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
turn away much people saying God is not worshipped in Temples made with hands but within onely in Spirit and Truth talking as if they would teach us as if they heard Gods voice and not we who search the Scriptures and expound the Law and have the Key of knowledge have been train'd up in the Scriptures in reading the holy letters but these we take notice of them that they are ignorant unlearned men yet they say we are unstable and unlearned and wrest Scriptures to own destruction but whence hath this man letters having never learnt at Universities as we have done away with them and their Scripture no more holy Scripture now the Canon is compleated the Standard sealed no immediate motion now no such mission as the Prophets had now no speaking by divine inspiration now no Divine authority in any mans writings now though they write not others but the same Divine truths as of old no extraordinary infallible â—uidance of men by the infallible Spirit of God now and suchlike Thus they said then and thus our wise Ignorants at Athens say now of the same Spirit that then spake in Paul pressing others now to write or speak to them of their woâ—shâ—pping an unknown God seeing their Universities given wholly to Idolatry and thus I.O. one of the sore men against the truth What will these Bablets say and in a manner so they say all But slay friend Gods arm is not shortned neither is the mouth of God more made up now then formerly from making out and manifesting his own mind immediately from himselfe in the minds and consciences of men and women so as that men may without manifest imprudence not to say impudence imagine so ignorantly as in effect I.O. doth that God spake his last to the Sons of men and all that ever he meant from his own mouth to make known of his will to any man when Iohn had at the command of Christ written that pretious Revelatio â—which God gave unto Christ to shew to his servants who was pleased to signifie it unto them by the hand of his servant Iohn and when once in after ages a Syned of some honest men who we know not upon some some mistakes and sailings which weâ— I.O. confesses Tr. 2. c 2. S. 4.5 They were lyable to establish so much as they could get together which was but little 't is like of that much that was written of the transcribed Copies of the holy mens Histories and Apostles Epistles and letters to particular Churches and private persons and canoniz'd it together with the writings of Moses and the Prophets into such a standing Rule of faith and manners for all ages to come that whatever should from thenceforth be found as not a little was even of the Apostles own and some of Christs own writings and whatever should be written after that with pretence as much hath been since then not in pretence onely but in truth of motion from the same holy spirit should be shut out for ever from standing in their Canon sith it came not in at that time to their hands and be ever of so low esteem as not to be own'd among the rest under so much as the name of holy Scriptures with them but as to all ends uses and purposes for which all holy Scripture is written be utterly raced out of the Record cancel'd made void and of none effect while those few they Authoriz'd because of their Stamp of the onely Standard upon them must be had in as high if not an higher Esteem Honour and Authority then the Light it selfe from which directing holy men in the writing thereof they had all the being they have at all as holy Scriptures Let not I.O. in any wise say so for there are yet though himselfe is none of them 7000 of the people of Christ in England that bow not the knee to Baal many of whom as they are under the new Testament i.e. the Spirit and not under the old i.e. the letter where thou yet art have even both men and women the promises thereof made good unto them concerning the gift of the holy Spirit of the Lord and power to prophecy which of old also the true had Mic. 2. and of judgment and of might to declare unto the rebellious house of Iacob and Israel even the Heads and Princes thereof if they abhor judgement and pervert all equity and the Priests and Prophets thereof that Preach for hire and Divine for money and build Sion with blood and Ierusalem with iniquity and yet leane on the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evill shall come upon us their sins and their transgression And to use thy own words I.O. p. 331.332 to thy self who are much in the dark as thou utterest them to such as are further in the dark behind thy self much more to the same purpose will same of them be found to say when men of outward wisdome and learning who are as they think able to instruct them shall condescend personally so to do Yea of myself I will not speak who by the grace of God am what I am and if the least measure of that grace be imparted to me among other of his servants that I should Preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ it is to one that for ought I know is of all the rest least worthy or rather most unworthy of it but I am bold to say so much and no more then what will stand as truth against thine or any others gain sayings that there are some who do not more professe themselves to be then they are indeed inspired by the holy Spirit whose messages and ministrations whether by voice or writing are so immediate from the mouth of the Lord that your not receiving nor submitting to them on that account but rejecting and denyall thereof with such rigour as ye do doth justify your predecessors in all ages who rejected and slew those that spake to them in the name of the Lord and speakes out in plain terms your imagination to be this that you may with safety to your selves reject them whom God sends yea to go on yet for a while much what in thy own words Tr. 1. C. 3. S. 9 10.11 12 There are some whether they work miracles yea or nay as thou confessest most of the Prophets did not that 's nothing to thee who pretend not to this inspiration falsely but both can and do to youward insist upon this that being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divinely inspired their doctrine is to be recieved by you as from God and in their so doing it will be found in due time to be your sin even unbeliefe and rebellion against God not to submit to what they speake in his name as that of his word they receive from his mouth and this is not onely pleaded and insisted on by some but also whether their Testimony be received or not received by you preachers and the
they shall be blessed that sow beside all waters and the soul of the diligent shall thrive and be fat but the soul of the vile person and niggard and of the sluggard shall desire but have nothing yea their Vintage shall faile and their gathering shall not come and their fruitful field shall be turned into a forrest they shall be stript and made bare and sit with sackcloth on their loins and lament for the tears for the pleasant fields and the fruitfull vine and their pallaces shall be forsaken their tents and towers shall be for dâ—ns and that which now is the pasture of wild asses Iob 11.12 Isa. 29.18 24. shall be no more enjoyed by them for ever Isa. 32. Wherefore then â—ayest thou I. O. with Restriction of the Spirits guidance to those first generations thus viz. While the infallible spirit continued his extraordinary guidance and thus viz. guided therein by the infallible direction of the spirit of God and by way of exclusion of after-ages and more expresly of this age thus viz. They were born acted carried out by the Holy Ghost to speake deliver and write c. and suppose a man were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. inspired of God and should professe himself so and were so indeed as the Prophes of old Am. 7. Let me expostulate the case with thee a little about these expressions whereby thou seemest to shut all the past primitive times from any participation of the movings and actings of the Spirit as those that have neither part nor portion in that matter of his infallible guidance and direction First then not denying what Christ himself foretold Iohn â—4 28 30. Iohn 16.16 viz. That he would go away for a while and his Disciples should not see him and the Prince of this world which hath nothing in him should come and interpose himself to the great interception of that primitive Communion the Saints then had with him and his Spirit so that he would not have very much talk with them thereafter let me ask thee this much Did he say he would leave them for ever and never have any talk or words with them more then what they should find of his written in the Scriptures of such as should write some few things and a little of that much which they knew of his minde Did he say he should not speake at all not so much as by his Spirt Nay rather did he not say that so soon as his fleshly pretence was withdrawn he would send the holy Spirit himselfe the comforter to supply the room of that personall and bodily appearance wherein he then stood among them which they were so in love with and so loath to part with that they were ready well-nigh to dote so upon it as to let sorrow fill their hearts to think they should be utterly without his tuition as sheep without a shepherd if that should vanish and be removed In the departure and absence of which notwithstanding he told them it would be never the worse but much the better and more expedient for them For if I goe away saith he the Comforter cannot come but if I go I will send him unto you which Comforter was himselfe in Spirit the presence of which in the heart gives nearer acquaintance and fellowship with Christ and the Father then his abode among them their sight of him in the flesh could possibly do for the sight of him in the flesh the world may have and had which is to little effect if the other be wanting but his presence in the Spirit is that which is of Power and Efficacy though yet in two different wayes viz. of bare conviction or condemnation to the one and refreshment and consolation to the other both to the World and to the Saints though there be no sight of him as in the flesh any more by either I will send the Holy spirit the comforter to you saith he and he shall convince or reprove the world also Doth Christ therefore say he will leave them comfortlesse i.e. Orphans Iohn 14.17 18. deprived utterly of his presence because he said he i.e. in flesh would go away Nay saith he I will come to you i.e. in Spirit the Spirit of truth which dwelleth in you and shall be in you and though the world seeth me no more when I am gone because though the Spirit of Truth be sent into them and is nigh to men even striving preaching reproving in them yet they recieve him not neither see him nor know him yet ye see me and because I live ye shall live also and doth he not say that this spirit of truth should lead and guide them into all truth and bring all things to their remembrance whatever he spakâ— while he was seen in the flesh Which the letter doth not for there were many more things that Iesus spake and did that are not written there so many that if they should be written every one it might be supposed the world could not contain what should be written John 14.26 13 21 25. And howbeit he intimates a more sparing Communion in Spirit with his Dâ—sciples and Church which would be permitted to come to passe by the coming in of the Prince of this world wherein there should not be so much talk as there should be before and would be again after that gloomy day was once over wherein the manifestations of him though as infallible in that small measure wherein they should be made for gradus non variant naturam rei yet as to the measure would not be so great as at other times of which going away and withdrawing even in the spirit also he seemes to speak when he saith A little while and ye shall not see me in which Eclipse the chidren of the night must have a revelling night of rejoycing over the Word and Spirit and Saints sitting in sackcloth and an hour of laughter and merriment at the power of 〈◊〉 its prevailing Iohn 16. to 22. yet doth he say that Eclipse should be â—oâ—aâ—l Was there not some few in every age in whom the Spirit bare a testimony and by whom to the blind world also of little truth And did he not say the Spirit should be in them and abide with them i.e. in the same manner of infallibility in manifestation of whatever he makes known though not in the same measure of manifestation of the truth even for ever Iohn 14.16 And did he not say that the Spirit of truth should testifie of him when he came and so consequently his testimony must be with his Disciples and Church for ever Iohn 15.26 Which testimony is not that of the letter which men wrote at his motion as thou falsely supposest for that is mans mediate testimony and not immediately the Spirits any more then the testimony that men bear by word of mouth as they are moved of which in the very next verse i. e. Iohn 15.27 Christ calls their testimony and not the
the Lord which shall be counted to him for a Generation and to confess as much as they are now a curse among men that they are the Seed whom God hath blessed Virtutem incolumem odimus Sublatam ex oculis Quaerimus invidi Their eleventh argument from Jude 19. Having not the Spirit John 14.17 The Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive is this Every man hath not the Spirit of God therefore every man hath not a light within sufficient to guide him to God Rep. Every man that hath not so long resisted grieved quenched the motions of the Spirit of God striving in him that it thereupon is taken from him as it was from those sensual ones Iude speaks of whom God had given over to their lusts hath the Spirit striving within him and that 's enough to our purpose who own such a state that some may be given over to for not using what they had while they had it as wherein to have wisdome at whose reproof they would not turn withdraw and leave them to the way of folly and the good Spirit depart from them as he did from Saul Iudas the Iews and others and leave the house even their hearts wholly desolate and destitute of his presence for the evil spirit that lusteth in men to envy to enter and totally to possess them and the talent or measure of Gods Light within sith they would not trade with it taken away from them that the outwaâ—d darkness might come upon them and the grace of God that brought Salvation to them which at some time or other appears to all men Tit. 2.11.12 sith they would not learn of it to to deny ungodliness but turned it into wantonness and received it in vain despising the riches of it when it would have led them to repentance leave them to the impenitency and hardness of their hearts that they might fill up their measure of sin and so wrath come upon them to the utmost but all this proves not but that once they had it or else Christ would not have said to such as yet walk't not in it Walk in the light while ye have it least darkness come upon you and ye know not whither ye go nor could your selves say rationally as ye do to wicked men often O people now while his good Spirit moves in your spirits resist not quench not his motions left like them that lay at the Pool of Bethesda not stepping in while the Angel moved on the waters you be left unhealed forever Work whilst its day left the night come on you