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A47133 The deism of William Penn and his brethren destructive to the Christian religion, exposed and plainly laid open in the examination and refutation of his late reprinted book called, A discourse of the general rule of faith and practise and judge of controversie, wherein he contendeth that the Holy Scriptures are not the rule of faith and life, but that the light in the conscience of every man is that rule / by George Keith. Keith, George, 1639?-1716. 1699 (1699) Wing K156; ESTC R6589 71,572 164

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6. His Quotations out of Gentile Authors as Thales Pythagoras Socrates c. prove no more at most but that they acknowledged an inward Law Rule and Principle of Justice and moral Virtue placed in Mankind But what saith all this to prove that all Mankind had or have a Law or Rule of the Christian Faith Nothing at all Page 8. Arg. 2. He makes a fresh Assault to prove that the Scriptures are not the Rule of Faith and Life c. His Argument is this If now the Rule then ever the Rule but they were not ever the Rule therefore they cannot now be the Rule That they were not ever the Rule is granted That they are not therefore now the Rule I shall prove saith he thus If the Faith of God's People in all Ages be of one Nature then the Rule but of one Nature But clear it is Heb. 11. the Faith has been but of one Nature consequently the Rule but of one Nature In short If the Holy Ancients had Faith before they had or wrote Scripture they had a Rule before they had or wrote Scripture Answ His whole way of arguing here is extreamly weak to detect which let him consider when it is commonly said the Scriptures are the Rule of Faith it is not meant simply and barely the written Letter but the Doctrine delivered in or by the written Letter is the Rule which at other times is thus expressed the Word of God contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament or the revealed Will and Mind of God delivered to us by Scripture is the Rule of Christian Faith c. And seeing the Doctrine of Faith in the promised Messiah and of eternal Salvation through Faith in him is the same in the Essentials and Fundamentals of it now as then and then as now without any substantial Variation it is evident that as the Doctrine now committed to writing is the same it was before it was in writing the Rule is still the same and the Faith is the same for Substance and Nature for the different manner of conveying the Doctrine makes no essential Difference either in the Doctrine or Faith and consequently nor a different Rule As when the Doctrine is delivered by Preaching or Writing to one Nation in one Language and to other Nations in other Languages yet the Doctrine may be still the same Nor doth it change the Nature of the Doctrine that some had it by Prophetical Inspiration and Revelation without any external Mediums and others had it by and through some external Mediums as by means of the Ministry of Faithful Men faithfully conveyed through the several Ages the Spirit of God inwardly by his secret Inspiration moving the Faithful to believe the Doctrine preached to them by such Faithful Men. And here I would have him to consider his great default in not distinguishing the Inspirations of God's Spirit the want of which leads him into so many By-paths as if all Divine Inspirations were Prophetical and of the same Nature with what the Prophets and Apostles had as Prophets and Apostles whereas the Scripture plainly distinguisheth the various Gifts Operations and Ministrations of one and the same God Lord and Spirit all which may be accounted Divine Inspirations Are all Prophets said Paul 1 Cor. 12.29 intimating they were not all Prophets who yet were true Saints and Believers all which had the same Spirit inspiring them all but not the same manner and kind of Inspirations but far differing the Prophetical Inspirations taught them the Doctrine of Faith without all outward teaching of Men but the Inspirations of other Faithful Men who were not Prophets did teach them the same Doctrines by means of outward teaching of Men. Section 4. His third fourth and fifth Arguments Answered Page 9. Arg. 3 HE frames a new Argument here which he sets out in a two-fold Dress I shall produce it in its best Dress and thus it is Such as the Faith is such must the Rule be but the Faith is as before Inward and Spiritual therefore the Rule must be Inward and Spiritual which no meer Book can be Answ Here he takes his Consequence as granted without any offer of proof but it is altogether Fallacious If by the term Such he mean such every way and in all respects and Universally such it will Infer the greatest Blasphemy ad Hominem as to argue thus Such as the Faith is such must the Rule be but the Faith is an Act or thing that had a beginning in Time therefore the Rule is an Act or thing that had a beginning in time and that Rule according to him being the Word and Spirit of God which is God therefore God Absit Blasphemia had a beginning in time If by the term Such he mean not such universally but only in some respects as because the Faith is true and certain therefore the Rule is such his proposition is granted but then the Consequence would not follow that because the Faith is inward the Rule is only inward no more than it will follow that because my sight of an object is in my Eye that therefore the Object is no where but in my Eye He grants that until the Son came the Law outward was a Rule pag. 19. and yet all those Holy Ancients who lived before the Son came had the true inward Faith therefore they had the true inward Rule and not the outward Rule by his Argument which destroyeth his former Argument His Syllogism Transgresseth a certain Rule in Logick The major Proposition in the first Figure must not be particular Page 8.9 As to his Authorities and Testimonies out of Justin Martyr and Clemens Alexandrinus to prove that the Word and Spirit is the only Rule of Faith that Socrates and Heraclitus were Christians as living with Christ the Word It may be supposed that Justin Martyr and Clemens Alexandrinus might thhink that they had Faith in the promised Messiah as Abraham had nor hath W.P. proved the contrary and if they had that Faith the Rule of that Faith was the same as to us to wit the Doctrine of Faith which is still the same whither given by prophetical Inspiration or by an outward Ministry His Quotation out of Eusebius affirming that Abraham and the Ancient Fathers were Christians and his defining a Christian to be one that by the knowledge and Doctrine of Christ excels in Moderation of Mind in Righteousness and Continency of Life c. has not the least weight to confirm W. P's most false Doctrine viz. That Deism and Christianity are but one and the same thing and have but one and the same Rule to wit the Light as with respect to the common Illumination for Eubseius in the definition of a Christian makes the Doctrine of Christ that whereby he excels in those Vertues But can W.P. prove that the Doctrine of Faith in Christ as God-man for remisiion of Sin and Eternal Salvation was no part of the Doctrine of Christ according
Letter or Leaves of the Book since the Writing of the Scriptures are as it were the Repository or Ark where God's Law is preserved and to which a Recourse ought frequently to be made to read therein for daily Information and Instruction Yet the Doctrine is not so limited or confined to the Letter or Leaves of a Book but that the same Doctrine may be well and soundly preached and believed where the Book either hath not come or by Violence of Men has been taken away as it hath been reported that Persecutors have taken away the Bible from some Faithful Martyrs of Christ but though they took the Letter out of their hands they could not take the Word of God to wit the Doctrine and true Sense of it out of their Hearts And so far as I can remember it was never my Perswasion what W.P. here layeth down in his Book by way of Position that the Light in every Man's Conscience or the Dictates and Testimony of it abstractly considered from the peculiar Doctrines of Christianity are the Rule of Faith to Christian Men. If any shall find that or the like Doctrine in any of my Books on the first Intimation of it I declare I shall by God's help be ready to retract it and condemn it as most Erronious and as a Fundamental Error for it is plain Deism of which I have not the least remembrance that ever I was guilty as W.P. hath now plainly manifested his Deism in this Book I have under Examination Section I. The Definitions of General Rule and Faith given by W.P. not to be allowed because there is no such General Rule and Faith as he defineth BEfore he comes to hs Arguments he gives us his Definitions of General Rule and Faith By General Rule saith he we understand that constant Measure by which Men in all Ages have been enabled to judge of the Truth or Error of Doctrines and the Good or Evil of Thoughts Words or Actions Answ Here he undertakes to define a thing that by the Definition of it plainly demonstrates That it is not in being nor ever was in any Ages of the World ever since the Distinction betwixt God's Church and the World came to be I say ever since that Distinction all Mankind in all Respects Cases and Conditions never had one General Rule so his Definition is as if one should define a golden Mountain or something that never yet hath been since the Distinction above mentioned Possibly in Adam's Family for some time God only knoweth how long all Men belonging to it had one Rule universally but it is more than he can prove that this was only the Light in every of their Consciences by its common Discoveries for Adam himself had special Revelation whither by outward Vision and an outward Voice or only by internal Inspiration is not necessary at present to determine which taught him to expect Salvation by the promised Seed of the Woman and this Doctrine no doubt he preached to his Family That the Light or common discovery of the Light in every Man's Conscience may be called a General Rule of Moral Justice and Temperance called by Paul Rom. 1. 