SOME False Principles AND ERRORS DISCOVERED AND REFUTED In a short Answer to a Catechism book which is said to contain The Principles of Religion put forth by a namelesse Authour But is supposed to be the work of one Samuel Eaton a professed Minister of the Gospel among the Sect of the Independants in Cheshire But upon true examination he is found to be teaching the traditions of men for the commandements of Christ and his Principles are proved to be not according but contrary to the Spirit of God and the Scriptures By E. B. LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1659. TO THE READER THE Reason and Cause of this being sent abroad is for the better Information of all but more particularly for the good of that Assembly to whom Samuel Eaton is Minister and Pastor that they may know the truth from errour and the way of Righteousnesse from all false wayes and may turn from Idol-shepherds that destroyes the vineyard and treads it down and may come to Christ and receive him who is the chief shepherd to feed his flock with the bread of eternal life And the reason why these false principles are charged upon Samuel Eaton is this it being doubtful to some who was the Authour of that Catechism wherein these principles and doctrines was held forth John Gredley and Anne Sheeld by name was with the said Samuel Eaton and asked him if he owned that book the Catechism and he said he would maintain all in it that was his answer THe wayes of the Lord are equall and just but the wayes of the Sons of Adam are altogether corrupted and different and contrary to the wayes of Salvation And the wisedome that is of this world is foolishness with God and its end is destruction to it self and to all that walk therein And what is man that he shall prescribe a way to his Maker and who is it that will be more wise then God to set him a way how he must teach his people Therefore in vaine have men laboured and have reaped to themselves nothing but wind and confusion And in vaine have they sowen for others to reap after them whose fruit hath been emptiness and not filled the hand of the gatherer And in particular this book with which I am now dealing is the fruit of an empty Tree which cannot satisfie the hungry soul nor comfort the weary seeker for the satisfaction and comfort of the seeking hungry soul dependeth only upon the Lord and upon the bread of life that commeth down from God and the soul that eats thereof is satisfied and comforted for ever and hungers no more nor thirsts any longer but the fountaine is in him and the well springs up unto eternall life and he goes no more forth And if so be that all herein were true and sound Doctrine and were learned so as to express it over againe in words this might be and yet the soul still remaining in anguish and under sin and death though increased in the knowledg that is from below and yet in a farther ignorance of God for the wisdom of this world knows not God neither can it teach nor receive the knowledg of the things that pertaines unto life eternall but to the simple and to fools doth the Lord teach and reveal the knowledge of his kingdom and it is not received from books nor the teachings and traditions of men but by the manifestation of the eternall spirit which doth lead into all truth and reveal the mysteries of Salvation The first thing that I take notice of is this thou saist God is a Spirit and he is one in â—eing and is to be distinguished into three persons and the Father Son and holy Ghost are personall relations and if one be a person such are the other c. Ans. The Father Son and Spirit is one this we believe and know according to the Scriptures but as for thy word person that is carnall and too low a word to denominate God by who is infinite for God and the spirit hath no person nor cannot truely be distinguished into persons for a person hath relation to place time and change and is not in all places at all times at once and the Scriptures knowes no such distinction for God is is a spirit and hath no relation to one time place or alteration more then another but filleth heaven and earth and his presence is in all and over all who is blessed for ever and is infinite and without person or confined being and the Scripture no where in true translation doth denominate God Christ and the spirit by persons and personall beings nor doth distinguish them into three persons for persons are related to carnall as I have said and persons is to low too denominate God and Christ and the spirit by so thy principles are unsound and not agreeing to the spirit of God and the Scriptures And therefore not to be beleeved nor received Whereas thou saist That the one standing rule according to which God is to be sought worshipped and served is the holy Scriptures in which God hath revealed himself in all things which he would have believed and done c. Ans. It is the spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures which spirit was and is within the saints that leadeth into all truth and teacheth to know all things and that spirit of God only is the standing rule to walk in and to walk by it was the rule to Abel Enoch Abraham and the rest of the holy Fathers that lived before any scripture was written and it was the rule to the Prophets to Christ and to the holy Apostles they all followed the spirit and walked in it and spake and wrought and acted as the spirit of God within them moved them and led them it was not the Scriptures but the sprit that gave forth the Scriptures that was the standing unchangable unerring rule of worshiping serving and obeying the Lord God and that same spirit is the standing rule to us also for the Apostle commands to walk in the spirit and that which we are to walk in is our rule and as many as are the sonns of God are led by the spirit of God and then the spirit is their rule and that guides the feet in the way of peace and in the spirit is God worshipped for they that worship him must worship him in the spirit and in the truth such he seeks to worship him for it is in the hearts of his people and within them that God reveales himself by his spirit for it is the spirit that revealeth the things of God and none knows the things of God saving by the spirit of God and that reveals God and teacheth to worship God and to serve him and the Scriptures they declare of the rule and of the revelation of God and are a declaration of all things which is to be believed and practised by the children of the
