Essence of God considered some other way whence it appeareth that all men are partakers of the very Essence of God though not as considered precisely in it self but some other way What blasphemy is wraped up here let any juâ—ge that will 5. But why may not this seed and light be meaned of the Nature and Essence of God simply in it self considered Because saith he that can not be divided into parts and measures being most pure and simple free of all composition and division so can neither be exstinguished nor wounded nor crucified nor killed by all the strength of men Ans. Yet it would seem by him that the Essence and Nature of God though not as considered simply in it self yet as considered some other way may be Divided into parts and Compounded and so Exstinguished Wounded Killed yea Crucified and I would only know of him in what respect we can so consider the Essence and Nature of God as that we may say of it it may can be Wounded Killed Crucified or Exstinguished He leaveth us here in the mist. 6. We have heard what he understandeth not by this Seed Light c. He tels us next what he understandeth by it viz. a Spiritual heavenly and invisible principle principium organ in which God as he is the Father the Son the Spirit dwelleth a measure of which divine and glorious life is in all as a seed which of its own nature inviteth and inlineth all to good and this saith he we call the vehicle of God the spiritual body of Christ the flesh and bloud of Christ which came out of heaven and of which all the Saints do eat and are nourished unto eternal life Here we have a mysterious revelation of their mysterious conceptions by which we can understand as little of their meaning as before for 1. What is this Principium this Principle Is it a principle of Natural Actions Or a principle of Gracious and Saving Actions If of Natural actions how doth it differ from the soul and the Faculties thereof If of saving and gracious actions how is it given to and implanted in every man how Atheistical and wicked soever he be The Scripture tels us of a principle of wickedness in every man by nature whereby they are inclined to all evil and only evil and that continually And we hear of the God of this world in them that are lost blinding their mindes 2 Cor. 4 4. and of the Prince of the power of the aire the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2 2. And that this is the common condition of all till they be quickened together with Christ and brought out of that state of death by faith in Christ Ephes. 2 3 4 5. and by beleeving the Gospel 2 Cor. 4 3 4. 2. How or what way is this to be called an Organ Of what is it an instrument or Organ Of God or of the Soul Instruments must be instruments of some principal cause Or is this word properly taken or improperly Is it a Suppositum or a Vertue and Principle superadded to the Suppositum siting it for action Or is it to the soul as our members and organs are to the body What he meaneth hereby he would do well to explaine for his expressions are dark and dubious and give no distinct sound 3. In what respect is this Principle and Organ called spiritual Is it spiritual as opposite to Carnal and Bodily as not being Corporeal Or as opposite to Natural Or as opposite to Sinful and Corrupt If he mean the first it may be nothing but the Soul or the Faculties or Natural Qualities thereof and so a meer natural thing But if he take it in the two letter senses how cometh it to passe that every one lying in their natural state are made partakers thereof It must be wrought by the special Operation of the Spirit and this special Operation of the Spirit is not common to all men breathing but is peculiar to the chosen ones and to beleevers as the whole Scripture informeth us 4. We may move the samâ— doubts touching the other two termes Celestial and Invisible The soul may be called Celestial as being immediatly created of God put into the body and it is Invisible as not being the object of our corporeal senses But it may be he taketh these termes in some other more limited sense 5. He saith God dwelleth in this Principle and Organ but how can that be That God is said to dwell among his people in respect of the signes of his Presence and of the effects of his Love Care and Tenderness of them we read Exod. 25 vers 8. 29 45 46. Numb 5 3. 35 34. Deut. 12 11. Ezra 6 12. Deut. 33 12. 1 King 6 13. Ezech. 43 7 9 Zech. 2.10 11. 1 Chron. 23 25. But this was not common to all Nations but was the special privilege of that people So we hear of God's of the Spirits and of Christs dwelling in the souls of his beloved and sanctified ones by more special significations of his Favour and gracious Workings of his Love Rom. 8 9 11. 2 Cor. 6 16. Ephes. 3 17. Revel 21 3. Ioh. 14 17. 1 Cor. 3 16. 2 Tim 1 14. 1 Ioh. 3 24. 4 12 15 16. But that this in dwelling of God or of his Spirit or of Christ is common to all men and not the peculiar privilege of the Saints the places cited do abundantly manifest to be false Of God's dwelling in such a Principle or Organ the Scripture maketh no mention and we must not be wise above what is wriâ—en He would do well to explaine this out of the Scriptures for we value not his dreames and phancies 6. What meaneth that expression That God dwelleth there as the Father as the Son and as the Spirit Doth God Father Son and Spirit dwell in all the ungodly Heathens Barbarians any other wayes than as He is omnipresent or by his Natural and Common works in and about them as in and about all his creatures who proportionably live move and have their being in Him as men and women have for all are his workmanship and get life and breath anâ— all things from him Act. 17 24 25 28. 14 15 But what meaneth that as the Father c. It may be he doth not acknowledge a Trinity of Persons in one Divine Essence as sure Other Quakers do not And then all the Trinity of Persons whereoâ— the Scripture speaketh must be nothing but some different unintelligible wayes of God's manifesting himself and dwelling in all and every one of Adam's posteritâ— and it may be too in all â—he Creatures sensible insensible 7. He calleth this a divine and glorious life whereof all are partakers in some measure It is a divine life indeed and glorious to have God dwelling in the soul in love and power But by vertue of what Covenant cometh He to dwell in every man Not sure
QUAKERISME The path-way to PAGANISME Or A Vieu of the Quakers Religion BEING An Examination of the Theses and Apologie of Robert Barclay one of their number published lately in latine to discover to the World what that is which they hold and owne for the only true Christian Religion By JOHN BROWN Minister of the Gospel Printed for Iohn Cairns and other Booksellers in EDINBURGH ANNO MDC LXXVIII An EPISTLE to the READER CHRISTIAN READER Having in the following Discourse given as the Lord was pleased to helpe at some length yet with as much brevitie as the matter would suffer and thy good and edification which I was called to consult would permit my poor Testimony unto those precious Truths which are trode upon by this late Upstart generation of Quakers I shall not detaine thee long in the entrie Only let me say That as this impendent Pestilentious Cloud of Heathenish and Hellish Darkness which the Devil by the ministrie of these Locusts only Masculine in Malice against Christ being the very impure Spawn of perfect Antichristian Enmitie to our Lord Jesus his Person Offices Work Institutions and to the Whole of the blessed Gospel and in consonancy to that Hel-hatched designe breathing forth nothing but that putrid Poison that innate Serpentine Venome of manifest and mad Opposition to all the Mysteries of God concerning our Salvation which as they have implanted in them from their Father the Devil that it may appeare they are his very Children by working his works so they endeavoure to propagate to others hath now exhaled out of the bottomless Pit and by their Activity and Diligence Assisted by his Art and Prompted by his Spirit brought unto this Prevalency of darkening our Horizon and infecting so many even of such of whom sometimes better things were expected should as upon the one hand make all of us look back with griefe and fix our eyes upon our misimproving and abusing the faire day of the Gospel that we enjoyed until our eye affect our heart and we in the conviction of our hainous guilt in this matter the Nature and Aggravations of which are clearly enough seen in this judicial stroke which carrieth a Proportion both as to Kind and Degree with the Sin and is therefore much more dreadful then Famine Sword and Pestilence would be become humbled and sorrowful after a godly manner so upon the other hand the consideration hereof should raise in us a more high esteem for the Precious Interests of Jesus Christ and kindle in us more godly Zeal for his Truths Cause and make us heartily receive not only the Truth but the love of the Truth that we may be saved for the neglect of which Duty it was foretold and threatned 2 Thes. 2 11 12. that for this cause God shall send strong delusion that they to wit who received not the love of the truth should beleeve a lie that they all might be damned who beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness When the Lion is roaring ought not we to tremble When the Jealous and Righteous God is sending on a generation of Undervaluers and Despisers of the great inestimable benefite of the Everlasting Gospel a sader stroke than his three great Plagues would be that should make populous Countreys and Cities waste and without Inhabitants in a very short time what Christian heart will not tremble and be afraied When the Lord sends upon a Land his three great Messengers of wrath which can but destroy the Body that must at length however return to the dust are not all called to consider their wayes and to turn unto the Lord How much more are we now called hereunto when the Lord is saying I will also chuse their delusions and is giving many up unto this Spirit of Delusion and Apostasie whereby some that have been formerly enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift c. put themselves under that terrible impossibility whereof the Apostle speaketh Heb. 6 6. Of being renewed againe unto Repentance seing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame and under that dreadful sentence Heb. 10 26. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devoure the Adversaries and under that much sorer punishment ibid. vers 29. which they shall be thought worthy of who have troden under foot the Son of God and have counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith He was sanctified an unholy thing and have done despite unto the Spirit of grace For I know not if ever there was a Seck of Hereticks and Apostats from the Truth once received since the Apostasie of the Iewes unto whom these passages are more truely and emphatically applicable than to the Apostat Quakers who at length shall know how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God though now they be so bold wicked in their way that it is not enough for them to Apostatize from the Truth but they must also with a furious madness persecute the same Truth which their souls do now hate with their blasphemous mouthes and pens and with their railings and Rabshakeh-language reproach the Wayes of God and all who follow the same Sure I am a due pondering of the desperat Designe pernicious Wayes hellish Doctrine wicked Practices which these Emissaries of Satan project and follow-forth with a stupenduous activity should affect us otherwayes than alas we seem to be at present What are we asleep Are we not crying to the Lord night and day that he would arise and vindicate His own Truth when an enraged company of Runagadoes are destroying so far as they can the whole of our Religion and driving us back to Paganisme and betraying the whole of our sacred Interest into the hands of their Master the Devil Can we hear our blessed Lord and Saviour thus blasphemed as he is by this Paganish Antievangelick Seck of Quakers and not be so much moved with Indignation against them as even Turks who blasphemously assert our Lord to be no more than a Prophet inferiour to their deceiver Mahomet would be of whose just severity in punishing a Iew who in his rage striving with a Christian did blaspheme the blessed name of Iesus of Nazareth according to the sentence of one of their Muftees we have heard and found standing on record to the shame of Christians who have not so much Zeal for Him whom they profess to owne for the true and living God and for the only Son of God and Saviour of Man as Turks have for a Prophet of God Thus it ought not to be and a redress is called for at the hands of one and other according to their Place and Station And however it is the duty of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ and hope to see His face one
as this man putteth beyond all debate in his writings and others clearly demonstrate by their books containing such positions as overturn and destroy the Gospel Mr Norton teacher of the Church at Boston in New England being appointed to write against the Quakers by order of the General Court tels us in his Tractat printed A. 1660. Pag. 6.7 c. that the Quakers deny that the Father Son and Holy Ghost are three distinct Persons that Christ is God and Man in one Person that Christ is a distinct person from the person of the Father that Christ is a distinct person from any of His Members And so their Christ doth unchrist Christ. He tels us moreover that they deny the Scriptures or written word to be the Rule of life and that they make the light within them and the Spirit without the Scriptures to be their guide that they owne none as lawful magistrats who are not of their way that they assert an infallible light within them above the trial of the Scriptures that they will not acknowledge that they sinne but professe perfection of degrees in his life Mr Stalham in his Epistle to the Reader prefixed to his Reviler rebuiked sheweth us that they make nothing of the historical letter of Christ's Death Resurrection c. but turne all into allegories And that they are with H. N. in his joyful message of the Kingdom Pag. 170. ready to call these things meer lies which the Scripture-learned through the knowledge which they get out of the Scriptures bring-in institute preach teach As also how they joine with Iacob Behme who slighted the imputed righteousness from without and magnified the little spark within whereby the Father draweth them all to Christ and teacheth all within them and say further that in Adam stood the Covenant of grace that there is no certaine Ordination from eternity upon any soul particularly which is yet to be borne but only a common universal foreseeing of grace He sheweth us also how Will. Erbury in his Call to the Churches Pag. 4. said what Gospel or glade tideings is it to tell the world that none shall be saved but the elect and believers and that the Gospel which Christ taught was but in part that which was proper only to the Iewish Church not that to be preached to the world And moreover Pag. 6. he telleth us that he said the Gospel which the Apostles preached to the world was not that which they wrote to the Churches nor yet what they read in the Scriptures of the Prophets but the Gospel was a mystery which in the light of God they could manifest to men and make all men see themselves in God that 's in Christ. And Pag. 9. that God is in our flesh as in Christ's for the mystery of faith was more than men imagine and it may be more than Paul wrote to the Romans and Churches of Galatia And Pag. 37. that Christ's coming againe promised Act. 1 11. was nothing but his coming in Spirit and power in the Saints and in their flesh when they are most confused and dark Further the same Mr Stalham in the book cited sheweth how they contradict Scriptures in several points as concerning Scriptures Trinity the Light within the Law Sin Iustification Regeneration Sanctification and its Perfection Christian warfare Repentance Meanes of grace Baptisme Lord's Supper Prayer Singing Elders and Ordination Ministers maintainance Immediat calling Immediat teaching Civil honour Swearing unto which might be added several things brought out of their writings by Mr Hicks beside what we shall have occasion to remark in this Author with whom we now deal By all which we may conjecture what a Gospel this is which they teach even another than we have in the Scriptures and than that which the Apostle taught And what welcome such as come with another Gospel were their credentials angelical unto which these men are strangers should have Paul hath taught us Gal. 1 8 9. as was mentioned above which is a sufficient warning for all that fear God to beware of these men 20. This man hath an high and mighty conceit of his Theses calling them though short yet ponderous and saying that they comprehend many things and denote the true original of knowledge of that knowledge which leadeth to life eternal And I do indeed conceive that they containe much though I dar not say the whole of the marrow of that Gospel whereof he is a dispensator we may look upon ourselves therefore as called more narrowly to consider and examine them If the matter contained in them were good I should not quarrel at their brevity but I see what they want in length the Apology hath Ponderous he calleth them but we know wet sand though of smal value is more ponderous than what is more worth and indeed so ponderous are they that they will sinke the poor soul that embraceth them without any other super added weight into the bottomless pit His saying that they pointe forth the true original of saving knowledg will never perswade me that they do so How defective they are as to this we may shew in the next Chapter Nay rather I dar say that they discover the true original of that science falsly so called which leadeth to the bottomless pit and this I hope to make appeare ere all be done 21. He tels us that he beareth witness to this truth in this his work But he must hold us excused to seek for a more sure ground to our faith and perswasion than his bare testimony especially when he speaketh not only not consonant to Scripture but so manifestly contrary thereto Indeed if we were called to rest upon his and his co-partners bare testimony all further dispute were at an end and we might cast our bibles at our heels and learn all our divinity at their mouth or at the light with in us rest thereupon notwithstanding it contradict sound reason and experience let be Scripture But through grace we have not yeâ— drunk-in that principle and therefore must stand upon our old bottome and go to the Law and to the Testimony 22. In fine he tels us that he leaveth this his testimony unto the light of Christ illuminating every one of our consciences which words may have a double sense as expressed in his latine and either import that he leaveth this his testimony as a confirmation of that light of Christ which illuminateth every man and if this be his meaning the preaching up of this light must be the whole of his Gospel worâ— and the whole Intent and designe of his writting and publishing these Theses yea if so these Propositions of his must serve for no other end but to confirme the truth and reality of this light of Christ But then I think They or He by them should have given us some clear discovery and explication of the nature of that light of Christ which is as he saith within every man which I finde
take notice of it 6 In his § 4. He would have us beleeving that he doth not hereby condemne all other second wayes or meanes as he purposeth to cleare in the next Thesis that is all other Wayes and Modes of attaining to the knowledge of God for he granteth these to be profitable and that they may conduce to facilitate the work but he is here pleading as he saith for that which is absolutely necessary But all the question is concerning the true meaning and import of that which he accounteth so Necessary if it be such Revelations of Truths as the Prophets and such as were Immediatly inspired had and as Enthusiasts plead for I deny the necessity hereof and as to this what way I pray can other meanes and modes as the Scriptures conduce to facilitate these Revelations have they any influence upon the person who is to receive these Revelations disposeing him thereunto Let him explaine this and then he may hear what shall be further replied If the thing so necessary unto the saving knowledge of God be only that operation of the Spirit which we mentioned above we assent and only say That he should speak more intelligibly than call this an Inward and Immediat Revelation But it is usual with this sort of men to speak as did the Libertines against whom Calvin wrote Cap. 2. after an high and loftie manner as if they were alwayes ravished in an ecstasy for as they alwayes have the Spirit in their mouth so they use a strange idiome that such as hear them are at the first amazed and this they affect of purpose to deceive their hearers and raise in them an admiration of them and their Opinions 7. Having thus premised what he thought fit to say to cleare the Question and to make way for vindicating of his Thesis he cometh next to the explication and confirmation of his Assertion in his Thesis where he tels us of five particulars 1. That there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son 2. That there is no knowledge of the Son but by the Spirit 3. That God did alwayes reveal himself by the Spirit 4. That these Revelations were the formal object of the faith of the Saints 5. That the same object of faith remaineth He nameth here we see the Father the Son and the Spirit and we might readily think that he would here hold forth the order of working of the glorious Persons of the Trinity in things without ad extra and particularly in the Revelation of the mind of God concerning mans duty But whether we may rest perswaded that his judgment herein is Orthodox and that verily he beleeveth that there are Three Persons in the God head equal in Power and Glory of one Substance and Duration may be a doubt partly because the Light within which to him is the supream and only adequate Rule of Faith cannot teach this mysterie and hence it is that the Socinians not only will not admit this as an article of their creed but do also with much industry and rage oppose it and mainly upon this ground that their Natural Reason or the light within them which upon the matter so far as I can judge differeth not from the Light of the Quakers cannot comprehend it and partly because I finde other Quakers such as those of New England and those against whom Mr Stalham wrote as I hinted above denying it It is true this man hath several expressions further in the words following which would seem to evince that he is orthodox herein and there are some also that may seem to look another way But not purposeing to make more debate with him than I must needs do I shall not fix any thing upon him for which I see not clear ground only I wish that the next time he cometh forth in publick he would be more plain and positive as to this 8. As to the first of the forementioned Propositions It is true that no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him Matth. 11 27. Luk. 10 22. for no man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him Ioh. 1 18. and God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last daies spoken unto us by his Son c. Hebr. 1 1 2. and so the Son of God the Second Person of the Trinity being the true Eternal God of the same substance and equal in power and glory with the Father when the fulness of time was come took upon Him mans nature so that the Word was made flesh and tabernacled among us Ioh 1 14 to the end that He might execute his Offices and among the rest declare the whole Counsel of God concerning mans Salvation as the great Prophet and Teacher of Israel But shall we suppose that this Man looketh upon Iesus of Nazareth of whom the Father said Mat 17 5. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare yee him to be this Son that revealeth the Father and to be that grand mystery God manifest in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles belâ—eved on in the World received up into glory 1 Tim. 3 16 The reason of my doubt is this because I finde some Quakers give a very indistinct and unsatisfying answere to such a question as this and give ground to suppose that they understood nothing by the Words being made flesh but the Light within them But his proof and explication of this Proposition is observable Pag. 9. He proveth it thus Because God who is the root and fountaine of all operation made all things by his eternal word Son and citeth Ioh. 1 1 2 3. Ephes. 3 9. If hereby he understand the first Creation with the orthodox how shall he evince this Consequence That because God created all things in the beginning by his Son Jesus Christ Therefore there is no knowledge of the Father but by his Son and is this a point so difficult to be proved that he was constrained to run back to the first Creation for an argument This would justly give ground of suspicion that the man meaneth by the Creation in the places cited not the First but the Second Creation with which Christs Revelation of the Father hath a more clear and natural connection and so joyneth with Socinus and his followers Enjedinus Smalcius and Schlightingius in denying upon this account Christ to be God creating all They say that when the Scripture saith God made all things by the Word c. the meaning is God made all things by his owne word and vertue the same expression which this Man useth here and thus interpret and apply the same Scriptures which he here citeth even that Ioh. 14 6. But admitting that he taketh the Creation in the orthodox sense we may observe
