he hath gained nothing for I would say so that the Lord Jesus hath by his Spirit revealed Truths even Objectively unto us and even this way made good these promises but how By Inspireing Apostles and others to pen Scripture wherein all New Testament Truths necessary and sufficient for us to be believed and obeyed in order to Salvation are contained and revealed Is not this a proposeing of Truths Objectively Nay more I say the Spirit to this day is proposeing to us truths Objectively in by the work of the Ministrie and Ordinances which are established and maintained by the Spirit for this end to clear up the word of Reconciliation and to explaine all Gospel Truths which we are to believe and obey Here is also an Objective proposal by the Spirit But you will say it is not an Immediat Objective proposal I grant it and yet it is sufficient to confute his reason which mentioneth not this Immediatness nor will he prove any such thing out of these Scriptures in reference to all beleevers 29 Now followeth his Second Argument taken as he sayes from the new Covenant whereby he would prove that we are to be led by the Spirit not only Immediatly but also Objectively A strange conclusion as full of confusion as the former for any would think that by Objectively here he meaneth Mediatly But I suppose he would have said not only Subjectively but also Objectively For clearing of the matter and to prevent a fighting in the dark we would know That the work of the Spirit in order to the beleeving of Truths is either in and about the Soul of the man whom he is to give a Revelation of the truth unto or is in and about the Truth which is revealed and to be beleeved The First is that which is meaned by the word subjective because the man is the subject in which the Spirit is to work faith The Other is that which is expressed by the word Objective because the truth revealed is the Object which is to be beleeved and received Now the Subjective Operation of the Spirit in this matter is by enlightning the Understanding of the man taking away the vail that was over his eyes and thus enabling him to see the Object as when Christ cured the blinde man he put him in case to see the light which he could not do before so the Spirit openeth the eyes of the minde of the man that he may see the wonders out of his law Psal. 119 18. As to this immediat work of the Spirit though the Lord thinketh good to do this ordinarly in and by the use of meanes which he hath appointed so that the word Immediatly must not be so understood as to exclude these he maketh no debate with us But as to the Objective operation of the Spirit it is by proposeing of the Object or Truth to be beleeved unto the Intellect as true and as spoken by God and this is twofold either External or Internal External is when the Truth is proposed by God to the Intellect by outward meanes such as the Scriptures Preachers and the like and this may be also called Mediat Internal which may be called Immediat is when the Lord's Spirit doth immediatly propose the Truth to be believed as true and as spoken to them as a truth now to be believed because thus spoken by Him immediatly unto their souls unto which is requisite a real secret operation of the Spirit immediatly carrying the truth in upon the Understanding by Supernatural and Immediatly Infused intelligible Species's The former mediat way this man is not Satisfied with and this last immediat way is that whereby Truths were revealed extraordinarily to Prophets and Apostles and otherâ— who were Inspired and is usually called Prophetick Revelation and in this sense is the word Revelation ordinarily taken in Scripture And this is the Revelation Immediat and Objective which this man would plead for and which we deny to be common to all believers whether under â—he Old Testam or under the New And which we also deny to be â—he way by which we are to expect the Teachings and Leadings of the Spirit now seing we are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ himself being the chiefe corner stone Ephes. 2 20. 30. Now let us see how he proveth his point He adduceth two passages of Scripture Esai 59 21. and Ier. 31 33. with its parallel Heb. 8 10. where the Lord promiseth that the words which he shall put in their mouth shall not depart out of their mouth nor out of the mouth of their seed nor out of the mouth of their seeds seed from hence forth even for ever And that he will put his law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts c And what I pray can all this Evince Cannot the Lord put his words in the mouth and hearts of his People Mediatly Ay but saith he the Lord saith not that he will do this by Scriptures or other Means Nor doth he say say I that he will do it without them when he opened the heart of Lydia and when he caused the Thessalonians receive the word not as the word of Man though preached by Paul but as it is indeed the Word of God did he not put his word into their mouth and write it in their hearts But saith he hereby is the law and the Gospel differenced that the law was writen in tables of stone but the Gospel in the heart Ans. Said not David Psal. 40 8. that the law of God was in his heart And Ps. 119 11 that he hid Gods Word in his heart If it be so why said he before and went about to prove that the Object of faith of beleevers under the Law and under the Gospel was the same and how had all the Saints under the Law Immediat Revelations Other answers might be given here but these are sufficient to shew the mans Ignorance and Inconstancy when he hath reconciled himself to himself we will have less to do What he speaks afterward of Immediat Communion which is not the same with Immediat Revelation in respect whereof the state of beleevers under the Gospel is better than that under the Law is but to confirme further his self contradiction Let him reconcile this with what he said before of beleevers under the Law and of the sameness of the Object formal of the faith of both and we shall think ourselves concerned to notice what he saith But further to multiply his self contradictions he addeth an Untruth viz. That under the Law they had the high Priest immediatly receiving the Word of God in the holy of holies to teach the people and we say now under thâ— Gospel there is nothing but the external letter of the Scripture in the meaning of one verse of which scarce two do agree For neither can he prove that the High Priest had such Revelations alwayes in the Holy of Holies And we
of his grace the soul lay hold on the offered salvation and accept of the alsufficient offered Mediator we utterly deny it affirming faith to be the pure gift of God wrought by the exceeding greatness of his power according to the working of his mighty power or according to the working of the might of his power Ephes. 1 19. 2 8. And that this faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom 10 17. So that we see nor how any without the Church or the hearing of the word of God and of the word of the Gospel revealing Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God can beleeve not how any wâ—thin the Church and who hear the sound of the Gospel daily can beleeve without the grace of God working Faith by the Operation of his Spirit and thus concurring with the word And therefore we deny Salvation to be Possible in this Quakers sense to any yea even to the Elect otherwayes we must reject the Scriptures of truth and embrace the Pelagian Errour and lay aside all prayer for the Spirit of grace to work faith and only make our supplications to Lord Free will and think to batter the wals of Freewill with meer Moral Swasion as Iesuites Arminians and Socinians with the old Pelagians imagine and sacrifice to our own net and burn incense to our own drag Free will because by it our portion is fat and our meat plenteous And so give thanks with the damned to God that hath made salvation onely Possible but to ourselves alone for making it Actual and for obtaining the crown and prize 12. Having thus in short proposed our Judgment after hearing of his Opinion we come now to examine the proofs of his Proposition which he layeth down Pag. 93. c. § 19. And first in general he saith That it is manifest from the complaints which the Spirit of God useth in the Scriptures against such as perish chideing and reproving them for rejecting Gods visitation and love and refuseing his mercy Ans. 1. His Proposition is Universal and these Complaints anâ— Reproofs are only Particular viz. against such as were within the Church so they can prove nothing 2. Neither will these Reproofs c. prove that such had power and ability to embrace mercy and love offered unto them without the grace of God as say Iesuites and Arminians for the Scripture tels us that God must give the new heart Ier. 31 33 34. 32 39 40. Ezech. 11 19 20. 36 26 27 Heb. 8 10. and that none cometh to the Son but whom the Father draweth Ioh. 6 44 45. and that it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do Phil. 2 13. And to gather our Power and Ability out of the Commands and measure the one by the other is the very core of Pelagianisme and Arminianisme for upon this ground did Pelagius conclude that we could keep the whole Law perfectly as this man also saith Heare Pelagius himself ad Demetriadem cited by Vossius Histor. Pelag. lib. 5. part 1. Thes. 6. Duplici ignorantia accusamus Deum Inscientiae ut videatur nescire quod fecit nescire quod iussit quasi oblitus fragilitatis humanae cujus Author ipse est imposuerit homini mandata quae ferre non possit Simulque prô-nefas adscribimus Iniquitatem Iusto Pio Crudelitatem dum aliquid impossibile praecepisse conquerimur deinde pro his damnandum esse hominen ob ea quae vitare non potuit ut quod etiam suspicari Sacrilegium est videatur Deus non tam salutem nostram quaesisse quam poenam Itaque Apostolus sciens a Domino justitiae ac majestatis nihil impossibile esse praeceptum aufert a nobis vitium murmurandi quod tunc utique nascisolet cum aut iniqua sunt quae jubentur aut jubentis minus digna persona est Quid tergiversamur incassum Nemo magis novit mensuram virium nostrarum quam qui ipsas vires nobis dedit Nec quisquam melius quantum possimus intelligit quam qui ipsam virtutem nobis posse donavit nec impossibile aliquid voluit imperare qui justus est nec damnaturus hominem fuit pro eo quod vitare non potuit qui pius est Which in short is this That to say that God should command any thing which is not in our power to do were to accuse God of Ignorance as not knowing mans power and of Iniquity Cruelty and Sacrilege commanding that which he knew we could not do and thereafter condemning us for not doing of it This Quaker may see his owne face in this glass 13. He citeth further the words of God to Cain Gen. 4 6 7. and saith that this timeous admonition and promise of pardon upon condition he did well saith that he bad a day of visitation wherein it was possible for him to be saved That it was possible for Cain through the grace of God to have done well and obtained the excellency we affirme but that he had power without this grace all this admontion cannot prove so that as is said it is pure Pelagianisme for him to adde God could not propose that condition to do well to him if he had not given him sufficient strength to do well Had Pharaoh sufficiency of strength moral to let the people of Israel go when God had hardened his heart so as he should not let them go If not how could God send Moses to him with a word of command This man told us Thesis 4. That man in his Natural state could know nothing aright and that all his Imaginations Words and Actions were evil and only evil continually Now I enquire if such a man can be said to have sufficiency of strength to know God and things divine and to do well If not then it seemeth by this mans doctrine here that God can impose no command upon such to know God and to do well We know that God giveth the heart to perceive eyes to see and eares to hear Deut. 29 4. and that the carnal minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8 7. And that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them becauss they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2 14. He citeth to the same purpose Gen. 6 3. And we deny not that the Spirit speaking after the manner of men for such expressions cannot bâ— understood properly of God is said to contend with men to wit by his Word and Servants whom he sendeth forth to deal with men in his name So did he thus strive long with this old world by his messengers the Patriarches particularly by Noah called a preacher of righteousness 2 Pet. 2 5. But what of this This day of Visitation saith he which he granteth to every one is such as therein the Lord is said to waite and be
shown if it were worth so much paines let any who will Reaâ— the Jesuite Didacus Ruiz de Praedestinatione dispp 39 40.41.42.43.44.45 and especially disp 46. de Barbaris and he shall finde this Quakers doctrine at full length CHAP. X. Of Universal Grace and Light 1. We come to examine his Second Proposition containing a further piece of their divinity which he expresseth thus Pag. 79. § 11. That God for this end did comunicate and give to every man a certane measure of the Light of his Son a measure of grace or some manifestation of the Spirit which hath several names in Scripture as the seed of the kingdom Mat 13 18 19 light manifesting all things Ephes. 5 13. the word of God Rom. 10 18 the manifestation of the Spirit given to every one 1 Cor. 12.7 the talent Mat. 25.14 the Gospel preached to every creature Col 1 23 Ans. This must be a strange and wonderfull thing that is both Grace Gifts which are inward and placed in the soul the Word of God the Gospel which is outward preached declared to the eares of people what can we make of this or what can we understand by it Nay this with them is the Spirit of God it is Christ God Father Son holy Ghost and what not This I take to be peculiar to the Quakers for neither Pelagians nor Socinians nor Arminians nor any of their followers nor Iesuite ever spoke at this rate of non-sense vented to the world such Inconsistencies which are rather the foamings of a distracted braine than the discoursings of men in their wits how heterodox so ever But is it not strange that this man should imagine these things to be common to all mankinde The seed of the kingdom I no where read of but of the word of the kingdom which is compared to seed and was this word preached to all nations from the beginning of the word Or is it to this day sowen in all nations even amongst Heathens in Iapan other Regions Territories in the East West Indees or among the Turks Cannibals By whom I pray and upon whose testimony must we believe this The word of God Rom. 10 17. is the word that is heard preached by such as are sent whose feet are beautifull vers 15. by which faith cometh calling upon God vers 13 14 17. Is this common to all Nations The manifestation of the Spirit spoken of 1 Cor. 12. is concerning gifts peculiarly enumerated vers 8 9 10. such as the word of wisdom the word of knowledge faith gifts of healing working of miracles Prophecy discerning of spirits diverse kindes of tongues and interpretation of tongues And are these common to all men or were they then common to all the world Nay doth not the Apostle expresly restrick them to the Church of which he is there speaking in which the Lord did set Officers endued with these gifts vers 28 expresly say that they were not common even to all the members of the Church as may be seen through that chapter particularly vers 29 30 beside that the scope of the whole irrefragably evinceth this As for the talent mentioned Mat. 25. We spoke of it in the preceeding chapter And that Gospel whereof Paul speaketh Col. 1. Was that which he was sent to preach to all indefinitely as providence which sometimes stood in the way of his endeavouring to preach it somewhere as we see Act. 16 6 7. ordered it and which is called vers 26. the mystery which hath bin hid from ages and generations but now is made manifest to the saints Was this common to all before Christ came is it common to all this day How shall it be evinced that this Gospel is thus Universal will he take that word every Creature under heaven vers 23. without any limitation Then he must sâ—y that Paul preached this Gospel to Devils to Beasts all creatures without sense as well as to Men. But if he will restrick it let it be according to Reason we are satisfied his designe is crossed for as we cleared above Chap. VIII these Universals must be interpreted according to the nature of the thing spoken of the circumstances of the place so it will here but import an indefinite mission among the Gentiles and is an hyperbolick expression of the vast extension of the tydings of salvation now under the Gospel administration in comparison of what it was unâ—er the law when restricked to the limites of one kingdom to the posterity of Abraham Isaak Iacob with a few Proselites 2. To keep us from startling at the non-sense of the Proposition we have more more of that kinde to meet with in the further explication thereof set down in several Pages from Pag. 82. § 13. to Pag. 92. And though some may justly blame me for wasteing words spending time upon such a Nonsensical Self-contradictory Proposition yet considering that here lyeth the core of their delusions and that which though not as to mater yet as to expressions is peculiar to the Quakers and common to them all the Reader must have patience and heare all and then he will be better able to judge 3. He beginneth then Pag. 82. § 13. tels us That this Seed Grace word of God and light with which every man is enlightened and a measure of which every one hath in order to Salvation and which by mans pertinaciousness and the malignity of his will may be resisted extinguished wounded suppressed killed crucified is not the proper essence and nature of God considered in it self Before we enter upon a particular discussion of this mans words we conceive it will be of use to helpe us to understand him the better if he may be understood at all in this chiefe part of their heretical doctrine to take notice of some expressions of other Quakers concerning this Light and Seed of which they speak so much Mr Hicks in his dialogue giveth us some account of some of their expressions in this mater Dial. 1. Pag 3. G. Whitehead said in him was life the life was the light of men If the life be the divine essence the light must be so also for such as the cause such the effect must be And Againe Pag. 4. The light within must be God because to deny it so to be is to deny the Omnipresence of God Thus the light is the Essence of God the Omniprâ—sence of God And againe G. W. reasoned thus The divine life is immutable To say then the light within is not God is to say God is mutable Therefore it is blasphemy to deny the light within to be God Yea Pag. 5. he tels that one Robert West called the denying to worship the measure of light in every man damnable heresie and said that the Spirit which God breathed into Adam was not mans spirit but another the breath of our nostrils the anoynted
remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee seing gifts were of no use and the stirring up of gifts were in vaine because all without gifts or stirring up of gifts was to be done by the immediat impulses and motions of the Spirit 12. in vaine also should he have said as 2 Tim. 1 13 14. Hold fast the forme of sound words which thou hast heard of me That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost For he was to regard no forme of sound words nor take any notice of that gooâ— thing which was committed to him but do and say as he was acted and inspired 13. what roome is left by this opinion to that word 2 Tim 2 14. Of these things put them in remembrance charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words For he could remember them of nothing nor lay any charge upon them if they were to do all as the Spirit moved them 14. The following injunction vers 15. is made also useâ—ess by this way Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed rightly divideing the word of truth For it taketh away all care and study in this matter and the preacher can make no other division of the word of truth than what is of and by the Spirit and that must alwayes be right 15 All that the Apostle sayeth 2 Tim. 3 14 15. should also be in vaine and to no purpose 16. If this way be the truth why did the Apostle say 2 Tim. 4 1 2. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom Preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine might not Timothy have replied I have nothing to do with that charge I cannot I may not preach either in season or out of season nor can I Reprove Rebuke nor Exhort nor have I Doctrine wherewith to do it The Spirit doth all must move me and inspire me to every Doctrine Preaching Rebuke and Exhortation and that at every time and season 17. Hâ—reby that should be also rendered useless which is said 2 Tim 4 5. But watch thou in all things endure afflictions do the work of an Evangelist make full proof of thy ministry 18. If this be the way why did Paul say to Titus Chap. 1 17 wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith seing Titus could have said againe I shall do as the Spirit moveth and more I cannot I may not 19. So it taketh away the force of Paulâ—s injunctions Tit. 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15. For Titus was to have his eye upon no Doctrine but speake what the Spirit moved him to speak nor was he to speak to either one or other age or sex or quality but as the Spirit acted him and what Uncorruptness Gravity Sincerity was requisite in his doctrine he was not to be anxious there about all would be so because dictated and inspired immediatly by the Spirit And what sounâ—ness of speach was requisite the Spirit would see to that and therefore he was not to regard what the Apostle enjoyned vers 15. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority 20. The command Tit. 3 1 2. Put them in minde to be subject to Principalities c. must hereby be laid aside as not obligeing Titus who was purely to follow the Motions of the Spirit 21. How opposite unto this opinion is that word Tit. 3 8. This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirme constantly What was not Titus to waite upon the motions of the Spirit 22. If matters be thus how could the Collossians say to Archippus take heed to the ministrie which thou haâ—t received in the Lord that thou fulfil it seing Archippus was to follow the free and arbitrary motions of the Spirit 2â— This opinion rendereth that injunction of Paul's unto the ministers of Thessalonica 1 Thes. 5 14. useless Now we beseech you brethren warne them that are unruly comfort the feble minded support the weak c. as to preaching 24. It would hence follow that all that such ministers spoke were infallibly true for what the Spirit speaketh through men or by men as his meer organs must of necessity be truth and nothing but truth and that certainly and infallibly and so must be esteemed of and regarded as Scripture 25. If the matter be thus it is all one thing whether the preacher be Young or Old a Childe or a Mâ—n of experience for it is not he that speaketh but the Spirit in him yet Paul requireth that he that is put into the Ministrie be not a novice 1 Tim. 3 6. 26. Thus did the Prophets and Apostles preachâ— and declare their visions as undâ—r moral commands though they were under no such commanâ—s to receive the visions where they had no election Ier. 1 v. 17. 26 15. Esa. 6 8 9. Ier 15 19 20. 1 Cor. 9 16. 9. More might be said upon this head but this may suffice and I have said the more of it because they use to make it one of their common theames while they would in their popular discourses inveigh against the Ministrie seek to make it contemptible with people Let us now come and consider what he saith And first he beginneth to speak against the methode Pag. 249. And what is this methode Ministers are free to follow what method they think most edifying and are not bound to one certain prescribeâ— methoâ—e But sayes he when Christ sent his disciples to preach he told them they should not premeditate what to say nor speak of themselves but the Spirit should in the same houre teach them Mat. 10 20. Mark 13 11. Luk. â—2 vers 12. Ans. Knoweth he not that at that time Christ gave them their preaching with them telling them what they should say saying And as â—e go preach saying the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Mat. 10 7. Knoweth he not that in these places by him cited our Lord is speaking of their appearing before Magistrates and Higher powers where they might through fear and anxiety be so discomposed as not to know well how to speak in their owne defence and that our Lord addeth these words to free them of all anxiety about the matter But sayes he if it was so with them when standing before men much more in preaching when they stand before God Ans. This consequence is weak and contradicted by the Text it self where we see they had their sermon taught them before hand and beside when they were sent out to preach they knew what they were to say but when called before Magistrates they could not know before hand what questions might be proposed unto them and upon that account might be anxious and troubled which to prevent this promise is made
Master-workers are so active and busie It is not good to approach too nigh to a rageing Devil nor to tempt the Lord The history of the two persons that would be present at stage playes is known and the Reader may see the same related to his hand by the worthy Author of the first Epistle to the Reader prefixed to Mr Durham's Exposition of the Commands Let any sober and judicious person consider that which these Quakers call their Solemne Worshipe as this R. Barclay hath laid it forth before us and judge whether there be not there to be found without any narrow search such plaine Vestiges of Devilrie that may cause all in whom is the least meaâ—ure of the fear of God run far from them as from persons possessed with an evil Spirit and acted by the Devil the God of this world the Prince of the power of the aire the Spirit that now ruleth in the Children of disobedience Nothing that I ever heard or knew of them before did so much confirme me of their Devilrie as the reading and examining of that which thou hast here Chap. XXII Beside that every one may know that it is something more then Humane for persons Illiterat and of meane Understandings when turning Quakers to learne in so short a time in a few dayes if not in a few houres all their Notions Errours Blasphemies Prancks and Practices all so contrary to the Way and Profession wherein they have lived from their Infancy that they can act their wayes and utter their Abomination in their very dialect and tone so exactly as if they had seen nothing else all their dayes to speak nothing of Persons civilly educated who yet turning Quakers can so suddenly and so perfectly imitate and follow their rude and rustick carriage as if they had never seen civility with their eyes All which may confirme Rational Persons that it is not humane but the work of some powerful Spirit possessing them And what this Spirit is which Teacheth Possesseth Prompteth Acteth Leadeth and Driveth them and Speaketh in them the Word of God doth sufficiently evidence and may satisfie all Christians By the fruit we know a tree and by their doctrine we may as infallibly know that it is the Spirit of Satan that rageth in them if we will be satisfied with and submit to the Decision of the Spirit of Truth speaking in the Scriptures Their Unsavoury Pernicious and Blasphemous Positions and Assertions will put this matter beyond all debate I have gathered together an heap of such to the Number of Three Hundered and Fiftie and moe and the Reader may possibly finde yet moe that have escaped me and that without noticeing such things as may be drawn by just consequence from their Positive Assertions for if these were collected we might soon finde out the number of the Name of the Beast Six hundereth Sixty and Six to which may be added Sixty and Five found in one book of G. Keiths set down here at the end after the Postscript by which thou mayest judge what a Masse would be found if all their Books were searched But I suppose the fearer of God will say there is here enough and more then enough to cause all Christians abhore them and flee from them as from the Devil himself I shall not trouble thee with any Apologie for the work it self Only because I apprehend some will think I am too large and might have contracted the whole into narrower bounds I must tell thee that considering the genius and temper of these Quakers and knowing how ready they would be to vaunt and triumph as if any thing they said were unanswerable if I had passed over any thing said by their Patron and Advocat and had not examined particularly not only his Erronious and Blasphemous Assertions but also all that he did alledge for confirmation of the same and also all that he belched out against the Truth I was constrained to leave nothing untouched and that the book might be of more universal use I saw a necessitie of clearing and confirming the Truths Opposed by other Grounds and Arguments then this Contradicter of the wayes of Truth had taken any notice of And yet I have done it with that brevitie that maketh me apprehend Moe shall blame me upon the other hand for not confirming the Turths at greater length seing as to several Heads here touched Others now a dayes beside Quakers are appearing against the Truth once received The Heads it is true are many and I have in most for confirmation adduced only our Confession of Faith and Catechismes to the end that one and other may be enduced to peruse that book more as a good Antidote against the many Errours of this time pointing withall the Readers to apposite passages of Scripture for the ground of their faith And if I had handled each Controversie here touched at full length how many volumes should I have been necessitate to have written What intertainment this shall finde with the Quakers a sort of Men that cannot be silent I am not much concerned to enquire And if they examine it as Rats or Mice use to deal with books snatching at a word here and at half a sentence there and no more I suppose no man will think me called to notice the fame nor yet to be troubled at their Railings and Barkings And as for any answere to the whole that shall savoure of Reason Religion Candor and Plainness I do not expect it from them Farewell J. B. A Catalogue Of the arrogant erroneous and blasphemous Assertions of the Quakers mentioned in this book which may serve for an Index to the same 1. Of themselves 1. THey arrogantly stile themselves the servants of God c. 3 10 2. They glory of the Title Quakers 4 3. They account themselves the only Teachers of truth equalizing themselves with the Apostles 9 4. They say they are perfect without sin 11 5. They assert their experiences in matters that cannot be experienced 213 6. They say they only taste see and smell the Inward light 240 7. All their preaching is to call people to turn-in to the light within and to the Christ within them 281 292 8. They assert themselves to be equal with God 326 546 9. They say their quaking ariseth from a strugling within betwixt the power of life and the power of darkness whereby they have the very paines of a woman in travail 418 10. All is done without the Spirit that is not done in their way 440 442 447 11. They remaine covered when we pray or praise to keep their consciences unhurt as they say but really to mock 460 12. It can appear to them when the Spirit of the Lord concurreth with one of our Ministers and when not 460 13. They falsly say that all who are against them maintaine the lawfulness of Comoedies vanity of Apparel 533 534 14. They account their doctrine very harmonious think that to them alone the ancient
as this man putteth beyond all debate in his writings and others clearly demonstrate by their books containing such positions as overturn and destroy the Gospel Mr Norton teacher of the Church at Boston in New England being appointed to write against the Quakers by order of the General Court tels us in his Tractat printed A. 1660. Pag. 6.7 c. that the Quakers deny that the Father Son and Holy Ghost are three distinct Persons that Christ is God and Man in one Person that Christ is a distinct person from the person of the Father that Christ is a distinct person from any of His Members And so their Christ doth unchrist Christ. He tels us moreover that they deny the Scriptures or written word to be the Rule of life and that they make the light within them and the Spirit without the Scriptures to be their guide that they owne none as lawful magistrats who are not of their way that they assert an infallible light within them above the trial of the Scriptures that they will not acknowledge that they sinne but professe perfection of degrees in his life Mr Stalham in his Epistle to the Reader prefixed to his Reviler rebuiked sheweth us that they make nothing of the historical letter of Christ's Death Resurrection c. but turne all into allegories And that they are with H. N. in his joyful message of the Kingdom Pag. 170. ready to call these things meer lies which the Scripture-learned through the knowledge which they get out of the Scriptures bring-in institute preach teach As also how they joine with Iacob Behme who slighted the imputed righteousness from without and magnified the little spark within whereby the Father draweth them all to Christ and teacheth all within them and say further that in Adam stood the Covenant of grace that there is no certaine Ordination from eternity upon any soul particularly which is yet to be borne but only a common universal foreseeing of grace He sheweth us also how Will. Erbury in his Call to the Churches Pag. 4. said what Gospel or glade tideings is it to tell the world that none shall be saved but the elect and believers and that the Gospel which Christ taught was but in part that which was proper only to the Iewish Church not that to be preached to the world And moreover Pag. 6. he telleth us that he said the Gospel which the Apostles preached to the world was not that which they wrote to the Churches nor yet what they read in the Scriptures of the Prophets but the Gospel was a mystery which in the light of God they could manifest to men and make all men see themselves in God that 's in Christ. And Pag. 9. that God is in our flesh as in Christ's for the mystery of faith was more than men imagine and it may be more than Paul wrote to the Romans and Churches of Galatia And Pag. 37. that Christ's coming againe promised Act. 1 11. was nothing but his coming in Spirit and power in the Saints and in their flesh when they are most confused and dark Further the same Mr Stalham in the book cited sheweth how they contradict Scriptures in several points as concerning Scriptures Trinity the Light within the Law Sin Iustification Regeneration Sanctification and its Perfection Christian warfare Repentance Meanes of grace Baptisme Lord's Supper Prayer Singing Elders and Ordination Ministers maintainance Immediat calling Immediat teaching Civil honour Swearing unto which might be added several things brought out of their writings by Mr Hicks beside what we shall have occasion to remark in this Author with whom we now deal By all which we may conjecture what a Gospel this is which they teach even another than we have in the Scriptures and than that which the Apostle taught And what welcome such as come with another Gospel were their credentials angelical unto which these men are strangers should have Paul hath taught us Gal. 1 8 9. as was mentioned above which is a sufficient warning for all that fear God to beware of these men 20. This man hath an high and mighty conceit of his Theses calling them though short yet ponderous and saying that they comprehend many things and denote the true original of knowledge of that knowledge which leadeth to life eternal And I do indeed conceive that they containe much though I dar not say the whole of the marrow of that Gospel whereof he is a dispensator we may look upon ourselves therefore as called more narrowly to consider and examine them If the matter contained in them were good I should not quarrel at their brevity but I see what they want in length the Apology hath Ponderous he calleth them but we know wet sand though of smal value is more ponderous than what is more worth and indeed so ponderous are they that they will sinke the poor soul that embraceth them without any other super added weight into the bottomless pit His saying that they pointe forth the true original of saving knowledg will never perswade me that they do so How defective they are as to this we may shew in the next Chapter Nay rather I dar say that they discover the true original of that science falsly so called which leadeth to the bottomless pit and this I hope to make appeare ere all be done 21. He tels us that he beareth witness to this truth in this his work But he must hold us excused to seek for a more sure ground to our faith and perswasion than his bare testimony especially when he speaketh not only not consonant to Scripture but so manifestly contrary thereto Indeed if we were called to rest upon his and his co-partners bare testimony all further dispute were at an end and we might cast our bibles at our heels and learn all our divinity at their mouth or at the light with in us rest thereupon notwithstanding it contradict sound reason and experience let be Scripture But through grace we have not yeâ— drunk-in that principle and therefore must stand upon our old bottome and go to the Law and to the Testimony 22. In fine he tels us that he leaveth this his testimony unto the light of Christ illuminating every one of our consciences which words may have a double sense as expressed in his latine and either import that he leaveth this his testimony as a confirmation of that light of Christ which illuminateth every man and if this be his meaning the preaching up of this light must be the whole of his Gospel worâ— and the whole Intent and designe of his writting and publishing these Theses yea if so these Propositions of his must serve for no other end but to confirme the truth and reality of this light of Christ But then I think They or He by them should have given us some clear discovery and explication of the nature of that light of Christ which is as he saith within every man which I finde
some other Abomination lurking under this To wit That this manifestation of the Father by the Son is not to be understood of a Gospel Manifestation but of a Natural Manifestation had in and by the works of Creation and so not of a Manifestation peculiar to the Church and people of God but of a Manifestation common to Heathens and all without the pale of the Church otherwise he shall hereby destroy what afterward he laboureth to build viz. the Universality of this Manifestation But whoever considereth the Scriptures by us cited shall finde that Christ meaneth a manifestation and declaration of the Father in and by the Gospel and Gospel Ordinances to the destruction of this mans Universality 9. He cometh § 6. to the clearing of his second Proposition viz. That there is no knowledge of the Son but by the Spirit And who will deny this as to that Knowledge which is truely and eventually saving of which Saving Certane and Necessary Knowledge his Proposition is to be understood as himself expresly showeth us with an Observandum and 1 Cor. 2 11 12. 12 3. whereby he proveth this are cleare enough but I see not the necessity of adduceing as a proof hereof Revel 3 20. behold I stand at the door c. Yet beside this Saving knowledge there is a Literal knowledge had by the common gifts of the Spirit which is also true in its kinde and though as to any Saving Effect it be Ineffectual yet we must not say with him Pag. 12. that the Spiritual Truths in the Gospel are as lies in the mouth of carnal persons for they are true even as to them Heb. 10 26. Some may sin wilfully after they have received the knowledg of the truth for whom no more sacrifice remaineth and 2 Pet. 2 20 21. Some may have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ and have known the way of righteousness who after they have known it turne from the holy commandement c. I cannot then say with him that this Knowledge of Christ is no more properly to be called a Knowledge of Christ than the speaking of a Parot is properly humane knowledge for I cannot think that when Christ sent Iudas to preach the Gospel it was as a man sending an ambassage by the hand of a Parot or that Balaam had no real knowledge of what was revealed unto him in his trance 10. But not insisting on this which is not much to the maine purpose I Observe that the thing which concerned him chiefly to clear up provâ— is not once touched by him here He should have proved tâ— us That this teaching of Christ by the Spirit is and was alwayes by Immediat Revelation that is by Enthusiasmes and such Extraordinary Wayes Nor doth he which is also remarkable distinguish betwixt Christs teaching by the Spirit in the Prophets of old and the Apostles of late and Christs own teaching Immediatly in his own Person while Incarnate which two the Apostle clearly differenceth Heb. 1 1 2. 2 3 4. Nor doth he speak any thing of Christs Mediat teaching whether by Apostles extraordinarily assisted or by Ordinary Ministers or by his Word nay by his language we might suppose that he excludeth these wayes from being wayes of Christ's teaching contrare to Math. 10 20. 1 Thes. 4 8. 2 Cor. 5 19 20. Mat. 28 18 19. and many other places 11. Let us proceed and see what he saith § 7. in confirmation of the third Proposition viz. That God did alwayes make himself manifest to the Sons of Men by the Spirit For this cause he would have us considering how God from the beginning did manifest himself in his creatures But our enquiry should be how he did manifest himself to his creatures These words in creaturis suis in his creatures cannot but be understood of the way of his manifesting himself But to Manifest Himself in or by the Creatures is not the same with Manifesting Hâ—mself in or by the Spirit For confirmation of his Proposition he adduceth Gen. 1.2 And the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the face of the waters Is not this a pregnant proof of Gods revealing his minde unto Men who were not yet created Bâ—t passing this ridiculous Argument which moreover perverteth the genuine meaning of the Spirit of the Lord in that passage let us see what he adduceth further I think faith he no man will deny that from Adam to Moses Gods communion with man was by immediat manifestation of the Spirit I answere Though it be true that Christ as the great Prophet of his Church did by the Spirit reveal the Counsel of God concerning mans salvation yet that he did this by the Spirit 's Immediat Revelation unto every Individual Person will never be proved now this being the matter that he would have us grant and which only maketh for his purpose he must prove it ere we assent to it That the Lord was pleased to reveal his mind Immedialy to Some and by them to Others from Adam to Moses we know but that every individual Person even of the people of God were advanced to this privilege I deny Yea even dureing that time we read in Scripture but little of these Manifestations We know what was spoken immediatly to Adam to Cain we read also of the Prophecy of Enâ—h in Iud's Epistle which yet was not any new Truth revealed we read also of what was revealed to Noah and to Abraham to Isaac and to Iacob and to soâ—e few others But what will all this make for his point Sure these few persons were not all that lived dureing that long tract of time what then became of the rest how were they instructed was it not Mediatly by those Patriarchs and selected Persons And did not the Fathers instruct their children from generation to generation that the right worship and knowledg of God might be propagated from hand to hand 12. This proof evincing nothing let us see the next afterward saith he in the times of the law the Lord spoke no other way to his children which cannot be denied by such who acknowledge the Scriptures to have been written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost Answere That the Scriptures of the Old Test. were so written I grant That the persons imployed in that work had immediat Revelations to this end I grant Nay moreover I grant that all other true Prophets who were raised up of the Lord whose Prophecies the Lord thought not fit to make a part of the Canon of the Scriptures had Divine Inward and Immediat Revelations But this Reason is as childish as the preceeding Doth he think that this is enough to prove his point Doth he think that all the rest of the people of God in those generations had those Immediat Revelations or that this followeth as a clear consequence from his Argument What folly is here He might as well prove that all the people of this
from heaven should come and preach another Gospel they should be rejected as accursed he clearly sheweth that the Gospel already delivered was such a clear and evident Rule that by it we may warrantably try and examine all Doctrines and Revelations of Angels or Apostles and so must be a more clear and certane Rule to us than divine Revelations brought to us by Prophets or Apostles 8. The same may be cleared from these Passages Mat. 24 11 24 Mark 13.22 2 Thes. 2 2. 1 Tim 1 4. But the matter is evident enough from what is said I proceed 20. If he say That he may grant all this without any detriment to the maine thing he driveth at here upon this account that though others may be allowed to try by the Scriptures what some deliver as Revelations from God unto them yet such as have the Revelations immediatly from God are not to try them and consequently that he and others of his perswasion who have such divine Manifestations and Revelations are to act accordingly without any further tryal and examination by Scripture or any other Rule I answer first Then he and the rest of the Quakers cannot be offended with us for not receiving their Assertions by faith and not yeelding thereunto all submissive Obedience as the very Assertions and Commands of God until we finde the same to be consonant to Scripture notwithstanding that they should with all the confidence imaginable affirme to us that they have those Doctrines and Assertions delivered to them by divine Revelations Secondly Then certanely we should have an higher esteem of the Scriptures and not look so contemptuously upon them as the Quakers commonly would have us do not say with Nicolas Lucas a Quaker That if the Bible were burnt as good an one might be write as Mr Hicks reporteth in his 2. dialogue Pag. 5. and evinceth againe dialog 3. against Will. Pen. Pag. 86. Thirdly Then I think He and the rest should obtrude nothing upon us without Scriptures but should confirme unto us all their Assertions out of them Sure we finde the Apostles though divinely inspired yea and Christ himself confirming their Doctrine from the Scriptures Mat. 12 3 5 7. 26 31. Mark 14 27. Luk. 4 8 1 Pet. 1 16. Rom 11 8 26. 10 19 20 21. 12 19. 15 9 10 11 12 21. 14 11. Gal. 3 20. 1 Cor. 1 31. 2 Cor. 4 13. And Paul in his Apology doth plainly affirme Act. 26 22. that he delivered no other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come Fourthly Either it must be granted that some Illuminations stroâ—g Perswasions and the like that come as new Revelations may and must be examined by a Rule or it must be said that there are now no diabolical Injections or Delusions working upon the Fancie and Imagination and casting-in Wilde Fire and Wilde Light in the Minde or that all these Manifestations and Illuminations must be received as unquestionably good and beleeved obeyed whether they come from the Father of lights or from the Father of lies But no rational man will assert this last nor will the many Enthusiasts or Entheasticks or Ecstaticks and the like who have been to manifest conviction deceived and deluded suffer us to asserte the Other Therefore seing there have been and yet may be Satanical Delusions instead of Divine Revelations and seing these must not be received as good come it is manifest that they must be tryed by a Rule and we know no other Rule beside the Scriptures by which we can try the Spirits and the Insinuations of Spirits for we owne not the Doctrine of Swenckfeldius or of the Antinomians and Familists who said the word should be tryed by the Spirit and not the Spirit by the Word Fiftly may not the Lord give up some to strong Delusions Sure Paul giveth us to understand so much 2 Thes. 2 11. when then some are judicially deserted of God and given up to strong delusions to beleeve lies and to receive Impressions of lying and deceiving Light Either they sinne not in receiving and walking according to thâ—t light or they are under an obligation to reject such a corrupt guide The First cannot be said and if the Last be said then such persons are under an obligation to try and examine these Revelations and Discoveries by some certane Rule with whatsoever plausible and insinuating Glance they dazzle and affect their Mindes and Imaginations And if so we have our point seing it will be readily granted by Protestants that nothing can pretend to be this Rule beside the Scriptures only Sixtly The great doubt is if it be the Lords fixed and established way now under the New Testament dispensation when the Gospel is sufficiently promulgated and the Foundation of Gospel administrations abundantly laid to reveal his minde and make his will known concerning what we are to beleeve or what we are to do by Inward Immediat and Extraordinary Revelations and Inspirations And if this be uncertane as shall appear by examining what he hath said for it than it is more than manifest that such deep Apprehensions and fixed Phancies yea and it may be Injections or Insinuations of the Prince of darkness in the Mindes and Imaginations of men either naturally Melancholick or given up of God to strong Delusions which some may meet with and fondly look upon as divine Illapses of light may very warrantably yea must be brought unto tryal by the touchstone of the Scriptures As of old even when the way of Prophecy was more ordinary and common the false Prophets might warrantably have brought their diabolical Inspirations and phantastical Delusions to the tryal of the Law and of the Testimony so much more now when that extraordinary way of the Lords manifesting of his minde is ceased may this course be taken to prevent a deceit especially seing we have a full and complete Rule whereby we are to walk and to regulate ourselves both as to Faith and Manners 21. The reason which he addeth in the end of his Thesis to wit That a divine Inward illumination and Revelation is of it self clear and evident compelling the intellect that is well disposed and insuperably moving and bowing it to an assent and that by its proper evidence and clearness c. evinceth nothing contraâ—y to what we hâ—ve said for though a truely divine Illumination or Revelation Extraordinary and Immediate of which kinde we are here speaking will bring its owne credentials alongs with it and by its owne evidence prove it self Divine so powerfully perswade the soul that there shall no hinke or doubt remaine concerning its authentick Authority yet every Revelation or Enthusiastick Illumination which men may be carried away with and yeeld up themselves unto as fully perswaded of the Reality and Relevancy thereof will not pâ—ove truely Divine or such as ought to be received with a divine Faith without being once questioned or put to the tryal for as
