Cavil against Mr. Tross The World created long before the Son of God became Man or was actually Jesus Christ Scriptures wrested c. THE Wise Man saith Prov. 3.30 Strive not with a man without cause if he have done thee no harm and Prov. 25.8 Go not forth hastily to strive lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof when thy Neighbour hath put thee to shame Had Joseph Nott learnt this Lesson and held his peace he had better consulted his Credit and his Quiet But some People will be meddling tho' to their cost 'T is like some Spirit mov'd him but as to its Region Quality and Complexion albus an ater 't is left to the Reader 's conjecture When a furious Storm is rais'd on a sudden the Prince of the Power of the Air is thought to be going a Procession When a Fire breaks out no body knows how and threatens to consume whatever stands in its way we condemn some unseen Boutefeu To see a man that had no provocation act like a fury ranting and raving quarrelling and contending with those who had nothing to do with him makes all sober People conclude that he hath some invisible Driver But besides the External Mover it seems his very Complexion led him on Choler no doubt is his predominant Humor and he is as one said of a Goose Animal pugnacissimum Hence it was that he sent abroad his Challenges in Gospel Truths Scripturally asserted p. 6. lin 6. and in p. 23. Where is a Challenge to Mr. Hallet and all the Presbyterian Preachers in the World to Answer Joseph Nott and John Gannacliff And because neither Mr. Hallet nor any body else accepted that Challenge he hath a mind to pick a quarrel with Mr. Tross So have I seen a little contentious Cur breath forth Threats and Challenges against a generous Racer until a disdainful kick hath cool'd his Courage and sent him back howling But before he thinks fit to threaten he fawns and flatters for thus he begins J. N. We generally profess that we do believe that the Holy Scriptures were written for our Learning that is Episcalian 1 Presbyterian Independent 2 Anabaptist and Quakers c. And that we ought to prove our Doctrine and Principles by them And we also do say That if any Man do hold or endeavour to prove any Doctrine or Principle that is contrary to the Holy Scripture that we ought not to believe them 3 altho they never so Orthodoxly so called or subtâ—â— endeavours to prove their Assertion 4. Passing by the false spelling in the words mark'd 1 and 2 the false Concord in 3 them for him and the Non-sense in the two last Clauses we may observe how rudely our Paltry Author intrudes into the company of those who never sent for him He crowds himself and his Brethren the Quakers in among Protestants tho' I am persuaded they will no more own this Upstart Sect than Joseph Nott owns the Scriptures to be the only Rule of Faith and Life Yet to curry favour with them he pretends to commend the Word of God but does it after such a scurvy rate as doth sufficiently discover his kindness to it Tho' he Sacrifices it to his ador'd Light within yet he fawns upon it just as the Crocodile that weeps over his Prey his Tears being a sort of formal Grace before his intended Feast The meaning of his words seems to be this We Quakers c. i. e. Ranters Seekers Familists Adamites Muggletonians and the like do generally not universally profess to believe not without a reserve that the Scriptures are written for our Learning as was Cambden's Britannia and †Nickram'd by J.N. Verstgan pag. 8. line 21. Verstegan's Antiquities And that we ought to prove our Doctrine and Principles by them stretching and wresting them if they will not otherwise serve our turn And we also do say that we ought not to believe any Doctrine or Principle contrary to the Scriptures as expounded by our infallible Light by the help of which we make a Lesbian Rule or Nose of Wax of them and bring them to speak what we would have them That this is the meaning of this insipid Advocate for the Holy Scriptures is plain not only from what I have formerly Remark'd in the Preface where he scoffs at those who profess the Scripture to be the only Rule of Faith c. and would fain send his Reader to the Light within for Direction but much more from his Book against Mr. Joseph Hallet where he speaks his mind more freely and tells us plainly in Answer to Mr. Hallet's 3d Query That He and John Gannacliff esteem the Light within as a Rule to be preferred to and higher than the Scriptures p. 5. lin 20. and that by it Thoughts words and actions are to be tried and by it we come to understand those things which are written in the Holy Scriptures of Truth and therefore it is a higher and superiour Rule unto which we ought more especially to attend p. 7. Now wellfare Joseph Nott and John Gannacliff for their plain dealing in telling us their minds frankly and freely as to this matter What ever fine stories J. N. tells us here to insinuate his Errors and the minds of the ignorant you see his very heart in the fore-mentioned Quotations The Light within is that great Diana by whom these Jacks of all Trades have their Wealth Hence 't is that these Craftsmen speak so honourably of the Idol Great is the Quakers Light within 't is to be preferred to the Scriptures by this we are to try thoughts words