saving Knowledge to all that receive it and attend upon it And this is the direct and proper Way and Method of God's bringing Men to Salvation as is assented to one while but another while saving Illumination in an immediate Way is denyed by this contradictory Opposer p. 47. though in Contradiction to himself again he confesseth Christ is the Light of the World by his Spirit by his Word by his Works both miraculous and exemplary p 48. whereby he hath granted Christ to be the Light of the World both in an immediate in a mediate Way How then not in an immediate Way manifest Confusion And yet he charges us with abusing at unawares that first Chapter of John ver 9. And why so Because we own Christ to be that true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World in an immediate Way which is no Abuse seeing 1st the very Life that was iin hm is the Light of men 2dly He attempts not to prove that men universally are lighted in such mediate Wayes as he proposes as namely by the Scriptures outward Teaching Works and Example seeing all men have not the Scriptures and but few knew Christ's Works and Example His Accusation of impertinently alledging of Joel 2. 28 29. cited by Peter Act. 2. 17. Behold the Dayes come saith the Lord that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh c. He convinceth us of no Impertinency herein while from hence we assert this pouring out of the Spirit to be immediate as I will pour out my Spirit saith the Lord Is not this immediate as done by himself But saith he It is not to direct every one what to believe and do without outward Teaching but to qualifie Persons extraordinarily for outward Teaching It is to enable them to prophesie c. p. 49. Hereby he hath confessed some Persons to be extraordinarily qualified for outward Teaching and enabled to prophesie by the Pourings out of the Spirit It seems he owns the Teachers Prophets to be immediately taught but the Hearers may not so that from this Man's Method the Danger of Enthusiasm is not in the Enthusiasts themselves but in their ordinary Sort of Hearers or weak Christâ—ans as they are counted whom he goes about to keep alwayes in that weak State ever learning and never allows them the Priviledge of their Teachers that is to be Teachers immediately illuminated and taught And what is this but to maintain a Trade of Preaching that People may be alwayes paying which is not to desire that all the Lord's People were Prophets nor with Paul to pray that God would give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Christ Ephes. 1. 17. nor to bring People to the divine Anointing within that is sufficient to teach them Neither doth this man appear in the Apostle's Mind who said these things I write unto you that you may have Fellowship with us and truly our Fellowship is with the Father and the Son Whereas this man's Method tends to keep the Hearers from this Fellowship which is in the divine immediate Light of God and Christ. He seems highly to commend God's Way and Method of Salvation as to the Plainness and Fulness of the Revelation thereof under the New Covenant by which it is fitted to every Capacity and the innate Goodness of the Laws thereof fitted to attract and draw mens Wills to accept embrace and chuse them These sayes he Are the Things I conceive foretold in that Prophecy Jer. 31. cited in Heb. 8. under those Expressions of God's putting giving or conveying his Laws into the Mind and writing them in the Heart so that they shall not teach every Man his Neighbour and every man his Brother c. p. 81. A plain and ample Confession 1st To the New Covenant and the innate Goodness of the Laws thereof 2dly To God's putting his Laws into the Mind and writing them in the Heart 2dly So that they shall not teach every man his Neighbour every man his Brother These are sufficient to overthrow all his Work against immediate Illumination immediate Teaching and Revelation and his confining God's Method of Salvation now to a mediate Way of Teaching and Illumination To his Addition That it is not then said that they shall not be taught neither by Apostles Evangelists Pastors or Teachers but they shall not teach every man his Neighbour or every Man his Brother p. 81. But who these Apostles Evangelists Pastors or Teachers are that he would have us alwayes depend upon for outward or mediate Teaching he does not shew us nor who they are that pretend to be such by Vertue of an immediate Call or extraordinary Qualification which he hath seemed to grant before which surely comes not by Succession from men He does not tell us who he means as thus called and qualified as the true Apostles Evangelists c. were who were sent of God and endued with divine Vertue and immediate Gifts for their VVork which neither Baptist Independent nor Presbyterian-Preachers do now pretend to as heretofore when they bore the Reproach of extemporary Praying and Preaching by the Spirit