to those in whom he is in light in power and grace as he will Therefore neither we nor any others have infallible judgments in all things at all times but we are subject to Errour and in many things we do not apprehend and speak aright of God of Christ of the Spirit of the Saints of our selves of the mysteries of the Gospel which are some of those things which are eternal As God said to Iobs Friends Ye have not spoken of me the things that are right as my Servant Job hath and Iob himself did darken Counsel by words without knowledge when he spake of God Notwithstanding that fallible mind and judgement that is in all men in some things and at some times yet because the Rule that is left men to judge by is an infallible sure and certain Rule which cannot deceive men and because it is a plain Rule in many things and easily understood Prov. 1. 4. and because the principles of Religion and fundamentals of Salvation are so clearly revealed in the Scripture that Babes in Christ may come to the knowledge of them therefore both we and all the Saints may in some things have an infallible judgement and may judge of things eternal with a judgement of Certainty both respecting God Christ Faith Repentance Resurrection of the dead eternal judgment and many other things How else could there be any preaching if persons could not know infallibly that in some things they hold forth they speak the Truth And how could any thing be assuredly believed if the word of Faith in the true sense of it could not infallibly be held forth and judged of And how could any Person be at a certainty concerning his own Salvation And how could any Christian seal the Truth of Christ with his blood if some things could not be judged of with an infallible judgement But whether any person having not the Spirit can have an infallible judgement to judge of things eternal by the knowledge they may get from the Scripture is the drift and scope of the question if I be able to make a judgement of it They think that none can infallibly judge of things of an eternal nature but such who have the Spirit and that we are persons that have not the Spirit and therefore cannot judge of them nor of their way and that they themselves have the Spirit and that judgement belongs to them only both of persons and of things we are but in our first birth and are carnal and know not things of an eternal Nature they are in the second birth and are spiritual and can judge all things and all men for hitherto tends a great part of a large Letter sent unto us from them by which I come to prove them in this question In answer therefore unto this I must distinguish of infallible judgement There is an infallible Judgment which may be made from the Scripture without the Spirit and there 's an infallible judgment which cannot be made from the Scripture without the spirit The Judgment that may be made from the Scripture without the Spirit infallibly respects the Doctrine which the Scripture contains to be received believed by men that they may be saved what they be and what manner of life it is that Persons ought to live that would come to Life eternal these things are clearly and plainly laid down and may easily be taken up by unprejudiced Persons who have unballanced spirits though they have not the spirit Upon this account it is that the Apostle John would not have every Spirit believed but would have the spirits tryed whether they be of God but how must they be tried unless by the Scriptures for every one will pretend the Spirit and there are many false Prophets who have the spirit of delusion and are gone forth into the world 1 Joh. 4. 1. For if the Scripture were not the judge of the Spirit in this case so far as concerns Doctrines and Manners which men have Received and learned whether they be of God or no or whether the spirit of the Devil hath not inspiried them therewith all men living would be put upon desperate uncertainties which is the Spirit that gives our the Truth and which is the spirit of Errour And they would be confounded through the multiplicity of spirits each spirit pretending to Truth and crying down the contrary as Errour Therefore the Scripture alone being of the Spirits inspiring is a light sufficient to shew the Doctrine what it is and the commandment precept what it is to one that will attend unto it without any further inspiration of the Spirit else in vain were the Scriptures at the first inspired But then again there is an infallible Judgement which cannot be made without the Spirit that is whether those Doctrines and Rules of Life which are clearly contained in the Scripture be Doctrines which proceeded from God whether God spake with Moses sent Christ to declare what he hath declared inspired the Apostles in speaking and writing what they have spoken or written or whether all these spake of themselves It is the Spirit of God alone that can give assured satisfaction concerning this The Jews and their Rulers though they saw the Miracles yet they know not Christ to be the Messiah for had they known him they would never have crucified the Lord of glory These are among those invisible things which are revealed unto us by the Spirit as the Apostle tels us 1 Cor. 2. 8 9 10. It is easie for any man that hath his reason and hath not the Spirit by reading the Scripture to conclude that Scripture makes Jesus the Son of Mary to be the Son of God and the Christ But for any man to beleeve it and build upon it as a sure truth of God this is from the Spirit flesh and blood hath not revealed this but the Father which is in Heaven Christ told Peter so Mat. 16 16. The conclusion is That the Scripture is the foundation of an insallible judgement concerning things contained in them and not the Spirit but both Scripture and Spirit must concur to give in the certainty of those things that are there contained that they may become a sure rock to be built upon for no one can say assuredly and by a spirit of Faith that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. 3. Quere 5. Whether you be above the Apostle and able to Concerning perfection what may be granted and what not judge his condition because you say he was not perfect who said he spake wisedom among them that were perfect Answ This Question relates to a passage in our Answer to a Letter of theirs which pleaded for perfection which we had the sight of which fell into their hands and hath occasioned this Question The words of our Answer are these He might have discerned that Paul expressly denies perfection in reference to himself Phil. 3. 12. His Question hence is Are you
1 Cor. 11. 16. and offence to brethren in such things is vigilantly to be avoyded Rom. 14. 20 21. Querie 13. Whether you have the voice and whether you do know the voice of Christ from the voice of a Stranger My What is Christs voice and how distinguished from a Strangers voice Sheep know my voice saith Christ seeing that you are so forward to judge and sit as Judges of the Saints Conditions Answ The Apostle tells us in the Epistle to the Hebrews that God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last daies spoken to us by his Son for the Word was made flesh and dwelt among the Jews and went up and down teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom Mat. 4. 23. and this Son of God in flesh sent forth the Apostles to preach and put a word into their mouthes and guided them by his Spirit in writing to the Churches what his minde and will was unto them Let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Now that which Christ preached and the Apostles preached and wrote unto the Churches that is Christs voyce as from Heb. 4 3. which is fetched out of Psalm 95. appears David saith to day if ye will hear his voyce What voyce was this The Apostle tells us Heb 4. 2. That unto us was the Gospel preached aswel as unto them but the word preached did not profit them through unbelief The word then which they heard in Davids time which was preaching out of the Prophets was this voyce and so the Gospel which Christ and the Apostles have preached and left upon Record is the voyce of Christ And this voyce we have in the Scriptures and this voyce we know and we are able through Gods Grace to distinguish this voyce from the voyce of a stranger if any bring not this Doctrine which Christ and the Apostles brought we know him to be a Wolf and an Antichrist and after once or twice admonition we dare not say God speed to him But there is another voyce which thâ—se persons who question us intend and pretend to and that is an immediate voyce which speaks within them as they say and dictates unto them all that they say and do Now this voyce we have not heard nor do we know it within our selves experimentally and we believe and hope that we shall be kept that we may never know it For we know it is not the voyce of Christ but the voyce of a stranger We know it from what it speaks and acts in others yea in these persons that pretend to it and we bless our selves from it for it is the voyce of the Devil that comes as Christ to them and pretends to be he but deludes them and deceives them as one of themselves recovered out of their soares hath confessed Now to the praise and glory of Gods Grace we speak it that we have neither heard his voice nor seen his shape Concerning our judging there will be occasion to speak of it in the Answer to the next Question Querie 14. Whether that which is in you which Judgeth be eternal and infallible yea or no Answ These men are harping in many of their Questions Ifallibility further discussed upon one and the same string They have a conceit of Christ within them speaking within them acting within them saying all and doing all immediately and infallibly that is said and done by them so that it is not they that say or do any thing but it is Christ and the Spirit within them And this so fills them that it almost fills all their Questions Now it doth appear that it is a spirit of delusion that thus possesseth them because it contradicts both Christ and the Spirit in the Scriptures in many things And after this Christ and Spirit within they enquire of us whether that which judgeth in us be eternal and infallible But we assert no such thing concerning our selves For though all the Saints have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them which is eternal and infallible yet that this Spirit should do all that Saints do and should say all that Saints say and should judge for them both of persons and of things after an infallible manner and that they should neither say nor do nor judge any thing by any understanding of their own but the Spirit all this we deny For the Apostle speaks of himself When I would do good evil is present so it may be said of every man when I would say or do right errour is present Notwithstanding though we judge not either person or thing by any Spirit of infallibility yet there 's one that judgeth and that is the word which Christ spake and which Scripture speaketh and this word is eternal and infallible And so far as we judge according to this word our judgement becomes eternal and infallible and so we may speak of persons present condition with much certainty because we know what the Scriptures have said of them Christ tells us of Wolves that shall come in sheeps clothing and that by their fruits we shall know them Mat. 7. 15 16. And John tells us who is an Antichrist viz. he that denyeth the Father and the Son 1 Joh. 2. 22. And Peter prophesieth of false Teachers that shall bring in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 1. 1. When therefore we see such we may judge of their present state what and who they be but in reference to their future final state we must leave them to the judgement of God who infallibly knows who are his Querie 15. What are the Ordinances which are ordained of God that those which you call Quakers deny Or when did God command you to observe them as to sprinkle Infants and to pray before and after your Sermons as you call them or to set times dayes and hours which was in the generation which were enemies to Christ who observed such things Querie 16. What these Ordinances of God be which you The justification of several ordinations of Christ in the Churches of God speak of and where God commanded them and to whom which you say them which you call Quakers deny mention them in particular and declare them openly in Writing and give over accusing Answ These two Questions are distinct in the paper presented to me but the former entirely comprehends the latter and is more ample then it requiring us not onely to shew reason of accusing them but also grounds for the justification of our own practise therefore I have joyned them together And in reference to the first What Ordinances they do deny which God hath commanded there is no need that we should accuse them for they are accusers of themselves in their very Questions which they propound The Reader may easily discern from them what the things are against which their malignity is
