behold him as he is in his full Glory Deut. 10.6 If God was willing at any time that some of his Servants the Prophets should behold him he was compelled to vale his Glory so as that their frail Nature might be in a capasity to behold him And this we further affirm That we can sooner find in Scripture that our God hath and ever had a distinct Body of himself than you can find in Scripture a Trinity of Persons in one Godhead for if you find Three distinct Persons then you must find Three Bodies and where then is your Spirit God become 4. Again is not the Scriptures clear That the Fathers of old did see God Gen. 17.3 Exod. 24.10 Isa 6.5 John 35.9 Exod. 33.23 and ever beheld him in Form and Shape of a Man Will you say that God assumed that Shape and yet had no Shape of his own this is to make God a Conniver It is no wonder as I said before that you dispise John Reeve for saying that the Lord spake to him to the hearing of the Ear for you do not believe that God hath any Tongue to speak at all For say you a Spirit hath no Flesh and hath no Body For say you Body and Spirit are Two contrary things As the Scripture saith that God hath a Body Dan. 7.9 Revel 10.1 1.14 John 6. â— Psal 94.9 Nâ—mâ— 12.8 Isa 6â— 5 so it attributes to this Body Hands Eyes Face Nose Mouth Ears Arms Leggs Breast Heart Back c. And yet must he have never a Body this is clearly to deny Scripture for the Scripturian saith That God hath a Body but the Antescripturian saith That God hath neither Body Parts or Shape but yet is an infinite vast God filling all things and is in all Places at one and the same time and so can neither Assend nor Descend Come nor Go but is everywhere at once as your great Augustin saith This is yours and the Worlds monstrous God Are those the Men that are so capable of Argument if we should be as ignorant in the Scriptures as you it were no matter if our Tongues should cleave to the Roof of our Mouths I wonder you are not ashamed to pretend to Scripture do you believe the Scripture Certain I am that there are many Doctors of your Church that doth not believe them at all for instance hereof there is one of your Doctors namely Dr. More This Man in one of his Books called his Cabila doth little less than give the Scripture the Ly for treating upon the Creation of Man by Moses saith That the Scriptures doth not always speak according to the exactness of Truth but according to their Appearance in Sense and the vulgar Opinion and he quotes Chrisostim Bernard and Aquinus as holding the same things and instances it as to the Creating of Adam and Eve Saying thus God hath no Figure or Shape altho Moses saith he hath he only permits the Ignorant and Vulgar People to Believe so it being his Prudence and Policy so to do Now is not this Odious for what Prudence is it to Flatter Dissemble and Deceive the People for must Gods Prophets be but like Polititians of State pretending one thing and acting another Again this Man brings in Moses speaking thus God took of the Dust of the Ground wrought it with his Hands into such a temper that it was fit to make the Body of a Man which when framed then comes near to it with his Mouth and breathed into his Nostrils the Breath of Life And when God had made a Woman of one of Adam 's Ribs he takes her by the Hand and brought her to Adam so when Adam was awaked Geâ— 2â— 21 he found his Dream to be true for he dream'd that God took a Woman out of him for God stood by him with a Woman in his Hand Now it is true says this Doctor Moses spakes in this manner to satisfy the rude Multitude who was ever ready to think that God was in Forme and Shape as they were and thus Moses complyed with their Humour and permited them to belive so yet saith he it is a Contradiction to the Idia of God to have Figure and Shape Now what say you to this is not this giving Moses the Lie Moses you see would permit People to believe That God was in the Form of a Man Now why will not you permit us to believe so Moses did not count this Doctrine a mischievous Principle as you do but you with this Man set your selves against Moses and against the Scriptures they are counted no other than a Lie with you Now it is clear by this that many of you Doctors are stark blind Athists your Protestant Church is now grown as blind with Age almost as your Fathers the Papists and as Atheistical as one of the Popes who said That that Fable of Jesus Christ had brought their Church great Riches And one of that Church said to me that the Scriptures were but balderdash Stuff Now as to that saying of Christ's to his Disciples That a Spirit had not Flesh and Bone as he had it was only to inform them that there was no such Spirit as the World imagined that could be seen that had no Body for Eyes of Flesh must have a Substance for its Object Therefore said Christ handle me and see for I have a Body a Substance of very Flesh and Bone John 20 2â— and they felt and believed him to be their Lord and God For Christ from hence would have them for ever after to know that all Spirits whither of God Men or Angels are always invisible for it is the Body that is visible for the Soul that is in it is always invisible which Spirit comprehends all visible things yet cannot Live Act or Operate without its Body And so much for that Principle Again Page 19th you Representor object against that most divine and misterious Principle of God the Fathers becoming Flesh and call this a Doctrine quite contrary to Scripture and produce those Scriptures for Proof against us namely that God sent his Son made of a Woman And the Word was made Flesh but say you there is not one Word That the Father was made Flesh CHAP. VIII ANSWER IT is confessed by us Gal. 4.4 John 5.26 10.18 Epb. 5.2 that the Scripture saith That God sent his Son as also that Christ came of himself and that he laid down his Life of himself Now if he laid down his Life of himself then where was the Father but in himself for it was his divine Spirit that was the Father by which he could lay down his Life by that self and by that self could take it up again For God transmuteing his spiritual Body into Flesh so gained the Godhead and humane Nature together Heb. 1.3 and so hath a Twofold Self Humane and Divine Therefore when he saith he hath Power of himself to lay down his Life Titus