here mentioned is not the Scriptures and he learnedly proveth this from other Scriptures As if any sober Christian ever Asserted such a thing But in the bye as if he had no friendship with the Socinians he redargueth their incogitancy that do not acknowledge any Inward Spirit or Vertue but a meer Natural one But in what Socinian doth he read such a thing I think He rather and the Socinians are one denying this Spirit and Paraclete to be a person and a divine person as to Essence one with the Father and the Son but as to subsistance distinct The Socinians do say that the Spirit and Holy Ghost is but the Inward Spiritual Vertue of God and are not so carnal and natural as to say that it is a meer Natural Spirit or Vertue Thus he helpeth us to know what himself meaneth by the Spirit here and elsewhere mentioned viz. Not a distinct person of the Trinity but an Inward Vertue which they call the Light within The second paâ—ticular is That this Spirit is inward and for this he citeh Rom. 8 v. 9 10. 1 Cor. 3 v. 16. and that all noble works are ascribed to this Spirit citeing Ioh. 6 v. 63. Act. 2 v. 4. and 8 ver 10. Rom. 8 ver 2 13 15 16 26. 1 Cor. 2 ver 10. and 12. v. 8 9 10 13. and closeth with a saying of Calvines Institut Libr 3. Cap. 2. By all which what he would say and against whom he would disput I know not do we deny the Spirits work in his children Do we deny his Union with them that he is in them and dwelleth in them or their Union with Him that they are in Him and walk with Him All the question is about the way how this is Conceived and Expressed Will he say That the Spirit so is and dwelleth in and abideth with beleevers that hereby they become personally united with Him and so are one person with Him Some indeed have said little lesse and therupon inferred that beleevers were Godded c. as they loved to speak But if this be his meaning I account him a Blasphemer Supposeth he that the Spirit is in â—elievers as a Vertue or Spiritual power and is the Light within them Then as he contradicteth himself saying that this light and vertue is within every man which here is but promised to believers so he giveth us a shreud presumption that he is a Socinian denying the personality of the Holy Ghost which the texts cited by himselfe and many others of the like import do manifestly evince The third particular is the work of the Spirit to guide into all truth c. which we shall be loath to deny whatever his friends the Arminians and Pelagians do Do we cry up the Traditions and Precepts of Men Do we exalt corrupt and carnal Reason Let himself see to this who cryeth up the Light within which is but Nature under a new name as shall be showne in due time This is his first Argument but what is his Conclusion Ergo The holy Spirit abideth and dwelleth in and leadeth his owne All true Christians have the Spirit of God dwelling in them as in his Temple and Ergo For this Argument must be branched-out into many so fertile is the mans invention The Spirit moveth instructeth and leadeth every true christian into the knowledge of such things as are necessary unto salvation Ans. Concedo totum and what would he have more But poor man knoweth he not what is the point in difference Hath he Concluded that the Spirit communicateth the knowledge of Gods minde to all his saints in the same manner and way as he did of old to the Prophets who were extraordinarily Inspired and that that immediat way of communication of Truths to be beleeved and Duties to be performed which was peculiar to Patriarchs and Prophets or to the Apostles is continued and common to all believers No This point is too hot for his fingers to touch and we must be satisfied to heare him prove that which he can prove though it be the same which we assert and so to no purpose 28. Before he come to this second Argument he tels us § 11. That there are some who do confess that the Spirit doth now breath upon and lead the Saints but this is Subjectively and in a blinde way coeco modo but not objectively that is He illuminats the understanding to beleeve what is revealed in the Scriptures but presents not any verity objectively and this they call medium incognitum assentiendi an unknown medium of assent that is of which the man is not certaine nor sensible Ans Whom he doth particularly here meane I know not and so I cannot judge whether he reporteth their opinion faithfully or not nor how they explaine the termes here expressed I know men may have various conceptions of the same Truth and so may have various and different-like Expressions and yet meane one and the same thing And for my part though I cannot assent to some expressions here used yet I think the substance of the truth which I owne is held forth here The Scriptures are a compleat Rule to us in all things concerning Faith and Manners in reference to Salvation and hold forth the revealed Mind of God here anent as an outward Objective meane or an external Rule And therefore we need now no new Revelation either as to Truths to be beleeved or as to Duties to be obeyed in order to Salvation but we need the Breathing Light and Power of the Spirit both to cause us see the matters already revealed and to close with them as divine Truths and Commands Let us see however what he answereth Though this opinion sayeth he be more tolerable than the former yet it is not true And why First because there are many truthes which as they respect every one ut singulos respiciunt it may be he meaneth and should hâ—ve said Personas singulares are not all found in the Scriptures But what are these Truths Are they Truths concerning salvation if so I deny what he saith and shall waite his proofs in the Next Thesis where he promiseth to shew this Secondly because saith he the Arguments adduced do also prove that he proposeth truths to us Objectively But suppose that several of the Scriptures by him formerly adduced should conclude this as to the Apostles and some others yea and more viz. That they should be filled with the Spirit and Immediatly and Extraordinariâ—y Inspired and acted to pen Scripture and infallibly to hold forth Gospel Truths to set downe immutable Gospel Rules to establish Gospel Ordinances and the like which also was so will he think that the promises in this extent belong to every individual Beleever so that each of them by vertue of these promises are Infallible Dictators writters of Scripture and the like let him assay the proof of this and we shall consider what he sayeth But further though I should grant what he here sayeth
day with joy and of all who would carry as true and loyal Subjects unto Him and would not be charged with the guilt of this God-darring Christ-blaspheming and Spirit-despiting generation of the prodigiously profane and arrogant Seck of Runagad-Quakers to be this day holding them up in their addresses unto God by prayer to our Lord Jesus the righteous Judge as His sworn and stated Enemies and as standing in perfect Opposition to His Kingdom and Interest and to cry unto Him night and day that He would arise and appear against them and plead His own cause in His good time for the glory of His name as also to be mourning for those sinnes that have provoked the Just and Jealous God to suffer such Hellish Locusts to arise and darken with their pestiferous blasphemies all the Glorious Comfortable Truths of the Gospel and to be manifesting the truth and sincerity of our Repentance by the native and kindly effects thereof mentioned by Paul 2 Cor. 7 11. And if it were thus with us sure I am it would not be needful to say much to move all unto a fixed abhorrence of the Errours Wayes and Practices of these Men and to a fleeing from them as from Men carrying about with them the very Credentials of Hell and the Devils Commission to go forth and pervert the right wayes of the Lord and to destroy Souls We would not need to inculcate the duties already pressed in the Scriptures in reference to such Hereticks and false Teachers to wit to beware of them to avoide them turn away from them to reject them and not to receive them in our houses or salute them lest we should be partakers of their evil deeds Mat. 7 15. Rom. 16 17. Phil. 3 2. 2 Tim. 2 5. Tit. 3 10. 2 Ioh. vers 10 11. For every one would of his own accord by a special Christian instinct flee from them more hastily then from persons having the blak botch upon the account that when these could endanger only the Body those were actively seeking to destroy the precious Soul And all who feared to fall under that sad sentence of summar Excommunication from Heaven Anathema Maranatha durst ever enter into a friendly communing with them have any followshipe with them or give them the least token of kindness and affection by word or deed yea or by a cast of the eye let be by more homely Discoursings and Conversings And it is more then probable that if this course had been followed with them at the first they had not prevailed so much as they have done to our Shame Sin and Sorrow this day O that this were yet thought upon and amended Much less would there be any necessity to use much seriousness in disswading all who had any love to their own souls from hearkning to their discourses even though assurance were had which who that know what their Principles and Designes are can expect that they should say nothing but what is consonant to Truth seing it will be easily granted that the Devil speaking in whomsoever and uttering whatsomever should not be listned unto lest afterward he cause these same persons either question or deny these same truths because held and declared by such who by their other abominable Errours declare whose Slaves and Emissaries they are beside the advantage he hath when he getteth an hearing ear to distil and insensibly drop-in soul-destroying venome suggared over with faire Speeches and plausible Insinuations Moreover were all affected with this matter as they ought to be there would not be much need of Arguments disswading from a Perusal and Reading of their Scripts and Pamphlets For this impression would prompt them to an abhorrence of such Libels against the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ against blessed Jesus of Nazareth of whom these Quakers say as their Father the Devil did before them what have we to do with thee thou Ieâ—us of Nazareth And against the holy Spirit of grace Is it not obvious to all that beside the advantage the Devil hath in our losse of so much precious time spent in reading of their heretical and blasphemous writings which may be one end why the Devil prompteth them to be at so much paines and charges to Write and Printe so many pernicious Scripts and distribute them so freely he hath this also that the reading of their Impertinent Reavings in and about the holy things of God and with all of their Presumptuous and ridiculously confident Assertions doth oft excite the Reader to laughter who should rather be weeping over the manifest Effrontry done to the holy and precious Truths of God and Indignity done to the Holy Lord when His name is thus taken in vaine And much more when the reading of their Blasphemous and Outragious Speaches against the Holy One of their Profane and Temerarious Abusings and Wrestings of the holy Word of Truth of their Audacious and Wicked Overturnings of the whole Gospel of the grace of God of their Subdolous and Craftie Undermining of the Fundamental points of our Religion of their Supercilious and Effronted Rejectings of and Mockings at the sacred Truths of God and of their Irreverent and Fearless Prattings about the Mysteries of Divine and Unsearchable Wisdom cannot but insensibly debauch the spirit of the Reader into at least unsutable thoughts about these great Matters if he be not more then ordinarily ballasted with the apprehension of the dreadful Majestie of that God whose Truths these are The consideration of which should me thinks coole our Curiosity and cause us even when some necessity is laid upon us which we cannot evite to read them as when called to write against them and to discover their abominable and blasphemous Assertions for preventing of further mischiefe a necessitie that lyeth not upon every one of our Common People to live nigh to God and to be oft praying for a stayed frame of heart that our spirits be not debauched by the reading of such things as have a native tendency thereunto nor place be given to one thought of these great and glorious matters as if they were but indifferent or of small moment Who can dive into the depths of Satan the mysteries of their Blasphemies and Abominations and not be in hazard of receiving hurt thereby if the Lord do not strengthen and steel the Soul Finally were we as we ought to be there would be no necessity of dehorting any from giving countenance in the least unto their Synagogues of Satan and Diabolical Conventicles where some out of curiosity or some other corrupt ends sisting themselves within the jurisdiction of Satan who there reigneth being there solemnly Served and Worshiped have been as the Quakers themselves do boast and this R. Barclay professeth himself to be a clear instance catched by the Devil and made to drink of the same Cup of Delusion with the rest and to devote themselves to the same service of the Enemy of God and of Mankinde in which these
pathes of Truth and Righteousness are revealed 543 15. They say They only exhibite the true spiritual pure and substantial Christian Religion 544 16. They say the forme of their person at death returneth from whence it was taken 546 17. They are as Christ was who thought it no robbery to be equal with God 547 18. Their writings are the voice of the Son of God by which the dead are raised and the Shield of truth c. 548 19. Their trembling and quaking is such as Moses and other Prophets had 553 20. They ascribe as much to their owne writings as to the Scriptures 83 2. Of Humane Learning 1. They inveigh against humane learning 5 2. They speak basely of learned men 8 10 3. They condemne the study of original languages 382 3. Of the Scriptures 1. They speak most basely of the Scriptures 8 11 33 45 46 50 54 57 2. They deny the Scriptures to be the Rule of life 11 54 3. They deny them to be the word of God 51 547 4. They speak jejunly of their necessity excellency and perfection 55 5 They make them at most but a subordinat Rule 58 65 82 6. They have no authority with them without a new Revelation 63 7. They are no Rule to them 67 82 84 8. They call them imperfect 74 80 87 9. They say it is blasphemy to call the letter the word of God 547 10. It is the Devil that contendeth for the Scriptures being the word of God 547 11. Who say the letter is the Rule and Guid are without feeding on the husk 547 12. Who look on the Scripture for a Rule give that to it which belongeth to Christ 547 13. The Scriptures are but inck and paper a writing the old dead letter part of it are words of the Devil they have no light in them 548 14. They are an earthly root a shadow dangerous to feed on 548 1â— They disswade us from reading and studying them 548 16. They say we have Moses and the Prophets within us 548 17. They say Scriptures cannot binde us 549 18. They say we have the Scriptures within us that they were read within before they were read without 548 19. To say that the light in the Scriptures must be guide to the light within is idolatry and evil 549 20. They call them useless to repel temptations 549 21. They wish we were stripped of all Scripture-knowledge 549 22. They call them Traditions of Men darkness and Confusion Nebuchadnezzars Image Putrifaction and Corruption Rotten and deceitful Apostacy the Whores cup the mark of the Beast Bastards brought forth of flesh and blood Babylons brats Graven images 549 23. They say To observe the practices of the Saints recorded in Scripture is to make to ourselves a graven image 549 4. Of God 1. They deny the distinction betwixt God's will of Command and his will of Good pleasure 159 2. They deny his active Providence about sin 150 3. With them God only worketh a possibility of Salvation 250 4. They say it is injustice in God to require more then he enableth to do 339 344 5. They say God ordained nothing from eternity 11 5. Of the Trinity 1. They deny three distinct persons in the Trinity 10 11 15 6. Of the Holy Ghost 1. They are not clear and distinct concerning the personality of the Holy Ghost 41 7. Of Christ. 1. They deny that Christ is God and Man in one person 11 2. They deny that he is a distinct person from any of his Members 11 3. They say his coming againe is in the Spirit 11 4. They deny his second coming againe 17 5. They are not clear concerning Jesus of Nazareth's being the Son of God 24 6. They acknowledge no Christ but a Christ within them 91 7. They say Christ is as really in every Man as in that flesh that suffered at Jerusalem 92 239 8. Christ is the Election and the elect Seed with them 228 9. They give him only a gradual preference to themselves 238 239 10. They say Christ dwelleth in us by his Seed 238 11. They make him nothing but a meer holy Man 239 12. They say He is in all persons as in the Seed and Light 245 13. They say He is crucified in unbeleevers 246 14. They call the body that Christ had of Mary an outward Body and Temple beside which they say he had a spiritual body 488 15. By this Spiritual body they say he revealed himself to men in all ages and by it men had communion with God and Christ 488 16. When we look to Christ they say we look to a Redeemer afar off 551 17. That which Christ took upon him they say was our garment 551 18. They say the bodily garment was not Christ but that which appeared and dwelt in that body 551 19. A Christ without is but a carnal Christ with them 551 20. By this carnal Christ they say there is no salvation 551 21. They say we feed on a thing dead long ago 550 8. Of Adam 1. They say the Covenant wherein Adam stood was the Covenant of Grace 11 16 2. They say the Law written in Adam's heart was not the Moral Law 16 9. Of the Fall 1. They are unclear touching the sin of Adam and the fall 88 2. They say the knowledg of the fall â—s not necessary 89 3. They say Man fell only in a certain respect 89 4. The fall did not take away say they the light within 94 5. They deny bodily death to be a punishment of sin 98 125 126 127 10. Of Original sin 1. They make original sin to be a substance 96 2. They talk enigmatically of the depravation of man by nature 97 100 3. They deny original sin in Infants whether as to imputation of guilt or as to corruption of nature 111 112 113 c. 4. They deny all imputation of sin to Infants till they actually sinne themselves 122 123 5. They say sin is not propagated but cometh by occasion or imitation 124 125 11. Of the State of Nature 1. They deny natural corruption to be sin 120 121 2. They say Natural men can do good by vertue of a Seed in them 100 102 3. They will have our power to good to be measured by the command 221 4. They say that God by grace mollifieth the heart of all men at one time or other so that if they resist not they shall be saved 249 12. Of the Soul 1. They say the soul is a part of God eternal and infinite 90 546 547 2. They say at death it is centred in its own being in God 546 3. They call it a living principle of the Divine Nature 547 4. And the immortal and incorruptible seed of God 547 5. They call it something of the living word which was said to be made flesh 547 6. And that which the Lord from heaven bâ—getteth of his own Substance 547 13. Of Heathens 1. Tâ—ey deny that Heathens have any thing of
not but it may be what is here wanting is supplied by his Apology But if his meaning be that he leaveth this testimony to convince that light of Christ which illuminateth every mans conscience than it seemeth that light of Christ hath need of his information and that notwithstanding thereof conscience may refuse to receive his doctrine and information so that this light of Christ though it enlighten the conscience cannot captivate the same to a kindly submission to that Gospel which he preacheth till some other thing worke But seing he leaveth this his testimony to be pondered and considered by the light of Christ which enlighteneth every mans conscience and thereby granteth that every man hath this Supream light of Christ within him and thereby may and is allowed by him to judge of what he saith he cannot be offended that I judge by all that light of Christ within enforming my soul and conscience from that light of Christ which is held forth in the Scriptures of truth and determine accordingly against his Assertions CHAP. II. Of the true ground of Knowledge 1. HAving thus considered his Preface with which he ushereth-in his Theses I come now to a particular examination of his doctrine expressed in his Theses and vindicated and explained in his large Apologie His first Thesis which is concerning the true ground of Knowledge is short wherein he tels us that seing our chiefe happiness is placed in the true Knowledge of God for this is life eternal that they might know that true God Ioh. 17 3. the true and genuine understanding of the right original and ground of Knowledge is especially necessary to be known and believed 2. Christ indeed in his prayer Ioh. 17 3. speaketh to his Father thus And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent which last words why this man did leave out and his c. added in his second edition is but a small reliefe who can tell if of designe it must be a bad Omen and giveth small ground of expectation of a full and satisfying discovery of that knowledge of â—od which is through faith in Jesus Christ and is thereby begun felicity here and leadeth forward to the certane fruition of God However Christ hereby giveth us to understand that that knowledge of God which is eternal life begun cannot be had without the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as the sent Ambassadour of God in whose face and manifestations God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness shineth into the hearts of his owne to give the light of the knowledge of his glory 2 Cor. 4 6. Our Lord doth not meane here a bare speculative knowledge but such a knowledge and beholding of the glory of the Lord as changeth the beholder into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3 18. and so is accompanyed with Faith apprehending and closeing with the Son in whom is this eternal life so that he who hath the Son hath life 1 Ioh. 5 11 12. And it is this Son of God who must give us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life 1 Ioh. 5 20. And another foundation or original of knowledge that is saving and the way to eternal life can no man lay 1 Cor. 3 11. 3. It is good and necessary I confess to have the genuine and true understanding of the right original and ground of this true and saving knowledge But whether this mans doctrine hath a genuine tendency thereunto or not the sequel will evince I am far mistaken if after tryal his doctrine prove not a perverting of the Gospel of Christ Gal. 1 7. and of the right wayes of the Lord Act. 13 10. and contradictory to that Gospel whereby life and immortality is brought to light 2 Tim. 5 10. and which is the Gospel of Salvation Ephes. 1 13. 4. We might readily think that one taking upon him with no small confidence to teach the whole world and to give a new discovery of pure and naked truth which hitherto hath been as he supposeth darkened and obscured and who openly declareth in the beginning of his doctrine that the genuine understanding of the right originâ—l knowledge of that God whom to know is life eternal is necessary to be known and believed should explaine to us some hidden mysteries of God and help us by his new grounds to some more distinct apprehensions of what is revealed to us of God in his word But alas this mans ignis fatuus is no sure guide to us The grounds he layeth down are both defective and destructive Of their destructive nature we will have large occasion to speak hereafter and how defective they are a few Instances may clear 5. And first Seing he would hold forth to us clear and naked truth and acquant us with true divine and saving knowledge how cometh it to passe that in his Theses we heare nothing of the nature and attributes of God Supposeth he that we can attaine to the true and saving knowledge of God and yet not know Him to be a Spirit Pure and Invisible without a Body Parts or Passions nor know that He is the only True and Living God Infinite in Being and in all Perfection Shall we think that it is no part of that knowledge of God wherein consisteth true felicity to know Him to be Immutable Immense Eternal Incomprehensible Almighty Most Holy Most Absolute Most Just Most Righteous Most Wise Most Gracious and Long-suffering c. Is it no part of the genuine knowledge of God that tendeth to life to know that He hath all Life Glory Goodness and Blessedness in of Himself c. and that He is the sole Fountaine of all Life Glory and Goodness which the Creature partaketh or is capable of and the only Author of their being what for a knowledge of God must that be in which all felicity consisteth whereof the knowledge of these particulars mentioned shall make no part And if he thinketh that the knowledge of God doth of necessity comprehend the knowledge of these particulars how cometh it to passe that in his Most comprehensive Theses and his large Apology too which hold forth as he would make us believe that knowledge which leadeth unto life eternal there is such a deep silence of these so many particulars so necessary to be known and beleeved It concerneth him to answere this 6. Next Shall we think that it is no necessary part of this saving knowledge of God to know that there is one God in Essence and Three distinct persons in the Unity of the God head of one Substance Power and Eternity viz God the Father being of none neither Begotten nor Proceeding God the Son eternally begotten of the Father and God the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding
from the Father and the Son And if the knowledge of this be such an essential part of Christianity and a ground of that knowledge of God which leadeth to salvation and so necessary for the right uptaking of the great work of Redemption and Salvation as it is and cannot rationally be denyed by any sober man who considereth what a sure basis this is unto the Christians hope peace and comfort how cometh it to pass that there is no express and distinct mention made of this fundamental point in all his Theses we have heard how the Quakers of N. England have denied this foundation And Mr Stalham in his Reviler rebuked part 1. sect 7. tels us that the Quakers against whom he wrote dâ—nied thâ—t there was any Scripture for the Trinity and said that the Holy Ghost was no Person It is known also how others of them inveigh against this fundamental Truth It is true I finde not this man either in his Theses or in his Apology directly writing against this truâ—h Yet as I finde no expressions hereanent in his whole book others than such as might come out of the mouth of an Antitrinitarian Socinian so I judge if his Theses had answered his great brags in the Preface they had expresly and distinctly not only mentioned but clearly have unfolded this truth 7. In the 3. place If by his Theses he would direct us into the Saving knowledge of God and make a plaine discovery to us from the very fountaine of all that knowledge that leadeth unto life eternal how cometh it to pass that we have no declaration made to us of the Eternal Purposes and Decrees of God whereby some Men and Angels are predestinated unto everlasting life and others foreordained unto everlasting death and whereby according to the most wise and holy counsel of his will he hath freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever cometh to pass Shall we think that the knowledge of this hath no interest in the saving knowledge of God or in that knowledge which leadeth unto life which yet undeniâ—bly yeeldeth such a noble ground of Faith Dependence Praise Reverence Humility Hope Consolation Admiration and holy Fear Nay this Man not only doth not asserte or explaine this but as we shall hear doth deny and impugne it with all his might 8. How cometh it 4 That in all his Theses or Apology there is not the least mention direct or indirect made of the Covenant of Redemption or of those mutual actings of the blessed Persons of the Trinity resembling a mutual Covenant and engagement concerning the everlasting Interest of man Shall any man think that this point of truth which is such a sure ground of all our hopes and consolation such a sure support of staggering souls and such an armour of proof against the assaults of Satan maketh no part of that knowledge which leadeth unto life or hath no place in true and saving knowledge 9. Further 5. Doth not the doctrine of the first Câ—venant of Works entered into with Adam as the representative of Mâ—n-kiâ—de upon condition of Personal Perfect and Perpetual obedience belong to that necessary knowledge which bringeth forward unto life or unto that knowledge of God in Christ which is begun felicity How is it then that his Theses are so silent herein or at most give us such a darke and jejune hint of this as is next to none as we shall see It is one of the Quakers tenets as Mr Stalham Sheweth in his forecited book Part 1. Sectâ—7 â—7 that Adam was not under a Covenant of Works that the Law which Adam had in innocency written in his heart was not the moral law that Adam did not stand by the observation of the positive branches given him in command according to that Law So said I. Nayler and R. F. as he sheweth us and that the same Iames Nayler in his Book called The discovery of the Man of sin Pag 23. went about to prove this by such pityful Arguments as these The Covenant of Works saith do this and live but he that is Adam had the life already while he stood in it and so it was not to be obtained by working as if do this and live could not hold forth the condition of continueing in life and againe That the law was added because of transgression which if it had been before the transgression could not have been as if the law must not of necessity be before sin which is the transgression thereof 1. Ioh. 3.4 and could not afterward beheld forth as a glass to discover the foule spots of transgressions and the same would R. F. in the 12. Pag. of his Book go about to prove 10 Moreover 6. If his Theses be such an unfolding of clear and naked truth how cometh it that he speaketh so obscurely and enigmatically of the fall of Adam Doth not the clear and distinct knowledge of this truth concerne such as would be acquaint with true and saving knowledge 11. But especially 7. We may wonder how it cometh to pass that in his Theses which he would give out as a summe of saving knowledge nor in his great Apologie we have no description explication or delineation yea or mention of the Covenant of Grace wherein Life and Salvation Pardon and Acceptance Grace and Glory is promised and offered through faith in Jesus Christ or acceptance of Him as He is offered in the Gospel Shall we think that the knowledge of this is no part of that pure and naked Truth which is necessary to be known Or that it can contribute nothing unto that knowledge of God in Christ which is the sure way unto eternal life How shall he be able to perswade us hereof 12. Againe 8. Shall we think that the doctrine of the Redemption purchased by Christ of the Atonement made by him unto Justice for the sinnes of his people and of their Reconciliation unto and Acceptance with God upon the account thereof of the Sufferings of Christ in Body and Soul in his state of Humiliation of his Death Resurrection and Ascension and Sitting at the Fathers right hand of his Obedience and of the Sacrifice of himself which he through the Eternal Spirit once offered up unto God to satisfie Justice and purchase not only Reconciliation but also an everlasting Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven for all such as were given to him of the Father shall we think I say that the knowledge of this is not necessary unto Salvation nor necessary to such as would have such a knowledge of God as is eternal life If he dar not be so impudent as to say so why is there such a shameful silence hereof in his Theses and Book as there is Had he no will to displease his friends the Socinians 13. Further 9. Shall it be thought that the doctrine of the Incarnation of the Son of God the Second Person in the Trinity hath no great interest in that pure and naked truth the knowledge whereof leadeth
a corrupt Original and that we ought to be sure that the Ground and Original of our Knowledge be such as we may saifly trust to and build upon But whether the Original which He and other Quakers do follow and which he would prescribe unto us be the true and genuine Original and Ground of saving Knowledge he must allow us liberty seing the danger here is great as himself confesseth and such as enter not by the door are Theevs and Robbers to examine and to try whether the Ground he holdeth forth be Saife or the Ground we build upon be not Sufficient CHAP. III. Of inward and immediat Revelations 1. The maine scope of his second Thesis which is concerning Inward and Immediat Revelations is to give us the true and genuine understanding of the right original and fundation of Knowledge So that this Thesis must point out unto us this Original and Ground of true and saving Knowledge and by the title which he hath prefixed unto this Thesis we learne that his opinion is that Inward and Immediat Revelation is the only right Original and Foundation of Knowledge and this Inward and Immediat Revelation is given us in place of the holy Scriptures as his adjoining the third Thesis concerning the Scriptures and what he saith of them therein make manifest 2. We should now come to the examination of what he saith of this Inward and Immediat Revelation but in the entry of his explication of this Thesis in his Apology Pag 4. we are staved off by a hudge Preoccupation and meet with a dangerous Dilemma for either we must give our assent unto what he saith in this Thesis or bear the stigma and blake mark of Carnal and Natural Christians ignorant of the motions and operations of the Spirit of God in our hearts But perceiving an open way of escapeing from betwixt the hornes of his dilemma and waving his uncharitable censure of such as oppose him as being not only strangers to these motions of the Spirit in their hearts but as accounting them no way necessary yea as mocking them as foolish and ridiculous and much more to this purpose wherein as he manifesteth what Spirit he is of and with what Spirit he is led so he bewrayeth much ignorance of the minde and assertions of his Opposites which would be both endless and unprofitable for me once to take any notice of let be to answere seing a simple contempt of his Calumnies is sufficient Waveing I say these his impertinencies as the native fruite of his imbittered Spirit against all that do not applaud his wilde Notions I shall tell him that I cordially give my assent unto that of Paul Rom. 8 9 14. now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sones of God And I know no Christian whether Private Person or Doctor Minister or Divine that will not homologate with me in this howbeit he flander us as not only denying this but also as contradicting it 3. But he would hence deduce that no Knowledge of God can be acquired without a Divine and Immediat Revelation and for this cause he distinguisheth betwixt a Certane and an Vncertane a Spiritual and a Literal a Saving and an Empty Aery and Brainy Knowledge of God and sayeth the One can be many wayes acquired but the Other not without an Inward and Immediate Manifestation of the Spirit of God shineing in the heart and enlightening the understanding By which we see what Darkness and Confusion occupieth this mans minde and how either through blinde Ignorance or wicked Prevarication he laboureth to pervert the true state of the Question and leadeth his Readers into the same ditch of Ignorance and Prejudice wherein himself is fallen If he cannot we know how to distinguish betwixt the Spirits Inward and Immediat Revealing and making known the minde of God as he did of old unto the Prophets and Apostles whether by Dreames Visions Vive voice or inward efficacious Inspirations and the Spirits gracious In-working and Impressing the Truthes other wayes revealed and made known mediatly upon the soul of a man giving him through the spiritual Illumination of his minde and the gracious and effectual Moving of his heart grace to See to Imbrace and to Close with and savingly Improve the Truths revealed These things which are most manifestly distinct clearly different he is pleased either out of meer Ignorance or our of Designe all alongs to jumble together and confound that he might the more darken the Reader and prejudge him both of the right state of the Question and at the orthodox truth which he maliciously misrepresenteth The difference betwixt these two Operations of the Spirit without running forth here into a tedious and unnecessary digression for the clear information of the Reader and for preventing our further labour afterward we shall thus make plaine and manifest The first Operation of the Spirit mentioned is that which he the rest of the Quakers endeavoure to assert plead for in prejudice of the Scriptures which now to us under the New Testam supplieth richly and with advantage the want of the Immediat and Extraordinary Revelations of the minde and will of God concerning duty whether as to Faith or Practice by which the Lord was pleased formerly after diverse manners and wayes to make the same known The other which we assert and maintaine is an Efficient and not Objective Revelation and confirmeth the authority and truth of the Objective Revelation of the minde of God both touching Faith and Manners and so reserveth to the Scriptures their due place as our compleet Objective Canon and Rule and confirmeth them therein bringing home with power and saving grace upon the heart the Truths therein revealed and casting the soul into the mould of these saving Truths The One which they plead for taketh away all the use of the letter of the Scriptures all the study thereof or all the paines to be used in Acquireing the knowledge of the Original tongues in Reading of Commentaries for attaining to the knowledge of the letter in Preaching and Hearing of preachings in Useing other meanes for reaching the knowledge of the Truths delivered in the Scriptures The Other which we maintaine presupposeth in ordinary this knowledge of the letter of the Scriptures and the use of means contributing thereunto as a meane appointed of God whereby we may come through his Grace cooperating on our Understandings Wils unto the saving soul-captivating knowledge of the same Truths As the saving and gracious beleeving and improving of the Truths of God revealed of old by his immediatly and extraordinarily inspired Prophets unto others did presuppose their hearing and understanding the letter of what these Prophets and extraordinary Messengers revealed as the minde of God and did not destroy and make useless that meane as the way of Quakers would necessarily have done for they alleidge
that every individual soul before they could savingly beleeve and understand the Truth of God behoved of necessity to have the same as Immediatly Inwardly and Extraordinarily revealed to themselves as it was to the Prophets and thus every man was to be an immediatly inspired Prophet to himself and what need was there then of immediatly Inspired Prophets singularly pitched upon and raised up for the use and benefite of others 4. This being plaine a sure basis whereupon we may stand and such a cleare stateing of the Question betwixt us and the Quakers that none needeth be ignorant of the true difference betwixt us and them we may very shortly dispatch this Man and his Doctrine which for the most part as we shall see runeth upon this Confusion and Mistake for thus he beginneth Pag. 5. to tell us That in all ages this hath been acknowledged viz That there is no saving knowledge of God to be had without the Spirit and to this end citeth some passages out of Augustin Clemens Alexandr Tertul. Hierom Athanasius Gregorius Magnus Cyril Alexandr Bernard Luther and Melanchâ—on None of which speak any other thing than what I have already granted and asserted and no true orthodox Christian or any that I know will deny except Pelagians Arminians the like with whom this Man doth too much conspire as we shall heare But can he produce any of the Fathers or of our Reformers maintaining such Inward and Immediat Revelations of the Spirit as the Quakers with their predecessours the Enthusiasts do assert now to be necessary and do pretend to If he be so well acquanted with the writings of the Fathers as by these his citations he would have us beleeve he hath done wisely for himself but not very honestly in concealing what several of the same Fathers and Others write expresly against such high Pretenders as the Quakers now are and in whose footsteps they in many things now tread Theodoretus in Epit. Haeret. Fab. Cap. 3. giveth us Cerinthus as the first Patriarcâ— of Fanaticks pretending to such Revelations Irenaeus lib. 1. advers Valentinum c. Cap. 9. sheweth how Marcus Valentinianus had a great Impostor a certane Devil for his Assessor by whom he himself seemed to Prophecy and foretel things and how he made some certane women whom he accounted worthy of that honour to prophecy and speak some braine-sick discourses when warmed by that empty Spirit so that they supposed themselves to be Prophetisses Theodoret in the forecited book Lib. 3. Cap. 11. tels us that one Montanus out of an ambition to excel all others alleidged that he had all his Opinions from the instinct of his Spirit the Paracleâ—e and did pretend to Enthusiasmes and Revelations and that he took unto him Priscilla and Maximilla as two Prophetisses calling their writings Prophecies or Prophetick Books and preferring them unto the divine Evangel And from this Montanus borne at Pepuza in Phrygia came the Seck of Cataphrygians and Pepuzians Augustine may also be read concerning this Catal. Haeret. Num. 26. and 27. And these men because they pretended much to the Spirit as our Quakers do now were usually called Spirituales and they called and accounted others Carnal Persons Psychici Animales Eusebius Hist. Eccles. Lib. 5. Cap. 16 and 17 may be read to this purpose relateing some of the pranks and opinions of these Cataphrigians and how one Apollonius wrote against them and their revelations and how Serapion and others gave witnes against them Let him if he please read also Epiphanius contra Haeres Tom. 1. Lib. 2. Haeres 48. 49. Where he will meet with some things not unworthy of his consideration Of this sort also were the Euchites who came of the Messalinians who were also called Enthusiasts concerning whom see Theodoretus Epit. Haeret Fab. Lib. 4. Cap 11 and Phylostr Haeres 49. A wonder it is that he citeth not Tertullian's books written de Ecstasi after he turned a follower of Montanus whom and whose ecstasies he laboured to defend in these books sure such could he have fallen upon them had been more apposite to his purpose then what he here citeth out of his book de volandis Virginibus we could also cite his book de praâ—cript advers Haeres Cap. 52. where he inveigheth much against such Prophets Among others of the predecessours of Quakers may the Circumcelliones and Donatistae be reckoned who did pretend to Visions and such Revelations and we may take in Quintius the Liberâ—ine though much later and others of the like stamp 5. In his § 3. he goeth on ranting at the same rate inveighing against all Doctors learned Persons who are not of his judgmeâ—t as being void of the Spirit and so no more to be called Christians as subserving in their writtings and labours the designe of Satan being only instructed in the external letter of the Scriptures whileas others that had only this inward and immediat revelation were true Christians hence he very profoundly doth inferre That the inward and immediat Revelation is only that sure and undoubted methode of true and saving knowledge I shall not be the man that shall plead for Doctors or Professours that deny or are strangers to the workings of the Spirit of God only I may say that the Quakers have not as yet given such irrefragable demonstrations of their being illuminated and led by the Spirit as may make us secure and confident as to the truth of all which they say I suppose the Spirit of God would teach them to speak more soberly of such as they are yet great strangers unto But to what purpose is all this waste of words if he meane nothing else by his Inward and Immediat Revelation than what we formerly § 3. did owne and explaine against whom doth he fight But if he meane as he must if he speak to the purpose what we said was the opinion of the Quakers all his wit and skill shall never be able to inferre his Conclusion from the Premises I grant that the knowledge of the letter of the Scriptures will never bring a man to heaven if with that there be not some gracious and saving Work of the Spirit working up the man to an Imbraceing Closeing with and rightly Improving of the Truths there contained yet I dar not say that the very letter of the Scriptures in its kinde as a compleet Canon and Rule is not able to make us wise unto salvation seing the Apostle is express for this 2 Tim 3.15 nor will I say that to the end the Truths revealed in the Scriptures may be savingly beleeved there is a necessiâ—y that every one have these same Truths revealed and declared unto them Objectively by new Inward and Immediat Revelations as the Prophets and Apostles had the Truths revealed unto them which they delivered unto others in the name of the Lord. And when he shall be able to inferre this Conclusion from solide Premises we shall think our selves concerned to
