one Yet are we to understand this union to be onely in a way of relation through participation of the same Spirit and this dwelling to be onely in respect of grace and powerful operation and influence working in the hearts of believers according to the tenor of the New Covenant in making men holy and humble purifying their hearts causing them to walk in all good conscience towards God and man all which by them is trampled under foot and another kind of union and indwelling driving at in their discourses which although covertly expressed until by craft and subtilty they have prepared the hearts of simple and unstable souls to receive whatsoever they shall suggest unto them yet then is openly discovered being indeed the root of all bitternesse and desperate prophanenesse and blasphemy that can be imagined in the world for from thence they conclude that themselves are God and Christ and what God is they are and what they are God is for say they there is no spirit but one and so deny any created Angel or Spirit holding upon the same account the living soul in man to be uncreated and so consequently to be God himself and not created by God Now this being the ground-work of their delusion the building is answerable For first concluding the reasonable soul to be God Secondly they affirm that this soul being cloathed with their humane bodies or flesh is Christ or God in flesh hereupon they imagine that Jesus Christ spoken of in the Gospel as being born of the Virgin Mary accused by the Jews delivered by Pilate to be crucified dying at Ierusalem upon the Crosse rising the third day and ascending into Heaven is only to be understood Parabolically or Figuratively speaking of one thing and intending another pointing at and prefiguring a work only within us conceiving the Virgin Mary the Iewes Pilate Ierusalem the Crosse Christ rising and ascending spoken of in the Scriptures to be all within them and no such thing substantially or in truth without As they conclude all things spoken of Christ to be but in a Typical or Figurative manner intending and typifying out this God within or God incarnate in their flesh still meaning their reasonable souls conceiving this to be the substance of all those shadows so also upon this ground they are forced to conclude the whole New Testament with all the Doctrines Laws Rules and Administrations of the same to be but a shadow or figure holding forth a substance within As for instance Moses and Aaron being but figures of the substantial Saviour and Priest to come so the administrations of Moses as Mosaical were but fleshly and carnal administrations to be abolished when the substance was come they being only shadows of good things to come in like manner do they understand Christ in his Person to be but a shadow of Christ within and all his heavenly and spiritual Gospel to be but a letter and carnal History put to an end and abolished when they once come to apprehend that the substance of all is within they coming also to believe that the soul is God do thence infer that they are perfect and that they are in an happy estate as can be for this they urge 1 Cor. 15. 24. to the 28 verse to shew when the Kingdome is delivered up to the Father and then Christ ceaseth his Mediatorship and consequently all his New Testament ceaseth Now they conclude that all this is accomplished when they come to discern there is but one Spirit and their soul that Spirit which is God and then they are in the possession of all things And seeing that the Scripture declares that before our full possession of God and glory there must be a temporal death and resurrection of the body and eternal judgment they upon the former grounds judging themselves already glorified do understand this death of the body in all such Scriptures mystically and that the resurrection and eternal judgement are passed already in the soul as Hymeneus and Philetus did 2 Tim. 2. 18. compared with 1 Tim. 1. 19. Thence also they conclude that faith and justification by Christ together with all the Ordinances of Christ are abolished as fleshly forms like unto Christ that appointed them above and without all which they triumphantly in their own fancies live when they once have attained this supereminent life as they spâ—ak as being in the full fruition of God comprehending that infinite being which they blasphemously affirm themselves to do intruding themselves into things they are altogether ignorant of Hereupon it is that they as Peter saith scoffe at any second coming of Christ 2 Pet. 3. 3 4. and mock at the holy Scriptures those heavenly Oracles of God denying them to be the Word of God or that Law by which they ought to confirm their lives conceiving and uttering that there is no Law nor Rule but what is in man his light being his only Law that is to say whatever that spirit that dwelleth within which they call God within dictates to them that ought to be done by them strengthning themselves with this opinion that there is no sin but what contradicts a mans own light which is a mans only Law and sinne is onely sin to him that thinks it so and that there is no Hell but that torment that men sustain through crossing their own light which God knows is nothing but thick darknesse And then they proceed to discover the wretched effect of this damnable doctrine in the unclean lives and conversations of the followers of them which by the practises spoken against I apprehend