19. the Law writ in the Heart may and ought to he granted but this General Rule did not extend nor doth to be the Rule or a Rule of the Faith of Remission of Sin by the Blood of the promised Seed of the Woman the Lamb of God that was to be slain and should take away the Sin of the World And seeing the Light in every Conscience teacheth nothing of this Faith that in Scripture is called the Faith of God's Elect and the common Faith to wit of the Faithful in all Ages Therefore W.P. in the very entry of his Work maketh a great Stumble and useth a great Fallacy as if all Mankind ever since the Dispersion of the Nations to this day had one general Rule of Faith and Life and that was the Light in every Conscience abstractly consider'd from all External Helps and Means both of Knowledge and Faith Let W.P. tell us whether the Light by its common discovery in every Man's Conscience taught or gave the Command of Sacrificing If he say God or the Spirit that is God taught them to Sacrifice he shifts the Question which is not what God did teach by special Revelation but what he did teach Men generally in all Ages by common Illumination the Dictates of which are in great part generally the same to all Men in all Ages but so is not that either of Sacrifices or Circumcision or many other things that God commanded to some and not to others and to some in one Age and not in another such a general Rule of Morality or moral Justice has been is and ever will be in the World But what is this to the Rule of the Christian Faith which for Substance is the same with the Faith of all the Fathers Noah Abraham David c. It is easie to espy W. P's Design in this his Undertaking if he can prove that there is but one General Rule of Faith and Life to all Mankind the next step is by good Consequence that all Mankind ought to have but one Faith and one Religion and that is Deism and Paganism with a witness The one Faith that the Scripture mentioneth is not one Faith of all Mankind but one Faith of God's Church which is called the Faith of God's Elect when that Blessed Time shall come that the Gospel shall be outwardly preach'd to all Nations as our Saviour hath foretold it shall be it is justly hoped that there will be a General Rule of Faith and Life to all Mankind that then shall live but to talk of such a thing now and to define a thing which is not and write a Book about it is like T. More 's Vtopia Page 4. He is as Unsuccessful and Fallacious in his Definition of Faith By Faith saith he we understand an Assent of the Mind in such manner to the Discoveries made of God thereto as to resign up to God and have dependence upon him as the great Creator and Saviour of his People This Definition of Faith indeed suits well with the Definition of his General Rule of Faith But there are many parts of Mankind that have not only a Faith in God as the great Creator the Faith here only defined by him but have a Faith in Christ too and in God the Saviour and Redeemer considered as in the Person of a Mediator who is both God and Man by which Faith in Christ they have a most firm Faith in God grounded upon God's Promises which are all Yea and Amen in Christ And here in W. P's Definition of this Pagan and Deist Faith he supposes that which will not be granted to him viz. That any ever had such a Faith in God as to resign up to God and have dependence upon him as the great Creator and Saviour of his People without all Faith in Christ
to Eusebius's Sense Page 9. Arg. 5. He proceeds to a new Argument against the Scriptures being the Rule If the Scriptures were the general Rule they must have always been a perfect Rule ever since they were a Rule but this saith he is impossible since they were many hundred years in Writing and are now imperfect also as to number How then are they the perfect Rule And if imperfect saith he How can they be the Rule of Faith since the Rule of Faith must be perfect Answ This Argument surely is very imfect as well as offensive so openly to charge the holy Scriptures with imperfection Is the common discovery by the Light within given to all Mankind a perfect discovery of all things necessary given to all at once He grants It is not comparing the Light within to a School-master that first teacheth the Children to Spell before he teach them to Read Chr. Quak Page 18. what if all or much that was either spoke or writ by prophetical Inspiration was not at first extant this doth no more argue that the Scriptures are imperfect than that it argueth that because our blessed Lord from the dimensions of a Child increased to the dimensions of a Man that therefore he was imperfect when a Child whereas a Child and a Man have the same essential perfections And in like manner the Doctrine of the Christian Faith concerning the remission of Sin and Eternal Salvation by the promised Messiah was the same and had the same essential perfections from the beginning of the World and in all Ages as it has now And one Tenth part yea perhaps much less than one Hundred part of the Writings of the Holy Scriptures do perfectly contain all the essential parts of the Christian Doctrine which yet makes not the other parts superfluous I would fain know if God Almighty had given to W.P. but an Estate of one hundred a Year might not that without more have been a full enough provision for him doth it therefore follow that the other Hundreds he hath beside are superfluous Besides If not only the number of the Books of the Holy Scriptures is increased beyond what it was at first and for many Ages after but that divers very profitable Doctrines have been super-added to the fundamental and some new Commandments given by God Almighty to latter Ages that were not at first given Doth this argue any imperfection in the Commands of God But that new Commands were given to some in one Age that were not given to others in former Ages W.P. I think cannot deny yea that to Abraham the Commandment of Circumcision was given in the Ninety Ninth Year of his Age the Scripture Testimony is plain Doth it therefore follow that the Commands formerly given him or the Promises or his Faith before that time was lame and imperfect If adding new Commands by God himself to what was formerly given by him doth not make the body of God's Commandments imperfect nor doth adding to the Rule of Faith by Divine Authority make the Rule as first given imperfect Yea W.P. grants page 2. That though Men in all Ages had some knowledge of God yet not upon equal discovery And in his Christian Quaker page 18. Things are necessary in reference to their proper times that may be requisite to morrow which is not to day If then all Men have not the same discovery they have not the same general Rule Section 5. His sixth Argument taken from the Imperfection of the Scriptures Answered IT is greatly worth our noticeing after that W.P. hath argued against the Scriptures being the Rule because they were not all given at once but at sundry times whence he infers their Imperfections and consequently that they are not the Rule of Faith and Life Yet in Page 22 he makes the new Creature or new Creation to be the Rule and on the Margent quoting Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this Rule or in this Rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Phil. 3.16 he saith it must be understood Let us walk in the same Attainment and he saith The Rule mentioned Phil. 3.16 is spoken of the Measure of Attainment Pray consider how his Argument here for the new Creature and Measure of Attainment being the Rule of Faith and Life quite overthroweth his Argument against the Scriptures being the Rule because as he suggesteth they are imperfect they were not all given at once That one Age of Christianity should have one Rule and another Age another Rule he makes it very absurd p. 24. But is the Measure of Attainment the same in all Christians and in all Ages I suppose he will say nay then by his own Argument the lesser Attainment in some Ages and Persons is imperfect and therefore cannot be the Rule of Faith And will he say the new Creature has the same Stature in all Christians Or will or can he say That the new Creature is so perfect in him that nothing is to be added to it If nay then by his own Argument it is imperfect and therefore not the Rule And whereas he quotes Drusius on the Margent to prove from Gal. 5.6 that Faith that works by love is the Rule that is according to him Faith is its own Rule for the subject of his Discourse is What the Rule of Faith is which one time he makes to be Faith it self p. 22. another time Christ himself and the Spirit a third time neither this nor that but the