is necessary for such Secondly The Apostle seems to speak of such an annointment which they had received which had already taught them by which they should abide in Christ and not be seduced as those words shew Even us it hath taught you you shall abide c. Now indeed the Spirit of God hath taught us of all things in the Scriptures which were of his inspiring whereto if we attend we shall abide in the Truth and not be misled by Seducers and to this teaching of the Spirit in the Scriptures we need not that any teaching of man should be added but as we are taught in them Thirdly The words You need not that any man teach you but as the annointing teacheth you are hyperbolical expressions there is an excess in them as in many places of Scriptute as where it is said If all things should be written which Jesus said and did the whole world would not contain the the Books that would be written The meaning is there would be very many Books written if all should be written And in vers 20 of this very Chapter the Apostle tells them that they knew all things it is an excessive speech for no one knoweth all things but God Christ himself as man knew not all things who yet had the Spirit not according to measure but beyond it the meaning then is they had much knowledge and knew many things and so they needed not that any man teach them that is they knew so much already of the Doctrine of the Gospel that if onely they persevered in that which they knew they might be kept without much teaching it is to be understood in a comparative sense not in an absolute consideration as to exclude all teaching but to exclude much of that teaching which others do require and it respects the abundance of knowledge which they had in comparison of Believers of former times before the Gospel was revealed as from the Prophesie from which these words of John were fetcht appears Jer. 31. 34. They shall teach no more man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord Knowledge should so abound in the dayes of the Gospel that they should not need teaching so much as in the times of the Law For it points at the days of the Gospel after Christ should be revealed of which Christ saith That he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven should be greater then John the Baptist who yet was greater then al the Prophets so exceedingly should Light shine in Gospel-times but that teaching should be absolutely excluded was not the Apostles meaning for though they never did need it less yet they never had it more then in the days of the Apostles and of the Primitive Churches For there were many who were eminently gifted besides Pastors and Teachers who did teach And it is to be observed that the Spirit was never given so plentifully in any Age as in that Age wherein so much outward teaching was so that there is no such measure of reception of the Spirit that can thrust out outward teaching while we are here yea and John himself thought there was need of teaching while he tells them of an unction that they had received and that they knew all things and needed not that any one should teach them for vers 36. he saith These things have I written unto you in reference to them that seduce you that is least you should be carried away from the Truth by them he taught them to stand fast in the Truth they had received Fourthly It holds forth that they were not neither should be Babes which knew nothing themselves were able to judge of nothing themselves but do depend wholly and really upon others to teach them and were led wholly as others guide them in this sense they should not need teaching for there was a light set up in their souls and they had the Spirit of God which is a light and enables them to discern with such clearness that they believe not because others tell them so but because they can look into the Truth themselves Concerning the last words of that question viz. that the Promise was eternal Life to him that did abide in the anointing because there is no such Scripture that saith so and because no course we take in our teaching doth tend as hath been shewed to withdraw from the anointing therefore I shall not insist upon them Querie 18. Whether you do not bewitch the people and draw them from the Spirit of God within them to observe those Sacraments and Ministery maintained and other practises in Church-meetings things which God never commanded to tell the people of a Sacrament and following your outward Teaching who stand praying in the Synagogues and are called of men Masters which Christ dâ—d forbid Mat. 23. And have the chiefest places in the Assemblies Whether these be not called Antichrists which act contrary to the Commands of Christ yea or no Answ In this Question besides the repetition of former things they strike at Sacraments at the teaching and praying of Pastors and Elders for to them they speak in al their questions at the posture of standing in prayer at the places of meeting calling them Synagogues in a derisive way at the Title of Master which is put upon them and charge them with ambition in assuming chiefest places which they say such take I must clear up the truth in all these particulars First Concerning Sacraments there are no Ordinances on foot amongst us which we call by that name though there Concorning Sacraments might be a defence for it but there are Ordinances which others call Sacraments and we call them Seals of the Covenant which are to confirm Faith in the Covenant of God concerning Remission of sin by the blood of Christ and other Grace of the like nature which is vouchsafed in Christ and they are Baptism and the Lords Supper and they are both of them instituted by Jesus Christ Mat. 28. 19. 1 Cor. 11. 23. and they both point at Christs Death and the shedding of his Blood Rom. 6. 3. 1 Cor. 1. 26. Mat. 26. 28. and they serve to Seal Remission of sins by Christs Blood Act. 22. 16. Mat. 26. 28. and indeed both of them are to put us in remembrance of Christ and that which Christ hath instituted who dares abrogate And those that destroy the Seals therein attempt the destruction of the Covenant for Seals are the ratification of Covenants or at least they do despise Gods grace of condescendency who for the cause of our weakness in belief of his Covenants vouchsafeth to grant us Seals to confirm them And Gods Covenants have never been without Seals and though there hath been change of Seals yet Seals are as old one or other of them and are to last as long as the Covenants and the Lords Supper
ever perfected them that were sanctified out of your own mouths you are judged Friends the Apostle Paul did not tell you these words but you are theeves that steal his words For he spoke to the Saints which had an understanding when he bad them forget those things which were behind which you need not give a sense to his words and wrest them to another meaning that is your condition which James speaks of for you live in the nature by whom Offences come that is but a form and the Robber to apply his words except you had a Principle within you that told you so And Iohn saith if they say they have no sin they deceive themselves and the truth is not in them But saith he if you confess your sins he is faithfull and just to forgive and to clense from all sin and if you walk in the light as he is in the light the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin But here you are not in this light onor cannot witness this blood no not the confession of your sin but in the generation of the Pharisees gathered Churches separated from others contending against Christ Who said a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit and witnessed a good Conscience before Pontius Pilate and where Christ is made manifest he hath destroyed the works of the Devil and he that is born of God sinneth not and he that sinneth is of the Devil Hereby are the children of God known from the children of the Devil And in that Generation you are pleading for the sin and not for the faith which purifies the heart But that mind and servant must serve its own master whom you contend for So every kingdom stands for it self yet you have one of the beasts colours of profession which makes you to appear beautifull as ever the Harlot did under a pretence of the true worship of God which is a stranger from the Spirit of God as you utter it forth which the Saints were guided by Friends you give Exposition of the Apostles words which he gave no such exposition but spake plainly he was a perfect man that could bridle his own tongue and I know none in your Church and Generation can do it Herein thou shewest thy self and thy Religion to be vain For he that hath not power over his own tongue his Religion is vain and thy self no Minister of Christ For he was a Minister of Christ that said so but you are evil beasts and slow bellies which the Scripture speaks of Are they not hirelings as the Priests were are they not called of men masters and have they not the chiefest place in the assemblies are they not lyars which pretend to be in the same state the true Prophets were in you are in the same nature which justifies them who are for condemnation and God will condemn that high wisdom of yours the Apostle said as he is so are we in this present world which of you can witness that there is no hole for Satan But friends look within and you shall see he keeps the house you plead so much for him Friends in that life you live in you cannot see it For none can see God and live therefore are you blinded Fogged and Misted with the corruptions of the dark mind therefore take the alass alass to your selves and pitty your own selves he that believes is born of God and he that is born of God sinneth not and he that is born of God overcomes the world and this belief you shut your selves out of and do make it appear that you do not believe to that in your Consciences I speak Friends as touching Johns words let flesh be silent for giving senses upon them for that fills the world full of imaginations and fancies For you are the Lyars which would draw something out of his words and give another meaning to them and shew a contrary spirit and the wresting of the Scriptures but all such as you are discovered where the life of them is made manifest who wrest the Scriptures and give your own sense and meaning upon them and so bewitch them by your craft and draw them from waiting upon God to have them fulfilled so that mind judgeth all to be deceit which is not according to your own lense and so calls light darkness and evil good Friends you strengthen your selves with that Scripture as he that saith he hath no sin deceives himself and the truth is not in him And here you stand up for the Devils kingdom For you have not confessed your sins yet If you confess youâ— sin he is faith-and just to forgive and to cleanse from all sin but these thinge you know nothing of but shew forth your corrupt mind and your selves of them which the Scripture speaks of Friends here you have uttered forth your folly without knowledge and understanding and make it appear that you never heard the voice of God for his voice shakes the Earth First you must witness the Earth shaken before you witnes the Heavens and make it appear that an your knowledge is notionary and earthly and yet standing and of this World and the world by their wisdom know not God and there you are to that in your conscience I speak here you thrust your selves out of the Church of God and shew forth your ignorance not having the form of the Letter For Paul when he came among the Corinthians he was with them in fear and weakness and much teembling that their Faith might stand in the power of God and not in the wisdom of Words but here are you not and the Corinthims received Titus trembling and he that was a Minister of Christ exhorted the Saints to work out their salvation with fear and trembling for it was God that wrought both the Will and the Deed and the Assembly which assembled to Ezra had all trembling hearts and Iobs flesh trembled and Davids flesh trembled and his bones quaked and Moses when he heard the voice of God he trembled Habbakuk when he heard the voice of God he trembled Hear the word of the Lord all you that tremble at his Word when your Brethren hate you and cast you out and say 〈◊〉 the Lord he glorified he shall appear to your joy when they shall be ashamed and in that Generation you shew your selves to be not knowing the Power of God not the Scriptures but err so shutting your selves out from the life of them that gave forth the Scriptures making your selves openly to appear blind Friends besilent as giving senses of shaking and of removing of things without you for it is the eâ—â—th within you and the Corruptions within you which plead for the Devils kingdom so much which must be removed and that bufie minds which are giving senses upon the Saints Conditions for eternally you know nothing Friends as touching Moses Condition when any one witnessestlie same Condition you cannot own it but are cavelling about words neither can you
