till the time that we come to see them and that come forth which is the onely Evidence which we come to see them by and he that pâ—ates of that thing as being so or so which to him is not yet known so to be is a buisie body whose tongue runs afore his wit his lips before the light that would lead him out of darkness his thoughts not a little out-run and out-reach his Reason Tum demum apud nos res dicuntur fieri cum incip unt patefieri to us things are onely as they appear so that whoever perks up and prates of what he knows not and of matters that yet to him are not which work which is that of the Priests in many things he that shall count him that 's in it a wise man shall by my consent be canonized a fool for his labour Iustification in Gods sight of a sinner is say the Priests before any Sanctification is at all in him but neither the sinner can know that there is any such matter as pardon of his sin or that he stands just in Gods sight appears not at all to himself not yet is it evident to us who tell him 't is so neither can we know it any more then he till Sanctification appear in him from which as that which goes before it ever in our eyes we come to the sight â—f it yet if he will believe us who speak of a thing we know not and talk we know not what and if he will take our words for it that his Iustification is before he be Sanctified who have no other Evidence of it our selves or whereby to make it Evident to him but this of his Sanctification which is evermore that which goes before the other for ought we see or can discern and if he will trust us implicitly at a venture he may but if he will not say I he may safely chuâ—e And as to that speech of thine out of Diodaâ—us I dare say it was not a Deo datus concerning good works justifying a man declaratively and serving in Iames's sence to approve a Believe in the sight of men for there 's not Truth in 't if meant so onely and exclusively of their use to Iustifie formally and absolve a sinner in the sight of God as it must be if it serve that turn at all to which thou usest it yea I contrarily affirm yet not denying but that they do declaâ—e before men the Faith of him that professes to believe in Christ to be true and not hypocritical that they also tend as well as that tâ—ue Faith they flow from to justifie formally and absolve sinners in the sight of God And though Paul Rom. 3.27 concludes that a man is justified by Faith before God without the deeds of the Law yet he never concluded as you cloudy Expositors of him conclude of his words which ye wrest beside his Right to your wrong meanings any such maâ—â—er as that a man is justified before God without the good works of the Gospel between which of Christs in his Saints and those of the Law which are mens own done without Christ of themselves ye never distinguishing run so far into confusion as ye do which deeds of the Law done in mans own thoughts willings and runâ—ings and not in the Light and Spirit of Christ the Power of God never reach the thing that is run after that is the fulfillâ—ng of it without which there is no life for the Law requires brick but affords â—o 〈◊〉 good works but it gives no strength to weak man in the flesh and faâ— wherewith to perform â—o the Letter onely kills and onely the Spirit givâ—s the Life So both Paul and Iames and we as much as Diodate and T. D. do for ever shut out them yea and so much more then any of you do we deny the deeds of the Law so done as to the doing us any good toward our absolution before God by how much we do both in our Life and Doctrine establish onely the deeds of the Gospel while you who doctrinally exclude the Laws deeds do yet practically establish them to your Iustification for howbeit in words ye establish Faith as that by which ye stand justified formally before God yet that faith ye act who believe God accepts your persons and perfâ—â—mances without his Righteousness inherent in your selves and while ye are yet impurged and not so much as believing you can or must be here purged from your sins is far from the true Faith of the Gospel being no other then the false faith or true fancy of those who were of Moses and the Law that trusted in lying words that could not profit them Jer. 7. Isa. 1. Isa. 58.3 who thought God did them wrong if he justified and accepted them not in their fastings and services though they never fasted from their iniquities nor loosed the bands of wicdedness as if when they had been at their formal humiliations for a day they had procured some dispensation to let Hell loose again and were then delivered to do abomination this kind of barren leafy lean-faith of yours who look for life in it is one of those deeds of theirs who were of the Letter and Law and not that of them who are of the Gospel Faith which formally justifies before God which who are of are blessed with faithful Abraham But now as to the Faith and other good works of the Gospel which all are the works of God himself and Christ Iesus working them in his Saints among which Faith in the Light is the first from whence others come without which they cannot be any more then it can be true without them and by the Name of which Faith for as much as all follow it all the rest are denominated in grâ—ss John 6. This is The work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent these are the Righteousness of Christ and of his Saints which is One the being of which in them and in him and not their being in him and not in them is counted by God to them as their Righteousness nor doth the Faith without them any more then they without it both which concur as one cauâ—e thereunto obtain formal Iustification in the sight of God So that there is a doing some and sometimes the same material good which deserves no good nor acceptation but rather evil and reprobation from God being not good formally but evil before him while the same that does material evil also does that good and such was Cains sacrifice which was else as good as Abels yet had noacceptance by Right as the other had because sin lay still at the door and 't was not the Righteous one but the evil-doer that did the good and the sinner whom we know God heareth not who had he done as bene as it was bâ—num that he did and offered it as well as the thing ofâ—ered was good had been justified as well as his Brother If
count upon it that God impures it so as to compute him or any Righteous Holy Good c. upon that mere account of his own so counting en't and confident believing it so to be before he find and feel that by his Faith in Christs Light which such Fanciers as I.O. T. D. and most Divines and their Disciples are far from Faith in while they fight against it as fiction it be revealed and â—rought in himself and imported to him to making of him Righteous as Christ is and to the purifying of him in fiertâ— till he come in facto esse to be pure as Christ is pure 1 Iohn 3. To walk as he walked and as he is in whom is no sin and in whose mouth was found no guile even so to be in this world and so are his Sants that stand with him on Mount Sion redeemed from the earth without fault before the Throne Rev. 14.1 and layes claim to the blessedness in Truth Psal. 32.1 2. Psal. 119.1 2 3 I say if any man thus believe Trust and Hope as aforesaid his hope is but vain and not that of theirs 1 Iohn 3.1 2 3 4. nor the sure and stedfast Anchor of them Heb. 6.18 19 20. that enters into that within the vail whether the Fore-runner is entred making the way for such onely as follow him in the daily Cross to the Carnal mind yea his belief is but blind his faith meer fancy he feeds but upon ashâ—s a deceived heart hath turned him aside his trust is in lying words he leans upon nought but lyes a meer lye is in his right hand Christ is not his nor his Righteousness his as yet neither is he Christs while he lives in his lusts and his lusts in him while alive to the world and the world to him for as it is in the Verse next after that I last argued from Gal. 5.23 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof upon that Cross of the Lord Jesus then which Paul glorified in nothing more as true Saints now do while the world is ashamed thereof that is the light by which Christ condemns all sin in their flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in them as truly as in himself and they walk no more after the flesh but the Spirit by which also Paul was crucified to the world and the world also unto him And now whereas T.D. and those Divines from whom he must come to be divided before ever he know his part in the undivided Christ do uno ore confesse so far unto this truth as to tell it further then they are aware against their wills while they tell us that the good works and fruits of the Spirit and Christ righteousness within the Saints and the obedience which by him they are enabled to perform are not onely that which makes men meet to enter but are also all the righteous mens evidence for heaven both in faro ecclesia conscientie for I know no man among them that sayes any other then thus that no men can know one another nor any men themselves to be Christs and heirs of heaven and to have right to enter there and that the faith in Christ which they professe whereby they say they stand entitled to the righteousnesse of Christ without them is true living saving justifying faith and not fancy dead unprofitable and good for nothing ' but as it is accompanyed with the other fruits of the Spirit and good works which serve â—ay they to justifie every one that is justified without them say they in the sight of God in his own sight and conscience and in the sight of men I shall take all our Doctors at their words so far as they do yield as Pharaoh did to Isâ—ael by a little and little at once in order to the winding of them in at last whether they will or no to yield us the whole Question in every inch of it wherein they stick for we shall not ere we have done leave them so much as a hoof thereof behind and while it is in and upon me say something more to these two grants of good works giving 1 st meetnâ—sse for entrance 2 evidence of our Tâ—Se to the inâ— heritance and the truth of that faith which though it never be alone say they yet along gives on our part true Tâ—le to it As then to the 1st I muâ—e what great difference there is but that they who where they should not make two into one as T. D. does Pauls own righteousnesse and that of Christ in him love as much when they need not to make one into two between the matter of merit and the matter of meetness that our Divines can digest it exceeding well to have it said the fruits of the Spirit and Christs good works and righteousnesse within his Saints onely makes them meet to inherit but can't digest it at any hand to have it said that these of Christ and his Spirit in them do meriâ— the inheritance or make worthy of it Doth not the â—ame that makes meet and fit for merit or make worthy of it and enright to it in some â—ort and in Scripture sense at least The whole course of which tells you not onely as you tell one another often but that you often untell it again when you tell that of necessity men must sin while they live â—hat no sinners nor unriâ—hteous ones of any sort have in any wise any right to inheritance in the kingdome or are either meet or worthy to be any where but without the holy City together as fearfull unbeleiving dogs and abominable in the lake of fire but tells you also verbatim in many places of all their and onely their right and worthynesse to enter who by Christs power do the samâ— will of God he did and have and work the same righteousnesse that he did in himselfe within themselves 1 Thess. 1. They that sufâ—er'd for the kingdome were worthy of it 21. Math. 8. Not onely they that came 〈◊〉 when bidden to the the marriage were unworthy but such also as took themâ—elves to be entitled upon bare bidding and so as you do ran in all the hast and thrust themselves in as those that had the onely right and who but they the worthy guests that thought there was no need I speake after the manner of men of the â—lâ—ves and Ribbons I mean the Wedding Robes of Christ righteousnesse to cloth their own persons as if what he only wore 〈…〉 Theirs too so far as to enright them â—hithâ—r were for all their more bast then good speed thrust out at last as uâ—worthy to be there where had they been â—s well suiâ—ed as they were willing to have the good 〈◊〉 might there upon deservedly enough since the invitation was free and though a gift yet what more free the gift Have stayd there among the rest as worthy And the few names in Sardis that had not
goes before â—ustification as that by which we are and without and before which we cannot be accounted â—ust in the sight of God yet by and by again they tell us that justification which is by faith and so not before but after it goes before Sanctification whereof faith they say is a part and that the leadings of the Spirit and its fruits among which justifying faith is reckoned up as one 5. Gal. Aâ—ea fâ—uit and effect of our bâ—ing not under the Lawes penalty that is of our justification from the guilt of sin so T.D. p. 16. Sometimes to escape and slip away from the shame of this absurdiâ—â— and contraction they tell us or at least some of them that Iustification of Saints or sinners for I am to seek still what to call the Creatures they call Saints for if I call them Saints it loaths me to call such sinners Saints as they Term so yea If they be Saints which some so call Then guilty sinners are Saints al And if I call them that commit sin the Servants of sin as Christ did Iohn 8. and not Saints and Children of God they will be ready to loath me I say then they tell us that Iustification of sinning-Saints painted and Saint-like sinners in the sight of God is without and before Faith or any thing else even before sin was or men either from all Eternity and from all sins pastnor present I can't say here because the sinning Subjects of this Iustification are not yet extant in the world but from all that ever is to come and Faith by which the Iustification comes is but an Instrument whereby the Evidence of this long-since Iustification in Gods eye comes in to men and manifests it to their eye whereby the sinners themselves know it and as for other fruits of the Spirit which are all the fruits of Faith too which I confess to be the first in being of all work truly good so that without it 't is impossible to please God and whatsoever is not of it and in it but out of it and out of the Light in which it is if true is but sin these are onely as Evidences to us and to others that the Faith we have is justifying and true c. and not dead and fained and fit for nothing So say they In Gods sight we are justified freely from of Old without Faith or good works that follow and flow from it either this we know and are assured of that Faith is oppâ—sed to it self as a work in the business of Iustification and that Faith is imputed to us as being in stead of a perfect personal righteousnese or that 't is the meritorious cause of our Iustification I utterly deny quoth T. D. p. 24 25. but Faith without works is that by which we are formally justified but the other that is good works that by which we are declaratively justified in Pauls sense who Rom. 3.28 sayes We are justified by Faith onely without the works of the Law a sinner is absolved I wot he means in his own Conscience for I know not when T.D. reckons or whether at all God holds an Elected Saint guilty if not David while he was guilty of Adultery and Murder In Iames's sense Iam. 2.14 who sayes By works a man is justified and not by Faith onely a Bâ—liever is approved ' quoth T.D. p. 8. out of Diodat whose words he useth which approbation of a Believer in his Faith as true is both in himself and before men so as they usually say by good works a mans Faith is evidenced to himself within and others without to be a true living Faith and so consequently his Iustification with God to be surely known which was but could not be seen or known to be before Rep. Now therefore a word or two to the grant of our Antagonists that Iustification is before in Gods sight but it can't be known to be by us or others nor evidenced to us so that we can stand as justified ones or approved in our own sight and other mens till we be sanctified and have both Faith which is a fruit of the Spirit and other fruits of the Spirit which if true that Faith works by as love a pure heart victory over the world temperance peaceableness gentleness and such like Is it so Friends that no man can appear to himself to be approved and justified in Gods sight nor to himself or others be known that he is so till he comes to believe and do other good works of Righteousness which first declare the thing so to be I wonder then how ye dare talk and affirm that to be before good works which before good works ye confess cannot be known so to be will ye ever be in your wills thoughts inventions and traditions intruding your selves into that ye have not seen and confess cannot be seen to be as you say it is vainly puft up in your fleshly minds and entring into and venturing to reveal and vent out Gods secrets which ye say are secret and hidden to man saying they are so and so before the time you say they are first revealed to you in And telling men they are justified before God and loved before they do any good and bidding them believe this for true Doctrine from you that 't is so till they come to do good works and that that 's the onely Evidence whereby you can discern that thing so to be which yet you say is so before either by you or them it is discerned In his own secret thoughts say you and bosome Councels the thing stands so that we are justified but it s not revealed to us to be so neither can we know it to be so that we are justified but from the time of our bringing forth fruits of Righteousness Do not secret things belong to God onely and things that he reveals when he reveals them and not before to you and your children to talk of Are ye not like natural bruit beasts in this that you oft speak evil of that truth ye know not and oft tell that for truth which is not so when ye know it not and even confess it cannot be known to be till evidenced by good works and yet you will say 't is of a truth before any of those good works by which onely the Evidence of it comes to you be brought forth in you 'T is true there be many things in esse Reaâ—â— before they be in esse cognâ—scibili Real before they be visible though this Iustification of yours before Sanctification in Gods sight which ye yield is before Sanctification but Sanctification before it in your own sight and in the sight of all men is not one of those invisible Realities but if may so say an apparent Real visible non entity rather and fancy of your own brain but what things soever are in truth to us they are not so as that we in truth and of a truth can say so or so they are
thou do well laith God shalt thou not be accepted Again there is a doing good which deserves no Ill nor Condâ—mnation but onely Good and Iustification before God being both bonum and bâ—ne factum also materially good and formally well done and that de jure promissi at least entitâ—es to an entrance into the Kingdom and such are all the good works done on the Gospels account in the Faith and Power of Christ the Light and in the leading of the Holy Spirit whether Faith it self or Lovâ— or any other that follow these which are not of our selves but by way of gift and grace from God and strength from Christ received by us who are weak in our selves the fulfilling of the Righteousness of the Law which is all fulfilled in this word Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self for love worketh no ill to his Neighbour therefore is Love the fulfilling of the Law Gal. 5.14 Rom. 13.8 9 10. and this is the Royal Law that gives Liberty from the lust to envy or any other evil that keeps from stealing and killing and adulteâ—y and from falling in one point as well as in another of which Iames sayes if ye fulfil it as by the Letter none are but by the Light and Spiâ—it which lead into the Love the Saints are enabled to do ye do well Jam 8.2 and what is well done is twice done and so is every little that is done in faithfulness according to the measure of the gift received as from and unto Christ and lets in so far into the Lords acceptance Matth. 25.23 Well done good and faithful Servant was said on the improvement of two talents as well as five thou hast been faithful in a few things enter thou into the joy of thy Lord This is that love which when Cains wrath doth not worketh the Righteousness of God Jam. 1.26 in the doing of which by Christs Power in our selves and not by his doing it without us in himself who not as without us but as within us is the Iustification from the sin and so the hope of glory Col. 1.27 he is made in us the Righteousness of God and we the Righteousness of God in hâ—m And his Light within which leads all that in a cross to the lust follow him in it to this Royal Life of love is that Royal and perfect Law of Liberty every degree of obedience to which is perfect as it self is and not imperfect as all that of those is who are of the Law and not of Faith and as thou T.D. imperfectly and weakly wottest this is for though as to the Law Bonum non oritur nisi ex integris causis yet I say of true Evangelial obedience none of which is imperfect for its Christs in us Bonum oritur ex quâ—libet actu as well as Malum ex quolibet defectu and howbeit any one or more good works as thou sayest p. 14 15. is not a fulfilling of the Law done as Paul in his blind zeal did them before he knew Christ while he served in the oldness of the Letter and not in the newness of the Spirit for then all the bonum he did did but break the Law being done not bene and so what ere he did in any print he was still guilâ—y of all and in that naâ—â—re he did it in it was but Cains sacrifice which was in the Reprobation the Tree not yet being good yet he that doth and teacheth the least of Christs Commandements given out in the Light fulfils so far that he so far enters by Right into and shall be so far great in the Kingdom of Heaven in the observing and obeying of which Law onely Iustification acceptation and approvement comes as an effect of it in the sight of God as well as in the sight of men and so Iames will be found affirming though thy senseless self canst not looking in the Letter without the Light well see his sense which Law or Light who so looketh into and continueth in the doing of what is there shewen this man shall be blessed Mark in his deed even with the blessedness described by David Psal. 32.1 2. and by Paul Rom. 4.4 5 6 7 8 9. which is forgiveness of iniquity covering of sin and non-imputation of it which comes on all circumcision and uncircumcision thaâ—â—elieve without difference Rom. 3.2 as it came on faithful Abraham whose Faith with those works Iames speaks of Iam. 2.21 which were the fruits of it were not one without t'other but altogether for they were Christ the Image of God his operations in him which thou also sayest p. 23. are called Christ accounted or reckoned to him as his Righteousness as well in foro Dei as hominum for hereby saith God know I thou lovest me because thou hast not witheld thy Son and again Mark because thou hast done this surely Blessing I will bless thee c. as also it was said by Christ of Mary Her many sins are forgiven her for this cause Because she loved much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cujus gratia propter quod see Arias Mountanus so Mark 19. If thouâ— wilt enter into Life follow me and we have forsaken all and followed thee saith Peter to Christ What shall we have therefore Ye shall sit on Thrones saith Christ and everyone c. so 2 Thesâ—â— 6 7 10. that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which ye also suffer seeing it is a Righteous thing Mark with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled Rest with us because our Testimony was believed among you here Faith and sufferings are made the cause upon which by Right deservedly and in Righteousness Rest is to be expected as a debt by promise though Phil. 1.29 they are the gift of God to us and not simply our Own works to you it is given not onely to believe but also to suffer for his sake T.D. Does not the Apostle oppose Faith and Works Faith is opposed to it self as a work in the business of Iustification p. 24. 1. Pamph. Rep. Faith is neither opposed as thou frivolouily supposest good works to the Gospel nor yet to it self as a work in the business of Iustification but both it self and all the good works that are done onely in it which together with it are the gift of God to us in Christ Iesus who is ths Authour Worker and Finisher of them in us are altogether as the one good work or Righteousness of God and Christ in the Gospel by which we stand justified before them opposed to mans meer Righteousness and works of the Law by which no flesh living can be justified and though Paul when he sayes to him that worketh is the â—eward not reckoned of grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted to him for Righteousness doth â—ppose Faith and our works the Gospel and the Law which
is not of Faith yet when thou lookest with clearer eyes who canst now see with no better then thou hast thou wilt see that he no where opposes grace and Gospel good works â—aith and the works of Christ in us Faith and the fruits of the Spirit of which Faith is one much less as thou faiâ—est Faith and it self as a work but joyâ—s all these in One as God and Christs single and singular gift of grace to us under the Gospel as that one perfect and personal Righteousness by which as a cause thereof we are made meet or worthy to be justified in his fight by which works that of Faith together with them justifying us as a work as well as an Instrument to receive Christ and his other operations wrought in us by it all bâ—â—sting as blind as thou art not to see it is Eternally excluded forasmuch as both it and the rest are a gift as well as works given to us by him to perfoâ—m For which the glory belongs onely to the giver and not to the receiver at any hand T. D. thou sayest as p. 25. 1. Pamph. the Scriptures attribute our Iustification to the Righteousness of Christ in the same sense that they deny it in to works Rep. That 's true if by the Righteousness of Christ thou intend the Righteousness of his working in us and by works those works of our working without him but utterly false if by his Righteousness thou mean what he works without us and by works what works we work onely in him for the Scripture attributes Our Iustification to this latter as to the former it attributes his Own of both which he beinh the onely Authour not unto us O Lord not unto us at all but to thy Name onely be the praâ—se who dost not as thy supposed Ministers suppose meerly that thou dost but far be it from thee so to do Shall not the Judge of all the earth do Right First count men just that are unjust in this world and not make them so till the World to come but first justifie the ungodly from their ungodliness and make them Godly and then countest them to be such as thou hast made them But awake O ye divine Diviners and see what a dream you are in who deeming the Lord to be no other then like your selves imagine your selves as pure in his as you are in your own eyes though ye are not yet washed from all your filthiness nor yet believe you need be so in this present world whereas he that condemneth the Iust and be that justifieth the wicked in his wickedness and I crow God is not an Abomination to himself both these are an Abomination to the Lord. And hence is one ground of your so miserable a mistake in that ye take as ye confess your selves Iustification in its meer forraign and not in its neer and proper signification viz. a counting and not a making of them just who are not so whereas Iustificaâ—e and Iustificari is Iustum facere and Iustum fieri to make and to be made just properly and pâ—imarily and then consequently and secondarily to think and to be thought so but you fleeing afar off in this and many more points from proper names into forraign acceptations that ye may be as far as may be from such Truths as most torment you will needs in this world at least have the words to justifie and be justified sanctifie and be sanctified to import and found forth no more then injustâ—m improbum justum Sanctum putare putari justificare sanctificare ri in no wise to be Ex injusto improbo justum sanctum facere fieri as if in this life God having somewhat else to do could not well have while to make people Iust and Holy and therefore they being also well contended so to be left did agree to leave them to the liberty of their lusts under some certain toleration to live in them and yet to think them Iust and Holy in the mean while notwithstanding and then hereafter when men are more willing to it and himself a little better and more at leasure to do it to make them Iust and Holy by some Pâ—pisb Purgatory in the life to come But Friends have a care however of what you do in this case which is of no less then Eternal Consequence to your immortal Souls for assuredly let Paul and Iames himself Iam. 2. determine it if you will whose sence T.D. thinks he hath 〈◊〉 on his hand yet you will find it so that ye can be no further justified then ye are sanctified in the sight of either God or men that are after the heart of God yea if a man say he hath Faith and have not works can Faith save him Can it profit him Is it not dead Yea knowest thou not O vain maâ— that as the body without the Spirit is dead and can do nothing so Faith without works is dead also Is it not made perfect by works Was not Abraham and others justified by works See ye not then that by works a man is justified and not by Faith onely Yea quoth T.D. approved by men but not absolved and accepted of God by works Rep. then let Paul speak Rom. 14.17,18 The Kingdom of God is Righteousness Peace and Ioy in the Holy Spirit he that in these things seereth Christ is acceptable to God thereupon surely as well as approved of men Though therefore ye dream pleasantly while ye are awake and bless your selves saying Aha I am warm I have seen the fire becauâ—e in the Letter where ye read by the halves singling out of it what best suits with and serves your sinful desires and leaving out what serves to the crossing of your carnal lust and corrupt affections you have been flashily and more shalowly then solidly read of a Declaration of a Righteousness and good works of another even Christ whereby onely men can possibly come to be saved never heeding at all that this Righteousness of that other is to be wrought in the Saints by him who wrought it first in his own Person before ever they can be justified by it and their Salvation truely wrought out by it which we confess is to be wrought out by it alone and not by any that 's meerly mans own yet when ye come to see what a meer painted Paradice ye have been led into by that false flash of your justifying Faith without works concurrent which is but the fruit of your affectionate fancy which would fain have it so that you might be saved by Christ and yet serve your selves you 'l find that you and your whissling faith have in all this been but as Igâ—is faâ—â—â—â—â— going before and Ignoramus faâ—â—â—â—â— following after And though to Ring back a little to you here to the Tune of F.Os. Talk Mutaris murandis about this matter of Attonement with God by the blood of Christ p. 125,126,127,128 of his English Pamph.
