One is the Pope and his Clergy and who more erroneous The other is your selves even distracted with errour The Pope venteth abundance of falshoods in doctrine and corruptions in discipline and worship and with all these errors in his hands protesteth he is infallible The Quakers all that yet have wrote to me or spoke to me pour out the greatest abundance of most impudent Lies and spue their filthy railings in the faces of almost all they come near so that I know not whether ever the Sun saw a more hardened shamelesse abominable Generation then they with their brethren the Ranters are and yet with all this filth upon their lips they confidently professe that they are infallible and without sin You may well excuse us that we be not hasty in beleeving you till we see more reason for it Your 13th Qu. is What is Hels month that the wicked go in at c. I answer 1. You are liker to know ere long then I If a miracle of grace save you not you 'le be better able to answer this Query then yet your unbelief will give you leave 2. It sufficeth me to know that Hell is a state of endlesse misery where such as you shall everlastingly bear the effects of Gods wrath and justice with the devils and his Angels that now seduce you if timely recovery prevent it not Your 14th Qu. is Whether the Bible be the Word of God and Matthew Mark Luke and John be the Gospel and whether there were any Gospel before them and whether they be the light To which I answer 1. Only Jesus Christ is the co-essentiall co-eternal Word of the Father being one with the Father 2. But the holy Scriptures are the temporal expressed Word that is the signs of Gods minde to man so that Christ and the Scriptures are nor called the Word in the same sense no more then is the Word of a mans minde and the word of his mouth or pen This signifying word was preached before it was written and then was the Gospel but it was written after it was so preached at first that it might be a standing Rule and might be kept intire and sure to the Church to the worlds end For the bare memories of men would not have kept them for us with such certainty as they have been kept in Scripture and delivered unto us This Word therefore is the light but not as Christ is the light or as the Spirit is the light for there are many lights that must concurre to give us light It is a wise Question of him that shall ask Whether the light by which a man sees be the visive faculty of his eyes or the light of a Candle or the light in the air or the Sun Why it may be all these There must be 1. A Sun 2. A light from that Sun in the air 3. An inward light in the eyes 4. And that outward received by the inward before you can see So God in Christ is the Sun Mans Reason is the Eye The Gospel or Word of God is the external Light flowing to us from the Sun The Spirit closeth these two together even the Gospel and our Reason and by its powerful work in that closure breedeth a special illumination in the soul which the Word alone could not produce I shall adde some Queries to you 1. Do you beleeve the Scriptures to be true or not If you do then you must beleeve what they say of themselves But they call themselves the Word of God Mar. 7. 13. Rom. 10. 8. 2 Cor. 2. 17. 4. 2. 1 Thes. 4. 15. 1 Pet. 1. 25. And often they are called the Laws of God his Testimonies his Statutes his Precepts his Promises Gospel Covenants c. All Scripture is written by divine Inspiration 2 Tim. 3. 16. The word of Prophecy is a sure Word 2 Pet. 1. 19. 2. Will you give us leave to smell the Pope in your endeavours to disgrace the Scriptures though your own Noses be stopt For we have been used to deal with him at this weapon and know that this is the main point of his New Religion Your 15th Qu. is Whether we own Revelations or no Ans. I own all divine Revelations and disown all diabolicall ones so farre as I know them I own all those blessed Revelations contained in the holy Scriptures for they were infallibly sealed by multitudes of uncontrolled miracles and a spirit of holinesse I believe that the Scriptures or Laws of Christ being finished and sealed we must hold these till the coming of Christ 1 Tim. 6. 13 14. and that Christ will be with the Preachers of this same doctrine to the end of the world Mat. 28. 20 21. and that these are able to make men wise to salvation without any more additions and therefore no more is to be expected But yet I beleeve 1. That God hath not tied himself from revealing particular matters in subservierty to Scripture extraordinarily as divers murders have been revealed and the like matters of fact 2. And I beleeve that all true Christians have the illuminating sanctifying Spirit of Christ to help them to know all the meaning of the Scripture which is of flat necessity to salvation and more according to their several measures of the Spirit with other helps Your 16. Qu. is about Singing Davids Psalms To which I say Till you have considered what is already written on that Question by Mr Cotton and Mr Foard I know not why I should adde any more If all Scripture be written for our use and learning why may not we speak to God in the words of Davids Psalms as well as any other Scripture Tell me if you can And further Qu. 2. They being used by the Church till the Apostles times where do you finde that they did ever forbid or abolish that use Qu. 3. Whether is it more lawful for us to speak Gods praises in the words of holy Scripture and particularly of Davids Psalms or for you to rake together all the threatnings and sharp reproofs in Scripture to serve your turn to rail and slander me with Your 17. Qu. is What 's the soul of man which the Ministers of the Gospel are to watch for as they that must give an account to God and what is it that captivates the soul and what death is it that hath passed over all c. and what is the Serpents head that must be bruised Ans. Seeing I am fallen under your Catechizing I will readily obey 1. The soul is that spiritual substance which causeth by its lower power your life growth and nourishment by its next power your feeling and by its highest power proper to man of all inferiour Creatures your Reasoning Intellective knowledge and rationall willing and affections which together with the Body constituteth the whole man Supposing that you look not for a Definition because you so abhorre Logick I think this in brief may serve your turns 2. The whole man is oft called the
