Reason why I went so far in a talk comparatively to the Truth of Toyes and Trifles and was so taedious to my self and such as look't long since for an end of this labour and wasted so much paper in a work so worthless as it may seem to some as is fitter for J. O's Iuniors to be busyed in at their Schooles where Pueri tam Puerilia tractant then for men cal'd Ministers to medle too much with whose wisdom lies more if not in forgetting yet at least in forgoing frivolosities that are so Remote to the Souls Redemption then to fight so fiercely and foolishly for them as J. Owen does whom neither For nor Against but About them only I have much to do with so that bear with me in it if it must be deem'd my Folly the Ground of which piece of Folly is as followes In His Threefold Thing I found J. O. 1st in the Theses of his Latine Thoughts Glorying not a little in being on behalf of the Collegians among whom he was then a Chieftane intruâ—ted as he talks with the Task of contending for the Text of Scripture not so much against the Foes as under that name against the Truest Friends of both the Text and Truth as the Word of God properly as to Name and Thing and not only consequently but most expresly also both there and in the 1st of his two English Treatises the only most perfect Rule of all Belief and Holy Life Stable Standard True Touch-stone for Triall of all Truth Doctrines Spirits Speeches yea it s own also and the Sole sure Foundation for all True Faith to stand on and be discerned by from Falsehood Fable and meer Fancy and not only so but also Tiring himself in his Taedious second Treatise to evince the Entireness and Integrity of the said Text to every Apex and Tittle as at first it was given out without Addition Ablation or Alteration in the least â—ota or Syllable p. 153. in the Trans-scripts of it in the Original Languages how ever confessed by him to be Corrupted and Egregiously Adulterated in all Translations and insisting so uncessantly eagerly and earnestly in proof of the said Integrity of the outward Text as for hast to outrun all his own Reason and to Reject also the Uncontrolable Reasons of All others to the contrary putting also so great a stresse upon that poor Punctilio of the Hebrew Punctation as from a self-conceived Imagination and dangerlesse Affrightment to stickle for its Antiquity againâ—t those that on better grounds Iudg it to be Novelty and not Coaevous with the Consonants with such stricâ—ness as to deem all Divine Saving Truth lyes at stake and is Eternally Liable and likely to be lost if it be not as he conceives in these particulars for as is seen at larg in the book ensuing he Trembles to think what will be the Isâ—ue how desperate will be the conâ—equences of such a conclusion that the Text-mens Hebrew and Greek Transcripts are by mistake Mis-transcrbed in a Tittle and that the Points Vowells and Accènts were added to the Hebrew Text by the Tyberian Mastorites A Firebrand is brought into the Churches Bread Corn quoth he All 's utterly undon for ever as to any true Distinct Sound Certain Saving Knowledge of God or understanding of his Mind Will without either Remedy or hope of Recovery 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ther 's No firm footing nor Foundation to stand on No abiding Bottom at all to build on No Right Rule for the Faith and Obedience of the Church to be Regulated by No Word of God remaining uncorrupted No more means to be seen of being delivered from utter uncertainty in and about all Sacred Truth Epiâ—t p. 25. Nay though it be yeilded by his Antagonists that howbeit the Copies are Corrupted Altered and found Various in their Lections as to the meer Letter nevertheless the saving Doctrine as to the Substance of it Remains Sound and Entire in the Copies of the Original and the Translations that remain yet this is no Satisfaction to him he deems that the Saving Doctrine can't continue entire and uncorrupt and that their is no Relief against the Absolute Perishing of All Truth one of the World without any Rule or Measure of Iudging and Determining any more of it or Principle of Discovery or Medium of its Rectification or Recovery if every Tittle and Iota be not Preserved Entire or on supposition of any Corruption to have befallen the outward Writing p. 17. 18 19. Yea upon such Supposition that we have not every Letter Tittle Point Iota Syllable Accent c. as 't was in the Beginning of its Writing without Alteration by Ablation of any Apex or Addition of the Hebrew Punctation Gods Promise Isa. 59.21 Mat 5.18 Fails his Care of his Word and Church Fails he leaves it in uncertainties about the things that are the Foundation of all that Faith and Obedience he requires at our Hands so that we know not where to lay â— Sure Foundation of Believing yea 't is impossible we should come to any certainty almost of any Individual Word or Expression whether it be of God or no p. 55. Yea p. 212. out of Jo. Isaac He that Reads the Scripture without Points and so must they Read it â—oho did Read it before Points were say I as they did before Ezraes dayes if the Points were not from Moses is like a man that Rides a Horse without a Bridle and p. 214. 215. on this Hypothesis that the Points are added I know not saith J. O. how Bellarmines Inference can be avoided then which I know nothing in all his opposition to the Truth more Pernitiously spoken that partly by their Addition and partly by the Negligence and Ignorance of the Transcribers the Hebrew Scriptures which are not Uuniversally Corrupted by the Malitious Work of the Jewes are not yet so Wholly Pure and Entire but that Errours are Crept into them Yea they that are otherwise minded then those are who Maintain the Antiquity of the Vowels and Accents and with Radulph Cevallerius whose Opinion he sayes is his own that the Hebrew Language was written with them from the Beginning do not only make doubtfull the Authority of the Scriptures but even pluck it up by the Roots for without the Vowells and Notes of Distinction it hath nothing firm and certain p. 213. Yea so dangerous in the Consequenceâ— of contending for Various Readings though not false nor pernitious that there 's nothing remaiÌ„ning upon that account firm and unshaken p. 219. Without the owning of these Points to be of Divine Original we shall be left unto great uncertainty in all Translations and Expositions of the Scripture p. 292. Yea the distemper that there are corâ—uptions befallen the Text Varieties from the first Copies is dreadfull and such as may well prove mortall to the Sacred Truth of the Scripture These Cuen multis aliis c. are the Extremities J. O. Asserts his Position in insomuch
by Inspiration is preserved without Corruption i.e. variety from the first Original Manuscripts in the Copies we have Pag. 137. The whole Scriptâ—re entire as given out from God without any losse is preserved in the Copies of the Originals in â—hâ—m all we say is every Letter and Tittle Pag. 10. Tâ—e Word i.e. Scripture with thee still for thou denyest the words coming any other-way to your selves or any now is come forth unto us from God without the least mixture or intervenience of any medium obnoxious to fallibility as is the Wisdom Truth Integrity Knowledge and Memory of the best of all men Pag. 13. We have not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Mo es and the Prophets the Apostles and Evangelists but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have or Coâ—iâ—s contain every Iota that was in them Hebraeâ— Volumina nec in unica dictione corrupta intenies S. Pag. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 5. 18. To which Answers that Pag. 316 317. Doth not our Saviour affirm of the Word that was among the Jewes i.e. Scripture Secundum te still That not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it should passe away or perish where let the Consonants themselves with their Apices be intended or alluded to in that expression c. And Epist pag. 27. None are able to shew out of any Copies yet extant in the World and that they can make appear ever to have been extant that ever there were any such various Lections in the Old Testament And pag. 319. Neither the Care oâ— God over his Truth nor the Fidelity of the Judaical Church will permit us to entertain the least suspition that there was ever in the world any Copy of the Bible differing in tâ—e least from that we enjoy or that those we have are corrupted And pag. 317. Let the Authors of this Insinuation prove that there ever was in the World any Copy of the Bible Differing in any one word from those that we now enjoy let them produce one Testimony ne Author of C edâ— Jâ—w or Christian that can or doth or ever did speak one word to this purpâ—se let them direct us to any Relick any Monument any kind of Remembrance of them and it shall b of weâ—ght to us c. Many more exceeding and extraordinary high strict streins thou deliverest thyself in in other places about the non-corruption non alteration of the Text of Scripture in one Letter Tittle Iota or Syllable since the first giving it out so but that in the Copies extant to this day there 's an exact Unity and entire Identity with the first Originals a kind of Summary Collection and Câ—pitulation of which thou makest pag. 153. speaking to this purpose thus viz. I O. The Sum of what I am Pleading for as to the particular Head to be vindicated is That as the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were immediately and entirely given out by God himself his Mind being in them represented unto us without the least interveniency of such mediums and wayes as were capable of giving Change or Alteration to the least Iota or Syllable So by his good and merciful Providential Dispensation in his love to his Word and Church his whole Word alias the Scripture with thee as at first given out by him is preserved unto us entire in the Original Languages where shining in its own beauty and lustre as also in all Translations as far as they faithfully represent the Originals it manifests and evidences unto the Consciences of men without other forreign help or Assistance its divine Original and Authority Reply This is the Capital Cardinal General Assertion or Position which branches it selâ— into several Particulars or petty Propositions viz. The immediate coming forth of the Scripture from God to us its self evidencing power to evince it self by it self alone to be of God and his Word it s descending to us at this day entire to a Tittle without corruption by alteration in the least Letter Iota Vowel Point or Syllable its uncapablenesse of such Change and Alteration in its coming to us so are thy words here and pag. 10. to the least Iota or Syllable Unto which General Head and its branches the Ramuâ—culi lesser twigs or little Sentences scattered here and there throwout thy Book are Reducible and each to its own suitable Branch respectively That which I am here under Consideration of thy piâ—tiful Plea for is both its non-Alteration de facto as it s handed down by Transcribers from the fiâ—st Scribes of it to us in these dayes and its Unalterablenesse or Uncapablenesse of Alteration which if thou mean as thou sayest thou here Assertest to the least Iota or Syllable These are to thee as thou sayest such important Truths that thou shalt not be blamed in the least by thy own Spirit nor thou hopest by any others in contending for them judging them Fundamental parts of the Faith once but say I thou knowest not when delivered to the Saints Reply Though I who cannot hold thee because I cannot find thee guiltlesse in either thy hasty holding or thy heedlesse unhandy handling thy weak vindicatory piece of Probation of them at so high a rate do advise thee to praise a fair day at night assuring thee that if ever thou come to learn the Truth in the plainnesse and power of it as it is in Iesus the Light of whom the Letter testifies thou wilt find these no Fundamental parts of that One Faith which Paul and Iude speak of Eph. 4. Iude 3 which was One even of old from Abraham Enoch Noah and downwards from the beginning before the Letter was delivered to and earnestly to be contended for by the Saints and wilt find thy own Spirit also however it now seems not to blame thee in the least blaming thee nor a little for thy ignorance in due time and howbeit being bolstered up for a while above it by the Aery Academical Applauses Gratulatory Euge's J O's Hic est's and such like blessings of thy blind Brother literatists that are as the rich mans wealth to him Prov. 10.15 thy strong City thy Murus Abaeneus a high Brazen Wall to thee in thy own conceit thou feel'st no Check and seemest Nil Conscire tibi nullâ Pallescere Cultâ Yet let others and thy own heart also Clear Chear and Cheat thee as it will thou wilt once know that as to every work there is a time to do it in and a Judgment after it so thy whole lame Anti-Scriptural work about the Scriptures as well as thy other part of it against the Quakers though fenced in the Frontispice with the fair formal pretence of A Vindication of the Purity and Integrity of the Hebrew and Greek Texts and Pro Scripturis and such like must come to another account then that I am here taking of it before the world even to a Judgment from God within thy own now blinded Bosome and closed Conscience as the Book thereof comes to be
their feet are swift to shed blood that wasting and misery are in their wayes and the way to true peace they know not yet this one thing I must say too and of our Vniversity Scriblers pro Scripturis that as there are no men in the world more up to the ears in strife about the Scripture and their own Fancies on it as to matter and letter than the Scribes are so there is no one thing that the Scribes are striving scuffling and scolding at each other more about than about their Scriptures That light or word within and not the letter is the Foundation First I shall take account of what thou falsely assertest concerning the Scriptures being a Foundation Thou affirmest the Scriptures to be the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles spoken of Eph. 2.20 pag 33. saying of them that men may quietly repose their souls upon them in beleeving and obedience and of your selves thus are we built 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and calling them Page 48. The Foundation of that world which he hath set up in this world as a Wheel within a Wheel his Church And page 154. The Foundation of faith hope and obedience And page 155. The Foundation of all that faith and obedience which he requires at our hands And page 316. The great and blessed Foundation of Truth All this I own to be very true of the Word of God of which the Scripture speaks but it is utterly false as uttered by thee of the Scriptures The falsehood of which appears plainly by this Argument 1. Argument That which is the great and blessed Foundation of all that truth faith hope and obedience that God requires at mens hands and of the Church and of the Apostles and Prophets must be something which was in being before any of these things were for the Foundation on which these are built must have a being before they can be built thereupon every Foundation being before the building can stand upon it But though the Word of God be so yet the Scripture is not before but long after that truth faith hope and obedience which God requires at mens hands and long after the Church and long after the Apostles and Prophets were yea after those Apostles and Prophets were Respectively who were the Respective pen-men thereof Therefore the Scripture the Writing the Letter the Greek and Hebrew Text is not the Foundation of any of these things The first Proposition is so true that it were no less then disparagement to I. O's wisdom to suppose him to be mentis inops to go about to prove it to him sith as he builds Castles in the air as easily thrown down as erected upon no better Foundation then his own fancy thoughts conjectures and imaginations yet he cannot be so senceless as to think that that Foundation be it what it will firm or brittle on which any thing is built must be before the building can stand thereon And as for the minor in every part thereof it 's as undeniably true to any save such as having once turn'd their backs upon the Truth are resolved to render themselves devoid of eithet Sense or Reason in their Reasonings against it then to own it For none else can deny but the Church and the Truth Faith Hope and Obedience of it and the Messengers Apostles Prophets Preachers of Righteousnesse such as were Enoch Noah Abraham Lot and others were in the Truth Faith Hope Obedience of the Gospel and also built upon Christ the Light the Word of God the Rock of Ages before Moses dayes who is unversally supposed at our Vniversities to have been the first Pen-man of the Scriptures The grand Master-place of Scripture that is us'd in proof hereof that the Scriptures are the Foundation is Ephes. 2.20 where it 's said by Paul to the Ephesians Ye are built on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-Stone Hence it is strenuously stickled for and as confidently as cloudily concluded by our doting Doctors and dreaming Divines that the Church of God as to all her Faith Hope Obedience Knowledge of the Truth is built upon the Apostles and Prophets Writings as that which is there called the Foundaeion whereas were they but at leisure from that lesser and lower literature wherein they are lost from the Lord and the Light and Life of God and the Letter also which issued forth from thence to look into the Light and by it into the Letter it self they more blindly labour for then truly learn by they would soon see that the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets there spoken of is not the Apostles and Prophets themselves much less uncertain transcribed Copies of those few Fragments of their Letters and some other honest mens true stories of what was done in their times good instructions memorandums and litteral recommendations of wholsome Laws and Statutes most of which as laid down in the Letter saving that they remain in the truth and substance whereof they were the types figures and shadows are above 1600-years since cancelled and abolished Promises Prophesies Psalms Proverbs Parables occasional Letters Epistles and other Writings which such as fell into a foolish following and falling down before outward Images and from the infallible Spirit it self that their Scriptures were written to keepe men to found and fardelled together and fram'd in their own fancies into a Foundation of the Faith and of all the whole Fabrick of Religion to be for ever framed and founded upon But Christ Iesus himself who is there also called the chief Corner-stone and 1 Pet. 2.4 that living Stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious on whom the Saints even all together with the Apostles and Prophets and the whole Houshold of God as Fellow-Citizens and lively Stones are built up a spiritual House to offer spiritual sacrifices yea all into one holy Temple or Habitation of God through the spirit This is the true and sole Foundation of all the matters before mentioned Christ Iesus the Rock of Ages on whom whoever believes shall not be ashamed Christ the living Word of God that also quickneth whose words are spirit and life to the hearers of his voice whose words uttered in the heart do good to those that walk uprightly this is the Stone that you Babel-builders refuse which God hath made the very head stone in the Corner Psal. 118.22 Matt 21.42 This verbum lumen internum Christ the eternal internal Word in the heart and Light of the World given a Light to the Nations and as such Gods salvation to the ends of the earth and the precious sanctuary to such as believe in his light is that stone of stumbling and Rock of offence to such as thee I.O. that stumble at the Word in their wrestlings for the Letter being disobedient unto both whereunto also they are appointed and a Gin and a Snare to the
