being willing to die for thy Saviour thou chusedst to live in thy sins shall such a cowardly Priest claim the priviledge of a Paul Thou talks of erecting Christ a Throne and giving him a Crown and Scepter in your hearts Priviledge Was it Christ or Antichrist that had a Throne erected and a Crown and Scepter in thy heart when thou fled from thy flock P. 51. Does not Antichrist reign in the Kingdom of thy heart while thou pins thy sheep on thy poor Commons and poysons them with thy corrupt Doctrine both in Pulpit and print P. 61. Thou sayes You dwell in Christ and Christ in you as a man in his house and p. 65. Christ toucheth the soul by his spirit Is not his spirit of the essence of the Deity Dost thou not say p. 72. The substance of the Deity is incommunicable P. 67. Thou queries what kind of union is this between Christ and a believer and thou answers it is a reall or substantial total and spiritual union and that it is a union of substances essences and persons Can this be true and yet the substance of the Deity be incommunicable P. 69. Thou sayes Christ is in a believer and a believer is in Christ and in-being is mutual and conformable between them and Christ and a believer are in one another really And yet thou sayes the substance of the Deity is incommunicable 2 Cor. 13.5 Col. 1.27 Thou goes on saying Christ himself is in a Believer not his graces onely so is the spirit it self in a Believer dwells in him not his fruits or operations onely yet thou sayes the substance of the Deity is incommunicable is not this to make the spirit not to be of the substance of the Deity Thou runs on saying This union of Christ and a Believer is a totall Vnion the whole person of a believer is united to the whole person of Christ both Soul and Body with his Deity And that whole Christ both his God-head Manhood is united to the whole Christian both his soul and body And yet for all this thou shames not to say The substance of the Deity is incommunicable Page 70. Then thou brings in Rom. 8.11 saying That the spirit of Christs unities the body of a Believer to Christ as well sa his soul and inhabites or dwells in his body as well as in his soul and that the Saints bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost And yet thou blushes not to say the substance of the Deity is communicable An infallible signe thy body was never yet the Temple wherein that pure Spirit hath lived in Certainly some of thy Hearers will not credit thee in this particular and if they will any longer be led by such a filthy Lyer and Blasphemer if they will still dote upon thee and thy Dreams I shall pitty their sad condition that they are thus given up to believe such strong delusions P. 79. A fourth obstruction in receiving Christ thou sayes is fear of suffering for Christ of bearing his Crosse that Christ may prove costly or his wayes and cause cumbersome that you may leave or lose Father Mother Wife Children House Lands Goods c. And Selfeness stands thou sayes in Diametrall opposition to Christ and must be receded from and renounced before Christ can be approached or received Deal honestly with thy own soul was not fear of suffering for Christ of bearing his Crosse the cause that made thee leave Lincoln and go to Norwich is not fear of losing House Lands Goods Gratuities yearly Revenue reproach of the world the losse of the name of a Minister of the Gospel the cause that hinders thee from taking up the Crosse of Christ Canst thou not say from thy own experience as in p. 80. O the difficulty of self-deniall and mans naturall aversness to it it is next to ceasing to be himself especially thou sayes when a man hath a great Self to deny as great parts power and wealth But what 's thy meaning to call the Idolls Temple a Church and breed and wine a Sacrament as thou dost in thy 80. page How many rest sayes thou in comming to the Church and not to Christ in receiving the Sacrament but not Christ Fond man how should they finde him where he is not Away with this Popery thou painted Priest thy Tongue is tipt with Romish poyson Thou tells of Peters prohibiting Cornelius p. 82. when he worshipped him but when dost thou forbid thy flatterers when they come bending and bowing before thee curtesing unto thee Thou wants that true humility Peter had thy counterfeit stuffe shall yield no contentment That self-pleasing Mantle called the Custom of the Nation shall contribute no comfort to thee in the time of thy Tribulatiō when the book of Conscience coms to be opened Thou often hintest to the people they should readily receive Christs Ministers and counts thy self and the Tithe-taking Priests for Christs Embassadors I am sure But that covetous griping Generation who are alwayes crying give give who love the flock meerly for the fleece are none of the Ministers of Christ Jesus