Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	faith_n	true_a	word_n	11,859	5	4.4387	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54908	The spirit of error, found and discovered, in the accounted pastors and teachers of the island Bermuda, in the VVest-Indies their principles and practice also tryed by the true spirit, and found to be contrary to the Scriptures of truth, and disproved by them, though pleaded for by the strongest arguments, the said teachers could bring forth : in an answer to some queries that were sent unto them, by us called Quakers : which answer was subscribed with all their names hereafter mentioned : their deceit unfolded for the peoples sake of the island / by ... Richard Pinder.	Pinder, Richard, d. 1695.	1660 (1660)	Wing P2264; ESTC R10836	20,271	25

meanings whom you call Orthodox men which you call Preaching of the VVord that I say you may read your selves and also your Hearers by your Comparison who compare that Light which is infused into people by instruction which you count your work to water that is put into a VVell Now consider Will not water that is put into a Well that hath no Spring in it soon decay and waste away But Praises be unto the Lord who among his that have believed in the Light which enlightneth every one that cometh into the VVorld hath opened the Well-spring of Light and Life and such see your ignorance and laugh at your folly who are speaking of Light being in people two waies you are the men of Darkness whose eyes the god of the World hath blinded lest you should see the Light of the glorious Gospel 2 Cor. 4.4 The Priests say That there is a light within some men discovering their corruptions what it is and where it is by Infusion or Instruction by the VVord of God contained in the Scripture That they say they grant Answer What will the Light which cometh by Instruction which you your selves compare to water put into a VVell which will soon waste and decay will it discover corruption where it is and what it is And will not the Light which is in people which is as water that springeth in a VVell will not this discover corruption and where it is By this you are seen to be they which would set up your selves For we know well enough what it is you call the Word of God contained in the Scriptures 1 Kings 8.17 But the Word of God is Christ which the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain So in this you have shewed forth your ignorance The Priests say in Answer to another Querie which was Whether the Light by which the Children of Light walked was within them or some Light without them To this they say The light whereby the Children of Light walked was within them rooted and grafted in their hearts but it was infused into them by the Doctrine contained in the holy Scriptures Answ The LIGHT which the Children of Light which we read of in Scripture walked in and in which they had fellowship with God and one with another and in which they knew the blood of Jesus which cleansed from all sin God was the Author of this Light John 1.5 and not the Scripture For the Scripture doth but declare of the Light Neither doth the Scriptures say as you do in any place that Light by them is infused into people but saith Christ the Light by which every one is enlightened And several there were which walked in the Light with God before the Scriptures were written as Enoch who was translated from death to life Gen. 5.22 and Abraham knew the voice of God before the Scriptures were written Heb. 11.5 And why do you tell so often of Light being infused into people by the Doctrine contained in the Scriptures and do not also tell what you mean by that Doctrine Now if this be your meaning as I believe it is your taking a Verse of the Scriptures and raise from it so many Doctrines and then lay down so many Tryals and then so many Arguments and then so many Motives and Uses and Applications if this be the Doctrine you so much speak-of as I say again I believe it is through which you say Light must be infused into people Now consider you do all this for money and people give you money for doing of it as you three Priests witness your Forty pound Salary and two shares of Land a year yet nevertheless though you do all this for money the gift of God cannot be bought and sold for money Act. 8.20 And they that walked in the LIGHT which is the gift of God they witnessed a cleansing from the sin through it which you who tell of Light being infused into people by such Doctrine as before mentioned plead against that in short we plainly see the more people adhere unto you the further into darkness they are led and the further they are from owning the gift of God in themselves which should lead them unto Life Eternal and from the teaching of all Deceivers Rom. 6.13 The Priests say The Children of Light came to a right understanding of the Scriptures through the Light that shined in the Scriptures themselves and not by any Light that was in them before they were acquainted with the Scriptures As a man in the dark discerneth a Candle by the light which shineth from the Candle and not by any light he had before Answ That which must bring people to receive a right understanding of the Scriptures is the Spirit which leads to the fulfilling of them for many there were that had the Scriptures and could talk of them and yet were in darknesse and