Lapide are remarkable God is said saith he to have taught the Scriptures because 1. He stood so by the writters that they did not erre from the truth in a point 2. He did excite them and suggest to them so as they should write these things rather than those c. He did so inspire them that they set down this conception rather than that c. 3. He so ordered all the conceptions and sentences and led them so as that this sentence was first that next and the other in the third place and thus they were set downe orderly one after another and this is properly to write and make a book and therefore is the Spirit of God properly the Author of the Scriptures Hence is it that the word of God in the Old Test. is tearmed in the New the Scripture or Scriptures pointing out the word as written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby we see that as in the frameing of the truths contained in the Scriptures of Prophecy or as to the matter and thing revealed and written the holy men of God had the real Inspirations of God and spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost or as the Holy Ghost spoke in them and by them they giving only a concurrence of their Rational faculties so in the very commiting of the minde of God unto writing they acted as moved by the Holy Ghost and not by any acquired Skill or Knowledg in the art of Grammer or Rhetorik being herein as a Pen in the hand of a writer and therefore ought not to be called the Secondary or proxime Authors of the Scriptures as some Papists imagine though the Lord used One to express his minde in one way and Another in another way as he thought meet and each in a way suteable to his natural Enduements as he used Esaias to express his minde in an High Loftie and Court-like stile and Amos being an herd man to express his minde in a more Mean and Low stile suteable to herd men in all consulting the universal good of the Church in all ages Whence it is manifest that not only the Matter and Things revealed whether as Truths to be Beleeved or as Lawes to be Obeyed are immediatly of God but also the very Method Expressions and Words wherein these truths were uttered which even some Papists as Gregor de Valentia and Estius Swarez and others confess And so the Whole and every Part Sentence and Word is of divine Authority and of a divine Original Whereby every one may see how sure the ground and basis of our Faith and Obedience is how rationally we act in adhereing to these Scriptures of Truth rejecting whatever is not consonant thereunto and especially all particular pretended divine Revelations which are but the meer product of mens strong Phancies and Imaginations or of Satans Workings in mens mindes and phantasies And withall we hereby see the divine Original of this Word of Prophecie which we must take heed unto as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in our hearts 2 Pet. 1 19. and must study and meditate upon day night Psal. 1. and be well acquanted with They being the Oracles of God Rom. 3 2. and the holy Scriptures which are able to make us wise unto Salvation through faith which is in Christ Iesus being profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be Perfect thorowly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3 15 16 17. As also the unreasonableness of those men who would directly or indirectly bring us off this Ground and have us following the light of that Ignis Fatuus of their Imaginary and Delusory Revelations which as they arise out of a mire so they lead the Man that followeth their guide into one and leave him there 4. Before we proceed because this Man alleâ—dged that it was a calumnie to say that either they denied or undervalued the Scriptures what Apology will he make for his brethren who owne the Scriptures only as a declaration of the Saints conditions witness G. Fox the younger in the collection of his books P. 59. cited by Mr Hicks dial 1. P. 19. account them no better than an old almanack witness Holbrow cited by Mr Hicks P. 29. and look upon it as inck and paper See Mr Hicks Pag. 41. and say that it is dangerous for ignorant people to read them witness Fox and Hubberthorn in Truths defence P. 101 Sâ—e Mr Hicks ibid. who also in his 2 Dial. Pag. 5. tels us that White head expresly saith in his D. P. Pag. 13. that it is idolatry to call the Bible a means and that faith grounded on the Scriptures is but an empty and implicite faith and bespeaks such persons void of the knowledge of God Christ Salvation and to be yet in their sin and that such men walk by thâ—ir own fancies and imaginations Christ Ascend Pag. 11. Do such expressions â—avoure of any high Esteem which they have of the Holy Scriptures if not let him see to it But moreover George Whitehead in his Apology P. 49. said that that which is spoken from the Spirit of truth in any viz. of them is of as great authority as the Scriptures yea and greater See for this Mr Hicks 1 dial P. 28. Will. Pen in his Rais. against Rail P. 40. cited by Mr Hicks 3. Dial. said That the Scriptures at most are but a kinde of declaratory and secondary Rule This man saith the same as we â—hall heare and further The Scripture is the Râ—le of historical faith but the light and Spirit of God can only be the Rule of saving faith and againe Pag. 55. That which is more ancient more universal and more able to informe rule and guide that must eminently be the rule but that hath been and is the Light within Therefore that hath been and ought to be the Rule of faith and practice So P. 48. Because we deny the Scriptures to be the rule of faith practice in honour to that divine light that gave them forth that we should therefore c. If this man think that we calumniat them upon this account he should tell us at least what high and honourable thoughts he and the rest have of them 5. But what if we finde him upon the matter saying little less than they though in more modâ—st expressions He saith I confess in his Thesis That the Scriptures of truth did proceed from the holy Revelations of the Spirit of God and one would think this a faire acknowledgment But in his Apology Pag. 36 he tels us that they do not think that the Authority of the Scriptures doth depend on any Efficacy or Vertue placed in these Writings but ascribe it wholly unto that Spirit from whom they came What confusion and self contradiction is here To say that the Scriptures of Truth are the
giving life unto the World of them that the Father hath given him and shall come to him Ioh. 6 33 37. They are these concerning whom the Fathers will was as being given of him that he should lose nothing but raise it up againe at the last day ver 38 39 40. The Redeemed ones that are numbered by God 144000. and are the first fruites unto God and the Lamb Revel 14 3 4 5. They are such as are the Lords and whom the Lord knoweth for his 2 Tim. 2 19. and are enrolled in the Lambs book Revel 13 8. and 20 15. See other particularities Psal. 87 5. Esai 43 1. and 49 12. and 19 18.24 25. Zeph 3 10. So are they designed to be these for whom God is and who shall have unquestionably all things the Elect who shall be justified who shall not be separated from the love of Christ are in all things more then Conquerours Rom. 8 31 32 33 34 37 38 39. These with whom the Covenant shall be confirmed Dan. 9 27. The redeemed out of every Kinred and Tongue and People and Nation and made Kings and Priests Revel 5 9 10. 22. Further 11 if Christ died for the sinnes of all persons how cometh it that they are not all actually pardoned It cannot be said that Christ's death was not a satisfactory price nor that the Father did not accept of it If then he shed his blood for the remission of sins Mat. 26 28. are not all these sins pardoned virtually and fundamentally or shall they not all actually be pardoned in due time If it be said they shall be pardoned upon condition of their faith But if the sinnes of all be equally payed for and equally in a virtual manner discharged in Christ's being actually discharged from that debt in the day of his Resurrection and the actual disharge depending upon the uncertain condition of mans Will man who willingly performeth the condition shall praise himself for the actual pardon and none else for Christ did no more for him as to the Actual Pardon than for others who never shall be blessed with actual forgiveness and yet forgiveness is held forth as a special act of free grace forgivenesse of sinnes is according to the riches of his grace Ephes. 1 7. Moreover as to that condition whether did Christ purchase it or not If he did not purchase it than man is not beholden to Christ for the Condition be it faith or what ye will it is no purchased mercy but man is beholden to his good Lord Free Will for it and so he may sacrifice to his own net and sing glory to himself for making himself to differ and for obtaining to himself Actual Remission of all his sinnes and consequently blessedness Rom. 4 v. 6 7 8. for had not his owne well disposed Lord Free Will performed that condition all that Christ did had never more advantaged him than it did others that perish If it be said that grace to performe the condition though it be not purchased by the blood of Christ yet it is freely given by God to whom he will I Answer Not to insist here on the proof of faith's being purchased by Christ because we shall cleare it afterward and there is nothing else assigned for the condition I would enquire whether Christ knew to whom this grace would be given or not if not then we must deny him to be God if he knew why shall we suppose that he would lay down his life equally for all when he knew before hand that many should never get grace to performe the condition upon which his death should redound to their actual pardon and justification what Ends or what Advantages can we imagine of such an Universal Redemption 23. 12. If the condition upon which actual pardon justification is granted in the blood of Christ be purchased by Christ then either all shall certainly be Pardoned Justified or Christ hath not purchased an Equal Common Possible Redemption to all and every man But the former is true it is not true that all shall certainly be pardoned and actually justified for then all should be glorified That the condition to wit Faith and Repentance is purchased by Christ who can deny seing he is expresly called the Author of Faith Heb. 12 2. and a Prince exalted to give Repentance and forgiveness of sins Act 5.31 So that as forgiveness of sins is founded upon his death as the Meritorious cause so must Repentance be and Christ as an exalted Prince and Saviour hath this power to dispose of his owne purchased legacy which he hath left and ensured by his death unto the heires of salvation Upon his Death and Satisfaction made in his death hath he gote all power in heaven and earth a power to quicken whom he will Mat. 28 â—8 Ioh. 5 21 22 27. Phil. â— 9 10 Hence we are said to be compleat in him Col 2 10. to be blessed with all spiritual blessings in ceâ—estials to which no doubt faith and Repentance do belong in him Ephes. 1 3 Is it not from hence that the divine power hath given unto us all things that pertaine unto life and godliness 2 Pet. 1 3 Nay Paul tels us expresly Phil. 1 29. that it is given to us in the behalfe of Christ to beleeve on him And certainly there is a promise of Faith and Repentance and all the promises are yea and amen in Him 2 Cor. 1 20. all the Blessings contained in the Covenant are made sure by his death who was the surety of this better Testament Heb. 7 2â— and this Testament was to have force by his death Heb. 9 15 16 17 18. and the New heart and heart of flesh is promisâ—d in the Covenant and comprehendeth Faith and Repentance they being some of his lawes which he hath also promised to write in the heart Ier. 31 33. Heb. 8 10. Ezech. 11 19 20. 36 26 27. We have moreover seen that Sanctification and Holiness from which Faith Repentance cannot be separated were purchased by Christ and intended in his death whence he is made of God unto us Sanctification 1 Cor. 1 30. If it be not purchased by Christ how come we by it is it a thing in our Power and an act of our owne Free Will Then as I said before we are beholden to ourselves for Faith and all that follow upon it and then farewell all Prayer for Faith and Repentance all Thanksgiving to God for it This is pure Pelagianisme If it be said that it is the free gift of God Ephes. 2 8. and a Consequent of electing love I Answere all the fruites of election which are to be wrought in us are procured by the blood of Christ for all are conveyed to us in a Covenant whereof Christ is the Mediator and Surety and with Christ he giveth us all things Rom. 8 32. and we are blessed in Him with all spiritual blessings according as he hath chosen
prisoner oâ— that Truth of God which the Law and Light of Nature did reveal If not what meaneth all the following discourse of the Apostle in that Chapter and Act. 14 vers 15 16 17. 17 v. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 This man is a stout advocat for Paganisme 38. Then he citeth Rom. 10. where the Apostle saith that the word that he preached was not far off but near in their mouth and in their heart And thereafter vers 18. he saith that this divine preacher did sound in all mens ears and hearts Ans. The Apostle out of Moses Deut. 30 14. is clearing the righteousness which is of Faith and is differenceing it from the righteousness which is of the Law Now that righteousness of faith whereof Moses spoke Deut. 30. was not revealed to all Nations at that time but to that select and peculiar people to whom Moses was sent the posterity of Abraham Isaac and Iacob See Deut. 4 5 6 7 8. and 7 6 7 8. So that all the world had not that doctrine which Moses taught these Israelites revealed and declared unto them but they must have gone over seas and countreyes and adjoined themselves unto the Common wealth of Israel as proselytes before they could have reaped that benefite so though this word and doctrine was brought near to the Israelites in their mouth by profession and in the heart by faith of as many as had their hearts circumcised to beleeve it will say nothing for the Universal Grace and Light which Quakers plead for 2. This doctrine of faith which Moses declared was the same upon the matter with that which Paul preached and that which Paul preached was not in the heart of heathens or of all men borne of Adam but was a mystery hid from ages and generations and spareingly revealed even to the Church untill the last dispensation came Nay the Apostle tels us plainely what that is vers 9. that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt beleeve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Now will this Quaker say that Heathens and such as never heard of Christ do or can confess with their mouth the Loâ—d Iesus or beleeve with their heart that he was raised from the dead See also what followeth vers 10 11. for with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnes and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation for the Scripture saith whosoever beleeveth on him shall not be ashamed 3. The following words confirme this where the Apostle vers 14 15. sheweth the necessity of hearing and of preaching and of sending for the begetting of faith saying how shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved And how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard And how shall they hear without a preacher And how shall they preach except they be sent as it is written c. then vers 17. he concludeth that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God This cannot then be meant of any inward thing that lyeth in the heart of every man but is the outward call of the Gospel which soundeth in the eares 4. As for that vers 18. It is to stop the mouthes of both Iewes and Gentiles especially the Iewes who whould pretend ignorance of this preached Gospel say that they had never heard thereof therefore saith the Apostle Have they not heard Yes would he say That is unquestionable for their sound went into all the earth c. What sound is this Is this a sound of something that is lodged in Heathens who never