that we are sufficient of our selves to think a good Thought but our Ability is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter kills but the Spirit gives Life And that which the Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath entred into the Heart of Man or Humane Heart to conceive hath God reveal'd to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the Deep Things of God and which Things we Preach or Speak not in the words which Man 's or Humane Wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual 1 Cor. 2. But this R. B. comparing Spiritual Things with Carnal is not wise who because Old Men and long Students in Arts and worldly Sciences are most Wise or likely to be so therefore they that Labour and Study most in Books of Divinity so call'd get most of the Spirit 's Teaching O sad that ever the Minds of the Children of Men should be so cover'd with Darkness and yet read the Scripture of Truth which witnesses to no one thing more than to the Free Teachings of the Spirit of God without Humane Helps For all the Help that is Humane or that Man who is ab humo that is from the Earth can afford is but Natural and of this World which comes to nought therefore is it said That none of the Princes that is the Chief Men of this World knew the Mystery of Christ and his Kingdom then which made them so Band against him see the 2d Psalm And the Natural Man with all his Natural Means discerns not the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discern'd So every one that would know the Mind of the Spirit of God must come to feel through the Most Holy Faith a measure of it in themselves For after ye believ'd ye were Seal'd with the Spirit of Promise saith Paul And the Word is nigh thee even in thy Heart and Mouth O thou that hast an Ear to hear hear what the Spirit speaks even the Word of Faith which we Preach Therefore go not forth from the Anointing of God in thy Heart to hear the frothy and false Doctrine of such as R. B. who have run and set up themselves by their Humane Helps in the Place of Teachers and God never sent them and therefore they cannot profit the People at all but lead them about like silly Women laden with divers Sins and Lusts yea in their Prayers and best Performances as is manifest and so not being sent and enabled by God's Spirit they can never lead you to it but from it as is manifest Also R. B. in Page 6. before-mention'd saith The Objection hath much Confusion in it And how proves he that But by saying 1. It confoundeth the Spirit 's teaching us by inditing the Scripture with the Spirit 's teaching us the meaning of the Scriptures 2. And it confoundeth the Common Knowledge of Divinity with the Saving Knowledge of it No Man cometh to a Common Knowledge fit for a Teacher of others without the Spirit 's teaching by the Scriptures for that was the first part of the Spirit 's teaching us to inspire the Prophets and Apostles to deliver a Teaching Word to the Churches by which we might all be taught of God through all Generations But many Men have Excellent Common Knowledge by this Word and by the Common Help of the Spirit without that Special Help which begetteth Saving Knowledge And all Knowledge requireth Time and Labour to obtain it though the Spirit giveth it and though it may be sanctified to us in a little time but that may be a means of saving others which saveth not the Man that hath it And in Page 114. farther saith Take them not for no Ministers that want Grace totally And marvel not that Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration than Grace is he may perform the Office of a Minister to the Benefit of the Church that hath no Saving Grace at all Thus far R. B. O! What Sorcery and Egyptian-darkness is here to make void the New Covenant and Free Gracious Teachings of the Spirit of God in these Days and to Establish the Letter in the room and stead thereof which only witnesses to is and is a Declaration concerning what the Spirit of God did in them and in the World before Christ's coming in the Flesh and what was done during his being in it and what the Spirit would do in the Believing Souls and in the World after that time But this the Hirelings do that they by their trading with and giving their false meanings upon the Scriptures they may keep the People in Blindness and so from the Anointing and Teaching and Enjoyment of that Spirit that was in them that gave forth Scriptures that they may not see their deceitful Doctrines and Merchandizes lest they should buy no more of them For no Man that knows the badness of Babylon will buy them any more and then will the Merchants of Souls mourn For they that know the Lord and his Spirit 's Teaching in them which is the Good Old Way yea and the ever New Fresh Profitable and Living VVAY will follow no more such Men as would bring in and establish a Graceless Ministry as this R. B. doth here to his Shame But such Graceless Priests the Lord will have none of nor his People neither For my Sheep hear my Voice saith Christ and a stranger they will not hear Surely a Graceless Man is this Stranger They to wit graceless Men saith John 1 Epist 4. are of the World and the World hear them we are of God Stewards of the manifold Grace of God 1 Pet. 4.10 And they that are of God hear us And so Ever Bless'd and Prais'd be the Great and Glorious Name of the Lord Jesus who hath restor'd to them that Obey him the Glorious Doctrine of the Spirit 's Teaching as was in the Apostles Days according to his true Promise where all in the Truth of which we the People of God in Scorn call'd Quakers are Members is done in and by the Holy Spirit prais'd be God and nothing own'd amongst us but what is so done Here is Praying in and by the Spirit and Preaching in and by the Spirit and Singing in and by the Spirit of our Holy Lord God and so the Head being Spiritual and the Members of the Body every one Spiritual for we are all Baptized by one Holy Spirit into the one Heavenly Body our Food is also Spiritual Heavenly Bread and Heavenly Wine and the Water Spiritual that sanctifies us and makâ—s us clean to God in all our Sacrifices and Services For Christ gave himself for his Church which is his Body that he might wash it and present it spotless to himself and without all Deformity by the washing of Water even the Water of Life in the Word of Life the Creating Word of the
TRVTH 's INNOCENCY AND SIMPLICITY SHINING Through the Conversion Gospel-Ministry Labours Epistles of Love Testimonies and Warnings to Professors and Profane With the Long and Patient Sufferings of that Ancient and Faithful Minister and Servant of JESUS CHRIST Thomas Taylor Who finish'd his Course in the Year MDCLXXXI 1 Thess 2.5 6. For neither at any time used we flattering words nor a Cloak of Covetousness God is Witness Nor of Men sought we Glory c. LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle next Door to the Meeting-house in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-street and at the Bible in Leaden-hall-street near the Market 1697. AN EPISTLE TO ALL Friendly and Impartial READERS THE Ensuing Collection is Recommended to your Serious Perusal Charitable and Tender Considerations wherein expect not to find either Empty Flourishes Curiosity of Speech or Acquired Eloquence but Plainness and Simplicity wherein the Substantial Truth is sincerely aimed and pointed at The Author by the Grace of God through Jesus Christ being Converted from a Literal Worldly and Mercenary Priest tho' one of the Better Sort to be a Spiritual Minister of Christ and Free Preacher of Righteousness in Life and Doctrine knowing that Gospel-Ministers and good Preachers must be good Livers none being meet to Convert others to God or Christ but who are first truly Converted themselves by his Power This Innocent and Upright-hearted Man Thomas Taylor seeing the great Corruptions Pride and Covetousness and other Enormities among too many of the Worldly Teachers Priests and Hearers was the more Fervent in his Testimony against them who pleased themselves and others with good Words whilst they lived Bad Lives This our Deceased Brother and Servant of Jesus Christ when Sufferings or Storms approached or Wolves appeared to Devour did not Flee with Hirelings nor Flatter with Temporizers nor Admire Mens Persons for Advantage but as one having a fixed Confidence in the Lord and true Zeal for his Glory was Valiant for his Truth on Earth and used much Plainness in his Ministry Testimony and Warnings both to High and Low Professors and Profane not sparing Disguis'd Hypocrites or Deceitful Workers no more than Open and Gross Offenders but as a Partaker of the same Spirit and Life the Primitive Ministers of Christ were in according to his Measure was Exercised in the like Sincerity Uprightness and Self-denial intimated in 2 Cor. 2.17 For we are not as many which deal deceitfully with or make Merchandize of the Word of God and 1 Thes 2.3 For our Exhortation was not of Deceit nor of Vncleanness nor in Guile Ver. 4. But as we were allowed of God to be put in Trust with the Gospel even so we speak not as pleasing Men but God which trieth our Hearts Ver. 5. For neither at any time used we flattering words as ye know nor a Cloak of Covetousness God is witness Ver. 6. Nor of Men sought we Glory neither of you nor yet of others c. In like manner this Faithful Servant of Christ whom we now speak of did not sooth up People in their Sins nor sow Pillows under their Arm-holes like False Sin-pleasing Prophets but in Tender Love and Pity to their Poor Souls Faithfully Warned them and Perswaded them to Repentance as one knowing the Terrors of the Lord and Revelation of his Righteous Judgments against all Unrighteousness of Men being also sensible when the Lord had spoken who can but Prophesie And when he saith Cry aloud and spare not lift up thy Voice like a Trumpet and shew the People their Wickedness Abominations and Transgrâ—ssions What Faithful Messenger dare be silent He was a true Encourager of Vertue and Witness against Vice and Profaneness and the Lord was with him in his Christian Labours Mâ—â—â—stry and Deep Sufferings Wherefore Friendly Readers let not the Simplicity of his Stile nor his Plainness Sharpness or Zeal against Hypocrisie or Deceit offend you in the following Collection or any Passages therein we hope there is nothing in them justly offensive or that may not bear a Charitable and Just Construction with the Impartial and Unprejudic'd if any thing should seem Dubious Though where Prejudice or Envy is against Persons or Things how Just soever it will carp and quarrel at the Clearest Truths as hath appeared both from Envious Apostates and other Enemies to Christ and his Followers The Holy Scriptures themselves not escaping the Causeless Cavils of Irreligious and Atheistical Persons This Faithful and Zealous Servant of Christ was Divinely endued with a Gospel-Spirit and Ministry and was of a True Christian Gentle and Humble Disposition and his Judgment was mix'd with Mercy and Compassion to poor Souls and his Company and Society was Sweet and Acceptable to all the Faithful in Christ who had a True and Spiritual Knowledge of him and Acquaintance with him He sincerely affected Christian Humility Poverty of Spirit and Simplicity in Christ beyond all Artificial Painting and Humane Acquirements And seeing the Vanity of all Airy Notions Scholastick Craft and Self-righteousness he laid it all aside and was Refin'd from all that Dross esteeming the pure Gold the Heavenly Treasure the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord above all therein asserting his Sincerity and Innocency when a Prisoner in about 1665 in Praise to the Lord God who supported him in his Sufferings Patience and Innocent Condition Concerning which please to observe his own Testimony inserted here as followeth viz. This is my Confidence in the Sight of the Lord God and my Clearness before all People that though I have been hated and persecuted and evil spoken of by many these many Years yet it hath altogether been without Cause I praise the Lord. For I can truly say That I never sought the Hurt of any Man living upon the Earth though in Matters of Religion or otherwise he was never so contrary to me or against me Yea the Terrors of God and his Truth did preserve my Heart from seeking my own Revenges but taught me still to commit my Cause to God and he according to his Word did still bring forth my Righteousness as the Light and my Judgment and Just Dealing as the Noon-day Psal 37.5 6. to his Holy Name 's Praise and my Soul 's great Rejoycing and did still let me see that the patient abiding of the Meek is never forgotten of God And so though I have been kept here a Prisoner above four Years for my pure Conscience sake to God yet to the King and the People under whom I Suffer have I done no Harm nor can think or intend them Evil but have endeavoured in all things in the Power of God as a true Christian to live peaceably with all Men as those that have known me from the beginning can witness For I never drew Sword nor Plotted against any nor could ever perswade any others so to do but have still lamented the Misery of Mankind to see them instead of Loving and Helping one another contrariwise Hating Biting Devouring and
to Unity and Concord amongst Friends which while he lived he was Careful to preserve he had a great Delight in it and laboured much for it In a word he was a Man of Peace and as he Delighted in it now is a Possessor of it and of that Joy that is Immutable in which he lives with his God a Possessor of that Blessedness and Reward which through the same Faith and Patience we that are yet behind shall assuredly obtain as therein we keep in the Lord's time Many good things he wrote in his Day if thou read this Book thou wilt perceive and meet with good Exhortations in it which will I hope tend to thy Strength and Incouragement William Fallowfield A short TESTIMONY Concerning that Faithful Servant of the Lord Thomas Taylor Whose Memory is Blessed DEAR Tho Taylor he was a Man who loved the Truth with a sincere Mind and sought the Honour thereof and not himself He was ready at all times to speak a word for God as there was occasion to inform the Minds of People to that which would stand them in stead when time here shall be no more He was a very good Instrument amongst us and a blessed Example in his Conversation which did bespeak him to be the Servant of Christ Jesus He loved the Prosperity of Truth more than all other things whatsoever and for that was he given up in Soul Body and Spirit to serve the Lord and his Generation Faithfully Travelling from Place to Place for that end and as he lived in the Truth so he finished his Testimony in the same And though his Body be removed from us and gone to the Earth from whence it came yet his Spirit lives amongst us and his Life shall never die Truly I am not without a living Sence upon my Spirit what a Loss we have of him amongst us who was always ready to serve the Truth and the least in it and Sorrow is ready to seize upon me in the Consideration thereof yet when I consider that it is according to the Will of the Lord I am therein well content knowing that he hath this Advantage of us that are left behind viz. Is freed from Danger of falling into the Snares of this World which we are liable to whilst in this Body except we keep in that which is only able to keep us whilst we remain here And I do believe that the Lord will raise up the same Life in others to Testifie to the same Truth which he lived in and that the Testimony thereof shall never fall This is great Comfort to me and all who love the Lord to whom be living Praises Honour Glory and Obedience given for ever and for ever more from my living Soul which he hath quickned to himself by his Living Power and Heavenly Life to him I say be all the Glory given now and always Amen Mary Comberford The 26th of the First Month 1681. Thomas Taylor 's EPISTLES TO FRIENDS MY Dear Friends and longed after in the Lord whose Minds are turned in by the Light of Jesus Christ from the Worlds Worships and Ways in measure to wait upon God that you may learn by the Teaching of his Spirit in you how to worship him in Spirit and Truth who is the Fountain of all your Soul's Happiness prize his great Love to your Souls every one of you in particular and wait to receive the Law from his own Mouth to the quickning and reviving your Souls out of the Death and for the daily watering and refreshing that which lives of himself in you for if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in you he shall by that Spirit quicken your Mortal Bodies for all whose Hearts are purisied through the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ are in the Covenant of that Everlasting Love of the Father which gives to all that waith on him a full Possession of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light but Wo and Misery from the Lord to the Unclean in the Earth And therefore mind your Soul's Guide which is pure Light of Jesus Christ and be Faithful unto the Lord in whatever he makes manifest in you to be his Will and let not the Worlds Frowns or Smiles cause you to draw back from the Truth in any thing which the Saints have so great Recompence of Reward in but be simple be pure be harmless be innocent be Lambs and walk as Lights amongst a Generation of crooked and devouring Minds and think not strange concerning any Trial but imbrace the Cross which is the Saints Rejoicing and in Patience wait to see the Fleshly Mind Crucified with it which would have ease below God and do all things in the fear of God and let not the Ear be open to the Enemy but mind that which shows you the strait way continually and learn to love one another more and more for Love is of God but none can love as Brethren of Christ but those that love God and keep the Commandments and as you follow Christ in the way of his Cross and Sufferings you will Delight in one anothers Fellowship but as any depart from the Light and Iniquity abounds in any the Love in that Person waxeth cold So God Almighty Bless you with his Everlasting Mercy to set free your Minds from all your Sins to run the way of his Holy Commandments so rests Thomas Taylor TO FRIENDS AT Stickland-head DEAR and precious Friends of God who into the Fellowship of the everlasting Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God the Light of the World that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World are called and who have tasted of that Heaventy Gift and upon that true Bread do feed Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be among you and in you all every where in every place multiplied with the Increases of the eternal Power of the Holy Spirit in all your Hearts Amen Thomas Taylor your Brother and Companion in the Patience Sufferings and Kingdom of Christ unto you all sendeth Greeting and by the Spirit of the Lord God doth hereby give you all to understand That it is the true Grace of God and Power of Life into which you are called and which you have received and wherein you stand and whereby you are inlightned and have been given to see the old dead way of Sin and Formality to avoid it and the good and living way of Truth and Righteousness in Spirit to embrace and follow it to the Praise of our Holy Heavenly Father World without end And this Grace of God that hath thus brought Salvation to us and is our Teacher and Guide in the good Way is the same that would teach all and would have all Men to be Saved and to that purpose hath appeared to all Men to leave all without Excuse So Dear Hearts all in the Light and Power of this Pure Truth of our God made manifest in us
