no man judge you in Meat or Drink or Holy Day or New Moon or Sabbath-days which are a Shadow of things to come See also Rom. 14. which plainly holds forth all days under the Gospel to be alike and said Paul to the Galatians To observe days c. I am afraid of you For a Third Reason thou say'st That Jesus Christ plainly intimates the Continuance of a Sabbath because that speaking of the Desolation of Jerusalem he said pray that your flight be not in the Winter nor on the Sabbath-day Answ. But that Sabbath-day is neither here nor elsewhere said to be the First Day of the Week The Jews were to flee at that time and Christ holds forth their difficulties that it should be grievous unto them to be put to it to flee on their Sabbath-day or be killed for they kept it in the strictness of it But as for any of your Sabbath-keepers they are not so strait-laced but they will do less necessary things than to flee from a danger on that day And as the outward Jew desireth that he may not be put to flee on his outward Sabbath so the inward Jew in Spirit desireth much more that he may keep his Sabbath which is his Spiritual Rest in Christ that the Enemy oft seeketh to break to cause him to flee on his sabbath-Sabbath-day but this to you is a Mystery viz. what the Sabbath of them who believe is Hebr. 4.9 10. There remaineth therefore a Sabbatism to the People of God and he that is entred into his Rest hath ceased from his own works as God did from his And that this Sabbath or Rest is not an outward day is plain because in the next Verse he saith Let us labour therefore to enter into that Rest. But if it were an outward day it might be easily entred into but this is such a Rest as none can enter into who hearken not to the Voice of the Lord by believing and obeying it For a Fourth Reason thou say'st though ye keep not the same day the Jews did ye have the same Authority for keeping your day that they had for theirs Hence this day The Lord's Day not the first day of the Week that we keep say'st thou is called the Lord's Day Rev. 1.10 it being set apart by the Lord for his Service and as a special Memorial of his Resurrection Answ. But for all this here is no Probation at all but meer Assertions If ye have the same Authority produce it and let us see it John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day therefore the first day of the Week ought to be kept how hangs this together Prove that John meant the first day of the Week We read much in Scripture of the Day of the Lord which is the Lord's Day but no where do find it called the First Day of the Week or any other Natural Day for it is Spiritual and as God called the Natural Light Day so he calleth the Spiritual Light of his Appearance where the Sun of Righteousness ariseth with healing under his Wings Day And this is the Day of the Lord wherein his People rejoice and are glad And whereas thou say'st It is set apart by the Lord as a Special Memorial of his Resurrection This is thy naked Assertion without any shadow of proof and if thou wilt say that therefore it is to be a Holy Day because he Rose on it Is not this a fair inlet to all the Popish Holy Days Popish Holy Days If ye keep one Day for his Resurrection why not one Day for his Conception another for his Birth another for the Annunciation of the Angel another for his being Crucified another for his Ascension and then we shall not want Holy Days in good store Fifthly thou say'st Who oppose the Sabbath-Day sin against Mercy and Equity and Justice Answ. It is granted but who oppose your Day which ye have made or imagined to be the Sabbath do no sin against any of the fore-said if in other things they keep unto the Rule of Mercy and Justice First They sin not against Mercy if through all the days of the Week they be found in that which is for the good of themselves and their Neighbours not laying too heavy burdens upon their own Souls by excessive care and labour in outward things nor yet forcing their bodily strength beyond the Rule of Mercy and Love nor imposing any things upon either Servants or Cattel contrary to Mercy For if the Law required Mercy even in these things much more the Gospel so that we grant Times of Rest are to be given unto Servants and Beasts and Mercy is to be shewed unto them more than under the Law And thus is the End of the Sabbath answered which was made for Man yea this is indeed to keep the Sabbath The true Sabbath To undo every burden and to let the oppressed go free both as to the inward and the outward And the Lord's People have frequent times more than once a Week wherein laying aside their outward Affairs for a Season they may and do Meet together to wait upon the Lord and be quickned and refreshed and instructed by him and worship him in his Spirit and may be useful unto one another in Exhortation or Admonition or any other way as the Lord shall furnish And such who find any distemper upon their Minds through letting them go forth too much upon outward things may find the Lord allowing them any other day or time no less than that to get their hearts reduced into a right frame And it were sad if the Lord had only allowed but one day of seven unto this effect The Lord inviteth and alloweth the weary and distempered who love to be cured of their Distempers to come unto him every day And as for those who abide not in a due care every day to have their Hearts ordered a-right but let their Minds go forth excessively in outward Occasions all the Week they provoke the Lord to shut them out from Access to him upon the First day And our Souls do oft bless the Lord in allowing us many times of refreshment and strengthening to the establishing and confirming us in his love and life and disburdening our Minds of earthly things much more frequently than in one day of seven And as for sinning against Justice they cannot be charged with it who give up unto the Lord not only one day of seven but all the seven even all the days of their life unto his Service for Equity and Justice calleth upon us to spend all the seven in his Service that our Hearts may continually be exercised in his Fear and Love and whatever we do we may do it to him and in him And as for the First Day of the Week The first day of the Week we meet together even on that day as we do on other days according to the practice of the Primitive Christians to wait upon the Lord
them Gal. 4.19 and they might know him to live in them and his Life to rule in them which is more then to know him as outwardly crucified And indeed none know the weight and greatness of what he suffered outwardly but who know him first as he hath suffered in them and suffer and become crucified with him so as to have a sympathy and Fellow-feeling with him even as the Members suffer and are pained when any thing hurts the Head or Heart And whereas thou sayst You see the Apostle judges the knowledge of Christ crucified to be that one thing necessary We deny that the knowledge of his being outwardly crucified is that one thing necessary for People must know him in them Know ye not that Christ is in you unless ye be Reprobates 1 Cor. 13.5 As for thy Charge upon the Quaker saying With what face can you blame me for being in Darkness seeing your Opinion is that all men have sufficient Light in them it is frivolous for though the Light which is sufficient be in thee thy opposition to the Light blinds thee and hinders thee from seeing Light A man may have a Candle burning in his House but if he put it under a Bushel it will not give him the sight of things in the House That there is no other Name under Heaven whereby any can be saved but the Name of Jesus Christ is granted but that Name is another thing than the bare expression or declaration and knowledge of words or things as without Because his Name is said to be a strong Tower whereunto the righteous fly and are safe which is another thing than the bare naming of his Death and Cross without for many Unrighteous plead a right to that and can fly unto it as we see by the example of the Papists to whom it seems ye will needs join your selves in this matter who say That the onward naming of Christ and signing with the Cross puts away Devils And that we are of another mind then you in this matter is much to our advantage because we know the inward is the main thing and where it is enjoyed the efficacy and benefit of the outward cannot be wanting though the distinct knowledge of it be not had The knowledge of Christ's Cross within which is his Power that crucifies unto the World is more than the knowledge of the outward and to know Christ after the Spirit is more than to know him after the Flesh as is clear from the words of Paul Though I have known Christ after the Flesh yet henceforth know I him so no more The Apostle Peter knew well that God was not so narrow-hearted as ye would have him to be therefore he said That he had seen that with God there was no respect of Persons but in every Nation he that loveth Righteousness and feareth God is accepted of him You your selves dare not deny but that some Infants and deaf Persons are saved by Christ without the External Knowledge If you say they are not in a Capacity to know these things I answer so neither are many of the Gentiles who never had these things revealed unto them But if the External Knowledge be necessary to the one why not to the other And if thou sayst that some Infants are in the Decree of Election I ask at thee or any of you who of you has seen the Decrees of God and how knowest thou that none of the Heathen are inrolled into them And whereas thou sayst Is not the Application of Christ's Blood and Sufferings necessary to them that would profit and get good thereby For though the Blood of Christ be a healing Plaister yet the Plaister must be applied e're the Sore can be healed Now what Application can the Soul make of Christ's Blood who knows no such thing The Blood of Christ is applyed by Faith but true Faith is not a blind Faith Answer It is granted But this Blood is known and felt within to wash and purge the Conscience for Christ as he is within is not without his Blood which is spiritual even the pure blood of the Vine and is that Wine of the Kingdom which is inwardly felt to wash and to refresh which he gives to them who know not distinctly the outward shedding of the Blood as it was many hundred years ago and which many are ignorant of who have heard much of the outward shedding of his Blood but know not the Blood as shed and poured forth in them to sprinkle their Consciences from dead Works for it is a Mystery