Read Isa 56.10.11 and see if that place be not a pretty Representative of the Priests of our time Isa 56.10.11 worth reading Page 56. Thou tells of Christs Proclamation of himself and his Commodities free access to all commers and of all plentifull supply to all hungerers and thirsters after him and his good things wine and milk c. to come and buy of him without mony and without price Page 80. Why dost not thou and thy fellow false Ministers make Christ your pattern O the difficulty of self-denial and mens naturall aversenes to it Yea even such men who would be counted the Ministers of Christ Jesus These are so farre from calling people to take their counterfeit ware without mony or price that they think they can never get money nor price enough Are such the Ministers of Christ Priest Thou Queries whether it be not the great condemning sin that Men will not receive Jesus Christ seeing that is the great command of the Gospel and Christ sayes thou will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that obey not the Gospel This is the great salvation tendered to you in the Gospel which if you refuse how can you escape great damnation Joh. 3.19 This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evill What will become of thee and thy generation of teachers who doe not receive the light but reject it Who instead of yeilding up your selves to it you set your selves to preach against it Ye will neither obey it your selves nor are willing that others should Math. 23.13 Wo and misery will be the portion of such men who instead of opening shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men and neither goe in themselves nor suffer them that are
THE PROUD PHARISEE Reproved OR The lying Orator laid open IN AN EXAMINATION OF Some Passages in a Book Entituled Precepts for Christian Practice Or The Rule of the New Creature New Model'd Written by one Edw. Reyner who calles himself a Minister of the Gospel in Lincoln But is found a Lyar by a Child of the Light who is known to the World by the Name of Martin Mason LONDON Printed in the Year 1655. To my Friends and Acquaintance in the Flesh in Lincoln who yet love the Garlick and Onions of Egypt better than the Milk and Hony of Canaan I Am not ignorant what Aspersions will be cast upon me for writing this ensuing Treatise But I have learnt to passe through evil Report and good Report as a Deceiver and yet true 1 Cor. 6.8 All the Reproaches and persecutions of the World cannot rob me of my Jewel of my comfort of my Crown And so truth be but exalted I matter not for all the poysoned Arrowes which Men of Envy shoot against my Person I can as freely expose my naked Breast to receive them chearfully as they are forward to dart them spightfully and when they have done forgive them freely All this I can do through Christ that strengthens me Phil. 4.13 But come poor hearts You who lie stretching your selves upon the Bed of Ease and delight in the broad way you are in because it gives ease and liberty to the flesh Tarry there no longer I beseech you for though the way seem right unto you yet let me tell you the End thereof are the wayes of Death And if you will not take my word Loe I bring you no lesse than a King for my Surety even Solomon himself Prov. 14.12 Rev. 15.3 And if that will not do here 's a greater than He Christ himself the King of Saints Math. 7.13 How many years have you been feeding upon the bare Commons your Shepherds having no better Pasture for you than their formal Prayers and Houre-glasse Sermons studied and hammered upon the Anvil of thâ—ir own Imaginations painting them over with the pleasant Title of Christs Ordinances but had their Prayers and preaching proceeded from that pure Fountain of living water the Trees would have born better fruit But their connterfeit Coyn can now no longer passe for pure Gold for the light hath discovered them 1 John 5 1â— He that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked One toucheth him not He that can witness this condition that Man hath his Divine within him The light is his Guide and he needs not Jer. 27.9 Jude 8. Jer. 23.21 Jer 27 10 the dark Lanthorn of an eight and twentie years Dreamer While you rest poor souls where you do you dwell in darkness come therefore out of Babylon seek the good of your own souls and forsake the Priests grope no longer in the dark loe now its day dote no more upon your filthy Dreamers who run before they were sent and prophesie lies unto the people 't is they who draw you into delusions and your souls unto destruction if you draw not back from them for while you go from the pure the light in your Consciences you run into the puddle of mens humane inventions the streams of the Sea of Rome Own therefore the pure teachings of that pure principle of God within you the light which convinces