and actions by this we are to understand the Scriptures This is a higher and superiour Rule to which we ought especially to attend This is one of the Foundations on which the Damnable Errors of the Quakers are built In opposition to these rotten assertions I lay down this as an undoubted Truth The whole Council of God concerning all things necessary to be believed and done by us in order to our Salvation is either expresly set down in Holy Scripture or may by good and necessary consequence be deduced from it unto which nothing at any time is to be added whether by new Revelations of the Spirit or Traditions of Men. Or in short thus The Scriptures are the only supreme and sufficient Rule of Faith and Life A Rule is a Measure by which the Quantity or Quality of another thing is sufficiently try'd and examined Sometimes the word Rule is apply'd to sensible and corporeal things Thus. e. g. John Gannacliff's Laste on which he makes his Shoes is his Rule that he works by Thus the Taylor the Brick-layer the Carpenter and other Artificers have their Rules which they apply to their Work to measure and judge of the length heighth and depth straitness or crookedness thereof This is a Proper Rule Sometimes the word Rule is apply'd to moral and spiritual things to measure and determine the Qualities Virtues and Perfections
thereof This is a Metaphorical Rule so called from the Analogy and Resemblance it hath in its use and end to a material Rule 'T is in this sense we call the Written Word a Rule of Faith and Lifâ— For as a Mason in raising a Wall a Joiner in squaring a Piece of Timber by applying the Level to the Building the Square to the Timber come to judge of the uprightness straitness and exactness of their Work So a Christian tries and examines his thoughts words and actions by the Holy Scriptures The Sacred Writings are his Square his Line and Level by which he measures and judges of Opinions and Practices Hereby he comes to know what is right and what is wrong what is duty and what is sin what is truth and what is errour All Doctrines which are to be believed all Duties which are to be performed in order to our acceptable serving of God on Earth or eternal enjoying of God in Heaven are to be measured by and conformed unto this Rule There are Three Rules which are eagerly contended for 1. The Pagans Rule The Light of Nature This Rule is good in its kind and place it discovers the Being Power Wisdom and Goodness of God so as to leave them without excuse who do not walk according to it (a) Rom. 2.14.15 1.19 20 21 32. But it cannot discover Christ by whom alone Sinners may be saved (b) 1 Cor. 1.21 2.13.14 2. The Papists Rule Vnwritten Traditions This is a Corrupt Fallible and False Rule Contradictory to the Scriptures and therefore no good Rule 3. The Quakers Rule the Light within which J. N. blasphemously calls Christ within and the Spirit of God in the Heart This is a very bad Rule to try or determine matters of Faith or Practice by God hath taught us in his Written Word to try the Spirits by the Scripture The Quakers teach their Proselytes to try the Scriptures by the Light within (c) 1 Joh. 4.1 6. which they also call the Spirit Whatever Spirit leads any against or besides the Rule of Scripture is not the Spirit of God but a lying Spirit God saith and Protestants hold that those who Speak not according to the Word have no Light in them Isa 8.20 Their pretended Light who contradict Scripture is Darkness Matth. 6.23 But Quakers impudently prefer their Dreams above the Written Word and so declare that their Light proceeds from the Father of Lies That Spirit who transformeth himself into an Angel of Light the God of this World whose Kingdom is full of Darkness blinds the Eyes of these Men of Light so that they speak against the pure Light of Scripture and prefer their Ignes Fatui before it And while they profess themselves to be wise they become Fools For loâ—â— they have rejected the Word of the Lord and what Wisdom is in them Jer. 8.9 Seeing therefore that the Pagans Rule Natural Reason and Conscience is insufficient seeing the Popish and Quaking Rules are false and uncertain it remains that the Holy Scriptures are the only Supreme Sufficient Perfect Standing Rule to try and judge all Opinions and Practices by For the Proof of this consult these following Texts 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. In this Scripture we are inform'd that the Holy Scriptures believed and obey'd are able to make wise unto Salvation That all Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof c. That the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works What plainer Proof can we desire to evince that the Scripture doth contain all Doctrines necessary to be believed and command all Duties necessary to be performed in order to Salvation And if so 't is a sufficient compleat and perfect Rule of Faith Worship and Life Hence 't is that we are commanded to Search the Scriptures John 5.39 To hear Moses and the Prophets Luke 16.29 To take heed to this sure Word of Prophecy 2 Pet. 1.19 To go to the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8.19 Hence 't is we are told The Law of the Lord is perfect Psalm 19.7 'T is for this cause the Bereans are commended for Searching the Scriptures daily Acts 17.11 Believers are said to be built upon the Foundations of the Prophets and Apostles Eph. 2.20 Ignorance of the Scriptures is the cause of Errour Matth. 