sealed up from all who stand in opposition to his Light within But there mark thy own words The Plaister must be applied e're the Sore can be healed Must not then saving Grace be applied e're the Soul be converted or healed Contrary to thy other Assertion Page 7. That having of saving Light and Grace presupposeth Conversion that is Healing As for thy deceitful Insinuation to render us odious That if our Principles were generally owned the Nations in one Age or two would be overspread with as palpable Darkness as the Heathen-Nations at this day are Seeing it has no just ground we return it upon thee as false and malitious For it is the owning the Light and other Principles held by us therein which will make these Nations and all others who own it and them to overflow with the true and saving Knowledge of God and Christ but so long as they follow such blind Guides as thy self who oppose the Light Darkness will cover them as at this day notwithstanding all their Professions and Confessions of him while in Works they deny him and remain estranged from his Light in them The Reason thou addest is blind and unreasonable For according to you thou sayst the Light within us is a sufficient Teacher take heed to this and there needs no more For we say the Light within must not only be taken heed unto but believed and obeyed and walked in which who do it will lead them to read and make use of the Scriptures and will lead them to the Assemblies of God's People and to hear and receive the Ministry of those whom God sends yea to love and esteem them greatly for their Works sake and it will lead them to own Christ and the benefits of his Death and Sufferings in the outward and give them an understanding how to conceive and use aright those things as opportunity is given them Page 10. Thou sayst Christ is a Light who communicateth Light to all Men but where find you that the Light communicated to all Men is Christ himself we must not confound the Light-giver with the Light or Enlightening given Answ. We do not confound them but we must not divide or separate them as thou and you do for where the Light or Enlightening from Christ is there is Christ himself he is not separated from it but is in it and with it We must not be so gross as to conceive
that Christ enlightens men in such a way of outward distance as the Body of the Sun being so many thousand miles above the Clouds enlightens our natural Eyes but comes not near us otherwise than by its influence and rayes for Christ is near unto every one no less than his influence for in him we live and move and have our being And this nearness of his unto all men in a day is more than that general Presence in respect whereof he abides with all the works of his hands for as much as he is in them to enlighten them that they may believe John 1.9 compared with Vers. 7. Page 11. Here because thou canst not deny but that there is Light in all men thou sayst It is commonly called the Light of Nature and that some remainders of Knowledge and Principles of Good remain in Man after the ruins of God's Image in him as when a City is demolished some Foundations of Houses do still remain But how is this consistent with what you say to wit That there is no good thing at all in men unconverted and that man fell wholly from God and that Adam 's fall was not in part but wholly as to all things that are good And that we derive nothing from him but that which is corrupted and defiled But the Scriptures Testimony is plain that since the fall the free Gift or Grace of God is come upon all unto Justification of Life It is not said Justification is come upon all but the free Gift or Grace of God is come upon all unto Justification so that all may be justified if they did close with it Rom. 5.8 And God so loved the World John 3.16 And this is the condemnation of the World that Light is come into it verse 19. which is after the fall And whatever any may conceive that remained in Man of the Image of God after the fall that could not have any power to convince man of evil or enable him to do any thing that is good if it were not visited and influenced a-new from the Fountain of Light and Life but it would remain as a thing without all Life and Vertue as a Candle extinguished For by the fall the Lamb the Witness came to be slain and remained so until the Spirit of Life again was sent from God into it to give it life and power to witness against mens Transgressions for a witness that is wholly dead cannot witness unto particular things of Fact against men as this inward Witness in all men doth who do not again crucifie it in themselves And seeing Christ tasted Death for every man and the Grace that brings Salvation hath appeared to every man and the Gospel is preached in every Creature as it is according to the Greek in Hebr. 2. Tit. 2. Col. 1.23 It is manifest that the Illumination given to every man is a new and fresh Visitation of God's love in Christ freely given unto them for Salvation Now as to the word Nature if it be rightly understood there shall be no great difference about it For if by Nature thou understandest the Nature that is corrupt and fallen and that which simply is derived from Adam then we deny that that Nature can claim any right to this Light or that it can be said to proceed from that Nature But if thou understandest by Nature the Nature that is spiritual and heavenly and is derived from Christ the second Adam the quickning Spirit the Lord from Heaven then I say the Light may properly be called the Light of that Nature in which sense is to be understood that place of the Apostle Rom. 2. verse 14. cited by thee where he saith The Gentiles which have not the Law did by Nature the things contained in the Law For who will be so gross as to say that the Gentiles by the corrupt Nature could do the things contained in the Law which is pure and holy But by that Nature which is one with the Law to wit Divine and Heavenly they might do them So that thou canst not but still be accounted a wilful Enemy to the Light whilst thou opposest it and dost not turn to it and by it come to see the evil of thy ways and forsake them Page 12. Though it be here asserted in name of the Quakers that the Scriptures are of excellent and blessed use yet thou wilt not believe it and alledgest They will not make the due use of them for these Reasons First Because a Bible thou sayst is not to be seen in all our Meetings But that will infer nothing at all for we meet not to read the Scripture but to wait on the Lord and be taught of him and receive from his Spirit what he pleaseth to administer either in our selves or through the Mouths of his Servants and we meet to worship God whose worship is to be performed in Spirit and in Truth and not in External Reading Thou say'st Christ took the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and read out of it But was not this the performance of a Legal Duty and in condescendency to the Jews manner for it was in the Synagogue But did he ever constitute it as a part of the Christian Worship for one man to take the Bible and speak upon it and all the rest to be excluded from speaking while he prattles his own barren empty Notions about it shew me where that was the practice or order among the Apostles and primitive Christians In the Churches way 1 Cor. 14. there is no such thing but on the contrary vers 29. Let the Prophets speak two or three and let the other judge if any thing be revealed to another that â—its by let the first hold his peace for ye may all prophecy one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted By which it plainly appears there was no such setled custom among them but it is one of the main Inventions brought-in in the Apostacy whereby barrenness and driness hath entred and whereby the quickning unlimited Life has been stopped from flowing through many Vessels It is true the Apostles at times cited Scriptures out of the Law and the Prophets to shew their fulfilling or to open the mind of the Spirit concerning them which is frequent in our Meetings to cite Scriptures and open them in the same Life and Spirit that gave them forth in the order of the Spirit but not in the order and way of man's Wisdom and Spirit as is your way which savours more of Aristotle's School than of the Church of Christ. Secondly As to what thou sayst That it is not our way to encourage the People to read the Scriptures and to try Doctrines by them 't is utterly false for we desire that all may come to try Doctrines even by the Scripture but we bid them also come to the Light in them to read and try Doctrines and understand the true sense of the Scriptures therein and if People did so we
ye put upon them And whereas some object It is not said of them but of such I answer but that such includeth them and all others who are like them in harmlessness otherwise if they had been excluded he would not have given it as a Reason why he bid suffer them to come unto him But besides the 18 th Chapt. verse 20. of Ezekiel is a plain proof The soul that sinneth shall die the Son shall not bear the Father's iniquity unless that the Son be found acting the same iniquity and continuing in it for then he visits the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children Now thou hast produced no Scripture to prove That any Infants do perish and indeed there is nothing in Scripture for it but against it Secondly thou say'st It would follow that Infants dying in their infancy stood not in need of Christ as a Saviour for he is a Saviour to save his People from their sins Infants saved from sin Answ. He is a Saviour not only to save from sins but also from the Consequences of sin and not only from the fruits and branches of it but from the seed and they are saved from sin who are not suffered to fall into it And so these Infants whom the Lord takes away in their infancy that they might not sin are saved from it It is salvation to be kept from falling into a pit as truly as to be taken out of it after the falling in And as for that Scripture it maketh against you Matth. 