self-evident and yet may be tryed by the warrantableness of Scriptuâ—e Rules but the warrantableness of a practice doth not prove in the least the impulse or mâ—tion to be divine for a wrong or evil Spirit may move a man to do a thing that is not unlawful or unwarrantable in it self as to take a Journey from England to America and yet if he obey such a motion or impulse he should not do well and might suffer great hurt thereby And if a divine impulse have no self-evidence or some inward self-evidencing Light to discover it to be divine it is good for nothing for it leaveth a man still in the dark and at uncertainty surely Gods inward leadings are sure certain as thousands to Gods praise can witness against all your ignorant but presumptious Assertions without â—â—l Proof And ye say I tell you that Phillip Peter and others were extraordinaryly called to such and such Services where ye pervert my words for I do not say of these particular Services mentioned by me there that they wâ—re extraordinarily called unâ—o them for to go to a place or Persons to preach the Gospel is no extraoâ—dinary but ordinary inward Call of Gods Servants in all Ages though Peter and the other Apostles had in other cases extraordinary Calls and Revelations That place in James 4.15 If the Lord will ye uâ—derstand it only of divine Providence permitting any man to do what he wiâ—leth if not forbidden in Scripture But as this is meerly begged by you without all proof but your bare affirmation so it is altogether absurd for how many do rash and hurtful things both to themselves and their Families which yet are not forbidden by Scripture as for a man to leave one place and remove to another beyond Seas is not forbidden in Scripture and yet if he undertake such a thing meerly because divine Providence doth not outwardly stop him by some cross event without the inward sence and approbation of divine will inwardly permitting or allowing him he may have cause to repent it all his dayeâ— for mâ—ny by so doing have fallen into gâ—eat Inconvenâ—encies Ye are miserable comforters that wiâ—l not allow to People that priviledge that they may wait to know Gods divine good Will and Approbation in their hearts in their removals from one place to another and in other weighty concerns of this Life And as concerning Marriages ye do allow People to ask Gods mind and couâ—sel with whom to joyn in Marriage and if they are not to expect a return of their Prayers otherwise than a bare outward permission of divine Providence What is this but to mock God and deceive poor People But to Gods praise many can say they have both sought and received Gods counsel with whom to joyn in Marriage and because thereof have found their Marriage made both blessed and comfortable unto them in the midst of all Tryals Pag. 17. Ye call my saying That God answers the returns of the Prayers of his People c. A Quakerism i. e. Non-sence I pity your Ignorance and want of Experience May not the frequent and reiterated Prayers of his People for the same thing be called the Returns of their Prayers as when a Child returneth again and again to seek a thing of his Father and that God answereth these reiterated and returning Prayers as in Pauls Case who Prayed for one thing thrice thousands can witness though to you this is Nonsenâ—e because ye have neither sence nor salt in your selves to descern it It is a great encouragement to pray unto God that we find him to answer us by his living voice and speech in us and when God speaketh to us Scripture words or promises by his living voice and speech in us it is a new Revelation and divine Inspiration to us although not of any new doctrine for there may be thousands of new and distinct Revelations of the same Doctrine as there may be a thousand sights and eyes beholding the same thing and a thousand Voices speaking the same thing and all these Voices are new and distinct and yet the thing spokon is one and the same and Ancient and not New Pag. 18. That the word of the Lord grew and multiplied ought to be understood as well extensively in respect of multitude of living Testimonies as Intensively in respect of Efficacy for there was both at that time and though there was no new Doctrines yet there were new and that manifold and frequent living Testimonies to the same Doctrine and therefore the Word it self was properly encreased and multiplied Ye blame me for saying Christ and his Apostles expounded the scriptures by Inspiration and yet taught no new Doctrine but it seemeth ye have forgot that Paul said the same Acts 26.22 for all that Christ and the Apostles taught and enjoyned was either declared or fore-told by the Prophets loâ—g before therefore the Doctrine was the same for substance and the Gospel was preached to Abraham and to the Prophets but after Christs Resurrection the Dispensation of it was more clear and full Pag. 19. ye blame me for Charging that upon you in the 12th Article which ye never believed much less proâ—essed viz. that the Scriptures ought to be believed only for their own outward evidence and Testimony and not for the inward Evidence and Testimony of the holy spirit in mens hearts But in this ye are equally impertinent as in most other things as I have showed in my Answer to Cotton Mather to which I refer more at large Ye say The scripture is the only Rule oâ— Faith and hath a Self-evidence but the inward Testimony and Witness of the Spirit hath no Self-evidence but as some have called it Medium incognitum assentiendi i. e. and unknown middle or mean of assenting and that ye deny all Inspiration and Revelation properly so called all this proveth you guilty in the sight of all impartial men for to talk of an evidence or witness among men that hath not a certainty or Self-evidencing Authority in it by it self is absurd and illegal he who is a witness or evidence among men must not borrow his evidence from another and to say the Spirit of God in his inward teaching and illumination hath no proper and self evidence as it derogates from the Glory of it so it is as absurd as to say the Suns light at noon day hath no evidence of its own but men must light a Candle to let people see the suns light at noon This is rare Logick of yours Ye insinuate I seâ—k out more sences of the word Logos than it can bear without Tautologi s but if these be Tautologies the English Translation of the bible hath made them and not I and yet a true difference can be assigned by School-boyes betwixt Communication as passâ—ng betwixt two or more and words of talk and speech that may be of one when none doth answer Pag. 20. ye will have the word of God compared to