you of sin and evil when no eye sees you Heb 12 14 Take councel there and do not fear to be deluded by it for it will draw you if you are willing to be led by it from impurity unto Holiness without which no man can see God 'T is but a Romish mist your Teachers cast before your eyes when they render the light a delusion least it should discover to you their Mystery of Iniquity But the Lord hath a Controversie with them and is throwing their Diana down do not you therefore set to your shoulders to hold it up any longer least you be found fighting against God 2 Pet 1 19 But know we have a more sure word of Prophecie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light shining in a dark place until the day dawn and the day Starre arise in your hearts Remember you have warning in your life prise it Martin Mason THE Proud Pharisee Reproved OR The Lying Orator laid open WHat means the Man to give his Book such a Boasting Title as The Rule of the New Creature new modeld Were he himself in that happy condition a new Creature is he would have manifested more Modesty and Moderation and have been cloathed with that sweet smelling Garment of Humility without which Iewel no man shall ever weare the never fading Crown of Christianity 1 Pet. 1.5 For God resisteth the Proud and giveth Grace to the Humble O the difference betwixt Truth and Deceit betwixt the Ministers of Christ and Antichrist Paul boasted not of things without his measure but according to the measure of the Rule which God had disâ—ributed to him Paul said 2 Cor. 10.13 Let us walk by the same Rule Was this Rule the writings of the Prophets or Evangelists Gal. 6.16 Was this Rule any Epistle written by some of the Apostles Was not Paul a new Creature when he writ to the Galathians Acts 13.9 was not Paul filled with the Holy Ghost was not the Holy Ghost his Rule Can the Holy Ghost be new model'd Rom. 8.9 Again Paul sayes If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Is that Man a new Creature that hath not the Spirit of Christ living in him Hath that Man the Spirit of Christ living in him or is he a new Creature that so undervalues that holy soul-satisfying Spirit by preferring his own Inventions before it by giving that Honour to lifeless leaves that is due to the infinite God of life and love whether the Spirit of Christ be the Rule of a new Creature yea or nay let that soul judge in whom the Spirit of Christ lives and whether that Rule can be new model'd by man or not But what must become then of Edward Reyners Rule Let it return from whence it rose This is his first lie The world hath a Proverb 'T is ill stumbling at the Threshold He that begins his Book with a lie is likely to have more of the same stamp before he comes to his end Here I charge him with blasphemy let him clear himself as he can In his Title Page he stiles himself a Minister of the Gospel but a lyer and a blasphemer is not to be trusted I shall therefore with the Lords leave examine him a little further His first Ordination sprang from the Romish Root That foundation being built upon the Sand. The Man grew ashamed thereof and relinquished it and now derives his Ministry from those of his fellowship so now he presumes hee 's built upon the Rock but let him that thinketh he stands
no man Doth true honour consist in such hollow deceitfull unwarrantable titles inventions of the beast as are given by the world one to another * Is not your Lordship your Honour your Worship and the like a flattering Title Ester 3.2 How contrary art thou to Elihu who said Let me not accept of any mans person neither let me give flattering titles unto man for I may not give flattering titles unto man in so doing my Maker would soone take me away And Mordecai he would not bow unto Haman though the Darling of a King * Mind that you idolatrous and dissembling complementers who are bowing to and sawning on one another when in your hearts you are fit to murdâ—r one another Psal 2. But while thou feeds thy Magistrates with such food as their crazie carnall stomacks gape after while thou feasts them with such fare I say thou fattens the enemie and pines the pure but read thy reward and take it with thee The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things Psal 123. Thou tells them Full 28 years are run out since thou was called to this City by the general vote of all the godly in it It seems this was all the call thou had'st the vote of men Thy confession makes it manifest thou had'st no call from God How hast thou proved thy generall vote of all the godly in this Citty Must thy bare word be taken when thou hast already been proved a lier Was there not one whose heart was towards the Lord not one Child of God in all the Citty but those that gave their vote to thee The Baptized people will not credit thee in this