was hinted just now then it must be said that the Devil the Prince of the powers of the aire the God of this World the Prince of darkness and the Spirit that worketh in the Children of disobedience cannot deceive any with his false Lightnings nâ—y not even such as are judicially given up of God to strong delusions to believe a lie which yet the experience of all ages would confuâ—e the Scripture also tels us that Satan can transforme himself into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11 14. that he hath his depths Rev. 2 24 his devices 2 Cor. 2 11. That he is the Ruler of the darkness of this world spiritual wickedness in celestials Ephes. 6 12. What meaneth I pray the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and with all deceivablness of unrighâ—ousnes in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth mentioned 2 Thes. 2 9 10 do we not hear Revel 12 9 that the great Dragon that old Serpent called the Devil and Satan deceived the whole world But not to insist on this which the many Energumeni persons obsessed with the devil and phanaticks with Enthusiasts and the like wherewith Histories of all ages abound will not suffer us once to call into question and whiâ—h the late relations of Iohn of Leidenâ— Thomas Muncer Iohn Battenburg Melchior Hophman David Georg Swenckfeldius Wâ—igelius in Germany and of Hacket Coppinger Arthington and the rest of the Grundletonians in England with the instances of Phanaticks among the Papists mentioned by D. Stillingfleet in his Idolatry of the Church of Rome Chap. 4. do put beyond all debate let us but consider how it was with the false Prophets of old in whom Satan was a Lying spirit to perswade Ahab 1 King 22 20 21 22. Were not they and the like deceived with false Impressions supposing they had the Spirit of the Lord when it was but a lying Spirit deceiving them 2 Chron. 18 23. 1 King 22 24 Is there not a Spirit of Error as well as a Spirit of truth 1 Ioh 4 6 22. But that we may put an end to this this Man 's own expression confirmeth what I say for he hath a restriction or qualification spoiling all his purpose while he saith that this divine Revelation moveth an understanding that is well disposed to an assent Whence we see that every Revelation pretending to be Divine is not to be submitted to as such but that Revelation only which proveth it self unto an intellect well disposed and discovereth thereunto its own proper Evidence and Perspicuity And therefore all Revelations even though supposed to be divine ought not to passe without examination But I had thought that all divine Revelations and Inspirations Extraordinary and Immediat for we speak not here of the Lords Mediat and Ordinary Illumination whereof all the children of God are made partakers in one degree or other did either finde or make the intellect well disposed for receiving the Impression of Light and Truth revealed so that a graceless Balaam could say Numb 24 4. Balaam the Son of Beor hath said and the man whose eyes are open hath said He hath said which heard the Words of God which saw the vision of the Almighty falling into a trance but having his eyes open Hence Elisha called for a minstrel that his Spirit might thereby be composed and he in case to receive the Revelations of God 2 King 3 15. So that while the Intellect was out of frame through one passion or other the man was not in case to receive the divine Illapses of Light and Revelations of God's minde Now while this man insinuateth that even divine Revelations may come into an understanding not well disposed it must be much more probable that other Revelations which are not truely Divine may affect a distempered understanding And yet I doubt if this Man can give such clear marks of distinction betwixt an Understanding that is Distempered and an Understanding that is Sound and well Disposed at the receiving of such Revelations whereby the Persons under these receipts of Illumination can certanely know whether their mindes and understanding were Well or ill disposed that thereby they may certanely know what to judge of these Revelations Yea I doubt if he can give instances of persons so immediatly Illuminated even by the Father of lies sensible and convinced of a distempered understanding while receiving these glances of new light So that even because of this and because it is possible that such Meteors of new Light may fall upon a distempered understanding and be received and entertained as Divine when nothing lesse it is certane that these Illuminations should passe under examination and tryal and there must be a Rule and Measure whereby they must be tryed and consequently that the Scriptures must be that Rule seing among Protestants nothing else can pretend to this umpireing Power 23. Having premised these things to facilitate our way in what followeth we return to the Examination of what he saith in his Apologie Upon the fourth and fift Propositions formerly mentioned His fourth Proposition is as we heard That these Revelations were of old the formal Object of the Faith of the Saints And by these Revelations he must meane Inward and Immediat Communications of the minde of God by Dreames Visions Vive Voice or the like such as these were which the Patriarchs and Prophets of old had or as we have shown he shall speak nothing to the purpose he would be at New let us see what way he proveth this He adduceth for this end the definition of faith given by the Apostle Heb. 11 1. saying that faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen But to what purpose I do not see seing it is a most certane Truth that all that have had and now have this faith have not had nor yet have these Inward and Immediat Revelations whereof we are speaking That the Object or ground of this Faith was the saying and promise of Iehovah is unquestionable but the thing that he should prove is this That this saying of God which saith gripped to and laid hold on was immediatly spoken by God to every individual beleever as for example that promise which was immediatly revealed to Adam That the seed of the woman should tread down the head of the Serpent or That immediatly revealed to Abraham That in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed c. and the like Doth he think that no man can beleeve a promise but he to whom this promise is immediatly spoken by God Let him prove this for I will not grant it He attempteth a proof from the Instances mentioned in that Chap. and adduceth only two Noah and Abraham And I willingly grant that not only these two but all others who had immediat Revelations from God whether touching matters of Faith or Duty had the Word and Authority
Infallible Revelation of the Spirit of truth declared in the Scriptures writen by men infallibly acted by the holy Spirit of God and to beleeve and follow the dictats of the Father of lies As for the second Proposition It is unquestionable from history of all such Persons from the Montanists Circumcelliones Donatists Euchites and the like Enthusiasts of old from Mahomet that great Impostor and pretender to Revelations from the many Enthusiasts in the Church of Rome of which read D. Stillingfleet in his book above cited Especially Ignatius Loyola the Father founder of the Jesuites our Quakers great Friends if not Fathers from the Enthusiasts in Germany the Swenckfeldians Weigelians and particularly Iohn of Leyden and his complices in and about Munster c. to the Quakers this very day All which have given undoubted evidences of their delusions by their Errours Heresies sometimes Scandalous Actings Nay it hath been found that these desperat Adventures have pretended to these Revelations of purpose to put off with more cunning their desperat Errours and cheat souls unto the market of their pernicious Wares If this man be of another judgment I challenge him and all the Quakers this day to name to me a Seck of such Pretenders of whom this may not be verified And as for himself and the rest of the Quakers if the Scriptures be the word of truth and given out by Infallible Inspiration whâ—ch he dar not deny they bear as manifest Marks and give out as palpable Evidences of their being led and acted by a Spirit of Errour as any of their Predecessours as this and other of their writings put beyond all question Sure the Spirit which Christ promised to lead all his people by was a Spirit of Truth and a Spirit that leadeth into all Truth Ioh. 16 13. But thâ— Spirit acting them is a Spirit of Errour as the Scriptures of truth evidence The Spirit promised was a Spirit that would glorify Christ and take of his shew it unto his People but the Spirit acting them is a Spirit opposite to all the Institutions of Christ and a Spirit seeking to debase our Lord Jesus in his Person Offices and Work all which our following discourse will evince 33. Having thus proposed and enforced the Objection we need not take notice of hiâ— triffling Answers adapted to the shaâ—ow he made himself It â—s enough to us that he cannot say that such as the Spirit of â—od leadeth in seed are led into Errour seing by this fruite and their sinful carriage Christ hâ—th told us that we may know false Prophets Mat. 7 15 20. And that he himself confesseth that true divine Revelations are not contrare to the Scriptures and therefore having Scriptures and sound Reason on our side we value not his brag in saying that by happy experince they finde hithertil that the Spirit hath never deceived them or led them unto any evil seing all such Pretenders of old should have said the same with as great Confidence they that are given up of God to strong delusions to beleeve a lie know not that it is a lie which they beleeve Wisdome is justified of her children As for Munster business he professeth § 14. his abhorrence thereof but with all addeth that as great evils have been practised by such as owne the Scriptures which doth not touch the Objection framed by me Beside that it is not very probable that God would have left these Miscreants to such acts of villany if the way to which they pretended had been of God considering how they were the first that in that age and at that season of Reformation did appear for it and openly professe it a parallel of such as owned any part of Truth long under contempt and against so much opposition will not I suppose be showne The rest of this paragraph being a meer Rhapsodiâ— and with all an Excreation of much gall and nothing to the purpose in hand I meddle not with It wil satisfie him if I say that I am none of those who will reject the guidance of the Spirit of God though some profane Wreatches say that they are led by him He knoweth our disput is not about the guidance of the Spirit but about the manner of this Guidance and Teachings 34. What he saith § 15. in Vindication of the last part of his Thesis hath been obviated already See above § 18 and 19. only I shall take notice of a word or two which he hath To prove the self evidence of the Spirits working in souls he maketh use of these words of David Taste and see that God is good of Paul saying I am perswaded nothing can separate me from the Love of God and then citeth 1 Ioh 4 13. and as if it were to the same purpose addeth 1 Ioh. 5 6. and hence inferreth that the Revelations which they have being the Revelations of the Spirit who is truth must certanely be true and not contrary to either Scripture or Reason Alas doth not the man know that the Spirit may work grace in the soul and for a time for holy ends keep up the sensation thereof and that others may deny or not observe the work of the Spirit in their souls through Mistakes Prejudice or other Corruption as others may imagine a work of grace without ground Knoweth he noâ— that we are speaking here of Immediate and Objective Revelations which are Extraordinary and which himself in a few lines before said the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles had not naming any others and not of the Ordinary workings of the Spirit of grace Waving these Impertinencies I would ask only How came it to passe that Others pretending as much to Immediat Revelations as he have been deceived If others have been deceived why may not he It is true The Spirit of God is alwayes a Spirit of Truth but a Spirit of Errour and Delusion which some may take to be the Spirit of God is not the Spirit of Truth Why will he not try by the Scriptures and by sound Reason what sort of Spirit that is which acteth him the rest No that is needless And why so Because their spiritual senses are awake so that at the very first they can perceive their revelations to be of the Spirit no less infallibly than a wise Mathematician can diseerne the truth of the most clear mathematick demonstrations Happy they say I if it be so But hereby he must needs reproach his Predessours the Enthusiasts and Phanaticks of former ages as being asleep at best in the midst of their Revelations and not having their spiritual senses awake for they have been deceived and yet no doubt were as confident of the contrarie as this man is But this man's testimony is of himself and so the less to be valued and it is inward and invisible and so the harder to be confuted Only I would know how he will perswade us of it a Mathematician can demonstrat the grounds of his
sandy ground as Mr Rutherfoord witnesseth in his Spiritual Antichrist P. 19. Richard Farnworth said to Mr Stalham as he reporteth Pag. 3. of his forecited book That the Scriptures are the word of God and eternal life as thou wouldest have them thou canst not prove nor all the Magicians to help thee So P. 43. he tels us that one of them in a sheet called Christ exalted c. P. 4. had these words He Christ is the word and the Scripture is not He is the light and the Scripture is not He is the Rule and Guide and Teacher and Iudge and the Scripture is not but a Declaration of Him to be so By which and the like we may see how low an account they have of the Scriptures And how fond and absurd this is to debase the Scriptures under a pretence of exalting of Christ who seeth not Seing the Lord spoke in and by the Prophets unto the Fathers and spoke by the Mouth of the holy Prophets Heb. 1 1. Luk. 1 70. And the word of the Lord came unto them as unto Ieremiah Chap. 1 2 4. 2 1. 14 1. 29 30. unto Ezechiel Chap. 1 3. 3 16. to Hosea Chap. 1 1. to Ioel Chap. 1 1. to Ionah Ch. 1 1. 3 1. to Micab Ch. 1 1. to Zephania Chap. 1 1. to Zechariah Chap. 1 1. 7 4. 8 1. and by Haggai Chap. 1 1. And they declared what they spoke as the word of the Lord and the Lord owned it as His word See moreover 2 Chron. 36 21. Micah 4 4. Act. 28 25. Esai 1 20. Deut. 30 8 Num. 25.5 Ier. 23 28. and the like And seing the Scriptures containe nothing but a Revelation of the will and good pleasure of God it is manifest and clear that they are the Word of God and should bear that title To speak nothing of the Law which the Lord spoke and gave himself immediatly from mount Sinai what he inspired the Prophets to deliver and spoke himself in and by them and moved them infallibly in the very writing thereof cannot but be the Word of God That word which was given by immediat divine Inspiration cannot but beare the name of the Word of God Nay this name is expresly given unto the Scriptures for Mark 7. what is called the commandement of God vers 8. spoken and written by Moses vers 10. is called the Word of God vers 13. The roll written by Baruch Ier. 36 from the mouth of â—eremiah vers 4. is called the words of the Lord vers 6. The sword of the Spirit which is a piece of the Spiritual armour of Christian souldiers wherewith they resist the devil as Christ their Captane did Mat 4 4 7 10. with an it is written see also Mat. 22 31 32. is called the Word of God Ephes. 6 17. I shall not urge that place Heb. 4 12. because it seemeth more to be spoken of Christ than of the Scriptures though several take it as meaned of the Scriptures But that equivalent Expression of the Word of Christ Col. 3 16. may confirme us in this Truth as also that equivalent Expression the Oracles of God Rom. 3 2. and that the sincere milk of the word 1 Pet. 2 2. and that the word of the Lord 1 Pet. 1 2â— what else can the Psalmist's speaking to God and manifesting his affection to his word useing this expression Thy word above thirtie times Psal. 119. import but that the Scriptures are and are to be called the Word of God So these equipollent Expressions have the same import The word which I command you Deut. 4 2. I have written to him the great things of my law Hos. 8 12. when the Spirit of the Lord speaking of the Scriptures useth these expressions well spoke the Holy Ghost saying Act. 28 25 26. As the Holy Ghost saith Heb. 3 7. He spoke in a certane Place Heb. 4 4. He said in David vers 7. See Heb. 5 6. Exod. 20 1. Deut. â— 6. Heb. 13 5. Gal. 3 16. Rom. 10 21. 15 10. 1 Cor. 9 10. Others of this kinde might be cited If this man be of another judgment herein he should clearly express himself howbeit he thereby dissatisfie some of his Brethren But instead of this in his Apology P. 36. he alleigeth that we but calumniate them and speaking in the name of all the rest he saith they account them the most excellent writings in the world but how will he make this agree with their sayings formerly cited and afterward to be adduced He would do well to endeavour some reconciliation but I see not how he can do it 3. As for us we assert that no Prophecie of the Scripture is of any private interpretation For they were not conceived by the mindes nor framed and formed by the Understandings and Reasonings of men nor were they the product of their Study Paines as other books are of their Authors assisted by the Spirit of God Howbeit the penmen of the Scriptures studied the writtings of others as Daniel did understand by books Dan. 9 2. and David was much in the meditation and study of the Law yea they searched and made narrow enquiry after the meaning of what was spoken and delivered by themselves so far as concerned their own faith and Practice as Peter tels us 1 Pet. 1 10 11. yet the work of delivering the Scriptures by Word and Write was not the result of their studious Labour wherein their Mindes Judgments and Memories were exercised and busied nor did these Scriptures proceed from private phancied Revelations and Enthusiasmes they were not the issue of mens Dreams Imaginations Conceptions of fancie or self-Afflation because no way of private Interpretation or Revelation but on the contrary holy men of God spoke as they were not only determined but moved by the Holy Ghost and that in contradistinction both from the acts of mens Phancy and Imagination and the acts of their Will 2 Pet. 1 20 21. The Holy Ghost did Immediatly and Extraordinarily dictat what was written Matter and Expressions as well such things as they had Seen Heard Read Studied and Known before as these they were Ignorant of or had forgotten Hence it is that the Lord spoke in the Prophets by the mouth of the holy Prophets and his word came unto them and by them see Heb. 1 2. Mark 14 36. Heb. 3 7. 9 8. 10 15. Luk. 1 v. 70. 2 King 10 10. 21 10. 2 Sam. 23 2 3. and hence it is that this very word of Prophecy or Prophetical word coming thus unto the Prophets the holy men of God when it was to become a Prophecie of write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was also committed to write through the Spâ—cial acting of the Spirit singularly movâ—ng these Amanuenses hence the Scripture the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given by Inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3 16. on which place the words of Corn a
Againe how could Christ and his Apostles confirme their doctrine by the Scriptures Press to a study and search of them Convince persons of errour by them and the like seing still this shift was as ready at hand for them to use as it is for the Quakers today I pray hâ—m to cleare me in these particulars if he can 13. But if the meaning of his Assertion be That we know only by the inward Testimoâ—y of the Spirit that the book of the Scriptures is indeed the word of God what will this helpe his cause Nothing at all for the Testimony of the Spirit is a true Testimony and if the Spirit testifie that that book is the Word of God that book must indeed be the Word of God and it must be the Word of God before that testimony be given to it for the Testimony doth not make it such but witnesseth it to be such and so before that Testimony of the Spirit come the will of God contained in that book must oblige us to Beleeve it and Obey it for what is the revealed will of God cannot but oblige such unto whom it is revealed But if it be said That even the will of God contained in the Scriptures cannot oblige us untill a new Revelation come to perswade us of the certainty that it is the will of God I answere Then 1. The Assertions of the God of truth and the Lawes and Commands of the Supream Lawgiver have no obleiging force upon us to Beleeve and Obey untill we be perswaded these Truths and Lawes are Divine and so the authority of the Lawes dependeth upon and is derived from the minde of the Subject and no more shall be law than he will 2. Then the Revelation of the minde of God doth not carry alongs with it its owne Evidence 3. Then the Second Revelation can as little carry alongs with it its own evidence as the First and we must have a Third to give us the perswasion of its certanety and the Third will stand in need of a Fourth and so in infinitum and hereby we shall never come to any certanty but still fluctuate notwithstanding of Revelations upon Revelations 14. He adduceth Apol. P. 36 37. Calv. Instit. Lib. 1. c. 7. s. 4 5. The French Confession of faith Art 4. The Belgick Confess Art 5. And the Confession framed at Westminster Cap. 1. S. 5. which last he cannot cite without a jibe at these worthy Divines thereby evidenceing what a Spirit acteth him But to the point I say 1. What is spoken here of the Spirit is in Opposition to the Testimony of Men or of the Church which the Romanists alleiged 2. They speak not of an Objective certanty as if before this perswasion wrought by the Spirit there was no ground to beleeve and receive these for the Scriptures of truth or as if indeed before this they had not been the Scriptures of truth but of a Subjective certanty and therefore they call it Perswasion and Assurance now this doth not create an Objective certainty but preâ—upposeth it and only helpeth the soul to see that Objective certainty and rest upon it with full Conviction and Assurance 3. They speak not of any Immediat Revelation or Inspiration but of an ordinary work of the Spirit efficiently effectuating this Perswasion and Assurance 4. They expresly tell us that this work of the Spirit is by and with the word and not an Inspiration distinct and seperated from it anâ— by the gracious effects of the word in and upon the hearts of People which evidently demonstrate the cause to be divine and that Word which hath such Powerful Noble and Divine Effects upon the soul to to be of a divine Original flowing from that Supream Verity or Veracity and from that Supream Authority and so to be purely divine 15. Though this be enough to discover the vanity of this mans Alleigance yet I shall for the Readers satisfaction a little further cleare the matter There are in the Scriptures such innate marks and evidences of divine Majesty Power and Authority whereby as Light and Heat prove and demonstrate themselves so the Scriptures evince themselves to be of God by their Light Life Power Majesty Divine which is also manifested by these particulars mentioned in our Confession of faith to wit The Heavenliness of the matter The Efficacy of the Doctrine The Majestie of the stile The Consent of all the parts The Scope of the whole which is to give all glory to God The full Discovery it maketh of the only Way of Mans salvation The many other Incomparable Excellencies and the Intire Perfection therof These are arguments which it carryeth alongs with it whereby it doth abundantly evince it self to be the word of God as the heavens declare themselves to be of God not by any voice or testimony but by the Characters of Infinite Power so legible upon them that all that run may read The Spirit in working up the soul unto a Conviction and Perswasion that the Scriptures are the word of God doth those things First He cleareth up the characters of divinity that are in the Scriptures formerly dark to the man through prejudice or other causes and so maketh the Object plaine and manifest Next He conveyeth light into the Minde whereby the man is enabled to discerne and perceive these Grounds and Evidences which are the characters of divinity as a man when clouds are removed and his eyes are opened to see the beames of light flowing from the body of the Sun is convinced and perswaded that the Sun is arisen in our horizon Now this work of the Spirit hath its various Measures and Degrees not to mention that which is truely saving whereby the man is not only Enabled to see the forementioned grounds to a conviction but through a gracious Work of the Spirit on the whole soul is made to close with these grounds with joy and delights and to accept of the Scriptures upon these Grounds with full perswasion of soul as having this truth that these Scriptures are the word of God deeply impressed oâ— his spirit and sealed by the Holy Ghost So that he embraceth them as the very word of God and closeth with them with all Reverence and cheerfull Submission of soul receiving with faith the Truths there delivered and submitting to the Commands thereof heartily and cheerfully through grace Not to mention this I say which as it respecteth the matter contained in the word and the sutable improvement thereof is not of our present concernment this work of the Spirit admits of degrees whether we consider the Object or Evidences which lye in the Scripture or the Subject the â—llumination of the minde to see the cleared Evidences and Grounds for to some the Grounds and Evidences may be more clear and unquestionable than to others and some may have a larger Illumination of understanding and so a greater capacity to see the divine Original of the Scriptures than others and
hence the Perswasion or Conviction of this truth may be greater in some as more freed from Prejudices Doubts and Exceptions than in Others in whom it may be weaker through some admixture The impression also may be in some deeper than in others 16. If any enquire wherein this differeth from the Opinion of the Quakers I ans In those particulars 1 This which we speak of is not the Spirits saying by any new Revelation Voice or Whisper or Enthusiastick inspiration that this and not that Book is the Word of God The Quakers speak thus 2 By their way the testimony of the Spirit is an Argumentative Medium or an Inartificial Argument adduced to prove this conclusion to themselves that this or that Book is the Word of God so that they must first Perceive and Feel that the Spirit saith or witnesseth this book to be the Word of God and then they inferre that therefore it is to be received as the Word of God But we make no such use of the Spirits Testimony but Assert that He so illuminateth the Minde to see the characters of divinity as withall to work the Assent or Perswasion and that so as the Faith or Perswasion shall be felt oftentimes before the man reflect upon the Operation of the Spirit 3 The testimony we speak of is that Operation of the Spirit whereby the characters of divine Majesty and Authority which are natively inprinted in and do necessarily attend the Sayings of God are Discovered Received and Acquiesced in But the testimony which they speak of is distinct from and hath no connexion with the Objective evidence which is in the Scriptures themselves 4 The Quakers Revelation is purely Objective and New and Immediat declaring a new Truth The work of the Spirit which we speake of as it cleareth up the Objective Evidence which is in the Scriptures by removing Grounds of Mistake and Prejudice and the like so it worketh by these Evidences a Subjective Conviction in the soul and a Perswasion of the truth which only the man did not see before 5 By their Revelation a person getteth no new discovery of the characters of Divinity which the Scriptures carry along with them unless it may be by accident but the Perswasion which we speak of is rationally deduced from and founded upon these Marks and Evidences which the soul is now made to see clearly through the Operation of the Spirit 6 By our way the Scriptures do not receive their Truth and Authority neither in themselves nor as to us from this work of the Spirit as they do by the way of the Quakers for whether this Operation of the Spirit whereof we speak be or not the Scriptures are what they are the very Word of God as the sun is a shineing sun and light is light whether the blinde see it or not The word of the Lord is cloathed with Divine Light Majesty and Authority whether we see it or not Obligeth us though as yet wanting this perswasion and remaining blinde or blinded with prejudice to Imbrace and Receive the same as the Word of God and to yeeld all due Faith and Obedience thereunto as to the Word Law of the great God Lawgiver it is true without this work of the Spirit we cannot attaine to that heart-quieting Perswasion and soul-satisfying Assurance of the infallible Truth and divine Authority of the Scripture yet there is an infallible Truth divine Authority that inseparably attendeth whatsoever is spoken by God delivered as Assertions Lawes whether we see it and beleeve it or not And our blindness though it prejudge us of the rich advantage of Embraceing the Scriptures as the very Word of God yet it Endammageth not in the least the word of God it self But by the way of the Quakers the Scriptures have no Light nor Authority in themselves or to us until this Second Testimony come And thus it is supposed that either the Scriptures have no Characters of Light Power Life and Majesty divine in themselves or that whatever they may have of this kinde it is of no force to Oblige us to Faith and Obedience which were a contradiction till we receive this adventious and second Testimony and so all who want this are under no Obligation to receive the Bible by Faith and Obedience more then the Turks Alcoran which sure must be a very wilde and uncouth Position Let the Reader consult that satisfying Piece of the learned D. Own of the Divine Original c. of the Scriptures Chap. 5. where this is more satisfyingly and clearly expressed 1â— Now this being the very nature and native result of the judgment of the Quakers who sâ—eth not how absurd it is and who can be ignorant of the dreadful Consequences thereof which are so obvious For if their Opinion hold Then 1 there was no Ground for that Challenge Hos. 8 12. I have written to him the great things of my Law but they were counted as a strange thing 2 Then the jewes wanting this testimony could not be blamed for saying Ier. 43 2 Thou speakest falsly the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say go not unto Egypt to sojourn there 3 This might have been alleiged for an excuse of the Unbeleef that Christ himself did meet with for the Jewes might have said we have not as yet the testimony of the Spirit perswading us that Christs sayings and sermons are truely divine or the very sayings and testimony of God and till we have this we are not bound to beleeve 4 This would annul all that Authority and Truth that is in the Revelation of Iesus Christ which God gave untâ— Him to show unto His Servants and sent and signified by his Angel unto Iohn who bare record of the word of God and of the testimony of Iesus Christ. Revel 1 2. So 5 it maketh null that saying Revel 1 3. Blessed is he that readeth and they that heare the words of this prophecy and keep those sayings which are written therein 6 It confronteth all these places following Deut. 11 18 19. and 18 19. Ier. 29 19. and 35.15 Psal. 50 17. Prov. 4 20. and 7 â— Ier. 6 19. and 1â— 10. and 13 10. Ezech. 3 4.10 with multitudes moe which might be cited 7 By this meanes the people of God of old were no more Obliged to receive the Word of God delivered by true Prophets than the lies and dreams of the false Prophets who were Prophets of the deceits of their owne hearts and there was no difference to be put betwixt the chaff and the wheat until this second Revelation came See Ier. 23 21-32 In a word 8 This rendereth the whole Scriptures of the Old and New Test. void and useless as we shall manifest more when we come to consider what he saith to the contrary 18. What he speaketh of the difference among the Ancients and doubtings concerning some Books of Scripture which are now received can prove nothing but that through Prejudice
false Grounds and Mistakes they were â—ot in case to see and observe these characters of divinity which others and possibly themselves afterward were helped to see Did ever any pretend the want of new Immediat Revelations as the Ground yea and sole Ground and Reason why they did not receive these books as Canonick or did ever any plead this as the Ground sole ground of their receiving of them as canonick whether among the Ancients or Moderne excepting Quakers the like Phanaticks 19. In his Apolo Pag. 38. he spendeth many words about his Conclusion which he gave us in fewer words in the end of his Thesis thus and seing said he we do receive and beleeve the Scriptures because they did proceed from the Spirit Therefore is the Spirit more originally and principally the Rule and to make all strong he addeth that philosophical axiome propter quod unumquodque est tale illud ipsum est magis tale and also in summing up what he had in the former part of his Thesis and we have already examined to wit touching the Spirits being the Principal Original of all Truth and Knowledge to which conclusion he saith he annexed that axiome which is not true But passing this and what hath been answered already let us see what truth is here and first I Observe That he manifestly confoundeth the prime and principal leader with the principal and original Rule Here he saith that the Spirit is the Principal and Original Rule elsewhere in his Thesis as we shall hear he inferreth and that out of Scripture that the Spirit is the prime and principal leader thus maketh the Principal Cause and the Rule all one He reasoneth like one that would prove that the winde was both the Principal mover of the Shipe and also the Compasse by which the skipper was to steer his course or like one that would prove that the Master was the principal leader of the hand of the writting Scholar then would prove that he were the principal copie too after the example of which the Scholar was to write which he was to eye while drawing framing of the letters Who seeth not what a vast difference is here Supposeth he that there is no difference here can he be so blinde as not to see it What I pray can be expected of such as found their fabrick upon such a ground of confusion but a Babel 20. Moreover if we consider the scope he driveth at we will finde yet more and more intolerable Confusion for his maine purpose is to Evince that the Revelations and inspirations which he and the rest of the Quakers pretend unto or that light within of which we will heare him afterwards talking is to be preferred as the more Primary and Principal Rule unto the Scriptures which at most are but a Secondary Subordinat and Inadequate Rule to him as we have heard Now if he think to prove this by what he here saith it is obvious and palpable that he maketh the Spirit from whom the Scriptures did proceed to be all one with the Revelations which they pretend unto or with the Light with in which he and they so much magnifie and cry up Otherwise all that he here saith is to no purpose and he but reasoneth from the club to the corner as we say Is that Light within or are the Revelations the increated Spirit Then we may judge what thoughts he must have of the Spirit and doubt whether he can look upon the Spirit as the true and living God or clear himself of wicked Socinianisme when he thus maketh him the same with a creature as the Revelation or the Light within must needs be Or will he say that the Light within him is really and indeed the increated Spirit this must be blasphemy with a witness and they must be looked upon as notorious Blasphemers and idolaters and this must be heard with horrour and needeth no other Confutation 21. He would do well to show us how we shall understand the Spirits being a Rule unto us Can we imagine that he is a Rule to us any other way than by Revealing his Will giving us Lawes proposeing Rules all Obligeing us to Faith and Obedience and is not the Rule proposed and laid downe to us by the Spirit Inspireing Instruments to write it our Principal and Original Rule was not the Law given out by Gods owne voice on mount Sinai a Principal and original Rule unto the jewes How or what way is God or can he be a Rule unto people of Faith and Manners but by declareing His Minde in making or proposeing by vive Voice or by Inward Inspirations Revelations or by Dreames Visions and the like or by Writting Lawes Ordinances Rules and Statutes whereby rational creatures are to regulate both their faith and practice How was He a Rule to Adam but by proposeing to him a Rule objectively in the Creation in his relation to his Maker and to the other creatures c. and by imprinting this Law and Rule into his minde and writting it in his heart or by giving him a Law by vive voice saying Thou shalt not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil How was he a Rule to Abraham when He commanded him to sacrifice his son was it not by enjoyning him by an express Command If he knoweth any other way how the Spirit is to be looked upon as a Principal and Original Rule he would do will to acquant us with it And if no other way be conceiveable we see the Impertinency of his Argueing as if one should say The Statutes and Lawes of a Land are to be Obeyed by the Subjects because they proceed from the Supream Legislator Therefore the Supreme Legislator himself is more their Rule and Law for propter quod unumquodque est tale illud ipsum est magis tale Is not this nobly argued and is not our Quakers Philosophy very quick and yet a person that never learned logick can smile at this and tell him that the Supream Legislator neither is nor can be any other way a Rule to Subjects but by making Lawes and these Lawes are a principal Rule to them as his Subjects 22. It might be noted that by his latine Igitur etiam Spiritus magis originaliter c. the Scriptures are acknowledged to be also Originally and Principally a Rule only the Spirit is more Originally and more Principally the Rule But to wave the darkness or ambiguity of this expression we shall accept what he here seemeth to grant viz. That the Scripture is an Original and Principal Rule And hence inferre Therefore it is to be preferred to all Inferiour Revelations and Inspirations which he and others pretend unto But if by the Spirit here he meaneth these Revelations and Inward Inspirations and therefore he accounteth these the more Original and Principal Rule and not the Scriptures he must give us some reason why he judgeth the Revelations which he hath or
the Law of God as their Supream Law and Rule for notwithstanding that these here had received the word spoken by Paul yet they went to their Supream Rule to have full Confirmation and Perswasion and upon this account are highly commended and hereby became beleevers vers 12. What he speaketh Pag. 50 of Heathens and particularly of the Athenians who received not the Scriptures and therefore were not dealt with by the Apostle upon that ground is Impertinent for he granted that the Law was a Principal Rule to the Jewes yet he knoweth that all other Nations did not submit unto it and he cannot say that the Chiefe and Only Rule was more different than nor now But he supposeth that when we speak of the Scriptures as our Rule we do wholly exclude the Law of Nature and the Revelation of God's minde written on the works of Creation and Providence and imprinted into the heart and minde of man as if the Scriptures did not comprehend the other and give a more clear and distinct Explication thereof Doth not the Scripture tell us that Gods works reveal â—omething of Him Psal. 19 2 3 4 5. and 147 10. c Iob 37. and 38. and 39. Act. 14 15 16 1â— Rom. 1 18 19 20. and 2 14 15 And hence also we see that the very Law and Light of Nature hath the Authority of God with it as being a Revelation of his will though dimme and but in part so that such as had no other are judged and condemned as trangressours thereof But this is without any prejudice to that Word which God hath magnified above all his name or what declareth Him Psal. 138 2. and wherein what was but darkly held forth in nature is more clearly and distinctly expressed beside the many other Revelations concerning the Institute worshipe of God and the way of Reconciliation and many other things concerning God and his Relations to us and our Duty to him which Nature could never have discovered and which are fully and clearly held forth in the written Word What argueing is this Because the Gentiles have not the Scriptures which are the Full Clear and Comprehensive Revelation of the minde of God therefore they are not our Supream Only Rule It is observable how this Man in the end of this § 8. will no more have the Scripâ—ures to be our Rule then the heathen Poets a sentence out of whom Paul adduced to convince the Athenians and so contradicteth all that he hath said both as touching the Law and Word of God its being a Principal Rule to the Iewes and among the rest to the Bereans and a Subordinat Rule to us We should have work enough should we do no more but observe this Mans inconsistencies and self contradictions 29. We returne now to examine what he saith against the Perfection of the Scriptures whereby he would prove it to be no Canon to us § 3. c. Pag. 40. c. And here he must give us leave to improve the advantage we have of his Concessions for while he granteth the Scriptures to be Truth he must needs grant that what testimony they give of themselves must be true and if they assert their owne Fulness and Perfection as to the ends for which they were appointed as we shall now shew they do he is as much concerned as we to answere the Objections to the contrary and to vindicate the Scriptures to be Perfect according to the testimony they give of themselves But it is obserâ—able how these Quakers joyne with Papists to decry the Scriptures and their Perfâ—ction and with the Iewes also who in their corrupted stated cryed up an Oral Law as they called it above the written Word It is true their Faces seeme to look to distinct airths but with Samsons foxes their tails are tyed together to consume the Scriptures of truth Our Quakers cry up their Inward Revelations or the Spirit within them as above the Scriptures So do the Papists cry up the Spirit in their Church See Mich. le jay praef ad opus biblic and Morinus â—ut let us see by what Arguments the Scriptures prove themselves to be a Perfect Canon and Rule That place of Paul 2 Tim 3 16 17 is enough to confront all that this Man can say against their Perfection For what is able to make wise unto salvation to make the man of God perfect throughly fournished for all good works is and cannot but be a Compleet and Perfect Rule But Paul positively and expresly asserteth this of the Scriptures nay moreover he cleareth and confirmeth it by enumeratinâ— all the necessary and useful Effects of the Scripture which he reduceth to foure heads to doctrine and Reproof in reference to matters of Faith the one concerneth the declaration and confirmation of Truth the other the rejection and confutation of Errour and then to Correction and Instruction in reference to Manners the one concerneth Evil actions for which men are to be reproved and corrected the other concerneth Good actions wherein we are to be instructed Against this place tâ—is man hath not a face to speak only in the end of Pag. 46. he hinteth that by the Man of God here is meaned the Spiritual Man and not a Carnal Man Which is nothing to the matter for though none but a Spiritual Man can improve the Scriptures aright yet they remaine in themselves a Compleet and Perfect Rule yea this confirmeth their Perfection and Necessity that even the Spiritual Man and he that is most advanced is made perfect by them standeth in need of them as his Rule And sure in this mans judgment they must be more a Rule to Quakers then to any others for these only are men of God with him The same may be cleared from Ioh. 5 39. of which before and Ioh. 20 31. But these are written that ye might beleeve that Iesus is the Christ and that beleeving ye might have life through his name So that the Sufficiency of what is writen concerning Christs Doctrine and Actions unto salvation clearly confirmeth the Perfection of the Scriptures nothing needeth be added to that Rule which is a Sufficient Ground for our faith that we may come to life But the Scriptures are a Sufficient Ground for our faith that we thereby may be saved For this end also compare these following passages Luk. 1 3 4. and 16 29. Act. 1.1 Rom. 10 17. Ephes 2 19 20. 30. Nay not only so but the Scriptures do in express tearmes Assert their owne Perfection Psal. 19 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul must noâ— this man be effronted that with Papists dar openly say the Law of the Lord is not perfect and as if it were not enough to contradict Scripture will goe about to prove that the Scriptures of truth do not speak truth Adde to this these passages wherein men are expresly prohibited to adde to this law such as Deut. 4 2. and 12 32. Prov. 30 5
not full and compleet and â—o unable to reach the end for which they are appointed Shall we say that God could not reveal his whole Will and Counsel Or that he was not so Good and Gracious as to do it I dar say Neither Nay this book of the Scriptures is a called a Testament 2 Cor. 3 6 14. And who dar adde to God's Testament when it is unlawful to adde to a mans Testament Gal. 4 15 And the places formerly cited do clearly evince it sufficient for the ends for which it is designed to which these may be added Psal. 119 105. Rom. 1 16. 1 Tim. 4 16. Ioh. 17 20. And if we must admit new Revelations not only as a part compleating our Rule but as a Supream Rule we declare the Scriptures useless as a Rule for what is not an Adequate and Perfect Rule is no Rule at all nor doth it deserve that name and withal we lay ourselves open to Satans Delusions and to false Revelations wherewith the world hath been too much filled and too long deceived or at best to Revelations and Enâ—husiasmes which we know neither whither they go nor whence they come and let them speak never so highly of their Revelations we judge by their doctrine which is for the most part either False or Dubious and not consonant to the Scriptures of truth We have heard of Impostors who were the greatest of Pretenders as of Simon Magus Act. 8. of Mahomet of several in the Church of Rome and others we have heard also of false Prophets of old and Christ hath foretold us of such Mat. 7. 24 24. and hath bid us beware of them Are we assured that the devil cannot or shall not play his game under these Enthusiasmes One thing is certane that the Lord sendeth us not to these Enthusiasmes to understand his Minde but to the Law and to the Testimony and to the more sure Word of Prophecie One thing I would know Whether he beleeveth that Christ and his Apostles did teach all that was necessary to salvation I suppose he will not deny it considering what Paul alone saith Act. 20 20 21 27. If he confess it then I would ask whether we have not the summe of that doctrine faithfully set downe to us in the Scriptures This cannot rationally be denyed seing Paul saith he taught nothing but what was foretold by Moses and the Prophets Act. 26 22. and seing hence it would follow that God was not so careful of the Church of the New Testament as he was of the Church of the Old Test. nor so careful of us as of the Primitive Church Neither let any say that we have Revelations now to make up our want For beside that we know no warrand for us to look for such in the primitive times there were Persons extraordinarily Inspired having Revelations notwithstanding of which there was a full and compleet declaration of all that was necessary to Salvation Againe why did the Lord commit any thing to write seing he would not commit his whole Counsel unto write Why would he not leave us wholly to Revelations It may be the Quakers will say that we are indeed left wholly to Revelations And this is the true tendency of this Mans doctrine But then of what use are the Scriptures Can he loose this knot and give satisfaction 41. He tels us as to this Pag. 46. The Lord thinks good to comfort some by others whom he raiseth up and inspireth for this end to speak and write seasonable words and so make them perfect And this with him is the whole import of Rom. 15 2. 2 Tim. 3 15 16 17. So that the Scriptures are but like their writings one to another tending to Comfort and Encourage one another who are delighted as he speaketh with the words or writings that come from the same Spirit in another Bellarmine saith They containe only some profitable Admonitions And both this man and Bellarmine deny them to be a Law Compleet and Full. Bellarmine thinketh that their Traditions are of as great authority as the Scriptures and this Quaker thinketh their owne Scriblings are of as great authority And where are we then And what is left us as a ground of our Faith and Hope by the Papists â—nd the Quakers â—ut he citeth as a proof of this 2 Pet. 1 12. which can prove nothing for him for we grant that the Scriptures are for Comfort and Encouragement but we say also They are Profitable for Doctrine and for Reproof and for Correction and for Instruction 2 Tim. 3 16. And that they are able to make the man of God Perfect Yes saith he They make the man of God perfect as Pastors and Doctors do who are ordained for this end viz. Ephes. 4 11 12. And yet as Pastors are not to be preferred to the Spirit so neither are the Scriptures Nay but he should say if he would speak consonantly to himself Though Christ hath ordained Pastors c. for the Perfecting of the Saints and given us Scriptures inspired of God that the man of God may be perfect yet we may lay both aside as useless and betake us to the Spirit for all and thereby declare that we are wiser than Christ was and that we have nothing to do either with the fruits of his Ascension the Ordinance of Officers or with the fruites of his Love and Care of the Church to the end of the world that is the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to show unto his servants But who would not pity such a poor blinded self-deceiving Creature Thinks he that the Appointments of Jesus Christ cannot be owned as meanes perfect in their kinde and for their end but the Spirit as a Principal Efficient Cause must be enjured and that we must lay aside the Scriptures as a Law and Rule that the Spirit may do all and have all the glory I should then think that he were more to be prayed for than disputed with and were it not for satisfaction to Others whom their faire speaches may deceive I should think it hardly worth my paines to blot so much paper in confutation of him 42. Then in the next place he tels us that the Lord would have us see in them that is in the Scriptures as in a glase the conditions and experiences of old saints that observing their case and ours to agree we may be confirmed comforted instructed in righteousness and by the Spirit within us observing the signature of the Spirit in them we may see them fulfilled in us Hence only the Spiritual man of God can profite by them and of such speaketh the Apostle also Rom. 15. others pervert them as Peter tels us By all which we see That the Scriptures are no Law or Rule no not a subordinate Rule or Law for what is such must have some Obligeing force with it binding us to conformâ—ty But according to this Man the Scriptures have no obligeing Force at all
otherwayes than unclean To whâ—ch words of Iob we may adde the words of Eliphaz Iob 15 14. what is man that he should be clean and he which is borne of a woman that he should be righteous Origens words Hom. 11. super Levit. are considerable Omnis qui ingreditur hunc mundum in quadam contaminatione effici dicitur Propter quod Scriptura dicit Nemo mundus a sorde nec si unius diei suerit vitaejus he meaneth this place of Iob as it is rendered by the 70. Hoc ipso ergo qui in vulva matris est positus qui materiam corporis ab â—rigine paterni seminis sumit in patre in matre contaminatus dici potest Aut nescis quia cum quadragint a dierum factus fuerit puer masculus offertur ad altare ut ibi purificetur tanquam qui pollutus fuerit in ipsa conceptione vel patâ—rni seminis vel uters materni Omnis ergo homo in patre in matre pollutus est 27. An argument for our purpose may be taken also from these words Gen. 5 3. And Adam begat a son in his own likeness after his image compared with vers 1. In the day that God created man in the likeness of God made he him As that Image of God in which Adam was first created did denote that Original Righteousness and Integrity which Adam had so this likeness and image of Adam in which Seth was begotten must denote Adams corrupted state whereof Seth in his very generation was a partaker and this was Original sin which was thus traduced and propagated from Adam to his posterity It is true Cain and Abel both were so also generated but it is thus expresly said of Seth because Abel had no posterity and Cains posterity was excluded from the Covenant Seths was to continue within it and therfore it is said of him that even his posâ—erity might know their true Original and be humble notwithstanding of this privilege As also to shew that no length of time betwixt the fall and this generation of Seth had worne this corruption away 28. The ancient Fathers made use of to this end these words of Christ to Nicodemus Ioh. 3 5.6 Except a man be born of watter and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit And indeed the proof hence deduced is irrefragable for Christ the Amen and faithful witnesse asserts with a double asseveration verily verily that a man and every man no exception made of Infants must be regenerated before he can enter into the Kingdom of God so that his first generation if there be no change will advantage him nothing And the Reason is added for by the first generation he hath a fleshly birth which is corrupt and not meet for the Kingdom of God what is borne of the flesh is flesh and nothing else and this probation annexed sheweth that Christ meanâ—th here even original natural and habitual corruption and this must principally be put from its dominion by Regeneration Beside that the words flesh and Spirit opposed thus to other in Scripture denote Natural Corruption and Grace reforming Rom. 7 14. 8 1 3. c. Gal. 6 vers 16 17. 1 Pet. 2 vers 2. 29. The ancients to this purpose made use of Gen. 17 14. and said the Covenant which these infants did violate who were not circumcised by their Fathers neglect or carelesness was the Covenant made with Adam See Vossii Hist. Pelag. Pag. 143. I shall not urge this place upon that account only seing the Text saith expresly that the uncircumcised man childe was to be cut off because he had broken God's Covenant we see that they were under a Covenant Law in some sense capable of breaking it therefore obnoxious to off cuting Now we heard above this Quaker say that Infants were under no Law therefore obnoxious to no punishment Let him chew his cood upon this place contradict Moses as he did lately contradict Paul They cited also Esai 48 8. Yea thou heardest not Yea thou knewest not yea from that time that thine eare was not opened for I know that thou wouldest deal very treacherously and was called a transgressour from the womb So did they make use of Rom. 7 23. I see another Law in my members and vers 18. for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing As also 1 Cor. 15 22. of which we have already spoken a little And indeed this last place clearly pointeth forth that we are made alive by Christ through his merites conveyed to us by spiritual Regeneration as we died in Adam through his Sin and Corruption made ours by Natural Generation 30. Augustine as the forecited Author sheweth us Pag. 151.152 made much use of the Paines Torments Death which Infants were subject to as an irrefragable argument for Original sin and we have spoken something of it already The Fathers also made use of the initial Sacraments as a confirmation of this But I know this Quaker will regaird little any thing we can say of Baptisme for among the rest of his Errours he must not want this of Antibaptisme of which in due place Pelagius was much puzzled with this perplexing Argument was forced to grant that Baptisme to them was not for remission of sins so made it useless And as for Infants that died before baptisme he knew not what became of them quo non eant scio quo eant nescio and he devised a mid place betwixt hell heaven for them And so made two kinds of felicities one with in the Kingdom of God one without the Kingdom of God And he said that by baptisme they were brought out of the middle state into the highest See for this the forecited Author Pag. 192.193 Thus that man his followers were miserably Entangled But this Quaker I confess taketh a more consequential course but whether more consonant to Truth Piety I doubt when he denyeth all Baptisme But not to speak of Baptisme now for which there is a proper place reserved what will he say of Circumcision He cannot deny but that was an ordinance appointed of God And that it had reference to the body of sin Paul tels us Col. 21 11. And therefore it could not but presuppose sin in the Infants It is called by Paul Rom 4 11. a seal of the righteousness of faith and did point out the circumciseing of the heart Deut. 30 6. 31. The Fathers made much of this Argument That by this opinion of the Pelagians Infants were wholly excluded from any Interest in the Death and Merites of Christ. And how this man will evite this I know not nor know I how he will accord with himself in asserting Universal Redemption as we shall hear But to put a close to this I would only ask this