heard of the Gospel None can fancie this but a Quaker Or will this Quaker say that the sound of the Gospel preached came unto the eares of all and every man breathing No he saith expresly the contrary What can he then make out of this Hath the Light within such a sound and words as that Gospel which the Apostles preached or as the preaching of the Apostles which went far and neer into all the earth and to the ends of the world in a manner for the Apostle is alludeing unto the expressions which the Psalmist useth Psal. 19. speaking of the Sun and heavens these great and universal preachers of the glory of God but not of the Gospel And sure even these preachers were outward preachers and not any thing within the man not any Light or Grace or Seed or what they will call it that is within the heart of any man or of all men 39. Then he citeth Heb. 4 12 13. As bearing witness to his fancie But though many take the Word of God there mentioned to be understood of the outward word of the Gospel preached and declared in which sense it perfectly contradicteth this mans dream yet beside what is spoken hereof vers 12. that which is said vers 13. can agree only to a person and so it is most probable that this Word of God is Christ as the learned D. Own hath lately cleared in his Comment on the place But whether of these wayes we take it it can no wayes favoure this mans dream for there is nothing giving ground to imagine that this word of God is any thing abiding and remaining in the hearts of Heathens and meer natural persons which is the Quakers Universal Grace Who would not wonder to hear men say that there is that in every man Turk and Pagan which is quick and powerfull and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of thâ— thoughts and intents of the heart neither is there any creature that is not manifest in the fight of it but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of it and with it have we to do We heard before that they called this seed the Vehicle of God and here he ascribeth to it the very property of God to know all things even the Intents of the heart doubtless Quakers that are sensible of this Light can know our very thoughts and designes But we hear blasphemy too much out of the mouthes of these men and yet we must hear more for he saith that in and by this word God seeth the thoughts of men as if he did not see them immediatly but mediatly by the spectacles of this that is within every man Doth this man beleeve verily that there is a God And dar he say that he is beholden to this Light within for discerning the Thoughts and Intents of the heart What a God must these Quakers dream of Will they exalt this Light within above God O horrid blasphemers Nay this Quaker hath not yet done with his blasphemy for he ascribeth to this light that which is said Esai 55 4. and so David was a Type of this light and the new everlasting Covenant containeth and holdeth forth the mercies of this Light that are purchased procured and
freely given to us of God 1 Cor. 2 12. I assert that He is the earnest in our hearts 2 Cor. 1 22. and that beleevers are sealed with the holy Spirit of promise Ephes. 1 13. and that by him they aâ—e sealed unto the day of Redemption Ephes. 4 30. But all this is his peculiar work and by no shew of reason can or should be expected of a Rule as any man of ordinary judgment may see 34. But § 4. Pag. 43. He tels us that neither deaf persons nor idiots nor Infants can make use of it as a Rule and yet some of these may be saved That some of these may be saved and are I shall be loath to deny but what will this say for the Imperfection of the Scriptures Did not Paul know so much when he spok of their Perfection Or did not the Spirit of the Lord know this when he inspired David to say Psal. 19 that the Law of the Lord was perfect What I pray will his Revelations helpe the matter as to Infants and Idiots Are they capable of such Were there none such among the Jewes And yet he granted that the Law was a Primary Rule to them and consequently Perfect for he deducâ—th its not being a Principal Rule from its being Imperfect and therefore when and where so ever it was a Principal Rule then and there it was also a Perfect Rule Thus the man in stricking at us woundeth himself But what in case any of these persons kill a man what would the Law of the land do unto them would it punish them I think the Law of the Lord should warrand them if they did right And shall the Law of a Land reach persons that cannot make use of it and God's Law not What use can Children or Mad men or Idiots make of the Light within As for deaf persons they have Natures light and that is part of God's Law and if they have eyes they can see many things that may instruct them though they cannot read the Bible which was never penned for their immediat use nor yet for the use of Infants and Idiots But the saying that God can and when he will doth supply the want of Scripture as of other of his Appointments Ordinances in these extraordinary cases can be no impeachment either of the Usefulness or Perfection of the Scriptures Our Quakers will account their books and exhortations useful if not necessary and yet he shall hardly perswade me that deafe Persons or infants or idiots can make any good use of them 35. To the same end he mentioneth next such as cannot read And can he demonstrate that there were none such among the Iewes and can he tell me what this derogateth from the Perfection of the Lawes of a Land and I pray him tell me if he thinks that such as cannot read and yet live where the Scriptures are or within the Church can violat any of the precepts contained in the Scriptures or not If they can shall be punished of God therefore did not the Scriptures oblige them will their not being learned and able to read prove a sufficient plea for them in the day of accounts If not then the Scriptures remaine a Rule to them and if it remaine a Rule it must remaine a Perfect Rule for all that this argument concludeth which if it conclude any thing will conclude that the Scriptures are no Rule at all to such And as for the disadvantage such are at in the knowledge of the Rule they must blame themselves the Scriptures cannot bear the blame that they will not learne to read them no more than it can bear the blame of such as can read them and will not 36. After this he â—aketh together a number of things Such as peoples Ignorance of the Original Languages Errours in Translations whereof our owne is not in his judgment free Various Readings in the Originals difference among Learned men about the Points in the hebrew and about the Original authenticque of the Old Test. Some pleading for the â—o others for the Hebrew and he might have added the Papists pleading for the Vulgar latine Version for both old and New Testament All which can plead nothing against the Rule of the Scriptures as every one may see only â—t can be hence inferred that we are at some disadvantages in understanding some things in the Scripture and by this he rather disputes against the Providence of God and his Goodness that did not prevent these evils than against the Canon it self for he cannot deny thâ—t the Canon was once written by men inspired of God in one language or other nor will he say â—s we shall hear shortly that what was so written was written only for the good of these Persons or Churches to whom they were especially directed Beside that these Exceptions have been sufficiently removed by Learned Men particularly and that shortly and plainly by the learned D. Owen in his book above cited Himself calleth them the Scriptures of truth and § 2. Pag 38. he both wondereth and praiseth God that they are by the good providence of God keeped so pure and uncorrupt Yea Pag. 47. § 6. he confesseth thâ—t what errors are creept-in through the injury of the times are but small especially in substantial matters So that notwithstanding of all which he hath said the Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation and what neeâ—s more what would he hence inferre 37. Towards the end of Pag. 44. he tels us what he would hence conclude viz That Christ who promised to be with his own and to lead them in all truth c. would never leave them to be led by a Rule obvious to so many doubts And yet we see he hath done so for we know no other Rule whâ—ch Christ haâ—h given whereby to point our unto us the Way and Counsel of God But he addeth tâ—at Christ hath therefore given his Spirit for the Principal and chief Leader And I say the same and account it a saying worthy of all acceptance The Spirit is the Principal Chiefe Only Efficient Leader Giving and implanting a new principle of life and grace in the soul Reforming Regenerating the whole man as to his Understanding Will and Affections Sending and conveying new Influences of Life Light Strength and Comfort whereby the Ignorant and blinde are made to see the way wherein they ought to walk the fainting and weary get new power and increase of Strengh so as they run and are not weary and walk and are not faint the Sick and swooning christian is made to revive and become strong in the Lord and in the power of his might the Dejected and sorrowfull Mourner is made to sing in the wayes of the Lord through the Consolations of the H. Ghost but all this is consisting with no way derogatory to the Vse Necessity Fulness Compleetness of the Scriptures as our Rule Law Here lyeth the ground of this mans
this he must yeeld that Adam upon the fall began to die in being made liable to so many Miseries which he was to conflict with untill the day of his dissolution and from which he was â—ee so long as he stood in his integrity for he cannot be so unreasonable as to think that Sickness Infirmities Paines Torments Griefs c. can be punishments of sin to us and yet that they were no punishment of sin to Adam especially seing these were denunced against Adam by God the Righteous Judge upon conviction of his crime 19. When he giveth us his mystical Interpretation of the Lord 's thrusting man out of paradice and placeing at the east of the garden of Eden cherubimes and a flamming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life Pag. 55. he mentioneth the spiritual Communion and Communication which the sainâ—s enjoy with God through Jesus Christ to whom these cherubimes give place and to all that enter through him who calleth himself the Door Now I would ask this comming in our way here though we have designed the Next Chapter for this purpose If he thinketh Infants are capable of entring in at the door Christ and of enjoying Communion with God through Christ if he say yes then he supposeth that they are excluded by nature from this Communion as well as others and will not this prove the Imputation of Adams Guilt unto them seing they share of his Punishment and were with him and in him cast out of Paradice because of this transgression but more of this hereafter 20. Thereafter he cometh to prove that Adam and his Posterity after the fall did retaine no Will nor Light capable to discerne this he should say and not to manifest spiritual things and for this cause citeth Gen. 6 5 8 2â— Ier. 17 9. Rom. 3 10 -19 And here who would suspect but the Man meaned honestly to represent the deplorable Catastroph that sin brought into the world But he is like the man of whom Salomon speaketh Prov. 26 25 26. He that hateth dissembleth with his â—ips and layeth up deceit within him And therefore when he speaketh fair or maketh his voice gracious we must not beleeve him for there are seven abominations in his heart And in the very entry we have some discovery made to us of his disperat Designe for says he what ever good man doth in his Nature that doth not proceed from him but from the divine Seed in him Whence we may see that Man in his nature that is as I suppose in his Natural State can do good and this would seem to contradict what he is about to prove but to prevent this he tels us that all that good doth not proceed from him though he doth it but from the divine seed in him So that notwithstanding of the fall there is a divine Seed which remaineth in every man as an active principle of good But was not this divine seed in man before the fall no doubt Was not this divine seed a Principal part at least of the Image of God Sure it could not be otherwise Then it seemeth that man by his fall did not lose all the Image of Gâ—d nor the Principal part thereof and if this Seed of God remained he was not wholly dead as to a spiritual life and as to Communion with God which yet he understood by that death threatned upon the eating of the forbidden fruite Hence we may have some more clear discovery of thâ— Mystery of this mans Religion and of his Conceptions concerning the fall and of these things formerly hinted by us § 3 4 5 6 7 8. 14 for we see here clearly that the fall was but in a certane Respect in respect of Nature But not in respect of the Seed of God But I pray him to tell me how Adam did any good before the fall was it only by Nature or was it by the divine Seed If only by nature then the divine Seed was idle and useless and then why and for what ends had he this divine Seed If by the divine Seed then the fall caused no change for this divine Seed remained and remained Operative and man by it did good One thing further I would observe Here he granteth that persons in nature can do good by vertue of the seed of God and in so far as they do good by the seed of God or divine seed they are not deprived of the Sense and Touches of the Seed of God and yet he told us in the beginning of his Thesis That all the posterity of Adam was deprived of the sense and touch of the divine seed I know not how he shall liberate himself of this Contradiction unless he say that howbeit the good that a natural man doth proceed from the seed of God yet the man hath no feeling nor Touch of this Seed and so it is not the Man but the Seed that worketh and doth good and then it will follow that all that good which is done by man in nature is purely and immediatly the work of the Seed of God and is no Humane Action but Divine wherein the natural man is purely passive or rather as a shope in which a Man worketh and consequently they must be all Perfect Holy and Divine Actions and so their actions shall be better upon many accounts than the most gracious actions of the truely regenerated children of God Now let any judge what this man thinketh of the fall and of the Natural State of Man 21. He layeth down this exception before he enlarge upon Gen. 6 5. and the other places formerly named But one thing he hath not adverted unto viz. That none of those places give the least hint of this Exception yea That himself commenting upon them taketh in their most large and comprehensive sense and interpreteth them absolutely and not respectivly telling us that all the thoughts of the heart of man without exception of any this he tels us and would have us observe the emphasis are only and alwayes evil now where is that exception and limitation which he foisteth in here of its owne nature or of it self or as it proceedeth from his heart Shall we think that God's controversie against the wicked world was only this that howbeit Man did good and much good by vertue of the Divine Seed that was in him yet all that good did not proceed from his Nature and from his owne heart How absurd is this And doth Ieremiah Chap. 17 9. give any hint of this Exception or Limitation Doth he say that the heart of man in it self is deceitful above all things but not the heart of natural men as under the touches of the seed of God Doth Paul Rom. 3. speaking positively enough of man in his lapsed and corrupt state make any exception of actions done in them by the divine Seed Why doth this man then obtrude his fancyful notions upon us without all ground or shew of