1.12 For it speaketh of a salvation from sin whereas you dream of a salvation in your sins Nor doth Rom. 7.24 speak of Infants so thy citing it here is impertinent And though there be a time wherein there is a crying out for deliverance from the body of sin and death yet there is also a time of deliverance from it even before the laying down of the outward body as is plain from Rom. 6.6 7. Knowing this that the old man is crucified and he that is dead is freed from sin Yet we acknowledge there is great occasion to be Low and to be in great fear and care lest Sin which is once crucified revive again Page 48. Thou chargest us As holding a falling away from Regeneration and as agreeing therein with Arminians But if the Arminians hold a falling away from Regeneration we hold no such matter For those who fall away never attained unto the Regeneration and so were never the Children of God but only were in the way to it by having attained to some beginnings of Faith The falling away from Faith is of themselves from which some may and have fallen away For that it is expresly said by Christ some believe and afterwards fall away and some depart from the faith and make shipwrack of it and some who have tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come Fall away These and many such Instances are in Scripture nor do the Scriptures cited by thee prove the contrary as Philip. 1.6 which is to be understood no otherwise then as the Condition is performed upon their part As Hebr. 3.14 We are made partakers of Christ if we hold fast the Principle of our Establishment or whereby we are established firm unto the end and so these who hold fast this Principle witness the Work which God hath begun in them to be carried on until the day of Christ even till he be compleatly formed in them and they in him It may be supposed that Paul was as confident that God would perfect the Work begun in himself and yet he supposeth it might be otherwise where he saith Lest preaching the Gospel to others I my self become a Cast-away And though some fall away the dishonour of the foolish Builder cannot be cast upon God but upon them who fall away for it standeth very well with the Wisdom and Power of God to suffer them to fall away who knowingly and wilfully depart from the Lord and will not concur with him in the work as subordinate Instruments but resist him though he invite and call yea draw them The next thou citest is 1 Pet. 15. Answ. Such as are so kept by the Power of God it is through Faith but as they abide not in that power through Faith but wander from it they fall and cannot but fall away And as for Jerem. 32.40 cited by thee it should be translated thus I will put my fear into their hearts that they may not depart from me so Junius and Tremellius's Version or not to depart from me as the Septuagint hath it Now to say That they may not depart is one thing and to say They cannot depart is another Yet where the fear of God comes so to be raised and established in the heart over all we believe such cannot depart but every one is not attained to that state where yet the fear of God may have some place And as touching these other Scriptures John 10.27 28 29. and John 13.1 and 1 John 2.19 they speak of those who are come to a thorough-Regeneration who we do believe can never fall away as being begot in the perfect Nature of the Elect Sheep and Children Nor doth it follow from this that one may be a Child of God to day and a Child of the Devil to morrow for these who are once properly the Children of God through a true and thorough-Regeneration can never become the Children of the Devil nor be cast out of God's special love that he beareth to his own Children For to end this matter thou say'st It is safer to question the Truth of the Graces of those that fall away than the Doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints But dost thou look upon the Quakers as having fallen away if thou dost how comes it that thou bespeakest them in thy Epistle as those who have had real Grace saying to them Did ye attain to that knowledge of and acquaintance with God which ye have in the use of Ordinances And again Ye did run well who did hinder you And again Why should they asperse these Ordinances which have been the means of their Conversion Or are these words only a Joab's kiss by which thou would'st kiss the Quakers while in the mean time thou hast a Sword hid under thy Cloak to strike them through under the fifth Rib But the Quakers are aware of thee and having on the Armour of God are out of thy reach In the last place Page 50. thou undertakest to prove That our Errors as thou callest them tend to Irreligiousness and Atheism because they tend to take away the Worship due to God But it hath been heretofore proved that we deny not true Worship but only your Idolatrous superstitious Worships which cannot truly be called the Worship of God Our way thou say'st tends to Irreligiousness because frequently we go to Meat Prayer before Meat and come from it without seeking a Blessing or returning Thanks
omitted In Chap. 21. Sect. 7. where they say That the Sabbath from the Resurrection of Christ was changed into the First Day of the Week which in Scripture say they is called the Lord's Day and is to be continued to the End of the World as the Christians Sabbath In which they assert Three Things First That the First Day of the Week is come in place of the Seventh for a Sabbath To prove which they alledge 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. Now concerning the Collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so do ye Vpon the First Day of the Week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no Gathering when I come Acts 20.7 The Divines Non-sensical Proofs That the First day of the Week is instead of the Sabbath And upon the First Day of the Week when the Disciples came together to break Bread Paul preached to them ready to depart on the Morrow and continued his Speech until Midnight That these Proofs Assert not the things expresly we need not I suppose dispute Now to say that because Paul desires the Corinthians to lay something by them in store that day or because he brake Bread continued his Speech until Midnight therefore the First Day of the Week is come in place of the Sabbath is a Consequence more remarkable for its Sottishness than to be credited for its Soundness Indeed to make so solemn an Article of Faith as these Men would have the Morality of the First Day of the Week to be would need a more positive and express Authority The Text doth clearly enough tell the Reason of the Disciples Meeting so frequently and of Paul's preaching so long because he was ready to depart to Morrow it speaks not a word of its being Sabbath Their Second Assertion That the First Day of the Week is therefore called the Lord 's Day Is drawn yet more strangely from that of Rev. 1.10 The Lord's Day I was in the Spirit on the Lord 's Day and heard behind me a great Voice as of a Trumpet Whereas no particular Day of the Week is mentioned So for them to say John meaned the First Day of the Week hath no more Proof but their own bare Assertion For their Third Assertion That it is to be continued to the End of the World as the Christians Sabbath They that alledge these Scriptures Exod. 20.8 10 11. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy but the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any Work The Sabbath-Day thou nor thy Son nor thy Daughter thy Man-Servant nor thy Maid-Servant nor thy Cattle nor thy Stranger which is within thy Gates for in Six Days the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is and rested the Seventh Day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it Isaiah 56.2 4 6 7. Matth. 5.17 18. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfil For verily I say unto you Till Heaven and Earth pass one Jot or one Tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled If they prove any thing they must needs prove the continuance of the Seventh Day seeing in all the Law there is no mention made of the First Day of the Week being a Sabbath The Seventh Day If these may be reckoned good and sound Consequences I know no Absurdities so great no Heresies so damnable no Superstitions so ridiculous but may be cloathed with the Authority of Scripture In their Twenty Seventh Chapter in the 1 2 3. Sections they speak at large of the Definition and Nature of Sacraments but in all the Scriptures they bring there is not one Word of Sacraments The Truth is there was a good Reason for this Omission for such a thing is not to be found in all the Bible The word Sacrament not to be found in all the Bible For them to alledge that the thing signified is to be found in Scripture though that be also a begging of the Question will not excuse such who elsewhere aver The Whole Counsel of God is contained in the Scripture to forsake and reject the Tenour thereof and scrape out of the Rubbish of the Romish Tradition for that which is reckoned by themselves so substantial a part of their Faith In their Fourth Section they assert two things First That there are Two only Sacraments under the Gospel Secondly That these two are Baptism and the Supper To prove which they alledge Matth. 28.19 Go ye therefore and Teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 11.20 23. When ye come together therefore into one place this is not to eat the Lord 's Supper for I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same Night in which he was betrayed took Bread 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a Man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God Heb. 5.4 4. And no Man taketh this Honour to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Now granting there were such a thing as Sacraments to be solemnly performed all that these Scriptures will prove is That these Two were appointed to be performed But that there are only Two or that these are they which is the thing asserted and incumbent to be proved there is not the least Shadow of Proof alledged For according to their own Definition of a Sacrament in the larger Catechism where they say The parts of a Sacrament are two the one an outward and sensible Sign used according to Christ's own appointment the other an inward and spiritual Grace thereby signified both the Washing of one another's Feet and the Anointing of the Sick with Oil doth answer to it and many other Things So that the Probation of a Sacrament at all or of their being Two Seven yea or Seventy is all alike easie seeing neither Name nor Number is to be found in the Scripture they being the meer Conceits and Inventions of Men. And yet it is marvellous to see with how great Confidence some Men do assert the Scripture to be their Rule while they build up so considerable Parts of their Doctrine without the least Scripture-Foundation Thus I thought fit to pitch upon these Three viz. the Scriptures Sabbath and Sacraments because these be Three of the main things for which we the Quakers are chiefly cried out against and accused as believing Erroneously concerning them Now what we believe concerning these things and how agreeable our Testimony herein is to the Scriptures is heretofore sufficiently demonstrated Also how little Scripture-Proof these have for their Contrary Assertions to us in these things notwithstanding of their great Pretences to Scripture will