for which they are yet reproached as Phanaticks though undeservedly However this man's VVork appears very lame while he proclaims a mediate VVay of Teaching and Illumination by the Scriptures Orall Tradition and by Apostles Evangelists c. p. 47 73 81. as God's Method unto Salvation and all this to oppose an immediate Way of Enlightning thereunto Now suppose we should believe the former with him in Opposition to the latter yet still he leaves us in the dark and at a Loss in not directing us to those Apostles Evangelists Prophets Pastors and Teachers truly qualified and called as where or among what People they are As if he should tell us that the VVay to Heaven is to follow certain Guides but not at all direct us where to find those Guides But although we confess that God doth with Power endue and send forth his Messengers to preach the Gospel yet this no VVay doth oppose his immediate Illumination Teaching of his People under the New Covenant but is a lively Proof and Testimony thereof seeing they are immediately illuminated and inspired for that Work and their Ministry received from the immediate Light and Teaching of God within tends to direct men to him that they may be taught of him and therein are helpful to men in order to turn them from Darkness to the Light which no wayes does imply any Defect in the Light within but an Alienation in man's Mind till he be converted for there can be no Defect or Insufficiency n God because he maketh Use of apt Instruments suited to mens VVeakness and causeth his own VVorks to praise him for he will not have his VVorks idle and useless Now the Difference between God's immediate Illumination or inward VVork of Power and his working instrumentally by Ministers or Preaching lyes here the one is the Cause and
that he may know that there is a God that he is to be worshipped and that he is placable And 2dly grants this a Light sufficient to direct the Heathen to as much as God expects from them And is not this then in order to Salvation If they obey what God expects from them shall they not be saved See the man's Contradiction having before denyed that Christ lighteth every man in order to his Salvation without outward Teaching when here it is granted he enlightneth every man even the Heathen with a Light sufficient to direct them to as much as God expects from them But 3dly in calling this a natural created Light he egregiously errs for how should the Heathen or any man else know that there is a God that he is to be worshipped and that he is placable or be directed to as much as God expects from them by that which is natural and created when the Things of God are beyond the natural man's Reach and Understanding and only to be discerned spiritually 4thly Whereas this man supposeth two such different Lights from Christ in man viz. the one which he calls the Faculty of Reason and Understanding in the Heathen sufficient to direct them in the Knowledge and Worship of God and to as much as he expect from them and the other in them that live under the outward Preaching of the Gospel the first saving only to the Heathen the second only to the professed Christians the first sufficient to give the Knowledge of God and his Worship the second the Knowledge of Christ and Salvation by him I must deny his Distinction of two such Lights in men as unscriptural an unsound and I must tell him he hath brought us no Scripture-Proof to convince us thereof that there are two such different Lights in man thus limited or distinguished the one as from God to Heathens the other as from Christ to Christians and yet both directing to the same End to wit Salvation This kind of mangled confus'd Work is fit to darken Peoples Minds from the Knowledge of God and Christ and Salvation whereas that first Chapter of John is plain without any such confused Distinction about the Light or Division between God and Christ as this man makes about the Light for there it is In him was Life and the Life was the Light of men ver 4. And that was the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the World ver 9. Mark here this Life or Light of Christ is but one and the same forever the Light of men throughout all Generations yea he was that true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the VVorld whose Life or Light cannot without Blasphemy be deemed natural and created Besides it appears gross Confusion and palpable Contradiction in this Opposer to conclude that Light not sufficient to direct men to believe Jesus to be Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the VVorld which yet is sufficient to direct the Heathen to as much as God expects from them that is to moral Goodness to know and worship God and consequently to lead them to Salvation for in every Nation he that fears God and worketh Righteousness is accepted Now how they should know and worship God and be saved without some living Knowledge and Belief of his Son Jesus Christ I cannot see nor understand since that by no other Name under Heaven can men be saved and he that believeth not the Son of God shall not see Life but the Wrath of God abides on him Joh. 3. 