to be intended against the Ranters that abominable crew of Religious Villains pardon the expression And I confesse these practises are the most natural issue of those opinions and doe most freely flow from them especially from the tail or hinder part on 't But when I had read some of the Quakers papers I found them building upon the same foundation and making use of the same principles and materials And I could not but observe the artifice and skill of Satan like a cunning workman employing the same stuffe to several outwardly seeming ends and purposes but in the effect and issue the same viz. destruction which is his proper work and busines for the Ranters make use of them to boulster up themselves in all manner of lusts and sensuality without scruple of conscience And the Quakers improve them to seeming holinesse and mortification to secure themselves in a proud humility which not repented of casts down to Hell as readily as the former And here Reader let 's make a stand awhile and consider what saist thou Is not here a mysterie of iniquity Is not here the head of the Serpent that old Serpent that deceived our first Parents in Paradise to the fall and what in him lay utter ruine of all mankind And is not this the tail of that great red Dragon that draws and casts down a third part of the starres of
as it is made manifest in me and to declare what Faith we own and practise and what we do deny to that end that the simple may be informed and the way of truth cleered from such deceivers who are perverters of the Scriptures who would constrain people to follow their imaginations instead of truth as these men have done whose names are subscribed And now a few words in answer to that you call your first Principle First Principle That the Scripture is the rule of knowing God and living unto him which whoso doth not believe but betakes himself to any other way of discovering God instead thereof cannot be saved Answ The Scriptures are not the Saints rule of knowing God and living unto him but that which was before the Scriptures were written by which all the holy men of God knew him and here ye have made your selves manifest that ye have not the rule which Moses had which is the spirit of light by which he made himself known unto the sons of men and ye that teach people to walk in another rule are those that put light for darkness and darkness for light shewing forth the spirit of error and here ye pervert the Scripture and Moses words which prophesied of Christ Moses bad not the people walk by the Scripture neither did he tell them that living therein was the rule of knowing God but he directed them to the Life without which all their profession was abominable but ye are not come to walk in the Letter whose lips and practice doth not concord with it who are found acting those things which it declares against Matth. 23. who are called of men Master stand praying in the Synagogues which our Lord Jesus Christ cryed wo against and here your Faith and your Principle is descryed who are not so much as found acting in that which you call your rule Now lest you should boast in your glory and the simple be stumbled by your subtilty I am moved of the Lord to open and discover unto all that your Faith is no more then all the ungodly in this Nation doth profess and also that the Rule whereby the Saints are guided is that which was before the Scripture was First it is professed generally in this Nation that believing in the Scriptures is the rule of knowing God this have you preached for Doctrine among the people and yet the way of God is hidden from their eys who are found acting in the abominations of the Heathen as doth plainly appear by the sins of this people nay what sin is there that is not committed amongst this people which have professed the Scripture to be their rule and you that pretend to be their teachers are the greatest examples of their wicked practices Crying peace peace unto them when there is no peace one building a wall and another dawbing it with untempered morter but ye shall proceed no further but your folly shall be made manifest to all men Our rule is that whiâ—h Moses walked in and Abraham and David and all the Prophets which is Christ Jesus the light of the world which whosoever believeth not in him hath not God Moses walked in him Abraham believed in him and David delighted in his Law which is perfect and here we deny you who deny that rule in which the holy men of God walked in Second Principle That there is a God who is the Creator and Judge and Governor of the world and is to be known by Faith Answ The Saints God ye are ignorant of who put light for darkness and darkness for light and before him ye cannot stand in judgement who are found working wickedness making people believe that believing in a thing without them will bring them to the knowledge of God which none can know or understand but through death and if ever ye come to know this God whom the Saints worship in Spirit and Truth ye must witness a day of vengeance to pass through therefore stop your mouths ye proud and lustful ones the day of recompence is come in which ye shall receive double for all your wickedness The Lord is our Iudge our Law-giver and our King and this we witness though we had never seen the Scripture And here we deny you and your principles which is no more than that which the world professeth Therefore be ye ashamed ye wicked and