Repentance But how can he come who hath no power to Beleeve or Repent without grace Or is it in corrupt mans power to Beleeve or Repent 9. As for this Quaker with whom we are dealing He is not pleased to give us a full aâ—count of his judgment in this particular only two things I finde he harpeth upon and repeateth as the conclusion of his pretended proofs and allegations viz. 1. That Christ died for all and every man and not for all kinds of men only non pro generibus singulorum sed pro singulis generum as he saith And 2. That what he procured was only a Possibility of salvation but what he understandeth hereby we are left to conjecture Yet it is manifest that with him this was all and summe that was procured and that it was procured for all equally But what saith he as to the Conditions of the new Covenant we must attend him in what followeth ere we know his judgment herein Where albeit he saith that what he with the rest of the Quakers maintaine therein is different from what others say and peculiar to themselves Yet we will finde to be nothing but Pelagianisme and Arminianisme put in a new dresse of words not usual with others 10. Though it might be sufficient for us to consider what this man saith and only answere his Reasons Yet to give the Reader some satisfaction in this matter which others than Quakers are pleading for now a dayes it will not be amisse to give in short the grounds of our contrary judgment which we maintaine with the orthodox wherein I intend not a full handling of that Controversie But only a short proposal of the truth with the grounds thereof whereby all our Adversaries assertions will be rejected and our way in answering what this Quaker alleigeth facilitated and withal the two Assertions wâ—ich he insisteth upon viz. the Vniversality of the Redemption and the meer Possibility which was procured abundantly confuted 11. What that truth is which we stand for is plainly and fully enough set downe in several places of Our Confession of Faith as Chap. 3. § 6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory so hath he by the Eternal and most free purpose of his Will fore ordained all the meanes thereunto Wherefore they who are Elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season are Iustified Adopted Sanctified and Keeped by his power through faith unto salvation Neither are any other Redeemed by Christ effectually Called Iustified Adopted Sanctified and Saved but the Elect only So Chap. 8. § 1. It pleased God in his eternal purpose to choose and ordaine the Lord Iâ—sus his only begotten Son to be the mediator between God and man Vnto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed and to be by him in time Redeemed Called Iustified Sanctified and Glorified And ibid. § 5. The Lord Iesus by his perfect obedience and sacrifice â—f himself which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God hath â—ully satisfied the Iustice of his Father and purchased not only Râ—conciliation but aâ— Everlastiâ—g inheritance in the Kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father hath given unto him So ibid § last To all those for whom Christ hath purâ—hased Redemption he doth certanely and effectually apply and communicate the same making intercession for them and revealing unto them in and by the word the mysteries of salvation effectually perswading them by his Spirit to beleeve and obey and governing their hearts by his word and Spirit overcoming all their enemies by his Almighty power and wisdom in such manner and wayes as are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensations Our judgment is this in short That Christ according to the good pleasure of his Father laid downe his life a Ransome for the Elect only who were given to him to save from Wrath and Destruction and by that price purchased Salvation and all the Meanes necessary thereunto for them only to whom in due time and after the method which he thinketh best doth effectually apply the same unto them and actually save them 12. Though grounds sufficient considering the places of Scripture annexed in the margine of the Confession confirming all are clearly hinted and laid downe in these passages cited yet I shall with what brevity is possible point forth our grounds in plaine termes And 1. The Scripture is full and plaine in holding forth a Covenant betwixt Iehovah and the Mediator a transaction concerning man or the purposes of God concerning the Salvation of Man in way of a mutual Compact both for our better understanding of that solide ground of our Peace and Hope and for the confirming of our staggering and weak Faith And though the full explication and confirmation hereof would I judge fully undermine and destroy the rotten grounds of Socinians and Arminians and of all who are for the Diana of Free will and enemies to the Grace of God yet I cannot digresse thereunto here and shall only referre such as would see the same confirmed unto Mr. Dicksons Therapeutica sacra and Mr Rutherfords book upon the Covenant Taking it therefore for granted till what is by these Worthies said anent it be confuted and finding that Arminius himself in his Orat. de Sacerdotio Christi saith there was a Covenant betwixt the Lord and Christ I shall but shortly inferre therefrom That it is repugnant to reason to say that the result of that Eternal Transaction and the whole intended by it was only to procure a meer Possibility of Salvation and that such a Possibility as that though it was equally for all yet it might so fall out that not one person should be saved among all the sones of Adam How unreasonable is it to imagine such a bargane betwixt the Faâ—her and the Son as among men considering what they are doing can have no place If Christ was to see his seed by vertue of this Contract then certainly God had a special eye and respect unto that seed and that seed must be distinguished from all the rest for it cannot be All else all should be saved and so Christ did not undertake to buy all nor did the Father give him All for his seed and in reference to that seed the Redemption purchased must be an Actual and not a meer Potential or Possible Redemption and the Lord must have full Power and Dominion over the Will of that Seed whereby he may determine their hearts unto a following of the Method which he was to prescribe and all these meanes whereby this actual Closeing with the Conditions was to be effectually wrought must have been secured for a transaction betwixt persons infinite in Wisdom must of necessity be in all things contrived in deep Wisdom So then if by vertue of this Covenant a seed was ensured to Christ it was these concerning whom the transaction was
body the Church Ephes. 5 23. And againe Quaest 68. Are all the Elect only effectually called Ans. All the Elect and they only are effectually called Act 13 48. Although others may be and often are outwardly called by the ministry of the word Mat. 2â— 14. and have some common operations of the Spirit Mat. 7 22. 13 20 21. Heb. 9 4 5. who for their wilfull neglect and contempt of the grace offered to them being justly left in their unbeleef do never truely come to Iesus Christ Ioh. 12 38 39 40. Act 28 25 26 27. Ioh. 6 64 65. Psal. 81 11 12. 10. When the Gospel cometh to a place there is ground of hope that God hath some lost groat or other to finde out by the light thereof for it being the Gospel of Salvation and by it the Lord bringing life and immortality to light and it being the mean appointed and designed of God for this end to bring in the chosen ones there is ground to suppose that the Lord hath some elected ones in that place moe or fewer And though as to the intention of God and as it is the meanes designed of Lord whereby to effectuate the purpose he hath of saving such as he hath designed unto life it be properly sent to gather them in yet considering it as containing the revealed will of God and pointing forth duty and as it is put into the hands of men who know not the secret Counsels of God nor whose names are writen in the book of life whose not it concerneth all that hear it and all are bound in obedience to the command of the great God in the mouth of his authorized Ambassadours to believe and obey the Gospel And when obedience is not yeelded thereunto the righteous God because of the refusal of the offer and the contempt done to the grace of God in that refusal either taketh away the Gospel leaving that people in darkness and in an irremediable case by Non-churching or Excommunicating them as he threatned to do to Ephesus Revel 2 to Laâ—dicea Rev 3 and did to the Iewes when he cut them off and hath done to several other Churches sometimes â—amous for Christianity And where he continuâ—th the Light of the Gospel after much contempt there being of his Elect there whom he will not want but with much long suffering for the glory of his Grace waite for he hath other spiritual judgments wherewith even in this side of Eternity he punisheth such contemptuous offenders whose life natural he may spare for a time by giving them up to hardness of heart judicially blinding them giving them up to the power of Unbeleefe and to spiritual Security and Deadness so that no preaching can pierce them no Meanes can prevaile with them no Motives can move or perswade them no Threatnings can awaken them or rouze them out of their sleep So that the Lord dealeth with them according as it is written Esai 6 9 10. Mat 13 14. Mark 4 v. 12. Luk. 8 10. Ioh. 12 40. Act. 28 26. Rom. 11 8. maketh their eyes heavy and shutteth their eyes c. or as it is written Esa. 29 10. Rom. 11.8 poureth out upon them the Spirit of a deep sleep and closeth their eyes or as it is written Psal. 81 12. giveth them up to their owne hearts lust or as it is Psal. 6â— 22. maketh their table a snare or as it is 2 Thes. 2 10 11 12. giveth them up to all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish and sendeth them strong delusion that they shall believe a lie that they may be damned who beleeved not the truth or saith to them as Revel 22 11. He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still And though such judgments may be inflicted upon some that live and die under the drop of the Gospel yet it may well be said as to these on whom the Lord poureth out these judgments that the day of their Visitation and hope is at an end But yet though the consideration of this may and should make the Faithful Labourer in the work of the ministry when ready to complaine and cry out that he hath laboured in vaine and hath spent his strength for nought and in vaine Esai 49 4. lay his hand upon his mouth and adore knowing withall that his judgment is with the Lord and his work with his God ibid. and that he is unto God a sweet savour of Christ even in them that perish and to whom he is the savoure of death unto death 2 Cor. 2 15 16. Yet notwithstanding because it is not certain who are the particular persons who are thus judicially smitten of God he should minde his duty and preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2 Tim. 4 2. and be patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2 24 25 26. And others also who are even in a more private capacity should save some with fear pulling them out of the fire Iud vers 23. Not do we hereby give allowance to any to despond or despaire who hear the Gospel for the Lord hath his own time of coming the door standeth open that whosoever will may be encouraged to come forward for Christ in no wise casteth out any that cometh Ioh. 6 37. the invitation is Free Large whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Revel 22 17. Though with all we must say that word Heb. 6 4 5 6 7. may strick terrour into the hearts of many for it is impossible for those that were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them againe unto repentance seing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame for the earth which drinketh in the raine that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbes meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God but that which beareth thorns briers is rejected is near unto cursing whose end is to be burned 11. But as concerning that possibility which this Quaker dreameth of whereby it is concluded or presupposed that every Mothers son of the Posterity of Adam have Power and Ability Moral I say moral that no man may think I speak here of the meer faculties of the soul Understanding Will to beleeve and obey the Gospel or can of themselves beleeve without the Spirit of God and his mighty operation enlightening the Understanding savingly and renewing the Will and causing by the influence
Lord. This is that true light c. And Pag. 6. He tels us that commonly they call this light within Christ or a measure of Christ. And Pag. 7. That Crisp said that it was sufficient to heal helpe and save them tâ—at take heed to it and that because if it ought to be obeyed then it must be sufficient c. So Pag. 9 10. They say they do obey the commands of the Living and Eternal Word in them that is the Light to them is the living and eternal Word So. Pag. 16. He tels us that some of them call the seed Christ others a measure of God others say that it is the Spirit Pag. 47. he tels us that Naylor sayeth That Christ is the election and the elect seed and that Fox sayeth The seed to which the promise is is that which hath bin laden as a Cart with sheaves by the sinner which seed is the hâ—pe Christ. And Pag. 82. that W. Pen sayeth this light within was and is sufficient to bring about remission of sins eternal salvation whâ—ch was the errand for which Christ came into the world In his 2 Dial. Pag. 45. he tels us that Ed Burroughs called this seed the Church which is Christ's body Pag. 46. that he said also that such as denyed Christ to be the light in every man were Antichrists and that G Whitehead said To say the light in every man is a meer creature is contrary to plaine Scripture this life and light is divine and increated In his 3 Dial. Pag. 8. He tels us that they say That the life of God is the light of men with which every man is enlightened is sufficient to salvation And that they who obey it are the good subject and childeren of God and obtaine favour lâ—ve and the recompence of the reward of righteousness and how they speak thus Thou confounds the light within and the creature together concluding Imbecillity Insufficiency and Ignorance in the light which are the imperfections of the creature And againe Pag. 10. It is impious to charge mens infirmities upon the Light and reput that insufficient because they are rebellious And againe p. 43. that they say who or what was Christ in that manifestation it self but that divine word light and life manifested in flesh And pag. 52. This argument springs in my minde for the divinity and sufficiency of the Light That which in all ages hath bin the just mans path and there where the blood of cleansing is known and by which fellowshipe is enjoyed and the light of eternal life obtained is ever was ever will be a divine sufficient and saving way But such a way is the Light c. Mr Stalham in his book against the Quakers part 1. giveth us some others of their expressions concerning this light in prejudice of the Scriptures such as Pag. 60. that G. Fox said the light was the true teacher and the light within life the light in Scripture is death so p. 74. that the same person said It is the light that gave forth the Scriptures and will open the Scriptures and is a more sure word of prophecy yea and the grace that appeared unto all men And Pag. 83. that I. Nayler said that this light if we did know own and obey it would lead us out of the fall Many such expressions may be found I suppose by others who are acquaint with their books and by these expressions we may in part conjecture what they meane by this Light that upon the maâ—er it is the same the old Begards said to wit that every intellectuall being hath enough within it self to make it happy 4. But to returne to our Quaker we see 1. what various titles epithets he giveth it he calleth it the Seed Grace the Word of God and the Light which certanely is not to cleare and explaine the mater to us but to inveagle us cile our eyes and leave us more in the mist that we should not know what it is 2. He saith this whatever it be is in some measure given to every man and sure what is common to all men can be nothing but Nature or the Pelagian grace of God that is mans Free Will as Vossius sheweth us Hist. Pelag. Lib. 3. Part. 2 Thes. 1. Pelagius thought and said that this Rational Will or the Possibility of Nature created by God was the grace of God by which all might be done though afterward he added to coloure the business better a supernatural grace but this was nothing else but the external doctrine of the law But whether the Quakers will come this length I know not When all this addition of Pelagius did not satisfie the orthodox he added the grace of remission of sinnes but he thought not this necessary to all See Voss ibid. Thes. 2. when this did not satisfie he made another addition of the grace of Christ consisting only in his Doctrine and Example At length when all that would not satisfie he added the divine help of the Spirit working in men but restricked it wholly to the Understanding granting no operation of the Spirit upon the wil. Now whether our Quakers will come all this length I doubt seing this grace that Pelagius acknowledgeâ— can not be said to be common to all men How much less can that be called grace which they talk so much of and how can so great things be said of it while it cometh short of the very Pelagian grace 3 He saith this is given in order to Salvation But what is the meaning of this Is it sufficient without any supervenient grace of God to effectuat salvation and is it given of God intentionally for this end that it may lead unto salvation Then we need no more Gospel no more Preaching no more Grace of God no more Help of the Spirit This must be the very first exscreation of Pelagianisme And the setting of corrupt rotten Nature on the throne 4. where â—ead we that that which is common to all men is called the Seed the Grace and the word of God or that the Light of nature which is in some sense common to all men hath a native and kindly manufucture or tendency to the salvation revealed in the Gospel 5. The Scripture tels us that the seed of God remaineth and that it is proper to such as are borne of God 1 Ioh. 3 9. and so it is not common to all nor can it be exstinguished or killed 6. I would faine know how this Word of God can be crucified it may be he with other Quakers meaneth hereby the crucifying of Christ whereof the Gospel speaketh 7. He saith this seed c. is not the very essence of God how in this he contradicteth others whose expressions to the contrary we mentioned just now let all judge But he lenifieth the mater by saying that it is not the essence and nature of God taken precisely in it self So then it seemeth that it is the
Christ is in all That the Seed and light is in all he hath said and that this Seed and Light is Gods vehicle in which God and Christ do alwayes dwell and from which they cannot be separated he hath affirmed But that it obtaineth a place in the heart of all and is joyned therewith so that Christ is formed there and ariseth he here denieth Thus we have a distinction without a difference for in whom soever Christ is by his Spirit in them he is formed there he dwelleth as in his house and palace taking possession of the soul as his own and these are Christs 1 Cor. 3 23. Christ liveth in them and they live by faith in him Gal. 2 20. they crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5 24. which cannot be said of the Heathen who are without Christ Ephes. 2 12. for Christ dwelleth in the heart by faith Ephes. 3 17. Christ is united to the Church only as her head Ephes. 5 23. who grow up in him in all things Ephes. 4 15 16. and their life is hid with Christ in God and Christ is their life Col. 3 3 4. And this indwelling is mutual as he is in them so they are in him Ioh. 6 56. 1 Ioh. 4 15 16. Hence they are said to be in Christ Rom. 8 10. 16 7. 2 Cor. 5 17. 12 2. Can this be said of all the World Is all the World dead with Christ Rom. 6 vers 8. Col. 2 20 Or joynt heires with Christ Rom. 8 87. or crucified with Christ Gal. 2 20. quickened together with Christ Ephes. 2 5. Or risen with Christ Col. 3 1 He granteth that Christ is not in all by Union or strickly by Inhabitation How is he then in all He answereth he is in them as in the Seed and Light from which Christ is never separated But what ground have we for this Fancy and Notion What Scripture speaks so of Christs indwelling in all How is this distinction cleared from Scripture He citeth Amos 2 12. Behold I am pressed under you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheafs And what can this Metaphorical expression say that may be read as it is on the margine I will presse your place as a cart full of sheafs is pressed as Iunius Tremellius render it with the Dutch or as Munster behold I raise a pressure like a cart made lean when full of sheaves or as the old Tygurin version Behold I shall straiten you in your place as a cart full of sheafs is straitned or as Arias Montanus Behold I make a seige in your place like as a Cart is besieged being full of sheafs By all which wee see this is no nearer to his purpose then East is to West Then he tels us that Christ is crucified in wicked folks Which we look upon as a non-sensical dream But he addeth for a kinde of confirmation that Paul writting to the Corinthians and Galatians speaks of Christs being crucified in them 1 Cor. 2 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ans. But what can this import as to such as never heard of Christ Or as to the whole World 2. It is true Paul sayes 1 Cor. 2 2. that he desired to know nothing among the Corinthians a people rich in knowledge and gifts but Christ and him crucified that is The maine thing he drave at and desired was to have them acquanted savingly and practically with a crucified mediator for this he preferred to all other knowledge that would not humble and bring to a true Christian deportment but would rather puff up and lead away from the practice of Christianity 3. Whereas he looketh to the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if that alwaies were to be rendered in that taken properly too which is variously rendered sometimes by Heb. 11 2. Luk. 4 1. sometimes at Rom. 8 34. Ephes. 3 13. sometimes with or among Rom. 1 12 29. 16 17. Luk. 16 15 16. sometimes with Rom. 15 35 Ephes. 6 2. 4. Paul also rebuking the Galatians who had so soon suffered themselves to be bewitched from the truth of the Gospel useth this as an aggravation of their guilt to enforce his challenge Chap. 3 1. he saith that Iesus Christ had been evidently set forth and crucified among them that is that the Gospel had been so plainely and fully preached unto them that they could no more pretend ignorance thereof than if they had seen all drawn and purtrayed on tables before their eyes And though this sense import of the words be so obvious and plaine that he who runneth may read it yet behold how this Quaker dar pervert and wrest the plaine meaning of the Spirit of the Lord contrary to the very Scope and Intendment of the plaee for thus he paraphraseth it The Apostle desired to know this Iesus Christ in them and to manifest him to them that they being made sensible how they had crucified Christ might repent and be saved As if the Apostle had bin ignorant of this Christ in them if so be that he was in all and every one of Adam's posterity and as if none of those the Apostle wrote unto had been beleevers and penitent though he accounted them sanctified in Christ Iesus 1 Cor 1 2. and such as had the grace of God given to them by Iesus Christ vers 4. and were enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge vers 5. See also vers 6 7 8 9. What he speaketh of Christ's being the Light is impertinent here 20. In the Sixt place Pag. 87. § 16. He would faine make us beleeve that by this divine Principle they do not understand any part of Mans Nature or any relicques of good left after the fall But the reason he giveth betrayeth him bewrayeth his ignorance or worse for the saith that they make this principle distinct from the Soul and its faculties And what then The light of Nature and of Common honesty and the knowledge of some things of that kinde is neither Soul nor Faculty and yet it is no grace nor any thing but Nature some Reliques or rubbish of the old building And forsooth to make us think that he is no Socinian nor Pelagian he tels us againe that the Light he speaketh of is not only different from the Soul and its Faculties but is of another Nature as if the Socinians Reason and the Pelagians Nature or Grace could not also be distinguished from the Soul and its faculties The acts and exercise of the Faculties is not the same with the soul or with the faculties of the soul themselves no more than seeing or hearing is the same with the eye eare But he addeth That meer rationality cannot savingly understand any thing in things spiritual yea is a great impediment thereof and enemy thereto And the same we say of the Seed and Principle he talketh of and saith is in all men though he give it goodly names and call
â—onveyed to beleevers by this Light and it is this light that is given for a witness to the people for a leader and a commander and so this â—ight is our prophet priest and king and then we have nothing to do with that Iesus of Nazareth of whom the Gospel speaketh whom the Apostles preached Thus the whole Gospel is overturned at one blow and all the New Testament is to be looked upon as a cunningly devised fable or must all be understood allegorically as speaking of this Light within which is Gospel Bible Saviour and all to the Quakers and of no other Christ of no other Saviour and Redeemer What a fundamental and antievangelick errour this of the Quakers is no man needeth now to doubt nor fear to call them pagan Preachers 40. Faith cometh by hearing saith he and hearing by the Word of God which is placed in every mans heart to be a witness for God and à medium by which they may be brought unto God through Faith and Repentance And because mans heart is naturally hard as yron God hath put this word in it to be as a fire and as an hammer Ier. 23 29. by whose strength and vertue if it be not resisted the cold and hard heart of man is warmed and made soft and receiveth an heavenly image and impression Ans. Here is a further confirmation of the desperate designe of these Quakers to overturne the foundations of Christian Religion for 1. The word of God by which Faith is wrought in souls is not with them the word of God which is preached or the Gospel which Christ his Apostles preached but a thing in every mans heart Heathen as well as Christian which they nickname blasphemously call the word of God Did Paul preach this word which is in every mans heart Or did any of the Apostles make this their theme text Did they ever say that by this word Faith was wrought in the heart Was this the Christ crucified that Paul spoke so much of Sure faith cometh by the hearing of that word which is outwardly preached by such as are sent and whose feet are bautiful upon the mountains bringing glade tideings Rom. 10 15. Esai 52 7. Nah. 1 15. and by such as was Esaias whose report was not beleeved Rom. 10 16. Esai 53 1. Hear what Peter said Act. 15 7. Men and brethrâ—n Ye know how that a good while agoe God made choise among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the Word of the Gospel and beleeve And what that word of the Gospel was which Peter preached to Cornelius to which passage this relateth see Act. 10 34. to 43. What meaneth Paul by the foolishness of preaching whereby such as beleeve are saved 1 Cor. 1 21. was that the preaching of a Light within Why doth he then call it the crosse vers 18. and Christ crucified vers 23 would the crying up of the light within be a stumbling block to the Jewes and foolishness to the Greeks No certainly But because the Apostles doctrine did lye so crosse hereunto neither Iewes nor Greeks could relish it except those who were the called and they indeed and they only saw Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God vers 24. What need is there that we should insist in disproving of this which overturneth the whole doctrine of the Gospel and rendereth all the administrations thereof useless and ridiculous 2. What Faith I wonder can be produced by this Light within It cannot be the Faith of God's elect for the mighty operation of the Spirit is required thereunto and as an external mean the out ward preaching of the Gospel which is called the word of Faith Rom. 10 8. and the hearing of faith Gal. 3 2. And Paul tels us Rom. 1 5. That he and others received grace and Apostleshipe for obedience to the Faith among all nations The Gospel and the preaching of Iesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was keept secret since the world began but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of â—he Prophets according to the commandement of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience of faith Rom. 16 25 26. Through the Gospel did the Apostle beget the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4 15. The Thessalonians were called to the beleefe of the truth by the Gospel 2 Thes. 2 14. It must thâ—n be the faith of Heathens or rather the faith of Devils for they beleeve and tremble and Nature can produce no other faith but a natural faith founded upon nature which is of the same kinde with the faith of devils Is not the Quakers Religion a noble Religion which would bring us the length of Devils 3. That which is left in every man to be a witness for God is nothing but a Natural Conscience witnessing according to the Law of Nature and the dim light thereof that is not yet extinct and will this Natural Conscience produce saving faith in a heathen Sure the devil hath a conscience as an intellectual creature witnessing that there is a God and so witnessing for God Shall we call this conscience the word of God the hearing of which will produce faith Then the Quakers Gospel is a Gospel for the Devils giving them ground of hope of Faith and Repentance if they will but obey that Gospel which is preached within them 4. What a bold and manifest perversion of Scripture is it to apply that Word Ier. 23 29. which is express of the word spoken by the true and faithful Prophets of God unto this dumb preacher in every mans bosome 5 We see then that the softening and warming Spirit of God who by his power and efficacy melteth the heart is in every man by nature in every Turk Tartar Barbarian c. And whatever the Scripture speaketh of this work of the mighty Spirit of God must all be understood of this Light within every man O desperat souls O wretched errour Will not the Lords hand be seen against these impudent audacious perverters of the right wayes of the Lord 6. This fire and hammer will do wonders if it be not resisted But when fire worketh upon water and a hammer beateth upon hard yron or stone can it but meet with resistence At length we see all the operation of grace which he talketh of is the sufficient grace that Pelagians Iesuites Arminians plead for which must have no more efficacy anâ— power ascribed to it whatever great names it get than may salve the honour and consist with the glory of Free will which must weare the crowne and have all the praise for this grace must not entrench upon the Lordly liberty of mans will but must stand off and petition Lord Free will to consent and yeeld if it will but if not it can do no more And so it shall be of him that willeth and runneth and not of God that sheweth mercy contrare to Rom. 9 16. And it is not
more harden them as clay c. But the Sun can never make a thistle bring forth grapes or a carcasse to smell as a rose so neither can the Sun of righteousness by this Man's opinion cause a dead man live or a rotten withered branch bring forth fruit And the change of the corrupt nature of man is not from the Sun of righteousness but from himself and it lyeth at the mans own door and is in his option whether he will bring forth fruite or not let the sun shine as it will And further let him explaine to me How grace can properly harden a man I know that by accident of mans corruption abusing it the man may thereby grow worse but this is not the proper work of grace as the heat of the sun hardeneth the clay as natively and properly as it causeth the flower to smell fragrantly However we see clearly what are this mans thoughts of grace and let any tell me if ever a Pelagian Semipelagian Socinian Arminian or Iesuite spoke more to the undervalueing and disparagment of the grace of God 10. Finally he tels us § 18. that he acknowledgeth that God doth operat in some in a certain special manner in whom grace so far prevaileth that salvation necessarily followeth and God suffereth them not to resist This I confess is the expression that seemeth most orthodox of any he hath yet had in this matter and yet Arminians will say the same But is it not thus with all whom God effectually Draweth and Converteth Or are there any really converted and saved without this special operation of grace If it be not thus with all then all are not alike beholden to God and his free grace for Conversion and out of what Scripture can we learne this If it be thus with all and it must be so with all who are truely converted why doth he trouble us with his Sufficient Grace which alone without this special manner of operation never brought a soul to heaven Was ever or will ever a man that is born in sin be converted till grace take away that resistence which is in him naturally And did ever that sufficient grace alone do it Yet saith he in that none did want that measure of grace whereby they might be saved they are made justly inexcusable and they that perish while they remember the dayes of Visitation wherein God by his Spirit and light did strive with them are forced to câ—nfesse that tâ—ere was a time wherein the door of mercy stood open and that they are justly condemned Ans. 1. We see no ground for such a day of Visitation as he dreameth of granted to all and every son of Adam as appeareth from what was said above upon that hâ—ad 2. That no man shall have anâ— just ground of pleading his excuse before God when condemned we nothing doubt though we feigne no devices of our owne to this end 3. what sense or remembrance of a day of Visitation wherein mercies door stood open Heathens and such as never heard of Christ can have we are yet to learne 4. Nor do we understand how that grace can absolutely be called Sufficient which removeth not the greatest of impediments that is to say Mans Reluctancy But Quakers their brethren the Arminians Iesuites can imagine strange things 11. We come now to see what way he proveth the necessity of this light unto salvation or how such as hear the Gospel are saved by the operations of this Light Pag 107. c. He citeth that Ioh. 3 3. except a man be born againe or from above he cannot see the Kingdom of God And what can this evince That the outward preaching of the Gospel alone the literal knowledge of Christ historical faith in him doth or can save a soul we never said though he falsly insinuateth so much in the following words Yet we see here the mans wicked designe to wit to cry up this grace to the end he may destroy all the Ordinances of Christ which he hath appointed as meanes whereby he is pleased to bring about this effect We never said that the external preaching of the Gospel alone could save any yet we know that by the foolishness of preaching the Lord saveth such as beleeve 1 Cor. 1 21. And Paul tels us that he begote the Corinthians through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4 15. And he begote Philem. 10. Onesimus in his bonds The word becoming ingraffed is able to save souls Iam. 1 21. But the maine thing here to be noticed is that this can make nothing for his point we grant that a man must be regenerated by the Grace and Spirit of God but we deny that any thing call it as he will that is common to all the Heathen is the Seed or Cause of this new birth It is wholly from above and of the Spirit who is not given to all persons only such as were foreknown are predestinate to be conforme to the image of Christ and they who are thus predestinated are effectually called Rom. 8 29 30. Se also Ephes. 1 4 5. It is they only who are given of the Father to Christ who will come to him Ioh. 6 37. 17 19 20 For they only partake of that which is obtained by Regeneration viz. the New Creature Gal. 6 15. the New Man Ephes 4 24. the Image of God Col. 3 10. the Divine Nature 2 Pet 1 4. the Spirit Gal 5 17. the Inner man Rom 7 2â— the Law of the minde vers 24. When he hath proven that this Common and Sufficient Grace is able to effectuate this new birth then he shall speak something to the purpose But neither he nor his Masters the Pelagians Iesuites nor Arminians shall ever be able to do this 12. What he saith of the necessity of this New birth and its preferableness to any external knowledge of Christ from 2 Cor. 5 16 17. we shall not oppose only we must say that it is wilde and unreasonable from that place to inferre that the knowledge of Christ is but like the Rudiments that children use which must be laid aside when they attaine to more perfection seing the knowledge of Christ is our life Ioh. 17 3. and he who knoweth him knoweth the Father Ioh. 10 â—8 14 9 10 11 17 21. His granting that every similitude halteth doth not much alleviate the mater for he addeth that such as do not advance above the outward knowledge of Christ shall never inherite the kingdom of heaven Unless by the outward knowledge of Christ he understand a meer literal superficial book-knowledge which inded will nor availe unto salvation and yet the want of which maketh the case of Heathens and such as are without the Church desperate 13. He tels us afterward Pag. 108. that the new creation whereof the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5 16 17. proceedeth from the operation of this Light and Grace And this is the thing which he should prove for we deny it of the
Light and Grace whereof he talketh and which he will have common to all men breathing His saying that the Word of which he spoke is lively and penetrating c. Is no proofe For that word is not a Word or Seed or Grace implanted in every man as we shewed He addeth this seed is called the manifestation of the Spirit given to every man to profite for it is written that by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body And Peter ascribeth this birth unto this seed 1 Pet. 1. being born againe not of corruptible seed c. Ans. 1. If this Seed be the manifestation of the Spirit whereof Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 12 7. It is not common to all the world for the Apostle is there speaking of the Church whereof the Corinthians who were sanctified in Christ Jesus called saints 1 Cor. 1 1. were a part and being an homogeneal part are called the Body of Christ 1 Cor. 12 27. Where doth this Quaker read in the Scriptures that Heathens and such as are without the Church are called the Body of Christ 2. Nay if this seed be the manifestation of the Spirit it is so far from being common to all men that it is not common to all Church members For these gifts as they are called vers 4. were peculiar only to some members of the Church given in order to Administrations Operations vers 5 6. are particularly specified vers 8 9 10. Therefore saith the Apostle vers 11 12. But all these worketh that one and the self same Spirit divideing to every man severally as he will for as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ. Which is abundantly confirmed by the scope and whole contexture of the discourse 3. The Apostle for pressing of union and concord among the members of the Church of Corinth with an edifying use of their several gifts saith vers 13. That by one Spirit all we are baptized into one body c. that is that by baptisme all the Professours of the Name of Iesus are outwardly made members of the visible body of Christ and such as are really baptized by the Spirit and made partakers of his grace are made members of the invisible mystical body of Christ and so should lay forth themselves in the use of their gifts and graces for the common good of the whole body And what I pray can this make for the Quakers point Doth the Apostle say that this is common to all such as never were baptized nor heard thereof or did never partake of the other Sacrament imported by these words made to drink c. in the end of the verse as some suppose And if not what way will this Quaker hence prove the operation of the new birth by that which is common to all men breathing The Apostle it is true saith here whether Iewes or Gentiles Yet he meaneth only such as are comprehended under we that is such as were already members of the Church Will this Quaker say that all and every man are baptized by the Spirit and have bin made to drink into one Spirit Then I suppose he will next say That all must needs be saved 4. As for that Word or Seed whereof Peter speaketh every one may see that will beleeve Peter himself Chap. 1. vers last that this word of the Lord which is the incorruptible seed which liveth abideth for ever is not any thing abideing in all men but is that which is preached by the Gospel 14. He proceedeth and saith Though this seed in the first manifestation be small as a graine of mustard seed Mat 13 31 32. and though it be hid in the earthy part of mans heart yet life and salvation is hid in it and is revealed according as they yeeld unto it And in this seed the kingdom of heaven doth potentially lurk to be produced or rather exhibited as it getteth ground is nourished and is not suffocated Answ. 1. Are not these noble proofs Do the Quakers think that we are bound to take their groundless and inconsistent assertions for probations 2. How can this seed have its manifestation and yet be hid and latent 3. Hath a natural carnal unregenerat and heathen man a spiritual part of an heart or is the heart of every man partly earthly and partly heavenly and why doth this seed lye hid in the earthy part and not in the heavenly part of the heart are these any thing but Quakers dreames or new Pelagian Notions sufficiently confuted above 4. This must needs be a hid salvation which is hid in a seed which is hid in the earthy part of mans heart and that even in its first manifestation What idle fancies do these men feed upon 5. This hid salvation must be a wonderful salvation for it is revealed according as these in whom it is hid yeeld unto it But must it not first work appear in its operations before men can yeeld to it who can yeeld to a latent lurking thing that worketh not nor appeareth not 6. If Salvation be hid in this seed the kingdom of heaven is more then potentially in it for we say not that an apple is hid in the seed especially seing he saith that this kingdom of heaven is not produced as the seed can produce in its way a tree its fruit but rather exhibited 7. This seed he saith is already hid in the earthy part of mans heart and if so sure it hath ground how can he then say that it is exhibited as it getteth ground 8. The summe of all is pur◠Pelagianisme or worse viz. that there is something in every man which is sufficient of it self to Produce Grace Glory Life and Salvation if man will be but that well natured as to suffer it to work not suffocate it so that there is no need either of the outward Preaching of the Gospel or of the inward Operation of the Spirit upon the minde which Pelagius at length did acknowledge let be of the special Operation of the Spirit of grace renewing the will and creating a new heart of flesh c. This is doctrine for Pagans indeed 15. But how is this proven He citeth Luk. 17 20 21. and would have n◠beleeve that Christ saith there that the Kingdom of Heaven was in the Pharisees But judicious Calvin thinketh these words were spoken to the disciples upon occasion of that question of the Pharisees And though we take them as spoken to the Pharisees it will not hence follow that this Kingdom was already in them though the greek preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be used which as was showne above doth not alwayes carry this import as might be evidenced by a number of places as Luk. 14 1. Mark 13 24. where it importeth after So Mat. 20 26. Luk. 16 15. Rom. 16 7. 1 Cor. 2 6 Rom. 8 29. 1 Thes. 5
the same Law written in their hearts which the Heathens had and something more revealed to them in the Gospel What he citeth in the words following out of Iustin. Martyr Clem. Alexand. and Augustine I am not in case at present to consider only I see not what Augustines saying he read in some Platonicks books some words of Ioh. 1. can evince seing there were many Platonicks in those dayes who were not utter strangers to what the Evangelists wrote and they could transcribe words and sentences according to their owne phancy And what can follow from hence Supposeth he that thâ— Platonicks spoke by the light within them what the Evangelists spoke as acted by the Infallible Spirit of God Or that it was the same Spirit acting both Quakers I see are great supposers but ill provers And as Bernard said of some who labouring to prove Plato to be a Christian they proved themselves to be heathens so we may say of this Quaker I finde also that Casaubon Exercit. â— in Baron citeth out of that same lib. â—8 c. 47. August de civit Dei out of which our Quaker here citeth some words as for hâ—m a senâ—encâ— of a far contrary import â—hewing us that in no age any did belong to the spiritual Ierusalem but such to whom Christ was revealed And tâ—e said Casaubâ—n addeth a good caveat as to other Fathers speaking of this mater which our Quaker would do well to notice And as for his Arabick book which who have ever seen I know not it is no Canonick Scripture to me And when this Iokdan of whom that book speaketh lived or where he was borne and educated he telleth us not and till he clear us in this he saith nothing for a man trained up in Christianity in his infancy may by providence be cast in some Island and so be separated from all company and enjoy Gods company and be no heathen but a Christian still I think this is not impossible 15. In fine § 28. Pag. 120. resuming what he thinks through a mistake he hath sufficiently proâ—ed he tels us that this is the Gospel and the Christ which is revealed in them and which they must preach Whereby we have a further proof that the Quakers Gospel is pure Paganisme Yet he must cite some words of Augustine Conf. lib. 11. Chap. 9. in favours of this light which he pleadeth for the impertinency of which is discovered by the bare reading of them And he must also cite some words of Buchanan de jure Regni apud Scâ—tos where speaking of that whereby we difference betwixt that which is honest and that which is dishonest he calleth it a divine thing And no wise man will call it a diabolical thing Doth Buchanan call this Christ and the Gospel He was a better Christian than so And hence also we have further confirmation that the Quakers Gospel is the pure light of Nature and so the Quakers are nothing but Pagan-preachers leading poor silly souls from the Gospel away to Paganisme to the blinde light of Nature that is among Pagans Let wise men heed these things and beware of these men called Quakers for this their advocat hath sufficiently discovered to us what they are What he addeth asserting that their ministery is the same with the Apostles Act. 26 18. and that the righteous one of whom Iames speaketh Chap. 5 6. is in every man is but a wicked perverting of the Truâ—h and a prophane abusing of the Scriptures to countenance their diabolical positions and Antievangelick assertions for which if they repent not the Lord will judge them CHAP. XIII Of Justification 1. WE come now to that which hath been by Hereticks principally called into question being one of the chiefe articles of Christian Religion The doctrine of Iustification of a sinner before God which by some hath been accounted and that deservedly one of the greatest questions whereby divine Theology is distinguished from humane philosophie the Gospel from the Law the Church of Christ from Iewes Turks and Pagans and the truely Reformed from Papists Yea Bellarmine with Pighius confess that upon this hinge turne all the controverâ—ies which are agitated betwixt us and them Gerhard the Lutheran saith that this is a Castle and chiefe strength of our wholâ— doctrine Religion that if his truth be darkened adulterated or overturned it is impossible that other heads of doctrine can be keeped pure And Luther himself said that this Article of justification is diligently to be taught and learned for if it be lost we can resist no heresie no false doctrine how ridiculous so ever and vaine whence it cometh to passe that all that hold not this article are either jewes or Turks or Papists or Heretikes And againe if it fall and perish all the knowledge of truth falleth too and perisheth but if it flourish all good things flourish with it Religion True worshipe and the Glory of God The Church of Bohemia in their Confession tels us that this head of doctrine is accounted by them for one of the chiefest and most weighty as being that in which the summe of the Gospel is placed and in which Christianity is founded the precious and most noble treasure of salvation and the only and lively consolation of Christians is contained The matter being thus we have great cause to contend earnestly for the faith in this point once delivered to the Saints And to examine narrowly what this Quaker delivereth as the sentiment of all the Quakers upon this head of doctrine which he delivereth in short in his Seventh Thesis and more largly in his Vindication thereof in his Apology 2. What that is in this matter which the Orthodox maintaine may be seen in their Confessions and disputs against Papists and Others and particularly with great plainness and succinctness in our Confession of Faith first agreed upon at Westminster and thereafter approven by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Chap. XI § 1. in these words Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth Rom. 8 30. 3 24. not by infusing righteousness into them but by pardoning their sins and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for Christs sake alone not by imputing faith it self the act of beleeving nor any other Evangelical obedience to them as their righteousness but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them Rom. 4 5 6 7 8. 2 Cor. 5 vers 19 21. Rom. 3 22 24 25 27 28. Tit. 3 5 7. Ephes. 1 7. Ier. 23 6. 1 Cor. 1 v. 30 31. Rom. 5 17 18 19. they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by Faith whicâ— faith they have not of themselves it is the gift of God Act. 10 44. Gal. 1 16. Phil. 3 9. Act. 13 â—8 39. Ephes. 2 â— 8. Read and ponder what followeth in that Chapter So in the greater Cathechisme Q. 70. What is justification Answ.
