then as now and if he must interpret what he before spoke than he must be fetched in to interpret that Interpretation and so on for ever Rev. 3.7 p. 238. He brings in Christ the Lamb with the Key of David opening c. begging the Question that opening signifieth Expounding whereas it denoteth Christs power in governing the Church taking in and shutting out Isa 22 20. Mat. 16.19 Aretas in loc clavem potestatem vocat for he who hath the keys hath the House committed to him T. E. by this spoils his very pretensions of the Spirits opening for this Lamb is not the Holy Ghost but the Lamb that taketh away our Sins Mat. 11.27 p. 239. he must prove the Spirit to be the Son that all Revelation is Immediate or that Text makes against him Father Son and Holy Ghost are all said to reveal and yet those Works are not to be confounded 1 Cor. 2.11 p. 239. 266. Though no man know c. yet the Spirit hath communicated some part of that knowledge v. 12. and if those cannot be understood we have no assurance that the next will be clearer but v. 13. The Apostle declares that they spoke those things which the Spirit gave them and in the Spirits words that is purposely to be understood what those things were which the Spirit taught appears by the Coherence v. 9. viz. a conviction of the Infinite Joys of Heaven Theoph. in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the Spirit teacheth such things as belong to Christs Dispensation his dying for us making us the Sons of God setting us at the right hand of his Father in himself Rev. 13.3 4. p. 243. He states the Apostacy differently both from himself and his partners and should I refer that Text to Heathen Idolatry and not to lapsed Christianity I see not how Thomas Ellwoods Spirit could confute me Jude v. 9. 1 Thes 4.8 These Texts he applyeth severely to such as look upon the Quakers light to be Fantastical but he should first prove that God speaks by them before he make us Sin in rejecting them In Epictet l. 1. c. 22. Arrian gives a good Rule That differences arise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Application of Rules to particular cases Winstanley lays a Curse on such as will not come into the Levellers Community the hand of the Lord shall be upon that Person whosoever he be and yet no rich Quaker will think himself obliged by it New Law p. 75. 2 Tim. 3.16 the Scripture is profitable for Doctrine i. e. to Teach true Doctrine for Reproof to discover and reprove false Doctrine p. 251. Theop. Oecum in locum for Correction to Correct and amend our Evil manners for Instruction in Righteousness to direct and lead into good life and manners that the man of God may be perfect c. to furnish Timothy a Bishop and Pastor for his Office much more to instruct the People in their Duty And therefore the Apostle comforts Timothy That though he Die yet he hath the Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. which can benefit thee in my absence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these are thy Counsellors instead of me Mark 13.11 That Promise belongs to the times of Persecution and should not be inlarged to all Cases p. 256. Theoph. on Mat. 10.19 gives a good Exposition of it when we speak among the Faithful we ought to premeditate and be ready for a defence as St. Peter saith but when we speak before Multitudes and Kings who rage then God doth promise his Strength that we should not fear p. 263. Act. 2.4 The Spirits giving utterance was by his Wonderful descent when the Apostles opened in such Tongues and Wisdom and Quakers have no Tongues but what they learn Rhetorical and Poetical Enthusiasms have raised men above the Quakers by Keiths Concession serious matters require premeditated Discourses and vehement Speeches more become Juglers than Wisemen as Seneca at large observeth In Epist 40. p. 263. 1 Tim. 4.13 15. The directions given to Timothy about reading are inconsistent with Instant Inspiration but if Tymothy who had an Extraordinary Gift must Meditate c. much more must others Revelation is not capable of Rules and Instructions though ordered as for time yet it cannot be for matter And of Inspirations and infusions that come instantly and unexpectedly there can be no knowledge Thomas Ellwood talks much about Letter Sence and Spirit p. 249. which both reflects upon Gods manner of expressing his mind as if it was not open true and cordial and also casts dirt upon the Scriptures the Opposition between the Gospel and the Law or the Remnant Print and mark of Circumcision is wrested to the apparent sence of Sacred Writ and a supposedly concealed sence and this Method both Familists Libertines and others have formerly pursued a Quaker can but write words or letters but in his sence he cannot write i. e. express or give the Holy Ghost and Moses besides the outward had a Ministration in the Spirit all these Texts come not near his Design Univer Gra. p. 29. much less That Quakers are instructed with that Dispensation if it was real CHAP. XIV That Thomas Ellwoods ways