God The Nature of it is to Discover Sin Reprove for It and Lead out of It all such as Love and Obey the Convictions thereof It is a Principle of Divine Life that Quickens the Obedient Heart to Newness of Life It Raises the Mind above the World to God and searches out and reveals the Deep things of God to the humble and waiting Soul And be it known to the Bishop and all that with him profess Ignorance about what we mean by the Light of Christ within Man This is It I have been treating of and I have writ I bless Almighty God My own Experience the Taste and Relish I have had of Its Excellency and Sufficiency in the Course of far the greater and best part of my Life But the Bishop must excuse me if I say I â—annot but take it very Ill at his hands to â—orbid us in his following Words to pretend â—o give an Account of what we Believe unless â—e can make him understand our meaning And â—ecause he does not penetrate our Sense to â—all our way of Wording that blessed Prinâ—iple of the Light of Christ in Man a Perâ—ect Banter This to me is one of the seveâ—est Persecutions because Spiritual things â—re only to be Spiritually discerned and unâ—erstood I would fain know how a Regeâ—erate Man can possibly make a Carnal Man understand the New Birth It is cerâ—ainly the Gift of God to understand Divine Truths as well as Rightly to Believe So that supposing our Assertion of the Nature Power and Excellency of the Light of Christ in Man to be true not to have leave to say so unless we could make every Man rightly take our Sence and Meaning whether he be Spiritually Discerning or not looks Antichristian as well as Unreasonable We speak Wisdom says the Apostle among them that are perfect 1 Cor. 7. 6. It seems others understand him not must He therefore not have wrote of the things of God The very Preaching of the Gospel was Foolishness to the Wiselings of Jews and Greeks they could make neither Head nor Tail of It by Their way of Judging of Truth Must not the Gospel therefore be preach'd When the Apostle Paul preach'd to the Athenians some of the Men of the Gown the Philosophers of that Time Opposed and Despised him saying What will this Babbler say But had they known what he meant we cannot think they would have said so to Him Waâ— the Aposlte then or the Athenians in faulâ— that they did not understand Him Or was it Bantering as well as Babbling because he did not make them understand his meaning which is only the Work of the Holy Ghost to do Who was it I pray thaâ— said The World by Wisdom knew not God And can we suppose any thing else blinded the Scribes and Pharisees and the High-Priest of the Jews from discerning the Messiah when He came For they wanted not Academical Learning if that could have enlightned them nor yet the Scriptures but they Resisted the Holy Ghost their only True Interpreter and so stumbled and fell Let the Bishop also have a Care In the Second Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians he will find that the Aâ—ostle spake the Wisdom of God in a Myâ—tery which the Prinees of this World knew â—ot with all their Wisdom For the things â—f God fays the Apostle knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God by which those Christians knew those things that were freely given to them of God Which thing also we speak says He not in the Words which Mans Wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teachetb comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual But the Natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him Neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned Now according to the Bishops treatment of us the Apostle ought not to have writ of Faith and Salvation unless he could have made all that read his Writings understand his Meaning And it must be a perfect Banter to talk of speaking Wisdom in a Mystery and not in the Terms that Man's Wisdom teacheth But the Lord Jesus Christ was of another Mind when he said I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things the Truths of the Kingdom from the Wise and Prudent and Reveal'd them unto Babes Even so Father for so it seem'd Good in thy sight It is hence beyond all Dispute that God hideth the Mysteries of His Kingdom from the Wisdom of Man when Simplicity and Sincerity fail not to Reach and Understand them Here it was that poor Nicodemus was absolutely at a loss for Christ's meaning when Christ said Unless a Man be born again he can in no wise enter the Kingdom of God John 3. Insomuch as he asked Christ upon his Discourse of the New Birth How can these things be At which Christ seems to admire in a sort of Reproof upon Nicodemus Art thou a Master of Israel and knowest not these things As much as to say Art thou a Man of thy Station in the Church of God Ignorant of the Way to Heaven Whoever reads that notable Interview between Christ and Nicodemus will find that Christ resolves the Matter into Two Births That which is Born of the Flesh and That which is Born of the Spirit and these are Contrary And therefore no wonder if they differ in their Understanding of the Holy Scriptures being a Declaration of the Faith and Experience as well as Doctrine and Practice of the Servants of God that were Enlightned and Born of the Holy Ghost Nor is this all for they that are Born of the Flesh Persecute