which hath defiled the Earth with her Abominations Ye make haste to fill up the measure of your Iniquities as though the time would fail you to make your selves perfect in Wickedness And ye seem to entertain Christ as the Heathens of Old did their Idols who thought The more Vain Lustful and Wanton that they were the more they pleased their Idols and offered a more acceptable Sacrifice to their Gods But O! be humbl'd for these things lest the Lord carry you back again into the Belly of Egypt and Blackness of Babylon's Darkness whither ye have manifested too much a Mind to return And as a Just Recompence for all your Unrighteousness he Swore in his Wrath That ye shall never enter into his Rest. Thomas Taylor Something as it came to mind of what passed at the Assizes in Stafford betwixt the Judge and the People of God called by the World Quakers But the Reproach of Christ is to us great Riches and the Scorners God will Judge WE being called to the Bar we came up in the Dread and Fear of God and in the Love of Justice with our usual Garments on Judge And the Judge asked us If we knew where we were To whom it was Answered Ans Yea we stand in the Presence of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth before whom all are Judge Then he bid Fine us Forty Shillings a piece for keeping on our Hats and then caused our Hats to be taken off Ans To whom it was Answered That some of the Men called Justices now in Authority had been heard to Condemn Oliver Cromwell for such a thing Here the Judge spoke something of Oliver Ans But where is it read in Scripture that the Apostles suffered for keeping on their Hats To which the Judge replied They had no Hats And so proceeded to other things But here by the way all may take notice that the Scripture speaks of Hats in Dan. 3.21 which was long before the Apostles time and surely the Apostles had something to cover their Heads withal whether called Hats or Caps is not material And that it is not putting off the Hat but putting away deceit from the Heart that Honours God's Authority Now as concerning the Oath the Judge asked If we would take it We Answered Christ taught us not to Swear but said Let your Yea be Yea and your Nay Nay for whatsoever is more cometh of evil Then said the Judge You have spoken many words more than Yea and Nay To which was Answered That 's not it for the Lord doth not forbid his People to speak more words as need is in his Fear but he intends plainly this That when we affirm a thing we should affirm it in the Truth and what we deny to deny it also in the Truth and both without an Oath For though under the Law where Strife was there was also Oaths yet now Christ being come to make an end of â—trife he ends Oaths also and the occasion of them Judge Then you must be the Expounders Ans Not we but the Spirit of God in all Saith the Judge But we read that God Swore but where is it read that the Devil Swore To which was Answered by one of us yea the Devil both did and now also doth Swear in the Mouths of all wicked Men and that falsly also Then here about the Oath of Allegiance was read And it being read one of us Answered whose Name was T. T. It seems this Oath was made against them called Papists And as for Popery I do here declare as in the Presence of the Lord against it and their wicked Tenents such as there is mentioned And for our good Desires for the King and all Men is in like sincerity also now acknowledged This is as it were the substance of the Oath said the Judge Then said I Let that serve Judge But why will you not Swear Ans Because my Yea is Yea and my Nay is Nay without Swearing And I do not deny to Swear in Contempt of Authority but in Conscience to God And so all People may see that if I suffer for this it is not for substance but circumstance or so Judge But how shall we try Matters of Difference without Swearing Ans By Faithful Witnesses without Swearing Judge But what if they witness false Ans The same may be said concerning Swearing For you do not know by a Man's meer words without further Trial more when he Swears falsly or truly than when he speaks falsly or truly And so if ye had the same Law against False Witnesses as is against False Swearers it would be all one Judge But we have not such a Law Ans But you may have And here all People consider what the Law of God amongst the Jews that were under the Law in such Cases as this was see Deut. 19.16 to the end The words are these If a False Witness arise up against any Man to testifie agdinst him that which is wrong then both the Men between whom the Controversie is shall stand before the Lord before the Priests who were Types of Christ to come and the Judges which shall be in those days And the Judges shall make diligent Inquisition and behold if the Witness be a False Witness and hath testified falsly against his Brother then shall he do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his Brother c. If such a thing as this were minded Would not this keep the Wicked in awe Judge Reach him the Book Ans What Book is it Is it not the Scripture Yea said the Officer Then said I That Book witnesses against Swearing now to Christians Judge and Officers You must lay your Hand upon the Book and kiss it Ans I must lay my Hand upon my Heart when I speak Truth as I do now And the Lord saith not that we should kiss a Book but Kiss the Son lest he be angry See Psalm 2. last Now as concerning Meetings The Judge charged us with meeting contrary to Law We answered Not contrary to the Law of God And the Apostles and Saints did meet separate from the rest of the People Judge What are none the People of God but of your Gang And said something of those formerly called the Godly Party Ans We are manifest to that of God in all to be such as fear God and so let us not suffer for the Name until you can prove some Evil by us Judge The Judge spoke of our coming to that called their Church a Steeple-house Ans And we wished him to prove there by Scripture where Christians were limited either to that or to any place whatsoever Which he could not do And then said I It 's read in Scripture That Men should lift up Holy Hands to God in every place without Wrath and Doubting But for such passages as these the Judge was at length troubled and though he had been moderate a good while yet he wanted all Patience and so thought to proceed against
lose their whole Faith if they believe it not as before In the Ninth Article speaking of the Church he saith The Church is the Congregation of all the Faithful under Christ their Invisible Head and his Vicar upon Earth the Pope But how proves he this Neither by Scripture nor Apostolical Tradition for which he brings neither for there is none for certain for the Church hath not two Heads the Church is not a Monster with two Heads one Visible to wit The Pope or such-like and another invisible to wit Christ Neither is the Church an Adulteress with two Husbands one visible and another invisible For saith the Apostle I have espoused you to one Husband even Christ So all others are Antichrist And then this wicked Book farther asks What are the Essential parts of the Church And to that it answers A Pope or Supreme Head Bishops Pastors and the Laity To this I say It is rank Popish Poison And what Scripture have they for this Surely none nor Apostolical Tradition-neither for the Apostles could not contradict their own Writings the Scriptures of Truth as is said before And the Scripture doth no where make the Church of Christ consist of such Essentials for God's Church are his Cleroi that is his choice ones his Lot his Heritage his Flock all of them 1 Pet. 5.3 God's Flock are every one of them sound Sheep and Lambs and they are Men God's Cleroi that is Clergy and not Laity and the word Laity is Popish and Antichristian as well as the Pope And for the true Overseers and Pastors Feeders in and of the true Church What have you to do with them unless it be to Persecute them as your Custom hath been all along ever since Night and Darkness came upon you for your great Apostasie Then this blind Guide goes on asking How prove you St. Peter and the Pope his Successor to be the visible Head of the Church He answers First out of John 21.16 17 18. Where Christ saith he for a Reward of his special Faith and Love gave Peter absolute Power to feed and govern his whole Flock yea even the Apostles themselves to be his Sheep and he their Head and Pastor I answer This is a most shameless Lie For Christ was so far in those words from giving Peter charge of Feeding and Governing his whole Church in general much less the Apostles in particular who were his Equals that the same Charge that is given here is also given to the rest of the Apostles though not in the same express words as here yet in words of the same import fully as not only when he first called them to be Fellow Apostles but also and that most plainly when he departed from them as in Matt. 28.18 19 20. where it is said And Jesus came and spake unto them that is to say to the Eleven for Judas was gone to his place saying All power in Heaven and Earth is given to me Go ye therefore not Peter only but all the rest as well as he and teach all Nations Baptizing them in or rather into as the Greek there truly signifies the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you And lo I am with you to wit all of you not Peter only alway even to the end of the World Amen And whereas this Liar says It was for Peter 's special Faith and Love I say Peter had no Faith nor Love but what was common to all the rest of the Apostles But if all things may be reckoned he had but little Faith nor Love neither when he denied his Master And though Christ said Lovest thou me more than these He was taught by his former forwardness not to say Yea I love thee more than they all but humbly in the sence of his former weakness Lord thou knowest that I love thee And great cause had he to love Christ greatly seeing he had Dishonoured Christ and Wounded his own Soul by Denying and Forswearing Christ more than they all And so no Merit in Peter for any thing can be looked at but God's great and free Mercy in not only forgiving him but also in imploying him in his Service again So let your unclean Mouths be stopt for Ever ye Idolizers of Creatures For as Paul said to the Corinthians so may I say to you and all the World who are striving about Men What is Paul Or what is Apollos So what is Peter or others that God made use then or makes use of now as Instruments in his Hand for Peoples good but even as nothing seeing Christ is all and in all And with him there conclude Neither is he that planteth nor watereth any thing but God that giveth the increase 1 Cor. 1.11 c. and Chap. 3.3 4 c. His other Proof for Peter's Supremacy is out of Mat. 16.18 Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church therefore saith he the rest of the Apostles were built on him and hence it is saith he as often as they are mentioned in Scripture he is named first To which I answer and say It is no less than Blasphemy to say That either the Apostles or the rest of the Faithful were Built upon Peter as a Man for it contradicts all Scripture which every where give the Glory of being the Rock the Foundation yea and Corner-stone of the whole Building of the Church of God to Christ alone and not to Peter at all as a Man for what is said here of Peter hath relation only and altogether to the Faith of Christ the Rock here confessed only unto by Peter but given of the Father And Peter himself says expresly that the rest of the Faithful in those Days had obtained like Precious Faith with him and the rest of the Apostles See 2 Pet. 1.1 And the Apostle blames them greatly in 1 Cor. 1. before-mentioned for saying I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas that is Peter and I of Christ as though Christ were divided For they all should have kept the one Head Christ without mentioning any Man's Name in this Matter For as Peter also said in Acts 4.12 There is no other Name but that of Christ Jesus by which Men can be saved then say I of Necessity there can be no other Rock And whereas this Imaginer would make something for Peter's Supremacy from his being named first often in Scripture when the Apostles are mentioned I say though it were always as he says it makes nothing at all for his purpose but is a meer childish empty Conceit not worthy a Man much less one professing Religion to talk on for some of them must be mentioned first but that thus mentioning Peter in Scripture had any such Intention in it as he here Dreams of I and not only I but all Saints with me do utterly deny And as for the word Supremacy it is inconsistent with the Nature of true