of Expounding do destroy the Scripture OUR Author having represented the Bible dark to prepare the way for his suppletory Spirit as if this affront was not sufficient he doth dispersedly insinuate several things which in effect do discharge all or most of the written word 1. He declines what is urged from the Law saying p. 134. that it was to them of Old time under the Law which was a State of weakness and Childhood and so of Contention and Strife c. whereas Christ proposeth Childhood as freest from Contention Mar. 9.35 and thus the Anabastists called Concionatores looked upon the Old Testament as abrogated 2. He makes nothing of Christs Example in Preaching upon a Text Luc. 4.17 by this Art p. 200. that it was in the time of the Law and suitable to that Ministration when reading and expounding the Law and the Prophets was a part of the Jewish Service but it is not a sufficient Warrant for the like practice in the time of the Gospel a Rule that enervates Christs Example and Doctrine because done and spoke before the Law was antiquated He makes nothing of what Christ spoke to the Pharisees that about chusing the lowest room Luke 14.8 was spoke to the Pharisees who had an itch to take place c. but p. 41. what was it to Christs own Disciples did he ever Instruct them after this manner no such matter by which he disobligeth Christians from any Obedience to what Christ spoke to such as were not his Attendants and so demolishes a good part of the Gospels 4. Being pressed from Luc. 14.8 that there ought to be distinctions of Persons he saith p. 41. those words were not spoken with Relation to the times
The Several KINDS OF Inspirations and Revelations Pretended to by the QUAKERS Tried and found DESTRUCTIVE TO Holy Scripture AND TRUE RELIGION In Answer to Thomas Ellwood's Defence thereof in his Tract Miscalled TRVTH PREVAILING c. Rev. 2.2 Thou hast try'd them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them Liars LONDON Printed for C. Brome at the Gun at the West end of St. Pauls 1698. The Epistle To the READER THere coming lately to my hand a Book called Truth Prevailing and detecting Error c. written by Th. Ellwood pretending to be an Answer to a certain Tract named a Friendly Conference between a Minister and a Parishioner of his enclining to Quakerism c. Composed by a Respected Friend of mine and understanding how that by the Quakers it was esteemed as one of their strongest pieces and by them thrust into the hands both of some Magistrates and other persons of several Qualityes into whose acquaintance they could insinuate I set my self to the perusal of it The Cavils Sleights false Quotations and Untruths in several parts thereof were easily discoverable but the Pretence to Immediate Revelation and Inspiration did most nearly affect me that being a tender matter which ought not to be claimed without the Greatest Certainty nor so much as mentioned without the Highest Regard because the Glory of God the Authority of the Scriptures the state and welfare of Humane Societies The Souls of all especially of those who are so facil as to Believe such pretences and the interest of the Christian Religion are all deeply Ingaged and Concerned in those Demands And having observed these and the like things 1. That Bad men Evil Designs Inward Heats Melancholy Fancies Satans Suggestions the want of better Arguments or the like have frequently in all the Ages of the Church taken Sanctuary under so Sacred a cover as by the Catalogue given Chapter the Sixth doth sufficiently appear Which if necessary might be inlarged in those several Periods downwards to our own late licentious times when Inspirations and Heavenly Impressions were made the Common stale for many purposes 2. That the same Grounds which can induce any man to incline to Quakerism do as strongly ingage him both to Believe and own the several other Persons and Sects which make use of the very same claim both with an equal right and with an equal confidence for where the Demands Proofs and Reasons are alike the Reception and Entertainment thereof should be Answerable 3. Having Considered Th. Ellwoods manner of Stating the Case viz. That all Believers in all Ages in some Degree or other p. 228. 229. have inward Teachings and Immediate Revelations from the Spirit of God which dwells in them By which way of procedure he hath done as much disservice to that Cause he designed thereby to support as if he had been Hired professedly to subvert it for until he hath proved all other Persons in the World to be no Believers either not to have right Articles of Faith or which is more difficult to discover That their Hearts are not sincere and true in the Belief of them he hath argued them into Inspirations as good as his own and there are many such men who do profess and will make out themselves to be as True Believers as he is or can be and so at least by his own Rule they must have an Equal share of Inspirations with him whereby the Revelations of one side will be endlessly clashing against