of our wayes is reproved the wayes of God approved Now this is no small benefit to have the light to discern our errors which without light from Christ we should never have understood A wise Christian will be often judging himself by the light of the Law discovering his Transgressions That mâ—st needs be the Law in the Conscience which de facto shewes every mans own sins to himselfe It will be needfull not only to use the light of Christ to judge our selves by but also to order our actions by I am the light of the World saith Christ he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness There cannot be unsafe walking by Christs light there is no danger when Christ our light goes before walk in the light saith Christ while ye have the light lest darknesse come upon you how many millions are there of souls perplexed and tortured all their life with fears and doubts for want of walking by the light of Christ in Scripture which say I is that in the conscience which the Scripture mainly calls to and chusing rather to walk by a light and sparks of their own kindling alias their own wisdome conceits sences and meanings on the Scripture traditions in worship and such like which they call light which in the end either goes quite out or burns so dim as to leave them in darknesse of spirit and horror of conscience and no marveile since such as neglect the word preached which is that word of faith i.e. which men are to beleeve in unto life which the Scripture testifies and the Apostles preached to be nigh in mens hearts to heave and do it should follow the mares of humane reason the examples customes and dictates of men and in conclusion ly down in sorrow Isa. 40.11 Such foolish fires will lead to nothing but bogs and precipices but Christ the true light when his Gospell is followed which is the light in the heart 2 Cor 4.5 6. guides the feet of men into the way of peace The light of Christ is to be used as our weapons or Tools to defend ourselves or to work with let us put off the works of darknesse and put on the armour of light the truth is light is the chiefest instrument for safety and worke if a man be without light he can neither defend himself nor offend an enemy he that would make use of Christs light must be armed with his doctrine he that would improve the light must be a doing the businesse which the word of Christ directs him to and to that end it mark must dwell richly in him Make use of the light of Christ for thy comfort and rejoycing it is it which removes doubts griefs fears despair in life or death Oh how sweetly might men live how comfortably might they dye if they did make use of it Thus highly do these two men R.B. I.T. speake of the light of Christ within which the Qua preach yea that in the very Heathen though they oft call it naturall yet they recommend it as that which told the truth to the heathen which they holding in unrighteousnesse were under wrath and without excuse before God because they glorified him not as God but were fill'd with unrighteousnesse and did the things which by that of God in them they knew judgment was due to and that they were worthy of wrath Ignorance of the Law being not to be pleaded by them say they who sin against the innate light of their own spirits for as much as that fact must needs be voluntary which is done against the knowledge and judgment of a mans own conscience And yet somtimes to go round again they tell us that when their Saints sin through infirmity only as T. D. judges David did when he was guilty of murder and adultery which when they doe they act against the knowledge and judgment of their own consciences their facts are not voluntary but altogether yea utterly against their wills Yea p. 41. They seem to judge themselves much belyed by the Qua. for denying the light within and set themselves to vindicate themselves from that as a false aspersion as if they were men that do truly own the light within as much as any yea they there make a use of Application of their Doctrine about the Light that enlightneth every man that cometh into the World to justifie themselves against the Qua as owners and honourers of the light within and to warn men that they act not against their Light within to this purpose we may infer say they a plea for our selves against the unjust accusations of the Qua who use to charge publick preachers with denying the light within each man whereas such light is not at all denyed by them each person is to make use of the light within that he do not rebell against the light a mans own conscience is a Law to him c. This and much more do these men when they are pleased to begin of themselves confesse to the excellent usefullnesse and sing out to the praise of the light of God within each man but if the Qua fall in with them in the same work and commend the same light for t is no other but that of Christ the Qua cry up in the same words with the Priests then in enmity against the Qua they set themselves to cry it down with as much indignation and detestation as they cryed it up with approbation and high commendation before Then to go round again they sing a new song in contempt of it to the Time that hereunder followeth inveighing most heavily and bitterly against the Quak for this businesse of warning men to take heed to the Light within to that of God in their consciences calling both it and them no lesse then all to nought witnesse their clamours against the Qua for this very thing in Baxt. Epist. p. 7. Their i.e. the Quâ— great pretence when they dishonour the Scripture and the Ministry is to lead men to a light within them and this is their cry in our Assemblies and our streets hearken to the light and word within you and the sufficiency of this they clamourously defend So p. 6. They i.e. the Quakers assert that there is a light in every man sufficient to guide him to God of it self that it is a Rule to shew duty and sin that there 's no need of other teaching of man that this is one in all that it is the Gospell this is the main prop of the new Anti-christian Religion or frenzy of the Quak and leads them into pernitious courses So p. 41. A mans own light cry they speaking of that of God in the Conscience of all men which somtimes themselves call no lesse then Gods Law in them which is in them but not of them nor naturall but spirituall holy just and good cannot warrant of it self without the Scripture a mans actions to be lawfull which he doth according to that light And
the world by some measure of Light at least shining from himself enlightening as it 's said every man that comes into the world shining in darkness in the dark consciences of men though the darkness comprehend it not holding by the hand also as it were leading by the hand those that being in nared in chains of darkness thrust down into the Pit do not winke with their eyes to the further blinding of them but according to the councel of Christ himself believe in the Light whilst they have it that they may become children of the Light for I am the Light of the world saith Christ He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life also I am come a Light into the world that whosoever believeth in me may not remain in darkness I came not to damn the world but to save the world 8. In this manner therefore is Christ the Salvation of the world as he is the Light of the world destroying the works of the Devil who hath wrought in the darkness to the setting up of a Principality and a Kingdom to himself in the hearts of men and redeeming men from the power of the Prince of the darkness of this world unto God who is Light and to see Light even the Light of life in his Light 9. In like manner doth the Prophet Isaiah affirm Christ to be given of God for a Covenant to the people for a light to the Nations to open the blind eyes and to bring out of Prison them that sit in darkness even the blind which have eyes and see not and after him Paul testifieth that Christ was set as a Light to the Nations that he might be the Lords Salvation to the ends of the earth Simeon also speaking by the holy Spirit of the child Iesus calls him that Salvation of his which the Lord had prepared before the face of all people to be a Light to lighten the Nations and the glory of his people Israel 10. In as much therefore as Christ is the light of the world he is the Saviour of the world and so far only are men saved by him as they believe in him who is the Light and in that Light wherewith he doth enlighten every man in his own conscience and set themselves to walk after it which leads no man into iniquity and so far forth are all men liable to condemnation before God as they walk not in this which is in them howbeit not consenting to any but testifying against all iniquiry even the least and also reproving and condemning it even in them who are not in it but walking contrary to it in the darkness 11. For although God in his great love gave his Son for a Light not that he might damn the world but that the world through him might be saved and be that believeth in him is not condemned yet he that believeth 〈◊〉 is condemned already and this is the condemnation that Light is come into the world into the inmost consciences of men there manifesting good and evill but men love the darkness rather then the Light because their deeds are evill for he that doth evill harsth the Light neither cometh to the Light â—ast his deeds should be reproved but who so doth truth he cometh to the Light what his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God 12. And al though all that obtain justification are justified freely by the grace of the Lord through the Redemption that is made in Iesus Christ alone Yea cursed be he and cursed will he be that seeks for justification any other way for he who is the Light of the world is also that Corner stone which however it be set at nought by a thousand and thousand of the 〈◊〉 is yet made the head of the corner neither is there salvation in any other nor is there any other name save that of Christ the Light under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved Nevertheless no further is any man accepted of God or justified by Christ or the grace of God in Christ then as he is directed by Christ the Light and is by the grace of God by that inward with 〈◊〉 of God by the light of God and Christ in his conscience which is given of God for this very end that it may teach and lead taught and led unto repentance from the unfruitfull works of darkness 13. For this Light shewes the riches of the goodness and long suffering and forbearance of him who is long suffering to-us-ward not will that any should perish but that all should come to us by repentance is that very grace of God bringing Salvation that hath appeared to all men teaching all that will learn what it teacheth that denying ungodlyness and worldly lusts they should live soberlys righteously and godly in this 〈◊〉 world which kind of life will otherwise be to late to begin to live in the world to come which grace being received in vain how much more being despised by the hardness of the heart refusing to repent wrath is treasured up against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God who will render unto every one according to his works to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and immortality eternall life but unto them that are contentious and obey not the truth but obey unrighteousnes indignation and wrath For tribulation and anguish is to come upon every soul of man that worketh evill but glory honour and peace to every one that worketh good hath to the Jew and also to the Greek for there is no respect of persons with God but in every Nation he that â—eaâ—eth him and manketh righteousness is accepted with him but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul rateth 14. And howsoever the world which is call'd Christian together with the manifold Sects Professors and meerly nominal Christians and Ministers thereof may dream that they have Christ their Redeemer very often calling him Lord Iesus continuing in the mean time in all disobedience to his Light yet the foundation of the Lord standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth who are his and let every one that nameth the of Christ depart from iniquity 15. For the day of the Lord draweth nigh wherein both every man and his deeds shall be made manifest for the day which is the Light shall declare them for they shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans works of what sort they are and in that day all those Dâ—eamers shall be awakened and shall know that as concerning the truth they have erred far from the mark and that not every one that saith unto Christ Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth what Christ saith and what the will is of his Father whâ—ch is in heaven and though they have prophecyed
otherwise Christs own works absit blasphemia are no more works and of no such force and worth as thou blushest not to blaspheme so as to say they are not p. 17. as to merit justification Yea so necessarily is it of such good works as are wrought in us by Christ that otherwise grace it selfe were no more grace for what grace is that of being so or so so long as we are not in truth so as we are accounted to be accounted justified accounted accepted with God and accounted his Children heirs of his Kingdom Righteous Holy saved from our sins which whiles they abide the wrath of God abides and condemnation and cursing hangs over the head of the Subjects thereof and yet not really to be so as none are and as nemine contradicente without all contradiction none can know themselves to be till Sanctification which is the evidence for heaven and that which to us and all men shewes our Title to all the foresaid Priviledges and Prerogatives doth appeare upon us I say what grace is all this What Salvation from sin whiles sin remaines What Redemption from the and curse the effects of sin while sin the cause thereof rests on us unremoved all this faith of the favour of God is but fiction this hope of heaven but vain groundlesse heartlesse and frustraneous this divination of T.D. a meer dream of a hungry thirsty man that dreames he eats and drinks but as it s said before his soul is empty and when he awakes behold its another matter Oh but quoth T.D. the Spirit of God the 3d person in the Trinity he does apply the righteousnesse of Christ to us to our justification and so we are justified perhaps say you Qua. what you will and not upon account of Sanctification of us by his work grace of in our hearts and so that phrase justified by the Spirit which ye insist so much on 1 Con. 6.11 may be meant of the Spirits application Rep. Mark Reader for having run throw the other 3. I return now to the 1st of the 4. Scriptures that we urged from and T.D. answers so lamely to T.D. sayes perhapse it s meant of the Spirits application to which I say 't were better for T. D's cause if it might be so meant but for one reason I shall shew it may not must not cannot unlesse T.D. means a nigher kind of Application then I am sure he does for if by justified by the Spirit be there meant of the Spirits outward Application onely or imputation of Christs Righteousnesse without us to our justifying before God then the work of the Spirits washing and sanctifying us also must be meant of the Spirits outwaâ—d Application only and meer imputation of the cleannesse and holinesse of Christ to us for our washing and Sanctification for Paul sayes the same of them they all hang on one string and must run the same way and be taken in the same sense relating all to that one Author thereof the Spirâ—â— Such viz. Drunkards Effeminate Adulterers c. Were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified by the Spirit of our God so if one 1 justification be by externall application onely then the other viz. our washing and sanctifying is but by such an empty application and outward Imaginaâ—y account and imputation onely and not by the inward Holy operations of the Spirit And indeed all your grace is one part of it as well as another by such outward Application and meer Computation onely and not by any true Real internal Application of Christs Righteousness sufferings and blood to your Souls and Consciences to the purging of them from dead works to the true serving of the living God your Iustification is by imputation and outward Application your Washings Regenerations Sanctifications Holinesses Renovations and all ye have is by such a meer Imputation and Application of what is far off you in Christs person to your selves so that what ever he is in whom is no sin you will deem and dream that God deems you so to be upon nothing but a meer blind confidence and conceit that swimmes in your brain that 't is so when 't is no such thing God knows and so as one that being at the North of Scotland hungry and naked should in his thoughts onely apply a garment or a mess of meat to himself that 's as far off him as the South of England must needs perish for want on 't if it be brought and applyed no neerer to him then so so you in all your Applications of Christ and what ever is in him who is as far off as Heaven whil'st you are but on earth far enough from thence the Lord knows must necessarily faint famish perish pine and starve till ye come to witness Christ and the Robes of his Righteousness and Holiness within your selves and eat his flesh and drink his blood and put him on a little more effectually then ye do by all your dead faith and your eatings and drinkings of bread and wine for all your imagined Spirits applyings and imputings by which that the whole world which dâ—th already may and you together with it lye still in wickedness ye are ever dispelling and disputing all true inherent hâ—liness out of doorâ— And so being but in a meer Aery talk and vain thought of things that ye are in them when ye are out of them and not doers your selves of what ye hear Christ hath done for you before as an ensample that ye should by his Power in the leadings of his Light and Spirit do the same ye do but deceive your own Souls and as both Paul and Iames who both agree and we with them against you in this do truly tell you as Righteous and Religiâ—us as ye seem to be to your selves and each to other all your Religion is but vaâ—n and your hopes that ye are this and that in the account of God that ye are Iust and Pure when really ye are nothing so will prove abortive and as that of the hypocrite when the Lord takes away his Soul no other then the giving up the Ghost for Gal. 6.3,4 if any man think himself to be something and that he is thought of God for that holiness which is in another without him to be something when he is nothing and witnesseth neither that other nor his holiness within himself he deceiveth himself but let every man prove his own work and what he doth by the Spirit of Christ within himself of the Will of God and then shall he have Rejoycing with in himself alone or at least alsâ— and not in another Person without him onely and he that glorieth will glâ—â—y in the Lord Christ in him the hope of glory in the Lord in himself in whom the Seed of Israel finds Righteousnesse and strength and Salvation from the sin is Iustified and shall glory I a. 45. 21 22 23 24 25. or not every one that commendeth himself
meaning in an outward Ministry for else I know no Nation that hath not some of that Light which is Gods Gospel in them any more then Paul did who said The Gospel is preached in every creature under Heaven 1 Col. 23. and Rom. 10. Have they not all heard i. e. the Gospel yes verily c. The reason why all the Nations have so little as they all have is Because they come not to the Light which is come into them R. B. Q. 2. Why did not the world believe in Christ even generally before his coming if Reason was then a sufficient light Ans. How far forth right reason taken not for the bare natural faculty which a fool may have but for that supernatural gift of God whereby to guide men out of all bruitish wayes and his light we restiffe to which is not against but according to right reason are Synonimous it matters not to be medled with in this place but to the Query I reply the same still viz. Bâ—cause men came not to that light of God which was in them R. B. Q. 3. Why did Christ preach himself while he was on earth if the people had sufficient light before Ans. Christ speaking then audibly to the outward ear through that voice he then used preach't himself indeed that he was the Light of the World the Woâ—d â—f God and the Life and Light of men from the beginning and not from that time only of that his outward appearance unto a few Iohn 1.1.2 and to this end did he preach himself as a light in men for the Word was made flesh and dwelt in us sayes Iohn Ioh. 1.12 bidding them believe in the light i.e. his light in them and so in himself who is the light that they might be the children of it and walk in the light while they had it and come to the light and such like because the men to whom he preach't thus were not come to that light of his which was come into them R. B. Q 4. Why did he send his Apostles to preach through the world if the pâ—ople had sufficient light before Ans. To the same end for which he sent Iohn 1 Ep. 1.1.4.5.6 that they might walk with God in the light and not in the darkness as they did though the light was in them and foâ— which he sent Paul to the Naâ—ions Act. 26. to turn them from the darkneâ—s to the light from the power of Satan unto God and because men wanted to be instructed which way to look for the Life of God which they had lost and because they yee not yet come into that Light of God that only leads to it which was come into them R. B. Q. 5. Why did he set Pastors and Teachers in his Church if all have a sufficient light within them Ans. That his Church which is in God being turned from the world and the darkness of it to the light might by their memorandums of the things they knew 2 Pet. 1. be kept stedfast in their watch to the light unmoveable and abundant alwayes in that work of the Lord believing in the light which work the world are not yet come to and to abide in Christ the Light as branches in the Vine and in the teachings of the Annointing which is the truth and no lye that it might teach them by degrees all things and lead them into all truth as it had into some already that the Saints might as branches grow up in all things into him even the express Image and likeness of him who is the one head over All to the body and the express Image of the Fathers being in whom is no guile for the perfecting of the Saints a thing ye seeming Saints deny to be attainable in â—he body for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body till all that are begotten into the nature may come into the unity of the faith and knowledge of Gods Son even unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4. Joh. 15. 1 Joh. 2. Finally because men come to the light if not exhorted to continue in their faith in it may again go out from that light of God which unless it take occasion by their wilful departings from it to depart at last from them is come unto them and continually in them R. B. Q. 6. Why do the Quakers go up and down teaching men their own doctrines if all men have sufficient light already Ans. Not their own doctrines but the doctrines of Christ and to call men into it and to counsel such as are come into it as Ioh. Ep. 2. to abide in Christs own doctrine or teaching that they as who doth not so hath neither may have both Son and the Father and because mâ—n generally are not come into that Light of God which is already come into them R. B. Q. 7. Why do they cry out against us as being in darkness when all men have sufficient light in them Ans. Were there no other thing but this one vain thought of yours that there 's no difference between mens being in the light and the light 's being in them it s enough of it self without any more ado to proclaim you to be in darkness for if ye were in the light of common reason that is in you 't would tell you as well as the Scripture that the light shines in the darkness though it comprehends not the light that it shews the way to them that walk beside it though they walk not in it because they hate it but in the darkness which they love more then it being fallen in love with its evil deeds Ioh. 1. Ioh. 3. and so to the Query we say ye are in darkness because ye among other men are not yet come into that sufficient light which if ye would once but singly look to ye should feel is already come into you R. B. Q. 8. Will they pray for more Light and Grace or not if not they are impiously proud if yea then it seems they have not yet light and grace sufficient Ans. We do pray for more Light and Grace and God gives more and more to the bumble as I have shewed above but if ye were not with all the climbers up another way Iob. 10.1 either too proud to stoop to come into the knowledge of the truth by the door the light or so blind as to groap fâ—r the wall like them that have no eyes ye could not but see that their praying for more and Gods giving more grace unto the humble is so far from evincing that they have none as that it evidently evinces they have some already for if men had no grace and should pray for it they might be said to pray for some but no man can be properly said to pray for more light and grace but such as at least have some already R. B. Q. 9. Whereas they say the Light within is sufficient if obeyed our Question is
a believers person with his works are accepted with God though his works be not perfect G. W. Answering thus viz. here he would have believers like the Priests who sin in the best of their performances as they confesse but I say the believers workes are wrought in God and these works of God are perfect As for our confession quoth T. D. 't is agreeable to Scripture There 's not a man on earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles. 7.20 i.e. That sinneth not in doing good inquity of holy things is spoken of Exod. 28.38 Duties which are holy for the matter are iniquiâ—y for the manner of performance Rep. By which it seemes T.D. judges there is such a continuall course of sinning in the Saints as that they cannot cease from it at all for if while they are doing good and performing duty they are sinning and doing iniquity then how much more while they are doing materiall evill and iniquity it self and so consequently cease not from it at all Which if they do not then how do they cease as T.D. sayes they do here 's another stabb with his own Daggeâ— which T.D. gives himself whose words are such Swords to himself and agree â—o well together by the eares among themselves that a man need but bring them out upon the open Stage where such as are minded to behold the battell may see them falling out and fencing against each other and killing both their Master and one another And now I have that passage upon this occasion under hand one word more to it aâ—oâ—e it passe for 't is not worth returning to it again if a believers works which as G. W. truly said are wrought in God and say I by God in them T. D. himselfe from Isa. 26.12 dares not deny it any more then I do deny that all maâ—s â—on righteousnesse wrought of himselfe before and out of faith in the light are dung unclean things and filthy rags from Isa. 64.6 Phil. 3.8 If I say a believers woâ—kâ— be not perfect and his doing good be sin and his duties iniquity let me ask thee T.D. doth God who works the believers works in them work works that are not perfect but imperfect and if thou say what he works at first in believers is but in part of what he will do from 1 Cor. 13. Now we know in part c. Rep. Remember what I told thee above that in part is one thing and imperfect is another grace holinesse c. in part is a perfect gift evâ—ry dram of it as well as the highest degree of it though 't is not so much in measure as every spark of fire is perfect fire though not so great a fire as the flame it comes from But what do I talking of not pâ—rfâ—ct thou countest the best performances of the best Saints evill sin iniquity does God then who works all his Saints works in and for them absit blasphemia work evill sin and ini quity 2 Thou sayst though a believers works are not perfect but the best of them sin and iniquity yet God accepts both believers and their works hath iniquity then acceptance with God t is more then I can yet receive for truth unlesse thou scratch and scrape out of the Scripture such texts as tell us he hath no pleasure in it I know he taketh pleasure in his Saints Psal 149. but that shewes that such as you who take pleasure in pleading for iniâ—uâ—â—y are none of the Saints what ere ye call your selves that he take pleasure in Ye use to say to God in your prayers O Lord thâ—u art of purer eyes then to behold the least iniquity without abhoâ—ring it and the subiects of it and such like yet to go round again behold T.D. sayes believers works are sin iniquity and yet God takes pleasure in or accepts bâ—th the believer and his works Finally I know so much of such Saints as your selves are Isa. 1.10 to 20. that 't is iniquity even your solâ—mn meetings and appointed fasts and feasts but God takes no pleasure in them yea his sâ—ul hates loathes and detests them But he hath a people and a sort of Saints ye know not whose solemn meetings and sacâ—ifices are as incense before him who are not sinners as ye confesse ye are in all they do nor are their duties and doings of good by his power sin evill and iniquity and these and their services while ye and all yours are a smoak and stink in his nose are a sweet smelling savour to â—im in all the good they do 3. As to a mans falling into sin again after he hath once ceased from it I know no necessity of that which is the matter ye have to prove or else ye prove nothing at all to your own purpose who hold that men must needs sin while they are in the body and cannot possibly do otherwise but I know a necessity let men sin as often and as long as they will of ceasing to siâ— and of leaving it off before they leave the body otherwise if they dy not to it but but live in it till they dy and dy in it as Christ threatned the Pharisees they should do 't were good for them had they never been born there being no place for repentance from or purgation from it after death and notwithstanding your pretended necessity of aâ—l mens sinning while they breath bodily here on earth yet I know not only A necessity as aforesaid unless they mean the Tree lying as it falls as ye use to preach and the eternall Judgement finding all men as death leaves them to be remedilessly miserable for ever but a possibility also by the grace vouchsafed if themselves be not wanting in its improvement of ceasing finally from sinning while in the body nor sith T. D. confesses the Saints do cease from sin and its continued couâ—se is broken off in them can any man tell me why theâ—e should be less possibility of ceasing from sin or more necessity of sinning to morrow then to day or next day then to morrow and from that time of a mans first abstaining from what evil the Light in his conscience convinces him of and condemns him for and so successively onward to his lives end the same power that kept him to day being as all-sufficiently able as he keeps to it though the Temptation daily comes to keep him from the transgression to morrow and the next day and even for ever And who can tell me why he that withstood one temptation to any transgression by the Light and Power of God may not as well if in his will he turn not from the same Power which is alwayes nigh and ready to keep him withstand another and â—o another and so all so as to escape the transgression And why he that was not drunk nor lewd nor proud nor injuriâ—us nor wâ—cked nor unrighteous nor deceitful nor abominable nor disorderly to day must needs be so another time his being
of an Hour This is the manner of not a Few in their Writings I am therefore minded quoth â—he to Abstain from such Engagements Upon such Considerations was I enticed on the Enter â— and Trace further and farther After Him so that This may satisfie such as would haue had it shorter But to be short with such If the Authors Pains and Pay in Fenning and Printing be not worth the Readers Patience in Perusing and Purchasing who will may let it wholly alone for me He that likâ—s not the length of it hath enough of the same to make it shorter to himself however and may look upon as little of it as he lists Thirdly Now O ye Priests and Universally Erring University Leaders of All other People in Things of the Soul and its Salvation I shall say the lesse to you here by how much the whole following Fabrick Relates to you more Particularly then to any Though it harâ— noâ— only a General Respect to you All in Regard of your Brotherly Relation to those more Specially spoken to but a General Respect in some sort also unto All men Whether I am in more Opposition to your Principles or Pitty to your Persons I â—an scarcely say since I seek the Destruction of Nothing but what Destroyes you whose Souls I am sure I Love as much as I Loath those Light-lesse Laborinths of your Learning falsly so called in which you Loose you selves and Perish Marvel not that My Self and other man of more mean as count then your selves Meddle so much with the Maâ—ty Matters of your Ministry who have so long Excluded all Mechanicks and Plain Country Creatures from the Close Conclave of your Clerical and Collegian Counsells But know assuredly that the Day of God is Dawned upon the Earth Wherein from his Own Light which ye Labour against in the Firâ— of your Furious Minds Wearying your selves for very Vanity to Blow it Out It shall be Fill'd with the Knowledge of his Own Image and Glory as the Waters Cover the Sea Wherein as ye have Fought his Fear after your Own Precepts Traditions whereby ye have Turned his â—â—uth upside down so he is as he Threatned in that kind Isa. 29. bringing the Wisdom of you Wise Men and the Understanding of you Prudent Ones to nought so that your Turning of Things upside down shall be Esteemed as the Potters Clay Wherein as ye have Divided Jacob from his God and Scattered Gods Israel from their Dwelling which is the Light itself in the hearts of men in which God is and Dwells with Those who there Dwell with him which Light Christ and his Ministers seek to Draw All to and by it unto God and which it 's the Devils Work from the beginning to Seperate men from in your Anger which is Fierce and in your Wrath which is Cruel like that of Levi after whom you are called So he will â—iâ—iâ—e you in Jacob and scatter you in Israel Wherein as ye are become Bruitish Pastor's and have not Sought the Lord so ye shall not Prosper but All your Flocks shall be Scattered from you Wherein the Lord of Hosts is coming Down to Fight for Mount Sion to fetch his Flock froâ— between your 〈◊〉 and like as a Lyon Peâ—â—ring on his Prey when a Multitude of Shepheards is called forth against him he will not be affraid of your Voice nor Abase himself in the â—ost of his Holy Ones wherein he appears against you for the Noyses ye make against his Holy Truth But as ye have Provoked him to Wrath by your own Inventions and False Worships so he will Provoke you to Iealousy by a Foolish Nation and Weary you by such as are no People in your eyes and by 〈◊〉 Mean Weak Foolish Nothings Confound your Mighty Things that Are So that it shall be 〈◊〉 of the Learned Linguists and Greeks that seeâ— after Wisdom whereâ— the Scribe where 's the Disputer of this World◠〈◊〉 not God made Foolish the Wisdom of this World who by â—s Wisdom knew not God this by that Foolishnesse of Preaching whereby he Saves thâ—â— that believeâ— How are the hidden things of Esau searched 〈…〉 no more in Tema◠〈…〉 is 〈◊〉 up Thy sonâ— O Sion against Thy Sons O Grâ—â—â—d and â—aking them against thee O Greece as the Sword of a Mighty Man in his Hand and 〈◊〉 the Foundations of thy Faâ—ed Faith and Shaking all thy Supertitious 〈◊〉 iâ— the Ground And as to the Eâ—postulations that are hold hereafter with you O Scholasticks Boâ—be iâ— iâ—â— in pave about the Body yet it s Principally about the preâ—ended Bottom of all your Babyloniâ—â— Buildings in which if your Basis were not so Brittle as it is and must be being by your own Confession but the outward Teâ—â— of that â—â—ward Truth which you Teâ—â— meâ— while you talk of it 〈◊〉 Toâ—â—ly out of must needs be by so much an Unstable Standard by how much by your selves by the Pens of your University Doctors in their Choicest Divinity Disputes undertakings and fencing for the Fumâ—ess of it it 's yielded to be as Alterable in the very Greek and Hebrew Copies of it as the Letters Vowells Accents and lotaes of it are Lyable to be Chang'd in Sound or Shape at the wills of Criticks Witnesse the Acknowledgements of J.O. that Lately Choice Oxoâ—ian Champion and Latine Labourer Pro Scripturis against the Quakers whose Scribling so much on behalf of the Scriptures and the Integrity of the outward Text and the Word of God against us who are Truer Friends to Both then himself which was the first Occasion of this Rescription and is very largly Replyed to in the 2d and 3d. of these 4. Ensuing Exercitations Concerning whose Work tosâ— many of you Rabbies whom he Reasons for and Represents I shall here Subject onely these Three things which Consideratis Considerandis will shew that by your own Concessions to Vs about the Outward Transcripts or Texts of the Scripture if they â—â— they are Pâ—ofess'd to be beâ—t â—e Onely Rule and Rooâ— of All that ye call your Religion ye grant your Rule to be not Infallibly Right and your Root which is but a Mouldring and Mouldred Writing to be but Rottenesse and so Consesequently that at last your Blossom must go up as the Dust. 1. Let it be â—eeded how J. O. as is aforesaid and hereafter 〈◊〉 at large Pleads the Absolute Necessity of the Integrity of the present Text to be in the Hebrew and Greek Transcriptions though Translations which are the Peoples Scriptural Rule himself proves to be most exceedingly Corrupted Entire to every Tittle as at 〈◊〉 giving out without any losse so Strictly that if it be not so but it appear to have been Altered by Ablation or Addition of the Points by the Tiberians 〈◊〉 Cessarum â—eft he utterly gives up for Gone All Gospel-Godliness Cryes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where shall we Stand. And sees no way to be Delivered from utter Uncertainty in and about all