thing but look upon it as an uncharitable censure a presumptuous Boast and will ranck it amongst the rest of thy Lies Full 28 yeares are run out c. all which time together with my spirits and strength I have pent amongst you and upon you but for about 2 yeares in the heat of the late unhappy broyles when the good hand of providence removed me to a Citty of Refuge to wit Norwich Thou art Master of thy Trade A smooth tongue oylie words thou wantest not But this will not doe thy varnish must be washt off under this painted stufflies Poyson Hast thou spent 26 yeares upon those to whom thy book is dedicated with thy Spirits and strength what 's that which speaks so lustily in the Pulpit and walks so lively in the streets Is it not Edward Reyner his own self Hath the Mayor and divers more to whom thou dedicates thy book lived 26 yeares in Lincolne If they have not and I am sure t is so how hast thou spent thy spirits and strength amongst them and upon them all that time Besides hast thou had no journeys out of the Citty in all these 26 yeares Hast thou spent none of that time in bowling musick feasting at home or abroad If thou confessest then that time was not spent upon thy freinds for the good of their Souls whilst thou was Pampering thy own body Dives like with dainty fare and carnall pastimes not becoming a Minister of the Gospell But if thou denies this many in Lincoln can witness against thee So that turne which way thou wilt the hand of the Lord is against thee thou art found out a lyer in this particular also Wee to the Idoll Shepheard that leaves the Flock c. 11 Zecha 17. verse Then thou talks of the good hand of providence c. Deale honestly with thy own heart was it the good hand of Providence or the left hand of slavish feare and self ends that made the Hireling leave his Flock when the Wolf came What an unkind requitall did'st thou make them for their generall vote to preach amongst them Was thou so honest or so hardy to stay and desire their generall vote to leave them Was there not many a Soul in that Citty who thought well of thee yet knew not of thy flight till the Bird was flowne Hee 's blind that sees not this to be Blasphemy Thou goes on calling an Abridgment of thy Doctrine heart renewing life reforming soule saving truths Here 's three lies in a little roome canst thou prove that the Bible much less thy Babell book can renew the heart reforme the life and save the soule of any sinner Is it not the living God alone can do these things The leaest Child in the Schoole of Christ that reads this stuff of thine sees thy sottish error but 't is just that thy lying spirit should be laid open O that ever such a lying man as thou art should take upon him the name of a Minister of the Gospel What a Saviour is it which thou trustest in cannot he renew the heart reforme the life and save the soule Then surely thou art in a sad condition being so great a sinner and hast so lame a Saviour But if he can then see what wrong hast thou done him to make a meere useless Cypher of him and place salvation in printed leaves and abominable lies But this makes it manifest thy heart is not renewed nor thy life reformed nor thy soule saved were it so thou would'st not have printed such dark Popish stuff in such a time as this when light breaks forth in aboundance Soone after thou begs leave of them to leave that little Peice of thine in their hands as a light to guide them c. John 8.12 John 19. Christ Jesus is the light of the world does not he inlighten every one that comes into the world is he a perfect light or not wilt thou say there is imperfection in Christ Jesus Luke 1. 79. John 16.13 2 Pet. 1.19 What need is there of thy dark Lanthorne when the glorious Sun it self shines so comfortably doth not Christ give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and guide their feet into the way of Peace And John saith when the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth and Peter saies we have a more sure word of Prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawne and the day star arise in your hearts Away thou blind guide that book which thou begs leave to leave with them as a light to guide them will lead all such as are guided by it into the ditch there 's a multitude of lies contradictions false doctrine and blasphemies in it of the Serpents invention mixt and interwoven with severall places of Scripture which thou wrests and pervertest explicating of them according to that deceitfull principle that is predominant within thee thereby hoping more plausibly to put off thy counterfeit ware and false doctrine for current truth but the light hath discovered thy delusions and thou art seene and judged Is thy book able to preserve from errors in opinion and looseness in conversation as
