest to cover thy deceit with but layest it the more open to the view of all men As for example thou ownest to deceive by Christ to be the word of God and thou saist in thy paper to me that Paul Preached Christ and now forgetting that thou wouldst deny that to be the word of God which Paul Preached if he that biddeth me in thy last paper see my sottishness and be ashamed would make right application of this to himself he would see something but howsoever the standers by will doth not the Scripture abundantly declare that the Apostle preached the word of God as Acts 17.13 and 8.25 and 13.5 And they preached Christ whom thou sayest thou ownest to be the word of God wast thou clapt up in some clouded darkness and oblivion when thou writ this surely this madness will appear to all men Thou takest occasion at my speaking of the Apostles preaching the word of God and Jesus to ask me if the word of God and Jesus be two distinct things Answ If to fill paper thou didst not love to make frivilous questions thou would not thus spend thy self and time look in thy former paper thou may find this saying first from thy self quoting Acts 17.13 18. where 't is said Paul preached the word of God and that he preached Jesus these Scriptures would satisfie thee if thou wert not as I have told thee that preaching the word of God and preaching Jesus is all one and that my accounaing that for the word of God which Paul and Peter preached is an account agreeable to the Scriptures and not against any but those who are against the truth Thou saist in thy former paper that my fancy is found to be built upon the sandy foundation of litteral printed leaves not the rock yet saith thou that which gave forth the leaves I own To which I answer that then thou must own the Printer for he gave forth the leaves and so thy own foundation by thy own confestion must needs be Sandy of which without proof or my confession thou hast accused me I own not or am built upon any such foundation said I or upon Paul or Peter but that which I am built upon is that spiritual and powerful word sounded and preached forth by the Apostles either in word or writing at which answer thou art so nettled and stickles and stislles up and down and yet for all the stir thou makes thou cannot free thy self thou callest to thy friends to see me put to my shifts but they that are friends indeed will tell thee thou art put to thy shifts with a witness for thou hast no defence for thy self therein but as scoulds have one against another which is to exercise a foul tongue calling me lyer again and again and high flown Pharisee and the like but in the middest of all thy coller busling to free thy self thou hast sunck thy self further in for now thou art forced to confess that the pure spirit of the living God gave forth the letter and yet thou calls it dead letter and in thy title page thou saist thou art a minister not of the letter and in thy foregoing page thou tellest me I cry up the letter now call thy friends and let them see who will be put to their shifts to free thy self of being a blasphemer in saying that which thou confesseth to be given forth by the pure spirit of the living God is a dead thing and of being a Minister of Antichrist in saying thou art no Minister but a cryer down of that which is given forth by the pure Spirit of the living God by thy own confession see what evil contradictions and obfurdities thou hast run thy self into as all do who take up arms against the truth Thou tellest me in the next place I am puzled and tormented because in thy paper thou cryest not up the letter Answ Thy friends will tell thee thou art more puzled and tormented in crying it down who in thy strugling to cry it down and against that which thou acknowledgeth to be given forth by the pure Spirit of the living God art thy self thrown down headlond so far from the state of a faithful Minister of the everlasting Gospel as thou call'st thy self that thou neither sheweth grace or good intelligence and art neither Prophet or the Son of a Prophet but as men have taught thee from thy youth so dost thou remain in low place amongst the heards-men where thy friend looking upon thee will see who is dismounted and sorely wounded boasting brave doth seldome conquer but the truth will overcome Answ Thou askest why the Heathen rage and the men imagin a vain thing 't is mens offence at Christ Jesus against whom they band themselves and assemble together Warring against the Lord and his anoynted witness Martin Mason and his fellows whose raging words and not without blasphemie and vain Imaginations is manifested to all who have eyes to see or ears to hear I said in my former paper that the baptisme of repentance hearing