Testimony of the Spirit Internal Revelation and Inspiration the eternal Precepts of the Spirit in Mens Consciences there repeated and declared p. 25. But again How can the new Creature be the General Rule seeing all Men have it not who have the Scriptures If because the Scriptures are not general they are not the Rule as W.P. argueth by the like reason the new Creature is not the Rule because not general and consequently by his way of reasoning all unregenerated Persons have no Rule at all But if unregenerated Persons have a Rule who have not the new Creature brought forth in them then by his own way of arguing against himself one part of Mankind to wit the Regenerated have one Rule which is the new Creature and the other part to wit the Unregenerated which is commonly the greater part have another but that according to him is absurd for then all have not one and the same general Rule which he contends they ought to have That there is a general Rule of Moral Honesty and Justice given to all Men the same which Paul calls The Law writ in the Hearts of the Gentiles is granted but that there is a general Law or Rule of Faith concerning Salvation by Christ Crucified is denied Section 6. Whither the new Creature mentioned Gal. 6.16 is the Rule of Faith And whither the Doctrine is the Rule to the new Creature or the new Creature the Rule to the Doctrine and which is the prior or principal Rule AS touching these
self-evidence but the evidence of the truth of them depends on the veracity of God the Original Author of them the next thing to be enquired into is what is the great and most principal motive of Credibility to move and effectually perswade the Mind that they are the Words of God surely he who believes that there is a God cannot but assent to this proposition that whatever God hath said is true that all the Words of God are Words of truth it hath as immediate evidence to him that has the least true knowledge of God as that the whole is greater than the part That then which is only requisite to move the Mind of Man to assent to any words delivered to us as the words of God is to have a sufficient motive of Credibility given us why we should believe them to be indeed the words of God That the Prophets and Apostles knew that all the words they delivered to Men as the words of God were infallibly the words of God is generally granted by all that own the Truth of Divine Revelation the manner of their Conveyance to their Understanding being with such a Divine Power Majesty and Glory and making such a Divine Impression on them as infallibly assured them and this many times without all Miracles proposed to their outward Senses Section 8. That the Faithful have as good Assurance of the Truth and Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures by the ordinary Inspirations of the Spirit in the use of the outward Means as the Prophets had by Extraordinary and Prophetical The Distinction betwixt them explained THE great Question therefore that remains now to be considered and resolved is Whither the Faithful cannot have and actually have not as good Assurance in respect of all Fundamentals and Essentials of the Christian Faith at least that the words delivered by the Holy Prophets and Apostles were the Words of God as if they had received them in the same way and manner as the Prophets and Apostles received them which was without any external Medium such as the Ministry of Men and Books whereas the way that we now receive those words is by some external Medium to wit the Ministry of Men and Books I shall not here insist upon the external Motives of Credibility taken either from so many Thousands of the best and wisest of Men in the several Ages of the World since the words were committed to writing who have received and embraced them to be what really they are even the Words of the Living and True God or such as are taken from the Words themselves as outwardly delivered such as the Simplicity Purity Majesty and Efficacy of their Doctrine the Harmony of the several Parts the fulfilling of the many Prophecies contained in them the many other incomparable Excellencies of them the wonderful Effects they have had on many Thousands and Millions of Men in being instrumental to their Conversion from Idolatry and Ungodliness to true Piety and Sanctity all which are of great weight to convince the Reason of Men but because all this doth amount to no more but a rational Conviction and doth not beget a Divine Assent or Perswasion Therefore I conclude with all Orthodox and Sound Christians that our full Perswasion and Assurance of the Infallible Truth and Divine Authority of them is from the inward Work of the Holy Spirit by his Internal and Supernatural Illumination Inspiration and Revelation and secret and most inward Teaching in our Hearts by sensible and perceptible Impressions Sealing to the Truth of them upon our Hearts and Minds And here I think fit to guard against a two-fold Extream that I find too many run into both greatly and dangerously erroneous the one is of some that grant indeed that the Spirit doth inwardly operate in the Souls of Men and more especially in the Souls of the Faithful but this Operation or Agency and Efficiency of the Spirit they will have it only to be effective and no-wise objective that is to say no-wise perceptible or sensible to the Soul in which the Spirit doth so operate Hence it is that some of them have called this Internal Operation of the Spirit even in the Faithful Medium incognitum assentiendi the which Assertion being so repugnant to the Scripture Testimonies in many places that hold forth the Spirits internal Operations and Virtues to be as sensible upon the internal and spiritual Senses of Souls in any good degree inwardly quickned and made alive to God as the Operations of outward Light Heat Cold or the most affecting Objects of Sight Taste Smelling and Feeling are upon our outward and bodily Senses and also being so contrary to the Experience of many Thousands of true experienced Christians I shall not insist here any further to refute it The other as dangerous and erroneous Extream is of such of whom is W.P. and his Party as plainly appears by what he layeth down in this Treatise and oft elsewhere in his Books who hold That the Manner and Kind of the Spirits Internal Inspirations Revelations Illuminations and inward Teachings is the same with that which the Prophets and Apostles had that is to say that whatever they think they have a Divine Knowledge and Faith of the words which are necessary to be the Rule and Medium to the obtaining this Knowledge and Faith must be given them as they were given to the Pen-men of the Holy Scriptures to wit without the external Medium of the Holy Scriptures and without any external Teaching whatsoever and that therefore their Faith and Knowledge so far as it is Divine hath no dependence on the words delivered in the Holy Scriptures but whatever they know or believe by a Divine Knowledge and Faith it is wholly from words inwardly given them from the Spirit without all outward conveyance of Men or Books Hence it is that W.P. calls his and his Brethrens Rule of Faith and Life the eternal Precepts of the Spirit in Mens Consciences but as for the Precepts and Words outwardly delivered in Scripture they are but to him what Pythagoras and other Philosophers quoted by him Page 6. judged of other Writings to wit liveless Precepts Hence many of his Party have presumed to call them a Dead Letter Death and Carnal Yet Page 25. he is so yielding and seemingly kind to the Scriptures that he grants them to be a subordinate secondary and declaratory Rule Such a subordinate secondary and declaratory Rule saith he we never said several parts of Scripture were not Here observe for all his professed kindness to the Scriptures he will not allow all the parts of Scripture but only some parts of it to be so much as a subordinate secondary and declaratory Rule though even the Ceremonial Precepts he has as great reason to believe them to be the Words of God and consequently a Rule of Faith though not of Practise as touching the external Types as truly as any other parts of Scripture But seeing every subordinate