wherein none can work his spirit will not strive alwayes c. As for the worlds not receiving the Spirit so as to walk in it it proves not that God gives it not any more then that they have no grace given them of God because they receive it in vain and ye may as well say unreasonable men have no principle of reason left in them because they live not by it as that they have not a sufficient light in them to lead them because they do not walk in it Besides it is expressly said of Christ that by the same Spirit by which himself was quickned he went and preached to the spirits in prison i. e. to their own lusts which were disobedient in the old world in the dayes of Noah which was not by his Ministry without only as the dream but within also in their own hearts Their twelfth runs thus The Son did not reveal the Father to every man nor did every man come to Christ therefore every man had not a light within him sufficient to guide him to God Rep. The consequence of this is utterly false for though the world hates Christ the Light and comes not to him yet he is come a light into the world this he that 's not willingly ignorant of it can scarcely chuse but see if he read Iohn 3.16.17.18.19.20.21 it follows not because men come not into Christs Light that therefore it is not come into them it being as is shewed above one thing for the Light to be in men another for them to be in it I am come that they might have life faith Christ of the Jews John 10. yet ye search the Scriptures and therein look for Eternal life but will not come to me that ye may have life faith he to the Scribes Iohn 5. both these comings of each to other are necessary to the life else though the Light that is able to lead to it be in men they not being led by it cannot have it Moreover Christ does by his Light reveal the Father to such as hate both him and his Father though they like not to know him thereby else he could not say truly as he does to such Iob. 22.23.24 If I had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak for their sin If I had not done in them the works which none other doth they had not had sin but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father In what measure men see the mind and will of Christ and his Father manifested in them by the Light within Rom. 1.19 and hate that they see and hate both Christ and his Father whose Light and Mind and Will that is which appears to them Their fourteenth is urged by them from Texts of Scripture every of which most clearly prove or rather positively asserts the very thing they contend against viz. that Christ is come a Light to them that sit in darkness and so all men do a Light to the Nations a light into the world that whosoever that is in the world he is come into believeth in him should not perish nor walk nor abide in darkness but have the light of life Iohn 3.19.8.12 9.5.12.46 for not coming to which nor believing in which not loving but hating of which not living by which only the world comes to be condemned Were ever men so blinded But say they Christs coming a Light into the World would be needless if every man had a light in him before Christs coming into the World sufficient to guide him in the way to God Therefore the Quakers Opinion about the light in each person is a manifest errour Rep. Your apprehension of the Qua. Opinion is either a manifest errour or a wilful piece of ignorance or a miserable mistake or something for they hold no such thing as a light in each man sufficient to guide him without or besides that of Christ or before Christs coming into the world but that the whole world lying in wickedness and sitting in darkness Christ is sent a Light to enlighten them who without him are lost and that he who is that true Light doth more or less by his coming into the world enlighten every man that comes into it The fifteenth concludes a lye against the Qua. as denying the use of and dehorting from searching the Scriptures which while Christ Iohn 5.39
own perverse mind and meaning why cannot that be meant of freedome from sin but that men who are not fully willing to be freed from it and are in love with it and being loath to leave it are loath to see it It s more hard not to see then it is to see that it is meant of freedome from sin What should or can it be meant of else Are not freed me from sin and not committing of sin made synominous as committing sin and not being freed from it are made by Christ himself opposites to each other Ioh. 8.32 33. 34. 35. 36. The Iews thought they had the fullest freedome that men could have in this world because they were the visible Church Abrahams Seed and such like externals as they then trusted in as ye now do though not yet freed from that thing call'd sinning to serve the Lord alone whose service the very Common-Prayer-Book it self was wont to call perfect freedome But Christ learns them another Lesson viz. that they had none of that true Gospel freedome that the saving knowledge of the truth gives and which he makes such as continue in his words and so are his Disciples indeed and not in word only as ye are free withall which is a full freedome in deed and truth and not half a one or by the halves such as that is ye talk of who upon the account of some private Patent alias particular personal Election thereto from everlasting prattle to your selves of freedome from guilt while ye remain in your filth and of a general Iustification anâ— pardon for all sins past present and to come in this world expecting your purging or Iustification as to Sanctification from sin and â—ncleâ—â—ness not in this world but that to come But verily verily I say unto you quoth he he that committeth sin is yet the servant of sin and must know for all his boasting he has not long to abide in the House and Church of God wherein Ishmael-like he scoffs at the right Heir Isaac as if himself alone who is but a Bastard born of fornication should inherit all and will prove an out-cast himself at last before the Son who is born of God and free indeed and the only true Heir of all things full freedome from sin and committing of it are oppos'd to each other by Christ therefore freedome from it and not committing it are the same To wind out of this T.D. would seem to say somewhat but of two things he can't tell which but one of the two must be it rather then the Truth Either there is quoth he an Emphasis in the word sin intending under that general term one kind of sin viz. sin unto death or if not in the Substantive on the Verb Poiei which notes to make a trade or business of sin as the Devil does who sinneth from the beginning and never ceased from sin since he began Thus indeed the Saints sin not c. Rep. As to they Emphases they are the foolish empty conceits of thy own and other mens brains there 's no such Emphasis either in the Substantive or Verb as ye all prate whereby the Spirit should be understood as speaking otherwise then he truly means or meaning otherwise then he plainly sayes whose words are plain to the honest heart though not to Idol Shepherd who by the Sword of the Lord hath his right eye utterly darkned because he hath darkned the Lords Counsel by his own words without knowledge And if the eyes of the Seers were not shut up from seeing the very Letter they prate about as well the mysteries of the Spirit which the animal man can never know by all his searchings they being revealed only by the Spirit they might see that the Text it self makes no difference between sinning and committing sin and that the one is no more Emphatical then the other And if T.D. who in the same page 9. where he mentions the words were not so busie in his mind about the meaning and did not make such a warbling noyse as shallow waters ever do more then those that are deepest with harping at this that and t' other silly sense he might in coolness have considered that in the same ninth verse as well as the eigth and others about it the Spirit makes no difference between Amartian Poiein and Amortanein to commit sin and to sin but uses them promiscuously Ouk Amartanei every one that abides in him sinneth not So ver 8. He that commits sin is of the Devil for the Devil Amartanei sinneth from the beginning And because T.D. seems to put an Emphasis upon the word sinneth as well as committeth sin making the word sinneth as here used to amount to somewhat more then an ordinary sort of sinning as here it intends some high or desperate degree of sin even that which 1 Ioh. 5.16 is call'd Kat ' Exoken a sin unto death without remedy or forgiveness for ever because never to be repented of as in opposition to all other sins that men do commit which when this alone being ever joyâ—'d with impenitency is impardonable are all upon that true repentance they are yet in possibility of who commit them pardâ—nable or possible to be forgiven for this is T. Ds. emphasis on the Substantive Sin for I shall not wrong him so much as to take him meaning as the Papists do who put such difference between peccatum veniale and mortale as if some sins only without repentance were mortal or to death and some venial or not to death though not repented of at all your Church of England opposing them in this and holding every sin yea the least unrepented of unto death though T. D. would have suspected me to be a Iesuite for a less matter This concludes him that is born of God to be even qua sic as born of God as easily liable to and excludes him no more then it does the very wicked themselves from the committing of any sin that the wickedest can commit except that ye call the sin against the Holy Ghost it self which is so gross an absurdity that he can be no spiritually wise man that does not feel him to be spiritually infatuated that so imagines For still though the Devil sinneth and he that is of the Devil doth nothing else but Nicodemus though a Master in Israel can't read this Birth of God which is Anothen from above of water and the Spirit John 1.12 John 3. which blows where it lists and the Priests hear an outward sound thereof but know not whence it comes nor whether it goes nor how he is that is born of the Spirit as plain as 't is in the Text which they read more then that truth tells of yet as he that sinneth is of the Devil and he that is of the Devil sinneth altogether so he that sinneth not but doth righteousness only is of God and he that is born of God and the Spirit which is Spirit and not flesh sinneth not at
Slaughter and Eternal Slavery for you not to Try their Talk First Who tell it you for Truth that there is now no Guidance of Christs Own Ministers by Christs Own Infallible Spirit They that Teach that their own Teaching is but Falible may easily draw all their Implicit Followers together with themselves into the Ditch Secondly Talk for Liberty of Conscience while they are under the Lash of others and for Persecution as soon as they can Climb to be Lords over all Thirdly That Affirm Christ's Righteousness Wrought in his Saints Persons by his Power and Spirit Serving to Sanctifie them too to fit them for Heaven to be of no other worth and worth no better Name and worse they cannot give it then that of unclean Dung Losse and Filthy Rags which Doctrine is Necessarily Deducible from T. D's Writing against the Quakers who yet sayes David even while Guilty of Adultery and Murder was not in a Condemned but in a Justified Estate Fourthly That where and while God Tenders Salvation Openly and Universally to All Men He Secretly Intends it but Particularly only to a Few Fifthly That that Light the Quakers Testify to which in Truth is no other then the True Light which the Life is which their own Rule of Scripture sayes John 1.9 Enlightens every man that cometh into the World Enlightens not every one but very few And is an Horrible Figment of the Quakers an Imaginary Christ as to Salvation in all Divine Matters Darkness Blindness it self and many more sayings of that sort under which they Scorn it as J. O. does and other Divines viz. R. B. and J. T. little lesse Sixthly 1. That the Letter of the Scripture is the only Sure Foundation and Rule of all Faith 2. That the said Letter is Variable and Varied and yet 3. That A thing that is Variable can be no Rule neither which is one of the many Rounds the Rabbies Run in Seventhly That Preaching of Perfect Purging and full Freedom from Sin in this world is a Doctrine of Devills so T. D. and Punishable With Prisons and other Paines so I. O. that there 's no Purgatory for purging away the Remnants of it as the Pope Falsly sayes there is in the world to come neither which Perfection of Holiness so far as to deny of all Unholiness and Salvation of Souls from Sinning is the meer End of Christs coming Matth. 1.21 the end of all Ministry that 's of his giving Eph. 4.11 12 13. the end of all the Apostles Writing willings of men to walk in the Light 2 Cor. 7 1. 1 Iohn 1.6 7 8. 1 Iohn 2.1 and of all true Faith or Beleiving 1 Pet. 1.5 And as it 's no Treachery in us to you nor others nor yet in you and us and all men to our selves to Try what 's Truth before we Trust Take and Talk for it much more Obtrude it as that Truth which must Subpaena as so be believed by Ali So it 's no lesse then time for us to Ask and put it to the Question among you Sith both cannot be so who are so Contradictory and if they be Right wee l own our selves to be wrong when once they prove it whether those who in Christs Name Minister the abovesaid Messes for Truth or the Qua. who in their Ministry Minister the very contrary and no less then the Infallible Truth it self be Christs Ministers So having in my time Born my Testimony as a Friend to the Truth against such as Tread and Trample it under Feet and Aâ—k'â— an Answer from that of God in All Consciences to which I Appeal to Judg between the Clergy and the Quakers who are in Truth I Sit down Satisfied in my Own Conscience in the Sight of God holding Love to All Mens Persons and Warr with nothing but Mens Wicked Works not knowing whether this may be the Last Time of Asking After which as to this way of Appearing in Print against the Pervertures of the Parish Priesthood I may for ought I know for Ever possibly hold my Peace Sam. Fisher. A Lamentation over Lost-Souls With a Word of Warning to All Kings Princes Parliaments Powers And People to Beware of Such Priests aâ— Uphold the Devils Kingdome by Pleading Contrary to the Scriptures of Truth A Continuance of Iniquity for Term of this Life A Necessity of Mens Transgressing of Gods Law while they Liâ—e in the World Or have any Abode in the Body IN th' Snare You Are Dear Souls I truly Know it And Wot I't Not yet there is That doth Shew it For First that 's Worst You are Beset with Sin Next Those are Foes without for That 's With in Who Preach yea Teach Yee cannot Live with out it Who Hint Live In 't yet shall Yee Live ne'r Doubt it Such Watchmen Catch men in Sins Snares not Out By Such how Much to take Sin lies at Scout Yâ—u In its Gin You 'l know when th' Light is Heeded Know'â— Now and How Christ Iesus is not Needed To Win from Sin if in it Souls can Thrive To Save from th' Grave if there Souls are Alive I Trow You 'l Know You Cannot Live in Sin When All Dy Shall who Live and Dy there in Wherefore before you Live You ought t' Eschew it Then Must I Trust even whilst you Live or Rue it Read This for 't is a Riddâ—e else in th' Light Heart Read for th' Head herein obtains no Sight It s Wis-dom Is too Dim this Depth to Enter Vn lesse you Guesse by th' Spirit which Dives to th' Center Give Ore no More your selves with Vain Hopes Cherish For Lie and Die in Sin who doth doth Perish But Lay Away all Weights Sins which be set you Abandon And shake off such Priests as Let you And Shun that Run you may with Saints that Race Which Brings with Wings from Sin to th' Holy Place To th' Place where Grace is Perfect Holy Sion The Mount where Count upon 't there comes no Lyon Nor Man that Can work Evil where the Pure In Heart leave Part Alone and their Right 's Sure For While You Stile those Saints who plead for Evil And Them Christ's Members who still Serve the Devil Nor Leave but Cleave to Them the Light ye Flee And Sure ye Pure as Christ is cannot Be. For Hire They Tire You out with Talk â—ut Know Their Words are Swords which will Souls Over throw Their Eyes toward Lyes are set Truth They Be spatter Time Serving Swerving still from God They Scatter They Sooth speak Smooth Charm Dawb Sow Pillowes Flatter Cry Peace where Peace is Not So ends this Matter Sam Fisher. A List of some of the Typographicall Mistakes THough in I. O's blind judgement it seems to Border on Atheism to say the same Fate as to Mistakes hath attended the Hebrew and Greek Text of Scripture in it's Transcribing as hath done other Books yet it seems to me upon that but Running Review I have yet taken thereof that the
