house as Moses and if such a course had been necessary for the preservation of his Church surely he would not have with-held it But Christ overcomes the Devils kingdom by his spirit by that he wins souls and gathers into and builds up his Church and by that he is able to defend them By his spirit he preacheth the truth and soweth the seed of the kingdome and by his spirit he upholds and maintains it This is his way of overcoming all the mists of darknesse and false doctrines and not a Magistrates sword The weapons of our warfare saith the Apostle are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds 2 Cor. 10.4 Are there strong holds of darkness are there false doctrines broached against the truths of Christ Who are the warriers against these Are they the civil state the Magistrate the earthly powers or are they the Ministers and servants of Christ And what are the weapons that are mighty to overthrow these Are they Stocks Whips Prisons cutting off of ears banishment death or are they of a spiritual nature The spiritual weapons are sanctified by God to this end and are mighty through him able to effect it throughly whereas the carnal weapons are weak and unsanctified and can reach only the carnal part but the strong hold remains untouched by these And it is only the carnal part which desires to have the use of such carnal weapons in the Church the spiritual man would conquer by his own weapon or not at all Christ came not to destroy mens lives nor never gave order to have men killed about his truths If his People be disobedient and broach doctrines never so contrary and destructive to his kingdom he hath a spiritual way of fighting with them now and hath appointed his servants to have his mighty spiritual weapons in a readinesse for the revenging every disobedience 2 Cor. 10.6 and he hath likewise a time of dealing with them hereafter but he hath no where appointed that his subjects if they could get the command of the sword in a Nation or Country should kill such Abundance of blood hath been shed upon this pretence which the Lord will make inquisition for it would at length be seriously inquired into what truth there is in this bloody doctrine for under this cover all the persecutions and sheddings of the Saints blood shelter themselves O consider at length how cruel and bloody men have made the Gospel of peace by this principle and what an advantage it gives to the carnal part in those that are persecuted if once they can get the command of the outward sword to forget their own sufferings and suddainly turn persecutors of such as differ from them though upon as weighty grounds if not more weighty than they differed from others upon But this they that are uppermost will not yield to that the grounds of such as differ from them are sufficient even as those that they differed from would not yield that their grounds were sufficient Thus still they whose arguments go forth under the shelter or by the command of the present authority they are looked upon as most weighty and the others cause is trampled upon though never so just innocent upright and weighty in it self and the meek of the earth the humble-hearted the tender-conscienced towards God they are still made the offenders and sufferers and their enemies are still made their Judges I do think these of New-England would have once thought it hard measure that the Conformists whom they differed from should have been the Judges whether their grounds were sufficient or no and yet they ever since they have had the power in their hands have taken upon them to be the judges of the sufficiency of the grounds of such as differ from them and have as freely condemned all that differed from them and been as sore a curb upon the tender conscience as ever the Bishops were So that it is plain that which they sought was their own liberty they did not like to be oppressed and inthralled contrary to their judgments but not the liberty of the tender conscience towards God but rather the yoaking inthralling of it to their judgments and arguments and interpretations of Scripture which he that differs from must be an offender with them even as they were once accounted offenders for differing from the Conformists and so are all become transgressors of the Law of God in doing that to others which they would not that others should do to them 2. It is requisite also to make manifest that the Doctrine of this sort of people is destructive to the fundamental truths of Religion For if it be not so then they are injured and mis-represented and both their banishment and death and all other punishments inflicted upon them on this account will prove to have been unjust There are four instances given or four particular fundamentals mentioned to which their Doctrines are said to be destructive First the sacred Trinity Secondly the person of Christ Thirdly the holy Scriptures as a perfect rule of faith and life Fourthly the doctrine of perfection Now for the making the thing clear and manifest to every sober mind it is requisite first to consider what the Quakers hold in these several particulars and then whether that which they hold in these respects be contrary to the truth of these things as they are plainly related in the Scriptures for if that which they hold be according to the naked voyce and proper intent of the Scriptures then they are not to be blamed but the blame will light on their accusers who might easily be found guilty of injuring both them and the Scriptures both in these and many other things were they not Judges 1. Concerning the sacred Trinity They generally both in their speakings and in their writings set their seal to the truth of that Scripture 1 John 5.7 That there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Spirit That these three are distinct as three several beings or persons this they read not but in the same place they read that they are one And thus they believe their being to be one their life one their light one their wisdome one their power one and he that knoweth and seeth any one of them knoweth and seeth them all according to that saying of Christs to Philip He that hath seen me hath seen the Father John 14.9 Three there are and yet one thus they have read in the Scripture and this they testifie they have had truly opened to them by that very Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures in so much as they certainly know it to be true and own the thing from their very hearts But as for this title of Sacred Trinity they find it not in Scripture and they look upon Scripture-words as fittest to express Scripture-things by And surely if a man mean the same thing as the Scripture means the same
of Moses and the Prophets was not the law of the Children of the new covenant as such not in the time of the old covenant The law of Moses was the rule of their outward state it was the rule of the outward Israel but not the rule of the inward Israel no not then in those dayes In Deut. 29.1 Moses makes a Covenant with Israel by express command from God besides the former covenant which he made with them in Horeb. And he saith the commandment of this Covenant is not to be looked for where the other was written but in another place in a place neerer to them even in ther mouth and in their heart there they were to read hear and receive the commandment of this covenant For this commandement which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off Deut. 30.11 it not in heaven ve 12. neither is it beyond the sea ver 13. but the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayst do it ver 14. and this was the way of life then ver 15. see saith Moses I have set before thee this day life and good and death and evil Here thy eternal happiness depends obey this word and live disobey it and die And if they had kept to this word they would also have walked in obedience to the Law but neglecting this they could never keep the Law but still came under the curse of it and missed of the blessings They thought to please God with sacrifices and oyle and incense and observing new Moons and Sabbaths wherein the Lord still rejected them for want of their obedience to this word and the Prophets still guide them to this word bidding them circumcise their hearts which alone can be done by this word and wash away the evil of their doings which alone can be done by this water Yea after much contest between the Lord and them when they seemed very desirous to please the Lord with what he should require whether burnt offerings calves rams or oyl in great plenty the Prophet laies by all that and points them to the obedience of this word as the way to please God and as the only thing that he required of them He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God Micah 6.8 All this is written in thy heart man read there obey that word that is the thing that God requires So Davids Law was the word written in his heart he saw through sacrifices and burnt offerings to the inward writing and this made him wiser than all his teachers who were busied about the outward The outward Law was but a shadow of good things to come it made nothing perfect but David knew a perfect law The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psal 19.7 3. The Scriptures of the New-Testament never call themseves the rule but they call another thing the rule they call the writings of Gods spirit in the hearts of his people the Laws of the new Covenant Heb. 8.10 they call Christ the way the truth the life John 14.6 the way is the rule the truth is the rule the life is the rule they call the new creature the rule walking according to which the peace and mercy is received and injoyed Gal. 6.16 they refer to the comforter as the guide into all truth John 16.13 yea as the compass of all truth wherein the believer is to have his whole life and course Gal. 5.25 live in the spirit walke in the spirit follow the spirit keep within that compass and ye connot err A man may err in understanding and interpreting of Scriptures but he that hath received the spirit knoweth the spirit followeth the spirit keepeth to the spirit so far as he doth so cannot possibly err So saith Iohn writing concerning seducers warning against them 1 Iohn 2.26 Ye have received an anointing which teacheth you of all things keep to the teachings of that in every thing and ye are safe But may we not be deceived Nay the annointing keeps from all the deceit in the heart and from all the deceits of seducers it is truth and no lie ver 27. and it leads into all truth and our of every lie And this will teach you to abide in him In whom in the word which was from the beginning which is ingrafted into the heart of the believer and into which the heart of the believer is ingrafted and so he truly is in the vine and the sap of the vine runs up into him which makes him fruitful to God he abiding in the word which he hath heard from the beginning and the word which was from the beginning abiding in him ver 24. And the Apostle Paul