Experience in their Measure as might be made evident in particulars It would as it does in all true Believers purifie the Heart and work by Love to God to his People to his Word and Ordinances to all the things that are of God But fine Words and Professions will not prove or evidence true Faith This Author does plainly manifest to a Spiritual Eye that that which he calls Faith in himself and in such as are like him is but presumption wrought by the great Deceiver the seducing spirit in weak Ignorant Proud Hearts and Minds for it hath not purified their Hearts neither doth it work by Love but on the contrary their Hearts are yet Dark Blind Ignorant of God of themselves of the Truths of God of the People of God they know not the Difference between Nature and Grace They call Natural Conscience and Reason which is in every Man and Woman by Nature God Christ his Spirit the true Light which will Save and Justisie whosoever hearkens to it and believes in it I say Faith hath not Purified their Hearts from this Blindness and Ignorance nor from Pride Self-love and many other Corruptions Manifest and Evident in and amongst them as any gross sins or Abominations are in the Profanest Persons in the World Neither does this Faith of theirs which they boast of work by Love Love to God Love to all his People to the Law and Word of God as it did in David O how I love thy Law it is my Meditation continually Psal 119. but they Love not the Scriptures neither are they led by the spirit speaking in them but by a false spirit speaking in themselves contrary to the spirit in the Scriptures And as for their Love it is but a self-love it confines it self to their own party that say as they say and do even as they do that are one with them in the same things and in the Pride of their Hearts reject all others though the most eminent Saints upon the Earth How far then is this Faith of theirs which they boast of accounting it far better than all others from purifying their Heart perfectly as he there says that hath not yet purified it from these groâ—â— and apparent Corruptions and sins as Ignoranâ— Pride in a high Degree Self-love Hatred Despising Disowning Scandalizing and Separating from the Lords People of all perswasions though Select Congregations and Precious in the sight of the Lord and dear as the Apple of his Eye O the subtil strong seducing spirit is got into a strong Hold indeed and Fortified himself therein that can make them Speak and Declare these Lyes in Hypocrisie and these Doctrines of Devils as the Apostle calls them 2 Tim. 3.1 Thirdly This Author of the Strong Man Armed cast out goes on 3. The Quakers Knowledge and tells us what Knowledge the People the Quakers have attained unto above all others and saith it is Spiritual and Experimental from the immediate Vnction of the Holy Ghost and proceeds not from hear-say but Divine Revelation this is Life Eternal to know God which is Light yea the Father of Lights and that the Light within is the Son of God This is that Mystery that is hid from the Wise and Prudent and Revealed unto Babes They know him not but say it is the Devil or at best but the Light of Nature and so they know not whence it is and yet he hath enlightned Thousands and it was never known that the Devil or the Light of Nature Converted any to the Lord. For Answer hereunto Quakers put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light I say it is a very dreadful thing for any Man to put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness as this Man does a Dreadful Woe is Denounced against such Isa 5.20 Woe to them that call Evil Good and Good Evil that put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness If therefore the Light in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness Mat. 6.23 But the Light in Thee James Jackson is Darkness That is to say Thy Vnderstanding is Darkned and Blinded not onely by Corrupt Nature as all Unregenerate Men and Women are but Darkned also by the Prince of Darkness as is Manifest by all thy Writings that thou put'st Darkness for Light For the Minds of all natural Men are dark yea darkness it self they cannot see Spiritual things no more than a Blind Man can Distinguish Colours or than a Man that hath his sight in a dark Dungeon can Discern or Distinguish of Objects The Natural Man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he know them because they are Spiritually Discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Such an understanding and knowledge hast thou and others of thy Principles and Ways Thou and they it seems have attained to this Knowledge which others though the most Wise of other Perswasions have not attained to That the Light within is the Son of God whom he hath sent and that this is in every Man and Woman and to know and abide in this Light is Life Eternal I am grieved for this thine and their Ignorance though thou callest it Knowledge Now if ye will Hearken to the true Light indeed he will drive away and dispell this Darkness and shine into the Heart and give the Light of the Knowledge of God in the Face of Jesus Christ Thou despisest the Knowledge of all others that comes by hear-say meaning the Scriptures as it plainly appears thine thou sayest is by Immediate Revelation But let me ask thee and them how comes any one to know Christ and to Believe in him but by the Scriptures How shall they Believe in him of whom they have not heard but by the Word of the Gospel Rom. 10 As for Immediate Revelations we are not to Believe any of them further than as they are Consonant and Agreeable to the Scriptures which the Holy Spirit of God hath already spoken else we may believe a Lye from a false Spirit Witness thy own Case with many others also who have listned to Immediate Revelations and prefer them before the Revelations of the Spirit of God in the Scriptures which undoubtedly will be your undoing except ye Repent and see your Error for in thus doing ye prefer the Devils Doctrine before the Doctrine of Christ Yea ye shut out the sayings of Christ and take in the sayings of Satan If we have no way to try the Spirits Three Spirits speak in Men. how shall we know what Spirit it is that speaketh in us for there are three distinct Spirits that speak in Men at certain times Sometimes the Spirit of God moves and works in Meâ— he dwells and abides in his People but not in his Enemies he sometimes Reproves wicked Men the World of sin Righteousness and Judgment Secondly There is the seducing spirit he also moves in the Minds of Men both in the Godly and Vngodly He moved David and prevailed with him to his hurt This spirit all are to Watch
