tho my Answer were sound yet not very Acceptable for it was in Scripture terms It is true I am utterly against it that Scripture should bow to vain Philosophy and to be wise above what is written and also it seems one thing not liked my forsakeing those People with whom I have walked it is true while they walked I walked with them but when they grew weary and sat down must I be blamed for not doing as they did because I walked still and that by the Footsteeps of the Flock according to there own adivce and cannot set down or turn back There is one thing that I have observed of the like nature and is counted rather a Vertue then a Vice in others which is this in the time when the Sheepherds fled and the People scattered the Cross of Christ appearing the People crept in under the Wing of the Church of England for shelter I do not say to avoid the Cross of Christ look they to that sheltered they were and fed too with such food as they had to give them if not wholsome why did they use it What made them there Why did their Stewards permit it if they found the Bread of Life there Why are they drawn off again was not this permitted by thee and others if not approved and why was it to keep the Children quiet that they might not Cry for Bread when the Stewards would not give them any for the Lyon was in the way was it good Bread then and is it Husks now Now they will feed these People themselves or rather these People must feed them for their Bread now yeildeth a good rate and if they will not come up to the price we will go to another Flock Well now these People must leave those with whom they have walked and be blamless but blamed if they will not leave them surely I must needs say that they all dealt very disingenously with the Church of England to leave them now they have most need of them as I have told many to there Faees and not only so but rejoyce in there Ruin which is an ill requital for there former kindness but enough of that In thy former Letter thy Charges were drawn and in thy last Letter I expected proof of what was then Charged but I have failed of my Expectation and of fare dealing too for the first Bill is lost and a new Indictment is drawn up which is not fare it yet lieth on thee to prove it or bare thy shame In thy first Letter we were Unchristianed by thy false Accusation and lying Slanders no small Evil for a Minister of Christ to be found guilty of to unchristian such a body of People with a bare say so it is a Spot but not of God's Children they are Children that will not lye and it hath caused my Heart to grieve that such a one as thy self should be the author and spreader of them so that many in this place who have had thy Person in admiration have been doing the same evil Work having an Implicet Faith much like a Generation of men who believe as the Church believeth and it is true because the Church saith it and so they did believe it and spread it because thou said'st it But now the Refuge of Lyes is sweeping away People having had oppertunity of hearing Friends and Conversing with them in this place thy Folly now appeareth and thy Assertions are found to be Lyes tho' John Flavell have said it Hicks Faldoe and others for the Earth is lightned with the Glory of the Lord and we would that all men knew us as we are and then let them judge for we are not ashamed of our Principles But to leave the first and come to the Second Charge or Indictment He cannot be a Christian that rejects the Scripture as a Rule But what I have yet found I may say to thee as Nathan to David Thou art the Man for by what Rule are we thus falsely accused and abominably slandered And it is a rare thing this day to find many such as thy self to Slander us Ignorantly and not Malitiously But to the matter of Fact what was Abel's and Noah's and Enoch's Rule Leader or Guide before the Scriptures were written was it not the Spirit of God and the same Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures in time and moved the holy men of Old who spake as the Spirit gave them utterance even the same Spirit of Truth that Christ promised should be given to his Disciples and remain with them and lead them into all Truth John 14. 16 17. chap. 16. 13. We own and honour the Scriptures above all other Writings in the World and they are profitable for Doctrine for Reproof and for Correction and Instruction in Righteousness 2 Tim. 16. We own we are not of the same mind with an Assembly once gathered that the Scriptures are the only Rule then â—arwell to the Spirit of God say I We do believe that it is not in the Power of men to deprive the Saints of their Rule Leader or Guide which iâ— the Spirit of the Lord But if the Scriptures be the only Rule then it is possible that men may be deprived of their Rule by their Enemies Matth. 11. 17. No man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son shall reveal him And now I will appeal to all the Faithful in those late Years when their Teachers fled from them when trouble came and Preaching and Hearing became expensive had not a Remnant been taught of God had they not had the Spirit of the Lord to lead and guide and instruct them what had become of them Had there not been Springs in the Desert and Rivers in the Wilderness streaming from the Lord to refresh those distressed Souls what had become of them 3dly He cannot be a Christian that affirmeth Perfection or freedom from Sin on this side Heaven How is the Scripture rejected here and made to bow down to the experience of men who are taught by their Teachers that it is impossible to have the Works of the Devil destroyed and so make void Christ's Coming when something there is that cannot be parted with and therefore a Cry is made damnable Doctrine to have Sin destroyed I shall first lay down that God hath commanded it Gen. 17. 7. Walk before me and be thou perfect Matth. 19. 24. If thou wilt be perfect sell all All must go if God call for it or no Perfection he had done many things and that from his Youth up and many Sins doubtless were slain and the man dead to them A brave Professor for our days but one thing must be kept a Wedge of Gold a Babylonish Garment he had great Possessions and that he could not part with for Treasure in Heaven the pretiousness of which he had not the Experience of by Faith and this made him go away sorrowful doubtless he liked not the Doctrine of Perfection like the
