is no agreement betwixt light and darkness 2 Cor. 6 14. Now God is Light and all sin is darkness Answ. 1. All this would plead for a sinlesness from the very first instant of Regeneration Yea and for the highest degree of Perfection 2. Though corruption abideth in the Regenerated man as a vanquished enemy strugling in the dead thrawes yet is not the Regenerated man joyned thereto but separated therefrom in Minde Will and Affections in so far as regenerated and is fighting and lusting against it as his greatest enemy 3 It is sin delighted in and unrepented of loved and intertained in the soul that separateth betwixt God and the soul and that text Esai 59 2. speaketh of soul-wasting and land-destroying sinnes to which that people had given up themselves and would not turne from as we see vers 3 4 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 15. And yet we see there vers 16 17. What soveraignity of free grace can do to and for such a people for the glory of his name 4. What is impure as impure cannot be one Spirit with Christ But beleevers are reckoned according to what hath now the throne and the heart and the dominion in the soul with their free and sanctified consent for now they are maried to a new Husband and are engadged in warfare under a new Captaine They are dead unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord therefore they are under an obligation to strive against all that would labour to set sin againe upon the throne wrong the interest of their new Lord Soveraigne Rom. 6 11 12 13. And though they be risen with Christ and are dead have their life hid with Christ in God Yet they have members to mortifie uppon earth Fornication Uncleanness c. Col. 3 2 3 5. 5. God hath no fâ—llowshipe with corruption more then light can have fellowshipe with darkness yet he can have fellowshipe with his owne work of grace in the soul and with the soul as sanctified and renewed 19. But sayes he further Is it not against the wisdom of God to say He could finde no other methode whereby he should be served than by such actions by which the devil is no lesse yea more served for he that sinneth is the servant of sin Rom. 6 16. Ans. It is not fit for man to stand up and disput wickedly for God and under a shew of zeal for and patronage of his Wisdome condemne the same His folly is wiser than our wisdome What methods God could have found out whereby He might have been served by men what proud man will take upon him to determine The methode he hath chosen should satisfie us But to the matter when God's people are serving Him with some measure of sincerity and uprightness of heart howbeit the devil opposeth and by his temptations and the co-working of corruption prevaileth much to hold back or to cause the soul move slowly Yet the heart and the renewed part of the man being for God and for God only and directly against Satan and all his wayes doings and designes there is no formal service performed unto Saâ—an for the Lord regardeth the heart And though oft times there be more corruption in the work than grace Yet the heart being upright in the main the denomination is from the better part And albeit how more sin be in the action that is gone about by the honest Beleever in weakness Satan be the glader Yet in that the beleever cannot be called his servant For the Apostle in the place cited saith not he that sinneth but he that yeeldeth himself up as a servanâ— to obey sin is the servant of sin No doubt if the Lord had seen it for his glory he could have so ordered it that his children from the day of their new birth should never have sinned more but He hath thought it good that they should be exercised with a spiritual warfare all their dayes against Satan and a wicked world without and a body of death and its members within that his power might be made perfect in their weakness that they might live by Faith and get continual proofs of God's Power Love Care Faithfulness Grace Mercy and Tenderness that they might daily have use of the blood of Christ to wash in and so exercise Humility Godly sorrow Repentance Faith Patience Submission Watchfulness Diligence and might groan under the body of death that they might see through daily experience the riches and worth of their Redemption and read their great Obligations to their Lord Ransomer and Soveraigne King And if we were sober we might here mark wonderful wisdome and see a piece of the manifold wisdome of God But when we be come distracted as doubtless we are when we will be wise above what is written no wonder we become blinde and speak as fools as this man doth here and in the following words which I shall not so much as honour with a transcribing 20. He sayes our doctrine is repugnant to the justice of God requireing them to abstaine from all sin and not enabling them hereunto and requireing more then he giveth ability to do Ans. 1. The man runneth so hard that he runneth himself blinde Seeth he not that if this argument prove any thing it will prove