could not see into the mystery the Scripture spoke of in that they were enemies to the Spirit by which they were spoken forth and so stumbled at CHRIST 1 Cor. 1.23 Rom. 9.32 the True Light Him of whom the Scriptures did declare But Simeon who was a Just man and waited for the Consolation of Israel it was revealed unto him by the holy Ghost that he should not see death until he had seen the Lords Christ Luk. 2.26 Now he did not say that the Scriptures did reveal this unto him but the holy Ghost For there were many at that time who did expect the Messias to come as Simeon did yet though they had the Scriptures yet could not know him who was the Gentiles Light and Israels Glory Luk. 2.32 And now you three Priests consider your comparison Whether a man by the light of a Candle only discerneth the light of a Candle as you say or he discerneth the Candle and its light by his eye which is the light of the body which he had before for a man that hath not the light of the eye he can neither see the Candle nor its light That you have erred both in the main matter and in your comparison and by your own comparison may be judged to be men Deut. 16.19 whose eye gifts and rewards hath blinded Exod. 13 8. to wit such yearly gifts as your forty pound Salary and two shares of Land The Priests say in their Answer to another Query That they do not promise to bring any light of their own to the Scriptures as they say our words in our Queries would make but they say they only do open the words and seek out the true sence contained in them by an Allegory of Faith Answ We know whatever you profess or promise that you can bring no light to the Scriptures and for your finding out the true sence of them that also we know you can never do so long as you are not guided by the same Spirit as they were that spoke them forth though you have them in several Languages as Latine Greek and Hebrew

as Pilate had who delivered the Innocent up into the hands of blood-thirsty-men such Nathaniel White as thy Brethren in New-England are whom thou so highly extolls and art a Pastor of their false Church which is of Mystery Babylons off-spring witness their drinking the Saints blood And though thou with thy two Brethren Brown and Burre tell of searching out the true sence of the Scripture by an Allegory of Faith yet we know so long as you live in headiness high-mindedness and love Pleasures more than God and accuse falsly as you many times did us who witnessed against your deceit we know so long as you are such that your minds are corrupt and that you are reprobate cancerning the Faith 2 Tim. 3.8 which was orce delivered to the Saints before Mystery Babylon 2 Tim. 3.4 your Churches Mother brought forth such Children as you are who live in Pleasure sporting your selves in the day-time as Nathaniel White 2 Pet 2.13 witness thy playing at Bowls and yet by New-Englands false Church and Gathered Congregations is accounted a Reverend Divine The Priests say That to say their Preaching is nothing else but the telling people of their own meanings of the Scriptures is an untruth and that we are never able to prove it Answ Are not you the very men that get your living by telling the people your meanings of the Scriptures for do you not deny the Light which Christ hath enlightned every one withall which should reveal the Mystery the Scripture speaks of which is God manifest in the flesh Do you not deny this and tell people Revelation is not to be looked for in these dayes And what do you say it is an untruth to say you give your own meanings of the Scriptures If an untruth how comes it to passe then that you three Priests are not all of one judgment for certainly if you were guided by that Spirit by which the Scriptures were given forth it would inform your Judgment and bring you into oneness of mind but you being enemies unto the Spirit by which the Saints were led you cannot agree in your meanings about the Scriptures though you are made friends and agree in this thing to joyn your strength together against the Truth as Pilate and Herod But formerly have you not been at difference among your selves and are you not so still even about that you call Church-Government and about those things you say are Institutions of Christ your sprinkling of Infants and giving people Bread and Wine which you call a Sacrament which indeed both it and your sprinkling of Infants are from the POPE and ware instituted by him but as for your not agreeing among your selves about these things I need say little and also for your joyning together against the Truth These things I may both leave to them of that Island who fear the Lord to judge of for they take notice of your unstableness and the day is now coming wherein it may be you may be further tryed But all will be that the deceit and rottenness of your hearts may appear unto all that desire truly to fear the Lord that they with speed may turn from following you in your pernicious wayes lest they be destroyed with you for the snare is before you The Priests say again They use the help of Faithful and Orthodox mens Labours whom God hath commanded them to remember and to follow their faith against which way they say we nor any other can except any thing justly Answ We can justly except against and have already excepted against both you and them you account Orthodox mens Labours for are not you