not long of us that Our Wound is yet unhealed And though I never treated with Mr. Tombs about such a matter I am confident he and I should agree in one dayes Treaty upon Terms of Communion c. Thus we see how ready these men are to Creep into a Correspondency with the Metrapolitans themselves of that lately Exploded Hierarchy And whether an Exaltation to that Honour of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lords over the Clergy 1 Pet. 5. And such a Benefice as a Bishoprick may not be so Swallowed without straining as to stop the once open Mouths of SMECTYMNUUS his own Sides-men is shrewdly suspected by many whose Eyes are strictly set to see what some will do who seem to sit next dore to it What Edm. Calamy and such as with him seemed to be Pillars like Jachin and Boaz before the now Tottering Temple of the late Presbitery will do in such a Time if ever Temptation by such a Tender shall happen to attend them will be not a little Observed by their old Brethren who were once not a little Observant towards them A little Time to such as Doubt them may now Discover it Ye Clash against each other as Eagerly as ye are able in your Blind Zeal about many meer Accessaries yet Close as Cordially as Men of one Heart and one Soul under pretence of Love to it in Enmity against Christs true Light in all Men which is that Main and one Thing Necessary witness both Tomb's and Baxer's Epistles to that very Book of theirs against the Qâ—a herein reckon'd with wherein all their former fightings for and against Infant Baptism seem to be swallowed up in the Gulf of their Ghostly Agreement against us and Vnanimous Gainsayings of that saving Grace of God i.e. His Light which Tit. 2. 11.12 Appeares inwardly to All Men from appearing if it might be in its outward Ministry unto Any at all The Lord open your Eyes that some of you at least may yet see in this Day wherein ye are much Benighted what makes for your Peace before it be hid Eternally from your Eyes that Hell which is Enlarging her self to receive all your Pomp and present Glory may not open Her Mouth and Gape so wide upon you ere ye are aware that ye sink All down as uncircumcised ones into the sides of that infernall Lake and so the Pit shut her Mouth upon you All for ever 4ly And Finally O Ye the Present Rulers in this English Nation and the rest hereto pertaining whether Supream or but Subordinate Though I neither do nor may put what herein is put forth under Yours or any meer Mens Patronage whatever but under Christs alone by whose Power only in a Weak Earthen Vessel this Work was thus far Performed to whom only as it came through Me from Him so I Dedicate it back in Service to his Own Truth together with all the Honour Praise and Glory thereof which is due alone to his Own Name yet I both may and do hereby Present it unto You also as of no small Concernment to Your selves And more Peculiarly unto Thee O King Sith As Thy Personal Interest as to Outwards is now under God and Christ the Highest So Thy Personal Influence into all Temporall and Civill Affairs wherein Thou art Concerned to see to the Common Wealth of all People in This Thy Native Nation that own Thy Supremacy therein and in All but Truly Spirituals and meer Conscience Cases Relating Immediately to the Soul between which and God in matters of Faith Worship and Religion Christ himself by his Light and no Man much less the Pope is the only Judg is seen at present to be the Greatest upon Peoples Affections That Thou with Them maist have the more Perfect Understanding of the Principles of those People against whom ye are oft much Mis-Informed T is a Ticklish Time with Thee O King and Thy Government in the Nick of which Thou maist saon do That which may be the Making or the Marring of both thy Self and It for Ever It lyes on me from the Lord herein to clear my Conscience towards Thee and those under Thee in Bowells of Compassion to Your Pretious and Immortall Souls In His Name whom I serve in Humility of Mind to Warn you to take Good Heed what ye do leâ—t by Tampering beyond the Line the Lord hath â—ent you in the Matters of Religion and so by Leaning to some one Form thereof that may seem the Truest to some men whose minds meerly for their own Ends are Moulded into the Image of it ye Lead all the Rest away Captive after that and so not only Over-load the Seed of God in all his Saints but Over-charge your selves also so far as to Lay Wast not only that Religion which among all the Rest ye Ruinate is the Truest but your Own also which ye would Set up to Stand alone in the Ruines of the Rest Which said True Religion God hath Decreed so to Stand that all those that are peaceable toward it and let it alone shall stand the more Prosperously by it and all that rise up against it in their Vain hopes to Ruine it shall assuredly fall before it for its sake Caution is not Condemnation What ever cause there is for it at this time yet my Call is not in this Place to Complain of what Abuses Honest Men passe under both in City and Country as Contrary to what hath been Declared by the KING as they are without his Personal Cognizance thereof My Hearts Desire and Prayer to God yet for this though Divided English Israel is that its People may not Perish but yet be Saved for I Bear them Record they have a Zeal of God but not according to knowledg if it were they would all come down to that One Light of God in every of their Own Hearts in which God is in which alone as the Letter it came from Speaks 1 John 1.5 6 7. All True Union and Firm Fellowship both between God and Men and betwen men one with another stands Yet this I say as one that hath Obtain'd the Mercy from God in his Light to see it to my present Grief for them if they see not timely to it that there can be no Long Lasting Peace in these Latter Dayes to this or any Nation in the World of Christendom nor Beating back again of those Swords into Plowshares and Spears into Pruning Hooks which from Plowshares and Pruning Hooks have been of late beaten into Swords and Spears Till Secular Princes become so Prudent as by Blind Guides in Spiritualls to be no more beguiled into a Building up of some Babel or other with the Blood of all other Christians that cannot Blesse it and so Pollitick for themselves at least if not so Pittiful to others and Patiently Pious toward the Lord as according to Gods Will therein to let Tares and Wheat stand still together though not in the one Floor i. e. the Church yet at least
in the like lame cause who belabouring your selves in talk about the Letter against the Light live and walk more by the false fire and twinkling flash of your own thred-bare thoughts and infatuated imaginations then either by the Letter or the Light I come now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without much Preamble or more ado ad rem substratam to the businesse and work it self as it lies before me And howbeit I shall not regard any External form order or methodical manner of proceeding with you so much as words and matter of profit and truth it self yet as there is a Quaternity of you or rather a Fraternity of four angry Fighters or Quarrellers with the Quakers and the truths told by them viz. I. O. T. D. I. T. R. Baxter all whom first or last one where or other more or lesse I shall have to do with So though not therefore I shall divide my ensuing undertakings against you in the Name and Power of God on their behalf in such wise as thou I. O. dost thy Doctor-like Divinity Disputations or Latine-labours against them viz. into four Apologetical Exercitations or Earnest Expostulations with you The first whereof is to be more down-rightly directed to thee T.D. the rest who are of the same misty mind with thee not excluded in way of Examination of that Legend of Lyes which thou like some great Benefactor to it bestowest on the Clergies Cause against the Truth and its Children and as concerning the point of Iustification in special which thou makest thy self a main Mannager of against us for all the rest who say little of it and in which thou by thy lies about it in both Doctrine and matter of fact most basely abusest both thy self and the Truth and my self in particular and all the Qua. in general also The second is to be most peculiarly directed to thee I. O. in Examination of sundry of thy base belyings and misreportings of the Qua. as to their mis-behaviour toward the Scripture about which T. D. who sides with three therein doth but give us a short snap and away and as concerning the very formal being nature Text or Letter or the Scripture it self ye call your Canon the Bâ—unds or measure of that your supposed Canon the Hebrew Punctaâ—ion Integrity of the Text to a Tittle without Various â—ection and such like passages which thou more preheminently pratest on then all thy Fellows The third is to relate though partly to T. D. and partly to I. T. and R. B. alâ—o as being all three in some sort tampering together with thee in the same muddy manner about at least some of the same mistaken matters yet principally to thee I. O. who in the dark dream of thy night Vision drivest on more down rightly as the Prime Promoter of these Principles viz. that the Scripture and every sylâ—â—â—le and Iota thereof is the Word of the Great God the most efficacious powerful all-sufficient all-perfecting heart-searching soul-saving living life-giving Word of the living God that it even that outward writing Letter External Text and not any such thing as an Internal Word of God Spirit or Light within is the only Infallible Guide Incorruptible Canon perfect Rule of all Faith holy life saving Spiritual Knowledge or Worship the most certain Sanctuary for the preservation of all Sacred Truth the most sure Touch-stone stable standard firm Foundation true Witness of God the most invariable inviolable way of safety and security to all Divine Verity the most absolutely necessary means of Spiritual and Eternal life cum multis aliis quae nunc praescribere longum est with much more id genus of the same soure leven too long to be reckon'd up here sith they are all to be elsewhere reckon'd with in due time and place The fourth will be promiscuously and interchangeably carried on by way of entercourse with you both I. O. and T. D. which two only were intended to be by me so much as medled with when I first was throughly resolv'd on some Reply to your rude reproachings of the Truth As concerning your denial of the universality and sufficiency to save such as heed it of the Light and Grace of God in all mens hearts of modern immediate Divine Inspiration of Perfection as to the purging away of sin in this life and as concerning your Dream of a peremptory Election and Reprobation of persons unborn viz. of very few to life and of many to one as unchangeably to damnation without respect to their doing good or evil in their life about all which as occasion is I must have in a few words a round reckoning with you both I. T. R. B. and all the rest of that self-reverencing black-mouth'd Brotherhood as blindly banding in one body in the self-same mist of darkness not excluded for the Rounds ye run in as to those particulars at the latter end i. e. in the said fourth and last part of these foresaid Presents in which as occasion is ye four aforesaid Fellow-Fighters for your own follies against Gods Wisdome are likely little or more to be all bespoken in one or other of the Chapters into which also I shall subdivide the fore named four divisions If ye four Foxes that spoil the Vine and her tender Grapes whereof inter-scribendum one successively still started out afresh upon me as I was pursuing the sent and chasing the other had like those of Sampsons turned tail to tail in all points as in some ye do and took several wayes ye could not so well have been caught altogether as now ye may notwithstanding all your Majestical craft but sith ye face all one way and joyntly steer your course in general to one Cave running parallel into the same Wood of your own wisdome there housing your selves in the same holeÌ„ dreaming altogether of no danger neer you in one Den of Darkness there needs no more but to set something to the Mouth of that bottomless Pit ye all belong to out of which the Fox-like strong sent and stinking savour of your erroneous Tenets vents it self to the poysoning of poor peoples Souls throughout the whole Countryes where your respective beings are and so digging you out of your foresaid Dens put you altogether into a Bag. S.F. The First Apologetical and Expostulatory Exercitation CHAP. I. FIrst then though they came out last and began to fly abroad some while after I. Owens yet I shall begin with thy two Butterflyes T.D. which have flown up and down the World not only upon the wind of their own wings but also as fast and far as they could carry them upon the light chaffy leaves of the whiffling News-books for some few moneths together to the frightning of all such folk as are befool'd into an Implicit Faith of thy folly to be wisdome out of that little wisdome they have by that fearful flutter they have made thorowout as well the Cities as Vniversities and Countryes with that falâ—e flashy and fair-flourishing
that which is set down that is not in thy fâ—rst and that is not already answered by G. W. so that Tâ—y of a Sheet and half under which thou seekest to shroud thy self from the force of his Reply consists so much of References to thy Qâ— folly the folly of which foolish peice is by it self as well as by us manifested to all well meaning men that thou mightest as well have spared thy paines of putting out any thing under that name of a Book at all and have said no more but so viz. for a Reply to G. W. I referr the woâ—ld to the book of mine which G. W. 'sâ— Book is a Reply to insomuch that for all thy pretended care to prevent it every one that is truly a man will judge that like a Child thou hast skipped what thou could'st not Read so as to make any Reasonable Reply to As for Billingsgate Rhetorick its more found among the Scribes that are Scolding Scuffling and Scrambling for such petty Businesses as Muscles and Cockels-shells meer mouldring writings Externall Texts tritling Transcrips Letters pedlâ—ng points Syllables Triviall Tittles and Iota's thenâ—to the Qua. qui nucibus faciunt quaecunque relictis who if they do earnestly contend it is for more substantiall matters the faith that was once delivered to the Saints the Light Truth and Spirit it self ye Priests despise which were long before your letter Text and Scripture ye so scrabble for was at all in being And whereas thou sayest thou wouldest not I say that whether thou wouldest or no thou canst not be so hot as that light of the Sun which now scalds thee and thy fellow scolders about the Scriptures for the more ye foam fret fume fight and labour in the fire of your own fury against it the more the Sun of Righteousness arises daily and shines out to the tormenting of you Inhabitants of the earth that have in the dark night of your Apostacy from the truth slain made merry over the witnesses of God both within and without you and the earth is filling more and more with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea and the Angels who have the Vials full of the wrath of God are pouring forth of the same not onely upon the Earth Sea Fountains and seat of the beast and the River Euphrates which hath been hitherto the chief fence of the great Whoreâ— of Babylon but also on the Sun it self so that men and ye men called Ministers above all others are to be scorched as with fire by the great heat thereof till ye rather knâ—w your tongues for pain and blaspheme the Name of God as ye now daily do who hath power over these plagues then repent from your deeds to give him glory and though all ye impenitent brood of the Babylonish Harlot band your selves together as it were with one mouth to blow out the light yet is it to as little purpose as if ye should go about to forbid the morning light from appearing when it begins to spread it self upon the mountains T. D. thou sayest That which Iob speaks of the Thief Iob 24.17 Is true of the Qua. If one know them they are in the terrours of the shadow of death Rep. That 's false of us but true of your selves there is one knows both you and us before whom your faces will wax pale and gather blackness ere long while we stand with boldness in his presence our hearts not condemning us of such wicked designs and deceits as are found among your selves T. D. That we endeavour to hide our meaning by doubtful words Rep. I. O. Ex. 3. S. 17. Layes the same falsly to our charge but no wonder that thou T. D. accusest us of that when as Christ himself cannot scape thy censure in that kind for as thou blamest and belyest us here as endeavouring to hide our meaning in doubtful words so pag. 7.1 Pamp. thou sayest It was an usual thing with Christ to speak words of a doubtful fense and that his meaning may be mistaken when his words aâ—e taken in the most ordinary and literal sense and so it would be if by every man we should understand him meaning as he sayes of every individual man indeed how can we look thou shouldst clear us who accusest him But if thou acquit him cease from thy accusing us as guilty for that which if 't were as surely as 't is sure it is neither Christs nor ours at all but your own common course and evil guise must needs as thou T. D. handlest the matter conclude Christ himself under the same guilt together with us but in truth so far as to peddle about the things of God with words of an uncertain and doubtful signification and when mens opinion is shameful and dishonest to dawb it over with deceitful covers and colours not to speak it out â—penly plainly to mangonize it in speeches sewed and patcht together on purpose to darken their Councel by words without knowledge to beware of nothing more then least they should understand and be understood so far as to hide their Councel by doubtful words so far as to speak one thing and mean another to make a shew in words and intend no such matter as they make a shew of so far as not to mean as men say is a matter justly lyable to the censure of hypocrisie and dissimulation we not onely clear God and Christ and the Spirit whom thou chargest as so doing while thou saist p. 6. 1. Pamph. the the meaning of their words cannot be as the Letter doth report it was usual with Christ to speak words of a doubtful sense p. 7. Salvation is offered or tendered by God to such as he never intends it to c. p. 40. 1. Pamph. But also are ourselves as clear from the guilt of it in the sight of God as capable to make it good out of your own handy-works that your selves are the men who are most deeply faulty in that particular T. D. Thou sayest Thou hopest the Reader will not be byassed by our seeming humility sith pride may be the root that bears that branch voluntary humility is the effect of being puft up by a fleshly mind Rep. True enough that pride bears the branch of meer seeming humility but among no men more then such as are used in Rime as the Priest or Clark reads a line at once to them to sing to the Tune of O Lord I am not puft in mind I have no scornful eye when yet for all that profession of humility they are puft up more proud and haughty scorners and dealing in more proud wrath against the Righteous then such as never heard of such a thing as humility from a Letter without as many Heathens have not save what they have seen from the light of God and Christ within themselves and among them that under the lowly titles of Ministers or Servants mount up into the Lordly titles
their madness Firebrands Arrows Death Among these Nettles of thy planting T.D. do the Seed of the Serpent the Generation of Vipers breed make their nests nourish up one another and so securely shelter themselves under the shadow thereof that like Adders and Scorpions they sting cum privilegio with their Tongues and with their Tayles not only shooting out misreports from their mouths but leaving behind them where ere they come the fiery Darts of their Lying Tales the deadly Poyson of which sets on fire the course of nature in virulent Spirits and whole housholds on fire of Hell against the truth in which work but that Truth is strong enough to stop as well the Lyars as the Lyons mouths these Creatures of thy Creating could not quickly be controul'd having now the Authority of thy Printed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew for their Abomination and to back them in it which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like some Benefactor to their lying lips thou hast as a certaine Legend of Lyes bestow'd upon them It s but meet therefore and more then time that some Reply be from me Return'd to these and other particulars of thy Legend for Truths sake though else so far as my person alone and abstract from that is interessed therein I should God knows in whom I am hid as in a-Pavillion from the strife of tongues please my self much more to sit down in silence as I have hitherto done under many other mens misreports of another nature under the Tumultuousness of the wicked who are like troubled Raging Waves of the Sea never at rest but ever casting up Mire and Dirt and foaming out against me their own shame and thine also whilst stirred up therto by the Stormy Wind of that malevolent Spirit which from this and severall other Quarters of thy Book breaths out and blowes upon them â— yea did I not see the Truth though vindicated against thee to the full by my foresaid friends R. H. G. W. suffering among some where their writings have not come for want of somewhat from my self I should assuredly sit still drinking in contentedly every dram of thy drassy discourse under this thy Tempestuous showre whilst it shatters it self down from thy black Inky Pen in such dirty droppings upon my head or at most saying as one dribling disputant used to say no more then Quid tum to all that 's True and Negatur id to all that 's false which though it be but a Ridiculous Reply yet would Rout it all were an Answer answerable enough to thy Ridiculous Reports for that of thine that 's True hath nothing in it so much as probably to prove what thou inferr'st from it that which is false in itself as to the thing asserted is fit for nothing but to be denyed for from it much less can there either probably or possibly be inferred any truth For wheras they say of Propositions and premises according as they regularly legitimately or Irregularly are disposed as to the outward forme thereof thus viz Ex falsis falsum verum â—aliquando sequetur Ex veris possit â—il nisi vera sequi So inverting the order say I of prepositions or premises according as they are true or false in their subject matter Ex veris verum falsum qâ—aliquando Sequetur Exfalsis possiâ— nil nisi falsa sequi Now therefore that Honest well meaning men and simple hearted people may be no more Guld and misguided by thy guilded Glosses in these particulars as many have been as well in these particulars concerning my single self as in those aforesaid concerning both me the Qua. in generall and that the mouth of the Horse and Mule â—cupiunt placere Magistro utuntur diligentia nec sunt tanti cessatores ut calcaribus indigeant which are forward enough and to fall on and open in lyes do not need thy Spur may be held in from any more harming as with Bit and Bridle in the Name of the Lord though he that removeth the Stones and breaketh the Hedg whâ—re Serpents lodg may look not only to be Hissed at for his paines but also to be hurt and bitten therewith I shall bring down this Slight Wall which thou hast built and other diviners of Lyes dawb with their untempered Morter Glorying therein as in some strong Tower though it is but Rudis indigestaque moles a Rock of meer Rubbish and no more then a refuge of Lyes that the foundation thereof may be discovered not bawlking for the bawlings barkings and brabbles of any owners thereof I shall break in upon this bushy brake of briars and Brambles and lay the Axe to the Root of it which is no better than Rottenesse it self that its blossom may go up as the dust but I confesse were I not guided by a manifestation of that Spirit of God of which thou lyingly sayest ver 53. R. H. and G. W. had little of for t was by a plentiful measure of that Spirit of God which Blasphemously thou callest a Spirit of Errour and Contradiction by which they so hampered thee that thou wast able with all thy Râ—ason to Resist it no otherwise their those who resisted the same in Steven Acts 6.9.10.11 and not by that mother wit to which thou a cribest it I should have been much to seek how to behave my self in the handling of these thy unhearn businesses I mean thy two Narratives of which this parcel about the Qua. being probably Papists and my self probably A Iesuit is a most remarkaâ—le passage yea so over grown are they with lying words and all manner of evill weeds that as the bungling Barber for want of skill never left handling the deformed over-grown Beard of a new Customer of which he should have left some standing till he had handled it all away so I should hardly have found any thing at all in them that 's worth sparing the very truths that are therein being told to as bad an end as the very Lyes but wisdom is profitable to direct in that measure of which that I who am else â—a very fool have received from above and from him alone out of whose mouth it cometh to all them and them only who wait for it thereat I reject no more then that which is Refuse and deal with these thy two Excrementitious matters as men do with the most unprofitable and useless hair of Hogs and Swine when they have to do with it viz. make use of so many of the best Bristles as will fit their own use and singe the rest in the fire or else sweep it all away into the Sink for that little of thy superfluous stories which must be granted for true and serviceable serves not thee who re latest it so well against me as it serves me against whom thou relatest it against thy self In disproof then of the Truth of thy Aâ—ch-Assertion or Accusation of me to be a Rank Papist a Complyer with the Pope and Cardinals and
one that receive a Pension from him which is the Top-stone of thy brittle building that I am to take down and the Conclusion in proof of the probability whereof at least all the rest is alledged I shall not as much Countryfied as I am be so Dunsical as to begin with the denial of the Conclusion nor would my nay prevail against thy yea among thy Creditors if I should but discover first the falseness weakness nakedness and inconsequences of the Premises that every indifferent Reader may conclude the utter improbability of the truth of thy confident conclusion within himself and remove the under stones which thou lay'st for thy foundation and among the rest that of my holding some Doctrines held at Rome which thou makest the very head of the Corner that so the foreâ—aid Topstone may tumble down of it self What is true among thy Premises I shall own the Truth of but deny the consequence thereof as to that which by thee is from thence deduced and what is false not only deny but also deny the consequence of it if it were true 1. That I have been at Rome and there born my Testimony against the Pope and Cardinals in such wise â—as was required of me by the Lord who sent me who only and not I my self as thou quippingly recitest that passage suffer'd them not to meddle with me that I made light of thy charging me with Popery and that I was at Dunkirk and in discourse with the two men of Sandwich T. Foxton and T. Barber at the time thou speakest of and that somewhat by me was spoken about Friars and Iesuits holding some sound Doctrines which some Protestant Priests deny and somewhat about the non-necessity or indifferency of the use of the things ye call Ordinances where the substance of which they were shadows and to which as figures they pointed was come in place like as of a Candle where the Sun shines and that I said good Works intending Christs are the meritorious cause of our Iustification and argued a contrariis to this effect viz. Evil works are the meritorious cause of our condemnation therefore good Works are the meritorious cause of our non-condemnation or Iustification all these Premises are own'd and thy elf also Asserting thus far only of me artown'd as standering me of no more then Truth but quid hoc ad Rhâ—mbum all this yet is of no consequence as to thy deduction And 2. As to all the Rest viz. my having Bils of Exchange to and from Constantinople to Rome and my Broaching Doctrines that are not only theirs but a fair inlet to their Bag and Baggage and my saying to T. F. and T. B. at Dunkirk in those very Terms thou settest down vâ—z that I looked upon the Iesuits and Friars there to be sounder in Doctrine then those ye call the Reformed Churches and that I my self am above Ordinances and that I have great Bils of Exchange from a Quaking London-Merchant as thou quippest it out again and that the Terms of the third Question which I held in the Affirmative were whether OUR good Works viz. done by us only and not by Christ in us are the meritorious cause of our Iustification and that I undertook to prove it under thoâ—e Terms of OUR Good Works in thy sense its all as false to the full as the other is truâ— but if it were every whit as true as it is utterly false yet would not thy Conclusion viz. that I have a Pension or am in pay from the Pope follow from it so much as probably as thou dotest much less so necessarily as throw their dotage upon thy Do-little Disputings many Ignorant ones of thy instructing do as ordinarily as ignorantly infer it the falsehood of that which is false and the inconsequence of both that which is true and that which is false and the utter invalidity of what is false in case it were never so true to prove thy Charge against me of complying with or having pay from the Pope I shall yet a little more particularly explain 1. Then that I have been at Rome and that in a double sense is true enough first spiritually and mystically when I was but a Protestant at large and so born and bred as English people for the most part still are I then dwelt together with them and you National Ministers and Parishpay-Preachers in the Suburbs and out-works of that Great City Rome or Mystery Babylon the Great the Papacy the Arch-Whore and Mother of her Daughters the two younger Harlots Prelacy and Presbyterie that are both separated from her bowels and as like her in many matters viz. persecution for conscience sucking Saints blood greediness of gain Lording it by a Lordly Clergy over the true Clergy or Heritage of God Parish-pay of the Popes first Imposing Parish-Church Posture of his Constituting Traditional Infant-Sprinkling and sundry other Romish Remnants and Relicks of Romes Religion yet abiding unabandoned and alâ—o pleaded for as one kind of Christ'n Creatures that are unlike to Christ himself can be to each other and as a Pair of young smooth-faced Sisters Quâ—bus facies non omnibus una est nec diversa tamen can well look like so old and wither-fac'd a Mother in the said Suburbs and out-works of which said Great City which once was in one Room but before its Ruin stands divided into three P.P. Parts canina utentes facundia barking and concarâ—ing together by the ears with one another and like some old Bawd and her two Bâ—ats Bâ—awling and breaking each other to pieces about their Bastardy ye dwell to this day not only being in the same inward but in somethings also in the same outward form and Image while ye hold your Pontifical Orders by vertue of which you so Pope it in your Parishes from such Presbyters as had theirs from the Prelate who had theirs from the Arch-Prelates who had theirs from the Pope by lineal succession who had his as the great Whore hath Rev. 17. from the Beast that bears her who Rev. 13. had his from the Devil or Dragon who whether he had his Power Seat and great Authority from Peter or no Credat Apella 2. That I have been bodily in Rome literally so cal'd as I did not so I do not deny and that as its evident by what of mine is extant against the C.C. Clergy I have done here so I bore my witness against the Pope and Cardinals there in such wiâ—e as I was cal'd to do I might make manifest here were I so minded but need not foâ—asmuch as though Weâ—â—hercock-like thou preâ—ently upon it go'st about to deny and disprove it again as unprobable yet thou seemest first both to believe and prove it to be probable thy self for thou saist the Qua did Report it of me and thou supposest they would not bely me and that I am since in safety from their hands thy self hast seen iâ— thou canst believe thine own eyes but what of all
that hath two wills within himself whereof one is contradictory to the other that reveals his will to be this that he 's no â—â—specter of persons but all men as they do shall have that the soul that sins shall die but that that turns and does righteousnesse shall live that men die at their own wills and choice not his and yet hath a secret will within himself which as secret as they call it yet our Priests will be twatling of it openly ever and anon as if they knew it as well as the other wherein he wills and chuses that a few only shall live and irresistably by them or ought they shall ever do a thousand to one shall die that sends out his Son as a mocker of most men by calling them all to believe every one that he is his and is come to be his Saviour when yet he died not for every individual but contrary to his Revelation in the Scripture gave himself a Ransom not for all but only for a few that makes an ofâ—er of Salvation to all by Christ but intends it only to some few that sends out his Ministers with a lye in their mouths for a truth it is not say our Mâ—nisters yet they will preach it viz that Gâ—ds love and good will is truly towards them all and every one may lay claim to it as well as any one when yet according to their doctrine at other times there 's no such matter as this but his love is only to some certain ones which he secretly Selects and yet he can't do it so secretly neither but they must tell on 't to as many as they tell the other that sends his Ministers to make every man believe that Christ died for him in particular which if every man should believe according to their other will of God which but that they are Tel-tales should be called his secret will which is that he gave not Christ to Tast of death for every man but for very few most men must believe a very lye and yet if every man believe it not for himself he must be damned too for not believing of that which according to themselves still is no Truth but a very notoriouslyâ— that condemns the world of Sin Iohn 16. because they believe not in Christ as their Saviour and yet leaves the world which say our preachers Christ died not to save for he died only for such as are not of it without any Saviour that is theirs to believe in that on pain and peril of his eternal displeasure Requires men like Pharoah whom he plagu'd for his cruelty in the self same case to make such a Talâ— of Bâ—ick and yet yeelds them no straw wherewithal to do it but leaves them to go look it where they can He that doth thus and much more of the like nature which the doctrine of such as deny the Vniversal grace of God doth in effect Represent their God as doing may be own'd as a God by such as make him one and by the Ministers of his own making yet is not owned by me to be the true God of Gods but a God of his own Ministers own making to themselves after the Image of their own vain Imaginations yet such a God as this are I. O. T. D. I. Tombs R. Baxter and the whole Diacony of Dâ—vines that deny the death of Christ for all men devising and Imagining to themselves of whom till they come to know and own the true God which is mine in his mercy truth and faithfulnesse a little better then they do or can by that dark lantern of their own understandings in which they are poring after him in the Letter only besides his own light and spirit in which only he is seen as he is I must say so much and of my self together with them that whosoever is the father of myself or of them we are not yet one and the same Fathers Children 10 Our Doctrine about good works and our Preaching and Maintaining and pleading for good works as necessary for many good uses against T. D. or any other this is no fair In-let to the Pâ—pish Bag and Baggage for all good works as are so indeed and not only so suppoâ—ed by such as call good evil and evil good are of God and Christ Jesus the truth and none of the Pope nor of his Priests nor any other meer man that I know of neither are there any that can truly be so called for what thou or the Pope or any Papists or Protestants falsly call good works is another case not at all pertaining to our purpose to be found for ought I see in his whole Budget of Religious Implements nor in the whole Masse or Magazine of his Massy matters and 't is more then I shall see while I see you but besides much more against that light in which only that is done which goes for good in the account of God if there be any good works truly good to be found yet among the best of your own I know you have a whole warehouse of Religious works such as they are which you are accustomd to call good as they do theirs but what your good works are in your own sight is one and what they are in the sight of God is another Question there is a Generation wo to them that are wise in their own eyes prudent in their own sight yet very fools in the sight of God there is a Generation wo to them also that call evil good and good evil put darknesse for light and light for darknesse bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter there is a Generation O how lofâ—y are their eyes and their eye-lids lifted up wo to them also for they are a stink in his nostrills and as smoak in his nose before the Lord that are pure in their own eyes and yet are not nor ever mean to be while they live fully washed from their filthynesse I have read of a Generation that had more good works as they count them to count upon then all the National Churches of either Protestants or Papists and works more good as to the matter of them if what matter God requires may be counted better then what is required by meerly man all whose whole Treasury of Solemn Services out of which they offer'd to him was yet in the fight of God esteemed but Trash so long as t was the sinner only that so served and sacrificed and no other then Cain the evil doer still that did that good such were all the haughty Mincing Daughters of Zion that walk't with stretcht out necks and bosted in the Bravery of their Tinkling Ornaments their New-moons Sabbaths burnt Offerings Prayings Prayses Fasts and Feasts in which when they drew near to God they did no more then what he by Moses had appointed as ye do for which you have your labour for your paines who worship not after his own praecepts and doctrines in outwards but after the
