Dulcedo ex Acerbis Sound DOCTRINE from the ERRORS Contained in Mr. Keith's Sermons AND APOLOGIES The Second EDITION ZACH. 13. 4. And it shall come to pass in the days of true Christians that the Prophets shall be ashamed of their Visions Nor shall they wear any more a rough Garment a black Cloak a broad Hat a short Cravat and Fryar's Hoods to deceive By a Member of the Church of England ODMT 1. THS Paper having fully made out and demonstrated in its former Edition that Mr. Keith doth labour under several mistakes and understandeth neither Scripture nor Divinity nor the ground of Salvation to wit Regeneration by the Power from on High which is the Spiritual word in the Heart not the outward I was in hope he would since he is so apt to turn and forsake his old Errors have given Glory to God and shewed by some publick Act or Recantation Sermon that he is really asham'd of his Visions and his Zeal for a Doctrine exploded and proved just oppoute to that of the Apostles But Luscis Lux oculis nocuit it is Darkness which the World is in love with Joh. 3. 19. In vain I expected such Man as Mr. Keith who runs from the Light within should so soon stop his carreer and freely return to it He is too far gone from it and it is to be feared as shall be shewed more at large he is become one of those that rebel against the Light because they do not know it Joh. 24. 13. and seek for the praise of Men more than for that comes from God Joh. 5. 44. 12. 42 43. Therefore seeing no great hopes tho' he be always Learning of his coming to the Truth 2 Tim. 3. 7. and seeing that far from it he goes on unconcerned Preaching another Gospel than the Apostles Preached setting up the outward Word above the Light and guidance of God's Spirit within Man ascribing the second Birth or the Regeneration against the positive words of Christ Joh. 3. 5. to the outward word and like they that Christ speaks of Matth. 23. 15. and the Horse in the white Robe Revel 6. 2. Conquering and to Conquer and bragging of his Success the unjust Man knows no Shame Zeph. 3. 5. and is very confident Prov. 14. 16. I will tho' no Quaker nor admirer of Quakerism smite this scorner of the Light that the simple may beware and come to understanding Ch. 19. 25. and go on as well as he in Printing a second time and bear witness to the Light once more before great and small tho' the Great Men rage with him Jerem. 5. 5. that Truth may triumph at last and that neither Mr. Keith's nor the Quakers Opinions may have the better of it Devant les Rois Grands Siegneurs dis monde Ton temoignage O Dieu jannonceray Sans que jamais vergongne me confonde Psal 119. 46. 2. I thought that between both the Quakers and the Churchmen some Answer might have been fram'd and that the Spiritual Men or the Children of the Light would have appeared for Truth and had Discretion enough to put Mr. Keith to Shame Judg. 18 7. and so waited for their words as Elibu Job 32. 7 11. but in vain for when I had waited whilst they search'd out what to say and behold none answered nor convinced Mr. Keith V. 12. being as wise as he is because they think they are wise Joh. 9. 41. Jerem. 8. 8 9 I was forced at last to take the business in hand and to shew my Opinion in the behalf of the Truth There is a Spirit in Man and without being Quaker Enthusiast or Fanatick it is by Mr. Keith's leave the inspiration of God gives understanding for that Job 32. 8 17. 3. To make good my charge against Mr. Keith I have need of no more than what he saith pag. 6. of his Farewel or Abjuration Sermon That Faith is wrought in us by means of the written word That is to say by the Doctrine of Christ Crucified as it is Preached to us For as the Scriptures say Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word the Text saith the word of God Rom. 10. 17. which last Word he takes away Revel 22. 19. the better to put his blind Construction upon the Simple and to shew the wiser Sort what a faithful Minister of God's Word he is become And that Word continues he is the outward Word in the Mouth of the Preachers as it follows V. 14. whereas this same V. 14 going before the words which he cites from the 17th it should be as it preceeds but to say as it follows makes the consequence he draws look better and more plausible And how shall they hear without a Preacher And hence the Word even the Doctrinal Word is called the Incorruptible Seed of which true Believers are Regenerated and Born again according to 1 Pet. 1. 