of the generation of men who by their Opinions and by them they count Orthodox mens Opinions have set people on heaps like one to destroy another because they are not of the same Opinion with them And hath not this been the work since the Opinions of those you call Orthodox men were cryed up and since you the Merchants of Mystery Babylon told people they must follow the Faith of those you call Orthodox men whose faith you say you are commanded to follow But alas do not they differ in their Opinions as much as you that have not people by adhering to their works which you traded withall been driven into divers Opinions Sects and VVayes and then seek to destroy one another about them and by this are not you and your Brethren found to be they that have caused so much Blood to be shed among them that have the name of Christions And why do you three Priests not tell us where you have a Command from God to follow the Faith of them you call Orthodox men seeing you say you have But doth it not plainly appear by this that you are the men who have erred from the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints Acts 15.9 and which the Saints lived in which gave them victory over the world and purified their hearts Eph 2.8 For is not this the Faith which you have received by tradition from those you account Orthodox men That people cannot be free from sin while here upon earth Now if this be the Faith of the Orthodox men which you say you are to follow then we can justly except both against them and you and your Faith for it is not the Faith of Gods Elect for they that were in it witnessed victory over the world through it and were saved from sin by it 1 Ioh 5.4 The Priests say It is a lye to say they do not exhort people to come to the knowledge of the Scriptures as the free gift of God for they say in their Doctrine they declare it as a gift of Grace given to some and not all we exhort them to beg it of God by Prayer and before we preach we pray with them and for them to God that he would bestow the right understanding of his Word upon them and us they say Answ That which gives a true understanding in the Scriptures which you call the Word is the gift of God which is his Grace which hath appeared unto all men Tit. 2.11 And you that deny and would exclude this Grace from having appeared unto all men are setting up your own Doctrines and Commandments received by Tradition and are crying them up and selling them to your hearers for money and though you both preach and pray with them before you preach yet have you not money for your Praying as well as your Preaching And though you exhort people to beg by prayer from God a right understanding of his Word yet have you not money for this Exhortation But Praises be unto the Lord who among His hath manifested his Word of Life to instruct which is nigh them Deut. 30.14 even in their mouths and in their hearts that they may hear it and obey it And such who know the Instructions of the Word which gives Life they deny your Instructions and Exhortations and Preaching and

Praying also for they see that you do them all but for your own ends since you have set your selves against the Truth as you three Priests of Bermuda have done who were like a wild Bull in a Net witness your fretting and chafing in your Praying and Preaching when you could not get the Magistrates of that place to satisfie your envious minds to banish us off that Island who came to visit the remnant of Jacobs Seed that it might be gathered from off the tops of the barren Mountains where it long had been scattered into the Fold of Rest and at the fulfilling of this your rage like mad-men appeared The Priests say That they find to their great comfort that the Doctrine of holy Scriptures received by Faith hath power to purge their hearts from the Corruption of Sin and they say it 's often declared by them that they own no other Light of Christ making to see sin to their salvation but this Doctrine contained in the holy Scripture and planted into their hearts by his holy Spirit through hearing and reading of them Answ By this it appeareth that you are them that preach up another Faith than that which was preached to Abraham before the Scriptures were written Gal. 3.8 when Abraham saw the coming of the Just Ones and rejoyced Ioh. 8.58 And the Prophet saith He should sit as a Refiner and Purifier of Silver Mal. 3.3 And Iohn saith He shall throughly purge his floor Luke 3.17 And the Scriptures cannot contain him for he is ascended for above all heavens that he might fill all things Ephes 4.10 This is He the Scripture declares of who was the Author and Finisher of the Saints Faith in whom they believed and had remission of sins and received Life Everlasting according as the Scriptures say And the Spirit of Truth which led them into all Truth was the Saints Comforter and this led them to the fulfilling of what before was written And so they stumbled not at Christ the chief corner-stone as they did that cryed up the Prophets VVritings but were erred from the Spirit by which the Prophets were led and this is your condition who set your selves to scandalize and reproach the LIGHT which Christ hath enlightned every one withal and yet are crying up the Doctrine contained in the Scripture and say it hath power to purge your hearts from the corruption of sin when as alas you believe