the Exposition of Rom 7. from ver 14. to the end of the Chapter understanding it of a man unregenerate in conflict with a natural conscience and not simply of one regenerate in combat with corruption of nature in every faculty of the soul How far the spirit of Antichrist works in these men God will yet farther discover and what Jesuitical Plots and Designs there are carried on by some of them unwittingly by others as wickedly as wittingly the day shall declare it And if any will take the pains to compare their Pamphlets with the Charge which Dr. Willet drew up about forty years Supplement to Synopsis Papismi by-past against the Papists he shall finde that Quakerism is built upon the Tetrastylon or four-fold Pillar of Papistry viz. 1. Sarcasms slanders railings and forgeries 2. Flat blasphemies and contradictions to Scripture 3. Loose arguments weak solutions c. 4. Repugnant opinions and contradictions among themselves in all leaving the consciences of people upon the Rack or full of doubts and uncertainties For the undermining of which Pillars the learned and unlearned the simple and judicious are alarum'd First to a more assiduous and studious reading of the Scriptures Get you Bibles 't is your Souls physick said Chrysostom of old to the people his hearers There is no greater torment to the devils then to see men busied about the Scriptures said * Orig. another before him But because it is as much pleasure to the devils to see men abuse and wrest the Scriptures ye are called Beloved Secondly to the owning of them in their just Authority above all Testimonies of ancient Writers and modern Authors who were but men subject to infirmities in the head as heart Above the Churches Testimony which gives no authority to the Scriptures but onely declare what is intrinsecally stamped upon them Above the testimony of your own hearts and consciences which must receive a true judgement from the right understanding and application of the Scripture bove all visions and revelations which if false draw from the voice of Scripture if true they send you thither as to your Rule and a more standing Rule and above all the Pamphlets of the Quakers now swelled to above two volumes Thirdly to a dependence upon the Spirit speaking in the Scriptures to seal up their Authority to you and to give the efficacy of what you read and hear Gods Spirit breathes in good mens books much more in his own and is there as to seal up the truth of his Word so to stamp the goodness of every truth upon our hearts As for this Reply what you finde therein agreeable to the Spirit of God his language of plain and naked Scripture-truth receive in the love of it and give God the glory I onely intreat as * Tantum oro ut cum petitis etiam Tertulliani peccatoris memineritis Tert. lib. de Bap. one before me of his Readers that in your prayers which should usher in all our other work or recreation and that of reading books you would remember him also who though he hath obtained mercy to be faithful yet hath cause enough to subscribe himself The sinful JOHN STALHAM The Heads of their Contradictions 1. To the Scriptures 1 Concerning THe Scriptures 2 Concerning The Trinity 3 Concerning The Light within 4 Concerning The Law 5 Concerning Sin 6 Concerning Justification 7 Concerning Regeneration 8 Concerning Sanctification and its Perfection 9 Concerning Christian warfare 10 Concerning Repentance 11 Concerning The means of Grace 12 Concerning Baptism 13 Concerning Lords Supper 14 Concerning Prayer 15 Concerning Singing 16 Concerning Elders and Ordination 17 Concerning Ministers maintenance 18 Concerning Immediate Calling 19 Concerning Immediate Teaching 20 Concerning Questions 21 Concerning Civil Honor. 22 Concerning Swearing 2. To themselves 1 Concerning THe Scriptures 2 Concerning Hearing the Word 3 Concerning The Light within 4 Concerning Sin 5 Concerning Christ 6 Concerning Justification 7 Concerning Immediate Teaching 8 Concerning Perfection 9 Concerning Quaking and Trembling 10 Concerning Growth in Grace 11 Concerning Forms of Religion 12 Concerning Fruits of the Spirit 13 Concerning Ordinances 14 Concerning Speech and Silence 15 Concerning Elders 16 Concerning Conscience and Laws THE Reviler rebuked OR A Reply to R. FARNWORTH HIS INTRODUCTION BEfore I can fall upon the Subject of the Controversies between me and my Antagonist I must touch at his Introduction wherein he mentioneth his receiving of my Book renews his charge against me gives a seeming proof of his charge and concludes with a Thundering Anathema 1. What he received A Printed Paper as he calls it slightingly that came out of Scotland into York and Yorkshire in England published by one John Stalham Preacher of the Gospel at Edinburgh That little piece of three sheets and a half J. S. owneth as published by him and that he called himself Preacher of the Gospel at Edinburgh for the present as was inserted it was because for some time he had been and then continued preaching of the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ to his Auditors from Rom. 15. 29. with other Scriptures And for as much as that great truth of the Gospel was openly opposed by one of the Sect called Quakers touching the justification of a believing sinner he was called to enquire after the opinions of the said Sect and to draw up his collections from divers of their Pamphlets which he referred unto several Heads of their Scripture and Self-contradictions wherein he is Secondly Charged by R. F. to have manifested himself and his subtile serpentine Spirit by his lies and slanders for all his glosses and covers to be a minister of deceit and so of Antichrist of all this or any part of it J. S. is no ways conscious nor of his falsly accusing the people of the Lord suppose any people of the Lord be fallen into the errors and opinions of the Quakers as he is charitably jealous some are surprized therewith nor of shewing forth a bitter spirit of envy against them and the truth The Lord knows he loveth all the people of the Lord for the Truths sake that dwelleth in them and pitieth those who are over-run with these errors as with a running Itch or sore as he himself would be loved and pitied who is not absolutely free of error although the particular fruit is not in these matters of difference visible to him yet the root of all error as of all sin is in him and seen by him not throughly in all degrees mortified As for any of his painted and deckt Notions Implications and Contra-distinctions his gilded coloured borrowed and form'd up imagined Expressions he thinketh R. F. had a minde to please himself and some of his Readers with seeming shadows of Rhetorick which J. S. never affected but clothed all he wrote with a familiar home-spun stile as he shall this Reply Thirdly The seeming proof of the Charge is That with the Light John 8. 12. John 1. 9. R. F. thinketh J. S.
and the Lord of truth But R. F. granting one part of truth viz. That the Son reveals and denieth the other part viz. That the Scripture revealeth when as he hath this from the very Scripture that the Son revealeth and what he revealeth therefore he may be if he be not condemned in his own conscience that he wrongeth the truth and the Lord of truth Again he that understands Matth. 11. 27. of immediate revelation onley and shuts out all mediate revelation by the Scripture falsly accuseth the Lord of the Scripture but R. F. understands that place of immediate revelation onely and shuts out all mediate revelation by the Scripture therefore R. F. falsly accuseth the Lord of the Scriptures If he understands it of mediate revelation by the Scripture then it Section 1. will follow by his reasoning that the Scripture-revelation is surer then the Scripture If he saith the Spirit by the Scripture makes the truth more sure not in it self but to us it is that I contend for and that which all believers are to pray for Ephes 1. 17. There is the light in the air and the Ephes 1. 17. opened light of the eye now though as to bodily sight the light in the air doth not give the light of or in the eye but onely to thee ye yet the Spirit of revelation which is peculiar to Saints and common to all Saints by the light of Scripture that is as the medium or means of light in the air doth give the light in the understanding as it brings light to it therefore it follows ver 18. the eyes of your understanding being enlightned But still the Spirit of revelation is not a surer Rule no nor properly our Rule but our guide and leader to and by his Rule the Scriptures which are the more sure word of Prophecy as to us especially in a ordinary and standing way in all ages 2. R. F. reasoneth Visions are a way of Gods making known himself after Moses and the Prophets as to Ananias Paul and Peter Act. 9. cap. 10. Gal. 1. Rep. 1. These visions were but occasional and extraordinary as sure as the Scriptures as all true visions and revelations of God are in themselves and to the particular men that had them yet not to us that saw them not but know from the Scriptures they had them those Scriptures viz. Act. 9. cap. 10. Gal. 1. and so all the Scriptures are as sure yea to all Saints more sure compare 2 Pet. 1. 2 Pet. 1. 16. 19 opened 16. when we made known unto you with ver 19. we have also a more sure word we that is you with us and we with you Visions were but of rare use the Scriptures are of long and constant use and by such as receive them to be of divine inspiration they have ever been acknowledged more firm as to us still then occasional visions 2. If God had known as Chrysostom upon Luke 16. that visions from the dead would have done more good to the living he would not have omitted or waved such a way in an ordinary course 3. As sure as the Gospel was to Paul given him by immediate revelation yet he confirmed it to others by the Scriptures Act. 26. 22 23. and the Bereans examined it by the same Rule Act. 17. 11 12. Searching the Scriptures daily whether those things were so therefore many of them believed Wherefore because they found what Paul taught as had been revealed to him was agreeable to that Lydius lapis that infallible touch-stone and most standing Rule the holy Scriptures 3. Reason Paul knew much of the writings of Moses and of the Prophets and Letter of the Scriptures whilst he was a Persecutor but then he knew not Christ as after he did and went up to Jerusalem by revelation Gal. 2. and not by the Scriptures therefore the Scriptures are not so sure a Rule as visions and revelations by the Spirit of truth are Rep. 1. Paul had nothing of Gospel-truth given him by revelation but what for matter and substance was before in the Scripture which Gospel although he knew not while he was a persecutor yet as a Jew he walked up strictly to the Letter of the Law or Rule in outward acts 2. His special revelation for going up to Jerusalem was a special application of the general rule of Scripture viz. to do what God commanded him but in it self it is no rule for our imitation in the like matter of fact 3. His true revelations never lifted him up above the Scriptures 4. The same Spirit of truth which gave out his revelation gave forth the Scripture by inspiration and as immediately directed him to write all his Epistles for the more certainty to others that they might know he had his Revelations from the Lord therefore to us the Scriptures are as sure yea a more sure rule and the onely standing rule for faith and maners 4. Reason or allegation of R. F. is The Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 1. 13. exhorted others to wait for the grace that was 1 Pet. 1. 13. cleared and vindicated to brought to them at the revelation of Jesus Christ Rep. 1 By grace here is meant glory as cap. 5. 1. that which is to come is the glory that shall be revealed first Christs glory cap. 4. 13. at his coming in the clouds his glory shall be revealed secondly the Saints glory which they shall have out of free grace or favor from God Col. 3. 4. When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall they also appear with him in glory This glory to be brought at Christs coming the Apostle exhorteth the Elect and called to hope for perfectly or * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end to death and in death yea they may and do carry this hope with them into heaven viz. hope of a glorious resurrection c. When at his coming 1 Cor. 15. 23. When the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire c. 2 Thes 1. 7. this is not a Revelation by the Spirit that Paul or Peter in the places mentioned speak of and therefore makes nothing to R. F. his purpose no more then what follows in a fifth Reason or Allegation The deep things of God are revealed not by the Letter but by the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 10. Therefore revelations by the Spirit of truth are more sure then the Letter Rep. 1. Did not R. F. grant us at first page 2. that the Scriptures proceeded from the Spirit of truth Whether then they be revelations or doctrines or writings or interpretations as they come from the Spirit of truth he must yield they are all alike sure in themselves or he still fighteth against the Scriptures or the Spirit or both 2. The Apostle saith not that the Spirit revealeth the deep things of God but searcheth them that is he exactly and infinitely knoweth them as God knoweth them and thence by the way he
is proved to be God but while he can and doth go to the bottom of all things in and concerning God his revealing is ad placitum when to whom in what measure and in what way he pleaseth Although the Spirit knoweth all things infinitely and therefore God revealeth what he revealeth of the things of grace and glory by his Spirit yet to some he revealeth nothing immediately to others he revealeth but some things or but something of every thing needful to consolation sanctification and salvation as they are capable of it 3. As deep things as the Spirit hath revealed they are all in the Scripture It is one way of the Spirits revelation to give forth deep mysteries in writing and that as mysteriously Section 2. as if it were by Hieroglyphicks Stenography or Characters The Spirit revealeth by Paul to the Romanes cap. 9. and 10. and 11. deeper things then Paul can fathom which makes him cry out cap. 11. 33. O the depth And the last piece of Scripture which God hath left us is the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants and he sent and signified it by his Angel unto his servant John that he should write it to the Churches and leave it with the rest of Scripture as a compleat and sufficient Rule not to be added unto nor to be substracted from unless therefore R. F. will be lyable to the plagues threatned Rev. 22. 18 19. he must not bring in his un-written Revelations no though they were un-written Verities as any part of the Rule to be added unto the words of Gods book And from all that hath been replyed to him in this Section I conclude He that denieth the Scriptures to be our Rule denies them to be the Scriptures of God and he that denies them or some of them to be a standing Rule denies them or some of them to be no Rule as if sometimes they were a Rule sometime not And he that denies them to be a more standing Rule denieth the scope and sense of Christs words in Luke 16. 31. and other places But such a Denial we have from R. F. in the name of others of his judgement Therefore thus far in stead of vindicating the Scriptures he with his fellows have contradicted them Section 2. IN my second Section of their Contradictions to the Scriptures themselves and their Authority I had quoted Francis Howgil in his own phrase The Scripture is other mens Words contrary to 2 Tim. 3. 16. R. F. * Page 5. tells me that by a piece of Logick I would raise a false accusation against F. H. and make a false conclusion to wrest the Scriptures to serve my own turn but cannot The Scriptures not mans word but Gods Rep. 1. He denies not but the words I quoted are the words of F. Howgil 2. How doth my Logick make either the Accusation or Conclusion false The word of Scripture is Gods I said as is the Inspiration and because it was given by Inspiration therefore it is and is known or proved to be his Word as thus I make it out further and more plainly That which is given by Inspiration of God is not one mans word or anothers but Gods word But all the Scripture was given by Inspiration of God Therefore all the Scripture is Gods word and not one mans word or anothers What an under-valuing Expression then is that of F. H. to call the Scripture other mens words And what Chop-logick have we from R. F. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved and spiritual men spoke forth those words therefore they were words spoken by the men of God this is idem per idem a proof of the same thing by the same a delighting to hear himself speak and a tyring of his Reader before he hath read five pages of his book 3. Why will R. F. yield one part of the Argument and not the other He yieldeth the Scripture to be given of God and by the Spirit the Spirit of truth why then yields he not the Scriptures to be the word of God but that he will continue to contradict the Scripture and himself also while he joyneth in confederacy with F. H. and speaks disdainfully of the words of God as the words of men this man and that Grant we that both of them F. H. and R. F. sometime alleviate that harsh expression as if not used in opposition to God but to us The Scriptures are others mens words that spoke them freely saith the one And They were spoken by the holy men of God other men that were holy and spoke them freely and not by you that are sinful and preach for hire saith the other yet will they not confess they were spoken by God and are the very word of God nay R. F. page 4. * Line 18 and 21. had before set the visions of Ananias and Paul in a comparative Opposition to the words of Moses and the Prophets and preferring the former before the latter viz. the Scriptures these being but the words of other men and the words of others what is this but to sow seeds in mens hearts of alienation from the Scriptures which the yong man should take heed to and cleanse his ways by in youth which children shouldbe trained up in from their childhood and which are not to be despised or forgotten when they are old Such a contradicting scope hath all R. F. his pains taken pag. 6. to prove the Scriptures are other mens words and not mine or theirs in Scotland I would ask him what did the Preacher Eccl. 1. speak his own words or Gods but that he prevents the question by telling us * Page 6. King Lemuel was a man and his mother who taught him the words he penned down Prov. 31. was a woman And the Song of songs was Solomons and he was a man Cant. 1. What followeth from hence therefore Solomons words are not Gods words it better followeth from R. F. his reason viz. he was a man and not God then that the Scriptures are not ours for we are men as they were that penned them and although we were not the Pen-men we are the Readers and God onely is the Author of the Scriptures which in a way of disparagement R. F. calls a Printed Bible and reasoneth vainly against our use of the Scriptures because neither did Jeremiah nor any Prophet or any Apostle ever stand with a Printed Bible in his hand and say Hear the word of the Lord Then the word of the Lord was declared and spoken without Printed Bibles and before Printing was invented Rep. 1. They had a written Bible or Volume and did many Scripture to be read and preached from times speak out of that as always according to it Exodus 34. 28. with cap. 35. 1. Moses speaks what was written on the mount upon the Tables of stone And Deuter. 31. 19. Write ye this song for you and teach it