it Teacheth Men to have a low esteem of themselves and when they have done all they can in the ways of Obedience to account that yet they are but unprofitable Servants This Humble Spirit was seen in Paul who though he were a great Apostle yet he accounted himself less than the least of all Saints yea and teacheth all others to be of the same Mind In lowliness of Mind let each esteem other better than themselves Phil. 2.3 How far then are these Men from true Humility Sixthly The Sixth Lye in Hypocrisie Strong Man Armed p. 15. Another Lye in Hypocrisie is this They say their Patience is Invincible to them is this Grace given The World hath been against them not for their own sakes but for Christ's sake in them though they are he says the most Innocent and harmless People upon Earth Now whether this papears to be Truth or a Lye in Hypocrisie may appear by their Speeches and Writings wherein they express and manifest much Bitterness of Spirit Wrath Anger Malice and Impatience as is in their frequent foul harsh Language that proceeds from them both by their Tongues and Pens against those who do Converse with them or ask them questions Soberly and Modestly with a real desire to be Resolved or that ask them a Reason of the hope that is in them or of their perswasions about such or such things Their Answers ought to be given with Meekness and Love That they may satisfie those who ask them according to Truth But instead thereof they commonly pour out harsh words and speeches like those Enemies of David Psal 64.4 They whet their Tongues like a Sword they bend their Bows and shoot their Arrows even bitter words Witness Edward Burrough's Works p. 20 21 c. against a Servant of Christ asking him serious questions he Answered in such Language as this which others also of their Teachers do likewise own and approve of To all or most of the questions he mixeth this Language The Quakers Railing Accusations and many Expressions to the like purpose in his Answers Thou Reprobate and Child of Darkness we witness thee to be in the Sorcery and Witchcraft thou Dragon thy queries are Conjured in the Black Art out of the Bottomless Pit thou Diviner we witness thee to be the Beast thou Antichrist who looks at Christ's Death at Jerusalem alone thou Jesuite art pleading for Christ afar off thee thou art Accursed thou Beast to whom the Plagues of God are due Thou Blind Hypocrite thou Cain thou full of Subtilty with the Light thou art seen and with the Life thou art Judged and Condemned These words were poured out with many more such like Invectives against him the Querist and others from time to time as Men have conference with them But are these the Fruits and Evidences of Patience which they boast of which they say they have attained above all other Professing People Then what is Impatience Wrath Bitterness and Anger Are not their Tongues set on fire of Hell and moved by the Devil who brings the Fire from thence and kindles it and blows it up to a great Flame Nay doubtless they are not onely Pinch'd and vex'd by serious Questions and sound Scripture Arguments but also even cut to the Heart as the Jews were against Stephen when he dealt truly and plainly with them as we see Acts 7.54 When they heard these things they were cut to the Heart and they gnashed on him with their Teeth So these Men they are vex'd and Angry when they are Opposed and cannot Answer they are Pinch'd and cut to the very Heart which they shew and manifest by such speeches as these aforementioned for out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaketh These I say are Lyes in Hypocrisie This then is another Character plainly seen upon the Quakers whereby compared with the rest of the Characters spoken by the Holy Ghost they are manifested to be the false Prophets that should come into the World in these last days In this day is this Scripture fulfilled The false Teachers who were fore-told expresly by the Spirit of God that they should come in these last days even now are they come in this Generation They are Departed from the Faith they give heed to Seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils they speak Lyes in Hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron which is the next Character to be Discovered Fourthly The Fourth Character of false Teachers Their Consciences are seared with an hot Iron Another Character whereby false Prophets Teachers are known which the Spirit of God tells us of is this They have their Conscience seared with an hot Iron 1 Tim. 4.2 This Expression seared with an hot Iron taken properly is a Similitude of what is done Spiritually in and upon the Consciences of some more than Ordinary notorious sinners under a Judicial as well as Natural hardness of heart Blindness and Reprobate sense unto which Judgment God sometimes gives them up for refusing to Receive and Hearken to the Truth often tendred and Discovered to them with some other Notorious sins For as Natural Flesh seared with an hot Iron is thereby made hard dead and insensible so as it will not receive any Impression nor is sensible as soft tender lively Flesh is so it is with the Consciences of some Men which are seared they have no Spiritual sense nor feeling of spiritual things but are dead and hardned blind and deaf as concerning the things of God of which those Christians that have tender Consciences and soft hearts have a clear sight and sense of Men whose Consciences are seared with an hot Iron they do think apprehend and believe and that strongly too many things that are quite contrary to the Truth both as to Reason and Faith which things they speak and write accordingly Secondly Another Sign or Evidence of those whose Consciences are seared with an hot Iron is this They will Reject and Despise all plain Truths in Scripture as being contrary to their Corrupt Natures Principles and Interests though they are never so much concerned therein and though brought and tendred to them with never so much Love and earnest desire for their good and welfare yet these things take no Impression upon their hearts no more than upon a stone they remain still the same and no good is done upon them by any means Nay Thirdly as another Evidence of a seared Conscience The means used to Reform them does the more harden them and makes them the more Desperate in sinning which is seen in their many Imprecations Revilings Slanderings and bitter Reproachful speeches which proceed from them against those that would do them good Now is it not hereby Evident and plain That very many of the Quakers are under this Judgment of having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron So that this Character is also plainly seen upon them as is made manifest particularly by their Speeches Books and Practices Fifthly