36. cited by this man who also confesseth the Son of God to be the Saviour of the World p. 42. Again no man comes unto God but by his Son who is therefore universally held forth and given for a Light to the Heathen to be God's Salvation to the Ends of the Earth and it is the World's Sin that they believe not in the Son of God and for this his Spirit reproves them But since it is granted that the Heathen by that Light of Christ in them may know and worship God and practice good Morality and as much as God expects from them it s granted that they may be godly and serve God by the Light in them but how any should be godly Men no Christians I must confess we are yet to seek and not like to have any Scripture-Proof thereof from our Opposer or any else of his Perswasion for it were as uncharitable to judge all void of Christianity who have not the Name Christian as it were untrue to reckon all Christians who have but the Name and Profession of Christianity seeing that it is not the Name or Profession outward that makes true Christians but the divine Life Power Unction and Possession of the Nature of Christianity inwardly as he is not a Jew that is one outward but he is a Jew that is one inward and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter And as for this man's Knowledge of Christ that he has by Oral Tradition and that he reckons is derived down successively by outward Teaching without immediate Revelation or Illumination p. 47 84. It is no living or saving Knowledge such Method as this man proposes for the Knowledge of Christ as in Opposition to his Immediate Enlightning is not God's Means He talks something like a Papist and his Work against immediate Illumination tends to divert peoples Minds from God's inward Illumination and and from waiting for the Revelation of his Son in them And what is this but to lead People to be subjected under the Pope and Traditions although many of the Church of Rome have confessed to the Truth of divine Illumination and immediate Inspiration more then this man hath done though in Practice she manifests her self to be both apostatized and estranged from the divine Light within Sect. V. His silly Temporizing in espousing the Hireling Priests Quarrel against us AS to his wishing That we did not give too much Occasion to suspect our Integrity accusing us with making sad Out-Cries aginst the publick Ministry one as well as another without Distinction and that we seek to make them odious to the People for their taking Money of them as Rewaerd of their Labours and that we compare them with the false Prophets and bad Priests of old of whom it is said that the Priests preach for Hire and the Prophets divine for Money and then he alledges the Priests under the Law taking Money or Moneys worth as the Provision that God made for them which was Tythes and saith he when their Tythes were detained and kept back from them God accounted himself robbed To all which I answer that we have great Reason to cry out against that Ministry and those Priests who preach for Hire Lucre Tythes or forced Maintenance contrary to the Practice of Christ's Ministers who as they did freely receive did freely give And such as preach for Hire and force Maintenance suing
there any Virtue in Christ's Presence that is not in God's Presence Is not the Father Son and Holy Spirit one Being though different as to Relation and Degrees of Manifestation But how plainly contradictory is it one while to confess Christ's being in men his essential Presence as God to be in all men and yet that his Light in the Heathen or greatest Part of men is natural and created O monstrous Inconsistency He affirms that the Form of Doctrine delivered to the Christians to wit the Scriptures was to be the Rule of Faith and Christian Practice to rule and govern themselves by p. 22 23. And yet confesseth That those who are sincere make it their dayly Care and Endeavour to walk according to the Light and Guidance of that Rule that hath its Seat in their Conscience p. 40. Observ. Here he has found another Rule then the Scripture to wit the Light in the Conscience Though it is true the Apostles Doctrine contains Rules but the Light within that gave it forth was The Rule the Chief or Highest Rule for Guidance and Power and that wherein was the Power of Rule and Government to all true Christians He gives this Judgment against us viz. That in Truth there is no Light in us how much soever we vainly boast of it he sayes p. 40. And yet hath confessed That the essential Presence of Christ as God is in all men and that Christ doth enlighten every man with a Faculty of Reason or natural Light by which he hath acknowledged some Light to be in every man though it is true they that speak not according to the Word it is because there is no Morning in them yet it follows not that there is no Light at all in them for there may be some Light in them before the Morning Upon Joh. 1. 