Voice be never so true if it be alone and without the visible Evidence of working Miracles it is of no value As also you say it must be proved by Scripture without which you make it of no value c. CHAP. III. ANSWER 1. THis your way is to overthrow all Prophesy Numb 11.29 2 Pet. 1.19 1 Thes 5.20 You will tie God to worke Miracles or you will not belive him Either God must do as you will have him or he must not be God It is no wonder that you cannot distinguish between a true Voice and a false because God never chose you by Voice nor never will But how should you believe a vocal Voice when as your God has never a Tongue You have made it here plainly appear that you are of the same Spirit of those murthering Jews who bid Christ come down from the Cross and they would belive in him Matt. 27.42 True Doctrin without Miracles is to you most detestable 2. Again Isa 6.8 52.1 was not all true Prophets chosen by voice of Words nevertheless the Seed of the Serpent could never believe them Jer. 15.10 neither could the Priests or Rulers ever abide them and there was few of them but what was either Persecuted or put to Death 1 Kings 18.22 by the Magistrates and their National Priests There was 450. false Prophets mustred up against Too or Three true Prophets as Elijah and Micaiah and one of them must strike Micaiah one the Cheek as aforesaid and this Priest and Ahab's Son flung him down to bracke his Neck But Elijah the Representor of God's Person by Word of Power slew them all Zâ—ph 1.4 as a Tipe of the Destruction of all false Prophets and false Priests at the end of the World Such a Miracle you want When Isaiah Prophesied of his God's becoming Flesh Isaiah â—5 1 not one would believe him neither Priest nor People Therefore said he Lord who hath believed our Report 1 Kings 19. and Elijah said That all were gon after Baall Nor regarded Truth for that was ever hated I hate him said Ahab 1 King 22 8. for he never said Good of me but Evil It 's now as it was then unless we could bring Fire from Heaven as Elijah did there can be no Belief and it must be to destroy them it might Convince them but it would never Convert them Psal 78.32 If Miracles were wrought now what would it avail this bloody unbeliveing World they would but say as the Jews said of Christ Matt. 12 2â— That they were don by the Devil But what said Paul Toungues and Miracles are but for a Signe not to them that believe but to them that believe not 1 Cor. 14.22 John 10 4â— but Prophesy serveth for them that believe only John the Baptist a great Prophet and yet did no Miracle Thus you call in question the glorious Truths of God under pretence of John Reeves's Weakness as to outward Miracles that you might believe when as his Commission is all spiritual Now the Seed of Faith believes not because of the Miracles wrought by the Lord or his Prophets but in that they were of the Election and fore-ordain'd to believe for the saving of the Soul and as the Christian Dove waits for a Sign within him or from behind Reason 〈◊〉 30.21 for a Word saying This is the Way walk in it Even so on the contrary the carnal Serpent he requires a natural Sign before his Reason that may be seen with his outward Eye to make him believe spiritual Truths and therefore Reason Cries saying Where are you Miracles and where is your Scripture Evidence to prove it Prove by Scripture Now if this Witness should write nothing but what is exactly set down in Scripture then should they write nothing at all But always true Prophesy hath somthing new to deliver Jâ—r 31.22 Again Did the Prophets and Apostles write Matt. 15.32 2 Pet. 1 21. by Imitation or Study or by Inspiration only they might allude somtimes to the Prophets Words for Convincing of Gainsayers Furthermore the Scriptures in themselves are Words of pure Truth to all that spiritually dissern them and that is such as have the Life and Power of them in their own Souls John 6.63 but they that have not the inner Life and Meaning thereof they study the outward Letter by their Reason to find the Life and Meaning thereof Oâ—ed 6.8 John 7 52. and then this their Imagination the Child of study trumpits out it 's own Conceptions upon it This is the work and way of all the seven Anty Churches of Europe every one of them endeavouring to prove their Ministry by the Letter of the Scripture or by the Light within them but never a one from the glorious Voice of the everliving God without them And from hence though they Judg and Condemn each other for false whilst they are all false yet can they agree to Fight against God and his true Prophets by the Letter of the Scripture And you keep these Chests and Boxes of presions things but the Jewels and Treasure is quite gon and is a Stranger to you you know it not but do Despite unto it and put your own Imaginations into the Letter 2 Pet. â— 3 verse 3. 