himself By this accusing of conscience Paul proveth here that the Gentiles had the Law in their heart 10. He would know that there is a twofold writing of the Law in the heart One is whereby the knowledge of the Law is so fixed in their mindes as that it cannot be utterly delet howbeit their wils cannot and will not comply therewith and of this the Apostle is here speaking for the Heathens have this Law of nature so imprinted and fixed in their Mindes as to several things concerning God and their carriage and walk in the world that they cannot but see a difference betwixt Righteousness and Iniquity Honesty and Dishonesty in several particulars and in their judgment preferre the one to the other though their hearts and wills be not reconciled thereunto and made to comply therewith even according to thâ— measure of their Knowledge and Judgment The Other is whereby the whole will of God revealed in Law and Gospel is by the Spirit of God deeply imprinted in the soul of Beleevers so that as their Mindes know it and their Judgments approve it so their Wills imbrace it with love and desire and their native Endeavour is after Full Pure Sincere and Spiritual conformity thereto in the strength of the same Spirit and it is their griefe and matter of unfaigned sorrow when through the workings of a remanent body of death they come short of what is commanded whether as to Matter or Manner or End intended c. If he shall evince that Paul speaketh of this here he shal do more than all the Socinians no persons else ever dreamed of this ever have been able to do to this day But the truth is I apprehend all this is a riddle to this man who understandeth no other writing of the Law in hearts than the first for as he is an enemy so is he a stranger unto the Gospel of the Grace of God as will evidently enough appear ere we have done 25. He addeth a second reason for his Interpretation Pag. 57 saying that if nature here be understood of the proper nature of Man then the Apostle should contradict himself who elsewhere saith that the natural man cannot perceive the things of God but among these things of God the Law is comprehend seing Paul Rom. 7 12 14. itâ—oly â—oly just and good and Spiritual and calleth himself carnal which must be understood as he was unregenerat I answere 1. Paul no way contradicteth himself except in this mans dreaming fancy for these spiritual things whereof the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 2 14 are not the things of Nature or of the Law or Light of Nature But the things of the Spirit of God which must be spiritually understood vers 14. which none can know without they have the minde of Christ vers 16. which concerne Christ and Him Crucified vers 2. the same which Paul preached in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power vers 4. which was Wisdom among such only as were perfect vers 6. and which only the Spirit which is of God did reveal and not the Spirit of the world vers 11 12. and which eye had not seen nor eare heard c. vers 9. It was the preaching of the Crosse of Christ which even the Wise and Understanding and such as had not only Natures Light but the Light of the Law could not know It was that which even to the Jewes was a stumbling block and to the wise Grecians was foolishness Chap. 1 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. Hence we see the Law which was written in the hearts of the Gentiles is not among those things whereof Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 2. 2. It is truâ— the Law both that which is written in the heart of the Gentiles and that which was more clearly and amply declared and explained by God to the Jewes was Good Holy Just and Spiritual yet was it not the same with the things of God whereof the Apostle spoke 1 Cor. 2. 3 This man must have a strange antipathy at â—ruth and against the Orthodox for he will joyne with any before he take part with them we heard but just now how he joyned with Smalcius the Socinian and here in interpreting Rom. 7 14. c. he deserteth the orâ—hodox and joyneth himself with Pelagians Arminians and Socinians who will have the Apostle there speaking not of himself but as assumeing the person of one in nature not yet regenerated as if such were not wholly â—in and whâ—lâ—y flesh or had an Inward man delighting in the Law of God or â—ad a Law in their minde contrary to the Law in their members or were capable of this captivity when they are willing slaves or could groan under a boâ—y of death and account themselves miserable upon that account or thank God through Jesus Christ because of the begun delivery and certane expectation of the full victory or as if they with their minde could serve the Law of God 4. His sole reason viz. because the Apostle said he was carnal proveth nothing for what the Apostle speaketh in a certane respect must not be understood in an absolute sense He was it is true carnal as all â—egenerat persons are not absolutly nor wholly but in part in so far as the old man remained in which respect the best have a Law in their members warring against the Law of their minde and have the flesh lusting against the Spirit as they have the Spirit lusting against the flesh Gal. 6.17 And the Apostle calleth even such babes in Christ carnal in a certane reâ—pect 1 Cor. 3 1. 26. Thereafter he tels us That when we are urged with this testimony by Pelagians anâ— Socinians and by them so â—hat we see with whom he and his party are birds of one feather we use to answere that there were some remnants of the spiritual image left in Adam But sayes he this is affirmed without probation In which he either speaketâ— aâ—ainst his Light or he â—aâ—â— neâ—er read what hath been said upon this by the orthodox against Socinians and Arminians and such as would defend that there were some speculative Atheisâ—s unto whom this Mans assertion doth no small service as we may shew hereafter But next he saith that hereby we contradict ourselves and destroy our own cause Why so For saith he If by these relicques they could fulfil the law then either Christ's coming was not necessary or men could be saved without him or that these thâ—ugh they keeped the Law were damned because ignorant â—f Christ to come which the Lord had made impossible for them to know Answere 1. We never said that they could fulfil the Law by these relicques nor doth the Apostle say so It is true they did and could do by nature somethings contained in the Law and this was sufficient for the Apostles designe not all Even Paul though many stages above many heathens while in the state of nature did not know till the written Law told him that
sinning they actually joyn themselves to it And this seed of sin is frequently in Scripture called dâ—ath and the body of death and that this seed and that which cometh of it is called the old man the old Adam Thus then in â—hort his judgment is that nothing of original sin neither Originans nor Originatum neither the Guilt of Adam's sin nor the Corruption of nature is imputed to or inherent in any man till he commit some actual transgression and so sin cometh not by Propagation or Traduction but by Imitation as said the Pelagians of old and as the Socinians and Anabaptists to day maintaine And the Arminians with their Episcopius deny that any thing that is truely sin is found in any of Adams Posterity before their own proper act 8. Let us now see what he sayeth in defence of this Errour and let us first take notice of what he said of Augustine that much honoured Instrument of the Lord against the errours that Satan was soweing in the Church in his time He would make us beleeve that Augustine wrote of this subject when under the dottage of old age while as it is manifest to such as read his life that what he wrote against Pelagius was written while he was in the prime of his Vigour and Understanding and his works themselvs declare the same But what will this pedantick Quaker think of that singular and self-denying woâ—k of that worthy person called his Retractations wherein he reviewed all his former writings and retracted several thâ—ngs asserted by him in his younger and lesse studied yeers belike this man will look upon that work being written after these he now excepteth against as containing nothing but greater dottages because as he â—upposeth the longer persons live though not yet comeing near the ordinary attendants of stouping or declineing old age they grow the greater fools and consequently that himself must now be a greater fool though I see little dâ—ffâ—rence while become a Quaker than he was in his younger dayes when he was a Papist Next the man is not ashamed to judge of the very Thoughâ—s and Motives of that noble Instrument yea he is so bold as to condemne him of acting upon corrupt motives as if noâ—hing had moved him to write for Oâ—iginal sin but eagerness of Zâ—al against Pelagius no inward conviction of the truth not of the damnableness or danger of the Pelagian heâ—esie in this no conviction of his duty to appear for truth Doth this Qâ—aker consider that hereby he is audaciously arrogating to himself Gods prerogative royal of judging the secrets of the heart Remembeâ—eth he that God is a Jealous God who will not give his glory to another But what grounds can he give of this his bold presumption What evidence is there of that holy Fathers writting against his own conscience I â—ay no more of this but leave this Quaker to his judge and take notice of a Third untruth when he sayeth that Augustine was the first that appeared in this controversie against the Pelagians Had he but consulted Vossius in his Historia Pelagianismi a book that sometime he citeth he should have found that whole Councils appeared against Pelagius himâ—elf to speak nothing of Hierome in this particular before that Augustine wrote of it particularly the first Synod at Carthage and that Synod in Palestine where Pelagius himself was present and hideing his abominations deceived the Fathers with faire words and the Council of Milevy that dealt more roundly with that heresie tels us in plaine tearmes that the Truth which they maintained was owned by the whole Catholick Church all the world over and so it was indeed and never once questioned till that unhappy instrument of Satan to whom this Quaker adjoyneth himself broached his pernicious doctrine It is true the Pelagians called this Orthodox truth a forged device of Augustines as this man doth but Augustine replyed as Vossius tels us Hist. Pelag lib. 2. part 1. Thes. 6. in these words I did not devise original sin which the Caâ—holick faith beleeved of old but thou who denyest this without doubt art a new heretick and lib. 1. contra Iulian. Cap. 2. he citeth no fewer then ten or twelue of the Fathers for him and lib. de Pecc Merit Remis he saies he never heard one that owned the Scriptures speak otherwise If this Quaker had perused Vossius in the place last cited he would have seen how the â—ame truth which Augustine maintained was asserted by ancient Fathers both Greek and Latine before Augustine's dayes such as Ignatius Dionysius Areopagia Iustin Martyr Tatianus Ireneus whom Augustine himself citeth Origen Methodius Macarius Hierosol Macarius Aegyptius Athanasius Cyrillus Nazianzenus Chrysostome and others of the latine Fathers he citeth Tertullian Cyprian Arnobius Reticius Olympius Hilarius Ambrosius whom Augustine citeth Hilarius Diaconus Hieronimus whom he also citeth And moreover he should have found Pag. 179. that Augustine did not assert this truth meerly out of zeâ—l gainst the Pelagians as he ignorantly and boldly affirmeth for he had asserted it in hâ—s books de Libero Arbitrio written before Pelagianisme appeared and how in his 6. book against Iulianus the Pelagian Cap. 4. he sayes expresly that he was in that judgment from the very beginning of his conversion that he had said nothing through heat of disput which was not the ancient doctrine of the whole Church Ego sayeth he per unum hominem in mundum intrasse peccatum per peccatum mortem ita in omnes homines pertransisse in quo peccaverunt omnes ab initio conversionis meae sic tenui semper ut teneo Extant libri quos adhuc laicus reâ—entissimâ neâ conversiâ—ne conscripst et si nondum sicut postea sacris literis eruditus tamen nihil de hâc re jam nunc sentiens ubi disputandi ratio poposcerat dicens nisi quod antiquitus discit and docet omnis Ecclesia Let this Qâ—aker read these words and if he be not above measure effronted let him blush at his shameless boldness Let hiâ— read also August lib 4 ad Boniâ—ac c. 8. contra duaâ— Pelagianorum Eâ—istolas lib. 3. de Pecc Mer. remiss cap. 6. 7. lib. 1. adv jul resp poster Pag 5.8 125. and he will see further cause of repenting of his groundless confidence and audacity if his conscience be not feared 9. We have had one great proof of this Quakers confident boldness now theâ—e followeth another for the only confirmation which he adduceth of his Heâ—esie in his Thesis and that which he first speaketh to in his Apology Pag. 59. is brought from Ephes. 2 1 2 3. a passage out of which the old Fathers proved Orâ—ginal sin against the Pelagians as August lib. 6. c. 12. cont jul Scriptor Hypognost lib. 2. Fulgent and fourteen Bishops with him ad Petrum diaconum c. 26. Theodoret on the place also Primasius and Haimo commenting on the place and others cited by
Repentance But how can he come who hath no power to Beleeve or Repent without grace Or is it in corrupt mans power to Beleeve or Repent 9. As for this Quaker with whom we are dealing He is not pleased to give us a full aâ—count of his judgment in this particular only two things I finde he harpeth upon and repeateth as the conclusion of his pretended proofs and allegations viz. 1. That Christ died for all and every man and not for all kinds of men only non pro generibus singulorum sed pro singulis generum as he saith And 2. That what he procured was only a Possibility of salvation but what he understandeth hereby we are left to conjecture Yet it is manifest that with him this was all and summe that was procured and that it was procured for all equally But what saith he as to the Conditions of the new Covenant we must attend him in what followeth ere we know his judgment herein Where albeit he saith that what he with the rest of the Quakers maintaine therein is different from what others say and peculiar to themselves Yet we will finde to be nothing but Pelagianisme and Arminianisme put in a new dresse of words not usual with others 10. Though it might be sufficient for us to consider what this man saith and only answere his Reasons Yet to give the Reader some satisfaction in this matter which others than Quakers are pleading for now a dayes it will not be amisse to give in short the grounds of our contrary judgment which we maintaine with the orthodox wherein I intend not a full handling of that Controversie But only a short proposal of the truth with the grounds thereof whereby all our Adversaries assertions will be rejected and our way in answering what this Quaker alleigeth facilitated and withal the two Assertions wâ—ich he insisteth upon viz. the Vniversality of the Redemption and the meer Possibility which was procured abundantly confuted 11. What that truth is which we stand for is plainly and fully enough set downe in several places of Our Confession of Faith as Chap. 3. § 6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory so hath he by the Eternal and most free purpose of his Will fore ordained all the meanes thereunto Wherefore they who are Elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season are Iustified Adopted Sanctified and Keeped by his power through faith unto salvation Neither are any other Redeemed by Christ effectually Called Iustified Adopted Sanctified and Saved but the Elect only So Chap. 8. § 1. It pleased God in his eternal purpose to choose and ordaine the Lord Iâ—sus his only begotten Son to be the mediator between God and man Vnto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed and to be by him in time Redeemed Called Iustified Sanctified and Glorified And ibid. § 5. The Lord Iesus by his perfect obedience and sacrifice â—f himself which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God hath â—ully satisfied the Iustice of his Father and purchased not only Râ—conciliation but aâ— Everlastiâ—g inheritance in the Kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father hath given unto him So ibid § last To all those for whom Christ hath purâ—hased Redemption he doth certanely