done The first is that known Example of the Eye-salve and the Sun For one by the Eye-salve or some efficacious Medicament of this nature removing the Tunicle may come to the sight and knowledge of the Sun So that he may say by means of the Salve or its opening of the Eyes he seeth and knoweâ—h the Sun and again by the Suns light he may perceive what is Eye-salve and what not This egregiously illustrateth the purpose and yet is many stages from a Circle The second Example is of a Logâ—cian his Reason and his Systeme of Logick which containeth Rules to discern sound reason from fallacy and sophistry For the Logician knoweth by his own reason that such a Book is sound containing true Reason and not fallacies This he can demonstrat by his own Reason as the mean and yet doth not thus argument my own reason teacheth me so therefore it is so but from reason in actu exercito and the nature of the things contained in the Book which by means of his own reason he seeth to be clear Truths And again by the Book he knoweth what is sound reason and what not By this time I hope we are fully freed of the Circle in which the Romanists would fain have us entangled being covetous of company for I could requit them with two unextricable Circles if time did permit 5. I come to the Removal of the second Objection viz that we cannot distinguish our selves in this point from Quakers and the like Enthusiasts This Objection not only the Papists but also the Quakers urge what they can to the end that they may make the Reformed Churches symbolize with themselves To this purpose Robert Barclay in his Apology attempted to make Calvin the French and Dutch Confessions and the Westminster Divines Patronisers of their Doctrine because they said that we cannot firmly know and savingly believe the Divinity of the Scriptures without the inward Testimony or Operation of the Spirit of God. But he calleth the Divines of Westminster dark dishonest and confused because they did not separat the Word from the Spirit but said that this Testimony or Operation of the Spirit was in and with the Word but neglecteth the consideration of Isai. 59.21 the Scripture upon which they build this their saying And again Vind. pag. 33. Where he abridging his Apology bringeth up again these things ut respondeant ultimae primis he neglecteth the special and chief Reasons whereby his adversary pag. 61. shewed that there was no discord between Calvin French and Dutch Confessions and our Divines Add hereto that it is well known that there was never the least controversy between the Brittish and Transmarine Protestants on this head but contrariwise a most entire harmony Having therefore discovered this none-such weakness and extream disingenuity I come directly to the objection and answer both Papists and Quakers together we distinguish our selves from these Enthusiasts for first the Work of the Spirit the necessity of which we maintain is only subjective being rather if we will speak properly an application of the things revealed in Scripture than a Revelation or Testimony strickly so taken whereas the Revelation to which the Quakers pretend is altogether objective like that of the Prophets 2. We assert the sufficiency of the Scriptures as a Rule containing all things necessary to be believed or done Which they deny 3. We assert the Scriptures to be the principal and ultimate rule into which our Faith is lastly to be resolved Hence we examine all Doctrines of men all internal Suggestions by the Scriptures as the infallible Test or Touchstone hence we maintain that the Spirit 's Testimonie is still in and with the Word so that it may be known what is the true and what is the false Spirit by the Word so that the work of the Spirit is to enlighten the understanding and dispose the soul to perceive the Characters of Divinity naturally ingraffed in the Scriptures All which the Quakers deny and assert the quite contrary Now this our Doctrine is by a full and most harmonious consent delivered and asserted by the reformed Churches and most eminent and shining lights therein Luthers words are that if any thing should deliver any Doctrine which it could not prove by Scripture he would spit in its face knowing certainly that it were the Devil Sinopsis Pur. Theol Disp. 2 Pag. 20. But the Holy Ghost by these Divine Characters of the Scripture begetteth Divine and saving Faith in our hearts Maccov Locâ— Com pag. 28. The Testimony of the Spirit is a light so enlightening our understanding that it followeth it sweetly and sheweth the arguments in the things themselves impressed in the things which are to be believed but before unknown Woleb Comp. Theol pag. 4. The Spirit of God perswadeth the hearts of Believers internally of the Divinity of the Scriptures in so much as he openeth the eyes and illuminateth the heart of him who after previous invocation of the Spirit of God readeth the Scriptures so that by this illumination the man shal behold the wonderful things of God and acknowledge Gods Voice speaking in the Scriptures The like Doctrine hath Wallet in his Sinopsis Papiâ—migener Contr. in many places where he asserreth in terminis that this Testimony of the Spirit is 〈◊〉 and with the Scriptures The Words of godly and learned Whitaker are clear as they are cited by Mr. Crawford in a short but learned tracâ—at de Princ. fiâ— obj et effect Whereas ye say that we reject the Testimony of the Church and judge our selves taught by the alone internal perswasion of the Spirit we hold the Ministry of the Church in honour internal perswasions without the external word we shun as sanatical impostures we judge out of the scriptures we believe with the scriptures or because of their Testimony and therefore Hereticks i. e. Enthusiasts we neither are nor can be But of all men must clearly Calv. Inst. L. 1 C. 9. asserteth our Doctrine and strongly