needful for the good Ordering and Disposing all things in their proper Place and for preserving and keeping all things in their right Station did in the Dispensation and Communication of his holy Spirit Minister unto every Member a Measure of the same Spirit yet divers according to Operation for the Edification of the Body some Apostles some Teachers some Pastors some Elders there are Old Men there are Young Men there are Babes For all are not Apostles neither are all Elders neither are all Babes yet are all Members And as such all have a Sense and Feeling of the Life of the Body which from the Head flows unto all the Body as the Ointment of Aaron 's Beard unto the Skirts of his Garment and every Member has its place and Station in the Body so long as it keeps in the Life of the Body and all have need one of another yet is no Member to assume another Place in the Body than God has given it nor yet to grudg or repine its Fellow-member's Place but to be content with its own For the Vncomely Parts are no less needful than the Comely and the less-Honourable than the more-Honourable which the Apostle Paul holds forth in 1 Cor. 12. from Verse 13 to 30. Now the Ground of all Schisms Divisions or Rents in the Body is The Ground of Rents and Divisions when-as any Member assumes another Place than is allotted it or being gone from the Life and Vnity of the Body and loosing the Sense of it le ts in the Murmurer the Eye that watches for Evil and not in holy Care over its Fellow-members And then instead of coming down to Judgment in it self will stand up and judge its Fellow-members yea the whole Body or those whom God has set in a more Honourable and Eminent Place in the Body than it self Such suffer not the Word of Exhortation and term the Reproofs of Instruction which is the Way of Life Imposition and Oppression and are not aware how far they are in the things they Condemn others for while they spare not to reprove and revile all their Fellow-members Yet if they be but admonished themselves they cry out as if their Great Charter of Gospel-Liberty were broken Now though such and the Spirit by which they are acted The Subtilty of that Spirit be sufficiently seen and felt by Thousands whose Hearts God has so established as they are out of Danger of being intangled in that Snare and who have Power and Strength in themselves to judge that Spirit even in its most subtil Appearances yet there are who cannot so well withstand the Subtilty and seeming Sincerity some such pretend to though in measure they have a sight of them and others that cannot so rightly distinguish betwixt the Precious and the Vile and some there are that through Weakness and want of true Discerning may be deceived and the Simplicity in them betrayed for a season as it is written With Fair Speeches and Smooth Words they deceive the Hearts of the Simple Therefore having according to my measure received an Opening in my Understanding as to these things from the Light of the Lord and having been for some time under the weighty sense of them I find at this instant a Freedom to commit them to Writing for the more Universal Benefit and Edification of the Church of CHRIST Now The Heads treated of viz. for the more plain and clear opening and understanding of these things it is fit to sum up this Treatise in these following general Heads to be considered of First From whence the Ground and Cause of this Controversy is the Rise and Root of it Secondly Whether there be now any Order and Government in the Church of Christ Thirdly What is the Order and Government which we plead for in what Cases and how far it may extend in whom the Power decisive is and how it differeth and is wholly another than the Oppressing and Persecuting Principality of the Church of Rome and other Anti-christian Assemblies SECTION II. Concerning the Ground and Cause of this CONTROVERSIE WHenas the Lord God by his mighty Power began to visit the Nations with the Dawning of his Heavenly Day for thus I write unto those The first Dawning of the Heavenly Day of the Lord described that have received and believed the Truth and that he sent forth his Instruments whom he had fitted and prepared for his Work having fashioned them not according to the Wisdom and Will of Man but to his own heavenly Wisdom and Counsel they went forth and preached the Gospel in the Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit not in the Enticing Words of Man's Wisdom but in Appearance as Fools and Mad And breaking forth to those that judged according to Man But their Words and Testimony pierced through into the Inner Man in the Heart and reached to that of God in the Conscience whereby as many as were simple-hearted and waited for the Redemption of their Souls received them as the Messengers of the Most High God and their Words were unto them not as the Words of Men but as the Words of God for in the receiving and embracing the Testimony of Truth through them they felt their Souls eased and the Acceptable Day began to dawn in and upon them Now what Evidence brought these Men to make their Testimony to be received did they Entice did they flatter did they daub up did they preach Liberty to the Flesh or Will of Man Nay verily they used no such Method their Words were as Thunder-Bolts knocking down all that stood in their Way and pouring down the Judgment of God upon the Head of the Transgressor every where Did they spare the Zealous Professor more than the open Profane Nay verily they condemned equally the Hypocrisy of the one as well as the Profanity of the other yet wanted they not Regard to the tender Seed and Plant of God in either Did they give way Did they yield to the Wisdom of Man To the Deceitfulness of the Serpent that would reason Truth for themselves saying I must stay until I be Convinced of this and that and the other thing I see not yet this to be wrong or the other thing to be my Duty How did they knock down this manner of Reasoning by the Spirit of God which wrought mightily in them shewing and holding forth that this is the Day of the Lord that is dawned that all are invited to come that none ought to tarry behind that that which so pleadeth is the same Spirit which of old time said in those that were invited I cannot come yet I must first marry a Wife I must go prove my Yoke of Oxen I must go visit my Possessions let me first bury my dead Father Did not the Lord through them testify and declare against these things and is there not a Cloud of Witnesses who felt the Enemy thus reasoning to keep us in the Forms Fellowships false Worships and
Travelled can bear we Witness Nevertheless as I cannot shun my part of that Labour and Service which my Lord and Master Christ Jesus Calls me to His Anarchy c. so in Obedience to his Requirings near five years ago I wrote some Sheets concering the Lawfulness and Necessity of the Government and Order of the Truth having principally and only in my View therein to bear a Faithful Testimony against all false Liberty and Disorder on the one hand and against Imposition and Dominion on the other hand intending no less to guard against the one than the other And this I did with particular Respect to some of my Near Friends whom I found liable to some Mistakes in that Matter And I do sincerely Declare before God who knows I speak the Truth and lie not that in the Writing thereof I had not the least Purpose nor Intention to Meddle with or Concern my self in any of those Debates that have since fallen out amongst Friends in Westmoreland Debates in Westmoreland or elsewhere Relative thereunto much of which as it had not then a Being when I wrote that Book so the Substance of that Matter was then Unknown to me And I can safely say that I had not so much as one Remote Thought or any Remembrance of the least beginning of that Affair which I knew during the time of my Writing of it so that nothing could be Intended by me therein Relative to that Matter Which as it is sufficient to Vindicate my Innocency and Integrity to all His Innocency in that matter as to my Intentions so I cannot forbear also to signify that as often as I have had Occasion seriously and in the holy Fear and Dread of God to Reflect upon these Papers which I have often done because of the Opposition they have met with from some I have never found Occasion to Repent or Retract any thing from the Matter or Principles there Asserted by me The soundness of the Book but have the Testimony and Approbation of God's Light and Spirit in my heart for my Work and Service in that Matter Moreover albeit I Laboured with all the Care and Circumspection I could so to Express my self as not to Offend in a Word yet had I known or could have fore-seen that any thing in the Wording or Expressing thereof would have stumbled or hurt any Expressions stumbled at I have that Tenderness and hope always to have to the least of the Houshold of Faith that I would have rather Omitted or Changed any such Words or Expressions than ministred them any Occasion of Dissatisfaction And therefore I was not a little Surprized when I understood that Several Sheets of Paper were spread abroad in Opposition to that Book of mine at a time when I was wholly a Stranger to those Proceedings by reason of my Imprisonment for the Truth 's sake especially by William Rogers a Person who not only to my self but afterwards before many Witnesses professed a singular Respect and Friendship to me and yet without once Acquainting me His Imprisonment Now what followed upon my Meeting with that Person at London near two years ago will appear by a Copy of William Rogers's own Letter annexed hereto and the Sense of those Brethren W. R's Satisfaction who were Witnesses to that Transaction so that resting thereupon in my own Innocency especially since those in such places where the greatest Dissatisfaction was said to be did for the most part signify to me their Satisfaction I forbore hitherto to meddle any more in that Matter hoping it might have died of it self And being Conscientiously gathered in that Spirit wherein I desired rather to bear than by seeking too earnestly to Vindicate my self R. B's Aversness to foment Controversies any ways Advance or Foment Controversies