such Relations or honour or respect But if you were not hypocrites you would plainly speak this out and then people would better understand you when you tail as Ministers for-being called Masters But for the sake of those among you that are not past recovery I will tell you that which it seemeth you know not The Pharisees had their severall Schools Sects as the Philosohpers had and every one gloried in his Disciples and those Disciples in their own Sect-masters One cried up such a man and another such a man insomuch as sometimes the followers of these several Sect-masters would fall together by the ears and kill each other in the Temple and in the streets while they contended for their Masters honours And look what faith the Master was of the Scholars must all be of his faith They must take their belief on trust from him These leading men that were the Masters of their Schools and sects whom none must contradict were called by the Jews Rabbi's and Fathers as the Papists now call their Bishop The Pope which signifieth A Father because as children must be wholly ruled by the Fathers so would the Pharisees have their Disciples to be by them be the matter right or wrong Just thus do the Papists require that the people beleeve as the Church beleeves that is the Pope and his Consistory whatever it be and tell us that they are infallible as being guided by the infallible Spirit and therefore we must believe them by an implicit faith Now the Lord Jesus meeteth with these Pharisees and commandeth his disciples That they call no man on earth Father or Rabbi or Master as the Pharisees were called that is To have no such absolute Master of your Religion or Lord of your faith because we have all one such Absolute Father which is God and one such absolute Master which is Christ This is the very same thing that Paul meant when he chides them for saying I am of Paul and I am of Apollo as if Christ were divided or Paul had been crucified for them 1 Cor. 1. 13. And it 's the same thing that Peter means 1 Pet. 5. 1 2 3. where he giveth Ministers the honourable Title of Elders and Overseers and Pastors and bids them oversee and feed the flock of God but yet forbids them doing it as Lords over Gods heritage because the heritage is Gods and Christ is the chief Shepherd Paul cals a Bishop the Steward of God Tit. 1. 7. One that must rule the Church 1 Tim. 1. 4 5. and 5. 17. and saith He that desires the Office of a Bishop desires a good work 1 Tim. 3. 1. But yet he would not have them taken for absolute Masters of Christs School but as Christs ushers and as Stewards in his House Let a man so account of us as the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God 1 Cor. 4. 1. neither more nor lesse There are divers words in the Greek tongue which the Gospel was wrote in which we translate by one word Master but if our language be more scarce of words then the Greek it doth not follow that Christs words are all one The word here used in Matthew is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and elsewhere {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which is as much as the chief Leader of the way or the Sect-master What if this be forbidden is all Mastership therefore forbidden because this one is The word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} is translated Master too and sometime a Teacher I pray you consider here your most ignorant and sottish dealing The Gospel was not written by the Apostles in English but in Greek Because one word signifieth a Teacher and a Master such as a Schoolmaster is and our Translators sometime translate it a Teacher and sometime a Master you impudently cry out that one of them is not Scripture and yet yield that the other is When in the Greek they are the same word as you may see it used in Eph. 4. 11. Luk. 2. 46. 1 Tim. 2. 7. 2 Tim. 1. 11. Acts 13. 1. 1 Cor. 12. 28. Mat. 10. 24. Luk. 6. 40. Heb. 5. 12. Iam. 3. 1. In all which places the holy Ghost useth the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} though we English it sometime Masters sometime Teachers and sometime Doctors yet it is all one word in the language that the Scripture was written in and therefore Scripture alloweth one as much as another And if you will stick to the English you may finde the word Master used oft enough And if it be lawfull for another man why not for a Minister Tit. 2. 9. 1 Pet. 2 18. 1 Tim. 6. 1 2. Col. 3. 22. and 4. 1. Eph. 6. 5 9. Though the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} signifieth such a Mastership as Ministers of Christ will not own as Ministers though over their hired Servants they may own it It may be you think Paul crossed Christs rule and was a false Prophet because he cals himself a wise Master-builder 1 Cor. 3. 10. Or do you think that the holy Ghost did erre when he called Teachers The Masters of the Assemblies Eccl. 12. 11. That the Spirit is no enemy to Titles of honour you may see in 1 Pet. 3. 