refuteth these Enthusiasts for Sect 1. he thus speaketh furthermore these who having rejected the scriptures imagine to themselves a way I know not what of approaching to God are to be judged not so much possâ—ssed with error as acted with madness there have arisen of late some giddy heady persons who disdainfully pretending the rule of the spirit cast off all reading and deride the simplicity of these who follow the dead and killing Letter as they term it But I would know of them what spirit that is by whose breathing they are so lifted up as to be bold to despise the Doctrine of the scriptures as abject and childish if they answer it is the spirit of Christ that security must be very ridiculous for I believe they will grant the Apostles of Christ and others faithful in the primitive Church to have been illuminat by no other Spirit but none of these learned from it to contemn the word of God but every one of them had them
Gods Power for thus they with abominable Suenchfeldius understand Rom. 1.16 then the meaning of Mark 1.1 must be the Beginning of the Power of God of Iesus Christ the Son of God which place if it have any Sense thus understood must have a black one viz. That the Power of God. i. e. God Himself was not before Mark wrote his Book or else that the first Verse is a lie let them chuse which of them they will admit 2. But with no less Earnestness and Industrie do these men labour to clothe the Scriptures with base Epithets and contemptible Aspersions than to bereave them of the honourable Titles and Divine Encomies of which God their Author hath thought them worthy not unlike the Heathens who the better to induce Lions and other Wild-beasts to devour the Christians sewed them in Skins of other Beasts hated by these to whose Fury they exposed them This Charge I make out by these following Expressions of the Quakers for they ordinarly call the Scriptures the Letter and by way of Disparagement Writings as the Queries given to Mr. Iohn Alexander witnesse such a Letter about the meaning of which not two are agreed Robert Barclay's Apolog. cap. 2. Ink and Paper Cited by Mr. Hicks in his Dialogues Pag 41 And that It is Idolatry to call the Scripture a Means George White-head in his D. P. pag. 13. and account them no better than an old Almanack witness Hollbrow cited by Hicks pag 20. And that it is dangerous for People to read them Fox and Huberthorn in Truths Defence pag. 101. And that Faith grounded on the Scriptures is but an empty and implicite Faith and bespeaks such Persons void of the knowledge of God Christ and to be yet in their sins And that such Men walk in their own Fancies and Imaginations Christ ascended pag. 11. and that that which is spoken from the Spirit of Truth in any to wit of the Quakers Is of as great Authority as the Scriptures yea greater George White-head in his Apolog. pag. 49 And he that perswades the People to let the Scriptures be a Rule of Faith and Practice would keep the People in darkness for whoever walketh by the Rule without them teach men so to do would make void the Covenant of Life and Peace Edward Burrows pag. 62. And that is no Command to me which is a Command to another Neither did any of the Saints act by a Command that was given to another Edward Burrows pag. 47. And again he says such as go to Duty in imitation of the Letter which was a Command to others their Sacrifice is an abomination to the Lord. And Pag. 105. That they that take up a Command from the Scriptures are in the Witchcraft And that if the Bible were burnt as good an one might be writ Sayes one Nicolas Lucas cited by Mr. Hicks Dialog 2. Pag. 5. and evinced by him against Pen Dialog 3. pag 86. Moreover William Pen in his Rejoinder to Iohn Faldo pag 70. Saith but we have good Reason to deny them to be the Rule of Faith and Iudge of Controversies which can neither give nor govern Faith nor judge of Controversies and again pag. 73. In short The Scriptures are not the Rule but a Declaration of Faith and Knowledge And Chap. 3. pag. 35. He endeavoureth what he can to render the Scriptures altogether uncertain Saying I cannot but observe after what a suspected rate the Scriptures have been both first Collected and then conveyed through the several succeeding Ages And again Are we sure that the Iudgment of those who Collected them was sufficient to determin what was Right and what not For that which gives Scripture its Canon is not plurality of Voices but that Word of God which gave it forth If that Divine Counsellour preceeded not what assurance have our Anti-revelation-adversaries of their Doctors Choice and granting that they have not rejected any Writing given forth by the Holy Ghost which is a great Question and that which they have given us was in the main Writ by his Inspiration which I believe Yet how we shall be assured that in above 300 years so many hundred Copies as were doubtless taken should be Pure and Vncorrupted Considering the private Dissensions the readiness of each Party to bend things to their own Belief with the growing and succeeding Faults of leaving out adding transposing c. which Transscribers might be guilty of perhaps more through Carelessness than Design is beyond Iohn Faldo's Skil upon his principles to inform us From hence we may observe the uncertainty of John Faldo's Word of God who by Authorities can never prove the Scriptures to be given forth by Inspiration nor that they are truly collected neither could these Persons who first made them Canonical be assured of the exactness of those copies they then found Extant Nor was the Collectors Iudgment infallible And to come nearer to our Times Learned Men tell us of little less than 3000 several Readings in the Scriptures of the New Testament in Greek Thus ye see he laboureth with all his Pith to overthrow the extrinsical Arguments whereby the Divinity of the Scriptures is