of faith preached and believing is the inlet to the Spirit of promise as these Scriptures testifie Acts 2.36 Ephes 1.13 Gal. 3.2 Thou tellest this to the world as matter against me but leaves out the Scripture that I brought to witness it by by which thy falshood and deceit is laid open for thou leaves them out knowing what thou accuseth me of reacheth them but they will speak to thy shame and confound thee before all men Thou being empty of any answer thereto saist by this mans Doctrine none have the spirit of promise that bow not to his Sprinkling Answ Martin I have not at any time called upon thee or any to how to any Sprinkling neither have I used the word Sprinkling to thee upon any such account 't is a word brought only by thy self for reproach when thou wantest an answer in which thou dost but shew how thou runnest into holes and Caves of thy own digging and scratching to hide thee from the presence of truth If I should say to thee for want of other answer when thou tellest of the light within to be the inlet to the Spirit without the Scriptures teaching that by this mans doctrine none have the Spirit that how not to his quaking wouldst thou not call me Lyer and deal me a
to Wound and to Dismount Doth shew thy shallownesse all men account But night ey'd bats thy railing Pamphlet foolish And thy hot zeal to true Religion coolish Vain are thy thoughts thinking to strike Truth down With railing words it never yet was known That Truth was overcome by railing foes Tho' many times she in her Covers goes With bloudy face and Martered sore by such As ather beautious hold appears think much Leave thou these bould assaults ' gainst Truths rich Palis Think not that Truth can be ore ' come by Malis The more thou strivest the more thou'lt have the foyle And sorrow'l be thy wages for thy toyle Shut not thy windows at the glorious light Which in the Gospels day doth shine so bright Were it not madnesse in the brightest day To light a candle to shew men their way What use for candles where the Sun doth shine As little use for that dull light of thine Thy light within more sit for secret place Then where the sacred Sonlight shews his face It must in Dungeons be and caves below Where Heavens bright Lamp his face doth never show There where the nightly dancing Satyrs dwell Who likes no light but what 's within their Cell Pleas'd with the light themselves there kindled have And will no Son light let into their grave Happy for thee if thou couldst thrust away That darkning skreen which hides thee from the ray Of Gospel Son light which would let thee see Those glorious things which from thee hidden be Leave thou those foolish fancies of self-teaching And ope ' thy ear to Scriptures sacred preaching Obey those truths that therein written be 'T will make thee of Gods holy City free And bring thee to a right regenerate mind And let thee know that now th' art deaf and blind J. J. THE QUAKER QUASH AND HIS QUARREL QUELLED IN An Answer to a Railing Pamphlet written by MARTIN MASON of Lincoln c. Martin THOU canst not leave thy old way of boasting as in thy former Paper so in this thou criest up thy self a man of valour strength it seems thou fearest thy own Works or Neighbours will not praise thee therefore thou contrary to Wisdoms advice Pro. 27.2 wilt praise thy self I told thee in my former Paper That wise men will not boast till the putting off their Armour but thou notwithstanding wilt cry Victory before Conquest or touching thy Adversaries with any blow to give the cause of encouragement thou Bragadotio like saiest thou wilt not give one intch of ground or turn thy back on the uncircumcised Philistine by which thou wouldest have the world to think thy Davids heart and engagement will conclude in Victory But if David had taken thy way of railing and boysterous braging the room of combate or without blow he had never overcome May not I fitly compare thee to a whore taken in her whordome yet rails on those who take her and cryes whore first I took thee in thy Boasting as is witnessed in our former papers thou runest out into the world and cryes me for the boaster But I am so far from Boasting that knowing my own infirmities and weakness I would rather keep silence let thee spend thy breath in vain the wage words to maintain any such right but I knowing that thy railing is against the Truth which thou serest thy self to oppose I am mooved through mindfulness of the Lord not to keep silence But to declare against thy deeds of darkness presumptious words against the most High his Saints let this my engagement be compared with David and thypresumptions words with Goliah and it will make known who is the uncircumcised Philistine The more thou strivest the