as to the guilt curse and damnation which he bare in his own body on the Tree Yea and such as are in him are at present redeemed out of sin as to the dominion and reign of it but we are not therefore justified and when sin shall wholly be rooted out of us that shall not be our justification at Gods tribunal because we are perfectly holy but because Christ died for us to justifie us by his blood Let him that throws off Christs imputed righteousness go shift for his justification where he can get it He is a foolish bewitched Galatian and Christ shall profit him nothing For bring in any one act of ours though wrought by the Spirit whether of mortification self-denyal love or faith as an act to be an ingredient to the essence of our justification and it is as bad as to be circumcised and as destructive to the souls peace and safety as to be a debtor to keep the whole Law Section 26. I Had noted what I found in J. Nayler That no imperfect thing can be reconciled to God is plain Scripture plainly contradicting Rom. 5. 10. If he meaneth by no imperfect thing no man that is not perfectly sanctified But R. F. makes out the sense thus * Page 14. No sin can be reconciled to God nor any such imperfect thing Rep. 1. If this were the onely sense why was it not spoken at first for we know by the Spirit in the Scriptures Our persons are perfectly reconciled before our natures are perfectly sanctified that it was Gods design to reconcile sinners onely to himself persons as I hinted before in my book imperfect enough and to abolish sin in guilt and power as first and in the presence at the last and we can prove it by clearer Scriptures then R. F. produceth which is onely Rev. 21. 27. that sin and God cannot be reconciled and as Psalm 5. 4. Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with thee Hab. 1. 13. Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity But 2. The scope of J. Nayler * Answ to perfect Phar. page 9. was to prove that we are not justified by a righteousness without us but by what is perfectly wrought within us and therefore I mistook him not in my former piece when I subjoyned Their meaning is till sin be wholly abolished in its residence out of the heart and all imperfections in sanctification be done away there is no reconciliation of our persons with God or to him whatever be R. F. * Page 14. his flourish And as for our meaning thou speaks of thou art without our minde and so knowest not our meaning by thy imagining therein thou shewest a spirit of error It sufficeth that by scripture-Scripture-truth wherein the Spirit of truth reigneth I can detect this for an error viz. Christs work in us is that which justifies our persons before God and what if his work for us be joyned with his work in us if they mean no more then what is inherent righteousness wrought by Christs strength in himself and in us together so F. Howgill must be construed if he quadrates with his other passages in the Book when he saith * The inheritance of Jacob. pag. 29 Christ fulfilled the Law and he fulfils it in them who know him and his work and herein man comes to be justified in Gods sight by Christ who works all our works in us and for us Christs obedience and ours his work for us and his work in us put together for our justification is Babylonish mixture but this I can maintain as a clear and pure truth viz. That it is not the work of Christ in us which justifieth and reconcileth our persons but his sole working for us by his own personal obedience and satisfaction to justice The plain Scripture is this Heb. 10. 14. Christ by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are Heb. 10. 14. cleared sanctified It is not said in any Scripture that Christ hath first perfectly sanctified any persons and then reconciled them unto God but the sense of that as of other Scriptures is that Christ by one offering of himself hath perfected their justification and reconciliation whom he doth also sanctifie in the truth of it at what instant he applyeth their perfect justification And the plain truth according to Scripture is this That no person is reconciled to God How the sinner and yet none but the perfect person is reconciled to God who hath not a perfect Mediator of his reconciliation and who is not accepted as perfectly righteous in the righteousness of Christ his surety and so t is true none but the perfect person is reconciled to God but how not by his qualifications at first an enemy and always carrying about with him while here some wisdom of the flesh which is emnity against God but as he had on Christs Cross his person represented in Christ his head and his sins not imputed upon the account of Christs righteousness made or reckoned to be his 2 Cor. 5. 19. 21. To clear this a little further we must distinguish between the reconciling of our individual persons and the reconciling of our individual natures dispositions or qualities and acts both are a fruit of Christs satisfactory obedience and sufferings and they cannot as J. N. * Love to the lost pag. 50. acknowledgeth this truth though not truely be divided in the possession But personal reconcilement is done at once by imputation of the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus nature-reconcilement admits of degrees according to the measure of the Spirit of sanctification As for J. Nayler and R. F. and such as imagine that while sinful imperfections remain in the Saints they in their persons are not cannot be perfectly reconciled to God then not themselves nor any that adhere to their doctrine are or can be reconciled to God in person as not in judgement and affection while they harbor such fleshly and legal conceits of a poor sinners justification and reconciliation and they shall see if by this they get no eye-salve Oh that it might not be too late how till they be better bottom'd with contradictions of Scripture they contradict and come short of true salvation-light right and possession For I judge it 's absolutely necessary to salvation rightly to discern the way of a mans justification before God and reconciliation to him which discerning I perceive not in these mens writings although sometime in discourse with some of this Sect I have had their confession of the truth yet their bad principles make them fly off again as it fares with many a natural ignorant countreyman I wish there be not more then a few such in Cities and populous places who have a notion of the Gospel-truth but practically and experimentally cannot for their hearts but stick in themselves and think a Bird in the hand is
answer to Rom. 8. 10. though he quotes not the place but some of the words adding his own gloss The words of the Apostle are these And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousness By the body here Rom. 8. 10. cleared in its genuine sense is meant the natural body consisting of flesh blood and bones as appeareth 1. By the scope of the Apostle to comfort them against the Law of death ver 2. 2. From the comfort which he raiseth grant the Body is dead frail corruptible mortal subject to death yet first it is not totally dead for the sting of death which is the guilt of sin is pluckt out ver 2. and the Spirit by the law of opposition here to be taken for the soul of a believer is life or a living soul immortal and shall live gloriously to immortality and may and doth live comfortably here because of righteousness i. e. while it takes up this consideration that Christs own personal righteousness is imputed as the cause of a glorious life and Christs infused holiness is the evidence of Justification-life and Glory-life Secondly the body shall not be always under the power of death v. 11. for he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies which epithete mortal is added to shew he spake of the natural body ver 10. and to strengthen and comfort in that the same spirit dwelling in Christ and true Christians look as he raised up Christs body so he shall raise up theirs This being the genuine sense of the Apostle we may grant a pious truth in something R. F. saith but not as properly grounded on this place The truth is the natural body is mortified in part to the acts of unrighteousness as the habits of sin are mortified in the soul Rom. 8. 10. vindicated from improper and abusive interpretation but the Apostle saith not the body is dead because of sin being destroyed as R. F. hath glossed but because of fin that is the natural body is a mortal dying body hath many partial deaths upon it and will dye at last soul and body will be separated for a time because of sin which remaineth in the soul dwelleth and acteth in and by the body and will not be absolutely and in all degrees rooted out till the body dies a natural death Sin is such a troublesome in-mate or like some old inhabitant pleading prescription that it will not out God suffering it so to be till the House be pulled down over its head therefore the Apostles reason because of sin discovers them to erre who deny sin to dwell in act where Christ reigneth Sin dwelleth in the soul the inward rooms chiefly but it so lodgeth within as it acteth and worketh in the outward room and shop of the body till body and soul be dissolved when this troublesome inmate is cast out totally finally and for ever from the Saints Let not R. F. go on to say here thou art contradicting the Scriptures and opposing the work of Christ which is to take away sin for there is not one Scripture which speaks of a perfect Saint absolutely free from the in-dwelling presence and in-working power of sin in the least degree while he lives here upon the earth and the work of Christ in taking away sin is in a way of Sanctification to carry it on by little and little as was his casting out of the Canaanites Exod. 23. 30. Let not him that puts on his armor boast as he that puts it off What is it for R. F. * Page 15. to reason And such as abide in him sins not then sin acts not he that acts sin commits sin and there Christ reigns not but Antichrist under whose dominion thou art that pleads for him and his work Rep. 1. Sin may and doth act in the Saints not they but sin is acting when as Saints and so far as regenerate they do act against sin This is not committing of sin in Johns sense as hath been cleared before Sect. 14. but as Paul speaking of himself in the name of all the regenerate as hath been proved Sect. 20. Rom. 7. 16 17. If I do that which I would not c. it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me 2. Although Christ reigns not where sin is committed in Johns sense yet he reigneth where that in-dwelling principle of sin is mortified in truth and in some degree and where the actings of sin are resistings of sin are hated resisted and unfulfilled Gal. 5. 16. They that walk in the Spirit do not fulfil the lusts of the flesh yet the flesh is lusting and acting what it can against a Christian to make him stumble while he is in a good walk 3. Antichrist reigns in none more then in filthy dreamers who while they preach perfection are found in their pollutions It is Antichrists design to represent a sinners Justification imperfect and his Sanctification perfect that he may glory in himself and not in Christ Antichrist pretendeth as much to Holiness as these men called Quakers but out of order and to a wrong end as they also 4. To plead for perfect inherent Holiness as the Believers Justification as J. Nayler * See Love to the lost p. 21. and 51. and R. F. do is to serve under Antichrists colors and to wear his livery and to make void the obedience and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ 5. He is not under the dominion of Antichrist who pleads against his imaginary perfections is made perfect in his Justification by coming unto Christs sacrifice Heb. 10. 1 14. and in a way of Sanctification presseth after more of the power of Christs death and resurrection to be conformed thereunto But R. F. goes on * Page 15. to mis-apply Scripture and contradict the true scope and sense He that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not Rep. 1. It is true the words are so and I believe it is so as the Spirit speaketh in that place 1 John 5. 18. what then 1 John 5 18. vindicated Doth not sin dwell and stir therefore in the regenerate Look back to ver 16. and you may conclude That not onely sin is in every Christian Brother but you may sometimes have it visibly acted before your eyes for saith the Apostle If any man see his brother sin c. 2. Although he sinneth yet we know that whosoever is born of God as every true Brother is sinneth not i. e. unto death as every sin is not unto death so no sin of the truly godly is unto death but he keepeth himself as he is kept and he acteth as he is acted by the principle of the new creature by the Spirits and Christs fresh influence against such a sin and that wicked one Satan toucheth him not with his sting nor instills such deadly poison
stick to Christ who are in him and suck vertue from him they sin not yet at that time when they abide in Christ sin dwelleth in them not in the old regency and power but as a troublesom in-mate which they would gladly be quite rid of from the first moment of conversion if the Lord so pleased but it is there and remaineth for their exercise till the combat of flesh and spirit be at an end viz. at the end of our days Section 34. THe Reader may observe that R. F. answereth nothing to this Section wherein having shewed how they cry out against all that teach Sin is not perfectly mortified in this life to be upholders of the Devils kingdom I asked Were Paul John and the Apostles upholders of the Devils kingdom And doth the Scripture uphold the Devils kingdom when it positively asserteth there is sin in every good man while he is doing good according to that Eccles 7. 20. Eccles 7. 20. There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not A Scripture that stands as an impregnable for t un-assaulted by the enemy and impossible ever to be taken or battered down although this generation of Perfectists rank and file the same with them spoken of Prov. 30. 12. should night and day lay siege to it and shoot all their Granado's against it The new gloss * Lip of truth opened p. 18. of Tho. Lawson is but a flash of gun-powder without bullet it will not batter 'T is true saith he there is not a just man upon earth c. for all that dwell on earth worship the beast Rev. 13. 8. but John saw 144000. redeemed from the earth whereas the material earth is understood by Solomon the mystical earth is meant by John set in opposition to the mystical heaven or the true Church ver 6. men redeemed from earthly ways of worship perfectly justified before God sincere in their sanctification and reformation and growing up indeed unto perfect holiness in Gods fear yet not one of them except in Gods account without their inherent failings adherent blemishes and conflicts from their in-dwelling concupiscence or unregenerate part 9. Head of Contradiction to Scripture Concerning Christian Warfare Section 35. HAving noted their denial of Saints to be always in the Warfare R. F. * page 18. returns me his justification of this Doctrine If they do they deny not the Scripture but agree with it How makes he it out Why Such as have overcome are more then conquerors Rep. This is a truth in some sense but proves not that Saints in this life not out of their warfare Saints are past the warfare Every Christian is an overcomer as well as a warrior but how when and in what measure 1. In Christ his Head and Captain he hath overcome 1 Cor. 15. 57. 2. When shall he have a perfect conquest over inherent corruption when the warfare is at an end when is that when his wayfare is at an end not before 3. In what measure is it wrought here In some more in some less as to the conquest of Sanctification of which is the Question in none absolutely and totally A victory the Saint may have to day in some particular combate a foil to morrow Shameful foils some of these men have had who have thought themselves at an end of their warfare if half that which is reported be true That of Atkinson at Norwich was true enough one who cryed up Perfection as loud as his fellows but became as unstable as water and was easily captivated to the act of Fornication I list not to rake in such kennels but I abhor boasting before the final victory That practice which violateth the seventh Commandment is as far from perfection as that Doctrine which contradicteth the seventh Chapter to the Rom. 23. R. F. tells me Thou brings that of Paul in the warfare but thou brings not his after experience where he says The law of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free Rom. 8. Rep. I flatly deny that Pauls experience Rom. 8. 2. was Rom. 8. 2. vindicated an after-experience to what he speaks of himself and regenerate persons Chap. 7. 14. to the end as his and their present state which was no other then what he was in Chap. 8. and so to the end of the Epistle For Chap. 8. and ver 2. is brought in as a consolation under the combate The words are these to the full For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death What is that Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus but the power and authority of spiritual endless life in him and particularly that habitual frame of holiness in Christs humane nature which from birth and conception he had and which being made meritorious by his Divine person in which the humanity subsisteth is imputed to Paul and every true Believer by reason of which imputation he is made free from the law of sin and death What is that Law of sin The condemning power of sin yet inherent and permanent As if Paul should have said If sin that wars and fights in me hath no power to condemn me then there is no condemnation to me the sentence that is cut off and where no sentence passeth there is no execution according to Law But sin hath no Law no power to condemn me for the Law of grace and holiness in Christs own flesh condemned sin there kept off filth from him and condemned all my guilt charged upon him so as sin is put out of office and cannot so much as serve a Writ of condemnation upon me nor can sin have a commanding power over me while it dwelleth in me seeing the Spirit which dwelleth in Christ brings life and power from him to quicken holiness and kill sin in me and that grace which reigneth in Christ reigneth in me while sin is rebelling And concerning the Law of death the sting of death which is sin being taken away by removal of guilt bodily death can do me no hurt sin may kill and pull down this earthly tabernacle it shall never slay my soul I am already free from the sentence of the second death it shall never have power over me though my present as by-past sin deserves it yet Christ hath freed me from it Thus Paul speaks his own and the Saints victories with their combates at one and the same time while they are warring they are Rom. 8. 37. cleared conquering and have more then earthly conquerors ever attained to How is that for R. F. cannot conceive there can be any warfare continued where there is more then a conquest already gotten To clear this let us take all the Apostles words before us ver 37. in all these things we are more then conquerors through him that loved us He doth not say after all these things but in them during the warfare we have the
ignorant of the Letter who knew before he spake it that the Letter declares of life unless he will enwrap himself in the same ignorance But as he is ignorant of the Scripture-letter who denies it to be a means of coming to life so he contradicts himself who saith The Scriptures have life in them and yet with the same breath saith also They are without life as R. F. doth What if the life from which the Scriptures proceeded be not the Letter or Scripture yet the Scripture is the Scripture of life given from Christ who is life The chief subject matter contained therein is Christ the light of life not by the works of the Law by which way the unbelieving Jews thought to obtain life eternal but Christ shut the door against them that way and he directeth them to himself John 5. 39. as revealed in the Scriptures and more then that as conveyed by the Scriptures to a soul For albeit Christ saith They are they that testifie of me yet he doth not say They do but testifie of me This but is R. F. * Light out of darkness page 18. his additional gloss to corrupt the Text to disparage the Scriptures and never a whit the more to advance Christ for he is the more honored among men and savingly owned as he is known to be that living Savior that Way Truth and Life who is testified of in the Scriptures and is come unto or believed on by the Scriptures Wherefore Christ blameth them John 5. 40. that they would not taking the Bible and searching for him come unto him by the knowledge and faith of the Scriptures Section 6. THis and the following Section R. F. returns no Answer unto at all I had noted what Ed. Burroughs saith in his warning to the Inhabitants of Vnder-barrow page 2. That he came not to them with enticing words neither what he had gathered out of the Scripture from without him but to declare the word of the Lord and not to speak his own imaginations and conceivings How cross is this to themselves They use frequently to call the Scriptures the Declaration of the Word and if he came to declare the Word of the Lord as he affirms he either came with what he had gathered from Scripture which he denies or he came with his own imaginations and conceivings which he denies also but both his Negatives cannot be true if there be any truth in his book for that is a Collection of above an hundred places of Scripture quoted in the margent and transscribed in the line The words he had from the Scripture the mis-applications he did not indeed learn from thence nor from the Spirit of God who never teacheth any man to mis-apply his own Letter therefore it was not in true sense the word of the Lord that he declared if he spake the same doctrine for substance that he writes but the visions of his own brain And if I speak a lie saith he page 8. let me be accounted as accursed for ever But he that compiles a book out of Scripture-collections and yet preacheth not what he gathered out of the Scripture deals falsly in one of these ways and speaketh a lie and therefore he is found not onely as a self-contradictor but as a self-curser And to do him no wrong I would know the meaning of that passage page 9. He that hath the word of the Lord from the mouth of the Lord to declare unto you him you revile and mock c. but he that speaks the imagination of his own heart from the Saints conditions him you own and hear If he intends by the Word of the Lord Christ onely what intends he by the mouth of the Lord but the Scriptures which are the Declaration of his word by their own confession If he had the Scriptures to declare Christ unto the people by then he spake what he had gathered out of the Scriptures which is contrary to what he said before If the Scriptures be not the mouth of the Lord how are they a declaration of his word if they be a declaration of his word why are they denied to be the mouth of the Lord Again if he speaks of the Saints conditions as discovered in Scripture and chargeth him that speaks from them to vent the imagination of his own heart he blasphemes the Scripture written for our instruction and consolation Rom. 15. 4. If he condemneth another as he doth page 22. for preaching that which is gathered from without by imagination and conceiving upon that which the Prophet prophesied or which Christ spoke c. and judgeth it carnal and heathenish never commanded by the Lord and yet makes mention of the Saints conditions himself and glosseth upon Scripture according as his fancy worketh he alloweth that which he condemneth as he condemneth what God alloweth not that God alloweth the working of every mans fantasie but in a sanctified way if his worketh otherwise God condemneth what he alloweth Section 7. Section 7 8. THey call as I noted here the Scriptures the Worlds Touchstone and yet as appeared Part 1. Section 1. Some of them at least will not have the Scripture to be the Word of Truth to the world If it be not the Word of Truth to the world how can it be the Worlds Touchstone This interfering of men of his way R. F. undertakes not to cure or touch at with the least of his fingers and beyond my skill it is to salve the Contradiction onely I heartily desire of God that the discovery hereof may prove good eye-salve to let them see the shame of their nakedness Section 8. IN the second Section of this second part I noted down two of their Self-contradictions the latter of them might have there been spared and entirely spoken to here where I toucht at it again a little more plainly But R. F. though he glanced at it there took it not off nor doth he any more here then pass it over in silence which of the Saints had the witness of their souls union to seek in the Letter thus querieth J N. in his Few words page 11. I shall now to what was discovered as contradictory to himself in Sect. 2. or here adde his other words in the same page viz. The Spirit it opens and brings all that is spoken in Scripture to remembrance this is so a truth as it crosseth his Negative implyed in the Interrogation viz. That none have their witness to seek in the Letter and what he addes expresly He that believeth hath the witness in himself in Spirit and not in the Letter had he said and not in the Letter onely it might have salv'd the contradiction but as it is contrary to the Scripture to say the Saints have not comfortable testimony of their union and interest in Christ in and by the Scripture-letter so 't is contrary to himself to deny the Believer hath his witness in the Letter and yet grant that the Spirit opens and