23. These are Mr. Keith's own words and what he and as it seems his Party call sound Doctrine 4. But that is not the Doctrine of the true Church of England for it is not that of Christ nor of St. Peter himself for his very Words themselves shew plainly that this is false His Words in the said place are being Born again not of Corruptible Seed but of Incorruptible by the Word of God which Lives and Abideth for Ever From which any man that reads may see that the Word meant here is the Word of God Himself and that it being God's Word and such Word as is Living and Abiding for Ever it is not the outward word in the Mouth of the Preachers for that is the Preacher's word and is not living but dead nay a Letter that killeth 2 Cor. 3. 6. or at least that leaves one dead in the state it finds one in Endureth but for a while in the hearts of some hearers Math. 13. 21. Was not from the beginning and therefore will have an end 1 Cor. 13. 8. Serving but till the Inward arise and shine in the heart 2 Pet. 1. 19. And in fine is not that which worketh true Faith in the Saints nor which they are Born again and Regenerated of seeing some have Believed as the Wise Men of the East and were Regenerated as Cornelius without it the Spirit which is the thing that Regenerates the Saints John 3. 5. falling upon him and those many Friends he had with him Act. 10. 24 27. as soon as ever Peter had begun to speak to them V. 44. that is before they had heard half of the Doctrine of Christ and of all the Mysteries Mr. Keith enumerates at the foot of pag. 10. and by which he saith Faith comes which they knew and beleived without doubt nevertheless the Spirit teaching all things without hearing them Preached Joh. 14 26. 5. And common Sense shews the same For it shews that since this Word which Mr. Keith argueth for can't give so much as one Sense viz. Hearing to the Body much less can it give it all
and arguing against it as taking it for granted that the Quakers make of it the same as he doth himself and allow no distinction between it and the other This he saith pag. 11. whereas the first Covenant and the Righteousness of it could never be fulfilled by all the Wit and Power comes from the Light of Nature without that by Grace in Christ And the Quakers Practice shews that this is but a Cavil For they not only pretend to more Light than all men have before they are enlightned that is to say to more than any Man hath from Nature but think that they are the People Joh 12. 2. which hath engrossed Wisdom and God's Spirit to themselves and teach that all men must come to their Light to be saved Whereby it appears they make of their Light within much more than of the Light of Nature and than Mr. Keith would make us believe they take it for What their own Light really is I will not determine But it is a great Mistake to allow no more to that which they call the Light within than to the Light of Nature For the Point is not whether the Light they actually have be that they pretend to have but if that Light which they call by the Name of Light within be that which they say it is viz. above the outward Word And what is the falsity or the right or the wrong of their Pretences to Truth and to us more than is that of so many other Sects which we take no Notice of that we should be concerned against it for Mr. Keith But his End is not so much the detecting of Errors and Lyes as to make a Noise to be taken notice of so any thing serves his Turn to build a Quarrel upon a great Part of his Sermon being all upon himself having so little of his Text that except he and his Church be the Text he preach'd upon we may very well call it a Text without a Sermon a Sermon without a Text whereof the Application is to be made from Matth. 19. 27. Such is this worthy Divine's good Conversation in Christ 33. Should he not as a Divine have treated exprosesso of a good Conversation What St. Peter means by it and that it ought to be as in the presence of God like that of the old Seers or Believers Elijah 1 Kings 17. 1. Enoch Gen. 5. 24. Noah Ch. 6. 9. and others Heavenly or in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. and not upon Earthly things V. 19. as becometh the Gospel Ch. 1. 27. which forbids Preachers to go from one Sect to another or from a Poor Benefice or Parish to a better but to be contented with what such Sect can afford Luk. 10. 7. and bids them to bear the Cross Matth. 10. 38. or to put their Will and Mind in the Sufferings of Christ not into Honour and Praise Joh. 5. 44. and to Fight and help others to stand Fight and overcome the Nations Rev. 2. 26. that is those Lusts rise and War in their Members Jam. 4. 