and effectually apply and communicate the same making intercession for them and revealing unto them in and by the word the mysteries of salvation effectually perswading them by his Spirit to beleeve and obey and governing their hearts by his word and Spirit overcoming all their enemies by his Almighty power and wisdom in such manner and wayes as are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensations Our judgment is this in short That Christ according to the good pleasure of his Father laid downe his life a Ransome for the Elect only who were given to him to save from Wrath and Destruction and by that price purchased Salvation and all the Meanes necessary thereunto for them only to whom in due time and after the method which he thinketh best doth effectually apply the same unto them and actually save them 12. Though grounds sufficient considering the places of Scripture annexed in the margine of the Confession confirming all are clearly hinted and laid downe in these passages cited yet I shall with what brevity is possible point forth our grounds in plaine termes And 1. The Scripture is full and plaine in holding forth a Covenant betwixt Iehovah and the Mediator a transaction concerning man or the purposes of God concerning the Salvation of Man in way of a mutual Compact both for our better understanding of that solide ground of our Peace and Hope and for the confirming of our staggering and weak Faith And though the full explication and confirmation hereof would I judge fully undermine and destroy the rotten grounds of Socinians and Arminians and of all who are for the Diana of Free will and enemies to the Grace of God yet I cannot digresse thereunto here and shall only referre such as would see the same confirmed unto Mr. Dicksons Therapeutica sacra and Mr Rutherfords book upon the Covenant Taking it therefore for granted till what is by these Worthies said anent it be confuted and finding that Arminius himself in his Orat. de Sacerdotio Christi saith there was a Covenant betwixt the Lord and Christ I shall but shortly inferre therefrom That it is repugnant to reason to say that the result of that Eternal Transaction and the whole intended by it was only to procure a meer Possibility of Salvation and that such a Possibility as that though it was equally for all yet it might so fall out that not one person should be saved among all the sones of Adam How unreasonable is it to imagine such a bargane betwixt the Faâ—her and the Son as among men considering what they are doing can have no place If Christ was to see his seed by vertue of this Contract then certainly God had a special eye and respect unto that seed and that seed must be distinguished from all the rest for it cannot be All else all should be saved and so Christ did not undertake to buy all nor did the Father give him All for his seed and in reference to that seed the Redemption purchased must be an Actual and not a meer Potential or Possible Redemption and the Lord must have full Power and Dominion over the Will of that Seed whereby he may determine their hearts unto a following of the Method which he was to prescribe and all these meanes whereby this actual Closeing with the Conditions was to be effectually wrought must have been secured for a transaction betwixt persons infinite in Wisdom must of necessity be in all things contrived in deep Wisdom So then if by vertue of this Covenant a seed was ensured to Christ it was these concerning whom the transaction was
body the Church Ephes. 5 23. And againe Quaest 68. Are all the Elect only effectually called Ans. All the Elect and they only are effectually called Act 13 48. Although others may be and often are outwardly called by the ministry of the word Mat. 2â— 14. and have some common operations of the Spirit Mat. 7 22. 13 20 21. Heb. 9 4 5. who for their wilfull neglect and contempt of the grace offered to them being justly left in their unbeleef do never truely come to Iesus Christ Ioh. 12 38 39 40. Act 28 25 26 27. Ioh. 6 64 65. Psal. 81 11 12. 10. When the Gospel cometh to a place there is ground of hope that God hath some lost groat or other to finde out by the light thereof for it being the Gospel of Salvation and by it the Lord bringing life and immortality to light and it being the mean appointed and designed of God for this end to bring in the chosen ones there is ground to suppose that the Lord hath some elected ones in that place moe or fewer And though as to the intention of God and as it is the meanes designed of Lord whereby to effectuate the purpose he hath of saving such as he hath designed unto life it be properly sent to gather them in yet considering it as containing the revealed will of God and pointing forth duty and as it is put into the hands of men who know not the secret Counsels of God nor whose names are writen in the book of life whose not it concerneth all that hear it and all are bound in obedience to the command of the great God in the mouth of his authorized Ambassadours to believe and obey the Gospel And when obedience is not yeelded thereunto the righteous God because of the refusal of the offer and the contempt done to the grace of God in that refusal either taketh away the Gospel leaving that people in darkness and in an irremediable case by Non-churching or Excommunicating them as he threatned to do to Ephesus Revel 2 to Laâ—dicea Rev 3 and did to the Iewes when he cut them off and hath done to several other Churches sometimes â—amous for Christianity And where he continuâ—th the Light of the Gospel after much contempt there being of his Elect there whom he will not want but with much long suffering for the glory of his Grace waite for he hath other spiritual judgments wherewith even in this side of Eternity he punisheth such contemptuous offenders whose life natural he may spare for a time by giving them up to hardness of heart judicially blinding them giving them up to the power of Unbeleefe and to spiritual Security and Deadness so that no preaching can pierce them no Meanes can prevaile with them no Motives can move or perswade them no Threatnings can awaken them or rouze them out of their sleep So that the Lord dealeth with them according as it is written Esai 6 9 10. Mat 13 14. Mark 4 v. 12. Luk. 8 10. Ioh. 12 40. Act. 28 26. Rom. 11 8. maketh their eyes heavy and shutteth their eyes c. or as it is written Esa. 29 10. Rom. 11.8 poureth out upon them the Spirit of a deep sleep and closeth their eyes or as it is written Psal. 81 12. giveth them up to their owne hearts lust or as it is Psal. 6â— 22. maketh their table a snare or as it is 2 Thes. 2 10 11 12. giveth them up to all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish and sendeth them strong delusion that they shall believe a lie that they may be damned who beleeved not the truth or saith to them as Revel 22 11. He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still And though such judgments may be inflicted upon some that live and die under the drop of the Gospel yet it may well be said as to these on whom the Lord poureth out these judgments that the day of their Visitation and hope is at an end But yet though the consideration of this may and should make the Faithful Labourer in the work of the ministry when ready to complaine and cry out that he hath laboured in vaine and hath spent his strength for nought and in vaine Esai 49 4. lay his hand upon his mouth and adore knowing withall that his judgment is with the Lord and his work with his God ibid. and that he is unto God a sweet savour of Christ even in them that perish and to whom he is the savoure of death unto death 2 Cor. 2 15 16. Yet notwithstanding because it is not certain who are the particular persons who are thus judicially smitten of God he should minde his duty and preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2 Tim. 4 2. and be patient in meekness instructing those that 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. And others also who are even in a more private capacity should save some with fear pulling them out of the fire Iud vers 23. Not do we hereby give allowance to any to despond or despaire who hear the Gospel for the Lord hath his own time of coming the door standeth open that whosoever will may be encouraged to come forward for Christ in no wise casteth out any that cometh Ioh. 6 37. the invitation is Free Large whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Revel 22 17. Though with all we must say that word Heb. 6 4 5 6 7. may strick terrour into the hearts of many for it is impossible for those that were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them againe unto repentance seing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame for the earth which drinketh in the raine that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbes meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God but that which beareth thorns briers is rejected is near unto cursing whose end is to be burned 11. But as concerning that possibility which this Quaker dreameth of whereby it is concluded or presupposed that every Mothers son of the Posterity of Adam have Power and Ability Moral I say moral that no man may think I speak here of the meer faculties of the soul Understanding Will to beleeve and obey the Gospel or can of themselves beleeve without the Spirit of God and his mighty operation enlightening the Understanding savingly and renewing the Will and causing by the influence
were challenged and rebuked for the contempt of the Gospel or of Christ offered in the Gospel that was never revealed unto them for as man as have sinned without Law shall also perish without Law Rom. 2 vers 12. So as many as have sinned without the Goâ—pel shall pâ—rish without the Gospel for how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard And how can they hear without a Preacher And how shall they preach except they be sent Rom. 10 14 15. 3. What blasphemy is it to say that God and Christ are involved in this thing Do not their hearts quake at such expressions 9. What more And as saith he it is received in the heart and is not hindered from produceing its own natural and proper effect Christ is formed and raised in the heart of which the Scripture maketh frequent mention which is called the new man Christ in the saints the hope of glory This is that inward Christ of which we only and so often speak and whom we declare every where preaching him and exhorting all that they would believe in the light and obey it that they might know Christ born and raised up in themselves and delivering them from all sin Ans. Here is a short and clear account of the mysterie of iniquity the abomination of desolation which they owne maintaine and preach who are called Quakers the sworne enemies of the Gospel grace of God To which we say 1. When it is said to be received in the heart it is supposed that formerly it was not in the heart And how can this be seing he said before that it was in every one Or was it only in their head and not in their heart 2. Did ever Pelagius more Pelagianize than doth this Quaker Or can there be anything imagined more opposite to the Gospel and to the rich grace of God therein revealed than to say that there is in every man Heathen Barbarian and Scythian who never heard of Christ in the Gospel that the proper and natural effect of which is to forme Christ in the soul Why did the Apostle Paul then say Gal. 4 19. My little children of whom I travail in birth againe until Christ be formed in you What needed the Apostle be at all this paines and paine to travail in birth for that which could have been wrought though he and the Gospell which he preached had never been heard of And what need is there of the preaching of the Gospel if the whole Gospel and the whole Grace of God necessary to the forming of Christ in the soul be in every Heathen that never heard of the Gospel Can there be any thing invented by Satan more contradictory to that Gospel whereby life and immortality is brought to light Is there any thing imaginable that more directly crosseth and annulleth the whole frame of the Gospel in all its parts and overturneth its very Foundations 3. The Scripture indeed maketh frequent mention of the Grace of God manifested in the Gospel and of the effects brought to passe by the Gospel and the Grace of God working thereby but it no where saith that there is any thing in the heart of man by nature which produceth Christ in the soul the hope of glory as its proper and natural Effect Nay the whole book of God declareth the plaine contrary when it not only sheweth us the blindness and wickedness of the heart of every man till it be renewed by grace consequently the utter impotency of nature to worke salvation but also sheweth that all that which the light in every man can eye as its object being only the works of Creation Providence is utterly insufficient for attaining this end because those works can declare nothing of the Gospel mystery whatever it may do of the Law Hence the times of the Gentiles living without the Gospel are called times of ignorance at which God winked Act. 17 30. and times wherein God suffered all nations to walk in their own wayes Act. 14 vers 16. so that they were alienated from the life of God Ephes. 4 18. having the understanding darkened and being under ignorance because of the blindness and hardness of heart The Gospel doth every where tell us that we cannot be justified by the works of the Law and yet all that which this Common Light can do is but to â—nforme and that most imperfectly of somethings required by the Law of Nature it speaketh nothing of faith in Christ which is Absolutely requisite to Justification and Salvation for without it it is impossible to please God Heb. 11 6. and by it we are united unto Christ the only Mediator for there is not another name given to men under heaven by which they can be saved but by the Name Iesus Act. 4 12. and it is life eternal to know God and Him whom He hath sent Iesus Christ Ioh. 17 3. But should we expatiat here in the confutation of this grosse Pelagianisme we should transcribe the whole Gospel â— Christ in saints the hope of glory is not brought about by Nature nor by the Works of the Law but by the Gospel and faith in it for this is the riches of the glory of this mystery whereof Paul was a minister according to the dispensation of God and which had been hid from ages and from generations Col. 1 25 26 27. and wherein Paul laboured striveing according to his working which wrought in him mightily vers 29. Nay before they were reconciled in the body of Christs flesh through death they were alienated and enemies in their minde by wicked works vers 21 22. and this was the peculiar priviledge of such as had received Christ Chap. 2.6 and were in him circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sinnes of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ were buryed with him and risen with him in baptisme through the faith of the operation of God and were quickened together with him vers 11.12.13 5. If this be all the Christ which they preach and declare their Christ and theame is but the dim and dark Light of Nature or the Corrupt Nature of Man which is enmiâ—y to God and to the Gospel And so they are Heathenisâ— Preachers no Gospel Ministers they are Nature Teachers and Admirers and Gospel Subverters Therefore all that love their own souls should keep far from their tents and look upon them as the most desperat Enemies to the Gospel of the Grace of God that ever Satan sent abroad in the world to destroy souls 6. The Christ whom the Gospel commands us to beleeve in and obey is Christ the Son of God God man our Immanuel the promised Messiah the Fellow of God against whom the Sword of Justice did awake the Servant of God who was Incarnat God made manifest in the flesh who grew up as a tender plant as a root out of a dry ground was despised and rejected of men a man of sorrowes
