Circumference to the Center they all meet and center in Christ Anâ— indeed it is as the Navel of Christianity anâ— Characteristick of that Religion 〈◊〉 would intreat Him again to reflect well 〈◊〉 his own Acknowledgment and Comâ—endation of our Belief concerning the End 〈◊〉 Benefit of Christ to Mankind and he 〈◊〉 not think us so deficient much less unâ—â— such strong and dangerous Delusions as he 〈◊〉 been pleased to represent us His Third Paragraph will not suffer us 〈◊〉 be Christians notwithstanding what 〈◊〉 have said of our Belief in Christ in our Paper called Gospel-Truths In one sence I shall easily agree with him for I think nothing makes any Man a True Christian but Regeneration the Power of the Son of God Revealed in the Soul Converting 〈◊〉 to God For the Devils Believe and Tremble too and yet are Devils still they Believe what is True but they do not Truly Believe in him that is True They know and assent to the Propositions of Truth or Articles of Faith and knew Him to be Christ too when He came of old and called him by His Name but this did not make True Christians Then of them Nor yet does an Assent Now to all the Truths of the Gospel Truly Qualifie Men Christians unless they feel the Power of them upon their Hearts And I would have my Reader reflect well upon rhis Great â—nd Essential Truth tho' he were as Big as a Bishop For a new Creature is the Bâ—siness an Orthodox Life the Cross of Chriâ—â— which is the Narrow way of Self-denial 〈◊〉 I must say That whoever declares he believes in Christ as his Sacrifice and Sanctifâ—â—â— which is to save both from the Guilt 〈◊〉 Pollution of Sin is a Professor of Christianâ—â—â— and may reasonably be allowed to beâ—â— Christian at large And that what we haâ—â— declared in our Third Fourth Fifth aâ—â— Sixth Gospel-Truth comprehends the Beâ—â— before-mentioned my Just and Sober Râ—â—der may satisfie himself in the peruâ—â— thereof His Fourth Paragraph faults our first Article as he is pleased to call it with greâ—â— Shortness and Imperfection concerning our Belief of God for tho' he says we own his Prâ—vidence as to the other Life yet we say nâ—thing as to the Creation of this present Work and Providence over it But with the Bishop leave He that believes in God believes 〈◊〉 all that 's necessary to the Supreme Being 'T is what he and all Christians take foâ— granted and allow as often as they heaâ— any one say He believes in God For noâ— to believe Him Omnipotent Omnissieâ—t and Omnipresent is not to believe him to beâ—â— God being inseparable from the Divineâ— Nature I must appeal to the Bishop wheâ—â—er a small Grain of Charity would not have excused us from his Reflection upon this Head We have said more then Moses â—â—d to Pharaoh For besides that I am is â—o more then He is We have added that He is the Rewarder of all Men according to â—heir Works We gave the Text as it is â—nd the very Text seems exprest for a Declaâ—â—tion of Faith in God viz. He that will come to God must believe that He is and that He is a Rewarder of them that seek Him â—he Text does not Enumerate and require â—he belief of all the Divine Attributes and Properties that are in God but the bare â—elief of his Being and what He is to Mankind that fear him And whatever the Bishop says this is enough for a Man to come to God tho' not enough it seems to come â—â—o the Bishop in the Quality of a Believer He must help the Holy Ghost to speak Properly or we that speak after him must be deficient in our Expressions if not our Belief But when any one affirms that Man was created by God is he Short Fallacious or Equivocal because he does not say how God made Man or what he made him â—â—is not his Body Soul and Spirit his Will Understanding Memory and Affections comprized and meant under that word Man Besides could the Bishop think that while we owned God's greater Providence his lesser could be disbelieved by us He that has the alone Power of Rewarding Men in the other World according to their Works in this must certainly be the Sovereign of Both and his Providence in Justice is to be so understood And as it is most certain that we believe of God all that the Holy Scriptures declare of him and whatsoever is proper to that Great and Glorious Being so had we not thought it unnecessary to be more particular from the Common Notion all Men have of the Deity the Bishop could have had no room left for the Exercise of his Charity In his fifth Paragraph he Blames us of being Defective in our Confession of the Holy Trinity Tho' we give it in the very Terms of the Holy Ghost 1 John 15. 