and secondary Rule pre-supposeth a primary Rule which hath no dependence on the Secondary though the Secondary is wholly from the Primary as the Transcript is wholly from the Original but the Original is intirely compleat and perfect without the Copy or Transcript it is evident that according to him he hath all what he thinketh to be a Divine Knowledge and Faith wholly from his primary Rule and nothing from the Scriptures which he calls the Secondary for the Excellency of the primary Rule is that it teacheth all that is to be divinely known or believed without the need or help of any secondary Rule otherwise it should not be primary nor should the Scriptures in that case be a subordinate Rule but co-ordinate and of equal Dignity Necessity and Use with what he calls the Primary for whatever is a primary full adequate and perfect Rule such as he will have only the Light within or by whatever other Name he designs it it must propose to him all the Credenda and Agenda i. e. all things he ought to believe and practise without any other Rule whatsoever And yet in Contradiction to his own Doctrine he grants p. 25. That by and through the Scripture as some Instrument this great and universal Rule which he will have to be the living spiritual immediate omnipresent discovering ordering Spirit of God may convey its directions Judge Reader if this be not a Contradiction to his former Doctrine and a great Impertinency surely as he who hath the Original has no need of the Copy nor great use of it for himself so if W.P. have such a perfect compleat primary Rule that teacheth him without Scripture all what he ought to know believe or practise I cannot understand of what great use the Scripture can be unto him or at least it is of no necessity to him this primary Rule hath taught him all before-hand otherwise it is not primary If it be objected That the Prophets and Apostles had the Spirits inward Teachings to be their primary Rule in what they delivered as Prophets and Apostles and yet they made use of the Scriptures such as were penned before them I answer Because neither the Prophets nor Apostles were taught in all things that they believed and practised by the Spirits inward Teachings as the primary Rule but only in what they spoke or writ as Prophets and Apostles in other things which they had not by Prophetical Inspiration the Scripture what was then extant of it was the primary Rule to them as well as to others of the Faithful who were neither Prophets nor Apostles Section 9. That the Doctrine of the Holy Scripture is the Rule of Faith which Faith the Spirit of God being the principal Efficient begets and works in the Faithful by the Doctrine which is the Instrument of the Spirit That it brings Confusion and derogates from the Spirit to make the Spirit the Rule Arg. 6. ANother of W. P's great Arguments to prove that the Scripture is not the Rule of Faith p. 13. is How shall I be assured saith he that these Scriptures came from God If with the Spirit that gave them forth which searcheth the deep things of God a measure of which is given to me to profit withal then it is most congruous to call the Spirit by way of Excellency and not the Scriptures the Rule I answer denying his Consequence It is indeed allowed that it is congruous for that cause to call the Spirit the principal efficient and moving Cause together with Christ and God the Father but most incongruous false and pernicious to make him to be the Rule which is so far from giving the due Honour and Excellency to the Spirit so to do that it derogates from his Honour and Excellency for it confounds the efficient Cause with the Instrument and is as absurd as to say the Square or Carpenter's Rule that the Carpenter works with that is but of Wood is the Carpenter himself which is extreamly false it is no derogation from the Spirit to say that he useth the Rule or Instrument of his own preparing whereby to frame and fashion us according to his good pleasure as the Carpenter useth his Square or Rule to frame his pieces of Wood to put into a Building And for the better clearing of the matter a little further when all Orthodox Christian Writers say that we are assured that the Scriptures came from God with or by the Spirit that gave them forth they mean not that the Spirits inward Testimony or Witness to the Divine Authority of the Scriptures is any new or repeated Testimony of the Words and Doctrines of the Scripture which is not necessary but only by way of putting a Seal on a Deed or Bond together with the Hand or Subscription of him that gives the Deed or Bond which Hand and Seal confirms the Truth of the Bond yet it doth not tell what the Contents of the Deed or Bond is nor is it necessary it should the Deed or Bond it self tells the Contents of it And to use the Schools Distinction a little in the case The Doctrines and Words contained in the Holy Scriptures are the material object of Faith to wit quod Creditur i e. what is believed but the Spirits inward Testimony Seal or Impulse and Motion which carrieth in it a peculiar Evidence that none knoweth but he who hath it is the formal Object of Faith to wit propter quod Creditur that inward Motion and Influence Impression and Influence of the Spirit that sensibly and perceptibly moveth the Faithful to believe the Truth of the Scriptures as being the Words of God Nor is this Controversie about the Rule of Faith and Life a Logomachy or strife of words as some may ignorantly suppose but a most material Case and of most dangerous Consequence to exclude the Scriptures which are the great and blessed Means that God has appointed us for begetting true Faith Knowledge and Obedience in us through the mighty Operation of the Spirit of God But if what the Spirit of God hath appointed us to be the Means and Instrument of our Knowledge and Faith and Practise and the Rule whereby to discern Truth from Error Right from Wrong with the Spirits internal Illumination we prove neglectful of it to wit of the Holy Scriptures in the frequent use of them by Reading Hearing Meditation and Prayer we provoke the Holy Spirit to depart from us and to leave us to our vain imaginations and Satan's suggestions and delusions to be received by us as Divine Revelations and Inspirations as hath happened to many to their unspeakable hurt Again as the Spirit nor yet his Internal Inspiration or Illumination and Revelation is not the Rule of Faith but the principal efficient of it and his Internal Inspiration Illumination and Revelation is the Objective Medium moving the Mind to assent to the truth of the Doctrines contained in the Holy Scriptures but not the Rule of Faith nor
him that never was in the Country Yet this proves not but that the Geographical account of that Country by words and Maps truly and accurately given by Men of great Wisdom and Sincerety is of great Service and Advantage both to Strangers who desire to see the Country and live in it and also to them that already live in it And for all the great Conceit that W.P. has of his knowledge of the great Mystery of Regeneration by his Experience of which he denieth That the Scriptures have given him any Information Yet he is very ignorant of it still if he be of his former mind as he wrote in his Preface to R. B's Works That Regeneration is a greater Mystery than God manifest in the Flesh Had W.P. consulted Scripture it would have better informed him and to be sure the true Experience of Regeneration never taught him any such horrid and extreamly false Assertion Page 31. He saith The knowledge of those Prophesies of Christ's Sufferings was by extraordinary Revelation not falling within the ordinary Discoveries that are absolutely necessary to Man's Salvation by which he shews his Power and Faithfulness that he is God and can foretell and will bring to pass But therefore must there be an extraordinary Light or Spirit and not rather an extraordinary Sight and Sense from one and the same Light and Spirit in them Answ First this quite overthrows his Notion of a general Rule that must be one and the same to all Mankind for if the Prophets had extraordinary Revelation concerning Christ's Sufferings which other Men have not that extraordinary Revelation was the Rule of their Faith touching that matter which could not be the Rule of Faith to them who had no knowledge of that thing Secondly Though the inward extraordinary Revelation given to the Prophets concerning Christ's Sufferings was not necessary to others of the Faithful who were not Prophets for their Salvation yet the Knowledge and Faith of them was necessary to Salvation by some other means to wit by having the Doctrine given to the Prophets by extraordinary Revelation preached or conveyed to the Faithful by the ordinary outward means of Instruction which differing manner of conveyance makes not any difference in the Doctrine nor yet in the Faith of it for Matter and Substance Thirdly That he makes the Faith of Christ's Sufferings none of the absolute Necessaries to our Christianity and Salvation because not given to us as it was to the Prophets by extraordinary Revelation This plainly gives us a new and fresh Instance of his Deism and Paganism appearing with open face for if the Faith of Christ's Sufferings be not necessary to our Salvation because we have it not given us by extraordinary Revelation as the Prophets had which is a false Consequence by the same reason not one of the twelve Articles of the Apostles Creed or any of the other Creeds called the Nicene and Athanasian nor any one of the peculiar Doctrines and Articles of the Christian Faith are necessary to our Salvation though we hear them daily preached or may daily read them in the Holy Scriptures because by his false Inference not given us by extraordinary Revelation and at this rate no more Faith is necessary to our Salvation than what any Infidel Jew or Mahometan or Heathen may have by the common Dictates of the Light in every one of their Consciences abstractly consider'd without all means of outward Instruction by the Holy Scriptures which is a plain undermining of the whole Christian Religion and introducing Deism and Paganism in its room and is really a degree more remote from Christianity than any Pelagianism or Socinianism Fourthly Whereas he querieth Must there be therefore an extraordinary Light or Spirit and not rather an extraordinary Sight or Sense from one and the same Light and Spirit in them I answer Taking Light and Spirit in the highest sense to signifie God Christ or the Holy Spirit it will not infer another Light or Spirit but another Illumination Inspiration