ungodly ones who live in the beastly nature who knows no more of God than what ye have without in the Scriptures which they spoke forth that witnessed him before the Scriptures were written him we own and witness to be our King by him we are redeemed out of your generation glory to his name for ever who hath made himself manifest in us and hath brought us to that which was before the Scripture was Third Principle That this God who is Creator is eternally distinct from all other Creatures in his being and blessedness Ans God ye know not neither can ye see him but are found persecutors of him who would divide him from what he is by heathenish inventions which ariseth out of the corrupt sensual part which never shall inherit the Kingdom The being of God is not distinct from them that are begotten by him For as the Father and the Son are one without distinction so are they that are begotten by him and here you perverters of the truth are shut forth from God with all your distinctions and imaginations which ariseth out of the dark mind by which ye have all this while deceived the people Woe unto you ye enemies of God your foundation your compass and your end is made manifest unto the children of light who would divide God from his children whom he hath begotten unto himself through the word of faith in which we live and abide for ever And here I challenge you before the Lord to produce one Scripture which speaks of God being distinct from them that are begotten by him and if you cannot prove your words by plain Scripture let shame cover your faces and stop your mouthes for ever And for your fourth thing That God is three persons or substances this is also another of your lies never such a word is declared of in Scripture and thus have you made your folly manifest to all men and have cleared your selves from the Scriptures God is a mystery in whom the foundation of all things stands and he is but one in all though ten thousand times ten thousand Woe unto ye you perverters of the truth who blinds the eyes of the simple making them believe your imaginations and conceivings in stead of truth and this you run to the powers of the earth to propagate Ye men of sin did ever the Prophets declare of such Gospel as this or did ever the Apostles preach any such doctrine as this which ye would compel people to believe and would have the powers of the earth to propagate Here I challenge you again to prove your example
great God not willing that all men should perish according to the good pleasure of his will which he had purposed in himself from all eternity unaskt unsought unto for who or which of all men or Angels with all their light or knowledge could have once imagined such a thing which was not fully made known to any either in heaven or earth till the time of full accomplishment designed and appointed the eternal word that enlighteneth all men that come into the world with the common light of all nature to come himself into the world to enlighten his people with the special light of grace And passing by the Angels that fell and reserving them in chains of darknesse to the judgement of the great day to take on him the seed of Abraham and to partake with us in our nature flesh and blood and to become man like unto us in all things sin only excepted That so participating of both natures divine and humane he might become a middle man a fit Mediator between God by sin offended and Man by sin offending and also that knowing our infirmities whereof he was to have experience by those tryalls and temptations which he should suffer in our nature whilst on earth he might be the more compassionate towards us and to succour us when we are tempted and to perform the office of a merciful and faithful high Priest for us in things pertaining to God and our salvation in making reconciliation for the sins of his people And here Oh depths of the love of God how unsearchable how unfathomable as 1. That a Father such a Father the Father of love yea love it self for God is love That such a Father should give such a Son the Son of his love his loving and beloved his own and only begotten Son not having such another That he should give him to and for man Man a worm nay worse a sinner a sinful man an enemy a rebel to God whom he might have justly destroyed and yet have bin in himself as before blessed and glorious for ever Man by whose goodnesse God is not made better nor by whose badnesse he is never the worse O here is misericordia in excelsis mercy in its heights in its exaltation love without parallel herein God commended his love to the purpose which made the multitude of the heavenly Host sing gloria in excelsis glory to that God in the Heavens that had such respect to men on Earth who for their sin deserved to be in hell That when man who by sin had departed from God the spring and fountain of his happinesse and glory and thereby justly deserved to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power And being cast out to the loathing of his soul had he but eyes to see his own corruption and wretchednesse and no eye pittying him much lesse able to help him That then even then when man was ready to perish should be the time of love and the Lord should passe by or rather stand still and pitty and cast his skirt of compassion over him and say unto him again and again and again live Oh ye Heavens stand amazed and oh thou earth flesh and blood rejoyce and tremble