as in many more if they do not Maliciously mis-represent us yet at best they most Miserably mis-understand us not well heeding these things that hereunder follow 1st That the Qua. themselves hold not out as attainable such a Perfection of Holynesse Grace or Glory as to degree here as admits of no addition of a greater degree of it hereafter for of the increase of Christs Image Glory and Kingdom there is no end but such a Perfection only as is without unholiness or committing any Sin or Transgression as whereby there is a perfect Defacing and Destroying in them the Works the Old Contracted Ugly Image of the Devil Anger Hatred Envy Wrath Blood Cruelty Uncleanness Drunkenness and all such like Lustings to Evil which whoever areÌ„ not purged from before can never enter into the Kingdom of God and Christ which is that Incorruption that Corruption cannot Inherit Full Deliverance from the doing of which Evills is a true perfection of Holiness according to the measure of it though not so great a measure of it but that hereafter there may be more as Adam in Innocency had no Sin yet not so much of God Good and Glory but that it might possibly be Augmented The Elect Peter writes to received the end of their Faith the Salvation of the Soul which is from Sin or nothing by him who was manifested a Light into the world to this end even here to Destroy the Works of the Devil 2dly That we hold not out a Condition of full Freedom from Temptation which if any be without he is wise enough to keep it to himself and not to prattle of it to the Priest who for all his Preaching against it can't with patience hear of turning yet from all Transgression And lest any should think of me as more then I yet am I am not yet that man who ere he is that 's free from Temptation but in our several measures what we witness in our selves by the Power of God and Gospel of his Light and Grace viz. a Liberty not to Sin which is that some long for but from Sin and a freedom from following any Lust and an Ability such as we found not while we were where Priests their people are to walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and to be saved from Sinning though not from sins Objecting it self to us and from Transgression though not from Temptation So it is a True State of Perfection and a State of True Perfection or else Christ himself who was often Tempted Matth. 4. yet never sinned was not Perfect 3dly That we hold not as there are some that sillily suppose of us saying the Qua. say they are so perfect they cannot Sin an Impossibility of those mens sinning who while they sin not are Saints for the Denominations of Sinners and Saints do tollere se invicem so as he who is a sinner while such while sinning is no Saint as T. D. dotes and he who is a Saint or Holy One clean from sinning is no Sinner specially not as David was while in his Guilt and Filth of Murder and Adultery as T. D. dreams also for no Sinner is a Saint while sinning nor is any Saint a Sinner while a Saint or Holy One but a Possibility only not to sin as men take heed to themselves by the Word and Light Non posse peccare is one thing and Posse non peccare is another and the Divines can see it so sometimes when they please though they will not own their own Distinctions when the Qua. make them They say men must needs sin while in this world measuring others by themselves who are yet sold under sin and so under a necessity of committing it and falling under the Law of it and because we own them not in their Extream which of the two is fartheâ—t off from the Truth they dream we are in the other so as to say men after they once one the Light cannot sin Thus the Vile Person Churl whose Instruments are Evil destroyes the poor with lying words when the needy speaketh right things for we say that men though they ought not to sin yet may or may not sin according as they heed the Light or heed not the Light which is the Power of God against it by which Psal. 119.9 a young man heeding it May cleanse his way not Must necessarily whether he heed it or no Let him that standeth take heed left he fall To say men must sin is one thing can't sin is another may or may not as the Light is kept to is the Truth 4thly That we Doctrinally hold not out such a full Freedom and Attainment of Poâ—er over Sin per Saltum at once or at the first Step of a Person from the Darkness wherein he dwelt toward the Light so that after once Converted to the Light only and to wait in it there 's a full Deliverance witnessed without any more ado as our National Ministry who are oft more willing to mistake us then rightly to understand us make it out in their muddy medlings against the Qua. before their people but that those that turn to the Light in their Consciences which Reproves and Condemns even the most Secret Sins in the flesh and obey it and abide by it waiting patiently on the Lord in the Way of his Judgments while the Spirit thereof and of burning passeth to the purging away the Filth Dross and Tinn to those only as well as to all those at last Judgement shall be brought forth into Victory over the Sin that 's Judged the Righteousness of the Law fulfilled by the Power of Christ in them bringing it near to such as Thirst after it and Revealing it in the Light from Faith to Faith Rom. 1. And the Salvation of God from sin which shall once come and not tarry to such as thus quietly hope and wait for it Isa. 42.12 13. Lam. 3.26.27 We say not it's the work of meer man nor of a day but the Work of Christ which in due time he will without failing and being discouraged in it perform and bring to passe for the Battle is not ours but the Lords in such as stand still beholding and following him in the leadings of his Light to the Rooting out of all Iniquity and Establishing of Equity in the Earth to the accomplishing of the work of Regeneration or begetting men back from the Image and Nature of the Devil and life of sin through the Death and Blood of Christs Cross which being but begun in the first Act of Conversion to God which our Prieâ—ts to the deceiving themselves and people think is Regeneration enough for them and to serve their turn though their turning to God as they call it be not yet from Darknesse Sin and the Power of Satan to God in his Light neither but from some one empty dead literal Form of Profession or other to another they look for the fulness of as to freedom from sin
no sooner though for shame they say not so much in words because they would seem at least to be at odds with the Pope about that Point then in some certain Purgatory in the world to come not mattering to be Holy here as God is Holy Merciful as he is Merciful to walk as Christ walked to be as he is in this world in whom there is no Sin to be pure as he is pure as men are required to be and till they are 't is Condemnation because of sin and as such as sing with him on Mount Sion Rev. 14.1 2 3. are and must be but contenting themselves to be as ever learning and teaching never learned nor taught so ever purifying though never purifyed And if the work were as truly doing too as 't is pretended to there were then according to 1 John 3.3 some true hope because a hope that it would once be done therefore we own the leaâ—t weakling that is waiting on in his measure of the Light of Christ in his own Conscience as one that is in a truly hopeful way in which keeping he will once come to something though a little child who if he do sin as he knows he should not knows he suffers for it yet is not without an Advocate 1 Iohn 2.1 2. But Alas what hope that the work of purging from sin shall ever be done where its never rightly doing as it is not among the Priests and their people who are not only out of the Light in which alone life comes but also out of the love of it and so at odds and falling out with it as to Blaspheme it by the Names of Figment Fancy Fanaticism c. as J.O. does and out of the faith of the thing also The work is not so far as in Fierâ— yet while men in their Fiery Spirits are fiercely Fighting against the Light which only can do it and believe not it is Possibly to be done What hope then is there that ever it should come forth in Facto esse Having 1st given this Generall Account to All Sorts of the Work hereafter following and of what Points are therein Principally propounded to Publick View and how We hold them a Word or Two more Particularly to Some sorts of Readers Know then 2dly All ye Honest Minded Well-meaning Persons who possibly may conceive your selves not much concern'd in Viewing over such a Volumn as Relates so Directly and Immediately as this mostly seems to do to the Learned Linguists and Academical Scholastick Rabbies who get as much Skill as their Skulls can Scrape together in Scrawling and Scribling against each other about their Hebrew and Greek Texts and Transcripts of the Scripture the very Literal Sense of which ye who may know the Truth nigher hand can Ken no otherwise then by their confessedly untrue Translations Know I say that howbeit this is intended mainly as an Alarm to All Sleepy Shepheards that lye down to Sleep loving to Slumber and so consists of Various matter much of which may Run beyond their Reach who are neither by Nature nor their Nursing Mothers meer Natural Nurture Skil'd any further then their Mother Tongue nor yet by the Spirit in the things of the Spirit neither yet here is some matter and that not a little of such a Nature as is no lesse plain to be understood then Profitable not to say necessary to be Learn't by the Lost Sheep that have long Slept with their Drowsy Shepheards in the Dream of their Night Visions in the Dark and Cloudy day of their dimm Divinations have bin Scattered from their own Border and driven to and fro from Mountain to Hill from Form to Form Profession to Profession Tradition to Tradition and from one outward Observation to another and caused to Erre after them and wander together with them up and down in dry and parched places in the Thick Wood of their own Thoughts in the Wilderness of their own Wretched Wisdom where they have found no Sound Health nor Reall Rest or Refreshment but rather more Wounds and Weariness to their Restlesly Wounded and Wearied Souls Be not therefore bolted out by the fight of sundry passages of it that are pend on purpâ—se to the Pecular Purpose of others from beholding that in it which if Perused by you in as much purity as it was pen'd in pitty to you may be of pretious use to your selves For herein also is an hand lent in love to the lost to lead you in O poor Perishing Parish people by the dore above which you and your Clergy have been long Climbing up as high as Heaven with Capernaum in your self-conceived Luke-warm Laodiceau Literature but are so far from obtaining entrance into that Pure Pasture which Christs Sheep partake of who hear his voice that in stead thereof except ye yet Repent from your Powerless Profession of what ye are out of the true way to the true Possession of ye shall all as assuredly as Shee was of old be brought down to Hell Yea herein all along throughout the whole work lyes as it were a little line before all save such as love to look beside it laid for any that will lay hold on it to lead them not from but to and by and together with the Letter of the Scripture to the Light of him in the heart which the Letter came from who is the only Light that leads throughly to the Life even his Own Life and to Himself who is the Truth Way Door Light and Life it self of the Sheep and looks after them that have gone astray from Him to gather them back to look after himself alone for Salvation in his own and to learn of him alone who alone hath the Words of the Eternal Life which all the foresaid Word-stealers and Truth-sellers while refusing to stand in his COUNCEL and to receive the Word from his own mouth are so living so dying Vniversally shut out from for ever Moreover if any either through Mis-understanding of my honest meaning or Male Construction of my good Intention therein shall be offended at my medling so much as I have done specially toward the latter part of the second Excercitation in matters that seem to any who are more seriously addicted then most Schollars are whose life is wholly lost in looking after littles so Immomentary to the Life of God as the meer External Text of that Eternal Truth that 's therein talk't on and those Hebrew Points Tittles Vowels Accents Letters and Syllables of it are which I am in not a few pages together well-nigh totally taken up in and for a time taken off by from Points of more Immediate Pertinency and truer tendency to Salvation Their unjust Offence at me shall not so far Offend me but that for their sakes I can and shall here stoop so low to take that Stumbling Block out of their way as to tell them and the whole world the Naked Truth how it was with me in that particular and the Real
in one Field i. e. the World or Civil States thereof untill the Harvest and to let Religion alone which is that alone that Crushes them to Pieces while they Meddle much to Make it and Cumber themselves more with it then God Requires to Stand or Fall as True or False by its own Power and Evidence which is that of the Spirit without the Interposition of any External Arm of Flesh sâ—retcht out in Persecution of any to Establish it For not by Might nor Power but by My Spirit saith the Lord and leave All People who if his Word Alone may not Winn them have leave so to do from God Himself so they 'l take from Him what comes on 't at last to Walk Every One in the Name of his God and Leave Gods Own People who have no leave from Him to do otherwise to walk in the Name of the Lord their God from henceforth and for ever If ye go about to make Religion a meeâ— Engine whereby in Pollicy to Establish your selves and make it not rather your own Main Design to Establish It and that ye can never do Positively by making Lawes for the bringing of All to such or such a Particular Form of it but Permissively only by suffering all People to be of what Faith toward God they find Evidence for in the Light of God within themselves while they Live in Peace and Faithfulnesse in their Civil Dealings and Demeanour one by another which is the Pleasure of the Lord concerning You in that Particular your Work of Settlement shall never Prosper long as theirs hath not done who have lately gone before You for the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it O my Bowells my Bowells How have I been Pained at my Heart to see each of those Three Several Churches of Christians that Sit still under the Shadow of their Selfish Shepheards under the Cloudy Conceits of their Several Clergies so called viz. Papal Prelatick Presbyterial each of which will be National or Not at All Wearying themselves and their Poor Christ'n Creatures with no other then the Greatnesse of their own Way and each as it were no lesse then Moâ—e Ruentem Sua Suis ut Ipsa Roma Viribus Ruit That they All and All others also walking in Love and Peace might stand so long as they are able by Arguments without Armes to uphold them or any Armour to Shield them but only the Armour of Light by the Evidence of their Own Words without the Edge of either the Civil Shepheards or the Souldiers Swords Swaying to any side any more then to see that the Civil Peace be Preserved by them all is my Desire It would then in Coolnesse soon be seen clearly whose God it is that is the Lord and by each Single Searcher that the Lord alone is God and such as are for him would also follow him and such as seeing no other God then Baal are for him would also follow him and each man be well Contented to Live and Dye in the Service of and Receive his Reward from his Own God And they whose Dagon cannot Stand but Fall before the Ark of the Living God would be seen to be but of that Wretched Race And if yet any are so Devoted to their Own False God though they see He cannot stand in the Presence of the True God that they 'l Set Him up Again rather then they 'l Own the True One let the Philistines Erect their Dagons after they are down as oft as they will even till they fall again and Break to Pieces they shall have Liberty withall my heart to Set them up for themselves to Worship but shall never Set them Up again any more for me who know that what ever is pure Religion in the Sight of that Generation who are Pure in their Own Eyes and yet are neither Washed from their Filthinesse nor have Faith they shall be while they Live in this World whether they Own or Own not a Purgatory in that to Come Yet that pure Religion that is Undefiled before God is to Visit the Fatherless and Widow in their Aflictions and to keep a Mans Self Unspotted of the World Those Men who abide Stedfast Unmovable abounding in such works of God as the Light Leads to Find their Labour not in Vain in the Lord But whoever seem to be Religious and are Unbridled and not Ruled and Ordered by Gods Own Spirit in their Spirits Speeches and Conversations and much of that sort of Religion there is among Christians as was once among Jewes and is in all men whom God made Upright but that they seek out many Inventions which the Scripture calls Vain Oblation Isa. 1.13 Vain Conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 Vain Customes Jer. 10.3 Vain Worship Matth. 15. Vain Faith 1 Cor. 15. Jam. 2. Vain Shew Psal. 39.4 Vain Thoughts Jer. 4.14 These mens Religion is all but Vain As it 's all but Novel and Narrow to the Oldest which is most True and most Catholike or Universal As true as is that there are many Religions in the World so 't is that each Religion Pleads it Self to be the Truest and from no lesse then it 's own greater Antiquity and Universality then all the Rest and I as truly know both That Church and it's Religion to be both the Eldest and the Largest which is by blind Men judged to be the Least Last and Newest as I willingly yeild the Eldest and Largest to be the Truest And if that of the Quakers so called which is counted to be the most Small and Upstart be not the most Catholike and Antient that is in the World however now Disguised by the Serpents Subtilty under the Newest of those Nicknames which the World never wanted in any Age wherewith to Render the Right Religion Odious I here professe my Readiness to Renounce it But if it be And there needs not much to do to prove it so to be Sith to Tremble at Gods Word and Walk in his Light and in an Innocent Honest Humble Harmless Holy Life the very End of all Outward Observations in which Gods Kingdom nor Stands nor comes but in Power and a more Hidden and Inward Righteousness Peace and Joy Required once by God and now by men practiced pretendedly to the self same End and to do as we would have others to do to us which saith Christ is the Law and the Prophets the Sum and Substance of all their Doctrine the Hight of which is that Love that Loves Enemies does Good against Evil and Works no Ill to the Neighbour and so Fulfills the Royal Law which is the whole of the Quakers work as to God and of their Message from him to the World is no other then the same that was Universal as to time from the beginning even from Abel Enoch Noah who walk't with God in this Life by the Light which only leads to it long before any at all of that Letter which came from the Light and leads to it ever was to Walk
of Masters Reverend Sirs c. under the disguise of Servi Servorum-Dei are indeed no less then Masters of all mis-rule and Domini Dominorum Terrae T. D. Thou tellest us alluding to a saying of the Bishop of Alâ—f concerning the Protestants that if the Qua. have Orthodoxos mores an Orthodox conversation yet they have Haereticam fidem an Heretrodox or Heretical belief Rep. Herein thou shewest thy self to be as well as in other things one of the blind Grand Children of that blind Papistical Bishop who can'st not discern how impossible it is that an Orthodox true right or good Gospel conversation should proceed from an Heretical or false faith Silly man Does not true Faith purifie the heart and life work by that love which works no evil give victory over the world with the lust thereof c And does any perfect purity of heart or life any true love that works no ill any victory over the world any truly good manners righteous works holy actions honest or godly conversation flow from an Heterodox unsound untrue dead Heretical false faith Is not that a dead and unprofitable faith and such is yours who deny any perfect purging from sin in this life which doth not avail to the purging of the heart and life Which overcomes not the world And is not all purity and love and victory over the worldly lust c. the necessary effect of a true Faith and of that only and no other and can there possibly be a bad false faith where there are truly good works and an holy life In thy yielding here that the Qua. have a right conversation thou not onely givest thy self the lye in other places where thou accusest them as wanting not having so much as moral honesty as p. 11.2 Pamp. and p. 5. of the Narrative but also to the proving thy own faith consequently to be false evincest the Qua. Faith to be true and not Heretical for good manners and a righteous wel-ordered conversation cannot flow from a false or from any but a true living justifying Soul-saving Faith or Belief within aud if the Heretical faith for so ye will needs call the true one bring forth the right life and the Orthodox for so ye will call your own fruitless one be seconded with and shewed by a prophane conversation then give me our Heretical and take you your Orthodox belief unto your selves give me the Faith that purifies works no ill gives victory over sin and is both proved and perfected by good works shew me T. D. thy faith without thy good works I will shew thee my Faith by my works for where the life is right the Faith cannot be amiss and while the life is crooked corrupt and rotten the Faith is not pure right nor sound yet I know the Clergy will needs count the Qua. Faith Heretical let their life be never so innocent being themselves most in love with that Faith in Christ if they could find it our once that can allow and assure them of not onely Salvation from wrath when they dye but while they live also a vain conversation and no little liberty to sin T. D. Thou say'st G. W. layes the most innocent truths under the odious Imputation of Antichrists deceits Rep. If those 20 of thy Antichristian deceitfull Doctrines with G. W. sees down as thine at the end of his Reply to thee are the most innocent truths with thee that we may be delivered for ever from embracing those as Truths shall be my earnest desire and Prayer to God for myself and all men to whom I wish deliverance from darkness and deceit it self and from delâ—â—sion and damnation for sure I am the contrary to those however ownâ—â— by thee because of the blindness of thy heart are the most innocent soul-â—â—ving Truths of Christ. T. D. Thou tel'st thy Reader thou trustest he will be confirmed in his bad opinion of the Quakers Rep. Here thou confessest thy opinion of the Qua which thou seekest in thy first book to beget men to and in thy second to confirme them in is a bad opinion out of thy own mouth from thy own pen art thou judged as no Minister of Christ but an evill doer oh thou improfitable Servant art thou sent of God are not all that are indeed sent of him as thou in word pretendest only to be sent to turn men from bad to good and to confirm them in those good opinions yet behold T. D. Trusts that the people to whom he Ministers will being by his writings converted thereunto be confirmed in their bad opinions of the Qua. Can more be done by any man in discovery of his own folly nakedness not to say iniquity and wickedness to all men then is here by T. D. Was there ever the like seen save among such Ministers as are like to T. D. himself that a Minister should confess to all the world the end of his endeavours to be the converting of his Hearers and Readers to Bad and the confirming them in their Bad opinions yet T. D. thus writes to his Reader I trust thou wilt be confirmed in thy bad opinion of the Qua. Herein T. D. thou justifiest the Qua. as no such Bad people as thou would'st Render them to be at other times for if they were so indeed it were not a Bad but a Good because not a false but a true and iust opinion to think so Badly as thou speakest of them but since thy own self stilest it a Bad opinion of the Qua. which thy care is to confirm men in to think ill of them it evinces them not to be such evil ones for if men be bad indeed it s a good opinion to deem them to be Bad and to think of them as they are yea because the Devill is Bad A Lyar A deceiver he gives the Devill but his due and does well speaks and thinks well who has that good and true opinion that he is a wicked Lyar and Deceiver and who speaks and thinks no better of him then he is But if it be a Bad opinion to think ill of a man and to be of opinion that he is Bad and Naught it must needs be that that man is Good else 't were not Bad but Good and just to judge him Bad the Goodness and Badness of every opinion consisting in no other thing then in the truth and falshood of it respectively and the Badness of a mans opinion about another man arising ever from the goodness or innocency of that other man lie thinks Badly of Indeed were the Qua. such Bad men as thou belyest them to be and had'st thou said I trâ—st thou wilt be confirmed in thy opinion of the badness of the Qua. thou had'st then spoken according to what thou now evilly and falsly thinkest of them and also the opinion thou seekest to confirm men in about their Badness would be as Good and thy endeavours to confirm them in it as Good as ours are who
publick then the Market place what is above Printed may for more I have by me suffice to let the world know if yet thou have such Relations under the Ministers hand what kind of Creatures thy Credible Witnesses are and how unworthy thy very worthy and Reverend men are to be call'd Ministers of the Gospel and to have their words taken in matters of Doctrine and Soul conceâ—nment who are found saying lyes to thee in secret of the Qua. and unsaying them to their faces and not having so much morall honesty as to speak truth in matters of Fact nor yet so much trustiness neither to their own Father of lyes as to keep his and their own Councill without be wraying it when they have done as this Cavehold Reverend Clergy man seems to have done by that Testimony of his I have here inserted and that contrary one to himself which thou say'st thou hast under his own hand and this may suffice also to let all men see who are not wilfully blinded what fruits follow the most solemn Fasts of this Generation of Blind guides when they gather together after their devouring of Widows Houses and spâ—yling of poor Pâ—oples Goods for Tyths for a pretence to make long Prayers So that I shall do no more as to that last piece of Patch of T. D's putting forth having returned the â—ye upon him again which he thinks he has returned to L. H then having pluckt its wings turn the Sting that stands at the tayl of that Bawbling Butterfly back upon himself and in short shut up this my return as to that in the very last words mutatis mutandis additis addendis wherein thou T.D. concludest that thy as Impudent as Impotent Rejoynder to L.H. viz. So that upon the Whole the Publisher hereof S.F. doubts not but that the Wise will be able to discern between truth and falshood and will in their own thoughts be as farr from acquitting T.D. and his Companions whom L.H. Charges with Lying as they would a Thief at the Bar meerly because he pleads not guilty to his Indictment which is an usual thing let the evidence be what it will And he doubts not but if they should revile in Print again he may be excused if he make no other return then Inhonestum est honestam matronam cum meâ—etrice litigare i.e. It is unseemly for an honest Matron to stand brawling with a Whore London 2. d. 2. m. 1660. Sam. Fisher. And whether the Qua. or the Parish Priests are respectively the Loyall Spouse the Lambs Wife Rev. 21. or that great Whore which makes the Earth Drunk with the Wine of the Wrath of her Fornications Rev. 17. if the Night is not yet spent farr enough for all to see yet Dies Declarabit though this is your hour and the power of Darkness the day is at hand that will declarâ— it to all that yet know it not And now as to thy Generall false charge of the Qua. as complying with the Papists and Antichristian Faction which is not thine alone but that of Will. Prinn I. O. I. Tomb's R. Baxteâ— also and of the Priest of Kendall W. Brownsword answered in that particular by E. Bur. I. Story and in a manner of the whole Covent of co-contenders against the Quakers Rep. I should blush and be Ashamed were I in thy case to make such a confident Narrative of it and such an undoubted Profession of my faith thereof as thou dost of thine and produce no more then two such pitiful proofs for it as thou dost and to send it abroad in Print on two such lame legs as can help it are the stile Little more then a bare Repetition of thy Reasons after thee is enough to a Right Reader to Render the urger of them Reasonless and Ridiculous enough in all Reason T. D. I am out of doubt sayst thou they are Acted by the Antichristian Faction Rep. Why so T. D. A Gentleman of good credit assured me that be met with an English Iesuit in London the first Lords day in June last one who was bred in Cambridge and had been formerly of his acquaintance who after some shyness to be known at length confessed that he came over to propagate the Romish Faith and told him that there was a good honest people called Quakers whom we jeer'd at that did their work at the second hand and he boasted much of the numbers that turned Catholicks immediatly or mediatly by becoming Quakers Rep. Both thou and thy men of credit will come to be out of credit ere long if thou crack thy own and their credit but a little longer so much as thou hast done hitherto But 1. Suppose it true that he assured thee so 2. Suppose that true he assur'd thee of what then The Papists dote as our Priests often do in other cases that that will make for them which to any but such as discern not the signs of this season doth undoubtedly work toward their utter ruin therefore doubtlesly the Qua. either are or will turn Papists Object But many by becoming Qua. turn Catholicks Rep. The Qua. are of the Catholick Church if thou wilt know as thou dost what Catholick is but so are not the Papists that are of no Church but that of Rome the Church of Rome is but a Particular Church as that of England or another National one may be but the Catholick Church is general and universal a Church that was before Rome was a Church or a City either as some Qua. have oft asserted to Friars and Iesuits to the stopping of their mouths a Church that had its Being though the world sees it not nor knows it from Abel to this day to which General Assembly and Church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven and to the spirits of Iust men made perfect the Qua. are come as the Saints were of old Heb. 12. and so while Romanists are but as ye are a Bastard brood the Qua. are the truest Catholick Church that is in the world T. D. Anotheâ— Gentleman that came this Spring from St. Omars did avouth that he saw the Iesuits there about four a Clock every evening throw off their Gowns and put on aprons and betake themselves to the exercise of Handy-craft callings some plaid the Shoomakers others saâ—e at the Loom others kill'd and dress'd sheep and they did not stick to boast that under the disguise of such callings working as Iouâ—nymen and changing place as they listed they served the Romish Church And the Head of the Colledge told him that England never was in so fair a way of return to the Romish Sea since it broke off as now And what hopes the Papists can have unless from the encrease of Qua. I leave Reader to thy determination Rep. What news is this to any but Nevices that Iesuits in craft use handicraft callings that under that disguise they may serve Rome but what follows hence T. D. Nempe similium similis ratio the
