I beseech you dear friends consider are not such things as these evident expresses of dark deluded minds that have forsaken the right way and are entangled as you see Let me entreat your patience and diligence seriously to read these few sheets without prejudice and contempt the Lord knowes what diligence and tendernesse of bowels I have had to prepare this for you and some others to prevent and reduce from these dangerous snares which I am more sensible of and affected with then any temptation common to man that ever I heard of before It 's carryed on with such mysterious wiles that poor souls are surprized and taken in the net with great content and the more they are surprized the better pleased and readier to embrace whatever is suggested and rarely do any return from this Apostasie that were knowing practising Christians before But I have enlarged my self and opened my heart to my friends of Farndon in this Tract and I hope it will not be an offence unto them if it be it was hoped and intended otherwise I am confident your own hearts will witnesse unto most I have wrote although it be against that way which for the present you groundlesly adore As for those persons that have answered me who have charged me with bringing forth many lies and slanders and have made a noyse thereof as if I were some carnall lying wretch that matter not what I write those that are sober and of judgement may easily conceive by my Questions and Replies what lies I have brought forth and what lies those are they charge me with even such that the holy Scriptures witnesse to be the will and truth of God and as for any personall lye why have they not made the discovery Themselves cannot but be sensible that they have accused me of slanders in things that themselves have published which I did not know of untill afterwards by their own Books But let me desire you in your returns to answer to the main strength that is against you soberly and with as great a strength of reason and of Scripture Authority as you can for nothing else is like to take with him you oppose and be ashamed to asperse and reproach me to the world with meer impudence for want of just matter which trade is too common with you and those of your way to those of best quality and esteem amongst Christians But look into your own Papers and in cold blood consider how frequent you are in reviling and censuring of those that you have nothing to accuse them of justly from any Scripture ground but because they oppose you for being adversaries unto the truth As for your queries at last the most of them have been answered by a Reverend Minister of the Gospel Mr. Baxtor who is sufficiently reviled and reproached for his pains But the day is coming that will declare every mans work of what sort it is And I judge it necessary first to be resolved what the Rule is that we are to answer from to yours seeing you have denyed the Scriptures for being a perfect Rule of faith and obedience for my part I judge those not worthy to be answered at all nor in the least to be regarded that have denyed the Rule of Scriptures and were it not for the sake of those that are ignorant of their deceits and apt to be taken with the cunning sleight of seducing men and in hope of convincing my friends that I might be an Instrument to informe the one and reduce the other I had never engaged with these unperswadeable perverse men so wholly turned from the truth as he that runs may read and clearly see John Timson A VINDICATION OF Some Questions propounded to the QVAKERS The first Question WHether the holy Scriptures be the true declaration of the will and mind of God which doth oblige all that professe them necessarily to know believe and observe them as the only rule of faith and obedience The Quakers Answer The Scriptures are a true declaration of the things beleeved among the Saints and a true Testimonie of Jesus but not any doth them know by the outward declaration but by the word of Faith in the mouth and in the heart which word of Faith we preach Rom. 10. My Reply The Answer seems to be in the affirmative by saying the Scriptures are a true declaration of the things beleeved among the Saints But first the Question is who you mean by Saints whether your selves that are against all outward administrations and formes of worship in the Church as the Scriptures teach or those Saints of God that are willing to subject themselves to observe and do whatever is revealed to be done from the written word which hath been the profession and practice of all sound Christians both in and since the Apostolicall Churches unlesse some few upstart Hereticks or Apostates or profane have done otherwise Prove that ever any had the title of Saints Beleivers Christians c. that came not under Water Baptisme the Lords Supper the Churches watch and rule Censures c. which you deny and therefore it stands you upon to prove your selves Saints distinct from Apostates In your answer to this all you say is this That this charge is but a lying Slander and bid me prove it or else let thy mouth be stopped To this I answer What proof would you have Is it not your own profane language both in your Papers and conference It is no newes to heare most of your way to dispute against Water Baptisme the Lords Supper a setled fixed Ministry over particular Churches Tel us what Quakers administer Water Baptism the Lords Supper and constantly watch over a particular Flock or else for shame own the charge and confesse your sin in telling the world that these are my lying slanders when I know and your own consciences do witnesse it that what I have accused you of is the plain truth Nay William Duesbury saith in a lying Paper called A true Prophesie of the mighty day of the Lord already risen in the North of England c. in which paper he makes it his work to reproach and slander the Ordinances of Gospell worship under the notion of outward observations which Christs Kingdome cometh not in Luk. 17. And thus he accounts of all the Ordinances and institutions prescribed by Christ himself in the Apostolicall Churches and accounts all the strict observing of outward formes of Worship is but imitating the Saints practices in this Babylonish and heathenish wisdome all this outward forme is the outward Court which is without the Temple pag. 1 2. meaning they are without the Church and therefore calls them Babylonish and Heathenish as in his 4 pag. is more clear where he profanely compares the holy Ordinances and institutions of the Lord to that great Image set up by Nebuchadnezzar 's proud nature spoken of by Daniel Dan. 3.3 That Image was but a type and figure of this which now shines
of the Spirit unto salvation may have some footing from that promise and so to the Gentiles But this reacheth not the thing in hand and is no more proper to them than to the weakest Christian that is renewed by the Spirit of Grace In the most proper sense that promise was fulfilled as Peter witnesseth Act. 2.16 above 1600. years ago but these say they witnesse it fulfilling now but they want not for boldnesse to say any thing they have a mind unto Next they bid me shew that Scripture that speaks of a written word or that calls it the savour of life quick and powerfull or that attributes any such things unto it as thou saist but if you cannot stop thy mouth Answ Most absurd is their first What is the Scriptures but words from the Lord committed unto writing and every sentence of Scripture is a written word What is Scripture but the writings of the prophets and Apostles and what did they write but words and what were those words but the Inspirations of God all Scriptures are given by Inspiration of God as hath been quoted again and again And what will they make of that promise themselves quote Joel 2. is not that a written word and all their other quotations The Apostles were the savour of death to some 2 Cor. and life to others 2 Cor. 2.16 But how was this but as they were Ministers of the Word for they were not as many which corrupt the word c. and the word is quick and powerfull Heb. 4.12 It 's called the immortall seed the power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 David tells us Thy word hath quickned me and was light to his feet the rejoycing of his heart his heritage for ever and giveth light and understanding to the simple Psal 119.130 He witnesseth that Gods word is pure therefore he loved it ver 140. It is endlesse to recount the Epithites and honour and glorious esteeme the servants of God have alwayes had of the word as it is written and they that despise this word shall be destroyed Prov. 13.13 And let these wormes that are all along diminishing and detracting from the power and majesty of the Scriptures beware lest being given over to despise the word they be polluted in their own gifts and follow the imaginations of their own deluded hearts to their utter ruine if God by his grace prevent it not Whereas in their first Answer to the Question in hand they talk of yeelding faithfull obedience to the righteous and perfect Law of God in the heart in my reply I told them that they build all upon the light within and the Law of God writ in the heart and the Inspirations of Christ and so make the holy Scriptures superfluous and of no use whereas the writing of Gods Law in the heart is a blessing of the Covenant promised to the use of those wayes and means God hath given to the Church in order to that end his word and ordinances the Instrumentall cause of this blessing of grace to whom he will the writing of his Law in the heart being but the same with a new heart regenerate and quickned by a Divine power of speciall grace which softens the hard uncircumcised heart of man and makes it pliable to receive the Words impression as standing willing and ready to believe and do what Jesus Christ in the Rule of his word would have him to do being made willing in the day of his power upon the heart to yeeld faithfull obedience to all the Lawes and Ordinances of Christ revealed in his holy word And to jumble things together as they by making the light and Inspirations of Christ and Law in the heart all one are most confused notions of things that differ as much as the efficient and the effect the giver and the gift the will of God in commanding and the blessing of God overruling the subject to a willing obedience but let them tell us where the Scriptures speak of a righteous perfect Law of God in the heart either in all men or in some and who they are that have such a Law written within which of the Prophets or Apostles gives the discovery of a perfect Law in the heart unto which all our obedience is to terminate as the only Rule if they cannot produce Scripture Authority for it let them confesse it a Law of their own fancie as to the end they intend it for But they say in their last Answer to this in hand Vpon the Prophets and Apostles we build and Christ Jesus who hath enlightned every one that comes into the world is the chief corner stone though he be set at nought by thee and the builders who would set the Scriptures in his place making them the enlightener and calls his light but an effect of them which light was before Scripture was and will lead them that walk in it out of darknesse to the knowledge of God and eternall life Joh. 8.12 But this light is not received into the mind and head from the Scripture neither can it be blotted out as thou hast said but it comes from Christ who is the glory of his people Israel and the light of the Gentiles such as thou call'st pagans who shall be excused when thou and all that oppose the light of Christ shall be condemned though you can talk of Christ as Bedeemer and Mediator of his Spirit and regenerating Grace all which you are strangers to c. Answ Let the indifferent Reader judge how true it is that they build upon the Prophets and Apostles while they have and are denying the holy Scriptures to be a perfect Rule of faith and obedience and affirme that the light of Christ is not received by the Scriptures and yet they say upon the Prophets and Apostles they build and is not the writings of the Prophets and Apostles that Scripture that they exclude from receiving the light of Christ in their minds and heads What Prophets and Apostles is the Church built upon if not upon those that have declared the mind of God and Jesus Christ in the holy Scriptures And shall any think that the Scriptures oppose the light of Christ because they are written to make the clear discovery of Christ as Redeemer and without which not any can know him to any such end But it 's charged upon me to be a fault in making the Scripture an enlightener and calls Christs light but an effect of them Answer whether I used those terms I am not sure this I said and cleared my self in that the Scriptures simply considered of themselves did not enlighten nor convert as an efficient cause thereof but were appointed and designed of God to be the only Instrument and Vessel of his Spirit to conveigh the knowledge of Christ as Redeemer to lost man and without them Christ is not known at all to any saving ends or to this purpose I spake I have proved that the Word doth give light to