our own upon such Scriptures which they have given out which is not their sense but that which is Jeft to us is to find out the sense and meaneing which they have put as in Re2 13. 18. after some mystical things had been held out in which there was a meaning but hard to be understood it is is said Here is Wisdom let him that understandeth count the Number of the Beast that is let him set all his Wisdom and understanding that he hath on work to search it out Nevertheless it is not to be understood that the meaning which the Apostles intended in the Scripture which they gave out doth perpetually follow the sound of the Letter for the Letter contains contradiction many times in it but the Apostles meaning as he interprets himself hath sweet congruity in it without contradiction Querie 3. Whether Plagues be not added to them who add Concerning adding to and diminishing from the Scripture In what sense it is to be understood to the Prophecies Written in the Book And whether his name be not diminished out of the Book of Life who diminisheth And whether you can witness this name yea or no Answ It is plain and clear from Rev. 22. 18. that the Evils are great and terrible that are threatned against adding and diminishing But what this adding and diminishing is that hath such woes belonging to it is the question If expounding the Scripture and interpreting it and shewing the sense and meaning thereof be the adding or diminishing that the question intends against which such a fearful Sentence is pronounced then it would reach Ezra and those others with him mentioned Nehem. 8. 7 8. For they read and they gave the sense and caused the people to understand the reading And Christ also gave the sense of those words in Isai 61. 1 2 3. and declared how they were fulfilled in himself and he expounded Moses and the Prophets their Writings to those two Disciples who were travelling towards Emmaus And Philip guided the Eunuch in his reading unto the right sense of the Prophet Isar in Chap. 53. 7 8 9. He shewed the Prophet spake not of himself but of another via Christ Acts 8. 31. 34 And what was preaching the Gospal ordained of God for And why were Gifts given unto men but that the People might be brought to Knowledge and might come to understand the Scriptures Therefore the Apostles were much exercised in opening those sealed Prophesies which were often read and never understood which respected Christ and in proving out of them that Jesus was the Christ Therefore the interpreting of Scripture is not adding to it so long as it is not any private interpretation that is given which a mans heart hath found out and his fancy hath imagined but such an interpretation as agreeth to the Spirit of the Scripture in other places 2 Pet. 1. 20 21. and such as accords with the Analogy of Faith Rom. 12. 6. that is holds Proportion with the Doctrine of Faith as it is laid down in other Scriptures This is not adding but adding is when the sufficiency of the Scriptures to build men up to salvation and to make them perfect throughly furnished unto every good work is not acknowledged and thereupon Traditions Canons and Doctrines and Commandments of men are brought in and annexed and imposed upon the people As of old by the Scribes and Pharisees which Christ so often conflicted with and by the Roman Synagogue and by some of that stamp amongst our selves And when Persons assume an Authority and Power to themselves to be the Judges of the Scripture and expunge what they please out of it and introduce into it what liketh them and what sense they give unto it whether it agrees or not agres with other Scriptures yet that must be the sense of of it and none must question it Whereas Scripture it self ought to be its own interpreter else there would be no plain standing rule to try truth by but the Truth of God must be subjected to the various and opposite fancies of men And when Persons pretend the Spirit and say they have dreamed and come with their apprehensions and say it is made out so to them or it is so given in to them and though there be never so much repugnancy in it to other Scriptures yet that must be the sense by which means the Spirit of Truth comes to suffer many affronts in this Age This is adding And indeed the rigid adhering to the letter of Scriptures and to the sound of words therein without admitting a wholesom sense such as accords with other Scriptures is adding which is the way of all Seducers and Deceivers to make their blasphemous doctrine the more vendible For the letter of Scripture in some places without searching out a sound sense will countenance Papists Arrians Ranters and whom not in their Tenents This is the introducing of another Scripture then that which is Scripture indeed and it is properly such adding to the Scripture against which such plagues are denounced Let these Persons who are called Quakers look to this for it is their grand imposture wherewith they beguilc the people they bring the Letter where it serves for their purpose as the Papists were wont to bring their hoc est corpus meum This is my Body to prove the bodily presence of Christ in the Sacrament And these press upon the people the Letter and cry out upon the Ministers of Christ and say they are lying Priests and they lead the people in darkness and so by the Letter destroy the sense of Scripture and bring in another sense which is not Scripture-sense and so themselves are found both adders to and diminishers from the Scripture Querie 4. Whether you have an infallible Judgement to judge of things eternal yea or no Concering Infalibility in judging how fat men may have it and how far not Answ The first state of every man is darkness the natural man understands not the things that are of God they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. When any man is brought from darkness to light even then he knoweth but in part Paul himself was in some darkness now we see through a glass darkly said he of himself and others 1 Cor. 13. 12. Those to whom John wrote who had the annointment to teach them all things and of whom John said that they knew all things which was but an hyperbolical expression and did import only much knowledge to be in them 1 Ioh. 2. 20 21 27. yet those were not all light without any darkness but they were such who might be deceived and were subject to errour therefore the Apostle warns them of Seducers not withstanding the unction that they have received They had not an infallible judgement but might be mistaken in some of the things of God though they had the Spirit for the Spirit gives himself out
understood from their writings though we have not seen with our eyes even as Timothy was commanded to preach and shew what he had heard of the Apostle who yet himself had not heard nor seen nor handled any thing of Christ and he must commit them to faithful men who had seen no more then he and they must teach others also But this Question holds affinity with the seventh Question to which I refer the Reader onely I shall add this that if the persons that make these proposals do glory over us because we have not thus seen Christ and do give it out that he hath appeared to them and that they have seen him and heard him and heard him and that he is with and in them let them seriously consider whether it be the true Christ the same whom Iohn heard or saw with his bodily eyes and handled with his bodily hands which they have seen or a bodiless Christ of their own framing And whether their seeing of Christ be not like Saul his seeing Samuel who indeed saw the Devil in Samuels shape and talked with him and had fellowship with him but saw not Samuel Querie 10. Whether you have this word which was from Concerning the manifestation of Christ what it is And concerning preaching from the letter how far it may and must be and how far not the beginning and this lâ—fe manifest unto you which was to the Apostles And if it be why do you take a Text from the Letter and Preach from it and shew the People the Letter Answ This word and this life which is Christ was manifested in flesh Ioh. 1. 14. The Word was made flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. God was manifested in flesh And this Word and this life in flesh was manifested to the Apostles for there was a glory of Christ in flesh in reference to his mighty works which were done in flesh which never any else did but he Ioh. 3. 2. chap. 15. 24. And this glory was as of the onely begotten Son of God and this glory they beheld and all Saints have beheld it and do behold it but not with bodily eyes as the Apostles did but with spiritual eyes with the eyes of Faith 1 Pet. 1. 8. Whom though ye see not yet believing ye rejoyce c. They did not see at that time for Christ was ascended neither do Saints as yet see because the Heavens do yet contain him but they believe and believing is called a seeing in Scripture Ioh 8. 56. Abraham rejoyced to see my dayes He did not live to see it with his bodily eyes but he saw it by Faith by which also the Apostles had the sight of Christ else they could have seen but the outside of glory and have been dazzled therewith as the rest of the Jewes were which saw him and were not ' able to judge whose glory it was that they saw In this spiritual sense Christ is manifest to us so many of us as believe and we have seen him by faith and he is in us by his Spirit and is life within us as a living Word that quickneth us Notwithstanding this we take a Text from the letter because the whole will of God and minde of Christ is left us in letters and blessed is he that readeth and considereth thereof as it is contained and declared in letters Revel 1. 3. And Christ himself who was manifest to himself did take a Text from the letter to preach things that respected himself which the letter contained And Philip he took that Text in the letter which the Eunuch was guided to read and preached Christ from it And though preaching be from the letter that though we make something that is written or something that is comprehended in letters the foundation of our preaching upon which we bottom and build our discourse yet we preach not the letter but such spiritual truths as are contained in it respecting Christ as Christ preached the glorious truths of himself And Philip preached those blessed mysterious truths which concerned Christ which have a vertue and power in them from the Spirit which accompanies them and which is given to the Elect whilst such truths written in words and letters are preached to them by which such persons are quickned who were before dead in trespasses and sins 2 Cor. 3. 6 8. For if the Gospel which is now left us in words and letters in the Evangelists and Apostles Writings be hid from any it is hid to them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded the mindes of them that believe not least the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. And indeed this Gospel as it is now upon record in letters and is become as such a standing rule to men is hid from this Generation of men so far as we can judge who are the propounders of this Question and their design is to hide it from others and to draw all persons off from all that is written to depend upon an unwritten word some word immediately dictated to them within them proceeding from him who is as they say the Word from the beginning and is the life and is manifested as they give out within them as to the Apostles And in this sort of men doth the Devil shew his spite spleen and malice against the holy Scriptures Querie 11. And shew me where the Prophets did take a Concerning preaching from a Text and the justification of it And what anoyntment Ministes have to Preach Text and preach from it but only Christ read a place and said it was fulfilled who said he was anointed to preach and which of you can witness you are anointed to preach by the living God yea or no Answ The Prophets took not any Text to preach from it because they were to lay the foundation of preaching unto others Ephes 2. 20. and other were to build upon it all that they should preach and therefore it was that the Priests and Levites did preach out of the Prophets they read therein and gave the sense And the Apostles proved all things from the Prophets which they preached And though they did not preach from one particular Text yet they preached from many Texts for they cited many to confirm their preachings And the Apostles also as wise master-builder sinstructed immediately by the spirit did in their Doctrine perform the same work 1 Cor. 3. 10. viz. did found the Faith of Believers upon their Preachings and Writings And the Ministers of the Word which were to succeed them are onely to put their superstructure to it bottoming upon that ground-work which they have laid and therefore it is that both they and we take a Text that the weight of our building may be laid upon it and that all may see and be convinced that we preach not our own dreams but what we have warrant for from the Writings of the Apostles and Prophets with and to
what hours were spent in their publike service nor Concerning hours in the publike service whether those hours that were spent were spent together and at one entire meeting without intermission and parting or whether they divided their hours according to the pattern and example which they had in the Offerings and Sacrisiees of the Old Testament which were not at once and together but at discontinued times there was a morning and an evening-Sacrifice which were offered about the third and ninth hours and there was a great expediencie in it that there might be some bodily refreshing betwlxt the times and the necessity of Nature was provided for in it and Sabbath-exercises were distinguished thereby from Fasts and upon this accompt it is equitable that Christian service should be carried for time after such manner but herein Christian Prudence hath the Principal stroke for we do not judge our selves Scripturally obliged to so many hours or so distributed that some should be in the forenoon and some in the afternoon but for conveniencies-sake we practise it yet not precisely keeping to an hour And for hours in Families we Concerning time spent in holy exercises in Families have read how holy men of God have carried it in their milies Abraham commanded his children and his houshold after him and they did keep the way of the Lord Jacob he reformed his Family and purged away the Idols and all the filth from it that they might more purely serve the Lord together Josbua resolved that he and his house would serve the Lord now he could not resolve it in reference to secret worship which each apart was to perform to God but it refers to Family-duties and service which should be on foot amongst them together And David would walk not in his own Person alone but in his house with a perfect heart And there is a Prophesie that respects Families mourning apart which is to be accomplished in the dayes of the Gospel Zach 12. 