more thy weakness within is manifested and thy strokes throws thee backward Thou saist the weapons of your warfare are not carnal yet all thy defence or offence is by carnal foul and filthy words of which but disposesse thee and thou wilt be left without either words or shields And though thou talk of the conquering Sword of the Spirit saying it is thy weapon it is little manifested in thy denial of the word of God for the conquering Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God Ephes 6.17 Therefore although thou steal these words of weapons not being carnal and Sword of the Spirit that which thou callest the dead Letter yet art thou far from the exercise of spiritual weapons or knowledge of them for if thou wert not thou woulest testifie more purity and peace If thou say thou hadest these words the Sword of the Spirit or Spiritual weapons from the light within thee without the Scriptures which thou callest dead Letters all that hears thee Impartialy will say thou speakest not Truly And so will thy own conscience if thou open that Book And will also let thee see how asuredly evil it is for thee to call the Scriptures dead Letter and yet fetch those words which thou deliverest for spiritual Declarations from thence Thou saiest among other things thou askest me hath every one that comes into the world heard and read the preaching of Christ and his Apostles as they are transcribed in the Bible and thou saiest I answer they have all heard thou replyest must the Lyer in thee be received for the Oracle of God Answ Thou hear dealest falsely with my answer not delivering as I did I said have they not all heard thy error in this is because thou knowest not the Scriptures which will tell thee Mat. 28.20 Mark 16. 15. Act. 2 5 6. Rom. 10.18 Whether this be my Lye or the Scriptures speaking let the hearers Judge as also who is the Lyer whether I for alledging plain Testimonies of Scriptures or thou for delivering my Answer otherwise then thou receivest it may not Millions of Men and Women saiest thou who dwell in those parts of the world not counted Christendom wittness against thee if an Egyptian mist had not blinded thee thou couldst not have been so besotted as to back thy Lye with those places of the Letter Mat. 28.19 20. Mark 16.15 Which in effect prove Christs Command to his Disciples when they were upon earth to go preach the glad tydings of the Gospel to the generations they lived in Answ Couldst thou fetch those Millions thou speakest of for thy defence yet could they not witness against me the Word of the Lord is a sure witness against thee and all opposers of the universal precahing of faith or sound of the Gospel of Christ in all the world and to every creature therefore as formerly so I say now as the Apostle doth demand Rom. 10.18 Have they not all heard but they have not all obeyed as verse the 16. Therefore those Milions which thou saiest are not counted Christians if they be not Christians 't is not because they have not heard but because they have not obeyed read Act. 1.8 and Luke 24.27 Which tells thee the Apostles shall be witnesses of Christ Jesus to the
and that before they were without Christ and so make the Apostle a lyer which God forbid or tell Martin Mason he cannot escape being the lyer and therefore by the sentence of his own mouth must have his mouth stopped a many foul and wicked words proceed from thee in the next place which I will leave to all who have learned to let their words be few and gratious to see by what Spirit thou art led and to Judge whether such expressions to avoyd answer be the new tongue speaking of a Saint or speaking like the Dragons Thou asks me if I shame not to tell thee with my false tongue that thou contemns the faith in the sufferings of Christ Answ I would thou wert repentantly ashamed at thy contempt of the sufferings of the Lord Christ that dyed at Jerusalem which contempt of thine is manifested in these words in thy paper But thou speaking to me and the drunkard and scum of the earth who fed your selves with the meer froathy verbal faith in the sufferings of that single man Christ Jesus at Jerusalem and yet wallow in your wickedness are not saved or redeemed from your sins And in the same Raper alledged 1 John 4.2 Saist thou did the Apostle here signifie that every one that confesseth Christ come in the flesh of the single person at Ierusalem that every one confessing this is of God why then the Pope will say he believes this Now let the honest hearted in the Nation whom thou calls upon to Judge let them I say Judge whether this language be not a contemptuous speaking Thou as the manner of thy generation is when thou calleth others to Judge leaveth out that which thou knowest