A Cure of deadly Doctrine Which is death in the Pot OR Mr. Royles Light proved to be Darknesse By J. G. a lover and a Member of the holy Army of God although the most unworthy SIR YOur Glimps of some truths as you call it is a mysting and darkening of the cleere light of the Scriptures an adding to and taking from the testimonies and Books of the Prophesies of God which whosoever doth is to bring upon him all the plagues that are written therein and to deprive himselfe of his part in the booke of life and in the holy City and of all the precious things that are written in Gods Records And first for the generall title of your Paper it is palpably false to ascribe to your particular matters the name of truths and to be made knowne in these last times when as many in London know them all to be old Germane errours The first publisher wee reade of who plainly openly profest them was David George one Henry Nicholls sometimes a tradesman in Holland who through pride fell to grosse and strange delusions of Satan and printed many blasphemons tenents in divers small books knowne by severall titles As the Gospel of the Kingdome The Prophesie of the Spirit of love the Proverbs of H. N. The glasse of Righteousnesse and divers others many of them being lately reprinted as The Revelation of God The spirituall King of Pâ—… and the Prophesie of the Spirit of Love in all of them setting forth himselfe to be greater then Jesus Christ our Lord having these expressions in one of his books There is eight through breakings of the light and each one exceeding the other and the last the greatest in which number he makes Jesus Christ the seventh and himselfe the eight and as Jesus of Nazareth was greater then all or any before him so himselfe H. N. to excell in all manner of gifts and graces our Saviour Christ for he saith Christ is no other in the Scripture then Anointing and in that he himselfe exceeded And the Names also that are given in Scripture to Christ onely by them he calls himselfe as the Son of God the holy One of Israel c. And now to your three particulars and first of the first how you can prove your affirmation by Scripture or reason that all the offices gifts and ordinances given to the Apostles were figurative these are your own words and I shall keep you close to them for he that makes error his Proposition can make no better of his Conclusion I confesse the terme Ordinances as you expound them to be the Supper of the Lord and Elements Baptisme are figurative but how you will prove the other two terms offices and gifts figurative it is very doubtfull to conceive for if you meane the office of an Apostle Deacon Evangelist Bishop Elder Overseer or any other office mentioned in the New Testament then how are they figurative And by gifts if you meane as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 1 2. the manifold gifts of the Spirit some peculiar to the Saints alone who are spirituall others common to all beleevers although carnall then how in either respect are they figurative for in right reason of ordinary expression a figure cannot be the thing it selfe but some other thing that hath in it the resemblance of the substance it signifies as in Circumcision the Passeover the Brazen Serpent the Manna the Sacrifices the Priesthood the washing away the filth of the flesh and the Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper Againe I require of you to shew in right distinction and sound understanding â—â— what respect the Apostles gifâ—â— and those with them that had received the gifts of â—he Holy Ghost descending on them at Jerusalem Acts 2. that thâ—se should be weake in their gifts and dispensations compared with those after them in St Pauls â—â—me and now in our time â—â— you seems to prove it by Rom. 8. 18. If you have not a new way to cleare this the Scriptures will make it very soule against you Againe where doe you readâ— that the coming of Christ in the flesh put an end to all the Ceremonies of the Law to them of whom they were required And how can you prove that the promise of his coming againe is fulfilled in the sending giving or powring forth of his Spirit I hope you hold the distinction of the persons in the God-head Father Sonne and Holy Ghost neither confounding the persons Excellencies or Offices of either so that these Appellations are onely proper to the Sonne and not to the Father or Spirit Th 〈…〉 y â—oâ—â—â— this day have I begotten thee Againe The Lord hath sworne and wil not repent thou art a Priest for ever c. Againe The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou aâ— my right hand c. Againe Whom t 〈…〉 s must containe or receive till the restitution of all things c. And againe As you have seeâ—â— him goe so shall you see him come Now observe it is said he shall come â—â— is noâ— said the Father or the Spirit wherefore doe you straine the Text And whereas the Lord saith â—â— will send the Spirit he doth not say nor meant he will send himselfe for as he hath assumed the humane nature and exalted it â—â— God 's right hand even so there he iâ— to abide and continue till the time appointed of his returne Likewise other Scriptures speaks properly of the Father and not of the Son nor Spirit as this is properly spoken of the Spirit and not of the Father nor the Sonne therefore vaine and incredulous is it to affirme that Christs sending his Spirit to his Church is his second coming or coming againe to them according to the Scriptures Joh. 14. 2 3. Heb. 9. 28. Matth. 16. 27. Luk. 19. 11 12. c. Friend if I may call you so take heed how you expound Scriptures for thâ—â— to affirme as you have done is to abuse the Scriptures and to force violate injure wound and kill the Witnesses of God which whosoever doth shall perish and be slaine by them Rev. 11. 5. For fiâ—e proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth saith the Text such enemies The truth is when a Christian wants his principles and beginnings of Christ and yet will take upon himselfe to be a Teacher in Christianitie he is like the Martiner that takes upon him the office of a Pilot and yet understands not the Art of Navigation for to know the common tearmes without the perfect skill in the mystery by the theorick or by the practick the more he acts the farther he ingages the Ship to destruction notwithstanding all his pretences to the contrary Sir Blame mee not thus to charge you for you prove your selfe to be the unskilfull Christian as in what is past so in that which is to come for you using the tearme Baptisme and not rightly distinguishing in the different acceptation thereof you make that obscuâ—e in your reasonings