saith expresly that the righteousness of faith cometh by the hearing of this word making the same word the rule to the children of the new covenant now as Moses said was the commandement of God to them then quoting this place of Moses for it Rom. 10 6. c. So that Paul indeed taught nothing but Moses and the Prophets pointing to the very same word and commandement of eternal life as Moses had done That is the word of faith which we preach that word which Moses taught which he said was nigh in the heart and in the mouth no man need ascend up to heaven or go down to the deep or seek any where else for it that 's the very thing we point you to that 's the word of faith that 's the commandement of life And with what zeal would Paul were he now alive in the body declare against such who should over-look or deny this word and set up his writing with the writings of the rest of the Apostles for a rule instead thereof yea I could shew yet further how the spirit of prophecy or testimony of Jesus or living appearance of God in the heart hath been a rule to the witnesses against Antichrists deceit all along the night of Apostacy Rev. 11.3 and 19.10 though they themselves being in the night distinctly knew not what was their rule but by a secret breath of life were quickned guided preserved and in it accepted but these things will open of themselves as the mist is expelled and the vail rent which hath over-spread all Nations and covered professors generally in this night of Antichristian darkness and universal apostacy from the living power 2. Consider whether the Scripture be your rule or no that is whether in singleness of heart ye wait on the Lord to open the Scriptures to you by his spirit and to keep out your carnal reason from thence which cannot understand them but will be wresting them and making them speak as it would have them or whether ye take scope to search into them with that part which ever was shut out from the right knowledge of
ruined by any appearance of God nay nor by any appearance of the powers of darkness against God for the gates of Hell cannot prevail against the true Church And there is great advantage of errors heresies to the true Church for the life grows and gets ground by a fair tryal overcoming of them and the approved are thereby made manifest 1 Cor. 11.19 Now what kind of Church is yours which is in such danger of being ruined by that whereby the true Church was advantaged So that to plead that either you must suffer your Religion your souls your liberties to be made a prey of or take this course to defend them is very inconsequent and a strong argument against you that yours is not the truth which needs such a defence as the truth hath not been used to have but hath grown up been preserved and thriven not only without it but against the strength and force of it So likewise those considerations of the Shepherds defending the flock from Wolves and of the keeper of the vineyards maintaining the hedg against wild beasts c. are not proper to the thing in hand for the spiritual sheep the soul the liberty of the Church the true Religion the true vineyard are not outward nor to be defended after an outward manner but the defence is according to the nature of the thing which is to be defended To trust or look after an outward power for defending these is to betray the faith which is the sheild Therefore let them consider whether in looking out too much at these they have not lost the true weapon and the sight of the true thing which is to be defended which the arme of the Lord alone gathers and the arme of the Lord alone preserves This argument is yet further pressed from the present state of your own people too many of them being perillously disposed as ye say to receive their doctrine being already too much disaffected if not enemies to order c. Answ Alas alas have you had your order your Church government so long up and are the multitude among you yet so ready to be shaken Behold what a weak unstable settlement ye have attained to all this time by your outward force But search honestly and see who they are that are so ready to be shaken Are they the discontented and unconscionable multitude as ye speak or are they the most simple hearted most conscientious and zealous towards God amongst you for it is experienced here in Old England that the ground they gain is not upon the unconscionable but the conscientious If it be these that are somewhat touched with the sence of their doctrine it may make you fear that there is more of God therein than you are aware of Therefore do not proceed to argue thus violently against a thing before ye have tryed it but come to a deep serious inward consideration of the thing between God and your own souls not in the pride loftiness and self willedness but in the honesty humility and meekness of your Spirits and then perhaps ye may see beauty and the life of your souls in that which ye now so revile and persecute And though ye matter not how ye imagine and speak all manner of evil falsely against us yet do not also wrong the best among your selves by tearming them discontented and unconscionable because their Spirits are not hardened by your form but yet retain some tenderness towards God his truths and people But why do ye charge following the light within so deeply as to be a giving up of mens selves to their own inclinations and that it immediately canonizeth them for Saints dischargeth them from subjection both Civil and Sacred and from the Scriptures as the rule of life and by vertue of this their Saint-ship intitles them to the estates and dignities of all who are not of their minds c. Answ Surely if ye were guided by the light within ye would be preserved from such kind of injuriousness both to persons and principles Are your tongues and pens your own at liberty to speak and write any thing that will make for your advantage how manifestly false soever If it were but a natural light yet being of God it would not deserve this deep blame Have ye ever tryed it as we have done if not why do ye speak so against it before ye have tryed it We can upon much experience testifie that it is against our inclinations that it discovers them calls from them and is a daily cross to them upon following whereof we feel the bitter dying of the earthly part and the inclinations thereof pining away And from true subjection to that which truly is of God it never discharges but leads to obedience to what is lawfully commmanded by authority to patient suffering under what is unlawfully inflicted And as for the Scriptures it opens them in the life which gave them forth it fulfils them in us it makes them our own it makes us able to set our seal to the truth of them in the sight of God and to receive that for the rule which the Scriptures say is the rule the living word Christ the living way the word in the mouth and in the heart Rom. 10. the law in the mind the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus which is the word ingrafted into their hearts who are created anew in Christ And this is the honour which we give to the Scriptures namely to receive that which they testifie of to live and walk in that spirit which they call to us to live and walk in to take heed of painting the old nature and letting the old spirit live upon its imaginations which it gathers out of the Scriptures reading them in the oldness of the letter and not in the newness of the Spirit And we profess nakedly that we believe the truth of God not meerly because the Scripture hath said it for that which is out of the truth may thus believe but also because in coming to the thing and receiving the truth as it is in Jesus we have found it to be just as the Scriptures speak of it But what do ye speak as if following the light did intitle men to the estates and dignities of all who are not of their mind Nay the light teacheth not to covet not to desire earthly dignities or estates Let it be looked at over Old England which of us so much as mind these things Nay the Lord knows that the love of these things is daily rooted out of our hearts more and more and we are a people whom the World cannot charge with covetousness or love of the World wherewith all sorts of professors hitherto have been too justly chargeable O Rulers of New-England why do ye thus overturn the cause of the innocent if we were a bad people yet to lay things so notoriously false to our charge and to charge that principle in us with it which
that will rest upon the persecutors though they use never so much art to make the Lambs appear guilty and themselves guiltless Their Spirit Nature manner of fighting which is with Lamb-like weapons which hurt not flesh and blood their whole course and conversation and manner of suffering c. manifests them to be Lambs this is of much more force than a bare saying they are Lambs None of this is mentioned on their behalf but only that they say they are Lambs But let us see how fairly that is overthrown Against this that place John 5.31 is alledged If I bear witness of my self my witness is not true whereupon it is said thus Had not Christ been God the reason of the Jews had been good against him Answ Doth not the Spirit of God dwell in the Sons of God and doth not the spirit of God bear witness in them that they are his Children and is not this witness true Iohn saith We know that we are of God 1 Ioh. 5.19 Was not this witness true in John because John was not God Was not the Prophets testimony true that they were his Prophets and that God had sent them and that it was his message which they brought because they were not God Shall the spirit of God work wonders in the heart and shall he not testifie concerning his own work at his pleasure Ah friends how do ye understand Scriptures and raise inferences from it thus to condemn the generation of the righteous Search the Scriptures do not the Prophets still testifie that the Lord sent them and that it was his word which they spake though they themselves were not God but persons moved by the spirit of God who stirred in his servants under the Law but dwelleth resteth and abideth in his people under the Gospel and what he testifieth is true though fleshly wise Israel who seem to themselves very skilful in the Law and letter of the Scriptures could not receive his testimony either then or now Ah friends ye had need take heed and consider lest the bastardly birth in you hath taken up an habitation in the letter without knowing the mind of the spirit whose presence killeth the carnal part and shutteth out the wisdome of the flesh from medling with the Scriptures And whereas you seem to refer all to the tryal of the Scripture both station doctrine and practise surely if ye had done so in truth ye would have more patiently heard their testimony according to the Scriptures Every man pretendeth Scripture but none truly honour it but they who are guided by that spirit which it testifieth of And they who are not guided by that spirit walk not according to the