and Revelation as well as another Sight and Sense proceeding from one and the same Spirit and from one and the same Light originally according to the Doctrine of the Holy Scripture that teacheth there is diversity of Operations Administrations and Gifts but one God one Lord and one Spirit But the words and terms Light and Spirit sometimes in Scripture signifie some Internal Act of Illumination and Operation and Gift of the Spirit as when we read of the seven Spirits of God in Scripture and that God is called the Father of Lights this doth not signifie seven real distinct Spirits of God but seven Gifts or Virtues and Operations of one and the same Spirit And because there are several sorts of Illuminations proceeding from one Light originally which is God and the Divine Word therefore they are called Lights and in this sense fully agreeable to Scripture the Prophets and all the Pen-men of the Holy Scriptures may be said to have had an extraordinary Light and Spirit as well as an extraordinary Sight that others of the Faithful had not or now have not and yet the Faith the same for Matter and Substance for extraordinary Revelation may be called extraordinary Light well enough and also the Faithful may be said to have an extraordinary Light and Spirit that no Infidel Jew Mahometan Heathen or meer Moralist Deist or meer Formal Professor of Christianity hath to wit in respect of the diversity of the kinds and sorts of the Illuminations according to the differing subjects that of the Prophets differing from that of other Faithful Men that were not Prophets who yet had the same Faith though not conveyed by the same manner of Illumination and the Illumination of the Faithful differing from the common Illumination given in common to Mankind which in the respects above-mentioned may be said to be three several Lights and Spirits according to the three several subjects all which are but originally one and the same like to which we have an Example in the Beams of the Sun that remaining the same in their nature yet according to the differing Mediums and Subjects of reception seem wonderfully diversified so that passing through Glasses of several colours as green red blew and yellow the Beams or Rayes will have these differing colours which diversity proceeds not from the nature of the Sun-beams but the differing Mediums and Subjects and thus also the same Influence of the Sun melteth Wax and hardneth Clay and operating on a Field where Barley is sown contributes to produce a Crop of Barley but operating on a Field where Wheat is sown contributes to produce a Crop of Wheat from the differing Seeds and Subjects it works upon Section 19 His Definition of the Judge of Controversie lame and fallacious as his Definition of the general Rule and Faith in what Sense the Spirit is the Judge of Controversie quoad nos i.e. as to us THus having gone through and examined all that I have
observed in his Book giving his Reasons and Arguments That the Scripture is not the Rule of Faith and Life but the Light in every Conscience and having shewn the Weakness yea the Falsity of them I thought it not necessary to take notice of his Enlargements and Amplifications on his several Arguments but answer to the Argument it self wherein its strength seemed to lye I shall be brief in my Examination and answer to his second part to wit concerning the Judge of Controversie for because it hath such a necessary Connexion with the former the former being clearly discussed the latter will easily be determined Page 39. He gives us his explanation what he means by these Terms Judge and Controversie A Judge saith he is one that has not only power to determine but discerning to do it rightly Controversie is a debate between two parties about the Truth or Falshood to be determined by that Judge But as he wrongly stated the Question in the first part about the Rule so here he is very short in stating the Controversie about the Judge It is without all Question among all that own that there is one great God Almighty that he is the Great and Supreme Judge of what is Truth and what is not universally and that most perfectly and infallibly and all that believe in Christ and in the Holy Spirit do own that Christ and the Holy Spirit together with the Father are that Supreme Judge as they are one and the same Supreme God and not only so but all true Christians own that Christ as the Son of Man has all Judgment committed to him and is both Head and Judge in his Church Now that wherein W.P. is short in stating the Question here is that he doth not assign the true Rule whereby the Judge to wit God Christ and the Spirit doth give forth a definitive Judgment to be understood and received by the Members of the Church of Christ Neither God nor Christ nor the Holy Spirit need the Scripture to give a Judgment as to themselves their knowledge of what is Truth and what is not so is wholly independent from the Scripture but the Question is to be thus stated What Rule Standard or Measure God Christ and the Spirit has given to the faithful in particular and to the whole Church in general since the Doctrine of the true Faith was committed to writing whereby they may understand and know the true Judgment and determination of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit the Supreme Judge of Controversie True it is that the Law-giver is the best interpreter of any point that may concern his own Law and therefore as God is the Law-maker so he is the Supreme Judge and Interpreter of his Law But as an Earthly Law-giver suppose an Earthly King with the consent of the great Counsel of the Nation gives forth his Laws to his Subjects if any Controversie arise about the true sense of those Laws the King and his Counsel that made those Laws is to determine the Controversie by the Laws themselves one part of the Law serving as a Key to open what is hard to be understood in another part of it Thus it is in this Nation and commonly in all Nations for the Law is supposed to be such a perfect Law Intire and Compleat that the Sense of it needs not be given by giving forth any new Law to give the sense of the former nor ought any Subject to presume to give his private Interpretation of the Law by any private Gloss or Sense which he cannot demonstrate from the Law it self and as it 's thus as to the Laws of Men how much more is it so as to the Laws of God The Laws of Men indeed receive frequently new Additions and Alterations and yet this cannot be done but by Publick Authority But the Law and Rule of Faith and Life that God has given to the Faithful and to his Church now under the New Testament is so full perfect and comprehensive that is fully Sufficient without any Addition and if it can be supposed that it may please God to give forth any new Laws to his Church it must be allowed that there must be the same Evidence and ground of receiving them to be such as was given for the Old Testament by Moses and for the New Testament by Christ Now had W.P. fairly stated the question he should have stated it thus Whither the Spirit of Christ whose Judgment and Determination is all one with that of Christ and the Father doth give his Judgment to the Church and the Members of it by any other Law or Rule Measure or Standard than what is already to be-found in the Holy Scriptures whether relating to Articles of Faith or positive Precepts of revealed and instituted Religion by Christ and his Apostles in the New Testament Or whither the Spirit gives this Judgment not by the Doctrines and Precepts contained in the Scriptures but by the common discoveries and Dictates of the Light within every Man's Conscience which are commonly the same and of the same extent in all Mankind be they Jews and Mahometans and Painims abroad or Deists at home here in England or elsewhere Or lastly whither by any new particular Discoveries Revelations or Dictates and new Precepts of the Spirit not formerly given either to Mankind in general or to the Church in particular To the first all sound Christians agree The Second is the sence of W.P. and those of his Brethren of the Second Days Meeting that have approved his Book The third is the sence of some of the chief Teachers and Leaders that first arose among the Quakers that did affirm they had new Commands given from the Spirit by immediat Revelation from Heaven some of which are neither the common Dictates of the Light in every Conscience of Mankind nor to be found in the Scriptures either expresly or by any necessary consequence from them And indeed the first Teachers and Leaders amongst that People did not think it worth while to prove their Doctrine or warrant their Interpretations by consequences from Scripture but the general proof was This is the Word of the Lord unto you for G.F. see his Journal plainly told that when he first came forth he was commanded of God to say thee and thou to every Man to whom he spoke and not to put off his Hat to any Also the setting up of Womens Government in their Meetings distinct from the Men by the more devout sort who did think and still think that G.F. was a Prophet as immediately sent as Moses or any other is Judged to have been by a Divine Authority and Power in G.F. without any dependance on Scripture Rule or seeking to fish it by consequence from Scripture And pray what need is there to bring Scripture proof for any thing that Men either believe or practise either by consequence or express words seeing that is not the Rule of either Faith or practise but
