D. D. AN ADVERTISEMENT Anent the Reading of the Books of Antonia Borignion By GEORGE WHITE Minister at Mary-Culter near ABERDEEN They have a Zeal of GOD but not according to Knowledge Rom. 10.2 All Hereticks diminish the Authority of the Holy Scriptures Tert. de praesc c. 49. Enthusiasm is an Impiety whereby a Person hardily bent for the Inward Worship of GOD doth boldly violat and despise His Commands as to outwards Mr. Henry Scougall P D in Aeth l 4 c 8 de justitia ABERDEEN Printed by JOHN FORBES Printer to the TOWN and UNIVERSITY Anno Dom. 1700. The TABLE or INDEX SECTIONS SUBSECTION 1. NUM POINTS SUBS. 2. SECTIONS Sect. 1. The Occasion and Purpose of the Advertisement page 1 Sect. 2. How I have read her Books and the Rules of Arguing p. 3 Sect. 3. Q. If A. B. was Divinely Inspired p. 7 and Sect. 4. Subs 2. N. 2. p. 83 Sect. 4. Q. If her Doctrine be conform to the Holy Scriptures p. 23 Subs 1. Of the Essentials of Religion p. 24 N. 1. Concerning GOD and the Blessed Trinity p. 25 N. 2. Of CHRIST and his Satisfaction for Us. p. 31 N. 3. Of Mans future State p. 40 N. 4. Anent the Love of GOD. p. 45 N. 5. Of the Holy Scriptures p. 51 N. 6. Miscelanies relating to the Essentials of Religion p. 53 Whereof the 1. Point is Of GOD'S Decrees and the Doctrines depending thereupon p. 54 2. Of the Image of GOD in Man p. 60 3. If Man sinned before he sinned p. 61 4. Of Perfection p. 62 5. Of Perseverance p. 64 6. Anent the Sacraments p. 66 7. Of Pastors and Church Government p. 69 N. 1. Of Accessories in the general p. 73 N. 2. Of A. Bs. Accessories in particular p. 77 N. 3. Of her Contradictions p. 89 Sect. 5. How Errours in Books shall be discerned p. 92 Sect. 6. If any should read the Books of A. B. p. 94 Sect. 7. If Borignianists be a New Sect. p. 96 Information to the Reader LEt the Reader of this little Book remember that for brevities sake the two Letters A. B. Signisie Antonia Borignion Ap. the Apologie for her S. V. Solid Vertue L. W. Light of the World Pt. the Part of the Book that is cited P. the Page thereof And according to the Table Sect. the Section Subs the Subsection N. the Number of the Subsection And Po. the Point of it Q. Question A. Answer Obj. Objection SECTION I. The Occasion and Purpose of this Advertisement HAving observed with Regrate for several Years bygone sundry well-meaning Persons and some of them not Unlearned to have vented many Errours concerning the Holy Scriptures the Gospell-Sacraments Church-Government the Pastorall-Office and other most Sacred Establishments of the Christian Religion which they had pick't out of the Pamphlets that are said to be written be A. B. a Flandrian Yea some young men of good expectation by reading these books inadvertently had their Melancholy height'ned to an excessive degree therefore it seemed good for the Truths sake which we ought to contend for Jude 3 and for preventing by the LORD's Blessing further inconvenience that way to write a seasonable Advertisement in meekness and love Eph. 4.14 That we be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of Doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive That Christian People may not through blind zeal snatch up any pretence of piety without due examination and it often fals out that some out of a Capricious fancie of defending Innovations leave the high and troden way to Heaven so wander in a Wilderness of Errours It is here proposed that all who tender their Souls Interest may in this case observe the Divine Oracle Rom. 16.17 18. To mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which they have received and avoid them who with good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the Simple This Tractat shall be short and so not tedious to any Reader because in a late Apologie for A. B. printed at London Anno 1699 two pious and learned men to wit Dr. John Cockburn and the Author of the Snake in the Grass and the History of Sin and Herefie are fiercely attaucked for writting against her who doubtless if alive will answer for themselves which yet will require a considerable time for them to answer all the Defences which the Ap. hath alleadged for A. B. and her Abetters her whole Life Actions and Writtings So my present undertaking is only to act the pairt of their fore-runner as one who doth what he can to stop the progress of devouring Fire till greater power arrive to extinguish it SECTION II. How I have read her Books and the Rules of Arguing BEfore I come to adduce the Rules of Disputing it is to be noticed how the Ap. in his Preface declares that he is perswaded in his Conscience that the Writtings of A. B. tend to the reviving of the Spirit of Christianity Which can have no more force to perswade others to be of his Opinion than the Canting Insinuations of the Bygots of all Parties declaring assevering and swearing that themselves only are in the Right and their Opposites in the wrong A mans erring Conscience cannot oblidge himself to believe a Lye or to do ill things it only binds him for to use the means to get it better informed and far less should such a vehement Protestation of his Conscientious Perswasion of the goodness of such rare Teneds as are here questioned procure the Assent of Rational men but the solidity of his Reasons if he hath any according to the Scripture 1 Pet. 3.15.16 There are four Rules of reading Books aright and judging of the Authors Sentiments or there are so many Postulats pre-required to the right disputing of any matter as they are set down in the Ap. Pt. 4 p. 334. 1 To be well acquainted with what we censure 2. If the Scope of A. Bs. Writtings be good and agreeable to the main end of Religion in that case to bear with litle escapes 3. To read her Books without prejudice or an evil eye 4. To narrate and interpret faithfully All which Rules he alleadgeth these gentlmen have transgressed who did write against A. B. And to obviat such an Objection against my self I have observed and shall firmly adhere unto the third and fourth of these Rules without exception being so far from having a Prejudice against A. B. and her Abetters that I wish with meek Moses Numb 11.29 That all the Lords People were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them And the Teneds or Sentiments which I intend to examine shall be truly narrated either in the express words of A. B. and her Ap. or the import thereof without distortion The second Rule needs some Qualifications for a good Purpose doth not justifie an evil Action no more than Sauls sparing the Cattel of
Image of GOD Knowledge and Holiness and be cemented one with another in love but from this no Scripture language nor any Christian Commentator neither any wise man did ever infer that men should be called GOD Unless he would vouch the Manichees for his Authors who were vile Hereticks and held that there were two Gods one good and another evil they indeed taught That the Soul of man was of the substance of GOD As did other blasphemous Hereticks to wit Cerdonians Marcionites and Priscillianists which we have faithfully accounted by a most trustie and diligent antiquary Forbes of Corse in his Instr hist Theol. Li. 4. C. 5. N. 12. Citing also the Orthodox who refuted them Namely St. Ambrose Aug. Theodoret c. And how can the unlearned Readers of A. Bs. writtings distinguish her Opinion from theirs in this prime and essential part of Religion Likewise A. B. denyes GOD'S Attribute of Omniscience tho to deny any of his Attributes be to deny GOD himself when she taught that GOD doth not foresee all future Actions of a free agent which is defended by the Ap. pt 2. p. 127. 128. 129. This is contrary to the Scriptures John 21.17 LORD thou knowest all things Psalm 139.2 Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising thou understandest my thought a far off Are not these the Actions of a free Agent Moreover A. B. denyes the Justice of GOD which she learned from the pestiferous Socinus L. de Serv. p. 1. C. 1. c. Where he Sophistically argues because GOD is Love 1. John 4 8 Therefore there is no vindicative Justice in him which is defended by the Ap. pt 1. p. 22 where he affirms that the Scriptures which speak of GOD'S Justice and displeasure in threatning and punishing of sin are to be understood as these which attribute humane parts and passions to him All this contradicts the Scriptures which teach that hatred of sin and vindicative Justice are of the nature of GOD as he is Simple Pure Holy and Righteous even as Love and Mercy are of his Nature and Essence as He is good Habb 1.13 HE is of purer Eyes than to behold Evil and cannot look upon Iniquity GOD hath no parts at all nor passions and when they are ascribed to Him in the Scriptures such as Love Anger Hatred c. It is spoken by Us not for the infirmity of affections but for some likeness of His works and ours as St. Aug. wordeth it De Civ D. L. 9. C. 5. And the effect hath produced the word Revenge which truth of the vindicative Justice of GOD is clearly vindicated from all the Objections of Socinus by John Owen Diatr de Just Div. where he proveth that the application or exercise of GOD's essential Justice is to be understood when he punisheth sin as our soveraign LORD and Judge and likewise he removeth the mistakes of Rutherford and Twisse thereanent and the satisfaction of CHRIST wherein yet they were not of the mind of A. B. and the Socinians Then for the Blessed Trinity in the GOD-Head Head her Doctrine is plainly Heretical writting that it is a Romish Errour to say there are three Persons in the GOD-HEAD that there are in Him only three Powers Attributes or Properties of Truth Righteousness and Goodness and that her self had these three Properties L. W. pt 2 p. 109 and pt 3. p. 166 Lavie continue p. 553 554 L. W. pt 3 p. 80 Ap. pt 2 p. 84 85. These Sentiments so called by the Ap. are contrary to the Essentials of Religion to the Creed and to the constant Doctrine of the Catholick Church See some of many Scriptures 1 John 5.7 There are three that bear record in Heaven the FATHER the WORD and the HOLY GHOST and these three are One. Heb. 1 3. CHRIST is the express Image of His FATHERS Person see also how the Trinity was manifested at Christs Baptism Mat 3 16 17. The Father speaking from Heaven the Son present in Person and the Holy Ghost by a Dove So Preaching and Baptising are enjoined in the express naming of the Trinity or three Persons Mat 28 19. And thus the blessing is still pronounced 2 Cor 13 14. The Primitive Church still condemned all Antitrinitarians for Hereticks and particularly Sabellius and Samosatenus were accursed by the great Council of Nice Anno 325 Theodoret Eccl. hist L. 5. c. 9. Epiph. haer 6. For the very Doctrine now revived by A. B. That there were not three Persons but three Names and three Powers in the GOD-HEAD Whereas to exclude all Hereticks and to mantain the Unity of Faith in the Catholick Church it was expressed in all the approven Creeds which are Exegetick or Explicatory of the Apostles Creed To wit the Creeds of the Councills of Antioch Nice and Constantinople and of St. Athanasius That there are in the GOD-HEAD three Persons or Subsistencies having Incommunicable Personal Properties the Father begetting the Son the Son begotten and the Holy Ghost proceeding from them both three in One and One in three undivided in Essence or Substance with much more which is to be seen in them to this purpose So that it is evident A. Bs. Doctrine is inconsistent with the Scriptures and many Articles of the Creed NUMBER II. Of CHRIST and His Satisfaction for Us. IT is worthy the noticeing in the first place anent this foundation of Religion that A. B. in all her Books never once giveth CHRIST his due Tittles as it is in the Creed His only SON Our LORD or the LORD 1 Cor. 11 23. The Ap is guilty of the same omission till p 406. Some approver of A. B. in a Letter to the Ap. doth it And no marvel that they shift to speak of Christs Divinity since they write that He had a sinful Nature corrupt and rebellious to the Superiour part of His Soul produceing inclinations and temptations to sin though He consented not thereto S. V. pt 1 p 198. Ap pt 2 from p 198 to 143. This contradicteth the Holy Scriptures which shew clearly that he took to Himself our Nature but without sin which could not have been if any sin had been in His Nature for the very first motions or inclinations in Us to sin which School-Men call Primo-primi they are sins because of our sinful Nature even before we deliberatly consent thereto Jam 1 15. Lust when it is conceived bringeth forth sin Gen 6.5 Every Imagination of the thoughts of Mans Heart is only evil continually Whereas it was impossible that the Lord Jesus Christ could have had a sinful Nature otherwise the Divinity which is Holiness and Purity it self could not have been Hypostatically united to his Humane Nature neither could the Holy One Immanuel GOD with us have any inclination or temptation to sin in his Nature or proceeding from any thing in Himself as the Scriptures teach us 2 Cor. 5.21 He was made sin for us who knew no sin Heb. 4.15 He was in all Points tempted like as we are yet
