the Virgin Mary but not to him as manifest in the Saints which saith G. Keith contradicts the Scripture Testimony Ibid. And G. Keith doth the same in Effect in representing the Word or Law within weak and imperfect before that Manifestation My next Citations shall be out of his Postscript to G. Whitehead's Book stiled Nature of Christianity c. in Answer to the same Rob. Gordon Printed Anno. 1671. God was in Christ reconciling Men to himself EVER SINCE the fall in all Ages both BEFORE and since Christ suffered in the outward having given them or put in them the Word of Reconciliation by which they who became renewed thereby were reconciled and justified IN ALL AGES But according to R. G.'s Doctrine no Men were justified nor reconciled until Christ suffered Death in the outward because then and not till then was Reconciliation and Justification wrought c. p. 65. And according to G. Keith it is the same except Men were reconciled and justified by a Law that made not perfect Page 70. He reckons up R. Gordon his corrupt Doctrines the fourth whereof is this That Obedience to the Light in the Conscience is but the Work of the first Covenant and Righteousness thereof and that no Man is justified thereby Query Is not the Light in the Conscience the Law within Or is that sound in G. Keith which is corrupt Doctrine in R. Gordon But G. Keith is yet more full in asserting the Light and Grace given the Gentiles to be Saving and Evangelical even before Christ's coming in the outward for which hear him in his Book of Universal Grace Prted Anno 1671. For the better Understanding saith he of the Matter in Hand how that the Saving and Evangelical Light of Jesus Christ hath been communicated unto all Men IN ALL AGES AND GENERATIONS of the World we are to consider the Words of the Apostle to this purpose There are Diversities of Operations saith he but ONE Spirit Is that one Spirit the Holy Spirit or another and diversity of Administrations but one Lord which diversity of Operations and Administrations are reducible unto these two the Law and the Gospel or the first Covenant and the second Which two as they were very distinguishable among the Jews so were they also among the Gentiles As concerning the Jews they had first the Law which came by Moses and secondly they had the Grace and Truth which came by Jesus Christ was that saving The Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith and these two though they were distinguishable yet as they were administred of God they were not separated nor divided but the Gospel LAY HID within the Law as within a Vail And thus Christ Jesus was in the Law and under it The Dispensation of the Law was as Darkness in respect of the clear Dispensation of the Gospel yet even in this Darkness did Jesus Christ the true Light shine And also in or among the Gentiles UNIVERSALLY there was and is somewhat which by way of Proportion doth answer unto the Law and Gospel first Covenant and second which was so distinctly held forth among the Jews And as among the Jews there was Moses and the Prophets in the Letter so universally in ALL Men both Jews and Gentiles there hath been Moses and the Prophets in Spirit and also CHRIST p. 8. Compare this with Truth Advanced p. 70 71. above recited To an Objection How it is that in the Gospel is revealed the Righteousness of God from Faith to Faith unto the Just and also that the Wrath of God is from Heaven revealed therein against the unrighteous seeing the Gentiles have not had the Gospel preached unto them all this TIME BY PAST in which they have lived in their Ungodliness and Unrighteousness G. Keith replies To this Paul Answers That which might be known of God is manifest in them for God had shewed it unto them which is as much as to say though the Gospel came not unto them outwardly by the Ministry of Man yet it came unto them inwardly by the Ministry of God himself because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them So that it is manifest that by this Expression That which may be known of God and as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is understood the Gospel See p. 20. By this Manifestation of God in the Gentiles adds he our Adversaries deny that the Gospel or any Manifestation that is of a SAVING Nature is understood to which a little lower he thus replies If it were not Evangelical and the very Gospel it self in an inward Ministration it would quite render the Words of the Apostle impertinent and contrary to the purpose he treats of For Paul is here shewing what the Gospel was and what was revealed in it both to the Just and the Unjust and because the Unjust among all the Gentiles and Nations had not the Gospel outwardly administred he shews they had it inwardly God having shewed it unto them p. 21. Doth this agree with his Asserting the Law within made nothing perfect till the Faith of Christ the one Offering come to be revealed Or will he say the very Gospel it self in an inward Ministration was not saving and perfecting before Christ was offered up in the outward But the foregoing he corroborates by a fourthly thus This Manifestation is said to be that which may be known of God which he had shewed unto them therefore it is of an Evangelical and Saving Nature 5thly By this Manifestation here mentioned they did CLEARLY see the Invisible Things of God even his ETERNAL POWER and Godhead p. 22. There was a Time saith G. Keith when God dwelt in their the Gentiles Knowledge whereby they knew him through what he had made manifest of his Eternal Power in them p. 24. Was God known through the Eternal Power made manifest in them and the Holy Ghost not received What Confusion doth he run himself into Descanting upon Rom. 1. 