1. and carry the Soul Captive and to put off the old Man that they may put on the New and become a New Creature Eph. 4. 23 24. Nothing but the new Creature and the Regeneration which makes such avail in Christ Gal. 6. 15. and to Fight and overcome to Sanctify Purify and evacuate by Faith the Heart of all that fills it is saith Paul 1 Thess 4. 3. the Will of God what he requireth of us and would have Preachers to teach Avoiding foolish Questions which gender nothing but Strifes 2 Tim. 2. 23. yet of all this very little or nothing in Keith's Sermons but disputes and contention which Create a Confusion and every evil Work Jam. 3. 16. for outward Ceremonies and about the outward word Regenerating of Souls to wit of such an outward and superficial new Birth as is that which Mr. Keith is acquainted with of late What will avail his Hearers and others at the last day to know his Learned Reasons for a set form of Prayers and all the Formalities of the now Church of England 34. Surely a Man may serve God work Righteousness overcome and be regenerated without changing or turning or going from Sect to Sect and thereby be accepted with God as Cornelius Act. 10. 35. and so be of the true Church and of the true Religion in any Sect or Nation And I am full perswaded Mr. Keith had done as well in point of Conversation to stay amongst the Quakers or amongst those other Sects which he was a Member of before he turned Quaker And to let his Light so shine amongst them that they might see and imitate his good Works Matth. 5. 16. as to plead for Baalim that is for the Lords Bishops and the dead and outward word against the Living Spirit which they maintain hath ceased since the Primitive Christians as Dr. Hicks his Sermon at St. Marys in Oxford and the Vicar of Westham's before My Lord of London Printed with approbation of Superiors shew they do as to Print pag. 10 and 11. that the Word or Light within whatsoever worth or force they may ascribe unto it doth not teach the Mystery of the Incarnation for instance to the Wise men without the help of Scripture and as to curry favour with Men in hope of getting an equivalent to that which maketh the Priests Heart glad Judg. 18. 18. 20. for St. Paul did not do so when he Preached the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 6. and hath left him a Warrant for Preaching quite otherwise Gal. 1. 8. Pray if it be not lawful for the Members of your Church to rejoyn themselves to Rome because it enjoyns many gross errors in its Worship as you alledge in your third Sermon pag. 25. is it not lawful for those who see the same in your Church to keep where and as they are 25. If an enlightned Conscience be the only good Conscience for he makes Light pag. 6. the best ingredient of it it seems he hath himself had no good Conscience hitherto before this last Turn of his for he was not enlightned till then as he confesseth pag. 14. where he saith but now with a good Conscience being farther I bless God enlightned I have declared for and joyned in Communion with her the Church of England And I see not which way he can pretend otherwise for in a Treatise of his called Help in time of need in the 54. pag. he saith the word of command from the Lord which filled me with Heavenly Joy and Comfort came to me the 30th day of the 10th Month called December saying shew to the People of Scotland several particulars seen there which he now unsaith And in 78 79. pages of the same he saith further and now whether ye will hear or whether ye will forbear I declare unto you in the Name in the Power and in the Authority of the Living God that the day that 's the coming of the Lord in the
the Senses or the whole Life and much less beget the Soul or give it its Life again nor that which comes from Hearing or Understanding viz. Faith And if for reading of Words or for hearing them Preached Men had Faith wrought in them and were regenerated it would follow that all those which heard Christ preach believed and that none of those who hear Sermons and read the Scripture are unregenerated and that all may be saved at the same cheap easy rate that Papists hope to be so that is for hearing Mass said and some few Ave Maries cryed about them when they die And Mr. Keith hath ill Luck to have met with so few Men that believe a he tells us Pag. 12. of his Reasons among so many Hearers for he reckons in that Place no more than 40 Persons brought over by his Preaching from Quakery to his Church 6. So that the Word in the Mouth being not that which begets and worketh Faith in the Soul it remains that the inward spiritual Word in the Heart and Soul is that which doth it being quick and powerful and sharper than any Sword piercing to the very Soul and inward Thoughts of the Heart Hebr. 4. 