will most evidence thy contempt as here thou leaves out the word single man and single person which were thy words to me but here thou leaves them out and then callest to the wise in heart to Judge will not thy light within let thee see this to be falshood and dissimulation Christ Jesus was the Son of Mary according to the flesh but thy brethren who called him the Carpinter Maries Son Mar. 6.3 speak that in despising contempt against him So he was the Man Christ and a person like unto us in all things save only sin but thy calling him single man and single person at Jerusalem is from the same spirit of despising contempt as the honest hearted will tell thee Martin thy light leading thee in wayes contrary to the way of faith only in that Christ that suffered at Jerusalem leadest thee from the true and everlasting light life to the place of death darkness for there is no life or light leading to Salvation but by faith in that Christ only who suffered at Jerusalem which thou plainly dost deny and ragest so against me for discovering thy flying to any whose faith thou callest meerly froathy and verbal will not help thee in thy denyal of faith to Salvation for such is no faith the Scripture tells thee there is one faith Ephes 4.5 which faith Justifieth saveth Gal. 2.16 Ephes 2.8 but whence hast thou thy frothy verbal faith that is the device of thy Spirit of delusion which as it would have many Christs to deny that one Christ who suffered at Jerusalem so it would have many faiths to deny that faith which is to Salvation according to the Gospel thy telling me of wallowing in my wickedness with the drunkards and scum of the earth is but thy raging at rebuke for thy bold Blasphemie against the Lord that bought thee Now Judge saist thou O ye wise in heart is the Scripture 1 Tim. 2.5 call not him who suffered at Jerusalem the man Christ Jesus and may not I use the language of the Apostle Answ The wise in heart are no formal Quakers will tell thee thy language is quite contrary to that of the Apostles for the Apostle in that Scripture calls the man Christ Jesus the Mediatour betwixt God and man But thou calls him the single man and single person in contempt of faith in him and to make men deny his Mediatour-ship the Apostles language is a confirmation of their belief in that Christ Jesus who believe in God thy language is to destroy their belief in that Christ Jesus who beleeve in God and so thou art manifested to deny both the Father and the Son 2 John 9. Thou bids me peruse thy paper again and see if thou saidst not no other Jesus do I own but the Lamb of God which was slain from the beginning of the world Answ Thy expressions in that is but the liberty thou takes for occasion and to deceive thereby those who hear thee for the name of Christ or Lamb slain or Redeemer or Annointed thou dost but use them words to exalt thy pretended light within that so thou mayst bring down and deny that Christ whom thy fellows slew at Jerusalem and this all may see who have but half an eye of discerning to be the whole drift of thee the rest with thee hadst thou said no other Jesus do I own but the man Christ who dyed at Jerusalem and faith in him only to be Salvation thou hadst some cause to bid me peruse thy paper but whoever peruseth thy paper or thee shal not find that and that not being in thee all thy expressions of Christ and light or unction or womans seed and the like are falsely applyed to thy secret invention Thou saist I tell thee in two several places that thou crucifies Christ again and that I break forth into rage because thou tells me he is slain in me Answ I told thee thou would crucifie the Son of God again and good cause had I when thou told me not only that he is slain in me as thou here saist but also that he is still slain for me which here thou saist not which is the continuance of thy deceit to leave out that which thou knows will most discover thy falshood is not this plain lying and dissembling in thee to tell the world I said that which I said not and to cry out against me and dissemble the cause But thou art ashamed truly to declare to the world what I said to thee and the occasion because thou knew it would confound thee that which thou calls my raging was my alledging the Scriptures against thy false affirming Christ to be still slain for me which Scriptures prove that Christ the Lamb that was slain is alive for evermore Rev. 18. and that he once sufferered for sins the just for the unjust 1 Pet. 3.18 and that he was once offered to take away the sin of man Heb. 9.25 26 28. But thou said I dares say is still slain for me was his first death insufficient and shall Christ from his immortal and glorifyed being be brought down to die and suffer again let the Reader now judge what breaking forth into rage is in this he who affirms Christ Jesus to be still slain for sinners must