Commandements and Traditions of men and of the Pope himself in many things still and yet because they did not so much as he appointed them in matters of more moment but were unclean and wicked refusing to walk in the good old way of the Light which was the way before Moses and the letter was turning away their eare from hearing the Law in the heart which is the light were not only vain but abominable in the very best of their Oblations In Preaching therefore in order to Gods acceptance of us and our good works which are not outward worships where the heart and life are yet defiled but where a new Creature created after his own Image of God in Christ Iesus to good works in his nature and by his Power though in it's own person doth perform them is as an utter exclusion of all your own so no fair In-let to any of the Popish Rubbish will worship meer self service and unprofitable devotion for these being only done by man are neither good nor accepted of God But to Teach and maintain and plead for evil works as necessary to be done while we are in this life and Teach down the doctrine of perfecting holinesse and perfect purging our selves from all uncleannesse of flesh and Spirit while we are here in the body which Paul taught up as a doctrine of devils and to deny the possibility of performing this duty of not sinning and make such a grosse state of sin as that was which David stood in when he was guilty of adultery and murder consistent with Gods acceptance of men and their justification before him and that the Saints as some call them in such a pickle while they are in sin up to the ears even in such a case are not in a condemned but in a justified estate and that if the Saints own heart condemn him and his own conscience tell him that God doth not accept him and that his estate is bad in such a bad sinful case and not good it 's defiled and lyes and testifies falsehood to him and leads him into a wrong opinion of himself and that the Saints may be blessed men as David was having no guile in his spirit but sincere upright after Gods own heart though under the guilt of so grosse and great sins when the Scripture saith the contrary viz that David was upright before God saving in that matter of Vriah wherein indeed his very heart was false and rotten and to affirm to the encouragement of men in their imperfections and infirmityes by which name they stile the Saints grossest iniquities as T.D. does contradictorily to himself in other places that the gospel gives life upon imperfect obedience all which and more ejusdem Farraginis is done and utter'd by T.D. and such as own him therein in the 11.19.45.47 pages of his 1. Pamphlet as they were by word of mouth at the disputes This is to strengthen the hands of the wicked that they cannot return from their wickednesse for how is it possible they should do it when 't is preacht and believed as impossible to be done this is to sow soft pillows under their elbowes that they may sleep on securely in sin and take their rest for its all but infirmity and no inpreachment to his justification nor to his standing accepted and in covenant with God that a Saint does and their 's no condemnation to them that are Saints and in Christ no though they be in transgression in which who is say I is out of Christ and not a Saint and though they walk not after the Spirit as all that are Saints and in Christ Jesus do but after the flesh and in a word a very fair In-let to a very worse matter then that whole mare mortuum of the Popes Beggerly observations even no better a matter then the very whole bundle of the Devils own Bag and Beastly Baggage So then I see not hitherto and am perswaded never shall till I come to see as T.D. does in his floting fancy many things with his eyes shut how any Doctrines of the Qua. even such as they and I hold with any more then what we hold flatly against the Popish Priesthood do either conclude my complyance with them or make any way for the incoming and abiding without its own speedier Ruine of their Romish Baggage or how our parochiall Priesthoods preaching and practice too doth any other then uphold the Butt end thereof and preach their own câ—mplyance with those their Brother Ravens in many matters But T. D's Biggest Bolt and weightest Bullet as he counts at least lyes yet behind and that is our doctrine of good works as needful to that use of our justification before God here he iudges that Omne tulit punctum he hath fully hit the white and that this will do if all the rest die and fallen the fault of favouring and fathering the Popish cause upon me as some Iâ—suit if all the other fail Good works for necessary uses viz to manifest faith to be true to sanctify to make meet for the possession c. T.D. and his Associates in words and doctrinally more then practically maintain as much as any but to maintaine good works not only to the use of our sanctification but our justification and to justify not only deâ—laratively in the sight of men but also formally in the sight of God not only to approve a beleiver but absolve a sinner p. 8. not only to fit for but to give right to the inheritance p. 22. not as concurrent and concomitant only but as cooperative and constitutive together with faith and coincident as a cause in the case of our iustification to let good works be accounted not only Via ad Regnum but also carsa Regnandi as your Scools distinguish yea and further yet to dispute it not in these Terms barely of good works but in these Terms of OUR good works and lastly higher yet to rank them so high in order of causes as not only Instrumental with faith but a deserving or meritorious cause of justification This is notorious yea so grosse and Popish that we may well Rank you thinks he among the Papists p. 58. as at least a bringer in of their Baggage yea now quoth T.D. of me p. 14. you shew your self a rank Papist indeed Rep. Ipse dixit T.D. hath said it who of all those Seers with his eyes in Sandwich or else where who giving heed to him from the least to the greatest saying of him This man is the great Power of God have hiâ— hitherto bewitched with his Simonical Sorceries can do any other then believe it to a Tittle This stroke enters with so deep a dint into the thoughts fancies and faith of many that 't is supposed by some we Qua. shall never be able to lick our selves whole of the deadly wound it brings with it both to the doctrines that we maintain as Truth and to our selves also whom we maintain to be no
from the sight of how 't is at home he might see us perfectly clear and himself onely deeply guilty in part yea wholly of the self same Errour for verily we say of all Our own good works done by us out of him and not by him in us which onely are usually by God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also properly Term'd Our own they are as man himself in the fall who does them is altogether become unprofitable either to iustifie sanctifie save entitle to or fit us for Gods Kingdom yea what God himself doth Isa. 57. we do and will declare of Our own Righteousness that it cannot profit us of our Companies we are gone to and Congregatings with them c. in our own wills and thoughts these cannot deliver us the wind will take all these away and as it hath done some already so will all those that truth therein we say as Eph. 2. by Grace we are saved justified not in as you look to be but from our sins in which we were once dead together with you in which we sometime walked with you who cannot believe that ye can he perfectly purged from them while you live but that ye must live in some and some in you till you die after the course of this world the Prince of the air the spirit that still lives in you children of disobedience and in the rich mercy and great love of God wherewith he hath loved us made accepted in his beloved quicknâ—d raised up and made to sit together not in fleshly lusts and eartly Pallaces with painted Professors of him but in Heavenly places in Christ Iesus and all this through Faith not of our selves for its the gift of God nor yet of self works so as that any of us can boast for we are not our own but his workmanship in all this created in Christ Iesus whose new Creatures we are unto the good works we now do in the Light and Movings of his Spirit in a cross to the will of our flesh till it and the lust thereof be wholly crucified and we to the woâ—ld and the world to us which God hath of old ordained in order to the Eternal Life he hath that way ordained us to that we should walk in them yea Tit. 3. we were formerly for all our forms of Religion which yet were to the full as powerful as the best of your or the most Reformed Formalists empty Profession without the Possession of that Godliness ye prate of foolâ—sh disobedient serving diverse lusts and pleasures as ye still do and yet vainly hope to do well enough living in every malice hateful and hating But since the Goodness and Love of God our Saviour to mankind in Christ the Light appeared to us we are from these sins justified and loved for which judgment without mercy wrath without remedy will come on you that judge your selves justified in them yet not by any works in the Righteousnes that we have wrought but according to his own mercy he haâ—h saved us which saves to the uttermost and not by the halves as ye dream he does who Reckon without your Host who will Reckon otherwise with you when he comes nigh to you to Judgement and ye come to Account by the Light that all the sins past and to come of you Elect and peculiarly priviledged unsanctified Saints are Remitted while they are as hourly they are yea and long too before they are committed and that you while as unjust and guilty as David in his very acts of Adultery and Murder are yet acquitted accounted just and held guiltless by him who is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity and not abhor it and call that good that does evil and who will by no means clear the guilty in his guilt nor accept the filthy in his filth I say according to his mercy he hath saved us by the washing Mark of Regeneration and the Renewing of the Holy Spirit which he hath shed on us abundantly by Iesus Christ our Saviour to this end Mark that we being justified by his Grace viz. shed on us freely by Christ not inhaerent in him onely as the Subject might be made Heirs according to the Hope of Eternal Life This and not thine T.D. is the faithful Word and these are the Truths about our Iustification or Salvation that they of old were enjoined stedfastly to Teach that those that believed in God might be careful to maintain good works of this sort as useful good and profitable unto men counting all their own which yet T.D. sayes are necessary to sanctifie and make meet as dung loss imperfect impertinent unprofitable and useless as filthy Rags Yea Finally as Paul said of his own Worships Works Righteousness and Services while he was a proud puft up Pharisee as most of our Formal Scribes and Modern Ministers are for he calls not that his own as T.D. does but Christs which he was after clothed in and by Faith had received from him and by him was enabled to perform and abound in so say the Qua. of theirs and I of mine If any man think he hath whereof to glory in the flâ—sh of flâ—shâ—y wisdom self-righteousness outward performances Well-worships inward workings of the mind in earnest Imaginations and of mans will in zealous hastings willings runnings strivings after God and Righteousness and Good in which yet the Kingdom comes not nor the Righteousness of it I could say more then I am here minded to do but since I came in the Light to feel the Circumcision of the heart to the Lord by himself not made by the hands of man and to witness the worth of the true Worship of God in Spirit and Truth in the inner part which his own witness within onely leads to what good works of mine I once counted gain I am now made by Christ to count loss for those of Christ yea for the excellency of the true knowledge of Christ to be my Lord whom I once so called but did not all that he said for whom I have lost all that and what more he hath yet called me to suffer the loss of and do esteem all but as dung that I may win hâ—m and be found in him not clothed with the old Righteousness of my own which was once Pauls and called by me and T.D. both but as filthy Rags so I know no Righteousness of Christ is called by any besides T.D. but with that Righteousness which is by Faith in his Light in which onely he is known Revealed and Received from him and in the way of that Faith by which God purifies the heart which overcomes the world in it and works by that Love that fulfils the Law in working no ill to the Neighbour wrought in me by him even that Righteousness which through Faith in the Light is of God not as our devising Diviners both Devise and Divine to the making of the wicked ones seem just and good before God when they are nothing
defiled their Garment had right by promise and so ex debito if promise ought to be kept when made though gratis too because the promise was freely made to walk with Christ in white for they were worthy Rev. 3.4 I say worthy ex bene placito for as much as nothing but the free good will and pleasure of God made him oblige himselfe to give a right to such and yet to confound that nice and needlesse distinction of Criticall Scholasticks which hath confounded most Divines in Christendom into darknesse ex condigno also for as much as by Christs power and gift to will and do they both will and do what is required as the Termes and condition on which the thing is promised which consistency that I make between ex condigno ex beneplacite ex debito ex dono ex operibus ex gratia which T. D. and most Divines deeme to be 〈◊〉 or inconsistent together in the matter of mans iustification being a 〈◊〉 that few of them can get over a meer gnat at which they that in other things can swallow Camells can't but strain I am made free a little more here to uney. T. D. thinks he hath half knockt the Qua. for ever down into their dumps with his deep drawn argument from Rom. 11.6 T.D. If by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work whence quoth he p. 20. if justification be of works as you assert then grace is excluded from having any hand in our justification which is contraâ—y to the Scripture which sayes we are justified by grace Our justification cannot be a debt and a free gift I mean not both in respect of us And this he calls his irrefragabaScripture urged by him that the hearers might be covninc't of the damnablenesse of our doctrine who dare to talk of good works and perfecting holynesse bere as ever we mean to see the face of God hereafter which he and Thâ— Rumsey elâ—ewhere call a Doctrine of Devils and might â—â—â—th and detest us as we deserve and indeed finding his work fail in its force the day before before the fire and the day that declared of what sort it was he prepared this against the 2d dayes dispute as his Corner-stone setting it in the front of his second fight against us and the truth and to this quoth he nothing was replyed Rep. 1. A good cause why say I for there was no room for Reply but like as Pilate when he had askt Christ this Question what is truth As soon as he had so said rose up and went his way not staying to take his answer so I well remember T.D. crouded in the next Argument which I have answered already above concerning the works the Iews went about to establish which Argument is so neer a kin to this that one answer may very well for both in both places Paul by works and own righteousnesse meaning no other then what are wrought without Christ by us and not any that are wrought by Christ in us I say T. D. crouded the one so hard on the back of the other and past so soon from one to the other that without interrupting of him which he would â—â—ve complained on as much on other hand there could be no interposing of an answer and so Pilate-like not expecting it he went his way to another matter without it 2. Yet now as to his Argument itself somewhat may be Replyed and 1st if considered as in conjunction with its fellow that followes it so close at the heeles p. 21. from Rom. 10.34 and beares such a broad shew of backing it it is not so big nor amounting to such a bulky Bulwark but that one may easily put them both in a bag if no more be said but this that in both Scriptures as also Phil. 3. where as inconsistent he opposes his own while a Pharisee to that of Christ within him when converted and a Saint and Tit. 3. where he opposes the works of righteousnesse we have wrought to our being renewed by the holy Spirit and makes grace and renewing by the Spirit all one as well he might for if we be not renewed by the Spirit and saved from the sin then I say grace is no more grace for what use is it of to us if we be left in and unpurged from the sin which Christ came to save his people from 1st so from the wrath of to come which will come unavoidably on all that are disobedient and unrighteous Paul opposes the gift of grace Gods righteousnesse to mans meer own works which are not good though so thought by himselfe and mans own literall righteousnesse of the Law wrought in mans will and Imagination onely out of Christ the light and faith in him and the leadings and movings of his Spirit and does not oppose grace to the righteousnesse of Christ in his Saints or sanctification and holinesse that is of God by faith in the light revealed in and received by every one that beleeves as inconsistent for those are not onely concomitant but consistent and concurrent together to justification as grace and Our works onely are not for these two do tollere se invicem I confesse so that if justification and life be of grace it can't be of Our workâ— et retro if of our works not of grace but grace and Gods righteousesse grace and those good works wrought in us by Christ and for the doing of which we receive the grace or gift of ability from Christ these are indeed one and the same and so Homogeneous or of one kind that they may be Synonomous also and bear both to be called mutually by the same name of either grace or good works and so are they throwout the Scripture as one thing promiseuously denominated sometimes by the Term of grace somtimes the gift of God in Christ the gift of righteousnesse holinesse c. For all this is grace and free gift and yet its inhaerent in us too as the same that was in Christ and being Christs as meritorious maâ—ing not onely meet but worthy also in such measure as it s received in as it was in a higher measure in himselfe whether it be a gift to do or a gift to beleeve or a gift to suffer as 2 Thess. 1.5 Compared with Phil. 1.27 To you given not onely to beleive but also to suffer for his sake and they to whom this grâ—â—e was given were by God counted worthy of the Kingdome for which they suffer'd and so Paul who laboured abundantly in preaching the Gospell sayes this work was the grace which was given him by Christ in him by which grace also he was what ere he was that was worth any thing having nothing but what he had received that made him differ from another by which grace or gift all boasting and glorying in selfe was
continually excluded and the glory of all to be given still to God and not flesh man and selfe so that while Iudas could blame none but himselfe for being damned so Paul and the rest though they wrought out their own Salvation yet could blesse none but God who wrought in them of his good pleasure 〈◊〉 to work will and dâ— for their being saved by his grace 1 Cor. 4.7 1 Cor. 15.10 Eph. 2.8 3.8 Phil. 2.12.13 So that all along the gift of both faith and good works are both called grace yea grace is no grace yet to Salvation from sin while men remain in their sins and unsaved by it and while the grace or gift of Gods righteousnesse remaines onely in Christ without them save onely that they are in a possibility to be saved and while they yet witnesse not him and it by him within themselves to the destroying of the works and Image of the Devill which when they do then and not before let them praâ—e of â—â—ace as they will they know the grace of God in Christ Iesus and then all 's grace and by grace and not of works or themselves or any righteousnesse of their own that they can thank for it whatever they work in the light and leadings of it in Preaching Praying Service Worship and what ere they have are enjoy act beleive endure or suffer for his name And so grace and works grace and the righteousnesse of Christ within us when mans own which ye yet are onely in and establishing your selves by who hate the light and are out of it is denyed as Rags as it is by us do not destruere but ponere se invicem so well stand together in the matter of our justification that indeed neither of them can stand in it without the other Neither is grace at all excluded as T. D. injudiciously judges from any hand in iustification by our asserting it to be of works of this nature and establishing this inhaerent righteousnesse of Christ in us thereunto but by this alone is grace perfectly ectablished Neither are these in opposition each to other as T. D. sayes they are as immediate contraryes as mens evill works and these good works of Christ in man were by me affirmed to be but rather individually the same and whereas T.D. saith our justification cannot be a debt and a free gift both in respect of us to what was said above which might serve to answer this I adde my denyall of that position of his with my grounds thereof for howbeit in respect of the same time it cannot be a debt and a free gift too yet in respect of the same persâ—ns with reference to dâ—fferent times and seasons it may for as it was nothing but meer mercy to lost man and free grace gift and goodnesse to man on Gods part and not any debt or desert from God on maâ—s part that 1 st engag'd or mov'd God to give his Son and to make promises in the Gospell to give his free gift of life eternall and to make Christ the Author of it to all them that obey him and the meer grace of Christ to us to come into the world a Light and give himselfe a Ransom for all and to promise to give life to all that come unto him and to God by him that they might have Life and Salvation to the utmost yet seeing as I may say so God and Christ have by free grace that moved them to make it thus put themselves freely into mans debt on Terms of their obedience they are man performing the conditions on his part since then in justice bound to perform it and so to the same Subject mankind from whom God at 1 st was altogether free and to whom he was rich in mercy and infinitely free in giving Christ and making promises he is since on account of his truth engaged if man be not waâ—nting to him selfe to make it good and as it is in the like caâ—es among men that promise which pitty meer mercy moves to make piety and equity require its making good so 't is here and it s no such newes but to such as are novices in the faith to understand that which to the same persons was grace and free gift at 1 st becomming a matter of desert and due debt at last So that though glory be to the grace and mercy of God which onely moved him to say when the wicked turnes from his wickednesse and does what is lawfull and right he shall not dye his iniquity shall not at all be mentioned to him yet the wicked turning Gods wayes are not so equall as he pleads they are Ezek. 18. Against man whose wayes and thoughts are all crooked and unequall if he do not now justify and forgive the reforming evill doer and having in his free favour said it that he that confesseth and forsaketh his siSs shall find mercy Iohn saith 1 Iob. 1.8 If we now confesse our sins not God is gracious and mercyfull though that be Originally the ground of all and to be magnified over all his works and is oft exprest to the wicked repenting as the grand cause of Gods remitting 55. Isa. Let him forsake his way and thoughts and turn to the Lord for he is gracious but saith Iohn God is faâ—thfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness So having refuted T. D's irrefragable Argument as he stiles it from that Scripture Rom. 11. Which I confesse is irrefragable in truth but that T. D. wrests it being one of those unlearned and unstable ones in the truth that Peter saith 2 Pet. 3. Wrest Pauls Epistles and other Scriptures to their own destruction I return to proceed in that which I went away from by this profitable Parenthesis viz. to shew how the Scripture ascribes the inheritaâ—ce as not onely meet for them that are meet for it but their due de jure that do his Commandements Râ—v 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandements that they may have right to eat of the tree of life and to enter throw the Gates into the Citty but without are Dogs c. 1. without the Citty and without Right to it as well as without meeâ—nesse for it who if they were other 1. doing the Commands they should have both meeâ—nesse worthynesse and right and jure hereditario by right of heirship according to the promises made in that behalf should both duly and keeping the condition no otherwise then deservedly inherit it as he that having a promise of the inheritance of a Citty in case he will adventure to storme and overcome and win it fighting and overcoming accordingly though the promise of it at 1 st on such Termes was a gift may then claim it for his inheritance as of debt and desert which it is not onely fit and meet he should have as on terms of promise on anothers part performance of the Terms required on his own who ever helpt him in
Ye King a Requiem to your Souls saying with him Luke 12. Soul thou hast been disquâ—eted perplexed and intangled about these considerations as all men are more or less without exception how thou mayest be Reconciled and at Peace with God or have an attonment for that guilt which Super naturally thou art sensible of and how thou maist attain to true blessedness and come to the enjoyment of God and thou hast miserably groped up and down in the dark not able to â—â—me to any satisfaction what will become of thee in time to come and no way able to stand against the uncontroleable convictions of thy own self-condemning Conscience yet now Soul take thine ease eat drink and be merry there 's merit enough in store laid up in the Righteousness that Christ wrought in that single body of his that long since liv'd and died at Jerusalem for the sins of many years past present and to come so that there 's no need of any Righteousnesse to be wrought as in order to thy Justification and Peace with God in that sinful body of thine own it must may safely fith the Righteousness by which thou standst justified in thy sins as T.D. sayes David did in his murder and adultery resides without thee in another person â—â—n as long as it lives let the Popâ—sh Merit-mongers run when they have no good works of their own to their Treasury of the Saints meritoriâ—us gâ—â—d works the merit of which they buy of the Pope for money and by which they have indulgence and pardon for all sin for many years to come and let the Qua. run to that Righteousness they talk of which is to be wrought by Christ in the persons of men before ere they can be justified with God here 's that which shall administer to all and every one of us satisfaction as to all these things as Plenipotentiary to the quieting and calming of our spirits and cut off any further enquiries after such a thing as Goodness Righteousness Holiness though that of Christs own working as the Qua. say in our selves in order to our peace with God here 's that that gives us wherein to acquiesce and wherein we will be satiated viz The Doctrine of the Scripture which gives as glorious incontroleable a conviction of Peace with God by Christs Righteousness without us not within us as the Qua. prate as that Light in our Consciences they tell us of gives uncontroleable convictions of our sins there it s revealed to those say I the eyes of whoâ—e understanding are blinded by the God of this world that its Christ without and not Christ in us or else the Devil and his Doctors are blind say I which is the hâ—pe of glory and upon which we are lookt on as no Reproâ—ates So that O Soul I would not have thee to cry out of wrath and wo nor sing to thy self of Iudgement but of mercy to the Lord do thou sing yea I must needs cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found an easie broad way to Life by applying the good of another to my self as mine as truely as if it were in me inherent so that I need not turmoil myself as some do and as the Qua. who cant beleeve that what Christ has is theirs till they see it conveyed and derived from him by way of participation to themselves We can beleive that all that Christ hath is ours though all that we have is our own and need not be forsaken for his sake I have found that without me which in vain the Qua. seek elsewhere as within them waxing foolish in their Imaginations viz. the businesse of attâ—nement reconciliation and acceptance with God which they are contriving to find by Christ within them to the producing of such horrible effects and fruits as tedious doing good and induring evill for their Tenets as we are loath to expose our selves toâ—â— What have they not done What have they not suffered What miseries extitusque infelices have not the Qua. puld upon themselves ubivis gentium quo impelluntur Fanatici by their faith and doctrines of Devils so I.O. of Qua. doctrines Ex. 3. S. 35.36 and T.D. and T. Rumsey of perfect holynesse in this life let them meditate terrour and dream of dread and bring themselves into Bondage we will cast these troublesome things far away from our thoughts though we do sin and he that commits sin is the servant of sin as they tell us yet whatever bondage we are in to sin we will not be under the spirit of bondage so far as to fear wrath or dread any danger so long as with such a glorious soul appeasing light which say I is the Devill transformed into an Angel of light in you the doctrine of satisfaction and attonement by the blood of Christ the Son of God comes in upon us This is that that astonisheth us another way so that we can't be astonish't nor afraid of any amazement about the matter of our our sins this conquereth all the Quaâ—â—â—s of conscience this ravisheth and satiateth our souls that though we may yea must sin while we liâ—e yet they have been already reckond for with one that is Our Righteousnesse without us though his Image is not formd nor his righteousnesse wrought in our selves This is the designed of the Apostles discourse to the Romans to prove justification by faith without works of ours by Christs righteousnesse imputed to us as ours to justification before it be infuâ—ed to our sanctification when the Devill is blind say I Oh with what glory and beauty to them that see so much as we do in the worlds glory and the lust thereof with what full and ample satisfaction this Doctrine breaks out this is that we looked for this is that we were sick for want of the knowledge of being wounded by the light of God in our consciences for our sins and withall in such love to them as to be loath to leave them or depart from them viz. to beare of a way or Saviour whereby to be sav'd in them and that we have now found and though we once câ—yed out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were at our wits ends feeling our selves sinking to hell yet this Christ without us without whom we also are feeling neither him us nor our selves in him this and not in the imaginary Christ of the Qua. within them is the stone by which we will stay our minds in as perfect peace as we can by putting away the sense of sin and the evill day far from us Ex. 2. S. 28. Dicat quod quis que volet ex hac opinionem non dimovebimur Though I say these things are in truth the sum and substance of your sayings the very Image proportion lively pourtraiture of your dead faith which ye count living and saving and justifying and what not Yet as the Lord lives you l find it dead even thou I.O.T.D. and your fellowes as well as we have done who