proved And on the other wing of this Ethnick Army Robert Barclay Assaulteth the intrinsick Arguments and Divine Characters imprinted on the Scriptures saying in his Apolog. Chap. 2. That they do not think that the Authority of the Scriptures doth depend on any Efficacy or Virtue placed in these Writings and in his Vindication I had almost said Abridgment of his Apology he denyeth That there is any stamp of Divine Authority upon the Scriptures and impiously ascribeth the same to some other Spirit separate from and besides the Scriptures which cannot be the Spirit of God Seeing he himself asserteth elsewhere That this Spirit is in all men and the Scripture saith That some men have not the Spirit of God. But shall not the Scriptures which were dictate by the living God carry something of the Stile of the Author Shall the writings of Livy Virgil or Cicero carry such Evidences that they were theirs So that a Humanist may distinguish the True from the Counterfit although he had never heard these men immediatly relate Sing or Declaim Surely this will be denyed of none but a Quaker Shall then God himself be outstripped and overcome by these Writers The Scriptures then according to the Quakers have no Majesty of Stile no harmony of Parts no Scope of the whole c. Nor any such Notes whereby they may declare themselves to be the Dictates of the Living God. Hence we may see That these men are fitter Companions for Porphyrie and Celsus the two Heathnish Champions than for a Christian seeing they bend all their Wit and Skil to revive again Heathnisme under the name of Quakerisme I shall only add for confirmation of my Assertion the Words of Benjamin Furly a Quaker in Rotterdam cited by Mr. Hicks in his Quakers appeal answered pag. 16. There is nothing Sayes he
Iesuit more opposite to the Reformed than another with him he joyneth hands He is therefore to be accounted amongst the grossest of Iesuits and these his Romish Cavills are to be neglected being an hundred times sufficiently enervate by our Divines in their Writings against Papists especially in their answers to Bellarmin out of whose Quiver he hath stollen this long ago blunted weapon 2. The task incumbent to him was to evince that it belongeth properly to the Rule of Faith to tell a Man. v. c. Iohn or Iames in particular that he hath true faith whatever therefore he sayeth besides this is besides the purpose But 3. ex abundanti The bare and simple Profession of Quakerism will no more prove one to be a Quaker in earnest than the simple Profession that one hath Faith will prove him to have it indeed Seeing a man may profess himself to be a Quaker and yet be a Iesuit providing there be any difference between them there is therefore more required viz that for any thing Men can know such a man liveth according to the principle of the partie and no more is necessary for the begetting a Judgment of Charity than that a man profess the principles of Christianity Seriously for any thing Men can know practise accordingly but no infallible Evidences that another hath true Faith are any wayes necessarie but only Moral Rational Grounds of certainty those may be had As for the other viz. infallible Evidences those are only necessar to ones self and these they may hâ—ve by the Scripture applyed in Christian prudence and Spiritual Wisdom the Scriptures themselves being the Rule whereby to make the Examen or Search Is. 8.20 Ioh. 5.39 Act. 17.11 2. Tim. 3.15 16 17.2 Pet. 1.19 20. And the enlightned Conscience the Judge the Spirit of Adoption or a filial Disposition inclining the Believer to come to God as a Child unto a Father with both great Confidence and Reverence together with the renewed Spirit of the Believer himself Rom. 8.15 16 the witnesses Hence his antâ—-christian Cavills fall to the ground and the similies no more halt the other Examples brought for the illustration of any Matter for all similes halt in some respect otherwayes they should not be similies but the same and to think the similies here used cannot hold because both Judge witnesses are inward in the matter illustrated by these Similies is not only without but against Reason For even as the one thing being outward and to be proved to others not to the Murderer himself who knoweth it well enough requireth an outward Judge and outward witnesses So the other thing being inward the infallible Testimony of which the Person himself standeth only in need of requireth inward Judge and inward Witnesses 7. The same Author hath another Objection prosecuted at large in his Apologie and abbreviated in his Abridgement falsly called his Vindication Pag. 44.45 which is that there are many things that the Scriptures cannot determine as particular individual Actions to which Mr Broun had answered that general Rules were enough leaving the rest to Christian prudence and Wisdom and also that there should be need of a particular Revâ—lalation for every particular Action as Eating Drinking c. Yea every particular Word This Consequence he denyeth saying that from Spiritual to Natural Actions the necessity of this Revelation will not follow I answer first The Consequence which he denyed he proveth himself for the Reason why Spiritual Actions need particular inspirations is because of their being either Sin or Duty that they may know how to give Spiritual Worship and leave Carnal Worship but this Reason he grants to stretch it self to natural Actions saying if he say those natural Acts under some Circumstances may be sin or duty I confess then the Revelation of the Spirit is needful Therefore if particular Immediate Revelations be necessary for the performances of Spiritual Actions they are also necessary for the performance of Civil or Natural Actions seeing there is nothing more sure than that every individual Action is so Circumstantiat as to become either Sin or Duty 2. Who was