they wrest Scripture to their own and others destruction desiring and boasting themselves to be Masters and Teachers of others whilst themselves need teaching what the very Principles or beginning Doctrines of the true Christian Religion is as is plainly manifested by his seeking to bring in a graceless Minister or Woolf into Christ's Fold surely the Woolf comes not but to rob and destroy All that ever came before me saith Christ are Thieves and Robbers and never came in by the Door as its plain the graceless man doth not but hath clim'd up another way by his humane helps as Baxter speaks and to this purpose see John the 10th and Mat. 23. where Christ at large sets forth such woolfish Teachers who can perk themselves up in Places of Teachers by the World's help outwardly but will neither enter into the Kingdom of God themselves nor suffer others but shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men by such deceitful Doctrine and Antichristian Inventions as this Baxter hath by saying That Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration then Grace is and that he may perform the Office of a Minister to the benefit of the Church that hath no Saving Grace at all And all knowledge requireth Time and Labour to obtain it though the Spirit giveth it which last saying doth directly thwort and contradict the Scripture which saith I was found of them that sought me not Iâ—a 65.1 And Paul sets believing and working in this great matter of the knowledge of God and Christ to Salvation one against the other as the way of the Law and Gospel for 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 saith he is the reward reckoâ—'d of Debt not gift of Grace but to 〈…〉 it is of Grace to the Glory of Gods great Love to man for saith Scripture God so loved the World that he gave his Son that whosoever on him believe should not perish but have Life Eternal And none can truely say but those are the best 〈◊〉 and wisest People that have Eternal Life in them though they never laboured for it nor sought for it and so such as this Baxter who looks at all as obtain'd by Time and Labour they are those spiritual proud ones who are swelled so big with spiritual Pride that self Idolizing sin which as himself saith in his second Direction so called is the great Rebel against God the chief part of the Devil's Image that one sin which breaketh every Commandment the heart of the old Man the Root and Parent and Summery of all other sin the Antichristian Vice which is most directly contrary to the Life of Christ c. and these Letter-wise-men that have patched together a Garment of Fig-leaves to cover their sinful nakedness are proud of meer supposed spiritual excellencies for the way of the Blessed Spirit and its free Gifts and free workings in the Children of Men they are strangers unto and then through their Humane Learning and lost Labour having gotten a little or a great deal of talk from the Letter of the Scripture concerning Religion in their Earthly Spirits which sees nothing of the Kingdom of God they condemn the Generation of the Just whom God Teacheth and Blesseth with all Spiritual knowledge in Heavenly things and call them Spiritually proud because they cannot but speak very highly and yet in the truest humility of Heart concerning the great things that God hath done for their Souls and because they cannot joyn with the Wicked whom God abhoreth neither in their Worship nor other sinfull Customs And so out of that old Bottel come all those unsavory expressions of R. B. before mentioned against the free Teachings of God's Spirit yea so great an Enemy he is to the wholsom Doctrine of free Grace that Pag. 7. he saith Is it not Blaspheming of God's Spirit to make it the Patron of mens sloth and idleness under pretence of Magnifiying Grace To which I answer That pretending we deny and truely say with the Apostle That God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our Hearts to give us yea most freely without our own Labour or any humane Help The knowledge of the Glory of his Kingdom and those that call this Doctrine either in the Apostle or us a Patronizing of Sloth and Idleness are those that do really blaspheme God's Spirit which teacheth it But many Texts saith R. B. commands us diligence and sloth is a great Sin To which I say the Scripture indeed commands a diligent improvement and Holy exercise of the free Gifts which the Spirit hath giveth the Faithful But the Scripture never said that Humane Labour and Helps are the Means to be used for getting the Spirit 's Teachings and without which no knowledge in Spiritual Matters is now received Stir up the Gift of God in thee saith Paul to Timothy so say I But he no where puts the Humane or Carnal man to Work or Labour to get the Spirit for that is quite contrary to this Scripture Gal. 3.2 as also Rom. 9.16 Obj. But this Baxter asks this Question Why hath God settled a Teaching Office in his Church and commanded all to attend and hear and learn if we are taught by the Spirit without man's help Why were the Apostles sent forth into all the World c Answer Here is the great stumbling of these Unbelievers the Worldly wise ones indeed what because God in his free unlimitted Spirit did begift men and in his own Spiritual Power sent them forth to preach and publish all abroad the Glory of his Kingdom and Good Will to men cannot People therefore be taught by the Spirit without man's Help What reasonings this when the Scripture expresly saith That all the Gifts and Alities Helps and Means of bringing People to God and the Knowledge and Enjoyment of all the Good Things of his Kingdom are meerly solely wholly from God his blessed Spirit 's free Gift in Christ and not from man at all And therefore when the Corinthians began to look at man whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas he calls it Carnal and said Christ was not divided signifying plainly it was Christ and the Spirit of his Power that alone did all in all as Christ said John 15. Without me you can do nothing for in the True Church Christ ever was and ever will be all in all man nothing as Paul said of himself Paul is nothing But in the False Church where R. B. is pleading for man yea Graceless Ministers man is all and Christ suffered to have no Rule But those mine Enemies saith Christ That would not that I should Rule bring them and stay them before my face But what sottishness is this in R. B. to ask such a Question as this when himself confessed in the very last words before it That none are so forward to preach as these same men that cry down mens Teaching Whereby it plainly appears that we do not deny God's Teachings and the Spirit 's Good and Gratious Gifts
God and which Things we Preach or Speak not in the words which man 's or Humane Wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual 1 Cor. 2. But this R.B. comparing Spiritual things with Carnal is not wise who because old men and long Students in Arts and worldly Sciences are most Wise or likely to be so therefore they that labour and study most in Books of Divinity so call'd get most of the Spirit 's teaching O sad That ever the minds of the Children of Men should be so cover'd with darkness and yet read the Scripture of Truth which witnesses to no one thing more then to the Free Teachings of the Spirit of God without humane Helps For all the Help that is humane or that man who is ab humo that is from the Earth can afford is but natural and of this World which comes to nought therefore is it said That none of the Princes that is the chief men of this World knew the Mystery of Christ and his Kingdom then which made them so band against him see the 2d Psalm And the Natural Man with all his natural means discerns not the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discern'd So every one that would know the Mind of the Spirit of God must come to feel through the Most Holy Faith a measure of it in themselves For after ye believ'd ye were seal'd with the Spirit of Promise saith Paul And the Word is nigh thee even in thy Heart and Mouth O thou that hast an Ear to hear hear what the Spirit speaks even the Word of Faith which we Preach Therefore go