universally your way to say and dictate things Magisterially without proof and since it is so ye might have taken a more easy way and as effectual to have only said to every passage and argument in my Book as it is reported how one refuted Bellarmine saying only to every passage and period in his Book Thou lyest Bellarmine Ye say ye have turned your Minds to the Light oâ— Christ within you as well as ye can and it tells you that my assertions are bold presumtious and heretiâ—al But â—ake heed of such ignorant Blasphemy and cease your Mockage The Light of Christ within you that I directed you and all unto is that Light of divine Inspiration and Revelation which is common in some measure unto you and all men but this ye do not believe therefore ye have not turned your Minds unto it nor hearkened to the voice of it And whereas I said It is the same Spirit that giveth to all Readers a right understanding of Scripture ye ask Why then have not all the same understanding oâ— it but contradictory the answer is easie because all do not duly believe in it as my following words make clear Then ye accuse my following words as guilty of contradiction because I said If ye believe in Christ the Light c. and joyn your minds to his inward divine Illumination he will anoint the Eyes of your Understanding and then your Eyes shall be opened which ye put this silly and impertinent gloss upon Iâ— ye will see of your selves then â—e will give you ability to see and then ye scoffingly add This may be no Contradiction in a Quaker's Logick But his is not my Logick but your Perversion for as blind as ye are ye are not altogether blind as Christ said to the Pharisees John 9.41 I ye were blind ye should have no sin c. and if ye were faithful to what ye already see and know your Eyes should be further opened And this iâ— good sence and no Contradiction and what ye see or know of Truth in the least thing ye see it not of your selves but it is given you to see by that Light which ye blaspheme calling it Ignis Fatuus and a stinking vapour from Hell In pag. 6. ye alledge a most abominable Falshood upon me as that I said in my Epistle That the quickening in a man as it abides it is impossible it should perish This is an absolute piece of Forgery as much as ever Tho. Hicks coyned against W. Penn I use no such words and nothing but Malice can put such a gloss upon my words which are these p. 5. of my Epistle And every Soul that is thus quickned and made alive unto him as it doth hold fast this beginning viz. of the good Work of God in it c. and as it here abideth it is impossible that it can perish Where my words say the SOUL cannot perish that abideth faithful c. And this is good sence and well warranted by Scripture 2 Pet. 1.10 For if ye do these things ye shall never fall which according to your absurd Logick is as if he had said If ye never fall ye shall never fall or if Grace continue it cannot be lost this Non-fence and Absurdity ye charge upon me is yours and not mine Pag. 7. Because I said the holy Scriptures are a sufficient outward Rulâ— and Standard whereby to try all Doctrines of men ye most grosly as is your general manner pervert my words as if I did intimate as if God taught us one thing by his Word and another by his Spirit The contrary whereof I have sufficiently asserted in my Book for what the Scripture saith outwardly thâ— Spirit saith the same inwardly and the Testimony of these two to wit that of the Scripture without and that of Gods Spirit wiâ—hin cannot differ or disagree Next ye blame me for not making Practices as well as Doctrines lyable to this Test I Answ And so I do for all commanded Practices of a holy Life are contained under that head of Doctrines for things to be done as well as things to be believed are belonging to the Christian Doctrine as the ten Commandments and all other Moral and Evangelical Precepts and Dutites witnessed of in the holy Scriptures And why ye should blame me for calling the Scriptures an Outward Rule showeth your inclination more to Cavil than to Dispute as men of solid Reason Are not the Scriptures an outward thing and if an outward thing then an outward Rule seeing they are a Rule as is confessed â—y us both and Protestants commonly call the Scriptures the external or outward Word witness the Augustine Confession published by Protestants Article 5. And is not the External Word the External Rule and doth not the external or outward Word intimate that there is an inward Word that is the inward Rule and these two agree in one and can never differ as an inward Domâ—nstration of any natural Science doth agâ—ee with the outward set down in wâ—it or print on Paper And tho' I call the Scripture an outward Rule yet I denie not but it hath a real service in the hand and management of the Spirit to regulate our inward Apprehensions and Conceptions of all Christian Doctrine as well as our outward words and Actions and so it may be called an Organâ—â—al and Instrumental Rule in respect of the Spirit of God inwardly witnessing which is the principal Nor do I in the least retract what I have said as ye weakly alledge when â—â—ay There are many things wherein God doth reveal of his Counsel to his Children which are not in Scripture either expresly or consequentially wherein I give a five fold instance at least that though ye cannot disprove ye boldly but Ignorantly contradict contrary to the blessed and solid Experience of Thousands for these things instanced as for a man to know his inward state beâ—ore God c. and for a Minister to know his inward Call and a Christian to know both his call to pray in vocal Prayer or in Publick and returns oâ— his Prayer from God in secret they are no matters of Christian Doctrine belonging to the common Faith oâ— common Duty of all Christians but only are relative to a Christians private Condition and Consolation for no Doctrine or Precept in all the Scripture requireth me to believe or to know whether many or one by name besides my self be in a justified state c. but it belongs to me in particular therfore it is no part of the common Doctrine or Faith or Practice of the Christian Religion to believe for another or others but every one to believe for himself And that ye alledge p. 9. that Lucas should say Any Quaker if he â—as a mind to it may make as good a Book himself as the Book of the holy Scriptures is out a falâ—e alledgance from a Foâ—ger of Lyes against the Truth and is sufficiently refuted by N. Lucas's â—â—iâ—ted
of God and these times are frequent and at such times the need of Scripture words and of all words that consist of Letters do cease as when a man eateth Bread and drinketh Wine and hath his taste well he needeth no words to tell him of the taste of it he tasteth it without all words that the mouth can utter and even so the Children of God at times yea frequently taste of the goodness and sweetness of Christ by an inward sensible taste without all Scripture words and without all present remembring of them yet if at such times the Spirit of God bringeth them to their remembrance they have a service at least tâ—â—ncrease the doctrinal and discursive knowledge of God in them and further to open the Mysteries of the Christian Doctrine which is a great gift blessing of God in its place Pag. 34. Ye alledge I introduce an Hypothesis that is a Castle in the Air that they say there is no sensible or intuitive knowledge of God in this Life But I say many or most of you expresly deny it I mean most of these call'd Presbyterians and Independents as I have had to do with them before now who have told me There is no sensible knowledge of God at â—â—ll no sight nor feeling nor taste of him and they give a reason for it viz. That only bodily things could be seen felt tasted but God being a Spirit could neither be felt nor tasted tho' the Scriâ—ture use these words of seeing tasting a aâ—d feâ—ling they say they are as improper and metaphorical as when it is said in Scripture God hath Eyes Hands and Feet c. Again though ye seem to affirm it yet it is in contradiction to your selves for it is an absolute Contradiction to say A man hath a sight of God and taste and feeling of him and yet hath no immediate discovery and knowledge of him as much as to say I see and