Scribes that keep scribling and preaching and disputing all their dayes as if they did delight to know Gods wayes enquiring after the Ordinances of Iustice in order as they pretend to the knowledge of what is to be done and yet in what they know naturally as brute beasts by a habit of reading Chapter and Verse as as a Horse that is versed in a way to the Pasture he is used to run in in those very things they corrupt themselves saying to God when he tells them any troublesome truth Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes â—â—taining the truth in unrighteousness that is told them within by the Light of God himself in their own hearts not receiving the love of it that they may be saved having pleasure in unrighteousness and no pleasure in the Truth such shall have at last that they have taken away from them and in the just Iudgement of God be blasted and blinded and given over to strong delusion to believe lyes that they may be damned Nevertheless not as a Principle onely but as a Rule of obedience to such as truly love her the Light within the Spirit of God the Word nigh in the heart and Wisdom not onely with but without the Letter ever was is and will be profitable to direct Eccl. 10 10. And no less then this that the Spirit is the standing Rule of Faith and Life to the Church as well as the Principle thereof doth that Gal. 6.8.16 evince where the Apostle having spoken so much before in ch 5. and the â— verse of this 6. of the lustings of the spirit against the flesh or evil spirit in us that lusteth to envy of walking according to the Spirit living according to the Spirit being led by the Spirit of sowing to the Spirit the crop of which is the fruit of the Spirit the everlasting life the new Creature while the Crop reaped from the fulfilling the lustings of the flesh is more and more Works of the flesh and corruption to death and condemnation at least adds by way of encouragement that the walkers by the Spirit might not not be weary of well doing thus much viz. that so many as walk according to this Rule which Rule is not the Scripture as the Divines and Doctors citing that place as J. O. does twice over at least viz. Ex. 3. S. 26. Ex. 4 S. 22. to that purpose do ignorantly divine but the Spirit the walking in and after which is so often hinted at above and the Light within which and not the Letter without makes manifest both the Works of the flesh and darknesse and the Fruits of the Spirit and the light For the Letter indeed doth declare that the works of the Flesh and the fruits of the Spirit are manifest but it declares also that that which doth manifest them both is the Light by which also they were manifested before the Letter was Which Letter likewise doth de jure declare what is to be done and not done but onely the Light de facto what is done and what is not done of the Mind and Will of God thereby inwardly nigh more immediately revealed and declared as 't is ad extra onely and more mediately and afar off by the Letter For all things that are reproved or approved are as so made manifest by the Light the Letter came from And whatsoever doth primarily and principally make manifest good and evil right and wrong crooked and straight truth and falshood simplicity and deceit it self and darkness it self and all false spirits sound Doctrine and seducing is that Light and Spirit which comes from God and shines more or lesse in all mens hearts This as it is the Principle as J.O. foolishly affirms the Letter only is p. 18. or means of discovery so it and not the Writing only as he there blindly writes is also the Rule or measure of judging and determining about the saving Doctrine of the Gospel this is as the Light of the outward world is in it the discovery of it self and of all things else in their proper appearances This is certum Rectum Regula quae est mensura sui obliqui Hitherto are we sent this and not the Letter as I.O. childishly asserts p. 57. is asserted to be the Rule and Standard the Touchstone of all speaking whatsoever that must speak alone for it selfe and try the speaking of all but it selfe yea it s own also By all which it is evident how the Light and Spirit is designed by God to be the unchangeable standing-Rule of Faith and Life and the Churches Directory in all Divine Doctrines to be believed and practised and not the Letter of the Scripture at least not the Letter onely which is the matter very stifly affirmed and stickled for by J.O. and T.D. the latter of which stands up to vindicate it in these terms see T. D ' second Pamphlet p. 16. that the Scriptures are the Word of God and the Rule of Faith and Life and that there is no other standing-Rule but the Scriptures The former in these If every man's private Light so he floutingly calls that particular measure of that publike Light of Christ which is one and the same in all be the Rule of yeilding obedience unto God then so many men so many Rules but the Divine Canon is but onely one and that the holy Scripture is that only Rule is abundantly shewn quoth J.O. before In proof of which saying the Rule is but one J.O. quotes that Gal. 6.16 which speakes not of the Scripture at all And Eph. 3.16 which speaks expresly of the Spirit of God as the next verse does of Christ the Word which we confess is the Rule but neither the one nor the other of the Scripture Isa. S. 20. which speaks of the Law and Testimony which are the Light and Spirit as I shall shew anon For this place is three times at least alluded to by J.O. to the like little purpose and not the Letter of the Scripture Obj. And if any say But is not the Sripture profitable to direct yea for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousnesse able to make wise to salvacion to make a man of God perfect thorowly furnished or as the word is perfected into all good works according to 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. and so to be the onely Rule Canon Standard Touch-stone in all cases Rep. This place is insisted upon or quoted three or four times by I. O. To whom I say howbeit there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holy Scriptures as I have said elsewhere that are not written with Ink and Pen nor ingraven in stones but with the Finger and Spirit of the living God upon the fleshly Tables of mens hearts which make such as Timothy was who knew that spirit in himself spoke of Iob 32.8 and that inward Writing and inspiration of the Almighty that onely giveth the understanding which are most profitable for Doctrine Correction
matter quoth T.D. I make not the Apostle a Lyar for the indefinite phrase hath a restrained sense as elsewhere in the Scripture Christ tasted death for every man Heb. 2.9 when as he died but for a certain number And as for I. Tom and R. Baxt. which two heads that knock so hard against each other about Baptisme make but one hasty head to push against the Qua. and the true Light in that Book of I.T. publish't by R. Bax. â—â—il'd True Old Light Exalted c. many blind passages whereof are here animadverted in which piece of work of theirs there is as there is in I.Os. not only Light but more or less in one place or other all sorts of Light treated and tasted of yet little or no Light at all found but rather a meer mist of darkness these two I say are neither less bold nor less blind then the other two in their confused opposition of this eminent Truth viz. the universality and sufficiency of Light or Grace from Christ in men to save them if they take heed to it from both transgression and condemnation about which I shall â—et down so much of that their book as whereby it may appear how far they are contradictory to the Qua. and then shew how all of them who yet speak out no other then the sense of the whole Brotherhood of the personal particular Electionists that deny the general love of God and his gift of Saving Grace to all men are therein no less contradictory to the Truth And for as much as R. Baxt. is found justifying of what ever is said by I.T. falsly in that foresaid book I do R.B. no wrong in my judging them both for it in my Reply if R.B. had not as he hath vented out his vehemency of blind zeal in his Epistle so ridiculously as to excuse such as accuse him of ignorance and errour in words enough of his own for which I.T. not only mutually justifies him but All-to-be-reverences him also as R.B. does him and most Divines do each other mutually when they joyntly roar out their rude reasons against the Truth though they rather tear and rend then reciprocally reverence one another when they open at each other about their own Opinions To let pass then their unanimous impatient prittle-prattle against the Qua. as Popish and promoting the Papists Interest as savouring of Popery Polagianism Arminianism Socinianism page 36. and such like stuff and strange out-cryes with which the Clergy ever fills poor peoples minds to the rendring of them ill-affected to Friends of Truth as Anti-Scripturisme Enthusiasm Fanaticism c. having dealt with I.O. and T.D. already about that trish-trash of our being Iesuits Papists to which I refer them all who eodem cum idis herentes luto found it out to the same tune against us in that and the rest Arminiana sunt omnia jamdudum profligata they are all Arminius his matters quoth I.O. Arminiaâ— points quoth T.D. thus they stun mens minds not knowing that Arminius though deemâ—d and doom'd an Heretick by that Divine and domineering denunciation of the Divines at Dâ—rt was as no less learned so full as holy and honest as themselves Letting pass also abundance of other lyes and abuses of the Qua. sundry of which call aloud for a Rod of as rough reproof as the rest have had for the backs of both Tombs and Baxter among which I shall here hint at no more then that of R. B. in his Epistle concerning Iame Nayler which as he sayes is regardable and so say I to R. Bs. shame who so basely belyes Iames Nayler therein representing those words at large wherein I.N. renounces those unclean Spirits that are gone out to the dishonour of God by many wild actions from the unity of the Truth and Light into which the Qua. are called gathered and in which they abide as if therein I. N. had written a Recantation of all that ever he wrote against R. Baxter and others for the Truth held out by the Qua. and as if I. N. had for ever renounced the Qua. as unclean spirits and Ranters and such like when as its most evident to any but the blind that as I. N. still iustifies the Truth and Light and all the Qua. that abide in it and to which by the Grace of God he now stands a true and faithful servant so that his Recantation and Renunciation is of no other then of that old Spirit of the Ranters which makes head against the Light of Christ condemning filthiness in every conscience and Life of the Cross which however many may turn away from as they did of old yet many thousands of Qua. continue walking in to this day But I say passing by all I T and R B gross abusiveness of this sort against the Qua of that Vniversal Light and sufficient or saving Grace of God to all which the Qua testifie to they assert thus Bax Ep p 7 Their great pretence when they dishonour the Scripture and the Ministry is to lead men to a Light or Word of God within themâ— and this is their cry in our Assemblies and our streets Hearken to the Light and Word within you and the sufficiency of this they clamorously defend and accuseâ—us grievously for contradicting them c. So p 34 Out of the Principles of those men viz Pelagians Arminians c. these People meaning the Qua have drawn their Tenet of an Vniversal Light in every man that cometh into the world without Bibles Preachers Church-Communion Christian Ordinances to know his duty so as that he may be perfect which is indeed the reviving of old Pelagianism or worse and tends to the making of Christian Religion if not all Religion whatsoever unnecessary Sol 35 36 by way of complaint against the Qua they say This is their conceit that every man that cometh into the world even the Gentiles that have not the Letter yet have from Christ a Spiritual Light c. That every one hath a Light within him or there is such Revelation imparted to every man in the world that if he would use it he might come to saving knowledge This Vniversal Light is so magnified by G. Fox that he tells us it shews all the ungodly wayes that ever a man hath acted in with it a person will come to see Christ the Saviour of his Soul from whence the Light comes to save him from his sin it brings to Christ to confess him gives the knowledge of the God of the world that rules in them that are disobedient this Light gives the knowledge of the Glory of God the true knowledge of the Scriptures its one in all they that come to and love it come into fellowship one with another out of this they are in jarrs and confusions it lets see Sin that hath separated from God and the Mediator and the Kingdome of heaven and lets men see they must be meek and humble keeps from errour guile all distraction