ever so absurd and ridiculous as to deny that any System as for example of Mathematicks or Military Discipline is a perfect Rule to guide any Mathematician or Souldier upon this account that those Books comprehend not the Names of all Mathematicians and Souldiers that ever should exist with all their particular Actions and the Circumstances thereof I am sure that such a one should be esteemed by all Men to have lost his Wits and yet no better than such are the Quakers Achillean Arguments Next he pleaseth himself in reckoning up some differences amongst Ministers As for example those called Remonstrants and publick Resolutioners and hence would infer the Insufficiency of the Scriptures for decision of Controversies and this he thinketh so strong that he requireth a particular answer to it least Sayeth he he viz. Mr. Brown be said to leap where he cannot step Ans. If this do any thing it will overdo seeing he dare not deny that both Paul Barnabas had immediat Objective Revelations who notwithstanding grew so hot in their Contention Act. 15. that they parted one from another of whose meeting again we hear not in all the Scriptures But he labours so to fix that upon the Scriptures with which the Corruption of men is only to be Charged that he woundeth himself while he thrusteth at his Adversary seing if this Reason be Valid Objective Revelation is no more a sufficient Rule than the Scriptures as this Instance of the division of Paul Barnabas evinceth Beside these the Quakers have a heap of Topicks to prove the Scriptures not a perfect Rule such as they cannot be a Rule to deaf persons therefore they cannot be a rule to those that hear and most men know not the Original Tongues Ergo say they the Scriptures cannot be a compleat Rule They object also the variety of Readings Interpretations and the like which they have scraped out of Bellarmin and his brethren and therefore deserve no more answer than what hath been given to them William Pen in his Rejoynder Part 1. Chap. 5. hath this Objection the Scriptures cannot try and examine particular Motions and Prophesies saying that Paul Act. 16. reproved not the Spirit of Divination which possessed that 〈…〉 Philippi from the Scriptures therefore they cannot be a Rule of Faith and Life But I deny the Antecedent for had Iames Nailor but brought that particular Motion whereby he was prompted to receive Divine Worship to Scripture trial he might have found his Spirit to have been the father of 〈◊〉 and Arch-deceiver of Mankind but as the Papists to cover the rest of their abominations have invented one greater and more dangerous than them all that is their Churches infallibility So this Spirit of the Quakers knowing that upon Tryal he will be found a Counterfeit hath taken the Councel given by Alcibiades to Pericles
their own words to say we calumniat them If we draw from this or the like passages that they deny the Authority of the Old Testament Robert Barclay Ibidem 5ly Both Anabaptists and Quakers deny Original Sin for proof of which see cap. 3. of this Treatise 6ly The Anabaptists Muncer and the rest of his sect taught that Christ made no Satisfaction for sins and compared these who taught the contrary to the rable of Scribes and Pharisees Bulling lib. 1. cap. 11. they taught also that its damnable and dangerous Doctrine to assert that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ or by Faith and not also by Works Bulling lib. 4 cap. 1. Sequ. In which Doctrine the Quakers have not only equalized but outdone and outstript their Ancestors as cap 5. of this Treatise more abundantly evinceth and here it is to be observed once for all that all the Capital adversaries of the Christian Religion how contrary soever they may be or seem to be one to another symbolize in this grand heresy and conspire together the overthrow and subversion of the Doctrine of Iustification by Faith or the imputed Righteousness of Christ which is acknowledged by all the Orthodox to be articulus stantis cadentis Ecclesiae the grand pillar of the Christian Doctrine without the support of which all must go to ruine Hence to name no others Pelagians the bulk of Papists Socinians and the old Libertine Anabaptists and their successors now called Quakers harmoniously agree in deriding and abominating this Cardinal and Fundamental Doctrine of the imputed Righteousness of Christ. 7ly These Anabaptists asserted the possibility of fulfilling the Law. Bulling lib. 1. cap. 8. and that they were arrived at a perfection of degrees and without sin Bulling lib. 1. cap. 11. From this the Doctrine of the Quakers differeth nothing yea the latter hath far outdone the former for besides that they commonly assert that men may altogether fulfil the Law in this life and be without sin For the denyal of which Robert Barclay promised continually to rail upon all the reformed they to the horror of all men assert that man is equal with God which I evince from the Words of Hubberthorn in chap. 4. of this Treatise and that the Soul is a part of God which is made good from the words of the famous and leading Quakers Ibid. 8ly These Anabaptists with blasphemous Melchoir Hofman denied the perseverance of the Saints Bulling lib. 3. cap. 13. with whom these Quakers also conspire which any man in reason may judge a contradiction to their Doctrine of perfection however they commonly maintain it with Robert Barclay Prop 9. with his Apology and Vindication thereof contradicting his own express words cap. 2. where explaining that text 1 Iohn 2.27 He had asserted that the unction there spoken of doth remain for ever in these to whom it is given 9ly These wicked Anabaptists with their abominable Leader David George denied the Resurrection of the Flesh or of the same body talking much of the Resurrection of another more spiritual body Bulling lib. 2. cap 10. In this also the Quakers are