7. If this is not a sufficient Text to prove the Trinity that Antiquity Urges and also Modern Writers of the Church of England to prove it I know not where to find one in the Scripture It is Generally believed the Apostle John gave this Declaration to the first Christians to prevent their being deluded by Cerinthius How come the Bishop then to render it but 〈◊〉 by passage and otherwise intended by the Apostle than for an Article of Faith about the Trinity Is there a plainer or a fuller any where in the Writings of the New Testament Three and yet One is the Doctrine of the Trinity And no other Apostle has gone so far or been so Express Insomuch that the Text has been doubted and render'd Apocryphal by such as do not believe the Common Doctrine of the Trinity and Foisted in to serve the turn of Trinitarians So plain it has been thought to their purpose even by the Anti-Trinitarians How then is the Text defective with the Bishop But he says the Apostle writ it upon occasion Doubtless he did so But what other Occasion I pray than that of the Holy Trinity He adds and it was to the Apostles purpose touching the Father Son and Holy Ghost But what purpose could the Apostle have but that of Declaring the Trinity and yet Unity What other Use does be make of it The Bishop must be very hard put to it certainly to shift off and lessen our Confession in this Point and Rather then fail render the Text it self short which with submission I think is a bold Attempt in one of his Station if he Believes the Thirty Nine Articles The next and sixth Paragraph relating to our third gospel-Gospel-Truth is large and consists of divers Branches and therefore I shall Consider them distinctly and apart In the third Article You acknowledge indeed the Son of God to have been made Flesh but neither Conceived by the Holy Ghost nor Born of the Virgin Mary So that it does not appear by this your Confession but that he was at first anâ— Ordinary Corrupt and Sinful Person I think it is
God The Nature of it is to Discover Sin Reprove for It and Lead out of It all such as Love and Obey the Convictions thereof It is a Principle of Divine Life that Quickens the Obedient Heart to Newness of Life It Raises the Mind above the World to God and searches out and reveals the Deep things of God to the humble and waiting Soul And be it known to the Bishop and all that with him profess Ignorance about what we mean by the Light of Christ within Man This is It I have been treating of and I have writ I bless Almighty God My own Experience the Taste and Relish I have had of Its Excellency and Sufficiency in the Course of far the greater and best part of my Life But the Bishop must excuse me if I say I â—annot but take it very Ill at his hands to â—orbid us in his following Words to pretend â—o give an Account of what we Believe unless â—e can make him understand our meaning And â—ecause he does not penetrate our Sense to â—all our way of Wording that blessed Prinâ—iple of the Light of Christ in Man a Perâ—ect Banter This to me is one of the seveâ—est Persecutions because Spiritual things â—re only to be Spiritually discerned and unâ—erstood I would fain know how a Regeâ—erate Man can possibly make a Carnal Man understand the New Birth It is cerâ—ainly the Gift of God to understand Divine Truths as well as Rightly to Believe So that supposing our Assertion of the Nature Power and Excellency of the Light of Christ in Man to be true not to have leave to say so unless we could make every Man rightly take our Sence and Meaning whether he be Spiritually Discerning or not looks Antichristian as well as Unreasonable We speak Wisdom says the Apostle among them that are perfect 1 Cor. 7. 6. It seems others understand him not must He therefore not have wrote of the things of God The very Preaching of the Gospel was Foolishness to the Wiselings of Jews and Greeks they could make neither Head nor Tail of It by Their way of Judging of Truth Must not the Gospel therefore be preach'd When the Apostle Paul preach'd to the Athenians some of the Men of the Gown the Philosophers of that Time Opposed and Despised him saying What will this Babbler say But had they known what he meant we cannot think they would have said so to Him Waâ— the Aposlte then or the Athenians in faulâ— that they did not understand Him Or was it Bantering as well as Babbling because he did not make them understand his meaning which is only the Work of the Holy Ghost to do Who was it I pray thaâ— said The World by Wisdom knew not God And can we suppose any thing else blinded the Scribes and Pharisees and the High-Priest of the Jews from discerning the Messiah when He came For they wanted not Academical Learning if that could have enlightned them nor yet the Scriptures but they Resisted the Holy Ghost their only True Interpreter and so stumbled and fell Let the Bishop also have a Care In the Second Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians he will find that the Aâ—ostle spake the Wisdom of God in a Myâ—tery which the Prinees of this World knew â—ot with all their Wisdom For the things â—f God fays the Apostle knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God by which those Christians knew those things that were freely given to them of God Which thing also we speak says He not