THE ETERNAL GOSPEL Once more Testified unto and Vindicated Against the Ignorance or Malice of the Bishops and Teachers of the now Church of England This Book proving against their Doctrine That the Holy Ghost is not ceased but is still given to all the Faithful and to some in the same measure as the Apostles and Disciples of Christ had it Also at the occasion of a late Sermon preached at the Visitation of the Bishop of London by the Vicar of West-ham that Miracles and other gifts and works of the Holy Ghost are not ceased in the Church and that the School-Learning helps no man to understand Scripture and the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven nor the knowledge of Nature where by the way the true cause of the so much perplexed and famous Phoenomenon taken for a Weather-glass is by Experiments cleared and demonstrated against the Hypothesis of the New Virtuosi John 5.44 12.43 Luk. 7.35 How can they believe who seek for the honour of one another and love the praise of men more than that which comes from God But wisdom is justified or known of all her Children LONDON Printed for Allen Banks and are to be sold by most Booksellers in London 1681. HAving received this Book from the Author in order to its Printing I do hereby appoint Allen Banks to print the same Witness my Hand HENRY SCARLOT TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS JAMES Duke of YORK Patroni valeant Ecquis proteggere Verum Luci aut optatae fautor adesse potest Qui Lux qui Verum est qui Verum in saecula servat I liber ille tuus nempe Patronus erit THis is not therefore Great Sir to beg your Patronage for this Book nor for my self but rather to direct you to the Light of salvation Luk. 1.17 and to make it shine to you 2 Cor. 4.4 lest you lose here your Earthly and after your Heavenly Kingdom for lack of knowledge Hos 4.6 for though I seem angry with some men for Religion I am so far from hating a man for his Religion that I look upon him as he whom the Son of man came to save Mat. 18.11 a fit object of my love and charity and as a wounded man who needs me that am neither Priest Minister nor Levite for his Friend Luk. 10.30 37. and Physician Mat. 9.12 And therefore I am so much farther from being concern'd against Your Highness for yours with the Epidemical distemper though it wants not a President in Scripture 2 Kings 3.13 14. that Your Highness is one of the powers of this Land whom I am bound to honour and that for the Oath of God Rom. 13.1 2. Eccl. 8.2 and that looking upon you not only as a wounded but as such wounded man who though fallen unhappily into the hands of those Thieves John 10.1 20.21 22. that are stripping Your Highness both of the Triple Earthly Crown you might else enjoy one day and of your chiefest Kingly Heavenly Prerogative the Holy Unction whereby Christ makes all those Kings indeed Prov. 16.32 25.28 that do obey his commands Rev. 1.6 Exod. 19.5 6. may not only recover but be a great instrument to promote Gods Spiritual Kingdom and therefore as such Dan. 12.3 deserve one the first Thrones and Crowns among the twelve Tribes of Israel in Heaven Luk. 13.30 7.43 47. I tender your safety more than that of any man wishing with all my heart that like the Samaritan I might pour Oyl and Wine into your Highness's wounds set you on my Beast bring you to an Inn your Throne and thence to an everlasting Kingdom where may your Highness reign for evermore Amen But how can I do this except you own and believe that you are wounded and sick and how can you believe it except you come to know it and how shall you come to know except one doth shew it you and except you attend to the things that shall be shewed Act. 16.14 Rom. 10.14 15 17. If you will be pleased therefore to peruse this Book it shews you and you may easily gather from it that all men generally Christians as well as Gentiles are by birth bruised and sick Gen. 3.15 Rom. 3.23 1. Cor. 11.7 that the way to recover from the said sickness and bruise and to become whole again as to the Kingdom of God which is in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 being by the said new birth of the Holy Ghost who is then renewed within them Tit. 3.5 all men must to be saved be thus regenerated and receive the Holy Ghost therefore as well and as much as the Primitive Christians and that the said renewing or new birth of the Spirit being a reformation to the same Image of God Adam was created to which doth consist in knowledge Coloss 3.10 as well as in righteousness Ephes 4.24 the Spirit of the Father that doth create us anew to his Image and likeness teaching all things John 14.26 16.13 1 John 2.20 27. 