his liberty to make his choice ex dieabus malis of those two evils seems to chuse the latter saying pag. 7. that as far as their personal concernments as Saints and beleevers lay in the Scriptures and in order to their saving knowledge of the truth they studied the Writings and Prophesies of one another I conclude then against I.O. that by that clause the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles is not intended their Writings as if they laid their own Scriptures for the Foundation of the Church and her faith hope obedience but that which the Apostles themselves were built upon together with the whole Church or houshold of God which could not be nor was their own Writings but Christ the Light The Letter indeed is the foundation laid by I.O. and men of his mould of old for his Wheel in a Wheel as he speaks or his false Church whose works like his own run round on and are found to have in them Wheel within Wheel but as for the true Church of the living God which is the Wheel that will turn the worlds Wheels upside down it never did doth nor ever will acknowledge any fallible letter or meer transcribed Text or any other thing to be the true great and blessed foundation of Truth Faith Hope or Obedience then Christ Iesus the same yesterday and to day and for ever who was before it now is and ever will be when the letter shall be no more at all 2. Argument whatsoever the Scripture it self layes down and testifies to be the only true Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and of the whole Church of God and of her Faith Hope and Obedience and of all Truth that is the only true foundation of all these things But the Scripture it self layes down and testifies Christ alone the Light the living Word and not it self to be the only true Foundation of the things aforesaid therefore Christ alone the Light Spirit and inward living Word that is nigh in the heart and not the Scripture it self is the only true Foundation of them The first and affirmative part of the minor is not denied by thee as the major cannot be and if thou deny the second part of the minor which is negative and denies the Scripture to testifie of it self in any place that its the Foundation then assign where the Scripture calls it self the Foundation or else own that it doth not and so that it is not the Foundation at all much less the truest or the only one as thou often intimatest either expresly or in terms equivalent it is Ep. p. 25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not any means of standing out of utter uncertainty about all sacred truth if the Heb punctation be invention also p. 64 65. not a truer Foundation for for faith to repose it self upon 3. Argument if the Scripture be the foundation for the Church and all her Faith and Repentance to be founded and grounded upon then either there was no Foundation for it before the Scripture or else they who lived before the Scripture had one Foundation for their faith and we another and so consequently there hath been two Foundations for the one faith or the one Church or body of Christ but there was a Foundation before the Scripture and there are not two Foundations of faith one to that part of the body of Christ and of Gods building that was before the Scripture and another for that part that is built since the Scripture therefore the Scripture is not the Foundation Argument 4. The Foundation of the faith must be something that is infallible firm fixt certain stable sure and inalterable as the light Spirit and Word within onely is and Gods Foundation 2 Tim. 2 19. the Foundation of God sure to a Tittle for Error minimus in principio for major in medio maximus in fine the least fault or errour and deviation in the principle or Foundation of any building grows greater toward the middle and is greatest at the top as it is seen in a very Tower if the bottome or basis stands never so little awry as is discernable it is discerned more in the middle and much more still as it ascends higher But the Scripture letter Hebrew and Greek Texts how ever I.O. pleads their integrity in every Apex point tittle and iota yet are as I have shewed above more at large in answer to his long Tattle about the Tittles and points and indentity of Lections of the letter by his own confession mistaken and mistranscribed in small things yea and in some matters of more moment and importance in the best transcribed Copies of the Original Text therefore the Text or letter of the Scripture cannot be a fit Foundation for the Churches faith but the spirit and Word within is onely so Psal. 75.3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved faith Christ the Word of God I bear up the Pillars of it and that is the reason why the earth is so shaken as it is and reels to and fro that it is removed as a cottage and all helpers and healers avail nothing because they reject the corner stone Christ the Word for if the Foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do Psal. 11.3 Isa. 24. 18 19. Each of which Arguments hold good against the letters being the Rule the light the witness of God the Gospel the power of God to salvation the only means or way of coming to the saving knowledge of God Word of God and what ever other high Titles I. O. intitles it by as appears in their order That the Light or Word within and not the Scriptures are the Rule or Canon Another thing thou assertest of the Scripture is that it is the only Rule of the faith and obedience of Gods Church p. 173. that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that more sure word of Prophesie to be attended to 2 Pet. 1.18 19 20. not in its self for so it was as sure as sure could be but in its giving out its evidence to us then that great miracle of miracles greater than which the Apostles of Christ never did behold or hear viz. That voice which came from the most excellent glory This is my beloved Son which we have greater security from and by according to Peter then they had in and by that miraculous voice That Moses and the Prophets which who so will not hear will not be perswaded to repent though one arise to them from the dead Luke 16.31 That Word Law and Testimony mentioned Isa. 8.20 according to which who speaks not are said to be in the dark so that there is no light in them by which what every one sayes be it what or whom it will Church or person if it be in and about the things of God concerning his will or worship or our obedience to him is to be tried That which we are sent to that which is and is asserted to be the
which we deny which matter notwithstanding when it comes to the point of proof before people they dare denominate only to be the only Rule and Word denying those high Titles to the naked Letter as well as we crying out with a dreadful ditty against the Qua. in their Pulpits as deniers of the Scriptures the Bible to be the Word of God the Rule c. and when we enter the lifts with them then finding themselves unable to carry it against us falling down before us in confessions to us that it is the Divine truth and matter only contained in the Scripture which is the Rule to all men so far as it that is that Truth and matter is revealed to them as it is here confessed also by T.D. to be to the very Heathen in their hearts that have no Scripture and was so before it was put into writing that is before the Scripture was which seeing it is so confest in the same way as I argued above about the Foundation against I.O. so may I here against T.D. and him both about the Rule viz. Arg. 1. The Rule must be something that is in being before the faith and life that is to be Regulated by it 2. Must be that the Scripture testifies to be the Rule 3. Something that is firm fixt sure stable inflexible infallible inalterable else all the work wrought by a Lesbian Rule a soft waxen measure may be ad infinitum crooked scanty erroneous disorderly in all Dimensions at mens pleasure who may as our Priests mostly do transcribe translate expound rectifie the Scripture according to their crooked conceits and their Antichristian Analogy of faith as they use to speak and not their crooked conceits and false faith according to the true Theology that is plain to godly honest hearted men in the Sâ—ripture wrest their Rule to their own wills self-ends interests and where it likes not their unruly selves to be Ruled by it Run from it or rather Rule over ir as they list But the Light and Spirit and Truth and living Word and holy Doctrine was in being before the faith and life of any man 2. Is testified by the Scripture at is above shewed to be the Rule 3 Is inalserable firm c. and the Scripture it self is already proved and is yet more to be proved not to be so therefore the Light Truth c. not the Scripture Text c. is the Rule Be sides what Ioh. Tombs and Rich. â—axter who must here be wrapt with their own weapon argue falsely against the Lights being the Rule I may truly argue against the Letters being it For page 51. of their Book entituled The true old Light Thus they dispute viz. That which is variable and alterable cannot be a persons Rule for its the property of a Rule to be invariable and the same at all times The Rules Measures and Weights and Dialls and Squares and what other things are made if they be varied they cease to be Rules for Rules should be fixed and certain But there is nothing more variable then mens light in them say they falsely but say I truly then a Letter or Writing without That which is to day say they taken for light is to morrow judged to be darkness and that light which is this day in a person may be lessened to morrow a person may become Fanatick and dote who yesterday was heard with applause therefore each persons light cannot be his Rule so us that at all times he should be bid to look to it as a safe guide as the Qua. do And say I that which is to day Transcribed Translated Interpreted so and in such a sense by some may be through Mis-transcription Mis-translation Mis-interpretation be wrested as a Nose of wax to morrow by others into a clear contrary sense by Transposition of Hebrew letters which in shape and sound are alike either in way of mistake among the most careful Scribes in the world or at the mâ—er will and pleasure of Criticks who ad libitum may turn the Text into twenty senses one after another as seems good to them witness I.O. himself who as is elswhere shewed in many pages together of his Epistle Dedicatory tells how easie it is so to do yea to turn that one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the different pointing of it into 8 sundry senses some whereof are clear contrary to each other yea it is but doing so or so saith he and as many various lections arise in the very original Text as a man pleases to make It being so then with the Letter that it is so variable and flexible and contrariwise the Light being fixt firm stable without variation as it is for all their lying of it it 's eternally and unchangeably the same even yesterday to day and for ever as Christ is from whom it comes one and the same in all the Foundation and witness of God which stands sure and keeps its place in the consciences of men let them go whether they will testifying the same truth as Gods witness in all men that it doth in any mâ—n both de jure defacto also never consenting to any evil but condemning it all in all men more or less Therefore say I in consutation of I O. T. D. I.To. and Rich. Baxter out of their own Books the Light Word and Spirit of God within every one may and ought to be every mans Rule so as that at all times he should be bid to look to it and follow it as a guide as the Qua. do But the Text or Letter without however owned as it is by me above to be useful and profitable for men of God that know how to use it cannot be the most perfect stable Standard much less the only infallible Rule and guide of mens faith and life as the blind guides say in words it is though in works they themseves live and walk besides it as much as any Again if the Scriptures be the Rule and not the Light and Spirit then either there was no Rule before the Scripture or else they who lived before the Scripture had one Rule we another and so consequently there are two Rules for the one faith of the one holy Church But all these whimsies are most absurd for then the one Church hath tot regulus quot novas explicationes ejusdem veritaetis as many Rules as particular wayes of Revelation of the truth And T.D. said the Truth was one and that the matter was the Rule before the writing was and I.O. sayes Ex. 4. s. 22. Vnicus est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divinus the Divine Rule is but one and so say I of the one general Catholick Church or Assembly of the first born from Abel to this day therefore the Light Spirit and not the Scripture is the Rule As for I. Os shallow shuffling off the Lights being the Rule and sleight slinging at it Testaque lutoque with his muddy pellet in that Section
the Scripture which only Testifies of him without ever coming to him that they may have the life or to the Pope I leave it A little time will now detect it howbeit some may go one way some another and like to like and each to what and to whom he best loves and likes but Christs Sheep to whom he onely gives Eternal Life they will assuredly heare his voice which who doeth not must be cut off from among his people 9 Our Doctrine of the Vniversal grace and general love of God to all mankind in giving Christ Intentionally to be a Saviour to all that all that are lost in the fall of the first man may be in possibility and true capability of Redemption and Salvation by him without a bolt by any personal Reprobation of the most therefrom with no reference to their acting any evill and that unchangeably before they had a being unless themselves pâ—nendo obicem debarr themselves from the benefit thereof by Rejecting the council of God against themselves by an obstinate resisting the strivings of his Spirit with them to bring them to it and a wilful putting away of the word of eternal life when by Christ its brought nigh even in their hearts and mouths that they may hear and do it this is no fair In-let to their Bag and Baggage This perhaps is assented to as truth by the Papists the more shame for the most of our hypocritical Churles that gainsay it who would be but must be no more called liberal and bountiful while they are bold to utter errour against the Lords large love as if he were such a niggard as themselves who care not how few men be saved provided that their ever-sinning-selves be not damned but elected to be saved in their sins without being perfectly purg'd from them before they die by Christ of whom they must yet once know what yet they will not that he came to save all people from all sin who aâ—e willing to be saved and not to give any such darlings of his as they darkly deem themselves to be an allowance in the least or a dispensation to sin throw infirmity till they die and then to save them from the desert thereof after death the Instruments of which vile Chuâ—lâ— aâ—so are evil to destroy the poor people of God with their lying words when they speak no other then right things But what if the Romish Clergy do hold such a general grace of God they are by so much the more of a noble spirit then your selves who deny it in the owning of that most pretious truth if they were not far worse then yourselves in other mattters And as for us called Qua. who preach it here for Truth as against I. O. and T. D. it must anon be prov'd to be in the proper place as we take neither it nor ought else to be truth by tradition from Papists or eâ—e the more because they own it but as our selves have received it from the muoth of God so I hope you wise men will grow wiser by then I have done then to judg we must either reject truth it self if their Church once hold it or else be judged to be of them while we hold it with them and as in holding it out freely as we do other Truths we neither fill nor feed as you do your own by holding In the Truth their as Hypocritical as Hydropical Bag so it being no worse then that Golden Gospel Truth which ye Divines darken so much by your dirty distinctions and meer guilded glosses could we make such â—a fair In-let for it that it might shine forth in its brightness as it once will do from one end of England to another we should in so doing usher in no part of their Baggage But indeed your selves in standing against it have not only stor'd your Bag more then is fit for men to do that make a Trade of treading down the Truth But have brought in a piece of Babylonish Baggage of your own as bad if not worse then all the Popes for its all one to me what outward Religion men be of true or false Papism or Protestanism or whether they have any at all among them yea or nay if it be so as our personal Electionists absit blasphemia breath it forth verbatim or at least doctrinally and in effect that the mercy of the Almighty which is said to abound to and over all and extend beyond all his other works and his infinite large and incomprehensible love to all men is yet no larger then may be comprehended in that little corner whereinto they croud it so as to say that one of a thousand only are decreed to be saved and a thousand to one of the Sons and Daughters of men without respect to any evil foreseen in their proper persons to be acted in time are from all eternity decreed by God himself and that unchangeably and everlastingly to be damned For then that one of a thousand shall assuredly be saved and a thousand to one as inalterably perish and die eternally and this or that outward Religion is no remedy against that which was so ordered long before the poor Creatures had any being And as one said once unto me for whom t will be better then he deserves if our God take him not at his word viz he would not own that God that would own a Qua. to be one of his Children so say I but not so desprately as he did the other I know and own no other God but him who will own all to be his Children who will unfainedly own him to be their Father and save all them that are truly willing in his way to be saved from their sins by him who never yet declared himself willing to save any in them who sent his Son a light in the world not to condemn it but to that intent that the world which loving darknesse rather then light will needs be damned through his Light notwithstanding might be saved and will shew mercy upon all them who will have pitty upon themselves so far as not to despise the riches of his grace and reject his unfained tenders and honest offers thereof when they are made neither do I own him to be my God for my God is a God of mercy and truth to all who without any respect to their personal rejectings thereof in time wills never to have mercy upon thâ— most who would have any to perish and not have all to come to Repentance who would not truly have all as well as some to be Saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth who hath any pleasure at all that the very wicked much more that the innocent should die that delighteth in the death of him that dieth and had not really rather that he should turn from his wickednesse and live that means any otherwise then he sayes or is quite contrary to what he seems to be in his speeches to either good or bad