tell of the Jewish Temple Synagogues and Pulpit thou askest if Christ and his Apostles did not resort to these places to instruct the People To which I answer First That whilst the Jewish People stood Christ and his Apostles did sometimes go into their Temple and Synagogues to Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and so an end of those things and to bring them out of these things which they and you so much dote on and plead for but they did never Command Christians to Build such amongst them but told them Their Bodies were the Temples of God 1 Cor. 3. and that those that abide in the Faiâ—h were the House of God Heb. 2. And these Christians never so confined themselves or others to any such place for the Exercise of their Conscience in the Worship of God but met as the Lord Jesus and his Apostles did much less did they stir up the Magistrate and drive the Jews out of their Temple and Synagogues and the Gentiles out of theirs that so they might creep into their Houses and under another Form of Worship live upon the Jewish Priests Tythes Offerings c. nor upon the Maintenance of the Idolatrous Priests of Diana and the like Idols as you Priests to the shame of your Profession have done and do at this day What have you driven the Papists out of their Mass-houses and do live upon their Priests Maintenance of Tythes Glebe-lands Smoke-mony Garden-pence Handmony and the rest of their Foolish things What cannot a Man be Born Marry Live nor Die but you must have Mony for it O Horrible and Filthy thing stop your Mouths for ever for your Folly is manifest to all and you can proceed no further And so you Priests of the last Order called Presbyters did not you drive out the Prelates out of their Houses which they had gotten from the Papists and there you sate down Feeding upon the Spoil of the People as your Fathers had done and now think much that you are driven out again And thus you fight with and drive out one another like wild Beasts striving each of you to get Power of others to be great in the Earth and do what you will in your fat Pastures But as I said the Lord is arisen to whip you all out and to pull down your Nests and to restore all things to their Primitive Purity as in the beginning before the Temples Tythes Pulpits and such things were Secondly I consider that though I read that Christ and his Apostles went amongst the People in their Temple and Synagogues as we do at this day to Preach the end of these things and so to bring People to the Word that was in the Beginning before all things that the Worship might be in Spirit and Truth as it ought to be John 4. Yet I never read that either Christ or his Apostles got up into their Pulpit nor ever Commanded his to perk up into a Pulpit of Wood over the People as a Master of a Synagogue to tell his Thoughts of the Letter as you do For though Ezra a Priest of the Law had his Pulpit or Tower of Wood to Read or Expound the Letter in in those days before the Life was manifest yet now the Life Christ Jesus is arisen whose Voice in the Heart and in all places is to be heard without a Pulpit and without Mony and without Price and the Apostles Preached this Gospel in Towns and Countries where neither Temple Synagogue nor Pulpit was but Tumults rather and so the Gospel is not a thing that will set up its Servants in Worldly Honour but indeed the contrary which he that hath an Ear may hear but the Wicked is so Proud in Heart that neither Preacher nor Professor amongst them will stoop to the simplicity of it The next thing Considerable in this Query is thy twisting and striving to keep up the Honour of the old Mass-house however if it be but a Name though it want the Nature yet if thou canst save that thou thinkest better that than nothing and say'st What though the Saints of God are called the Church yet that cannot hinder the House where the Church meets from being called a Church A Profound Reasoning What is this the Fruit of your cried up Vniversities What must every Place where any People meet be calledby the Name of that People What Logick is this Surely the Wisdom of the World makes haste into its Nothing again God is utterly Confounding it Do you call the place where the Parliament or Privy Council sit the Parliament or Privy Council Do you call a Barn or such a mean place where the Saints of God now a-days often meet by the Name of a Church If we should Reason for the places where we meet as you do for yours surely you would Laugh at us and might then well call us filly Women and Seducers indeed But to go on thou bringest a Scripture as though thou would'st prove the thing and it is Acts 19.37 but the place being well weighed shames thee the more for the words in that place are the words of a Town-Clark a Worshipper of Idols and they are these For you have brought hither these Men which are neither Robbers of Churches as K. James's Translators of the Bible have it but in the Translation of the Bible by Beza it is You have brought hither these Men which have neither committed Sacriledge nor c. if Paul had spoken to him or others and called a Stone-house a Church as ye do it had been something to the purpose but the Heathen speaking there of Sacriledge improperly Translated Robbing of Churches can neither be understood to speak of a Christian Assembly nor the place where they Assemble for the Covetous and Idolatrous Copper-smith and his Rude Fellows matterr'd little what Paul had done to these but this Sacriledge whatever it was it must needs respect something that the Heathen had in great Esteem But thou bringing this to prove that a House may be called a Church because of the Church that may meet in it is nothing at all to the purpose for thou wilt not say it 's like that the Worshippers of Diana were the Church for he that runs without Light must needs stumble if not fall often So J. R. walk more soberly and take some Light along with thee when thou hast to do in such things Then the last thing in this thy Query is a secret Confession of a weakness of thy own Arguments in this matter and thou say'st What tho' the Worship of God be not so tyed to any place as formerly yet there should be convenient places for the Church to meet in Answ I answer The Worship of God now is not tyed to any set place at all and so all your set places that you plead for are in the will of Man and the true Church God both hath and will order it and provide convenient places for it to meet in though the World cannot
we cannot give over to worship God as he hath taught us seeing to God the Judge of Quick and Dead we must give account and if we could give over our Meetings and Holy Exercises and please God we should certainly do it for God's Fear and Love is in our Hearts but seeing it is God's Good Will and Holy Command that we should assemble our selves together as we do to edifie one another in our most Holy Faith and so to hold forth God's Truth as we have received it before all Why should the King or the Parliament or any of his Counsellors think much that we should obey God rather than Man in this matter Wherein we can with Safety of our Conscience to Christ we do obey you but wherein we cannot is it not your Wisdom to bear with us as your selves in the like case would be done by And so fulfil the Royal Law indeed which saith As you would that Men should do unto you even so do unto them And this is a Law worthy a King to meditate in night and day and not to follow the Counsel that is contrary And this is a Foundation which all Parliaments and Councils ought to build upon or otherwise how is it possible their House should continue for from the height of Heaven hath the Lord beheld the Afflictions and Oppressions and heard the Groans and Cries of the Innocent Sufferers in England this day and will certainly deliver those that wait for him But I would not have the King to be an Object of God's Wrath in that day if possible And therefore in the Name of the Lord God am I thus moved to write unto thee and lay these things before thee desiring that thou maist read them and well weigh them for they are of greatest Concernment And that which rightly made use of tends not only to thy Well-being in this World but also to the Eternal Good of thy Soul Rests God's Servant and thy Soul and the Nations Friend Thomas Taylor To Informers LEt all such in these days as are Informers against the People of God for their Holy Worship and Service to God consider if they have not lost all savour of Good and care of their Souls What became of all such Informers in days past whom the Scriptures make mention of And first let Haman one of the great Informers come into your Mind and consider his Work and End a woful Work did he work against his own Soul in his Informing and Incensing the King Ahasuerus against the Jews because honest hearted Mordecai could not bow to his Pride as the Heathen did and see his End and tremble ye when ye read the History of the Matter as at large you may in the Book of Esther And consider ye in the cool of the Day what became of the Princes mentioned in Daniel who not only in their Wickedness got a Law from the King without cause but also Informed against the Holy Man Daniel for breaking the King's Law which the King never intended against Daniel because he pray'd to God as at other times And read in the History of Daniel where at large you may read it and tremble what a miserable End came upon them Informers who themselves were destroyed in that very Den of Lyons in which they had thought to have seen the end and destruction of honest-hearted Daniel but the Lord did deliver him as he will ever do all them that fear him from the Mouths of all the Lyons And let the dreadful End of those miserable Jews in Jeremiah's Time that Informed against him for speaking the Word of the Lord And in after time of those Jews that Informed against Jesus Christ and his Apostles come into your Minds and affright you at Midnight and terrifie you at Noon-Day for assuredly if you go on with them and be still found with them in their Work of Informing against and Persecuting of the Righteous you must partake of their Plagues as saith God's Truth which never failed in his Servant Thomas Taylor Some Serious Considerations concerning the Priests of the High Places called Churches their Sprinkling Infants Marrying People and Burying their Dead c. 1. IN their Sprinkling they abuse and miserably wrest Scripture to prove their Practice For that Scripture Suffer little Children to come unto me c. speaks not a word of Sprinkling them much less of their Doings and Doctrines about it And for that Scripture Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit c. it is nothing at all for them neither For it is certain the Spirit of God both can and hath and daily doth Regenerate People without outward Water but the Water without the Spirit never did nor never can Regenerate any and how the Spirit cometh to the Insensible Infants that by their own Confession cannot act Faith or whether it come to them at all in or by this doing of theirs I am sure they cannot tell neither have they any reasonable Ground to say or think it doth seeing there is no Command nor Promise at all in all the Scripture for it upon such their Doings upon such Subjects unless they will say with the gross Papists that Grace is conferred upon People ex opere operato viz. by the Priests meer doing about them 2. They commit another great Evil in this Matter in bringing in People to promise that for the little Children which they neither do nor of themselves never can do nay which they have not Faith so much as to believe that ever any can do by any means whilst they are upon the Earth to wit to forsake the Devil and all his Works c. which is manifest by their denial of sinless Perfection since all Sin is the Devil's Work And after the old Popish manner calling them Godfathers and Godmothers so taking God's Name in vain and otherwhile calling them Sureties so taking Christ's Office from him who is the alone Surety Mediator and Advocate between God and Man 3. And Thirdly In their great Blindness and Presumption calling upon the People to give God Thanks with them for that he hath Regenerated as they say the Infant or Infants then under their hands by such doings though as I said they have neither Precept nor Promise for it nor Manifestation from God then upon the Child for their so believing and concluding And so for their manifold taking God's Name thus in vain and causing you their Followers to do so also how shall they be held Guiltless For saith God I will not hold them Guiltless that take my Name in vain And how can these Priests blame the blind Papists for their foolish Doctrine of washing away Original Sin by their Baby Baptism when they by the like doing proclaim Regeneration and Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven to such as can neither Exercise Faith nor Repentance in it Tell me whether is greater washing away Original Sin or Regenerating and giving Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven O what
prove the Pope and Papists to be a Church and all them to blame who have separated from him in outward Church-Fellowship upon any Pretence whatsoever So foolish is the World's Wisdom when it is set against Truth But this R. B. having laid his wrong Ground That all that are called Christians are in the right in all Points essential to Christianity and in the certain Way of Life he may easily conclude that to be unwarrantable Separation which goeth from such But then I say How will the Protestants warrant their first Separation from Popery Or how did this R. B. with his Presbyterians in Oliver's time with their Directory excuse their separating from the Bishops and their Common-prayer And how will he salve his old Non-conforming Brethrens Flight into New-England where since they have shed the Blood of certain Martyrs of Christ from the former Bishops But now his false Ground and Foundation being overturned it is most manifest that that Separation is most lawful which is from such who call Good Evil and Evil Good put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light as the Wicked do from whom the People of God in these days separate And so in obeying the Voice of our God who saith Come out of Mystery Babylon my People lest ye partake of her Sins and so of her Plagues we are justified for the Sins of the Wicked who in words profess God and Christ but in Deeds deny all is reached Heaven at this day And doth not the Apostle say If any Man that is called a Brother be a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolator and Covetousness by the Apostle's Doctrine is Idolatry or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such not to keep company no not as to eat with them 1 Cor. 5.11 And doth he not say in another place Have no Fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness nor with the unfruitful Workers in Darkness as before but rather reprove them Eph. 5.14 must we not yet separate from them yea yea in their very Worship-Actions as well as others and when even the greater number are so far defiled and tainted with the Leprosie of Unrighteousness and they are so far from amending that they persecute all that will not be as bad as themselves Surely when the Lord hath spued out a People as he threatned to do luke-warm Laodicea Rev. 3.16 yea and cast them off for their resisting of his good Spirit as he did the Jews 't is no time for his People to stay amongst them then and to continue with them in their Worship-Actions as he calls them but every one to deliver his own Soul by coming out of such Babylonish Worships whose Prayers are Abomination to God as all sinful Prayers are and neither this R. B. nor any one that he knoweth upon the Earth prayeth without Sin as himself before hath confessed and so all of them together do daily and continually that which they should not do and leave undone what the Lord commands them and so have no Health in them And so now that the True Light shines so clear