1 Cor. 2.10 as well as he is the power of Christ Luk. 24.49 Act. 1.8 Gods arm revealed to us and the bloud of the Lamb whereby sin is overcome and righteousness fulfilled Rev. 12.11 is inconsistent therefore with a despondent relying on other men for what we are to know to believe and to practise and is not attained to by a change or conversion from Popery for instance to another Religion which knows Christ as much after the flesh 2 Cor. 5.16 worships the Father as little in spirit and truth John 4.24 aâ—â— grieves the Holy Spirit no less than the Popish Church and which under the pretence of Reforming makes a Schism which is a far greater sin than to bear with some few erroneous opinions but by a true conversion from sin to righteousness by knocking and by waiting at the posts of Wisdoms doors Prov. 8.34 Jam. 1.5 by perusing daily and keeping diligently the precepts of that wisdom contained in the Scriptures in vitam lucem assurgendo our selves For such conversion is to know me saith the Lord Jer. 22.16 9.3 and such knowledge of God is saith Christ John 17.3 life Eternal Verily such knowledge and not an implicite Faith is both Salvation it self and the cause of Temporal and Worldly felicity for when a man meditates daily in the Law of God and observeth to do according to all the words that are written therein he makes his way prosperous and successful in all things Josh 1.8 Deut. 28.1 to 14. and when his ways please the Lord even the worst Enemies he hath are at peace with him Prov. 16.7 But Sir as such knowledge is our summum bonum both in this and the next World so extremum malum est non recognoscere Deum in the said manner for though God for a great while winketh at this ignorance Act. 17.30 yet he will be known at last and felt specially of those that either forget to know or having the means offer'd to know him do neglect them see Judg. 2.10 11 14. And the Egyptians
Holy Ghost being given but after that Christ ascended to his Father John dying before was not entirely in God's kingdom Rom. 14.17 and had not the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dwelling in him as appears from his doubting whether Christ was the true Messiah that was to come Luk. 7.19 for they that have it know that 1 John 5.20 and so he was but one and the last of the old Prophets But notwithstanding this great Prerogative which all the Apostles had above them they were but men of the like passions and infirmities with them and with other men Act. 14.15 as appears by Act. 15.39 and by Peter compelling the Gentiles to do those things Gal. 2.14 which he himself condemned Alas per Antithesin to Master Vicar's alas which I have mentioned before out of his 5 th page lumen patiebantur tenebras interdum to wit when they did but slack the hand over the body Mat. 25.13 Rom. 6.6 8.13 23. 1 Cor. 9.27 Jam. 3.2 and had it been but for their extraordinary Spirit and Humane Learning Dionysius and Damaris had no more cleaved to them than those that heard the same things that they heard and yet mocked Act. 17.33 for what is Peter and Paul but the Ministers by whom Dionysius Damaris and the others believed and that how not as Paul's extraordinary Spirit prevailed but as even as God gave to some of them the grace to believe 1 Cor. 3.4 5. Quaere Seeing Damaris is mentioned together with learned Dionysius preferably to the men that believ'd at the same time Act. 17.34 and submitted with him to the School-learned reasons which as it follows from what the Vicar saith pag. 5. Paul was necessitated to make use of at that time to convince Dionysius was not the said Damaris a very learned woman and brought up in the Greek Schools or else was Dionysius become so much a Changeling that Paul had no greater need of Learning to convince him than to convince a woman Luke mentioning with a man of great Learning a woman before any of the rest seems to hint at the latter and Christ saying that we must become like little children to come into his Kingdom Mat. 18.3 and Paul that the wise worldlings must become fools to be wise 1 Cor. 3 18. because not many wise men after the flesh are called 1 Cor. 1.26 and God hides from such wise men his mysteries Mat. 11.25 it is plain that the learned Athenian was become so woman-like that the Bishops must look out elsewhere for another proof of the great necessity of Learning to convince him and for another better confutation of those Sects which they say do revile it Alas had it been but for the pretended supplement of it in the Apostles the Gospel had been nipped in its very budding forth the preaching of the Gospel had convinced no more men than it doth now amongst us the World had continued to be imposed upon like the people of Samaria Act. 8.9 10. and in general all they that heard the Word had mocked Is it wisely done therefore of the Lords Bishops to use or suffer to be used a falshood in a Pulpit with out check and correction as an argument of the great necessity of the thing so falsly supposed viz. School-learning in Preachers to reduce unbelievers to the obedience of Christ especially when Paul asserts flat and plain that he made no use at all of it God having chosen saith he 1 Cor. 1.27 the foolish things of this world to confound the wise whereof you have an instance in me and he preach'd not with wisdom of words the Humane Learning of the Vicar which he calls somewhere else a vain deceit Col. 2.8 lest the Cross of Christ saith he v. 17. should be made of none effect for it is to the Cross that the powers of the World among which Humane Learning and wisdom is not the least are nayled and by the Cross by self-conceited wise men resolving to become fools which is a great cross to them are the proud worldly wiselings with their imaginations and high conceits overcome 2 Cor. 10.5 Col. 2.14 15. Nay it is altogether injurious to the power which worketh effectually in the hearts