〈◊〉 â— 10 and so turn and wind it about like a Nose of Wax and make it speak for your Honour and Riches Oh! how profitable hath this Letter of the Scriptures been to Reprobate Preachers Wherefore then we who are called Muggletonians in scorn do boldly affirm That though you have got the Letter of the Scriptures and run away with it as a Dogg doth with a Bone yet none of its spiritual Declarations were ever written for your Instruction Rom. 15.4 Deut. 4.6 Jer. 9.23 but for the Instruction of the Seed of Faith For the Law only belongs to you and it may make you wise but not unto Salvation that 's the Property of the Gospel to the Seed of Faith the Seed of the Lord 's own Body for it is the Man of God that is made Wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 31.15 so that he must be a Man of God and have Faith in those Scriptures before he can be Wise unto Salvation because they are given by Inspiration of the holy Spirit and no Man can know them but by the same Spirit as those had that wrote them These things considered how then is it possible that you should apply Scripture to purpose when your Wisdom is not Inspiration 1 Cor. 4.20 but Education what will your Form do to you without the Power If you have the Words of God and not that Word which is God what good will your Word do you What Commission have you to preach to the People Christ tells you that you are but Thieves and Robbers climbing up to Heaven by Ordinances of your own and your own stollen Doctrine John 10.1 for you steal
apropriates David's Key to belong to it Psal 149.4 which Key lyes in such and the like Sayings The Lord takes Pleasure in his People he will beautifie the Meek with Salvation this is the Key that opens Heaven And as follows Let the high Praises of God be in their Mouth and a two-edged Sword in their Hand and then with the other Key and Sword To execute Vengance upon the Heathen and Punishments upon the People To bind their Kings with Chains and their Nobles with Fetters of Iron To execute upon them the Jndgment written And this is the Key that opens and none can shut and shuts and no Man can open Psal 149.9 This Honour saith David belongs to all living Saints For these Keys and Sword belongs to all Saints Isa 54.17 57.4 and David himself in those and the like Sayings had flung into the Fire all that dispised his Spirit of Prophesie of his God's becoming Flesh and Sealed them up in these Words Saying divide their Tongues Psal 55.9 for I have seen Violence in the City Cast them down in thy Anger Consume them in Wrath Psal 59.13 let not them come into thy Righteousness blot them out of the Book of Life and let them not be written with the Righteous Psal 140.10 Let burning Goals fall upon them let them be cast into the Fire The Prophet Jeremiah likewise meeting with the Seed of the Serpent opposing his spiritual Declarations concerning God's becoming Flesh and his Sufferings by that Seed Seals them up to Death Eternal for they were for devising Devises against that Doctrine of his therefore he powereth forth these Imprecasions against them saing O Lord Jor. 18.23 29.22 forgive not their Iniquity neither blot out their Sin from thy Sight c. And then changing his Words he speaks in the Person of God saying Jer. 23.14 They are all unto me as Sodom So that we see that the Prophit's Curse is God's Curse Jer. 6.30 And further saith he The Saints shall call them Reprobate Silver This is Gospel Power the Lawes Curse penetrades down into the Grave Ezâ—k 32.24 26.27 29. the first Death but the Gospels Power and Curss raises it again from the first Death into a second and eternal Death being a living Death and dying Life And thus we see that every true Minister hath Power to set Life and Death before 〈◊〉 And that Ministry that hath not that Power Mark 16.16 John 3.18 is no true Ministry Now what a blind Guide is this that connot see these plain Scriptures but cries out Prove this by Scripture Woe be to all such as are led by these blind Guides Oh that all the Elect were but delivered from their Captivity and Bondage under their Formalities and might come to hear of Truth that their Joy and Peace might abound being the Seale of eternal Life But it is a wonderful thing that such Preachers as those who cannot Believe that any Prophet hath Power as aforesaid and yet they themselves shall take upon them to Judg Mans Faith and Condemn him for it so is it not a wicked thing to deny the Prophets and Apostles Power of the Keys of Heaven and Hell and yet presume to do that thing themselves whilst they acknowledg themselves but falible Men Doth not this Make you justly damned in your selves But it is no wondring at it for what saith the Scripture He hath blinded their Eyes John 12.40 they Stumble at Noon-Day They have all the Spirit of Slumber And now I shall return to Answer this Misrepresentor's false Reflections upon our main Principles yea such as the very Scriptures stands upon and on which eternal Life wholy depends In Page the 18th you bring in John Reeve sciteing him thus Saying God is not a Spirit but hath a Body Your Reflections are thus The Accusation The Scripture makes a Body and a Spirit Tow opposite things so that a Body is not a Spirit nor a Spirit a Body Eccles. 