Whether ever the earth bore men that did more proudly despise others in comparison of themselves and whether their language savour of the Spirit of the Lamb of God Or can he have any taste of that Spirit of Christ in himself that doth not even feel that their proud and railing language is of the devil Qu. 7. Was there ever a generation known on the earth that did more arrogantly step up into the Throne of God and censure his Servants whose faces they never saw and whom they can charge with nothing but being Preachers of the Gospel and that in a Pulpit having an hourglasse taking Tythes c. to be Ministers of the devil sons of perdition with much of the like Though Christ hath said Iudge not that ye be not judged and who art thou that judgest another mans Servant To his own Master he stands or fals Qu. 8. Was there ever a Generation of men on whom the Image of the devil was more visible then on these He is the Prince of darknesse pride and malice And the depth of Ignorance and height of pride and malice breaks out so abundantly in their carriage and discourse that all not utterly blinded may see it It is the work of the devil to be the Accuser of the Brethren and so it is the very Religion and businesse of these wretches to accuse Ministers and godly people to be hypocrites Liars children of the devil Serpents Vipers with much the like Qu. 9 Is it no kin to the blaspheming of the holy Ghost for such wretches when they have powred out the most horrid lies slanders Railings and false doctrines to professe solemnly that all this is from the Spirit of Christ within them and make God and his holy Spirit the Author and Patron of all Qu. 10. Can that man that hath one spark of grace believe that he hath no sin Can he have so little knowledge of himself And consequently of the need he hath of the Physician Dare you say to Christ we will not be beholden to thee for thy bloud to wash us any more or to thy Intercession to pard on us any more Do you not believe that In many things we offend all Jam. 3. 2. If we say that we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to clense us from all unrighteousnesse If we say that we have not sinned we make hem a lyar and his Word is not in us 1 Joh. 1. 8 9. 10. Are not all Christs Disciples taught daily to pray Forgive us our trespasses For my part I am one that is sick and have need of the Physician and dare not tell God that I will ask him pardon for no more sins nor be beholden to him for any more But O what a power hath the deceiver with these wretches that in the midst of their horrid railing flandring and other wickednesse will stand to it that they have no sin Just like the Swearer that will swear he never swore an Oath Or the Drunkard that will swear he was never drunk when he lieth drunk in the Channell Solomon saith There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles. 7. 20. and these Quakers that Pharisaically and Papistically justifie themselves do give him the Lie Qu. 11. Whether those that deny Scripture to be Gods Word as these Quakers do and deny that there is any such Person as Jesus Christ who suffered at Ierusalem now glorified in heaven in the humane nature and only call somewhat within themselves by the Name of Christ I say whether these are not abominable Infidels having nothing to do with the name of Christians Q. 12. Is it not damnable Hypocrisie in these wretches to prate so much of Scripture and call for Scripture while they thus deny it to be Gods Word Qu. 13. Is it not damnable hypocrisie in them to call themselves Christians when they are Infidels and deny the person of Jesus Christ crucified to be in heaven Qu. 14. Is not he a Pagan and no Christian that thinks that the light which is in all the Indians Americans and other Pagans on earth is sufficient without Scripture Qu. 15. Was that light in Paul which perswaded him that he ought to do many things against the name of Jesus sufficient to convert him to the Faith of Jesus Or did Christ give him needlesly a light from heaven and by Ananias his doctrine Oâ— had Conâ—lius sufficient light within him before Peter preached to him Or had all the world sufficient light within them before Christ sent abroad his Apostles to preach the Gospel to them Or did Christ send them a needlesse light by his Apostles Have those Persecutors sufficient light within them to cause them to believe in Christ who think they do God service in killing or reproaching his Ministers and people Qu. 16. If all have sufficient light within them what need you go up and down to teach or perswade them Is it needless light that you bring then or is iâ— hellish darknesse Qu. 17. Is it not a most sottish trick of you to go up and down prating and commanding and yet refuse to shew your Commission from God And to call Ministers to shew theirs and refuse to shew your own but say it is invisible within you are you so mad as to expect any should belive an invisible and indemonstrable Commssion And might not we as well tell you ours is invisible but that indeeed it is not Or should we beleeve every one that prates of a Commission within him or no If not why should we belive you more then others that say the like Qu. 18. Seeing you cry down our Ministry and Churches tell us which is the true Ministry and Church and when yours begun and where it hath been since Christs abode on earth till now Speak plainly and let us know whether you are indeed Papists or Pagans Qu. 19. Is not that man an Infidell and a Scorner of Christ that date say he came into the world and shed his bloud to gather onely a few raging Quakers in England 1652 years after his Incarnation If Christ have no Subjects but these he is a poor King If Christ have been till now without Subjects he was no King If without a Body he was no Head If without a spouse he was no Husband Therefore shew us what Church Christ hath had or confesse your selves Infidels Qu. 20. Did not the Spirit of the Quakers speak in Num. 16. 