that all the wicked world are perfect for God requireth of them obedience to his Law and it may be a question if hence it may not likewise be proven that the damned and the Devils are all perfect and without sin seing it may be a doubt if they be loosed from the Law of their Creation But 2. Though it were granted they had power I mean moral power for no other can be here understood yet this will not prove their perfection or freedom from sin many may have power and yet not use it Adam had power to resist Satans suggestion yet did it not His perfect ones may grow slack in their watch and so sin though he will grant they have power to do otherwise 3 This is old Pelagius's argument as Vâ—ssius cleareth to us Hist. Pelag. lib. 5. part 1. Thes. 6. where among other evidences he citeth Hieron adv Pelag. bringing-in Critobolus as a Pelagian reasoning thus Either God gave commandements that were possible or that were impossible if possible it is in our power to do them if we will if impossible we are not guilty if we do them not seing we cannot And thus whether the Lords command be possible or Impossible man may be without sin if he will Our Quaker is yet worse for the Pelagian would hence prove but a possibility of Perfection but he will hence evince the real being of Perfection and that common to all believers â— God made man upright and able to fulfil all his Law and when he hath dilapidated his stock of strength must God be unjust if he require due debt Or doth mans inability dissolve his obligation Seing God is pleased of his grace
made for what interest could others have in this or advantage by it And so the Redemption was neither Universal nor yet meerly Possible and no more 13. Againe 2. The Scripture every where pointeth out the end of Christs coming and dying to have been to Procure and Obtaine some good to man it were endless to cite the Scriptures speaking this out plainely But if it had been only to have procured a Possibility then the proper and immediat end of his dying had been only to have procured something to God viz. a Power to Him that he might without hurt to his Justice prescribe a possible way of salvation Now not to discusse that question agitated among Orthodox Divines viz. whether it was impossible for God to have pardoned the sins of man without a satisfaction made by his Son or not meaning antecedently to a decree determineing this way of manifestation of the Iustice of God only I must say that as yet I can see nothing from Scripture determineing the egresses of the Relative Iustice of God to be more essential to God and less subject to the free determinations of his good will and pleasure than are the egresses of his Mercy nor do I see any necessity for asserting this against the Socinians seing our ground walking upon a decree is proof against all their Assaults far less see I any necessity of founding our whole debate with the Socinians upon that ground yea I cannot but judge it the result of great imprudence so to do seing the Socinians may reply that the sole ground of that Opposition to them is not only questioned but plainly denyed by such as we account Orthodox and learned and may hence gather that we have no other solide ground whereupon to debate with them but such as the learned of our owne side overthrow The depths of God's Counsel are beyond our fathoming and it is hard for us to say hithertil the omnipotent can come but not one ince further I daâ— not be wise above what is writen and I would gladly see one passage of Scripture declareing this to have been in itself utterly impossible and inconsistent with God But whatever may be said of this what Scripture tels us that Christ was sent to die that he might obtean this Power unto God And further what was this power Was it a meer Power and Liberty that should never have any Effect If it was to have an Effect what was that Was it only to make a new Transaction with man in order to his salvation If that was all notwithstanding of all this Power and Ability not one man might have been saved Was it certanely to save some Then the Redemption cannot be called Universal nor yet meerly Possible Nay if by the death of Christ a Right and Power only was obtained to God God was at full liberty to have exerced that Right and Power or not as he pleased and so notwithstanding thereof man might have remained in the same condition whereinto he was and never so much as have had one offer of life upon any termes what ever or only upon the old termes of the Covenant of works and what then should the advantage of this have been The whole Scripture speaking of the death of Christ mentioneth far other Ends respecting man 14. If we 3. Consider how the Scripture mentioneth a number given of the Father to Christ to be Redeemed and Saved we shall see that there is neither an Universal nor yet a meer Possible Redemption for this gift is utterly repugnant to and destructive of both for if conforme to the Covenant beâ—wixt the Father and the Son there