the whole Godhead is perfect and infinite in Being and Power and Wisdom and Goodness in which all his Attributes are comprehended but yet a distinct Vnderstanding of them all is not of absolute necessity to Salvation That this God is the Creator Preserver and Disposer of all things and the Owner and Ruler of Mankind most Just and Merciful that as he is the beginning of all so he is the ultimate end and the chief good of Man which before all things else must be loved and Sought Concerning the Son we must moreover believe That he is the same God with the Father the second Person in Trinity Incarnate and so became Man by a Personal Vnion of the Godhead and Manhood He omitteth his being conceived of the holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary which was needful to have been exprest it being a great Article of our Christian Faith That he was without Original or Actual Sin having a sinless Nature and a sinless Life That he fullfilled all Righteousness and was put to Death as a Sacrifice for our sins and gave himself a Ransom for us and being buried he rose again from the dead and afterward ascended into Heaven where he is Lord of all and interceedeth for Believers That he will come again and raise the dead and judge the World the Righteous to Everlastâ—â—â— Life and the Wicked to Everlasting Punishment That this is the onâ— Redeemer the Way the Truth and the Life neither is there access to thâ— Father but by him nor Salvation in any other Concerning the Holy Ghost we must believe That he is the same one God the third Person in Trinity sent by the Father and the Son to inspire the Prophets and Apostles and thaâ— the Doctâ—ine inspired and miraculously attested by him is true that he iâ— the Sanctifier of these that shall be saved renewing them after the Image of God in Holiness and Righteoâ—sness giving them true Repentance Faith Hope Love and sincere Obedience causing them to overcome the Flesh the World and the Devil thus gathering a holy Church on Earth to Christ who have by his Blood the Pardon of all their sins and shall have Everlasting Blâ—ssâ—dness with God This saith Richard Baxter is the Essence of the Christian Faith as to the Matter of it And now as concerning that judged by Richard Baxter the Essence of the Christian Faith as to the Matter of it I declare sincerely without all Equivocation or mental Reservation in the true and genuine sence of the Words that I have transcribed out of his said Treatise that I know not wherein I or my Brethren of my Faith and Perswasion differ from him in any one particular as to the matter of it or substance therein contained the only exception we have is against that unscriptural Term or Phrase of Three Persons or a Trinity of Persons but we own sincerely That our Faith ought to be and is in God the Father the Son and the holy Ghost and that these Names are Names of Relation respecting the Relations as well as the Relative Offices and Works of those Three and this being granted by us in the sincerity of our Hearts we are excused or cleared by John Calvin for whose Memory I suppose C. Mather hath as full and great esteem as for R. Baxter for in his first Book of Institutions cap. 13. n. 5. he saith expresly Vtinam quidem sepulta essent se inventâ— Nomina as he expresly calleth them Trium Personarum constaret modo hec inter omnes Fides Patrem et Filium et Spiritum esse unum Deum nec tamen aut Filium esse Patrem aut Spiritum Filium sed proprietate quadam esse distinctos neque enim tam precisa sum austeritate ut obnudas voculas digladiari sustineam In English thus I wish saith he the invented Names viz. of Three Persons were buried providing this Faith were manifest among all that the Father the Son and the Spirit is one God and yet that the Son is not the Father nor that the Spirit is the Son but that they are distinct by a certain Property to wit in their â—â—lative Attributes as that the Father did beget the Son and the â—on was begotten of the Father and that the holy Spirit did proceed â—â—om both for I am not of such precise Austerity said Calvin that â—or bare small Words I would contend and withall he confesseth That the Orthodox antiently did not agree about these Terms or invented Words â—â—at he acknowledgeth were invented since the Apostles dayes to guard â—gainst the Arrian Sabellian and other Heresies And therefore since we are altogether free of these Heresies and that we detest them from our very Souls no sober Christian will judge uncharitably of us in that respect And as for the word Distinct if some of our Friends taking it to signifie distant or seperated asunder one from another as in remote and distant places have refused it in this and other matters as indeed sometimes at least vulgarly it doth so signifie as when we say America is distinguished from Europe by a great spacious Sea interveening they ought not to be accused for so doing seeing in that other sence of the word Distinct that is more in use among Schollars as when we say Things are distinct when the one is not the other they own a Distinction as that the Father is not the Son the Son is not the Father though he is our Father and is expresly call'd in Scripture the Everlasting Father and Christ's Manhood and Body is not the Godhead and yet one Christ as the Body of a Man is not his Soul and yet Body and Soul is one Man and in this second sence we do allow the word distinct And as to the Manner of receiving the Christian Faith we grant with him first That it must not only be received as true into our Understanding by a special divine Illumination that is supernatural but must be imbraced by the Will Heart and Affections as good yea exceeding good and worthy of all acceptation by a special divine Motion and working of the holy Spirit that is supernatural in upon the Will Heart and Affections 2 dly That as touching all the peculiar Mysteries and Doctrines of Faith the Scriptures have been Instrumental by and together with the immediate working of the Spirit to beget in us the true Faith of them But in this we differ I suppose from him as well as from C. Mather and his Brethren of New-England that whereas they hold That the Spirit of God worketh in Believers Effectively but not Objectively or by way of sensible Object or sensibly and perceptibly by its own Self-Evidence and Demonstration to mens Hearts and Souls We affirm That the Spirit of God worketh in Believers both Effectively 〈◊〉 also Objectively or by way of sensible Object or sensibly and â—â—â—ceptibly by its own Evidence and Demonstration to mens Heaâ—â—â— and Souls And this divers call'd Protestants have
place though no Quakers did punish her as I was informed with Imprisonment which the Quakers I believe in general that heard of it did judge was too little and that she deserved much more In his 6 th Assertion he doth not fairly state the Question and upon his unfair â—â—ating it doth seek to fix upon us Blasâ—hâ—mies and then cryeth out 〈…〉 such Blasphemies as 〈◊〉 that according to us The Counsel or Decree of God and consequently the very Essence of God being one therewith doth depend on the free will of man Which is a most gross and wretched Perversion for we say the Decree and Counsel of God doth extend to all evil Actions of men permissively but not effectively i. e. so as not to be the Cause and Determiner of them and Gods Decree and Counsel hath no Cause to depend upon without God himself as he doth falsly insinuate against us Nor is Gods Permission as concerning Evil Actions as Judas betraying Christ and the Jews crucifying him a bare Permission as if God only did look on as an idle Spectator which is most absurd to imagine but he most justly most wisely and most soveraignly bounds and limits all evil Actions of men that they neither do nor can do any thing but what is for the glory of God and the good of his chosen as it is written The Wrath of Man shall praise thee and the remainder of it thou wilt restrain But C.M. and his brethren are too guilty of Blasphemy that affirm That all evil Actions of Men and Devils come to pass by the Effective Decree of God that doth infallibly and inevitably determine and move them to the same and so say the Ranters fathering all