12.7 A Spirit hath not Flesh and Bone Luke 24.37 The Scripture calls God a Spirit but never a Body God is not in form of a Man but is invisible and no Man ever Saw him or can CHAP. VII ANSWER 1. Your Citation is false For John Reeve's Words are thus That God is not a Spirit without a Body By your false Citation you would have your worldly Disciples to think That he affirms That God is a Body without a Spirit But to come to the Point I must tell you That the Body and Soul are not Two contrary Things and if your Solomon Eccles 3.19 told you so with one Breath he tells you the quite contrary in another but many times wise Solomons Verse 20. do not know the meaning of their own Sayings Solomon was a wise Man 1 Kings 3.12 12 24 11.4 but the Wisdom which he craved and that God gave him was but natural so that Solomon's Writings are but the Operations of his natural Reason and from sum intrigate Sayings of his Father David So they are no Scripture for he was no Prophetical Man Matt. 12.42 2. Again If the Body and Soul are two contrary things as you say and in Oposition to each other then was the Body and Soul of Christ at variance with it self and in Oposition with each other and so two oposite Things If so then Christ's Body did not go to Heaven nor never would And belike you do not belive that Christ's Body is in Heaven any more than the Quakers and I know not how you should believe it because your God hath never a Body So Christ is none of your Fatherly God if he have a Body Can a Spirit live and subsist without a Body where do the Scriptures say That God is a Spirit without a Body Did not you learn your own Catechise or if you did have you forgotten doth it not teach saying to your Pupils That God is a Spirit Or a spiritual Substance most Holy Wise Just and Infinite Now if it be so that God hath a Substance then he must on necessity have a Body And if he be Holy Wise and Just he must have a Person to possess his ravishing Glory in and yet to be of uncompounded Purity Exod. 15.3 Is it not said That God was a Man of War that shews that he is in the form of a Man Also Christ told the Pharises Maâ—â— â—â— 17 Josh 9.1 3. That there was no Man perfectly Good but one which was God 3. Moreover if your Soul can be more Wise Just and Holy without your Body then turn it out of the Body and see what Holiness and Justice it can Act without its Body 1 Cor. 6.19 But the Truth of Scripture is That God had a Body and Person from all Eternity Râ—vel 21.23 1.14 10.1 a spiritual Body brighter than the Sun more clear than Christial and that is the Reason why Mortality cannot
it is so with you I would advise you to leave off playing the Hipocrite and forbear telling your Hearers That any of them will be Damned For if there be but one Seed and that Seed the Seed of Adam then all will be saved so deal plainly to your People and Preach to them general Redemption and prove it from Paul's Words where he saith That as in Adam all dye 1 Cor. 15.22 so in Christ shall all be made alive But will yea or nill yea this we must tell you That there is a Seed Rom. 9.27 Mat. 9.13 namely Cain and his Off-spring that never fell in Adam but in the Serpent-Angel and so are uncapable of ever being Redeemed by Christ 2. Pet. 2.12 John 17.9 1 Tim. 2.4 Matt. 18.11 10.6 Rom. 11.26 For when on Earth he never prayed for them For tho he would have all Men saved yet it is but all those that fell in Adam that he hath any spiritual Salvation for This is that which makes that Seed fret themselves Mal. 3.15 and call it a mischevious Principle and it will prove sad to that mischevious Man that Condemns true Prophesy and the true Believers thereof as likewise Isa 5.20 that justifieth the Seed of the Wicked to be the Seed of Adam who was the Seed of God Your farther Accusation Runs thus In Pag. 20. You say That there is a Devil distincâ— from Man and would seem to prove it from that Devil that tempted Christ which you would have to be a bodily-Spirit and you scoff at wicked Imagination being the Devil And from hence you query from that Scripture Mark 5.4 Saying Doth Imagination break Chains c. And that their affirming That Ely should be Christ 's Representative This you call all Fable CHAP. XI ANSWER IF you will have a Devil without a Body you must go seek out a new-found World to sind out your unknown Devil The Works of this Devil are manifest and yet you cannot know him for is there any Wickedness in this World but what flows from that Carnal Spirit of Men and Women Revel 18.2 Matt. 15.19 Gal. 5.19 who is a Kingdom of Wickedness in that Tophet or Bodies of theirs for it is the Heart where the Court is kept and is the only Nussery of all evil Spirits conciv'd there by Imagination Oh! the depth of this Imagination in this its bottomless Pit and the uncleanness of the same Do but compare Scripture Gen. 6.5 Jam. 4.5 6. Isaiah 32.6 Jer. 17.9 and in it we may find a very Pit-Devil All the Imaginations of Mans Heart saith God are Evil and continually Evil What 's that but the Devil And hath not this continual Work its first Formation in the Heart being its own Work from its own Seed and its Worke is in this manner following For this is to be minded That as the Spirit of Faith in the Heart of Man is the Womb or Mother for the Revelation of Faith to beget a Son out of the Seed of Faith So likewise the Seed of Reason is the Womb or Mother for Imagination to beget a Son or familier Spirit James 1 15. 