were some given to Christ to save and redeem these He must actually save and redeem and for these only was Christ ordained and designed of the Father to be a Redeemer and upon the account of these only did he undertake the work and lay down the ransome-money for it is not rational to suppose that the designe of Father and Son being to saâ—e actually these gifted ones Christ would shed his blood for others who were not given to him and who should receive no salvation by his blood for cui bono what could be the designe of Father and Son in this The matter goeth not so in humane transactions where the price is considerable Now that the Scripture mentioneth some given to Christ and that in distinction from others is clear Ioh. 17 2. that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him So vers 12. Those that thou gavest me I have keept and none of them are lâ—st c. So Ioh. 6 37. All that the Father hath given me shall come unto me vers 30. And this is the Fathers will that hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing Ioh. 17 9. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine 10. And all thine are mine and mine are thine and I am glorified in them 11. Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am c. Whence we see tâ—at Christ had no charge of the rest was under no tye to save them nor would he so much as pray for them but as for the given ones Ioh. 10. called his sheep for these he laid downe his life and prayed and for these was he to give an account nay which is more these had a special Interest in God's heart and affection were thereupon given to Christ. They were the Father's and given of the Father to tâ—e Son and so fully discriminated from all the rest and both Father and Son stand engadged to carry these thorow unto salvation all which considered it is most plaine that the Redemption was Particular and Actual conforme to the Undertaking and Transaction 15. Nay 4. If we will consider the fountaine love from whence the sending of Christ came we will see how unreasonable it is to imagine an Universal meer Possible Redemption as the proper end and effect of Christs death and merites It is said Ioh. 9 16. A place which our Universalists look upon as most favourable for them that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that all beleevers in him might have eternal life This love is held forth as unparallelable a love greater than which cannot be conceived and a a love demonstrated by the greatest effect imaginable sending and giving his only begotten to give his life a râ—nsoâ—e and to die for sinners and it must be contrary to all reason to imagine that all this was to procure a Redemption by which it was possible that not one man should be Actually Redeemed Christ himself saith Ioh. 15 13. greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends See also Rom. 5.8 And shall we think
more harden them as clay c. But the Sun can never make a thistle bring forth grapes or a carcasse to smell as a rose so neither can the Sun of righteousness by this Man's opinion cause a dead man live or a rotten withered branch bring forth fruit And the change of the corrupt nature of man is not from the Sun of righteousness but from himself and it lyeth at the mans own door and is in his option whether he will bring forth fruite or not let the sun shine as it will And further let him explaine to me How grace can properly harden a man I know that by accident of mans corruption abusing it the man may thereby grow worse but this is not the proper work of grace as the heat of the sun hardeneth the clay as natively and properly as it causeth the flower to smell fragrantly However we see clearly what are this mans thoughts of grace and let any tell me if ever a Pelagian Semipelagian Socinian Arminian or Iesuite spoke more to the undervalueing and disparagment of the grace of God 10. Finally he tels us § 18. that he acknowledgeth that God doth operat in some in a certain special manner in whom grace so far prevaileth that salvation necessarily followeth and God suffereth them not to resist This I confess is the expression that seemeth most orthodox of any he hath yet had in this matter and yet Arminians will say the same But is it not thus with all whom God effectually Draweth and Converteth Or are there any really converted and saved without this special operation of grace If it be not thus with all then all are not alike beholden to God and his free grace for Conversion and out of what Scripture can we learne this If it be thus with all and it must be so with all who are truely converted why doth he trouble us with his Sufficient Grace which alone without this special manner of operation never brought a soul to heaven Was ever or will ever a man that is born in sin be converted till grace take away that resistence which is in him naturally And did ever that sufficient grace alone do it Yet saith he in that none did want that measure of grace whereby they might be saved they