in the Words which Mans Wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teachetb comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual But the Natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him Neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned Now according to the Bishops treatment of us the Apostle ought not to have writ of Faith and Salvation unless he could have made all that read his Writings understand his Meaning And it must be a perfect Banter to talk of speaking Wisdom in a Mystery and not in the Terms that Man's Wisdom teacheth But the Lord Jesus Christ was of another Mind when he said I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things the Truths of the Kingdom from the Wise and Prudent and Reveal'd them unto Babes Even so Father for so it seem'd Good in thy sight It is hence beyond all Dispute that God hideth the Mysteries of His Kingdom from the Wisdom of Man when Simplicity and Sincerity fail not to Reach and Understand them Here it was that poor Nicodemus was absolutely at a loss for Christ's meaning when Christ said Unless a Man be born again he can in no wise enter the Kingdom of God John 3. Insomuch as he asked Christ upon his Discourse of the New Birth How can these things be At which Christ seems to admire in a sort of Reproof upon Nicodemus Art thou a Master of Israel and knowest not these things As much as to say Art thou a Man of thy Station in the Church of God Ignorant of the Way to Heaven Whoever reads that notable Interview between Christ and Nicodemus will find that Christ resolves the Matter into Two Births That which is Born of the Flesh and That which is Born of the Spirit and these are Contrary And therefore no wonder if they differ in their Understanding of the Holy Scriptures being a Declaration of the Faith and Experience as well as Doctrine and Practice of the Servants of God that were Enlightned and Born of the Holy Ghost Nor is this all for they that are Born of the Flesh Persecute them that are Born after the Spirit So that when they can no longer commit Violence upon their Persons and Estates they will Persecute them with their Tongues and Pens They are Hereticks Blasphemers Illiterate and Ignorant yet Presumptuous Enemies to Caesar and Disobedient to Government if they will not give God's due unto Man viz. Conscience And if they choose to deliver themselves in Scripture Stile and speak earnestly of the Necessity of the Work of the Spirit of God in order to an Experimental and Saving Knowledge of the Truth declared in Holy Scripture and that Christ's Ministers are made by the Holy Ghost and not by Humane Learning and that the Worship which is acceptable to God must be in the Spirit and in the Truth that is with Clean Hearts and Right Spirits Kindl'd and Inflam'd with the Holy Spirit of God They must be called Enthusiasts Unintelligible Men of Cant and Banter And here I leave the Bishop upon this Paragraph desiring him to Consider whether his Knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ whom rightly to know is Life Eternal John 17 be by the Revelation of the Son of God in his own Soul since Christ himself Teacheth and Affirmeth that no Man knows the Father but the Son and He to whom the Son Reveals Him I should be glad
to see the Bishop's Evidence for this Knowledge For in the Conclusion of this Paragraph he turns us to the Scriptures who in the beginning of it makes us Unintelligible and Banterers in Religion for Expressing Ours in the Terms of It which may well merit the Bishop's Serious Reflexion His Ninth Paragraph refers to our Eighth Article as he calls it of which he cites these Eight Words only Worship under the Gospel is Inward and Spiritual upon which he says If you mean that Outward Worship ought to be accompanied with Inward and Spiritual Worship 't is what we Preach Press and Practice but if as it would seem you mean that all the Worship God now requires is from the Inward Man or from the Spirit this is abominably false for our Bodies are God's Handy-work and God by the Apostle commands Glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's Not to tell you that you your selves now a-days perform somewhat of Bodily Worship Indeed we do and Ever did and Ever shall I hope while we have Bodies to Worship God in We are so â—ar from denying the Body what share is â—ue to it that with the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. â—9 we say What know ye not that your Boâ—ies is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is â—n you which ye have of God and you are not â—our own Of which I would have the Biâ—hop well Consider For if our very Bodies are under the Influence of the Holy Ghost how much more reasonable is it to believe that It dwells in our Souls and that our Hearts must be Prepared and Animated by the Holy Spirit in all our Devoâ—ion towards God But two things I must Remark to the Bishop First That we did not give