of all converts Gal. 2.8 to call to help the wisdom of man and the School-learning in the preaching of the Word and therefore the Apostles spoke not with enticing words of mans wisdom v. 4. but planted and watered or preached always with all plainness of speech and simplicity committing the success to him that gives the encrease and trusting to his Spirit not to their own industry the work of man's conversion from sin to righteousness the means and the way to which is all that all Preachers ought to treat of in their Sermons And for all this their plainness weakness and infirmities they seldom preached in vain and they had better success than our Lords with all their great wisdom that comes to nought 1 Cor. 2.6 Also for all their want of Logick and Metaphysick they did not doubt as having saith Paul 1 Cor. 7.40 obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful but that they had the Spirit of God that directed them that what they designed was purposed in that Spirit Act. 19.21 and would have Christians to know that what they spake or wrote as their judgment or sentence was the command of the Lord 1 Cor. 7.25 14.37 And here had I but time enough I could run down the Bishops so very low that they would be glad to make of their Sleeves a Moses vail if they knew what they know not Zeph. 3.5 and were not so confident Prov. 14.16 For the fear of God being not only the beginning and instruction of wisdom Prov. 1.7 15.33 but also wisdom it self Job 28.28 and a whole treasure of it Isa 33.6 is not learning the Greek Tongue Logick and Metaphy sick and such like excluded from the means to get wisdom for what can they contribute and add unto that which yields a whole treasure of wisdom If a man asketh wisdom in faith God will give it him Jam. 1.5 6. God will give him his good gift the wisdom of the Father that is the Spirit of Truth Luk. 11.13 to guide him into all Truth For if any man will do Gods will John 7.17 keep the words of Christ ch 14.23 he and the Father will come to him by the Holy Ghost whereby he shall not only know of the doctrine of Christ but know all things and all Truth both Divine and Natural the word all comprehending omnia scibilia specially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 3.12 or the knowledge of nature as done before our eyes For such an understanding have all they that keep Gods words Psal 111.10 that they come of themselves to know and understand more than all their wisest Teachers Psal 119.99 100 104. and in a word the Scriptures proclaim almost nothing more than that men grow in knowledge as fast and by the same means only
opinion being the result of their disputation and consult is in v. 28. ascribed with one accord v. 25. by them to the Holy Ghost as to him that guided them into this truth by his help and the convincing reasons suggested and gathered from the said disputations are look'd upon as his work 1 Cor. 14.37 7.25 40. Now here first no immediate afflatus inspires them and reveals to any of them what they should believe secondly they take some time and meet together with one accord not to write an Apostolical decree but to consult together and lastly by disputing seeking and examining they come at last to agree and to resolve upon the best-grounded opinion which is that all true Christians with the ordinary Spirit of our Vicar may lawfully pretend to Again the Spirit in Paul saith Luke Act. 17.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he saw the excess of Idolatry in Athens that is he had not a mean and ordinary impulse and paroxysme upon him Well and what was the effect of this fit or paroxysme did it make him work Miracles and like the man of God 1 Kings 13.5 rend their Altars and throw down their Images at his word or did then the Spirit reveal some new thing to him Truly no he disputed daily in the Synagogue and in the Market out of that which he knew already and by reasons which his light and knowledge suggested him were like to work upon them he shewed them their ignorance of God which raised in some a mind to know him better And the sum of the reasons he orged to them was that the God whom they did worship out of their excess of zeal without knowing him was he that made the whole World and could not per consequent be confined to their Temples that he having made also all things in Heaven and Earth and giving to all creatures life and breath we have from him and in him our being and so are all his off-spring as they had even been taught by some of their learned men viz. Aratus and others and therefore ought not to think that the Deity is like unto things far worse than we such as Gold and Silver are whereof their Idols were made that their reason told them it was not fit to remain in that state of ignorance but besides this he shewed them a further necessity to learn the knowledge of God which being Life eternal John 17.3 implys good works righteousness and holiness without which no man shall ever see him Heb. 12.14 which was that being to dye they were after this life upon a day appointed to give an account of their evil works to him that God had made Judge of all the World and declared to be such by the power he gave him to overcome temptation to fulfil all righteousness and so to rise from