12. as Peter shewed it to be in the Case of Ananias and of Sapphira his Wife Act. 5. 3 9. to work powerfully there and stir up all the Powers of the Soul and the Body And this Word being Spirit and Life as Christ himself saith Joh. 6. 63. and a Spirit that giveth life and quickneth 2 Cor. 3. 6. it is therefore the only Word that liveth and begets the Soul again and it is on this Account of being a Spiritual and a penetrating Word represented by a Sword coming from the Mouth of Christ Rev. 1. 16. and with some known by the Name of the Sword of the Spirit Eph. 6. 17. And as it is that which was from the beginning with God Joh. 1. 2. it is also that alone which abideth for ever 7. The word of Faith which St. Paul and the Apostles preached and by which they begat Souls 1 Cor. 4. 15. Jam. 1. 18. was inward and spiritual in the heart Rom. 10. 8. and a Spirit for they were the Ministers of the Spirit that gives Life and not of the dead Letter or outward word that killeth 2 Cor. 3 6. Ministring to that Spirit which Christ himself ministreth Gal. 3. 5. that thereby Men might serve God in newness of the Spirit and no more in the oldness of the Letter of Scripture Rom. 7. 6. of the Doctrine of Baptisms of Repentance from dead works and other fundamentals as Mr. Keith doth call them and recommend pag. 10. of the Christian Religion or of the Doctrine of Christ which St. Paul exhorts to leave Hebr. 6. 1 2. and Mr. Keith to stick to And they preached the Gospel which is the Power of God Rom. 1. 16. and which being a Spirit they begat Souls again by 1 Cor. 4. 15. This Power being the same as the Power from on high which is the Holy Spirit Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1 5 8. and which regenerates Souls Joh. 3. 5. So that the Word they preach'd being Power and Spirit it is not the empty Word in the Mouth of Mr. Keith which they begat or became Fathers in God to Souls with but the inward spiritual powerful Word in the Heart of good Men which they stirr'd up and set a working by that which they received of Christ and which his Sheep heard therefore speaking through their Heart and Mouth John 10. 3 5. 8. If the Protestants become Fathers in God by preaching the written outward Word why may not the Popish Priests be so too by their Preaching But if Preachers become such by Preaching and Ministring the spiritual Word of Truth Pray to whom Fathers in God and whose Ministers are they that stand for another Word and countenance its Preaching It is strange Fathers in God should beget they know not how nor by what and if they know should keep their Trades to themselves and should not let Mr. Keith who hath deserv'd it so well at their hands know the Knack on 't I am afraid Mr. Keith will never spoil a Bishop but always remain a Tool Quaere Pray Mr. Preacher what 's Religion now a-days Answ It is nothing but Acting the Story of Christ and a Cloak with as many Facings as Parties or Sects for the Sophisters of each to carry on their Designs and for every Party to act their Non-sense under impudently to the face of those that know better things as the silly Papists did their Mass in King James his time Poor King to take his Priest-craft for a Religious Worship and to be thus put upon in his most weighty Concern by dull Souls more confined and less knowing than himself But tho' Kings pay dear for it and have paid so ever since the time of Jereboam who became a sad Example of God's Justice upon such 1 Kings 13. 34. Yet no Calves no King prevails in the Mouth of their Profets and of their Politicians who must have some Calvish Priests Ch. 12. 31. to preach a Calvish Worship that is fit for Calves only and for making of Men Calves that they may lead them like Calves and will prevail to the End whilst Kings learn nothing from them of God judging in the Earth Psal 58. 11. and disposing of Kingdoms giving them to whom he will and setting up over them even the Basest of Men. Dan. 4. 17. The Kings that knew God themselves not only serv'd him themselves but preached and reformed their Priests and Clergy themselves 1. King 8. 12 14. 2 King 23. 2. 2 Chron. 29. 5. Psal 51. 13. 119. 46. but all they that know him not give their Power to the Beast Rev. 17. 13. Kings might serve God by Proxy if they had none of that Word in the Heart which all Men have and could give God an account by their Priests and Favourites 9. It is the Spirit gives life quickneth 2 Cor. 3. 6. Joh. 6. 