the Revelations of the other and in such Contests men will not know which party to adhere to Such things as these being weighed I determined to Examine his Pretensions in this matter and in Order thereto cast some thoughts together chiefly in reference to the Person and Prophetick Office of our Lord Jesus which by their Conceit of the Light sufficient within every man and a perpetual Flux of Inspiration from without are destroyed or rendred unnecessary This being done I was not satisfied merely from Thomas Ellwood to take my measures nor by one Writer to judge of an whole Sect though we may justly fasten upon such a Party as challengeth Immediate Revelation both to the whole Body and every Believer and Member of it whatever is written in matters of Religion especially in this highest part thereof by any of their number They also using such Caution about Licensing and Printing their Books as will appear from their 5th Constitution I therefore resolved to discover the Doctrine of Thomas Ellwood's Brethren and accordingly searched into such of their Works or those they were concerned in as in this Country I could obtain it was some trouble to learn their Names and then procure them and when had it was but small pleasure to peruse them for whereas other Discourses do improve delight and reward these did little better than amuse Their Tearms were so wrested and their Style so forced and improper that we may apply to them what Martial said of Sextus his Books Non Lectore tuis opus est sed Apolline Libris St. Irenaeus took the pains to Discourse with In Praef. ad Libr◠1. to Examine the words and opinions of the Valentinians and such like Hereticks and even to read Commentarios ipsorum the very Books in which their Doctrines were contained though they were of so strange and disgustful a composure that as Erasmus observes in his Dedicatory Epistle before it none could read them without weariness unless he was armed with a mighty Patience quos nemo nisi patientis stomachi poterit absque toedio revolvere Whereupon Tertullian saith Adv. Valent. p. 287. That he was omnium doctrinarum curiosissimus explorator And as those Fathers observe some Opinions are so Monstrous so Trifling and contrary to sound Doctrine that they do offend and jade the Reader but withal the very opening of such Ware is a sufficient discovery of its Vileness and I think it is as easy a Work to understand the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. of the Valentinians these were their Tearms of Art and taken from the Scriptures also but most horribly wrested and perverted by them as to apprehend some of the first Books of the Quakers which are full of such Scripture words but new molded into their Sences The Result of that Search with Respect to the Subject matter is here presented and their Doctrines did prove much worse than I expected to have found them greater depths of Satan higher Mysteries of Iniquity more Equivocations and un-Christian Tenets did appear than my Charity thought them guilty of Amongst other pieces I think I have hit upon that which may be called their New Gospel and have discovered their very Head and Founder but if they like him not for their Father I think we need not to be much at a Loss to find out others For besides some few Singular Fancies there is not very much that is New in their Opinions and yet there is but little of the
Prophecyes could be renewed it cannot be proved that one Prophet had the Visions of another Prophet repeated to him no nor that the same received the same exact Vision twice so little is it probable that a thousand can have the same for ever renewed downwards This pretence in the Issue destroyeth Christianity for suppose that Mat. 1.23 a Virgin shall be with Child be renewed then Jesus is not yet born when a Vision is fulfilled 't is Impossible to have another that it shall be fulfilled or to desire one to inform that it is fulfilled is a like folly It is equally as reasonable to expect a Revelation that there was a K. Henry VIII as that Jesus died at Jerusalem for it makes Prophecy to have no fixed determinate sence or completion Suppose the Revelations be repeated then no part of them is yet fulfilled for what hath been done cannot be scened or staged as undone and further it renders the Scriptures useless for what need I buy a sealed Book not to be understood when I have it line by line inwardly rehearsed by a supervening power to my own Spirit Repetition also would swallow up that Blessed Grace of Faith the believing things credible as credible and turn it into sense and Vision so that the desiring it if possible is either the Mother or Daughter of Infidelity There being also in tract of time some few Variae lectiones crept into the Sacred Volume T. E's Spirit if right will make a stand at the wrong ones so that he can inform infallibly which is the best Copy and where words are to be inserted altered or omitted Upon his Principles Revelations made to Women must be renewed to men which in Case