3. just as you do now against Magistrates and Ministers And is not God very patient that causeth not the earth to open and swallow you up quick as it did them Do you understand that the Simonians or Disciples of Simon Magus and the Nicolaitans whose doctrine and deeds Christ hateth Rev. 2. and other Gnostick Hereticks in the Apostles daies did deal by them and the Church then as you do by us now and that the second Epistle of Peter the Epistle of Iude much of 1 Iohn and 2 Iohn were written purposly against them besides many other Scriptures And have you well considered those Scriptures and applied them to your selves When you have answered these Questions I require you to have no more to do with me nor any of this Church For we renounce you as Hereticks after a first and second Admonition aâ—d will have no fellowship with such self-condemned persons nor receive you into our houses or bid you God speed lest we partake of your wicked deeds Tit. 3. 10. 2 Ioh. 10 11. Kederminster March 28. 1655. Richard Baxter FINIS
that down so many Ministers for being called Masters But alas do you not know that Pride of inward qualifications commonly called spiritual Pride is the most killing and abominable the better the thing is that you are proud of the worse is your Pride O what a brave thing doth it seem in these mens eyes that they should seem to be possessed with such an excellent spirit as can trample upon worldly glory and can boisterously contemn all that are not of their sect and that can despise Dignities and be equall with the greatest yea that only they should have this admirable spirit and all o-others are the Children of the Devil and under their feet Though other men should never so much slâ—eght them yet do they wonderfully please themselves with these high thoughts of themselves For Pride is first an overvaluing of a mans self and thinking of himself above what is meet and then a desire that others should do so by him too If yet you see not the pride of these men I will shew it you in these four particular Evidences and that so plainly that if you know the difference between the language of heaven and of hell you may easily perceive the devil speaking by their mouths 1. They affirm themselves to be perfect without sin yea some of them say they are Christ and God And is it possible that any man in this life that is not mad with spiritual pride can indeed believe that he hath no sin what that he transgresseth no Law That he doth love God in the highest degree that he is bound to do That he never hath a thought or word that is sinful nor sinfully loseth one minute of his time Yea and this when in the eyes and ears of the wisest they foam out their own shame as the raging Sea doth cast out the dirt The devil himself hath either lesse pride or lesse ignorance then to think himself to be perfect without sin If they have no sin what need they pray Forgive us our sins or what further need have they of the bloud of Christ or his Intercession to procure them any further forgiveness If you can see no pride in this I fear you are blinded with them to destruction 2. And is it not apparent pride in them to set up themselves so far above all the people of God on earth yea to vilifie the most holy and eminent Servants of God and condemn all the Churches in the world as if heaven were made for them alone if it were so well that all of them did beleeve a heaven besides that within them which I suppose is but a sorry heaven 3. And yet more unmatchable pride and impious Infidelity is it to damn all the Church and people of God for this 1600 years at least Indeed God had never a people on earth of these mens way But to let passe the Scripture ages which condemn them tell me Had Christ any Church since the Apostles daies till now or not If he had not then he was no head of the Church and so no Christ For there is no head without a body If he had a Church tell us where it was and when Do you not know if you know any thing of the state of the Church for 1600 Years that Christ had no Church on earth of the Quakers minde and that all his Ministers have been such as they condemn and have been called by as honourable Titles as they are now And is not that man either an Infidel and enemy to Christ or stark mad with pride that can believe that Christ had no Church till now and that all the Ministers of the Gospel for 1600 years were the Ministers of the devil as they say of us that tread in their steps and that all the Christians of that 1600 Years