Divinely Inspired or to be led by the Spirit of God in writting to write by an Infallible Spirit as the Prophets and Apostles did who were the Amanuenses of the Holy Ghost 2. Though she durst not speak it out in plain Terms that she acclaimed no less than such a Spirit as the Prophets and Apostles had lest the Readers at the first sight had cryed fy upon her for Blasphemie but goes on in Clouds and Darkness never declaring in what Sense she was Divinely inspired yet I say on the matter she acclaimed no less for these Reasons 1. First because when it was objected to her by Divines that she had not such Knowledge as the Prophets had and wrought no Miracles she shifted to give any direct answer but slily strived to diminish their Credit and of the Holy Scriptures also alleadging that the Prophets knew not all things which they wrote that all of them wrought not Miracles that the Devil had opened the eyes of the blind and raised the Dead and that the Lord himself was mistaken I tremble relating it anent the Fig Tree Mat. 11.19 L. W. pt 1. p. 136. Ap. p. 168.203.204.205.206 and 222.223 All which Calumnies might be easily refuted but I leave that Task to those who are writting against them more Copiously 2. The very Title of her Book is Blasphemous to wit The Light of the World which is the Epithite given to CHRIST and his Apostles and in assuming that Title she equaliseth her self to them tho injuriously 3. It is evident that she pretended to such a Spirit as the Apostles had when she affirmed that she could write such a Book as the New Testament L. W. pt 1 p 133. Now if she could have so written then she could have done it either by a fallible or infallible Spirit if only by a fallible Spirit then it could not have been such a Book but if by an infallible Spirit then she acclaimed such a Spirit as the Apostles had which the Objector denyes Many more Instances might be adduced to this purpose but these may suffice 3. Thirdly I answer to the grand Objection that she pretended not to write a New Canon or Rule of Faith but only to expound the Scriptures giving but not granting that her pretensions did run no higher that same is too high The Quakers acknowledge that their Spirit is somewhat inferiour to the Prophets Quakerism no Popery p. 32.33 Mr. G. K. The learned Author whereof is no Quaker now Yea the Roman Church it self would be offended if any man should say that they coine new Tenets in Religion or that they did more by their Dogmatising then to expound the Scriptures and dispense the Churches Traditions but by a Prophetical Light and Divine influence as their doctrine in this point is well collected by Amyrald in Thes Salmur de aut Script n. 15.16 So for A. B. to pretend Divine Conduct to expound the Scriptures better than all others is too great Arrogancie Q. Will you not allow A. B. to have had more of Divine Conduct than you have done alreadie that possibly she had it only in some things which she did and taught as ordinarily every Godly Person hath in what he does aright A. I have granted enough in the said Terms and more I cannot because it is sufficiently proved that she was not Divinely inspired as the Pen-men of the Holy Scriptures were either to add to the Canonical Books or to interpret Scripture infallibly as they did neither was she led by the Divine Spirit as an ordinary Officer in the Church to interpret and apply the Scriptures which is Preaching since she was not fitted for that end by the means of Gods appointment nor yet observed the Rules thereof Neh. 8.8 Ezra the Scribe with the Priests and Levits read in the Book of the Law distinctly and gave the sense and made the People to understand the reading Timothy the Evangelist was enjoined Reading 1 Tim. 4.13 and since his Days all Holy and Wise Men who interpret the Scriptures pray to God for the Direction of his Spirit which indyted them that they may Prophecie according to the Proportion of Faith Rom. 12.6 They compare Scripture with Scripture and look to the Scope of the place they study the Languages in which the Scriptures were first written Histories likewise and Customs of several Countries Proverbial Speeches and famous Writters of them which are often cited and frequent Allusions made thereto in the Holy Scriptures they read the Creeds Confessions of Faith Catechisms and Systems of Divinity of the Orthodox Churches both Ancient and Modern they search for Truth by the Literal Sense of the whole Scriptures pondering well whether or no the speech be in Terms proper to the things treated of or borrowed from other things which is called a figurative Speech By these and the like means the settled and ordinary Teachers and Expositors of the Scriptures doe begging the blessing of God Humbly and Assiduously endeavour to be fitted for the great and Sacred function of labouring in the Word and Doctrine But A. B. does not so much as pretend to use these means nor yet to expound the Scriptures by the true Rules but on the Contrary she laid by the Scriptures and contemned all Systems of Divinity and other helps of Learning Therefore she was not fit or qualified to expound the Scriptures even as an ordinary Teacher So since A. B. was not led by the Spirit of God to write her Books and expound the Scriptures either in an Ordinary or Extraordinary way It remains then that she performed these things by no other Faculty but by Guessing and vain Divination nor can I add a Fourth Member to this Tripartite Division tho possibly the fertile Brain of a new Ap. will gender one shewing how one can be led by the Spirit of God to write not by an Infallible Spirit nor as an Ordinary Teacher nor yet to be a Meer Guesser or pretender to it which as the Roman Proverb was Let the credulous Jew believe not I. To put a Period to this long Section I shall produce all the pretended Reasons which the Ap pt 3. p. 240 and 241. Alleadgeth for proving A. B. to have been Divinely Inspired and shall answer them severally as if they had been Objected against my Conclusion on this Head Obj. 1. Her Doctrine was conform to the Scriptures therefore she was Divinely Inspired A. 1. Denying the Antecedent for her Doctrine was mostly contrary to the Scriptures as God willing shall be Manifested in the next Section 2. I deny likewise the Consequence because a persons Doctrine may be conform to the Scriptures who had no extraordinary Inspiration Obj. 2. She was Unlearned and yet exceeded the greatest Divines A. 1. She exceeded them only in Vanity 2. George Fox was unlearned so he gave it out that all his Divinity was revealed to him among the Hils of Lancaster And Jacob Bhemen the pretended illuminated Sutor wrote seventeen Books
like A. Bs. yet none of them was Divinely Inspired Q. Instance How could an unlearned Person write as she did without Divine Inspiration A. 1. It is much doubted if Poiret or some other man wrote not these Books that are said to be hers 2. It is very conceavable how one Unlearned but of a Melancholly Temper and Luxuriant Fancie might write such Books getting Terms of Art by Converse with Learned Men and a Schem and Copy of their Fancies and high flown Notions by reading some of these called Mystiches such as Theular and Joannes à Cruce yet without Divine Inspiration Obj 3. She wrote without premeditation and did neither correct nor read over what she once wrote A. That is not like to be true yet if it was indeed so then her writtings are somuch the worse Obj 4. She had no Worldly aim therefore c. A. Many pretended Enthusiasts seemed to have as little who yet were not Divinely Inspired Obj. 5. She reached the Consciences of Others therefore c. A. All Sectaries and Shismaticks have the like pretension accounting the People of their perswasion the only Inlightned and Godly Party having the Old Gnosticks for their Patrons in Monopolising Godliness to themselves Iren. L. 1. G. 1. see Corse instr L. 1. C. 37. and L. 14.2.1 whereas the truly Orthodox rather make one Christian than an hundred of their Opinion Obj. 6. Her Writtings had no contradiction in them therefore c. A. It shall be shown she had in the next Section as for Example on this present Subject She affirmed that one might know by his Natural Spirit her self to be Divinely Inspired Ap. pt 3. p. 197 But against that p. 200. None can discern her to be Divinely Inspired who is not so himself now to know a certain thing by the Natural Spirit and not to know it thereby is a Contradiction but to know by the Natural and not to know but by the Divine Spirit is to know and not to know by the Natural Spirit which is a clear Contradiction of her self whereas GOD's Spirit cannot contradict Himself He being Truth it self Obj. 7. She had a Pious Life and taught rare Penitence therefore c. A. St. Aug. Epis 106. accounts that Pelagius the Arch Heretick deceived many by the strictness of his Life and Doctrine so he taught the Doctrine revived now by A. B. That riches should be abandoned and that we can by a strict penitence merit remission of sins c. Obj. 8. A. B. affirmed that she was Divinely Inspired therefore c. A. But I have proven the contrary therefore she was not Divinely Inspired SECTION IV. Q. If the Doctrine of A. B. be conform to the Holy Scriptures A. THis is the second Material Head in this Tractate for if it be true which is often written be A. B. and her Ap. That her Doctrine is agreeable to the Holy Scriptures which are the only Publick Standard of Truth then it would be most injurious for any man to offer to give Chek unto it Therefore I hope it will be no less profitable than pleasant to the Readers that this be fairly put to the Test and if it appear upon an impartial inquirie that not a little but very much of A. Bs. Doctrine be alien from and contrary to the Scriptures it may happily prove an Antidote for ingenuous People that they swallow not down her Poisonous Errours together with her Varnisht Pretensions to Devotion and Piety for to write Errours pretending to be Divinely Inspired makes the sin the more hainous to father Untruths upon the Spirit of Truth SUBSECTION I. Anent the Essentials of Religion THe essence of any thing is that which we conceive in the first place as the definitive Idea or formal Notion of it and without which it could not be such a being as the Soul and Body are the Essential Parts of Man so the Essentials of Religion are these most necessary and fundamentall Truths which if any Person disown he is accounted an Atheist or Heretick and none of the True Religion In the beginning of the next Subsection I purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to consider the Aps. distinction of Essential and Accessory Verities and at the present for dispatching's sake shall admit of his Definition of the Essentials of Religion p. 1. p. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. that they are such Truths without the Express Knowledge and Belief of which none can be eternally saved A. B. and the Ap profess that they own the Apostles Creed and that they are content that her Doctrine be entirely tryed by the Holy Scriptures L. W. Pref. to the English Reader now their Knowledge and Ingenuity in that main Point whether or no their Doctrine be agreeable to the Scripture and the Creed which is collected therefrom shall be brought to the tryal distinctly in the subsequent part of this Section SECTION IV. SUBS. I. N. I. Concerning GOD and the Blessed Trinity THe word Religion is taken from a Latine word Religando Binding for it is an Holy Law or Doctrine binding or obliedging Man to worship and serve GOD and binding us to Him for our own Salvation It is the Chief thing in Religion to have true Knowledge of GOD in order to the glorifying of Him and next to that how we shall be happy by Him John 17.3 This is Life Eternal that they may know Thee the only true GOD and JESUS CHRIST whom thou hast sent Heb. 11.6 For he that cometh to GOD must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him But A. B. had not a right notion of GOD Almighty when she wrote that man is made as a little God in his Divine nature inclosed in his humanity Our Souls are little Divinities The Soul is GOD and GOD is the Soul We are not to seek GOD without us GOD made us Deities depending upon Him The Church is an invisible Spirit and the Church is GOD himself S. V. pt 1. p. 54.75 L. W. pt 1. p. 42.53 110.111.113 and pt 3 p. 92. Such Doctrine cannot abide the Test of the Holy Scriptures which teach us that GOD is the most perfect Being most Simple Infinite Immense Immutable Independent and Eternal whereof the contrary properties are in the Creatures Deut. 6.4 The LORD our GOD is one LORD But if the Church or the Soul of man be GOD then there must be more Gods then One which to affirm were blasphemous and hereticall The Ap. p. 52. attempts to answer this citing John 17.21 and thence infering that seeing man may have some sort of union with GOD A. Bs. words may be favourably Interpreted That is but a weak subterfuge for the Learned Author doubtless knows that the Text John 17.21 and its Parallels do not excuse A. Bs. foresaid language for CHRISTS praying That Believers might be one in Him and one among themselves imports only their being Members of His Mystical Body that thereby they might recover the