of Conception or Child-Birth would look strangely though of all persons they seem the fittest for it your Mother the Pope saith Father Fox Lambs Officer p. 18. Winding sheet for Controv p. 1. Im. Rev. p. 118. Some Principles of the Elect p. 95 96. Her is He sometimes then He may be an Her at other times Blessed are the pure in Heart for they shall see Her in Imitation of Bonaventures change in the Psalms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hic haec Homo as Dewsbury observes who attempts to baffle St. Paul about Womens not speaking in the Church making the Woman to signifie either Sex in which Christ is not the Head such chops as those would make a man think them nearest a Kin to Tiresias the Prophet There are many particular Revelations concerning places as Nineveh Tyre c. Persons as King Ahaz Zedechiah c. Can these be reacted when both Kings and Kingdoms are extinguished but it is not worth the while to hunt this fly or pursue so serious a folly Only these few things shall conclude it That if he speak Truth he must have received all the Revelations conferred to the Saints of Old before and after the Flood those written in Scripture and the unrecorded ones or if only those in the New Testament then those of Christ the Apostles particularly S. John S. Paul the 70 Disciples and those mentioned in the 1 Cor. chap. 14. that which was the Work of many Ages Periods and Persons is in a trice Acted before him which if it was really done I verily think he could not live The Divine Light was so strong in a Prophets Soul that he could not long continue under it but fell into Consternations or his Vision declined into a Dream all the Scripture Revelations if the thing was possible yet for length of time cannot be renewed to him since his turning Quaker in 1659. He must have time to recruit his Spirit between Vision and Vision allow Liberty for other intervening Affairs converse sometimes as a man and not always as a Prophet And Prophecyes in their preparatoryes and effects in their solemnity and dress are not so soon gone thorow Hosea was some 70 years a Prophet and yet hath but left some 14 little Chapters Isaiah was 45 years between the 6th and 36th Chapters which allows a year and a half to each Chapter Let Ellwood Study such things as these and the Nature of the Prophetick light it will make his Spirit be humble and modest and will Convince him that his Hairs will be gray before he see to the far end of the Revelations But possibly he foresaw not the Monsters he was hatching let us turn the Notion into what other more favourable shapes we can as First what was Revealed by several ways before is now renewed to him by the Spirit This is nothing better must the Holy Spirit repeat what was spoke by Angels Urim Signs Voices Visions Dreams Prophets Nay the very words of Christ I lay down my Life My Flesh is meat indeed I ascend to my Father c. can the Spirit repeat these for shame to Imbarque in such a leaky Vessel But Secondly what was Revealed by the Spirit at the first is by the Spirit renewed to him now try this also and he will reap no Advantage The Spirit said to Phiâ—ip Go near and joyn thy self to this Charet Act. 8.29 is this renewed or is he Philip â—s Candace now alive oâ— her Eunuch 〈◊〉 to Jâ—rusalem to Worshâ—p The Spirâ—t said unto Peter Behold three men seek thee Act. 10.19 is this renewed then Cornelius is alive and Ellwood is turned the Apostles Curate Agabus by the Spirit signified that there should be great Dearth throughout all the World which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar Acts 11.28 If this be Repeated then Paul is yet alive and Claudius hath not yet began his Reign But now the Spirit reveals to him that he did Reveal the Scriptures but this reacheth not his purpose renewing or repeating old Revelations is a distant thing from one single inspiring Assurance But the Spirit now renews to him those Expositions which he made to others this he cannot mean for those Expositions are not in Scripture and his are but the Repetition of what is therein Recorded Withal he supposeth the Spirit to turn Expositor of the Sacred Text but doth not prove it speaking of Scripture Revelations he should use the Word in the proper Sense for the Subject matter by God Revealed and not foyst in an uncouth Notion of his own That Revelation is Exposition turning the Spirit into a Glossary So the Revelation of John the Divine is the Exposition of John the Divine but this Fancy will be elsewhere met with Clements Recogn L. 8. What Peter in the Recognitions is related to have spoken that those things which are Revealed to others some do apply as spoken to themselves doth well befit this novel Fancy of Repetition Christianity being a Certain True and Determinate Religion so done and spoken as is related is not capable of Repetition the things of Jesus were True Real and Substantial not performed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 its Faith which makes them certain and even present to us