20. he tells us By the things that are made may be understood those things which are inwardly made those MARVELLOUS Works of the Lord which are wrought in Mens Hearts both of Judgment and Mercy through the Appearance of God and the Revelation of his Almighty Arm and Power in that Heavenly and Divine Principle of his own Seed by which indeed the Invisible Things of him are clearly seen And until a Man come to see the Lord in the things that are made of him in himself he can never see him in the things that are made without him which gave occasion to many of the Gentile Philosophers to bid People seek God within themselves p. 26. Now I query Are these marvellous Works of Judgment and Mercy wrought in Mens Hearts and the Holy Ghost not received Or is the Divine Principle of his own Seed separable there from This is certainly to divide Christ But a little lower he tells us what
this Seed is This Seed and the Birth thereof by the Springing up of these Heavenly Powers and Vertues can and doth truly represent the Divine Power and Godhead being the express Image of God Ibid. Will he upon second thoughts divide the Holy Ghost from the Godhead as he must do if Men be allowed to have the one not the other That the Seed which truly represents the Divine Power and Godhead should spring up in Men and they without the Holy Ghost in the mean while Again By Vertue of what Covenant had the Gentiles this Priviledge Of that which made not the comers thereunto perfect Or of that whereby Grace and Truth came And what was the Effect of this Visitation to the Gentiles before Christs Incarnation where embraced would it bring them no further than the first Covenant to be Sons of Hagar c. Not to the filial Fear Love and other Virtues suitable to the Child of the New Covenant or free Woman Which he of late Appropriates to Believers in Christ Crucified c. Sarah said of old The Son of this Bondwoman shall not be Heir with my Son with Isaac Gen. 21. 10. And Abraham is commanded to hearken to her Voice ver 12. but G. Keith seems to think they may in some Revolution or other though they dyed Sons of Hagar To an Objection How can the Gentiles be either rewarded or punished seeing they have had no Law given them he saith The Apostle Answers that they had the Law inwardly though not as the Jews had it in an outward Administration and according to this Law they should be Judged and Accused or Excused according to their evil or well doing they had that inwardly made manifest in them which God had shemed unto them whereby they were condemned who did Evil and justified who did Well p. 28. And a little lower It is Evident that this Inward Principle was the very Principle of the Gospel in them in that Paul saith that God will render to every Man according to his Deeds in the Day when God shall Judge the secrets of Men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel i. e. the Gospel which he Preached Now if the Gentiles shall be judged according to the Gospel then the Gospel behoved in some measure to be manifest unto them for no Man shall be judged according to that which is not made manifest p. 28 29. Query Was this Gospel made manifest with or without the Holy Ghost Did it make perfect Is the Law within another or diffinct thing from the Gospel For he is very nice in his Distinctions yet all will not do his Contradictions are so thick and palpable Moreover the Apostle proceedeth to shew how the Gentile who followed not after Righteousness had attained to Righteousness even that of FAITH and yet the Jews missed of it p. 36. Is the Righteousness of Faith saving In p. 25. He desires the Reader to observe that the Grace held forth both in this place and all others aforesaid is the very Grace that is Evangelical being the Word of Faith and the Light which is to be believed in And what is Evangelical is perfecting I hope For I read not that the Gospel was weak though the Law was My Spirit shall not always strive WITH Man he renders IN Man calling it The very Salutiferous Spirit of God himself which created Man and ALONE hath Power to save or destroy him p. 52. and p. 53. It may still be understood saith he of that inward striving of the Spirit of God by which God did strive with them to CONVERT them that they might not be destroyed but saved Now let me ask him What Spirit is this Salutiferous Spirit This Spirit that brings Salvation Is it the Holy Ghost or not For Christ was not yet offered up in the outward Were those Ante-Diluvian Times without the Holy Ghost who obeyed that Salutiferous Spirit which strove with them Or were the Converts of those Days under no Law inward or outward that made perfect What converted them then Or what were they converted to G. Keith having set down the Opinion of the Arminians and Papists goes on thus We in Opposition to these Opinionists do aver this Universal Grace to be that very Evangelical Gospel and Saving Grace and not another through which it being closed with in Faith and Love Salvation is obtained p. 94. This he saith of the Grace but of the Law within both in Jew and Gentile he of late said it made nothing Perfect until the Faith of Christ come to be revealed c. Are they two That predicable of the one which is not of the other In his Looking Glass for Protestants Printed Anno 1674. wherein he Labours to shew the Quakers are the truest Protestants he compares W. Tindals Faith with ours in several respects His Fourthly is thus His Faith was that the Heathen once had the Spirit of God and that Pharaoh before his Heart was hardned had the Spirit of Grace and this is OUR FAITH saith G. Keith p. 28. Query Whether it be his Faith now Who must either distinguish between