them that are Born after the Spirit So that when they can no longer commit Violence upon their Persons and Estates they will Persecute them with their Tongues and Pens They are Hereticks Blasphemers Illiterate and Ignorant yet Presumptuous Enemies to Caesar and Disobedient to Government if they will not give God's due unto Man viz. Conscience And if they choose to deliver themselves in Scripture Stile and speak earnestly of the Necessity of the Work of the Spirit of God in order to an Experimental and Saving Knowledge of the Truth declared in Holy Scripture and that Christ's Ministers are made by the Holy Ghost and not by Humane Learning and that the Worship which is acceptable to God must be in the Spirit and in the Truth that is with Clean Hearts and Right Spirits Kindl'd and Inflam'd with the Holy Spirit of God They must be called Enthusiasts Unintelligible Men of Cant and Banter And here I leave the Bishop upon this Paragraph desiring him to Consider whether his Knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ whom rightly to know is Life Eternal John 17 be by the Revelation of the Son of God in his own Soul since Christ himself Teacheth and Affirmeth that no Man knows the Father but the Son and He to whom the Son Reveals Him I should be glad
of the Spirit of God within and the Scripture of Truth without is the Rule and Judge of Faith Doctrine and Practice yea that the Spirit is given to Believers to be the Rule and Judge by which they are to understand the true Sense and Meaning of the Scriptures Now let the Reader judge who gives the Truest Honour to the Scripture the Bishop or the People called Quakers They say the Scriptures have a Double Record that is the Evidence of the Spirit of Truth in the Hearts of Believers as well as their Own Or the Bishop who by his way of Treating us and our Principle will allow us no other Evidence of their Truth but Themselves For to say the Evidence of the Spirit of God with that of the Scripture make a Double and agreeing Testimony is with him to undervalue the Scripture and the Ground in his Apprehension of our Strong Delusions It must be my turn now to pity the Bishop and truly I do it with all my Heart to see him strain so Sound as well as Inoffensive an Expression as that which he makes the Reason of our Delusion that he might have an occasion to lessen our Credit with the Professors of Christianity and especially Protestants Can it Dishonour the Scripture to deny the Evidence of the Principal and Author of the Scripture to back the Authority of the Scripture Or doth not he rather lessen the Authority of Scripture that will not allow us another Evidence of the Truth of Scripture than its own for fear of Co-ordinacy which was not so much as once intended to be insinuated by us nor do the words import any such thing yet it had been no strong nor any Delusion at all to give the Holy Ghost the Preference But I shall keep to the Terms of the Paper whatever the Bishop is pleased to do knowing that whoever Concludes an Argument in terms not in the Question nor plainly deduceable from the Premises is not a fair Dealer in Controversie In which the Bishop if he pleases may reasonably enough think himself more than once concerned Blessed be God we have known the Power and Efficiency of this Holy Light and Spirit of Christ in our selves and being in good measures Witnesses thereof we do not only speak by Report but by Experience We had the Scriptures in the Days of our Ignorance and Worldly-mindedness but disregarding the Reproofs and Instruction of the Light of Jesus in our Hearts we never could come to know the Power of those Truths the Scripture declares of But when it pleased God in the Riches of his Love to cause his blessed Light that had shined in Darkness and the Darkness comprehended it not to shine out of Darkness and gives us the Knowledge of himself in the Face or through the Manifestation of his Son Jesus Christ we saw and bewailed our selves and by an unfeigned Sorrow and Repentance returned as Penitent Prodigals towards our Fathers House and in this Turn we were brought to die daily to that Love and Satisfaction we once had in the Glory Pleasures Honours Friendships and Diversions of the World which now became Burdensome more than ever they were pleasing to us Hence it was and from no Sinister Ends or Self-righteous Conceits that we became an altered and a distinguished People in our Behaviour Garb and Conversation More Retired Watchful Silent and Plain than formerly equally avoiding Luxury and Avarice I say it was the Work of God's Spirit upon our Hearts who by his Light gave us to see the just difference of things and to distinguish between that which pleased Him and that which pleased Him not And this Holy Pattern he gave us in the Light of his beloved Son which we design to follow as did the Holy Ancients and is a full Answer to the Bishop's Unfriendly Queries upon our distinguishing Behaviour in his 14th and 15th Paragraph as if it were not out of Fear towards God or upon a Conscientious Bottom but to serve a worldly Turn For he asks us Is it not your main Aim End and Study by pretended Mortifications to make your selves a Party Considerable Again Are not to this Purpose your different Garb Speech Looks and Gestures and to make your