12. to the end And there is a Promise made where two or three are gathered together suppose in a Family or any other way Christ will be in the midst of them and where Saints are together in a Family the Spirit of God within them will be a Spirit of Prayer within them and will bring them together and there cannot be Family-duties but there must be a time to perform them in and if morning and evening be taken for them it is most congruous First because occasions wilt then best permiso for it will be before the works of these Callibas be begun and it will be afree they are finished Secondly all things are sanctified by prayer and so will their is bours be in the morning and their rest in the evening But where or when doth a good heart dispute against these things a spiritural heart will rather dictate to a Person to apprehend the opportunitigs unto prayer and all other spiritual duties both apart and with others and will practise what was commanded in reference to preaching will pray in season and out of senson at times which conâ—â—eiency makes cheice of and at other times also will put up all manner of prayers and at all times as occasion requites And where Saipts are together they will encourage one another and say come let us joya together and pray and seek the face of God in prayer and in other duties also and in Families especially will this be done Querie 17. Whether you do not seduce the People to araw Concerning the Spirits teaching in what way to expect it And whether the outward must be denyed that the inward may be received them from the anointing within them when as John saith they need no man teach them but as the anointing and the Promise was Eternal Life to him that did abide in the anointing Ans The scope and intent of this Question is to overtura all out ward teaching by men to erect an immediate teaching of the Spirit in the room of it It is to carry men off from Gods outward Ordinances to wait for secret Inspirations of God and indeed it is to subject men to Satanical delusions instead of the Spirits suggestions For that which is insinuated is this viz that the drawing of any people to attend upon any out ward instruction becomes in effect a withdrawing of them from the annointing or from that inward teaching of the Spirit which indeed hath not one syllable of truth in it For John the Baptist did draw the people after him so did Christ so did the Apostles to hear the Word of God which they preached which was an outward word an outward teaching did they withdraw such Persons from the inward teaching from the annointing within them or were they not rather drawn to the annointing within them by attending and giving heed to the outward preaching did not the Spirit of God accompany their outward preaching did not John come in the Spirit and Power of Elias in his outward Ministery and were not many turned from their disobedience to the wisdom of the Just and could this be without the Spirit was there not an admirable power of the Spirit attending both Christs teaching and the Apostles preaching did their outward instruction withdraw the people from the Spirit or did they not rather convey the Spirit to them Is not the Gospel as it is presented to men in an external way said to be the administration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 8. Gal. 2. 5. And were not many annointed with enriching gifts by that Spirit which is the Spirit of the Gospel which comes along with the Gospel preached How then are any seduced by being being brought to the hearing of the Gospel preached or are not they rather seduced who are drawn off from the external Means and Ministery by which the Spirit is given and Faith is wrought to wait for the receiving of the Spirit without any Word to conveigh it to them which Spirit when they have it is not the Spirit of Truth but of Delusion as is confessed by one of their own newly redeemed out of such hellish captivity under which these poor Creatures are held Object But they produce a Scripture which seems to erect and set up one only Teacher which is the Spirit and to throw down and cast under foot all outward Teaching which is performed by men John saith to them he wrote 1 Ioh. 2. 27. That they needed not that any man teach them but as the annointing teacheth them of all things and is Truth Answ First This is not spoken of all men but of those 1 Ioh. 2. 27. Answered viz. ye need that no man teach you but as the anointing teacheth you all things who are come to Christ and had the Spirit that they needed no man to teach them But what must they do that have not the Spirit how must they obtain it if not by the Word of the Gospel which conveys it therefore an outward teaching
and false Accusations Can you give a better sense upon the Scriptures then they are thereby you shew another Spirit then that which did give forth the scriptures For all Scriptures being given forth by the Inspiration of the spirit it is of no private Interpretation nor came not by the will of man O flesh be silent before the Lord who art giving senses and speakest with thy own will wherein thou hast uttered forth thy solly who art unlearned therefore thou art wresting the Scriptures which thou wouldst turn upon the backs of others and the same turns upon thy own back and pate who art giving senses who livest in the corrupt nature and pleadest for it a servant to the Devil maintaining his Kingdom Whereof thou Accusest him being led Captive and thou art led Captive doing the work of the Devil and art a witness against him or them who are in the second Birth and the children of the living God Jacob was a perfect man God saw no iniquity in him Iob was a perfect man And God saw no transgression in Israel and Christ said be ye perfect as your heavenly father is perfect and the Apostle said see that you stand perfect in the will of God And he that is born of God sinneth not neither can be sin because the seed of God remains in him he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous let no man deceive you with vain words and in that number you shew your selves to be deceiving with vain words and we speak wifdom among them that are perfect saith the Apostle Yet not the wisdom of this world that cometh to nought but in the wisdom of the world thou art witnessing against that which the Apostle justified and hast raised thy self out of that which he was in giving Senses and Meanings upon his words as they painted Serpents did shewing a contrary Spirit then the Apostles had Shewing thy self in the first Birth and not in the second which is perfect Litterally learned but not Spititually that which will own it own without any Witchcraft Sorcery or twining humane inventions or its sence upon the Scripture which all is for Destruction and Fire For to that in thy Conscience do I speak which shall eternally witness for me and before you witness the same Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures you must witness these things in your selves The contradiction is in your selves and a seeming contradiction and not in the Scripture Therefore it is you that look after the sense of the word which cannot own it as it is and so make the contradictions had you the Spirit which Paul had and which gave forth the Scriptures you would not wrest it to your own destruction but the confusion is in your own minds and that is wresting the Scriptures in you and giving senses to it which is for destruction And whereas you speak of Pauls condition I desire you to let Pauls condition and the Saints alone For you know nothing of them but are giving senses upon their words and wresting them being unestablished with his Spirit and his life and the Saints For that mind in you hath nothing at all to do with it The Letter saith that the Saints were compleat in him and is not upright perfect Wherein it shews that you are not compleat in Christ but without in the world giving meaning to his words whereas you speak of giving a particular exposition of every Quotation it is the busie mind which would be exalted So if I should answer to every sense which you have given upon the Scripture from your conceivings I should make fools wise in their conceits which God hath promised he will scatter the proud in their imaginations and there you are and there is your portion Friends Your weakness you have uttered while any one thinks they are perfect they cannot tell but are in the same mind that you are in giving senses upon the Scripture which was given forth by an eternal spirit and you are giving senses upon ir with your external minds and your own imagined wisdom which is from below you utter it forth for it denies perfection and while your minds stand in imitation there is an Image in your minds which sets something up in it that neither knows Christ nor the way nor the Scripture Neither can it refolve doubtfull minds But that sense giving upon the Scriptures doth heal up the beast which hath a wound and applies the Scriptures to a wrong nature to your own sense that thereby many are led blind by you and led into doubts and instead of stablishing you unstablish and that is it which keeps so many in sin and from waiting upon Jesus Christ which comes to take away sin Friends here you sit as Judges of the Saints conditions speaking you do not know what of the Gospel of Moses Law of Justification and Sanctification which of these things you know nothing of but are busie minds uttering forth your folly for none of these things can you witness which you speak of not the Law of Moses nor Justification nor Sanctification nor the Gospel not in the inward man but in the Notion he that is sanctified is justified and witnessed and where it is not it is babled and disputed upon as you do giving your own imaginations and senses upon it which leads into temptations from God both your selves and others By one offering he hath for ever perfected them that are Sanctified Friends give over your babling and see which of you can witness this Christ this Sanctification and this Perfection and give over your disputes and rabling and rambling with an unclean mind For the Grace of God teaches to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts Which I do see you know nothing of but in the Notion and the History of it who are Ministers of the Letter Friends see if you be brought to see a Conscience that doth accuse for sin For that you must witness before you witness the Gospel and look within your selves and gad not abroad For that is the woman that abides not in her own house Friends let me ask you one question are you come to the end that you are Teachers of others I believe it will appear with a literal knowledge or have you an infallible judgement to judge of perfection who were perfect and who were not perfect For you make it appear as though you were able to judge but it is with your own sense and dark thoughts and not with the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures who was the Minister of Christ which had it said that they might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus You speak forth your imaginations Is the perfection that is in the Saints but a kind of perfection as you speak of These are your Saints which live in the Imaginations and your Perfection and your Sanctification which is your own sense who wrest the Scripture to your own destruction by one offering he hath for
Letter that was given me and the Answer which I sent unto it which was directed to his wife together with the Reply that the Quakers made unto it which indeed is too tedious to be read of any who have most time it is such a sottish and senseless piece of stuff and hath so much scurrilous language in it But by it and by the Queries the Saints and World may know what a people these are what little hope there is of any good to be wrought upon them if they would admit of any rational discourse from Scripture some encouragement would be given to spend time that way with them but they can easily evade all with such Answer as this Busie minds give senses to Scripture and are Persons that have nothing to do with Scripture can witness nothing of that they speak of They pretend to speak and act all by the Spirit and if any one will try the Spirit that they speak by their Reply is that such an one can neither witness Scripture nor Spirit and therefore hath nothing to do with such things Yet they deceive many and they increase in number continually but the time will come that they shall proceed no further In the mean time it ought to be sad to every godly spirit that Satan should have such power to work so effectually in and upon many who have been reputed Saints who are drawn into them but God will issue all to his Glory at the last and in this I rest and remain Thine in the Lord Jesus Samuel Eaton THE Quakers QUERIES For some Friends who call themselves Elders of the Church of Christ meeting at Stopport these c. A few Queries to you who profess your selves to be Teachers Pastors and Elders Querie 1. WHether you have the same eternal Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures yea or no Querie 2. Whether the Apostles did give a right meaking to the Scriptures when they gave them forth or left them to you to give a meaning to them yea or no Querie 3. Whether the Plagues be not added to them who add to the Prophesies written in the Book and whether his Name be not diminished out of the Book of Life that diminishes and whether you can witness this Name yea or no Querie 4. Whether you have an infallible Judgement to judge of things eternal yea or no Querie 5. Whether you be above the Apostle and are able to judge his Condition because you say he was not perfect who said he spoke wisdom among them that were perfect Querie 6. Whether you have the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the World was which the Apostle speaks of yea or no Querie 7. Whether you have heard the voice of the liveing God of Heaven and Earth or whether do you not take the Prophets words Christs words and the Apostles words and say he saith it when saith the Lord I never spoke to you Querie 8. Whether a man shall overcome the body of sin while he is upon the Earth yea or no Querie 9. Whether you preach no other Doctrine then that which the Apostles did that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and with our hands have handled of the word of life For this life is made manifest and we have seen it and bear witness and shew it unto you Querie 10. Whether you have this word which was from the beginning and this life manifested to you which was to the Apostles And if it be why do you take a Text from the Letter and Preach from it and shew the People the Letter Querie 11. And shew me where the Prophets did take a Text and preach from it but only Christ read