of mans belief not belief the cause of mans redemption for so should men deny Christ and be his own redeemer but Christ is a redeemer before man be a believer for what should man believe if not redemption and who should he believe if not the redeemer As a man cannot own Christ the Saviour and deny his redemption so a man cannot own redemption and deny the Saviour But thy Queries plainly testify thee to be a denyer of both In the next place thou hast broken in thy blindness thy fore-head against a rock that lay full in thy way for thou art forced to confess that I say something to the proof of Baptisme of Repentance in alledging Acts 7.59 If I and my freinds can witness such a condition as those convicts did in the four last verses Answ My freinds and I witnessing the condition required verse the 38. do manifest conversion which is more then conviction which conversion doth not only witness by the gift promised thereunto that condition in the four last verses upon the like or any Gospel occasion requiring but the condition Acts 7.59 60. Rom. 12.11 Heb. 10.34 For my freinds and I do witness against thee and all who deny to follow Christ in the Regeneration or Baptisme of Repentance that if we follow not that conversion to do as Gospel need requireth to the loss of what we here enjoy and life and all if we be thereunto called for Christ and his Gospel sake we violate our Baptisme and destroy our faith but to leave any of these and not for the Gospel sake or it requiring and calling thereunto but presently from an idle notion to seem to have what is not within 't is a denyal of faith and is hypocrisie turn thy eyes to those of thy own generation and see if thou can spie none who are so far from parting from their own estates that although convinced yet are not converted to restore that which others complain against them for as taken from them by Exaction and Violence while garments will not cover Extortion the righteousness of the Saints is the cloathing of the regeneration If my freinds and I could not witness the condition of the four last verses or the 38. verse of which thou canst not accuse us in a Gospel language is it right therefore for thee to deny Baptisme call the wise in heart to Judge if this be from a conscience rightly enlightened and they will tell thee that rather thou ought to stand up in the right use and practice thereof according to its faithful institution and not deny Baptisme because others who profess it are not rightly qualified for it and when the Hypocrite hath cast out the beam in his own eye he will see more clearly any mote that is in ours till when if thou make use of thy own words let the babler be silent it will be more wisedome and that lying pride and passion which here and so often thou would perswade the world of against me would not so plainly appear in thy self and then blindly boldly callit perfection Thou tellest me water sprinkling is not once named there Acts 2.32 To which I answer that neither would it be named here but that thy low light looks thee out that bubble to prevent thy obedience to that baptisme which is named there after thy forced confession of the truth thereof as afore is manifested and for a further occasion against that truth thou askest me if Christs Baptisme consist of outward water I answer if it did Martin Mason were a Baptized man for he hath had outward water but wanting in ward repentance and faith in that Christ whose ordinance Baptisme is therefore he is not Baptised but denyeth that council of God against himself as his predecessors in denyal thereof did Luke 7. I also will ask thee a question whose Baptisme was it that Philip Baptized the Eunuch with Acts 8.38 And that Peter commanded Cornelius to be Baptized with Acts 10.47 48. If thou acknowledg it Christs Baptisme thy fable is answered If thou say it was not Christs Baptisme whose seavants were they in the doing and commanding it to be done lay by thy lewd language and let me have an answer to this who never receivest answer from thee yet to any thing that I desired an answer to in meekness and moderation but in unreasonable railings and when thou knowest what the Baptisme of repentance is by a right conversion wrought in thy self thou wilt know what it is to suffer with Christ and what the Baptisme of the holy Ghost is till when the Serpent that is so quick in thy mouth stops it from confession to Salvation Thou should answer Ephes 1.13 Which thou callest my last proof and was brought to prove that the Spirit of promise is received by believing as also Gal. 3.2 was alledged to prove the same but thou having no mind to acknowledg the truth though so plainly appearing before thee and wanting answer against it asks me what was this word of truth if not Jesus the word of God the sure word of Prophesie which shined in the Ephesians dark hearts which they knew not Answ Is there any thing in this worthy to be called an answer to defend thee in thy denyall of the Spirit to be received by the hearing of the faith preached and believing the word of truth and Jesus the word of God being alone the Apostles preached that word of truth and Jesus the word of God to work faith in men by which faith the Spirit of promise was received what help for thee in this but to throw thee backward that word of truth and Jesus the word of God did not shine in the Ephesians dark hearts before the Apostles preached to them as thou falsly and ignorantly would perswade but after the Apostles preaching they believed and after they believed they were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise as that text saith Ephes 1.13 but thou thrusts away the word after which the text delivers that thy darkness might be placed before the Apostles preaching of Christ Jesus but Christ telleth thee John the 10.8 that all such forecomers are thieves and robbers compare this thy saying with the sure word of Prophesie which shined in their dark hearts which they knew not with what thou sayest before that the unction the womans seed the Christ within is that light which is in all consciences before faith and without before the Apostles preaching so that by thy Doctrine the Apostle preaching the word of truth or Jesus the word of God brought nothing to the Ephesians but what they had before for if they had the unction the Christ within which is the Spirit of promise before then were they Sealed before but the Apostle telleth them Ephes 2.12 that before they believed they were without Christ so that I must either deny the Ephesians conversion by the Apostles preaching of faith and the Apostles saying that after they believed they were Sealed
shew the pride of thy fathers child who would have a servant under him In which pride thou saist for the simples sake thou wilt peruse those Scriptures my father sends me with to fight for his kindgome which Scripture is Mat. 28.19 20. Act. 2.32 41 42. Answ Let the Reader take notice that these being the Scriptures of God and weapons given by him to those he sends for their defence and safety against the enemy thou must either acknowledge God to be my Father agianst thy will in bringing these Scriptures or say they are not his but the Scriptures and weapons of his enemy which Blasphemy being lodged in thy calling it dead Letter will be laid open that all may see whose Child thou art But howsoever this is certain that it is not God whose the Scriptures is that sends thee with these low weapons of self devices to fight against the sender of those Scriptures and those sent of him but all thy labour will be in vain and destruction will be the wages of such Imployment thy promise to the simple is spoken in thy mother tongue Prov. 9.16 They must be simple ones indeed that gives ear to thy Doctrine and perusal of Scripture Thy first perusal is thou tellest the simple thou cannot find Sprinkling there Answ This is a simple instruction he must needs be a blind guide that can but tell those he undertakes to teach that he cannot see or cannot find and so produce nothing thou canst not find Sprinkling and thou wilt not find Baptisme there though the Scriptures plainly declare it the simple will soon have enough of thy perusal of Scripture from whence thou runnest stumbling to me in thy blindness and asks if Act. the 22.16 make for my purpose and if Sprinkling with water is once mentioned there or did Annanias bid him be Baptised with outward water Answ That Scripture is for me in the matter in question which is Baptisme Annanias bid him arise and be Baptised and he arose and was Baptised Act. 9.18 as for thy words Sprinkling with water and outward water being no Scripture Language but thy own having thy tongue dipt in the Egyptian Sea and but trifles and babbles of thine to shift off the answer I shall leave them see if thou can produce any thing from thence that will answer thy rejecting that counsel of God against thy self in not being Baptised as thy brother Expounders and perusers of Scriptures did Luke the 7.30 Thou saist as for Act. the 10.47 48. is it not clear the Holy Ghost was received without outward water then where is the necessity of Sprinkling Answ No necessity of Sprinkling but where Martin Mason wants an answer In his denyal of Saptisme with water upon confession of faith and for the necessity of that Baptisme the Apostle Peter in that Text gives full satisfaction both in asking who could forbid water and also in commanding them to be Baptized it appears none of thy Spirit was there for then there would have been a denyal of it but there was no denyal or forbidding but submistion and command for it both in Peter and the rest and for the Holy Ghost being received before that Baptisme that is nothing to thy denyal thereof for none in denyal of Baptisme either then or since did receive or have the promise of the spirit Gods love to these in the State of submission obedience to that Ordinance as Cornclius