procured to us his favour Ephes. 1.6 Mat. 3 17. How could he have purchased a peculiar people Tit. 2 13 14. How could He have given to us his Spirit Gal 4 v. 6. How could He have conquered all our enemies Luk. 1 v. 68 69 71 74. And how could he bring us to everlasting salvation Heb. 5 v. 8 9. 9 v. 12 13 14 15 16. But they deny all these things as done by any other Christ than what is within themselves though in a smaller measure than in him that was crucified at Ierusalem 2. Behold also how he runneth wild in his notions for when he saith that Christ was a man as we are and that Christ dwelleth in us and that the same God dwelleth in us that dwelt in Christ he must also say that Christ dwelt in Christ immediatly and Christ dwelleth in us mediatly But 3. He saith the Eternal word which was with God and was God dwelt immediatly in the holy man Christ but mediatly in us But he will not say that Eternal Word did assume the man-hood into its personal union and so admitting a gradual difference which varyeth not the kinde Quakers and Heathens may as well be said to be Immanuel God manifest in the flesh as Christ Iesus to be the life which is the Light of men and the true Light which lighteth every man comeing into the world and what not How abominable must that Abomination be which these Quakers call and account their Religion They deserve not to be called Christians As for his rejecting of the errours of Apollinaris Pag. 84 denying that Christ had a soul and of Eutiches who denyed him to have a true humane nature wâ—at is it but what all the Socinians will deny as well as he 11. In the third place § 14. Pag. 84. he sayes this grace light and seed is not an accidens but a real spiritual substance which the soul of man can apprehend feel and from which proceedeth that real and spiritual birth called the new creature the new man in the heart Ans. 1. Then this must be neither Grace nor Light for these are not substances 2. It is little wonder he call it a Real Spiritual Substance when it is God's Vehicle and the Organ in which He dwelleth But neither Scripture nor sound philosophy tels us of any substance in man but what belongs either to his Soul or to his Body it is like he will joyn himself with the old Heracleonites who spoke of a third substance in man 3. The soul can apprehend and feel an accidens as well as a substance and the new creature and new man in the heart being an accidens and consisting in Knowledge Righteousness and Holiness the image of God in man Ephes 2 24. Col. 3 10. can proceed from an accidens 4. This man stricks-in with the old Manichees with Flacius Illiricus in part who said that Original Sin was a substance so also they said that Original Righteousness and the image of God is a substance and the essence of man See Wigandus de Manicheismorenovato Pag. 8.9 And that the new man is the substance of man id Pag. 14. 5. This sayes that this Seed and Light or Grace or what ever it be called must be nothing but what is Natural belonging to the Nature and Essence of man and cannot be any thing supernatural and so all their Conceptions of this mater how substantial soever they suppose it to be must be Carnal and Natural 6. How can the new creature which is a supernatural thing arise from this natural howbeit substantial Seed and Grace 12. These things are not very intelligible being the issue of men transported with delusory phancies And howbeit he saith that they are wonderful to carnal men who are strangers to them yet me thinks The word of God should containe such things and till we finde the Scripture bearing witness thereunto we must forbear the imbraceing of them though we lye under the imputation of being but carnal men with him who thinketh none are Spiritual but himself and other Quakers But how proveth he the thing He tels us only that they know it and are sensible of it by true and certain experience They taste it smell it see it and touch it And why not also hear it But the pretended experiences of deluded men are no demonstrations to us The more they talk at this rate after we have heard of their corrupt Pelagian Arminian and Socinian Principlâ—s tending to overturne the Gospel of the grace of God the more we cannot but suspect them of grosse Knavery and Delusion Persons possessed with the devil can talk as much of their senses and sensible experiences of the workings of Satan in them as these Quakers can do And yet that is no argument to us to receive their Assertions as demonstrations unless as demonstrations of devilry 13. But he learnedly demonstrateth that it is a Substance because it abideth in the hearts of the ungodly even while they remaine in their impieties Ans. And doth not Pravity Ignorance Rebellion c. remaine in their hearts while they abide in their impieties Are these therefore substances The man shall thus goe far beyond Illyricus make all actual wickedness substances so ascribe them all to God who is the Author of substances But sayes he no accident can be in a subject unless the subject can be denominated therefrom And why may not the man in whom is this grace and light be denominated a graced and enlightened man And sure if Christ as they say doth thus enlighten every man every man may be said to be thus enlightened as well as when one smiteth Robert Barclay he may be said to be smitten or as well as when Satan deludeth him he may be said to be deluded And thus this Substance shall be turned into an accidens by this man's philosophy But why may not substances give ground for denominations The soul is a substance and if the soul be in the body the body may be said to be enlivened therewith and so though it were granted that this grace and light were a substance yet every one in whom it is might be said to be graced and enlightened thereby And thus his demonstration evanisheth He tels us they distinguish betwixt holiness as an accidentâ— denominating a man as this seed getteth place in his heart and this holy and substantial seed which oft lyeth in mens heart as a graine of seed in a rockie ground as we distinguish betwixt health which cannot but denominat the man in whom it is and medicine which is a substance and which may be in a most unhealthy body Resp. 1. Nay we see They distinguish betwixt this seeds lying in the heart and its getting place in the heart or else these words have no sense 2. If there be such a difference betwixt this Substantial Seed and Holiness as is betwixt Physick and Health that substantial seed is no part of holiness
are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3 18. The text saith not that this light is and was shall be in every man Quakers are good at dreaming 30. Then be saith That Iohn tels us vers 7. to what end this light is given viz. that all might beleeve by it for he will have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be meaned of the Light and not of Iohn But the man is busie here seeking a knot in a rush The Euangelist tels us what was the end for which Iohn was sent to wit to bear witness of the Light that all through him might beleeve that is through him as an instrument for he was the Eliah the Prophet that was to come to turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers Mal. 4 5.6 Mat. 11 14. Mark 9 11. he was to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God for he was to go before him in the Spirit and power of Elias to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and disobedient to the wisdome of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Luk. 1 16 17. He was the prophet of the Highest and was to goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes To give knowledg of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sinnes c. Luk. 1 76 77 78 79. So that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly referre to Iohn who was but an Instrument by whom his hearers were brought to beleeve in Christ the true Light And to Iohn do Cyrillus Chrysostomus and all the Latine Greek Commentators except Theophylact referre it And the very genuine aspect and series of the words enforce it this being the end of Iohns ministrie and witness-bearing that by him and through his Ministrie all his hearers might be brought to faith in the true Light for this was the intendment of all his labour and paines as we see Ioh. 3 36. Act. 19 4. But this Quaker would make us beleeve that to interpret the words so is to contradict the scope of the context for it is Christ sayes he that enlightens all with this light And is not this that they might beleeve by it Ans. It is true it is the true Light that enlighteneth all And He as an efficient cause doth thereby work faith in all that are enlightened but nevertheless by Iohn Baptist as an Instrument might his hearers be brought to beleeve in Christ the true Light and what way doth this contradict the scope He addeth All could not beleeve by Iohn for his Ministrie came not to all Ans. Thence let him learne how to interpret these universal particles So it is said Mat. 21 26. all held Iohn for a prophet yet many in the world never heard of Iohn but the meaning is all that knew his ministrie and so here all to whom his ministrie came indefinitely without exception of any But all sayes he enlightened with the light might have beleeved thereby Ans. Nay all enlightened with this saving light should certainly have believed for this Illumination giveth not a bare power to believe but certainly worketh the effect Iohn saith he further did not shine in darkness but this Light shineth in darkness that darkness being dissipated it might beget faith Ans. And what then Ergo by Iohns ministrie men could not be brought to beleeve in the true light This is a Quakers Consequence that is ridiculous But lastly he sayes we must beleeve by that in which communion is had with God but by walking in the Light we obtaine this communion not by walking in Iohn Answ. Our walking in the light is our enjoying communion with God as the text at which he glanceth 1 Ioh. 1 7. doth cleare Our walking in the light is a fruite of faith and not the cause of it though it may be a cause of its increase and confirmation What is that to beleeve by walking in the light Though not by walking in Iohn yet by hearing receiving of his doctrine men might be brought to beleeve in Christ for he came to beare witness of the true Light and faith cometh by hearing As we have received Christ so must we walk in him Col. 2 6. but receiving goeth before walking and is not effectuated by walking 31. He spends sometime Pag. 99. to prove that this Light here mentioned is supernatural saving sufficient and foundeth all upon this that it is the light of Christ whereby all ought to beleeve And thus subdolously foisteth-in his corrupt errours his Pelagian and Arminian conceipts with a special artifice that the unwarry Reader may be infected with his poison But 1 we know no Supernatural and Saving Light or Grace which is only Sufficient and not Efficacious and Effectual or such as will certainly produce the effect Supernatural sufficient grace to believe not only giveth the man a spiritual Power to beleeve but powerfully insuperably invincibly effectually Inclineth Moveth Draweth and Determineth the heart to beleeve and efficaciously worketh the Effect and produceth Faith in the soul. As for his meerly Sufficient Grace he hath learned it in the Iesuites Arminians and Pelagians school not in the Scriptures Though there be a Light granted even in the works of Creation and Providence which may convince of a Deity and of several duties called for at the hands of men which may and doth render such as come short inexcusable Rom. 1 20. And though a greater Light be granted in the dispensation of the Gospel to convince and render more inexcusable such as beleeve not yet we know of no Saving Light Sufficient to salvation granted to all even of such as heare the Gospel far less to all Heathens for as to this all naturally are blinde and dead and no grace can be sufficient but that which quickeneth and giveth eyes to see and eares to hear and hearts to understand and overpowereth all in the man that maketh head against Christ. In what sense then can it be true that saving sufficient Light is given to all Can that which is a meerly Natural Power produce a spiritual and Supernatural effect As soon may a beast produce acts of reason or a vegetable plant do acts of sense for these are effects of another Nature and of an higher sphere and require a suteable principle If it be said By acting that which is Natural we may procure or make way for what is Spiritual and Supernatural We enquire where there is any such promise or appointment of God giving ground for this assertion Nay if it were so we should be called according to our works and not according to his grace contrare to 2 Tim. 1 9. Tit. 3 5. Rom. 9 15 16. If it be said That these words To him that hath shall be given include such a promise that such as improve nature aright shall obtaine grace
this mans doctrine who seemeth to be one of the most sober among them all have we found any thing hithertil but Pelagianisme Secinianisme Arminianisme Enthusiasme Antiscripturisme Yea and Paganisme c have we seen any thing that doth not directly enough tend to overthrow the whole Gospel And what further we are to hear a little patience will help us to see He talks that they teach no new doctrine But doctrine more diametrically opposite yea contradictory to the whole Gospel of the grace of God a man shall finde no where else in such an heape So that albeit they should pretend to Miracles as they do to Immediat Revelations of the Spirit of God should do somethings more then ordinary like wonders I should account them but lying wonders their coming to be after the working of Satan according to 2 Thes. 2 3. Yea though an angel from heaven should come to head them and preach the doctrine which they preach I should remember that word of Paul's Gal. 1 vers 8 9. And therefore must account these Quakers no more Christians but an Antichristian Antievangelick brood of men acted and led by an evil Spirit designing the destruction of the Gospel and the setting up of Paganisme What he saith § 13. about the Independants and their gifted Brethren is not worth the noticeing for as to the matter he referreth us to what he had said before upon the Scriptures and we have eâ—amined Chap. IV. Only I would enquire If as he saith no man can know by the Scriptures that he in particular is called to be a Minister and therefore must recurre to an Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit he must also say that no man can know that another is a Minister but by the Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit and therefore he cannot be offended at us that we do not beleeve that he and the rest of the Quakers are sent of God because we have no Inward and Immediat Testimony of the Spirit concerning this and we are confident never shall have from the Spirit of God And though the Scriptures do not particularly and expresly tell us that Robert Barclay is a false Teacher and ought to be shuned as a false Teacher it saith that which is enough to us concerning him and his complices when it saith that all that bring another Gospel are to be accounted accursed and the whole Scripture that pointeth forth and declareth the Truth and condemneth their Errours as we have seen and shall see is as good to us as an Immediat Testimony saying the Quakers and particularly Robert Barclay are deceivers yea better more sure for some men can take the dreams of their owne head the impressions of Satan upon their phantasie for immediat testimonies of the Spirit of God but enough of this above Chap. III. 15. But he hath something Pag. 190. § 14. that would seem to answere that question we just now proposed for after hee hath againe nakedly told us that this extraordinary call for he nameth it so here is as well necessary when the Church is setled as when it is under a general Apostacy he saith that such as are thus called are made manifest in the mindes of their brethren and their call is verified in them who by the sensation of that life and virtue that floweth out by them are dâ—yly edified in their most holy faith and become the signes of their Apostleshipe according to 2 Cor. 13 v. 3. Ans. 1. But as yet there is no Inward Testimony of the Spirit directly saying that such men are truely