63. creates forms reforms and upholds all things living Gen. 1. 2. Psal 33. 6. 104. 30. and that begets Souls therefore Without it all things lie dead and return to their Nothing vers 29. Jam. 2. 26. and he is the conveyer of Life unto all Creatures The hand and the arm of God Joh. 12. 38. whereby he makes all his Works From him the First Man Adam received his Breath of Lives Gen. 2. 7. that is both of the Divine and of the Natural Life for note that the Hebrew Word is Chajim in the Plural not Chajah as it should be to signify Breath of Life And as Adam received the Life of his Soul from him so from him we must get it again and be born of it not from the material Word or dead Letter of Scripture God's Kingdom or Salvation as St. Paul saith is through it Rom. 14. 17. then we must be born again of it Joh. 3. 5. and be born
must have Christ as a Spirit within us to Understand and Believe we must know him not only without us in that Body that died upon the Cross to fulfil all Righteousness and reconcile us to God Rom. 5. 10. that thereby having access V. 2. Hebr. 4. 16. we might obtain his good Gift to wit the Holy Spirit Matth. 7. 11. Luk. 11. 13. but within us in Spirit since he cannot enter in and dwell there in Flesh and Blood tho' he should work the Miracle of the Transubstantiation and Mr. Keith should plead for an outward Christ or a Christ without us as hard again as he doth in his Reasons about the 26th page Henceforth we know Christ no more saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 5. 16. after the Flesh And as a Spiritual Christ forming the Kingdom of God by his Spirit Rom. 14. 17. within us Luk. 17. 21. Especially seeing that he is glorified again with the Glory which he had before his Incarnation Joh. 17. 5. and sits in that Majesty which belongs to God alone Hebr. 1. 3. Rev. 3. 21. and into which Flesh and Blood cannot pretend to enter 1 Cor. 15. 50. Christ being to die but once Rom. 6. 9. Hebr. 9 28. took our Flesh and Blood once to bear our Sins in it and now having done with it he appears the second time without Sin to Salvation and therefore in the Spirit Salvation or God's Kingdom being in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. to them that look for him so and are no more concerned with his Flesh or his Body since he comes in the Spirit that is since his Ascension and Glorification Joh. 7. 39. Touch me not saith he himself Joh. 20. 17. that is be not concerned with me whilst in Flesh and Blood because I am not as yet ascended and Glorifyed and cannot yet give you Gifts Eph. 4. 8. viz. the Gifts of the Spirit of which see 1 Cor. 12. or come to you in Spirit the Holy Ghost being not given till after the time of his Ascension on High Joh. 7. 39. he being not till after ready to answer the end of his coming in the Flesh to wit to bring upon them the Promise of the Father or the Gift of the Spirit the shedding of which Spirit was the fulfilling of that same Promise as hath been said Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1. 4 5. 2. 17 23. Touch me not know me no more therefore in the Flesh saith he for when I come to you a second time to save you to answer expectation and the end of my coming it shall not be in the Flesh which I have died in but in quite another form to wit that of a Spirit capable to comfort you or to give you Strength and Life Joh. 14. 18 28. in a more Spiritual from than at my Resurrection and my Transfiguration when my gross Body of Flesh it self Shined like the Sun Matth. 17. 2. and passed through Doors and Walls Joh. 20. 19 26. 14. And mistake me not Reader I do not mean that Christ in puting off Flesh and Blood hath put off Humanity that is the Human Nature for then he were no more Christ that is to say God and Man a Concrete of both Natures or the Human nature Anointed with the Divine But he remains Christ or God and Man to Eternity For God's works are Eternal He being the most Wise God whose Purpose and Power stands Nothing but the Devils works the corruption and defects introduced in the World being to be destroyed And we must know Christ as Christ or as God and Man that is as a thing distinct from God or as a Person distinct from the Trinity it self to obtain Eternal Life or else he had never said that it is Life Eternal to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sends John 3. 