Scriptures but according to reasonings of the fleshly part which windeth it self into the letter of the Scriptures that by some kind of conformity thereto it may avoid the dint of the spirit And this is the way of Antichrists revilings by getting the form crying up that winding his own fleshly spirit into that and sheltering it self under that Thus the Jews cryed up the Temple of the Lord the Sabbath the Law of Moses and writings of the Prophets and under this cover with great zeal persecuted Christ he was looked upon as a blasphemer as one against Gods Temple his Sabbath his Ordinances c. And since the daies of Christ the Antichristian spirit speaks great words of Christ his Death Resurrection Ascention Intercession c. and of Church-order and discipline that under this cover it may fight against the comforter the spirit of truth who alone can lead into truth and which is the proper way of Gods Ministration since Christs ascention And this hath been the way of opposing truth ever since and still is and here is the Antichrist he that holds these in the wrong part and by these fights against the true spirit But if there be any truth in this that ye are willing to be tryed by the Scriptures let it yet come to a fair tryal this way and let them have free liberty to manifest among you what they have to say from the Scriptures why your Church your Ministry your order and government your whole way of teaching and worship is not of God nor according to the Scriptures but an invention and imitation set up in the way of resemblance of what once was truly so If this cannot be made good against you ye will have much advantage of shaming them and of setling your people much firmer than by prisons whips cutting off of eares banishment and death which no mans heart seriously considering it in true soberness can possibly believe to be the proper engines of setling or preserving the Gospel of peace But that the Scripture is the rule of tryal under the Gospel I read not in Scripture but that the things of the spirit are to be known in by the spirit 1 Cor. 2.12 The Apostle John speaking of Antichrists seducers and erring spirits which were to be tryed doth not bid them try them by the words which he wrote or by the other Apostles words or by the Prophets words but by the anointing which keeping close to they need fear no seducers 1 John 2.26 27. The word which was in the beginning being received abode in and kept close to tries all words and spirits That which begets to God is the spirit the great gift which is given to him which is begotten is the spirit and this being given is to become the fountaine of life to the believer John 7.38 And in this spring of life he is to live and receive milk and knowledg and here he is to walk and here he is to try all other waters even by this water And this is more to a believer and more enableth him to try than all the words of truth that ever were written though he that hath this cannot despise or undervalue any thing that the spirit ever wrote but yet the spirit it self is more to him and more certain then any words concerning the spirit Men may make false glosses and mudd and make void the Scriptures by their reasonings and interpretations and traditional apprehensions but this water ever runs fresh clear no foul spirit can defile it Moses gave the Law which directed to and ended in Christ Christ in the flesh finished the work which the Father gave him to do and directed to the comforter to be the leader into all truth yea the spring of life to the believer and here the believer is safe but the Antichristian spirit ravening from this cries up the letter in the stead of this and doth not see how the letter points to and centers in this God hath made us able Ministers of the new Testament saith the Apostle not of the letter but of the spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 he overlooked the letter that was not the thing he was chiefly to minister but the spirit the power to turn men from darkness to light that they might feel him that is
case of return is well known in these parts but what induced them hereunto what just Grounds and Reasons they had for it many are not acquainted with but are very much dissatisfied concerning their proceedings therein fearing that they have dishonoured God brought a reproach upon the Name of Christ and his Gospel exceeded the limits of their power given an ill example of Persecution laid a foundation of hardening their hearts against God and of drawing his heavy wrath upon them all which they cannot but be deeply guilty of in case it should be proved that they have been mistaken and that these People upon a further search should appear to them to be of God as they already have to very many who have been exceedingly prejudiced against them till they came more meekly to hear and consider their case For there are many here in Old England and in other parts who once reviled reproached and thought they could hardly do bad enough against them who now in the singleness of their hearts can bless God for raising up such a People and that they themselves were not cut off in their blind zeal against them but in the rich mercy of God had a way made for the removing of their prejudices and hard thoughts and for the opening of their eyes whereby they came to see that these are indeed a pretious people of God begotten brought forth and guided by his power and that it is his living truth which they in obedience to his living power are drawn to bear witness to and to hold forth unto the World And one such testimony for them is of more weight and value in a true ballance than thousands of testimonies against them from such who are prejudiced and have not patience to consider things in equity and uprightness of heart and also whose interest lies another way Now meeting of late with a paper beginning thus At a general Ceurt held at Boston 〈◊〉 18th October 1659. wherein by way of preface there is first an account given of what induced them to make this law of banishment and death and then grounds and considerations laid down to clear it to be warrantable and just it was upon my heart to consider and examine these to see whether they did arise from the seed of God and from the true knowledge of the Scriptures by his spirit and so were weighty to the conscience which singly waits upon God for satisfaction about truth or whether they did arise from the fleshly part and from fleshly reasonings upon Scriptures and so were but chaffy and not able to satisfie the weighty considering spirit as in the sight of God And this I was the more induced to do because I found bowels rowling in me towards them and a sense of what might easily be their snare which hath overtaken and intangled many for many who have blamed others severely and really thought how well they themselves would have amended things if ever they came into place and power yet have failed and run into the very same errour when they have come to the tryal So these persons when they were formerly persecuted in England no doubt but thought and intended if ever they came to be free from it to lay a foundation against it yet when they come to the point and feel their condition changed in so much as it was now in their hand to determine what was the way of worship Church-government and order there lay a great temptation before them to set up what they judged to be right and to force all others to a conformity to it Yea now was their great danger and time to beware lest the same persecuting spirit did get up in them which their being persecuted was a proper means to keep down And if so if the same spirit which persecuted them got up in them then they who were once persecuted could not possibly forbear persecuting for that spirit will persecute wherever it gets up And having laid its foundation of persecution under a plausible cover then by degrees it more and more vails the eye hardens the heart and takes away the tenderness which was in the persons before while they themselves were persecuted Now I cannot but pitty those that fall into any snare of the enemy especially those who are taken in so great a snare and come to so great a loss of their tenderness towards God his truths and people and run so great an hazard and danger of the loss of their souls The Grounds or Causes expressed of their making that Law of Banishment are in substance these three 1. The coming of the Quakers from forraign parts and from other Colonies at sundry times and in several companies and numbers into the jurisdiction of the Massathusets Answ This of it self is far from any warrant for the Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof and though they laim a propriety in it yet it is still more the Lords than theirs and he may send any of his servants into it at his pleasure upon what message or service it seemeth good unto him So that the great question to be determined here is this Whether these persons came from the Lord in his will and at his appointment or whether they came of themselves and in their own wills For if they came by commission and appointment from the Lord of Heaven and Earth their warrant was without doubt sufficient but if they came in their own wills and upon their own designs then they went out of the Lords counsel and protection and must bear their own burthen Now consider whether ye were tender in the due weighing of this before your imprisoning and dealing hardly with them for if at their first coming ye imprisoned them and engaged your selves against them ye thereby made your selves unfit for an equal consideration of the cause and God might justly then leave your eyes to be closed and your hearts hardned against his truths and people for beginning with them so harshly and unrighteously and not in his fear 2. Those lesser punishments of the house of correction and imprisonment for a time having been inflicted on some of them but not sufficing to deter and keep them away Why do ye omit cutting off of ears are ye ashamed to mention that amongst the rest indeed the remembrance of it strikes upon the Spirits of people here and perhaps in New-England also Answ They that are sent by the Lord and go in the guidance of his spirit cannot be deterred from obedience to him in his service and work either by lesser or greater punishments Punishments deter the evil doer but he that doth well is not afraid of being punished but is taught and made willing and inabled to suffer for righteousness sake Phil. 1.29 And ye will find your greater punishments as ineffectual to obtain your end as your lesser For they whose lives in the power of God are sacrificed up to the will of God are no more afraid of death