Rank Papists nor Rankers of our â—elves with them against the Truth in our maintaining of thoâ—e Doctrines I must therefore since the Lord hath laid it upon me if all the world would take me off it take leave here to enlarge so far as to enter the lists in one short single duel with T.D. alone about these matters desiring I. O. to have patience and stand by a while longer till I can have while to handle him and T.D. both at once in those points wherein they two joyne and issue out together making as it were but one head as to the doctrines wherein they oppose against the Qua and the rather because I find not I. O. in his book which elsewise is Brotherly enough with T.D. in bitternesse against the Truth and Qua. intermedling much there what ere he thinks in this so momentary a matter As for T. D. I have sundry things to reckon and reason with him in aboutit 1 I am to have a talking with thee T.D. in a few words for a certain abuse or injury done by thee in that passage of thine p. 14. wherein thou relatest that the 3d. Question debated on by us was stated in these Termes viz. whether OUR good works are the meritorious cause of our justification that I not onely held it in the affirmative but also disputed it in those termes of OUR good works in such wise as the Papists do so as to shew my selfe a rank Papist which injury in regard of the extent of it to the severall persons wronged is not more manifest then manifold yea verily seven-fold more then ordinary for as much as no lesse then seven persons are thereby most grossely abused and belyed that is to say not only my selfe whom onely thou intendedst should suffer by it but also thy selfe and five of thy chiefe friends too for want of thy forecast viz. 2 of them thou calâ—t Gentlemen and three of thy Master Ministers whose witnesse thou appealest to who are all more moderate and gentle Men then thy selfe it seemes as to their Testimony in this matter for they all and thy selfe too who bring'st them to bear witnesse with thee of the truth in this case do with one accord together with thee testifie another thing which is the very truth and no more then the truth viz. see p. 58. Of thine own narrative that the termes of the 3 d. Question were whether good works be the meritorious cause of our justification which as 't is there said truly was expressely affirmed by us without that figmentitious particle OVR in the sence thou usest it in which is of thine own forging and foisting in and adding to that term good works the adding of which in the eye of any save such as are not either Arrand fooles or else as the Proverb is more Knaves then Fools which yet is in plain terms the plain case of all that wink against the truth and will not seem to see it when they do doth alter the State of the Question so as to make it utterly another for who but such as either cannot see or which is worse may see and will not can chuse but understand that whether OVR good works at least in that sottish and sordid sense wherein the Papists hold it do justifie Is one Question And whether Good works do justifie Is another In which 1 st sense of the Papist when they say OVR good works whose Good Works as they call them are no better than other mens own are whose own meerly are all stark naught I neither do nor ever did affirm our Iustification to come but in the latter viz. that Good works meaning only those of Christs own working in and for us by the same power and spirit by which he did good works in that person in which he liv'd and dyed at Ierusalem then whom I know no other that can without his power work any Good I confesse I both then did affirm and own and as I then did in the power of Christ so I ever shall both affirm evince and maintain And whether it was in this latter sense only or in the former Popish sâ—nse in which thou T.D. art impudent enough to assert I held it he that will in no wise beleive me if I speak in my own case nor any that side with me in the truth but had rather give credit to T.D. let him beleive T.D. with all my heart provided he do but take his Testiomy to be truâ—st where its strongest for then he cannot but beleive me to be belyed for that T.D. who in p. 58. Sayes the Question was stated in these Termes Good Works which was the same T.D. undoutedly that sayes the other doth flatly gainsay and clearly contradict that T.D. And prove him a lyar that saves p. 14. It was stated in these Termes OVR good works and if any doubt which of these two selfe-overturning Testimonies of T.D. may most securely be taken for truth seeing they are 2. contrary Testimonies of one and the same man viz. that in p. 14. wherein he wrongs me or that of his own in p. 58. which I appeale to for right and am willing to be tryed by as touching his false charge of me as saying OUR good works justifie I say unlesse the Reader mean to wrong more then himselfe or me either by his misbeleife namely not only such of my friends as witness truth with me but also â— of T. D's own most eminent and credible witnesses so as to Judge them also to be all Lyars he must beleive what T.D. sayes p. 58. Namely that I affirm'd Good works justifie and beleive that to be a lye which T.D. sayes p. 14. Namely that I affirm'd OUR good works justifie for T.D. alone on his own head only sayes this last but T.D. together with his 5. Witnesses assert the other Thus then stands this case between me and thy selfe T.D. thou arraignest me openly at the Bar before the world p. 14. as a raâ—k Papist as saying in these Termes that OUR good works are the meritorious cause of our justification to which Inditement I pleading not guilty of saying OVR good works but good works are the cause c. How wilt thou be tryed quoth the impartiall Iudge the honest hearted Reader that would â—ain find out the truth in the Court of his own conscience whether thou be guilty of affirming and disputing the said position expressely in those Termes or not guilty I reply by God and the Country What evidence bringst thou in quoth the righteous Reader to T.D. against S.F. whom thou so accusest What were the Termes in which he and the Qua. expressely affirm'd it The Termes of the Question were these quoth T.D. p. 58. whether Good Workes he the meritoricus cause of our justification which was expressely affirmed by them Thus am I cleared in the sight of God and all men from T. D's Accusation by the true evidence of T.D. himselfe my accuser for we have
whether Good Works Mark be the meritorious cause of Iustification p. 58. and that this was expresly affirmed bylus and saith T.D. This being so gross Popsh L. Howard one of the Qua. present at the Dispute hath witness Nath. Barry since denied that they did so affirm Rep. By the way let me tell thee Reader as from L. Howard that though he denied that we affirm'd Iustification by our Good Works which assertion the Priests falsly chaâ—ge us with yet notwithstanding N. Barâ—yes bearing false witness against him he did not deny that we affirm Iustification by Good Works neither is he or any of us ashamed to aâ—firm at this present that Iustification is by Gooâ— Works but Mark this quoth T.D. is gross and Popish So then you have T.Ds. sence on one hand thus viz. it s not onely Rank Popery to affirm OVR Good Works though by OVRS if ever the Qu. affirm it they mean Christs Good Works in us cal'd OVRS Isa. 26. and not meerly Our own but also gross and Popâ—sh to affirm Good Works to be deserving Iustification I wot not well what works they are by which T.D. looks to be justified seeing he denies it to be by Good Woâ—ks for I cannot believe him as bad as he is to be so bad yet as to believe any to be justified by bad evil or wicked works though he blushes not to say that under the guilt of such bad works as Adultery and murder David was and so other Saints p. 38. but yet no wicked ones may be justified And in another p. 45. that the Gospel gives live upon imperfect obedience which though he do no wickedness is at best but an evil work nor wor I well where a man shall scape T.Ds. censure of being Popish unless he run away from Resting and Relying on Christ as well as on himself for Iustification for even Christs best Works are no more than Good as 't is true that all OVR best that are not done by him in us are worse then naught But were it so in Truth but I trow it is not as T.D. sayes that to affirm Good Works meritorious of Iustification is so gross and Popish that they have reason to be asham'd that own it Heu quam turpe est Doctori cum culpar edarguit ipsum How much more reason then any other hath T.D. to be ashamed of his shameful doings Qui alterum incusat probri de quâ— ipsum se intueri oportet who condemns others as gross and Popish for the self-same Doctrine which he himself holds out in terminis and yet creeps from under that condemnation slides his own neck out of that collar and dum codâ—m cum illis haret luto condemns not himself as guilty of the same defilement but rather to God and all men commends himself as clear and clean For whoever heard T.D. say of himself as he sayes of the Qua. they are I am gross and Popish in affirming that Good Works deserve Iustification Yet that he affirms the same as well as the Qua. whose affirmation of it to the contradicting of himself he denies I need do no more in proof thereof then send the Reader to p. 14 15. of his own 1. Paper out of which every Puny may fully prove it to himself for there in Answer to my Argument a Conâ—aâ—iis which was to this effect without that Term of OVR in such a sense as the Papists use it viz. Evilworks are the meritorious cause of our Condemnation therefore Good Works are the meritoriâ—â—s cause of our Non-Condemnation or Iustification among several frivolous conceits upon which he denies the consequences of my Argument T.D. Replyes thus granting the Rule of Contraries will allow so to Argue viz. Evil works which are the violation of the Law deserve danmation Ergo Good Works which are the fulfilling of the Law deserve Salvation and we know no Good Works such but Christs In all which he hath said no more than the self-same which in substance is uttered and intended by our selves for we both speak of and mean no other Good Works when we say Good Works deserve Iustification then such as are Christs and the fulfilling of the Law in himself and in us by his Power whose works onely are Good and all whose Works are so Good that the Law is fulfilled by them and so not Condemnation but Iustification still deserved for where no Condemnation is deserved as it is not by any Good Works there Non-condemnation or Iustification is For by every work the Law is either fulfilled or broken but by neither every nor by any work that 's truly good as every one of Christs are whether done in his own or by him in our persons or by us in him his Power and Spirit is the Law transgrest violated or broken therefore by every Good Work obeyed kept fulfilled and by every work either Condemnation or Non-Condemnation is deserved but Condemnation is not by any truly good work therefore Non-Condemnation is deserved by every good work Taliter and by all and onely good works by which is fulfilled the Royal Law Iam. 2.8 which works no ill at all to another Totaliter Yet T.D. judges us unjustly as Popish who hold no otherwise then thus and himself Anti-Popistical in holding the same to whom therefore I say to say no more of his self-contradiction in saying of Good Works that they do and yet do not deserve Justification si in me iniqius es Iudex T.D. condemnabo eâ—dem ego â—e crimine if T.D. were as just as 't is sure he is unjust in condemning us for Popery he is so much the more unjust in that he condemns not himself for the same since he that judges us so for so holding holds the same the more justly is he to be condemned by all for not condemning himself as Popish together with us And now whereas T.D. supposes he hath added much to the alteration of the state of the Question as we hold it and to the enervating of the force of the Consequence of my Popish Argument as he calls it by that weak short and imperfect Reply he gave to it at the Dispute and that more long then strong addition of many impertinent passages in his Accountative Repetition of it I shall here take them a little briefly under consideration and likewise the rest of that refusely stuff which is Replyed by T.D. up and down in his Book to my self R.H. and G.W. about this point of Iustification and such as were touch't on as pertaining to it that being rid of the Rudeness and Reasonlessess of T.Ds. Religion which I.O. in his piece of Anti-Quakerism interests not himself in so far as I find any where unless in p. 127. where his words seem to sent of such a Justification in sin as T.D. dreams of I may trouble I.O. no more with the Talk thereof when I begin again to talk with him To my nâ—ging Contrarioram contraria est Ratio T.D. thou Replyest
thus p. 14 15. there is not Par Ratio for the merit of good and evil works and that they are not absâ—lute contraries because our evil works are perfectly evil but our Good works â—aist thou are but impeâ—fectly good yea Isa. 64.6 all our Righteousnesses not our unrighteousnesses onely are as filthy Rags Rep. To this I retuâ—n as followes viz. If by that Teâ—m OVR Good Works thou intendest no other then those of your own which ye call good when thou sayest of them that they are but imperfectly good I yield to it as Truth indeed that your good works and your evil works are not absolute contraries one to another but rather both alike of one and the same sort stamp and general kind that is to say both of them evil works for your evil works being by your own confession perfâ—ctly evil your good works as ye stile them for good they are not while done by the evil-doer that hates the light being alâ—o by confession but imperfectly good and for so far from being truly good that what ever they are in your own in Gods Account they are no better then evil they are really evil too yeaâ— as to the nature done in though not as to their meaâ—ure â—as realy evil as the other and not your unrighteousnes onely but also your own Righteousness being by the like true concession but filthy Rags they are not absolute Contraâ—ies but Con-naturals as your best good and worst evil is for as two evil spirits may be both Devils though not Devils both of one Hair but one a little bâ—nâ—ker t'other respectively somewhat whiter then the other so your two sorts of works whereof ye call one good the other evil one your Righteousness t'other unrighteousness are both alike evil and wickedness though one carries a fairer face before it than the other Neither did I as thou dost pag. 54 that the Gospel gives life upon imperfect obedience then affirm and so G.W. tells thee p. 20. of his Reply to thee who either didst or would'st not it seems understand me so well as he others that imperfect works and the Righteousness which is as filthy Rags do deserve Iustification neither did I ever nor shall I now go about to prove by the Rule of Contraries a contrary desert of your unrighteousness or evil works and of such Righteousness and Good Works as yours are which both you and I acknowledge are but imperfect and so no better then evil unrighteousness and filthy Rags so as to conclude from thence that as your evil merits damnation so your good merits Iustification nay in stead of Arguing about these from Contraâ—iorum Câ—ntraâ—ia est Ratiâ— of contraâ—ies there 's contraâ—y consequence I must say rather Paâ—ium Par est Raâ—iâ— Similium Similis consequentia things that are alike are of a like desert therefore your evil and your good in name differing yet in kind agreeing being evil and filthy Rags both alike do both alike as truely deserve condemnation from him as they are both alike abâ—minaâ—ion before the Lord. But if by that Term OVR Good Wâ—rks of which thou â—ayest they are but impâ—fectly good thou intendest those of Christâ— own woâ—king in and by us and all his Saints of which he beâ—ng the Authour though we in and under him the Actours thereof I said before Vix ea nostra voco I deny any of these to be as thou callest them but imperfectly good and both affirm and shall prove them all to be really good and as so truly contrary to both your confessed evil and but conceited good works which yet really are but evil and not onely so but perfectly good also and in that respect more absolutely contrary to all your own both worst and best workâ— the best of which though cal'd by you at least imperfectly gâ—od are yet at best no better in kind then as perfectly evil as the other saving the baldness of that Phrase perfectly evil which yet being thy own thou maist the better and must however bear it from me In proof of which though it seem but a mad mans mad Divinity to you more mad Divines and possibly a meer Paradox to many more then meer Parish Priests yet let it be considered That every thing that can be truly according to God not after the manner of erring men onely said to be good or Righteousness though so but in part yet is as perfectly so as it is truly said so to be for howbeit all that which is but in part is by our Academical Rabbies who count all plain Countrey Russet-Coats but Rusticks in comparison of themselves counted but imperfect and commonly so called as if in paâ—t and imperfect were ever Synonomous and all one so that in their benighted minds they oft render that place 1 Cor. 13. as T. D. till he was corrected did at the Dispute thus viz. when that which is perfect is come then that which is imperfect whereas that which is in part and but aliqualiter not yet aequaliter or so perfect as the other is is opposed to that which is more perfect to its degree only yet as to its nature which different degrees do never alter for that gradus non variant naturam Rei is received for truth by all that which is truly good Righteousness Light Uprightness Holiness Truth though but some part of that fuller measure that once shall be yet is not onely Really the same but as perfectly the same in suo genere as that which is perfect in degree also is in its kind that is to say as perfectly Good as perfectly Righteousnâ—â—s c. as Good Righteousness Light Grace Uprightness Holiness Truth is in the highest measure Every dâ—am of Grace is perfectly Grace every degree of true Good perfectly Good every grain of Holiness perfectly Holiness as every spark of fire is perfectly fire and perfect fire and every drop of water perfect water as well as the whole Ocean as every Babe as to the nature is perfectly a man and a perfect man as he is that is a man in stature Holiness in the least measure of it is the gift of God and I know no imperfect gift that he giveth who is the Giver of every good and peâ—fect gift and every one of whose gifts is perfect all that is perfect is of God and all that is perfect which is of God from whom no imperfect thing can come and all true Good and Holiness is of God and all Sin Unholiness Unrighteousness Imperfection is of the Devil and all that is imperfect whic his of the Devil from whom no thing that 's good or truly perfect can come and all sin is properly nothing but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transgression defect and imperfection it self and whoever sinneth is born of the Devil and he that is of the Dâ—vil while so is not born of God nor in a state of Salvation nor in the Election but in the Reprobation and Rejection and what is born
count upon it that God impures it so as to compute him or any Righteous Holy Good c. upon that mere account of his own so counting en't and confident believing it so to be before he find and feel that by his Faith in Christs Light which such Fanciers as I.O. T. D. and most Divines and their Disciples are far from Faith in while they fight against it as fiction it be revealed and â—rought in himself and imported to him to making of him Righteous as Christ is and to the purifying of him in fiertâ— till he come in facto esse to be pure as Christ is pure 1 Iohn 3. To walk as he walked and as he is in whom is no sin and in whose mouth was found no guile even so to be in this world and so are his Sants that stand with him on Mount Sion redeemed from the earth without fault before the Throne Rev. 14.1 and layes claim to the blessedness in Truth Psal. 32.1 2. Psal. 119.1 2 3 I say if any man thus believe Trust and Hope as aforesaid his hope is but vain and not that of theirs 1 Iohn 3.1 2 3 4. nor the sure and stedfast Anchor of them Heb. 6.18 19 20. that enters into that within the vail whether the Fore-runner is entred making the way for such onely as follow him in the daily Cross to the Carnal mind yea his belief is but blind his faith meer fancy he feeds but upon ashâ—s a deceived heart hath turned him aside his trust is in lying words he leans upon nought but lyes a meer lye is in his right hand Christ is not his nor his Righteousness his as yet neither is he Christs while he lives in his lusts and his lusts in him while alive to the world and the world to him for as it is in the Verse next after that I last argued from Gal. 5.23 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof upon that Cross of the Lord Jesus then which Paul glorified in nothing more as true Saints now do while the world is ashamed thereof that is the light by which Christ condemns all sin in their flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in them as truly as in himself and they walk no more after the flesh but the Spirit by which also Paul was crucified to the world and the world also unto him And now whereas T.D. and those Divines from whom he must come to be divided before ever he know his part in the undivided Christ do uno ore confesse so far unto this truth as to tell it further then they are aware against their wills while they tell us that the good works and fruits of the Spirit and Christ righteousness within the Saints and the obedience which by him they are enabled to perform are not onely that which makes men meet to enter but are also all the righteous mens evidence for heaven both in faro ecclesia conscientie for I know no man among them that sayes any other then thus that no men can know one another nor any men themselves to be Christs and heirs of heaven and to have right to enter there and that the faith in Christ which they professe whereby they say they stand entitled to the righteousnesse of Christ without them is true living saving justifying faith and not fancy dead unprofitable and good for nothing ' but as it is accompanyed with the other fruits of the Spirit and good works which serve â—ay they to justifie every one that is justified without them say they in the sight of God in his own sight and conscience and in the sight of men I shall take all our Doctors at their words so far as they do yield as Pharaoh did to Isâ—ael by a little and little at once in order to the winding of them in at last whether they will or no to yield us the whole Question in every inch of it wherein they stick for we shall not ere we have done leave them so much as a hoof thereof behind and while it is in and upon me say something more to these two grants of good works giving 1 st meetnâ—sse for entrance 2 evidence of our Tâ—Se to the inâ— heritance and the truth of that faith which though it never be alone say they yet along gives on our part true Tâ—le to it As then to the 1st I muâ—e what great difference there is but that they who where they should not make two into one as T. D. does Pauls own righteousnesse and that of Christ in him love as much when they need not to make one into two between the matter of merit and the matter of meetness that our Divines can digest it exceeding well to have it said the fruits of the Spirit and Christs good works and righteousnesse within his Saints onely makes them meet to inherit but can't digest it at any hand to have it said that these of Christ and his Spirit in them do meriâ— the inheritance or make worthy of it Doth not the â—ame that makes meet and fit for merit or make worthy of it and enright to it in some â—ort and in Scripture sense at least The whole course of which tells you not onely as you tell one another often but that you often untell it again when you tell that of necessity men must sin while they live â—hat no sinners nor unriâ—hteous ones of any sort have in any wise any right to inheritance in the kingdome or are either meet or worthy to be any where but without the holy City together as fearfull unbeleiving dogs and abominable in the lake of fire but tells you also verbatim in many places of all their and onely their right and worthynesse to enter who by Christs power do the samâ— will of God he did and have and work the same righteousnesse that he did in himselfe within themselves 1 Thess. 1. They that sufâ—er'd for the kingdome were worthy of it 21. Math. 8. Not onely they that came 〈◊〉 when bidden to the the marriage were unworthy but such also as took themâ—elves to be entitled upon bare bidding and so as you do ran in all the hast and thrust themselves in as those that had the onely right and who but they the worthy guests that thought there was no need I speake after the manner of men of the â—lâ—ves and Ribbons I mean the Wedding Robes of Christ righteousnesse to cloth their own persons as if what he only wore 〈…〉 Theirs too so far as to enright them â—hithâ—r were for all their more bast then good speed thrust out at last as uâ—worthy to be there where had they been â—s well suiâ—ed as they were willing to have the good 〈◊〉 might there upon deservedly enough since the invitation was free and though a gift yet what more free the gift Have stayd there among the rest as worthy And the few names in Sardis that had not
defiled their Garment had right by promise and so ex debito if promise ought to be kept when made though gratis too because the promise was freely made to walk with Christ in white for they were worthy Rev. 3.4 I say worthy ex bene placito for as much as nothing but the free good will and pleasure of God made him oblige himselfe to give a right to such and yet to confound that nice and needlesse distinction of Criticall Scholasticks which hath confounded most Divines in Christendom into darknesse ex condigno also for as much as by Christs power and gift to will and do they both will and do what is required as the Termes and condition on which the thing is promised which consistency that I make between ex condigno ex beneplacite ex debito ex dono ex operibus ex gratia which T. D. and most Divines deeme to be 〈◊〉 or inconsistent together in the matter of mans iustification being a 〈◊〉 that few of them can get over a meer gnat at which they that in other things can swallow Camells can't but strain I am made free a little more here to uney. T. D. thinks he hath half knockt the Qua. for ever down into their dumps with his deep drawn argument from Rom. 11.6 T.D. If by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work whence quoth he p. 20. if justification be of works as you assert then grace is excluded from having any hand in our justification which is contraâ—y to the Scripture which sayes we are justified by grace Our justification cannot be a debt and a free gift I mean not both in respect of us And this he calls his irrefragabaScripture urged by him that the hearers might be covninc't of the damnablenesse of our doctrine who dare to talk of good works and perfecting holynesse bere as ever we mean to see the face of God hereafter which he and Thâ— Rumsey elâ—ewhere call a Doctrine of Devils and might â—â—â—th and detest us as we deserve and indeed finding his work fail in its force the day before before the fire and the day that declared of what sort it was he prepared this against the 2d dayes dispute as his Corner-stone setting it in the front of his second fight against us and the truth and to this quoth he nothing was replyed Rep. 1. A good cause why say I for there was no room for Reply but like as Pilate when he had askt Christ this Question what is truth As soon as he had so said rose up and went his way not staying to take his answer so I well remember T.D. crouded in the next Argument which I have answered already above concerning the works the Iews went about to establish which Argument is so neer a kin to this that one answer may very well for both in both places Paul by works and own righteousnesse meaning no other then what are wrought without Christ by us and not any that are wrought by Christ in us I say T. D. crouded the one so hard on the back of the other and past so soon from one to the other that without interrupting of him which he would â—â—ve complained on as much on other hand there could be no interposing of an answer and so Pilate-like not expecting it he went his way to another matter without it 2. Yet now as to his Argument itself somewhat may be Replyed and 1st if considered as in conjunction with its fellow that followes it so close at the heeles p. 21. from Rom. 10.34 and beares such a broad shew of backing it it is not so big nor amounting to such a bulky Bulwark but that one may easily put them both in a bag if no more be said but this that in both Scriptures as also Phil. 3. where as inconsistent he opposes his own while a Pharisee to that of Christ within him when converted and a Saint and Tit. 3. where he opposes the works of righteousnesse we have wrought to our being renewed by the holy Spirit and makes grace and renewing by the Spirit all one as well he might for if we be not renewed by the Spirit and saved from the sin then I say grace is no more grace for what use is it of to us if we be left in and unpurged from the sin which Christ came to save his people from 1st so from the wrath of to come which will come unavoidably on all that are disobedient and unrighteous Paul opposes the gift of grace Gods righteousnesse to mans meer own works which are not good though so thought by himselfe and mans own literall righteousnesse of the Law wrought in mans will and Imagination onely out of Christ the light and faith in him and the leadings and movings of his Spirit and does not oppose grace to the righteousnesse of Christ in his Saints or sanctification and holinesse that is of God by faith in the light revealed in and received by every one that beleeves as inconsistent for those are not onely concomitant but consistent and concurrent together to justification as grace and Our works onely are not for these two do tollere se invicem I confesse so that if justification and life be of grace it can't be of Our workâ— et retro if of our works not of grace but grace and Gods righteousesse grace and those good works wrought in us by Christ and for the doing of which we receive the grace or gift of ability from Christ these are indeed one and the same and so Homogeneous or of one kind that they may be Synonomous also and bear both to be called mutually by the same name of either grace or good works and so are they throwout the Scripture as one thing promiseuously denominated sometimes by the Term of grace somtimes the gift of God in Christ the gift of righteousnesse holinesse c. For all this is grace and free gift and yet its inhaerent in us too as the same that was in Christ and being Christs as meritorious maâ—ing not onely meet but worthy also in such measure as it s received in as it was in a higher measure in himselfe whether it be a gift to do or a gift to beleeve or a gift to suffer as 2 Thess. 1.5 Compared with Phil. 1.27 To you given not onely to beleive but also to suffer for his sake and they to whom this grâ—â—e was given were by God counted worthy of the Kingdome for which they suffer'd and so Paul who laboured abundantly in preaching the Gospell sayes this work was the grace which was given him by Christ in him by which grace also he was what ere he was that was worth any thing having nothing but what he had received that made him differ from another by which grace or gift all boasting and glorying in selfe was
goes before â—ustification as that by which we are and without and before which we cannot be accounted â—ust in the sight of God yet by and by again they tell us that justification which is by faith and so not before but after it goes before Sanctification whereof faith they say is a part and that the leadings of the Spirit and its fruits among which justifying faith is reckoned up as one 5. Gal. Aâ—ea fâ—uit and effect of our bâ—ing not under the Lawes penalty that is of our justification from the guilt of sin so T.D. p. 16. Sometimes to escape and slip away from the shame of this absurdiâ—â— and contraction they tell us or at least some of them that Iustification of Saints or sinners for I am to seek still what to call the Creatures they call Saints for if I call them Saints it loaths me to call such sinners Saints as they Term so yea If they be Saints which some so call Then guilty sinners are Saints al And if I call them that commit sin the Servants of sin as Christ did Iohn 8. and not Saints and Children of God they will be ready to loath me I say then they tell us that Iustification of sinning-Saints painted and Saint-like sinners in the sight of God is without and before Faith or any thing else even before sin was or men either from all Eternity and from all sins pastnor present I can't say here because the sinning Subjects of this Iustification are not yet extant in the world but from all that ever is to come and Faith by which the Iustification comes is but an Instrument whereby the Evidence of this long-since Iustification in Gods eye comes in to men and manifests it to their eye whereby the sinners themselves know it and as for other fruits of the Spirit which are all the fruits of Faith too which I confess to be the first in being of all work truly good so that without it 't is impossible to please God and whatsoever is not of it and in it but out of it and out of the Light in which it is if true is but sin these are onely as Evidences to us and to others that the Faith we have is justifying and true c. and not dead and fained and fit for nothing So say they In Gods sight we are justified freely from of Old without Faith or good works that follow and flow from it either this we know and are assured of that Faith is oppâ—sed to it self as a work in the business of Iustification and that Faith is imputed to us as being in stead of a perfect personal righteousnese or that 't is the meritorious cause of our Iustification I utterly deny quoth T. D. p. 24 25. but Faith without works is that by which we are formally justified but the other that is good works that by which we are declaratively justified in Pauls sense who Rom. 3.28 sayes We are justified by Faith onely without the works of the Law a sinner is absolved I wot he means in his own Conscience for I know not when T.D. reckons or whether at all God holds an Elected Saint guilty if not David while he was guilty of Adultery and Murder In Iames's sense Iam. 2.14 who sayes By works a man is justified and not by Faith onely a Bâ—liever is approved ' quoth T.D. p. 8. out of Diodat whose words he useth which approbation of a Believer in his Faith as true is both in himself and before men so as they usually say by good works a mans Faith is evidenced to himself within and others without to be a true living Faith and so consequently his Iustification with God to be surely known which was but could not be seen or known to be before Rep. Now therefore a word or two to the grant of our Antagonists that Iustification is before in Gods sight but it can't be known to be by us or others nor evidenced to us so that we can stand as justified ones or approved in our own sight and other mens till we be sanctified and have both Faith which is a fruit of the Spirit and other fruits of the Spirit which if true that Faith works by as love a pure heart victory over the world temperance peaceableness gentleness and such like Is it so Friends that no man can appear to himself to be approved and justified in Gods sight nor to himself or others be known that he is so till he comes to believe and do other good works of Righteousness which first declare the thing so to be I wonder then how ye dare talk and affirm that to be before good works which before good works ye confess cannot be known so to be will ye ever be in your wills thoughts inventions and traditions intruding your selves into that ye have not seen and confess cannot be seen to be as you say it is vainly puft up in your fleshly minds and entring into and venturing to reveal and vent out Gods secrets which ye say are secret and hidden to man saying they are so and so before the time you say they are first revealed to you in And telling men they are justified before God and loved before they do any good and bidding them believe this for true Doctrine from you that 't is so till they come to do good works and that that 's the onely Evidence whereby you can discern that thing so to be which yet you say is so before either by you or them it is discerned In his own secret thoughts say you and bosome Councels the thing stands so that we are justified but it s not revealed to us to be so neither can we know it to be so that we are justified but from the time of our bringing forth fruits of Righteousness Do not secret things belong to God onely and things that he reveals when he reveals them and not before to you and your children to talk of Are ye not like natural bruit beasts in this that you oft speak evil of that truth ye know not and oft tell that for truth which is not so when ye know it not and even confess it cannot be known to be till evidenced by good works and yet you will say 't is of a truth before any of those good works by which onely the Evidence of it comes to you be brought forth in you 'T is true there be many things in esse Reaâ—â— before they be in esse cognâ—scibili Real before they be visible though this Iustification of yours before Sanctification in Gods sight which ye yield is before Sanctification but Sanctification before it in your own sight and in the sight of all men is not one of those invisible Realities but if may so say an apparent Real visible non entity rather and fancy of your own brain but what things soever are in truth to us they are not so as that we in truth and of a truth can say so or so they are
