true Standing and ever Continuing Worship of God which is in Spirit and Truth For saith Christ God is a Spirit and they that Worship him must do it in Spirit even in his own Spirit and Truth So then they that are in the Flesh the Carnal Mind cannot Perform this Worship and so cannot Please God but a Carnal-minded One can observe your Days whether Fasts or Feasts and say all your Prayers and do all your Devotions which you are outwardly Exercised in from the one end of the Year to the other and so get a Name yet this avails nothing to the Kingdom of God Nay Paul the Apostle speaks further If I give all my Goods to Feed the Poor and my Body to be Burnt and have not the Love of God the true Charity Understanding within to Purge thy Heart from Sinful Self in the matter it is nothing For true Christians do not do good Works noâ— suffer for well doing that they may merit Salvation thereby but being saved freely by Grace through the Redemption which is in Christ Jesus they do good Works from the Heavenly Nature of that Holy Root that bears them and brings them forth as good Trees to Glorifie God in their Bodies and Souls which are his Tit. 3.8 And the Apostle Charging Titus to Exhort Believers to good Works was not because they were Saviours but because they were Profitable to Men as well as the Prophets And as for our Religion which the World and all the outside Professors of it look so slightly at and speak so Contemptibly of we would have you as well as the rest to know that it is truly Ancient Catholick Christian and Apostolical as having its Rise and Foundation in and from the Eternal Word which is Christ in us the Hope of our Glory whom the Apostle to the Colossians Preached as a Mystery formerly hid but then Revealed to the Gentiles even Christ in the Flesh the Hope of their Glory through Faith in his Name and this is God's Foundation the Foundation of Christ's Church another Foundation can no Man lay than this which God hath laid and this is the Rock not Peter but Christ who Peter by the Revelation of the Father Confessed unto And so through Faith in this Word Christ the Foundation and Rock of all the Righteous that ever were or ever shall be do we deny all the false Faiths and Works of all who have gotten the Name but want the Nature of true Christian People and so in the true Faith which gives Victory over the World and in the Name of Christ which is above every Name do we separate from them and meet together to Worship God in Spirit and Truth as he Requires us and his Blessed Presence in the midst of us according to Promise do we abundantly feel and witness to the great Rejoycing and Establishing of our Souls in Righteousness when thus met together And therefore do we Exhort all that Name Christ whether call'd Papists or Protestants to have Fellowship with us because our Fellowship is thus truly with the Father and the Son Therefore Awake Awake stand up from your Dead Faculties and Dead Worships that Christ who is the true Everlasting Way you may walk in and Worship in where no Uncircumcised or Unclean in Heart can come and if this you do not believe and bow your Heart accordingly to obey let me tell you as one who hath received Mercy to be Faithful you can never be Established with the Establishment of the Righteous for this is the Day that burns as an Oven where in all the Proud Wicked and False Professors and Confessors must be as Stubble and neither Root nor Branch must be left them because they will not have him the true Promised Seed and Heir of all things to Reign and Sway his Righteous Scepter in them and on them O! Look up to the Lord in a Trembling Soul and True Contrite Spirit to find Favour in his sight before the Door be shut and you stand without saying Lord Lord open to us And he Answer you in his Wrath because of your Unbelief and Disobedience saying Depart from me I know you not Workers of Iniquity for all are Workers of Iniquity in their highest Performances and greatest Conceits of themselves whose Works are not wrought in God that Spirit and Holy Power that Cleanses the Heart from all Sin and so brings Life to Light for God to be Praised in for the Dead cannot Praise him So consider what I say and be not Proud lest your Bands be made strong and your Feet stumble and then Fall upon the Dark Mountains where you have been too long Wandering Neither be so Foolish as to say This is but a Quaker who hath gotten some new Upstart Religion or so for in good Earnest I tell you the Truth which will stand when all Deceit and Devices of Men of corrupt Minds will come to naught for in the true Poverty of my Spirit hath the Lord according to Promise manifest his Blessed Kingdom in me and the pure Hunger and Thirst of my Soul which was after him and his Righteousness that he Graciously satisfied And therefore am Constrained in pure Love to your Souls to invite you as well as others