be justified from the imputation of anothers righteousness is both ridiculous and dangerous whence came that usual saying amongst many professours of Religion That God looks not upon them as they are in themselves but as they are in Christ. And Pag. 25 See Mr Hicks Pag. 51. c. Iustification 〈◊〉 not from the imputation of anothers Righteousness but from the actual performing and keeping of God's righteous statutes and Pag. 25 30. It is a great abomination to say God should condemne and punish his innocent Son that he having satisfiâ—d for our â—innes we might be justified by the imputation of his perfect Righteousness And againe I caution and warne men by no meanes to entertaine this principle of Christs dying to make satisfaction to divine Justice by whomsoever recommended And againe Pag. 26. He i. e. Christ fulfilled the Law only as our pattern or example And ib. Christ is so far from telling us of such a way of being justified as that he informes us the reason why he abode in his Fathers love was his obedience he is so far from telling us of being justified by vertue of his obedience imputed that unless we keep the commands and obey for our selves c. And P. 30. was not Abraham justified by â—orks we must not conceive as the dark imputation of this age that Abrahams personal offering was not a justifying righteousness Ib. p. 30. I do say Abraham had not the imputation of anothers righteousness to him his personal obedience was the ground of that just imputation And elsewhere Apol. p. 148. justification by the righteousness which Christ fulfilled for us in his own person wholly without us we boldly affirme to be a doctrine of Devils and an arm of the sea of corruption which doth now deluge the world This is suâ—ficiently plaine And Sand. found Pag. 30.31 I farther tell thee that Iustification by an imputed righteousness is both irrational irreligious ridiculous and dangeroâ—s and Pag. 27.29.30 Iustification goes not before but is consequential to the mortifying of lusts and the sanctification of the soul. More might be added but here is I suppose enough to discover how these Quakers homologate in the point of Justification with Papists Socinians and Arminians in denying the imputation of Christ's Righteousness in Iustification and substituting another ground or formal reason thereof even works done by us And how dangerous an errour this is undermineing the very cardinal point of Christianity every true Christian may know The Quakers in this are one with their Predecessours the old Anabaptists too 4. We come now to our Quaker and must see how he expresseth himself in this matter In his Thesis he saith who receive the illumination of this light that is as we evinced above the dim light of nature it that must be the Light or the Natural Conscience becometh in them a holy pure and spiritual birth produceing piety righteousness purity and other excellent fruites most acceptable to God This sure is a wonderful metamorphosis But how cometh it that this light is so much beholden to man in whom it is that if he do not resist it but receive its illumination religiously it will become a glorious and mighty powerful thing but if he do resist it and receive not its illumination it remaineth what it was Is this the Christian New birth and Regeneration whereof the Scripture speaketh Is this to be borne of the Spirit There is no infusion of any gracious principle or habite of grace and virtue here for the seed of all was in the man from his mothers womb and his kinde nature in receiving the illumination of this connatural light blew the coale and it became a burning fire warming the soul into all Christian vertues Is this Gospel doctrine or rather is it not Pelagian-quakerisme What followeth upon this By this holy birth saith he to wit Christ Iesus formed within a goodly title but it is but the Quakers Jesus that is blake Nature or the product of Corrupt nature produceing his works in us these sure are nothing but works of darkness as we are sanctified so are we justified in the sight of God Then Iustification and Sanctification â—tand upon one and the same ground and if there be any difference betwixt them Iustification must follow Sanctification Thus it is manifest how he homologateth with other Quakers and how they all agree with Papists in the doctrine of Iustification He addeth and one may wonder at the mans confidence and boldness according to the Apostles words but ye are washed but ye are sanctified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of our God But if either his sanctification or Iustification as now explained to us be either in the name of the Lord Iesus or by the Spirit of God I am far deceived Nay it is manifest that they are rather by the Power and Authority Vertue and Efficacy of Free will and the Natural Spirit of man receiving kindly the Illumination of that natural Light in every man and so transforming that natural thing to produce such works as by which the man is both Sanctified and justified Though this be the native sense and import of his words yet marke his effrontedness Therefore sayes he it is not done by our works produced by our will nor yet by good works considered by themselves What a shameless man is this to deny these works to be mans owne works which flow from a principle borne and brought into the world with him and not only so but actuated and transformed into a new pure and spiritual spring by the sole will of the man not resisting its light but receiving the same If these be not properly the mans owne works it is a great question if man have any works that can be called his owne But let it be so that they goe under the name of works done by a new infused principle and yet the Quakers are more Pelagian then the Iesuites and all the Papists for these acknowledge infused habites which Quakers know nothing of yet they may be called mans works and works produced by mans will to wit now regenerated and principled of new otherwise they are produced in man and mans will hath no elicite or imperat acts thereanent This is indeed Phanaticisme in folio But how can men be Sanctified or Iustified according to the Quakers by that which is none of theirs nor wrought by them Againe he must know that the Scripture excludeth all these holy works even produced by that new principle from being the ground or formal reason or ratio formalis objectiva of our Iustification as all our Divines shew writting against the Papists on this head And in this he giveth further evidence of his conspireing with Papists against the truth Finally I wish he had explained that to us nor by good works considered in themselves for it importeth that good works considered some other way possibly in conjunction with some other thing and what that
3 5 6. any way confirme his fancy but rather establish the contrary truth to wit that all the favours which God conferreth upon us in order to salvation are of free grace and not by works of righteousness or works which are done in righteousness and righteously as the words in the original bear which we have done Grace and Mercy here are set in opposition to all our works yea to our best works and therefore if Iustification be an act of God's grace as the Scripture saith it is it is not nor can it be because or upon the account of our works of righteousness And if in and through or by Iustification there is pardon of iniquity as there is Rom. 4 5 6 7. And if pardon of iniquity be a merciful and gracious act in God being an act of his free grace and mercy Ephes. 1 vers 7 8. it is manifest that Iustification is not upon thâ— account of our works Therâ—fore we are said to be Iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ Rom. 3 24. Moreover the judgment of God is alwayes as in condemning of sinners so in justifying of beleevers according to truth Rom. 2 2. And in the matter of justifying of the ungodly the righteousness of God is declared and it is all so contrived that he might be just and the justifier of him which beleeveth in Iesus Rom. 3 25 26. Therefore cannot Iustification passe upon the account of any thing framed and done in us or by us because that is not nor can it be that which will passe for a Righteousness in the eyes of God and a Righteousness answerable to the Law in all points it being when it is at its best but imperfect nor can it have any merite or deserving in it to compensat for former transgressions being alwayes that only which we are obliged unto so that when we have done all we must say that we are but unprofitable servants Luk. 17 vers 10. we have done but what was our duty to do 7. Having thus briefly dispatched his Thesis wherein we see his opposition to Iustification by and upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed and therein his harmony and agreement with Papists Socinians and Arminians we come now to consider what he sayes more largly in his Apology Pag. 122. c. In the beginning he tels us that the handling of this doth well follow his treating of universal Redemption and universal grace And I shall not quarrel with his Method were his doctrine orthodox but seing few who plead for the universality of the death of Christ and who contend for the universality of grace are found sound and orthodox in the point of Iustification we mighâ—â—pon this ground though we had gote no taste of his judgment in the Thesis suspect his doctrine of Iustification But after tryal we will be better able to judge He saith truely that there are many controversies moved already about this point and the more blame worthy is he who doth not diminish but increase these rather as to some things though in the principal he liketh the Popish way better than ours He promiseth first to state the controversie so far as concerneth them and to explaine their judgment and then he saith he will confirme it by Scripture testimony and the certain experience of all that are really justified we must see how he performeth what is promised 8. What he saith § 2. of the Papists depraving of this truth we heare but are ready to suppose that howbeit he do not with them stand up for the merite ex condigno as it is called and yet many Papists reject this and are satisfied with meritum ex congruo in the mater of Iustification and some reject both as may be seen in Stapleton Prol. ad lib. 5. de justific of good works nor approve of the vulgar Papists placeing their Justification in things that are neither good nor evil or in things that are rather evil as good as he thinketh to be evident from their doctrine of the Sacraments and Indulgences c. but commend our Reformers for opposeing these Abominations Yet as to the maine controversie handled betwixt our Reformers and the Papists viz. what is Iustification and what is the formal reason Objective or the formal cause as some speak or Material cause as others speak or that because and upon the account of which men are Justified in the sight of God this Quaker joyneth with the Papists The Councel of Trent Sess. 6. Chap. 7. tels us That Iustification is not only remission of sins but also Sanctification and renovation of the inner man by a voluntary susception of grace and gifts whereby man of unjust becometh just of an enemy becometh a friend that he may be an heire according to the hope of eternal life Why doth our Quaker embrance this upon the matter and give a worse Justification even a Justification wherein there is no mention made of remission of sinnes Why doth he with this Synagogue of Satan confound Justifiâ—ation and Sanctification He knoweth how Bellarmine de Iustif. lib. 2. Cap. 2. briefly stateth the question betwixt us and them in these words Whether the formal cause of absolute Iustification be a righteousness inherent in us or not If this Quaker be no Papist why doth he conspire with them in this cardinal point of difference Why doth he and the rest rise up so much against the Imputed righteousness as do the Papist following the Councel of Trent as we see Pag. 125. he doth shewing his teeth against our Confession of faith And there also I cannot but take notice of a base falshood and deceit when he would make his Readers beleeve that the Papists do not place Justification in any real inward renovation of soul more then the Protestants while as we have seen the contrary out of the Councel of Trent and Bellarm. and multitudes moe might be cited But what needs more when we have the words of that Councel which all Papists must stand to and in that forecited Chapt. the same Councel saith The only formal cause is the righteousness of God not that by which he himself is righteous but whereby he maketh us righteous to wit by which we are renewed in the Spirit of our minde and are not only repute but truely are called and are righteous or just It is true that they say that this grace and charity that is infused in Iustification is through the merite of the most holy suffering of Christ And in this they are more orthodox and less Socinian than are the Quakers to this Mans shame be it spoken Yet still they make Justification to consist in the Infusion of grace and Renovation of the soul. 9. He beginneth his explication of their judgment Pag. 126. § 3. And telleth us first That as it appeareth from the explication of the former thesis they renunce all natural power in themselves for delivering of themselves out
must be when he saith we are not Justified by the Law that we are indeed justified by Inherent Holiness or Conformity to the law What more The meaning of these words we are Iustified by faith sayes he may by we are made just by faith purifieing the heart Ans. Then the Apostles should contradict himself for if we be thus made just by faith we are made just by works and further purifying of the heart cannot otherwise be understood but of renewing the heart but Iustifying signifieth not making just Againe sayes he When we are said to be Iustified by grace by Christ by the Spirit what absurdity to understand this of making just Ans. Of being Justified by the Spirit we read â—ot for these words by the Spirit mentioned 1 Cor. 6 11. are to be referred to washing and sanctification When we are said to be Justified by grace it is by the gracious and free favour of God as our Divines make good against the Papists and that with the circumstances of the places are against such a Justification Nor must we any where so interpret any passage as to make it crosse or contradict other passages When we are said to be Justified by Christ the meaning is clear against his sense 31. He citeth againe 1 Cor. 6 11. not 11 6. and then tels us that Thysius thinketh that Iustification here includeth sanctification as its consequent and that Zanchius in Ephes. 2 4. thinketh it is the same with sanctification And that Bullinger on the place sayes the Apostle in diverse words expresseth the same thing Ans. 1. None of these Divines confound them and make them one as this Quaker doth but distinctly and orthodoxly explaine the nature both of Justiâ—â—cation and Sanctification 2. As I said above though this were granted that the word Iustify should import the same with sanctify in this or that place Yet unlesse he made it manifest that it alwayes so importeth and can never be taken in another sense he could not make good his Assertion and Opinion So that in all this work he is but beating the winde 3. Thysius had no ground to speak so seing sanctiâ—â—cation is as well expressed as Justification but ye are sanctified but ye are justified 4. Bullinger saith no more than what Calvin saith yet Calvin distinguisheth them in his Comment on the place Zanchius saith no such thâ—ng in the place cited 32. In the next place Pag. 138. he citeth with Bellarm. Rom. 8 30. And saith that either Sanctification must be excluded or Iustification must be taken in its proper sense Ans. 1. There is no necessity for either for Sanctification is comprehended under Vocation which is saving and effectual otherwise the linkes of this chaine could be broken for a common and ineffectual call is not attended with Justification and Glorification And effectual Vocation is by infusion of grace and the Spirit of holiness and a real change 2. Sanctification might be comprehended under the word Iustified it being a necessary and inseparable consequent and that without any prejudice to the native usual and constant import of the word Iustified 3. Thereafter vers 33.34 the Apostle cleareth in what sense he took Iuâ—tified when he opposeth it unto condemned a forensical terme and to accused another His citing of some Protestants so saying I passe finding no argument alleiged by them to enforce this acceptation Melanthon's saying that to be Iustified by faith doth not only signify to be pronunced just but to be made just May admit of a saife interpretation for he saith not to be made just by inherent righteousness And it is certain that all that are Justified are first made just not by inherent righteousness but by the Imputed righteousness of Christ. What he citeth out of one Martinus Boraeus I cannot examine having never seen the book Bucer's words cited make nothing for him B. Forbes's words I will not justify but judge that Cardinal Contarenus spoke more orthodoxly then he The Fathers so taking the word sometimes moveth not me more nor it did Calvin Chemnitius and Zanchius cited by himself And further if to justify signifie to make righteous to accuse and to condemne which are opposite terms must signifie to make unrighteous or unjust 33. After this § Pag. 140. he bringeth in his conclusion from what he hath said and it is a bold one Having now sufficiently saith he proved that by Iustification must be understood to be made really just This is concluded like a Quaker with unparalleled falshood impudency and boldness He undertook only to prove that the word might without absurdity be so understood and how weakly he hath done this we have seen But now he wonderfully concludeth a must be from a may be and that too no wayes satisfyingly proved But I have said already that the beleever who is Justified may be said to be really made just but not in his sense nor because of the import of the word as he alleigeth but because the judgment of God is according to truth and God will not justifie an unjust man The Justified person therefore is first made just not by Inherent Holiness and Righteousness but by the Righteousness of Christ Imputed to him and Received by faith What saith he next I do confidently affirme from real and sensible experience but the delusory sensations or impressions of an erroneous Spirit on the mindes of persons given up to strong delusion is no demonstration to us of the verity of what they boldly affirme that the immediat next and formal cause whereby a man is Iustified in the sight of God is the revelation of Christ in the soul who converteth and reneweth the minde and he who is the Author of this work being so formed and revealed we are truely Iustified and accepted in the sight of God Ans. 1. Who seeth not that these things as here expressed are not such as can fall under the inward sensations of the soul Can the soul feel what is the Immediat Nearest or Formal Cause of God's acts What needs more proof of a desperat delusion 2. If the revelation of Jesus Christ be such a cause of Justification Justification cannot be a making just for it is not as he sayes the revelation that converteth and reneweth but Christ revealed and if Christ revealed maketh the change â—ustification doth it not nor can Justification be a declareing of one righteous because of inherent righteousness for here the man is Justified upon the revelation and yet the man is not renewed for he is not renewed by the revelation but by Christ revealed and the Revelation of Christ is before this Operation of Christ. 3. If the man be not justified till Christ be formed in him as his last words seem to say then the revelation of Christ cannot be the Immediat cause of Justification because that is before this forming of Christ in the man for it is before the work of Christ reforming and renewing the minde 4. I see all this
Renovation is but upon the minde and this Formation of Christ is but a Revelation in the minde But where is the work of grace upon the will This would say that the Papists opinion is more tolerable then this for they include graces seated in the will 5. Where doth the Scripture speak of Justification after this manner We are oft said to be justified by faith but never are we said to be justified by such a Revelation 6. Therefore I may as confidently affirme that this his sensation is but a sensible delusion of Satan the grand enemy of the Grace of God and of the Gospel 34. Yet he goeth about to prove this and tels us first that this methode of salvation is set down by Paul Rom. 5 10. for saith he The Apostle doth signify that reconciliation is made by the death of Christ. Ans. This is true of that Reconciliation which is actual and is had by faith in the death of Christ but not of that Reconciliation which he imagineth whereby to wit God is prone to Receive and Redeem man What next He affirmeth Iustification that is Salvation to be in Christs life Ans. And what ground is there for this Interpretation seing the sense is obvious to wit that seing by the propitiatory death of Christ beleevers laying hold upon him by faith are brought into a state of Peace and Reconciliation with God they need not fear but they shall be brought thorow all difficulties and steps to the enjoyment of life eternal and full salvation Christ being now alive to bestow all that he hath purchased What more He saith That this life of Christ is something inward and spiritual in the heart whereby he is renewed and brought out of death where naturally he lay and raised up and revived unto God the same Apostle sheweth Ephes. 2 5. Ans. This is nothing but a palpable perversion of the words of the Apostle for the life can no more be understood here of some inward thing wrought in man than Christ's death can be so interpreted And if he had so expounded the words he had spoke more like himself above as also more like other Quakers who talk of Christs sufferings and death c. as all done within man 2. That the Apostle Ephes. 2 5. is speaking of beleevers being by grace quickened together with Christ and risen together with him c. is true But what saith this for the corrupt glosse of Rom. 5 10. where the life of Christ is only spoken of and that as it by which beleevers may be assured of their salvation 3. What is there in all this for Justification by the Revelation of Christ within reforming the minde c Hath the man forgote his Conclusion already Ay but sayes he the Apostle mentioneth a Revelation of this inward life 2 Cor. 4 10 11. and this inward life is that whereby he said we were justified Ans. The life of Christ is indeed said by Paul 2. Cor. 4 10 11. to be made manifest in and by its effects supporting carrying the persecuted Apostles through so many miseries and deaths But who except a Quaker could say that the Apostle sayes we are justified by this life And what vestige is there of this in the Apostles words 35. In the next place he citeth Tit. 3 5. And hence thus argueth we are justified by that by which we are saved Ans. Yes by the grace of God we are freely justified and saved and that without works of righteousness which we have done Here the Apostle sayes he moreover doth manifestly ascribe the immediat cause of Iustification unto the inward work of regeneration that is to Christ revealed in the soul by which we are formally accepted of God Ans. 1. What immediat cause is this That a soul must be wrought up to faith in Christ before it can be justified we grant and that this faith must be wrought by the operation of the Spirit is also true But that this faith or any other work of the Spirit in the soul is the Formal Objective Cause of Justification the Apostle saith neither here nor elsewhere 2. To say that we are formally accepted of God that is as fully righteous with a righteousness answering the Law in all points and satisfying justice for bâ—gones as he must meane or he speaketh not to the point by this work of Regeneration is but a jejune begging of what is yet in question sure there is no word of this here 36. In the third place he citeth 2 Cor. 13 5. And saith That it appeareth here how earnestly the Apostle would that they should know Christ in them Ans. The Apostle to the end that the Corinthians who at the instigation of false Teachers were beginning to have undervalueing thoughts of him might be convinced that he was an Apostle of Christ and so continue in esteeming of him as such doth here presse them to goe in to their owne hearts and see if there were any fruits and effects of Christ's living among them by his Spirit through his ministrie that if not they might not account themselves Christians but persons rejected And what would this say It appeareth hence 2. sayes he that the cause of reprobation or of non-justification was the want of the inhabitation of Christ revealed And by the rule of contraries where Christ is inwardly known and revealed there the persons are approven and justified And nothing can be more cleare Ans. 1. By what rule law or authority doth he make Reprobation and No-Jusâ—ification equipollent terms This must be licentiâ Quakerorum whereby they have a privilege contrare to Scripture and all Reason to coine words phrases and opinions in divinity at their pleasure 2. The want of the effects and evidences of Christ dwellâ—ng in them by his Spirit is not here given as the cause of their being in an evil state reâ—ected and disapproved of God but as a mark and evidence And marks and evidences are not alwayes taken from the Immediat Nearest and Formal cause 3. It is very true that by the rule of contraries where Christ is indeed revealed and working in the soul that soul is justified but it is most false that therefore Christ revealed in the soul is the Formal Cause or to speak more properly the Formal Objective Reason of Justification for himself said above that good works were properly the effects and fruits of â—ustification and yet he knoweth the fruits and effects may be an evidence of the cause in being 4. And so there is nothing more plaine and evident then that this citation is impertinent and his argueing therefrom a non sequitur and that he is still the old man a Quaker-disputant 37. As a parallel place he citeth Pag. 142 Gal. 4 19. And saith this Christ is the inward hope of glory Col. 1 27 28. And what is the hope of Glory must be that to which we nextly and immediatly lean unto in Iustification Answ. And how is this proven We must beleeve it
and Perfection is a Light within every man which serveth both for an Internal light for an Objective Light so that it is in their account both Grace the Bible serveth instead of both To this they give big names no less name give they to it then Christ or the seed of Christ and they call it saving yea and sufficient to salvation hence is it that they alwayes presse people to look and hearken to the Light within as if they needed no other Teacher nor Bible This is the theam and subject of their preaching Now this Light that is within every man can be no saife saving nor sufficient light it hath no affinity with the grace of Illumination being nothing but that natural Light of a Natural Conscience which is truely natural being planted in man in his very creation and abideing yet after the fall in some measure in all men and flowing from the principles of nature giving testimony of and assent to in a greater or lesser measure according as it is more or lesse freed from prejudices prevailing wickednesses corrupt education and the like maximes or principles of moral duties according to the Law of nature What natural Aptitude or rather how great an Ineptitude is and must be in this natural light now through the fall so much weakened to understand and discover the saving truthes of the Gospel which are not written in the book of nature but are a mystery revealed by degrees according to the good pleasure of God who may not see Especially considering how since the fall the minde and all the powers of the soul and whole man are stated enemies to God and his grace and will not submit to nor beleeve his very Revelations so often inculcated nor indeed can they understand them or submit unto them until the mighty power of God be exerted in working a change in minde will and affections And yet though these things be certain attested both by the Word and by Experience in all ages behold this generation of Quakers will cry up this Light as saving and sufficient though it never came from the grace of God in a Mediator nor was never promised in the Covenant of grace but is as the soile it groweth in Flesh Blindness Enmity to God Natural and Sensual savouring nothing but the things of the Flesh and of Nature This is the first ground stone of their building The next is this When the motions dictats and workings of this Light are yeelded unto then doth that same Light become a new birth Christ formed within and what not And thus the man is a Regenerated man a New creature Partaker of the divine nature Spiritual Sanctified and Justified Effectually called Adopted and what not Though not one ray of divine Illumination hath shined into his soul nor one act of grace hath reatched either his Intellect Will or Affections to cause this change Nay though he hath had no touch of assistance from the Spirit of God to draw or move him hereunto Nay more though he hath never heard whether there was a Christ and a Spirit or not and whether there was a Covenant of Grace or not or what are the termes thereof and thus the man is borne againe not of watter not of the word nor yet of the Spirit but of this Light and of his owne will that is of the Will of the Flesh of the Will of Man and not of God Upon these two pillars do they raise this high toure of Perfection And now let the Christian Reader judge if this can be any thing else thaâ— a Pagan Perfection Or if this Perfection of theirs have any the least affinity with the smallest measure of true Christianity 5. Though this might be enough to satisfie all true Christians concerning the Wickedness and Vnreasonableness of this Assertion of theirs upon their grounds and principles yet that we may give some light in this matter and helpe others to answere their cavils and to discover their cheatrie We shall propose a few things to consideration As first The Hebrew word which is sometimes rendered Perfect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth an Honest Plaine and Simple Disposition without guile or wickedness and therefore is sometimes rendered simplicity or integrity as Gen. 20 5 6. 2 Sam. 15 11. 1 King 22 34. see the magine answereable to what is imported by the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in this sense we finde the word frequently taken as denoting Uprightness Sincerity Singleness as Gen. 6 9. 17 1. Deut 18 vers 13. Iob. 9 22 2. Sam. 22 33. Psal. 18 32 64 4.119 1. And so it donoteth a truely godlyman who is no hypocrite nor dissembler but is serving God in sincerity truth and uprightness of heart and this same is imported by that expression of a Perfect heart Psal. 101 2. So the other hebrew word usually joyned with heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we see 1 King 8 61 15 15 2 Chron. 15 17. 2 King 20. 3 Esa. 36 3 1 Chron. 12 38. 2â— 9. 29.9 19. 2 Chron. 16 9. 19 9. and rendered by us a perfect heart hath the same import for it properly signifieth Peace Prosperity Saifty Integrity so that this perfect heart is an heart satisfied quiet and at peace with it self in doing this or that So the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is observed to have the same import with the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to donote an Upright Sincere not Dissembling person for it is used by the 70. Deut. 18 13. and it oft signifieth one come to age or no more a childe but come to just maturity Heb. 5 14. And it may denote also one Devoted Initiated in holy things and consecrated as the verb it cometh from signifieth to consecrate as Heb. 2 10. 10 14. 11 40. and to be Immolated or Offered up in sacrifice Luk. 13 32. see Exod. 29 33 35. as translated by the 70. and D. Own on Heb. 2 10 And Pareus in Rom. 3. tels us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth most frequently signifie Sincerity 6. But leaving these things let us in the next place consider how and in what respects Beleevers may be called perfect or perfection may be ascribed unto them And 1. They may be called Perfect as being Initiaâ—ed in the holy things of God as devoted to his service and Consecrate to him and Sanctified by the holy Spirit And why it may not be so taken frequently in Pauls Epistles I see not saith D. Owen de ortu c verae Theologiae Pag. 8. See also Heb. 10 14. and Calv. on the place 2. They may be called Perfect as being Truâ—ly and Really what they profess themselves to be that is Christians and not Dissemblers Hypocrites and Made persons So the word is used 1 Ioh. 2 5. But who so keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected that is in
him is the love of God truely and really and not feignedly or by mere profession See Beza on the place As also 1 Ioh. 4 12. where the word hath the same import And the ground is clear because obedience to God's command must flow from love and love to God and our neighbours is the summe of all the commands Hence love is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13 10. So Iames 3 2. the same is a perfect man who showeth by bridling his tongue that he offends not in word that he is a real Christian For the Apostle is here in the first verse meaning men like our Quakers of a supercilious spirit masterly quarreling with and superciliously inveighing against all though it be a certain truth that we offend all in many things And therefore he saith to such that if they would shew themselves good and excellent Christians who are so ready to be masters in their reprehensions of others they would first bridle their owne tongues I wish Quakers would learne this See Calv. on the place 3. They may be called Perfect in regard of the Uprightness Sincerity Honesty godly Simplicity and Singleness that is in their way thus the word frequently signifieth as we saw above and is rendered bâ— the Dutch and in the margine of our Bibles Vpright Gen. 6 9. 17 1 Deut. 18 13. Iob 2 3. and in several places it is rendered so in the text Ps. 18 23 25. 2 Sam. 22 vers 24 26. Iob 1 vers 1 8. 12 4. Psal. 19 v. 13. 37 18 37 and elsewhere Hence oft Perfect and upright are joined together as Iob 1 1 8. 2 2. 4 They may be and are called Perfect in regaird of Perfection of Parts as being compleet and wanting nothing of the integral parts of Christianity thus a childe may be called a perfect man as having all the Essential and Integral parts of a man though but in their infant and tender grouth The saints are thus perfect as having the Spirit and thereby the seeds and beginnings of all grace In regeneration the whole man is changed so that he is new borne a new creature sanctified wholly in Minde Heart Spirit Affections Conscience Memory and Body though but in a small degree and measure See 1 Thes. 5 23. 5. They may be called Perfect because Respecting all the commands of God Ps. 119 6. and yeelding impartial obedience through the grace of God unto all God's precepts waving none 6. In that their good works have all the Essential Parts requisite as proceeding from a right principle done for a right end c. though not in the degree called for by the Law 7. They may be called Perfect in regard that the state whereinto they are is a state that certainly tendeth to perfection they are advancing thereunto and shall certainly reach that top of perfection in end which they look for and strive to attaine Ephes. 4 13. Phil 3 15. For as the several lusts of the body of death are more more weakened and mortified dayly so they are more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces Rom. 6 6 14. Gal. 5 14. Rom. 8 13. Ephes. 3 16 17 18 19. And so are perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7 1. and advanceing Phil. 3 12 13 14. 8. They may be called Perfect Comparatively in respect of others who are yet lying in nature And they may be so called in comparison of what sometimes they were themselves while Blinde Ignorant Dead and Lifeless lying in the state of nature which is indeed a fearful state of imperfection misery and woe 9. So in respect of young believers weak in knowledge and babes in Christ Others who are further avanced may be and are called Perfect as having attained an higher degree and measure of grouth in grace Thus Beza thinketh the word is taken Phil. 3 15. 1 Cor. 2 6. And it is clearly so taken 1 Cor. 14 20. Heb. 5 14. Ephes. 4 13. where each hath his owne stature according to the measure of the gift of Christ vers 7. Rom. 12 3 6. and its meaning and import we may see 1 Cor. 3 1. where such an one is only called spiritual 1 Cor. 13 11. where such is called a man 10. Why may they not also be called perfect in regard of Justification seing the Righteousness wherewith they are cloathed which is imputed unto them upon the account of which thâ—y are justified is a Perfect Righteousness being the Rghteousness of Jesus Christ And seing the sentence pronunced upon them to wit of Absolution in their Justification shall never be recalled they brought againe into Condemnation Rom 8 1. As also seing the state they are brought into thereby is an unchangeable state so that once in a justified state alwayes in a justified state 7. But all this will not satisfie our Quakers who with Familists Antinomians and Libertines will have this to be the privilege of all Christians after their Mode that they be as Perfect as Adam was in the state of innocency free of all sin and from yeelding to Temptation or Corruption and this taketh-in much if not a Perfection of parts and degrees Now to assert this Perfection which even Papists are ashamed of and to assert this as common to all them in whom this new birth is fully produced as it must be in all Justified and Sanctified Persons according to his owne principles is false and dangerous For 1. There are in Christ's house diverse syzes and degrees of persons some babes 1 Cor. 3 1. Heb. 5 13. or children or little children 1 Ioh. 2 12 13. and others young men and old men or Fathers 1 Ioh. 2 13 14. 2. Christians are exhorted to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Iesus Christ 2 Pet. 3. last and to put off the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts and to put on the new man Epes 4 22 23 24. And to mortifie their members which are upon the earth Col. 3 5. But to cry up this perfection is to render all Gospel commanâ—s useless whereof we have abundance in the Epistles 3. This takes away the exercise of Repentance for where there is no sin there can be no sense of nor sorrow for sin and the exercise of Faith in running to the fountain for washing and the exercise of Prayer in seeking grace to withstand Temptations to strive against Corruption in seeking for pardon in the bloud of Christ. And 4. So this maketh these petitions in the Lords prayer useless forgive us our sins and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil 5. This saith that either beleevers are fully freed from an indwelling body of death contrary to Rom. 7 11 17 18 23 24. or that the motions of this body of death are not sin or sinful contrary to Rom. 7 5 7 8 15. Gal. 5 v. 17. Iam. 1 ver 14 15. 6 This tendeth to foment Pride and Security
and to shake off Diligence Watchfulness holy Fear Humility contrare to Iam. 4 10. 1 Pet. 5 6 7 8. Mat. 18 4. 23 12. Micah 6 8. Col. 3 12. 1 Cor. 16 13. 1 Thes. 5 vers 6. 1 Pet. 4 7. Mat. 24 42. 25 13 26 41. Mark 13 33 35 37. 14 38. Luk. 21 36. Act. 20 31. Col. 4 2. 2 Pet. 3 14. 1 5. Heb. 6 11. 12 15. Tit. 3 8. 7. This taketh away the usefulness of the Ordinances of Christ such as Reading the Scriptures Preaching and Sacraments which are instituted for the edification and building up of the Church as also the Ministerie Hence we â—nde these Quakers proud and vaine boasters crying downe all these Ordinances as now useless as we shall hear more afterward 8. This makes all the commands to endeavour after perfection useless as to Christians contrare to Heb. 13 21. 2 Cor. 13 11. Mat. 5 48. 2 Cor. 7 1. Heb. 6 1. All Prayers for it useless contrare to 1 Pet. 5 10. And so cutteth off all Endeavours after it For what a man hath already he doth not earnestly seek 9. See Psal. 130 3. 143 2. Iob 9 2. Psal. 19 13. Iam. 3 ver 2. 1 Ioh. 1 8. as also Prov. 20 9. who can say I have made my heart cleane I am pure from my sin But this Quaker will contradict this Eccles. 7 20 For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not The Quakers will contradict this too and that also which this same wise King saith 1 King 8 46. 2 Chron. 6 36. For there is no man that sinneth not 8. Enough by way of proof of the vanity and falshood of this fonde conceite of these proud Phanaticks which the experience of saints in all ages hath confuted and all tender Christians will abhore and was never owned but by Phanatick hereticks such as of old were the Cathari followers of Novatus who was excommunicated for his errours by a Synod at Rome See Eusebii histor lib. 6. c. 42. Pelagians as we shall shew and Donatists some Anabaptists Antinomians Familists and the like of late with Socinians of whom afterward Arminians and the Papists who owne it to set off the better their other corrupt doctrines lay their ground for works of supererogation though some of them as Stapleton and others must yeeld to the truth which the Orthodox own and maintaine Let us now come and see what this man saith for explication and defence of this untruâ—h He layes downe five Positions for clearing of the Controversie Pag. 153. The first is this we place not saith he this possibility to wit of not sinning in mans owne will and capacity as he is a son of Adam or as in a natural state Ans. But what if his Perfectionist be never translated out of the state of nature And sure according to his doctrine we cannot see how such can be said to be translated from darkness to light For the Scripture tels us that that cannot be without the infusion of new habites and faith in Jesus Christ and also that this cannot be without the powerful operation of God's Spirit on Minde Will and Affections discovering to them their Sin and Misery and the Necessity of Christ and Christ's Fulness Sutableness and Readiness to help As also Perswading Bowing Inclineing and Determineing the Will unto an Acceptance of and Closeing with Christ for union and communion And therefore if such be capable of this Perfection who are strangers to this work it riseth only from the Will of corrupt man is founded on meer Nature But what sayes he next We ascribe it wholly unto man sayes he as he is renewed by Christ whom he knoweth to be reigning in him and leading by his Spirit and revealing within the Law of the Spirit of life whereby power is obtained to be rid of sin Ans. 1. But we have not yet heard that Renovation and Regeneration by Christ explained to us according to the Gospel but rather according to Pelagius as was manifested several times above 2 What is ascribed wholly unto man even as renewed is not ascribed immediatly to God and to his grace 3. If it be ascribed to man as renewed it must be ascribed to all renewed persons and so is not a privilege of some but is common to all Beleevers and consequently none are beleevers but such as are thus perfect and so no man that sinneth or yeeldeth to temptations is a regenerat man and therefore David was not regenerated when he fell with Bathsheba Nor any man that yeeldeth but to a sinful thought or word What shall then be said of Quakers whose books are so full of Railings Lies Slanders Errours and Blasphemies beside their other practices 4. It is not true that every renewed person knoweth alwayes that Christ is reigning in him and ruling him by his Spirit c. 5 Though power be had from Christ living and reigning in the soul whereby sin is resisted and striven against Yet not in such a measure and degree as the sou shall be fully freed from its lustings and oppositions Gal. 5 17. 9. What is his third Position By this perfection saith he we understand not that which cannot receive dayly increase neither that which is as just and perfect as God is but a proportionable perfection answering the measure of every one whereby they are keeped from sinning and strengthened for fulfilling the Law Answ. 1 If he understand not such an absolute perfection he contradicteth other Quakers as we heard above 2. Howbeit every renewed man hath not the same proportionable perfection or perfection of degrees yet every one hath that measure of degrees that maketh him love God with all his Heart Minde Soul and Strength and fulfil the whole Law and do no sin in Thought Word or Deed in this Quakers judgment and this belongeth even to Babes in Christ as an Infant hath all the proportioned members of a man and then it is clear that no regenerated person can sin and no man that sinneth is regenerate And so freedom from sin must be essential or proprium quarto modo unto the Regenerate Give us an instance in all the Scriptures of such a Regenerate person 3. The Arminians speak of a perfection consistent with some small sinnes but this Quaker excepteth not the least sin The Arminians also speak of a perfection that admitteth degrees Apol. Fol. 128. b. 10. What is his fourth Position Albeit saith he some may attaine unto this freedome from sin and all should endeavour after it yet he who once getteth it may afterward loss it through the temptations of Satan unless he diligently attend to the Light within Answ. 1. These some who may attaine to this and should endeavour after it are not among the renewed ones for they all have it already As we heard 2. If he afterward come to loss it he loseth also his state of Regeneration for to sin were