abominated Thou saies A Scriptum est Thou begins with that which thou calls the word of God viz. the Scriptures Thou bids heare it read it As it is written will put sin and Satan to flight and hide it in your hearts There are words many but the Word is but one Iohn 1.1 The Scriptures I own more truely than thou does or any tithe taking Preist in England yet I deny it to be that which thou callest it but protest not In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God Are the Scriptures God Were they in the beginning Was not Moses the first Man that writ Scripture Is it not Christ that 's clothed with a vesture dipt in blood is not his name called the Word of God Are the Scriptures Christ Rev. 19 13. 2 Pet. 3.5 Doth not Paul say the Word of God is quick and powerfull sharper than any two edged sword peircing even to the dividing a sunder of Soule and Spirit and of the joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Can the dead doe all this Is the letter quick and powerfull Hath it the vertue force and operation written in that verse Or is it the work of a God Is any printed book a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Peter saies by the Word of God the Heavens were of Old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water Were the Heavens and the earth made by the Scriptures or by God Paul saies every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the Word of God Luke 1.1 Can any thing sanctify a creature but the Omnipotent God and Creator of all things 2 Iet 1 2â— Whether does he owne the Scripture who calls it his rule and lives contrary to it or he that calls it not soe yet lives according to it Yet I own the Scriptures as they are a declaration a record the writings of the holy Men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost But I dare not Deifie or equall them with God nor pretend to make them my rule and walk contrary to them as thou and all thy generation doe Thy second Antidote thou calls the Sacraments A word of an old stamp coyned by thy Fore-Fathers at the Romish-Mint which it seems thou reservest as a holy Relique for its Antiquity not for any Sanctity that is in it I am sure Art thou not ashamed to use such rusty dark language at this time of the day P. 28.29 Thou saies Sacraments are instituted to be instruments for conveyance of vertue from Christs death into your Soules to mortifie your sins How many sins can the people truely say are mortified in them by thy Sacraments If thou wilt not answer for them say for thy self speak and lye not Channels through which streams of blood flow from the sides and heart of Christ into your hearts to carry away your sins Name what sins thou canst witness either of thy owne or the peoples that are carried away by those pretended streams flowing through the Sacraments Then thou bids make use of Sacraments against sins as men doe of Assizes against Malefactors get them condemned and cut off He that drinks at the pure Fountaine savours thy muddy language to streame from the corrupted Sea of Rome But all this while thou hast been talking of Sacraments thou hast lost thy Scriptum est What old Authors hast thou been ransaking up for this Sacrament all stuff Dares thou come into the feild thus to fight against the Lamb and his Saints and not bring one weapon out of thy Scripture Magazin to defend thee How canst thou hope to return a live to thy Camp Is the name of a Minister Armour of Proof to secure thee Dost thou not say the Word is a sheild to defend you against all the assaults of Sin and Satan or Batteries of Yentations The heart fenced with it thou saies is Cannon Proof I know thy meaning is the Scriptures Thou counts it the Word Ah silly blind Soul that art thus groping in the dark when the Sun of righteousness shines so gloriously Art not thou and the people provided of Bibles How are you defended against the assaults of Sin and Satan t is seene how open you are to the Batteries of tentation And for all thy flourishes thy heart is not fenced with one Scripture for all this folly thy tongue hath uttered concerning thy second Antidote Therefore thou art neither sword nor pistoll-proofe much less Cannon-proofe by thy owne confession Prov. 12.22 Pro. 28.9 Thy third Antidore is Prayer to God of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me saith the Lord when ye come to appeare before me who hath required this at your hand the calling of Assemblies I cannot away with * It is iniquity even the solemne meeting when ye spread your hands I will hide my eyes from you yea when you make many Prayers I will not heare Isaiah 1. and what 's the reason of this your uncleaneness Wash ye make ye cleane put away the evill of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evill learne to do well seeke judgement Releive the oppressed judge the Fatherless Plead for