to come out of the Prodigal State into the Heavenly Fathers House Christ Jesus as himself said My Father is in me and I in him and as the Apostle said It pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell in him for in this House and no where else is there Bread enough true Living Bread for the Hunger of the Immortal Soul as he said of himself in John 6. before any thing was spoken concerning the Bread and Wine at his last Supper I am the Living Bread the Heavenly Bread and when the Hearers Carnally Questioned How he could give them his Flesh to Eat he told them The Flesh Profiâ—ed nothing it was the Spirit that Quickened So come away Come away from your Carnal Conceivings of a Heavenly Man the Lord from Heaven to be Comprehended in a little Earthly Bread or Wine seeing the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens contain him not much less outward Temples and outward Elements of Bread or Wine For unto his Light that is night you which shineth in your Dark Hearts though your Darkness Comprehend it not must you come and there wait for the Day to dawn in you or these Mysteries of his Kingdom you can never truly Know but in your Darkness grope and stumble for ever as People without Eyes and though this Heavenly Seed the Word the Light appear little in you yet despise it not for in it is the Blessing and if you receive it and in it abide you will know all this and it will work in you as Leaven in Meal till your whole Lumpâ— ' Heavenly Sweet and Pure and so as Christ said If thy Eye be single to wit single in and to the Lord in his Light to Believe and Walk then thy whole
are come to know Christ and his Anointing in them to teach them are turned from such And though these Deceivers have proceeded for a time to wit during the late Night of Apostacy which Paul 2 Thes 2. spake of to deceive many yet now that the Light is risen again from under the Earth they are manifest and can proceed no further Let none therefore now be so void of understanding as to brand the true Messengers of Jesus Christ in this Day with the Name of Deceivers because they declare Truth not only publickly but also from House to House by virtue of the Holy Spirit only for so did the Apostles themselves and yet were no Creepers into Houses for creeping into Houses denotes the Work of the Children of Darkness who run without the Lord Jesus Christ his Spirit or Authority in their own Wills for Self-ends as before leading about People in their silliness and sinfulness all their Days as by woful Experience in the late Ages of the World since the Apostles Days hath been fully manifest wherein the World hath wondred after the Beast And as there were false Prophets among the People saith Peter even so also shall there be False Teachers among you who shall privily bring in Damnable Heresies c. 2 Pet. 2. But how may these be known may some say By their Fruits saith Christ ye shall know them And of this sort are they saith Peter in the same Chapter who through Covetousness with fained words make Merchandize of People and by walking after the Flesh in the Lust of Covetousness and Vncleanness and Despite of Christ's Government even deny the Lord that bought them These are the Presumptuous Ones indeed who count it Pleasure to Riot in the Day-time speaking evil of the worthy things that God works and makes manifest in his Children which these Presumptuous Ones know not And these false Teachers are of those whose Eyes are full of Adultery and that cannot cease from Sin For how should they seeing their Heart is exercised with Covetous Practices loving the Wages of Unrighteousness like Balaam as he to wit the Apostle Peter there speaks And therefore those that see not these are Blind indeed and those that these Teachers can deceive may well be said to be without a Foundation And hence it hath come to pass that through such Teachers Wickedness and Peoples Ignorance the World hath been as a Wilderness And now therefore is the Lord according to his Blessed Promise bringing up that knowledge of himself and his Christ again that shall make the Wilderness a fruitful Field and sweet smelling Garden for himself to be glorified in And this knowledge of God shall cover the Earth as the Waters do the Sea And thereby shall all hurting and destroying be done away from amongst Men Isa 65. last as is this Day witnessed amongst such where this Knowledge of God hath place Glory to his Name for Ever So now therefore all ye Kings Princes Potentates and Rulers of the Earth see in what Principle you stand and upon what Foundation you grow and whose Work you are a doing whether God's or your own True Magistrates are not a Terrour to the good but to the evil But how can ye see the good and the evil truly asunder or know what to punish and what to protect if you come not to the Light Christ Jesus that true Light which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World