again from under the long Cloud of Antichristian Apostacy it is the Wisdom of all that love God and their own Souls to joyn to the Lord in the Covenant of his Light and Spirit where no Committers of Sin can joyn for Darkness and the Workers thereof can never joyn with the Light and the Workers thereof So now that the Trumpet hath founded all ought to come to the Holy Worship of God amongst the Holy Worshippers that Worship in the Spirit of Holiness and Truth where no Worker of Iniquity nor Hypocrite can come out of all the Defiled Worship of the World whatsoever or under what Name soever in the Fall But this R. B. is in such love of Hypocrisie that he makes a Necessity of the Hypocrites being amongst the true Members of Christ as though they knew not how to do without them as if the good Corn could not grow so well if the Weeds were wanting saying Page 56. It is more for the sake of the truly Faithful than for themselves that the Hypocrites have their Station and Priviledges in the Church God makes use of their Gifts and Profession for his Elect to many great Services of the Church To which I answer That this Language betrays thee further to be of Babylon and not of Zion What R. B. with all his seeming Zeal for Reformation in Oliver's days become now a Pleader for Hypocrites and their great Service in the Church But this is but like his Doctrine of his Graceless Ministers which he pleads for Page 114 of his Book so R. B. and his Hypocrites and Graceless Brethren with their Gifts or rather Thefts void of Grace have been so far from being serviceable to the Elect True Church that they have done it and ever did all the Injury that ever they can by their wicked Doctrines Ungodly Lives and heaps of Lyes and false Accusations and cruel Persecutions insomuch that the Growth of the Heavenly Seed the Lillies of God the true Heirs of the Kingdom hath been and is as a Lilly among Thorns But Christ and R. B. are directly contrary in their Judgment one to the other for Christ would not suffer the Devil in the Man to preach him but commanded him to come out and hold his peace because Christ never had need of Devils or wicked Men or Hypocrites to preach him but saith to such What hast thou to do to take my Laws and Covenant in thy Mouth and hatest to be reformed Psal 50.16 c. and so far are Graceless Priests and Hypocrites from being serviceable in this matter to his Church that he saith My Sheep hear my Voice and they follow me but the Graceless Minister and Hypocrite who is a Stranger to me they will not hear for such come but to rob and destroy read John 10. and see if ever R. B. understood Scripture who talks so contrary to it As did those Pharisees of old whom Christ cried out so many times Wo against Matt. 23. Who would neither enter into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves nor suffer others And those in Ezekiel who sowed Pillows under Mens Elbows making glad the Hearts of the wicked Hirelings by perswading People that they must not disown them from being Ministers though they be totally void of obeying Saving Grace and that Hypocrites have a Station in the Church for great Services with their pretended Gifts to the Elect and by pleading for Games and Fashions of Apparel yea and the Opinions in Religion of bad People yea to such a measure that he is not ashamed to say That many an Error is taken up by going too far from other Mens Faults as is to be seen in Page 224 of his Book with many such like Heathenish Sayings up and down his Book a few whereof I only touch here and there that by those the Reader may see the nature of that wretched Spirit that hath long
the Children of Men there will neither be Peace nor Establishment of any good thing but as a Wheel will the whole Earth be from Generation to Generation saith the Spirit who is the sweet Orderer in all things for the Holy Seed's sake Glory to his Name for ever And so in the Love and Kindness of the Lord God have I been thus enabled for the Truth and the poor Peoples sake to lay open something of the Deceits and gross Hypocrisie of these two Men called R. B. and Bryan who have long under a Cover or Vizard of Holiness deceived the unstable Souls of many But now the Covering being rent off their Wolfish Nature is fully manifest Glory to the Lord the good Work-man over all for ever So be it Thomas Taylor Some Gentle Remarks on a Book Entituled A Discourse concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome A Book coming to my Hands called A Discourse concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome Written by E. S. Stiled D. D. And finding the Man Zealous against that Romish Idolatry which is Commendable in him E. S. in his Book Orig. Sacra Page 4. hath these words God Created the Souls of Men not only Capable of finding out the Truth of things but furnished him with a Sufficient Teacher to discover Truth from Falshood by a LIGHT set up in his Vnderstanding which if he had attended to he might have secured himself from all Impostors and Deceit And also finding in his Principles towards the latter end of his Book such a saying as this to wit his fifth Priciple There can be no other means Imagined whereby we are to judge of the Truth of Divine Revelation but a faculty in us discerning Truth and Falshood in Matters Proposed to our Vnderstandings which if we do not Exercise in Judging the Truth of Divine Revelation we must be imposed upon by every thing that pretends to be so And in Article 13. The Holy Scriptures may be understood Infallibly by all Persons who sincerely endeavour to know the meaning of them in all such things as are necessary for their Salvation This is the Scope of the latter part of that Article And in Article 13. And there can be no sufficient Reason given why that may not serve in matters of Faith which God himself hath made use of as the means to keep Men from Sin in their Lives unless any imagine that Errors in Opinion are far more Dangerous to Mens Souls than a vicious Life is and therefore that God is bound to take more Care to prevent the one than the other And in his Fourth and Fifth Conclusion upon his Articles saith The more absurd any Opinions are and Repugnant to the first Principles of Sense and Reason which any Church Obtrudes upon the Faith of Men The greater Reason Men still have to reject the pretence of Infallibility in that Church as a grand Imposture And so to disown what is so Taught by such a Church is not to question the Veracity of God but so firmly to adhere to it as to what he hath Revealed in Scriptures that Men dare not out of Love to their Souls reject what is so taught Yet finding this E. S. making several Reflections upon us whom the World Scorn under the Nick name of Quakers I say us whom the Lord hath drawn out of the many Waters of Mystery Babylon into the Light of his Son that most inward Principle Faculty and alone Ability in Man to try all Doctrines and Works by I could not but thus write something to him that he might see his Mistake of us and not lose his Reward of standing against Romish Delusions by withstanding or Speaking against the Truth of God made manifest to us in our Hearts and Shining forth in our Lives to the Praise of his Glory and the Good of all who do rightly understand us and receive our Testimony I say that if possible he may understand a little and feel of that inward Principle or Faculty as he calls it which he is aiming at and which he saith must be antecedently supposed viz. necessarily to all Divine Revelation are these things writ Now that part of his Book where he some-what smites at us is that where he Treats of the Fanaticism of the Roman Church As one may see Page 249. where he says Who will not take pains to see how Faithfully I have Translated these Words out of Eymericus would imagine I have borrowed some of the canting Language of the Modern Quakers Look * where he goes on Now What is this some of this canting Language That part of Petrus Johannis's Relation of St. Francis as he calls him runs thus That those who Opposed this Order to wit of that Francis were the Carnal Persecuting Clergy in whom the Seat of the Beast is much more than in the People that in the time of the Mystical Antichrist the Carnal Church shall oppose the Doctrine Life and Zeal of the Saints and burn as it were with Fire against them but it shall be dried up from all Spiritual Wisdom and Grace and the Riches of Christ and be Exposed to Errors and Delusion and as it was with the Jews and Greeks Thus far there To which I Answer What is this kind of Language Canting where it is truly applied in any Age dost not thou Edward Stillingfleet believe that there both was and is a Carnal Church that did and doth oppose the Doctrine Life and Zeal of the Saints c. as is there sâ—t down To let Francis and his Applauders alone we know both the Holy Prophets and Apostles of Jesus Christ mentioned in Scripture as also Christ himself did vehemently Cry against a Carnal Church or Fleshly Company of Professors in those days for he that was born after the Flesh did always Persecute him that was born after the Spirit both before and in the Apostles Days And so it hath been since no question all along downwards and as we for certain find it so in these our days not only by the Papists but even amongst them called Protestants also And was those many Sharp Reproofs and large Discoveries of the False Teachers in the Prophets and Apostles time Canting O Man take heed thou knows not what thou dost when thou judges our Witness against the False Teachers and Carnal Professors of this Age no better than Canting But certainly though some of you may put it off at present as a light thing and look at it Scornfully as no better than Canting as they did who said He is Mad and hath a Devil why hear ye him but the time will come when it will be otherwise even then when the Books are opened and every one receives a Reward according to their Deeds It is strange this Doctor who seems to be so much Read should Read our Principles no better and pretending to so much Wisdom if he have Read our Books that he should no better understand us than to compare us
saith Again saith this Popish Book asking this Question Is the Church visible He answers She is and must be visible at all times as consisting of a Hierarchy of Pastors Governing Teaching and Administring Sacraments to the Worlds end and of other People governed taught and receiving Sacraments at their Hands all publickly professing the same Faith all which things are visible And for this brings Ephes 4.11 12. Mat. 5.14 15. Answer Now to this I say that the true Church the Spouse of Christ and not the Adulterer the Popedom are visible and known to God and its own Members but invisible to the World as such as the Apostle saith 1 John 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the Sons of God therefore the World knows us not because it knew not him to wit Christ Jesus their Head though he did appear in Flesh and so the Flesh was the Vail by which he was hid from the World then as the Flesh is the Vail by which the true Saints are hid from the World now And this makes manifest that that Scripture Ephes 4.11 12. makes nothing for his Purpose at all And as for that other Scripture Mat. 5.14 15. where it is said Ye are the Light of the World a City set on a Hill which speaks of them that were truly so and kept their savour and not at all for the Pope or his great Army of Apostates nor of any other who have the Name only of Christians but have lost the good savour and so want the true Christian Life and so having put the Candle under a Bushel though they may have a shew in outward Observances of their own devising of a Church yet still wanting the true heavenly savoury Life I say they are to be trodden under Foot of Men as unsavoury Salt and so this Scripture makes nothing for them neither But some may say Though this makes not for the Pope or any false Church yet doth it not make something for the visibility of the true Church I answer No not in the Popish or Worldly Sense at all for though the good Life of the true Church be very savoury to that of God in every Man and the same Holy Life shining before Men is of great Service to Men and Glory to God and so because they separate from the World not only in the inward but outwardly also therefore they cannot be hid if they do any thing contrary to their Holy Profession and Separation yet still the Apostle 1 John 3.1 stands firm in his Testimony to which my Spirit agrees Therefore the World knows us not because they knew not Christ For how can the World who are in the False Life and Religion and yet think it is true know or believe them to be the True Church of Christ who separate from them and bear witness against them And this farther appears if we consider how the True Church as Christ himself was ever hated and persecuted of the World Rev. 12.6 c. and many other Scriptures And wherefore is all this Enmity but even because the World knew them not as they were but even accounted them through their great Ignorance as the Off-scouring of all things As it is reported also concerning the Christians in the Heathenish Persecutions after Christ Sejanus vir bonus sed est Christianus Such a one is a good Man but he is a Christian So amongst and by you called Papists Such a one is a good Man but he is a Protestant And amongst the common Protestants Such a one is a good Man but he is a Quaker Thus hath the true living Seed been vailed from the World under some Reproach or other through Ages and Generations as at this day And so to conclude I say That which is here said of the Invisibility of the True Church is not as this Popish Book would wickedly Insinuate Because there were none called Protestants before Luther's Time or because others since Luther's Time have had other Names but because the Truth according to the Scripture of Truth so judges as is here in a few words set down But to return the Wickedness of these Popish Pleaders upon their own Heads it may be truly said That the End of their Pleading so much for the Visibility of the Church is Because they have little in their Religion if any thing at all but what the blind and evil World can both see and exercise themselves in and yet continue still in their sinful Nature So that the Pope's Daughter the Popish Synagogue is most unlike the Heavenly