the Spirit of God the Spirit of Grace and the Holy Spirit and so make them two which are but one or else retract his saying the Gentiles had not the Holy Ghost who believed not in Christ crucified and raised again Now I come to his Book of Immediate Revelation c. Printed Anno 1668. and Reprinted with an Appendix Anno 1676. which tells us The Light reveals the whole Will of God he needs not go forth to seek a Law without him the Word is near in his Heart and in his Mouth and this is the Word of Faith to which Moses pointed the Jews and Paul the Romans p. 77. It seems then it was one and the same Word of Faith which Moses who was before Christ came in the outward and Paul who was after his Ascension pointed to the Work the same viz. it revealed the WHOLE Will of God And surely what reveals the whole Will of God doth it not enable to perform it according to Phil. 2. 13. and is not that Saving and Perfecting But he Queries What was this FOUNDATION of the Church of God before ever the Scripture was writ before Moses and the Prophets c Was it not Jesus Christ the Word which was in the Beginning Had it ANY OTHER Foundation And what gave them the Knowledge of this Foundation and builded them upon it when they had no Scripture And whereupon was their Faith founded By the hearing of what Word did they come by their Faith seeing then the Scripture was not writ It was even saith G. Keith the Word which came from God himself and taught them immediately p. 103. I may now Query Had the Church then a Foundation Were they built upon it even in Moses and the Prophets Days And was that Foundation Jesus Christ the Word And did they by hearing it come by Faith in Christ before the
by the impulse thereof spoke some things excellently And they who live with or according to the Word are Christians as among the Grecians Socrates Heraclitus c. But I query How could that be if the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ without which none are his Rom. 8. 9. be given to none but Believers in Christ Crucified c. Or that the Law within both Jews and Gentiles made nothing perfect till the one offering came to be revealed Yet that he may appear as he is Contradictory in every Branch in the following Page he bids us Note That whereas Justin Martyr called Socrates and others who lived in Conformity to the Divine Word in them Christians it is to be understood in part according to that General Revelation although we find not that Socrates had the knowledge of Christ as he was to come in the Flesh and suffer Death c. Now compare this with what himself hath said Truth Advanced p. 46. up on this very assertion of Jus tin Martyr's viz. If they were real Christians and were worthy of that Honourable Name they had some Faith and Knowledge of Christ the Messiah c. As he was to come in the Flesh c So one while this wavering Man restricts Christianity to a belief in Christ come Crucifie and Raised again and allows the appellation to Socrates and the rest only upon Condition that they so knew and believed in Christ nother while admits them to be Christians part conform to the Divine Word while supposeth them not to have had that Knoâ—ledge Yet whether Men who live in Conformity to the Divine Word can be said to be wholly Strangers to the Holy Spirit himself will do well to consider In his Plain Short Catechism Printed Anno. 1690. He saith by way of Question and Answer Qu. Is the Seed or Principle of the second or New Covenant after some manner in all Men A Yea Qu. And is that Seed or Principle Christ the Word of Faith A Yea p. 9. Now I Query Whether Christ the Word of Faith the Seed or Principle of the New Covenant in all Men were always saving and perfecting IN ALL MEN where embraced Or since Christs Ascension only He queries again Q. Is that great Mystery greatly I suppose it should be generally revealed in all A Nay Q. Did not God reserve the more full Revelation of it in a more general way to the time after Christ should suffer Death for Mens Sins and rise again A Yea Q. Was not therefore Christ the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations until the fulness of time and that both as to his inward and outward coming for most part A Yea ibid. By these words more full Revelation more general way for most part he seems to allow the Mystery was not hid from all Now I query Whether they to whom the Mystery was revealed before Christ suffered Death for Mens Sins were under the Law within that made nothing perfect according to Truth Advanced p. 71. Or were of the Many who were saved and attained unto perfect Peace and Reconciliation with God in their Souls according to Way to City of God p. 125. Or whether he will undertake to reconcile those two Passages Hitherto I have opposed his former to his latter writings now let us see whether in one and the same Book he be not as Contradictory to himself and that in his Truth Advanced Printed Anno 1694. as a kind of System of G. Keith's Divinity He asks Who can say with understanding that Moses Samuel David and the Prophets and John that came after were not in that Kingdom as well as any now for they had the SAME Righteonsness Peace and Joy in the HOLY GHOST as any now have and therefore if by the Kingdom we understand Christs Kingdom of Grace in the Hearts of true Believers surely John and all the holy Prophets and other Holy Men and Women were in it as well before Christ came in Flesh as since c. And a little lower All this doth not in the least infer that the Prophets were not true Believers in Christ as well as any now and had not by true Faith an entrance into Gods Kingdom as well as any now for it is absurd to suppose with the Papists that when they dyed