their wicked Actions upon God And it is a gross Contradiction in C.M. to himself to say That God doth determine all evil Actions by his effective Decree and yet is not the Author of them for to effect a thing so that it mâ—st be done and to be the Author of it is all one to all of common sense In his 7 th Assertion he proceedeth in the like gross Perversion and mis-stating of things and as to the first part of it fighteth against his own shadow and not my Assertion for I granted That God hath chosen all the Heirs of Salvation unto Faith and Holiness as the means and unto Eternal Salvation and Glory as the end in Christ Jesus before the Foundation of the World and also I have granted That all are not elected nor are any elected who perish finally and yet this doth not infer eternal Reprobation because Elected and Reprobated are not Contradictory Terms as I have formerly declared and yet he hath not proved that they are but maketh a noise strongly asserting what he doth not prove Nor doth it follow that Reprobation is before the Foundation of the World because Gods Decree and Purpose to destroy all finally Impenitent Sinners is before the Foundation of the World for though Gods Decree be before all Time yet it doth respect all Reprobates as it doth consider them in Time having refused all the tender Offers of Gods Grace and Mercy unto the very last And as Gods Decree of creating men doth not infer that men were created from Eternity or that mens Creation is co-evous with Gods Decree so nor doth it follow that the Reprobation of men finally Impenitent is co-evous with Gods Decree for Reprobation is not the Decree of God as C.M. doth strongly assert but doth no wise prove And if some should say as I know some do say That Election though in being before the Foundation of the World in Christ is not simply or only the Decree of God as it is an Immanent Act of God but is some-what by way of an Effect resulting or flowing from Gods Decree existing in Christ the Head and Mediator of all Gods Elect before the Foundation of the World For as C.M. cannot disprove it as contrary to Scripture so it is not inconsistent with what divers soâ—er Protestants have favoured to wit That Christ was Mediator from the beginning and consequently had somthing to be as a cloathing to his Godhead altogether necessary to his being Mediator from the beginning although he was not incarnate or cloathed with flesh until the fullness of time that he took flesh in the Virgins Womb and if Christ was Mediator from the beginning partly invested with his Mediatory Nature though not with Flesh till the fullness of Time came it is both very easie and very comfortable to the Saints to understand how they were elected in Christ their Head before the Foundation of the World and that this Election had its being as the Effect of Gods eternal Love and Counsel in Christ the head of his Elect Members In his 8 th Assertion he is wholly idle and impertinent for we own as much as he That there is in God the Father the Son and the Spirit and that they are One in Being and Three in relative Attributes and Properties and we dislike nothing but the unscriptural invented Names of Three Persons for which Calvin hath sufficiently excused us as I have above showed In his 9 th Assertion he wholly fighteth with his own shadow and giveth up the Cause acknowledging That the Price paid by our Lord in his Death was indeed sufficient for all Mankind and that the benefit of it is tendered and proffered unto all Indefinitely if they will believe but he should have told us how the benefit of it is tendered unto all seeing many Millions of men never had it outwardly preached to them nor ever had any outward Testimony of it by men and if he would stand to this the Controversie in this Particular would be at an end But for his Inferences and Consequences which he would fix upon us most perversly we utterly deny them to flow justly from our innocent Faith according to Scripture which is That Christ dyed for all men c. As that First The Virtue and Success of our Lords Death depends upon the Free VVill of Man 2dly That man in the principal in his own Salvation 3dly That the Number of Persons interested in our Lords Death is not certain for we say none have a true and real Interest in Christ or in his Death but sincere Believers 4thly That Simon Peter was no more beholden to the Merit of our Lord than Simon Magus or any that perish Though it will be hard for C.M. to prove that Simon Magus was a Reprobate And 5thly That God in sending his blessed Son to dye had as full a purpose to save them that Perish as them that shall be saved These and the like absurd and Illogical or unreasonable Consequences we altogether deny they being only C. M's Perversion In his 10 th Assertion he doth as grosly pervert the state of the Question as in any of the former for we deny not but affirm That our Justification is by the Righteousness or Obedience of the Lord
〈…〉 10.3 And that he saith it s descended into all 〈…〉 iâ— false for as I am informed it is not used in 〈…〉 other Countries in the World And for his â—â—â—ing 〈…〉 some of us saying Thou writes Thou 〈…〉 Case of the Second Person to a Verb of the 〈…〉 It is not so much the Incongruity with a 〈…〉 fault in using You 〈◊〉 one as the 〈…〉 and the gratifying a proud Spirit and bowing to 〈…〉 be pleased with Thou altho' they give it to God in Prayer◠〈…〉 or other that they despise also to say You to 〈…〉 more in company maketh Confusion in the sence 〈…〉 uncertain whether one or more are intended but to say Thou 〈◊〉 hath no such inconveniency nor argueth no vain Respect oâ— Personâ— Nor hath he any better Argument for Salâ—â—ing with the Hat 〈◊〉 Custom but seeing uncovering the Head as well as bowing the 〈◊〉 are Religious significations of our Reverence to God in Prayers we should not give them to the Creature for it is very proper that some what of Distinction be made externally betwixt our Reverence to our Maker and our Reâ—â—â—ct to Magistrates Parents Kindred or Neighbours But he conâ—â—â—deth with a rare way to deal with us at last viz. To throw their Caps 〈◊〉 us which bespeaketh a very airy and frothy Spirit very unbecoming a Minister of Christ yea not well becoming any Colledge-Boy of New-England When the Preachers are thus light and vain what may be expected but that in Jeremiah is fulfilled Jer. 23.32 They cause thy People to Err by their Lyes and by their Lightness c. And another Instance of his Lightness and Airyness is as because one of us said as he doth alledge in a Catechism Let none reason about us for there they can never know us nor com unto us that is in Reason But nothing but a meer Spirit of Perversion would turn the sence of this as if the Quakers did renounce all true Reason whereas the sence that is obvious to all impartial men is Reason falsly so called or carnal Reason that is certainty a great Enemy to all true divine and spiritual Knowledge for what is the Wisdom of the World that is foolishness with God as the Scripture declareth but carnal Reason Reasonings and therefore saâ—â—â— the Scripture If any will be Wise let him be a Fool and again 〈◊〉 â—ot to thy own Vnderstanding And C.M. might as well mock at 〈…〉 saying Cor. 10. 