17. Distinguishing Christ from God as a Person subsisting besides and apart from God But this I say that Christ hath put off his Flesh and Blood as being Accidental and not at all Essential to Man or Humanity For the first Father Adam was not Created with it but fell in it by his Lust which by Attraction drew in the Elements that took hold of him and Transmuted him made of Isch a shining Man such as he was an Adam that is a Man over-cast with dark clouds from Ad a mist and so got this Monstrous Shape And if it were Essential to Man or Human Nature God would never destroy it as he will certainly do 1 Cor. 6 13. to deliver the Faithful from the Body of this Death and its restraint and bondage into the glorious liberty of God's Children Rom. 7. 24. 8. 21. 23. Man shall put it off himself to rise with a Spiritual 1 Cor. 15. 44. and Angelical Body Luke 20. 36. that shall Shine forth as the Sun Matth. 13. 43. as it did before the Fall when Adam was as yet Isch or shining from Esch fire So that Christ as King of Men possessing Eminently all the Perfections to which Human Nature can pretend hath put off that which makes Isch Adam a dark beastly man contemptible and miserable Isa 53. 3. Rom. 7. 24. And his State and Condition ought not to be supposed since his Glorification worse than that of Man himself 15. But to clear another Riddle that is how the Anointed or the Christ or Messiah is the same Quatenus God with the Anointing Spirit I must do a bold thing which Reverend Mr. Keith will doubtless Bless himself at that is Contradict his Church and Athanasius his Creed shew that Athanasius and his Church are mistaken one in rendring by Person the Greek word Hypostasis and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Substance and the other in Saying not confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance For the Substance of the Three in the Godhead is the same and is to be confounded and their Essence or Nature or their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divers so ought to be divided And the word Hypostasis which they render by Person doth signifie a Substance and can bear no other Sense a Substance being that which Substat accidentibus which is the very meaning and signification of the word Hipostasis ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Substo Substituor the Hypostasis being the Subjectum or the Ground of the Three in the Godhead And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Essence as being the Participle of the Verb Esse in Greek 16. Then to make Persons in God is absurd and impious there being no such thing as Persons in the Godhead for a Person is a thing that Subsisteth of it self without any dependance even of that very thing it is a Relative to as a Son can well Subsist altho' his Father be dead But here in the Trinity the Father doth not Subsist without the Son and Spirit nay and is not before them Beginning but with the Son being but a Relative Property to God the Son there being in the Godhead that is
Spirit is of a Truth broke up amongst us Quakers and ye shall look till your Eyes fail you and rot within their holes e're ever you see another day or appearance of Jesus Christ than what we the People of God called Quakers do wittness of come Which is a Lye in the name of the Lord with a vengeance if he be now in the right for he now concradicts this and a Man cannot tell Lyes and in the name of the Lord and yet have a good Conscience Also in his Book call'd Immed Revelation pag. 136. he saith that upon this hinge of denying the teachings and rule of the inward word which he now denies himself depends the Theology and the Clergy of that Church he now patrocinates for making it a Lye therefore by his unsaying it now and thus by his destroying of what he had before built makes himself a Transgressor a Man of no good Conscience Gal. 2. 18. to get himself such name as the Builders in Babel aimed at and have obtain'd Gen. 11. 4. of Builders by destroying the building of other Sects and of Hunters and Drivers of other Nations or Sects Ch. 10. 9 10. But what did their Policy and their Cunning amount to First they were as all Sects are confounded in their Language in Doctrine and Opinion understood not each other then were scattered abroad and at last came to nothing And so will Mr. Keith do His building of Stubble and Hay for the Lucre of Honour and Applause and earthly things will prove at last nothing but a glorying in his own shame 1 Cor. 3. 12. Phil. 3. 19. The great Drivers of the World and their Wisdom come to nought 1 Cor. 2. 6. He that speaks lyes shall perish Prov. 19. 9. Wo be to them Mr. Keith by whom such Offences come Matth. 18. 7. 