they went into a Certain Limbus or Prison where they were detained and had not an entrance into God's Kingdom until Christ rose from the Dead And it is as absurd for any to Imagin that Believers generally since Christ came in the Flesh after Death have a greater or higher place or are greater in the Kingdom of Glory that is to come than the prophets have for it is most clear from Scripture that Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets are in that Kingdom of God Luke 13 28 29. And none can enter into the Kingdom of God hereafter who have not known some beginning of entrance in to it here in this World See p. 136 137. This affords much matter to comment on and compare with what he hath delivered elsewhere particularly in this very Book 1. Moses the Prophets and John were in the Kingdom had Righteousness Joy and Peace in the Holy Ghost as well as any now They and other Holy Men and Women were in the Kingdom of Grace as well before Christ came in the Flesh as since How can that be If Christ promised the Holy Ghost PARTICULARLY to Believers in him to such ONLY who believed in him â—ven Christ Crucified and Raised again as he â—sserts p. 70. Could these Holy Men and Woâ—en believe in Christ Crucified and Raised aâ—ain before he was so If not How came they â—y that Gift which was annexed to such quaâ—â—fications as they could not have 2. They â—ere not detained in a Limbus or Prison it an absurdity in the Papists to suppose so or at they had not an entrance into God's â—ingdom until Christ rose from the Dead â—ith he here But in p. 71. that the Law thin made nothing perfect until the Faith Christ the one offering come to be revealed by which one offering he hath forever perfected c. Is an entrance then administred into the Kingdom of Grace by a Law that doth not make perfect Or can Men have that before the one offering which perfects be Revealed which is only to be had by the Revelation of that one offering 3. Whereas he asserts now that none can enter into the Kingdom of God hereafter who have nâ—â— known some beginning of entrance in this World I ask Can they enter by an imperfect Law It is hard for Man to come up to the height of the Ability given but can any advance higher If the Law be weak are noâ— they weaker Again if Men must know some beginning of entrance here then those Conscientious Gentiles such as Cornelius was before Peter Preached to him either had it herâ— and can that be without the Holy Ghost or they must have it there If
Keith against Keith OR SOME MORE OF George Keith's Contradictions and Absurdities Collected out of his own Books not yet Retracted upon a Review TOGETHER WITH A REPLY TO George Keith's Late Book Entituled The Antichrists and Sadduces detected among a sort of Quakers c. By JOHN PENINGTON A Double-minded Man is unstable in all his Ways James 1. 8. They that observe lying Vanities forsake their own Mercy Jonah 2. 8. LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle near the Meeting-House in White-Hart Court in Gracious-Street 1696. ERRATA PAge 4. line 7. f. as r. or p. 14. l. 27. r. Evangeliâ—â—â— p. 21. l. 30. f. the r. that p. 22. l. 32. r. those p. 24. l. 28. r. Propose p. 28. l. 27. f. teacheth r. treateth p. 29. l. 18. f. the r. that l. 25. r. never l. 29. r. p 70. p. 31. l. 30. r. and honest p. 32. l. 17. r. outwardly p. 33. l. 1. r. promise p. 34. l. 1. f. they r. that p. 40. l. 4. after that delâ— which p. 41. l. 15. f. and r. to l. 29. f. outward r. outer p. 59. l. 21. r. hearers in in order p. 61. l. 2. f. as r. or p. 64. l. 7. r. Penington's l. 17. f where r. whence p. 65. l. 21. f. on r. in p. 66. l. 24. f. these r. those p. 77. l. 13. r. Rector's p. 80. l. 14. r. believed l. 20. f. on r. in p. 81. l. 3. r. who and goes on p. 89. l. 3. r. hold p. 101. l. 4. f. 127. r. 117. p. 106. l. 1. r. as well as p. 112. l. 27. f. would r. could p. 120. l. 27. r. asketh if that p 123. l. 10. f. the r. â— at p. 131. l. 31. r chargeth p. 139. l. 24. r. this which he calls p. 145. l. 4. f. an r. and l. 9. r. Popery p. 146. l. 22. for ad hucr adhuc l. 33. r. vorten KEITH against KEITH OR Some more of George Keith's Contradictions and Absurdities ALthough G. Keith blame us in his Advertisement p. 3. for heaping Book upon Book against him to which himself gave the Provocation alledging want of Time and Ability of outward Estate of whose Sincerity therein the Reader may judge by his cutting out new Work of late in his twelve Penny Narrative yet he continuing to abuse us in Print 't is fit we should there also vindicate our Holy Profession from his unjust Defamations And having to do with an unstable Adversary I had collected and digested a List of some more of his Contradictions and Absurdities upon a review which I now make introductory to the Reply wherein if I exceed my wonted Brevity know the variety of Subjects occasioned it These I shall divide into two Heads making his own Assertion in Way to City of God Printed Anno 1678. The Title of the First his Absurdities and Contradictions promiscuously Collected out of his Book called Truth Advanced Printed Anno 1694. the Second And then enter upon defending my Self and Friends from his late false Charges in his late Book stiled The Antichrists and Sadduces detected among a sort of Quakers c. 1. That through the coming of Jesus Christ in the inward even before he was unwardly come as manifest many were saved and attained unto perfect Peace and Reconciliation with God in their Souls Way to City of God p. 125. And the Method I shall take here shall be first to set down what I find in his later Books and then confront him out of his former and that the rather for that in his Serious Appeal Printed