brings all that is in the Letter to remembrance for to what end doth he bring it to remembrance not onely for explication of Scripture by Scripture but for consolation of our spirits by the good words of the Spirit of God When heaviness makes the heart to stoop a good word seasonably remembred as spoken makes it glad and he that slights the turning over of the sacred Pages of the Bible after he hath got his evidence within may be glad of crums one day after his high Feastings and well if seeking the Spirit where he lost him his comforts return at last upon him Many lose the Spirits comforts by slighting his Love-letters in the Scriptures where the Spirit is and whereby he giveth forth himself Such a passage I had in my former piece That the Spirit is in the Letter and given by it which R. F. hath excepted against once and again heretofore but now in its due place where it was spoken he lets it pass I promised in the first part of this Reply to clear it further for his conviction if it may be or for the Saints edification First The Spirit is in the Letter or the whole Scripture for so these men comprehensively use the term Letter How the Spirit is in the Scripture-Letter 1. As he owneth what he dictated to his Secretaries the Pen-men of Scripture He is in all their writings with the subscription of his own hand as it were they spake and wrote as they were moved and inspired by the Holy Ghost Rev. 1. 10. John is in the Spirit viz. he is rapt up by the Spirit and the Spirits impulse is more then ordinarily upon him when he is commanded to write and of all that John writeth the Spirit beareth Testimony that it is himself that speaks it Rev. 3. 22. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches what wretched men are they who will not suffer the Spirit to be where he speaketh 2. If the Spirit was in the Pen-men he is more in the matter and contents of the Scripture penned down None will deny but he was in the Pen-men more then ordinarily when they wrote from his mouth or inspiration and therefore he is in what they wrote much more for the word written is of greater Authority and Spirit then the Writer or Secretary They were holy men of God who wrote but that which is written is the holy Truth of God They were imperfectly holy but Gods word as written from the Spirit is perfect in all degrees of holiness 3. The Spirit is where there is with perfect holiness perfect Truth and Majesty in the Matter and in the very Stile and where is sweet Harmony in all the parts put together In the Scripture-letter there is not one Iota or Tittle that shall fall to the ground to eclipse the Glory Truth and Majesty or spoil the Harmony of it Secondly the Spirit is given by it in this sense How given by it 1. As his minde is given out by it whether the words be proper or figurative the Spirit hath his proper intendment scope and sense in the whole Letter and in every part of what is written and as by his words he makes known his minde he is where his words are 2. As his work is given by it even what work he pleaseth See second part Section 10. of Conviction Instruction in Righteousness Consolation c. If the Scripture convinceth gainsayers and sinners evil livers if it instructeth the ignorant comforteth the feeble-minded it is as the Spirit gives out himself thereby He is there indeed as a free Agent ad placitum not tyed to work or manifest himself or put forth his power and grace but as the wind bloweth where it listeth so he worketh where when and upon whom he pleaseth 3. As the Promises of the Scripture are his Chariot to convey him whither he pleaseth to go into the hearts of the Elect that they may believe and after they have believed that they may be established Thus according to his promise he will fill a Believers sails of endeavor in reading meditating c. with gales of grace and advances towards glory To conclude that the Spirit is in the Letter and given by it daily experience doth demonstrate For such as forsake the Scriptures authority and own not the Spirits dwelling in the Letter as truly as in the heart they lose their faith of the Spirits presence with them in the reading and meditation of it and losing this faith they run to other Doctrines and Gospels The spirit of error is in all mens doctrines which have not the Spirit in them that breatheth in the Scriptures We may easily discern whether R. F. his spirit be not in his writings and whether much of the spirit of Error not conveyed and given out by his and other mens Pamphlets of the same stamp And shall the spirit of Satan the father of lyes be in Seducers books and not the Spirit of God and of the Father of truth be in and go along according to his free mercy with his own blessed Books of the Scripture Yes verily and James Naylers words import as much when he saith * Few words by J. N. p. 11. That the Spirit opens and brings all that is spoken in Scripture to remembrance which if R. F. denies he contradicts his fellow if he grants it a truth he must recant his frequent descants upon that which I asserted and judge himself as erring because he knew not the Scriptures and the Spirit and power of God dwelling in them and acting by them Section 9. WHat answereth R. F. to this Section where I evidenced another of their Self-contradictions concerning the Scripture which was this He that believeth is born of God without Scripture and yet Let all see if we do not set the Scripture in the heart of every one Why this is his answer * Page 25. 1. So saith the Scripture 1 John 5. And that the word of God is nigh in the heart is witnessed Rom. 10. 8. And he that believes and is born of God knows the seed of God within him 1 John 3. 9. Rep. Do any of these Scriptures bear witness against themselves or say That he that believeth is born of God without Scripture yet dare R. F. put it forth in the front of his answer So saith the Scripture The Scripture saith the full truth He that believeth is born of God but the Pamphlet I quoted * Answer to 7 Priests p. 13 said more then the Scripture that the believer was born of God without the Scripture and R. F. pretends to answer to what their Pamphlets hold forth but cannot in his answers salve his own nor his fellows contradictions Ans 2. He is not born of the Letter as thou wouldst have him yet he is begotten by the immortal word which endureth for ever which the Letter declares of and that doth not contradict
of deceit we deny but a form of sound words the Scripture doth justifie being spoken by the Spirit of truth which we own and now the time is come that deceivers and such as you are cannot endure sound Doctrine but utters your folly to make your selves manifest and what generation you are of even of him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish 2 Thes 2. 2 Pet. 2. Rep. I leave all this with the former to the judgement of the intelligent Reader and of the righteous Lord onely I advertise that he may refer in these words to Section 26. as to this in hand and then by our forms of deceit he meaneth our putting off the Hat and against that we must set their putting off the Hat-band and by their form of sound words he must be construed of Thou and Thee and I still leave it to the Lords judgement where deceit is harbored and acted where Humility and Love is lodged and at what Sign it dwells good men may in time understand by Scripture-marks this for one 1 Cor. 11. 16. If any man seem to be contentious we have no such custom neither the Churches of God 13. Head of Contradiction to themselves Concerning Ordinances Section 29. I Noted here what they pretend to own viz. Praying in families with reading and instructing of Children and teaching according to the Apostles Doctrine but contradict it in their giving over the course of Family-prayer ordinarily Morning and Evening and at Meals nor do I hear they teach Children but what leads them to an imitation of their new forms R. F. * Page 30. as before asketh me touching that which they say they own And art thou offended at this Rep. 1. I am not offended at the practice pretended but at the bare pretence of the practice viz. at saying and not doing and at back-slidings from the old and good ways of the Lord. 2. I am offended at R. F. his denying as before our raising Points Reasons Vses Motives and Tryals from the words of Scripture and yet justifying their teaching according to the Apostles Doctrine for sure if all they reach be according thereunto it will go near to fall under some of those heads viz. of Motives Tryals Points Reasons or Vses and if they so teach one another in their families why do they condemn us for teaching after that maner in the publique assemblies 3. I am offended at R. F. his subtilty or ignorant simplicity all along that he puts off his Reader with answer to one part of the Contradiction but not to the other as in what followeth I observed they pretend to own all that is Gods Baptism the Lords Supper Church-fellowship Sabbaths c. but as I said 't is in a sense contradictious to the light that ever they had have or can have truly from Scripture This man speaks not to the latter part of the charge but onely to the former We do own that which is Gods free love and mercy to us and all that is Gods as Baptism the Lords Supper Church-fellowship Sabbath Rep. Here are fair words but what the sense and meaning of them is and how contradictious to Scripture and the ordinary use of the terms and phrases we may gather from what hath passed before See Part 1. Sect. 3. 8. 1. All Water-Baptism is dis-owned by them and he that saith he owneth Scripture-Baptism which comprehends the sign and the thing signified and doth dis-own all Water-Baptism he doth wittingly or unwittingly contradict himself 2. The Lords instituted Bread and Wine Supper they deny as was shewed Part 1. Sect. 39. contrary to the Scripture And he that saith he owneth all that is Gods and dis-owneth Bread and Wine as instituted by Jesus Christ to be used by the Churches as the outward visible sign and memorial of the Lords death to his second coming is beside himself as well as without his Book 3. All forms of Church-fellowship but their own they deny and that can be no true Church-fellowship of theirs which dis-own the Scriptures from being the word of God and rule of their fellowship and of their Church 4. As for a day of Rest one day in seven it was a mercy The Sabbath a mercy and a duty of God to Israel of old that he made known unto them his holy Sabbath Nehem. 9. 14. and I think it is a mercy still and a pledge of love that Gods holy Sabbath exchanged since Christs resurrection from the seventh to the first day of the week hath not ceased in any Age for the standing Rule and Law of the fourth Commandment obligeth to one day in seven whether the last or the first of the seven it is a mercy we have either but doth R. F. and his fellows own the outward part or rest of the Sabbath according to Gods command not that I finde in any of their writings hear one for all * Several papers pag. 19. The worlds Sabbath is without them and they have no rest but in a form without The Saints Sabbath is within where Christ is come to give them rest and they are ceased from their own works 5. It is the mercy and love of God to give a heart to look more into the inside of Ordinances then upon the outside but he that is unfaithful in the least is unjust also in much and he that breaks the least of God Commandments as to the outward part of an Ordinance and teach men so shall be called or reckoned the least in the kingdom of heaven 14. Head of their Self-contradiction Concerning Speech and Silence Section 30. THey sit silent for an hour or half or quarter and when others in though not of their company speak freely they check it as I observed with this or the like saying In the multitude of words there cannot want sin and yet they are in their Letters and Pamphlets full of tautologies c. R. F. passeth this Section over with deep silence but in this Pamphlet he hath verified the charge 1. Of multiloquious needless repetitions where he thinks Sect. 31 32. to vindicate the Scriptures by frequent and impertinent quotation of them And 2. Of Silence in many passages where it was necessary he should have vindicated himself and his Brethren from their own Contradictions 15. Head of their Self-contradiction Concerning Elders Section 31. THis Section also he lets pass as having nothing to say where I noted J. Naylers interfering viz. The ordaining of Elders was not by man and yet it was by the Spirit of God in the Apostles the Spirit made use of them then as he did of the Brethrens and Churches suffrages and prayers To grant an use was made of men in the call of Elders and yet to deny the Call was given of God by man is to speak Daggers and Contradictions as all along I have cleared it in fore-mentioned instances 16. Head of their Self-contradiction
him also even of strong Paul and of weak Paul strong in the Lord weak yet in and of himself and willing to glory in this that he knew himself to be weak and nothing As he * M. Nicholas Price of Lyn-Regis that said when he had attained to no small measure of mortification in the eyes of others I thank God I know my self to be a sinner while these proud up-starts think many of them have reached to the highest pitch of Perfection 3. It is Pride that hath bred and doth feed and nourish their opinions and practises What makes them level Legal and Gospel-light but Pride The light which every man hath saith William Deusbery i Christ exalted page 26 is not common to man by nature it is the great gift of God the Grace that hath appeared c. The truth is Every mans light where the Gospel comes not is neither for degree nor kinde the same with Gospel-light it is but a shimmering of the Laws light a gift of God indeed but no such great Gift as the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ or as the doctrine of that Grace Every man writes E. B. k True faith of the Gospel of peace p. 18. hath that which is one in Vnion and like the Spirit of Christ even as good as the Spirit of Christ according to its measure A proud elevation of the fallen posterity of Adam either exalting the gifts of the Spirit as high as the person of the Spirit or levelling the high and peculiar Grace of the Spirit in true Saints with the low and common work in every man Weigh but what J. Nayler hath in his Answer to Math. Cuffin l Light of Christ and word of life page 19. and see if there be not wicked Pride God is at liberty to speak to his people by them viz. the Scriptures if he please and where they are given by inspiration he doth so And so he is at liberty to speak by any other created thing as to Balaam by his Ass As if God did not speak constantly by the Scriptures the voices of the Prophets * Acts 13. 27 and Apostles though his people are not always alike affected with and by them nor doth the Lord give the same impression from the same Text at one time as at another or as if all the Scripture at all times were not of divine Inspiration and as if he would have his disciples with himself ascribe no more authority to the Scriptures then to Balaams Ass 4. Unbelief begets and procreates all their Errors and their love of Error with their derisions of the Truth How come they to slight the Scriptures and the Ordinances of Christ They have lost that first faith or never 1 Tim. 5. had any concerning their Institution and Authority or the efficacy of the Spirit put forth by them Would they else judge it Blasphemy m To all that would know the way p. 4. for any to say the Letter or Scripture is the Word of God when as 't is that which the Spirit dictated and hath ever blessed and prospered to his own purposes Would they else scribble and quibble as they do n Ibid page 8. Thou that sayest thou had not come to repentance if thou had not known the Letter thou deniest Christ The Scripture is say they A Declaration of the Spirit but the Spirit is not in it A Declaration of Power but the Power is not in it And why is not the Spirit and Power in it this is nothing but the voice and spirit of unbelief which makes them so to judge How like a Pelagi-Arminian doth J. Nayler speak o Answer to Quakers Catechism p. 24. Who hath the Spirit hath an infallible guide in matter and maner if he keep to it And I know that so far as any are led by the Spirit it guides into all truth if it be not erred from Whence come these ifs but from unbelief What Luther said of his Popish Devotions is true here We always prayed in Colloq mens Popedom conditionaliter with condition uncertainly and at hap-hazard And upon such a hazard do these ifs run mens salvation beside the pride of such ifs determining all Grace the Spirits infallible guidance and what not upon the will of man and his improvements Whence is it that they speak with such disparagement of Christ dying at Jerusalem but from unbelief Had Ed. Burrough a Faith working by love when he sounded his Trumpet p A Trumpet of the Lord sounded out of Sion by E. B. page 17. and upbraided all that are called Presbyterians and Independents with their feeding upon the report of a thing done many hundred years ago They that believe not that word John 6. 53. will not tremble at it Did those called Presbyterians and Independents more heartily feed upon Christ who dyed and as he dyed above sixteen hundred years ago by faith every day and meet ofter at the Lords Table in faith and love they would be more strengthned in one against their common enemies 5. They do subtilly couch many Errors under specious words of Truth or terms that are ambiguous and of a doubtful sense q The inheritance of Jacob page 24. The Righteousness saith Francis Howgil whereby the Saints of old pleased God and was accepted was wrought in them the same that is now wrought in the Saints by Christ As if God were not pleased with them as clothed with the imputed righteousness of Christ or they would have that which is within the Saints to be that which is imputed to their pardon and acceptance whereas God is more pleased with that which Christ wrought for them then with what he worketh in them Yea that which Christ wrought in his own person and in that flesh which he assumed is that alone which the Father accepteth and imputeth to their Justification Not but he is pleased with his own work in us in a way of Sanctification and Service That seems very fair which Alexander Parker hath r Testimony of God p. 4. It is an inward work that every one must know and witness if ever they know true peace and rest But let all know that the work within is not the ground and purchase of their peace but the blood of Christ alone and his obedience although it is a witness and an evidence and yet every inward work is not an evidence or witness of peace with God but that alone which is the New-birth or true Sanctification and the parts of it flowing from and inseparably attending and accompanying the Believers union with the Lord Jesus Light saith Tho Lawson Å¿ Lip of truth c. page 45 and 47. is the same in him that hates it and in him that loves it And again Grace is the same in him that turns it into lasciviousness as in him that is taught by it The same seed as fell on the good ground fell on the high way