and the rest were is no president for thee or any in opposing and denying it but to condemne your disobedience Cornclius did manifest as much and more light then thee and thy generation do now before Peter was sent unto him yet had he not the spirit of promise till he had heard the Apostles preaching the Lord Jesus in whom he believed and after that there was no slighting water but it was administred in the name of the Lord Jesus In which Name any thing commanded and practised by the Apostles and beleevers was accounted necessary and still is but where the Spirit of errour doth Blaspheme and deny the Lord in his Ordinances Did Christ himself give an example of righteousuess in being Baptized with water upon which the Holy Ghost did witness the good pleasure and love of God and shall men now be heard or accounted as righteous in opposition and denyal thereof surely none will give eare to such strangers and enemies to truth but such as know not the Lord and have no acquaintance with his voyce Thou saist Act. 8.36 37. intimates that it is but a thing indifferent if thou beleevest saith Philip thou maist as much as if he had said if thou beleevest outward water to be necessary to Salvation thou maist be Baptized Answ Take away as much as thy prologue to proceed falsely the remainder is if Philip had said if thou believest outward water to be necessary to Salvation thou maist be Baptized but Philip said not so 't is Martin Mason that saith so in which he hath manifested himself in a Lye as much as if he had saâ—d Philip taught the Eunuch not to believe in Christ for if Philip had taught the Eunuch that to believe outward water was necessary to Salvation to fit him for Baptisme he must deny belief in Christ which only is necessary to Salvation and to fit for Baptisme for there is nothing can fit for Baptisme but only faith in Christ water administred upon that faith is necessary to obedience which the Eunuch observed from Philips preaching desiring water but Philips preaching and the Eunuch beleeving was in that Christ only as vers 35. doth manifest according to Christs command Mark 16.15 16. Mat. 28.19 20. Of whom should the Eunuch know and why should he desire Baptisme if Philip had not preached it to him and for thee to say that Philip who preached and was sent by the power of the Holy Ghost preached things in relation to the Gospel so indifferently as thou saist as to be done or not done thou dost in this disable what thou can the Spirit of the most high God to say he commands and sends his servants to practise things of no value or that are unnecessary and things indifferent to be done or undone which is blasphemy or say that Philip and the Apostles did contrary to commandment or the Spirit teaching and so make them Antichristians like to thy self This indifferent Spirit of thine which would take men off from the commands of Christ practice of his Disciples is a Spirit of errour and Doctrine of Darkness and none but those who are led by such en evil Spirit would or durst so grosly oppose the plain teaching of the Scripture and bring their own lye against it The next proof thou faist I clap in is no better then the rest which is Acts the 8.12 They were all baptized both men and women but water was wanting Answ There is no want of water where the baptisme of repentance is truly ministred as there it
Pagan-like to frame right reason or deny it without reason let thy friends judge Thou biddest me consider in the cool of the day that which is born of the flesh is flesh but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Answ In the cool of the day I do consider and in that coolness tell thee that this is sufficient to discover that notwithstanding all thy hot words against me about perfection in the mind through faith but not perfection in the flesh till Mortal have put on Immortality that outward man is born of the flesh and is flesh therefore not perfect the inward man or mind in the state of faith is born of the Spirit and therefore perfect in which perfection of the mind Paul saith he serves the Law of God but in his imperfect flesh the Law of sin Rom. 7.25 All thy following words about perfection at the end of which thou writes the word Queries is a repetition not proving any thing for thee for the Tabernacle of God with men and dwelling in them and walking in them and the like is all included in that afore alledged of the Apostle Paul his having the holy Ghost in him yet the same Apostle saith that in his flesh dwells no good thing this thou shouldst answer too and prove perfection in that which Panl denyeth or acknowledg thy error or speak plainly that all may hear thee as one of thy generation did to me alledging that Scripture to him who adorning his speech with thy manner of language of beast and lyer and filthie creature and such like Said Paul was no Christian when he wrote that thou askest me why I deny that to be the true Spirit or true unction which is not received by the letter Answ That Spirit which denyeth the Apostles teaching in the Scriptures and is not received by the hearing and believing their preaching of faith I deny because 't is a lying Spirit and cometh but to deceive Had not saist thou Abraham Isaac and the rest of the holy men of God who lived before Moses writ the Letter had not they the Spirit of truth within them were there not many deceitful Serpents and filthy Spirits like thine in their dayes and had they any outward writing given them c. Answ What though Abrabam and the rest thou speakest of in their time had the Spirit of truth within them before the Law written by Moses doth that give cause to any in time of the Law to deny the writing by Moses or thee or any now to deny the writings of Christ and his Apostles if there were such Serpents and filthy Spirits as thou speakest of who opposed the cammand of God yet that doth not excuse the deceitful Serpents and filthy Spirits that now deny the written verities as thou and thy generation do that Spirit which led men to obey the commandements of God or Law of faith before Moses writ the Law which if it were not by writing yet it was by voyce which is all one for that which was given to Abraham by voyce was written for our learning and what was given to the Apostles by voyce was also written for our learning Rom. 15.4 That we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope that Spirit I say that led men before the Law written to obey did also lead men to obey the Law written by Moses and whosoever denyed and despised that Law was led by an evil Spirit and it was death without mercy Heb. 10.28 Even so now that Spirit that led men before the Law and in the Law to obey the commandements of God by faith the same Spirit now doth lead men to obey all the commandements and teachings of Christ Jesus in the Law of the Gospel preached and written by the Apostles as 1 Cor. 14.37 But whosoever denyeth obedience and would trample that down as thou and thy fellows they are led by an evil Spirit and their sorer punishment is told them Heb. 10.29 did Paul and the rest of the Apostles saist thou receive the Spirit of truth by vertue of reading or hearing any writing or book without them Answ All the Apostles did first hear the voice of Christ who was their Book or Writing without them before they received the Spirit of Truth within them Produce if thou canst any of the Apostles who had the Spirit of Promise within them before Christ had first called them with his voyce without them Thou saist That which thou broughtest out of 1 John 2. as to the annointing stands unshaken and cannot be removed by all the Brats of Babylon Answ That which thou broughtest is not like to be shaken by the brats of Babylon except against their wills as the foolish woman destroyes her own house for 't is their own bringing but if that 1 John 2. and all other declarations of the holy Ghost in the Scriptures could be shaken they had been ere now for thou and thy generation lay all your bones and sinews to shake it but it is grounded on a Rock and hath its being and protection from the Lord of Power and therefore is it that like your predecessors you are so marvelously beaten back in your assaults against it what hast thou to do with the annointing spoken of 1 John 2. it doth not belong nor is it in the denyers of Christ 't is onely the Saints Seal and Assurance of the love and favour of God to them which those know not who are in the state of disobedience against the Law of Faith for without Faith no promise or sealing in the New Covenant And no Faith where no Obedience to that Teaching is denied Thou publishest this to the World to make them think thou hadst said something but it is a plain testimony to all that hear thy former Paper with my Answer of thy conviction here not being a word in answer to any thing said to thee but Repetitions weakly as well as in thy amazement thou couldst Thou talkest of the Pope but thou canst not free thy self with all the skill and strength thou hast of the comparison I made betwixt you You both boast of Christ to be come in the flesh and both deny that Christ who came in his own flesh for you both deny his teachings and commands given while he was here in the flesh and set up your own inventions against him and therefore are alike Antichristian and so as is Prophesied of you in Daniel though you seem to war and contend one against another yet you talk of deceit at one Table talking of Christ come in the flesh by which he cals himself Christs Vicar or Christ on Earth and thou and thy generation so many as there are of you would be so many Christs like another of your Predecessours Henry Nicolas the Father of the Familists whose breath some years agon hath blown these swarms that thus darken the Sun and infect the Air He denied Salvation by Christ who died at Jerusalem as