at all in Vindication of the Popish Clergy in any of their Devilish doings nor scornful or spiteful speakings against the Scripture but of another Interest even that of the true Clergy or Heritage of God as remote from Theirs and Thine too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am an Opposer of thee as to that same Book wherein thou so vehemently Opposest the Papists hence many may as some already do suppose I am in far firmer friendship and fellowship with that Fry of fighters against the Scripture then with thee and thy fellows who wouldest fain seem at least to fight against them for it but if any man will be ignorant of me and my honest meanings let him be ignorant for my part as I am a well-wisher to all Souls and am in friendship with all men having and holding as truly Pacem cum Personis as cum Peccatis Bellum so I am in no fellowship with that in all men whether of the Romish Religion or that which informe is more Reformed that is not in fellowship with the Scriptures for that which is not in union therewith is not in fellowship with God fighting against neither smal nor great save only against the sinful seed of the Serpent in them which from the spirits of the spiritually throughout all Christendom spawnes it self forth in spite and spiritual wickednesse against the seed of the Woman who must bruise his head at last though he obtains for a while to bruise her heel between whose seed which is one and his seed of every sort whose name is Legion for they are many the most endlesse enmity is so that though I appear against those Paper-works of thine wherein thou appearest upon the Stage in part against that Synagogue of Satan but more palpably against the Synagogue of the Saints yet this is not all to gratifie the Romanists in their scurrilities against the Scriptures more then thee and thine Abettors in your scarce Schollar-like much lesse Scripture-like scoldings for them but as occasion is Pro Scripturis for the Scriptures which notwithstanding thy empty Apologetica's for them ye and the Papists also are both utterly against I shall not spare to grate hard against you both as such who while you are scribling of the Scriptures whether Pro or Con are yet our of that precious Truth the Scripture tells of and against that living Word that eternal and internal Light it calls to which leads to that Life of God that the Scripture calls for 3. In regard that I am and shall unavoidably be found in this present Controversie with thee saying some things against thee and thy untrue Assertions for Truths sake yet with a due Respect thereunto which the very Papists say though truly enough yet too disrespectfully about the Scriptures In this respect though I would not have them so yet I believe some are and some will be if peradventure these Premises prevent it not so blind as to believe I own the Pope and his Apostolical Church because I cannot own all that as true and Apostolical which some Prime Protestants tell for Truth but rather tell the Truth with him when he tells it about the Scripture or any other thing then Errour and Lyes with those who pretendedly for the Truth and Pro Scripturis Protest against him For I must give the Devil his due so as to acknowledge his Words to be true when he speaks the Truth though to a false end rather then sooth up thee I.O. or any other men so as to say the Crow is white and that ye utter Truth when ye tell utter untruth though against the Devil himself to please either thee or them Howbeit many men in these dayes and not a few of those who are called Christs Ministers and counted well studied Schollars or at least would not be well contented to be not so accounted are yet so dim as without any more ado to deem them to be Romish Priests under Pay from the Pope who own some Truths which his Priesthood owns as if because at Rome they own Christ to be the Son of God they must needs be of that Church who deny him not so to be but more especially any Truths which by these Divine Deemers are not Deemed to be Truths and thereupon disowned by their non-discerning selves upon whose crazy Concerts and cloudy Accounts and crooked Conjectures some that do more service to the Truth against Popish Fictions in a year then themselves do in an Age are thorow their shallow surmises by their implicit Faith't People as sinisterly supposed to be Supporters of the Papal Hierarchy because themselves whose Idol the Letter is are not digested in all their Extravagant Exaltings of it though the Popes extream of Exalting his leaden Legends and Holy Chaire above it be more professedly distasted and detested Thus such as believe according to the Scripture the general Grace and Love of God in giving Christ to die for all men for as much as that also is believed at Rome seem to these senslesse ones to favour too much of Popery because the empty understandings narrow Nodels and heedlesse Head-pieces of many Protestant Parish Priests are not as yet enlarged enough to comprehend it who notwithstanding being blear-eyed at home whilest Eagle eyed abroad Nunquam vident id manticae quod in tergo est never come to see or sent that plain Popery of their Parish Posture and Parish pay by way of Tythes which the Night is now too far spent for any but Owles Bats and Night-birds not to see that its of the Pope sith though its a piece of stark rank and Popery not held without the guilt of Perjury yet as it s their own suus cuique crepitus bene olet so it s that which serves their turn better at this time then the Extirpation of it Root and Branch according to their Oathes which would savour lesse of Popery and more of pure Pietv will ever do Of this sort of Evil Surmisers is T. D. who not only as thou I. O. dost Accuses us me in particular as one big with and spitting out venome against the Scriptures for not owning those outward Writings as the only Rule of Faith and holy Life but also accounts of us as no other then broachers of Popish Doctrines and bringers in of the Popes Baggage for dissenting as in other points so from his blind Tenets about the Scriptures Yea so earnestly doth T. D. drive on his Design of Insinuating it into mens minds concerning me that I am Popishly affected that he finds occasion of Accusation against me as so as well where I more fully own the Scripture then himself does as where I may more easily seem to one that 's blind to deny it Witnesse his words Page 27. 1. Pamph where for owning the Epistle of Paul to LAODICEA which he sputns at as Spurious he flyes thus foolishly in my face T.D. We know quoth he your Brethren of the Popish Party have laid many such Brats at
by it while it sits in supream Authourity on the Bench as the most perfect infallible Touch stone Lydius lapis and standing Rule for no lesse but much more thou wouldest have it even Light Rule of Trial Iudge Witnesse and all to which all Spirits even Gods own that gave it out as well as all false ones must stand or rather stoop and submit to be judged by and the foundation which the Church or World in the World or Wheel in a Wheel must stand or else fall and fail for ever for as there was a time wherein the Church which is but one from Abel till now can have but one and the same Rule bottom and foundation for ever and one Rock on which its built which is neither Peter nor Paul nor any of their Writings nor of any Prophets that wrote afore them but Christ the Light to the Nations and the Rock of Ages and Generations was without it and not placed upon it so there was a time of thousands of years together wherein it had no place nor use at all in the Church nor so much as any being in the World and as for such high place as thou in thy own will now alowest it as it s own as wise and quick-sighted as thou art to know and see non Entities and things that never were at all I know no such Place that God ever set it in nor time when he so super-eminently exalted it and though I acknowledge and am not ignorant as thou art that meer men and blind builders as seeing as thyself have Canonized it into the Head of the Corner laying him aside whom God hath made so yet I am to learn and so art thou for all thy hasty teaching it as Truth to others where ever the bare Letter or Scripture which is all one was created into such a Lord as thou lookest on it to be over his inward Light Spirit in the heart and authorized so infinitely as thou imaginest over all things by the Lord God of Heaven and Earth the only Author and Creator of all things J.O. Not only to detrade the Scripture from its place but also that by that one only device of denying to the Scripture that glorious Title of the Word of God the Quakers aim and endeavour to divest Christ himself of his Personality and divine Being Reply Was ever man left of God to shew his own Folly by more palpable apparent absurdities then thou here utterest who by that very thing whereby we seek to invest Christ with the proper and peculiar Right both in Name and Nature whereof your selves rob him belyest us so as to say we thereby seek to divest him of it Is not the Word of God not only the proper Name Ioh. 1. Rev. 19. but also the proper Nature and divine Being of Christ which he had before he was made flesh from the very beginning before the Scripture was that declares of him before World it self was which was made by him and all things in it so that without him nothing was made that was made And because that we will not take this glorious Title of his to whom only of Right it belongeth viz. the Word of God who hath no corruptible Word that I know but only one that 's incorruptible and liveth and abideth for ever and is both essentialiter and effective and enunciative too the Word of God and invest such a corruptible thing herewith as the mouldring Letter a Writing with mens hands which Worms may eat and mens Hands blot out deface and destroy and because we will not attribute that everlasting Name of his to that which in Nature is not everlasting as ye do but decaying dost thou say we divest him of his divine Being Dost thou not beget this bastardly businesse of divesting Christ himself of his divine Name and Nature Excellency and Existence in thy own brain by ascribing these to the Scriptures and giving the glory thereof to another under that high Prerogative Title of the Word of God due only and alone to him and not to any Letter that man as moved by him writes of him and then lay it at the door of the Quakers Art not thou the man that appropriatest that Name and Nature which is proper to Christ alone to the Scripture by disputing as to Name and Thing in esse reasi cognoscibili that it is the Word of God that glorious Title is its proper Name and is not this what in you lyes to dethrone Christ who only is so and place another ever him as the only most perfect Light Foundation Touchstone by which his Spirit must be tryed and yet accusest thou the Quakers of displacing him Doth not the Scripture say that Christ is the Light which the Church Ministerially is to hold out bear witness to Ioh. 1 in all her Preachings Administrations and Walkings and the Scripture is written out for the sake and Instruction and profit or use and service of the Church 2 Tim 3.15 16. 1 Cor. 10. yet settest not thou the Letter above the Church and Christ too saying Page 76. The Scripture is Light it is the duty of every Church to hold it up almost the whole of its duty and this Duty it performs Ministerially not Authoritatively A Church may bear up that Light it is not the Light it bears Witnesse to it but kindles not one divine beam to further its discovery All the Preaching that is in any Church its Administration of Ordinances all its walking in the Truth hold up this Light Thus magnifying the Letter above all and making it the main businesse of the Church to magnifie and hold it up much what as the Iewes do whose Work in their Synagogues is to lift up the Letter while they loath the Law and the Light it came from and is but the meer Letter or Writing of J. O. The whole Truth of the Words of God is as to Name and Thing opposed by the poor Fanatical Quakers Satan in these dayes assaults the sacred Truth of the Word of God in the poor deluded Fanatical Souls among us commonly called Quakers Reply It was none but Satan himself that is a Lyar the Father of it who told thee so and in thee tells it out for Truth to the whole World For 1. The whole Word of God which is but of one not of many kinds that I know of as thou wouldest make it as if God had one Living one Dead one Fallible another Infallible one Corruptible another Incorruptible one Eternal one Temporal Word one that 's only Letter another that 's Spirit and Life one Written and another Unwritten one within men and another that 's not the same in Nature without men that one and the same Individual Word of God I say which is the same whether within or without Written or Unwritten neither of which the bare Writing is as to both Name and Thing we own and honour as that which from
the Scripture is so far from hindering any from coming to but only that the blind Porers in it with their natural Eyes cannot see Wood for Trees that it sides with us in helping to call People to the Light in the Heart which thing is as well the end of its being written as it was the end of Paul and Iohn's and all the Prophets Ministry by word of mouth Act 26.17 18. 1 Ioh. 1.1 5 6 7. And is the end of all our Ministring now as we are moved of the Lord by Voice or Writing the Letter bids look to the Light as that which leads on to the Life but both Letter and Light are a cloud to the Egyptians that pursued them which to Israel that obeyed it was a help And as it serves with us to call to the Light so before it passe away it must be used against them to send them packing first that have Abused it as thou hast done and to accuse as a Witnesse against them such as have owned it as their Rule and Foundation yet lived and built so much as ye have done beside it And as Christ said to the old Scripture searchingScribes Joh. 5. that would never come to him the Life whom they Testified of so say I to you of the same Seed Do not think that Christ by his Light within you only whereby ye are made as all men are who have not the Law in a Letter a Law before God to your selves will accuse you to the Father ye have another that accuses you for your Vanities and Deceits even Moses and the Apostles and Prophets Writings in whom ye trust to get Life for if you had believed them you would not have belyed but beleeved in and obeyed the Light and Word in the Heart which they call you to for the Scriptures testifie of that but fith you believe not their Testimony to the Light how can we look that by our Words ye should come to believe in the Light it self So that ye stand Condemned and must be Judged by the Law or Light within as well as such as are without the Law in a Letter without and fining under and against the Law in the Letter by the very Letter of the Law throw boasting and yet breaking of which ye dishonour God much more then the Heathen do Rom. 2. Ye must be condemned also So that the Scripture is of much use yet and we are free it should stand and not be blotted out that by the Testimony of it which is one and the same with ours to the Light ye might be if yet it may be brought to look to the Law of Christ which and not the Letter is the Light and Life but if you will not come to Christ and his Light in you that ye may have the Life it s all of a price to you whether the Scripture stand or be blotted out for your Names are not while ye are Enemies to the Light written there for Life but as yet blotted out even by the Scripture while it abides unblotted out from under Heaven I.O. Ex. 2. S. 26. Thou sayest The Quakers little regard the understanding of the Scripture and this is one of their Eminent Deceits so long as they have the Words they are well enough without the sense as nothing appertaining to them Reply Saving I. O's fine figment in this matter which may be more manifested in its proper place howbeit we are well satisfied without so many several silly Senses and mis-meanings of it as are ministred cut by the unlearned Ministers that know not the Mind of the Lord nor ever shall while they lean to their own meer Natural empty Understandings and lye-poring in the Letter as they do without the Spirit which only Receives and Reveals the deep things of God and opposing the Light that only opens it yet we are not against the true sense and meaning of the Spirit which expounds the Mysteries and shews the Secrets thereof to those few Babes that fear the Lord which are hidden from the worldly wise and prudent but whether the Renowned Rabbies Preach for prize or hold their peace we neverthelesse still have true meanings and mind of Christ. I.O. Ex. 2. S. 21 22. That they affirm it is not lawful for any to Interpret the Scriptures or give the sense thereof And S. 22. That altogether with the Interpretation it self they reject damne curse all Mediums of Opening Scriptures the weighing the Words and Phrases and daily Prayer and comparing of divers places together that the Opening of hard Places the clearing and proving of the Truth the Conviction and Confutation of Heresies Errours false Doctors and Doctrines the Edifying any by Instructions and Exhortations and all the other ends of lawful Interpretation of the Scriptures are odious and abomination to them they not only prosecute with Enmity all Expositions of the Scripture by word of mouth in private Families Meetings Churches Schools of Believers to the Opening of the Sense of the Word and the giving of Knowledge by the Scripture it self but also as little esteem and most Childishly defame both Commentaries and all other Books wherein part of the Scripture is Interpreted or any Truth cleared or confirmed out of it or the Faithful perswaded by Exhortations to Holinesse and Gospel Obedience or men are Instructed in any other manner whatsoever in the Knowledge of God Reply Whether all these stories of I.O. which I have here put together do more savour of the French Galimafrey or wild-Irish bonni-clabber I 'le not determine but I am sure they are an unsavoury Mess of Omnigatherums made up of many sorts of lying Reproaches that have no Consistency with the Truth which would far better have become a Doctor of Divinity to have told of the Devil himself had he been accusing of him who is the false Accuser of the true Brethren rather then such a legend of Lyes as lye here legenda legible to all that know them of the Quakers I cannot say of this indeed as of T.D. his doings in his way of sharp shooting out his false Tales against us that it will sound much to our shame in a Countrey Church because it s well nigh all laid out not to say lyed out in the Latine Tongue though only Englished here but it will ring such a Peal in the University Colledges among the Iunior sort of Haters of whom God loves and among all save the lack-Latine-Country-Clergy men against the Quakers as will make them prick up their Ears and listen that they may learn how to lye against them also more then ever they did to the Quakers themselves that of them they might learn the Truth but the best on 't is though here 's a Nest of them together if that would do any good to I.O. or hurt to the Quakers yet by Lyes and Deceits none ever did or ever must prevail against the Truth Yet to all this thou addest That we turn the Church of God into a
better hath been seen by some Quakers and how the Name of Christian stinks more then it would do among the Gentiles for the sake of such as Preach and Hear and Read and Expound and boast of the Scripture and yet break them and name the Name of Christ without his Nature But what doings there are in other Nations and the Preaching places and Nurseries thereof to which these of our Nation are not inferiour in silth I shall say no more here but let them passe as matters which being Extra nos are parum or nihil or miaus ad nos of lesse moment to us then our own Concluding my Return to this particular Challenge of I.O. with his own words mutatis mutandis additis addendis a little amplified and the Subjects or Persons of whom they are Spoken Altered and Substituting our Modern Academies and their Masters Doctors Divines and other Students and the whole Rabble of Rabbies there in the room of that University at Tiberias which I O. talks against in the words of one Dr. Lightfoot together with his own and the Iewish Rabbies Gemarists and Massorites pertaining thereunto as they are to be read in the 240 241 242 245 246 247 pages of I. O's English part the Censure he passes upon them being no other then what exactly accrews to the Universities universally throughout Christendom from whence come the whole Crew of Clergy-men that count themselves and are counted to be the Clearers of Christs Truth to all other Christian Creatures And what I. O. sayes of the Massorites of that Accademy is a clear Character of these corrupted and earth corrupting Coveats I. O Chap. 4. S. 13. Whilst they keep the Scriptures we shall never want Weapons out of their own Armoury for their destruction like the Philistine they carry the Weapon that will serve to cut off their own Heads Let us then a little without prejudice or passion consider who or what these men are who are the supposed Authors of all Knowledge and Godlinesse 1. Men they are who have not the Word of God committed to them in a pecullar manner as their Forefathers Prophets and Apostles had of old and many have now being no part of his Church or People but are only outwardly Professors and Possessors of the Letter without just Right or Title to it utterly uninteressed in the Promise of the Communication of the Spirit while they so have it which is the Great Charter of the Churches preservation of Truth Isa. 59.21 2. Men so remote from a right understanding of the Word or the Mind and Will of God therein that they are desperately engaged to oppose his Truth in the Books which themselves enjoy in all matters of importance unto the Glory of God or the good of their own Souls from the beginning to the ending Scuffling for the Book itself but persecuting the Life in them where it is The foundation of whose Religion is Infidelity and one of their chief Fundamentals an Opposition to the Gospel in the Quakers whom they glory to fight against and think they serve God in opposing with what spite they can 3. Men under the special Curse of God and his Vengeance upon the account of the blood of his dear Son in his Saints 4. Men all their dayes feeding themselves with vain Fables and mischievous Devices against the Gospel labouring to set up a New Religion under the Name of the Old when the Old they hate as Ier. 6. in despight of God so striving to wrestle it out with his Curse to the utmost 