taste Wine and yet I have no immediate discovery or knowledge of it All sensible knowledge is immediate in regard of their Objects P. 34. Ye blame me that I say ye preach altogether an absent Christ but ye wrong and pervert my words as your manner is my wordâ— are p. 36. They preach altogether an absenâ— Christ as some of them say Christ is not really and properly in his People or if present a Christ altogether dumb and silent c. So ye see my words are not positive but dis-junctive or alternative But if I did say so it is according to your own Doctrine though ye seem to contradict again for do ye not generally accuse the Quakers for setting up a false Christ because they preach him present and in his Saints yea and in all men in some respect and as Pardon Tillinghast and Benj. Keech calâ— Christ in the heart a false Christ so John Owen whom ye esteem your reverend Brother in his Latine Treatise against us answered by Sam. Fisher saith If Christ be in every Quaker there are as many Christ as Quakers So you may see I do not wrong you and your Assembly ye so much honour say It is blasphemy to say the Saints are partakers of the Godhead And this is to exclude Christ with a witness And if some of you say God and Christ are in the Saints yet ye deny all immediate discovery sight and revelation of them objective or by way of object which is as gâ—eat Non-sence as to say A Man converseth with his Wife in one House eateth drinketh lodgeth with her and hath fellowship with her and yet she hath no immediate sight nor knowledge of him which she must needs have if she be not blind sensless and stupid and it is a most palpable Contradiction in you to say Men have aâ— intuitive and sensible knowledge of God that is distinct in specie from discursive knowlâ—dge and yet God and his Spirit in all his inward operations giveth no self-evidence thereof but is medium incognitum assentiendi i. e an unknown mean or Principle of assenting as the School-men phrase it particularly Robert Baron Professor of Divinity at Aberdeen in his Book called Apodixis Catholica de formali objecto fidei against Jesuit Turnbul more particularly cited in my Book of Immediâ—te Revelation Pag. 37. The different degrees of Revelation well warranted by Scripture ye blasphemously and ignorantly call Rabbinical Fopperies That there is not only a gradual but specifical difference of divine Revelations I never denyed CAP. III. I Intend throughout principally to notice your gross Perversions and other gross Abuses and Mistakes which will in effect sufficiently answer all ye have said and leave my Book and the evidence of Truth held forth in it remaining in its full force and strength against you and the rather that the principal Controversies viz. That oâ— the Scriptures and That of inward divine Revelation and Inspiration iâ— the more fully already here handled for indeed these two are the Basis and Pillars of the following Controversies Pag. 36. Ye pervert my words as if I did affirm That the Scriptures only were a Rule to try Doctrines betwixt men and men But I neither mean nor say any such thing I believe they are a Rule in the hand and management of the Spirit to regulate our inward apprehensions and thoughts concerning all Christian Doctrines and yet the Spirits inward Witness is the greater Rule Pag. 39. Ye say To call the Spirit the Rule â— Non-sence I say to call the Spirit not abstractly but conjunctly with his inward witnessing and speaking is good sence to all but such as you who have not sence to understand it Ignatius as I have said above a more worthy man and precious Martyr of Jesus Ep. 14. to Ephes called the holy Spirit one Rule CAP. IV. PAg. 41. Ye own That natural and acquired Gifts of Letter Learning without a divine Inspiration are sufficient to qualifie a Gospel Minister and that Grace and true Piety is only accidental which ye confess may look black at first view It is so far well that since this is your Doctrine that we have it under your hand and it deserveth to be engraven in Capital Letters on the Doors of your Meetiâ—g Houses that the People may generally know it for very many to whom I have told it could not believe it to be your Doctrine but however now it is a good proof th t yâ— print it as yours Another saying of yours equally famous and which deserveth the same equal inscription in Capital Letters is that ye say It is no absurdity tâ—at a man may be a true Minister and not a true Câ—ristian But how then can he beget any unto God If he who is no true Christian can beget a true Christian by his Ministry it will as easily follow That he who is no man may beget a man for as in spiritual generation a man is but the Instrument so in the natural when a man begets a man child God
is the great Maker and principal Cause and man the Instrument But though ye would make the ignorant multitude believe that your Doctrine in this is Protestant Doctrine yet I say it is Popish and ye have no other Argument but the Papists Arguments to defend it to wit some Perversions and false Glosses of some Scripture places as The Pharisees sit in Moses 's Câ—air c. But Luther who is judged as it were the Father of the Protestants and whose followers were first called Protestants hold with the Quakers against you and called them Sectaries and Seducers that know how to preach much of Christ but feel him not in their hearts cap. 1. p. 19. Mens â—s noted above To my Arguments against an impious Ministry who have no true Piety ye answer little but with a strong Denyal and so may any child or fool give a denyal to the strongest Aâ—guments that can be bâ—ought And seeing ye plead so expresly That an Impious Ministry is God's Ordinance to wit such as have no true Piety it is no wonder that New-England abounds with such impious Ministers for this Doctrine opens a door unto them Pag 42. Ye deny Thaâ— God gives you infallible Rules ordinarily and immediately whereby to know mens hearts It may be granted they are not given to you because ye believe not that which giveth a true discerning but that Gods People who are made alive unto him and begot into his Image being Children of one Father and having his seal upon them are known one to another where due watchfulness and diligence is used and that kept in which giveth the true discerning is not only a Christian Doctrine and Experience but hath been the experience of some Presbyterian Ministers in their purest times above seventy Years ago witness The fulfilling of the Scriptures a Book set out by a zealous Presbyterian not vâ—ry long ago who relateth how Robert Bruce a Presbyterian Preacher in Edinbrough in Scotland had a spirit of discerning by which he freely declared to Robert Blair That though his Sermon was elaborate yet it had not the Spirit of God although the Doctrine waâ— not blamed by him And I have oft heard them say one to another Let us go hear such a man he is a living man and hath a lively and powerful Ministry and of others they would say They were dead and dry And seeing one living man can know another naturally why cannot one spiritual man know another living spiritual â—an spiritually a Sheep can know a Shâ—ep and a Dove a Dove and a Man can know a Man and yet a Saint cannot know a Saint by your Logick viz. certainly and infallibly And as to the word Immediately used by you I say a Saint may know a Saint as immediately and infallibly as a man may know a living man to wit he knows him to live by immediate