Lord so that the Scriptures are not the standing rule neither doth it teach to worship and serve God but the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures that is the standing rule in and through all generations and the spirit doth reveal the knowledge of God and how he is to be worshipped and served And thou saist the Scriptures are the word of God given by imediate inspiration of God and that they are given to all men to be read and the Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God perfect and throughly furnished and are able to make wise unto Salvation and the Scriptures and plain and easy to be understood by the simplest and there is milke in them for babes and strong meat for persons grown up Ans. Christ is the word of God and his name is called the word of God and the word of God was in the beginning and shall endure for ever and this word is not the Scriptures and the Scriptures are not the word but the Scriptures are words of God given forth from the Word which was in their hearts that spake forth the Scriptures which were wroâ— as the holy men of God were moved by the holy Ghost and given by the inspiration of the spirit of God and the Scriptures are a declaration and a treatise of the Word that was in the beginning and shall endure for ever but the Scriptures are not the word and some of them were given to one sort of men and some of them to another and some of them to all but as for the threatnings and Judgments pronounced and the reproof of the wicked that part was not given to the Saints nor spoken to them and so not given to all and the promises to the children of the Lord and the Epistles to the Saints and them that were sanctified that part was not given spoken to the world and to the wicked who are unconverted and so not spoken to all though all may read them yet none can understand them but by the same spirit as gave them forth and who hath not the same spirit to guide them they cannot understand the Scriptures for it was given forth by the eternall spirit and the carnall wisdom that is from below and sensual cannot understand nor receive the things of the kingdom of God which is declared of in the Scriptures and so the Scriptures are not easy to be understood but are sealed from the world neither are the Scriptures without faith which thou hast left out sufficient to make the man of God perfect but the Scriptures through faith is able to make the man of God perfect and throughly Furnished this we know and beleeve and doth set the Scriptures in its right place and give it its right honour and respect and as for thee and thy generation who are erred from the spirit of truth you know not the Scriptures nor the power of God for Christ is the bread of life and the water of life in him is the milk for babes and meat for strong men and not in the Scriptures who testifie of Christ the life and in them the Pharisees thought to have eternall life but would not come to Christ the end of the Scriptures that they might have life and this is the self same state with yours of this age who thinks to have the perfecting of Salvation and the milk for babes and the meat for strong men in the Scriptures but will not receive Christ who is the perfect Salvation and the bread and water of life for all the children of the Lord who are born of the spirit and so thy Doctrines and thy principles of thy Religion are not sound nor agreeing with the Scriptures but contray and by a contrary spirit and therefore we cannot be of thy mind but doth truly Judge thee to be unlearned of the Father and knows not the way of Salvation and so thou cannot truly inform nor direct others And thou saist men are under a necessity of multiplying transgression c. Rom. 3. 12. Ephes. 4. 17. 2 Pet. 2 4. Answ. In this thou hast erred and spoken contrary to sound doctrine for there is no necessity laid upon any to commit any sin much lesse a necessity of multiplying transgression if there be a necessity who layes it on men and why is that necessity transgression is of the wicked one and who sins is of the Devill and there is no necessity for that upon any account because sin destroyes the soul and is a vexation to the Lord God and a cause of everlasting misery and for to act that there is no necessity which hath these effects and thou hast perverted the Scriptures quoted by thee to prove thy false assertion which I have set down for the Reader to peruse that all may see thou hast perverted them for they prove no such Doctrine as that there is a necessity of multiplying transgression which thou hast affirmed and brought the Scriptures to prove it which is first false doctrine uttered by three and also a perverting of the Scriptures to maintain it and this is too evils which thou hast committed in one work and because thou hast done evill it shall lie at thy dore and there I will leave it And thou saist to be Iuâ—â—â—fied is not to be really cleansed from all sin nor is it to partake of real righteousness and holines but it is to be accounted and reputed Iust and holy and not to have sin reckoned c. Ans. There is none Justified but who are in Christ and are changed and renewed and born again and such are cleansed from sin for he that is born of God sinneth not and it is he onely that is Justified and not the old man that is unchanged and committeth sin he is not Justified and who is born of God and are Justified are really cleansed and really doth partake of righteousness and holiness even of the righteousness and holiness of the Son of God and in that righteousness he is accounted righteous and in no other nor by no other way then by receiving Christ and his righteousness and being made partakers of it in their hearts for the Apostle said if Christ be not in you you are reprobates and such are not Justified nor accounted just and holy who have not Christ within them and his righteosness but who hath Christ within the hope of glory and are accounted just and righteous in the sight of God the body of sin is put off for if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin and such are really cleansed and if he be in you you are made partakers of reall righteousness and holiness and this is the truth of the Gospell of Christ which confounds and condemnes thy false Doctrine for no man is accounted and reputed just and holy but who are cleansed from sin are in Christs for who doth commit sin are unholy and so reputed of God and sin is reckoned to them and this all