9. he saith that there is no such thing as that Christ so enlightens all men as with what he ought to believe and do in order to his Salvation without outward Teaching can be proved p. 41. And yet confesseth That Christ indeed as God doth enlighten every man by which he may know that there is a God that he is to be worshipped that he is placable and that this may be a Light sufficient to direct the Heathen to do as much as God expects from them if they live up to it But in Contradiction again He calls this a natural Light not sufficient c. p. 42. Observ. What! A Light sufficient to give the Knowledge of God and his Worship that he is placable and to direct the Heathen to as much as he expects from them and yet not sufficient to enlighten men with a Knowledge of what they ought to believe and do in order to Salvation Is not this palpable Contradiction That Men may by the Light within be directed to acknowledge and worship God and to as much as he expects from them and yet not be saved These can never hold together any more then that the Light in the Heathen may be sufficient to direct them to as much as God expects and yet not to believe in his Son for Salvation according to pag. 42. As if God did not require all men to believe in his Son when their not believing in him is the very thing for which his Spirit reproveth the World of Sin and he that believeth not in the Son of God is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God And this is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World and men love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are Evil Joh. 3. 18 19. So that it is evident That Light is come into the World that men may believe in the Name of the Son of God and escape Condemnation Again he errs in saying Paul knew of no such Way to propagate the Faith as immediate Revelation and inward Teaching of the Light within after it was once set on foot in an extraordinary Way p. 46. And this he hath contradicted in his confessing That the Work of Grace in men is most properly attributed to God to Christ and that the Scripture attributes it to God to Christ to the holy Spirit p. 18. And also he had almost granted that the holy Spirit may be communicated to men by immediate Revelation p. 28. Observ. So then God may and doth work by his immediate Power and Spirit for the begetting men into the true Faith and it is only this Spirit immediately attending true Ministers that maketh their Preaching effectual for the turning men to the Word of Faith in their Hearts Whereas the Tenour and Stress of this man's Work is against Enthusiasm in the best sense even against being savingly illuminated in an immediate way and saith that the plentiful Effusion of the Spirit is far from giving any Countenance to our Opinion of the Spirit 's being given to teach men immediately by internal Illumination pag. 60. And on John 16. 13. he accounteth that this is not a Promise to guide all Christians by its immediate Motion but a Promise to his Apostles pag. 61. And yet in Contradiction to himself in this and in Concession to the Truth he in words assents to the Operation of God's Grace and good Spirit pag. 15. And that men are said in Scripture to be born of the Spirit to be born of the immortal Seed of the Word pag. 18 19. But then he is nconsistent again in accounting these different Causes he hath also confessed the essential Presence of Christ as God to be in men p. 20. And that in Revel 2. Chap. 3. it is seven times said He that hath an Ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches p. 27. And that Christ's Ministers are Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit p. 33. That he accompanies their Ministration with the Presence of his Grace and Power p. 38. And also he asserts to the inward Assistance of his Spirit p. 41. And saith It is the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is Truth p. 55. And on 1 Joh. 2. Ye need not that any man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you he grants that the Apostle's Meaning must be That they needed not from him or any other man any teaching that could give them greater Assurance of any thing then that Anointing gave them of Jesus his being the Christ and of the Truth of that Doctrine that Anointing being God's Witness from Heaven pag. 68. And that the Spirit doubtless is not wanting to assist the sincere Endeavours of men in searching after the Sense of the Scriptures p. 69. Howbeit for men to be guided by the internal Teachings of the Spirit without outward Teaching this he calls our Wild Notion And yet citeth Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God p. 71. And Gal. 5. 18. If ye are led by the Spirit