4 5. The Weapons of our Warfare are not 〈…〉 Mighty and to throw down Reasonings the Greek word being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is plain that tho Paul expresseth no distinction betwixt Reasonings and Reasonings more than that Catechism yet he doth not mean all Reasoning of all sort as to exclude or destroy the use of it even in divine Matters for Paul maketh most excellent use of it in proving Justification by Faith in Christ Jesus and the Resurrection of the Dead and other divine things also Christ and the Prophets did make most excellent use of true and right Reason to wit 〈◊〉 enlightned by the divine Spirit and governed thereby and in due 〈…〉 thereto and this use of it the People called Quakers approve and according to their measure have made and do make good use of even in divine matters and through Gods Mercy many can say their Reason or reasonable Understanding as men is greatly improv'd and perfected by their acquaintance with that divine Light of Christ in them and no wise impaired But if C.M. think that bare humane Reason alone without all divine internal Illumination can enable a man to understand divine Things and Mysteries he is more a Socinian than Presbyterian or Independent And the like silly and airy Jest he slingeth at Isaac Pennington withal grosly perverting his words pag. 45. as because I.P. would have them stript of all their fleshly knowledge of the Scripture which according to Paul he calleth Knowledge after the Flesh or to be wise after the Flesh which 〈◊〉 Death Rom. 8.6 That therefore he would have them stript of the Scriptures All which Perversions and many more in his Book with many gross Lyes that C.M. useth show plainly how weak he is when he has no better Weapons to defend himself and render us odious And whereas he would in the Conclusion fix it upon G.F. That he thought himself equal with God and that the Soul of man were God or a part of him But seeing he bringeth not this from G.F. but from Faldo a most partial and envious Adversary it is not to be regarded and VV. Penn hath sufficiently vindicated G.F. and also G.F. hath cleared it in his Book That he did witness both the Son and the holy Spirit revealed in him who as he taketh notice by the Westminster Confessions acknowledgment are equal to God the Father And what G.F. speaketh of the Soul its being a part but more properly a measure of the Spirit of God he doth not understand it of the Soul of many that is essential to man but of the divine Soul or Spirit in man or to speak with the Scripture the Soul of God as it is written If 〈…〉 back â—â—ith God my Soul shall have no pleasure in him And again Shall not my Soul be avenged c. and though part or portion with respect to God be not so proper yet by a tollerable Catachresis even in Scripture it is used Job 26.14 How little a portion is heard of him But to speak properly God has no parts or portions as he hath no Bodily Members which yet by a figure in Scripture are assigned to him in condescention to our low Capacity But for his saying That Souls that can digest Quakerism serve but as the Salt of the Flesh they live in showeth sufficiently he has no Salt in him to savour with the things of God Indeed if Quakerism were such a thing as he doth represent it to be and would fain have People believe it to be or that the 20th part that he saith of it were true it were most abominable and such who hold it would be most unworthy and not fit to be esteemed Men for less Christians but blessed be God our Religion is not that which he would make it to be nor are we such as he describeth and it is a great Questions to me if he doâ—h really think these things that he saith of us to be true either in general or in great part and if he doth not think so the greater is his sin The other things in the last two or three Pages of his Book are so notoriously false as that The main design of Quakerism is to advance and exalt Man and that they do in effect every one make himself a Christ and such like Lying stuff I shall not need to Refute seeing every one that hath the least knowledge of us knoweth them to be scandalous â—yes And for the advancing man into Pride or vain Glory it is so far
did work as it were a striâ—e against Sathan because he did strive against himself he said these things As for his false Insinuation of my calling Prayers Charms and Spells it â—â— easily discovered I own all true Prayer both Vocal and Mental that cometh in the least degree from the inbreathing i.e. Inspiration of Gods Spirit and have through Mercy found the unspeakable advantage of it to my Soul and do earnestly recommend true Prayer in the Spirit of God to all and so do all true Quakers so called In his Third Argument p. 34. wherein he giveth many supposed Contradictions that I give to myself in my former Books and upon that false Supposition as on a false Foundation raiseth his Argument against me I think not to spend Time nor Paper to answer them all in particular for let but the Reader see my own words in my printed Books and well consider them and if he have but a little sound Judgment he will easily find I have not contradicted my self in any thing though I could easily discover many Contradictions of C.M. to himself But to make me seem to contradict my self he has no better way but to wrest and pervert my words as in the very first instance he alledgeth he perverteth my words grosly as if by their Fathers whom I did acknowledge to â—ave had some measure of Tenderness Sobriety and Simplicity in a printed Paper of mine some time a go I did mean these who near â—orty Years a go did put our Friends to Death at Boston Which is a manifest Perversion enough to Discredit all he saith having as little Truth against me Whereas by their Fathers I did not mean the present Generation that taketh in forty Years commonly at least in vulgar sense but these that lived sixty or near seventy Years past that had some measure of Tenderness and Sincerity and were not of a persecuting Spirit as these who put our Friends to Death nor had the generality of the People in New-â—â—â—â—â—nd a hand in our Friends Death for many of them disliked it 〈◊〉 â—ave been credibly informed and some have acknowledged the hand of God against the Land ever since for those Murders and I wish many might see it and repent of it that they might be forgiven and Gods anger quenched towards them that hath been and remaineth to be kindled against them And he is as impertinent in labouring to reconcile his own Contradiction that John Delavall charged upon him as if it were no Contradiction either because the Assertions are thirty pages distant or because he did query and not affirm whereas the manner of his Querying showeth a plain Affirmation in calling or bringing in their deceased Fathers to expostulate with them for their Degeneration And this is all the Answer he giveth to John Delavall's sollied and weighty Appendix with a scoffing airy Spirit as his manner is he compareth to a Dutch Womans unintelligible Babbling And no less doth he bely me to accuse me as if I said or suggested in my Book called The Presbyterian Independent Churches brought to the Test c. That these Churches of Presbyterians and Independents were false upon all accounts beyond that of Rome it self Than which there can be no greater Perversion and Belying of a mans words I said no such thing nor do I think any such thing I have alwayes judgded and do still judge that all these Churches called Protestant Churches whether Episcopal Presbyterian Independent or Baptists in many yea very many things hold better Doctrine than the Church of Rome and in many things are nearer to the Letter of the Scripture and to the Truth and I have Charity that some may belong to Christ as his Members among them all even the Church of Rome not excepted yet all this will not prove that any one of them all is the true visible Church restored to that purity of Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government as was in the Apostles dayes and was before the Church fled into the Wilderness and as will be at her full Return which is approaching He is as weak and impertinent to charge it on me as a Contradiction to my self to say That in some things in speaking or writing we may err if we be not duely watchful And yet That in many things we have been taught infallibly by the Infallible Spirit of God to believe them as to believe That God is and hath given his dear Son for us and many such precious Truths and if he hath no infallible Belief and Knowledge of these things and other Fundamental Truths he is neither Ministâ—◠〈◊〉 Christ nor a true Christian but a meer Sceptick Any Colledge Scâ—â—â—â— Boy knoweth that Contradictions lie not betwixt two Particuâ—â—â—â— nor two Universals but one Particular and another Universal as if one should say That he is in all things taught infallibly and yet again say That in some things he might or did err it would be a Contradiction but this I have not said Nor is a Contradiction betwixt two Positives but the one Positive the other Negative and therefore it is no â—ontradiction to say Some are Elected in Christ Jesus before the Foundation of the World to be