left off to be a Parish Priest yea and after that hast left off from being a Teacher among the Independents and hast disowned and forsaken the Congregations and Assemblies of the Independents and art now come and joyned with the People called Quakers And thou tellest us That these are the onely Holy People of God upon Earth and that all other Churches Assemblies and Congregations Naming the Presbyterians Independents Baptists and others are out of the way and that though they differ in Forms or Perswasions yet they agree in the same Faith Foundation and Root Answ For Answer hereunto briefly I shall not speak to Reproach thee or rail upon thee or any of thy way as thou hast done against many of the Precious Saints in the Churches of Christ saying of the Independents whose Assemblies thou hast forsaken That there was sufficient ground for thee to separate from the Tents of those ungodly Men Strong Man Armed p. 8. their Teachers who are no better than Filthy Dreamers Blind Guids and Belly-gods which belch out nothing but Lies Slanders Blasphemies and evil speeches against Christ his Ways Truths and People and this thou sayest thou seest and declarest against them in the Light I say I will not bring against thee Railing Accusations as thou dost against others but the Lord Rebuke thee and that Lying Spirit in thee and Convince thy Spirit of the Truth Concerning thy leaving off to continue a Parish Priest thou didst well but thou hadst done better if thou hadst never undertaken it for there are too many such Priests like the Priests of Old the Sons of Eli who by reason of their wickedness made the Sacrifices of the Lord to be Abhorred There are many in these Days of the same Tribe who make the Gospel of Christ his Ways Truths and People to be evil spoken of yea they make the Name of Christ to be Blasphemed and his People Reproached even through them and by their means And making others who are the true and Faithful Ministers and Ambassadors of Christ to be evil spoken of Reviled and Disowned for their sakes and because of them yea more They Occasion Separations in all parts of the Land Wo unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain and run greedily after the Error of Balaam for a Reward and get into the Priests Office that they may eat a piece of Bread that they may get a Living by it Many of them more sit for the Cart or the Plough than the Pulpit having neither Gifts of Nature nor of Grace fit for the Ministry Men that never learned Christ were never taught of God and how then can they Teach others Nay instead of Instructing others in the ways of Life and Salvation they by their wicked Examples draw them down to Hell they are the worst of Men upon Earth I have Indignation against such and am greatly grieved for the Misery of those poor Ignorant Souls of their Parishes who are like to perish for lack of Knowledge the Blind leading the Blind both will fall into the Ditch The Lord Remove them or Reform them and give Pastors after his own heart according to his Promise And for this I Commend thee James Jackson that thou didst leave off thy Profaneness and also deceiving the People as a Parish Priest But now take heed The Strong Hold of Hypocrisie is stronger than that of Profaneness lest thou art not yet deceived in the state and condition thou art now in lest the false spirit be not too subtill for thee lest Satan that strong Man Armed having quit one strong hold be not got into another that is stronger than the former for certain it is the Devil's power and policy in a way of Gross wickedness and profaneness is not half so strong a hold as the strong hold of Hypocrisie Where Reason Natural Conscience all outward Occurrences Moral Civilized Persons all can readily Reprove and help to draw a Man out of such an Estate but the strong hold of Hypocrisie and Erroneous perswasions and Practices in a way of Religion is more Dangerous and a stronger Hold where nothing but the spirit of God and an enlightned Vnderstanding to discern the Truth of the word of the Gospel can Instruct a Man especially when a Man hath passed through many or divers States Forms Opinions and perswasions and at last hath pitched upon one that he Judges and Concludes doth Exceed all the former if yet this be false and he know it not he is then in greater Danger than ever seeing his own Natural Reason and his Ignorant dim-sighted Conscience confirmed by the strong delusions of Satan that spirit that worketh and Ruleth in the Children of Disobedience do all concurre and joyn together and hold the poor soul in Bondage under Darkness which is by many taken for the true Light of Christ I say Take heed of being deceived in these things thou and thy Friends for I say the strong hold of the Devil in a way of Profaneness is not so strong as his strong hold in a way of Hypocrisie or false Worship this is Evident both by Scripture and Experience Christ told the Pharisees who were Zealous in a way of Hypocrisie That Publicans and Haâ—lots great and gross sinners in a way of Profaneness should enter into the Kingdom of Heaven before them Mat. 21.31 And that I may shew my true Love to your souls whether you will Accept it or no I will Endeavour to shew unto thee and them things in a clearer Light than yet shines in you Thou sayest the strong Man Armed the Devil is cast out of thee and Christ a stronger than he is come in and now keeps the House How is this made manifest Thy saying so does not prove it but thy Sayings and thy Doings prove the contrary and this I shall make good both by positive Scripture and by Example If any Man be in Christ The New Creature doth Evidence it self where it is he is a New Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 He that is Converted and changed from the state of Nature to the state of Grace out of whom Satan is cast and Christ come in he is New in his Vnderstanding Will Affections yea New in his whole Life and Conversation But now it appears plainly that thy Vnderstanding is still Old the same Ignorance Blindness Darkness remains upon it as is in all Natural Men and this is seen and manifest by thy false Interpretations of Scriptures and Secondly by thy false applications of them in Applying those Scriptures to the Saints true Believers Members of Christ as do belong only to the unregenerate World such as are yet in the state of Nature neither art thou changed in thy Will and Affections they are not yet New but according to the Old Nature in all unregenerate Persons as plainly appears in that thou shewest forth no true Love to the Lords precious People Members of the Body of Christ but contrariwise disownest them and