22.29 Many more Places might be cited but these are sufficient to any but a Papist or a Quaker to prove that the Scriptures are the Supreme and only sufficient Rule of Faith and Life which God hath given us They are a sure and standing Rule a compleat and Perfect Rule adequate and commensurate to the things to be regulated or measured thereby From which nothing can be taken away to which nothing can be added but upon the Peril of all the Plagues and Curses in the Book of God Rev. 22.18 19. Thus a Rule is described by Phavorinus 'T is an infallible measure which admits of no addition or diminution * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that if the Scriptures were not a Perfect Rule to measure and try all Opinions and Practices by they were no Rule at all The wrangling Quakers think to evade the force of all these Texts by telling us Gospel Truths c. p. 6. line 31. That Jesus Christ is the only Rule of Faith Worship and Manners And l. 38. they bid us Turn in our Minds unto the gift of Gods Spirit in our Hearts And p. 7. l. 20. It is the Holy Ghost that teaches People good manners Quaere What Spirit teaches the Quakers who want them And by the Light within Thoughts Words and Actions are tryed And this Light of Jesus is a higher and superiour Rule Rare edifying Discourse Christ is the only Rule The gift of God's Spirit in our own Hearts is the Rule The Holy Ghost is the Rule The Light within is the Rule And the Light of Jesus is the Rule And all these are one and the same Rule which is in every Man There is no difference if you believe these acute and subtle Doctors between Christ and the Spirit and the Light within Christ and the Spirit are one and are in every mans heart and yet they pretend to own the Doctrine of the Trinity and tho' they say that Christ and the Spirit of Christ are in every Man and 't is most evident that Christ is God and Man yet contrary to their avowed Principle they break poor Priscian's Head and say thou instead of you to every man who hath Christ and the Spirit in him I grant that Christ hath given us a Rule and the Holy Spirit enables all the People of God to walk according to it but the Scripture or the Written Word is the Rule according to which we are to walk that so Peace and Mercy may be upon us The Spirit is so far from being our Rule that God hath given us the Written Word to try whether we have the
Superstition not a few of these I say at length fall to down right Quakerism And of those who fall into this Sink of Errors few return again to the Truth or take hold of the paths of Life If what I have written in this Treatise be an Antidote to any against the Infection of this spreading Evil my labour will not be lost That He who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth would rouz his Wa chmen when the Church is so besâ—t on every side That the great Shephâ—rd and Bishop of Souls would excite his faithful Pastors to a more narrow oversight of the Flock when the old roaring Lion and so many ravenous Wolves lie in wait to deceive and destroy That the weak and ignorant may be better inform'd about and confirmed in the present Truths That true Protestants may cease to bite and devour one another and having unfeignâ—d Love to the Truth and one another may contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints is the Desire of One Studious to know and practice â—hâ— Doctrine according to Godliness An Ignorant QUAKER Rebuk'd Or REMARKS upon JOSEPH NOTT's Silly Pamphlet Against the Reverend Mr. GEORGE TROSS THat I may the better deal with this huffing Champion of the Quakers who Goliah-like bids defiance to the Protestant Hosts offers Violence to the Word of God and cast Fire-brands Arrows and Death at those who come near him I shall First Examine his swelling Title and shew how impertinently he hath cited Scripture Secondly I shall consider his Preface and Thirdly bestow some Notes and Reflections upon his Tâ—eatise that he and his Admirers may see his Vanity in meddling with that which is far above his Capacity SECT 1. Joseph Nott's Title Page consider'd The Title of his Pamphlet examined His impertinence in Citing Scripture repriv'd The Texts by him quoted explained With a Rebuke to such Ignorant Teachers and their giddy Hearers THE Title which this Trifleâ— prefixes to his Pamphlet is this Holy Scripture-work is better than the work of the corrupt Reasoning of Fallen Man A great Name for such a little Brat But prithee Jo. if thou wert Godfather to thy own Baby tell me How it came into thy Head to give it this Name Doth it not look like a Compliance with the Men of the World in that Babilonish Ceremony called Baptism Thy Book would better have resembled its Author if it had been sent packing without Title or Preface Thou mightest very honestly have left every Reade to have nam'd it acco ding to his own â—ight Who would have thought that a Man of thy Gravity would have trick'd up thy little Infant with Ribbons and Lace and set a high Top-Knot upon its Front How canst thou reconcile this to the Dictates