4. Subs 1. n. 3. how the exotick opinions of some School-men gave her wrong Sentiments of Angels in like manner hearing of some nice points debated among School men and Philosophers she was apt to adopt the worst side of the Problem which being once made hers out it flyes into the World as a new revealed verity for example A. B teacheth S. V. pt 1. p. 96. And the Ap. homologates pt 1. p. 62. That both our Souls and Bodies are propogated from Adam Contrary to Heb. 12.9 where GOD is called the Father of Spirits or the creatour of our Souls in contradistinction to our natural parents who are there termed the Fathers of our flesh And many other of her Accessories she might have learned by ordinary discourse as that the Heretick Eunomius and generally the Gnosticks out of a pretence of magnifying Faith said that good works were not necessary This false and odious opinion her La. after her charitable manner doth most frequently father upon all Protestants without due consideration that St. Aug. confuted it L. de fide oper Whose orthodox strain is followed by Calvin and all Proteslant writters and Billarmine himself de Justif L. 3 c 6. Vindicats Protestants of the foresaid imputation Obj. 2. It was asserted in my hearing by some whom the Borignianists had mistuned that there are more than two thousand verities speaking of these Accessories set out in the Books of A. B. which are not to be read in all the writtings either of Papists or Protestants A. I have discovered in her Books more than an hundreth falsities but have seen none of these new disclosed verities and if any favorite of hers shall be at the pains to number them let him take heed that he make not a false muster or rather such an appearance as drunken men see of great armies in the Air which instantly and quite disappear when sober people are curious to view them And if Accessories be called New Verities they should be rejected on that very head by reason that no truth can be new and all Truths are older than Errours Obj. 3. Have there not been some persons Divinely Inspired Teachers in all Ages such as Antonie and Paul the Anachorets St. Terese St. Briget and St. Katharine Theular and Thomas a Kempeis And were it not for fear of your Pastoral Office A. B. would be respected as one of these and her Books held worthy of all acceptation A. 1. There should be no ground to fear the falling of the Pastoral Office altho many now living were inspired in the measure of the Prophets and Apostles which will never be seeing the Canon of the Scriptures is compleat because the Pastoral Office is appointed of GOD for his especial Service and his perpetual presence is promised to be therewith even as if a King should reveal his will secretly to some special favorits it would no wayes follow from thence that the standing Laws should not be the peoples Rule and be expounded and executed by the settled Judges 2. None of these were infallibly inspired and no more was A. B. neither do I read that Paul and Anthonie the Egyptian Monks spake against the established Offices in the Church though they chused a Monastick Life in time of Persecution If A. B. had any Precedent it was the Spanish Nun Teresa who yet pretended not to be the singular or sole Doctrix of the whole World as A. B. did Thomas a Kempis and Teular were good men but why doth not the Ap. call St. Aug. Bernard and many more eminent men as well inspired as they Obj. 4. To what purpose is all this reasoning against A. Bs. Accessorie Doctrines Since the Ap. did premonish pt 1. Car. 13. p. 38. That if any person did not relish the Accessories he might let them alone that is to say he shall not be bound to believe them and let him forbear to dispute against them how much soever he be dipleased therewith A. That is a shift put into the mouths of all who are become raâ—hly fond of all A. Bs. writtings but it is such a silly shift that I marvel to hear any rationall person pronounce it for a defence when he is pressed with good Arguments against her Errours from Scripture and Reason In the common use of the phrase to let a thing alone is to forbear or to medle or concern with it on such an occasion as when a Boy is to be chastised for a fault he cryes let me alone but let us examine the Aps own gloss of the expression 1. First he says the meaning is you need not believe A. Bs. Accessories to be true unless you please Here he enjoins a rare thing Did ever any other persons pretending to be Divinely Inspired in all their writtings leave the Readers at libertie to believe the half of them to be true or no! Why did she mix and confound them in all her twenty two Books with the Essentials of Religion which ought to be believed and how can unlearned people seperate the Gold from the dross 2. He sayes dispute not against them so says Mahomet in his Alcaron c. 5. and elsewhere If Truth be in them it should be believed if falsehood it ought to be confuted or disputed against and many of them are such as is already proven Obj. 5. It hath been said to me that whoso writes against A. B. will be answered even as the writtings of Le. Clerk at Amsterdam and all Socinian Books are still defended by some persons tho they give much offence to the Church men were it not better then to forbear disputing