God and Father of all c. First one Body 1. One Body All Believers in all Ages of the world past present and to come in all Nations Kindreds and People Worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth under all Forms do make this one body And this one body hath but one Spirit 2. One Spirit as the Members of the Natural Body have but one Soul to Actuate and Enliven them so also in the Mystical body they all are quickned taught moved and led by that one Spirit which is the Promise of the Father and of the Son Thirdly The Members of this one body having one spirit have also one hope even the hope and expectation of all the good things promised in the Gospel 3. One Hope Eternal Life the enjoyment of God for ever Fourthly Another Bond of Vnion in the true Church 4. One Lord. is One Lord even our Lord Jesus Christ unto whose Laws and Commands all his People are Subject Fifthly One Faith That is 5. One Faith the true Justifying Faith of Gods Elect wrought by that one Spirit apprehending that one Lord for Justification by him alone Paul calls it the Common Faith Titus 1.4 Titus mine own Son after the Common Faith Sixthly Another Bond of Vnion in the true Church 6. One Baptism is one Baptism 1 Cor. 12.13 By one spirit we are all Baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Greeks whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit This one Baptism makes all Believers truly one Seventhly The last bond of Vnity of the true Church 7. One God is One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all All Believers are born of God and are all Partakers of the Divine Nature among the Lords People none of them have a better Nature than another as to the Truth but as it differs in the Degrees or Measures to some God is pleased to Communicate a greater measure to some a lesser Measure of Gifts and Graces that one and the self-same Spirit Divideth to every Man severally as he will 1 Cor. 12.11 We see here these seven Bonds are the true Bonds of the true Members of Christ his Body the Church and are here mentioned and laid down by the Apostle as strong Reasons and Grounds why all the Members should endeavour to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace and not Divide and Separate one from another seeing they are all Members of one Body and have but one Spirit among them all and have all one hope all of them but one Lord one Faith one Baptism all but one God and Father here is good Reason then they should be one among themselves in Vnity Peace Love Fellowship and Communion one with another as Opportunity serves So that the Author above mentioned hath little Reason to boast of that kind of Vnity that is among the Quakers if he consider these things Sixthly 6. The Quakers Patience The Author of the strong man Armed cast out further tells us That the Patience and Faithfulness of these People in doing and suffering the Will of God is Remarkable for the World is against them though as he says they are the onely Innocent and harmless People upon the Earth and because there is more of God amongst these People the Quakers than others therefore are they hated of all Men and every where amongst all Religions evil spoken of Answ In Answer whereunto I say That Patient suffering for Well-doing is very Acceptable with God and shall certainly have a great Reward from God the Apostle Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.14 If ye Suffer for Righteousness sake happy are ye But there is a Suffering sometimes for Evil doings and Evil sayings And it is better if the Will of God be so that we Suffer for well doing than for evil doing v. 17. Now it is true These People the Quakers have been Sufferers as well as others but for what have they Suffered Has it been for well doing for doing the Will and Work of Christ They will say Yea for doing the Will of God but it follows not therefore that it is so Christ will rather say unto them who Required these things at your Hands Nay he hath forbidden them your False Doctrines and Opinions your Disownings Despisings and Separations from the Precious People of the Lord in all the Societies Assemblies and Congregations in the Land your Disturbing of them and Railing against them whilst they are about the work of the Lord ye your selves being drawn or driven by the Seducing Spirit have done his work and not the Lords work and have sometimes Suffered for it And herein ye boast and think your Patience is great and that ye suffer according to the Will of God But know That it is not the Suffering but the Cause that makes a Martyr It is possible a Man may give his body to be burned and that is more than to be Imprisoned and yet not suffer for Righteousness-sake 1 Cor. 13. Though I give my Body to be burned and have not Love it profiteth me nothing Jesuites and Papists have sometimes suffered for their false Principles and Practices and so may others and so have you Therefore speak no more of your Patient sufferings untill ye know that ye Suffer for a good Cause for well doing untill ye Suffer for Christ and for Righteousness-sake Thus I have gone through the several particulars wherein the Author of the strong man Armed cast out says He and the People called Quakers do Excell all other Professing People in the World wherein it appears to all Men that have in them the Spirit of God how grossely these People are Deluded and blinded by seducing spirits that they give heed unto which making strong Impressions in their Minds they are Seduced and carried away with them never Examining of them and Trying of them by the Scriptures and so are easily Deceived And it is a most dreadful Condition that they are in and an Evidence of the greatest and sorest Judgment of God that the Nature of Man is capable of on this side Hell a Judicial blindness and hardness of heart upon any Man or Men is the greatest of all Judgments And this is the punishment that God often lays upon Men that will not hearken unto him that Despise his Word and Ordinances his Worship and his People That will not Receive the Truth in Love that they might be saved Therefore God doth send them strong Delusions that they should believe a Lye that they all might be Damned who believe not the Truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness That which doth confirm this man James Jackson A false Perswasion of Conversion Author of the strong man Armed cast out that he is truly Converted by the Light within which he says is Christ is this for that he finds such wonderful Effects in himself as he Accounts them he is