as was said before to take Counsel at him for he is the Wonderful Counsellor and whatsoever makes things truly manifest is his Light and with it every hard thing is known and every secret thing found out but without it nothing but all People that walk in the Darkness of their own Understandings do err in Vision and stumble in Judgment and so know not what they do nor whither they go And this way that seemeth good in the Man 's own Eye is that which always tended to Death and disordered all things And by such a Judgment Barrabas was Released and the Innocent Jesus delivered to be Crucified and by this the false Prophets in all Ages were protected and born up and the Dear Servants of Christ cast out as a thing of nought So arise arise awake awake to Righteousness and Sin not for the Lord is on his way to give unto every Nation and each People therein Rewards according to their Works without respect of Persons And until God's Righteousness rule in all and over all how can any thing stand let that of God in all Consciences judge so lay things to heart for this is the Day of your Visitation Also you Bishops and high Teachers who are pleased in your Minds because accepted of Man consider Are you accepted of God Is your Sacrifice so pure and your Persons so innocent that the Holy God can receive them Is your Doctrine so sound and Life incorrupt that none can justly blame it Have your Hands handled the Word of Life which you speak of to others And do you know in your selves what that living shâ—rp and powerful Word of God is which the Apostle Heb. 4. speaks of which divides betwixt Joint and 〈◊〉 Soul and Spirit and discerneth all the thoughts and intents of every Heart And are your Hearts cleansed by it And do you Preach and Minister this internal living and eternal Truth the Word to the People or the dead Letter only See how it is For the Fruit â—ow must be the real Witness of every Trees Nature Have you received the Free gift from above Then sell it not for Money Would you be counted Ministers and Embassadors for Christ and would you have the Children of Light to own you Then approve your selves to them as Paul did to the Brethren in his Days 2 Cor. 6.3 c. In much Patience in Afflictions in Necessities in Distresses in Stripes in Imprisonments as dying yet alive in the Hearts of the Hearers by the Power of Truth c. And let all People see that you mind the good of the Soul and God's Glory more than the World and your own Self-ease and Advantage For the Day is dawned that makes all things manifest And lay by your Carnal Weapons and make proof of your Spiritual Weapons if you have any and try a little how you can perswade Men to be of your Mind by that means For People begin to question much the forcing of Men into Religion by the carnal Sword and outward Constraint whether it be of God or no. For it 's found by Experience that into what People are forced by the outward Power by the same means may they be forced out of that again and so remain restless and without a Foundation until the Truth it self settle them So set not up your rest in the Wilderness much less in Egypt but look towards the Holy Land the undefiled unmoveable Foundation and suffer others to do so too And those that have spied out the good Land hinder them not
say They will not pay us they will not put into our Mouths they will buy none of our Merchandize any more Alas alas our great City But for all their Crying God will not hear nor help them for they have left off to do good and God hath shaken his Hand at their dishonest Gain and the Son of God in his Ever-blessed Light is arisen and is at Work to lead out of Darkness the Souls of the Simple that they may know him alone to be their Priest Minister and Teacher and may not be a Prey any longer to the Wolf in the Sheep's Clothing the Wolf who is inwardly gone from God and ravenned into the dark Wilderness and hath stollen the Saints and Christ's Words and makes a Trade on them to deceive withal for filthy Lâ—cre Wo unto them they have gone in the Way of Cain and after the Error of Balaam for worldly Ends 2 Pet. 2. throughout Rev. 12.7 5 10. and shall pâ—rish iâ— the gainsaying of the Truth as Core did And the Lamb shall have the Victory and the Lord is at Work leading his Flock by the Streams of Living Waters Glory to his Name for ever And what shall I only complain of the Unrighteousness and declare of the Downfall of the Kingdom of false Teachers and Hirelings amongst the Turks or of the Proud Imperious Prelates of the dark Seed of Rome Or shall I not rather come nearer home to wit to the Place of my outward Nativity the Land of Old England who pretend to be neither of the Spirit of Turks nor Papists but People of the Reformed Religion called Protestants as who should say Protesters against Romish Usurpations and Antichristian Innovations But alas