till the time that we come to see them and that come forth which is the onely Evidence which we come to see them by and he that pâ—ates of that thing as being so or so which to him is not yet known so to be is a buisie body whose tongue runs afore his wit his lips before the light that would lead him out of darkness his thoughts not a little out-run and out-reach his Reason Tum demum apud nos res dicuntur fieri cum incip unt patefieri to us things are onely as they appear so that whoever perks up and prates of what he knows not and of matters that yet to him are not which work which is that of the Priests in many things he that shall count him that 's in it a wise man shall by my consent be canonized a fool for his labour Iustification in Gods sight of a sinner is say the Priests before any Sanctification is at all in him but neither the sinner can know that there is any such matter as pardon of his sin or that he stands just in Gods sight appears not at all to himself not yet is it evident to us who tell him 't is so neither can we know it any more then he till Sanctification appear in him from which as that which goes before it ever in our eyes we come to the sight â—f it yet if he will believe us who speak of a thing we know not and talk we know not what and if he will take our words for it that his Iustification is before he be Sanctified who have no other Evidence of it our selves or whereby to make it Evident to him but this of his Sanctification which is evermore that which goes before the other for ought we see or can discern and if he will trust us implicitly at a venture he may but if he will not say I he may safely chuâ—e And as to that speech of thine out of Diodaâ—us I dare say it was not a Deo datus concerning good works justifying a man declaratively and serving in Iames's sence to approve a Believe in the sight of men for there 's not Truth in 't if meant so onely and exclusively of their use to Iustifie formally and absolve a sinner in the sight of God as it must be if it serve that turn at all to which thou usest it yea I contrarily affirm yet not denying but that they do declaâ—e before men the Faith of him that professes to believe in Christ to be true and not hypocritical that they also tend as well as that tâ—ue Faith they flow from to justifie formally and absolve sinners in the sight of God And though Paul Rom. 3.27 concludes that a man is justified by Faith before God without the deeds of the Law yet he never concluded as you cloudy Expositors of him conclude of his words which ye wrest beside his Right to your wrong meanings any such maâ—â—er as that a man is justified before God without the good works of the Gospel between which of Christs in his Saints and those of the Law which are mens own done without Christ of themselves ye never distinguishing run so far into confusion as ye do which deeds of the Law done in mans own thoughts willings and runâ—ings and not in the Light and Spirit of Christ the Power of God never reach the thing that is run after that is the fulfillâ—ng of it without which there is no life for the Law requires brick but affords â—o 〈◊〉 good works but it gives no strength to weak man in the flesh and faâ— wherewith to perform â—o the Letter onely kills and onely the Spirit givâ—s the Life So both Paul and Iames and we as much as Diodate and T. D. do for ever shut out them yea and so much more then any of you do we deny the deeds of the Law so done as to the doing us any good toward our absolution before God by how much we do both in our Life and Doctrine establish onely the deeds of the Gospel while you who doctrinally exclude the Laws deeds do yet practically establish them to your Iustification for howbeit in words ye establish Faith as that by which ye stand justified formally before God yet that faith ye act who believe God accepts your persons and perfâ—â—mances without his Righteousness inherent in your selves and while ye are yet impurged and not so much as believing you can or must be here purged from your sins is far from the true Faith of the Gospel being no other then the false faith or true fancy of those who were of Moses and the Law that trusted in lying words that could not profit them Jer. 7. Isa. 1. Isa. 58.3 who thought God did them wrong if he justified and accepted them not in their fastings and services though they never fasted from their iniquities nor loosed the bands of wicdedness as if when they had been at their formal humiliations for a day they had procured some dispensation to let Hell loose again and were then delivered to do abomination this kind of barren leafy lean-faith of yours who look for life in it is one of those deeds of theirs who were of the Letter and Law and not that of them who are of the Gospel Faith which formally justifies before God which who are of are blessed with faithful Abraham But now as to the Faith and other good works of the Gospel which all are the works of God himself and Christ Iesus working them in his Saints among which Faith in the Light is the first from whence others come without which they cannot be any more then it can be true without them and by the Name of which Faith for as much as all follow it all the rest are denominated in grâ—ss John 6. This is The work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent these are the Righteousness of Christ and of his Saints which is One the being of which in them and in him and not their being in him and not in them is counted by God to them as their Righteousness nor doth the Faith without them any more then they without it both which concur as one cauâ—e thereunto obtain formal Iustification in the sight of God So that there is a doing some and sometimes the same material good which deserves no good nor acceptation but rather evil and reprobation from God being not good formally but evil before him while the same that does material evil also does that good and such was Cains sacrifice which was else as good as Abels yet had noacceptance by Right as the other had because sin lay still at the door and 't was not the Righteous one but the evil-doer that did the good and the sinner whom we know God heareth not who had he done as bene as it was bâ—num that he did and offered it as well as the thing ofâ—ered was good had been justified as well as his Brother If
is not possible to attain to such a purging as this in the body no not by the very All-healing herb of grace it self His Antidote to preserve the Saints from too deep a sense of their sins is this whereas the Qua tell them that if the light in their own consciences accuse and condemn them from the face of God for sinning there 's no God nor Christ that holds them guiltlesse sith that of God within is his witnesse and vicegerent that what it sayes and judges in them is as the voice of God himselfe and if that create trouble man cannot create solid Peace Tush quoth T. D for to the same purpose he talkes though not in totidem verbis p. 19. what tell you us of Conscience conscience is often erroneous and not rightly guided in the very Saint Talk of conscience to the wicked its office is to be a witnesse against them for their sins which if it do not check them but tell them God loves justifies and accepts them when they sin it s defiled 1 Tit. 15. and leads them into a wrong opinion of their estates in that it testifies that their estate is good when it s nothing lesse for to the impure is nothing pure but unto the pure all things are pure and when the Saints sin and are defiled thereby the office of conscience as a witnesse in them if it do its office is to cleare and comfort and speak peace and if it offer to trouble them when they fall throw infirmity into fowl enormity and dare be so bold as to darken their evidence of Gods love and of their justification in his sight when they are guilty as David was once of things not fit to be named among Saints yet I dare be so bold as to say it is defiled in the Saints and testifies falshood to them also in saying that their estate is bad when for all their sins it is good no lesse then it tells lyes to the wicked that their estate is good when it s nothing lesse Thus we have the unconquerable and that uncontrolable comfort which T. D. Administers to the Saints when they become sinners and fall into the same folly and filth with other wicked men who is very a Boanerges or Son of thunder as he is in a few slight words more thâ—n the same solid power with Peter and Iohn to the wicked yet to the Saints of his own coyning is he another Barrabas or Son of Consolation I mean not another of the same with him who confirmed the Saints in their goodnesse and grace but another of another kind that comforts confirmes and chears up his sinfull Saints in their sins and dawbs them over who are dirty enough already if such he Saints as he sayes are with his own more dirty doings who would have them live as justified in Gods sight and as uncondemned in themselves as Saints whilst ore head and eares in their sins But will all this hold T.D. little did I once think ever to have seen such a dish of doctrine drawn by a divine from Tit. 1. 15. though unto the pure all things are pure was wont the same way to be wrested by the Ranters and for my own part had I been minded to look for such a licentiâ—us piece of Libertinisme as he would learn men from thence as I am far from it knowing that in maxima libertate there 's minima licentia yet I should sooner have lookt for a needle in a bottle of hey as they say then have lookt for the like from thence or have scrap't in that Scripture to find it if T.D. had not told me it had been there where yet for all his telling me of a justification of a Saint in his sins I cannot yet find or see such a thing nor any else I beleeve but such as are as blind as himselfe for the light in the conscience of both good and bad doth tell them infallibly what they are and testifie to the face of the best man in the world that God doth not justifie him while he sins which witnesse of God within their own hearts is greater then the witnesse of man and will have audience at last when it begins to speake out when such a one as I may easily be slighted who witnesse onely for God from it and therefore I shall say but little more to this matter neverthelesse when T.D. and his unâ—ust justified ones come once to feel it stand upon its feet which like an innocent just hâ—ly Lamb hath been hitherto slain by the beast within them because it torments them with telling too much truth great fear will then fall on such as see it and have made merry over it in its captivity and at the same time there will be a great Earthquake and lightnings and voices and terrible thunderings and great hail out of heaven the Plague whereof shall be exceeding great every stone perhaps about the weight of a Talent Rev. II. Rev. 16. the storm of which shall overthrow their open hiding places and sweep away their refuge of lyes and disanull the Covenant which these D unkards of Ephraim have made with death and hell and passe over them like an overflowing scourge so that they shall be all troden down by it Iudgement also shall be laid unto the line and righteousnesse to the plummet Isa. 28. To take a more exact account of them before God then they are willing to give of themselves who now not knowing the goodnesse and grace of God within them which in his love as a light is given to teach and to lead them unto Repentance Tit. 3. 13. Rom. 2. 4. to 13. Are in the hardnesse and impenitency of their hearts treasuring up wrath to themselves against the day of wrath and the Revelation of the righteous Iudgment of God whâ— in the day when he shall judge the secrets of men by Christ Iesus the Light according to the Gospell that Paul himself preached will mark in his righteous Iudgment Render to every man according to his deeds viz. to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory honour and immortality eternall life Yea glory honour and peace to every soul of man mark that worketh good But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every one that doth evill without respect of persons yet the Iew first who say they are Jewes and are not but do lye and are the Synagogue of Satan and also to the Gentile then shall they know that such as sin whether without the law or in the Law in the Letter shall be judged respectively by that letter such as have it and all by that light in the conscience by which all are a Law to themselves and that it is not the Hearers and Preachers and Praters against the Laws justifying but the doers of the Law onely by the power of Christ which onely does it
shall be justified Three or four more of T. D.'s in comparison of what we might expect from him in satisfaction most unanswerable answers to such Arguments as were urged by us in proof of Iustification by the Spirit of life and grace of Christ in us and by his fulfilling the Law in us throw the condemnation of sin both in and cleare out of our flesh and by our walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit as a cause that gives Right and Title to it I shall speak a little to and then dismisse T.D. as to this point till I meet him again in other matters about which he joyns in with J. Owen with whom I must come to joyn again too by and by about the Scripture and the light and some other things least he thinks I am lost in this long bout with T.D. So as to be run quite away and never meane to come at him any more The 4. Scriptures alledged and out of which it was argued in proof of the point above said were I Cor. 6. II. Rom. 8. 2. Rom. 8. 4. Tit. 3. 7. To the Ist. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are santified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus and BY the Spiâ—t of our God whence 't is to be observed that the Corinthians are said to be justified BY the Spirit T.D. Replyes I might say that perhaps that Clause should be referred to sanctification which is in a more appropriate manner attribuâ—ed to the Spirits efficiency as if the words had been but ye are sanctified by the Spirit of our God and he gives his instance for the transposition from Math. 7. 6. give not that which is holy to dogs neither cast your Pearls before Swine least they trample them under their feet and turn again and rent you where turn again and rent you is to be joyned to the dogs quoth T.D. for as Swine do trample under their feet so dogs do â—ly upon a man or teare him down or else justified by the Spirit may be meant of the Spirits application I mean quoth he the 3d. person is the Trinity not of the work of grace whereof we are the Subject Rep. To all which I Reply thus Ist. let the Reader observe how T.D. dances between two and serves the turn of truth against I.O. who blames the Qua. and others for denying the Text of Scripture to be such a certain immoveable stable 〈◊〉 Standard Touchstone of all truth as he contends it to be and for calling it a Nose of wax not infassible because flexible to every mans fancy while the said TD by his twining it which way he finds will fit him best proves it so to be no lesse then practically to our hands yea quid verbis opus est cum facta loquuntur doth not T.D. make a very Nose of wax a Lesbian Rule a meer peice of lead of the letter a Reeling Rule in unstedfast standard when he plucks it to peices as he pleases and makes many meanings of it and then out of them still takes that that best takes with him and makes most for his own penurious purpose for sometimes he turns one Text into two senses and when he hath twatled one Text into two senses and is so betwatled in himself as not to know which of the twain to betake himself certainly to as the Spirits sayes it must be either t'one or t'other or it may be either this or that thrusting out the third be it nere so plain and obvious if it clear the Qua. cause when indeed exclusively of the Qua which is most right and true its neither this or that nor t'one nor t'other witnesse the Text in hand sometimes again gives three senses to one Text witnesse Ioh. I. 9. to which position of Christ that true Lights enlightning every man that cometh into the world he puts three viz. p. 6. 1. Every man that is enlightned 2. Some of every Nation and 3. p. 36. Everyman who is spiritually enlightned to which three I.O. who joyns with T.D. in one of his three saying everyman is not spoken absolutely of all and every man but with Relation onely to the Elect whom he is gratiously pleased to enlighten being not contented with that one single simple sense doubles his Files and adds a fourth sense more nonsensicall then all the rest which as senselessely he serves from that Scripture phrase as 't is in the Greeke viz. not as the Qua. speake Christ enlightens every man coming into the World but thus the true light coming into the World enlightens every man making the participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which but that considering the order and placing of the words in the Greek it s far more cleare that way wherein it s construed by the Qua. considering its Analogy as so with the whole scope of the Scripture also might with more colour then now it is be wrested the wrong way as it is by I.O. and be construed as câ—ookedly as 't is by him but as much as he hopes to overtop the truth with standing upon the double construction of a Greek Term yet he cannot by all his taking so much thought about it add one Cubit nor yet an irch to the Stature of his 〈◊〉 talk from that Scripture but rather pulls him self a pegg or two lower if though yet we will not we should grant him his will in his own way as to his double cause both about the letter and against the light For if the Originall Text may be so doubtfull as to be truly construed two ways in one phrase or place How fit such a flexible thing is to be counted the onely stable and infailible guide as he pleads it to be to meet fallible men a more foolish wise man and silly Scribe then I.O. is cannot but seâ— And as to the true Lights enlightning every man which he impleads thereby what gets he if we grant him his own improper exposition for whether we read the true Light enlightens every man coming in the to world or the true Light coming into the world enlightens every man it amounts to one and same still and both are Tanta mount to no lesse then what the Qua. stand for and I.O. and T.D. against viz. that the true light which is come into the World Joh. 3. doth enlighten every man that comes into it So here 's more then a good many viz. 3 by T.D. and 2 by I.O. whereof one is of the 3 and t'other a fourth beast divers like the fourth in Daniel 7. 7. from all his fellows that is to say between them both 4 meanings in all made of one Text which 4 mean all together to exclude the Quakers fift as an odd one though the onely true one that without mincing and pinching in the mind of the Spirit is there intended in the Text by the Spirit
Paul means not in us but in Christ and so tell Christ he is in us enough to our justification if he be but in himself And as this last sense or senselesse meaning of T.D. who sayes by in us is meant not in us but in another as also that the righteousnesse that is in another i.e. Christ is in a sense too as good as â—on-sense i.e. by imputation Ours and in us for that which is fulfilled not in our persons but in Christ is according to T.D. in that Scripture Rom. 8. Said to be fulfil'd in us as if it had been inherent in selves I say as that distinction of T.D. concerning in us not meant in our persons but in Christ and by in Christ when fulfilling the righteousnesse of the Law is spoken of Ministers Latitude and liberty enough to our Ministers whereby to fence of and save themselves from truth so it lends Liberty and license more then enough to their Priestlike people to save themselves in their sins for what will many care what they do themselves if the Law be not to be fulfil'd in themselves by Christ but 't is enough in themselves fulfil'd to their justification if in Christ for them and as well as if it were inhaerent in them So though the Priests oft preach thus viz. he that made us without our selves will not save us without our selves yet fith they to the contradiction of themselves as oft unpreach it again saying he that made us without our selves will save us without our selves by anothers fulfilling the Law not in us but in himselfe for us their people will quickly cry hang sorrow and care and of their two selfe confusing doctrines cleave to that that 's next to them easiest and most fitting their turns and fall a preaching presently in their works the pleasing things their Priests who do docere faciendo faciendo do preach both in words and deeds he that made us will save us and shew us mercy without any goodnesse of our own If in another in us be and in us in another Wee 'l ne'er be good good deemd are we in this in that ith rather So having wiped out by the way that blot or blurr'd answer of T.D. to my Argument from Rom. 8.3.4 Seeing his answer to what we urge from Rom. 8.2 The 2d of the 4 Scriptures above said is as neer in kind to it for fillynesse as that 2d verse from whence we argue is neer in truth to the 3d and 4. He here make as short a dispatch and round a Reply to that too now I am about it Arg. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free fâ—om the Law of sin and death saith Paul and say we the Law of the Spirit that is in Christ and in the Saints whereby the Saints are justified is the same therefore the work of the Spirit of Christ in us is the cause of our justification That place quoth T. D's p. 16. but I trow not is much against you for the Apostle asserts the holiness of mans nature as a work of the Spirit conforming it to the Law to be the meritorious case of our freedome from sin and death Rep. Thus far is son and not against us I am well assured for 't is no lesse then the very Cardinall truth we plead for against T.D. that the holynesse of our nature as a work of the Spirit conforming it to the Law is the deserving cause of justification for conformity to the Law cannot deserve condemnation but non-condemnation and so which is all one justification and if this be not enough on our side T.D. adds more let me add quoth he p. 17. that the Law of the Spirit of life here spoken of is not onely the meritorious cause of our freedom from death but from the Law of sin or obeying sin as a Law In all this I own T.D. whose Answer to my Argument is thus far as answerable that is as yeilding to it as I do desire But then T.D. whose manner it is often to give a thing and take a thing which is the Devils gold Ring as I have heard Children say when I was a Child doth not in all this give the cause to us so much but he thinks he gets it and carryes it away from us again as much in other parts and particulars of that his parti coloured answer But I hope we shall fetch it all again and no thank to him for his gifts and grants sith what he gives he would have it all again if he could tell how and he thinks he plucks much from us again 1st by saying thus viz. mark withall quoth he though I grant you the holynesse of mans nature as a work of the Spirit conforming it to the Law is the meritorious cause of our freedom from sin and death yet 't is not that which is in us but in Christ the Law of the Spirit and so the holynesse of mans nature I and Paul 〈◊〉 of is that in Christ and not that in our persons R. To which I Reply thus 1. What if I should answer T.D. that by in Christ is not meant in Christs person but in us 〈◊〉 ebâ—tlâ—â— â—â—lionis to serve him in his own kind for when we say with Pâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 4 that the righteousnesse of the Law is by Christ condemning sin in ou◠〈◊〉 to be fulfilled in us he answers us thus that by that Term in us is not meant in our persons but in Christ I might as well say retro that by in Christ is not meant in Christs person but in us adbomiâ—â—m it holds well enough till T.D. recants his own odde distinction of the same kind But as it s as unfound in itselfe as his is so T.D. is not yet come to bear it to be done to by us as he does to us and therefore I must sit him to a better answer 2. Then I Reply that thought the Law of the Spirit of life be in Christ yet not onely in him or exclusively of its being in the Saints but so as that from him and from his being in them it consequently and upon that account is in them also for Christ is not in any as their Righteousnesse in whom his Righteousnesse and the Spirit of life that is in him is not together with him also yea though it will not follow as thou fainest from the Saints being in Christ who were once sinners to their sins being in Christ together with them so the reasons above said where I told thee that men must leave their sins behind them and be by Christ divested of them before they can come indeed to be in Christ to whom no sinners while sinners are or can be united unlesse thou wilt contradict Paul who faith what Concord between Christ and Belial yet if Christ be in Saints who leaves nothing of his own behind him where ere he comes his righteousnesse holynesse and spirit of life is in them also But no more of
all for their enmity to the Scripture Secondly to recover both Priests and people as much as may be from under those dark cloudy conceptions of the Scripture which these two men being overcast with themselves labour what they can to beget others into as if all the worlds were for ever utterly undone and under the losse of all saving truth and utterly without any possible way whereby to come to the knowledge of the will of God concerning them in order to their souls Salvation from sin and wrath to come if the outward Letter or External text of the Scripture be not Talkt up into the Throne as the onely Lapis Lydius ex 3.5 33 sure Word of God infallible guide Trusty Teacher Supream Iudge perfect Rule stâ—m foundation stable Standard fixt unerring unalterable measure and such like as I.O. states it to be by which all Doctrines Faiths Words Writings Spirits true or false must be toucht tried and determined or else no man can be at any certainty where to be what to believe how to walk with God which to take for Truth and which to turn from I shall first plainly shew what the Scriptures are and what we mean when we talk of Scriptures 2. Briefly take notice of some of the base unworthy absurd abuses and fowl aspersions and unjust accusations whereby thou I.O. what in thee lies labourest much more abundantly and abominably I must needs say then the other as to this point to render us odious to all men as despisers and deniers of them and then 3 dly addressing to the controversie it self leave all who shall read such Animadversions as are to be made by me of thy unfound Assertions about it to judge by that light of God in their own Consciences whether themselves or we erre most beside the Scripture or most duly deserve the Censure of Anti-scripturists First then I shall here give all men to understand more distinctly yet then I have hitherto done what it is that I intend and what I would be understood as speaking of by this term the Scripture which is to be so often agitated in this Discourse between me and I.O. in whose Book also it is so often agitated and what sort of those Holy Scriptures it is which is the common Subject of which so much is prated and predicated by I.O. that is as utterly denyed by the Quakers That we may not by hanging in universals only which are in no wise or sense truly seen but by considering the particulars wherein they exist conclude of things in a tumultuous mist of Confusion as thou dost distinguishing where thou shouldst not and jumbling things into a kind of Omnigatherum which should be more singly and severally spoken of whose Trumpet gives such an uncertain sound that its hard to know either how or where one must prepare to the battel The word Scripture then though it be an Vnivocal nor AEquivocal as us'd by us yet is it a General Term and so Ambiguous and doubtful unless it be explained by its particulars signifying not only all other kinds of Scriptures good and bad that ever were in the world but also more kinds then one of that kind of Scripture which Abstractively from and more eminently then the rest in regard of its worth we ordinarily call The Scripture and have singled out from all the rest as our Present Subject What thou meanst in thy heedlesse handiement of this more General Subject I can hardly find thou drivest it on when thou Praedicatest this and that of it in most parts of thy Dispute at Randome in general terms and run'st away with the word Scripture at all adventure scribling it over again and again The Scripture is this the Scripture is that the Scripture is written by Inspiration of God the Scripture is the Word of God the Scripture is entire to a tittle perfect c. scarcely shewing which of those Three several sorts of it which thy self hast divided it into thou wouldst have us to understand thee as speaking of when thou denominarest these high things of it viz. Whether first thou mean the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as thou caliest them pag. 13. I The individual and immediate Manuscripts of Moses the Prophets and Apostles and such holy and honest men as were the first Pen-men of the sundry Parcels of that holy Scripture which was copied cut the Copy whereof is bound up in the bulk now called the Bible Or secondly the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I the transcribed Copies thereof whether first immediate that were at first hand taken out of the first Copies Or secondly those mighty mediate and far remote ones taken by thou knowst not whom out of thou knowst not what Copies that were handed downwards successively not without some mixtures mistakes and for ought though knowest losse of much of what was at first throw all the dark Ages since then to this of ours by men that were some faithful and some unfaithful but none of them infallible by thy own confession p. 167. or divinely inspired so that it was impossible for them in any thing to mistake which uncertain Copies ye have as your only Rule and Canon at this day in which Copies neverthelesse of the Originals yet remaining that may secundum te I.O. according to thy Concession be more or lesse crooked as it happens and thy self granting there are varieties among them cannot be all true Thou dost not blush p. 173. to adde and say That the whole Scripture entire as given out from God is preserved without any losse and within them all is every Letter and Tittle c. Or Thirdly Whether thou mean the several and various Copies of the Translations of those various and several Transcriptions into several Tongues and Languages What thou meanest I say or which of all these Three sorts of Writings whether the first Manuscripts only or the Transcripts and Translations also or the Two first only and not the last or all the Three which are all Three commonly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Holy Scriptures When thou Praedicatest these glorious things of the Scripture thou dost not very distinctly declare but goest on in generals and that Dolus latet in universalibus thou art not ignorant so that he had need to be wise that very easily discerns thy mind and what thou meanest yet this I know full well and 't is the more shame for thee if thou be ignorant of it that some things may be said tru'y of some one of these that cannot without falshood be affirmed of the other Two and some things of Two that cannot of the Third and he understands neither what he saith nor whereof he affirmeth whosoever he is that without distinction denominates all the things that thou dost of the Scriptures of these Three sorts all alike or of any Two of them either most of which will upon due examination not be found duly
his wickednesse but such evil fruits as darknesse Ignorance blindnesse bloodinesse uncleanness drunkennesse and all sorts of ungodlinesse and profanenesse is gone forth into all her Lands So that a little of that honest learning how to live Godly righteously and honestly in this present World that is now found in abundance among poor plain Countrey Rusticks and Russet Rabbies as some University Doctors and Divines witnesse Doctor Featley have derisorily denominated the Mechanicks that meddle with expounding Scripture amounts to more then all that great learning little equity lesse honestly and least godlinesse that is found among the nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers of them all And this is Lamentable and a Lamentation with which I must here lament not onely over all Christendom in general but over these Protestant parts of it also where Popery is so abjured that men spend their money on their pretended Feeders for that which is not the bread of Life but light heartlesse branne that is measured out to them at a high rate too the Lord knows out of the barren brain of their bruitish Pastors who have not sought the Lord in his own light but at the most in that meer Letter that gives not the Life of which Letter they are the Ministers for means too and not of the Spirit Whereupon as the Lord sayes Ier. 10.21 22. They shall not prosper but all their flocks must be scattered in order to which the noyse of the bruit is already come and a great commotion out of the North to lay their Cities desolate as a den of Dragons That howbeit their deluders cry out against the Quakers who freely undelude men as poor deluded fanatical c. yet the poor people are most miserably couzened cheated and deluded by their blind Guides that see little themselves into the marrow and mystery of spiritual matters and not standing in the Counsel of God given out by his light in their own consciences never come to hear his Word coming to them within from his own mouth and not hearkening to what God himself saith in them as the true Prophets did Hab. 3.1 never come into the true vision of him or his Will but run and say he saith because they find it written he said so or so to others when they never heard him speaking it in themselves and so never profit the people at all as God said of old such should not They sit as the old Pharisaical Scribes did who heard not at any time the voyce of God nor saw his shape in the twi-light of their own imaginations searching the Scriptures and looking in them for the eternal Life which onely testifie of it but come not unto Christ in whom onely they Testifie it is for in him is the life say they and his Life is the light of men that they may have his life in themselves and from it onely Minister unto others and so such food for their souls and Rayment and Riches and Gold and eye-salve as they have which is none of that which Christ whose light within or inward Councel they reject against themselves Counsels all Laodicean like self-corceited Angels and Churches to buy of him such lifelesse stuff they give I should say sell in as good words and fair speeches as they can put it off withal to simple people for outward Food and Rayment and Gold and Silver and Riches as they have pertaining to the Belly and the Body So the Bodies of Shepherds are oft full and fat But the Souls of poor Sheep pine and starve for all that And that the Souls of poor people should ever come possibly to be made any Richer towards God then they are while they stand under the droppings onely of the lips of such Linguists as are no higher learned then their nursing Mothers teach them I cannot expect if nil dat quod in se non habet be true sith the chief spirituals that those spiritual men have themselves who learn to be Teachers of Religion to others no where but at the Vniversities are but carnal natural animal literal such as without the light and spirit and living Word of God within for that in the name of his fellow-Students there I.O. to whom its vouchsafed of God sayes he but say I of the Devil so to do fights against as fiercely as he can is obtained out of many Books and Writings the best of which is the Bible and the naked letter of it by the improvement of a meer animal understanding which the letter of the Bible it self also sayes perceives not the things of the spirit Nor can I expect as the case is with them that they themselves who there are taught to be Gospel Teachers should attain to any more then such a shallow speculation and thin external Theory of those things as they have or should ever enter into the depths of Gods Kingdom whilest in the depth of the Serpents subtilty they are beguiled so far from a single hearted search after the Truth in the simplicity thereof as it is from Jesus the light of the World by the beams thereof made manifest in their own hearts that taking it for granted aforehand that all that and no other then that is Truth which is held forth and told for Truth in the times of their Residence at those foresaid Fountains which are not steadily running one way neither but to and fro as the Tide turns and running several wayes at several seasons they stave off all that as Heresie at a distance which is handed to them any other ways no more doubting but that that must be error which at the Well-heads of Divinity is pleaded against then they do that that is Truth they there plead for so as Is qui nil dubirat nil capit inde boni these confident blind bold implicit-faith't Iuniors that visit the Academies for this end that they may become for a livelihood Preachers of the Faith to others never doubting that to be the true Faith and Truth which they find professed in their times set themselves on work to study how to defend it at a venture against all Hereticks before they have either found or felt it to be Truth within themselves and stand steadfastly Tempered still according to the present Temper of the Grand Seniors of their Respective Nurseries who Temper themselves ever according to the Temper of the Times and the Rulers that happen to be in them whence it comes to passe for the most part that as there 's like Prince like Priest so like Priest like People in these Northern Islands where after some certain time of standing and studying in the Vniversity these hasty Hirelings run abroad before the word of command be given them from the mouth of the Lord and settle themselves up and down till the Countrey swarmes with them like so many Locusts successively supplying the waste places of such as either die in Parishes or depart from one to another where there 's a bigger Boon ne