the laws of the one were written outwardly in tables of stone the laws of the other were to be written in the heart That is the book wherein the laws of the new covenant were promised to be written and there they are to be read So that he that will read and obey the Laws of the covenant of life must look for them in that book wherein God hath promised to write them for though in other books he may read some outward descriptions of the thing yet here alone can he read the thing it self Christ is the way the truth and the life What is a Christians rule is not the way of God his rule is not Gods truth his rule and is not the truth in Jesus where it is taught and to be heard and to be received even as it is in Jesus Ephes 4.21 Is not he the King the Priest the Prophet the Sacrifice the Altar the way to God the truth of God the life it self the living path out of Death yea all in all to the believer whose eye is opened to behold him The Scriptures testifie of Christ but they are not Christ they also testifie of truth and are a true testimony but the truth it self is in Jesus who by his living spirit writes it in the heart which he hath made living And so a Christians life is in the Spirit if we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 The whole life and course of a Christian is in the volumn of that book as the Lord opens the leaves of it in him The gift of God the measure of faith given him by God that 's his rule that 's his rule of knowledge of prophesying of obedience Heb. 11. Rom. 1.4 and 12.6 if he keep there if he walk according to the proportion of it he errs not but out of the faith in the the error in all he knows in all he believes in all he does The new Creature that which God hath new created in the heart in which life breaths and nothing but life breaths which is taught by God and true to God from its very infancy that 's his rule whereby he is to walk the Apostle expresly calls it so Gal. 6.15 16. That which is begotten by God is a Son and the Son as he is begotten by the breath of the Spirit so he is preserved and led by the same breath and such as are so led are Sons and none else for it is not reading of Scriptures and gathering rules out thence that makes a Son but the receiving of the spirit and the being led by the Spirit Rom. 8.14 15. And being the whole worship of the Gospel is in the Spirit there is a necessity of receiving that in the first place and then in it the soul learns to know and wait for its breathings and movings and follows on towards the Lord in them The Spirit cannot be with-held from breathing on that which he hath begotten and that breath is a guide a rule a way to that which it breatheth upon Now this is most manifest even from the Scriptures themselves they expresly calling Christ the way the truth c. the new creature the rule the faith grace or gift given to be the rule testifying the heart to be that which God hath chosen to write his laws in but where do they call themselves a perfect rule of faith and obedience They are they saith Christ which testifie of me and ye will not come to me that ye might have life Iâ—â— 5.39 40. Life cannot be received from the Scriptures but only from Christ the fountain thereof no more can the Scriptures give the rule but point to the fountain of the same life where alone the rule of life as the life it self can be received The Scriptures cannot ingraft into Christ nor give a living rule to him that is ingrafted but he that hath heard the Testimony of the Scriptures concerning Christ and hath come to him must abide in him and wait on him for the writing of the law of the Spirit of life in his heart and this will be his rule from the law of sin and death even unto the land of life Now if men have mistaken in the night of darkness and put the Scriptures out of their place even into the place of the Spirit and so have become Ministers not of the Spirit but of the letter whereas the Apostles were made able Ministers of the new Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 Let them not be offended at the Spirit of God for teaching us otherwise nor at us for learning as the Spirit of God hath taught us the Scriptures also testifying that this is the rule but no where setting up themselves for the rule And it is the same Spirit which would now fix men in the Scriptures to keep men from Christ the living rule and only way to life eternal as formerly kept men by traditions from the Scriptures though it is hard for them who are intangled in this deceit to see it Now for the proof of these things thus barely here charged the reader is referred to Mr. Norton's as they stile him Tractate against the Quakers Concerning the validity whereof I refer the Reader to Francis Howgils Answer thereto wishing him to read both in the fear and dread of the Almighty waiting for his counsel to guide him in the true discerning which of them savours of mans wisdome and which of them writes from acquaintance with the truth it self In which Answer of his he recites such errors of that Norton as would make a great sound against the Quakers if any such could justly be charged upon them I shall mention only two or three of them viz That God is a distinct Subsistence from the Son and Spirit and That the Son is a distinct Subsistence from the Father and the Spirit and because it is said the Father shall give you another Comforter this another he saith is intelligible of the Essence Are there then three distinct infinite Essences or Beings That the Spirit of God without the Letter is no Spirit He was before the Letter he was never limited to the Letter he will be after the Letter and he is what he is without the Letter That Christs words John 17.21 give an uncertain sound where have any of the Quakers cast such a blemish upon any portion of Scripture Surely this man had more need to seek to have his own vessel cleansed than to accuse others of Errors or Blasphemy And if he have no other way to overthrow them than by maintaining such kind of things as these against them he will never get victory over them any other wayes than by the outward sword but by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of his testimony and not loving their lives unto the death they will easily overcome all such kind of Champions 4. The fourth and last instance which they give of the
but of the World this seed the World hates and the vessels in whom it bubbles up and through whom it giveth forth its testimony against the World Object But in the new Testament Luke stiles Theophilus most excellent and Paul speaking to Festus said most noble Festus which are terms or expressions of honour and reverence Answ Christ did promise his Disciples and Ministers that he would be with them and give them what to say Now if nobility and true excellency did appear in any persons and he led them by his Spirit to acknowledge it this is no sufficient warrant for men to do the like in their own wills or to give such titles to persons being in authority whether they be such persons or no. Luke knew Theophilus to be excellent and he was led by the Spirit of God to stile him excellent for by the Spirit of God he wrote that Scripture Luke 1.3 wherein he so stiles him And for Festus he that shall strictly observe his carriage will find it to be very noble in that he would not be won by the importunity and informations of the high Priest and chief of the Jews and of the multitude also against Paul but applyed himself to an upright consideration of the cause Acts 25.2 24. to the end The same Spirit which shewed the unworthy carriage and ignobleness of the high Priest zealous professing Jews might move Paul to set this mark of honour upon Festus The Lord loveth truth in the heart and truth in words and the following of the guidance of his Spirit into truth but to give a man high titles meerly because he is great and high in the outward without discerning that he is such and without the leading of Gods Spirit so to do this is of the flesh according to the will of the flesh out of the faith and not according to truth and righteousness and in the fear of the Lord there is a watch set over our spirits in these things lest we should esteem and honour men according to the will of the flesh and not in the Lord. Titles of office or of relations as master father c. we find freedome to give but titles which tend towards flattery or exalting man out of his place and the lifting up of his heart above his brethren we have not freedome in the Lord to use and Eliah also found a restraint upon him in this respect Job 32.21 22. Object It is noted as a brand and reproach of false teachers that they despise dominion and speak evil of dignities 2 Pet. 2.10 and Jude 8. Now it is well known that the practise of the Quakers is but too like those false teachers c. Answ It were worth a narrow search and enquiry what the dominion and dignities or glories are which the false teachers speak evil of or blaspheme c. Search the Scriptures where do ye find the false teachers speaking evil of the earthly authorities nay they still cling close to them exalt them get them of their side and cry them up and will be sure enough never to fail in pleasing the Magistrate with cringing and bowing or any thing of that nature But there is the dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ in the heart there is the rule of his spirit over the fleshly part there is the truth in the inner man there are spiritual dignities or glories these the false teachers in all ages did despise and were not afraid to speak evil of though they should have feared to speak evil of the movings and guidings and lowest appearings of the spirit of God which excel in nature and worth the greatest earthly dignities yet they have not but have blasphemed the holy life and appearances of God in his people nay they have not spared his more eminent breakings forth in his very Prophets holy Apostles or Christ himself Mark what they spake evil of they spake evil of the things they knew not vers 10. What were the things they knew not The inward movings and vertue of his spirit the inward power life glory and dominion of truth in the heart they knew not it was against Christ in his people their evil deeds and hard speeches were vers 15. But as for the high and great ones the dominions and dignities of the earth they knew them well enough and did not speak evil of them but had their persons in admiration because of the advantage they had by them vers 16. They have alwayes had a double advantage from these both of gain to themselves and of overbearing the lambs of Christ by their great swelling words The Lord hath still so ordered it in his wisdome both before the coming of Christ at his coming and since that the false Prophets and Teachers should still have the advantage of the outward authorities and his people be a poor afflicted despised persecuted remnant whose glory is inward and cannot be discerned by the outward eye no not of Gods Israel See the dignities particularly expressed Revel 13.6 The name of God his holy power in his people the Tabernacle which is sanctified and made honourable for him by his spirit them that dwell in Heaven who are redeemed out of the earth and have their conversation above these are dignities which the earthly authorities nay the false teachers themselves never knew the worth of and so they are not afraid to blaspheme them The first beast on which the false church rode with the second beast which are of the very race of these false teachers making an image to the first beast because of advantage all join together in blaspheming these dignities Rev. 13. and chap. 17. To open this a little further John said in his days that it was then the last time For there were many Antichrists then come 1 Iohn 2.18 From whence came they They went out from us saith he but they were not of us ver 19. They were sensual they had not the spirit and so could not abide the presence life judgement and power of the spirit but seperated themselves Jude 19. But whither went they when they went out from the true Church why they went out into the world 1 Ioh. 4.2 They got the form of godliness which would stand well enough with the lusts ease of the flesh and went and preached up that in the world And now speaking the things of God in the worldly spirit the world could hear them v. 5. Thus having got a great party into the form of truth now they blaspheme the power now they mock at the movings of the spirit the leadings of the spirit the living name the true tabernacle the true inhabitants of heaven who have their conversation above in the heavenly nature in the heavenly principle in the pure spirit of life for as they are begotten by the spirit so they live in the spirit and walk in the spirit This the false teachers who have got the form of doctrine and the form of discipline