a place and said it was fulfilled who said he was anointed to preach and which of you can witness you are anointed to preach by the living God yea or no Querie 12. Tell me why you sing Davids Conditions and Experiences in Meeter and when you read them hats you keep on and when you sing them hats you put off Querie 13. Whether you have the voice and whether you do know the voice of Christ from the voice of a Stranger My Sheep know my voice saith Christ seing that you are so forward to judge and sit as Judges of the Saints Conditions Querie 14. Whether that which is in you which Judgeth be eternal and infallible yea or no Querie 15. What is the Ordinance which is ordained of God that those which you call Quakers deny and where or when did God command you to observe them As to sprinkle Infants to pray before and after your Sermons as you call them or to set times dayes and hours which was in the Generation which were enemies to Christ who observed such things Querie 16. What these Ordinances of God be which you speak of And where God commanded them and to whom which you say those that you call Quakers do deny mention them in particular and declare them openly in Writing and give over accusing Querie 17. Whether you do not seduce the People to draw them from the anointing within them when as John saith they need no man teach them but as the anointing and the Promise was Eternal Life to him that did abide in the anointing Querie 18. Whether you do not bewitch the people to draw them from the Spirit of God within them to observe these things which God never commanded to tell people of a Sacrament and following your outward Teaching who stand praying in the Synagogues and are called of men-Masters which Christ did forbid Mat. 23. And have the chiefest places in the Assemblies Whether these be not Antichrists which act contrary to the Commands of Christ this yea or no Querie 19. Whether a man shall ever grow up that he need no man teach him under your Ministry yea or no seeing the Apostle saith you need no man teach you and you which have been long Teachers how many have you brought up into this Condition The Church of Christ is the Pillar and Ground of Truth which doth witness the eternal Spirit and if you be the same Church and have the same Spirit Answer me these Queries without any consequences or senses otherwise deny your Eldership and Pastorship and to be no Church of Christ From some Friends in the Truth in Lancashire whom the World calls Quakers An ANSWER to the forementioned Queries brought by one Richard Waller a Messenger of the Quakers and presented by him in the name of them unto the Elders of the Church common-called the Church of Duckenfield now meeting at Stockport in the face and presence of the whole Congregation and an Answer required fromthe above said Elders upon the 5th of Iune 1653. Querie 1. WHether you have the Eternal Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures yea or no Answ We do believe and assert that all Concering the indwelling of the Spirit in the Saints that do
believe in Jesus Christ of which number we take our selves to be have the Spirit of Jesus Christ Rom. 8. 9 dwelling in them 1 Cor. 3. 16. Which Spirit is God Acts 10. 3. 5. compared with vers 19 20. and therefore Eternal Dout. 33. 27. and he who gave forth the Scriptures 2 Pet. 1. 21. 2 Tim. 3. 16. But we do not believe that there is any substantial essential or personal union betwixt this Eternal Spirit and such Believers For such Unions would either make the Spirit and Believers some third thing as when soul and body are united a third thing which is neither soul nor body but compounded of both ariseth from it which is called Man or else thee will be a confounding of substance which cannot be for God cannot mix with the Creature And else such Union if it should be Personal as betwixt the two Natures in Christ would make Believers God and equal with Christ and consequently equal with God himself The Consequence of which would be thatsuch Persons would have an Almighty Power which they might put forth in working as many miracles as they please as they may see it make for the Glory of God and that they would be omniscient and know all things and would have the rest of Gods Atributes as Christ had who was God andequal with God and in whom this Personal Union was But this is palpsbly false in reference to Saints and is full of Blasphemy And though we believe that the Spirit of Christ dwels in Saints yet we assert the Spirit of Christ to be distinct from the Saint and the Saints from the Spirit And though he dwells in the Saints yet he acts not in them but as it pleaseth him neither doth he impart Wisdom Power Grace and Glory but as it pleaseth him 1 Cor. 12. 7. to 12. And though there be the same Spirit in all Saints that gave sorth the Scriptures yet all Saints have not the same Inspiration of the Spirit which the Prophets and Apostles had so as they should be able to give forth infallible Truths and immediatly discover the pure and clear will of God as the Prophets and Apostles did Timothy had the Spirit of God yet he must give attendance to Reading 1 Tim. 1. 13. and 2 Tim. 1. 14. 15. He must continue in the things he had learned and had been assured of knowing of whom he had learned them And the holy Scriptures which of a child he had the knowledge of are those Writings to which the Apostle sends him as being able to make him wise to Salvation The Spirit within him did not dictate all things to him but he must have recourse to the Scriptures God dwelt in the Temple but God did not make out all his Glory in the Temple Sometimes there was no Glory at all that was visible and yet God was there and when there was Glory there was not all that might have been And Believers are the Temple of the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of God dwels in them but God doth not make out all his glory in them not all the Glory his Wisdom Power Holiness or of the rest of his Attributes For neither is there a capacity in the Crreature to receive it neither doth the Spirit communicate according to the capacity but it is reserved for another time and place and now every Saint is in weakness and infirmity as in Knowledge so in all other Graces 1 Cor. 13. 9. to 13. Querie 2. Whether the Apostles did give a right meaning Concerning the sense of the Scriptures to the Scriptures when they gave them forth or left them to you to give the meaning of them yea or no Answ The Apostles and so all the Penmen of Scriptures in all the Scriptures they gave forth had a meaning and they gave it forth in and with those Scriptures which they gave forth yet not alwayes so plainly that the meaning thereof might be rightly taken up by those that read them unless compared with some other Scriptures which they also have given out which have a plainer sense in them and are helpful to expound them 1 Cor. 2. 13. Christ saith unto the Jews who required a Sign Ioh. 2. 19. Destroy this Temple and in three daies I will raise it up again Christ had a sense in which he meant those words he understood what himself said but the Iews understood it not could not take up the sense but applyed the words to a Material Building But the Evangelist gives the right sense in which Christ intended them and we come to know the right sense not by the signification of the words themselves for more things are signified then one by one word as the word Temple signifieth plainly and properly a material house where God gave his Presence and was worshipped but siguratively and mystically the Body of man in which the Soul dwels In this metaphorical sense Christ meant it But this did not appear to them nor would it have appeared to us by the signification of the word if in another place of Scripture the Evangelist had not given the interpretation Ioh. 2. 21 22. The Apostle Peter tels us 2 Pet. 3. 16. that some things in Paul Epistles were hard to be understood which they which were unlearned and unstable did wrest to their own destruction There was a sense which Paul gave forth in those Seriptures in his Epistles but it was not easie but hard to be understood and so hard that they who were unlearned in the Scriptures not well read therein not well vers'd not well acquainted therewith did wrest them and unstable ones by reason of the difficulty that was in the sense of them did pervert them to their own and others ruin Christ in his Parables that he gave out which are part of Scripture had a meaning But the meaning was so mystical and hidden that the Diseiples could not have found it out if Christ himself in other words had not given the sense and meaning thereof And Moses the Prophets wrote of Christ so darkly obscurely that though themselves knew what they meant in what they wrote Iohn 12. 41 yet others did not the Disciples did not till Christ first expounded unto them the things which Moses and the Prophets wrote of him Luk 24. 26 27. Therefore it is that Christ commmands to search the Scriptures because the meaning lieth deep in many places and is hidden from the common eye yet by searching what Scriptures layd together speak the sense may be gotten out In Answer therefore to the Question the Apostles when they gave out the Scriptures they gave out the sense in some places more darkly in other places more clearly so that the sense and meaning may be taken up at least in all the great Points of Faith if Scriptures be compared with each other And they have not left them to us nor to any others to give the sense of them that is to put any sense of
hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and convince gain-sayers Tit. 1. 9 10. And the reason is rendred because there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers whose mouthes must be stopped who subvert whole houses vers 10. 11. There must not be waiting for a new word an immediate word but that word which hath been already taught must be held fast and that is the sound Doctrine which must be made use of to convince and exhort men by and this word may be called the Word of the Lord to the Apostles and Prophets for our use and benefit though not spoken to us immediately as Paul said Well spake the holy Ghost by Isaiah he did not say Well spake the holy Ghost to me but to Isaiah It was Gods Word to Isaiah which he made use of against that people to whom he spake though not Gods word to him immediately Querie 8. Whether a man shall overcome the body of sin Concerning sin what freedom persons have from it and what not while he is upon the Earth yea or no Answ If this Question be meant of a full and perfect Victory over the body of sin which is accompanied with the utter destruction of the body of sin so as that there shall be no remainders of it abiding in men so as that persons shall be all Spirit and no flesh and in a perfect state without any propensity to sin then the Answer must be negative no man while upon Earth shall overcome the body of sin after such manner For the Apostle declares the condition of all the Saints in this World Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would and the same Apostle in Rom. 7. 14. to the end describes in his own person the vexatious exercise that all Believers have more or less in this World through contrary laws within them viz. through the law of the flesh and the law of the minde which are always warring one against the other And though they do delight in the Law of God after the inward man yet many times through the strength of sin within them they know not how to perform that which is good And this made the Apostle groan for deliverance v. 24. Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me c. And though he thanks God through Jesus Christ yet it was not for any perfect or full deliverance that he obtained after his groaning from this condition for he concludes of himself in the very next words after his thanksgiving That with the minde he himself served the Law of God but with the flesh the law of sin And the deliverance which he had in Christ was from the Curse of such a state rather then from the state it self and from such dominion as would make him a perfect Captive from which he was kept For still his will was to do good though many times the good which he would have done he did it not And it was deliverance he apprehended by Faith would be through Jesus Christ to him at last in which he rejoyced and for which he thanked God rather then for any victorious strength he at that time possessed And he saw it in Christ the head already and assured himself of it in due time upon that account But an overcoming of the body of sin such as delivers from all sin in this world is expresly against the Scripture as hath been already declared in our Letter which we sent in Answer to that pleaded-for perfection contained in a Letter of theirs brought to our view But if the Question respect onely a partial overcoming and such as is imperfect and is onely in tendency towards perfection of conquest it will then be condescended to For Saints go forth conquering and to conquer and yet sometimes have the worst of it and are as Captives Rom. 7. 23. And yet are never totally disarmed but reassume the weapons of their warfare and take hold on Gods strengh and get the better again and weaken the fleshly part by a power from on high And in such a sense as this it will be granted that a man may and doth overcom the body of sin He is about the work and is doing it by the power of the Spirit he is mortifying the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8. 13. and believing that through Christ strengthening him he shall be perfectly Conqueror at the last he may be said to have done it as in 1 Joh. 5. 4. Querie 9. Whether you preach no other Doctrine but Concerning preaching whether it depend upon seeing of Christ with our bodily eys hearing of him with our bodily ears handling of him with our bodily hands as the Apostles did yea or no what the Apostles did That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life For this life is made manifest and we have seen it and bear witness and shew it unto you Answer This Question is proposed upon occasion of John's Preface to his first Epistle where John first declares the subject which he would bear witness of and that was Christ said to be from the beginning in reference to his Diety and said to be one heard seen handled in reference to his humanity And afterwards he declares his assurance which he had in witnessing and shewing what he should present he would shew them nothing but what he had both heard seen and handled and therefore could confirm the truth thereof unto them Now the Question demands of us whether we preach no other Doctrine then such as John preached Is the meaning of it Whether we preach Christ as he did if so we could resolve him that we aym at no other thing but to exalt Christ And we would have all our preaching tend thither But there is another thing intended in the Question Whether we preach with that assurance that he did nothing but what we have heard of him and seen of him and handled and felt of him and what is after this manner manifest unto us and within us And if this be the sense as without doubt it is then the Answer must be that we do not preach that Christ whom we have seen with out bodily eys heard with our bodily ears and handled with out bodâ—ly hands for Christ is in Heaven in his humanity and not on Earth and therefore not to be seen heard or handled by us or any other that live on Earth But that Christ which John and the rest of the Apostles heard saw and handled we preach and we do not give our own assurance but the Apostles assurance and we conceive that the Apostles assurance is as good now as it was then And we have warrant to preach what we have