precious Faith Grace Mercy and Power from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be abundantly multiplied in you and the Blessed Arm of his Power support you and carry you through all the present and future Tryals for the Gospels sake on Earth for us hath the Lord drawn out of the many Waters and set our Feet upon the sure Rock of Ages the tryed Foundation and brought our Souls into the unmoveable Rest Glory to his Name for ever that we might be to his Praise and Glory and Honour for ever that he might dwell in us and we in him for ever and so be safe for ever under his Wing where the Wicked cannot come because of Unbelief and that great Violence whereby they have stopt the way of all good from their Souls But now Dear Hearts and Beloved in the Lord you who have loved the Light and received the Power which makes all manifest and cleanseth from all Sin you are Blessed even the Blessed of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who loves your Souls with a perfect Love and fills your Hearts day by day with his Infinite Goodness Therefore as a Recompence for all his Mercies give up your selves to his Holy Will in all things and love the Lord the same our everlasting God and Father with all your Hearts Souls Mind and Strength and he will do abundantly for you and us all even his whole Israel in every place beyond all that we can ask or think Look not out at the World nor their Love nor Hatred for they are Men and not Gods but keep in the Sanctuary of God the Spirit of Christ and there is Safety with him is the Well of Life which refreshes our Souls continually and makes all things easie and possible to us through Faith in his Name and Patience So let Patience have its perfect Work for we have daily need of it that we may continually see and feel the Love of the Lord in the Land of the Living and not be clouded with the Spirit of this World which gendreth to Bondage in any thing For if Lot's Wife look back she is presently turned into a Pillar of Salt and if the Israelite turn back but in his Heart into Egypt he is snared in Unbelief So my Dear Friends look up to the Lord in Spirit and Truth and wait continually to feel his living Presence in you to keep you open and single to him that of the powerful Spirit of his Holiness which slays the Sin and quickens the Soul to God you may be Witnesses and so come to possess the Immortal Kingdom where Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost only reigneth So with the Dear Salvation of my Love unto you all I commend you to the Lord to bless keep and water with his Goodness continually to his Glory who only is Holy and gives us freely every good thing to enjoy both for Soul and Body who is near to the Righteous in every Necessity to Help and Save to the uttermost To whom be Glory and Immortal Praise Even so rests with you in the full Assurance of his Tender Mercies in Christ Jesus your Dear Brother Thomas Taylor TO FRIENDS TO the Called and Chosen of God the Dear Vessels of Life and Glory in all the Earth doth the Tender Salutation of me your Dear Brother reach who as a feeling Member in the Holy Body of the Lord Jesus do daily partake with you of the Blessed Joys of Life Eternal and of the present Sufferings for the same who therefore cannot but continually through the pure Love and Lifes Motion breathe out amongst you the Happy state of our Innocent Souls because of Truth upon every Occasion to the stirring up and refreshing of the tender good thing the Heavenly Mind in all to the joint Praising Blessing and Magnifying of the Lord 's great Name for his abundant kindness towards every Particular Faithful Ones for Ever and Ever for he is good to Israel unspeakably unalterably true to them for Ever And now Dear Friends seeing God hath been so gracious to us above all the People of the Earth as to set his Name upon us in Righteousness to the Amazement and Astonishment of many and hath caused our Rod that was dry even as others to flourish and bear Fruits in the midst of the Earth to the Praise of his Living Power as a Token of his Acceptance and Choice And seeing God hath so graciously performed his Promises to us his Seed made to his Israel of Old in bringing up our Souls from Death and our Life from the devouring Sword and hath unloosed our Tongues to speak of his Wonders in the great Congregation why shall we not then speak good of this the Name of our God the true Everliving God in Comparison of whom the whole World with their many Idols Gods and Lords are nothing We may not be hindred by the Adversary from breathing forth our pure Life given us of God for his Glory in a continual mention of his Holiness for if we should be silent the very Stones would do it for now is the Lord Jesus arisen indeed and ascended far above all Heavens Principalities Powers Names and Greatnesses whatsoever and come again to our Spirits according to his Blessed Promise that of his unspeakable Fulness we might all partake in abundance to the causing of our Cup to overflow with all Holy and Heavenly Consolations and Praises for the perfect Salvation of our God to the watering of every tender holy Plant in Israel that waits for the same For as the Dew to the tender Herbs so is thy Blessing O Immanuel to the Garden of thy own planting thy Beloved Plants that waits for thee amongst whom the pourings forth of thy Name is as sweet Ointment And Blessed are all that wait for thee who hast inclosed thy Beloved People in the Arms of thy own Almightiness and filled them with thy own Blessed Kingdom and Righteousness who hungred after thee even so Father of Life be it for Evermore to thy own unspeakable Glory who alone art worthy So now Dear Friends into the Unity of the Holy Life Power and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ let every Soul of us gather and retire it self to be nourished up thereby and preserved to a daily and perfect Victory over all Temptations and Provocations whatsoever that upon the very Head of the Serpent we may tread and let us not look at the seen things for therein lyes the Wiles and Temptations but let us eye and feel the Blessed Invisible Life and Powerful Heavenly Spirit of our God to carry us through and over all to his Glory who hath said That he will never leave nor forsake his tender breathing Seed that waits on him so Blessed are all that are found in this his Covenant and follow him as Dear Children and Obedient Servants in the sure and safe way of the daily Cross and Self-denial to a perfect mortifying and subduing of the fleshly
their own Members them of their own polluted Church who divers of them are left in Prison upon other accounts as well as over thee And so unless thou be provided for otherwise thou mayst remain there in Misery and Want or Perish there as well as they for any Care they will have of thee for thou must not look that they that hate their own Flesh can love thine But the Righteous cannot be forsaken for their Keeper is the Lord God of Truth and Love So O Prophet be content and wait in the Will of God in thy Condition for Blessed are they that Suffer for Righteousness sake and the Scripture must be fulfilled which saith They shall hawl you out of their Synagogues and many other ways evil intreat you yea some of you they shall put to Death and think therein they do God Service And so wait to see the Sins of Gilead full and then in the Judgment shalt thou O Prophet of God and all thy Suffering Brethren rejoyce and all the Workers of Iniquity be Confounded with all that Thirst for Blood and into the Holy City shall none such enter but the pure in Heart who have come through the great Tribulation and have washed their Garments white in the Blood of the Lamb shall only enter and alone inherit to the Glory of the eternal righteous God for evermore to whom all Honour and Glory is due for ever and ever Amen and Amen And now for the Use of these Doctrines oh Priests and People that make a Trade of talking of the Scripture of Truth and Uses from it now and then in your high Places but make none of walking in the Truth in your daily Conversation it is to let you see That there were Wolves in Sheeps Clothing formerly and so to find such now is no new or strange thing And That under a Profession of God People may be found Workers of Iniquity and full of Blood And That a whorish Spirit in a Teacher is a murtherous Spirit and will draw others from God into Wheredoms and Death and so by all means to be taken heed of And it is to let you see oh all People what evil use the Priests and Leaders of you the People in these days as formerly make of the Scripture for whereas as you may see here it was given forth by the Holy Men of God a Witness against the Enemies of God and for the Servants of God such People and Priests as formerly so now abuse and wrest it from its proper Mind Use and End going about what in them lieth to make it speak for Deceit and its Upholders and against Truth and its Followers as is manifest For whereas the Scripture speaks of no Worship now nor Worshippers to be acceptable to God and Christ but that which is in Spirit and Truth they wrest and force the Scripture for carrying on a Worship which stands in outward Ceremonies carnal Ordinances Types and Shadows and a Kingdom to come in outward Observations as Lo here lo there like the Jews which a Man of Flesh a Câ—in or an Ishmael or an Esau or a Haman or a Dives or a Judas may conform unto and be accepted with them just contrary to Scripture and so in effect deny Christ the Substance to be come and as the Scribes and Pharisees which came to Christ and said Why dost thou and thy Disciples break the Traditions of the Elders in eating with unwashen hands To whom Christ said Why do you make void the Law of God by your Traditions mentioning in particular their Corban So when the Priests the Teachers heaped up over the People in this Age say unto us whom God by his mighty Power and out-stretched Arm hath delivered out of Mystery Babylon yea Sodom and Egypt Spiritual where the Witnesses lay flain and where our Lord also was Crucified to worship him in Spirit and in Truth I say When they object and say unto us Why do you not observe but transgress the Tradition of the Elders in not bringing your Infants to Baptism in not frequenting the Meeting at the Steeple-house called the Church And why pay you not the Priest now called Minster his Tythes Easter-Reckonings and other like things called his Dues And why observe you not the Customs of the World in Swearing at Courts and bowing the Hat and Knee and giving flattering Titles to Men Job 32.21 22. and bidding God speed to the Wicked and the like 2 John v. 9 c. Our Answer to all such is Why do you break the Commands of God by your Traditions teaching for Doctrine these and the like things which are meerly your own Commandments and evil Customs and not the Commands of God For we put you all Teachers and People to prove by Scripture where we are commanded these things you put upon us to do and if you do not which we know you cannot then I say your gathering together in Companies and going about to establish such things by a Law for any People to observe which Christ hath not commanded See how you can free your selves from the Charge which the Prophet here lays upon the People of Gilead and the Priests thereof and therefore why may not the words be turned upon you and applied to your Condition with the Names only changed after this manner that is England is a Nation of them that work Iniquity and is polluted with Blood and as Troops of Robbers wait for a Man so the Company of Hireling Teachers called of Men Ministers and Masters murther in the way by consent for they commit Lewdness And therefore high time for you all People who love your Souls and would not be murthered to look about you and in the Light which-Christ hath lighted you with to watch and take heed that you be â—ot robbed and spoiled of the Heavenly Treasure by these Layers in wait as you would be careful to avoid a Troop of Robbers that wait for a Man so all having time prize it and come out from among them and know Christ in you to be your Teacher for he is the true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World that all in him should believe and he is come to teach his People himself and to deliver them by his Power and Spirit from the Hands and Mouths of all such as have made and would still make a Prey upon them according as he promised of old by his Servants who spoke and wrote from his Mouth of these things as you may read in Scripture all abroad and namely in Deut. 18.15 c. Isa 54.13 Ezek. 34. throughout Jer. 31.33 34. Heb. 8. John 6.45 1 John 2.20 27. Rom. 8.14 Rev. 21. throughout And the Scripture cannot be broken For behold the days come saith the Lord that I will perform the good thing which I have promised to the House of Israel and to the House of Judah Jer. 33.14 Now all People know that these are the days of fulfilling these Scriptures
Holy Anointing in them as also saith the Scripture they try all things both Men and Writings Words and Works and do separate the Precious from the Vile and know therein what to chuse what to refuse as the Mouth tryeth Meat and yet are not Wise as Men count Wisdom but Fools to the World and their Wisdom is in their Head hid from the World which is Christ the Mystery their Eye and so the truly wise Man's Eye is in his Head and so their Guide and Teacher is not Men or Means as they are called without them but their Teacher is within in the midst of them and not removed into a Corner and if any speak not according to that Word within it is because they have no Movings in them And if thou be'st humble-minded indeed thou wilt in Self-denial bearing a daily Cross to thy own Will and Wisdom wait with these simple Children and Babes of God in silence of Spirit to hear what the Spirit and Light of Christ it self alone and not another speaks within thee and this thou wilt find to be a straiter way than ever yet thou walked in when thy Mind must be kept in the Cross and not have liberty to feed upon any visible or audible created Word Writing or Thing but only upon the pure immortal and increated eternal Word of God within then will the Serpent Rage and the earthly Mind Famish when it can come by no earthly Food And for thy light Expressions of Jacob Bewman the rest thou names not and so I can say nothing punctually of them I know in most things he speaks a Parable to thee yet and so his Writings may well be lightly esteemed of by thee but there is that in his Writings which if ever thy Eye be opened will appear to be a sweet unfolding of the Mystery of God and of Christ in divers particulars according to his Gift And therefore beware of speaking Evil of that which thou know'st not lest thou come under Judas Reproof But dear Heart thy poor Soul not yet freed as I said before from the guidance of Self-Wisdom thou travelest in a Satisfaction with that which therein only thou canst comprehend and not only so but therein also takes upon thee to judge that which is beyond it which is very dangerous but if Christ and his Kingdom were so known it were no Mystery And for that thou questions what I mean by my exhorting thee to come up to the Feast of Tabernacles if thou know'st the Scriptures which thou readest thou may'st see what it is to come up to the Feast of Tabernacles it is not to come up to any Man's Tenets or painted Novelties as thou too scornfully miscallest the Truth we in our measure desire to walk in but it is to keep a Feast with the Israel of God in the Wilderness as tho' come out of Egypt into the Travel and Warfare towards the Promised Land having not for the present a City to dwell in and so to be separate from thy first Mother's Womb which is from below and is in Bondage with her Children that thy feeding may be upon the Heavenly it self which yet is a Mystery to thee and all who cannot witness an Implantation together into the likeness of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ if thy Ear be open thou wilt hear And for that Scripture in the 7th of Matth. thou concludes with thou may'st know that it doth not forbid the Judgment of the Spirit of Truth in any but it truly and plainly shows to the Pharisee and Hypocrite his own Condemnation who judgeth that in another which he is guilty of in himself much more And therefore every one is to wait to see the Beam cast out of their own Eye and so Judgment brought forth into Victory in the particular and so the true Spirit of Judgment set up in the Heart in particular true Judgment according to every Spiritual Man's measure goes rightly forth upon the general so as Christ there saith there is so a clear seeing how to cast out the Mote out of the Brother's Eye the Beam removed out of ones own And now Friend if I should seem tedious to thee consider it is my Love and desire of thy Souls Information that if possible thou may'st be delivered from every Snare to serve the Lord in the truth of Spirit being taught of and guided by that Light wherewith Christ hath enlightned thee lest otherwise it be thy Condemnation as it is and ever hath been to all the Children of Disobedience So rests thy poor Soul's continuing Friend Rich. 18th Feb. so called Thomas Taylor To the Presbyterians so called WO to the Teachers of the People who daub with untempered Mortar and cry Peace Peace when the Lord hath not spoken Peace for the Lord speaks Peace to none in their Sins but they teach for Doctrine That none can live without Sin whilst on this side the Grave and so they Minister for Antichrist the Man of Sin and not for Christ who is without Sin God's Righteousness and he that is born of Christ sinneth not for the Heavenly Holy Father of the unspotted Generation of the Righteous is he And the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against such as abide in Christ The Root is Holy and so is the Branches but the Old Adam or Fallen Man is not so nor his Children for the Root being Corrupt the Branches must needs be so and so they that are in the Flesh cannot please God but they who love the Light Christ Jesus and walk in him please God for this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Hear him saith God and know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates So the Voice of Christ the living Word is to be heard and waited in which is nigh in the Heart and the pure in Heart walk in the Light of his Holy City and to such there is no occasion of Stumbling but such as walk in the Darkness of their own Imaginations stumble and fall into the Pit of Sin and Condemnation But to such as are in Christ Jesus the Sinless Man to them there is no Condemnation for by his Spirit are they led and preserved out of Sin which is the cause of Condemnation and come to witness Justification through his Blood for if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light then have we Fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin How beautiful is the way of the Just they do not Iniquity that walk in God's undefiled way the Light for by the Light are they led out of Sin and Evil and so come through the true Door Christ Jesus the Light into the Sheep-fold which is the strait and narrow way indeed for whosoever walketh in Christ and holdeth forth his Life before Men shall be hated of all Men for his Name and Lifes sake for it is a Cross to all the World