to settle the hearts and hopes of them that flee thither for refuge with strong consolation In a word the Covenant of Grace excludes works as any condition of life for it is the declaration of Gods way of saving by Grace according to the Election of Grace which if it be of Grace as it is then Rom. 11. 6. is it not at all of works These meditations are heart-establishing you will say in wavering times and all Doctrines agreeable to the fulness of Christ and his Covenant are so David found it so so may you It was a soft pillow to David God 2 Sam. 23 5. hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure on his Death-bed whereon to rest his head so it will be to all that take hold on it and mix it with faith For secondly it is not the Doctrine of the Gospel abstractly considered but as believed that will establish you Faith establisheth Col. 1. 23. by its object acts reflections and fruits Continue in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye have heard Consider brethren what you believe and in whom ye have believed Christ and his righteousness without you is a sure foundation for your Faith to Isaiah 28. 18. build upon He that believeth on him shall not be ashamed unsetled beaten off Faith gives you an evidence of things not seen and makes things absent present Every act of Faith tends to your establishment having some certainty in its bosom and bowels and so much as strives against doubting and that shall not miscarry in the issue and event But reflections of Faith help on yet more to stedfastness When you know you do 1 Pet. 3. 21. believe then you have the answer of a good conscience wherewith comes peace and liberty Peace with God is discerned and peace with Conscience is setled hereby in much serenity with liberty of access to the Throne of Grace and of making your Appeals to God by vertue of Christs blood sprinkled on the Conscience and by reason of the Acquittance which Christ received for the Believer at his resurrection His discharge is ours and hence the other benefits which Faith brings along with it of Vnion with Christ Communion with God Justification Redemption Adoption and Sanctification But if with the Doctrine and Faith of the Gospel there comes thirdly the Grace of sense or the sense of Gods grace and love in all that is taught and believed how is the heart established by the holy Rom. 5. 5. Spirit that is given us This Spirit is both the seal of what is past the witness of what is present and the earnest of what is to come making all that is in reversion as sure to us as that which is already in our possession Adde unto this fourthly Experimental exercise of grace in all Gospel-institutions and what establishment shall your hearts want now or hereafter Communion with God in Gospel-Ordinances gives rest and satisfaction when we finde the effect of Water-baptism and of Infant-baptism in Christs blood and the Spirits regeneration when we discern the effect of Bread and Wine-Lords-supper in Christs presence at his Table and the quicknings of his Spirit in our singing Davids Psalms and Scripture-spiritual songs use of publique as private Prayer ministery of the Word c. Your souls brethren cannot but finde it eminently helpful to be established with this Gospel-grace First you have hereby an Antidote against all poison of diverse and strange Doctrines Your hearts are as ships well-ballasted against all contrary winds The Doctrine of Free-grace rightly understood believed and adhered to doth at once dispel and scatter all Popish and Arminian fogs The fulness of Christ believed lays open the emptiness of Quakerism The Covenant and Promises grasped by Faith are as the little stone which they say the Bee takes up to flie with in a high wind so as the biggest blasts shall not dash you to the ground Let who will say that Christ doth not justifie by a righteousness without us the Scripture saith We are made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. and the Grace of Faith carries out the Soul for righteousness and life in another viz. Christ of this the Spirit with the Conscience and Experience of Believers beareth witness Let the poor Quakers say that the Scriptures are not the word of God the heart that believeth and experienceth the power of the Scripture changing and transforming will finde him a liar and blasphemer Let them say that will they have no sin dwelling in them and their warfare is at an end a gracious heart will slight and despise these Contradictions to all the Experiences of the Saints held forth in Scripture Let them say there is no Baptism of water or let them call the Lords Supper as used by the Churches a humane Invention because they have found no comfort in it or by it the heart established in the faith of the Institution will give them the lie and although he findes not these seals always alike efficacious yet he knows and believeth them always to be the Lords Ordinances and to have a promise of efficacy annexed to them which God will make good at his day and hour and not at our season Secondly The fears which false doctrine terrifieth the Conscience withal are removed and made to vanish Fears of non-acceptance by reason of daily failings in duties fears of falling away totally and finally are expelled by the pure doctrine of faith and of justification by grace alone and by nothing inherent in us as a habit or adherent to us as an act c. Thirdly There is this advantage all pretended Revelations are cast off dreams are not hearkned unto leading from the Scriptures The faith of a Promise makes things as sure to your souls as if God had spoken immediately from the Clouds The sense of Gods Love is as sweet as a rapture into the third Heavens Moses and the Prophets are as sure to a gracious heart as if one arose from the dead for he could not bring up greater Truths or stronger Arguments of perswasion then are found in the Scriptures he could not speak more pathetically with higher strains and stronger lines with more majesty of stile and elegancy of phrase or sweeter floods of eloquence or with more plainness and godly simplicity then the Spirit expresseth himself in the Scripture holding forth all along an evidence and demonstration of himself with holy harmony and efficacy Fourthly When your hearts are established with Gospelgracious Doctrine Faith Sense and Experience thereof you are fortified against all powerful temptations Sometime the soul is tempted to forsake Ordinances but faith of that promise that the house of Jacob shall not seek God in vain keeps Isaiah 45. 19. the heart close to means of Gods appointment Sometime the Christian is tempted to go to a second Baptism or to
is seen and known to be one that hates it and why 1. He bears record of himself against Christ and his Apostles Let that be found in any passage of his former or present piece and R. F. shall be no false Apostle J. S. will hide his head in a hole or openly recant the folly and wickedness 2. He calls the true light saith R. F. the Light of nature and the common Light of reason Where 's the proof of this allegation J. S. doth peremptorily deny that he ever so exprest himself since he had the Light of reason in him The true Light as 't is printed both in R. F. his Book * Page 2. and in the Bible John 1. 9. with a great L and there spoken of is Christ J. S. never called Christ the Light of nature or the common Light of reason or reason as Page 34. R. F. clamoreth and clattereth Haply he may say again and again That Christ as the very God and the true Light giveth the Light of nature to all men and common light of reason more or less to every man for he is able to distinguish betwixt the Donor and his Gift betwixt the un-created Light-living God and created Light-given before the fall to Adam or given back since the fall to him and his posterity If R. F. or any man will confound Christ-giving or enlightning with the Light-given or lighted up as a Candle in every man he may as well confound God and the Creature and make them as some blasphemously imagine to be one and the same Essence Therefore as in this so in all other instances Fourthly J. S. is confident after R. F. his impudence in his Preface and Proceedings he shall neither be found Lyar nor false Accuser but as he is sure that Saint Pauls Anathema was out long since Gal. 1. 8 9. and is still in force against those that preach another Gospel-way of Justification as do these Quaking-Papists or Popish-Quakers so the Anathema Maran-atha that R. F. denounceth imperatively and imperiously Let him be an Anathema Maranatha against J. S. shall be as the curse causless that shall not come but that God will do him more good as already he hath done something for him by Shimei's railing Tyrants Sectaries Seducers and Hereticks as Luther said do nothing else but drive us unto the Bible to make us read more diligently therein and with more fervency to sharpen our Prayers and I may adde by their buffetings to be more taken off from self-estimation and to be viler in our own eyes then we can be in the eyes of our Adversaries who know not our hearts THE Reviler rebuked PART 1. 1. Head of Scripture-contradiction Touching the Scriptures themselves Section 1. THe holy Scriptures by one thunder-stricken in spirit and blasted in profession with the Quakers Books and company in Scotland were denied to my face to be the word of Truth which I noted as the first and great Contradiction R. Farnworth in answer returns me thus much of truth in form of words That the Scriptures are words that proceeded from the Spirit of Truth we do not deny but own and so they are the words of truth Plainly he doth not say they are the words of truth nor plainly joyn Scripture the word of truth to all issue with him that denied them to be the word of truth but if they be own'd for words of truth as proceeding from the Spirit of truth then for the advantage of Truth I argue 1. They are the word of God and so should be owned by them Surely the Spirit of truth is the Spirit of God proceeding from the Father and the Son and these three John 15. 26. being one their word is one That which is the word of the Spirit of truth is the word of the Father of truth and of the Son of truth The Scripture by R. F. his confession is the word of the Spirit of truth therefore he must grant it to be the word of the Father and of the Son of truth and consequently the word of the true God 2. If they be words of truth as proceeding from the Spirit of truth then they are the Rule Standard and Touchstone of truth the true Spirit being known by his words and directing us to know his minde by his words what we should believe as truth and practise as truth or according to it but we shall anon hear R. F. denying the Scriptures to be the rule of a Christian as of other men that are unchristian 3. If they be the words of the Spirit of truth then they are so to all men or but to some men 1. If so to all men that have the Scriptures by them then why doth not R. F. challenge him that denied them to be so to unbelievers as I noted in my Book Why doth he challenge me for falshood with a therefore too * Page 2. therefore thy saying is false What saying of mine is false and wherefore I truly related what I had from him I mentioned above in discourse once and again That the Scriptures were not the word of truth And doth it follow because R. F. acknowledgeth them to be the words of truth that therefore I heard not the contradiction or mis-related what was spoken 2. If they be the words of truth but to some men not at all to wicked men and unbelievers no not condemningly as were his expressions then it seems the unbelief and wickedness of men doth make the Faith or Truth of God of none effect but S. Paul Rom. 3. 3. is of another minde Rom 3. 3. cleared yea the Spirit there by the Interrogation first and second What if some did not believe shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect forcibly denieth the frustration or making void of Gods word of truth by the Jews former or following continued unbelief God hath laid his faith and truth to pawn as it were in the holy Scriptures and as he is a God of truth his word is a word of truth taking hold of men by the threatning as Zech. 1. 6. who misbelieve or reject the promise And Is he the God of the Jews onely and not also of the Gentiles to justifie and condemn all that are believing or unbelieving according to the Scriptures Such therefore who will say No more is the truth of God or word of God to me then what I believe were they never so dear friends must be as roundly taken up and faithfully rebuked as sometimes Luther took up a man of no mean account Bullenger you erre you know neither your self nor what you hold According to your falsities if the Word findes not the Spirit but an ungodly Person then it is not Gods word whereby you define and hold the word not according to God who speaketh it but according as people do entertain and receive it Whereas as he again a true Christian must hold for certain and must say That word
gave forth the Letter Hereby setting the Word and Spirit at difference whereas the Spirit gives forth his word in the Scripture and in the word written lays down the grounds of the Saints actings and believings also yea he hath ordained the very Scripture to be one ground of their acting R. F. in answer returns me this language * Pag. 7. 1. Here thou art blinde and knows not the Saints ground and 2. Accusing them falsly that witness to it 3. With thy Logick and Magick Art would make the Scriptures God and Christ but cannot and would make them the ground of the Saints acting when they are not Rep. 1. If R. F. will but understand what is and may be said to be the ground of a thing he may possibly believe I know the Saints ground of acting as they are Saints The word Ground is ambiguous and hath divers acceptions In strict propriety of speech the Earth we tread upon and Ground are all one as the same Ground or Earth brings forth the same fruit By a metaphorical Allusion the word Ground is sometime put for the Cause of a thing sometime for the first ground-work of a Building or for the first Principles and Rules of Art and Science or for the first habits in a man of his actings The Cause and that principal-efficient Ground of the Saints acting is God and the Father by Christ through the Spirit The Scriptures are How the Scriptures are the Ground of the Saints acting instrumentally a Cause without which since the Lord caused them to be given forth he doth not ordinarily act upon the Saints or draw forth their acts of grace and godliness They are the first external ground-work of all their faith and workings as Saints They are the Rule and Warrant of all their ordinary actings yea the grounding Touch-stone of all extraordinary Impulses and Revelations By their Authority they are a sufficient ground or reason of our faith and practice The Scripture-commands are one ground the Scripture-promises another the Scripture-threatnings another the Scripture examples backt by and bottom'd upon a precept another the Scripture-Prophecies and Revelations another As every word of God is pure Prov. 30. 5. so every part of the Scripture is a pure grounding-rule for a Saints faith and conversation Rev. 21. 14. The wall of the City the new Jerusalem made up of Saints indeed hath twelve foundations and in them the names of the Apostles of the Lamb whose writings we have with the doctrine of the Prophets Ephes 2. 20. founding-grounding doctrine as that golden Reed Rev. 21. 15. to measure the city and the gates thereof and the wall thereof 2. If the Word and Spirit cannot be set at difference but are inseparable as R. F. yieldeth yet I did not falsly accuse them as he saith that witness to the Saints ground because by Word he and others expresly hold forth none but the Person of Christ and God the Word but deny the Letter of Scripture to be the Word of God which is strange contradiction to God himself and to his Scripture and to themselves also For while they grant he wrote or caused to be written the whole Letter yet they deny him to have written a word It is true in propriety of Grammar-speech a letter is but the least part of a word yet it is a part But the Bible consists of many books of letters which God hath left written for his friends and people to be grounded and setled in the faith yet because John 1. 1. speaks of God the Word and 2 Cor. 3. 17. of the Lord the Spirit therefore Christ and the Scripture must not be called by the same name and because Christ and the Spirit are inseparable therefore the Spirit and the Scripture must be parted as to the Case in hand and if the Spirit be the ground of the Saints acting the Scriptures must have no part nor lot in this business I shall still accuse such Logick to be false reasoning and yet not accuse the Logician falsly R. F. thinking to mend the matter marres it with his additional gloss * Page 7. The Letter is not God nor the Letter is not the Spirit therefore not that Word which liveth and abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1. 23. by which the World was framed Heb. 11. 3. and made Heb. 1. 2. For what if it be not that WORD yet it is the word of that Word it is the word of Christ who is God the Word And if Christ be the ground or meritoriously efficient cause of the Saints actings his Scripture or written Word is the regular Card and Compass by which his Spirit steers their course to the Haven of Happiness and Eternal Rest And why may not the word Peter speaks of in that place be the Scripture He sets not 1 Pet. 1. 23. with 25. opened Christ spoken of in opposition to that Scripture in Isaiah 40. 8. but from the Prophets testimony advanceth the word that speaks of Christ in opposition first to mortal and corruptible seed and then to withering flesh and all the glory of man even in his words fading away as the flower of grass And is not every Scripture-Gospel-promise that immortal seed which being emitted from the Scripture by the Spirit and quickened as it is cast into the heart doth it not there abide and remain in life and power If verse 25. may give any light to verse 23. not Christs person but Christs promise is there beyond all dispute intended by the Apostle when he saith The word of the Lord endureth for ever for the Greek word is not that which is used when Christ in person is spoken of Logos but Röma both in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first and latter clause which is an explication of the former And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you as if the Apostle should say Would ye know what word is that which endureth for ever even the Scripture-promise which we daily do evangelize or speak of unto you as constant good tidings If any say in verse 23. it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Logos it must be noted for a certain truth that although Logos the Word be sometimes necessarily to be understood of Christs person as John 1. 1. c. yet not * Apud Gracos latè patet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza in Joh. 1. 1. always and this is as certain that Rëma is never used for Christs person but this is used ver 25. and therefore ver 23. in Peter is to be expounded by it Again Is it not the same with the sincere milk of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word * cap. 2. 2. which nourisheth and ministreth growth to the new-born babe Was it the wonted maner of any of the Lords Nurses to bring up Gods children by hand as we say as soon as they are new born and not guide them to the breasts of
the Old and New Testament-Scripture thence to suck and draw for their refreshment preservation and consolation But such cursed step-dames have we now sprung up who would wean every new-born babe from any further tastes of Scripture-milk it must be no ground of their acting then no means of their growth no food to them at all nay it shall be no seed instrumentally to beget them as not milk to nourish them 3. They that deny the Scriptures to be in any good sense the ground of the Saints acting in effect deny them to be Gods Scriptures and Christs Scriptures for either the Authority of God and Christ is stampt upon them or not if it be then by their Authority may and ought the Saints to act if it be not then are they but humane and not the Scriptures of God and Christ But let us examine what R. F. saith for himself * 2 pag. of his Epist and 7. p. of his book and men of his judgement The Lord God and his Spirit is the ground of the Saints acting as it was formerly Isa 48. 16 17. For the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me And the Lord Isaiah 48. 16 17. cleared vindicated teacheth his that he so sends to profit Rep. 1. So reads he or writes I must not say wresteth lest I retort but the words are directed to the people or Church and truly thus read which teacheth thee to profit The prophets had more extraordinary impulses of the Spirit then the Saints in ordinary for their actings 2. One way whereby God then taught and now teacheth his people to profit was by reducing them to the written Rule ver 18. O that thou hadst hearkned to my Commandments which they had in writings from God before the Lord God and the Spirit sent Isaiah to them Christ who came with the Spirit as he received it not by measure came with the Scriptures taught the people and his disciples how to profit by them Luke 4. 18. Matth. 5. Luke 24. 27. and as the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal which Scripture 1 Cor. 12. 7. R. F. alledgeth in 1 Cor 12. 7. vindicated part so is all the Scripture given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in righteousness 2 Tim. 3. 16. neither is there any manifestation of the Spirit in any Teacher if he doth not manifest his doctrine from or according to the Scripture when required so to do It is not to be believed that God ever gave his Spirit to such a Teacher who doth manifestly or covertly under pretence of the Spirit flie from the light of Scripture The Spirit of God never taught any The property of the Scriptures to speak dishonorably or diminishingly of his written word but to give unto the Scriptures what is its due viz. That they are Gods holy Scriptures Rom. 1. 2. able to make a childe wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3. 15. and given ver 17. That the man of God the Prophet Apostle Evangelist Pastor or Teacher and others by their ministery may be perfect throughly furnished unto every good work and unto the Spirit what is his due The prerogative of the Spirit prerogative to work by the Scripture when and upon whom he pleaseth to their saving profit But haply I might have spared this pains in reference to R. F. though others have need of it because in his Epistle he hath this passage The Scriptures in the Letter onely are not the true ground of the believers faith as they in Scotland affirm for he seems to be a little yielding that they are the ground of the Saints acting though not onely if in any good sense he will grant them to be the ground of the believers faith he must in that The ground of the Believers faith is the ground of the Saints acting sense yield them to be the ground of the Saints acting for the Saint and the Believer is all one and all acts of holiness in general as of any particular grace spring from the same root that the acts of faith do and are built upon the same ground-work that is laid by God for the edification of faith and its actings Onely I must advertise him and others that I know none in Scotland that so affirm or express themselves as he speaks They may say and say truly that the Letter i. e. the Scriptures which never were without their true sense nor without the Spirit breathing in them though it be not manifested to every one that reads them nor a like manifestation given at all times to all the Saints are the onely visible and legible Rule of faith and Judge of Controversies as all sound Protestants have hitherto maintained this truth against the Papists And they that are of a sound minde in this British Isle as in all Europe and the world have from Gods Authority stampt upon the Scriptures asserted them to be a true Ground of the Believers faith which R. F. weakly denies * Epist because Christ is the true Ground of faith whereas the affirmative is hereby the more strongly proved For the true adaequate or proportionable Object of faith is the true Ground of faith but Christ speaking in the Scriptures is the true adaequate Object of faith therefore Christ in the Scriptures is the true Ground of faith And thus again If Christ be the true Ground of faith then the Scriptures of Christ which are his written truth are a true Ground of faith as if the man be honest I may build upon his word so if Christ be true and Truth itself his word is true and the truth as his Fathers word is John 17. 17. when written down for a more certain ground as to us and our actings then if but spoken in the air or to the ear Let R. F. therefore or all that have a minde to be sound in the faith if he hath none hear the Scripture speaking for it self and hear Christ together for himself and his Scripture Prov. 22. 19 20 21. That thy trust Prov. 22. 19 20 21. opened and urged may be in the Lord I have made known to thee this day even to thee Here is a ground of faith laid by the Lord himself What is it his making known of what Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge Here is excellent matter made known as a ground of trusting in the Lord and here is the maner of revelation by writing Have not I written wherefore That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth Behold the maner of making known a ground also of certainty of knowledge and consequently of faith for a mans self and it followeth that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee Lo here is the ground of our Embassie and Message for others
