by the Spirit of God only to themselves nor stint it to singular and extraordinary occasions but hold it forth as a common and Universal priviledge to all true Christians and Members of the Church Now this Doctrine greatly commends the Love of God and establisheth the Principle of Universal Love in that it shew how Universally God hath offered this blessed Priviledge to all in that He hath given his Light unto all upon the receiving of which this immediate guidance of the Spirit followeth as a necessary Concomitant for such as deny this immediate Revelation of God's Will by his Spirit in the hearts of his Children to be a common and Universal Priviledge to all true Christians and Members of the Church must needs suppose the knowledge of his Will necessary for them to be communicated to them by some other external means as by outward Writings and Precepts in so much that all such as are robbed of this Benefit are necessarily excluded from partaking of the Universal Love of God in order to the Salvation of their Souls Fourthly As the confining of the Gifts and Graces of God to certain external formes and Ceremonies are directly opposite and contrary to Universal Love such as the limiting of the work of the Ministry to outward Ordination and to a particular Tribe of Persons the making humane Parts and Arts more necessary thereto than the Grace of God so that the Grace of God is not judged sufficient to make a Man a Minister or to priviledge him to Preach without those other Artificial and Ceremonial things So I say on the other hand those People to the commending of the Universal Love of God to all but especially in the visible Church do affirm that as this Light and Grace of God is given to all in order to save them so whoever find himself truly called in his heart thereby and fitted to Minister to others may lawfully Preach and Declare to Others the good things that God has done for his soul and direct and instruct them as by the same Grace he is enabled how they may come to the experience and attainment of the same things albeit he have no outward Ordination or Call from Men be not initiated in their Ceremonies and Orders nor yet furnished with their Learning and School-education This greatly commends and holds forth the Love of God because it does not confine the Ministry unto such a narrow compass as by the several Sects it is done but supposeth that among those that had not the Scriptures and outward knowledge there might have been Ministers or Preachers of Righteousness as it was said of Noah that he was one who was ere the Scriptures were writ and Job was another besides Socrates amongst the Greeks Pythagoras amongst the Latines and several others that might be named among the Arabians Indians and Ethiopians and this Doctrine doth very much hold forth the Universal Love of God in the visible Church in that it excludeth none from Ministring his Gift as he hath it albeit a poor Trades-man or Mechanick Men as is done among the far greater parts of the Sects of Christendom by the presumptuous Usurpation of them Fifthly This People do greatly commend and hold forth the Universal Love of God to all in denying the use of outward carnal things which perish in the using such as Washing or Sprinkling with Water or eating of Bread and Wine to be the Seals of Gods Covenant with Man or to be the means or Channels by which Grace and Spiritual refreshment is Ministred to the soul for thereby they confine not Gods Love in the communicating of his Gifts and Graces to the application or not using of Elementary things which may be as truly as to the matter of them performed by the most wicked and greatest Hypocrite of the World as by the most Godly and sincere as do the greatest part of the Sects among Christians who make such a noise of the Sacraments and Ordinances and do so quarrel and jangle about their matter and manner of performance but do affirm and believe that increase of Grace and refreshment in and by the Life of Christ is conveyed unto the souls of all those that are Faithful as this Seed receives a place and grows up in their hearts Without these outward Ceremonies this cannot be performed but by such as are sincere and Godly indeed for such can only be truly Faithful and wait in that place where Grace and Refreshment Strength and Power Wisdom and Courage Patience and all other good gifts are received Sixthly These People do much establish Universal Love in that they affirm Persecution of Men for the matter of their Consciences to be Unchristian and Unlawful believing that as God can only inform and enlighten the Conscience so it is contrary to the Universal Love of God for Men to seek to force and restrain it as hath hitherto been sufficiently shewn Lastly They do very truly and observably establish Universal Love in that they Preach Love to Enemies and the necessity of bearing and suffering Injuries without Revenge holding it Unlawful for Christians to fight or use carnal Weapons even to resist such as oppose them and wrongfully prejudice them As this is most agreeable to the Doctrine and Practice of Christ so is it to the Universal