not forth from the Anointing of God in thy Heart to hear the frothy and false Doctrine of such as R.B. who have run and set up themselves by their humane Helps in the place of Teachers and God never sent them and therefore they cannot profit the People at all but lead them about like silly Women laden with divers Sins and Lusts yea in their Prayers and best Performances as is manifest and so not being sent and enabled by God's Spirit they can never lead you to it but from it as is manifest Also R. B. in pag. 6. before mention'd saith The Objection hath much Confusion in it and how proves he that but by saying 1. It confoundeth the Spirit 's teaching us by inditing the Scripture with the Spirit 's teaching us the meaning of the Scriptures 2. And it confoundeth the common Knowledge of Divinity with the saving Knowledge of it No man cometh to a common Knowledge fit for a Teacher of others without the Spirit 's teaching by the Scriptures for that was the first part of the Spirits teaching us to inspire the Prophets and Apostles to deliver a Teaching Word to the Churches by which we might all be taught of God through all Generations But many men have excellent common Knowledge by this Word and by the common help of the Spirit without that special Help which begetteth saving Knowledg And all Knowledge requireth Time and Labour to obtain it though the Spirit giveth it and though it may be sanctified to us in a little time but that may be a means of saving others which saveth not the man that hath it And in pag. 114. farther saith Take them not for no Ministers that want Grace totally and marvel not that Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration then Grace is he may perform the Office of a Minister to the benefit of the Church that hath no Saving Grace at all Thus for Rich Baxter O! What Sorcery and Egyptian-Darkness is here to make void the New Covenant and Free Gratious Teachings of the Spirit of God in these dayes and to establish the Letter in the room and stead thereof which only witnesses to it and is a Declaration concerning what the Spirit of God did in them and in the World before Christ's coming in the Flesh and what was done during his being in it and what the Spirit would do in the Believing Souls and in the World after that time But this the Hirelings do that they by their trading with and giving their false meanings upon the Scriptures they may keep the people in Blindness and so from the Anointing and Teaching and Enjoyment of that Spirit that was in them that gave forth Scriptures that they may not see their deceitful Doctrines and Merchandizes lest they should buy no more of them For no man that knows the Badness of Babylon will buy them any more and then will the Merchants of Souls Mourn For they that know the Lord and his Spirit 's Teaching in them which is the Good Old Way yea and the ever New Fresh Profitable and Living WAY will follow no more such men as would bring in and establish a Graceless Ministry as this Baxter doth here to his everlasting Shame But such Graceless Priests the Lord will have none of nor his People neither For my Sheep hear my Voice saith Christ and a Stranger they will not hear Surely a Graceless Man is this Stranger They to wit graceless men saith John 1 Epist. 4. are of the World and the World hear them we are of God Stewards of the manifold Grace of God 1 Pet 4 10 And they that are of God hear us And so ever Bless'd and Prais'd be the Great and Glorious Name of the Lord Jesus who hath restor'd to them that obey him the Glorious Doctrine of the Spirit 's Teaching as was in the Apostles dayes according to his true Promise where all in the Truth of which we the People of God in scorn call'd Quakers are Members where all I say is done in and by the Holy Spirit prais'd be God and nothing own'd among'st us but what is so done Here is Praying in and by the Spirit and Preaching in and by the Spirit and Singing in and by the Spirit of our Holy Lord God and so the Head being Spiritual and the Members of the Body every one Spiritual for we are all Baptiz'd by one Holy Spirit into the one Heavenly Body our Food is also Spiritual Heavenly Bread and Heavenly Wine and the Water Spiritual that Sanctifies us and makes us clean to God in all our Sacrifices and Services for Christ gave himself for his Church which is his Body that he might wash it and present it spotless to himself and without all Deformity by the washing of Water even the Water of Life in the Word of Life the creating Word of the everlasting Father which is Spirit and Life the Resurrection and the Life in every believing Soul for we are redeemed from Death thereby that we might forever hereafter serve God in the newness of his own Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter as all such do as know no other teaching Word but the Letter as this Baxter doth and so they having gotten a little Brain-knowledge by their humane helps and not by the Spirit of Truth
freely given for the edifying and building up of the Body of Christ till we all come to a perfect man to the measure and feature of the fulness of Christ no more then the Apostle did Ephes. 4.11 c. but that which we cry down is that Antichristian spirit in R. B. and all such men as by seting up self and flesh would draw from Christ and his Teachings in Spirit to look at them and their painted words and love killing Doctrines who are this day Goliah like come forth to defie the Armies of the Living God but the Stone cut out of the Mountain without Hands shall dash them and their Images all to peices Glory to the Lord for Ever And though they with their Humane or Earthly spirit and Sorceries withstand the Truth and Spirit thereof as Jamnes and Jambres withstood Moses when he was about to call Israel out of Egypt yet as their Folly was soon seen so are these and they shall not proceed far but Israel out of Egypt shall go and those Faithful ones that are escaped shall they not with all their Inchantment bring back again into Egypt Glory to the Lord for Ever Amen But wouldst thou indeed know Oh vain man R.B. for what the Apostles who had Ability to preach without mans help were sent forth then thou mayst know it was to reprove such as thee that would limit God to vain man's Help and to call his People from amongst you who lay heavy Burdens on mens Shoulders but will not touch them with one of your Fingers it is even so But whereas thou addest and say'st Those are taught of God who are taught by those who are sent of God to be their Teachers It plainly shews the numerous Company thou boasts of who believe thee are not taught of God for thy Doctrine already mentioned shews most plainly that thou wast never sent of God for never did any whom God sent set themselves against the free and Gratious Teaching and Gifts of God's Spirit to Establish Humane Helps as thou doest But as if that which thou hast said were nothing thou addest Pag. 8. Advise with the experience of all the World Who was the man that ever you knew able to Expound one Chapter in the Bible by the inward Teachings of the Spirit alone without any Labour of his own or Help from others by Voice or Writting Where dwelleth the man who by meer Inspiration can turn one Chapter out of the Hebrew or Greek into the vulgar Tongue and where is the man that can solidly unfold any Doctrine of Divinity which he never read or heard of or can Teach that Truth and deny that Religion which he was never taught by man And afterwards in his Second Direction and Pag. 16. having led his wretched Disciples into a Laborinth or Mist of words about their uncertainties in their Matters of Knowledge and having advised them to humility as he calls it or not to think too highly of their own knowledge he there adds and sayes in that 16th Page especially If you know your advantages for knowledge have been less then other mens that you are young or that it is but a few Years since you entred upon the study of the Scriptures or that you have not any stronger natural Parts then other men that you have not had that Measure of Learning which might further your knowledge of the Holy Scriptures but that others that differ from you have