3. vindicated which labored with him in the Gospel for all these were employed not contrary to his order unto the Church at Corinth in publick preaching or so much as acting by their votes and suffrages in Church affairs but either in succoring Paul and others or in messages or in working out Pauls liberty mean while hazarding their own lives or in composing differences or in entertainment of strangers or in some other Christian-gospel-service sutable to their sex gifts and graces And as for that which R. F. collecteth from 1 Cor. 16. 19. that if Priscilla be not permitted to speak in the Church and the Church be in her house she must not speak but go out of her house Sure it is that as she 1 Cor. 16. 19. vindicated and her husband Aquila had taken up a house at Corinth Act. 18. 3. so they had a godly family like a little Church for knowledge piety and good order but the order of a godly family is after one way and the order of a ministerial Church is after another way Besides the Church at Corinth did ordinarily meet in Gaius's house therefore he is called Pauls Host and of the whole Church Rom. 16. 23. and Paul at other times wrought with his hands at Aquilas house Act. 18. 3. and in some one place compare 1 Cor. 14. 23. with chap. 11. 20. or other where that order was observed which was given to the Church ministerial and where Priscilla her self must not speak in the case in controversie with R. F. though haply she was more eminent in grace and gifts then her husband Aquila and upon that account her name may for once Rom. 16. 3. be set before his Lastly as for her own house it is not said the whole Church met there as at Gaius's house but it may well be collected those of her family were part of the whole and so the name Church is given to it and speak there she might to teach her family and with her husband to instruct an Apollos in the way of God more perfectly Act. 18. 26. without going out of her house or out of her place Will J. Nayler notwithstanding all this persist in his bold opinion that Pauls words of a womans keeping silence in the Church must not be taken in the Letter and will R. F. defend him with his own glosses I must leave them to the Lords rebuke for being wise in their own conceit and proceed to the close of this Paragraph in my book where I had given another instance of their new gloss upon 2 Pet. 1. 19. 2 Pet. 1. 19. vindicated affirming the sure word of prophecy there spoken of to be the Prophecy and Spirit of Prophecy within them and not the outward Prophecy or declaration of Gods minde in the Scriptures R. F. * page 7. hath nothing to say but this the sure word of prophecy we witness to and do not to it say No and then falls upon me with reproachful language as his maners serve him But how doth he witness it If by the word of Prophecy he means as Peter interprets it ver 20. the prophecy of the Scripture then he contradicts his fellow J. N. and doth not say no where his fellow saith no if he witnesseth onely the prophecy within or the light * Discovery of the man of sin by J. Naylar pag. 30. as J. N. glosseth till the day dawn c. which is not without nor in books then he with Nayler contradicts Peter and the holy Ghost moving him to write of a more sure word of prophecy of Scripture then the voice on the mount To clear this further As Peter v. 20. expounds v. 19. calling the more sure word of prophecy the prophecy of Scripture or Scripture-prophecy not heart-prophecy or breast-prophecy arising and residing onely in the minde but written down in books so this written-prophecy he sets in opposition to cunningly devised fables which ver 16. he professeth against in which fables there was no sureness or certainty at all and then he lays it in the ballance of comparison with his and others making known the Lords power and coming on the mount Peter James and John Mat 17 1 c. were ear-witnesses of a voice from heaven concerning Christ and eye-witnesses which is ten times more then onely to take a thing by the report of the ear of Christs majesty honor and glory this Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus they preached of to the scattered Jews as others yet notwithstanding their preaching of what they had heard and seen and the certainty of the voice they heard and the glory they saw We saith Peter including James and John with himself and the believing Jews whom he wrote unto who honored the writings of Moses and the Prophets as infallible have a more sure word of prophecy or of the Prophets writings whereunto ye do well that ye take heed hereby commending them for their respect to the Scriptures and encouraging them to be intent thereunto as unto a light shining in a dark place the Scripture-word being a lamp unto the feet and a light unto the path of Saints amidst Psal 119. 105. all the darkness of the heart of the world or of the Church until the day dawn and day-star arise in our hearts i. e. until by the study of the Scriptures more light be cleared up and Christ make himself more manifest to us and within us But lest any should stumble at the Apostles assertion which comparing ver 19 20. as before is to this effect that all or any part of the Scripture is a more sure word then what is spoken in the air and but to the ear the Apostle preventingly addeth ver 20. Knowing this first let this be laid as for a fundamental truth in your mindes that no prophecy of the Scripture whereof we speak 2 Pet. 1. 19. with v. 20 21. more cleared is of any private interpretation Were it so that every man might as his private minde leads him interpret Scripture the authority and certainty of it would vanish as the light Scripture to be interpreted by Scripture and truth of it would be eclipsed it would be far from being a more sure word men might that way turn the Gospel into a Fable and make the Scriptures as Antichristian Popelings do a nose of wax well how proves the Apostle that no Scripture is of any private interpretation why verse 21. For or because the Prophecy came not in old time or at 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any time by the will of man but holy men of God spake it as they were moved by the holy Ghost As was the Genesis such is the Analysis as was the composition such is the resolution and meaning of it from the same Spirit the publique Spirit of the Saints and of the Scriptures the holy Spirit of God composed the word of Prophecy not mans will but Gods digested it his Spirit indited it and
dead to damned spirits in men and to wizards that peep and mutter as some now-adays to seek for the living God Or should they go to the dead to seek help and advice from them for and in behalf of the living No certainly whither then the answer is clear v. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony which is Gods written word and that which is spoken according to it And if they any that undertake to be speakers or writers shall not speak according to this Law and Testimony it is because they have no morning-light in them it is an evidence they follow the moon-shine of their watry-fancies dark reasonings and diabolical suggestions and if there be no light of saving truth in them there will be no light of comfort or relief which shall shine forth unto them so that if any shall come and teach a God whom the Scripture teacheth not and a Christ that the Scripture doth not teach he speaks lies and darkness and nothing else yea if any set up a light against the light of Scripture and will not be contented with that for the subject matter of it and reduce all his light unto it and compare his light with it to finde out and maintain a harmony therewith he sets up Lyes against the Truth and in the room of it 3. R. F. reasoneth If the Scriptures should be lost he would have no God nor Christ that would have none without them Rep. 1. This needless supposition might be spared God who hath hitherto preserved them will still maintain them while the world stands John 10. 35. The Scripture cannot be broken and therefore not lost 2. In the volume of the Book of Gods Decrees it was determined there should be a Scripture and all should be written therein which concerned Christ and salvation by him Heb. 10. 7. And 3. As all that have sinned and shall sin against the Scripture-light since it was given them shall be judged by it at the last day Rom. 2. 12 16. So 4. All that is contained in the Scripture which is more then is written in the heart of every fallen son of Adam and more then was written in Adams heart before the fall shall eternally witness in mens consciences both for the joy and comfort of those that believe and obey it and against those that slight and contradict it to their everlasting terror and increase of torment 4. To say saith R. F. that without Scripture the word of the Lord could not be spoken is to limit the Spirit of God Rep. 1. But who said it He would make his Reader believe I said it or to that effect But let him that reads us both observe what liberty he takes to note the effect of words and to pass by the very words themselves and yet condemns it in others although as near as I could I have every where alledged their very words 2. That which I said the Reader shall finde at the end of this Section Pag. 8. of my Book viz. Christ teacheth us not to know any thing to Salvation but what is in the Scripture-Law and Testimony For it is there either in express words or in a true consequential sense and to keep our selves within the bounds and limits which God hath set us is not at all to limit Gods Spirit but our own spirit which hath need of such a bit and bridle 5. R. F. addes If Samuel Christ his Apostles and John might have spoken nothing but what was written they might not have spoken much of what they did speak Rep. 1. God might have revealed more then is in the Scripture but he pleased not so to do 2. All that Samuel and the Prophets Christ and the Apostles and John the Revelation have spoken is written both according to what was written before and for substance the same As Moses wrote what was delivered to the Patriarchs and Samuel with the Prophets spake and have left written what Moses wrote so Christ and the Apostles spake and have left written what was spoken by Moses and the Prophets Luke 24. 26 27. Acts 3. 22 23 24. Let him that readeth understand Rev. 22. 6. These sayings are faithful and true And the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done Nothing is signified in the whole Book of the Revelation but for substance was foretold by Isaiah Daniel Zechariah and other of Gods holy Prophets whose writings were extant long before John had his Visions and Revelations But R. F. will not yet give over 6. God revealeth the deep things by his Spirit and teacheth by his Spirit and sends forth messengers by his Spirit and guideth by his Spirit into all truth c. Rep. 1. They do well to run to the Spirit who have lost the sense of Scripture and love to it but let R. F. and others of his way take heed they mistake not Gods Spirit nor substitute their own spirit in the room of the Lord the Spirit 2. The Spirit of the Lord revealeth no deeper things nor will do to all eternity then are already wrapt up in the volume of the Scriptures The Spirits-light and Scripture-light are very harmonious albeit the Spirit gives eyes by his own power to see that light which the Scripture doth but instrumentally help unto 3. Such messengers as speak more then is in the Scripture are not sent by Gods Spirit nor guided by him to what they say Thus I have taken up what R. F. hath in his Epistle upon occasion of my lifting up the Light of Scripture into its due place above that which is every mans Light let us review what he hath further in his Book * Page 9. not according to the Title in vindication of the Scriptures but in defence of George Fox who calls the light of every man the word of God but as I said before will not have the Scriptures so called All the vindication which R. F. can give is recrimination in this as in other cases Thou accusest G. F. for saying the light is the word but it is but to manifest thy further contradictions to the Scripture As how For the Scripture saith God is the Light Rep. I no where finde it so exprest in Scripture-text The place he quoteth is printed John 1. 5. but let the Printer bear the blame it is likely he intended 1 John 1. 5. there 1 John 1. 5. indeed 't is said expresly That God is light not the light in every mans conscience The light in every man is given of God but that light is not God nor is God that light God is light pure absolute essential light knowledge wisdom How God is light holiness and perfectly so of himself but the best light that G. F. or R. F. or any man hath or is qualified with is but created diffused derived-light Again God is the word for which R. F. quotes John 1. 1. but it is not
Cor. 2. 9. opened for as mans eye or minde as he is a rational creature and but so never reach'd the things of God which he hath prepared in a way of salvation for his own so the Gospel-light about matters of Salvation of which the Apostle speaks never entred never shined into mans heart take him with all the light given him as a man before the fall or since at his coming into the world Gospel and Salvation-matters never entred into Adams heart before the fall and since there is not any of his posterity that by the light he bringeth with him into the world can tell what he should do what way or course he should take to be saved no more then his first parents when they hid themselves amongst the trees of the garden And that light which cannot discover Salvation cannot open the Scriptures to us Nothing gives that which it hath not Nothing can act beyond the sphere of its activity As for what G. F. addeth And 't is a more sure word of prophecy speaking of every mans light we will believe him as much as if he told an old wives fable if either he would have it to be more sure then the Scriptures or then Gospel-Sermons preached out of and according to the Scriptures Heretofore it became a proverb As true as the Gospel there being infallible certainty in the Scripture-Gospel but now there is a Light discovered in every man that will antiquate that Gospel and put the proverb out of date There is something in the heart of every man say No Gospel in light of nature they and that a word of prophecy or a declaration of Gods minde for salvation too or else 't is nothing more sure then all the Gospel throughout the Scripture and yet say I no part of the Gospel at all For no man shall be able to spell out one Gospel-syllable or letter in it or by it viz. in all that is written in every mans heart or by all that is written there from their coming into the world And yet it must be with G. F. the Grace that appeared unto all men Titus 2 11. vindicated Such an expression indeed hath the Apostle Tit. 2. 11. concerning the free favor of God in Christ which is the fountain and original cause of Salvation now shining to all Nations by the Gospel and saving effectually some of all sorts of men in the world But as Paul never called every mans light the Grace of God i. e. in Jesus Christ although that Light be a free gift so never was it every mans light or gift nor will be to understand what is the Scripture-grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ But the Doctrine of it is turned into wantonness when it is laid waste and common with the universal light of every individual reasonable creature which 1. is but a part a spark of that which Adam had before the fall 2. Gives not a crevise of light about Christ crucified 3 Is but a Legal-light and effect of the Law written in the old-stony heart of every man Section 13. R F. passeth over this Section also and saith nothing to it where I gave a farther instance of their advancing this common universal light by calling it A perfect Light or how could they be judged by it And the first principle which will change the minde Whereas 1. The Prophet David Psalm 19. 7. advanceth Creature and Scripture-light compared the Law or Doctrine of God in the Scriptures as Paul doth 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. to be the perfect Rule of faith and maners The light found in and by the book of the creatures and mens natural consciences is dim weak and imperfect in comparison of Scripture-light 2. The light in every mans conscience where the Scripture comes not draws up a Bill of condemnation discovers no Charter of Salvation 3. It is imperfect to what Adam had before the fall the Scriptures have more and higher light then Adam in his innocency received 4. The Law of God take it as a Covenant of works or under such a notion requires as much as Adam had That is not legally perfect which in all degrees and circumstances answereth not a perfect legal Rule 5. The least true Light sinned against is sufficient to judge the sinner if God entreth into judgement with him The other clause shall be examined in the fifteenth and sixteenth Sections Section 14. R F. answereth to what concerned himself in this Section but not in its due place I shall endeavor to reduce him From his Book Entituled how truly let the Lord and Father of Lights be judge Light risen out of darkness I had noted what he saith The light is pure standing out of all corruption meaning this light of every man which where it is and it is in every man it reneweth the judgement and where the judgement is renewed there is no corruption in that judgement as was told me by one of them in Scotland But this beam of God-head-light in every man is no part of the new creature or of such a renewed minde as the Apostle calls for Rom. 12. 2. Ephes 4. 23. And although that which is a renewed principle in some is pure so far as it is renewed yet the faculty where it is the minde hath darkness corruption and pollution in it as well as light and purity as is clear from 1 Cor. 13. 12. Now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face But R. F. * page 10. line 12. tells me I have slandered him for saying The Light is pure standing out of corruption but my slander hath no weight nor doth him no harm Rep. 1. I slandered him but with the truth if it were so and did him more right then he doth himself for I cited his words to the full standing out of All corruption 2. Although a slander when the truth is spoken may be charged upon him that speaks it if he relates the truth of another with an intent of reproaching the party yet I was clear of such an intent and shall still endeavor his and his companions reproof and conviction without their reproach If the word of the Lord be a reproach unto them let them look to it 1 John 1. 5. cleared and vindicated 3. His evasion to avoid the dint of the reproof will not serve his turn God is Light 1 John 1. 5. and he is pure and discovers corruptions and hath no union with them and what communion hath light with darkness For whoso consults his book * Light rison out of darkness page 24. line 13 15. will finde he speaks of the Light created in mens mindes and given back since the fall That light is your condemnation and that will shew you your corruptions And now in answer to my charge he tells us God is Light and he is pure c. Rep. 1. Will he confound God and his essential Light with light given into