Especially considering that when there was none to help the arm of the Lord alone should bring deliverance unto man by raising up a mighty salvation for him out of the house of his Servant David even Christ the Lord the wonderful counsellor the mighty God mighty to save the everlasting Father the Prince of peace who becoming man came under the same Law and obligation to obedience with us And not only so but also became our sponsor surety and undertaker for us to do suffer and fulfil that for us which we were no way able to do for our selves For whereas we stood bound to fulfil and keep the whole Law for life under a penalty of the curse and death for non-observance Man losing his strength which he should have had by his keeping close to God in obedience I say man losing his power to keep the Law the Law lost its power to acquite man And of a Law and ministration of life became a Law and Ministration of death And the higher and more powerfully it wrought before by mans obedience to it for comfort and salvation so the higher and more powerfully it works now by its convincing light in the conscience the more dreadful it is by reason of mans disobedience to terror and wrath and condemnation Now when we were thus without strength all of us being thus ungodly Christ God-man for his great love wherewith he loved us undertook the mannagement of our quarrel and became the Captain of our salvation to bring us to God and glory For if there had been any Law way or means that could have restored man to life and happinesse could man by performing and keeping the Law have procured his own freedom and stood just and upright before the barre of Gods justice then Christ had come and undertaken the work in vain which once so much as to imagine were the highest blasphemy against the wisdom and goodnesse of God that ever was conceived True it is could man have as I may say justified the Law by keeping it the Law would have justified him in and by that obedience to it but now the Law is become weak and unable to justifie any man though powerful and strong enough to condemn every man having lost its strength to saving purposes not through any defect or inability of its own for it is holy just and good but through the weaknesse of the flesh that is â—ans corrupt nature who is not now able to fulfil it And now behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world For now God for the accomplishment of that design of free grace and love which he had laid before he laid the foundation of the world when the fulnesse of time by him appointed was come sent his Son him that is the eternal word by whom he created all things that essential word which really fully substantially knows and makes known and fulfills his Fathers will him that is God over all blessed for ever equal with the Father in being Majesty and glory him in whom his Father delighted from all eternity his own and his only begotten Son promised before to Adam preach'd to Abraham the Patriarks typified in the legal sacrifices and prophecied of by Moses and all the Prophets pointed at by John he sends him this Son in the likenesse of sinful flesh for sin to condemn sin in flesh that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in the Saints who
walk not after the flesh but after and according to the spirit And whereas we were under â—in God made him who knew no sin in himself to be sin for us by impuâ—ation that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him in like manner And whereas we by reason of that sin were under the curse he was made a curse for us that he might redeeme us from that curse that so we might inherit the blessing therefore the Lord having laid hold on our surety who is mighty to save and to deliver being man that he might suffer in the same nature and in the behalfe of those that had sinned And God that he might make full satisfaction to God that was offended The Lord I say having thus laid hold upon our able suretie laid and charged upon him all our iniquities bruising and almost breaking his gracious heart with the hellish terrours of divine revenge and justice where he made his righteous soul an offering for sin So sharp and hot were the flames thereof that it made the maker of the whole creation grone and cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me A speech more dreadful fuller of astonishment then if the whole frame of heaven and earth all men angels had been tumbling headlong into everlasting torments for in this God had not forsaken himselfe but his creature onely but in that wrath was kindled beyond the finite apprehension of the creature here God as it were forsook and left himself Christ being God one God with the father blessed and beloved for ever And yet my God my God why hast thou forsaken me And here behold and see and in seeing weep was there ever sorrow like unto this sorrow which Christ suffered in the day of his fathers wrath and fury And again behold and see and in seeing rejoyce that Christ suffered these sorrows as our surety Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray and he hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all And thus was God in and with Christ in his everlasting decree Covenant and consent roconciling the world unto himself by that one sacrifice and offering whereby through the eternal spirit he offered up his life and shed his blood upon the Crosse a sacrifice for sin to reconcile