Motions and workings of Life that immediately reach to his natural Senses and he seeth him breathe and heareâ—h â—im speak with strength of natural Life and â—hâ—t his discourse has Wisdom and Reason in it so a Saint or spiritual man may and doth know another Saint or spiritual man by immediate motions and operations of spiritual Life that immediately reach to his spiritual Senses and it is the divine Inspiration of the Spirit of Life that maketh a spiritual man and gâ—veth him both these spiritual Senses and the infallible use of them Pag. 42. Ye say The Apostles never pretended to a Spirit of Discerning If ye mean to know all the secrets of mens hearts I did not affirm it but that they had a knowledge of the sincerity of some and of the insincerity of others is most clear from many places of the New Testament for did not Paul most positively affirm of some particular Names That they were writ in the Book of Life And did not Peter know and that by a spirit of discerning the dissimulation of Ananias Saphira And that they might be deceived before they received the holy Ghost in that plenty as after Christ's Resurrection or even after in some particular men argueth nothing against the infallible sence discerning where it is given all it proveth is that they had not alwayes the perfect exercise of it The natural Senses are infallible touching natural Objects not absolutely but according to such due conditions and so the spiritual Senses according to their due conditions have their Infallibility And whereas I shewed in my Book That neither the example oâ— the Pharisees nor oâ— Judas could defend a Ministry without Piety because the Pharisees and Judas were yet under the legal Dispensation But â—he question relateâ— to the Gospel Dispensation in its more clear and perfect discovery after Christ's Resurrection this ye slightly pass telliâ—g That the Gospel was preached in the time of the Law But yet the Dispensation and Model was changed as ye confess and as there was a change in many things as the Sacrifices and Circumcision c. so of the Priesthood and manner of it Ye insinuate falsly against us That Hypocrites may be infallibly known by their meer looks Pag. 44. That a man may have Piety and real Sanctification and yet not have a ministerial and spiritual Giâ—t of Knowledge and Vâ—terance so as to be able to teach others is granted but yet whoever have these spiritual Gifts have in some measure the Grace of Sanctification which is the root of them â—ven as every School-master is a man but every man is not a School-master every man is a living Creature but every living Creature is not a man Unsanctified Gifts that any may pretend unto are not spiritual but carnal and are not so worthy as to be esteemed thâ— fâ—uit of Christs purchase Your saying Ye have too much cause to be perswaded by Scripture Rules that G. K. is an Apostate and unsanctified man I little regard your Tongue is not slander ye know me not and ye pretend to no infallible discerning of me and therefore by your confession ye may be mistaken and ye neither have given not can give any Scripture Rules to prove me suâ—h Men of your spirit called the Lord a Blaspâ—emer a Glutton and a Wine bibber and therefore it is no strange thing that ye caâ—l me as ye do but my comfort is that I am known to God and to many of his Servants and this your Reviling and false Speeches will turn to my good and to your hurt and shame if ye repent not whiâ—h I wish ye may Pag. 45. Ye say Ye do not plead for scandalous Ministers whose Conversation is contradictory to their Profession and Doctrine But by this ye fall into a gross Self-contradiction for did ye not plead your Doctrine from the example of the Pharisees whose Conversation was contradictory to their Doctrine for Christ said They did not as they said Ye blame me unjustly of forgeâ—fulness but are exceeding guilty of it your selves and much worse And besides the Qualifications required in a
true Bishop or Preacher do equally require him to be really holy and pious and virtuous as to seem or appear so to be 1 Tim. 3.1 Tit. 1.7 8. A Bishop must be blameless c. sober just holy temperate c. he doth not say let him be a Hypocrite only let him seem to be so but let him be so Pag. 48. Ye say Grace hath a spiritual sence and when the Spirit of God influenceth it it can feel it Ye need to explain this further how Grace feeleth the influence of the Spirit is Grace an intelligent perceiving intellectual being doth not the Soul feel it or is it only the Grace that is sensible of the Spirits influence and the Soul insensible and stupid If a Quaker had so expressed himself ye would have called it Non-sence My application of H b. 12.27 to things of mens makiâ—g though ye call it most gross it is but your bare affirmation for why may not things of mens making be comprehended under thiâ—g made as well as the things of the old Law which though first appointed of God yet seeing men did seek to hold them up beyond their due season they were nothing as such but beggerly Rudiments and things of mens making and Christ â—aid Every plant that is not of my heavenly Fathers planting must be pulcked up and every work oâ— man wroâ—ght and not in the Wisdom Spirit and Power of God shall be burnt up Pag. 49. Ye grosly and most falsly accuse thâ— Quakers That they confound the witness of Gods Spirit and their own Spirit This is utterly false Pag. 50. Ye say The Spirit when he witnesâ—th doth it infallibly yet he doth not make our Spirits infallible Here ye use a little fallacy but it is a very thin fig-leaf and will not cover your Nakedness for though he doth not make the spirits of his Children absolutely and in all respects infallible yet when he speaketh to the spirits and hearts of his Children infallibly and fitteth and prepareth them to hear it and understand it have they not so far iâ— that particular thiâ—g or things an infallible knowledge and assurance for even among men he who tells me an infallible truth as that the Sun is risen and I hear him tell it and my sense of heaâ—ing iâ— sound I can say I did infallibly hear him for to say the Spirit is only infallible to himself but giveth us no infallible knowledge and â—aith of what he saith is most abâ—urâ— for all that tâ—ue real Knowledge and Faith â—hat God giveth to men is infallible and to think otherwise reflects upon Gods goodness wisdom and veracity for why should the infallible God give men only a fallible knowledge Well then let it so remain that your Doctrine is All the Knowledge and Faith that ye have of God and Christ and Christian Doctrine is fallible and may deceive you and be only a fancy or dream How will this relish to sober Proâ—estants Is not this rather with a witness to betray the cause of the Protestants than to defend it But in contradiction again though ye say The Witness of your Spirit is falliblâ— and ye may be mistaken yet so far as the Spirit of god confirms you by his Witness ye are infallibly assured What greater Contradiction can there be in mens words first to say The Spirit of God witnessâ—th infallibly but your Spirits are not infallible Again ye say Ye are infallibly assâ—red so far aâ— the Spirit oâ— God coâ—fiâ—ms you by his Witness So in one thing and at one time and in one and the same respect ye â—re fallible and yet not fallible This Logick is fittest for Bedlam But ye tell not whether the Spirit of God at any time confirms you of any Truth by his