2.15 16. James 4.1 for all evil Spirits are conceived in the Heart If Envy be conceived then Murder is brought forth if Lust be conceived then Adultery is brought forth and if a familiar Spirit is conceived then it brings forth such a Spirit as speaks forth Motional Voices Jer. 23.16 Isaiah 8.19 Deut. 18.10 and if by its Transformation into Angelical Light then as false Prophets it produces Visions Revelations and internal Voices within them Now this familiar Spirit is nothing else but a Witch so that when it Motions forth Spiritual or Religious Matters Eph. 6.12 then it becomes spiritual Witchcraft and when it Motions forth upon a Temporal Account then it becomes natural Witchcraft The one or other of these Witchcrafts almost all the World lies under Therefore it follows That this familiar Spirit that is begot by Imagination doth sometimes produce such a Voice in it self as if some Spirit without them did appear to them without Bodies and Reveal things to them 1 Sam. 28.1 as it was by the Witch of Endor and as Samuel spoke in Saul's Consience This hath been a common thing in all Ages and Gilt of Conscience can quickly quine an Object and produce a motional Voce thinking it is without the Body whenas all is but from the Familiar Spirit And when this Familiar Spirit or new begot Wisdom is quickened in the evil Heart Exod. 1.10 Jer. 4.22 it grows from Strength to Strength from one degree of Knowledg to a further degree of evil Knowledg and evil Wisdom Creating to it self such things as God never Created as an immortal Soul or Spirit without a Body And it hath made it so as that it can appear in any Shape Form or Likeness whether it be God Man Devil or Angel All are made Spirits without Bodies Also it hath Created to it self such a Devil as can whip into Man and out of Man at his Pleasure And when Sin is Commited then all the Evil is charged upon that boddilis Devil And yet Men must be hanged for Murder whenas they say it is a bodilis Devil that is the Murtherer or temps to Murther And more then this the Devil must be chained in Hell-fire and yet a bodilis Spirit and in all places at one time where he can tempt all the World to Sin and yet no body can see him and yet he is in Hell-fire in Chains but may be called out at the Pleasure of a Witch This is the Worlds Bugbare Devil and the pitchy Darkness all the World lies under Thus we see what Fruits the Imagination of Reason brings forth And whereas you scoffingly ask Mark 5 4. whether Imagination breaks Chains pointing to that saying of the Gospel Here you shew your Ignorance that cannot distinguish between Devils in Nature and Devils produced by Accidents in Nature Nay you know nothing at all of neither the one nor the other and so make no difference of their Actions For tho Distempers in nature are devilish yet not damned Devils For this we sind that Christ never called distracted or mad Men Devils for these may come through some extraordinary Fright Grief or Loss and in some may increase to that strength as to break Iron Chains For having broke the Brain the Seat of Reason is quite out of order and so makes them more strong then when their Reason was in Order And Christ never Judged and Condemned these but cast those fiery Distempers and divilish Diseases out and restored them to their right Mind So that it is not the Distracted or Unreasonable that Christ Condemned but the Learned and Sensible and Prudent Man even such as commit Murder for Conscience sake and condemn true Prophesy from their conceated Wisdom of high-flown piercing Reason This is evident throughout all the Scriptures especially
many as believed in him shall Reign with him at that time And all faithful Men shall rise again and the Residue to Shame because they believed not in God that came in the Flesh to deliver Thus it is made Clear That God the Father became Flesh but one Evidence more from John befor I conclude this Point He in Admiration of his Lords Love cryed out saying 1 John 3.1 O What Love the Father hath bestowed upon us but the World knoweth him not but we know him Now who was this Father of Love was it any other but the Apostles Jesus his following Words doth shew it as clear as the Light saying thus We who are his Apostles do know him and we further know that when He doth appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is That is Psal 3.21 when he comes to change our vile Bodies and make them like his own glorious Body then shall we see him as he is in himself one personal God Cloathed with Flesh and Bone as a Garment of eternal Glory This is the Faith saith John That maketh Pure and he whose Faith abides in Jesus Christ that came by Water and Blood hath the everlasting Father and he that holdeth this Faith sineth not That is he sineth not to Act he may have the motion to Sin but it preserveth from the Act for that golden Grace of Faith crusheth that Cokatrice Egg of the Motion of Sin before it become a stinging Serpent and so Conquers and Overcomes This is the Doctrin of the Gospel and he that Imbraceth it hath the Father and the Son 2 John 10.9 where and to whom the Blessing and the Salvation of God-speed is given This is the true God and the Amen 1 John 5.20 Revel 3.14 and all other Gods are Idols This is the Muggletonian's Principle which the Ante-Scripturian calls a mischievious Principle Thus you curse the true God and defy the Holy one of Israel chusing to your self a God of your own lying Imagination In Page 19. you further Object against that Principle how that the God-head dyed This say you is quite contrary to Scripture which saith God is Immortal and that he hath Immortality 1. Tim. 1.17 6.16 Also you say That Muggleton teacheth That the Soul of Man is Mortal and turns to Dust To this say you the Scripture tells us That the Souls of Men are alive after their Death Matt. 22 32. And that God is said to be their God after they are Dead Matt. 10.28 And that we are not to fear them that can kill the Body and not the Soul And that Lazarus when he dyed went to Heaven and Dives to Hell Luke 16.22 CHAP. IX ANSWER The Scriptures Acts 20.28 say that God purchased the Church with his