King's Daughter the True Church which is all Glorious within but the Pope and his Daughter the False Church is all Foul within and only Glorious on the out fiâ—e and that not with a true out-side Comliness or Glory neither but even with the rotten filthy Rays and menstruous Clouts of Humane Traditions and Carnal Ordinances and Observations of their own Devising beautiful only to the Adulterous Eye but not with the Ornament of a truly Godly Life and Holy Conversation which is the True Churches Golden Ornament or Rayment which is truly Beautiful in the Eye of God and his Saints It is so as saith God's Good Spirit in his Servant A Warning to the Papists at Stafford Thomas Taylor a Servant of the True and Everliving God in the Everlasting Gospel and Kingdom of his Son sendeth Greeting and a Warning unto you from him in whose Hand is your Breath and the Breath of all the Living I say unto you who call your selves Catholicks or Roman Catholicks here about Stafford Awake Awake look into your selves Trim your Lamps and see whether the true Oyl be in you which the first Christians witnessed in them which they had of God whereby they knew all things for if you would be found true Catholicks Members of the Universal Church the Heavenly Body this you must have for the Cry is gone forth Behold the Bridegroom cometh and it 's none but the Wise in Heart the pure Virgin Souls can enter God's Kingdom it 's not enough for you to say We are Catholicks or Roman Catholicks and our Religion is old or so for it is not how Old but how Good for how much old an Error or Way of Evil is by so much the worse it is and to imagine that God will receive you because of your many Outside Observations and Carnal Ordinances you are very much mistaken so long as the inside is unwashed for it 's a pure Heart and a right Spiritual Worship from the same that God Requires And did not the Apostle to the Galatians say He was afraid of them because they thought to Please God in observing Days and Months and Times and Years after Christ was come in the Flesh and Offered up to end all such Shadows and all of like Nature that can be brought in since then as a part of God's Worship and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness even the
People of England to Weep Page 64 To the Comers and Goers by the Prison-Window of both Sâ—â—â—s Page 65 To King Charles the Second concerning Persecution c. Page 67 To Informers Page 69 Some Serious Considerations concerning the Priests of the High Places called Churches their Sprinkling Infants Marrying People and Bâ—rying their Dead c. Page 70 To the â—ury-men of Appleby Page 73 To 〈◊〉 and Rulers Page 74 A Testimony of Truth Page 75 To all that are Worshipping in the Outward Court without God in the World in diverse Forms Page 78 To William Thornton called Justice at Hipswell in York-shire Divulged for the Information of other Moderate Enquirers after the Lord Page 81 To the Presbyterians so called Page 88 To the Presbyterians Page 90 To the Blind Teachers Page 91 For the Great People of the Earth who love the Pleasures of Sin these ib. Concerning Bread and Wine Page 93 The Indignation of the Lord upon all Nations Page 94 To Loose and Wicked Professors Page 108 To Protestants Page 109 To the Sons of Vanity Page 110 Who they are that only Rejoice in the Birth of Christ Page 111 A Testimony against Persecution to King Charles the Second and his Magistrates Page 112 Wo to the World because of Iniquity Page 114 An Apology from the Harmless against the Vnjust And to the King and his Magistrates against Plotting ibid. Against May-poles Page 116 To a Dancing-Master Page 117 To the Fruitless Vineyard of England Page 118 To the People of England Page 119 God's Controversie with England declared Or a Warning-word by way of Reproof to the Inhabitants thereof even to such as forget God and are adding one Sin unto another Page 121 A Faithful Warning to Outside Professors and Loose Pretenders to Christianity of all Sorts Page 123 Something as it came to mind of what passed at the Assizes in Stafford betwixt the Judge and the People of God called by the World Quakers But the Reproach of Christ is to us great Riches and the Scorners God will judge Page 131 To the Jury-men of Stafford that brought him in Guilty Page 138 To King Charles the Second Page 139 Against Lotteries Page 142 To Stafford Page 143 To the Mayor of Stafford Page 144 For them that Rule in Stafford ibid. To the Kings and Rulers Page 145 Concerning his being taken Prisoner of Seven Years Continuance Page 147 To the Mayor and Priest of Stafford Page 148 Concerning the Fallâ—n Christians Page 149 To the Vain People of the World Page 150 An Exhortation to all People Page 150 To the Teachers and Magistrates of Tamworth Page 151 To sinful People Page 152 To the Children of Men Page 154 To the Fencers ibid. Concerning Sprinkling Page 156 Concerning Burying and Churching of Women c. Page 157 A Testimony against Bull and Bear-baiting Page 159 A Testimony against Sporting and Playing Page 160 A Loving Exhortation to all Kings Pri ces Potentates Bishops and People in the whole Christendom Wherein is a distinction betwixt the True and False Teachers Page 162 A few Necessary Questions and Conclusions for the Present Parish-Teachers of England c. Deeply to Ponder and Answer in God's Fear for the Good of their own and the Peoples Souls that are under them for the Lord is arisen to call all things into Judgment Page 171 A Strong and Terrible Alarm Sounded out of the Holy Mountain against all the Wicked Inhabitants of the Earth Page 179 Watching for Sin Page 181 A Warning to the Nations to lay aside all Prejudice and Enmity the Ground of Strife and Wars and to come and Embrace the Light of Christ Jesus that they may see themselves and come to be Saved and Healed and Vnited in the Love of God Page 182 To People whose Hearts are turned from the Lord Page 189 To the Magistrates Page 190 To the Generation of Fleshly Fallen Christians not worthy the Name of Christians Page 192 To the King Page 193 An Exhortation to remember the Judgments of God Page 195 To the Vnclean Communicants Page 196 God's Virtue and Goodness Extolled ibid. Richard Baxter 's Book Entituled The Cure of Church-Divisions Answer'd and Confuted Page 201 Some more of these strange Sayings of this Richard Baxter in his Book Page 232 Some Gentle Remarks on a Book Entituled A Discourse concerning the Idolatry Practised in the Church of Rome Page 249 The Day is Dawned that makes all Wickedness manifest Page 255 To some of T. Hicks 's Friends Page 257 Something concerning that called the Common-Prayer Page 258 A Testimony for the Lord the good Shepherd and true Minister of the Sanctuary and true Tabernacle which God hath pitched and not Man against all the False Shepherds and Hireling Ministers and Teachers of the World under what Name or Notion or Form soever who have run and God never sent them and therefore cannot profit the People at all Page 273 The true Fast from the False Page 283 Something in Answer to some Passages in that naughty Book called A Looking-glass for Ladies Page 284 Thomas Taylor who was ten Years and an half in Prison at Stafford writes a Letter to a particular Adversary Page 293 To the People at and about Stafford a Testimony for God and his Truth and against Deceit and Deceivers especially the Hireling Priests as a Warning Information and Instruction in Righteousness to them and all People elsewhere concerned by the Spirit of the Lord in his Suffering Servant Thomas Taylor Page 294 Something in Answer to some Passages in that Wicked Antichristian Book written Catechism-wise by some Popish Stickler for his Master the Pope the Romish Antichrist and his Followers Printed at Douay and subscribed H. T. Page 299 A Warning to the Papists at Stafford Page 314 Something in Answer to a Paper from a Nameless Author directed to be left at Joseph Holt 's in Okeham Page 317 A Copy of Verses writ upon occasion of a Visitation so called Page 326 Certain Queries Propounded to the People called Anabaptists especially to such as believe and hold forth that Water-Baptism is an Ordinance and Command of Christ Jesus the Door of Entrance into the true Church and so of such Absolute Necessity as that there can be no True Gospel Church-Fellowship without it Page 333 Christ Exalted above Moses and the Spirit above the Letter Page 337 A TESTIMONY Concerning our Dear Friend and Brother Thomas Taylor Who was Convinced of the Lord's Everlasting Truth and Received it in the Year 1652. HE had been an Eminent Parish Priest and of Note among the Professors and other Priests and also a Lecturer in several Countries Preaching Sermons on the Week-Days And he coming to Swarthmor in Lancashire with some other Priests I ask'd him and them before Judge Fell Whether he or any of them could say that they ever heard a Voice of God or Christ from Heaven that bid them go to Speak to any People as God and Christ did to the Prophets and Apostles And Thomas
Transgressions break forth upon them and consume them to the uttermost For this is the Day wherein he that 's greater than Solomon is upon his Throne to execute Justice and Judgment in the Earth and now it is not the flying of Cruel Joab to the Horns of the Altar shall save his Head for Fire is gone and going forth from the offended God to consume all false Worships and false Worshippers who in the false Spirit and earthly Fire presume to come near the Holy God for with his Fire and heavenly Two-edged Sword is the Lord pleading with all Flesh and now many must bow under his mighty Hand that the Lord alone may be exalted for to him must all bow and to his Justice be made to confess it is so and now the Noise and Boastings of a Church and Sacraments and Services in their unclean uncircumcised unmortified Nature will do them no more good than the crying of the false Jews of Old The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord are we Thomas Taylor SOME Prison Meditations In the 7th Month 1657. BEING A Free-gift Sermon Mainly touching the Religious Robbers or Spiritual Murtherers the Sermon and Prayer-sellers of the former latter and present Times Even to the whole Company of Mystery Babylon's Merchants and Members a Warning Hosea 6. Chap. Verse the 8 and 9. it is written Gilead is a City of them that work Iniquity and is Polluted with Blood And as Troops of Robbers wait for a Man so the Company of Priests Murther in the way by Consent for they commit Lewdness LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle near the Meeting-House in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-street and at the Bible in Leaden-hall-street 1697. SOME Prison-Meditations c. NOW all you People and Priests of the Earth amongst all your observings and gatherings of Doctrine observe with me and take diligent notice of these few short plain Doctrines or Lesson from hence and Tremble and Repent to wit 1. That Workers of Iniquity are a filthy and bloody People 2. That lewd Priests or Teachers are Murtherers and Layers in wait for Blood 3. Where the Priests or Teachers are nought such as follow them are not good and so like Priest like People as here 4. Lewd Priests and Murtherous-minded Men false Teachers have in all Ages been many a mighty Band fitted to devour But Hesea How didst thou escape this Bloody People and these Murtherous Priests these Lewd Workers of Iniquity Did they not Murther or Imprison thee or Sue thee at their Courts for a Disturber of their Peace or for a Slander How didst thou poor Lamb escape these Wolves these Bloody Murtherous Priests and People Thy Brother Ames the Prophet was accused by one of these Murtherous Priests for a Conspirer against the King in the midst of the House of Israel and that the Land was not able to bear his Words Amos 7.10 c. And thy Brother Jeremiah was cast into a dirty Dungeon almost unto Death besides the other Beatings Jer. 20.1 c. and Stockings and Imprisonings that he suffered from one of these lewd Priests and the sinful Princes for his Witness Sake in that Generation as it is to be seen in Jer. 38. and other places of that Book And thy Brother 〈◊〉 Son of Barschiaâ— See Mat. 23.34 c. Luke 13.33 c. and Ch. 22. and 23. was Slain by this â—loody Generation between the Temple and the Altar for his Witness Sâ—ke Mat. 23.35 And all the rest of thy Brethren were evil Intreated of this Bloody Murtherous Generation of Prieâ—s and People for their Testimonies Sake And the Heir himself Christ Jesus the Head when he appeared was cruelly Murthered â—y these Bloody Priests and such as followed them and consented with them and that for Witnessing forth Truth against the Wickedness and Lewdness of the Bloody City and Venemous Priests their Teachers as is in the Scripture of Truth to be Read and is now also in these present Days found true in Experience by all thy Suffering Brethren and Sisters Oh Prophetâ— Who are Reproached and Persecuted of this Present Evil Generation of the Priests the Teachers and the People under them under the Nick-name of Quakers And therefore we having such a Cloud of Witnesses and Fellow-sufferers for the Truth 's Sake going before us we may be Comforted and Incouraged in all our Tribulations knowing that we are hereunto called 〈◊〉 not only to Believe but also to Suffer for Christ's Name Sake that so we may fill up the Measure of the Afflictions of Christ in our Flesh for his Body's Sake which is his Church Further Oh all People You may hence observe and take diligent notice for your good that it hath been an old Custom of the World's Teachers such as are called of Men Master Matt. 23. and who Preach for Hire Micah 3. and seek their Gain from their Quarters Isa 56. I say that it hath been an old Custom of such Wolves to Murther Souls and People of God for in some Scriptures is mention made of the Spiritual and in others of the Bodily Murther that they had and would be guilty of And further take notice that these Banding Priests are a lewd Generation which in other Expressions is all one as to say Thieves Whores and Harlots and so indeed they are also in Scripture usually said to be and therefore Typed and set forth under the name of Painted Whorish Jezabel and the Well-favoured Harlot and here under the Similitude of Troops of Robbers waiting for a Man and Paul calls them Ministers of Satan having a form of Godliness denying and resisting the Power and Truth of Godliness And therefore Oh all People you are Exhorted by the Spirit of Truth to turn away from them yea and commanded to come out from amongst them upon pain of Eternal Death Jer. 23. throughout Rev. 14 8 9 10 11. Rev. 18. throughout 2 Cor. 11.12 13 15. 2 Tim. 3.5 c. Rev. 2.20 c. Read Scripture and see if these things be not so and Fear the Living God and Bow to Truth and be Exhorted and Perswaded all People now at length to learn Wisdom and to understand whom you follow for you see the Scripture tells of Murtherous Lewd Priests that stood over the People for Teachers in former Days and in Christ's time there was Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites who were taken by the blind People to be sufficient Guides and Teachers John 8.25 Matt. 25. whom Christ called Blind Guides Children of the Devil Painted Sepulchres Whited Walls yea Vipers and Serpents And so you People that gather together to the Steeple-house which you call your Church when you hear your Teachers who now-a-days go under the name of Ministers with you take a Scripture and out of it chuse a Verse or so of a Chapter according to their Wills for filthy Lucre and calls it their Text and from it draws Doctrines and Reasons and Uses as they call them ask them whether