in matters of Theologie than to increase it A. I aprove not A. Bs. Sentiments in this case who declares that the writtings of Luther Calvin and all the Reformers whom she accounts Hereticks should have been quite despised and not answered or themselves cut off L. W. pt 1. p. 27. It is our duty to dispute for the Truth and altho Errours have Abetters and defenders yet the Truth which is stronger than Errours will at last prevail Obj. 6. The harmonie or consent of all the parts of the Holy Scriptures is one evidence that they were given by Divine inspiration so A.B. never contradicteth herself which sheweth that she was led by the Spirit of GOD in all her writtings A. If she was led by the Spirit of GOD in all her writtings then she should not be opposed but there is one thing said and another thing seen and her deeds in writting falsities proves her saying the contrary to be untrue one may write Books without contradicting himself therein and yet without Divine Inspiration but the tryal of that point anent A. B. shall bring the fourth Section anent her Doctrines to an end NUMBER III. Of her Contradictions IF one proposition be true then the contradictory assertion must be false and no palliating or favourable interpretation can reconcile them as for Instance That is a most true saying which also is
of God c. The Prophets and Apostles were without any previous Ratiocination of themselves powerfully moved by God both to Teach and Write the Rule of Faith and Manners and that infallibly both as to Matter and Words which they proved to be immediat Objective Revelation or rather Gods word than their own 1 Thess 2.13 by the gift of Tongues Miracles Oracles Visions discovering of Secrets foretelling things to come and the conversion of men to God beyond and above the ordinary Humane Means The phrase thus explained I come to state and answer the Question to wit if A. B. was Divinely inspired The Ap. spends the third part of his Treatise being 38 leaves aiming to prove that A. B. was led by the Spirit of God or what is the same on the matter divinely inspired but never shewing in what sense or meaning he would have the World believe that she was so and therefore all discoursing to that purpose looks too like a continued Sophism commonly called Ignorantio Elenchi or a Fallacious way of arguing seeming to prove the thing intended by an hudle of pretended Arguments which yet conclude nothing as to the main point under Debate Viz. In what sense or respect he alleadgeth his A. B. to have been Divinely inspired 1. Which now to examine particularly I grant that she was Divinely Inspired in the first of the five respects forementioned i. e. She had a Rational Soul if ever there was such a person as A. B. which some doubt of who lived in Flanders about the time she is said to have been at Lisle and yet heard nothing of her but this is not all which the party means by her being Divinely inspired since she pretends to more than an ordinary Spirit 2. It is more to be doubted if she was divinely inspired in the second sense to wit if she was fitted and well qualified for the condition and imployment that she set out for in the World which was three fold the Mistris of a Familie a School-Mistris and a Prophetess or a Teacher to reform all Mankind There is but little evidence given in her own writtings of he Discretion and far less of Divine inspiration in guiding either her School or Family tho she pretended to the knowledge of discerning Spirits and the very thoughts of peoples hearts Pref. to L. W. p. 41 for she testifieth of her self S. V pt 1. p. 196. how all her 32 Scholars at Lisle were in Actual compact with the Devil and yet did very well what she taught them Also the Ap. writes of her pt 4. p. 323. that all her Servants were Witches and for a long time designed to murder her for her Riches yet mentioneth nothing that ever she dismissed them before her Death And if she had a Prophetical Spirit that shall be tryed anon 3. The third and fourth Respects may be considered together whereanent I charitably think that A. B. was a pious person and so was led by the Spirit of God as any other godly person is Rom. 8.1 But this concession will not satisfie the Ap. who holds her to have been incomparably holy and to have exceeded in knowledge the greatest Divines pt 3. p. 240.241 And therefor her pretension must be tryed in another sense Obj. How can she be called pious who wrote many Errours and was very proud and Uncharitable A. 1. She spake aright of Religion in sundry things which might have been by Divine Conduct but in her Mistakes and Errours she was led by her own spirit Ap. p. 216.217 As she confesseth in another Case when she was deluded by St. Saulien p. 239. And it is probable that she intended not to have written Lies or Fopperies which happened either through her want of the means of true Knowledge or the neglecting thereof as the Reading of the Holy Spriptures and Systems of Divinity and medling with things too high for her Ps 131.1 She might have been Pious tho not pefect and persons ought to be charactered from their better pairt and not from the worst from the set of their Spirit and tract of their Life rather than from particular Actions or Escapes and especially if they