Gods Spirit a new heart and of putting his fear and writing his lawes and circumcising the hearts of the Fathers and children to love the Lord with all their hearts and sending his Son to blesse his people in turning them from their iniquities and to give them repentance and remission of fins is performed to all in the world I pray you consider and do not wilfully forsake your own mercies in the resisting of that truth which by this time you cannot but confesse in the secret of your souls and stand convinced in your selves that your foundation is meerly the mud and sand of a deluded fancie See what absurdities you plunge your selves into besides the denying of the Scriptures for a perfect Rule of faith and obedience and all other means of working Grace that God hath appointed to that end And in your denying the Authority of Scriptures for a Rule you have weakned the seeming strength of this Text for if it be not a Rule of faith at all then not in this particular thing and then what remains to colour over your main principle save only your private fancies under the pretence of the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures as if the same Spirit would crosse and contradict it self so notoriously as you have seen and thus by laying another foundation besides what the Apostles preached and practised in the Christian Churches of Christ hath runned you out of all truth which the Scriptures teach and which the Saints in all ages since have professed and witnessed with their dearest blood I confesse the Church of God hath been troubled with men of perverse minds that have forsaken the truth and fomented many of the same erroneous opinions that you center in as universall Redemption universall grace freewill justification by works falling finally from grace yet the Authors of these errors use to be more sober and rationall in their inferences and practises concluded hence then you of this Generation they still urged the use of all out ward helps and advantages as to Christian practice both to God and man according to the rule of the word they professed the word for the rule though upon mistake they were forced to pervert it the opinions being so point-blank against the evident light of Scriptures as hath been made to appear by able pens in all times and places against them But the improvement of the same things as touching your selves is most desperate and Diabolicall talk of a sufficient light and grace in all to be saved and then discourage from the use of Scriptures ministry ordinances of Religious Worship c. bid people mind the light while they do what they can to put it out even that which they have received by the blessing of the Lord in the use of Christian education according to Scriptures as if all that any man receives from the Lord in the use of those means himself hath undoubtedly appointed and commanded were inconsistent to the light within when all impressions of the light of Conscience as it is Divine is attained by the blessing of the Lord in the use of the Scriptures and Scripture ministry as hath been spoke to Then to make this light in all Christ the eternall word the Law of the new Covenant the Spirit of God which was promised to be sent to convince the world of sin c. Who ever fancyed such prodigious blasphemies before now which your papers stink of You have questioned the light of Scriptures the light of Christs person and ministry and Authority you have questioned whether there were a written word of God a person natures and offices of Christ and have upon the matter made that little spark of the light of reason corrupted which is in meer heathens the light of Christ who according to promise is called the light of the Gentiles as if that light which is in all that know not God nor ever heard of Jesus Christ what he is and what he did was the fulfilling of those promises and prophosies What use is there of such promises and prophesies that all in the world have had the performance of from the beginning of the world but the holy Apostles understood those promises fufilled only to those Gentiles that were enlightned by Christs word to believe in his name and to submit to his Lawes revealed such Gentiles only were built upon the Prophets and Apostles Christ the chief corner-stone all others were without Christ Aliens from the Commonwealth of Gods Israel strangers from the Covenant of promise and without hope and without God in the world These things are so plain and have been so cleered against you that you will be left without all excuse if you resist such evident light and be ashamed ever to talk of Scripture more if your Consciences be past feeling that you can oppose the light and Authority of Scripture without fear The truth is you are so intoxicated with this notion of Christ lightning all immediately and so bewitched in your minds touching the manner of working it that you preferre the light common to all in the world and the discoveries thereof to eternall happinesse before all the light of Christ which by his Spirit he hath discovered unto any by the writings of the Prophets and Apostles But without any doubt all this is because you have no light in you I have gone beyond my intended bounds though I have not done my intended work which was to go through all your Answers to my ten Questions but for want of my Papers which you detein from me against your promise and that civility I presumed upon in you when I sent them without keeping a Copy by me as I told you And indeed fearing that I shall be too tedious to the Reader and to my own occasions I have thought good to publish these as judging them necessary not only to forewarn you to flie from the wrath which is to come but also to admonish my friends more timely and to informe those of weaker judgements to prevent their running into these damnable herefies while your selves some of you are compassing the earth to make Proselytes and to seduce them into these snares of Hell below And because I know delusion is very strong when it is inflicted in judgement for former coldnesse out of which I fear your obstinacy in that Gulph of Apostasie that you are involved in will rather prompt you to defend and excuse or deny what I have charged you with and endeavoured to convict you of Therefore though out of the same Spirit you writ to me before you be moved to the same envy malice lying censures railings judgings in your return as I see you want not for impudence to face out any thing to asperse and make odious those that are farre better then my self yet I know that my record is on high that out of the integrity of my heart and measure of light received I have writ what I have published and am resolved to be
gloriously in forms and observations And then speaking to the Anabaptists and Independents he tells them they have set up a finer Image in the Gospell ordinances as you call them pag. 10. Pag. 10. And what other ordinances do these or we set up but what was practised in the Apostolical Churches Thus you may see how this Impostor doth reproach the holy things of God And further in his second page he in the height of his insolent rashnesse and madnesse saith thus The word of the Lord came unto me saying I will gather my people out of all forms and observations and out of all kindreds Tongues and Nations and I will poure out my Spirit upon them And this he writes in a different Character as if it were all scripture By this you may see it proved what I have accused them with in denying the ordinances and administrations of the Gospell Church is true And yet this impudent lyar tells me it is a lying slander They would render me a lyar for telling them the truth but it seems they can rather and with more ease deny the accusation then prove themselves Saints and stand to it thus when they are pincht they will say and unsay or any thing to evade But while you deny the Ordinances before mentioned I say you are none of Gods Saints but are Apostates backsliders that have departed from the living God in transgressing the lawes changed his ordinances and broken the everlasting Covenant Isa 24.5 But I shall come to the next you accuse me of belying you with and that is suspecting you to be under the crime of denying the holy Scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith and life you say ye deny the crime and witnesse them in their place with the Spirit that gave them forth which is a perfect rule of faith and life as Joh. 16.13 Anâ—w You deny the crime but own the thing by asserting the Spirit to be a perfect rule of faith and life for if the Spirit immediately be a perfect rule to us now of faith and life of what use is the Scriptures of I pray you tell Thus you own the charge but deny the crime because you judge it no crime to deny the Scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith and life and hence you insolently inferre that I am judged by the same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures who would set the Scriptures in the Spirits place by calling them the rule of faith and life Thus all men may run and read that you are so farre from judging it a crime to deny the Scriptures for a perfect rule of knowing God believing in him and living unto him that by the Spirit you act from you judge me for calling them the rule of faith and obedience And yet you witnesse the Scriptures in their place that is you witnesse that there is such writings but not to any such ends and purpose as to be a rule to know God and live unto him as the question intends The Spirit you make the only rule of faith and life Joh. 16.13 Which I answer unto 1. That promise is made directly to the twelve as is evident if you peruse the 13 14 15. chapt where we have the like promise chap. 14.26 The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost shall come and teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have spoken unto you and accordingly they have declared unto us what they have heard and seen Luk. 7.1 Christ tells them chap. 16.12 13. I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth c. Hence it 's clear these promises are made in speciall to his Apostles which doth assure us of the infallibility of what they preached and writ the Church being built upon the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ the chief corner Stone Eph. 2.20 that hath inspired both to agree in one and the same Doctrine of faith and obedience and he is the same for ever even to the end of the World Now let me ask you are you Apostles have you seen Jesus Christ are you sent for a foundation for the Church to be built upon that go about to overthrow and pluck up the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles recorded in Scriptures Let men and Angels judge 2. If all truth were revealed to the Apostles by the Spirit of truth and the Apostles faithfull in declaring this truth by writing or teaching as cannot be denyed then it will follow that those writings or teachings of the Apostles were the only rule which writings through Gods grace we enjoy and therefore the rule of divine truth It 's true we have need of Gods blessings of Grace to apply the rule to us and our hearts and lives to the rule And so many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them Gal. 6.26 Nay Christ prayed not only for his Apostles but for them also that should believe on him through their word Joh. 17.20 3. We say the holy Scriptures are the inspirations of the Spirit of God in their own sense as expressed and have such sure evidence thereof that without any scruple we so believe the truth and directions discoveries thereof that we are content to stand or fall to their Verdict not caring for mans judging and tell us in what truth of God the Scriptures are imperfect in you proud Worms that so vilifie and diminish from them But they go on and tell me that Abel Enoch and Noah had faith before Scripture was and the holy men of God believed therefore they spake Answ 1. Abel Enoch Noah were not without the word of faith from the Lord the Lord spake to these out of heaven by voyce Heb. 1.1 At sundry times and in â—â—vers manners the Lord hath spoken unto his servants the Prephets But in this last age he hath spoken to us by his Son Theâ—â—fore never look for no other manner of speaking 〈◊〉 what hath been before there was any thing committed 〈◊〉 to writing the Lord did more visibly reveale his will by voice or vision Angels c. but since he hath committed his whole will and mind unto writing by the Prophets and Apostles those former manners are ceased 2. This is our argument because some had faith before Scripture was by an immediate speaking by voyce c. Therefore now although we have the mind of God discovered in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles we must look for the same discoveries still by voyce or vision inspiration as if all that were written by inspiration of God were nothing to us and nothing of force to any but to the present ages they were writ in such madnesse you run into Whereas in your Answere you say That not any doth know the Scriptures by the outward declaration but by the word of faith in the mouth and in the heart which word