which otherwise were plaine in the holy Scriptures comparing Scripture with Scripture for there is a Baptisme of Water in the Element and a Baptisme of Water in the Mystery and John the Baptist and St Paul with all the Apostles and servants of God were more conversant in this last signification of Water then in the first and this last hath differing meanings also as sometimes repentance sometimes remission of sinnes and sometimes the gifts of the Holy Ghost as I have elsewhere proved largely therefore well saith he that is Worthy It is the definition not the names of things by which they are rightly knowne and you being not skilfull to define to distinguish and divide between things that differ make as false constructions in the second part of your Paper as in the first for although therein you have a seeming pretence of a Christians spirituall death and resurrection which rightly understood is a truth yet the thing you ayme and drive at to reveale under these specious pretences is to deny the resurrection of the naturall body for these are your own words I deny that to be a truth speaking of the resurrection of the naturall body page the ninth To which error of the Sadduces and Familists I say thus much that the Scriptures affirme plainly that the naturall body is sowne that is buried in the earth which naturall body at the resurrection shall be raised a spirituall body 1 Cor. 15. 44. And if there be no resurrection of the dead saith the Apostle then is Christ not risen that is his body is not risen and if Christ be not risen saith he then is our preaching vaine and your faith also vaine Vers 13 14. Now to wave your Allegory of Christs Sepulchre as also of his death and resurrection making it a phansie for although there be a spirituall death and resurrection in the regenerate daily to dye to and arise from sinne and live to righteousnesse yet there was no such thing in Jesus Christ which was and is the King of life and righteousnesse the Author and giver of life the brightnesse and glory the expresse image of the Father from all eternity and to all eternity And notwithstanding the Saints spirituall death and resurrection which is in by and through Christ Col. 2. 12. yet this doth not nullifie and take away their naturall death nor bodily resurrection to life and perfection at the last day for as the first is by the power and voyce of God spirituall in our regeneration through the operation of God so the resurrection of our bodies out of the graves is by the same power and voyce to incorruption life and salvation Joh. 5. 25 26. and vers 28 29. This your allegorizâ—ng Doctrine doth not onely destroy the Faith of some in particular but it overthrows the whole Doctrine of faith it selfe which was once delivered unto the Saints and turns the true and faithfull witnesse who once was dead but now is alive and liveth for evermore into a lye a phansie or conceit imagining another meaning then what is reall and substantiall of his conception birth child-hood full age temptations fastings preaching miracles his being accused and apprehended by the Jews his being adjudged and condemned by Pilate his crucifixion his death and buriall his lying three dayes in the grave his resurrection and ascension and now his sitting at the right hand of the Father to deny the literall sense and substance of all these things and to turne them to allegories and other meanings as they shall severally imagine or phansie is to deny the Lord that bought them whatsoever glosses and faire pretences soever they make I proceed now to the third part of your Paper the day of Judgement as you call it what it is and when it shall be and here you say you will lay open such a mystery as hath been hid from many ages but hath shewed it selfe to you within these few dayes which is as false as the former I condemned for these depths of Satan are not of yesterdayes birth and manifestation but are ancient and of long continuance and their Books are extant although those of your delusion have endeavoured to buy up all they could meâ—… withall heretofore that they might have the more credit to affirme a lye in calling these visions of their own hearts new Lights as if never heard of nor knowne before And therefore you much mistooke to speake of your selfe as the onely man to be acquainted with this Revelation for what thinke you of Doctor Everit D. G. Master Dell Master Saltmarsh Master Pâ—rdig Master Randall Master Denne and Master Galtorne and many more preachers thaâ— maintaine the same delusion and mistake with your selfe besides Lords and Ladies and many thousands amongst the common people But to your present matter you boldly affirme to your friends as you call them that the coming and day of Christ is spirituall And for proofe hereof you say that Eliah the Prophet spoken of by Malachi Chap. 3. 1. is that spirituall Appearance of Christ in us and that Eliah is he that shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant his coming being now in the Spirit as he saith and the Spirits presence is the dreadfull day of the Lord consuming and burning up all fleshly excellency in us destroying the sonne of the bond-woman which he expounds to be creature-wisdome and darknesse in us Here 's his relation of the Scripture and his exposition also Now how contrary he is to the truth of the Text let all that heare judge for he makes Eliah and the Messenger of the Govenant to be one and the same whereas the Spirit of God shews the contrary prooving thereby that Mr Royles spirit is a spirit of contradiction to Gods holy Spirit for thus saith the Lord of truth himselfe If you will receive it this is Elias that was to comâ— Matth. 