me by the Act of Premunire yet for a little space he was seemingly willing again to proceed with me as with the rest upon the new Act and so they caused it to be read which being done I was made to say something to this purpose to wit It seems then that your Intentions are to get us from amongst you and if it should be so that the Righteous were taken from you would not God's Judgments fall upon the Land And then the Judge threw up all as it were and spoke in anger to the Grand Jury to draw a Bill of Indictment against me and so I was as it were separate from my Brethren and set a-part for the greatest Sufferings and that as is said for nothing but declaring Truth and keeping my Conscience pure to God and so I was put by for that time Again I was called certain hours after up to the Bar again and then was that wicked thing called an Indictment framed and brought in against me O what unchristian and unsavoury things was it fraught with as though I had wickedly and contemptuously denied to take that Oath called Allegiance which was made against Papists and Gunpowder Plotters When as the Lord knows I denied only to Swear in Obedience to Christ who saith Swear not at all and so to keep my Conscience pure to God in the thing I denied to Swear and neither in favour of Popery nor in opposition to the King as I had declared before from the Truth of my Heart and the Judge himself was once made to acknowledge it as is said before yet because I could not lay my Hand on a Book and kiss it and so commit Idolatry and because I could not say I Swear I Swear or so they proceeded to bring in Sentence against me as if I had been the greatest Offender in this case that might be even to Confiscation of all in the outward World called Mine whether Lands Leases Goods Chattels and Liberty though in the fight of God and that just and righteous reasonable Principle of God in every Man I stand clear which is my Joy Yet before they proceeded to give Sentence they would make a shew of Legal Proceeding but it was only to deceive themselves withall for all others saw them And so after they had read that wicked Instrument called an Indictment some words passed from me in the dread of the Lord as first I declared my Innocency there as to the thing charged upon me in the sight of the Lord God and all Men and so warned the Judge to take heed what he did against an Innocent Man for with the same measure was measured to others God would measure to all Men again And so speaking again something concerning Swearing the Judge said Judge But what if a Thief should rob you and deny it would you take his word Ans I would take his Word as soon as his Oath for a Thief 's Word and Oath are both alike Judge But you go up and down Seducing the People Ans No I Seduce none but desires that all may be Saved and do endeavour wherein I may to help all People out of Darkness into Light and so from under Satan's Power to God And the Apostles did not Evil in going up and down upon so good an Account Judge But how should we know that you are an Apostle Ans What I am by my Fruits may be known Judge But prove your self to us to be an Apostle Ans If the Truth which I declare and my innocent Life will not satisfie concerning what I am I must rest satisfied in God's Will and what you know not or cannot believe now God may reveal it to you So be not hasty in doing any thing against me But the Apostle Paul himself could not so prove himself as to satisfie all of his Apostleship for saith he to some Though I be not an Apostle to others yet I am to you Judge But is Christ in none but you Ans Yea in thee also except thou be a Reprobate Judge But you see here is a Law Ans But it 's not safe for any to act by a Law unless it be according to God For those in Queen Mary's time that burn'd People about things called Religion did it by Pretence of a Law or under colour of a Law or so yet it is now held as it was indeed by all Protestants to be an unjust thing they did Judge But you have been in Prison before now Ans Yea for Truths sake Here it may be observed how this Judge being a meer Stranger to me could know this for immediate Revelation of God he pretends not to Then how came he by this knowledge but even by the Whisperings of the Enemies of Truth and of my Soul who were not far off nor wanting to whisper anything into his Ear that might help on the Matter against the Innocent Judge But how many Prisons have you been in This observe he ask'd temptingly Ans In several for the Truths sake Judge But why will you not tell me Do you not say your Yea is Yea and your Nay Nay or so Ans Yea my Yea is Yea and my Nay is Nay when I speak but I am not bound by the Lord to speak at every Man's Will Then hereabouts the Judge proceeded towards the end and though I had declared my Innocency in the thing before yet he asked according to their Custom Guilty or Not Guilty Ans Here I being kept silent for a time waiting in the Will of God at length these words came to me and passed through me He was led as a Sheep before the Shearer and as a Lamb dumb before the Slaughterer and he opened not his mouth At which words though they in the Darkness were something troubled yet the Judge proceeded and said Judge If you will not answer we will take it pro confesso you know what that is c. Here the Simple may take notice that to take a thing pro confesso is as much as to say They take it for granted Ans Then I perceiving in the Light of the Lord what their purpose was I said something to this purpose in the Peace of my Spirit It 's manifest enough how things are and so you may proceed if it seem good to you the Lord will reward every Man according to his Deeds Judge But what say you to the Jury c. Ans It 's not like that a Jury or a Company of Swearing Men will do any thing for me who am for Christ's Command against Swearing For I could wish that they and all Men would speak Truth without Swearing Here I was put away from the Bar for that time also The next day being called up to the Bar amongst Felons Thieves and Murtherers that the Scripture might be fulfilled the Judge prepared to give Sentence against the Servants of God called by the World Quakers we being four in number now brought together though separate for a time And he
of Kings and Lord of Lords and dreadful over all whose Eye is as a flame of Fire who came not to send Peace on the cursed Earth but a Sword and whose Sword never returns empty from the Battle unto you all I say saith the Holy One the Lord Jesus Christ Do not I see your ways and your doings both what you have done and what you do yea do not I search and see your Hearts and Reins and know what you would do O! consider consider do you know that I am near when you sit in Council and work all your Works even your darkest Works and take notice of them and treasures them up in my remembrance to give to every Man according to his Ways and the fruit of his Doings Do not I know that you all in Words profess me and call me Lord Lord and say I am your Saviour but alas alas you will none of me to Rule in you and over you nay nay you ask not Counsel at my Spirit and so are not for my Honour in what you bring forth Only sometimes when my witness is reached in you a little is done by some of you for my Babes but then your Goodness stays not but passeth away like the early Dew and then your evil Hearts turn back again from me and then you take Counsel one at another how to establish your own Kingdom Wills Glory and Greatness which is of this World and regard not my Honour my Glory my People who fear before me and with Moses and all my Saints do quake and tremble at my Word but suffers them to be a Prey to many and lets mine Enemies go free amongst you What shall Drunkards Sweaters Morrice-Dancers Stage-players Gamesters of all sorts and Hypocrites of all sorts have liberty to meet together to dishonour my Name without danger and fear and my Babes only who meet together to wait upon me to glorifie my Name sand to edifie one another in the most Holy Faith be threatned stocked and haled before the Judgment-Seats and be Imprisoned as though they only were the burden of the Land Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord and shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation and People as this O! how hath the Enemy of the Soul deceived you in making you believe that you are setting up my Kingdom and Gospel when you are fetting up your own Nests on high and going about to establish your own Traditions My Kingdom is not of this World but that which you set up is of this World My Worship stands in Spirit and Truth yours in Form and Shadows and outward Shew which the Hypocrites for self-ends can fast enough run into My way is in a daily cross to all Flesh yours in the Will and Liberty of the Flesh O the burden the burden that I bear of you O the weight that you are unto my Spirit O the cry the cry and deep Groans of my oppressed Seed amongst you because of your Iniquities O! consider consider what is lately come to pass concerning Oliver Cromwel and his House and his Friends and Flatterers and shall not my Hand find out you if you be found in their Ways or worse Did I visit amongst other things for the several Excesses committed about him in the time of his Life and Greatness and especially for that at his Death and shall I not visit for the several Excesses and Wastings of my Creatures about thee O Charles Stuart in these late Months especially about that of thy Proclamation and Coronation saith the Lord God Lay things to Heart ye forgetful and stout-hearted Children What can you say that was Evil and Oppressive in their Days and is not as yet amended in yours I the Lord look for Judgment and Righteousness from you I look that you should make use of my Power for the encouragement and help of them that love me and fear my Name in the Lands and not of their Oppressors I will call you and all Nations quickly to account for all things I will not be always saith the Lord as one that sleepeth or winketh I will arise I will come in mine eternal dreadful Power amongst you O Sinners and Hypocrites in these Islands and in all the Earth I have been long as a gentle Lamb and little oppressed Child amongst you I will now arise I will put on Zeal as a Cloak and will cloth my self with Garments of Vengeance and will roar from my Holy Hill and will be as a Lyon and as a fierce Lyon amongst you to take a Prey And all your false Shepherds and pretended Watchmen with their false Instruments shall not frey me nor in the least dismay me nor deliver the Prey out of my hands Neither will I hear their false Cry and Prayers nor regard their deceitful Fastings to do them good who now in this day of my Visitation will none of my Counsels but at naught set all my Love and evil entreat my dear Servants who mourn amongst them and in much tenderness warn them to Repentance But oh oh ye Muâ—â—â—de of tall Cedars ye strong Oaks I will raise up a strong Wind amongst you and your high tops shall dash against and split one another and with your fall shall the great multitude of Bramble Bushes Briar-Trees and low creeping Shrubs who admire and adore your Height and Greatness and tremble at you but not at me saith the Lord shall be crushed down together with you in your Fall But Israel shall do Valiantly and your Fall shall be as a Resurrection to my dear Seed and I will do Valiantly saith the God of the Spirits of all Flesh for all that wait for me and love mine appearance For Time is mine and Place is mine and I will not be limited saith the Lord and my Servants shall serve me World without End and that which hath not been seen shall be known in the Earth and Iniquity shall stop her Mouth And Israel's Liberty shall be proclaimed over all the Earth And all Holy Praises by the Lord's Redeemed and Ransomed ones shall be founded forth unto his Name for ever as it is by the living in Jerusalem at this day Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly saith my Spirit Thomas Taylor Thus much the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who desireth not nor delighteth not in the Death of Sinners but rather that they might amend their Lives and live was willing to have the King and his Servants to know which might according to its date have come sooner to your hands if it had been so ordered but if it yet be ordered to come I beseech you in the Bowels of Love as a Servant of God not to slight it but weigh it well in the true Love and Light that searcheth all things and it may be yet serviceable to you for truly Wrath from the Lord is gone out against you and how can it be turned back but by a speedy Repentance of those Evils for
and Bears led about your Streets with a Drum and a multitude of People in order to more Vanity and Wickedness and that at such a time as this wherein you pretend to be more Servants of God than ordinary by your Communicating together in your Eating and Drinking the Signs of Christ's Body and Blood But alas for you What will all this avail you so long as Bull and Bear-baitings are tolerated amongst you with such full Allowance as this to the Grief of God's Spirit which abhors all such Cruel Sports and Heathenish Customs Do you not publickly profess in your Church-Service Repentance and Amendment of Life for all that 's contrary to Christ And do you not yet see that to delight in seeing Bulls and Bears and Dogs tearing and tormenting one another without cause is a grievous Sin in the sight of God and therefore not to be tolerated by you Besides the great hurt it doth in the Minds of your young ones who are led away from remembring their Creator in the days of their Youth by these things Surely the Lord is grieved with you will you not see the Evil of such Doings for I know if you would come to the Light of Christ in your Consciences you could not but see them and stand against them with all your might and so discharge a good Conscience towards God and his Creation And how do you know but the general Liberty for these Evils to act upon the Stage of these Nations is one cause of the present Judgment of the Sword amongst them Rests God's Servant who hath been a Mourner in Spirit for ye almost this Ten Years because of the Evil of your Doings but as yet you have not laid things rightly to Heart which shows your Misery to be great Thomas Taylor A Testimony against Sporting and Playing NOne can rightly rejoice in the Birth of Christ but the Spiritual New-born in Christ Those that think to please Christ with Eating and Drinking and Sporting and Playing are Carnally-minded and the Carnal Mind is Enmity to God and those that live in the Fleshly Mind cannot please God Rom. 8.6 7 8. So its manifest that the Service and Kingdom of God stands not in Meats and Drinks and Worldly Delights but in Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 For Meats for the Belly and the Bâ—lly for Meats but God will destroy bâ—th it and them saith the Apostle But God will never destroy such as Serve and Worship him in Spirit and Truth all the days of their new and redeemed Life And so it is manifest the more Spiritual that any one is the more are they dead and separated from that foolish Mind and vain Customs that the Evil World loves and lives in And on the contrary those that make most Provision for the Flesh to satisfie it in the Lusts thereof let the Time be what it may are the greatest Enemies to Christ and their own Souls so let things be well weighed and considered and it will appear to the open Eye that God is not more dishonoured many Twelve Days of the Year than in these that People pretend most to Honour him in which to a Godly Heart cannot but be matter of great Sorrow as saith the Apostle Phil. 3.18 19. Many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even Weeping that they are Enemies to the Cross of Christ whose end is Destruction whose God is their Belly and whose Glory is in their Shame who mind Earthly things And this is the miserable and woful Condition of the most part of People that in these Days bear the name of Christians over whom the Spirit mourns Thomas Taylor A Loving Exhortation TO All Kings Princes Potentates Bishops and People in the whole Christendom Wherein is a Distinction betwixt the True and False Teachers To be Read over in Meekness and the Fear of the Lord. OYE Kings Princes Potentates and Rulers of the Earth we desire not your Thrones Honours Places or Dignities neither do we envy you for them for we have enough in God our Father who hath made us Kings and Priests to himself by Jesus Christ Spiritually to reign over the Evil in the World and to offer up our selves in Righteousness to his Glory and this is our Crown and that which we strive after in a pure Conscience for we are not of those that fight with Flesh and Blood and with Carnal Weapons for an Earthly Crown but such as in the Strength of Almighty God are taught with Spiritual Weapons to War only against that Mystery of Iniquity and Power of Darkness that captivates the precious Soul of Man and keeps it short of the Glory of God desiring from the Truth of our Hearts that neither the Soul nor Body of any may perish but that this Wicked one which is the Enemy of both may be destroyed out of the Earth in this day of Christ by the Spirit of his Mouth and Brightness of his appearing that so the whole Creation of God may be delivered from Bondage to stand in its Holy Order to the Glory of the Creator as in the Beginning that so he may take delight in the Children of Men and make his Abode with them as at that time when the Morning Stars sung for Joy and all was full of Beauty and Sweetness and no Death in them And O ye Bishops and high Teachers of the World we desire not your Seats neither do we envy you for your great Promotions but do desire that you may know with us the true Shepherd and Bishop of the Soul Christ Jesus the good and true Shepherd and Bishop who gave himself for the Sheep that he might Redeem them from all Iniquity and deliver their Souls from the hands of all Oppression to serve him in his own free Spirit where none can come to make afraid And as this Saviour you come to know and receive your knowledge of Men and Things according to the Flesh will cease and the Love of the World and the Worlds things will die in you and a Love to the Seed that breaths after Righteousness will arise in you and you will know what God requires of you and how you may do that which will commend you to God in the great Day of his Judgment which is nigh at hand and apply your Hearts thereto Therefore awake awake arise arise for the great Day of the Lord is indeed nigh at hand yea the Sun is already arisen and his bright Glory shineth upon the Sons of the Morning and the true fearching Light from which nothing can be hid is felt and known in the Earth and before it the Workers of Iniquity are as Chaff and before it can no mortal Man stand in Judgment though he glister never so much in outward Glory in the Worlds eye for in the presence of this Light the Judgment proceedeth not according to Person or Worldly Appearance but according to Truth Equity and Righteousness and
so every Evil doer hates this Light because his Deeds are Evil and the Light reproves him to his Face and in his Heart without respect to his Person And therefore none but they whose Deeds are wrought in God can willingly come to this Light with their Deeds or endure that this Light should pass Judgment on them for it 's the Righteous only that hath Praise in the Presence of this pure God the Light who lighteth every Man that cometh into the Word and is come a Light in the World that all through him might believe and come out of Darkness and the Deeds thereof and be saved So if any of you perish it is in your love of Darkness and your Destruction is of your selves for God would have you to be saved and to that purpose holds forth his Love in his Light to your Consciences daily that you might be warned and not perish And if this Gospel of his Love and Grace the Light be hid from you it is because the God of this World with his deceitful Allurements hath blinded your Eye Mark The God of this World hath blinded your Minds that Old Sepent who is called the Devil and Satan and Prince of the Power of the Air which works in the Hearts of all Disobedient ones hath captivated your Understanding if this Gospel of Light you perceive not to Love and Obey it And consider how the Power of Darkness deceives Man it begins with him betimes and works subtilly with him in his Mind when he is tender and young carrying him forth eagerly after Childish Vanities and Youthful Lusts if by the Light that secretly Checks for these things he be not resisted The World tells the Youth that by going forth into some Form of Religion and conforming to that is God's way by which Man may be helped against his Sin but God the Truth saith I have laid help upon One that is mighty Christ Jesus the Light who is to be known in Man a present help against Sin And by what means saith David may a young Man cleanse his way save only by taking heed according to the Word of God And the Word is nigh in the Heart saith Paul discerning the Thoughts and Intents thereof And the Light shineth in Darkness saith John in Man yea in every Man that cometh into the World making all things in secret manifest and who can bide their Deeds from it So if the young Men come not to this Light then they abide in Darkness and grow up in Darkness and covering themselves but not with the Spirit of God so long until there be no Remedy but the Wo and the Curse must needs come upon them But he that followeth me saith Christ the Light shall not abide in Darkness Sin nor Evil but shall have the Light of Life and shall not come into Condemnation So He that hath an ear let him hear and mind the Light of Christ in you that lets you see all that ever you have done and sets before you your Sins in order and brings Judgment and Condemnation upon your Souls for them And love the Light and its righteous Judgments for Zion must be redeemed through Judgment and bring all your Deeds Words and Thoughts to this Light of Christ and hide not any thing from it for he that hideth his Sins from the Lord shall not prosper But he that in this true Light sees his Sin and forsakes the Sin and turns to God in his Light and abides therein shall be Blessed But Wo is the Portion of such as turn not to him that Smites them but instead of owning the Pricks and Reproofs of Wisdom kick against them These are the Ungodly whose Sacrifice the Lord could never accept but they abiding in their Sins all their Prayers and Performances were still returned upon them from the pure God as Dung upon their Faces Therefore go not forth saith Christ for the Kingdom of Heaven which he compared to many little things is within you And when they shall say Lo here lo there saith Christ go not after them For those that draw People from the Light and Spirit of Christ that Holy Anointing within in Man were always Antichrists And in John the Apostle's Time many of these were come and they went out from us saith the same John the beloved Disciple of Jesus From us understand such as were in the Anointing of God which taught all things and they neeved not that any Man should teach them abiding in the Anointing wherewith their Souls and Spirits of God were anointed for that was true perfect and sufficient to lead them into all Truth according to the Promise it was in them a Spiritual Unction a Free Gift from the Holy One in Christ the promised Seed with whom through Faith the right Holy Faith they were become one Spirit and so became Heirs of the Promise and true Witnesses of the New and Everlasting Covenant which saith And they shall all be taught of God These are not outwardly anointed as those under thâ— Law the Figure were but these were and are Spiritually Anointed of God himself in Christ and so were and are true Heirs of the Gospel the Substance and true Children of the day walking in that Heavenly and Eternal Light wherein they could and do in truth say Our Fellowship is with the Father and the Son So here in this Holy Body there was no Antichrists but those that went out from these into the Worlds Ways Worships Customs Traditions and Inventions these were Antichrists And now being gone forth from the Lord and his Spirits Teaching they become one with the World using their Tongues to talk of the things of God in the Worlds Spirit without God And so they being of the World saith John herefore the World hears them 1 John 4.5 But he that is of God saith the same John heareth us even us that abide in the Holy Anointing of God in us And my Sheep hear my voice saith Christ and follow me but a Stranger they will not follow So there are two Spirits the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the evil World And two sorts of Teachers accordingly the one hears the Voice of God in Christ and in the strength of this Spirit goes forth with the Word of God and Gospel of Truth in their Heart and Mouth in Obedience to God and pure Love to the Soul of Man and not for filthy Lucre nor any worldly End whatsoever And these the true Seed God's Little Ones Lambs and Sheep hear love and are one with meerly for the Truths sake which is one and endures for ever But now contrariwise the other sort of Teachers who are rightly called Strangers because they are Strangers to the Life of God and Holy Motion of his Spirit they go forth in their own Wills according to the Motion of their own earthly Spirits without God for Self-ends in the allowance of the earthly Power Name and Authority not to build up the Body of