Blood Now the Blood of Christ was no other but the Blood of God and when he power'd forth that Blood then did he power forth his Life for Life lay in that Blood Therefore it is said That he powered forth his Soul unto Death Isaiah 53.12 Heb 9.14 and that he offered up himself through the eternal Spirit What is that but that the eternal Spirit entered into Death or passed through Death in a Moment into eternal Life Death being too weak to keep him under Coll 2.9 1 Cor. 15.54 so that whatever Life was in Jesus did enter into Death Therefore he that was the Alpha and Omega Revel 1.18 the First and the Last was Dead but is now Alive and behold he now lives for ever more and is that immortal only wise God blessed for ever So that we do affirm 1 Tim. 6.16 2 John 7. Revel 1.18 That God is immortal and we also know that Eternity did become Time for Flesh was in Time and Time did become Eternity again Now in that you Teach That God cannot dye it is evident that you do not belive that Christ was any God at all so that you Trenitarians Arians and Socinians you are all a like and that you are no more Christians then they For it will necessarily follow That if it were nothing but humane Nature or Life in Christ that died then the Death of any other Man had been equevolent to Christ's Sufferings and as Meritorious as his and so your Spirit God without a Body might have saved you by sheding of any other Man's Blood But the true Christian doth know that no Blood can make Attonement for Sin but the most precious and unvaluable Blood of a God to believe this John 6.54 is to drink his Blood And to believe that that blessed Body of his was no less then the very body of God this is to eate his flesh so that whosoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood so hath by so doing gained the full assurance of Eternal Life this is a standing Truth and shall prevail But how is it possible you should believe this when as you cannnot believe that any Life dies at all for say you The Soul of Man is alive after Death here your Ignorance appears very great for all your Learning Where did you ever find by Scripture That the Soul of any man was ever alive without its body The Scripture no where affirms it if rightly understood they are but old Wives Fables or Monks and Fryers Forgeries and heathenish Principles from their own blind Imaginations As for those Sayings concerning Dives and Lazarus 't is but a Parable Luke 16. and so must have a Spiritual meaning for Souls without Bodies have no Tongues nor Eyes nor Bosoms as that Parable speaks of but that Parable was only to set forth the two Seeds here in Mortality which is largely opened by this Commission of the Spirit And as to Christ speaking of God being the God of the living and not of the dead it was spoken to the Saduces who denyed the Resurrection therefore Christ shews that there was a necessity of a Resurrection Act 2.31 and 13.36 seeing that Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the rest of the Prophets were dead and their Sepulchres are with us at this day and if God do not raise them again to that Glory their Faith was pitch'd upon then was he the God of the dead and not of the living in that all dyed to him instead of living to him And as to that saying Fear not them which can kill the body c. That is fear not him that may kill both Soul and Body by a natural death but rather fear him that hath an absolute power in himself to slay both Soul and Body with an Eternal or second Death Moreover when the Scripture saith the body dies doth not that include the soul or natural Life What have you your natural Learning for but to understand the natural sence of words Do you not find that that which our Translation calls body the Greek calleth souls as Numb 6.6 there it is said That he shall come at no dead body in our
quench the Thirst of Sin for their Silver is become Dross their Wine is mix'd with Water of a standing Poole Isaiah 1.22 John 4.14 This will not pass currant with us for no VVine to us like the VVine of the Spirit no VVater to us but the VVater of Life no Balme for us but what is in Gilliad in one Personal-God-Man Christ Jesus blessed for ever that will be accepted of with us the only true Christians in the World at this Day Therefore take you all your Books and Learning to yourselves we have but Three to Read to wit the Prophets the Apostles and the Witnesses of the Spirit In these is fulness of Perfection for the Light and Life of their Words shining in our Hearts is the Rule Prop Stay and Guide of our Faith which is but one and this one Faith hath one God of a single Person or Substance for its Object to pitch it self upon and not a Trinity of Persons or Substance but Father Son and Holyghost is one single Substance and no more which cannot be denyed neither by Scripture or sober Reason for First Was not the Eternal God-Head-Spirit the everlasting Father Secondly Was not that glorious Body wherein God the Father did eternally Dwell The eternal Son Thirdly And was not that powerful Word which proceeded from his god-head-God-Head-Spirit through his glorious Mouth the Holyghost or holy Spirit by which he made the Worlds and governeth all things Is not this Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity Heb. 1.3 John 1.13 Ephes 4.5 Isa 45.21 22. Chap. 43.10 more agreeable to the Scripture of Truth then any other Trinity to all Men that acknowledge but one eternal Being and no more Now your Trinity of Persons will neither be made to agree with Scripture Reason nor Sence so that your striving to explain it doth but