the Widdow Loe here 's work for thee and thy Mayor and Aldermen O that you would set your hearts to doe it till then all your Prayers are but vaine babling till then there is no reasoning with God If ye be willing and obedient yee shall eate the Fat of the Land but if ye rebell ye shall be devoured with the sword for the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it page 30. Speaking of the spirituall combat thou saies The life or exercise of grace puts sin to death in the duell betweene Flesh and Spirit as humility doth Pride and sincerity doth hypocrisy Ah poore Soul that it were so with thee and where there is no opposition there is no restraint where there is no contrary Principle of grace to cross and curb sin there sin overflows like a River without Bancks Grace thou saies will drive out sin as one pin doth another yet for all this page 28 thou calls Duties and Ordinances Weapons edgewise to cut and kill lusts Antidotes to expell the Poyson of sin especially the Word that is saies thou Scriptures Sacraments and Prayer for dost thou not say a Scriptum est As it is written will put sin and Satan to flight Here thou laies all the weight and power of killing sin upon duties ordinances and the letter and page 30. thou saies 'T is the life of grace puts sin to death and grace will drive out sin but what that grace is thou hast not mentioned 1 Cer. 12.9 The Lord saies to Paul my grace is sufficient for thee
houses of Prayer that Church being nationall and so there was a certaine place appointed for that purpose but were they not unconverted do not you by imitating them therein and by your lives make it manifest you are the Jews now who are unconverted Doe you not hold up the letter * In opposition to the Spirit calling the letter your Rule and persecute Christ in spirit Have you any other than common or formal prayers before and after Sermon a meer Popish Custom And when that is done then comes a formal benediction or blessing the people a meer cheat wherewith you delude the ignorant but the light hath discovered that and all the rest or your deceits What the people are better for that blessing their lives make it manifest Acts 3 2â— Did not Christ that High Priest cease this Ceremony when he blest his Disciples and afterwards came in spirit to blesse his people were not Christs and his Apostles prayers very short plain and to the purpose are not yours long vain glorious without the spirit and understanding Does that pure spirit live in you when you perform such lifeless exercises and deliver such deceitful Doctrine and is not your singing a confused noyse of lying Thou tells of Christs invitation of all poor souls to him who feele a need of him then see from henceforth thou hinder none keep none back let all that will go freely Does Christ call them and wilt thou by the ringing of a Bell call them to thy self Art thou Christ art thou the way the truth and the life Thou sayes Christ stood and cryed so does he still if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink so let him that is a thirst come But canst thou and thy fellow Priests satisfie the thirsty souls of poor sinners with the water of eternal life if thee canst not call them no longer to thee but send them to Christ the light of the world that pure Fountain and delude them no longer by letting them drink of the long standing corrupted putrified pool of mens traditions Christ sayes Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will ease you Can thee and thy Generation give ease to that soul that labours under the heavy load and burthen of his sins Do ye not instead of taking off the burthen lay more weight on Christ he gives ease and you sell what 's a Burthen Page 117. Thou talks of Christs cheapness of all soul Commodities as Grace Peace Spirit joy you may buy them without money or mony worth Hoe every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money for coming is buying and thirsting is the price I will give to him that is a thirst of the Fountain of water of life freely Now see the difference between Christ and Antichrist Christ he gives grace peace spirit and joy freely Antichrist he sells his graceless inventions deluding deceitful Doctrines and Traditions the enioyment whereof brings no peace his dead performances wherein is neither spirit nor life his loud singing wherein is no joy nor comfort These he sells at as great rates as he can either by payment of Tithes or so much a year be it one hundred and fifty pound a year more or lesse what he can get Yet he tells you that your not comming to Christ for what ever you want is your condemnation and he bids you Take it out of Christs own mouth Ye will not come to me that ye might have life but the Serpent is so subtle He would have you take Him in your way make him your Guide but