to the Shame of thy Nakedness O England England there is found in thee a Conspiracy a Company of lewd and treacherous Men Jer. 13. who stand over thee as Teachers covered with black both inwardly and outwardly who wear a black Garment now as the false Prophets of old wore a rough Garment to deceive who cry Give give and can never have enough for they are as Graves and if one put not into their Mouths they bite with their Teech and prepare War against them Micah 3. Suing People at Law for Wages for whom they do Work most unreasonable of all Men and contrary to all other People Reaping where they never Sowed neither Spiritual nor Temporal Seed they claim the Tenth of such Men's Labours and Increase as they themselves excommunicate out of their Synagogues and in their false Judgment judge to Hell What! doth not the Destruction of their Souls seem enough but you must destroy their Estates and Families and sometimes their Body and Life also by long and unheard-of Imprisonments and Plunderings Shall not the Nations of the World who profess not as you the Priests and Prelates of England do rise up in Judgment against you For which of the Priests in Turkey or Rome are more eager for their Bellies than you are What Means do you leave unessayed against those who for Conscience sake cannot put into your Mouths Will any whose Eyes are open believe you to be Ministers of the Gospel who rather than lose a little of the Earth will expose both your selves and your Gospel to all the Blame and Shame that may be The very Name of Tythes shews you to be Jewish and of Easter-Reckonings and such like to be Popish and now where is your Reformation You may well confess there is no Health in you who have so palpably done and do what you ought not to have done Isa 14.5 and left undone what you ought to have done as in your Custom you confess Health nay nay how should you have any Spiritual Health in you who live in such manifest Oppâ—siâ—ion to the Spirit of Christ Jesus the Heavenly Physician Christ Jesus saith to his Disciples Freely you have received freely give but you are all for Money and great Farthly Revenues that you may live in Pride Idleness and Fulness of Bread Christ saith Seek ye first the Kingdom of God but your Care is how to get great Livings and Fat Benefices and as for the Heavenly Kingdom Mat. 13. which Christ compared to a Grain of Mustard-seed you neither know it nor are willing to learn you will neither enter into it your selves Mat. 23. nor suffer others but by your Traditions you shut it up against Men. Christ saith to his Swear not at all but you teach for Doctrine that Christians may Swear Mat. 5.34 37. James 5.12 and you do Swear not only before the Magistrates but even some of you in your ordinary Communication yea and which is most Abominable in your very Church-Service compelling the Men called Church-wardens to Swear and that oftentimes with an Unwillingness of Heart and Condemnation of Conscience to perform your Church-Offices which lays a kind of Impossibility upon them Oh sad may it not be said The Land mourns because of Oaths What have you no Shame nor Care of your Credit that can do such things in the open Sun â—os 4.2 3. and not blush Will you never open your Eyes a little to see your Works What do you mean to do Or where will you hide your selves in the Day of God's Judgments when he calls you to an Account and pleads with you in Flames of Fire for all your mighty Sins Do you indeed believe 2 Thess 1.8 as in words you say That you regenerate the little Infants by sprinkling a little Water on its Face and speaking a â—ew words of your own devising over it which it knows nothing of Go you indeed I say believe That by this kind of Baptism they are made the Children of God the Members of Christ and Inheritors of the Kingdom of God Or do you not rather do these Things to get Money by Oh Cursed Covetousness Mat. 13.15 the Root of all Evil Oh how it hath drowned your Souls in Perdition how it hath blinded your Hearts that you can see nothing of the Kingdom of God You bring in a Company of poor deluded Souls who follow you blind Guides to promise for the little Infant That it shall forsake the Devil and all his Works then what shall these bold Promisers suffer if the Child do not so Will they or you their Teachers for them be content to suffer the Pains of Hell the Reward of such as break Covenant with God And when will you see that this Custom of undertaking for the little Infants greatly derogates from the Honour of Christ who is the only Undertaker for Man towards God But what if a Child through Grace be so strengthned when it grows up as to see your Wretchedness and so to forsake and bear Testimony against all the Works of the Evil One that are done amongst you Will you not call him Heretick and put him out of your Synagogues Yea yea for you can have no Fellowship with any that have Health