selves remarkable rather than out of a Sense of Duty or Conscience of Obligation Which as it is the worst Construction that the most Irreligious and Prophane could make upon our Behaviour so I beseech God to forgive the Bishop and make him sensible how little such Treatment of strict sober Living advances the Common Cause of Religion and how much it indulges those that know no Reins or Check to their Excesses in his own Church But to go no farther than the Bishop and his Clergy pray who distinguish themselves more by their Garb from other People then they Tho' I cannot say as much of their Behaviour So indeed did the Chemerims or black Coats of old and Those that wore long Robes in our Saviours time but as I take it they went not without his Censure while I think the Bishop will find none in Scripture against our Plainness But the Bishops Pontifical Robes do in my Opinion look much more like Singularity and a Sight than ours for our Garb is like other Mens only freed of their Superfluity In short I wish him a better Understanding of the true Grounds of our stricter Conduct and Where and Who they are that make a Trade of Religion that if he has any Shot left against Mercinary Religionists he may not miss the Mark next time but may make it his main Aim End and Study to Expose Hirelings and Hypocrites in their Proper Colours And some are of Opinion he need not go far to find too many of them It is strange the Bishop should be so unsensible of the Advantage he gives me by his Queries and what a wide Door he opens to a severe Retaliation but my desire to be Modest and to be Silent upon such Advantages is I think to be abundantly so Howbeit I must take Notice of one Expression for it may too seriously affect us not to be observed to him When he asks If it be not our main End and Study by pretended Mortifications to make our selves a Party Considerable He adds and such to which for Reasons of State Peculiar Priviledges must be indulged If this were not more than Mockery I should wave my Notice but calling the meaning of the Government in Question about the Liberty of Conscience we enjoy He must forgive me if I bestow a few Remarks upon that Expression It seems then our Liberty flows not from the Inclination of the Government to Liberty less from Compassion and least of all from Justice and a Christian Principle Which Motives carry with them a Prospect of the Continuance of Liberty if not for Liberties sake But the Bishop believes no such thing and if he would not have us of his mind he did weakly to tell us so Well then we are all of
that had commanded It for their benefit stirred up Hezekiah to Destroy it 11ly Besides these things are become matter of Gain and made a Sacerdotal Revenue not to say Merchandize which has also helpt to Scandalize People to Tender Consciences who think it a Prophanation of Religion to suffer any part of it to be Excised to the People that ought to be Free 12ly But passing that by at present and supposing Water Baptism and the Supper were not Antiquated but still in Force Who is there Qualified to Administer them Who has received a Commission or the Mind of the Holy Ghost and Power from on High to perform these things For if those that hold they are in Force have no Divine Force or Authority to qualifie them to Administer them there will be but a Lifeless Imitation instead of an Edifying Reality Which â—eads me to what I promised long since That I would at the Close of this Discourse â—ay something of the True Ground of our Difference and Dissent I say then that where we are supposed to â—iffer most we differ least and where we â—re believed to differ least we most of all differ Which I explain thus It 's generally thought that we do not hold the Common Doctrines of Christianity but have Introduced New and Erroneous Ones in lieu thereof Whereas we plainly and entirely Believe the Truths contained in the Creed that is commonly called the Apostles which is very Comprehensive as well as Ancient But that which hath affected our Minds most and engaged us in this Separation was the great Carnality and Emptiness both of Ministers and People under their Profession of Religion They having hardly the Form of Godliness but generally speaking denying the Power thereof from whom the Scripture warns Believers to turn away Next Ministers being made such and preaching and the People worshipping without the Spirit confining the Operations of it to the First or Apostolical Times as if these did not want them as much or that Christ would be less Propitious where his Gifts were not less needful I say an Humane and Lifeless Ministry and Worship together with the great Wordliness of Professors have occasioned our Separation and the Persecution that has commonly followed it hath abundantly confirmed our Judgment In that Matter Hence it was we Retired our selves to wait upon God together according to the Gift of his Holy Spirit and as the Apostle Paul exhorted the Athenians Acts 17. We felt after him with our Souls if by any means we might find him and hear what God the Lord would say unto us who speaks Peace unto his People and his Saints but let them never turn to folly any more We could not I say tell how to think that such as God had never sent but run of themselves and were made Ministers by Humane