of faith we preach Rom. 10. I told you that was a contradiction and a confused senselesse thing which you say stands as a witnesse against me and bid me prove my accusation Answ 1. I queryed you whether any of you did know and believe what is written in the Scriptures without the outward declaration unto which you answere not at all 2. I query what you mean by the word of faith in the mouth and in the heart which the Apostle preached Rom. 10.6 7 8. whether it be the same with the Doctrine of faith declared in the Scriptures writ to the Churches or different from it As I concluded before in my replie so I shall make it good still notwithstanding all that you have writ that the word of faith which the Apostles preached and writ to the severall Churches is the same with that which you call the outward declaration What are the writings of the Prophets and Apostles but the word of faith I told you that this of the Apostle doth allude to that in Deuteronom 30. and there we find the same of the word as it was written in the law as heer of the word of faith preached The Doctrine of faith was so familiarly preached and beat into mens heads hearts and mouthes that ignorance could not excuse any and the Apostle explains what this word of faith is verse 9. thus That if thou shalt confesse with the mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved You may see it's clear enough what the Apostle understands by word in the mouth and in the heart if you be not too perverse and in the 10 verse there is a reason urged to make all your cavils fall For with the heart man believes unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation and proves it by the Scripture Whosoever beleeveth on him shall not be ashamed Isa 28.16 What can be concluded hence but what the writings of the Scriptures contain and declare and yet you say not any can know the Scriptures by the outward declaration but by the word of faith which word of faith in your quotation is discovered by the Scriptures what it is so that you say and unsay not by the outward declaration but by it a meer contradiction which you will never free your selves of But why cannot any know Scripture by its own writing Can you know what is contained in the holy Scriptures without the outward declaration if not then you must know it by the outward declaration or not at all How do you know what is in your books but by the outward declaration But instead of answering to clear your selves you are froward and very impertinent and obscure and desperately confused as followeth in their next wherein they should shew us the difference between the declaration of Scripture and the word of faith preached And first they witnesse the Scriptures by the same light and Spirit that gave them forth Rom. 10. and in Christ Jesus the Lord of faith which the Apostles preached and declared of they believe Rom. 10.6 7. as the Apostles did who knew the Letter which kil'd and the word of faith which is quick and powerfull which word say they is God that made all things and the letter testifies of him whose name is called the word of God Revel 19.11 12. Joh. 1.1 Heb. 4.12 And then they say they have come off clear of what I have accused them of in their answer Answ Here is nothing but pride and coniusion in these lines unlesse we can credit every thing they have the boldnesse to say as infallible How are the Scriptures beholding to them for their witnesse who have the same light and Spirit which gave them forth the Lord of Hosts gave them forth all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God 1. Tim. 3. and they have the same light and the same spirit equall with God if one may believe what they say of themselves But what think you are not the Scriptures as inspired and given of God a perfect rule of faith and obedience unlesse you witnesse them to be so and what letter was that which the Apostles knew killed you take it for granted that it is the whole declaration of holy Scriptures but it is because you have no light nor Spirit of God in you The word of faith Rom. 10.6 7. is quick and powerfull c. which word is God that made all things Most senselesse Is the profession of Christ in the mouth and believing in him with the heart God that made all things is every gift and work of God in man God that made all things this is like their other notion Christ lighteth all and therefore that light is Christ as if every work and operation of Christ is Christ just like those that make God to be every thing that from him lives and moves c. So again Christ is the word his name shall be called the word of God and they have Christ the word of God within them and what need of that which is written they have it in the life and fountain and they will come under no other writings nor rule although never so much commanded by God in the expressions of the holy Spirit in the Scriptures Touching Heb. 4.12 in the second verse he shewes us what word he meant where he saith That the Gospel was preached to them as unto us but the word that they heard profited not them because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it What word was this which was heard but the outward declaration in voice or writing or both And this word is quick and powerfull c. and the savour of life to some and of death to others according to the pleasure of him with whom we have to doe he blessing or blasting his own word and ordinance to the different ends intended by himself and for his glory whether in the diligent use thereof men be saved or in the contempt and neglect of the word men be damned The 2 Cor. 3.6 where it is said the Letter killeth is to be understood of the ministrie of Moses in comparison of the Gospell ministry administred by the Apostles that of Moses not so spirituall glorious effectuall as the new Testament was and yet it had its glory too but no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth vers 10. The Ceremonials their Gospel were but shadowes of good things to come the substance was Christ who was but darkly seen by the people but the Precepts and Threats of the Law were cleer which brought them under guilt and the remedie obscure and the fruit but little in comparison of the Apostles Ministry c. And hence the letter killed as administred by Moses but grace and truth comes by Jesus Christ It 's true the ministrie of the Apostles without the powerfull operation of the Spirit concurring was not
sufficient For Paul may plant and Apollo water but it is God that gives the increase and yet the word of God as made known in the holy Scriptures must be our rule to act and live by in order to Gods blessing of Spirit and grace to our regeneration and compleating the same unto eternall life Besides we have no promises of Gods giving his spirit unto sinners that have it not to quicken those that are dead in trespasses and sins but what is made in the letter of Scripture and no promises of any thing but what is writ there Rom. 5.15 all good newes from heaven to lost sinners is writ there they are written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope And yet will you say that all the letter killeth Now Reader lay things together and then judge by all that they have said how true it is that they say they have come off clear in what I have charged them with what difference have they made between the outward declaration and the word of faith which the Apostles preached and writ to the severall Churches if all be but the same as I have cleered from theirs the contradiction and their confused nonsense still remains notwithstanding their bitter censures and shuffles And how notoriously false is that of theirs That not any doth know the Scriptures by the outward declaration when the outward declaration 2. Tim. 3.16 as consisting of words committed to writing is the Scriptures that we plead Rev. 1.17 for a perfect rule the declaration and the matter and sense contained therein but the same all which is the inspiration of God and that which the Spirit saith to the Churches for what the Scriptures saith the Spirit saith because all Scripture is by inspiration of God 2. Pet. 1.20.21 c. And not only John but all the pen-men thereof writ as they were moved by the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost And hence when you Quakers set up the Spirit to be a perfect Rule of faith and life distinct from the Scriptures it will run you upon these Rocks which you will never evade 1. You must either set up another Spirit distinct from the Spirit of God that gave the Scriptures or 2. Maintain that the same Spirit gives a different rule to that which is written by his own inspiration and so make God not only mutable but contrary to himself which to think is to be abhorred as blasphemous 3. Or that the same Spirit hath given additionall lawes to be the rule above what is written by the Prophets and Apostles on which the Church is built which is hardly so I shall judge untill 1. I see the same divine approbation and confirmation of those Lawes as hath been given of all holy Scriptures 2. And yet those Lawes are as consonant and as agreeable to all the Scriptures as written by the Prophets and Apostles as the Apostles writings are consonant and agreeable to the Prophets 3. And untill they can prove that the Scriptures prophecie of such a change in the Church as to set up superadded Lawes 4. And that themselves are the men that the Scriptures have foretold of to superadde spirituall Lawes in the Church to bind the consciences of all as we affirme that the Scripture doth But to prevent mistakes I grant as they 1. That the Spirit is the rule but then you must understand it as the mind of God is revealed by the Spirit in the Scriptures 2. I grant that we have all need of the illuminating quickning operations and influences of the same Spirit that revealed the rule to enable us to know it and believe it and to apply it to our selves and to applie our selves unto it so as to live unto God in all Christian obedience according to this Rule 3. I grant that the Rule without the blessing of Grace concurring doth not simply of it self enlighten and quicken any nor are any truely and savingly enlightned quickned and renewed but by the revealed word of God as the only means appointed and designed of God to that very end to the intelligent Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom. 10. And of his own good will hath he begot us again by his word Jam. 2.1 And now I shall give a word to my dear friends of Farndon and to all that are abused and drawn aside by these deceivers and the deceits and cheats of their own hearts in hope of a blessing to my poor endeavours who am touched with a deep sense of the sad delusions which at the present you are intangled most desperately in My dear friends Who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth which you have once received with a great deal of joy and comfort to your souls when with constancie and patience you have made a good proâ—ession of the wayes of Godlinesse revealed by the word practised by men and women fearing God in all the ages of the Church of Christ you know the times and places when and where your Spirits have been made joyfull in the house of Prayer and praising of the ever blessed God Your hearts have been heated and warmed by the power of his word and Sacraments the strict observing of Sabbathâ— a constant course of the worshipping God in your families by a serious calling upon the name of the Lord instruction of those under you in the principles of Gods truth and fear and have walked before them in all Godlinesse and honesty according to this word of the Lord which now is in contempt and reproach by those that seduce you as is too obvious to the impartiall as is above cleared and their slanders shifts and shuffles discovered You may see how they have reproached the Institutions and ordinances of our Lord as heathenish by compareing them to that great Image of that heathen King Dan. 3.3 You may see how they deny the Scriptures to be a perfect Rule of knowing God believing in him and living unto him And yet they reproach me to be a lying slanderer in charging them with that which is an apparent truth as I have witnessed by their own lying Papers and thus they have reproached me most falsely and the lyes are returned upon their own heads whilst they witnesse themselves perfect and without sin and have entred the new Jerusalem in which none shall enter that makes a lie My friends some of you have heard William Duesbury say of himself In Duesbury new Births he thus witnesseth of himself that he was as perfect as that Christ which dyed at Jerusalem this is witnessed by one of credit and fidelity amongst your selves I forbeare his name Oh proud polluted Worme that dare exalt himself to a perfection equall with God the everlasting father whose name is called Wonderfull Counseller the Prince of peace the mightie God Isa 9. who fulfilled all righteousnesse from his birth to the consummating of all
the mans fancie and design is in bruiting and making such a noyse of the the appearance of the mighty day of the Lord judge ye I am sure he hath sufficiently discovered his own follie in blazing abroad such dreams of his own lying heart as if he could perswade people to believe that he can tell them of a lying wonder Well but all judgement is given to the Son and by his light and spirit in them they assume to judge all error and bind all persons that oppose them as they tell me in his power thou art bound and thy error judged Themselves you see are set in the Throne of Christ and under the notion of a Christ they are judgeing the whole world but if all judgement be given to the Son of man in them whom they hold is not distinct from themselves then men must honour their persons as they honour the Father and every knee must bow to them in Heaven and Earth Christ came not to judge the world but that the world should be saved through him while the day of salvation lasteth Nay he forbids this judging Judge not lest you be judged and will they say that the person of Christ is come from heaven and appears in his Majesty and Glory with his mighty Angels in them why do they not command the dead to arise and appear before them and receive their everlasting Doom but they will sooner deny the resurrection and say it 's past already with Hymeneus and Philetus then raise one dead Corps to life again But let them tell us plainly how Christ is the sole Judge of error and how persons are judged in the time of Grace by Christ in them if not by his word that shall judge all at the last day that reject it and not receive it by what then They say the light of Christ Ausw 1. Are not the holy Scriptures a light given to the Church by Christ the head thereof 2. Christ is to be considered in his person and natures simply or in his Authority and divine operations vertually There is not any whom Christ dwells in by his person and natures for so he is farre above all heavens at the right hand of God Act. 7. And it is blasphemy to say that Christ is in them by his person as God and man and to deny the glorified body of Christ that God hath raised from the dead as the Quakers do and will not allow the Divinity of Christ any other union with his humane Nature but what he hath with his body the Church is a pernicious blasphemous opinion also for by this they make all the particular bodies of his