us unto God For without shedding of blood there is no forgivenesse of sin to be expected Obedience to the Law because short imperfect cannot effect it make man right and perfect But now by this one offering up of the body of christ once for all he hath perfected for ever those that are sanctified separated and set apart for God So that Messiah the Prince of our peace and the Authour of our eternal salvation being thus cut off by death hath confirmed the Covenant made between him and his Father having finished the satisfaction for transgression and made an end of the reign of sin by making reconciliation for iniquity and bringing in an everlasting righteousnesse To the end that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life So that now there is no condemnation to them that are by believing in Christ Jesus for the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath freed them from the Law of sin and death for this was the Covenant between Christ and the father that when he should have made his soul an offering for sin the pleasure of the Lord by him thereby fulfilled should take so good effect and so prosper under his hand that he should prolong his dayes and see a seed a holy seed he should see and enjoy that which his soul travelled for and should be satisfied for all his sufferings The reward whereof was this sc that by the knowledge of and faith in him who in that work was his Fathers righteous Servant he should justifie acquit many even as many as believe in him from all their sins by bearing the guilt and punishment of their iniquities in his body on the tree of the Crosse whereof assurance is given in that he raised him from the dead for it was impossible that he should be holden or detained by the grave who finished the work that his Father had given him to do viz. by suffering the heel of his humanity to be bruised by Sathan that to break the head and chief of all his designs which was to keep man captive for ever in his Kingdom of darknesse So that by suffering death Christ hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil And thereby delivered them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to Sathans tyranny and bondage And now though the Devil accuse lay sin to the charge of Gods Elect yet God himself doth and must justifie them And whosoever condemns 't is not much to be valued for it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again for he died for our sins and rose again for our justification having thus wrought the work of everlasting righteousnesse whereof the world may be clearly convinc'd to full satisfaction in that he is ascended unto his Father we see him no more for certainly had he not satisfied and made full payment and reconciliation he must have come again and died again yea again he must have been often offered up as the sacrifices under the Law were But his blood being the blood of God was of more worth value efficacy then the blood of all the sacrifices in the world And now having broken the prison dores of death and led Sathan who held us in captivity captive and openly triumphed over him on the Crosse he is now set down at the right hand of God in glory there to rule untill he hath subdued all his enemies not only to himself as then he had done but also to all his people there compleating his Priestly office by appearing in the presence of God and making intercession for them And by his Spirit as their king ruling in and over them untill the time of restitution and setting all things right when he shall gloriously come in great majesty to judge all men and to render to every one according to their deservings In the mean while a poor believer though in and of himself worthy of nothing but wrath and death hell may through that interest he hath in Christ by believing come boldly to God and plead that righteousness which is every way adequat and proportionate to divine justice And God in justice with all humble yet faithfull
make us all able wise vigilant faithfull and succesfull So prayes he who is The furtherer of thy faith and the helper of thy joy RA FARMER And now Reader having laid before thee this great mysterie of Godlinesse from the un-erring truth of the eternall word revealed in the scriptures I shall discover unto thee a great mysterie of ungodlinesse a mysteric of iniquity and of abhomination even that abhomination which maketh desolate destroyeth all Christian Religion from the writings and speakings in a generation of men called Quakers And here in â—he first place I shall communicate unto thee that which I confesse was the first ground of the discovere of this my sterie unto me and that you shall finde in a beok intitl'ed A Confession of Faith of the several Congregations or Churches of Christ in London which are commonly though unjustly as they say called Anabaptists Vnto which is added Hearts-bleedings for Professors abominations Or a faithfull generall Epistle from the same Churches Presented to all who have known the way of truth forewarning them to flee security and carelesse walking under the profession of the same discovering some of Satans wiles whereby also wanton persons and their ungodly wayes are disclaimed The fifth impression Which Book is signed in the name and by the appointment of the aforesaid severall Churches meeting in London By William Kiffen John Spilsberry and twelve more of them And these men I look upon as competent for this