corruption And if purchase may be granted to be meritorious of what is purchased he that useth a lower ministration 1 the Office of a Deacon well purchaseth to himself saith Paul,1 Tim. 3 A good degree and great boldness in the faith in Christ Iesus and he that will entertain holynesse and Christ when he knocks to come in deserves to have the Devill and uncleannesse driven out by him whose work it is to destroy the works of the Devill and the very end of his comming into the World as till a man does he deserves the Devill should dwell in him still as he must do and not Christ because 〈◊〉 existens proh betalienum And as to the last Query about which T.D. would be instructed as I see he had need I say no corrupt nature deserves totall freedom but the holy nature which is in bondage to the corrupt nature which is the enmity and to be slain and never reconciled for it is the Devills that deserves to be freed from the other that usurps over it as Esau did over Iacob a while the heir of all and as the seed of the woman deserves to be delivered from the enslaving seed of the Serpent And as for the Spirits renewing our nature but in part at 〈◊〉 that 's true but every part of that renewed nature is perfect and perfectly renewed in a measure and not partly renewed and partly corrupted as I shewed T.D. above every part of that which in its nature is perfect being truly perfect as the whole is So having totally taken away two of T. D's miserable mistaking answers to two of the 4 above named Scriptures whence we disputed with him the justification of Saints by the gracious works of Christ and his Spirit in them and not those in Christs Person onely it matters not much now I am gone abroad from following the first I began upon fully to an end if I fall upon that in Tit. 3.7 and make as quick a Riddance of his gracelesse answer to that and thâ—n I shall have no more to do but go to an end with that in I Cor. 6.11 which I am a little digres't from proceeding in for a while and with that I shall make an end for altogether as to this time with T.D. about the way of our justification by the holynesse righteouscesse and grace of Christ as inhaerent in us Our Argument is much what the same yet somwhat stronger then T.D. relates it p. 24. viz. that the grace of eternall life being that grace which ver 5. though oppos'd to the works of righteousnesse which we work of ourselves without the Spirit yet is the same that 's otherwise call'd washing of regeneration and the renewing of the holy spirit it follows that we are justified by the washing of Regeneration and Spirit of Christ within renewing us To this T. D. saying in word I am much mistaken in deed mistakes himselfe much more in his semi-demi answering thus viz. that grace there is meant not of Sanctification but of the savour of God which is manifest in the donation of his Son to us imputation of his Righteousnesse and acceptance of us as Righteous in him Rep. What a messe of gracelesse grace is here of T. D's making here 's grace with a witnesse almost all manner of grace mentioned as materiall and of moment in the matter of justification but one which is of so much use that all the rest are in a manner uselesse till it come in and which makes all the rest grace so that to say no more then then truth they are no grace to us before it or without it and that viz. Sanctification while others are included is onely and alone excluded Poor Sanctification it s set aside it s thrust out still from entring the lines of Communication among its fellows T. D. stands against the dore so that if he may Rule the Rost men shall be in favour with God and contrary to what Divines commonly say when they say as they do all that Sanctification manifests Iustification and the favour of God have it manifested too in the donation of his Son to them the imputation of his righteousnesse and acceptance of them as righteous in him and so consequently a Title to the inheritance the Kingdome Glory and all the good that heaven affords to all eternity but washing Regeneration Sanctification Renovation by the Spirit Sanctification and Saâ—vation from the sins which sins deserve the wrath the curse and the condemnation which Salvation from the sins alias Sanctification must be before any well grounded hope of escaping the codemnation curse and wrath to come can be had this latter sort of grace is shut out for a wrangler by the wrangling contenders against the truth who had rather obey unrighteousnesse then it and their lusts then him they call their Lord and Saviour and must be none of the ingredients among the company of causes of mens acceptance with God and being accounted Righeous by him but if they be not Righteous and Holy must be counted to be so without it and if they be so must be counted so by that which resides in another person by which till it come into themselves they are not made so and without it by the being of which as in themselves and not as in another they can onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be truly made and really become Righteous and Holy and so that grace which mainly if not onely as it is a gift gives the proper name and nature of grace to all the other grace may say of it self cum nemo extru di potest itur ad me when none ought to be excluded as not meant where every grace God is mentioned in the Gospell I onely am left out alone and they seek my life also But Go too T.D. thou must not have thy wicked will in this wise against Gods about this thy so bold a bolting out of this grace of Sanctificatin from concomitating and concurring together with faith which is but a part of it the whole Series of the particular graces of which generall grace of Sanctification are all fruits of the Spirit in the matter of our being counted just in the sight of God But as blindly buisy as thou art to tell us in a far other sense then Paul does that if it be of grace then not of works and if of works not of grace yet I must tell thee that albeit it be of grace and as Paul sayes truly Rom. 11. and in this 3. Tit. 5. not of works of Righteousnesse which we work in our own wills wisdom and strength in obedience to the Law without Christ and the Spirit who onely can conform us to it and fulfill it in us otherwise grace indeed is no more grace but it being of grace that kind of work is no more work Yet it is not so of grace as that the fruits of the Spirit Sanctification Washing Renewing and the works of Christ in us are excluded
his wickednesse but such evil fruits as darknesse Ignorance blindnesse bloodinesse uncleanness drunkennesse and all sorts of ungodlinesse and profanenesse is gone forth into all her Lands So that a little of that honest learning how to live Godly righteously and honestly in this present World that is now found in abundance among poor plain Countrey Rusticks and Russet Rabbies as some University Doctors and Divines witnesse Doctor Featley have derisorily denominated the Mechanicks that meddle with expounding Scripture amounts to more then all that great learning little equity lesse honestly and least godlinesse that is found among the nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers of them all And this is Lamentable and a Lamentation with which I must here lament not onely over all Christendom in general but over these Protestant parts of it also where Popery is so abjured that men spend their money on their pretended Feeders for that which is not the bread of Life but light heartlesse branne that is measured out to them at a high rate too the Lord knows out of the barren brain of their bruitish Pastors who have not sought the Lord in his own light but at the most in that meer Letter that gives not the Life of which Letter they are the Ministers for means too and not of the Spirit Whereupon as the Lord sayes Ier. 10.21 22. They shall not prosper but all their flocks must be scattered in order to which the noyse of the bruit is already come and a great commotion out of the North to lay their Cities desolate as a den of Dragons That howbeit their deluders cry out against the Quakers who freely undelude men as poor deluded fanatical c. yet the poor people are most miserably couzened cheated and deluded by their blind Guides that see little themselves into the marrow and mystery of spiritual matters and not standing in the Counsel of God given out by his light in their own consciences never come to hear his Word coming to them within from his own mouth and not hearkening to what God himself saith in them as the true Prophets did Hab. 3.1 never come into the true vision of him or his Will but run and say he saith because they find it written he said so or so to others when they never heard him speaking it in themselves and so never profit the people at all as God said of old such should not They sit as the old Pharisaical Scribes did who heard not at any time the voyce of God nor saw his shape in the twi-light of their own imaginations searching the Scriptures and looking in them for the eternal Life which onely testifie of it but come not unto Christ in whom onely they Testifie it is for in him is the life say they and his Life is the light of men that they may have his life in themselves and from it onely Minister unto others and so such food for their souls and Rayment and Riches and Gold and eye-salve as they have which is none of that which Christ whose light within or inward Councel they reject against themselves Counsels all Laodicean like self-corceited Angels and Churches to buy of him such lifelesse stuff they give I should say sell in as good words and fair speeches as they can put it off withal to simple people for outward Food and Rayment and Gold and Silver and Riches as they have pertaining to the Belly and the Body So the Bodies of Shepherds are oft full and fat But the Souls of poor Sheep pine and starve for all that And that the Souls of poor people should ever come possibly to be made any Richer towards God then they are while they stand under the droppings onely of the lips of such Linguists as are no higher learned then their nursing Mothers teach them I cannot expect if nil dat quod in se non habet be true sith the chief spirituals that those spiritual men have themselves who learn to be Teachers of Religion to others no where but at the Vniversities are but carnal natural animal literal such as without the light and spirit and living Word of God within for that in the name of his fellow-Students there I.O. to whom its vouchsafed of God sayes he but say I of the Devil so to do fights against as fiercely as he can is obtained out of many Books and Writings the best of which is the Bible and the naked letter of it by the improvement of a meer animal understanding which the letter of the Bible it self also sayes perceives not the things of the spirit Nor can I expect as the case is with them that they themselves who there are taught to be Gospel Teachers should attain to any more then such a shallow speculation and thin external Theory of those things as they have or should ever enter into the depths of Gods Kingdom whilest in the depth of the Serpents subtilty they are beguiled so far from a single hearted search after the Truth in the simplicity thereof as it is from Jesus the light of the World by the beams thereof made manifest in their own hearts that taking it for granted aforehand that all that and no other then that is Truth which is held forth and told for Truth in the times of their Residence at those foresaid Fountains which are not steadily running one way neither but to and fro as the Tide turns and running several wayes at several seasons they stave off all that as Heresie at a distance which is handed to them any other ways no more doubting but that that must be error which at the Well-heads of Divinity is pleaded against then they do that that is Truth they there plead for so as Is qui nil dubirat nil capit inde boni these confident blind bold implicit-faith't Iuniors that visit the Academies for this end that they may become for a livelihood Preachers of the Faith to others never doubting that to be the true Faith and Truth which they find professed in their times set themselves on work to study how to defend it at a venture against all Hereticks before they have either found or felt it to be Truth within themselves and stand steadfastly Tempered still according to the present Temper of the Grand Seniors of their Respective Nurseries who Temper themselves ever according to the Temper of the Times and the Rulers that happen to be in them whence it comes to passe for the most part that as there 's like Prince like Priest so like Priest like People in these Northern Islands where after some certain time of standing and studying in the Vniversity these hasty Hirelings run abroad before the word of command be given them from the mouth of the Lord and settle themselves up and down till the Countrey swarmes with them like so many Locusts successively supplying the waste places of such as either die in Parishes or depart from one to another where there 's a bigger Boon ne
very Antient Writer since those that wrote Ioshua who ere they were for himself it was not that wrote it all at least as Moses not all Deuteronomie unlesse he wrote of his own Death and Burial before he died See Iosh. 24.29 do quote him Iosh. 3.10 Where 's that part of Ieremiah the Prophet wherein he spake that which Matthew cites Matth. 27.9 10. about the giving the 30 pieces of Silver the price that Christ was sold at for the Potters field for howbeit Zachary the Prophet Zach. 11.12 speaks of the same thing who was in his work an Exalier of God in his time which the Name Ieremiah seems to signifie and so may be called Ieremiah which is not likely to be Matthews meaning yet in all the Prophesies of Ieremie extant in your Bibles there 's no such thing spoken And for you to say either that Matthew was mistaken quoting throw forgetfulness one Prophet for another or that the Transcribers of the Copies of their Original out of Matthews Original Copy failed so fowlly in their Transcribings for all your Copies that ever I saw so read as to write Ieremie for Zachary will be for I.O. upon his Principles who stands to plead every Letter Tittle and Iota that was in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be now in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as sorry a shift and miserable remedy as he makes for himself and finds who leaps out of the frying pan into the fire Where 's the Prophecy of Enoch spoken of Iude 14. out of whose Prophesie the Iewes can tell you more then ye wot of from that of Iude And as for Ezra or Esdras and his true Companions of whom thou sayest truly enough if not truer then thou art aware of that their care in restoring the Scripture to its Purity when it had met with the greatest Tryal that it ever underwent in this world considering the Paucity of the Copies then extant was great and that the Consignation and Bounding of the Canon delivered to the Judaical Church was in their dayes and that they did labour to reform all the Corruptions crept into the Word of God And that they compleated the Punctation the compleatnesse of which then was not Coaevous with the Text as at first Written in Hebrew as thou contendest to the Consuring of thy self here and that they were guided herein by the infallible direction of the Spirit of God Pag. 177. 211. 302. 303. Did not they in the Spirit and Power of God Write many more Books even 204. most of which are not in your Bibles Read 2 Esdras 14. throughout the Chapter Where are all these and sundry more Scriptures some as and some more Antient then Moses of which I will not now speak particularly And as to the New Where is that First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians mentioned in the first of those Two that we have 1 Cor. 5.9 And that First Epistle of his to the Ephesians for its evident he wrote One to them before That mentioned in that One which ye have Ephes. 33 And that Epistle of his to the Laodiceans mentioned Col. 4.16 Besides several to Seneca Neros Tutor and other of Pauls Writings who was doubtlesse far more Voluminous in his Writings then that poor pittance of Epistles to Churches and Ministers and the Letters to Philemona Tradesman about a Domestick businesse of Receiving his Servant Onesimus that had ben unserviceable to him amounts to of whole Spiritual Scriptures and Speeches that fell from him at his Martyrdom that were taken by such as were present at it some in these dayes have seen more then that which was Written of him by Luke in the Acts and Written by him in the Epistles ye count a part of your Canon And whether that which Iohn wrote to the Church mentioned by him in the 9th vers of his Letter to Gaius were no other then the first of those Three Recorded And whether that of Iude whereof Iude 3. he sayes in the Praeterimperfect Tense When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the Common Salvation it was needful for me to write unto you c. were not One he wrote before This which was now but under his hands is more then all you Sayers of what ye think only are able groundedly to gain-say And whether Clements Epistle whose name was in the Book of Life and that Church of Rome to Corinth wrote 30 years after Pauls may not Challenge to be ranck'd among the rest is worth your enquiry And what think ye of that sweet shorr pretious Reply of Christ Iesus himself in his Letter to Agbarus King of Edessa who wrote so loving'y and beleevingly to him about the Malady that lay upon him as it stood Recorded in the Roles of that City and may do still for ought ye know which is to be read and many other pretious passages about that businesse in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilius Is it not as Christian as Divinum Spiritum non hominem sapiens and worthy as particular as it is to stand in your Standard and claim a room in your Canon as that particular Letter of Paul to Philemon What is become I say of all these and more then may now be mentioned none of which is within the Confines of your Congregationally Constituted Synodically Composed Ecclesiastically Authorized Clerically Conceived Canon 1. Were they not divinely Inspired That were to Render doubtful your undoubted Divine Original of what you have Since some of them are quoted in these you have 2. Are they all utterly lost That were to loose himself much more in his Cause who is lost too much already for I.O. to say so sith more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one jot or one Tittle is then passed away and perished from the Law if the Letter be it not one jot or one Tittle of which Letter quoth I.O. wofully mis-interpreting that of Matth. 5.18 for the lotaes and Tittles of the meer Text and Letter which Christ utters only of the Doctrine Truth and Holy Matter of the Law is to passe away till Heaven and Earth which are yet standing are past away 3. Or did not God Himselfe intend to Dignifie these with the same honour and Crown them with so high an Account as those though as well descended and as immediately derived from him as the rest or did he not design them to the same Spiritual Ends and Renowned Uses with their fellows 4. Or were these Books out of the way and not present at the time and place of the first setting up of your Standard by such Synods and Sanydrims as took on them to stablish Sign Seal and Authorize what Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles should and what should not stand under that honourable Title of the stedfast Standard and so were Censured and Sentenced for ever for not appearing at that sacred Session and high Court of Iudicature which was to Iudge what Books should be from thence-forth
in his Age Assistant to Paulus Fagius in his noble Promotion of the Hebrew Tongue Capellus whom he calls a learned man and a Protestant Io. Prideaux who is before I.O. Luther the renownedst Reformer in his time as ever Europe had Zwinglius and others So he no way doubts but that as we enjoy them they were Compleated no higher upwards then Esdras his time by the men of the Great Congregation guided by the infallible direction of the Spirit of God which was after all the Old Testament was written a thousand years after some of it and so pag. 211. 220. See also pag. 247. 259. where he sayes The Jewes generally believe the Points as Old as from Moses on Mount Sinai or at least quoth he from Ezra so he is in doubts not denying but that they as to their knowledge and use received a great Reviving by the Massorites and Gemarists I. O. That the Word of God i.e. Scripture hath been hitherto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to its litteral sense and reading the acknowledged Touchstone of all Expositions render this now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what have we remaining firm and unshaken pag. 219. See more pag. 217. 218. of Uncertainty Reply The Light Spirit Word it self and the Kingdom and things thereof which cannot be shaken but must remain when the worldly kingdom of worldly Priests and their Foundation and their rich Possession of Letter and Hebrew Points and all their Religion Faith Worship House Bottom and whole Building and Fabrick that stands thereon and the old Heaven and Earth and all the Works of man that are therein and their Writings and Tomes and Talmuds c. ut alibi and such like in which I O. is exercised in his Second Tale of a Tub and Sea and Land and all Nations Formalists and their Forms Professors and their Professions Doctors in Divinity and their false Dreames and Divinations and not only Popes Cardinals Mount-Seniors Monks Friars Iesuites and all that Rabble of Rabbies and Deans and Chapters Arch-Bishops Deacons Deans and their Officials Parsons Vicars Curats and all manner of spiritual Persons of that spawn but also all sorts of those narrow mouth'd Bottles that have none of the new Wine in them and are as long in letting out as in getting in what they have of their old Wisdom as well within Vniversity Liberties as without and all Masters and Prebends and Deans of Colledges and their Christs Churches and all their beggarly Elements must be on fire about their ears and melt away with fervent heat and be burnt up and shaken down as leaves from the Fig-tree by the mighty Wind of the Lords Spirit that now blowes upon all flesh that it withers and is as the Grasse and its Flower and utterly like a Cottage which after much reeling to and fro must be removed for ever and for ever I.O. Thou sayest pag. 221. That thou hadst rather all the Works like to the Biblia Polyglotta which yet thou acknowledgest the great usefulnesse of and art Thankful Owen for it were out of the World then that this one Opinion of the Novelty of the Hebrew Points espoused to that great work Epist. pag. 17 18 19. should be received with the Consequences that unavoidably attend it Reply The Consequences that unavoidably attend the receiving of Truth are dangerous to thee but of no other then good concernment to such as dwell not in the Scriptural Skirts meer literal Suburbs of it as thou dost who being without the Salvation it self which God appoints to his for Walls and Bulwarks startest at the newes of every storm and the shaking of every Leaf but in the holy City and in the substance of the Truth it self The Cup of trembling must be taken out of their hands and put into the hands of thee and thine that have hated and afflicted them and Rid over them and said Bow down thy back that we may go over and they have laid their backs as the street for you while in your wrath and fury you have passed over them I. O. Thou sayest pag. 216. That by this conceit of the Novelty of the Hebrew Punctation the Adversaries Hope with Abimilecks Servants to stop the the Wells or Fountains from whence ye should Draw your Souls Refreshments Reply Poor Souls Poor Wells and Fountains Poor Refreshments if ye go down no deeper then the Letters to draw your Water for they are but the broken Cisterns which ye follow that with the totter'd Buckets of your own Brains that hold not the water of Life The Letter doth but declare of the fountain of living waters which ye have forsaken viz. God himself Christ and the Spirit the fountain shut up and sealed to you yet indeed Cant. 4. 12. but set open to the House of David and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleannesse Zach. 13. 1. The Well of Salvation out of which they that inhabit Sion in the midst of whom the holy One of Israel is now great do with joy draw Water out of whose bellyes flow Rivers of Living Waters which 't is out of the Reach and past the Strength of the Philistims to stop any longer for there 's now Rehoboth or room yea the Water thence given whilst your Euphrates is drying up is as a Well of Water springing up in them to eternal Life I.O. That give this liberty to the audacious Curiosity of men priding themselves in their Critical Abilities and we shall quickly find out what woful state and condition the Truth of the Scripture will be brought unto and if hundreds of words were as 't is said by Capellins the Critical Conjectures of the Jewes what security have we of the Mind of God as truly represented to us seeing that its supposed that some of the Words in the Margent were sometimes in the Line and if it he supposed as 't is that there are innumerabl◠other Places of the like nature standing in need of amendments what a door would be opened unto curious Pragratical Wits to overturn all the certainty of the Truth of the Scripture every one may see pag. 308. Reply Every one may see therefore what Certainty and Security ye are in while ye stand on no bottom but a broken Letter And how wilt thou help the case with all thy prate or hinder Pragmatical Wits from using their Critical Abilities that way Who shall ponere obicem put a stop to them and impose upon all others his Thoughts that things are so or so Shall I.O. who in so many places Confesses he gives men but his Thoughts nay doth nos I.O. Confesse pag. 217 218. that none must give a Rule to the rest the door is open'd man and thou canst not shut it even an effectual door for the Sheep to enter the fold by even him who is the Light as well as the Door opened whereby to see into the uncertainty of your torter'd Transcripts much more ten fold more totterred and untrue Translations much
Cause upon and too empty an Engine to carry it by it s carryed along also under that more trusty term of the Word of God by which Name I.O. by a thing call'd Petitio Principij granting himselfe leave to call the Let ter before it 's given undertakes to prove it to be the Word of God and most uncontroulably proves it so to be so far as the Letter he calls the Word of God is really so though for all his seeming to himself to have won all not one jot farther then it s so indeed that indeed is not at all having gotten such a noun substantive as the true Word of God is which can stand by it self under its own Name of the VVord of God without objection in all propriety of speech and signification and is every way able to evidence it self to be the VVord of God and is seen felt heard of them that heed it and understood not denyed so to be by the Qua. to stand by his noun adjective assertion of the scripture so to be which cannot stand by it selfe under that Name in any propriety of speech or sound sence reason or signification then he runs an end nemine c ontradicente none opposing or withstanding him in his progress nor however reserving alwayes a liberty to themselves to dissent as they see occasion from his meaning so much as once gain-saying him in his terms with a hideous Hue and Cry for the Word of God striving to restore it by his over-often repetitions of it to that title which it never lost among the Qua. who being begotten and born again into the Image of God by it are by whom onely it stands truly justified â— the children of it and of the Truth scribling it over with all his might the Word of God the Word of God the Word of God is a Light and the Word of Life the Word of God is the powerful and living and efficacious Word of God the Word of God is the Word that dwells and dives within the heart the word of God doth evidence it self to be and therefore is without controle the Word of God yea thus with a non obstante to all that deny the word to be the word which are none at all J.O. if it may be first granted him that the Scripture is the Word will undertake to prove it beyond without all further question to be the word Thus JO. howbeit by that terme the Word of God he means the Scripture all along in his book saving in one place where he calls the Word essential and effective yet as if he had utterly forgot that his business is to prove the Scripture to be the Word of God as if he had remembred himself after he was entred that his proof would not hold out without a palpable appearance of piteous weakness if he should have prosecuted it throughout under that terme of Scripture takes his predicate and makes that his subject also and in terminis goes all along asserting and assuring us the word of God is un doubtedly the word of God yea Tr. 1. cap. 2. sect 14. he goes on to prove that the word of God doth evidence it self to be of God and is of as much or more excellency and efficacy then his works and innate light to reveal God and give the knowledge of his will not so much as once mentioning the letter or Scripture at all which is the subject he there takes on him to speak of in all the following sections to the Chapters end so be labouring him all along to prove another question then that he affirmed viz. that the word is so and so when his business was to have proved the Scripture to be the known word of God for who denies that the word of God is assuredly his word but that the letter is that word is that which is denied and by him undertaken to be proved yet on he goes in his wonted blundring manner upon that term the word of God the word is undoubtedly evident to be the word making that both Suject and Predicate whereas he should have said all along if the light and Gods outward works do so much more doth the Scripture or the letter evidence it self to be the Word of God so giving his Reader no more to understand what his meaning is but that we know it some way else nor which is which by any distinction in his found or shewing when he speaks of the Scripture which is the Copy of it or the word it self which is that in the heart declared of in Scripture which he was to prove the Scripture to be then the Welch-man that being to give evidence before a Court between two that were fighting who began and was most in fault answered no otherwise then in this confused manner viz. If Him had struck Him as Him did Him either Him had killed Him or Him Him without any indignation of which of the two he meant either this or that by any or by all of his many Hims In this confused indistinct manner doest thou J.O. dispute for the Scriptures being and appearing to be the word of God so that none but folk knows what thou pleadest for viz. whether the Scripture it self singly and formally considered about which the controversie is whether it be the word of God or no or the Word of God it self about which no controversie iâ— at all with the Qu. â— who own Gods Word to be his Word yea draw up all thy Rambling matter into a closer form and thy Arguments which though thou call but some of them Inarteficial and the rest Arteficial yet are in truth the most inarteficial ones that ever I saw fall from the hands of an Artist or ever heard called truely by the name of Arguments into a nearer compass and set them in a true fair syllogistical form and order and they will appear either most false or foul or disorderly or sophistical or deformed Reader for a taste take one or two of J. O.'s mediums letting alone the examination of the strength and force of his Arguments whether such as he calls Arteficial or Inartificial and of their true consequence or inconsequence as to the Scriptures appearing to be the word to its due placeâ— and see what a mamockâ— kinde of matter they make or amount to as J.O. orders or rather disorders his matters by his impostural intruding of one subject in place of another and thrusting in of that terme the Word of God which is the main thing predicated of the Scriptures to stand instead of that terme the Scriptures of which it is by him predicated and to be proved both in esse reali cognoscibili Ex. 1. sect 1. that they are and are assuredly known to be the VVord of God and so properly to be called Having first in T. 1. cap. 1. sect 25. laid the divine original of the Scripture as the Basis of all his Babylonish building and as he saith T.