amongst Friends by multiplying Papers having some hope he might according to the Advice of the Brethren called in his Papers And as what related to me his Letter sufficing wherein he expresses my Sense of the things Scrupled by him to his own Satisfaction and his Belief of the Soundness of my Principles And truly I have been so willing to starve that Spirit that hath any Life in Divisions or Controversies of this kind either in my self or others that since I read those Papers of W. R's at London now near two years ago I have not so much as once looked out upon them until now And albeit I might have mentioned that Transaction without any Disadvantage to my self but otherwise as most if not all present can Testify yea W. R's own Letter doth Import yet I do not remember that I did ever so much as once Mention it to any unless their Inquiry occasioned it Yea I have wholly Concealed it to this day from divers Friends in whom I am nearly concerned and whom I know would be very apt to Justify and Commend my Whole procedure in that matter So unwilling was I to fill the minds of any with such things being otherways weightily Concerned as well with the inward Work of the Lord in my own Soul as in those Concerns of Truth 's Prosperity both abroad where I had a Service and at home with respect to the present Continued Sufferings Friends lies under here But since he hath so far walked in another Method The Occasion of this Vindication as to labour to keep up the Remembrance of these things and busy the Minds of Friends with them having as I am informed made further mention of these Papers to my Disadvantage I am constrained to say something in my own Defence and of the Truth Asserted by me wherein as the Lord knows the Integrity of my Intentions and the Tenderness of my heart so I hope my way herein will Commend it self to that of God in the Consciences of all the Tender-hearted And albeit those things which were chiefly scrupled at by any be sufficiently Cleared by W. R's own Letter yet that all may be Satisfied in having them from mine own hand I am free to signify this as to them Only I will premise this to the serious Consideration of not a few who seemed to be startled at that Book who retain that Tenderness to God and Regard to the hurt of their own Souls as to make Conscience unjustly to Accuse the Innocent that since it was Asserted by some and Entertained as a Truth by divers That that Book was writ upon Design and with a particular Respect of Prejudice to some Persons whom I did not so much as once think on in writing of it with somewhat worse R.B. had no Design in writing the Book as suggested which I am not willing to Remember far less to Mention whether those that progagated and entertained so false and groundless a Jealousy to the prejudice of the Innocent have not reason narrowly to Examine what Spirit they were influenced by in so doing which certainly could not be of God And whether they ought
Inspires power against Death and shews himself unto every one 6. Gregory the Great upon these words He shall teach you all things saith That unless the same Spirit sit upon the heart of the Hearer Greg. Mag. Hom. 30. upon the Gospel in vain is the Discourse of the Doctor Let no man then ascribe unto the man that teacheth what he understands from the mouth of him that speaketh for unless he that teacheth be within the Tongue of the Doctor that 's without laboureth in vain 7. Cyrillus Alexandrinus plainly Affirmeth That men know Cyril Alex. In Thesauro Lib. 13. Cap. 3 that Jesus is the Lord by the Holy Ghost no otherwise than they who taste Honey know that it is sweet even by its proper Quality 8. Therefore saith Bernard we daily exhort you Brethren by speech Bernard in Psal. 84. that ye walk the ways of the heart and that your Soul be always in your hands that ye may hear what the Lord saith in you And again upon these words of the Apostle Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord with which Threefold Vice saith he all sorts of Religious men are less or more dangerously affected because they do not so diligently Attend with the Ears of the Heart to what the Spirit of Truth which flatters none inwardly speaks This was the very Basis and main Foundation upon which the Primitive Reformers walked Luther in his Book to the Nobility of Germany saith This is certain Lutherus that no man can make himself a Doctor of the holy Scripture but the holy Spirit alone And upon the Magnificat he saith No man can rightly understand God or the Word of God unless he immediately receive it from the Holy Spirit neither can any one Receive it from the Holy Spirit except he find it by Experience in himself and in this Experience the Holy Ghost teacheth as in his proper School out of which School nothing is taught but meer Talk Philip Melanchthon in his Annotations upon John 6. Who hear only an outward and bodily Voice Phil. Melanchthon hear the Creature but God is a Spirit and is neither discerned By the Spirit alone God is known nor known nor heard but by the Spirit and therefore to hear the Voice of God to see God is to know and hear the Spirit By the Spirit alone God is known and perceived Which also the more Serious to this day do acknowledge even all such who satisfy themselves not with the Superfice of Religion and use it not as a Cover or Art Yea all those who apply themselves effectually to Christianity and are not satisfied until they have found its Effectual Work upon their hearts redeeming them from sin do feel that no knowledge effectually prevails to the producing of this but that which proceeds from the warm Influence of God's Spirit upon the heart and from the comfortable shinings of his Light upon their Vnderstanding And therefore to this purpose a late Modern Author saith well videlicet Dr. Smith of Cambridge concerning Book-Divinity Dr. Smith of Cambridge in his Select Discourses To seek our Divinity meerly in Books and Writings is to seek the Living among the Dead We do but in vain many times seek God in these where his Truth is too often not so much Enshrined as Entombed Intra te quaere Deum Seek God within thine own Soul he is best discerned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Plotinus phraseth it by an Intellectual Touch of him We must see with our Eyes and hear with our Eears and our hands must handle the Word of Life to express it in S. John 's words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Soul it self hath its Sense as well as the Body And therefore David when he would teach us to know what the Divine Goodness is calls not for Speculation but Sensation Taste and see how good the Lord is That is not the best and truest Knowledge of God which is wrought out by the labour and sweat of the brain but that which is kindled within us by an heavenly Warmth in our hearts And again There is a knowing of the Truth as it is in Jesus as it is in a Christ-like nature as it is in that sweet mild humble and loving Spirit of Jesus which spreads it self like a Morning-star upon the Spirits of good men full of Light and Life It profits little to know Christ himself after the flesh but he gives his Spirit to good men that searcheth the deep things of God And again It is but thin airy Knowledge that is got by meer Speculation which is usher'd in by Syllogisms and Demonstrations but that which springs forth from true Goodness is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Origen speaketh It brings such a Divine Light to the Soul as is more clear and convincing than any Demonstration § III. That this certain and undoubted Method of the true Knowledge of God hath been brought out of Use hath been none of the least Devices of the Devil to secure Mankind to his Kingdom Apostacy and a false Knowledge Introduced For after the Light and Glory of the Christian Religion had prevailed over a good part of the World and dispelled the thick Mists of the Heathenish Doctrine of the plurality of Gods he that knew there was no probability of deluding the World any longer that way did then puff man up with a false Knowledge of the true God setting him on work to seek God the wrong Way and perswading him to be content with such a Knowledge as was of his own Acquiring and not of God's Teaching And this Device hath proved the more successful because accommodated to the Natural and Corrupt spirit and temper of man who above all things affects to Exalt himself In which Self-Exaltation as God is most greatly dishonoured so therein the Devil hath his end who is not anxious how much God be acknowledged in Words provided himself be but always served he matters not how great and high Speculations the Natural man Entertains of God so long as he serves his Lusts and Passions and is obedient to his Evil Suggestions and Temptations â—â—ristianity is become an Art acquired by human Science and Industry Thus Christianity is become an Art Acquired by Human Science and Industry as any other Art or Science is and men have not only assumed unto themselves the Name of Christians but even have procured to be esteemed as Masters of Christianity by certain Artificial Tricks though altogether Strangers to the Spirit and Life of Jesus But if we shall make a right Definition of a Christian according to the Scripture videlicet That he is one that hath the Spirit of Christ and is led by it How many Christians yea and of these great Masters and Doctors of Christianity so accounted shall we justly Divest of that Noble Title If then such as have all the other Means of Knowledge and are sufficiently Learned therein whether it be