6. where Sarah is commended for obeying Abraham and calling him Lord And Act. 26. 25. Paul calleth Festus Most Noble Festus and calleth Agrippa King Agrippa Act. 26. 2 26 27. And Rom. 12. 10. We are commanded In honour to prefer one another So that it 's one mans duty to give those Titles which another may not ambitiously seek For my part I will gladly make this agreement with you I will never wish any man to call me Master nor be displeased with any that doth not on that account if this will satisfie you But then I confesse I dare not condemn them that use so much civility or respect because Gods Word is of more esteem with me then your most confident fancies and reproaches By this time me thinks I may well take leave to salute you with this Query Whether that man be not void of the fear of God and given over to a seared Conscience that dare go up and down to rail against the most faithfull and painfull Ministers of Christ whom they are not able to charge with any crime but humane frailties and that because they are called Masters and all this upon meer sottish ignorance of the Scripture that so commonly useth and alloweth the Title All that I could get to all this from your Prater Tho. Goodier that was here was but this I deny thy Greek and Hebrew if the Scripture be truly translated which is but to say I deny the words of Christ and the Apostles For â—â—e translating there are many words in the Original Language which have not so many and apt in English to expresse them by Translating excludeth not the necessity of explicating And
almost only of This Inward Light In which I perceived 1. That you falsly intimate that we deny the necessity of an inward light when as we maintain that the external light of the Word alone is not sufficient without the inward light of the Spirit 2. You there intimate to us a supposed sufficiency of the inward light that every man in the world hath Concerning which I shall say more anon and now only demand of you 1. Whether you mean it is sufficient to leave men without excuse That we maintain as well as you or is every mans light sufficient to his salvation If so Q. 2. Was it sufficient before Christ preached the Gospel and sent his Apostles Or is it now sufficient to all that never heard the Gospel If so Is not the Gospel a vain and needlesse thing or are you Christians that dare so affirm Q. 3. If the world have sufficient light what need they your teaching or discourse or conviction Q. 4. If all have sufficient light within them what need there any converting grace Q. 5. Then why did Christ send Paul to open mens eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light if they had sufficient light before Act. 26. 18. Q 6. I pray you do not disdain to tell me when you have rub'd your eyes if all men have sufficient light within them Why you got up into the Judgement seat and pronounced me so oft to be in darknesse and to be void of the light and to have none of the Spirit If all have it why may not I have it But let me tell you further in your ear that we that you so frantickly bawl against have read Bellarmine and other Papists so oft that we cannot be ignorant who are your Teachers though your selves are ignorant We know how earnestly the Jesuites would perswade us that there is a light in every mans conscience which if he improve and husband well God is bound to give such additions as shall make it become saving and that by the good use of natural light men may certainly get supernatural and that it is in mens own power what light soever they have to improve it to salvation Your 11th Query is Whether we have seen Gods face Ans. Whether these be Learning or Teaching or quarrelling or doting Questions I leave to your consideration but what Call you had to propound them to such Serpents Dogs and Children of the devil as you call us I know not But however I 'le answer you truly 1. By the eye of reason I have seen that there is a God and that he is infinite incomprehensible most great and most good c. 2. The same I have seen more cleerly by the eyes of faith 3. But I never saw God by the eye of flesh for none can so see God and live Nor hath any man seen God at any time saving the only begotten Son who is in the bosome of his Father he hath declared him 4. Nor have I seen him in glory intuitively or as the glorified in heaven do If you say you have seen more I shall not be very forward to beleeve you till I see better fruits of it I also therefore demand of you Whether he that hath seen God do not abhor himself as Iob did in dust and ashes and whether the true knowledge of God do not ever abase the soul and make a man very mean in his own eyes And then is it likely that ever those men had the true knowledge of God who make it their businesse to exalt themselves as having the Spirit and beign perfect without sin and to revile and bedung other men with their reproaches as being all the Children of the devil and of darknesse that be not of their strain and rave not as they do The Pharisee that thanked God he was not as other men nor as the Publicane spoke humbly and modestly in comparison of you and yet was he counted a proud self-justifier If ever you come to the least saving sight of God it will mightily change the proud strain of your spirits and make you abhor the thoughts of your present evil waies Your 12. Query is Whether we have the same infallible Spirit as the holy men of God had that spoke forth the Scriptures Ans. Why must you know this Are all Dogs and Serpents with you that have not that Infallible Spirit But we hear the croakings of your Papist guides in that word Infallible that's the pillar of their Kingdom and the master-point of their New Religion That their Church is infallible For denying