which is the Power of God the Scriptures tells of which who erres from and are ignorant of as the Schollars and Scribes are more then any do erre not knowing the Scripture they scribble on any more then it the Letter is too weak an Engine to set to rights what 's what 's out of order and a Standard which men that lean to it as to that intent find to be but a broken staff that not onely fails their expectation of support from it but also wounds them more and runs into their hands Witnesse the wosul work that the Worlds Ministers make in it for all their Scripture who for and about the Scripture and their sundry silly senses about it self and meanings made of the holy matter that 's plainly made out in it make more havock of whole Nations by stirring them up to war about the Scripture in their wild wisdom wicked wils then ever could have been in Christendom if the Scripture had never been among them at all What wasting devastations and calamity hath been in Germany not onely betwixt Protestants and Papists but also by Protestants i.e. Lutherans and Calvinists within themselves and wherefore but for their divided thoughts upon some few Texts of Scripture And what Errors Heresies straglings from the Truth which is but one and from the true Light the Scripture calls to Did ever any sorts of erring men among whom the Clergy that commonly cryed Whore first have been the chief run out into error in the Christian world who have not pretended at least to own and to be willing to be tryed also by the Scripture Yea the Papists for all their infallible Chair will and do ever when they plead it against Protestants professe pretensively to prove it by the Scripture having a sense for every place to serve their own turns as the Protestant Clergy to serve their turns have another And howbeit it hath been thought in the Protestant part of Europe that all would be unity it self among them and so 't is as to make one against the Pope since men fell from that infinity of imagination and invention which was and was capable to be eternally fed with the endless fuel which the unerring Breast and boundless treasure of tradition could easily finde for it and betook themselves more singly to the Scriptures marching from Rome under the conduct of the purity of the Originals as thou speakest p. 207 of the Scritures yet what multiplication of divisions for want of coming to the light which is but one in all and in which alone all true unity is had and held with God and one another 1 Ioh. 1.5 6 7 8. rather then any diminution thereof hath fell out in your Reformed Churches as ye call them 〈◊〉 all the Scriptures being so all in all among them so that like the Serpent Hydraus hundred Heads whereof when Hercules cut off one two grew up after it in the place as soon as one controversie among the Reform'd Clergy was hoped to be ended though I know none was ever truly ended yet by all the Synodical designs that ever were on foot in this Nation or any other so that we may truly say of every Synod of Divines that hath yet fate Quis Synodus Nodus Patrum Chorus Integer Aeger Conventus Ventus Sessio Stramen Amen Many new ones began that like new fresh Hares starting upon tired Hounds that have been hot in the old sent have run them all out of breath or if any evil of division in one thing hath been put to an end it hath been but a preparative to a greater breach among the Protestant Clergy and all their creatures and still Finis alterius Mali gradus est Futuri Yea I may say of thy Scriptures as thou pleads for them J.O. to end all strife withall as I may say of our English Oaths impos'd upon poor persons to the impeaching themselves when they come before our crooked Courts in Case of Tythes viz. that the Oaths given on pretence of ending all strife are in truth given by the Judges to begin all strife with For if an honest man will not swear how many Eggs and Pigs and Pears and Plumbs c. he hath had for so many years past they will not permit him to plead at all or strive in his own defence against his Persecutor In like manner it is with that which thou exhibit'st to men in order to the ending all Divisions and Disputes viz. the meer looking beside the Light within into the Letter of the Scriptures which is so far from finishing any strife that it feeds vain foolish loose mindes such as thine that hates the light none else with fuel and furnishes their fancies with matter for many more strifes then they would find cause for if they kept to the Light within alone for their learning or at least so as in that alone to look into the Letter where such as learn at the Light may read their own Yea dark minds diving into the Scripture divine lyes enough out of it to set whole Countreys on fire as the Divines have ever done And as to the purity of the Originals under the Conduct of which thou saist ye went from Rome wishing none may return thither under pretence of their corruption I say the purity of them which thou pleadest in that height thou dost is but pretended and that more or less corrupted they are to the contradicting thy self thy self art forced to confess p. 167. as is shewed above but be they as they are or how they will be pure or not pure to a tittle as thou assertest them they are so far from relieving you in your wearisom wrathful strifes that cum nemini obtrudi potest itur ad me may your Original Text say when the Divines can have leisure to cease a little from their strife about the holy matter and Doctrine of it then rather then sit still and be quiet or be idle from their common Calling which is contention they 'l role Sysiphus his stone and be at wars and tear one another about the very Letter and their Original Transcripts of it and try that out tooth and nail whether they be true or no in every Letter Tittle Point and Iota as they were written as the first Yea O curas hominum though for truth and wisdom and the Scriptures sake which I own and honour as holy just and good and of precious use to such as know and obey the truth I am become such a fool with them by answering them according to their folly as to make this one Skiâ—mish among them about the Scripture that I may bring some of them to the truth and light of God in them in which only the union is that they may cease henceforth from their stirs strifes which light til they turn to I testifie to them that their way is as slippery places in the dark in which they will be driven on till they fall therein that
Inhabitants of that earthly Jerusalem which is from beneath the fleshly Church of Jews and Christians according to the meer Letter which is in bondage with her children Isa. 8.14 28.16 1 Pet. 2. And that it is Christ Iesus alone and not the Scriptures that is there call'd the Foundation is most evident not onely from the Text it self wherein Jesus Christ himself is instanced in as such for the same that is call'd the Foundation is there also call'd the Corner-stone but also from other Scriptures whereby the truth hereof is yet more illustrated viz. Isa. 28.18 where speaking both in the foregoing and following Verses of the false Foundations short beds narrow coverings and lying refuges that the Drunkards of Ephraim that erred from the simple plain truth thorow the Wine of their own Wisdom and were out of the way and stumbled in Wisdom and Iudgement thorow the strong Drink of their own devised Doctrines so that they could not discern nor learn the Lords Doctrine that was divined to them thorow the stammering lips of such as ministred Precept upon Precept Line upon Line here a little and there a little among them he summons all to fix their Faith on the one onely true and firm Foundation saying Behold I lay in Sion for a Foundation a Stone a tryed Stone a precious Corner-stone a sure Foundation he that believeth shall not make haste Where it 's very observable as it is in Eph. 2.20 That the self-same that is called the Corner-stone is also ca'led the sure Foundation Likewise 1 Cor 11. where it's expresly said That other Foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is JESUS CHRIST Now if no man can lay any other Foundation of the Church which is God's Building then Christ whom the Apostle sayes ver 10. He himself laid as a wise Master-Builder according to the Grace of God given unto him Then all things else besides Christ the Word of God the Light of the World and that measure of Light that shines from him which is not divided from him any more then that of the Sun from it but one with him whatsoever men go about to lay as the Foundation of the Church and her Faith Hope and Obedience are not truly really and properly so but imaginarily supposively fictitiously so and but falsly so called meerly seigned found out and founded onely in the Fancies of foolish blind Babel-builders which Founders and their fictitious Foundations must be confounded For the layers of a false Foundation and such are all they that with I.O. lay the Letter or Traditions with the Papists and Iesuits he justles with or any other then Christ the Light must come to confusion as wel as the meer Formalists their Wood Hey Stubble Trash Imitations empty forms and such like Superstitions and all sorts of Superstructions of the Babilonish Builders upon the true Whereupon as much as J.O. blesses himself in his holding the Foundation and feeds himself with hopes of salvation so long as he is found holding that though he build Hay and Stubble upon it and his Works come to be consumed saying p. 160. It will be well for us if we be found holding the Foundation if we build hay and stubble upon it though our Work perish we shall be saved Yet alas poor deluded man J.O. thou mistakest thy self exceedingly it would be well for thee indeed if thou held'st the Foundation Christ the Head the Light of men thy person might then be saved though thy Work of wood hay stubble will assuredly perish in the fire But thou art far from being found holding that Foundation then which there is no other and found laying another even thy uncertain Transcripts of the Greek and Hebrew Texts and an outward fallible Letter and its Points and Syllables and Tittles and Iota's one jot or tittle of which if it fail thou confessest all thy Faith and Fabrick of Religion falls to the ground confessing also that 't was not impossible for the chiefest Transcribers thereof to mistake in any thing yea that they did fail in their Work so rasing thy false feigned and fallible Foundation to the ground and pulling down thy House with thy own hands like the foolish woman And as for the true Foundation Christ the Light and Spirit which are infallible stable firm fixt sure and certain as every true laid Foundation ought to be and is though thy flexible Letter is not so which is of it self an Argument of its not being the Churches Foundation of Faith and Obedience This true one I say is by thee trampled on and flouted at under the Names of Nescio quod Lumen quem Deum seu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deo quopiam melius merae Tenebrae aecitas fines salutares quod attines non sufficiens ad salutem Christus Fanaticorum imaginarius fictitius qualitas nescio quae divina seu anima Mundi omnibus misia quae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit i.e. vere nihil Ex. 4. S. 15.17.21 Doctorem infallibilem nihil habens commune cum Scripturis Ex. 3. S. 22. I know not what Light what God or cornucopia better then any God infallible Doctor inconsonant utterly with the Scripture imaginary Christ of the Qua. I know not what Divine Quality or Soul of the World made up of all things that is all things and truly nothing Moreover if none can lay other Foundation then Christ then Paul himself by these words Ephes. 2.20 Ye are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets cannot rationally be concluded as he is both senselesly and reasonlesly conceived by I.O. to intend any other Foundation then Christ himself neither can he be understood by any that have common understanding to intend himself and other Prophets and Apostles or his own and their meer outward Writings for then there are two whereof they must have one Foundation of Faith and Obedience and we another they Christ the Light and we them and their Letter which is an absurdity utterly unbecoming men call'd Christs Ministers to imagine seeing the Foundation quicquid id est of the Church and her faith hope and obedience from the beginning of the world to this day is but one and not many yea as the Faith is one and the Baptism one and the Temple and building one and the Body one and the Spirit one and the Lord and God and Father of all saints is one so the Foundation is but one what ever it is Eph. 4 5 6. Or else secondly if there be but one foundation for us and them to stand upon and that be the Apostles and Prophets themselves or thei Writings then Incidit in Scyllam c. the Apostles and Prophets must be supposed to be built not upon Christ but upon themselves their own Writings as to their faith and saving knowledge of the truth or at least on the Writings one of another which is an Imagination as if not more absolutely absurd than the former yet of the two I.O. having
Reproof Instruction in Righteousness and without any outward Scripture to perfect the man of God fit and furnish him as no outward Scriptures can possibly do without these for any much less for every good work which inward Scripture in which holy men read the Gospel before 't was ever written outwardly with Ink and Pen foreseeing that God would justifie the Gentiles through Faith in Christ the Light preached the Gospel four hundred years before your Scripture Canon or Rule ad extra was ever written Howbeit I say There is a Scripture ad intra that ye read little in testified to and talk't of by your external Text ye onely talk for 2 Cor. 3. Yet to J. O. I grant the outward Scripture and that in its integrity so far as free from corruption by mis-transcription and mis-translation to be holy just good useful and profitable for all the things specified in the Text of Paul to Timothy when read and understood in that Light Wisdom and Spirit that gave it out by those holy men which onely knows the Mystery of its own minde and meaning therein and reveals it ' also to Babes and simple honest hearts that come at ' fools to it looking to the Lord alone for wisdome out of whose mouth comes that knowledge and understanding whereby the Scripture is seen as to the spirituality and substance of it when the plain things of it are hid from the wise and prudent that furfeit with their own conceited science and lean to their own Animal understanding and in that give their several senses and sentences on it for the natural or as the word is 1 Cor. 2.14 15 16. the Animal man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God not the hidden wisdome of God which none of the Princes of this world know 1 Cor. 2.6 7 8. c. which in a mystry or meer Riddle to their degenerate reason is uttered in the very outward Scripture neither can the animal man by his wisdome from beneath for all his bitter envying and strife within himself against all that oppose him wherein he glories and lyes against the truth the fruit of which envy is confusion and every evil work which wisdome is but earthly sensual Animal devillisbly deceitful Jam. 3.14 15 16 17 18. know the things of God for they are spiritually discerned and by the spiritual man only that discerns and judges all and is falsely judged by all though truly discerned by none that are beneath him The outward Scripture I say is profitable to such as Timothy was to men of God to make them who are wise in the Spirit wiser and wiser through their faith in the light to their own and others salvation and to furnish such a Minister as Timothy was who knows when and being in the Spirit how and how far forth to use it for every good work in his Ministry And such as are full of might and power first by the Spirit of the Lord upon them as Micah was Mic. 3. and as Apollo was are mighty also in the Scripture and furnished mightily to confound the Scripture-searching Scribes and all gain-sayers of the Light as they were in their times So that we deny not the Scriptures ad extra to be many wayes useful profitable in their place and time where they are to be read as they are not in so much as the tenth part of the world and where they are read in the light by them who live in that Light that gave them forth which are not the hundreth part of those that usually read and search them but will all this prove them to be what I.O. and T.D. contend so stiffly to have them be viz. in that high Authority of the Rule nay the only most perfect standing Rule of all true belief and holy life before the very light and spirit of God they had their very original supreme being from thorow the hands of holy men as but subordinate instruments in their first purity as writings except that little that was pend by God himself which we now have not which Scriptures yet as to the being they now have are handed to us from no higher principle then the transcription of meer fallible and as I.O. sayes un-inspired men Ab sit imaginatio let the thoughts hereof be far from us that the Scripture is the only Rule for if we should grant it to be so far as truly transcribed in the Copies of the Original a Rule at all or a secondary Rule which name of Rule is more than it any where calls it self by yet the prime most perfect Rule it is not much less is it the only Rule to the Church or any men and though we are as forward as any on a due account to own the profitablenss of the very letter as it declares of the words of truth and uprightness and the Doctrine that is according unto godliness and to own its great usefulness as to the purposes premised and so affirm that the dead letter so far as not depraved from its primitive purity doth as truly answer and hold proportion with the light and living word as the shadow doth with the substance the life-less picture with the living person it represents and as the voice which is Imago verbi the Image of the Word with the Word it is the Image of or the Eccho which is the Image of the voice doth with the voice it answers to insomuch that as Quae conveniunt in aliquo tertio santidem what holds measure or weight and keeps correspondency or proportion with a third thing that agrees with the standard or sealed Canon agrees also with the standard it self so whose life squares truly and substantially with the letter convenes with the light and spirit it imediately issued out from and he that lives and speaks perfectly and adaequately according to the Scripture so far speaks and lives according to and not besides the light and spirit which the letter requires man to live beleeve and walk in and by as neither doth or can he erre from the letter if he had never heard read or seen it who answers the measure of the light and spirit that is lent him to live by yet for all this as T.D. gives this reason for his untrue imagination why this part of the inspired Scripture you have only is the only Rule and not any Sermons or private religious discourses which have the same common ends with the Scriptures no nor yet any other writings but those ye have if we could prove and produce as assuredly we shall anon any legitimate ones of Divine inspiration though otherwise as useful and profitable as those ye have and agreeing therewith viz. because God did not give order quoth he for the one as he did thinks he for the other and there is no other Scripture appointed of God to be a Rule of faith and manners but what is bound up in the Bible and where he appointed that we
which we deny which matter notwithstanding when it comes to the point of proof before people they dare denominate only to be the only Rule and Word denying those high Titles to the naked Letter as well as we crying out with a dreadful ditty against the Qua. in their Pulpits as deniers of the Scriptures the Bible to be the Word of God the Rule c. and when we enter the lifts with them then finding themselves unable to carry it against us falling down before us in confessions to us that it is the Divine truth and matter only contained in the Scripture which is the Rule to all men so far as it that is that Truth and matter is revealed to them as it is here confessed also by T.D. to be to the very Heathen in their hearts that have no Scripture and was so before it was put into writing that is before the Scripture was which seeing it is so confest in the same way as I argued above about the Foundation against I.O. so may I here against T.D. and him both about the Rule viz. Arg. 1. The Rule must be something that is in being before the faith and life that is to be Regulated by it 2. Must be that the Scripture testifies to be the Rule 3. Something that is firm fixt sure stable inflexible infallible inalterable else all the work wrought by a Lesbian Rule a soft waxen measure may be ad infinitum crooked scanty erroneous disorderly in all Dimensions at mens pleasure who may as our Priests mostly do transcribe translate expound rectifie the Scripture according to their crooked conceits and their Antichristian Analogy of faith as they use to speak and not their crooked conceits and false faith according to the true Theology that is plain to godly honest hearted men in the Sâ—ripture wrest their Rule to their own wills self-ends interests and where it likes not their unruly selves to be Ruled by it Run from it or rather Rule over ir as they list But the Light and Spirit and Truth and living Word and holy Doctrine was in being before the faith and life of any man 2. Is testified by the Scripture at is above shewed to be the Rule 3 Is inalserable firm c. and the Scripture it self is already proved and is yet more to be proved not to be so therefore the Light Truth c. not the Scripture Text c. is the Rule Be sides what Ioh. Tombs and Rich. â—axter who must here be wrapt with their own weapon argue falsely against the Lights being the Rule I may truly argue against the Letters being it For page 51. of their Book entituled The true old Light Thus they dispute viz. That which is variable and alterable cannot be a persons Rule for its the property of a Rule to be invariable and the same at all times The Rules Measures and Weights and Dialls and Squares and what other things are made if they be varied they cease to be Rules for Rules should be fixed and certain But there is nothing more variable then mens light in them say they falsely but say I truly then a Letter or Writing without That which is to day say they taken for light is to morrow judged to be darkness and that light which is this day in a person may be lessened to morrow a person may become Fanatick and dote who yesterday was heard with applause therefore each persons light cannot be his Rule so us that at all times he should be bid to look to it as a safe guide as the Qua. do And say I that which is to day Transcribed Translated Interpreted so and in such a sense by some may be through Mis-transcription Mis-translation Mis-interpretation be wrested as a Nose of wax to morrow by others into a clear contrary sense by Transposition of Hebrew letters which in shape and sound are alike either in way of mistake among the most careful Scribes in the world or at the mâ—er will and pleasure of Criticks who ad libitum may turn the Text into twenty senses one after another as seems good to them witness I.O. himself who as is elswhere shewed in many pages together of his Epistle Dedicatory tells how easie it is so to do yea to turn that one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the different pointing of it into 8 sundry senses some whereof are clear contrary to each other yea it is but doing so or so saith he and as many various lections arise in the very original Text as a man pleases to make It being so then with the Letter that it is so variable and flexible and contrariwise the Light being fixt firm stable without variation as it is for all their lying of it it 's eternally and unchangeably the same even yesterday to day and for ever as Christ is from whom it comes one and the same in all the Foundation and witness of God which stands sure and keeps its place in the consciences of men let them go whether they will testifying the same truth as Gods witness in all men that it doth in any mâ—n both de jure defacto also never consenting to any evil but condemning it all in all men more or less Therefore say I in consutation of I O. T. D. I.To. and Rich. Baxter out of their own Books the Light Word and Spirit of God within every one may and ought to be every mans Rule so as that at all times he should be bid to look to it and follow it as a guide as the Qua. do But the Text or Letter without however owned as it is by me above to be useful and profitable for men of God that know how to use it cannot be the most perfect stable Standard much less the only infallible Rule and guide of mens faith and life as the blind guides say in words it is though in works they themseves live and walk besides it as much as any Again if the Scriptures be the Rule and not the Light and Spirit then either there was no Rule before the Scripture or else they who lived before the Scripture had one Rule we another and so consequently there are two Rules for the one faith of the one holy Church But all these whimsies are most absurd for then the one Church hath tot regulus quot novas explicationes ejusdem veritaetis as many Rules as particular wayes of Revelation of the truth And T.D. said the Truth was one and that the matter was the Rule before the writing was and I.O. sayes Ex. 4. s. 22. Vnicus est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divinus the Divine Rule is but one and so say I of the one general Catholick Church or Assembly of the first born from Abel to this day therefore the Light Spirit and not the Scripture is the Rule As for I. Os shallow shuffling off the Lights being the Rule and sleight slinging at it Testaque lutoque with his muddy pellet in that Section