some other Abomination lurking under this To wit That this manifestation of the Father by the Son is not to be understood of a Gospel Manifestation but of a Natural Manifestation had in and by the works of Creation and so not of a Manifestation peculiar to the Church and people of God but of a Manifestation common to Heathens and all without the pale of the Church otherwise he shall hereby destroy what afterward he laboureth to build viz. the Universality of this Manifestation But whoever considereth the Scriptures by us cited shall finde that Christ meaneth a manifestation and declaration of the Father in and by the Gospel and Gospel Ordinances to the destruction of this mans Universality 9. He cometh § 6. to the clearing of his second Proposition viz. That there is no knowledge of the Son but by the Spirit And who will deny this as to that Knowledge which is truely and eventually saving of which Saving Certane and Necessary Knowledge his Proposition is to be understood as himself expresly showeth us with an Observandum and 1 Cor. 2 11 12. 12 3. whereby he proveth this are cleare enough but I see not the necessity of adduceing as a proof hereof Revel 3 20. behold I stand at the door c. Yet beside this Saving knowledge there is a Literal knowledge had by the common gifts of the Spirit which is also true in its kinde and though as to any Saving Effect it be Ineffectual yet we must not say with him Pag. 12. that the Spiritual Truths in the Gospel are as lies in the mouth of carnal persons for they are true even as to them Heb. 10 26. Some may sin wilfully after they have received the knowledg of the truth for whom no more sacrifice remaineth and 2 Pet. 2 20 21. Some may have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ and have known the way of righteousness who after they have known it turne from the holy commandement c. I cannot then say with him that this Knowledge of Christ is no more properly to be called a Knowledge of Christ than the speaking of a Parot is properly humane knowledge for I cannot think that when Christ sent Iudas to preach the Gospel it was as a man sending an ambassage by the hand of a Parot or that Balaam had no real knowledge of what was revealed unto him in his trance 10. But not insisting on this which is not much to the maine purpose I Observe that the thing which concerned him chiefly to clear up provâ— is not once touched by him here He should have proved tâ— us That this teaching of Christ by the Spirit is and was alwayes by Immediat Revelation that is by Enthusiasmes and such Extraordinary Wayes Nor doth he which is also remarkable distinguish betwixt Christs teaching by the Spirit in the Prophets of old and the Apostles of late and Christs own teaching Immediatly in his own Person while Incarnate which two the Apostle clearly differenceth Heb. 1 1 2. 2 3 4. Nor doth he speak any thing of Christs Mediat teaching whether by Apostles extraordinarily assisted or by Ordinary Ministers or by his Word nay by his language we might suppose that he excludeth these wayes from being wayes of Christ's teaching contrare to Math. 10 20. 1 Thes. 4 8. 2 Cor. 5 19 20. Mat. 28 18 19. and many other places 11. Let us proceed and see what he saith § 7. in confirmation of the third Proposition viz. That God did alwayes make himself manifest to the Sons of Men by the Spirit For this cause he would have us considering how God from the beginning did manifest himself in his creatures But our enquiry should be how he did manifest himself to his creatures These words in creaturis suis in his creatures cannot but be understood of the way of his manifesting himself But to Manifest Himself in or by the Creatures is not the same with Manifesting Hâ—mself in or by the Spirit For confirmation of his Proposition he adduceth Gen. 1.2 And the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the face of the waters Is not this a pregnant proof of Gods revealing his minde unto Men who were not yet created Bâ—t passing this ridiculous Argument which moreover perverteth the genuine meaning of the Spirit of the Lord in that passage let us see what he adduceth further I think faith he no man will deny that from Adam to Moses Gods communion with man was by immediat manifestation of the Spirit I answere Though it be true that Christ as the great Prophet of his Church did by the Spirit reveal the Counsel of God concerning mans salvation yet that he did this by the Spirit 's Immediat Revelation unto every Individual Person will never be proved now this being the matter that he would have us grant and which only maketh for his purpose he must prove it ere we assent to it That the Lord was pleased to reveal his mind Immedialy to Some and by them to Others from Adam to Moses we know but that every individual Person even of the people of God were advanced to this privilege I deny Yea even dureing that time we read in Scripture but little of these Manifestations We know what was spoken immediatly to Adam to Cain we read also of the Prophecy of Enâ—h in Iud's Epistle which yet was not any new Truth revealed we read also of what was revealed to Noah and to Abraham to Isaac and to Iacob and to soâ—e few others But what will all this make for his point Sure these few persons were not all that lived dureing that long tract of time what then became of the rest how were they instructed was it not Mediatly by those Patriarchs and selected Persons And did not the Fathers instruct their children from generation to generation that the right worship and knowledg of God might be propagated from hand to hand 12. This proof evincing nothing let us see the next afterward saith he in the times of the law the Lord spoke no other way to his children which cannot be denied by such who acknowledge the Scriptures to have been written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost Answere That the Scriptures of the Old Test. were so written I grant That the persons imployed in that work had immediat Revelations to this end I grant Nay moreover I grant that all other true Prophets who were raised up of the Lord whose Prophecies the Lord thought not fit to make a part of the Canon of the Scriptures had Divine Inward and Immediat Revelations But this Reason is as childish as the preceeding Doth he think that this is enough to prove his point Doth he think that all the rest of the people of God in those generations had those Immediat Revelations or that this followeth as a clear consequence from his Argument What folly is here He might as well prove that all the people of this
generation are Quakers because he and some few moe are such But Pag. 13. he saith That the Lord did alwayes speake immediatly to the High Priest when he entered the holy of holies who did communicate the same will of God unto the people Answ. How will he prove that the High Priest had alwayes then and there Divine Immediat Revelations And though it were granted what hath he gained seing himself confesseth that this was not the privilege of the people who were to learne the minde of God at the mouth of the High Priest He goeth on at the same rate of raving and tels us that no man was excluded from this inward Communication who did diligently seek it and attend upon it Which is his fonde and groundless conceite fit to be taught unto his admirers but to be hissed at by all rational persons Then he saith That others beside the high Priest had this inward communication And who denieth it who remembereth that there were Prophets in those dayes who were neither High Priests nor Levits But he addeth a wonderful confirmation adduceing instances from Numb 11 25.29 Neh. 9 30. Psal. â—1 v. 13. and 139 7. Esa. 48 16. Is it imaginable that this Man knew what he was doing when he wrote thus Or did he write his book for his foolish and credulous followers Were these seventy Elders the whole congregation Or was that Spirit that rested upon them a Spirit inwardly revealing the minde of God concerning the duty of the people of God and not rather a Spirit of government fitting them for the imployment to which they were called Why did he not cite also the Instances of Bezaliel and Aholiab Exod. 35 30 35. and of wicked Saul 1 Sam. 10 10 11 c. and of the Inchanter Balaam Numb 23 24 Did not the good Spirit by Moses guide his people in the wilderness Neh. 9 v. 20. as afterward by the Prophets verse 30 Had all the people the privilege of Moses and of the Pâ—ophets what can such foolish reasonings import Did David speak of the Spirit of Prophecy Psal. 51 And who denyeth that David was a Prophet and had many Revelations And what would he inferre from the place of Esai Doth any say That Esaias was not immediatly sent of God 13. By these his reasonings he doth abundantly declare that he can prove no more than what no body will deny though many of his proofs come even short of that viz. That there were Prophets immediatly inspired of God from Moses to Malachy But did the Lord inspire all the people with the knowledge of his will Inwardly and Immediatly as he did these Prophets Though this be the only thing he should say if he would speak to purpose Yet he dar not say it it being so manifestly false The Apostle tels us Heb. 1 1. That God spoke in time past unto the Fathers by or in the Prophets and so not Immediatly to all the Fathers when the Lord had solemnly given the law at mount Sinai and had written it once and againe in Tables of stone Exod. 34 28. Deut. 4 13. 5 22. 10 4. He gave orders to Moses to write the rest of the law Exod. 24 4. Deut. 31 9 22. And this law was to be written in a book that it might be keeped and read There were also officers appointed to Interprete and explaine this law Iosh. 23 6. 1 King 2 3. Iosh. 1 8. Deut. 29 21. 30 10. 31 26. 17 18. Iosh. 8 31. 2 King 14 6. 22 8. 2 Chron. 17 8 9. 24 4. Neh. 8 8. Act. 15 21. The like we may see of the Prophecies of the Prophets Ier. 30 2. 36 2 10. 45 1 51 60. Ezech. 2 9 10 Hab. 2 2. Nah. 1 1 Luk. 4 17 20. 3 4. 20 42. Act. 1 20. 7 42. Was this teaching and instructing by books read studied and explained the Immediat Revelation of the Spirit Or was it no Revelation of the minde of God because it was not an Immediat Revelation Hence then we see that even when this Immediat Revelation was most in use it was not the only way of God's communicating his minde to every individual Son of Adam 14. Then he telleth us That it is confessed by all that under the N. T. the Lord revealed himself by his Spirit unto Apostles and Euangelists This is very true but maketh no more for his purpose than what he hath already said for we know that all are not Apostles nor Evangelists 1 Cor. 12 29. 15. His fourth Proposition viz. That these revelations were of old the formal object of the Saints cometh next to consideration But before I proceed to examine what he saith of this I must first dispatch some things which he saith in his Thesis which will contribute to our more compendious examination of his Apology both as to this and the following proposition So then when he speaketh thus by this formal object of faith he must meane the total formal Object or all that which is the ground of faith of and obedience to such or such particulars Next I would know what he meaneth by these Revelations whether the Things revealed or the Revelation of the particulars in such or such a way or both If he understand hereby the Propositions or Assertions or Duties or Rebukes or Instructions and Lawes and the like which were Revealed Then he cannot call these the Formal Objects of faith because they were only the Material Object or the particulars which were to be received and beleeved and not the Reason or Ground why and upon which they were to be received and beleeved If he understand hereby the Revelation it self either simply considered or as so or so modified Neither can he call this properly the formal Object of divine faith for suppose the Devil should have deceived some by Dreames Visions or any other way which was not impossible he alwayes labouring to be God's ape as we see Deut. 13. Ier. 27 9. 9 8 24. 23 27 32. here would be Revelation and a Revelation so and so modified and yet there was no ground of faith as the same places prove But if he say That he speaketh of a True Divine Revelation which must of necessity be the Ground or Formal Object of faith I answere Then it is manifest that the Revelation whether as considered in it self or as so or so modified is not the total Formal Object of divine faith But the Veracity Truth of God declaring by Prophets immediatly inspired his minde must be the Formal Ground of receiving what is delivered as Truth to be believed by a divinefaith and the Supream Authority of God declaring by the same men of God hiswill and command must be the Formal Ground of receiving what was delivered as a Law to be obeyed Both which were comprehended in this sentence Thus saith Iehovah with which the Prophets did usually usher-in their Sermons and Prophecies As
otherwayes than unclean To whâ—ch words of Iob we may adde the words of Eliphaz Iob 15 14. what is man that he should be clean and he which is borne of a woman that he should be righteous Origens words Hom. 11. super Levit. are considerable Omnis qui ingreditur hunc mundum in quadam contaminatione effici dicitur Propter quod Scriptura dicit Nemo mundus a sorde nec si unius diei suerit vitaejus he meaneth this place of Iob as it is rendered by the 70. Hoc ipso ergo qui in vulva matris est positus qui materiam corporis ab â—rigine paterni seminis sumit in patre in matre contaminatus dici potest Aut nescis quia cum quadragint a dierum factus fuerit puer masculus offertur ad altare ut ibi purificetur tanquam qui pollutus fuerit in ipsa conceptione vel patâ—rni seminis vel uters materni Omnis ergo homo in patre in matre pollutus est 27. An argument for our purpose may be taken also from these words Gen. 5 3. And Adam begat a son in his own likeness after his image compared with vers 1. In the day that God created man in the likeness of God made he him As that Image of God in which Adam was first created did denote that Original Righteousness and Integrity which Adam had so this likeness and image of Adam in which Seth was begotten must denote Adams corrupted state whereof Seth in his very generation was a partaker and this was Original sin which was thus traduced and propagated from Adam to his posterity It is true Cain and Abel both were so also generated but it is thus expresly said of Seth because Abel had no posterity and Cains posterity was excluded from the Covenant Seths was to continue within it and therfore it is said of him that even his posâ—erity might know their true Original and be humble notwithstanding of this privilege As also to shew that no length of time betwixt the fall and this generation of Seth had worne this corruption away 28. The ancient Fathers made use of to this end these words of Christ to Nicodemus Ioh. 3 5.6 Except a man be born of watter and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit And indeed the proof hence deduced is irrefragable for Christ the Amen and faithful witnesse asserts with a double asseveration verily verily that a man and every man no exception made of Infants must be regenerated before he can enter into the Kingdom of God so that his first generation if there be no change will advantage him nothing And the Reason is added for by the first generation he hath a fleshly birth which is corrupt and not meet for the Kingdom of God what is borne of the flesh is flesh and nothing else and this probation annexed sheweth that Christ meanâ—th here even original natural and habitual corruption and this must principally be put from its dominion by Regeneration Beside that the words flesh and Spirit opposed thus to other in Scripture denote Natural Corruption and Grace reforming Rom. 7 14. 8 1 3. c. Gal. 6 vers 16 17. 1 Pet. 2 vers 2. 29. The ancients to this purpose made use of Gen. 17 14. and said the Covenant which these infants did violate who were not circumcised by their Fathers neglect or carelesness was the Covenant made with Adam See Vossii Hist. Pelag. Pag. 143. I shall not urge this place upon that account only seing the Text saith expresly that the uncircumcised man childe was to be cut off because he had broken God's Covenant we see that they were under a Covenant Law in some sense capable of breaking it therefore obnoxious to off cuting Now we heard above this Quaker say that Infants were under no Law therefore obnoxious to no punishment Let him chew his cood upon this place contradict Moses as he did lately contradict Paul They cited also Esai 48 8. Yea thou heardest not Yea thou knewest not yea from that time that thine eare was not opened for I know that thou wouldest deal very treacherously and was called a transgressour from the womb So did they make use of Rom. 7 23. I see another Law in my members and vers 18. for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing As also 1 Cor. 15 22. of which we have already spoken a little And indeed this last place clearly pointeth forth that we are made alive by Christ through his merites conveyed to us by spiritual Regeneration as we died in Adam through his Sin and Corruption made ours by Natural Generation 30. Augustine as the forecited Author sheweth us Pag. 151.152 made much use of the Paines Torments Death which Infants were subject to as an irrefragable argument for Original sin and we have spoken something of it already The Fathers also made use of the initial Sacraments as a confirmation of this But I know this Quaker will regaird little any thing we can say of Baptisme for among the rest of his Errours he must not want this of Antibaptisme of which in due place Pelagius was much puzzled with this perplexing Argument was forced to grant that Baptisme to them was not for remission of sins so made it useless And as for Infants that died before baptisme he knew not what became of them quo non eant scio quo eant nescio and he devised a mid place betwixt hell heaven for them And so made two kinds of felicities one with in the Kingdom of God one without the Kingdom of God And he said that by baptisme they were brought out of the middle state into the highest See for this the forecited Author Pag. 192.193 Thus that man his followers were miserably Entangled But this Quaker I confess taketh a more consequential course but whether more consonant to Truth Piety I doubt when he denyeth all Baptisme But not to speak of Baptisme now for which there is a proper place reserved what will he say of Circumcision He cannot deny but that was an ordinance appointed of God And that it had reference to the body of sin Paul tels us Col. 21 11. And therefore it could not but presuppose sin in the Infants It is called by Paul Rom 4 11. a seal of the righteousness of faith and did point out the circumciseing of the heart Deut. 30 6. 31. The Fathers made much of this Argument That by this opinion of the Pelagians Infants were wholly excluded from any Interest in the Death and Merites of Christ. And how this man will evite this I know not nor know I how he will accord with himself in asserting Universal Redemption as we shall hear But to put a close to this I would only ask this
Repentance But how can he come who hath no power to Beleeve or Repent without grace Or is it in corrupt mans power to Beleeve or Repent 9. As for this Quaker with whom we are dealing He is not pleased to give us a full aâ—count of his judgment in this particular only two things I finde he harpeth upon and repeateth as the conclusion of his pretended proofs and allegations viz. 1. That Christ died for all and every man and not for all kinds of men only non pro generibus singulorum sed pro singulis generum as he saith And 2. That what he procured was only a Possibility of salvation but what he understandeth hereby we are left to conjecture Yet it is manifest that with him this was all and summe that was procured and that it was procured for all equally But what saith he as to the Conditions of the new Covenant we must attend him in what followeth ere we know his judgment herein Where albeit he saith that what he with the rest of the Quakers maintaine therein is different from what others say and peculiar to themselves Yet we will finde to be nothing but Pelagianisme and Arminianisme put in a new dresse of words not usual with others 10. Though it might be sufficient for us to consider what this man saith and only answere his Reasons Yet to give the Reader some satisfaction in this matter which others than Quakers are pleading for now a dayes it will not be amisse to give in short the grounds of our contrary judgment which we maintaine with the orthodox wherein I intend not a full handling of that Controversie But only a short proposal of the truth with the grounds thereof whereby all our Adversaries assertions will be rejected and our way in answering what this Quaker alleigeth facilitated and withal the two Assertions wâ—ich he insisteth upon viz. the Vniversality of the Redemption and the meer Possibility which was procured abundantly confuted 11. What that truth is which we stand for is plainly and fully enough set downe in several places of Our Confession of Faith as Chap. 3. § 6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory so hath he by the Eternal and most free purpose of his Will fore ordained all the meanes thereunto Wherefore they who are Elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season are Iustified Adopted Sanctified and Keeped by his power through faith unto salvation Neither are any other Redeemed by Christ effectually Called Iustified Adopted Sanctified and Saved but the Elect only So Chap. 8. § 1. It pleased God in his eternal purpose to choose and ordaine the Lord Iâ—sus his only begotten Son to be the mediator between God and man Vnto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed and to be by him in time Redeemed Called Iustified Sanctified and Glorified And ibid. § 5. The Lord Iesus by his perfect obedience and sacrifice â—f himself which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God hath â—ully satisfied the Iustice of his Father and purchased not only Râ—conciliation but aâ— Everlastiâ—g inheritance in the Kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father hath given unto him So ibid § last To all those for whom Christ hath purâ—hased Redemption he doth certanely and effectually apply and communicate the same making intercession for them and revealing unto them in and by the word the mysteries of salvation effectually perswading them by his Spirit to beleeve and obey and governing their hearts by his word and Spirit overcoming all their enemies by his Almighty power and wisdom in such manner and wayes as are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensations Our judgment is this in short That Christ according to the good pleasure of his Father laid downe his life a Ransome for the Elect only who were given to him to save from Wrath and Destruction and by that price purchased Salvation and all the Meanes necessary thereunto for them only to whom in due time and after the method which he thinketh best doth effectually apply the same unto them and actually save them 12. Though grounds sufficient considering the places of Scripture annexed in the margine of the Confession confirming all are clearly hinted and laid downe in these passages cited yet I shall with what brevity is possible point forth our grounds in plaine termes And 1. The Scripture is full and plaine in holding forth a Covenant betwixt Iehovah and the Mediator a transaction concerning man or the purposes of God concerning the Salvation of Man in way of a mutual Compact both for our better understanding of that solide ground of our Peace and Hope and for the confirming of our staggering and weak Faith And though the full explication and confirmation hereof would I judge fully undermine and destroy the rotten grounds of Socinians and Arminians and of all who are for the Diana of Free will and enemies to the Grace of God yet I cannot digresse thereunto here and shall only referre such as would see the same confirmed unto Mr. Dicksons Therapeutica sacra and Mr Rutherfords book upon the Covenant Taking it therefore for granted till what is by these Worthies said anent it be confuted and finding that Arminius himself in his Orat. de Sacerdotio Christi saith there was a Covenant betwixt the Lord and Christ I shall but shortly inferre therefrom That it is repugnant to reason to say that the result of that Eternal Transaction and the whole intended by it was only to procure a meer Possibility of Salvation and that such a Possibility as that though it was equally for all yet it might so fall out that not one person should be saved among all the sones of Adam How unreasonable is it to imagine such a bargane betwixt the Faâ—her and the Son as among men considering what they are doing can have no place If Christ was to see his seed by vertue of this Contract then certainly God had a special eye and respect unto that seed and that seed must be distinguished from all the rest for it cannot be All else all should be saved and so Christ did not undertake to buy all nor did the Father give him All for his seed and in reference to that seed the Redemption purchased must be an Actual and not a meer Potential or Possible Redemption and the Lord must have full Power and Dominion over the Will of that Seed whereby he may determine their hearts unto a following of the Method which he was to prescribe and all these meanes whereby this actual Closeing with the Conditions was to be effectually wrought must have been secured for a transaction betwixt persons infinite in Wisdom must of necessity be in all things contrived in deep Wisdom So then if by vertue of this Covenant a seed was ensured to Christ it was these concerning whom the transaction was