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
conscientia sua non conniventi sunt manifesta opera Tenebrarum ceu Carnis cuâ—usmodi sunt adulterium scortatio impuritas lascivia Idololatria veneficium inimicitia lites a mulationes excandescentia rixae dissidia haereses invidia caedes ebrietas commessationes his similia qualia quicunque agunt Regni Dei haeredes non erunt manifesta sunt inquit Scriptura idque non tam per Scripturam quam per lucem cui testatur Scriptura per quam manifesta fuerint in conscientiis hominum antequam Scriptura fuit hodie manifesta fiunt ubi Scriptura non est per quam etiam manifesta forent fi Scriptura nunquam fuisset Omnia enim quae redarguantur inquit Spiritus in Scriptura per lucem manifesta sunt lux enim est illud quod omnia manifesta facit 30. Ad hanc itaque animos vestros adhibeatis omnes ad hanc veniatis in hac ambuletis perpetuo mane atis etiam in Spiritu Dei qui redarguit mundum consolatur sanctos ex mundo vocatos redemptos electos Hic horatim sistatis ut vosmet ipsos sciatis comprehendatis malos Spiritus qui per lucem comprehenduntur ac dijudicantur licet hi nec eam nec filios ejus comprehendunt ut gratia miserecordia pax multiplicetur vobis a Deo Patre a Jesu Christo cujus consilio in conscientia quicunque auscultaverit habitaverit secure quietus erit etiam a metu mali Hic enim est mutus Ahaenus homini interne Nil conscire sibi nulla pallesere culpata 31. Qui vero a Luce deflexerit relinquens semitas sinceritatis ambu lare in Tenebrarum viis is ut suopic judicio fit introrsum condemnatus ita hunc tum Error tum Terror semper obviam habituri sunt ita ut dum speciem risus laetitia praese ferat saepe tamen valde torquetur in t us Pallet is infaelix quod proxima nesciat uxor 32. Haec omnia supradicta quae primo privatim magis in Amici singularis insignis cujusdam Germanici gratiam usum Latine fuerunt conscripta nunc cum non ulteriori alteratione quam hujusmodi rei ratio requirit nec non Deo ipso ad opus hoc movente publice magis idque tam Anglice quam Latine rescripta sunt exhibita in usum vestrum O Academici ac aliorum omnium quibus petentibus a nobis parati sumus secundum Petri consilium 1 Pet. 3.15 ad reddendum rationem fidei quae in nobis est cum mansuetudine timore conscientiam bonam habentes in hunc finem vero ut tam Vos qui aures a veritate avertentes ad fabulas divertitis quam Vos qui prurientes nulli alii rei vacantes nisi ad dicendum audiendum aliquid novi putatis nos peregrina ac novella quaedam inferre auribus vestris sciatis nos nequaquam Nova aliqua attulisse sed Antiqua omnia etiam eadem ipsamet quae per Dei Ministros ab initio fuerunt edita quaeque scimus vel in Salvationem vestram vel Damnationem graviorem vos agnituros in eternum 33. De quibus tamen non negligimus vos commonefacere per submonitionem expergefacere siquidem nil dicere quod non dictum prius tiamsi nos haud piget attamen tutum est vobis qui prae nimia incogitatione ac inanimadvertentia vel id ipsum quod notitis vere dicam ignoratis 34. Quae quidem si in eadem luce ac eodâ—m spiritu sinceritatis quocum scripta fuerint ab aliquibus pelegantur vel me scripsisse vel vos legisse nequaquam paenitebit 35. Sin minus ac si malignitatis inimicitiae spiritum amicus hic Sermo salutis vestrae in vobis exstimularit ita ut ignominiosam potius quam salutiferam auscultationem a vobis repulsam patietur satis mihi placebit in hoc opere me Deo placuisse ac purum esse sanguinis animarum vestrarum ac vos tandem memineritis etiam si sera nimis non absque poenitentia tamen Vos fuisse a Deo monitos Per Animarum vestrarum Amicum Anglicanum Sam. Fisher. Non amo Piscator nec possum dicere Quare Hoc tantum possum dicere non amo te Si nescis cur non dicam tibi Quare Sacerdos In promptu causa e. t Et quia vere amo te Exeo cum multis aliis ex Orbe ut in Orbe Piscator Ictus Laesus Amicusei Piscilegens quoscunque bonos in vasa at in ipsum Infernum abjiciens triste malum que malos Tupetis Exitium Tibimet petis ipse Ruinam Ventosus ventis verba utivela dedis Interdico tibi rapiens te exigne ut Amicus Sum tibi Veridicus Tuque Inimicus eris Piscator verus vere est nam Piscis Amator Sed Piscatorem Piscis amare queat Per Samuelem Piscatorem Per Pisc-amatorem Laesum Fisher I love Thee not yet know not Why Love Thee I can't were I therefore to Dy Know'st Thou not why O Priest Thou lov'st not Me The case is cleare 't is because I love Thee Out of the World into 't with more I 'm Sent A Fisher wrong'd of men to cry Repent Gath'ring in vessells all Good Fish but Bad Casting forth into th' Pit that Lake so Sad Thou seek'st thine own perdition puff't in Mind Yield'st up thy whiffling words like Sayl's to th' Wind In love I seek to save Thee from that Fire Tell Thee the Truth for this Thou' rt fild with Ire Fishers that catch men Thus though Friends to th' Fish From them they wish well can't have one good Wish SAM FISHER WELLWISHER to all men FINIS * Magistracy we own and for Conscience sake â—hereto are Subject as an Ordinance of God and for this cause have we at all times paid Tribute Custom Excâ—se and Assessements and all oâ—her dues thereto belonging that we may live a godly and quiet life under their Goverment wheniever God calls thereto For to peace are we called with all men and that we seek and can freely contribute to the Magistrates power that bears the Sword for that end But out of Warrs we are redeem'd and may neither learn nor teach warrs any more So it is not for saving our many nor in contempt of any Authority set over us that we have hitherto refused to raise Armes with or against any Power since we were a People for the mony we give to him whâ—se Superscription it bears but our Lives and Consciences we give up to God alone And what ever we Suffer a killing Instrument we may neither Form nor Bear against any of Gods Creation for he that is our Saviour from all our Enemies Leads us to save mens Lives and not to Destroy * Which shewes against that late Toy that John Tombs hath put forth in proof of some Swearing now which is scarely worth any further
few in it are saved Election and Reprobation how it is of two Seeds only absolutely and of Persons only conditionally as born of and growing up respectively into the Image of those severall Seeds Perfection as to freedom from sinning in this life And such other for which We are as unjustly as uncessantly Assaulted About which points it 's hard to say whether the Quakers Opponents do more Oppose them or Abuse them by misreporting them as holding far otherwise then they do in those and other of their Tenets to the World For when we declare against Persecution and cruell forcing of all men to uniformity in meer outward formes of Religion by which men for fear conforming to do and to say they believe what they believe not to be truth are more made hatefull Hypocrites then faithfull Christians and for Liberty of Conscience as that without which Now no Government in either Church or State can ever stand long unshaken those Powers being ever more feared if not abhorred then either lov'd obey'd or honour'd by the tenderest of their own people who touch and under penalties impose upon them in that part i.e. the conscience which is 〈◊〉 tender and in which being trod upon all people when they can help themselves will turn again but those Iuâ—t ones whose way it is when they are kill'd to make no resistance Jam. 5.5 Then they tell people we are against all good Government and Authority settled Ministry and good Orders in the Church and such like Whereas and all good Government in States to Suppresse unrighteousness we own and good Orders in the Church too denying that only which they call Order who meerly under that Name and Notion of Decency and Order have fill'd the Nations call'd Christian with a numberless multitude of Ceremonies and Customes which are Vain and create nothing but Confusion Also they tell people we do but barely insinuate that of non-persecution to be our principle that we may be let alone till we grow numerous and get outward Power into our own hands that then we may rise and cut throats and by force and cruelty subject all people to our wayes T. D. deducing it as is seen in the book ensuing Thus from a certain Quakers drawing of his Sword who had no Sword at all about him The truth is quoth he the Qua. now declare their intentions to propagate their perswasions by the Sword Whereas we live in that Light which leads to that Love which abhores all cruelty and 't is the dark places of the earth in which themselves dwell that are full of the habitations of cruelty and could we once be by others as candidly consirved and credited as t is by us conscientiously and clearely declared so far are we from that pernitious principle of persecuting for conscience sake though blinded any men called Christians in any Nations that were it as 〈◊〉 in our hands to effect as it is in our very hearts to wish the contrary nor Jew nor Turk nor Pagan much lesse Christian so câ—â—â—d whether Papist Prelaâ—icall Presbyterian Independent Baptist or any other behaving themselves as peaceably subjectively as we do to all civil Laws in civil things should ever be in the least moleâ—ted more then by words of love whether smooth or sharp to win them to the truth thâ—â— their souls may be saved in any meerly Spirituall or Religious matter but in all Ecclesiasticalls so far as 〈◊〉 consistent with and not destructive to any other mens have in their consciences where Christ alone is King truly and fully as much Liberty as our selves even All people to walk every one in the Name of his God as we in the Name and Light of the Lord our God from henceforth even for ever And because we say some Truths and teach some Doctrines which to their misunderstanding minds only wherein they wrest everything the wrong and even the worst way they can and as they sound it out in words of their own which are none of ours seem only to Savour of Popery viz. Because we assert the Good Works of Christ in his Saints to be necessary to their justification who cannot be justified by any of their own They not only charge us as joyning with Jesuits and Papists but oft-times also as far as they dare in such a thing as they have no proof of they down rightly pronounce us to be such Whereas how neere of Kin they are in their Own and how none are more contrary then Our Tenets to the Pope and how well T. D. proves the Author of this Epistle in probability to be a Jesuit as he falsly affirms is to be seen in Sundry pages together of the following Work viz. from p. 47. of the 1 Exer. to the end And because we make mention of Christ in us and the Righteousness of the Law as necessary in order to Salvation to be perform'd and fulfill'd in our own persons as Paul does Rom. 8.4 though we mean no other Righteousness then the same that is in Christ and is wrought in us by no other power then that of Christ and that same Christ too of whom the Scripture speaks that To him give all the Prophets witness Act. 10. That in his Name and through faith in his Name alone who ere believeth shall receive remission of sins then which Christ and his Name there is no other under heaven given among men whereby they must besaved They 〈◊〉 us both to God men as denyers of Christ and of his Righteousness of Justification by Christ alone Witness one Ackworth of Rochester who was once heard by the writer hereof deprecating declaring against the Qua. in these words to God himself in his publike Prayer viz. Above all things Lord quoth he deliver this poor city from the Qua. they are a peole Lord that deny God deny Câ—rift deny the Righteousness of Christ deny Justification by Christ alone Whereas As it was at that time by this Author prefered though not permitted to be presently and publikely proved to his face on behalf of that people whom he told lyes on to the Lord himself that they own God own Christ own Christs Righteousness and own justification by Christ alone So against all the Priests who in their several Parishes misrepresent us as going about to Establish our own Righteousness only not Christs to our Justification among whom T.D. is in that point the most gross false accuser of us as it was clearly enough to men not minded to be blind by word of mouth at the disputes at Sandwich and hath been since by George Whiteheads printed Replyes ' to T. D ' s. printed misrelations of us in that matter so is it abundantly proved more at larg in the first Exercitation from p. 80. to the end thereof that ther 's no people do more fully or so truly disclaim their Own as dung and filthy rags and stablish Christs Righteousnesse alone which as wrought by Christ in his Saints T.