written sometimes be A. B. that Man can only be saved and justified by the merits of CHRIST but the contradiction of it is false which she likewise writes that we must add our own merits to CHRISTS Sacrifice This contradiction is not taken away by the subterfuge of the Ap. pt 2. p. 98. 99. Where he says her meaning was that we cannot be saved without mortification for mortification is our duty and not our merit for Mans merit with GOD is Chimerical a thing impossible In the end of the third Section it was shown how A. B. contradicteth her self anent the faculty of knowing Divine Inspiration And another of her contradictions was hinted in the former Number in answering the fourth Objection namly she says that she was Divinely Inspired to write all her Books if that saying be true then the contradiction of it must be false that she wrote the most part of them without Divine Inspiration which clearly follows from her bidding us let alone her Accessories which fill most of her Books To believe and not to believe a Doctrine is a contradiction but A. B. requires the belief of her Doctrine that fills all her Books because written by Divine Inspiration and yet requires us not to believe her Accessories or the most part of her Doctrines because she wrote them not by Divine Inspiration which is a contradiction I shall adduce two or three more of A. Bs. contradictions and then for the time let them alone 1. It is affirmed that many Heathens resigned their wills to God and were faithful to Him tho they had no laws whereby to know Him L W pt 3. p. 123. but herein she contradicteth her self in the very next page viz. 124. by affirming that those Heathens had Laws from GOD with the Doctrine of Jesus Christ 2. Man of himself is more inclined to Good than to Evil L. W. pt 2. p. 2. And yet she writes that our self-will is capable to move it self only to evil L. W. pt 2. p. 76. which is a flat contradiction 3. The Ap. approves A. Bs. crying down all Schools and Learning Pastors and Church-Government and that GOD calls no Man to a place in the Church and yet he says that he would not seperate from a lawful Bishop p. 349. Where are abundance of contradictions for to have no Church Government and yet to join with it is a contradiction so to seperate from those whom GOD hath not called and not to seperate how contradictious is it SECTION V. How Errours in Books shall be discerned IT is somewhat difficult to give certain Rules whereby any person not well versed in Divinity can distinguish Truth from Errour in reading Books except the Holy Scriptures in which there is no Errour at all but infallible Truth only Yet I shall give some helps to know what Truths are written in other Books 1. Consider well if what is written be Conform to the proportion of Faith Rom. 12.6 For false Prophets are known by their fruits that is their Doctrine and Actions Mat. 7.15 Luke 6.45 If they contemn wrest or gainsay the Holy Scriptures in the least they are Erronious 2. We are likewise premonished from the unerring Canon of the Holy Scriptures that the teachers of false Doctrine are very proud overveening of themselves and undervaluing all others in comparison of themselves and their partie Isaiah 65.5 Who say stand by thy self come not near to me for I am holier than thou these are a smoke in my nose and a fire that burneth all the day 2 Tim. 3.2.4 They are proud boasters headie and high minded so 1 Tim. 1.7 Desiring to be Teachers of the Law understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm Thus Simon Magus gave himself out that he was Some great one Acts 8.9 and the following Histories of the Church have narrated that both Hereticks and Schismaticks still vented intolerable spiritual pride such as Manes Arrius Pelagius Novatus and Donatus And albeit St. Paul declared that he was not inferiour to the chiefest Apostles in vindication of his Office against the contempt cast upon it by false Teachers it were most impertinent arrogancie for any now to pretend to such praise since they have not St. Pauls infallible Spirit and an immediat call from GOD to preach and write Books 3. It is a good Rule which is written by Sir Thomas Brown in his Book of Vulgar Errours c. 1. That all deceivers write Sophistically so that any man who is acquainted with the Rules of Logick when he readeth erronious arguing let him try and he will finde it captious and peccant against the Rules of true reasoning either in the matter or the form or in them both where he also proveth clearly by instances from the Scriptures that the first Sophisms or fallacious way of argumenting had the Devil for the Author 4. All erronious writters usually hyperbolize too much through ignorance or self conceit still running unto extreams either praising or dispraising to an excessive degree as in dispraising avarice they commend Prodigality and contrariwise they cannot reprove Prodigality without perswading to penuriousness but liberality is the virtue in the midst So the Circumcellions of old thought that the only way to Heaven was by suffering therefore they wandred unwisely to and fro like mad-men seeking people to kill them and many writters have fallen into grievous Errours splitting on these Rocks or Shelfs unwarily like the Ships which steering too far off from the hazardous Shylla fall into Charybdis whereas the safest sailing is in the midst betwixt the two In like manner we see some writters in commending the Love of GOD to derogate from Faith and good works they call them merit whereas the writters of Truth aim always to give every thing its due praise or dispraise without declining from the just measure either to the extream of the excess or the defect SECTION VI. Q. If any should read the Books of A. B. An. THey who are well studied in the Systems of Divinity may profitably read some good things in very ill Books such as the Turks Alcaron Socinian-Books Hobs Laeviathan and the Pamphlets of Enthusiasts and still confuting Errours as they meet with them but I think that none can safely read the Books of A. B. excepting only those who can distinguish Truth from Errour according to the Rules given in the last Section because of the snake lurking in the Grass Obj. 1. You despise the writtings of A. B. because she was a Woman Ap. p. 146. A. I honour the Sex but am not bound to approve a Womans Erronious doctrine such excessive respect is not due to an Angel from Heaven Gal. 1.8 Obj. 2. A. Bs. Books are carped at as Philo the Jew and Celsus did with the BIBLE censuring half Sentences in sundry places not heeding the Scope or looking to what is said before or what followes after or is explained in other parts of her writtings A. That Challenge says nothing to one who Censures A. Bs. Books throughly hath taken to task her whose Hypothesis and proved that she was not Divinely Inspired and erred egregiously in her writtings both anent the Essentials of Religion and all the points thereof Obj. 3. She wrote well of Love to GOD. A. You may read other Books on that subject who have written far better and are free of errors Neither knew she well the Love of GOD who had not Charity to Man 1 John 4.20 SECTION VII If Borignianists be a New Sect. THe Ap. p. 349. denyeth that they are a New Sect because they provide no Orders for a new Society forbidding to join with any other I grant they have not done it formally but doubtless they have designed it when their number should increase since they defame all Christian Churches yet they would think it too severe a Censure to compare their pride to Erostratus who since he could not do any great thing that was good did burn the Temple of Diana at Ephesus only to get himself a name in the World I am of opinion that the followers of A. B. shall ere long vanish away as the Bhemanists have done whom I have known to make as great a figure as the Borignianists do now as St. Athanasius said of the Arrians a far more dreadful Party it will be but a little Cloud which will soon pass over in Latine Nubecula citò transitura AMEN
the Amalekits contrary to GOD's command pretending that he did so For the good purpose of Sacrificeing 1 Sam. 15.21.22 Neither should Books be approven in which Errours are mixed with Verities since evil is through any defect but good from the intire cause So I distinguish this Rule if a Writter having a good design mistake in a few things of no great moment and upon sound Advice will revoke his Errours I grant this should be favourably interpreted but if the Errours be gross and many and the Author boasting of being Divinely inspired in writting them and to have had more Light and Piety then all men in that case I deny that such mistakes should pass uncensured Lastly as to the first of the four Pre-concessions for disputing that we should be well acquainted with what we censure that is a very good Rule and by it the Ap. seems to insult his Opponents that either they did not well know the French Language in which A. B. wrote or had not read all her Twenty two Books So not only the Ap. but likewise all that own A. B. whensoever her Errours are mentioned they answer warmly that whatsoever seemeth hard in some of her Writtings is explained in others which the censurers either have not read or will not be at the pains to compare places together Now to ward of this thrust the Reader shall be judge if I censure any thing of A. Bs. Writtings but what I understand well enough having had sufficient means for it by reading sundry of her writtings and particularly The Light of the World which is held for the chiefest of them all and the standard of all both be herself and Poiret see the admonition prefaced thereto by P. P. p. 36. And now I have read the Ap. which is aequivalent to the reading of all her Books since the Author hath read them all and defends all and if I quarrel nothing but what he mantains it were a frivolous shift to bid me go and search any of A. Bs. Books for any explication of her Opinions And if there be reall Errours and Contradictions found in her writtings what explications can remove them To conclude this Section I shall to the foresaid four add other three rules of arguing and especially anent Points of Divinity 1. To explain the Termes and state the Question aright 2. To reason and answer candidly without Sophistry or Deceit 3. To seek Verity rather than victory and therefore though we may justly commend some good things in any Person or his writtings not to mantain their Errours and Evtravagancies which if through fondness we have failed in upon second thoughts to do so no more SECTION III. If A. B. was Divinely inspired A. THis Question cannot be well resolved untill the Terms thereof be cleared in the first place and the Question be rightly stated according to my first Rule for unless this be done all abrupt disputs turn to a meer Logomachie or a proud and ignorant doting about Questions and strife of words which God expresly forbids 1 Tim. 6.4 Divine Inspiration is taken in very different Senses for First in a large sense every man may be said to be Divinely Inspired because of his Rational Soul which was made after the Image of God Gen. 2.7 God breathed into Mans Nosethirls the Breath of Life and Gods breathing into Man is a Divine Inspiration 2ly One is said to be Divinely Inspired to whom God giveth a capacity Genius or fitness for an Office or Imployment as it is written