Everlasting Father which is Spirit and Life the Resurrection and the Life in every believing Soul for we are Redeemed from Death thereby that we might for Ever hereafter serve God in the newness of his own Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter as all such do as know no other Teaching Word but the Letter as this R. B. doth and so they having gotten a little Brain-knowledge by their Humane Helps and not by the Spirit of Truth they wrest Scripture to their own and others Destruction desiring and boasting themselves to be Masters and Teachers of others whilst themselves need teaching what the very Principles or beginning Doctrines of the true Christian Religion is as is plainly manifested by his seeking to bring in a graceless Minister or Wolf into Christ's Fold surely the Wolf comes not but to rob and destroy All that ever came before me saith Christ are Thieves and Robbers and never came in by the Door as its plain the Graceless Man doth not but hath climb'd up another way by his Humane Helps as Baxter speaks and to this purpose see John the 10th and Mat. 23. where Christ at large sets forth such Wolfish Teachers who can perk themselves up in Places of Teachers by the World's help outwardly but will neither enter into the Kingdom of God themselves nor suffer others but shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men by such deceitful Doctrine and Antichristian Inventions as this R. B. hath by saying That Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration than Grace is and that he may perform the Office of a Minister to the Benefit of the Church that hath no Saving Grace at all And all Knowledge requireth Time and Labour to obtain it though the Spirit giveth it which last saying doth directly thwart and contradict the Scripture which saith I was found of them that sought me not Isa 65.1 And Paul sets believing and working in this great Matter of the Knowledge of God and Christ to Salvation one against the other as the way of the Law and Gospel for to him that worketh saith he is the Reward reckon'd of Debt not Gift of Grace but to him that Believeth it is of Grace to the Glory of God's great Love to Man for saith the Scripture God so loved the World that he gave his Son that whosoever on him believe should not perish but have Life Eternal And none can truly say but those are the best knowers and wisest People that have Eternal Life in them though they never laboured for it nor sought for it and so such as this R. B. who looks at all as obtain'd by Time and Labour they are those Spiritual Proud Ones who are swelâ—ed so big with Spiritual Pride that Self-idolizing Sin which as himself saith in his second Direction so called is the great Rebel against God the chief part of the Devil's Image that one Sin which breaketh every Commandment the Heart of the Old Man the Root and Parent and Summary of all other Sin the Antichristian Vice which is most directly contrary to the Life of Christ c. and these Letter-wise Men that have parched together a Garment of Fig-leaves to cover their sinful Nakedness are Proud of meer supposed Spiritual Excellencies for the way of the Blessed Spirit and its free Gifts and free Workings in the Children of Men they are strangers unto and then through their Humane Learning and lost Labour having gotten a little or a great deal of talk from the Letter of the Scripture concerning Religion in their Earthly Spirits which sees nothing of the Kingdom of God they condemn the Generation of the Just whom God teacheth and Blesseth with all Spiritual Knowledge in Heavenly Things and call them Spiritually Proud because they cannot but speak very highly and yet in the truest humility of Heart concerning the great Things that God hath done for their Souls and because they cannot join with the Wicked whom God abhorreth neither in their Worship nor other sinful Customs And so out of that Old Bottel come all those unsavoury Expressions of R. B. before-mentioned against the free Teachings of God's Spirit yea so great an Enemy he is to the wholsom Doctrine of Free Grace that Page 7. he saith Is it not Blaspheming of God's Spirit to make it the Patron of Mens sloth and idleness under pretence of Magnifying Grace To which I answer That pretending we deny and truly say with the Apostle That God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our Hearts to give us yea most freely without our own La-Labour or any Humane Help The Knowledge of the Glory of his Kingdom and those that call this Doctrine either in the Apostle or us a Patronizing of Sloth and Idleness are those that do really Blaspheme God's Spirit which teacheth it But many Texts saith R. B. commands us diligence and sloth is a great Sin To which I say the Scripture indeed commands a diligent Improvement and holy Exercise of the free Gifts which the Spirit hath given the Faithful But the Scripture never said that Humane Labour and Helps are the Means to be used for getting the Spirit 's Teachings and without which no Knowledge in Spiritual Matters is now received Stir up the Gift of God in thee saith Paul to Timothy so say I but he no where puts the Humane or Carnal Man to Work or Labour to get the Spirit for that is quite contrary to this Scripture Gal. 3.2 as also Rom. 9.16 Obj. But this R. B. asks this Question Why hath God setled a Teaching Office in his Church and commanded all to attend and hear and learn if we are taught by the Spirit without Man's help Why were the Apostles sent forth into all the World c Answer Here is the great stumbling of these Unbelievers the Worldly-wise Ones indeed what because God in his free unlimited Spirit did begift Men and in his own Spiritual Power sent them forth to preach and publish all abroad the Glory of his Kingdom and Good Will to Men cannot People therefore be taught by the Spirit without Man's help What Reasoning's this When the Scripture expresly saith That all the Gifts and Abilities Helps and Means of bringing People to God and the Knowledge and Enjoyment of all the Good Things of his Kingdom are meerly solely and wholly from God and his Blessed Spirit 's free Gift in Christ and not from Man at all And therefore when the Corinthians began to look at Man whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas he calls it Carnal and said Christ was not divided signifying plainly it was Christ and the Spirit of his Power that alone did all in all as Christ said Joh. 15. Without me you can do nothing for in the True Church Christ ever was and ever will be all in all and and Man nothing as Paul said of himself Paul is nothing But in the False Church where R. B. is pleading for Man yea Graceless Ministers Man
than you and have Prayed more and Meditated more c. To which I Answer That by these words it is easily seen what manner of Knowledge it is that this R. B. trades in and would have all Slaves unto and what are his Means for obtaining it to wit a meer natural Knowledge which by meer worldly Helps and Advantages may be attained For a meer Heathen accompanied with many Years and much humane Learning and strong Natural Parts that can but talk much of the Scripture especially having on him a Form of Prayer and the like must needs go for a better knowing Christian with him than the dearest Child of God especially if he be young in Years and want those natural Helps and outward Appearances Oh what havock hath such Doctrine as this of R. B's made amongst his deluded Hearers and Admirers in this Nation so that now let the Man God come to one of them in the purest Evidence and most powerful Demonstration of the Spirit of Truth if he appear not to them Cloathed and Accompanied with these Natural and Worldly Abilities and Indowments they are fenced against the Lord's Messenger with such Arguments as these You are but young you have but Studied a while you are of slender and mean Natural Parts and little or no Schollar-ship and have Prayed but little c. in comparison of our Grave and Learned Divines and the like So that as Christ said so we find now true That Publicans and Harlots enter into the Kingdom of God before such and now what a Curer of Church-divisions this R. B. is like to prove is easily seen and therefore that Charge which his Self-condemned Heart fear'd would come upon him may justly be brought upon him here which in his Preface to his Book he sets down thus They will affirm saith he that I have clawed with one Party and have girded at the other and have sought to make them Odious by bringing them under the Reproach of Separation of censuring and avoiding the Vngodly and that being Luke-warm my self and a Complier with Sin I would have others to do so too And that these Reconcilers are neither Flesh nor Fish and attempt Impossibilities even to Reconcile Light and Darkness Christ and Belial and that for the sake of Peace we would sell the Truth and would let in Church-Corruptions out of an over-eager desire of Agreement and when they have all done neither Parties will regard them These are this R. B's words in that Preface of his to that Book which is justly come upon him And indeed he may as well go about to reconcile Light and Darkness as bring the Children of Light whom God hath delivered out of the Darkness and Filthiness of Egypt and Sodom Spiritual into Unity with them again for there is Enmity put between the two Seeds and those words of Christ in John 17.21 22 c. which he deceitfully puts in the Title Page of his Book are only proper to the Living Members of the Spiritual Body of Christ which he calls Mystical and not to any of the World's Churches or visible mixt Congregations of People whatsoever the Words of the Apostle in John 17.21 c. are weightier than any Hypocrite can bear and they are these That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that thou also may be one in us that the World may believe that thou hast sent me and the Glory which thou hast given me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made Perfect in one and that the World may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me God is arisen to drive Hypocrites from under all such shelter of words as they would hide themselves under for now is the City and Kingdom truly Manifested and Witnessed into which no Uncircumcised or Unclean shall enter but only the Redeemed Born babes and Living Members of Christ And now to the Knowledge and Experience not of the Evil World but of all that know God do I appeal to Judge whether this R. B. or any of like Spirit with him can be said to know any thing of the Oneness betwixt the Father and Son the Members of the Holy Heavenly Body much less can be any of them who are not afraid to affirm That such are not to be disallowed from being Ministers of the Gospel though they want Grace totally And that Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration than Grace is and that he may perform the Office of a Minister to the Benefit of the Church that hath no saving Grace at all as Page 114. of his Book aforementioned and that there is no Man alive that Worshippeth God without some Sin And adds Do you ever Pray your selves in Secret or in your Families without Sin as in Page 19.5 And in Page 30. of his Preface to that Book That there is no Person Church or Worship on Earth faultless and without Corruption and saith there further I Justifie not the Faults of my own daily Prayers and yet I never Pray without them And in Page 34. c. That Cain was the First-born Member in the Church of Adam 's Family And Cursed Cham was of the Church of Noah And reckons Lot 's two Sons-in-law and Esau yea and the Ten Tribes in their Apostacy to be of the Church And so having reckoned up and raked together the Faults of the Race of Abraham before Christ's coming in the Flesh and of those called Christians after that mentioned in Scripture he wickedly and imprudently says Page 44. That no one Member is in all these Scriptures or any other commanded to come out and separate from any one of all these Churches as if their Communion in Worship were Vnlawful Directly contrary to 1 Cor. 5.11 2 Cor. 6.17 Rev. 18.4 5 6 c. Come out of Mystery Babylon the false Church saith God to his People Oh the Blasphemy of such Men's Hearts that dare Intitle wicked Men for a bare Profession-sake of Religion to the Glory of the benefit of this Prayer of Christ's who Prays and his Prayers were always heard That his might be one as He and the Father were and are one the Father in Christ and Christ in them and so made Fellow-heirs and Partakers of the Glory of Christ by free Gift But neither R. B. nor any graceless Minister nor sinful Praying People whom he pleads for while such can ever be one as the Father and Son are one Therefore I may safely say to you all who desire the good of your Souls and the Glory of God Come out from amongst them and joyn not with them No not in their Worship Actions as he calls them nor be ye Partakers in any of their Sins or Sinful Worship lest ye partake of their Plagues for the Temple of God is Holy and the Worship of God is Holy And so R.