ye and be not afraid of their terror neither be troubled 1 Pet 3.14 and the Apostle Paul bids the Philippians stand fast in one Spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel and in nothing terrified by your adversaries which is to them an evident token of perdition but to you of salvation and that of God And the same Apostle who commended the Hebrews as having done well in bearing the great sight of afflictons encourages them to go on still and not be weary or faint in their minds but resist even to blood eyeing Christ who endured the contradiction of sinners to the very last Heb. 12.3 4. And he practised as he taught for he was not terrified with bonds or afflictions nor accounted his life dear unto him but that which was dear unto him was the serving of his Lord and Master in preaching and witnessing to his truths as his spirit led him Acts 20.23 24. trusting on the Lord to uphold him in enduring of them or to deliver him out of them as he pleased 2 Tim. 3.11 but that which he and the rest of the Apostles and Saints of Christ applyed themselves to in case of persecution was to suffer 1 Cor. 4.12 And whoever they are that will be Christs faithful Disciples now must look to meet with the same cross as they did not only from the prophane World but from the worldly professors also for there were not only zealous worldly professors in that age but the same spirit hath remained in every age since which still gets into the best form it can when need requires to oppose the power thereby And they that are in the Spirit and in the power must expect to be persecuted by such and they are to bear it and not to flie from it unless by a particular call and dispensation from the Lord for a particular service which is not the rule as it is here made but rather an exception from the rule So Christ sending his Disciples in hast to preach the Gospel bids them not salute in the way Luke 10.4 nor be stopped by persecution but hasten to publish the sound of Christs coming in the Cities of Israel for the harvest was great but the laborers few Mat. 9.37 and yet notwithstanding all the hast they could make they should not have gone over the Cities of Israel before the Son of man come Mat. 10.23 There is a time to suffer persecution and a time to flee from persecution and both these are to be known in the Lord and to be obeyed in the leadings of his Spirit but to lay it down as a general rule for Christians to observe that when they are persecuted they should flee this is expresly contrary to the Scriptures afore mentioned which shew that Christians are not generally to flee but to stand in the service and work to which they are called bearing witness not only by believing and publishing but also by suffering for the testimony of the truth They are Christs Souldiers and their duty is to stand in the battel and bear all the shot and persecutions of the enemy if God call them off to any other service that is a sufficient warrant for them but flying upon other termes may prove a great dishonour to their Master and to his cause and truth and may be the occasion of a great loss to their Spirits who are so tempted to flee Neither is this bearing the brunt of persecutions and standing in Gods work and service notwithstanding them all even unto death any tempting of God but an obedient taking up of the cross according to his will and command And whereas you plead that reason requires it what kind of reason is it which bids avoid the cross of Christ and flee for safety And what kind of Spirit is that which preacheth this Doctrine laying it down as a general rule for Christians to flee when they are persecuted Is it not that Spirit which fain would be at ease in the flesh in so much as it self will rather persecute than be disturbed of its fleshly liberty though its very unwilling to bear the reproach of being accounted a persecutor Ah how did the Jews cry out against their Fathers for killing the Prophets and verily thought if they had lived in their dayes they should by no means have done it and yet the same Spirit was in them though they saw it not but thought themselves far from it That which blinded them was a wrong knowledge of the Scriptures and a great zeal and devotion about their Temple worship and Ordinances without a sensible feeling of the guidance of Gods Spirit The same Spirit that deceived them layeth the same snare in these dayes and men swallow it as greedily with as great confidence as they did the zealous professors of religion for the generality still becoming persecutors of the present appearance of truth not knowing what they do Thus in the fear of the Lord God and in love to your souls with a meek and gentle spirit not being offended at what ye have done but looking over it to the Lord who bringeth glory to his name and advantage to his truth by the sufferings and death of his Saints have I answered your grounds and considerations and in the same fear love and meekness have I some things further to propose to your considerations which are of great concernment to you and deserve to be weighed by an equal hand in the equal ballance without prejudice or partiality 1. Consider meekly and humbly whether the Scriptures be the rule of the Children of the new covenant for if the Scripture was not intended by God for the rule and ye take it to be the rule then ye may easily mistake the way to eternal life and also err in your understanding and use of the Scriptures making such an use of them as they were never intended for and so missing of the true use and intent of them Now that the Scripture was not intended nor given forth by God to be the rule of the Children of the New Covenant besides our faithful Testimony from the sight of the thing in the true eternal light weigh our arguments from the Scripture many are mentioned in our writings consider at present of these three 1. The Scripture is an outward rule or law but the Scripture saith the law of the new covenant shall be an inward law It is written in the Prophets that all the Children of the new covenant or new Jerusalem shall be taught of the Lord Isa 54.13 who teacheth them inwardly by his Spirit and writeth his law in their hearts Jer. 31.33 34. and after this manner did the Lord take his people into covenant with himself and teach them in the Apostles dayes 1 John 2.27 The covenant is inward the teacher inward the writing inward the law inward and there it is to be read learned and known where the Spirit teacheth and writeth it 2. Scripture or the writings
them The natural man understandeth not the things of the spirit of God the spirit of the Lord alone understandeth the meaning of his own words and he alone gives the understanding of them which he gives not to the wise Searcher and Disputer nor to the prudent professor Mat. 11.25 but to the babe which he begets to which he gives the kingdom and opens the words which the Scripture speaks concerning the kingdome The wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God and if that search into the Scriptures it will gather only a knowledge suitable to its enmity Thus the Jews were great enemies and strong enemies by the knowledge which they had gathered out of the Scriptures written to them and the same spirit hath also wound it self into the Scriptures written since And as then that spirit fought against Christ and his Apostles with those very Scriptures which the spirit of Christ had formerly written so the same spirit fights now against the Lambs and witnesses of Christ with the Scriptures which were written since Yea the great strong hold of Antichrist at this day is Scripture interpreted by the fleshly wisdome for Antichrist comes not in a direct denial of Christ or Scriptures he is too cunning to be found there but bends them aside by the fleshly wisdom to serve the fleshly will and thus undermines the spirit and exalts the flesh by a fleshly understanding and interpretation of those very Scriptures which were written by the spirit against the flesh And through this mistake it is that some innocently cry up things practised at the first springing up of truth not seeing of what nature they were and upon what account they were done and what of them were cast off by the same spirit which before had led to the use of them though the Scripture expresly testifieth thereof For Rev. 11.1 2. there was the measuring of the building which Gods own spirit had built part whereof was reserved for God part given to the Gentiles or uncircumcised in heart who are now the Gentiles since the breaking down of the former distinction betwixt Jew and Gentile That which God reserved for himself was the Altar the Temple the worshippers therein all these are inward The outward Court was given to the Gentiles to those who would be worshippers under the Gospel and yet had not the circumcision of the Gospel to them the Court which is without the Temple is given and this they get and cry up and then tread under foot the Holy City trampling upon the inward and undervaluing it Christ within the Spirit within the Law within the power within becomes a reproach and this they have power to do even to keep down the inward and cry up the outward all the time of the forty two months and to persecute and slay the witnesses whom God raised up to testifie for the inward and against the outward as it is now in the Gentiles hands and made use of by them to keep down the inward and so the building being thus taken down the Church flies