Judg. 3.10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel and he judged Israel and went out to Warre so it is a necessary Qualification of a Bishop that he be Apt to teach 1. Tim. 3 2. and the Holy Ghost maketh Bishops Acts 20.28 Yea this is ascribed to men of Manuary Callings as to Bezalcel and with him Aholiab Exod. 31.3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in Wisdom and in all manner of workmanship for the tabernacle 3ly A Spiritual man judgeth not of Divine things by carnal reason Church Authority only Tradition or Custom but according to the Truth and Minde of God revealed in the Scriptures 1 Cor. 2.14.15 But the Spiritual man judgeth all things c. Job 32.8 The Inspiration of the Almighty giveth man Knowledge Which Apothegme may also be referred to the former sense that God qualifies and fitteth every person whom he commissioneth for any Imployment as to teach others Yea persons unregenerated may have something like to this Orthodoxie as that understanding Scribe who in Conference with the Lord did give the true and Spiritual sense of the Law upon whom it was accordingly pronounced That he was not far from the Kingdom of God Mark 12.34 Yet being at a distance from true Conversion all the knowledge he had was only by the common illumination of the Spirit which and other common gifts of the unconverted whether they differ specifically or gradually only from the saving knowledge and graces of the Godly I shall not here abide to determine 4ly Every Pious Person is led by the Spirit of God both in his Conversion when Gods Spirit enlightneth the Understanding and reneweth their Will and likewise afterwards directing and quickning to all Duty which Light and Grace he bestows in such measures as fitteth the work wherein He in his Infinite Wisdom imployes them as reading the Scriptures Praying Preaching Writting doing of good Works and suffering when called thereto Of this the Holy Spirit is the efficient cause he bids us do well Yet it is God who worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2.12.13 so 1 John 2.20 Ye have an unction from the Holy One and ye know all things And this Illumination is by Divines called Subjective Revelation because of the agreement betwixt our Souls and the Divine assistance and to distinguish it from the pretended Enthusiasm of deluded Persons who boast of new Revelations as the chief Rule of their Faith and Manners And in this sense Luther Zuinglius and other Divines who are cited in Quakerism no Popery from pag. 19. are to be understood when they write that the inward word of God and the dictats of the Holy Spirit are the true word of God which profit unto Salvation which is also the Sense and meaning of the ancient Holy Fathers when they speak of the leading of the Spirit of God as S. Chrys upon John 6.63 Christs words are to be heard according to the Spirit And whoso heareth them after a carnal manner profiteth nothing And S. Cypr. de S. sancto p. 485. edit Par. cum Annot. Ja. Pamel Suspiration Inspiration and Aspiration in the Godly they have from the Holy Spirit the cause and effect Matter and Increase 5ly The Prophets and Penmen of the Holy Scriptures were in a strict sense Divinely inspired 2 Pet. 1.21 They spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2. Tim. 16.17 All Scriptures is given by the Inspiration
of God c. The Prophets and Apostles were without any previous Ratiocination of themselves powerfully moved by God both to Teach and Write the Rule of Faith and Manners and that infallibly both as to Matter and Words which they proved to be immediat Objective Revelation or rather Gods word than their own 1 Thess 2.13 by the gift of Tongues Miracles Oracles Visions discovering of Secrets foretelling things to come and the conversion of men to God beyond and above the ordinary Humane Means The phrase thus explained I come to state and answer the Question to wit if A. B. was Divinely inspired The Ap. spends the third part of his Treatise being 38 leaves aiming to prove that A. B. was led by the Spirit of God or what is the same on the matter divinely inspired but never shewing in what sense or meaning he would have the World believe that she was so and therefore all discoursing to that purpose looks too like a continued Sophism commonly called Ignorantio Elenchi or a Fallacious way of arguing seeming to prove the thing intended by an hudle of pretended Arguments which yet conclude nothing as to the main point under Debate Viz. In what sense or respect he alleadgeth his A. B. to have been Divinely inspired 1. Which now to examine particularly I grant that she was Divinely Inspired in the first of the five respects forementioned i. e. She had a Rational Soul if ever there was such a person as A. B. which some doubt of who lived in Flanders about the time she is said to have been at Lisle and yet heard nothing of her but this is not all which the party means by her being Divinely inspired since she pretends to more than an ordinary Spirit 2. It is more to be doubted if she was divinely inspired in the second sense to wit if she was fitted and well qualified for the condition and imployment that she set out for in the World which was three fold the Mistris of a Familie a School-Mistris and a Prophetess or a Teacher to reform all Mankind There is but little evidence given in her own writtings of he Discretion and far less of Divine inspiration in guiding either her School or Family tho she pretended to the knowledge of discerning Spirits and the very thoughts of peoples hearts Pref. to L. W. p. 41 for she testifieth of her self S. V pt 1. p. 196. how all her 32 Scholars at Lisle were in Actual compact with the Devil and yet did very well what she taught them Also the Ap. writes of her pt 4. p. 323. that all her Servants were Witches and for a long time designed to murder her for her Riches yet mentioneth nothing that ever she dismissed them before her Death And if she had a Prophetical Spirit that shall be tryed anon 3. The third and fourth Respects may be considered together whereanent I charitably think that A. B. was a pious person and so was led by the Spirit of God as any other godly person is Rom. 8.1 But this concession will not satisfie the Ap. who holds her to have been incomparably holy and to have exceeded in knowledge the greatest Divines pt 3. p. 240.241 And therefor her pretension must be tryed in another sense Obj. How can she be called pious who wrote many Errours and was very proud and Uncharitable A. 1. She spake aright of Religion in sundry things which might have been by Divine Conduct but in her Mistakes and Errours she was led by her own spirit Ap. p. 216.217 As she confesseth in another Case when she was deluded by St. Saulien p. 239. And it is probable that she intended not to have written Lies or Fopperies which happened either through her want of the means of true Knowledge or the neglecting thereof as the Reading of the Holy Spriptures and Systems of Divinity and medling with things too high for her Ps 131.1 She might have been Pious tho not pefect and persons ought to be charactered from their better pairt and not from the worst from the set of their Spirit and tract of their Life rather than from particular Actions or Escapes and especially if they endeavour to discover and mortifie all Sins in themselves 2. This Obj. might be easily answered in the opinion of A. B. that Saints may apostatise totally and finally even they who have attained to perfection and could keep all the Commandments of God Which is defended be the Ap. pt 2. p 136. which yet is a gross Errour as shall afterward be shown for according to her Hypothesis it might follow that she wrote only Truth she was Humble and Charitable so long as she continued in the state of Grace but wrote her Errours became Proud and Uncharitable how soon she lost the Grace of God and fell into the estate of Damnation 4. As to the fifth Sense or Consideration of the Conduct of the Spirit of God which is the publick and ordinary acceptation of it namely a Prophetick infallible Spirit This I positively affirm A. B. had not in her writtings and so the Question is answered Negativly in Oposition to the affirmation of A. B. and her Ap. and it is thus proved 1. The Holy Scriptures which were written by the Holy Prophets and Apostles have a self Evidence in them shewing themselves to be the Word of God or the Dictats of the Holy Spirit to wit the matchless Sublimity of the matter the Holiness Purity and Harmony of the whole the Efficacie or effectual working for converting Souls to God besids their confirmation from the Pen-mens speaking of all Languages which they had never heard nor learned and other Miracles accompanying them extraordinary Visions sure Prophecies the Antiquity and preservation of the samen and the Confession of Adversaries But A. Bs. writtings have nothing the like Confirmation and therefore she had no Divine Inspiration in writting them The Major is granted by all Christians and the Minor is also clear since neither A. B. nor her Ap. pretend to such Testimonys tho their pretence be very high 2. The Scriptures written be men Divinely inspired are a perfect Rule in Religion teaching us how to glorifie God and be saved our selves 2 Tim. 3 16.17 That the man of God may be prrfect And we are to hold them accursed who would add to this Canon Gal. 1.8 Rev. 22 18. Therefore A. B. dare not pretend to such inspiration under pain of the curse Obj. You have wronged A. B. by mistateing the Question for she did not pretend to Prophecie or to write by an Infallible Spirit as the Prophets and Apostles did but only to interpret the Scriptures to live well and to teach others to do so L W. pt 1. p. 133. There she promiseth to write a Commentary upon the whole Scriptures tho she never performed it A. First denying the Charge for she is not wronged by me nor the Question mistated since it is the ordinary and received Sense of the Phrase to be
without sin The foresaid Errour of A. B. is a great one but behold a greater Against the Satisfaction which Christ the Redeemer made to Divine Justice for us That there was no need for Christ to become Man to suffer or die for our Redemption that He had been Incarnat tho Man had never sinned to converse with us visibly upon Earth that GOD was not honoured by His sufferings and that he suffered only by accident for the instruction of Men and their relief and to give them a good example L. W. pt 1. p. 139. 140. 141. 142. and pt 3. p. 53. This Heretical Doctrine is catcht from Photinus and from Socinus L. de Serv. c. 3.4 per tot That Arch-Heretick and Heir of Arrius who denyed the Divinity of Christ and is the Father of the Atheists that now infest many places in Europe whether they call themselves Deists Theists Unitarians or under whatsoever Denomination they pass at the Time The foresaid Doctrine is no less Absurd and Heretical when it proceeds from A. B. and her adherents than as it is disseminated be the Socinians who pretend to be Christians as well as they for they all strick at the root of Christianity teaching that Christ suffered for our behoof but not in our stead that it is enough to say He set Captives free whereas Redemption imports paying of the Ransom also for us both of them deny the Vindicative Justice of GOD pretending to cry up his Love and though they pretend to the highest Reason yet how unreasonable is it to say that the SON of GOD suffered as He did without a necessity of satisfying the Justice of GOD thereby and suffering of the greatest of Punishments due to Us for Sin And without which all Mankind had perished eternally as well as the Devils It was the admirable free Love of GOD which made the Difference and it is the great Foundation of Saving Faith That when we were sinners outlaws and rebells Christ dyed for Us Rom. 5.8 Now I shall cite the Scriptures for the Satisfaction of Christ whereby I am perswaded that the Impartial Reader will easily perceive that the foresaid Doctrine of the Socinians and A. B. is inconsistent therewith and so inconsistent with the Creed and the Essentials of Religion notwithstanding of her Profession and her Ap. to the contrary John 10.25 I lay down my Life for my Sheep Mat 20 28. The Son of Man came to give his Life a Ransome for many Acts 4 12. There is none other name under Heaven given whereby we must be saved Gal 3 13. Christ hath Rdeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us Eph 5 2. Christ hath given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to GOD 1 John 2 2. He is the Propitiation for our sins Rev. 5 9. Thou hast Redeemed us to GOD by thy Blood These Texts pondered It may probably seem strange to some who rashly were taken with A. Bs. Books how any Christian could have written so perversely of Christ as is forementioned but they may marvel the less when they finde her writting very often liker to an Infidel than a Christian as when she asserts that Mahometans and Gentiles may be saved by resigning their wills to GOD without mentioning Faith in Christ that the Jews are yet the People of GOD that they love GOD more than any other People that their being despised may perhaps satisfie for putting Him GOD to Death and that their hopes of the Messiah yet to come is well founded on the Word of GOD. L. W. pt 2. p. 127 131 and pt 3 p. 3. 