are made justly inexcusable and they that perish while they remember the dayes of Visitation wherein God by his Spirit and light did strive with them are forced to câ—nfesse that tâ—ere was a time wherein the door of mercy stood open and that they are justly condemned Ans. 1. We see no ground for such a day of Visitation as he dreameth of granted to all and every son of Adam as appeareth from what was said above upon that hâ—ad 2. That no man shall have anâ— just ground of pleading his excuse before God when condemned we nothing doubt though we feigne no devices of our owne to this end 3. what sense or remembrance of a day of Visitation wherein mercies door stood open Heathens and such as never heard of Christ can have we are yet to learne 4. Nor do we understand how that grace can absolutely be called Sufficient which removeth not the greatest of impediments that is to say Mans Reluctancy But Quakers their brethren the Arminians Iesuites can imagine strange things 11. We come now to see what way he proveth the necessity of this light unto salvation or how such as hear the Gospel are saved by the operations of this Light Pag 107. c. He citeth that Ioh. 3 3. except a man be born againe or from above he cannot see the Kingdom of God And what can this evince That the outward preaching of the Gospel alone the literal knowledge of Christ historical faith in him doth or can save a soul we never said though he falsly insinuateth so much in the following words Yet we see here the mans wicked designe to wit to cry up this grace to the end he may destroy all the Ordinances of Christ which he hath appointed as meanes whereby he is pleased to bring about this effect We never said that the external preaching of the Gospel alone could save any yet we know that by the foolishness of preaching the Lord saveth such as beleeve 1 Cor. 1 21. And Paul tels us that he begote the Corinthians through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4 15. And he begote Philem. 10. Onesimus in his bonds The word becoming ingraffed is able to save souls Iam. 1 21. But the maine thing here to be noticed is that this can make nothing for his point we grant that a man must be regenerated by the Grace and Spirit of God but we deny that any thing call it as he will that is common to all the Heathen is the Seed or Cause of this new birth It is wholly from above and of the Spirit who is not given to all persons only such as were foreknown are predestinate to be conforme to the image of Christ and they who are thus predestinated are effectually called Rom. 8 29 30. Se also Ephes. 1 4 5. It is they only who are given of the Father to Christ who will come to him Ioh. 6 37. 17 19 20 For they only partake of that which is obtained by Regeneration viz. the New Creature Gal. 6 15. the New Man Ephes 4 24. the Image of God Col. 3 10. the Divine Nature 2 Pet 1 4. the Spirit Gal 5 17. the Inner man Rom 7 2â— the Law of the minde vers 24. When he hath proven that this Common and Sufficient Grace is able to effectuate this new birth then he shall speak something to the purpose But neither he nor his Masters the Pelagians Iesuites nor Arminians shall ever be able to do this 12. What he saith of the necessity of this New birth and its preferableness to any external knowledge of Christ from 2 Cor. 5 16 17. we shall not oppose only we must say that it is wilde and unreasonable from that place to inferre that the knowledge of Christ is but like the Rudiments that children use which must be laid aside when they attaine to more perfection seing the knowledge of Christ is our life Ioh. 17 3. and he who knoweth him knoweth the Father Ioh. 10 â—8 14 9 10 11 17 21. His granting that every similitude halteth doth not much alleviate the mater for he addeth that such as do not advance above the outward knowledge of Christ shall never inherite the kingdom of heaven Unless by the outward knowledge of Christ he understand a meer literal superficial book-knowledge which inded will nor availe unto salvation and yet the want of which maketh the case of Heathens and such as are without the Church desperate 13. He tels us afterward Pag. 108. that the new creation whereof the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5 16 17. proceedeth from the operation of this Light and Grace And this is the thing which he should prove for we deny it of the