not a whit short of these as is made manifest chap. 5. of this Treatise 10â—y These abominable Anabaptists following their pernicious Leader Michael Servetus denyed the Sacred Trinity and the Divinity of Christ In this blasphemy also the Scholars excell the Masters as the Reader may find at large made out chap. 4. of this Treatise 11ly These Anabaptists asserted that the Ministers of the Gospel ought not to be tyed to the explaining of Scriptures that all in the Church ought to speak by turns that which they judged the Spirit offered unto them that the Ministers ought to have no certain Stipend and many other things of this sort Bulling lib. 1. cap. 8. which is at this day the known Doctrine of Quakers 12ly These Anabaptists denied that a Christian ought to be a Magistrat or in any case make war to take or administrate oaths to trouble any man upon the account of his Religion or to prohibite any kind of Religion In all which points the Quakers exactly jump with them for tho they do not in words deny the lawfulness of Magistracy yet seeing they expresly deny the lawfulness of all Wars and Oaths and maintain an unbridled Liberty to do whatsoever is right in a mans own eyes all which is their known Doctrine by most clear consequence they take away all use of Magistracy and Magistrates 13ly Anabaptists with Servetus and the Socinians spake contemptibly of the Sacraments and denied Infant-Baptism but the Quakers have gone a further length not only denying but railing against both Sacraments labouring by might and main to abolish these pledges of the Love of God out of the World I could easily prove the sameness of the Doctrine of the Muncerian Anabaptists with that of the Quakers in many other particulars But at present these may serve to shew that both of them are acted and guided by the same Spirit which is that at present intended by us 3ly If the Spirit or the light within every man were the Supreme and principal Rule then those who persecuted to death the Apostles and Saints of God did not sin in so doing but I am sure the latter is false Ergo the former The Consequence of the Major is most evident for they followed their light within thinking thereby they did God good service Iohn 16.2 neither can they say that then the day of all these persecutors visitation was past for Paul himself was one of them whose light taught him that he according to all that he had for light ought to do many things against the Professors and Servants of Jesus Christ Acts. 26.9 whose day of visitation I think the Quakers themselves will not say was expired 4ly Divine light or that light which is of God is alwayes consonant to it self but so is not that which the Quakers call their spirit or the light within every man for nothing is more evident than that the light within one man is quite contradictory and opposite to that within another and that even in the most weighty necessary and soul-concerning things in all the world as the many and great controversies in all ages do but too too well make out neither can it be said that every one of these who oppose the truth either act against their own judgment or that sometime before they knew and embraced the Truth in their heart and afterward did not hearken to that light this we say cannot be said for it is clear from the earnestness and zeal of both Hereticks and Heathens for their own erroneous Principles that they really think as they speak yea have not many sacrificed their lives to their own fantastick and damnable Opinions which Opinions from the very beginning of their use of Reason they did still hold but not to multiply instances all this is clear in the Person of Paul for certain it is that
all blessed for ever so with equal Impiety they bring down the glorious God levelling him with the dust and subject that most pure and Impassible beeing to the weakest frailties of Mankind Alledging that Christ weeped as God and not as man over Ierusalem but that they may want all ground of Complaint Let us hear themselves who in the principles of the Priests of Scotland pag 33. say It was asked of him viz. Henry Foreside of a fore ordained number to destruction and for what Christ wept over Ierusalem He answered as he was Human he mourned and his god-head decreed them to hell this is a lying Doctrine of the devil for after many of them of Ierusalem came to be converted as ye may read in Acts 2. And many of the Priests came to be obedient to the Faith for all being gone astray both Iews and Gentiles Rom 2.9 concluded under sin the pure the Eternal tendered over them who had stopped their ears and closed their eyes to that which was pure of God in them that they might have come to that which is pure and have been gathered under Christs wings Mat. 23 37. Who is pure and so have been converted and healed and have heard with their ears and seen with their Eyes And as for the word Humane that is not Scripture Language it speaketh not that Language CHAP. V. Of Christ and of his Benefits THE Quakers in words commonly acknowledge that Christ is God and Man and account it a wrong when they are accused of the denyal thereof But beside these two Natures they really maintain a third viz. a Spiritual and Heavenly nature in Christ which they call the Heavenly man Christ Jesus which heavenly man they say did exist before the incarnation of Christ Jesus and assert that on the Flesh and Blood of this man the Church in all Ages did feed For George Keith in his way cast up pag 38 93 96. Sayeth Christ as Man was and is before all the first and the last Id pag 90. The Man Christ influenceth all Men by his life and is in them and pag 93. The word made flesh created all things and the word only is is not properly the Christ. And George Keith in that Book contendeth at large that Christ before his Incarnation was as properly the Christ as he is now And in the