called Philosophers that is Lovers of Wisdom They knew this Wisdom was nigh unto them and that the best knowledge of God and Divine Mysteries was by the Inspiration of the Wisdom of God Phocylides Phocylides affirmed That the Word of the Wisdom of God was the best His words in the Greek are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And much more of this kind might be Instanced by which it appears they knew Christ and by his Work working in them were brought from Vnrighteousness to Righteousness and to love that Power by which they felt themselves Redeemed So that as saith the Apostle They shew the work of the Law written in their hearts and did the things contained in the Law and therefore as all doers of the Law are were no doubt Justified and Saved thus by the Power of Christ in them And as this was the Judgment of the Apostle so was it of the primitive Christians Hence Just. Martyr stuck not to call Socrates a Christian saying That all such as lived according to the Divine Word in them Socrates a Christian c. which was in all men were Christians such as Socrates and Heraclitus and others among the Greeks c. That such as live with the Word are Christians without fear or anxiety Clem. Alexand. Clemens Alexandrinus saith Apol. 2. Strom. lib. 1. That this Wisdom or Philosophy was necessary to the Gentiles and was their School-master to lead them unto Christ by which of old the Greeks were Justified Augustin de Civ Dei Nor do I think saith Augustine in his Book of the City of God lib. 18. c. 47. that the Jews dare affirm that none belonged unto God but the Israelites Ludovic Vives Upon which place Ludovicus Vives saith That thus the Gentiles not having a Law were a Law unto themselves and the Light of so living is the Gift of God and proceeds from the Son of whom it is written that he Inlighteneth every man that cometh into the World The Platonists saw the Word in the beginning which was Light Augustine also Testifies in his Confessions l. 7. c. 9. That he had read in the Writings of the Platonists though not in the very same words yet that which by many and multiplied Reasons did perswade that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God this was in the beginning with God by which all things were made and without which nothing was made that was made In him was Life and the Life was the Light of men and the Light shined in the darkness and the darkness did not Comprehend it And albeit the Soul gives Testimony concerning the Light yet it is not the Light but the Word of God for GOD is the true LIGHT which inlightneth every man that cometh into the World and so Repeats to vers 14. of John 1. adding These things have I there read Yea there is a Book translated out of the Arabick which gives an account of one Hai Eben Yokdan Hai Eben Yokdan who without Converse of man living in an Island alone attained to such a profound Knowledge of God as to have Immediate Converse with him and to affirm That the best and most certain Knowledge of God is not that which is attained by Premisses premised and Conclusions deduced but that which is enjoyed by Conjunction of the mind of man with the Supream Intellect The Supream Intellect enjoyed in the Mind of Man after the mind is purified from its Corruptions and is separated from all bodily Images and is gathered into a profound Stilness § XXVIII Seeing then it is by this Inward Gift Grace and Light that both those that have the Gospel preached unto them come to have Jesus brought forth in them and to have the saving and sanctified Vse of all outward Helps and Advantages and also by this same Light that all may come to be saved and that God calls invites and strives with all in a Day and saveth many to whom he hath not seen meet to Convey this outward Knowledge Therefore we having the Experience of the Inward and Powerful Work of this Light in our hearts even Jesus Revealed in us cannot cease to Proclaim the Day of the Lord that it is Arisen in it The Day of the Lord proclaimed crying-out with the Woman of Samaria Come and see One that hath told me all that ever I have done Is not this the Christ That others may come and feel the same in themselves and may know that that little small thing that Reproves them in their hearts however they have despised it and neglected it is nothing less than the Gospel preached in them Christ the Wisdom and Power of God being in and by that Seed seeking to save their Souls Of this Light therefore Augustine speaks in his Confessions lib. 11. c. 9. In this beginning O God! thou madest the Heaven and the Earth in thy Word in thy Son in thy Vertue in thy Wisdom wonderfully saying and wonderfully doing who shall Comprehend it who shall Declare it Augustine Trembled at the In-shinings of the Light unto him and why What is that which shineth-in unto me and smites my heart without hurt at which I both Tremble and am Inflamed I Tremble in so far as I am unlike unto it and I am Inflamed in so far as I am like unto it It is Wisdom which shineth-in unto me and dispelleth my Cloud which had again Cover'd me after I was departed from that darkness and rampier of my punishments And again he saith lib. 10. cap. 27. It is too late that I have loved thee O thou Beautifulness so Ancient and so New late have I loved thee and behold thou wast within and I was without and there was seeking thee thou didst call thou didst cry thou didst break my deafness thou glancedst thou didst shine thou chasedst away my darkness Of this also our Country-man George Buchanan speaketh thus in his Book De Jure Regni apud Scotos Truly Buchanan testifying to the Light I understand no other thing at present than that Light which is divinely Infused into our Souls For when God formed man he not only gave him Eyes to his Body by which he might shun those things that are hurtful to him and follow those things that are profitable but also hath set before his mind as it were a certain Light by which he may discern things that are Vile from things that are Honest Some call this Power Nature others the Law of Nature I truly judge it to be Divine and am perswaded that Nature and Wisdom never say different things Moreover God hath given us a Compend of the Law which in few words comprehends the whole to wit That we should Love Him from our hearts and our Neighbours as our selves And of this Law all the Books of the Holy Scriptures which pertain to the forming of manners contain no other but an Explication This is that Vniversal Evangelical
Proof II for that Effect and it 's expresly promised to us as we are under Grace as appears by these Scriptures Rom. 6.14 The possibility of it Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace And Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son c. That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us c. For if this were not a Condition both requisite necessary and attainable under the Gospel there were no difference betwixt the Bringing-in of a better Hope and the Law which made nothing perfect The Difference of the Law and Gospel neither betwixt those which are under the Gospel or who under the Law enjoyed and walked in the Life of the Gospel and meer Legalists Whereas the Apostle throughout that whole sixth to the Romans argues not only the Possibility but Necessity of being Free from sin from their being under the Gospel and under Grace and not under the Law and therefore states himself and those to whom he wrote in that Condition in these verses 2 7. and therefore in the 11 12 13 16 17 18 verses he argues both the Possibility and Necessity of this Freedom from sin almost in the same manner we did a little before and in the 22th he declares them in measure to have Attained this Condition in these words But now being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto Holiness and the end Everlasting Life Perfection and Freedom from sin Attained and made possible by the Gospel And as this Perfection or Freedom from Sin is Attained and made Possible where the Gospel and inward Law of the Spirit is received and known so the Ignorance hereof has been and is an occasion of Opposing this Truth For man not minding the Light and Law within his heart which not only discovers sin but leads out of it and so being a stranger to the new Life and Birth that is born of God which naturally doth his Will and cannot of its own Nature Transgress the Commandments of God doth I say in his Natural State look at the Commandments as they are without him in the Letter The Letter kills and maketh not alive and finding himself Reproved and Convicted is by the Letter killed but not made alive So man finding himself wounded and not applying himself Inwardly to that which can heal labours in his own Will after a Conformity to the Law as it is without him which he can never obtain but finds the more he wrestles the more he falleth short So this is the Jew still in Effect with his Carnal Commandment with the Law without in the first Covenant-state which makes not the Comers thereunto perfect as pertaining to the Conscience Hebr. 9.9 though they may have here a Notion of Christianity and an External Faith in Christ. This hath made them strain and wrest the Scriptures for an Imputative Righteousness wholly without them to cover their Impurities and this hath made them imagine an Acceptance with God possible though they suppose it Impossible ever to Obey Christ's Commands But alas O deceived Souls That will not avail in the Day wherein God will judge every man according to his Works whether good or bad It will not save thee to say It was necessary for thee to sin daily in thought word and deed for such as do so have certainly obeyed unrighteousness And what is provided for such but Tribulation and Anguish Indignation and Wrath even as glory honour and peace Immmortality and Eternal life to such as have done good and patiently continued in well-doing So then if thou desirest to know this Perfection and Freedom from sin possible for thee Turn thy mind to the Light and Spiritual Law of Christ in the heart and suffer the Reproofs thereof bear the Judgment and Indignation of God upon the unrighteous part in thee as therein it is Revealed which Christ hath made Tolerable for thee and so suffer Judgment in thee to be brought forth into Victory How we partake of Christ's Sufferings and are made Conformable unto his Death and thus come to partake of the Fellowship of Christ's Sufferings and be made Conformable unto his Death that thou may'st feel thy self Crucified with him to the World by the Power of his Cross in thee so that that life that sometimes was alive in thee to this World and the love and lusts thereof may die and a New Life be raised by which thou may'st live hence-forward to God and not to or for thy self and with the Apostle thou may'st say Gal. 2.20 It is no more I but Christ alive in me and then thou wilt be a Christian indeed and not in name only as too many are Then thou wilt know what it is to have put off the old man with his deeds who indeed sins daily in thought word and deed and to have put on the New Man that is renewed in holiness after the Image of him that hath Created him Eph. 4.24 and thou wilt witness thy self to be God's Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good Works Matth. 11.30 1 John 5.3 and so not to sin always And to this New Man Christ's yoke is Easie and his burthen is light though it be heavy to the Old Adam yea the Commandments of God are not unto this grievous for it is his meat and drink to be found fulfilling the Will of God Proof III Lastly This Perfection or Freedom from sin is possible because many have attained it according to the express Testimony of the Scripture Some before the Law Many have Attained Perfection and some under the Law through witnessing and partaking of the benefit and effect of the Gospel and much more many under the Gospel As first It is written of Enoch Gen. 5.22 24. that he walked with God Enoch walked with God and was Perfect which no man while sinning can nor doth the Scripture record any feeling of his It is said of Noah Gen. 6.9 and of Job 1.8 and of Zacharias and Elizabeth Luke 1.6 That they were perfect But under the Gospel besides that of the Romans above-mentioned see what the Apostle saith of many Saints in general Eph. 2.4 5 6. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he hath loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ by Grace ye are saved and hath raised us up together and made us fit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus c. I judge while they were sitting in these heavenly places they could not be daily sinning in thought word and deed neither were all their Works which they did there as filthy Rags or as a menstruous Garment See what is further said to the Hebrews 12.22 23. Spirits of just men made perfect And to Conclude let that of the Revelations c. 14.1 2