Intercession and Prayer is restricted to such Ioh. 17 9. I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine 6. Christ's end in coming into the world was to save his people Hence he gote that name Iesus but he should not be able to save them Perfectly Compleetly and to the Utermost if he did not joyne his Intercession with his Oblation Yea upon this account he continueth ever a Priest having an unchangable Priesthood Heb. ◠24 25. But this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangable Priesthood wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seing he ever liveth to make intercession for them 7. The Apostle so joyneth them together Rom. 8 34. that they must do manifest violence to the Apostles reasoning who would pull them asunder and separate the one from the other It is sais he Christ that died yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us 8. Yea they are so joyned together here that his death alone considered could not yeeld that ground of triumph and boasting nor security from Accusations Yea rather that is risen againe c. 9. So that the separating and taking of these asunder is greatly prejudicial to the consolation of his people for though they should attaine to some apprehensions of Christ's dying for them as an Advocate with the Father upon new sinnes 1 Ioh. 2 1 2. Though Christ died yet they might be condemned for he must also Interceed and if he do not Intercede for them their Hopes and Comforts are gone And so there should be no force in that who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died Rom. 8 34. And a poor soul might be had saved but not to the uttermost contrare to Heb. 7 25. 10 And that place Rom. 8 33. restricteth both equally unto the Elect who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect 11. When Christ laid down his life a Ransome for sinners he could not but know that by that Ransome none should be actually saved without his Intercession it being accorded betwixt Father and Son that the mediator should mediate both by Price and by Prayer And he could not but know for whom he purposed and intended to Interceed how shall we then suppose that he would lay down his life for those for whom he was purposed not to Pray Or that he would do the most for them For whom he would not do the least 12. Christ's intercession is really a presenting unto God the Oblation made Therefore sayes the Apostle Heb. 9 24. that Christ is entered into heaven it self to appear in the presence of God for us And so by appearing he Interceedeth and his appearing is in his owne blood whereby he obtained Eternal Redemption Heb. 5 12. and so his Intercession must be for all for whom the Oblation was and the eternal Redemption was obtained 13. Yea both these are so joyned together by Esaias Chap. 53 12. as that they are made one ground and procureing cause of God's divideing him a portion with the great and of Christs own divideing the spoile with the strong Because he hath poured out his soul unto death and he bare the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressours 14. This is further clear from the reasons we gave to confirme that fast connexion betwixt Christ's Impetration Application in the foregoing paragraph for the Actual Application of the benefite and fruit of his oblation is attributed to his Intercession 15. Nay that whole Chapter Ioh 17. confirmeth this for there Christ is both Offering himself or sanctifying himself thereunto vers 19. and Interceding and these are so lincked together both in themselves and as to the persons for whom that it must argue at least much incogitancy to imagine a divulsion separation of these two acts of his Priesthood 16. If Christ Intercede not for the same persons for whom he died we ask for whom he Intercedeth Is it for actual beleevers Then we ask a Scripture ground for this restriction And then it is manifest hence that Christ Intercedeth not for the working of faith in any And yet Esaias tels us that he maketh Intercession for transgressours And we see Ioh. 17 20. that he prayeth not only for those who were already beleevers but for such also as were not yet beleevers He told us Himself also that he would pray the Father for the Spirit Ioh. 14 vers 16. And among other things this is one work of the Spirit to cause a sinner beleeve 2 Cor. 4 13. Ephes. 1 17 18 19. 33. The point we are upon will be further cleare if we consider 22. That Christ's death was a Redemption and we are said to be Redeemed thereby Gal. 4 5. and 3 13. Rom. 3 24. Ephes. 1 7. Col. 1 14. 1 Pet. 1 8. Revel 5 9. Tit. 2 14. And therefore all such as he laid down this Redemption or Redemption-money for must of necessity be redeemed and saved and consequently he died not for all seing all are not redeemed and saved His Ransome or Price of redemption which he laid down viz. his blood which he shed is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ransome Mat. 20 28. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 2 6. That all such for whom this Redemption-money was payed and this Ransome was given must be saved is cleare for 1. Other wayes it were no Redemption a ransome given for Captives doth say that these Captives in law and justice ought to be set at liberty 2. This Redemption is the same with as to the effect or hath attending it forgiveness of sins Col. 1 14. Ephes. 1 7. and forgiveness of sins is with justification hath blessedness attending it Rom. 4 6 7 8. 3. Salvation necessarily followeth upon this Ransome and Redemption as is clear 1 Tim. 2 4. compared with vers 6. 4. This redemption is from a vaine Conversation 1 Pet. 1 18. and consequently is attended with Salvation 5. It is attended with justification Rom. 3 24. being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ 6. Hence it is called the Redemption of the transgressions Heb 9 15. that is either of Transgressours by a metonimy or of us from the evil of transgressions that upon a valuable compensation and satisfaction for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Redemption from evil by the Interveening of a Price a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Ransom 7. This was a Redemption from the law for God sent forth his son made under the law to redeem them who were under the law Gal. 4 4 5. so by this redemption there is a liberation had from the Law and its Curse and Penality 8. And it is a Redemption of such as were under the law for this end that they might receive the adoption of sones Gal. 4 5. But this Adoption of sones
of the Messias And all these he shall certanely save And though his first coming was not to act the part of a judge to any of which he speaketh Ioh. 12 37. yet I trow his last coming will be in forme of a judge Mat. 24 30. 25 31 Luk. 9 26. 1 Thes. 4 16. Act. 17 31. 62. He citeth next 2 Pet 3 9. the Lord is long-suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come unto repentance and tels us that it is like to Ezech. 33 ver 11. of which place we spoke in the preceding Chapter and then addeth That God's will taketh not effect the cause is from us which could not be if we had never been capable of salvation and if Christ had never died for us but had left us under a physical impossibility of salvation Answere 1 If these words be taken Universally what will this man do with those that outlive the day of their visitation as he speaketh and are hardâ—ned judicially of God and given up to a reprobate mind is the Lord willing that these should come unto Repentance if not what will he do with his Universality Againe what will he say to those whom God cutteth off in their younger yeers and of those He taketh away in the very act of sin as He did Nadab and Abihu the people of Sodom the Bethshemites Uzzah Zimri and Cosbi 2. If we be the Cause that God's will taketh not effect we must be stronger then God for this Will of God is not his Command but his will of Purpose And so He must be a weak God that can not effectuat what he willeth but can be hindered by weak man but the Scriptures speak other wayes of our God and tells us that he doth whatsoever he will and none can let or hinder him Dan. 4 35. Iob. 9 12. Esai 45 9. Psal 135 6. And that none hath resisted his will Rom. 9 20. 3. Free Will I see must be a very great and absolute Prince for upon it hang all the effects of God's will and Purpose and of the death of Christ so that if Free will be ill disposed none of God's gracious Purposes Promises or Decrees shall take effect and Christ for all his Death and Bloudshed shall not save one soul or see a seed and thus all the decrees of heaven are at Mans devotion and Christ must turne a petitioner and supplicat Lord Free will that He may see of the travail of his soul. O cursed Religion 4. But as to the passage in hand the matter is clear that Peter is not speaking of all and every man universally but of us that is of himself and these to whom he writeth and they are the same he wrote his first Epistle unto 2 Pet. 3 1. and them he stileth Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1 2. Who were begotten againe to a lively hope by the resurrâ—ction of Iesus Christ from the dead vers 3. who were keepâ— by the power of God through faith unto salvation vers 5. who were lovers of Christ and beleeving did rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory vers 8. Such as by Christ did beleeve in God vers 20 21. and had purified their souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren and were born againe c. vers 22 23. See Chap. 2 4 5 7 9 10 25. 2 Pet. 1 1 3 4 3 1 17 18. Thus the impertinency of this man in citeing this passage is manifest 63. He asketh what meaneth all the vehement Invitations Expostulations and Complaints in Scripture if there be no possibility of salvation and supposeth that this is to make God the Author of a stage play And thus the man raâ—teth in his reavings at this rate and all to dethrone the most High and spoile Him of his Principality and Supream Dominion that base man may be set down in the chaire of State and have the keyes of heaven and hell at his girdle by this Argument the Quaker would not only make the death of Christ a common thing but would destroy all the Decrees of God all Predestination and Election all Purposes of preventing any with mercy and all Absolute Pâ—omises But the mans attempt is vaine God will be God whether he will or not 2. We assert no Simple Impossibility of salvation to any but Hypothetical If God would give grace to all all should be saved and if He will not give grace to all must we quarrell with the Almighty Notwithstanding of God's decrees every one that perisheth perisheth willingly and of his owne fâ—ee choise God's decrees destroy not mans Free will nor take away the liberty and contingency of second causes but rather establish it as may appear from Prov. 16 33. Ioh. 19 11. Act. 2 23. 4 27 28. Mat. 17 12. 3. These Exhortations Expostulations c. respect the Gospel as it relateth to Gods will of precept and is the word of reconciliation dispensed by men and so hold forth what is mans Duty as we cleared above which must not be confounded with God's Purposes nor set up to dethrone them our duty is our duty by vertue of a command whatever God's purposes be Though God had purposed that Isaack should not be killed by his Father yet the word of command made it Abraham's duty to goe and offer him up 4 These Invitations and Expostulations c. respect only those to whom the Gospel is preached and so whatever this man can make out of them they can prove no Universal Redemption for we hear of no such expostulations with such as live without the sound of the Gospel And there are moe without the Church than within it not only under the Law but even now under the Gospel 5. This man I hope will not deny that God might if he pleased give grace to such as he expostulateth with whereby they might certainly be wrought up to a compliance with the word of Command And because it seemeth not good in his eyes to do so shall his Dispensations and the Ministry of his Gospel be looked upon as a stage play and a comoedie O! who art thou O man that will thus bring God to thy barr and passe such a shameful sentence upon his proceedings 6 God useth these Expostulations c. as meanes to bring home his Owne And as for Others though we would think to advocat their cause and condemne the Lord they and all that will take their part shall be found speachless in the day of accounts And God shall be glorified in his holy Justice whether vaine Man will or not 64. He citeth in the last place 1 Iâ—h 2 1 2. where Christ is said to be a Propitiation for the sinnes of the world And then he insulteth over such as would have only beleevers understood here by the word
in Politiques as not to see it of his Advantage to cloath Old Errours with New Notions that they may the better passe among the ignorant for matters never heard of before 2. But leaving this to the ensueing tryal let us see what is this New Light and Gospel the knowledge of which he saith they have gote by the Revelation of Jesus Christ and have it confirmed by their sensible Experience and sealed by the Inward Testimony of the Spirit in their hearts He layeth downe the mater in three Propositions Pag. 79. § 11. The first whereof which in this Chapter we are to examine is this That God who out of his infinite love sent his Son who tasted death for every man hath granted to every Person whether Iew oâ— Gentile or Turk or Schithian or Indian or Barbarian of whatsoever Kinde or Nation or in whatever part of the world he live a certain day and time of visitation in which day or time it is possible for them to be saved and partake of the benefite of Christs death This is one part of the New Gospel which the Quakers preach And â—re I proceed in the examination of the grounds thereof I must premise these two things first That all this is founded upon the errour of Vniversal Redemption which we have rejected and confuted in the preceeding Chapter and when the only pillar on which this new Fabrick is erected is taken away by such force of Scripture and Reason as this Man I suppose shall be forced to yeeld unto or declare himself to be self condemned the building setled thereupon needeth no more than its owne weight to bring it downe headlong And when further Chap. VII we have vindicated the doctrine of Reprobation and free Election which this man laboured with all his might to take out of the way knowing that if that should stand his New Religion or rather Old Pelagian Arminian Delusion should finde no footing we might forbear the further examination of his following doctrine which is but so many native consequences flowing from false Grounds and Positions But Secondly I cannot well understand how he can say that he and the rest of the Quakers have this confirmed unto them by their sensible Experience it not being a matter that can come under that manner of cognition it seemeth that their inward senses are so quick and lively that they can sensate what is not sensible But I finde it usual with him to say so much weight upon his owne Experience and Feeling as if it were the whole basis of his new Inventions and Doctrine that it is no wonder he make use of it in all cases pertinent or impertinent all is a matter valeat quantum valere potest every one will not advert to its impertinency but beleeve the man speaking from his owne Experience what his owne Experience can never make him sensibâ—e of for the Quakers do experience as they say what is not done but remaineth to be done in the world let be what is past as all Christ's sufferings c. These thoughts and the like may possibly have moved him thus to speak here 3. We have seen what his Proposition is and the meaning of it is in short this so farr as I can take it up That because God hath an inconceivably great love to all desire to save all for this end sent his Son to die alike for all every man mothers son he granteth to all every man a certain space of time within which if they accept of the offer of peace hearken to his commands it is well they shall be saved but if not they must perish But if now we enquire How this matter cometh to the knowledge of every son of Adam for it is but reasonable they hear of the termes on which they may be saved before they be condemned for rejecting of them He will tell us afterward of an Vniversal Gospel making the matter known to all every one But againe if we enquire Whether or not every one of Adam's posterity hath Power in himself gracious Ability qualifying his Natural Faculties to accept of this offer He will tell us afterward that there is an Universal Saving Grace and Light given to every man whereby this may be brought to passe if Freewill be so kinde and tender of the mans salvation Whence we see that Salvation lyeth equally at every mans door be he Iew or Gentile Schythian or Barbarian Turk or Christian And every man hath Power and Ability Moral to lay hold on Salvation if he be disposed to accept thereof This and nothing else must be the Possibility whereof he speaketh so that there is not requisite hereunto any new grant of Grace or Divine Helpe to quicken the man or to work Faith or any other grace requisite in him he hath a stock from his Mothers womb which is sufficient if he will but improve it and that notwithstanding of any thing he lost in Adam it was not then we see for nothing that this Quaker was so much against Original sin as we heard Now this being the proper and native face of this mans doctrine let any man tell me wherein it differeth from the Old Pelagian and late Popish Iesuitical Arminian and Socinian Errour And yet so vaine and confident is the man in his Ignorance and Self Admiration that he holdeth these things forth as a New Revelation from the lying Spirit that hath bin a lyar and murderer from the beginning no doubt communicated only unto the Quakers who are but a company of ignorant mechanicks not acquanted with controversies or read in the writtings of Pelagians Iesuites Arminians and Socinians And it may be this is all the ground of his concluding this as to the unlearned and unread Quakers to be from Revelation little knowing or observing how deeply this erroneous imagination is implanted and rooted in the corrupt heart of every son of Adam so that they learne it without book or study yea so that all the preaching of the Gospel of truth will never be able to eradicate these Natural errours particularly this Natural Pelagianisme Iesuitisme Arminianisme and Socinianisme out of their mindes and hearts till the Grace of God come and hence is it that the Gospel which is the doctrine of the Grace of God diametrically opposite to this delusion which is in all points a sworne enemy to the grace of God is so little imbraced and closed with by many who live and die under the clear Manifestations thereof And it is no wonder that these false imaginations being natural in laid in our corrupt natures have so deep an Impression be looked upon by this Corruption that is as blinde as self conceity as Impressions of the Spirit especially when the God of this world who is in them blinding their mindes doth concurre to fortifie this Prejudice against the doctrine of the true grace of God and withall transformeth himself into an Angel of
shown if it were worth so much paines let any who will Reaâ— the Jesuite Didacus Ruiz de Praedestinatione dispp 39 40.41.42.43.44.45 and especially disp 46. de Barbaris and he shall finde this Quakers doctrine at full length CHAP. X. Of Universal Grace and Light 1. We come to examine his Second Proposition containing a further piece of their divinity which he expresseth thus Pag. 79. § 11. That God for this end did comunicate and give to every man a certane measure of the Light of his Son a measure of grace or some manifestation of the Spirit which hath several names in Scripture as the seed of the kingdom Mat 13 18 19 light manifesting all things Ephes. 5 13. the word of God Rom. 10 18 the manifestation of the Spirit given to every one 1 Cor. 12.7 the talent Mat. 25.14 the Gospel preached to every creature Col 1 23 Ans. This must be a strange and wonderfull thing that is both Grace Gifts which are inward and placed in the soul the Word of God the Gospel which is outward preached declared to the eares of people what can we make of this or what can we understand by it Nay this with them is the Spirit of God it is Christ God Father Son holy Ghost and what not This I take to be peculiar to the Quakers for neither Pelagians nor Socinians nor Arminians nor any of their followers nor Iesuite ever spoke at this rate of non-sense vented to the world such Inconsistencies which are rather the foamings of a distracted braine than the discoursings of men in their wits how heterodox so ever But is it not strange that this man should imagine these things to be common to all mankinde The seed of the kingdom I no where read of but of the word of the kingdom which is compared to seed and was this word preached to all nations from the beginning of the word Or is it to this day sowen in all nations even amongst Heathens in Iapan other Regions Territories in the East West Indees or among the Turks Cannibals By whom I pray and upon whose testimony must we believe this The word of God Rom. 10 17. is the word that is heard preached by such as are sent whose feet are beautifull vers 15. by which faith cometh calling upon God vers 13 14 17. Is this common to all Nations The manifestation of the Spirit spoken of 1 Cor. 12. is concerning gifts peculiarly enumerated vers 8 9 10. such as the word of wisdom the word of knowledge faith gifts of healing working of miracles Prophecy discerning of spirits diverse kindes of tongues and interpretation of tongues And are these common to all men or were they then common to all the world Nay doth not the Apostle expresly restrick them to the Church of which he is there speaking in which the Lord did set Officers endued with these gifts vers 28 expresly say that they were not common even to all the members of the Church as may be seen through that chapter particularly vers 29 30 beside that the scope of the whole irrefragably evinceth this As for the talent mentioned Mat. 25. We spoke of it in the preceeding chapter And that Gospel whereof Paul speaketh Col. 1. Was that which he was sent to preach to all indefinitely as providence which sometimes stood in the way of his endeavouring to preach it somewhere as we see Act. 16 6 7. ordered it and which is called vers 26. the mystery which hath bin hid from ages and generations but now is made manifest to the saints Was this common to all before Christ came is it common to all this day How shall it be evinced that this Gospel is thus Universal will he take that word every Creature under heaven vers 23. without any limitation Then he must sâ—y that Paul preached this Gospel to Devils to Beasts all creatures without sense as well as to Men. But if he will restrick it let it be according to Reason we are satisfied his designe is crossed for as we cleared above Chap. VIII these Universals must be interpreted according to the nature of the thing spoken of the circumstances of the place so it will here but import an indefinite mission among the Gentiles and is an hyperbolick expression of the vast extension of the tydings of salvation now under the Gospel administration in comparison of what it was unâ—er the law when restricked to the limites of one kingdom to the posterity of Abraham Isaak Iacob with a few Proselites 2. To keep us from startling at the non-sense of the Proposition we have more more of that kinde to meet with in the further explication thereof set down in several Pages from Pag. 82. § 13. to Pag. 92. And though some may justly blame me for wasteing words spending time upon such a Nonsensical Self-contradictory Proposition yet considering that here lyeth the core of their delusions and that which though not as to mater yet as to expressions is peculiar to the Quakers and common to them all the Reader must have patience and heare all and then he will be better able to judge 3. He beginneth then Pag. 82. § 13. tels us That this Seed Grace word of God and light with which every man is enlightened and a measure of which every one hath in order to Salvation and which by mans pertinaciousness and the malignity of his will may be resisted extinguished wounded suppressed killed crucified is not the proper essence and nature of God considered in it self Before we enter upon a particular discussion of this mans words we conceive it will be of use to helpe us to understand him the better if he may be understood at all in this chiefe part of their heretical doctrine to take notice of some expressions of other Quakers concerning this Light and Seed of which they speak so much Mr Hicks in his dialogue giveth us some account of some of their expressions in this mater Dial. 1. Pag 3. G. Whitehead said in him was life the life was the light of men If the life be the divine essence the light must be so also for such as the cause such the effect must be And Againe Pag. 4. The light within must be God because to deny it so to be is to deny the Omnipresence of God Thus the light is the Essence of God the Omniprâ—sence of God And againe G. W. reasoned thus The divine life is immutable To say then the light within is not God is to say God is mutable Therefore it is blasphemy to deny the light within to be God Yea Pag. 5. he tels that one Robert West called the denying to worship the measure of light in every man damnable heresie and said that the Spirit which God breathed into Adam was not mans spirit but another the breath of our nostrils the anoynted