unsound unchristian and ignorant Sayings it fully appears that this Bryan is one of them who have neither seen nor known Christ seeing he would bring in the Heathen into the Temple without the Word And so Who is more Ignorant and Prophane than this Priest Bryan himself as also his Brother R. B. who is not ashamed to make such a one a Tutor or Father of Ministers who is ignorant of the very Door and Entrance into the Church and of Christ's second Coming Nay who is ignorant of his first Appearance which was for Judgment even to whip the Buyers and Sellers and all Prophane ones out of his House as he said himself For Judgment come I into this World What Pastors or Teachers can such Tutor as are so ignorant of Christ's Kingdom and so admit the Ignorant and Prophane into their Church or Cage of unclean Birds for the Church of Christ which is visibly seen and known by the Spiritual Eye to be his Body is Holy and into it can no unclean thing enter as saith the Scripture Rev. 21.27 but into the World's Church may both Ignorant and Prophane enter and dwell But at such dishonest Gain as is gotten by such Doctrines as this of Bryan and R. B. hath the Lord long shaken his Hand Is this your Ware that you sell to the People at so dear a Rate Is this your Straw and Stubble that you seed them with But no Man of any Understanding in Heavenly Matters will buy any more of your Merchandize For God is come to teach his People himself and the Spirit of God is felt and witnessed amongst us praised be God yea and in our very Hearts to teach us and by which we feel Christ come again the second Time without Sin to Salvation according to his Holy Promises and by whose all-powerful Word of Faith and Heavenly Presence in us are we joyned together unto him in one Holy Body Glory to his Name over all for he is worthy And for that Saying That Christian Princes have not less Power to abolish Idolatry and by Law and Penalties to compel the Subjects in Matters of Religion where there is a parity of reason than the Jewish Kings under that Law had I answer and say That all are not Christians who are so called and this crying up the Worldly Magistrates Power in Matters Spiritual is the only In-let into Persecution of the Tender-hearted People of God who cannot bow to every thing the World sets up yea though it come under the name or shew of Christian Religion and if the Image be of Gold never so goodly yet wanting Life and Power they cannot bow to it I say They who Preach up the Worldly Princes under what Name soever to have Power over the Consciences of People in Matters purely Spiritual as the whole Body of Christian Religion is are Antichristian and the great Enemies of that Liberty which Christ hath purchased for his People and which the Apostles sealed unto with their Blood saying in such cases Let every Man be fully perswaded in his own Heart And who art thou that judges much less forcest and compellest as Bryan and R B's Doctrine would have it another to his own Master to wit God the Judge of all he standeth or falleth see Rom. 14. at large but what account will those Daubers give to the Lord for all the Innocent Blood they have caused to be shed these many hundred Years is Sad to consider For though such Magistrates as are evil inclined are not free yet the False Teachers who by their Lies stir up yea and bring forth that evil Inclination into real Actings against the Good shall receive the greater Condemnation And yet notwithstanding all the Evil both in the one and in the other the Lord will certainly carry on his great Work to his own Praise which he hath begun Glory to his Name for ever And the Beast Whore and False Prophet shall alive together be cast into the Lake prepared for them and into the Pit which they had digged for others Also whereas he saith That it sufficeth that we have Examples in the Old Testament for the Magistrates Power in Church matters though none in the New Testament I say It is no more true than if we should reason for an outward worldly Temple Sacrifices and Circumcision now because there is Examples of these things in the Old Testament and for Revenge and Retaliation now because it is mentioned in the Old contrary to Christ For though it hath been said of old saith Christ an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth yet I say to you my Disciples under the New Covenant If any Man smite you on the one Cheek turn to him the other and the Apostle saith Dearly beloved avenge not your selves butif thy Enemy hunger seed him c. and so Christ being come and all Power in Heaven and Earth given him Is not he in these Spiritual Matters relating to the very Soul and Conscience the only Lord Law-giver and King and Supreme and ought of right to rule in his own House and Temple which is in Man and those that will not that he should Rule must bow before him and be ashamed before his Face So that now the Son of God being come and seated by right of Inheritance the true King and Heir upon David's Throne to Rule in Righteousness for ever in the Hearts of his Children he commands the true Seed of Israel to obey his Heavenly Voice Law and Doctrine spoken and written within as those outward and typical Kings did command the fleshly Seed of Abraham to keep Moses's Law written without and as those that obeyed not that outward Law of Moses were lyable to the Punishment of that Law so they now that obey not Christ's Spiritual Law written in the Heart and Conscience by his Holy Power are lyable to the Eternal Judgment of Jesus Christ the Judge of Quick and Dead as he saith The Father judges no Man but hath committed all Judgment to the Son And as for the worldly Magistrate he is to Rule in outward things betwixt Man and Man to see that every one as to the Body and outward Estate be well behaved one towards another and not to bear the Sword in vain as hath been too much in use even amongst many called Christian Magistrates as well as others from whence it hath come to pass that for the sake of the Poor whom the worldly Powers have oppressed as well in Temporals as Spirituals the Lord hath overturned them one Sort after another as they were found in the Abuse of that Power and Trust which was put into their Hands for the Protection of and Encouragement and Praise of the Good and Punishment of the Evil doers but not the contrary according to that of the Prophet I will overturn overturn overturn till he come whose Right it is And so until Truth Righteousness Goodness Equity and Justice rule both in the Hearts and Lives of
in them for by your own Confession you are miserable Offenders all the Days of your Life and have no Health in you and so cannot endure to hear of Perfection or perfect Soundness on this side the Grave Eph. 9.11 12 13. Yea though you read in Scripture That Christ's Ministry perfects to God Epâ— 4. Yet there is not so much Faith amongst you as a Grain of Mustard seed to believe any such thing for if any come to be healed by Christ and so made perfectly found to God and witness forth the same they are not for your Company even you who have no Health in you but are miserable Offenders Oh you that cry out against Separatists and Separation Jude 18.19 what a woful Separation have you made you are of them who have separated your selves from the Lord in Unbelief and are sensual not living in God's Spirit but in the broad Way of the World Oh when will you be weaned from the Breasts of Mystery Babylon and learn to suck at Truth 's Breasts Zach. 13.1 Rev. 22.1 c. and draw Water out of God's Well which in the Light and Life of Jesus Christ is opened to the true Hungerers and Thirsters after Righteousness this day But you have transgressed the Everlasting Covenant and offered Violence to the righteous Law of the Lord Jesus and miserably wrested and perverted the Holy Scriptures 2 Pet. 3.16 which witness of him and his glorious Appearance in these latter days and this you do that you may establish your own Traditions that you may keep your selves up in the Earth in the Glory of this World and esteem of Fallen Man John 5.44 who knows not Christ nor his Kingdom and therefore hath the Lord already discovered your Skirts and will yet daily more and more 2 Thess 2.8 by the bright shining forth of his Light make you so manifest naked and bare that every Eye shall see the Shame of your Nakedness Isa 66.24 And to the Nations of them that are Saved who walked in the Light of the Heavenly Jerusalem shall you be an abhorring for ever and the Redeemed of the Lord shall daily flock to Zion out of your Frozen Land to offer their Spiritual Sacrifices to God upon his Holy Altar and shall see the Smeak of your defiled Sacrifices go downward as Cain 's did Gen. 4.5 which God had no Respect to And the Smoak of your Torment shall go up for ever and ever Rev. 14.11 for strong is the Lord that judges you because you have given his Lambs Gall and Vinegar to drink Rev. 16.19 and have pushed them with Side and Shoulder and therefore a bitter Cup will God give you to drink Oh how hath the Lord borne with you How hath his Voice uttered it self amongst you in your Streets in your Assemblies saying in your Ears O Repent repent Give Glory to God by giving over to deceive your own and the poor Peoples Souls which are precious to God O ye that have exalted your selves into the Place of Teachers and are untaught your selves into the Place of Bishops and Overseers of others and have not looked into your own Hearts and Souls to see what grows there Mich. 3.6 7. O the deep Sleeps and Slumbers that you are seen to be in this day even all you who have ran and God never sent you and therefore you have not nor never can possibly in that State profit the People at all Oh all you that love to be call'd of Men Master and Doctor and Lord Bishops and Arch Deacons and such-like worldly Titles which Christ Mat. 23.10 11. the meek Lamb and lowly in Heart did always forbid and his Spirit is against for ever and ever and saith It shall not be so amongst his but he that is greatest must be least and Servant of all not in feigned Words and deceitful Shews Mat. 20.25 26. Mat. 15.13 but in Deed and in Truth Glory to the Lord who is arisen to root up the false Ministry and to bring in his own as in the Beginning That the Earth may be covered with the Knowledge of God Isa 11.9 Hab. 2.14 and Jesus Christ our Lord as the Waters cover the Sea Amen and Amen O ye Priests and Parish-Teachers When will ye consider of the Entrance of your selves into your Offices and the People into your Church You have laid another Foundation than Christ hath laid Christ said to his Messengers and Ministers John 20.21 22. Heb. 7.16 As my Heavenly Father hath sent me so I send you But Christ was not made a Minister by the Law of a Carnal Commandment but by the Power of an endless Life And so you that are Ministers of the Letter and made Ministers thereof by the Law of a Carnal Commandment and your Fittedness for the Work is gathered not from the Holy Spirit 's Ability 1 Cor. 1.20 21. Rev. 3.18 19 20. but from some Worldly Endowments as Natural Languages Arts and Parts which can only fit a Man for a Heathenish Oratory but could never help in this great and Heavenly Matter of Christ's Kingdom and your Bishops being made by the Humane Powers could never say That by the laying on of their Hands you received either the Holy Ghost or any Gift of it And so you being of the World and impowered by the World how can you claim Audience or Obedience from Christ's Members who know not to follow your Voice which is the Strangers Voice and so you Men of the World are heard 1 John 4.5 upheld and obeyed by the World who are ignorant of Christ's Voice from the Strangers Mat. 15.14 and so being such blind Guides whether can you lead the People but into the Ditch And there you are Isa 55.2 who are always doing what you ought not to do and so have no Health in you and so dangerous to joyn to and are miserable Offenders Isa 56.10 Isa 1.4 5 6. for taking the poor Peoples Money for that which is not Bread and causing them to spend their Labours for your Traditions and empty Sound of Words which are never able to satisfie their Souls John 10.1 And you are very miserable Offenders also in not only coming in by a wrong Door your selves but also in perswading the poor deceived Multitude that you enter them into the Pale of the Church by your Baptizing or Sprinkling of them when Infants for which there is no Scripture Nay more as your common Custom is and as is said before that you regenerate them by it for God never regenerated any by a Means which he never ordained as this Usage of yours is manifest to be So all your Entrances being impure and your Foundations Unspiritual and Unscriptural what Building must needs be builded thereupon the wise in Heart do easily see So you and your Work being Mystery Babylon Mat. 7.26 Rev. 17.15 and 14.11 the Lord God of Heaven is engaged
