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A26233
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The strong man armed not cast out, but removed to a stronger hold viz, from profaneness to hypocrisie, or, An answer to a book entituled, The strong man armed cast out and his goods spoyled ... written by James Jackson ... written for the vindication to the truths of the Gospel ... by Ra. Austen.
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Austen, Ralph, d. 1676.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing A4237; ESTC R35295
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72,304
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126
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Experience in their Measure as might be made evident in particulars It would as it does in all true Believers purifie the Heart and work by Love to God to his People to his Word and Ordinances to all the things that are of God But fine Words and Professions will not prove or evidence true Faith This Author does plainly manifest to a Spiritual Eye that that which he calls Faith in himself and in such as are like him is but presumption wrought by the great Deceiver the seducing spirit in weak Ignorant Proud Hearts and Minds for it hath not purified their Hearts neither doth it work by Love but on the contrary their Hearts are yet Dark Blind Ignorant of God of themselves of the Truths of God of the People of God they know not the Difference between Nature and Grace They call Natural Conscience and Reason which is in every Man and Woman by Nature God Christ his Spirit the true Light which will Save and Justisie whosoever hearkens to it and believes in it I say Faith hath not Purified their Hearts from this Blindness and Ignorance nor from Pride Self-love and many other Corruptions Manifest and Evident in and amongst them as any gross sins or Abominations are in the Profanest Persons in the World Neither does this Faith of theirs which they boast of work by Love Love to God Love to all his People to the Law and Word of God as it did in David O how I love thy Law it is my Meditation continually Psal 119. but they Love not the Scriptures neither are they led by the spirit speaking in them but by a false spirit speaking in themselves contrary to the spirit in the Scriptures And as for their Love it is but a self-love it confines it self to their own party that say as they say and do even as they do that are one with them in the same things and in the Pride of their Hearts reject all others though the most eminent Saints upon the Earth How far then is this Faith of theirs which they boast of accounting it far better than all others from purifying their Heart perfectly as he there says that hath not yet purified it from these groâ—â— and apparent Corruptions and sins as Ignoranâ— Pride in a high Degree Self-love Hatred Despising Disowning Scandalizing and Separating from the Lords People of all perswasions though Select Congregations and Precious in the sight of the Lord and dear as the Apple of his Eye O the subtil strong seducing spirit is got into a strong Hold indeed and Fortified himself therein that can make them Speak and Declare these Lyes in Hypocrisie and these Doctrines of Devils as the Apostle calls them 2 Tim. 3.1 Thirdly This Author of the Strong Man Armed cast out goes on 3. The Quakers Knowledge and tells us what Knowledge the People the Quakers have attained unto above all others and saith it is Spiritual and Experimental from the immediate Vnction of the Holy Ghost and proceeds not from hear-say but Divine Revelation this is Life Eternal to know God which is Light yea the Father of Lights and that the Light within is the Son of God This is that Mystery that is hid from the Wise and Prudent and Revealed unto Babes They know him not but say it is the Devil or at best but the Light of Nature and so they know not whence it is and yet he hath enlightned Thousands and it was never known that the Devil or the Light of Nature Converted any to the Lord. For Answer hereunto Quakers put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light I say it is a very dreadful thing for any Man to put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness as this Man does a Dreadful Woe is Denounced against such Isa 5.20 Woe to them that call Evil Good and Good Evil that put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness If therefore the Light in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness Mat. 6.23 But the Light in Thee James Jackson is Darkness That is to say Thy Vnderstanding is Darkned and Blinded not onely by Corrupt Nature as all Unregenerate Men and Women are but Darkned also by the Prince of Darkness as is Manifest by all thy Writings that thou put'st Darkness for Light For the Minds of all natural Men are dark yea darkness it self they cannot see Spiritual things no more than a Blind Man can Distinguish Colours or than a Man that hath his sight in a dark Dungeon can Discern or Distinguish of Objects The Natural Man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he know them because they are Spiritually Discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Such an understanding and knowledge hast thou and others of thy Principles and Ways Thou and they it seems have attained to this Knowledge which others though the most Wise of other Perswasions have not attained to That the Light within is the Son of God whom he hath sent and that this is in every Man and Woman and to know and abide in this Light is Life Eternal I am grieved for this thine and their Ignorance though thou callest it Knowledge Now if ye will Hearken to the true Light indeed he will drive away and dispell this Darkness and shine into the Heart and give the Light of the Knowledge of God in the Face of Jesus Christ Thou despisest the Knowledge of all others that comes by hear-say meaning the Scriptures as it plainly appears thine thou sayest is by Immediate Revelation But let me ask thee and them how comes any one to know Christ and to Believe in him but by the Scriptures How shall they Believe in him of whom they have not heard but by the Word of the Gospel Rom. 10 As for Immediate Revelations we are not to Believe any of them further than as they are Consonant and Agreeable to the Scriptures which the Holy Spirit of God hath already spoken else we may believe a Lye from a false Spirit Witness thy own Case with many others also who have listned to Immediate Revelations and prefer them before the Revelations of the Spirit of God in the Scriptures which undoubtedly will be your undoing except ye Repent and see your Error for in thus doing ye prefer the Devils Doctrine before the Doctrine of Christ Yea ye shut out the sayings of Christ and take in the sayings of Satan If we have no way to try the Spirits Three Spirits speak in Men. how shall we know what Spirit it is that speaketh in us for there are three distinct Spirits that speak in Men at certain times Sometimes the Spirit of God moves and works in Meâ— he dwells and abides in his People but not in his Enemies he sometimes Reproves wicked Men the World of sin Righteousness and Judgment Secondly There is the seducing spirit he also moves in the Minds of Men both in the Godly and Vngodly He moved David and prevailed with him to his hurt This spirit all are to Watch