Saints to be but one and that the Godhead is in them bodily so that the Saints are God and man in one person as Howgill Borrough and others commonly spaeke And hence they judge that Christs sufferings in them makes satisfaction for all their own sins and so make the death of Christ in that body that suffered at Jerusalem of none effect as to satisfaction and salvation they call him a Christ without which was but a type and figure of this Christ within but to leave these Infidell Dreams I told you that Christ is to be considered in his Authority as revealed unto us in his word by commands backed with promises and Precedents for to encourage to obedience And 2. His Commands are guarded with menaces and threats and with Precedents of Gods executing his judgements upon transgressors for the terror of those that shall transgresse afterwards And this written word of God is the sole Judge of error given by Christ to that very end And those Divine operations and workings of Christ in the hearts of those whom he doth quicken with his speciall renewing grace doe work up his peoples spirits to a willing obedience to his holy rule prescribed in the holy Scriptures Now for them to say that the power and workings of Christ in his chosen and the gifts of grace he gives to them is Christ and the eternall word that made the world is such a frenzie that cannot be expressed as if every influence and operation the Sun hath upon the Earth upon Plants and all other creatures so farre distant and distinct from it were the Sun or as if every drop of water that the clouds exhale out and scatter from the Sea was the Sea or as if the gift was the giver but we may question whether they that thus spake of a Christ in them that made the World know any thing of Christ or of themselves as they ought to know at all In the next place they tell me Thou in thy dark mind talkest of the Revelations of Christ and the Apostles Doctrine and the Christians life and the ground of their obedience all which thou thou art a stranger to as is manifest by these thy following words Namely where I writ to them thus That God hath ordained the holy Scriptures alone to be the object of Faith and ground of all our obedience and serving of God and to do any religious service to God out of any other rule or principle is but Will-worship and to follow the imaginations of our own hearts serving the Divell and not God Unto this they Answer With the eternall word of God that was from the beginning art thou judged to be none of Abrahams seed and art raised out from his faith to which thou art a stranger for it had an object before the Scripture was written in which faith he see Christs day who is the object of our faith and ground of our obedience Heb. 11.16 c. And in his light we see thee to be in the Will-worship who obeyes from another ground and walks after the imaginations of thy own heart which leads thee to worship the Devill in bringing forth the many lies in this paper which he hath begotten in thee who is the Father of lies My reply to theirs is In these lines the spirit in them moved very strongly as the indifferent Reader may easily judge by their insolent rash censures and ignominious crimes they reproach me with for my asserting that which every one that is a Christian can do no lesse then own namely That God hath ordained the holy Scriptures alone to be the object of faith and ground of all our obedience and serving of God c. For this I am sentenced by the eternall word to be none of Abraham's seed and rased from his faith But 1. How shall I be sure they received this sentence from the eternall word which they have pronounced against me it being so directly contrary to what Christ hath forbidden Judge not lest you be judged Mat. 7. And they themselves say in their Answer to the Question we are upon That the Revelations of Christ are according to Scripture if this judging came to them by Revelation from Christ how will you make it to accord and be reconcileable with Scripture I but say they Thou art judged
by the eternall word which was from the beginning not by themselves Answ 1. That word was manifested in the flesh and dwelt amongst men justified in the Spirit and received into glory farre above the Heavens I demand how they know his mind touching my particular state in this censure pronounced whether they have it by voice from heaven or by vision or by the ministrie of Angels or dream or fancie or how 2. If the eternall word that was made flesh revealed it to them as he is in them for that 's the fancie then the word made flesh is in them bodily and not at the right hand of God where he lives for ever to make intercession for those he dyed for and obey him 3. If these censures be from the eternall word what is the reason they are so contrary to the written word which is the inspiration of God and the revelation of Christ and that which the Spirit saith to the Churches which every one that hath an eare to heare let him hear What have I pleaded but the Spirits rule as contained in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles Christ the chief Corner stone on which the true Church is built in all ages and for this these great Prophets judge me to be none of Abraham's seed and say I am rased out of his faith but what was his faith as to salvation more then what the Scriptures reveale and the weakest true Beleever hath In that I say the Scriptures are the object of faith c. is to be understood of what is contained in them and taught by them How do you or any know that there is but one God and what he is and how he will be worshipped and served but by the Scriptures How do you or any know that there is a Christ what he is and how he came into the World to save sinners and how he saves them and who he saves but by the Scriptures How do you or any know that there is a Covenant of grace and promises of eternall life and what commands but by the Scriptures Hence the Scriptures are the only rule of knowing God and Jesus Christ beleeving in him and living unto him They say Christ is the object of faith but that this is known and for what ends and uses and what is faith and how to live by it the Scriptures only make the discovery and they are writ for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope all those that are without the Scriptures are without all comfort and hope and God in the World And now whether they that oppose and deny the Scriptures to be a perfect Rule of faith and obedience or I that defend them to be the only rule deserve to be judged let every one that would be reckoned for a true Christian judge And as touching the faith of Abraham and who are his seed themselves are not much skil'd in who talk of the Law of the new Covenant writ in every mans heart as if every man were of the seed of Abraham and in the new Covenant made with him except my self and some others that out of zeale to the truth and doing service for the Church oppose them Both Abraham and all the faithfull upon Divine Record were obedient to the Commands of God and gave glory to God in believing his promises which you are farre from that reject his commands and promises in the Prophets and Apostles which not any of the children of Abraham in a spirituall sense ever did Them that are of faith are children unto Abraham and blessed with him but as for those that have departed from the true Doctrine of faith and obedience the Apostles writ to the Churches for their Rule as it is manifest from your own tongues and pens your selves have and chuse your own wayes following the imaginations of your own deceiving hearts that your selves are not of Abraham's seed much lesse of his faith while you cast off that Christian obedience to the lawes of Christ revealed in his word so did not our father Abraham And let me tell you in plainnesse your Worship and all your service is meerly vain so long as you like the Pharises teach for Doctrine the precepts of men namely such precepts that are the Dictates of your own idle brains And by an excessive fondnesse to the commands of your own fancies or the Devils suggestions you wickedly make voyd the holy just and equal commands of God What think you is not God the same as he ever was Hath he not given his statutes lawes and ordinances to Israel and to all that are of the same Church And is not this a great blessing among his people God hath not done this for the Heathen no they have not known his wayes Hath not God strictly forbidden either to adde to or diminish from his lawes upon the penalty of a curse Did not God say to Joshua thou shalt diligently observe and do all that is commanded not turning to the right hand or to the left Doth not Christ charge his Disciples to teach the baptized to observe and do all things whatever he hath commanded Matth. 28. And doth not Paul commend the Church of Corinth for being obedient in all things and for keeping the ordinances that he delivered unto them 1 Cor. 11.2 The Lawes and Ordinances of Jesus Christ were in force in the Apostolical Churches when were they repealed by what Authority and by whom Is not Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever You talk of the light of Conscience much can this light be blotted out of the Book of your Conscience it will not be long before conscience be fully opened to accuse and condemn you for reproaching the commands and ordinances of the Lord Jesus You talk of a Christ within you while you are disobedient and rebellious to Jesus Christ without you that gave his life a ransome for many Do you think a Christ within of your own making is able to secure you from the wrath of the Lamb when he shall come with his mighty Angels in flames of fire to render vengeance upon the disobedient to the Gospell You say you are perfect and in heaven and in the mean time strengthen your selves with lies and open your mouths with blasphemies and contempt of the holy things of Christ as hath been shewed but what will you do in the end thereof you tell me now out of your wonted boldnesse to belie the truth which the Scriptures teach that I am in the Will-worship in acting obedience from another Principle namely the Scriptures and so walk after the imaginations of my own heart which leads thee to worship the Devill in bringing forth those many lies in thy Paper begotten by the father of lies But I tell you the time is coming when your mouths that are opened in blasphemies shall be stopped and that word that I have urged against you shall judge you in that day
the simple and David acknowledges it to be both a Lamp and a light Psal 119. Besides whatsoever makes manifest is light but the Scripture doth make manifest what Christ is and what he hath done and suffered and for whom and for what ends So also they make manifest what sin is and the wages thereof what holinesse and true Worship of God is and how God will be served by all that shall be saved therefore the Scriptures are a true light If the Spirit of Christ doth give forth light to men then the Scriptures are a light to enlighten men because holy men writ them as they were moved and inspired by the holy Ghost and all Scripture were given by Inspiration of God and therefore deny the light of Scriptures and deny the light of the Spirit for what the Scripture saith the Spirit saith they being the Revelations and Inspirations of the Spirit And what may we think of these seducers that under pretence of a light within and a perfect Law of God in the heart and the Revelations of Christ in them condemn me for making the Revelations and Inspirations of God in Scripture a perfect Rule of faith and obedience but we are sure the Law of God which Scriptures teach is perfect holy just and good and a sure word and the Inspirations of God contained in Scriptures are true as God himself but as for that Law and Spirit that cannot stand unlesse the Scriptures fall it is easie to discern from whence it is But say they this light is not received from the Scripture but from Christ c. Answ The light of Scripture is the light of Christ as also the Scripture Ministry by which alone Christ became a light to the Gentiles and in that Christ hath appointed a Ministry of men and given them gifts and Authority to preach the Gospell unto the Gentiles and by his blessing hath made them successefull to turn them from darknesse to light as in the Apostles age especially Thus and no otherwise is he sent to be a light unto the Gentiles for how can any believe in him of whom they never heard as hath been spoke to already and what ever is wrought by his Authority in the use of means is all one with being wrought by Christ himself to any that are sober And hence those distinctions of mine are grounded of Christ more strictly and immediately and of Christ more comprehensive and in a mediate sense as he hath made the promise of his presence and blessing to those Ministers of the Gospell that teach and administer in the Church all things whatsoever Christ hath commanded to be done Matth. 