ascended far above all Heavens and out of all Figures and Shadows that he might fill all things with his Holy Substance And as in former Days he gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the Perfecting of the Saints for the Work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ till we all saith the Apostle to wit the Heavenly Body not the Body of Sinful Earthly Flesh come in the Vnity of the Faith and the Knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect Man unto the Measure of the Stature and Fulness of Christ Ephes 4.11 12 13. Even so the Lord is now giving forth of his Spirit to his Children Born of his Spirit for enabling them in this Day of Restoration for the Work of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints and fitting them for Glory and this now after a long Night of Darkness and Desolation is to the Praise of his Glory who hath made us in this his Blessed Day as he did his Faithful Followers in the Beginning accepted in the Beloved to shew forth his Praises to Ages to come whom he will also raise up by Christ Jesus together with us to magnifie his Mercies for Evermore But that the Parish Teachers of these Times who Preach for Hire and Divine for Money loving to be called of Men Master and like the Pharisees of old love to go in Long Robes and receive Honour one of another John 5. are such to wit so given of Christ and begifted from Heaven and fitted for so great a Work as to perfect the Saints as those before in Eph. 4. mentioned were I utterly deny and their Fruits as also the Fruits of their Hearers make manifest that they are of another Sort Seed and Generation even such as the Prophet Jeremiah speaks of and declares against who have run and God never sent them For why they waited not for the Word of God to speak in them and by them but stole the Words from their Neighbour and used their Tongues to say The Lord-saith when the Lord never spoke by them Ier. 23.30 and therefore saith the Lord these Teachers shall not profit the People at all Verse 32. For what are their Chaffy Words to the Word of God Verse 28. So the Teachers of the Parishes this day get into the Pulpit with the Words of the Prophets and Apostles in their Hand and Sin in their Hearts as those other did dreaming over them for Filthy Lucre and cry to the People BELOVED yea Beloved because they put into their Mouths Hear the Word of the Lord as you shall find it written in such a Chapter and such a Verse when the Lord never spoke to these Hirelings nor sent them thus to preach but they are Men made Ministers Men of the Evil World and great Lovers and Pleaders for it and therefore the World hears them 1 John 4.5 But â—â—e true Messenger of Christ saith for himself and his Brethren We are of God and the whole World lieth in Wickedness And saith Christ to his Disciples Ye are not of the World as I am not of the World for if you were of the World the World would love you for the World loves its own but now I have chosen you out of the World therefore the World hates you John 15.18 19. So all People fear the Lord God for the Name of Christians without the Nature of Christ will do you no good at all for the Lord is come to search all that called Christendom with Candles and to pull down the lofty Hearts and Looks of all amongst them called Christians first and then of all the World besides for now is the Lord exalting his great Name over all as in the Beginning before the Antichrist Beast False Prophet and Whore got up and who shall stop the Passage of this mighty Jehovah in the great Work of setting up his Kingdom over all the Kingdoms of the Man of Sin that the Kingdoms of this World may become the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ whose Right alone it is to Rule and Reign according to that Saying in the Prophet I will Overturn Overturn Overturn till he come to Rule whose Right it is And now Wo and Misery begins to take hold of all Hypocrites and all the Wicked because of the arising and appearing of the great God from Heaven this day who is on his Throne judging in Righteousness and in Righteousness making War whose Fiery Word his Two-edged Sword goes out of his Mouth not only to discover but also to destroy and consume the Man of Sin in all the Earth And now the Hireling Teachers of all sorts the Merchants of Mystery Babylon shall cry Alas alas that great City People begin to see us and they will not Trade with us nor buy our Merchandize as in former days but declare against it see Rev. 18.10 11. O yea it cannot be otherwise for now the Witnesses that lay slain in the Streets of the great City Sodom and Egypt Spiritually so called are arisen and stand upon their Feet praised be God And now Judgment is given to the Saints of the Most High God Dan. 7.12 25 26 27. So that though the great Antichrist under many Shapes and Appearances hath spoken great