men as the others was before them both yea as thou savest of thy so called poor deluded fanatical Quakers Fanatici 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. So say I of these poor deluding Fantastical Anti-quakers Fanatici 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sunt erroribus stultitia bisce diebus notissimi quos hic inprimis aggredimur These Fantastical self-conceited Seers whom I here primarily Plead against are in these dayes most notoriously known by their errours and foolishnesse already not to a few of their own former followers and will be to ten times as many more in the dayes that are immediately hereafter following Thy many Taunting Terms wherein thou both belyest flingest and quippest at the Quakers being thus not in the same Taunting or Twitting way but in a way of true judgement turned upon thy self and thy own fellow-flouters at them I shall more closely examine what thou falsely accusest us of more particularly as concerning our deportment toward the Scriptures whom thou falsely declarest to be so grossely opposite thereunto as duely and deservedly to be denominated by those Terms by which thou also miscallest us of Fanatical Anti-scripturists p. 147. Ep. p. 28.30 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex. 3. S. 26. i.e. Haters of the Scripture and to be rankt among the rudest Reproachers of them in such words of thine as are hereunder Repeated and Replied to I.O. Thou sayest Satan in these dayes assaults the Sacred Truth of the Word of God in its Authority Purity Integrity or Perfection especially in the poor deluded Fanatical Souls commonly called Quakers c. Ep. p. 28.30 That to this sort of men the Quakers it was not enough to joyn in with those in Ages past who cast Reproaches on the Scriptures and approve of all the opprobrious speeches that have been cast out against them but they also rejoyce that the care of this matter viz. of spoiling the holy Scriptures of its proper name that glorious Title of the Word of God is by Satan confer'd upon them That they the Quakers who would seem to bear away the Bell from all as to the stout opposing of the perfection of the Scriptures Thou principally encounterest and as 't is an honour to thee that God hath pleased to confer on thy unworthy self this Task of fighting against those enemies of his Word the Quakers so what thou shalt perform in prosecution of this function thou oughtest to ascribe to his grace c Reply Herein thou not onely shewest thy sâ—l to be of that sort of men to whom it is not enough to joyn with those in Ages past who cast Reproaches on the hearers of the Word of God and Tremblers at his Word Isa. 66. 5. now in scorn called Quakers and cast out by their Brethren for his Name sake as then they were and to be an Approver of all the opprobrious speeches that are cast out against them by this adulterous and sinful generation who bend their Tongues like bowes for lyes against the Truth which lyes thou shouldest be a valiant Reprover of but also to rejoyce that the care of this matter of fighting against the truest friends in the World to God and his Word the Quakers and of Raising such Reproaches false Reports scandals and opprobrious speeches as the Rabble of Junior Rabbies Reproach them with is confer'd upon thee by the Devil for thou egregiously belyest the Quakers in this particular who deny not but Purely and Perfectly own all that Authority Purity Integrity and Perfection of the Scriptures which the Scriptures Ascribe unto themselves and rob it not of any proper name or any Title at all which by it self is either Attributed or appropriated to it self as that of the Word of God is not as is seen hereafter much lesse are they such enemies to the Word of God or that Sacred Truth written of in the Scriptures as thou most abusively and blasphemously belyest them to be that thou needest to stand up as thou dost in thy meer demi-â—â—â—gested demications against them for the Scriptures and the Word of Truth between which and the Scriptures in which it is declared they divide aright so as to give its own proper name to each of these whilst ye Divinity Doctors in your deep dotage making no due distinction betwixt them for all your pretended friendship thereunto are found very enemies to them both So that whereas thou who in other matters then this gloriest in thy own shame seem'st to glory in this function of fighting against the Quakers as in some great grace peculiarly given of God to thy unworthy self more then any as if Praemium strenuae contra Trepidantium Perfectionem ac â—anocentiam oppositioni debitum nemini mortalium tibi Praereptum velles thou seemest to thy self to bear the Bell before all others in thy stout opposing of that Innocent Seed of God to which grace of his thou Ascribest what ever Relying on his help and assistance thou performest in thy function aforesaid I conclude against thee to the contrary thus in short that 't is Satan himself who set thee at work against the Quakers and helpt thee as well as he could and furnisht thee with many a lye both against the Quakers and the Truth and led thee in a meer fools Paradise to prate with malicious words and speak evil of thou knowest not whom nor what and left thee to bewray such weaknesse folly and false hood as falls not at all from such as have help and assistance from God but ever flows from the father of lyes and his children with whom thou wilt have thy reward J.O. Whatsoever the Jewes whatsoever the Papists have been bold at any time to utter in disgrace of the Scriptures every whit of that these impure men the Quakers stricken as 't were with some direful inordinate motion or rapture both say and assert so that its a shame to relate the horrid and most foolish Titles of Books the chief Vagrants and Ringleaders of this Flock being urged having spoken wickedly and blasphemously against the Scriptures What their Common Opiniin I have thought good to set down as taken and Collected from their own Books and set Conferrences held with them c. Reply 1 Here 's a most palpable Lye related of the Quakers on whose behalf I here openly professe against thee before the World that we own all those Writings not only of Moses and the Prophets of the Old but those of the Apostles and Evangelists also which are commonly called the Scriptures of the New Testament to be Scriptures of Truth written by holy men of God as those of the Old also were as they were moved by the Holy Spirit whereas the Iewes who own value study and stand for those of the Old to this day as zealously as your selves in words do for both do malitiously and lyingly affirm them to be false fictitious and full of lyes Reply 2. Whereas we say no such thing nay nothing at all in any disgraceful way
by it while it sits in supream Authourity on the Bench as the most perfect infallible Touch stone Lydius lapis and standing Rule for no lesse but much more thou wouldest have it even Light Rule of Trial Iudge Witnesse and all to which all Spirits even Gods own that gave it out as well as all false ones must stand or rather stoop and submit to be judged by and the foundation which the Church or World in the World or Wheel in a Wheel must stand or else fall and fail for ever for as there was a time wherein the Church which is but one from Abel till now can have but one and the same Rule bottom and foundation for ever and one Rock on which its built which is neither Peter nor Paul nor any of their Writings nor of any Prophets that wrote afore them but Christ the Light to the Nations and the Rock of Ages and Generations was without it and not placed upon it so there was a time of thousands of years together wherein it had no place nor use at all in the Church nor so much as any being in the World and as for such high place as thou in thy own will now alowest it as it s own as wise and quick-sighted as thou art to know and see non Entities and things that never were at all I know no such Place that God ever set it in nor time when he so super-eminently exalted it and though I acknowledge and am not ignorant as thou art that meer men and blind builders as seeing as thyself have Canonized it into the Head of the Corner laying him aside whom God hath made so yet I am to learn and so art thou for all thy hasty teaching it as Truth to others where ever the bare Letter or Scripture which is all one was created into such a Lord as thou lookest on it to be over his inward Light Spirit in the heart and authorized so infinitely as thou imaginest over all things by the Lord God of Heaven and Earth the only Author and Creator of all things J.O. Not only to detrade the Scripture from its place but also that by that one only device of denying to the Scripture that glorious Title of the Word of God the Quakers aim and endeavour to divest Christ himself of his Personality and divine Being Reply Was ever man left of God to shew his own Folly by more palpable apparent absurdities then thou here utterest who by that very thing whereby we seek to invest Christ with the proper and peculiar Right both in Name and Nature whereof your selves rob him belyest us so as to say we thereby seek to divest him of it Is not the Word of God not only the proper Name Ioh. 1. Rev. 19. but also the proper Nature and divine Being of Christ which he had before he was made flesh from the very beginning before the Scripture was that declares of him before World it self was which was made by him and all things in it so that without him nothing was made that was made And because that we will not take this glorious Title of his to whom only of Right it belongeth viz. the Word of God who hath no corruptible Word that I know but only one that 's incorruptible and liveth and abideth for ever and is both essentialiter and effective and enunciative too the Word of God and invest such a corruptible thing herewith as the mouldring Letter a Writing with mens hands which Worms may eat and mens Hands blot out deface and destroy and because we will not attribute that everlasting Name of his to that which in Nature is not everlasting as ye do but decaying dost thou say we divest him of his divine Being Dost thou not beget this bastardly businesse of divesting Christ himself of his divine Name and Nature Excellency and Existence in thy own brain by ascribing these to the Scriptures and giving the glory thereof to another under that high Prerogative Title of the Word of God due only and alone to him and not to any Letter that man as moved by him writes of him and then lay it at the door of the Quakers Art not thou the man that appropriatest that Name and Nature which is proper to Christ alone to the Scripture by disputing as to Name and Thing in esse reasi cognoscibili that it is the Word of God that glorious Title is its proper Name and is not this what in you lyes to dethrone Christ who only is so and place another ever him as the only most perfect Light Foundation Touchstone by which his Spirit must be tryed and yet accusest thou the Quakers of displacing him Doth not the Scripture say that Christ is the Light which the Church Ministerially is to hold out bear witness to Ioh. 1 in all her Preachings Administrations and Walkings and the Scripture is written out for the sake and Instruction and profit or use and service of the Church 2 Tim 3.15 16. 1 Cor. 10. yet settest not thou the Letter above the Church and Christ too saying Page 76. The Scripture is Light it is the duty of every Church to hold it up almost the whole of its duty and this Duty it performs Ministerially not Authoritatively A Church may bear up that Light it is not the Light it bears Witnesse to it but kindles not one divine beam to further its discovery All the Preaching that is in any Church its Administration of Ordinances all its walking in the Truth hold up this Light Thus magnifying the Letter above all and making it the main businesse of the Church to magnifie and hold it up much what as the Iewes do whose Work in their Synagogues is to lift up the Letter while they loath the Law and the Light it came from and is but the meer Letter or Writing of J. O. The whole Truth of the Words of God is as to Name and Thing opposed by the poor Fanatical Quakers Satan in these dayes assaults the sacred Truth of the Word of God in the poor deluded Fanatical Souls among us commonly called Quakers Reply It was none but Satan himself that is a Lyar the Father of it who told thee so and in thee tells it out for Truth to the whole World For 1. The whole Word of God which is but of one not of many kinds that I know of as thou wouldest make it as if God had one Living one Dead one Fallible another Infallible one Corruptible another Incorruptible one Eternal one Temporal Word one that 's only Letter another that 's Spirit and Life one Written and another Unwritten one within men and another that 's not the same in Nature without men that one and the same Individual Word of God I say which is the same whether within or without Written or Unwritten neither of which the bare Writing is as to both Name and Thing we own and honour as that which from
in his Age Assistant to Paulus Fagius in his noble Promotion of the Hebrew Tongue Capellus whom he calls a learned man and a Protestant Io. Prideaux who is before I.O. Luther the renownedst Reformer in his time as ever Europe had Zwinglius and others So he no way doubts but that as we enjoy them they were Compleated no higher upwards then Esdras his time by the men of the Great Congregation guided by the infallible direction of the Spirit of God which was after all the Old Testament was written a thousand years after some of it and so pag. 211. 220. See also pag. 247. 259. where he sayes The Jewes generally believe the Points as Old as from Moses on Mount Sinai or at least quoth he from Ezra so he is in doubts not denying but that they as to their knowledge and use received a great Reviving by the Massorites and Gemarists I. O. That the Word of God i.e. Scripture hath been hitherto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to its litteral sense and reading the acknowledged Touchstone of all Expositions render this now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what have we remaining firm and unshaken pag. 219. See more pag. 217. 218. of Uncertainty Reply The Light Spirit Word it self and the Kingdom and things thereof which cannot be shaken but must remain when the worldly kingdom of worldly Priests and their Foundation and their rich Possession of Letter and Hebrew Points and all their Religion Faith Worship House Bottom and whole Building and Fabrick that stands thereon and the old Heaven and Earth and all the Works of man that are therein and their Writings and Tomes and Talmuds c. ut alibi and such like in which I O. is exercised in his Second Tale of a Tub and Sea and Land and all Nations Formalists and their Forms Professors and their Professions Doctors in Divinity and their false Dreames and Divinations and not only Popes Cardinals Mount-Seniors Monks Friars Iesuites and all that Rabble of Rabbies and Deans and Chapters Arch-Bishops Deacons Deans and their Officials Parsons Vicars Curats and all manner of spiritual Persons of that spawn but also all sorts of those narrow mouth'd Bottles that have none of the new Wine in them and are as long in letting out as in getting in what they have of their old Wisdom as well within Vniversity Liberties as without and all Masters and Prebends and Deans of Colledges and their Christs Churches and all their beggarly Elements must be on fire about their ears and melt away with fervent heat and be burnt up and shaken down as leaves from the Fig-tree by the mighty Wind of the Lords Spirit that now blowes upon all flesh that it withers and is as the Grasse and its Flower and utterly like a Cottage which after much reeling to and fro must be removed for ever and for ever I.O. Thou sayest pag. 221. That thou hadst rather all the Works like to the Biblia Polyglotta which yet thou acknowledgest the great usefulnesse of and art Thankful Owen for it were out of the World then that this one Opinion of the Novelty of the Hebrew Points espoused to that great work Epist. pag. 17 18 19. should be received with the Consequences that unavoidably attend it Reply The Consequences that unavoidably attend the receiving of Truth are dangerous to thee but of no other then good concernment to such as dwell not in the Scriptural Skirts meer literal Suburbs of it as thou dost who being without the Salvation it self which God appoints to his for Walls and Bulwarks startest at the newes of every storm and the shaking of every Leaf but in the holy City and in the substance of the Truth it self The Cup of trembling must be taken out of their hands and put into the hands of thee and thine that have hated and afflicted them and Rid over them and said Bow down thy back that we may go over and they have laid their backs as the street for you while in your wrath and fury you have passed over them I. O. Thou sayest pag. 216. That by this conceit of the Novelty of the Hebrew Punctation the Adversaries Hope with Abimilecks Servants to stop the the Wells or Fountains from whence ye should Draw your Souls Refreshments Reply Poor Souls Poor Wells and Fountains Poor Refreshments if ye go down no deeper then the Letters to draw your Water for they are but the broken Cisterns which ye follow that with the totter'd Buckets of your own Brains that hold not the water of Life The Letter doth but declare of the fountain of living waters which ye have forsaken viz. God himself Christ and the Spirit the fountain shut up and sealed to you yet indeed Cant. 4. 12. but set open to the House of David and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleannesse Zach. 13. 1. The Well of Salvation out of which they that inhabit Sion in the midst of whom the holy One of Israel is now great do with joy draw Water out of whose bellyes flow Rivers of Living Waters which 't is out of the Reach and past the Strength of the Philistims to stop any longer for there 's now Rehoboth or room yea the Water thence given whilst your Euphrates is drying up is as a Well of Water springing up in them to eternal Life I.O. That give this liberty to the audacious Curiosity of men priding themselves in their Critical Abilities and we shall quickly find out what woful state and condition the Truth of the Scripture will be brought unto and if hundreds of words were as 't is said by Capellins the Critical Conjectures of the Jewes what security have we of the Mind of God as truly represented to us seeing that its supposed that some of the Words in the Margent were sometimes in the Line and if it he supposed as 't is that there are innumerabl◠other Places of the like nature standing in need of amendments what a door would be opened unto curious Pragratical Wits to overturn all the certainty of the Truth of the Scripture every one may see pag. 308. Reply Every one may see therefore what Certainty and Security ye are in while ye stand on no bottom but a broken Letter And how wilt thou help the case with all thy prate or hinder Pragmatical Wits from using their Critical Abilities that way Who shall ponere obicem put a stop to them and impose upon all others his Thoughts that things are so or so Shall I.O. who in so many places Confesses he gives men but his Thoughts nay doth nos I.O. Confesse pag. 217 218. that none must give a Rule to the rest the door is open'd man and thou canst not shut it even an effectual door for the Sheep to enter the fold by even him who is the Light as well as the Door opened whereby to see into the uncertainty of your torter'd Transcripts much more ten fold more totterred and untrue Translations much
did to the Thessalonians 2. Thes 2. by word or Epistle and if I. O. will have it so that t was by a former Epistle then he serves me against T. D. and himself more than himself against me acknowledging the first Epistle of Paul to Corinth which he wrote before the first of the two we have and mentions 1. Cor. 5. to be Authentick and Canonical and so that a whole Canonical Epistle of that holy Apostle and that 's more than a Tittle or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is utterly lost The Fifth viz. Math. 28.20 Teaching them to observe whatever I command you and so I am with you alway even to the end of the world which way I. O. can from thence conclude a promise for every Tittle of inspired Scripture to be preserved for ever entire without losse or alteration I see not but I see one thing that if I. O. hobble but upon a Text of Scripture he thinks at a venture it must serve his Turn about the entirenesse and integrity of the Text and its Tittles though there be no mention of Scripture made at all in it for here 's none in this in which Christ bids them Teach the Nations to observe what he commanded them and that they did he promised then to be with them alway to the end of the world as he was and is ever with his people by his light word they being turned to it themselves but what 's all this to the Tittles of Hebrew and Greek Texts unlesse I. O. say they are the Christ that he meant when he laid I will be with you never did I see men in two Books so miserably wrest and mis-interpret Scripture on pretence of vindicating Scripture as T. D. and I. O. do Yea I. O. there is scarce any or but very few of all the Scriptures thou quotest in all thy Books but thou pervertest them more or lesse as T. D. does the most if not all he meddles with whether about the Scripture or the word or foundation or Rule or what ever else And as for these five last examined if thou hadst not sent me to them to that end I should as soon of my self have gone to seek a Dolphin in the woods as lookt into any one of them to find God promising in his love to his Church and Word and in order to the preserving of them both to be carefull to set his providence so on work as to lay the Transcribers of the Scriptures in the Hebrew and Greek Tongues but not the Translaâ—ors of them into other tongues in which yet his care and Love to his Church though not to the Clergy that trade out of their Original Texts would as much appear and his Truth and most mens souls are as much concerned and more too then in Hebrew and Greek Texts if the Scripture were the onely way to life under his loving aspect so as to see they should not misse nor falsifie in a Tittle though he would leave Translators out of the lists of that loving aspect to erre and corrupt as much as they would for howbeit I ken not the mystery of I. O's mind in this nor any Reason why if God love his Church and Word he should not in his care to preserve both oversee with a loving Aspect that Translators should not mis-translate as well as Transcribers not mis-transcribe yet I. O. allowes the loving Aspect of God to Transcribers but whether God himself do so or no I dare not say denying that great favour as in which his Church is much concerned as in the other to Translators for p. 334. speaking of the Chaldee Paraphrase he sayes thus viz. Seeing it hath not lain under any peculiar care and mercifull providence of God whether innumerable other faults be not get into it and errours not to be discovered by any varieties of Copies as it is happened with the Sepmagint who can tell No promise nor providence nor mercy nor loving aspect to the poor peoples Scripture still which is that of Translation onely for they cannot read Hebrew and Greek their part may go whither it will God looks not after it but such darlings do our Doctors and Clergy men deem themselves to be with God that his love care oversight promise providence and all is towards every Tittle of their Transcripts that they may trade with their Text and mete out what they will to men for money from it should any Qua. make such mad conclusions their Books would be good enough to be burned and thou I. O wouldst Iudge them no better Egregiam vero laudem spolia ampla refertis Tuque liberque tuus magnum memorabile nomen Having foild the Front-Guard of that Ragged Rout the Rest that have far lesse Reason in them if lesse can be are soon Routed Arg. the Second is the Religious care of the Church not of the Romish Synagogue sayst thou to whom these Oracles of God were committed Rep. What Church then if not the Remish Synagogue hath had that Commission of the Scriptures to her and that Religious care thou here talkst on to keep every Tittle of the Text entire without losse or change I do not say that the now Romane Harlot hath now or ever had in her Apostatical slate such a Commission of the Scripture to her as she pretends to as if they were the onely Trustees to whose care and custody the Text was committed of God for as to their proud prate and peculiar claim to such a preheminent power to be keepers and preservers of the Scripture I deny it nay with thy self in the 2.3.4.5 pages of thy Epistle I disown and damn their deceitfull pretence to such a trust reposed in them and if they had enjoy'd any such they have as thou sayest truly manifested a treacherous mind and falsified their Trust egregiously and so cannot stand in Judgement if called to account upon their own principles having indeed so far as they have had to do with the Scriptures altered added detracted depraved vitiated interpolated and done what not to corrupt them during the long time of their Dominus fac-totum-ship in whole Christendom about Scripture and every thing else ad extra that had any pretence toward the Truth and while the Scripture of the Old but the New Testament more specially seeing the Iewes reject it lay lockt up from all the Laity within the lines of her conclavical clerical Conemunication for though de jure they ought not so to have impropriated it but were Arrogant usurpers in so doing yet that de facto they had the grand Custody of that ye call your Canon and changed it as they pleased I should judge thee more silly then I am willing to do if thou shouldst deny it there being no visibly constituted Christian Church as to outward Order in all Europe that was other then a member of that blind Babylonish Body for at least a thousand years together But if that Church had not as I say
of the Old Testament must be also affirmed of the New with this addition of advantage and preheminenâ—â— that it received its beginning of being spoken by the Lord himself 6. Seeing it is so as is abovesaid that all was not written by the hands of the inspired Authors themselves at the very first but much by such Scribes only as wrote from them as dictated to by them to whom God gave out this minde and so wrote not so immediately from God as thou dreamest but that they might mispell or mistake in more than Titles and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most good men being but bad Schollers and Scribes as to inch more humane earthly skill as your Schollership lyes in how absolutely doth this overturn that other utter untruths that thou tellest twice over to the manifesting of thine own folly more fully in uttering twice such falshood not so much as once observing it viz. pag. 10 11. that the Word which with thee still is the Scripture is come forth unto us mark unto us from God without the least mixture or interveniency of any Medium obnoxious to fallibility as is the wisdome truth integrity knowledge and memory of the best of all men But if what I have shewed above did not contradict and give check to this saying of thine about the Scriptures coming out immediately from God unto us who live so many ages from the last person who received any part of it immediately from God thou whose great Masterpiece of business it is throughout thy whole book to say and unsay and contradict thy self and run in Rounds overturnest and statly contradictest it thy self saying pag. 30. that we have not the Scripture from God immediately our selves in which self-confutation and contradiction of pag. 10. by pag. 30. thou canst not to continue long neither but as one delighting to dance round and shew how well skill'd thou art in tracing to and fro about the Scripture thou to go round again returnest and reiteratest pag. 153. that falsity uttered by thee pag. 10. in this wise over again viz. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were immediately and entirely given out by God himself mark as if God himself had wrote it every tittle with his own finger whereas how little God himself wrote I have shewed above and how such as were immediately inspired the mediation of whose hand writing in what they also wrote comes between God and us did not write it all immediately with their own hands but men that took what they said from them in writing by the active improvement of their knowledge wisdome skill in writing memory and other rational faculties so far is the Text from coming immediately from God to the men of those Cities and places that lived where and when it was written but how much farther from being immediately and entirely without any medium obnoxious to fallibility from God to us who live so many Ages off unto whom that Text J.O. talks of is descended perhaps at the hundreth hand through the hands of who knows what unskilful careless forgetful Scribes or Transcribers the very best of which J.O. at best confesses to be but fallible and that it was possible they might and also did mistake so as that failings fell out among them p. 167. nevertheless on he goes thus concerning that Scripture or writings viz. That Gods minde is in them represented unto us without the least interveniency of such mediums and wayes as were capable of giving change or alteration to the least 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or syllable 7. Whereas thou sayest there was onely a passive concurrence of the rational faculties of the Writers without any such active obedience as by any Law they might be obliged to though I have shewed thee that all the first Writers were not inspired but some wrote from their lips that were so and so were though never so skilful obnoxious to fallibility yet as thou intendest it of such Prophets Apostles Evangelists as wrote their own Prophesies Epistles Histories Proverbs Psalms c. with their own hands as they were moved by the Spirit it s utterly untrue that thou affirmest for the holy men of God who either wrote their Scripture with their own hands or dictated to such as they required to pen it from their mouthes as themselves spake from the mouth of God out of which came all that wisdome knowledge and understanding that is thereby uttered forth were such as were not so meerly pasive as thou praiest in the reception of what they wrote without any active concurrence of their rational faculties but in order to their receiving the word and manifestation of the minde and will of God to them which was written had both then and long before also an active concurrence thereof and such an active obedience to God as all men are by the Law of God i.e. the light in the conscience obliged to whereby they were made and became first holy men before they were used by God in such an holy work as preaching and wrriting out his minde to others and were brought into the thing or life it self they spake and wrote of and were purged from lusts and defilements and iniquities and foolish and unlearned questions and such prophane and vain bablings as ye are yet exercised in at your Vniversities about the Bible as well as about other books of humane businesses that in comparison of that holy truth that is in the Bible handled are but meer Baubles which a man being purged from 2 Tim. 2.16 19 20 21 22 23. he shall be a vessel of honour sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work Yea their Prophets that spake out that holy Doctrine and soul-saving truth that is declared in the Scriptures what ever some of them might be that were exercised in the copying out of sundry of those to us more unnecessary and unprofitable parts thereof viz. the endless Legal Genealogical Chronological Catalogues of mens names not so needful to us to know were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holy men of God 2 Pet. 1. ult and such to whose souls knowledge and wisdome and the fear of God was pleasant who cried after it and lifted up their voices to God for it and were in such love with it as to wait on God for it out of whose mouth it comes and daily at the posts of wisdomes house which your Vniversities are not yet acquainted with and sought it as silver and searched for it as for hid treasure and though to Prophesie was a gift of God and such as have it are so passive as to receive it from the giver and none can receive any thing of it except it be given him from above Joh. 3. and though it is in no wise to be purchased by mens mony at Schools and Colledges as our Accademical Simon Magus's suppose who to obtain and buy all the gifts whereby they Prophesie to men for mony and sell them for mony