16 17. Pag. 217 Chap. Vers. 22 Pag. 346 IAMES Chap. Vers. 2.17 c. Pag. 320 Chap. Vers. 4.1 Pag. 517 Chap. Vers. 5.12 Pag. 523 524 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 499 1 PET. Chap. Vers. 1.5 Pag. 358 Chap. Vers. 2.22 Pag. 305 Chap. Vers. 3 18 Pag. 305 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 222 Chap. Vers. 21 Pag. 472 Chap. Vers. 4.2 Pag. 421 Chap. Vers. 7 Pag. 424 Chap. Vers. 10 11. Pag. 379 II PET. Chap. Vers. 1.12 Pag. 83.84 Chap. Vers. 3.9 Pag. 151.207 Chap. Vers. 15 Pag. 222 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 222 I IOH. Chap. Vers. 1.7 Pag. 255 Chap. Vers. 8 Pag. 346 347 Chap. Vers. 2.1 2. Pag. 20â— Chap. Vers. 27 Pag. 45 Chap. Vers. 3.9 Pag. 333 Chap. Vers. 4.10 Pag. 304 Chap. Vers. 13 Pag. 48 Chap. Vers. 5.6 Pag. 48 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 459 IVD Chap. Vers. Vers 14. Pag. 557 Chap. Vers. 20 Pag. 458 REVEL Chap. Vers. 3.20 Pag. 489 Chap. Vers. 19.10 Pag. 542 Chap. Vers. 22.8 Pag. 542 Chap. Vers. 14 Pag. 320 Chap. Vers. 18 Pag. 74 READER I intended once to have given thee some short animadversions on G. Keith's way cast up so far as concerned maters of doctrine but finding that they would make this book too big I thought best to reserve these to some fitter occasion Only to fill up some vacant pages I shall present thee with some heeds of abominable Quakerisme contained in that book which together with the Index insert after the Preface will give thee a fuller view of the many blasphemous heterodoxies which the Apostate Quakers maintaine The pages here cited are of his book and such as have it may if they please see that I wrong him not 1. CHrist and his Apostles preached Christ within men as well as his coming in the flesh in that prepared body which was crucified 72 2. Christ as Man was and is before all the first the last 38 93 96 97 101 3. To say there are three distinct persons in the Godhead is to darken that mystery 86 87 4. The Godhead of Christ is not properly a person but an invisible power and life 89 5. It is a most foolish distinction to distinguish betwixt the Personality and the nature of man in Christ 89 6. Christ as man excelleth all other men in nature and substance as far as heaven doth the earth 90 7. Of this distinction betwixt the nature and soul of Christ as man the souls of other men speaketh Paul 1 Cor. 15 45 47. 90 8. The man Christ influenceth all men by his life and is in them 90 106 107 108 109 9. The Word made flesh created all things anâ— the â—ord only is not properly the Christ 93 10. Christ as Man came down from heaven 94 11. Christs flesh and blood came down from heaven 94 12 Thus Christ hath spiritual flesh and blood 94 95 13. Of his spiritual flesh and blood did the saints of old eat and drink 95 14. The Man Christ Jesus is the mediator 96 15. The Man Christ is to be understood Prov. 8 23. Psal. 110 1 2 3. 97 98 16. The Man Christ is God's High-Priest 98 17. A measure of the life of the Lamb lived in Adam in innocency 99 18. This measure came to be slain by transgression and to undergo deep sufferings 99 19. Thus Christ was the lamb slaine from the foundation of the world 99 20. It was this life of Christ as man that was pressed as a cart c. Amos 2 13. 99 100 108 21. Thus Apostats crucify to themselves againe the Son of God Heb. 6 vers 6. 100 108 109 22. Thus hath Christ been crucified by the wicked from the beginning 100 23. Christ the heavenly man liâ—ed in Abraham and Moses c. 100 24. Christ was true and real man before he was borne of Mary 102 25. The soul of Christ or the inward man that dwelleth in the outward flesh is the man 102 26. This is the man that was seen Ezek. 1 26 27. Dan. 7 9. Rev. 1 13-19 Esai 6. Gen. 3 8 9 10. 102 27. The Word was made flesh from the beginning and dwelt in us 103 28. The centre and spring of Christ's soul and life was for the most part in heaven until it descended and clothed it self with the likeness of our flesh in the Virgines womb 103 29. In all the Scripture it will not be found that Christ became Man and took to himself the soul of Man but only that he took flesh 104 30. According to his heavenly nature even as Man he was the Son of God 104 31. Christ is not only in Men but in all the world else he should be discontinued in discontinued places 110 32. Christ is hid and vailed in unbeleevers 112 33. Christ is otherwise in the Saints then he was in that Vessel or Temple that suffered at Ierusalem 113 34. The spring centre of Christ's Soul light life is in that Vessel 113 35. Christ hath given to all mankind eternal life as to its seed principle 115 116 36. The Man Christ is the object of divine Worshipe as well as the Father 118 37. Christ as Mediator is to be Worshiped 121 38. The Man Christ is every where 123 39. That is his soul is extended into all in his divine seed and body which is his heavenly flesh and blood 123 40. And this they prove by their Worshiping of this heavenly body praying to it 123 41. It is not enough to say Christ is present as God for if the Man be not present he is not to be Worshiped 124 42. The Man Christ could not know our inward prayers if he were not immediatly present in us and with us 125 43. That which Christ hath left with us of his divine body is God's throne of grace in which we have accesse Heb. 4 15 16. 126 127 44. It is of the same nature and one entire being with that above the altar the mercy seat the cherub Ps. 18 9 10. 