Anno 1692. p. 21. he saith Let but the Reader see my own Words in my Printed Books and well consider them and if he have but a little sound Judgment he will easily find I have not contradicted my self in ANY THING Upon this Issue I am willing to leave it with the Considerate and Judicious though perhaps G. Keith will allow none to be such but who say as he saith and begin with the Christian Faith c. Vindicated c. Printed Anno 1692. where he with others thus deliver themselves Though we do affirm that all conscientious and honest Gentiles such as Cornelius was before the Faith of Christ was preached to him have some measure of Light from Christ to enlighten them and are under some Administration of the Spirit yet it is but the first Ministration until the Knowledge and Faith of Christ as he died for our Sins and rose again c. be spiritually received And such who have the true and saving Knowledge and Faith of Christ as he dyed and rose again without them are ONLY Christians and Sons of God of the free Woman having receiving the Spirit of Adoption whereby they cry Abba Father But who have not this Faith of Christ crucified and raised again outwardly spiritually receiv'd and wrought in them by the Spirit of Christ Whether they have or have not heard Christ outwardly Preached unto them are at BEST however Just and Conscientious to the just Principle of God in them not under the second and more peculiar Ministration of God's Spirit that makes Men worthy to be esteemed Christians but are only under the first and such are held under the Custody or Safeguard of the Law shut up unto the Faith that is afterwards to be revealed as Paul declared Gal. 3. 23. And the State they are in under this first Ministration is to them as the City of Refuge was to the Man slayer under the Law Christian Faith p. 6 7. This Notion of the City of Refuge c. I having met with in other Books of his and touched upon in mine Entituled People called Quakers cleared c. as smelling of the Doctrine of the Revolution of humane Souls though G. Keith doth not care to hear of it and contrary to the Scriptures particularly Eccles 11. 3. and Heb. 9. 27. I refer to what hath been said there p. 33. and go on In his Book without date called Truth and Innocency Defended he saith None are justified by Christ but through Faith in him as he dyed for them and rose again c. For he that believeth not is condemned already and therefore the Ministration of the Law whether outwardly writ on Tables of Stone or inwardly writ on Stony Hearts is the Ministration of Condemnation preparing for Christ and leading unto Christ and such who are under the Law let them be ever so obedient just and conscientious because they have sinned and are not perfect are held under it shut up as in a Custody or Safeguard as the Manslayer in the City of Refuge and are not perfectly justified but are under Fear their Thoughts Accusing and Excusing for though they are excused or accused or to say justified in some good things done by them yet that can be no perfect Justification because their State is imperfect p. 19 20. By his Obedience unto Death and precious Blood he hath procured and purchased for us that in ward Principle of
Gods Grace whereby we are sanctified Further Discovery p. 17 18. Printed Anno 1694 If that in ward Principle whereby Men are sanctified were purchased by Christs Death and Blood what became of both Jew and Gentile before Christ's Death Were they without an inward Principle and unsanctified Himself shall resolve the Question anon In his Book stiled Truth Advanced Printed Anno 1694 he thus hath it It is not said that Cornelius had the Holy Ghost in his Gentile State although he had a great measure of Gentile Sincerity and Righteousness Nor is it any where to be sound that ANY received that Holy Ghost which Christ promised PARTICULARLY to Believers in him but such ONLY who believed in him even Christ crucified and raised again p. 70. And in the next Page That Holiness that is a Conformity unto Christ the second Adam and is the proper and peculiar effect of the new or second Covenant is far more excellent than any Righteousness or Obedience that is but the effect of the first Covenant or Ministration and is but a Conformity to the first Adam his Righteousness and maketh not Sons but Servants or if Sons but Sons of Hagar or the first Covenant And under this first Covenant Ministration the Spirit is called in them the Spirit of Fear and Bondage but the filial Fear and Love and other Gospel Vertues are the far more excellent And here the Spirit is called the Spirit of Adoption or Sonship that helpeth us to cry Abba Father And as the Spirit of God is called in Scripture the Spirit of Faith c. So it is called the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Holiness because it worketh a peculiar Degree and kind of Holiness in all true Believers in Christ Crucified c. above what the most upright Gentiles do Witness or Experience in their meer Gentile State The Law made nothing perfect and that Law was not only the Law without but even the Law WITHIN both in Jews and Gentiles until the Faith of Christ the one Offering come to be revealed by which one Offering he hath for ever perfected all that are sanctified p. 71. Let the Reader bear these things in Mind or recur to them upon occasion for on this hinge hang most of the Observations in the ensuing Quotations which belong to this Head Now before I bring his former Books in Evidence against him I think needful to Premise that I have not here delivered Mine or my Friends Sentiments pro or con for or against but barely wielded my Adversaries weapon against himself for his Writings abound with Contradictions as I have already observed in my Apostate Exposed and that other called People called Quakers cleared c. who though he could tell others that They are not so sincere as to own and retract in publick their Errors exposed in publick even lest such Retractation or Correction should lessen and abate their Honour and Esteem among their too credulous Followers and Admirers See Preface to Gross Error p. 2. yet himself is the Man that offends in that wherewith he unjustly taxeth others forgetting or at least little regarding what Paul saith Rom. 2. 21. Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thy self c. For although he represented his very minute viz. Not touching any of the great Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Religion but relating to some Places of Scriptures unduly applied to prove or defend things that were Truths but did not really prove these Truths True Copy p. 18. and hath promised to correct and retract them p. 17. yet it remains undone to this Day which is above a Year ago If he be so unwilling to correct small faults what would he be to greater But before I have done with him I doubt not to evince he had no Reason to cast the first Stone especially against the Innocent when himself was so deeply culpable To that end hear him Light of Truth Triumphing Printed Anno 1670. thus That the new Covenant requireth doing is plain from Deut. 30. 14. But the Word is very near unto thee even in thy Mouth c. which Word the Apostle Paul expounds to be the Word of Faith and Righteousness of Faith Rom. 10. 8. which he preached and that was the NEW COVENANT p. 11. Hence I argue if the Word near be the Word of Faith c. be the New Covenant then who hear it and obey it are not under the first Covenant only held under the Custody and Safe-guard of the Law c. but the Word of Faith being closed in with the Faith is revealed And surely the New Covenant is Saving and Perfecting Page 15. He proposeth a few Queries to R. Gordon to shew as he alledgeth that the Nature and Light by which the Gentiles did the things contained in the Law and knew God was that of Christ 1. How could they do the things of the Law but by the Divine Nature of Christ seeing without him men can do no good thing And I Query Whether the Divine Nature of Christ whereby God is known be without the Holy Ghost or whether the Divine Nature of Christ did not even then make perfect for in Truth Advanced p. 70. he denies Cornelius c. had the Holy Ghost and p. 71. that the Law within made perfect before the one Offering came to be Revealed 2. How could they be excused but by Christ 3. How could they be without excuse who disobeyed if they had no Principle given them sufficient whereby to perform their Obedience 4. How did some of them PERFECT the Law and judged the Circumcision and was Jews inwardly and had Praise of God if not by Christ Could they perfect that Law that it self made nothing perfect Again is the Jew inward who hath praise of God by Christ without the Holy Ghost but a Son of Hagar Surely this Man had need have looked at home and retracted his own Errors before he had been so brisk upon others 5. How could they clearly see the invisible things of God but by Christ the Son seeing it is said None knows the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son reveals him And though these invisible things are clearly seen in or through the things that are made yet not without that which is to be known of God manifest in them which God had shewed unto them which gave them an Eye or Understanding to see his Invisible Power and Godhead in these things And now I query How doth the Son reveal these invisible things but by the Holy Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 10. Do Men see the Invisible Power and Godhead without it Or is that Administration that gives to see the Invisible Power and Godhead Evangelical or Legal Imperfect or Perfecting But fighting against Truth blinds Men. Again he tells his Adversary Thou secretly Labours to prove that the Name of Jesus Christ Redeemer and Saviour belongs only to the Word as it was manifest in that particular Body and Form of Man born of
Scripture was writ And yet did they not receive the Holy Ghost Could not that Law that Command that Word make Perfect Had Men Faith in Christ and could not that Faith save in their Days Monstrum horrendum Page 105. He tells us that Moses falls a declaring concerning the New Covenant Deut. 30. from ver 11 to 16. the Probation whereof he gives in the next Page both from Jer. 31. 32. and Rom. 10. 5 6 7 8 9. And in p. 107. thus hath it The Jews and People of Israel who lived in Moses's Time and were SAVED it was through Faith in this Word in this Prophet raised up in them in their Hearts not at a distance but nigh the Word is nigh in thy Heart And this is Christ in them the Hope of Glory the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations but was EVER made manifest in his Saints but in the latter Days more clearly c. p. 107 108. Query Had Men Faith in Christ the Word Was the Mystery ever made manifest in the Saints and yet was the Law within in sufficient to make perfect till since Christ was offered up in the outward Having transcribed many verses in 119 Psalm concerning the Word he queries p. 109. What Word this is whether the Letter of the Scripture oâ— that Word of Faith Paul and Moses long before spoke of and its effects upon David he tells us anon saying This quickned him this strengthned him this comforted him this taught him and made him wiser than his Teachers This was as Oyl unto him a Lamp unto his Feet and a Light to his Paths in this his Steps were ordered verse 133. in this he worshipped