called and without this in his judgment they cannot be said to be taught and led of the Spirit nor can they beleeve without this 2. Is this manifestation alwayes at every discourse or sometimes only Is it upon all their hearts or upon some only It may be there lyeth an answere in these words their brethren But the signes of the Apostleshipe of Paul were among strangers whom he converted and brought in to the faith And if this manifestation be alwayes and upon all present he layeth down a ground to question Christs Apostleshipe and Call for his preaching had not alwayes this effect as is notoure Nor Pauls and Barnabas theirs among the Jewes as the book of the Acts sheweth and 2 Thes. 2. Nay let that word be considered 2 Cor. 2 15 16. for we are unto God a sweet savour in Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life And that Esai 49 4. Then said I I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought and in vaine surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God and that Esai 53 Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed if he think it enough that this manifestation be made sometimes upon the the mindes of some Alas Poor man thinks he that there are none of all the servants of Christ who dar not be so bold as he is to pretend a Divine Immediat Call through an Extraordinary and Immediat Revelation that can say the same and that upon a more just account As for his brethren they are under the same delusion with their Teachers and the sensation they have of life and vertue is but the sensation of the workings of delusion and no edification or building up in the holy faith but in opposition to that faith which was once delivered to the saints as is manifest to all that heare them and read their books and as this book which is now under examination hath made more manifest to me than all that ever I heard or read of them before 15. He addeth This is that which giveth the true and substantial call and title unto the Minister whereby he is a real successour of the vertue and power that was in the Apostles Ans. 1. Then the extraordinary call was no true and substantial call or title Then Ezechiel who was sent to a rebellious house that would not heare had no true and substantial call nor Moses when he was sent unto Pharaoh 2. They who are a savour of death unto death to some may yet for all that be successours to the Apostles 3. But I see what this man would be at The Quaker-Preachers though as we have manifested above nothing in truth but Pagan preachers must be the only successours of the Apostles and Possessours of the power and vertue that was in them What more Such Ministers stand not in need of the ceremony of Ordination and Imposition of hands Ans. Why then were hands laid upon Paul Barnabas Act. 13 3. And why had Timothy the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery 1 Tim. 4 14. If such made use of this ceremony shall any Minister now a dayes think it below him to do the like But sayes he Our adversaries
acts of worship by Immediat Inspirations and Enthusiastical motions of the Spirit and the unlawfulness of entering upon Worshipe at what time in what place and upon what occasion so ever or continueing in it without these Previous Physical and Immediat Inspirations Impulses and Enthusiastical Motions but we shall see some other things spoken to and more insisted upon by him and but little spoken to this which mainly called for proof 2. However we must see what he says leaving his preamble wherein according to his usual manner he layeth an imputation on the Reformed Churches as keeping still the root of false worshipe when they cut off the branches of Romish worshipe We shall consider what he sayes for clearing of the Quakers way first he tels us Pag. 222. § 2. That he speaketh here of worship now under the Gospel not as requisite under the Law Yet I suppose he is speaking of worshipe as a moral duty or in reference to what is moral or natural which hath place in all ages of the Church and of what is essentially and necessarily requisite to all moral worship for he saith here expresly that the ceremonies under the Law were not essential to true worshipe nor necessary of themselves I suppose also he should speak of Institute Worshipe under the Gospel but all that is by the Quakers rejected and denied as we shall hear He tels us next § 3. That they do not condemne all prescribed times and places for worshipe for they have such But may I not ask whether they assemble at these times and in these places by the Immediat Acting Motion and Impulse of the Spirit or not It seemeth not but when they are assembled they must waite for these motions But is not that a limiteing of the Spirit as if he could not Act Move to publick worshipe at other times in other places And is not the time of their abode together at these several occasiones limited also 3. What do they then condemne They condemne our having a Preacher to preach excludeing others But the lawfulness of this we evinced above Next they are not satisfied that these ministers come not to meet with the Lord. Neither am I. and attend not unto his inward motions and operations Nor am I satisfied with this Nor pray not preach not as the Spirit moveth and breatheth in them and giveth utterance What if I say that I am not satisfied with this either more then they But the mystery of the business is They acknowledge no Motion or inward Breathing of the Spirit but what is Extraordinary and meerly Enthusiastick without all previous study or preparation and abstract from all meanes as if the Lord could not move and operate in and by the meanes and could not help a minister who had studied his sermon by his breathing and inward assistance to preach the Gospel and give utterance and helpe to the carrying on of the work to edification This is to oppose the Spirit of God and his motions to all meanes of his owne appointment condemneth all study and meditation on the Scriptures taketh away all paines and laboure for abilities and putteth men upon a sure way of tempting of God and of inviteing the devil to deceive and delude as was shown above 4. That nothing may be wanting to compleat their Systeme of errour they proclame all dayes alike and so reject the Lords day our Christian Sabbath concerning which if this man have any minde to dispute on that head I will wait his Answer to what I have said on it elsewhere What he saith Pag. 225. § 5. of their charitie towards many living in Popery is no very great business seing he will grant as much to Pagans notwithstanding of their palpable and manifest Idolatry and Heathenisme But why will he not give us charity too 5. He cometh more home to the business Pag. 226. § 6. and tels us that when they assemble every ones work is to attend on God to goe out of their own thoughts and imaginations or rather to thrust these away to feel Gods presence and in his name to acknowledge that assembly where He is in the midst according to his promise And where every one is thus assembled in Spirit as well as in body the secret power and vertue of life is known to refresh the soul and they feel pure motions and breathings of the Spirit of God flowing from which issue words of declaration prayer and praise and thus acceptable worshipe is performed by which the Church is edified and God is pleased yea though not one word be spoken or heard outwardly yet true spiritual â—orship is performed and the Church is edified Answ. This is a short account of their manner of worship which in his following discourse he largely laboureth to explicat and vindicate I shall only propose these few exceptions against it 1. Spiritual worshipe which only is acceptable with God who is a Spirit and will be worshiped in spirit and truth being a matter of no small difficulty for sinners to get performed aright would require some preparation before hand that the heart might be put in some frame for such an high and noble work being made sensible of its distance from and unsuteableness for approching unto such an holy and spiritual God and of the necessity of some impression of that divine Majesty with whom they have to do and of divine help for the right discharge of that duty now I finde no mention made by them of any such thing or of the necessity of wrestling with God in private for a right frame of Spirit in going about that work and for the assistence of his grace and Spirit in the discharge of it and for his blessing upon it It seemeth their heart is alway in a like good frame and they are alwayes in case for this solemne addresse unto God or they come together to get preparation and all from the inward motions without which nothing must de done 2. When the members of the Church are assembled and publick worshipe to beginne Nature it self would teach that there should be a solemne address made unto God by Prayer acknowledging their unworthiness of such an honour and favour their unfitness for such a solemne work their necessity of his divine help and assistance therein and his blessing thereupon that He may be glorified and they edified but here no such thing appeareth no invocating of the great God no supplication made to him no prostrating of themselves in prayer before him at the entry of their work can this then be accounted an assembling for the solemne Adoration Worshiping and Invocation of God 3. No word is there here in all their Assemblies of the Scriptures as the Law of God which should be read interpreted and applyed for the Instruction Reproof Consolation and Edification of the people No as the Scriptures are no rule to them in their walk so nor are they any rule to them in their
heart and which Christ procured for man that is the measure of grace and life getteth place to arise and becometh an holy birth in man And that divine aireis it with which mans Spirit is fermented and in which waiting he is accepted in the presence of God and is fitted this word I must supply or his words have no sense to stand in his presence to hear his voice and to observe the motions of his holy Spirit Answ. But 1. We have evinced above that there is no seed planted by God in all men or purchased by Christ that is a measure of saving grace and life Nature and its light and power we grant to be in all but this will never become a new birth 2. Then this work being the same with Regeneration and Sanctification as we saw above every man must fall into an ecstasie and become no man as to any operation before he be converted 3. Then and this is the maine thing here considerable Every Quaker at every time he cometh to worshipe God solemnely it is of this he knoweth that we are now speaking must have this change wrought in him for it is to this end that he must retire within him self and be abstracted from all his Operations that he may be in case to worshipe But then observe what will follow Quakers before they come to worshipe are unregenerated without the holy birth and as oft as they come to worshipe they must be regenerated and get this divine aire to ferment their spirits But how agreeth this with the state of Perfection he talked of one degree whereof was they were able not to sin and the other wherein they could not sin I suppose man even a Quaker is in case to sin cannot but sin till he be regenerated Where is this man now I see though persons dreaming see not the inconsistency and repugnancy of their dreames persons awake will see and smile at fancies hanging together like ropes of sand 15. He denieth Pag. 237. § 11. That we can waite upon God in prayer preaching For saith he waiting rather denoteth a passive dependance than any action Answ. I confess his waiting is a very passive thing and inconsistent with any action of Soul or Body but we are waiting for proof of such a waiting as he talks of We know Prayer and Preaching is one thing and waiting on God by Faith Patience and Hope in these duties is another thing And if he think these inconsistent he knoweth neither Religion nor Scripture To pray and preach saith he by the Spirit presupposeth this silent waiting that the motions leading unto these might be felt Answ. This is the thing that is under debate How can the godly pray for the motions leadings of the Spirit if they must first feel them and have them before they pray for them Or must they not pray that prayer at all But the moâ—ions of the Spirit they pray for are not these they have but others fitting them for other duties he will say I answ The saints even pray for the Spirit to teach them to pray But he will say They must have the motion of the Spirit for the first prayer or it will not be accepted Answ. They may have it and yet not feel it and so these motions are not their Rule The Law of God is the Rule and what is not done in obedience to a Command is no Obedience for obedience respecteth a command And thus the Quakers destroy all Obedience If they cannot Pray nor Preach without a previous impulse of the Spirit how can they waite without such a previous motion Waiting sure is a commanded duty as well as Prayer and cannot be performed without the Spirit aright and acceptably more then Prayer And if they cannot waite without the previous motion of the Spirit how shall they waite for that previous motion to wait I see not how this man can loose this knot 16. But he proveth that this silence is a special and principal part of divine worshipe and that necessarly though he told us before Pag. 23â— that worship did not consist in silence as silence because in many places where prayer is commanded as Mat 26 41. Mark 13 33. Luk. 21 26. 1 Pet. 4 7. watching is prescribed as previous and preparatory Answ. But how proveth he that that Watching is the silence and waiting he speaketh of That Watching is not a turning inward but a looking outward also and a looking to all hands from whence temptations can come It is a Watching joyned with Prayer and a Christian Vigilancy and Circumspection taking in the lively exercise of all graces and is accompanied with all Christian duties as was cleared above so far is it from having any affinity with his mute Mumry 17. The more to enforce this Silence he tels us Pag. 238 § 12. that it hath this excellency that nothing else hath to wit It is impossible for the devil to simulate it and therefore no soul in this exercise can be deceived by him This is wonderful if true but how proveth he it I would be afrayed that when a Man hath laid aside not only his Senses outward and inward but his very Rational Judgment Intellect all that he hath as a man or as a Christian the Devil should then most play master and I am not sure but it is so with them Let us therefore heare his reason The devil can only work in and by a natural man I had thought that he could also work in a Spiritual man as in Peter when the Lord said to him get thee behinde me Satan or else he must say that Peter was then but a carnal man And what was the messenger of Satan that buffeted Paul 2 Cor. 12. what more Therefore saith he where the natural man is silent he that is the Devil must stand But why must he stand off when the natural man is silent and how proveth he that there is nothing of a natural man acting in this silence When the soul saith he is come to this silence and as to its owne operations brought as it were to nothing then the devil is excluded How is this confirmed for he cannot endure the pure presence of God then ariseing and the clearness of his light saith he But we doubt if the pure presence of God then arise or such a light as shall quite banish the Devil away This is the maine thing to be confirmed nay the sequel proveth to us that all this presence and light is but of the Devils owne making how that shall banish him away I know not But moreover though it were granted that this were the pure presence of God and a light that the Devil could not stand before but behoved to flee from seven wayes yet he might stay until that light appeared and according to this mans owne doctrine this cannot be until the seed get room to arise and become an holy birth and this is not alwayes at the