continually excluded and the glory of all to be given still to God and not flesh man and selfe so that while Iudas could blame none but himselfe for being damned so Paul and the rest though they wrought out their own Salvation yet could blesse none but God who wrought in them of his good pleasure 〈◊〉 to work will and dâ— for their being saved by his grace 1 Cor. 4.7 1 Cor. 15.10 Eph. 2.8 3.8 Phil. 2.12.13 So that all along the gift of both faith and good works are both called grace yea grace is no grace yet to Salvation from sin while men remain in their sins and unsaved by it and while the grace or gift of Gods righteousnesse remaines onely in Christ without them save onely that they are in a possibility to be saved and while they yet witnesse not him and it by him within themselves to the destroying of the works and Image of the Devill which when they do then and not before let them praâ—e of â—â—ace as they will they know the grace of God in Christ Iesus and then all 's grace and by grace and not of works or themselves or any righteousnesse of their own that they can thank for it whatever they work in the light and leadings of it in Preaching Praying Service Worship and what ere they have are enjoy act beleive endure or suffer for his name And so grace and works grace and the righteousnesse of Christ within us when mans own which ye yet are onely in and establishing your selves by who hate the light and are out of it is denyed as Rags as it is by us do not destruere but ponere se invicem so well stand together in the matter of our justification that indeed neither of them can stand in it without the other Neither is grace at all excluded as T. D. injudiciously judges from any hand in iustification by our asserting it to be of works of this nature and establishing this inhaerent righteousnesse of Christ in us thereunto but by this alone is grace perfectly ectablished Neither are these in opposition each to other as T. D. sayes they are as immediate contraryes as mens evill works and these good works of Christ in man were by me affirmed to be but rather individually the same and whereas T.D. saith our justification cannot be a debt and a free gift both in respect of us to what was said above which might serve to answer this I adde my denyall of that position of his with my grounds thereof for howbeit in respect of the same time it cannot be a debt and a free gift too yet in respect of the same persâ—ns with reference to dâ—fferent times and seasons it may for as it was nothing but meer mercy to lost man and free grace gift and goodnesse to man on Gods part and not any debt or desert from God on maâ—s part that 1 st engag'd or mov'd God to give his Son and to make promises in the Gospell to give his free gift of life eternall and to make Christ the Author of it to all them that obey him and the meer grace of Christ to us to come into the world a Light and give himselfe a Ransom for all and to promise to give life to all that come unto him and to God by him that they might have Life and Salvation to the utmost yet seeing as I may say so God and Christ have by free grace that moved them to make it thus put themselves freely into mans debt on Terms of their obedience they are man performing the conditions on his part since then in justice bound to perform it and so to the same Subject mankind from whom God at 1 st was altogether free and to whom he was rich in mercy and infinitely free in giving Christ and making promises he is since on account of his truth engaged if man be not waâ—nting to him selfe to make it good and as it is in the like caâ—es among men that promise which pitty meer mercy moves to make piety and equity require its making good so 't is here and it s no such newes but to such as are novices in the faith to understand that which to the same persons was grace and free gift at 1 st becomming a matter of desert and due debt at last So that though glory be to the grace and mercy of God which onely moved him to say when the wicked turnes from his wickednesse and does what is lawfull and right he shall not dye his iniquity shall not at all be mentioned to him yet the wicked turning Gods wayes are not so equall as he pleads they are Ezek. 18. Against man whose wayes and thoughts are all crooked and unequall if he do not now justify and forgive the reforming evill doer and having in his free favour said it that he that confesseth and forsaketh his siSs shall find mercy Iohn saith 1 Iob. 1.8 If we now confesse our sins not God is gracious and mercyfull though that be Originally the ground of all and to be magnified over all his works and is oft exprest to the wicked repenting as the grand cause of Gods remitting 55. Isa. Let him forsake his way and thoughts and turn to the Lord for he is gracious but saith Iohn God is faâ—thfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness So having refuted T. D's irrefragable Argument as he stiles it from that Scripture Rom. 11. Which I confesse is irrefragable in truth but that T. D. wrests it being one of those unlearned and unstable ones in the truth that Peter saith 2 Pet. 3. Wrest Pauls Epistles and other Scriptures to their own destruction I return to proceed in that which I went away from by this profitable Parenthesis viz. to shew how the Scripture ascribes the inheritaâ—ce as not onely meet for them that are meet for it but their due de jure that do his Commandements Râ—v 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandements that they may have right to eat of the tree of life and to enter throw the Gates into the Citty but without are Dogs c. 1. without the Citty and without Right to it as well as without meeâ—nesse for it who if they were other 1. doing the Commands they should have both meeâ—nesse worthynesse and right and jure hereditario by right of heirship according to the promises made in that behalf should both duly and keeping the condition no otherwise then deservedly inherit it as he that having a promise of the inheritance of a Citty in case he will adventure to storme and overcome and win it fighting and overcoming accordingly though the promise of it at 1 st on such Termes was a gift may then claim it for his inheritance as of debt and desert which it is not onely fit and meet he should have as on terms of promise on anothers part performance of the Terms required on his own who ever helpt him in
any Critick pleases and as no Authority to us at all as they in their basenesse and hatred of it which I condemne do say it is of as 't is my continual exercise in works to do it so do I here in plain words exalt the Scripture which they so debase and state it over all that their Trash and aforesaid Trumpery even on the very top of all their long Train of Traditions and over the archest Tittle of the Tripple Crown the proudest pinacle of Peters now un Peter-like painted Temple the highest point of that pompous pious piteous Pillar and ground of Truth the choicest Chapiter of that holy Church and infallibly erring infallible Chair Thus doing I shall be own'd at last if not by I. O. and such as have his dimme Doings as tâ—ey have his person in admiration because of advantage yet by all unbyassed beholders of both our undertakings for the Scripture to be no more a pander for the Papists as I am more belyed then believed to be the lying Tribe of Levi then for himself but a just plain and impartial Pleader for the Scripture against them both and a doer of Right to those holy Writings which are egregiously wronged by both Papists and Protestants as between Two parties of partial Praters Pro and Con about them by one of which they are scarcely more sottishly and Satanically for Superstitions sake Abhorred then unduly and Superstitiously Adored by the other For howbeit thou deemest thy self and those thy self Reverencing fellow Students of it to whom thou Dedicatest thy Endeavours to Vindicate it to be such as value the Scripture as much as any thou knowest yet there are many whom thou knowest not but supposest to be sleighters and disowners of it who if to own value and exalt it be to ascribe all that to it which it assumes to it self to Preach and practise that holy Life which is the end of it and to give it its due and no more as indeed it is do own value honour and exalt the Holy Scripture much more and much more truly then any of your self-exalting selves who saving your fair Speeches for it and your fawnings on it Ore tenus your common aiëry and meer verbal Commendations thereof and of your selves as valuers thereof do yet in truth no more value or honour it then the Iewes whose grand Idol that is as the whole is yours at this day do their own owned part thereof of whose dotage in that kind I have in sundry Nations been an Eye-witnesse in not a few of their Synagogues who Adorn and carry it about as ye do your Bibles more beautified without then your selves are within and lift it up with loud noises especially when these words are read viz. He shall magnifie the Law and make it honourable when yet the Truth it makes mention of hath no Mansion in their minds to the renewing of them yea I may truly say you do more undervalue the Scripture by your advancing it above it self and over-valuing and worshipping it so much as ye do in your words whilst alienated from the Light it came from and calls to in your Works and Lives then some of the Synagogue of very Rome it self who in lips and lives too do undervalue it by how much Deceit and Hypocrisie is far greater Iniquity then 't is for men openly to disown what Cordially they do not own and to pretend to be no better Friends to it then indeed they are and by how much as all is not Gold that glisters so all that which by its glistring would fain seem to be Gold when it is but Drosse is worse then that which both is Drosse and seems to be so Yea those that undervalue the Scripture so as to set Traditions above it and they that overvalue it so as to set the Light below it both these must come under Condemnation from me as being both Abomination to the Lord before whom witness the Brazen Serpent and Christs Apostles Acts 14.11 to 19. whom the people did worse in Worshipping as Gods then if they had not heeded but hated them as of the Devil it may be worse to overvalue then to undervalue many things which may be of his own Appointment So that ye have little need to decry against Papists as Decryers of the Scriptures and lesse to link us the Quakers and Papists together as Adversaries in Common to the Scriptures as if your selves were the only Patrones thereof for as Anti-Papistical as ye seem to be about the Scriptures yet ye will be found Acting not more against them then though in a different way from the Papists against the Scriptures And howbeit thou taylest us and the Papists together figuring us out by thy fine Tale of the aforesaid Foxes as falling from and fighting against each other and yet both fellow-friends against the Scripture That is false as urged and uttered with that referrence to the Papists and Quakers as joynt Injurers of the Scriptures wherewith thou ridiculously Relatest it but true enough yea too too true If Related in that right Referrence which it bears toward the Papists and your Selves yea Quid Rides be not so merry I. O. about the Mouth for De te mutato nomine Quakers Fabula narratur thou thinkest thou hast shrewdly hurt thy meer fancied Fanatick Foes with a flap of a Fox-Tayle but in that Tale thou hast but made a Rod for thy own Tayle for verily he that hath but half an Eye and by thy mentioning thereof is minded to search where and to whom thy Simile best suits will find how causelesly and incongrously thou crowdest the Papists and Quakers so closely together as Companions in thy abusive Comparison and how aptly it may rather be Applyed to that Romish Synagogue and your Selves to whom it comes as nigh as four feet if any Simile can truly be said to run on all four can well carry it and who as much as ye dissent not only in diverse other matters but also about the Scripture it self the one for and the other against the perfection purity integrity authority and excellency of the meer Text and bare Letter of it do yet concur as closely and come as nigh to one another in denyal of the Truth and Doctrine thereof as four pence comes to a Groat Yea the Truth is your selves and they are far more fitly figured by those fiery-Tayld Foxes which tended two several wayes yet ended in one and the self same work of Destroying the Philistims Corn whil'st turning tayl to tayl and drawing into your two different Extreames one sort crying up Unwritten Traditions to be the most perfect Rule above the Scripture the other crying up the Outward Letter as the most perfect Rule above the Internal Light Word and Spirit which gave it forth ye not only fill the World as with so many Fire brands with your fiery Contentions so that like that Corn which failed when it felt the fire it fell together by the