endeavour to discover and mortifie all Sins in themselves 2. This Obj. might be easily answered in the opinion of A. B. that Saints may apostatise totally and finally even they who have attained to perfection and could keep all the Commandments of God Which is defended be the Ap. pt 2. p 136. which yet is a gross Errour as shall afterward be shown for according to her Hypothesis it might follow that she wrote only Truth she was Humble and Charitable so long as she continued in the state of Grace but wrote her Errours became Proud and Uncharitable how soon she lost the Grace of God and fell into the estate of Damnation 4. As to the fifth Sense or Consideration of the Conduct of the Spirit of God which is the publick and ordinary acceptation of it namely a Prophetick infallible Spirit This I positively affirm A. B. had not in her writtings and so the Question is answered Negativly in Oposition to the affirmation of A. B. and her Ap. and it is thus proved 1. The Holy Scriptures which were written by the Holy Prophets and Apostles have a self Evidence in them shewing themselves to be the Word of God or the Dictats of the Holy Spirit to wit the matchless Sublimity of the matter the Holiness Purity and Harmony of the whole the Efficacie or effectual working for converting Souls to God besids their confirmation from the Pen-mens speaking of all Languages which they had never heard nor learned and other Miracles accompanying them extraordinary Visions sure Prophecies the Antiquity and preservation of the samen and the Confession of Adversaries But A. Bs. writtings have nothing the like Confirmation and therefore she had no Divine Inspiration in writting them The Major is granted by all Christians and the Minor is also clear since neither A. B. nor her Ap. pretend to such Testimonys tho their pretence be very high 2. The Scriptures written be men Divinely inspired are a perfect Rule in Religion teaching us how to glorifie God and be saved our selves 2 Tim. 3 16.17 That the man of God may be prrfect And we are to hold them accursed who would add to this Canon Gal. 1.8 Rev. 22 18. Therefore A. B. dare not pretend to such inspiration under pain of the curse Obj. You have wronged A. B. by mistateing the Question for she did not pretend to Prophecie or to write by an Infallible Spirit as the Prophets and Apostles did but only to interpret the Scriptures to live well and to teach others to do so L W. pt 1. p. 133. There she promiseth to write a Commentary upon the whole Scriptures tho she never performed it A. First denying the Charge for she is not wronged by me nor the Question mistated since it is the ordinary and received Sense of the Phrase to be
like A. Bs. yet none of them was Divinely Inspired Q. Instance How could an unlearned Person write as she did without Divine Inspiration A. 1. It is much doubted if Poiret or some other man wrote not these Books that are said to be hers 2. It is very conceavable how one Unlearned but of a Melancholly Temper and Luxuriant Fancie might write such Books getting Terms of Art by Converse with Learned Men and a Schem and Copy of their Fancies and high flown Notions by reading some of these called Mystiches such as Theular and Joannes à Cruce yet without Divine Inspiration Obj 3. She wrote without premeditation and did neither correct nor read over what she once wrote A. That is not like to be true yet if it was indeed so then her writtings are somuch the worse Obj 4. She had no Worldly aim therefore c. A. Many pretended Enthusiasts seemed to have as little who yet were not Divinely Inspired Obj. 5. She reached the Consciences of Others therefore c. A. All Sectaries and Shismaticks have the like pretension accounting the People of their perswasion the only Inlightned and Godly Party having the Old Gnosticks for their Patrons in Monopolising Godliness to themselves Iren. L. 1. G. 1. see Corse instr L. 1. C. 37. and L. 14.2.1 whereas the truly Orthodox rather make one Christian than an hundred of their Opinion Obj. 6. Her Writtings had no contradiction in them therefore c. A. It shall be shown she had in the next Section as for Example on this present Subject She affirmed that one might know by his Natural Spirit her self to be Divinely Inspired Ap. pt 3. p. 197 But against that p. 200. None can discern her to be Divinely Inspired who is not so himself now to know a certain thing by the Natural Spirit and not to know it thereby is a Contradiction but to know by the Natural and not to know but by the Divine Spirit is to know and not to know by the Natural Spirit which is a clear Contradiction of her self whereas GOD's Spirit cannot contradict Himself He being Truth it self Obj. 7. She had a Pious Life and taught rare Penitence therefore c. A. St. Aug. Epis 106. accounts that Pelagius the Arch Heretick deceived many by the strictness of his Life and Doctrine so he taught the Doctrine revived now by A. B. That riches should be abandoned and that we can by a strict penitence merit remission of sins c. Obj. 8. A. B. affirmed that she was Divinely Inspired therefore c. A. But I have proven the contrary therefore she was not Divinely Inspired SECTION IV. Q. If the Doctrine of A. B. be conform to the Holy Scriptures A. THis is the second Material Head in