36. If none but enlightned men such as have a good measure of true Knowledge pag. 6. have a good Conscience indeed the World is in a sad Pickle for those Men being the same as the Regenerated for no Man is Enlightned but by being Born again of Water and of Spirit they are as scarce in the World as the Saints who go from it to the Desarts and Mountains Heb. 11. 38. at which rate a good Conscience is scarce to be found in it But by his leave if a Man whether Heathen or Christian hath like St. Paul Act. 24. 16. A Conscience void of Offence towards God and towards Men according to the Light he hath in him that is to say if his Light within doth not accuse him his Conscience excuseth him Rom. 2. 15. and he hath a good Conscience It is strange that Mr. Keith should come to any new Light and a good Conscience therewith by opposing of that Light and turning from those own it to those who deny the same And that he having begun by the way of the Spirit should think to be made perfect against St. Pauls Opinion Gal. 3. 3. by the Flesh a carnal Mind Lip-labour Formalities and carnal Ordinances which cannot make Man perfect as concerning the Conscience Hebr. 9. 10. Perfection or Salvation which is in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. being not got by those means But they that are of the World mind the World and end with it and say any thing for it And thus having confessed and come over to the Church of England he shews his deeds Act. 18. 19. 37. Mr. Keith to crown his works of lessening the Inward word reckoneth for an Advantage accruing by the Outward that Christians by having it enjoy the same Priviledge which was granted to the Jews to have the Oracles of God and the exceeding great and precious Promises which he quotes St. Peter for 2 Ep. 1. 4. tho' his meaning in that place being not of the Promise but of the Effect of it to wit of the Holy Ghost and of escaping by it the pollutions of the World to partake of the Divine Nature and become Holy is nothing to the purpose And the Jews receiv'd it not Hebr. 11. 39. because it was not given but since Christ was glorifyed Joh. 7. 39. and ascended to Heaven Eph. 4. 8. And in all former Ages the Mysteries known by Christ were not yet made known to Man Ch. 3. 4 5. as in these last days where God speaketh to us by his Son Hebr. 1. 2. So that Christians who enjoy the effect of the Promise and who may have God himself speaking in them by his Son have a greater Priviledge and not the same as the Jews And if they had but the same outward word and God's Oracles from between the Cherubims what signifies the promise Isai 54. 13. Hebr. 8. 10 11. of being all taught of God so that they should no more need to be taught of other Men of being made Priests to God Rev. 5. 10. to be able to teach themselves and to keep knowledge themselves Mal. 2. 7. and to have the Law of God written in their own Hearts If that Law in the Heart were as he teacheth pag. 12. but the bare transcript of that written in the Scriptures and the Spirit served but to soften the Heart of Man the Heart would receive no more than that word it self contains whereas it can receive more for a Man may know all things and those other things not yet revealed in the Scriptures which Christ left to the Spirit Joh. 14. 26. 16. 12 13. and the Spirit searcheth all Cor. 2. 10. even Mr. Keith himself V. 15. and prophecyeth this of him Mr. Keith is Mr. Keith and will be Mr. Keith still 38. Other things of the same stamp as these might be collected out of the three said Sermons and Reasons of Mr. Keith and remarks made upon them as upon all that he says about a formal worship outward shews Ceremonies and all the Rites of his Church But having been refuted by other in all Ages I think it not worth while to trouble the Reader with them and these few things sufficing to shew how much the Quakers have lost by losing of him and what a purchase he is like to prove to t'other side I will only add here with St. Paul 1 Tim. 4. 8. that bodily Exercise profiteth little And that since the time of Christ God being to be served and worshipped in Spirit Joh. 4. 24. and neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem V. 21. that is neither in this Sect nor in that Sect Church or Temple but any where in Spirit in the Heart in the Closet Matth. 6. 7. between the Soul and her Spouse it were much to be wished that Mother Church would set up for a Spiritual Worship and that every Christian setting it up for himself would cease to heap to himself Teachers whose Business it is to turn away from the Truth those Men that have itching Ears and to give heed to any of those seduceing Spirits who speak in Hypocrisie against Spiritual Worship 1 Tim. 4. 1. 2 Tim. 4. 3.