purpose howbeit sometimes again I O tells us truly enough that what ever means God appoints to any end it is sufficient thereunto and thereupon not imperfect but perfect and so fearing belike to loose his Word and Doctrine and not knowing any other way all others failing save that of Pen and Inke in his Providence betook himself to that way of Writing which Providence also saw it self concerned to this day to preserve entire Copies to a Tittle of all that Writing much of which yet is lost both to reduce men to a Consideration of it self in that one particular and also that his Word not a jot of which I confesse can ever fail though all Writing in the World come to perish might be secured for ever from perishing and altering by that most alterable and perishing way of Writing which if it should happen to be all lost he had no way to save his Word Doctrine and sacred Truth from dying irrecoverably by a very dreadful and mortal Distemper pag. 314. So seems I.O. summarily to say out of the sacred Secret of Gods Councel which was never with any save such as fear him more then I. O. does whose Position of it Credat Apella So Pag. 14. God by his Providence preserving the whole Text entire suffers lesser variety to fall out in or among the Copies we have for the quickning and exercising our diligence in our search into his Word Reply O nescio quo horrendo percusse Sentomate Whence came this whiffe and whimzy within the Circumference of thy Figmentitious Fancy Who told thee this Toy which thou preachest out for positive Truth Dost thou teach this for a true Doctrine of Christ if so from what Text Or wilt thou own it to be but a meer Tale of thy own a Tradition of I.O. which it thou wilt then own it that in vain thou worshippest God while thou art Teaching for Doctrine thy own Thoughts and the Traditions of thy self or any other men Thou talkest sometime at such a rate as if thou wouldst make all the World believe the variety of our Copies were absolutely none at all no not in the leaft not in one Apex Tittle Iota not in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which how contradictory it is to or consistent with that lesser variety here talk'd on who is so silly save I. O. whos 's own silliness and self Confoundings are never seen by himself as not to see But to let passe that ordinary matter of self-contradiction sifh it s as Common with thee almost as to Talk at all and to take it as it falls Is this the end why God who as thou sayest who knowest not whether thou hast the half or no of what was by Inspiration written preserved the whole entire suffered that variety that is in your Copies to quicken your diligence in your Search into his Word If that be the end as indeed it may well enough be of the total losse of so much of the Letter as there is and non-Integrity nor Indentity of your Transcript Texts that remain that ye should diligently search into his Word it were happy for you that there 's so much variety and uncertainty as there is in your Copies and nere the worse had you none of them at all so ye would betake your selves to the Hearing of the Word of God and the receiving it more immediately and purely from his mouth which the Letter of it tells you is nigh in your own hearts and mouths â—o that ye need not go any where ad extra for it that ye may both hear and do it But alas poor men by the Word ye mean the Letter still the External Text or Writing of it and then so far is your so diligent searching and poring and striving and scribling one to another as the Scribes of old did Iob. 5. that never heard the Voice and Word of God it self from being any end of God at all in giving it out at first or in deriving that part of the Scripture ye have down to you whether fully the same with or falsified from the first Copies that he loaths and detests your long Tales about its Tittles and your idle Treating away your pretious time in such Trivial talk as this That the whole Word of God and all saving Doctrine and sacred Truth is lost and fails for ever without Relief Remedy or Recovery if every Tittle of the Text without losse or variation be not upheld and preserved Entire to this day which yet is some not to say the sum of that unsound Doctrine the proof of which is driven on by thee I. O. As in pag. 18. 314. and many other Pages is to be seen throwout thy Book as well as by other Doctors and Divines So Pag 34. speaking of the Scriptures uncontroulably manifesting themselve so to be that on pain of eternal Damnation men are to receive them as the Word of God thou sayst that they afford unto us all the divine Evidence of themselves and that 's none at all as I shall shew anon of their being his Word which God is willing to grant us or can be granted us or is any way needful for us Reply Another odd Conceited saying this is as like thy self who urâ—erest thy self Doctor-like still as to thy usurped Authoritativenesse but seldom as to the truth of thy Assertions as if it were spit out of thy mouth Who told thee this Vntruth that thou so uncontrollably utterest here for truth that God is not willing to grant more divine evidence of the Scriptures being what thou falsly sayest they are or where they are indeed and that more neither can or need be granted then what the Scriptures themselves do afford sayest thou this of thy self or did others tell it thee of the Scripture of thy own head surely or very likely at least and neither from God nor the Spirit nor the Scriptures no nor the Synods nor the Congregational Churches of England to which thou belongest nor the Doctrinal Catechismes of late Divines for these thy brethren though erring with thee in stiling them the Word tell thee of another not humane onely but Divine Testimony or evidence that may be and is needful to be granted and that God is willing to and doth also grant of the Scriptures being what they call it beside that which thou here so absolutely assertest as the onely one that must or can be afforded viz. the Testimony of the Spirit of God in the heart and not that of the Scripture alone concerning itself or of the holy Spirit speaking without us ad extra onely in the Scripture which is the dream wherein thou drawest aside not onely from the truth but also if it were a truth that the Letter is Gâ—ds Word from the joynt Testimony of thy fellow Testifiers to it for they say the Testimony of the Spirit within us also not 〈◊〉 â—â—stimony without uâ— and onely in the Scripture divinely evidences the Scripture to be what
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
saying by which he had once gain-sayed the former returning to his former again Ex. 1. S. 29. where his Latine words Englisht are in this foolish wise viz. to express the sence they conceived of the mind and will of God the words in those tongues in which by the command and ordination of God the Scripture is written were both conceived and disposed by the holy Spirit and not permitted or left to the wisdom and will or arbitrement of the Writers themselves So of this sound piece of round Doctrine of I.O. this is the sum They that wrote the Scripture did not invent chuse or seeke words nor was it left to their minds understandings will wisdoms c. to express the truth yet to go round again they did use words of will or choice their mind and understanding were used in the choice of words yet to go round again to express the will and mind of God the words were not left to the will and wisdom of the writers Let the Reader chuse which of the two contradictory conclusions of I.O. he will take as true yet as one of them is and both cannot be true so true it is that I.O. runs the rounds and contradicts himself here as he doth in twenty places more of his self-consuting Fardel I. O. Thou addest p. 9 10. That in their writing they were not onely on a general account to utter the truth they were made acquainted with all and to speak the things they had heard and seen which was their common Preaching-work but also the very individual words they had received were to be declared And p. 9. quoting Mat. 10.10 That the Apostles were not the Speakers of what they delivered as other men are the Figment and Imagination of whose hearts are the Fountain of all that they speak but the spirit of the Father in them Rep. How hangs this true passage viz. They were to utter the truth they were acquainted withall and write the things they had heard and seen together by the ears with that false passage p. 5 6. Where thou sayest The Stories Laws Doctrines Instructions Promises Prophesies they gave out were not retained in their memories from what they had heard nor by any means before-hand comprehended by them c. What clouds of witnesses be here to the clearing of the Spirit by which thou writest to be a Spirit of self-contradiction 2. Was not their common Preaching-work and their common Writing-work all one as to the choice of Words wherein they declared Were they at liberty when they preached to ramble into words of their own meere will choice and invention and limited when they wrote so that they might not express themselves in such words as in the will and wisdome of God in which they dwelt and liv'd they saw meet for the matter in hand but just tyed to the individual words brought to them as immediately by inspiration as the matter or Word of God it self they wrote of Who acquainted thee with this whimsical non-sensical notion that they in their work of Preaching disposed and ordered their words as in wisdom they saw them acceptable or serviceable but in their work of Writing they might dispose order chuse and in wisdom seek to find out acceptable words but had every Tittle more immediately put into them then when they spake the Truth by word of mouth Dost not thou thy self say p. 9. Mat. 10.10 That the Apostles were not the Speakers of what they delivered but the Spirit in them Whereby the truer that is tthe more clearely thou contradictest thy self again and intimatest no less then thus much that the Spirit as immediately and distinctly brought to them gave and put into their minds and mouths what words they should use when they were speaking as what words they should use when they were Writing So that what ever was their common Preaching-Work and common Writing-Work in both which it 's true enough that they were assisted specially and in both equally by the holy spirit in the wisdom power evidence and demonstration of which speaking in them and moving them who were obedient to him to an active improvement and exercise of their rational faculties minds understandings wills memories thereunto they both preached and wrote 1 Cor. 2.4 2 Cor. 3.12 and so uttered no other truth then they were mostly made acquainted withall by the spirit within themselves and heard and saw by the light within as well as by hear-say and the Writings of one another from without Yet the common Preaching-work and Writing-work of thy self and thy fellow Ministers not of the Light and Spirit but of the Letter out of which ye surtively fetch filch and steal all your stuff and furniture wherewith ye feed people till they starve I say Your Preaching and Writing is of things that ye are not acquainted with from the Spirit of the Father nor from its manifestings the mind of God within you and moving you to utter them in words of his own immediate suggesting and supplying but a certain uttering forth in your own wills and times of what ye have no otherwise then by hearsay or from the Scriptures of those who spake and wrote as mov'd no more then what they both saw and heard and handled of the Word of Life a certain rude handling what ye never felt your selves nor your own hands ever yet handled of that Word of Life ye read others writing of a heedless holding forth of what ye hear not but onely hear of a talkative treating on what Truth ye do not truly taste of an impudent intruding of your selves into a self-ended shewing of what ye have not seen but as at second-hand ye see it shew'd in the Scripture by such as were in the true sight and substantial being of it vainly puffed up in your fleshly minds in which respect ye are no true Ministers nor true Witnesses for God but false Witnesses even when ye testifie the truth which is not yours as well as when ye tell lyes and teach the untruths which are your own as the old Truth stealers and Word-sellers were who though they said because they found it so said by such as felt it The Lord lives which is the truth yet they spake falsely forasmuch as they witnessed him nor risen and alive but murdered stew kill'd and crucified the holy and just one within themselves and spake not as Christ and his did what they knew Ioh. 3.11 and testified not what they had seen but worshipped and worded it about what they knew not Iohn 4.22 And so as a man can't be counted a Legal witness in foro hominum in a civil Court of Judicature among men that shall testifie of another's theft murder and scandal at second hand that is not as an immediate eye or ear-witnesse of it but on his reading in a Letter or hear-say from such as were so so much less in foro Dei Ecclesiae can any be owned as a true Minister of
another that as the most must needs be false so 't is enough to confound and amaze mens minds they are so many to meddle to finde which is true among their meanings and to set a man out of his own senses to set himself so several are they to seek out their several senses on the Scriptures many bumbling Volumes larger then the Bible it self being written or some one Text of Sripture Is it for want of power or efficacy in the Letter Yea that is one reason for howbeit I.O. sayes It is absolutely called the power of God and effectual to salvation yet to his own confutation I. O sayes the Letter is dead and without the Spirit of no efficacy for the good of souls But another and that not the least is because they live in Rebellion against the light which while they turn not to though Moses is read and the Prophets also and all the Letter or Old Testament yet the Vail remaineth over Moses and the Prophets faces and as over the Iewes over the heart of these Christians also which Vail is done away only in Christ and in turning to his Light and the Spirit within their minds are blinded being off from the Light so that they know neither Christ nor Moses nor the Voyces of the Prophets that are so often read which through ignorance they fulfill as the Iews did in condemning Christ and putting him to open shame in his Light Doctrine and Disciples Nevertheless if their heart shall yet turn to the Lord that Spirit and to his Light which is within that vail shall be taken away and they shall see with open face behold the glory of God and be changed into his Image be led indeed to that true Repentance that is never to be repented of but if they continue in their unbeleef in the Light and their hearturn not to the Lord in and by the Light in the time and space that is given them for that Repentance yet at least the face of the covering that is now cast over all people and the vail that is yet spread over all Nations shall be so far removed and destroyed at last that there shall be repentance enough to no purpose when it is too late when the Gulph is once fixed and Abraham is seen by these rich worldlings and Belly-gods afar or and Lazarus in his bosome when every eye that look's for him shall see him who now cometh in the Clouds and they also that have pierced him and all Kindreds of the earth that are no kin to him shall wail because of him Even so AMEN The Fourth Apologeticall and Expostulatory Exercitation CHAP. I. NOw to proceed in way of answer to I. O's Arguments for the Scriptures and Letter and Book and Bible and Texts and outward Writings of Moses and the Prophets as the onely Rule in alterable Standard now compleated Canon Touchstone of all Truth to which since its close and consignation after Iohn had written no new Revelations Writings or Scriptures of the old Truth as from the old Spirit of it are to be added no immediate manifestations inspirations motions missions from God as of old to be expected or if pretended to be admitted or owned but to be damned down as Delusion Fanaticism Enthusiasm Quakerism Diabolism vain uncertain unprofitable fancy figment detestable meraae tenebrae caecitas fines salutares quod attinet as to salvation meere darknesse and blindnesse it self and what not that 's naught Seeing it is so as abovesaid that all these false Prophets and Divines can prevail no further then to tangle and hamper and hinder men and to hide the truth by that hideous heap of unharmoneous Heterogeneous Heterodox more then Orthodox volumes of Divinity and to smoother darken confound and drive men away from the naked truth and draw them off from the Scriptures themselves that are plain and cleare to honest and plain-hearted men by their Smoak and Clouds and Circumferences and by that boundlesse bottomlesse incomprehensible chafly Chaos of their contradictory and confused Commentaryes with which the world is now burdened even beyond what it can well bear and contain sith I say there 's none to guide these poor erring lost perishing and as yet more deformed then reformed Nations into the life of God and power of godlinesse from which they are alienated because of the blindnesse of their hearts among all the Sons whom they have brought forth Isa. 51.18 Neither any that can take them by the hand and lead them in the true way of eternall life of all the Sons whom they have brought up at their Vniversities who sit together with them under the shaddow of death notwithstanding all their Tumbling ore of so many Tames about the Scripture is it then for want of true Prophets or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men divinely inspired and sent of God to call people to Repentance and to turn them to that light of God within that leads to Repentance by voice and writing to them as them elves have had the true way thereof manifested in them by the light as themselves being taught of God have learned and practiced it and are moved of the holy Spirit to preach and presse the practice of it upon others according to the scope of the Scriptures No! For there are many in England at this very day speaking reproving writing and prophecyâ—ng from the same light and by the same Spirit that the Scriptures came forth from and as themselves have received and heard from the voice and mouth of God and seen felt and handled of the word of life as the Prophets Amos 7. and the Messengers and Ministers of God and Christ of old Act. 26.16 17 18. 