and doth God is that and doth it and he is so exalted above his humane forme that he becometh that through grace which God is by essence then he seeth that he hath lost himself and he knoweth and findeth himself no where he knoweth nothing else but only one simple essence And in the next sermon he tels us That God would rather live in a soul then in heaven and is more in a gracious soul then in heaven and that more properly for God worketh all the mans works not only in him but for him and then giveth them to him he â—urther begetteth his only begotten son in the soul as truely neither more nor less then as he begetteth him in eternity And he tels us That this which is begotten in the soul is not any thing that is of God or divine but is God himself the same Son which the Father begetteth from eternity nothing else but that same lovely divine word which is the Second Person in the Trinity And thereafter tels us that all rational creatures by nature love God more then themselves And in his second sermon on the eleventh Sunday he sais this inclination to God doth not leave the soul even in hell So also in his sermon on the 17. Sunday 34. In his sermon on the fift Sunday after the Trinity he tels us That when a soul receiveth the body of Christ in love to wit in the masse it is transformed or changed into the body and soul of Christ yea into whole Christ and moreover also in his Godhead This is the nature of divine love that it carryeth the soul above its nature and transformeth it into the bottomless Godhead so that it knoweth nothing oâ— it self nor findeth nothing in the Spirit but only it findeth it self wholly transformed into Christ. And thereafter he saith that when one receiveth in the Sâ—crament the life and love of Christ they are changed into God as the meat and drink is changed into them In his sermon on the seventh Sunday after Trinity he hath these words Therefore is it alway necessary that men turn the eye of their understanding alwayes unto that ground where the man is by God eaten digested incorporated and united with God In his second sermon on the eleventh Sunday he saith the best and inward part and excellency of the soul is called by some the sponk of the soul by others the centre of the essence by others the image of the Trinity and this flyeth so high that the understanding cannot follow it for it resteth not until it come into the fund of the Godhead out of which it came and where it was before it was created The like he hath in his sermon on the sevententh Sunday 35. In his sermon on the thirtenth Sunday he hath these words when men by all their exercises draw-in their outward sensible man to the inward reasonable man those two together go in into the inmost man or most hidden man of the Spirit where the true image of God lyeth and then presse-in into the divine abysse in which man was from eternity â—ere he was created and when the merciful God seeth the man turned-in to him in such purity and nakedness the divine fatherly abysse boweth down and sincketh into this pure introverted fund of the man and changeth by a certain transformation this created fund into his divine essence and maketh the mans Spirit so one with himself that were it possible that he could see himself in this state he should see himself so exceedingly excellent in God that he should think that he were God himself So in his sermon on the seventeenth Sunday speaking of the soul he saith it is called mens the minde that is the fund where the true image of the Trinity lyeth hid and this is so excellent that we can al 's little give it a proper name as we can give God himself And could any see how God dwelleth in this fund he should be happy The nighness and affinity that God hath there is wonderful great that we neither can nor dar speak thereof Againe as our soul doth wholly sinck in and melt with its most inward into God's most inward and becometh there renewed our Spirit is there so much more reformed by God's Spirit as we take the right and pure way for God poureth himself forth into our Spirits as the Sun doth its light into the aire so that the whole aire is transformed therewith that no difference can be seen much more in this union which transcendeth all natural union shall no man be able to difference the created Spirit from the uncreated Spirit of God for were the created Spirit seen in this union without doubt it should be taken for God 36. In his sermon on the ninteenth Sunday he tels us of some who having turned away from themselves and all things and turned in to the true light these sais he with an inward silence sinck from all their strength and dissolve in God their original and retire themselves into the darkness of the divine wilderness and there thrust themselves so far in that they lose all difference in the unity of God and lose also themselves and all things and know nothing else but one bare pure and simple God wherein they sinck to the ground In his sermon on the two and twentieth Sunday he saith This image and superscription is savingly made perfect in the most inward part of the soul in that place which God hath prepared and appropriat to himself to wit the glorious pure substance of the soul hereby is the most inward part of our soul made perfect and united with the most inward part of the high Godhead where God the Father is alwayes begetting his everlasting word his only begotten Son And thereafter he tels us when the soul is emptied of all things it answereth that only one which is God so there is nothing there but pure God alone 37. So in the sermon on the feast of Mary he tels us that she Introverted alwayes into her fund where the divine image lay hid her fund and all her inwards were so like unto God that if any man had seen her heart there he should have seen God in all his beauty and have seen the outcoming of the Son and of the holy Ghost in a substantial manner And in his second sermon on the birth of Iohn Baptist He saith in the fund of the soul there is a certain light which testifieth that man was in God from all eternity ere he was created And when he was so in God he was God in God so that what he is now since he was created that same was he from eternity in God being one substance with God 38. In his book of the Imitation of the poverty of Christ part 1. Ch. 21. N. 134. he tels of two heavens one bodily which is above us and another spiritual which is the essence or substance of souls in which God is and
at this rate of heathenish opposition and profane paganish contradiction to the wayes of grace 6. He goeth on notwithstanding Pag. 289. and will needs have this to be all that which Christ there speaketh of because all these things cannot agree to that body which was borne of the virgine Mary which came not downe from heaven As if their corrupt light of Nature could be said to come down from heaven and as if Christ were not there speaking of himself as God-man Jehovah's servant and the Mediatour betwixt God and man And as if we were with these carnal Capernaites dreaming of eating the flesh of Christ with our bodily teeth Or as if there were no other way of feeding upon Christ but this Paganish way of living by the light of nature But if this be all to what end is faith in Christ called for vers 35 And what necessity is there of God's divine teaching and drawing unto this vers 44 45 65 Yet the man tels us that all these great things do agree to this light and seed of which Iohn testifieth Chap. 1. that it is the light of men and life of the world Imagining that this is nothing else but what is in every Pagan as he cometh into the world a Paganish fancy and dream yea a devilish delusion as we have shown above Chap. X. And according to his former doctrine he tels us how all this salvation is brought about This spiritual light and seed sayes he as it getteth roome to rise up in mans heart it is bread to the hungry soul which was dead and buried in the lusts of the world and is now revived as it tasteth this heavenly bread and such as are partakers of this are said to come to Christ nor can any enjoy this bread but by coming to Christ and beleeving in the manifestation of his lighâ— in the heart by receiving and believing in which communion of the body and bread is known That is The Pagan hath the light of nature within him and if he will not with his wickedness smother it but give way to it it is heavenly bread that came down from heaven and giveth life to him And if he but taste of this by hearkening to it he is a beleever in Christ and by believing the dark dictats and manifestations of this glimmering light of nature he hath communion with God with Christ with Christ's body and bread And what should more He is a saved mâ—n a brave Christian though he knoweth not so much of Christ as the Devil doth He is feasted at this banquet of love Christ is in him and he is in Christ though he never heard of the Name of Christ let be of his Death and Sufferings Resurrection Ascension and Sitting at the Fathers right hand and living for ever Nay nor never knew or heard of a Covenant of works let be of a Covenant of grace or any thing belonging to the grace of God Are not our Quakers now brave Pagan-preachers And is their Religion any thing but pure Paganisme Kâ—ow they any other Gospel O how Paganish and Hellish is this light that is within them Iâ— is not sure the light of nature but it is hellish darkness that hath exstinguished even that 7. He rageth aâ— the same rate of madness Pag. 290. telling us that as Christ had an outward and visible body or temple which had its original from the virgine Mary so he had a spiritual body by which he revealed himself to the sones of Men in all ages and by which they were made partakers of eternal life and had communion with God and with Christ. Then by this spiritual body he revealed himself to the worshipers of Baal Zebub Baal Peor Bel Dagon Astaroth Adrammelech Chemosh Nisroch to the Phenicians that sacrificed yeerly young infants to Saturne or to the Devil rather and practised Sodomy in the temple of Venus and to all Paganish Idolaters who worshiped Sun Moon Serpents Trees Fire Earth Water Windes Iupiter Apollo Venus Mars Hercules c. even to such as did prostitute their Daughters in honour of Venus and their Wives and Sisters and did many other unnatural brutalities and by this body spiritual of Christ which was within them they were made partakers of Eternal life and had communion with God and with Christ is not this excellent Christianity And he thinks that by this Adam Seth Enoch and all the Patriarchs and Prophets were nourished and that this was all that which was shadowed forth by the types under the law And thus all Religion through all the ages of the Church was but Nature And consequently was more pure among the heathen Idolaters than among the people of Israel where it was so hid and obscured with so may types and covered with so many dark vails that as he saith the Jewes even some of Christs owne disciples did not understand Christ speaking of it What a perversion is here of all the doctrine of grace from the beginning and an overturning of the Faith and Religion of all the ancient and renouned Patriarchs Prophets and People of God But as concerning this Spiritual body and blood of Christ what meaneth he thereby Had Christ two bodies One Carnal and another Spiritual and if we have two such bodies too what difference betwixt Him and us where is that body of his today which they call Carnal Hath he both these bodies now in heaven or only the Spiritual body if only this what shall then become of his Resurrection and Ascension was this Spiritual body of the seed of Abraham and of David Thus at one blow they deny the Christ of God and overturne all Christianity 8. And as if he had not yet given us a clear enough discovery of his paganish Religion he Pag. 292. § 3. in answere to this question How is man made a partaker of this and nourished by it He saith Know this light manifesting thine iniquities opening up thy barrenness nakedness and emptiness is that body whereof thou must partake and by which thou must be nourished and as this small seed of righteousness ariseth in thee and is suffered to come to the birth that new substantial birth is naturally fed and nourished with this Spiritual body That is this dim light of Nature which is in all Pagans is the body of Christ the Spiritual body by which we must all be nourished unto eternal life for it is a seed of righteousness and if we will but give way to it it will become a new substantial birth and be naturally nourished of it self and so Nature is the seed of the new birth and is the new birth it self and is all the Spiritual nourishment whereupon it liveth Is it any wonder that these say much of this light which is all their grace and all their Christianity We pity such as sacrificed their children to the Devil And what shall we think of them who thus sacrifice their souls unto this Goddess blinde Nature This is
He addeeh Hâ—nce againe because we say to them when they clatter and determine of the resurrection that it were more necessary for them to know the righteous one whom they have killed in themselves to be arisen that they may be made partakers of the first resurrection and that if that be they will be more able to judge of the second they say we deny the resurrection of the body Answ. What unsavoury language is that clattering about a resurrection Is this spoken like a Châ—istian Is the Resurrection such an inconsiderable thing with him Or is it a meer problem or a thing that shall never be Next see we not here in his owne words a confirmation of what we were last saying to wit that the Quakers deny a Christ without dying and riseing and all advantage for us thereby What meaneth he by the killing of the just one within us and the riseing againe of that just one Is that the just one crucified at Ierusalem whereof Peter speaketh Act. 3 14. And Stephen speaketh Act. 7 52. and Ananias Act. 22 14 And if not to what else teâ—deth this but to banish away the very historical fâ—ith of that But now as to the Resurrection if he beleeve any such thing how cometh it that in all his great book he hath made no mention thereof Is it no article of our faith Or is it a whimsey and a fictitious notion Then let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die and no matter whether we be Quakers or Christians Againe seing he made no meâ—tion of hâ—s fundamental article in his whole book who did he not upoâ— this occasion speak alittle to it to manifest his râ—al beleefe of it And as to others of the Quakers they give at best a most instinct sound in this point wherein they are worse then some heathen philosophers as may be seen in Mr Hicks 1. Dial. Pag. 57. c. But Turnâ—r a Quaker is more positive against it disproving it by these arguments If the bodies of men rise againe then there is a preheminence in the bodies of Men above the bodies of Beasts which is to give Solomon the lie Eccles. 