mens mindes or will he have his words The light is pure standing out of all corruption to be understood of Gods Essence onely and not at all of that which is but a quality in the creature If he would be understood to speak of Gods Essence onely we agree in the light and understanding of the Text 1 John 1. 5. But if he would have it partly meant of God and partly of the Light either innate or regenerate in the creature then he confounds uncreated and created Light and shews his own woful darkness 2. He that would speak aright of God must say with the Apostle God is light and in him is no darkness at all no ignorance 1 John 1. 5. impurity or corruption to be discovered or found in him And he that would speak aright either of the inbred or of the new-bred light in the creature must distinguish of it either as it is in it self or in the subject-person First in it self created light is pure such as it is and so much as there is of it since the fall but yet imperfect Secondly in the subject the person in general particularly the minde or understanding and there is a mixture of light and darkness purity and pollution the one discovers the other and if the Saints should say We have no darkness no ignorance no sin they are so much the more dark sinful ignorant and there is no truth in what they say 1 John 1. 8. But I say quoth R. F. and so doth the Scripture that he that abideth in Christ sinneth not 1. John 3. 6. Rep. Will R. F. make no Scripture of 1 John 1. 8. because 1 John 1. 8. with 1 John 3. 6. compared cleared and vindicated this in the third chapter is Scripture or will that perverse and wicked evesion pass with him which one at a meeting of their fraternity in Essex not long since vented to him that urged the Emphasis if we we that have communion with the Father and with the Son if we say we have no sin c. That the Scriptures have been much altred and corrupted and though it be now so written yet at first it was thus If we that have fellowship say we have sin we deceive our selves c. Oh the diabolical strong delusion that these kinde of professors are under and leading others into or let me farther reason with those who are not so far infatuated either the Apostle John and such as he wrote unto did not abide in Christ or there is some other sense of his words in the third chapter then R. F. or his fellows would give of it for as full of contradictions as men are the Holy Ghost by the Apostle doth not contradict himself Let God be true and his word true and every man a lyar and his words lyes which agree not with the Canon Doctrine and harmonious Sense of the Scriptures And therefore when it is said He that abideth in Christ sinneth not the words and sense must be reconciled in our mindes for in themselves they were never at variance with the words in the first chapter thus 1. Although every man that is in Christ while here hath sin in him and he is neither perfectly free from the presence of original nor actual sin yet so far as he abideth in Christ he sinneth not It is no sin to cleave to Christ and his Doctrine Spirit and Grace and to persevere in it and him 2. The meaning of verse 6. must be gathered from verse 1 John 3. 6. cleared by ver 8 9. 8. and 9. where the Apostle speaks of committing sin or of trading in sin and that in a constant course That this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very sense and minde of the Holy Ghost is clear from the reason for the devil sinneth from the beginning He therefore that constantly goes on to sin plots sin and practiseth it with delight he is of the devil He that abideth in Christ sinneth not after such a maner And yet more clear from ver 9. whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed Gods seed remaineth in him and he neither doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor can commit sin as the devils nor as those who have no regenerate part in them because he is born of God and so far as born of God be sinneth not nor shall he ever be left to a total and final relapse into sin seeing he hath a contrary principle of the new birth abiding and remaining yea reigning in him And me thinks R. F. his conscience tells him he should be captivated by the truth of this interpretation For he tells me thou commits sin and so art a servant of the devil for thou goest on with thy lyes It is not then the presence of sin that makes one to be of the devil but the purpose practice and procedure in a way of sin If we say we have not sin present with us and dwelling in us we lye and if any say that every one that hath sin in him is a committer of sin a workman in sin he is in a foul error If any say he hath not sinned since he was converted he goes about to make God a lyar and his word is not in him 1 John 1. 10. That nor any other Scripture that speak of the Saints sinnings is not written in his heart nor believed by him But although I have an old lying heart and flesh wherein there dwells no truth no good thing yet R. F. hath not hitherto detected and proved a lye in my right hand or in my pen nor will he be able to make good what he boldly calumniates me with Let tryal be made in what follows Section 15. R F. here reviles me with thou lies of Ed. Burrough because I had noted the expression which he puts upon every mans light which is but common light at the best viz. The corner-stone And how doth he prove it not by denying there is any such expression as the Corner-stone but there is not such a word as common light there Rep. Nor did I use the word common as E. Burrough's and therefore put it in a Parenthesis as now and ordered it to be printed as my own phrase not his in a differing letter from his and accordingly it was so printed What lye is here in my mouth that deserves the lake which he threatens Had I not studied brevity I might have more fully given it thus How can he teach saith E. B. * Warning to the inhabitants of Underbarrow p. 7 and direct toward true Religion who denies the Corner-stone the first Principle of Religion which is the foundation the light of God which hath enlightned every one that comes into the world which he denies speaking of the Preacher at Vnderbarrow to have enlightned every one R. F. backs him thus Christ is the Light and Christ is the chief Corner-stone Acts 4. 11. 1 Pet. 2. 6 7. and so saith
the sphere of its activity to effect From the Scripture Rom. 7. 7. which I briefly pointed at as contradicted by J. N. and others of this opinion I had not known lust except the law had said Thou shalt not covet I hinted an Argument which I shall now give forth in form That which will not so much as discover the fall will not though own'd and obeyed lead out of the fall But the light given to every man will not so much as discover the fall Therefore it will not though own'd and obeyed lead out of the fall The first proposition I thus confirm There is no delivery without a discovery The other thus Pauls light did not discover the fall nor other mens light which they have from their coming into the world did never will never so much as discover the fall In the fall will be found Adams sin all mens sinning in him their being born in the guilt of that sin in the want of Gods image and in the roots of all actual sin What a stranger was Paul in his Pharisaism to all these Discoveries who knew not the least lusting of the heart to be sin till he was enlightned by the Spirit into the commandment of the written Law which saith Thou shalt not lust the same ignorance is in every man notwithstanding their in-bred light concerning in-bred lust and original corruption till by the light of the same commandment the Spirit of conviction brings it home to his heart With what an impudent evasion doth R. F. entertain his Reader by telling him that J. Nayler witnesseth with Christ who is the true light and such as obey the light and follow Christ they are led thereby out of the fall Rep. 1. James Nayler saith not such as obey Christ but such as obey it he speaks of the Light-given and its power 2. R. F. confounds the Light-given and the Light-giver as often elswhere together and yet attributes the leading out of the fall to it the Light-given rather then to Christ the Light-giver 3. Should he express himself more plainly and say Christ thereby that is by the Light given to every man as it is obeyed and himself is followed doth lead out of the fall yet would he speak short of the truth and contrary to Scripture For 1. The Scripture speaks not of such a way whereby Christ led any man out of the Fall before the Scriptures were given but onely of the way of offering Typical Sacrifices and by the promise of Christ-mediator 2. The same way he hath chalked out in and by the Scriptures since they were given all along the Old Testament and when Christs sacrifice typed out and promised was once exhibited by his own blood He that was the way yesterday is the same to day and for ever while the world standeth to lead men out of the fall and to raise them up to communion with the Father 3. Although R. F. addes they were saved by him and that is not contrary to Scripture it will not save his judgement from error nor his writing from contradiction if he saith or thinketh that Christ ever saved any man by the meer light which as God he giveth to every man No man ever was or will be saved by his best obedience yielded to the light which every man comes with into the world Every man and onely such as through grace have obeyed and shall follow Christ according as he is revealed in the Scripture is and shall be saved What a loud calumny is that which R. F. hath cast upon me at the foot of his tenth Page Thou contradicts and so sins against Scripture and against Christ that calls him a natural light Rep. I have no such words had no such meaning nor can it be pickt out of what I have any where spoken Although Christ as he is God as every where I express or intend it giveth to every man that which is but natural light yet is not he therefore a natural light For 1. He and his works are not the same He who is the divine spiritual supernatural Being giveth to every creature its proper nature and being and is incomprehensibly above them He is indeed his own nature and his own most simple essence and being present with all beings in created nature and yet not confounded or mixed with created natural beings or lights irrational or rational 2. Albeit as the God of created-nature he giveth that nature life and light of Reason to all men yet as Mediator he giveth a distinct spiritual excelling light to lead men out of the fall partly from the whole written Law How Christ leads men out of the fall and the discovery of its spiritualness reaching the motions of the heart to shew men the fall which prepares for a delivery partly from the Gospel which shews himself the onely effectual way whereby men may come out of their lapsed condition as they are taught and drawn of the Father to believe in him who hath satisfied and merited for a certain number of sinners their deliverance and who applies that merited deliverance by remission of sins and by regeneration and by both a translation out of the power of darkness which all men with their best natural light are under into his own kingdom of saving light and life But to proceed In this Section I had hinted another Argument against the power of natural light given to every man to lead him out of the fall by way of question R. F. takes it up and me up after this maner To manifest thy blindeness and ignorance of the Scriptures thou says Where is there any promise in Scripture of spiritual and saving Light to lead man out of the fall and out of his natural estate Rep. Here like Satan the father of lyes I will not say he is his son he leaveth out part of the question My words Pag. 10. are these Let a man use his common natural light and moral gifts to the utmost where is any promise in Scripture of spiritual saving light and grace annexed to lead him out of the fall or out of his natural state The word annexed he leaves out in the reciting of my words which refers to the good use of natural light and moral gifts and in a shifting way he answereth If there were no promise of spiritual saving light to lead out of the fall man might continue in it and under the curse Rep. 1. Take this passage by it self 't is very good and one of the best that hath dropt from R. F. his pen. But 2. It is produced as an answer to my question and will The light of a promise leads out of the fall prove rather a knife to cut the throat of these mens opinion and an Argument for what we assert That It is the light of a promise by R. F. his concession which shall lead men out of the fall But in the light which every man hath say I and thousands more there
in innocency as it was never perfectly revealed nor half so clearly known after he fell till the Lord gave it in writing upon Tables of stone and upon Books Rom. 5. 13. Rom. 5. 13. opened It is granted Vntil the Law in was in the world but sin is not imputed when there is no Law Diverse kindes of sins were not known to be sins original guilt and filth was not taken notice of until the Law Albeit God imputed sin yet men would not charge it upon themselves nor did God charge it in this life so closely fully and particularly home either upon the Jews or upon the Gentiles consciences till the written Law came amongst them 8. The covenant of Works was onely at first made or entred with Adam standing as a publique person representing all mankinde It was never made with any else since the state of perfection Distinguish we must between entring or striking this covenant and maintaining or holding of it up God entreth not strikes it not up with any fallen son or daughter of Adam he will never trust any meer man with it upon his single bond when as Adam betrusted with the whole stock broke himself and his posterity but onely he keeps it up with reprobates and with them that insist upon the condition of their own obedience thinking by their own strength to fulfil the Law and by their own righteous and religious performances to make amends to his offended Justice and to attain life in such a way of works Matth. 19. 17. Rom. 2. 13. Gal. 3. 10. These things premised and pondered it will neither be difficult as R. F. imagineth to draw up proofs and Arguments nor yet to believe or be convinced of this Affirmative truth which he J. Nayler and others have formerly Adam in innocency under a covenant of works and stood by the Moral Law Arguments to prove it denied viz. That Adam in innocency was under a covenant of Works and that he stood by the Moral Law written in his heart and by the observation of the positive branches given him in command according to that Law Argument 1. Either he stood under the Covenant of works or was under the Covenant of Grace or he was under no Covenant Under none he could not stand live or breathe He was certainly upon some terms of agreement with God being made in his image and in communion with him and yet a creature under the Law of his Creator The covenant of grace and reconciliation by Christ it was not for there was no variance nor breach of friendship as yet between God and Adam If it was not of Grace except a common-creation favor to be in some sort or other it was a covenant of works Some indeed speak of a covenant of Nature but that is all one with the covenant of Works variety of expressions must not lose us the truth as they do not alter the thing it self 2. He that was under an engagement of personal perfect conformity to Gods holy nature and righteous will every instant and moment of time upon his single bond in his received strength without promise of a surety or superadded abilities was under a covenant of works But this was Adams case and state in innocency he must conform to all that which he had perfect light and strength for A perfect stamp there was of Gods Law which we call the ten Commandments upon his heart they being the perfect beam of Gods holiness and righteousness none stand bound for him all his posterity are bound in him the promise is onely that he shall live if he continues every moment as perfect as he was made which we gather by the threatning if he fails but in the least eats but of the Tree of knowledge a Tree of tryal he shall surely dye And the Moral Law saith the same consider it with its rigor out of the hand of a Mediator Do this and live do it not fail in the least at the last moment of time or sin but at the first moment of being and thou shalt dye the death Therefore he and all in him were under a covenant of works and while he stood he stood upon his own legs given him in the first moment of creation 3. That covenant which he fell under when he fell that he stood under the terms of while he stood But Adam as a publique person and all in his loins fell under the penalties of the covenant of works for as all sinned in him by that one transgression in eating the forbidden fruit a sin both against his inward created principles and against a positive Moral precept so death passed upon all men Rom. 5. 12. And all are born for that sin children of wrath and under the curse of God Ephes 2. 8. Therefore Adam stood under the covenant of works and its legal conditional performance and promise of life no longer then he continued perfect as he was made and sought out no inventions and wanderings from the law of his creation and Creator 4. If the covenant of works was not made with Adam in innocency seeing he was a publique person God could not in justice require satisfaction of his posterity under the fall and in misery But he requireth just satisfaction of Adams posterity under the fall and in misery The just satisfaction that is due to him is not onely the suffering of infinite punishment for the offence against him who is infinite but that perfect obedience due to him from creation which Adam had strength to have performed in innocency viz. strength to have kept in that perfect state and to obey any command that God as a Creator might in a just way give unto his creature This just satisfaction some poor creatures since the fall will attempt to give to God first in a way of suffering partly here partly in a faigned Purgatory and moreover they will undertake to satisfie God in a way of active obedience endeavoring to compound with their offended Creator and to pay a part for the whole and while they attempt impossibilities they are found debtors to the whole Law Gal. 5. 3. Now albeit God makes not nay renews not the covenant of works no not by the death of Christ as some would have it with any man since the fall yet keeping them under the penalties he loseth not his right of exacting the principal debt and he doth require it of those who will be paying a part for the whole to get life thereby Therefore such a covenant Adam was under in innocency as obliged him to pay the whole debt of the Moral Law in its rigor Again suppose a poor soul falls under the conviction that all is due which was given but lost and doth not say to God Take a part for the whole or have patience with me and I will pay thee all but I can do nothing at all I can suffer nothing to satisfaction of an infinite Justice in finite time God now standing
they preach that men should repent I ask how shall the ungodly sorrow after a godly maner If they lay the burden upon the ungodly onely and absolve the godly altogether they may by that way preach down all godly sorrow and startle the wicked with legal convictions and that which is remorse of conscience but no way help toward the pulling down the old man or building up the new in the true Believer 11. Head of their Scripture-contradiction Concerning the Word and means of Grace Section 37. I Had expresly cited C. Atkinsons words viz. I deny that God did ever or will ever reveal himself by any of those things thou callest the means of grace which were spoken of before in his book as reading hearing prayer c. contrary to 2 Tim. 3. 15. Rom. 10. 17. Luke 11. 13. c. R. F. in answer * Page 19. saith I would raise a slander c. as if they should deny the way and means that God useth to reveal himself to his people by How makes he it to appear why Christ is the light and the way to the Father and that they own and he reveals his secrets by his Spirit Rep. In all this confession here is no acknowledgement Christ and the Spirit give light and grace by outward means of reading hearing prayer c. That Christ is the light and light-giver hath never been denyed by me and that with his Spirit he is the author and worker of all grace who but graceless men will gain-say We do with the Scripture attribute higher things to God and Christ and the Spirit then to be the means of grace but R. F. will not ascribe so much to the Scriptures read heard sung prayed upon i. e. according to the rules and patterns of prayer there set down to be so much as outward means of grace we can have no such outward ingenuity from him But what saith he The Scriptures are not Christ nor the Spirit Rep. What if they be not they are Christs word and the word of the Spirit as hath been shewed and what the Scripture saith Christ saith and the holy Ghost also the same He therefore that rejects the Scripture and its several exercises from being the means of grace rejecteth Christ and his Spirit also But the Spirit he saith teacheth us how to pray and profit Gal. 4. 6. 1 Cor. 12. 7. c. and this doth not contradict the Scriptures Rep. No for the Spirit of grace and the outward means agree very well yet this is not a yielding them to be the means by which Christ and the Spirit revealeth their secrets and convey grace It is one thing for the Spirit to teach how to pray and read another thing for the Spirit to work by reading praying c we grant the former but he grants not the latter as he ought that I can finde Yes may some say what think you of that which followeth we know that faith is given by the ministery of Christ in the Spirit Rep. But speak plainly is it given by reading and hearing the Scriptures opened and preached as 2 Tim. 3. 15. Rom. 10. 17. hold it forth And we know that God giveth us his holy Spirit Rep. But doth he give it in a way of preaching and prayer as Act. 10. 44. and Luke 11. 13. bear testimony As soon as Paul is converted is he not at Prayer and had he not the fillings of the Spirit given him in that way as by Ananias putting his hands upon him Act. 9. 11. 17. And the wisdom saith R. F. which is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle easie to be entreated and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace James 3. 17 18. for which we praise God Rep. 1. But doth he give this wisdom by asking as saith James 1. 6. If any lack wisdom let him ask it of God is not prayer a means of wisdom 2. I wish we could finde the wisdom James describeth in R. F. As yet I discern not any seeds of it sown in his books one or other 3. Let him beware of taking Gods name in vain by praising him legibly in print for that which he hath not printed in his heart nor holdeth forth visibly in practise Why but he addeth we own reading hearing prayer and the teachings of God according to his promises Rep. I wish he doth well understand the promises of Means of grace have a promise of blessing annexed God Gods promises are made of a blessing upon such means as reading hearing and prayer as well as of gracious abilities to read hear and pray with Isaiah 55. 3. He that heareth and inclines his ear shall live 1 Tim. 4. 13. 16. If Timothy attend to reading meditation preaching to others watching himself In doing this he shall save himself and those that hear him To prayer is promised salvation Rom. 10. 13. Christs presence Matth. 18. 20. Returns and answers Matth. 7. 7. To preaching Christs presence assistance and blessing Matth. 28. 20. To the Saints conditions which C. Atkinson rejected with the ordinances all blessed success Rom. 8. 28. They shall look unto him and run to him and their faces shall not be ashamed Psal 34. 5. why so Ver 6. This poor man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles and therefore we may from others experiences together with our own have hope Rom 5. 4. And Hope in and by a promise an experimental promise and a promised experience maketh not ashamed If therefore R. F. doth own these means and the teachings of God according to Gods promises he must own them otherwise then C. Atkinson even as means by which God hath revealed himself and will communicate his grace and then I will not accuse him as I have not slandered C. A. when I speak the truth I harm them not The more nakedly their Errors are detected by the Truth the more good it may do them and I wish it with my heart 12. Head of Scripture-contradiction Concerning Baptism Section 38. THat they are against Infant-Baptism I had noted contrary to Acts 2. 38 39. where the command for application of Baptism reacheth as far as the Promise and as I hinted in my shorter piece the Promise extendeth it self to Children while Children they are part of the Saints of the Church at Corinth 1 Cor. 7. 14. if but one of the parents be a Believer and a Church-member R. F. is for the Negative in a transition from what was spoken of before But your brain-imaginations we deny and sprinkling Infants with water Rep. 1. If he puts this scandalous title of brain-imaginations upon the other means of Grace reading preaching hearing prayer experiences c. he doth but back his sellow Atkinson Suppose God should leave him as one of that name if it be not the same C. A. to Fornication were it not just for his casting reproach upon the ways of God 2.