was and the Baptisme of the Holy Ghost they had not till afterward as verse 15 16 17. But thou wantest a Christian eye and heart which if thou hadst thou wouldst hate to deliver such detestable Stuff where the Scripture names water in Baptisme thou with wicked violence wouldst pluck the words away and place thy own divised baubles in the room thereof and where the Scripture speaks of the same baptisme because it names not water thou audatiously denyest water saist it's wanting there by which thy Spirit of lying is plainly laid open thou calls me vain Jangler tells me these places are not for my purpose without adding to the letter but whether thou in thy perusal or rather abusal of Scripture hast not manifested thy self a vain Jangler and adds to and diminisheth of the Scriptures teaching to hide and deny the truth let the reader Judge thou saist John was a Propher therefore his Ministration must end in Christ Jesus who is the fullfiling of the Law and the Prophets Answ What 's all that to thy denyal of the Baptisme of repentance or baptizing with water upon confession of faith and sins If John were a Prophet he was so in relation to the Gospel of Christ whose servant and Minister he was and not in relation to the ceremonies and rudimeuts of the Law of Moses therefore his ministration ending in Christ ending but where it began as all other Prophets ministration of the Gospel did as Peter and Paul and John whose ministration begun and ended in Christ but all in relation to their own persons for that ministration still remained and doth remain to say the ministration of Baptisme ceased when John ceased is not only a tying the teachings and commandements of God to mans mutability but is also a plain denyal of the Apostles teaching and practice to be of God not only after John was taken away but also after Christ himself ascended as Acts 2.38 and 10.47 48. and 6.38 Thou askest me why I do not plead for the practice of circumcision in the flesh as for Baptisme is not their authority of an equal purity both by permission not by precept Answ If I should plead for the practice of circumcision in the flesh now as for baptisme I should be a denyer of Christ like unto thee circumcision being a carnal seal of a worldly covenant was abolished by the bringing in of a better testament Heb. 7.22 and the 10.9 But I plead for Baptisme because 't is an ordinance of the Gospel and a Testimonial of their faith and obedience who enter into the new covenant thy saying they are of equal purity is from an impure weakness for the one was only an impression in the flesh not reaching the heart by faith the other hath no Seal or impression but in the heart by faith whereas thou saist they were both by permission not by precept thou speakest falsly for they were both by precept the one a precept of the law the other a precept of Christ in the Gospel which all that obey the light that lights every man that comes into the World knowes and will acknowledg but those on whom the sun is gone down night is to them for a vision and darkness for a divination Thou saist in my reply to the seventh Position thou findest me so puzled teaching perfection that I give thee no answer but would shuffle thee off bringing in James the 3.2 Answ Thou dost this but to shuffle off James 3.2 To which thou should give answer whosoever reads thy former paper shall hear thee throw me out a many foul and filthy words about perfection which is all that is contained in that paper to puzle me with which paper if thou wert not ashamed to show to the world with my answer it would manifest who is puzled and what perfection there is in Martin Mason compared with what thou repeats from James 3.2 If any offend not in word the same is a perfect man if thy own mouth do not here condem thee let thy offensive words which testifie thy deceived and vain Religion James 1.26 witness which is because thou wants a bridle which will bring thee a sad conclusion as James tells thee James 3.3 to the 7. But now let the reader hear what answer there is in thee to that of James 3.2 which thou saist I shuffle thee off with the Apostle there saith to his brethren in many things we sin all In the room of an answer saist thou doth he plead against perfection as thou dost to which I answer Thou must acknowledg he doth or say he calls sin perfection see if thou can shuffle this off Thou saist the Scriptures were never writ that the Devil by them should plead for sin Answ Nor were they ever writ that sinners by them should plead perfection Thou tellest me of bringing Rom. 7.18 Where Paul saith I know that in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing from whence saist thou thou would infer that in Paul dwelt nothing that was good but wilt thou say the Holy Ghost is not good Answ I brought Rom. 7.18 to let thee hear the Apostles own words which denyeth perfection in the flesh thou canst not tell how to answer this and therefore leaves it to speak fasly of me saying I would infer had I brought the Second commandement to a Papist against his worshiping of Images and he answer hence thou would infer that God should not be worshiped it had been an answer equal with thine Thou ought rather to answer that Scripture or acknowledg thy errour Paul had the holy Ghost yet Paul saith in him that is in his flesh dwelleth no good thing but thou saist perfection dwelleth in the flesh of Paul so that the perfection thou pleads for is no good thing or we must deny Paul and hear thee against him but if Paul who had the Spirit of God within him had no good thing dwelling in his flesh as himself saith then sure 't is a bad perfection that is in Martin Masons flosh in whom dwelleth the Spirit of errour as is manifest in his abuse of Scripture and fighting against the truth And then saist thou away with Pauls Epistles and by consequence with the rest of the Scripture Answ That is it thou strives for to get shut of the Scriptures for their witness torments thee but thou labours in vain for they will out-live all the generations of falshood and be a continual witness against mens devices as is plainly manifested in this Thou saist that I alledged Phil. 3.24 is to me a mystery Answ I have so much of the mystery as to alledg it for that which thou art not able to answer therefore in that I need not say to them babler be silent thou saist my piece of Logick shews what a Pagan I am Answ And thy silence argues thy consent to the right reason in that piece of Logick for thou givest no answer to it whether it be more
The Quaker Quasht AND HIS QUARREL QUELLED IN An ANSWER to a Railing Pamphlet written by MARTIN MASON of Lincoln INTITULED THE Boasting Baptist DISMOUNTED AND The BEAST DISARMED and Sorely WOUNDED Without any CARNAL WEAPON Whereunto is added Eighteen several MEDITATIONS usually Received by the QVAKERS at their first Enterance into that Delusion By JONATHAN JOHNSON a Servant of Jesus Christ To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isa 8.20 But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you which privily shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that hath bought them and bring upon themselves swift damnation 2. Pet. 2.1 There be some that trouble you intend to pervert the Gospel of Christ but though that we or an angel from heaven preach unto you otherwise then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Gal. 1.7 8. LONDON Printed for Francis Smith in Flying-Horse-Court in Fleet Street near Chancery Lane End 1659. TO THE READER AS Books are censured according to the judgement of the Reader so I expect no other from thee whomsoever thou art it is my satisfaction within my self that I have no other end in sending this forth into the world but to maintain that which I know to be truth against those who grossly and absurdly do oppose it as I hope will be plainly seen and manifested to right Judgement As for Martin Mason the man whose railings slanders and unparaleld evil speakings against me are sounded abroad in the Nation and for no other cause that I know of for my love to the truth of Christ Jesus his Gospel and for desiring to draw him from that thick cloud of darkness under which I see him lie by the deceiveableness of unrighteousness suggested into him by that power that darkens the Son and the Air and which a long time have striven to hide that light and Spirit of truth which is received by the hearing of faith preached and believing according to the Scriptures and now as much as ever so farr as their power serves in this generation called Quakers who bouldy and audatiously deny Christ and his Apostles teaching to be the Word of God or Rule of righteousness or power of God to Salvation contrary to the plain testimony of the Scripture and calling the Scriptures teachings dead letter and lifeless book with innumerable suchlike wicked reproachful tearms as in the Pamphlet that I am now to deal with is manifested and in many others and as they are in their writings so they are in their words as I can witness and have others to witness with me the one of their generation to my face told me I was a filthie creature a lyer and a beast with more such foul words for saying Christ had a body was like unto us in althings save only sin for said he Christ had not a body of substance but the form only of a body And when I alledged the Apostle Pauls complaint of his infirmity in the flesh against their pretended perfection he using the same language of Beast and Lyar and like tould me Paul was no Christian when he wrote that But I say as for Martin Mason I did expect to hear of his acknoledgment in his evil in what he had written agaist me for declaring the truth which would have stayed me from sending this into the world which I have had allmost two years by me but failing of my expectation I sent to him now at least to know if he were come to a sight of his follie and evil therein and if he were that he would acknowledge it if not I must send into the world to