had much more of all these Helps and Means then you and have Prayed more and Meditated more c. And in Pag. 17. in his Answer to an Objection which is That the Learnedst men are not always the wisest in the matters of Religion he saith many men are learned in the Languages and Sciences who are not learned in the Scripture because they applyed not their Studies that way and many men are learned in the Scriptures and Sacred Languages who yet live in sin though they are able to Teach the Truth for others here by the way all may take notice what a False Teacher this Baxter is who is not ashamed to say That man that lives in sin may Teach the Truth for others for such as live in sin neither know the Truth which is Christ nor have seen him as John's first Epist. Chap. 3. expresly saith but this Baxter goeth on and saith But those that well understand the Scriptures without learning the Languages which they are written in and the Customs of those Times and Countries or without much reading and long study of the Scriptures themselves and the Writings of them that better understand them are so few if any at all that if you will pretend to be one of them you had need of some Miracle or somthing like a Miracle to make your selves or others believe that you are not deceived I Might here add his other false Doctrines immediately following these in that his Book as his Answer to an Objection there set down against singularity or so the Objection is this The greater Number are not alwayes in the Right therefore why should my singulary discourage me But because his Answer hath pretty many words in it I refer it to another place and to what he hath already said do answer and say in brief thus First That as by his other words so also by these it is most manifest from what Fountain this Baxter's knowledge hath proceeded to wit not from the Inspiration of the Eternal Spirit which gave forth Scripture but from his own Earthly or Natural spirit and Humane Industery and Studies and trading in Books and Letters without him from which Earthly or Humane Spirit and Wisdom hath not come nor possible ever can come to any the right meaning and understanding of Holy Scripture as such as he would have it for the natural man as the Apostle saith Perceiveth not the things that be of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.14 But all false Visions and lying Divinations have ever come from that Earthly spirit and all the cruel wrestings of the Holy Scriptures from the beginning to this day have proceeded from it to the miserable and wofull undoing of the Generallity of that People called Christendom as also the Blood-sheds and all the cruel usage of Spiritual Minded Men for their pure Conscience sake have issued from that Fountain of the Earthly spirit and the false Births thereof from the beginning and that great Whore found Guilty of all for in her was found the Blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the Earth Râ—â—â— 18.24 for what Spiritual man did ever ask such a Question or rather affirm for in him his question is an affirmation to wit That no man is able by the inward Teachings of the Spirit alone to Expound one Chapter in the Bible And that there is none can solidly Unfold any Doctrine of Divinity which he never read or heard of or can teach the Truth or defend that Religion which he was
never taught by man Oh happy therefore are they who are come to the Everlasting Covenant of God and to know the inward Teachings and Leadings of his Holy Spirit in their Heart to Lead them into all Truth according to Promise Joh. 16. without being beholding to Vain Man's Help for whereof is he to be accounted as is manifest even as a Thing of naught is the best of them out of the Truth For O! How Ignorant of the Ministry of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit 's Inspiration sufficient Teaching is this Baxter who is not content to sit among the Parish Teachers as a Fellow but even takes upon him to be a Teacher of the Teachers Yea so Ignorant and Unbelieving is he concerning the Spirit 's Power and Sufficiency in these dayes that without an outward Miracle he will not believe any such Thing Nay he would not have People believe for themselves that God teacheth their own Hearts unless it come in man's Way and by Humane study Labour and natural Means Therefore the Lord saw good for his own Glory and for the Vindication of his own Honourable and Everlasting Truth which the Hirelings had made void by their Traditions and for the absolute necessity of his own beloved Seed to restore unto us the Ancient Doctrine of the Holy Spirit 's Sufficiency in all the Work of bringing man out of the Fall to God that the Lord the Spirit might be the first and the last yea all in all in their Salvation without man's Help for he is worthy who as he created all things by his own alone Power and according to his Good Will so he restores all things according to the Counsel of his own Will and not of Flesh nor of Blood nor of the Will of Man as the Apostle also speaks Joh. 1.13 but Oh How unlike is this Doctrine of the Apostle's to Baxter's for when the Apostle had said To them that received Christ to them he gave Power to become the Sons of God left any should think as this Baxter doth that it was either by man's Labour or Study or Humane endeavour or Art or Parts or any natural Abilities or Helps whatsoever he saith It was not of Flesh nor of Blood nor of the Will of Man but of God And of his own Will begat he us by the Word of Truth saith that other Apostle Jam. 1.17 18. and he bids not err as this Baxter doth to set up another Fountain or Root and that this Word of Truth is not any outward Writing Voice or any Creature John in his first Chapter tells us That in the beginning was this Word and the Word was with God and is God and his Name is called the Word of God Revel 19.13 so this Word though it works according to the witness of the Scripture which it gave forth freely and as it self pleaseth in the Children of men yet it is not the Scripture For search the Scriptures or ye do search the Scriptures saith Christ That witness of me but you will not come to me that you may have Life and these were they that Paul said He bore them record that they had a Zeal for God and Scripture but not according to knowledge for they being Ignorant of God's Righteousness went about to Establish their own Righteousness and submitted not to God's And so even so this Baxter and many such like have a blind Zeal and a great Talk of the Scriptures without and of the Spirit 's Teaching by the Letter and Humane Helps and the like but will not come to Christ to know him in them that they may have Life and Wisdom and Righteousness But would Establish their own which is meer Emptiness and Vanity in the sight of God and all truly Spiritual men 2 Cor. 13.5 Rom. 10.3 And how far this Baxter's Language in those other words where he saith That if any will pretend to a good Understanding of the Scriptures without learning the Languages which they are written in and the Customs of those Times Countries or without much reading and long study of the scriptures themselves and the Writings of them that 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 them had need of some Miracle or sounding 〈…〉 to perswade themselves or others that they are not deceived How far I say is this Doctrine and language in this 〈◊〉 from the Language of the holy men of God that writ Scripture let the Spiritual Man who best understands all things judge for the holy Apostles Magnified the free Grace and the free Teachings of the Spirit of Grace and debased man and all Humane Helps as is said before and as the Scripture every where witnesseth But this Baxter tyeth the Wait and main stress of all upon Humane Learning natural Parts knowledge of Customs and Countries much reading long study and the like insomuch that without them man must not look that any should believe him Nay nor he must not own God's Teaching in his own Heart without these unlest seconded by some Miracle or the like But Oh the Misery therefore of such poor Souls as follow such wretched Teachers and their damnable Doctrine as I may