Holy c. and yet to deny That others are eternally or absolutely Reprobated for Elected and Reprobated are both Positives and therefore not Contradictory no more than White and Black as it is no Contradiction to say Some Colours are White and therefore all other Colours that are not White are Black It seemeth that Cotton Mather whom some as he telleth us have called The Colledge Boy of New-England hath not well learned his Logick or at least doth not well remember it since he was a Colledge-Boy for he bewrayeth shameful Ignorance in the way of right Dispute that Colledge Boyes might be ashamed of Nor is it any Contradiction to say That the Lord Jesus Christ is the alone and sure Foundation and Ground of Justification and yet to assert That Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience are necessary Conditions and Instruments thereunto required and if he will not believe me let him ask his admired and revereâ—d Baxter as he calleth him who will tell him the same But whereas he alledgeth I say A true Believer may be only in the first Covenant citing my Book pag. 147. But this is no Contradiction when by Believers I mean such as may have a true Belief that God is from some true and real inward Conviction and Sense and yet not have the true Faith in Christ Jesus as he dyed and rose again for such a Faith Cornelius had before Peter preached Christ to him also according to Christs Doctrine in the Parable of the four Grounds some may believe in Christ for a time and yet fall away and that Faith is not a false Faith but true in some sort Thus I have given a short hint to demonstrate how groundlesly he would charge Contradictions on me the other being more obvious to the weakest
so assume that Man to wit the Seed of Abraham as the rest of the Saints but much more excellently and sublimely and God dwelleth in the Man Christ so as there is no Mediator betwixt God and Christ but God dwelleth in us by and through Christ our alone Mediator and foâ— hiâ—â—ake receiveth us to be so 〈…〉 him that both the Fatâ—er and the Son and also the holy Spirit dwelleth in all the Saints yet the matter of Union caâ—led by sâ—me of the Antients the Hypostatical or 〈◊〉 Vnion and manner of Inhâ—bitation in the Manhood of Christ 〈…〉 and bâ—yond all humane unâ—erâ—â—anding excelling the maâ—â—er of Gods dwelling in all the Saints 〈…〉 the Man Christ only and none other Man nor Creatur is both God and Man and is the Object of divine Worship and Adoration together with the Father and the Spirit and none else And for Hicks quoting some words of mine out of my Book of Immediate Revelation recited by C.M. p. 44. on James 5.6 〈◊〉 have killed the just One that is Christ Jesus in their Hearts him they crucified To this I answer This I never understood otherwise but figuratively as when the Scripture saith That Apostates and Wicked Men crucifie◠〈◊〉 Son of God afresh for I affirm expresly in my said Book of Immediaâ—â— Revelation That the Life of Christ in mens hearts can never be kâ—lled or crucified in it self see my Book of Immed Rev. 2d Edition pag. 75 â—â— pag 253 254 255. at great length but men by Disobedience may deprive themselves of the Comfort and Benefit of it as well as of Christs Sufferings on the Tree of the Cross and so in that figurative sence according to Scripture stile may be said to kill him even as we are all to look to him whom we have pierced according to Zachariah's Prophecy concerning Christs outward Suffering on the Crosâ— and to mourn bitterly because of our sins which he did bearâ—â— on him when he was pierced and because Christ cannot as to himself properly and strictly in a strict litteral sence be killed nor crucified in men therefore I do not believe that he can be said to be in us that Sacrifice of Attonement and Propitiatâ—on that was necessary to be offered up for the Remission of our sins and appeasing the Wrath of God to us and if any think so I am far otherwise â—inded for it derogates from the great worth and value of Christs Sacrifice without us upon the Tree of the Cross for the Body that Christ was to suffer in as a Sacrifice for the sins of the World behoved to 〈…〉 and holy Body as it was as a Lamb without Sâ—ot and the Death behoved to be a real Death and not metaphorical or figurative and therefore Christ as in us could not be that Sacrifice oâ— Attoâ—â—mâ—â—â— for at this rate not only Christ had outwardly dyed in vain 〈…〉 had offered up himself for a Sacrifice of Attonement as 〈…〉 were Saints to live in the World and as many Saints as many 〈◊〉 all which is most absurd to imagine But yet it mâ—st 〈…〉 that the Life of Christ in the Saints is as sweet 〈…〉 God and is a Sacrifice in another sence seeing even th◠〈…〉 said to offer up themselves through 〈◊〉 a 〈…〉 God and also the Life and Spirit of Christ 〈…〉 Saints to apply Christ's Suffering Death and â—â—ood 〈…〉 on that outward Cross to them doth bring them into perfect Peace with God so that his Wrath is wholly appeased quenched towards them only for the sake and in virtue of the great Sufferings of Christ on the outward Cross and if this be the sence of W.S. his words and that they can be so construed it is well for that is my upright 〈◊〉 and is of many hundreds more yea of all my faithful Breâ—â—â—â—â— call'd Quakers And concerning what I.P. and some others 〈◊〉 writ of Christs heavenly Flesh and Blood and how the Saints fed upon it in all Ages Christ being that noble Vine Tree unto them that yeilded them his Grapes for Meat and the Blood of them for Drink as Wine is called the Blood of the Grape and being their Apple Tree their Fig Tree yea their Corn Bread Milk and Wine their Wool and Flax their Feast of fat things full of Marrow c. All these are highly Mystical and Figurative or Metaphorical Expressions and are not to be litterally or carnally understood yet so as the Metaphors hold forth that these outward things by which these inward Mysteries are signified are but the Figures and the spiritual things are not the Figures of the natural but the natural are Figures of the spiritual as the outward Light is bu the Figure of Christ the spiritual Light the true Light of the Soul but the spiritual Light is not the Figure of the natural which is quite otherwise than in vulgar Metaphors and Figures and therefore by Christs heavenly Flesh and Blood that he had from the beginning is not to be understood any created material Body but the living Word it self according to its divine Emanations metaphorically only so called according to Scripture stile feeding and refreshing the Souls of the Saints in all ages with unspeakable Refreshment And therefore by Metaphors and Allegories they have given it such Names according to its various Operations But that Christ is as much or after the same manner in the Quakers or any Saints as in the Manhood and Body of Christ that suffered on the Cross or that Christ hath left behind him thâ—t Body that suffered on the Cross was buried as if that were the Quakers Doctrine as Faldo alledgeth and C.M. from him is aâ—ominably false I am sure no Quaker that doth rightly understand the Quakers Principles and Doctrine will ever say so or ever did although I shall not deny but some ignorant Persons that may go under the designation of a Quaker may have at times spoke very ignorantly and offensively in that and other 〈◊〉 to the Scandal of our holy Profession and to the stumbling of the weak that could not rightly discern betwixt our true and faithful Brethren and others falsly so called but such there are among all Societies and Professions that do not rightly understand the Principles of that Profession they pretend to belong unto yea how many Presbyterians and Independents so called to my certain knowledge understand not their own Principles notwithstanding of their publick Confessions and so possibly some among uâ— notwithstanding our publick Confessions well owned by the generality of our Friends as especially that noted Treatise by John Crook called Truths Principles c. that hath had a very general Reception by us and with which my Doctrine in all particulars doth well agree so far as I know as also with other faithful and sound Friends and Brethren In his Fifth Argument which he grounds upon my supposed marvelous Giddyness Ignorance and Falshood he sheweth himself marvelously not only ignorant but perverse and after he