again when they have done yet was it a gift obtained in the way of such active obedience to God as by the said Law or light of God in the heart men stand obliged to and to be coveted and desired and was given in a certain way that ye are so far out of that ye hate it of holy waiting on God and learning of him alone in silence in all subjection in order thereunto for which work there are now as there were of old but those are not Oxford and Cambridge Vniversities as it were Schools and Nurseries of young Prophets at Iericho and Bethel alias by interpretation the House of God where Truth and true Wisdom and true Religion was and is learnt as truly and fully as it is falsly taught or rather fully and universally forgotten at our now Vniversities or Nursing-mothers of that Wisdom and Religion from beneath which is but earthly sensual or animal and deceitful See 2 K. 2.7.15 2 King 6.1 2 K. 9.1 yea in order to Gods manifestation of himself to men in such wise as he will not to World that lyes in wickedness it 's required that men keep his commandments so far as they are made known already in the light in the conscience Ioh. 14 and seperate themselves from the sensual ones that have not the spirit and not together with them from the truth Prov. 18.1 2. and that they come out of all that defileth and become holy for no defiled thing falls into Wisdom but in all ages this as well as any of old though ye own none to be now in rerum natura entring into holy souls she maketh them friends of God and Prophets Wisd. 7.23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30. But the reason why so few Priests are ever made true Prophets is because for the most part they are more prophane then other people from of old and much more now insomuch that as heretofore I mind at present but two of all that numerous Tribe Race and Party of Priests that the Jewish Church was fill'd with that became Prophets viz. Ieremiah and Ezekiel Ier. 1. 1. Ezek. 1.3 So now velduo vel nemo of all sorts of persons few or none of our Academical Levitical Race of Rabbiâ—s arrive to so much honour and happiness as to become obedient to the Faith yet so far many of them came in the primitives times notwithstanding I can't find that ever any of them commenced Prophets Evangelists or Apostles much less are many to be found so highly graduated as to become such in the true Church or School of Christ at this day they are not upon the Tower upon their Watch toward the Light They hearken not with Habbakkuk to what God saith in them Hab. 2.1 They stand not in the Lords counsel nor receive the word from his own mouth but as the false Prophets of old Ier. 23. in which respect they were false Prophets that profited not at all and such as God was against though speaking true words they steal the word they speak out of the true Prophets Writings whom God sent and spake to when he neither sent nor ever said the same unto them and so run crying Thus saith the Lord as ours do hear the Word of the Lord as you shall find it in such a Text such a Chapter such a Verse when they never heard God's voice at any time themselves nor saw his shape They hate and fight against Gods own counsel the Light in the Conscience which would lead them to purity in their own persons and so never come to see much less to shew his Secret which is onely with them that fear him Psal. 25. whose sear which is the beginning of Wisdom is to depart from the evil which the light discovers and so as none can bring a clean thing out of an unclean so none can receive much of a clean thing into an unclean But as Isaiah who was of unclean lips had his lips first toucht and his iniquity taken away before he was sent of Gods errand Isa. 6. And Ieremiah was sanctified to the work of Prophesie Ier. 1. So there must be more Holiness of Truth found among their Holinesses the Pope and all the Priests and Praters for pay thorowout all Christendom before they know how to prophesie themselves or tell truly as much as they are found from the Text of their Transcripts tatling to the World of what they know not how and in what manner Gods Prophets prophesie Thou addest I.O. pag. 6. That in writing they were not enabled by any habitual light knowledge or conviction of Truth to declare Gods mind and will but onely acted as they were immediately moved by him their hand in what they wrote was no more at their own disposal then the Pen in the hand of an expert Writer And p. 23. That no rational Apprehensions had any place in their Writing And p. 25. That this was the first spring of the Scripture and beginning of its emanation from the Counsel of God it was brought by the Power of the Holy Ghost into its Organs and Instruments us'd for the Declaration of it and that it was not left to their understandings wisdoms minds memories to order dispose and give it out But that they were born acted moved to write all and nothing but that to every tittle that was so brought to them And that they invented not words themselves but the words were immediately supplyed to them and that in writing they were but passive instruments for the reception and representation of words And that every Apex of the written Word i.e. Writing secundum te was as immediately from God to the writers as his voice in the Prophets p. 26 27. And p. 7. That they were but as an Instrument of Musick giving a sound according to the hand onely of him that strikes it Rep. These things are false being written by thee of all the Writings and first Writers of the Scripture universally as they are without exception and distinction for so indistinct and confused art thou in thy delivery of thy mind about the Bible that though it be a Bulk of Heterogeneous Writings compiled together by men taking what they could find of the several sorts of Writings that are therein and trussing them all up into one Touch-stone crouding them into a Canon or Standard for the trial of all Spirits Doctrines Truths and by them alone Yet thou speak'st so Homogeneously of it as if whatever can be predicated of any may be as properly predicated of it all yea whatever thou sayest falsly of the Writing thou denominatest the self-same of it all and every Apex and Tittle yea every Tittle and Iota with thee is no less then the Word of the great God wherein the â—ternal concernment of souls lyes p. 168 169. And so every part of it a Rule and the perfect Rule for so 't was with thee when there were none but Moses five Books and 't is but so with thee now so much
saying by which he had once gain-sayed the former returning to his former again Ex. 1. S. 29. where his Latine words Englisht are in this foolish wise viz. to express the sence they conceived of the mind and will of God the words in those tongues in which by the command and ordination of God the Scripture is written were both conceived and disposed by the holy Spirit and not permitted or left to the wisdom and will or arbitrement of the Writers themselves So of this sound piece of round Doctrine of I.O. this is the sum They that wrote the Scripture did not invent chuse or seeke words nor was it left to their minds understandings will wisdoms c. to express the truth yet to go round again they did use words of will or choice their mind and understanding were used in the choice of words yet to go round again to express the will and mind of God the words were not left to the will and wisdom of the writers Let the Reader chuse which of the two contradictory conclusions of I.O. he will take as true yet as one of them is and both cannot be true so true it is that I.O. runs the rounds and contradicts himself here as he doth in twenty places more of his self-consuting Fardel I. O. Thou addest p. 9 10. That in their writing they were not onely on a general account to utter the truth they were made acquainted with all and to speak the things they had heard and seen which was their common Preaching-work but also the very individual words they had received were to be declared And p. 9. quoting Mat. 10.10 That the Apostles were not the Speakers of what they delivered as other men are the Figment and Imagination of whose hearts are the Fountain of all that they speak but the spirit of the Father in them Rep. How hangs this true passage viz. They were to utter the truth they were acquainted withall and write the things they had heard and seen together by the ears with that false passage p. 5 6. Where thou sayest The Stories Laws Doctrines Instructions Promises Prophesies they gave out were not retained in their memories from what they had heard nor by any means before-hand comprehended by them c. What clouds of witnesses be here to the clearing of the Spirit by which thou writest to be a Spirit of self-contradiction 2. Was not their common Preaching-work and their common Writing-work all one as to the choice of Words wherein they declared Were they at liberty when they preached to ramble into words of their own meere will choice and invention and limited when they wrote so that they might not express themselves in such words as in the will and wisdome of God in which they dwelt and liv'd they saw meet for the matter in hand but just tyed to the individual words brought to them as immediately by inspiration as the matter or Word of God it self they wrote of Who acquainted thee with this whimsical non-sensical notion that they in their work of Preaching disposed and ordered their words as in wisdom they saw them acceptable or serviceable but in their work of Writing they might dispose order chuse and in wisdom seek to find out acceptable words but had every Tittle more immediately put into them then when they spake the Truth by word of mouth Dost not thou thy self say p. 9. Mat. 10.10 That the Apostles were not the Speakers of what they delivered but the Spirit in them Whereby the truer that is tthe more clearely thou contradictest thy self again and intimatest no less then thus much that the Spirit as immediately and distinctly brought to them gave and put into their minds and mouths what words they should use when they were speaking as what words they should use when they were Writing So that what ever was their common Preaching-Work and common Writing-Work in both which it 's true enough that they were assisted specially and in both equally by the holy spirit in the wisdom power evidence and demonstration of which speaking in them and moving them who were obedient to him to an active improvement and exercise of their rational faculties minds understandings wills memories thereunto they both preached and wrote 1 Cor. 2.4 2 Cor. 3.12 and so uttered no other truth then they were mostly made acquainted withall by the spirit within themselves and heard and saw by the light within as well as by hear-say and the Writings of one another from without Yet the common Preaching-work and Writing-work of thy self and thy fellow Ministers not of the Light and Spirit but of the Letter out of which ye surtively fetch filch and steal all your stuff and furniture wherewith ye feed people till they starve I say Your Preaching and Writing is of things that ye are not acquainted with from the Spirit of the Father nor from its manifestings the mind of God within you and moving you to utter them in words of his own immediate suggesting and supplying but a certain uttering forth in your own wills and times of what ye have no otherwise then by hearsay or from the Scriptures of those who spake and wrote as mov'd no more then what they both saw and heard and handled of the Word of Life a certain rude handling what ye never felt your selves nor your own hands ever yet handled of that Word of Life ye read others writing of a heedless holding forth of what ye hear not but onely hear of a talkative treating on what Truth ye do not truly taste of an impudent intruding of your selves into a self-ended shewing of what ye have not seen but as at second-hand ye see it shew'd in the Scripture by such as were in the true sight and substantial being of it vainly puffed up in your fleshly minds in which respect ye are no true Ministers nor true Witnesses for God but false Witnesses even when ye testifie the truth which is not yours as well as when ye tell lyes and teach the untruths which are your own as the old Truth stealers and Word-sellers were who though they said because they found it so said by such as felt it The Lord lives which is the truth yet they spake falsely forasmuch as they witnessed him nor risen and alive but murdered stew kill'd and crucified the holy and just one within themselves and spake not as Christ and his did what they knew Ioh. 3.11 and testified not what they had seen but worshipped and worded it about what they knew not Iohn 4.22 And so as a man can't be counted a Legal witness in foro hominum in a civil Court of Judicature among men that shall testifie of another's theft murder and scandal at second hand that is not as an immediate eye or ear-witnesse of it but on his reading in a Letter or hear-say from such as were so so much less in foro Dei Ecclesiae can any be owned as a true Minister of
and doth God reveal the hidden mysteries of the Gospel any way but by his Spirit to his Saints which searcheth all things even the deep things of God and doth any know the things of God but the Spirit of God and the spiritual men who in it and not by the letter which letter the world hath yet hath not the other have minde of Christ 1 Cor. 2.9 to the end And in that of Peter coted by thee is there the least hint of the Scriptures or of the Prophets searching the Scriptures or of any signification of the things they ministred to others in their writings by the Scriptures but only by the Spirit And as for Daniel it is true he understood by the books of Jeremiah the cerâ—ain number of seventy years how long the Captivity should last but what of that num ex puris particularibus aliquid sequitâ—â— universale Wilt thou argue from one to all much more wilt thou infer from thence that neither Daniel nor any other Prophets understood their own writings but by the Scriptures of the other Prophets which is the absurdity thou assertest And as for Davids saying Through thy Precepts I get understanding Hast thou got no more understanding yet then to beleeve that the Precepts Statutes â—udgements Laws Commandments Testimonies Word Ordinances Wayes Truth Name one or other of which names is either in the singular or in the plural number used in every individual verse excepting two throughout that long 119. Psalm consisting of an 176. verses no other thing is meant but the outward letter writing or Scripture of Moses five books very little more than which was extant in Davids dayes wherein the ten words which God wrote with his own hand and a few more Ceremonious matters were recorded by the hand of Moses Is not the Commandement or Word or Law of God as the letter speaks the Lamp or Light that the letter only speaks of Psal. 19.7 c. 119.105 Prov 6.23 And if all the other Prophets that succeeded Moses studied the writingâ— of Moses and one another in order to the knowledge of their own Prophetical writings without which they understood them not savingly as thou sillily sayest yet I wonder what other Prophets writingâ— Moses himself who was one of the Prophets not excepted by thee searched and studied that he might get a saving understanding of that truth that was penn'd by himself sith as thou thinkest at least there were no Scriptures extant before him for Enochs Prophesies have no standing in your Standard I wonder Quae colliquia cum Angelis vel ficta velfacta quis enthusiasmus quis afflatus caelestis aut reapse vis mali spiritus did suggest these fantasms into thy fancy Ex. 1. Ex. S. â—8 thou hast little need to detest the Qua. as Enthusiasis that entertainest and utterest to the world as undoubted truths such Amick Enthusiasmes as these Sundry other such shallow furmises and suppositions are very positively propounded and set down by thee in thy first Chapter of thy first Treatise which I shall let pass here some of which may possibly be touch't on elsewhere But this may suffice to give a taste of that untruth which thy two Treatises are under-propt with whereby from the falsenesse faultinesse foolishnesse and unsoundness of thy ground-work and foundation and from the brittleness of thy Basis so thou call'st p. 1.28.30 this Original part of thy Book concerning the Divine Original and immediate manner of the Scriptures coming forth from God to us the reasonable Reader may read aforehand what a Come-down Castle the rest of thy Babylonish Building is like to be for howbeit I grant that the Word of God and the holy truth in its first coming forth from God to the holy Pen-men that heard his voice and so wrote it as moved by him was of an immediate Divine original in which respect it is said no Prophesie of the Scripture is of private Interpretation or to be counted no more upon than a private mans wriâ—ing which writes of his own head as thou dost the figment and imagination of whose heart fancies thoughts are the fountain of all that is uttered but as that which holy men of God were moved to write and the outward Scripture it self may be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. penned by men as they were inspired by God or the fruit and effect of no self-afflation but according to the motion or inflation of the holy Spirit yet that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou makest such a deal of work about as the Original of the Copies of the Original of the Scripture and their coming forth from God was not so immediately from God to those that lived when they were first given out much less to us now as thou imaginest in thy vain mind who dotest that every Apex of that Text is equally Divine and as immediately from God to us as the very voice of God in the Prophets was to them without the least mixture or interveniency of any mediums or wayes obnoxious to fallibility or capable of giving change or alteration to the least 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or syllable thereof pag. 10.30.153 for that came from God at first excepting the Decalogue and that little to Belshazzar which ye have now but remote Copies of not without the interveniency medium and way of mans hand-writing which is it were as being infallibly guided by the Spirit obnoxious to no fallibility yet as it comes to you who own that and no other to be your inalterable Standard it s far from coming immediately from God sith it is not without the interveniency of the hands of welnigh innumerable unknown Transcribers the very first and best of whom were so far from non-obnoxiousness to fallibility that thou thy self sayest pag. 167. that neither all nor any of them were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infallible or divinely inspired so that it was impossible for them to mistake and that religious care and diligence in their works with a due reverence of him with whom they had to do is all thou ascribest to them and p. 10. that the wisdome truth integrity knowledge and memory of the best of all men is obnoxious 〈◊〉 fallibility and also that it s known they did fail Neither if the Question were about the Autographae or first Manuscripts that were far more immediate then thy far fetcht Apographae or modern Copies are howbeit thy main business is about the magnifying thy confestedly mistranscribed Transcripts and fallible Copies and not the other which being acknowledged by thee to be lost perished and mouldred out of the world nemo post homines natos aequè ac tu delerasse censendus esset si pro scripturis ipsis scriptis hisce argumentare statueris thy dotage would justly be deemed of a deeper die than any mans to argue for them if he be a fool of al fool that fightâ— for the non-corruptibility of what is long since corrupted but I say were thy
the light of God the wisdome saving truth immediate witness clearest way of Revelation soul-cleansing Law sure foundation most perfect Rule immoveable stedfast Standard of Gods setting up but it self is nos all nor any of this nor doth it at all any where avouch it self to be any of it at all The Scripture points to that which is the Power of God by the being of which in and upon his people who only own and joyn to it they are made a willing people in the day thereof when such as turn from and against the light which is the power and labour in the weak naked Letter labour in vain and are left unwilling to leave their lusts and lives for Christ as his Maryrs or outward witnesses did in all Ages But the Letter it self is not Power of God that sustained them in the suffering and inabled them to forgo what was dear to them and to undergo what was dreadful and destructive to nature in its dearest concernments The Letter tells us that the Saints did so and tells us and all Saints that we should do for Christ but the Power by which this is done is another matter then a Letter ad extra even the inward light Word and Spirit that thou doest despite to even that in the conscience that made them indure as seeing him who is invisible and discovered the darkâ—â—ss upon the discovery of which they rather chose death then to own it as Light and Truth not only in ages as high as Moses who by faith in the Light chose affliction rather then sin and feared not the wrath of Pharaoh but also from him downward as low as Maries dayes in which some died for denying the darknâ—ss of the Popes Dâ—ctrines of Transubstantiation c. which the Light in their consciences told them were too gross to be of God who yet by their confession could not dispute against it with Vniversity Sottish Sophisters Doctor Dunces out of Letter nor so much as read a letter therein and also as low as these dayes wherein by the Power of God many are born up to bear the Trials of the cruel Academical mockings scoffings scourgings inâ—lictings stonings bonds imprisonments abuses to death witness one of the first of the Lords two Hand-maids that were sent to warn the Vniversity of their universal abomiâ—ations at Oxford in the time of I.Os. Vice chancellorship there who perhaps may not be so learned literally though mystically and spiritually more in the Letter as obtuse aÌ„cuti â—omunâ—ioneâ— many of those dull-beaded nimble disputers out of it are in their bald fashion of Syllogistical form Neither did the Letter either of the Old Testament which is the Letter without of what things soever written or the outward Letter of the New ever conquer the world in which thou sayest it brought forth so much fruit further then into a meer empty fruitless form of Godliness without the power thereof insomuch that though as to the Primitive Christian Churches while they kept in the Light which the Apostles Ministry whether by word of mouth or Writing Letter Scripture was to turn them to walk by and beleeve in and in the Spirit in which they began till fooâ—ishly being bewitched from obeying the truth it self they turned aside to the outward Text that tells it and so thought to be made perfect by the flesh and the fleshly bodily exercises they found in the Letter which once used were as low weak beggeâ—ly elements for a time the power of God and godliness was much â—elt among them and abode with and upon them to the prevailing against the Powers of the earth and the overcomming the world it self and Satan the Prince of it by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of his Testimony not loving their lives to the death and much fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness was brought forth to the glory and praise of God But when Synods and Councels doting Doctors infatuated Ghostly-Fathers and such as admired their persons as they the persons of the Apostles and primitive Disciples began to bundle together what they could get of the Wâ—itings of such as were coaetaneous with Christ and the Apostles and without any such order from either Christ or the Apostles to canonize what in their conceits might be useful to others as they had found them t is like to be to themselves into a Rule or Canon and stated them into a common Standard for all to have their sole recourse to in soul-cases and matters of Christian faith and holy life and so to adore the dead letters of those holy living men and to run a whoring after some remnants of Writings that dropt from them then in the whole world now called Christendome instead of an Apostolical Spouse of Christ as Christians were at first presented a chaste Virgin to himself by them there stands up an Apostatical Strumpet that had the Letter and good words written there but neither the life of God nor the Word of life therein testified to that according to the nature of Error which is ever multiplying degenerated more and more into the dark till at last being gone from the Word Spirit Light and Life within to the outward Letter that relates of it they ran into the Wildernes of their own numberless senses upon it so that they lost the Letter also and fell from it into Tradition and a thousand Old Wives Fables and though it is good and acknowledged so to be so far as it is that the Protestants have marched from Rome under the conduct of the Leâ—ter yet for all they are come back from the blinde screel scrawls of the Popish Scribes for their smoaky imaginations to a pretensive profession of and prate prâ— Scripturis for the Scriptures unless they march on according to the conduct of the Scriptures till they come into the Light and Spirit which they point to and by a dotage upon the Scriptures ye would run from they are not so much as come yet to the Scriptures nor to conform to that counsel of the Prophets and Apostles given in it but are yet erring from the Scriptures even in and by their very eager Scriblings for it as the only most perfect Rule and from the only Rule of faith and way to Life the Letter is as loud for but that they are dull of hearing as they in their naked Writings are loud for the naked Letter it self And so it comes to pass that as Israel was of old who was as laborious in the Letter busie about the Bible and strict for his Scripture-standard as our Israel for the self-same which yet they confess too is abolished as to the Litteral observation of it with the Appendix of a few of Stories and Letters and Revelations of those holy men next to Christs time who by the Spirit wrote much more then is there own'd as their Standard I say as the old Israel proved as to God an empty vine Hos. 10.1 bringing forth
and Israel to preserve it from taking root and blossoming and budding and filling the face of the earth with fruit as it must do at the last Isa. 27.6 and like Sampsons Foxes tail to tail they draw divers wayes loâ—here sayes one lothere sayes another some sounding it out for their Fathers traditions some summoning to the Scriptures and the gâ—wdy glosses they put upon it who yet if they could once come to see it live by tradition and teach Gâ—ds fear afters mans Precepts as well as the rest all to their own fanciâ—s dreams opinions and imaginations of one kind or other and all these fire-brands fencing to one end and as friendly as Herod and Pilate at odds against each other yet at one against Christ attempting to dis-inthrone the light of Christ in the Conâ—cience from its due Authority and from sitting on the Throne in its proper place Some resisting the Truth by flat opposition so all the many sorts of those guilded cups the Parish Priests do that yet hold forth all or any Râ—mish Relicks or measure of that old Whores trash which wooden Tops are always turning round with the times as that lash viz. the losse of living if they so do not is made use of and exercised toward them whose movings to and again back and forth from Henries Religion to Edwards from his to Maries from hers to Elizabeths and so onward and round as occasion is if the word of command be As ye were is all from the force of some externall Engine or other mostly that of money for Qui pecunianon movetur hunc dignum spectaâ—u Arbitramur not from any inward Principle or Power of the endless life no par no preach is their common Custom so that the powerless formes they foam at each other about would soon fall all to the earth whence they are and not from Truth were it not for that Primum-movens that principale propugnaculum of Tith as a dead man that can stand not a jot longer then propt up by something or other ad extra because Deest aliquid infus there wants the main master wheel within Others like those Inchanters that withstood Moses resist the Truth too men of corrupt minds reprobate yet as concerning the Faith leadingâ— captive silly women after them from the Faith of Gods Elect by imitating the very Truth it self as farre as they are able to come neer it in their vain fleshly minds having stole into a form of the same Doctrine Words and Works without the life which they hate and oppose in them that are in the life preaching the same Truth and Light themselves in their airy spirits since the conviction thereof fell upon them for which they had very formally cast forth of their own separated Churches the Children of the Light who withdrew from them and so formally were none of them before that their senseless confuse or ejection Like theâ—fore â—aid Sorcerers to bewitch their people into an abode among them in Egypt where they yet are in bondage altogether and into a non-believing of the true Messengers of God to be in anything beyond themelves and to make them seem to be no more in the power of God then they by striving to do all and as farre as they are able to follow on in a form till at last they be forc'd to confess a finger of God doing all that by their weak arme of flesh mans fleshly will and wisdome which by the Saints is performed both in and from no other Arme then the Light Power Wisdome and Life of God dwelling in them Of this sort are all the Prophets that are in a fairer form of Godliness then those behind them in darkâ—r and grosser forâ—mâ— yet with them denying and not witnessing the power thereof in their hearts and conversations to the purging of them from pride and the other pâ—llutions and corruptions that are in world through lust which Magicians when they see the Servants of the Lord do any thing that is taking among their people and which they are ashamed to diâ—own then they will do so and as the Wise men of Egypt set themselves to imitate Moses set themselves to do the like and â—in a shew bring forth an Image of the same By all which said severall sorts of subtill Sorcerers who with the most cunning craftiness they have lye in wait to deceive the multitudes of people are deceived and so seduced from the narrow way of truth that among them very few ever find it and are so eminently perplexed as to their discerning aright between Gods Worâ— indeed and that which is only pretended so to be viz. the nakâ—d letter that only declares what is his Word and their own fallible and sometimes senseless senses and sermons upon that letter of all which they ay in their common Preambles to their people Hearken with fear and trembling to the Word of God when oft no more then every mans own word Ier. 23.36 is spoken that though God hath given men a light and spirit within which is meâ—sura â—sui â— oblâ—quâ— that can most certainly determine of all spirits and an â—ar but that its slopt in most which can as truly try words as the mouth â—asteth meats Iob 34.3 1 Ieh 4.1 6. and also seâ—meria infall bee tokens to enable them so to do yet they can make no discrimination between right and wrong faith and falshood uprightness and errour honesty and hypocrysie holiness and heresie the simplicity that â—s in Christ and that schisme from it into which they are already inchanted 2 Cor. 11.3 the light and truth and that deceit and darkness in which both Prophets and People dwell through the busie battels and confused noises these Warriours make with their loud cryings out each against other and all with one mouth against the Truth it self and the tellers of it as Deceivers and all with one consent mis-representing them as such unto the Powers mis-advisâ—â—g and mis-admonâ—shing their respective peoples to this or the like tune Beware and take heed of deceit and of these deceivers the Qua. not heeding all this while or at least not willing their people should heed how deeply they are all in the deceit already so like the impudent Harlot that hopes to outcry and bear down the modest Matron with a clamour of words and by calling out Whâ—re first these foolish loud lewd Women fearing their own filthy fornications should else be soon discovered cry out first on that Sect of Saints which was ever and every where so spoken against Acts 24.14 28.22 Heresie schisme errour darkness disturbance madness enthusiasme fanaticisme faction and such like and though they and their flocks of Goats and heards of Swine live in the lust in pride covetousness malice luxury and all wickedness and have nothing of their own save unrighteousness to be rob'd of and nothing to be led captive but that which hath captivated the just nor to be spoild of but that which
they areâ— seldome in unless Out be In with them as In is Out with T. D. the people whose eyes all as of one man should be as the true Israels are Zach. 9.1 toward the Lord being towards their Spiritual Lordships the Clergy do all as one man erre after them and drop together in gross with their blind guides into the Ditch And whereas all have hitherto following the old Interpreters who say the truth with the Quaâ— read that Text thus The true Light enlightens every man that comes into the world they if I.O. may have his will against the Qua. must now read otherwise 4. Suppose we should for Tryals sake and no otherwise will we grant thee that the Greek Text in respect of the words as they may be construed may equally bear I. Os. construction as well as that of the Qua. and of most or all Translators and Interpreters hitherto does not this then overturn the whole business thou so much buslest for throughout thy book viz. the Greek and Hebrew Texts being such a sure fixt steady stable infallible unchangeable inalterable Rule Canon Measure Touch-stone Standard for all Truth to be tryed by and all Spirits Lights even that infallible one which gave it out as well as any other the infallible guidance of which thou deniest to be now in the world or to be the stable Rule Standard or Direction about Doctrines Duties c. for verily if it be so as in some places it is confesâ— by me to be so far more clearly then in this viz. Iob. 5.39 where Ereunate may be read either Indicatively as a Complaint Ye search the Scriptures and look for life there which is Christs mind there or Imperatively as a Command Search ye that one and the same phrase in the Greek may bear â—ivers constructions from which being differently construed according to mens meer different conceits upon them may arise not only various 〈◊〉 ons and senses such as T. D. gives when he sayes it is either 〈…〉 of else perhaps it may be so and the word or phrase may import so and may impâ—rt so c. up and down in his book but also such as are even contrâ— y contradictory and absolutely destructive one to another must not he then pâ—t out the eyes of men first that makes them believe that which I. O. contends and spends himself throughout his whole Book about that not the Light Spirit Word and Truth of Christ in the Hearts and Consciences of men nor any immediate Vision or Revelation of the old inalterable infallible eternal Will and Truth of God to man in his own heart as he waits at Wisdomes gates at Gods own Mouth for counsell is to be the Rule but such an uncertain doubtful fallible flexible thing as an external Text and Letter that may be and is turned twenty wayes and made to stand even in one verse many wayes at once according as men in their foolish vain thoughts are minded to thrust it Art thou so benummed I. O. and hardened against this Truth that the Light is the Rule and not the Letter that because the Quakers rell it thee against whom thou art risen in wrath therefore thou wilt not believe it no not though preached to thee by thy own mouth hand and pen as well as theirs Quid cum iis agamus qui cum revera sintadeo infeliciter stupidi ut nulla neque ratione neque experientia erudiri possint quasi tamen ipsi soli superent vanaperswasione siderati in contemptu eorum quae non intelligunt audaciter persistunt atque cum Comicoillo clamant dicat quad quisque volet nos exhae opinione non dimo vebimur Ex. 2 S. 28. Read that to thy self I. O. if thou canst tell how and see how thou loosest thy ground against us one way while thou seekest to gain against us another way by thy extortion of the Text and thy playing Legerdemane about the Letter 5. Suppose we should as for tryals sake again we will not otherwise for our Nay is stronger then thy Tea as to this place give thee thy own reading of that Text wholly to thyself Jet's see what thou canst make of it against the â—ue lights enlightning every man which is the thing thou denyest and wouldest disprove by it Nempe To Pan hoc est vere nihil just as much and not a jot mere then thou had â—â— before If thou wilt not read it the true way â—ake it then in thy own and make thy best on'r The true light coming into the world enlightens every man here is thy reading which amounts not to one attome more against every mans being enlightned with the true light then if thou quietly without quarrelling with the Quakers read'st it with them thus The true Light enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world for it still proves that every man in the world since the true Lights coming into it is enlightned by it and all that thou thyself concludest and entailest at the end of thy tale about it is no more then an exclusion of that part of the world that died before Christs fleshly coming into it from being mentioned in this Text for so run the words of thy Conclusion Ex. 4. S. 24. Ad maximam ideo partem humani generis quaescilicet ante adventum Christi in mundum fato functa fuerit non pertinet haec assertio Therefore to the greatest part of mankind namely such as died before Christs coming into the World this Assertion appertains not Repl. In which Assertion of thine thou according to the manner of Errour which is a Quick-sand that when men are once in it sucks them in further art sunk more over head and eares then before considering thy meaning of thy own words for how beit if rightly understood there are no men that ever lived or died in the World who had a being in it before Christ and the true Light of the World or Word of which it is said Iohn 1.1 2 3. It was in the beginning with God and was God and as God is not denyed by any of you to have enlightened all men from of old before that Juncture ye count from and by which men and all things were made so that without it not any thing was made that was made in which was the life which life was the light of men which shineth in the darkness even the wicked who are yet darkness though not comprehended thereby Yea to the Wisdome of God 1 Cor. 1. That leads men in the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of Iudgement that it may cause those that love it to inherit substance and fill their treasures was the very beginning of Gods way was set up from everlasting and in being when the heavens and earth were founded and established rejoycing in the habitable parts of the earth and delighting in and lightning the sons of men ever since there were men and blessing those that attended to him Prov.