well And Oh forever Blessed are they who are brought from off such Barren Mountains into the good Fold where all the Lambs of Christ lie down in the good Pasture of the Spirit 's fulness and walk up and down in the Light of the Lord under the hand of the good Shepherd Christ Jesus where none can come to make afraid nor deceive for in the Light of our God we see all these false Teachers and their devouring Doctrines and by the holy Power of God are delivered from them and made able in the overcoming Spirit of Truth to declare against them Glory to God forever Amen Again Let us revew and consider in particular a little of those words of his before set down where he saith as an Argument to perswade his young Ones and Dissenters to his falsly called Humility Especially saith he If you know your advantages for knowledge have been less then other mens that you are younger or that it is but a few Years since you entred upon the Study of the Scripture or that you have not any stronger natural Parts then other men or that you have not had that Measure of learning which might further your knowledge of the holy Scripture But that others that differ from you have had much more of all these Helps and Means then you and have Prayed more and Meditated more c. To which I Answer That by these words it is easily seen what manner of knowledge it is that this Baxter trades in and would have all Slaves unto and what are his Means for obtaining it to wit a meer natural Knowledge which by meer Worldly Helps and Advantages may be attained for a meer Heathen accompanied with many Years and much Humane Learning and strong Natural Parts that can but talk much of the Scripture especially having on him a Form of Prayer and the
are not Christians and the greater number of vulgar Christians be not in the right perhaps in many Points of Learning and Scholastick Controversies because they are not learned in such Controversies but all Godly men and Christians are in the right in all Points Essential to Godliness and Christianity And therefore they are in the certain way of Life And if in any integral or accedental Point you think you are wiser then the greater part of men as Learned and as Godly as your selves you must give very good Proofs of it to your selves and others before it is to be believed I know that in all Ages God giveth some few men more excellent natural Parts then others and he engageth some in deeper and more laborious Studies then others and he Blesseth some mens Studies more then others and therefore there are still some few who know more then the rest of the Country or Mankind and it were well for the rest if they knew these and would learn of them But these are such as come to their Knowledge by hard and laborious Studies and Meditation though also by the Spirit 's Blessing their endeavours and they are such as give proof of the Knowledge they pretend to and they are such as imploy their Knowledge to preserve the Peace and Concord of Believers and do not proudly make a stir with it to set up their own Names though hereby they set the World on fire To which by way of reply I answer and say That there is not the least Child of Light But doth truely and easily see the nature of the Spirit by which this R. B. is still acted and the end he drives at for as for the Spirit by which he is acted it still appears plainly to be the spirit of this World that never knew God nor the Mysteries of his holy and Heavenly Kingdom by which Earthly spirit by much poring on Books without him he hath attained to a deal of Unsanctified graceless Knowledge as himself speaks Pag. 114. to deceive the simple People by who are Ignorant of Satans Devises and as for his end it is also as manifest to be this to wit to bring People who were in some measure pressing out of Babylon back into Egypt and Babylon again and yet to cover his deceit lest the Simple should see him without an Interpreter he brings in the Spirit as to help his Humane Labour and Carnal Endeavours But the Spirit of God which he strikes at in all his writing will be no Drudge or Slave to any such Vain Self-ended Proud Mind in any But of these words where he saith That all Godly men and Christians are in the right in all Points Essential to Godlyness and Christianity and therefore in the certain Way of Life as he saith Let us consider for in his sence they are most notoriously false and wicked for as for Godly men who ever imagined otherwise much less denied in words or so that they were in the right but as for that he saith That all Christians viz. all that were sprinkled when they were Children and that so being grown up make an outward Profession of Christ for such in Spiritual manner he means by Christians as is most manifest are in the right in all Points Essential to Christianity and so in the certain Way of Life It is such a notorious peice of falshood and so impudent an assertion that no one saying can more gratifie the Devil and so help to build up his Kingdom then it doth Nay it certainly gives the Lye to the certain experience and Testimony of all the holy men of God both formerly and now for Paul said in his day That many professed and nominal Christians do so walk as that they were Enemies to the Cross of Christ whose god was their their Belly and who gloried in their shame and whose end was destruction Phil. 3. and were these in the right Points Essentiall to Christianity and in the certain Way of Life what Contradiction and Blasphemy is this And the same Apostle tells some among the Corinthians That they had not the knowledge of God Cor. 15. and what were these right also in all Essentials what is not the knowledge of God an Essential Point of Christianity Nay without the knowledge of God no Eternal Life and yet this Baxter is not ashamed to affirm That such as know not God are in the certain Way of Life And further to the experience of all that know God do I appeal whether this R. B. doth not here in his blindness justifie the very Papist Yea and all other sorts of People who any way in the outward profess Christ especially if they be outwardly sprinkled with Water young or old for saith he in his Preface Pag. 33. Christ hath solemnly and purposely made the baptismal Covenanting with him to wit by outward washing to be the Tearm and Title to Church-Member-ship and Communion and the owning of this same Covenant is the sufficient Title of the Adult or those of ripe years and the Imposers that come after and require another kind of Evedence of Conversion or Sanctification then this do confound the Church and enslave the People and leave no certain way of Tryal Thus far R. B. by which it appears whether this Baxter by endeavouring to keep his credit with the world is wandred beyond all the Bounds of Reason and Modesty Nay Mystery Babylon her self though she be become a Cage of every unclean and barefull Bird and a very Habitation of Devils must not pass unjustified by him but be reckoned to be right in all the Essentials of Christianity and in the certain Way of Life For without all Controversie this Mystery Babylon is of that Number who in words profess God and Christ and have a Name to live though they be dead as this Baxter is or it were not a Mystery if it were not covered from the Worlds Eye with a shew of what it is not Revel 17 18 19. Chapters Yet so far is this Baxter sunk into the Dark Pit of Antichristian Abomination that he acounts it an abuse and false Interpreting of Scripture to perswade any from that Command Come out of Babylon to separate from professed or nominal Christians though full of Iniquity Page 32. then which nothing more can gratifie his Father the Wicked One and his Adulterous Mother the Synagogue of Rome for though he would seem in some words here and there in his Book to be no Papist yet there is never an Argument he brings for the Fellow-ship with Dead and Corrupted Members and against those that separate from such but they will fully serve to prove the Company of the Pope to be a Church and all them to blame who have separated from him in outward Church-Fellowship upon any pretence whatsoever So foolish is the World's Wisdom when it is set against Truth But this Baxter having laid his Wicked and False Ground That all that are called Christians are in the