of his Learning would not suffer him to understand And what H. Moore saith of the spiritual or heavenly Life lying for a while closed or shut up at rest in its own Principle is but the same in other Terms with what we say That the Life of Christ is crucified in Vnbelievers viz. not in it self but to them And why should C.M. find so great fault with this manner of Expression that is according to Scripture when his reverend Baxter as he designeth him writeth in a phrase that must have a charitable Construction put upon it otherwise it would look as odd as any thing C.M has quoted out of any of the Quakers for R. Baxter â—aiâ—h concerning God in his Treatise above-said called Directions to the Converted motive 12. pag. 34. Doth it not wound you to think that even there He viz. God should be so straitned and tâ— râ—st into Corners by a 〈◊〉 Enâ—my as if that simple Habitation were too much for him and 〈…〉 were too good for him meaning the heart defiled with sin Now if any should accuse Baxter with Blasphemy heâ—e in saying 〈◊〉 câ—n be straitned thrust into Corners by a hellish Enemy would noâ— C.M. excuse him and say it is a Catachrestical or improper manner of Speech and is not to be strictly taken and then if he were not very partial why doth he not excuse such Expressions in the Quakers Writings that are capable of the same charitable Construction And it were an easie thing to gather may Phrases and Expressions out of Presbyterian Independent Books that might seem very offensive to a degree of Blasphemy if they were not charitably consâ—rued yea I find an Expression in Calvin which if C.M. could have found in a Quakers Book we should have had him cry out aloud Blasphemy for he saith expresly lib. 3. cap. 2. n. 24. Quia Christus non extra nos est sed in nobis habitat In English thus Because Christ is not without us but dwelleth in us but if Cotton Mather say Calviâ—s 〈◊〉 is That Christ is not only or wholly without us but also dwelleth in 〈◊〉 as this is a charitable Construction so let it be given to such or the like words that may be found in the Quakers Books unless he could find that their words could not bear such a favourable Construcâ—ion But since C. M. findeth so much fault with me for saying That not only Conscientious Gentiles but 〈…〉 Chriâ—tians shall know more of 〈◊〉 and Christ after Death which is the general Expectation and Consolation of all Saints who know now but in part but then shall know fully and thereupon suâ—mizeth That a Quâ—kers new Purgatory 〈…〉 be erected what saith he to his much esteemed Calvin 〈◊〉 on these words of Peter 1 Pet. 3.19 By which also he went and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spiâ—iâ—s in Prison c. plainly affirmeth concerning the Souls of the deceased before the Death of Christ Indeed I willingly grant saith Calvin that Christ did shine unto them by the Virtue of his Spirt that they might know that the Grace which oft they had only tasted was then given unto the World and by a probable Reason that place of Peter 1 Pet. 3.19 may be applyed to this where it saith That Christ came and preached to the Spirits which were in Custody or place of Expectation the commonly translate it Prison for even the Context leadeth us thither that the faithful who before that time were deceased were made partakers of the same Grace with us because he doth amplifie the Power of the Death oâ— Christ from thence that it â—id penetrate even to the dead while pious Soâ—Iâ— did enjoy the present sight of that Grace which they earnestly expected and on the other hand it was made more manifest to the Reprobate â—â—at they were excluded from all Salvation But if C.M. think that Calvin words doth not infer a Purgatory why should he surmize any such thing from mine And though C.M. ignorantly in his airy fantastical Mind mocked at some called Quakers for calling the Flesh by way of Allegory the Woman that should not speak in the Church although we deny not but Women are there also to be understood litterally but yet not all Women nor in all respects alledging That the Devil is the Fleshes Husband yet if he had been well read in Origine or Augustine he might have found a better account but not to go so far backward let his Reverend Baxter answer him who saith in the Preface to his Directions to the Converted In a weak Christian the Spirit is Master but the Flesh is Mistriss And notwithstanding that the said R. Baxter is too uncharitable to the People called Quakers yet I find in the said Book he is much more charitable to them than C.M. is who will not allow them the lowest degree among true Christians Because as he will have it they deny almost all the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith for thus Rich. Baxter expresly writeth concerning Quakers Bâ—hmenists and some of the Religious Orders of the Papist in his 23d Character of a confirmed Christian pag. 66. But those of them that place their chiefest Happiness in the Love of God and the eternal Fruition of him in Heaven and seek this sincerely according to their Helps and Power though they are misled into some superstitious Errors I hope I may number with those that are sincere for all their Errors and the ill Effects of them And truly I have that Charity for Rich. Baxter that if he had known the Quakers better and had had that occasion of some more inward acquaintances with them he would have been still more charitable to them in his judgment of them for the things he hath judged to be Errors in them either they do not hold them or they are not Errors but sound things of Truth and many of them possibly owned by himself but in other Terms It is the great Calamity of these Age that men are oft confounded in their Languages and contradict one another in Words and Terms when they agree in one Sense of the same things It may be hoped and is earnestly to be prayed for unto Almighty God that all that are sincere Lovers of the Truth in all Societies in Christendom may have more Charity one towards another and they may acknowledge whatever is of Truth and Virtue one in another and this would prepare the way to bring them all to one Sheep sold and to have one Shepherd as the Lord hath promised and which he will in due time fullfill and that Time is at hand Amen CHAP. IV. ANd thus having sufficiently answered what was needful to the First Part of his Address which is the largest I shall answer some things but very briefly to his latter part partly because almost the whole of it is answered in my former printed Books directed to the People in New-England and partly because very much of it is answered in the fore going Sheets In
hath not yet appeared unto many but it is as yet Night unto them and to others it is as a little dawning but to others clear Day which answers to that of Paul Now is the accepted Time now is the Day of Salvation to wit to such who had Christ crucified and raised again livingly and effectually preached to them by Christs faithful Messengers but yet even to such who are in the Night state and are in Darkness to whom the clear Day of God hath not appeared some divine Light shineth in their Darkness and that Light though ever so small is of a saving tendency and doth prepare the way of the Lord inwardly as John's outward Ministration prepared the Way of the Lord as he came outwardly and even inwardly the Law and the Prophets go before the clear Manifestation of Christ and his Gospel so that the Law even inwardly as well as outwardly is a Schoolmaster to bring them who are under it to Christ Nor do we say That the Light doth reveal in every man all that we must know in order to Salvation upon its first appearance or in its first Ministration for we distinguish betwixt the various inward Ministrations of the Light and Spirit and teach That the former makes way for the latter as it is well improved and as he that goeth up a Stair or Ladder must begin at the lowest Step or Round and so by degrees and in process of time getteth up higher untill he come to the place where he would be and as the sojourning of the People of Israel