he prayed he sung Psalms and all his Springs were in this p. 111 112. But I query if the Law within made nothing perfect until the one Offering was revealed how came David by his Quicknings Strength Comfort Instruction Wisdom Light fresh Springs c For now we are got a step beyond proving that the Gentiles were savingly enlightned and by occasion administred from G. Keith driven to evince out of his former Writings that the Patriarchs before Christ was born and suffered had such a Law within them as did make them perfect Are these the Fruits of an imperfect Law to quicken strengthen c. or will he who once contended that many were saved and attained unto perfect Peace and Reconciliation with God in their Souls now deny it to David a Jew both inward and outward as he must do if the Law could not make perfect How is he confounded how engaged in what is and will be too hard for him Solomon comes next From what he â—â—ys of Wisdom's crying at the Gates in every City G. Keith queries Is not her crying c. the same with Jesus Christ his standing at the Door c. p. 113. And I query Whether to them that opened unto him even during that Administration he did not come in and Sup with them for G. Keith immediately quotes Rev. 3. 20. to adapt it to Solomons saying 2dly Whether such had the Holy Ghost And 3dly Whether the Law within such made them perfect in that Age G. Keith goes on thus The Gospel was Preached unto Abraham Abel Enoch Noah and to ALL BELIEVERS who lived before Scripture was writ in a Book and it was spoken into their Hearts by the Spirit of Jesus Christ and the Saints who then lived and were inspired of God preached the Gospel and the Gospel is the same in all Generations for it is the Everlasting Gospel Rev. 4. 6. But now the Declarations Discoveries and Manifestations of this one Gospel have been many and different under the Law more darkly in the Time of the Prophets more manifestly in the Time of the Apostles Yet more manifestly and yet all ONE GOSPEL and we preach no other but the same Everlasting Gospel which is the Power of God unto Salvation Rom. 1. 16. See p. 213. Now hence I query Whether the Gospel Preached unto Abraham Abel Enoch Noah c Were the Law within Abraham c And whether it made them perfect 2dly Whether these Believers who lived before Scripture was writ in a Book who had that inspeaking into their Hearts by the Spirit of Jesus Christ partook of the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Holiness of Adoption or Sonship or of the Spirit of Fear and Bondage only Were they Sons of Hagar or Sarah Of First or Second Covenant 3dly Whether those inspired Men who preached the Gospel which he allows to be the same in all Generations had ALL OF THEM the Doctrinal Knowledge and Faith of Christ Crucified and preached it to others And this I the rather urge for as much as Truth Advanced p. 42. he denies that Paul means the Gospel is the Power of God simply and abstractly considered without all Doctrine and doctrinal Knowledge and Faith of Christ Crucified All Saints have the same Spirit and Word of Prophecy in some measure more or less that the Prophets had who ever directed People to the same Spirit and Word in their Hearts from which they spake that they might in themselves hear the same Word and Spirit whereby the true Faith comes p. 221. Is this Spirit and Word saving Is it perfecting in all Ages Can a Man hear it and obey it and yet be without the Holy Ghost But hear him again This second Adam is called the quickning Spirit by whose quickning Vertue the Souls of ALL the Holy Men and Women were made and kept alive unto God as truly before he came in the Flesh as after for they did all eat the same spiritual Meat c. Which was Christ yea they did eat his Flesh and drink his Blood as TRULY REALLY in measure BEFORE he came in that Body of Flesh as the Saints have done since p. 227. To the same purpose he expresseth himself in p. 258. and in Way cast up p. 95. and in Rector Corrected p. 95. This shews what he once thought of the Holy Men and Womens Condition in those first Ages of the World who then only placed the difference in Degree not in Kind now will not allow more then Gentile Sincerity and Righteousness where Faith in Christ crucified is not revealed as well as that he concludes all before Christ was visibly offered under such an inward Law as made not perfect How he will reconcile such a State to that of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood let him look to In the mean while as he queries Truth Advanced p. 184. in his query 10. Can any Eat the Flesh of Christ and drink his Blood who have not the Faith of him as he GAVE his Body of Flesh to be broken and his Blood to be shed for us So I query Could any do thus before it was given or broken Or had all those Holy Men and Women he spoke of even now so much as the Faith or Knowledge that it should be broken Having offered what Citations I at present