out of it into the wilderness where she had a place prepared of God for her Rev. 12.6 Mark she is not where she was before that building was measured taken down and disposed of by God but she hath been and is all the time of the 42. months or 1260 daies in another place prepared by the spirit of God for her whither she fled and where she was nourished from the face of the Serpent who was seeking after her and making war with the remnant of her seed ver 14. c. And they that seek for her now in her former building will miss of her and may meet with another woman which in several appearances and disguises and practising of ordinances appertaining to the outward Court blasphemes the holy City the true Temple Altar and Worshippers Happy is he that can read this for it is the mystery of this book sealed from all the Gentiles and Worshippers in the outward Court Many sorts cry up the Scriptures for their rule but which of them is taught by the spirit to keep the carnal part out of the Scriptures Which of them keeps out their own will and understanding receiving their knowledge of Scriptures from that Spirit which wrote them Do not men rather gather a knowledge in the flesh and then grow strong and wise and able to dispute and confident in their own way and become feirce despisers of those who cannot own their interpretation of these Scriptures and thus the mind of God the true meaning of the Scriptures is not their rule but an image which they have formed out of it a meaning which their wit hath strongly imagined and fenced with arguments and the real mind and intent of the spirit is hid from them So by this means many both deceive their own souls and help to deceive the souls of others missing of the plainness and simplicity of the spirit and gathering sences in the wit and subtilty of the fleshly part where the serpentine wisdom lodgeth and twines about the tree of knowledge Now what do these men do whom do they serve and whither do they run themselves and lead many other poor souls whom they pretend to be helpful to save 3. Consider whether ye did not flee from the Cross in your transplanting into New-England and so let up that part in you there which should have been kept down by the Cross here and gave advantage to that spirit to get ground in you which ye outwardly fled from The safety is in standing in Gods counsel in bearing the Cross in suffering for the testimony of his truth but if at any time there be a fleeing of the Cross whether the inward or the outward without Gods direction the evil Spirit is thereby let in his part strengthened and the life weakned That Spirit which would save it self from the cross is the same with that which would persecute that which will not save it self Mark how sharply Christ speaks to Peter upon this account when he would have tempted him to avoid the cross get thee behind me Satan thou art an offence unto me for thou savorest not the things of God c. Mat. 16.23 The seed offers up all to God in his service will suffer any thing for his names sake even the loss of liberty goods yea life it self for the testimony to the least truth now that which sayes to the seed when sufferings come for the testimony of truth avoid it save thy self let not this be unto thee or the like that 's Satan and if Satan be not cast behind but that counsel hearkned unto which leadeth from the cross Satan is followed And if ye fled your proper cross in your removal from hence unto New-England though ye might meet with many others there yet hereby ye lost your proper advantage of serving and honouring God in your generation yea ye lost that which would have kept your Spirits tender and
true and have the life eternal abiding in the heart But now in the Antichristian darkness the spirit being lost which is the Gospel-administration now they seemingly advance and cry up the letter putting it into the place of the spirit Yet in truth it is not the Scripture heither in its naked simplicity which is thus cryed up but mans wise reasonings about it The fleshly will the fleshly understanding the fleshly strength getting a seat there having formed a building out of it and reared strong holds in that part which can be wise and live without the spirit now its life its interest lies in the Scriptures thus believed thus understood thus practised thus therefore it cries it up not as it came at first out of the hands of the spirit nor as the truth of it is now seen in the simplicity and nakedness of the spirit but as the wisdome from below hath formed meanings and apprehensions concerning it And here every sort of men are wise in their own eyes and strong and prudent in their own conceivings and reasonings but know not the bringing to naught of that understanding which precedeth the opening of the eye of the babe which hath that sight of the things of God given which is out of the reach of all the wise and strong ones It is true under the Law they were to try by the Law and testimony Isa 8.10 but yet not in an uncertain way according to their own guessings imaginations and reasonings but according to a certain interpretation and knowledg thereof and in cases of difficulty the Judg was to have recourse to the Priest Deut. 17.8 c. and the Priests in cases of doubt had an ordinary way of enquiring by Vrim Numb 27.21 besides the way of enquiring by Prophets which was very common with them also 1 Sam. 9.9 and chap. 28.6 But now the Jews having forfeited these filling their minds with a gathered knowledge from the Law and Prophets trying Christ and his truths by this judged amiss both of him and them Now the Law was a shadow of good things to come not a shadow of another outward Law or rule but a shadow of the inward rule of the Law of the new Covenant written in the heart of the spirit put within Heb. 8. by this law is the true believer fully as able to try as they were by the former but without this a Christians tryal of things is not so certain as theirs was under the Law 4. The force of the fourth argument is to this effect that the dictate of conscience is not a sucffiient plea in case of meer and single ignorance much less in wilful and affected ignorance Answ The dictate of conscience is not made a plea by us but the answering and obeying the light of Christ in our consciences is that which keepeth them void of offence both towards God and towards men Now it is one thing for a man to act evil and plead it is his conscience and it is another thing for a man to be guided by the infallible light of the spirit or if he be not come so far yet to be made tender in his heart towards Christ concerning his practises in Religion In this last case we say that in things whose good or evil chiefly depends upon the knowledge and perswasion of the mind which Christ alone can do here Christ is the sole Lord and Judg of the conscience Rom. 14.4 and not either Minister Church or Magistrate Christ giveth knowledge Christ increaseth knowledge and Christ requireth obedience according to the knowledge given or increased That is many times required to be left upon a further degree of knowledge given which was not required to be left before and so also upon the same terms may things be required to be performed which were not required to be done before And this indeed is the very sum of the true Religion since the death of Christ and his finishing of his work here either to worship in the Spirit or to wait for the Spirit He who hath not received the Spirit he is to wait for the Spirit He who hath received the Spirit he is to wait in the Spirit for the movings and outgoings thereof and to be obedient thereto And Christians are to take heed not only of a wrong Spirit but also of quenching the movings of the true Spirit in themselves or others If the erring mind hath mistaken about worship and through its mistake set up a wrong way the Spirit in the tender plants will be moving against it which the wise reasoning fleshly part will be knocking down and so the birth which is after the flesh will be getting advantage of persecuting and keeping under the immortal seed Now suppress evil to the utmost but take heed of quenching the good in any take heed how ye stop that in its course of discovering evil in your worships or otherwise which easily passeth for good until the Spirit begin to make it manifest Ah friends if the carnal wisdome had been crucified in you and the Spirit of God had had more scope in manifesting evil among you what might ye have grown to ere this day but if the Magistrate upon every doubt or difference or startling of the tender conscience step in with his sword how is the way of the breaking forth of truth stopped up and that which is truly of God and most tender towards him is most liable to suffer this way And this is that which makes the Quakers such a suffering people because they have found the benefit of keeping the conscience tender towards God and so prize it above all things and this mercy have they received from the Lord sensibly to distinguish in this tenderness towards God and in the fear of his name between the dictates of conscience and the voyce of his Spirit there Now it is not at all pleaded by us that under a pretence of conscience ye should suffer all manner or any manner of evil but first Punish not good for evil do not punish the good in others to defend the evil in your selves Secondly That which is manifestly evil punish it by such hands and means as God hath appointed the spiritual by spiritual the temporal by temporal and do not make punishing of evil a pretence of persecuting good in others and of upholding the evil in your selves But as touching your distinction of meer and single ignorance or wilful and affected we can bless the Lord who hath delivered us from them both by the day-spring which he hath caused to arise in our hearts and we can with a farther measure of the same Spirit bear this from you with a measure whereof some of the non-conformists bore this from the conformists who would cast this upon them that their ignorance was affected they were refractory but might have been better informed if they would And we wish with all our hearts that there were not too just cause of retorting both