Learning and Authority not knowing the Work of the Spirit to their own Regeneration could possibly Profit or Edifie the People unto their Regeneration And yet that is the very Work and End of the true Gospel Ministry for no Man can guide another in the way he never trod Besides we apprehended the Ministry was â—ery much a Temporal Preferment and thereâ—ore few were to be found among them that â—â—d not court the Better Places I mean those â—â—at gave the Greatest Pay and by those â—ethods mounted to Worldly Wealth and â—onour as the rest of the World did Turnâ—â—g Alms into Dues and by Law making â—ifts Rents and vexing those extreamly â—â—at for Conscience sake could not uphold â—â—em Which we thought very Foreign to Primitive and an Apostolical Spirit and â—ort of a True and Through Reformation This is not said with any disrespect to their â—ersons or yet Calling simply Considered for â—e that desires the Office of a Bishop certainly â—esires a good thing but the Holy Ghost in â—hose days had the Making of them and the â—ood thing then was their Service and not â—evenue or Worldly Dignity They were then â—ot only no Lords one being their Lord â—ut they lorded it not over God's Clergy or Heâ—itage which was the People in those days â—or â—o the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies tho' it is now â—â—scribed only to the Ministry Then the Ground of Prophesie or Ministry was the Revelation of the Spirit in those ancient Assemblies as may be read 1 Cor. 14. 29 30 31 32. For all might Prophecy that is Preach as the Spirit of God moved upon their Spirit and gave them utterance be it to Reproof Instruction or Consolation Now Study Collection and Memory In those Days they Preach'd their Own Experience of die Work of God upon their Hearts but most now Preach of the Experiences of Others recorded in Scriptures but according to their own and others Humane Apprehensions To be brief we Ground our Conviction Conversion Ministry Prayer and Praise upon the Light and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Powerful and Effectual Spring of our Religious Performances and that alone which prepares the Soul and Enables it to Perform those respective Services and Duties in a Manner Acceptable to God And that Ministry and Worship which stands not in the Spirit and is not performed in the Preparation and Inspiration thereof but according to the Compilings Traditions and Precepts of Men we cannot allow to be Primitive and Evangelical and consequently cannot join in them And we are satisfied that it is the good Pleasure of God that all who profess the Name of his Dear and Only Begotten and Well-beloved Son should Acquaint themselves with the Spirit of His Son in their own Hearts in its Reproof Instruction Conviction and Consolation that they may become Spiritually Minded such as mind Spiritual Things more than Earthly Ones and that Daily sow to the Spirit that is bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit and become the Children of God who are led by the Spirit of God Now the Fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance Against such there is no Law And they that are Christ's have Crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts thereof But the Works of the Flesh are manifest which are these Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murder Drunkenness Revilings and such like Of which I told you before as also in time past that they which do such things shall not Inherit the Kingdom of God Rom. 8. 6. 14. Gal. 5. 16. to 24. Chap. 6. 7. 8. And under these Marks and Directions all People may examine themselves and know their Birth Family and Inheritance whether they are the off-spring of God and true Christians or Children of the Evil One Those that are born of the Spirit for whom is reserved an Inheritance With the Saints in Light or the Seed of Evil Doers for whom is reserved the Blackness of Darkness for ever And truly it seems just with God that those who love Darkness
be Baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as We It Imports with submission no more than this That Peter well knowing the Narrowness of his Country Mens Spirits was Cautious lest his Latitude should Distaste them For the Gentiles being Unholiness to the Jews and even Peter himself without a Vision from God too narrow Spirited for the Convictions and Devotion of that excellent Centurion Cornelius It behoved him to ask if any body had any thing to say Why they might not be baptised as well as the Jews being Proselites to the Christian Profession In all which he seems more concerned to save his Own Credit than to recommend or establish that of Water Baptism As if he had said Why should this Custom be forbid to the Gentiles more than to the Jews But this will not warrant the Practice in General because Practice is no Institution and that their appears no Command to make It one So that asking who can forbid what was not commanded strengthens his Question instead of weakening it since what was done of Condescention could not have been forbid upon Authority There needed not so much Care or Strickness in the Matter And indeed the Apostles themselves seem not to have been so clear about the abolishing of the Jewish Observations as appears by the want Peter had of a Vision his