which Knot the Jesuite against Chillingworth and a late â—otable gawdy Orator S. W. against Dr Hammond and others of them would fain perswade us that we subvert Christianity and are little better then Infidels because we are not Infallible But I will answer you and your Masters together in a word 1. The Prophets and Apostles had infallible Inspirations of new matters of divine verity not before revealed because they were to be Gods penmen and Messengers of such New Revelations I have none such that I know of 2. The Prophets and Apostles were guided infallibly in the manner as well as the matter so that every word that they wrote to the Churches was infallibly true I have no such Infallibility nor your Grandfather the Pope neither He may erre while he pretendeth to the greatest Infallibility in deciding Controversies 3. What man soever he be in the world that beleeves any Truth he doth infallibly believe it For he that is in the right is not deceived so far and he that is not mistaken is so farre infallible which is no more then non fallitur 4. But if by Infallibility you should mean the clearnesse and subjective Certainty as distinct from the objective and the bare truth of our conceptions then I say that 's another thing then Infallibility and not to be so called and of that Certainty men have different degrees All true Christians are certain of their Fundamentals yet sometime with some doubting so that they may finde cause to say with the Apostles Lord Increase our Faith or We beleeve help thou our unbelief But in lesser controverted Points which Salvation dependeth not on the best man on earth may erre much more be uncertain So that in a word Every Church in sensu composite while a Church is infallible in the essentials of Christianity and so is every true Christian And also they know infallibly every other truth that indeed they know because Truth is Truth whether they know it or not and when they do know it they are not deceived But in many things we all erre because we know but in part and so farre are deceived Well I say still Fair fall the honest humble Christian that will confesse with Paul that we know but in part For I shall never like pretenders to un-erring Infallibility more I know but two such pretenders and they are both the most abominable deceivers and deceived
soul in Scripture because the soul is the most noble part of him 3. I pray mark the Text that you alledge Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that rule over you for they watch for your souls as those that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Because you have put this Text into my hand I will mix my Answer with these few Queries to you For I suppose you expect no great exactnesse of order from me Qu. 1. Whether many words in Scripture translated Masters {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. be not of as low and humble an importance as Rulers And therefore seeing God calleth Ministers the Rulers of the Church are they not so far Masters as the word Master signifieth a Guide or Teacher And why else are they oft called Teachers Qu. 2. If God bid the people obey them as Rulers and the Quakers perswade them to abhorre and reject them as dogs Serpents and Sons of perdition which is to be obeyed God or the Quakers and whether is it the Spirit of God or of the devil and Antichrist that the Quakers speak by Qu. 3. Is it the Ministers or the Quakers that watch for the good of souls and have the rule over them Q. 4. If the present Pastors of the Churches be not true Ministers speak out and tell us who are and where we shall finde them and where they have been from Christs time till now Or whether Christ hath been so carelesse of his Church and so unfaithfull of his promise as to leave his Church without Pastors from the Apostles daies till now And to leave all the world without true Pastors even till now except the Congregations of the Quakers in England Q 5. According to this Text whether will it be to the peoples profit or disprofit to despise and discourage their teachers and guides and make them do their office with sighing and grief and will they have in the end a better bargain of it to hearken to their Rulers or to the despisers of them Consider well of these things 4. I proceed in my Answer to your Qu. That which hath captivated your souls is the devil by sin The understanding by blindenesse and errour your hearts by pride and hardnesse your wils by transporting passions and perversenesse and so your lives by open wickednesse Imitating your Leader and going up and down like raging beasts night and day seeking whom you may deceive and devour And against all your rage it is our duty to wait patiently in meeknesse instructing such as oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2. 24 25 26. 5. The Death that passed on all is The Separation of the foul from the body and of Gods special favour or grace from both and the guilt of everlasting misery for sin 6. The Serpents head is the Devils power and policy when such as you are vanquished by the light and your folly made known to all and when the Kingdom of Satan in sin and darknesse is overthrown then his head is bruised as Christ in his own person gave it the great bruise on earth in the vanquishing of Satans temptations in the perfect holinesse of his life in his Miracles casting out devils and in his triumphant death and Resurrection and afterward in the successe of his doctrine Your 18. Qu. is What is the flaming Sword that keeps the Tree of life and what the Cherubims Ans. 2 Tim. 2. 2. But foolish and unlearned Questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes and the Servant of the Lord must not strive You intrude into those things which you have not seen vainly puft up by your fleshly minde Col. 2. 