5. Men of a profound Ignorance in all manner of Learning Knowledge but only what concerns their own dunghil Traditions as appears in their stories filled with innumerable sopperies 6. Men so addicted to such monstrous Figments as appears in their Talmuds as their Successors of after Ages will be ashamed of yea for the most part Idolaters Now I dare leave it to the Iudgement of any Godly prudent person not addicted to Parties and Names who is at all acquainted with the importance not of the Hebrew Vowels and Accents but the Light and Spirit the Quakers call to unto the right understanding of the Scripture with whatever influence their present Fixation hath into the literal sense they not knowing the Spiritual embrace whether we have not very clear Evidence and Testimony yea undeniable and unquestionable to cast the rise and spring of all the Irreligion in the Nations upon this sort of men so far are they from bettering things by their Interpretations S. 16. Recount I pray from the first Foundation of Universities throw CHRISTENDOM and what do you find but a sort of Men being made Mad with or above the Pharisees bewitching and bewitched with Traditions blind crafty raging pardon me not for I shall ask none if I say Magical if Simon Magus was so in thinking the holy Ghost of God is to be bought with Money Monstrous what Fools what Sots as to such a divine Work as the Gospel Read and Consider how to every good Work voyd of Iudgement the great Doctors among them do behave themselves how seriously they do of nothing how childish they are in serious things how much deceitfulnesse froth venome smoke nothing is in their Disputations Insomuch that I may say truly of these as I.O. sayes of all men Pag. 104. Those whose Lips should keep Knowledge that is University-men and Clergy-men as much as any are by Nature so vain foolish malicious such Lyars adders detracters have spirits and minds so unsuited to spiritual things so lyable to Alteration in themselves and to Contradiction one to another are so given to Impostures and are so apt to be imposed upon have been so shuffled and driven up and down the World in every Generation have for the most part so utterly lost the Remembrance of what themselves are whence they come or whether they are to go that I can give very little Credit to what I have nothing but their Authority to rely upon for without any Evidence from the nature of the thing its self CHAP. III. Having Cleared the Quakers from sundry of those Calumnies thou falsly castest upon-them as concerning their Carriage toward the Scriptures as if they were Enemies Haters and Reproachers of it and such-like who in Truth are its truest Friends in the former Chapter I come on to Consider some of thy Cloudy Conjectures and Conceits concerning the Bounds of the Canon as ye call it thereof the Hebrew Punctation and thy Asserted Integrity of both that and the Greek Texts of it without any variation to a very Title Concerning the Canon of which thou Writest as follows JOhn Owen Pag. 3. God spake of Old or formerly in the Prophets From the dayes of Moses and downwards unto the Bounding and Consignation of the Canon delivered to the Judaical Church in the dayes of Ezra and his Companions the men of the great Congregation Reply 1. Why sayest thou from Moses downward c. as if he
had never done so before till then Did not God speak in his Prophets and by them to the men of their several Ages from Moses upwards as well as from Moses downwards Did he not speak in Enooh the seventh from Adam in Noah in Abraham Isaac Iacob Lot and Iob who lived before Moses if Catholick Tradition be to be Credited in one thing as well as another and whose Book who ever Pen'd it whether himself or some other for ought thou knowest was written before Mosâ—s who thou thinkest wrote the first of the Scripture either lived or wrote and by them who were upright righteous just and walked with God to the wicked unrighteous Worldlings and wantons who walked with the Devil in their Generations who all were before Moses as well as by Moses and those that lived after him 2. Why sayest thou downwards to the Consignation and Bounding of the Canon in Ezra's days as if between his dayes and the dayes of Christs flesh the Spirit of the Lord was straitned as it never is Mic. 2. and God had limitted and bound up himself from manifesting his mind cut of his own mouth to any men at all for so many Hundred years together because some Prophets had been moved by him to commit to Writing or at least to permit to be Written by others some few of those things they saw and said concerning partly their own and partly the after times and other Nations Doth not Wisdom say of her self That in all Ages entering into holy Souls she maketh them friends of God and Prophets Wisd. 7.27 And were there no Holy men of God in those dayes wherein ye imagine all Gods speaking in and by any Prophets then was ceased in and by whom he manifested his Mind as he moved them to speak and write as immediately as he had done others before them And who told thee That the Canon as thou call'st it or full standing Rule of Tryal or infallible Touch-stone of the Old Testament Scripture to which nothing must or might be added after it till the time of Christ in the flesh was Compleated and after its Consignation and Bounding by them delivered to the Judaical Church in the dayes of Ezra alias Esdras and his Companions the men as of your own heads ye are pleased to term them of the great Congregation Whence hast thou these fancies of thine Or suppose they be not simply Suppositions but real Truths whence dost thou fetch or take them to be so but from the untrusty-Traditional-Tales of thy Forefathers and such Iewes as are little lesse then unerring Oracles with thee when saying ought that suits with thee yea thou callest pag. 203. the Assertion of Iustin Martyr of the Iewes corrupting the Bible out of their hatred to Christians An Incredible Figment yet little better but much worse then ordinary Infidels men feeding themselvns with vain fables desperate cursed Opposers of Truth mischievous in their devices against the Gospel of a profound Ignorance in all manner of Learning and Knowledge but only what concerns their own Dunghil Traditions addicted to monstrous Figments bewitching bewitched with Traditions Idolaters Magicians blind crafty raging fools sets full of deceitfulness froth venome smoke nothing but faithlesnesse and infidelity it self what not that 's nought where any thing issues from their most Catholick Testimony that makes against thee Pag 241.242.244.303 Yea whence knowest thou who art easily apt to Question when it serves thee so to do whether there ever were such men as the 70. and such men as the Tiberian Massorites in Rerum Natura pag. 243.336 that ever there was such a thing in Rerum Naturâ as that Great Congregation thou art every where in thy Book so greatly taken with and ever and anon betaking thy self to for Refuge but only from thy putting more confidence in thy own uncertain Conjectures together with the Catholick Tradition of the with thee creditlesse Iewes and Christians then in the Conjectures of the Prolegomenâ as Learned as thy self at least who oppose thee in it For there 's not so much as any Scripture at all that mentions such a set Sanydrim of Ezra Nehemia Ioshua Zacharia Haggai c. as thou settest it down in the Book of thy own Brain and the Counting-house of thy own conceit that there was pag. 302.303 And let it be as it can be no more then imagined there was such a great Congregation which it being as not possible to know it so nor here nor there to mine or any mans Salvation I 'le not search into so far as to put my self into any Capacity of either saying or gain saying it that there was and to ground any as I. O. does many things upon its being so as he but thinks is as he sayes in another case pag 293. to build Towns and Castles of Imaginations which may be as easily cast down as they are erected yet when all 's done whence had that Sanydrim such Authority as to confine and bound out that Canon and Canonize some of the Writings of such Prophets as ye wot are Canonical and Cashiere the rest of the Writings of the same Prophets and all the Writings of some other Prophets as of no such divine Authority as to Command with their fellows in Gods Name as his Word and to abrogate them as Apocryphal as ye speak and disband them from the bench of Iudicature and to bind the sweet Influences of the holy Spirit so as to say O Spirit of God be silent now blow no more nor make any more Prophets now for these many hundred years to come but become subject thy self to be tryed by the Touchstone of the Writings of such Prophets as thou hast already moved to write Gods Mind or so many at least as it seems good to us now to Authorize and Establish into a standard for the Tryal of thy self as well as all false Spirits And if I. O. say as he does pag. 303. That was not called the Great Congregation from its Number but Eminency of Persons yet I say are any Persons so Eminent if I.O. be not a Lyar pag. 35. as to have Authority from God to Authorize and Canonize casting aside what they like not what seems good to them into the Name to bespeak I. O in his own feigned phrase of the Word of God that they themselves must be subject to the Authority of and of the Rule that themselves must be Ruled by and of the Foundation that themselves and all others must be built on and of the Basis of their own belief It is indeed quoth I.O. pag 35.36 a Contradiction for men to say and if for other men then for I.O. say I who sayes the same yet sees it not They give Authority to the Scriptures they Bound the Canon and deliver to the Church what it shall be which it hath antecedently to their Charter and Concession And again Moreover to say the same of his supposed Sanydrim that I O sayes to the digrading
it from what is suggested to his own Thoughts from Hear-say and other mens Talk to and fro and Tradition and as he Confesses all along â— heap of Vncertainties and Conjectures so that all the tumblings and tossings snapings and snarlings of even the Protestant Divines about their Scriptmre is but about their remote Transcribed I cannot say well neither for most Transcribed Copies too are out of the way since Printing came up but Printed Copies of the Text which are all not more lyable in any thing to be then in many things they are already falsified which since the Primitive Copies are concluded to be gone and the infallible guidance of the Spirit by I. O. T. D. and all Divines excluded out of the World also though they tell us Translations must be Rectified by their Transcriptions yet if they happen to be as an hundred to one they are and none knows in how many in any things crooked or various from the first there 's no means of Rectifying or Reducing their supposed Rule to Conformity to the first literal Rule nor of amending it any otherwise then uncertainly for ever But suppose I say ye had the Primitive Copies could you make more ado in Adoring them then ye Doctors and your People that dote on you do about your various respective Transcripts and more various Translations out of them into sundry Tongues and Languages which Translations yet are all in somethings not more several in their sorts then the Tongues into wch they are translated and divided into as many Senses as the many men that Translated them thereinto which said numerous untrue Translations also are as to the Letter if they look not to the Light within and live not by that all that the poor blindly guided mis-led Priest-befoolled People who ken not Hebrew and Greek many of whom can't read English neither have to trust to whose Faith about the Scripture it self which thou callst pag. 155. the Foundation of that Faith and Obedience God requireth at their hands and whose belief of the Truth or untruth of this or that Translation is as much pin'd upon the Priests sleeve here in England still as it is at Rome it self in this and some other matters for there they Believe as their Church alias Clergy believes and take things on Trust being not suffered if they were able as here though suffered they are not able to try the Truth hereof and by meer Tradition from their illiterate Purblind Priesthood and no otherwise do they here as to their Tratslâ—tions then upon Traâ—iâ—ion â—rusting to the fidelity and to that infalible certaines of their supposed learned leaders the Serâ—â—es then whom no men are more humpered in a heap 〈◊〉 uncertainties about the Scriptures What would ye do more to the very writing that was inscribed with Gods own finger if you had it in way of homage then ye are doing to your respective doted on derived copies Do you not dance about them as Israel about their Calf saying these are thy Gods O England that brought thee out of bondage to thy sin to which yet they committing it they remain servants to this day Iob. 8 and must save thee and lead thee into life and are perfectly sufficient without the light and spirit within the Quakers talk of as that which the letter came from and alone can do it to instruct thee in the knowledge and worship of God and thy obtaining of everlasting Redemption Do you not Canonize and crown them with the Titles of the only Perfect Rule Foundation Light Witnesse Living Word of God the Lydius Lapis Unaltered Unalterable Standard Touchstone immediately come forth from God to us without the least interueniency of Wayes or Mediums obnoxious to fallibility or capable to giue Change to the least â—ota or Syllable Are not these as high Titles as ye could give to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they were here Do you not say and do this and much more to your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the People to no more then their meer Translation Yea do the Iewes say or do more in way of Adoration to their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Synagogues then beautifie adore guild lift up in their hands exâ—al them with high Applauses Hugge and Kisse them as ye do when ye Swear upon a Book and such like outward magnifyings and makings honourable of them which is the utmost that I have seen them do in their Synagogues throw many Nations without living that substantial Holy Life the letter calls for And do you do any lesse as to outward Adoration or any more as to inward and real Observation towards your Bibles Yea do ye not all as well the People that have no better then their uncertain yet certainly untrue Translations from you as so many of you of the Clergy as can read the Copies of the Originals for many cannot read the Hebrew Text at all and some the Greek as â—etle as that as necessary as these Tongues were made a while since to the very esse or being of Christs Ministers who have no better â—hen your uncertain Transcriptions cry up your several Transcribed and Translated Copies respectively that best like you and every one hugge his own at least as most insallible however crying down others as corrupted And how beit if any one of them were so as none of them at all are yet all of them can't be right as each one faith that is that he takes toâ— Are ye not all noysing it out as the Iewes at â—eâ—usaâ—em and the Gentiles at Ephesus Jer. 7. Act. 19. of their Respective broken Reeds the Temple and Diana to which they trusted Great is Diana The Temple of the Lord The Word of God The Word of God Inspired The insallible Word oâ— God are these The perfect Living Liâ—e giving Soul saving Word the very Power of Gâ—d unto Salvation Are the Iewes more mad upon their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 theâ— People are upon their untruly Translated and you Divines upon your untruly Transcribed and both on the more Kreanously yet Trans-printed Sculptures Talking and Treating up your Respective Texts into the Throne where Christ the Light and Living Word alone should sit making little lesse of your Copies then some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Cornu-Còpia Deo forsan quapiam melius For what are all the Ephesian like Glamours eager Out-cryes loud Noises of the people here for against the Quakers Are they not for the bare Bulk of that Book called the Bible the out-side of which they are at great Care and Cost to Paint and Guild and Bind and Beautifie and Adorn and Adore while the Truth exhibited in the Writing or Text thereof lyes trampled under their feet Saying the Ruâ—e the Foundation the infallible Standard the Word of God of no more then their by the self Conâ—essed in many things corrupted Translations counting the Quakers not fit to live in the Land any otherwise then Out-law'd because they can't
O's wisedom in this point yet I am not such a fool yet or not so wise or something as to believe him howbeit who e're believes or believes him not in such wise as this aforesaid he talks in effect while p. 12.13 he sayes thus without proof as he does most things according to his own vain thoughts as followes viz. I. O. The Providence of God hath manifested it self no lesse concerned in the preservation of the writings then the doctrine contained in them Rep. Which is a loud one for many Holy Prophets writings are lost but not a Doit of the Doctrine I. O. The writing it self being the product of his own eternall Councel for the preservation of the Doctrine after a sufficient discovery of the insufficiency of all other means for that end and purpose Rep. Which is another for the Doctrine can never perish if every Tittle of the Text should I. O. The malice of Satan hath raged no lesse against the Book than the Truth certained in it Rep. Which is a third For Satan will allow people Bibles and Texts enough to talk of Truth out of so they walk not in Truth I. O. It was no lesse Crime to be Traditor libri then Abnegator fidei Rep. Which is a fourth false Tale for the burning the Book can't murder the faith as having the light does which with it's fellows I have disproved and given Reasons against above and while p. 17.18.19 in answer to Capellus his honest Grants that the Saving Doctrine of the Scripture as to the matter and substance of it in all things of moment is preserved in the Copies of the Original and Translations that do remain J.O. assenting first to it as Truth to the overthrowing of himself as he often does that notwithstanding all the errours and mistakes in the most corrupt Translations yet every necessary saving fundamentall truth is found sufficiently Testified to therein or if he deny that of Translations let him do it and see what a pickle he puts poor people into who upon the account of that denyal will be found not to have all saving Truth in their Bibles he asserts I. O. That 't is not enough to satisfie him that in his doted on Transcribed Copies of the Original the doctrines mentioned are preserved entire every Tittle and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must come under Care and consideration or else injury is done to the Providence of God towards his Church and care of his word and that it will not be found an easie matter upon a supposition of such corruptions of the Originals in Tittles and points c. as is pleaded for against him to evince unquestionably that the whole saving Doctrine it seâ—f at first given out from God continues entire and uncorrupt Rep. Oh grosse as if the entirenesse of the eternall Truth that was before all external Text was was now so subjected as to depend on the entirenesse of a tottering Text for its security or else is lost for ever and yet yielded to be preserved entire in Translations that are corrupt in more then Tittles but not possibâ—e to be kept entire in Transcriptions if any Tittle be mis-transcribed therein I O That the nature of the doctrine is such that there is no other principle and means of its discovery no other Rule or measure of Iudging and determining any thing about or concerning it but onely the writing out of which it is taken Rep. As if the Doctrine comes from the writing when as the writing came from the Truth and Doctrine I. O. It being wholly of divine Revelation and that revelation being exprest onely in that writing Rep. Absit absurdum de quo vere dicitur quod posito uno sequuntur millia As if Revelation were not made more truely clearly distinctly and immediately by the light and Spirit then mediante litera by the mediation of the letter that comes from it in which thou sayst Revelation only is made before which yet the doctrine was revealed I. O. That upon any corruption supposed in the Transcript Copies of the Originall but not the Translations there 's no means of rectifying the Doctrine Rep. No by no means its like as if the Spirit and Light could not now possibly reveal it as easily as at first and as if Truth were not as equally by the Spirit exposed to the understanding of men in all ages as in some and as if pure Revelation were not made now by the light and Spirit of Truth which depends solely on Revelation as it ever did and not on a letter that came from it Thus much to the first of those Scriptures urged by thee I. O. to prove the promise of God to preserve the Scripture even every Tittle of the external Texts in Transcripts not Translations for Ever and the second is like unto it viz Math. 5.18 where though Christ talks of not one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Tittle failing he that shall understand him speaking there of the outward writing and outward Tittles of the Law of it many Tittles and Books of which were lost before that and not of the light it self which is that Law the Letter is but a Copy of and of the word it self that Christ speaks which is that that is heard by his sheep onely in the heart and that comes immediately from his own mouth understands neither what he says nor whereof he affirmes yet in three places I. O. quotes it to evince the Integrity and Identity of every Tittle of the Text as 't was at first viz. p. 13.155.317 The Third is as little alias not one jot not Tittle to I. O's purpose viz. 1 Pet. 1.25 where Peter speaks no more of any outward Texts or Transcripts then if he had said nothing at all nor of such a corrupting thing as Manuscripts Texts and Transcripts Titles and dead Letters are but of the incorruptible seed the Word of God that liveth and endureth for ever ver 23. Even the word of the Gospel which was that word of faith Paul also writes of Rom. 10.8 which was preached by the Apostles and Testified to by them and their Scripture and Moses Scripture Deut. 30.14 and all outward Scripture that its nigh within in the heart and mouth The Fourth viz. 1 Cor. 11. no verse of which is quoted is so far from adding a cubit to I. O's cause about the Scripture that there 's no mention made of any Scripture at all thoroughout the whole Chapter so that what verse he should infer or scrue any thing from to evince the Scripture to be entire to a Tittle I can't imagine Paul tells of things he had delivered to them before which-whether it were by word of Mouth or Epistle he intimates not there but whether it were by Orall preaching or writing is much at one to I. O. for if by writing which serves I O. most yet he means not the writing it self or Epistle but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things he delivered as he