Love of God whose long-suffering-Patience even towards the Wicked Stiff-necked and Rebellious after many provocations doth above all declare his Love in which they cannot pretend to be Followers of him who believe it Lawful for them to Revenge every Injury to give Blow for Blow and Knock for Knock and so know not what it is patiently to receive and suffer an Injury if they have any opportunity of revenging themselves and so consequently cannot have Universal Love which necessarily supposeth and includes Love to Enemies and he that will Beat Kill and every way he can destroy his Enemy does but foolishly contradict himself if he pretend to Love him and those that do not Preach and Practice Love to Enemies but that which is quite contrary cannot justly pretend either to the Doctrine or Practice of Universal Love Wherefore I desire the Reader may make Application hereof as to the several Sects of Christians and examine whose Principles and Practices do most agree herewith and seriously consider whether there be any intire united Body of Christians except these here mentioned who do unanimously hold forth so many Doctrines so directly establishing and agreeing to true Universal Love Writ in Aberdeen Prison the first Month 1677. THE END * Which external Agreement as well in Doctrines as in the Practices necessarily following thereupon became as one External bond tye of their outward and visible Fellowship obvious to the VVorld whereby they are distinguished even to the observation of Man from the several Sects professing the Name of Christ as the true Christians of old were by their Adherence to the Orthodox Principles from other Hereticks that laid claim likewise to be Christians Let not the Reader think strange that I assert this Principle and enter not upon the probation of it having done that largely else-where as in my Apology it not being my business here so to do but only to shew how such and suâ—h Principles do not agree with Universal Love as on the other hand when I make mention of other Principles I do not offer to refute them it being enough here to demonstrate that they are contrary to Universal Love
are deficient Albeit some exceed others in a particular respect as shall be hereafter observed That wherein they are generally wanting is by affirming that there can be no Salvation without the explicit knowledge of Christ and benefit of the Scriptures This is held both by Lutherans Calvenists and Arminians I mean by these Churches whatever may be the private Sentiments of particular persons among them Now whereas all these do acknowledge that many thousands yea whole Nations have been and are excluded from the benefit of this knowledge they must necessarily conclude Salvation impossible to them and so they can have no Charity for them so as to suppose a possibility of Salvation to them And this goes directly against and destroys the nature of Universal Love which cannot be entertained towards any but upon the supposition that they are under a possibility of being saved or that those circumstances they are under not being in themselves simply considered sinful as being such as is not in them to help do not absolutely exclude them from it I confess that I cannot have Charity to a wicked Man that he can be saved so long as he continues wicked and if thence any should seek to infer that so likewise we cannot have Charity to those men that want the Scriptures and the outward knowledge of Christ that they can be saved so long as they want that Therefore as the one is not contrary to Universal Love neither is the other I Answer The Comparison holds not at all because the ground of my not having Chaty to him is his continuing in a thing which himself knows to be displeasing to God by the Law of God which he has revealed to him and acknowledges to be good and therefore the ground of my hopes of him that he may be saved if he Repents is because he knows the means how to Repent and be Converted so my Universal Love reaches to him not only in that I believe 't is possible for God to bring him out of his Wickedness but in that I acknowledge that God in order thereto has actually made manifest to him the way how he may be Converted and so I exclude him not from the Universal Love of God which I suppose in that manifestation of his will to have already really touched and reached him But the other case has no parity with this for first that defect of the Scriptures and outward knowledge of Christ in an Indian or American c. is no wilful malitious act of them against any Law known to them but is the meer providence of God by them inevitable neither is it unto them any moral evil that they are born or brought up in these parts or come not to those places where they may learn and find that knowledge If I then judge that God's Love reaches not any such whom by this Providence he has permitted to be thus Born and Educated in order to save them my Universal Love can no ways reach to them so as to suppose Salvation possible to them not because they refuse or resist the means of Knowledge and Salvation appointed to them of God but because they want it by the