him the least Occasion to suspect we deny'd Bodily Worship as appears by the Gospel-Truth now in question For 't is plain there by these words Worship in this Day is Inward and Spiritual That we only distinguish'd between Gospel Worship and the Ceremonial and Pompous Worship of the Law and that by Spiritual Woship we understand Praying Praising and Preaching by the Preparation and Sanctification of the Spirit of God which the Bishop does not and I hope dares not Deny Yet Unkindly and I think Unjustly brings in His as it would seem to make us by an Uncharitable Innuendo look to his Reader as if we denied Bodily Worship And yet to avoid so hard a Chapter as Maintaining this Aspersion would prove to the Bishop he is forced to confess that now a-days we perform some-what of Bodily Worship as if we did not perform any formerly and but a little now Which shews not that Candor that his Character ows us and but too plainly tells every Impartial Reader how muck more mind he has that we should be in the Wrong than in the Right I must Confess we have leâ— Pomp and Gaudiness in our Worship as welâ— as in our Cloaths than is the Custom oâ— some other Churches and think it our Happiness that we are freed from such an Unprofitable as well as Unsuitable Incumberance Whatever It be 't is such as we believe God by his Holy Spirit hath led us into And tho' it be not so Entertaining to those who are Govern'd more by their outward Senses than their Souls yet I hope it will be allowed us to be Grave Solemn and Fervent The other Remark I make upon the Bishop's Exceptions is this That the Spiritual Worship he there allows of seems to be but the Worship of Man's Spirit and not of the Spirit of God working upon the Spirit of Man I would not Imitate him lest I â—â—ould be Uncharitable too For if my â—eader can make more of it he has my â—onsent but that seems to me to be the â—ishop's Interpretation upon Christ's words â—ted by us on this Occasion viz. God will 〈◊〉 worshipped in Spirit and in Truth Tho' â—ere is a Truth in that also yet this nor â—eing so peculiar to the Gospel Dispensaâ—on could not be the Extent of Christ's â—ords whose Drift certainly was to draw Mens Minds to a more Inward and Spiriâ—ual Worship Not only to have less Cereâ—ony than was Practis'd among the Jews â—ut to feel more of the Power and Spirit of God in our Adoration and Praises than beâ—ong'd to the Former Dispensation and with which I heartily wish the Bishop a â—etter Acquaintance Upon the whole Matâ—er I am apt to think my Reader believes with me he might as well have spared his Pains upon us about the first Part of this gospel-Gospel-Truth as he is Silent of the latter viz. That we may Preach in Power as well as Words and as God Promised and Christ Ordained without Money and without Price The Bishop in his Tenth Paragraph is pleased to Endeavour to lessen the Authority and Credit of our Ninth gospel-Gospel-Truth relating to the vain Fashions and Customs oâ— the World His words are these You teâ— us of denying all the vain Customs and Fashion of the World as also Excess in all things 〈◊〉 know no sort of Christians who teach otherwiseâ— I wish I knew none even of your selves thaâ— practis'd otherwise it is one part of our Câ—techism we teach our Children He first Concurs with our Doctrine for he says 〈◊〉 knows none that Preaches otherwise and thâ— they do the like in their Catechism Sâ— far then he allows us to be sound But hâ— wishes he knew none even of Us that Practice otherwise This is a sort of Charge and being not Prov'd looks like a Calumnyâ— Some perhaps do not walk quite so strictly as becomes them to their Profession but are they own'd by us therein Or Indulged it self If not what are we to Concludeâ— but that the Bishop's Insinuation is to Ballance Accounts with us for the failures of his own People But pray are our Excesses equal or the Numbers that in Proportion do transgress I would not have him Comfort himself with his Uncharitableness to his honest and friendly Neighbours As it will not Excuse his less exact Friends that any of ours live larger than they profess so it cannot justly affect our Body â—here so few are faulty when 't is so well â—nown that such are sure to meet with due â—eproof But he adds that There are many Innocent â—nd Laudable Customs We call vain This 〈◊〉 all in a Heap and a Reflection by Wholeâ—ale I can truly tell him I know of none â—nd if he had been more particular so would too Perhaps he thought Generals bes◠〈◊〉 make his Reflection Safe But if it were â—y place to be Plaintiff I could treat the â—ishop with a large Catalogue of very Ofâ—ensive Customs that would concern him â—o think upon However he is pleased to â—e particular upon us in one of them which â—lmost turns his Stomach he says to think of viz. Would it not make a Man's Stomach â—urn to hear one forbear in point of Conscience saying you to a single Person because â—t is Improper