of which no inward Light or Spirit or new Revelations about the faith and Divine worship of the Saints are either to be expected or admitted it lyes more in the negative then the positive or affirmative consisting for more largely of disproofs such as they are of any inward Light Spirit or spiritual Revelation to be at all then of proofs of the Letter or Scripture yet some pedling ones are puzled out to such a purpose to be altogether and alone the Rule of faith holy life and divine worship He professes to prove the inward Spirit or Light the Qua. plead for not to be the Rule and that the Scripture or Letter is so two wayes first Authoritative or by the Scripture it self 2. Rationative or by a Rational way of Argumentation But though I own the Authority and veracity of the Scripture so far that if I.O. could produce any place of the Bible as he pretends to do many wherein the Scriptures do ascribe to themselves the Honor Authority and Title of the onely perfect Rule either in terminis or by any such due deduction as is not more duely deniable then so much as probale to a prudent man indeed I should truly submit to one such testimony being perswaded that the Scriptures are writings of truth where not altered and not adulterated by mens mistakings and mistranscribings yet the Scriptures being wrested besides all sense and reason by J.O. and the Theologians he adhears to to that end I deny his proofs to be either Athoratative or Rational The testimonies he urges the Authority of to prove the Text to be in the Authority of the only Rule he casts into four Classes the first sort of which consist of such places as expresse as he sayes and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel per immediatam cousequentiam perfectionem hanc Scripturis ascribunt do expresly verbatim or else by immediate consequence ascribe such a perfection as of the only Rule to the Scriptures The second such as expresly reject all Additions to the Text and Word of God whatever The third such as contain the examples of Christ and the Apostles trying and commanding to try all things by the Scriptures The fourth such as commend the holy Scriptures to all Religious uses Of the first sort he impannels eleven in all not being able it seems to pick out a whole Jury to serve his turn howbeit I acknowledge these if they would as freely as he forcibly would have them pass their verdict for him to be enough being all of them good and true witnesses in another case then he calls them for they stand all together in Ex. 3. s. 26. viz. Joh. 2. ult 2 Tim. 3 13 14 15 16. Psal. 19.18 Luke 1.3 4. Luke 16.29 Act. 1.1 Rom. 10 17. Eph. 2.19 20. 2 Pet. 1.19 2 Cor. 3.24 Gal. 6 16. Of the second seven viz. Deut. 4.2.12.32 Rev. 22 18. Gal. 1.8 Mat. 15.6 1 Cor. 4.6 Isa. S. 20. Of the third four viz. Luke 16.28 29 30 Act 17.11.21 Act. 18.24.28 Act. 26.22 with intimation of very many more commonly cited as he saith to that purpose Of the fourth seven viz. Joh. 1.7 Deut 28.58 Luke 24 27. Joh. 5.39 Rom. 15.4 Phil. 3.1 1 Joh. 1.4 It may do well to take some notice of them at least and hear their evidence I shall draw them up into the form of an Argument and then we shall see what expressnes in them or immediate consequence there is from them to the Scriptures being the only Rule Arg. John sayes Jesus did more signs then are written in his Book or History of him but what he wrote was that men might beleeve that Jesus is the Son of God and beleeving might have life through his Name David that the Law of God is perfect converting the soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple the Statutes of the Lord pure enlightning the eyes Luke that it seemed good to him also seeing some others had taken in hand such a worke having had perfect understanding from the first of the things Iesus did and taught to write an orderly Declaration thereof to Theopilus whether a particular person so called or any lover of God who can tell for so is the name by interpretation that he might know the certainty of the things wherein he by which it seems rather to have been some eminent man had been before in part informed and Christ said Men must hear Moses and the Prophets or else will not be perswaded to repent if one rise to them from the dead Peter that the Saints have a more sure word of Prophesie to which they do well that they take heed as to a light that shineth in a dark place till the day dawn and the day star arise in their hearts Paul to the Romans That faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God To the Corinthians that the minds of the Jews were blinded for until this day the vail remaineth on their hearts untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament which vail is taken away in Christ. To the Galathians that as many as walk according to this Rule peace shall be on them and Gods Israel To Timothy that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived willing him to continue in the things he had learned and been assured of knowing of whom he had learnt them and that from a childe he had known the holy Scriptures which were able to make him wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Iesut that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine Reproof Correction Iastruction in Righteousness that the man of God might be perfect throughly furnished to all good works To the Ephesians that they were no more strangers and forrainerâ— but fellow-citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone God forbids to adde to his Word he commandeth and threatens to adde Plagues to them that so do Paul sayes Let him be accuâ—sed who ever brings another Gospel then that he had preached to the Galathians though the Apostles themselves or an Angel from heaven Christ asked the Pharisees Why they made Gods Commands void by their Traditions Paul sayes He in a figure transferred to himself and to Apollo the things that he had wrote to Corinth that none of them might think of either of them above that which he wrote of them as meerly Ministers by whom they beleeved and not be as they were very apt to be puâ—t up for one of them against the other and glorying in man God bids seek not to Wizzards that peep and mutier but to himself his Law and Testimony The Berean searched the Scriptures daily whether the things were so or no the Apostles preached Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures and as mightily confounded the Jews proving thereby that Jesus was Christ.
Saints are under who are therefore said to serve Rom 7.6 not in the oldness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the letter but in the newness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Spirit And then secondly asserting that Novi Testamenti â—adem est ratiâ— the case is the same between the Old Testament and the New which is most false as to the thing in hand and 3. Citing 2 Cor. 3.6 in proof of it By which thou shewest thy folly for thou couldest not have well found out a fitter Text for its disproof whether thou who citest it for borest to set it down yea or nay for fear its should be seen how far it contradicts what thou citest it for I will not say but I am sure a man that is but minded to miss the meaning of it may run and read how that verse subverts the busines thou bringest it in for yea verily so far is that Apostle who truly calls the Old Testament by the names of Book Heb 9.19 and Letter written engraven in stones and such like from affirming with thee that the case is the same with the new Testament as to the name and nature thereof that both in that verse and in the third veâ—se also he more then intimates yea plainly expresses that of the Old and New Testament in that particular more than any diversâ— est raâ—io the case is diverse yea so far different that he flatly opposes the one to the other as things that however agreeing otherwise viz. in their being both glorious in som degree though the New in a far greater degree then the other as a beautiful picture may agree in respect of beauty glory comeliness and compleat resemblance in some degree with the substantial person that is it paâ—tâ—rn of yet disâ—agree in this that the one is Letter Outward writing printing and ingraving c. visible and legible by the outward eye the other not so but internal invisible spiritual written with the Spirit in the heart yea Spirit it self which while the Letter is dead and killing is only living quickning and giving life Yea two varying Ministration doth the Apostle make them not onâ—y as one is that of death and condemnation to the children of it of whom on pain of perishing it requires the living of a life which it gives no ability to and which the other i e. the Spirit only gives and inables to live the other that of Spirit Life Liberty Righteousness Glory but also as the one that is the Old is a writing ad extra only the other that is the New a writing a Scripture only ad intra though written of by that without that he absolutely asserts a present inconsistency since the doing away of the Old between a mans being a Minister now of both as once and that posita novo tollitur vetus the new being now come in full force and confirmed by the Testators death the Old Testament and its Ministry is disanulled in regard of its weakness and unprofitableness however profitable as a Type in its time for many uses to bring immediately to the life so that he who is the Minister of the one i.e. of the Old Testament i.e. of the Letter Outward writing Text or Scripture is not a Minister of the other i.e. of the New i.e. of the Gospel Righteousness Glory liberty life and Spirit and Retro he who is a true Minister of the Gospel or New Testament as now standing in the force and substance it self out of the figure and shadows wherewith it was vailed of old is not though he may utter things as moved of the Spirit that are written in the Letter as Christ himself and the Apostles did a Minister of the Old as the Old Word-stealers Jer. 23. were and our Modern Text-takers and Scripture-sellers are Paul taketh away the one from him on whom he stablisheth the other denies the one of whom he affirms the other and opposes the New Testament which he stiles the Spirit to the Letter by which name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he denominates only the Old God saith he hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life 2. Here is not all nor yet not half of that absurdity and falshood that I.O. in his folly flings abroad in that small parcel above which I am yet under the animadversion of for whereas he sayes I am vero omne Testamentum est perfectum every Testament is perfect intending it both of the Old Testament and the New and not only so but of such a perfection as avails in hunc finens ut assequamur vitam aeternam to this very end viz The obtaining the life eternal it self for so is his assertion of the Books of the Scriptures which he describes as to their nature and concludes under that name of the Old and New Testament his Positiâ—n is so wofully false that himself is as wonderfully foolish who sees it not flatly contradictory to the Scripture for howbeit the very Old Testament or outward letter is duly owned by us to be a Ministration of God from whom nothing can come as is abovesaid but what is perfect praesertim respectu finis cui opus quodcunque deflinat in reference to that end for which he appoints it absolutely perfect to that end for which it is given forth of God which is to be an A B C or elementary help or outward worldly Rudiment to indoctrinate younglings in their â—â—nage concerning the inward Light and Spirit as the only way that leads to Christ the Life from whom the Light comes and is lent as a line or clew of thread that followed conducts through the valley and shadow of death to the Life it self in which respect the Letter of the Law is called a School-master Tutor Governour under whose Tuition the under aged imbondaged ignorant ones may be trained up into a true understanding of the Truth as it is in Jâ—sus as by a Shadow Type Figure Festraw or Finger that points the Primarian Professors more distinctly to that they are to eye and aim at more then it self and by such as are in the faith and obedience to the light may be used too to make them wiser toward salvation and more perfectly furnish◠〈◊〉 every good work as he that is past a novice and is become a well-studied Scholar can and may but must is another matter read in the Horn-book as well and better than when he learned in it yet as to its being so omnibus numeris absoluta perfecta as thou bablest making it so perfect as to bring to the life that is a meer Antiscriptural fiction of thy own fancy for though a man may by the Horn-book learning become the more dispositively fitted to read in the Bible and other books of Latine or Logick and so by degrees come at last to the capacity and degree of a Doctor in the Vniversiâ—y yet he
Chrisiumexihibendum those since Chrisium exhibitum the first Christ to be offered the later Christ already offered I say if these later be the New Testament then either one or both of these two absurdities must be owned viz. that there hath been where there should have been none a superadding of very much to the New Testament or rather secondly that the whole New Testament was it self made since it was ratified and confirmed by the Testators death Vtrum horum mavis accipe own thou I.O. which thou wilt or both of these if thou wilt but I le never own that to be a mans Testament only much les Christs but only fained so to be that is added to or rather wholly made after his death whose Testament it is I.Os. other Mediums are all too frivolous to insist upon The third is ab expresso Testimonio the express Testimony of Psal. 16.7 8. Reply Where I have shewed before that by the Law Testimony Commandement of the Lord is intended the Light wee talk of not the Letter The fourth A materia Scripturarum the matter which saith he is all the Councel of God and nothing but what the Prophets and Moses spake alluding to Act. 20.27 and citing Act. 26.22 Reply In neither of which places Paul doth either mention or mean any outward Scriptures or Writings of his own much less other mens but the things he ministred to the Church of Ephesus and her Elders by word of mouth delivering to every of them according to their Stations and Relations how they ought to walk and to please God and with-holding nothing that was profitable either to Elders or flock Act. 20.20 and to all men small and great the summe and substance of things fore-spoken of old viz. Repentance toward God and faith toward Iesus vers 21. and how there was now as to the mystery of truth Nil dictum quod non dictum prius nothing said which was not shewed before in the type and shadow 5. A fine from their end which quoth he is 1. Faith Joh. 20.21 These are written that ye may beleeve and Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing Reply Which first Text if intending faith in the history of things that the Letter may beget men may have and have from Rome to this place and yet perish which latter Text intends a saving faith but that comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God which Word saith Paul above in the same Chapter is not the Letter without but a Light within nigh in the heart and mouth of men that they may hear and do it even the Word of faith which they preached 2. Wisdome to salvation perfect instruction to all good works 2 Pet. 1.19 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Reply Which Scriptures I have spoken to before and shewed how little they make to I.Os. purpose the first speaking not of the Scripture at all The second how throw saith in the light first the letter may be profitable toward but not per saltum to salvation and perfection 3 Attainment of eternal life 5. Joh. 39.30.31 Reply Which life comes as is there said above through Christ and beleeving in his light which is his name whom and which the Scriptures testifie of as appears by the two Texts he cites talked on enough by me already in way of answer to I.Os. Fancies and not by the Letter or Scriptures themselves though searched after and lookt for there by the Scribes that neither heard nor saw the Father nor came to the Son for life nor could abide that his word should abide in them So that howbeit he concludes the Scripture perfect in all respects I say in respect to its own appointed end it is as abiding incorrupted by mens wresting as at first given out by holy men yet not in all the respects in which I.O. and T.D. assert it to be perfect who makes it as now altered and adulterâ—ted the only most perfect Standing Rule of faith and life and way and means of knowing his will our duty and of coming to eternal life and that exclusively of all inward light and Spirit and other Revelation of which but where is the ' proof on'â— his saies there is no need of them but they are fictitious uncertain dangerous abominable and the like Whereas I trust to make it appear there is no knowing God but by other Revelation of him then the outward one that is made in the Scripture even by the Revelation of himself within men As for thy Enthusiasm and colloquia Angelica vel ficta vel facta thou mayest keep that to thy self I pretend not to the defence of discourse with Angels fained or true yet to thy shame I shall say thus much in vindication of truth against thee viz. that thou shewest thy self but a silly man to conâ—emn Colloquia cum Angelis vel sicta vel facta and by whole sale to throw away without making any difference all conference with Angels whether made indeed or but fained for what were all Daniels Maries Pauls Iâ—hns Christs conferences with Angels truly made fit for nothing but thy flours and for thee to make thy self sport with Col. 2.18 which thou cotest below will not save thee from the just censure of ignerant impudence sith that condemns a worshipping of Angels only as also the Angel himself condemns that whom Iohn would have worshipt Rev. 19.10 22.9 and forbids it but conference with Angels not counterfeit and ficta but facta which thou makes no bones of to render detestable in thy dirty driblings as well as fained are of those good things thou speakest ill of because thou knowest them not Having Grubd up by the Roots the first of J. Os. Grand Artificial Arguments grounded inartificially upon Testimonies of Scriptures which he calls inartificial ones and disproved all his petty and subordinate proofs of the minor Proposition thereof on which the whole stress of his evidence stood I proceed to examination of the rest Arg. 2. His second is A perfecta operatione seu effeâ—tu Scripturarum from the perfect operation and effect of the Scripture In English thus If the Scripture doth accomplish in its way of efficacy which is moral All things that can possibly be effected by any Revelation of Gods will whatsoever in order to our due and sincere worshipping of God and coming at last to life eternal Then vain are all those foresaid principles of the knowledge of God viz. The Spirit and Light within which the Fanaticks falsly boast of But the former is true Therefore c. The minor of this Argument which I deny hath a whole Troop of Testimonies or Texts of Scripture pressed to attend the proof thereof which I.O. takes to be such a Trusty Life-guard and most of them are so to the Qua. cause concerning the Light Word and Spirit within that there is no doing any thing in denial thereof that can reach to the rendring of it untrue but unless it be some one or two of them that mention the
conceived in thy brain to be the power of God both in it self and in respect of you Look upon all litteral Professâ—rs that run a whoring from God the Lord the Spirit and the Light that shines in them there shewing moral good and evil and spiritual good and spiritual wickedness also for the fruites of the spirit and works of the flesh and the lusts thereof envy hatred lasciviousness c. are manifest and what ever manifests them and all things in the conscience is the light within which is the Armour against the one and the enabler to the other and not the Letter wihout which only sayes so of the Light and see what works most abound in the most Reformed Nations and Churches of it that are turned aside from the truth it self to a meer talking of the Text that talks of it are they not the same that are to be found among Papists that live by no other professed Rule but tradition and Popish putasion yea set aside that grosser sort of superstition and thicker cloud of superfluous Ceremonies in matter of outward observations in Religion in which the Kingdome of God which stands in inward Righteousnâ—â—s of the heart expressing it self outwardly in the life comes not as to Moralities Mercy Iudgement Equity Honesty Innocency Love Purity Humility Faith and Fear of God unfained which are the end of carnal Commandements contained in Ordinances and bodily exercises that else are profitable to little which said Moralities as little as thou makest of Moral obedience Moral good is that which the light in all mens hearts may avail to lead them to p. 42 43 45. as if these were some pedling trivial matters that God regards not which yet indeed being done in the Light out of which God who is Light accepts of nothing nor hath pleasure or delight in any of your litteral performances are nâ— less then Spiritualities fruits of the Spirit and of the Spirics only and not the Letter bringing forth for the Letter never yet brought forth the Spirits fruits in its Ministers and children who for all their searchings and lookings into and labouring for the letter sow to the flesh still as the Scribes and Pharisees did of old that trusted in Moses and the Prophets Writings and of the flesh reap corruption whilest the Ministers not of the Letter but the Spirit the children of the Light sow to the Spirit and of it and the Light reap the life it self and these are the weightier matters of the Law I say as to the foresaid Moral matters saving the grosser dimnest of their devotions are not the same that is to say as good fruits found among poor Papists as amongst you and as bad among you as with them and as unsound yea V in tu câ—rtis Iudaeis â—ppederâ— wilt thou judge and disdain the concised Letter-lauding â—ew O thou meerly Rantized Scripture-profissing-Christian when they who make their boast of the antient Ceremonies and Letter of the Law do not more through breaking the Law in the Morals and Spirituals of it then ye who boast of the later Letter and Ceremonies thereof through breaking the weightier Moral and Spiritual matters of it do dishonour God Is not your Vine aâ— the vine of Sodome to the Lord notwihstanding your solemn meetings and Sabbaths and Fasts and fained forms and many things that God never required at all as much as theirs who were punctualin performance of the very things that God himself required and are not your goodly Grapes of Injustice Cruelty Whippings imprisonings Persecutings of tender conscences for telâ—â—ng truth for not paying Tythes c. and all other iniquity dissoluteness and propaneness that overflows in Vniversities Cities Countries as the Grapes of Gommorrah as theirs were and as clusters of Gall and Wormwood yea shall not the Gentile the Heaâ—hen as ye call them the uncircumcistâ—n the unchristned people as to the Letter that by the remants of the pure nature for the corâ—upt nature only breakes the Law do the things contained in the Law and shewed them in the Light within them by which they are a Law to themselves and go accused or excused in their own conscences before God judge as well thee who by the Letter and Baptism transgressest it as the Iews who by the Letter and Circumcision do transgress the Law and Rebel against the Light is not as much of the true Righteousness found among many Heathens as among most litteral Christians who ever name the Name of Christ but never depart from iniquity What geat efficacy and power then hath the Letter alone of it self without any other helps advantages or any other Revelation by the Spirit and Light within put forth and exerted to the conquering of the world and the bringing forth of fruit in all the world when as it is evident that it never yet subjected any one whether Minister or Professor of it to the perfect obedence of it self in the main matters of it as the Light and Spirit hath done done the children of it As for our Parochial and Academical livers by the Letter temporally I mean for otherwise they live neither by the Letter nor the Light but beside both both they and their Bible-blessing Beleevers are far from answering the call of their very literal Rule which is all they own under that name and notion that they are not come by it into the faith that ever they shall conform to it or be perfected in holiness or cleansed from sin by it either in this world or that to come for whereas much of it is written in way of warning not to sin 2 Ioh. 2.1 and is profitable and powerful as they say themselves from 2 Tim. 3.16 which speaks of Timothy men of God only and also not exclusively of all other helps and advantages from the Spirit and Light as I.O. but as in conjunction with faith which is in the Light as is shewed above to make men wise to salvation and perfect in good works they are so far from beleeving it possible in this world not to sin and be perfected in holiness or good works that they deny it as little better than plain Popery to affirm any works done though by Christs own power in us to be truly or perfectly good or any better than dung and filthy Rags witness T.D. who as above said p. 13â— of his 1 Pamp. sayes the Righteousness wrought in Paul after his onversion was Christs and yet renounced by him as dung damn it down â—â— Doctrine of Devils to teach men that they may be fully free from sin here witness T. Rumsey whose blinde judgement therein T.D. justifiâ—r in p. 41. of his â— Pamph. and that its most false to say the Scripture either doth or can obtain its end fully towards us while we are in this world and yet that it is of no use to us in the world to come also so denying again what other whiles they affirm of the power and perfection of the Scripture
hearts of men though witnessed to without in the Ministry of Prophets and Apostles preaching and writing of it as that in which they were to beleeve in which beleeving according to the Voyces and Scriptures of holy men calling them thereto and beleeved by them they thenceforth and not before were said to beleeve on the Name of God through which beleeving in it they had life but what 's this to evince the Writing to be that Word â—hus spoken thus written of which was another thing which was as truly beâ—eeved in to life before it was written of as after Oh quoth J.O. as were the persons speaking of old so are the Writings now True whence in his own words I argue back ad hominem on him thus As were the persons speaking the Word of God old so are the Writings now Buâ— not the persons preaching no nor yet their preachings and speakings were the Woâ—â— of God they preached and spake of but only means by which men were brought to beleeve in the Word of God What 's Paul what 's Apollos but Ministers by whom ye beleeved 1 Cor. 4.5 Therefore the Writings now are not the Word of God written of but only an outward means by which men are brought to beleeve in another thing then the â—ritings for life even in the Word of faith nigh in their own hearts which the Prophets and Apostles preached and wrote of that iâ— order to life men should beleeve in it I.O. And now as to that Text Heb. 4.12 which thou citest also p. 85. reciting the words of it which are these The Word of God is quick and powerful or as thou there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 living and effectual sharper than any two-edged swâ—rd piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Rep. I cannot but stand almost astonished at thy stupidity in expounding that Text of Scripture of the Text of Scripture and of that terme there the Word of God of the Book called the Bible which the business of thy Book is mostly about sith the efficacy and power of the Word here spoken of is far beyond that of the Letter or Scripture it self the inefficacy and weakness of which I have shewed above specially abstract from the Spirit and Light within in which way thou asserts the sufficiency of it witness thy own words above rehearsed as to any such mighty matters as are here mentioned Is the Letter the Scripture sharper then any two-edged sword to divide asundâ—r soul and spirit c. a diver into a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart what thinkest thou by the two-edged sharp sword that goes out of his mouth that rides the white horse with his vesture dipt in blood and the Armies in heaven following not in Lawn Sleeves Sarcenet Scarffs Sattanical Goâ—ns Canonical Coats Scarlet Formalities White Surplices Velvet Plush black Gippoes and such like Scholastick Superfluities but in fine linnen white and clean i.e. The righteousness of the Saints Rev. 2.12.19 11 12 13 14 15 22. Is it the Letter or is it the Sword of the Spirit a prime part of that Armour of God Armour of Light intimated Rom. 13.12 Eph. 6.11.17 which is the Word of God and the sharp soul-searching heart-piercing living life-giving Word that is here spoken of for it s the Spirit that quickneth the Letter killeth and is dead the Sword of the Spirit is the Spirit or words of Christs mouth which he speaks which are Spirit and life not Leâ—ser which Word of Christ is the Word of God also as Christ himself the Lord that Spirit is 2 Cor. 3. which was in the beginning before Letter was and was with God and was God for the three that bear witness in heaven the Father Word and Spiriâ— are one and all three Spirit and Light and the Letter is none of them all and these without the Letter are effectual and werâ— so before it though T.D. sayes the Spirit was not wont to be effectual without the Letter p. 42. of his 1. Pamph. but the Letter and its revelation is not sufficient and omnibus numeris absolute c. as J.O. darkly divines to effect and perfect all things as to Gods glory and our salvation of it self so that there 's no need at all of any other witness or revelation by the Spirit and Light within T.D. indeed if any save such as are bewitcht and befooled already would be such fools as to follow his foolish fancy would and what Parish Preachers do not the like make men beleeve by his non-sensical blinde wayes of proving it as if it were so at leaâ—t and that is a little more moderate then I.Os. boundless elevation of the Letter which hee makes little less than All in All that the Spirit was not wont to be effectual without the Letter in proof of which his false Assertion â—e urges Rom. 10.17 the same Text that I.O. wrests the same way Faith which is the Spirits work quoth he in the forenamed page comes by hearing hearing by the word of God which terme the Word of God there T.D. and I.O. and their Adjutants generally take to be the Scripture Text though if any measure of right reason did Rule in them they might see in the same Chapter that the Word of faith by which it comes is that they preached to be brought nigh in mens hearts and moâ—ths by God himself that there they might both hear and do it Deut. 30.13 but so far is his Position from having any truth in it as much as he stands up agâ—inst R.H. who justly withstands him in it that if his own eyes were but half open he could not but see the flat falsehood of it yea it is so palpable that before all the world I will here lay down the very contrary as the truth viz The Spirit was wont to be effectual without the Letter And why he should lose any of his Authority power and efficacy by mens writings as they were moved by him he is either wiser then I that can tell or else very fond in asserting what he can tell no reason for And that the Spirit or Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God whether we understand it of Christ himself that Spirit 2 Cor. 3. that quickning Spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 who is called the Word of God Rev. 19.13 or the Spirit of God and Christ which is so called also Eph. 6.17 was wont to be effectual without the Letter of old before there was any Letter for him to work by is so clear that t were to light a candle to see the Sun by to go about to prove it yea as I.O. sayes in a case that is clear I mean clear contrary to what he asserts in it Ex. 3. s. 31. so say I in this ad Solem caecutiâ—â— necesse est c. he must be so blinde as not to see the Sun