same book pag. 94 he sayeth Christ as man came down from Heaven Idem ibid. Christs Flesh and Blood came down from Heaven pag. 94 95 Thus Christ hath Spiritual Flesh and Blood pag 95. Of his Spiritual flesh and blood did the Saints of old eat drink pag 97.98 He saith The Man Christ is to be understood prov 8.23 I was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the earth was And Ps. 110.1 2 3. and pag 99 100 108. It was this life of Christ as Man that was pressed as a Cart c. Amos 2.13 pag 100.108 109. Thus saith he Apostats crucifie to themselves again the Son of God. Heb. 6.6 pag. 100. Thus hath Christ been crucified by the wicked from the beginning Ibid. Christ the Heavenly man lived in Abraham and Moses pag 102. Christ was true and real Man before he was born of Mary pag 103. The word was made flesh from the beginning and dwelt in us pag 104. According to his Heavenly Nature even as Man He Christ was the son of God. pag. 123. The Man Christ is every where That is his Soul is extended into all in his divine seed and body which is his Heavenly Flesh and Blood. From all which beside other most horrid absurdities and blasphemies which follow upon this their Doctrine this is a clear consequent That Christ hath three Natures To this they answer Quak. Confir p. 33 That it will no more follow from their Doctrine that Christ hath three natures than it will follow from ours who assert that Christ assumed into Vnion with the Divine nature a Body and a Soul. But this answer is easily repelled for a Body a Soul considered both together make up but one humane nature Whereas according to their Doctrine he was Man before his incarnation and again man by incarnation seing every incarnation bringeth a man to the World Which incarnation they have not yet denyed at least in words And therefore Christ hath two entire humane Natures and yet these strictly conjoyned together in one man. Which doctrine maketh our blessed Lord a down-right Monster 2. The Quakers doctrine as it rendereth the Humanitie of Christ altogether Monstruous so it quite annihilateth and destroyeth his Divinity For Christopher Atkinson a known Quaker in a book of his entituled The Sword of the Lord in oposition to the sixth of the propositions which Philip Nye Thomas Godwine and Sidrah Simson drew up at the appointment of Cromwel whereby he might regulate himself in the tolleration of Sectaries viz. Christ is God said Hear Sotish minds your imagined God beyond the Stars and your carnal Christ which ye would make appear through your Heathnish Philosophy is utterly denyed and testified against by the light In these words the God-head of Christ is so evidently denyed yeâ— and his manhood too that the Quakers are able to put no Commentarie or glosse upon them which is their usual custom whereby to varnish and make any thing speak what they will And therefore to the Students of Aberdeen who Quak. Canvass pag. 82. Have objected this passage unto them they answer Quak. Conf. pag 36 that they cannot light upon Aitkinsons book But it is not to be believed that such active and bussie Spirits for the promotion of Quakerisme as Robert Barclay and George Keith are men of so great acquaintance and correspondence with the Quakers in England could not obtain the sight of a book which certainly is frequent enough there But it mattereth not much what they say for they stick not to deny passages that are verbatim in their own books Of which kind of dealing take one place of many which might easily be given Will Pen Sand Found pag 26 sayeth that Christ fulfilled the Law only as our pattern or example And yet Reaâ— against Rail pag 78 counteth his adversary Hicks a forger for repeating these words and stifâ—y denyeth that there is such a passage there saying I am very certain that the word only was not there See Hicks Dial. 3. pag 74 75 76. Where you shall find a large bundle of the like impudent and inexcusable lies They say also they can prove that Christopher Aitkinson was not a Quaker which they may easily say but they ought to have proved it not said it only otherwise these words serve only to testifie their dissatisfaction with the ingenuous plainness of Aitkinson in which he unmaâ—keth and â—ayeth open to the World what the rest of the Quakers involve in Clouds of strange and mysterious Language equivocal and hardly intelligible terms being the only covert that they can find under which to shreud their abominable
dependeth upon the controversie of perfection to which he referreth his Reader and I do the like to my survey of his Vindication His next nominal Calumny is that his Adversary supposeth it to be their Doctrine that there is no setting about prayers or other duties without a previous motion of the Spirit Now of all things I wonder most that he calls this a Calumny seing this very thing is asserted by himself in his eleventh proposition How he will reconcile himself with himself I know not well Yet sure his following words are so far from mending the matter that they make it worse which are That they speak not of a previous motion in order of time but in order of nature Neither his proposition nor any part of his Doctrine for any thing can be learned insinuateâ—h any such thing 2. This motion must so far preceed the setting about duty as that the persons perception of the motion must be interjacent according to them For they teach that before duty we must not only be acted by the Spirit but know that we are acted Ergo the motion must be previous in order of time And yet the man is so fraughted with a desire of altercation that he must say some what though he have not much advantage by it otherwise he had not challenged his Adversary as a Calumniator while by the same very expression taxed by himself he is forced to a distinction unheard of heretofore as I think in this matter and in reality a real contradiction