Spirit to open and move upon our Hearts before we dare offer Sacrifice to the LORD or Preach to others the way of his Kingdom That we may Preach in Power as well as Words and as GOD Promised and Christ Ordained Without Money and without Price John 4. 23 24. 1 Thess 1. 5. Isa 55. 1. Rev. 22. 17. Matt. 10. 8. IX This also leads us to deny all the vain Customs and Fashions of the World to avoid Excess in all things that our Moderation may be seen of all Men because the LORD is at hand to see and judge us according to our Deeds Tit. 2. 12. Rom. 12. â— Philip. 4. 5. Eccl. 12. 14. Mat. 16. 27. Rom. 2. 6. Rev. 20. 12. X. We believe the Necessity of the One Baptism of Christ as well as of his One â—upper which he promiseth to Eat with those that open the Door of their Hearts to him being the Baptism and Supper signified by the Outward Signs which tho' we disuse we judge not those that conscientiously practise them Mat. 3. 11. Ephes 4. 1. 1. Pet. 3. 21 22. John 6. Rev. 3. 20. XI We Honour Government For we believe it is an Ordinance of GOD and that we ought in all things to submit by Doing or Suffering But esteem it a great Blessing where the Administration is a Terror to Evil Doers and a Praise to them that Do Well Rom. 13. 1 2 3 4 5. This hath all a long been the General Stream and Tendency both of our Ministry and Writings as our Books will make appear notwithstanding what Ill-minded and Prejudic'd Persons may have strained to Mis-represent Us and our Christian Profession Dublin the 14th of the 3d Month 1698. William Penn. Thomas Story Anthony Sharp George Rooke THE TESTIMONY OF THE BISHOP OF CORK As to a Paper Intituled GOSPELâ—TRUTHS held c. by the PEOPLE called QUAKERS And Delivered to Him by an eminent Member of them Friends I Am such a Reader as in your Paper you desire I have read and soberly weighed the account you give of those things which you say are chiefly Received and Professed amongst you And I will exercise so much Moderation and Charity as to lay a great weight on that word chiefly hoping these are not the Only Things or All that you Believe I should have been heartily glad to have found that you had been in the Truth as I am well assured I my self am But as I professed when the Paper was given Me That if I took it you must expect I should bear my Testimony touching It or against It So I now must tell you I think my self bound in Conscience to perform what I then professed and that upon more Reasons than I will now trouble the World with You must not be offended if I say You have such a way of Writing and Speaking that it is very hard in many matters of Religion to know what you mean But as far as I understand you I will candidly acknowledge what Truths you have sufficiently or tolerably exprest I will shew you with meekness how far your Faith if this be your Faith comes short of being sufficient or Christian and I will sincerely tell you what I apprehend to be the cause of your Delusion and how dangerous a condition I really fear nay believe you to be in And first The only Articles in which you have exprest a sufficient Christian Belief are your IV. which is touching Justification and your last touching Government and your Submission thereto I wish you may always stick to this Belief and Practice And I heartily rejoyce to find you acknowledging the Necessity of Christ as a Propitiation in order to Remission of Sins and Justifying You as Sinners from Guilt 'T is the first time I have heard of it amongst you As to all the rest of your Articles I mean those which I understand I must tell you the declaration of your Faith comes so short of what is required from People to denominate them Christians that except under each Article you believe more than you have declar'd you cannot be accounted Christians For first in those Articles of Faith which you have thought fit to mention you have set down only some little Ends I had almost called them Snaps of the Article And Secondly many more whole Articles of the true Christian Faith and which are of no less import you have intirely omitted waved or suppressed You acknowledge in your I. Article there is a God and you own his Providence as to the other Life But that He made Heaven and Earth that He is the Almighty and at present by his Sovereign Power most wisely and holily Governs Orders and Sustains all by his Mercies as well as Judgments even in this World not â—â—aving Himself without witness you say not 〈◊〉 word Creation in the beginning and Providence as to this World at present are not here acknowledged by You. We hope you believe both Your II. Article is wholly true for it is express Scripture 1 John V. 7. But it is onely what the Apostle there had occasion to say and what was to his purpose touching the Father Son and Holy Spirit far from being the sum of what the Holy Scripture teaches of them and therefore iâ— not a sufficient Confession of Faith on that head In your III. Article you