28.19 He that walks in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks will be with the Scripture Ministry to the end of the World untill the whole be gathered and united to their head and made compleat in him They say this light of Christ cannot be blotted out as thou sayst That which I said was a supposition thus Suppose that all the light of Christ as Redeemer which you from time to time have received from the use of Scriptures Ministry Education Discourse were blotted out of your minds and heads tell me what you could know of Christ as he is designed of God to redeeme lost man and how the work of Redemption is wrought more then the rude heathen that never heard of his name All that they Answer to this is That the light cannot be blotted out as thou saist But what light is that which cannot be blotted out Say they The light of Christ that leads out of darknesse to the knowledge of God to eternall life though they have not the use of Scriptures this light is not received into the mind and head from the Scripture neither cannot be blotted out but it comes from Christ the light of the Gentiles such as thou callest Heathens who many of them shew the work of the Law in their hearts and shall be excused when thou and all that oppose the light of Christ shall be condemned Christians look about you for the Devil was never so bold as now and I think there is more of the Devil in so few lines then ever were writ by man before consider them well I assure you it 's all their own Was ever such an abominable thing asserted amongst Christians The light of Christ that leads out of darknesse to the knowledge of God to eternall life is not received in the mind from the Scripture but from Christ the light of the Gentiles As if the Scriptures were opposed to the light of Christ or of no use to reveal Christ as Redeemer to the salvation of lost man Christians you see now their Answer what it is to the Question namely That the light of Christ without the use of Scripture leads out of darknesse to the knowledge of God to eternall life c. even to the Gentiles that never heard of Christ nor believe in him to salvation But if this be true to what end did Christ come into the world and lay down his life to be a ransome for many and why did he shed his blood for many for remission of sins Christs death and resurrection is all in vain for all the world from the beginning have had this kind of light shewing the work of the law in their hearts and do by nature the things contained in the Law 1. But let them prove that this work of the Law is the light of Christ that Simeon prophesied of and the Prophets and that the Apostles witnessed fulfilled by their preaching and writings 2. And let them prove that the work of the Law in their hearts leads out of darknesse to eternall life The Scriptures say the contrary By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified nor is there any law that can give life 3. And let them prove that the work of the Law in the hearts of unbelieving Gentiles is a spirituall blesseing of the new Covenant Heb. 8. which the Apostle applyed to the believing Church so did the Prophets of old time Jer. 31. If they cannot prove these three things let shame stop their lying mouths Jesus Christ as he was promised to be a light of the Gentiles Isai 42.6 7. is to be understood of a peculiar spirituall light Christ was given for such a light to the Gentiles as should open the blind eyes and bring out the Prisoners from the Prison and them that sit in darknesse in the Regions and shadow of death out of the Prison house to guide their feet in the way of peace Luk. 1. Which accordingly was fulfilled in the Apostles age but how not by Christ immediately but by Christs Authority who appointed men and furnished them with gifts and abilities to preach the Gospell unto them and opened their hearts to receive it and become Christians in profession and truth And in that they were converted and enlightened by means himself appointed is all one by being converted and enlightened
main fundamentall Did you ever read of going through the Law to Christ Must a sinner go through it in perfect obedience till nothing remains to oblige him further And is this the way to Christ in whom justification is witnessed only I think those that can do so will see but little need of that true Christ who justifies the ungodly and came into the world to save sinners And whether I or you be alienated from the life of Christ as you censure me according to Scripture let the sober judge And whereas I said in my Reply the light which is common to man in corrupt nature doth make discoveries of the eternall Deity and of the righteousnesse contained in the written law of God but discovers nothing of Christ as Redeemer or how a sinner is made just in him the Scriptures being necessary to discover that is the truth Your denyall argues plainly that you have no light in you untill you prove either by the Law and Testimony of the Prophets and Apostles what you deny till then let shame stop your censorious mouthes which almost every line hath some ill favour of And what I have accused you with in pressing people to look to the light within is but to follow after the righteousnesse of the Law at best is true and in so doing you hinder them from seeking after the righteousnesse of Christ as Scriptures teach and you deceive your selves and others your shew of quotations will not cover you as being wilfully perverted there not being any colour in any of the Texts to prove that all in corrupt nature are lightned with the light of Christ to lead out of darknesse to eternall life Joh. 1.9 Which I shall endeavour next to examine your strength and give in my Answer is the main one 1. That all the light in the World whatsoever notion or consideration kind or degree it can come under is from Christ the eternall word that made all things is an unquestionable truth 2. And that he is the only procuring cause of that spirituall light and life to man without which not any can be saved 3. And that this spirituall light and life is in himself as in the fountain and he the principal efficient enlightning and quickning whom he will is by me as easily yeelded but whether Jesus Christ the eternall son of God the only Mediator between a holy God and sinfull man doth enlighten every man that is in the world with such a sufficient light of his Spirit that whosoever will but heed and observe it to obey it will lead them out of the darknesse of corrupt nature to eternall life Whether they have the use of Scriptures or not the use of them is the Question to be disputed from this Text Joh. 1.9 And my Answer is in the negative to it opposing it as very unsound especially when the neglect of necessary means is pleaded and an immediate light and power of Christ only pretended and urged And yet something is to be premised too I yeeld that all men have so much light or means of light offered and afforded that shal leave all men without excuse before the great Tribunall of Jesus Christ where men shall not be condemned for what they could not do and be but for not doing and doing things they should not and had power and light to do and forbeare but would not such a corrupt thing is man in his fall that he will not though he may do better in order to his eternall wellfare Who amongst unregenerate men can stand to plead it with God and say Lord I have done my utmost to forsake my sins and turn to thee in the use of all those helps and means enjoyed with constancy and diligence to the utmost of my power time and place and yet thou hast denyed me thy Grace of acceptance unto life and condemnest me for that which I had not power at all to do and be God cannot be said to be behind-hand with any nor doth the work stick at him while men carelessely neglect to do what they have power to do in the use of those advantages God gives to any Although every mouth shall be stopped and all stand guilty before God that perish yet it will not follow as in the Question that all have a sufficiency of light and power of Grace by Christ to come out of darknesse to eternall life which is a wide different thing which not any Scripture teacheth but disowneth by evident demonstrations nor can this Scripture in hand be urged further then will agree with the proportion of faith And in as much as our adversaries own this Text of Scripture for the rule of their opinion and practice and some others it doth oblige them to own the whole of Scriptures because the same Spirit is the Author of the whole as of those few Texts they build upon And for them to deny the Scriptures for a perfect Rule and in the mean while are so stiffe in urging some particular Texts as this in hand and Swear not at all and Call no man Master and Salute no man by the way The Spirit shall guide you in all truth You shall not need to teach one another c. is a contradiction in its self and a speaking lies in hypocrisie as ever were known But now I come to the words themselves That was the true light which lighteth every man that comes into the world this true light is to be understood of Christ God and man is clear for it was spoken of him whom John was sent to bear witnesse of The Evangelist saith that John was not that light which shines in darknesse c. but was sent to bear witnesse of that light vers 8. And yet we know John is called a burning and a shining light too which is to be understood ministerially as he was fitted and sent to prepare the way and give the present discovery of the very person of Christ to the people of the Jewes who had generally a good opinion of John that he was a true Prophet that so all men through him might believe But why is Christ called that true light fingularly beyond John who was a true light to all men to bring them to believe in Christ Because Christ hath all light and life in himself originally and enlightens others as an efficient of himself being God but John was but his Instrument and Messenger and received all from him for the carrying on that work he was sent to do so that it 's true of John that his person and office was a true shining light in his place but Christ in his person and ministry for as much as he was more then man is that true light indeed that gives light of himself to lighten the world as if he had said there 's not a man in the world but whatsoever light he hath or good under that notion he hath received it from Christ Indeed he is the very Soul of the world
mans self and to be urged upon others as the authority of the Scripture The Quakers Answer The Revelations of Jesus Christ are according to Scripture which bind up the testimonie and seal the law in the hearts among my disciples And what Revelations and Dictates in the heart are contrary to the law and testimonie are to be disowned and rejected according to Isai 8.20 My Reply The Answer is both cloudie and deceitfull yet seems to be in the Negative when they say what Dictates and Revelations is in the Conscience and heart of man contrary to the Law and Testimony is not to be regarded but disowned But then the Question is what they mean by Law and Testimonie whether the old and new Testaments or Law and Testimonie in the heart If of the first their Answer is true but if of the last their Answer is false and unsound and it will follow that the Revelations and Dictates of the heart not to be found in Scriptures are as binding to my own and other mens Consciences as the Scriptures contrary to their own quotation Isai 8.20 c. The truth is they will have the inward Dictates of the heart binding to Conscience and the rule when they have denyed the holy Scriptures to be a rule of faith and obedience as we have seen in their Answer to the first Question they will take no notice of Scripture Authority as if they were altogether out of Date Whereas every true Christian doth believe that God hath ordained the holy Scriptures alone to be the object of faith and ground of all our obedience and serving of God and to do any Religious service to God out of any other Principle is but will-worship and to follow the imaginations of our own hearts serving the Devil and not God Their Answer saith My accusation is false and the cloud and deceit is in my self who cannot endure sound Doctrine but call it unsound and question whether the Law and Testimonie in the heart which is the Law of the new Covenant Jer. 31.33 be the Rule to judge error by and here with the light of Christ the spirituall man who judgeth all things thy blindnesse and deceit is seen and judged and we witnesse the Scriptures to be writ for our learning and a testimony against thee and all such lyars who have got them to talk on and would set them above the Revelations of the Spirit and light of Christ which we witness is absolutely binding and the sole judge of error for to him is all Judgement given Joh. 5.22 And in his power thou art bound and thy error judged Answ Reader thou mayst see what impudent foreheads they have by saying my accusation is false when themselves have discovered to purpose the deceit of their Answer which saith The Revelations of Christ are according to the Scriptures and what Dictates are in the heart of man contrary to the Law and Testimony is not to be regarded but disowned according to Isai 8.20 In which Text we are to go to the Law and the Testimony and if any speak not according to that word it is 〈◊〉 cause there is no light in them which word is to be understood of Moses and the Prophets without all controversie So that take their answer as expressed and a plain minded Christian cannot but judge it sober and true but you may see they speak one thing and mean another thing for in their last answer to mine they tell us what they mean by Law and Testimony namely the Dictates Revelations and Law and Testimony in the heart And is not that a deceitfull answer to make a shew of one thing and intend another for if their answer had been to their intent it should have been this The Revelations of Christ within are of greater force then the Scriptures and what Dictates or Revelations in the heart of man are contrary to the Law and Testimonie in the heart are to be disowned and they should have left out their quotation had they not been purposely minded to deceive and yet they tell us often that as they write so they mean and speak the truth in plainnesse most horrible hypocrisie and deceit which nothing but impudent lying and a knavish head dare go about to excuse much lesse impute falsehood upon the innocent for discovering it Did you ever read of Law and Testimonie in the heart and did you ever read that the Law and Testimonie in the heart is the Law of the new Covenant and did you ever read that the Law in the heart is the Law of the new Covenant where is the new Covenant called a Law and the only rule to judge error by We know the