too Catholick Hence we see how false it is that he saith afterward Pag. 174. that this Church hath sometimes been Invisible though he after the Quakers manner misapply that Ier. 3 14. 1 King 19 18. For alas it hath alwayes since Adam fell been too visible 4. Next § 3. He speaketh of a particular Church and here seemeth to worde the matter better but he having already given us the Key we shall be the more able to unlock his cabinet We must sâ—ith he consider a Church as it signifies a certain number of faithful persons That is Persons only taught by the Light of nature though as for Religion they may be worshipers of the Devil for this particular Church needeth but be a part of the Catholick Church what more Gathered together saith he by the Spirit of God and the testimony of some of his Ministers That is say I by the Light and Law of nature and the testimony of Quakers or such Ministers as preach nothing of the Gospel nothing of Christ revealed in the Gospel nothing of the mystery of God of Christ therein revealed What more And brought unto saith he the faith of true principles and the doctrine of the Christian faith That is such principles and doctrine of Christian faith as may be among them that never heard of Christ or of Christian Faith that worshipe the work of mens hands and possibly the Devil Whose hearts saith he further united by the same love and their understanding illuminated with the same truth meet together to attend upon God adore him and unanimously give testimony against errour though they suffer therefore But 1. Do not their bodies meet together too 2. Can that love be true Christian love which may be among Pagans 3. What illumination of truth can they have who never had another teacher than a Natural Conscience within or the Law written upon the works of creation and providence 4. What attendance upon God or adoration of him without Christ known and beleeved in 5. What testimony against errour can they give who never heard of the Gospel or of Christ 6. I know that here he is giving us a description of Quakers Conventicles which really are Synagogues of Satan He tels us further that all the members of those meetings teach and instruct one another And so they are all officers all eyes c. and so monsters No organical Church Then he closeth with an untruth saying that such were all the primitive Churches gathered by the Apostles While as the Apostolick Churches consisted of persons who called upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Cor. 1 2. They were Churches in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes. 1 1. 2 Thes. 1 1. that is such as acknowledged and worshiped the true God and that in Jesus Christ which neither Pagans nor Jewes as such did 5. Having thus spoken of a catholick of a particular church he cometh § 4 to speak something of the qualifications of the members of both which I judge superfluous seing that was sufficiently done already Yet because his words here are of a finer-like dress let us heare him That one sayes he may be a member of the catholick church it is necessary that there be an inward call of God by his light in the heart and that the heart be fermented by his nature and Spirit so as he leave off unrighteousness and turne to righteousness and that as to the inward part of his soul he be cut off the wild olive of nature and planted in Christ bâ— his word inward Spirit And all this may be in them that are ignorant of the history of Christ as was proved in the 5. and 6. Thesis Ans. These are fine words to deceive the simple had he not sufficiently explained himself above in the place by himself cited and just now also given us a clear view of his Catholick Church and of its members we might readily have been deceived But according to his owne interpretation of himself and a narrow inspection of his words here We finde 1. That one can be a qualified member of the Church Catholick who hath never heard of Christ or of the Covenant of grace in Christ nor learned any more of Christianity or of the Gospel then what nature could teach and how dissonant this is from the whole Gospel let any that ever read it speak 2. All this inward call of God is by the light that is in the heart of every man by nature is this any thing else but natures dim light 3. All this fermentation to speak in the Quakers dialect is effectuate by the power of this light and this is it he meaneth by the Spirit as he hinteth here and leargly told us before 4. All the effect of this work is but an outward turning from unrighteousness which a natural wretch may do upon the information of a natural conscience This is nothing of true Sanctification 5. It is impossible that all the operation of nature can bring a man off nature and plant him in Christ. 6. The Spirit of God worketh in and with the word and this word is the preaching of the Gospel and where the Gospel is there is the history of Christ. So that where there is nothing of the history of Christ there is not the word of the Kingdom there is not the special working of the Spirit of Christ This word therefore and inward Spirit whereof he speaketh is but he word Spirit of Nature that is nature under new names the paganish-Paganish-word and Spirit 6. But what is requisite to a member of a particular christian church He answereth Pag. 175. Beside this inward work it is necessary sayes he there be an external profession and faith in Iesus Christ and these sacred truthes delivered in the Scriptures when the inward light and testimony of the Spirit shall naturally incline compel such as are subject and obedient to it to give assent and credite to the truthes delivered in the Scripture Ans. We heard before of a Catholick Church whereof all the members must needs be saved and of a Particular Church much of the same complexion with the Catholick but now we hear of a new Church called a Particular Christian church the complexion of which seemeth to differ from the former But the matter is this Christianity with him is not necessary to salâ—ation thâ—re may be particular Churches were there is nothing of the Christian Religion Pagans that are somewhat Moral Civil belong to the catholick Church shall be saved as well as Christians But because where the word of the Gospel is come there must be some respect had to it to the word of God therefore a little more is necessary in this case though not in it self to be found in such as live in such places where the word of God is for it were a shame to say that no more were required of a man borne and living all his
dayes where the word of God and the Gospel is than of a pagan that never heard of Christ. But now what is required An External profession c. This is good enough to declare that the Quakers Churches are not Christian for they beleeve not the holy truthes set downe in the Scriptures because they oppose and contradict them Nor do they beleeve in or make profession of Jesus Christ revealed in the N. Testament because they oppose him and all his Institutions But how is this faith wrought is it by the Spirit of God No the inward light alone doth it that is it is a faith of Christ of the truth of the Scriptures that nature can sweetly naturally incline yea compel unto But this can reach no further than the truths that corrupt nature can teach and what affinity these have with the Gospel of the grace of God let Christians judge And thus we have run round and are againe where we begane 7. He inferreth from what he hath said That the inward work of holiness and laying aside of iniquity is every way necessary to constitute a member of the Church of Christ. Yet it is but such a work of holiness that nature can produce effectuat We acknowledge true holiness wrought by the Spirit of God subdueing overcoming nature to be necessary in all that are members of the Invisible Church but not necessary to constitute one a member of the visible Church general or particular What more That outward profession is necessary to make one a member of a particular congregated church though not of the catholick church Then the particular Church is not an homogeneal part of the Catholick but of a different complexion Then members of the Catholick church cannot be members of a particular Church without some more be added It seemeth then these particular Churches are Visible Churches but the Catholick is invisible Yet saith he this external profession is every way necessary where God giveth opportunity to know it and the outward testimony is to be beleeved when and where it is revealed Then it is no way necessary otherwise and so without any Knowledge Revelation or Acknowledgement or Profession of the Gospel one may be a member of the Catholick saved Church are these things consonant to Scripture 8. Next § 5. He tels us that the devil working in the mystery of iniquity taught his followers to say That none how holy so ever was a member of the church of Christ without an outward profession and unless he were initiated with some ceremonies Ans. And what can it be else but the devil working in the mystery of iniquity that taught him to say tha◠Pagans Turks Jewes who are enemies to the true Christian Religion can be members of the Catholick church without either Profession or Knowledge of Christ 2. Himself said that this profession was necessary to particular Christian Churches And are not these Churches of Christ 3. for the external ceremonies used in the Church of Rome we owne them not but such as Christ hath instituted in his word if the Spirit within him be not contrary to the Spirit speaking in the Scriptures he also should owne And againe saith he That if one have an outward profession though inwardly ungodly and irregenerate he may be a member of the true Church of Christ Ans. That such an one may be a member of the Church Visible we owne it as the truth of God and when he shall be pleased to forme a disput upon this head shall make it good And at best he is but mistaken when he addeth that this is to put light for darkness as if God did more regard words than works For the Lord calleth for both Rom 10 9 10. He is also mistaken when he sayes that Antichrist did build his structure upon this foundation For he applieth all the privileges of the Invisible Church unto his visible Synagogue of Satan distinguisheth not betwixt the Visible the Invisible Church as neither doth this Quaker non-churcheth all who are not of his combination and how neare this Quaker approacheth to him in this he can judge if he will 9. What he speaketh of the degenerating of the primitive churches is true but when among these corruptions he reckoneth Pag. 176. this as one that men became Christians that is members of the visible church by birth he is far out for if that be a corruption the Apostles first primitive Church were guilty thereof for we owne it from them Peter told the Jews that the promise was to them and to their children Act. 2 39. And Paul told the Corinthians 1 Cor. ◠14. that the children of beleevers were holy and under the Law children by birth enjoyed this privilege this privilege was never taken away from them under the Gospel What he saith of the reformed churches though there be too much truth in it yet it ill becometh him his party to upbraid them seing all their designe as hath been often observed is to make them us all mere pagan churches And instead of true holiness to presse upon us Natural Dead Antievangelick Morality CHAP. XVII Of a Ministerial call 1. OUr Quaker having thus dispatched what he had to say of the Church cometh to speak to what he had mentioned in his Thesis concerning the Ministery where we finde several things spoken unto which we shall examine severally In the beginning of his 10. Thesis he tels us That as by this gift grace and light all the true knowledge of God in spiritual things is received and revealed so by the same as it is manifested and received in the heart by its power and efficacy every true Minister of the Gospel is constituted prepared and furnished for the work of the ministry And by this moving leading and drawing must he be led commanded in his misterial work as to places where the persons to which and times when he is to be imployed That which here we are to take notice of is that which constituteth a Minister and with this Quaker the only thing that maketh one a Minister is Inward Light which he calleth also grace and a gift as it is received in its power in the heart This is all his call unto the weighty work of the Ministrie What this Light Gift and Grace is we discovered above sufficiently and after examination of all that he said of it found it to be nothing else but the dim Light and Law of Nature or the Relicques of that which once was glorious and illustrious while Adam stood because nothing else can be supposed now common to all Adam's sones or all that are Rational Creatures whether borne without or within the Church whether Pagans Barbarians Cannibals Shythians or what you will And this he makes both the Preacher or Revealer of Spiritual things and the Meane by which this Revelation is received for by it all the true knowledge of God in Spiritual
members for then all Church-members must be Officers seing with him all Church members must be thus qualified If the last be his meaning Whether thinks he this qualification essential or not that is so necessary that one that wanteth it cannot be accounted a Pastor neither before God nor before men neither in foro poli nor in foro soli Againe I would enquire what he meaneth by this qualification if we interprete it by his former doctrine why we may not Yea must not do so I know not this will be a good qualification for a Pagan-preacher but no qualification for a Gospel-minister for it is nothing else than the power efficacy of Natures Light of a Natural Conscience informing enlightning concerning duties required by the Law of nature it hath no affinity with the sanctifying Spirit of Christ promised in the New covenant bestowed upon the elect and chosen vessels of mercy and principling the beleever to new obedience Howbeit this might suffice for an answere Yet I shall say more to clear the matter unto the Reader I confess holiness is required of Gospel ministers The Apostle tels us Tit. 1 8. that he must be a lover of good men or of good things as it is in the margine sober just holy temperate And he must be blameless Tit. 1 7. 1 Tim. 3 2. vigilant sober and of good behaviour ibid And therefore all who are to be imployed in the examination tryal of ministers should be careful in the searching after this as well as in the tryal of their gifts and other qualifications and when clear and manifest evidences appear of their hatred of good things and of the godly of their insobriety injustice unholiness intemperance want of vigilancy and of their evil behaviour they ought to be laid aside from that holy function as well as when their want of gifts of other requisite qualifications clearly appeareth Yea if there be not some positive probable evidences of this love and of seriousness in the maters of God giving faire probable ground of concluding them to be faithful men they ought not to commit the word unto them See all this fully cleared and confirmed by worthy and learned Mr Durham in his exposition of the Revelation Pag. 198. c. Yet because grace the saving workings of the Spirit are latent hid in the heart there is no outward signe evidence thereof whereby others can certainly or infallibly discerne and judge of the same in all so hid that the man in whom it is is more privie to his owne spirit heart than others can be will not alwayes be in case to discerne the same I dar not say that the reall being of grace is such a qualification as that the want thereof shall render the man no minister and all his performances null before God or man though the person being a real stranger to grace can expect no acceptance of God through Jesus Christ for what he doth Christ's imploying of Iudas in the ministry will sufficiently verify this and I need say no more See Mr Durham in the place cited 6. What addeth he For saith he seing true knowledge in things spiritual is received by this gift and grace he that is purified and sanctified by the same is at length also called by it and moved to ministrate to others and is made capable of showing to others what by real experience he hath himself found 2 Cor. 5 11. And his words and ministry proceeding from inward power and vertue penetrat into the hearts of the hearers and obtaine their approbation and subjection Ans. 1. This gift and grace being but natural and Pelagian as was shown above can never give true knowledge in things spiritual saving and evangelick 2. Nor can it ever purifie and sanctifie a man according to the Gospel whatever it may do as to outward civility and morality 3. Qualifications are no call 4. Then it seemes there is no Outward call requisite and so this man joyneth with Socinians and Arminians laying aside all outward call by men as not necessary in the Church of God and saying that all who understand the truth of the Gospel and are able to Instruct others may and have a right to teach See Smalcius Pag. 379. though Pag. 377. he confesseth that this outward call is decent and comely in a constitute Church which this man doth no where acknowledge See also Apol. Remonstr Cap. 21. and Episcop disput 26. privat Thes. 4. 5. 5. Every motion to tell others what we know in the things of God is not a call to the Work and Office of the Ministry See Psal. 66 16. privat persons in their private capacities may and ought to seek to promove the edification of others 1 Pet. 4 10 11. 6. Is this telling of what they have found in their owne experience the whole work of the Ministrie Or is this the preaching of the Gospel The divideing of the word of truth 2 Tim. 2 15. Is this speaking exhorting and rebuking with all authority Tit. 2 15 Is this be seaching as Ambassadours in the name of God and in Christ's stead 2 Cor. 5 19 20 Is this that which Paul layeth upon Timothie 2 Tim. 4 1 2. I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom Preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine Or that which we â—inde 1 Tim. 4 13 14 15 16. Give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them take heed unto thy self and unto the doctrine continue in them For in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee But I should have remembered that these men are against Preaching 7. Some may think that by this gift and grace which he mentioneth he can mean at most nothing but what the Papists call gratia gratis data and which is different from gratia gratum faciens but I see no ground to judge him so orthodox 7. He goeth about to prove that this qualification is absolutely necessary and his first argument is thus That which is necessary to make a man Christian is much more necessary to make one a Minister of Christianity But this inward call power vertue of the Spirit is necessary to make a man a Christian. Therefore c. Ans. This argument is easily answered by a distinction thus That which is necessary to make a man a Real Upright and Sincere Christian or true member of the Invisible Church is also necessary to make a man a sincere and upright Minister before God and approven of him in what he doth but is not simply and absolutely necessary to make one a Minister before
men who cannot certainly know this nor walk by an infallible rule in judging of this That which is necessary to make a man a member of the Visible Church a professing Christian that I grant is also necessary to make one a Minister both before God and men for men can judge hereof and have a certain and fixed rule whereby to judge of this profession whether it be true or not though not to judge whether it be sincere or not 2. That the inward work of the Spirit of grace is necessary to make one a true and gracious Christian or member of the Invisible Church is true but this is not requisite to make one a member of the visible Church And he would know that Ministers are set in the visible Church and are to covert such as are not yet members of the Invisible Church and this sheweth the inconsequence of his argument 3. The Inward Power and Vertue of the Spirit which he must meane can make a no man a Professour let be a Christian in truth and reality for it may be where there is no knowledg or hearing of Christ of the Gospel of the Covenant of grace or of any such thing even in an Heathen and Pagan who is yet without as such are called 1 Cor. 5 12 13. 1 Tim. 3 7. and is without Christ being an alien from the Commonwealth of Israel and a stranger from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world Ephes. 2 12. 8. His next argument is this All the Ministers of the N. Test. are Ministers of the Spirit and not of the letter 2 Cor. 3 6. And therefore such must be called by the Spirit and must know that he is led and moved by the Spirit and be sensible of the work of the Spirit and of his inward vocation Ans. 1. It is most true that Ministers of the N. T. are Ministers of the Spirit opposed to such as cryed up the Law and preached it as separated from Christ as the Jewes commonly did as our Quakers Pagan-preachers do must do according to their principles for they know no Gospel but are sworne enemies to it and plaine subverters of it and all the Ordinances thereof and are worse then the allegorical teachers of whom Beza maketh mention on 2 Cor. 3 6. 2. They may be said to be called by the Spirit who are gifted with the gifts of the Spirit fitting for preaching of the Gospel such as the word of Wisdom and the word of Knowledge 1 Cor. 12 vers 4 7 8 11. Whereby they are apt to teach 1 Tim. 3 2. and fit to take care of the Church vers 5. And those gifts in themselves considered are different from true and saving grace and yet come from the Spirit and are given to profite withall and so must be laid out to edification according to the way prescribed in the Gospel 3. What meaneth he by this must be called by the Spirit Is this an inward Inspiration or Enthusiasme saying to the man he must goe preach We reject all such phancies which he and other phanatick persons dream of and lean unto and account them plaine delusions of Satan which the very doctrine they deliver putteth beyond all question Mat. 24 24. 2 Thes. 2 9. Deut. 13 1. Gal. 1 8 9. Let him shew if he can any true ground warranting us to look for such immediat calls Is there a promise for this Or a command to expect it 4. His last words null his former argument and position for there he required only that they have the inward working of the Spirit but here he requireth more to wit that they know that they have it and are led and moved by the Spirit and are sensible of his work in them Or he must say that none can have grace but he must also know and feel that he hath it And consequently that such as feel not this to their owne satisfaction must peremptorily conclude that they have it not a dangerous position and untrue 9. A third argum followeth Pag. 179. If saith he the testimony of the Spirit be not essential and necessary to a Minister the Gospel Ministrie should be postponed to the legal for there the people knew who were officers and beside these ordinary there were extraordinary ones called by the immediat testimony of the Spirit But now we are vncertain and must have Pastors without all certain assent of Gods will Ans. 1. Then the thing he meaneth by a Call is a testimony of the Spirit such as the Prophets of old had or at least such as may be plaine and notoure not only to themselves who have it but to all so as they need no more doubt of it than the Jewes needed to doubt of the Priests and of the Levites or at least of the extraordinary Prophets that God sent among them And thinks he that this is had of his Quaker-Teachers and Pagan-Preachers No sure their speach and their erroneous doctrine publickly declareth that the testimony which they have is the testimony of a lying Spirit and of a Spirit of delusion that can easily deceive the possessors 2. Thinks he that there is no way now to know who are the lawfully called Servants of God He was pleased while speaking of the Scriptures to affirme some such thing that he might thereby implead their Perfection but we manifested his folly in that attempt there See Chap. IV § 31. 3 Will he tell us what that certaine assent of Gods will or this Testimony of the Spirit is whereby every one may know who is truely called of God who not Doth the Spirit when he calleth one to this work speak to the senses of all beholders and witness also to them that such an one is indeed called of the Spirit Is such a Testimony of the Spirit which every one can hear necessary to make a Christian Is this the inward Power and Vertue of the Spirit that he talked of 10. His last Arg. is from Christ's word 's Ioh. 10. They are thieves and robbers that câ—me not in by the door Which is very true But how will he prove that all such as want this testimony and this call which he speaketh of are such as Christ there meaneth They that enter by the way which Christ hath appointed come in by the door which he hath set open for them to enter by and have his warrand and approbation though they want this which he pretendeth to 11. He tels his Reader § 8. That against his doctrine we Object the Succession of the Church as sufficient And upon this his mistake he runneth out in many words to no purpose That Christ sent his Apostles immediatly is certain and undeniable That these Apostles ordained other ordinary ministers is unquestionable Act. 14 23. That they laid injunctions on these whom they had ordained to commit the same to faithful men is clear 2 Tim. 2 2. Tit. 1 5. 1 Tim. 3 1 15. and 5 21
this mans doctrine who seemeth to be one of the most sober among them all have we found any thing hithertil but Pelagianisme Secinianisme Arminianisme Enthusiasme Antiscripturisme Yea and Paganisme c have we seen any thing that doth not directly enough tend to overthrow the whole Gospel And what further we are to hear a little patience will help us to see He talks that they teach no new doctrine But doctrine more diametrically opposite yea contradictory to the whole Gospel of the grace of God a man shall finde no where else in such an heape So that albeit they should pretend to Miracles as they do to Immediat Revelations of the Spirit of God should do somethings more then ordinary like wonders I should account them but lying wonders their coming to be after the working of Satan according to 2 Thes. 2 3. Yea though an angel from heaven should come to head them and preach the doctrine which they preach I should remember that word of Paul's Gal. 1 vers 8 9. And therefore must account these Quakers no more Christians but an Antichristian Antievangelick brood of men acted and led by an evil Spirit designing the destruction of the Gospel and the setting up of Paganisme What he saith § 13. about the Independants and their gifted Brethren is not worth the noticeing for as to the matter he referreth us to what he had said before upon the Scriptures and we have eâ—amined Chap. IV. Only I would enquire If as he saith no man can know by the Scriptures that he in particular is called to be a Minister and therefore must recurre to an Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit he must also say that no man can know that another is a Minister but by the Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit and therefore he cannot be offended at us that we do not beleeve that he and the rest of the Quakers are sent of God because we have no Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit concerning this and we are confident never shall have from the Spirit of God And though the Scriptures do not particularly and expresly tell us that Robert Barclay is a false Teacher and ought to be shuned as a false Teacher it saith that which is enough to us concerning him and his complices when it saith that all that bring another Gospel are to be accounted accursed and the whole Scripture that pointeth forth and declareth the Truth and condemneth their Errours as we have seen and shall see is as good to us as an Immediat Testimony saying the Quakers and particularly Robert Barclay are deceivers yea better more sure for some men can take the dreams of their owne head the impressions of Satan upon their phantasie for immediat testimonies of the Spirit of God but enough of this above Chap. III. 15. But he hath something Pag. 190. § 14. that would seem to answere that question we just now proposed for after hee hath againe nakedly told us that this extraordinary call for he nameth it so here is as well necessary when the Church is setled as when it is under a general Apostacy he saith that such as are thus called are made manifest in the mindes of their brethren and their call is verified in them who by the sensation of that life and virtue that floweth out by them are dâ—yly edified in their most holy faith and become the signes of their Apostleshipe according to 2 Cor. 13 v. 3. Ans. 1. But as yet there is no Inward Testimony of the Spirit directly saying that such men are truely called and without this in his judgment they cannot be said to be taught and led of the Spirit nor can they beleeve without this 2. Is this manifestation alwayes at every discourse or sometimes only Is it upon all their hearts or upon some only It may be there lyeth an answere in these words their brethren But the signes of the Apostleshipe of Paul were among strangers whom he converted and brought in to the faith And if this manifestation be alwayes and upon all present he layeth down a ground to question Christs Apostleshipe and Call for his preaching had not alwayes this effect as is notoure Nor Pauls and Barnabas theirs among the Jewes as the book of the Acts sheweth and 2 Thes. 2. Nay let that word be considered 2 Cor. 2 15 16. for we are unto God a sweet savour in Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life And that Esai 49 4. Then said I I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought and in vaine surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God and that Esai 53 Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed if he think it enough that this manifestation be made sometimes upon the the mindes of some Alas Poor man thinks he that there are none of all the servants of Christ who dar not be so bold as he is to pretend a Divine Immediat Call through an Extraordinary and Immediat Revelation that can say the same and that upon a more just account As for his brethren they are under the same delusion with their Teachers and the sensation they have of life and vertue is but the sensation of the workings of delusion and no edification or building up in the holy faith but in opposition to that faith which was once delivered to the saints as is manifest to all that heare them and read their books and as this book which is now under examination hath made more manifest to me than all that ever I heard or read of them before 15. He addeth This is that which giveth the true and substantial call and title unto the Minister whereby he is a real successour of the vertue and power that was in the Apostles Ans. 1. Then the extraordinary call was no true and substantial call or title Then Ezechiel who was sent to a rebellious house that would not heare had no true and substantial call nor Moses when he was sent unto Pharaoh 2. They who are a savour of death unto death to some may yet for all that be successours to the Apostles 3. But I see what this man would be at The Quaker-Preachers though as we have manifested above nothing in truth but Pagan preachers must be the only successours of the Apostles and Possessours of the power and vertue that was in them What more Such Ministers stand not in need of the ceremony of Ordination and Imposition of hands Ans. Why then were hands laid upon Paul Barnabas Act. 13 3. And why had Timothy the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery 1 Tim. 4 14. If such made use of this ceremony shall any Minister now a dayes think it below him to do the like But sayes he Our adversaries
who use it confess that the power of communicating the holy Ghost is ceased among them And is it not ridiculous to imitate the shadow when the substance is away Ans We say not that the holy Ghost was alwayes given by imposition of hands let him look not to mention instances in the Old Testament where it had no such use Mark 10 v. 16. 16 v. 18. Luk. 13 13. And even where it was used toward Church-officers it did not alwayes carry alongs with it the giving of the holy Ghost as we see Act. 13 3. it was used towards Paul who before that had been filled with the holy Ghost Act. 9 17. The same also we read of Barnabas before this time Act. 11 24. So then though this power be not and this use of imposition of hands be ceased yet its use in Ordination and Ordination it self must not be cast away by such as would be followers of Christ and of his Apostles seing its principal use in Ordination remaineth not only to declare who the person is who is to be set apart for the Ministrie but to declare the solemne Dedication and Consecration or setting apart of the person for the work and the conveyance of the Ministerial Power and Office with a charge to go about the work with all care and diligence But it is little wonder that our Quakers trample this Ordinance under foot when there is not one ordinance of Jesus Christ that they value or will regard And what Christians these are let every one judge And whether or not I had not ground to say and againe to repeat it that they are a company of the most desperate Antichristian opposers of Christ and all his Appointments that ever the sun shined on 16. It is observable that in his whole discourse he speaketh nothing of infallibility which other Quakers require in Ministers of the Spirit See Fox mystery p. 72. and some plead for in all as W. Pen in his Spirit of truth p. 32 c. and why he is not so plaine and full as others are he knoweth himself CHAP. XVIII Of Ministerial Qualifications 1. WE proceed now to examine what he saith about the Qualifications of Ministers Pag. 190. c. § 15. Though what he began to say of the Ministerial Call was rather concerning the Qualifications as we observed yet now seing here he beginneth to speak directly and ex professo of these Qualifications we shall follow him And first he tels us That as he placed the true call in the motion of the holy Spirit so also he sayes the power vertue and life of the Spirit and of grace proceeding from him is the principal and most necessary qualification without which he can neither discharge his duty acceptably unto God nor profitably unto men Ans. Wherein he placed the call we have heard and have heard it several wayes expressed And here we have it in a new distinct manner expressed for here nothing is mentioned but a simple motion of the Spirit and every motion of the Spirit is not extraordinary But 2. What he sayes here of a necessary qualification seemeth only to relate to the better and more profitable discharge of the duty as to men and so to respect the bene esse of the Office not the simple esse of it As for what he sayes of God that it cannot be performed acceptably unto him is nothing for an unsanctified Magistrate cannot performe his office acceptably every way unto God unless we meane only that the substance of the work when done according to justice and equity is approven of God though the person be not accepted in it 3. We have here good words Power Vertue and Life of the Spirit and of grace But these must not deceive us for by all these good words according to his principles formerly considered Chap. X. he cannot understand what is imported thereby in the Scriptures but only what an Heathen or Pagan that never heard of Christ nor never shall hear of him is capable of And whether this be fitter to be a necessary qualification of a Pagan-preacher than of a Gospel-Minister let any judge who will 2. He saith next That we affirme three things concurre to the constituting of a Minister to wit Natural parts that is that he be not an idiot acquired parts that he be learned in the tongues in Philosophie and scholastick theology and finally the grace of God The first two belong to the essence of a Minister the last to his bene esse Ans. Who stateth the question thus I know not for my part I cannot well approve it Of the grace of God I spoke my minde in the beginning of the preceeding Chapter As to the knowledge of the languages wherein the Bible was originally written I think that very convenient in some measure at least and he hath let us see here and there in this his Book what use he could make of it but as to the knowledge of the original languages use of commentaries I think it no wonder he should think it utterly useless seing the knowledge of the Scriptures themselves is of so little an account with him That skill in Philosophy is useful in some measure I shall assent but for the knowledge of Scholastick Theology I account it not so necessary And I suppose the knowledge of other Theologie much more necessary though all these be very requisite in a Professour On the contrary as not having said enough before he saith That without grace no man can be a true or lawful Minister And I suppose he meaneth neither before God nor Man This I judge too far said His first Argument for this is the same with the first he brought above for his call and was there answered 3. His 2. Arg. is much like the former being this No man can be a minister of the Church of Christ which is his body but he that is a member thereof But he who wanteth the grace of God cannot be a member of that body Therefore c. Answ. Had he understood the difference betwixt the Church Visible and Invisible and had he known that Officers are set in the Church Visible and not in the Church Invisible which is made up of homogeneal parts he had seen the vanity of this argument Christ is an head to both communicateth by his Spirit suteable nourishment whether of gifts or of grace to the members of both according as he thinketh fit Ephes. 4 7.11 16. 1 Corinth 12. throughout and while he applieth these things wholly and solely unto the Church Invisible he bewryeth his ignorance His 3. Arg. is from 1 Pet. 4 10 11. and he translateth the words thus as every man hath receiveth grace so c. but the word in the original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we finde alwayes rendered gift or free gift but it is like that gift and grace are one thing with him with whom the highest grace is a most common gift
science wherein I know none more expert and skilled than are our Quakers He may read Calvin on the place if he will And for a close to this How great a prejudice so ever he hath against Philosophy yet in the primitive times Christians who had been Philosophers was not by their Philosophy less fitted but more to defend the truth against heathen Philosophers as Iustin Martyr against Valentinus Tertullian against Marcion Origen against Celsus Chrysostome against Libanius and Prudentius against Symmachus 10. The last part of humane literature which he inveigheth against is that which is called Scholastical Theology by which I suppose he meaneth that only which now commonly goeth under that name as distinct from Polemick divinity handling controversies debated betwixt the orthodox and heretical or erroneous persons such as Pelagians Socinians Arminians Anabaptists Antinomians Quakers and the rest And as to it I shall say no more than I have said Chap. 1. § 12. and suffer him to go on in his ranting Only I must take notice of some expressions which he hath here and there in this discourse Though I cannot understand how Origen should be among the first who by this art gave himself to interpret Scriptures nor how hereby Arius fell into his errour seing this Theology is commonly commenced from Peter Lombard yet I am glade to hear him Pag. 201. calling that heresie of Arius who denyed the Son to be equal with the Father in power and glory and of the same essence horride for many of his Brethren the Quakers either doubt of or directly deny the Trinity Yea Mr Clapham in his book against the Quakers Sect. 3. tels us they call this doctrine a lie and citeth for it Saul's errand to Damascus p. 12. and the sword of the Lord drawn p. 4. And in this if he thinketh as he speaketh I would know how he will reconcile himself unto them but it may be he taketh Father Son and holy Ghost for one Person as well as for one essence as some other Quakers do He speaketh like a Quaker that is calumniously when he saith § 22. that this knowledge is accounted a necessary qualification for a Minister when the pure teaching of the Spirit of truth is contemned He may speak thus if he thinketh good against his old friends the Iesuites for we are for the teaching of the Spirit and preferre it to all other whatsomever but we are for the teaching of the Spirit in the way he hath appointed that is by waiting upon him in his ordinances meditating on his word and useing all other lawful meanes to come to the right understanding of his meaning in his word especially prayer But we dar not with this deluded bold generation tempt the Lord by looking for immediat Revelations and laying aside all Meanes and Ordinances in coming to the saving knowledge of his Name as revealed in the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ. We account it also a calumny for him to say ibid. that he who is to be a Minister must lairne the airt of playing a hookster in the word because we say he must attend unto reading of what is written for the understanding of Scripture And whereas he thinketh the Devil could make as good a sermon as the most learned I only demand and may he not also make as good a discourse without book as they do I fear he hath too great a hand in all their discourses and scriblings too 11. What he saith Pag. 202. § 23. is but a groundless commendation of their way and of themselves as the only men raised up of God to be witnesses foâ— him If they have shaken the foundations of Babylon as he saith how cometh it that Babylon and they are so well agreed and that in principal matters as 1. In vilifying the Ministers of Christ and calling them deceivers 2. Denying our Churches to be true Churches 3. In calling the Scriptures but a dead letter 4. In denying it to be the judge of controversies 5. In refuseing to have all Spirits tryed by the written word 6. In crying up the sufficiency of a common light within 7. In maintaining Free will 8. Perfection 9. Apostasie of the Saints 10. Justification by inherent holiness 11. In confounding Justification and Sanctification 12. In mocking at the â—mputed righteousness of Christ. 13. In placeing holiness in outward observations of their owne deviseing 14. In Pretending so much to Revelations Visions Raptures c. 15. In pretending to Infallibility As for the Increase of their number whereof he boasteth it is a clear verification of that 2 Thes. 2 9 10 11 12. whoâ—e coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders with all deceivablenes of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Wâ—at he talketh further of his owne experience of the power of their discourses is but a further demonstration of what we said to wit of his being given up to strong delusion as this volumne of his putteth beyond all question with such as believe the Scriptures And for a recompense of his exhortation to us in the close I shall also obtest him in the Lord to consider his wayes over againe and search after the procuring cause of this dreadful judgment of the Lord 's giving him to up to those delusions that he may repent and be saved for what high thoughts soever he may now have of that way he will finde his delusion in end either here which I shall wish or when it shall be too late which the Lord prevent in mercy CHAP. XIX Of the Ministerial Office 1. WHen our Quaker beginneth to speak of this matter Pag 203. § 24. he followeth his usual manner of crying up themselves and loading all their Opposites with what expressions of disrespect and contempt he thinketh meet We are the men with him as the orthodox were of old with the Swenkfeldians Familists and Antinomians who alwayes adhere to Externals following our External Rule and Methods devised by our carnal and humane Wisdom because we follow and desire to cleave unto the Rules and Methods and all the Orders prescribed by Christ to be observed in his owne House And upon the other hand They are the men who follow the wayes of the Spirit and his immediat Help and Influence and he leadeth them as he saith in such an Order and Methode as becometh the Church of God though this order and methode of theirs wherein they suppose the Spirit leadeth them be no prescribed Order in the word but the meer Invention of their owne fantastick â—raine blasphemously Fathered upon the Immediat Teaching and Leading of the Spirit of God for we know no ground to imagine that the true Spirit of God will lead
we have plaine dealing and a full discovery made of the principles and practices of these men and a demonstration given of the Opposition of that Spirit which is in them unto the whole Ordinance and Work of the Ministry appointed by Christ. And for Answere a few things may serve 1. Was the primitive Church Instituted and gathered by Christ and his Apostles a Church of Christ and gathered by God or not He dar not say not Then I ask how came it to passe that this way of their was not Universally and Constantly practized Was not the Spirit of God Governour and Ruler in their Assemblies He dar not deny it How then dar he speak thus 2. Were there no distinct Officers particular individual Persons separated and set apart for the work of the Ministrie in the dayes of the Apostles If there were it is manifest that their Order and Way is Diametrically opposite to the Order and Way used in the Apostolick Church If there were not what were the Apostles What were the Evangelists What were the other Ordinary inferiour Officers ordained and setled in the Churches Act. 6 v. 1 2 3 4 5 6. 14 v. 23. 1 Cor. 12 v. 28 29 30. Ephes. 4 v. 11. Phil. 1 ver 1. 4 3. 2 v. 25. Col. 4 vers 7 12 17. 1 Thes. 5 12 13 14. 1 Tim. 3 1 15. 4 v. 14 15 16. 5 v. 17 22. 2 Tom 2 2. 4 1 2. Tit. 1 5 9 Heb. 13 v. 7 17. Iam. 5 v. 14. 1 Pet. 5 4. Revel 1 20 2 3. 3. This destroyeth the whole Order of the Ministrie for hereby it is declared that there is no such thing as Officers established in the house of God distinct from other Church-members contrare to the places already cited to Rom. 12 6 7 8. 1 Cor. 12. thoughout Act. 15 4 6. 21 18. 2 Cor. 5 18 19. The contrary whereof is further evinced from the Titles Stiles or Peculiar Designations which we finde given to peculiar persons set over others in the â—ew Testament such as Pastors Ephes. 4 11. 1 Pet. 5 20. Act 20 28. Doctors 1 Cor. 12 28. Ephes. 4 11. Teachers Gal. 6 6. Stewards 1 Cor. 4 1 Tit. 1 7. Preachers Rom. 10.14 Overseers Act. 20 18. 1 Pet. 4 15. 5 2. Angels Revel 1 20. 2 1 8 12 18. 3 1 10 15. Stars Rev. 1 18. Ambassadours 2 Cor. 5 19 20. Such as are set over others Heb. 13 17. Rulers 1 Cor. 12 28. 1 Tim. 5 17. As also from the special Work imposed upon them called for from their hands not only included in the forementioned Titles the like but expresly mentioned such as Preaching of the Gospel Administration of Sacraments Care of the Poor exercise of Disciple c. As is clear from Mat. 28 19. 1 Cor 9 16.17 10 16. Rom. 12 6 7 8. 2 Cor 12.15 1 Tim. 4 13 14 15 16. 3 5. 2 Tim. 2 25. 4 2. Act. 6 2 4. Likewise from the duties required of others in reference to them See 1 Thes. 5 12. Gal. 6 6. 1 Tim. 5 17. Heb. 13 7 17. And from the Qualifications required in them 1 Tim. 3 2. 2 Tim. 2 2 6. Tit. 1 â— And Orders given about their Trial Ordination Act. 6. 1 Tim. 3 10. 5 11 12. Moreover this is evinced from the special Commands and Injunctions laid upon them to minde their work aright 1 Tim. 3 5. 1 Pet. 5 2 3. 1 Tim. 4 14 15 16. Act. 6 2 4. 2 Tim. 4 2. 2 25. 1 Cor 9 16 17 2 Cor. 12 15. Heb. 13 17. To which may be added the Promises of God's presence and assistance in the discharge of this work Mat. 28 20. Revel 1 1. and his Approbation of them in it Mat. 16.19 Ioh. 20.23 Mat. 10 40. Luk. 10 16. Ioh. 13.20 1 Thes. 4 8. 4. Hereby the work which God hath peculiarly committed to these Officers is made common And thus this man joyneth himself to the Socinians in this for upon this ground they go inveighing against a special Call which Officers ought to have See Hoornb Socinian conf lib. 2. c. 4. Sect. 3. Where their words are adduced confuted Nay this Quaker doth outstripe the Socinians for he will have every man according as his owne spirit falsly called the Spirit of God moveth him setting to this work while as they seem to be more for some Order for orders sake will allow something like a Call from the people or others though they look not upon this as a divine Institution But that the Lord hath restricted this work in ordinary unto the peculiar Officers is not only manifest from their Institution their call thereunto already cleared but also from expresse Prohibition of any such Encroachment Rom. 12 3 6 7 8. 1 Cor. 12. throughout 1 Cor. 7 20. 1 Thes. 4 11. from the Titles mentioned which not being common shew that the work thereby imported is not to be made common Qualifications not common shew that the work is special not common so also the Duties required of the rest in reference to these Officers aboundantly show that all are not promiscuously called to the work because it is upon the account of the work that these duties are to be performed unto them This I have aboundantly elsewhere spoken to in my book against Velchusius Assert 7. Pag. 67. c. and need say no more to it here 5. We no where read of men separated to the Ministrie and Ordained for one particular Act at one season but for a constant and continued Exercise in the work of the Ministry Act. 6. 14 23. Act. 20 28. 1 Cor. 12 28. Tit. 1 5. so that their ordained Teachers are not of God 6. These Preachers of theirs take upon them to be Officers without previous Tryal Examination contrare to the order established in Christ's house 7. Though we acknowledge a distinction betwixt the Officers appointed in the house of God and Others over whom they are set yet we owne not these Popish denominations of Clergy Laicks as he cannot but know though malice prompteth him to speak thus 8. That God is free to call whom he will we know but he hath told us by his Servant Paul that he will not call women to this publick Ministery and seing he haâ—h appointed an ordinary and setled way whereby persons are to enter unto this work we have no warrant to think that such as come not in by the door that he hath set open but creep in at windowes or such like unlawful wayes are called of the Lord but do rather run unsent in contempt of God his established Order 9. we think it no wonder that their Brethren who are under the power of that same delusion receive such hearken to them and honoure them and so it is rather a confirmation of their delusion then an argument evinceing the lawfulness of