Spirit through his Holy Prophets and Apostles even Remission of Sin and Free Justification by Jesus Christ through Faith in him and not by any Works or Obedience that either the Jew did perform to the outward Law or the Gentile did perform to the Law writ in the Heart When Peter preached Remission of Sin by Faith in Jesus Christ whom the Jews hang'd on the Tree to Cornelius he confirm'd this Doctrine not from the eternal Precepts in every Man's Conscience or the common Dictates of the Light in every Man but from the general Testimony of the Prophets Acts 10.43 To him said Peter give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive Remission of Sins But according to W. P's Doctrine the Apostle Peter should have said To him the Light in every Conscience gave the Dictates of that Light in every Conscience witness That whosoever gave up to the Requirings of the Light in them without all Faith in Christ God-man without them shall receive the Remission of their Sins And seeing whatever is the Rule of Faith must teach us all that is needful to Salvation by it self as W.P. argueth he must prove that the Light in every Man's Conscience dictateth to him this Proposition That is thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.9 Or if it doth dictate some other way than this then that and the like places of Scripture contradict the Dictates of the Light within But that this Proposition laid down Rom. 10.9 is no Dictate of the Light within in Mens Consciences is evident from W. P's plain Confession P. 32 33. who saith That the Light within should tell us that Christ suffered Death and rose again is not needed inasmuch as an account of that is extant in Scripture Whereby it plainly appears he holds it not needful to our Salvation to believe that Proposition Rom. 10.9 seeing the Light within that is the Rule of Faith doth not reveal it and such Revelation is not necessary and consequently according to him the belief of that Proposition Rom. 10.9 is not necessary to any for Salvation And if that be not necessary by the same method of Argument according to W.P. nor is the belief of all the other parts of Scripture necessary to Salvation which are not the common Dictates of the Light in every Conscience The only use of the whole Scripture according to W.P. is meerly Historical which though perhaps true is nowise necessary to our Salvation to believe the truth of it but we are left at liberty to believe or disbelieve all and every part of what is contained in the Scripture without any danger to our Salvation excepting these few absolute necessaries that the Light within every Conscience teacheth us as well as the Scriptures But none of all the twelve Articles of the Apostle's Creed according to the true Sense of Scripture or the common received Sense of all true Christians are taught by the Light within without the external Revelation of the Scripture therefore according to W.P. the belief of none of these twelve Articles is necessary to our Salvation The which being the plain Import of W. P's Doctrine laid down in his Book whither it be not Plain Deism appearing with open face I appeal to all sincere Christians Section 2. His Arguments from Scripture that the Light in every Man's Conscience is the Rule of Faith and Life Answered HE begins with his Proofs Page 4. That the Light in every Man's Conscience is the general Rule of Faith and Life from Matt. 11.27 and 1 Cor. 2.11 he argues That because the Father cannot be known but by the Revelation of the Son and Holy Spirit consequently that Light metioned John 1.3 or Spirit must have been the general Rule of Mens Knowledge Faith and Obedience with respect to God Answ His Consequence is denied he gives no proof of it yea it is manifestly false and to discover its Fallacy observe how he confounds the efficient Cause and Author of Knowledge and Faith with the Rule which he ought to distinguish He might as well argue no Man sees what hour it is on a Sun-dyal but by the Sun and consequently the Sun and not the Dyal is the Rule whereby he knows the hour Page 5. His next Argument is from Eph. 5.13 Whatever makes manifest is Light therefore the Light in the Conscience is the general Rule Answ The Consequence again is denied it has the same defect as the former as will appear by forming the like Argument Whatever makes manifest an outward object to our Eye is some outward light of Sun Moon or Candle c. Therefore that alone without the object manifests it and also without the Organ of sight who sees not the Fallacy of this Argument and as much he may see the Fallacy of the other The next place of Scripture he argueth from is Rom. 1.19 which he falsly quotes as I have observed he hath misquoted this place both here and in pag. 21 for thus he quotes it WHATEVER might be known of God was made manifest within for God who is Light hath shewn it unto them But let the place it self be considered and it saith not WHATEVER but what is to be known of God is manifest in them to wit the Gentiles or Heathen Nations who had not the peculiar Doctrines of the Christian Faith revealed to them or Preached among them And that the words what is to be known of God cannot be meant of WHATEVER can or is to be known of God was manifest in them as the Text doth not say it so it is a manifest Falshood It cannot be said of the best Christians ●hat whatever is to be known of God is made manifest in them for the best know but in part and there is still more to be known of God even in the best of Christians than what is at present revealed or made manifest in them And it is very evident from the following words what Paul meant by that saying What is to be known of God or as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. The Eternal power and God-Head which was made manifest partly by the things made or created without Men and partly by some Divine Illumination within them But doth it therefore follow that because those Heathens had some knowledge of the Eternal Power and God-head that therefore they knew all the fundamental Princiles of the Christian Religion By no means more than it followeth that W.P. knoweth some things of England and some other Countries partly by History and partly by his sight of them therefore he knows the whole Earth so far as it is habitable He brings another Proof That the Light in every Man's Conscience is the Rule of Faith and Life from Micah 6.8 He hath shewed unto thee O Man what is good and what God requireth of thee
the Material object of it so nor is the Spirits Internal Illumination Inspiration and Revelation the Rule of Interpretation of Scripture but that which enlightens the understanding and opens the Spiritual Eyes of the Mind to understand the Scripture or so much of it at least as contain the fundamental Doctrines of Christianity and beget a Saving Sanctifying and Savoury knowledge of them without any other Rule than the Scripture it self for as when our Eyes are opened and receive outward Light to see an object we need no new object whereby to see the Object proposed but that our sight be strengthned and enlightned so in receiving a Spiritual Understanding of Scripture truths we need no other Rule either outward or inward but the Scripture it self only we need the Spirits inward Illumination Inspiration and Revelation to assist and help us to a Saving Understanding of them by way of an objective Medium Section 10. His seventh Argument against the Scripture being the Rule of Faith from his arguing That they are obscure and have not the Method of a Rule Answered Page 10. Arg. 7. ANother Reason he gives which he calls his Third Reason is From the obscurity of them that they are not plain but to the Spiritual Man they seem not in their own Nature and frame to have been compiled and deliver'd as the general Rule and intire Body of Faith but rather Written upon particular occasions and emergencies the Doctrines are scattered throughout the Scriptures insomuch that those Societies who have given forth verbal Confessions of their Faith have been necessitated to toss them to and fro search here and search there to lay down this or the other Principle Besides here they are Proper there Metaphorical in one place literally in another Mystically to be accepted And after diverse other words of Complaint against their being the Rule he concludes Thus Peter said of Paul's Writings that in many things they were hard to be understood therefore not such a Rule which ought to be Plain Proper and Intelligible Answ Reader What think'st thou of this sort of Language in derogation from the Holy Scriptures What if I should say of W. P's and all his Brethrens Writings what he here saith of the Scriptures That they are neither Plain Proper nor Intelligible would he not account that saying a derogation from them If this be not to prefer the Friends Writings to the Scriptures in these Mens esteem let the impartial Judge most of which have the advantage above the Scriptures by his arguing The Scriptures were Writ upon particular occasions but some of their Books at least designedly Writ in the Scriptures the Doctrines are scattered here and there but in W. P's and G. W's Books the Doctrines and Principles are in excellent Order and lye together Paul's Writings in many things are hard to be understood and