words against God his Truth and People and hath oppressed the Saints yet now the Judgment of God being set against him his Dominion shall be consumed and destroyed and the Saints of the Most High God shall have Dominion and Reign with Christ whose Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him to wit our Lord Jesus Christ for whose Blessed Name and Truth 's sake the Holy Tremblers who Tremble at his Word and follow him in the Regeneration do this day suffer it is so Thomas Taylor In the Year 1679. Something in Answer to some Passages in that Wicked Antichristian Book written Catechism-wise by some Popish Stickler for his Master the Pope the Romish Antichrist and his Followers Printed at Douay and Subscribed H. T. IN his second Chapter he saith Faith is necessary to Salvation and that Faith is firmly to believe Matters of Faith because God hath revealed them Then say I Not the Pope But saith he again It is not enough to believe all that is written in the Bible but we must believe also Apostolical Traditions citing 2 Thess 2.15 Now say I in answer hereto That through wresting and abusing of this Scripture have they made way for bringing in all their Filthy Popish Stuff whereby Thousands and Ten thousands of poor Peoples Souls both have been and are at this day miserably deluded for certainly the Traditions which the Apostle there tells of whether by Word or Epistle where all of one nature and not directly contrary or contradictory one to another But the Popish Traditions though they may falsly call them Apostolical are directly contrary to Holy Scripture But saith he The Apostles Creed is not in the
brought the Children to Christ to have them so Baptized but as the words are That he would put his Hands on them and Pray But it seems you lay all the stress of the Service that can be done to Children on Washing or Sprinkling them with Water for without this all your laying your defiled Hands upon them and your sinful praying over them would do them little service it seems for indeed how should it seeing you never came to witness sinless Duty For it 's the Doctrine of the Highest amongst you that you sin in your best Duties and the words of your daily Service is That there is â—o Health in you And so Christ's Purifying Baptism we own for our selves and our Children but yours we deny for you have run and God never sent you and therefore so little worth are all your doings The other Argument from Mat. 19.14 is Those to whom the Kingdom of Heaven doth belong and the Covenant of Grace to those also the Seal of that Covenant doth belong which is Baptism saist thou but to Infants doth belong this Covenant Gen. 17.7 and Acts 2.39 I Answer To this Argument much might be said to shew the fallacy and gross deceit of it but in a few words it is manifest thus First I deny that part of the first or greater Proposition where thou Expoundest the Sâ—al of the Covenant to be Baptism that is Outward Water-baptism For though Outward Circumcision was a Seal to the Jews of that Covenant yet it doth not at all follow that Outward Baptism or Washing is the Seal of the Covenant of God in Christ to Believers under the Gospel neither doth Outward Baptism succeed in the room or place of Outward Circumcision as you falsly all along suppose but Inward Circumcision of the Heart is that which succeeds that in the Flesh and the Seal of God's Covenant with Man in Christ now is his Holy Spirit of Promise as the Apostle expresly saith Eph. 1.13 In whom to wit in Christ after ye believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise So that now the Covenant being wholly Spiritual and the Ministration of it Spiritual the Seal of it must needs be so to wit the Seal of the Spirit as it is said in that place which thou saist we omitted John 3.5 Except a Man be Born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven which not at all speaks of Outward Washing or Water but of the Spirit only of God from above as Christ's own words afterwards plainly signifie where he saith Ver. 6. That which is Born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is Born of the Spirit is Spirit And Ver. 8. The Wind bloweth where it listeth c. so is every one that is Born of the Spirit where Christ leaves out the mention of Water as if on purpose to stop such Carnal Conceits of his Work as thine is for the Seed of the New Birth or Power or Means whereby Regeneration is wrought is only of God by the Operation of his Heavenly Spirit and not by Outward Water or any perishing Thing whatsoever as it is said in another place The Children of God are Born of the Incorruptible Seed of the Word of God which lives for Ever And so when Peter had mentioned our being saved by Baptism to stop such Carnal Conceivers as thee he saith Not the doing away or washing of the filth of the Flesh is it but the Answer of a good Conscience in the Resurrection