168. How can the Jews be the People of GOD who were cast off for their Infidelity in S. Pauls days Rom. 11.15 If the Love of GOD which A. B. boasts of so much be of that kinde with the Jews love to GOD then it is but a lifeless Fancie instead of the true Love of GOD since the Jews have not Faith in Christ and True Faith worketh by Love Gal. 5.6 of which in a number a part afterwards neither Jewes Gentiles Mahometans or any Infidels can resign their will to GOD remaining Infidels so it is nonsense and repugnancie in the adject to write that they doe for none can be Accepted of GOD but by Faith in his beloved Son the only Mediatour Eph. 1.6 What a rare piece of confidence is it for A. B. and the Ap. to aver that they own the Creed and the essentials of Religion and to mantain the direct contradiction thereof for if the Jewes expectation of the Messiah yet to come be well founded on the Word of GOD as she sayes in the fore cited place then the Christian Belief is not well founded thereupon that in the fulness of time as Gal 4.4.5 he was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary and the rest of the Articles of the Creed concerning Him are false if A. B. speak Truth For the Messiah to have already come according to the Prophecies in the Scripture and performed the work of our Redemption in the exercise of His three fold Office and to be yet to come as the Jewes vainly expect is a flat contradiction nor can I conjecture what the wit or cunning of any Ap. can answer for A. B. in these things unless it be said that A. B. is generally misunderstood for her Christ is not our Christ mentioned in the Belief who was Prophecied of in the Old Testament and of whom the New Testament is an History But her Christ is an imaginary Christ which proceeded from Adam before the Woman was made and came not of the Seed of the Woman L. Etoile dumatin p. 32.33 and Ap. pt 1. p. 47. And to evite a very strong Argument against her fantastical Christianity taken from Gen 3 15. which is the first promise of Christ importing the very tenor of the Covenant of Grace she brings forth a rare sort of new coined blasphemy like John of Leyden or Nailour the Quaker who called themselves the Messiah so she affirms that she is That Womans Seed which should bruise the Head of the Serpent L W. pt 3. p. 47. This is that A. B. of whom De Cort. her admirer says Pref. to the L. W. p. 41. That no Body since the Creation of the World Explaines the Scriptures so well as she doth but behold what it comes to The Ap. pt 2. from p. 90. to the 100 useth much Art to smooth the Doctrine of A. B. against the Satisfaction of Christ He distinguisheth a mans being substituted to suffer for another and declares that A. B. held such a substitution to be false and diabolical as procures a discharge to the Party offending but granted a substitution of love whereby Christ merited that we should by our penitence merit Salvation adding our own merits to Christs Sacrifice to satisfie the Justice of GOD and mockes at a man who declares he is but a frail creature and hopes to be saved
like that a Preacher wrote the Ap. for else he had not accused all others of dryness 3. As the pretended inspired A. B. is most vain glorious that she only had discovered the Love of GOD to be the great end of Religion so is she no less proud of the means that she had attained to obtain it namely such a penitence and self denyall as merited remission of sins and which should be added to the Sacrifice of Christ Lae. Temoing de verite pt 1.59.61.64 and Ap. pt 2. p. 91.99 But we have not so learned Christ Rom. 6.23 Pardon of sin and eternal Life are none of our merit but GOD 'S free Gifts procured by Christs merits Eph. 2.8 whereof possibly more afterwards 4. You have hitherto narrated such instances as convince my self of her ignorance in the main point of Religion whereto a fourth shall be added which probably will abait the fondness of her admirers if it doth not altogether break her party if they consider it aright who noticed not before what doctrine she taught and that is that every good Christian must abandon Riches and Honour and take no more of them but what is simply needful for the sustenance of Nature and that of the least and meanest sort for the strain of the Doctrine which her Party cryeth up runeth thus A good Christian seeks to attain to the Love of GOD in perfection which to do we must renounce self love and love of the Creatures and none can doe that but they who renounce Riches and take meat and cloathing only to sustain Nature S. V. pt 1. p. 58. 59. L. W. pt 1. p. 121. Ap pt 1. p. 66. 67. Now let all that have doted upon Borignianism prove themselves to be her true Proselites by this plat form of her levelling which ere they doe I am of Opinion she will have but a very small Train of either Sex As Henry Martin said in the Rump Parliament in England when it was proposed to purge it quite of Immoral Men purge it also said Martin of all Knaves and Fools and then we shall have but a thin House NUMBER V. Of the Holy Scriptures IT is doubtless of the Essence of Religion to have right Sentiments of the Holy Scriptures which are the word of GOD and the Rule of Religion But many of A. Bs. and the Aps. Sentiments are wrong in this matter for First she perverts most of the Texts which are cited in her Books whereof one pregnant instance is already shown anent Gen. 3.15 N. 2. another is of Mat 5.45 He maketh his Sun to shine on the Evil and on the Good from which A. B. inferreth that the Wicked have the true Grace of GOD L. W. pt 1. p. 43. whereas the words import only that Worldly things such as the Suns light are common both to good and evil People 2ly They derogate from the Authority of the Holy Scriptures which is altogether Divine and Infallible the Ap. pt 2. p. 179 Approves Teresa a Spainard a pretended inspired Teacher who when she was urged with that Text 1 Tim. 2.12 I suffer not a Woman to Teach did answer that GOD bid her not to be directed by one passage of Scripture for there was a twofold falsehood if not rather a lie in the answer of Terese for there is a parallel Text to the foresaid purpose 1 Cor. 14.34 And GOD bids us be directed by his Word as well as when it is found in one passage of Scripture as if it were in twenty so it was the Devil and not GOD that suggested such an answer to her As Tertul long since wrote that all Hereticks Strive to derogate from the Scriptures and whosoever doth deprave any part of the Scriptures he rejects all because they are all from the same Authority Adversus Heres de prescrip c. 49. 3ly They disregard and contemn the Holy Scriptures Diod. Sic. L. 14. reports that Theopompus a Pagan Historian when he had inserted some part of the Holy Scriptures into his prophane writtings did run mad I shall not say that A. B. was mad but probably she was Hypocondriack for writting as she did anent the Scriptures exhorting people to imitat herself in not reading the New Testament for twenty Years and affirming that she could write such a Book as it that it was not hitherto understood by any and only slightly allowing people to read the BIBLE that are not otherwayes taught S. V. pt 1. p. 120. Ap. p. 347. L. W. pt 1. p. 120. Whereas the Holy Spirit teacheth us to search the Scriptures daily Acts 17.11 The truely Divinely Inspired take their warrand from the Scriptures 2 Pet. 1.19 Though they were immediatly taught of God And it was a thing more impossible for A. B. for to write such a Book as the New Testament than to have joined the land of Flanders to England for she could have written such a Book either by a fallible or an infallible Spirit if by a fallible Spirit only then it could not have been such a Book which was written by men infallibly inspired and not by an infallible Spirit because she had it not as is proven Sect. 3. Hence may be espyed a piece of very goodly confidence in the Ap. pt 2. p. 179. affirming that none could vilifie A. Bs. way of handling Scriptures but they who have a secret disgust at it whereas on the contrary out of love to the Scripture I openly disgust her abusing it NUMBER VI. Miscellanies relating to the Essentials of Religion THere are many other heads of Doctrine nearly relating to the Essentials of Religion ill treated of in the writings of the Authors whom I deal with and abruptly brought in by them without any Logical order some of which shall be noticed in this last Number together as they have occurred to my observation in seven distinct points that this Subsection concerning A. Bs. Essentials may terminate in a certain method POINT I. Of GOD'S Decrees and the Doctrines depending thereupon AS A. B. hath not written right things of GOD about the Essentials of Religion so nor of the integrals thereof though there be sundry of the samen which have so near a relation to and connection with the Essentials that by sound Divines they are truely called Circa Fundamentals For her Tenets anent the high and mysterious Decrees of GOD and many Doctrines depending thereupon such as the Operation of Divine Grace upon the Will of Man and the Perseverance of the Saints they are in my Judgement both contrary to the express Letter of the Holy Scriptures and the interpretation thereof by the Orthodox Church For she frequently affirms in the general that GOD had no Eternal Decrees nor praescience of the Actions of free Agents and in special that He had no Eternal Decree of Predestination L. W. pt 3. p. 154. which is contrary to Psal 33.11 The Counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of His Heart to all Generations Acts 15.18 Known unto GOD
are all His Works from the beginning of the World Eph. 1.4 Having chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the World Vers 5. Having Predestinated us to the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of His Will and Verse 11. Who worketh all things after the Counsell of His own Will Again A. B. writes that man hath liberty to resist the Will of GOD L. W. pt 1. p. 192. which plainly contradicteth the Divine Oracle Rom. 9.19 Who hath resisted His Will And linked with these Tenets she asserts that gracious persons may apostatise and be eternally damned L. W. pt 3. p. 136. 