appear only to a few Besides your selves tell vs of a Common Grace which is vouchfased to All men But Friends a few words with you and to all you Followers and Fainers of this Fantastical piece of meer falsity not to say foolery who in the night while men sleep dream out this dark and Grace-darkning Doctrine of Divinity which with the abundance of Absurdities and Confusions that are concatenated to it make up such an incredible kind of Creed such a Braky messe of Belief such a Labâ—rynth of lightlesse Literature such a Wilderness of wondrous Wisdome as no wise men nor any but such drunkards of Ephraim as lie like Briars and Thornes enfolded together in one false Faith that at last they may be consumed as stubble fully dâ—y can find any other then a winding way into nor when he is in any other way easily out of but that of the Spirit of God which searcheth and traceth out all the twinings and turnings of the Serpent upon his Rock Are you not yet ashamed the night being so far spent as it is in England and the day so nigh at hand to them that watch for it to appear upon the stage ye may well say not without a Blush as T.D. does before the world with such a Gospel of glad Tidings to it and all Mankind in it as this That God loves all mankind wills not unless they will the death of any of them nor of any sinners but had much rather they should turn from their wickedness and live and would have them all come to repentance and life and not any to perish but all to come to the acknowledgement of the Truth that in it unless they hate and turn from it and then his Justice and Wrath hath place to shew it self to so many persons they might be saved and hath sent Salvation among them in his Son the Light of the World and Word of Life not bolting or excluding any from it but such as put it away from them and thereby judge themselves unworthy of eternal Life and Bath so loved the World as to send his only Son into it to such as were else lost and likely else to perish not to condemn them further but to save them even qua sic as lost so consequently all men quatenus ipsum ever including de omni from condemnation or that alias to that end intent or purpose that unlesse against his honest true sincere wishing and woulding otherwise they needs will they might not perish but have everlasting life and so loved men also as to send his Messengers among them to make universal Proclamations of his large love to all mankind and in his name to publish glad Tidings of great Ioy even to All people and the good will of God toward men An indefinit phrase in a necessary matter equivalent to an universal and to call to every one that will to take of the water of life freely without exception of any positively personally or nominatim who exclude not themselves by their own personal unbelief of his Love to them and refusal to come and without accounting any unworthy of his Supper but such as come not when call'd and put not on the wedding Garment which renders them as taking away all their sins guilt and filth beloved accepted pure and justified in his sight as well as fit and meet to come into his holy presence as by their own righteousnesse that they work and not Christ in them they are not any more then by unclean things dung losse and filthy rags and send out Hue and Cry also to summon all in to himself and blown a Trumpet too even to All people to come and welcome promising to the removing of all obstacles and and objects of discouragement and giving good ground of hope to every man that there is mercy with God for him whatever his sins have been if he come in time before the dore be shut and while God calls and woes and knocks at the dore of his own heart within by the motions of his Spirit that he will receive all comers and though they have râ—n a whoring from him after many other Lovers and few men will receive their wives again that so do yet returning he will receive them so that whoever comes to him he will in no wise cast out but as he hath sent his Son a Propitization for the sins of the whole World and provided plenteous Redemption and purchased Salvation by his blood sufficient for them All so that he is able to save to the uttermost and will too effectually All that come to God by him and that it is his will they should All come also and reveals and publishes it as his will too expostulating very angrily with all men too for despising the riches of his Grace for not being led to repentance in the day of his long-suffering and salvation by his goodness telling them he waits upon them that he might be gracious to them saying O that thou wouldst hearken to me that thy peace might be as a River wilt thou not be made clean for thus cry out Clergy to All people where they preach when shall it once be Why will ye die people I have no pleasure in it that ye should and if any do I delight not in the death of him that doth but that he will and there is no remedy unless I alter my unchangeable will as I will not for mans wills sake fith I have done so much for him already that he may be saved unless he chuse to perish which will of mine is that the soul that sins and turns not from his wickedness that he may live shall die for ever and the very wicked turning from his wickedness and doing right shall not die nor yet have his sins mentioned unlesse he turn back from his righteousnesse into sin again and then be must die and though I forgave him before yet he taking his fellow servant by the throat after I must lay him up for the whole debt Wherefore why why will ye die turn turn your selves and live and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for I have done my part a friends part towards you I have wrought in you both to will and to do of my free grace of my good pleasure it wants but your putting that into act which I of my free Grace have put into your power and your willing and doing accordingly and your getting up and trading with your Talent and turning to the light that I have entrusted you with and reprove your evil deeds by will ye alwayes resist my holy Spirit when it moves in your hearts and be stiffe-necked and stubborn Turn yon at my reproof though ye are fools scorners delighting in scorning and I will pour out my Spirit upon you and make known my words to you if not as I call and ye refuse so the time will be ye shall cry and I will not bear you because ye
it at all and as little of that which is called common Sense and Reason and unworthy to have so much time spilt upon it as to be too particularly talk'd with or of any other Return then to be returned back as deceit together with its Father by whole sale into the deep from whence it came only there might be enough pickt out of it whereby to shew the shallownesse of its Authors We know well enough it is but few and some of every Nation Tongue Kindred and People that are actually redeemed unto God but it is not because there is not Redemption as truly intended as tendred to them as well as sufficiently purchased for them but because they put it away from themselves by not turning to the teachings of that Light Word and Grace of God that is nigh in their hearts and brings it nigh unto them else All even Gentiles as well as well as Iews Heathens and Indians as well as English men and Christians so called and among each of these All as well as Any of them haâ—e some measure of that Grace nigh them which in the least measure is enough and sufficient to help and heal them were they as continually and earnestly within attendant on it as they commonly and eagerly ever turn outwards from it whereby it becomes to them of no effect when God either without or within or both calls upon All ends of the Earth which word cannot be exclusive of Any but must be conclusive of every Individual to look in unto it and in it to look unto himself and to behold and hear him whom he hath given as a Guide a Light to shew good and evil a Law a Witness for God against them when they do evil within themselves a Leader and Commander to all people Object 'T is not to All People but to the People an indefinite phrase that hath a restrained sense Rep. The indefinite phrase here hath an enlarged sense and is Aequivalent to an universal Isa. 55. the People v. 4. answers to Hâ— every one v. 1. and and if it were to be restrained there ought to have been some restrictive exceptive expression but there is an expresse enlargement and I may as well â—â—mit it in other places as the Churles with the evil Instruments of their own inventions do in these places so as when God sayes oft in the Psalmâ—s and elsewhere Behâ—ld he cometh to judge the World in righteousness and the People with equity to say God will not judge All People nor the whole World and every Individual but some few People only in Righteousness and Truth and so coop the wrath and judgement of God up into a corner and prate it as perversly into a pinfold as the Priests of those piteous Principles do his Mercy who prate of a peremptory predestination without respect to sin or at least any other then Adams personal Act of most persons before they had any being remeditesly and unchangeably to damnation Object What then do the Quakers deny Gods unchangeablenesse in his Decree Rep. Gods Decree I deny not to be unalterable but blind Priests mistake that unchangeable Decree of his which is to be toward men as they toward him merciful to the upright wrathful to the froward and wicked to shew himself in his love as a Friend Father Forgiver for ever even inalterably unchangeably world without end to the penitent that turn to him and come to him by Christ in his Light keeping his Commandements and as unalterably unchangeably without variation or shadow of turning that immutable Mind and Will of his to shew himself in his wrath everlastingly eternally to the finally impenitent sinners who are found living and dying in that seed which is unchangeably reprobated from him So whom he loves he loves to the end and whom he hates he hates to the end that is for ever but those whom from eternity he hath thus immutably decreed to love and own and honour to eternity are the righteous ones that honour him the Godly in all Ages whoe're they are which are those only that he chuses to himself Psalm 4. whether foreseen who they will be in time by him or not that is nothing to the purpose and whom he thus as immutably from all eternity decrees to disregard hate and reject to eternity are the seed of evil doers that lightly despise him who are never to be renowned so whatever changes fall out among men who are sometimes better sometimes worse and among their states which are some good some bad there is no change in the mind of God what ever the thoughts of mens hearts are his unchangeable Counsel stands the same his Purpose and Decree the same which is from eternity to own the good and refuse the bad to justifie the walkers in his Light Christ Jesus and judge all that rebel against it so he doth not change his Will but his unchangeable Will to persons is to be unchangeably affected to them in either love or hatred respectively as they respectively are found at any time the Subjects of sin or not and so consequently objects of either the one affection mutually or the other as if a King Decrees after the manner of the Medes and Persians inalterably that his People shall have as they do he that does well shall be beloved and he that does ill and repents not from it shall be hated hanged one and the same person may at different times be under the two different affections viz. now under the favour and now under the displeasure of the King as he does well or ill and by and by love and in his favour again as he repents or else as not repenting be so under his hatred as to be hanged yet the Kings Mind Will and Decree stands the same unchangeable as it ever did So in the case in hand there 's Mutaâ—iâ— Rei non Dei a change of the case of mans will and manners and accordingly of his state or standing the object of either Gods love or hatred under either his favour or displeasure but Gods Mind Will Decree Counsel Love and Hatred stands unchangeably and everlastingly to the same Subjects that were the Objects thereof at first viz. whether sinners or Saints And thus God did not at all change in his Decree Mind Will and Purpose to perpetuate the Priesthood to Eli's house for ever though he once said it should conâ—inue for ever and after said But now be it far from me forasmuch as his purpose was at first to continue it in case he honoured God in it and his unchangeable Counsel is ever this viz. That those who honour me I will honour but those that despise me shall be lightly regarded 1 Sam. 2.30 Ob. This gives the glory of Salvation not to God but to mans will which is All in All then in the busineâ—s Rep. It 's not for want of ignorance that the narrow noddles think thus for Originally and Supremely still the glory is to
subject to passions pollutions extravagancies vanities inordinancies of mind is but an argument to evince how much the more need he hath at all times to stand upon his guard and to put on the Armour of the Light and keep the stricter watch to it which who so does shall find the Power of it in him prevailing more and more in the warfare to the perfect overcoming and the bringing fâ—rth of Iudgement in him unto victory at the last but who so does not while he stands take heed to his way by it as young men are bid in order to the cleansing of their way Psa. 119.9 There is not I confess more necessity nor possibility of the others standing then there is of this mans falling into mischief Howbeit which way soever the man in medio is swayed whether by the lustings of the flesh to covetousness pride envy hatred deceit unrighteousness lasciviousness revenge c. to mind and walk after the flesh or by the lustings of the Spirit to love peace purity meekness temperance patience c. or which way soever that man is born and begotten whether by the Spirit of God from above or the Spirit of the Devil from beneath which in him lusteth unto evil c. Iâ—m 4.5 and consequently whose child soever he is at any time of the twain which is according to the prevalency and predominancy and perminency of this or that Seed in him viz. the Seed or Word of God or that lying Word or Seed of the Serpent for his he is still to whom â—e obeyes yet this is sure enough as I said before that he that abides in that which is of God sinneth not 1 Ioh. 3.6 and he that sinneth is gone from that and born and begotten by the Devil another way even after his Image and he that is so is of the Devil and a man of sin and sinneth uncessantly as his Father doth who hath begot him into his likeness and he that doth true righteousness is born of God to it and he that 's born of God and bears his Image which longer then any man doth he is not of God sinneth not overcomeâ— the world keepeth himself that the wicked one toucheth hâ—m not neither can he sin while so because he is born of God and the Seed of God remaineth is head permanent prevalent and preheminent in him and so which of these two sorts men are matters not much to the point sinners as such are sinners ever and not Saints and Saints are Saints ever as such and not Sinners and each hath his reward from God as his work is and he that 's holy is hely and he that 's righteous is righteous and he that 's unjust unjust still and he that 's wicked is wicked still and he that 's good is good and not evil and he that 's evil is evil and not good and the godly are they that are godly and none else and the ungodly are ungodly and nothing else that 's opposite to it for contraries cannot be denominated both of the same subject at the same time and each of these as they are reapse in very deed so are they in Gods account who accounts all men and things truly what they are and not as man who wearies the Lord with his words saying Every one that do h evil is good in the sight of the Lord and God delighteth in him and who is abuniration with the Lord for sâ—dâ—ing Prâ—v 17.15 Mal. 2.17 calling good evil evil good nor justifying the wicked or condemning the righteous but in his righteous Judgement which evil men understand not Pro. 28.5 as it is revealed in the Light which is the day thereof rendring to all according to their deeds secret as well as open by Christ Iesus according to the Gospel Paul preached to the patient continues in well doing Eternal Life to the contentious ones against the Truth that obey not it but unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish and this to every soul of man that doth evil Iew or Gentile Rom. 2. And so â—he only that doth righteousness is righteous and is of God and accepted with him and he that doth not righteousness is not of God nor he that hateth his Brother hath no Eternal life from God abiding in him and be that sinneth is of the Devil and hereby the Children of God are manifested and the children of the Devil and each hath his own Fathers portion as he bears his image nature and proportion and as no righteous one is rejected or reprobated so no unrighteous one is elected or accepted but without respect of persons in every Nation he that fears God and works righteousness in Christ the Light is accepted with him And howbeit the righteous turning from his righteousness to iniquity may die as the wicked turning from his wickedness to that which is lawful and right may live and the same person may turn and return and turn again and be in possibilities of life or death according as he chuses when both are â—et aâ—ore him yet the wayes of God are equal and his Iudgements according to truth and each man haâ—h from him for ever as he doth and though the man that is now a Sinner may become a Saint like David and a sinner again and by true repentance and purging with hysop a Saint again yet the Saint hath no part with the Sinner in his Lake nor the Sinner any share in the inheritance of the Saints which is in Light but each hath his own peculiar and proper reward and the heart of the one knows his own heaviness and the stranger intermeddles not with the others joy And howbeit men may of unbelievers become believers and believers in the Light may by an evil heart of unbelief draw back to perdition and depart from the living God yet whether they believe or not God abideth faithful and cannot deny himself the believers portion that believes is the Life and the unbelievers part is the Lake And though he that is now an unbeliever mâ—diante side may become a believer and be saved and he that now believes making shipwrack of his Faith and good Conscience as Iudas and others did may come to be damned yet no believer is ever damned nor is any unbeliever ever saved but the Foundation of the Lord who knows his own evermore stands ever sure let men go which way they will who owns none that name the name of Christ and depart not from iniquity and owns all who ere they be that do according to his everlasting and unchangeable Decree that stands thus stedfast without variation for ever viz. that he that believes only shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Mar. 16.16 So then every Saint ceases from sin as T.D. also saves and he that ceases not from it is no Saint or holy one but a Sinner and the sinner cannot but sin and do as his Father the Devil who begets him does and he
to pay his Creditor 20l. should never pay it him upon the pretence of an impossibility to perform his promise if he do once pay the mony I must ever owe him the monâ—y and stand engaged to endeavour to pay it therefore unlesse I make my selfe uncapable of performing my promise which I am alwayes mindfull of performing I must never actually pay it But now as to T. D's place who would it seems willingly be alwayes in Gods debt during his life but never come out of it till after death ever owing so much love as fulfills the Law but never practising it so as to fulfill the Law I must arrest him for all his shift and deny the minor of his Argument We are not required to be alwayes doing or endeavoring to suppre is and mortify sin so as never to bring the work to accomplishment in th ss life but once to effect it before we dye for As they are blamed that are over learning and never able to come to the knowledg of the Truth So are they as little accepted that are allwayes seeking to God dayly in pretence as a Nation that had a mind to do Righteousness asking of him the Ordinances of Iustice seeming to take delight in approaching to God that they might know his wayes alwayes when the appointed time comes Fasting and Praying humbling and afflicting their Souls for a day and hanging down their heads as a Bullrush thinking that to be a Fast of the Lords chusing and the acceptable day of the Lord yet never loosing the bands of wickednesse nor undoing the heavy burden nor breaking every yoak nor letting the oppressed Seed of God in their own hearts nor without neither go free ever and anon fasting for sin never from it ever reforming never reformed ever running never obtaining alwayes making a shew of mortifying sin never making any true effectuall mortification of it ever warring never overcoming nor quenching the fiery darts of the wicked nor dislodging the vain thoughts that are in them nor coming to the end of the Commandement which is love from a pure heart good conscience and faith unfamed allwayes beating the aire but never keeping under the body nor bringing it into subjection to the power of Truth ever owing that love which works no ill but fulfills the Law never performing any thing but that hatred which breaks the law debtors alwayes to the Spirit but living after the flesh and never by the Spirit mortifying the deeds of the body that they may live to God such sluggardly wishers and wouldens and seekers and respecters and pretenders and striuers and runners fighters reformers and mortifiers will be cast away at length for all their constant endeavours sith they do not so much as look to overtake what they run after nor reach the high prize they professe to presse to in this life which if they do not themselves say also t is to late to effect and obtaine it after death But Qui cupit optatam cursu contingere metam Multa tulit fecitque puer sintavit alsit 'T is good for a man to bear Christs Yoak in his youth sith the Soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing but the Soul of the diligent shall be made far As for the residue of T. Ds. reply to the argument above as some of it has bin toucht on before so what was not is scarce worth mentioning He tells us v. 6. which talks of respect to all Gods Commands explaines all the other Rep. T. D. sayes so but wher 's his proof beside if it be so a true real respect though such a slender one as he rests in does not stands in a due and true observation of them is he worthy to be respected as a true respecter of Gods Commandements that breaks them T.D. David excludes himself from the blessed Estate if undefiled and doing no iniquity be meant strictly here sith his wish v. 5. and other passages shew he was not free from sin which surely David did not intend because Psal. 32.2.5 he pronounces blessednesse to the man in whose Spirit is no guile who is sincere as himself was at that time though then under the guilt as is supposed by interpreters of his great sin of murder and adultery for which Psal. 51. was composed Rep. 1st some of this dirty stuff I spoke to but a little before the falsehood of which is evident for whereas the Scripture sayes David was not upright in the matter of Uriah T.D. sayes yea he was sincere and had no guile in his Spirit when under the guilt of those great sins 2d as to the rest what if David did exclude himself If he were under those great evills he might well exclude himself from the blessednesse of sincere ones till he came into the sense of Gods Love again to repentance while he pronounced the undefiled ones blessed that did no such iniquity he had reason to take the curse as his own portion to himself and to cry out of himself Talaiporos Anthroyos O wretched man that I am more deservedly then Paul who though in zeal of God shedding blood yet was 't is like never such a deep Adulterer and deliberate Murderer as David was in Vriahs case and as God said to Israel Hos 9.1 so might David say to himself rejoyce not thou as other honest people for thou aâ—t gone a who â—ing from thy God and if that were his case as thou intimatest it was wherein he was so desperately defiled with filth and blind he might well exclude himself from it having no reason to take to himself the blessing of the undefiled or whether he excluded himself or no from it this I am sure for all thy foolish dreams about Davids good Condition Iustification Blessednesse and Vprightness whilst under the guilt of those sordid Iniquities that the Scripture excludes him in that case so far from blessednesse that it concludes him neither upright as thou simply dost not so much as a respecter of Gods Commands which at least thou dorest he was even when he called that all abomination whiles thou Judg him as Indeed thou doest to have respect to Gods commandments that despises both God and him for 2 Sam. 12. as much as thou smoothest over those abominable businesses the better to sooth thy self and some sinful Saints like thy self in your lusts and iniquities as no more then Saints infirmities who have respect to all Gods Commandemets in respect of design and indeavour though falling short in accomplishing yet when Nathan came to him well-nigh a year after he had lyen in that dirty pickle in impenitency under the guilt of those gross impieties he is so far from sowing pillows and daubing with such untempered morter as thou dost and from including him in the lists of sincerity and owning him as one that had respect to all Gods Commands that he convinces him of his wicked hypocrisies and condemns him as one that had despised both God himself and
David even when he was guilty mark that of adultery and murder such sins as for which the Scripture when he lay impenitent under them denotes and excepts him as a man not upright a despiser of God and his Commandemenes A doer of evil in his sight 2 Sam 12. whom God also had not mercy on but did both condemn and severely judge with no lesse then Hellish horrors for his filth blood-guiltinesse till he had repented for it and was throwly purged from it Psalm 51. was not in a condemned but in a justified estate So that the sum of T.D. and those Doctors Doctrine that side with him therein is this viz to begin the dance right David while he commited adultery and murder not repenting was guilty before God and consequently not just nor justified but condemned for whom God holds not guiltlesse but guilty they are not justified accepted acquitted absolved approved but which is all one accused reproved condemned in his sight Yet to go round again David while he committed adultery and murder not yet repenting was not guilty before God but held guiltlesse not condemned nor reprobated or reproved but cleared acquitted absolved excused approved For between the two slates of guilty and not guilty non datur medium Contradictions Confusions and Rounds about Liberty of Conscience II. As to the Doctrine for Liberty of Conscience and against persecution for cause of Conscience in matters of Religion One while they tell the world the doctrine and practice of rigid imposing upon any sub penâ or persecuting any tender Consciences for beleeving and living according to their conviction or denying to beleeve or live contrary thereunto is a Bloody Tenet a way to make more hypocrites that for fear will conform to what they beleeve not to be truth then true Christians an evident note of a false Church and Antichristian Ministry that is degenerate and apostatized from the true pure Primitive Church of Christ which never did compel any by force and violence to be Christians but rather suffered all sorts of sorrowes and bare all manner of abuses from the whole world of false Worshippers whether Heathens or Nominal Christians barely for confessing to the truth of Christ and testifying against the evil lives of all Christs enemies whether such as hated the very outward name of Christ or such as named his Name and yet departed not from iniquity and were every where cursed yet blessed the cursers of them prayed for such as persecuted them intreated those that desamed and ill-intreated them and were patient silent when reviled and buffeted beaten banished as Vagabonds because for truths sake they often left their own Homes and had no certain dwelling place as seditious tumultuous disturbers of the peace because they peaceably went into Synagogues to reason and preach the Gospel of peace as turners of the world upside down because they sought to change men from their evill manners foolish customs vain inventions and wicked wayes that were abominable to God and to bring them to repentance from their dead works and worships in which their souls could never live to worship the living God who is a Spirit and not tyed to places in Spirit and in truth in the inner parts and to turn all men from the darknesse wherein they lived in the world without to the Light of Christ within themselves and from the power of Satan unto God Sometimes I say our great Gamaliels not only grant these things but also give them out for truth to the Civill Powers of the Earth most especially then and that with no small greedinesse when the Clergy of one kind feel themselves begin to be griped under the greedy clutches of the Clergy of another colour when they are likely to be imposed upon by others and to be clapped down under hatches by the Clerical cruelties of each other respectively As for example where ever the Papal or Roman or else the Presbiterian Primacy keeps the Keys spreads their Black Eagles clams over all others hath the power of permitting or poenal imposing there the Prelatick Pastoralty pleads his priviledge to have the liberty of his Liturgy he behaving himselfe no otherwise then peaceably among them Where the Episcopal Priesthood holds his Hierarchy and is Supream there as the Papal would willingly have his liberty and I blame none neither Iews Turks nor Heathens for desiring the like to walk every one in the Name of his God Mich 4. Soth that Right-rigid Scottish Presbiterian Race and that Mongrill seed of loose IndependentPresbiters are more loud for liberty then any other sort of Sectaries so called whatsoever who do all no lesse rationally then they they demeaning themselves peaceably as the very Principle of the Quakers binds them to do to all men require each the peaceable enjoyment of his Religion Church-Ministry fellowship faith and way of Worship under them When the Rabbies are ready to be Ridden one by another witnesse the Outcries once of New-England against Old when under the heat of far lesse Persecution from the Bishops then they have acted since themselves Old England it self was too hot to hold them also the present pleadings not only for their Directorian Liberties but Turpe et miserabile their very Livings Tythes Preferments and their Places now the Common Prayer Book Priesthood whom they unhorsed hath his foot in the Stirrup again and may not unlikely push the Presbiter besides the Saddle then Oh then what Hue and Cry against the bloody Tenet of Persecution and grievous groans for this desire of all Nations and People Liberty of Conscience Liberty of Conscience do we dayly hear from Smectimnuus his own as well as others mouthes Otherwhiles again yea ever when the Clergy of any one colour hath by either craft or conquest catcht the Keyes of the Kingdome and atchieved the Holy chaire they straightway clap their cruell clawes upon them to the keeping down by force of Armes more then Arguments all Liberty for any consciences but their own Then to go round again come let us sing a new Song Behold cry the Counsellers of Egypt the People of the children of Israell are more c. Exod. 1.9 10 11. As Pharoah said unto his people Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier then we Come on let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply and it come to passe that when there falls out any war they joyn also unto our enemies and fight against us and so get them up out of the Land Therefore they did set over them Taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens and they built for Pharoah Treasure cities Pithom and Raamses Then they set Taskmasters Then say the Sanballats and Tobiasses the Ammonites and Ashdodite as they Neh. 4.1 2 7 8 11. But it came to passe that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall he was wroth and took great indignation and mocked the Iews And he spake before his brethren and the