is gathering his Lots from amongst them into his happy Fold of Truth and Rest that the Judgments of God may hasten upon the wicked Sodom and Egypt who burden the Just that God's righteous Soul may be eased of them Even so come Lord Jesus for thou art worthy to reign saith my Soul Thomas Taylor Richard Baxter's BOOK ENTITULED The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D and CONFUTED And he PROV'D to be a Physician of no Value Who hath Manifested his Folly and Weakness in Undertaking a Work which he hath so little Understanding in By THOMAS TAYLOR For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to Covetousness c. They have Heal'd also the Hurt of the Daughter of my People with sweet words saying Peace Peace when there is no Peace Jer. 6.13 14. But ye are Forgers of Lies ye are all Physicians of no Value Job 13.4 London Printed and Sold by T. Sowle next Door to the Meeting-house in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-Street and at the Bible in Leaden-Hall-Street near the Market 1697. Richard Baxter's BOOK ENTITULED The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D and CONFUTED RICHARD BAXTER a Man who through a shew of Learning and Religion had gotten in Oliver Cromwell's Days a great Esteem in the Minds of the Ignorantly Zealous Professors of Religion in this Nation and especially in the Parts of Worcester-shire about Kidderminster where he then resided hath since the Change of the Times and coming in of the Old Common-Prayer-Book-again much manifested his Nakedness Confusion and Unsoundness to every Eye that in any measure is open to see the difference of Truth and Error in the ground of it as by his Works appear And that it is so amongst other things that Book of his fasly call'd The Cure of Church-Divisions which I have now under-hand to Answer doth plainly manifest For instead of Curing Divisions he hath shew'd himself to be a Physician of no Value and so instead of Curing hath struck at under a Judas Kiss of Unity and Concord the very Life and Foundation of all true Christian Unity and Amity to wit The Free and Perfect Teachings and Gifts and Work of the Spirit of Truth the Spirit of the Father and Son in his Believing Members whereby they cry in a spotless Mind Abba Father and freely and powerfully declare the Glory of his Kingdom to the Children of Men and instead thereof would bring in and establish that Soul-deceiving and Church-dividing Doctrine of Humane Learning and Humane Helps as absolutely necessary to the procuring and engaging as it were the Holy unlimited God to give unto the Creature his Holy Spirit and the Knowledge of the Mysteries of his Eternal Will and Kingdom for the same as in Answer to an Objection in the 6th Page of his Book in his first Direction so call'd is to be seen The Objection against his Carnal Reasonings for Old Men's Knowledge is in Page 5. where he saith I know those that I have to do with will say That Divinity is not learn'd by Labour and Men's teaching as other Sciences and Arts are but by Teaching I add yea and most free Gift of the Spirit of God and therefore the Youngest may have as much of it as the Eldest And to this R. B. there thus Answers Answ There is some Truth saith he and some Falshood and much Confusion in this Objection But let us hear how this R. B. proves that that there is either Falshood or Confusion in the Objection It is true saith he that the Saving Knowledge of Divinity must be taught by the Spirit of God but it is false that Labour and Humane Teaching are not the Means which must be us'd by them who will have the Teaching of the Spirit Reply But O the Darkness yea rather Enmity that is in R. B's Heart against the free Teaching of God's Spirit That he would find any thing against so plain and manifest Truth as is in this Objection But what will not Flesh do that is lifted up with Conceits of his own Wisdom to keep up its Honour before the People rather than the Purâ— Undoubted Truth of the Gospel and Self-abasing Spirit of Truth should Reign and have the Preheminence But to this I say that a Child of Light in the least Measure doth easily see the Falshood of that Spirit by which this R. B. is acted in this his Answer For the Wind of the Spirit bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof thou natural Man but neither knows whence it comes nor whither it goes so is every one that is Born of God And without this Birth all thy Knowledge is Damning not Saving John 3.7 8 c. And Job 32.7.8 I said Days should Speak and multitude of Years should Teach Wisdom But there is a Spirit in Man and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding And saith God It shall come to pass in the last Days that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh and they shall all know me from the least to the gâ—eatest Yea and Young-men shall see Visions and Servants and Hand-maids shall Prophesie And ye have received an Vnction from the Holy One And ye know all things saith the Apostle John and ye need not that any Man teach you This is the Day of the Lord wherein these things are fulfill'd prais'd be God And the New Covenant abundantly witness'd in the Children of Light whom this wicked Book of R. B's strikes at but his Wickedness turns upon his own Pate and his own Iniquities shall slay him For he by his Carnal Wisdom would darken Knowledge and shut the Kingdom of Heaven against Men as his Predecessors of Old the Pharisâ—es mention'd Mat. 23. did But the Lord hath open'd a Door to the Believing Souls this Day which all the Powers of Darkness shall never be able to shut Glory to his Name for Ever But what is that Labour and Humane Means that People must use for getting the Spirit of God or Saving Knowledge of Divinity as he calls it Is it tumbling over a Ruck of Books stuffed with Art and Humane Wisdom or Learning from below as this R. B. hath long done to the darkning of his Heart from the Knowledge of God and Way of his Spirit so that he knows nothing of it after all his long lost Labour but what he knows naturally as a Brute Beast and that 's plain for it sanctifies him not as by his confessing That his best Duties even his Prayers are not without Sin and affirming That no Man prays without Sin As in his Book is to be seen Page 195. and in his Preface And so the Prayer of Faith and Preaching by the Spirit he is ignorant of yea Preaching by the Spirit is become a Mock and a Derision to him and his Brethren at this Day But Paul and all the Ministers of Christ Magnifie the Free Grace and Infinite Gift of the Spirit of God according to that 2 Cor. 3. saying Not
Everlasting Father which is Spirit and Life the Resurrection and the Life in every believing Soul for we are Redeemed from Death thereby that we might for Ever hereafter serve God in the newness of his own Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter as all such do as know no other Teaching Word but the Letter as this R. B. doth and so they having gotten a little Brain-knowledge by their Humane Helps and not by the Spirit of Truth they wrest Scripture to their own and others Destruction desiring and boasting themselves to be Masters and Teachers of others whilst themselves need teaching what the very Principles or beginning Doctrines of the true Christian Religion is as is plainly manifested by his seeking to bring in a graceless Minister or Wolf into Christ's Fold surely the Wolf comes not but to rob and destroy All that ever came before me saith Christ are Thieves and Robbers and never came in by the Door as its plain the Graceless Man doth not but hath climb'd up another way by his Humane Helps as Baxter speaks and to this purpose see John the 10th and Mat. 23. where Christ at large sets forth such Wolfish Teachers who can perk themselves up in Places of Teachers by the World's help outwardly but will neither enter into the Kingdom of God themselves nor suffer others but shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men by such deceitful Doctrine and Antichristian Inventions as this R. B. hath by saying That Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration than Grace is and that he may perform the Office of a Minister to the Benefit of the Church that hath no Saving Grace at all And all Knowledge requireth Time and Labour to obtain it though the Spirit giveth it which last saying doth directly thwart and contradict the Scripture which saith I was found of them that sought me not Isa 65.1 And Paul sets believing and working in this great Matter of the Knowledge of God and Christ to Salvation one against the other as the way of the Law and Gospel for to him that worketh saith he is the Reward reckon'd of Debt not Gift of Grace but to him that Believeth it is of Grace to the Glory of God's great Love to Man for saith the Scripture God so loved the World that he gave his Son that whosoever on him believe should not perish but have Life Eternal And none can truly say but those are the best knowers and wisest People that have Eternal Life in them though they never laboured for it nor sought for it and so such as this R. B. who looks at all as obtain'd by Time and Labour they are those Spiritual Proud Ones who are swelâ—ed so big with Spiritual Pride that Self-idolizing Sin which as himself saith in his second Direction so called is the great Rebel against God the chief part of the Devil's Image that one Sin which breaketh every Commandment the Heart of the Old Man the Root and Parent and Summary of all other Sin the Antichristian Vice which is most directly contrary to the Life of Christ c. and these Letter-wise Men that have parched together a Garment of Fig-leaves to cover their sinful Nakedness are Proud of meer supposed Spiritual Excellencies for the way of the Blessed Spirit and its free Gifts and free Workings in the Children of Men they are strangers unto and then through their Humane Learning and lost Labour having gotten a little or a great deal of talk from the Letter of the Scripture concerning Religion in their Earthly Spirits which sees nothing of the Kingdom of God they condemn the Generation of the Just whom God teacheth and Blesseth with all Spiritual Knowledge in Heavenly Things and call them Spiritually Proud because they cannot but speak very highly and yet in the truest humility of Heart concerning the great Things that God hath done for their Souls and because they cannot join with the Wicked whom God abhorreth neither in their Worship nor other sinful Customs And so out of that Old Bottel come all those unsavoury Expressions of R. B. before-mentioned against the free Teachings of God's Spirit yea so great an Enemy he is to the wholsom Doctrine of Free Grace that Page 7. he saith Is it not Blaspheming of God's Spirit to make it the Patron of Mens sloth and idleness under pretence of Magnifying Grace To which I answer That pretending we deny and truly say with the Apostle That God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our Hearts to give us yea most freely without our own La-Labour or any Humane Help The Knowledge of the Glory of his Kingdom and those that call this Doctrine either in the Apostle or us a Patronizing of Sloth and Idleness are those that do really Blaspheme God's Spirit which teacheth it But many Texts saith R. B. commands us diligence and sloth is a great Sin To which I say the Scripture indeed commands a diligent Improvement and holy Exercise of the free Gifts which the Spirit hath given the Faithful But the Scripture never said that Humane Labour and Helps are the Means to be used for getting the Spirit 's Teachings and without which no Knowledge in Spiritual Matters is now received Stir up the Gift of God in thee saith Paul to Timothy so say I but he no where puts the Humane or Carnal Man to Work or Labour to get the Spirit for that is quite contrary to this Scripture Gal. 3.2 as also Rom. 9.16 Obj. But this R. B. asks this Question Why hath God setled a Teaching Office in his Church and commanded all to attend and hear and learn if we are taught by the Spirit without Man's help Why were the Apostles sent forth into all the World c Answer Here is the great stumbling of these Unbelievers the Worldly-wise Ones indeed what because God in his free unlimited Spirit did begift Men and in his own Spiritual Power sent them forth to preach and publish all abroad the Glory of his Kingdom and Good Will to Men cannot People therefore be taught by the Spirit without Man's help What Reasoning's this When the Scripture expresly saith That all the Gifts and Abilities Helps and Means of bringing People to God and the Knowledge and Enjoyment of all the Good Things of his Kingdom are meerly solely and wholly from God and his Blessed Spirit 's free Gift in Christ and not from Man at all And therefore when the Corinthians began to look at Man whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas he calls it Carnal and said Christ was not divided signifying plainly it was Christ and the Spirit of his Power that alone did all in all as Christ said Joh. 15. Without me you can do nothing for in the True Church Christ ever was and ever will be all in all and and Man nothing as Paul said of himself Paul is nothing But in the False Church where R. B. is pleading for Man yea Graceless Ministers Man
Blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were Slain upon the Earth Rev. 18.24 For what Spiritual Man did ever ask such a Question or rather affirm for in him his question is an Affirmation to wit That no man is able by the inward Teachings of the Spirit alone to Expound one Chapter in the Bible And that there is none can solidly Vnfold any Doctrine of Divinity which he never Read or Heard of or can teach the Truth or defend that Religion which he was never taught by Man Oh happy therefore are they who are come to the Everlasting Covenant of God and to know the inward Teachings and Leadings of his Holy Spirit in their Heart to lead them into all Truth according to Promise John 16. without being beholding to vain Man's Help for whereof is he to be accounted as is manifest even as a thing of naught is the best of them out of the Truth For O! How Ignorant of the Ministry of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit 's Inspiration sufficient Teaching is this R. B. who is not content to fit among the Parish-Teachers as a Fellow but even takes upon him to be a Teacher of the Teachers Yea so Ignorant and Unbelieving is he concerning the Spirit 's Power and Sufficiency in these Days that without an outward Miracle he will not believe any such thing Nay he would not have People believe for themselves that God teacheth their own Hearts unless it comes in Man's Way and by humane Study Labour and natural Means Therefore the Lord saw good for his own Glory and for the Vindication of his own Honourable and Everlasting Truth which the Hirelings had made void by their Traditions and for the absolute necessity of his own beloved Seed to restore unto us the Ancient Doctrine of the Holy Spirit 's Sufficiency in all the Work of bringing Man out of the Fall to God that the Lord the Spirit might be the first and the last yea all in all in their Salvation without Man's help for he is worthy who as he Created all things by his own alone Power and according to his good Will so he Restores all things according to the Counsel of his own Will and not of Flesh nor of Blood nor of the Will of Man as the Apostle also Speaks John 1.13 But Oh! How unlike is this Doctrine of the Apostles to R. B's for when the Apostle had said To them that received Christ to them he gave Power to become the Sons of God lest any should think as this R. B. doth that it was either by Man's Labour or Study or humane Endeavour or Art or Parts or any Natural Abilities or Helps whatsoever he saith It was not of Flesh nor of Blood nor of the Will of Man but of God And of his own Will begat he us by the Word of Truth saith that other Apostle Jam. 1.17 18. And he bids not Err as this R. B. doth to set up another Fountain or Root and that this Word of Truth is not any outward Writing Voice or any Creature John in his first Chapter tells us That in the beginning was this Word and the Word was with God and is God And his Name is called the Word of God Rev. 19.13 So this Word though it works according to the Witness of the Scripture which it gave forth freely and as it self pleaseth in the Children of Men yet it is not the Scripture For search the Scriptures or ye do search the Scriptures saith Christ that witness of me but you will not come to me that you may have Life and these were they that Paul said He bore them Record that they had a Zeal for God and Scripture but not according to Knowledge for they being Ignorant of God's Righteousness went about to Establish their own Righteousness and submitted not to God's And so even so this R. B. and many such like have a blind Zeal and a great Talk of the Scriptures without and of the Spirits Teaching by the Letter and humane Helps and the like but will not come to Christ to know him in them that they may have Life and Wisdom and Righteousness But would Establish their own which is meer Emptiness and Vanity in the sight of God and all truly Spiritual Men 1 Cor. 13.5 Rom. 10.3 And how far this R. B's Language in those other words where he saith That if any will pretend to a good Vnderstanding of the Scriptures without learning the Languages which they are written in and the Customs of those Times Countries or without much Reading and long Study of the Scriptures themselves and the Writings of them that better understand them had need of some Miracle or something like a Miracle to perswade themselves or others that they are not deceived How far I say is this Doctrine and Language in this R. B. from the Language of the Holy Men of God that writ the Scripture let the Spiritual Man who best understands all things Judge for the Holy Apostles Magnified the free Grace and the free Teachings of the Spirit of Grace and debased Man and all meer humane Helps as is said before and as the Scripture Witnesseth But this R. B. tyeth the weight and main Stress of all upon humane Learning natural Parts knowledge of Custom and Countries much Reading long Study and the like insomuch that without them Man must not look that any should believe him Nay nor he must not own God's Teaching in his own Heart without these unless seconded by some Miracle or the like But Oh the Misery thereof of such poor Souls as follow such wretched Teachers and their unsound Doctrine as I may well say And Oh! for ever Blessed are they who are brought from off such Barren Mountains into the good Fold where all the Lambs of Christ lye down in the good Pasture of the Spirit 's Fulness and walk up and down in the Light of the Lord under the Hand of the good Shepherd Christ Jesus where none can come to make afraid nor deceive for in the Light of our God we see all these false Teachers and their devouring Doctrines and by the Holy Power of God are delivered from them and made able in the overcoming Spirit of Truth to declare against them Glory to God for ever Amen Again let us review and consider in particular a little of those words of his before set down where he saith as an Argument to perswade his young Ones and Dissenters to his falsly called Humility Especially saith he If you know your Advantages for Knowledge have been less than other Men's that you are younger or that it is but a few Years since you entered upon the Study of the Scripture or that you have not any stronger Natural Parts than other Men or that you have not had that Measure of Learning which might further your Knowledge of the Holy Scripture But that others that differ from you have had much more of all these Helps and Means