know the Truth the Truth shall set you free indeed But this Baxter and all such teach it for Doctrine That they are so far from being free from sin that their very prayers and best performances are not free from sin but sin is in them all Oh sad that ever they should dare to pretend to the Ministry of the Gospel who preach such a Doctrine as make nothing perfect but leaves them in sin all their lives long And no wonder that they and their Doctrine should be void of all good Fruit for saith God They have run and I have not sent them therefore they shall not profit the People at all And yet they would gladly have People know them and learn of them though they can do them no good at all and this is that sorry and bad Proof that the Hirelings make of their great knowledge they pretend unto which they have gotten with their natural Parts and hard Studies and so thy own words shall witness against thee Oh Baxter and thy Brethren who have given no good proof of your knowledge to this day nor have thereby preserved Peace and Concord amongst Believers but done what you can to break it for that Doctrine that makes not men free from sin leaves all the seeds of Discord and Dissention still in Peoples Minds for as sin separated man from God at first so doth it to this day keep them asunder and so keeps them from Love for God is Love and none live or dwell in Love but such as live and dwell in God But such as live in sin and never pray without it are out of God as the Apostle said of People in unbelief They were without God in the World It is not any outward Conformity that will or can make them to be at peace with or love one another for if it were possible to bring Papist Athist and Carnal Protestants and Professors of all sorts into one Form of outward Worship as for Time Place Words or the like Yet there would be neither Love Peace nor Concord amongst them for want of Unity with God and his good Spirit the onely true Ground and Foundation of all true Love Peace and Concord And so Oh R. Baxter we have known thee this many years to be a great Enemy of God and therefore we may not learn of thee nor any such but of Christ do we learn ever praised be his Name who teaches his People to profit and so it s onely the poor deluded Multitude that knowâ— thee not who learn of thee and suck in such poysoned Doctrine as makes them most uncapable of the pure Word of Life and Doctrine of Salvation so that Publicans and Harlots who make little or no Profession enter into the Kingdom of God before you And as for making a stir with thy knowledg and striving to set up thy own Name thereby though thou set the whole World on fire by it who more notorious then thy self in this R. Baxter as witness all thy lying frothy words Books and Pamphlets which thou hast spoken and written against the appearance of Christ and his Truth in these late years but thy Studies and thy Works God hath cursed for no Child of Light will ever buy any of thy Merchandize nor the deceitfull Wares of any other Merchants of Babylon for evermore Blessed be God for his unspeakable Gift Amen But the end of these words of setting the World on fire set down here by this Baxter is easily seen to be this to wit to perswade People that those who are zealous for God in these days in publishing his everlasting Gospel upon the Earth in a cross to the World are such as set up themselves and would set the World on fire And so he is manifest to be one of the old evil Generation of Priests who accused Christ for a mover of Sedition and Paul for a pestilent Fellow Oh it was that good stirring Spirit of the Lord Jesus in himself and his Followers which did so trouble the World the combustible World in all Ages that made and doth make the Hrieling Priests and their deluded Followers so rage and cry out but as for setting the World on fire in a goodsence Christ Jesus saith That he came to set Fire in the Earth But for setting the World on fire in Baxter's sence that is sowing discord and dissention amongst People this is the work and ever was the work of the Hireling Priests who loved to be called of men Masters as this R Baxter is as is said before witness not onely our own Age but the holy Scripture and the Histories of all Times and Ages as those that read may understand And yet these proud Masterly and false Teachers were ever the first and for wardst that cryed against Christ and his Followers for disturbing the World's Peace when as this Doctrine of Christ's Spirit though it did alwayes disturb the Devil's yet it did alwayes tend to the working of the hearts and Souls of the People into God's Peace and did ever and doth at this day work this glorious and blessed Effect in all that believe Whereof we are Witnesses praised be God though for the Testimony of Christ we are troubled on every side by the wicked World So that even now when the Wicked have no peace for there is no peace to the Wicked we whom the World mock stone and persecute under the Nick-Name of Quakers or so have peace in all our Dwellings And within Egypt is full of Darkness that one may feel it yet in our Goshen is plenty of Light ever praised be God And when the World of false Christians are learning War and preparing Weapons we are ceasing from War and not to learn it any more as the Lord hath said And therefore Oh ye Inhabitants of the Earth if ye knew us ye would not hate us and persecute us but love us with your Hearts because of the good will of our Hearts towards you for our Weapons are not Carnal but Spiritual Not for pulling down or Destroying of you but your Enemies your sins which wars against your Souls And the Reason why we cannot joyn with you in your Liturgyes and Worship-actions is not because we hate you but because we Love God and your Souls for if we should joyn with you in your defiled Worship as your selves confess they are we should strengthen you in an evil Way But by our separating from you because of the unholiness of your Sacrifices occasion may be ministred to you to question your State and so some of you in time may come out of your Darkness into the marvellous Light of the Lord Jesus with us and praise the Lord in the Land of the Living so be it Another of this Baxter's Follies and false Doctrines I may here mention as one may read it in that Book of his that I have under hand to wit in Pag. 114. are these words It may be unlawfull saith he in a Ruler to command
Baxter's Book Entitul'd The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D CONFUTED And he prov'd to be a Physitian of NO VALUE Who hath manifested his Folly and Weakness in undertaking a Work which he hath so little Understanding in By Thomas Taylor For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to Covetousness c. They have Heal'd also the Hurt of the Daughter of my People with sweet words saying Peace Peace when there is no Peace Jer. 6.13 14. But ye are Forgers of Lyes ye are all Physitians of no Value Job 13.4 Printed in the Year 1671. Baxter's Book Entitul'd The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D CONFUTED RICHARD BAXTER a man who through a shew of Learning and Religion had gotten in Oliver Crumwel's dayes a great esteem in the minds of the ignorantly Zealous Professors of Religion in this Nation and especially in the parts of Worcester-shire about Kidderminster where he then resided hath since the change of the Times and coming in of the Old Common-prayer-Book again much manifested his Nakedness Confusion and Unsoundness to every Eye that in any measure is open to see the difference of Truth and Error in the ground of it as by his works appear and that it is so amongst other things that Book of his falsly call'd The Cure of Church-Divisions which I have now under-hand to answer doth plainly manifest For instead of curing Divisions he hath shew'd himself to be a Physitian of no value so instead of curing hath struck at under a Judas Kiss of Unity Concord the very Life and Foundation of all true Christian Unity and Amity to wit The Free and Perfect Teachings and Gifts and Work of the Spirit of Truth the