parts of this distinction back upon you for if ye had not been very grosly ignorant ye could never have thus put darkness for light and light for darkness casting such odious reproaches upon the truth to make it appear what it was not had ye not been ignorant of the Scriptures ye would have known the movings of the life and spirit of it in others but through ignorance of the eternal power from your dark reasonings and conceivings about the letter ye are ready to call Christ Beelzebub not knowing the anointing in the members no more than the Scribes and Pharisees did in the head And had not your ignorance also been too much affected ye would have took more pains about the tryal and not have run into such mistakes all along both about them and their Doctrines as ye have done That Christ referred himself either to Pilates or the Jews tryal of him by Scriptures is a gross mistake at best The Jews did try him by Scriptures and according to their understanding therof found him a Sabbath breaker against Moses Law and that he could not be the Messiah Joh. 7.27 and 52. and chap. 12.34 but by their law ought to die John 19.7 There is no trying of the things of God by considering of Scriptures in the carnal mind in the wise reasoning part but in the Spirit which wrote the Scriptures in the understanding which God gives 1 John 5.20 in the wisdome which is bestowed on the babe who lives in the simplicity and pure innocency that is in Christ there the truth it self and also the Scriptures which testifie of it are clear Now Christ did not refer himself to them to be tryed by the Scriptures for he knew what was in man and he knew after what manner they would try him thereby but he bid them search the Scriptures which testified of him that so they might come to know and receive him John 5.39 40. and none knew him but those to whom the Father revealed him So the case of Pauls appealing to Cesar doth not prove that Cesar was a proper judge in cases of Conscience but he was at that time a proper defence against the malice of the Jews who most unconscionably persecuted Paul under a pretence of zeal for God and defence of their Church and Ordinances And were ye not in power but an equal Heathen Magistrate over us both the Quakers durst refer their cause to tryal that they have done you no injury no more than Paul did the Jews Indeed Paul preached that which was the end of the law and the overturning of the Jewish state and if their Priests and Rulers had had him to judge they would have made him as great an offender as ye now make the Quakers Now if your religion stand upon such a bottome as theirs did and not upon the rock in the faith and by the Spirit ye may well fear us it is not without a cause for this we certainly know that all professions of God and of Christ imitations and practises from the letter which stand in mans will and wisdome will not be able to abide the breath of this suffering seed who love the testimony of Jesus and service to his name above their lives And as for an erring conscience there lies the dispute whose conscience errs yours or theirs Ye say they have erred from the letter the Order and Ordinances of the Gospel they say ye have erred from the Spirit and therefore must needs have erred from the letter also and this they are ready to prove according to the Scriptures if ye dare stand to a fair tryal and also that ye are in a knowledge faith worship wisdome c. which stands in the will and carnal part and keeps the carnal part alive This deserves a meek and serious consideration in the fear of him who can destroy the soul and not such a bloody and fiery tryal as your proceedings and writings too much savour of 5. That a regular defence of the truth by the Godly Orthodox Magistrate and others respectively is not persecution Answ To bring the sword of the Magistrate into the work of Christs Spirit and power this is irregular and it doth execution irregularly cutting down the person and not the sin whereas the sword of the Spirit cuts down the sin that the person may be saved Christ came not to destroy mens lives but to save and if any man receive him not or speak against him he calls not for fire from Heaven or for a Magistrates sword but waits to be gratious and by the power of his Spirit having once convinced and gathered doth he defend his truths and people Let but the Magistrate stand still with his sword the Spirit of Christ will soon get the victory over error and a sweeter and better victory than the Magistrates sword can effect Truth sprang up without the Magistrates sword yea against it so it grew so it conquered The Magistrates sword here though never so favourable to truth doth more hurt than good putting the true sword out of its place and keeping down that tenderness of Spirit wherein the truth alone can spring That coercion was instituted for restraining of evil we grant this is the same with the first argument but he that appointed two kinds of coercion set each their limits which they are not to transgress See Answer to the first argument But whereas ye say that tares and ill weeds need no more than being let alone to overrun and spoil the corn That is directly contrary to Christ who said expresly let both grow together until the harvest Mat. 13.30 Sure he would not have his wheat in danger of being destroyed all the time till harvest but he judged that plucking up the tares would more indanger the wheat than letting them alone vers 29. Man may easily mistake and pluck up an ear of wheat instead of a tare and better it were to let many tares alone than pluck up one ear of wheat Ye have long been busied in New-England about plucking up of tares are ye sure ye never plucked up any wheat nay have ye not weeded out the wheat and left the tares standing Undertaking a work so directly contrary to Christs direction and so without the guidance of his Spirit ye might easily thus err Now what the tares are is afterwards expounded they are such persons which grow among the wheat but are not wheat but are to be gathered from the wheat with Christs sickle and bound up in bundles for the burning in the day of his harvest Your comparisons of a Gangreen and the like I wish ye knew how to apply The power of Gods truth in the Spirits of his people is no Gangreen but the form without the power is a Gangreen like Pharaoh's lean cattle soon eats up the fat And he who hath lost his own tenderness and freshness soon turns persecutor of such as remain tender and seek to preserve their freshness In the
then they are of whips prisons cruel usage in prisons and cutting off of ears Surely it had been a sweeter a more christian and safer course to have weighed the thing in Gods fear and dread before ye had begun any of your punishments But your own late relation confesseth that ye began with them upon reports from Barbadoes and England from good hands ye say and so they of Damascus might have said if they had received the letters from the High-Priest or relations from zealous and devout Jews and I have heard related from many hands which having drunk in prejudices from reports and begun with imprisoning of them might easily follow that they were never afforded a fair hearing but at your Courts questions put to entrap them and they not suffered to plead the righteousness and innocency of their cause but endeavours used to draw them to that and a watching to catch that from them which would bring them within the compass of some of your laws Your consciences know how true these things are will one day give in a clear and true testimony although ye should be able to bribe them at present 3. That their coming thither was upon no other grounds or occasion for ought that could appear then to scatter their corrupt opinions and to draw others to their way and so to make disturbance Ans Christ saith to his disciples ye are the salt of the earth and the light of the world and they are not to lie still and keep their light under a bushel but to lighten and season the world as the Lord calleth and guideth them And if the Lord doth see that New-England notwithstanding all its profession and talk of the things of God hath need of his salt to savour it with and of his light to inlighten them and so sendeth his messengers and servants among them they have no reason to be offended with the Lord for this or with his people or with the truths they bring They have long had a form up and it may have eaten out the power and they may not be so savoury now in their ease and authority in New-England as they were under their troubles and persecutions in Old England and God may in kindnesse to them send among them a foolish people to stir them up and provoke them to jealousie Now the coming thus is not to scatter corrupt opinions but by the power of truth to scatter that which scatters from the Lord nor is it to draw to their way but to the Lord to Christ his living way which they are exhorted to try and feel and certainly to know before they receive nor doth it make any disturbance but onely to that which is at ease in the flesh and fleshly forms of worship And Israel of old was often thus disturbed by the Prophets of God though they still could not bear it but were enemies to the Prophets for it notwithstanding they had received their way of worship certainly from Gods hand how much more may the Lord take liberty by his servants and messengers to disturb these who never so received it but have formed up a way out of the Scriptures whereof many that are truly conscientious doubt whether it be the way or no even as they themselves doubt and are ready to contend against the waies that others have formed Now those that pick a quarrel with truth and seek matter against it to persecute it do not call it truth but errour corrupt opinions the way of a Sect the making of disturbance or such like And persecutors for the most part do not only say this but bring forth their strong arguments insomuch as the persecutors is commonly just in his own eyes and the persecuted is blamed as the evill doer and cause of his own sufferings Were the Bishops without their plea nay did not he that was called Dr. Burgess in his book seem to carry the cause clear against the Non-conformists And why the Bishops might not establish their way by authority or the Presbyters their way as well as these accounted Independants their way not regarding the dissenters or tender-conscienced I confesse I see not but that they have justified the Bishops by their practising the same thing and so unjustly condemned them in words But how can ye say for ought that could appear when ye were so unfit through receiving of prejudices and reports and beginning so roughly with them to consider what might be made appear also so far from giving way to them to make what they could appear as is before expressed And doth not this also imply that there may be a just righteous and warrantable cause of their coming in relation to God and his service though it doth not yet appear to you and in a meeker and cooler temper when another eye is opened in you ye may see and acknowledge that cause who are the Lords servants whether they come in his name or no whether they are his truths or no which they bring with them these are things God opens to the humble to the meek to such as fear before him and wait for his counsel therein but those that can determine things by intelligence before hand from other parts and imprison persons so soon as they come and so proceed on with a stiff resolution against them how are these in any capacity to seek or receive counsel from God in a case of so great concernment So that at last even when they have drunk their blood they must be forced to say for ought that could appear this was their only end work and intent but whether it was so or no they do not certainly know Thus far is in answer to the account they give by way of preface to what led them to the making of this law of banishment and death Now the grounds and considerations themselves which they hold forth to clear this to be warrantable and just follow to be scanned which are in number six 1. The doctrine of this Sect of people say they is destructive to fundamental truths of Religion Ans For the making of this argument forcible two things are necessary if either of which fails it fals to the ground 1. It is necessary to make manifest that persons for holding or propagating doctrines contrary to fundamental truths of religion are by Christs institution punishable with dismembring banishment or death For Christ is the head King and Law-giver to his Church it is he that is the foundation of religion and the giver forth of fundamental truths of religion and he is the proper Judge of what punishent is fit for such as either will not receive his fundamental truths of Religion or afterwards start back from them and broach doctrines contrary thereto Now it is required in his name and authority of such Powers as will take upon them to inflict these kinds of punishments upon such kind of offenders Christs institution for this thing Christ was as faithful in his