whom God spake and that the truth of our Doctrine may be read of all men being engraven upon such Scriptures which we make choyce of and by this means also the idle extravagances of mens wits and fancies which will never convince the conscience throughly are prevented But why is the taking of a Text quarrell'd at when yet it is confessed that Christ took a Text And doth he not therein justifie us What if the Prophets did not yet if Christ did will not his example bear out our practise But these men make light of this pattern detracting and diminishing though they know the danger of it mentioned Revel 22. 19. from the fulness of that Scripture that declares it Luk. 4. 16. to 23. They say that onely Christ read a place but the Evangelist saith That as his custom was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read and that then there was a Book delivered to him and when he had opened the Book he found the place that he would read and then closed it again and gave it to the Minister They say that Christ said it was fulfilled and as if this were all they mention no more but the Evangelist saith That the people wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth And these things are obvious from this Text they mention First there were publike places to meet in which were called Synagogues Secondly there were dayes set apart for service to be performed to God in such places which are called Sabbath dayes Thirdly there was a Minister whose work it was to read out of some book of holy Scriptures to the people to instruct them thence Fourthly it is manifest that Christ approved of all this and he liked this way so well that he himself did go and do likewise and did accustom himself to the same course of teaching the people as that which was edifying to them so that it was not once only done that Christ took a Text but oftend one his custome was to read some portion of Scripture and to preach out of it And it is evident that Christ did not onely say This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears but many gracious words proceeded from him tending as must needs be supposed by any man that hath but the use of his reason to clear it up to their capacities how that Scripture in every part of it was fulfilled by opening and unfolding the many branches of so plentiful and large a Text and shewing how all things therein related unto were accomplished in himself which might be a subject of many Moneths discourse as Christ might have followed it But these men object that Christ was anoynted to preach and demand which of us can witness that we are anoynted to preach by the living God Christs anoynting was not by the pouring of any oyl upon his head after the manner of the High Priests anoynting Psal 133. 2. which was but a shadow of a more excellent Unction which Christ had And the Prophet Psal 45. 7. doth but allude thereunto But his anoynting was by the donation of the Spirit and the gifts and graces thereof Ioh. 1. 32 33. ch 3. 34. by which he was enabled to the execution of such Offices and works to which he was called in redeeming a people to God and especially to preach the Gospel which in a very excellent and glorious way he effected Luk. 4. 22. And all the Saints receive the same spirit and gifts and graces every one according to the measure of such a part which they fill up in the body and are Kings and Priests and Prophets to themselves as Scripture calls them But those persons especially whom God calls out to be to the body in place of eyes to guide them and direct them God gives more of his grace and influence to as appears from Eph. 4. 8. He ascended up on high and gave gifts to men viz. such men as he placeth in his Church for the work of the Ministery and for the perfecting of the Saints till the end of the world therefore Christ is not anoynted alone but all whom he calls to the Ministery are anoynted also with the same spirit and gifts and graces onely he hath the preheminence and hath an anoynment above his fellows for he received not the spirit by measure as those who are his Ministers and servants now do Psal 45. 7. Ioh. 3. 34. Querie 12. Tell me why you sing Davids Conditions and Concerning singing of Scripture Psalms the Lawfulness and necessity thereof Experiences in Meeter and when you read them Hats you put on and when you sing them Hats you put off Answ Davids conditions and experiences are many times our own conditions and experiences and then we sing them not as Davids meerly but as our own by a spirit of Faith making application to our selves of what we sing out of David But many times it s otherwise that something of Davids inditing and of his state and containing his experience is the matter of our Psalms which we cannot so fitly apply to our own condition and temper and many stumble at this and are offended but it s from some darkness in themselves for Psalms are for instruction by the very design and scope of of God who dictated them and enjoyns them as the Titles of very many of them shew And the Apostle enjoyns the Saints to teach and admonish themselves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Song and what ever the matter of them be one end or use of them must be instruction to our selves from them as from any other parts of Scripture And the reasons of singing them are such as these 1. God would have us in our meetings to rejoyce in him which is done in singing 2. God would have his word to be familiar to us Col. 3. 16. it must dwell in us and this must be shewed in singing and would have us so much to delight in it and to finde such sweetness in it that we should make our selves spiritually merry with it 3. Because singing is that which raiseth the Spirit refresheth the heart moves the affections very much God would have the Spirits of his people to be raised and refreshed in the deliberate meditation of his Word what ever the subject matter be For therefore it is that the Psalms which David and other Saints compiled to be sing consist of subjects of greatest diversity and variety Some are Historical some Prophetical some are Hortatory some are Precatory others Deprecatory others Laudative or Psalms of prayse and the soul should take pleasure in all and have the heart raised in the meditation of all Do we not observe how a prophane carnal spirit will compile Songs of every kinde of matter and will make it self merry therewith And shall not a spiritual heart sing every thing that is a Psalm and is Divine and Spiritual with an elevated and raised minde Object But why most
the Ministery of the Word upon that account casting off seâ—ing of Tables did joyn prayer unto it and did wait upon these joyntly Act. 6. 4. Thirdly we reade that it was the Custom of the Apostles to begin every weighty serious business with prayer when they were to cast a lot they went to prayer first when they were to lay on hands on Deacons they first prayed when they were to send forth Paul and Barnabas to the work which God had appointed them unto viz. to preach the Gospel they prayed first when they ordained Elders in every City they began it with prayer so that all was attempted with prayer preaching therefore being a weighty work should be performed with Prayer Fourthly prayer is that which sanctifieth all things and persons have a Christian holy use of things which in their nature are but Civil Every creature of God saith Paul 1 Tim. 4. 5. is sanctified of God by the word and prayer much rather should holy and religious services be used holily by adioyning prayer thereunto Fifthly The Apostle Paul giving direction in his Epistle to Timothy how the worship and service of God should he carried on in the Churches of Christ doth in 1 Tim. 2. 1 2 3. enjoyn that first of all Prayers and Supplications should be made his scope is not to direct particular Christians but Churches of Christians in their publike Assemblies as appears from vers 11 12. where Women are commanded to keep silence and are not suffered to teach Now this respects the publike meetings of the Saints and in 1 Cor. 11. 4. the same Apostle gives light how publike exercises of Religion were carried on in the Christian Assemblies there was prayer and prophesying afoot amongst them prophesying was not without prayer Sixthly there are also many general rules amongst others that in Phil. 4. 8. which serve to justifie this practice What ever things are just true honest pure lovely of good report if there be any vertue any praise think on these things Now I leave it to the judgement of any person who is not given up to a wicked spirit whether prayer before and after preaching be not such a thing And the Apostle many times requires that things which make for edification may be done 1 Cor. 14. 4 5 12 26. Eph. 4. 26. 1 Thes 5. 11. But these men shew what spirit they are of by their arguing against the most religious and holy Exercises and spiritual Performances which the Saints use and which the Devil and the Flesh have alwayes much opposed Concerning set times days and hours which was in the Concerning set times and days and hours generation which was enemies to Christ who observed such things I know not what answer to make unless I understood what it is that they find fault with The Charge runs as if we did keep up those Jewish Sabbaths and holy Fasts and Feasts and Hours of Prayer which were observed in Christs time whilest he lived on Earth amongst those of his own Nation most of which were enemies unto him but they are or might be convinced of the contrary concerning us that we set no such times a part for worship as they did neither was it the practice of the enemies of Christ only to set such times and days and hours apart but of the friends of Christ also and of Christ himself while he was upon the Earth and of the Apostles seeing it was by divine institution that the people should meet at such times Acts 3. 1. Nor was it any part of their enmity against Christ but rather of their subjection to God that they met at such times therefore these Persons have another intent and scope in their question It is our Lords day-meetings and our Christian Fasts and Thanksgiving-days that we keep that they are offended at it is the hours of prayer in our Church-meetings and Families which they find fault with and in this also they strike at Godliness for if they can but destroy all forms the power will fall with it for though the form be but the shell yet it preserves the kernel the power is put forth in a form and if they can but acquit and discharge the body from service and religious exercise the spirit will not bear up in it any long time after but all devotion and duty Godward both in body and soul will fall in short time Therefore the Devil and his Instruments plead against set times days and hours knowing very well that Gods worship cannot at all be performed by many Christians together without times and days and hours no nor yet kept alive any long time in any But for the better justification of set times days and hours Concerning the first day for Gods service let it be considered First that time is a perpetual adjunct of action there is no action can be done but it must be done in time It is therefore a necessary adjunct of divine and spiritual actions so that if God will enjoyn a worship and a service to be performed to him he must needs enjoyn the time in which he will have it performed Secondly let it be duly weighed that both the Apostles themselves were wont to meet upon the first day of the week to worship God and that Christ met with them upon that day twice and thereby shewed his approbation of their meeting upon that day Joh 20. 19 20 26. And also that the Churches that were planted in the world by the Apostles observed that day in course as it came and set it apart for divine exercises 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. Act. 20. 7. and further it is to be observed that the Apostle annexed duty to that day and bound the collection of the Saints to that day as it should come in course which how he could do without usurping upon them unless he had received it from the Lord I cannot understand And also that that day above all other days was denominated the Lords day and it was spoken of as a noted known day to all the Saints by that name Rev. 1. 10. which name Lords day doth point at an institution as when the Supper is denominated the Lords Supper it is from the institution which it had from the Lord Christ that it is so named and Lords day holds the setting of it apart to the Lords use and to call something for remembrance which can be nothing but the resurrection as the Lords Supper is for remembrance Thirdly let it be observed that occasional Fasts are justified in the Concerning fasts and thanksgiving days New Testament as well as in the old from Primitive examples both of Apostles and Churches Acts 13. 3. and 14. 23. and upon the like accompt will occasional thanksgivings be maintained and we have in the new Testament besides the instances that may be fetcht from the Old Testament something that looks that way Acts 4. 23. to 32. Fourthly concerning hours it doth not appear from the New Testament