18. It shall suffice me to know that the flaming sword is Gods terrible restraint and the Cherubims are Angelical Executioners of his will Wisedom hath two Gates the Gate of Grace and the Gate of Glory These things are seen by faith now and by intuitive intellection in the life to come Your 19. Qu. is Whether they that stand praying in the Synagogues or Idols Temples and love greetings in the markets and bindes heavy burthens on the people and are called of men Master be not out of Christs Doctrine Ans. Because this is all that you go about to prove me a false Prophet by I shall say the more to your satisfaction 1. If our Temples be Christs Temples do they not blasphemously make Christ an Idoll that call them Idols Temples 2. If you are not wilfully blinde you may perceive that it is not all the external actions mentioned Mat. 23. that Christ condemneth but the pride and hypocrisie which the Pharisees manifested in them Mark first that he bids men even hear the hypocriticall Scribes and Pharisees and observe and do what they bid men observe and do because they sate in Moses chair It is not therefore all the faults there charged on them that will acquit men from observation of their doctrine Is this agreeable to your practise who damn men that despise not and reject not Christs most upright and faithful Ministers Their sin is laid down in the 5ht verse All their works they do to be seen of men Prove this of us if you can Because they were proud They loved the uppermost rooms at Feasts and chief seats in the Synagogues Prove this by us if you can I had rather have a lower room at a Feast then a higher and ordinarily rather none then either I use not the chief Seats in Synagogues I sit in the midst of the Assembly and so I may conveniently be heard when I am to speak I care not where I stand Greetings in the market-place when did I desire Or to be called Rabbi But I pray you mark that it is not using but loving the uppermost rooms that Christ condemneth else no man must sit uppermost and then we must have none but round Tables or not fit at all So consequently it is not being called Rabbi or Master that Christ intendeth but a proud desire of and love to those Titles As a man may accept of the highest room for Order that loveth it not in Pride so may he accept of the Title of Master from those that owe him respect though he love it not in pride Besides I pray you note that Christ forbiddeth the Name of Master no further then he forbiddeth the Name of Father vers 9. Call no man your Father upon earth And yet do you not know how oft the word Father is owned in Scripture and children commanded to love and obey their Fathers and honour them I know the highest of your Sect do forbid the owning of any such Relations or Names as Fathers Children Husband Wife Master Servant Magistrate Subject and they forbid all affections to
36 37 38. But I pray you if an hourglasse be unlawful tell us whether a Clock be lawful or a Diall or a Watch or whether it be lawful to observe by the Sun how the time passeth and why one is more unlawful then another But your Prater told me it was a limiting of the Spirit of God As if I cannot limit my self and not limit the Spirit Or as if the Spirit excluded Reason and Prudence and set a mans tongue a going so that he cannot stop it Did the Apostles stint the Spirit because they appointed their meetings on the Lords Day and did not stay two or three daies together why then may not we resolve upon an hour as well as they did on a day For one is limiting as well as the other I think if I had your Spirit to liquor my tongue I should be angry at the hourglasse and preach the people of out the place And for a Text 1. Know you not that Christ himself took a Text Luk. 4. and applied it Know you not that it was then the common practice of the Church to reade expound and apply the Scriptures as Ezra did Know you not that there is Doctrine Reason and Use in all the Sermons and Epistles of the Apostles Know you not that we are commanded rightly to divide the Word of Truth as workmen that need not be ashamed and to study thereto 2 Tim. 2. 15. Ah wretched souls that dare so blindely cavill with the work of God For what you say of a carnall Bell it is like the rest which I before answered not fit for the mouth of a reasonable creature to have mentioned But I must tell you that our Bels are not carnall if they were they would scarce sound so well or last so long If your meaning be that you would have us baptize our Bels to make them spirituall as your ghostly Fathers of Rome do we will keep our carnall Bels till we know more reason for that practice The 23. Qu. is this Whether are not they that bear rule by their means and seeks for their gain from their quarter and seeks for the sleece and makes a prey upon the people and are hirelings be not false Prophets yea or nay and whether such be not to be cried out against now as they were then Answ. To this I have sufficiently answered already to your Brethren in my other book Only let me tell you 1. It is a most certain thing that God allowed the Priests the Tythes and much more when he thus cried out against them Dare you deny that If you dare not confesse then that it was not the meer taking of Tyches that caused God so to rebuke them Reade but Mal. 2d the 3d without Spectacles and then judge It 's most evident then that the thing that God condemneth was not taking Tythes but covetous greedy desires after gain and neglecting the good of souls and the work of God And are not we as willing to cast such out as you are to reproach them Whether we seek theirs or them and whether we are not willing to spend and be spent for the salvation of our people we must be tried by a more righteous Judge then you Your 23. Qu. is Whether do you own trembling and quaking which the Scripture witnesseth Ans. I own the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisedom and think him blessed that feareth alwaies and that he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief But I think that the great Quaking that was in the Army of the Philistines was no vertue or blessing to them nor any sign of God among them 1 Sam. 14. 