1 Ioh. 1.1 2 3 4 c. The Spirit of the Lord is not more straitned in these days from blowing where it lists then it was in the dayes of old howbeit because it lists not much as it never did to blow upon or inspire the learned Scribes Hypocritical Pharisees chief Priests aspiring Rabbies Divinity Doctors Proud Diotrepheses preheminence loving Praters hireling Preachers Fawning prudentiall Parasites Politicall Polliticians and such like but mostly upon a meaner sort of men as to outward account these wise men are most hardly brought to beleive it to be so and so as said the Priests Scribes Pharisees Rabbies and Doctors of old of Moses and the Prophets we own them know them and their Scriptures which yet they knew not nor the power of God We are their Disciples wee 'l stick to their writings that 's our compleat Canon our stable Standard our immutable measure to which nothing must be added and of Christ and his in the dayes of his flesh we know God spake to Moses as for this fellow and his fellows we know not whence he is and whence they are they are of the Devill have a Devill and are mad Why hear ye them they speak blasphemous words against Moses and the Law and this place the holy Temple and
of things which is Tantamount to infallible Luke 1.1 2 3 4. Act. 1.3 and to have plerophorian full assurance but also Omniscient Omnipotent panta anakcinontes eidontes iscuontes c. And whereas T. D. sayes p. 33. the Apostles themselves did not partake of that Divine property of infallibility giving also this reasonless reason for it viz. for then they would have been infallible at all times and in all things which they were not as appears by the instance of Peter Gal. 2.11 Rep. In this as he contradicts the Scripture so I. O. himself serves us so far as to contradict him to our hands for howbeit he denies any participation of infallibility to us or any Ministers in these dayes and also to the very immediate Transcribers of the Scriptures saying p. 167. we say not they were all or any of them Anamartetoi infallible yet he denies it not to the first Writers p. 60. And as for his proof that if they were infallible at all then they would have been so at all times and in all things That is as pedling a proof as he would count it if I should go to prove that David was not at al partaker of the property of holiness because he was not holy but wicked at that time and in that thing wherein he was desil'd in the matter of Vriah which T. D. would judge as silly an argument as I judge T. Ds. assertion silly who sayes that David was not i â— a condemned but in a justified estate alias accounted just in the sight of God at that time when he was under the guilt of adultery and murder which a wise man need not be taught to see the folly and fowlness of Thus then I. O. and T. D. do unminister themselves at least by denying any to be Theopneustoi infallibly guided by the infallible spirit in these dayes both of whom I may truly bespeak thus Say ye that Gods inspir'd ones are all gone Then ye of Gods inspired ones are none And who that 's wise will mind I. O. much in what he saith about things of God who cannot pretend so far as to say he is but rather yeilds to the contrary viz. that he is not mov'd acted carried forth nor guided in what he does speak write minister by the infallible direction of the infallible Spirit of God but by the fallible guidance of his own and other mens fallible spirits opinions conjectures thoughts c Who but fâ—ols will take such a fallible guide as I. O. is fain to confess he is while he denies any guided by the infallible guidance of Gods Spirit in this age Yea doth he not utterly unminister himself and all his fellows while he supposes none now to be Theopneustoi moved and inspired by the spirit in their ministerial functions nor to speak as the Spirit only gives utterance and as they receive the word immediately out of the mouth of God and while he can say no farther of himself and them but only that they minister out of that furtive furniture which in their fleshly minds they filch from the Letter which out of which and from their fallible expositions of which they minister and of which they are Ministers and not of the Spirit as the Apostles and Prophets were which gives the life And is not he an ill bird that bewrayes his own nest an ill son that discovers his own and his fellows and his fore-fathers nakednesses so far as to print it out as obvious to all that the infallible guidance of the infallible Spirit is not continued with them nor to be found in these dayes directing any otherwise then without by an outward letter which is fallible and lyable to be falsified at fallible mens pleasure and fancy and to deny all inward pure Revelation and immediate inspiration as Enthusiasm and to say that there 's no means of doing and determining any thing about the matters of God or Doctrine of Christ now but the letter or writing T. 1. C. 1. S. 16. and yet in the self-same Section to the contradicting of himself to say that that Doctrine and these things of God and Christ are things of pure divine revelation the knowledge whereof depends upon no such fallible thing as all outward writing is now by his own confession but wholly solely on their Revelation from God And what difference is there I.O. between such a one as is pheromenos upo tou pneumatos and one agâ—menos or to whom the Spirit of the Lord is odegos or egoumenos are not all these so neer kin that he who is agomenos is pheromenos Is not he who is led guided acted by the Spirit moved and carried forth by the Spirit And are not all Saints led by it And what difference between one that speaks as moved by the Spirit or as the Spirit gives utterance and one that hath it given him by the Spirit what to speak so that he need not premeditate what to say And have not all the Saints and Disciples of Christ a share and part in that promise of having it given them what to speak at the same houre when they are call'd before Rulers and Governours for Christs sake Mat. 10.18 19 20. and what between one that is divinely inspired to speak and one in whom the Spirit of the Father speaketh Is it not intended of all Gods children and Christs Disciples in the case aforesaid as well as of some when it s said It is not you that speak but the Spirit of the Father which speaketh in you And is it not said of all that Prophesie in the Church of God as all are to covet to do and are in capability to come to do and may do one by one as they grow in the Spirit and have any thing revealed to them as they sit before the Lord in which caâ—e they are to give way to each other that the unbelievers and unlearn'd ones in the mysteries and language of the Spirit and such are ye that surseiting with your inferiour literature out of the Light and Spirit in which holy men wrote it ly looking in the letter of the Scriptures which ye know not as the old Scribes did not Mat. 22.29 but wrest to your own ruine O insipidi sapientes obtus Acuti Academici quae supra vos nihit ad vos in the account of Christ Paul and Peter as unlearned as Christ himself was with some and as very Babler as Paul was at Athens as unlearned as Peter was counted by the chief Priests Scribes when he and Iohn stood before them Acts 4.13 2 Pet. 3.16 being convinced and judged of them all and having the secrets of their hearts manifested shall be forced to their own shame to fall down and report at last that God is in them of a truth 1 Cor. 14.23 24 25. And what difference is there that can help thy cause between pneumaticos and Theopneustos a spiritual man and one by the Spirit inspired or a
if they leave the plain paths of uprightness to walk in the wayes of darkness and come not to the light that shines in their consciences sciences and the Law of God which is not far off but nigh in their hearts that they may know and do it but hate and abhor it and persecute the Ministers and children of it and make to themselves crooked paths whatsoever walketh therein shall not know peace yea Iudgement shall be far from them and Iustice never overtake them and they shall wait for light but behold obscurity and for brightness but shall walk in darkness and groap for the wall like the blind as if they had no eyes and stumble at noon-day as in the night aâ—d be in desolate places as dead men and roar like Bears and mourn sore like Drues and look for Salvation but none shal come because their transgressions are multiplied before the Lord and their own sins testifie against them and their transgressions are still with them and as for their iniquities by the light within they know them transgressing and lying against the Lord and departing away from God while they pretend to draw nigh unto him speaking still oppression and revolt conceiving and uttering from their heart words of falshood turning Iudgement away backward and causing Iustice to stand afar off causing truth to fail in their streets and shutting out of Equity that it cannot enter making a prey of him that departeth from iniquity and mocking the Lord and making him believe as far as they can with their flattering words and sained turnings unto him that they love his truth his light and his life yet in truth saying in their hearts to God depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes There are such who blow the Trumpet as of old the Prophets did to the same tune and the like to this that is above whose Trumpet gives as certain a sound as theirs did also and not such an uncertain fallible one as that of the Priests And these Theopneustoi or divinely inspired persons in their writings speakings call for attendance reception and submission not with that Supreme Authority I confess which I. O. as falsly as foolishly both supposes and saves T. 1. C 3. S. 8. Antient divinely inspired Scripture calls for which is quoth he not only in comparison with but also in opposition unto all other wayes of coming to the knowledge of God his Mind and Wâ—ll c. For by his leave or besides it either the Light and infallible Spirit it came forth from may not only well compare with its fallible and falsified self as people now have it transcribed translated twisted and twined which way any unrighteous writers either of it or on it any men-pleasing Praters Tythe-taking Talkers or time-serving Turn-coats are pleas'd to take it and turn it and wrest it to their own present ends and future ruine but alâ—o may well and doe challenge attendance to themselves with far more supream and uncontroulable authority then it can yea as the sâ—â—e and only meanes of coming to the knowledge of God his Mind and Will whom and which all the Scribes and Scripture-searchers in the world nor have nor can know without the light and Spirit any more then the old ones did Ioh. 5. Matth. 22. Or then anyone can see the outward Sun by any light but that which shines from itself Matth. 11.27 1 Cor. 2.10 11 16. And so in opposition to all outward Scripture it self as that which may define God and declare of him and of his mind and will and yet gives not the knowledge of either the knowledge of whose things if we believe I. O. T. 1. c. 1. s. 16 depends wholly and solely on his own pure divine revelation thereof by himself which revelation is so far exprest indeed in the Scripture as that there it is written of but is expresly made onely in the heart where it pleases the Son to reveal the Father and the Father to reveal the Son in men Gal. 1.15 16. Eph. 1. Col. 1.23 I say then not with that Supream Authority which is peculiar onely to the Light Spirit and Word within though ignorantly attributed yea and appropriated too by I O. to the outward writing yet with the same uncontroulable Authority as the letter doth they call for attendance even from their Theopneustia or divine inspiration which To Theion or Power of God that accompanieth them in their ministration is enough to convict I. O. and all the Wolves of these times that bark and howl against the Light and mis-judgâ— the many messages that come to them from the Lord as rejecters of such as God sends and justifiers of them who flew such of old as spake to them in the name of the Lord. Nevertheless as I. O. saith too truly T. 1. c. 3. s. 9. It alwayes so fell out that scarce any Prophet that spake in the name of God had any approbation from the Church in whose dayes be spake so it falls out now to the true Prophets among all the false Churches of these latter dayes from whom they find lesse Approbation and the same Reprobation as the former did from those evill Generations wherein they spake Ier. 47.3 Matth. 5.12 21.33 to 38. 23.29 Luke 17.25 26 27 28. Iohn 9.29 Acts 7.52 24.5 And this comes to passe by reason of the same innumerable prejudices that attend these their givings out of truth either in speech or writing as did the other whose writings are not freed as I. O. fancies from the prejudices that at first attended them but attended with more then at the first writing thereof thorough the infinite alterations mis-transcriptions mis-translations mis-constructions and mistakes of all sorts they have since been liable to by the fallibility and infinite variety of Scribes thorough whose hands they have passed Which said innumerable prejudices that now attend the modern Prophets as did the first arise from the same Root with those that attended them in their respective Ages viz. 1. Partly the supposed interests of them that write and speak by way of Prophecy or immediate motion 2. Partly the personall infâ—â—mities homely appearances stemmering lips uneloquent rude crude indigested unsound non-sensicall sound of words as they seem to unintelligently understanding I. O. Ep. ad lectorem Ex. 3. s. 17. and formes of speech which the Babes vf Christ seem to him to babble in when they drop their doctrine as the dew at the Command of God to the Drunkards of Ephraim not all as once but as it were guttaâ—im Precept upon precept line upon line here a little and there a little Ezek. 21.2 Amos 7.16 Isai. 28.9 10 11 13.2 Partly the mean out-side of most of these inwardly glorious sons and daughters of the King Psal. 45.13 whose cloathing ad extra is not as their own within and the worlds without and its Ministers often is of wrought gold nor yet is it so much of Plush Jippoes Hose behang'd before