and Israel to preserve it from taking root and blossoming and budding and filling the face of the earth with fruit as it must do at the last Isa. 27.6 and like Sampsons Foxes tail to tail they draw divers wayes loâ—here sayes one lothere sayes another some sounding it out for their Fathers traditions some summoning to the Scriptures and the gâ—wdy glosses they put upon it who yet if they could once come to see it live by tradition and teach Gâ—ds fear afters mans Precepts as well as the rest all to their own fanciâ—s dreams opinions and imaginations of one kind or other and all these fire-brands fencing to one end and as friendly as Herod and Pilate at odds against each other yet at one against Christ attempting to dis-inthrone the light of Christ in the Conâ—cience from its due Authority and from sitting on the Throne in its proper place Some resisting the Truth by flat opposition so all the many sorts of those guilded cups the Parish Priests do that yet hold forth all or any Râ—mish Relicks or measure of that old Whores trash which wooden Tops are always turning round with the times as that lash viz. the losse of living if they so do not is made use of and exercised toward them whose movings to and again back and forth from Henries Religion to Edwards from his to Maries from hers to Elizabeths and so onward and round as occasion is if the word of command be As ye were is all from the force of some externall Engine or other mostly that of money for Qui pecunianon movetur hunc dignum spectaâ—u Arbitramur not from any inward Principle or Power of the endless life no par no preach is their common Custom so that the powerless formes they foam at each other about would soon fall all to the earth whence they are and not from Truth were it not for that Primum-movens that principale propugnaculum of Tith as a dead man that can stand not a jot longer then propt up by something or other ad extra because Deest aliquid infus there wants the main master wheel within Others like those Inchanters that withstood Moses resist the Truth too men of corrupt minds reprobate yet as concerning the Faith leadingâ— captive silly women after them from the Faith of Gods Elect by imitating the very Truth it self as farre as they are able to come neer it in their vain fleshly minds having stole into a form of the same Doctrine Words and Works without the life which they hate and oppose in them that are in the life preaching the same Truth and Light themselves in their airy spirits since the conviction thereof fell upon them for which they had very formally cast forth of their own separated Churches the Children of the Light who withdrew from them and so formally were none of them before that their senseless confuse or ejection Like theâ—fore â—aid Sorcerers to bewitch their people into an abode among them in Egypt where they yet are in bondage altogether and into a non-believing of the true Messengers of God to be in anything beyond themelves and to make them seem to be no more in the power of God then they by striving to do all and as farre as they are able to follow on in a form till at last they be forc'd to confess a finger of God doing all that by their weak arme of flesh mans fleshly will and wisdome which by the Saints is performed both in and from no other Arme then the Light Power Wisdome and Life of God dwelling in them Of this sort are all the Prophets that are in a fairer form of Godliness then those behind them in darkâ—r and grosser forâ—mâ— yet with them denying and not witnessing the power thereof in their hearts and conversations to the purging of them from pride and the other pâ—llutions and corruptions that are in world through lust which Magicians when they see the Servants of the Lord do any thing that is taking among their people and which they are ashamed to diâ—own then they will do so and as the Wise men of Egypt set themselves to imitate Moses set themselves to do the like and â—in a shew bring forth an Image of the same By all which said severall sorts of subtill Sorcerers who with the most cunning craftiness they have lye in wait to deceive the multitudes of people are deceived and so seduced from the narrow way of truth that among them very few ever find it and are so eminently perplexed as to their discerning aright between Gods Worâ— indeed and that which is only pretended so to be viz. the nakâ—d letter that only declares what is his Word and their own fallible and sometimes senseless senses and sermons upon that letter of all which they ay in their common Preambles to their people Hearken with fear and trembling to the Word of God when oft no more then every mans own word Ier. 23.36 is spoken that though God hath given men a light and spirit within which is meâ—sura â—sui â— oblâ—quâ— that can most certainly determine of all spirits and an â—ar but that its slopt in most which can as truly try words as the mouth â—asteth meats Iob 34.3 1 Ieh 4.1 6. and also seâ—meria infall bee tokens to enable them so to do yet they can make no discrimination between right and wrong faith and falshood uprightness and errour honesty and hypocrysie holiness and heresie the simplicity that â—s in Christ and that schisme from it into which they are already inchanted 2 Cor. 11.3 the light and truth and that deceit and darkness in which both Prophets and People dwell through the busie battels and confused noises these Warriours make with their loud cryings out each against other and all with one mouth against the Truth it self and the tellers of it as Deceivers and all with one consent mis-representing them as such unto the Powers mis-advisâ—â—g and mis-admonâ—shing their respective peoples to this or the like tune Beware and take heed of deceit and of these deceivers the Qua. not heeding all this while or at least not willing their people should heed how deeply they are all in the deceit already so like the impudent Harlot that hopes to outcry and bear down the modest Matron with a clamour of words and by calling out Whâ—re first these foolish loud lewd Women fearing their own filthy fornications should else be soon discovered cry out first on that Sect of Saints which was ever and every where so spoken against Acts 24.14 28.22 Heresie schisme errour darkness disturbance madness enthusiasme fanaticisme faction and such like and though they and their flocks of Goats and heards of Swine live in the lust in pride covetousness malice luxury and all wickedness and have nothing of their own save unrighteousness to be rob'd of and nothing to be led captive but that which hath captivated the just nor to be spoild of but that which
other your absurdities put together for I â—row whence or from what Church Principle Ground Foundation comes that Faith according to the Analogy of which ye are to conform in your interpretations of the Scripture it must be either the Infallible Chair and bottomless pit of mens dunghilly Traditions which is the Foundation of the Church of Rome and her Faith which Foundation Church and Faith that 's built on it ye would seem in words at least to deny or else the Infallible Light and Spirit of God in the heart which the Letter came from and the Qua. according to the Letter and together with it call men to and are themselves as to their Faith founded on whom together with their Faith which stands not in mens words writings nor thoughts but in that Light which is the Power of God and that Foundation of it also with no less but a little more detestation ye deny or else the Scripture it self which as much as ye live by yea by Popish Tradition in many things as the Papists do yet in words ye own Now the two first being denyed this last is the Rule of your Faith according to the Tenor and Analogy of which the Churches Faith which ye must interpret Scripture by is to be framed and conformed See then your most abominable confusions and rounds ye run in 1. You have the Scripture before which the true Faith was delivered to the Saints a 1000 years which Scripture is the Foundation of your Church Faith whereby ye might see were ye not blind that your Church and Faith has not the same Foundation as the true had Next you have a Faith which must be squared by the best interpretations ye can make of that Scripture alias a common stock of Divinity that stinks as the blood of a dead man that hath no life in it Then again this Scripture by the Analogy of which as the Church interprets it your Churches Faith is to be framed must be bent to and interpreted by the Analogy of that Faith which was thereby framed So Riddle me Riddle me what 's this Round of our reasonless Rabbies 1. The Scripture is the Rule of our Faith say they according to our Churches interpretations of which her common Faith must as to the Articles of it be framed and conformed 2. The common Faith is the Rule according to the Analogy of which the Scripture must be interpreted and all our Expositions of it framed and conformed Oh the bruitish brainy notions of our of our Brittish Nation A false Faith about personal Election and Reprobation about All 's signifying some men only and every man only a few being framed in Iohn Calvins fancy upon his miserable mistakes and misinterpretations of the Scripture Scilicet ever since All Scripture must be interpreted according to the Analogy of that false Faith â—â—a ferunt circum-feruntur T. D. J. O. R. B. J. T. Ignoramus Smâ—ctimnuus and others The Blood of Christ cleanseth us in presenti from all sin that 's the guilt say they not filth of it though the very phraâ—e imports otherwise cleanse your selves from all uncleanness of flesh and spirit that 's not as the Letter imports All indeed but All gross iniquities we must have our infirmities while we live here and and if he meant them he commanded impossibilities which the Apostle did not He that sinneth is of the Devil he that 's of God sins not that 's not as the word Amartanei nemine câ—ntradicente imports but it must be expounded by the other phrase Amartian Poiein operam dare peccato c. which Amartian Poiein but that they stretch it out upon the Tenters is no more then Amartanein for he that sins does sin and he that commits sin does no more and does so much as that while he does sin he is as Christ said Iohn 8. a servant of it and not of Christ in that they do no iniquity that is not as the Letter impâ—rts but they do none as the wicked do it that is with all their might but more moderately Perfection that 's only such an uprightness and sincerity as respects all Gods Commandments whether they be kept or broken saved from sin is from the dominion not being of it while we have a being here it hath not potestatem dominandi nor damnandi but operandi bellandi captivandi only led Paul captive while he liv'd to the Law of it so that with his flesh he served it but it domineers not damns not because the mind approves it not while the flesh commits it if it chance to be murder and adultery as that of David whose heart was upright say they though the Scripture excepts him from uprightness in that case and therefore iustified quoth T. D. alias held guiltless O Criss-Cross while under the guilt of it being weak and temptation strong and an hundred more such fetches do our formally holy Fathers find wherewith to feed up themâ—elves and their failing Flocks from fainting under their â—â—â—lest faults minifiâ—d into the name of Saints infirmities Thus they swim up and down in their non-sensical senses and notions so that nothing must be taken as the words import but when a meaning serves their licenticus turns and then they urge the words import it so one while it must be as the phrase imports other whiles it cannot be so but otherwise then the Letner imports it for then the Scripture so it seems indeed to the Owls and Batts whose eyes dazle at the Light it came from so that they see more by night then by day would contradict it self and be at variance and disagree within it self and cannot approve it self to their own understandings without the mediation of their own meanings and interpretations and therefore they must reconcile it to it self though they are at never so much odds among themselves and each man within himself about this matter of setting it to rights even one saying this is the meaning the other that a third in my opinion it is so a fourth I think it must be either so or so but which he determines no more then T. D till they have reconciled it into nothing but an irreconcileable enmity with it self and an occasion of irreconcilable enmity about it between themselves And this I know not only as one of those that now see in the Lords light their dotage herein and the wrong and crooked wayes wherein they are at work to set that to rights and strait which is so already in itself if they could let it alone without wresting it into constructions as crooked as they are in their conversations but as one that was once as busie as the best of them in the same blind fruitless frothy work of beating the brains about the meaning of this and that which the Spirit only reveals to the poor in Spirit and not to the proud haughty Scorner that dealeth in proud wâ—ath against the righteous having been my self when I was where they yet
of God and Christ within leading them back into it out of that corrupt one by which Light they are a law to themselves before God are said to perform by nature what things are required in the Law which are as ye say moral duties indeed yet such as saving your ignorance in that are truly righteous and acceptable with God and evangelical being done in Christ though they know not his person whilst done in his light for men may do much by the light that comes from the Sun while they see not the body of the Sun it self and be guided and strengthened to do much by the Light of God and Christ that is his Will and acceptable and good though yet they have not heard of nor known him so much as some that hear and read of such things by the letter as to his appearance in that body of flesh or meer external incarnation Witness Cornelius whose Prayers and Almes were heard and accepted being done by one that feared God and eschewed the evil which by the light he had discovered whilst as yet he had not heard of Christs personal Birth Life Death or Resurrection Acts 10.1.2 c. Yea every moral duty that is done in some obedience to the light that is in the Conscience and not for base ends and glory of men which ends have been and are found more among many Literarists Iews and Christians too then among many that by them have been lighted as Heathens are Evangelical also yea whatever is done from an honest and not selfish principle in the Light or Law in the heart is of the same nature as that both Moral and Evangelical Law is even spiritual and holy and iust and good and all transgression that is acted against the Law is not only against the Light of God and Christ whose Commandment that is and against the Gospel or free Promise of life held forth also therein but also against nature not that corrupt naâ—uâ—e into which men are run for the sin is committed in that but that divine nature or similitude of God or right Reason in which men stood at first til they ran out into a reasonless kind of Reason of their own which is not after God a remnant of whose nature is in man still and his light in the Conscience which is right Reason it sâ—lf leads to itâ— and therefore all sinners who are in the deeds of darkness and out of the true faith of Christ which is in his light are said to do things contrary to nature though pleasing and answerable to the viperous nature they are gone out into Rom. 1. 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32. and to be without natural affection or against nature unnatural and unreasonable 2 Tim. 3.3 2 Thes. 3.2 and wicked for all men that have the true Light in them have not Faith in it I say then the Heathen who have not the letter by the Light of God which is saving are a law unto themselves and do shew the work of the Law written in their hearts their Conscience also by the Law inlightned bearing witness within them and their thoughts thereby accusing and excusing one another so that the Law is not only a light and saving but universal also and common in some measure to all men To which may be added as an Argument Ad hominem at least to the stopping of their mouth in proof of the universality of Christs enlightning All men another consideration out of R. B. and I. T. his own Book and that is the need that all men that come into the world have of Light from Christ and the universal necessity of Christs enlightning them all because of that universal corruption and blindness which is asserted by them to be in all men at birth P. 24 25. John 1.9 Where it is said of man coming iâ—to the world must be meant say they of humane birth and accordingly this point is thence say they deducible That every one that comes into the world needs light from Christ which Position say they is true 1. Because every man is boâ—n destitute of spiritual light in the things of God concerning his duty and the way of salvation 2. Because every man is liable to death and trouble and wrath and evil from God as he is born into the world and Christ came into the world to remove both these sorts of darkness and none else can do it These are the express words of these two men R. B. I. T. from which howbeit they most unreasonably conclude against our doctrine saying The former of these overthrows the main Position of the Qua. That every man hath a light within him sufficient to guide him so as that following it he may please God and be saved without the light of Scriptures or preaching of publick Teachers Yet I do and may most truly argue and conclude to the fuller establishing of the said Position from their own words on this wise Arg. 17. If every man that comes into the world needs light from Christ and there be a necessity of Christs enlightning in regard that every man is irrecoverably lost else and not some only then Christ doth enlighten so far at least as to a possibility for salvation every man and not few men only otherwise God were as is abovesaid a most apparent respecter of mens persons as he is not and his wayes were not equal as they are and his words were not true as they are when he sayes he would have all men to be saved unless they will die and to come to the knowledge of the truth and such like nor were his clearing himself and charging of men that perish right as it is when he sayes their destruction is of themselves but in him is their help nor were his Iudgements iust and righteous as they are in condemning men for not believing in the light while they had it when they never had it nor were his pretended great Love rich Grace matchless Mercy to All peâ—ple in Christs birth Luke 2. â— Iohn 3.16 17 18. so sincere as it is but raâ—hâ—r feigned sith else he did not so much as put them all into a possibility of coming out of their mâ—sery but rather left a thousand to one to perish in it unavoidably without remedy nor were his fairest offers of salvation and life to all if they will walkin his light so fair as they are but meer mockage since else he had not given them any measure of any such light as could lead them to it nor were his saying What could I have done more for them that I have not done any other then a lye as it is not since else he had not done so much as was needful yea so absolutely necessary towards their living that it was not possible they should live without it when he both could should and ought in equity by some measure of true light to have made them capable to come to life and see their
own understanding as the Clergy does hath but a fool to his Master yet so far as David needed God to know and try his heart and thoughts so far he needed Gods Light within him there being no way whereby God who searches the heart and tryes the reins to give to everyman according to his wayes both searches sees and alâ—o shews unto man his thoughts and leads him in the way everlasting but by his own Spirit Light and Word within man which alone is to that end quick and powerful sharper then any two edged sword piercing and dividing asunder between the marrow and reins soul and joynts and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart so that not any thing is bid from the sight thereof but all things are naked and bare before him with whom we have to do so far as with that Word and Light which is Gods own Witness within man whereof the Letter which is mans witness for God without man testifies which leads to the Light while that Light and Truth it points at leads only to the life and way everlasting of which sayes the Psalmist O send out thy Light and Truth that they may lead and that they may guide and conduct me unto thy Holy Hill and to thy Tabernacle Their 29th from Deut. 4.8 Psal. 147.19.20 Rom. 3.1.2 is thus What advantage then hath the Ierk and what prâ—fit is there in Circumcision if each Gentile had a Light within him as a sufficient guide in the things of God as the Qua. teach then they had known Gods Statutes and Iudgements Gods Oracles had been committed to them as well as to the Iews they had had as righteous Statutes and been as wise a Nation as they But these consequents are false and contrary to the Texts Rep. The advantage the Iew or Circumcision outward according to the flesh and Letter not Spirit over the Gentile or uncircumcision outward in the flesh and Letter was much every way and yet not so much as is inconsistent with each Gentiles having some measure of Gods Light within and the profit that the Circumcision had which ye repeat your selves yet are so blind that ye cannot see it was in that chiefly mark to them were committed the Oracles of God which term chiefly be tokens that in some manâ—er and measure the Oracles of God were committed to the uncircumcision also which term could not be properly used if the other had them not at all If one should say the Angel or Ecclesiastical Leaders of the Laâ—dicean Church of England are chiefly first or principally blinded that would intimate that the people are in some measure blind though not so much as their Clergy in things of God So this advantage the Iew had in that preaching the Covenants and Promâ—ses and tenders of Gods Grace was chiefly or first for the word is Proton Rom. 3.2 made unto them as Act. 3.46 to you chiefly or first Proton God having raised up his Son Iesus hath sent him to bless yâ—u in turning away every one of you from his iniquities So Act. 13. 'T was meet thâ— Word of this Salvation shâ—uld Proton first or chiefly be preached to you so sayes Christ Luke 24.47 That Repentance and Remission of sins should bâ— preached among aâ—l Nations beginning at Ierusalem Again they had the Tables of the Covenant and the outward Letter and the types and shadows of the good things and the earthly Canaan Kingdome City Ierusalem Dominion Dignity and Glory that were the figures of the true besides a measure of the inner light that led to the substance and that the Eternal Life lay in which the Gentile had some of together with them so the Iew still had the pâ—eheminence and pâ—â—â—rity had they had the consideration to have improved it but the chiâ—f price being put into their hands and they like fools not using it nor looking through all this to the end of the things now abolished nor to the Light and Power of the endless life but to the Letter and Law only of a carnal Commandment which they boasted of and yet brake it they lost that preheminence and let the Gentiles out-strip them and be chief as to the Iustification and they themselves became chiefly condemned Rom. 2.26.27 Shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature if it fulfill the Law judge thee who by the Letter aâ—d Circumcision dost transgress the Law And verse 8.9.10 Indignation wrath tribulation anguish upon every soul of man that worketh â—vil to the Jew first or chiefly Proton and also to the Gentile So 2 Esdâ—as 1.37 Though they have not seen me with bodily eyes yet in spirit they believe that thing that I say but if we speak of the true Circumcision which is that of the heart and spirit not of the Letter and of the true Iew inwardly his advantage over the Iew outward and the outward Gentile his advantage is indeed over all for his praise is not of men but of God himself And this is that Israel of God and that Iew and not the Synagogue of Satan that say they are Iews and are not but do lye Rev. 2. whose the Salvation and Kingdome Glory and Covenants and lively Oracles and All is for Salvtion is of the Iews Luke 18. of Abrahams Seed which are Christs and Heirs according to the Gospel promise heirs of the world and blessed with faithful Abraham as they are of his Faith and his children doing his works who did not kill Christ as the Clergy does Iohn 8. Rom. 4. Gal. 3. before the feet of which Iew the Lord will make the pretended Iew whether natural Iews or meer nominal Christians to fall down and worship and to know that he hath loved them and these are those Iews that Israel and Iacob but that the blind cannot look through the vail into the end of the Type which is abolished of whom it s said Psal. 147.19.20 He sheweth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Iudgements unto Israel he hath not dealt sâ— with aâ—y Nation and as for his Statutes and Iudgâ—ments they have not known them for howbeit it the natural Iew outward knows much that his Leâ—ter tells him and by the outward hearing of the ear the outward Statutes and Iudgâ—ments of God and also the outward Gentile though nominally Christian by his light within as well as that natural Iew by that and his Letter too knows the Iudgements of God Rom. 1. that those that dâ— such things as thâ—y do are worthy of death yet the Iew in spirit or Christian by nature not name only having within himself as Paul and they 2 Coâ— 5. known the terror of the Lord and felt the weight of his hand for sin and seen hâ—w fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God and known the power of his wrath while his Judgements which begin at his own house past upon him in his own Conscience which who e. but they knows saith the