15. And I think that Perfect love costeth out fear and that those shakings and quakings that come not from the humble sence of sin or Judgement or the like but in violent motions of the body affectedly are either Papisticall tricks of deceit or effects of Phantastical conceit or the motions of the great deceiver within you I read of it as one of Gods curses that The Lord should give them a trembling heart Deut. 28. 65. And I am of opinion that the curse is fallen upon you which is written Psa. 69. 23. Let their eyes be darkened that they see not and make their loins continually to shake Gods Kingdom is Righteousnesse Peace and Joy in the holy Ghost Your 24. and last Qu. is Whether do you say you shall be free from the body of sin while you are on the earth and whether shall any be perfect yea or nay Ans. I beleeve that all true Converts are free from the dominion of sinne but not from the remnants of it And that our grace is of a perfect kinde as a small Candle is of a perfect kinde of fire which yet will not enlighten all the Town or House nor scatter away all the darknesse as the Sun will do I beleeve also that in the instant of death when we part with the flesh we part with all the remnants of sinne And for the Doctrine of personal sinlesse perfection here I beleeve the devil the greatest sinner bred it the Pharisee received the foretastes and preparatives to it the Hereticks and Papists first entertained and cherished it Christ detesteth it and never man that knew himself or had one spark of true grace and Christian experience did to this day heartily believe it of himself And I think that it is a part of the Papists dung which they have taught you to feed upon Christs Kingdom is an Hospitall he hath no Subjects in it but diseased ones The Fathers Kingdom before had perfect Subjects and so shall it have again when Christ hath perfected us For when he hath perfected us by healing all our diseases and subduing all our enemies even the last Enemy Death at the Resurrection then will he give up the Kingdom to the Father But now In many things we offend all Jam. 3. 2. and there is no man on earth that doth good and sinneth not And if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us therefore the truth is not in you Quakers I conclude my Answer with this Question to you If you think you are perfect without sin whether do you also think that you are already in Heaven or perfect glory For what can keep the soul from the perfect enjoyment of God but sinne And to enjoy God perfectly is to be glorified perfectly But I forgot that your Brethren think Heaven and hell is only within men Perhaps you look for no more Heaven then you have And I wonder not at it For if you did in the way you are in you are no more likely ever to finde it then Darknesse is to have communion with light or Belial with Christ The Lord give Repentance unto life to those of you that have not sinned unto death and shew you another Heaven before you are out of reach of it and a further Hell before you are
in it Though I look for no thanks from you for my charitable desires yet you shall have them whether you will or not HAving been at this labour at your command to answer your Queries may I not in reason expect that you should answer some of mine which I do but request and not command But I desire of you that you will not put me by with Gumblestool Rhetorick in stead of Answers but speak considerately truly and to the Point in question I mean first that you will answer all those Queries which I have before put to you among my Answers to yours and then that you will answer also these twenty Queries following Qu. 1. Are they not the very same Ministers which you rail at and which all the Drunkards Swearers Whoremongers and sensuall wretches in the Countrey do hate and rail at as well as you Are you not then on their side and possest with the same Spirit They despise the Preachers of the Gospel and would have them down and so would you even the very fame men as they would When they had opportunity they raged against them with Swords and so do you with filthy tongues Would not all the covetous malignant ungodly Enemies of Piety have Tythes down as well as you What think you I can witnesse it of most of my acquaintance that are such Moreover were they not the same sort of Ministers which the late Bishops silenced suspended and otherwise troubled and which you revile at Is it not then the same Spirit by which you and all these were or are acted Consider and judge Qu. 2. Whether it be not the same Spirit which moveth in you and in the Papists When the Papists say that we are no true Ministers of Christ but deceivers and teach the Divination of our own brain and delude souls and so say you The Papists say Our Congregations are no true Churches who own us as their Pastors and so say the Quakers The Papists know that the great thing that must be done before they can feduce the people among us is first to make them despise and reject their Teachers and therefore they bend all their wits and endeavours to vilifie them and draw the hearts of the people from them And so do the Quakers The Papists