the death Rom. 1.4 no man ever arose from before him nor since his time but by him and by his gift To which reasons note not fetcht from any Humane Learning against what the Vicar argues so groundlesly for for what necessity is there of Mathematicks Logick and Metaphysick to convince men that they are a more excellent creature than Gold or Silver or Stones Dionysius Damaris and some others submitted and this effect of the said impulse of the Holy Ghost in St. Paul or other Saints is no more than what some men whom I know now living have done upon the same occasion in Italy And indeed we find no where that the Spirit which was mighty in the Apostles Gal. 2.8 was such blind afflatus as would immediately and without previous knowledge suggest and dictate to them the things which they spake and did But rather that it was a renewing of their minds Rom. 12.2 Ephes 4 23. by a new Light which lighting again their smoaking Candle made them capable to see and to discover by it all that which standing before in the dark did then plainly present it self to their view so that they might have given a full description of it As when the bright shining of a Candle giveth light to some men in a dark place Luk. 11.36 2 Pet. 1.19 they perceive on a sudden what they could not see before though it stood round about them and can find out by its meant if they carry it with them what lies hidden in the most hidden corners of the room so the Day-star arising in the hearts of those disciples rendred clear and manifest to them what they could not see and what was not to be seen without it though with the help of all the Humane Learning witness besides St. Paul 1 Cor. 2.9 10. the Vicar against himself in the place he cites pag. 10. out of Hales Golden Remains saying that what the Spirit did give them the knowledge of were great and high mysteries which had never entred yet in the heart of any man The gift of the Apostles was the renewing of the Holy Ghost saith Paul himself Tit. 3.5 now as the word renewing implys an existency of some decayed spoiled thing that receives a new supply of what it lost and lacked so the renewing of the Holy Ghost doth signifie a recovery of it and a restauration to the same Image of God breathed into man's nostrils when the Lord created him Gen. 1.27 2.7 which consisting in knowledge Coloss 3.10 they needed no more than he another immediate blind afflatus to know all things that is all they saw and were to think to speak and to do for the word thing being said of all that which dicitur cogitatur est the knowledge of all things-promised John 14.26 implys so much And that Adam needed no other new revelation or inspiration than that of his own native knowledge to understand perfectly the nature of what he saw c. appears from that God brought all the Beasts to him to see what he would name them Gen. 2.19 and not to teach him their names and from that whatsoever he called every Beast that was saith Moses the name thereof God who had before given names to other things Gen. 1.5 8 10. seeing these were right and good and that he had not only a right notion of the things but that what definition and judgment he made of them was so much according to truth so perfect and so congruous to their nature that nothing was found amiss therein he confirmed them and that was the name thereof as if God had given it Therefore when the Apostles were by the Holy Ghost renewed in light and knowledge they knew all things like Adam without new revelation with this difference only that whereas Adam had the perfect knowledge of all from the very first moment after he was created for then he was very good Gen. 1.31 the Apostles whilst in the body of this death Rom. 7.24 and till that which is perfect to wit the perfect state of Adam in body and soul Ephes 4.13 is come knew and saw all things in part and but as
thorow a glass 1 Cor. 13.9 10 12. neither came all that they knew to them at the first moment after their new creation or new birth of the Spirit John 3.5 but by degrees for saith Paul 2 Cor. 4.16 their inward man was renewed and perfected day by day the morning and the day-star going before them further and further until it came and stood over where lies the young child or Truth new found Mat. 2.9 so guided their minds from one consequence to another as from the lowermost link through the whole intermediate concatenation unto the higher end of the Chain yet in no great space of time that in following it close by seeking and by knocking for he who will that it should be opened to him must knock Luk. 11.10 and rise early and watch at the posts of wisdoms door Prov. 8.17 34. and traffick with his talent but never keep it laid up they did climb up by degrees into all wisdom and truth came to some knowledge in all the most hidden things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 and so did stand in no need of a sudden immediate impulse and inspiration to declare and speak of them when they saw an occasion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will lead you in the way John 16.13 now leading one in the way implys that he walks himself and neither is carried to nor the things which he is led into brought unto him And the Son of God saith 1 John 5.20 hath given