Spirit of the Father and Son in his believing Members whereby they cry in a spotless Mind Abba Father and freely and powerfully declare the Glory of his Kingdom to the Children of Men and instead thereof would bring in and establish that Soul-deceiving and Church-dividing doctrine of Humane Learning and Humane Helps as absolutely necessary to the procuring and engaging as it were the Holy unlimited God to give unto the Creature his holy Spirit and the Knowledge of the Mysteries of his Eternal Will and Kingdom for the same as in Answer to an Objection in the 6th page of his Book in his first Direction so call'd is to be seen The Objection against his carnal Reasonings for Old Men's knowledge is in pag. 5. where he saith I know those that I have to do with will say That Divinity is not learn't by Labour and Men's-teaching as other Sciences and Arts are but by Teaching I add yea and most free Gift of the Spirit of God and therefore the Youngest may have as much of it as the Eldest And to this R. B. there thus answers Answ. There is some Truth saith he and some Falshood and much Confusion in this Objection Reply But O the Darkness ye◠rather Enmity that is in Baxter's heart against the free Teaching of God's Spirit that he would find any thing against so plain and manifest Truth as is in this Objection But what will not Flesh do that is lifted up with Conceits of his own wisdom to keep up its Honour before the people rather then the Pure Undoubted Truth of the Gospel and Self-abasing Spirit of Truth should Raign and have the Preheminence But let us hear how this R.B. proves that that there is either 〈◊〉 or Confusion in the Objection It is true saith he that the saving Knowledge of Divinity must be taught by the Spirit of God but it is false that Labour and Humane Teaching are not the Means which must be us'd by them who will have the Teaching of the Spirit But to this I say That a Child of Light in the least Measure doth easily see the Falshood of that spirit by which this R.B. is acted in this his answer For the wind of the Spirit bloweth where it listeth and thou hear'st the sound thereof thou natural Man but neither knows whence it comes nor whither it goes so is every one that 's born of God And without this Birth all thy knowledge is damning not saving John 3.7 8. c. And Job 32.7 8. I said dayes should Speak and multitude of years should Teach Wisdom but there is a Spirit in man and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth them Understanding And saith God It shall come to pass in the last dayes that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh and they shall all know me from the least to the greatest yea and Young-men shall see Visions and Servants and Hand-maids shall Prophesie and ye have receiv'd an Unction from the Holy One and ye know all things saith the Apostle John and ye need not that any man teach you This is the Day of the Lord wherein these things are fulfill'd prais'd be God And the new Covenant aboundantly witness'd in the Children of Light whom this wicked Book of Baxter's strikes at but his Wickedness turns upon his own Pate and his own Inquities shall slay him For he by his carnal Wisdom would darken Knowledge and shut the Kingdom of Heaven against men as his Predecessors of old the Pharisees mention'd Mat. 23. did But the Lord hath open'd a Door to the Believing Souls this Day which all the powers of Darkness shall never be able to shut Glory to his Name forever But what is that Labour and Humane Means that People must use for getting the Spirit of God or saving Knowledge of Divinity as he calls it Is it tumbling over a Ruck of Books stuffed with art and Humane Wisdom or Learning from below as this R.B. hath long done to the darkning of his Heart from the Knowledge of God and Way of his Spirit so that he knows nothing of it after all his long lost labour but what he knows naturally as a bruit Beast and that 's plain for it sanctifies him not as by his confessing That his best Duties even his Prayers are not without sin and affirming that no man prayes without sin as in his Book is to be seen page 195 and in his Preface And so the Prayer of Faith and Preaching by the Spirit he is ignorant of yea Preaching by the Spirit is become a Mock and a Derision to him and his Brethren at this day but Paul and all the Ministers of Christ Magnifie the Free Grace and Infinite Gift of the Spirit of God according to that 2 Cor. 3. Saying Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think a good Thought but our Ability is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter kills but the Spirit gives Life And that which the Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath entred into the Heart of man or Humane Heart to conceive hath God reveal'd to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the Deep Things of
right in all Points essential to Christianity and in the certain Way of Life he may easily conclude that to be unwarrantable separation which goeth from such But then I say How will the Protestants warrant their first separation from Popery or how did this Baxter with his Presbyterians in Oliver's time with their Directory excuse their separating from the Bishops and their Comon-prayer and how will be salve his old Non-conforming Brethren's flight into New-England where since they have shed the Blood of the Martyrs of Christ from the former Bishops But now his false Ground and Foundation being overturned it is most manifest that that separation is most lawfull which is from such who call good evil and evil good put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light as Baxter and all the Wicked do from whom the People of God in these Days separate And so in obeying the Voice of our God who saith Come out of Mystery Babylon my People lest ye pertake of her Sins and so of her Plagues we are justified for the sins of the Wicked who in words profess God and Christ but in deeds deny all is reached Heaven at this day And doth not the Apostle say If any man that is called a Brother be a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolator and Covetousness by the Apostle's Doctrine is Idolatry or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such not to keep company no not as to eat with them 1. Cor. 5.11 And doth he not say in an other Place Have no Fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness nor with the unfruitful Workers in Darkness as before but rather reprove them Ephes. 5.11 must we not yet separate from them yea yea in their very Worship Actions as well as others and when even the greater number are so far defiled and tainted with the Leprosie of Unrighteousness that they are so far from amending that they persecute all that will not be as bad as themselves Surely when the Lord hath spued out a People as he threatned to do luke-warm Laodicea Revel 3.16 yea and cast them off for their resisting of his good Spirit as he did the Jews 't is no time for his People to stay amongst them then and to continue with them in their Worship-Actions as he calls them but every one to deliver his own Soul by coming out of such Babylonish Worships whose Prayers are Abomination to God as all sinful Prayers are and neither this Baxter nor any one that he knows upon the Earth prayeth without sin as himself before hath confessed and so all of them together do daily and continually that which they should not do and leave undone what the Lord Commands them and so have no health in them and so now that the True Light shines so clear again from under the long Cloud of Antichristian Apostacy it is the wisdom of all that love God and their own Souls to joyn to the Lord in the Covenant of his Light and Spirit where no Committers of sin can joyn for Darkness and the Workers thereof can never joyn with the Light and the Workers thereof So now that the Trumpet hath sounded all ought to come to the holy Worship of God amongst the holy Worshippers that Worship in the Spirit of Holiness and Truth where no Worker of Iniquity nor Hypocrite can come out of all the Defiled Worship of the World whatsoever or under what Name soever in the Fall But this Baxter is in such