vindicate the truth against him for said I many blind ones boast of thy folly and my silence and many who clearly see thy ignorance and evil therein wonder why I will let such stuff pass unrebuked but no retnrn had I from him but persisting in the same mind using his old language without any acknowledgment at all I therefore thought my self further engaged to send this forth which I had written The Scriptures do abundantly foretel of the coming of these who in the name of Christ shall deceive many As there is no Name given under heaven whereby men shal be saved but by the Name of Jesus Christ Acts 4.12 So the Enemy of the Salvation knows there is no Name but that only to take up to deceive by and under pretence of that to bring in his low devices which are destructive to the Soul there is no other way then to be sure of safety in these dangers when truth and falshood hath taken both one name but to look only to the Sriptures where the Name of Christ is fully made known with power and by which whomsoever comes to right knowledge shall deserue all false cryars of lot here and loe there and truly know the Name and voyce of Christ from strangers who take up that name to deceive by and will not stand to the true tryal of the Scripture but by false glosses and evil interpretations pervert the plain and manifest truth and when all that will not serve bouldly deny the life and authority of Scripture and labour to pull them from mens hearts and minds that their own falshood may be set above them as is plainly seen in this generation called Quakers like to their predicessors the Papists all which are alike denyers of Christ as he hath revealed himself in the Scriptures Therefore whomsoever thou art that truly desirest to bear the Name of Christian weigh what thou readest in the right balance and whatsoever thou findest to hold weight with the Truth approve and receive it and if any thing fall shorte of that impute it to my weakness for my desires are unfainedly to own the Truth although it be found against me To the true tryal I comit my writing who am a lover of all those who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity Ionathan Iohnson Truth Triumphing NOT yet dismounted Martin from that Station That dwelling place of Gods beloved Nation Nor sorely wounded with the windy push Of Martin Mason with his quaking Rush It is no Satyrs Apish Babel-frown Can pull the least of Gods beloved down How canst thou think thy Scrith-Owl nightly skriking Can from Gods Truth take any Saints good-liking Can those who in old Babels ruine dwell Reach up to Sion or her Towers tell Can Owls and Bats that flutter here below Mount up like Eagles Sions strength to know Or there dismount from of the Fort so strong The Lambs Beloved singing Sions Song The more thou strivest those sacred walls to scale Greater thy losse the more thy strength will fail Martin keep thou below reach not too high Till thou be cleans'd from thy impurity Thy false conceited Wisdom void of Light Lays op'e thy folly unto wise mens Sight Thy boasting brags
many foul words for it let that charity now begin at home and deal such words rightly where they do belong would any but one who is blind in heart publish himself in print in such poor pettish spirited things as thou dost I am ashamed to have to do with such silly stuffe neither would I but that I knew my silence would make thee boast and be wise in thy own concent therefore I chuse rather to answer thee as I am advised Prov. 26.5 Thou bids Jonathan tell thee if he did not a little before own the light of the conscience to be the inlet of the Spirit Answ Jonathan by writing hath told Martin before and tells him now that he dis-owns his false fained light but he owns the light of the conscience enlightned by the preaching of faith according to the Scriptures Thou askest me if I will be a Lyer whether thou wilt or no as though thou had the making and disposing of Lyes as a Child belonging to the Father of Lyes but though thy will like thy Fathers be to have all Lyers like thy self yet thou must want of thy will in me for I neither love or make Lyes neither canst thou prove any Lye against me though thou call me Lyer but it is a small matter to find a Lye in a foul mouth I am willing to refer what is said to the wise in heart to judge who is the Babler and bond-slave in Babylon and sayes and unsayes which is the esteeme thou would have me in with those to whom thou publisheth so against me and whom thou askest if I do not place water and beleeving in the Letter in the room of Christ by making them the way and the door or inlet to the Spirit of promise Answ It would agree better with right reason if thou shewed where I said so least they that find not any such saying of mine must needs say thou art a Lyer whether they will or no I deny thou hast them words from me water administred upon repentance and faith in Christ Jesus I would have where it should be according to Gospel teaching that is the Baptisme of repentance which I have so much spoken to thee and against which thou and thy generation deviseth so many cross opposings to wind out and shroud your selves from the appearance of truth but your coverings are too scant which makes your nakedness be seen of every passer by Who ever saist thou are not Spiritually blind will see the blasphemy of the beast for Christ the light of the world is the door and the way John 10.9 and 14.16 and so the inlet to the Spirit of promise Answ Doth Christ being the door and the way to Salvation deny faith to be the inlet of his spirit of promise is not entrance into Christ the door by faith and is not receiving the Spirit of promise by faith then faith in Christ is the inlet to Salvation and the inlet of the spirit of promise into the heart therefore though Christ be the door and the way Yet those who have not but denies faith in Christ Jesus have no inlet or entrance therein then surely thou must needs be without Christ and hath no entrance into him calling it the blasphemy of a beast to alledge the plain Testimony of Christ to prove faith to be the inlet of the Spirit of promise surely all that hear thee will see thy spiritual blindness in such faith-less grace-less deliveries Thou askest me where the Creature must look for Christ if not within Answ The Creature must look for Christ as he doth openly manifest himself to every Creature according to the Scriptures thou nor any other are not like to find him within in your faithless condition till you hear the Scriptures direction and obey the teaching of Christ therein and so become new Creatures according to the Gospel for none but new Creatures have Christ within them and no new Creatures in the denyal of the Baptisme of repentance the denyal of which is manifested in thee in thy hot words of contempt against it being thy self so fouled in foul water without repentance even since thou received thy Romish washing and not purisyed from that by the lavour of regeneration remains in thy old unclean condition not obeying the truth thy self but railng upon those that do And though Christ stand at thy door and knock and call upon thee to open thy door and amend thy life and be Baptized in the Name of Christ Jesus for remission of thy sins yet thou wilt not hear him and open thy door to receive him but hast received a stranger called false Imagination who because he acknowledgeth whoredom and drunkenness and murther is sin yet because he tells thee not that disobedience to the command and teachings of Christ in reference to his Law of faith is sin is Spiritual Whoredome and Drunkenness and Murther and Theft and the like therefore thou cryest out against the Ordinances of Christ to outface thy disobedience thereunto but if an evil Spirit should not come with something to deceive with the possessed therewith must be a professed Devil in maintaining its Motion But the man of sin comes in all deceivableness of unrighteousness to perswade those who are deceived that they are Saints when they are the quite contrary and now to give our Audience a right knowledg of what we contend for and the difference thereof that so they may make right application of truth or falshood to which of us it belongs let them know That what I have declared and do contend for is for the maintenance of the faith once given to the Saints according to the Scriptures and preaching of Christ and his Apostles which is the light and way of God to direct all men to everlasting life as the Scriptures do plainly witness John 14.6 Mark 16.16 Rom. 10.9 10. John 3.16 Thy declaration and contending is without and denying the Scriptures and preaching of the man Christ that dyed at Jerusalem for the sins of the whole world or the Apostles sent of him so thine is a thing in secret not according to the open declared will and command of Christ or teaching of his and therefore must needs be a deceit and not to be received but accounted accursed Gal. 1.8 9. John 9.10 11. Rom. 16.17 If I must receive thee as in the truth for saying thou hast a light within thee which thou callest Christ when thou walkest contrary to and denyest the declared will of Christ Jesus in the Scriptures then from the same ground I must receive another that saith so and then the Pope and his Prelates and theirs or any such who are as able to declare what they say they have of Christ within as Martin Mason or any by whose hand held forth he hath been led into this Condition and they are for no other cause to be excepted against but for their walking contrary to and denying the declared will of Christ Jesus in the