while you do so ye shall never see your Saviour Well friends the Priest hath told you plainly your not going to Christ is your condemnation Luke â—1 21 Now unlesse ye be Reprobates past reproof you may know that Christ is within you The Kingdom of God is within you therefore turn aside from your worldly Teachers and turn to the pure light of God in every one of your Consciences Take counsel of that trusly faithfull and most wise Counseller yield obedience unto him Behold to obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken better then the fat of Rams You shall never witness the life of a Saint never truly loath all manner of sin till you be in perfect love with the pure light of God within you And that will give you power over your corruptions abiding in it being obedient to it The least measure thereof if you be faithful to it shall make you experience this for truth if you say to this or that Mountain or hill of sin Be removed it shall be removed and leâ—ei'd Christs precept is thou sayes when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and shut thy door This thou calles his Rule for private prayer Shew then his Rule for thy long vain glorious publick prayers before and after Sermon where do the Scriptures mention any Rule for private publick prayer such as thine then thou talks of praying with others c. 1 Cor. 14.15 'T is an easie matter to patter out many words but which of you prayes with the spirit and understanding Thou confesses before They that have not the spirit of Christ are none of his And they who have that spirit living in them need none of thy Rules or direction how when or with whom to pray The spirit he helpeth our Rom. â— 26 infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered P. 124. Thou plainly shewes thy self a Son of the Church of Rome Houses thou sayes as well as Temples were and are to be dedicated to God Thou sayes the Jewes were commanded to do it Hee 's as blind as thy self who knowes not that but what of this After the Destruction of the Temple was there ever any other commanded to be set up Acts 7.47.48 Acts 17.24.25 John 4.23.24 Prove this if thou canst God dwells not in Temples made with mens hands And ye that worship in the Idols Temple ye worship ye know not what for God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth 1 Kings 18.27.29 Should I say to you concerning your worshipping in your Steeple-houses as Elijah did would you not be angry Cry aloud for he is a God either he is talking or he is pursuing Or he is in a journey or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awakened But is there any voice any to answer or any that regardeth Anos 6.1 Rom. 12.2 Where is the man or woman amongst you that turneth from the evil of his wayes that ceaseth to do evil and learns to do well that lives not at ease and woe be to them that live at ease that fashions not himself according to the World that can truly witness self-deniall that takes up his daily Crosse and follows Christ
P. 130. can the Spirit of God be limited to set times Does the Scriptures limit the Saints to pray morning and evening He that prayes without the Spirits help his prayers are an abhomination to the Lord. The Apostle bids pray continually Away thou Legalist thou painted Pharisee blush and be ashamed P. 134. Thou calles the word meaning the letter I know assuredly food for the soul Manna from Heaven but where is thy Scriptum est for this can any thing but the living God satisfie the soul Had not the Scribes and Pharisees the writings of the Prophets the presence of Christs person and his Apostles and their preaching too yet Christ complains that they would not come to him that they might have life They had the letter yet wanted life they Page 134. had the Husk yet wanted the Kernel Whether is the Husk or Shell or the Kernel Meat Is it not said He satisfies the hungry with good things does he call the Scriptures those good things where is it said that they satisfie But the rich he sends empty away Is this the doctrine of Christ to say reading of Scripture is that to the Soul which Dinner and Supper is to the body How many poor pined starved soules in this City will witnesse against thee herein when the book of Conscience comes to be opened Thou goes on calling the Scripture under the name of Gods Word the Christians Armory or Magazine saying Reading of Gods Word is a Means of putting on the whole Armour of God of girding the sword of the Spirit upon the Thigh of the soul And that it 's like an Apothecary shop wherein are healing Medicines for all sorts of Spirituall Diseases Thou pretends one thing and does another thou seems to make the Scripture The Rule for men to walk by but not it seems for thee to talk and prate by who preaches and prints such stuffe as neither thee nor all the