lurked in him under a Cloak of Zeal for Reformation when the World pretended to such things but now that the World is for a manifest Establishing of their old dark Stuff he turns about and is all for them as it were and against Zeal against Reformation Separation Immediate Revelation or any thing that may manifest People to have a care of their Souls But Oh the Misery the Misery the unspeakable Misery of such as are not yet redeemed from under the Slavery and Egyptian Bondage of such Men But the Lord will break the Rod of the Oppressor as in times of old as in the days of Midian and Egypt where both Jannes and Jambres who withstood the Lord's Servant Moses in his calling Israel out of Egypt were made manifest and their Folly by all clearly seen as this R. B's is by every open Eye Praised be the Lord for his Infinite Love in all things But the Hearts of the Righteous whom God delights to comfort he doth all he can to make Sad by perswading the dark cruel World that the cause of all the Miseries of the late years yea and at present in these Islands is much what if not mostly occasioned by those who in tenderness of Conscience to God could not nor cannot joyn with nor uphold the Popish Customs and Imposition in Matters relating to Religion and the Soul which is more pretious to them that know it than all the World And in the Truth we may say that if we should come amongst the Steeple-house Worshippers or any other Company who are only separated from them in Form and not in Life and Power and their exercise not in the Gift and Heavenly Holy Worship and Service to the Lord Jesus Christ our God we should even Sacrifice the Abomination of the Egyptians before their Eyes and now would you not Stone us or Imprison us or otherwise evilly iâ—treat us even as you do and ever have done Yea yea and as they dealt with the Prophet Isaiah for saying Chap. 66.3 He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a Man he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dog's Neck c. and Chap. 1.11 c. To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices unto me saith the Lord I am full of them and who hath required it at your hands to tread my Courts Bring no more vain Oblations c. For which it is said they slew him so they would deal with us And what measure have the dear Servants of God in New-England met withal not long since for the like witness against those Hypocrites but Death and cruel Whippings and Banishment and in old England lately but most Savage and Cruel Usage And would this R. B. yet have us yea and those he counts his Brethren and of his Flock who have any Tenderness in them to communicate with such whose Hands are full of Blood If he were as the Mouth of God he would put a difference between the Clean and Unclean But he being of another Spirit is for leading People back again into Egypt not for bringing them out of Egypt into the Promised Land which Work and Endeavour is rejected of God and of all that know God who are escaped out of Sodom and Egypt and Babylon Spiritual where our Lord was Crucified And to us the Lord hath said Let them return to you ye Saved People but return not you to them For their Pastors are become brutish and have not sought the Lord therefore they shall not prosper and all their Flocks shall be scattered Jer. 10.21 He that hath Ears let him hear and he that readeth let him understand for the time is at hand for the Lord is arisen to plead with all the False Worshippers upon Earth and with him is no respect of Persons And now is the Lord God of ever blessed Power and love appeared in the Earth after the long Night of Apostacy to restore all things and now are the Virgins called upon through the whole World to trim their Lamps for behold the Bridegroom is come and coming and now the foolish Virgins who have been long sleeping and slumbering in a dead Profession of Christ and the Scriptures are found wanting in their Faith Holiness Love and all other Christian Virtues and so in their Unholiness shut out yea and though they run to the Hirelings that set all things to Sale to Buy yet still before they come the Door is shut for whilst the Lord stood waiting upon them with his pure free and full Grace and Spirit they would have none of it but rather chosed to go their own ways of Carnal Endeavours and Man-commanded Religion and so like the Jews of old going about to Establish their own Righteousness have not submitted to the Righteousness of God which is by Faith in Christ Jesus But the wise Virgns who are of an honest Heart to fear God and wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to appear in their Spirits to set up his heavenly and everlasting Kingdom in them they receive daily of his Fullness which filleth all in all where the true Oyl of the Kingdom is found in their Holy Lamps to the Praise of the Glory of the unspeakable Love and free Grace of the Almighty Father So be it Again to that part of this R. B's former Answer where he saith That in all Ages God giveth to some few Men more excellent Natural Parts than others and he engageth some in deeper and more laborious Studies and he blesseth some Mens Studies more than other and therefore there are still some few who know more than the rest of the Country or Mankind and it were well for the rest if they knew these and would learn of them Query But how may one know these hard and laborious Studiers as he calls them Oh saith this R. B. They are such as give proof of their Knowledge they pretend to and they are such as imploy their Knowledge to the preserving of the Peace and Concord of Believers and do not proudly make a stir with it to set up their own Names though thereby they set the World on fire To which I answer and say It is still more and more manifest that this R. B. lays the weight and stress upon Natural Parts and hard Studies as though the Kingdom of God were not at all come nor the Promise of God concerning the Free Gifts and plentiful pouring forth of the Spirit yet fulfilled and so a necessity of learning at the feet of Gamaliel and earthly Doctors still But now that the Spirit of Truth according to God's blessed Promise is come and witnessed amongst us that believe praised be God we cannot go to such as this R. B. with all their Natural Parts and hard Studies for the Spirit of Truth leads us and all that obey it into all Truth but this R. B. and such as he leads are in an Error as is manifest for they are of those that lead about a Company of
unsound unchristian and ignorant Sayings it fully appears that this Bryan is one of them who have neither seen nor known Christ seeing he would bring in the Heathen into the Temple without the Word And so Who is more Ignorant and Prophane than this Priest Bryan himself as also his Brother R. B. who is not ashamed to make such a one a Tutor or Father of Ministers who is ignorant of the very Door and Entrance into the Church and of Christ's second Coming Nay who is ignorant of his first Appearance which was for Judgment even to whip the Buyers and Sellers and all Prophane ones out of his House as he said himself For Judgment come I into this World What Pastors or Teachers can such Tutor as are so ignorant of Christ's Kingdom and so admit the Ignorant and Prophane into their Church or Cage of unclean Birds for the Church of Christ which is visibly seen and known by the Spiritual Eye to be his Body is Holy and into it can no unclean thing enter as saith the Scripture Rev. 21.27 but into the World's Church may both Ignorant and Prophane enter and dwell But at such dishonest Gain as is gotten by such Doctrines as this of Bryan and R. B. hath the Lord long shaken his Hand Is this your Ware that you sell to the People at so dear a Rate Is this your Straw and Stubble that you seed them with But no Man of any Understanding in Heavenly Matters will buy any more of your Merchandize For God is come to teach his People himself and the Spirit of God is felt and witnessed amongst us praised be God yea and in our very Hearts to teach us and by which we feel Christ come again the second Time without Sin to Salvation according to his Holy Promises and by whose all-powerful Word of Faith and Heavenly Presence in us are we joyned together unto him in one Holy Body Glory to his Name over all for he is worthy And for that Saying That Christian Princes have not less Power to abolish Idolatry and by Law and Penalties to compel the Subjects in Matters of Religion where there is a parity of reason than the Jewish Kings under that Law had I answer and say That all are not Christians who are so called and this crying up the Worldly Magistrates Power in Matters Spiritual is the only In-let into Persecution of the Tender-hearted People of God who cannot bow to every thing the World sets up yea though it come under the name or shew of Christian Religion and if the Image be of Gold never so goodly yet wanting Life and Power they cannot bow to it I say They who Preach up the Worldly Princes under what Name soever to have Power over the Consciences of People in Matters purely Spiritual as the whole Body of Christian Religion is are Antichristian and the great Enemies of that Liberty which Christ hath purchased for his People and which the Apostles sealed unto with their Blood saying in such cases Let every Man be fully perswaded in his own Heart And who art thou that judges much less forcest and compellest as Bryan and R B's Doctrine would have it another to his own Master to wit God the Judge of all he standeth or falleth see Rom. 14. at large but what account will those Daubers give to the Lord for all the Innocent Blood they have caused to be shed these many hundred Years is Sad to consider For though such Magistrates as are evil inclined are not free yet the False Teachers who by their Lies stir up yea and bring forth that evil Inclination into real Actings against the Good shall receive the greater Condemnation And yet notwithstanding all the Evil both in the one and in the other the Lord will certainly carry on his great Work to his own Praise which he hath begun Glory to his Name for ever And the Beast Whore and False Prophet shall alive together be cast into the Lake prepared for them and into the Pit which they had digged for others Also whereas he saith That it sufficeth that we have Examples in the Old Testament for the Magistrates Power in Church matters though none in the New Testament I say It is no more true than if we should reason for an outward worldly Temple Sacrifices and Circumcision now because there is Examples of these things in the Old Testament and for Revenge and Retaliation now because it is mentioned in the Old contrary to Christ For though it hath been said of old saith Christ an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth yet I say to you my Disciples under the New Covenant If any Man smite you on the one Cheek turn to him the other and the Apostle saith Dearly beloved avenge not your selves butif thy Enemy hunger seed him c. and so Christ being come and all Power in Heaven and Earth given him Is not he in these Spiritual Matters relating to the very Soul and Conscience the only Lord Law-giver and King and Supreme and ought of right to rule in his own House and Temple which is in Man and those that will not that he should Rule must bow before him and be ashamed before his Face So that now the Son of God being come and seated by right of Inheritance the true King and Heir upon David's Throne to Rule in Righteousness for ever in the Hearts of his Children he commands the true Seed of Israel to obey his Heavenly Voice Law and Doctrine spoken and written within as those outward and typical Kings did command the fleshly Seed of Abraham to keep Moses's Law written without and as those that obeyed not that outward Law of Moses were lyable to the Punishment of that Law so they now that obey not Christ's Spiritual Law written in the Heart and Conscience by his Holy Power are lyable to the Eternal Judgment of Jesus Christ the Judge of Quick and Dead as he saith The Father judges no Man but hath committed all Judgment to the Son And as for the worldly Magistrate he is to Rule in outward things betwixt Man and Man to see that every one as to the Body and outward Estate be well behaved one towards another and not to bear the Sword in vain as hath been too much in use even amongst many called Christian Magistrates as well as others from whence it hath come to pass that for the sake of the Poor whom the worldly Powers have oppressed as well in Temporals as Spirituals the Lord hath overturned them one Sort after another as they were found in the Abuse of that Power and Trust which was put into their Hands for the Protection of and Encouragement and Praise of the Good and Punishment of the Evil doers but not the contrary according to that of the Prophet I will overturn overturn overturn till he come whose Right it is And so until Truth Righteousness Goodness Equity and Justice rule both in the Hearts and Lives of
For what one Sin O ye People Teacher or Hearer that you were guilty of Seven or more Years since is there which you are not actually in at this Day he that was Drunken or Proud or Covetous or Lustful or Pleasurable or Unjust or the like in times past is found so still no Amendment no Washing of Sin away by all your Doings from amongst you for indeed Words and outside Performances could never do away Sin And so in vain is your Worship whilst your Fear is taught by the Traditions of Men and not by the Power of the Spirit of God according to Scripture for the Kingdom of God stands not in Words but in Power And the Redeemed of the Lord Worship in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter Heb. 7. Col. 1. for the Letter-Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of the better Hope doth which is Christ in Man the hope of Glory And so you wanting the Humble Penitent and Obedient Heart your Confessions are in vain and are rather a Mock-service than any true Sacrifice to God And so for want of a pure Heart you can neither see God nor approach to the Throne of his Heavenly Grace but stand Self-condemned your own words being witness against you And so you go on saying after your blind Guides That you are all your Lives long Miserable Offenders following too much the Devices and Desires of your own Hearts Offending against God's Holy Laws doing what you should not do and leaving undone what you ought to do till you are so full of the Leprosie of Sin from Head to Foot that there is no Health nor Soundness in you And then thus continuing from Year to Year to the end of your Days what Sacrifice can God accept at your Hands for the very Prayers of the Wicked are Abomination to the Lord. And therefore whereas in this State you so often call God Father you lie and do not the Truth For he that doth Righteousness is born of God but he that committeth Sin is of the Devil both Christ and his Apostle John being Witnesses see John 8.44 and 1 Epistle of John Chap. 3. and Verses 6 7 8 c. And so for the Words of that called the Absolution which follows wherewith the deceitful Priest would doub himself and you over I declare for the Lord they are no 〈◊〉 fit to either of you whilst you continue in your Sins as it 's manifest o◠do yea those very Words in that same Absolution where it is said He Pardoneth and Absolveth all such and I may add none but such as do truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel shuts you all out from the Benefit of God's Absolution and Pardon For such as truly repent and unfeignedly believe the Gospel are healed of the Sickness of Sin and so have Health and Soundness in them and are not Miserable Offenders as you are but blessed Believers yea a chosen Generation born of God as Scripture saith John 1.13 And he that 's born of God Sinneth not for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot Sin because he is born of God 1 John 3.9 Then certainly such Holy Ones as these Live not in a Continual Breach of God's Commandments as you do And so for the Lord's Prayer it belongs not to you whilst you continue doing the Deeds of the Wicked One for it was taught the Disciples and Followers of Christ who had God indeed for their Heavenly Father because they were really Born of him even of the Immortal and Incorruptible Seed of his Living Word which abode in them and they in it and so were Disciples indeed But alack for you who instead of forgiving as you would be forgiven are seeking your own Revenges and are learning of the Men of this World who know not God nor his Kingdom no nor so much as the Door nor entrance into it For the Heavenly Kingdom is still uncome to such as believe not in the Light which Christ the Door hath Inlightned them withal but love Darkness more than Light because their Deeds are evil For such as love to be called of Men Master and are Proud and Covetous and live in the daily Breach of God's Commandments could never love the Light nor bring their Deeds to be tryed by it because it is an Everlasting Reprover of all such And therefore saith Christ the true Light Therefore doth the World hate me because I witness against their Deeds that they are Evil. And so your most Hypocritical Proceeding to say O Lord open thou our Lips and our Mouth shall shew forth thy Praise shews plainly you heed not what you do for both the Priest and you have opened your Sinful Lips times without number without God's Spirit of Regeneration opening them for that as yet you never waited for and therefore your Sinful Mouth could not nor cannot shew forth God's Praise for the Dead Praise him not For it 's only such as Live in Christ as the Saints do not in Sin as you do that Praises him Glory to his Name that hath Abolished Death from amongst his People and hath brought Life and Immortality to Light in them in this his Glorious Day wherein he is Judging the great Whore which hath defiled the Earth grievously with her Fornications and the Day of God is Glorious which thus brings forth all the hidden things of Darkness to Light And Blessed are they and they only that walk in the Light of God's Holy City into which no unclean thing can ever enter So all ye People of the Earth who are thus found only in the Confession but not in the Forsaking of Sin shut your Mouths and cease taking God's Name any more in vain For certainly the Lord will not hold such Guiltless as take his Name in vain And take heed of applying those Scriptures to your selves whilst you live in Sin which belong only to such as witness Redemption from Sin as those words in that 95th Psalm following do which say O come let us sing unto the Lord let us heartily rejoyce in the strength of our Salvation for he is the Lord our God and we are the People of his Pasture and Sheep of his hands c. O stand in awe of God O People and do no more so presumptuously for his Sheep you are not who are so Deaf to his Voice and so Rebellious to his Word as you have and do daily every way manifest your selves to be O what Salvation can such witness as are so deep in their Sins for Christ Saves his People from their Sins from their Disobedience from being miserable Offenders and is the Saving Health of his Heavenly Anointed ones he leaves them not in the Darkness where the Sin is committed but brings all his Followers to the Light of Life where the ever Blessed and Holy and perfect and acceptable Will of God is both known and done and then of such it is truly said They are
