Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n
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A58145
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Robert Bridgman's Reasons for leaving the Quakers, (upon examination) proved unreasonable being only a demonstration of his envy. By W. Rawlinson.
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Rawlinson, William.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing R370; ESTC R217967
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22,497
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49
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all the Principles of the several Societies and so refute them and none of the several Societies to be there or if present not suffered to vindicate their several and respective Principles or he intends all to have liberty to oppugn one another's Principles tho' this is a Power R. B. I am apt to think will scarce grant Dissenters Or must the Church be sole Plaintiff and all others only Defendants The words open and free Conferences implies all the several sorts should have liberty to vindicate their several Principles of what consequence this might be to the King 's Peaceable Government I will leave to more competent Judgments and the Churches Consideration R. B. having made these Proposals to the Church proceeds very warmly declaring what a lamentable thing it is that in a Christian Nation the publick Seals and Badges of its Communion should be slighted neglected opposed and rejected by a sort and number of Men that will not be accountable in matter of Fact for their Mistakes and Abuses That he here intends the Quakers I need not to Question for I take his whole Paper to be designed as a valliant Sally against them yet seeing he doth not also tell us what these publick Seals and Badges are I must be at a loss what he intends thereby his words are general and doth imply we are guilty of slighting neglecting c. all the Seals and Badges of the Christian Religion which is a high Charge yet since it is false we may the better bear it Now with his leave I conceive the Seals and Badges of the Christian Religion are many I would ask him whether not Swearing be not one And what he thinks of Mat. 5.33 34. Also whether to preach the Gospel freely be not another And what he thinks of Mat. 10.8 And whether not to Fight nor Persecute make not up two more And what he thinks of Mat. 5.38 39. 26.52 John 18.36 James 4.1 2 Cor. 10.4 Luke 9.55 56. Mat. 13.28 29 30. Nay doth not Christianity take in the Moral Law And if so then will come in loving our Neighbour as our selves which Badge I should have been glad to have seen more worn by him that would have given some evidence of his being Religious for I am satisfied true Christianity doth not destroy Morality for I think an honest sober and just Liver is preferable to a superstitious Pilgrim and that there is more Virtue in Praying for our Enemies than visiting an old Relick I see not how he comes to reckon us a sort and number of Men that will not be accountable in matter of Fact for our Mistakes and Abuses For he gives no Instances I may say he has a fine Art in abusing by whole-sale without proof We have always been ready to give a sincere account of the Hope that is in us which is evident from the many Acounts on that Head published and all has been our readiness to take notice of every occasion that did offer wherein it might be of Service I hope R. B. would not have us take our Religion upon his Authority Would he be for Whipping in as well as out of the Temple When once Religion is turned from inward Sense to outward Prescriptions and from Conviction and Reason to implicite Faith and blind Obedience I think a true Sense of God will be far gone it will then be time for the Magistrate to see that the Laws are duly executed for Conscience must be much a-sleep All that he has hitherto offered has been only his bold and envious Say-soes and Charges without all shew of Proof wherefore it is high time for what he has further to offer to produce some sort of Evidence he begins thus It is a most lame and scandalous Insinuation against the Institution and Practice of outward Baptism which G. Whitehead advances in his Rector Examined p. 27. saying When this Rector meaning Mr. Meriton can demonstrate a probatum est of such Virtue in that poor Element as he calls it of Water-Baptism as to cure polluted and distempered Souls as if the issue or effects of a Means that is prescribed must determine the right or lawfulness of its Institution or Practice without any Exception he may at the same rate question the Authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles in their Teaching and Preaching because many that heard them were not effectually cleansed 'T is a wonder to see a Man of such Pretentions so lame in Matter and so abusive in his Charges His charging G. W. with lame and scandalous Insinuations against the Institution and Practice of Water-Baptism and yet offer no better proof than this one saying of G. W's to the Rector we must understand that G. W's thus speaking was even natural from the Comparisons brought by the Rector viz. Naaman's washing in Jordan and the blind Man's washing in the Pool of Siloam To which G. W. argues ad hominem that if the Rector could demonstrate such Vertue in Water-Baptism to the curing Mens Souls of their Infirmities as Jordan had to Cure the Body of Naaman and the Pool of Siloam had to restore Sight to the Blind then his Comparisons were of force otherwise why did the Rector bring them Was it only to fill up Paper Now if the Rector and this R. B. would from hence allude the Efficacy of Water-Baptism to the Curing of Souls since we must grant neither of these Waters had that Vertue essentially in them being only made effectual by the Grace and Blessing of that Power which appointed them will it not then be proper to enquire into the effects to see if they be answerable and that which gives greater Suspicion that R. B. grants Water-Baptism available to Cure the Soul is his Comparison of Christ's and the Apostles Preaching that G. W. might at the same rate question their Authority because that many that heard them were not effectually cleansed Now tho' many that heard them were not yet many that heard them were So tho' a great many that are baptized with outward Water remain uncleansed yet if either the Rector or this R. B. can make proof that many or any are cleansed by Water-Baptism it will answer G. W's probatum est for G. W. is not so unreasonable as not to admit of any Exceptions so that R. B. may dispose of his lame and scandalous Insinuations elsewhere But till such time as R. B. can make such proof let him not blame us in holding to those Remedies that we know are appointed by God for that purpose and that are effectual for that end as the Blood of Christ and the Operation of the Holy Ghost R. B. adds And in the Commission that was given Mat. 28.19 there is no more mention made of outward Teaching than of outward Baptism and the Quakers may as well reject Teaching with Words as Baptizing with Water What way he has to propound to Teach the Nations the Faith of Christ save by Words I know