inward infallible Witness for if ye grant this ye grant all that the Quakers desire in the case for that is divine inward Revelation and Inspiration and none of us pretend to an absolute Infallibility but only so far as the Spirit of God witnesseth to us and in us Pag. 58. Ye most grosly pervert my words and cite them falsly when ye say I make the Ministers more than meerly instrumental and that they can by their own virtue heal and convert a Soul Nothing can be more falsly alledged for when Grace Spirit and Life or living Virtue doth emanate through the Ministers to the Hearers they are but Instruments and instrumental Pipes and Conduits yet not dead but living Instruments and that Grace Spirit Life and Virtue is not their own as of themselves derived but is Gods and Christs and is only freely given them Pag. 52. That ye say The Spirit of God cometh in betwixt the Mouth of the Speaker and the Hearts of the Hearers is granted but so it cometh in betwixt the heart of the Speaker and the hearts of the Hearers and a good Minister out of the good Treasure in his heart bringeth forth good things and that is more than bare words 1 Pet. 4.11 Ye say Relates only to an outward ability or estate enabling them to give Alms. Which as it is meerly begged so is singularly strange and will be strange to the Ears of many who hear it Doth ever the Scripture call outward Riches the manifold Grace of God And doth not vers 11. say If any man speak So it relates to a Ministry of the Mouth and not of giving by the Hands Pag. 55. Ye grosly pervert to say I am for pulling down Preaching Praying Singing that are Gods Ordinances for neither I nor we are against but for all preaching Praying and singing that is rightly performed viz. by the help and ability of the Spirit of God and that is Inspiration and is confessed so to be by better Protestants then your selves yea the Church of England prayeth in the Common Prayer for Inspiration as above noted That men without the Spirit are under a command to pray is granted but yet Prayer without the Spirit is no Obedience to that command as men who have no Money nor Goods equivelent to Money may owe a debt to a man and yet if they go to pay him without money or moneys worth they do nothing in order to the payment they only but mock their Creditor and offend him even so all Prayer without the Spirit is a Mockery and the like of Singing That want of Grace dischargeth none from moral Obligations is granted but yet without Grace none can perform their Obligations Ye grosly deny that the Prayers of Abraham and the saints were universally by divine Inspiration contrary to the sence of many sober Presbyterians and Episcopals and that Abraham prayed for Ishmael by a natural affection sanctified doth not prove that he prayed not by divine Inspiration what is Inspiration but the breathing of the spirit into mens hearts both to enlighten and to sanctifie them and to quicken and warm them with warm and fervent Affections Christ ascribes the work of Regeneration in men to the
28.19 20. muâ—t be Water-Baptism because the Apostles ever renounced doing any of thâ—se things as begetting or converting men unto Goâ— and baptizing with the Spirit by their own virtue But â—his is a most poor Evasion we do not say they either did or could do any of these thiâ—gs by their own virtue that is not the thing in Controversie for what they did they did not by their own Virtue but by the Virtue and Power of Christ Ye still beg the Question tho' to deny it ye call Infatuation but the Infatuation is your own that Christ commanded these words to be used as words of Institution In the Name of the Father c. for we find not that he bid them say or repeat these words Ye put a meer precarious gloss on Pauls words That he was not sent to Baptize That he was not obliged by any necessity to do it ordinarily personally And hendes this is as much as to say that Paul thought it enough to obey Gods Command by a Proxy and so ye may as well say he was not under any necessity to preach but by a Proxy or Deputy this is to abuse Scripture and not to expound it for if Paul might obey one Command of God by a Proxy why not all others And thus ye teach men to excuse themselves from Personal Obedience to Gods Commands it is enough according to your gloss that others obey for them but would Paul thank God for not obeying a Gospel-Precept and yet he said He thanked God for not baptizing any of them but some few Paul might have baptized some without a Commission as well as he circumcised Timothy Pag. 142. Ye say Ye have alwayes professed your zeal for the inward Baptism with the holy Ghost But this is a great Falshood and Contradiction when ye deny all present inward divine Revelation and Inspiration and the real in being and Presence of Christ or God immediately in the Saints Pag. 143. Ye most grosly pervert and abuse my words because I said Christ had an outward Supper with his Disciples when he did eat the Paschal Lamb with them ye put this your false gloss on it as if I said or thought That he had the thing without the thing signified i. e. that Christ ate the Passover hypocritically Nothing can be more grosly alledged for I said expresly that the Disciples at that time when Christ had that outwaâ—d Supper with them had an inward enjoyment â—f him given them by Christ in the use of the Bread and Wine see pag. 190. And by your many suâ—h gross Perversions that seem wilfull in you ye show what men ye are Ye alledge The first Cup belonged to the Passover Luke 22. But ye may as well say so did the second for ye give no Reason why one rather than another and ye may with as much colour say that the second Cup did not belong to the Supper because it is said Luke 22.20 He took the Cup after Supper c. Pag. 143. Ye alledge I arrogate Gods Prerogative who only can judge the heart immediatly when I say your Sacrament hath no inward spiritual signification unto you But I speak not so simply nor absolutely as I can and do appeal to the impartial Reader for ye leave out my following words that qualifie them viz. As ye use it while ye altogether deny that the Saints are partakers of the Substance of Christ or that Christ really and substantially dwelleth in his Saints while ye also deny all inward Revelation of him in these latter Ages And thus I presume not to judge you as if immediately I did know your hearts but by your words ye are judged even as I may judge of that man who denyeth that he hath eat any substance of Bread or Food that he hath not received of Bread c. For as he who eateth Bread receiveth the Substance of it into his body so he who eateth Christ the Bread of Life receiveth some measure of him substantially into his Soul And though this is denyed by many of you and as I said in my former Book the manâ— lean and dead Souls among you void of inward and spiritual discerning taste or savour too manifestly demonstrate ye are generally strangers to the Supper of the Lord here Note I say not universally but generally yet I have that charity that some called Presbyterians and Independents of the more sober kind and who allow in part of inward divine Revelation and of a real inward indwelling of Christ in Believers may truly know some-what at times of the inward and spiritual Signification of that Figurative Supper yet not because of that outward manner of using it but indeed because there is some secret breathing and desires after the Lord in some of them and