or a taedious vain uncertain talking of some Learned Humanists Iews and Christians in proof of the Points original before the Massorites against other some full as well-studied as the other and in an extravagant way Argles against the Arguments urged by not only learned Iews and Iesuites Elias Levita Bellarminus c. but also confessedly learned Protestants Luther Zwinglius Prideaux Capelliâ—s against his pretended antiquity of the Points from Ezra vagarying abroad unreasonably in the high Road of forgeries and fables then which as he sayes himself p. 264. in nothing more hath the world been cheated answering conjecture with no more then conjecture laying about him like a Thatcher thawcking Author upon Author story upon story tittle upon tattle fancy upon fancy humane fallible persuasion against humane fallible perswasion and yet in his conclusion not only shooting a thousand years short of Moses from whom he would at first have drawn them but also not adventuring to vent himself about their compleat being and beginning from Ezra at any certainty or clearly but thus cloudily only viz Let any man judge whether from such a heap of uncertainties any thing can arise that may be admitted to give testimony in the cause in hand and so say I either for or against on one side or 'tother for quod utrobique incertum est non est vel hinc vel illinc certum what 's uncertain between two concludes nothing either way for certain and so he falls as short of making it evident that they were first from Ezra as they do who say they were at first from the Massorites or Iewish Rabbins But suppose his argument from the tradition of some men had been as 't is not from all men downwards Nemine contradicente none to vye with the rest if he go about thereby to manifest as he does the undoubtednesse of his consequence and conclusion yet he hath confounded it himself if no other man had ever stirred against the businesse whilest to go romnd again he tells us p. 105. The constant Tradition of more then a thousand years carried on by innumerable multitudes of men great wise and sober from one generation to another doth but set open the gates of Hell for Mahumetans as well to prove the goodnesse of their Alcoran and p. 107 108. Because this Tradition is pretended with great confidence as a sure bottome foundation for receiving of the Scriptures in effect so 't is say I by I. O. for the receiving the Points from Ezra not the Massorites and that not without the Tradition of as learned to vye with the Reporters I shall quoth he a little further inquire into it Tradition which is report of men from those who are gone before may be either of all men of the world or only of some of them if of all either their suffrages must be taken in some convention or gathered up from the individuals as we are able and have opportunity if the first way of receiving them were possible which is the utmost improvement that imagination can give the authority inquired after yet every individual of men being a lyar the whole Convention must be of the same complexion and so not be able to yield a sufficient Basis to build a faith upon cui non potest subesse falsum that is infallible and cannot possibly be deceived much lesse is there any foundation for it in such a report as is the emergency of the Assertion of individuals Thus I. O. with the whirlwind of his own round about doctrine layes all his long Traditionary Tales for the Antiquity of his tittles on the ground again with his own talk of the invalidity of Tradition to beget such a divine infallible faith and certainty as men must have about the Scripture which he makes the Rule Basis and Foundation of all faith and certainty in other things so Diruit aedificat mutat quadrata Rotundis Secondly I. O. treats out two more Arguments for the Antiquity and Divinity of his tittles whereof if no man should intermeddle to confute them the one confounds and utterly overturns the other The first whereby Alas poor man he hampers himself and to as little effect most horribly to evince the Points to be as high as Ezra at least which salves not his Assertion of the Texts integrity however were it granted him and not so novel an invention as of the Tiberian Massorites is an extraordinary excentrick boundlesly bitter invective as against the Iewes in general in their rancor against Christ wickedly attempting the restoration of their Religion under Barchochab and Rabbi Iuda by the compiling of their Talmuds and much other inpertinent stuffe and story of which I. O. himself very truly confesses p. 234 in tâ—tidem verba that its all nothing to his own purpose so specially against the Tiberian Massorites in particular the supposed Authors of the Hebrew Pun ation for half a hundred pages together not caring how he vilifies them so he may but bring men to beleeve so badly of them as not to own them as the Inventors of the Vowels and Accents but Ezra or some holy men guided therein at least by the infallible direction of the Holy Spirit His Argument which he hath from Dr. Lightfoot drawn close up out of p. 240 241 242 246 247. in form is on this wise The pointing of the Bible savours of the work of the Holy Spirit not of wicked blind madâ—mon but the Tiberian Massorites were wicked blind mad men possessors of the Letter without the Spirit desperately engaged to oppose the truth under Gods curse one of whose fundamentals was opposition to the Gospel feeding themselves with vain fables and mischievaus devices against the Gospel labouring to set up a new Religion under the name of the old in despite of God so striving to wrestle it out with his curse to the utmost men of a profound ignorance in all learning and knowledge but what concerns their own dunghill Traditions and innumerable fopperies addicted to such monstrous fopperies as their Successors in after ages are asham'd of and seek to palliate what they are able Idolaters crafty raging serious in nothing childish about serious things how much deceitfulness froth venome smoak nothing in their disputations Therefore considering the importance of the Hebrew Vowels and Accents to a Right understanding of the Scripture we need clear yea undeniable unquestionable evidence and testimony and so say I there is as clear and unquestionable given this way as I O. who is concerned to give infallible proof his way gives to the contrary to prove the Rise and Spring of the Points to be from these men that is the Tiberian Massorites This is one of I. Os. Arguments which how it lacks little confutation by any thing but it s own apparent folly and evident weaknesse and blindnesse a child may see It intimates as if wicked men could not possibly find out and affix such a thing as the Figure of Accents
they hold that as the Sun is appointed in nature to be the light of every man that cometh into the World though shutting our eyes may exclude it So Christ is by office the Sun in the world of grace giving men actually all the gracious light they have being sufficient himself to enlighten all and giving them an illuminating word which is sufficient in its own kind to do its own part though many are blind and for their sin are deprived of the communication of this light why all this we maintain as well as they do they say that all this light within us and without us is to be hearkened to and obeyed why what man did they ever speak with that 's a Christian no Christians indeed say I but too many Antichristians that denyeth it See what a deal of the Quakers doctrine concerning learning only at Christs light is here uttered by these men R.B. I.T. who yet hate the self same doctrine at their hearts when the Quakers teach it also in many other places they teach much more to the same purpose putting men on to attendance to the light yea even the light within every man as p. 40 41. This light usefull for two ends First To restrain men from excesse of sin c. As he gave a Law to the Iewes because of transgression to restrain them or abate punishments so to other people he gave a law in themselves to prevent the extirpation of the Nations by bridling them in their lusts thorow conscience of sin and fear of punishment Secondly Besides this God hath another end that they might be inexcusable who sinned against the light in them and God justified in his Sentence and judgment upon them Observe how this light within is owned by them as the Law of God which T.D. affirming the work of the Law only to be there yet denyes to be in the heathens hearts to the contradiction of these men and of himself also in that other plaee p. 16.2 pamp Where to go round again he confesses much of the holy matter of the Scripture to be written upon the hearts of the heathens and that to be their Rule I say as the Law of God which is spirituall holy just and good and to be obeyed for else transgression of it could not be sin deserving judgment for sin is no other then the transgression of the Law So p. 82.83 they go on thus If the light shine into thy soul from Christ so as any convictions or discoveryes of truth from Christ get into thee and some convictions they confesse all havâ— by the light within take heed thou hold it not in unrighteousnesse nor seek to quench it Rom. 1.18 Wrath to all that hold truth in unrighteousnesse when lust imprisons light no entrance for the light of Christ into that soul there must be a love of the light It s the greatest sign of a man willfully evill when he hates the light and it s a good sign of a man truly good when he can delight in that light mork which discovers his own euills What light is that which discovers a mans own evills but the light within the letter without doth de jure only the light within doth de facto discover mens own evill Christ hath determined this to be the great condemnation that men love darknesse rather then light or else the Heathen could not be condemned say I who have and yet hate the light within for they have no letter without for that 's the sign they side with the Prince of darknesse and men that do truth come to the light that their deeds may be manifest c. The more light is rejected the more purely voluntary any sin is when men are willingly ignorant they are incurably evill c. Each person is to make their use of the light within him so far as it is light and usefull Certainly it concerns every man so far as to look to the light within him mark that he do not as t is said of some Job 24.13 Rebell against the Light which Text in Iob I. O. interprets of the letter but I. T. to the confutation of I. O. truly with us of the Common light within men A mens conscience is so far a law to him that though it cannot of it self justifie which is contrary to Rom. 2. which sayes their inward thought as well excuses the Heathen when they do well as accuses when they do ill and excusation and justification or to excuse clear justifie are all one yet it may condemn him So p 37. they go on thus God hath imprinted in all even the most Barbarous people some relique of light though in some it is so small that may be say we for all have not the same but all some measure of Gods light which these men somtimes call darknesse delusive and dangerous and degrees vary not the nature of the case that it can hardly be perceived whether there be any sense of sin or wrath of duty or reward of God or Devill Heaven or Hell Secondly Some people that never had the Gospell nor the Law made known to them as the Jewes and Christians have had yet have attained to so much knowledge and practice of morall duties Mark morall duties are the main things of the Law and required in the morall Law viz. To do as we would be done by which faith Christ is the Law and Prophets Math. 7. The sum substance and upshot of all and more then all offering and sacrifice so that the Iews failing in these weightiar matters viz. Iudgment mercy faith c. all outward oblations and observations were abhorred that in some acts of righteousnesse temperance chastity fidelity and such vertues they have equallized at least in respect of their outward demeanour toward men if not exceeded not only Iewes who had the Scripture as our Scribes have and search as much in it but also the more shame for the most of you filthy fruitlesse faithlesse Christians the while whom very heathens will therefore judge the most Christians Thirdly And in the knowledge of God though therein they were most defective yet they attained to so much knowledge and right apprehension of him as enabled them to correct the Vulgar errours concerning God See how far beyond our vulgar Christians and very Christian Clergy men that have the letter to boast talk trade on the light within hath led the very Ethnicks that have heeded it by these mens own confession But they go on yet further preaching up the light with the Qua thus p. 84. It will concern those who own Christ as their light to judge themselves and their wayes by his light This act of self judgment is within faith I.O. Seconding that morall instinct of good and evill that is imprinted by God on the Conscience from the innate light therein It is the great benefit of the light that it doth make manifest Eph. 5.13 Thus by the light of Christ the evill
Vice-gerentship turn it down from the Bench to the Bar and there like a Iustice of neither Peace nor Truth pass his scornfull sentence on it and damn it into utter darkness among a crue of Counterfeits fanatical fancies meer Figments imaginations the whole rabble of such like malefactors deceivers as any may see who having so much skill will be at so much pains as to consult those pieces of his Latine piece that are to that end here cited in the margent Wee see then that though these men agree all together to witnesse against the Truth yet their witnesse agrees not together within it self their Assertions assent not but assault one the other about the self same subject the light some saying as they said of Christ he is a good man others nay but he deceiveth the people One while t is O divinae Originis lumen O vox Dei effectualis non Hominem sonat est Dea aut a Deo certe O Lux Dei seipsam declarans et â—uthoritatem suara per quam Deus infallibiliter revelat seipsum hominibus quid verbis opus est cum Ipsa loquitur quid testibus ad extra ad convincedum c. O Lex Dei in corde 〈◊〉 mentibus hominum insita ibi loquens judicans in Nomine Domini Nâ—men Dei pâ—r quod seipsum exhibet cognoscendum c. Anon again in hoc Noâ—ine Domini incipit omne malum Then t is O pestis O Labes O nequitia ipsa nequitia nequior So then Sua ipsorum contra seipsos Pugna de Luce sic se habet Ex hac parte pâ—â—â— et pudicitiaest illinc petulantia et stuprum Hine fides est illinc fraudati hinc pietas illinc scelus hinc constantia illinc suror hinc certitudo illinc failâ—â—lis pretextus hinc honestas illinc turpitudo hinc justa justitia adeoque si fieri possit justitia justior illinc ficta fictitia falsa falsissima fallaciâ ipsâ fallacior hinc Dei quidam digitus seu insculptio quaedam in cordibus non nisi per Dei quidem ipsius manus illinc Ironice Deus nescio quis seu forsan Deo quopiam quid melius aut ipso Diabolo pejus hinc penè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illinc verè nihil hinc Lux ipsa luce clarior illinc mera Tenebrae caecita adeoque obscuritate ipsa ferè obscurior One more Iigge of I. O. about the Light of God we testifie to as one and the same gift or grace of God in all as to its nature though different in measure is this which is in part toucht on above and then I leave them all to Dance in the dark all together if they will till they are as weary as I am in tracing after them He may well say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it yet verè nihil for he first makes it every thing and at last just nothing as any one may find comparing his first Treatise with his last Tract of Theses One while he calls it metaphoricall not pròper Otherwhiles proper not metaphoricall One while natural as opposite to civill and not morall spirituall nor supernaturall Otherwhiles and in other respects he makes it civill morall spirituall and in effect supernaturall as in opposition to naturall One while Ironically some certain divine soul of the world mixt with all things yea all these things abovesaid yea all things also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Otherwhile verè nihil truly nothing One while common to all and universall but then not saving Otherwhile sufficient and saving but then particular only and peculiar to few not common nor universall yea the Light is made little lesse then a Monster of all shapes a nescio quid a certain naturall supernaturall civill morall spirituall reall metaphoricall sufficient insufficient efficacious ineffectuall usefull useless safe dangerous peculiar common speciall generall particular universail Every thing which when all comes to all is none knowes what but a meer just Nothing So here is a Unity thus parting it self into a Plurality divided first into a Duality then turned into a Trinity then quartered into a Quaternity then extended into an Universality or certain Omniality and then as some Nihil in Nil revertens returning back into a Particularity and narrowed up nearer into a Neutrality till it resolve and annihilate it self at last into a very Nullity Thus the Priest's work who talk for Self Is Tangling talk against it Self 'Gainst Truth a Prate a piteous Preachment That can't make good its own Impeachment As Dr Owens Doctrine Does Who heeds not well which way he Goes Baxter's Tomb's Dansons dances Round And Round again in th' self same Ground It staggers to and fro and Reels Skips up and down and runs on Wheels Starts aside like some broken Bow Crosses Christ like Cris X Crosse in th' Row Whoso can feel in it may Feel As 't were a Wheel within a Wheel A Net Gin Trap a Snare's in It A Whirlpool Gulf Bottomlesse Pit Wind Dust Husk Chasse no stable Steeple A Tale that takes unstable People A Toy a Cloud Mist Smoak a Fogg No Quakerisme but some Quavering Bogg A Quick-sand a Quagmire that Sucks Who 's in 't his feet out hardly Plucks Himself who 's In gets seldome Out It self 's more seldome In then Out It flutters like some blind night Bat Now here now there this way now That Now it is One thing then Another And now and then nor t' One nor t' Other Somtimes it 's This somtimes it 's That Somtimes it s This and This and That Somtimes 't is either This or That Somtimes 't is neither This nor That Now This not th' Other a non it s Either Then by and by both Both and Neither One while it looks like So not No Another while like No not So One way it seems or So or No Another way nor No nor So Some wayes it shewes both So and No So 't's a meer endlesse No and So. Sam Fisher. SIc O sic Quantas pateâ—asque Quotas Quasque Tu plenas Babilone Totas Haud Tibi at Sancto cuicung Notas Bestia Potas Scripta Scriptorum modo multa Notas Scripta Scripturae modo sacra Notas Huic tamèn cae cos oculos Remotas Reddis et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Puncta contendis literaeque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Esse movendas neque nec Remotas Esse nec novas sed babere Notas Biblia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Esse Scripturas benè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aut per aut propter licet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Esle sed mentemque manusque Lotas Non benè Notas Diruis nunc quae oedisicas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Esse vocales literasque Votas Normam et has meras dein ' esse O Rotas Non ita Notas Perfici per has aliquando Votas Posse vel cunctos aliquando O Rotas Neminem hic purum fieri Revotas Posse Ita Motas
the Term Our which quite alters the state of the Question and makes it altogether another This Truth is told us viz That the Terms of the 3. Question were Whether Good works be the meritorious cause of our Iustification which was expressely affirmed by the Qua Witnesse Hen Oxenden Iohn Boys Esquires Mr. Nath Barry Mr. Thomas Seyliard Mr. Char Nicolls Ministers a few of very many Witnesses quoth T.D. in his Epist to the Reader of the Terms of the Questions agreed to by the Qua who will free me and how well they free him let all the world judge from the suspition of a partial Relator Witnesse also T.D. himself who if it be the same T.D. as no doubt it is who wrote both that Book and the Epistle and Narrative thereto annexed in p. 58. of the self-same Book to the Contradicting and Confounding of himselfe in the former Tale together with those his own Witnesses tells all that Truth that is last related 2. They tell us one while that is when we not only assert it but evince it from the Rule of contraries that its rank Popery to say Good works deserve Iustification Otherwhiles that is when to the contradiction of themselves they assert and evince the same from the same Rule then to go round again it 's no Popery Witnesse T.D. who in p. 14. of his 1. Pamphlet sayes S.F. shews himself a rank Papist indeed in so arguing yet p. 15. in proof of himselfe to be a good Protestant no Papist allows himself so to argue viz Evill works which are the violation of the Law deserve damnation Ergo Good works which are the fulfilling of the Law deserve salvation adding That he knows no good works such but Christs To which I answer Nor do I know any good works such but Christs and I adde I own all Good works such that are Christs and there T.D. dissents in not owning all Christs own Good works such but some only namely such as he did at Ierusalem and some even of Christs own Good works as namely all such as he works in his Saints who works all their good works in them Isa 26.12 as no better then dung losse and filthy rags Witnesse his blind blending of these two distinct businesses into one and the same viz The righteousnesse wrought by men without Christ and the righteousnesse wrought in men by Christ or Our good works alias Mans own righteousnesse wrought only by men in their own wills wisdome strength according to their thoughts imaginations conceits traditions c. without Christs Light and Spirit which is that only the Spirit calls Ours that is as an unclean thing as filthy rags Isa 64.4 which God speaking to Israel that being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse went about to establish their own Rom 10.3 calls Thy righteousnesse thy works which cannot profit nor deliver Isa 57.12 13. And which Paul Phil. 3.9 stiles his own righteousnesse which was of the Law as in opposition to that of God and Christ And those good works of Christ in our persons in performing whereof the righteousnesse of the Law is said though by Christs Power only to be fulfilled in us Rom 8.4 Or that righteousnesse which is though in the Saints yet of God alone through their faith in Christ Iesus the Light Phil 3.9 For these two Righteousnesses the one whereof who is not blind may see to be only mans own which is worse then naught and avails not The other only Christs own which must be of infinite worth and desert to justifie as T.D. also to the further confounding of himselfe truly confesses p. 15.1 Pam from the dignity of the person or subject i.e. Christ in us by whom it 's performed T.D. confounds together both into one and the self same and consequently concludes himself unavoidably to be respectively both a Self Contradictor and which is worse a most abominable Blasphemer For if the Righteousnesse and Obedience that is by Christs Power performed in his Saints Persons be both Christs own and yet mans own also Then being one and the same individual righteousnesse it must have a mutual participation of the same Properties and Denominations respectively so that if Christs own righteousnesse may be said to be of worth and desert to Salvation as it truly is by T. D. himselfe then â— mans Pauls the Saints own righteousnesse which T.D. sayes was Christs received from Christ wrought by Christ must be consequently meritorius also and that 's a piece of rank Popery and wretched Foppery of T.Ds. own broaching who yet would Father it upon the Qua which the Qua who own all mans own righteousnesse to be as the Scripture sayes of it unclean dung losse and filthy rags and utterly unprofitable do as utterly abhorre and so T.D. makes himselfe a Merit Monger with a witnesse such as never yet was found among the Qua That dying-Qua at Dover himself whom T.D. belyes in that particular not excepted And again If Mans Pauls the Saints own righteousnesse may be said as it truly is Isa 57.12 13. 64.4 Phil. 3.8 to be unprofitable unclean dung losse and filthy rags then the self same which Paul and other Saints their own righteousnesse being no other then Christs then what they receive from him and he works in them as T.D. sayes for their Sanctification some of Christs own righteousnesse Yea even that too which serves for the Saints sanctification and to make the Saints meet for that possession where â—no unclean thing must enter must be unprofitable unclean dung losse and filthy rags which is no lesse then point blank blasphemy yea in expresse terms p. 23. I deny our justification by Christ in us quoth he by that righteousnesse in us whereof Christ is the Author as if that Christ in us and that righteousnesse of his in us which is the same with that without us deserved nothing 3. Moreover in saying there are two Righteousnesses of Christ when as the Righteousness of Christ whether in himself or in his Saints is but one he crouds confusion upon confusion in the eye of every clear considerer of his inconsiderable stuff which cannot but see that what God joyns together as one this he separates and puts asunder what is truly one and undivided as Christ and his Righteousnesse is this he divides and distinguishes into two righteousnesses 2 Things meant by that one name of Christ his Person and his Operations in us The latter whereof he denys for righteousness to justification But what things are truly and distinctly two and ought accordingly to be and by the Lord are divided separated and put asunder as Mans Pauls the Iewes own righteousnesse and that righteousnesse which is of God by faith in Christ received from and wrought by Christ in his Saints which the Scripture Rom 10 Phil. 3. opposes and speaks of as in contradistinction each to other These two T.D. and his Brother Builders whose work it is to build Babel or confusion as their
reward is the division of their tongues confound and jumble both together into one They tell us one while that truth Christ tells his Disciples Matth. 5. That except our righteousnesse exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees whose lives yet ad extra as to all outward appearance were as exact as they were strict in many Religious observations we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom Whereby they intimate we must live walk and obey Gods Holy Truth and will though by Christs assistance yet personally more spiritually then they Yea they tell us what the Gospel requires from us though it is to be done by Christ in and for us is a more total abstinence from evil and even lusting to it then the Law and so the Gospel to call for more full self-denyall then the Law if ere we live The one saying Thou shalt not commit adultery the other Thou shalt not lust the one Thou shalt not steak the other Thou shalt not covet the one Forswear not thy self the other swear not all the one thou shalt not kill the other Thou shalt not be angry without cause Otherwhiles to go round again They make the Law require more full and exact obedience to God then the Gospel The Law gives not life without perfect obedience quoth T.D. The Gospel gives life upon imperfect obedience 4. Again They tell us one while that is when they preach to their people and see no Quakers among them the same truths the Scriptures tell us concerning God that He is of purer eyes then to behold the least iniquity that God John 9.31 Accepts not owns not hears not sinners says to such as work it and depart not from iniquity Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity I know not whence ye are Matt 7.22 Luke 13.27 And though forgiving iniquity to the penitent when they confesse and forsake sin yet by no means clearing the guilty while they lye in impaenitency under sin Exod 34.7 That if the heart condemn God in greater then it and knows all and what the Light in the conscience speaks in way of that self-judgment that 's placed in us and seconds it to justification or condemnation accusation or execusation there needs no witnesse to convince a man quoth I.O. p 43.45 that it speaks it from God it discovers it's Author from whom it is in whose name it speaks So that if that as it does every sinner holds guilty God whose mind it speaks holds not guiltlesse Yea That he who justifies the wicked condemns the just even they both are abomination to the Lord as Pro 17.15 and much more of that sort i e when the Qua tell the same truths to turn men from all sin which is transgression or iniquity for not the least sin is equity that I know of then in opposition to the Qua they wheel about And Otherwhiles As if God were another manner of God Who because its impossible by the power of his own grace to be fully freed and perfectly purged from all sin here will give indulgency to his sinning Saints to go round again They tell us other tales of him whereby if Pro 17.15 be true they represent him as doing that in the doing of which he must be an abomination to himselfe viz 1. That he condemns the just witnesse T.D. who tells us that here the best works and personal performances of Beleevers and Saints themselves are imperfect sin iniquity dung losse unclean filthy rags though done by Christ in them And yet to go round again That God accepts alias is well-pleased delights and takes pleasure in both these Beleevers and their wicked works Witnesse the Supralapsarian Predestination Preachers who represent God as loving of few only as Iacob hating most men personally with Esau qua sic as men the creatures of his own Creation to shew his wrath power soveraignty over them as the Potter over the Clay of the same lump the Mistery of which matters of Iacob and Esau their meer mans wisdom sees no more into then a Moles eye into a Milstone not onely before they had done either but without reference to either good or evil foreseen to be done in time by either Adam their supposed Representative or themselves and the Sublapsarians also who represent God as by Praeterition at least rejecting most on the Account meerly of Adams single act without a respect to any personall actions of their own The least and best of which two do doctrinally make God a Condemner for ever of Millions of just innocents yea very infants as they blush not to infer for one fault of their Father Adam for whose only eating the sowr Grapes all the childrens teeth must be set on edge contrary to what God sayes now who will have that Proverb used no more but sayes as the soul that sinneth shall dye for his own so every man only for his own iniquity and not the son for the fathers any more then the father for the sons 2. That he condemns not but clears the very guilty justifies the very wicked and ungodly that not from for the Qua know that he justifies many ungodly Ones from their ungodlinesse they repenting not resisting his Spirit by which he would purg them but giving up to become the Godly whom only he hath chosen Ps. 4. but even in the most wicked and ungodly Actions and even whilest under the guilt of most abominable Transgressions so wearying the Lord whom they speak well of sometimes as a God of True-judgment with their evill words of him at other times when they say with the wicked Priests of whom God by Malachi complains ch 2.17 of such as do evil that they are good in the sight of the Lord and he delighteth in them or where is the God of judgement as if he who changes not and said of old Shall I count them pure c. Mic 6.11 did change and become another kind of God at one time then he is at another viz to count men righteous even while such treasures of wickednesse are in the house of their hearts as render them no lesse then wicked scanty and abominable and to count men as I know not that ever he did pure with their wicked ballances with their bag of deceitful weights while they are full of violence and speak lyes and their tongue is deceitful in their mouths Witnesse not only all other his fellow Pillow-sowers under their arms and Soothers up of sinners in their sins and Daubers of Evill-doers with the smooth untempered Morter of their Peace peace when there is no peace saith my God unto the wicked but T.D. himself above all the rest who p. 38. Pam 1. not only sayes but still stands to it and owns it or'e and or'e again as grosse as it is and Iustifies it for truth in his Reply to R. H. who charges it on him Justly as a grosse absurdity which I have above also more at large replyed to that