127 45. This Cherub is the Man Christ 127 46. Christ is the heavens that God boweth ibid. 47. Christ as Man knew the thoughts of men in the dayes of his flesh 128 48. Christ as Man is omnipercipent and therefore omnipresent 129 49. Christ thus near us in his divine life soul seed and body is the Incarnat Word 133 50. The word made flesh which Iames calleth the ingraffed word dwelleth in them 134 51. And that by way of an emanation 136 52. The blessed Deity is as centrally and essentially in us as in the Man Christ Jesus 136 53. The soul of Christ is that ladder Ioh. 1 51. 142 54. This soul of Christ is not the Nephesch of his soul but the Neschamah 143 55. Even that divine Spirit of life that God breathed into Adam the candle of the Lord the ingraffed word the word made flesh ibid. 56. The Nephesch is that of the soul of Christ which is common to the souls of other men ib. 57. By the Neschamah they underderstand the substantial dignity and excellency thereof ib. 58. Whether these two be two distinct principles or two faculties of one principle he determineth not ibid. 59. Christ cannot sanctifie us but by his soul extended to us 144 145 60. The Spirit or Soul that was in the Son of Mary is in all men but not in its fulness as it was in him but by emanation from him 157 61. And thus Christ is in us immediatly and God through him 157 62. If Christ be mediator in the Saints then he is Man and the word incarnat in them 158 63. Christ sowed the good seed of Regeneration in all ages and in all places of the world and not in some corners only 159 64. This seed is a measure of the same divine and heavenly nature that is in himself ibid. 65. The universal presence of Christ as Man is proved from Luk. 2 49 50. 160 By all which considered and laid together though mayest see What the Apostate Quakers think of our Lord Jesus Christ and how this Man more then confirmeth the charge given-in against them in that Postscript to Mr Rutherfoords letters Edit 3. which I would desire all to read and read over againe that they may see their duty in this day wherein the very aire of Christianity is made blak and infected with Quakeristick Antichristian Blasphemies FINIS
â—onveyed to beleevers by this Light and it is this light that is given for a witness to the people for a leader and a commander and so this â—ight is our prophet priest and king and then we have nothing to do with that Iesus of Nazareth of whom the Gospel speaketh whom the Apostles preached Thus the whole Gospel is overturned at one blow and all the New Testament is to be looked upon as a cunningly devised fable or must all be understood allegorically as speaking of this Light within which is Gospel Bible Saviour and all to the Quakers and of no other Christ of no other Saviour and Redeemer What a fundamental and antievangelick errour this of the Quakers is no man needeth now to doubt nor fear to call them pagan Preachers 40. Faith cometh by hearing saith he and hearing by the Word of God which is placed in every mans heart to be a witness for God and à medium by which they may be brought unto God through Faith and Repentance And because mans heart is naturally hard as yron God hath put this word in it to be as a fire and as an hammer Ier. 23 29. by whose strength and vertue if it be not resisted the cold and hard heart of man is warmed and made soft and receiveth an heavenly image and impression Ans. Here is a further confirmation of the desperate designe of these Quakers to overturne the foundations of Christian Religion for 1. The word of God by which Faith is wrought in souls is not with them the word of God which is preached or the Gospel which Christ his Apostles preached but a thing in every mans heart Heathen as well as Christian which they nickname blasphemously call the word of God Did Paul preach this word which is in every mans heart Or did any of the Apostles make this their theme text Did they ever say that by this word Faith was wrought in the heart Was this the Christ crucified that Paul spoke so much of Sure faith cometh by the hearing of that word which is outwardly preached by such as are sent and whose feet are bautiful upon the mountains bringing glade tideings Rom. 10 15. Esai 52 7. Nah. 1 15. and by such as was Esaias whose report was not beleeved Rom. 10 16. Esai 53 1. Hear what Peter said Act. 15 7. Men and brethrâ—n Ye know how that a good while agoe God made choise among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the Word of the Gospel and beleeve And what that word of the Gospel was which Peter preached to Cornelius to which passage this relateth see Act. 10 34. to 43. What meaneth Paul by the foolishness of preaching whereby such as beleeve are saved 1 Cor. 1 21. was that the preaching of a Light within Why doth he then call it the crosse vers 18. and Christ crucified vers 23 would the crying up of the light within be a stumbling block to the Jewes and foolishness to the Greeks No certainly But because the Apostles doctrine did lye so crosse hereunto neither Iewes nor Greeks could relish it except those who were the called and they indeed and they only saw Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God