did to the Thessalonians 2. Thes 2. by word or Epistle and if I. O. will have it so that t was by a former Epistle then he serves me against T. D. and himself more than himself against me acknowledging the first Epistle of Paul to Corinth which he wrote before the first of the two we have and mentions 1. Cor. 5. to be Authentick and Canonical and so that a whole Canonical Epistle of that holy Apostle and that 's more than a Tittle or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is utterly lost The Fifth viz. Math. 28.20 Teaching them to observe whatever I command you and so I am with you alway even to the end of the world which way I. O. can from thence conclude a promise for every Tittle of inspired Scripture to be preserved for ever entire without losse or alteration I see not but I see one thing that if I. O. hobble but upon a Text of Scripture he thinks at a venture it must serve his Turn about the entirenesse and integrity of the Text and its Tittles though there be no mention of Scripture made at all in it for here 's none in this in which Christ bids them Teach the Nations to observe what he commanded them and that they did he promised then to be with them alway to the end of the world as he was and is ever with his people by his light word they being turned to it themselves but what 's all this to the Tittles of Hebrew and Greek Texts unlesse I. O. say they are the Christ that he meant when he laid I will be with you never did I see men in two Books so miserably wrest and mis-interpret Scripture on pretence of vindicating Scripture as T. D. and I. O. do Yea I. O. there is scarce any or but very few of all the Scriptures thou quotest in all thy Books but thou pervertest them more or lesse as T. D. does the most if not all he meddles with whether about the Scripture or the word or foundation or Rule or what ever else And as for these five last examined if thou hadst not sent me to them to that end I should as soon of my self have gone to seek a Dolphin in the woods as lookt into any one of them to find God promising in his love to his Church and Word and in order to the preserving of them both to be carefull to set his providence so on work as to lay the Transcribers of the Scriptures in the Hebrew and Greek Tongues but not the Translaâ—ors of them into other tongues in which yet his care and Love to his Church though not to the Clergy that trade out of their Original Texts would as much appear and his Truth and most mens souls are as much concerned and more too then in Hebrew and Greek Texts if the Scripture were the onely way to life under his loving aspect so as to see they should not misse nor falsifie in a Tittle though he would leave Translators out of the lists of that loving aspect to erre and corrupt as much as they would for howbeit I ken not the mystery of I. O's mind in this nor any Reason why if God love his Church and Word he should not in his care to preserve both oversee with a loving Aspect that Translators should not mis-translate as well as Transcribers not mis-transcribe yet I. O. allowes the loving Aspect of God to Transcribers but whether God himself do so or no I dare not say denying that great favour as in which his Church is much concerned as in the other to Translators for p. 334. speaking of the Chaldee Paraphrase he sayes thus viz. Seeing it hath not lain under any peculiar care and mercifull providence of God whether innumerable other faults be not get into it and errours not to be discovered by any varieties of Copies as it is happened with the Sepmagint who can tell No promise nor providence nor mercy nor loving aspect to the poor peoples Scripture still which is that of Translation onely for they cannot read Hebrew and Greek their part may go whither it will God looks not after it but such darlings do our Doctors and Clergy men deem themselves to be with God that his love care oversight promise providence and all is towards every Tittle of their Transcripts that they may trade with their Text and mete out what they will to men for money from it should any Qua. make such mad conclusions their Books would be good enough to be burned and thou I. O wouldst Iudge them no better Egregiam vero laudem spolia ampla refertis Tuque liberque tuus magnum memorabile nomen Having foild the Front-Guard of that Ragged Rout the Rest that have far lesse Reason in them if lesse can be are soon Routed Arg. the Second is the Religious care of the Church not of the Romish Synagogue sayst thou to whom these Oracles of God were committed Rep. What Church then if not the Remish Synagogue hath had that Commission of the Scriptures to her and that Religious care thou here talkst on to keep every Tittle of the Text entire without losse or change I do not say that the now Romane Harlot hath now or ever had in her Apostatical slate such a Commission of the Scripture to her as she pretends to as if they were the onely Trustees to whose care and custody the Text was committed of God for as to their proud prate and peculiar claim to such a preheminent power to be keepers and preservers of the Scripture I deny it nay with thy self in the 2.3.4.5 pages of thy Epistle I disown and damn their deceitfull pretence to such a trust reposed in them and if they had enjoy'd any such they have as thou sayest truly manifested a treacherous mind and falsified their Trust egregiously and so cannot stand in Judgement if called to account upon their own principles having indeed so far as they have had to do with the Scriptures altered added detracted depraved vitiated interpolated and done what not to corrupt them during the long time of their Dominus fac-totum-ship in whole Christendom about Scripture and every thing else ad extra that had any pretence toward the Truth and while the Scripture of the Old but the New Testament more specially seeing the Iewes reject it lay lockt up from all the Laity within the lines of her conclavical clerical Conemunication for though de jure they ought not so to have impropriated it but were Arrogant usurpers in so doing yet that de facto they had the grand Custody of that ye call your Canon and changed it as they pleased I should judge thee more silly then I am willing to do if thou shouldst deny it there being no visibly constituted Christian Church as to outward Order in all Europe that was other then a member of that blind Babylonish Body for at least a thousand years together But if that Church had not as I say
they had not canst thou tell me what Church had the exact Tale of so many Books of the Scripture as ye talk on and call your Canon committed to her of God any more then they or if thou say the whole True Apostolical Church of Christ under the Gospel had that Scripture we count the Canon and no more committed to it where was there ever such a thing done by whom or when canst thou tell us any of this thou talkst on or give us any Testimony of Scripture for this or trusty Tradition or any ground whereupon to act divine faith in this with thee so fundamental a matter save â—he fiction of thy own fancy and thy own meer untrusty thoughts and blindly confident Conjectures thou thinkst that in 2. Tim. 2.2 will serve thy turn in this case but I have overturned that already and if ever there were such a divine Commission of so many writings as a Canon by Christ or his Apostles to the Gospel-Church though I abhor that paultry novelly pretended Primacy of Rome over other particulars yet while it remained in its Primitive Apostolical Purity it had as deep a share as any other in that Commission of the Canon to her and so thy two Questions Ep. p. 3. what Scripture was this they say was committed to them and when was this deed of Trust made unto them have full as much in them but that plane nibilest to answer thee withall as thou hast to answer me who of the Church to whose care and custody thou sayest the Scripture was committed since Christ and by him or his Apostles do here ask thee what Church is that for thou amazest thy own and seek'st as Priests do to stun other mens minds with the name of the Church the Church but what Church is that whose care is said by thee to be so great whilst Rome's was so little to keep every Tittle of the Text entire and to whose care and custody it was to that end committed and intrusted and in thy own words to Rome so I to thee propound what Scripture was this or where was this deed of Trust made unto them And since it was not the Church of Rome as I freely agree with thee it was not what Church was it or where liv'd it or by what name or Title beside that generall blind people-confounding name of Church dost thou call it was it some one universal Catholick visibly constituted true Christian Church that had such a constant clearly visible continuance and successive outward orderly being in a Body as that Romane Harlot hath ever seemed to have from Christ downward to this day was it your what should I call it mingle-mangled Episcopall-Presbyter-Independant Church that 's run out from the Womb of that Babylonish Bawd through the loines of your late Fathers the Prelates and Scottish Presbyters into that Ragged Patcht Posture wherein it now stands like a Participle that 's neither this nor that nor Noun Substantive that can stand by it self without the Magistrates help nor Verb that betokens either doing or suffering any great matters for the Truth but most like an Adjective that leans upon Parliaments and earthly Powers to uphold it partaking with all sides as occasion is and of all formes something yet is just nothing but some Participle or PapalPrelatical-Presbyterian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. vere nihil but a mongrel Was it this Church that is one not individually but specifically the same with what yours is at this present derived downward and carefully receiving the Scripture downward entirely in all its Hebrew and Greek Letters Accents Points Tittles and Iota's without change or losse in the least is so shew us but some few footsteps of such a thing through the time of the Catholike Apostacy as a visible constituted Church which might have been known by the distinction of Elders Bishops Deacons c. in the dark dayes of Romes dominion except that of Rome it self that had the Canon constituted of no more nor lâ—sse but just so many Scriptures Letters Stories Tittles Iota's as thou trislingly tatlest by the Apostles and so committed to their care and as carefully handed down to you Linguists in every Letter of the Original Languages without alteration addition or diminution But I more than suppose thou shalt as soon find and follow to a hairs breadth the very way of a bird flying or an Arrow shot through the air as decypher such a matter and if the Papists should put the Question de novo to thee as they did long since to the Protestants where was your Church before Luther if thou couldst prove the Pedegree of thine so high as Luther though witnesses to the Truth more or lesse in all times suffering in sackcloth in the most dismall dayes I own yet thou wouldst be as much puzled to prove any other constituted Church that kept so entire as thou talkst thy constituted Canon in all Christendom beside that of the Romish Synagogue that corrupted it as that namelesse Author was who wrote an answer to it 1624 entituled Luthers Predecessors who though he quits himself well in proving downward from Iohn Wicklisse who was well nigh 200. years afore Luther but 1370. after Christ a company of particular successive sufferers for some truth that began to shine out again from under the Romish smother yet can instance no higher then Io. Wicklisse for at least a 1000. years upward any thing at all but an universal dominion of the Church of Rome confessing that if the Papists will tye him to prove any visible constituted Church beside theirs before Luther the Task is unequall because the records are wanting and also because the Church was not in the long time of Apostacy nor yet was to be alwaies in such a manner visible which is the very Truth for the true Church was to be and was according to the word of Prophesie Rev. 12. in a waste suffering afflicted desolate forlorn widernesse condition trodden under feet by the Gentiles coming into the out Court the outward name and profession of Christianity Rev. 11. And as when in her primitive glory she was cloathed with the Sun and a crown of twelve stars on her head i.e. the doctrine truth word of faith the 12 Apostles Preached and not simply those few of their naked writings and Letters and Texts and their Tittles and thou simply contendest on her head and the Moon i.e. all changeable things such as all Texts and Transcripts and Tittles and Iota's are under her feet so when she came into her forlorn solitary state in the time which was while the Whore or Clergy began to Ride the Beast and fit upon the Waters Tongues Nations Kings and Kindreds of the Earth and to cry Ecce duo gladii hic to claim both swords and to become supreamly as she made her sub-sub or Magistratical Power that bore her up subordinately to her not onely Custos utriusque Tabulae Vice-preserver of both Tables but pretendedly
Custos utriusque Testamenti chief Commissioners Trustees and keepers of both Testaments when she was driven to and fro and chased like a Roe or Sheep and kept under and domineered over by the said mystical Whore and hunted as well as by the Heathen Emperors in the first three hundred years or ten first persecutions she was in her several witnesses massacred murderd hang'd burnt headed fryed flead tortured in all the wayes that Tyrants could invent though you that have no changes and therefore fear not God and sit at ease in your Ceâ—ls and are not shifted from vessel to vessel and so like Moab have an ill sent settled in you can have time to talk to each other with your Tongues and in your Treatises about your Texts in severall Tongues and your Letter in this Language that and t'other yet the True Church which but that the care and Providence and Presence of God was with her according to his promise full hardly kept and had much ado to keep the Truth in the inward parts and her self from the outrages committed on her had other weightier matters to mind and look after and meddle with then the seeking out and looking up and keeping and preserving of such toyes as ye are now taken and wholly taken up with that is to say the integrity of the Hebrew and Greek Texts the Points Vowels Accents triviall Tittles and Iota's and where thou find'st the Spouses care according to a Commission given her from God to be so extream as thou intimarest about these matters excepting in thy own nfinitely forging fancy no wise seeker shall ever find Arg. Thy third is the care of the first Writers in giving out Authentique Copies of what they had received from God unto many which might be Rules to the first Transcribers Reply O' cur as hominum c. from whence didst thou fetch this false and foolish piece of faith save from the old fathomlesse fountain of thy own fancy which if something as good as nothing may serve as easily it may to fasten falsity upon fools will find something to say for every thing that it finds occasion to fain where readest thou that the first writers of every corner of thy so called Canon which thou must Adaequate thy proof to as well as to the whole or else thou Syllogizest short of what thou aimest at took such care to give out Authentick Copies of what they wrote as from God unto many to â—â—is end that they might be Rules to the first Transcribers Alas poor imagining man they that were Ministers not of the Letter but the Spirit were not so full of Care as ye are and as ye measuring the enlargednesse and copiousnesse of others by your straitned narrow scaâ—ty selves conceive they were about such emptinesse as Copies of what they wrote Transcripts Texts Tittles Points Iâ—ta's Vâ—wels Accents and such accidental stuffe as is not de esse to the Kingdom and Gospel of it which they published if any of them did as once Paul did will that the Colossians should let Laodicea read what he wrote to them and read from Laodicea what he wrote thither whether inâ—a Transcript or the Original Copy which might passe between two near Sister-Churches who knows yet how many Copies and to how many did he give out Copies of what he wrote to particulars to be transcribed and kept and committed to the whole Church of God as a Rule for future Transcribers and a Rule of Faith and Obedience and such like to all ages of the world for ever his first to the Corinthians and to Ephesus and to Laodicea for all his desire it should be read by the Colossians happened to misse your Bibles to be bound and bundled into which I know it was no more intended then sundry others that are there which he wrote to particular and some private persons about private particular and personal affairs some wrote more generall Epistles to all Saints then in being as Peter Iude Iames Iohn and they might be but between might be and necessarily must be there 's great difference as generally read as they could be where e're they came as being of more direct and general concernment to all as in that capacity of Saints and some wrote more particularly as occasion was and they were moved by the Spirit in which they did all that they did at all and not in the movings of the flesh letters to private persons about private matters as Iohns short letter to Gaius and Pauls to Philemon and Timothy about the bringing of his cloak he left at Troas with Carpus but did either one or t'other of these give out Authentick Copies of these two private letters to many to be a Rule to the first Transcribers and Rules to all Saints to the worlds end 't is true they are in your Bibles among others that were got together and it pleases me well that they are there and should if you had all that ever the Apostles and Prophets wrote whereof if you have the 20th or 100th part it s more then either you or I or any man now knows and much it matters not for the certain knowledge of such an uncertain unprofitable thing but what of that will it follow that these about Onestmus his being received into his Master Philemons service again and Iohn's telling Gaius he would not write more to him now with Pen and Ink but hoped to see him shortly were ever intended by them to be the Canon to the Church of God in all ages which must be committed to the Care of Transcribers to be successively Copied out to a Tittle so that on supposition of any corruption or change of a Letter in the writing them over the eternall faith of God would Cernally fall to the ground and the word of God not be preserved frâ—m being lost as thou dotest much more if those whole Letters or Epistles themselves should be lost then actum est c. no other means of discovery nor recovery of the whole substantial Truth but that would fail together with them must those be also submitted to so strictly that he that should not beleeve every external Tittle of the Text there Transcribed to be the word of God as thou tellest us should be left inexcusable in his damnable unbelief and be in peril of Eternal damnation and such danger as I. O. dreams and would draw all men into the dream of together with him Scilicet is superis labor est ea cura quietos Sollicitat As if the Saints of old and they now that live at rest in God 〈◊〉 witness God dwelling in them of a Truth had nothing to do but belabour â—hemselves and cumber one anothers minds as our wife Clergy does who are wearied in the greatnesse of their way and are Mole Ruentes sua as Suis ipsa a Roma viribus Ruit with continuall wrestlesness and as endless as easelesse Care and thought of a e i o u Tittle and