you do and said That the state of Perfection is the Man Christ or any power in man whereby he can keep the Law without Faith in the Man Christ Is not this the Doctrine taught by thee and thy generation all which is to set up your selves to be the coming of Christ in the flesh denying that Christ that came in the flesh which the Apostle John teacheth confession of 1 John 4.1 2. thy exposition of which to pervert the Truth doth manifest no lesse which is that the Apostle meanes Christ come in the flesh of others though all the Apostles in their preaching doth preach belief in that one Christ that came in his own flesh or person in which he suffered at Jerusalem for the sins of all men and not in the flesh of others as thou expoundest for that is the coming of those who say loe here and loe there which are false Christs forewarned of Matth. 24. Who to set up themselves and throw down Christ Jesus by false Expositions pervert the Scriptures by which is manifest who rules in the fleshly tabernacles of such Children of disobedience It is but the Lyer saist thou that tels me my Master hath not commanded me to judge Answ Martin thou wilt not seem to take notice because the world should not know that I told thee there is difference betwixt a Judge and a Malefactor I told thee thou shouldest answer thy own Maker at the Bar and stay taking upon thee the Judges place till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt know that thy Master whom thou now callest the Singlo Person that died at Jerusalem and is alive for evermore bids thee judge not Luk. 6.37 1 Cor. 4.5 to bear off this blow thou bringest Christs words John 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my word hath one that judgeth him but this is no defence for thee but wounds thee deeper for Christ tels thee there what one that is that shall judge which is the Word that he hath spoken which thou callest the dead Letter But thou to deceive by thoughtst to keep this out that thou mightest take the Judges place thy self and so to exalt thy self above Christ and then sayst he is thy witnesse O bold presumption was ever a greater exaltation in a cative so low Christ came not saist thou to send peace but the sword to the Man of sin whom thou servest Answ And yet I am farre from serving thee or any such exalters of themselves against Christ if thou understoodest those words of Christ Mat. 10.34 35 36. part of which thou hast stolen to speak proudly with thou wouldst not have placed them thus but wouldst have known that they are nothing for thy purpose Thou talkest of the Saints Judging the World and the Spirituall man judging all things Answ As I have told thee Stay till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt not be so hasty to be a Judge but wilt better know how and when such Judgement shall be and that the Spirituall mans judging is discerning all things not judging or censuring persons and then thy manifestation of Faith and obedience to Christ and his Gospel will be a judging and reproof to unfaithfulnesse and thy tongue will be taught more tamenesse then to smite others therewith for then the Spirit of God will tell thee that thou hast nothing to do to judge another mans Servant he stands or fals to his own Master Rom. 14.4 then thou wilt learn to speak with a new tongue and that old blasphemous cursing presumptuous tongue that runs without guide will be pluckeâ— out and be no more the loud belman to a corrupt heart Thou askest me By what authority I judge thee for an enemy of righteousnesse and why I judge the People called Dippers calling them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal and by what authority I judge the Priests of the Nation for Antichristians I judge thee not I leave that to him to whom thy judgement and condemnation doth belong the Word of God tells thee of thy enmity against righteousnesse in warring against that Word Where have I judged the people thou callest Dippers or called them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal shew it if thou canst Or where I have named the Dippers in my Paper upon any such account It is with thee as I told thee formerly thou wouldest shelter thy self amongst others thou seest thy want and wouldst have help in the defence of thy cause which maketh thee cry also to the Priests of the Nation as thou callest them telling them I judge them Antichristians Thou art driven to a great straight surely thou takest me for some forraine enemy that wilt thus claw thy domestick enemies to engage with thee against me but thou dost trouble thy