of Jesus saves which if thou hadst an Ear to hear thou might hear And for the Assumption or other Proposition of thy Argument where thou sâ—ist But to Infants doth belong this Covenant and for that brings Gen. 17.7 Acts 2.39 I say there is a gross fallacy or deceit in the Word Infants or Children for it is an ambiguous Tearm and may be either understood of natural or fleshly Infants Children or Seed or of the spiritual But that that Covenant of God with Abraham's Seed was not to the fleshly as such is most manifest by the Apostles Doctrine where he on purpose speaks of it in two Eminent places to wit Gal. 3.8 when he had said In thee to wit Abraham shall all Nations be blessed he subjoins Ver. 7. So then they that be of Faith are Blessed with Faithful Abraham And Ver. 16. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the Promises made He saith not and to Seeds as of many but of as one and to thy Seed which is Christ And Verse the last If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham 's Seed and Heirs according to the Promise Now may it not on the contrary be truly said If ye be not Christ's then are ye not Abraham's Seed nor Heirs according to the Promise The next Scripture is that which I mentioned upon this occasion in my writing to you which thou takest no notice of for indeed it judges your Carnal Conceits of Things and it is in Rom. 9.7 8. Neither because they are the Seed of Abraham are they all Children but in Isaac shall thy Seed be called That is saith the Apostle They which are the Children of the Flesh these are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise are counted for the Seed Was it not for such Doctrine as this that the Carnal Jews like you Carnal Christians cried against the Apostle saying Away with such a Fellow from the Earth he is not worthy to live as you use to cry against us to the People for witnessing to the Truth of Things against your Gross and Carnal Conceits and Unscriptural Practices These People would Damn your Children Nay nay we Damn none but could wish that all might be Saved and come to the Knowledge of the Truth But say you How can our Infants be Saved if they be not Regenerate And how can they be Regenerate except they be Baptized with Outward Water Poor Souls I pity you in your great Apostasie Doth not the Scripture say in the fore-mentioned place The Wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but knows not whence it comes and whether it goes So is every one that is born of God's Spirit And so Regeneration is not limited to any outward thing whatsoever And for the little unteachable Children thou busie-body let them alone till they be capable of Doctrine and then as any is able let them bring them up in the Nurture and fear of the Lord and so bring them to Christ that he may lay his Hands upon them and Bless them But secret things belong to God not to thee When things concerning the Children are known to thee make good use of it and answer the Lord's Mind in it the Lord knows best what to do with the little Children Souls which are hidden from thee and let God alone with them who made them he will have Mercy on whem he will have Mercy And so let thy Sprinkling of them alone for it neither
Christ his Honour grutch And do not rather such rebuke and say If you 'll not Hear we 'll quickly turn away And shake your Dust from off us we 'll be free From you and yours that all may truly see We are not such as would our selves advance Nor Mens Estates of any sort inhance But seek to set up Christ to be the Head Of all things in all Worlds with Fear and Dread And thus it was with Good and Godly Men In the beginning of the Gospel when The Spirit of the Lord did teach them what to say And Men did walk i' th' Sun-shine of the Day Before I say that Pope and Turk arose Who to Christ's Kingdom are Professed Foes And would themselves set up o're th' Sons of Men To Rule as Gods that neither Tongue nor Pen Might Publish ought but what their Heads devise Whose Wisdom out of the dark Pit doth rise And which for Ages hath spread over all To bring the Souls of many into thrall But now the Lord of Great and Endless Power Is making bare the skirts of that great Whore And giving double of his Furious Cup To such as of her Wine still dare to Sup It 's her strong Poysoned Wine that makes Men mad In Persecuting of the Just O sad That ever any who do Christ Profess In Words should seek his Members to Distress So then if you be Wise you 'll search and see How from that Monst'rous Haâ—lot you are free For if in Hand or Head her Mark you bear The Lord amongst his Enemies will you tear If you your Ways Reform not which are ill He will not spare he will your Glory spill He 'll Fight against you with his Fiery Word Which Kills and Slays as doth a two edg'd Sword Live in Deceit and turn which way you will His Sword will reach you and your Cup will