coin to your selves in your own conceits I care not for knowing for more then a good many ye have but this I know that if the Scriptures be true as I know they are which ye profess to be your Rule of Tryal for all things there is noe true way of coming to the true knowledge of God so much as a Iudge much less as a Father but one and that is neither the Scripture itself which tells of that way nor any thing else but Christ himself and his Light to whom God hath committed all Iudgement which Iudgement he administers by his Light before any see his face as a Father in righteousness and live He hath given forth a Light to the world whereby to know himself but this Light is in his Son he that hath the Son and believeth on the Son in whom is the Life and his Life is the Light of men hath everlasting Life he that hath not and believeth not in the Son hath not life though he is capable of it but by the Light in which he stands condemned the wrath of God yet abideth on him So that whereas ye say there 's knowledge of God but not of Christ by that universal internal light there is in truth no knowledge of God at all but in the Light of Christ who bears his Image who gives forth the Light of the knowledge of his own glory in the face of Iesus Christ I am the way saith he John 14.6 the Truth and Life no man cometh to the Father but by me The Father reveals the Son in men by his Light before he reveals himself Gal. 1.16 So that as no man knows the Son but he in whom the Father reveals him so no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him as he will to all that wait and walk on in his Light let him search ne're so long after or in the Letter Mat. 11.27 Ioh. 6.45.46 till he feel after him in the Light within himself in which only God who is not far from every man though most men are far from him is to be found Act. 17. No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son who is in the bosome of the Father whose out-goings from thence have been from of old Mic. 5.2 as well in a way of manifestation of the Fathers mind to men from the beginning of the world as in way of Eternal Generation before the world began Prov. 8.20 to 32. though T.D. not knowing the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world knows not how to say Amen to this See page 4. of his 2. Pamp. he it is that by his Spirit and Light within which the Letter only relates of doth reveal him Ioh. 1.18 Men must know Christ i. e. in his Light which Cornelius was in which is his day that Abraham saw whether they ever see his fleshly person yea or nay before they can know God who is known in nothing but his own Light the Son who is known in nothing but his own Light the Spirit that comes from and leads to him so that to say as a Professor of note said in a publike Assembly in Ireland of a Friend of Truth call'd a Qua. whom I know having heard him speak This man knows much of God but little of Christ is little less then a Bull that favours for all the natural literal knowledge of both of little less then a spiritual ignorance in the mystery of both God and Christ. And this gives me the hint to make mention of another Argument That this Light is not natural which is in all viz. because it comes from God and Christ into every creature not by Creation as the rational Soul and its faculties of understanding will mind memory conscience it self do and such properties as are de esse hominis whether constitutive or consecutive so that a man is no man at all or hath not the essential form of a man as distinct from the outward Brutum or Beast of the Field for a man may remain Phusicos a natural man or rather Psuchicos as the word is in many places where rendred natural as well as where sensual 1 Cor. 2. 1 Cor. 15. Iam. 3. Iude 15. a true animal soul-ly man a man that hath a Soul rational and sensitive though in its faculties defaced clouded darkned benighted and lost from the Lord and his Light now withdrawn from him even after the Light is kid from his eyes as it was ever at last from such as to any life by it who would not be led to life by it while they had it witness the Pharisees and Ierusalem and after he remains now irrecoverable for want of Light to the primitive pure nature which only loveth and obeyeth the Law and delighteth truly in the Light The Light then I say comes from God and Christ into the mind and Conscience not as the Soul and its essential faculties of understanding will c. do which with the Organical body make that one compositum call'd man that may be either in unity and communion with God and Christ or in onmity and separation from them according as he walks or walks not in the Light that shines from them but by way of immediate infusion from them into the mind and conscience which of itself is a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 and destitute as to the knowledge of God without a measure of it as a thing distinct and separable from the man in whom it is and a witness against him when he runs from the Will of God revealed to him in it though eternally one with God and Christ from whom it shines and flows and not ex principiiis natura as I. O. sayes with whom it ever sides let the man go whether he will never consenting to any but condemning all iniquity committed by him and counselling continually whether heeded or no before hand against it And lastly from whom it is as unchangeably inseparable as the light beams and rayes of the Sun are from the Sun it self from whence they shine with which they are in conjunction still whether this or that part of the world be actually enlightned by it or by the Moons interposing eclipsed from it yea or no. So that upon these considerations it can't be natural as I.O.T.D. I.T. R.B. deems it but do nothing at all to the purpose in proof of it so to be So that in further proof of it to be spiritual and supernatural and disproof of their proof-lesse position that its natural to save the pains and charge of laying them out at length I lay down these following proofs which wise men may argue out more at large to their fuller satisfaction within themselves Argum. The Light in all Consciences shines thereinto from God Christ and his Spirit therefore 't is not natural but supernatural and spiritual for these two viz. natural and spiritual natural and supernatural do tollere se invicem are inconsistently
Love to the World though it perishes for hating that Light that is come into them which he sends to save them See and mark Luke 2 14. Iohn 3.16 c. Rom. 5 8. 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. utterly inconsistent also with the truth of that professed willingness that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth which only saves and makes free indeed 1 Tim. 2.4 and willingness that all should come to Repentance and unwillingness that any should perish 2 Pet. 3.9 inconsistent as abovesaid with the equality of Gods wayes and the integrity of those vehemently pretended wishes of his that men would rather live then die and with the sincerity of those sayings that he would gather them into life but they will not Deut. 6.29 Ezek. 18. Ezek. 33. Matth. 23.29 Luke 13.34 Since if our dim Divines Doctrine were true That he gives not to all Light and Grace sufficient to lead and save them and Arbitrium vel libâ—rum vel liberatum a liberty a power to chuse to will to do what he requires to work out their salvation as he sayes he does Phil. 2.13 14. of his own good will and pleasure to which only belongs the glory therefore and not unto us of the salvation so wrought out by us the case is clearly otherwise then Goâ— sayes for men might be put at least in possibility of living by such Grace Light and Power if God had given it but he would not And lastly This would make God like to or worse then Pharoah himself whom he plagued for the self-same cruelty and tyranny even a rigorous Requirer of men with many and sore stripes yea on pain of his eternal Wrath and Vengeance to make Bricks without any allowance at all of any straw fit for such a purpose an austere man a hard Master a tyrannical Task-master as the idle unprofitable Servant falsly represented him that looks to reap where he never sowed and to gather where he hath not strawed that calls on perill of perishing for ever for a crop of Good works from those hearts wherein he never sowed the Good Seed of his own Word Fruits of the Spirit from such Souls into which he never sent his Spirit from whence only they can grow up a walking in that Light of the Lord which is said to be given not to condemn them but that through it they might be saved under penalty of being condemned for not walking in it when yet not the least beam of that saving Light was at all vouchsafed them but a Light of another sort as our Seers say which could never have served their taâ—n so as to have saved them had they attended never so strictly to it but only Gods turn against them so as to damn them further and leave them without excuse and excuse him in his condemning them Finally a growing in that saving Grace of God on pain of condemnation for turning it into wantonness and receiving it in vain which was never received at all by them because not at all given them of God from whom the most have nothing say our silly Sophisters but a certain common high-way insufficient Gâ—ace to know God or do good by that accommodates them that have it in their hearts to serve God acceptably by it not at all and therefore not half so well as the stubble did the Israelites to make brick withall which they gathered instead of straw which Divinity of our Divines yet howtrue soever they deem it is but a turning of Gâ—ds Gospel Grace and Truth upside down and is esteemed of him and his no better then dirt and Potters clay and is utterly contrary to the Wisdome of God in Scripture which justifies him still as accepting every man according to what he hath or hath had and not expecting much lesse with rigour exacting of any man according to what from him he neither hath nor never had as requiring from men no otherwise then according to what is committed to them which is one Talent some true saving Light within at least even to him that hath least which if he be faithful in it though but a little shall lead and let him de Iure into the Masters joy if neglected shuts him out into the outer darkness Yea God calls for no more from any man then improvement of his own money that he commits to him to trade with which money if every one put into the bank that the Lord at his coming may receive but his own with the use thereof and increase in the same kind of Grace that he freely gives he will never enter into judgement with them to condemnation Therefore undoubtedly God hath sufficiently and savingly enlightned and impowered all and every man every where by such measure of that Grace of his as may lead and inable them to act that Repentance which is to Life and Salvation Arg. 4. If God have not vouchsafed some measure of sufficient and saving Light to all men then its either the Children of the Light that believe in it who have it not or else the Children of the darkness that believe not in it but both they who believe in it and so are the Children of it and they who believe not in it and are not the Children of it have it That the first have it none do deny and that the second sort have it is most evident to all but such Children of the night as neither believe what the Letter sayes of nor what the Light it self shews concerning it self within themselves sith Iob. 12. Christ sayes to such as were not yet the children of it but of the darkness because though 't was in them they were not believing in it but walking besides it in the deeds of darknesswhich it condemns While ye have the Light walk in the Light believe in the Light that ye may be the Children of it which over-turns that profoundly bottomlesly deep and groapably dark imagination which is I. Os. and T. Ds. who in their muddy minds make no difference between the Lights being in men and mens being in it the Kingdomes being in men mens being in it whereas it was in the Pharisees who never came into it Of I. Tombs and R. Baxt. also who page 44. in the fift of those thirty thredbare Argum. there urged by them against the true Lights enlightning all and every man which all must come to Iudgement by and by cloudily confound these two so distinct businesses into one viz. to have the Light and to be the Children of it saying with as great confidence as small consideration That to be a Child of Light is all one as to be a person that hath Light in him to guide him so as to please God when as all the children of the darkness in which the true Light is said to shine though the darkness viz. I. Os. T. Ds. I. Ts. R. Bs. and other dark hearts comprehends it not Ioh. 1. have if not a Letter without