3 19. Againe If the bodies of men should rise againe this is to give Iob the lie who saith The eyes that see me shall see me no more Iob 7 8. And 3. That flesh and blood shall not inherite the Kingdom of God The same Mr Hicks in his Quakers appeal answered p. 21. sheweth how Will. Pen in several of his books denieth the resurrection saying Such a resurrection is inconsistent with Scripture reason and the beliefe of all men right in their wits And againe for shame let us never make so much stir against the doctrine of Transubstantiation For the absurdity of that is rather outdone than equaled by this carnal resurrection And againe he calleth it a barbarous conceit Mr Faldo in his book against them Chap. 17. cleareth how they speak of a Resurrection and meaneth thereby only Regeneration and showeth how they shift the giving of any distinct and positive answer thereanent All which is enough to shew that it is no calumny to say they deny the resurrection of the body Adde that passage of W. Pen in his book against Mr Faldo cited in his answere Pag. 88. Either the resurrection of the body must be without the mater or it must not If it must then it is not that same numerical body and so their proper and strick taking of the word Resurrection they must let go if it must not be without the same gross mater it died with then I affirme it cannot be incorruptible because it will carry with it that which will render it corruptible ad infinitum I say we cannot see how that which is of the dust should be eternal whilst that from whence it came is by nature but temporal and that which is yet most of all irreconcilable with Scripture and right reason is that the loss and change of nature from corruptible to incorruptible natural to spiritual should not make it another body 7. Yet more he saith Hence finally because when we hear them speak inadvertently of heaven hell and the last judgment we exhort them to come out of that infernal condition in which they stand and come unto and believe the judgment of truth within their own hearts and follow the light that in this life they may sit in celestial places which are in Christ Iesus they maliciously say that we deny all heaven and hell but that which is in us and that we deny the last and general judgment Answ. But if they do account this a calumny why do they not blame themselves for not being more plaine and distinct in these necessary and fundamental points Why doth not this Man in his great book which he stileth an Apology of the Christian Religion deliver in plaine termes his judgment hereof Mr Faldo tels us in his key that he could never hear or read them mention any other heaven to be enjoyed by them as distinct persons but what they have within them in this world And by hell he tels us they mean the present torment and loss within And that by their Trembling and Quaking they mean the horrour and consternation they are under from as they say the wrath of God while the flesh is judged and they are in the hell of condemnation and he can finde no other hell that they hold And this trembling and quaking they say is such as Moses and other Prophets were seized with at the appearance of God And by the State of glory he tels us they meane the state of peace and joy resulting from the witnes of the light within in the life And that by the judgment of the great day they meane sin being judged in the conscience by the light within in this life And it is considerable that when Mr Faldo had said let them profess that they believe a happiness to be enjoyed by Men and Women after their bodies be rotted to dust distinct from the being of God or that which they had not a thousand yeers before they were born i. e. to be in God from whom as of his being they say the soul came and it will be newes to me and all that are acquanted with them Yet Will. Pen in his answere will not be plaine to declare their meaning What can this silence import else than that they are guilty in this matter And as for the last judgment how can they believe it when they deny Christ's second coming visibly personally so doth Whitehead see Mr Hicks in his 2. Dial. p. 43. 75.76 8. Notwithstanding of all this this bold man dar say that God knoweth all these calumnies are â—alsly and undeservedly cast upon them And yet they neither can will nor dar vindicat themselves What followeth being but a meer commendation of themselves which we have heard so oft I think it not worth the translating let be
answering And for his confidence of their prospering still adding that So hath the mouth of the Lord spoken I account it one of his many groundless assertions and evidences of his conceite and vanity and a further demonstration of his being under the power of a strong delusion And though they should for a time prosper as a plague unto a secure and formal generation it shall be no convincing argument to us of any divine approbation as long as we know what success for so many ages Antichrist hath had and also the abomination of Mahomet with which their delusions have greater affinity than with true Christianity not to mention other particular errours such as Arianisme Pelagianisme and others which have for a considerable time proven a sharpe exercise unto the Church of Christ. We will waite for the day wherein light shall break up that shall for ever shame the hellish dakness of Quakerisme or Neopaganisme out of the Church Even so come Lord Jesus AMEN A POSTSCRIPT Christian Reader IF I could weep out this Postscript or write it with teares of blood I am convinced it would be short of that just signification of deep sorrow which I judge dutie and wherewith the souls of all the lovers of our Lord Jesus Christ in sinceritie should be swelled in this day even to an overflowing while their ears are filled and made to tingle with the din of that doctrine of Devils droping from the â—ongues and falling from the pens of Satans Ministers and Amanuenses Neither falls it under any debat with me if thou have any love to the precious souls of men whether thou wilt look upon the persons of these principles and perswasion as the most compassion-moveing and heart-melting object that ever was seen or heard of amongst any sort of men since God made man upon the earth or the Devil enticed and prevailed with men to murther their own soul by an insurrection against God and pure opposition to his Christ Or if thou hast any love to him who loved and so loved poor sinners as he gave himself for them and if any man love him not the Anathema Maranatha which these desperat dreamers cannot escape must fall upon him thou canst not heare read or consider what horrid What hell-hatched bold blasphemies this blake brood belcheth forth against him without a transport of horrour and crying out with the Prophet Oh that my head were waters mine eyes a fountain of teares that I might weep day and night Oh that I had in the wildernesse a lodging place of a way-fareing man that I might live without the noise of the hellish bellowings which burst forth at the blake mouths of these whose rage against the Saviour of sinners and the alone way of salvation by him shews them to be set on fire of hell And as I am perswaded if these poor creatures were not smitten with judicial blindnesse of mind and heardnesse of heart they would sooner jump in hell then so far out-doe Devils in blaspheming the holy one of God so I nothing doubt upon the othâ—r hand but it would eat the marrow out of all thy mirth and make thy moisture drop out at thine eye to consider that ever the name of Christ that blessed name was called upon a company of poor catives who in renuncing him and riseing up against him appeare monsters of a sise and shape of a bulk and bignesse of a malice and bitternesse beyond any that ever the Devil listed under his blake banner or engaged in an opposition against the Saviour of sinners Nay as to my self I must professe if some of them had not been known before to be really men I would suspect them to be true Devils in disguise But now it must satisfie us to know them to be men possessed of him And so our next work is to think what is dutie as to these demoniacks which needs no long demur for sure the first hast as to these poor possessed creatures is to haste to carry them on our knees to Jesus Christ even that Christ whom they bâ—aspheme and cry have mercy upon them It is true they would abhorre and hate us the more for this and complain that this were to torment them before the time But that doth the more certainly prove their possession and makes the thing the more unquestionably our dutie for hereby its manifest yea put out of all doubt by these abominations which proceed out of their mouths and the dawbings of their blasphemous pens that they are under the power of and possessed by the same Spirit which cryed out of that poor creature what have we to do with thee thou Iesus of Nazareth this is pure and perfect Quakerisme and the very Spirit that possesseth them and speaks out of them or a worse and more heterodox Devil if such a word might be made use of in the case for they were in some sort cured if they were brought the length of that Devils Confession Who said I know thee who thou art the holy one of God At least all that they talke of this holy one of God and the Testimony that they give him is upon the same devilish designe that this holy One the true Iesus the Christ of God may not be believed in but opposed Oh that he who alone can say the word do the thing would once say hold thy peace and come out of them It were no great matter though they should be torne thrown in the midle if he were driven out of them for it is rare for Devils to get such a possession but when he sees he can hold it no longer he endeavours to breake down or burne the house out of which he is driven And though of all men in the world there is least hope of them for their disease lyeth in blaspheming the very remedie of sin and the alone releife of self destroyed sinners Yet because we know not whether the righteous Lord for holy ends and just causes may not suffer for a season some of the Elect whom it is impossible finally to deceive thus to be possessed we would set about this work of prayer on their behalfe yea earnest prayer adding fasting thereto for if ever there was a Devil of whom it holds true this sort goeth not out but by fasting and prayer it holds true as to that Devil that dwâ—lls in them and speaks out of them We would essay therefore to strain our own souls in lifting up a prayer on their behalfe without offering to limite him and seek so to save them if possible with fear pulling them out of the fire for they are more them halfe in hell already when they are become dens for such a Devil as dwells in them and drives them If we hereby obtained no more yet our love to our blasphemed Lord Jesus Christ and to these perishing souls who through Satans malice and their own madnesse are thus acted would be manifested and our prayer if it did
not prevaile as to them would returne into our own bosome And besides this migh be the reward of serious wrestling with God on this behalfe that that Devil who drives them at this rate of opposition to his Christ should be seen to be the Devil and so the snare would be broken and the elect preserved from falling in it and the folly of these reprobats concerning the faith these Ianneses and Iambreses who resist the truth and withstand a greater then Moses might be made so manifest to all men as they should proceed no further Secondly I judge this monstruous appearance of men so madded against Christ and the alone way of salvation by him cals aloud to all upon whom the blessed name of Christ is called to fall a weeping and pouring out their hearts before him in the remembrance of the procuring cause whereby the just and holy Lord hath been provoked to let loose such a Spirit and leave so many souls to be seised upon by him as we see O sad sight are become a prey to him in this generation and are taken and held by the cords of their own consent captives of him at his will Alas we may read in this allaruming and wrath-speaking dispensation the high and hot displeasure of God at our sin in not prizeing this glorious Gospel of the Grace of God wherein life and immortalitie is brought to light mens not truthing it in love or receiving the love of the truth mens pleasing themselves with names and pursuing of notions while Christ was not received to dwell in the heart by faith their not departing from iniquitie on whom the name of Christ was called and who seemed to call on his name hath been the bitter root springing up in these spruts of hell whereby the Church is this day troubled so many are defiled with this leprosie and soul-destroying contagion This this is that root which hath brought forth these cursed fruits Because after all the pains he had been at to reforme his Church and setle pure ordinances amongst us Yet our scum remained in us and there were so few who made it their work to walk worthie of the Lord to all pleasing and to render unto him according to the benefite received therefore he suffered Abaddon to plant that vine of Sodom within the pale of his visible Church and in that vineyard on which he had taken so much pains because it brought not forth fruit unto him by whom it was dressed and it hath been most fertil in bringing forth these grapes of gall and bitter clusters and he hath conduced many trafficquers for him which he could not have found without the pale of the visible Church nay which he could not have found in any Church but in a Church on which so much pains had been taken and wherein ordinances had been setled in such puritie to tread these grapes of gall and vend this wine to poor souls which is the poison of Dragons and the cruel venome of Aspes and they are hell-busie for he must run whom such a Devil drives though it be down a steep place as is manifest in this Barclay and his complices who are long breathed in compassing sea and land to proselyt poor souls and poison them beyond the power of an Antidot for then mercy it self is engaged to destroy them by their trampleing under foot that blood of the Covenant whereby the blessed surtie was sanctified or whereby he sanctified seperat and set himself a part for their sakes for whom he became a propitiation I say we are to remember the peccant and procureing cause of all this Alas how may many remember their laughing at the first appearance of this prodigie and making light of the matter with shame and confusion of face How may they under the conviction of their guilt in this matter go groaning to their graves O will it not be an indelible marke of infamie and an evidence that we knew not the signes of the times and what they called us to do Will it not be a reproach never to be rolled away from this generation that one day upon the Devils appearance in this shape to destroy the all of Christianitie at once was not set apart in all the Churches of Brittan and Ireland to weep before the Lord Yea day after day by common consent Shall the posteritie heare that this was not done and yet heare that we were alive when cursed Naylour whose name and notions will be for a curse to all that love the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for ever appeared upon the stage Shall it be recorded how in his Bristol-road and what followed upon it he out-did the very Devil and also heare that what was acted against Christ the Lord did not put us all to cry upon our knees and weep day and night before him and here by the way give me leave to insert a Parenthesis this unhappie Author R. Barclay boasts in his Vniversal love that they have not the name of any particular person called upon them as other sects so he calls them have I shall not here tell him what of untruth is in this vain boast for whose name is called upon the Antinomians c. nor shall I suggest the difficultie a person of as happie an ingine and invention as he tells us he is would have found if he had set himself to essay the designeing of them by a particular name seing they have monpolized and soudred into one masse all the most damnable heresies ever came out of hell and so in their Camp are congregat and mustered against Christ all particular heresies whereby under several Leaders the Saviour hath been opposed from the beginning But this I 'le say and confesâ—e unto him there was a wrong done them that they were not called Naylorists i. e. the most perfect audacious opposers of Christ that ever the Devil brought on the stage and that their doctrine instead of Quakerisme was not called Naylorisme i. e. the purest blasphemie against Christ that ever any of Abbadon's brood belched forth And therefore hereafter I shall since they are his very spawn and as like him as if he had spitted them out of his mouth doe them that piece of justice as to designe them Naylorists i. e. Blasphemers of Christ for the Devil should have his due may not the very caul of our heart be rent in this reflexion Gracious Hezekiahs zeal and I dar say upon a lesse clamant emergent and a lesse crimson blasphemie will rise up in judgement against the luke warmnesse of this generation and our liveing in such a day and not lamenting before the Lord will witnesse that we had outlived our zeal and be too plain a proof that our holy fire was gone out since our heart did not boile over at our eye on the seeing and hearing of such a thing Oh if at last we would awake and weep that we had been a sleep while Satan was so busie in