whole Book of God written by Moses and the Prophets is called the Book of the Covenant Exod. 24.7 And that which you call the Law of the New Covenant is the blessing promised in the new Covenant put into performance where and to whom God is pleased in the use of the word and ordinances of the Covenant to regenerate renew quicken and change the hearts of any to yeeld willing and heartie obedience to the holy Lawes of God commanded in his word Do these strangers to the nature of the new Covenant think that all have the Law of God writ in their hearts by vertue of he new Covenant Who can deny this writing of Gods Law and giving his Spirit c. Jer. 31.33 Heb. 8. to be a saving blessing of the Covenant farre different to Rom. 2.14 which is a Law in the heart common to all upon another account If that which they plead be writ in all then all have true saving Grace and shall be saved for that Covenant is everlasting and unchangeable and then if all have not that Law of the new Covenant to what end is that quoted but to deceive making the most to believe a lye where their damnable Tenents take and so upon the matter they destroy all Christian Lawes and obedience and presse men that are Christians to turne Heathens in minding the Law of Nature only And should I speak my heart touching the nature of the new Covenant I should expresse my self thus That the Covenant of Grace that brings salvation to faln man is founded upon and confirmed by the death of Christ in which Covenant the promises of a new heart and of giving Gods Spirit and writing his Lawes are the main all other promises precepts threats and ordinances in the whole Book of God have their tendencie in order to the Lords putting into execution of those spirituall blessings promised and this Covenant is to be restrained to the visible professing Church and their seed as a speciall blessing beyond all the rest of the world that are left to wander in their own wayes And in the Church this Covenant is not to all universally and absolute but indefinitely and conditional so that not any can be excluded from it in particular nor all included in it conjunctively taken for in
the visible Church of Christ that are under the Doctrine and ordinances of the grace of the Covenant many are called but few are chosen And these Impostors and Perverters of the new Covenant that teach that all have the Lawes of the new Covenant writ in their hearts may as truly say that all have the promises thereof writ in their hearts then which nothing is more absurd therefore I conclude that as the promises of the Covenant are upon Divine record that we may have hope for our selves and children so likewise is the rule that we are to conforme unto in order to the receiving of the spirituall blessings promised In the next place to excuse their rash insolent censures they assume to themselves To be the spiritual man that judgeth all things and thereupon by their light they say that my blindnesse and deceit is seen and judged who accuseth them of waving the Scripture-authority as if they were out of date Answ And let the World judge what use they make of the Authority of holy Scriptures that have in plain terms denyed them to be the perfect rule of faith and obedience as you have seen before and not many lines off again where they judge me they say The Spirit and light of Christ in them which they witnesse is absolutely binding and the sole judge of error for to him is all judgement given Joh. 5.22 Thus you see they set up another Rule to be sole judge of error and yet they judge me for accusing them falsely But this is but the same in other words which they have urged and I have answered already in the first Question There they say the Spirit is the rule here the light of Christ in them the sole judge of error for they make the light within the law in the heart the Spirit and Christ the exercise of the conscience to be all one and they quote Scriptures meerly to delude the simple and to colour over their real delusions and deceits for if the Spirit and the immediate Revelations of Christ in the heart be the only rule and sole judge of error to what end do they prove it by Scriptures for that which is the sole Judge of error is infallible of it self and needs not any demonstration but faith to believe it that it is so and their going to the Scriptures to prove the Spirit to be the rule in that very thing they make the Scriptures the absolute rule and therein contradict all they say If Christ in them be the sole judge of truth and error why do they make such a noyse of Scripture expressions can they not speak in the Authority of that Christ within them unlesse they fill up their Revelations with those borrowed expressions of the Scriptures which they call a dead Letter that killeth Certainly in the secret of their Consciences they are convinced that the holy Scriptures are the sole Judge of error they being given by the Inspiration of God and the word that we shall be judged by at the last day Joh. 12.48 although they reject it from being the Judge of error now because it crosses their idle proud fancies and itching humors to set up something of their own brain in their Apostate condition and therefore like condition like rule rather then they will repent and return to the right Rule they will set up a Rule of their own making that shall please them better but what will they do in the end thereof Because they had not executed my judgements but despised my statutes and polluted my Sabbaths c. wherefore I gave them statutes also that were not good and judgements whereby they should not live and the Lord polluted them in their own Gifts c. Ezek. 20.24 25. The Lord give them hearts to consider the judgement of God upon such that despise the judgements statutes and Sabbaths the Lord hath commanded in his word Was this judgement of the Lord inflicted for the despising the judgements and Statutes and Sabbaths that were written in their own hearts think you no but for the despising and breaking the statutes lawes and ordinances commanded to be writ and taught the people by Moses and the Prophets as innumerable Texts do evince But while they quote Scripture although they deny it for a rule let us not be beaten with our own weapon and therefore give me leave to examine their quotations to prove the spirituall man and the light of Christ within to be the sole judge of error distinct from the Scriptures The 1 Cor. 2.14 15. them that are spirituall are put in opposition to the naturall man the one knows approves and judges of spiritual things the other receives not the things of the Spirit nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned the spirituall man hath his senses exercised to discerne and judge of things that differ but it is no where said he doth this without the rule of the word that gives that discovery The spirituall man as well as all others may not judge his brother nor another mans servant for we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ our Lord and Master and all judgement is committed to the Son that men may honour the Son as they honour the Father Joh. 5. as they quote hence they inferre that Christ is the sole judge of error Indeed Christ as he is the Son of man God and Man in one person who hath ascended farre above all heavens sitting at the right hand of God from thence shall he come in the clouds of Heaven with his mighty Angels in flames of fire to render vengeance on the disobedient to the Gospell Because God hath appointed him a day in which he shall judge the World in righteousnesse even by that man whom he hath ordained whereof God hath given assurance to all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Act. 17.31 We believe that Jesus Christ shall come in his day with that very same body that suffered death upon the Crosse and was raised from the dead the third day and he shall judge the whole world of mankind that ever were even all those that are in the Graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth the righteous to the resurrection of everlasting life and the wicked to the resurrection of condemnation Joh. 5.28 29. And let these seduced people take notice of Joh 12.28 29 He that receiveth not my words saith Christ hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him at the last day And this word of Christ they reject from being the rule of faith and obedience but whether they will or no they must stand to the judgement of this word of Christ which he hath spoken at the last day William Dusbury tells us that the mighty day of the Lord is appeared in the North of England and is arising towards the South and shall overspread this Nation and all Nations of the world What
Rom. 2. God will judge the secrets of men by the Gospell which I all along plead to be the only rule of faith and obedience and you have denyed it as to that and and set up another rule which God commands not You accuse me of many lies but why do you not prove it and evidently convince me of one by the Authority of Scriptures or else own the accusation to be false and from the Devill that overpowers you to blaspheme the truth But to proceed In the Answer to my question they say the Revelations of Christ are according to Scripture c. In my reply I told them that the Revelations of Christ that are according to Scriptures are either texts of Scripture expressed or rationall deductions consequences and conclusions that naturally flow from particular passages of Scriptures the which said I is Scripture and not any other Revelations can be pleaded for a Rule Their answer to this is little to the purpose Here say they Thou hast made thy self manifest to all the children of light to be a stranger to the Revelations of Christ Jesus which they witnessed who thereby was taught the Gospell and knew the Son revealed by the Father and the brightnesse of his coming who reveals the man of sin which was not done by rationall deductions nor by Texts of Scriptures which thou hast got to talk of 2 Thes 2 3.8 2 Cor. 1.1.7 My Answer 1. That the Holy Scriptures are the Revelations of the Spirit of Jesus Christ is without all doubt and they teach the whole counsell of God necessary to every good work and of salvation in all righteousnesse 2 Tim. 3.16 2 Pet. 1.21 Rev. 1.1 2. Those Revelations of Christ that are according to Scriptures as their Answer to the Question is must be such that accord and are reconcileable with the current and stream of Scriptures at least they must not clash nor crosse the streame of Scripture if they answer as they really think and then why do they deny the Scriptures to be a perfect Rule and set up the Spirit within to be the only Rule if the Revelations of Christ within are according to Scriptures then it will follow that those Revelations are to be examined by Scripture rule to try whether they accord with Scripture yea or no and then they make the Scripture the Rule which in plain terms they have denyed to be the Rule Therefore we may conclude their Answer is deceitfull say one thing and mean another For following them in my first replie to this as before they very discreetly passe it by with silence and catch at my mentioning of Scripture consequences c. otherwise then was intended which I shall speak to anon There is one thing which I think I may do well to informe the Reader of as touching their Answer though they intend it not That the Revelations of Christ are according to Scripture in this respect namely Christ revealing himself to the soul by his powerfull working quickning enlightning strengthning comforting and the like all which are the Revealings and communications of Christ to the soul in his Divine workings all which is according to his Word we must look for all spirituall and temporall promises of good things we want in the written word but look for the fulfilling of the good things promised in our selves by the powerfull workings and Divine givings of the Son of Gods and in that way and by what means himself hath appointed and prescribed in his word as there is the revelation of light in the Scripture so there must be the revealings of Christs power to give sight to the eyes of the soul before any be able to see the mysteries of the Gospell unto salvation The promise of a new heart and giving repentance is the Revelation of Scripture but the renewing of the heart and make it to repent indeed is done by the mighty power of Christ in the heart which all that have it are in some measure sensible of The spirit of Christ by the word reveals the rule unto us and the same Spirit by his powerfull workings revealed in us works up our hearts to a willing conformity to the rule as I have said before They talk how that Antichrist was not revealed by deductions nor texts of Scriptures by what then How shal we know what that man of sin is and who but by Scripture I think those that are against Scripture are against Christ that by his Spirit gave them forth for the comfort hope and instruction of his Church and by their opposing the Revelations of Christ in Scriptures themselves may be the man of sin they talk of in setting up another rule and teaching another Gospell contrary to what the Apostles preached and writ But they are ready to catch at my expressions of Scripture consequences although I used them in favour of their own answer had they been reall in it but you see they are so farre from owning of consequences drawn from the Scriptures that they have denyed the whole Scriptures from being a Christians Rule Their quotations are against them unlesse they can prove that they received their Gospell by the Revelations of Christ as Paul did or that themselves have the Spirit from the mouth of Christ that reveals the man of sin It satisfieth me that we have the very same Gospell in writing that Paul received by the revelation of Christ and that we have that word that came from the mouth of Christ that discovers all errors and deceivers of whom not any more obvious then themselves And that the Quakers deny the Scriptures is evident by this Argument They that deny all consequences drawn from Scriptures deny the Scriptures but the Quakers deny all consequences drawn from Scriptures therefore the Quakers deny the Scriptures The Minor is clear they will not deny it The Major is to be proved T is certain the Scriptures were writ many ages before this of ours and were particularly directed and given first to the Church of the Jewes then secondly to the Churches of the believing Gentiles in the Apostles age that it is by consequence that we in our times can challenge a propriety and interest in the use and benefit of them because not any part thereof was given directly unto any that are now alive but were given to the whole Church of whom we are added to and grafted in by Faith and therefore as we are of the Church we have a propriety in the Churches privileâ—ges of which the holy Scriptures are a principall part There is the same reason of all particulars in the Scriptures as they are directed to particular persons in the Church of whatsoever qualitie condition relation any are in for whatsoever was written to any directly as such by consequence is writ to all such and of the same kind where there is the same equality of reason and the like circumstances concurring And hence we may still say whatever were written before time