discovery for several reasons first in respect of their residence and habitations sc London a place where if any where all Religions Opinions Professions are to be found secondly the parties themselves sc the Anabaptists a sort of men in many things many of them neer of kin I charge no man in particular but generally they have bin a sort of people much given to Enthusiasmes and immediate Calls Revelations and apt to entertain fantastick dreams and fancies And concerning them I fully concurre with that precious Servant of Christ now in heaven Mr. Cuthbert Sidenham in an Epistle of his before his excellent Book concerning Infant-Baptism and singing of Psalms where speaking of the Opinion of Anabaptists denying Infants Baptism An opinion saith he which hath been alwayes ominous and of a powerfull strange influence accompanied with the most dangerous retinue of errors since the first Embryo of it was brought forth whether by a judgement of God or from its naturall or secret connexion with other principles of darknesse I will not determin Only God hath shewed some black Characters on it in every Nation where it hath prevailed though we cannot but say many Saints are innocently under the power of it Thus farre he Now these men therefore both in respect of the conveniency of the place but especially in the likelyhood of acquaintance and familiarity with this kind of people who mostly have been Members of their Congregations and have departed from them which may be one of the black works before spoken of these Anabaptists may have probablie plowed with their heyfer and so may best unfold their riddle and discover their ungodly Mysterie within their generall Epistle before mentioned after some little Preface they do in these words To all the Churches os God sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints with all that in every place professe the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours Beloved Brethren HAving these many years through the grace and free-mercy of our God been kept in the profession of the Name of Christ contained in the holy Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles and findding the exceeding benefit and comfort of walking with God in some measure suitable to what he hath made known unto us and well knowing that we are called to live in the last ages of the world wherein iniquity abounds and the love of many waxeth cold as likewise considering those peculiar times spoken of in 2 Tim. 3. 1. c. are come upon us wherein men who sometimes have made a large profession of God and godliness are turned aside to commit all manner of uncleanness with greedines having turned the grace of our Lord Jesus into lasciviousness calling darkness light and light darkness by meanes of whom the way of truth is evill spoken of and many poor souls through temptations ready to quit their professions and to be taken with their snares We thought it our duty to declare our utter dislike abhorring and detestation of all such evill persons and wayes who shall under pretence whatsoever plead for or practise any way of ungodlinesse And having been through the goodness of our God inabled to discern the secret and subtill designs and snares of Satan which he hath laid to entrap poor souls in by carrying them from step to step untill they have bin wholly captivated in his snares and fitted by him to do him service We could doe no lesse then according to that measure of light we have received from the Lord to discover his wiles and stratagems and to caution all that professe the feare of the Lord to watch over their own hearts and ways and to take heed lest they fall into the same condemnation For this we have found that that way which God in his infinite wisedome taketh to bring souls unto himself by viz. the presenting unto men his great love in giving Jesus Christ to suffer death and his great salvation to all that believe in his name Satan that old serpent through his instruments under the specious pretences of beating men off from all false rests endeavours with all his strength to oppose and make void perswading the sonnes and daughters of men that what is declared concerning the death of Christ at Jerusalem and his bearing our iniquities in his own body upon the Crosse is but a meer History and shadow the Scriptures are but a letter and the Ordinances of God but fleshly forms thereby labouring to beget in the peoples mindes a contempt and sleight esteem of Christ his Word and Ordinances and that he might cheat them to purpose tells them of a God within and a Christ within and a Word within and that God and Christ and they are one without any true distinct knowledge of the true meaning of that which is expressed whereby poor souls with great and swelling words of vanity triumph in a great mysterie of meer nothing but emptiness and confusion speaking things whereof they know not and many poor souls knowing such expressions to be Scripture phrases do greedily embrace them without a true distinct and clear understanding the sense of what is spoken having the persons of those who speak such language in great admiration as the chief tender charitable knowing high and spiritual Christians Whereas indeed although the words spoken by them are many of them true in themselves without which Satan could not so effectually deceive as that God and Christ and the Spirit dwell in us and that God and Christ and the Saints are