end to the sanctification of the seventh c. Ans. Here again thou hast uttered that which thou knowes not for all daies are alike unto God and one sanctified as much as an other and no respect of daies with him but all are holy and pure and good and when the sanctification of any thing is put to an end as as thou saist the sanctification of the seventh day is then the thing is no more good nor holy but become evil and unclean if it be no more sanctified nor holy and in this principle thou hast erred also as for the seventh day it was commanded of God to the Jews to be kept and observed holy to the Lord and all manner of labour to all Creatures were forbiden which thing was a signe and a shadow of a good thing to come the end of which ordinance was Christs the substance of all things and the end of daies and that there was any anulling of that command to the Jews and a command to keep and observe the first day of the week in stead of the other by any outward command this we read not in all the Scriptures and what ground thou hast more then thy imaginations I know not to assert the changing of dayes and to teach the observation of the first day as the Sabbath instead of the seventh day seeing thou hast nothing in the Scriptures to raise such a principle from and so would make exception of daies and respect of times which the Apostles did not after the holy spirit was come for daies and times all are a like to God and who are come to Christ the true rest of the immortal Soul are in the end of daies and out of the respect of times in the substance which endures for ever and in the Gospel ministrations there is no command or injunction by Christ or by his Apostles given to us for the observing any one day more then another And thou saist when it is said swear not at all the meaning is not vainly and unnecessarily Ans. Christ hath not spoken doubtfully but plainly and he hath not left his words to thee to give thy fals meaning upon so thou takest too much upon thee and intrudest into things thou hast not seen and all swearing which is contrarie to the command of Christ is unnecessarie and vain though by such false consequences and perverting of Scriptures thou thy generation hast made the people to err and led the blind by the way for where the Scriptures as they are in themselves doth not made for your turn then it means not thus but otherwise and this is the consequence and it must be interpreted say you and so you pervert the Scriptures to your own destruction and to the undoing of manie others for you that lead the people cause them to err And where is thou speakst of outward seals of the Covenant which is Baptism saist thou which appertaines to grown persons converted and also to children c. Acts 2. 39. Ans. The seal of the covenant of God is the Spirit even the Spirit of promise which sealeth and confirmeth unto God and not any outward thing for the Covenant of God is inward and spiritual and not outward and carnal and the seal and testimonie of it is the spirit of life and no tradition of man and as for Baptism in that way and manner administred and practised as in the Church of England it is wholie an invention of man and not after any Institution and commandement of God and sprinkling of infants which is said to be Baptism is so far from being a seal of the Covenant of God that it is a mark of the whore of Rome and was by her first of all ordained and begun to be practised in her Church and your false Minsters have received it from her and it is a seal and sign that you and you Ministrie and Church is of the whore of Rome and not of the true Church of Christ for the Apostles nor the true Church of Christ never ordained nor practised such a thing amongst them and in the true Church as sprinkling of infants and calling it the Baptism in the faith of Christ and the seal of the Covenant there was no such practice and dostrine amongst them but it is come up since the true Church fled into the wildernesse and since the beast received power over kindreds and Nations and it is an institution of the great whore that hath sat upon the waters for many generations and she hath made Nations drink her cup of fornication and the original of this practice and principle is received out of the whores Cup and not by any commandement of Christ or axample of his Church and Apostles and I cannot but charge thee that thou teaches for doctrine the traditions of men and holds forth for principles of Religion to be believed and learned the institutions of the great whore of whose cup thou hast drunk and would also give it to others that they may drink it also and to accomplish which evil end thou hast perverted the Scriptures Acts 2. 39. for the Scripture hath no such thing intended in it as to the baptising of infants for which end thou hast falsely cited it for though the promise is to as many as the Lord our God shall call yet what is this to the sprinkling of infants which thou asserts as a principle of Religion and would seem to enforce it by vertue of the Scripture mentioned but thou hast abused the Scripture and shewed thy selfe to be disagreeing to the holie Ministers and Apostles of Christ and to be agreeing with the false Church of Rome and this is answer sufficient to thee And thou saist The outward covenant of God is conditionall and the profession of the faith entitles both such as make it and their infants unto it to wit the covenant Ans. The Covenant of God is not outward but spiritual as I have said and it is also free even the free gift of God and the promise and Covenant is freely manifested without the performing any thing by the creature to obtain it from God for it stands not upon condition but upon free love and mercie and many makes a profession of faith which hath not right nor title to the inheritance of Salvation nor to Gods sure covenant neither can anie upon earth much lesse Infants void oâ— understanding have any assurance or title in the Covenant of life eternal but who are regenerated and born of the elect seed for the unchanged and degenerated in that state hath no title nor right in the Covenant but Abrahams seed which is heir of the promise which is born of God and not from below to that is the Covenant so thou hast spoken things thou knowest not and hast manifested thy false principles which thou walkest in and would cause others to receive them also Then thou speakest of bread and wine which saist thou are the outward signes in the Lords