of his own Principles And again he alledgeth he is wronged because his Antagonist inferreth from his words in his eleventh Proposition That according to him Gospel-worship putteth away all external Actions But he needeth not grudge at this for their practise helpeth us to expone their words Some other things he hath which he calleth Calumnies One thing he taketh very ill and that is that his Antagonist pag 418. compareth the Quakers to the old Pythonicks because of the strange and unusual motions among them Antick fits and strange Pranks I alwayes compared them in such fits to the Cumean Cybil as she is described by Virgil in his 6 Eneid To this he retorts the extraordinary working of the Spirit of God mentioned in the fulfilling of the Scripture called the Stwarton sickness challenging us to assign a difference between this and the strange influence of the Quakers spirit upon them which we can with great facility do for beside that these out-lettings of the Spirit of God made them to cleave more closly to the Scriptures as the only Rule and Star to guide them through the sea of this world to the safe port of their eternal rest And endeared more and more unto the Ministers of Christ Jesus his word and Sacraments we mean that which the Quakers call Water-Baptism the Communion of the Lords Body in Bread and Wine as sure pledges of the Love of Christ commanded by him to be used until his coming to Judgment which are openly contemned and vilified by the Quakers We say beside this these outlettâ—ngs were far from leading them into such strange and unheard of fits as the Quakers are put into of which I could instance a Legion of sure Examples see a late piece written by a new English Minister Mr. Increase Meather See also Paget's Heresiography where he bringeth among other strange Pranks of theirs to which they were moved by the Spirit One Susanna Parsons a zealous Quaker attempting to raise one of their number who had murdered himself from the dead but in vain And this iâ— attested by all the Magistrats of a considerable City in England viz. Worster Anno 1659. See also a little piece called Foot out of snare of the strange and antick influences of this their Spirit on one Iohn Toldervei What shall we say of Iames Naylor who following the Light of this Spirit did arrogat to himself divine honour at Bristol Now though they say he recanted this again it is all one matter For this Antiscriptural Spirit which is their principal Rule can no doubt change it self as it seeth occasion And having too much bewrayed it self with the grossness of its Delusion can easily turn it self to a more subtile way of imposture So that we may in a word say that the difference between the workings of the Spirit of God on his people mentioned in Scripture and these of the faâ—her of lies and deceits on the Pythonicks or Cybills was no more palpable than the difference between the working upon these mentioned by him and that upon the Quakers He sayeth moreover that the story of Gilpin who as Paget sheweth us was mad through Quakerism is refuted long ago But forgetteth to tell by whom or where Next he cometh to wipe off the absurdity of their silent waiting that this their abstracting of their mind from all thoughts so that the soul doth not at all act upon any kind of Object Which posture they say prepareth them for the Spirits motion And this is the result of their asserting that a man ought to do nothing of the Service or Worship of God except they know that they are moved thereto by the Spirit Now such an inturning for he counteth it a great wrong in his Adversary to call it introversion is not possible unto a man except he be sleeping as the experience of the generality of men witnesseth who still perceive their Souls acting upon some Object either good or evil except they be sleeping or in an extasie And so this is a direct following of the Heathens who went and sleeped at the Temples or Groves of their gods that they might have conference with them in dreams But they used to take sheep-skins and ly upon as Virg. in his 7 Book speaking of Latinus which if the Quakers do or not I am uncertain Now in his defence of this pag 147 being challenged as guilty of this absurdity by his Antagonist among other words he hath these viz. If he would understand it of the old man the man of sin that is corrupted we wil say with the Apostle that it ought to be crucified and die And again he sayeth that albeit in one sense they are said to die yet they more truely live and exist citing Gal. 2 20. And this is the substance of what he sayeth on this point To which I answer it is well that at length they forsake their prime Opinion or Characteristical note Hitherto he with his brethren were defending the relinquishing of all thoughts whatsoever in order to the Spirits Motion and our setting about of duty now he only defendeth the leaving of Carnal thoughts But he doth not consider that this Cheat will easily be perceived For there is a time to be presupposed in which the Spirit is not moving For I hope he moveth when and where he listeth Now I say at this time as man cannot Act yea or think warrantably of the things of God according to them Because