of the Lord wherein he is so lovingly caâ—â—ing them out of their Darkness into his Marvellous Light And as for the Visitation of their Sick and Churching of their Women as they call it that Mosaical Rite there is such bold calling of every one who can but say a few words by rote the Servants of God and putters of their Trust in God and the like it even burdens the Spirit of the Lord to bear it And to hear a poor wretched Man who hath run and God never sent him to say That by the Authority of God given him he Absolves the Sick Man from all his Sins Such had need take heed lest the Judgments of God fall on them as it did upon those Presumptuous Jews the Priests Sons mentioned Acts 19.13 c. And for their Burials as they do in the rest so do they in this and are most grievous Daubers and Takers of God's Name in vain and they are not afraid to say indifferently of one as well as another that they have a Hope yea a sure and certain Hope of their Resurrection to Life Eternal though they have been never so Notoriously Evil in this Life yea though they have said but a little before in their Commination Cursed are the Vnmerciful Fornicators and Adulterers Covetous Persons Idolaters Slanderers Drunkards and Extortioners and both Prieft and People said Amen to it And though they be found living and dying such yet now at their Burial all must be daubed over with a Resurrection to Life Eternal But here is the Device by which the Hireling lives for what by their Doctrines and Words in their Sprinklings in their Confirmations in their Communions in their Burials yea in all their Doings there is such a Bewitching of the People and strengthning the Hands of Evil-doers that none returns from their Evil Ways but all lyes in Death and Darkness without remorse none smites upon his Thigh and saith What have I done But with Death they make a Covenant and with Hell are they and their Multitude at Agreement but with the Over flowing Scourge of his Wrath will the Lord sweep away all Lying Refuges and the Lord is begun to make a Blessed Separation between the Precious and the Vile Glory to his Name for Ever So be it so be it O! the set Wages and Hire in every Parish seconded with an Outward Law to compel it and the many stinted Forms of Words and Actions in their Services made ready to their Hands and Enjoined upon them upon Pain of being uncapable of the Wage and Hire appointed for those Doings is such a Bait to the Mercenary Minds of the Men of this World that it even draws and drives by heaps into the Ministry such as God never sent nor would never come of themselves but for the sake of that filthy Lucre. But God is shaking his Hand against such Dishonest Gain and the Lord hath and is restoring to us the Ancient Ministry as in the Apostles Days where all was done by the Ability of God's own Spirit in such as had freely received the Gift thereof and therefore could and can freely give Glory to his Name for Evermore Amen and Amen Thomas Taylor A Testimony for the Lord the good Shepherd and true Minister of the Sanctuary and true Tabernacle which God hath pitched and not Man against all the false Shepherds and Hireling Ministers and Teachers of the World under what Name or Notion or Form soever who have run and God never sent them and therefore cannot profit the People at all HEAR the Word of the Lod God that is gone forth against you like a Flame of Fire in this the mighty Day of the arising of the Almighty Power of the Lord God Almighty who is jealous of his Honour and who is tender of the poor Souls whom you have deceived and do daily make a Prey of for filthy Lucre your End is come 2 Pet. 2. 2 Cor. 3.13 Dan. 5.26 27. the Day hath Revealed you and in God's Ballance are you weighed and found altogether wanting and therefore is your Kingdom departed from you and now the Lord God is setting up his own most Heavenly and Everlasting Kingdom in the Hearts of his People Dan. 7. who in the Leadings of his Light are come out from amongst you and who through the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their Testimony have gotten Victory over the Beast the Whore and false Prophet who have desiled the Earth with their Abominations Lies and Lewdness Dan. 7. and he will yet gather more from amongst you And now the Kingdom under the whole Heavens is and shall be for ever the Portion of the People of the Saints of the most High God whose Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him who liveth for ever who is arisen in this his Glorious Day not only to reveal but even to destroy to the uttermost the Man of Sin that Son of Perdition in all the Earth 2 Thess 2. which hath sate in the Temple of God as God saying he was God and hath long Exalted himself above all that was called God which alone ought to be Worshipped but the Lord is arisen to dethrone him even that Wicked One who would not suffer the true Seed the true Heir Christ Jesus the true Light to Reign but hath always like an enraged Beast pushed with his Horns against the Lamb in every Appearance whereby the tender Buddings of Truth in many People have been often hurt and the Growth of the good Seed often hindered and some of the feeble Ones even in their comings out of Egypt have been out off by this Spiritual Amaleck the Dragon upon which the Whore the false Priesthood and Ministry Rides whom God will have War with for ever and will destroy him to the End for now is the Ancient of Days upon his Throne and the Thrones of the Wicked are cast down and One like unto the Son of Man Acts 9.10 11. to wit the Lord Christ Jesus in and with his numberless Number is come with the Clouds of Heaven for as sure as he went up so is he certainly come again and broughâ— near to the Ancient of Days Dan. 7.26 27. and is in the actual Possession of that Kingdom Glory and Power given him of the Father that all People Nations and Languages should serve and obey him for his Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed and now the Judgment is set and the Books are opened Glory to the Lord for ever and now is the Revelation of all Things Rev. 16.19 and fulfilling of all Things which hath been spoken of by the true Witness since the World began And now the Tything Hireling Priests and Merchants of Babylon who by their Works deny Christ come in the Flesh run to the Powers of the Earth and Cry out Rev. 18.15 16. and
Lord in the Mouth of Christ's Ministers which we own is the Savour of Life to Life and of Death to Death But so is not the false frothy Doctrine of the Hireling and false Accuser such as this Sam. Smith who wrote this Book which we disown is nothing worth and therefore cannot profit the People at all And therefore he tells a great Lye in saying That God hath set his Seal to the Ministry of such as have run and God never sent them as is manifest by this Man who is not ashamed to speak all manner of Evil falsly against whom the Lord hath Blessed for his Name 's sake for those whom God sends are one with and not against such as are of God But because he neither knows the Father nor Christ therefore he thinks he doth well to persecute and revile us with all slanderous words which will be his own Burden in God's Judgment-day And for Church Order it 's manifest by the Walking of our Members who owns it most for they who walk most orderly in Life and Conversation own Church-Order indeed but those that live Disorderly and know not so much as a Bridle to their Tongue are the Disoâ—wneâ— and Breakers of the Good Order of Christ's Church and Spirit But what is that Baptism he saith we disown For the Baptism oâ— Christ which is but one by that one Spirit of Truth into one Body we dearly love and own for in it are we presented Clean to God ever Praised be his Name But that Baptism which the Hirelings use and plead for for which there is no Scripture we cannot own for if we should then should we disown the Light of Christ which makes it manifest to be vain and nothing And for the Lord's Supper we cannot but love and own it with our very Souls for it is our Souls Food and the Lord is known to us and in us daily by breaking of his Heavenly Bread in the midst of us as he said Behold I stand at the door and knock if any Man open to me I will come in and Sup with him and he with me And for Prayer to God both Publick and Private those that say we disown this do plainly manifest that they know little of us or our Practices but are shameless Forgers of Lies against the Innocent for which and for all their Sins God will judge them it is so But for Singing of Psalms what hath this false Accuser of the Brethren to do with Singing For not Singing but Mourning is the suitable Exercise for the Wicked What will ye yet Sing and Rejoyce and make Merry over the Witnesses of God which ye have slain in your Streets and over the Lamb that lyes slain in the Streets of your Spiritual Sodom and Egypt where our Lord was Crucified But the Days of Mourning are at hand to all that now sing in Sin and the Days of Darkness to them will be many But Peace upon the Israel of God in whose Book our Names are Recorded by the ever-blessed Finger of our God ever Praised be his Name who hath put a now Song into our Mouths even Psalms of Salvation to our God and to the Lamb for ever more according as it is written Rev. 14.1 c. And I looked and lo a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion and with him an hundred forty and four thousand having his Father's Name written in their Foreheads And I heard a Voice from Heaven as the Voice of many Waters and as the Voice of a great Thunder And I heard the Voice of Harpers harping with their Harps And they sung as it were a new sâ—ng before the Throne and no Man could learn that song but the Redeemed from the Earth These are they that were not Defiled with Women for they are Virgins These are they that follow the Lamb wâ—eresoever he goeth These were redeemed from among Men being the First fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their Mouth was found no Cuâ—le fâ—r â—â—ey are without Fault bâ—fore the Throne of God And what will not all this perswade our Adversaries that there is singing of Psalms among us and that Sinless Perfection is not the Devil 's but God's own Doctrine and Work and attainable by the Believers in the Light And that this Man who writes this false Looking-glafs was a great Enemy of God and Blasphemer of his Heavenly Tabernacle in charging them with Gross and Absurd Opinions for keeping to Yea and Nay without Swearing in all things and holding forth the immediate Teaching of God's Spirit according to the New Covenant which saith They shall all be taught of God and God is a Spirit and to be known and witnessed in Man immediately to teach him and to write his Heavenly Law and Doctrine in his Heart or he perishes in his Sins and Ignorance it is so Thomas Taylor T. T. who was Ten Years and an half in Prison at Stafford writes a Letter to a particular Adversary J. D. IF the Wisdom of this World which is Foolishness with God had not clouded thy Mind thou couldst not have so juâ—ged as to account it Foolishness in me to abide in Prison whereas thou may'st as well say That to keep a good Conscience to God is â—â—olishness for in Obedience to God and for doing his Will have I suffered amongst you these many Years Also whereas thou tookest upon thee to be an Instructer saying If I did seek unto God he would deliver me out of Prison I say unto thee again as I said then That the Lord God of Life and Truth the True God over all Blessed for ever hath graciously delivered my Soul from the Pit of Darkness and Ignorance Sin and Wiâ—â—edness in which the whole World of Unbelieving People who receive Honour one of another and seek not the Honour that comes from God only do miserably Lye And as for my Body it is offered up to the Lord to do and suffâ—â— according to his Blessed Willâ—â— And 〈◊〉 thee plainly and all People in the Word of the Lord 〈◊〉 for â—oing his Blessed Will in witnessing in his Holy Power against the Wickedness of this present Evil World who in words profess they know God but in Deeds deny him as is too manifest to every one who do not willfully blind the Eye of the Understanding for because of Oaths and Drunkenness and Pride and Covetousness and Oppression and all manner of Uncleanness and Unrighteousness the Land Mourneth and the Inhabitants thereof God for these things will make to tremble and because in Obedience to Christ I cannot join with you in these Things I am made a Prey as it were For I say unto thee and all the World What Evil have I done I praise the Lord I am not conscious in my self neither have my Adversaries made it manifest of doing or intending the least Evil to the King or any Man within his Dominions but have endeavoured to my Power to do good unto you all and so the
Christianity for saith Christ to his Followers when they were telling of who should be greatest of them he Convinced them of their Error by setting before them a little Child and saying who will be greatest of all must be Servant of all and least of all and that not in Words only but in Deed and Truth say I. But what is any thing that is said of Peter in the Scripture to the Pope O yes saith he he is his Successor To which I say it is as false as any thing is true for Peter was a Holy Man of God of Christ's sending but the Pope an unholy Man of the wicked World's sending chusing and setting up witness the Men chusing him and the manner of their chusing and setting him up the very relation of which in all the Foolish and Antichristian Circumstances of it would even make a truly Honest Spiritual Man's Heartake to hear or read it Again Peter was a Humble Man clothed with Humility as he exhorted others not a Lord over God's Heritage but an Example to it of Faith and Goodness as he exhorted others but the Pope is a Proud Man set up at Rome like a Worldly Prince Ruling and Lording it over God's Heritage not only with his wicked Curses and Excommunications of all that will not bow to his Superstitions and Abominable Idolatries but even Persecuting to Death with worldly Power and Force where he can do it either by his own or others whom he can stir up and perswade to act his wicked Will all such as deny him and against him bear withess though otherwise they be never so dear and near to the Lord God and so instead of being an Example of Goodness to any he is become an Abhorring to Nations and therefore is the Wo come and coming upon him and his Seat and Upholders and Lovers from him who is a Consuming Fire and this Babylon with all its Strength and Glory shall be burnt in his Fire and Zion shall not take one of her polluted Stones to put in her Holy Building It is so Thomas Taylor There is more by me of this kind as in Answer to more Passages of that Bad Book herein mentioned which in due time may come forth and it is this Again as concerning the Pope's succceding Peter and all Successions relating to the Church of God truly so called I say it is meerly Spiritual as the Lord said concerning his Prophet The Spirit that I have put upon thee and the Word which I have put into thy Mouth shall not depart from thee nor out of the Mouth of thy Seed nor out of the Mouth of thy Seeds Seed from henceforth and for ever And so we finding both the Spirit and Word of the Pope to be quite of another Nature than that which was in Peter and the other Apostles we deny him and his Succession together with all other Pretenders to the like Succession who want that Heavenly Spirit Life and Doctrine that they were in In the Ninth Article this Bad Book saith But why may not a well-meaning Man be saved in any Religion He answers First from Ephes 4.5 and Heb. 11.6 where mention is made of one Faith and that without Faith it is impossible to please God Then I say well meaning in the Popish Way without true Faith will not save no more than in any other But then saith he Secondly because as in a natural Body that part which hath not a due Connexion to the Heart or Root presently dies for want of Continuity So in the Church the Mystical Body of Christ faith he that Part or Member that hath not a due Subordination and Connexion unto the Head and Commen Councils thereof that is the Pope and General Councils thou shouldst have said Christ as in Ephes 4.15 16. from whence under Christ we have our Spiritual Life and Motion as we are Christians must needs be dead nor indeed can be accounted a Member of that Mystical Body O Profound Antichristian Doctrine indeed For here thou hast pulled off thy Vizard with thy own Hand and any one of a very mean Understandstanding may see that by this Popish Doctrine Christ the Living Fountain is thrust out of Doors for it must not by this be known what saith Christ and his Spirit to my Soul but what faith the Pope and his Councils to mine Ear. And afterwards this Pleader for Baal to wit the Pope and his Councils accounts them Novelists Hereticks and Idle Brains that will not submit to this Tribunal of Christ he should have said Antichrist on Earth to wit the Pope and his General Councils and makes this alone to be the Cause of all Heresies and Sects as he calls them whether Protestants or other For saith he they will not be tried by this Tribunal but by their own idle Brain and the dead Letter of the Scripture To which I say God will judge this Man and all such for their Wickedness in coupling an idle Brain and the Letter of the Scripture together for though the Scripture be but as a dead thing to them that will neither understand nor believe it yet to an Inlightened Understanding Believing Soul it is of such Service that the Apostle is not afraid to say That the Scripture is given for our Learning upon whom the Ends of the World are come And the Scripture is of such force in the Hand of such Inlightned and truly Understanding Ones that Christ made use of it against the great Wrester of Scripture to wit the Devil and by the right use of it in the hands of the Faithful through the Spirit which gave them forth all the Mud-walls of Popery and Paper Bullwarks of the whole Antichristian Kingdom of False Professors both have and daily are beat down and therefore doth the wicked Popedom keep the Holy Scripture from the poor Slaves under them But the great King Christ Jesus upon his Heavenly Tribunal is bringing his great Work to pass in these latter days against the Beast Whore and False Prophet under what Name or Notion soever and by his Spirit according to Scripture to pour Judgments and Plagues upon all their Tribunals Glory to his Name for evermore Again this Popish Book asks Is not this to wit the want of a Popish Tribunal the reason why the Protestants and other Sects are so divided c. He answers Yea a principal reason For how can different Fancies says he upon different Principles be united I answer No The want of this Tribunal is not the cause And ask What was the Reason of Differences amongst the Jews that had their Tribunal of the Law outward and High Priests and Sanhedrims or great Councils for ordering Matters of Religion Yea and what was the reason that there was Divisions and Dissentions amongst the first Christians when even Peter and other Apostles were living Yea saith the Apostle There must be Heresies among you even you that all profess Christ and he gives a Reason that these that