expresly till Christ come 1 Cor. 11. 26. And let all take heed least slighting Seals and gracious Covenants they be hereafter accompted despisers of Gods Grace which will be reckoned amongst the greatest sins Secondly Concerning our outward teaching I have declared already in part the necessity of it It is the ordinary way Concerning outward teaching and Ministery by which a people that are in darkness are brought to light Mat. 4. 13 14. Act. 26. 16 17 18. It is the way and means by which the deep and profound and many most sweet and necessary Truths of Scripture come to be understood Acts 8. 30 31. It is the means which God hath appointed for the bringing of men to Faith Rom. 10. 14 17. It is the power of God to Salvation Rom. 1. 16. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who do believe 1 Cor. 1. 21. Upon which accompt it is that the Apostle concludes wo unto himself if he preach not the Gospel of Christ 1 Cor. 9. 16. It is the means of exalting Christ which made the Apostle so much to rejoyce that Christ was preached though from an envious Spirit Phil. 1. 18. And hence it is that God in all times and ages in which he hath had a Church hath had such which have preached and taught the people as James observed in that speech of his in the Councel Act. 15. 21. Moses saith he of old time hath in every City them that preach him being read in the Synagogue every Sabbath-day And must Christ be worse provided for then Moses no Christ himself was a Preacher of himself Luk. 4. 18. Mat. 4. 23. and he gave Commission to his Disciples to preach and sent them into all the World for that purpose Mat. 18. 19. and in them he commissioned others in all Ages to the end of the World for he promised his presence to the end of the world and consequently not to them only which were not to continue so long but to such also who should succeed them impreaching If any one should attempt to make this place invalid by interpreting the words which are translated to the end of the World to be meant only to the end of that Age because of the diversity of the sense that is put upon the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated World and sometimes signifies Age to shew the weakness thereof I shall only give this hint these words together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are used for the end of the World in a plain proper sense in many places of Scripture as Mat. 13. 39 40. aâ—d cap 24. 3. Heb 9. 26. and I know not that they are together used in any other sense Secondly It seems to be too gross and wicked to restrain Christs presence to an Age much more the things that are given in charge to be preached and observed vers 20. as if one only Age were to observe Christs Commands for howsoever the Apostles were the Persons that immediately received the Commands and had the Promise yet there is a further scope in Christs words and a clear intimation of the continuation of the work by others who should succeed after they should cease to be For sutable to this is that charge which Paul gives to Timothy 1 Tim. 6. 13 14. I give theâ— charge in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Iesus Christ c. that thou keep this Commandment without spot irrebukably until the appearing of the Lord Iesus Christ Was Timothy to continue til the appearing of Jesus Christ or is there not another thing implyed viz. that Timothy should have successors in that work to whom Paul gives the charge as well as to him and lays it upon them to keep the same Commandment And because it is one work Paul speaks to them all as to one man and so did Christ in the Commission above mentioned And Christ ascended up on high and gave gifts to men and he appointed some Apostles some Evangelists some Prophets some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery and for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the Stature of the falness of Christ Eph. 4. 11 12 13. that is till all Saints come to a State of Perfection so as neither to be subject to errour nor to sin which is not attainable in this World Christ was born in weakness and littleness of stature as other men and he grew up to a perfect man the Apostle alludes to this Saints are growing up whilest they are here in knowledge and in all spiritual Gifts and Graces till nothing be wanting of that proportion which God hath appointed for them which is not in this life And Ministery must last while Saints are in their growing state while any thing is wanting of the measure they must come unto Object But ministerial gifts are not now to be found in the world such which the Ministers of the Gospel had in the Primitive times the Apostles were not to go forth into the world but were to tarry at Ierusalem though they had a Commission to Preach the Gospel in all Nations till they were first endued with power from on high that is till they were annoynted with the holy Ghost as was done at the time of Pentecost as is mentioned Act. 2 1 2 3. c. then had they the Spirit given them and were enriched greatly with gifts by which they were enabled to discharge that service they were called unto so Gal. 3. 5. the person that preached the Gospel had the ministring of the Spirit but now no such gifts therefore no such work ministerial as was then nor any such Officers as Pastors Teachers c. as was then Answ First When the Apostle Paul layeth down the qualification of Bishops or Elders for they are one he mentions many things respecting a good conversation and some other things respecting a right dispensation he must be â—ound in the Faith and setled and established in the Truth and mighty in the Scriptures that he may convince gainsayers and inclinable to communicate what gift he hath by an aptness to teach and he must be good and upright in his life in all things But not one word proceeds from the Apostle of any extraordinary gifts wherewith he is to be endued but a total silence in that point Now if such an anointment had been necessary with such an absolute necessary as that without it there could be no Bishops no Pastors and Elders of any kind at all how comes it that the Apostle omits the mention of so main a thing which is made the principal when he nominates many other things Therefore that anointment which the Apostles had and thole gifts wherewith they were enriched they served for other ends then to qualifie them
Dear friend Christian I have sent you a little book read it without partiality and you may see deceit discovered My wife desires you to present her service to her Master and Mistress and all the children and her love unto you and all the servants We are both well and our child grows fast As for me as I begun with my dear love unto you all so I end For I dare not complement because it is a Custom of the World Farewell A Copy of an answer to the forementioned Letter written in the name of the Church of Duckenfield now meeting in Stopport and sent unto the wife of Richard Waller for the setling and establishing of her in the faith of Christ being a member of the forementioned Church wherein all such Scriptures which were brought to prove an absolute Perfection and Quaking are Interpreted and the true sense given to them and freed from such corrupt fense for which they are alledged Sister Waller YOu are very precious to us though your miscarriage against God and us hath been very great We are apt to hope that the Lord either hath or will convince you of the sin you committed in your unadvised Marriage Which you so selfwilledly carried on against us And when your heart is kindly humbled we know you will give praise to God and justifie us And then we shall conceive as much can see of joy from your repentance as we have done grief from your sin We cannot yet think otherwise but that you do belong to the Lord And if so he will not suffer you to have rest in any evil way you have gone in till he have made you truly sensible and sorrowfull after a Godly manner which if ever you once manifest to us we shall with as much tenderness own you as in any time heretofore For you are very dear to us and our bowels do very much yearn after you Especially since we heard of a Letter which your husband wrote to Duckenfield which some of us have seen by which we discern what deadly poyson he hath sucked in to the undoing of his poor Soul if God be not very mercifull to him and bring him to Repentance And you also through your nearness of Relation to him are exposed to multiplicity of Temptations to forsake the faith of our Lord Jesus and to turn aside to such Satanical delusions which he is carried away with We do conceive hope that as yet the Lord hath kept you by observing one passage of his Letter which holds out your desire that your service may be presented to your Master and Mistress therein owning the relation they stood in to you and you to them which he declares against making it the worlds way and not Gods Our desire and prayer to God for you shall be that he will yet keep you even to the end And who can tell but that the Lord may bring out a great deal of good to your soul by this evil of your Husbands fearfull apostacy which his Letter holds out God may open your eyes thereby to see your sinfull haste which you made in that Marriage He may humble you for rushing upon it against Counsel he may make you to know that he was angry against you by leaving him to such fearful error of way He hath laid a sore affliction upon you by giving up one so near and dear to you to such fearfull Temptations You have offended God through him and now you must be chastned in him Be awakned be awakned and consider the Lords righteous hand in this matter The person whom you have chosen God seems to have forsaken at least for a time he is become the Devils Captive O fear you and repent you least he also forsake you But we hope better of you and our prayer is that you may be setled and established in the truth We foresee that you will be strongly sollicited He that thought himself bound to tempt persons by his Letters at so great a distance what alluring ways will not he take to cause you to forsake your integrity and to turn aside to such fleshly deceits of Satan take heed you be not bewitched with pretences and quotations of Scripture presented in the Letter there lyes the greatest danger The Devil tempted Christ by telling him that it was written and his Instruments will use the same fleights They will put false Glosses upon Scripture while they deny all senses to be put upon Scripture to deceive themselves and others thereby The Apostle Peter saith 2 Pet. 3. 16. that some that are unlearned and unstable do wrest Scripture to their own destruction and he doth warn them lest they being led away by the error of the wicked do fall from their own stedfastness by such means And we also do beseech you to beware of this Snare viz of Scripture abused by misconstructions It is a misconstruction when the construction is made to follow the sound of the words though it be never so much repugnant to other Scripture You know that all Scripture is given by Inspiration of God 2 Tim 3 16. And that holy men spake as they were Inspired by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. Now God is a God of Truth and the Spirit is a Spirit of Truth and cannot speak contrary things nor contradict himself therefore if there be any seeming contradiction in Scripture taken in the Letter of it we must seek after a right sense by which the seeming contradiction may be removed Your husband produceth many Scriptures to prove an absolute perfection without sin And the first Scripture he mentions is Phil. 3. 15. Let us saith Paul speaking of himself and the Philippians as many as be perfect be thus minded He Collects from hence that the Saints here have such a perfection that excludes all sin Alas poor Creature We thought he had been better acquainted with his own heart But he might have looked a little higher in the Chapter upon ver 12. and have discerned that Paul expresly denies Perfection in reference to himself Not as though I were already perfect saith he Was Paul perfect and yet was he not perfect In the Letter there is a contradiction But Paul speaking by the Spirit of God cannot contradict himself therefore we must look after the sense of the word Perfect It is many time taken for sincere 2 Kings 15. 14. Asa took not away the high places that was his failing Yet his heart was perfect In what sense perfect Was it perfect without sin Not so For it was his sin that the high places were not taken away But perfect that is Upright He did not serve God in pretence but in truth They say we must not give the sense of Scripture but must take it in the Letter but that is contrary to the examples of Scripture Those in Nehemiah 8. 8. read in the Book of the Law and gave the sense and it is necessary sometimes to avoid contradiction which is in the Letter to