rather in greater reverence as their writings plainly testify And indeed so it was foretold by Isaiah for when he sayeth my spirit which is in thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shal not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed for ever he doth not tie the people of the Iews to an outward Doctrine as if he taught them the first principles but rather that it will be the true and ful felicity of the Church in Christs Kingdom to be ruled no less by the voice than spirit of God. From whence we collect that what are inviolably conjoyned by the Prophet are most sacrilegiously separat by these Villans And again Sect. 2. If any spirit neglecting the Wisdom of God bring any other Doctrine he is justly to be suspected of vanity and of a lie What when satan transfigureth himself into an angel of light what Authority shall the spirit have with us except it be discerned by some sure Character and he is clearly demonstrat to us by the Voice of God except these miserable men desire willingly to run into their own Destruction when they rather seek the spirit from themselves than from the spirit of God. But they pretend that it is unworthy that the spirit of God to whom all things are to be subjected should be subjected to the scriptures as if it were ignominious to the Holy Ghost to be every where alike and conform to himself and never diverse indeed if it were tryed by a humane angelick or any other Rule he were to be corrected or chastised if ye will but while it is compared with it self while it is considered in it self who will then say that there is injury done to it and so it is brought to a Tryal I confesse but such a one as that thereby he would manifest to us his Majesty it ought to be sufficient to us as soon as the spirit manifesteth it self to us but lest the delusions of satan should creep in under the notion of the spirit of God he would have us know him in his image imprinted in the scripture he is the Author of the scriptures he cannot be unlike and diverse from himself whatever therefore he sheweth himself to be in the scriptures such he must be forever That is no conâ—umely to him except we judge it honour worthy to forsake and degenerat from it self Much more to this purpose hath the Reverend and Judicious Author with which he confoundeth these spiritual Antichristians as well these of our time as of his own and indeed if one should read this Chapter and not know the Author he would presently conclude that it had been written of direct purpose against the Quakers Judge therefore Reader if Robert Barclay had any ground to alledge him as the Patroniser of his Doctrine The fourth Difference betwixt us and the Quakers consists in this that we asâ—err if there be a God in Heaven the Books of the Old and New Testament may be evinced to have proceeded from him even to the silencing the most profligat though sharp witted Atheists if any such merit this epithet whereas on the other hand They deny any Characters of Divinity ingraffed in the Word as hath already and shal yet more appear and thus they expose the jugular Vein of Christianity to the Heathens and indeed the whole tendency of all their writings and discourse is to decry and vilify these sacred Oracles and though they deny this to the end they may the better cheat silly Souls I care not for out of their own mouths and Books they shal be judged and found guilty These abominations are not committed in a Corner It can be made out by the unanimous consent of all the reformed Churches which is certainly sufficient in the case But many other differences I could give but these may suffice for answer to the second Objection From all which I conclude that between the extreams of the Papists Church and the Quakers Spirit medius tutissimus ibit the midway by resolving our faith ultimately in the Scriptures or in God speaking in them is the safest way And as two extream Vices never agree more in the nature of Vice than when they reced most from Virtue lying in the middle and therefore seemingly or physically reced from one another so the greater odds that seem to be between Papists and Quakers they are the more nearly relyed in error for the Papists have gone too low resolving their faith ultimately in men the Quakers on the other hand attempting to go too high have contracted a Vertigo hence they Ixion-like thinking to find the fair Iuno of divine Revelation but lighting upon a cloud of their own brain in stead thereof have procreat the strange Hippocentaurs of their monstrous Doctrines at which the World now admires and is amazed 5. Our Assertion that the Scriptures are the adequate compleat and primary or principal Rule of Faith and Manners we build on these following Arguments and first That which was dictate or given out by the â—â—fallible God and containeth the whole Counsel of God may well serve to be our compleat and principal Rule but the Scriptures were given out and dictate by the infallible God and contain the whole Counsel of God ergo they may well serve to be a compleat and principal Rule The Major is most evident for what further certainty either ought we need we or can we seek for what we believe or do then the words of the most veracious and unerring God and no other thing can be understood by a compleat Rule but that which containeth all things to be believed or done The Minor I prove by parts and first that the Scriptures were given out and dictat by God is clear from 2 Tim 3.16 All Scriptures are given by inspiration of God. 2 Pet. 1.21 Prophecy came not of old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Moreover our Adversaries at least the more learned and cautious of them have not yet adventured to deny it but in words at least grant it The second part is no lesse evident from Act. 20.27 Where Paul sayeth that he had not shunned to declare to his hearers all the Counsel of God compared with Chap. 26.22 where the same Apostle sayeth that he taught no other things than those that were in Moses and the Prophets Hence it is clear that even a part of the Scriptures and by a good consequence all the Scriptures contain all that God hath willed us to believe or do The second Argument is That which was the principal Rule to the Jews is the principal Rule to us But the Scriptures were the principal Rule to them Therefore they must be the same to us The Major is Robert Barclay's for which he pleadeth at large Apol. Cap. 2. The Minor I prove thus That from which the Jews might not swerve to the right hand or to