love of hypocrisie that he makes a necessity of the Hypocrites being amongst the true Members of Christ as though they knew not how to do without them as if the good Corn could not grow so well if the Weeds were wanting saying Pag. 56. It is more for the sake of the truely Faithfull then for themselves that the Hypocrites have their Station and Priviledges in the Church God makes use of their Gifts and Profession for his Elect to many great Services of the Church To which I answer That this Language berayes thee further to be of Babylon and not of Zion what R. Baxter with all his seeming Zeal for Reformation in Oliver's dayes become now a-Pleader for the Hypocrites and their great Service in the Church But this is but like his Doctrine of his graceless Ministers which he pleads for Pag. 114. of his Book so R. Baxter and his Hypocrites and graceless Brethren with their Gifts or rather Thefts void of Grace have been so far from being serviceable to the Elect True Church that they have done it and ever did all the Injury that ever they can by their wicked Doctrines Ungodly lives and heaps of Lyes and false Accusations and cruel Persecutions in somuch that the growth of the heavenly Seed the Lillies of God the true Heirs of the Kingdom hath been and is as a Lilly among Thorns But Christ and Richard Baxter are directly contrary in their Judgment one to the other for Christ would not suffer the Devil in the man to preach him but commanded him to come out and hold his peace because Christ never had need of Devils or wicked men or Hypocrites to preach him but saith to such What hast thou to do to take my Laws and Covenant in thy Mouth and hatest to be reformed Psal. 50.16 c. and so far are graceless Priests and Hypocrites from being serviceable in this matter to his Church that he saith My Sheep hear my Voyce and they follow me but the graceless Minister and Hypocrite who is a Stranger to me they will not hear for such come but to rob and destroy read John 10. and see if ever R. Baxrter understood Scripture who talks so contrary to it As did those Pharisees of old whom Christ cried out so many times Wo against Mat. 23. Who would neither enter into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves nor suffer others And those in Ezekiel who sowed Pillows under mens Elbows making glad the Hearts of the Wicked Hirelings by perswading People that they must not disown them from being Ministers though they be totally void of all saving Grace and that Hypocrites have a Station in the Church for great services with their graceless Gifts to the Elect and by pleading for Games and Fashions of Apparel yea and the Opinions in Religion of bad People yea to such a measure that he is not ashamed to say That many an Error is taken up by going too far from other mens faults as is to be seen in Pag. 224. of his Book with many such like heathenish sayings up and down his Book a few whereof I only touch here and there as they come to mind that by those the Reader may see the nature of that wretched spirit that hath long lurked in him under a cloak of zeal for Reformation when the World pretended to such things but now that the World is for a manifest establishing of their old dark Stuff he turns about and is all for them as it were and against Zeal against
first thing that this Baxter would have you his principal and best taught Hearers to confess to wit That Pride is in your very Hearts which if you were sensible of you would cease calling God your Father and Christ your Redeemer in this wretched State for to you in this State it may be truely said as Christ said to those unbelieving Jews Ye are of your Father the Devil for Pride of Heart is the chief part of his wicked Image and indeed the main thing in this day which hinders you from coming to Christ the meek pure and lowly Lamb of God is the Pride of your corrupt Hearts as Jeremiah said to the Jews If you will not give Glory to God before your feet stumble upon the dark Mountains my Soul shall mourn in secret for your Pride It was the Pride of their Hearts that was the ground of all their Evils as it is of yours for from the Pride of your Hearts comes your Ignorance of Mind and partiallity and want of all good to the dishonouring of your Profession and what not So that it may easily be known who sent this Baxter who hath profited you nothing at all For they have ran and I have not sent them saith God Therefore they cannot profit the People at all Jer. 23. And that this R. B. might make it fully appear under whose Banner he fights and for whose Kingdom he pleads lest the rest of his Book should leave it doubtful He is now come forth in his proper shape as the absolute Enemy of God and all good men that in any measure are looking Heaven-ward being burdened with the fellowship of the Wicked and instead of helping the Lord 's little Ones against the great Power of the Dragon in the Persecutors he hath hammered forth all the wicked Weapons that he can for the Wicked Persecutors and against the tender hearted ones of God who are travelling to the holy Land with Egypt left behind as in that 55. Direction so called and Pag. 254. of his said Book appears where he hath these words Little do many real Separates who cry out against the spirit of persecution suspect that the same spirit is in them Whence is Persecution but from thinking ill of others and abhorring them or not loving them And do you not so by those saith he whom you causlesly separate from Answ. Here by way of Answer before I set down any more of this naughtiness of his I cannot but take notice of this word causlesly which here this Baxter puts in to cover his deceit for though at the first look one might judge he intended only causless or unwarrantable or wicked separation yet Reader thou must know he intends as well the truely tender hearted People of England who in conscience to God and according to his holy Commandment are come out and separated from the fellowship of the Wicked in these dayes and so cannot take part in the Offerings of the dead as well as others and at these in a special manner he strikes after his accustomed manner through the sides of others for his main Envy is against the living Members of Christ And so though those that separate without cause may have the like mind to those they separate from being different onely in Form but not in Heart from them yet such as are separated by the Power of God as Paul was whom God separated from his Mothers Womb calling him by his Grace have not for these stand out of their own thoughts and are in the Will and Work and Worship of God whose Worship is in Spirit and Truth But to proceed Baxter saith further You will say that though you think them not to be true Christians yet you love them as men and wish their good and so will those say by you saith he whom you call your Persecutors though they think you to be proud and humerous and disobedient yet they say they love you as men and do but correct you to cure your self-willedness and humor and to do you good and to preserve the publick Peace They think you to be bad and therefore Imprison you You think them to be bad and therefore avoid Communion with them To this I cannot but by the way speak a word Who is there that sees not the very spirit of the Egyptian Sorcerers acting in this very thing to the hardening of Pharoah's Heart lest he should let Israel go But this Baxter goes on in his wickedness and saith They to wit the Persecutors think you so bad as to be unworthy of civil Liberty and Priviledges You think them so bad as to be unworthy of Church Priviledges and Liberties They think you unworthy to be suffered in the Land perhaps and you think them unworthy to be suffered in the Churches they cry against you Away with them they are Schismatical or Heretical you cry against them Away with them they are Prophane Answ. Now in answer to this I say That we who are of the World scornfully called Quakers have everlasting cause to praise the Lord who hath redeemed our Souls from among such devouring Wolves as this R. B. and from such a venomous spirit as he is acted by What Heathen upon Earth could strengthen the hands of the