for to say the Truth it s but a meer Trinity of Tales and not of Truths 1. whether it be better or worse the more honour or the more shame for me that I so have it best concerns my self to examine for as it was best of all with him who while the Foxes had holes and fowls of the Aire nests had not where to lay his head so t' was well enough with them that had and may be with such as now have if they find their call is so to leave all and follow Christ neither scrip nor shâ—s nor mony in their purses and no more then the Cloaths to their backs for they lacked nothing yet so it is and well known to my selfe and some as well known as 't is to T.D. and his Earewigs that I have none that though my estate lyes much more in invisibles then in visibles I have some visible estate and that to the full as much for my self and mine as I either need or much desire and how beit I have not perhaps so much as T.D. nor as I.O. who besides that rich possession he counts upon in his Hebrew Punctation of which more anon had lately but now I hear he is turned out of it a Deanry of many hundreds per annum yet est mihi far modicum purum et sine labe Salinum humilique loco sed certa cedet sordida parvae fortunae domus And that I have no more then I have it is under God at my own choice having long since for a good Conscience sake laid down twice more then that which comes in to thee T.D. by preaching and refufed the profer of much more since both of that and of another nature and if I had none at all I need not run to Rome having were I so mindfull of such outward estate as I came out of an opportunity still to return and being if I could make shipwrack of the Faith for it as many do were as much given to Climbing Clambering as most of you are as capable to receive in England either that Popish pay and preferment ye still stand in and I freely fell from as ye yet are or as my self ever have been in dayes of old or that of another sort that is in no wise of the Pope which yet I trust I shall chuse pulse and water rather then forgo the truth as some self-seekers do to partake in Secondly How Credible â—oever it is here asserted by thee for truth as a thing received from veâ—y goâ—d Hâ—rds yet 't is not true that is here related for I had no Bill of Exchange at all with me when I went out of England neither had I ever any Bill of Exchange from any place at all to Constantinople nor any at all from Constantinople to Rome and this I leave to thoâ—e very good hands from whence thou had it this false report to make it good I partly guess what ground this guilty goodly geere grew up from but I am not minded at this time to help Lyars in their Lyes while â—â—ee they love them let them help one another and wrestle themselves out from the mists of their own misreporting from the fâ—gge of this piece of fâ—lshood if they can I fâ—nd no more to do at preâ—ent then to deny it to be truth as it s told by them Thirdly How credibly soever the same witnesses T. F. T. B. whom thou callest Honest and Credible men were Credibly infâ—rmed at Dunkirk that I have yet I neither had at Dâ—nkirk nor have had since nor yet have what I may have lawfully enough if need be is another case but nothing to thee nor thy ill cause nor to any man elâ—e but those that as little Estate as I have being conâ—â—dent of my faithfullness dare trust me so farr any bill of Exchange at all by which to â—ake up 400 â— or 400 pence either at my will which faltering of thy so Gâ—â—d Honest and Credible Witnessâ—s in each Tittle of their Testimony that is exhibited to the world in this Tripple piece of Tittle Tartle from which yet thou concludest the things they testifie to be ipso facto well known I notifie to the world so much the rather as I have done here or else I should for my own part have pay'd it with thinking only and let it pass that men may know the better how to beleive thee and them in other things when ye shall happen with lyes to wrong the truth another time But since I have taken on me to take â—o much notice of it let 's examine what to the utmost can be made thereof which is just nothing at all towards T. Ds. purpose in propounding it in omuch that I may truly say of this his Treble conference of which his confidence is that it s so credible that it gives neither leâ—s nor more then almost an incredible and inconceiveable influence towards the inference of his most confident and almost as incredible conclusion so that no wise men can yea the most wise men are the leâ—s they can from T. Ds. premiâ—es give credit to it or conceive it or not conceive rather the contrary to be true for as from such matters as are false as I said above no thing that is true can be concluded in which respect alone these lyes and lying Fables can be of no possible force to inferr my living upon the Pâ—pes Pâ—nsâ—on to be a Truth so if they were all as undoubted and certaine Truths as 't is most certain they are all but sigmâ—nts or at the best but mâ—sâ— eports they could none of them at all inferr that but some of them would inferr the very contrary to that which T.D. with so much confidence concludeth from them to the deluding of all people that are given over to delusion to beleive lyes to beleive that lye of me that I am in pay from the Pope as the Iews by the like unlikely and silly inference of the Souldiers whom the Priests so to Argue against it were deluded from believing that Truth concerning Christ viz that he arose from the dead Oh how Wonderfully Michievous are misreports unto the Truth when men who receive not the love of it that they may be â—aved are given over of God to give heed to them that they may be damned because they take pleasure in unrighteousness and have no pleasure in the Truth His Diâ—ciples say they came and stole him away while we slept here is the fictitious and forcible Antecedent therefore he arose not from the dead here is the crooked conclusion which that other was so cogent to make the people close with in their Consciences and take for Truth Piteous Premisâ—â— plain enough to be â—een by men whose eyes were not out to be meerly forged and of little force For if they were awake and on their watch as 't was fit for a Court of Guard to be they might have rescued him from his Disciple that were unarmed
men but if they were asleep as they say they were is the Testimony of those men fit to be entertaind for Truth or of force among any but such infatuated fancies as every ignis fatuus befooles into a following of it self wheresoever it goes before them that stand up to beare witness of what was done while they were asleep yet how strongly and strangely did this filly shift work upon the misbeleiving faculty of that foolish Nation to the finall falsifying of their Faith in so high an Article of it insomuch that as that Saying is commonly Reported so that Article of Christs Resurrection is thereupon not beleived to this day said the Evangelists 16 hundred years ago and say I who have been an Eare Witness of the same to this very day wherein we live The like effectual operation upon the prejudicate opinions and Imaginations of such people to whom there is deceptio visus and in whose visible faculty there 's a deep defect through their living in the Night and not loving the Light hath T. D's mis-reports and mis-representations of the Qua. going to Rome which as little or no truth as they are of yet if less then none can be are of less consequence to prove that he intends by them to be Truth sith of force to prove the very contrary S. F. Quoth he hath no visible Estate hath Bills of Exchange to take up 400 l. if he will had to and from Constantinople to Rome Bills of Exchange to take up money there Therefore 't is probably as true that he there receiv'd a Pension from the Pope His Tripartite Antecedent is as false as the Popes Tripple Crown is foolish but suppose it were all as True as 't is false I know no hurt in it if it were for such as Travail whether to Rome or elsewhere to have Bills to take up money if they need it and what I had or where or from whence or from whom let him that lyes go look yet â—ile tell the truth to him so farr at least as will tell his Tale to be a Lye I had none to Constantinople nor from thence to Rome neither Received I any money by any Bill at Rome much less any Pension from the Pope which is that he makes the consequent of the other so that T. D.'s Consequence is utterly inconsequent and a most non-sensicall non sequitur Some wise man that had been willing to know the Truth would have argued thus ad Contrarium viz. He went with coals from New-Castle to London therefore 't is very probable he went not to London to fetch or to get any there He carried great Bills with him to Rome to take up mony there therefore 't is utterly unlikely that he had any Pension of his own to Receive there from the Pope for then he might have sav'd his labour in the other For verily it had been as silly and superfluous for me to have Merchants Bills to take up mony by at Rome had I had a Pension to Receive there from the Pope as 't is as the Proverb is to carry coals to New-Castle which what fool doth may carry them home again when he hath done So then this Text of T. D's Triviall Talk as threefold a Cord as it may seem to him that is not quickly broken is indeed though strong enough to conclude the clean contrary way yet as to his purpose but a threefold thread of Toe so ill spun that it fails like flax when it feels the fire Nevertheless Note one Point of Doctrine more before I quit it that arises from it more against then for T. D. and his fellow forgers and foul falsifiers of the truth i.e. that whereas the National Ministry dare trust to the benevolence of their own people for outward means and maintenance no further then they have the Magistrates Mittimusses to take it from their people and raise it for them for we may have little enough and do full ill cry they if we stand to the good will and affections of our Parishes being it seems for all the shallow shews and Love-tokens and fair words that pass between them which buy no lands as little affected by their people as their people are trusted by them for each of them love money much more then they love each other yet such love credit and confidence in each others faithfulness there is among the Ministers of Truth and the children of it that they that for the Gospels sake chuse to have little of their own in their Ministry to it need not lack but serving it for its own sake and not for hire nor by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind may not by force of Arms but freely not by the greedy distraint of Tythe-mongers and Bumbayliffs but willingly have what is needed which is not so many 100's by the year as the Priests that stirring not far from their own fires need it not are ever needing in the service of the truth and rather then it shall want promoting for lack of so much no less then 400 li at once if they please T. D. Another of T. D's Antick Autecedents from whence he endeavours as by the rest he doth tooth and nail to evidence me to be of the Popish faction is that I affirmed my self to be above Ordinances saying there 's no more use of them in this life to some then of a Candle when the Sun shines instancing in Baptism and the Lords Supper Rep. In which Antecedent this is utterly false at least though affirmed by T. D. and his Sides-men viz. that I said of my self that I am above Ordinances I use not to bear Testimony to my self but to the Truth unless where the Truth is so much concern'd as it is in my clearing of my self from the clouds that not only I but that also comes under through your Lyes that are told and attend me in the service of it in the case in hand neither in the point of perfection which if I be but moved to speak the Truth in presently cry the blind leaders and the blind whom they lead he faith he is perfect did I ever say of my self that I am perfect but of myself and almeâ— that so we should be even in this life and may be too if we be not wanting to our selves and must be also or else shall never be as our heavenly Father is perfect and as for my self by the grace of God I am what I am and what ere I am where I am you are not though what and where you are both as to this woâ—ld and that to come I have been now long ago Neither as to Ordinances did I ever say I was above them I should not a little bely my self in so â—aying and that I have little need at all to do being belyâ—d moâ—e then enough already both by your selves and others for to meet and wait with his Saints on the Lord to stand in his
not Accusatum but Accusantem Reum confitentem not the falsely accused but the falsely accusing Malefactors own confession to his own confutation and confusion that the position was asserted not in the same Termes in which at first he related it to be asserted in so that what need any further witnesse for ye your selves of all sorts that read T. D's book may read the truth in his own Testimony but if any finding T.D. so fickle as to say and unsay judg him not fit to be heeded in what he sayes whether against me or against himselfe and will needs heare what others say in the matter whether I affirm'd OUR good works or Good works only Meritorious I need not trouble the world with the summoning in of more witnesses since fas est vel ab hoste doceri such as T.D. hath appealed to himselfe shall stand for me for as T.D. sayes p. 58. to the proving of T.D. to be a lyar in what he sayes p. 14. that 't was Good Works so H. Oxenden I. Boys N. Barry T. Seyliard C. Nicols agree in their witnesse with him and for ought I find as he sayes p. 58. So they say all and he that will not beleive them doth what in him lyes make them to be lyars like him as well as T.D. in gain-saing p. 14. that truth which himselfe and they with him do all assert p. 58. does not only make himselfe a lyar but also what in him lyes abuse not only me and himselfe but all them also so as to make them seem lyars also together with him Now then T. D. Let me expostulate with thee a little on thine own and thy freinds behalf couldst thou not bâ—ly me in some better way then that p. 14. whereby thou givest the lye if men were such fooles as to beleive thy single self before thy selfe and 5. witnesses both to thy selfe and them all in that truth ye all 6. testify together p. 58 if thou wouldst in no wise spare me who can expect no sparing but rather a shooting out of your poysoned arrowes against me even lying words who also can and do forgive thy forgery so far as it reaches only to the ill reputation of my selfe yet thou mightest have been contented to have spared thy friends thy Gentlemen and Ministers who as thou saift of them in thy Epistle to the Reader are Witnesses of the Termes of the Questions agreed to by the Qua. to free thee from the suspition of a partiall Relatoâ— so as not to have laid them lyable to suspition of lying by thy lying p. 14. against thy own and their true Testimony p. 58. or if not them yet at least have spared thy selfe so far as not to have stained thy self and thine own reputation and not have subjected thy selfe in the hearts of all to not only a shrew'd suspition but welny a certain censure of forgery so much as thou hast done in handling thy ill matters no better and making thy invented evill-intending Tale hang no more handsomly together then it does for which how far soever I forgive thee and thou in favour to thy selfe mayst possibly give pardon to thy own selfe supposed Saintship as freely as thou dost to David and all Saints in theirs in thy own foulest faults and abominations yet every Reader that loves the truth which thou hast wronged will remember and not so readily forget how eminently the Lord hath left T.D. in his envious undertakings to manifest the Qua. folly to all men instead thereof most palpably to manifest his own neither when the Lordâ—ises up to visit and to reckon and to enter into judgment with him for it will the seeming Saint without confession and forsaking so easily as he supposes find from him the forgiveness of his falshood Henceforth therefore T.D. take heed of lying at all to thy own hurt