in the blood or prayer or watchfulness to keep the garment pure c. nor growth in the life And this we are not ashamed to profess that we are pressing after and some have already attained very far even to be made perfect as pertaining to the conscience being so ingrafted into Christ the power of God so planted into the likeness of his death and resurrection so encompassed with the walls and bulwarks of salvation as that they feel no condemnation for sin but a continual justification of the life being taught led and inabled to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 From what they bave said concerning this opinion of perfection as they call it they draw an argument against their other doctrines in these words Such fundamentals of Christianity are overthrown by this one opinion of theirs and how more by all their other doctrines Ans To which I shall say this if their grounds and proofs against any other doctrines of the Quakers be no more weighty and demonstrative then those they have here brought forth against the doctrine of perfection they may spare entertaining prejudices against them and condemning them and in the first place weigh them in a more equall ballance than they have done this And I dare appeal to any naked unbyassed spirit who shall fairly consider what is above written whether the doctrine of perfection be such an hideous error as they have represented it Nay whether it be not a precious truth of the Gospel of Christ and a great incouragement to him who shall follow the command of Christ who saith be ye perfect to believe that in the way of faith and obedience he may be wrought up to such an estate by the free grace mercy love and power of God Yea let me add this word more he that feeleth the everlasting arme working one sin out of his heart cannot but believe that the same arme can work out all and pluck up every plant which the heavenly father hath not planted which hope and beliefe causeth him with joy to follow this arme through the regeneration But if I did believe there were no perfecting the worke of redemption in this life but I must still in part be a slave to Satan still crying out of the body of sin and death and never have my heart purified for the holy one to inhabit in but remaine in part unconverted unchanged unregenerated unsanctified Oh how heavily should I go on I am sure it would be as a weight upon my spirit in resisting of sin and Satan This is not the glad tidings of the everlasting Gospel but sad news from the borders of death whith would keep the creature not only in the bonds of death but without hope of deliverance in this life and refer the hope to that day wherein there is no more working out of redemption but the eternall judgement of the tree as it fals Now having after this manner proved that the doctrines of the Quakers are destructive to the fundamental truths of religion they lay down their argument whereupon they conclude that it is lawful for them nay their duty to put them to death in these words Now the commandement of God is plain that he that presumes to speak lies in the name of the Lord and turns people out of the way which the Lord hath commanded to walk in such an one must not live but be put to death Zech. 13.3 Deut. 13.6 and 18.20 Answ 1. By what hath been said against them it is not manifest that they have spoken lies in the name of the Lord. Nay if they themselves who thus charge them could but soberly and mildly with a Christian spirit weigh the thing would it not rather appear that they in thus falsly charging them and managing such untrue and unrighteous arguments against them have spoken lies both concerning them and against the Lord and his truth And as for turning men out of the way that cannot be justly charged on them who turn men to Christ the living way and deliver the same message the Apostles did that God is light and in him is no darkness at all who point them to that place where God hath said this light is to be found which is the heart where God writes the new Covenant and the Laws thereof Heb. 8. where the word of faith is nigh Rom. 10. surely they that direct hither do not turne men out of the way But they that point men to guess at the meanings of Scriptures and to gather knowledge and form rules to themselves out of it by their own natural wit and understanding which can never reach the mysteries of the kingdome of God and which God hides the true knowledge of the Scriptures from these are those that turn men out of the way For they that rightly understand the Scriptures must first receive a measure of the spirit to understand it with even as they that wrote any part thereof did first receive a measure of the spirit to write it by 2. It is not manifest by these places quoted that the Governours of New-England have received authority from the Lord to put the Quakers to death if their doctrines were such as they accuse them to be That of Deut. 13.6 is a manifest case concerning one that should tempt to the following of other Gods of the Gods of the people round about nigh or far off in such a case the offender was to be stoned to death v. 10. but is this appliable to cases of doctrine That of Deut. 18.20 gives a clear note how the Prophet may be known that speaks a lie in the name of the Lord and what kind of lie it is for which he is to be put to death ver 22. but it doth not say that every man in the common-wealth of Israel that holdeth any doctrine contrary to what some of them might call the fundamental doctrines of the Law should be put to death That of Zech. 13.3 is a prophesy not a command and is not to be understood in mans wisdome nor to be fulfilled in mans will It were better to wait for the true openings of prophesies in the spirit than to let the carnal part loose to gather somewhat out of them for the satisfying of the flesh and making its thirst after the blood of Gods lambs appear more plausible I would but put this question to your consciences in the sight of God whether in a conscientious submission to the will of God in this scripture ye put them to death or whether from this scripture ye seek a shelter and cover for the thing having already done it or fully purposed to do it So that the case is not here the same with any of the cases mentioned in those scriptures for if some of their doctrines were lies which ye have been very far from proving yet it was not for such kind of lies that death was appointed in the common-wealth of Israel And yet
removed far away from the present feeling of the spring of my life and drawn to neglect the little dawnings of that light which shineth more and more to the perfect day having concluded in my self that no less would suffice to heal me than its breaking forth in its full strength even as at noon upon me Thus I despised the day of small things and was seduced into a gaping after and a waiting for that which is never so to be received but the little seed of light being received and finding good and honest earth groweth up therein even to perfection and then knoweth and receiveth the light of the day in its full strength And although there was such a savour of God last in me that upon the first converse with this People called Quakers I could own the voyce of God in them and set to my seal as in the presence of God that it was the true life and power of the most high whereof they were born yet I could not but despise it as a weak and low appearance thereof yea and started back from it as being such a kind of dispensation of life and power as was to pass away and the passing away whereof from me had made me so miserable And now I am as one born out of due time and come lagging behind feeling my self altogether unworthy to be numbred amongst them or to bear a testimony to that truth and power of life wherein they flourish and by which they are redeemed and bought out of the earth with the price of the living immortal blood of Jesus by which together with the word of his testimony they cannot but overcome all the powers of darkness with all the Powers of the earth which stand in the darkness and fight under the darkness being taught thereby not to love their lives unto the death But the scoffing conceited Professor will be ready to say What are those the only People Others besides them are as dear to God as they There are many in forms equal to them and many out of forms far beyond them Whereto I answer thus Yea there are so in the scale of mans judgment but not so in the measure of the Sanctuary These are the only redeemed People that my soul knows of There is a seed besides them not yet gathered but in Babylon whom the Lord in his due season will gather into the same light life and power but there is no other Saviour but that light eternal which hath given them life and dwels in them who is risen in them come to them and hath taken them into himself in whom they are even in him that is true who is the Son of God the true God and the life eternal 1 John 5.20 who hath poured forth his spirit upon them in which they Minister and gather up to God those who have an ear to hear the voyce of his Spirit Beware therefore O ye Nations and Powers of the earth what ye do against this People for ye cannot prevail by any inchantment against these whom the Lord hath blessed but the more ye strive to villifie and suppress them the more will the Lord magnifie and exalt them And the life which God hath raised up in them must reign do what ye can against it O abase your selves and kiss the Son O Professors and Powers of the earth that ye be not cut off for the Lords hand is lifted up and in his jealousie he will smite home for the sake of Zion for his ear hath heard the cry of the poor and needy whom no man regardeth Isa 33.10 11. THE END