condition of acceptance to all and could ye suppose all would take him at his word and accept his offer they should have the benefit Rep. But that must not be supposed from the Principles of thy personal Election of a few and blinding all the rest from the very birth nay cannot be supposed thou shouldst say could suppose they could take God at his word and accept for by thy Principles and I. Os. of denying the saving ability so to do the most they to whom it 's not intended can no more accept or believe then 't is possible if they should believe they should obtain that which they are personally and absolutely reprobated from so long before for if God do not will not give hath not given as ye say he hath not some measure of the saving Grace whereby to believe and accept it to all whom he offers life to on that condition of acceptance but calls and requires them to believe and accept what he knows they cannot without him this makes him as much a Mocker of men still as such a merciless Tyrant and Arrand Hypocrite as shall stand aloof off from one hungry that is lockt in the stocks with a dish of meat in his left hand and a Pole-Axe in his right saying why wilt thou starve thou self-murdering man come to me and here is meat for thee I am freely willing thou shouldest have it and not perish never coming neer to unlock him all this while nor bringing the meat within his reach but if thou wilt not come I will knock thy brains out and so because he comes not when yet he knows he cannot runs on him pretending to do just Vengeance on him for his wilfull refusing his own help when he might alias never might have had it and cuts him to pieces indeed for he that on pain of punishment death and condemnation if the Terms be not performed tenders Life and Salvation on Termes and Conditions utterly impossible to be or ever to have been performed by the person to whom the tender is unless a Grace be given him which yet never shall be is an Hypocrite and a Tyrant and such a one ye make God by your Doctrine who yet is no such but that ye belie him as such as he that shall say he truly desires to make me his Heire and so tenders me a good Estate conditionally I will take a journey to the Man in the Moon first to get it confirmed there when I come back again but if I refuse to go thither he will kill me and so because I cannot climbe up to the Moon falls on me and puts me to death indeed Arg. 7. Moreover Gods offer of Salvation to many to whom he intends it not on conditions he knows they cannot perform without him and yet not so much as enabling them all to perform them when he might but some few only to whom he intends it makes God a Respecter of Persons as R. H. truly said of it when yet God is no Respecter of Persons as the Scripture saith but in every Nation Men that fear him and work righteousness are accepted with him and not otherwise T. D. To that of making God a Respecter of Persons this answer will suffice did God give Salvation to some who accept not of it out of particular fancy to them but exact of oâ—hers that acceptance and for default thereof deny them Salvation then there might be some ground for the cavil but now that its offered upon equal termes there is none Rep. Does not God upon your blind Principles of personal Election or loving of a few out of a particular Fancy to them and peremptory Reprobation and hating the most of Mankind before they were born without respect to foreseen good or evil to be done in time in their own persons excepting the respect to Adams sin which the Sublapsarians prate of against the Supralapsarians whose blind wranglings whether Election be ex massa corrupta or pura are not more wearisome toilsom then they are both noâ—some and loathsome to look upon by any that love and know the Truth give Salvation to some out of fancy who accept it no more then others but as he as you say makes them to do it by an irrestible power which he denies to the other and exact of the other that obedience he enables them not to and that for default thereof not only deny them the Salvation but also damn them down into double condemnation Does not God do so I say according to your Principles and if so then is there not a ground by thy own confession for that Assertion thou call'st a cavill i.e. that God by your doctrine is doctrinally made a Respecter of persons And whereas thou sayest Salvation is offered to men on equall termes and therefore there is no ground to assert God a respecter of persons I say 't is the Truth we hold indeed that 't is on equal termes tendered to men so far at least that till some put the word of life from them and the salvation that is sent to them so making themselves unworthy of it when others receive it it is so brought by Christ the Light that the whole World might be saved as well as some of it 1 Iohn 2.3 Iohn 3.17 and where it is offered there are none to whom it is not as sincerely intended on condition of acceptance as it is to some and so God is in truth no respecter of persons But darest thou say and is it not a contradiction to thy self for thee T.D. as thy Principles are to say Salvation is offered on equal Termes who saidst above that among those where the Gospel is preached Salvation is offered to more then to whom it is intended if it be truly intended to any one and not truly intended to every one to whom it is offered but it is for all the fair offers absolutely decreed a few shall have it and shall not chuse but perform the condition of it which is acceptance and as absolutely decreed that the most shall never be enabled to perform the said condition of acceptance which is exacted of them and so shall unavoidably go without it are these equal Termes Is not this offer upon as unequal termes as if a man should tender to two condemned prisoners bound up in chains that they shall both live if they will come out of prison but if not they shall be more cruelly executed for refusal intending to unlock one of them that he may come forth and to light lead and compel him irresistably to come forth also that he may have the benefit of the Pardon and live and as absolutely intending to leave the other lock'd under restraint in his chains utterly devoid of any liberty to come forth to the end that he may cut him off from any benefit of the promised Pardon and take double vengeance on him for non-acceptance thereof and are these equal Termes are these wayes so equal as God
therefore they have no Light in them but an Argument it is rather that these Pastors are like those Ier. 10.14.21 who are become bruitish and have not sought the Lord in his Light in that they argue so bruitishly not only besides the Spiritual Light of the Lord which would lead them to a right understanding of the truth but also below that common sense and reason that naturally belongs to man for which therefore woe unto them they shall not prosper and all their flocks shall be scattered for which a great commotion is already come out of the North to make their Cities their Assemblies defolate as a Den of Dragons Thus far as to R.B. and I.Ts. first Argument by which men may judge of the constitution of the rest which are all of the same complexion The second is drawn from Act. 17.22.23 Rom. 1.21.22.23 the sum of which in short is this The most improved Gentiles for all that Light which was in them were in all things too superstitious were carried about to dumb Idols as they were led had their foolish hearts darkned about their thoughts of God worshipped him ignorantly and such like therefore they much less the most barbarous and consequently none of the Gentiles who had not the Scripture nor such other teaching as Gods people were taught by had not a Light in them that was sufficient without the Scripture to guide them to God c. Rep. That the Gentiles were generally superstitious foolâ—sh dark blind idolatrous and ignorant in their worshippings of God I deny not howbeit I close not cordially with that clause the most improved in the Antecedent for 't was through non-improvement of the Light they had and because at the best they were ill improved in it that they became so for had they heeded the Light they had been led out of Idols to the knowledge of God by it for what is to be known of God is by it manifest in them Rom. 1.19 But what if the best improved Gentiles were so as ye say vain in their thoughts c. they might have better improved the Light then they did and the Reason why they were so fortishly superstitious was not because they had not sufficient Light to lead them in the true knowledge of God and his Worship and direct them to discern the truth but because they look't not to the Light because they went out from the Light they had by which they had some measure of the knowledge of God into their own wisdome leaning to their own understanding and so became vain therefore is it said They were without excuse because when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned and professing themselves to be wise they became fools and changed the glory of God into an Image and changed the truth of God into a lye and worshipped and served the creature more then the Creator not liking to retain him and that true worship of him which the Light would have led them to in their knowledge and the Gentiles there were not so vain and foolish ignorant of God and superstitious for want of Light to guide them as R. B. T. D. dote they were to Gods true worship but for want of being guided by the Light they had So what 's this to their purpose Who sees not the blindness weakness folly nakedness and falsity of this argument one absurdity in which also more notable in it then the rest is this viz. that in the conclusion is inferred aliud a negaro another thing then that which is denied by the Qua. and undertaken to be proved against them by themselves for therefore say they the Gentiles who had not the Scripture nor such other teaching as Gods people are taught by had not a Light sufficient c. the words in which conclusion are true though nihil ad Rhombum if there be any such Gentiles that have neither Scripture nor such other teaching Mark that phrase foisted in by them whereby they conclude another matter then is denied by us in the Question in hand for the Gentiles that have not the other teaching i. e. that of the Light within have not the Light within that 's true who doubts it but none such are to be found that have not that Light and Grace in some measure by which God teaches his and Alâ— people though most Gentiles are found destitute of an outward Letter as God teaches his People by which other teaching is that of the Light within which is that other yea that chief teaching God teaches his and All people by whether they learn by it yea or nay I shall say more to them when I see them but at present I know none such nor ever have done Before I pass to the third Argument of R. B. I. T. from this second I shall consider their tenth and thirteenth Arguments which are co-inciden and in effect the same with this second by which three Arguments which yet in substance are but one I. O. and T. D. both are found fencing in their foolâ—sh minds together with them against All mens having a sufficient Light to guide them into the true saving knowledge of God his worship and the mystery of his Kingdome about which I have dealt with T. D. already in p. of my first Exercitation who All urge peoples ignorance of the things of God his Worship and mystery of his Gospel and Kingdome in proof of their want of a Light whereby they might know them which is such an idotish ignorant piece of arguing as he makes who argues a non actu ad non potentiam a non esse ad non posse which is as silly as to conclude that becauâ—e a man sits still therefore he cannot go or he hath no power to walk because when he shuts his eyes and neither will nor does see the Sun therefore he never could see it for which a man would be hissed out of the Schools by very Boyes As for R. B. and I. T. they are so enamoured with the Eminency and and strength of this their argument the childishness and weakness of which is evident to any save such whose own it is so that being blind at home they will not own the blindness and absurdness of it that they seem to put more stress upon it then on all the rest beside Hereupon it hath more then one or two or three places in their book viz. not only in the 43 page forecited but also page 28. and page 29. where they conclude that because men stumble and their imaginations are evil their hearts deceitful and wicked therefore they want light to direct them and to rectifie their thoughts if men stumble and fall it s an Argument say they they want Light of such corruption want of Light to guide us in the way to happiness oh gross is a chief part Ieremies sayings Every man is bruitâ—sh c. the
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
the same Text sence against the Quakers is against him to the confounding of him which Text is Ioh. 1.9 Where the true light is said to enlighten every man coming into the World for howbeit I. O. cloudily concludes with all the other three viz. T.D. R.B. I.T. in concluding and crouding that most universall Terme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every man within the little compasse and narrow corner of his wheel in a wheel i. e. The Elect men only saying Synagogically with the rest Hoc est Syncategorema istud omnis non absolute sed relate ad Electos dicitur This is the Consignification of that Term All it s meant not absolutely but relatively to the Elect yet when he sayes Non dicitur Christum illuminare omnem hominent venientem in mundum sed quod ipse veniens in mundum omnem hominem illuminat Christ is not said to enlighten every man that comes into the World but that becoming into the world lighteneth every man and that this is the sence of those words the falsenesse silliness of which sence the insufficiency nothingness of it also to serve his turn against the Qua if granted him I have shewed in the book it self to which this is but an Appendix Here not only each of his three friends forsake him for T.D. himself among all his many meanings meddles not with this but two of them viz. I.T. and R.B. who backs I.Ts. Book make bold to fight against him for it as well as the Qua. do Witnesse their words p. 1 2. There is a doubt whether it should be read thus that was the true light coming into the World which inlightneth every man by a trajection or as ours read it as the words are placed That was the true light which inlightneth every men which cometh into the World Grotius after Cyrill and Austin and some others see how the Divines are divided and the Founders confounded among themselves likes the former as best but first such trajection disordering the words 2. The phrase being as fitly interpreted of birth as of appearing as a Teacher I rather chuse the reading of our Translators And p. 24. They tell us over again how coming into the World here is related to every man coming and not to Christs coming into it and how they before gave reasons against I. Os. sence So having been walking the Rounds with these men to give the World a Review of the Riddles they are wrapt in and the manifold Contradictions they are by the network of their own hands snared catcht and tangled in about their letter till I am come with them to that main Text at which they leave me because it talks so plainly of the true light which they love not and I leave them to dance about still in the darknesse of their own divinations I proceed in the light in which I see them though they being out of it see not themselves to open briefly to all people who love not to live with them rather in their darknesse then in Christs light the mist of darknesss wherein they mope about and dance the Rounds in their discourses about the Light in their fiery fluttering against which the wicked now is as he ever was snared in the work of his own hands Psal. 9 16. Higgaion Selah consider and note it Contradictions Absurdities and Rounds concerning the Light in the Conscience which the Qua testifie to As concerning the True Light or gift of Gods grace in every man the four men aforesaid do as all their fellowes do uno ore babble somwhat about it and bear witnesse either for or against it but each mans witness agrees no better together within it self then that they give about the other matters abovesaid Somtimes they call it Light truly really naturally and properly so and not metaphorically nor by way of allusion to what is so Witnesse I. O. p. 74. It is spirituall morall intellectuall light that hath the preheminence as to a participation of the nature and properties of Light Otherwhiles the same who excluded it from the name of Metaphoricall by that of naturall and proper to go round again do conclude it to be metaphoricall as in opposition contradistinction to both naturall and proper Witnesse I. O. who confounds his own foresaid saying p. 74. with another division Ex. 3. S. 4 5 6 7 8 