acknowledge indeed the Son of God to have been made Flesh but neither Conceived by the Holy Ghost nor Born of the Virgin Mary So that it does not appear by this your Confession but that He was at first an ordinary corrupt sinful Person Nay you own Him not so much as Jesus or the Christ the great Saviour who delivereth from the wrath which is to come or the Great Prophet Priest Lord and King of his Church You acknowledged him indeed to have dyed for Sin but not to mention the Articles inferible from and relating to the Circumstances of his death You have not one word of His Resurrection from the Dead or of His Ascension into Heaven which iâ— may be proved some of you have expresly denyed saying He is not ascended into Heaven He is in us Nor again of Hâ—… sitting now at the right hand of the Majesty oâ— high And so you seem not to own any thing of His Mediation Intercession or Appearing now in Heaven for us Nor further have you said a word of his coming again to Judgment or the End of the World Thus indeed You have here neither own'd the Creation nor Dissolution of the World so that it does not appear by this Account of your Faith whether you do not judge it Eternal and so otherwise Infinite Yet again Not a word of One Church which it may be feared you strike out of your Belief because you are resolved never more to return into the Unity of the Church but to make and maintain a Schism or Party for ever Nor further have you a word of the Resurrection of the Body which divers of you have been
that had commanded It for their benefit stirred up Hezekiah to Destroy it 11ly Besides these things are become matter of Gain and made a Sacerdotal Revenue not to say Merchandize which has also helpt to Scandalize People to Tender Consciences who think it a Prophanation of Religion to suffer any part of it to be Excised to the People that ought to be Free 12ly But passing that by at present and supposing Water Baptism and the Supper were not Antiquated but still in Force Who is there Qualified to Administer them Who has received a Commission or the Mind of the Holy Ghost and Power from on High to perform these things For if those that hold they are in Force have no Divine Force or Authority to qualifie them to Administer them there will be but a Lifeless Imitation instead of an Edifying Reality Which â—eads me to what I promised long since That I would at the Close of this Discourse â—ay something of the True Ground of our Difference and Dissent I say then that where we are supposed to â—iffer most we differ least and where we â—re believed to differ least we most of all differ Which I explain thus It 's generally thought that we do not hold the Common Doctrines of Christianity but have Introduced New and Erroneous Ones in lieu thereof Whereas we plainly and entirely Believe the Truths contained in the Creed that is commonly called the Apostles which is very Comprehensive as well as Ancient But that which hath affected our Minds most and engaged us in this Separation was the great Carnality and Emptiness both of Ministers and People under their Profession of Religion They having hardly the Form of Godliness but generally speaking denying the Power thereof from whom the Scripture warns Believers to turn away Next Ministers being made such and preaching and the People worshipping without the Spirit confining the Operations of it to the First or Apostolical Times as if these did not want them as much or that Christ would be less Propitious where his Gifts were not less needful I say an Humane and Lifeless Ministry and Worship together with the great Wordliness of Professors have occasioned our Separation and the Persecution that has commonly followed it hath abundantly confirmed our Judgment In that Matter Hence it was we Retired our selves to wait upon God together according to the Gift of his Holy Spirit and as the Apostle Paul exhorted the Athenians Acts 17. We felt after him with our Souls if by any means we might find him and hear what God the Lord would say unto us who speaks Peace unto his People and his Saints but let them never turn to folly any more We could not I say tell how to think that such as God had never sent but run of themselves and were made Ministers by Humane Learning and Authority not knowing the Work of the Spirit to their own Regeneration could possibly Profit or Edifie the People unto their Regeneration And yet that is the very Work and End of the true Gospel Ministry for no Man can guide another in the way he never trod Besides we apprehended the Ministry was â—ery much a Temporal Preferment and thereâ—ore few were to be found among them that â—â—d not court the Better Places I mean those â—â—at gave the Greatest Pay and by those â—ethods mounted to Worldly Wealth and â—onour as the rest of the World did Turnâ—â—g Alms into Dues and by Law making â—ifts Rents and vexing those extreamly â—â—at for Conscience sake could not uphold â—â—em