true Standing and ever Continuing Worship of God which is in Spirit and Truth For saith Christ God is a Spirit and they that Worship him must do it in Spirit even in his own Spirit and Truth So then they that are in the Flesh the Carnal Mind cannot Perform this Worship and so cannot Please God but a Carnal-minded One can observe your Days whether Fasts or Feasts and say all your Prayers and do all your Devotions which you are outwardly Exercised in from the one end of the Year to the other and so get a Name yet this avails nothing to the Kingdom of God Nay Paul the Apostle speaks further If I give all my Goods to Feed the Poor and my Body to be Burnt and have not the Love of God the true Charity Understanding within to Purge thy Heart from Sinful Self in the matter it is nothing For true Christians do not do good Works noâ— suffer for well doing that they may merit Salvation thereby but being saved freely by Grace through the Redemption which is in Christ Jesus they do good Works from the Heavenly Nature of that Holy Root that bears them and brings them forth as good Trees to Glorifie God in their Bodies and Souls which are his Tit. 3.8 And the Apostle Charging Titus to Exhort Believers to good Works was not because they were Saviours but because they were Profitable to Men as well as the Prophets And as for our Religion which the World and all the outside Professors of it look so slightly at and speak so Contemptibly of we would have you as well as the rest to know that it is truly Ancient Catholick Christian and Apostolical as having its Rise and Foundation in and from the Eternal Word which is Christ in us the Hope of our Glory whom the Apostle to the Colossians Preached as a Mystery formerly hid but then Revealed to the Gentiles even Christ in the Flesh the Hope of their Glory through Faith in his Name and this is God's Foundation the Foundation of Christ's Church another Foundation can no Man lay than this which God hath laid and this is the Rock not Peter but Christ who Peter by the Revelation of the Father Confessed unto And so through Faith in this Word Christ the Foundation and Rock of all the Righteous that ever were or ever shall be do we deny all the false Faiths and Works of all who have gotten the Name but want the Nature of true Christian People and so in the true Faith which gives Victory over the World and in the Name of Christ which is above every Name do we separate from them and meet together to Worship God in Spirit and Truth as he Requires us and his Blessed Presence in the midst of us according to Promise do we abundantly feel and witness to the great Rejoycing and Establishing of our Souls in Righteousness when thus met together And therefore do we Exhort all that Name Christ whether call'd Papists or Protestants to have Fellowship with us because our Fellowship is thus truly with the Father and the Son Therefore Awake Awake stand up from your Dead Faculties and Dead Worships that Christ who is the true Everlasting Way you may walk in and Worship in where no Uncircumcised or Unclean in Heart can come and if this you do not believe and bow your Heart accordingly to obey let me tell you as one who hath received Mercy to be Faithful you can never be Established with the Establishment of the Righteous for this is the Day that burns as an Oven where in all the Proud Wicked and False Professors and Confessors must be as Stubble and neither Root nor Branch must be left them because they will not have him the true Promised Seed and Heir of all things to Reign and Sway his Righteous Scepter in them and on them O! Look up to the Lord in a Trembling Soul and True Contrite Spirit to find Favour in his sight before the Door be shut and you stand without saying Lord Lord open to us And he Answer you in his Wrath because of your Unbelief and Disobedience saying Depart from me I know you not Workers of Iniquity for all are Workers of Iniquity in their highest Performances and greatest Conceits of themselves whose Works are not wrought in God that Spirit and Holy Power that Cleanses the Heart from all Sin and so brings Life to Light for God to be Praised in for the Dead cannot Praise him So consider what I say and be not Proud lest your Bands be made strong and your Feet stumble and then Fall upon the Dark Mountains where you have been too long Wandering Neither be so Foolish as to say This is but a Quaker who hath gotten some new Upstart Religion or so for in good Earnest I tell you the Truth which will stand when all Deceit and Devices of Men of corrupt Minds will come to naught for in the true Poverty of my Spirit hath the Lord according to Promise manifest his Blessed Kingdom in me and the pure Hunger and Thirst of my Soul which was after him and his Righteousness that he Graciously satisfied And therefore am Constrained in pure Love to your Souls to invite you as well as others to come out of the Prodigal State into the Heavenly Fathers House Christ Jesus as himself said My Father is in me and I in him and as the Apostle said It pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell in him for in this House and no where else is there Bread enough true Living Bread for the Hunger of the Immortal Soul as he said of himself in John 6. before any thing was spoken concerning the Bread and Wine at his last Supper I am the Living Bread the Heavenly Bread and when the Hearers Carnally Questioned How he could give them his Flesh to Eat he told them The Flesh Profiâ—ed nothing it was the Spirit that Quickened So come away Come away from your Carnal Conceivings of a Heavenly Man the Lord from Heaven to be Comprehended in a little Earthly Bread or Wine seeing the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens contain him not much less outward Temples and outward Elements of Bread or Wine For unto his Light that is night you which shineth in your Dark Hearts though your Darkness Comprehend it not must you come and there wait for the Day to dawn in you or these Mysteries of his Kingdom you can never truly Know but in your Darkness grope and stumble for ever as People without Eyes and though this Heavenly Seed the Word the Light appear little in you yet despise it not for in it is the Blessing and if you receive it and in it abide you will know all this and it will work in you as Leaven in Meal till your whole Lumpâ— ' Heavenly Sweet and Pure and so as Christ said If thy Eye be single to wit single in and to the Lord in his Light to Believe and Walk then thy whole
plunged or overwhelmed in Outward Water If yea then tell us upon what Scripture Proof your Faith is grounded seeing there is no Water there mentioned And if some were then Baptized in Water a second time why then may there not be as much Necessity now unto such as have not received the Holy Ghost at their first plunging into Water to be Baptized again in Water a second time And why was the Name of the Lord Jesus there only used and not the Form of words which you use and plead for seeing it was after that Commission Mat. 28.19 Let us know your Faith concerning these things and whether the most Orthodox amongst you be of one and the same Judgment concerning them 6. Why do you call you Dipping or Plunging People into Outward Water Sacred Baptism What Scripture President and Rule have you for that Tearm Did John the Baptist call his Baptism Sacred Or did Paul call it so Acts 19.3 4 Or was it not the Pope of Rome in his Decretal Epistle that called his Baptizing in Water Sacred Baptism and the Water in which he Baptized Holy Water And do not you use the same Tearm for yours But tell us plainly whether it be your Act of Dipping in Water that you call Sacred or the Water in which you Dip or Plunge People Or where you had that Tearm to call your Water-baptism Sacred if not from the Pope of Rome 7. Wherefore are you offended at us for calling your Baptizing in Water Dipping or Plunging seeing that we understand to be the import or signification of the Word in plain English 8. When you Dip or Plunge People into Elementary Water whether do you Dip or Plunge them in reality of Truth in or rather into the Name of Father Son and Holy Spirit yea or nay For if not do you not deceive them in making them believe that you Baptize or Plunge them according as Christ commanded his Disciples into the Name of Father Son and Holy Spirit when in reality you do but only Dip or Plunge them into Outward Water 9. Do you believe that the Name of Father Son and Holy Spirit is Elementary Water seeing I find in that Scripture Mat. 28.19 so often quoted by you to prove your Mission to Baptize in Water that Christ gave his Disciples Commission to Baptize in or rather into as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit but nothing said of Baptizing in Water Or do you believe that the Father the Word and the Spirit are one Is not his Name Spiritual representing his Nature yea Spirit Power and Life If yea why then do you seek to introduce and impose your Baptizing in Water from that Scripture And why do you presume beyond what is there written especially seeing that you your selves Confess that the Scriptures are the Ground and Rule of your Faith Why do you seek to impose a Faith upon us from that Scripture beyond what is there written What Ground and Rule have you for that And what Ground and Rule have you for your Baptizing in Water from that Scripture seeing Water is not in the least mentioned in it Tell us plainly 10. Did not Jesus Christ who gave that Commission Mat. 28.19 Command his Disciples to tarry at Jerusalem until they were Endued with Power from on High Luke 24.49 And whether did they go forth to Baptize all Nations before they had waited at Jerusalem and received that Power Answer plainly 11. Have all you that go forth to Baptize in Water under pretence of that Commission Mat. 28.19 obeyed Christ's Command Recorded Luke 24.49 Acts 1.4 And have you received that Promise and Power If yea what is it A Book or Books or Writings without or the Spirit Power and Life of Christ revealed within But and if you have not obeyed Christ's Command as aforesaid but run before you have received that Power are you not therein manifest Transgressors of the Doctrine and Command of Christ even in that which you pretend to be the Ground and Rule of your Faith and Mission And if so are you not thereby plainly manifested to be Intruders and false Apostles who are not to be owned nor received but to be denied and judged by all that live in the Power of God and true Gospel Fellowship 12. Was the Apostle Paul any whit inferior or behind the very Chief Apostles And was not that Commission Mat. 28.19 as much his as yours And did not he know the Mind of Christ in it as fully as any of you the Counsel of God being revealed to him Notwithstanding which did not he expresly testifie that Christ sent him not to Baptize 1 Cor. 1.17 but to Preach the Gospel Now if you have a Mission or Commission to Baptize in Water which belongs not to him as fully as to any of you tell us plainly who gave it when you received it and your Scripture for it 13. Do you believe that Paul was Called and fully Endued for the Ministry And was his Commission Acts 26.17 18. Evangelical and Full for the Gathering and Planting of Churches according to Gospel-Order seeing we find nothing in it of Christ's sending him to Baptize Or do you think his Commission insufficient for the End aforesaid because he was not sent to Baptize in Water and that yours now is more Full and Evangelical If you do tell us what Scripture have you for the Ground and Rule of your Faith in that Matter 14. Whether do you believe that the One Baptism spoken of Ephes 4.5 be that of John's in Water or that of Christ's in the Holy Ghost seeing both John Christ and his true Apostles did distinguish betwixt them as aforesaid Now if you say that that One Baptism there mentioned is the Baptism in Water then I Query whether you do believe that the Baptism of or in the Spirit is now ceased or not of such Absolute Necessity as that in Water seeing the Apostle speaks but of One Lord even so of One Faith and One Baptism And whether you do believe that any now are or can be really made Members of that One Body and true Church of Christ by Water-baptism or any other way than by being Baptized by that One Spirit into that One Body Answer plainly Thomas Taylor Christ Exalted above Moses and the Spirit above the Letter MANY are and have been in all Ages the Enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Blessed Truth and Life Immortal which he hath brought to Light by his Appearance in and through his Servants both in the Days of his Flesh and since his Ascention by the pourings out of his Spirit according to his Holy Promise whereby it hath come to pass that many simple Minds have been greatly hindred from receiving the Truth for a time until it pleased the Lord by the Arm of his Mighty Power to Consume the Adversaries of his Glory and so to remove the Stumbling-blocks out of the
God Christ dees not send him or bid him go to the Spirit of Truth and wait for it Had Christ done so he might then have sent or directed the Man out of the way to get Life Eternal and so further from God than before for then the Man had not come through the Father to him according to John 6.44 45. And Page 15 further erroniously thou say'st You Quakers cannot find as that Christ the Prophet did give any Command to any People as was in ignorance of the Ways to Salvation or Life Eternal that they should leave off to be taught of Moses or his Law or Precepts and go to learn of the Spirit of Truth and let that teach or lead them God forbid O miserable Blindness and Ignorance That ever any Professing God or Scripture should thus belch out their Enmity against the Spirit of Truth The glorious Promise of the Father without which all Knowledge and all Profession is a meer Nothing but a heap of Darkness and Confusion and without which there had never been any true Prophet nor Scripture of Truth for Holy Men of God spoke not in their own Wills or Times but as they were moved by the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth without which never Man did nor never Man can come to any Saving Knowledge of God or Christ or the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God and Christ and therefore saith Paul after many Years zealous Profession of Moses's killing Letter That which the Eye hath not seen nor the Ear heard nor hath entred into Man's Heart to conceive God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirit of God that Spirit of Truth searcheth all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.9 10. And therefore saith the same Paul 2 Cor. 3.6 God hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth Life And therefore saith Christ John 16.7 It is expedient for you that I go away that the Spirit of Truth which leads into all Truth may come who is the Saints Comforter And this is that means by which the Father draws to Christ even the Spirit of Truth and not as thou ignorantly Dreamest the Letter of Moses's Law John 6.44 45. And so T. Hall thou art not far from that unpardonable Sin of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost who says That if Christ had directed the Man in the Gospel to go to the Spirit of Truth and wait for it he had directed him out of the way of Life O sad that ever such a Monster of Men should appear in these days when the Lord is so graciously arising with his Healing Wing of Light Life and Spirit to save his Israel out of the Hands of their Souls Enemies And thou T. Hall say'st farther God forbid that Christ should send or direct People that were in Ignorance of the ways of Salvation to go and learn of the Holy Spirit of Truth to be taught of it and not at Moses 's Law I say again This proceeds from the same bitter Root of Error and Blasphemy in thee that the former did and so Wo Wo Wo to that Nest that hatches such Venomous Birds and Cockatrice Eggs as thou dost And if that People of whom thou professest thy self a Member should see these things and not deny thee for them they would be as much to blame as thy self who hast plunged thy self so deep into the Pit of Destruction that no less than a Miracle of Mercy can help thee to see and acknowledge the Truth of God whom thou hast Blasphemed For O thou full of all Unrighteousness What must ignorant People come to know the things of God by but only by the Spirit of Truth as Paul says No Man knows the things of God but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.11 And saith Paul Gal. 3.2 to some of like mind with this T. H. concerning Moses's Law This only would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith And Verse 3. Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the Flesh Thus he shews That the Spirit of God is received into the Believing Soul through the hearing of Faith preach'd and not by any fleshly conforming to Moses's Letter of that Law for saith he in Ver. 10. of that Chapter As many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse For it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them See T. Hall what thou hast done for thy self and wouldst do for others by pleading for Moses's Letter of the Law to be over Christian People thou hast brought thy self under the Curse for they that come under that Covenant of Works must not only do all things written in the Book but they must continue therein without Sinning or Offending against it otherwise they are Cursed as the Apostle James in another place saith He that keepeth the whole Law and sinneth in one Point is guilty of all And so as I instanced to thee in that of the Sabbath day for though in thy blind Mind thou wouldst be a Teacher of the Law yet thou neither knowest what thou say'st nor whereof thou affirmest for the Sabbath-day which Moses commanded to the People under that Covenant was the Seventh day of the Week which thou neither keepest thy self nor any of thy Fellows and so you are guilty of breaking the whole Law and so under the Curse And whereas you think to save your Heads by saying You keep the next day being the First day of the Week for a Sabbath that will help you nothing at all for the Law admitted of no change of the day which was the Seventh from the Creation into another day And so the Apostles meeting together on the First day of the Week was so far from establishing the legal Sabbath that it was on purpose done to shew that Christ the end of the Law and everlasting Sabbath of Rest to his People was come And so to thee T. Hall and all of like mind with thee I say as Paul to the Galatians Chap. 4.21 c. Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law Do ye not hear the Law For it is written Abraham had two Sons the one by a Bond-woman the other by a Free But he who was of the Bond-woman was born after the Flesh but he of the Free woman was by promise Which things are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants the one from Mount Sinai which gendereth to Bondage which is Agar For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in Bondage with her Children But Jerusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of us all For it is written Rejoyce thou barren that bearest not break forth and cry thou that
travellest not for the Desolate have many moe Children than thee which hath an Husband Now we Brethren as Isaac was are the Children of the Promise But as then he that was born after the Flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Nevertheless what saith the Scripture Cast out the Bond woman and her Son for the Son of the Bond-woman shall not be Heir with the Son of the Free-woman So see Tho. Hall where thou art a Child of the Bond-woman Born after the Flesh Persecuting us whom God of his Free Love in Christ Jesus hath Begotten and Born Spiritually unto himself to Serve and Worship him in his own Free Spirit and so in the same to bear witness for him against thine and all the Slanderous Lying Tongues and Pens who will not have Christ by his Eternal Spirit of Truth to Rule yea to be King Law-giver and Saviour in his People But this Wicked Antichristian Spirit of yours as the Lord both hath and will by the Brightness of his Appearing discover so he will likewise by the Spirit of his Mouth utterly consume and for Ever destroy And thus the Lord Jesus the Son of the Father shall Triumph over thee and all his Enemies in Righteousness for though the Law and Covenant of Moses was for the time until Christ came to the Jews of great use yet Christ being come the Promised Seed Grace and Truth yea Life and Immortality in its Glory was made manifest and enjoyed in the Believers both then and now and did as far yea much more transcend the Glory of the Law as the Sun doth the Moon and therefore the Jews the whole Fleshly Seed of Abraham had their New-Moon Feasts to signifie the shadowy Night Dispensation they were under short of the Day and therefore saith Malachi the last Prophet under the Law save John Baptist in his last Chapter To you that fear my Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing under his Wings so though in the Law there was Condemnation against Sin yet the Life and Healing Vertue is only in Jesus Christ And this is the very thing that John Chap. 1. saith The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ So that the Offender under Moses died without Mercy but the Believer in Christ and the Abider through Faith in Christ is Healed by the Mercy that is in him to all that so are found in him And so you that daily Confess you do what you ought not to do and leave undone what you ought to do and have no Health in you you shew plainly that you never yet knew Christ but are yet in your Sins under the Law which makes nothing perfect and so all your Righteousness in this state is like menstruous Rags indeed and your best Works Sin and so you being ignorant of God's Righteousness and going about to establish your own Righteousness have not submitted to the Righteousness of God which is Christ For that no man is justified in the sight of God by the Works of the Law is evident for the Just shall live by Faith And the Law is not of Faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Gal. 3.11 12. Rom. 10.2 3 c. Now T. H. What would'st thou have judged of Paul if thou hadst been in his time Surely the same that thou dost of us who are of the same Holy Faith with him and so would'st have Condemned the Just and Chosen Barrabas Obj. But saist thou Paul saith Gal. 3. That the Law was our School-master to bring us to Christ And from thence would infer That Moses 's Law in the Letter is to be a School-master to all People now to bring them to Christ Answ To which I say first as I said before and it is most certainly true that those words to bring us Gal. 3.24 is not in the Greek Copy out of which the English was taken but put in by the Translators who did it as supposing those words made up the Sence But these words to wit to bring us are so far from helping the Sence that they quite alter it as though the Letter of the Law of Moses were the Means or Instrument by which the Father draws People to Christ under the New Covenant as this T.H. foolishly Dreams as is manifest by his often thereupon bringing in that of John 6.44 45. where it is said by Christ That no man can come to him but whom the Father that sen him draws and they shall all be taught of God as it was written in the Prophets This Drawing of People to Christ by the Father is by Moses ' Law saith he and this Teaching of God spoken of by the Prophets is by the Laâ— of Moses saith he which was a Law in the Letter Now that this Interpretation of this T. H. is an Absolute Wronging of Christ and Wresting the Scripture all may see who do consider the drift of Christ's Words with the Parties he spoke unto in that place for there he is speaking to a People that were under the Law who for all that the Law in the Letter could do for them remained still ignorant of the Great Mystery Christ for Christ in Man the Hope of Glory was the Great Mystery which Paul was sent to Preach Col. 1.28 And therefore when Peter said to Christ that he was the Son of God Christ tells him That Flesh and Blood had not revealed it to him but my Father that is in Heaven And how did the Father reveal Christ to Peter What by the Letter of the Law as this Man saith By no means but even as Paul saith 1 Cor. 2. By the Holy Spirit And as he saith in another place 1 Cor. 12.3 No Man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost And received ye the Spirit saith he Gal. 3.2 by the Deeds of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith And this is that Glorious Promise of the Father spoken of by the Prophet and recited by Christ which was more manifest in the Gospel Day according to that well known place in Joel and mentioned by Peter which saith I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh Acts 2â— And so this being so and the Foundation of this Tho. Hall being removed his Building will fall And now again to the Business of the Laws School mastership That it was never intended by God to be so any longer than until Christ the very next words to wit there in Gal. 3.25 shew For when he had said that the Law was their School-master to wit unto or until Christ he presently adds But when Faith is come we are no longer under a School-master and this he Illustrates in Chap. 4.1 c. by a Comparison taken from an Heir in his Nonage and at full Years saying The Heir while he is a Child is in one Condition but when at full Years in another So the Church of God under the School-mastership of