is Go Teach baptizing all Nations into the Name of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost And the Name of either the Father or the Son or the holy Ghost is most frequently if not always used in Scripture to signifie Power and Life as The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower Thy Name is as Ointment poured forth c. Thus we see Keith after having been a Quaker nigh if not altogether 30 Years holds out Zealous in his Testimony against Water-Baptism and says It can never be proved from Mat. 28.18 19. And if Water-Baptism can never be proved how much less can Sprinkling Infants be proved for which there is neither Precept nor Practice in all the Bible And yet this is the Baptism R. B. must stand by It will be necessary to shew that the Ministers of Christ may Instrumentally or Ministerially Baptize with this Spiritual Baptism indeed it were Gross if any held that any Man or Men had Power to Command or Give the Holy Ghost but I doubt not but it will be Plain as well as Orthodox That the Apostles were the Means or Instruments tho' Christ the Principal by which the holy Ghost was given which when I have done I hope I have performed what will be expected from me at this time My first proof shall be from Acts 10.44 While Peter yet spake these Words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word To this plain matter of Fact what can be objected or who dare deny but Peter's Preaching was the Means or Instrumental Cause of their being thus eminently Baptized with the Holy Ghost this passage exactly agrees and runs parallel with our Lord's Command of Teaching all Nations Baptizing them c. for as the Text words it it implies that to Teach Baptizing went together and was performed by Christ's Presence attending their Ministry so here not only by Precept but by Practice and Matter of Fact is true for through Peter's Preaching they both heard the Word and were baptized with the Holy Ghost at one and the same instant Acts 11.15 16. And as our Saviour said in another Case My Father works hitherto and I work So tho' this Power be granted as indeed it ought to Christ and that Christ doth Principally or Originally Baptize with the Holy Ghost and also that he administers it as it pleases him either Immediately and without all outward Means or Mediately and by Instruments yet his Servants that are by him Commissionated may be truly said Instrumentally to Baptize with the Holy Ghost and may say Christ worketh hitherto and we work So I would have all be very careful that they do not oppose what they do not understand but rather fall in with Peter and say What are we that we should withstand God Tho' several Texts of like import might be produced that proves this Truth yet for Brevity sake shall conclude with this one Gal. 3.5 This only would I learn of you received ye the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith He therefore that ministreth to you the Spirit and worketh Miracles among you doth he it by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith Thus it is clearly proved that the true Ministers are Ministers of the Spirit and do minister it And as Paul saith They were made able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit R. B. begins a new Charge thus But to manifest how liable they are to pervert the true sense of matter see what G. Whitehead says concerning the Supper p. 35. of his Rector Examined where he produces some Testimonies out of the Book of Martyrs to favour his Case which duly considered are directly against it I have examin'd the Quotations and for further satisfaction if R. B. will not be offended I will be so Ingenuous both to Transcribe them and the end for which G. W. produced them in G. W's own Words by which the Impartial may perceive the falseness of R. B's Charge And note he doth not bring this so much to detect this particular Perversion of G. W's as he accounts it but thereby to shew how apt we are to pervert the true sense of matter so that we may reasonably conclude he would not bring one of the meanest in his Budget since it was to be his Goliah These following are G. W's Words and therein is expressed the end for which he quoted the following Testimonies And that the Bread and the Cup which Christ gave at his Supper were a Figure or Typical was confessed by divers eminent Martyrs as John Frith in his Reasons upon the Sacrament treating of Christ the promised Seed saith Likewise the same Promise was made unto Moses the most meek and gentle Captain of the Israelites which did not only himself believe on Christ which was so often promised but also did prefigurate him by divers Means both by the Manna which came down from Heaven and also by the Water which issued out of the Rock for the refreshing the Bodies of his People Neither is it to be doubted but that both Manna and this Water had a prophetick Mystery in them declaring the very self-same thing which the Bread and the Wine doth now declare unto us in the Sacrament For thus saith St. Augustine Whosoever did understand Christ in the Manna did eat the same spiritual Food that we do but they which by that Manna sought only to fill their Bellies did eat thereof and are Dead On the Margent it is Manna and the Water of the Rock a Figure of Christ's Body Bread and Wine a Figure likewise of Christ's Body 1 Cor. 10. See 2 Vol. Mart. p. 305. printed 1641. And Dr. Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury confesseth Christ's Speech i. e. this is my Body to be Figurative and quoting Ambrose in 1 Cor. 11. he calleth the Bread and the Cup Signs a Type Figure or Sign of the Blood of Christ and of his Benefit In his Disputations in Oxford Vol. 3. Mar. p. 59. and Chap. 54. ibid. he saith The Flesh liveth by Bread but the Soul is inwardly fed by Christ And Dr. Ridley Bishop of London in his Disputations at Oxford saith And as one of the Fathers saith A Figure is in vain where the thing signified is present ibid. p. 74. And p. 75 76. in opposition to the Popish Doctrine of Transubstantiation he saith The Sayings of the Fathers declare it to be a Figurative Speech as appeareth in Origen Tertullian Chrysostom in opere imperfecto Augustine Ambrose Basil Gregory Nazienzen Hilary and most plainly in Bertram Thus we have both the end for which G. W. quoted them in his own Words and the whole Quotations themselves For my part I cannot find any Perversion and it stands R. B. upon to manifest it more plainly if there be any what because some of them was brought to oppose the Doctrine of Transubstantiation therefore they are no good Arguments to G. W's purpose to