beside they were originally Writ in Greek which many understand not and we have not the Autographa but Copies and of these great variety and difference as he argueth against the certainty of the Scriptures upon the foundation of all others that are not one with them in making the Spirit the Rule of Faith P. 23. But we have the Autographa or at least the first Printed Copies of G.W. and W.P. without any variation or difference in matter and which is a great advantage their Writings are the Dictates of the Holy Ghost originally in English whereas we have nothing of the Scriptures originally in English but the whole is a Translation very imperfect and differing from other Translations both of English and other Languages and which is best the unlearned know not at all and even the learned many times are not certain all which give the advantage by very far to the Writings of the Friends above the Scriptures upon the supposition that they are the immediate Dictates of the Holy Ghost as these Men do not suppose but positively affirm many of them to be especially such as they say are given forth from the Spirit of Truth But suppose divers parts of the Scripture were writ upon particular occasions and emergencies as to Men yet many other parts were writ designedly and intentionally for general instruction to all the faithful and these so writ contain all the essentials and fundamentals of Christian Faith and Practice and even these writ upon particular occasions and emergencies seemingly to Men accidental or occasional yet with respect to God were designed by him for a general good without whose wise and all-ruling provividence nothing can happen What seemed more occasional than Joseph's being sold into Egypt yet God Almighty had a glorious design in it though he was neither the Author nor Approver of their Envy who sold him But is it any prejudice against the Scriptures being the Rule that they must be searched to find out the Doctrines contained in them Or that some places are hard to be understood though all the fundamental Doctrines necessary to Salvation are sufficiently plain to all the Faithful who are Spiritually enlightned to understand them Do not the like Objections as much and rather much more lye against the Light within all Men being the Rule of Faith and Life For excepting the common Principles of Moral Justice and Temperance all other things relating either to Faith or Life with respect to the peculiar Doctrines and Precepts of the Christian Religion are not to be found at all in the Light within every Man abstractly and by it self considered Otherwise if W.P. think's they are let him tell me what one peculiar Doctrine of Christian Religion or peculiar Precept of it distinct from Deism or Gentile Religion has the Light within him taught him If he say to believe that there is one great God Almighty that Commands him to be Honest Just and Temperate I say these are not peculiar Doctrines and Precepts of Christianity but common to it with Deism And if he hath no other Principles or Precepts taught him by the Light within but what every Deist Mahometan or Jew who are Enemies to the Christian Faith have then let him speak out yet more plainly though I think he has spoke very plain already If the Light within him has taught him any other Principles or Precepts than what Deists Jews and Mahometans have let him tell us that he may convince us that the Light within every Man is the Rule of Faith and not the Scriptures without but let him not only tell us so but give us some effectual Reason to convince any ratinal Man that the Light within him only has taught him that peculiar Principle and Precept of Christian Religion without the Scriptures being so much as Instrumental in his being so taught For all Orthodox Christians by affirming the Scriptures to be the Rule they give no more to the Scriptures but to be the Instrument of the Spirit in giving all Saving knowledge and Faith of Divine Truth and if he allow them in God's ordinary way to be the
of these Tracts If W.P. say it is because the Authority of the Light within is much gain-said among Men and the Dictates of it grievously perverted and made contradictory If both Parties even among the Quakers themselves may be believed G. F and his Party when alive and now W. P's and G. W's Party judging that which John Story and his Party believed to be the Dictates of the Light within to be the Dictates of a False Spirit and they judging the like of them Therefore Books and Tracts have been multiplied among themselves And as good and much better reason can be given why so many truly pious and edifying Tracts have been written by many Godly Men to vindicate both the Sufficiency of the Spirit and true Light within in all the Faithful and also the Sufficiency of the Scriptures without this as the Rule and that as the principal Teacher Agent and Efficient working with and by the Rule and yet none of the two how much ever sufficient excluding the Lord Jesus Christ God-Man without us from being our All sufficient Saviour each being sufficient in their own order and manner of acting As concerning such Gentiles to whom the offer of Faith has not been made neither by Men nor Writings none say that the Scriptures are a Rule to them but as they have no outward Rule of Christian Faith so nor doth it appear that they have the Christian Faith it self If any have it they have it not by the common Illumination but by some miraculous and extraordinary manner unknown to us And how God disposeth of the more Sober and Virtuous among them doth not at all reach the present Controversie which is not whither the Scripture be the Rule to all Mankind that ever lived or now live but whither it be the Rule of Faith and Life to them who have them or may have them by some possible means Page 16. Arg 13. Whereas he saith Doth not your own Language and Practise prove its viz. the Scriptures Insufficiency to that end at what time you both exhort to and go in secret to seek the Mind of the Lord in this or that important Affair Why do not you turn to Chapter and Verse for satisfaction if the Scripture be appointed of God for the General Rule Ans This Argument hath also as great force or rather much greater against the Light within being the General Rule for do none of the Friends both exhort to and go in secret to seek the Mind of the Lord in this or that important Affair Why do they not turn to the Light within to be forthwith without all Prayer or waiting informed and satisfied If they do not yea if W.P. do not both he and they are wofully deceived by neglecting Prayer and waiting on God to receive Satisfaction in this or that important Affair but if they find their need both for Prayer and waiting for direction then let him answer his own Argument and make due Application But to give a positive and direct answer if it be either a matter of Doctrine or Precept that any Christian wants due Instruction and Direction in they may both Pray and Read and search the Scriptures and Meditate Iad wait for God's inward Illumination and ●nspiration to give them a right Understanding and they may expect it will be given them if they sincerely seek it and use all due Endeavours and Means to attain it one of which is to consult and use the Advice of others whom they have cause to judge Spiritually more enlightned than themselves If it be in Cases that are neither matter of Doctrine nor Precept but where the matter is by it self indifferent and neither simply commanded nor forbidden as many such Cases there are they may and ought to pray and wait for direction and it may please God to give it to them by some secret Motion Impulse or Impression of his Holy Spirit which may sufficiently satisfie them without making that impression Motion or Impulse the Rule of either Faith or Obedience seeing the Matter is neither a Matter of Doctrine nor Precept wherein either Faith or Obedience as touching that particular is concerned but a Motion or Impulse simply from God upon the Will cannot be properly called a Rule because as is above-said a Rule properly speaking is a Form of Words and Propositions either outwardly expressed or inwardly conceived to which the Intellect either assents or dissents And if any true Christian finds such a motion or impulse on his VVill if after examination he find that it doth not incline him to any thing either contradictory to Scripture or true Reason he is in no great danger to yield to it and if he do not yield to it upon just suspicion or fear that it is not of God it will not be charged to be a Sin upon him for nothing is Sin but a Transgression of God's Law Page 19. The Law outward saith he as a Rule was but as Moses till the Son came the Servant abideth not in the House for ever the Written Law held its place but till the inward Rise in more Glory and Brightness or rather till People became more capable of being turned to it and living with and in it Answ Had not Mankind generally the Light within them under Moses How comes it then that it was not the Rule to them and did not dismiss the written Law But if there be no written nor outward Law given by Christ under the Gospel then all that he taught outwardly and for which he sent his Spirit upon the Apostles to bring it all to their Remembrance and to move them to commit it to Writing Yea the whole New Testament Writings must be dismissed and turned out of the Church the House of God as was Ishmael and his Mother out of Abraham's House because by his most false Arguing the written Law given by Christ and the Holy-Ghost under the New Testament is as much the Servant as the Old Covenant was O the Vanity and Folly of this manner of Arguing which wholly makes void Christ's Prophetical and Kingly Office as he was outwardly sent in the Flesh by the Father to give a more full and clear discovery of the way of Salvation as the great Prophet and to give forth his Royal Laws to the Church under the New Testament as King and Head thereof But he further enlargeth upon this Argument P. 17. telling us There are a Thousand Cases in which the Scripture cannot be our Plain and distinct Rule and Guide And he adds on the Margent There 's not laid down in Scripture any general Rule how to answer before Magistrates and to act in times of Sufferings To which I answer First he doth not well to confound Rule and Guide it is granted the Spirit of God is the Guide Teacher and Leader of the Faithful but it doth not therefore follow that the Holy Scriptures i. e. the many excellent Instructions Precepts and Examples given us therein for