the more darken the Sence about your Airy God and you are quite lost in your Definition and now of late more than ever Are you made a confounded Babel and your Clargie doth clash one against another which doth make your Hearers begin to stager as well it may For 1st One Party of your Church doth Hold and Teach that God is Three distinct Persons and but one Substance which is a Contradiction 2ly The other Party of your Church Teacheth That God hath not only Three distinct Persons but Three distinct Substances likewise and from hence doth boldly charge the Homansion or one Substance with the Heresy of Sabilism as they call it 3dly The contrary Party makes their Rejoynder again and chargeth the other Party with holding of a plurality of Gods For say they if there be Three Substances then there is Three Gods which is true enough 4thly Again the adverse Party Replys saying That if there be Three Persons there must be Three Substances which is true enough too And they give the Reason why they are to hold Three Substances as well as Three Persons it being a forst-put For say they there is now a greater Necessity than ever there was to Hold and Maintain Three distinct Substances as well as Three Persons Otherwise say they we are in great Danger to loose the Catholick Faith by the revival of the Heresie of Sabalus which walks publickly abroad tho under the Disguise of a new Name And therefore if we do not allow the God-Head intirely to be Three distinct Substances as well as Three distinct Persons then comes in Sabalism And there 's an end then say they of the Trinity 5thly To this the other old dark Light Replies saying That if by Retaining the old Words of Three Persons and one Substance there is Danger of loosing the Catholick Faith it must be lost out of the Catholick Church And the Revolt by Sabalism say they must be both the most lasting and the most general Apostatise that ever was foretold or feared should happen to the Christian World But say they we hope wee need not to be frighted out of our Religion And thus Revel 18.10 you see what a Confusion is fallen upon you your Babilon is now crying out Alas Alas Did not the Prophets and Apostles speak of these Things Now is fulfilled that Saying of David's to the full Divide their Tongues O Lord Psal 55.9 for I have seen Violence in the City Doth not this your Division tend to Confusion Isa 11.11 15. or is it not Confusion it self in a superlative Degree For tho you be divided yet our God is not divided 1 John 5 7.20 but is one Yesterday to Day and for ever For I demand First How can Christ be called the greate Heb. 13.8 Titus 2.13 1 Tim. 1.17 6.12 the High and Mighty God if he hath Two other Gods to share with him And Secondly How can Christ be Eternal in your Creed if he were begotten Thirdly And how can that which receives a Being from another ever be made equal with that which hath its being of it self alone Certainly whatever you Trinitarians say to the contrary yet it is evident that you make Christ no more than a titular God the very same with John Biddle that you so much disown in your Pamphlet But I cannot see any great Difference between you I am sure you are as much out of the Way of Truth as he For said John Bidle Christ is our Lord and God But how Why said he not Really but Apelitive as Magistrates are called Gods and so he makes him God by Deputation as to Title being God not in Nature but in Name and so is subordinate to God Now do not you do so too for you make the Son but to be begotten And if you will make him God yet he must be divided from the Father and Holyghost Now this is certain that if there be a Father distinct from that blessed Body of Christ it must then be as John Bidle said and therefore it is that John Bidle as well as Arius and Sâ—sinus make him but Man because they would have but one single God But you if you make him God yet you will divide him from the Father and from the Holyghost and so at the best you make him but a Third part God And whereas you are so bold as to condemn Sabulus and Noetus for worshiping one personal God under the Names of Father Son and Holyghost condemning and judging them for Broachers of Heresy how will you free yourselves from this Crime As also those Counsels of Arians and Trenitarians as cursed them and their Principles together with those Counsels and Sinods on both sides judging and condemning each other with deadly Malice as your Church History doth shew What were those the Church of God No. But when God gathers up his Jewels many of those that have been judged Hereticks will rise Saints Mal. 3.15 16 17 18. Acts 24.14 and many of those that your Churches have Canonized for Saints will rise Devils For no Persecutors of Conscience will escape the Stroke If any