Persecutors against the Righteous more then this Baxter by such Arguments as this doth what if this Baxter had lived in the dayes of the Apostles and first Christians when God separated them from the Congregation of the unbelieving Jews surely he could not but have been but accounted famous and worthy of great Honour amongst those persecuting Jews for such Arguments as these for never an Argument he brings for the Persecutors now but it would as much have fitted the Persecutors then against the Christians yea and it would formerly yea and doth at this day fit the Papists against the Protestants as well as the persecuting prophane superstitious Protestant against them whom God hath drawn by his mighty Power this day from amongst them For seeing he sets but thought against thought the Persecutors thoughts of the Righteous against the persecuted man's thoughts of him and seeing all thoughts are questionable he leaves this ground for the persecuting Jew to reason to excuse himself against the first Christians according to his hellish Invention on this wise viz. ' You Christians who separate from us are of as bad a spirit as us Jews whom you call your Persecutors for what is Persecution but a thinking ill of others and abhorring them or not loving them And do you not so by us whom you causlesly separate from And though you say though you think us not as Servants of God or so yet you love us as men and wish our Good so do we you and that which we do against you which you call Persecution is but a correcting of you to cure your self-willedness and humor and to do you good and to preserve the publick Peace And though you think much you Christians that we
Parish-Way of Worship as now managed as their Hearers are save onely their gross Hypocrisie and self-seeking nature and double mind as was hinted before for they have carried the People in hand that they would suffer yea what would they not suffer rather then conform and now behold how this Teacher of Teachers Baxter hath bewrayed their Nakedness O People People who have been long deceived by such double-minded-ones who are unstable in all their Wayes that you would turn your Minds from them to the true Light of Jesus Christ in your Conscience that with it you might first see your selves and so growing up in that true Light you might come to see Jesus Christ who never fell nor never changeth to be your Teacher and Minister and so come from off the Barren Mountains whether these the like deceitful men Baxter and Bryan have led you and left you for now is the Lord making unto all People a Feast of fat Things of Wine on the Lees well refined ever praised be his Name for it And now if after all the Light that the Lord hath set up in this day you will not be warned to come into the Liberty of the Sons of God and so accept of God's Freedom in his Son freely tendered you what remaines but if you be fastned more in the Pit of Darkness with all Unbelievers it is just But whereas this Baxter tells of his Brother Bryan's silencing formerly for not conforming it had been well for him that he had been silent still rather then have opened his Mouth thus to the dishonour of God and strengthning Deceit in the Deceitful and so to the everlasting Shame and Confusion of his own Face and all his raking up something here and there as he could get hold of it in his dark Imaginations for Parish conformity it is so nothing to the purpose and so well seen to be so by all that are not wilfully blind that it serves onely to discover his own nakedness and rotten inside as not onely by what hath been already said but by what also now follows doth further appear as in page 295. is set down where he saith It is no sufficient warrant to separate from a Church because it is guilty of such Sins and Corruptions as deserves God should forsake for which he hath threatned in his Word that he will forsake it here by the way take notice that this Bryan here considered not that he fully makes manifest the Hypocrisie of his Brother Baxter who talks of his Hearers forsaking the Corruptions of the Times and yet is one with this Bryan in perswading them to joyn with such a Body as is so corrupt that deserves that God should yea and hath threatned that he will forsake them but to go on Bryan saith Yet People should not forsake that bad Company till it appear that God hath put in execution that which he justly threatned we ought to acknowledge it and receive it as his House and not refuse to dwell with him in it for shall man be holier then God And hate corruption more then he And we may not communicate with it by consenting to any Corruptions that are or shall be detected or proved to be in it Answ. To which strange Doctrine of this Bryan to which Baxter in his Epistle says Amen I say in the first place it is absolute Blasphemy against the Holy Name and Nature of God either to say or imagine that God dwells with such a People as are guilty of such Sins and Corruptions as this Bryan here speaks of and how far unlike this Bryan's spirit is to the spirit of the Prophets who said God is of purer Eyes then to behold Iniquity and your sins have separated betwixt you and your God and the Apostle saith expresly That those that would have God to dwell in them and it s certain God dwells with none but as he dwells in them they must be separated and touch no unclean them 2 Cor. 6.16 17 18. And doth the Lord command us to come out from amongst the Unclean And will he himself the holy One of Israel dwell with the Unclean yea with such as are guilty of such Sins and Corruptions as deserve that God should forsake them for them yea for which God hath threatned in his Word that he will forsake them And certainly there can be no Way nor Meanes to stay or hinder the Execution of God's Judgments threatned and deserved but by forsaking those Sins and Corruptions which such People are guilty of which the People of England that this Bryan would have us and others to joyn with are far from for O England England thou and thy Parishes are they that will not come to Christ that they might have Life but persecutes them with all unreasonableness and cruel usages that the Lord hath raised up to forewarn thee of his Judgments and so thy House being left desolate of God and goodness we are not more holy then God nor hate Corruption more then he in our separating from thee as this wicked man Bryan would have thee falsly believe but in our separating from thee we do the Lord's Command and follow his blessed Example and so we cannot receive that for God's House which he dwells not in And so thou art a false Witness O Bryan and a Blasphemer of God and his Tabernacle for the Temple and Tabernacle of God is holy which Temple are his holy Members and Body the True Church not Babylon the False Sinful and Corrupted Church which Baxter and Bryan pleads for and if any defile the Temple of God saith the Apostle him will God not call his House and dwelling place but destroy 1 Cor. 3.17 Again How shall this gross Contradiction which this twisting twinding Serpent makes be salved For this Bryan one while sayes It s to be holier then God to separate from such a sinful corrupt Sort as deserves God's Judgments And yet with the same Mouth saith We may not communicate with them by consenting to any Corruptions that are or shall be detected or proved to be in such a People What joyn with a manifest Corrupted Body whose very Prayers by their own confession are not without sin and not so much as consent to any of their Corruptions What a joyning is this when it must not be a joyning no not so much as in the consent What gross dark Contradiction is here and now to bring this a little home to the business of England a Docter so called and Pleader for Conformity and Communion with the Parish-Worshippers of England which are detected and manifestly proved yea and not onely by their words but by their own Confession also to be miserable Offenders against God yea so guilty and full of sins and corruptions from the crown of the Head to the Soles of their Feet as that they have no Health nor Soundness at all in them would have us conform to them and yet he saith We may not communicate with