Scriptures and following their own Inventions which they call light And of this Martin Mason and his fellows do manifest themselves to be as guilty as the former and so with them denyers of Christ to be come in the flesh for whosoever are denyers of that Christ Jesus who died at Jerusalem for mans redemption and his teachings and commands given forth by him and his Apostles while they were personally upon Earth amongst men must needs be found guilty of the Apostle Johns brand upon them 1 John â—3 2 John 7. Your Evasion of Christ coming in your flesh will not cover your deceit but more discovers your opposition to Christ Jesus for your telling men of Christ coming in their flesh or your flesh is to make them deny Christ come in his own flesh or the flesh which was the onely flesh or body that God came in to give his Law or Testament of faith to men and was appointed to suffer and seal his Testament with his blood Thou often talkest of the light within telling men and women in secret of every sin they commit yet thy light doth not tell thee or them of your sins of unbelief against that Saviour who tells thee in his Gospel that the world shall be condemned for sin because they believe not in him Thou wilt not open thy window to let this light of righteousness shine into thy dark heart but only light thy self and others with the nightly Torches of your own kindling which at the best let you but fee that evil and that righteousness which is onely in relation to the Law of works by which Law none shall be justified or condemned thy light is a Popish light and had its kindling from that fire and not from the Alter Christ Jesus and therefore is a strange fire and so an abomination from which fire hath been the kindling of mens minds in way of merit by their own works against the Justification that is by faith only according to the Scriptures in the maintaining of which faith in Christ Jesus many thousand who have washt their long robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb and have not loved their lives unto the death but have laid down their lives in witness of that truth in which they have been such overcomers that one would think there should have been no more rising up of that beaten down falshood in the accuser of the Saints yet here appears the same Spirit moving from below which though it hath not the horns and teeth and clawes of the beast to kill and rend the Saints as the former did yet it hath the mouth or voyce of the Dragon to accuse and curse and smite with the tongue those who deny to receive their false devices by which voyce thou callest it blalphemy in me to say the Spirit is received by the hearing and receiving of faith preached and so accuseth the Apostles also of blasphemie of whom I received it Gal. 3.2 Ephes 1.13 Act. 2.38 because it denies the Spirit is received by thy dark works Thou biddest Jonathan tell thee was the bearing of faith Gal. 3.2 hearing the Prophets and Apostles or hearing that Christ which Paul preached to be in all Jew and Greek Barbarian Scithian bond and free Answ If Martins eyes had a Christian opening he would see that either he must deny Paul to be an Apostle and the Apostles to preach all one Christ or say these are both one and if Martin should tell me that the Christ which Paul preached and the Christ which Matthew Mark Luke and John and others of the Apostles preached was not all one Christ all that hears him tell me so will say he speaks not truth and for Barbarians Scithians c. the Apostle in that place names them not and where he doth namethem as in Col. 11. He doth not name them as having Christ without or before faith in him but that as to the Jewes so to all others Christ is the same both in the offer of himself to all by his preaching as also his indwelling with them in receiving him by faith but neither in Col. 11. or any where else doth the Apostles preach Christ to be or dwell in any either Jew or Greek but by faith only quite contrary to your teaching without which faith wrought by the Apostles preaching thy pretended Christ unction and light within is all vanity and deceit Thou askest what shal be the condemnation of all man-kind who never heard of the name of Christ at Jerusalem if not the light of Christ placed in the conscience and wherefore is the light of Jesus left there in the heart of every man and woman if not to lead men and women out of sin into holiness and whether any thing without can redeem a Soul from sin but that Jesus who is the light of the world and shines in the conscience of every man and woman in the world Answer these queriers without any Serpentine evasion conjuring consequence or Antichristian falicies saist thou Answ The condemnation of the condemned shall be for not believing in the name of that Christ who dyed at Jerusalem as the Scriptures lively and abundantly stand up to witness though the dark generation calls them dead John 16.8 9. and 12.48 Mat. 16.16 Mark 25.41 42 48. And thy saying they have not heard of the Name of that Christ that dyed at Jerusalem is of no value for it is but thy false witness in the maintenance of thy own evil cause and therefore to be rejected being a neggative against the Scriptures affirmative besides thy own words the light of Christ placed in the conscience is against thee for how shall the conscience be enlightned by Christ that never heard of him Rom. 10.14 15. Here thou hast Ensnared thy self now thou must either acknowledge with me that the enlightning of all consciences is by the preaching of the faith in that Christ who suffered for sin at Jerusalem or plainly deny him to be the Christ whom thou denying art in sin as the same Christ tells thee John 8.48 and till thou hear the voyceof that Christ who calls thee out of the State of sin or unbelief to believe in his Name and wash away thy sins in his blood thou art not in the State of Holiness but in uncleanness what ever thy heart Imaginations and false fancy may sooth thee up withall for there is no State of cleanness or holiness spiritual but by faith only in that Christ Jesus who suffered at Jerusalem Which Christ Jesus the light of the world in his sufferings at Jerusalem did without them redeem Souls from sins thy Queries denying this doth manifest thy denyal of that Christ who died for sinners whose redemption doth work faith and light in men but not any thing in man doth work his redemption for as formerly I have told thee and others of thy generation at which you have been so wrathful but never gave any answer that redemption is the cause
deny him to be risen from the grave ascended make right application of this or let the wise of the nation that hears thee do it if Christ be still slain for me as thou saist he is it must be bodily for so was his dying for sinners then is he in the grave and not risen or ascended but thou saist the heaven which contains Christ is a mystery to my dark mind But I answer 't is rather thy dark mind which to set up thy mystery of iniquity would cloud the Heaven that contains Christ according to the Scriptures Acts 3.21 and 1 11. Thou returns a slender account of my counsel given unto thee to leave thy false luminaries and turn thy feet into the testimonies of the true light in calling me lyer and false Prophet blasphemer and such like but those who were but in doubt before will now be fully satisfied what light is in thee compared with the pure peaceable Spirit and mind of wisedome John 9.8 the Leopard saist thou cannot change his spots and 't is hard for thee to leave thy lying thou saist I kill the Scriptures can that which is dead be killed Answ I did not say thou killed the Scriptures dost not thou tell a lye then to say I said so I said thou would kill the Scriptures if thou could when thou should obey them and have them alive again to defend thee against others and this was because sometimes thou said the Scriptures thou owned and that they were yours and that thou owned that which gave forth the leaves and would bring them forth to condemn others and at other times when thou art called upon to obey them thou calls them dead letter and life-less books and saist it is a damnable doctrine to say the Spirit is received by the hearing of faith preached and believing according to the Apostles preaching in the Scriptures let the reader now judge whether this loud out-cry against me of lying be not justly returned upon the head of the cryer Martin I have told thee and many of thy generation that you cannot kill the Scriptures but that they are and will be a continual living against you and all opposers of truth and though thou say can that which is dead be killed yet dost thou and thy fellows make all the vile warr you can against them in which you find them so living that it is a torment unto you and makes you rage against the remnant of woman-seed who keep the commandements of God and faith of Jesus according to the Scriptures Thou asks if in two several places I do not call the Scripture dead letter Answ If I do 't is where I call thee a Saint see if thou canst find that in my paper thou tells me I run on in lying because I said thou runs for shelter amonst those thou accounts thy enemies who knows no other burial with Christ but burial in water calling them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal Answ Had not I good cause to tell thee of running for shelter to thy enemies when thou runs to defend thy self against Baptisme with the word sprinkling a word begun and used in way of contempt by those whom thou and thy generation are against as much as against me yet art forced to make use of their weak weapons having none of thy own in this case and now to make them more of thy side and to rise with thee against me thou saist I call them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal but let my paper be looked on with impartial eyes and it will be told thee 't is applyed to thee and thy generation and all who are found to band themselves against the Baptisme of repentance I not nominating any particular but him I writ to though thou say I mean those called dippers yet thou hast not the word dipper from me Thou saist I have invented an abominable lye besides non-sence in two lines and this