no such thing as people can be purged wholly from sin in this life And note that so long as sin remaineth it corrupts and so your deceit is seen who tell of being purged from corruption and not from the sin which doth corrupt And Praises be unto the Lord many are come into the Faith by which Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain Heb. 11.4 25. of whose stock all envious men are And the Faith of Abraham is witnessed by which he obeyed the voice of God before the Scriptures were written and faith which Moses was in is witnessed by which he denyed the pleasure of sin which you three Priests are yet found in and though you cry up the Doctrine contained in the Scriptures yet your deceit is seen and your Ignorance discovered who say You know no Light of Christ making to see sin to your salvation but the Doctrine contained in the Scriptures which before I shewed what it was taking a Verse of Scripture and Divining an hour by a Glass from it But all such Doctrine they that spoke forth the Scripture denied and preached Christ the Light and Lamb of God which had been slain from the foundation of the World and preached remission of sins through him who is the Power of God and the Righteousness of God who hath enlightned every one that cometh into the World that through him all might believe And this Light the Saints witnessed to shine in their hearts to give them the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God And so this Light they preached which in all at first shined in Darkness and reproves for the sin that is brough forth by the Power of Darkness 2 Cor. 6.4 The Priests say That we to wit the Quakers take the Light of Christ for the knowledge of Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the World Answer He that is the onely begotten Son of God and Saviour of the World hath enlightned every one that cometh into the VVorld and this is he that giveth the knowledge of the Father and this is life eternal to know the Father and him whom he hath sent a Light into the VVorld Joh. 12.36 that they who believed in him should not abide in Darkness Now the Light which cometh from the onely begotten of the Father First sheweth unto people their own darkness to the end that with the Light they may be led out of it that where the Light is believed in and obeyed it manifesteth life which life Redeemeth and Reconcileth unto God as it is known And this is the true and saving knowledge of Christ which we the Quakers bear testimony unto for by his Life the Saints were saved and this Life none know Rom. 5.10 but who come and wait in the Light for the revealing of it that they are the Children which abide in the Darkness who do not believe in the Light which Christ hath enlightned every one that cometh into the World withall and can never come to the knowledge which saveth but are condemned already Iohn 3.18 The Priests say To reason from every one having so much light as leaveth them without excuse therefore they have a Light of Christ or saving Light they say its all alike as if one should prove every sick man hath knowledge to recover himself because he knoweth he is sick Answer Here would you not make it as though people were left without excuse by some other light than the Light of Christ Oye blind Leaders of the blind who are thus fallen into the Pit of darkness Doth not Christ who is the Light and saveth them that believe in him condemn the Unbelievers And would you have him to judge and condemn them for their sin and transgression and that he never enlightned them to let them see what sin and transgression was Oh how you erre in the things of God and in the judgement which is Eternal which is committed unto the Son who hath enlightned every man that cometh into the World And you that are telling of a Light by which people are left without excuse Iohn 9.22 and not from Christ you are they that are setting up another Judge than he and so would pervert the Truth and true judgment which was ever the work of him that is the father of Lyes who did not abide in the Truth whose waies the true Light now discovereth that though you who are filled with his subtilty go about never so many waies to pervert the Truth and true Judgement yet you are discovered in them

appeared and their Merchandize spoiled begin to lament and mourn and because in a day misery is come upon them in which they gnaw their Tongues for pain and blaspheme against the Lord and his Tabernacle which now is witnessed to be with men whose day hath appeared to make their abominations manifest and to the discovering of the secrets of their hearts that their Blasphemy against the Lord and his Tabernacle they utter forth because of their sorrow that is come upon them For though they cry to the Mountains and Hils to cover them yet they cannot defend them for a consumption is determined against them entred into their own bowels that Behold when they look for Day Night then cometh upon them and when they look for safety from the Hils and Mountains even sudden destruction cometh upon them that Blackness of Darkness compasseth them about and the deeper they dive to hide their counsel from the Lord the greater will their misery be and the sooner will their measure of iniquity be filled up that the Lord with the Beesom of his wrath may sweep them away For do we read in all the Scriptures that the false