Jerusalem the promise of the Father of which he had told them before his death which they were to shew so often as they broke bread till he came and after he was come to the Apostles they continued it for their sakes which were weak in the faith to whom he was not yet appeared Where by the coming of Christ he would have his lost Souls understand his coming in the Spirit onely and not minde what Paul saith of the after-continuance of the Lords Supper till his visible glorious appearance onely if he hath appeared in the Spirit it is enough the Lord is come they are now perfect and may cast off Gods instituted Forms of Worship in the former figure onely for others sake they may keep them up but then poor souls what will follow You that are not yet arrived at their perfection must hold fellowship with them that may forget Christs death for they eat and drink no longer in remembrance of him and put dooms-day out of their thoughts and then the sensuality charged by James Nayler upon others seizeth upon themselves But against this poyson let me give you a few Antidotes 1. No Believer is without the Spirit and the Lords coming Antidotes in Spirit as it came at first to the Apostles before Christs death and to the Corinthians by Pauls ministery at their first conversion 1 Cor. 2. 4. and to the Thessalonians 1 Thess 1. 5. 2. There are none that have the greatest measures of the Spirit in a sanctified way but have need of more Phil. 3. 12. 3. The Apostles continued the Lords Supper after the pourings out of the Spirit Acts 2. 1. for their own use and benefit for 't is said Acts 2. 42. The converts continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers not that the Apostles continued it for their sakes onely who were weak in the faith The strongest Believer walks but by faith here and not by sight 2 Cor. 5. 7. and will have need of such wheat-bread and red-wine as a bait in his walk and journey And although the Apostles had gifts extraordinary Acts 2. 1 c. conferred upon them their Sanctification was not then perfected Peter one most forward slipt and stumbled now and then Acts 10. 14 15. Gal. 2. 12 13 14. Barnabas a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith Acts 11. 24. yet fell into sharp contention with Paul stumbled on the blinde side in siding with Mark his sisters son Col. 4. 10. Acts 15. 37 c. and halted with Peter Gal. 2. to instance in no more 3. The comings and manifestations of the Lord in his Spirit may be lost in a great degree by the Saints as the experiences of David Psal 51. 11 12. Heman Psal 88. 11. 15. and others are upon Record in Scripture Famous is that of Mr. Robert Glover Martyr who two or three days before his death was lumpish and desolate of all spiritual Consolation till going to the Stake the Lord restored his Joys and then he cryed out to his friend Mr. Bernher Austine he is come he is come Christ is free to come or go and withdraw as he pleaseth both as to the in-comes of joy and of power also and look to it O ye lost souls who trust to these deceivers that trust to their present manifestations were they never so true their hearts deceive them and their doctrines deceive you if onely you keep to ordinances and that of the Lords Supper till you have got a little comfort and then bid farewell to all Great is the pride and unthankfulness of such who after they have been enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost and have tasted of the good word of God the sweetness of the promises and the powers of of the world to come do fall off from the means and ordinances a great forerunner it is to the unpardonable sin to wilful malitious Apostasie which if it be totall will be final and irrecoverable Heb. 6. 4 5 6. c. 14. Head of their Scripture-contradiction Concerning Prayer Section 41. I Had noted their express contradiction we are against publique Prayer to what we have 1 Cor. 14. 14. and 1 Tim. 2. 8. for prayer in the publique meetings of the Church and in every place R. F. * Page 21. Publique prayer not forbidden by Christ tells me I have wronged the words by turning them into a wrong sense Rep. What is their sense He saith they are against a publique prayer which is in the state of the Pharisee Rep. What is a prayer in the state of the Pharisee He tells us that which Christ forbids Matth 6. 5. Matth. 6 5. vindicated Rep. 1. What have we there let the words be read And when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men Here is no prohibition of publique prayers in publique places but of affectation of private prayers in publique places to be seen and observed of men It is indeed Pharisaical to fall to private devotion when a publique work is in hand in the same place or when there is none yet there is company to observe it is without and against rule to pray by a mans self when the company cannot be edified by that which a man speaks unto God and not in the hearing of the persons present and to their understanding but R. F. hath not this sense but judgeth rather we are all in the state of the Pharisee who are the mouth to the rest in our publique meeting places 2. We have found their practical opposition and refusal of joyning with our publique prayer which is the best interpreter of their sense and speaks more what is in their hearts then R. F. his gloss upon it Once at Edinburgh one of theirs went out at the end of my Sermon after he had spoken what he had to say when I told him I would go to prayer for the discovery where the error laid on his part or ours Another time since at Cogges-hall in Essex on a day of prayer and fasting when I was about to pray before Sermon one J. Parnell first being called upon by the magistrate to put off his Hat ask't why he bade not him in the Pulpit put off his Cap and then turned his back upon the ordinance although he was offered liberty to speak further if he would stay quietly till our work was ended if this be their maner of owning publique prayer it is neither after the way of truth love or peace nor after the order of the Spirit of God who teacheth better maners and behaviour before God and men R. F. must not think to put us off with but the praying with the Spirit we own as if they that pray in publique did not pray with the Spirit or that it
visible Saints called out and distinguished from the wicked ignorant and untoward multitude by their free consents and professed subjection to Christ and his Laws of Worship and Government Let these daring men calumniate all Gospel-administrations with the term of mediate stuff and think by their high swelling words of vanity all mediate call's are razed out in the full as their phrase is the Scripture will stand and the means of the new Testament worship and order will stand immutable to the Lord his appearing in glory at his second coming according to the charge of Paul to Timothy 1 Ep. Chap. 6. ver 13 14. And as the command of Christ for Church-order is perpetual so the call of God by the Church is spiritual The The Churches call Spiritual holy Ghost in the Scripture lays down spiritual Rules 1 Tim. 3. He confers spiritual gifts according to his Rules and the Church a spiritual Corporation gives the outward call where they finde such spiritual characters and qualifications God owns this choice while the Quakers with carnal Parishioners dis-own it who will have the worst of it in conclusion the day shall declare 19. Head of their Scripture-contradiction Concerning Immediate Teaching Section 47. IHad noted how they pretended to be immediately taught The teaching of God saith one is immediate in the least degree contrary to Dan. 9. 1. 1 Tim 4. 14. R. F. answereth * Page 22. We do not pretend so to be but we witness that we are so taught and according to the promise of the Lord. Rep. 1. But who will believe him and his fellows when the witness is of themselves from themselves and without proof They that flee to an experience and a promise for proof must first shew the promise and then the performance of it to themselves I am yet to learn the promise of the Immediate Teachings of God to be given to all that are to teach others of which is the question The promise John 6. 45. They shall all be taught of God concerneth all John 6. 45. vindicated All Believers not immediately taught that have truly believed do or shall so believe all the children of Gods election all the children of the Church-Catholique and of the new Jerusalem Isa 54. 13. which teaching if God had intended to be given immediately i. e. without any medium means or instrument then would he not have sent Preachers abroad for them to hear thereby to be taught and drawn to believing 2. Had all that the Lord sent forth as Gospel-dispensers immediate teaching we grant Paul had it more immediately Apostles immediately taught more fully and more at once then the rest of the Apostles Gal. 1. 12. and 2. 6. will R. F. and his Brethren witness the same immediate teaching with Paul and the utmost height of his revelation that nothing can be added to them We grant the rest of the Apostles had the immediate teaching and ducture of the Spirit in their preaching and writing But are all Apostles 1 Cor. 12. 28. compared with Ephes 4. 11. There was a second sort of the Ministers of Christ who were called Evangelists assistants to the Apostles these had their light and knowledge by mediate Evangelists taught mediately ways Timothy is instructed of Paul 2 Tim. 2. 2. and 3. 10 14. as taught out of the Scriptures by his mother and grandmother from his childehood 2 Tim. 1. 5. with Chap. 3. 13. Apollos was instructed * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the way of the Lord by the Scriptures Acts 18. 24 25. and had the way of God more perfectly expounded to him by Aquila and Priscilla ver 26. These Evangelists were of too low a form for R. F. and men and women too of his way There was a third Some prophets immediately inspired sort called Prophets some of which were immediately taught and inspired with knowledge of things to come some of these men as Agabus Acts 11. 28. and 21. 10. some women as Philips four daughters which did prophesie Acts 21. 9. I do not finde that Quaking men and women pretend to this kinde of immediate teaching received about things to come Other Prophets there were Some prophets mediately taught who were mediately taught as they at Corinth and elsewhere who did out of the old Testament expound give the sense of the Prophets writings and raise Doctrines confirming them by edifying testimonies and reasons out of Scripture to edifying use and benefit of Believers principally and Churches 1 Cor. 14. 3. compared with ver 22. latter part These I cannot call men quite out of office as the word Office is largely taken Rom. 12. 4. Every member hath an office that is work and employment in the body mystical as natural but as the word is taken strictly they were and may be persons out of office i. e neither Apostles nor Evangelists nor Prophets foretelling things future nor Pastors and teaching Elders As they were not Apostles Distinguisht 1. from extraordinary officers nor Evangelists that is plain enough so First you will finde them distinguisht from the Prophets immediately inspired two ways 1. These might be taken off by one that had a revelation They might have a Doctrine ver 26. who had not a Revelation 1 Cor. 14. 26. 29. opened which coming immediately for time and maner when the other was speaking was to take place and be heard while the Prophet who onely hath a Doctrine or truth collected from Scripture is to give place and hold his peace This onely for order sake not but that the doctrine from Scripture was as infallible as the Revelation and the immediate Revelation was to pass the trial as the doctrine verse 29. and 32. 2. In so much as women are excluded from this kinde of prophesie by two or three at a time verse 29. with ver 34. But if it had been extraordinary predictions of things to come they i. e. women might have delivered their message Secondly you will finde these gifted brethren endued 2. From ordinary onely with a gift of scripture-exposition and application distinguisht from Pastors and Teachers in peculiar office As two or three might exercise at a time for which a liberty is granted ver 29. Now if they had been Pastors and Teachers in office strictly there was no question but they might have preached at all seasons when the Church met together and a necessity is laid upon them in season and out of season a liberty onely is granted to these Prophets and that liberry is limited also as before Would R. F. or his Fellowes be content with this low Form among gifted brethren in a Church who have received their gift by reading and study of the Scriptures together with conference and observation of their own and others experiences which being sanctified and blessed by the Spirit of God helps men forth to teach others till they be called to office or whether ever they be chosen to office
the Scripture Rep. 1. How would I have him that believeth born of the Letter my words were these If the Scripture be in the heart of every one sure he that believeth is born of that seed even of the Scripture-promise set into the heart by the holy Ghost hence he that is born of the Spirit is born of the word written and preached which the Spirit useth as the instrumental means of our regeneration as upon that place in Peter 1 Ep. Chap. 1. ver 23 and 25. hath been cleared heretofore Part 1. Sect. 5. 2. The Scripture-promise declaring Christ is the more apt means by which the Spirit begets a soul to Christ or formeth him in the soul 3. That the Letter declareth Christ doth not contradict the Scripture but it contradicteth the Scripture to say the declaration of Christ is not a means of begetting a soul to Christ 4. To say Let all see whether we do not set the Scripture in the heart of every one and yet to deny the Scripture to be a means of the new birth or that the believer is born of God without the Scripture is to say and un-say But R. F. * page 26. would retort this upon my self and why I have not the same minde with them and know not their meaning and so raise lyes as he chargeth upon me by my imaginations Rep. 1. If I have the minde of Christ as it is in Scripture I shall not be ambitious of nor much regard their meaning but as I know it to be cross to the minde of Christ I have according to the grace given unto me witnessed against it and yet studied to put the most candid and favorable construction upon their words 2. If their sense of setting Scripture in the heart of every one be nothing else but telling people they have a light of Conscience within them and stirring up that light which every man hath that cometh into the world First they delude poor people who never heard that Light called Scripture before yet this is more then probably their best Scripture for their Tenents and Doctrines as might be gathered from the answer that J. P. a yong stripling who came into this Town last summer gave to a weak re-baptized woman shattered by his discourse whose question was But may I not read the Scriptures The answer was Read thy heart woman as she told me that was all she could get of him There is a book of Conscience to be read indeed but is not the book of the Scriptures and Gods Statutes to be read according to which beyond the book of every mans Conscience all that have that written rule shall be judged Secondly If every mans light be the onely Scripture in the minde that these men are in why doth R. F. * In his Book entituled A true testimony c. pag. 53. appeal to that which is the alone proper perfect Scripture in our judgement and which he calls for to stand as judge betwixt them and 42. Ministers Will he stand to the judgement of the Prophets and Apostles as it is the minde of Christ the word of God Will he not appeal when all is done to a higher Court of immediate Teachings in the heart If the Scripture be judge it must be so from its own light that is superior not onely to every mans light but also to the degree of light that is in every Saint and that is superior to our meanings and theirs for the Scripture must judge by its own words and meaning together and from its own rule we must not separate the Letter of the Law and the true interpretation of the Letter The Law-makers we say are best able to give the right sense of the Law The great Law-giver gives out his sense of one part of Scripture by another Can any Law judge of Heresie but the Law of God saith R. F. in the Book and Page last referred unto in the margent If he intends there any Law of God but the written word and text of the Bible Gods great Law-book he contradicts in heart what he pretends to in words If he understands by the Law of God the holy Scriptures of God called the Bible then he pretends to that acknowledgement of them as a standing rule and a more standing rule then visions and revelations and if he intends what he pretends to then he must recant what he wrote in the 3. and 4. Page of his imaginary Scripture-vindication or else lie setter'd in his Self-contradictions 2. Head of their Self-contradiction Concerning hearing of the Word Section 10. I Had granted they say and say truly because the Scripture saith so Joh. 8. 47. They that are of God hear his word and they that hear his word hear his voice and yet they deny the hearing of Ministers that speak this word and consequently they do either un-say what truth they spake before or deny themselves to be of God in that they both refuse themselves to hear and call off others from hearing R. F. * Page 26. because I granted the first part of their contradiction to be a Scripture truth runs away with the conceit of an advantage when 't is nothing so Thou says They say and say truly then they lye not neither do they say and un-say and so thou art taken with the lye again and clears them thy self Rep. How weak and giddy this mans apprehension is may appear many ways by the review of this passage 1. I attributed truth to their words no further then they agree with the word of God in Scripture and so far I will acknowledge truth because I love it and the Scripture of truth but this man when I grant an inch will take an ell 2. It followeth not if men say true in one thing that they speak the truth in every thing The devil can speak a truth the more cunningly to put off his lyes That may be a truth materially which will not be found in mens practical experience so acknowledged 3. It is beyond all controversie that in this as many other instances they say and unsay first owning the Scriptures and ministery and hearing of the word and then dis-owning all teachers and teaching but what is within first saying * A discovery of some fruits c. pag. 9. the peoples Teacher cannot be removed into a corner and by and by telling them you will finde your teacher as you lye in your beds Even as customary swearers reproved for their sin will swear they did not swear so men habituated in Self-contradiction will vehemently protest against it but it helps them never a whit 4. It is no new thing to have the reproach of lying cast upon me or others by one who cannot judge or understand what is truth or when 't is spoken truly 5. I am so far from clearing them that I renew my charge against them if they be all like R. F. in this maner and form following The more candidly the
men called Quakers are dealt with the more abusive they are If any do make ingenuous confession as the 42 Ministers Pastors and Preachers of their failings the more readily they will hang them up in a legal way without any Gospel-mercy And if we grant they speak a truth sometimes they would make the world believe they speak all truth at all times when as hitherto so many lies as R. F. for his share hath charged upon me and hath proved none nor will be able God still keeping me and guiding my Tongue and Pen to make good a proof so many slanders will by the Lord be set upon his score and account The Lord himself rebuke him in time savingly and to purpose even to the manifestation of the purpose of his love to do him good for ever 3. Head of Self-contradiction Concerning the light within them Section 11. I Noted how from John 1. 4. and 9. they dreaming of a Christ and Saviour in all deny the sense to respect the natural light of every man and yet speak of their own living in a natural condition for several years And R. F. both blindly and boldly answereth If we do we have warrant for it for it is the light supernatural John 8. 12. John 8. 12. cleared Rep. What if Christ speaks of supernatural light given to believers and his followers John 8. 12. doth it follow that he speaks of such a light John 1. 4. 9. a blind and bold consequence it is neither modest nor true The Evangelist indeed speaks of him chap. 1. 4. 9. as the Author of light which is given to every man and He of himself chap. 8. 1â— as the fountain of light which is given to some men but although the giver of light be the same the light given and way of giving is different in its proper form and kinde First the light given to all men John 1. 4. and 9. is a dim Difference of every mans light and the believers light light and as the light of the Moon cold and insufficient to salvation unable to make discovery of the true Saviour the light given to some men is the light of life a quickning light as the light of the Sun a saving light Secondly for the way of giving Christ as God as hath been shewed in the first part of this Reply gives reason and common judgement about some things to all men but as Mediator he gives onely to some men that saving supernatural light or light of supernatural things in a saving way which effectually brings them into a gracious life and unto a glorious life R. F. goes on * Page 26. If one of them did say he lived in a natural condition before his conversion is that such a strange thing and then he instanceth in Paul Gal. 1. and others with him 2 Cor. 4. 6. who had given them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus c. which is a mystery Col. 1. 27. But tels me I am minded to cavil on purpose against the work of God c. Rep. 1. All this doth not salve the contradiction viz. of every mans having a supernatural light from his coming into the world a light of life which is saving and yet yield his as others living in a natural state at that time when he hath such a light 2. It is not strange to me that unconverted men should live as they are natural and carnal but it was and is strange that men will grant a natural life and condition lived in for several years and yet imagine a saving supernatural light in every such man as if every man brought a Saviour with him into the world at his first birth That every man hath a Pope in his belly I have heard and believe that he hath roots and seeds of all Antichristian doctrine of all heresie and sin in him from and by his first birth of men as men sinning in Adam this is not strange But that every mans light should be accounted supernatural and saving light and nature accounted grace though it be not strange to Pelagians yet it is strange to me that professors of the Gospel for many years should now interfere and halt and limp as they do and be bewitched with this notion If the Apostle Paul and others as R. F. granteth were natural before they were spiritual what a contradiction is it to their doctrine of every mans light as they state it and account it in a degree spiritual while the best Saint upon earth is no more but spiritual in some degrees of light and holiness 3. This is neither my cavilling against Gods work nor envy at the breakings forth of light as he would make men believe but a naked representation of his and others fallacies R. F. thinks he had in the words before laid in a sure proof of my cavilling and envy for thus he wraps up his argument * Page 26. He commanded the light to shine out of darkness c. and if it had not been there in a mystery Col. 1. 27 how could it in them have been so after manifested in them but that thou art mindeful to cavil on purpose c. Rep. 1. Here is a piece of the mystery of Iniquity as subtle as Christ for salvation not in every man any the Antichrist of Rome hath in his budget viz. The light of Christ for salvation which the Apostle speaks of 2 Cor. 4. 6. and Gal. 1. 16. Gods son revealed in him and Col. 1. 27. Christ in you was there and in them twice repeated by R. F. for emphasis sake that is it was in the hearts of Paul and the Gentiles as of every natural man before their conversion for as my Antagonist reasoneth If it had not been there c. how could it in them have been so after manifested but if he will have patience to hear I will tell him A thing may be manifest at the very coming in to a place that was not there before A Sun-beam makes it self manifest at its first breaking into a dark room where it never shone before Christ for salvation was not in the heart of Paul till God revealed him to him and in him Christ by his Spirit of grace was not in the Gentiles before their conversion Ephes 2. 12. They were all at that time without Christ and without hope Christ therefore was not in them while they were in a natural state as he was when they were sanctified viz. the hope of their glory Were it as this man imagineth Mysterious Absurdities The grace of the Gospel is but a manifestation of natures light A natural state is but grace under an eclipse The light in every man is their little Savior and at their conversion it becomes their great Savior for now the Sun is come out of the eclipse But 2. To assert Christ-mediator to be in natural men is contrary to the Apostles sense and to these mens plain words