abominable lye and non-sence is because I say thou bids me prove whether Christ commanded Baptisme to his Disciples yea or nay and did the Lord require it of his people to this day yea or nay Answ Was not the matter we had in question Baptisme see my answer to James Naylors sixt position set down in thy former paper my words there are these it is not faith but a fancy to run to other helps then the Spirit received by the hearing of faith preached by Christ and his Apostles all other teaching or Spirits are but lying vanities leading to the denyal of obedience in that faith required as in the Baptisme of repentance and the like thou undertaking to reply to this said 't is indeed thy darling thy Diana which must down is thy sprinkling with water the Baptisme of Christ did the Lord command or require it of his people to this day Now the reader thy cloak being taken off may see the abominable lie non-sence whether in me who answers thee according to the matter in question or whether it be not rather in thy self who to flie the answer talkest of sprinkling which is from the matter and is neither darling or Diana of mine but that thou must dandle such babbles to delude the spectators surely thou art not so blind in thy self as thou seems to be to think that any who can hear right from wrong will not hear thy guiltiness of Lying and non-sence to call upon me to prove Sprinkling which belongs not to our question to avoid thy answer in denyal of Baptisme But though thou canst not say any thing in answer thou can tell how to give the lie it s an observable thing in thee that when thou hast the least to answer thou makest the greatest noyse in railing accusations thinking thereby to take off the Reader from seeing thy folly but the wise will soon descern thy poverty and miserable nakedness Thou thinks it not enough to tell me I vent an abominable lie nonsence for speaking truth but fearing that insufficient to effect thy will thou tellest me thou never knew of one pretending to more piety then I that excelled or equalled me in the devillish art of lying Answ Surely the violence of thy evil disease through delusion will appear to all men I cannot but think thou speakest contrary to what thy thoughts are of me what a miserable condition is thine in this to accuse me not only to them who knows me not but also to them who knows me of that which in thy thoughts thou dost not think is so but thy denyal of truth in me is to cover thy denyal of truth in the Scriptures as in the matter in question the Baptisme of repentance which yet remains a Conquering truth over all thy Sprinklings and Lyes and non-sence which paper-walls thou patches together to defend thee from answering what was charged upon thee in the point of Baptisme Thou saist in the art of Lying I am a noble servant to my Master Answ That doth but
then we say both one thing by thy own acknowledgment But I say the dead Letter is the Quakers Books therefore thou saist the same with me repent thou of thy error in calling the Scriptures dead Letter Thou saist thou never readest grosser contradictions to thy knowledg then hath dropt from the pen of this Painted Pagan as thou callest me Answ I believe Martin the Painter is mistaken and spoiles his work for want of color this surrilous way of thine with all the falseness of thy alegations will discover thee to all that read the Papers Loud accusation and little proof layes open folly it is a small matter for a man of thy language to be larg upon charging evil upon others but very scant in making good what you charg Thou saist in the next place that for all my folly and confusion I must give thee another rotten reed of Egypt as it were for a farewel in an argument which for substance thou saist is thus c. Answ I will leave thy substance and bring the whole substance it self the argument as it was given to thee by me They who by an infallible Spirit were Master Builders and layers of the foundation of the Saints Religion and who are heard of all who are of God and who have the Spirit of truth and who accounts all accursed who preach any other Doctrine then they have already preached must needs be the true touch-stone and infallible tryal of Spirits whether they be of God or no and denyal to be tryed by them is a plain testimony of an evil cause and that the Spirit is the Spirit of error and lyer But the Apostles were they who by an infallible Spirit were Master Builders c. As these Scriptures testifie 1 Cor. 3.9 10 11. 1 John 4.6 John 8.47 Acts 2.4 2 Thes 2.13 14 15. 1 Thes 2.13 Gal. 1.8 9 10. 2 John 7.8 9 10. And Martin Mason denyeth their tryal and calls it dead Letter Therefore his Spirit is not of God he is guided by the Spirit of error Thou for want of an answer to this callest me forgetful willful lying Beast Did not he even now saist thou a litle before in his other argument say that he desired to be tryed by the light in the Saints conscience and not by the dead Letter and yet taxeth me O blush and be a shamed Answ I am neither Beast or Lyer nor forgetful of what I have said before I have laid down the plain truth to thee which is that the Apostles teachings or Scriptures is the true touch-stone and tryal of Spirits I have not in any place called them dead Letter but have alwayes told thee that the light in the Saints consciences is received from thence therefore I have no cause to blush or be ashamed at the truth the manifestation of which makes thee be wrathful out of which thou brings the Beast and Lyer and blush and be ashamed there not being a word in thy tongue to answer of which if thou cold be ashamed there would be hopes of thy repentance and good cause hast thou to blush and be a shamed of this proclaming thy folly for 't is a low disgrace to one pretending such high things to be so discovered as thou art in such want of answer and in evil words corrupting thy good manners According to the grace of God given to me saist thou as a wise Master builder I have laid the foundation saith Paul 1. Cor. 1.10 he builded upon the rock other foundation then that is laid can no man lay which is Jesus Christ in all Jew and Greek Barbarian Scithian bond and free Luke 3.11 to this unction within did Paul direct the People Answ Whosoever rules and observes thee will see thy desire to set up thy self for a wise Master builder for which read thy motto Pro. 26.12 16. Thou joynes several declerations of the Apostle together to pervet them if thou cold from his Gospel order of teaching to thy own corrupt sence and foysts in thy own words amongst to make fit a lye the Apostle in neither of these places or any where else doth direct the people to the unction within them till first they have heard the preaching of the Apostles in the doctrine of faith and believing thou tellest me of a brat of my own begeting but if this be not of thy begeting 'tis the begeting of some of thy generation from whom thou hast received it to nurse do not think to Father such prodigious birth upon the Apostles their begeting men to the faith was by preaching Christ Jesus who was not in those before to whom they preached that is your false invension to oppose the truth the Apostle saith he laid the foundation thou saist it was laid in them before a flat contradiction to the Apostles teaching and the Scripture thou quotes Col. 3.11 Doth not say Christ is in all Jew and Greek before they received him by faith through the Apostles preaching but plainly telleth thee if thy ears cold hear verse 10. where Christ is in all which is in all them who have put on the new man which is renued in knowledg after the Image of him who hath created him by which is manifest according to the whole teaching of the Apostles that Christ is in all who are in the faith but in those in whom faith is not the Apostles have not any where said that Christ is there Therefore thy opposition to the Apostles and that Christ which they preached is made plain and that thou and thy fellows would set up your own heart-Imaginations and false deceiveings in the place of Christ And would perswade men of a Christ in all before or without the preaching of faith by the Apostles that they may deny the Apostles preaching and that Christ which they preached to those who before were without him Ephes 2.12 And where Christ was not named Rom. 15.30 That which lay dead saist thou did at the hearing of the voyce of the Son of God live Answ That which hear thou saist lay dead is that which before thou callest the Christ in all the royal seed the unction the Lord of glory crucified in them so that by thy doctrine the royal seed the unction the Lord of glory and Christ in all lay dead till it did at the hearing of the voyce of the Son of God live what greater confused nonsence can be delivered then to say Christ the Son of God lyeth dead till he hear the voyce of Christ the Son of God and live can such babling be without blaspemy those who knew and in whom Christ the hope of glory is will see this thy dead Image that thou would set up to deny the Lord that bought thee After thy complaint of allmost weariness thou follows with somthing to the poor hears as thou callest them whom thou saist are wedded to their water and counts no Saints who submit not to their ceremonies thou bidest them answer thee in good earnest can