Prophets in any generation uttered forth such folly and Ignorance as the false Prophets in this generation do And though you three of Bermuda lay long hid that the envy which was in your hearts against the heritage of God did not so much appear as it did in some of your Brethren yet the Lord hath sought you out that the deceit of your hearts might be made manifest and laid open and that was the end for which I was moved to send my Queries unto you and not that I wanted satisfaction as to my own particular in the things whereof I Queried but that your Belief and Judgement might be brought forth For as many may know you are the least of many hundreds of the men of Darkness which have uttered forth their folly and ignorance in passing their judgements upon us whom God hath made as a terrour unto all the wicked and upon the Gospel of Light which we bear testimony unto which hath enlightned every one that cometh into the World about which Light the most of my Queries unto you was which were sent unto you subscribed with my own name and with George Rofé who also hath given his testimony against you both by his Word and Writing And I having now received an Answer to my Queries I may here set down some of your principal Arguments laid down therein with my Reply unto them that both may be sent into the World that all who fear the Lord may judge thereof The Priests say in answer to the first Querie That there may be a light in man reproving and convincing of sin and yet not sufficient to lead unto life For they say Such a light was in Judas And they say There is a Natural Light in man which Reproveth sinne Answer The Light which convinceth the World of sin is the Spirit of Truth and Christ said It should lead them into all Truth Joh. 16.8 So for you three Priests to say that the Light which convinceth of sin is not sufficient to lead unto Life you might as well say Christ spoke not truth when he said That the Spirit which reproveth the World of sin should lead into all Truth And Judas he turned from the Truth when he betrayed the Innocent into the hands of sinners And when he took money of such envious men as you are for so doing in whom a persecuting spirit soon appeared as you may remember your seeking to the Magistrates to have us banished who witnessed against all deceit and deeds of Darknesse and against your natural Light and against your Preaching by your Natural Learning which the Light that convinceth of sin discovereth to be contrary to what the Apostles Preached who received their Gospel not of man neither was taught it by man Gal. 1.1 but by the Revelation of Christ who hath enlightned every one that cometh into the World that through him all might believe and receive life But his Light condemns all such Unbelievers as you are The Priests say in their Answer to another Querie That the Light which discovereth corruption is from Christ but not given to all men Answer The Light which discovereth corruption is One in all John 3. the same to him that believeth as it is in him that believeth not For Christ whose Light convinceth of sin is He that is to judge all Nations of men that be upon the face of the whole earth Yea all you Unbelievers are to be judged by him and according to the Light which he hath enlightned you withal will Judgement be given and you receive reward according to your deeds So it is good for you all now while you have time to give regard to the Light which convinceth of sin and discovereth the corruptions of your own hearts and it will let you see that such as say all are not enlightned with a measure of it are Deceivers and speak contrary to the Scriptures in so saying As you may read 1 John v. 9. The Priests say again That light may be in a man two wayes First they say By proceeding from In-bred Principles brought into the World with him as water is in a Well where it springeth Secondly They say Light may be in a man by infusion or instruction by him that wanted it as water is put into a Well Answer Where do you read that any of the true Prophets Christ or his Apostles told people of light being in them two waies This is but a piece of Sophistry to blind people withall to tell them of light being in them two waies And see how in this you are contrary to the Scriptures For did not the Lord say He would give a Light to the Gentiles which should be his salvation unto the ends of the earth Isa 49. And doth not Simeon say of Christ That he was given a Light to lighten the Gentiles Luke 2.32 And did not Christ himself say I am the Light of the World John 8.12 And did not he say It was the Condemnation that Light was come into the World and men loved Darkness rather than Light because their deeds were evil John 3.19 And did not John say He enlightneth every one that cometh into the World John 1.9 And did not the Apostle say That the light which shined in their hearts gave them the Light of the Knowledge of the glory of God in the face ●f Chr●st Jesus 2 Cor. 4.6 So you that are speaking of two Lights are them that darkens Counsel by uttering words without knowledge who tell of an In-bred light which is as water springing in a VVell and of light infused which is as water put into a VVell That you three Priests may read your selves by your own comparison who tell people of light being infused into them by hearing you tell your meanings of the Scriptures and their