this Tractate for if it be true which is often written be A. B. and her Ap. That her Doctrine is agreeable to the Holy Scriptures which are the only Publick Standard of Truth then it would be most injurious for any man to offer to give Chek unto it Therefore I hope it will be no less profitable than pleasant to the Readers that this be fairly put to the Test and if it appear upon an impartial inquirie that not a little but very much of A. Bs. Doctrine be alien from and contrary to the Scriptures it may happily prove an Antidote for ingenuous People that they swallow not down her Poisonous Errours together with her Varnisht Pretensions to Devotion and Piety for to write Errours pretending to be Divinely Inspired makes the sin the more hainous to father Untruths upon the Spirit of Truth SUBSECTION I. Anent the Essentials of Religion THe essence of any thing is that which we conceive in the first place as the definitive Idea or formal Notion of it and without which it could not be such a being as the Soul and Body are the Essential Parts of Man so the Essentials of Religion are these most necessary and fundamentall Truths which if any Person disown he is accounted an Atheist or Heretick and none of the True Religion In the beginning of the next Subsection I purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to consider the Aps. distinction of Essential and Accessory Verities and at the present for dispatching's sake shall admit of his Definition of the Essentials of Religion p. 1. p. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. that they are such Truths without the Express Knowledge and Belief of which none can be eternally saved A. B. and the Ap profess that they own the Apostles Creed and that they are content that her Doctrine be entirely tryed by the Holy Scriptures L. W. Pref. to the English Reader now their Knowledge and Ingenuity in that main Point whether or no their Doctrine be agreeable to the Scripture and the Creed which is collected therefrom shall be brought to the tryal distinctly in the subsequent part of this Section SECTION IV. SUBS. I. N. I. Concerning GOD and the Blessed Trinity THe word Religion is taken from a Latine word Religando Binding for it is an Holy Law or Doctrine binding or obliedging Man to worship and serve GOD and binding us to Him for our own Salvation It is the Chief thing in Religion to have true Knowledge of GOD in order to the glorifying of Him and next to that how we shall be happy by Him John 17.3 This is Life Eternal that they may know Thee the only true GOD and JESUS CHRIST whom thou hast sent Heb. 11.6 For he that cometh to GOD must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him But A. B. had not a right notion of GOD Almighty when she wrote that man is made as a little God in his Divine nature inclosed in his humanity Our Souls are little Divinities The Soul is GOD and GOD is the Soul We are not to seek GOD without us GOD made us Deities depending upon Him The Church is an invisible Spirit and the Church is GOD himself S. V. pt 1. p. 54.75 L. W. pt 1. p. 42.53 110.111.113 and pt 3 p. 92. Such Doctrine cannot abide the Test of the Holy Scriptures which teach us that GOD is the most perfect Being most Simple Infinite Immense Immutable Independent and Eternal whereof the contrary properties are in the Creatures Deut. 6.4 The LORD our GOD is one LORD But if the Church or the Soul of man be GOD then there must be more Gods then One which to affirm were blasphemous and hereticall The Ap. p. 52. attempts to answer this citing John 17.21 and thence infering that seeing man may have some sort of union with GOD A. Bs. words may be favourably Interpreted That is but a weak subterfuge for the Learned Author doubtless knows that the Text John 17.21 and its Parallels do not excuse A. Bs. foresaid language for CHRISTS praying That Believers might be one in Him and one among themselves imports only their being Members of His Mystical Body that thereby they might recover the
afterwards they shall serve Him perfectly in Heaven Obj. 3. Angels propagate their kinde and so shall Men doe when the Body shall be made Spiritual A. That whimsie of Angels propagation hath been started by some of the wildest of School-Men but was rejected by the most Learned and Solid of them as Aquinas Sum. p. 3.75.7 c. Where he proves that Angels are of different Species and Swares Metaph. p. 120.121 That they cannot produce a Substance Neither is there need of propagation nor of a new Creation of Angels there being so many of them made at first Dan 7.10 Thousand thousands and ten thous and times ten thousand Obj. 4. GODS works abide for ever and therefore all living Creatures must propagate their kinde for ever A. 1. These words For Ever doe often signifie no more than a long time 2. GODS Works abide according to his Appointment some for a lesser and others for a longer time some materially endure for ay though changed in the qualities as our Bodies after the Resurrection and other Creatures once made never come to an end as all Spirits 3. There is no Marriage in Heaven and so no propagation as Christ coargued the Saducees Mat. 22.30 4 If Devils and Wicked Men should propagate for ever then their Posterity should never be judged contrary to the