lesse you have no sound assurance what ground ye stand on for the stresse of all sacred Truth is by I. O. put upon the true Transcription or mis-transcription of the Greek and Hebrew Text which if not entire to a Tittle and Iota p. 17.18 19. upon any corruption supposed in the writing and that may very well not to say must be supposed if all the Transcribers even the first as well as the latter cannot be supposed to be as infallibly guided in Transcribing as the holy men were in the first writing there is no means of rectifying or recovering or of discovering or determining or judging of Truth any other way And so thou givest upon a matter thy whole cause in granting the whole Series of Transcribers and Race of writers to this day to be but fallibly guided and thy most perfect infallible stable and to a Tittle true Touch-stone Rule Standard Foundation falls all to the ground as a mere falible uncertain questionable Basis to build so mighty a bulk upon as thou dost according to not others knowledge onely but also thy own acknowledgements and confessions I. O. Religious care and diligence in their work with a due Reverence of him with whom they had to do is all we ascribe unto them Not to acknowledge these freely in them without clear and unquestionable Evidence to the contrary is high uncharitablenesse impiety and ingratitude This care and diligence we say in a subserviency to the Promise and Providence of God hath produced the effect contended for Nor is any thing further necessary thereunto On this account to argue as some do from the miscarriages and mistakes of men their Oscitancy and negligence in transcribing the old Heathen Authors Homer Aristotle Tully we think it not tollerable in a Christian or any one that hath the least sense of the nature and importance of the Word or care of God towards his Church Shall we think that men who wrote out Books wherein themselves and others were no more concerned then it is possible for men to be in the writings of the Persons mentioned and others like them had as much reason to be careful and diligent in that they did as those who knew and considered that every Letter and Tittle that they were Transcribing was part of the Word of the great God wherein the eternal concerament of their own souls and the Souls of others did lye Certainly whatever may be looked for from the Religious care and diligence of men lying under a loving and careful Aspect from the Promise and Providence of God may be justly expected from them who undertook that work Rep. Of the loving and careful Aspect and Promise and Providence of God and how little he stands by any promise engaged to preserve outward Tittles as thou â—atlest I have spoken not a little before but if that were as true as thou sayest it is and as it is indeed most false that God were so engaged in order to the safe guarding his word and Church to save every Tittle of your Priests Transcribed Texts does not his love and care of his word and Church as strictly call for his careful Aspect over the peoples translated Texts and bind him in his providence according to the supposed promise to watch over and direct the Translators in Translating for the use of his Church but few of which can Read your Original Texts as well as the Transcribers in Transcribing which Translators if they happen to be one the Church saâ—ing that she must take some of her Clergies words for infallible Truth and as the sole foundation of her divine forth about the integrity of the Text is out also and hath nothing but uncertainty it self even the uncertain fallible conjectures of spiritually unskilful Scholars to trust to about the foundation of her salvation Neverthelesse thou wilt by no means allow that the Translators lay under the same loving Aspect who had as much to do with God and as religious a care and diligence in their work as Transcribers had in theirs with a due Reverence of him with whom they had to do yea not to acknowledge these freely in them which is the utmost thou darest ascribe to the others without clear and unquestionable Evidence to the contrary is as high uncharitablenesse and ingratitude by how much their pains was the greater of the two as not to acknowledge the same in the Transcribers the care and diligence of which said Translators yet who must be supposed to be as much in a subserviency to that thy supposed promise and providence of God I say hath no more produced the effect thou contendest for i. e the entire agreement of their Copies to a Tittle with the first Originals thou that of the Transcribers hath done which hath not produced the said effect so exactly as thou dreamest It is enough to make a wise man wonder but that Sapiens miratur â—ibil because he expects no other then solly to proceed from the foolish wisemen of this world to see how thou settest thy Transcribers up on high yet grantest them not to be infallibly guided of God neither who if he had no higher way to expresse his love to his word and Church then by saving every Tittle of thy Transcripts from alteration or corruption could as easily have guided the Transcribers infallibly as fallibly and more easily too since his Spirit guides none fallibly so far as I know and statest thy Transcribers under the loving and careful Aspect promise and providence of God in all they did in their work about thy Greek and Hebrew Copies from whom yet no more may be expected justly then from Translators in the undertaking of their work for Translators did consider what every Letter and Tittle that they were Translating was as well as Transcribers did what every Letter and Tittle and Iota was they were Transcribing and to argue them to be as Oscitant Neglective and mis-carrying and mistaking as those that translated Heathen Authors is as intolerable ad â—ominem I speak this for else I own it tolerable enough so to argue of both Transcribers and Translatoâ—s of Scripture for such as Transcribed and Translated Heathen Authors and their work as well as they could and such as Transcribed and Translated Scripture could do no more and were thy self confessing no more infallible nor infallibly guided then they onely a kind of care in them and in God over them which amounts not to his special spiritual guidance thou tellest â— I say as intollerable as thou sillyly sayest it would be to argue from the â—citancy and Negligence miscarriages and mistakes of Transcribers of Heathen Authors to the like in the Scripture Transcribers But as for Translators thou pullest them down and depressest them into a condition of as great carelesness and negligence and under as carelesse neglect of God toward them in their work as thou statedst the other in great care and diligence and under a careful Aspect and
his Transcripts and Greek and Hebrew Copies and the absolute integrity thereof to a Tittle that the sole and final dissolution determination and discovery of all saving doctrine and distinct discerning and knowledge of all sacred Truth from cunningly devised fables does dâ—â—â—rd â—holly and alone upon the outward Greek and Hebrew writing and Scripture of it and that so necessarily and eternally that upon any corruption supposed therein that Truth Doctrine can't unquestionably be supposed to câ—â—â—â—ue entire and uncorrupt but must be consequently supposed to be without any other principle means rule or measure of judging recovering rectifying it and to be for ever â—medilâ—sly brought to nought p. 18. 68. Shall we think because I O. so thinks and sâ—lliâ—y supposes so that to suppose corruptions to have befallen his undoubtedly yea confessedly corrupted Copies and the same fate to have befallen the Hebrew and Greek Bible in its Transcribing that hath befallen other Books in theirs is a Plea unreasonable in it self devoid of all reall ground of Truth injurious to the Love and Care of God over his Word and Church in a high degree and an imagination bordering on Atheism asserted on deliberation p 18. 173 Surely the improvidence oscitancy negligence ignorance unskilfulnesse and carelesnesse that may as groundedly be supposed to have been if there was never so much care and diligence in others of them in some of the Scribes that have copied out the Scriptures as well as in some Printers that have printed them and in some Transcribers of Heathen Authors and the non-evidence of any promise of God to take any of the Scripture Transcribers under such a loving Care and Aspect as I.O. ascribes to them and I O's own concession of them being not any of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infallible but under possibilities of mistakings and I O's confessions and grants and acknowledgements that known failings have been amongst them and that various Lections are from thence risen 167 169. and that some of those are of importance consisting of superfluity and redundancy of unnecessary and deficiency of necessary words which is destructive to the sense and arising out of Copies apparently corrupted and notoriously corrupted by old Hereticks and many more matters then are fit to repeat o're again do require other thoughts at our hands Shall we think because I.O. so thinks very cogitantly but little cogently to us conjectures that if the Points be mans invention and the Text under alteration as undoubtedly it is and therefore all the Priests Religion who live on the naked Texts and their own Traditions and not the Truth it self is at a losse however that then all is likely immediately utterly and remedilesly to perish for ever viz. Church Word of God Doctrine Truth certainty of the Gospel Gods promise Providence and care of his eternal incorruptible good and acceptabâ—e mind will and pleasure Life Spirit Light Law yea that all this and much more is little lesse then eternally undone as to our knowledge of them so that God himself can find no other sufficient means having tryed already quoth I.O. the insufficiency of all other before to save all these thing from corrupting but that of a perishing uncertain flexible at mans will fallible changeable meer dead to the light novell corruptible mouâ—dâ—ing and in its first Manuscripts already long since mou'dred moth eaten and corrupted Letter p. 12. surely the promise of God for the preservation of his word which was before the Letter and will be after it induring for ever so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one jot or Tittle of it shall never fail what ever become of all the jots and Tittles of the Letter and his Providence Love and Care of his Church of whose faith and obedience that word of his in the heart and not the Letter both was now is and ever will be the onely Rule require other thoughts at our hands p. 173. Shall we think because I.O. faâ—sly so thinks that such a fallible flexible alterable and corruptible thing as the Letter is by I. O's own confession not in its Translations onely but in the very Original Transcripts which is the onely businesse he is so busie about and so bestirs himself to bustle for is that which can justly claim and supreamly challenge to it self those preheminent Titles excellent properties extraordinary effects peculiar prerogatives marvellous successes c. which I. O attributes thereuunto throwout his first English Treatise and Latine â—hesâ— also wherein under that glorious name of the Word of God by which yet as by that which he undertakes to prove to be it's proper name he as if not more ordinarily denominates it then by its own and oneâ—y proper name of Scripture he magnifies the Text as to those Hebrew and Greek Copies of it he is pleased to crown as the Canon and set his stamp upon as the Standard while he stigmatizes not onely all Translations as mens own Altars and altered things that must not stand as the Standard by the Posts and high Altar of his said unalterable Copies but other Copies also as novel spurious and noâ—â—â—iously corrupted above all that hath any being under God insomuch that he cannot likely utter more concerning it in way of exaltation unlesse he should extoll it so far as to stile it God himself So I have done at present with I. O's unprofitable prate about the preciousnesse profitablenesse and divine Original of his high prized possession of the Hebrew punctation and with his peremptory Postâ—â—n and absolutely absurd Assertion of the non-corruption of his Canonized Copies of the Original Text to a Tittle which howbeit I have scarce gone above half so far as I might in discovering the deep dotage and folly that is to be found in his mingled management and miserable mangâ—nization of those matters yet I have gone farther by the hall then I should have done considering how far off all such husky chaffy accomplishments as those Pedantick parts of the Letter are from that wherein the Life of God chiefly lyes viz. the Spirit Light and Word that 's nigh in the heart and how little concernment the more substantial parts of the meer outward Text are of thereto in comparison of them much more such Accidentals as the meer figure of the Accents and Vowels But onely that I found I.O. manifesting his foppery so far as to render these Ticklish things of such eminent Tendency to the saving knowledge of all sacred Truth as to give them out to be the most reall Rule stable standard Gospel guides grand ground chief infallible foundation of all in which respect though otherwise it is little lesse then loathsome to me to leave the life I live in the enâ—oyment of my self with God to meddle so much in such muddy matters yet in service to the Truth and in love to the soules of the Schoolmen and Scribes that they may see the sandy fickle fâ—undation they build and
Reproof Instruction in Righteousness and without any outward Scripture to perfect the man of God fit and furnish him as no outward Scriptures can possibly do without these for any much less for every good work which inward Scripture in which holy men read the Gospel before 't was ever written outwardly with Ink and Pen foreseeing that God would justifie the Gentiles through Faith in Christ the Light preached the Gospel four hundred years before your Scripture Canon or Rule ad extra was ever written Howbeit I say There is a Scripture ad intra that ye read little in testified to and talk't of by your external Text ye onely talk for 2 Cor. 3. Yet to J. O. I grant the outward Scripture and that in its integrity so far as free from corruption by mis-transcription and mis-translation to be holy just good useful and profitable for all the things specified in the Text of Paul to Timothy when read and understood in that Light Wisdom and Spirit that gave it out by those holy men which onely knows the Mystery of its own minde and meaning therein and reveals it ' also to Babes and simple honest hearts that come at ' fools to it looking to the Lord alone for wisdome out of whose mouth comes that knowledge and understanding whereby the Scripture is seen as to the spirituality and substance of it when the plain things of it are hid from the wise and prudent that furfeit with their own conceited science and lean to their own Animal understanding and in that give their several senses and sentences on it for the natural or as the word is 1 Cor. 2.14 15 16. the Animal man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God not the hidden wisdome of God which none of the Princes of this world know 1 Cor. 2.6 7 8. c. which in a mystry or meer Riddle to their degenerate reason is uttered in the very outward Scripture neither can the animal man by his wisdome from beneath for all his bitter envying and strife within himself against all that oppose him wherein he glories and lyes against the truth the fruit of which envy is confusion and every evil work which wisdome is but earthly sensual Animal devillisbly deceitful Jam. 3.14 15 16 17 18. know the things of God for they are spiritually discerned and by the spiritual man only that discerns and judges all and is falsely judged by all though truly discerned by none that are beneath him The outward Scripture I say is profitable to such as Timothy was to men of God to make them who are wise in the Spirit wiser and wiser through their faith in the light to their own and others salvation and to furnish such a Minister as Timothy was who knows when and being in the Spirit how and how far forth to use it for every good work in his Ministry And such as are full of might and power first by the Spirit of the Lord upon them as Micah was Mic. 3. and as Apollo was are mighty also in the Scripture and furnished mightily to confound the Scripture-searching Scribes and all gain-sayers of the Light as they were in their times So that we deny not the Scriptures ad extra to be many wayes useful profitable in their place and time where they are to be read as they are not in so much as the tenth part of the world and where they are read in the light by them who live in that Light that gave them forth which are not the hundreth part of those that usually read and search them but will all this prove them to be what I.O. and T.D. contend so stiffly to have them be viz. in that high Authority of the Rule nay the only most perfect standing Rule of all true belief and holy life before the very light and spirit of God they had their very original supreme being from thorow the hands of holy men as but subordinate instruments in their first purity as writings except that little that was pend by God himself which we now have not which Scriptures yet as to the being they now have are handed to us from no higher principle then the transcription of meer fallible and as I.O. sayes un-inspired men Ab sit imaginatio let the thoughts hereof be far from us that the Scripture is the only Rule for if we should grant it to be so far as truly transcribed in the Copies of the Original a Rule at all or a secondary Rule which name of Rule is more than it any where calls it self by yet the prime most perfect Rule it is not much less is it the only Rule to the Church or any men and though we are as forward as any on a due account to own the profitablenss of the very letter as it declares of the words of truth and uprightness and the Doctrine that is according unto godliness and to own its great usefulness as to the purposes premised and so affirm that the dead letter so far as not depraved from its primitive purity doth as truly answer and hold proportion with the light and living word as the shadow doth with the substance the life-less picture with the living person it represents and as the voice which is Imago verbi the Image of the Word with the Word it is the Image of or the Eccho which is the Image of the voice doth with the voice it answers to insomuch that as Quae conveniunt in aliquo tertio santidem what holds measure or weight and keeps correspondency or proportion with a third thing that agrees with the standard or sealed Canon agrees also with the standard it self so whose life squares truly and substantially with the letter convenes with the light and spirit it imediately issued out from and he that lives and speaks perfectly and adaequately according to the Scripture so far speaks and lives according to and not besides the light and spirit which the letter requires man to live beleeve and walk in and by as neither doth or can he erre from the letter if he had never heard read or seen it who answers the measure of the light and spirit that is lent him to live by yet for all this as T.D. gives this reason for his untrue imagination why this part of the inspired Scripture you have only is the only Rule and not any Sermons or private religious discourses which have the same common ends with the Scriptures no nor yet any other writings but those ye have if we could prove and produce as assuredly we shall anon any legitimate ones of Divine inspiration though otherwise as useful and profitable as those ye have and agreeing therewith viz. because God did not give order quoth he for the one as he did thinks he for the other and there is no other Scripture appointed of God to be a Rule of faith and manners but what is bound up in the Bible and where he appointed that we