us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 note he saith not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the understanding it self but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is novum lumen in mente a discerning faculty that we may by consulting judging and examining discern to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in English that we may shews that the said enquiring and discerning faculty is the way and the means which the Holy Ghost brought St. John and the Apostles to know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truth by Also it is plain from hence that the gift of the Son of God the Holy Spirit bestowed on the Apostles is first an understanding enlightned and rectified to which they were left even in the midst of their Visions to gather from what they saw what they were to do and teach Act. 16.10 10.15 28. Whereas the ancient Prophets under the Old Testament with whom the true Unction the Comforter or Spirit made no such constant abode as Christ promised it would with those that should keep his words thenceforth or believe in him John 14.16 23. had not the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Light constantly shining in their minds to direct them upon all occurrences but the word of the Lord came to them and his Spirit upon them by intervals God was not yet Emmanuel the Tabernacle of the Lord was yet sometimes taken down Isa 33.20 and his Oracle or his Word the Verbum Domini that is his intellectus voluntas posse actus nam cum omnisciens omnipotens Deus neque consilio neque voce utatur scire velle agere is still but one thing in him to wit his Verbum or Christ who is therefore called the wisdom of the Father by which he knows and willeth and the arm and the power of the Lord John 12.38 41. 1 Cor. 1.24 by which he can acts creates and makes all things Heb. 1.2 and saves all them that believe did not as yet dwell in men John 14.17 1 Cor. 6.19 for they did not receive the promise of the Father Luk. 24.49 Act. 1.4 5 8. till Christ was glorified John 7.37 16.7 Therefore the ancient Seers had not the Oracle in them to consult with at all times like Christians whom God speaks to in these last days by his Son Heb. 1.2 who is the true Mercy-seat or Propitiatorium Rom. 3.25 found between the Cherubims viz. the Angelical Souls which have Heaven within them Luk. 17.21 Phil. 3.20 from whence God gives his Oracles ever since his first coming or appearance in the flesh But the Angel of God Christ Gen. 48.16 18.1 10 13 16 17. Mal. 3.1 made himself known and spake to them 1. in Visions and Dreams Numb 12.6 Gen. 31.11 Dan. 7.1 2. 2. or spake to them by a voice from above the Mercy-seat between the two Cherubims as the Lord did with Moses Exod 25.22 Numb 7.89 9.8 9. whence to the Testimony saith Isaiah 8.20 Numb 17.4 because that it was then hidden under the Mercy-seat in the Ark Exod. 25.16 21. Heb. 9.4 to enquire for counsel at the Lords mouth by Vrim Numb 27.21 Josh 9.14 Isa 30.2 Exod. 28.30 28. 1 Sam. 30.7 8. 3. or the Lord did put his word in their mouth and in their ears Numb 22.38 23.16 1 Sam. 9.15 Jer. 1.9 Ezek. 5.14 Isa 6.7 49.2 not in their understandings as by the new Covenant Jer. 31.33 Heb. 8.7 8 13. 4. or they were as Peter saith 2 Pet. 1.21 transported 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by some sudden rapture of the Spirit upon them Numb 11.26 1 Sam. 10.6 19.20 to 24. 2 Kings 3.15 1 Chron. 12.18 5. or received their Visions falling into Trances like Abraham Gen. 15.12 Balaam Numb 24.4 Ezechiel ch 2.12 8.3 and some others Dan. 10.8 9. And they were called Seers 1 Sam. 9.9 because that for the most part they saw what they were to say and to do represented and described in their Trance Exod. 25.9 Heb. 8.5 thus having their eyes open to see the Visions of the Almighty whilst their body was dead and bereft of sense But the Apostles of Christ being one degree higher understood not by but from their Visions when they had some by means of their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what they were to do and speak and fell not into Trances which were accompanied with pain horrour and darkness Gen. 15.12 Dan. 10.8 when they had any Visions but being in the Spirit often of their own accord Revel 1.10 they were in such Extasies caught up into Paradise Rom. 14.17 there to hear and see without weakness anguish and horrour the unspeakable words and Visions they received 2 Cor. 12.4 Whence if according to Christ John 20.29 blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed because intelligere being ipsum credere he that can without seeing understand what other men cannot understand and so believe without they see it is blessed with a better enlightned understanding as hath been shewed already the Apostles were blessed with a greater share of that which gives men understanding and were therefore greater than the said Seers and Prophets And hence comes that John till whom the Law and the Prophets were Luk. 16.16 though the greatest among all them that are born of women was the least saith Christ Mat. 11.11 12 13. among all them that are born of God John 1.13 or the least in the kingdom of God which as it began but from the time John lived Luk. 16.16 so it did not include him for the