137. which assertion is inconsistent with our LORD 's most gracious promise John 10.28 My Sheep shall never perish In fine There are disseminated throughout all her Books the whole Arminian Tenets concerning the Quin quarticular Question excepting that of universal Redemption which why she omitted imbracing all the rest it is not easie to conjecture unless it be for her want of Charity to the generality of Christians And as A. Bs. Doctrine in the foresaid Tenets is contrary to the Scriptures so it is contrary to the Exposition of these and the parallell Texts of Scripture received in the Orthodox Church For it was condemned by the Synod of Dort Anno 1618 both in the complex and in all the 5 heads thereof Which Councill was conveened purposely to put a Stop to the contagious Errours which were spread abroad in the Belgick-neather-lands by Episcopius Corvinus Grevinchovius and other followers of Jacobus Arminius Unto which chosen men were delegated from many reformed Churches who were well versed in the Doctrine of the Primitive Church and every way able Ministers of the Gospel who also after conference with the offending Party upon mature debate and deliberation finding the Arminian Doctrine inconsistent with the Holy Scriptures and the Confessions of Faith of the Respective Churches and tending to the reviving of the Pelagian and Semi Pelagian Heresies and not a little symbolizing with the pestiferous Socinians did condemn it altogether as said is Neither can it be justly thought that these worthy men were ignorant of the sense of the Confessions of Faith of the Respective Churches to which they belonged who were all approved and commended at their return home both by their Constituents and the King Princes and States which sent them for their actings in that Assembly Nor have the representatives of any Protestant Church ever since disallowed the Acts of the Synod at Dort and altho some particular men have vented some flights and fancies too favourable to the Doctrine of the Remonstrants that is not to be imputed to any National Church which by their publick Doctrine and Actings rather disapproves than allowes the samen Scotland had only at that Synod Mr. Bacanquell a Pious and Learned Man to represent it but England had four at first George Bishop of Landaff Joseph Hall Dean of Worcester and John Davenant afterwards Bishops who are and will be still famous in the Church of Christ for their labours in the work of the Gospel and particularly for their excellent writtings Dr. Ward was the fourth and Dr. Goad was sent over in stead of Joseph Hall when he came home sick Yet I own that it was both Piously and Prudently done by the Church of England with the consent and authority of our Wise and Learned King James the 6. to prohibite all rash Preaching or Writting excepting such as should be authorised thereto on these abstruse and intricat questions raised be the Arminians upon the heads aforesaid and whensoever they might be obliedged to touch upon them in explaining a Text of Scripture to a popular auditory to hold to Scripture language and the words of the 39 Articles and the approved homilies of the Church Many judicious People marvel how any man could have been at the pains to write so large a Book being tedious to be read as the Ap. for A. B. is but I finde that his plea for Arminianism in sundry parts thereof hath very much conduced to swell it to the bigness that it hath accresced to under his pen as pt 2. from p. 104. to 127. and pt 4. p. 386. 387. and often in other places thereof Wherein he hath studied to represent the positions and Arguments of the Arminians in behalf of A. B. in a taking popular dress yet in all his pleadings to that purpose I have not been able to discover any Argument which is new but what hath been often tossed heretofore and solidly answered and discussed by the Orthodox Writters which to repeat from them consists not with my Scope in this place But to shew that his arguing can be rationally answered I shall only at this time deal with one of his most plausible Topicks which pt 2. p. 112. is propounded thus GOD knoweth all things only according to their nature but the Will of Man being made a free faculty to chuse or not to chuse or to reject any object propounded unto it by the Understanding GOD doth not foreknow what it shall determine ever as a man who giveth the power of his goods to his Wife cannot fore-know how she will dispose of them This is but a meer fallacie from the homonomie or different significations of the words Knowing and Nature For GOD seeth not as Man seeth 1 Sam. 16.7 And He is Nature natureing Mans Knowledge of things is but finite and limited as himself is apprehending things to be of such and such a nature by the properties figure habitudes and effects which he discerneth them to have and were it not for these means of Knowledge they would define things otherwise whereas the omniscient GOD in whose eternal Idea all things had their first determinations knoweth all things comprehensively even all the possible causes effects and contrariety of things so of all Agents whether necessary or free HE knoweth our thoughts afar off Ps 139.2 GOD who Inspired the Prophet Elisha to tell Hazael what his free will would determine long ere he knew so much himself 2 Kings 8.12.13 He that teacheth man knowledge shall he not know Ps 94.10 Neither doth his simile hold for a wife is her Husbands equal to whom he may give power of his goods either prudently or imprudently but the alwise GOD hath not exempted any of His Creatures from the reach of His Omnipotencie or Omniscience The due consideration of the infinite difference between GODS Omniscience and Omnipotence and the Faculties of sinfull man serves also to disclose the grand Arminian Errour in suspending his Grace upon Mans free Will against the Essentials of Religion POINT II. Of the Image of GOD in Man A. B. asserts that the Image of GOD after which Man was created consists only in Mans free will and nothing else L. W. pt 1. p. 42. which is contrary both to Scripture and Reason for the Soul of Man being Spiritual and immortall imports as much of the Image
of GOD as free Will doth and the Scriptures shew plainly that it consisted in Knowledge Righteousness Holiness and dominion over the Creatures Gen. 1.26 Let Us make Man after our own Image and let him have dominion c. Eph. 4.24 Put on the new man which after GOD is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Col 3.10 Renewed in Knowledge after the Image of HIM that created Him POINT III. Q. If Man sinned before he sinned AS the Prophet Elijah mocked the Prophets of Baal for their ridiculous Religion 1 Kings 18.27 So it is excusable that having read many ridiculous things in the Books of A. B. to state the Question in this point Ironically against her which according to her Doctrine must be answered positively that Man sinned before he sinned that is that he sinned before GOD gave out the Law which he transgressed since the adequate definition of sin is transgression of the Law of GOD Rom. 4.15 Where no Law is there is no transgression but behold what A. B. teacheth against this fundamental truth L. W. pt 3. p. 2. That Adam inclined to sin before the Law was given and before the woman was made which was not on the sixth day which absurd Doctrine the Ap. commends pt 1. p. 59. Saying that GOD did not give Man a Law till he saw him depart from the Love of GOD to the love of the Creatures and follow his own will All which false Sentiments the Discursor Academicus affirms to be most probable p. 5. But I am certain that it is not only improbable but also most untrue for every inclination in us to sin is sin as contrary to the rectitude and intire Holiness and Obedience which GOD requires of us Moreover their foresaid Tenet contradicts the historical account of the first sin and Mans fall from the estate of Innocencie given by GOD himself that it was by transgressing that Sacramental or trying Commandment conform to the Covenant of works Not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil upon pain of Death Gen. 2.17 POINT IV. Of Perfection THere is nothing more readily to be read in the Books of those that are swelled with Spiritual pride Uncharitablness Malice and Hypocrisie than the pretended Perfection of themselves and their Partie and among the rest A. B. and the Ap. pt 2. p. 131. to 137. and p. 4.32 Avouch that they can be perfect keeping all the Commandments of GOD because all his Commands are prestable or GOD hath given no Commands but what its possible for man to fulfill I shall not gainsay but A. B. might fancie her self to be perfect in her notion of perfectness by culling out some Commands of GOD and neglecting the rest L. W. pt 3. p. 205. contrary to Jam. 2.10 and imagined that they might be sound Believers who observed none of the Articles of Faith L. W. pt 3. p. 173. All which pretended perfectionists make an unanimous outcry against the Assemblies Catechism which we use for affirming that no meer Man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the Commandments of GOD. But their Clamour is groundless because the plain and sound sense of the foresaid answer in the Catechism is that GOD in the ordinary dispensation of his Graces hath never given such a meafure of Grace to any man nor promised to free him of sin altogether in this life so that he can perfectly and absolutly fulfill his Law but thorow Christ who fulfills it in and for us 1 John 1.7.8 9. The Law shews our duty which we should still endeavour to fulfill aiming at Perfection and what we cannot do to lippen to GODS free Mercy and Christs merits to perfect it for us as if we had attained to Perfection our selves For the Question is nor what GOD may do in this matter but what he is pleased to doe He might if He had pleased have kept Lazarus still alive on Earth who probably was perfect when Christ raised him from the Dead and so were the Saints who arose Mat. 27.52 But we cannot expect the like but pray by Faith for what the Law requireth as St. Bernard writteth in Gan. Serm. 50 POINT V. Of Perseverance ONE of A. Bs. Sentiments is that the most Perfect Saints may apostatise or fall from the estate of Grace and be eternally damned L. W. pt 3. p. 136.137 which her Ap. Homologateth pt 2. p. 136. And albeit this be one of their doctrines which depends upon another Errour of their denying all the Eternal Decrees of GOD formerly noticed po 1. yet it seemed neeessary to observe it here by it self because the absurdity thereof may be more easily discerned by the Unlearned than sundry others of the Arminian Chain which are more abstruse It is indeed lamentable that the best of Saints through negligence when tempted to Sin and the Infirmity of their nature may sometimes fall into sinful acts and remain so a space without effectual Repentance yet it is manifest by Divine Light from the Holy Scriptures that the truly Godly do not fall away totally and finally from the estate of Grace But the foundation of GOD standeth sure the LORD knoweth who are His 2 Tim. 2.19 His by Predestination or an Eternal Decree of Election in Christ Jesus who are given to Him in the unalterable Covenant of Redemption and are Cleansed from all sins by His Blood 1 John 1.7 Of whom it is written Rom 8.29.30 Whom He did fore know them He also Predestinated Called Justified and Glorified And of all these the LORD promiseth John 10.28 My Sheep shall never perish I will give unto them Eternal Life Perseverance is an unseperable effect of Sanctifying Grace the habit whereof being once planted by the gracious hand of GOD in a Mans Soul never dyeth although it may so appear by some sinful acts as Herbs and Trees which are bereaved both of fruit and flourishing in the Winter season this is called The Root of the matter which remained in the Gracious and Patient tho under sharp tryals sometimes repining Job ch 19.28 And to this purpose the Prophet Micah 7.8 Rejoice not against me O my Enemie when I fall I shall arise How inconsistent with this foundation of Religion are the writtings of A. B. and her Ap. POINT VI. Anent the Sacraments ANent the Sacraments A. B. is as Erronious as in the Points forementioned writting that to obtain Salvation we need not pray nor go to Church nor take the Sacraments but only be Passive L. W. pt 3. p. 102. Protestants go about the LORDS Supper without Devotion L. W. Pref. to pt 3. p. 4. To baptise Children is from the Devil L. W. pt 2. p. 31. Did ever the practise of any person contradict his profession more plainly than the Ap. and his Virgin Patroness do who solemnly protest that they shall own the Scriptures for the Test of their Doctrine which yet is against them almost in every point as for this in hand concerning the