such are sober and tender and not of a malicious and persecuting Spirit as too many among you are who continue to justifie the putting to Death our innocent worthy Friends at Boston and thus our Charity is greater than yours for ye call me a fearful Apostate and so ye and not I arrogate Gods Prerogative who only can judge the heart immediately for ye can give no probable signs of my Apostâ—cy seeing in the judgment of all sober Protestants I own all the Fundamental and most necessary Doctrines of the Christian Faith and ye can charge nothing in my Conversation or manner of Life inconsistent with true Christianity I have departed from no good thing either of Doctrine or Life that I had when among these called Presbyterians I have only relinquished their Errors and that will no more prove me Apostate than Luther and Calvin their relinquishing Popish Errors doth prove them Apostates altho' the Papists have so charged them yea I have known Presbyterians accuse the Independents for being Apostates But as I value noâ— your uncharitable Judgment against me so I cannot but take notice how guilty ye are to blame me for Vncharitableness in judging when ye are so deeply guilty in that very thing Pag. 144. Ye grosly abuse and pervert my words when ye alledge That I say ordinary eating as it is the common Duty of all men is the Supper of the Lord. I said no such thing but that often in the use of outward eating and drinking being sanctified and blessed by the Word of God and Prayer we have together with the outward â—â—ting eat the inward and spiritual Bread and together with the outwarâ— Cup â—â—re drunk that spiritual Drink and withal remembring the Lords Death and what he hath done and suffered for us And I distinguish betwixt the Saints more solemn eatings together upon frequent occasions where their thus eating together was a figure or sign of their inward Communion and their daily eating a part and withal I declared how in all our eatings and drinkings and at all times we should remember the Lords Death even until his last coming and to the end of the World see pag. 188 to 19â— And when the
find Moon and Sun inwardly and spiritually understood in Scripture so I find seven Days and a Seventh Day inwardly and spiritually understood see Isa 30.26 but this to you is still a Mystery And whereas it is the outward and natural Sun that constitutes common and natural Days therefore did Origine Augustine and many others conclude That the seven Days mentioned Gen. 1.2 and Exod. 20. could not be common and natural Days for there was no Sun until the fourth Day nor Firmament until the second nor dry Land and Sea till the third P. 147. That God altered the Sabbath from the Seventh Day to the First ye meerly alledge without any proof as your common manner is I suppose ye are not so ignorant as not to know that Calvin the Father so called or Founder of the Presbyterian Church and the French Protestants generally and also the Dutch tho' they keep the First Day for worship after the manner of primitive Christians as we also do yet do not judge it to be the Sabbath or commanded by divine Institution we set apart that day worthily and commendably with other Protestants neither for any betterness in it simply as a Day nor as being commanded for a Sabbath but in honour of our Saviours Resurrection after the Example of the primitive Christians in the Apostles days mentioned in Scripture and that we see a great conveniency and service in it to keep a Day weekly unto the Lord and as said the Apostle He who keepeth a Day keepeth it unto the Lord and that Day rather than another because of Christs Resurrection on the first day of the week and the worthy Example of primitive Christians recorded in Scripture And thus I have gone through all the Heads contained in your Book relating to the Doctrinal part and have showed our agreement in every one of them with the holy Scriptures and also with famous Protestants and Antient Writers call'd Christian Fathers except in that one matter of Infant Baptism wherein if we differ from many of these called Antients in one thing ye differ in another for they generally judged it absolutely necessary to Salvation which ye as well as I judge an Error in them and these called Baptists commonly who may be judged as good Protestants as ye deny your Infant-Baptism as a humane Invention and yet ye have no other And if this doth not unchristian them so nor can it us and ye deny their baptizing into Water such who have been baptized when Infants why then may ye not allow the same Charity to us that ye viz. the more fober part both of Presbyterians and Baptists so called tho' the more Rigid sort call one another Hereticks allow one to another and that we allow to the sober and tender and honest hearted of you both yea and to such in all Professions where the Head and Foundation is held which is Christ we have that Charity that there is a sincere sort among all Professions who belong to God and Christ and tho' they have wrong Notions and Conceptions of some things belonging to Christian Doctrine and have not a form of sound words in delivering some matters of Faith which is a great hurt unto them yet they have some true inward sence of Christian Truth and Doctrine and their faith and sence may be partly sound where their words where by they express it may be very unsound for many have a right sence and feeling of things whereof they have not a right Elocution Utterance and form of Speech as in Naturals so in Spirituals as when Men taste Money and their taste of it is the same yet they differ in the Names they give it or in some subtile and curious Questions about the Nature of it or the nature and manner of tasting it that is not so very material So men may have some real sence and experience of the workings of the holy Spirit inward divine Revelations and Inspirations that work and beget in them some measure of true Faith Hope Love and other Christian Virtues and yet by the Prejudice of Education and wrong outward teaching or ill wording of things may give wrong Names to things yet God forbid we should unchristian them simply for a Mistake or defect in not giving proper words names to things and yet many things of Controversie among single hearted men lie but in words and such should have a regard to that which is good tender and sensible one in another where it is felt But where a persecuting and malitious Spirit and great hardness of Heart prevaileth in any these are not to be regarded as Christians whatever they profess So I would have you all to know all the sober and tender hearted People of New-England and else-where whether called Presbyterian Independent Baptist or Episcopal yea and others holding the Head and being sincere in the main That we can and do own that your sincerity altho' we cannot but differ from you in matters both of Doctrine and Practice wherein we find you to err from the path of Truth and so far as we have together attained and are agreed in all good things of Christian Doctrine or Practice let us walk by the same Rule and live in Charity one with another Pag. 148. In your Reflections on that I called A Call and Warning to the People of Boston c. first ye falsly charge me That I arrogate as much to my self as any of the Prophets of Old had of an immediate Mission from God But let that Paper be considered and it shall not be found that I arrogate or assume any thing equal to the Prophets of Old