First that as often imports a Command the contrary whereof is shewen neither will they ever be able to prove it Secondly Christ's Outward and Inward Coming That this Coming is understood of Christ's last outward Coming and not of his Inward and Spiritual that remains to be proved whereas the Apostle might well understand it of his Inward Coming and Appearance which perhaps some of those Carnal Corinthians that used to come drunken together had not yet known and others being Weak among them and inclinable to dote upon Outwards this might have been Indulged to them for a season and even used by those who knew Christ's Appearance in Spirit as other things were of which we shall speak hereafter especially by the Apostle who became Weak to the Weak and All to All that he might save some Now those Weak and Carnal Corinthians might be permitted the Vse of this To Remember Christ's Death till he Come To Arise in the Heart to Shew forth or Remember Christ's Death till he come to Arise in them for thô such need those outward things to put them in mind of Christ's Death yet such as are dead with Christ and not only dead with Christ but buried and also arisen with him need not such Signs to Remember him And to such therefore the Apostle saith Col. 3.1 If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God but Bread and Wine are not these things that are above but are things of the Earth But that this whole matter was a meer Act of Indulgence and Condescendence of the Apostle Paul to the Weak and Carnal Corinthians appears yet more by the Syriack * And likewise the other Oriental Versions as the Araebick and Aethiopick have it the same way Copy which ver 17. in his entring upon this matter hath it thus In that concerning which I am about to command you or instruct you I commend you not because ye have not gone forward but are descended unto that which is less or of less Consequence Clearly importing that the Apostle was grieved that such was their Condition that he was forc'd to give them Instructions concerning those Outward things and doting upon which they shew they were not gone forward in the Life of Christianity but rather sticking in beggarly Elements And therefore ver 20. the same Version hath it thus When then ye meet together ye do not do it as it is just ye should do in the day of the Lord ye eat and drink Thereby shewing to them that To Meet together to eat and drink Outward Bread and Wine was not the Labour and Work of that Day of the Lord. But since our Adversaries are so zealous for this Ceremony because used by the Church of Corinth though with how little ground is already shewen how come they to pass over far more positive Commands of the Apostles To abstain from things strangled as matters of no moment As First Acts 15.26 where the Apostles peremptorily Command even the Gentiles as that which was the Mind of the Holy Ghost To abstain from things strangled and from Blood And Ja. 5.14 where it is expresly Commanded The Anointing with Oil. That the Sick be Anointed with Oil in the Name of the Lord. If they say These were only Temporary things but not to Continue Object What have they more to shew for this there being no express Repeal of them Answ. If they say The Repeal is implied because the Apostle saith Object We ought not to be jugded in Meats and Drinks I admit the Answer Answ. but how can it be evited to militate the same way against the other Practice Surely not at all nor can there be any thing urged for the one more than for the other but Custom and Tradition And for that of James they say There followed a Miracle upon it Object to wit the Recovery of the Sick But this being Ceased so should the Ceremony Though this might many ways be answered to wit Answ. That Prayer then might as well be forborn A Ceremony ought to Cease its Vertue failing to which also the saving of the Sick is there ascribed yet I shall accept of it because I judge indeed that Ceremony is Ceased only methinks since our Adversaries and that rightly think a Ceremony ought to Cease where the Vertue fails they ought by the same Rule to forbear the laying on of Hands in imitation of the Apostles since the Gift of the Holy Ghost doth not follow upon it Thus Laying on of Hands § IX But since we find that several Testimonies of Scripture do sufficiently shew that Such External Rites are no necessary part of the New Covenant-Dispensation therefore not needful now to Continue however they were for a season practised of old I shall instance some few of them whereby from the Nature of the thing as well as those Testimonies it may appear that the Ceremony of Bread and Wine is Ceased as well as those other things confessed by our Adversaries to be so The Ceremony of Bread and Wine is Ceas'd The first is Rom. 14.17 For the Kingdom of God is not Meat and Drink but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Here the Apostle evidently shews that the Kingdom of God or Gospel of Christ stands not in Meats and Drinks and such like things but in Righteousness as by the Context doth appear where he is speaking of the Guilt and Hazzard of judging one another about Meats and Drinks So then if the Kingdom of God stand not in them nor the Gospel nor Work of Christ then the Eating of Outward Bread and Wine can be no necessary part of the Gospel-Worship nor any perpetual Ordinance of it Another is yet more plain of the same Apostle Col. 2. Col. 2.16 the Apostle throughout this whole Second Chapter doth clearly plead for us and against the Formality and Superstition of our Opposers for in the beginning he holds forth the great Priviledges Christians have by Christ who are come indeed to the Life of Christianity and therefore he desires them ver 6. As they have received Christ so to walk in him and to beware lest they be spoiled through Philosophy and vain Deceit after the Rudiments or Elements of the World because that in Christ whom they have received is all Fullness And that they are Circumcised with the Circumcision made without Hands which he calls the Circumcision of Christ and being buried with him by Baptism are also arisen with him through the Faith of the Operation of God Here also they did partake of the True Baptism of Christ and being such as are Arisen with him let us see whether he thinks it needful they should make use of such Meat and Drink as Bread and Wine to put them in Remembrance of Christ's Death or whether they ought to be judged that they did it not ver 16. Let
did the Scripture deceive thee when thou preachedst upon that Text Why mournest thou for Saul If thou sayst Thou only here mis-understood the Place and mis-applyedst it yet is the Scripture for all that True and Certain May not the same be said if one pretending the Spirit to be the Rule should fall in the like Error that the Spirit were not to be blamed or thence termed uncertain But the Man that mistook the Voice thereof or took his own Imaginations instead of it as thou didst thy Mis-apprehensions for the Sense of that Scripture If thou canst extricate thy self out of these Difficulties so as to satisfie me or any other Rational and Indifferent Person I may seriously say to thee according to the Proved Eris mihi magnus Apollo and really thou may'st not be without Hopes of making a Proselyte But if it appear to all Judicious and Unprejudicate Persons That John Menzies's Arguments against the Quakers are no other than the Jesuit's against him and whatever way he can defend himself against the Jesuit's so the Quakers can do against him and impugn and straiten him the same way so that his Argument is like the Viper's-Brood that destroys him that brings it forth I say if this appear what may Candid Persons judge of John Menzies's Honesty that has asserted in Print That Quakerism is Popery under a Disguise and the Papists and Quakers are one The State of the Controversie in the first Place then both upon our Part and Yours is in Thesi and not in Hypothesi That is Not Whether or not we be truly ruled by the Spirit or can give an Evidence of it more than Whether ye be truly led by the Scriptures or can give any Evidence that ye are but Whether we do well in saying The Spirit is the Principal Rule of Faith For though divers Sects now to wit Lutherans Calvinists Episcopalians Presbyterians Independents Anabaptists Antinomians Arminians c. do all quarrel one another each laying Claim to be led by the Scripture and denying it of the other yet do they all agree in this That the Scripture is the only Rule Will it therefore follow That the Scripture is not the Rule or Certain because none of these can give a Certain Evidence convincing their respective Opposers that they are led by it So on the other Hand though such as affirm the Spirit to be the Principal Rule cannot give any Evidence to convince their Opposers that they are led by it it will not follow that it is not the Rule or that they err in Affirming it so to be A POSTSCRIPT AS the Apostle Paul said concerning the Spirit of God That there are diversities of Operations but one Spirit and one Body of Christ which is his Church so I may say concerning Antichrist and his Spirit and Body The Body of Antichrist is but one having many Members and the Spirit of Antichrist