in the Wilderness had its several Removes which were Typical of the Souls inward progress from spiritual Aegypt to the spiritual Canaan so the Souls of men have their several inward and spiritual Sojournings from one degree to another until they receive the end of their Faith which is the Salvation of their Souls as it is written in the Psalms They go from strength to strength c. And it is a great Perversion in C. Mather that because I blame them for denying That there is any Light in men generally that is sufficient to enable them to do any Work acceptable to God as if therefore I did hold That every man hath so much Grace Illumination as doth enable him to do any i.e. whatsoever Work acceptable to God For All men Not to be able to do any work acceptable to God And All men To be able to do any or every VVork acceptable to God are not Contradictory as being both Universal and therefore they are both false and as two Universals are not Contradictory and are both false so two Particulars are not Contradictory when the one is Positive and the other Negative and therefore may be both True As it is true That some men are good and That some men are not good so it is true That some good Works may be done by some men and yet it is as true That they cannot at that time do some other good VVorks for it is a good Work to believe in Christ crucified and raised again and to love him as such and yet we do not say that the Light in every man doth either teach or enable every man at first so to do for that cannot be done without some special Revelation or Illumination but yet that more common and general Illumination where it is well and duely improved doth enable men to do some other good things that prepareth the Souls of men to receive that more special Illumination that cometh from the same Author and Fountain and so is Introductory to that more special for the Law is Introductory to the Gospel and yet hath the Gospel hid in it as in a Seed as one Natural Science is introductory to another as the Science of natural Physick is introductory to the Science of Medicine and common Arithmetick is introductory to the more abstruse and recondite parts of Mathematical Learning for the Operation of the Law inwardly doth so convince the Soul of sin and doth so discover to the Soul its weakness and shortness in Obedience notwithstanding of some things that it doth which are good after a sort that it maketh the Soul sick and so to need the Physition which is Christ even crucified and raised again as the Mystery of him is inwardly revealed and applyed to the Soul by the Spirit In his 5 th Assertion he doth also grosly prevaricate and pervert the state of the Question for we do not say That Christ is so in the Wicked or Unconverted as he is in the Saints but after a far other manner for he is in the Saints by Vnion and Communion with them and giveth great and glorious Manifestations of his Glory whereas in others he is not in them by any Union or Communion yet he is so in them as to operate in them and to reveal and discover some things in them that are suitable to their present state in order to their Conversion Nor do we say That Christ is personally in the Saints as some imagine And as to his Question How we shall know Light within from Thought within I Answer If he mean by Thought within a good Thought or Thoughts they are distinguished as the cause and effect for the divine Light within is the cause of every good Thought and Desire as of every good Word and Work but all evil Thoughts proceed not from the Light but from the Darkness and the Light within doth as plainly distinguish betwixt good and bad Thoughts and other Motions as the outward Light of the Sun helpeth us to distinguish betwixt things white and black or straight and crooked but as blind men cannot judge of Colours so who are greatly blinded with Prejudice and Unbelief against the Light within as C.M. is can but very little distinguish or know good from evil except in things notoriously gross nor was it the true Light in Saul that approved him in his Persecution but pricked him in his Conscience and witnessed against him if he had hearkned to it but as a man in his heat of Passion hearkeneth not to true Reason but is Deaf to it though it be in him so men being blinded and hardened with sin doth not give due regard either to true Reason or the true divine Light which are both in them notwithstanding and yet even those men when they become more cool and calm may and do hearken to the dictates of both And for his other Question Whether their Magistrates viz. the Quakers ever had a Light which directed them to punish a filthy VVoman for exposing her self stark Naked before their Eyes in a publick Assembly to prove her Attainment of that Innocency which is without shame I Answ I remember no such thing that ever I heard tollerated by the Quakers Magistrates for we all judge that any such Practice doth really deserve corporal Punishment and I suppose the Passage he mentioneth was that which happened some time ago where the Magistrates of that
19. And again When they come to ministâ—â— at the Altar let them not bring a blemish lest they dye Which woâ—â—â— of Cyprian and his Collegues are as much against Impious as Heretick Ministers and yet Protestants who judge Popish Priests to be great Hereticks allow of their Baptism so far that they do not baptize any that leave Popery and joyn to them And Athanassus in his Interpretation of the Parables saith Who 〈◊〉 will do the Work of God who will teach others or be profitable unto 〈◊〉 is behoveth him to be in the first place Virtuous and to receive the Gifâ—◠〈◊〉 Grace from God and to possess the Fruits of the holy Spirit and the Treasures of the Knowledge of the good things of God and then he can impart Gifts to others for if any go with his hands to anoint another with Oyl and have no Oyl how can he give to others what himself hath not and after the same manner we must judge of a Teacher As for C. M's great Clamour for Maintenance to him and his Brethren for preaching from 1 Cor. 9.14 and Gal. 6.6 Let them first prove that they are true Ministers of the Gospel and have a divine and spiritual Gift and Ability to preach it and we should allow to such that Maintenance which the Scripture mentioneth which to be sure is neither any stinted Sallary nor forced which yet many of the Priests of New-England have had and yet would have if they knew how and which C.M. doth plead for Nor is he less Impertinent in his seeking Shifts and Evasions to excuse their putting to Death our four Friends in New England one time telling us There are Laws for iâ— against the Quakers for speaking and writing Blasphemous Opinions despising of Government c. And so had the Jews a Law as they said against Christ and so had the Papists against the Martyrs that they burned in Queen Mary's time But what the blasphemous Opinions were that these were guilty of who were put to Death at Boston hath not yet been made appear nor any other thing worthy of Death or Corporal Punishment And suppose which yet I never heard sufficiently proved that some called Quakers said to People in New England things that were blasphemous as Thy Bible is the Word of the Devil we deny thy God c. as C.M. saith but doth not prove must the innocent suffer for the guilty if these that were put to death said no such thing as ye can never prove they did they were unjustly put to Death and their Blood yet lieth upon them that either shed it or doth justifie the shedding of it and it were far better to C.M. not to take innocent Blood on him if he were wise Another while again These Laws were but begun to be executed before the New-Englanders grew sensible of their Error in making them c. But then if it was their Error to make them why should C.M. use so many Evasions to justifie their executing them Another while The Quakers would not have born New-England men to have done the like c. But the Quakers have suffered a great deal more disturbance even in their â—ublick Meetings and never used any such Violence even where they 〈◊〉 Power And his Example of a mans entring into another mans Horse 〈◊〉 Plague upon him without that others Consent is altogether