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A30538 A returne to the ministers of London by way of answer to their seasonable exhortations, (so called) directed to their congregations : with sober reproof sent unto them, because of their secret smitings against the despised people called Quakers, whom they have secretly reproached in their said exhortation ... / by E.B. Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662. 1660 (1660) Wing B6021; ESTC R22000 22,747 32

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and learn the fear of the Lord Oh that every one of them would consider and turn from their iniquities and become followers of Iesus Christ then should the glory of the Lord be revealed unto them and peace and truth and righteousnesse should be unto them and their Families and their City if they would come into Covenant with God and he taught of him and be exercised by his Law in their hearts then should the countenance of the Lord be upon them and then should they discern between truth and error between the Ministers of Christ and Deceivers Oh! there is a pity for many poor people which are zealous in their way of Religion without knowledge and they think they do God good service while yet their consciences are not exercised by the Spirit of the Lord but a false spirit that rules and leads and many holds the truth in unrighteousnesse and they know not but they do well Oh that such would consider and not be hasty in any thing to performe or professe Religion in their degenerate estate but that they would come to know the Regeneration and the renewing of their minds by the Holy Spirit and that the Immortal Birth might be born in them even the Birth of the Spirit which is Heir of God Oh that that might live and rule in them then should they be Heirs of God and Citizens of the New Ierusalem And oh ye people of London lay it to heart you must be born again or else you can never enter into Gods Kingdome you must be changed in nature and must be crucified to this world that you may live unto God this must you come unto or else you have no part nor portion in eternal life all your duties and performances in your forms of Religion they cannot save you nor justifie you all your preaching praying singing and all your duties whatsoever they are all nothing till you come to know changing and renewing inwardly and do witness the Seed of God raised up in you and the head of the Serpent bruised in you by the Seed of the Woman this must you come to witnesse that your souls may live Oh that you would consider be not so zealous against that which you may call Heresie and Schism for while you erre in judgement you may soon speak evil of truth and persecute it under the name of error many have wofully fallen into that snare and brought sorrow upon themselves thereby The wise Iewes even the chief Priests Scribes and Pharisees they were confident in their way as you can be and yet they erred in judgement and would not receive Christ but persecuted him under the very name of a Deceiver and thus it is possible for many to do in this age What though you have Christs words and the Apostles words yet if you have not the Spirit of Christ that was in the Apostles you know nothing rightly of the Scriptures neither can you understand them nor have Salvation by them for you must know Christ in you your hope of glory else you are reprobates and shut out of the Kingdome of God And search the Scriptures and see if they do not witnesse this Do not they say Christ is in you except you be Reprobates and do not they say The Law of God is written in the heart and the Spirit of God is put in the inward part And do not they say That Christ hath lightened every man that comes into the world with the true light And do not they say that the Apostle exhorts people to hearken to the Word of God in their hearts and to be followers of the Spirit of God that was in their hearts And do not the Scriptures say That it was the light that shined in the heart that gave the knowledge of God unto the Saints Search the Scriptures and see whether these things be so and must not men be born again of the immortal seed Oh consider and let not these doctrines seem new unto you neither reject them though they come unto you in weak appearance not with words of mens wisdome but in simplicity and in sincerity and in the Power of God And search the Scriptures whether these things be so were not they false Prophets that preached for hire and divined for money and sought for their gain from their quarter Were not such deceivers in the true Prophets time and them that preached for filthy lucre and for money and for gifts and rewards were not such false Brethren and false Apostles Search the Scriptures whether these things be so for the day of tryal is now come wherein all must be searched and that Religion and Worship and Ministry which is not according to the Scriptures which was given forth by the Spirit of God let that Religion Worship Church and Ministry be utterly condemned of the Lord and all his people and let such Ministers as cannot prove their call their maintenance and practises to be according to the Scriptures let such Ministers be confounded and silenced for ever and come to try this matter when you will For whereas you cry out against us as if we were deniers of Scriptures as if we were enemies to Church and godly Ministry and Religion and as if we were Deceivers Hereticks Papists c. But I say unto you these things have you never yet justly proved against us but rather accused us behind our backs to make us odious among people and though for divers years together we have been publike yet when did ever any of you Ministers seek by lawful means to convert us or shew us our errors if we were as you say of us oh it had been your time to have sought our conversion and not to have persecuted to have sent to prisons houses of correction and by such weapons of an outward force and cruelty have you dealt with us and not in meeknesse and by the Spirit of the Lord as Ministers of Christ ought to do but hath cried to the Magistrates to defend you and your Church and worship being unable as it were by the Authority of Gods Spirit to defend your selves Therefore I say unto you now lay down your carnal weapons and come out in in the spirit of meeknesse and come out in the Authority of Gods Spirit if you have it convince us thereby if we be in an evil way as you say let us hear your soundest arguments by the Spirit of God and according to the Scriptures to prove those things which you say of us prove it by evident arguments that we deny Scriptures and that we are Hereticks and that we are Papists I challenge you all in the Name of the Lord even all your Ministers of London let us hear your sound reasons openly in the spirit of meeknesse and do not back-bite nor slander in the dark neither let us be bawled against by your rude members as often we have been even in the spirit of wickednesse but come out you Ministers we are willing to be tryed according to the Scriptures and by the Spirit of God in our Religion and in every part of it and if you be the same then come forth in the spirit of meeknesse like Ministers of Christ and lay down your carnal weapons and let us have fair dealing openly that truth may be manifested publikely and errour may be discovered and let us not envy one anothers persons seek to destroy one anothers lives but let us seek to destroy the evil in one another that men might be saved and this would be a Christian-like way we would hear what you have to charge against our Religion by sound arguments in meeknesse that we may answer it and then we will charge something upon your Ministry Church Religion and Worship and we will prove what we say against you according to the Scriptures and we will not impose our Religion upon you by the force of outward Powers and outward Lawes neither would we have you force your Religion Ministry and Church upon us by such means but we will leave the effect of all things to the Spirit of God and come out when you will in such a way as this and this would satisfie thousands and let meeknesse and the fear of God be amongst you and this is the way to exalt Religion and we would think it a happinesse more then otherwise to be joyned in sober debate and dispute against you that you and we in your Religion Church and Ministry and in ours also might be tryed according to the Scriptures that all may be satisfied who are doubtful and may hear your principles and our principles discussed in the presence of the people who may judge by the light and witnesse in their own consciences for to that in all we do appeal and in such a proceeding come forth when you will lay down your carnal weapons and take the weapons of the Spirit and come to the tryal for the day of the Lord is approaching upon all the world THE END