is but one in the Root though in different Operations and Appearances And what is this Body of Antichrist but all these whether Papists or others though pretending to Reformation under whatsoever Designation as Episcopal Presbyterian Independent Anabaptist or any else who oppose the Spirit of Christ in his Spiritual Appearances and Operations in the Body of Christ which is his Church A manifest Instance of the Truth of this I my self of late have been an Ear and Eye witness of For not many Months ago I had occasion at London both to see with my Eyes and hear with my Ears how the People called Anabaptists some of their Chief Teachers opposed denied slighted and by all Means their Earthly and Devilish Wisdom could invent laboured to make of none effect the Inward Evidence of the Spirit of God in his People alledging openly in the Faces of Thousands That whoever could not give an Evidence to their Adversaries that they were Inspired with the Spirit of God such as no Hereticks could pretend to were no Christians but deceivers So these Anabaptists lately argued against us at London in an open Assembly And so now since in my own Native Country within these few Days I have seen the same Spirit to appear in Men professedly very much differing from Anabaptists and slighting them as a sort of Hereticks yet one with them in the Ground and in this particular Work and Service also to carry on the great Design of Antichrist These are some Masters of Arts Students of Divinity as they call themselves in the University of Aberdeen who openly in the hearing of divers Hundreds of People some whereof were Sober and Judicious did oppose the inward Evidence of the Spirit of God in his People as not being a sufficient Evidence unto them unless they could give an Evidence of it unto others even their very Adversaries that they were Inspired and so if we the People called Quakers could not give an Evidence of this unto these our Opposers we were but Deceivers After it had been shewn them That Papists and Jesuits used the same Argument against all the Protestants that indeed did more militate against them out of the Papists Quiver than out of these our Adversaries Quiver against us I produced the Testimony of the Scripture as the best and most Convincing outward Evidence that could be given as a Witness to the Doctrine and Principle of Immediate Revelation and Inspiration of the Spirit of God owned by us as being in all Men in some Measure and consequently in us This is I say not the best and most principal Evidence nor the greatest that we have unto our selves or unto one another who are gathered into the same Faith Spirit and Power for that is the Immediate Evidence of the Spirit in our Hearts which witnesseth both to our selves and to one another that we are the Children of God but it is I mean the Scripture the Greatest Outward and Visible Evidence that can be given unto our Adversaries who in Words own the Scriptures as their only Rule and chiefest Evidences And in doing so I followed the Example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who while he reasoned against the Jews who professed to own the Scriptures but denied him he brought a Testimony for himself out of the Scriptures which they in Words owned as their Rule Search said he or Ye search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life and these are they which testify of me Now though Christ his own immediate Testimony should have been received as greater than any of his Servants such as Moses and the Prophets were yet he used this as an Argument against them as bringing them to their own Rule And said he Had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me for Moses wrote of me And he said again I have a greater Testimony than that of John and yet John was the greatest of all the Prophets So in like manner we say We have a greater Testimony to Christ Jesus by his Spirit and Power Revealed in us than the
the Pride of all Flesh. ye would see the Lord Staining the Pride of all Flesh and bringing into Contempt all the Honourable in the Earth that the Lord alone may be Exalted and see him coming out of his Holy Habitation to silence all Flesh. Hath not the Lord removed most of all those who were Eminently Instrumental to serve him in the Work of the Ministry And is he not daily making their Skirts bare who remain and daily making them to Cease out of the midst of the National Church who rejoiced in her Pride Is not his Voice sounding aloud unto such of you as yet remain Ye shall no more be haughty because of my holy Mountain If to day ye will hear his Voice harden not your hearts for I am sure the Teacher that will tell you infallibly what ye are called to do is near and is not removed into a Corner But it is the Enemies Work to Vail and Cover present Duties and Opportunities and represent what is past or lost as very desirable and even to prompt a People or Person to lament and bewail their by-past Failings and short-comings who do little heed or regard the Worth of the remaining Season and so to Redeem the Time Wherefore my Advice in tender love to thy Soul is That thou Wait on the Lord to understand aright the Import of such Signs as are now appearing when the Lord is proceeding to work marvellous Works and Wonders in the Earth The Lord is angering the Wise and Learned by pouring out his Spirit upon Illiterate Tradesmen not bred up at Schools and Vniversities and is making the Wisdom of the Wise to perish and the Vnderstanding of the Prudent to be hid and pouring out his Spirit upon Sons and Daughters Servants and Hand-maids provoking to jealousy and angering the Mighty Learned Wise Men in this Generation by the foolish Appearance of a Company of Illiterate Tradesmen who were never bred up at Schools and Vniversities Weavers and Shoo-makers and Fishers Yea is not one of the dreadful Signs of this Time fulfilling in thee and thy Brethren Rev. 16 8 9. The fourth Angel poured out his Vial upon the Sun and power was given unto him to scorch Men with fire And Men were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the Name of God which hath power over these Plagues and they Repented not to give him Glory And whether this plague be not poured out upon your Anti-Christian Sun The scorching Plague on Anti-Christ his Dialect doth shew and ye be the Persons that are thus scorched your Dialect doth sufficiently declare unto all those whose Eyes the Lord hath opened I also desire thee to consider how Inconsonant with true Christianity a spirit of Persecution is and how much more unsuitable and unequal for a People or Person under the same Condemnation Surely that poor Man who had been but a little time in Christ's Company was so far influenced by his meek and moderate Spirit as not only to forbear Railing himself against suffering Christ but to rebuke his fellow-Companion for so doing which Instance will stand in Judgment against thee for the contrary Practice Neither will thy denying us to be Members of Christ and not suffering for well-doing Gross Railing rebuked and thy accounting us Demoniacks avail thee nor cover thee from that Woe if thou obtain not Mercy to Repent denounced against such as call good evil and evil good and Light darkness and darkness Light in that day when the Lord Jesus shall declare before Men and Angels we are his Friends and Followers O Robert thy hard Speeches have manifested thy own sad Acknowledgment to be very true the Holy-Fire is gone out with thee indeed in place of which that which never was nor is of God's kindling is brought forth And this is not now to be found by secret Search in Corners by secret Surmises but is by many of you laid open and in thy late Postscript as on a Theatre set up as those who run may read the Holy Fire if ever there was any is quite Extinct Concerning which Compound of unjust groundless Accusations and malitious Inventions I hope I may say there are many sober serious People who fear and serve the Living God inward Jews whose hearts the Lord hath Circumcised to love him who desire continually in the Integrity of their hearts to serve him against whom I know no Divination nor Inchantment of Devils or Men shall prosper Of which Blessed Company I do avouch my self one through the Free Grace of God and I hope I and many with me have put all thine and thy Brethrens Writings in the Lord 's own hand to Answer for the Vindication of his Glory and the Manifestation of his Truth and I desire to make no worse use of thy Postscript than Hezekiah made of the Writings of Rabshakeh in that day Unto the Righteous Lord who searcheth the Heart and trieth the Reins do I Appeal for whose Immediate Help and seasonable powerful Appearance I desire both to Hope and patiently to Wait until he have performed his whole Work in Zion and Jerusalem both amongst you and us The Lord will plead out Cause then shall be brought to pass the sure Promise The Lord will punish the Fruit of the stout heart of his Adversary and the glory of his high looks In that day he will inwardly and outwardly both plead our Cause and execute Judgment for us He will bring forth our Righteousness as the Light and make his Judgments for us manifest as the Noon day although we lie among the black pots of your Reproaches Now the Lord will bring us forth unto the Light and we shall behold his Righteousness fulfilled in you or manifested upon you My Witness is in Heaven I am one who desires not the Evil Day but am willing to embrace all the sweet opportunities of the drawings of my Father's Love and the arisings of his Life to stand in the Gap for the single-hearted among you and I must declare for the Exoneration of my own Conscience I am an experimental Witness how grievously thou violatest the Truth in misrepresenting the things which thou callest the bitter Root springing up in these sprouts of Hell 1. Mens not receiving the love of the Truth 2. Their pleasing themselves with Names and Notions while Christ was not received to dwell in the heart 3. Their not departing from Iniquity who seemed to call on his Name I am a Witness when the Lord called me out from among the Presbyterians I was one who according to my Education and Information and Inclination from my Child-hood was a true Lover of that called the Glorious Gospel and a constant Attender upon the Declarations thereof and the Messengers Feet that published it were beautiful to me so long as those Ordinances of man were unto me as the Ordinances of Christ which was more than 30 years I loved them more than all things in this World I passed through