conceived in thy brain to be the power of God both in it self and in respect of you Look upon all litteral Professâ—rs that run a whoring from God the Lord the Spirit and the Light that shines in them there shewing moral good and evil and spiritual good and spiritual wickedness also for the fruites of the spirit and works of the flesh and the lusts thereof envy hatred lasciviousness c. are manifest and what ever manifests them and all things in the conscience is the light within which is the Armour against the one and the enabler to the other and not the Letter wihout which only sayes so of the Light and see what works most abound in the most Reformed Nations and Churches of it that are turned aside from the truth it self to a meer talking of the Text that talks of it are they not the same that are to be found among Papists that live by no other professed Rule but tradition and Popish putasion yea set aside that grosser sort of superstition and thicker cloud of superfluous Ceremonies in matter of outward observations in Religion in which the Kingdome of God which stands in inward Righteousnâ—â—s of the heart expressing it self outwardly in the life comes not as to Moralities Mercy Iudgement Equity Honesty Innocency Love Purity Humility Faith and Fear of God unfained which are the end of carnal Commandements contained in Ordinances and bodily exercises that else are profitable to little which said Moralities as little as thou makest of Moral obedience Moral good is that which the light in all mens hearts may avail to lead them to p. 42 43 45. as if these were some pedling trivial matters that God regards not which yet indeed being done in the Light out of which God who is Light accepts of nothing nor hath pleasure or delight in any of your litteral performances are nâ— less then Spiritualities fruits of the Spirit and of the Spirics only and not the Letter bringing forth for the Letter never yet brought forth the Spirits fruits in its Ministers and children who for all their searchings and lookings into and labouring for the letter sow to the flesh still as the Scribes and Pharisees did of old that trusted in Moses and the Prophets Writings and of the flesh reap corruption whilest the Ministers not of the Letter but the Spirit the children of the Light sow to the Spirit and of it and the Light reap the life it self and these are the weightier matters of the Law I say as to the foresaid Moral matters saving the grosser dimnest of their devotions are not the same that is to say as good fruits found among poor Papists as amongst you and as bad among you as with them and as unsound yea V in tu câ—rtis Iudaeis â—ppederâ— wilt thou judge and disdain the concised Letter-lauding â—ew O thou meerly Rantized Scripture-profissing-Christian when they who make their boast of the antient Ceremonies and Letter of the Law do not more through breaking the Law in the Morals and Spirituals of it then ye who boast of the later Letter and Ceremonies thereof through breaking the weightier Moral and Spiritual matters of it do dishonour God Is not your Vine aâ— the vine of Sodome to the Lord notwihstanding your solemn meetings and Sabbaths and Fasts and fained forms and many things that God never required at all as much as theirs who were punctualin performance of the very things that God himself required and are not your goodly Grapes of Injustice Cruelty Whippings imprisonings Persecutings of tender conscences for telâ—â—ng truth for not paying Tythes c. and all other iniquity dissoluteness and propaneness that overflows in Vniversities Cities Countries as the Grapes of Gommorrah as theirs were and as clusters of Gall and Wormwood yea shall not the Gentile the Heaâ—hen as ye call them the uncircumcistâ—n the unchristned people as to the Letter that by the remants of the pure nature for the corâ—upt nature only breakes the Law do the things contained in the Law and shewed them in the Light within them by which they are a Law to themselves and go accused or excused in their own conscences before God judge as well thee who by the Letter and Baptism transgressest it as the Iews who by the Letter and Circumcision do transgress the Law and Rebel against the Light is not as much of the true Righteousness found among many Heathens as among most litteral Christians who ever name the Name of Christ but never depart from iniquity What geat efficacy and power then hath the Letter alone of it self without any other helps advantages or any other Revelation by the Spirit and Light within put forth and exerted to the conquering of the world and the bringing forth of fruit in all the world when as it is evident that it never yet subjected any one whether Minister or Professor of it to the perfect obedence of it self in the main matters of it as the Light and Spirit hath done done the children of it As for our Parochial and Academical livers by the Letter temporally I mean for otherwise they live neither by the Letter nor the Light but beside both both they and their Bible-blessing Beleevers are far from answering the call of their very literal Rule which is all they own under that name and notion that they are not come by it into the faith that ever they shall conform to it or be perfected in holiness or cleansed from sin by it either in this world or that to come for whereas much of it is written in way of warning not to sin 2 Ioh. 2.1 and is profitable and powerful as they say themselves from 2 Tim. 3.16 which speaks of Timothy men of God only and also not exclusively of all other helps and advantages from the Spirit and Light as I.O. but as in conjunction with faith which is in the Light as is shewed above to make men wise to salvation and perfect in good works they are so far from beleeving it possible in this world not to sin and be perfected in holiness or good works that they deny it as little better than plain Popery to affirm any works done though by Christs own power in us to be truly or perfectly good or any better than dung and filthy Rags witness T.D. who as above said p. 13â— of his 1 Pamp. sayes the Righteousness wrought in Paul after his onversion was Christs and yet renounced by him as dung damn it down â—â— Doctrine of Devils to teach men that they may be fully free from sin here witness T. Rumsey whose blinde judgement therein T.D. justifiâ—r in p. 41. of his â— Pamph. and that its most false to say the Scripture either doth or can obtain its end fully towards us while we are in this world and yet that it is of no use to us in the world to come also so denying again what other whiles they affirm of the power and perfection of the Scripture
the light of God the wisdome saving truth immediate witness clearest way of Revelation soul-cleansing Law sure foundation most perfect Rule immoveable stedfast Standard of Gods setting up but it self is nos all nor any of this nor doth it at all any where avouch it self to be any of it at all The Scripture points to that which is the Power of God by the being of which in and upon his people who only own and joyn to it they are made a willing people in the day thereof when such as turn from and against the light which is the power and labour in the weak naked Letter labour in vain and are left unwilling to leave their lusts and lives for Christ as his Maryrs or outward witnesses did in all Ages But the Letter it self is not Power of God that sustained them in the suffering and inabled them to forgo what was dear to them and to undergo what was dreadful and destructive to nature in its dearest concernments The Letter tells us that the Saints did so and tells us and all Saints that we should do for Christ but the Power by which this is done is another matter then a Letter ad extra even the inward light Word and Spirit that thou doest despite to even that in the conscience that made them indure as seeing him who is invisible and discovered the darkâ—â—ss upon the discovery of which they rather chose death then to own it as Light and Truth not only in ages as high as Moses who by faith in the Light chose affliction rather then sin and feared not the wrath of Pharaoh but also from him downward as low as Maries dayes in which some died for denying the darknâ—ss of the Popes Dâ—ctrines of Transubstantiation c. which the Light in their consciences told them were too gross to be of God who yet by their confession could not dispute against it with Vniversity Sottish Sophisters Doctor Dunces out of Letter nor so much as read a letter therein and also as low as these dayes wherein by the Power of God many are born up to bear the Trials of the cruel Academical mockings scoffings scourgings inâ—lictings stonings bonds imprisonments abuses to death witness one of the first of the Lords two Hand-maids that were sent to warn the Vniversity of their universal abomiâ—ations at Oxford in the time of I.Os. Vice chancellorship there who perhaps may not be so learned literally though mystically and spiritually more in the Letter as obtuse aÌ„cuti â—omunâ—ioneâ— many of those dull-beaded nimble disputers out of it are in their bald fashion of Syllogistical form Neither did the Letter either of the Old Testament which is the Letter without of what things soever written or the outward Letter of the New ever conquer the world in which thou sayest it brought forth so much fruit further then into a meer empty fruitless form of Godliness without the power thereof insomuch that though as to the Primitive Christian Churches while they kept in the Light which the Apostles Ministry whether by word of mouth or Writing Letter Scripture was to turn them to walk by and beleeve in and in the Spirit in which they began till fooâ—ishly being bewitched from obeying the truth it self they turned aside to the outward Text that tells it and so thought to be made perfect by the flesh and the fleshly bodily exercises they found in the Letter which once used were as low weak beggeâ—ly elements for a time the power of God and godliness was much â—elt among them and abode with and upon them to the prevailing against the Powers of the earth and the overcomming the world it self and Satan the Prince of it by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of his Testimony not loving their lives to the death and much fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness was brought forth to the glory and praise of God But when Synods and Councels doting Doctors infatuated Ghostly-Fathers and such as admired their persons as they the persons of the Apostles and primitive Disciples began to bundle together what they could get of the Wâ—itings of such as were coaetaneous with Christ and the Apostles and without any such order from either Christ or the Apostles to canonize what in their conceits might be useful to others as they had found them t is like to be to themselves into a Rule or Canon and stated them into a common Standard for all to have their sole recourse to in soul-cases and matters of Christian faith and holy life and so to adore the dead letters of those holy living men and to run a whoring after some remnants of Writings that dropt from them then in the whole world now called Christendome instead of an Apostolical Spouse of Christ as Christians were at first presented a chaste Virgin to himself by them there stands up an Apostatical Strumpet that had the Letter and good words written there but neither the life of God nor the Word of life therein testified to that according to the nature of Error which is ever multiplying degenerated more and more into the dark till at last being gone from the Word Spirit Light and Life within to the outward Letter that relates of it they ran into the Wildernes of their own numberless senses upon it so that they lost the Letter also and fell from it into Tradition and a thousand Old Wives Fables and though it is good and acknowledged so to be so far as it is that the Protestants have marched from Rome under the conduct of the Leâ—ter yet for all they are come back from the blinde screel scrawls of the Popish Scribes for their smoaky imaginations to a pretensive profession of and prate prâ— Scripturis for the Scriptures unless they march on according to the conduct of the Scriptures till they come into the Light and Spirit which they point to and by a dotage upon the Scriptures ye would run from they are not so much as come yet to the Scriptures nor to conform to that counsel of the Prophets and Apostles given in it but are yet erring from the Scriptures even in and by their very eager Scriblings for it as the only most perfect Rule and from the only Rule of faith and way to Life the Letter is as loud for but that they are dull of hearing as they in their naked Writings are loud for the naked Letter it self And so it comes to pass that as Israel was of old who was as laborious in the Letter busie about the Bible and strict for his Scripture-standard as our Israel for the self-same which yet they confess too is abolished as to the Litteral observation of it with the Appendix of a few of Stories and Letters and Revelations of those holy men next to Christs time who by the Spirit wrote much more then is there own'd as their Standard I say as the old Israel proved as to God an empty vine Hos. 10.1 bringing forth
and truly partaking of the Divine nature and begotten by the light and living Word of Truth from death and darkness into a real union with it self by receiving with meekness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the innate ingrafted word â—am 1.21 by which they become incorporated and as it were transubstantiated into one seed with it self having the Image and glory of God seen upon them and shining in and through them before the world men before whom let your light shine faith Christ Mat. 5.16 Is. 60.1 2 3 c. 2 Cor. 2. ult I say if such men may be stiled the Light of the world as Iohn Baptist was stiled by Christ a burning and shining light Joh. 35 36 then whom yet Christ had a greater witnesâ— Wil I.O. therefore prefer the deaâ— copies of the writings of those living men who wrote from the life light and Spirit of God moving before or at least into an equality with the holy men who under God were the Authors of those writings as they were at first which now are but the fallible â—andyworks of by his own confession but meer fallible Transcribers or if he will will any wise men of God become so foolish with him I trow not in as much as the work-man is more glorious than the work that issues either originally from or but subordinately through his own hands the Writer more honourable than his meer writing as Heb. 3.3 4. Hee who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house for as every outward Writing or Letter yee now have the use of was written by some man as every such house is built by some man but he of whom are all things and he that originally built all things is God indeed Yet me thinks I sent not only I.O. but T.D. also who is so a kâ—n to him that in most matters here hee prosecues the same point unless where he contradicts him and hobbles upon the same notions enthroning the Scriptures or outward Letter very high above the Church whose children it immediately was pend by the hands of and whose meer outward Engine the outward letter is insomuch that I.O. makes it not only dearer to God then the whole world besides p. 171. but also p. 76. the very Darling of God so that his Church whose servant the Letter is and for whose sake written is made by him but some subservant to hold out the honour of the Letter that it may bee the more conspicuous rather then to let her own light image grace glory which is that of God Isa. 10.1 2. shine out before man the duty t is quoth he almost the whole of the Church to hold up that some time and when wee say the Church is a Pillar and Ground of truth from 1 Tim. 3.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which words Pillar and Ground should not bee taken for the supporter or foundation nor inholder of truth in sensu Architectonico which T.D. denies â—e not dispute See p. 356. See p. 355. but grant him his sensum forensem or foreign sense of it in which I.O. also who sayes absurdly however that these words Pillar and Ground may in good coherence of speech refer to the words following viz. the mystery of godliness as well as to the Church will take it in and let them have it yet what follows that the Church is but the Ground and Pillar to set the Letter upon which I.O. calls the light and truth there and to hold forth only the outward literal publication as T.D. pleads p. 18 19. of his 2. Pamph. or the seat or place of residence for the Scripture as upon the Exchange in London are pillars and places upon which hang Tables and Proclamations in no wise surely for though the Pillars of the Exchange are for support as well as shew and so T.Ds. Simile doth not quadrare nor run on all four to bee sure yet to give them the sense of a pillar to hold up or hold out only yet that which the Church is the Pillar to hold up that is hold forth is the Truth whether by or without the Scripture of it between which Truth and the book they both sometimes do distinguish which truth or light is the Foundation or Pillar in sensu Architectonico on which the Church is built and not it on the Church as the letter is which under God the Church that gives no being to the truth or light nor kindles one beam thereof as I.O. sayes but only bears witness to it gives being to and so is in sensu Architonico the Pillar or Foundation of though in sensu forensi of the light and truth only for the Church is more honourable then the letter as the Builder or that which supports the house is more honourable then the house that receives being under God and preservation from it and its Prophets but its less honourable then the light and truth it lives by and hath its being from as a Church in respect of which light and truth t is confest it is not a pillar and ground in sensu Architectonico as it is of the letter but in sensu forensi only that is the seat place or pillar from whence it is held out and shines or as the Church is called Reâ— 1.20 Zach. 4.2 a golden Candlestick that serves to hold out in life and doctrine voice and writing the eternal Word of grace light truth and word of life conveyed in measure to her from the two Olive trees or anointed ones or sons of Oyl the living Word and Spirit that empty themselves into the golden Candlesticks feeding them therewith and from thence shining as God witnesses to the world which two witnesses shining and prophesying to the Church or Candlesticks and through them to the world in power and much patience and sufferings stand before the God of the whole earth Zach. 3. Rev. 11. And if the Saints born of the incorruptible seed the Word of God which liveth and abideth ever may bee stiled the Seed of God Will I.O. thence conclude that a corruptible Letter copied out by corrupt mens hands as the Scripture is at this day may be so stiled also The Word of God took upon him the nature and seed of Abraham but never took upon him however he is written of in it the proper nature of a dead Letter that was written with ink and pen by mens hands There was no time wherein the Word and Light by which all was made was made or born into the true nature of such a Letter but there is a time of its being made flesh and dwelling as their food in the Saints Joh. 1.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 natus est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word was born flesh and dwelt in us Ioh. 6.51 to 64. the bread I give is my flesh c. howbeit all flesh is not the same flesh there is a flesh of Christ that if eaten with a carnal mouth would as so have profited nothing vers 63.