imâ—â—â—per for the wide World or any wide part of it as New-England â—â—â—ereth far from a mans private Dwelling and if this Example had â—ny force in it it hath the same for the Papists in France and Spain â—â—nishing and putting to Death the Protestants there But it seems C.M. is not of our Saviours mind who bid suffer the Tares and the Wheat to grow together in the Field which he expoundeth to be the World until the Harvest And this Example of C.M. is like that which I heard that a New-England Preacher gave to move the People to put the Quakers to Death though they could not prove them guilty of any fact worthy of it That men use to kill the Wolves they catch as well these who have done no harm to the Sheep as others who have done harm because it is the Nature of Wolves to do harm and the way to prevent their Harm is to kill them And for all C. M's fair Pretensions of Lenity to the Quakers now-a-dayes yet seeing he calleth us at least the Speakers among them grievous Wolves it showeth his envious Mind and how he would have us treated if his Perswasion could prevail nor ought we to believe his Protestations to the contrary seeing he doth so much contradict them in his so much justifying the putting our Friends to Death But it is no new thing that the Sheep should be put into Wolves and Bears Skins as C.M. doth to us in the Title page of his Book calling it Little Flocks guarded against grievous Wolves but the Title of his Book had been most true and proper Cotton Mather proving himself a grievous Wolf against the poor innocent Sheep of Christ called in scorn Quakers for his fierce and ravenous Spirit against the Quakers is more like to a Wolf than any thing that ever appeared in any of us against him or his Brethren and he can never prove that ever one of us stirred up the Magistrate to Persecution against any that differed from us in any part of the World But we can prove that his Brethren the Priests in New-England did most earnestly stir up the Magistrates in New-England to persecute our Brethren and did prevail with them to do it and if C.M was too Young or not born in those dayes to joyn with his Blood thirsty Brethren it is well if his Father Increase Mather was not equally guilty with others of them and I find not as yet but that C.M. doth approve their deeds and so bringeth their sins upon him as Christ said to the Pharisees who in the like Hypocritical Spirit said If 〈◊〉 had lived in our Fathers dayes we would not have killed the 〈◊〉 Mat. 23.30 And seeing according to C.M. the Quakers that 〈◊〉 put to Death were Mad and fitter for Bedlam than to be put to Dâ—â—â—â— on which Concession John Delavall in his Appendix to my Boâ—â— proveth by the Law of England That these who put them to Death 〈◊〉 Murtherers and deserved Death for so doing What saith C.M. to this Surely nothing at all CHAP. VI. HIs Apology for using You to one and saluting with the Hat is very weak and silly viz. Because to say you to a single Person became a Custom when the Common Wealth of Rome was turned into a Kingdom first to treat Persons of Quality in the plural Number with You and so by degrees it s descended unto all particular men But if 〈◊〉 be a sufficient Reason to justifie a 〈◊〉 then all the 〈…〉 and vain Inventions of Heathens and Papists may be allowed but the Scripture saith The Customs of the People are
from being any design of our Religion that it more than any tendeth to humble the Creature for man can never be truly humbled until he see himself in the Light of God shining in his heart and that will greatly humble him as it did Job and Isaiah and all the holy men of God were humbled and kept humble by bowing down and subjecting thâ—â—r Minds and Thoughts with all their Desires and Affections to that divine Spirit Light and Life of Christ in them that bringeth men to the true Denyal of Self and to cease from all Self-Actings Willings and Runnings that only proceed from their meer Natural Paâ—ts and Abilities whether in Prayer or any other Religious Performance and however such Prayers and Devotions that are performed without the Spirit of God may please mans carnal Mind and give 〈◊〉 false and carnal ease and peace and exalt Self in Man yet they can neâ—â—â—â—â— profit them who use them nor please God for God who is a Spiâ—â—â— will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth And whereas in his 8th page he accuseth the Quakers for their horribly Prayer-less Lives withal asking how many Prayer-less Houses and Prayer-less Tables are to be found among the best of them I Answ In that he is very uncharitable as that the best of us had neither Prayer in our Houses nor at our Tables which is false for not only the most grown up in the Truth but even the least Babes in the Truth are not without frequent Prayer both in their Houses and at their Tables altho' not so very frequent vocally yet sometimes vocally as God is pleased to give an utterance and at other times only with our Hearts which God accepts for vocal and external words of Prayer are not so essential to Prayer but that true Prayer may be and is most frequently without it yea Samuell Rutherford a great Presbyterian saith in his Epistles Words are but the Accidents of Prayer yet Prayer with Words uttered with the Mouth as God is pleased to enable us we gladly own both in our Assemblies and Families and if any be wanting in their Families in Prayer or any other part of Devotion it is their own fault for which they must answer and ought not to be charged upon the innocent And we believe Gods holy Spirit will be wanting to none duely to move them and that most frequently to Prayer who watch thereunto both with words or without them And if they watch not unto Prayer their Neglect of watching and likewise of Prayer is their sin and chargeable upon them and they will bear their burden for it But that any faithful man owned by us hath said as C.M. alledgeth not from any Quaker but from a partial Adversary That in many Years they have not had a motion to Prayer we do not believe if any feel not their hearts moved to Prayer and that most frequently it is their own fault and sin for indeed every faithful Soul his Life is a Life 〈◊〉 Prayer and he prayeth in his heart as frequently as he breatheth in the air for true inward Prayer rightly understood is the â—â—â—â—inual Motion of the heart towards God The Spirit helping our 〈◊〉 with Groans that cannot be uttered for even Paul said We know not what to pray for as we ought Rom. 8.26 And also he hath solemn Times and that frequently for solemn Prayer and Meditation and Thanksgiving but the most sincere Christians do not always make the greateâ—â— show or outward appearance to pray as the Phariseâ— did of 〈◊〉 And I might easily retort this Question How many 〈…〉 and Independents have either Prayer lesâ— Houses and 〈…〉 very formal and Hypocritical and are wholly Strangers in the 〈…〉 Life and Mystery of Prayer Though we have Charity 〈◊〉 some of all sorts and as we judge neglect of Prayer a great 〈◊〉 so we judge 〈◊〉 Formality and Hypocrisie to be no less both which Extreams are to be avoided Some Collections of Passages out of Jer. Taylors Book 〈◊〉 The History of the Life and Death of the holy JESUS Part 1. Sect. 9. of Baptism N. 29. JVst as we use to deny the Effect to the Instrumental Cause and attribute it to the Principal in the manner of speaking So we say it is not the good Lute but the skillfull hand that makes the Musick it is not the Body but the Soul that is the Man and yet he is not the Man without both Note And so the Quakers commonly say It is not the Scriptures but the Spirit that revealeth to us divine Mysteries yet by so saying they deny not that the Scripture is an Instrument of the Spirit to reveal the Doctrinal Principles peculiar to the Christian Faith as Christs Birth of a Virgin his Crucifixion c. as much as the Lute is the Instrument of the skillfull hand that makes the Musick Infants Baptism Part 2. N. 8. No man can conclude that this Kingdom of Power that is the Spirit of Sanctification is not come upon Infants because there is no sign nor Expression of it it is within us therefore it hath no signification it is the Seed of God And it is no good Argument to say