have rejected the word of the Lord and what wisdome is in them So then here we see plainly they that speak not and write not according to the Scriptures they have neither wisdome nor Light in them Consider this ye deluded People among the Quakers that give more heed to a dim natural light within darkned also by deluding spirits than to the Light of the Scriptures though the Sun of Righteousness shine Bright and Gloriously in them The Apostle John hath marked out such men for wicked men 1 John 4.6 We are of God he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of Error What can be more plain hereby then it is Evident what sort of men these are in this Generation who will not hear the Prophets and Apostles speaking by the Spirit in the Scriptures he that will not hear Vs is not of God but on the contrary he that heareth us that is obeyeth us and is ruled and guided by that which we have spoken and written he is of God and is guided and taught by the Spirit of God which God hath also given to them that believe And farther This truth is also spoken by our blessed Lord and Savionr Christ himself even from his own mouth Joh. 8.47 when the Proud unbelieving Jewes such another proud self-conceited People as are now in our dayes would not receive his doctrine he tells them plainly what they are ver 47. he that is of God heareth Gods words ye therefore heard them not because ye are not of God Tremble and Quake at this Dreadful word ye seduced People of the Quakers who will not hear nor be guided by the Scriptures the written and declared word of God Ye are here pronounced by Christs own mouth his Prophets and Apostles that ye are not of God That is ye are not born of God ye are not born of the Spirit for that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit ye are not regenerate ye are not believers ye are no members of Christ ye are not taught of God nor led by his Spirit but by a false Spirit When Paul wrote to Timothy he commended him for that he had known the Scriptures from a child which were able to make him wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 And sayes that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness ver 17. That the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good workes But these men are so farr from being furnished to all good workes that they are reprobate to every good work they having cast-aside the Scriptures they can never be furnished any other way to any good Work Let us consider how great a favour it is from God that we have the Scriptures The Scriptures are Gods Love-letters to Mankind which are Gods Love-letters to Mankind indited by his own Spirit and written by his own servants to woo them and win them to accept of his own and only beloved Son in marriage that there may be a Contract and an everlasting Vnion between them and so they may become the Spouse of Christ the Lambs Wife And that although they have no Beauty nor Comeliness upon them yet that he will accept of them notwithstanding their Deformity if they will but but consent to the motion And Oh who would not consent to such a wonderfull condiscension in the Great and Holy God to such poor miserable creatures as we are blind and deaf deformed foul and filthy poor and needy wanting all things that might make us acceptable in his eyes But though it be so yet he hath promised that he will make us Comely and Beautiful and Rich with Ornaments and a Crown of Glory and no good thing shall be wanting to them that love him Therefore all these things considered let us have the Scriptures in high esteem and walk by them for we shall be judged by them at the last day But what a sad case are they in then who deny them as a Rule to walk by and disown them And if so great a curse shall be the portion of those who take away any part of the Scriptures as that God will take away their part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy City and from the things that are written therein Rev. 22. what shall we think will be the Portion and Punishment of those who take away all the Scripture at once and make it as a void thing and deny them to be a perfect Rule to Christians of Faith and Obedience and do instead thereof direct men to a blind guide that had need of a guide it self for that it sees nothing of the true way the truth and the life without the Scriptures Now because the spirit of God who indited the Scriptures Characters of false Prophets whereby they are known and spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets and Apostles and Christ himself also in his own person hath told us That false Prophets and Teachers should be in the later dayes and should seduce and deceive many And so subtle shall their carriage and their Doctrine be like their Teacher that they shall deceive if it were possible the very Elect And because also we know that these are the last times the last daies even these dayes wherein we live in which dayes these false Teachers foretold should come it is our duty therefore and it highly concerns every Christian to try the Spirits because even Now many false Prophets are in the world among us Let us consider and examine than who these false Prophets and Teachers are how they may be known What Marks and Characters there are set down in the Scriptures whereby these men may be known for the Spirit of God hath marked them out whereby they may be discerned from other men even whereby they may be known to be the very men foretold that should come in these last dayes Our Lord Christ hath bid us take heed of them Luk. 13.23 Behold saith he I have foretold you of these things Let us therefore consider some particulars as marks of these men First then that in the Epistle of Paul to Tim. 1 Tim. 4.1 Now the spirit speaketh expresly that in the later times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils 1. Some shall depart from the Faith 1. Departing from the Faith Now what kind of Faith is here meant it is not a true and justifying faith for that none can depart from but it is a Temporary Faith some shaddows and fancies resembling faith such a faith as our Lord Christ speakes of Mat. 10. They believed for a while but in time of Temptation fell away 2. They also cast off and departed from Historical Faith for they regard not what is written in the Scriptures either concerning Faith or Practice