of Light within and the Practice of the Brethren in other Cases Doth not this smell a little Popish and Anti-Christian Joseph if thou art breeding any more Pamphlets be rul'd by me turn 'em along without any of those Carnal Ornaments in a plain Quaking-Dress that we may know whose they are by their Garb. And why dost thou call thy Book Work Holy Work yea Holy Scripture Work Must writing at random pass for Work Commend me to those that Play or sit still Would'st fain have thy scurilous Libel Sainted He hath an Ounce of Charity for a Grain of Discretion that accounts thy Writings Sacred Unless it were the sacred Hunger of Gold which set thee about this Jobb of work I do not think there is much Holiness in the Case And who knows but the hope of Brass Farthings when Trade was low and Work scarce refin'd thy Wit and a craving Maw raised thy Fancy so that in spight of Nature and Education thou would'st become an Author Thou art Flesh and Blood as well as others And who knows but the Belly that Master of Arts as one * Magister Artis Ingeniique largitor vâ—niter Pers calls him might teach Joseph Nott to hold forth and write Replies as well as Hireling Daws and Parrots to prate and sing Thou wouldst fain shelter thy Errors under the VVord of Truth and therefore call'st thy bungling and botching Scripture-Wâ—rk We shall see in a little time what fine Work thou makest with Scripture Thou wouldst make us believe that thy Pamphlet is better than the Corrupt Reasoning of Fall'n Man But by the way thou goest to work one would think thy Noddle were Craz'd and thy Brains addle After the Title we have four Texts of Scripture cited which I come now to consider Only Reader one word by the way Let it not surprize thee to find the Quaker quoting Scripture Don't suffer thy self to be fool'd into a Belief that 't is out of Respect to the Oracles of God No have a little patience till we come to the Preface and thou wilt find that he hath a Spleen against all that Profess the Scripture to be the only Rule of Faith And directs his Reader not to the sure word of Prophecy but to the Light in his own Heart He durst not for his Ea s refer himself to the Evidence of Scripture Hold his Nose to that Grindstone and you may do what you will with him for all his prancing and sprawling If his dull Pate imagine that any Text may serve his turn it shall be welcome But if that clear â—â—ght Witness against his dark and rotten Errors then away with the Prophets and Apostles and make room for Light within to give in its Evidence 'T is no new thing to find Scripture misapplied In Mat. 4.6 you read of an old Sophister that did so long before the Days of Joseph Nott and John Gannacliff On which St. Ambrose a Man of as much Light and Honesty as either of those worthy Authors no disparagement to 'em hath this Note Non sequitur Haereticos esse doctos quod multas citent Scripturas quas Diabolus citavit non ut doceret sed ut noceret citavit truncatas praeterito sensu Scripturae ut faciunt Haeretici 'T is no Argument that Quakers are sound or learned because they cram their Preachments and stuff their Pamphlets with Quotations Satan had a Text in his Mouth not to Teach but to Tempt our Saviour Thus may Truth be abused to the Patronage of Lies and the Devil set the Stamp of Divine Authority upon his Counterfeit Coin Having given this Caution let us now come to the Texts themselves The First is Deut. 29.29 Secret things belong unto the Lord our God c. Why this Sc ipture is quoted I can't imagin If he thinks it warrants Him and such as he to expound Scripture let him peruse these following Texts which require Qualifications and a Commission neither of which he can shew us Rom. 10.15 1 Tim. 3.2 7. The Second Epistle to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus throughout Whoever reads these Epistles with Understanding will see abundant cause to admire at the presumptuous Sin and Folly of those ignorant Intruders into that
Jesus Christ was not in the beginning But hear how bravely J. N. confutes him J. N. Now here all that can see with a single Eye may see the darkness and blindness of this man yea the gross darkness that may be felt yea the blindness the born blindness Oh Erroneous Doctrine Who will believe or receive such Doctrine as is so contrary to the Holy Scriptures of Truth Quis tulerit Gracchos Reader doth it not move thy Gall or Spleen rather to hear a poor Ignorant Quaker thus Tragically exclaiming against a learned acute Divine as tho' he were about to Sap the very Foundations of Christianity But stay Joseph peace Man why art so startled Wert thou well awake and compos mentis or just rouz'd out of some frightful Vision when thou mad'st that hideous Out-cry Thou yaulest like the Geese those Roman Quakers as tho' the Enemy were at the Gates of the Capitol What is it that makes thee thus take on and rave about Erroneous Doctrine Darkness gross Darkness Blindness born-Blindness a fine expression of thiâ—e own Invention I doubt thou understandest but little of what thou readest Mr. Tross having to do with Mr. T. B. considers his Question Whether the World was made by Jesus Christ To which he answers That in one sense it may be affirmed in another sense it may be denied He affirms that the