own apprehension of the straightness of his Brethren and their calling him to Account for what he had done as may be seen in the same Chapter But I confess I cannot see why the Bishop should assume the Power of Unchristianing Us for not practising of that which he himself practices so unscripturally and that according to the Sentiments of a considerable part of Christendom having not one Text of Scripture to prove that Sprinkling of Water in the Face was the Water Baptism or that Children were the Subjects of Water-Baptism in the first times And yet this is all the Baptism the Bishop practices who seems so severe upon us I think our forbearing of Water Baptism from a Belief and Sense of the coming of the Invisible Grace signified by that Visible Sign cannot be reputed such a slight to Water Baptism as presuming to alter the Manner and Substance of its first Institution For then it was in the River of Jordan now in a Bason it was then unto Repentance now to Children Uncapable of Repentance But that which perhaps misled the Doctors of the Declining Church first into this Practice being at the distance of some Hundreds of Years from the Apostolical Times might be the supposition that Water Baptism came in the place of Circumcision and that being to Children so might Water Baptism too But they forgot among other things which even before that time were crept into the Church without Precept or Evangelical Example that Repentance was not made a Condition to Circumcision at it was to Water-Baptism I would beseech the Bishop to tread softly in this Matter for if Water Baptism should indeed prove a Badge of Christianity he would be at a loss for one that would pass currant in Scripture Thus much for this Point What I have said upon this Head of Water Baptism may serve also for what is commonly called the Lord's Supper which the Bishop Reproves us for Omitting to Practice Urging Luke 22. 19. This do in Remembrance of me And the Apostles words 1. Cor. 11. 24. 25. It is true indeed Christ said when he eat it with his Disciples That they should do it in remembrance of him till he came And this seems much more of the Nature of a Commission than that cited by the Bishop for Water Baptism But the Limitation Christ â—ives to the Practice of it and a Right and â—roper Consideration of the Import of his â—ords and the Nature of the thing will best â—ad us to undestand his Mind therein 1st This was also a Jewish Practice as â—ell as Water Baptism and so in Nature of â—o Gospel Institution but Temporary in its â—se 2dly Christ seems by this to break or â—pen to them what was so hard for them to â—ear to wit his Departure and Death by a â—oken of Memorial till he should come to â—hem again 3dly Christ takes occasion from thence â—o shew forth to his Disciples the Mystical Supper they should eat and the Fellowship â—hey should have with him when he came again Now we believe this Coming was Spiritual suitable to that saying of his I will drink no more of This Fruit of the Vine till I drink it New with you in the Kingdom of my Father And some here shall not taste of Death till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom Matth. 16. 28. Again He that dwelleth with you shall be in you John 14. I in them and they in me Chap. 17. All which plainly Imports a Spiritual Coming Also Rev. 3. 20. Behold I stand at the Door and knock if any Man hear my Voice and open the Door I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me which was said near Fourty Years after his Ascention Now since this is acknowledged to be an Outward Sign of an Inward and Invisible Grace what can Outward Bread and Wine more properly Signifie and Resemble than Inward Bread and Wine And an Outward than an Inward Supper And if so the words may reasonably be read thus Eat this Supper of Outward Bread and Wine till I come into and sup with you and be your Supper that am the Bread and Wine from Heaven which Nourishes the Soul unto Eternal Life 4thly The Kingdom of God being Spiritual and in the Soul such should be the Ordinances of that Kingdom Now Christ tells the Pharisees Luke 17. 20. The Kingdom of God is within And the Apostle Paul Rom. 14. 17. saith The Kingdom of God is not Meat and Drink but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost But the outward Supper is Meat and Drink and therefore not of the Kingdom of God which is not Meat and Drink but Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost And this was made Use of by Christ in the State of Humiliation before his Death and the pouring forth of the Holy Ghost to fasten upon his Disciples that were weak and of little Faith the Remembrance of him till they should know him with them and in them by his Spiritual Appearance as he was the Lord from Heaven the Quickning Spirit according to his Promise For if the Scripture be consulted we shall not only find that Christ Reproves the Apostles for their Infideâ—ity in him but after all the Example Precepts and Miracles they saw by him and that he had so very lately left them with such Assurances of his Coming to them again yet when Mary c. brought them the Tidings of his Resurrection it is said Luke 24. 10 11. Their words seemed to the Disciples as Idle Tales and they believed them not Which sufficiently shews the low State they were