to teach publickly in the Assemblies of the Saints are moved by their own spirit and not by the Spirit of God who is a God of order and not the Author of confusion or rather by the Spirit of Satan in contempt of Christs order 10. He citeth 1 Cor. 14 31. Ye may all Prophesy and thinketh that this was meaned of all because Paul saith vers 33. he should say 39. covet to Prophesie But these all were only the Prophets for he had said vers 29. let the Prophets speak two or three and let the other judge but that these two or three may not exclude the rest he saith vers 30. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace And his reason is vers 31. for ye may all Prophesie one by one and againe vers 32. the Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets To imagine then that this was common to all the members is to contradict the plaine scope of the place and to do violence to the text yea and to make the Apostle contradict himself for he had told them that all were not Prophets more then Apostles Chap. 12 29. And that which he citeth from vers 39. can enforce nothing but that it was their part to desire earnestly such offices whereby they might most edifie the Church yet sâ— as not to disparage others therefore he addeth and forbid not to speak with tongues and so as not to evert the order of God's House for he addeth vers 40. Let all things be done decently and in order And doth he not expresly prohibite woman to speak in the Churches vers 34 11. He next speaketh of Evangelists and thinketh that all that preached the Gospel were such Answ. It is true these that wrote the History of the Gospel are commonly called in our language Evangelists and in some sense all that preach the Gospel may be so denominated But he knoweth we are here speaking of a certain Officer frequently mentioned and called Evangelists that as distinct from others even from Apostles who being above them might do their work as we hinted above and from ordinary Pastours and Teachers c. He should prove if he could that there was no such Officer and that it was a meer Operation that goeth under that name and such an Operation as was common to all Church members As for the Apostles of whom he speaketh next though the name as to its etymology may denote one sent yet he knoweth that it is in a special manner given unto those whom Christ sent forth who at first were twelve in number and after Judas's death were againe made twelve by the election of Matthias to whom at length Paul was added and some suppose Barnabas also and though he seeth we make no strick limitation as fixed unto the number yet we hold that they were distinct and superiour Officers named with with a first 1 Cor. 12 28. But he most boldly and impudently saith Pag. 207. That they were not distinct officers but only names What did God set Names in the Church did Christ when he ascended give only Names to the Church What names were they Such names as the Scripture diversly useth to express the more eminent emanations and influences of divine grace sayes he But why doth he not give instances of this diverse use of the word Why doth Paul so often stile himself an Apostle Why doth he so carefully vindicate his Apostolick office chiefly in his Epistles to the Corinthians What may not that man dar to do who dar thus play with the Scriptures It is saith he further as if some now should call him an Evangelist who had converted some heathen Nation as the Iesuites call their Emissaries to the Indians and to Iapon Apostles and as Iohn Knox was frequently called the Apostle of Scotland Ans. This is so far from helping that it quite overthroweth his designes not to mention how absurd it is to reason from mens abusive language and usage of words to the affixing of such an Abusive sense to the same words used in Scripture contrare to the whole intendment of the Spirit of God in the places where these words are used for not once to take notice of the Jesuitical perversion such expressions being used by way of allusion because of some resemblance in some one point or other which the work of these of late had or might have with what the Apostles Evangelists did of old do evidently say that there were such Officers in the primitive times to whom these names did most properly appertaine and that these names did point out certain knowne and distinct Officers and not emanations of divine grace as this man saith who speaketh he knoweth not what but cannot speak ill enough against Christ's Ordinances 12. From this he concludeth very learnedly and candidely That Ministers Pastors and Doctors designe only one office and that there is no precedency among them by vertue of any distinct office which is proved by others against the diocesan prelacy Ans. 1. What sayes this to other Superiour and Extraordinary Officers which were in the primiâ—ive times such as Apostles Prophets and Evangelists 2. What saith this to other Ordinary and Inferiour Officers such as Elders and Deacons 3. What doth all this say to the point in hand Be these one or be they diverse yet this is certane they are Officers and Officers clothed with authority and power and have their work committed to them and are distinguished from the flock over which they are set and every one of the flock may not as his owne Spirit movetâ— him encroach upon their office and assume their work to the overturning of all Order established by Christ and to the rendering of Offices appointed by him null and of no effect Which is the designe this man driveth at and the only intendment of his discourse here 13. But § 26. pag. 207. Though he plead for liberty of prophesying by the Spirit unto all when they are moved thereunto yet he sayes the Quakers believe and affirme that there are some more especially called to the work of the Ministrie whose work is constantly and particularly to instruct exhort and watch to whom such obedience and subjection is due as is held forth Heb. 13 vers 17. 1 Thes. 5 vers 12 13. 1 Tim. 15 vers 17. 1 Pet. 5 vers 5. Answ. 1. In this pleading for liberty of prophesying he joyneth with Socinians and Arminians his old friends whom he hath no will to forsake in such an advantagious point but we have showne above that this liberty destroyeth the Office for if the work be common there needeth no Office be appointed for that work and if there be an Office for that work no man must meddle with the work belonging to that Office who is not clothed with the Office What way are these men more peculiarly called than others Others we heard were placed in the ministrie and ordained
of God when moved to the work and were to be obeyed and subjected unto as such according to these places of Scripture now cited Why doth he not show us wherein this peculiarity consisteth Whether is it in some thing inward or in something outward if inward what can it be more than Gods calling and ordaining if outward Is it imposition of hands of the Presbytery or a potestative mission by Church Officers 3. But he sayes They are more fitted and fournished than others True yet this is not before the call but after it and a consequence of the call for he sayes and therefore they are more fitted to wit because peculiarly called and wherein this peculiar call consists I would know 4. He tels us also that their work is more constantly and particularly to instruct c. But can they instruct at any time without a special motion of the Spirit if they can why doth he inveigh against our Officers for doing the same If they cannot how can this be said to be more their work than it is the work of others who do the same upon the like motion or doth their special Call consist in their receiving more frequent motion than others But this speaks only of more work but nothing of a distinct Office So that all this concession of his is just nothing 5. I would know if these specially called persons be wholly separated for that work and that statedly and fixedly so as they are in all time coming looked upon regarded and submitted unto as officers over others and how this work of separating of them is done Beside these he tels us also of Elders who albeit they be not frequently called to declare themselves in words by this I suppose he meaneth their way of preaching yet having had experience of the work of truth on their hearts they watch over and privatly instruct the younger Ans. But yet if the Spirit move them they may they must do this in Publick too 2. we heard before that this experience or something like was all that he gave us for a call to the highest imployment 3. whatever these Elders be they are not the Scripture Elders for these are apponted for Government or Ruleing the Church hence called Governments 1 Cor. 12 29 and said to Rule 1 Tim. 4 17. Rom. 12 8. 4. He confoundeth these Elders with deacons telling us that they care for the poor widowes orphanes Nay more he sayes they take care that peace unity concord and love and health be preserved in the Church But what way is this done And how are they called hereunto And whether doth all this declare them to be distinct Officers or not and over the people or not And whether is this their peculiar work that others of the common people may not meddle with Let him answere these and reconcile himself with himself when he is at leasure 14. But Pag. 208. he tels us that they refuse that distinction of laicks and cleargy And knoweth he not that we disapprove these termes But the thing that they refuse is That none as he speaketh should be admitted to the work of the Ministrie but who are educated in schooles and instructed in logick c. and he who is thus educated must not learne another honest tread for his leaving But why doth it offend them that men take paines to be instructed and qualified for the work and that none be admitted but such as are qualified It seemeth that the work of the Ministrie is a light business with them may be discharged by such as have no learning or qualifications but why then did the Lord qualifie his Apostles by teaching them several yeers and by extraordinary infusion of knowledge It seemeth they would have all waiting for such miracles now but we must first see a warrand and seing experience tels us that the Lord doth not take this way now why are they offended that we use ordinary meanes for attaining to knowledge 2. He may know if he will that we exclude none from the Ministrie if they be qualified though they have not learned their philosophy c. at ordinary schooles 3. As for their learning of an honest trade we finde none of the Apostles doing so after they were called to that work and we look upon the work of the Ministrie as such as will take up the whole man and his whole time if he be faithful and diligent And yet some men have learned physick after they have been Ministers that they might be helpful to the poor and no man condemneth this providing that thereby they take not occasion to neglect the Ministrie which is of greater consequence 15. But hereby sayes he it cometh to passe that Parents seeing what honour and gaine attendeth the Ministrie assigne their children to that office from their Infancy and educat them thereunto of purpose c. That Parents dedicat their children to the service of God cannot be condemned if they do it upon a corrupt designe and as moved by the corrupt ends that is but their owne fault Those sayes he being educated in pleasure and idleness think it below them afterward to work with their hands satisfying themselves to bring out of books what they may Preach Ans. Who ever think serious study an easie work is not acquanted with it And if a Minister think he hath time enough to follow an ordinary calling he knoweth neither the weight nor the worth of the Ministrie He that must bring all his preaching alwayes out of books must either preach seldome or he will finde little time to follow another trade But all these things and what he saith further of corruption in admitting corrupt and carnal men into the Ministrie is nothing to the purpose in hand for no sober man will approve such corruptions And yet we need not run away to the Quakers way of prizing extemporary non sensical discourses after self motions and self impulses as the whole work of the Ministrie But sayes he next Pag. 209. when men are not admitted to the Ministrie that are not so and so licentiat according to their rules the Spirit is exstinguished and prophecies are despised contrare to 1 Thes. 5 19 20. Ans. What Papists do in this I regard not Protestants will I suppose not refuse to admit any man to the Ministrie that is found after tryal really qualified upon any such account howbeit the places by him cited be ill applied but we must not stand upon every punctilio but shall go on CHAP. XX. Of Woman Preachers 1. OUr Quakers that in all things they may be like themselves that is opposite to all the Appointments and Ordinances of Christ in his house plead for Women speaking or preaching in the publick assemblies of the Church as did the Anabaptists of old and Famalists And that notwithstanding Paul hath in two distinct places expresly prohibited the same as first 1 Cor 14 34. Let your women keep silence in the Churches we might
worship as their worship is not grounded upon the Scriptures So nor have the Scriptures any place in their worshipe contrare to the practice of Christ and his Apostles Luk 4 vers 16. 21. Act. 17 2 3. 8 vers 4 25 35. 9 vers 22. 10 43. 13 5 15 16. c. 33 34 35 36 37 40 41. 18 28. 4. Though there be no approaching now for sinners unto God but in and through a Mediator and all our service and worshipe must be performed in him through him Col. 3 17. Eph. 2 18. Ioh. 14 6. 1 Tim. 2 5. Ioh. 14 13 14. 1 Pet. 2 5. Yet I hear nothing of Jesus Christ in all their worshipe It can therefore be no Gospel Worshipe which they goe about for as all that must be in the name of Jesus the Mediator as having his warrand so it must be offered to the Lord through him Hence 5 all their Solemne Worshipe is nothing else then may be gone about by Pagans and Heathens that never heard of Christ for there is no Gospel Worshipe no Gospel Duty no Gospel Ordinance to be found in all their most solemne service neither Preaching nor Prayer nor Praise nor Administration of sacraments nor any Duty instituted in the Gospel 6. Nay in this they seem to come short of the orderly devotion that is exercised by some Heathens who have their Priests publick Officers to carry on their worshipe with a piece of order and solemnity But they know no such thing their worshipe we see is carryed on without the orderly leading and foregoing of any Person peculiarly designed thereunto unto 7. They speak of going out from their owne thoughts or of expelling them and it is convenient and neâ—essary I confess that all carnal and worldly thoughts be laid aside when we are to approach unto the great and living God for our minds ought then wholly to be abstracted from all Impediments and taken up alone with God But how comprehensive their own thoughts may be I know not and whether he may not meane a laying aside of all use of Reason and Humanity that so they may be fitter receptacles of the In workings of Satan and of the Impressions of his delusions we may possibly heare something hereafter which may give ground for this supposal 8. He tels us that when tâ—ey are thus conveened they meet with a secret vertue and power of life refreshing their souls c. But is this common and ordinary to them all and is it so at all times Then they are all and that alwayes while about the worshipe of God in a good frame and the Spirit who bloweth where and when he listeth never withdraweth from them but is alwayes present in Love and in Power But what is this Life that hath such Power and Vertue If we call to minde the principles of the Quakers formerly considered and examined we will finde that it is not the true and real Grace of God bestowed upon them through Jesus Christ and wrought in them by his Spirit but the mere Operation and Product of nature and therefore all the refreshing of soul that they feel thereby must be but Natural and Carnal how sensible so ever it may be 9. He talks of Motions Respirations of the Spirit of God which flow forth but whence flow they From their owne Spirits or from that refreshing of soul or from the power and vertue of that life he spoke of But the chiefe thing I would have noticed here is How shall we know or how do they know that these Motions and Breathings are the motions and breathings of the Spirit of God The reason of the enquiry is because they have laid aside the Scripture the only sure teste for tryal of Spirits and of the motions of Spirits and not only so but they are now gone out of themselves and are no more Men having laid aside Humanity all the Cogitations Imaginations of Men How shall they how can they or any other know whether these motions be motions of the Spirit of God or of the Spirit of darkness Cannot Satan play his game in persons thus prepared for and laid open unto his workings and insinuations Hath he not thus wrought in many who thus gave up themselves unto his Power and Delusions 10. when these who are thus acted and moved by a Spirit blake or white utter words of declaration prayer or praise how shall it be known that these words are words of truth and righteousness It seemeth all is good coine that cometh that way and no doubt is to be made thereof no examination or tryal is to be made all is to be received by an implicite faith and sure if these Declarations Prayer Praises be suteable to and corresponding with their Doctrine and Principles we have ground to think that they are such as no Christian can with a good conscience receive or joyn with and though he think that what is so spoken is delivered in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and of power yet if we judge by the Scriptures of truth we must say that it is rather in the evidence demonstration of the Devil 11. When one is so moved and speaketh what do the rest Must they attend thereunto and joyn there with But what if they be at that very instant prompted by what is within them to utter words of declaration prayer or praise and this is not impossible must they all speak together where is then order and edification or must they be silent and listen to what the other speaketh till he have done How will he salve this from a limiting of the Spirit But next can the rest hearken and joyne without an inward motion thereunto If so then that part of worshipe is performed by them without the previous inward motion of the Spirit Or must the rest waite for their proper and particular motions then there is no publick worshipe performed by the Assembly 12. But as to that mumry and dumb service when nothing is uttered how can that be callâ—d a Publick Worshipe of God what publick worshipe is there and then performed by the Assembly and where doth he read of any such Publick Worshipe performed unto God in all the Old or New Testam How differeth this from the dumb service of some Heathens performed to their Idols And what mutual edification is there had hereby He tels us it is true that even then their souls are exceedingly satiated But where with or whereby Not by any publick exhortation prayer or praises for there are none that which is not cannot edifie He tels us also that their hearts are wonderfully replenished with the secret sense of the divine power and Spirit But how is this brought about This power sayes he is transmitted without words from vessel to vessel Sure this is no usual way of the Lord 's working and why should he imagine in this case a transmission from vessel to
may be drawn over the rest to wit Ps. 25 3. 37 9. 69 6. Esai 40 v. 31. 42 23. Lam. 3 25. His concordance hath helped him here to no purpose He must not think for all this that I speak against that noble duty of waiting on the Lord in all our wayes which is accompanied with a care to keep all his wayes I speak only against his Waiting which is not upon the Lord but a waiting for an unhallowed motion of an evil Spirit like those of olâ— who were consulting the Oracles of the Devil waiting for Enthusiasmes diabolick Inspirations which needeth no other confirmation but this that this waiting is pleaded for to shut out the Ordinances of Jesus Câ—rist and to give God no more for all the solemne Worshipe service wâ—ich he requireth but a dumb mumtie Nay this is such a waiting as first requireth that the man lay aside all Christianity yea and Rationality and Humanity that he may become a perfect prey to the Spirit of Delusion for he addeth that this silence is not only outward but inward from all imaginations and thoughts So that the man must lay aside his very sanctified intellâ—ct if he have it and rational faculty and so first un-man himself that the Devil may make him a beast or worse What he saith of the two seeds in men hath been spoken to long ago and what he saith further of natural men and of their various kindes or actings is nothing to the purpose for we confess that a natural man for all his parts and enduements cannot Worshipe God in the Spirit And for any thing I can finde in all this mans writing concerning Regeneration I must needs say that if it be really with the Quakers according to this mans doctrine they know no more of Regeneration and true Sanctification than a Turk or a Pagan doth Further what will all his speaking Pag. 235. of a necessity of a natural mans retireing from himself as such going into his good seed which is a non-ens nothing but the ill and wicked seâ—d of Nature availe here Can a natural man do this of himself Can the blakamore change his colour or the Leopard his spotes And finally what saith all this for the dumb Worshipe that he calleth for even from the Regenerate Though the rambling discourse which he hath Pag. 233. be utterly impertinent Yet I wish him to take notice of some expressions He saith that one kinde of spiritual wickedness is when a natural man in matters of Religion affirmeth and proposeth from his own conceptions and divinations erroneous notions and opinions And whether he be not guilty of this let all sober understanding persons judge And againe he saith It cannot be said that there is so much as a forme of goodliness where there are erroneous opinions and notions Let him look to it And I must retorte his owne words Pag. 234. upon himself This kinde of Idolatry whereby a man loveth Idolizeth the Conceptions Inventions and Products of his owne braine is so incident to him and so seated in his lapsed nature that while his natural Spirit is his leader and chiefe Governour and while he is acted moved and led by it in the Worshipe of God and attendeth to no other he can never act any spiritual Worshipe nâ—r produce any thing but what is the fruite of his corruption For reflecting upon his false Principles and Carnal Natural grounds of Religion opposite to all true Religion and Christianity I know none beside himâ—elf and his party of whom this may be more truely verified 13. He imagineth Pag. 235. that God is speaking in every man as one man is quietly talking in the eare of another or as a Master teaching his schooler or a Prince is speaking to a person and that therefore the natural man should not be so rude and indocile as not to be silent and hearken and retire from all the operations of his soul that he may heare and the good seed may rise in him Ans. That is the natural man that he may hear and learne of God must lay aside all his senses inward and outward all his operations as a man good and evil and so fall into something like or rather deeper then a trance and ecstasie that he may receive the visions of God And till this be done he can goe about no act of commanded Worshipe Is not this a noble phancie We are waiting for the proof of this and how long shall we waite till we see it Is this the meaning of all these passages of Scripture that spoke of waiting and watching Is not this like Socrates his Demon that attended him and to which he must Introvert to hearken What shall the renewed man do Is not God as well talking thus in and to him and must he not also retire from his Humane or Christian acts and lay all aside that he may hearken Sure it is not seemly even for a courtier to be talking to his Prince while his Prince is speaking to him he should waite till his Prince had done And so because we may suppose that the Lord is alway speaking the whole Worshipe shall be this silent hearkening And indeed Pag. 236. he taketh-in with the rest of the actions that must be laid by Sense and Fear of sin Thoughts of Death Hell and Iudgment thoughts of Glory Prayers and other Religious Exercises Have we not then a clear delineation of this Quakeristick ecstasie and of this silent Worshipe of theirs And as if all this were not enough he saith agaiâ— This great duty of waiting upon God must be exercised in denying of themselves and in sole and meer dependance upon God within and without in being abstracted from all operations imaginations and ejaculations of their soul that being made void of themselves and wholly crucified to their natural productions they may be fit to receive God Is not this a clear thing The man then must become no man nay not an animal he must not be a living wight such an ecstasie must he give himself up unto But I am yet to learne if this be in mans owne power or if the Prophets of old were so far master of themselves as to fall into a trance or ecstasie to speak nothing of such an ecstasie as this is which taketh away all the use of the intellect and inward motions of soul when they pleased And yet more if this was called for at their hands alwayes when they went to Worshipe God or if this was their solemne worshipe or a chiefe part thereof Will this Quaker do me the favour to prove these things and clear his way from Devilrie by undoubted marks of distinction 14. But now let us suppose the man is brought to this state either by his owne wonderful dexterity of metamorphosinâ— himself or by some superiour Spirit or other what next Then saith he Pag. 236. the little seed of righteousness which God planted in the
heart and which Christ procured for man that is the measure of grace and life getteth place to arise and becometh an holy birth in man And that divine aireis it with which mans Spirit is fermented and in which waiting he is accepted in the presence of God and is fitted this word I must supply or his words have no sense to stand in his presence to hear his voice and to observe the motions of his holy Spirit Answ. But 1. We have evinced above that there is no seed planted by God in all men or purchased by Christ that is a measure of saving grace and life Nature and its light and power we grant to be in all but this will never become a new birth 2. Then this work being the same with Regeneration and Sanctification as we saw above every man must fall into an ecstasie and become no man as to any operation before he be converted 3. Then and this is the maine thing here considerable Every Quaker at every time he cometh to worshipe God solemnely it is of this he knoweth that we are now speaking must have this change wrought in him for it is to this end that he must retire within him self and be abstracted from all his Operations that he may be in case to worshipe But then observe what will follow Quakers before they come to worshipe are unregenerated without the holy birth and as oft as they come to worshipe they must be regenerated and get this divine aire to ferment their spirits But how agreeth this with the state of Perfection he talked of one degree whereof was they were able not to sin and the other wherein they could not sin I suppose man even a Quaker is in case to sin cannot but sin till he be regenerated Where is this man now I see though persons dreaming see not the inconsistency and repugnancy of their dreames persons awake will see and smile at fancies hanging together like ropes of sand 15. He denieth Pag. 237. § 11. That we can waite upon God in prayer preaching For saith he waiting rather denoteth a passive dependance than any action Answ. I confess his waiting is a very passive thing and inconsistent with any action of Soul or Body but we are waiting for proof of such a waiting as he talks of We know Prayer and Preaching is one thing and waiting on God by Faith Patience and Hope in these duties is another thing And if he think these inconsistent he knoweth neither Religion nor Scripture To pray and preach saith he by the Spirit presupposeth this silent waiting that the motions leading unto these might be felt Answ. This is the thing that is under debate How can the godly pray for the motions leadings of the Spirit if they must first feel them and have them before they pray for them Or must they not pray that prayer at all But the moâ—ions of the Spirit they pray for are not these they have but others fitting them for other duties he will say I answ The saints even pray for the Spirit to teach them to pray But he will say They must have the motion of the Spirit for the first prayer or it will not be accepted Answ. They may have it and yet not feel it and so these motions are not their Rule The Law of God is the Rule and what is not done in obedience to a Command is no Obedience for obedience respecteth a command And thus the Quakers destroy all Obedience If they cannot Pray nor Preach without a previous impulse of the Spirit how can they waite without such a previous motion Waiting sure is a commanded duty as well as Prayer and cannot be performed without the Spirit aright and acceptably more then Prayer And if they cannot waite without the previous motion of the Spirit how shall they waite for that previous motion to wait I see not how this man can loose this knot 16. But he proveth that this silence is a special and principal part of divine worshipe and that necessarly though he told us before Pag. 23â— that worship did not consist in silence as silence because in many places where prayer is commanded as Mat 26 41. Mark 13 33. Luk. 21 26. 1 Pet. 4 7. watching is prescribed as previous and preparatory Answ. But how proveth he that that Watching is the silence and waiting he speaketh of That Watching is not a turning inward but a looking outward also and a looking to all hands from whence temptations can come It is a Watching joyned with Prayer and a Christian Vigilancy and Circumspection taking in the lively exercise of all graces and is accompanied with all Christian duties as was cleared above so far is it from having any affinity with his mute Mumry 17. The more to enforce this Silence he tels us Pag. 238 § 12. that it hath this excellency that nothing else hath to wit It is impossible for the devil to simulate it and therefore no soul in this exercise can be deceived by him This is wonderful if true but how proveth he it I would be afrayed that when a Man hath laid aside not only his Senses outward and inward but his very Rational Judgment Intellect all that he hath as a man or as a Christian the Devil should then most play master and I am not sure but it is so with them Let us therefore heare his reason The devil can only work in and by a natural man I had thought that he could also work in a Spiritual man as in Peter when the Lord said to him get thee behinde me Satan or else he must say that Peter was then but a carnal man And what was the messenger of Satan that buffeted Paul 2 Cor. 12. what more Therefore saith he where the natural man is silent he that is the Devil must stand But why must he stand off when the natural man is silent and how proveth he that there is nothing of a natural man acting in this silence When the soul saith he is come to this silence and as to its owne operations brought as it were to nothing then the devil is excluded How is this confirmed for he cannot endure the pure presence of God then ariseing and the clearness of his light saith he But we doubt if the pure presence of God then arise or such a light as shall quite banish the Devil away This is the maine thing to be confirmed nay the sequel proveth to us that all this presence and light is but of the Devils owne making how that shall banish him away I know not But moreover though it were granted that this were the pure presence of God and a light that the Devil could not stand before but behoved to flee from seven wayes yet he might stay until that light appeared and according to this mans owne doctrine this cannot be until the seed get room to arise and become an holy birth and this is not alwayes at the
such a necessary Antecedent They must saith he have but carnal apprehensions of God who think men can please him by their proper operations when we have showne that the first progress unto pleasing of God consisteth in ceasing from our owne imaginations that we may suffer God's Spirit to work in us Ans. we have seen all that he hath showne and have seen for all that no proof or demonstration of what he undertook to prove That Introversion is an Action Operation or Imagination of a man though it be attended with a Real or Imaginary Humane or Satanical Abstraction from all Operation or Imagination The man who thus introverts is not passive but active else he should not be said to introvert but to be introverted so that I wonder that this man did not so worde his notions that they might not destroy themselves We must first cease to do evil saith he before we do good Yet ceasing to do evil is not without all action of the minde and will otherwise one might be said to cease from evil in order to a doing of good when he sleepeth or when he is bound hand and foot and his mouth stopped though the Devil be rageing in his Soul Intellect Will Affections 22. The 2 Objection is If this be all their worshipe why have they set times and places of meeting seing they might do all that at home in their several houses He answereth It pleaseth the Lord to make use of the outward senses of his people while here in communicating of spiritual life and suteable means as speaking praying and praising But all this is inconsistent with pure silence which is often all their worshipe and with them Speaking Praying and Praising aâ—e not so necessary He addeth God hath appointed Assemblies to preserve an outward visible testimony for his name But there is no visible testimony given to his name when the duties which he hath appointed for that end are not performed nor the Ordinances observed He maketh his life saith he to abound more unto his owne when they meet together to waite upon Him Answ. Well but that is not by their simple seeing one anothers faces which may be in the market place and on the streets but by faithful and conscientious observation of his ordinances and not by mute mumrie What he saith of Assemblies from Mat. 18 20. and Heb. 10 24. is true but maketh nothing for their mute service of which all the doubt remaineth 23. The last Objection is That this mute way of worshiping is not found in the Scriptures And sure if it be not prescribed it must be will worshipe He answereth That they make not silence the only substance of their worshipe Yet he confessed that sometimes it is the whole of their worshipe And though it be not the only substance of their worshipe Yet if it be a substantial part it must be instituted and warranted by a word of Institution Mat. 15.9 Mak. 7 6. Esa. 29 13. In the primitive times sayes he they prayed and preached by the Spirit And if so what absurdity is it if we suppose that the Spirit did not sometimes move them to these outward acts and that then they were silent Ans. I read of their worshiping in the Spirit Phil. 3 3. but of their praying and preaching by the Spirit I read not and though I will not much quarrel about the phrase yet I think Scripture phrases are best and I shall adde that neither name nor thing is found in the Scripture in the Quakers sense If they did all in worshipe by such previous immediat Impulses as he dreameth of which I doubt if ever he shall prove it must necessarily indeed follow that they were silent when they had not such motions or went on without them But in this case their silence was but a pure non-action it was not a positive part of worshipe nor such a positive active silence or Introversion as he phancieth That men must be silent when they speak not nor imagine not is very probable but that the Silence of the primitive Church was such a Silence that not only was without words but also without thoughts and all imaginations will be hardly proved by him And when that is proved which I look upon as very improbable he hath not proved his Conclusion till he withall prove that this silence was gone about as a principal part of worshipe How long time will he take to prove this How much less shall he ever prove that the positive part of his silence I meane the Introversion was observed as a necessary part of worshipe He addeth Act. 2 1. It is said they were all in one place and then it is added suddenly the Spirit came but we read not that any were speaking at that time And what absurdity if we say they were silent Ans. It is not said suddenly the Spirit came but suddenly there came a noise it is true the Spirit came in his glorious Effects Read we that they were all silent Read we that they were all Introverted Where is then his Institution or Example for his Introversion Though they had been silent that will not say that they did Introvert nor will it say that their silence was a principal part of their worshipe The man I see must bring forth such proofs as he hath 24. He starteth Pag. 248. that Objection That there is no instance of such a silent assembly in all the Scriptures To which he Answereth That though this be not written yet such an assembly might be lawful But we are seeking a word of Institution or an approven Instance of their silent worshipe And he can give neither But he thinketh that a proof by consequence from other duties pressed in Scripture will suffice And it is well that he will admit of Consequences in this case What is this Consequential proof The Scripture saith he commandeth us to assemble together This is granted What then And forbids us while assembled to pray or preach but as the Spirit moveth Where is this said why doth he not shew this that we may consider it we must take it on a Quakers word What is his Conclusion If being assembled we are not moved by the Spirit it necessarily followeth that we must be silent Truâ—ly this is probable but it is nothing to the point seing every silence is not an Introversion but where is the Conclusion That this Introverting silence is a principal part of worshipe He must leave this until the next occasion Yet I must take notice that consequentially if he reason by consequences he must give us leave to do the same he here destroyeth all that he said above upon the head of the Scriptures for there he denied that they were our Rule and yet here he placeth them for the only Rule of worshipe and would faine seek footing for his way of worshipe in them were it but by a Consequence while as according to his principles formerly laid downe he had
and doth God is that and doth it and he is so exalted above his humane forme that he becometh that through grace which God is by essence then he seeth that he hath lost himself and he knoweth and findeth himself no where he knoweth nothing else but only one simple essence And in the next sermon he tels us That God would rather live in a soul then in heaven and is more in a gracious soul then in heaven and that more properly for God worketh all the mans works not only in him but for him and then giveth them to him he â—urther begetteth his only begotten son in the soul as truely neither more nor less then as he begetteth him in eternity And he tels us That this which is begotten in the soul is not any thing that is of God or divine but is God himself the same Son which the Father begetteth from eternity nothing else but that same lovely divine word which is the Second Person in the Trinity And thereafter tels us that all rational creatures by nature love God more then themselves And in his second sermon on the eleventh Sunday he sais this inclination to God doth not leave the soul even in hell So also in his sermon on the 17. Sunday 34. In his sermon on the fift Sunday after the Trinity he tels us That when a soul receiveth the body of Christ in love to wit in the masse it is transformed or changed into the body and soul of Christ yea into whole Christ and moreover also in his Godhead This is the nature of divine love that it carryeth the soul above its nature and transformeth it into the bottomless Godhead so that it knoweth nothing oâ— it self nor findeth nothing in the Spirit but only it findeth it self wholly transformed into Christ. And thereafter he saith that when one receiveth in the Sâ—crament the life and love of Christ they are changed into God as the meat and drink is changed into them In his sermon on the seventh Sunday after Trinity he hath these words Therefore is it alway necessary that men turn the eye of their understanding alwayes unto that ground where the man is by God eaten digested incorporated and united with God In his second sermon on the eleventh Sunday he saith the best and inward part and excellency of the soul is called by some the sponk of the soul by others the centre of the essence by others the image of the Trinity and this flyeth so high that the understanding cannot follow it for it resteth not until it come into the fund of the Godhead out of which it came and where it was before it was created The like he hath in his sermon on the sevententh Sunday 35. In his sermon on the thirtenth Sunday he hath these words when men by all their exercises draw-in their outward sensible man to the inward reasonable man those two together go in into the inmost man or most hidden man of the Spirit where the true image of God lyeth and then presse-in into the divine abysse in which man was from eternity â—ere he was created and when the merciful God seeth the man turned-in to him in such purity and nakedness the divine fatherly abysse boweth down and sincketh into this pure introverted fund of the man and changeth by a certain transformation this created fund into his divine essence and maketh the mans Spirit so one with himself that were it possible that he could see himself in this state he should see himself so exceedingly excellent in God that he should think that he were God himself So in his sermon on the seventeenth Sunday speaking of the soul he saith it is called mens the minde that is the fund where the true image of the Trinity lyeth hid and this is so excellent that we can al 's little give it a proper name as we can give God himself And could any see how God dwelleth in this fund he should be happy The nighness and affinity that God hath there is wonderful great that we neither can nor dar speak thereof Againe as our soul doth wholly sinck in and melt with its most inward into God's most inward and becometh there renewed our Spirit is there so much more reformed by God's Spirit as we take the right and pure way for God poureth himself forth into our Spirits as the Sun doth its light into the aire so that the whole aire is transformed therewith that no difference can be seen much more in this union which transcendeth all natural union shall no man be able to difference the created Spirit from the uncreated Spirit of God for were the created Spirit seen in this union without doubt it should be taken for God 36. In his sermon on the ninteenth Sunday he tels us of some who having turned away from themselves and all things and turned in to the true light these sais he with an inward silence sinck from all their strength and dissolve in God their original and retire themselves into the darkness of the divine wilderness and there thrust themselves so far in that they lose all difference in the unity of God and lose also themselves and all things and know nothing else but one bare pure and simple God wherein they sinck to the ground In his sermon on the two and twentieth Sunday he saith This image and superscription is savingly made perfect in the most inward part of the soul in that place which God hath prepared and appropriat to himself to wit the glorious pure substance of the soul hereby is the most inward part of our soul made perfect and united with the most inward part of the high Godhead where God the Father is alwayes begetting his everlasting word his only begotten Son And thereafter he tels us when the soul is emptied of all things it answereth that only one which is God so there is nothing there but pure God alone 37. So in the sermon on the feast of Mary he tels us that she Introverted alwayes into her fund where the divine image lay hid her fund and all her inwards were so like unto God that if any man had seen her heart there he should have seen God in all his beauty and have seen the outcoming of the Son and of the holy Ghost in a substantial manner And in his second sermon on the birth of Iohn Baptist He saith in the fund of the soul there is a certain light which testifieth that man was in God from all eternity ere he was created And when he was so in God he was God in God so that what he is now since he was created that same was he from eternity in God being one substance with God 38. In his book of the Imitation of the poverty of Christ part 1. Ch. 21. N. 134. he tels of two heavens one bodily which is above us and another spiritual which is the essence or substance of souls in which God is and