are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3 18. The text saith not that this light is and was shall be in every man Quakers are good at dreaming 30. Then be saith That Iohn tels us vers 7. to what end this light is given viz. that all might beleeve by it for he will have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be meaned of the Light and not of Iohn But the man is busie here seeking a knot in a rush The Euangelist tels us what was the end for which Iohn was sent to wit to bear witness of the Light that all through him might beleeve that is through him as an instrument for he was the Eliah the Prophet that was to come to turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers Mal. 4 5.6 Mat. 11 14. Mark 9 11. he was to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God for he was to go before him in the Spirit and power of Elias to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and disobedient to the wisdome of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Luk. 1 16 17. He was the prophet of the Highest and was to goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes To give knowledg of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sinnes c. Luk. 1 76 77 78 79. So that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly referre to Iohn who was but an Instrument by whom his hearers were brought to beleeve in Christ the true Light And to Iohn do Cyrillus Chrysostomus and all the Latine Greek Commentators except Theophylact referre it And the very genuine aspect and series of the words enforce it this being the end of Iohns ministrie and witness-bearing that by him and through his Ministrie all his hearers might be brought to faith in the true Light for this was the intendment of all his labour and paines as we see Ioh. 3 36. Act. 19 4. But this Quaker would make us beleeve that to interpret the words so is to contradict the scope of the context for it is Christ sayes he that enlightens all with this light And is not this that they might beleeve by it Ans. It is true it is the true Light that enlighteneth all And He as an efficient cause doth thereby work faith in all that are enlightened but nevertheless by Iohn Baptist as an Instrument might his hearers be brought to beleeve in Christ the true Light and what way doth this contradict the scope He addeth All could not beleeve by Iohn for his Ministrie came not to all Ans. Thence let him learne how to interpret these universal particles So it is said Mat. 21 26. all held Iohn for a prophet yet many in the world never heard of Iohn but the meaning is all that knew his ministrie and so here all to whom his ministrie came indefinitely without exception of any But all sayes he enlightened with the light might have beleeved thereby Ans. Nay all enlightened with this saving light should certainly have believed for this Illumination giveth not a bare power to believe but certainly worketh the effect Iohn saith he further did not shine in darkness but this Light shineth in darkness that darkness being dissipated it might beget faith Ans. And what then Ergo by Iohns ministrie men could not be brought to beleeve in the true light This is a Quakers Consequence that is ridiculous But lastly he sayes we must beleeve by that in which communion is had with God but by walking in the Light we obtaine this communion not by walking in Iohn Answ. Our walking in the light is our enjoying communion with God as the text at which he glanceth 1 Ioh. 1 7. doth cleare Our walking in the light is a fruite of faith and not the cause of it though it may be a cause of its increase and confirmation What is that to beleeve by walking in the light Though not by walking in Iohn yet by hearing receiving of his doctrine men might be brought to beleeve in Christ for he came to beare witness of the true Light and faith cometh by hearing As we have received Christ so must we walk in him Col. 2 6. but receiving goeth before walking and is not effectuated by walking 31. He spends sometime Pag. 99. to prove that this Light here mentioned is supernatural saving sufficient and foundeth all upon this that it is the light of Christ whereby all ought to beleeve And thus subdolously foisteth-in his corrupt errours his Pelagian and Arminian conceipts with a special artifice that the unwarry Reader may be infected with his poison But 1 we know no Supernatural and Saving Light or Grace which is only Sufficient and not Efficacious and Effectual or such as will certainly produce the effect Supernatural sufficient grace to believe not only giveth the man a spiritual Power to beleeve but powerfully insuperably invincibly effectually Inclineth Moveth Draweth and Determineth the heart to beleeve and efficaciously worketh the Effect and produceth Faith in the soul. As for his meerly Sufficient Grace he hath learned it in the Iesuites Arminians and Pelagians school not in the Scriptures Though there be a Light granted even in the works of Creation and Providence which may convince of a Deity and of several duties called for at the hands of men which may and doth render such as come short inexcusable Rom. 1 20. And though a greater Light be granted in the dispensation of the Gospel to convince and render more inexcusable such as beleeve not yet we know of no Saving Light Sufficient to salvation granted to all even of such as heare the Gospel far less to all Heathens for as to this all naturally are blinde and dead and no grace can be sufficient but that which quickeneth and giveth eyes to see and eares to hear and hearts to understand and overpowereth all in the man that maketh head against Christ. In what sense then can it be true that saving sufficient Light is given to all Can that which is a meerly Natural Power produce a spiritual and Supernatural effect As soon may a beast produce acts of reason or a vegetable plant do acts of sense for these are effects of another Nature and of an higher sphere and require a suteable principle If it be said By acting that which is Natural we may procure or make way for what is Spiritual and Supernatural We enquire where there is any such promise or appointment of God giving ground for this assertion Nay if it were so we should be called according to our works and not according to his grace contrare to 2 Tim. 1 9. Tit. 3 5. Rom. 9 15 16. If it be said That these words To him that hath shall be given include such a promise that such as improve nature aright shall obtaine grace
God that worketh in us to will contrare to Phil. 2 13. Thus homage must be payed and honour done unto the great Diana Goddess Free will Shee must keep the keyes of heaven and hell She openeth and God himself cannot shut and shuteth the door and God cannot open it Shee is master of the everlasting Purposes and Decrees of God Shee is sole administratrix and dispensatrix of the great blessings of the Covenant and of all the fruites of Christs death so that if she will Christ shall not save one soul for all his travail he shall lose all that were given him to save and cannot help it there is no remedy Free will is inexorable and God Father Son and Holy Spirit must do no violence to this Soveraigne They must not enter within his Jurisdiction Mans will must be Supream and above God himself O strange Do these men pretend to light Their Light sure must be hellish darkness Will not these men suffer God to have a power over their will and grant him power to take away and overcome their resistance If not their case is desperat for without the mighty power of God bowing inclineing drawing and efficaciously moving the will to assent and taking away that resistance and opposition the carnal heart which is enmity to God neither is nor will be subject to the Law of God and so will never yeeld Woe to such as practically receive these principles 41. He alleigeth some Fathers as confirming his opinion but these all are but three and it were tedious to search for a few lines in a whole book that we might examine what pertinency and faithfulness is in the allegation And beside for any thing I see the very words which he hath cited prove not his conclusion Not one of them speak of a Substance within every man which is neither a part of soul nor of body not one of them call this the Vehicle of God or Christ within every man No man saith that the Word of God by which saving faith cometh is in every man Not one of them faith that the fire and hammer of God which melteth and softeneth the heart is in every son of Adam and was in all since the fall Not one of them saith that there is and ever since the fall was in every man a real spiritual substance distinct from the soul and all its faculties from which the spiritual birth the new creature and the new man in the heart hath its original And if they conclude not this what can they say for him Though they should seem to speak for an Universal Gospel or word without which yet they do not this will not prove an universal grace within and that common to all since Adam fell So that this Quaker is at much paines if he transcribed not those few sayings out of some Iesuite or Arminian Author to no purpose And further as to some Fathers who lived before the Pelagian heresie arose it is observed by some that they so put on Christ as not fully to have put off Plato therefore imagined that some living 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. according to the dictats of right reason before the Incarnation might be saved without faith in Christ. See Casaubon Exerc. 1. against Baronius But the Gospel teacheth us no such thing CHAP. XI Of the necessity of this Light to Salvation 1. WE told above Chap. IX § 2. how this Quaker laid forth his new doctrine in three Propositions the first whereof we examined Chap. IX the second Chap. X. Now the third should come under our consideration which as he did word it Pag. 79. was concerning an Vniversal Gospel for our Quakers are great universalists for these are the words thereof That God doth by this light and seed invite call reprove and exhort all and every man and contendeth as it were with them in order to salvation If this be received and not resisted it worketh the salvation of all even of these who never heard of Adam's fall nor of Christ's coming because it maketh them sensible of their misery and inwardly maketh them partakers of Christâ—s sufferings and being partakers of his resurrection are made pure and just c. Thus is clearly pointed forth an Universal Gospel which indeed is no Gospel or at least not that Gospel which we have revealed to us in the word of God And by this doctrine the whole Gospel revealed to us in the word is wholly useless or unnecessary So that by this one Proposition the whole Gospel of the grace of God is made null and void and the great blessing of a preached Gospel and the rich advantage of the Gentiles in the dayes of the New Test. and under the dispensations thereof beyond what they were capable of in the dayes of the Old Test. is undervalued yea annihilated all the boasting rejoycing and glorying of the Apostle in his being made instrumental in preaching of this Gospel to the Gentiles and in suffering so much upon the account thereof Rom. 1 1 5 14 15 16. 11 13. 15 15 16 17 18 19 23 24 29. 1 Cor. 1 17. 2 3 4 5. 3 9 10. 4 1 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. 9 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. 15 1 2 3. c. 2 Cor. 1 4 13. 2 13 14 15 16 17. 3. throughout 4 1 15. 5 18 19 20 21. 6 1 11. with other places innumerable made his folly and vainity and a glorying in a thing of nought O what desperado's must these Quakers be who thus undervalue and trample upon the riches of the wisdom and grace of God and instead of the true Gospel give us pure Paganisme 2. After his prosecution and confirmation such as it was of the two first propositions we expâ—cted some proof and confirmation of this Third proposition but in stead thereof we have Pag. 106. a distinct proposition put in its place which is thus worded The third proposition is That by this Grace Light and Seed God worketh the salvation of all and that by this they are made partakers of the benefite of Christ's death and of salvation acquired by him And this Proposition he devideth in two Pag. 107. The first part thereof he sayes is That they to whom the Gospel is preached are not saved but by the inward operations of this light and grace The second is That by the operations hereof the most part of such as never had the outward Gospel preached unto them and were ignorant of the history of Christ were saved and some such now may be saved Why he did supercede the direct probation of that which was his first third proposition I know not Possibly he thought that it was sufficiently confirmed by what he said in confirmation of the first and second And if so I suppose the Reader will see by what I have replyed its manifest untruth and falshood 3. But as concerning his last third
is in Christ which is able to overcome and eradicat the evil seed Ans. 1. The Redemption made by Christ on the crosse and by his obedience and sufferings we cheerfully acknowledge But that it was a Redemption made for allâ— we abundantly disproved above Chap. VIII 2. That there was any such Power Grace or Vertue of the Spirit of life purchased hereby and granted to all is false and abundantly above disproved likewise See Chap. X. 3. To imagine that every son of Adam hath power granted to him to subdue and root out natural corruption is but pure Pelagianisme Arminianisme Iesuitisme but not the truth revealed to us in the word of God is to wedge warr against thâ— pure grace of God and the free operations thereof to set the crown of salvation upon the head of the creature all which we made manifest above at several occasions 12. What is the Second Redemption that is inseparable from the other It is that sayes he which Christ worketh in us And what is that It is that sayes he further whereby we possesse and know that that pure and perfect redemption is in us purifieing us delivering us from the power of corruption and bringing into favour union and familiarity with God Answ. 1. That the Lord Jesus Redeemeth by Power through his Spirit from sin and corruption all such as he hath Redeemed by Price from Law and justice we willingly grant But how can he say that these two are inseparable seing then they must be of equal extent and so as the first Redemption was in his judgment for all and every man the second must extend to all and every man and so all and every man must be delivered from the power of corruption and consequently must be saved Againe how can he say this who pleadeth afterward for the Apostasie of the Saints But 2. This purifying and delivering from corruption as would appear by his words is not wrought by the second Redemption but only a knowing that that pure and perfect Redemption is in us purifying us c. And so all that is had by this second Redemption is but a sight of what the fruite of the first Redemption is doing So that by the first Redemption not only man hath power to subdue corruption but he actually doth subdue it without any new grace or divine help and by the second Redemption he is only delivered from darkness which hindered his actual perceiving of the operation of the gift and grace bestowed upon the first Redemption 3. whether is this second Redemption necessary unto salvation or not I suppose he will say yes Then what shall become of the childe of God that walketh in darkness hath no light what shall become of them that have true grace and grace uniteing them to Christ to God through Christ yet through darkness the Lord dispensing so partly as a punishment partly for tryal exercise can see and acknowledge no such thing 13. He tels us over againe that by the first Redemption all mankinde was so far reconciled unto God that they were made capable of salvation and had the offer of Gospel peace citeing for this Ephes. 2 15. 1 Ioh. 4 10. Ezech. 16 6. 1 Pet. 2 22 24. 3 18. Tit. 2 14. Phil. 3 10. Ans. 1. we have seen before at several occasions that the Redemption of Christ is a far other thing and hath far other effects even remission of sinnes 2 Cor. 5 19. actual reconciliation grace and glory Dan. 9 24 26. Col. 1 19 20. Ephes. 1 11 14. Ioh. 17 2. Heb. 9 12 13. 2 Cor. 1 20. 2. The very texts cited by himself make against him for Ephes. 2 15. he died to make in himself of twaine one new man so making peace and this was not a mere capacity See vers 13. but now in Christ Iesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Was this only a capacity of coming near or a meer offer of it deluded souls may think so but the words are plaine let him see also Ephes. 1 7. 2 5 6. The next place he citeth is 1 Ioh. 4 10. Where God is said to have sent his son to be a propitiation for our sinnes and sure a Propitiation doth work more then a meer possibility of friendshipe and he was so a Propitiation as that for the same persons he is an Advocat with the Father 1 Ioh. 2 1 2. His next passage is Ezech. 16 6. And doth he think that when God saith to any lying in their bloud live that that creating word giveth nothing but a meer capacity to live See vers 8 9 10 11 12. But this properly is to be understood of Gods dispensation of love to that visible Church as such and so is not very pertinent to the purpose in hand His next passage is 1 Pet. 2 22. he would say 21. 24. And what can be more clear against him seing the Apostle saith vers 24. that he bear our sins for this end that we being dead to sinnes should live unto righteousness and then addeth by whose stripes ye were healed See also Chap. 1 vers 18. Where he saith that we are redeemed from our vaine conversation See also Chap. 1 2 4. He citeth next 1 Pet. 3 18. Where it is expresly said that Christ hath once suffered that he might bring us to God and not put us in a bare capacity Was this mans minde present when he wrote these citations Why did he not cite also Col. 1 vers 14. Gal. 1 vers 4. 3 vers 13 14. 4. vers 5. If he would cite passages against himself As also Revel 5 vers 9 10. 14.3 4. Tit. 2 vers 14 14. He explaineth over againe his Second Redemption and addeth that hereby we are really Iustified That is when we are sanctified we are Justified or Justified by sanctification as say the Tridentine Papists Then he tels us That both the Redemptions are the cause of Iustification the first the procureing cause and the last the formal cause And just so say they as we saw above out of the Councel of Trent and may be seen in Bellarmine who de justifie lib. 1. Cap. 2. proveth that Jesus Christ is the meritorious cause of Justification and is sounder here than I suppose this Quakers is who complyeth more with Samosatenians Socinians against whom Bellarmin there disputeth And the Councel of Trent said that Christ did merite justification to us by his most holy passion on the tree of the crosse Wherein doth this man now differ from Papists the worst of them I mean such as follow the Councel of Trent There are some Others that may shame this Quaker in this point As Contarenus a cardinal who in his Treatis of Iustification cleareth and determineth the question thus Because by faith we attaine to a twofold â—â—ghteousness one inherent whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature thâ— other
be mortified in the regenerate they have nothing to do with that duty and so this stuâ—ying of mortification is incumbent only to unregenerat persons doth the Scripture speak so Why doth he not then shew it This would be more pertinent to the purpose than his extravagant discourse that followeth which I have nothing to â—o with But what saith he to prayer He answereth with Smalcius the Socinian aâ—ainst Frantzius disp 6. Pa. 181. disp 9. Pag. 289. That wen we are to pray forgive us our sinnes the meaning is not of daily sinnes but of bygone sinnes Ans. Why will he not say also that when we pray give us this day our daily bread it is meaned of long since before conversion what vanity is this But he saith next This militateth as much against perfect justification Ans. The man understandeth not our doctrine of Justification He supposeth we say with Antinomians that in Justification all sinnes not yet actually committed are actually pardoned while as from this petition we prove the contrary and yet assert a difference betwixt Justification Sanctification as he may see in the larger Chatechisme Quaest. 77. cited above 34. He citeth some sayings of Hieron and of Gelasius and bids us see som places of Augustine But if he will be pleased to read what Vossius hath gathered out of these and many others of the Fathers against Pelagius upon this head which we hinted above he may see his folly and blush Doth not Augustine in his book against Celestius frequently use that very argument forgive us our sins And doth he not say De Spirit liter 36. Multum ille in hac vita profecit qui quam longe sit a perfectione justitiae proficiendo cognovit A grave saying that is He hath advanced very far in this life who hath so far advanced as to know that he is far from perfection And Hierom in the very place cited him to wit Epist. ad Ctesiphontem saith This is mens perfection if they know that they are imperfest And against his conclusion as it standeth I will not be so morose as not to assent to it unless he mean the last words hereof viz. that passage Revel 3 12. to him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of mâ— God as fulfilled in this life and if so he must mean the same of all the rest of the promises made there Chap. 2. 3. to Overcomers which would make him ridiculous enough If he would have cited Ancients to his purpose he should have cited the old Begardi who maintained this and said that a perfect soul being reduced to God loseth its own will so that it hath no other will but the divine will which it had from eternity in that ideal being which it had in God which being supposed they say they may do any thing which their affection puts them upon without sin And so the reason why such persons cannot sin is because all sins even unclean mixtures as they also said are no sinnes He should have cited also the old Alumbradoes who had the same opinion practices suteable CHAP. XV. Of Perseverance 1. In his ninth thesis he layeth down his judgment concerning that question first brought upon the stage by the subtile adversary of the grace of God Pelagius concerning the final Perseverance or full and final Apostasie of the Saints and hath since been agitated by Iesuites Socinians and Arminians and he asserteth two things first They in whom the light the seed the gift of God the inward sufficient grace for it hath many names hath wrought something to their purifying tending forward to a perfecting of them may goe backward and depart from it by disobedience That is in plainer termes for these men must have liberty to speak in their owne dialect They who are Regenerated Purified and Sanctified may Apostatize and fall from that state of Regeneration and Sanctification and in this he taketh part with Pelagians Iesuites Socinians Arminians against the orthodox Next He asserteth That some may attaine in this life to such a measure of fixedness and stability in the truth that they cannot fall away from it 2. It is observable that all such who in the doctrine of grace erre from the right pathes of the Lord and so speak and write of it as to exalt Man Free will and acknowledge nothing in the way of grace's working in souls first and last but what may consist with their project and resolution of setting the crown upon mans head as making himself to differ from others do also in correspondency with their oâ—her principles positions assert this full final Apostacy of the Saints for as they put it in mans power to accept or reject grace when offered so they put it in his power to stand in grace or depart from it as he pleaseth that man may be Lord of the whole and wear all the glory of it And therefore as they would admit nothing to be said concerning the Lords working of grace in the souls of his people that might in the least seem to encroach upon the Free Will of man though the Gospel doctrine of the grace of God rather advantageth than disadvantageth true Free Will so will they admit nothing to be said concerning the further progress of the work of this grace in the soul to the end that will not consist with Free Will 's absolute Lordshipe Smalcius hath said the matter fully in few words Refut lib. de Error nov Arian lib. 1. c. 1. p. 7. as it is free for all men saith he to beleeve who before were infidels when they have occasion to beleeve so againe it is free to all men after they have once beleeved to fall from faith 3. I cannot in the least wonder why this man should be for the Apostasie of the Saints when I consider what his Saints are and what his Principles formerly examined savoure of Nay I rather wonder how it cometh to passe that any of these he calleth or supposeth to be saints should ever come to that measure or fixedness of stability in good as not to depart therefrom Only because in his former Thesis as we heard in the former Chapter he asserted such a perfection attaineable as might put men out of all hazard or possibility of sinning he could not but now assert that such a state and degree of perfection that took away all possibility of sinning would also exclude a possibility of defection sin being that which only can make souls stagger and fall from their stability and defection being only by sin All the Grace Regeneration Sanctification which his saints attaine unto is as we saw above the pure and meer result of Natures Light and of the power of Nature without the least assistance as necessary of the outward sound and knowledge of the very letter of the declaration of God's minde in the Gospel or of the bare report of a crucified Saviour let be of