are damned at now they dare denounce against those that succeed them and that God made the world and Christ died for it with a purpose to save none but a few Quakers that the world never knew till a few Years agoe or at least a few Hereticks that were their Predecessors of old 4. And I should suppose that their proud scornful railing language should put it out of doubt what spirit they are of to any that are acquainted with the language of Christs Spirit and of Satan and are able to judge of spirits by the most palpable effects and to know darknesse from light But you say It is Scripture-Language which they speak I answer the greater is their presumptuous sin in making so ill a use of Scripture-Language as to serve Satan by it and use it to reviling What if Christ call Judas a devil Is it therefore lawfull to call Perer so or any faithfull Servants of Christ But I perceive you think they justly condemn us because we are called Masters of men contrary to Matth. 23. Alas that a Christian should be so ignorant as not to know that even calling Master and Lord too is commonly allowed of in Scripture and that it is not the Title but 1. The proud affecting of the Title 2. And the Lording it over mens faith as Masters of that as if others must be of their minde right or wrong which Christ there condemneth Even as in the same place he forbiddeth being called Fathers in the very same sense when yet it is frequently allowed in a better sense But for the fuller answering of these scruples of yours and the rest about Tithes and such like I send you herewith an Answer to the Questions of some Quakers near us in the Parish of Bromsgrove and refer you to my Defence of the Worcester shire Petition Printed some Years agoe To your Question What I think of these men I will tell you what I think and am past all doubt of There are in England a Company of young raw Professors that have more zeal then knowledge And there are a companie of carnal hypocrites that place all their Religion in holding certain Opinions and using certain externall worship and siding with a Religious partie It is no hard matter to misleade all these if they be not better guided by others then by themselves While they have due regard to the Judgements of their Teachers that know more then themselves and so live in a learning way till they have attained to better understanding they may escape Deceivers But if they are once brought to be wise enough in their own eyes and to despise their Teachers then they are like a man that hath lost his way in a dark night or that hath lost his Guide in an unknown Wildernesse or like a Dog that hath lost his Master and therefore will be ready to follow any body that first whistleth to him The Papists and the devil know this well enough and therefore their first endeavour is to unsettle these people by taking them off all dependance on their guides and that must be by bringing the Ministers into contempt with them For if they could
soul in Scripture because the soul is the most noble part of him 3. I pray mark the Text that you alledge Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that rule over you for they watch for your souls as those that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Because you have put this Text into my hand I will mix my Answer with these few Queries to you For I suppose you expect no great exactnesse of order from me Qu. 1. Whether many words in Scripture translated Masters {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. be not of as low and humble an importance as Rulers And therefore seeing God calleth Ministers the Rulers of the Church are they not so far Masters as the word Master signifieth a Guide or Teacher And why else are they oft called Teachers Qu. 2. If God bid the people obey them as Rulers and the Quakers perswade them to abhorre and reject them as dogs Serpents and Sons of perdition which is to be obeyed God or the Quakers and whether is it the Spirit of God or of the devil and Antichrist that the Quakers speak by Qu. 3. Is it the Ministers or the Quakers that watch for the good of souls and have the rule over them Q. 4. If the present Pastors of the Churches be not true Ministers speak out and tell us who are and where we shall finde them and where they have been from Christs time till now Or whether Christ hath been so carelesse of his Church and so unfaithfull of his promise as to leave his Church without Pastors from the Apostles daies till now And to leave all the world without true Pastors even till now except the Congregations of the Quakers in England Q 5. According to this Text whether will it be to the peoples profit or disprofit to despise and discourage their teachers and guides and make them do their office with sighing and grief and will they have in the end a better bargain of it to hearken to their Rulers or to the despisers of them Consider well of these things 4. I proceed in my Answer to your Qu. That which hath captivated your souls is the devil by sin The understanding by blindenesse and errour your hearts by pride and hardnesse your wils by transporting passions and perversenesse and so your lives by open wickednesse Imitating your Leader and going up and down like raging beasts night and day seeking whom you may deceive and devour And against all your rage it is our duty to wait patiently in meeknesse instructing such as oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2. 