1â— Prooving it was John the Baptist of whom the Prophet Malachi spake both of Person and Office to prepare the way of the Lord which Lord is called the Messenger of the Covenant for although there be many Messengers yet there is but one that can be said to be the Messenger who indeed is the onely Auâ—hor and bringer of light and salvation Now for this Impostor to turne the Offices and Persons of our Lord and his forerunner John the Baptist that great Prophet whom none before him amongst all the holy Prophets of God since the world began exceeded in spirituall power and efficacy I say to turne this Almightie God and this great and extraordinary servant into spirituall appearances of a fancied conceit is to crosse ruinate and destroy both the body and spirit the letter and meaning of the Text of Scriptures and what a cursed thing it is the Records of God declare But as a man dâ—stracted doth no sooner passe one danger but presently â—uns into another so this blind Leader proceeds to farther error for he falsifies the
seventh Verse of the 114. Psalm in making that an allegoricall mystâ—ry that is a plaine literall history by bringing Israel out of Egypt through Gods wonderfull and almightie power in dividing the great Sea and the swelling River Jordâ—n that the hiâ—lâ— and mountaines removed melted and fled away the massiâ— and huge Earth trembled aâ— the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Jacob. And further he shâ—mes not to affirme contrary to the consent of Scriptures that before this earthly Tabernacle be put off which wee beare abâ—ut uâ— when Christ saith he comes in the Spirit to reigne within uâ— then all his enemies are made his footstoole which notwithstanding his fancy it shall not be truly so as faith the Prophet and Apostle till the end of this world when Christs Mediatorship shall be finished not â—iâ—l the Lords returne in the Clouds of Heaven with ten thousands of his Saâ—nâ—â— for the Lord himselfe shall descend from Heaven with the voyce of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and then and not before shall the dead in Christ arise â—uâ— of the Eâ—rth then shall the Lord execuâ—e judgement upon all ungodly sinners of all their hâ—rd speeches wherewith they have spoken against him And Mr Roylie I spâ—ake seririously to you and desire you would let my words take place in your heart except you repent of this writing which you seeme to glory in you wiâ—l be found an enemy to Christ and guiltie of hard false and evill speeches against him to turne all the holy history of him his person office reigne and kingdome with the reality of all of them into a deceitfull mystery And those reall truths of his incarnation death resurrection ascension and intercession to turne these aâ—so into saigned allegories of your own devifing even imagining all things past and to come to be present and to be â—uâ—â—iâ—d in our bodies before oâ—r dissolution all things that are written from the beginning of the world unto the end and that wee that is the first Adam becomâ— Abel and Enoch and â—â—aâ— and Abraham and Moses And so Christ the second Adam and all things of him and them in us fulfild from his conception to his ascension to be sâ—t at the right hand of the Father Nâ—y which is more that his coming againe in the Clouds the generall resurrection and great day of Judgement and the world to come also that all these things should be in this life here and fulfild in uâ— iâ— a blasphemy beyond comparison for in setting up your Idoll-phansie of wicked invented Allegories never heard of nor taught by the Word of God for these inventions of you and your generation as it doth deny the Messiah in the true understanding of him and also it doth obscure and exclude all the heavenly benefitâ— by him as the cleare Doctrine of the Gospel of repentance and remission of sinnes with the hope of salvation purchased by his own bloud and to be preached in his Name and also you shew your selfe to be wholly ignorant of the estate of a true Christian in his spirituall birth and heire-ship and of the hope of glory in him to be entred into and possessed at the Resurrection called in Scriptures the inheritance the purchased possession and salvation The more you give credit to these delusions the more impossible is it for you to come to see the truth the straight way of the Lord for your woâ—d of light and truth as you call it is grosse blasphemy against God blaspheming his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven Wherefore never write nor speake any more for it and finally remember what is written Addâ— thoâ— not to Gods Word lest he reprove thee and thou be found a lyer Pro. 30. 6. And as Gods Word binds me â—o dâ—sswade you from your error so it doth likewise command mee to perswade all my Christian friends to take heed and beware of the great deceit of this dangerous doctrine of which there is noâ— the like in the world for in tearms it grants unto you all the substantiall truths that are as God and man Nature and grace the new man and the old thiâ— lifâ— and that to come the spirituall resurrection and that of the body mortification and vivificaâ—ion repentance and remission of sinnes the present time and that hereafter suffering and triumphing which in the tryall will prove but a dreame as it is indeed That man is cheated with â— shadow for the substance that dreames he hath rich and costly food when it is nothing but a phansie and when he awakes he feels it to be so by his hunger Now there is no cheaâ—e to the cheaâ—e of the understanding for a man to be cheated of his meate he may get more for his money if of his horse he may goe aâ—ooâ—e or buy one if of his money he may labour for more but that man that is cheated of his understanding is wholly left without all manner of remedy so is he that is cheated of the true knowledge of the way of life and mystery of salvation By John Graunt London Printed by M. S. for John Handcock in Popes-head-alley 1649.