were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope but the particular application of the whole or a part is by consequence because they were not firstly writ to us at all Therefore the conclusion is unavoydable against them and yet while themselves are denying the Scriptures to be the rule of faith and obedience and for which they are under the plagues written therein as was urged against them their insensible stupid spirits shift it from themselves and make my self the man that dare adde to the Scriptures my own conclusions and so am under all the plagues written therein Rev. 22.18 19. But let them prove wherein I have in the least diminished and added to the Scriptures who am defending their Divine authority unto all against them who out of Apostasie and strong delusion have denyed the Authority of Scripture to be the Rule of faith and life I spake of consequences and conclusions that naturally flow from expresse Texts of Scripture not forced far-fetched out of Texts perverted and misunderstood as themselves by concluding my self the man that are under all the plagues even while I am defending their Authority and themselves free even while they are denying Scripture Authority In their next judging me the cast-away 1 Cor. 9.27 And found in the old Covenant when the Law and Testimonie is without and shut out of the new Covenant where the Law is written in the heart Because I queried how the Law and Testimonie may be said to be in the heart seeing that the Scripture placed them in the Ark which is called the Ark of the Testimonie where the two Tables were placed that were written with the finger of God Exod. 25.16.20 21. and 31.18 and to this is those Texts Isai 8.16 and verse 20. to be referred which they interpret to be the Law and Testimonie of the heart and would have the Law and Testimonie in the Ark writ with the finger of God but a figure of the other as if the Lawes writ in the two Tables were not reall Lawes which all are bound to obey but a figure of some other Lawes writ in the heart of corrupt man that would make every idle fancie and suggestion of Satan a Law to be ruled by as is too evident by themselves who will allow of no Lawes of God nor Scriptures but the Revelations and Edicts of their own bewitched fancies for they have rejected the word of the Lord Jam. 8.9 and what wisdome is there in them But Christians what think you were not the Children of Israel to whom God gave these Lawes in writing the seed of Abraham and in that everlasting Covenant made to Abraham Gen. 17.7 8. where the Lord promiseth to be a God to him and his seed in their Generations for ever and was not this the Covenant of Grace which included all the saving blessings thereof unto salvation and the Law of Grace in the heart and yet the Lord in his wisdome and mercie to his Covenant people gave them his Lawes in an outward writing and they were bound to the keeping and observing of these Lawes upon promises of the greatest blessings and threats of the greatest penalties annexed Were not Moses Joshua Caleb and all the godly that had the fear of God and the Spirit of God in their souls bound to the observance of this Law which was in the Ark of the Testimonie and were they in the old Covenant so as to be shut out of the new as they say of me for defending the same truth which those servants of the Lord practised and all others that feared God after them What think you Christians is the book of the Law inconsistent with the new Covenant when the truth is the great blessing of the new Covenant is so to renew our hearts and incline them to the Law of God that with love and delight we may walk in Gods Lawes and ordinances prescribed to his Glory But behold their censures they judge me none of Abraham's seed and rased out from his faith and shut out of the new Covenant and judged to be under all the plagues written in the Book of God and now are come to deny my prayers and the God whom I serve Who doth thee guide say they to belie the truth and slander the innocent I say the Lord rebuke thee Satan thou enemie to mankind who by thy wiles beguilest weak man who all his life time is subject to temptation and error and although thou hast prevailed upon these frail men to run upon mistakes putting light for darknesse and taking darknesse for light and thereby hath drawn them to deny the true and living God whose being and blessednesse is in himself infinite yet God forbid that I shoul cease praying for them and that unto my God in the name of Jesus Christ to heal their back slidings and to reduce them from wandring from thy truth and Church in all the mysterious errors they are bewilder'd and scattered in in the cloudy and dark day not for want of light who have been in a valley of vision but for want of love thereof and wholesome Discipline to prevent such extravagances And now my dear Friends of Farndon and all others that are entangled in these dangerous snares and unheard of errors that men of perverse minds and proud presumptuous spirits have the boldnesse to vent and publish in our loose dayes What think you now you have been ready to defend these deceivers and tell us that they keep to the Scriptures and teach nothing but what they have ground of Scripture for and they are as full of Scripture quotations as any whatever But what think you now have not they in plain words denyed the Scriptures to be the only rule of faith and obedience and set up another rule to be the sole Judge of error and ground of all obedience namely the light of Christ in them which sometimes they call the eternall Word by which they judge of errors and persons bind and sentence at pleasure as if all judgement in heaven and earth was given to them only and the same honour due to them which is due to the Father as you have seen it cleared unto you before I beseech you to be serious in your thoughts of what hath been writ in discovering their deceits and blasphemies and the very foundation of all heresie their denying the Rule that all things are to be tryed by and make themselves the absolute rule and we may not question what themselves say be it never so insolent and to be abhorred of all sober Christians But they presently passe sentence and judgement on us as if all judgement was given to them indeed and as if themselves were the only Masters that all must stand or fall unto Had they but power to execute as they have pride and insolencie to judge and censure what flesh were able to stand before them that should but crosse their proud fancies
But their pride will be their ruine And the Lord will rebuke the madnesse of these Prophets and they are in the same way of perishing as in the gainsaying of Corab But dear friends I hope that there is that fear of God in your hearts that will preserve you from running out into these desperate heresies as to deny the holy Scriptures to be the Rule and ground of faith and obedience For you know deny the Authority of Scriptures the only boundary of truth and the only Touch-stone that every spirit and opinion is to be tryed by then all shall be left to follow the imaginations of their own idle heads and act as their deceitfull hearts shall suggest then they that can get the greatest confidence conceitednesse and strongest fancies and the impudentest tongues to vent their own inventions will be the only men for the true Religion and then who can tell what is truth and who are guided by the spirit of God and who by the Devill The very denying the Authority of the Scriptures bringeth all into confusion and heathenisme inevitably Cast off that which God hath ordained to direct us then the Devil will put in to mislead into all error and how shall any be able to know his workings and temptations from the pure workings of God for our good when the authority of the Scriptures are laid aside Nay who can be certain of any things in himself or in others that they please God when I or they cannot be certain they are ordained of God to that end if you lay aside the Authority of Scriptures And how just is it for God to punish the hearts of men with all spirituall delusions blindness and error and to let Satan loose upon mens souls when they cast off that which God hath given to direct and instruct in all righteousnesse and to every good work as 1 Tim. 3. You know how it is said that he that provideth not for his own hath denyed the faith as to that particular duty which the Doctrine of faith teacheth and is worse then an Infidell What would the Apostle have said of these that deny the whole Doctrine and Rule of Faith and yet have been once Christians sure they are worse than Infidells and it had been better they had never known the way of righteousnesse then after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandements of the Lord delivered unto them by word or writing 2 Pet. 2.20 see chap. 3.1.2 wherein the Apostle endevoured to stirre up their pure minds by way of remembrance that they might be mindsul of the words that were spoken before by the holy Prophets and of the Commandements of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour which comprehends the whole Scriptures of old and new Testament on which the Church is built the Scriptures are and in them do contain the Oracles of God which is a great advantage and preferment to those they are committed unto beyond all others Rom. 2.1 2. To them is the Covenant and the promises and the service of God chap. 9. And whatever were writ before time was writ for our learning that the Church of God through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15. Whereas on the other hand those that are denyed the Scriptures are Aliens from the Common wealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenant of Promise and without hope and God in the world Ephes 2.12 as is clear of the like Infidel state that the Ephesians were in before their conversion to Christianity I tell you to deny the Scriptures is the desperatest error that any mortals can possibly plunge themselves into having once professed them such I am sure forsake their own mercies and judge themselves unworthy of eternall life by despising the Gospel of Christ contained in the Scriptures they slight the everlasting Covenant of Grace and all the promises writ in the Book of God there being not a promise made to any in the world but what is in the Scripture nor can any expect that God will give that which he doth not promise to any Let them tell me what promises are writ in the heart that deny the Scripture to be the only rule of faith and obedience if they be without the promise then they are without hope and God in the world as the poor Indians are if not worse by denying that which they have the means to know nay have known and been convinced and rejoyced in the spiritual blessings promised but now wilfully deny them and reject them as not to be believed that are written for the great comfort of the Lords people I tell you friends these miserable Worms uncovenant themselves and unchrist themselves as if they cared not for grace and mercie in their standing before God In denying the Scripture they deny all that grace and mercy that is writ there for the comfort and hope of poor penitent finners If the Scriptures shall be denyed their Authority by them then it will follow that they have removed the Lords antient bounds and the only Judge of all error What is heresie but the broaching of errors and vain opinions and practices contrary to the holy Lawes and Institutions of God recorded in Scriptures in taking away the rule they are involved in all heresie whatever for God will not be any otherwayes known trusted in worshiped and obeyed then himself hath taught and prescribed us in his word When men dare think of God after their own fancies and believe in him after their vain minds and worship God as seems good in their own eyes as all do that deny the Scripture to be a perfect Rule no wonder that they make God like themselves and themselves like God and that they preach another Gospell and set up another Christ and fancie another Heaven and another day of judgement and another Law and Rule to try all things by If men cease to be Christians and forsake the rules of Christianity while they continue to be men and have any sparks of immortality in them they will be doing in one way or other in order to eternity But will you receive these seducers into your houses and bid them God speed that deny the only Rule of righteousnesse and not be partakers with them Judge ye And can a greater proof and demonstration be given against any that they are Impostors and deceivers false teachers then this that in plain terms will deny the Authority of the holy Scriptures to be the only Rule of faith and obedience as those do which you receive and adhere unto which is a confirmation to me of the truth and Divine approbation of the publike ministry that you have forsaken when I observe what teachers you follow even those that deny the Authority of Scriptures And should our Teachers deny the Authority of holy Scriptures to be the Rule of faith and obedience and set up their own fancies to be the Rule as they do which you adhere