neighbours with such a false alarm when I have occasion with either those thou callest Priests or Dippers I shall stand up in the manifestation of truth according to what I have received from the Lord and shal leave the judging or censuring them and all men to him to whom all judgement doth belong and my self shall not judge or passe sentence on any man Thou tellest me I shame not in one of my Arguments to affirm that the Letter under the Name of the words of Christ is Spirit and Life in it self Answ What cause have I to be ashamed of affirming the very word of Christ himself John 6.36 but thou hast cause to be ashamed of thy ly saying I affirm the Letter which is a word of thy own and not of mine In another place saist thou thou concludest the Spirit of God in the Apostles who were Saints is the Rule to try and discern false Spirits Answer If I do t is no contradiction of the former seeing the word of Christ and Spirit of God in the Apostles were one and spake one and the same thing The truth is Martin thou wouldest gladly say something to my Argument but thou canst not thou knowest that way of arguing was begun by thee in which if thou hadst dealt faithfully with those to whom thou hast so generally divulged our difference they would plainly see where the right of reasoning is and who hath most cause to be ashamed of their Argument Thou saiest the Spirit of God in the Apostles at their death returned to God that gave it them but saist thou wouldst thou have me as sottish as thy self to say and unsay and own their Writings to be the Spirit of God This thou writest to deny the Apostles preachings and teachings to be the infallible Rule to try the Spirits whether they be of God Answ That Spirit which the Scriptures speakes of from whence thou hadst that saying the Spirit returns to God that gave it though thou quote it not Eccles 12.7 is not that Spirit by which the Apostles did preach Christ and work miracles but of the Spirit which is the mooving and acting in the bodily being of all men which the Apostles had before
or worthy of thename of suffering for Christ or Gospel Humilation for you deny both Gospel and Christ and all your Humiliation and pretended valiantness in suffering is from self desire to maintain your own divices and therefore as Scripture tells you will not be known worthy of reward The poor hearts obedience to the teaching of Christ in his ordinances as in the Baptisme of repentance doth manifest their love excluding fear in taking up the Crose of Christ by which they stand Armed with strength from God to undergo what ever they shall be called to in witness of his truth and if they fall in that day of tryal their streng this small And then they violate make void as to themselves he Baptisme of rapentance they so much plead for denyal of which Baptisme as hath been said is device to keep men from the Cross of Christ for that baptisme brings a man to the lowest estare of self denyal and Humility and to be raised up in the acknowledging their State of life to be only in the love and power of God in which warrfare the Saints have alwayes got the victory and so shall those whom thou callest the poor hearts continuing faithful in the Lords truth an promise not giving ear to those pretended lights of mens consciences that deny the commandments of God and obedience to the Law of faith And though such come forth like Giants with big and furious words railing against the host of living God yet the Lord will subdue them with Sling stones and cut them off with their own Weapons Zeek 9 15. 1 Sam. 17.49 50 51. For what is not of God shall fall and none can stay the consumation determined to be powered upon the desolate Dan 9.27 Ionathan Ionson MARTINS MEDITATIONS MARTIN one day sat musing in his mind Of things which are and things which after follow And studied sore to see if he could find Who Truth enjoys and who in falshood wallow And as he thus sat musing all alone Attendance strait came to him many a one There first came in a messenger of light And told him all things lodged in his heart And of the Truth gave him a glorious sight And from false fained things wil'd him depart He let him see the ill of their estate Who make Religion nothing but a prate They in obedience to the royall Law No Faith produce but self-inventions frame From love of heavenly truth mens mindes to draw And keep them from the ever saving Name And what they practice hath no Gospel warrant And thus this Messenger began his Errant And further told him if he would be sure To walk aright and work the work of God And for himself Salvation would procure Then must he follow in the holy trod Which the Apostles of our Lord did walk in And not believe the vainnesse of