or if for want of love to it thou must needs bely the Truth and its Children for which wo and no lesse then the Lake must be thy Portion yet for thy credits sake a while have a care another time of lying so directly against thy self but remember that Opoâ—teâ— mendacem esse memorem it behoves a lyar to have his wits better about him then thou had'st in this busines least by going about to wrong another a great deal he do not only in foro Dei but hominum also before men wrong himself not a little as thou hast done who at this time wasâ—t not thy Crafts-Master so much as thy Craft was thine to catch thee in the Snare which thou laid'st and to pull thee into the pit and draw thee down into the ditch which thyself digg'dst for another for though thou travailedst with iniquity and conceivedst mischief and broughtest forth false-hood against thy fained-foe but unfained friend S.F. yet is it in such a foolish unsubtle manner that the mischief of the Serpent who was scarce like his cunning-self in the mannaging of this matter returns and so it ever must till it be bruised let him lye never so wisely upon his own head and his violent dealing and violaâ—ion of the truth comes unawares upon his own pate So Honi Soir qui mal perse evil still to him that evil thinks and howbeit fallere fallentim vâ—x est fraus as they speak for a man to deceive himself in that very thing wherein he hoped to deceive another is one of the most honest and harmlesse peices of deceit that I know and the least of all to befound fault with yet so it hath happened to T.D. in this one peice of his Archeâ—y against me and the Truth that he hath as he saith he intended to do p. 50. beat the Devil at his own weapon and outshot him in his bow yea and overshot himself so exceedingly alâ—o as that Not aiming right when he bent his Bow To shoot at a Pigeon he kild a Crow That then I affirmed good works to deserve Iustification I own and still affirm the same but I deny that that I there affirmed and here I affirm that I then did and still do deny the Papist best works which are not good what ere they call them to deserve Iustification or OUR own best works either who know no good works that we have but what Christ who works no evil works by his power worketh in and by us which as they are done by him in us are not ours but distinctively from ours 2 Tim. 1.7 Tit. 3.5 called his and as they are done by us throw his power in us are called our works Isa. 26.12 for as he doth them in us Mat. 10.20 2 Cor. 13.3 1 Cor. 14.25 and worketh in us both to will and do them they are truly his and as we work them in and by that power he gives may yet not in such sense as what we do of our selves be called our own Phil. 2.12.13 yea if we speak of what good works Christ did in that person only in which he appeared at Ierusalem
as Iustified by Christ will appear approved at last but he whom the Lord commendeth which is no man of sin that I know of which David himself stood condemed in 2 Cor. 10 17 18. So having snaptasunder one of the two strings to his Bow by which T. D. strove to shoot back to us that Arrow and Shast which was sharp in his and in the heart of all the enemies to justification by the Spirit of grace and life within us from 1 Cor. 6.11 which pretended to no great strength it self being a string made but of a meer may be or perhaps for justified by the Spirit if not otherwise may be meant quoth he of the Spirits Application I come to try the strength of his other string which is patcht up of no better then such a poor peice of Toe too as peradventure or perhaps for when we say with Paul in the Text the Saints are washed sanctified and justified all one and the same way viz. in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of God and his grace and holy operations in us T. D. who confesses he chose to out-word us see his Epistle and is never to seek for something or other to say though his aliquid is ever nihil sayes thus I might say that perhaps the clause should be referr'd to Sanctification which is in a more appropriate manner attributed to the Spirits efficiency as if the Order of the words had been but ye are sanctifyed by the Spirit of our God Rep. Then it seemes justification must go look its efficient somewhere else and must have no share with washing and sanctification in the Spirits holy workings in the Saints it must be in the Name of God only and the other onely by the Spirit as if the Name and Spirit of God were such Heterogeneous matters that what 's done by one cant be said to be done by the other and as if Paul had mistooke himself in the placing of his words and had been by the infallible Spirit misguided misplacing of them so that when he should have said ye are justified onely in the Name of the Lord and onely wash't and sanctified by the Spirit of God confusedly crouds these effects all under one cause and sayes ye are not onely washt and sanctified but ye are justified also in the name of the Lord and by the Spirit of our God I do not wonder thou purst in this with perhaps only for hadst thou absolutely affirmed it for a positive truth thou hadst of a truth lyed thy self into a very laughing stock to the lowest capacity in the Country by thy talk of so transcendently untrue a transposition T. D. But such traspositions are not without instance in the Scripture quoth T.D. as Math. 7.6 give not that which is holy to Dogs nor cast ye your Pearls before Swine least they trample them under their feet and turn again and rent where turn again and rent you is joyned to the Dogs quoth he for as Swine ds trample under their feet so Dogs do fly upon a man and tear him down Rep. We know well enough its the property of Dogs and I Swine to turn and teaâ— and â—rample when Pearls and holy things are held out to them having paid pretty well for the experimentall learning of it we have since we began to tell the pretious Truth and hold out such a holy thing as inhaerent holynesse is to such an unholy seed as your selves are â— but I am yâ—t to learn that these these ill qualities of turning tearing trampling do not all 3. jointly agree to both or either of these Creatures severally considered yea all of them as much to one as to the other For as Dogs turn and tear so do Swine and as Swine trample under their feet what thâ—y tear so do Dogs or else the Scripture which is very unlike to T. D's Scripture about it is in this case utterly unlike it self for it tells us of the Gentiles which in oppsition to the children are called the Dogs Math. 15.24 which are without the holy Citty or any Right to enter there Rev. 22.14.15 Though in their anger envy canina utentes facundia they grin like a Dog and go round about it Psal. to whom yet the outward Court of the Temple externall forms worships observations ordinances and name of Christians is given that they tread or trample the holy Citty under feet Rev. 11.1.2 No marveil therefore the Cat winkt when both her eyes were out and that T.D. durst not speak his mind out positively nor point blank neither one way nor another in answer to our Argument from that Scripture 1 Cor. 6.11 but only by perhaâ—â—es Seeing he was so blinded by it that he saw nothing what to return directly and downrightly to it and since he puts it off to us with no more force then perhaps it is so or perhaps so as he sayes 't is though I have said much more for satisfactions sake to such as seek the truth yet to such as seek nothing more then how they may cavill against it and turn it off from taking hold on either their own hearts or the hearts of others I need do no more then put it all back upon T. D. again with per-haps it is so or so as I say 't is against him it being a generall generall received Maxime among all Schoolmen that an argument that flyes in ones face with no more force then forte ita requires to be no more forcibly refel'd then with forte non Yea forte ita semper sat bene solvitur per forte non Thus I have at last made a clear end with T. D. as to this matter of justification having to the undeceiving of such as by his misty makings out of our meanings in it have much mistaken me and the Qua. as Poâ—ish about it shewed plainly which way we hold it and how it is according to the Scripture of grace and not of works 1 our works properly and onely so call'd and yet not of grace onely but of works also 1 such as Christ and his Spirit only works only in us which the Spirit in a sense subordinate to himself who is the master-workman to whom onely and Gods grace in freely giving us such an alsufficicent Assistant to do his will the glory of all belongeth is pleas'd also but more sparingly to entitle by the the Term of Ours Isa. 26. So that had it been as true as if T.D. and his witnesses together with him p. 58. be to be credited before himself alone 't is false that I disputed justification in those Terms of by our good works as he says p. 14. yet if by our works we speak of those that God Christ and the Spirit work in us it can in no wise follow from thence any more then it doth from all his other piteâ—â—s Premises whereby he improves himself to prove me so that I am a rank Papist nor so much as it followes from
Adversaries and Avenge thee on thine Enemies the Quakers whom thou art afraid of though they are Friends to thee and to the best thats in thee which is not of thee more then thou art or to it or to thy self And being in a tumultuous hurry in hideous haste in the heat of Iealousie which makes all look yellow in the height of Anguish and such like mistiness together thou runnest over hedge and ditch not minding so much as the Path of common Reason Equity Honesty or Truth not regarding any guide or Rule to direct thy Course by whether the Light or the Letter or as to thy Disputation the line of Logick it self which two last thou pretendest at least to be led by but in reality art led in a certain muddiness of minde Reapse besides them all till as Canis Festinans caecos parit catulos thou hast brought forth not only a bundle of Lyes and Abuses of the Quakers but also a business as full of learned blindness as most that ever I have read of no bigger bulk Howbeit thou grantest thy self a Dispensation to over come all thou Disputest with in thy Disputation sith be it never so full of groapable darkness even to thy friends and fellows who will see and say nothing yet it s laid up close and safe from the sight of thy Antagonists the Quakers within the linnen shrowd of a dark Language so that the Quakers cannot know any of all this for poor deluded Fanatical silly souls they quoth I.O. no more understand that Language which we here make use of then we Naturalists can comprehend that hidden nonsensical alias Spiritual sound of words in which they seem to gape it out not only to all others but each to other 〈◊〉 in their Discourses Thus like the Woodcock which having hid his head in a hole so that he seeth nobody thereby gathers that nobody seeth him thou judgest of such whose lives are hid from thee with Christ in God that thy life and Lyes likewise are hid from them yet there are some and for ought thou knowest not a few among the Quakers who have been where thou art though where they now are thou canst never come but thorow a true death to thy own will and present foolish wisdom even that shameful death of the Cross by whom not only with that Eye where with thou seest thou are seen but also in that Light in which spiritual men discern both theirs and them by whom themselves are not discerned thou art both seen and comprehended and though thou givest thy self leave to win all thou Playest for while thou Playest alone by thy single self yet when the Game begins again as here it doth between thee and the Quakers as it hath between thee and some of thy own Fellows who have already entered the Lists and taken thee to do viz. Henry Stubbs of thy own society thou mayest possibly prove no such Gainer as yet thou goest for among such as side with thee hook or crook in thy crooked carriage of thy crooked Cause by then both ends of thy Discourses for it be brought together by which time it may likely appear to any save such whose interest compels them to chuse rather to be ignorant and let the Quakers Books alone then to be taught by them how thou and thy Tracts and Tractatles trace it to and fro out of the Track of all manner of Truth in the clouds of confusion up and down in and out and sometimes Round about in not more illogical then Atheological shifts yet not more blindly then boldly sith unseen as is supposed by those who are most neerly concerned in the Cause and Controversy that 's carryed on by them But as Crooked a Serpent as Leviathan is yet his deceits are discryed notwithstanding all his Twinings and Turnings now this way now that again to secure himself yea the least of the little flock which he despiseth is made in the Light and Power of God to Spie and draw him out with a hook yea if it be but by a Sling-stone Zach. 9. rather then his proud Reproaches shall go Unreproved the Lord will subdue and bring down the Uncircumcised Philistine that Devotes himself to defie both the Arme and Armies of the Living God Thou tryest I.O. to loose thy self and thy malitious hissing at the light from the observation of its Children in thy Latine Laborinth but herein thou hast lost thy self too too wofully in another sense in their open view thy language is savoured to be unsavoury and to be at best but that of the mongril seed that speak half in that of Canaan and half in the Language of Ashdod thy Voice is sounded to be that of the Stranger whom none of Christs Sheep will ever follow and as smooth as it is like that of Iacob now and then yet thy hands are felt to be the Rough hands of Cain and Esau wherewith thou coursly handlest thy innocent plain honest-hearted Brother whose Sacrifice is accepted with God as thine can never be while thy sin lyeth at the door Thou lyest hunting abroad for Blessings and Benefices in the Earth and yet what thou gainest even that way by thy greedy gaping after it at one time justly enough as from the Lords Hands for thy fighting against his Israel thou loosest at another but what ere thou gettest or loosest here on earth that seed of Iacob against which thou bandest will carry away from thee both the Birth-right and the Blessing of Heaven and if thou turn not to the light thou hast been hitherto in the vanity of thy mind a scoffer at and lay not hold on the Eternal Inheritance and life it leads to in a very little while as in love to thy soul I here advise thee to do thou shalt never inherit it but Death Darknesse and the Curse for ever in its stead though thou seek it carefully with thy tears Finally I.O. iu aurem tibi dicam let me tell thee this one thing in thy Ear which yet as the case stands can hardly be Whispered so secretly to thee here but that an hundred to one one or other will happen to know it and it matters not much who doth or if all the world know it besides our selves for t is a Truth told in love to the Truth first and then to thee Tractatu'us hic Tuus aut illorum tractatuum pars this thy third little treatise or last Latine piece call thou it what thou wilt is a very Lake of Lyes and both it self and Thou who art the Author of it and whatsoever and and whosever holds union so as to run along or fall into fellowship with it in any more then that little Truth that here and there may happily be uttered in it run all down together with it in the Four Channels or Exercitations of it as it were under ground that the Quakers may not see it who yet do see both whence it comes and whither it goes throw the