main errour lieth in the contempt of the Scriptures They say they will not take it for the Word of God but on the authority of the Church and that it is but part of his word The Quakers say It is not the Word of God The Papists say It is but a dead Letter and so do the Quakers The Papists say It is not fit to be the Judge of Controversies and so say the Quakers The Papists preferre the Vulgar Translation before the same words in Hebrew and Greek which the Spirit did indite the Scriptures in and so do the Quakers in English Could the Papists but get down the Regulating Authority of Scripture they would think they had won the Field For they will not endure that all Spirits should be tried by the written word no more will the Quakers The Papists maintain mans Free-will hath power before conversion to repent and believe and turn to God and that it is not only the fruit of the Spirit in the Elect and so do the Quakers The Papists tell men of the sufficiency of the common-light that is within them and so do the Quakers The Papists say that a man may be perfect without sin in this life and may fulfill all Gods Commandments and so do the Quakers The Papists make this their perfection to lie in casting off worldly callings Emploiments Relations after the flesh and propriety as their Nuns Monks and Hermites do yea and in casting off their old names as their Pope doth when he is made Pope And so do many of the Quakers and much worse as I have seen in Papers under their own hands The Papists place their Righteousnesse in their own works and perfection while they slieght the imputed Righteousnesse of Christ and so do the Quakers The Papists place this Righteousnesse of their own Pharisaically in externals and things that have a shew of wisedom and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh as Touch not taste not handle not which all are to perish with the using Col. 2. 18 20 23. so do the Quakers in stead of preaching the Righteousnesse of Christ call out for a formal Righteousnesse and perfection of our own consisting in such things as these following to wit that we wear no Points nor Cuffs nor Lace nor any such like that we preach on the lower places and not as Ezra did in a Pulpit that we use not an hourglasse to discern how the time passeth whether a Clock or Watch be as dangerous I know not That we say Thou and not You to him we speak to when the word that Christ used signifieth You as well as Thou That we call not men Masters or women Mistresses when the Scripture frequently useth and alloweth it and much more though Christ forbid us to have any Sect-Masters or Masters of our Faiths In such like as these doth the Quakers Righteousnesse lie while they are ignorant of Christs Righteousnesse And just is it with God that they who set up their own righteousnesse against Christs should be given up to that hellish delusion as to take the most Satanical slanders lies heresies and railings to be their Righteousnesse Were it not tedious and not much necessary I could shew in many more particulars how the Papists and Quakets do so conspire that we may well know whence their doctrines and delusions came Qu. 3. Whether there were ever greater Monsters of Ingratitude upon the face of the earth then these are who set their hearts and tongues against those Ministers of Christ that lay out themselves for the saving of souls through all the scorns and opposition of all sorts of wicked men with whom these wretches joyn against them Yea and make their very study and labour their crime when it were much easier for us to preach without study and that I hope with somewhat more truth sense and order then they that so boast of the Spirit Qu. 4. Were not those faithful Servants of God that suffered Martyrdom under Heathen and Arian Persecutors just such Ministers as these men do now vilifie or wherein was the difference And do not these wretches justifie their murderers Qu. 5. Are not the Ministers whom these men despise of the same calling and practice as those were that suffered death in the Flames in Q. Maries daies Such as Bradford Hooper Latimer Ridly Cranmer Saunders Philpot and the rest Were not these called Masters Did they not preach in Pulpits and take Tythes or money for preaching as their due maintenance and the other things that the Quakers accuse us for And do not these men justifie the bloudy opposers of them and condemn Gods Saints afresh Qu. 6.
Whether ever the earth bore men that did more proudly despise others in comparison of themselves and whether their language savour of the Spirit of the Lamb of God Or can he have any taste of that Spirit of Christ in himself that doth not even feel that their proud and railing language is of the devil Qu. 7. Was there ever a generation known on the earth that did more arrogantly step up into the Throne of God and censure his Servants whose faces they never saw and whom they can charge with nothing but being Preachers of the Gospel and that in a Pulpit having an hourglasse taking Tythes c. to be Ministers of the devil sons of perdition with much of the like Though Christ hath said Iudge not that ye be not judged and who art thou that judgest another mans Servant To his own Master he stands or fals Qu. 8. Was there ever a Generation of men on whom the Image of the devil was more visible then on these He is the Prince of darknesse pride and malice And the depth of Ignorance and height of pride and malice breaks out so abundantly in their carriage and discourse that all not utterly blinded may see it It is the work of the devil to be the Accuser of the Brethren and so it is the very Religion and businesse of these wretches to accuse Ministers and godly people to be hypocrites Liars children of the devil Serpents Vipers with much the like Qu. 9 Is it no kin to the blaspheming of the holy Ghost for such wretches when they have powred out the most horrid lies slanders Railings and false doctrines to professe solemnly that all this is from the Spirit of Christ within them and make God and his holy Spirit the Author and Patron of all Qu. 10. Can that man that hath one spark of grace believe that he hath no sin Can he have so little knowledge of himself And consequently of the need he hath of the Physician Dare you say to Christ we will not be beholden to thee for thy bloud to wash us any more or to thy Intercession to pard on us any more Do you not believe that In many things we offend all Jam. 3. 