4 30. come to be deprived of some measure of their graces comforts Psal. 51 8 10 12 Rev. 2 4. Cant. 5 2 3 4 6 have their hearts hardned Esai 63 17. Mark 6 52 16 14 and their consciences wounded Psal. 37 3 4. 51 8. hurt and scandalize others 1 Sam. 12 14. and bring temporal judgments upon themselves Psal. 89 31 32. 1 Cor. 11 32. 6. Whence we may take notice of these things remarkable 1. That we assert not the Perseverance of any that are not truely Regenerated Sanctified by the Spirit whatever faire profession they may have in the eyes of the world whatever rare and excellent Gifts and Enduements or Common graces of the Spirit that are not saving they may be endued with Heb. 6 4. What ever Inward and Real change they may feel that is not saving and the work of Regeneration such as Illumination of the Minde wordly Sorrow Legal Repentance a temporary Faith and an outward Amendement of life 1 Sam 10 10. 2 Pet. 2 20. 1 King 21 27. 2 Cor. 7 10. Mat. 13 20. 17 3 4 Mark 6 20. 2 Tim. 2 20. 2. We assert not such a stoical inevitable necessity of Perseverance as adversaries suppose as if persons were to persevere though unwilling and lying in sin and carnal security and resolved to continue in sin but such a necessity as joyneth end and meanes together 3. Nor do we assert an Absolute Impossibility of falling away like that Impossibility whereby God cannot lie but Conditional in regard of the decree and firme purpose of God c. 4. We assert not a Perseverance depending upon the will of man Nor 5. do we say that beleevers conâ—idered in themselves can not fall a way finally and totally but upon the account of the Decree of God Purchase of Christ c. 6. We speak not here of a falling away from Duty and work commanded for it is confessed they may fall from that into many and grievous sins but of a falling from State 7. Nor speak we of a falling away from State as to what is not of the essence thereof but belong to it as concomitants or consequences thereof such as Sense of grace and of the Favour of God Inward Assurance and Perswasion of our good state sweet and easy Actings of grace Strong Habites Comfort and Peace of conscience for as to these there may be a remitting as to some a privation as others but of a falling away from a state as to what is essential thereto that is a falling out of the favour of God and state of Reconciliation with him and a falling from a State of Holiness and Sanctification by a total privation of the Spirit and of all his gracious Workings 8. We speak not of a Perseverance for a certain time but unto the end 9. Nor do we acknowledge with some Lutherans a Total Apostasie though not final as if the saints could wholly and totally fall from their state of Reconciliation and grace though not for any long time far less to the end But 10. We maintaine such a Perseverance as is opposite to both a Total Apostasie a Final Apostasie 7. What are the grounds whereupon this truth is built was briefly declared in the Confess of faith formerly cited We shall reduce what might be said in confirmation of this unto a few heads And first If we consider God the Father in this matter we shall see it clear for 1. He is unchangeable in his electing Love his Decrees and Purposes are unalterable his Will is irresistible See Mal. 3 6. Iam. 1 16 17 18. Rom. 11 29. Esa. 40 27 28 29 30 31. 44 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. 46 3 4. 50.6 Rom. 8 28 29 30. Ier. 31 3. 2 Tim. 2 19. Rom. 9 11. Esai 46 9 10 11. Psal. 33 9 10 11. Ioh. 6 v. 37 38 39 40. Esa. 42 1. Mat. 24 24. Ephes. 1 3 4 5. 2 Thes. 2 13 14. 2. He is True and Faithfull his Veracity stands engaged having made so many promises hereof Deut. 30 8. Ezek. 36 27. Iosh. 1 5. Heb 13 5. 1 Sam. 12 22. Psal. 23 4 6. 125. throughout 37 28. Esai 54 7 8 9 10. Hos. 2 19 20. Mat. 16 18 Ier. 32 38 40. 1 Cor. 1 8 9. 1 Thes. 5 28. Phil. 1 6. Mat. 12 20. 2 Thes. 3 3. 1 Cor. 10 13. 3. His Omnipotency and Power is engadged to through and perfect his saints and finally save them Ioh. 10 28 29. Rom. 8 35 37 38 39. Iud. vers 24. 1 Pet. 1 5. 2 Tim. 1 12. Ephes. 1 19. 2 Cor. 12.9 13 4. Deut. 33 3. 4. His Oath Heb. 6 17 18. is engadged 8. Secondly If we consider what Christ hath done and doth for them this point will be clear For 1. He hath Redeemed them by his bloud and bought them out of the hand of Justice having made full and compleat satisfaction for what could be required of them so hath taken away sin guilt that caused the alienation feud betwixt God them Heb. 9 12. Ephes. 1 7. Col. 1 14. Dan. 9 24. 2. He hath Redeemed them out of Satans hands Heb. 2 14. Col. 2 15. 1 16. Rom. 16 20. 1 Ioh. 3 8. Mat. 12 19. 3. He hath Redeemed them from sin and the power thereof 2 Pet. 1 18 19. Rom. 6 5 6 7 8. 4. He is absolute Dispensator of all the good things purchased promised for he rose againe for their Justification Rom. 4 25. and all the promises are in him yea and in him amen 2 Cor. 1 20. and all power in heaven earth is given unto him Mat. 28 18. 5. He hath Purchased and will Bestow the Crowne of life Gal. 3 29. 4 7. Rom. 8 17. 6. His Power keepeth them Ioh. 10 28 29. 7. His Love continueth unchangeable towards them Ioh. 13.1 8. He is gone to pepare a place for them Ioh. 14 2 3. 9. He hath taken possession of glory in their name and they are said to sit with him in heavenly places Ephes. 2 6. 10. He Interceedeth for them Heb. 7 25. 1 Ioh. 2 1. Ioh. 11 42. Rom. 8 34. Heb 9 24 25 26. Ioh. 17 11 12 13 14 15 20 21 22 23 24. Luk. 22 32. 11. He standeth in several Relations unto them assuring this He is a Husband and must have a wife He is an Head and must have a body He is a King and must have subjects He is made unto them of God Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1 30. 12. He hath Purchased aâ—d Promised the Spirit Ioh. 15 26. 14 16 17. and this Spirit abideth to perfect his work Ioh. 14 16. 2 Cor. 1 22. Esai 59 21. 9. Thirdly If we consider the Spirits work and Interest in carrying those sons unto glory we will see this truth confirmed For 1. He is Promised to his people Ezech. 11 19. 36 27. Esai 59 21. Ioh. 4 14.
science wherein I know none more expert and skilled than are our Quakers He may read Calvin on the place if he will And for a close to this How great a prejudice so ever he hath against Philosophy yet in the primitive times Christians who had been Philosophers was not by their Philosophy less fitted but more to defend the truth against heathen Philosophers as Iustin Martyr against Valentinus Tertullian against Marcion Origen against Celsus Chrysostome against Libanius and Prudentius against Symmachus 10. The last part of humane literature which he inveigheth against is that which is called Scholastical Theology by which I suppose he meaneth that only which now commonly goeth under that name as distinct from Polemick divinity handling controversies debated betwixt the orthodox and heretical or erroneous persons such as Pelagians Socinians Arminians Anabaptists Antinomians Quakers and the rest And as to it I shall say no more than I have said Chap. 1. § 12. and suffer him to go on in his ranting Only I must take notice of some expressions which he hath here and there in this discourse Though I cannot understand how Origen should be among the first who by this art gave himself to interpret Scriptures nor how hereby Arius fell into his errour seing this Theology is commonly commenced from Peter Lombard yet I am glade to hear him Pag. 201. calling that heresie of Arius who denyed the Son to be equal with the Father in power and glory and of the same essence horride for many of his Brethren the Quakers either doubt of or directly deny the Trinity Yea Mr Clapham in his book against the Quakers Sect. 3. tels us they call this doctrine a lie and citeth for it Saul's errand to Damascus p. 12. and the sword of the Lord drawn p. 4. And in this if he thinketh as he speaketh I would know how he will reconcile himself unto them but it may be he taketh Father Son and holy Ghost for one Person as well as for one essence as some other Quakers do He speaketh like a Quaker that is calumniously when he saith § 22. that this knowledge is accounted a necessary qualification for a Minister when the pure teaching of the Spirit of truth is contemned He may speak thus if he thinketh good against his old friends the Iesuites for we are for the teaching of the Spirit and preferre it to all other whatsomever but we are for the teaching of the Spirit in the way he hath appointed that is by waiting upon him in his ordinances meditating on his word and useing all other lawful meanes to come to the right understanding of his meaning in his word especially prayer But we dar not with this deluded bold generation tempt the Lord by looking for immediat Revelations and laying aside all Meanes and Ordinances in coming to the saving knowledge of his Name as revealed in the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ. We account it also a calumny for him to say ibid. that he who is to be a Minister must lairne the airt of playing a hookster in the word because we say he must attend unto reading of what is written for the understanding of Scripture And whereas he thinketh the Devil could make as good a sermon as the most learned I only demand and may he not also make as good a discourse without book as they do I fear he hath too great a hand in all their discourses and scriblings too 11. What he saith Pag. 202. § 23. is but a groundless commendation of their way and of themselves as the only men raised up of God to be witnesses foâ— him If they have shaken the foundations of Babylon as he saith how cometh it that Babylon and they are so well agreed and that in principal matters as 1. In vilifying the Ministers of Christ and calling them deceivers 2. Denying our Churches to be true Churches 3. In calling the Scriptures but a dead letter 4. In denying it to be the judge of controversies 5. In refuseing to have all Spirits tryed by the written word 6. In crying up the sufficiency of a common light within 7. In maintaining Free will 8. Perfection 9. Apostasie of the Saints 10. Justification by inherent holiness 11. In confounding Justification and Sanctification 12. In mocking at the â—mputed righteousness of Christ. 13. In placeing holiness in outward observations of their owne deviseing 14. In Pretending so much to Revelations Visions Raptures c. 15. In pretending to Infallibility As for the Increase of their number whereof he boasteth it is a clear verification of that 2 Thes. 2 9 10 11 12. whoâ—e coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders with all deceivablenes of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Wâ—at he talketh further of his owne experience of the power of their discourses is but a further demonstration of what we said to wit of his being given up to strong delusion as this volumne of his putteth beyond all question with such as believe the Scriptures And for a recompense of his exhortation to us in the close I shall also obtest him in the Lord to consider his wayes over againe and search after the procuring cause of this dreadful judgment of the Lord 's giving him to up to those delusions that he may repent and be saved for what high thoughts soever he may now have of that way he will finde his delusion in end either here which I shall wish or when it shall be too late which the Lord prevent in mercy CHAP. XIX Of the Ministerial Office 1. WHen our Quaker beginneth to speak of this matter Pag 203. § 24. he followeth his usual manner of crying up themselves and loading all their Opposites with what expressions of disrespect and contempt he thinketh meet We are the men with him as the orthodox were of old with the Swenkfeldians Familists and Antinomians who alwayes adhere to Externals following our External Rule and Methods devised by our carnal and humane Wisdom because we follow and desire to cleave unto the Rules and Methods and all the Orders prescribed by Christ to be observed in his owne House And upon the other hand They are the men who follow the wayes of the Spirit and his immediat Help and Influence and he leadeth them as he saith in such an Order and Methode as becometh the Church of God though this order and methode of theirs wherein they suppose the Spirit leadeth them be no prescribed Order in the word but the meer Invention of their owne fantastick â—raine blasphemously Fathered upon the Immediat Teaching and Leading of the Spirit of God for we know no ground to imagine that the true Spirit of God will lead
any in Courses Opposite unto and Reflecting upon the holy Institutions of Christ because he is the Spirit of Chirst and sent by him from the Father and was to testifie of him Ioh. 15 26 and not to counterwork Him and trample upon his Appointments It is also said that he would glorifie Christ and receive of His and shew it unto the disciples Ioh. 16 14. But the Spirit that leadeth them is wholly set in them to dishonour and cry down Christ and to reject all his Ordinances not one excepted as we have seen already and shall see more Nay this evil Spirit that acteth them destroyeth and casteth away these very Orders and Ordinances which the Scripture tels us the true Spirit of God hath appointed and established and is such an enemy to all Gospel Order that it cryeth up only Paganish and develish Confusion 2. What he saith of the Papal and Prelatical Hierarchy I have nothing to do with but what can he say against that Order which Presbyterians maintaine to be Instituted by Christ by Officers of divine appointment and the Courts Judicatories which they owne Superior Inferior Whatever contention be among these concerning the Order to be observed in the house of God there is no warrand for him his party to cast away all Order bring in the confusion of Babel instead of that beautiful and edifying Order which Christ the Supream Head and King of the Church hath wisely for his owne glory for promoving the good edification of his Subjects Appointed signally Blessed 3. But sayes he Pag. 204. speaking of his party We say the substance is to be enquired after and the Vertue Life and Spirit who is one in all these different names and offices mentioned in the Scriptures 1 Cor. 12 4 Ephes. 4. Answ. We say also the Substance is to be enquired after and the Spirit 's Blessing Power Efficacy and Presence to be sought but so as the Ordinances and holy Appointments of the Spirit be religiously Observed for the Spirit of God hath not taught us to see any repugnancy here whatever that evil Spirit which acteth and leadeth them doth Sure had there been any such Repugnancy or Inconsistency as these Fanaticks dream the Spirit had never appointed these Orders nor instituted these Ordinances and Officers nor prescribed Rules to Regulate these Officers in the right and edifying manner of the discharge of their duty and Administrating the appointed Ordinances Himself cannot but confess that the Spirit did appoint Officers in the house of God the Scriptures by him cited are so cleare and plaine to which others might be added And I would faine know of him why this was done was this to divert the primitive Church from enquireing after the Substance and after the Vertue Life and Spirit of these ordinances He dar not say this The Spirit then that acteth them cannot be the same with that Spirit that ordered matters in the Primitive Church but an enemie thereunto and consequently the Spirit of the Devil directly Opposeing and Counter working the Spirit of God let him think on this for it will be found so 4. He goeth on to tell us That it was never the minde of Christ and his Apostles that Christians should establish the shadow and forme of these Officers without the power efficacy and Spirit of Christ. Answ. The Power Efficacy and Spirit of Christ is not in Christians power to Establish the Spirit bloweth where he listeth I understand not that Spirit which falleth under the establishment of men and of these Quakers It is not the Spirit of God that is so under their power and at their devotion and can be established by them as they please 2. We plead not for Shadowes and Formes but yet we owne the Ordinances and desire religiously to observe such as Christ hath appointed to remaine and continue for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes. 4 vers 11 12 13. even to the end of the world Mat. 28 20. especially seing we have no ground to think that all these Offices and Officers were appointed only for that time and age the work being of the same necessity now as then and no restriction or limitation to that instant being declared It is true there was a special piece of work called for then to wit the founding and setling of Gospel Churches and of Gospel Order Lawes and Ordinances to which extraordinary Officers were called qualified and impowered which is not now necessary the foundation being once laid there is no more required but a continual building upon that foundation to which ordinary Officers and a standing ordinary Ministrie is sufficient and necessary that the Ordinances of perpetual use may be administred according to Christs appointment for the constant edification of the Church And against this these Quakers set themselves with all their might that when the Church is denuded of her Officers and Watchers she may become a fitter prey for these grievous wolves who now enter in not spareing the flock speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them 5. This is saith he the work of Antichrist the mystery of iniquity erected in the dark night of Apostasie Answ. Then Christ and his Apostles wrouâ—ht the work of Antichrist and the Mysterie of iniquity And the dark night of Apostasie was in the very first Primitive dayes of the Church But what blashemy this is and what an Antichristian Spirit this must be that speaketh in these men let sober men judge Let us hear more But sayes he in the true Church of Christ which is gathered by God not only into the doctrine of truth but also into the life power and Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God is Governour and Regulator as in every individual so also in the general And when they meet together to worshipe God then such as God separateth to the ministry by his owne power and influence opening their mâ—uthes and giving unto them to exhort rebuke and instruct in the power and Spirit of the Lord cannot but be heard received and held in honour for their works sake by their brethren seing they are thus ordained and put into the ministrie by God And thus there is no monopoly hereof unto a certaine kinde of men called the clergy who for this cause are educated and taught this art as other carnal trades are that all the rest may be despised and excluded as laicks but the mater is left unto the free gift of God that he may call whom he will poor or rich servants or masters old or young men or women and who are thus called verifie the Gospel 1 Thes. 1 5. and they cannot but be received and heard by Christs sheep 6. Here