vers 24. What need is there that we should insist in disproving of this which overturneth the whole doctrine of the Gospel and rendereth all the administrations thereof useless and ridiculous 2. What Faith I wonder can be produced by this Light within It cannot be the Faith of God's elect for the mighty operation of the Spirit is required thereunto and as an external mean the out ward preaching of the Gospel which is called the word of Faith Rom. 10 8. and the hearing of faith Gal. 3 2. And Paul tels us Rom. 1 5. That he and others received grace and Apostleshipe for obedience to the Faith among all nations The Gospel and the preaching of Iesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was keept secret since the world began but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of â—he Prophets according to the commandement of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience of faith Rom. 16 25 26. Through the Gospel did the Apostle beget the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4 15. The Thessalonians were called to the beleefe of the truth by the Gospel 2 Thes. 2 14. It must thâ—n be the faith of Heathens or rather the faith of Devils for they beleeve and tremble and Nature can produce no other faith but a natural faith founded upon nature which is of the same kinde with the faith of devils Is not the Quakers Religion a noble Religion which would bring us the length of Devils 3. That which is left in every man to be a witness for God is nothing but a Natural Conscience witnessing according to the Law of Nature and the dim light thereof that is not yet extinct and will this Natural Conscience produce saving faith in a heathen Sure the devil hath a conscience as an intellectual creature witnessing that there is a God and so witnessing for God Shall we call this conscience the word of God the hearing of which will produce faith Then the Quakers Gospel is a Gospel for the Devils giving them ground of hope of Faith and Repentance if they will but obey that Gospel which is preached within them 4. What a bold and manifest perversion of Scripture is it to apply that Word Ier. 23 29. which is express of the word spoken by the true and faithful Prophets of God unto this dumb preacher in every mans bosome 5 We see then that the softening and warming Spirit of God who by his power and efficacy melteth the heart is in every man by nature in every Turk Tartar Barbarian c. And whatever the Scripture speaketh of this work of the mighty Spirit of God must all be understood of this Light within every man O desperat souls O wretched errour Will not the Lords hand be seen against these impudent audacious perverters of the right wayes of the Lord 6. This fire and hammer will do wonders if it be not resisted But when fire worketh upon water and a hammer beateth upon hard yron or stone can it but meet with resistence At length we see all the operation of grace which he talketh of is the sufficient grace that Pelagians Iesuites Arminians plead for which must have no more efficacy anâ— power ascribed to it whatever great names it get than may salve the honour and consist with the glory of Free will which must weare the crowne and have all the praise for this grace must not entrench upon the Lordly liberty of mans will but must stand off and petition Lord Free will to consent and yeeld if it will but if not it can do no more And so it shall be of him that willeth and runneth and not of God that sheweth mercy contrare to Rom. 9 16. And it is not
God that worketh in us to will contrare to Phil. 2 13. Thus homage must be payed and honour done unto the great Diana Goddess Free will Shee must keep the keyes of heaven and hell She openeth and God himself cannot shut and shuteth the door and God cannot open it Shee is master of the everlasting Purposes and Decrees of God Shee is sole administratrix and dispensatrix of the great blessings of the Covenant and of all the fruites of Christs death so that if she will Christ shall not save one soul for all his travail he shall lose all that were given him to save and cannot help it there is no remedy Free will is inexorable and God Father Son and Holy Spirit must do no violence to this Soveraigne They must not enter within his Jurisdiction Mans will must be Supream and above God himself O strange Do these men pretend to light Their Light sure must be hellish darkness Will not these men suffer God to have a power over their will and grant him power to take away and overcome their resistance If not their case is desperat for without the mighty power of God bowing inclineing drawing and efficaciously moving the will to assent and taking away that resistance and opposition the carnal heart which is enmity to God neither is nor will be subject to the Law of God and so will never yeeld Woe to such as practically receive these principles 41. He alleigeth some Fathers as confirming his opinion but these all are but three and it were tedious to search for a few lines