Something By way of Testimony Concerning Clement Lake OF Crediton in Devonshire With Something he wrote in his Life time by way of Answer unto JOHN FLAVELL Independant Preacher of DARTMOUTH Blessed are the Dead which dye in the Lord from henceforth yea saiâ—h the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them Rev. 14. 13. London Printed and Sold by T. Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holywell Lane in Shoreditch 1692. Something by way of Testimony concerning Clement Lake THis is that we have to say concerning our Deceased Friend Clement Lake of Crediton He was a Man of an Innocent upright Life Conversation very Tender Heared and affectionate towards the Truth and them that walked in it He at first received Truth in the love of it and continued to the end Faithful to its Testimony through all the Exercises he met with for in the time of his Convincement he met with no small Opposition and Exercise from and by the Wife of his own Bosom and also suffered Imprisonment with Friends for the Testimony of Truth all which he bore with Patience and Meekness in a humble mind submited unto God's Will and in due time it pleased God through the Spirit of the Lamb to give him the Victory and Dominion over that which stood in his way he was diligent in frequenting Friends Meetings to wait upon God though outwardly a man attended with much weakness and infirmness of Body and many times being filled with a deep sence of the Love of God unto his Soul and his Heart tendered and broken thereby his Mouth was opened to Magnifie and Praise the Lord and tell by experience of the Goodness of God unto his Soul In short we are generally well Satisfied concerning him that he was a man that did truly Fear God loved Truth and Righteousness bore a Faithful Testimony until death his Conversation was a good savour to all in his day and now being removed from us we believe it s well with him and he hath his reward viz. The Crown of Life and Peace and is at rest in the Lord. John Colsworthy Robert Ellis Peter Richards Robert Ford. The Testimony of Phillip Dicker Concerning Clement Lake A True Testimony and Account concerning the Life and blessed End of that Faithful Servant of the Lord Clement Lake This I can truly say from a sence I had of him that I believe he was one whose Meditation was on the Lord Day and Night for since I have been concerned to bear a Testimony for the Lord I have had great Society with him I have considered his solemn Carriage and weighty behaviour when he was in the Body and I have heard him speak of the many straights and conditions he had been in since first he believed that God did expect Worship and Service from him And further I have this to say of our Friend Clement Lake Deceased that he was a Man wholly given up to answer the Mind and Will of the Lord for I can truly say from a certain sence I had of him that his Conversation was Heavenly and that the Lord hath made his promise good unto him as he did unto the Righteous in all Ages and through the Faithfulness of him that hath promised we are made as Witnesses of it that his promise is fulfiled in us by the Spirit of his dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Master for so he is And I being with C. L. and having had a certain knowledge that the Lord's Goodness lasted with him and he in it unto the end of his Dayes for which we can do no less then to return the Praise Glory and Honour that is due unto the Lord for his Mercy and Goodness bestowed upon his People So he dyed the Death of the Righteous and hath received the Reward of the Faithful Phillip Dicker The Testimony that I have to bare for my Dear Husband Clement Lake deceased is as followeth HE was a Man endued with much Faith and Patience tender of the Honour of the Name of the Lord and Zealous for his Truth and Worship and a good Patern and Example in his Family often exhorting me his Children and Servants in wighty sayings touching the good and wellfare of our Souls telling us that if we perished he was clear of our Blood and since his Death several of my Neighbours have born this Testimony of him to me that they never were in company with him but they received Benefit by it and farther I bare Testimony of him though often attended with much weakness of Body yet he was very chearful under it many times Declaring the Goodness and Love of God towards him from time to time in the many Exercises and Tryals he went through in baring his Testimony for the Truth in the Town of Crediton in Devonshire where he lived and elsewhere and further he was a man of a clean Conversation his very Enemies have since his Death spoken well of him and confessed they believed he is happy and further I cannot well be clear but must acknowledge that after my Husband was Convinced of the Blessed Truth through the many Instigations of those whom we formerly were in fellowship with and others caused me to grieve him very much by ill demeaning my self towards him a considerable