mens talking He must the Scriptures hear in what they teach him And yeeld himself unto the gracious will Which those Apostles of our Master preach him And they will surely teach him Christian skill And bring him to a right regenerate frame To know the Lord and call upon his Name Repent and be baptized saith this Message And God will seal his Covenant in thy heart Deny not Martin to receive th'Embassage Which God by his doth to thee thus impart And it will bring assurance to thy soul Of heavenly favour and of sins controul But if thou wilt not hear this voice of life And shew thy self obedient to this call Then severall cries ' mongst which there is such strife Will thee assail and round about thee fall And with their evil Charmes and strong delusions Inthral thy mind in severall sad confusions That thou mayst hear and do thou knowst not what And follow men and leave the Lord thy Saviour Therefore saith he in time be ware of that If thou wilt gain an everlasting favour So shall thy soul continually be at rest and not with fear and vain device opprest Martin at this being troubled in his mind This sacred counsel to deny or do A love to what was told him could not find But from this admonition soon did go For this good seed was stoln by those that flie About the world betwixt the earth and skie And now a many quickly enter in Some on this manner saying some on that At last a whited black one did begin To talk and to delude him by his chat Humble he seem'd with coat and visage trim To hide his foul deformity most grim Believe not thou quoth he that voice that spake And told thee Stories of the Scriptures preaching Hear me who am sent hit her for thy sake To let thee know the Conscience secret teaching's The Light within to which thou must take heed Not that which thou dost in the Scripture read The Scripture's a dead Letter void of Life That Christ no Saviour who at ' Salem died Thy Saviour is within thee form and strife 's amongst men who in Scripture rules abide Let Scripture rules alone what light 's within thee Let that sure light in all thy works begin thee What 's Baptisme with water but a toy What 's Bread and wine receiv'd with faith in Jesus A fruitlesse form the hid light will destroy These outward things which too too much displease us Who do deny the precepts of that Preacher Whom men call Jesus Christ the Gospel Teacher That outward Christ who at Jerusalem died And all those outward things from him profes't Are of no worth but to be laid aside The Inward light will make thee these detest And though men think through Faith to have Salvation In Mary's Son it 's a vain Imagination None are redeemed or are saved by him Redemption's not by any thing without The light within the womans seed espy him That 's thy Redeemer of which have no doubt Mind that within thee and obey its teaching Beleeve not Christ or Scriptures preaching It is a Doctrine damnable and vild To say the Spirit is received by preaching Of the Apostles faith in Mary's child And hearing and obeying to their teaching They 'r filthy creatures serpents dogs and swine That so to Scriptures teachings do incline Without the Apostles preaching in the Letter The Spirit is received and Christ within Look but within thee there thou l't find him better Then by th' Apostles t is the man of sin That bids thee hear the Apostles for salvation All that lock there for Christ find desolation Thus have I told thee where thou Christ shalt find Even in thy self thy teacher there doth dwell Those who seck Christ within the Scripture's blind With such false teachers see thou do not me'll Obey the light within so shalt thou be A perfect man and from deceivers free This voice so well did Martins pallet please That he himself himself might onely teach That he could be a Christian now with ease And ne'r submit to what the Scriptures Preach The Doctrines of regeneration taught Are now by him esteemd a thing of naught He 'd always Christ within be ne'r was lost So Christ the Saviour needs not come to save him His Christ within saves him without that cost But that false Christ will even of life bereave him This light that thus in Martin doth arise Is even the light of the old Pharisees They would have life denying Marys Son And of the Heavenly kingdom would be free Without Christ Jesus and would headlong run In self-ish lights against Christs verity Hating the Doctrine taught them by the Saviour ' thout whom there is no everlasting favour So Martin by his meritorious works ' thout faith in Jesus thinks to gain Salvation But that 's the enemy which in him lurks And fills him with a vain Imagination To look for life where life he cannot find Thus strang Delusions make deceivers blind J. J. FINIS