Priests in England can prove by plain Scripture P. 140. He that brings any other Doctrine then what was delivered by Christ and his Apostles Is he not accursed Thou calls Conscience a good Monitor and so it is but thou dares not serve so good a Master Pag. 143. Thou calls it a Principle of Joy O that thou wouldst make it thy joy to obey that pure Principle thy joy would be then unspeakable and full of glory but thou treads it under foot and dares not give it the uppermost Room nor let it Rule in the Kingdom of thy Heart It is my witnesse I speak the Truth and lye not P. 145. Thou makes confession against thy self but forsakest not Family-Duries superficially performed cannot kill disorders in thy house Are the best of Your performances any better What means then the reigning of your Headstrong Lusts as Pride Passion Envy Covetousnesse c Art thou not ashamed still to limit Prayer to Morning and Evening The 5. Psal 3. verse which thou brings 1 Thess 5.17 for thy proof mentions Davids exercise in the Morning onely Does thou bring in His practice against a Gospel-precept Pray continually or without ceasing Thy calling that day of the Week thou Worships on the Sabbath shews thy ignorance of the True Sabbath Is this the language of A true Minister of the Gospel Thou sayes all Relations Domestical Ecclesiastical and Political are founded and established in the Law of God and Gospel of Christ But shouldst thou never have penny for thy preaching till thou proves this in that sense thou takest Ecclesiastical Relations The Fox would soon say his Spirits and strength were spent Take the Pulpit who would the Priest would be gone either to Norwich or some such other Place or City of Pecuniary Refuge Thou brings in for a Proof of thy Bold assertion Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours Wife nor his Man-servant nor his Maid-servant c. But what 's this to Ecclesiasticall Relation as thou calls it Is it not like a Spiders Webb finely spun yet so weak that a feather will fell it down Is not this to cast an Odium upon the late Parliament and present Authority for abolishing Bishops Dean and Chapters were not they counted Ecclesiastical Relations Art not thou and thy Generation of Priests built upon the same foundation they were Is not your life in the letter as theirs was Their Doctrine and yours the same Do you not plead for the same maintenance of Tithes they did Did not thee and thy Presbyterian Generation preach against Prelacy because you would be the Prelates your selves Art not thou and thy fellow Priest paid for your preaching out of that yearly Revetiue which was formerly paid to your Elder Brethren the Bishop Dean and Chapter of Lincoln Three hundred pounds a year between you If these Relations had been grounded upon the Law of God and the Gospel of Christ Was it well done of them who abolished them But that Man's blind who sees not thee to be a Minister of Antichrist quarrelling so far as thou dares and shewing thy discontent at what the Lord hath done in hastening the Downfall of the Devils Kingdome P. 156. Thou presses the people with their duty to their Ministers Due respect and love to their persons and thou brings in 1 Thess 5.12 13. We beseech you Brethren to know them that labour among you and are over you in the Lord. Now prove thy self and the Priests of England if thou canst to be such as Paul was to be in the Lord and fill'd with the Holy Ghost Did ever Paul or any of the Primitive Saints preach such Doctrine as thou and thy Fellow Priests do and live in such pride pomp idlenesse and oppression as you do Thy next proof is 1 Tim. 5 17 18. Let the Elders that Rule well be counted worthy of double Honour Name me those Elders among you who rule well Old in folly deceit and filthinesse there are many but young and green to any thing that is good Who are they that labour in the Word Thee and thy Generation are not true Labourers in the Lords Vineyard but lazie idle loyterers Greedy shepherds None of you abide in his Doctrine nor hold fast the form of sound words The next is due Maintenance for their pains Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the Word Communicate First prove your selves True Teachers such as Paul and the Apostles were Produce your Commissions from Christ Jesus Prove your Call That you ran not before you were sent That you abide in his Doctrine Till that be done there is nothing due unto you but Judgment And should thy self and the Priests of this Nation who preach for Reward be forced to make but bare restitution of all that they have received and robb'd the people of under the Notion of Christs Ministers they would be the most beggerly contemptible People in the World But observe the word Communicate a voluntary Contribution or free Cift Is this the best prop you have for compulsive