24 25 26. 5. The Death that passed on all is The Separation of the foul from the body and of Gods special favour or grace from both and the guilt of everlasting misery for sin 6. The Serpents head is the Devils power and policy when such as you are vanquished by the light and your folly made known to all and when the Kingdom of Satan in sin and darknesse is overthrown then his head is bruised as Christ in his own person gave it the great bruise on earth in the vanquishing of Satans temptations in the perfect holinesse of his life in his Miracles casting out devils and in his triumphant death and Resurrection and afterward in the successe of his doctrine Your 18. Qu. is What is the flaming Sword that keeps the Tree of life and what the Cherubims Ans. 2 Tim. 2. 2. But foolish and unlearned Questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes and the Servant of the Lord must not strive You intrude into those things which you have not seen vainly puft up by your fleshly minde Col. 2. 18. It shall suffice me to know that the flaming sword is Gods terrible restraint and the Cherubims are Angelical Executioners of his will Wisedom hath two Gates the Gate of Grace and the Gate of Glory These things are seen by faith now and by intuitive intellection in the life to come Your 19. Qu. is Whether they that stand praying in the Synagogues or Idols Temples and love greetings in the markets and bindes heavy burthens on the people and are called of men Master be not out of Christs Doctrine Ans. Because this is all that you go about to prove me a false Prophet by I shall say the more to your satisfaction 1. If our Temples be Christs Temples do they not blasphemously make Christ an Idoll that call them Idols Temples 2. If you are not wilfully blinde you may perceive that it is not all the external actions mentioned Mat. 23. that Christ condemneth but the pride and hypocrisie which the Pharisees manifested in them Mark first that he bids men even hear the hypocriticall Scribes and Pharisees and observe and do what they bid men observe and do because they sate in Moses chair It is not therefore all the faults there charged on them that will acquit men from observation of their doctrine Is this agreeable to your practise who damn men that despise not and reject not Christs most upright and faithful Ministers Their sin is laid down in the 5ht verse All their works they do to be seen of men Prove this of us if you can Because they were proud They loved the uppermost rooms at Feasts and chief seats in the Synagogues Prove this by us if you can I had rather have a lower room at a Feast then a higher and ordinarily rather none then either I use not the chief Seats in Synagogues I sit in the midst of the Assembly and so I may conveniently be heard when I am to speak I care not where I stand Greetings in the market-place when did I desire Or to be called Rabbi But I pray you mark that it is not using but loving the uppermost rooms that Christ condemneth else no man must sit uppermost and then we must have none but round Tables or not fit at all So consequently it is not being called Rabbi or Master that Christ intendeth but a proud desire of and love to those Titles As a man may accept of the highest room for Order that loveth it not in Pride so may he accept of the Title of Master from those that owe him respect though he love it not in pride Besides I pray you note that Christ forbiddeth the Name of Master no further then he forbiddeth the Name of Father vers 9. Call no man your Father upon earth And yet do you not know how oft the word Father is owned in Scripture and children commanded to love and obey their Fathers and honour them I know the highest of your Sect do forbid the owning of any such Relations or Names as Fathers Children Husband Wife Master Servant Magistrate Subject and they forbid all affections to
who knows not that one English word hath many significations There is a Beast called a Wolf and a Fish called a Wolf and an eating disease called a Wolf Are these therefore all one because they have one Name So a Sect-master is called a Master One that would be the Lord of mens faith is called a Master and a Teacher of the Church of Christ is called a Master Doth it follow that all these are forbidden because one is Your Prater also made a stirre with me for calling the sacred Languages the Originall because forsooth the Spirit of God is the Original And is not that a wise man to go cry down the Ministry that cannot discern the difference between the Original cause and the Original Language He charged me also to be empty of the Spirit because I studied and told me he did not study no not in speaking what to say I the lesse marvell at his non-sence But I pray God forgive me that I Study no more Do you think we cannot talk without study as well as you and I hope a little better and when the lazy fit overtaketh Ministers they are ready to preach without study as well as you do I can bring you a woman fit for the gumblestool that shall without any study talk it out with the best of you We do not so despise God his Word or our hearers as to speak before we consider what to say Reade 2 Tim. 2. 