coming in the Clouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory The Disciples in the beginning of this Chapter asked him What should be the Sign of his Coming And here he answers them Not a wooden Cross or any such thing but the fore-goings of Judgment terrible Judgments as is here mentioned which go immediately before this his appearing And for the outward Cross being a special Memorial of the Passion The Apostles had other ways of remembring Christ's Death than by outward Crosses of Wood Gold Silver or other Metal or Stone or so for they were buried with him into the likeness of his Death and they bore in their Bodies the Marks and Dying of the Lord Jesus and the Vertue of Christ's Passion they felt daily to Crucifie them to the World and the World with all its Evil to them And as they died and were dead to Sin they were made alive and lived to God and so Christ lived in them and they in him How could they forget one another And thus it was not only with the Apostles but with all the true and living Members of Jesus standing thus in the Faith in those Times as Scripture plentifully declares and neither need nor mention made of any outward Cross to put them in mind of Christ's Passion seeing they daily suffered and reigned with him But People retaining only the Name of Christians but falling from the Faith of Christ which the true Saints lived in then came up this Invention of outward Crosses and Pictures and such-like Smoak out of the Bottomless Pit for Memorials and Teachers to the poor Carnal-minded People which were out of the Faith and so at Enmity against God But Praises to the Lord saith my Soul for this day of his which after a long Night of Darkness is restoring to many the ancient everlasting Truth which all Holy Men of God lived by And now Mystery Babylon with all her Lovers must into the Lake prepared for her But says this Dreamer farther The Cross was that blessed Altar on which Christ offered his Bloody Sacrifice And to prove it brings Gal. 6.13 Phil. 3.18 Ezek. 9.4 In which last Scripture he says Such as were signed with the sign Tau which was a Picture or Figure of the Cross were saved from the exterminating Angel and only such Now to this I say it is meer Deceit And adding to the Scripture this Saying of his for there is mention made only of a Mark Vision-wise but nothing at all what Mark it was neither was it needful for to mark them there signifies God's special Care of his in time of Judgment and not an outward Cross as these Dreamers Dream And for those other Scriptures Gal. 6. Phil. 3. they speak not of the outward Cross of Wood or so but of the inward Spiritual Cross the Power of God 1 Cor. 1.17 18. But this Man by calling the Cross the Altar maketh it greater than Christ for saith Christ Matt. 23.19 Whether is greater the Gift than the Altar that Sanctifies it And thus it appears how near unto Blasphemy are all Superstitious and Idolatrous Minds In his Exposition of the Fifth Article of the Creed he saith That his descending into Hell meaneth That so soon as Christ was dead his blessed Soul descended into Limbo to free the Holy Fathers who were there And for proof brings Acts 2.2 24 27. and Eph. 4.8 And then asks Did he not also descend to Purgatory to free such as were there He answers It is most probable he did according to 1 Pet. 3.19 20. I Answer That these dark Imaginations are poor Grounds for People to place Faith and so Salvation on It is probable saith he that he descended to Purgatory And what is it more than probable that he went into Limbo Nay nay it is not so much as probable that he went into either for those Scriptures he brings speaks neither of Limbo nor Purgatory and so there being no such Place as either Limbo or Purgatory as Papists Dream how could he descend into either For the true Place of Purging is through Sanctification of the Spirit in the Belief of the Truth as it is in Jesus in this Life time and not afterwards And the Heil which Christ's Soul was not left in is understood when he said My God why hast thou forsaken me And for his Body it was raised out of the Grave and so the true Christ saw no Corruption as the Scripture there speaks But your imagined Breaden Christ will Corrupt But for this Man's Dream of Interpreting the Prison to be Purgatory which Christ by his Spirit went to Preach to them in in Noah's time that were Disobedient and that not till after he was Crucified is so gross that it needs little other Confutation than the very mentioning of it for Christ by his Spirit in Noah Preached to them in that Day when they were in the Prison of their Sins and by the Spirit that raised Jesus from the Dead have the Wicked been Warned and Preached unto in all Ages And he saith That the print of Christ's Feet are to be seen to this Day upon Mount Olivet from whence he was taken up I say what if it were will you go to Worship it as you do a Wood or Stone Cross But I do no more believe that there are such prints than I do your other Unscriptural Superstitious Imaginations and Inventions But to Discredit this I have very great ground considering that Christ said to Mary that she should not touch him in an outward natural manner or so because he was not yet ascended John 20.17 because there is danger in such things how much less would he leave prints of outward Feet for Superstitious Souls to Idolize And it 's probable for this very Cause was the Body of Moses hid from the Jews lest they should Idolize it Therefore saith Paul a Spiritual minded Man for himself and his Brethren Henceforth know we no Man after the Flesh yea though we have known Christ after the Flesh yet know we him henceforth so no more for he that is in Christ is a New Creature 2 Cor. 5.16 17. When will Christendom so called learn this Lesson And this Book saith That Christ as God is equal with the Father but as Man is in the highest Created Glory I answer the Scripture saith that Christ sitteth or sat down at the Right Hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 1.3 Is this Created And he asks Is there any Merit in our Works Yea saith he as in Apoc. 22.12 I say that Scripture doth not say for the Merit of Man's Work but only they shall receive according as their Work is But pure good Works are rather God's than ours and then where is the Merit And he saith The Place of the general Judgment shall be in the Valley of Jehosaphat betwixt Jerusalem and Mount Oliver I answer how knows he that How is it he mentions no Scripture for it So it is meer Imagination But what Must People
Regenerates them nor Seals it unto them but is a thing of Mens devising which the Lord never required at your hands And though Scriptures be wrested by you to keep it up and many Reasons brought to prove it yet I say and I and not I only but many more know in the Light it is proved that there is not one Scripture rightly understood that is for it nor one true Reason from Scripture to keep up your Sprinkling Infants But it is a Custom that in the Apostasie had its Rise and by such as are not recovered out of the Apostasie kept up and pleaded for Now for the stir thou makest about something that was said by one of our Friends about the Press that was about Christ by People that came to be Healed and that therefore the Disciples might say something as tending to hinder the little Children from coming and that the Children were brought upon other accounts to Christ and not to be Baptized at all with outward Water I say thou wrongest our Friend in mixing and charging words on him he spoke not and therefore now that I see thee make so bad an use of his words and so misrepresent them it is good time to take notice of thee And now I may add something more concerning thy ungrounded Reasons thou bringest for Infant-Baptism 1. Thou sayst Where the Disease is there ought the Remedy to be applied but the Disease to wit Original Sin is in Children as well as Men Therefore the Remedy which is Baptism ought to be applied to Children as well as Men. I answer That by this both thy self and all that take part with thee in this thing are manifest to be like the Papists in this Point about Infant Baptism for they hold that Baptism of Infants washes away Original Sin and so do these English Priests it seems I knew that you were Idolaters from the Womb giving that to the Creature which is proper to the Creator If the Disease be Original Sin and the Remedy be outward Baptisin then it seems those that are so cured must certainly be saved then it 's no Wonder though poor People that are perswaded of this Lie do run so fast to you with their Children to be Sprinkled and no wonder that they do so admire you and worship you that are such Saviours and none must be thought worthy to do it it seems but your selves O sad Work But by this Craft you get great Livings and that pleases your Carnal Mind well But God will judge for all such things And if this Tradition of yours were true How can ever any that have Original Sin so cured and washed from them Sin at all For take away the Cause and Root of a thing and the Effect and Fruit which comes and springs from them must needs cease also And therefore thy Interpretation of the Remedy against Original Sin that it is outward Water-Baptism which thou didst mention in thy Argument I do utterly deny and do with all the Children of Light pronounce it to be contrary to the Word of God for God's Word is Truth and no Lie is of but contrary to the Word of Truth And so where the Door or In-let into your Church is such an unsound Doctrine as this what a Church is that And now if thou couldst convert to Truth according to thy seeming Promise it would be well for thy Soul Therefore whilst it is called to day harden not thy Heart Thy second Reason is answered already in shewing thy false Exposition of that place of Scripture Gen. 17.7 3. Thy third Reason No means of Salvation ought to be denied to the Children of the Faithful whereof they are capable but Baptism is an outward means of Salvation whereof Children are capable under the Gospel as well as Children of the Jews were capable of it under the Law therefore c. To this I say Though in a general Sence Your own grant that Insants cannot observe the Requisites of Baptism to wit Faith and Repentance shews their Incapacity for it the Major Proposition as you tearm it may be granted but restrained to your Sence I say that before you intitle your Children to Priviledges because of your Faith you had need prove your selves to be in the Faith which yet you have not done lest both the Root Tree and Branches fall all together And for the Minor as you tearm it I say it is false that your Sprinkling is any means of Salvation either to your selves or your Children because as is proved it hath no ground nor footing in the Truth but a meer Invention of Man's wanting both Precept and President in the Scriptures of Truth And for Children being capable of it under the Gospel I ask how capable Dost thou say they understand what is done to them in it or can make any Spiritual use of it in their Infancy Then I say The Multitude shall condemn thee and the least in the Flock witness against thee But if thou say they are capable of it only so as to suffer it to be done on them without understanding then I say it is no Gospelâ— Capacity for in the Gospel Ministration all must be done and received in and with the Spirit and Understanding except you will joyn hands again with the Papists and say ex opere operato to wit From the Work of the Priest done upon them they are saved O sad That ever we should have occasion to speak thus to a People after so long a time of professing the Scripture and Protestant Religion 4. The fourth Reason speaks all as it were in one and doth fully make manifest the Darkness in thee from whence all thy Unchristian Doctrines have proceeded and it is this All those who receive the thing signified by Baptism ought to receive the outward Sign it is the Argument of St. Peter Acts 10.47 Can any Man forbid Water that these should not be Baptized who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we But Children of the Faithful receive the thing signified by Baptism to wit Regeneration and Remission of Sins Therefore c. To thy first Proposition drawn from Peter's words Acts 10.47 thou might have left that to others who Idolize outward Baptism in another Form for they will tell thee it belongs nothing to you at all who Sprinkle before Confession or any visible Appearance of any inward Work But then sayst thou If Children be not Regenerated and receive Remission of Sins you must needs hold that all Children are damned I say thou belies us and the Truth for there is no necessity at all for such a wild and falfe Conclusion from our true and harmless Premises for what though God please to have Mercy upon Children whether some or all whom and as he pleaseth What ground is that for you to say hand over head that all that you Sprinkle are Regenerated when you know nothing at all of God's Mind in the thing And for your calling such Children
plunged or overwhelmed in Outward Water If yea then tell us upon what Scripture Proof your Faith is grounded seeing there is no Water there mentioned And if some were then Baptized in Water a second time why then may there not be as much Necessity now unto such as have not received the Holy Ghost at their first plunging into Water to be Baptized again in Water a second time And why was the Name of the Lord Jesus there only used and not the Form of words which you use and plead for seeing it was after that Commission Mat. 28.19 Let us know your Faith concerning these things and whether the most Orthodox amongst you be of one and the same Judgment concerning them 6. Why do you call you Dipping or Plunging People into Outward Water Sacred Baptism What Scripture President and Rule have you for that Tearm Did John the Baptist call his Baptism Sacred Or did Paul call it so Acts 19.3 4 Or was it not the Pope of Rome in his Decretal Epistle that called his Baptizing in Water Sacred Baptism and the Water in which he Baptized Holy Water And do not you use the same Tearm for yours But tell us plainly whether it be your Act of Dipping in Water that you call Sacred or the Water in which you Dip or Plunge People Or where you had that Tearm to call your Water-baptism Sacred if not from the Pope of Rome 7. Wherefore are you offended at us for calling your Baptizing in Water Dipping or Plunging seeing that we understand to be the import or signification of the Word in plain English 8. When you Dip or Plunge People into Elementary Water whether do you Dip or Plunge them in reality of Truth in or rather into the Name of Father Son and Holy Spirit yea or nay For if not do you not deceive them in making them believe that you Baptize or Plunge them according as Christ commanded his Disciples into the Name of Father Son and Holy Spirit when in reality you do but only Dip or Plunge them into Outward Water 9. Do you believe that the Name of Father Son and Holy Spirit is Elementary Water seeing I find in that Scripture Mat. 28.19 so often quoted by you to prove your Mission to Baptize in Water that Christ gave his Disciples Commission to Baptize in or rather into as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit but nothing said of Baptizing in Water Or do you believe that the Father the Word and the Spirit are one Is not his Name Spiritual representing his Nature yea Spirit Power and Life If yea why then do you seek to introduce and impose your Baptizing in Water from that Scripture And why do you presume beyond what is there written especially seeing that you your selves Confess that the Scriptures are the Ground and Rule of your Faith Why do you seek to impose a Faith upon us from that Scripture beyond what is there written What Ground and Rule have you for that And what Ground and Rule have you for your Baptizing in Water from that Scripture seeing Water is not in the least mentioned in it Tell us plainly 10. Did not Jesus Christ who gave that Commission Mat. 28.19 Command his Disciples to tarry at Jerusalem until they were Endued with Power from on High Luke 24.49 And whether did they go forth to Baptize all Nations before they had waited at Jerusalem and received that Power Answer plainly 11. Have all you that go forth to Baptize in Water under pretence of that Commission Mat. 28.19 obeyed Christ's Command Recorded Luke 24.49 Acts 1.4 And have you received that Promise and Power If yea what is it A Book or Books or Writings without or the Spirit Power and Life of Christ revealed within But and if you have not obeyed Christ's Command as aforesaid but run before you have received that Power are you not therein manifest Transgressors of the Doctrine and Command of Christ even in that which you pretend to be the Ground and Rule of your Faith and Mission And if so are you not thereby plainly manifested to be Intruders and false Apostles who are not to be owned nor received but to be denied and judged by all that live in the Power of God and true Gospel Fellowship 12. Was the Apostle Paul any whit inferior or behind the very Chief Apostles And was not that Commission Mat. 28.19 as much his as yours And did not he know the Mind of Christ in it as fully as any of you the Counsel of God being revealed to him Notwithstanding which did not he expresly testifie that Christ sent him not to Baptize 1 Cor. 1.17 but to Preach the Gospel Now if you have a Mission or Commission to Baptize in Water which belongs not to him as fully as to any of you tell us plainly who gave it when you received it and your Scripture for it 13. Do you believe that Paul was Called and fully Endued for the Ministry And was his Commission Acts 26.17 18. Evangelical and Full for the Gathering and Planting of Churches according to Gospel-Order seeing we find nothing in it of Christ's sending him to Baptize Or do you think his Commission insufficient for the End aforesaid because he was not sent to Baptize in Water and that yours now is more Full and Evangelical If you do tell us what Scripture have you for the Ground and Rule of your Faith in that Matter 14. Whether do you believe that the One Baptism spoken of Ephes 4.5 be that of John's in Water or that of Christ's in the Holy Ghost seeing both John Christ and his true Apostles did distinguish betwixt them as aforesaid Now if you say that that One Baptism there mentioned is the Baptism in Water then I Query whether you do believe that the Baptism of or in the Spirit is now ceased or not of such Absolute Necessity as that in Water seeing the Apostle speaks but of One Lord even so of One Faith and One Baptism And whether you do believe that any now are or can be really made Members of that One Body and true Church of Christ by Water-baptism or any other way than by being Baptized by that One Spirit into that One Body Answer plainly Thomas Taylor Christ Exalted above Moses and the Spirit above the Letter MANY are and have been in all Ages the Enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Blessed Truth and Life Immortal which he hath brought to Light by his Appearance in and through his Servants both in the Days of his Flesh and since his Ascention by the pourings out of his Spirit according to his Holy Promise whereby it hath come to pass that many simple Minds have been greatly hindred from receiving the Truth for a time until it pleased the Lord by the Arm of his Mighty Power to Consume the Adversaries of his Glory and so to remove the Stumbling-blocks out of the