of experiences yet thâ—y can speak from experience and appositely apply themselves to loose the doubts remove the difficulties that trouble weak consciences and in some measure in the strength of the great Master of Assemblies speak a word to such as are weary But he will say it is not so with all and I will not contradict him in this yet what I have said is sufficient to discover his unfaire dealing in stateing the opposition or comparison here And how shall we beleeve that any or all of the Quaker-Preachers do as he sayes His naked word is no very sure ground of faith to me 6. The maine difference now followeth to be spoken to He supposeth that our Ministers do all without the Spirit and their speakers do all in and by the Spirit As concerning Ours he must know that there are among them who depend upon the Lord in their preparation for preaching seeking by prayer from him what to say that he would lead them to and suggest unto them that mater and purpose which may be most for edification who when afâ—er Meditation and Prayer they have gote something to say give it up unto him that he may give it them to deliver or not as he thinketh good who depend upon Him even for Utterance and Expression who look to him and by faith depend upon Him in the delivery of what they had thought upon less or more that they may be helped to preach with that Faiâ—h Fear Awe Reverence Weightedness of heart Love Zeal and Faithfulness that becometh to his glory and to the edification of the Church who depend upon Him for the blessing knowing that all their words of Perswasion Conviction Rebuke Instruction expostulation and Consolation without the power and blessing of his Spirit concurring and carrying the same in upon the heart will prove ineffectual who receive with thankfulness what he offereth and suggesteth in the time of their preaching and with singleness declare it unto their hearers who often times being called to speak without fore-thoughts go in the strength of the Lord not seeking to commend themselves as able or learned â—en but to commend themselves to every mans conscience in the sight of God And who when they have finished their discourse give up all by faith into the hands of God that He may bless it as He thinketh good in Jesus Christ. He will possibly say That it is not thus with all and I shall readily grant it But will he be saâ—isfied with this and account this spiritual preaching or preaching in the Spirit I suppose he will not be satisfied And then it is not to him sufficient though all should study and preach after this manner 7. Let us therefore a little examine his way He first would have all Study all Meditation all Prayer and wrestling with God in prayer for this with us is a maine part of study preparation laid aside Ministers going to the Assembly as naked and void of all knowledg of spiritual matters as if they had never heard of any such thing Then being Tabulae rasae they must introvert unto that Grace or Gift which is in them there receive their Call their Furniture their Preparation both in matter words whether with a text or place of Scripture whereupon to ground their discourse or to explaine and clear up or without any such passage as that inward teacher will Lastly when they are thus called and fitted by this thing within then they speak in the Spirit are acted by the Spirit But now to canvass this not mentioning that which was spoken to before to wit that by their way all are alike preachers and none must speak but such as are thus acted by the Spirit and all thus called and prompted may and must I shall propose these things to the Readers consideration 1. This Gift and Grace within is as we saw above no singular thing it is common to all men and women breathing to Turks and Pagans as well as to Christian Ministers And therefore can have no affinity with the Spiritual gifts which Christ giveth unto his Church and endueth his messengers with all that they may be enabled for the work of the ministry and for building up of his house nor hath it any affinity with the special and saving grace of God which Christ hath purchased for and bestoweth upon his redemed oâ—es For neither of these are common to all the children of men as the whole Scripture declareth far less can it have any affinity with the Spirit of God which Liveth Abideth and Worketh in the Justified Adopted and Sanctified children of God It can therefore be nothing else than the relicques of nature the natural light and natural Conscience which God hath left in every man So that all the qualifications which the Quaker Preachers have and seek for are but what a Pagan may have that hath a Natural Conscience and the Light of Common notions concerning a God-head and equity and right among men This dim darkened and now malignant light is the Magazine and Storehouse of all their Enduements and Qualifications this is the sole fountaine and spring of all their furniture sufficient I am sure for none but for Pagan-Preachers 2. Their Introverting unto this to consult this Goddess as the Pagans did turne-in to the Cels of Apollos to receive the Oracles hath a more diabolick aspect for what can it be that they would thus consult after they have unmanned themselves or laid aside all motions of Soul and Minde which is not natural nor practicable without diabolick assistance if it be as he saith but some Spirit And what Spirit can we suppose to be in Pagans and every Son of Adam before grace come and make a change but the God of this world 2 Cor. 4 4. the Prince of the power of the aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes. 2 3. and that strong man that keepeth the house Is it not then manifest that this introverting must be a real consulting with or giving themselves up unto the instructions and directions of this Prince of darkness If he say that they are Regenerated and so under the power and direction of the Spirit of God I Answere I have seen and considered what he saith upon this and have found that it is nothing but the operation of pure Nature wrought by the strength of corrupt and wicked Nature that is an enemy to the Gospel and to all the wayes of God and if this hath not been sufficiently evidenced above the Reader is free to judge And if nature and this Prince of darkness who hath now a soveraignity over all the unrenewed Sones of Adam can or will destroy the works of Satan and of Nature and embrace the Gospel and the Spirit of Christ according to the Gospel let all who understand and believe the Gospel judge 3. This Spirit then which acteth and moâ—eth them or in them can be
Scripture But to this he replieth That these actions of the Patriarchs are no rule to us nor is it sufficient that these actions were not expresly reproved for neither was Abraham reproved for knowing Sarah's maide Answ. Abrahams practice in the mater of Hagar was against a law for the Lord created but one woman to Adam though the residue of the Spirit was with him Mal. 2 14 15. But Abrahams practice in civilly bowing unto the sons of Heth was against no Law of the creation 2. When he and Lot both bowed unto the Angels supposeing them to have been men shall we think that if that had been sinful that the Angels would not have reproved them upon that account as we finde the Angel did reprove Iohn when he fell down and worshiped him Revel 19 10. 22 9 As concerning saith he the fashions and customes of the Nations it is an evil argument for the practice of Christians who should follow a better rule Answ. And so we do follow a better rule and yet we may follow the Law of nations which is mostly gathered from the practice of nations in things not contrary to the Law of God for even the Law of nations in such things is a part of the Law of God being but some particular applications or explications of the Law of Nature And though no particular gesture as a signe of respect and reverence due to our Equals or Superiours be universally received by all Nations yet the Law of Nations and their practice may teach us that by some one outward gesture or other we ought to witness our respect declare that reverence that we owe to others Christianity is no enemy to humanity and civility whatever our morose and unmanerly Quakers dream 12. But let us hear his arguments 1. Sayes he God alone is to be adored But bowing of the body and knee and uncovering our head are the only external signes of our adoration of God 1 Cor. 11. Answ. What a silly thing is this He may as well inferre that a man must never bow his body to tye his shoes nor uncover his head to have his haire cut Can he not distinguish betwixt a stated act of worshipe and other actions civil and natural It is true in a stated act of worship the uncovering the head or bowing of the body were it but to a stock or stone or any dead creature or any thing beside God would be Idolatry but to construe so of every bowing of the knee or uncovering of the head in every other action whatsoever is ridiculous folly And it seemeth these Quakers put no difference betwixt God and men nor betwixt stated acts of worshipe and other common actions But he addeth If we should apply ourselves to men as to God there should be no difference in the outward signification but only in the Intention whereby a door is opened unto the Papists worshiping of images Answ. He seeth we put the difference in the nature and statedness of the action and not in the bare intention though that also be included in the nature of the action And what door this openeth unto image-worshipe he should have declared He possibly thinketh that it is our judgment that if the worshiper do not intend to worshipe the image it is no image-worshipe This is his mistake If the worshiper intend divine worshipe to God in bowing before an idol we account him guilty of image-worshipe for his intention there declareth the action to be a stated act of worshipe but we say not so of a craftsman bowing down to help or amend something in the image for his intention showeth that he is about no act of worshipe â—or doth the nature of that action require it If he could evince that while we bow our bodies or uncover our heads unto men that we are intending thereby worshipe to God his argument were good but while there is no such intention nor doth the action it self require it being a stated civil action and no more his argument evinceth but his owne Folly and Ignorance 13. His second argument is but the same to wit that men should not be adored Which we willingly grant for in adoration there is a râ—cognition acknowledgment of the Absolute Power and Soveraignity of the person whom we adore and therefore this is due to God only But civil honour and reverence is another thing being but an acknowledgment of excellency in men because of their place and a testification of our respect towards them and can import no â—ishonour unto God He adduceth next the fact of Cornelius Act. 10. and of Iohn Revel 19. 22. But to no purpose for Cornelius fell downe to worshipe Peter vers 25. And so did Iohn to the Angel Revel 19 10. 22 8. We plead not for worshiping of men for worshipe is due to God only because of his Supereminent and Transcendent Excellency and requireth inward Love Faith and Hope in upon the object worshiped He should prove that these external significations of honour and respect cannot be without or do essentially include worshipe performed towards the Object but this is impossible for then if one bow his body to tye his shoes or to lift up a pin he shall be a worshiper of his shoes and of a pin He addeth If it be said that Iohn would adore the Angel with religious worshipe it is not proved Answ. Is it not proved when the text sayeth he fell down to worshipe where finde we civil honour or respect called worshipe in Scripture He tels us next that such as blame them would also blame Mordecai Answ. But hereby we see that the Quakers think no otherwayes of all men than Mordecai did of Haman who was an Agagite come of Agag the King of the Amalekites who were devoted to destruction by the Lord Exod. 17 14. Deut. 25 19. 1 Sam. 15 3. Againe thinks he that it was meer civil honour and respect that conscientious Mordecai refused to give to that wreatch We are told that the Persian Monarchs did arrogate to themselves divine honour and hâ—nur of this kinde would that foolish Monarch have all his Subjects to performe unto Haman for he set him above all the Princes and gave a special commandment for bowing and reverenceing him which had not been necessary if it had be no other but that civil honour which was payed to the other Princes And suppose it had been but only civil honour Yet Mordecai's case was singular because he was a Jew and the Jews were under a prohibition to do any homage unto these cursed Amalekites and this as it appeareth was the ground of his refusal for it is said Esth. 3 4. for he had told them that he was a Iew thereby holding forth the ground and reason of his refusal to obey the Kings command One thing I would ask what he thinketh of that honour worshipe that was given to Iames Naylor as he rode into Bristol Oct. 24.1656 We
are not pleading for the like of that to any man breathing But I see Quakers will give divine worship to one another though they will not allow to any others so much as civil honour 14. This is all that he saith to defend their rude practice And I judge as he saith that it floweth not from their rustick breeding for they have bin otherwayes educated but from a more corrupt spring And though he is pleased to call it Conscience and that therefore they would rather choose to die than do other wayes we look upon it as a small evidence of tenderness of conscience in them even suppose it were a thing not lawful and warranted seing they make so little bones of greater maters We know what Christ said Mat. 23 23. Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye pay tithe of mint anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier maters of the Law judgment mercy faith We may know also what power a deluded conscience may have even in small matters But I am apt to think there is some other thing that lyeth here at the bottome when I consider what wide consciences these men have and how directly and avowedly they set themselves to cry downe all Religion and to cashier all Christianity and in a word to bring us back to Paganisme let them pretend what they will God may discover this in due time CHAP. XXXII A View of the Conclusion 1. HAving thus examined all the Principles of the Quakers if this Man hath given us a full sheme of their opinions and though it be the fullest that any of them have yet given so far as I know Yet there may be something latent which is to come out in due time And having considered all that he hath said in his large Apology for their defence I thought good not to let his conclusion passe without some due examination Thus then he beginneth to bespeak his Candide Reader If in the fear of God thou consider this Systeme of Religion delivered in these papers together with its consistency and harmony either as it standeth in it self or with the holy Scripture of truth I doubt not but thou wilt say with me many others that this is the spiritual day of the manifestation of Christ in which he revealeth againe his ancient pathes of truth and justice Answ. We have here a Systeme I confess not of Religion but of Pure Paganisme And a more compleat Systeme of abomination and contradiction to the truth of God revealed in the holy Scriptures I doubt was ever brought forth by any Instrument that ever Satan imployed to darken the truth of God And whatever consistence may be in it though we have found also some inconsistencies unto it self Yet I am sure there is nothing in the whole and in every part thereof but manifest and palpable inconsistency with and opposition to the Scriptures of truth And that this is so far as to them from being a spiritual day of the manifestation of Christ that it is a day of the dreadfulest delusion of Satan and of darkness caused by the Prince of darkness that ever was heard of in the Christian world there being nothing but a new broaching of all few excepted the old Pathes of errour heresie and abomination for verification of which I shall only referre the Reader in whom is the least graine of the true fear of God 〈◊〉 and faith to the Revelation of the minde of God in the Scriptures to what is said above 2. He goeth on and tels us that here his Reader may observe Christian Religion exhibited and vindicated in all its parts in so far as it is lively inward spiritual pure and substantial and not a meer forme shadow notion and opinion as many hitherto have held whose fruites declare that they wanted the inward power of that whereof they bore the name who yet adhere so to their formes and shadowes that they cease not to calumniat us as if because we commâ—nd unto them the substance call them thereunto we did deny or neglect the true forme and outward part of Christianity which God the searcher of hearts knoweth to be a horride lie Answ. The wise King or rather the Spirit of God by him Prov. 18 17. telleth us that he that is first in his own cause seemeth just but his nieghbour cometh and searcheth him If this cause be referred to this Quakers decision we know what will be the sentence but light discovereth darkness And if any Reader be he who he will who knoweth what true christian Religion meaneth shall finde the same in the Quakers doctrine and in this mans defence thereof I am deceived Nay if he shall not finde more direct plaine down-right opposition and contradiction to the whole of true christian Religion in their tenets thus explained and maintained than in the writings of the most notorious and branded hereticks that ever had a being since Christianity was heard of I am far mistaken Nay I am sure he shall finde nothing but an hotch-potch and mixture of almost all Errours Heresies damnable Opinions and Heterodoxies that have troubled the Church of Christ from the beginning together with something that smelleth more of Devilrie than of humanity let be of Religion I mean not here their pedantry and silly unmanlike rustick carriage but what is by this man expressed concerning their more solemne worshipe beside their quaking shivering or foaming like persons possessed of the Devil or under the bodily distemper of an Epilepsy It is true they talk of something Lively Inward Spiritual Pure and Substantial but when we have searched after it following this mans threed of explication we have found it nothing but a light within every man and in many things agreeing with the light which is in Devils and yet this is their all their God their Father Son and holy Ghost their Christ their Grace their Spirit their Scripture their Supream Leader Rule Teacher and judge their Jesus the only Saviour their Gospel their only way to the Father their Justification their Sanctification their Adoption their Perfection their Supream Caler the God which they consult and worshipe the Word in the beginning that made all things and what not And truely this being their all no wonder they be enemies to all outward Ordinances and account these meer shadowes notions and formes They talk of fruites and we shall willingly confess to our shame that our carriage is not so Christian as it ought to be but what their carriage is else then may be among Pagans we are yet to learne He saith we calumniate them when we say they are against all the ordinances of Christ for what he meaneth else by the true forme and outward part of Christianity I know not and I would faine know what ordinance of Christ it is which they owne Have we not heard enough of him against the Ministry Preaching Prayer Singing Baptisme the Lords Supper c And hear we
16 17. Pag. 217 Chap. Vers. 22 Pag. 346 IAMES Chap. Vers. 2.17 c. Pag. 320 Chap. Vers. 4.1 Pag. 517 Chap. Vers. 5.12 Pag. 523 524 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 499 1 PET. Chap. Vers. 1.5 Pag. 358 Chap. Vers. 2.22 Pag. 305 Chap. Vers. 3 18 Pag. 305 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 222 Chap. Vers. 21 Pag. 472 Chap. Vers. 4.2 Pag. 421 Chap. Vers. 7 Pag. 424 Chap. Vers. 10 11. Pag. 379 II PET. Chap. Vers. 1.12 Pag. 83.84 Chap. Vers. 3.9 Pag. 151.207 Chap. Vers. 15 Pag. 222 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 222 I IOH. Chap. Vers. 1.7 Pag. 255 Chap. Vers. 8 Pag. 346 347 Chap. Vers. 2.1 2. Pag. 20â— Chap. Vers. 27 Pag. 45 Chap. Vers. 3.9 Pag. 333 Chap. Vers. 4.10 Pag. 304 Chap. Vers. 13 Pag. 48 Chap. Vers. 5.6 Pag. 48 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 459 IVD Chap. Vers. Vers 14. Pag. 557 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 458 REVEL Chap. Vers. 3.20 Pag. 489 Chap. Vers. 19.10 Pag. 542 Chap. Vers. 22.8 Pag. 542 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 320 Chap. Vers. 18 Pag. 74 READER I intended once to have given thee some short animadversions on G. Keith's way cast up so far as concerned maters of doctrine but finding that they would make this book too big I thought best to reserve these to some fitter occasion Only to fill up some vacant pages I shall present thee with some heeds of abominable Quakerisme contained in that book which together with the Index insert after the Preface will give thee a fuller view of the many blasphemous heterodoxies which the Apostate Quakers maintaine The pages here cited are of his book and such as have it may if they please see that I wrong him not 1. CHrist and his Apostles preached Christ within men as well as his coming in the flesh in that prepared body which was crucified 72 2. Christ as Man was and is before all the first the last 38 93 96 97 101 3. To say there are three distinct persons in the Godhead is to darken that mystery 86 87 4. The Godhead of Christ is not properly a person but an invisible power and life 89 5. It is a most foolish distinction to distinguish betwixt the Personality and the nature of man in Christ 89 6. Christ as man excelleth all other men in nature and substance as far as heaven doth the earth 90 7. Of this distinction betwixt the nature and soul of Christ as man the souls of other men speaketh Paul 1 Cor. 15 45 47. 90 8. The man Christ influenceth all men by his life and is in them 90 106 107 108 109 9. The Word made flesh created all things anâ— the â—ord only is not properly the Christ 93 10. Christ as Man came down from heaven 94 11. Christs flesh and blood came down from heaven 94 12 Thus Christ hath spiritual flesh and blood 94 95 13. Of his spiritual flesh and blood did the saints of old eat and drink 95 14. The Man Christ Jesus is the mediator 96 15. The Man Christ is to be understood Prov. 8 23. Psal. 110 1 2 3. 97 98 16. The Man Christ is God's High-Priest 98 17. A measure of the life of the Lamb lived in Adam in innocency 99 18. This measure came to be slain by transgression and to undergo deep sufferings 99 19. Thus Christ was the lamb slaine from the foundation of the world 99 20. It was this life of Christ as man that was pressed as a cart c. Amos 2 13. 99 100 108 21. Thus Apostats crucify to themselves againe the Son of God Heb. 6 vers 6. 100 108 109 22. Thus hath Christ been crucified by the wicked from the beginning 100 23. Christ the heavenly man liâ—ed in Abraham and Moses c. 100 24. Christ was true and real man before he was borne of Mary 102 25. The soul of Christ or the inward man that dwelleth in the outward flesh is the man 102 26. This is the man that was seen Ezek. 1 26 27. Dan. 7 9. Rev. 1 13-19 Esai 6. Gen. 3 8 9 10. 102 27. The Word was made flesh from the beginning and dwelt in us 103 28. The centre and spring of Christ's soul and life was for the most part in heaven until it descended and clothed it self with the likeness of our flesh in the Virgines womb 103 29. In all the Scripture it will not be found that Christ became Man and took to himself the soul of Man but only that he took flesh 104 30. According to his heavenly nature even as Man he was the Son of God 104 31. Christ is not only in Men but in all the world else he should be discontinued in discontinued places 110 32. Christ is hid and vailed in unbeleevers 112 33. Christ is otherwise in the Saints then he was in that Vessel or Temple that suffered at Ierusalem 113 34. The spring centre of Christ's Soul light life is in that Vessel 113 35. Christ hath given to all mankind eternal life as to its seed principle 115 116 36. The Man Christ is the object of divine Worshipe as well as the Father 118 37. Christ as Mediator is to be Worshiped 121 38. The Man Christ is every where 123 39. That is his soul is extended into all in his divine seed and body which is his heavenly flesh and blood 123 40. And this they prove by their Worshiping of this heavenly body praying to it 123 41. It is not enough to say Christ is present as God for if the Man be not present he is not to be Worshiped 124 42. The Man Christ could not know our inward prayers if he were not immediatly present in us and with us 125 43. That which Christ hath left with us of his divine body is God's throne of grace in which we have accesse Heb. 4 15 16. 126 127 44. It is of the same nature and one entire being with that above the altar the mercy seat the cherub Ps. 18 9 10. 127 45. This Cherub is the Man Christ 127 46. Christ is the heavens that God boweth ibid. 47. Christ as Man knew the thoughts of men in the dayes of his flesh 128 48. Christ as Man is omnipercipent and therefore omnipresent 129 49. Christ thus near us in his divine life soul seed and body is the Incarnat Word 133 50. The word made flesh which Iames calleth the ingraffed word dwelleth in them 134 51. And that by way of an emanation 136 52. The blessed Deity is as centrally and essentially in us as in the Man Christ Jesus 136 53. The soul of Christ is that ladder Ioh. 1 51. 142 54. This soul of Christ is not the Nephesch of his soul but the Neschamah 143 55. Even that divine Spirit of life that God breathed into Adam the candle of the Lord the ingraffed word the word made flesh ibid. 56. The Nephesch is that of the soul of Christ which is common to the souls of other men ib. 57. By the Neschamah they underderstand the substantial dignity and excellency thereof ib. 58. Whether these two be two distinct principles or two faculties of one principle he determineth not ibid. 59. Christ cannot sanctifie us but by his soul extended to us 144 145 60. The Spirit or Soul that was in the Son of Mary is in all men but not in its fulness as it was in him but by emanation from him 157 61. And thus Christ is in us immediatly and God through him 157 62. If Christ be mediator in the Saints then he is Man and the word incarnat in them 158 63. Christ sowed the good seed of Regeneration in all ages and in all places of the world and not in some corners only 159 64. This seed is a measure of the same divine and heavenly nature that is in himself ibid. 65. The universal presence of Christ as Man is proved from Luk. 2 49 50. 160 By all which considered and laid together though mayest see What the Apostate Quakers think of our Lord Jesus Christ and how this Man more then confirmeth the charge given-in against them in that Postscript to Mr Rutherfoords letters Edit 3. which I would desire all to read and read over againe that they may see their duty in this day wherein the very aire of Christianity is made blak and infected with Quakeristick Antichristian Blasphemies FINIS