and by your Words without Knowledge I say which of these Two the Quakers or your Schollers bring forth Fruits most meet for God and like those of the Spirit Peace Meeknesse Patience Temperance c. Gal. 5. Let them be the Good Trees and so known and owned to be by their Fiuits and let them be the true Flock of Christ and be by us as I am sure such are by himself accounted as his Sheepfold And which abounds most in those Fruits and Works of the Flesh there spoken of also viz. uncleannesse lasciviousnesse wrath hatred Drunkennesse Revellings and such like and which wallows most in that kind of mire let them be the Hogs and Swine and not Christs Flock and Fold but he held hence forward for a Hog-sty Now for my part if I were to judge by what Fruits have come forth in and from our Two Nurseries of Religion of latter years and as well in and from Oxford it self as Cambridge and how many of them in the time of I. O's Vice-Chancellourship there I. O. knows as well as I even such as are not sit to be named among Christians and what Fruits of Righteousnesse have been found among the Quakers both there and elsewhere who have suffered innocently and as to rendering evil for evil patiently under them and others I could quickly determine the matter but sith its like I.O. will hardly let me be Judge in my own Case lest I cleave too much to my own Cause and Company let such Books as are Extant of the Schollers Misdemeanours against the Quakers in their own Meetings who have been alwayes bound to their Good behaviour towards the other by that of God in their Consciences in the midst of all their abuses to the Quakers and then let all men Judge which Generation of men the Quakers or University Schollers and their Respective Assemblies do most exactly resemble the deportment of Swine in their Hog-styes Besides those sundry Relations that are Extant in Print of the Imprisonments Whippings and other Persecutions of the innocent Servants of the Lords sending among them to warn them of their Wickednesse at Cambridge there are Two at least viz. one stiled A true Testimony of the Zeal of the Oxford Professors and University-men put forth by R.H. And one much more lately under the Hands of 8 Witnesses stiled A true Relation of some of the Sufferings inflicted upon the Quakers as the Fruits of the Evil doers viz. the Proctors and Schollars at Oxford in which who reads may see the matters of Fact to which I Refer such as are minded to be Judges between me and I.O. an Oxford man in this Case who if they be not such as are loath to call their Brothers Theeves and their Sisters Swine will assuredly from those Arch-Abominable and Antick-Actions conclude from thence with me the Actors and Abbettors look much more then like the Sheep of Christ like Foxes and Bears and Wolves and Dogs and Wilde Boares and Swine However whether it shall stand with I.O. or nay it matters not I shall from thence infer my Conclusion That if Innocency Quietnesse Patience under Sufferings Temperance Godlinesse Reproving Wickednesse and becoming fools for Christ exposing themselves for Truths ' sake as Signs and laughing stocks to an Adulterous Generation be the Characters of such men as the Scripture calls Swine then that House and Family of the Quakers is become a Hog-stie But unless turning and tearing and renting and trampling under feet when Pearls and holy things are held out to them and devouring and hurting to death and tying Maids Arm to Arm together and tumbling them into Graves and dirting them and dragging them into Pools and setting them on their Heads with their heels upwards and Pumping well-nigh stifling them Mocking Stoning Scourging putting poor innocent Strangers that came in love to Truth and them into Cages and out of their Coasts and haling the Quakers out of their own quiet Meetings by the hair of their Heads and breaking the Doors to pieces and Windows where Quakers meet and carrying away the Keys and knocking tenters in the key-holes pulling up part of the houses squeezing them in their passing to and fro between the doors turning up the forms and seats where they sit and like wild Horses and Colts riding upon the backs of men and women and smoaking their Roomes with Gun-powder Squibs and stamping rudely like Tavern-hunters in their Holy meetings and crying out give us Beer and Tobacco and Wenches and Whores and bringing in strong Beer and drinking to them and for refusing to pledge throwing it on their Cloaths and Bands and powring it down their Necks and singing Bawdy Songs and Cursing and Sweating and such things as would be counted as favouring more of Bedlams and Swine then Saints if Quakers should ever have done so in their Masse-Houses and obscaene Carriage toward Women puffing and blowing with Tobacco-pipes in their Mouths raising Doctrines and Uses and Points about Coblers and Tinkers and Tobit and his Dog offering to put their hands under Womens Aprons asking if the Spirit was not there and many more such filthy stinking sordid actions as Hooting Yelling Laughing any thing to hinder the Hearing of what was spoken of Truth drawing some into Colledges and there most unseemly and inhumanly abusing them and this not only Tolerated and Connived at by Officers that should have punish'd it but also Countenanced too much in part by some of them I say Unlesse these boarish bruitish Gestures Cum muliis aliis qua nunc praescribere longum est be the behaviour of Christs Sheep then for all the uncessant pains of Interpreting of the Scripture at the Well-head of Religion and for all I. O's saying That if what we see and daily hear would sway us we would be ashamed to deny the fruit of Expoundings of the Scripture to be best where they are most Expounded as they are pro forma in the Universities as fair and far from it as they seem to be to themselves they look more like Hog-styes to the view of men after Gods heart and the Children of these Mothers more like Herds of Swine then the Places and Persons of the people called Quakers do among whom there 's not such a busling and such a businesse about mens Books in order to it nor such Clamorous noises about Opening the Scriptures as is among the Scribes that are Strangers to them but the words of the wise even of Wisdom it self Christ Iesus are heard in quiet by them that are Wise more then the Cry of him that Ruleth among Fools And as for what Fruits of saving Knowledge of God and Righteousnesse and Holinesse of Truth are abounding in most Academies Towns Cities and Places in all the Reformed parts of Christendom more or better then is to be seen among Turks and Heathens unlesse Couzening Cheating Lying Drunkennesse and some such like as abound more among Christians then Turks that never talk out of the Scripture be
did to the Thessalonians 2. Thes 2. by word or Epistle and if I. O. will have it so that t was by a former Epistle then he serves me against T. D. and himself more than himself against me acknowledging the first Epistle of Paul to Corinth which he wrote before the first of the two we have and mentions 1. Cor. 5. to be Authentick and Canonical and so that a whole Canonical Epistle of that holy Apostle and that 's more than a Tittle or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is utterly lost The Fifth viz. Math. 28.20 Teaching them to observe whatever I command you and so I am with you alway even to the end of the world which way I. O. can from thence conclude a promise for every Tittle of inspired Scripture to be preserved for ever entire without losse or alteration I see not but I see one thing that if I. O. hobble but upon a Text of Scripture he thinks at a venture it must serve his Turn about the entirenesse and integrity of the Text and its Tittles though there be no mention of Scripture made at all in it for here 's none in this in which Christ bids them Teach the Nations to observe what he commanded them and that they did he promised then to be with them alway to the end of the world as he was and is ever with his people by his light word they being turned to it themselves but what 's all this to the Tittles of Hebrew and Greek Texts unlesse I. O. say they are the Christ that he meant when he laid I will be with you never did I see men in two Books so miserably wrest and mis-interpret Scripture on pretence of vindicating Scripture as T. D. and I. O. do Yea I. O. there is scarce any or but very few of all the Scriptures thou quotest in all thy Books but thou pervertest them more or lesse as T. D. does the most if not all he meddles with whether about the Scripture or the word or foundation or Rule or what ever else And as for these five last examined if thou hadst not sent me to them to that end I should as soon of my self have gone to seek a Dolphin in the woods as lookt into any one of them to find God promising in his love to his Church and Word and in order to the preserving of them both to be carefull to set his providence so on work as to lay the Transcribers of the Scriptures in the Hebrew and Greek Tongues but not the Translaâ—ors of them into other tongues in which yet his care and Love to his Church though not to the Clergy that trade out of their Original Texts would as much appear and his Truth and most mens souls are as much concerned and more too then in Hebrew and Greek Texts if the Scripture were the onely way to life under his loving aspect so as to see they should not misse nor falsifie in a Tittle though he would leave Translators out of the lists of that loving aspect to erre and corrupt as much as they would for howbeit I ken not the mystery of I. O's mind in this nor any Reason why if God love his Church and Word he should not in his care to preserve both oversee with a loving Aspect that Translators should not mis-translate as well as Transcribers not mis-transcribe yet I. O. allowes the loving Aspect of God to Transcribers but whether God himself do so or no I dare not say denying that great favour as in which his Church is much concerned as in the other to Translators for p. 334. speaking of the Chaldee Paraphrase he sayes thus viz. Seeing it hath not lain under any peculiar care and mercifull providence of God whether innumerable other faults be not get into it and errours not to be discovered by any varieties of Copies as it is happened with the Sepmagint who can tell No promise nor providence nor mercy nor loving aspect to the poor peoples Scripture still which is that of Translation onely for they cannot read Hebrew and Greek their part may go whither it will God looks not after it but such darlings do our Doctors and Clergy men deem themselves to be with God that his love care oversight promise providence and all is towards every Tittle of their Transcripts that they may trade with their Text and mete out what they will to men for money from it should any Qua. make such mad conclusions their Books would be good enough to be burned and thou I. O wouldst Iudge them no better Egregiam vero laudem spolia ampla refertis Tuque liberque tuus magnum memorabile nomen Having foild the Front-Guard of that Ragged Rout the Rest that have far lesse Reason in them if lesse can be are soon Routed Arg. the Second is the Religious care of the Church not of the Romish Synagogue sayst thou to whom these Oracles of God were committed Rep. What Church then if not the Remish Synagogue hath had that Commission of the Scriptures to her and that Religious care thou here talkst on to keep every Tittle of the Text entire without losse or change I do not say that the now Romane Harlot hath now or ever had in her Apostatical slate such a Commission of the Scripture to her as she pretends to as if they were the onely Trustees to whose care and custody the Text was committed of God for as to their proud prate and peculiar claim to such a preheminent power to be keepers and preservers of the Scripture I deny it nay with thy self in the 2.3.4.5 pages of thy Epistle I disown and damn their deceitfull pretence to such a trust reposed in them and if they had enjoy'd any such they have as thou sayest truly manifested a treacherous mind and falsified their Trust egregiously and so cannot stand in Judgement if called to account upon their own principles having indeed so far as they have had to do with the Scriptures altered added detracted depraved vitiated interpolated and done what not to corrupt them during the long time of their Dominus fac-totum-ship in whole Christendom about Scripture and every thing else ad extra that had any pretence toward the Truth and while the Scripture of the Old but the New Testament more specially seeing the Iewes reject it lay lockt up from all the Laity within the lines of her conclavical clerical Conemunication for though de jure they ought not so to have impropriated it but were Arrogant usurpers in so doing yet that de facto they had the grand Custody of that ye call your Canon and changed it as they pleased I should judge thee more silly then I am willing to do if thou shouldst deny it there being no visibly constituted Christian Church as to outward Order in all Europe that was other then a member of that blind Babylonish Body for at least a thousand years together But if that Church had not as I say
in Ezras dayes was by thy own confession much corrupted so not a little of iâ— was lost altogether But to knock this Argument more fully on the head thy self confessest that as great as the care of Ezra was to restore the Text of the old Testament to its purity and to compleat the Points it hath since then slipt so far out of order that as to the Points according to the Iewes general faith it received a great reviving and restoration to their Right and knowledge by the Massorites when they had been much dis used quoting R. Azarias in proof of it p. 247.271 and so hast routed thy own Argument with thy own hands Arg. thy Ninth is this the care of the Massorites from Ezras dayes and downwards to keep perfect and give an account of every syllable in the Scripture citing Buxtorfius Rep. Here thou supposest thou puttest in sufficient security for its non-alteration in a Tittle to this day but of the Massorites care if I doubt thy Word and Buxtorfs are not a ground to beget a divine faith in me or another about it who are bold in imposing your own Conjectures but if I own them to have been as carefull as thou conceivest them to be yet in the dayes of those before Ezra who were as careful as these could be it came not-off without losse much lesse is it likely it did to this day if those Massorites before Christ had been ten times more careful then they were forasmuch as thou rendrest both Iewes and Papists between which two sorts of men the Hebrew Text hath been reserved to this day both of them generations of men so hardned in hatred against the truth as not to be worthy to be counted faithful Trustees about the Scriptures besides as I said to the Argument last above thy self grantest the points so have been dis used so as to have been rectified by the Tiberian Massorite 600 years since Christ. Arg. thy Tenth is the constant consent of all Copies in the world so that on sundry learned men have observed there is not in the whole Mishna Gemara or either Talihud any one place of Scripture found otherwise read then it is now in our Copies Reply 1. What a piece of Idem per Idem is this wherein the self same thing that is to be proved is Argumentatively urged in proof of it self the thing to be proved is that there is a constant consent in all the Copies of the Hebrew Text in the world so that there is no Copies read otherwise in any one place then ours or that do vary from ours in one Letter Apex Tittle or Iota to prove this the medium I. O. uses is this viz. the constant consent of all Copies in the world without any variation in any one place I say here is not so good as ignotum per aeque ignotum but Idem per Idem the same proved by the same the thing affirmed evinced by affirming it ore again Siccine di putant Academici nostrates many an acute Academian would answer no otherwise to this bald businesse then by telling the Doctor he is out and forgets what he hath in hand bidding him begin again but such a Coâ—ntrified Russet-Rabby as Dr. Featly sayes the Apron-Levites are and such a Rustick Respondent as I am must submit and take it as it comes without much talk lest I be talkt with for it therefore I shall do it so much honour as to put it up and to Reply to it and so passe it by and passe on 2. If there be and have been such an universal constant consent of all copies in the world and not so much as one Hebrew Copy read otherwise then in ours in any one place of the Bible for so large are thy words that thou art often fain to pinch them in again how is it that so many Copies are with Points and so many wholly without any punctation at all or if thou say all pointed Copies are alike among themselves and all unpointed ones are alike among themselves how is it that thou to the contradicting thy self in this place confessest various readings in many other yet the very three next pages viz. 178. 