Scriptures which Teach that all shall finally be judged by GOD Eccles 12.14 Jude 6. SECTION IV. SUBS. I. N. IV. Anent the Love of GOD. IT is the high pretension of A. B. throughout all her writtings to reduce men to the Love of GOD and values her self upon it as if she had been the first in her Age who had taught that sin consists in a privation of the Love of GOD S. V. pt 1. p. 52. That all Christian Writters and particularly the reformers did not teach the Love of GOD or they did it dryly and confounded the matter and her advancing the Love of GOD is the distinguishing mark of her writtings from all Systems of Divinity and that all Church Councills were of the Devil drawing men from the Love of GOD L. W. 3. Pref. to the 3. pts and pt 3. p. 45. and Ap. pt 1. Car. 1.5 from p. 14. to 25. and p. 78. n. 42. Is it not a pitifull Errour in any Christian to applaud such writters who under a vain pretence of advancing the Love of GOD do rail at the highest rate against all Christian writters without exception is not that to do what they can to destroy all Christianity Herein they are like the Sea-Monsters called Syrens who by a sweet voice allure passengers till they get near to destroy them or like enemies who set out the colours of Friends to render us the more secure till they fall on with deadly weapons So it is an usual trick for all Hereticks and Enthusiasts to set out for some true Hypothesis as Jacob Bhemen did by resignation to GOD as much as A. B. doth by the Love of GOD But let us observe them well and it will soon be apparent that their colour is but fairding and their canting deceiving and that they run from one extream to another and so loss the Truth which is in the midst as Eutyches refuting Nestorius did in opposition to him fall into a new Heresie anent the Natures of Christ so it is exactly in the present case the infamous Gnosticks of Old and Antinomians of late depraved the Law of GOD pretending to exalt Faith and A. B. runs to the other extream out of a pretence to advance the Love of GOD penitence and imitation of Christ as the means of attaining it she cryeth up humane Merite and undervalues the Doctrine of Salvation by Faith in Christ Iesus Ap. pt 1. p. 25. Car. 5.6 Her Doctrine is very unsound and erronious anent this essential Point of Religion nor did she know what it is to love GOD whereof she vaunteth so much and reproacheth all others not only as ignorant thereof and neglecting that which is the chief thing in Religion but even as if they were enemies to the Love of GOD and her self only the defender of it And for the instruction or making good this my Charge against her I shall not insist upon omissions as the not describing the nature of the thing she writes of shewing what is meaned by Love either as it is a chief passion or Theological vertue how Faith and Love are compared together and sometimes one of them gets the preference and sometimes the other whether love of gratitude to GOD or complacencie in GOD be recommended or what are the true tokens of it viz. love to GODS Truth to his publick Service to His People and many the like which she doth not touch but shall instance a few of her many mistakes anent the Love of GOD after that I have intimated to the Reader how the last Year I noted some things which I found amiss in a Latine Pamphlet entituled A Colledge discourse of Comparative Theologie which seems to be a masked abstract of Borignianism and particularly in the second note disclosed the Authors Errour in affirming that the Love of GOD is the chief end of Religion in every state of Man and all other things but the means of attaining it which is not true either in this Life or that which is to come For the Chief and ultimate end of all Religion is GODS Glory and subordinat thereunto is Mans Eternal Salvation There are three special Heads of Religion containing our duty in this Life things to be believed things to be done and things to be prayed for 1. In order to things to be believed Faith is the chief Virtue 2. As of things to be done Love is the Spring 3. And true Grace may be called Devotion in respect of things to be asked of GOD and hath its degree accordingly Neither is Love only the chief end of Religion in Mans future State of Blessedness which consists not only in the love of GOD but also in the Intuition and Fruition of Him with suitable exercises to be known hereafter 1. Cor. 2.9 Now to prove A. Bs. ignorance of the Love of GOD it is manifest 1. First in that she said the Iewes have the true love of GOD who are Infidels denying the LORD that bought them 2. That all Systems of Divinity teach nothing of the Love of GOD that is all the Creeds Catechisms Confessions of Faith Expositions of Scripture and all other Books that have been written by Christians Theoretical or Practical since the Apostles Days are to be thus taxed who could have written so but either a person grosly ignorant of the love of GOD or else extreamly impudent in belying all the Christian writters seeing it is as notour as that the Sun brings light that thousands of Christian writters and some in all Ages which if need were could be easily named and produced have written excellently of the Love of GOD and far better than this roving person hath done Nor is it