the Law was in its Childhood but when the Fulness of God's time came for the Manifestation of his Christ and the Pourings forth of his Glorious Spirit according to Prophesie and Promise then came the Church to be like the Heir at full Age entering into the Blessed Possession of the Father's Kingdom the Inheritance of Saints in Light And therefore saith Christ the Law and the Prophets were unto John since which time the Kingdom of God is preached and People press into it And amongst them that are Born of Women there hath not a isen a greater Prophet than John Bâ—pâ—â—st but he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greate than he Therefore Wo is unto thee Tho. Hall and all such Jewish Spirits that would shut up this Blessed Kingdom of God from Men and you will neither enter into the Kingdom of God your selves nor suffer others Obj. But what then was the Law for Answ Paul answers The Law was added because of Transgression till the Seed which is Christ came to which the Promise was And so saith he before Faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith afterwards to be revealed Gal. 3.23 Then saith he Verse 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Law was our School-master unto Christ but never a word of bringing us to Christ by Moses's Law but a shuting up We were shut up schooled saith he or hard kept to our Task and Whipped But he that reveals Christ to the Soul and draws the Soul to Christ is the Father by the Living Power of his own Eternal Spirit whom the Fleshly World knows not Obj. But must not the Soul be humbled in the sight and sence of its Sin before it can receive Christ for Salvation Answ I say yea but this is the Work of Christ also who by his own Eternal Spirit which ministers his Fiery Law doth Convince the World of all their Sins of Unbelief and mighty Transgressions whereby they have dishonoured him and slighted all his Love and so that which now makes all the Sins of People so Damnable is their Sin of not believing in and receiving Christ the Light of the World into their Heares to dwell guide and rule there and so he that believeth not is Damned already saith Christ and this is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World and Men believed it not And ye search the Scriptures saith Christ to those Jews that boasted of being Moses's Disciples for in them ye think to have Eternal Life and they are they that testifie of me but ye will noâ— come to me that ye may have Life Also consider that Paul for all his Zealous Profession of Moses's Law and Letter-knowledge was never truly sensible of nor truly humbled for his Sins until Christ appeared from Heaven and struck him down See Tho. Hall how Christ here sets forth the Nature of Carnal Professors of the Letter of Scripture and Boasters of Moses's Law they are dead from God because they will not come to Christ in whom only is Life They thought to have had Eternal Life in the Scriptures which test fi d of Christ but they sticking in the Form and dead Profession of the Letter without Christ the Living Power of God to Salvation they could not have Life Eternal Foâ— he only that hath the Son of God hath Life and he that hath not the Son hath not Life but the Wrath of God abides upon him For you being under the Law as is said before are under the Curse and the Law worketh Wrath saith Paul and that is the reason that the Carnal Professors of the Letter are Persec tors of the Life of Christ where-ever it is made manifest in Son or Daughter in all Ages as Paul saith in that forementioned place Gal. 4. He that was Born after the Flesh Persecuted him that was Born after the Spirit even so it is now But the Lamb shall have the Victory and the mouth of all Iniquity shall be stopped Glory to the Lord our God over all for Evermore Another Piece of thy Enmity Tho. Hall against Christ and his Spirit is manifest in thy Paper where thou sayest That there is no Scripture that warrants Peoples going from the Law as Moses taught though it 's a Law written in the Letter to hear and learn at any other either a Christ Called a Law-giver or the Spirit of Truth as you call it Answ So here all may see that thou art so full of Enmity against Christ that thou canst not endure to have him honoured with the Title of Law-giver and thou art so full of Darkness that thou knows not nor wilt believe that God's People have any such thing indeed as the Holy Spirit to guide and teach them but comes forth with thy scornful Words like the Jews that Crowned him with Thorns and Spit in his Face saying A Christ called a Law-giver or the Spirit of Truth as you call it So it 's high time for all People to take heed of falling into the Error of these Men to wit Tho. Hall and his Fellows who have chosen the Killing Letter of Moses's Law and denied the Son of God and his Blessed Spirit and so have Builded the Babel of their Rotten Profession upon a Foundation of Sand to wit their own Righteousness which in the Day of God will utterly fail them for every Man's Works must be tried by Fire And so all such as have not Christ for their Foundation must Perish For other Foundation can no man lay than that which is laid even Christ who is our ALL and will Reign over all his Enemies for Evermore And so let no Man trouble us any more for we bear in our Bodies the Marks of the Lord Jesus And Ever-praised be his Name who hath given us an Understanding to know him the Salvation of God to be in us and we in him and so to be Witnesses for him before Men that the time of the fulfilling of his Scriptures is come which saith Jer. 31.31 c. Heb. 8. Behold the Days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Judah and with the House of Israel after those Days not according to the Covenant which I made with their Fathers in the Day when I took them by the Hand to lead them out of the Land of Egypt which my Covenant they broke although I was an Husband to them saith the Lord but this is the Covenant that I will make with them after those Days saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People And they shall not teach every man his Neighbours and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest For I will be merciful to their Vnrighteousness and their Sins and their Iniquities will I remember no more Now in
How could the Word of God be called a Mystery hid from Ages and Generations but now is made manifest if the Light within be sufficient And then quotes Eph. 3.9 Col. 1.25 26. Mat. 11.25 I answer That it was within and sufficient when it lay hid as a Mystery till God's full time came of revealing it and therefore Christ compares it to many Powerful and Precious though hidden things and of little account to the outward view as to a Grain of Mustard-seed in the Earth to a little Leaven within much Flower to Treasure hid in the Field and Christ said to the Pharisees that God's Kingdom was to be found in Man he excludes none and those Scriptures thou sett'st down prove for this Truth and against thy roving Mind which is in the outward observings thinking to find the Kingdom there when Christ saith it cometh not that way see Luke 17.20 21. What wilt thou conclude it was not because it lay hid What Logick is this Doth not Paul there say that the Mystery which was so hid and which he by the Spirit now Preached which was Christ in the Gentiles the Hope of Glory And Christ was Light and to this Light he warned every Man to take heed but the little Children not the Masters obey the Voice and so are led into the Understanding of the Mystery Qu. 2. In the next general Query thou askest Are not the Scriptures the Words of the Lord whose Words are they And why is the Scripture so often called the Word of God and the Word of the Lord And for this thou brings many Scriptures as Exod. 24.4 2 Kings 20.26 27 28 29. Psal 12.6 Jer. 36.4 6 8 11. Acts 19.10 2 Cor. 2.17 1 Thes 1.8 Answ To this I say First That the Holy Scriptures were given forth by Holy Men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and so they may be called the Words of God or of the Lord not that Spirit and Living Word but that those Scriptures prove what thou bringest them for to wit that the Scriptures or Writings without is there called the Word of God is not true it is said indeed in that of 2 Kings 20.16 That Isaiah said unto Hezekiah Hear the Word of the Lord and Hezekiah said Good is the Word of the Lord and in other places of Scriptures that the Word of the Lord came to the Prophets and that in the fore-mentioned place of Acts and Corinthians and Thessalonians mention is made of the Apostles Preaching the Word of God all this is true but of Exodus and Psalms and Jeremiah mention is made of Words but what doth all this prove but only that the Word came to Holy Men this Word was God and as this Word moved in them and gave them Wisdom and Utterance they writ or spoke forth Words as a Declaration of what was in the Mind or Word of God or what God was and what though the Scriptures may be thus called The Words of the Lord or his Prophets or Apostles Acted by his Power which we never denied this is nothing to the Hypocrites who use their Tongues to say The Lord saith when he never spoke by them but make a Trade of the Scriptures for filthy Lucre and by their much pressing the Declaration to be the Word of God have quite clouded the Word it self Christ from whence true Words come from the Peoples Minds so that scarce any have any true Living Feeling after God in his Word Christ for in the beginning was the Word before all Declarations and shall be after all the Peaceable Life of all that Believe for ever So that the Lord saw it good to stir up a People in these days to be True and Living Witnesses of the Word for the stopping of the Mouths of all such as have gotten the Words as Thieves from others and so kept People in the form with themselves always Professing but never Possessing the Power which the Scripture Witness unto and so the Letter and empty Words kill'd and do kill but now the Living Spirit and Living Word being Witnessed the Scriptures is owned in its place and Resurrection to Life being felt the Crown is set upon the King's Head whose Name is called The Word of God who was and is and is to come over all God Blessed for evermore and it is considerable that the Ministers of Christ are never called Ministers of the Letter or Words but of the Word and Spirit 2 Cor. 3. and that Christ and his Apostles mentioning the Prophets Words usually called them Scripture and not The Word of God as the custom of Hypocrites is now All Flesh is Grass and all outward Sounds and Signs vanish but the Word of the Lord that endures for ever and this is that Word which by the Gospel the Power of God is Preached and by nothing else savingly which when understood People are One but not before for it is the weakness which is like the Womans speaking makes Dissention so let the Scripture have its due and the Word of God its due and all is Beautiful in its place Query 3. In thy third thou askest How shall we know whether the Spirit that speaks in us be the Spirit of God or an evil Spirit but by trying them by the Scriptures And for this thou bringest 1 John 4.1 Isa 8.19 20. Acts 17.11 John 5.39 then thou replies and as it were says If you say we know the Spirit to be of God because it convinceth of Sin then I ask how do you know that to be Sin but by the Scripture For this thou bringest 1 John 3.4 Sin is a Transgression of the Law and afterwards says If we say that Spirit tells us it 's of God or that we know it but by its Fruit how do we know it not to be a lying Spirit or how do we know the Fruits of the Spirit but by Scripture Answ Now I say by all this it plainly appears that thou art no Gospel-Minister no Minister of the Spirit of God at all but art a meer talker of the Letter and Law not knowing what it faith nor whereof it affirmeth for doth not the next Covenant run thus I will put my Law in their Hearts and in their Minds will I write it Jer. 31.31 and Heb. 8.8 and the Apostle that said unto his Brethren Try the Spirits in that place 1 John 4 1. did not say you have a writing without by which you know all things but you have an Anointing from the Holy One and this abides in you and by this they know all things 1 John 2.20 27. according to what Paul in 1 Cor. 2.15 16. saith The Spiritual Man judgeth or discerneth all things but is judged or discerned of none for the Natural Man knows nothing aright though he may have all the Scriptures to talk of without him and though he may cry up in appearance even as Isaiah said to the Law and to the Testimony yet he never goes to the Law
hardly afford it on Earth a place to meet in at all And for that thou concludest and sayest What though our Churches have been formerly Abused to Idolatry So were the Temples and Synagogues abused to Idolatrous and Superstitious Worship yet nevertheless did Christ and his Apostles make use of them I answer What use Christ and his Apostles made of the Temple and Synagogue of the Jews is in part before declared To which this may be added As for Christ he was according to the Flesh of the Jews made under the Law and so he was to cleanse the Temple a Figure of his Body and fulfil the rest of the Laws Shadows and Customs and so end them all and through the Gospel bring Life and Immortality to Light and to Consecrate the New and Living Way through the death of all old things for he Nailed them all to his Cross and they died with him but he arose from the Dead and not to bring up the old Dead things again as thou J. R. and thy Generation would have but to make all things New for saith he that sitteth on the Throne Behold I make all things New Rev. 21.5 Glory to his Name for ever but none can see God in his Throne but in the Light that comes immediately from him which Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World which the Worlds Builders did always deny and reject as they do at this day And for the use the Apostles made of the Temple or Synagogues of the Jews it was as is formerly set down to reason with them there of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God the Jews not the Christians being Assembled there as the Servants of God called by the World Quakers do at this day to bring People both then and now from the Shadows unto the Substance Christ Jesus who hath said of his Body Destroy this Temple and I will build it again in three days and so the three days being come and finished the Temple that is Holy was built again and God Worshipped and Glorified in it but nothing that is defiled or loves a Lie can enter into or be joyned unto it But the Jews were more reasonable in one thing than you Priests of England are for they suffered Paul it seems to Reason with them several of their Sabbath-days in their Assemblies quietly but now if any come amongst you upon the liek account that Paul did it 's hard for such to escape your Furious Hands or a Prison in these days Whereby it appears your time is but short you are so unreasonable and full of rage But the use that those Gospel-Ministers the Apostles made of the Jewish Synagogues will not serve your turns O Parish-Masters for unless you may have them in your own dispose to bring the World into them to call you Master and put into your Mouths it will not answer your lustful Mind And so indeed with you that have put the Name of Church and Saints upon the Wild World a great Stone-house Fashioned to Solomon's Temple with an addition of an high Steeple Babel-like with Bells in it seems most convenient though it was not only abused too but even built for Idolatry so much But for the little Flock of Christ in Cities Towns and Villages a less House when they they need one will be as much if not more convenient And to conclude whereas thon intimatest that your great Stone-houses which thou callest Churches though formerly used to Idolatry yet now they are free I say thou wilt want proof for this so long as you continue in the Worshipping and Serving of Creatures and Paul's Doctrine continues true which saith Covetousness is Idolatry unless you repent and bring cleaner Vessels into your Temple than you do Qu. 15. Thy Fourteenth Query was for Set-places now this the Fifteenth is for Set-times and thou askest Had not the Saints in Scripture their Set-times for Publick Worship as well we Answ Yea I say the Saints amongst the Jews had their Set-times for their Worship better than you for they were under the Law and that was their Warrant but you are neither under Law nor Gospel in Truth but ony Carnal Imitators in your Will sometimes of the one Customs and sometimes of the other as your Self-willed and Self-ended Hearts in your blindness Prompts you unto and so for this I say Love the Light which Christ hath lighted you withal and it will lead you to Repentance from all your vain Observings and in the Light wait that God's good Spirit you may know and receive to Teach you and lead you into all Truth according to the Promise and so wait in the Light that lets you see your wants that 's the Holy Place and wait there for him in his Fear that comes in his own not Man's time and be not as the Heathens that think to be heard for their much wording of it nor spread abroad the Sails of your vain Imaginations when you Pray as the Hypocrites do lest Satan Transformed carry you about and fill you with the Wind of his Frothy Spirit making you believe you Pray with Gods Spirit when it is his own lying Spirit as his Custom is amongst you to work Qu. 16. So thou having spent thy Strength in Pleading for your Set-Places and Times in Imitation of the Jews thou goest on in this Query endeavouring to prove your Work on these times in those places from the likeness of them to theirs then And thus as you do so do the Papists for their Customs for they Reason as thou do'st For had not the Jews say they a Temple and Synagogues So we Had not they One High Priest So we who is called a Pope had not they an Altar and Sacrifice outward So we Had not they their Set-Fasts and Musick in their Temples and Quiristers and Tythes and Offerings and such things And so have we say they So saith John Reynold here in this present Sixteenth Query Had not the Saints in former Times the Scriptures Read in their Congregations Acts 15.21 Luke 4.16 and sometimes Expounded Neh. 8.7 8. and Prayed there Verse 6. and Singing David's Psalms there 1 Chron. 16.7 c. and Blessing the People in the Name of the Lord Num. 6.23 c. Well this was so under the Law but what wilt thou infer from this that you may continue the Customs of the Jews in such things that follows not unless you will deny the Ascension of Christ Eph. 4. from 8. to 17. for the Jews were under the Law and so they had a Worldly Sanctuary and a Worldly Service with divers Ordinances of that Nature until the time of Reformation by Christ raised up and come again in Spirit and then says God Behold I make all things New and so he that is in Christ is a New Creature Old things passed away all things become New New Temple New Offerings and Service New Prayers Singings Preachings which no Worldly Man can get into but all with the Holy