179. 183. are well nigh wholly spent in nothing but concessions confessions and acknowledgements that there are and have been various lections in the very old Testament as well as the New and there thou grantest that some of those that are thou knowest no more of viz. the various readings of the Eastern and Western Iewes save that they first appeared it appears then there are some in Bombergius his Bible professing thy present ignorance of them and unwillingnesse for hasts sake to enquire after them yet wishing any that know ought of them to inform thee further but thou shouldst have informed thy self before thy rash and blind bold Assertion and not say a thing positively and then say had I wist and enquire when thou hast done whether it be so or no and moreover thou denyest not but that more various lections then yet thou knowest may be gathered out of ancient Copies of credit and esteem And thou instances in particular in those called the Keri and Ketib which thou makest such a puzling of thy self about up and down in thy Book that thou vainly spendest one whole Chapter viz the last save one of thy second Treatise to prove them to be of no moment which yet when all 's done are varieties from the first Manuscripts at least nemine contradicente though how they fell out at first none knows and thou guessest they were gathered by Ezra p. 302. and grantest that they are the face and appearance of various lections p. 304 and that they are no lesse in number then 840. in the Bible p. 296. and that thou art not able to satisfie thy self about the Original and spring of all that variety that is in the Bible by reason of them p. 301. and thâ—t unlesse ye should suppose which yet thou seemest not to dare to do that the word was so received foâ—m God as to make both necessary not knowing the true cause of this variety or difference between the Scription which is in the Love and the Lection which is in the margin ye have nothing to blame but your own ignorance 〈◊〉 being not the onely case and I confess thou speakest the Truth in that wherein ye have reason so to do p. 30â— all which notwithstanding 1-st the consideration of this To Keri and To Ketib or vast and numerous variety of different Scriptions and Lections which are welny in thousands of words whereof some of them in the margin are supposed to have stood sometimes in the line being most groundedly conjectured to be no other then meer Critical amendment of the Iewes should together with the supposition and suspicion that is now begotten in the minds of many learned ones impeach that security which thou supposest at least thou hast of the mind of God truly represented to thee in
contradicts himself ye are for all your siding to vindicate the same Points of false Doctrine against the Qua. so frequently sound contradicting each other that in order to the consutation of you both a man may finde contradiction enough either in each of your Writings within themselves or in the Writing of one of you unto the other and so 't is in this case for I.O. owns no other Principle or Foundation of discovery of Divine Truth then the Scriptures for the Faith to stand on p. 18. But thou ownest the Spirit to be the Principle of obedience 2. If the phrase denotes the Principle only and not the Rule as it does not for it denotes both yet the other places mentioned do denote more expresly the Light and Spirit and not the Letter to be the Rule which said Light and Spirit that is the Power of God to say the truth is both the Principle upon which all true Faith is founded and is to stand 1 Cor 2.5 in the movings of which obedience is to be acted and also the Rule according to which as it moves leads guides directs impowers and no otherwise all things that are at all are to be both done and believed And no less do all those phrases however denote viz Rom. 8. 1.4.5.13 Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit then a being taught led guided ruled directed by as well as moved acted and enabled from the Spirit so or so to believe or do for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Praeposition though join'd with the Genitive signifies contra against as Gal. 5. The flesh lusteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against the Spirit yet with the accusative is secundum after according to so that the Light and Spirit of Christ within is not onely the Foundation upon which the Principle from which but also that in which the Standard Measure Guide and Rule of direction by after or according to which the Saints are to walk believe and do whatever they do in order to their pleasing of God and standing uncondemned in his sight And no less then so doth Phil. 3.16 import where Paul to the Saints at Philippi with the Bishop and Deacons according to their several statures and degrees of growth in the Light and Spirit of Christ wishes all that were perfect as every one is that is faithful to his own measure to be so minded as himself yet leaving every one to believe and judge by his own measure of Light not binding any one to his till God himself should reveal things as he knew them to those that were yet otherwise minded Neverthelesse quoth he whereunto we have already attained let us walk or steere our course by the same Rule let us mind the same thing Which same Rule or same thing that he wills all though their measures of Light may be different to mind and walk by He that shall dream it to be the Letter of the Scripture without and not the inward Light Grace and Spirit of Christ a measure and manifestation of which is according to the measure of the gift of Christ distributing to every one severally as he will to some more some less some one some two yet to every one one talent at least given to every man to profit withall to improve trade with and thrive by Matth. 25.15 Rom. 12.3.6 1 Cor. 12. 7.11 Eph. 4.7 8. compared with Psal. 68.18 Gifts to the Rebellious also 1 Pet. 4.10 11. I shall deem him to be more deservedly denominated a Doter then a Doctor in Divinity or a true Teacher of the things of God and the Gospel seeing the so-call'd Scripture-Rule or Canon so much counted on as that no other neither inward light nor Word nor Revelations of the Spirit Post completum ejus Canonem as J.O. sayes are at all to be admitted to the Name Title Honour and Authority of a Rule to the Church according to J. O's and T. D's Principles was not yet bounded nor compleated nor come to its full Coronation Canonization Consecration and Consignation by any Clerical Convocation of Divines as it did afterwards while Paul wrote thus to the Philippians there being more of his own and other holy men's Writings penned after this besides the Revelation of John which J.O. on his own head p. 18. calls the Close of the immediate Revelation of Gods will in that way of Writing And whether the Philippians had seen any Scripture at all much lesse any of the Books ye call the New-Testament more then this that Paul now wrote when he wrote this to them unless it may be conjectured from Ph. 3.1 that he himself wrote to them before to the same purpose as now and therefore sayes to write the same things to you is safe for you is questionable and more then J.O. and T.D. with both their heads laid together are able to prove therefore the same Rule he bids them all walk by according to their respective measures and the same thing he bids them mind was not the Scripture but the Light and Spirit which having reveal'd something to them would as they walked perfectly by the Rule thereof reveal all things to them in due time that he knew and they were ignorant of For though the Rule appointed design'd and authoriz'd by God for all men to mind as one man and to walk by from the beginning of the World to this day is but one i. e. the Light Word and Spirit in the heart and conscience yet the Degrees in which it is dispenced are different and every one that is found faithful in the improvement of what is committed to him be it little or more is crowned with the just account of Faithfulness V prightnesse and Perfection and title to the joy and right to have more committed to him Yea as if any man walk up to what he hath already attained to the understanding of the same shall have more abundance If any will do his will saith Christ i.e. so far as he knows the same shall know of the Doctrines that are taught whether they are of God or whether the Teachers thereof speak of themselve Joh. 7.15.16 Such shall discern and distinguish and see and grow into the Spirit of Iudgement and of a sound mind and into a cleare sight of the mind of God who manifests himself to such as he does not to the world who receive not the Spirit of Truth which he gives to all in some measure to convince them of sin righteousnesse and judgement and so to guide them out of sin but that some resist him but to such as own truth as receive him and love and come to the Light which â—evil ones hate loving flesh and darknesse more then it because it reproves their ill deeds that their deeds may be manifested more and more and come to be wrought in God he leads into all truth while such proud Pharisaical Praters as Vniversity-bred Schollars stubborn Students and rebellious Rabbies Scripture-searching
the perfection of which say they stands in no other thing than in sufficiency to effect its proper end which is with them the most perfect instruction of men in the knowledg and worâ—hip of God so that they may obtain eternal salvation witness I.O. whose Kâ—unds and Contradictions to himself in that point I shal here see down in his own words Englished which were written by him in Latine J.O. God the Author of the Scripture being the most perfect Agent must necessarily act for some end therefore in the Declaratiâ—n of his wiâ—l in the Scripture 't is sure he had some propounded end but â—herâ—as the end is tâ—ofâ—ld â— Vâ—timaâ—e and â—emoâ—e 2. Next and immediate we state the ultimate supream and general end to be his own glory The immediate or next end of his giving the Scriptureâ— and so of the Scriptures themselves we conâ—end to be our direction in the knowledge of God and obedience to be yeelded to him that at length we doing his will may obtain eternal salvation and the enjoyment of himself for this is the end of the worker and of the work What God intends by the Scriptures that they to wiâ— morally and in the way of operation proper to them dâ— effect But when aâ— the perfection of every Discipline consists in relation to its end and that is to be held perfect wâ—ich is sufficent to its next end but that imperfect which cannot obtain it propâ—sed end the perfection of the Scriptures can consist in no other thing then in its sufficiency in respect to its proper end which is the instruction of men in the knowledge and worship of God that they may attain eternal salvation In this sense therefore we assert the Scripture to be the most perfect Rule of the whole worship of God and oâ—r obedience Reply Whether â—â—ere be not a more perfect way of our instructâ—on in the saving knowledge of God then the Scripture appears elsewhere where I shew no saving knowledge of God comes any way but the inward Revelation of himself in us by his Light and Spirit Here only obseâ—ve I O. confusiâ—ns and confutation of himself in this above by that which follows when the Quae. say the Scripture is perfect to its own proper end and its end being obtained it ceases Then quoth he It s most false that the Scripture obtains it whole end in respect of us while we are in the world therefore till heaven and earth pass away not one jâ—t or tittle of the Law i.e. Letter with him shall fail for not only the begetting of faith but also the building up in it while we live here is the end of the Scripture So then its end which is begetting to and building up in the faith is not effected by it here is it then in the world to comes 〈◊〉 no neither quoth he in the self-same Section the use of the Scripture shâ—â—â— cease then being accomodated only to our present state and faith also as founded on it â—â—â—ll be done aâ—ay Ex 3. s. 39. Here then is the round I.O. makes with a Cris-cross in the middle of it viz. The perfection of the Scripture which we plead and affirm and of every thing else is its sufficiency and efficacy to accomplish its own proper immediate end and what ever doth not so is imperfect The immediate end of the Scripture is its direction instruction of men in the saving knowledge of God his will worship their obedience and duty to him the ingeneration of faith and edification up in it to salvation This whole end of the Scripture its most false to affirm that it accomplishes till the world to come it must do it in this world or in the world to come in this world it cannot possibly do it for perfection in the faith in holiness freedom from sin here is not attainable in the world to come it cannot possibly for there both the Scripture it self and also the faith it seâ—f that is founded on it will cease to be of any use at all being of use only here â—nd shall be both done away Verbum sat sapients insipienti plura plus satis Never did I see such Rounds and crosses and confusions and contradictions such self-confutations and Net-works and Checker-work and Webs and Snares as I.O. makes and hangs hampered in himself when he hath done made and woven among any but our wofully benighted Divines all whose works are done in the darke Isa. 29.15 in all my dayes before Is the Scripture then the Power of God to salvation able mighty effectual available to its end that is to save the soul as I.O. sayes it is no quoth I.O. it is not it s most false to say it doth or can avail to its end in this world in the world to come its of no force so if it be the power of God as I.O. affirms it over and over again it is it must be in some world that is past away or some new found world or other for he himself sayes its neither in this present world nor that to come neither now nor hereafter neither here nor there But alas as the world it self wherein he fancies such a thing to be is none knows where but a meer Chimaera of his own coining hatcht no where but in his own head the Shop where and whence many more such like toyes are shapen sold and uttered among such as having sold the truth are willing rather to trade in utter untruths then in nothing at all and not receiving the love of the truth that they might be saved but taking pleasure in unrighteousness more then it are given over to strong delusion to beleeve lyes that they may be damned For seriously that the Letter or Scripture is the power of God to salvation or that Word of God which brings forth any good fruit to perfection among either the Seedsmen the Ministers of the Letter that sow nothing but their own senses and thoughts upon it or in the stony thorny common high-way ground of Parish peoples hearts in which they sow the Letter mingled with their own chaffy cogitations saying Hear the word of the Lord when yet they confess themselves neve heard his voice This however ye imagine Oh ye power less profitless Prophets is a meer no such matter for that is the Word or Seed that is sown by the Supreme Sowes the Son of Man himself in the same Field or World of mens hearts in which the World is where the Devil in the dark night while men sleep and watch not to the light sows Tares among the good Seed which where it lights on honest hearts that hear and heed the Word patiently continuing in the keeping of it brings forth abundantly in some Thirty some Sixty some â—n Hundred fold Indeed the Letter the Text or Scripture declares and bears witness to the Word which is absolutely necessary effectual perfect to the ends aforesaid which is the power of God