will of God who thought not meet to give it to them I look not upon it as my work in this Treatise to refute this Doctrine and shew its Contrariety to Truth and Scripture having done that largely else-where as in my Apology Expl. of the 5th and 6th Proposition it is enough here that I shew that such as hold this Opinion cannot justly pretend to Universal Love as doth evidently appear by what is said and needs no further Question Perhaps the Socinians may step in here or others of more general Principles who will affirm they do not believe that the want of this explicit knowledge doth necessarily exclude Men from Salvation It is true there are some of that mind but it were hard to rank them under any particular denomination it being rather a Notion of these Men of whom I made mention before that are uncertain in their Principles and joyn with no people absolutely then acknowledged by a people or any publick Confession of any united or gathered Church and People The Socinians generally lay very great stress upon the outward knowledge of Christ do believe the outward knowledge of Christ or of the Resurrection at least to be absolutely needful holding the sufficiency of that alone upon Rom. 10. 9. But passing that and taking it for granted that the generality of Socinians and several others with them who being all taken in Cumulo may pass for as much as a whole body of people do believe and affirm Salvation even possible to such as are by an inevitable Fate excluded from the benefit of that external knowledge in that they say that such as will improve that light of Nature which all Men have given them of God and exercise that common Principle of Reason may from the works of Creation and Providence certainly conclude that there is a God forsake many evils and do much good and that such as do thus improve this natural and common light do obtain of God to send them miraculously either some Man or Angel to signifie to them the outward knowledge or Resurrection of Christ that they may believe it and be saved I Answer This doth not reach the full extent of Universal Love because it still limiteth it to this external knowledge and supposeth no means of Salvation without it And next because it supposeth somewhat Miraculous which as has been before observed is a limitation not to be admitted in this case But if any would affirm that the improving of this Natural Light proved to them a means of Salvation without supposing any necessity of having the outward knowledge of Christ at all Albeit it would seeâ— by the extent of their Charity that their Love were very universal yet they do not establish true Universal Love more than the other because nothing is true Universal Love but that which naturally proceedeth from the true Love of God and is founded upon good and sound Principles deduced there-from and which hath not its rise from the love of Self or from a selfish principle which though it may have a shew of Universal Love is not really such else he that would affirm he believed that all men as well the Wicked as the Godly the Unbelieving as the Believing should be saved and that no wickedness can hinder a Man from being saved might be said to be a truer Preacher of Universal Love than any and most Charitable of all Men and yet how would this be justly condemned by all Christians There can then be no true Universal Love but that which is built upon the love of God and is pure and of the nature of it So then those that affirm that men may be saved even without the outward knowledge of Christ and of the Scriptures if they improve the light of Nature whether it be that
propagate their way in the strength of their own Spirits reckoning the Preaching and publishing thereof by their own natural or acquired parts without the necessity of the inward motion of the Holy Spirit both lawful and commendable and not only so but the advancing and establishing of the same by outward force and violence For here is Man working without God or the guidance of his Spirit in his own meer strength and will to set up his own Images and Inventions under a pretence of Truths and pure Christianity but those that dare not seek to advance even that which they are perswaded is Truth in their own will and spirit far less by outward force and violence but in and by God's Spirit as he leads and moves to it by his Life and Power shew that such are not a Sect nor Followers of Man's inventions but of Christ alone waiting to follow Him as He acts and moves them by his own Spirit and Power and therefore are no Sectarians but meer Christians The chief and first Principle then held by those Christians which as I observed before naturally ariseth and was assented to by them from their inward sense that tyed them together is that there is somewhat of God some Light some Grace some Power some measure of the Spirit some Divine Spiritual Heavenly substantial Life and Vertue in all Men which is a faithful Witness against all Unrighteousness and Ungodliness in the heart of Man and leads draws moves and inclines the mind of Man to Righteousness and seeks to leaven him as he gives way thereunto