quite contrary and that they move in several Orbes and that each Orbe at so much distance from each other as the Astroligers affirm CHAP. XIV ANSWER 1. IS it not as good Sense and better to believe That the Sun Moon and Stars move all in one Firmament or Heaven as so many as Nine several Heavens as your blind Astrologers teach you And yet our fleshly Eyes can pierce through them all nevertheless every one of these must be so many Thousands of Miles beyond each other and this blind Opinion must be ratified forsooth because the Planets and fixed Stars have several Motions and therefore from hence you will have these several Heavens and these their differences in Motion must shew their difference in Hight and Substance 2. Because Saturn moves so sloly as to be near upon Thirty Years in finishing his Course through the Twelve Signs whereas the Sun finishes his in one Year Therefore from hence do you conclude that he must be of necessity Thirty times higher and Thirty times bigger than the Sun and Thirty times further to go nay and the next Orbe above Saturn to move so slow as to be Forty Thousand Years in finishing his Course Pray how many Millions of Miles is it to that Heaven or Primum Mobila One of your Mathematisians say it is One hundred and seventy Millions eight hundred and three Miles Is this your Wisdom in which you say we are not capable to answer you in I pray Is this good Pulpit Doctrin One of your Ministers that I did know whose Name was Mountney did mount so high as to affirm in the Pulpit to his Parishioners that it was so far to the Primum Mobila That if it were possible to fling a Millstone down from thence that it would be Seven Years before it would reach this Earth And yet in another Doctrin he taught That a departed Soul would be in Heaven in a Moment which is much higher than that primum Mobila And your reverend Doctor More before quoted must be remembred here for he Taught That a Star of the first Magnitude is Twenty thousand times higher than this Earth and Nine hundred thousand times biger than the Moon These are your rare learned Men I wonder how they could get a Line of that length to measure so far and yet to stand upon this Earth But let them go on for the time of their Sophestry is almost at an end But to conclude this Point as you upon our Principles of the Sun Moon and Stars aforesaid do call all Men to be Judges against us so we to retort your Language do call all sober Men to judge whether your Opinion of Sun Moon and Stars be not an Error of the greatest Magnitude and also whether you have done us Justice yea or nay And so much in answer to your first Query CHAP. XV. SIR your Second Query or latter part of your Pamphlet was to prove Lodowick Muggleton false from his Interpretation of the 11th Chapter of the Revelation of John But your Proof is but your Denyal for you do not so much as shew the meaning of one Word in all that Chapter If they could but assended up to Heaven in a Cloud as they had shewed how Moses and Jesus did all had been well enough even as the Jews if they could but have seen Elias to have come in Person as John Baptist did then they would have believed as they said So if you could but have seen these Prophets to assend up in a Cloud then perhaps you would have said you would have believed them But soft say you they are not the Two Witnesses for they cannot assend to Heaven for John Reeve is dead Besides say you they must have been put to Death by the Hands of Violence and then to have risen again and ascended to Heaven in the sight of all Men. This is all the Interpretation you can give of them which is none at all and all the Proof you have against them And as to Lodowick Muggleton's Interpretation of that Chapter you seem to be at a great Loss about it being astonished at his Words For say you I cannot tell how to reconcile his Words and from hence you fling all off to others saying Reconcile them as can for I cannot And what is the Difference and Matter that cannot be Reconciled Why say you he saith That they Two are the Two Witnesses and yet they say That the Body of those Two Witnesses are the Letter of the Scriptures and that the Witnesses or Letter was slain 1350 Years before and yet was slain in them again by the Beast out of the bottomless Pit To this I answer 1st Here you would have the Letter to be slain whenas it was the Spirit and Life of that Letter that was slain for the Life being gone therefore the Letter of the Scripture remained as a dead Body in regard there was none living that could give a true Interpretation of it Now this Spirit and Life was killed 1350 Years ago for the last of the Ten Persecutions did kill and root out all the true ordained Bishops or Ministers of the Gospel so that there was none left to give the Holyghost to others by laying on of Hands so then there was no quickening Power remaining until a new Commission was given which now is fulfilled at this Day for the same Spirit that gave the other Witnesses their Commission hath chose these to be Witnesses 3dly So that they having received that same Spirit of Life from God as the others had therefore it is they only that can and do Interpret the Letter of the Scripture for the Scripture is put into their Hands as the Priesthood was into the Hands of Aaron and they by their Interpretation do put Life into the Scriptures making it to stand upon its Feet in the Consciences of Men and Women with great Power both to the Seed of Faith and to the Seed of Reason John 6.63 15.36 to save and destroy for Words of Truth have Spirit and Life 4thly And as that Spirit of Reason did kill that Spirit of Life that did speak that Letter so that now that Spirit and Life is come into them again they will stand upon their Feet and kill the Spirit of Reason with a Death Eternal for there is now both Body and Life in the Scriptures and it is the Body of the Witnesses of the Spirit which is not a dead Body but a living Body now and so will remain to the end of the World 5thly Again whereas you do affirm That these Witnesses do declare that the Spirit and Life was killed in them by the Beast out of the Bottomless Pit in their Persecutors That saying of yours is utterly false and you did it malitiously on purpose that his Words might not be reconciled for Lodowick Muggleton did say That the Beast out of the Bottomless Pit made War against them and would have killed them if their Law could