were enlightned and led by him they would make a Difference and separate the precious from the vile but they do not Distinguish between the Righteous and the Wicked but Condemn them together and so are Abomination to the Lord So that thereby it is plainly seen that they are not of God that they are not as his Mouth to the People as they pretend Jer. 9. It is the Seducing Spirit we may be sure that doth bely and Reproach the Lord's People and his Works and Operations in them By this and other Characters afore-mentioned we may be as sure who the Men are as if their Proper Names whereby the World knows them from other Men were Recorded in Scripture For as the Lords People may certainly know that their Names are in the Scriptures and are Written in Heaven in the Book of Life Gods Eternal Decree and Secret Counsell by Seeing and Reading their Natures Properties and Qualifications in the Scriptures to which Eternal Life is promised I say they may know thereby that they themselves are the Persons as certainly as if their Proper Names were there Recorded whereby they are known amongst Men So on the contrary of Wicked and Ungodly Men they are also known in like manner by their Natures Properties and Qualifications We know who hath said Births of the Spirit and of the Flesh That which is Born of the flesh is flesh and that which is Born of the spirit is spirit We may know of what it is Born by the Birth that is brought forth Satan he broods upon the Carnal Spirits of wicked Men and begets false Notions Opinions and Principles we may know they are of his begetting by their Form and shape when they are brought forth Principles of Pride self-love false Notions and other Deformed shapes when they are Conceived then after a while they are brought forth they are born they are Published and Declared in Discourse Preaching Writing or Printing the Births of Mens minds their Fleshly Carnal Minds are brought forth into the World and they are so like their Father the Devil that thereby they may be known who was the Father of them So on the contrary That which is Born of the spirit is spirit the spirit of God dwells in his People and he daily works and moves in them he Inspires them with Truths according to the Mind of God which the Spiritual Mind Conceives and brings forth in Prayer Preaching Discourse and Writings and these Conceptions are Born and brought forth into the World to the View and Knowledge of all And that which is thus born of the spirit is spirit or spiritual it is Truth According to the Mind of the spirit for he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit one with him of his Mind The Saints are Unanimous of the same Mind with God as Wicked and Unregenerate Men are unanimous with the Devil they are of his Mind and he of theirs for he Ruleth in the Children of Disobedience The Devil speaks against Christ and so do they though they will own him in Words in Form in Shew and Pretence yet in Deed in Works really they deny him The Devil will own the Scriptures in words as he does Christ in words and say Thou art the Holy one of God so will those who are one spirit with him but will deny him really and according to Truth The Devil will own the Scriptures and Argue from them to attain his ends but never to prove a Necessary Truth So false Teachers are unanimous with him in these things for he that is joyned to the Devil is one Spirit even as he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit How great then is the sin of these Men Spiritual sins are greater than fleshly sins who Conceive in their Minds and bring forth the Births of the Devil as all Doctrines of Devils are Surely These Spiritual sins are greater than fleshly sins as Drunkenness Gluttony Adultery Murder c. If Robbery or Murder of a Man be so great a sin what is it to Rob God and to Crucifie and be guilty of the Blood of Christ Though for these and such like when Men will not be reclaimed from them God often gives them up to a Reprobate Mind Rom. 1. Even so he does also for these spiritual sins false Opinions Doctrines and Principles Concerning Christ his Natures Righteousness Merits and the things of God when they will not be Instructed but hate to be Reformed and change their Mind when they will not hearken to the Truth but still resist it disown it contradict and Blaspheme when the Truths of the Gospel have been often Offered and tendred to them yet they will not hear nor regard but rather believe Lyes than the Truth then God gives them up to strong delusion to believe Lyes and to hearken and give heed to seducing spirits this is a very dreadful state indeed they draw these spiritual Judgments upon themselves by these spiritual sins The Quakers setting up this Idol The Light within every Man and Woman is a greater sin in them than for Jezebels false Prophets to set up Baal and Pray unto it and trust in it instead of the God of Israel May it not Ironically be said to them as Elisha said to those false Prophets Cry aloud for he is a god as ye say but he is but a Blind god he hath Eyes indeed but he cannot see Ears but he cannot hear Hands and Feet but he cannot move to help or do any thing for those who Trust in him without help from another If these Men will not be pleaded nor perswaded out of their Vain Ignorant sottish Opinion of the Light within every Man and Woman being Christ let Men endeavour to Shame them out of it for it hath not so much as a shew or shadow of Truth in it but is plainly a most dreadful delusion of the Devil and a great Blasphemy against Christ This Opinion of theirs The false Opinions of the Quakers spring from Pride and Ignorance with other of their false Principles springs from Pride and Ignorance And this the Apostle Observes concerning such Men 1 Tim. 6.3 4. If any Man teach otherwise and consent not to wholsome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness Ver. 4. He is Proud knowing nothing but Doting about Questions and strife of words whereof cometh Envy Strife Railing Evil surmisings Ver. 5. Perverse Disputings of Men of Corrupt Minds and Destitute of the Truth c. Such kind of men were also in the Apostle Johns time as we see Rev. 3.17 They were Proud and Ignorant They thought themselves Rich and had need of Nothing whereas indeed they were poor and miserable and blind and naked It is our duty to discover these kind of people to try them and to make them manifest to the world as much as may be for their false Opinions of God of Themselves and of Others is