from it plead for it are proud of it yea who more busie about the Bible and in a more uncessant search of endless scraping for more the Scriptures then licentious luxurious lascivious ambitious unrighteous murderous envious maliciou lying persecuting Schollers and Bible-binders that hate light which reproves their evill deeds which those that love truth in the inward parts love and come to yea our professing Christians that say they are the Iews and are not but do lye and are the Synagogue of Satan are Iews in this pâ—iâ—t at least of searching Scripture and looking into the Letter for life which testifie of Christ as the life to whom they will not come in his own light that they may have it and of talking from the Letter of Christ the Son of God yet refusing to hear his voice when hee speaks to them in their own hearts and thereby leaves them without cloak for their sin and seeing and hating both Christ and his Father in the light that shews them as much as Christ and his children hate the Devil and his deeds Finally as the Text sayes every evill doer in the world hates the light but there are millions of evill doers that neither love nor hate the Letter nor the Bible which they never so much as saw or heard of therefore the Letter cannot be the light here spoken of men cannot hate that they have no way heard of as neither can they love or desire it for there is no odium toward that at all which is no way known at all neither savingly nor otherwise as there is ignoti null a cupido A word lastly to 2 Pet. 1.19 and then I have done at present with I. Os. whole dozen of his own chusing which agree altogether as one to give their Iudgement or juridical verdit against him As to this Text therefore which with the 20 and 21. vers is no less then nine or ten times over rehearsed one where or others in thy book I have had it so often under my eye that I have hardly forbore so long from talking with thee about it and there is yet a place behinde whereunto I thought I might have reserved the examination of it it being there urged with two more in the way thou callest Inartificial â—in proof of the Scriptures being the Word of God p. 65 66. But now I shall here consider it whilst it s under my hand where it s urged in vindication of the Letter to bee the Light which Letter if it be the Light there spoken of then I will yeeld it to be the Word of God there spoken of also for I shall grant its both of these if either and if it be not both thou must needs grant its neither the verse runs thus But we have a more sure word of Propesie or Prophetical word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which ye do well to give heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts And the two that follow it thus for no Prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation for the Prophesie came not at any time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Spirit Rep. Thy often repetition of this Scripture upon every occasion imports the great stress thou puttest upon it and how great store thou settest by it as to the proof of the Scriptures being the Word of Prophesie and the light shining in the dark place of mens hearts here mentioned which Text with the Context both which thou improvest to the uttermost will sâ—rve us rather to reprove thy ignorance of Gods Word by and to prove thy heart to bee still a dark place then serve thee from which to prove the Scripture to bee the Word of God or to be the light here said to shine in the dark place there spoken of which is the heart Exitus acta probat From this Text considered together with the Context thou confidently concludest assertest and insistest on five things 1. That all the Scripture Letter or Writing in the original Texts of it which is now bound up in your Bibles and commonly called the Scriptures was written at fiâ—st by holy men as they were acted in it by the immediate inspiration of the Spirit of God and this I shall neither deny nor put thee to prove though if I should I see where thou wouldest falter and be foundred in it but to let that pass here this I am sure enough of that this place proves no such matter as that as t is above laid down neither in Terminis nor by Consequence for though it sayes holy men of God spake of old i.e. Prophesied as moved by the holy Spirit yet it from thence follows not that all that ever holy men of God wrote in point of History Chronicle c nor Prophesie neither was written by the same immmediate impulse of the Spirit on the spirits of the Penmen of all that is there for some was written from the mouth of such as were inspired by the hands of others that were not the men inspired nor moved to give forth the burden of the word of Prophesie that was on them as Baruch wrote from Ieremies mouth Tertius from Pauls and so others what they spake and was written by and from them was one thing and the Writing or Scripture of that true Word is another which yet I own to bee of God as far as ye can from it or any other rationally assert the Text to be even in matter of Chronicle or Story wherein men may possibly write true Scriptures of things done in their times and times before them from Records and other principles without that immediate inspiration or dictation of every Iota or Tittle to them as thou Tatlest somewhere from the holy Spirit of God And lest thou shouldest not take this for truth to me who am here in contest with thee being prejudiced against me hear what thy felâ—ow-fighter against the Qua. T.D. sayes for I can almost at any time as Paul did the Pharisees and Sadduces who when they were both upon the back of him threw a bone that set them together by the ears between themselves and so save himself add his testimony to the truth from them both Act. 23.6 7 8 9 10. set our Stribes Pharsees and Seducers at oddes within themselves and send them to learn the truth we tell and they will not take from us from the testimony of one another which T.D. saith it follows not that because Books are the Books of Prophets therefore they are divinely inspired for they might as well write from their own spirits or upon human credit as sometimes speak from their own spirits p 43. of his 1. Pamph. 2. That none of all the Scripture Letter or Writing aforesaid is of private interpretation that iâ— neither to be interpreted as meer private mens Writings written as other mens are
good and Gods divine Attributes are things of God and the Spirit or else neither I nor those who wrote the Scripture neither know what the things of God and the Spirit are for they tell us that our duties of Love Ioy Peace Meekness Long suffering Temperance Patience and such like are the fruits of the Spirit and that not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh in the sins of adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness hatred wrath strife envy drunkenness revellings and such like works of it is the fruit effect and issue of walking in the Spirit and if these Love c. be not things of the Spirit excuse me if I say the Spirit which moved them to write that Gal. 5. knew not his own things himself and if ye say that Gods Divine Attributes Mercy Iustice Iudgements Truth Holiness are none of his things excuse me also if I favour not foolish fancies so far as to spend time pains and paper to prove they are to them which is so clear that 't were as idle a thing to make clearer then it is as 't were to light a candle to shew a blind man qui ad sâ—lem caecutire vult that the Sun shines And that the light doth manifest not only sins and duties but the said Divine Attributes also as we have had T.Ds. witness against him so let us take I. Os. testimony against himself too and then we shall be pretty well as to that Which I.O. preaches it out in print in two Tongues lest one should not be loud enough in English thus p. 42.43.45.46.47 by the innate light of Nature so he calls it and principles of the Consciences of men that indispensible moral obedience which he requireth of us his creatures subject to his Law is made known by the Light that God hath indelibly implanted in the minds of men accompanied with a moral instinct of good and evil seconded by that self-judgement which he hath placed in us in reference to his own over us doth he reveal himself to the sons of men the Voice of God in Nature so he calls it declares it self to be from God by its own Light and Authority there 's no need to convince a man by substantial witnesses that what his conscience speaks it speaks from God whether it bear testimony to the Being Righteousness Power Omniscience or Holiness of God himself or whether it call for that moral obedience which is eternally and indispensably due to him and so shews forth the work of the Law in the heart c. Those common notions are in laid in the natures of men by the hand of God to this end that they may make a Revelation of him as to the purposes mentioned and are able to plead their own Divine Original Mark of Divine Original here in-laid by Gods hand yet anon flowing ex principis naturae without the least strength or assistance from without and in Latine Ex. 4. S. 14. Non tantum multae Coinat Ennâ—iai c. Englished thus Not only many common notions and principles of Truth abide fixed in the understanding by the efficacie of which men may discern some divine things and discern between good and evil but also by the help of the Conscience take heed to themselves as concerning many duties with respect had to the Iudgement of God which they know they are liable to Moreover this Light in all at years of understanding by the consideration of the works of God Creation and Providence manifesting his Eternal Power and Godhead and in some by the Word preached may be improved and confirmed but how far this Light can direct stir up and provoke mens minds to yield obedience to God and they by it be left without excuse it pertains not to this place more precisely to discuss One of the main things pertaining to this point about the Light to be discussed among the rest yet I. O. I believe was afraid to thrust his fingers too far into the fire here for fear lest prâ—ying too narrowly how far the efficacy of this Light extends he should being forced to see somwhat that he is loath to see both looâ—e his cause and open his conscience too wide and therefore would wade no further there I need not open it to him that is not defective in his naturals how in all this as if not more abundantly then T. D. in that above I. O. confesses and witnesses to the truth of the first part of my minor Proposition viz. that the Light in the Conscience of all as heeded gives the knowledge of those things of God and his Spirit which the Spirit of God only knows searches and shews and reveals to such as wait in his Light to have the mind of Christ manifested in them therein which the natural man by a natural light cannot so know and diâ—cern Only Ob. If it be objected those are the deep things of God there spoken of 1 Cor. 2. which your Light in the Conscience of all is too shallow to search out yea the glorious things of the Gospel it self the mystery of which T.D. who knows it not yet himself for want of turning to it sayes by that Light within All know not and the natural man discerns not Answ. That the natural man which is he that leans to the Letter and his own understanding and looks not to the Lord in his own Light and Spirit in the heart as spiritual men do and in the doing of which men of natural become more and more spiritual de facto discerns no otherwise then naturally not savingly and spiritually I still grant but a non esse ad non posse still nil valet Our question is how far that Light heeded avails that way which I affirm is so far that according to the measure of it in men and their attendance to it it leads gradually as the Light and Spirit and anointing of God is said to do such as abide in it as it in them into all truth the knowledge of the very deep things of God and the Gospel a dim shallow sight of which it gives to such as turn to the least beam of it in them E. G. the Iudgements of God are one of the deep things of God thy Iudgements are a great deep Rom. 11.33 His Judgements and the wayes of it and Wisdome of God therein are a depth O the depthâ—hewr unsâ—archable his Iudgements his wayes past finding out No natural man by the improvement of his natural understanding in reading the Letter can know them Israel did not who had the Iudgements and the Statutes in the Letter for want of looking to the Light and Spirit any more excepting the few spiritual ones and children of the Light that were ever hated among them nay nor so much as many Heathens that had and heeded the Law or Light in the Conscience yet had no Law in the Letter but were more sottish stupid fearless of God ignorant and prophane then the Heathen among whom the
for not coming from under the old which they were left lockt up from coming out of and so hereby ye make God like some merciless mocking Tyrant thaâ— calls to another tyed to a post Come hither with sooming pretences and promises of great matters which he swears also he restly would have him have if he will come and yet he will not loose him when 't is in his power to loose him and yet at last too because he comes not at his â—all pretending for no other thing then that or else he desired not his death but had rather he should have come enjoyed the good things he hold out to him comes in wrath on the said lockt-up-man and knocks him on the head for his refusing before ever it was tryed by any liberty or ability given him whether he would come yea or nay Hereby ye make God a Lyar again on that ye draw down damnation on â—â—ost of Adam Sons for their Fathers fault while they yet are innocent in their own persons for all personal transgression ye say Is the punishment entail'd on it and consecutive of the Original sin when yet God hath long since said The son shall not bear the fathers sin whiles not actually succeeding him in the same and that Proverb be used no more in Israel of the childs teeth edged by the fathers eating four grapes but that soul that sins only it shall die Ier. 31.29 30 31. Ezek. 18.19 20. and every soul for his own iniquity only and not anothers under the new Covenant or Gospel for that was of Old and concerning temporal things signifying how the seed of the righteous that succeed one another in righteousness are all blessed and the whole seed of the wicked cursed that succeed one another not in a way of fleshly generation but spiritual sinful degeneration in wickedness and blood And so the blood of righteous Abel and his seed to this day shall be required at the hands of Cain and his seed that hath shed it in this very Generation Ye use to say the Qua. condemn all but themselves who condemn only in order to mens being saved But how do ye draw down to condemnation irresistably before they are born All but your selves i.e. a few Elect and chosen Ones and such Saints as ye are your selves that never mean to leave sinning for how can you when ye believe ye cannot so long as ye live in this world Hereby ye shew your selves the Niggards and Churls that would sain be called bountiful and liberal too and yet make empty the souls ye would seem to fill and cause the drink ye call the thirsty to to fail from their throats and so bring Tantatalus his condemnation on them as I said above before their time Hereby ye shew your selves to be the narrow-mouth'd Old Bottles that have none of the new Wine in them but are pouring out for money to men such soure Vinegar and Wine of Sodom as ye have to fell to the setting of the teeth of God and good men on edge with your cut-throat Gospel which to the whole World to which Gods Grace and Gospel is to be preached and to most of them ye preach your so call'd Gospel to also hath a thousand fold more condemnation judgement and remediless wrath and misery in it then it hath of Salvation Grace good News glad Tidings to All or tender Mercy to every man in it to whom you tender it in which Attribute of Mercy yet ye say your selves God desires more to be known by to the whole World of mankind if man himself hinder not himself from the Sight and fruition thereof then by all his Attributes besides When the wide-mouth'd