c. Where under that same term of metaphoricall he distinguishes that Light he calls morall spiritual intellectuall as respecting and exercising mens minds whether in matters morall civill or spirituall from that which respects bodily sight which he call'd naturall and proper Somtimes they call this very light whereby duties and divine things are discerned universall and common to all as the Qua do i. e. in some measure though not to all in the same but when so then no other but naturall as in opposition to supernaturall and spirituall Witnesse T.D. p. 1.1 pamp Naturall and supernaturall light are two an I though all have the one yet few the other and I. O. Ex. 4 S. 17. Lumen internum omnibus commune naturale est c. The light within common to all is naturall and to be called so S. 18. If this light that is common be not naturall the very Intellect is not naturall So S. 25. Concessimus reliquias primavae lucis esse in omnibus sed eas esse spirituales id pernegamus some relicks of the primitive light we grant to be in all but deny these to be spirituall Nihil non naturale nihil spirituale communicatum c. Nothing but what 's naturall nothing that 's spirituall is common or communicated to all So also R. Bax. I. Tom. A naturall light from Christ is yielded to be in every man c. pag. 33. Otherwhiles this very universall light in all which before was said to be not supernaturall or spirituall but meerly naturall to go round again is by these men yielded to be at least more then naturall and so no lesse according to T. Ds. division of light into two then supernaturall and spirituall Witnesse against themselves R.B. I.T. p. 37. It can hardly be avouched that that knowledge in morality and divinity which they i. e. People that never had the Law nor Gospell made known to them as the Jewes and Christians have had attained to was by meer light of Nature and in Baxters Epistle p. 7. he tells us of a Common supernaturall light given to the unsanctified I might also call in Iohn Horn and the two Thomas Moores that push with him against the truth as Witnesses of the same confusion that is among all the Priests in this matter who in their book stiled A fuller Discovery c. p. 61. affirm the light wherewith Christ lighteth every man is both naturall and spirituall but as my businesse lyes mainly with the other four men So George Whitehead hath sufficienly thrust down the vain thoughts already of those three in his Book stil'd The
Ebriaris sic titubâ—sque ' grotas Haud dubes nunc nunc dubitas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Sacerdos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quî sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quod scis hoc nescis quast in Orbe Rotas Vertis Hûc Illûc modo circa Rotas Fluctuas curris modo retro Rotas Undique Rotas Usque dum rotas rotulasque Rotas Nectis in Rotis rotaÌ„timque Rotas Tota dum TENET toÌ„tätimque Totas OPERA ROTAS ROTAS OPERA TENET AREPO SATOR Dixi haud magis malus Piscator ac Tu ac Tui O Sacerdos estis pâ—ssimi Pisces qui ni Regeneremini Rejiciemini in aeternum In Vi Via Vita Virtute ac Veritate Domini si Salvabimini Salvetotâ— Sam Fisher. FINIS Christ's Light SPRINGING Arising up shining forth and displaying it self thorow the whole World from under that Priestly Darkness wherewith it hath been clouded and overcast by the space of one Thousand two Hundred Sixty years in this our Antichristian-Christian World Sect. 1. OUr Testimony and that Truth to which We bear Testimony who by those to whom Wo is forasmuch as they Tremble not at the Word of God are scornfully stiled Quakers is no different thing nor another but plainly One and altogether the same which all the Holy Men and Prophets of God hâ—ve have held forth as also Christ himself and all his Apostles and Ministers as many as have spoken as they were moved of God from the beginning of the world to this very day 2. For even as They whose Testimony who even few or none either believed or received so We who are of her children of all and only whom Wisdom is justified give Testimony to Wisdom it self not the wisdom of this world nor of the Princes of this world who come to nought but to that hidden Wisdom which none of the Princes of this world knew for had they known they would not Crucifie the Lord of Glory the Wisdom of God is a Mystery even the Light of the Lord God and Jesus Christ who are Light and in whom is no darkness at all yea to that glorious Light that is now arising to enlighten that Holy City New Ierusalem where now there is to be no more night into which nothing shall in any wise enter that defileth 3. Concerning which Light Christ himself said to Paul being now truly converted to it which he persecuted before throw the blindness of his mind I now send thee to the Nations to open their eyes and to turn them from the darkness to the Light from the Power of Satan unto God that they may receive Remission of sins an inheritance among those that are sanctified by faith that is in me 4. Neither was this the business and Ministry which Paul onely received of God that he might fulfil it but Iohn alâ—o testines that this was the Message which he together with the rest of Christ Ministers had received from Châ—ist himself to declare which was also fâ—om the beginning not any new thing however it might seem new as being clouded till the darkness was past and the true Light shined again out of the darkness that sometime clouded it but the old thing which was from the beginning namely that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all and that If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie do not the truth but if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have mutual fellowship with him and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin moreover that who saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even until now 5. Concerning which Light of God of which the Scripture every where speaketh and from which inlightning the Penmen thereof the Scripture it self was given forth which also was which also shined in the heart of man long befere the Scriptures were we together with the Scripture the writers thereof do testify this self same thing namely that a certain measure certain beams were of old and now are given of God in the conscience of every of them to the sons of men who although God made them after his own Image upright blameless have yet sought out to themselves both various and vain inventions and corrupted their wayes and erred and as to any help they can have from themselves are in a manner wholly perished from the true God from the true knowledge of him whom truly to know is Life Eternal and from all Communion with him to shine in their dark heart as a Light in a dark place to bring them back through the condâ—mnation of their evill deeds word and thoughts and of that whole Chaos of confusion and corruption that came in by the fall which condemnation this Light will bring on all that take good heed to it and through the mortification of that old man and body as well as of death as sin with all its earthly members and in a word of all whatever in man is contrary to the Image and Will of God and turn them back unto God unto that primitive state of purity righteousness and innocency from which they departed to worship Images in their own imaginations to know and to worship the true God who is a Spirit truly in Spirit in Truth with which worship onely the Lord is worshipped according to his will and lastly to enjoy such Spiritual Peace Communion with him as none are by any means possible as is aforesaid capable of while they are alienated from him by the darkness of iniquity while they remain in their Transgression incorrigible and unconverted 6. For both Iews and Gentiles as it is written are concluded all under sin there is not one Righteous no not one there is none that under standeth there is none that seeketh after God they are all gone out of the way they are altogether become unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one their throat is an open Sepulchre with their tongues they have used deceit the poyson of Asps is under their lips their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness their feet is swift to shed blood wasting and misery is in their wayes and the way of peace they have not known there is no fear of God before their eyes so that every mouth is stopped and the whole world become guilty before God for al have sinned and fâ—ll short of the glory of God 7. This is the state of all maâ—kâ—nd seperated by the fall from the Light into the darkness among whom even all of what oever Sex Nation Language Condition or Age at least that is capable to discern between good and evil I say all may say within themselves we are lost we are gone down headlong into the utmost darkness into extream damnation from God Neither is their any other way to life exhibited but by Iesus Christ the Light of
Answer yet is Answered by Richard Hubberthorn that what Swearing was then allowed of as before a Ruler it then was to end a Strife among men who are yet in Strife is now unlawful among his Saints who are Redeemed out of Strife and the rest of those fleshly works which it is one of Gal. 5. Nor doth John Tombs's insisting on the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes. 5.27 adde a jot to his proof for howbeit it is Ordinarily us'd to signifie to Adjure or bind one by Oath yet being as some suppose of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to confine or as some of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bound or limit it Originally signifies to bind limit confine oblige any way by Word or Promise as well as Oath And J. T. confessing Pauls Charge in that place and those 1 Tim 6.13 2 Tim. 4.1 to be alike therein confuses himself however For the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used are no more then to Engage before some Witness God or Man or solemnly to Command or Charge and not to Swear one and cannot be taken so strictly as to Adjure though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be taken in the moderate sense i.e. any way to oblige as well as in that rigid way of Swearing And as for his saying 〈◊〉 is a Particile of Swearing I say it is not necessarily so but oft of Affirming onely as Quidem Profecto Truly Verily c. And however where Paul uses it 1 Cor. 15.31 he does not Swear as J.T. divines he did for sith he and all confesse none are to Swear by any but God alone Pauls swearing there had it been an Oath had been unlawfull it being not by God but by his and the Corinthians rejoycing * What Works Wagings of War and Fallings out have formerly been between R. B. and J. T. may be seen no farther off then in that self same foresaid Book of R. B's own putting forth to the slashing of his own Back soundly in that particular with that Rod of hiâ— own making wherein these Two Foes Fall into such Fraternall Fellowship as to knit themselves into One Foe-ship against us to the Contents of which Book after all those Denominations of Reverend Brother that passe between them in the Epistles of it is 〈◊〉 not only a Catalogue of J. T 's Books against that foresaid Tradition which R. B. Bâ—angles For but among the rest that of Felo de se being J. T 's Collection of 20. Arguments Against Infant Baptism out of R. B's own disputations For it * Witnesse Blomes Book of Sundry Slanders and Calumnies against the Qua. Stoln out of T. D's Story Books and some others Answered already by R. H. Dedicated by Blome to the King with as Strong Desires of our Suppression as there are in it long False Tales of our Transgression * Who is not Inferiour in Flouting as it to that their Creature of the Clergyes Creating into those Course Conceits and Scurâ—ilous Scoffings at it viz. Francis Duke Master of that Ordinary or House Ordinarily called Hell Next to West-Minster Hall in the Pallace Yard who in his very dately Extant Plâ—ce of Prate against the Quakers Stiles the Light within An Antichrist in Villanies Surmounting All Antichrists that have done Villanously p. 40. A Lousie Christ A Vermin Bread of an Addle Brain p. 19. and the Quakers being Led by the Light into the Lords Rest so as not so much as to think their own Thoughts nor Speak their Own Words A Stinking Idoll Forsooth p 62. and Store more of such Sordid Stuff as Stinks among Sober Men which I fâ—bear to Name Geo. Whiteheâ—â— having allready so Soberly Answered it * Fanatici sunt erroribus stultitia hisce diebus notissimi quos in primis hic aggredimur J.O. ad lectorem The Qua. are in thâ—se daies most notoriously known by their errours and foolishness whom we here that is in his Latine Labours do principaâ—ly encounter * Non quaerit angulos premi haud supprimi potest * So thou stilest them thy self in this Epistle and that as fitly as may be for howbeit thou barest as broad sails as thou couldst yet thy Tackling was so lax and loosed that thou couldst not well strengthen thy Mast nor arrive at the Cape of thy vain hope without shrewd shipwrack as to that false Faith thou dâ—fendest or else the Qua. would not have so encreas'd there ever since * Witness one juncture more notable then the rest in the second daies work wherein G.W. had the Serpents Head in such a string as would have led him away captive but that the whole Seed and Generation of Vipers then present with one joynt consent would have violently broke up the Meeting rather then G.W. should proceed to utter a word more and so rescued T.D. at that time from his hands * Which as brief as 't was was tâ—o long by one loud lye that was told in it viz. that I was engaged for by L.H. to be there which was not so for L.H. only did me word of it and laid it before me but laid nothing on me so much as by way of desire of me to be there nor did I ingage any way at all to him that I would * The more 〈◊〉 for thee that thou art no more ashamed at them considering the whole score of dirty rank ones ranked and reckoned up and laid at thy door as Brats of thy own Patronizing at the end of G.Ws. book * Cum turpis inhonesta sit hominum sententia dubiae ac incertae significationis vocibus ludere strophis ac fucis impâ—sturam facere ipsam non palam verbis consutis consareloqui eam mangonizare â—â—nâ—scicinatis silium sermonitus obtente connihil magis cavere quamebrare telligant necâ—intelligant ne inuâ— * That God offers Salvation to those he intends it not That David was not in a condemned but justified Estaâ—e when guilty of Adultery and Murder c. * Hear hear hear the Word of the Lord O ye mountains and inhabitants of the earth The day even the day of his Visitation is upon your heads for ye have chosen the way which is not good Wherefore Assemble your selves together O ye strong Oakes that the Lord might pour upon your heads his indignation for deceit and hypocrisie the Lords Soul abhors As sure as the Lord overturned them that went before you so sure will the Lord overturn you * For de te fabuâ—a thou art the said unkind Kinsman thou tel'st this Remarkable Tale on Mr. Tho. Foxton Iurate â— Tho. Barber Cooper Mr. Tho. Foxton Iurate Tho. Barber Cooper Iohn Boys Esq Mr. Ch. Nichols Mr. Th. Foxton c. * Where also other Qu. have been in the service of Truth as J. Lough who died in Prison there J. Parrot who is in Prison therestill and John Stubs with whom I went thither * And so I said to T.F. and T.B. if any who