or worthy of thename of suffering for Christ or Gospel Humilation for you deny both Gospel and Christ and all your Humiliation and pretended valiantness in suffering is from self desire to maintain your own divices and therefore as Scripture tells you will not be known worthy of reward The poor hearts obedience to the teaching of Christ in his ordinances as in the Baptisme of repentance doth manifest their love excluding fear in taking up the Crose of Christ by which they stand Armed with strength from God to undergo what ever they shall be called to in witness of his truth and if they fall in that day of tryal their streng this small And then they violate make void as to themselves he Baptisme of rapentance they so much plead for denyal of which Baptisme as hath been said is device to keep men from the Cross of Christ for that baptisme brings a man to the lowest estare of self denyal and Humility and to be raised up in the acknowledging their State of life to be only in the love and power of God in which warrfare the Saints have alwayes got the victory and so shall those whom thou callest the poor hearts continuing faithful in the Lords truth an promise not giving ear to those pretended lights of mens consciences that deny the commandments of God and obedience to the Law of faith And though such come forth like Giants with big and furious words railing against the host of living God yet the Lord will subdue them with Sling stones and cut them off with their own Weapons Zeek 9 15. 1 Sam. 17.49 50 51. For what is not of God shall fall and none can stay the consumation determined to be powered upon the desolate Dan 9.27 Ionathan Ionson MARTINS MEDITATIONS MARTIN one day sat musing in his mind Of things which are and things which after follow And studied sore to see if he could find Who Truth enjoys and who in falshood wallow And as he thus sat musing all alone Attendance strait came to him many a one There first came in a messenger of light And told him all things lodged in his heart And of the Truth gave him a glorious sight And from false fained things wil'd him depart He let him see the ill of their estate Who make Religion nothing but a prate They in obedience to the royall Law No Faith produce but self-inventions frame From love of heavenly truth mens mindes to draw And keep them from the ever saving Name And what they practice hath no Gospel warrant And thus this Messenger began his Errant And further told him if he would be sure To walk aright and work the work of God And for himself Salvation would procure Then must he follow in the holy trod Which the Apostles of our Lord did walk in And not believe the vainnesse of mens talking He must the Scriptures hear in what they teach him And yeeld himself unto the gracious will Which those Apostles of our Master preach him And they will surely teach him Christian skill And bring him to a right regenerate frame To know the Lord and call upon his Name Repent and be baptized saith this Message And God will seal his Covenant in thy heart Deny not Martin to receive th'Embassage Which God by his doth to thee thus impart And it will bring assurance to thy soul Of heavenly favour and of sins controul But if thou wilt not hear this voice of life And shew thy self obedient to this call Then severall cries ' mongst which there is such strife Will thee assail and round about thee fall And with their evil Charmes and strong delusions Inthral thy mind in severall sad confusions That thou mayst hear and do thou knowst not what And follow men and leave the Lord thy Saviour Therefore saith he in time be ware of that If thou wilt gain an everlasting favour So shall thy soul continually be at rest and not with fear and vain device opprest Martin at this being troubled in his mind This sacred counsel to deny or do A love to what was told him could not find But from this admonition soon did go For this good seed was stoln by those that flie About the world betwixt the earth and skie And now a many quickly enter in Some on this manner saying some on that At last a whited black one did begin To talk and to delude him by his chat Humble he seem'd with coat and visage trim To hide his foul deformity most grim Believe not thou quoth he that voice that spake And told thee Stories of the Scriptures preaching Hear me who am sent hit her for thy sake To let thee know the Conscience secret teaching's The Light within to which thou must take heed Not that which thou dost in the Scripture read The Scripture's a dead Letter void of Life That Christ no Saviour who at ' Salem died Thy Saviour is within thee form and strife 's amongst men who in Scripture rules abide Let Scripture rules alone what light 's within thee Let that sure light in all thy works begin thee What 's Baptisme with water but a toy What 's Bread and wine receiv'd with faith in Jesus A fruitlesse form the hid light will destroy These outward things which too too much displease us Who do deny the precepts of that Preacher Whom men call Jesus Christ the Gospel Teacher That outward Christ who at Jerusalem died And all those outward things from him profes't Are of no worth but to be laid aside The Inward light will make thee these detest And though men think through Faith to have Salvation In Mary's Son it 's a vain Imagination None are redeemed or are saved by him Redemption's not by any thing without The light within the womans seed espy him That 's thy Redeemer of which have no doubt Mind that within thee and obey its teaching Beleeve not Christ or Scriptures preaching It is a Doctrine damnable and vild To say the Spirit is received by preaching Of the Apostles faith in Mary's child And hearing and obeying to their teaching They 'r filthy creatures serpents dogs and swine That so to Scriptures teachings do incline Without the Apostles preaching in the Letter The Spirit is received and Christ within Look but within thee there thou l't find him better Then by th' Apostles t is the man of sin That bids thee hear the Apostles for salvation All that lock there for Christ find desolation Thus have I told thee where thou Christ shalt find Even in thy self thy teacher there doth dwell Those who seck Christ within the Scripture's blind With such false teachers see thou do not me'll Obey the light within so shalt thou be A perfect man and from deceivers free This voice so well did Martins pallet please That he himself himself might onely teach That he could be a Christian now with ease And ne'r submit to what the Scriptures Preach The Doctrines of regeneration taught Are now by him esteemd a thing of naught He 'd always Christ within be ne'r was lost So Christ the Saviour needs not come to save him His Christ within saves him without that cost But that false Christ will even of life bereave him This light that thus in Martin doth arise Is even the light of the old Pharisees They would have life denying Marys Son And of the Heavenly kingdom would be free Without Christ Jesus and would headlong run In self-ish lights against Christs verity Hating the Doctrine taught them by the Saviour ' thout whom there is no everlasting favour So Martin by his meritorious works ' thout faith in Jesus thinks to gain Salvation But that 's the enemy which in him lurks And fills him with a vain Imagination To look for life where life he cannot find Thus strang Delusions make deceivers blind J. J. FINIS
you do and said That the state of Perfection is the Man Christ or any power in man whereby he can keep the Law without Faith in the Man Christ Is not this the Doctrine taught by thee and thy generation all which is to set up your selves to be the coming of Christ in the flesh denying that Christ that came in the flesh which the Apostle John teacheth confession of 1 John 4.1 2. thy exposition of which to pervert the Truth doth manifest no lesse which is that the Apostle meanes Christ come in the flesh of others though all the Apostles in their preaching doth preach belief in that one Christ that came in his own flesh or person in which he suffered at Jerusalem for the sins of all men and not in the flesh of others as thou expoundest for that is the coming of those who say loe here and loe there which are false Christs forewarned of Matth. 24. Who to set up themselves and throw down Christ Jesus by false Expositions pervert the Scriptures by which is manifest who rules in the fleshly tabernacles of such Children of disobedience It is but the Lyer saist thou that tels me my Master hath not commanded me to judge Answ Martin thou wilt not seem to take notice because the world should not know that I told thee there is difference betwixt a Judge and a Malefactor I told thee thou shouldest answer thy own Maker at the Bar and stay taking upon thee the Judges place till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt know that thy Master whom thou now callest the Singlo Person that died at Jerusalem and is alive for evermore bids thee judge not Luk. 6.37 1 Cor. 4.5 to bear off this blow thou bringest Christs words John 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my word hath one that judgeth him but this is no defence for thee but wounds thee deeper for Christ tels thee there what one that is that shall judge which is the Word that he hath spoken which thou callest the dead Letter But thou to deceive by thoughtst to keep this out that thou mightest take the Judges place thy self and so to exalt thy self above Christ and then sayst he is thy witnesse O bold presumption was ever a greater exaltation in a cative so low Christ came not saist thou to send peace but the sword to the Man of sin whom thou servest Answ And yet I am farre from serving thee or any such exalters of themselves against Christ if thou understoodest those words of Christ Mat. 10.34 35 36. part of which thou hast stolen to speak proudly with thou wouldst not have placed them thus but wouldst have known that they are nothing for thy purpose Thou talkest of the Saints Judging the World and the Spirituall man judging all things Answ As I have told thee Stay till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt not be so hasty to be a Judge but wilt better know how and when such Judgement shall be and that the Spirituall mans judging is discerning all things not judging or censuring persons and then thy manifestation of Faith and obedience to Christ and his Gospel will be a judging and reproof to unfaithfulnesse and thy tongue will be taught more tamenesse then to smite others therewith for then the Spirit of God