win Christ Ver. 9. And he found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith We can hear no such Doctrine as this amongst the Quakers nay the very contrary slighting the Person of Christ and the Righteousness of Christ Imputed to Believers who of God is made Righteousness to them And setting up their own Righteousness and the Perfection of it which may be made appear by their Books And yet they tell and so deceive their simple silly Hearers that they do Declare Christ unto them the Light within every Man and Woman that is God and Christ the Saviour of the World But will this serve their turn to put the Name Christ upon one of his Creatures Will Christ allow any to take away his Name and his Glory and cloath an Idol with it and then say they Declare and set forth Christ This is the way to divert and draw off the minds of poor Ignorant People from Christ as he is Revealed in the Gospel This is the great Fundamental Doctrine of the Devil The Devil 's Fundamental Doctrine The chief point of Doctrine that he Teacheth his Disciples That is to say To Deny Christ Eo disown him according as the Gospel hath Revealed him and then to set up something else in his stead Let them call it Christ if they will that 's no Matter to give it the Name so it be not Christ he knows it will deceive Ignorant Minds the sooner the more easily For thereby he knows they do but Mock Christ and disown him the more and also the more provoke him that Men should give his Name and Title to any thing and disown himself as these Men do They call the Light within Christ but deny Christ himself as the Gospel sets him forth Now this the Devil knows is enough to serve his turn and destroy them and therefore he still keeps the Eye of their Mind upon this and makes them look upon it through a Multiplying Glass and shuts the Eyes of their Mind against Christ as he is Revealed in the Scriptures The God of this wicked World hath Blinded the Minds of them that believe not lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them And if the Gospel be hid from them it is hid to them that are lost We see in all their Declarings in all their Books and Pamphlets this is the Main and Chief point to Teach their Hearers to take heed to the Light within to the Witness of God within with variety of Expressions to that purpose But what do we hear in all their Books and Teachings concerning Christ that was Promised long before he came into the World of Christ that was born when the fulness of time was come of Christ that Lived amongst us and Preached and Taught amongst us the way of Salvation of Christ that Dyed for us and rose again and Ascended into Heaven that is now at the right Hand of God making Intercession for us of Christ that shall shortly come again in glory and yet in his Humane Nature to Judge the World in Righteousness This is the Christ that the Gospel Declares and that all true Believers know and own and Teach plainly and clearly without Equivocations and subtil Evasions as these false Teachers among the Quakers use to speak of him and whom all believers have Received by Faith who dwells in them and they in him But what do we hear of all this in the Teachings of these Men among the Quakers Nay on the contrary their Doctrines in their Books and Pamphlets that they frequently send forth do Directly Oppose these things And therefore we may safely conclude their Doctrine is the Doctrine of Devils for if all the Devils in Hell should combine together and joyn their Cursed Craft and Malice against Christ and the Souls of Men they could not bring forth a more Damning Doctrine than this is For to Deny Christ is to deny all What then shall we say to these Men or of them Surely Obstinate Quakers to be Rejected seeing these things are so That they have thus denyed the Lord that bought us and Preach up another Christ and maintain and uphold this their Idol in Opposition to Christ as the Gospel hath Declared him and slight and Despise the Scriptures we have grounds to conclude they are Men of Corrupt Minds of Seared Consciences Idolaters and Hereticks Now the Apostle by the Inspiration of God gives us a Rule 1 Tim. 3. Reject an Heretick after once or twice Admonished but these Men have been often Admonished Pleaded and Disputed with and they regard not Admonition they resist the Truth and the Spirit of Grace and Truth speaking in the Scriptures and in and by his People they will not hear they will not regard the Counsel of God But in their Ignorance and Pride they despise both God and Men and do prefer their own Idle and vain Fancies and Satans subtile false Insinuations before the Teachings of the Spirit of God If God should work a Miracle and raise up the Apostle Paul from the Dead to Declare against them and their Doctrines they would no more regard him nor his Teachings than they regard Tho. Hicks in his three Dialogues Between a Christian and a Quaker or than they regard any other Messenger of Christ who pleads with them and lays the very truths of God before them as it is Revealed by the Spirit in the Gospel We are assured of this from Luke 16.31 If they will not Hear Moses and the Prophets neither will they hear though one should rise from the Dead So if they will not hear Christ and his Apostles in the Gospel if they will not hear the Scriptures neither will they be perswaded to imbrace the Truth though one should be sent to them from the Dead Nay if Christ himself should come and speak to them in that mean state and condition that he was when he conversed among us here below these People would regard him no more than the hardned Jews did in their Day For they Reject and Deny him now his Doctrine and his Person in his Merits Righteousness Satisfaction c And so would do if he were Personally present So that my Judgment is Let them alone they be blind Leaders of the blind they talk of a Light within but the Light in them is Darkness and it is a great darkness a double darkness more than a single Natural darkness as is the state of all Mankind by Nature but also a darkness added to that even a darkness as a punishment or a Judgment a Judicial darkness Natural darkness is the sin of man but this darkness is the Judgment of God That because they regard not the Truth they will not receive it in the Love thereof therefore hath God given them up to strong delusions to believe lies That seeing they will not believe