only I did and I do still affirm That I had the Word of the Lord to declare to the People of Boston c. and it was as a burden unto me until I had delivered it he who hath not Gods Word as it liveth and is the Word of Life in his heart is no true Minister of Christ but every Minister of Christ is not either Apostle or Prophet in that high and eminent sence that is frequent in Scripture Ye charge me with 1st Lying 2dly Slandering 3dly Railing 4thly False Doctrine 5thly Non-sence but all this ye alledge without proof as your manner is Sharp Speeches are not Railing always but commendable in some cases for both Christ and the Prophets and Apostles used them to men of your Generation your Speeches are more sharp against me my Friends than ours are against you and which are most deserving we freely leave it to the Lord and his Witness in mens Consciences Ye would six Non-sence on my words that I said Your Self-actings of all sorts in that ye call your Duties and Performances ye are to repent of c. Where it is clear by that ye call your Duties I did understand and so might ye your Preaching Praying Singing without the Spirit of God and them pag. 149. ye call Dirt and Dung and yet ye
Order as Christ hath instituted and though I have had divers Debates some in writ and some by word of Mouth with divers Opposers yet that saith nothing that ever I was duely admonished according to Christs Order nor rejected out of any Church Society for these I had to deal with were only private Persons and therefore ye are impertinent to mention for your excuse either John Alexander in Scotland whose Book I have many years ago answer'd in print and my Answer to it is now in New-England or these Baptists who are judg'd by many of you to be Hereticks at Barbycan in London or any at Hampton Publick Disputes are one thing and an orderly Church Admonition or Censure is another But whereas ye mention Salem your insinuation faileth you I writ a fair Letter to the Priests at Salem to have some discourse with them before the People but they refused and I had no further medling with them And tho' ye grant that Christ and the Apostles disputed with men of ill Principles yet ye must not dispute with me because I am worse than any of those and grown beyond Admonition But this is your bare alledgance and none will believe you but who are blinded with the same Prejudice as ye are But ye give me no Answer why though ye will not receive Quakers into your Houses yet some of your sort will receive their Goods taken from them by force because they could not for Conscience sake give you Maintenance That your preaching in your publick Houses are instituted means of our Conviction ye take for granted without proof nor can we believe you so long as ye are declared Enemies to the Inspiration of the Spirit of Truth that doth only qualifie Peachers to convince men of their Errors But ye forget how ye contradict your selves in two weighty particulars 1st That we are past Admonition and Incorrigible and yet your Preaching in your publick Houses are means of our Conviction but not your Conference with us in private Houses If we are past Admonition and Incorrigible how can your Preaching be a means of our Conviction any more than private Conference in your private Houses If it be a Duty to preach to us is it not also a Duty when ye are desired to discourse with us in private at least before Witnesses 2dly Ye are guilty of another great Contradiction That because I am a Heretick and worse ye must not dispute with me but reject me and now at last ye dispute with me in Print that is a more open way of dispute than by word of Mouth or can ye find any ground in Scripture to warrant you to dispute with me in Print and yet to forbid you to dispute with me by word of Mouth My comparing you to Turkish Pyrates that hang out false Colours ye say holds not Parrallel but that I can freely leave to the judicious and impartial Readers But it seemeth all your former Reasons were but made or feigned not real why ye refused a publick Dispute with me therefore ye proceed to give other new Reasons that ye think will appear more sollid First therefore ye begin again to say It was not in your power to grant it it to me to have a publick Disputation with you without laying your selves obnoxious to the then Government who had expresly forbidden the People to take liberty of any publick Meeting together on any occasion on the week dayes besides the usual 〈…〉 to this I ansvv◠〈…〉 â—cture to have allowed the time of your Lecture to a publick Dispute 2dly If ye had given this Reason for your denyal at first without all doubt a liberty could have been most readily procured unto you from the then Government 3dly Many of the People took a far greater liberty afterwards not only to meet openly without leave of your then Governour but to do a great deal more c. But if it was unlawful to dispute with an Incorrigible Heretick why do ye now insinuate that had it not been for laying your selves obnoxious to the then Government ye would have given me a publick Disputation with you Surely ye do greatly forget your selves to write such Contradictions Secondly Ye say Ye knew none of your Hearers had any scruple about your Doctrine But what then ye should be ready to give a Reason of your Hope to every one that asketh you and to convince Gain-sayers if they be out of the way and ye in it Thirdly Ye say Ye knew there would be no holding of me to any Law or Rule of Disputation partly because a Quaker and partly by Reports of me and that I would bring all to my Revelations c. But who seeth not the weakness and shallowness of these Fig-leaf Reasons These called Quakers are known to be men of Reason and many of them know as well as ye how to hold to the true Laws of fair Dispute and false Reports of me I value not it never was nor is my way to bring any matter of Dispute leaving the Scripture to inward Revelation but if I cannot prove the Doctrine whereof I charged you to be false from Scripture I should be silent and Ye and the Readers may see I have not left the Scriptures and run to inward Revelations tho' I own that without inward divine Revelation no man can have a right understanding of Scripture for proof against you but hold to Scripture end Scripture-proof in a way of fair Reasoning 4thly Your last Reason is as false as any of the rest That I had declared my self at once in opposition to almost all the fundamental Articles of Religion which have been maintained almost Seventeen hundred Years by the Church of Christ The falsehood of this will sufficiently appear from both my first and this latter Book to all sober and judicious Readers And whereas ye say Who but Mad-men would expose these to be publickly debated Why then have ye exposed them that ye call Fundamentals but are no Fundamentals of Christian Doctrine but Fundamental Errors that false Churches have been built upon now to be publickly debated Why do ye thus declare your selves by your own confession to be such Mad-men to debate them so openly in the face of the Nations both in America Europe yea much more openly than they could have been by 2 or 3 hours discourse before two or three hundred People And that ye your selves gave the rise to this so publick way of disputing in Print is evident from the words of your Letter saying If he would have a publick Audience let him Print I desire the Reader to take notice That what Testimonies of antient or latter Writers of good esteem among Protestants I have cited in this Treatise is not for want of sufficient proofs of Scripture Testimony on every head of difference betwixt our Opposers and us for I have brought sufficient Testimonies of holy Scripture to confirm every one of these heads as the judicious and impartial Reader