his Commandements Next T. D. as he relates p. 11. 1 pamp asking me whether I could produce one single example of a perfect Saint in our sense I told him yea instancing in Zachary and Elizabeth Luke 1. 6. who were both Righteous before God not before man onely but before God walking in all the Commandements of God not in some few or many but all and Ordinances of God blameless To this accounting for more then that he then said though 't is one to as little purpose as the other first quoth he how appeares it that righteous before God is meant of a perfect inherent Righteousnesse seeing a believers person with his works are accepted with God though his works be not perfect And in proof of this imperfect and crooked conceit of his own he coats Heb. 11. 4. By faith Abel offered a more excellent Sacrifice then Cain by which he obtain'd witness that he was righteous c. and then adds that blameless is meant but comparatively as Phil. 2.15 that ye may be blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke c. in which same sense he sayes Luke 4. understands the Phrase to which he adds Phil. 3.6 where Paul while a Pharisee sayes he was blameles as touching the righteousness of the Law which he was onely externally conformable to and how Zachariah was at the same time blamed and also punish't for his unbelief Rep. in which piece of Reply of his 1st something is true but nothing to T. D's turn but rather such as serves the truths turn against his but 2d something most abominable confused false and fained viz. That a believers person with his works are accepted with God though his works be not perfect For how ere T. D's calls and counts men as he does dain'd Saints and Believers c. while their works are not perfect and not only not perfect but abominable also wicked sinful filthy hypocritical deceitful gross iniquity Adultery Murther and despite to the Commands of God as Davids acting in Vriahs matter are called Psal. 5.1 2 Sam. 13. guiltless c. yet no such imperfect evil workers while so are any more deem'd upright by God then David was who was not vouchsafed the name of upright in that case 2d much lesse are such as are not perfect but evil works such as are at best but unclean dung iniquity and filthy rags yet such and no better does T. D. call the duties and as to the manner the best performances of himself and his sort of Saints of any acceptance at all as I have shewed well nigh newly above but rather an abhorrency in the sight of God by what person soever acted nor was Davids adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Vriah nor himself as acting it nor any service he did or Sacrifice he offer'd while under the filth and blood-guiltnesse and unrighteousnesse of it till he had throughly repented of it was wasn't from it and recovered out of it any more accepted as a sweet smelling savour with God then the adultery of another man then Cains murder of Righteous Abel and the persons and performances of all such unrighteous livers whose very Sacrifices while they are such God hath no more respect to then he had to that of Cain whose seed they are whose Image and nature while they are doing so wickedly they all beare and are found in David himself as so doing not excepted which Sacrifice of Cain though else perhaps as costly as his brothers had together with his person no such acceptance as Righteous Abel and his had because at that time he was an evil doer and then 't was the evil doer that did the good Sin lay at the door and kept the Sacrifice from acceptance as it ever does where ere it lyes for where and while there is a turning away the care from the law ther 's the wicked one there the person and the performance are both a stink before the Lord yea the very prayers of the wicked are abominable And in bringing Abel for an instance of a believers person and his works being accepted with God though his works be not perfect He quite cuts the throat of his own cause for both Abel and his works were true and perfect and righteous before God and so they are both cal'd Mat. 23. 35. Heb. 11. 4. 1 Iohn 3. 12. while Cain and his works are both call'd evil and of the Devil and therefore had Abel and his works acceptance when Cain and his had none because he was righteous not so esteemed of God while he was not so indeed as T. D. deems who because he so does deems that God as himself deems those and theirs to be good and righteous which in themselves inhaesive are nothing lesse but saving that contrary account T. D. supposes God to have thereof really rather evill and unrighteous For had Cain bin righteous and done well in other matters he had done well in offering and bin accepted if thou do well shalt thou not be accepted but because he did Bonum and not Bene being an evil doer and a sinner when Abel being righteous did both and was accepted yet he was not accepted in his material doing that which else was good in which case Israels most solemn assemblies were Iniquity as those of Saints and believers are not notwithstanding T. Ds. say so because their hands were defil'd with blood and their fingers with moral iniquity So by faith which purified Abels heart and wrought by love and overcame the world in him and the lust thereof and which was both made and proved to be true and perfect by his works did Abel and so all true Saints and believers also do come to offer a more excellent and acceptable Sacrifice then that of Cain and his wicked Race by which they obtain not mans but Gods own testimony that they are righteous as Zachariah and Elizabeth both did in the place and case now in hand which Testimony of God who counts no things to be other wise then they really and truly are is true and will stand against all T. D's tattlâ— to the contrary and will be believed before his by every true believer though many such nominal believers as himself is will believe no more of what God himself declares plainly by such holy ones as wrote the Scripture then what they list and that 's little or nothing at all of that that leaves them no license at all to please the lust and therefore the Righteousnes blamelesness Innocency harmlesness of the Sons of God themselves Phil. 2. 14. that are found in all good conscience towards both and without rebuke before both God and men whose blameless and righteous works which are from God himself and not of themselves Isa. 26. 12. 54. 17. deeper dye then that of Pauls own Exact Pharisaical Traditional External Conformity to the meer outward Letter or Law of a Carnal Commandement in matter of external Ordinance which yet to the full was as
the Term Our which quite alters the state of the Question and makes it altogether another This Truth is told us viz That the Terms of the 3. Question were Whether Good works be the meritorious cause of our Iustification which was expressely affirmed by the Qua Witnesse Hen Oxenden Iohn Boys Esquires Mr. Nath Barry Mr. Thomas Seyliard Mr. Char Nicolls Ministers a few of very many Witnesses quoth T.D. in his Epist to the Reader of the Terms of the Questions agreed to by the Qua who will free me and how well they free him let all the world judge from the suspition of a partial Relator Witnesse also T.D. himself who if it be the same T.D. as no doubt it is who wrote both that Book and the Epistle and Narrative thereto annexed in p. 58. of the self-same Book to the Contradicting and Confounding of himselfe in the former Tale together with those his own Witnesses tells all that Truth that is last related 2. They tell us one while that is when we not only assert it but evince it from the Rule of contraries that its rank Popery to say Good works deserve Iustification Otherwhiles that is when to the contradiction of themselves they assert and evince the same from the same Rule then to go round again it 's no Popery Witnesse T.D. who in p. 14. of his 1. Pamphlet sayes S.F. shews himself a rank Papist indeed in so arguing yet p. 15. in proof of himselfe to be a good Protestant no Papist allows himself so to argue viz Evill works which are the violation of the Law deserve damnation Ergo Good works which are the fulfilling of the Law deserve salvation adding That he knows no good works such but Christs To which I answer Nor do I know any good works such but Christs and I adde I own all Good works such that are Christs and there T.D. dissents in not owning all Christs own Good works such but some only namely such as he did at Ierusalem and some even of Christs own Good works as namely all such as he works in his Saints who works all their good works in them Isa 26.12 as no better then dung losse and filthy rags Witnesse his blind blending of these two distinct businesses into one and the same viz The righteousnesse wrought by men without Christ and the righteousnesse wrought in men by Christ or Our good works alias Mans own righteousnesse wrought only by men in their own wills wisdome strength according to their thoughts imaginations conceits traditions c. without Christs Light and Spirit which is that only the Spirit calls Ours that is as an unclean thing as filthy rags Isa 64.4 which God speaking to Israel that being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse went about to establish their own Rom 10.3 calls Thy righteousnesse thy works which cannot profit nor deliver Isa 57.12 13. And which Paul Phil. 3.9 stiles his own righteousnesse which was of the Law as in opposition to that of God and Christ And those good works of Christ in our persons in performing whereof the righteousnesse of the Law is said though by Christs Power only to be fulfilled in us Rom 8.4 Or that righteousnesse which is though in the Saints yet of God alone through their faith in Christ Iesus the Light Phil 3.9 For these two Righteousnesses the one whereof who is not blind may see to be only mans own which is worse then naught and avails not The other only Christs own which must be of infinite worth and desert to justifie as T.D. also to the further confounding of himselfe truly confesses p. 15.1 Pam from the dignity of the person or subject i.e. Christ in us by whom it 's performed T.D. confounds together both into one and the self same and consequently concludes himself unavoidably to be respectively both a Self Contradictor and which is worse a most abominable Blasphemer For if the Righteousnesse and Obedience that is by Christs Power performed in his Saints Persons be both Christs own and yet mans own also Then being one and the same individual righteousnesse it must have a mutual participation of the same Properties and Denominations respectively so that if Christs own righteousnesse may be said to be of worth and desert to Salvation as it truly is by T. D. himselfe then â— mans Pauls the Saints own righteousnesse which T.D. sayes was Christs received from Christ wrought by Christ must be consequently meritorius also and that 's a piece of rank Popery and wretched Foppery of T.Ds. own broaching who yet would Father it upon the Qua which the Qua who own all mans own righteousnesse to be as the Scripture sayes of it unclean dung losse and filthy rags and utterly unprofitable do as utterly abhorre and so T.D. makes himselfe a Merit Monger with a witnesse such as never yet was found among the Qua That dying-Qua at Dover himself whom T.D. belyes in that particular not excepted And again If Mans Pauls the Saints own righteousnesse may be said as it truly is Isa 57.12 13. 64.4 Phil. 3.8 to be unprofitable unclean dung losse and filthy rags then the self same which Paul and other Saints their own righteousnesse being no other then Christs then what they receive from him and he works in them as T.D. sayes for their Sanctification some of Christs own righteousnesse Yea even that too which serves for the Saints sanctification and to make the Saints meet for that possession where â—no unclean thing must enter must be unprofitable unclean dung losse and filthy rags which is no lesse then point blank blasphemy yea in expresse terms p. 23. I deny our justification by Christ in us quoth he by that righteousnesse in us whereof Christ is the Author as if that Christ in us and that righteousnesse of his in us which is the same with that without us deserved nothing 3. Moreover in saying there are two Righteousnesses of Christ when as the Righteousness of Christ whether in himself or in his Saints is but one he crouds confusion upon confusion in the eye of every clear considerer of his inconsiderable stuff which cannot but see that what God joyns together as one this he separates and puts asunder what is truly one and undivided as Christ and his Righteousnesse is this he divides and distinguishes into two righteousnesses 2 Things meant by that one name of Christ his Person and his Operations in us The latter whereof he denys for righteousness to justification But what things are truly and distinctly two and ought accordingly to be and by the Lord are divided separated and put asunder as Mans Pauls the Iewes own righteousnesse and that righteousnesse which is of God by faith in Christ received from and wrought by Christ in his Saints which the Scripture Rom 10 Phil. 3. opposes and speaks of as in contradistinction each to other These two T.D. and his Brother Builders whose work it is to build Babel or confusion as their
with Luke but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone as of old for a figure hereof by the finger of God but in fleshly tables of the heart in which may be read and understood not onely as in the Scripture and the Law without the right that is what you should do and should be but the fact also that is what you do and what you are For to know Thy self whom if thou knowst not thou knowst not Christ whom if thou knowst not it s no profit to thee to know other things this comes no other way then by an inward beholding of thy self in that more inward looking-glass namely the light of Christ by which God shines in the conscience which light leads those that follow it to hear that true and living word of God of which the Scripture declares that its powerfull and mighty and sharper then any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing of the Soul and Spirit and of the marrow and reines discerning the thoughts and cogitations of the heart before which all things are naked bare that it is as fire and as an hammer breaking the Rocks in pieces and causing all things to tremble at the hearing thereof which was in the beginning before the Scripture was which testifies of it concerning which the Scripture both Old New doth truly testify it 's not far off but nigh in the heart and mouth that thou maist do it even that very word of Faith the Apostles Preached 24. This light is that good old way Older than the Eldest among the Sects of this age whether of Iewes or Christians who all in the mean time namely both Catholiks and Lutherans and Calvinists Baptists c. every one professing themselves to be the Antient est have divided the Grand Tree of the old Roman Church into so many branches lesser boughs and little twigs that the whole Body thereof wil ere long be sick even unto death She who hath been so long the Mother of so many children is almost now devoured of Her own children This light I say is that Antient way unto which God by the Prophet Ieremiah called back the Israelites when degenerated from God into their own traditions saying stand in the wayes and see and ask for the Antient paths where i that good way walk therein and you shall find rest unto your souls but they said We will not walk therein hearken to the voice of the Trumpet but they said We will not hearken 25. This Light is a Teacher that cannot deceive for it is the Testimony of God which is greater than the Testimony of man nor yet can it flatter for it reproves every one justly not justifying the wicked and condemning the Innocent but telling every one the Truth concerning himself directly as the case is and no otherwise accusing and excusing then God himself from whom it is for if by that which is shining from God in thee thy own heart condemns thee there is no God without that holds thee guiltless but when by that thy heart condemns thee not then maist thou have boldness before God 26. Finally this Light is that perfect law of Liberty of which whoso is a hearer and not a doer he is like a man that beholds his natural face in a glass which so soon as ever he hath beheld and is gone away he straitway forgets what manner of man he was but whoso looketh into it and continueth therein and is not a forgetful and an idle bearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed Henceforth therefore who ere thou art who wouldst know thy self do not seek thy self out of thy self but behold thy self within in that inward Light which inwardly gives the diâ—cerning not only of the good and perfect mind and will of God concerning thee but also of thy own mind and of thy whole self and that so perfectly that concerning these and even all things pertaining to the Salvation of the Soul and the Kingdom of God with the Righteousness thereof and what Haereditary right thou hast therein which is nigh wch is within saith Christ to the Pharisees who never entred into it there is no need that thou shouldst go forth of thy self in order to a further evidence and understanding of them yea thou knowest more than enough already if of the good will of God thou knowest more than thou livest up to for what good is only known and not done tends only unto thy condemnation In all openness and plainness and not in knowing what is to be done but in doing what is already known stands the Salvation of the Sons of men 28. Moreover what hinders unless they be delighted in the blinding of their own eyes the stopping of their eares and the hardning of their hearts in rejecting the councell of God to their own perdition but that the wicked may come to the life of God from which they stand estranged for the way to that life howere it 's narrower and straiter by reason of the Cross of Christ which is dayly to be taken up by those that follow him then that wide and broad way that leads to destruction for which cause it is that so many enter in by this and so few by the other yet is together with that which tends unto death so plainly made manifest by the Light that unless it be to such as are willingly ignorant it cannot easily be hidden 29. For the fruits of the Spirit or works of the Light which are righteousness love goodnes faith gentlenes sobriety temperance chastity which who so brings forth to God lives with God and sees God are manifest to every one that doth not wink against the Light in his own conscience and the works of darkness or of the flesh such as are adultery fornication uncleannes lascivicusness idolatry witch-craft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions heresies envy murders drunkenness revellings and such like which whoeever doth shall never enter into the Kingdom of God are manifest saith the Scripture and that not so much by the Scripture as by the Light to which the Scripture testifies and by which they were manifest in the consciences of men before the Scripture was and are made manifest at this day where the Scripture is not by which also they would have been made manifest if the Scripture had never been For all things that are reproved saith the Spirit in the Scripture are made manifest by the Light for whatsoever doth make manifest is Light 30. To this therefore all apply your minds to this come in this walk and continually abide even in the Spirit of God which reproveth the world and comforteth the Saints called redeemed and chosen out of the world Here stand continually that ye may both know your selves and comprehend false Spirits with the works and children of darkness who are comprehended and discerned by the Spirit by the
Answer yet is Answered by Richard Hubberthorn that what Swearing was then allowed of as before a Ruler it then was to end a Strife among men who are yet in Strife is now unlawful among his Saints who are Redeemed out of Strife and the rest of those fleshly works which it is one of Gal. 5. Nor doth John Tombs's insisting on the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes. 5.27 adde a jot to his proof for howbeit it is Ordinarily us'd to signifie to Adjure or bind one by Oath yet being as some suppose of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to confine or as some of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bound or limit it Originally signifies to bind limit confine oblige any way by Word or Promise as well as Oath And J. T. confessing Pauls Charge in that place and those 1 Tim 6.13 2 Tim. 4.1 to be alike therein confuses himself however For the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used are no more then to Engage before some Witness God or Man or solemnly to Command or Charge and not to Swear one and cannot be taken so strictly as to Adjure though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be taken in the moderate sense i.e. any way to oblige as well as in that rigid way of Swearing And as for his saying 〈◊〉 is a Particile of Swearing I say it is not necessarily so but oft of Affirming onely as Quidem Profecto Truly Verily c. And however where Paul uses it 1 Cor. 15.31 he does not Swear as J.T. divines he did for sith he and all confesse none are to Swear by any but God alone Pauls swearing there had it been an Oath had been unlawfull it being not by God but by his and the Corinthians rejoycing * What Works Wagings of War and Fallings out have formerly been between R. B. and J. T. may be seen no farther off then in that self same foresaid Book of R. B's own putting forth to the slashing of his own Back soundly in that particular with that Rod of hiâ— own making wherein these Two Foes Fall into such Fraternall Fellowship as to knit themselves into One Foe-ship against us to the Contents of which Book after all those Denominations of Reverend Brother that passe between them in the Epistles of it is 〈◊〉 not only a Catalogue of J. T 's Books against that foresaid Tradition which R. B. Bâ—angles For but among the rest that of Felo de se being J. T 's Collection of 20. Arguments Against Infant Baptism out of R. B's own disputations For it * Witnesse Blomes Book of Sundry Slanders and Calumnies against the Qua. Stoln out of T. D's Story Books and some others Answered already by R. H. Dedicated by Blome to the King with as Strong Desires of our Suppression as there are in it long False Tales of our Transgression * Who is not Inferiour in Flouting as it to that their Creature of the Clergyes Creating into those Course Conceits and Scurâ—ilous Scoffings at it viz. Francis Duke Master of that Ordinary or House Ordinarily called Hell Next to West-Minster Hall in the Pallace Yard who in his very dately Extant Plâ—ce of Prate against the Quakers Stiles the Light within An Antichrist in Villanies Surmounting All Antichrists that have done Villanously p. 40. A Lousie Christ A Vermin Bread of an Addle Brain p. 19. and the Quakers being Led by the Light into the Lords Rest so as not so much as to think their own Thoughts nor Speak their Own Words A Stinking Idoll Forsooth p 62. and Store more of such Sordid Stuff as Stinks among Sober Men which I fâ—bear to Name Geo. Whiteheâ—â— having allready so Soberly Answered it * Fanatici sunt erroribus stultitia hisce diebus notissimi quos in primis hic aggredimur J.O. ad lectorem The Qua. are in thâ—se daies most notoriously known by their errours and foolishness whom we here that is in his Latine Labours do principaâ—ly encounter * Non quaerit angulos premi haud supprimi potest * So thou stilest them thy self in this Epistle and that as fitly as may be for howbeit thou barest as broad sails as thou couldst yet thy Tackling was so lax and loosed that thou couldst not well strengthen thy Mast nor arrive at the Cape of thy vain hope without shrewd shipwrack as to that false Faith thou dâ—fendest or else the Qua. would not have so encreas'd there ever since * Witness one juncture more notable then the rest in the second daies work wherein G.W. had the Serpents Head in such a string as would have led him away captive but that the whole Seed and Generation of Vipers then present with one joynt consent would have violently broke up the Meeting rather then G.W. should proceed to utter a word more and so rescued T.D. at that time from his hands * Which as brief as 't was was tâ—o long by one loud lye that was told in it viz. that I was engaged for by L.H. to be there which was not so for L.H. only did me word of it and laid it before me but laid nothing on me so much as by way of desire of me to be there nor did I ingage any way at all to him that I would * The more 〈◊〉 for thee that thou art no more ashamed at them considering the whole score of dirty rank ones ranked and reckoned up and laid at thy door as Brats of thy own Patronizing at the end of G.Ws. book * Cum turpis inhonesta sit hominum sententia dubiae ac incertae significationis vocibus ludere strophis ac fucis impâ—sturam facere ipsam non palam verbis consutis consareloqui eam mangonizare â—â—nâ—scicinatis silium sermonitus obtente connihil magis cavere quamebrare telligant necâ—intelligant ne inuâ— * That God offers Salvation to those he intends it not That David was not in a condemned but justified Estaâ—e when guilty of Adultery and Murder c. * Hear hear hear the Word of the Lord O ye mountains and inhabitants of the earth The day even the day of his Visitation is upon your heads for ye have chosen the way which is not good Wherefore Assemble your selves together O ye strong Oakes that the Lord might pour upon your heads his indignation for deceit and hypocrisie the Lords Soul abhors As sure as the Lord overturned them that went before you so sure will the Lord overturn you * For de te fabuâ—a thou art the said unkind Kinsman thou tel'st this Remarkable Tale on Mr. Tho. Foxton Iurate â— Tho. Barber Cooper Mr. Tho. Foxton Iurate Tho. Barber Cooper Iohn Boys Esq Mr. Ch. Nichols Mr. Th. Foxton c. * Where also other Qu. have been in the service of Truth as J. Lough who died in Prison there J. Parrot who is in Prison therestill and John Stubs with whom I went thither * And so I said to T.F. and T.B. if any who