the Earth onely but the Heaven also Now the Apostle gives the sense of these words yet once more vers 27. It signifieth faith he the removing of those things that are shaken that those things which cannot be shaken may remain Now those Persons whom they call Quakers they are shaken in their meetings first one and then another then the Text taken in the Letter shews that they shall be removed and taken away seeing they are shaken but others who are not shaken shall remain so they fall by the Text which themselves alledge But the true sense of this Text is Metaphorical and signifies the removing of things corrupt in Church and State so far as it remains yet to be fulfilled and it did signifie the removal of Moses Law of Rites that the Gospel might be establâ—shed instead thereof There was an outward shaking of the Mount and of Moses but it was typical of this Metaphorical and spiritual shaking and shewed how Moses Paedagogie or Childish Discipline was to be removed away but what is this to their purpose There is also a spiritual trembling arising from the reverence of God and his Word which is inward in the foul which all Saints have more or less Isa 66 2. Ezra 9. 4. which are Texts of his citing but they make nothing for the upholding of their outward shaking nor are they persons that tremble at the Word of the Lord but are despisers of it There is also a quaking and trembling of Flesh but it did arâ—se from the sense of Gods Judgements Psal 119. 120. Jer. 23 9 Ier. 30 5 6. and from a sense of Gods Wrath Psal 187. but they who have the name of Quakers being all of them perfect and without sin as they pretend cannot be afraid of Gods judgements of his wrath nor do they quake upon that account what they shall do hereafter if they repent not we leave to that one ludge of the world to determine in his time There is also a quaking from Visions and Apparitions as when an Angel appeared to Daniel Dan. 10. 7. 11. and the outside of the Vision those that were with him saw and quaked and fled through fear they saw not the inside as those that were with Saul did which saw a light though they saw no man and they were terrified And Paul was astonied and trembled Acts 9. 6. upon the appearance of Christ to him Now whether these persons pretend to apparitions or not we know not and whether there be any Apparition unless the Devil doth appear we know not onely this we know Those persons who saw many Visions and to whom God immediately or by an Angel spake familiarly which caused quaking and trembling they were such for whom and by whom God wrought many wonderful things therefore said the Pharisees to the people We know that God spake with Moses It was known to all by signs and wonders that Moses did that God had Communion with him and spake to him so also it was with Daniel Peter Paul and all others so that all might be assured that God spake with then and the appearance was visible also Now when these persons can confirm their Visions by miraculous things wrought for them and by them it will be better received that God hath appeared and spoken to them But that which most satisfies us that neither they nor their quaking are of God is first because though some particular persons upon some particular and sudden appearances have trembled and quaked yet there is nothing in all the Scripture that makes out the meetings of many people together in a constant way and course waiting and expecting to see or hear something which casts them into trances and brings upon them quaking and trembling and in a kind of order also as first one and then another Indeed the Apostles did abide waiting at Ierusalem once but never after for the receiving of the Spirit according to the Promise of the Father by Christs own special Injunction but then the Spirit came in visible manner there was a rushing wind and sound from Heaven and an appearance of cloven tongues like as it were fire sat upon every one of them and they spake with tongues But what injunction have these men to meet and sit together waiting for any appearance of spirit or Angel or ought else And what promise have they made to them or what outward appearance is there of any comming of the Spirit to them Or what mighty works are done by them Or what communion with God or with his Spirit can they have which oppose God in their many blasphemous assertions which come from them and who destroy many of the great Doctrines of the Gospel and who change and subvert Gods Ordinances viz. Relations betwixt Magistrates and Subjects Masters and Servants c. which God doth build up in his word Sister You may discern what little strength there is in those many Scriptures in your Husbands Letter heaped togegether by that which we have presented in answer A cloud of misapplied Scriptures we hope will deceive none but the simple We are willing to believe that God hath and will give you a better understanding then to be deceived with vain words Watch you stand fast in the faith quit your self well like a solid Christian be strong If you doubt of any thing send to us we shall endevor to give you satisfaction and shall beg of God to guide you even he himself by his Spirit into all Truth Appear not in any other meetings as you tender the welfare of your Soul tempt not God to leave you If your Husband bring them to your house get from among them If by any means you can have no discourse with them least you be ensnared You are warned in your Husband he conversed with them and how soon is he become one of them as his Letter shews We pitty his condition greatly What would we do to recover him and bring him out of such snares But we fear least some sin is unrepented of and that God is offended and hath left him Look you to your self and past wayes and know the evil you have done and meet the Lord by faith and timely Repentance It may be God will be gracious to you and you shall be kept in the fire and in the water in the midst of the greatest and nearest dangers so that they shall not touch you nor hurt you Which shall be the prayer of those who are true friends to your soul and do watch over you as those who must give an account to God for you Farewell From the Elders and some brethren of the Church of Christ meeting at Stoppors In the name and on the behalf of the rest Sam. Eaton The Quakers Reply to our forementioned answer sent by Richard Waller with an injunction that it should be read in the presence of the CONGREGATION I Have received a Letter wherein I find many busie minds giving senses upon the Scriptures
more of like nature But there is scarce the shew of an answer to any thing in ours though it be very large and tedious Some of the un-favory and un-Christian expressions I have gathered out and presented to publike view that all persons that have to do with them may know what scurrilous language they may expect instead of an Answer I find many busie minds giving senses upon Scripture O flesh be silent before the Lord who art giving senses Who speaks with thine own will Thou hast uttered forth thy folly Who are unlearned therefore thou art wresting the Scriptures The same turns upon their own back and pate Thou livest in corrupt nature and pleadest for it A servant to the Devil maintaining his Kingdom Thou art led Captive doing the work of the Devil Thou art a witness against him and them who are in the second birth Thou art deceiving with vain words In the wisdom of the world thou art Shewing a contrary spirit to the Apostle Shewing thy self in the first birth and not in the second Litterally learned but not spiritually Had you the Spirit you would not wrest Scripture to your own destruction The confusion is in your own minds Let Pauls condition alone for you know nothing of it You are not compleat in Christ but without in the world It is the busie mind that would be exalted If I should answer to every sense you give I should make fools wise God will scatter the proud and there you are and there is your portion Your exernal mind and imagined wisdom which is from below There is an Image in your mind which neither knows Christ nor the way nor the Scripture That sense giving heals up the beast that hath a wound Here you sit as Judges of the Saints conditions speaking you do not know what of the Gospel of Moses of the Law of Justification of Sanctification Of these ye know nothing but have busie minds uttering forth your folly None of these can you witness to not the Law not Moses not Justification not Sanctification not the Gospel in the inward man but in the Notion It is babled and disputed upon as you do Friends give over your babling Give over your disputing and rabling and rambling with an unclean mind Look to your selves and gad not abroad for that is the woman thae abides not in her own house Paul did not tell you these words but you are thieves and steal his words You live in that nature by whom offences come But here you are not in this light nor can witness this blood nor the confession of your sin You are in the Generation of the Pharisees contending against Christ Children of the Devil and in that Generation are ye pleading for sin and not for faith You have one of the beasts colours of profession You appear beautifull as every harlet doth None in your Church and Generation can bridle his tongue Herein thou shewst thy self and thy Religion to be vain You are evil beasts and slow bellies You are Blinded Fogged Misted with the corruptions of a dark mind You are liars which would draw somthing out of Johns words Here you stand up for the Devils Kingdom You have uttered forth your folly without knowledge The world by wisdom knows not God and there are you You are in the same nature who justifie them who are for condemnation The earth within is that which pleads for the Devils Kingdom Thou shewest thy self to be of the same Adulterous Generation of the Scribes and Pharises You have uttered forth many lyes and slanders and scandalous speeches You are in Cains nature murthering the righteous one You are spewing forth your venom against an harmless people As dogs ye snarl and bite them that are guided by the Spirit of God You speak a vain divination You are yet under the dominion of Satan You have uttered forth your folly and filthiness They that say they are Iews and are not but are of the Synagogue of Satan there are you This is some of that mire and dirt which as the Sea they cast up against us meerly for the cause of that Letter which we sent to one of their wives who stood related to us But this is not all for the whole Reply consists of such kind of Language save that here and there there is some small intermixture of some Scriptures produced for the Justification of Perfection anh Quaking which I see no cause to return any further answer to because the answer that is already given in the Letter that we sent which is now presented to publike view may be equally applied to such Scriptures which are here added as to those other Scriptures which I met with before and will remain in like force These are the persons who alone pretend to the Spirit and to the second birth and do not onely lay us but all the Saints in all the World under the condemnation of such who have not the spirit and are in the first birth and not in the second But what spirit it is that Dwells and Acts and Rules in them doth appear from their expressions for their speech bewraies them These things have I presented for this end and purpose to obstruct their way and stop their further proceedings that by their impostures they may pevail no longer If God shall be pleased to give his blessing to my endeavors herein it will be a good reward of my labors however I have discharged my duty and shall have peace in that There was a paper given unto me containing the confession of Iohn Gilpin a Quaker Which is now printed for publike view that all may take notice what spirit it is that possesseth these persons and may fear and tremble at Gods just Judgements who delivers up them to Satan who cast off him FINIS There is lately Printed and sold by Thomas Brewster at the three Bible in Pauls Church-yard near the West and these Books viz. A discovery of Mystical Antichrist Displaying Christs Banners but attempting to lay waste Scriptures Churches Christ Faith Hope c. Containing an examination of the Doctrines and ways of the Quakers in York-shirie Written by John Pomroy Pa. Glissen Ioseph Kellet Milk for Babes in Christ or Meditations Observations and Experiences Divers Cases of Conscience Resolved c. by M. Fynch Preacher of the Gospel in Lincoln-shire Sions glory Discovered in the Churches and Ordinances before the fulness of the Iews come in by I. Prowd Three Treatises 1. A Discovery of the unsupportable burthen of sin 2. The Resolution of a soul to return to God that is sensible of his withdrawings 3. The Entertainment that such meet within their returnings by P. Hobson The Resurrection of the Witnesses and Englands fall from Rome by M. Cary. Refractoria Disputatio Or the Thwarting Conference In a Discouse between different Interests Disputing about the Dissolution of the late Parliament and other Changes of State A stop to the mad multitude being an Answer to a scurrilous book published against the peace of this Commonwealth Entituled The Grand Politick Informer A Description of Ierusalem as it flourished in Christs time With a large Map Explaining 268. places therein and in the Suburbs thereof shewing the several places of the Acts and sufferings of Jesus Christ and his holy Apostles As also of the Kings and Prophets c. Also seven general Rules for expounding Scriptures that speak of Christs coming and Kingdom and calling the Iews by H. Jessey Vindicae Justificationis Gratuitae Justification without conditions or the free Justification of a sinner and the absoluteness of the New Covenant Explained Confirmed and Vindicated from the Exceptions Objections c. Cast upon it by the asserters of conditional Justification viz. Mr. Baxter Mr. Woodbridge Mr. Cranford By W. Eyre Minister of the Gospel and Pastor of a Church at New-Sarum