was that Spirit as Paul hath taught p. 187. Now I query Seeing Christ was not then offered up whether that Spirit were the Holy Ghost or no And also whether the Spirit made him perfect yea or nay In Truth 's Defence Printed Anno. 1682. He thus hath it When I say the Spirit is the Rule there is no absurdness therein for if we mean by the Spirit THE HOLY GHOST Christ and the Holy Ghost are never seperated or divided in what they Speak or witness in the Souls of Men Christ himself in Scripture is called the second Adam the quickening Spirit the Lord is that Spirit p. 170 And in p. 107. he tells us Paul Expounds Deut. 30. 14. of Christ and that Clemens Alexandrinus and others of the Fathers so understood those words of Moses if so the Jews by having Christ for their Rule had the Holy Ghost for their Rule even before he was Crucified and Rose again This he inforceth in what follows If Enoch Noah Abraham had the Spirit to be a Rule unto them it is no less a Rule unto all now who have the SAME FAITH which they had seeing the SAME SPIRIT is given to Believers now which they had which Spirit is one as Paul hath declared And it is most Rational that as the Faith is one IN ALL AGES of the World and the Spirit ONE So the Principal Rule of Faith should be one also p. 114. If the Spirit be one the Faith one the Rule one in all Ages of the World How came Cornelius not to have the Holy Ghost when his Prayers and Almes came up for a Memorial before God Or had he that one Spirit Rule and Faith which Enoch Noah and Abraham had and that one Spirit not the Holy Spirit not the Spirit of Holiness not the Spirit of Adoption or Sonship Is not this to make two And to the Levites P. 121. He allows the Spirit of God to the right interpreting the Scripture Now Christ not being yet Crucisied and Raised again I query Whether that Spirit were something besides the Law within which of late he hath said made nothing Perfect His Commanding them to tarry at Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father which was the Spirit to wit in GREATER MEASURE than formerly it was given unto them did not oblige c. p. 141. Had he kept to this distinction in his latter Writings he would not have told of Cornelius and the Gentiles not having the Holy Ghost before they had Faith in Christ Crucified c. A more plentiful Effusion of the Spirit being no part of the Controversy but granted But still it is the same Spirit same Faith same Rule as himself once acknowledged and was instanced even now In the next place he having of late asserted that the Law within did not make perfect till c. Let us hear how he here defineth perfection He who is Faithful in every respect to the measure of Grace which he hath received is indeed a perfect Man and doth please God although he be not equal in his attainment unto others who have more given them saith G. Keith p. 212. But can any one be perfect by vertue of a Law that doth not make perfect And if there were this deficiency even in the Law within during the first Covenant Administration how could any be perfect then And yet to shew that he abounds with Contradictions he hath allowed it to many as in above-cited Way to the City of God p. 125. which I made the Title of this first Part. And now I come to G. Keith's Book of Divine Immediate Revelation Printed Anno. 1684. which I Read not till of late by means of his citing it in his answer to me of which anon Speaking of Cornelius he saith Do not Peters words plainly imply that there were many such good honest Men who were acceptable to God through Christ although they had not heard of Christ as yet outwardly Preached See p. 26. 27 Again Cornelius received the Spirit Immediately and yet obtained it FURTHER by means of Peter's Preaching p. 63. Qu. Was not then the Spirit he received before and after Peter's Preaching the same Spirit Again We no where Read in all the Scripture that Noah Preached to all Mankind in the Old World but we find expresly that God by his Spirit did strive in those Men which most plainly sheweth that they had some inward teaching given them from the SPIRIT OF GOD for against what did they Sin but that Law Published by the Spirit of God in their Hearts seeing they had no written Law They had that inward Law which as Paul affirmed the other Gentiles had Rom. 1. See p. 54. The word of God was rare in respect of its being outward preached yet it was near and within in the Hearts of both Jews and Gentiles as Paul did affirm Rom. 10. compared with Deut. 30. p. 55. Whence I Query What Spirit this is What Law Published thereby What word this that Paul and Moses Speak of And whether they that received it and obeyed it received the Holy Spirit and were thereby made perfect especially seeing he further saith p. 79. All the Faithful under the Old Covenant were immediatly taught of God yet not by vertue of the Old Covenant but of the New which New Covenant in some degree had place in the time of the Old and was to be further revealed in Gospel Daies c. Surely if the New Covenant had place in some degree in the time of the Old the New Testament promised I will put my Spirit within you Ezek. 36. 27. had also a place during the Old Covenant Administration even where the word of Faith was closed with And what Spirit is this if not the Holy Spirit In p. 55. After having desended R. B's sense with respect to God his never changing his way or manner of Teaching and Enlightning his People by his Spirit inwardly working in them and his Continuing the same in all Ages before the Law after the Law and also after the coming of Christ he adds p. 56. that The inward Preaching Speaking and Illumination of God by his Spirit did ALWAYS remain in some degree more or less in the true Church and in ALL its Members Qu. Were the Gentiles who did by nature the things Contained in the Law none of these For if at any time the outward Preaching was little or none God did supply that outward defect inwardly by his Spirit c. In the same Book viz. That part which is â—n answer to Geo. Hicks he alledgeth p. 154. Clemens Alexandrinus is so for from thinking that only the Prophets and Apostles â—riâ— by divine Inspiration that he plainly declareth that not only Plato but also many others Preached and Declared the only true God by his Inspiration And in p 158. ' That Justin Martyr expresly saith That the innate Word or Reason declared of James 1. 21 Was in the Philosophers Poets and Historiographers who