and an inexpressible exaltation of it above them the light of one day of this Sun meaning the Scripture which hee expresses by the terme the Word of God being unspeakably more then that of seven others as to the manifesting the glory of God nor doth it impaire this self-evidencing efficacy of the Scripture that it is a moral spiritual not a natural Light This and much more utters I.O. concerning these Termes of the Word the Light as the proper names of the Right belonging to the Letter Neither is I.O. alone in this but some others I have met with that have stifly stood up to defend the Scripture or Letter to be the Light the Word of God yea verbum oris the word of his mouth and the Voice of God and Christ properly and properly to be so called Rep. Which sayings O the contrariety that is in them to common sense and reason they may as well say they hear that mans voice properly some of whose sayings they read in the letters of such as write what they heard him say they may as properly say they are to own the voice of the Scribes and Pharisees for their Rule as they are written down by the Apostles and Evangelists sith Christ saith They sit in Moses chair all that they say do and that they do now properly hear their voyces sith what they said was recorded as say that they now properly hear Christs Voice in reading some things he spake as they are written by them that heard him speak them and stablish and canonize them and other mens sentences as the only standing Rule on this account because God said Hear him and they now hear properly Moses voice and must own his Law that vanisht as to the shadow of it still to the Church a standing Rule because Christ said They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them 2 O the contrarity of this to the Scriptures themselves for if they be properly the Voice of God and Christ then absit blaspemiae they make Christ charge the Scribes improperly and falsely that they never at any time heard Gods voice Joh. 5. for they heard the Scriptures read every Sabbath neither could he say truly what he doth exclusively of such as are not his sheep My sheep hear my voice if the Scriptures were his voice properly for the Dogs and Swine hear and hear the outward Scriptures read as well as his sheep but his sheep hear another secret still voice of his in all things that hee saith unto them in their own consciences which the loud Brawlers for the bare Bible drown within themselves with their non-sensical notes and noyses about their Diana's and siâ—ver shrines and Temple worship and Church work which voice and words of his are heard in secret with more profit among the wise Luke 10.17 then the cry of the Truth selling Spirit stinting-Scripture stealers among fools which still voice of Christs yeâ— whoever hears not and heeds not more then our heady high-minded Hypocrites of these dayes do may preach themselves out a while longer yet as the Ministers and Church of Christ but shall ere long be cut off from among his people in the mean time however this is the improper tone they tune it out in when we bid them fear God hearken to his voice own that as your only guide his Word his Voice his Spirit his Light as the only infallible sure standard the witness of God himself the Scripture witnesses of and sends men to which hee that heeds follows beleeves in obeyes needs not be so restless by wrangling as the wrestless for and wresters of the Scripture are about the Witness of man though witnessing from and for God as moved by him for the Witness of God himself and the Witness of Christ himself in the conscience is greater needs not be so loud for a Letter for the voyces and words of men and the Writings and Revelations of holy men for the inward immediate Voyce the Word the Spirit the Light Revelation of Christ himself in the heart is greater True say they we must hear Christs voice in all things he sayes abide in his Doctrine or Teaching receive his Witness and Testimony walk by his Word live by his Light alone bee guided and ordered in all things by his Spirit which alone reveals the minde of God and Christ without whose Revelation none knows the things of God and Christ but the Letter of the Scripture the outward Writings of such as heard him as we do not the Hebrew and Greek Text at least and Translationâ— as they keep touch with them these are that Word that living life-giving powerful heart-searching soul-saving Word those Words of his that are Spirit and Life by which alone men must come to beleeve that Light to the feet that Lamp to the path that verbum oris that very word of his mouth that works and accomplishes all things to his glory our salvation that verbum oris that goeth forth of his own mouth that hee put according to his promise Isa. 59. ult as if that were the Scripture oh gross and shameful yet over and over and over and over again I.O. cites that Text to prove Gods promise to continue the Hebrew and Greek Texts entire without loss or change of iota or title of it to the worlds end into the mouth of the Churches Seed and the mouth of her Seeds seed for ever that must go out of the mouth of babes and sucklings as the only strength against the persecutor to still the enemy and avenger that sharp sword of his mouth with which he will smite the wicked Nations Rev. 19. That Rod of his mouth or breath of his lips with which he slayes the wicked Isa. 11. That Rod of his strength and power sent out of Sion by which he will rule fâ—reuer in the midst of his enemies Psal. 110. That word that he hath spoken which God hath magnified ovâ—r all that is called his name and so over the light it self it sprang from which is his name Joh. 1. and the sâ—fe strong Tower of the Righteous That vis virtus Dei power of God and word of the Crosâ— That Doctrine or Teaching of Christ which continued in saves the Preacher and hearers ipsa doctrina quam a Deo docemur That witness of God which who so hath needs not the witness of men for the witness of God is greater That voice of God that 's more sure and certain as to its giving out its evidence to us then the very immediate voice which the Apostles heard God himself speak to them with from heaven 2 Pet. 1. And all this and much more exclusively and abstractively from that within yea and properly too so that the Word of God Foundation the Rule Light Lamp and so consequently all the rest of the Tiâ—les are the very proper names of the Scriptures no other then what are properly answerable to its nature For in this wife I.O. drives on the
is not shewed by any thing but it self and rectum is ever mensura sui obliqui that which is infallibly right is the Rule and measure of manifestation of it self and of all the wrong and not retro any wrong darke crooked doubtful or fallible thing the Rule of that so the Spirit and Light of God by and from which and that but remotely too through mens hands the Letter had at first and now through fallible mens hands hath all its being is the Rule of trial for it self and of the Letter and of all false Spirits Prophets Doctrines c. yea it self and all things are made manifest by the Light whether approveable or reprovable works of flesh or fruits of the Spirit as the Letter sayes of it Gal. 5. Eph. 5. yea what ever doth make manifest as the Letter never doth or can without the Light and the Light doth often and did thousands of years without the Letter and before it was it is the Light And if any other should yet of all men I.O. cannot charge this on me as an Idem per Idem to say by the Spirit of God and the Light alone we must Try the true Light and Spirit and the false Spirits and pretences to the names of Light also for I say no more in it then the truth of the true light and spirit which himself sayes most falsely of the Letter when p. 51. he asserts it to be the Rule and Standard the Touchstone of all speakings whatsoever that that must speak alone for itself which must try the speaking of all but it self yea it s own also I.Os. 6. Argument to prove the Scripture and nothing else the only most perfect Rule and Standard is this viz. Ea omnia quae examinari probari debent c. All those things which ought to be examined and tried yea which we are commanded to try tanquam ad lydium lapidem as 't were by some infallible Touchstone by the Scripture whether they are true and agreeable to divine verity or not with free liberty yea absâ—lute necessity of rejecting them if not consentaneous to Scriptures those neither apart nor joyntly considered can be the Rules or Directories of Gods worship our faith and obedience nor are upon their own account at all to be credited But all Revelations Visions Spirits Dreams Enthusiasms we are commanded so to try examine and prove Therefore those are no Rules that are of themselves to be credited Rep. That Argument the minor of which is most false and supposes that infallible Spirit of God to bee now subjected as some underling to a fallible Letter now transcribed by weak men is founded on this Text 1 Iob. 4.1 and two more only beside those above spoken to viz. 1 Cor. 14.21 and 1 Thess. 5.21 The first of which I know nor why I.O. cites it it proving nothing to his purpose because Paul there quotes a Text out of the Law or Letter saying In the Law it s written with men of other tongues and lips will I speak to this people i.e. to the Drunkards of Ephraim yet they will not hear which first part hath not a tittle for him but the latter part of it much more against him then he is ware of being not wise enough well to weigh it And the second Text with the two verses before viz. Quench not the Spirit despise not Prophesyings prove all things rather against him that the Spirit which is there mentioned and not the Letter at all is that by which all things are to be proved What is said above to that Text in Iohn shall as well it may stand as answer to the said sixth Argument with this only addition that if we must go to the Scripture for the trial of all spirits even Gods as well as others then le ts go no further at first however then that in hand which tells us that the true Church who is written to in that verse wherein nor in any about it there 's not the least hint about the Letter had a secret taken whereby to know the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of errour versâ— 6. which the world and its Priests and people have not vers 2â— Every Spirit quoth he that confesseth Iesus Christ to be come in the flesh is of God and every Spirit that confesseth not this is not of God and this is the Spirit of Antichrist whereof ye have heard it should come and even now is iâ— already in the world Riddle me I. O. if it be within thy reach and from thence tell me which are the true which the false Spirits which Christs and Gods which Antichrists they that confess Christ Jesus to be come in the flesh as the â—uardo or they that deny the Saviour the Anointed to be come in the flesh as from the Pope to the least outside or nominal Christian and meer literal beleiver and professor among the most reformed Protestants save they who beleeve and live in the internal light and Spirit with one accord all do Looking at talking of belâ—eving the History of expecting justification sanctification righteousness salvation all from Christ only as he was made a man of outwaâ—d flesh and blood without them And if I. O. say in vindication of himself in this that that is the confession of Jesus Christ to be come in flesh which every spirit that makes is of God to beleeve the story of the Incarnation Life Suffering Death Resurrection c that is all truly related in the Letter without as 't was done in a figure of what was to be further and more spiritually and mystically transacted in his true body the Church whereof he is the head with a confident application of him and of the benefit of all the righteousness he did in that person by every man to himself as by way of computation and imputation before he hath it indeed imparted or conveyed into himself for this is T.Ds. and the whole brood of the back side beleevers and the Bastard Christians saith and confession of Christ to be come in the fleâ—h on the account of which they hope they are of God and shall be saved though they are far from witnessing or confessing the same Christ who is the Wisdome Righteousness Light Power Salvation and Image of God to be begotten conceived formed born brought serth incarnated risen from the dead living and dwelling within themselves where he hath lyen slain as an innocent Lamb from the foundation of the world in their hearts which therefore is to perish with the lust thereof which inward witness of the Words incarnation and dwelling in themselves they that were of God of old had Iob. 1.14 The Word was made flesh and dwels in us and we saw his glory and all now have who are of God and have not the vain hope of the hypocrite only which is as the giving up the Ghost when God comes to take aâ—â—y his soul Job but that hope 1 Iob. 3.3 which is
them and also millions of men who have the Light in them that condemns and reproves them for their Rebellion against it are not conformable thereunto and therefore they both have and need such a Light within them Antecedent to that renewing and need also to be called upon to turn unto it that they may thereby see how conformable they are to this evil world and non-conformable to that Will of God that they may thereby first know the good Will of God which is manifested in that Light and secondly by obeying that Light be conformed to that Will and no more unto the world but transformed by the renewing of their minds So that whereas they conclude all men ought to be renewed after Gods Image c. therefore All have it not I contrariwise conclude All ought to be renewed according thereunto c. therefore All have a light sufficient to lead them as théy follow it into the Image of God Their ninth is a sottish shameful Tergiversation a Re substrats from the Question into another matter as clear contrary to the subject in hand as light and darkness are to each other yea instead of persevering to prosecute the proof of their Proposition concerning the non-sufficiency of the Light in All men they fall a proving the insufficiency of the darkness in All men to be a sufficient rule to life and safe guide of men unto God at the end of which they entail a most abominable lye against the Quakers saying The Qua. prescribe that unto men as their Rule which God counts their Curse and what 's that Scilicet the thing that of All things the Quak. of all men who call men to Gods Light within do call men out of viz. the counsels imaginations and lusts of their own hearts which men say the Qua. walking in and bâ—ides the Light of God and hearkening to and not to the Voice of God which I. O. confesses page 44. though in his folly he calls it Natural to be Gods Light in every conscience come under the Laws curse and make their own misery great upon them The Aâ—gument is briefly thus To leave a person to hâ—s own imagination lust to walk in his own counsel in his own way which is all one as to leave him to the Light within him is reckoned as the greatest Curse and Iudgement to a man from God for refusing to hearken to Gods Voice as the Text shews Psa. 81.11.12 Therefore the Light within each person is of it self no safe guide Rep. That the Qua. call to the Light within and to stand in the Councel of God which is the Light within which condemns all the lusts of mens hearts and their own vain counsels and imaginations is most true But if ye be not past shame be ye ashamed and blush both at your own blaspheming the Light of God and belying of the Qua. who in your blindness for which Wo is unto you except ye repent Isa. 5. cal good evil and light darkness and cannot see to put a difference between Gods Light and mans lust the Councel Law and Way of God in every conscience which leads to life blessing and peace and the vain wayes and thoughts of man and Law of sin that lusts to envy and all evil and leads to cursing and condemnation And secondly cannot understand the Qua any otherwise then as calling men to their own hearts lusts when they expresly and in Terminis ca'l Ad men to that Light of God in them which makes manifest and condemns every ones own lust in every heart Generation of Vipers where did ye ever hear or hear of any Qua. or any one that 's owned by them in their Ministry prescribe mans own counsel imagination or hearts lust to him as their Rule Do they not as Iohn Baptist did bear witness to that true Light which enlightaeÌ„th every man that cometh into the world Do they not as Christ did call men to walk and believe in the Light while they have it that they may be the children of it least utter darness come as 't is already on your selves so that ye know not whether ye go upon them Do they not with Paul whom ye wot to have received some message to turn men from it speak to men to turn from the darkness to the light from the power of Satan the Ruler of the darkness of this world unto God Do they not tell men with Peter That there 's a sure word of Prophesie for them to which they do well to take heed as to a light that shines in the dark place of their hearts till the day dawn and the day-star arise there Do they not with Iohn tell men That God is Light and in the Light and that in him is no darkness at all and that if men be their form never so fair say they have fellowship with God and walk in darkness and the lusts of the flesh as Papists Pralaticks Presbyterians Independents and other our-side Professors do they do but lye and do not the truth but if they walk in the Light as God is in it then God and they have fellowship together and there the Blood of his Son is felt clearsing from all sin which ye say men cannot be thoroughly cleansed from while they live here and so harden men in their own hearts lusts and is all this of the Qua. a prescribing to men their hearts lusts as their rule Do you understand Christ Paul Peter Iohn and All the Prophets calling to the Light Isa. 2. as Isaiah Come ye let us walk in the Light of the Lord he will teach u of his wayes we will walk in his paths so as ye do us when we restifie the same truth often in their own words as calling men to follow their own wayes thoughts counsels imaginations hearts lusts If ye take us as intending so when we call to the Light why not them If not them why us who say the same Is the word Light more offensive more unsavoury more difficult to be understood more savouring of lust more sounding like lust out of our mouths whom ye superlatively abhor then out of theirs whom ye now superstitiously adore But so it alwayes fell out as I.O. truly sayes page 59.60 61. that scarce any Prophet that spake in the Name of God had any approbation from the Church in whose dayes he spake people being so eminently perplexed with false Prophets in the latter dayes of the Iewish Church especially both as to their number and subtilty speaking lyes against the truth therefore no marvel it is so now in these last dayes of the Church of the outside Christians and as the next Age to that which flew them began still to build Sepulchres in remembrance of them so the time is neer to come wherein ye or your Successors who cast out the name of Gods People called Qua. as evil now shall what ere ye dream be forced to say there 's a Seed among them which sincerely serves
David even when he was guilty mark that of adultery and murder such sins as for which the Scripture when he lay impenitent under them denotes and excepts him as a man not upright a despiser of God and his Commandemenes A doer of evil in his sight 2 Sam 12. whom God also had not mercy on but did both condemn and severely judge with no lesse then Hellish horrors for his filth blood-guiltinesse till he had repented for it and was throwly purged from it Psalm 51. was not in a condemned but in a justified estate So that the sum of T.D. and those Doctors Doctrine that side with him therein is this viz to begin the dance right David while he commited adultery and murder not repenting was guilty before God and consequently not just nor justified but condemned for whom God holds not guiltlesse but guilty they are not justified accepted acquitted absolved approved but which is all one accused reproved condemned in his sight Yet to go round again David while he committed adultery and murder not yet repenting was not guilty before God but held guiltlesse not condemned nor reprobated or reproved but cleared acquitted absolved excused approved For between the two slates of guilty and not guilty non datur medium Contradictions Confusions and Rounds about Liberty of Conscience II. As to the Doctrine for Liberty of Conscience and against persecution for cause of Conscience in matters of Religion One while they tell the world the doctrine and practice of rigid imposing upon any sub penâ or persecuting any tender Consciences for beleeving and living according to their conviction or denying to beleeve or live contrary thereunto is a Bloody Tenet a way to make more hypocrites that for fear will conform to what they beleeve not to be truth then true Christians an evident note of a false Church and Antichristian Ministry that is degenerate and apostatized from the true pure Primitive Church of Christ which never did compel any by force and violence to be Christians but rather suffered all sorts of sorrowes and bare all manner of abuses from the whole world of false Worshippers whether Heathens or Nominal Christians barely for confessing to the truth of Christ and testifying against the evil lives of all Christs enemies whether such as hated the very outward name of Christ or such as named his Name and yet departed not from iniquity and were every where cursed yet blessed the cursers of them prayed for such as persecuted them intreated those that desamed and ill-intreated them and were patient silent when reviled and buffeted beaten banished as Vagabonds because for truths sake they often left their own Homes and had no certain dwelling place as seditious tumultuous disturbers of the peace because they peaceably went into Synagogues to reason and preach the Gospel of peace as turners of the world upside down because they sought to change men from their evill manners foolish customs vain inventions and wicked wayes that were abominable to God and to bring them to repentance from their dead works and worships in which their souls could never live to worship the living God who is a Spirit and not tyed to places in Spirit and in truth in the inner parts and to turn all men from the darknesse wherein they lived in the world without to the Light of Christ within themselves and from the power of Satan unto God Sometimes I say our great Gamaliels not only grant these things but also give them out for truth to the Civill Powers of the Earth most especially then and that with no small greedinesse when the Clergy of one kind feel themselves begin to be griped under the greedy clutches of the Clergy of another colour when they are likely to be imposed upon by others and to be clapped down under hatches by the Clerical cruelties of each other respectively As for example where ever the Papal or Roman or else the Presbiterian Primacy keeps the Keys spreads their Black Eagles clams over all others hath the power of permitting or poenal imposing there the Prelatick Pastoralty pleads his priviledge to have the liberty of his Liturgy he behaving himselfe no otherwise then peaceably among them Where the Episcopal Priesthood holds his Hierarchy and is Supream there as the Papal would willingly have his liberty and I blame none neither Iews Turks nor Heathens for desiring the like to walk every one in the Name of his God Mich 4. Soth that Right-rigid Scottish Presbiterian Race and that Mongrill seed of loose IndependentPresbiters are more loud for liberty then any other sort of Sectaries so called whatsoever who do all no lesse rationally then they they demeaning themselves peaceably as the very Principle of the Quakers binds them to do to all men require each the peaceable enjoyment of his Religion Church-Ministry fellowship faith and way of Worship under them When the Rabbies are ready to be Ridden one by another witnesse the Outcries once of New-England against Old when under the heat of far lesse Persecution from the Bishops then they have acted since themselves Old England it self was too hot to hold them also the present pleadings not only for their Directorian Liberties but Turpe et miserabile their very Livings Tythes Preferments and their Places now the Common Prayer Book Priesthood whom they unhorsed hath his foot in the Stirrup again and may not unlikely push the Presbiter besides the Saddle then Oh then what Hue and Cry against the bloody Tenet of Persecution and grievous groans for this desire of all Nations and People Liberty of Conscience Liberty of Conscience do we dayly hear from Smectimnuus his own as well as others mouthes Otherwhiles again yea ever when the Clergy of any one colour hath by either craft or conquest catcht the Keyes of the Kingdome and atchieved the Holy chaire they straightway clap their cruell clawes upon them to the keeping down by force of Armes more then Arguments all Liberty for any consciences but their own Then to go round again come let us sing a new Song Behold cry the Counsellers of Egypt the People of the children of Israell are more c. Exod. 1.9 10 11. As Pharoah said unto his people Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier then we Come on let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply and it come to passe that when there falls out any war they joyn also unto our enemies and fight against us and so get them up out of the Land Therefore they did set over them Taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens and they built for Pharoah Treasure cities Pithom and Raamses Then they set Taskmasters Then say the Sanballats and Tobiasses the Ammonites and Ashdodite as they Neh. 4.1 2 7 8 11. But it came to passe that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall he was wroth and took great indignation and mocked the Iews And he spake before his brethren and the