will tell thee that thou hast nothing to do to judge another mans Servant he stands or fals to his own Master Rom. 14.4 then thou wilt learn to speak with a new tongue and that old blasphemous cursing presumptuous tongue that runs without guide will be pluckeâ— out and be no more the loud belman to a corrupt heart Thou askest me By what authority I judge thee for an enemy of righteousnesse and why I judge the People called Dippers calling them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal and by what authority I judge the Priests of the Nation for Antichristians I judge thee not I leave that to him to whom thy judgement and condemnation doth belong the Word of God tells thee of thy enmity against righteousnesse in warring against that Word Where have I judged the people thou callest Dippers or called them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal shew it if thou canst Or where I have named the Dippers in my Paper upon any such account It is with thee as I told thee formerly thou wouldest shelter thy self amongst others thou seest thy want and wouldst have help in the defence of thy cause which maketh thee cry also to the Priests of the Nation as thou callest them telling them I judge them Antichristians Thou art driven to a great straight surely thou takest me for some forraine enemy that wilt thus claw thy domestick enemies to engage with thee against me but thou dost trouble thy neighbours with such a false alarm when I have occasion with either those thou callest Priests or Dippers I shall stand up in the manifestation of truth according to what I have received from the Lord and shal leave the judging or censuring them and all men to him to whom all judgement doth belong and my self shall not judge or passe sentence on any man Thou tellest me I shame not in one of my Arguments to affirm that the Letter under the Name of the words of Christ is Spirit and Life in it self Answ What cause have I to be ashamed of affirming the very word of Christ himself John 6.36 but thou hast cause to be ashamed of thy ly saying I affirm the Letter which is a word of thy own and not of mine In another place saist thou thou concludest the Spirit of God in the Apostles who were Saints is the Rule to try and discern false Spirits Answer If I do t is no contradiction of the former seeing the word of Christ and Spirit of God in the Apostles were one and spake one and the same thing The truth is Martin thou wouldest gladly say something to my Argument but thou canst not thou knowest that way of arguing was begun by thee in which if thou hadst dealt faithfully with those to whom thou hast so generally divulged our difference they would plainly see where the right of reasoning is and who hath most cause to be ashamed of their Argument Thou saiest the Spirit of God in the Apostles at their death returned to God that gave it them but saist thou wouldst thou have me as sottish as thy self to say and unsay and own their Writings to be the Spirit of God This thou writest to deny the Apostles preachings and teachings to be the infallible Rule to try the Spirits whether they be of God Answ That Spirit which the Scriptures speakes of from whence thou hadst that saying the Spirit returns to God that gave it though thou quote it not Eccles 12.7 is not that Spirit by which the Apostles did preach Christ and work miracles but of the Spirit which is the mooving and acting in the bodily being of all men which the Apostles had before
they received the gift of the Spirit of promise therefore how sottish soever I am this must needs be an ignorant blindnesse in thee thus to use Scripture words against Scripture teaching to pervert them to extinguish if thou couldest the speaking of the Spirit of God therein that thou mayest bring them into a dead and dry estimation that so thy false Spirit might act at Libetty but the Spirit speaking in the Scriptures is of such lively power and authority that it will quash and consume those risings and out-burnings of the man of sin and by that which is written which thou callestdead wouldest have denied as now shall be made manifest to thy confusion The Spirit of God saith to John Revel 1.11 That which thou seest writ in a book and send to the Seaven Churches that are in Asia Compare this with that which followes in that Book written Revel 2.7 Let him that hath an car hear what the Sprirt saith to the Churches By which t is plain to the dashing down of thy denyals thereof that Book written by John is the Spirits speaking to the Churches Compare this with what our Saviour saith John 6.63 The words that I speak to you are Spirit and life So that the Scriptures must either be denied to be the words of Christ or owned to be the speaking of the Spirit but to acknowledge them to be the words of Christ Jesus and deny them to be the speaking of the Spirit or to be Spirit and life as Christ saith they are and call them dead as thou and thy generation doth is the most rediculous absurd opposition to Christ and his Gospel that hath been yet The Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. 14.37 If any man think himself to be a Prophet or Spirituall let him acknowledge the things that I writ unto you are the Commandments of God Are they the Commandments of God and not the Spirits speaking But thou saiest thou are not so sottish as I to own this It seems thou hadst rather truly be a foole to be esteemed wise in this world then be a foole that thou mayest be truly wise See whether this be sottishnesse in thee or no 1 Cor. 3.18 But howsoever thy wisdome in disowning the Scriptures to be the speaking of the Spirit doth shew thee to be neither Prophet or spiritual therefore the Spirit of God will disown thee the wolfe would perswade the weak that he will keep them for worrying when the danger is only in himself Thou saist I charge that for a Lyer for saying I own the Letter to be the rule but one thing is saist thou I need not go far to fetch my proof thou hast given it under thy hands in these words therefore the Scriptures are the sure and infallible rule to try the Spirits whether they be of God or no. Answ My charging thee for a Lyer was for saying I own the dead Letter to be the rule thou shuffies out the word dead but it shuts thee not of the ly but makes it a greater ly what plainer ly can be told then this to say I owned that which I never named to thee but to deny therein the word dead Letter is thy own not mine If thou call the Gospels declaration the Turkish Alcaron and I say that Declaration of the Gospel is the power of God to Salvation to all that hear and obay it canst thou reply and say I own the Turkish Alcaron to be the Decleration of the Gospel without being alyer and is it not the same to say I own the dead letter to be the rule because I say the decleration of the Gospel is the rule thou mayst see if thou be not moresotish then I it is thou that cals it the dead letter or Alkaron and not I therefore the lye must needs lodge with thee Thou saist I also call the words of Christ or Scripture dead Letter twice in a following argument of mine Answ For the truths sake and that the Lyer may be looked upon and seen of all I will not only lay down that argument of mine but the occasion thereof given by thee in thy argument thus framed He that denyeth to be tryed by the true touch-stone the infallible rule 't is an infallible sign his Spirit is not of God he is guided by the Spirit of error But thou Jonathan Johnson denyest to be tryed by the living principle of God the light of Christ in the conscience the Spirit of truth and wouldest be tryed by the dead Letter therefore thy Spirit is not of God thou art guided by the Spirit of error This argument I told thee cometh bare without any proof against Jonathan Johnson therefore Martin Mason remaineth a lyer till he prove the ascertion in the mean time to discover what waslapt up in that argument I from thy own Major poposition framed thee this He that denyeth to be tryed by the true touch-stone the Infallible rule 't is an infallible sign his Spirit is not of God he 's guided by the Spirit of error But thou Jonathan Johnson denyest to be tryed by the principle in Martin Mason and wouldest be tryed by the living principle of God the light of Christ in the Scriptures Therefore thy Spirit is not of God thou art guided by the Spirit of error When I had thus laid open the falshood of thy argument and slander against me without ground or proof I who can better tell my own desires and denyals then thou canst to declare truly the same framed thee this argument He that desires to be tryed by the true touch-stone the infallible rule the living principle of God the light of Christ in the Saints consciences the spirit of truth and not by the dead Letter 't is a sign his Spirit is of God he is guided by the Spirit of promise But Jonathan Johnson desires to be tryed as above said Therefore 't is a sign his Spirit is of God he is guided by the spirit of promise Martin do I here call the words of Christ or Scripture dead Letter or any where else wash thy eyes and look better over my paper then speak rightly and thou wilt say my charge is not taken off neither hath the lyer remooved his lodging which every passer by will now behold thy bosome being unbuttened I have not yet told thee what I call the dead Letter though thou say I cal the Scripture so by which is manifested who is the lyer But now it puts them out of doubt and to satisfie the hearers I will tell thee It is the writings of Martin Mason and his fellows and all such as oppose the Scriptures teaching denying the ordinances and commands of Christ there taught Because I esteem their books or bulks of writings no better then an Idol set up like the masse or service-book to draw men from the true worship and service of God which is according to the Scripture therefore If I say the same that thou dost as thou saist I do