where God is there is the Kingdom of heaven and of that speaketh Paul when he saith the Kingdom of heaven is in us And thereafter N. 138. he sayes when man hath laid all his imperfections aside and is carryed into the essence and nakedness he stareth God in his bare essence and with that stareing presseth in to God and uniteth himself with him and God carrieth the man with himself in himself and so he hath he an eternal ingoing into God and he is wholly embraced of God and loseth himself and so he drowneth into the bottomless sea of the Godhead and swimeth as a fish in the sea And in the following Chap. he speaketh much of a silence and an hearkening to the eternal word within And Ch. 23. he tels us that this inward speaking is in the essence of the soul where God speaketh when the soul turneth all to rest and silence is gapeing after in the fund of her naked substance And this hearing is nothing else then an inward feeling which floweth out of God in that essence of the soul which is so full that it runneth over in the powers And he that findeth this is happy 39. More of this and the like trash may be found in that book but here is I suppose enough to discover what affinity this Quakers doctrine hath with the fancies of Taulerus and whence possibily he and his fraternity have learned their rare Notions and Expressions to which end only I have troubled the Reader with these few passages as also to shew that there may be greater affinity and affection betwixt Papists and our Quakers then they will yet be willing to acknowledge or suffer us to say But a little time will discover much I now proâ—eed to Chap. XXIII Of Preaching 1. After his discourse concerning their manner of Worshipe this Quaker cometh to speak more particularly of some parts of worshipe such as Preaching Praying Singing against all which he hath something to say Pag. 248. c. § 18. And he beginneth with Preaching telling us that as Papists Protestants use it it is after this manner One taketh a certain place or verse of Scripture and speaketh upon it for an houre or longer these things which he had before studied or premeditated and had set together either out of his owne proper invention or from the writings or observations of others and committed them to this memory in opposition to this he tels us what their way is thus When the Saints assemble and every one introverts to the gift and grace of God in himself he who ministereth should speak acted by that grace in himself what the Spirit giveth unto him not affecting wisdom and eloquence of words but the demonstration and power of the Spirit and that either by interpreting some place of Scripture if so be the Spirit lead him to it or otherwayes exhorting reproving instructing or by speaking out the sense of some Spiritual experience all which are to be consonant to the Sâ—riptures though perhaps not relative to any particular chapter verse or text 2. Having thus laid down the two different wayes in such a manner as he thought most advantagious for himself he saith Let us now examine and consider which of these are most consonant to the precepts and practice of Christ his Apostles and primitive Church as recorded in the Scripture Before we come to this tryal I must tell him That I am glade to hear him insinuating so much as that the Scriptures are our Rule in worshipe and that that very mode of worshipe must be chosen as the best which agreeth most with the primitive way laid down in the New Test. Only I would entreat him to reconcile this with what he said on the Scriptures One thing more I must tell him If he can prove the very first step of his way that is the Introversion of all the members of the Assembly unto the gift or grace of God in themselves to be consonant to either Precept or Practice recorded in the N. T. I shall give up the whole cause in this mater We heard how straitened he was to finde an instance of this towards the end of the foregoing Chapter when he did run as far back as to Iob's dayes to seek one but as to the primitive Church we must have patience till he think of one and for precept he could give none that came within a look of Introversion 3. It is necessare before we proceed that we take a view of the proposal he hath made of our way and compare it with his that a just estimate may be made And 1. The speaking from a word of Scripture maketh not the difference for they do that themselves sometimes as he saith here though he said it not before Nor is it unlawful else I cannot think that the Spirit would prompt them to it if that Spirit be the Spirit of God And I finde that Christ spoke from a text and so did Peter Act. 2. from a passage of Ioel. And to say as he doth to this Pag. 249. that they did not this without an immediat motion of Spirit is but a confirmation of what I am now saying viz. that it is lawful So then as to this there can be no debate nor difference 2. That ministers read and study and make some use of their reading in their sermons can give no just ground of offence seing we finde the Apostle Paul in his sermon to the Athenians making use of what he had read out of one of their poets Act. 17 28. And we finde him pressing Timothy to study and meditation and that in order to preaching to and profiteing others 1 Tim. 4 15. Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them this sure importeth earnest and diligent study when the Apostle saith that he should be in these things as it were wholly exercised therein and taken up therewith that thy profiteing may appear to all And in that same Chapt. vers 13. he sayes till I come give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine So that this reading was not for his owne private satisfaction but in order to a fitting him better unto exhortation and doctrine And againe he recommends to him a continueing in the tâ—ings he had learned whereby we see that he had learned something and was to keep it being assured that it was truth knowing of whom he had learned 2 Tim. 3 14. And after that Paul had appointed him to continue in what he had learned him he recommends to him the diligent perusal of the Scriptures with which he had been acquanted from his youth as being able to make him wise unto salvation perfect as a man of God v. 15 17. Moreover among the qualifications which Paul requireth in ordinary teachers this is one 1 Tim. 3 2. that he be apt to teach so also 2 Tim 2 24. And this is such an Aptitude as must be tryed and known before hand as well as the other
qualifications mentioned in both these places And so it saith that such ministers should have gifts and abilities acquired by reading and other meanes whereby they might be fitted for this work of the ministry This is plaine and manifest but nothing of this kinde is requisite in our Quakers speakers in order to their speaking Yet more Paul tels Titus Cap. 1 9. that the preacher must be one that holdeth fast the faithful word as he hath been taught or as in the margine in teaching or which maketh for doctrine that is sitteth and qualifieth him for teaching and edifying See Beza in loc that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gaine-sayers He must then be a learned man able to teach and acquanted with the controversies of the time that he may be in case by sound doctrine to put gaine-sayers to silence Adde one word more Act. 18 24 25 26. We finde that Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos that was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures and was instructed in the way of the Lord and had taught diligently the things of the Lord and expounded unto him the way of God mâ—re perfectly And all this in order to hâ—s peaching further the way of God for it is said vers 27 28. And when he was disposed to passe into Achaia the brethren wrote exhorting the Disciples to receive him who when he was come helped them much which had beleeved through grace for he mightily convinced the Iewes and that publickly shewing by the Scriptures that Iesus was Christ Here then we have both practice and precept for Ministers studying that they may be able to preach sound doctrine But possibly the thing at which he most carpeth is that Ministers should study their preachings immedialy before they preach them If it be so he must be a silly man for what is the difference betwixt ones studying â— few dayes before and ones studying some yeers before when the one hath a more tenacious memory then the other But this was the errour of the Familists in N. England and of Saltmarsh opposed by worthy Mr Rutherfoord 4. 3. He saitâ— that our Ministers study their Sermons and digest them and commit them to their memory having gathered them together out of their own invention or other folks writtings To which I only saith 1. That as it is already manifested he cannot make it appear to be dissonant to primitive practice or precepts that Ministers be learned especially in the Scriptures and thereby fitted for preaching And if their memory be so happy as to retaine all they have learned and read and their Judgment so solide as to improve it pertinently according to the occasion they will have the less need to study with much paines and labour every Sermon but if both their Judgment Memory be a little blunt is the matter great if they put to a little more strength and be a little more diligent 2. But how shall we be assured that the Quakers use no such leger-de-maine as to make us beleeve they speak all without one previous thought and yet have all to a word well studyed and premeditated Such cheatry hath bin in the world and I know not why one might not doubt of the truth of what they say especially when I finde credible persons saying that they can lie as well as others 3. He speaketh thus of all the Ministers in common making no difference and if he be only acquanted with some and sure I can not tell how he should be so well acquanted with all as to know their way of studying and prepareing themselves for preaching and intend them he dealeth not ingenuously nor candidely to speak thus of all What knoweth he but there may be some that study the most of their Sermons on their knees What knoweth he but there may be some that read very little save the Bible in order to preaching and have such a ready gift as to be in case to preach upon a very short times advertishment What knoweth he but there may be some who study most to get their heart in a right frame to preach and brought under an impression of the weight of the truths they are to deliver What knoweth he but there may be some that write none of their Sermons nor committe them to their memory but having the heads of truths they are to deliverer digested waite upon the Lord for his assistance in uterance and delivery What knoweth he but there may be some that never digest their preachings so as not to lye open to the influences of the Spirit and to welcome his seasonable and useful suggestions and so speak many things which they had not once premeditated What knoweth he but there may be some that being called have gone to preach when they knew not well what to say in particular nor from what text What knoweth he but there may be some who after they have studied and been at paines to prepare themselves yet coming to speak have been so lead of the Lord that they spoke little or nothing of all they had thought to speak What knoweth he but there may be some who upon their way to the Assembly have been constrained to alter text and all which they had purposed to speak upon it If he knew none of these things he sâ—ould have learned better before he spoke thus and he cannot but be blamed for his rashness 5. But all this will not helpe the matter for 4. The Quakers saith he they affect not wisdome nâ— reloquence of words but the demonstration of the Spirit and power And hereby he insinuateth that our Ministers do the contrary But he must know that I will not beleeve all that he saith in this if he hath his eye upon some particular persons or sort of Ministers I will tell him he dealeth not fairly to impute to all what he observeth in some and I think it sufficient to tell him I know some that affecteth only that Wisdome and Eloquence that may contribute to the winning of souls and that thouâ—h they will not boast much as our windy Quakers do of their preaching as being in demonstration of the Spirit and of power yet dar say in some measure of singlâ—ness that they corrupt not the Word of God but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God they speak in Christ and that they have renunced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending themselves to every mans conscience in the sight of God 5. They are the men that exhort rebuke and instruct and speak out experiences And thinks he there are none such with us or that our Ministers preachings have no tendency heâ—eunto If he do he is mistaken fâ—r our Ministers Sermons have all thesâ— uses and some moe as to Comfort Convince Confute c. And though they bring not forth fancies and deluâ—ions instead
of experiences yet thâ—y can speak from experience and appositely apply themselves to loose the doubts remove the difficulties that trouble weak consciences and in some measure in the strength of the great Master of Assemblies speak a word to such as are weary But he will say it is not so with all and I will not contradict him in this yet what I have said is sufficient to discover his unfaire dealing in stateing the opposition or comparison here And how shall we beleeve that any or all of the Quaker-Preachers do as he sayes His naked word is no very sure ground of faith to me 6. The maine difference now followeth to be spoken to He supposeth that our Ministers do all without the Spirit and their speakers do all in and by the Spirit As concerning Ours he must know that there are among them who depend upon the Lord in their preparation for preaching seeking by prayer from him what to say that he would lead them to and suggest unto them that mater and purpose which may be most for edification who when afâ—er Meditation and Prayer they have gote something to say give it up unto him that he may give it them to deliver or not as he thinketh good who depend upon Him even for Utterance and Expression who look to him and by faith depend upon Him in the delivery of what they had thought upon less or more that they may be helped to preach with that Faiâ—h Fear Awe Reverence Weightedness of heart Love Zeal and Faithfulness that becometh to his glory and to the edification of the Church who depend upon Him for the blessing knowing that all their words of Perswasion Conviction Rebuke Instruction expostulation and Consolation without the power and blessing of his Spirit concurring and carrying the same in upon the heart will prove ineffectual who receive with thankfulness what he offereth and suggesteth in the time of their preaching and with singleness declare it unto their hearers who often times being called to speak without fore-thoughts go in the strength of the Lord not seeking to commend themselves as able or learned â—en but to commend themselves to every mans conscience in the sight of God And who when they have finished their discourse give up all by faith into the hands of God that He may bless it as He thinketh good in Jesus Christ. He will possibly say That it is not thus with all and I shall readily grant it But will he be saâ—isfied with this and account this spiritual preaching or preaching in the Spirit I suppose he will not be satisfied And then it is not to him sufficient though all should study and preach after this manner 7. Let us therefore a little examine his way He first would have all Study all Meditation all Prayer and wrestling with God in prayer for this with us is a maine part of study preparation laid aside Ministers going to the Assembly as naked and void of all knowledg of spiritual matters as if they had never heard of any such thing Then being Tabulae rasae they must introvert unto that Grace or Gift which is in them there receive their Call their Furniture their Preparation both in matter words whether with a text or place of Scripture whereupon to ground their discourse or to explaine and clear up or without any such passage as that inward teacher will Lastly when they are thus called and fitted by this thing within then they speak in the Spirit are acted by the Spirit But now to canvass this not mentioning that which was spoken to before to wit that by their way all are alike preachers and none must speak but such as are thus acted by the Spirit and all thus called and prompted may and must I shall propose these things to the Readers consideration 1. This Gift and Grace within is as we saw above no singular thing it is common to all men and women breathing to Turks and Pagans as well as to Christian Ministers And therefore can have no affinity with the Spiritual gifts which Christ giveth unto his Church and endueth his messengers with all that they may be enabled for the work of the ministry and for building up of his house nor hath it any affinity with the special and saving grace of God which Christ hath purchased for and bestoweth upon his redemed oâ—es For neither of these are common to all the children of men as the whole Scripture declareth far less can it have any affinity with the Spirit of God which Liveth Abideth and Worketh in the Justified Adopted and Sanctified children of God It can therefore be nothing else than the relicques of nature the natural light and natural Conscience which God hath left in every man So that all the qualifications which the Quaker Preachers have and seek for are but what a Pagan may have that hath a Natural Conscience and the Light of Common notions concerning a God-head and equity and right among men This dim darkened and now malignant light is the Magazine and Storehouse of all their Enduements and Qualifications this is the sole fountaine and spring of all their furniture sufficient I am sure for none but for Pagan-Preachers 2. Their Introverting unto this to consult this Goddess as the Pagans did turne-in to the Cels of Apollos to receive the Oracles hath a more diabolick aspect for what can it be that they would thus consult after they have unmanned themselves or laid aside all motions of Soul and Minde which is not natural nor practicable without diabolick assistance if it be as he saith but some Spirit And what Spirit can we suppose to be in Pagans and every Son of Adam before grace come and make a change but the God of this world 2 Cor. 4 4. the Prince of the power of the aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes. 2 3. and that strong man that keepeth the house Is it not then manifest that this introverting must be a real consulting with or giving themselves up unto the instructions and directions of this Prince of darkness If he say that they are Regenerated and so under the power and direction of the Spirit of God I Answere I have seen and considered what he saith upon this and have found that it is nothing but the operation of pure Nature wrought by the strength of corrupt and wicked Nature that is an enemy to the Gospel and to all the wayes of God and if this hath not been sufficiently evidenced above the Reader is free to judge And if nature and this Prince of darkness who hath now a soveraignity over all the unrenewed Sones of Adam can or will destroy the works of Satan and of Nature and embrace the Gospel and the Spirit of Christ according to the Gospel let all who understand and believe the Gospel judge 3. This Spirit then which acteth and moâ—eth them or in them can be
nothing else if it be anything distinct from Nature seconded with and corroborated by fleshly Imaginations strong and proud Fancies raised and raâ—ified Braines deluded Mindes and perturbated Affections together with the cooperations of the Spirit of darkness than the Devil acting moving and carrying them and speaking in them or by them as he seeth good for his owne corrupt ends All which is further confirmed by their stated and fixed Opposition to and irreconcileable Hatred at the Gospel of the grace of God and all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ manifested in their Preachments and scriblings for though corrupt nature and the carnal minde be enmity against God and neither is nor can be subject to his Law and cannot understand the things of God yet their bitter Opposition to all the wayes of Christ and their active indefatigable and industrious labour and paines to destroy so far as they can the whole Gospel and bring their proselytes back to Paganisme and their fury and rage transporting them to the hieght of Blasphemy against the pure doctrine of the Gospel of the grace of God saith to every considering person that there is something stronger then corrupt nature acting and driveing them even that wicked Enemy whose works Christ came to destroy This is plaine and manifest let them see to it And let the Reader now judge what for Preachers these are and whether their Talkers or our Preachers be most acted and led by the Spirit of God 8. Though what is said may be sufficient to obviat all that he can say either for himself or against us yet for further satisfaction let us state the question thus Whether Ministers in their preaching should act as Christians goe about the work with an holy and Christian dependance by faith in the use of lawful and approved meanes upon the Spirit of God for Furniture and Assistance or should waite for and expect immediat Impulses for all they say and do and never goe about this work in whole or in part but when and as they are thus immediatly Excited Prompted Acted Moved Carryed by the Spirit and speak nothing but what is thus immediatly and extraordinarily put into their mouth by the Spirit of God or rather is spoken by the Spirit useing them as meer organs If the question be thus stated though I know the Quakers will arrogat this last way unto themselves and assert this to be the only way now called for yet how far they are from it is manifest from what is said But as to the matter I assert the first and deny this last to be the way which Christ hath appointed My reasons are these 1. This would render all previous Paines Labour Study and Reading even of the Scriptures useless as to the work of preaching contrare to what is already said 2. Paul could not then have said as he doth 2 Tim. 2 vers 2. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also For to what purpose should there be such care had that sound doctrine be transmitted from one to another and the same committed to faithful and trusty persons who will faithfully preach and deliver the same to people if all must be done and carryed on by the immediat Inspirations and Motions of the Spirit 3. Nor was there any ground why the Apostle should say 1 Tim. 1 3 4. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine neither give heed to fables c. Because such as must act by the immediat impulses of the Spirit can receive no charge from man nor regulate themselves in their teaching accordingly 4. Nor could Paul say to Timothy 1. Tim. 4 6 if thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things thou shalt be a good minister of Iesus Christ nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine whereunto thou hast attained For Timothy might have replied I cannot be stinted unto these doctrines which you desire me to put the brethren in remembrance of for I must speak as the Spirit speaketh in me and must receive all that I speak immediatly from the Spirit And he might have said also I cannot put others in remembrance of any thing for they must do as the Spirit acteth them 5. Nor could he give that command vers II. These things command and teach For the same reason as is manifest 6. Nor could he give him in charge as followeth vers 13 14 15 16. give attendance to reading to exhortation to â—octrine neglect not the gift that is in thee meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiteing may appear to all Take heed unto thy self and unto the doctrine continue in them for this one reply I must follow the motions of the Spirit would have made all null for there is no place left for attendance to Reading to exhortation to Doctrine for not Nelecting the gift for Meditation for Heeding the doctrine or continueing in it where all must be done by the immediat Impulses of the Spirit 7. Nor can such preachers as may and must do nothing but as the immediat Impulses of the Spirit acte them be rightly said to laboure in word and doctrine that is as the word importeth to labour painfully till they be wearied with much travail and toyl with strength and earnestness as Rowers with oars See Leigh's Critica sacra on the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet this word is used of ministers and of their work 1 Cor. 15 10. 16 16 Gal. 4 11. Phil. 2 16. 2 Thes. 5 12. 1 Tim. 5 17. 2 Tim. 2 6 8. There could be no ground for that heavy charge which is laid on Timothy 1 Tim. 5 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ and the elect Angels that thou observe these things And againe 1 Tim. 6 13 14. I give thee charge in the sight of Goâ— who quickeneth all things and Christ Iesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession that thou keep this commandement without spot unrebukable until the appearing of the Lord Iesus Christ c. if ministers were to do nothing in their ministrie but as they were Acted Inspired Moved and Immediatly Influenced of the Spirit as every one may see 9. Nor was there place for that 1 Tim. 6 17 Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded c. For Timothy might have said I must only speak as moved by the Spirit and am not master of my self 10. Nor for that ibid. vers 20. O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy trust c. For to what purpose might he have said seing I may not use it as I will but must do all as immediatly Acted 11. If matters were thus why did Paul say as he doth 2 Tim. 1 6. Wherefore I put thee in
10. He proceedeth After the pouring forth of the Spirit Act. 2 4. they are said to speak as the holy Ghost gave utterance and not what they had studied Ans. It is very true The Apostles then gote their divinity and knowledge in the mysteries of the Gospel miraculously taught them by immediat Infusion and withall gote the gift of tongues to speak to all people and languages And such as would expect such teaching now may as well expect the extraordinary gift of tongues which the Apostles gote And who seeth not how absurd this is Beside what was granted to the Apostles was not granted to all the Church Officers in those dayes no not to Evangelists who were extraordinary let be to ordinary Pastours and Doctors Nay none of all the extraordinary officers had all that the Apostles had One thing I would learne of hâ—m Can he tell me when and wherâ— theâ—e Apostles did Introvert to the gift within them in order to the obtaining of these rare qualifications or to the preaching of the word If he cannot do this he will finde no ground for his methode in this that is said of the Apostles They were infallible and acted by an infallible Spirit in their Teachings and Writings thinks he that this is expected or required of all Ministers now Or thinks he that his Quaker-Pratters are such Whatever he may dreame the Christian world may see the contrary What he citeth out of Lambertus I freely assent unto for my part 11. Next he tels us Pag. 250. § 19. That our way of preaching is hurtful and destructive because contrare to the nature of the Christian and Apostolicke Miniâ—trie 1 Cor. 1 17. Wherein It is not by the motion and acting of the Spirit but by mens Invention and eloquence by natural strength and acquired learning the Apostles preaching was not so 1 Cor. 2 3 4 5. Ans. The Spirit helping by ordinary meanes is not contrary to himself helping in an extraoâ—dinary way The Apostles way was peculiar to themselves It is a groundless imagination to think that all that is spoken by dependence upon God in the use of ordinary meanes and not by immediat Inspiration is wisdom of words making the Cross of Christ of none effect or is entiseing words of mans wisdome opposite to the demonstration of the Spirit and of power If any man study painted words and rhetorick to darken the wisdom of Goâ— in this mystery I will not approve of it but to study to finde out acceptable words as the Preacher did Eccles. 12 10. And words to render the Gospel plaine and intelligible to the hearers with a single dependance on God for his assistance herein I shall never think that Paul condemned this But sayes he the Preachers themselves confess that they are strangers to the Spirit of God and to his Operations Ans. Not all I hope though I hope also that none of them will with these bold and blasphemous Quakers pretend to immediat Inspirations This Quaker it seemeth knoweth nothing of the workings of the Spirit of God in and by meanes and will have all by immediat Revelations and Inspirations and before he want these he will go to the Devil to get them as Saul did go to the witch at Endor when the Lord would not answere him by the meanes then usual 12. Againe he sayes Pag. 251. It is contrare to the order and methode of the primitive Church 1 Cor. 14 20. c. Not considering that these were extraordinary Prophets Readeth he that these Prophets did Introvert into the light within them to get these Revelations However we see that Quakers are all Prophets in their owne account But sure I am they are not Prophets of the living God nor are the Revelations which they boast of divine but diabolick His last argum is that by our way the Spirit of God is excluded What way He tels us not and we can not beleeve him But he addeth And the natural wisdom and learning of man is exalted This is his mistake which he could see if the beam were out of his eye All their learning and wisdome is the pure product of Nature if not worse as we have oftentimes manifested for it cometh not from the Spirit of God neither mediatly nor immediatly but riseth out of the dung hill of nature and is extracted thence by the natural strength of man and all its works and effects are like the cause and original except where the Devil getteth in his finger in a more immediat way This is sayes he the chiefe and great cause why preachings are so unfruitful Poor man knoweth he no better Did not Christ and his Apostles preach to many that were not converted thereby Thinks he that the only cause why our preachings are so unfruitful is because we preach not by Inspiration And are their preachments so fruitful It may be too fruitful but that is no proof to me that they preach by the true Revelations and Inspirations of God for I read that when the Lord sends strong delusions men will beleeve a lie I read that all the world wondered after the Beaâ—t I have heard it said too that all the world became Arian All the world is not yet become Quakers see also what is said 2 Pet. 2 1 2 3. Yea sayes he according to this doctrine the Devil himself may and ought to be heard seing he knoweth the notion of truth and excelleth any of them in learning and eloquence we see when the Devil confessed the truth Christ rejected his testimony Ans Why doth the man thus speak untruth Do we say that every one though he were the Devil if he speak truth should be heard What countenance doâ—h our opinion in this matter give to this dreame I should think his judgment speaketh fairer for it for I trow the Devil needs noâ— study nor read books but can give out Revelations and Enthusiasmes as many as you will And be it in whomsoever he speaketh by Revelations or Inspirations or Enthuâ—iasmes Quaker or other Christ and his Apostles will reject his testimony though it should be true upon the matter And therefore after the example of Christ and his Apostle Paul we receive no testimony from Quakers themselves giving such palpable evidences of the Devil speaking in them and by them 13. To an Objection taken from the experience of all ages since the Apostles dayes to wit that God by his Spirit hath concurred with our way of preaching to the conversion and edification of many He answereth § 20. thus That though he will not deny this yet it will not follow that that practice was good more then it was good for Paul to go to Damascus to persecute the Saints because he did meet with Christ in the way Answ. His simile is a dissimilitude and hath no correspondence with the thing in hand Our Argument is That since the Apostles dayes and the ceasing of extraordinary gifts there hath been no other way of preaching but
peopleâ— of God from the wicked that do not call upon him Ier. 10 25. Psal. 10 4. 14 4. and the neglect thereof hath been charged by the Lord upon his owne people Esa. 43 22 Hos. 7 7. and acknowledged by them as their sin Esai 64 7. Dan. 9.13 4. Yet he granteth that prayer is Profitable and necessary a duty commanded of God frequently to be gone about by Christians What would he then be at But sayes he as without Christ we can do nothing so neither can we pray without the help of the Spirit And this is very true But will this say any thing against what we hold Or make any thing for his way Knoweth he no difference betwixt the ordinary and usual Assistance of the Spirit without which we can do nothing aright and that extraordinary Impulse of the Spirit which he would be at and supposeth to be the only lawful call unto this duty and really taketh away all conscience of duty or obligation to it Nay doth he think that that more ordinary assistance of the Spirit Prepareing Disposeing and Frameing the heart for the work by blowing away the ashes from the coal of grace within stirring up the graces of his Spirit enlarging the heart giving a deep sense of unworthiness and necessities setting faith love zeal and fervency a work and so putting the soul in case to sail faire before the winde doth he think I say that this work of the Spirit is the only ground and call to the performance of this duty and that till this be once there is no warrand to set about it or attempt it When we heare his proofs for this we shall consider them At present I shall only say That as there is nothing in all the word giving ground for this conjecture so the frequently reiterated command of God which himself acknowledgeth and which we finde not qualified and restricted as some commands are laying on an obligation taketh all coloure for such a pretence quite away the word of command being our rule the obligation to duty flowing therefrom is not enfringed by the Lords free not-blowings or restrainings of the Influences of his Spirit wherein he acteth according to the good pleasure of his will sometimes out of meer soveraignity because so it seemeth good in his eyes sometimes in way of holy Justice punishing for misimproving his former breathings for not watching over the heart nor guarding against such sinnes as grieve the Spirit These motions of the Spirit are no rule to us being the free and arbitrary actings of the Lord who giveth an account of his matters to none The Law is our fixed rule and by this opinion the Law and Command of God is made of none effect for to all injunctions this shifting returne might be given Let the command be never so peremptour and pressing Yet till the Spirit breath first and act upon me I can do nothing and therefore am under no obligation And thus all conscience of and mourning for sin all godly sorrow for our indisposition for neglect of the duty and all serious and earnest prayer and wrestling with God for his breathing and gracious quickenings are taken away and a plaine path made for Neligence Security Indifferency and Deadness And if this hold as to prayer it will hold also as to all other Christian duties Yea and to all duties enjoyned by the law and light of nature for neither can we performe these acceptably and in a gracious manner without the special Breathings and Communications of divine Influence and Assistance and so until such quickning upstirring breathings gales of the Spirit come we are not to love God nor our neighbour to eate drink and sleep nor may the labouring man plow or sowe nay nor must we abstaine from murther adultery incest and other wickednesses that the very light of a natural conscience condemneth as if all those commands were not given to us as rational creatures under subjection or as Christians under the law and command of the Gospel but only as creatures and Christians so and so spiritually qualified and disposed and as if the Lord 's gracious communications which are acts of soveraigne grace let out freely according to his owne will and pleasure without the least of our deservings were to restrick and limite the obligation of his lawes and as if his free restrainings and withdrawings of these qualifying and disposeing influences did put a check unto and controle his Authority as King Lawgiver Whatever this man may think of this I can put no other construction upon it than that it is a turning of the grace of God unto lasciviousness This same was the opinion of Swenckfeldus H. Nicholas the Father of the Family of love Iohn Waldesse the Antinomians of N. England of Del Saltmarsh 5. He tels us next in order to the clearing of the question Pag. 253. That there is an inward and an outward Prayer Answ. We know there is a speaking to God in the heart when the voice is not heard 1 Sam 1 13. Neh. 2 4. there are ejaculatory Prayers swift postes sent to heaven in thoughts sighes and groanes Rom. 8 26. Psal. 6 6. 12 5. 79 11. And there is a speaking to God with words a glorifying of him with our glory and tongue Psal. 57 8. 108 1. which we are here mainly to consider being speaking of solemne worshipe but this though outwardly as to the expressions differenced from the other yet not rightly separated for in all Prayer the heart must speak to God for Prayer is an offering up of our desires to God Psal 62 8. and in publick and solemne Prayer the heart must so speak as the tongue must speak also and the gift of Prayer be imployed for the solemne and professed glorifying of God and for the edifying of others who must hear and concurre 1 Cor. 14 14 15 16 17. Let us hear how he explaineth these Inward Prayer sayes he is that secret introversion of soul which being secretly done and the Light of Christ being wakened in the conscience and so being humbled in the sense of sin and unworthiness breaths to God and sendeth up constantly secret desires unto Him and to this he applyeth Luk. 18 v. 1. 1 Thes. 5 v. 17. Ephes. 6 18. Luk. 21 v. 36. Answ. That there are secrete groanings and breathings unto God I have showne That to these sense of sin and unworthiness as also sense of want and dependence on God is requisite with Faith Love Zeal Submission and other graces I teadily grant and hence inferre that if the places by him cited command this as I think they do and also a constant habitual frame and disposition for Prayer with a readiness to go about it on all occasions offered without disputing or delay and that with constancy and perseverance we cannot shift this inward Prayer upon pretence of the want either of a gracious frame through the breathing of the
any thing in the matters of God 7. If he had spoken here as he speaketh a little afterward of the Lords powring forth a Spirit of Prayer and exciteing his people to it he had been better understood for we acknowledge with thankfulness the Lord hath made such a promise and doth performe it unto his owne by his Spirit moveth and exciteth their drouzie and sleeping souls to a serious calling upon him Cant. 5 4 6. But that this is common to all as well without as within the Church as well such as never heard of Christ as those who are truely unite unto him by faith or to all who can make this Introversion is a quakeristick antiscriptural dream And beside what will this contribute unto the maine business to wit to prove that there ought to be no prayer in publick or in private till this sensible Impulsion Excitation and Influence with liberty come anâ— set the soul and all its wheels agoing And what will this say against calling upon God at times and seasons by him appointed His saying Pag 254. that praying to God without the feeling of the Influences of the Spirit were a coming unto God without due preparation and so a tempting of him Is but a groundless imagination and is ill helped by his Introversion for the Lord no where requireth such a preparation in us before we pray He no where saith that we must not praâ— but when we feel his influences yea the sense of the want of them is ground and warrand for his children to go and seek to him for them Hence we finde David so oft Psal. 119. crying for quickening vers 25 40 88 107 154 159. See also the Church crying for this preparation Psal. 80 vers 18. quicken us and we will call upon thy name as also Psal. 143 vers 11. But this mans preparation is a meer Pelagian preparation wrought by the strength of nature and which a Pagan may attaine unto by his owne industry and paines Nay if this were true all the commands to pray which are innumerable in Scripture were useless and might be eluded by this we dar not pray till we feel the influences of the Spirit and when they come to excite us and drive us to the duty then we shall goe but then where would obeâ—ience appear for to goe when the Spirit driveth is not filial obedience for then nothing is done out of conscience to a command This way is the loose way of Libertines making the law of God of none effect taking away all conscience of sin in this matter looseing the wicked from obedience to the Law putting the blame of all not-praying on the Spirit who breatheth not and breatheth not so as we may feel it This excuse of the Quaker to wit fear of tempting God is like Ahaz's colouring his disobedience to the command of God with this I will not ask neither will I tempt the Lord Iesa 7 12. The ground of all this is the Pelagian maxime which this man hath laid downe as a principal ground of all his Religion to wit That God requireth no duty of us but what we have full and compleat strength to do if we will use it Yet he tels us afterward that they sin who neglect to pray But wherein lyeth their sin In this sayes he that they turne not into that place where they may feel that whereby they may be led to pray Ans. Though I plead not for rash and inconsideraâ— rushing into the presence of God knowing that this is another extremity to be shunned yet there is a midst betwixt this and a waiting till extraordinary Impulses come or till we feel the Influences of the Spirit And as for that Introversion or turning-in to that place which he speaketh of he must cleare it and prove it better to me than he hath done before I can say that it is any mans duty to do so and that in order to prayer or any other commanded duty And then seing he told us before that they may be long Introverted and yet the Spirit not suffer them to pray the duty is not done and they want not the preparation and so are guiltles How then can all the non-performance of this duty be charged on this He saith afterward God may ofttimes call and invite to prayer anâ— thâ—y through negligence do not heare Which is very true whether we speak of the call and invitation of his word or by passages of his providence clearing up the present exigent but will he say that this was all which he meaned by the inspiration superadded motion and influence powerfully inflowing strength and liberty to pray given by the Spirit to the soul sisted in this Introversion And is this the exciteing with the poureing out the Spirit of prayer which he talketh of Is this the drawing of the Spirit which he spoke of in this same Pag What inconsâ—stancies are theâ—e 8. After this confused and inconsistent yea self-destroying stating of the question he cometh Pag. 225. § 22. to prove their method in praying And first he citeth these passages where watching is joyned with prayer such as Mat. 2 42. Mark 13 33. 14 38. Luk. 21 36 Ans. Put Mat 24 42. maketh no mention of prayer We willingly grant that Watching and Prayer should go together and that we shâ—uld watch in prayer Col. 4 vers 2. and unto prayer 1 Pet. 4 7. But this waching is not Introversion but quite opposite thereunto This watching is an exerciseing of all the sanctified powers and faculties of the soul to keep the heart in a right frame to guard against all temptations tending to slacken diligence in this duty or to marre the right discharge of it and a watching unto all opportunities of setting about this duty and so a plaine careful circumspection and eyeing of adversaries both within and without And so hath no affinity with their abstracting from all Exercises Thoughts and Motions of soul aâ—d minde and going in to consult we know not well what No sayes he this watching can be nothing but the souls attending on the Spirit that it may feel him leading unto prayers and so watch that opportunity Ans. This is the thing which he should prove and not poorly beg Though we willingly grant there are kindly motions of the Spirit fixing the heart and oyling it for this duty and stirring up the leazie sleeping soul through preventing grace and such sweet opportunities should not be carelesly looked to but the thing which he should prove is that the soul should never set about this duty of Prayer till it feel all this and be sure of it and that this may be attained and felt the soul is to go in by his Introversion to natures light or to common â—ifts within which Pagans have as well as Christians or to some Demon. And when he shall bring some Scripture evidence to prove this we shall consider it 9. He citeth next Rom. 8 26 27. by which
indeed we learne that it is the Spirit that must helpe and teach us how and for what to pray and must quicken those graces in us which are requisite unto the right performance of this duty but how it can prove his method by Introversion and there waiting for the drawings and impulses of the Spirit which we must feel before we set about the duty I see not Yea I think the text clearly enough importeth the contrary to wit that when the honest believer out of conscience to the command with the little strength and ability he hath is aimeing at the duty and setting about it the Spirit cometh with seasonable help and helpeth his infirmities and maketh intercession for him with groanes that cannot be uttered and this the greek word importeth to wit the Spirit 's lifting at the load lest the beleever should be crushed under it see Calvin and Beza on the place But he frameth an argument thus Pag. 256. If man knoweth not how he should pray nor can he pray without the help of the Spirit then he prayeth in vaine without him But the former is true Therefore Ans. What will this conclusion do for his purpose It cometh not neare to what he should prove by many stages Will he hence inferre Therefore man should not pray until he feel the Impulses Motions Influences and Drawings of the Spirit By the like consequence one might prove from Psal. 127 1 2. That no man should put to his hand to build and no man should set a watch upon the wales of a besieged city and no man should laboure in his ordinary calling till he finde the influenceing motions and concurrence of the Spirit pouseing him forward and driveing him to the work But how ridiculous this is every one knoweth To tell a dream is sufficient to refute it 10. He citeth next Ephes. 6 18. and Iud vers 20. And inferreth that that is as much as if he had said ye must never pray without watching unto it Ans. Because we are commanded to love the Lord withall our heart soul and minde c. will he say that that is as much as if it were said ye must never love the Lord except it be with all your heart c So he may say we should never pray except we pray with all prayer and we should never watch unto prayer except we watch with all perseverance and supplication for all saints for these things are in the text too But againe though we should never pray without the Spirit will it hence follow that we should never set about the duty till first we feel the Leadings Driveings Motions and Inspirations of the Spirit And then lastly Though we should never pray without watching unto it how will it follow that we should never pray without an Introversion These things hang together like ropes of sand What sayes he to the place of Iude Iude sayes he demonstrateth that prayers in the holy Ghost are those whereby the Saints are built up in their most holy faith And what then Are no prayers meanes to build up saints in their most holy faith but such as are gone about after we have Introverted and felt the Influence Inspirations Leadings and Drawings of the holy Ghost This is like the rest of the Quakers consequences loose and sandy 11. He citeth 1 Cor. 12 3. No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost And thence inferreth far less can he be called upon acceptably without him And what is this to the pointe Say we that any can pray acceptably without the Spirit It is one thing to pray without the gracious and ordinary influences of the Spirit helping our infirmities and another thing to pray with the feelings of the Impulses Motions Leadings Pouseings and Driveings of the Spirit When will he conclude this last which is the thing he should conclude He addeth Paul 1 Cor. 14 t 15. said he would pray in the Spirit And so should we all do and with understanding too But this is an evident Testimony saith he that he did not use to Pray without the Spirit Answ. Though the consequence be not good yet I think the consequent is true But where sayes the Apostle that except he felt the Motions and Drawings Inspirations of the Spirit that after he had Introverted he would not pray And when he writteth to the Churches and pressâ—th them to pray for him 1 Thes 5 vers 25. 2 Thes. 3 1. Heb. 13 18. 2 Cor. 1 11 Phil. 1 19. Rom. 15 30. Philem. 22. Col 4 3. Where addeth he that clause If ye feel after an Introversion the Inspirations Motions Influences and powerfully inflowing might and liberty so that they might not attempt it otherwayes Let him cleare this and win the cause 12. He addeth All prayers without the Spirit are abomination Prov. 28 vers 9. Answ. Though that be true of the wicked yet I durst not say they were not called to pray seing it is a command of Natures Law See Esai 55 6. Ps. 107 19 28. Exod 22 23 Iob 8 5. 36 13. Ier. 36 7. 42 9. Not to mention the word of Peter to Simon Magus of which afterward I know the plowing of the wicked is sin Prov. 21 4. Must therefore say the wicked man must never plow The sacrifice of the wicked was also an abomination Prov. 15 v. 8. 21 27. was it therefore a good consequence under the Law that such persons should have brought no sacrifices Knoweth he not that the substance of an act may be good and yet for want of several things not be accepted at the hands of the wicked We know that in many things we offend all but he dreameth of perfection He addeth 1 Ioh. 5 14. and thence inferreth but if they seek not according to his will they have no cause to be confident that he will heare them Which is very true when they seek any thing that is not consonant to his revealed will But what then His adversaries sayes he grant that prayers without the Spirit are not according to the will of God We grant indeed that as to the manner such prayers are not according to the command but Iohn is not speaking of the manner of prayer but of the thing prayed for What will he say next To command any to pray without the Spirit is to command them to see without eye work without hands or walk without feet Answ. I knew we should land at Pelagianisme Nay he is worse than Pelagius for Pelagius only said that whatever God commanded us to do he gave us sufficient strength to do it with all but this man saith except we know and feel that we have not only sufficient but all working strength we have nothing to do with the command nay except the Spirit which must do all come and move carry and drive us forward yea and we feel it and know it we are not once to take notice of the command