15. Psa. 1. 2. 1 Tim. 4. 15. Psal. 119. 15 23 48 78 97 99 148. and see whether it be not our duty to study and meditate continually day and night And whereas you call us to thresh and dig I professe if God would give me leave I should take it for a great recreation and refreshment to my body and should think it incomparably a more easie life then that which I endure Solomon knew and I know to my sorrow that much study is a wearinesse to the flesh and might I but plough and dig I should yet hope to live in some competent health who now spend my daies in continuall pain and languishing But then how shall I fulfill Gods command 1 Tim. 4. 15. Meditate on these things Give thy self wholly to them mark wholly that thy profiting may appear to all How should I watch over the Church day and night Act. 20. 31. yet whereas your Prater feared not before God to affirm that if I had no pay I would not preach I do here professe before the same God that he is a Liar and I prove it because I have long preached already without pay and been glad of Liberty and I would labour with my hands as far as my languishing body would bear to supply my necessities as Paul did to stop the mouths of your Predecessors rather then I would give over preaching the Gospel Judge therefore whether your Lying Spirit be the Spirit of God or the meet authour of Reformation or whether indeed you are perfect without sin Your 20. Qu. is Did ever the Lord of Heaven and Earth or Jesus Christ bid thee or any of you Go and Preach to a people or was any of the Apostles or Ministers of Christ made Minister by the will of man Ans. 1. I offered your Prater here to shew him my Comission from God if he would shew me his and he told me that it was invisible and why may not you take the answer that you give 2. The Lord called his first Apostles by his own voice and appointed them to call others and to establish an Order for the succeeding of others in that Office of the Ministry to the end of the world Matth. 28. 21. and till the Saints be one perfect man Eph. 4. 11 14. that they that should ever after be called might not expect a voice from Heaven to their ears but might be called in Christs appointed way And in this way I have been called by Christ The Signs of his Call are 1. My comperent qualifications 2. My thirst after the good of souls and the building of that house of God 3. The Ordination of authorized Church-Officers 4. The Call and consent of the people of Christ over whom he hath set me 5. And afterwards the successe of my labours 6. And some daily assistance of the Spirit in those labours 7. And some Testimony of the Spirit to my conscience of Gods Acceptance These seven set together are my evidence of mission shew you the like if you can 2. Neither Paul not any true Minister is called by the meer will of man nor are we the Servants of men Nor were the Apostles called by men at all but immediatly by Christ But all afterwards were to be called by Christ through the Ordnation of men Tit. 1. 5. For this end left I thee in Crete that thou shouldest ordain Elders in every City Act 14. 23. When they had ordained them Elders in every Church c. The gift was given Timothy by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery 1 Tim. 4. 14. Paul directeth him whom to make Bishops 1 Tim. 3. Will not all this suffice you Your 21. Qu. is Whether had any Ministers of Christan hour-glasse to preach by or took a Text and raised Doctrines Reasons Uses Motives or a carnall Bell to call people together by prove these things by Scripture or else be silent and never professe your selves to be Ministers of Christ more Ans. By your patience I must tell you that the Conclusion is but your Lordly ignorant command such as is joyned to many of the other Queries Scripture is Gods Laws and fa sufficient Rule for Doctrines and worship it self But was never intended to name to you every circumstance that is lawull about that worship Hath Scripture told you at what place you shall meet or at what hour I tell you again you speak with no more wisedom then if you should say thus Prove that ever man read the Bible with a pair of Spectacles or that ever Christ or his Apostles used a printed Bible when printing was invented but a while ago or that ever they used an English Bible when they wrote in Greek or that ever they preached in doublet breeches or stockings or else call your selves Ministers of Christ no more And why so Because you command us and yet tell us your Commission is invisible These Circumstances are purposely left by Christ to the determination of humane prudence as occasions shall require and therefore he bids us do all things to edification and decently and in order 1 Cor. 14. 26. 4. And therefore sure we must discern what is edifying decent and orderly This is plain to them that will see What came the Word of God out from you or came it unto you only If any man think himself to be a Prophet or spiritual let him acknowledge that the things that I write are the Commandments of the Lord But if any be ignorant let him be ignorant 1 Cor. 14.