Sacraments have we not as luculent Precepts for the constant use of them as of any other duties Mat. 28.19 Go teach all Nations baptising them c. 1 Cor. 11.23 I have received of the LORD that which also I delivered unto you and V. 26. As often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup c. A. B did snatch the Objection against the baptising of Infants from the Socinians and Anabaptists which is most frivolous that it is not commanded in express terms in the Scriptures Origen who lived in the second Centurie writting on Mat. 6.5.6.7 Assureth us that the Church had it always and that by tradition from the Apostles Yet are we more sure that it is a clear consequence from the Scriptures which being natural from the Text and undistorted doth ever import a Scriptural truth As we read Mat. 22.29 Our Saviour charged the Saducees anent the great Article of the Resurrection That they did err not knowing the Scriptures albeit not the express words of the Text Exod. 3.6 which he cited were directly against them but the consequence thereof so upon this sound foundation Infant Baptism is firmly grounded for the Sacraments are not only Signs but likewise Seals of the New Covenant and they to whom the gracious promises and conditions of the Heavenly Charter belong have a right also to the Seals appended thereunto Gen. 17.7.10 The Promise is to Thee and thy Children said GOD to Abraham Baptism comes in the place of Circumcision which was administred to Children when eight days old The right Preaching of the Word and Administration of the Sacraments are the ordinary means of our Salvation and undoubted marks of the true Church The Ap. pt 2 p. 154. to 159. Alleadgeth what he can to justifie A. B. in this which doth not satisfie 1 That she was above Ordinances Which is a vain boasting and contrary to GODS direction Gant 1.8 2 That she durst not go to the Popish Churches for fear of her life She could not be in alike hazard every where and how doth that excuse her for teaching that no Bodie needs go to Church or partake of the Sacraments 3 That she wrote a Book in defence of the Sacraments against the Quakers The Quaker who offended her was rebuked therefore by his Partie and they were reconciled with A. B. And at the best she contradicteth her self in this Point POINT VII Of Pastors and Church Government THe supposed Gentle-woman and pretended Illuminated A. B. and her Defender or Ap. transforming themselves into Angels of Light S. V. pt 1. p. 112 in all their writtings about Religion have indulged the swing of their absolut and independent free will in nothing more than in their ranting and railing at the Pastors of CHRISTS Flock and the Church Government For thus they write that it is unlawful for any to make it a trade or office to teach others S. V. pt 1. p. 115. L. W. pt 3 p. 90. The office of a Priest is an enemie to the resignation of Souls to GOD and Ap. pt 1. p. 53. All the evils of Christendom comes from the Pastors and all the Peoples degeneracie from their Guides I could adduce many more passages to the purpose but it is needless when the Ap. pt 2. p. 158. declares that the L. W. which is the chief of A. Bs. Books the Key and Rule of all the rest was written on purpose against the Pastors because of the degeneracie of the Roman Church Hereupon it may be reflected without debaiting if she was not injurious to write so against all the Pastors of the Church of Rome without exception of any how can it be thought true that she wrote against the Pastors of that Church only since she declares the Pastoral-Office it self to be unlawful and declaims as much against Protestants as Papists and besides them all Pastors in Christendom not excepting any either in the Greek or Abassine Churches or any where else in the World But on the matter it self how contrary is their Doctrine to the Holy Scriptures Whereby we are well instructed that the Alwise GOD who made Man a social Creature naturally inclined to society and thereby needing both Laws and Government did always prescribe Laws to Mankind and for the benefite thereof positively appointed the Government both Civil and Ecclesiastick and by a special designation Pastors and Church-Officers for his own immediat service and the Salvation of Peoples Souls Eph. 4.11.12.13 He gave Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of CHRIST till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the SON of GOD unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of CHRIST Heb 5.4 No man taketh this honour upon himself but he that iâ— called of GOD as was Aaron Where the true Pastor is there the true Church is and when the Shepherd is smitten the Sheep are scattered abroad Mat. 26.31 So it is one of the main Policies of Satan for destroying the Church altogether to endeavour to bring all the Pastors under contempt as a fit mean for subverting the office it self and consequently to ruin the Church of CHRIST Such railing against all Pastors and the Sacred Function it self is as A flood of water cast out of the mouth of the Old Serpent the accuser of the Brethren for To drown if he could the Woman who is cloathed with the Sun that is the Church of GOD. Rev. 12.9.10.15 The accute Ap. when he readeth this part of the Advertisement may possibly say that the language savours of too much passion and the inference is too hard for may not A. Bs. words bear a more favourable interpretation such as that of the Disc Academ p. 16. 23. That Pastors and Church Government Sacraments and the publick Worship of GOD have no certain connexion with Mans Salvation nor are they certain necessary and infallible means of recovering the love of GOD and A. B. one where or another of her writtings mentioneth the Office of Pastors as a thing that may be reformed and to say that Sacred Offices or means ordained by GOD for his own Glory and Mans Salvation may be reformed is a more moderat Sentiment to hold their phrase than that they are simply unlawful and should be quite abolished Hereto it is answered that I designed in this Censure to evite all hard words as much as possible could be without prejudice of truth which is herein defended yet it is allowed as a maxime among moralists either in speaking writting or other actions to sharpen reason not by our own passions or affections but by these which the cause requireth I called her writting on this point against the Pastoral Office Ranting because her language to that purpose is the same with that of the wild Sect of the Ranters and railing which is calumniating or a wrongous caracterising and ascribing undue epithites to
good things I have noted on Discursus Academicus his errours in this matter neither have I read in any Book of A. B. where she retracteth the foresaid errours and if the Ap. hath done it he should have told us of it Now to put a period to the first Subsection anent the essentials of Religion it is manifest I hope by what I have written to the impartial Reader that A. B. had no good skill of Religion were it but for one reason that she preferred Heathenism to Christianity by assirming that Heathens Turks and Jewes had more reason and Religion than Christians Pref. L W. p. 9.10 And that not one Christian is so much resigned to GOD or did understand true vertue so well as the Heathens did pt 3. p. 129. And since her Sentiments are against the Holy Scriptures and the essentials of Religion she hath not represented the same aright nor revived the Spirit of Christianity neither was she Divinely Inspired to publish the Gospel to the World which was the thing thus to be demostrated SECTION IV. SUBSECTION II. NUMBER I. Of Accessories in the General THe Ap. pt 1. p. 3 4 5 6 7 8. and 9. comprehends all the Doctrine of A. B. in the two general heads of the Essentials of Religion and her accessories which distinction I promised to examine in this place Sect. 4. Subs 1. Initio The word Accessory which is taken from the Latine word Accedo signifyeth ordinarily to come to to follow or add to any thing but in the English for the most part it soundeth ill to be accessory importing the abetting or partaking of a Crime In the civil Law it signifies an Adminicle or Addition to a statute of which it is required that it be not alien from or contrary but that it follow the nature of the principall to which it is an Appendix De regulis juris in sexto reg 42. But in Divinity few or none sound writters use the term Accessory in comparing points of Religion among themselves the ordinary distinctions are of Essentials and Integrals of things necessary and expedient Essential or fundamental points are the Doctrines clearly revealed in Scripture and upon which the Holy Ghost the Revealer hath put the caracter of necessity to be believed for Salvation as the sum of the Creed is The Integrals are other Doctrines taught by GOD to make up the whole as the several parts of Mans Body make the composition of Man intire so the uniform obeying all the Commandments of GOD make up the whole of Religion Again the Articles of Religion are either the necessary and indispensable means of obtaining the chief ends thereof to wit GODS Glory and Mans Salvation such as Faith Hope Love and Repentance or they are necessary by Reason of the Precept because commanded by GOD such as the Sacraments and the publick and ordinary Worship of GOD. And further all things commanded by GOD are called necessary and things injoined by the Church for Edification Order and Decency are said to be of positive right and expedience And some things not fundamental which are but darkly revealed in Scripture Christians may keep Peace and have communion together albeit they have different Opinions thereanent as in points of Discipline concerning which whoso would be fully informed he may read Isaak Causabon on the Epistle of King James the 6th to Cardinal Perron anent the Peace of the Church But A. Bs. Accessories can no wayes be reduced to any of the foresaid branches of the points of Religion as being either necessary true lawful or expedient which shall be manifested in the next number Neither is it obvious viewing all Christian Churches to find out a parallel to A. Bs. notion of Accessories but that which it mostly resembles is the decretals wherewith the modern Romanists have stuffed the Canon Law of which it is truely said that the Old Decrees had been good if they had wanted the Alae Wings and new additions forced upon them So her representing the Essentials of Religion and pressing of Piety had been good if she had understood them well and done it without diminution of any or adding extravagant flights and fancies to wing them throughout the whole World in her own conceit There remains yet to be discussed another sense of the word Accessories and that is in military terms Auxiliaries or additional forces are called Accessories but there can be no reasonable translation of this to A. Bs. purpose for the Truths of Religion contained in the Holy Scriptures are perfect and sufficiently able to serve their turn to defend themselves and to make the man of GOD perfect unto Salvation without such additions or auxiliariâ—es as she proposeth For they are but meer intruders coming uncalled over which a vigilant eye should be had lest if intertained or let alone they prove such auxiliaries as the Mammaluks did in Egypt and the Saxons in England who betrayed and subverted the Natives whom they came to aid because both their Principles and Interests were contrary to each other Obj. O but says the Ap. pt 1. p. 45. There is no such evil to be feared from A. Bs Accessories for they tend to advance the main ends of Religion and tho they be not warranded in the Scriptures yet they are neither hurtful nor damnable A. To answer which Objection shall be the subject of the following Number of this second Subsection anent her Doctrines NUMBER II. Of A. Bs. Accessories in particular IN this inquest all the Doctrines of A. B. relating to and depending upon the Essentials of Religion might be reviewed since the Ap. comprehends the whole of her Doctrine in these two Essentials and Accessories without noticing the third branch of the division namely Doctrines which tho not Fundamental or Essential yet may either further or prejudge the Essentials of Religion as they are either true or false proper to Religion or improperly mustered therewith but that being in a good part done already Subs 1. n. 6. wherein it is proven in seven Points that many of A. Bs. Doctrines which are nearly related to the Essentials of Religion are very erronious and disproven of the Holy Scriptures I proceed now to examine other Doctrines which she reckoneth not among the Essentials of Religion and so they must be indeed her Accessories 1. That Man before he sinned did feed upon the quintescence of things being altogether Spiritual he could flee in the Air and go to the Centre of the Earth and so it shall be with Man afterwards when Christ reigneth upon Earth with the Saints This Doctrine is disseminated throughout all A. Bs. writtings and approven be the Ap. pt 1. p. 46. 47. which is not so innocent as he represents it but is both hurtful and damnable For it contradicteth the truth of the History of the Creation of the World written by Moses in the Book of Genesis be the dictating of the Holy Ghost which accomodating to Vulgar Capacities mentioneth not as other