God-head of Christ created the World but denies that Christ consisting of that God-head and the Humanity hypostatically united created it P. 7. The God-head or Divine Nature of Christ he grants was throughout a beginningless Eternity P. 6. and made Heaven and Earth But Jesus Christ as God and Man in contra-distinction to the Father and the Holy Ghost did not make the World for Mr. Tross proves that the Name Jesus Christ do necessarily imply or include the Humane Nature with the Divine He shews that the Divine Nature formally and abstractly considered cannot be Christ i. e. anointed fitted or qualified by any other for the Office of Mediation nor could the Divine Nature alone be our Jesus or Saviour for the God-head can neither obey the Law nor bear the Curse both which were to be done by our Jesus These appertain only to his Humanity tho' his Divinity gives merit to his Active and Passive Obedience He was not actually Jesus till after his Incarnation till he had actually done and suffered all those things for which all his Church are redeemed and saved Therefore tho' God the Son was in the beginning and created the World yet seeing he was not actually and formally Jesus Christ until after the Incarnation which Incarnation of the Second Person in the Glorious Trinity was not till about four thousand years after the Creation of the World 't is evident that as Jesus Christ he could not create it tho' as God he did 'T is a great mistake to argue that whatever God is or did that Jesus Christ is and did I grant that by reason of the near union between the Divine and Humane Nature in the person of our Mediatour the special Qualities of both Natures are sometimes ascribed to the Person of Christ yea that which is proper to one Nature is sometimes attributed to the Person denominated from the other Nature Hence the Scripture speaks of the Blood of God Acts 20.38 Where the Word God is to be understood not essentially for the Divine Nature but Personally The Lord Jesus who is truly God shed his Bloud which belongs to him as Man So the Lord of Glory was Crucify'd 1 Cor. 2.8 Christ on Earth said of himself The Son of Man which is in Heaven John 3.13 But tho' the Properties of both Natures may be ascrib'd to the Person yet the Properties of one Nature are not communicated unto nor can they without Nonsense yea Blasphemy be predicated of the other Nature We may say God suffered but 't is Blasphemy to say the Godehead suffer'd The Man Christ Jesus is Mediator by him all things were made but the Humane Nature did not could not make all things for it was a creature and so was made it self Let Joseph Nott read and consider what Mr. Tross hath said on this Argument in 4 5 6 7. of his Book and if he doth but understand what he reads I suppose he will as much admire his own Dullness as he did before exclaim against Mr. Tross's Blindness If he hath any thing more to say against Mr. Tross as to this matter let him prove That the World was not made until the Son of God assum'd the Humane Nature That the World was made but 1693 years before the year of the Date of these Pâ—esents That all our Chronologers who say that the World is near 6000 years old are Ignorant and Blind for J. N. hath discover'd by the help of his Light within that the World is not full seventeen hundred years old If he can make this out I shall conclude that a pair of Quaking-Spectacles are worth a dozen Telescopes Mr. Tross often affirms that God the Son is Jehovah and created the World That the God-head of our Redeeme raised the glorious Fabrick of Heaven and Earth But all the Scriptures alledg'd by Mr. T.B. would not convince him that the World was made since the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us John 1.14 Jehovah made the World almost 4000 years before the time that God was manifest in the flesh Now the Names of Jesus Christ do not belong to God the Creator but to the only Mediator between God and Man who is Emmanuel God with us So that the Quaker had as good have wip'd up his Mouth and kept a Silent Meeting as have gap'd so wide and said nothing to the purpose J. N. Now that this is contrary to the Holy Scriptures is easily prov'd And by the assistance of the Holy Spirit of God I shall undertake to prove that Jesus Christ was in the beginning and that the World was made by him Ay ay Joseph No doubt this is easie to such a bold Vndertaker as thy mighty Self Only mind Mr. Tross's Distinction Remember that he grants that God the Son made the World that the Godhead of Jesus Christ was in the beginning and created all things What he denies and thou art to prove is That this glorious Person did not make the World until he became Man until the time of his Incarnation when he was actually and formally Jesus Christ J. N. For Christ Jesus said to the Jews Before Abraham was I am John 5.28 Very true And doth not Mr. Tross grant as much Doth he not say that Christ as God or the Godhead of Jesus Christ was throughout a beginningless Eternity But dost thou think that Christ here spake concerning his Humane Nature I tell thee Joseph that Person who is God over all blessed for ever as concerning the flesh (a) Rom. 9.5 is a Jew of the Seed of Abraham He who us God is David's Lord as Man is David's Son