all sin nor half the branches of it and Judgement is far from coming forth into victory till Christ brings it forth not onely by Gospel-conviction which is far beyond and above the conviction of a meer natural conscience but by Gospel-sanctification and by his second writing of the Law not in old stony hearts but in new and softned hearts But if natural conscience be so potent to be victorious at last why do they call every man in his first state a beast his reason corrupt but to manifest their Self-confusions Again he speaks of sin being condemned in the flesh a Scripture-expression Rom. 8. 3. used by the Apostle to set Rom. 8. 3. cleared forth Christs condemning sin in his own flesh putting of it out of office and power to condemn believers by his suffering Christs condemning sin in his flesh far beyond the conscience condemnation of sin of the punishment of their sin in that flesh of his yea fulfilling the Law for them in the same flesh Hence no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus but this is another kinde of condemning sin then what comes meerly by and from a natural conscience for that 1. Doth but condemn sin in part not all sin not original sin not unbelief c. 2. By way of discovery not by way of satisfaction for sin and of justification from guilt as is Christs maner of condemning sin 3. Natural conscience is never victorious as to deliverance of a soul from the state of sin though it be never so far obeyed but Christs condemning sin in his own humanity assumed to that end is victorious both by merit with God and by application in the conscience of a believer to stop its own and Satans accusations and throughout the Saint to set up reigning holiness in him to prevail over corruption by degrees in the state of a new creature Lastly The Apostles words 1 Tim. 5. 24. of some mens sins going before-hand to Judgement others coming after 1 â—im 5. 24. vindicated are used to another purpose as appeareth from ver 20. concerning Gospel and Church-offences and offenders some mens sins are discovered before-hand these the Church may judge others are not disclosed these God will judge It is well that R. F. grants a Judgement to come I wish he could consider it better and judge no man so deeply as he doth me before the time reckoning me with the wicked who indeed will finde it to be a day of torment for he that judgeth now shall himself be judged at that day and he that will shew no mercy in judging others shall then have judgement without mercy to his little ease joy or rejoycing The second passage which R. F. * Page 27. undertakes to defend is that of John Cam Every man in his first birth and state may see himself to be natural but is not able to judge of the things of God This is contradictious in the first part of it to Ben. Nicholson who said Every man in his first state is a beast for then he can reflect upon himself and judge of his state before God no more then a beast And the second part of it is contradictious to the first for if every man in his first birth may see himself to be natural guilty liable to sin and the curse before God then he may judge something of the things of God but that is denied why then is the other affirmed but that the man fought with himself in the dark R. F. his defence is 1. By railing and falshood Let that Book Particulars concerning the Law by J. Cam be a witness to the truth against thy ignorance and sottishness that sees thy corruptions and pleads for them Rep. This I pass by with prayer that the Lord may rebuke and remit him 2. By a truth and a falshood together The light which doth discover the natural corruptions is not natural as thou says but it is spiritual Here is a truth in Scripture-sense not in his meaning that the light which discovers natural corruption is spiritual but a falshood mixt with it that I said it was natural This will no where be found in my former or this present piece for I every where deny the natural light of every man to be able to discover a mans corrupt state Reason cannot reach the breadth nor fathom the depth of this fallen condition But let R. F. compare his own words last spoken with John Cam's and consider if one doth not clash with the other His brother saith Every man in his first birth may see himself to be natural Himself saith The light which doth discover natural corruptions is not natural but spiritual Now I ask Is it by the light of the first birth as in the first birth that every man may see himself to be natural then that light is either natural or spiritual It is not natural saith R. F. It is in the first birth saith J. Cam either these men do agree or not if they do agree with themselves it is more then we can make out by their words onely I finde what their sense is of the word spiritual not after the Scripture sense The Scripture meaneth by spiritual that which is born of the Spirit by spiritual light the light of the new or second birth but these men understand by spiritual light that which comes with the first birth a light in the soul of every man We know saith James Nayler * Antichrist in man by J. Nayler p 7 8 there is a light in spirit that testifies of Christ before Christ be known in the Creature this light is that which the Gentiles had whereby saith he they became a law unto themselves and were Jews in spirit whose praise was of God and not of men This light led them to shew the works of that Law God had written in their hearts their conscience bearing witness and excusing them in the day when God shall judge the world by his Gospel This light and the fruits of it he concludes will stand at the day of judgement praised of God but not of men Which magnifying expressions of the Heathens light are disparaged by what * Ben. Nicholson Returns to a Letter p 16. another of them saith viz. upon Adams fall pure reason was destroyed and corrupt reason took place as it doth this day in every natural man And if this man speaks the truth as he doth the other speaks what is false 1. In that he boldly affirmeth the Gentiles light made them Jews in spirit the Apostle Rom. 2. 29. hath no Rom. 2. 29. rescued such meaning He describeth a Jew in spirit to be one who is circumcised in heart or who hath the circumcision of the heart whose praise is not of men but of God Heart-circumcision and the Gentiles light are two things vastly discrepant the Gentiles light never attained to the mystery of heart-circumcision Fond men that write and speak after this maner
is no necessity then of immediate teachings setting Scripture aside nor ought we to receive any against the Scripture 2. Why may not fulness be in Christ and in the Letter How fulness is in Christ how in the Scripture conjoyned still with the sense of Scripture also The fuller the fountain is the more full is the conduit and its pipes The more full the heart is the fuller the mouth out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and the pen writeth what is good or bad truth or error In Christ is the fulness of the fountain in the Scriptures is the fulness of the stream flowing from and carrying to the fountain and and abiding inexhausted as a well fed by a continual spring Sect. 21 22 23. Christ having all fulness superabundantly in himself he doth abundantly and sufficiently fill the Scriptures with the savor and sweetness of his good oyntments which make the virgins and the upright love him and seek after him in these footsteps of the flocks the good and old ways of Scripture-teaching 8. Head of Self-contradiction Concerning Perfection Sections 21 22. IN the former of these Sections I noted their profession of Perfection and of Quaking after Moses example at the foot of mount Sinai to cross-shins one with the other R. F. returns me nothing in answer as if convinced it is no better then I judged it a Self-contradiction and one of his own In the latter the contradiction to themselves is as gross they speak of perfection in holiness here attained before death and yet acknowledge sin dwelleth in them though not in act R. F. hath nothing to say to this also and so it must stand as a testimony against them with the rest when he and all his fraternity have said what they can their self-justifications will end in self-confusion 9. Head of Self-contradiction Concerning Quaking and Trembling Section 23. HEre I had noted the Contradiction between their profession of Quaking and trembling and prosessed boldness never having observed more daring creatures to open their lips or put pen to paper It fell out that R. F. his Reply to the Priests about Beverley was quoted for an instance he is therefore the more concerned in vindication but how doth he take off the self-contradiction even as along the Book by persisting in his evil cause * Page 28. The same power that made Moses c. to quake shake and tremble the same power we witness Rep. But Moses was under a Legal administration and at Legal what that time when he said I exceedingly fear and quake he was under a type of that Legal bondage which believers are freed from The false Apostles indeed by their corrupting the Doctrine of Justification carried Christians as much as laid in their power under the Law again for which the true Apostle Paul blames the Galatians Chap. 4. 21. Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law c. So these pretenders to a new Apostleship are discovered by their Doctrine of a Righteousness within them that is their Justification to lead people the same way as the ring-leaders among the Jews and Galatians did and would make them children of the bond-woman whom Christ hath made children of the free-woman yet boldly they will profess they are come from mount Sinai to mount Zion while their Doctrine of Justification hath no other tendency then to carry back to bondage R. F. yet seems to bleat more like a sheep then bark like a wolf in this passage We witness working out our salvation with fear and trembling Rep. 1. The fear and trembling which Paul speaks of Phil 2 12. vindicated Phil. 2. 12. as proper to believers is not that which Moses did typically represent at the foot of mount Sinai for the Apostle to the Hebrews Chap. 12. 18. to 21 denies that believers are under that state or that Legal administration with the effects of it 2. The fear and trembling wherewith believers are to Evangelical trembling what work out their salvation issueth from faith and love and Gospel-humility and is not the fruit of Legal humiliation 3. The Gospel-fear and trembling is not to be found visible or legibly to be discerned in all R. F. his vindication hitherto But he rounds me in the ear with this Thou speaks against the power of God that worketh effectually in his people as it did in Moses Habakkuk David Paul and other witnessed in Scripture thou there in contradicts the Scripture Rep. 1. To contradict the Scripture is worse then to contradict a mans self and therefore I desire the first part of this Reply may be minded by R. F. before the latter Yet there is scarce a Self-contradiction which I have mentioned and charged upon these men but the Reader will finde in it one contradiction or other to the Scripture If I should deny that Moses quaked or that Habakkuk or Paul trembled I should deny the Scripture and the Power of God but I deny that such a quaking as Moses Habakkuk or Paul when fallen to the earth Act. 9. 5 6. were taken with is the fear and trembling believers are to work out their salvation withal as for Davids it coming from the power of piety I desire we all had his measure of love to the word of God then should we tremble as he did Psal 119. 120. at the footstool of the Lord at the threatnings and judgements written and executed even upon Nations and the wicked ones and at the fatherly righteous chastenings upon our selves or his own people 2. When Gods power of majesty in visible manifestations to the eye of the body discovers it self to any as to Moses or to Paul or in visions as to Habakkuks spirit such a bodily trembling becomes them and they will not be able to avoid it but the power of Gods Majesty in visible manifestations to body or minde is not that power which worketh effectually to salvation in his people take it alone for Balaam had such a work but the Power of his love and grace in Christ which in the majesty of the Gospel is made known to us from the efficacy of our high Priest sat down Heb. 8. 1. at the right hand of the Majesty of God in the heavens is that power whereby he worketh in us and whereon he commands us humbly to rest and depend for the finishing of our salvation the same way as it was begun according to Gods good pleasure 3. How contradictious these men are to the profession of trembling I instanced for demonstration in their standing in an evil cause before magistrates without Quaking or fear R. F. * Page 29. in answer hereunto makes good the former branch of demonstration which I mentioned the boldness of his pen This is a fallacy of thine where thou hast shot out thy sting in thy tail herein thou art taught thy gradations methodically in old Antichrists school to lye slander accuse falsly and jeer and
perfection of light and holiness then is in every mans conscience And 2. As if the perfection of the Law was regulated by that in the conscience whereas the Law of God is above the conscience Gods Law above the Conscience of man both in its light and holiness and in its authority it being a Rule to the conscience from its superiority of light and perfection of holiness and hence I conclude 1. That if the Magistrates Law be according to the Law of God although it be above the present light of conscience it is neither against the holiness nor true liberty of conscience 2. It is one thing for the Magistrate to declare and ratifie by his civil sanction Laws made by God and Christ concerning Religion which are above the consciences of natural men and above the actual present light of some true Magistrates Laws not to be against yet may â—e above the light of every man Saints And another thing to enact Laws against the true light and principle of the lowest Saint or the meanest son of Adam this latter is unlawful the former warrantable and that which stands with Religion and a good conscience also their own and others But 3. What if his Laws concerning Religion be above the present actual or habitual degree of light that is in the Saints This may be supposed because sometimes the Light of the Magistrate may be elevated higher then the light of some real Saints discerning further into the minde of Christ and understanding his Laws better then many of Christs subjects in as much as he may be more eminently subject to Christs Laws then inferior persons doth the Magistrate sin in holding forth light so agreeable to the Laws of Christ I trow not What then may he compel all within the Nation or Commonwealth to come up in practise to his own light no neither Here the Rule of Equity must take place to forbear as he would and ought to be forborn in the like case forbear whom such as tenderly and Magistrates forbearance of whom and how peaceably dissent for want of higher light forbear how First in love to the Saints and to all men to the Saints thereby to draw them up to higher attainments and actings who are to make that use of such forbearance to all men thereby to gain them in who are of the Lords number to Jesus Christ and to maintain a lawful civil peace with all Secondly not without restrictions over those who deny the common principles of humane society disturb the outward peace of the Saints societies would have Magistrates make Laws onely to binde and manacle themselves from striking at offenders Blasphemers Gospel and Church-disturbers that so the strong man armed still keeping possession and holding men asleep in a carnal and sinful security may have his liberty by naughty and pernicious instruments to vent what he can against the Truth without the least outward check and controlment but however our hope and assurance is that his kingdom divided against it self cannot shall not stand Glory to the most Wise and Holy God Amen AN APPENDIX OF A Handful of ANIMADVERSIONS upon the Pamphlets and Practices of the QUAKERS 1. ALl their Doctrines are raised upon the ruines of the Scriptures Excellency and Authority Witness Thomas Lawson's challenge a Lip of truth opened pag. 7. That light is in the Scriptures prove that or tell me what one Scripture hath light in it He might answer himself from Prov. 6. 23. alledged in part by him page 45. The Commandment is a Lamp and the Law is Light Yet will he dare to ask again b Ib. page 10. How doth the Letter or Scripture shine and what is the dark place it shines in St. Peter will tell him c 2 Pet. 2. 19. That more sure word of Prophecy the Declaration of Gods minde in Scripture is as a Light suppose the light of the Sun darting its beams into a dark cellar so shines that Prophecy of Scripture in a dark place our hearts and mindes the darkest place in the world till enlightened by the Law and pure Commandment of God d Psal 19 8. Yet more bold is he in another Querie e Page 54. What Scripture hath God in it A man might without breach of charity conclude Light is not in Tho Lawson's heart God is not in all his thoughts viz. to fear and reverence him who vents himself in such a gibing and upbraiding way against the Holy Scripture of God Another Instance of Scripture-disparagement we have from Samuel Fisher in his Account of the Scorned Quakers f The scorned Quakers account page 20. Christ by his Light within shews you as in a glass your own faces c. as the Scriptures cannot do But cannot and doth not Christ as much by the Scriptures It seems not For in the Scripture saith he you may read the Right of things and what you should and should not be and do but the Light within is larger then that and of further extent shewing not onely the Right and the Law and what we should be and do but also the fact even what we do and are And doth not the Scripture the same Gen. 6. 5. Rom. 3. 9 10. c. to verse 19. James 1. 23 24. Well may these men be scorned if while they pretend to own and honor they thus scorn the Scriptures Prov. 3. 34. 2. Their corrupt Tenents are built upon false and novel-Interpretations Witness Tho Lawson his doctrine of Perfection which he bottoms upon his Gloss g The Lip of truth opened page 41. on 1 Pet. 4. 7. The end of all things is at hand What is this but Christ If he be the end of all things then of sin Taking it upon trust He is there meant by the Apostle when as he speaks of the Judaical state and worship more strictly and if it be understood more largely it is but as much as if he had said All things are coming to their end in a short time Another instance is Richard Farnworths endeavor h Truth cleared of Scandals p. 29 30 to avoid the dint of that place 2 Cor. 12. 7. and 10. where Paul after his Revelations and Rapture was in danger of being self-exalted and was sensible of his infirmities by feigning the man caught up into the third heaven to have been some intimate friend of Paul when as to the most ordinary understanding it appears the blessed Apostle in modesty speaks in the third person Ironically as of another yet really of himself The after-part of the story concerneth Paul it was He that had the prick in the flesh it was He that had the messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted it was He that prayed thrice unto the Lord that it might be removed and to whom the Lord answered My Grace is sufficient for thee c. And therefore the forepart of the chapter story is to be understood of