Scriptures doe the Creation of Angels or Spiritual beings assure us that Mans Body was material Formed of the Dust of the Ground Gen. 2.7 His food was material and the forbidden fruit was also such Good for food and pleasant in the Eyes Gen. 3.6 Which could not have been if Man had been altogether Spiritual and in the future State of Glory Man will need no material food whether we call it the essence or quintescence of things materiall but he will be as the Angels of GOD. 2. That all Men may forsake the Truth L. W. pt 1. p. 33. This is a false Doctrine for if all Men should forsake the Truth the Church might fail which is impossible It being built upon the Rock of Ages against which the gates of Hell shall never prevail Mat. 16.18 And wherewith our LORD JESUS CHRIST will be present to the end of the World Mat. 28.20 3. That Infants dying before they come to the exercise of Reason are either good or bad and consequently must be saved or damned according to the will of their Parents L. W. pt 2. p. 6.7.8.9 and pt 3. p. 155. This is against the Principles of Religion of GODS Election and the tenor of the Covenant of Grace 4. Antichrist is the Devil L. W. pt 1. p. 32. and the Devil is nothing S. V. pt 1. p. 94. These Tenets are overthrown by the Scriptures which teach us plainly that Antichrist is a man or a set of men sitting in the Temple of GOD. 2 Thes 2.4 5. That persons resigned to GOD return to such an estate of perfect innocencie as Adam was in before the fall L. W. pt 3. p. 138. Which is an unsound Doctrine since Adam at first was altogether free of Sin which can be said of no Saint in this Life Jam. 3.2 It is manifest by what is already written on this subject how easie it were to expose the absurdity of all A. Bs. Accessories but they are so many that to go through them all particularly even according to the present method adding a short refutation to every one of them would require as much writting as was designed for this whole Tractate Therefore having excerpted from the Books of A. B. and the Ap. some scores of Accessories like these forementioned equally hurtfull to Religion and noted exactly in a paper apart the places where they are to be found I shall here for brevities sake produce Twenty of them as a swatch of the rest reasonably hoping that every Christian Reader who is acquainted with the Holy Scriptures and being thereby instructed that Hay and Stuble are not fit materials for the building of GOD. 1 Cor. 3.11.12.13 Will be able at the very recitation thereof to confute them himself without my help which GOD willing afterwards shall if it be needful not be wanting in the behalf of Truth or it will be done by abler Pens which the Church will never be destitute of And these Accessories are 1. That there are no true Christians now in the World 2. The ordinary sins of Papists are the sins against the Holy Ghost 3. Protestants disown the civil Magistrat 4. A Spiritual Man is never melancholly 5. A Spiritual Man will not take a walk for recreation 6. Mentall Prayer should be omitted 7 Sin is only a disorder of the five Senses 8. All the advantages that Men reap from others serves but for their damnation 9. The Devil at first moved men to posses their own Goods 10. It had been good there had never been Schools nor Learning in the World 11. GOD'S cursing the Earth made mans returning to GOD the more easie 12. GOD calls no man to any place of Honour or Power 13. CHRIST'S Kingdom comes not according to the second Petition in the LORD'S Prayer 14. GOD doth not permit sin 15. Good motions incite alwayes to suffering 16. Phisitians and Divines doe ordinarily more ill than good 17. The Devil inlightneth our Uunderstanding and maketh us conceive deep Divine Mysteries 18. We should not commend good things because the Devil can do so 19. We should not instruct others but when they desire it 20. A. B. was Divinely Inspired in all things to reform the World It is no less than a spectrous piece of goodly confidence which sheweth it self in all the writtings of A. B. and the Ap. to affright people into the belief of their visionary Doctrines in stead of giving solid reasons for them still to cry that she was Divinely Inspired Obj. 1. For how say they could it otherwise be that she who was unlearned did write of so many things and rare verities and in such a ravishing strain beyond the reach of the chiefest Divines So that to offer to correct her Doctrine is no less presumptuous than to dare to correct the Spirit of GOD and whoever opposeth her Sentiments are like Jannes and Jambres that withstood Moses like the Scribes and Pharisees who opposed CHRIST himself or like the Jewes Atheists and Hereticks that contradicted and persecuted the Apostles and primitive Christians A. 1. That is sufficiently already answered in the third Section where it is proved at large that she was not Divinely Inspired but since they ingeminat it so often some more shall be said to it here 2. To discover oppose and confute Errours in any persons Books is not to oppose the Spirit of GOD but rather to be led by the famen for GOD is Truth and whosoever defends the Truth is on his side 3. Good words and a zealous strain of writting are only good when Truths and no falsities are thereby expressed for the most pernicious writters that ever existed in the World seemed to affect a pious strain and mixed many Heavenly like words with their poysonous positions to cover from the unadvertent the Venom thereof such as Gelsus Porphyrie Julian Vaninus and in fine Heretickes Shismaticks Sectarians and Enthusiasts in all their writtings 4. For A. Bs. pretending to have been unlearned and her crying down all Schools and Learning she had many infamously famous impostors for Precedents who to impose their damnable Doctrines and delusions on the World declaimed loudly against all Learning as their most deadly enemy such as the Gnosticks Montanus Manes and Mahomet 5. CHRIST and his faithful Servants were opposed by many in all Ages slighted and persecuted for holding the Truth but it is an undue thing for A. B. to compare her self to them and her Opposers to their persecutors when she is confuted and contemned only for teaching Errours 1 Pet. 2.20 For what glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults ye shall take it patiently 6. The Cabine of A. Bs. rarities can be disclosed without a miracle or flying so high as to Divine Inspiration for a key to open it For most of her extravagant flights anent Mans primitive Estate of Innocencie and the future state after the day of Judgement have been catcht with little variation from the Jewish Cabala It was formerly showen Sect.
4. Subs 1. n. 3. how the exotick opinions of some School-men gave her wrong Sentiments of Angels in like manner hearing of some nice points debated among School men and Philosophers she was apt to adopt the worst side of the Problem which being once made hers out it flyes into the World as a new revealed verity for example A. B teacheth S. V. pt 1. p. 96. And the Ap. homologates pt 1. p. 62. That both our Souls and Bodies are propogated from Adam Contrary to Heb. 12.9 where GOD is called the Father of Spirits or the creatour of our Souls in contradistinction to our natural parents who are there termed the Fathers of our flesh And many other of her Accessories she might have learned by ordinary discourse as that the Heretick Eunomius and generally the Gnosticks out of a pretence of magnifying Faith said that good works were not necessary This false and odious opinion her La. after her charitable manner doth most frequently father upon all Protestants without due consideration that St. Aug. confuted it L. de fide oper Whose orthodox strain is followed by Calvin and all Proteslant writters and Billarmine himself de Justif L. 3 c 6. Vindicats Protestants of the foresaid imputation Obj. 2. It was asserted in my hearing by some whom the Borignianists had mistuned that there are more than two thousand verities speaking of these Accessories set out in the Books of A. B. which are not to be read in all the writtings either of Papists or Protestants A. I have discovered in her Books more than an hundreth falsities but have seen none of these new disclosed verities and if any favorite of hers shall be at the pains to number them let him take heed that he make not a false muster or rather such an appearance as drunken men see of great armies in the Air which instantly and quite disappear when sober people are curious to view them And if Accessories be called New Verities they should be rejected on that very head by reason that no truth can be new and all Truths are older than Errours Obj. 3. Have there not been some persons Divinely Inspired Teachers in all Ages such as Antonie and Paul the Anachorets St. Terese St. Briget and St. Katharine Theular and Thomas a Kempeis And were it not for fear of your Pastoral Office A. B. would be respected as one of these and her Books held worthy of all acceptation A. 1. There should be no ground to fear the falling of the Pastoral Office altho many now living were inspired in the measure of the Prophets and Apostles which will never be seeing the Canon of the Scriptures is compleat because the Pastoral Office is appointed of GOD for his especial Service and his perpetual presence is promised to be therewith even as if a King should reveal his will secretly to some special favorits it would no wayes follow from thence that the standing Laws should not be the peoples Rule and be expounded and executed by the settled Judges 2. None of these were infallibly inspired and no more was A. B. neither do I read that Paul and Anthonie the Egyptian Monks spake against the established Offices in the Church though they chused a Monastick Life in time of Persecution If A. B. had any Precedent it was the Spanish Nun Teresa who yet pretended not to be the singular or sole Doctrix of the whole World as A. B. did Thomas a Kempis and Teular were good men but why doth not the Ap. call St. Aug. Bernard and many more eminent men as well inspired as they Obj. 4. To what purpose is all this reasoning against A. Bs. Accessorie Doctrines Since the Ap. did premonish pt 1. Car. 13. p. 38. That if any person did not relish the Accessories he might let them alone that is to say he shall not be bound to believe them and let him forbear to dispute against them how much soever he be dipleased therewith A. That is a shift put into the mouths of all who are become raâ—hly fond of all A. Bs. writtings but it is such a silly shift that I marvel to hear any rationall person pronounce it for a defence when he is pressed with good Arguments against her Errours from Scripture and Reason In the common use of the phrase to let a thing alone is to forbear or to medle or concern with it on such an occasion as when a Boy is to be chastised for a fault he cryes let me alone but let us examine the Aps own gloss of the expression 1. First he says the meaning is you need not believe A. Bs. Accessories to be true unless you please Here he enjoins a rare thing Did ever any other persons pretending to be Divinely Inspired in all their writtings leave the Readers at libertie to believe the half of them to be true or no! Why did she mix and confound them in all her twenty two Books with the Essentials of Religion which ought to be believed and how can unlearned people seperate the Gold from the dross 2. He sayes dispute not against them so says Mahomet in his Alcaron c. 5. and elsewhere If Truth be in them it should be believed if falsehood it ought to be confuted or disputed against and many of them are such as is already proven Obj. 5. It hath been said to me that whoso writes against A. B. will be answered even as the writtings of Le. Clerk at Amsterdam and all Socinian Books are still defended by some persons tho they give much offence to the Church men were it not better then to forbear disputing in matters of Theologie than to increase it A. I aprove not A. Bs. Sentiments in this case who declares that the writtings of Luther Calvin and all the Reformers whom she accounts Hereticks should have been quite despised and not answered or themselves cut off L. W. pt 1. p. 27. It is our duty to dispute for the Truth and altho Errours have Abetters and defenders yet the Truth which is stronger than Errours will at last prevail Obj. 6. The harmonie or consent of all the parts of the Holy Scriptures is one evidence that they were given by Divine inspiration so A.B. never contradicteth herself which sheweth that she was led by the Spirit of GOD in all her writtings A. If she was led by the Spirit of GOD in all her writtings then she should not be opposed but there is one thing said and another thing seen and her deeds in writting falsities proves her saying the contrary to be untrue one may write Books without contradicting himself therein and yet without Divine Inspiration but the tryal of that point anent A. B. shall bring the fourth Section anent her Doctrines to an end NUMBER III. Of her Contradictions IF one proposition be true then the contradictory assertion must be false and no palliating or favourable interpretation can reconcile them as for Instance That is a most true saying which also is