God and Father of all c. First one Body 1. One Body All Believers in all Ages of the world past present and to come in all Nations Kindreds and People Worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth under all Forms do make this one body And this one body hath but one Spirit 2. One Spirit as the Members of the Natural Body have but one Soul to Actuate and Enliven them so also in the Mystical body they all are quickned taught moved and led by that one Spirit which is the Promise of the Father and of the Son Thirdly The Members of this one body having one spirit have also one hope even the hope and expectation of all the good things promised in the Gospel 3. One Hope Eternal Life the enjoyment of God for ever Fourthly Another Bond of Vnion in the true Church 4. One Lord. is One Lord even our Lord Jesus Christ unto whose Laws and Commands all his People are Subject Fifthly One Faith That is 5. One Faith the true Justifying Faith of Gods Elect wrought by that one Spirit apprehending that one Lord for Justification by him alone Paul calls it the Common Faith Titus 1.4 Titus mine own Son after the Common Faith Sixthly Another Bond of Vnion in the true Church 6. One Baptism is one Baptism 1 Cor. 12.13 By one spirit we are all Baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Greeks whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit This one Baptism makes all Believers truly one Seventhly The last bond of Vnity of the true Church 7. One God is One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all All Believers are born of God and are all Partakers of the Divine Nature among the Lords People none of them have a better Nature than another as to the Truth but as it differs in the Degrees or Measures to some God is pleased to Communicate a greater measure to some a lesser Measure of Gifts and Graces that one and the self-same Spirit Divideth to every Man severally as he will 1 Cor. 12.11 We see here these seven Bonds are the true Bonds of the true Members of Christ his Body the Church and are here mentioned and laid down by the Apostle as strong Reasons and Grounds why all the Members should endeavour to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace and not Divide and Separate one from another seeing they are all Members of one Body and have but one Spirit among them all and have all one hope all of them but one Lord one Faith one Baptism all but one God and Father here is good Reason then they should be one among themselves in Vnity Peace Love Fellowship and Communion one with another as Opportunity serves So that the Author above mentioned hath little Reason to boast of that kind of Vnity that is among the Quakers if he consider these things Sixthly 6. The Quakers Patience The Author of the strong man Armed cast out further tells us That the Patience and Faithfulness of these People in doing and suffering the Will of God is Remarkable for the World is against them though as he says they are the onely Innocent and harmless People upon the Earth and because there is more of God amongst these People the Quakers than others therefore are they hated of all Men and every where amongst all Religions evil spoken of Answ In Answer whereunto I say That Patient suffering for Well-doing is very Acceptable with God and shall certainly have a great Reward from God the Apostle Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.14 If ye Suffer for Righteousness sake happy are ye But there is a Suffering sometimes for Evil doings and Evil sayings And it is better if the Will of God be so that we Suffer for well doing than for evil doing v. 17. Now it is true These People the Quakers have been Sufferers as well as others but for what have they Suffered Has it been for well doing for doing the Will and Work of Christ They will say Yea for doing the Will of God but it follows not therefore that it is so Christ will rather say unto them who Required these things at your Hands Nay he hath forbidden them your False Doctrines and Opinions your Disownings Despisings and Separations from the Precious People of the Lord in all the Societies Assemblies and Congregations in the Land your Disturbing of them and Railing against them whilst they are about the work of the Lord ye your selves being drawn or driven by the Seducing Spirit have done his work and not the Lords work and have sometimes Suffered for it And herein ye boast and think your Patience is great and that ye suffer according to the Will of God But know That it is not the Suffering but the Cause that makes a Martyr It is possible a Man may give his body to be burned and that is more than to be Imprisoned and yet not suffer for Righteousness-sake 1 Cor. 13. Though I give my Body to be burned and have not Love it profiteth me nothing Jesuites and Papists have sometimes suffered for their false Principles and Practices and so may others and so have you Therefore speak no more of your Patient sufferings untill ye know that ye Suffer for a good Cause for well doing untill ye Suffer for Christ and for Righteousness-sake Thus I have gone through the several particulars wherein the Author of the strong man Armed cast out says He and the People called Quakers do Excell all other Professing People in the World wherein it appears to all Men that have in them the Spirit of God how grossely these People are Deluded and blinded by seducing spirits that they give heed unto which making strong Impressions in their Minds they are Seduced and carried away with them never Examining of them and Trying of them by the Scriptures and so are easily Deceived And it is a most dreadful Condition that they are in and an Evidence of the greatest and sorest Judgment of God that the Nature of Man is capable of on this side Hell a Judicial blindness and hardness of heart upon any Man or Men is the greatest of all Judgments And this is the punishment that God often lays upon Men that will not hearken unto him that Despise his Word and Ordinances his Worship and his People That will not Receive the Truth in Love that they might be saved Therefore God doth send them strong Delusions that they should believe a Lye that they all might be Damned who believe not the Truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness That which doth confirm this man James Jackson A false Perswasion of Conversion Author of the strong man Armed cast out that he is truly Converted by the Light within which he says is Christ is this for that he finds such wonderful Effects in himself as he Accounts them he is