in a whole book that we might examine what pertinency and faithfulness is in the allegation And beside for any thing I see the very words which he hath cited prove not his conclusion Not one of them speak of a Substance within every man which is neither a part of soul nor of body not one of them call this the Vehicle of God or Christ within every man No man saith that the Word of God by which saving faith cometh is in every man Not one of them faith that the fire and hammer of God which melteth and softeneth the heart is in every son of Adam and was in all since the fall Not one of them saith that there is and ever since the fall was in every man a real spiritual substance distinct from the soul and all its faculties from which the spiritual birth the new creature and the new man in the heart hath its original And if they conclude not this what can they say for him Though they should seem to speak for an Universal Gospel or word without which yet they do not this will not prove an universal grace within and that common to all since Adam fell So that this Quaker is at much paines if he transcribed not those few sayings out of some Iesuite or Arminian Author to no purpose And further as to some Fathers who lived before the Pelagian heresie arose it is observed by some that they so put on Christ as not fully to have put off Plato therefore imagined that some living 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. according to the dictats of right reason before the Incarnation might be saved without faith in Christ. See Casaubon Exerc. 1. against Baronius But the Gospel teacheth us no such thing CHAP. XI Of the necessity of this Light to Salvation 1. WE told above Chap. IX § 2. how this Quaker laid forth his new doctrine in three Propositions the first whereof we examined Chap. IX the second Chap. X. Now the third should come under our consideration which as he did word it Pag. 79. was concerning an Vniversal Gospel for our Quakers are great universalists for these are the words thereof That God doth by this light and seed invite call reprove and exhort all and every man and contendeth as it were with them in order to salvation If this be received and not resisted it worketh the salvation of all even of these who never heard of Adam's fall nor of Christ's coming because it maketh them sensible of their misery and inwardly maketh them partakers of Christâ—s sufferings and being partakers of his resurrection are made pure and just c. Thus is clearly pointed forth an Universal Gospel which indeed is no Gospel or at least not that Gospel which we have revealed to us in the word of God And by this doctrine the whole Gospel revealed to us in the word is wholly useless or unnecessary So that by this one Proposition the whole Gospel of the grace of God is made null and void and the great blessing of a preached Gospel and the rich advantage of the Gentiles in the dayes of the New Test. and under the dispensations thereof beyond what they were capable of in the dayes of the Old Test. is undervalued yea annihilated all the boasting rejoycing and glorying of the Apostle in his being made instrumental in preaching of this Gospel to the Gentiles and in suffering so much upon the account thereof Rom. 1 1 5 14 15 16. 11 13. 15 15 16 17 18 19 23 24 29. 1 Cor. 1 17. 2 3 4 5. 3 9 10. 4 1 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. 9 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. 15 1 2 3. c. 2 Cor. 1 4 13. 2 13 14 15 16 17. 3. throughout 4 1 15. 5 18 19 20 21. 6 1 11. with other places innumerable made his folly and vainity and a glorying in a thing of nought O what desperado's must these Quakers be who thus undervalue and trample upon the riches of the wisdom and grace of God and instead of the true Gospel give us pure Paganisme 2. After his prosecution and confirmation such as it was of the two first propositions we expâ—cted some proof and confirmation of this Third proposition but in stead thereof we have Pag. 106. a distinct proposition put in its place which is thus worded The third proposition is That by this Grace Light and Seed God worketh the salvation of all and that by this they are made partakers of the benefite of Christ's death and of salvation acquired by him And this Proposition he devideth in two Pag. 107. The first part thereof he sayes is That they to whom the Gospel is preached are not saved but by the inward operations of this light and grace The second is That by the operations hereof the most part of such as never had the outward Gospel preached unto them and were ignorant of the history of Christ were saved and some such now may be saved Why he did supercede the direct probation of that which was his first third proposition I know not Possibly he thought that it was sufficiently confirmed by what he said in confirmation of the first and second And if so I suppose the Reader will see by what I have replyed its manifest untruth and falshood 3. But as concerning his last third