2. If we say that we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to clense us from all unrighteousnesse If we say that we have not sinned we make hem a lyar and his Word is not in us 1 Joh. 1. 8 9. 10. Are not all Christs Disciples taught daily to pray Forgive us our trespasses For my part I am one that is sick and have need of the Physician and dare not tell God that I will ask him pardon for no more sins nor be beholden to him for any more But O what a power hath the deceiver with these wretches that in the midst of their horrid railing flandring and other wickednesse will stand to it that they have no sin Just like the Swearer that will swear he never swore an Oath Or the Drunkard that will swear he was never drunk when he lieth drunk in the Channell Solomon saith There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles. 7. 20. and these Quakers that Pharisaically and Papistically justifie themselves do give him the Lie Qu. 11. Whether those that deny Scripture to be Gods Word as these Quakers do and deny that there is any such Person as Jesus Christ who suffered at Ierusalem now glorified in heaven in the humane nature and only call somewhat within themselves by the Name of Christ I say whether these are not abominable Infidels having nothing to do with the name of Christians Q. 12. Is it not damnable Hypocrisie in these wretches to prate so much of Scripture and call for Scripture while they thus deny it to be Gods Word Qu. 13. Is it not damnable hypocrisie in them to call themselves Christians when they are Infidels and deny the person of Jesus Christ crucified to be in heaven Qu. 14. Is not he a Pagan and no Christian that thinks that the light which is in all the Indians Americans and other Pagans on earth is sufficient without Scripture Qu. 15. Was that light in Paul which perswaded him that he ought to do many things against the name of Jesus sufficient to convert him to the Faith of Jesus Or did Christ give him needlesly a light from heaven and by Ananias his doctrine Oâ— had Conâ—lius sufficient light within him before Peter preached to him Or had all the world sufficient light within them before Christ sent abroad his Apostles to preach the Gospel to them Or did Christ send them a needlesse light by his Apostles Have those Persecutors sufficient light within them to cause them to believe in Christ who think they do God service in killing or reproaching his Ministers and people Qu. 16. If all have sufficient light within them what need you go up and down to teach or perswade them Is it needless light that you bring then or is iâ— hellish darknesse Qu. 17. Is it not a most sottish trick of you to go up and down prating and commanding and yet refuse to shew your Commission from God And to call Ministers to shew theirs and refuse to shew your own but say it is invisible within you are you so mad as to expect any should belive an invisible and indemonstrable Commssion And might not we as well tell you ours is invisible but that indeeed it is not Or should we beleeve every one that prates of a Commission within him or no If not why should we belive you more then others that say the like Qu. 18. Seeing you cry down our Ministry and Churches tell us which is the true Ministry and Church and when yours begun and where it hath been since Christs abode on earth till now Speak plainly and let us know whether you are indeed Papists or Pagans Qu. 19. Is not that man an Infidell and a Scorner of Christ that date say he came into the world and shed his bloud to gather onely a few raging Quakers in England 1652 years after his Incarnation If Christ have no Subjects but these he is a poor King If Christ have been till now without Subjects he was no King If without a Body he was no Head If without a spouse he was no Husband Therefore shew us what Church Christ hath had or confesse your selves Infidels Qu. 20. Did not the Spirit of the Quakers speak in Num. 16. 3. just as you do now against Magistrates and Ministers And is not God very patient that causeth not the earth to open and swallow you up quick as it did them Do you understand that the Simonians or Disciples of Simon Magus and the Nicolaitans whose doctrine and deeds Christ hateth Rev. 2. and other Gnostick Hereticks in the Apostles daies did deal by them and the Church then as you do by us now and that the second Epistle of Peter the Epistle of Iude much of 1 Iohn and 2 Iohn were written purposly against them besides many other Scriptures And have you well considered those Scriptures and applied them to your selves When you have answered these Questions I require you to have no more to do with me nor any of this Church For we renounce you as Hereticks after a first and second Admonition aâ—d will have no fellowship with such self-condemned persons nor receive you into our houses or bid you God speed lest we partake of your wicked deeds Tit. 3. 10. 2 Ioh. 10 11. Kederminster March 28. 1655. Richard Baxter FINIS