here is no Seed in the Bowels of the Earth because there is nothing green upon the face of it And N. 19. For as the reasonable Soul and all its Faculties are in Children Will and Vnderstanding Passions and Powers of Attraction and Propulsion yet the Faculties do not operate or come abroad till Time and Art Observation and Experience have drawn them forth into Action so may the Spirit of Grace the Principle of Christian Life be infused till in its own day it is drawn forth for in every Christian there are three parts 〈◊〉 to his integral Constitution Body and Soul and Spirit and all these have their proper Activities and Times but every one in his 〈◊〉 Order first that which is Natural then that which is 〈…〉 what Aristotle said A Man first lives the Life of a Plaâ—â— then of 〈◊〉 and lastly of a Man is true in this sence and the 〈◊〉 spiritual the Principle to the longer it is before it operates because â—â—re things concur to spiritual 〈◊〉 than to Natural and these are 〈◊〉 and therefore first the other are perfect and therefore last 〈…〉 who is he that so 〈◊〉 understands the Philosophy of this third Principle of a Christians Life the Spirit as to know how or when it is infused 〈◊〉 how it operates in all its Periods and what it is in its Being and proper 〈◊〉 and whether it be like the Soul or like the Faculty or like a 〈…〉 to what Purposes God in all varieties doth dispense it thaâ— which is 〈◊〉 is that the Spirit is the Principle of a new Life or a new Birth 〈…〉 the Seed of God and may lie long in the Furrows before it springs up that from the Faculty to the Act the passage is not always suddain and quick And a little after
Now what was lost by Adam is 〈◊〉 by Christ the same Righteousness only it is not 〈◊〉 but super-inducâ—â— nor Integral but interrupted but such as it is there is no difference 〈◊〉 that the same or the like Principle may be derived to us from Christ as there should have been from Adam that in a Principle of Obedience a Regularity of Faculties a Beauty in the Soul and a state of Acceptation with God And we see also in men of Vnderstanding 〈◊〉 Reason the Spirit of God dwells in them wâ—ich Tatianus describing 〈◊〉 these words The Soul is possessed with the sparks of the Power of the Spirit and yet sometimes it is ineffective and unactive sometimes more sometimes less and does no more do its work at all times than the Soul does at all times understand Add to this that if there be in Infants naturally an evil Principle a Proclivity to sin an Ignorance and Pravity of Mind a Disorder of Affections as Experience teacheth us there is and the perpetual Doctrine of the Church and the universal Mischiefs issuing from Mankind and the sin of every man does witness too much why cannot Infants have a good Principle in them though it works not till its own season as well as an evil Principle If there were not by Nature some evil Principle it is not possible that all the World should chuse sin In free Agents it was never heard that all Individuals loved chose the same thing to which they were not naturally inclined neither do all men chuse to Marry neither do all chuse to abstain and in this Instance there is a natural Inclination to one part but of all the men and women in the World there is no one that hath never sinned If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us said an Apostle If therefore Nature hath in Infants an evil Principle which operates when the 〈…〉 out is all the while within the Soul eithâ—â— Infants have by Grace 〈…〉 into them or else sin abounds where Grace does not 〈…〉 against the Doctrine of the Apostle Noâ—â— All this doth most manifestly agree to what I have said both concerning the Seed of Sin and the Seed of Gods Grace being in all men in my printed Book 〈◊〉 The Presbyterian and Independent Visible â—â—â—rches brought to the 〈◊〉 pag. 90 91 92. Concerning certainty of Salvation pag. 3. sect 13. n. 9. The sum 〈◊〉 this All that are in the state of Beginners and Imperfection hav◠〈◊〉 â—â—â—tinual Certainty changeable and fallible in respect of us for we 〈◊〉 not with what is in Gods secret Purposes changeable I say as their Will and Resolutions They that are grown towards Perfection have more reason to be confident and many times are so but still although the strength of the habits of Grace adds degrees of moral Certainty to their Expectation yet it is but as their Condition is hopeful and promising and of a moral Determination But to those few to whom God hath given Confirmation in Grace he hath also given a Certainty of Condition and therefore if that be revealed to them their Condition is in self certain but their Perswasion is not so but in the highest kind of Hope an Anchor of the Soul sure and stedfast Note This doth manifestly agree to what I have said on that subject in my foresaid Book pag. 136. Concerning Faith Part 2. Sect. 10. N. 4. For the Faith of a Christian hath more in it of the Will than of the Vnderstanding Faith is that great Mark of Distinction which seperates and gives Formality to the Covenant of the Gospel which is a Law of Faith The Faith oâ— a Christian is his Religion that is it is that whole Conformity to the Institution or Discipline of Jesus Christ which distinguishes him from the Believers of false Religions And N. 6. It viz. Faith is of the same Condition and Constitution with other Graces all which equally relate to Christ and are as firm Instruments of Vnion and are washed by the Blood of Christ and are sanctified by his Death and apprehend him in their Capacity and Degrees some higher and some not so high but Hope and Charity apprehend Christ in a measure and proportion greater than Faith when it distinguishes from them So that if Faith does the Work of Justification as it is a meer Relation to Christ then so also does Hope and Charity or if these are Duties and good Works so also is Faith and they all being alike commanded in order to the same end and encouraged by the same Reward are also accepted upon the same Stock which is that they are Acts of Obedience and Relation too they obey Christ and lay hold upon Christs Merits and are but several Instances of the great Duty of a Christian but the Actions of several Faculties of the New Creature But because Faith is the beginning Grace and hath Influence and Causalty in the production of the other therefore 〈◊〉 others as they are united in Duty are also united in their Title and Appellative they are all called by the Name of Faith because they are parts of Faith as Faith is taken in the largest sence and when it is taken in the strictest and distinguishing sence they are Effects and proper Products by way of Emanation N. 8. So that Faith and Charity in the sence of a Christian are but one Duty as the Vnderstanding and the Will are but one reasonable Soul only they produce several Actions in order to one another which are but divers Operations and the same Spirit Note This doth manifestly agree to what I have said in my foresaid Book pag. 129 130 131. Dr. Cave concerning Justification in the Life of Paul Sect. 9. N. 15. Works of Evangelical Obedience are not opposed to Faith in Justification in that Faith as including the New Nature and the keeping Gods Câ—â—mandments is made the usual Condition of Justification nor 〈…〉 otherwise when other Graces and Virtues of the Christian Life are made the Terms of Pardon and Acceptance with Heaven and of our Title to the Merits of Christs Death and the great Promise of Eternal Life citing Acts 2.38 cap. 3.17 Mark 11. 25 26. 1 John 1.7 Note And so doth this well agree to the Contents aforesaid Joseph Glanvel Fellow of the Royal Society in his Treatise of Witchcraft Part 1. § 13. pag. 49. saith Gods more near and immediate imparting himself to the Soul that is prepared for that Happiness by divine Love Humility and Resignation in the way of a vital Touch and Sence is a thing possible in it self and will be a great part of our Heaven That Glory is begun in Grace and God is pleased to give some excellent Souls the happy Antepast That holy men in antient Times have sought and gloried in this enjoyment never complain so sorely as when it was with-held interrupted That the Expressions of Scripture run infinitely this way and the