fill With Woes and Sorrows and sad Acclamations The just Reward o' th' Wicked in each Nation Yea tho' the Name of Christians you may bear Yet it 's his Nature must the Lawrel wear For Christ your Persons doth not now Regard But as your Works are he will you Reward If you 'll not give a Reason of your Faith But Trample under Foot what any saith Concerning things that are amiss amongst you And to the Powers cry out they hate and wrong ye And thus with Fig-leaves seek from Men to hide Your Crying Sins of Avarice and Pride And Persecution and instead of mending Still Harbour Evil Thoughts which tend to Rending Then know for certain in a Moment God Will Visit you with his Almighty Rod And you who have not Visited in Love His suffering Servants will his Enemies prove And when his Peoples Sufferings are Compleat Then they shall Feed when you shall pine for Meat So be it And if the Writers Name in Writing you would see A Lover of God a Lover of Man is he This is my Natures Name which shall Remain When Sinful Men are Dead and all Disdain And God the Worker of my Souls Salvation Shall Rule and Reign as Head in every Nation And though the Devil fret yet Truth shall stand Over all and be the King in every Land for evermore Amen And to you called Church-wardens and Sideâ—men how weak is your Hearts and how slavish are your Minds through unbelief become that you cannot withstand and avoid such a manifest Temptation and Danger as to come under and Swear to the Bishops Articles for which of you either do or can or intend to Perform according to what you seem therein to engage your selves unto And that which is sad to consider the more ready you are to Engage and the more observant in the Performance the more Miserable oftentimes are you for thereby you must not only accuse the Drunkard and Swearer your own Mothers Sons but even the People of God also for their pure Consciences sake and so you had need all and every one of you Repent lest the Lord Swear in his Wrath against you that you shall never enter into his Rest as he did against those that had grieved him Forty Years in the Wilderness Thomas Taylor Certain Queries Propounded to the People called Anabaptists especially to such as believe and hold forth that Water-baptism is an Ordinance and Command of Christ Jesus the Door of Entrance into the True Church and so of such Absolute Necessity as that there can be no True Gospel-Church-Fellowship without it 1. WHAT do you believe concerning the Baptism of John the Son of Zacharias the Priest who was sent to Baptize in Water Was he in and under a pure Evangelical Office and Ministration and his Baptism in Water a Gospel Ordinance to continue to the end of the World If yea prove it by plain Scripture 2. What do you believe concerning the Witness or Prophesie of John Recorded John 3.30 I must decrease but he to wit Christ who was to Baptize with the Holy Ghost John 1.33 must increase Did he speak this of his own Person and of the Person of Christ or of the Office and Administrations which they respectively were sent to Execute and Administer If of the Persons then tell us how and wherein the Person of John decreased and how and wherein the Person of Christ increased and whether that saying Recorded Mat. 11. He that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John was spoken of or in relation to John's Person also and not concerning his Office or Ministration 3. Is that Baptism which you Administer and so earnestly press People unto John's or Christ's seeing John himself did expresly distinguish betwixt his Baptizing in Water and the Baptism which Christ was to Baptize in John 1.26 And Christ also and his Apostles did distinguish betwixt John's Baptism and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost Acts. 1.5 Luke 20.4 Acts 13 24 and Chap. 18.25 26. Chap. 19.3 4. into which Christ Baptized Mark 1.8 And are these distinct diverse or several Baptisms Or do you believe that they are but one Baptism and so no distinction to be put betwixt them If yea then tell us upon what Ground and Certainty you would have us believe you seeing therein you agree not in Doctrine with John nor with Christ and his Apostles 4. Is that Baptism which you Administer a Figure of the Spiritual Washing away of Sins by the Blood of Christ and of Plunging into his Name Spirit and Life Or is the outward Water in which you Baptize and your Act of Baptizing that is Plunging or Dipping in it really Sanctified to the doing of it and so consequently doth that Work and so no Sign Type nor Figure Tell us plainly what you your selves believe concerning it 5. Do you believe that those mentioned Acts 19. on whom Paul laid his Hands and the Holy Ghost came upon them who were Baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus and had before that been Baptized in or unto John's Baptism who Baptized in Water were they then again