Which we thought very Foreign to Primitive and an Apostolical Spirit and â—ort of a True and Through Reformation This is not said with any disrespect to their â—ersons or yet Calling simply Considered for â—e that desires the Office of a Bishop certainly â—esires a good thing but the Holy Ghost in â—hose days had the Making of them and the â—ood thing then was their Service and not â—evenue or Worldly Dignity They were then â—ot only no Lords one being their Lord â—ut they lorded it not over God's Clergy or Heâ—itage which was the People in those days â—or â—o the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies tho' it is now â—â—scribed only to the Ministry Then the Ground of Prophesie or Ministry was the Revelation of the Spirit in those ancient Assemblies as may be read 1 Cor. 14. 29 30 31 32. For all might Prophecy that is Preach as the Spirit of God moved upon their Spirit and gave them utterance be it to Reproof Instruction or Consolation Now Study Collection and Memory In those Days they Preach'd their Own Experience of die Work of God upon their Hearts but most now Preach of the Experiences of Others recorded in Scriptures but according to their own and others Humane Apprehensions To be brief we Ground our Conviction Conversion Ministry Prayer and Praise upon the Light and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Powerful and Effectual Spring of our Religious Performances and that alone which prepares the Soul and Enables it to Perform those respective Services and Duties in a Manner Acceptable to God And that Ministry and Worship which stands not in the Spirit and is not performed in the Preparation and Inspiration thereof but according to the Compilings Traditions and Precepts of Men we cannot allow to be Primitive and Evangelical and consequently cannot join in them And we are satisfied that it is the good Pleasure of God that all who profess the Name of his Dear and Only Begotten and Well-beloved Son should Acquaint themselves with the Spirit of His Son in their own Hearts in its Reproof Instruction Conviction and Consolation that they may become Spiritually Minded such as mind Spiritual Things more than Earthly Ones and that Daily sow to the Spirit that is bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit and become the Children of God who are led by the Spirit of God Now the Fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance Against such there is no Law And they that are Christ's have Crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts thereof But the Works of the Flesh are manifest which are these Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murder Drunkenness Revilings and such like Of which I told you before as also in time past that they which do such things shall not Inherit the Kingdom of God Rom. 8. 6. 14. Gal. 5. 16. to 24. Chap. 6. 7. 8. And under these Marks and Directions all People may examine themselves and know their Birth Family and Inheritance whether they are the off-spring of God and true Christians or Children of the Evil One Those that are born of the Spirit for whom is reserved an Inheritance With the Saints in Light or the Seed of Evil Doers for whom is reserved the Blackness of Darkness for ever And truly it seems just with God that those who love Darkness
better than Light in this World should have their Fill of It in the next from which God Almighty redeem Thee Reader that thou mayst walk in his blessed Light as he is in the Light then thou wilt have fellowship with the Children of Light and the Blood of Jesus Christ the Great Atonement shall Cleanse the from All Sin 1 John 1. 5 6 7. yea from the filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit and being sanctified throughout in Body and Spirit thou mayst live to serve God in the Newness of his holy Spirit Rom. 7. 6. and come to be made a New Man that is an other Man From a Proud an Humble Man from a Passionate a Patient Man from a Rough a Meek Man and of a Cruel Covetous Unjust Lascivious Intemperate Vain and Ungodly Man thou becomest a Merciful Liberal Just Chast Sober and Godly Man And where this Change this New Birth or New Creature is not known Sacrifices avail nothing Religion is but Formality and the Peace of God will never be their Recompence of Reward But they that walk after this blessed unerring Rule of the New Creature Peace be on them and Mercy and upon the Israel of God Gal. 6. 15 16. who are the Circumcision made Without Hands in putting off the Body of the Sins of the Flesh by the Circumcision of Christ Col. 3. 11. even that of the Heart in the Spirit whole Praise is not of Men but of God Rom. 2. 29. And who therefore Worship God in the Spirit and have no Confidence in the Flesh Phil. 3. 3. that is in fleshly Ordinances or the observation of Figures and Signs compounded of Outward Elements which represent Heavenly Things Wherefore the Apostle Exhorted and Commanded Col. 2. 