time but since the Lord was pleased to open my understanding and give me a sight and sence of the workings of the Enemy who is the sower of discord I have been much troubled and known sorrow for the same and further I add it was the great Love of God towards me in answering the desire of my Soul which was often with many a Cry and Tear that he would shew me the way of Life and Salvation and where he feeds his Flock and causeth them to rest at Noon day and since the Lord appeared and answered Blessed be his pure holy Name for evermore we lived in great Unity Love and Fellowship to the Comfort one of another Ah but at length he was visited with a strong Feaver whereof he lay near a Week and ended his Dayes here the 23d of the 12th Month 1689. And when the Lord was pleased to take him from me it was I must confess very heard to me considering my great loss of so dear and tender a Husband as he was to me but being throughly perswaded and satisfied in my Heart that he is at rest with the Lord I am satisfied in the Will of the Lord who is over all God blessed for evermore Amen saith my Soul Grace Lake A Letter sent by John Flavell an Independent Preacher at Dartmouth in Devenshire to Clement Lake of Crediton The Second day of the Fifth Month 1687. DEar Christian Friend the true Christian love I have born to you ever since I came acquainted with you and saw the Grace of God in you hath engaged me in real Tenderness to your Soul to give you this Paper if happily the Lord may thereby Confirm you in his
Mouth opened to bear witness to the Truth of God that Christ is able and willing to save from all Sin and to keep us from failing if men believe in his Power and keep to it for it will be to all men according to their Faith but if men do not yea will not believe Christ is that he that can yea and will do these things for them they shall dye in their Sins and where he is gone they cannot come 3dly He cannot be a Christian that maketh no distinction between the Godly and the Wicked or Ungodly This Saddle best fits thy own Horse on whose back I shall set it look to the Epistle of thy Book called The Saints indeed where no difference is made between the Godly and the Ungodly the one so Confers Prays bewailes Corruption talks of Experience open their Condition neglect the watch over the Heart and does often fall into scandalous Sins as the Wicked do What difference dost thou make between the Godly and Ungodly Hearts except it be in this that one shall go to Heaven and the other to Hell tho they thus live no difference in the Life except it be that the Godly so called by thee are worse in their Lives for by their example they make fast the bands of death upon both the former are cruel and shed the Blood of other Souls fall often into Scandalous Sins and for proof David is brought He committed Murder and Adultery Did he fall into this often was it the Practice of his Life was not the remaining part of his Life spent in mourning and watching and warning against and praying against all Sin and did he not declare his abhorrance of it by his abstaining from it all false wayes he did utterly abhor and did he utterly abhor it with his Tongue and not abstain from it in his Life surely his remaining Years were far different from the Life of the Wicked and so were the Life of other Saints after their falls and therefore take this Charge home to thy self who pleads for Sin term of Life and Unchristian others who plead for purity of Heart and Life and a ceasing from Sin and a Freedom indeed by the Truth Be not offended because I spake forth the Words of Truth it is for the honour of my Saviour Christ Jesus And it is my Testimony that I bare against the Devil and Sin and the Pleaders for it that he can that he doth that he will save from Sin those that believe in him and come to him and receive him in all his Offices to them he will give Power to become the Sons of God and what is that but to cease to do Evil and learn to do Well And now for the proof of thy Charge for which we are Unchristianed and that we make no Difference between the Godly and the Wicked is this that Christ inlightneth Every one that cometh into the World with a saving Light I would fain know whether Saints be Born Saints If not but all are by nature Children of Wrath Enemies to God by wicked works as I believe they are Then whether that Spirit that strived with them and convinced them of Sin Righteousness and Judgment and brought them out of the state of Darkness Enmity and Rebellion and turneth them or leadeth them from the power of Satan to be lead giuded and governed by the Power of God be not the same Spirit that is striving with and in the Wicked to reclaim them and whether it would not reclaim them if they did follow it and obey its Reproofs Instructions and Counsels God gave his Good Spirit to the old World and others and doubtless willing and sufficient to save them if they had not resisted and rebelled against it it was Gods Good Spirit that was saving which was given to rebellious Israel but they Rebelled and Vexed it that it could not dwell in them and it is the same secret still Voice that cryeth after or in Man and Woman This is the Way walk in it Return Return why will you Dye But by Rebellion against and Resistance of Grieving Vexing and Quenching its Motions it ceaseth to strive and wo then to that Soul when left to commit Sin with Greediness And as I have said formerly I say again if in any thing thou supposest I am beside the Truth signifie it to me in a few Lines who desireth and prayeth for the coming of God's Kingdom in the Hearts of the Children of men Clement Lake Crediton the 28th day of the 10th Month 1687. THE END