the Powers of the World as we are at this day But whereas thou speakest of every Man that is not so ordained thy self and your selves who never were ordained by the Holy Ghost as they were for when did the Holy Ghost in your Assemblies say as in Acts 13.2 Separate such and such for the work I have appointed them unto Nay nay you have run and God never sent you for you never heard his Holy Voice at any time and therefore you profit not the People at all but make them more Cunning to Dispute against the Truth than they were before they followed you But what Ordination of Man had Paul at his first going out to Preach See Gal. 1. he received not the Gospel by Man and went not to Man no not to the Apostles themselves for Ordination and Commission to Preach but immediately Preached Christ as many have done and do at this Day who go under the Reproach of the name Quaker And so God is Restoring his Church to its Primitive Purity and Power to the stopping of the Mouth and confounding the Wisdom of all Flesh whether called Pope Cardinals Bishops or Presbyters that the true Eldership and Body of Christ to God's Glory may again appear And what Rules and Orders are and shall be in this true Church is known to God and by him Manifested and to be Manifested to the Body it self and not to the World for the World must neither have the right Understanding nor Management of those things no more than they had in those Days when it was said I stand not to Mans Judgment for the Holy Anointing must be all in the Church of God for ever Qu. 10. Thy Tenth and next Query is a plain discovery of thy Folly and of thy manifest Enmity against the simple Appearance of Truth in any discovery and though thou say the Scripture is thy Rule yet by it thou canst not endure to be Ruled but plain Language it self is thy Burthen and therefore thou askest how it can be said that ever Christ or his Apostles or Patriarchs or Prophets used the words Thou and Thee when they never spake English And how can it be unlawful for us to use the word You to each other since the same words in Hebrew Greek and Latin that signifie Thou signifie You in the Singular Number also and may be Translated You as well as Thou and so it seems thou say'st 2 Sam. 15.27 Answ John Reynolds Didst thou Read this Query twice over Or didst thou at all Consider what thou said'st in it Was either the Fear of God or Care of thy own Credit before thy Eyes when thou writest it Surely neither But thou hast judged in thy self with thy vain Thought that because thou hast used to blind thy poor Hearers and make them believe any thing for Truth thou speakest or writest therefore it will be so with others Nay nay the Day is dawned the Lord hath given his People an Eye whereby all Covers are seen through and to this Light thou hast manifested as much Nakedness and Blindness to be in thee as in the grossest of them that say Mass at Rome or read Common-Prayer in English Nay I do believe many of them would be ashamed to argue thus as thou dost to wit because Christ his Apostles Patriarchs and Prophets did not speak in the English Tongue that therefore they used not the words Thou and Thee How came the Translators to Translate their Words when they speak to a particular Person Thou and Thee and never You as may all over Scripture be easily found thou may'st as well say Christ his Apostles Patriarchs and Prophets said nothing at all that is Recorded in Scripture in the English Tongue because they spoke not English so the Lord hath catched the Wise in his own Craftiness but thou goest on and say'st the same words in Hebrew Greek and Latin that signifie Thou signifie You in the Singular Number also and may be Translated You as well as Thou which I say is altogether false for You is not at all Singular but Plural altogether and so the Translators of the Bible knew and therefore never Translated their Singular Term in the forraign Language to you in English but Thou and Thee as is before mentioned and for that place in 2 Sam. 15.27 thou set'st down and says it seems that You is used to a singular there it shames thee for if envy to the Truth had not Blinded thee thou mightest 〈◊〉 fee that the King speaking to Zadock and saying Your Sons and you speaks not of Zadock and his Son but of Zadock and Abiathar and their Sons as the very words next after and in Verse 29. plainly shew and so here thou hast committed that great Error thy self that thy Generation use to Charge falsly upon us to wit in taking a piece of a Verse that seems to make for thy purpose and leaves out the rest that shews fully the Sense Qu. 11. Thy Eleventh and next Query is for the World where thou undertakest the part of an Advocate for Flesh not only pleading for the Honour that is below but also for the Manner of it Thy Doctrine is very pleasant to the fall'n Man and the World cannot hate such Preachers as thee for ye are not only of the World but chief Master-Builders of the old House of the fall'n Adam who loves the Earthly Honour But now that Christ the second Adam is come the Lord from Heaven above the Earthly Man let all Flesh bow before him and give up his Honour to him otherwise this shall be fitly applied unto you that Christ said unto the Jews How can you believe that not only receive but also seek and plead for Honour one of and from another John 5.44 For Christ received not Honour from Men Verse 41. So that tho' there was a time that Angels were bowed unto which were greater than Flesh Gen. 19.1 yet a time came that Angels denied that Honour Rev. 22.9 For now the Son himself was Glorified of whom it was said And let all the Angels of God Worship him Heb. 16. And at his Name shall every Knee bow Phil. 2.10 And Christ said to the Devil who was like his Children that would now be Worshipped Thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve The Devil and Haman would be bowed unto but the true Jew will bow only to God But thou queriest and say'st Qu. Whether did the Saints in Scripture-times Sin in giving Honour that is say'st thou A Civil or Inferiour Honour unto Men and upon occasion Testifying the same by Honorary Words or Deeds Answ To which I answer and say All that the Saints before the coming of Christ did is not to be an Example to us now but we must all now that would be approved to Christ take him for our Example and to follow no Man for our Example further than they followed or do follow him and when the Apostles speak of
hardly afford it on Earth a place to meet in at all And for that thou concludest and sayest What though our Churches have been formerly Abused to Idolatry So were the Temples and Synagogues abused to Idolatrous and Superstitious Worship yet nevertheless did Christ and his Apostles make use of them I answer What use Christ and his Apostles made of the Temple and Synagogue of the Jews is in part before declared To which this may be added As for Christ he was according to the Flesh of the Jews made under the Law and so he was to cleanse the Temple a Figure of his Body and fulfil the rest of the Laws Shadows and Customs and so end them all and through the Gospel bring Life and Immortality to Light and to Consecrate the New and Living Way through the death of all old things for he Nailed them all to his Cross and they died with him but he arose from the Dead and not to bring up the old Dead things again as thou J. R. and thy Generation would have but to make all things New for saith he that sitteth on the Throne Behold I make all things New Rev. 21.5 Glory to his Name for ever but none can see God in his Throne but in the Light that comes immediately from him which Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World which the Worlds Builders did always deny and reject as they do at this day And for the use the Apostles made of the Temple or Synagogues of the Jews it was as is formerly set down to reason with them there of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God the Jews not the Christians being Assembled there as the Servants of God called by the World Quakers do at this day to bring People both then and now from the Shadows unto the Substance Christ Jesus who hath said of his Body Destroy this Temple and I will build it again in three days and so the three days being come and finished the Temple that is Holy was built again and God Worshipped and Glorified in it but nothing that is defiled or loves a Lie can enter into or be joyned unto it But the Jews were more reasonable in one thing than you Priests of England are for they suffered Paul it seems to Reason with them several of their Sabbath-days in their Assemblies quietly but now if any come amongst you upon the liek account that Paul did it 's hard for such to escape your Furious Hands or a Prison in these days Whereby it appears your time is but short you are so unreasonable and full of rage But the use that those Gospel-Ministers the Apostles made of the Jewish Synagogues will not serve your turns O Parish-Masters for unless you may have them in your own dispose to bring the World into them to call you Master and put into your Mouths it will not answer your lustful Mind And so indeed with you that have put the Name of Church and Saints upon the Wild World a great Stone-house Fashioned to Solomon's Temple with an addition of an high Steeple Babel-like with Bells in it seems most convenient though it was not only abused too but even built for Idolatry so much But for the little Flock of Christ in Cities Towns and Villages a less House when they they need one will be as much if not more convenient And to conclude whereas thon intimatest that your great Stone-houses which thou callest Churches though formerly used to Idolatry yet now they are free I say thou wilt want proof for this so long as you continue in the Worshipping and Serving of Creatures and Paul's Doctrine continues true which saith Covetousness is Idolatry unless you repent and bring cleaner Vessels into your Temple than you do Qu. 15. Thy Fourteenth Query was for Set-places now this the Fifteenth is for Set-times and thou askest Had not the Saints in Scripture their Set-times for Publick Worship as well we Answ Yea I say the Saints amongst the Jews had their Set-times for their Worship better than you for they were under the Law and that was their Warrant but you are neither under Law nor Gospel in Truth but ony Carnal Imitators in your Will sometimes of the one Customs and sometimes of the other as your Self-willed and Self-ended Hearts in your blindness Prompts you unto and so for this I say Love the Light which Christ hath lighted you withal and it will lead you to Repentance from all your vain Observings and in the Light wait that God's good Spirit you may know and receive to Teach you and lead you into all Truth according to the Promise and so wait in the Light that lets you see your wants that 's the Holy Place and wait there for him in his Fear that comes in his own not Man's time and be not as the Heathens that think to be heard for their much wording of it nor spread abroad the Sails of your vain Imaginations when you Pray as the Hypocrites do lest Satan Transformed carry you about and fill you with the Wind of his Frothy Spirit making you believe you Pray with Gods Spirit when it is his own lying Spirit as his Custom is amongst you to work Qu. 16. So thou having spent thy Strength in Pleading for your Set-Places and Times in Imitation of the Jews thou goest on in this Query endeavouring to prove your Work on these times in those places from the likeness of them to theirs then And thus as you do so do the Papists for their Customs for they Reason as thou do'st For had not the Jews say they a Temple and Synagogues So we Had not they One High Priest So we who is called a Pope had not they an Altar and Sacrifice outward So we Had not they their Set-Fasts and Musick in their Temples and Quiristers and Tythes and Offerings and such things And so have we say they So saith John Reynold here in this present Sixteenth Query Had not the Saints in former Times the Scriptures Read in their Congregations Acts 15.21 Luke 4.16 and sometimes Expounded Neh. 8.7 8. and Prayed there Verse 6. and Singing David's Psalms there 1 Chron. 16.7 c. and Blessing the People in the Name of the Lord Num. 6.23 c. Well this was so under the Law but what wilt thou infer from this that you may continue the Customs of the Jews in such things that follows not unless you will deny the Ascension of Christ Eph. 4. from 8. to 17. for the Jews were under the Law and so they had a Worldly Sanctuary and a Worldly Service with divers Ordinances of that Nature until the time of Reformation by Christ raised up and come again in Spirit and then says God Behold I make all things New and so he that is in Christ is a New Creature Old things passed away all things become New New Temple New Offerings and Service New Prayers Singings Preachings which no Worldly Man can get into but all with the Holy