16 17. Let no Man Judge you in Meat or in Drink or in respect of an Holy Day c. which are Shadows of things to Come but the Body is of Christ that is Christ is the Substance of all outward representations and they that have Christ have the End of all those things Whom Reader we Labour and Pray may be better known received and obeyed by the Professors of his holy Name and Religion That as he is Given of God to be our Priest Prophet and King we may all Know Feel and Enjoy him such in our selves and then the Kingdom of God will be come in us and his will done in our Earth as it is in Heaven Which God Grant I most Humbly beseech him For the Conclusion of the Bishop's Paper it is either Repitition or Reflection the one needs no Answer and the other wants a Defence However I will not have it said that I either wave or suppress It and therefore without any Reflection I will consider his Which should have no weight with my Reader but against him He says in his 12 Paragraph He pities us thinking many of us Harmless and Well-meaning but under the Power of strong Delusions And in his 13 Paragraph he gives us his sence of the cause thereof viz. that we make the Light within a Rule of Faith and Practice Co-ordinate if not Superiour and Antecedent to the Holy Scripture To prove which to be our Sentiment he cites these words out of our Gospel-Truths where speaking of the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures we say they are the Double and Agreeing Record of true Religion Now if the Light and Spirit agree with the Scripture there is no fear of contradicting the Scripture and so we can have nothing to answer for on account of that Expression for what agrees with the Scripture establishes it instead of Slighting or Superceeding the Authority of it And though we used no such words as Co-ordinate much less Superiour and Antecedent which is the Bishop's Gloss to render our most True and In-offensive Expression suspected and make way to fasten his supposed Strong Delusions upon us I will be very frank with him in this matter that we Believe the Scripture to be the Declaration of the Mind of the Holy Ghost and therefore not Superiour to the Holy Ghost but Credited Confirmed and Expounded by the Holy Ghost so that without the Illumination of It the Scripture cannot be understood by them that read It. The Grammatical and Critical Sense of the Words and Allusions therein may be understood but the Inside and Spiritual Signification of them is a Riddle to those that are not Spiritually instructed therein tho' they were never such Grammarians or Linguists Again Christ says He that loves the Light brings his Deeds to the Light to see if they are wrought in God John 3. 21. which was before the New Testament Scripture was in being and this makes It both Rule and Judge of the Life and Deeds of Men. What says the Bishop to this Also John 14 15 16 Chapters Christ promises the Spirit to lead them his People into all Truth and this was not the Scripture but something at least Co-ordinate if not Superiour and Antecedent to the Scripture which is more than we said before Also the Apostle Paul tells the Romans Ch. 8. that as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Then the Spirit is to Lead Believers or they cannot be the Children of God And that which Leads Rules and that which Rules is a Rule to them that follow it And the same Apostle referr'd the Galathians Chap. 6. 15 16. to the Rule of the New Creature to walk by and that must be the Spirit which begets the New Creature viz. Christ formed in them of whom he tells them Chap. 14. 19. He travelled in Birth again And the Beloved Disciple expresly says to the Christians in his First Epistle Chap. 2. 20. that they had an Unction from the Holy One and they knew all things that is all things they had to Believe Know and Practice And Verse 27. he adds But the Anointing which ye have received abideth in you and ye need not that any Man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you of All things and is Truth If the Bishop will break through all these Scriptures to undervalue the Light and Spirit of Christ for no other Light or Spirit do we Assert Recommend People to or Contend for that he might render us Guilty of Strong Delusions I cannot help it but must be truly sorry for him But I beseech him to have a care that he does not like the Jews of old Undervalue and indeed Blaspheme against the Holy Light and Spirit of God and by miscalling the Fruits and Effects of its Power Strong Delusions and Transformations of Satan For God will not hold such Guiltless in his Great and Terrible Day of Judgment And after all the Best and First Reformers and Martyrs as well as Fathers Concur in our Assertion and Testimony As Zuinglius Luther Melanchton Calvin Beza Bucer Peter Martyr and Erasmus too Also our own Excellent Martyrs viz. Lambert Rogers Philpot Bradford Hooper Woodman c. that the Double and Agreeing Testimony