Qua. as you call them truly in one sense though scoffingly in your own are those liberal Ones that lay not the large Love of God up into a little nook as ye do but lay it forth in truth at large as it is and while you Churls are evil toward them for it working iniquity in your hearts and practising hypocrisie delight in and devise the liberal things by which liberal things they shall stand I say Are ye not ashamed thus to confound and contradict your selves as ye do upon your Principles and to bely God and mock men as from him and make as if he meant not as he said and make him who was not so bad to Pharoah himself as to burden and heighten him to destruction till Pharaoh had hardened himself for though God did harden him and said he would yet it was on the account of his seeing how he would first rebell or swell in pride against him as he had done all his life before even worse then Pharoah himself whom he destroyed for so doing that punisht men for not making brick without straw by how much Pharoah shewed himself but like himself from the first but God as ye represent God as walking under a cloak among men makes men if your doctrine is to be believed believe he loves them and truly wishes well to them All and yet within himself though outwardly saying he would not they should perish conditionally they be willing to come to him for life wills absolutely unavoidably the remedilesse destruction of a thousand to one of them Are ye not ashamed to make God not only tyrannical but hypocritical and as dissembling as your selves And not meaning truly as he sayes but meaning a few only when he sayes All to say that by every man he means some few seeming Saints only such as your selves and that his meaning cannot be as his words import and that Christ may be mistaken if his words be taken in the ordinary literal sense of them as if there were no hold to what he sayes And to say that Gods love is large to All and yet that under no consideration he hath vouchsafed saving Light saving Grace to All but only such a common Grace as shall inevitably serve to damn them more then if he had never given it and then if Christ had never come into the world and the Gospel had never been preached and Salvation never tendred to them but in no wise be sufficient to help them Are ye not ashamed to force maintenance from men as ye do to maintain you in your mock ministry and for running on such a sleeveless errand as this is to most men from God to all men and to bear your charges to the overcharging of a sinking Nation for your sakes in your Message of contradictions lies and utter impossibilities for so it is on pain of condemnation to call All to come to Christ for Salvation and to believe it every man for himself that Christ died for him is tendered truly sincerely from God to him and in particular each is to believe him as his Lord and Saviour or perish and thae he is now freely proffered and as truly and unfeignedly offered from God to him as he did once offer himself to God for him as his Ransome as
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
which yet ye count an unalterable Rule is variable alterable flexible at Criticks wills by the changing of some one point or Hebrew Letter alike in sound or shape no less then eight several wayes in that one very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and some of those as countradictory each to other as Life to Death as is shewed more at large above besides all various Lections that are risen by I. Os. confession from the actual mistakes of them it Transcribers But the Light however men run out into various conceits and imaginations about this or that which and what is or is not agreeable to it is inviolably the same for ever the Councell and foundation of God which is Christs Light in the heart the Rock of ages stands sure let the drunkards of Ephraim rock and reel too and fro or ramble about and run out whether they will after their own councells and inventions Reas. The 3 and 4 are both of one unlearned leven and coincident with what 's urg'd above viz. if the light within men were a safe guide and ride then 't were unnecessary unsafe and foolish for men to seek councell of others each might be guided by his lightâ— also then the meetings of Quakers to consult about and 〈◊〉 in Commuâ—â—on to Teach each other or to Communicate revelations is needless and vain sith each may guide himself That 's done in vaâ—â— by more which may be done by 〈◊〉 c. Rep. Frustra sit per pâ—ara quod porest fleri tâ—m bene per pauciora that 's done in vain by more that may be done as well by lesse Is true but what may be done better by more then fewer is not in vain and therefore as vis unita fortior is true among Schollars so in the multitude of councellors there 's in many cases so much the more safety is as true among Christians yet it proves not but that there 's also security to assurance enough wheee every one attends to that of God within himself Therefore it 's neither unsafe nor foolish as ye foolâ—shly affirm but may be both safe and profitable for so the Apostles and Elders did of old Act. 15. Who yet in all were guided by the Spirit to meet together in councell but it s in no wise so absolutely necessary as ye make it to seek for other Teachings then that of the Light and Spirit of God within in order to each mans holy living much lesse such as is given out in your Synods where ye teach Gods worship and fear after your own thoughts and traditions yea to such as are turn'd to the Spirits teaching 't is said ye need not that any man teach you save as the same anointing teacheth you of all things which is truth no lye and if we do hear men speak that are moved by the Spirit it s not in vain it being all one whether that holy Spirit speak in me or in another to me we still own no other teaching but that of the anointing and so the Apostles though met in councell yet concluded no other things to be imposed on men then what seemed good to them and the holy Spirit which taught them and impos'd not as ye do what seems good to your selves who deny also the guidance of that infallible Spirit to be present in the world at this day Reas. 5. Then it s in vain to desire and expect revelations and discoveries which they had not before sith they have the light within of themselves Therefore when they compose themselves to their quaking fits that they may have some word of the Lord to speak to people what 's this but an hypocriticall devise blasphemous false and unrighteous or else needless Sith they have a light within them sufficient to guide them without other revelation Rep. This is nothing but an addition to these mens many lyes for which they must know part in the laâ—â— and blasphemâ—us reproachâ—s of the Qua. Who own no such thing as a light in men that is of themselves but that only which is though in them yet of God As for composing of themselves to quaking fits Hypocriticall devices and pretences of new revelations and much more such like Riff-raff as is reckon'd to them in this 5th Reason the Qua. deny them who expect no other then true revelations of that old true Gospell in that way of waiting on God in that true old Light R. B. and I. Ts. Title Page pretends to exalt but their book ignorantly and impiously depresses as new light and darknesse in which true old light â—f God in the heart it was ever revealed from faith to faith to the Just who lived by faith in that light before the letter was Reas. 6. By ascâ—ibing so much to the light within them Satan hath advantage to draw men to hoâ—â—id acts sith what ever he can imprint on them as their light they must receive it without any examination and obey it Rep. What silly stuff is this As if because Satan may transform himselfe as an Angell of Light in mens hearts to decieve them if they look not well to the true light of God that shines therein and receive not the truth told by it in the love thereof Therefore there 's no true light there shining As if because there 's much errour and many lyes that the Father of lyes and Ruler of the darkness seeks to beguile by and does beguile unstable soules by Therefore there 's no truth to be beguiled from and to be sâ—aid upon Scilicet sic aiunt praedicâ—nt clamitant non probant Reas. 7. Then he that 's counted unlearned and foolish if he follow his own light doth as well as he that 's never so wise and learned whereas Solomon tells Eccl. 2.13 14. That wisdome excells folly as far as light excells darkness Rep. Why not He that 's counted unlearn'd and foolish by the wise men of this world who follow the foolishnesse of their own fleshly fancies whose wisdom is foolishness with God if he follow the light of God doth not only as well but a thousand-sold better then such wise and learned as abovesaid and the wisdome of these that are fools with you excelleth your seeming wisdome in which ye are acting real folly as far as light excelleth darkness by all which wisdome of your own ye cannot discern so much as your own Scipture which tells you of a way which is called the way of holiness in which the unclean cannot walk though never so worldly wise yet the way-faring man that walks in it though a fool shall not erre therein Isa. 35.8 Reas. 8. Then the Phylosophers Light was sufficient to guide them for surely they had as much Light without the Scripture as any and did improve it to the utmost and the Jewish Rabbins besides the natural light in them did by the study of the Law and Traditions of Elders endeavour to attain the knowledge of God to whom yet Christ was foolishness
to pay his Creditor 20l. should never pay it him upon the pretence of an impossibility to perform his promise if he do once pay the mony I must ever owe him the monâ—y and stand engaged to endeavour to pay it therefore unlesse I make my selfe uncapable of performing my promise which I am alwayes mindfull of performing I must never actually pay it But now as to T. D's place who would it seems willingly be alwayes in Gods debt during his life but never come out of it till after death ever owing so much love as fulfills the Law but never practising it so as to fulfill the Law I must arrest him for all his shift and deny the minor of his Argument We are not required to be alwayes doing or endeavoring to suppre is and mortify sin so as never to bring the work to accomplishment in th ss life but once to effect it before we dye for As they are blamed that are over learning and never able to come to the knowledg of the Truth So are they as little accepted that are allwayes seeking to God dayly in pretence as a Nation that had a mind to do Righteousness asking of him the Ordinances of Iustice seeming to take delight in approaching to God that they might know his wayes alwayes when the appointed time comes Fasting and Praying humbling and afflicting their Souls for a day and hanging down their heads as a Bullrush thinking that to be a Fast of the Lords chusing and the acceptable day of the Lord yet never loosing the bands of wickednesse nor undoing the heavy burden nor breaking every yoak nor letting the oppressed Seed of God in their own hearts nor without neither go free ever and anon fasting for sin never from it ever reforming never reformed ever running never obtaining alwayes making a shew of mortifying sin never making any true effectuall mortification of it ever warring never overcoming nor quenching the fiery darts of the wicked nor dislodging the vain thoughts that are in them nor coming to the end of the Commandement which is love from a pure heart good conscience and faith unfamed allwayes beating the aire but never keeping under the body nor bringing it into subjection to the power of Truth ever owing that love which works no ill but fulfills the Law never performing any thing but that hatred which breaks the law debtors alwayes to the Spirit but living after the flesh and never by the Spirit mortifying the deeds of the body that they may live to God such sluggardly wishers and wouldens and seekers and respecters and pretenders and striuers and runners fighters reformers and mortifiers will be cast away at length for all their constant endeavours sith they do not so much as look to overtake what they run after nor reach the high prize they professe to presse to in this life which if they do not themselves say also t is to late to effect and obtaine it after death But Qui cupit optatam cursu contingere metam Multa tulit fecitque puer sintavit alsit 'T is good for a man to bear Christs Yoak in his youth sith the Soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing but the Soul of the diligent shall be made far As for the residue of T. Ds. reply to the argument above as some of it has bin toucht on before so what was not is scarce worth mentioning He tells us v. 6. which talks of respect to all Gods Commands explaines all the other Rep. T. D. sayes so but wher 's his proof beside if it be so a true real respect though such a slender one as he rests in does not stands in a due and true observation of them is he worthy to be respected as a true respecter of Gods Commandements that breaks them T.D. David excludes himself from the blessed Estate if undefiled and doing no iniquity be meant strictly here sith his wish v. 5. and other passages shew he was not free from sin which surely David did not intend because Psal. 32.2.5 he pronounces blessednesse to the man in whose Spirit is no guile who is sincere as himself was at that time though then under the guilt as is supposed by interpreters of his great sin of murder and adultery for which Psal. 51. was composed Rep. 1st some of this dirty stuff I spoke to but a little before the falsehood of which is evident for whereas the Scripture sayes David was not upright in the matter of Uriah T.D. sayes yea he was sincere and had no guile in his Spirit when under the guilt of those great sins 2d as to the rest what if David did exclude himself If he were under those great evills he might well exclude himself from the blessednesse of sincere ones till he came into the sense of Gods Love again to repentance while he pronounced the undefiled ones blessed that did no such iniquity he had reason to take the curse as his own portion to himself and to cry out of himself Talaiporos Anthroyos O wretched man that I am more deservedly then Paul who though in zeal of God shedding blood yet was 't is like never such a deep Adulterer and deliberate Murderer as David was in Vriahs case and as God said to Israel Hos 9.1 so might David say to himself rejoyce not thou as other honest people for thou aâ—t gone a who â—ing from thy God and if that were his case as thou intimatest it was wherein he was so desperately defiled with filth and blind he might well exclude himself from it having no reason to take to himself the blessing of the undefiled or whether he excluded himself or no from it this I am sure for all thy foolish dreams about Davids good Condition Iustification Blessednesse and Vprightness whilst under the guilt of those sordid Iniquities that the Scripture excludes him in that case so far from blessednesse that it concludes him neither upright as thou simply dost not so much as a respecter of Gods Commands which at least thou dorest he was even when he called that all abomination whiles thou Judg him as Indeed thou doest to have respect to Gods commandments that despises both God and him for 2 Sam. 12. as much as thou smoothest over those abominable businesses the better to sooth thy self and some sinful Saints like thy self in your lusts and iniquities as no more then Saints infirmities who have respect to all Gods Commandemets in respect of design and indeavour though falling short in accomplishing yet when Nathan came to him well-nigh a year after he had lyen in that dirty pickle in impenitency under the guilt of those gross impieties he is so far from sowing pillows and daubing with such untempered morter as thou dost and from including him in the lists of sincerity and owning him as one that had respect to all Gods Commands that he convinces him of his wicked hypocrisies and condemns him as one that had despised both God himself and