the Truth they shall believe Lyes What Difference shall we think is there between these Men The Quakers sin is like the great sin of the hardened Jews the Teachers among the Quakers who have delivered these Damnable Doctrines afore-mentioned being the Doctrines of Devils and still maintain them What difference I say between them and those Jews who Blaspemed the Holy Ghost and ran into that sin unto death Those Jews Rejected Christ his sayings and Doctrine which he Taught among them and they told him that he had a Devil Christ tells them then after that he had often spoken unto them and Taught them and they would not hear him nor regard his sayings he then Declares unto them their dreadful state And surely the sin of these Men looks so like unto the sin of those Jews that I think it 's hard for any Man to distinguish them otherwise than by saying That the sin of these Teachers does Exceed the sin of those Jews The sin of these Men seems to be much Aggravated in that they have not onely heard all those Sayings and Doctrines of Christ which he Preached among the Jews but they have had the Truths of God Offered and tendred to them by others also the Apostles Evangelists and Disciples of Christ have spoken to them in the Scriptures which those Jews never had And also many of the Ministers Messengers and Ambassadors of Christ have spoken to them and tendred the very Truths of the Gospel to them yea many others of his Faithful Saints and Servants have from time to time spoken to them and Advised Counselled and Admonished them and yet all in vain they have Rejected all and despised all and have as Swine Trampled Pearls under their Feet and turned again and Rent those that brought them they have Reviled them and Reproached them for so doing so that to what purpose should any Man go about to Teach these Teachers who are not capable to Learn as being Blinded and Hardned and Sealed up as is feaâ—ed even to destruction having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron Men of Corrupt Minds Reprobate to every good work without Judgment unfit either to Teach or Learn For we know there have been many such in former days who were guilty of this great sin some such were contemporaries with the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 6.10 Make the Heart of this People fat and make their Ears heavy and shut their Eyes c So also many such were in the Time of our Lord and Saviour Mat. 13.15 This Peoples Heart is waxed gross and their Ears are dull of Hearing and their Eyes they have closed lest at any time they should See with their Eyes and Hear with their Ears and should Vnderstand with their Heart and should 〈◊〉 Converted and I should heal them In this Generation there are just such a People even those of whom we speak they shut their Ears and their Eyes and their Hearts against Christ and the Truths of the Gospel All the Advice and Councels of Men which are according to the Truth all are Rejected and Despised The Inspirations of the spirit of God are refused but the Inspirations of the spirit of Delusion are readily Received and Embraced My Judgment is therefore let them be Rejected as Hereticks having been so often Admonished as Men that are hardned to Destruction And for the Hearers among the Quakers Advice to the Hearers among the Quakers my Councel unto you is Separate your selves from the Congregations and Meetings of these ungodly Men lest ye be Consumed in all their sin Be as much afraid of them and of their Poysonous Doctrines as ye would be afraid to eat of a dish of Meat before you on the Table that had rank Poyson in it of which ye were told and fully assured of it Would ye eat of such a Dish I know ye would not Remember and consider Eternity it will be well or ill with you for ever according as ye Receive or Refuse the Truths of the Gospel now Beware of False Prophets which come to you in Sheeps clothing but inwardly they are Ravening Wolves if ye be the Sheep of Christ follow him and know his Voice in the Scriptures in your hearts and amongst his own People and follow not Strangers that bring strange false Doctrines about the Light within and in many other things which have been mentioned contrary to the Mind of Christ Revealed in the Scriptures These People the Quakers The Quakers great Idol near falling have forsaken the Fountain of Living Waters and have run to broken Cisterns And seeing they have forsaken the Living and true God the Glory of his People and set up an Idol a false Christ the Light in every Man and Woman that cometh into the World I shall therefore bring against this their false Doctrine several Arguments from Scripture to prove the Vanity and falshood of it as so many Pieces of Ordnance Planted against this great Idol which the Quakers have set up and Worship that so it may fall as Dagon before the Ark of the Lord. Whereas they say That Christ the true Light is in every Man and Woman that cometh into the World This is not a Truth because in whomsoever Christ is and dwells he does enlighten that Soul with true Light saving Light supernatural Light even by himself by his Spirit and by the Scriptures It 's true all wicked Men that come into the World have Lights of Christ's making he Created them which Enlighten all Mankind and that both Outwardly and Inwardly 1. They are Enlightned Outwardly by Lights that God hath Created and set in the Heavens the Sun and the Moon by which all are Enlightened 2. And then Secondly All Men and Women that come into the World are Enlightned with Inward Light also Reason and Natural Conscience So Christ the true Light Enlightneth all that come into the World which is all that is Intended and meant by that place John 1.9 But Christ himself is the true Light the Light of Lights who inlightneth his own People immediately by himself and by his Spirit which the wicked of the World are not Partakers of they have onely those common Lights afore-mentioned As is fully and plainly Proved by these Scripture Arguments Ten Propositions Proved by Scripture Those in whom Christ is and and dwells First Argument Prop. 1. he Inlightens them with spiritual Light But wicked Men and women are not Inlightned with spiritual Light therefore Christ is not in wicked Men and women For Proof of these Propositions both Major and Minor then the Conclusion drawn from them must needs be granted by all Rational Men See Eph. 5.8 Ye sometimes were Darkness but now are ye Light in the Lord walk as Children of Light And Paul was sent to turn Men from Darkness to Light Acts 26.18 And we see the Corinthians who sometimes were Darkness and afterwards Converted Paul says 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the Light to shine out of