into the nature of it self whereby an inward thorow and real Redemption may be wrought in the hearts of all Men of whatsoever Nation Country or Kindred they be notwithstanding whatsoever outward knowledge or benefit they be by the Providence of God necessarily deprived of Because whatsoever they want of that yet such a measure of this Light Seed Life and Word is communicated to all as is sufficient truly to convert them from the evil of their ways purifie and cleanse them and consequently bring them to Salvation And in the affirming of this they do not at all exalt Self or Nature as do the Socinians in that they freely acknowledge that Man's Nature is defiled and corrupted and unable to help him or further him one step in order to Salvation judging nothing more needful then the full and perfect denying and mortification of Self in order thereunto Now do they believe this Seed Light and Grace to be any part of Man's Nature or any thing that properly and essentially is of Man but that it is a free Grace and gift of God freely given to all Men in order to bring them out of the fall and lead them to Life Eternal Neither do they suppose this Seed Word and Grace which is sufficient to lead to Salvation to be given to Men without Christ for they believe it to be the purchase and benefit of Christ's death who tasted Death for every Man So that they confess all to be derived to them in and by Christ the Mediator to whom they ascribe all yea they believe this Light Grace and Seed to be no other but a measure of that Life and Spirit that was in Christ Jesus which being in Him who is the Head in the fulness of it is from Him in whom it recideth as He is ascended up unto and glorified in the Heavens extended to all Men in order to redeem them from sin and convert them to God Thus according to this Principle without attributing any thing to Self or to the Nature of Man or claiming any thing without Christ the Universal Love of God to all Men is exhibited whereby the means of Salvation by Christ and reconciliation unto God is so asserted that no Man is altogether excluded from it but each so reached as puts him in a capacity to be saved Such then as believe and Preach this Doctrine must of necessity be esteemed great advancers and asserters of Universal Love as those that truly establish it not through any uncertainty or doubtfulness in themselves but upon their own firm and acknowledged principle since that doth necessarily extend their Charity to the not only supposing but even concluding Salvation possible not only to the several sorts of Christians but even to such who by the disadvantage of Education and the remoteness of their Habitation are ignorant of the Name of Christ providing that this Seed Grace Word and Light which is in them all and the free gift of God to them all receive place in their hearts so as to work out the fruits and nature of Unrighteousness and to beget them unto Righteousness Purity and Holiness which according to this Principle is believed to be very possible where the external knowledge is thus unavoidably wanting for albeit those who hold this Principle do believe that the outward knowledge of Christ and these other advantages which from the use of the Scriptures are enjoyed among Christians are very comfortable and conducing to facilitate Salvation yet they reckon them not absolutely needful holding them only to be integral and no essential parts of Christianity for they place the essence or being of Christianity only in the in the true and real Conversion of the heart by vertue of the operation of this Light Seed and Grace there even as the essence and being of a Man consists in the unity of soul and body which is enough to denominate one a Man albeit he should want a Leg or an Arm an Eye or an Ear or have some other defect or even should be destitute of some of the faculties of the mind as of the memory c. that other Men have yet such a one would still and that truly be called a Man albeit not a compleat and entire Man yea those that live in the most Barbarous and Unciviliz'd places of the World where they are destitute and ignorant of all the liberal Arts and Sciences used among us and of all these conveniences which so much conduce to the facilitating of Humane society and accomodating of Man-kind in their living together I say those are still truly accounted Men as having that which is truly essential or constitutive of a Man as such In like manner this Principle supposeth the possibility of Salvation both to those commonly called Heathens and to many among the dark and erroneous Sects of Christianity in that this essential part of Christianity is extended to them albeit they want those other Integrals and comfortable parts which may in and with respect to the Spiritual Man be fitly compared to these defects that those Barbarous Nations want which we enjoy as to the Natural Man as none can deny but this Principle is most agreeing to Universal Love So the practice of all even of those that deny it doth evidence and shew how agreeable it is as well to the Love of God as to right reason where when ever any of the Sects