the preaching of the Doctrine of faith Neither is there salvation in any other but in that Saviour and Redeemer which the Apostles preached Act. 9.12 for there is no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom the Jewes crucified and God raised from the dead ver 11. and this name and person Christ Jesus designed of God to be a Saviour cannot any know of or believe in him but by the help of Scriptures or the ministrie thereof and he that believes not in this name Christ Jesus the Son of the living God shall be damned Mark 16.16 And doth not our Saviour affirme that salvation is of the Jewes as they were the Church of God peculiar from all other people under heaven because unto them was committed the Oracles of God and is not the christian Church grafted into them and peculiar from all others Infidels and misbelievers and have the same and more spirituall priviledges and blessings of the Covenant while all others are left to wander in their own wayes were not the Apostles Doctrine which they preached the only means of enlightning the dark world and let them shew us where and to whom they preached the light in men to be the Gospell and Christ within them that the Gentiles should be saved by No they preached Christ crucified a dying bleeding Christ for remission of sins It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching Christ as they did to save them that believe as they were fitted and sent of God so they were directed in doing his work faithfully and were accompanyed with an answerable successe witnesse the many Churches that they gathered and converted to the christian faith turning them from darknesse to the true light and from the power of Satan unto God striving to preach Christ where he never had been named before Rom. 15.20 And what Christ did they preach is easie to determine may the Scriptures judge Either let these sinners against their own souls preach the same Christ to sinners for the same ends and purposes as the Scriptures witnesse of the Apostles or else let their lying mouths be stopped and persist no further in deceiving themselves and seducing others Reader thou canst not but judge the Question rational and religious if the Scriptures may judge and to be answered in the negative and yet these men who out of their thick darknesse having denyed the Scriptures to be the Rule of faith and obedience are forced to forge out of their dark imaginations another Rule of revealing Christ to lost man besides the Scriptures which Rule is in every man sometimes under the notion off light within law of the heart heer they bring in an unlimited power of God distinct from the use of those Ordinances and wayes which God hath appointed to make usefull in those Divine discoveries of Christ the only Mediator between God and sinfull man and without which Christ as Mediator and Redeemer is not known nor believed in unto salvation at all They carp and cavill at my expressions because the Question is to Gods ordinary and usual dealings with the souls of men and have waved the extraordinary and unusuall operations of the hidden unlimited power of God doing what he will to Infants distracted deaf in the Church in shewing them mercie but they reject all ordinary means of Scripture and ordinances therein appointed and onely set up an immediate unlimited power of God though if the word of an Apostle be of credit before them the Gospell of Christ is the power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 So necessary is the ministry of the Gospell to salvation that it 's called the power of God to that end and yet I have all along yeelded that to the means must be added a Divine hand in working effectually upon the souls of men or else nothing can be wrought unto salvation and as for the expressions themselves it is not much materiall that they be found in Scripture so long as the thing and sense is there as hath and much more might be added in proof thereof were it needfull The word ordinary food is in Ezekiel Ezek. 16.27 there the Lord threatned to deny it which were their dayly bread but I say the thing it self is grounded upon Scriptures Israel drank of water in the Brooks and Springs and Wells that they digged which was ordinary and yet Gods gift they also drank of water that God gave them out of a Rock in the Wildernesse where no water was before and thâ—t was extraordinary Israel took of their Dough for bread which they had prepared in Aegypt and that was ordinary but when their food was spent the Lord gave them bread from heaven and that was extraordinary for a time till they could be put into a capacity of ordinary food again I might instance in twenty things more but I forbear But see the peversenesse of these men because God at some times hath revealed himself immediately by his Spirit without means therefore they conclude he doth so still although we have his word to reveal his mind and will unto us in all things necessary to be known and done Their quotations are perverted and wrested as they do all other Scriptures to their own destruction and to what end do they quote Scriptures in proof of any thing they assert while they deny the Scriptures to be the Rule of faith and obedience In my reply I urged Joh. 5.39 against the latter part of their Answer in which I told them that Christ commands the Jewes to search the Scriptures for in them you think to have eternall life and they are they which testifie of me But these Quakers say contrary He that thinks to attain the way to eternall life by reading the Scriptures and regards not the light that comes from Christ deceives himself To this I said it seems the holy Scriptures are opposed to the light which comes from Christ and I judge that the Scriptures are a light that comes from Christ and the only way and means appointed by God both to know and believe in Christ to eternall life where and to whom the Lord is pleased to give his blessing Their Answer To say that we speak contrary to Christ is false but he that reads the Scriptures and regards not the light which gave them forth to learn wrests them to his own destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 and so deceivs himself and such are they that put them in place of the light and think them the only way and means appointed by God to eternal life Answ Did not Christ approve of the Jewes opinion in thinking that in the Scriptures they should have eternal life for where is there any promise of eternal life or discovery of the way and means to attain it but in the Scriptures and from that good opinion the Jewes had of the truth of Scriptures Christ refers them to the Scriptures as bearing testimony that he
was the true Christ Of a five-fold witnesse and testimony that Christ urged on his own behalf in this chapter this of the testimony of Scripture is one and not the least to prevail upon the credence of that unbeleeving people What they mean by not regarding the light which gave them forth to learn is beyond my understanding to find out What light is that which gave the Scriptures is it not the Spirit of God all Scripture being given by inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3.16 Surely he that regards the Inspirations of God regards the Author of those inspirations for to say a man is obedient to the Scriptures and by search is willing to know Gods will to do it more and yet regards not God that gave it forth is a contradiction in it self but these men assume that in them only is the light which gave the Scripture and hence they judge in that we regard not what they say and write we regard not the light c. and our cleaving to the rule of Scriptures which are the Inspirations of God and not regarding them seems to be the deceit and to wrest the Scriptures to our own destruction as if the Scriptures were writ for mens destruction and deceit and not for their learning comfort and hope but that place in 2 Pet. 3.16 is spoken of unlearned and unstable men that wrest not only some hard places but also the other Scriptures to their own destruction and therefore bids the Church beware lest being drawn away by the error of the wicked they fall from their own stedfastnesse Oh the giddinesse and unstability of these mens Spirits that have runned from Sect to Sect till they have run through all and then think to center in a way of their own choosing in which they do not practise any one duty of religious Worship to God private or publike as the holy Scriptures teach and to make Conscience thereof from Scripture Authority And yet others and not themselves they charge with wresting the Scriptures as in their next clause Such are they that put them in the place of the light and think them the only way and means appointed by God to eternall life Answ You may see who they judge to be most guilty of wresting the Scriptures to their own destruction namely those that think them the only way and means appointed by God both to know and believe in Christ the Redeemer to eternal life and to live unto God according to this Rule this is but the same with their denying the Scriptures to be a perfect Rule of faith and obedience censuring those that make them the Rule of faith and obedience as if by so doing men deceive themselves and wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction Oh profane impiety and sinfull blindnesse themselves are involved in for not receiving the truth in the love of it c. But I see I shall be too large and tire the Reader if I examine all things of theirs which is needlesse because we have the same again and again in other words which is answered already as to the substance of them But they tell me Thou goest on in thy blind zeale seeking to maintain the Scriptures to be the only means to reveal Christ as Redeemer and the only way in which God puts forth his Divine power to give light and life to men To this they Answer But who art thou that wilt limit God to a way and means of manifesting his power and Spirit who hath promised to powre it upon all flesh and that Sons and Daughters shall prophesie and see visions Joel 2.28 And we witnesse his promise fulfilled and fulfilling and know that he will have mercie on whom he will have mercy Answ 1. 'T is true God will have mercy on whom he will but the Question is whether God exercises his saving mercies of the Covenant to any in bringing them to salvation by Christ without the knowledge and use of the Scriptures for how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how can they be saved that do not at all believe in Christ as hath been spoke to already Rom. 10. And if our Gospel be hid or withheld it is to them that perish 2. The blessing of the Scriptures given to a people is a peculiar mercy to any people and never was common unto all God hath given his Lawes and Statutes unto Israel as for the heathen they have not known his ways To them was committed the Oracles of God the Covenant and the promises and the service of God and the Adoption c. but all others are without Christ strangers to the Covenant of promise and without hope and God in the world Ephes 2. And whomsoever God shewes mercy unto as to the end to save them he shews mercy unto in giving them the means he saves by and as is the end so is the means appointed by the Lords peculiar mercy restrained to the Christian Churches distinct from all others and to affirme the same is not our limiting of God but it 's the pleasure and wisdome of God to limit his power by the word of his eternall truth and to argue from his unlimited power against his word of truth Covenant and promise is to be wise above what is written if not contrary which trusted unto is high presumption As for that of Joel 2.28 The Apostle witnessed that promise fulfilled when those extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were given to the Apostles Act. 2.16 17. So likewise upon the Gentiles when Peter preached the word unto Cornelius and his friends were the same gifts of the holy Ghost and they spake with Tongues as did the Apostles at the beginning chap. 10.45 46. chap. 11.15 16 17. compared So that it 's clear that of Joel was fulfilled in the Apostles dayes and by them applyed to that very manner of giving forth of the Spirit which not any in our times can witnesse or evince by the same gifts of miracles and Tongues and yet these conceited Quakers witnesse the same promise fulfilling in them still although they have nothing of the same things spoken of Act. 2.4.16 When they have the gift of Tongues working miracles we shall more easily incline to believe they are endowed with immediate Revelations themselves so much boast of If they have not the gift of Tongues and of miracles the Apostles and some others had which accompanyed the gift of Revelations what reason have we to believe them in what they pretend while they are utterly destitute of the other I do not go about to limit Gods power but that in his wisdome and good pleasure he may give the same gifts again to men but yet I am not bound to believe God hath and doth give the same gifts to these men that so boast they being not approved of God in having gifts of Tongues and miracles as they had that applyed that of the Prophet Joel to themselves I grant that all necessary gifts