This is Quakerisme indeed 13. What he addeth Pag. 256. § 23. of some turning superstitious some idolatrous and others formal upon this account if he meane it of all that oppose him and contradict his opinion I look upon it as a groundless calumny if he meane it only of some I have no minde to defend them in it Nor shall I need to retaliat and say that their leaning to these false Inspirations and diabolick Excitations having forsaken the good old way are direct meanes through the judgment of God to confirme them in their Paganisme and Paganish Antichristianisme for the matter is notoure enough though I mention none of their other miscarriages even after their Enthusiasmes wicked Inspirations and Introversions 14 Before he come to answer Objections he speaketh Pag. 25◠§ 24. to the defence of their irreligious profane and contemptuous carriage in our Assemblies for worshipe where they love to come to do open affront both â—o God and men for even in time of prayer or praise they will remaine covered He saith they do this only to keep their conscience unhurt But if there were such hazard of sin in joyning with us in our worshipe why come they to the place of Worshipe Their end can be nothing else but to do open contempt if they beleeve as he saith that our worshipe is an abomination they should keep far aback from it But the truth is their Antichristian Spirit which acteth them to an hight of rage will not suffer them to see Christ worshiped in his way And how knoweth he that our ministers pray alwayes without the Spirit Hath he the gift of discerning Spirits And can he go in to the heart and see how maters stand there We profess that we pray without the Spirit and have therefore our limited times sayes he But he is a liar we say no such thing The gift and the grace of Prayer both is of the Spirit and though it too often falleth out that there is not that faith in dependance on the Spirit that there ought to be both for the gift and for the grace yet it is not our profession that prayer should be without the Spirit and this praying with the Spirit can well consist with praying at such and such times But that Spirit without which we say we pray is your Spirit of delusion or your fantastical Dreames Impulses Drawings and Inspirations which for any thing we can see are diabolical But it seemeth they have a sagacious Spirit of discerning when one prayeth in the Spirit and when not for he sayes though one in our presence should beginne to pray not expecting the Spirit yet if it appeared that the Spirit of the Lord concurred with him we would also joyn And what is that I pray that will make this manifest unto them Is it talking in the Quakers dialect Or the Mimical posture of the body Or what is it I am apt to beleeve it must only be something of that nature As for Alexander Skeins Propositions I meddle not with them because some other hath answered them and the substance of them I have already confuted 15. He cometh after this digression to examine Objections Pag. 260. § 25. And the first is this If such inward motions and impulses be necessary to Outward acts oâ— worshipe why not also to Inward Nay much more they must be necessary for the special motions of the Spirit are more necessary unto the grace of prayer than unto the gift and in the outward exercises of worshipe there is more of a gift required than in inward What answereth he Vnto these general duties the motion and influence of the Spirit dureing the day of visitation is alwayes present striveing with the man so that if he but stand and be abstracted from his evil thoughts God is near to help him But external actions stand in need of greater and more particular influences Ans. Not to insist here on the confutation of the marrow of Pelagianisme which is laid downe for his ground thaâ— being done sufficiently above I only take notice here that with our Pelagian Quakers an Heathen or a Pagan can love God with all his heart adore fear believe in him and performe all inward worshipe of this kinde easily when he will he hath divine influences at his command nay the Spirit is within already for that end so that if he will but sist his course and abstract from his evil thoughts which he may very easily do God is at his hand and the work will go on but as to uttering of words much more is requisite that is if I be not far mistaken Nature can help him to perform â—ll Inward worshipe but he must have the supervenient Influence of an evil Spirit to act him before he performe any publick act of worshipe Such an enemie is this Spirit that acteth the Quakers unto all Publick profession of the name of Jesus and worshiping of him openly that he will never suffer any thing that looketh there away to be done until he have his hand so in it that he shall be sure it shall be more worshipe service to himself than to Christ 16. It is Objected againe That by this principle no man should do a morall duty as honour his parents do justice to his neighbours plow the land until the Spirit move him for no service else can be accepted He answereth There is a difference betwixt those general duties and particular acts of worshipe These are spiritual and are commanded to be done by the Spirit Those some way answere their end as to them whom they immediatly concerne though they proceed from a meer natural principle of self love Ans. Who denieth that there is a difference betwixt them yet each of them must be performed in the right manner else they are not acceptable and the right manner cannot be without the Spirit This he confesseth And therefore must yeeld the argument And we deny that worshipe is to be done in the Spirit according to his sense and no other way that is only by the immediat Inspirations and Imâ—ulses and Drawings of the Spirit we affirme worshipe ought to be performed in the Spirit that is by his gracious Assistance graceing the soul and breathing on his graces that they may act seasonably But sayes he further As a natural Spirit is required to performe natural acts so the Spirit of God is requisite to the performance of Spiritual acts All is granted yet he knoweth that to performe natural acts in a spiritual manner the Spirit of God is requisite and if natural acts be not performed in a spiritual manner they are not accepted of God and therefore according to his principles we must not eat drink sleep walk work plow c. till the Spirit stirre us up immediatly and carry us to the duty because without this previous motion of the Spirit we will but commit abomination in all these actions as well as in worshiping without the Spirit So
of our formal and common way of singing Answ. The Scripture mentioneth singing and commandeth us to sing but it is true prescribeth not this or that particular mode of singing but leaveth that to our liberty that it may be done according to the general rules of the word that is that it be done with gravity in a way suteable to the worshipe of God without vanity lightness and affectation and such I suppose is our manner Will he sing none till he finde what mode of singing is particularly prescribed in the word I fear he shall then lay it aside altogether or will he waite till the Spirit inspire the notes and manner as the matter where is his warrand for this is there a promise of such a communication 3. He saith next our way hath this peculiar abuse attending it that thereby frequently horride and abominable lies are uttered unto God while every profane wreatch must personate David's condition and others also must sing Psal. 22 15. 6 7. Answ. But he little considereth that the same abuse if it be an abuse did attend their singing of old as well as now for these same Psalmes and particularly Psal. 6. â—2 were put into the hands of the chiefe musician and so were to be sung publickly by others And we conceive the same of the rest that want this express title because of what we read 1 Chron. 16 17. for there the 1â—5 Psalm which in the book of the Psalmes hath not these words To the chiefe musician c. prefixed is expresly said to be delivered by David into the hanâ—s of Asaph and his brethren And why may not we sing with the words of David and of Asaph the Seer as well as they did in Hezekiah's dayes 2 Chron. 29 30 Could the Levites and others that joyned say all that of themselves that David did say of himself Hence then he may see the ground of his mistake for he supposeth we should sing nothing but what is our owne particular case as if the dispensations of Godâ— towards others of his Children did not concerne us but what then meaneth the Psalmist Psal. 66 6. to say He turned the sea into dry land they went thorow the flood on foot there did we rejoyce in him How could he and others say that they rejoyced at the red sea when the Lord brought his peâ—ple thorow it when they were not then in being And how is it that such as had gotten victory over the Beast did sing the song of Moses the servant of God Revel 15 2 3 As the joyful so the sad condition of others being turned into a song may be mater of a song to us as we are members of the same body the favours deliveries bestowed upon others should be looked upon by us as favours conferred upon ourselves 3. What next And sometimes immediatly after singing they will sayes he in their prayers confess themselves guilty of these vices for redemption from which they had been praising God with David The inconsistency here is in owne imagination for he supposeth that the case of others which we sing we sing it as immediatly our owne But may we not blesse and extol that God in praises who hath redeemed others from these sinnes under which we yet groan And may not the singing of this contribute to the strengthening of our faith and hope of the like redemption And may not we in the singing of such experiences of others be raised up to see what an high and rich favoure it is to be blessed with such a redemption And cannot all this be done without hypocrisie 4. But now I would know what sort of praises and songs they would offer unto God These sayes he that proceed from a pure heart that is from the word of life in the heart And cannot we sing from â— pure heart in the words of David as well as they did in the dayes of Hezekiah But what is this word of life in the heart which is made the original and leader of their songs It is that sure that is common to all men Turks Pagans Scythians Barbarians And we look not upon that as grace from whence spiritual songs can arise I would enquire if the Spirit ever moveth them in their Assemblies to sing and what for Psalmes they sing Are they immediatly Inspired by the Spirit or not If not how can they according to their owne principles sing them If they be immediatly Inspired how can others concurre who never heard of them before What if they do not agree with the present condition of every member of the Assembly And how can others sing with them without the same previous motion of the Spirit Or is it enough if one sing alone And if so how can that be an act of publick worshipe performed by the whole Assembly These things if he be for singing at all in the publick worshipe of God he would do well to cleare to us And withal tell us if the Spirit inspireth also the meeter in the song and the tone of the singing 5. He tels us next that there is no warrand in tht New Covenant for Organs which I plead not for nor for any such instrument nor for artificial musick with the voice But if there be warrand for singing as there is himself not denying there must be warrand for some sort of artificial musick for singing is something else than reading or speaking and how is it distinguished but by notes of modulation and that must be either natural or artificial and the first musâ— be helped by the last else in an Assembly where one and the same thing is sung by all there will be a discord instead of a concord And for the artifice I shall not plead that it be very fine if it be modest and grave I am satisfied And he knoweth there is no great ground of exception against our manner of singing upon this account in Scotland This is all he hath to say against our singing of Psalmes and why he doth not declare unto us what their peculiaâ— way is I know not CHAP. XXVI Of Baptisme 1. TO manifest the perfect and compleet hatred which this Paganish Antichristian Spirit which reigneth and rageth in the Quakers hath at all the Instiâ—utions and Appointments of our Lord Jesus Christ we have here a clear demonstration of the hieght thereof and of their designe as acted by the same It will not satisfie them to plead with other Anabaptistâ— against the baptisme of Children and so be Antipaedobaptists but they must be Antibaptists and joyne with the late Ranters H. Nicholas Antinomians as enemies to the whole of the Institution and so not only be against all the Churches of Christ from the very beginning of christianity to this day but also against all the Several Sects of Anabaptists or Catabaptists that we have heard of and joyn with Socinus who at first would have had this Ordinance wholly laid aside And dispising
extraordinary gifts if not why do they not hold one baptisme till they get another But then sayes he Iâ— should not be Christs baptisme that remaineth Answ. It should not be that baptisme by the â—oly Ghost which he promised to his disciples it is true but it is false to say it should not be that baptisme which Christ did institute appoint his Apostles to administer Read we not of some baptized in the name of Christ who yet had received none of these gifts Act. 8 16. and yet sure that baptisme was Christs His following words I have nothing to do with for I say not that Iohns Baptisme was a figure of this extraordinary baptisme by the holy Ghost and by fiâ—e I observe moreover another piece of this mans ignorance or deceite whereupon he would found his discourse here he imagineth that these extraordiry gifts of the holy Ghost are the same with the Spiritual things signified conferred and sealed in baptisme And when the man doth shut his eyes and then run on furiously in his blindness what can we do but stand by and be sorry at his folly and madness Hence he will have none said to be baptized in the Spirit but such as are baptized and endued with these extraordinary gifts of the Spirit and because we admit not now such a baptisme of the Spirit he inferreth that we are only for the bare forme and shadow of baptisme and he is for the substance Who would not pity such a man that taketh upon him to condemne as the Manichees did of old and a Seck called the Whippers that arose in the 13. Century our baptisme and therein to condemne all the Churches of Christ when he hath need to goe in among the Catechumens and be catechized I say agaâ—ne if he and his fraternity be thus baptized with the Holy Ghost as the Apostles were and these mentioned Act. 11. Why do they not shew it The fire in the Apostles could not be hid they spoke with tongues but our Quakers do no such thing except by a new kinde of non-sense he would have us understand their speaking with tongues And indeed they are all baptized with this baptisme These were extraordinarily endued with learning and all abilities to set forward the Kingdom of Christ but our Quakers are ignorant and yet they imagine they are learned and with what they have they destroy so far as they can this kingdom and therefore if they be extraordinarily baptized with a Sâ—irit it must be with a blake Spirit Christ's enemy And further the baptisme of the holy Ghost with which the Apostles were baptized made them not enraged against the baptisme of water but more careful to observe it and administrate it according to Christ's appointment and that even to such as had also received that extraordinary baptisme As Act. 11. these same persons on whom the holy Ghost fell were baptized with water But it is otherwise with our Quakers the Ghost which they suppose themselves baptized with is a Ghost opposite to all Christ's Appointments Let them then consider whence he came and whether he leadeth them 7. He citeth further Pag. 270. 1 Pet. 3 21. plowing with Socinus's hifer and supposeth that there is here given a definition of Baptisme and it is true the Apostle sheweth what that baptisme was which he was speaking of to wit not the bare outward element and the application thereof which alone cannot be effectual to salvation but the principal thing here requisite is the answer of a good conscience which all must have who shall expect any good of Baptisme And thus the Apostle doth plainly establish this Ordinance as a like figure unto that whereunto Noahs Ark was a figure which proved a mean of saving none but faithful Noah and his family And this truth we owne to wit that the outward washing of water can save none where there is not the stipulation of a good conscience toward God Shall we hence with Swenkfeldus whom Calvin on the place confuteth say that the outward Ordinance is null Or shall we with Papists stick in the outward element No Christs way is the best we owne both what is inward and what is outward and give each its due place What would our Quaker now say He sideth with Schwenckfeldus and Saltmarsh and would have the outward part wholly laid aside and why Because Peter sayes Baptisme is not the putting away the filth of the Flesh. Ans. Peter sayes not that there is no putting away of the filth of the Flesh in Baptisme but that the baptisme which will save must have some other thing then outward washing to wit the answere of a good conscience toward God Againe he joyneth with Papists and will have baptisme to be that which was really typified by the Ark while as it is but a corresponding exemplar carrying some analogy or proportion therewith let him Read Calvin Beza on the place But saith he As all in the Arkwere saved by water so all should be saved by outward washing if that were baptisme Answ. If we made the outward washing as separated from the inward grace the whole of Baptisme the Quaker had some colour to speak thus but when we speak of Baptisme as saving we comprehend both the outward washing and the inward grace the answere of a good conscience for where this is not the outward washing in baptisme is ineffectual One thing more How will this Quaker prove that this answere of a good conscience is the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit which were poured forth upon the Apostles Or is that baptisme by the holy Ghost and by fire whereof Christ speaketh Act. 1 4 His saying Pag. 270. that none can give this answere but they whose soul the Spirit of God hath purified and whose corrupt nature the fire of his judgments hath consumed is but to show his profane dexterity in allegorizeinâ— and playing with the word of truth let him plainly tell us if he thinketh the Apostles had no grace no corruption purified until the day of Pentecost came and so that the thing which Christ had promised and which then was fulfilled was this Spirit of Sanctification and nothing else And if he dar not say this let him consider to how little purpose all this is said 8. He citeth also but to the same purpose stealing from Socinus Rom. 6 3 4. Gal. 3 27. Col. 2 12. for the Apostle is not speaking of the outward washing abstracted from the inward grace but is speaking of whole baptisme that as aâ—ministred to such as he supposed beleevers and speaketh unto as such pressing duties and mentioning privileges that agree to them only And thus all which our Quaker saith is obviated for we say not that the things there mentioned are to be understood of bare outward washing but of the Ordinance which includeth the inward grace in order to these privileges and benefites We do not say that all who are only outwardly washen in baptisme are
workings of the Prince of darkness tickling their fanciâ—s and complying with their blinded minds and corrupt humores and hereby draw strength and confirmation to their abominable errours and practices and are more deeply rooted and fixed in the same howbeit contrary to the divine light of the Word of God to the very light of Nature and pure Reason and to all the true experiences of the holy and upright walkers with God and are more fortified and animated in their rage and opposition to all the wayes of God And sure I am the Saints of God though they will not with such a pharisaical froathy ostentation talk of their enjoyments as these wicked deceivers do on all occasions to set forward the desperat designes of the Devil in them and by them yet know what rich incomes of Joy unspeakable and full of glory of Strength and Encouragment in the wayes of the Lord of Peace Serenity of soul of Light and Consolation satisfying all their desires and making their souls to run over and all this in compliance and harmony with the word for a verification and accomplisment of the rich promises of the New Covenant ordered in all things and sure and confirmation of the truth and reality of the workings of the grace of God in their soul whereâ—y they were to their owne feeling sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of their inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory they have had in this Ordinance Melting their hearts with true tenderness and godly sorrow and Kniting their souls more firmly in love to God in Christ and Engaging them to run the wayes of the Lord with all chearfulness enlargedness of heart and delectaâ—ion and to Strive against the enemies of the glory of God and of their salvation whether within or without with more courage alacrity and resolution of soul So that I am perswaded they will upon this very account detest and abominate tâ—ese co-workers with Satan and finde themselves called of God for his glory their owne security to remove far from their tents who drive such a desperate and hellish designe against heaven and against all the Interests of Jesus Christ their Lord and Saviour 4. These desperate Despisers of the goodness and condescensions of love malacious Opposers of all the wayes of God in manifest mockage substitute our ordinary repasts in the room of this soul-feeding Ordinance for thus speaketh that blasphemous wretch Ia. Nayler in his love to the lost Pag 45. as Mr Stalham citeth him in his book for the sake of such who are lost in this thing troubled in mind concerning it what I have received of the Lord that I shall declare unto you which all shall witness to which come to partake thereof as the truth is in Iesus Christ. If you intend to sup with the Lord or shew the Lord's death till he come let your eating and drinking so oft as you do it be in remembrance of him and in his fear that at death you may witness to the lust and excess c. And Pag. 43. he said this was to be done at all seasons when they eat and drank and Pag. â—4 that the Lord commanded his disciples in eating and drinking to shew forth his death till he come to avoide excess and becomeing reprobats in the faith Is not tâ—is a sufficient discovery of the Spirit that acteth them 5 Let us now come to examine what this our Quaker saith in this matter and passing his intrade wherein after his manner he upbraideth all with their ignorance of this mystery as if they only were admitted to the secrets of God and acquanted with the mysteries hid from all the generations of the Christian Châ—rch we come to the answere he giveth to that question what is that body which we eat and that blood which we drink which is this Pag. 288. It is sayes he That celestial seed that divine and spiritual substance of which we spoke Thes. 5. 6. that vehicle or spiritual body of Christ whereby he communicateth life and salvation to all that believe in and receive him by which also man obtaineth communion with God To which we need say nothâ—ng here having fully discovered above Chap. X. what this Seed Substance and Vehicle is in their judgment to wit nothing but what is in every Son of Adam as he comâ—th into the world the dimme light of a natural conscience and of a reasonable soul having some dark notions of a God and of some principles of morality without the least imagination or apprehension of any of the wayes of the grace of God revealed in the Gospel yea which hath a native and inbred enmity at and antipathy against the mysteries of love and grace manifested in the Gospel This this is the Quakers Christ the Food of their souls the Substance whereupon they feed this is all that true bread which they have to eat And while he calleth it a substance he joyneth with the old Heracleonites who said thâ—t man was composed of a Body of a Soul and of a third Substance And the hearkning unto and believing this Natural thing which is in all â—eathens and Pagans receiving its light is all their Feast and all the meanes of Communion which they have or expect to have with God so that it is sufficiently manifest that the hieght of their Religion is moralized Paganisme And yet he dar say that â—his is confirmed Iohn 6. from v. 32. to the end And thereby give us to understand that they acknowledge no other true bread which the Father giveth from heaven but this which all Turks and Pagans have This is their Jesus and their Bread of God that came down from heaven and this is the only thing that giveth them life so that they shall never hunger nor thirst They are given of the Father to this thing and by this will they be raised up at the last day when they hearken to this then they are taught of God and have learned of the Father according to the writings of the Prophets yea if they but believe this they have everlasting life for this is their Bread of life whereof if they eat they shall not die but live forever this is with them the flesh that was given for the life of the world this is all the flesh they eat and all the blood they drink and thus they dwell in Christ and Christ in them O what a desperate delusion is this What a wonder is it that men who believe they have immortal souls and have ever heard of the Gospel dar thus speak and metamorphose the whole Gospel into pure Paganisme This sure must be a more than ordinary judicial stroke of blindness delusion of a reprobat minde and of a perverse Spirit with which these men are manifestly plagued and the Devil must have an extraordinary power in them and over them acting and driveing them
but walk upon fixed and certaine grounds which may fully quiet the consciences of such as stand in awe of the word and I cannot but wonder how he who denieth the word to be the rule of faith and practice can thus press the words contrare to the scope and intendment of the Spirit of the Lord and stand so stifly to the express words yea and for any thing I see ground their judgment and practice wholly and alone upon these words but as we heard above though the light within them be their supream and only Rule they can alleige the Scriptures and pervert them too against us 4. He cometh next Pag. 354. § 11. to reply to our grounds We say that Christ forbiddeth all Oaths by creatures and all vaine and rash Oaths To which he replyeth That the Law did forbid these Oaths but Christ forbiddeth here something that was free under the Law to wit to swear by the Name of God and so dischargeth even such Oaths as were made by the Name of God Mat. 23 22. And he addeth by any other oath Answ. That the Law doth forbid both swearing by the Creatures and also rash and unnecessary swearing by the Name of God is true but the Law did not prohibite but enjoyn swearing in some cases before Magistrates as we see Exod. 22 7 11. Num. 5 19 21. 2. That Christ correcteth or amendeth the Law or dischargeth any thing which was lawful by the moral Law of God is but a Socinian dream without any ground or warrand as is apparent through that whole Sermon and from the very first words of this part thereof vers 17 18. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but fulfil for verily I say unto you till heaven and earth passe one jot or one-title shall in no wise passe from the Law till all be fulfilled But sure if Christ had added to the law or taken away from it he had in so far destroyed it and made it an imperfect law and had taken away from it many Jotes and Titles contrary to his owne expresse profession and declaration 3. The place Mat. 23 16 23. doth clearly explaine this for there their unlawful wayes of swearing are reproved and they discovered to be fools in alleiging such grounds as they did for their profane licentious swearing and satisfying themselves with such pretexts but not one word declareing it unlawful in all cases to sweare by the Name of God 4. These words by any other Oath are to be explained by what went before and so to be understood of any other such like Oath as he had instanced in otherwise Christs discourse shall be incoherent 5. To that which is said That swearing by the Name of God was commanded by the Father and so cannot be now contradicted by the Son who is one with the Father he saith That the father appointed many ceremonial Lawes which were shadowes of good things to come whereof Christ was the substance Answere This is very true but nothing to the purpose for he shall never prove that swearing by the Name of God was a ceremonial thing being a part of natural Worship taught by the Law of Nature Gen. 21 ver 23. Iosh. 2 vers 12. 2 Chron. 36 21. and is several times put for the whole moral Worshipe Esai 19 v. 18. 45 23. Psal. 63 11. And where I pray and when was this ceremonial precept if it be such first given But this one thing is enough to confute this dream not to mentione that we cannot understand whereof it can be a shadow or type nor how then as we shall hear it was used when types were abrogated to wit that Christ did not so early beginne to cry down and to annull the force and power of the ceremonial Law but being made under the Law ceremonial as well as moral was observant thereof in all points to his dying day for in the very night wherein he was betrayed he observed the feast of the Passeover and he came to fulâ—il all righteousness How shall we then imagine that in his very first Sermon he should abrogate the Ceremonial Law and that in moe points then one if our Quaker be to be believed For he will have the mater of Warres a ceremony too and will affirme that Christ abrogated that ceremony also in the last words of this Chapter as we heard 6. He moveth this Argum. in the next place Pag. 355. That Oaths cannot be a part of the ceremonial Law because they were in use before the promulgation of the law An Argument wherein I see little strength yet I think it concerneth him to tell us when this ceremonial law was first given and to whom What answereth he It must be showne saith he that it is an eternal and immutable precept Answ. And what needeth more for this then to show that it is a part of worshipe performed unto God which the law of Nature hath taught all nations and which hath no affinity with what is typical and figurative having a manifestly moral import for it is a solemne acknowledgment of Gods All-seeing eye of his Truth and Veracity of his Righteousness and Justice and of his Power and Might for therein he is called to witness a secret and hidden truth and the swearer doth professe that God is acquanted with the secrets of all things and with the Intentions of the heart Therein we acknowledge that God abhorreth lying and dissimulation and will be a swift witness against false swearers and in justice will be avenged of such as mock him in calling the God of truth to bear witness to an untruth and shew his power in punishing and pursueing such all which being ingraven on the heart of Man by nature and being laid as the ground of this practice among all Nations and having nothing ceremonial in it evince this duty to be moral and the commands enjoyning it perpetually obligeing He tels us that Abel and Cain did offer the tythes of their fruit and the first fruites of their land But I read not this in Scripture I finde it said Gen. 4 3 4. that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and Abel of the firsilings of his flock but no more no word of Tithes nor of First fruites 7. He moveth another Objection after his owne minde as if we said that Swearing by the name of God is a moral duty because it is mentioned with God's essential and moral worshipe But what he meaneth by essential worshipe I know not nor know I who useth that terme This argument I shall thus urge If swearing by the name of God be not only urged together with other acts of moral worship but also as a comprehensive part of moral worshipe and as further exegitical and explicative of other parts of moral worshipe mentioned then it must be a part of morall worshipe But the former is true Therefore c. The Major I suppose needeth
not what others say Parnel in his Shield of truth Pag. 17. said as it is cited by Mr Faldo whose Book is but lately come to my hand 2 Part. Pag. 11. of his book And here is the difference of the Ministers of the world and the Ministers of Christ the one of the letter the other of the Spirit for they are meer deceivers and witches bewitch people from the truth holding forth the shadow for the substance As for the Church so speaketh Isaac Pennington in his Questions P. 49. Q. What is the fold of the sheep Answ. The wisdom life and power of the Father even the same that is the shepherd Obj. Is not the Church the fold A. This in the Church or the Church in this is the fold but not out of this As for prayer or thanksgiving at meat hear Iames Naylor Love to the lost P. 57. But where the pure is not viz. the light all things are defiled when they are not sanctified by the word and prayer and therefore are to be received in fear and therein remembring his death till he come and so this is all their Lord's Supper too who is the word and Prayer And Pag. 13. He casts all Prayer that is not by immediat inspiration saying But as every creature is moved by the Spirit of the living God who is that Spirit who will be served with his owne alone not with any thing in man which is come in since the fall so the imaginations thinkings and conceivings are shut out And Smith Cat. P. 100. So must all come to the Sâ—irit of God by the Spirit to be ordered and cease from their own words and from their own time and learne to be silent till the Spirit give them utterance And P. 107. So the same wisdom may deny the prescribed way as being formal and may invent something instead of it in a higher mystery of iniquity and though they may not speak in such formal words composed yet in the same wisdom their words are formal they can set their own time to begin and end and when they will they can utter words when they will they can be silent and this is the unclean part which offereth to God which he doth not accept Found we not his Mans doctrine abâ—ve consonant hereunto As for Baptisme Parnel Pag. 11. els us They owne the Baptisme which is the Baptisme of Christ with the holy Ghost and with fire but they deny all other And P. 12. and now I see the other that is water Baptisme as they ordinarily call it out of scorne to be formal imitation and the invention â—f Man and so a meer delusion Smith Prim. P. 39. and Higgins warning P. 5 say we have this and the Lords Supper both from the Pope Nay Iames Naylor Love to the lost P. 52. giveth us one word for all for this I say saith he that the Father hath given his Son for a leader and guide to all ages and into and out of all formes at his will and in his way and time in every generation And therefore it is that all who know his will herein cannot endure that any visible thing should be set up to limite his leadings in Spirit And C Atkinson said I deny that God did ever or will ever reveal himself by any of these things thou callest the meanes of grace And G. Fox in his Grâ—at Mystery P. 16. And we say he Christ hath triumphed over Ordinances and blotted them out and they are not to be touched and the saints have Christ in them who is the end of outward formes and thou art deceived who thinks to finde the living among the dead And after all this and much more of the like kinde we must be accounted slanderers for saying that they deny the external part of Christianity Nay not only so but we must be horride liars and the searcher of hearts must be attested hereunto This is but an inconsiderable thing with them who account all that our Preachers say from the word of the Lord nothing but lies and satanical delusions because it is not from the immediat teaching of the Spirit and them but Professours of the Devil upon this account See Fox's Great Mystery P. 5. and 62. 3. Yet more Hence is it saith he that because we exhort people to returne and feel God within themselves saying unto them that if they feel not God neer them the notions which they have of God as he is in the heaven above the cloudes will not much profite them they maliciously endeavour to inferre that we say that God doth not exist without us Answ. Thinks he that we have no other Notion of God but as of one that is up in the heavens above the cloudes Supposeth he that we deny him to be every where present But if they beleeve there is a God in deed and in truth why talk they so much of a measure of God in every man Is the true God such a devisible thing Why do they make the soul of man a part or particle of God What meane they by the Vehicle of God Do these and the like expressions smell of orthodoxy in this matter The true God that is revealed to us in the Scriptures is a God that is one in essence and three distinct persons the Father the Son and the holy Ghost do they believe this Furthermore if they beleeve really a God without them why do they ascribe to something within them that which is peculiar unto God Doth not the morning Watch Pag. 5.6 7. assert the light within every man to be that word which Iohn speaks of Iohn 1 1 See Fox the younger P. 50 53 54. Is that a savoury expression which E. B True faith hath when he saith every man hath that which is one in union and like the Spirit of Christ even as good as the Spirit of Christ according to its measure Was that orthodox which Ed. Burroughs said the morning before he died see F. H. Testimony Now my soul and Spirit is centred in its own being with God and this form of person must returne from whence it was taken Another hath these expressions See Mr Faldo as above P. 124. Againe thou makes a great pudder that any one should witness he is equal with God Answ. A Cathechisme of the Assembly of the Priests in which they have laid down that the holy Ghost and Son is equal in power glory with the Father yet if any come but to witness the Son revealed in him or come to witness the holy Ghost in them as they gave out the Scriptures or witness the minde of Christ and witness that equal with the Father they cry out horrid blasphemy Hear what another saith Now consider what a condition these called Ministers are in They say that which is a Spiritual Substance is not infinite in it self but a creature that which came out from the Creatour and is in the hand of the Creatour which brings it
up and to the Creator againe that is infinite in it self which the hand goes against him that does evil in which hand the soul which is immortal and infinite which hand is infinite which brings it up to God is infinite Though little good sense can be made of this yet blasphemy enough is legible therein And G. Fox saith Is not the soul without beginning come from God It is not horride blasphemy to say the soul is a part of God for it came out of him and that which came out of him is of him Fisher in his Velata quaedam revelata Pag. 13 calleth that whereby man became a living soul and a soul that did partake something of Gods owne life a living principle of the divine nature And P. 17. He calleth the Spirit of man the immortal and incorruptible seed of God even something of the living word which is said to be made flesh Pennington Q. 27. calleth that which is in the saints that which the Lord from heaven begetteth of his owne image and likeness of his own NB. substance of his own Spirit and pure life Declaâ— against Popery queree 2. Whether do you waite and believe to have the same minde which was also in Christ Iesus who thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet he was no Pharisee though of the Pharisees judged a blasphemer and as be is so are we Is not this plaine enough 4. Hence also is it sayes he further that because we say that the inward light and Law and not the outward letter is that which can truely discover to them their state and bring them out of all evil they say that we vilify the Scriptures and honour our own imaginations more then them Answ. We would rather say upon this account that they vilifie the Spirit of God then the Scriptures for hereby these expressions it is manifest that they ascribe that unto the light within which only the Spirit of God and of Christ can do viz. truely and effectually which may be imported by his revera discover the state of a sinner to him and bring him out of all evil This last we do not ascribe unto the Scriptures But as to their vilifying of the Scriptures we have heard enough above from this mans own mouth and some others whose words we cited Mr Faldo in his book against the Quakers part 1. Ch. 3-12 helpeth me to much more Let us cull out of a great heap a few instances 1. Do not all the Quakers deny the Scriptures to be the word of God Do they not say that it is blasphemy to say the letter is the word of God and it is the Devil that contends for the Scriptures to be the word of God And what can more be spoken to the disparagment of the Scriptures than to deny them to be his word or the signification of his minde who spoke them and did indite them by his Spirit immediatly inspiring the Prophets and Apostles and other holy men of God in the writing of them Is not this directly to devest them of all that Authority which they have from God as his Law Is not this to render them contemptible when they are denied to be that which only maketh them have weight with consciences 2. Do not the Quakers deny the Scriptures to be the rule of faith and manners and the judge of Controversies in the maters of Religion We remember what himself aid above Hear Parnel in his shield of the truth p. 10. And he also that saith the letter is the rule and guide of the people of God is without feeding upon the husk and is ignorant of the true light which was before the letter was Hear Smith Prim. p. 10 And if thou lookest upon the Scripture to be for a rule and for trying thou givest that unto them which belongs unto Christ. And is not this enough to disparage the Scriptures to deny that chiefe use and end of them for which they were given If any should say of the Lawes of any Land and of the acts of Parliament that they are not a rule to the Subjects would not that be accounted a disparagment done to the Lawes Were not the Scripturâ—s given as a revelation of the minde of God concerning our faith and concerning our walk How can any thâ—n dâ—ny these ends and not disparage and vilifie the Scriptures 3 Do not the Quakers speak more highly of their owne writings than they do of the Scriptures The Scripâ—ures with them are but the letter which killeth Paper ink and writing the old and dead letter Part of it words of the Devil and of wicked men Precepts and traditions of men they have no light in them they sheir not our faces an earthly root a shadow and dangerous to feed on c. But their oâ—n writings are the voice of the Son of God by which the dead are raised a shield of the truth spoken in the freshness and quick sense of life written from the Lord a Spiritual glass opened light rise out of darkness and by revelation of Iesus Christ and by the Spirit of the living God See for this Mr Faldo ubi supra paâ— 40. c. Can men devise a way more effectual to effronte the Scriptures 4 Do they not preferre the light within them unâ—o the Scriptures See Smithâ—s Catech p. 2. Q. doth God manifest himself within Man Answ. Yes and man cannot know him by any other way but by the manifestation of himself in his light within him See the Scorned Quakers account p. 20. Christ by his light within shewes you in a gâ—ass your owne faces which the Scriptures cannot do Parnel p. 10. And by the same light do we discerne and testify against him to be in darkness and blindness and is a deceiver who putteth the letter for the light and so draweth peoples mindes from the light within them to the light without them seeking the living among the dead Iohn Story in his short discovery p. 2. saith and although the holy Scripture without and the Saints practices are lights in the world Yet far be it from all true Christian men so to idolize them as to set them in esteem above the light which is sufficient to guide or to esteem them equal with the light and Spirit of Christ within And Smith Prim. p. 12. tels us that Christ the light within alone searches the heart not the Scriptures Martin Mason in his loving invitation p. 4. 'T is not your flying to the Scriptures that can save you from the fire of his wrath nor overcome the least corruption for you no verily nothing then but a Christ within you come thou then O come with boldness to God's faithful witness within you Fisher where above p. 7. saith such were the Scribes who were ever scraping in the Scriptures to finde God and his life Yet never knew him at any time nor saw his shape because they heard not his voice nor heeded not his word within