were once in a ready way to have broken up all the Good Order whether Civil or Sacred in the Infancy of this Plantation which occasioned the Authority whom they would have undermined then to turn a Sharp upon them by Laws not so severe as those in the Realm of England against their Fathers the Jesuites on the same Account yet those Troublesom Hereticks who had no Business here at all but the overthrowing of our whole Government would push themselves on the Swords point and tho' repeated Banishments with merciful Entreaties to be gone were first used unto them nevertheless two or three of them would rather Dye than leave the Plantation undisturbed Reply How or after what manner the Plantation in its infancy was in such danger our Author is silent in True it is that upwards of thirty Years past some of our Friends as faithful Servants in obedience to their Lord and Masters command the great God of heaven by the spirit of his Son in their hearts did visit N. England in true and tender Love to the Inhabitants thereof for whose Immortal Wellfare they earnestly travailed and were bowed down before the Lord being amongst them in much brokenness of Heart and contrition of Spirit they were grieved and weighted in their Souls with the Hypocrisie in New-England against which they witnessed sealing it with their Blood their hearts being filled with that Message the holy Apostle Paul in his day was imployed in Acts 26.17 18. To open their Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto God directing them to the manifestation of the Spirit of God in them A Teacher not to be removed into a corner nor that would any ways deceive them or suffer them to be at ease in sin This High way of the Lord cast up in his Son Christ Jesus the Light of the World the Sound thereof offended the Ears of New-England's Teachers who not unlike Demetrius the Silver-smith Acts 19.24 proved notable Incendiaries against the Lords Servants left their craft should be in danger so far did they kindle the Rage and Fury of their bigotted Rulers that by cruel Usage and inhumane Laws they far exceeded any thing in the Realm of England against the Jesuites And whilst I am writing there livingly springs up in my heart to you the Inhabitants of Boston New-England a weighty Exhortation and that in tender Love That you would mind the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation and as the holy Scripture testifies hath appeared unto all men 2 Tit. 11. that in the same you may see your blind Guides for if the Blind lead the Blind both shall fall into the Ditch Beware that it be not your Condemnation that Light is come into the World and that you love Darkness rather than Light because your Deeds are Evil I have neither Envy nor Malice against the Priests or People of New-England but earnestly desire the Eternal Well-fare of both yet I cannot but lament the present state of New-England as well as its former whose Priests to the life are drawn out in the 3d of Micah v. 5. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my People Err that bite with their Teeth and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their Mouthes they even prepare War against him vers 11. The Heads thereof judge for Reward and the Priests thereof Teach for Hire and the Prophets thereof divine for Money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us none Evil can come upon us O New-England New-England is not this your present state Are not your Priests crying Peace unto you as if no Evil could come upon you in the midst of these Cloudes of Dangers that are hanging over your heads some of them you have for more than a Twelve Moneth felt to wit A Bloody Cruel War with the Heathen the loss of so many Lives hath humbled me before the Lord and at this time the earnest Cry and Supplication of my Soul unto God is That you may by your speedy sincere Repentance unto him prevent his Judgments for the future That the Jesuits may be properly termed the Fathers of New-England Priests none can doubt if they differ not from their Brother John Cotton of Hampton who in a publick Dispute with G. K. owned To have received his Ministry by the Pope of Rome whose Emisaries they are Beside as they can never prove the Quakers guilty of any one Jesuitical Error yet we can prove these Priests of Boston guilty of many and more especially in their being Incendiaries against the Peace of the Government The further calumniating those who suffered Death to answer your Crucity is but a mean way to expiate the Crime of their innocent Blood which crys aloud for Vengeance and the Lord unto whom it belongs will repay it Thou Cotton Mather nor all thy Fraternity will never be able to prove these 4 Worthies troublesom Hereticks that patiently endured Martyrdom for the Testimony of Jesus by their crul Hands neither will thy poor Insinuation help That two or three of them would rather dye than leave the Plantation undisturbed They had no reason to hearken unto your Hypocritical entreaties to be gone it was their Birth-right as free-born Subjects of the Kingdom of England and so might claim it to inhabit N. England as well as any that there resided as not being forbid to them by either the Law of God or the Realm of England so that being innocent they feared not man that could only hurt the Body but feared him that could cast both Body and Soul into Hell Fire C. M. It is possible a Bedlam had been fitter for those Frantick People than what was inflicted on them and for my own part I must profess with regard unto such Hereticks Ad Judicium sanguinis Tardus sum nor have I the least inclinations to Hereticide as a fit way to suppress their Errors Reply Here our Author doth not a little impeach the Authority of N. England at that time who were accessary to the Death of those â— Worthies by him call'd Frantick People for if according to him a Bedlam had been fitter surely they greatly sinned in passing and executing Sentence of Death upon them the present Governour Simon Broadstead then a Magistrate is greatly concerned in this Charge which amounts to no less than the taking away four Lives by an unjust Judgment for how can that Sentence of Hanging be just against such for whom a Bedlam had been fitter Such as this Author renders our Friends to have been are by the Laws of England exempted from the punishment of Death as also it s reckoned amongst the Abuses of the common Law That such who kill People by false Judgment be not destroyed as other Murderers as may be seen in that noted Book called The Mirror of Justice C. 5. Sect. 108. in express words thus It is abuse that Justices and other Officers who kill People by false Judgment be not destroyed as other Murderers which K. Alfred cause to be done who caused forty four Judges in one Year to be hanged as Murderers for their false Judgments which in the said Book are particularly noted and in the 4th Case he instances how King Alfred hanged Cole because he judged Ive to death when he was a Mad-man Cotton Mather forgot his respect to the venerable Mordocai of his Country as he at other times terms him when he thus exposed him M. C.