the Government of our Life in all Estates are not the Rule which the Holy Spirit useth as his Instrument to Guide us in all parts of our Duty But he might have told us some of those Thousand Cases in which the Scripture cannot be our plain and distinct Rule whereby to know either our Duty to perform it or what is prohibited that we may avoid it though we have the inward assistance of God's Spirit to enlighten our Minds and set before them on all necessary occasions and emergencies such Scripture Precepts and Prohibitions as suit with the present occasions But if the cases be of things in themselves simply indifferent i. e. neither commanded nor forbidden either by any Precepts of God or Just Precepts and Laws of our Superiors we are left to our choice according as our rational Faculties and Christian Prudence shall direct us a due regard over all being had to the Glory of God and that whatever we do be done in the Spirit of true Love and Charity which are general Rules plainly given us in the Holy Scriptures the particular application of which in all particular Cases whither in relation to Superiors Inferiors or Equals the Holy Spirit by his special Illuminations in our Hearts will teach us as we faithfully pray and wait for them without the need of any other general or particular Rules than what already are given us in the Holy Scriptures Therefore in opposition to this extravagant and rash Assertion of W. P that there are a Thousand Cases in which the Scripture cannot be our plain and distinct Rule I affirm that there is not one Case respecting our Duty either towards God our selves or our Neighbours but plain Instructions and Precepts are given us in the Holy Scriptures concerning the same but we still need the Grace and Guidance of God's Holy Spirit to give us the Spiritual discovery of them and to enable us rightly to practise them Surely David had a far better and greater esteem of God's Laws Precepts and Testimonies even as outwardly delivered by Moses and also by himself than W.P. hath concerning which he said Psal 119.24 Thy Testimonies also are my delight and my Counsellors Though David was a Prophet yet as King over the People of Israel he was commanded of God to write him a Copy of the Law of God in a Book which was to be with him and he was to Read therein all the days of his Life that he might learn to fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of that Law and these Statutes to do them c Deut. 17.18 19 20. And yet David was highly illuminated and inspired far above W.P. or any of his Brethren but the written Law was to be the Rule of his Actions as well as of other Men. Nor could David have excused himself from taking the written Law to be the Rule of his Life because he had it in his Heart and if it could be no excuse to David nor can it be to any Christian now King or Subject that because they have the Law writ in their Hearts and the Spirit put in their inward parts according to God's promise in the New Covenant that therefore the Laws of God both of the Old and New Testament that are of a Moral concern even as outwardly delivered do not bind them which is in very deed to take away the Authority of the Holy Scriptures and make void the Prophetical and Kingly Office of Christ yea and the Office of the Holy Spirit also who inspired the Holy Pen-men to commit them to Writing And it is no less extravagant and rash in W.P. to assert that there is not laid down in Scripture any general Rule how to answer before Magistrates and to act in times of Sufferings for though no particular words are given us limiting and determining us what to say yet the general matter of our Duty is plainly laid down in Scripture what and how to answer before Magistrates as that of Peter and John Acts 4.19 How that it is better to obey God than Men and that of the three Children to King Nebuchadnezzer Dan. 3.17 18. And how to act in Times of Suffering we have both excellent commands and examples in Scripture as Mat. 10.28 1 Pet. 2.20 1 Pet. 4.16 Luke 23.34 Acts 7.59 60. But seeing he doth so peremptorily require a general Rule to suit all Cases as well as all Persons of Mankind otherwise it could not be general which yet he will have it to be what those dictates or Revelations of the Light in every Conscience are of Jews Mahometans and Christians that can give such plain directions to all Persons in all Cases which the Scripture cannot give I desire him to tell at least some of them If he doth not it is a sign he cannot and that consequently his Argument is vain for the Light or Spirit abstractly considered without all Revelation can be no Rule Section 13. His fourteenth Argument which he calls his eighth answered Page 120. AFter he has given Thirteen Reasons and all false ones enough as I think I have sufficiently shewed he comes to that he calls his eighth reason after his former Thirteen at least Why the Scriptures cannot be the Rule under the New Covenant which is this Christ the Spiritual Leader of a Spiritual Israel writeth his Spiritual Law in the Heart as Moses the outward Israel's Leader writ the Law upon Tables of Stone This was God's Promise and the priviledge and blessing of the New Covenant that as the outward Jew had an outward Law for a directory the inward Jew should have an inward Law for his directory and as the outward Jew had an outward Priest at whose Mouth be ought to seek the Law so the Jew inward and Circumcision in Spirit has an inward and Spiritual High-Priest whose Lips preserve knowledge at whose Mouth he is to receive the Law of Life The King Ruler Judge Law-giver High-Priest Law Rule are all Spiritual so the Scriptures inform us My Kingdom said Christ is not of this World Again the Kingdom of God is within Luk. 17.20 21. I will write my Law in their Hearts They shall be all taught of me Heb. 8.10 quoting Rev. 21.3 Joel 2.28 Tit. 2.11 12. Job 32.8 Rom. 1.19 And here again he falsly quotes the words Whatever may be known of God c. Gal. 5.16 1 John 1.7 Isa 2.5 Rev. 21. 23. Gal. 6.15 16. as also he quotes unduly 1 Cor. 12.7 putting a measure of the Spirit for a manifestation of the Spirit Answ 1. If the Light within be a general Rule to Mankind then the outward Israel had it as well as the inward Israel Where is then the distinction and difference betwixt the one and the other 2. If the Rule of the inward Israel be within and the High-Priest within then as the inward Israel has no Rule to be the Rule of their Faith and Life but the Light in the Conscience so they have no High-Priest
ordinary way it works in the Faithful accompanying the outward word and by means thereof the which inward word Voice and Teaching properly and strictly speaking is not any singular new or differing Form of words but rather a Divine Power Light and Life quickning enlightning and strengthning the Understanding and Heart of Man Spiritually and Savingly to understand the Divine Doctrines and Mysteries of the Christian Faith outwardly delivered in the Holy Scriptures and not only so but giving the Souls of the Faithful at times a Divine Sense Sight and Taste of God's Divine Power Love and Life called in Scripture A tasting of the heavenly Gift and of the good Word of God and of the powers of the World to come which Sight Sense and Taste and Spiritual Feeling is indeed beyond all that can be either uttered with the Mouth heard with the Ear or conceived in the Mind in or by any Form of words as the outward Sight Sense Taste and Feeling of outward delightful Objects is beyond all words and report of them as the Scripture saith Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath it entred into the Heart to conceive the good things that God hath prepared for them that love him But as saith the Apostle Paul God hath revealed them to us to wit to the Faithful by his Spirit 1 Cor. 2.9 10. Isaiah 64.4 viz. in an earnest and first Fruits the Harvest and full Fruition being reserved for the future State And here again if it be asked what is the Rule whereby to know surely the true Divine Enjoyment as above described from the false and counterfeit that may be nothing other than Satan's Transformings I answer It is improper in this Case to ask what is the Rule of Faith or Practise because this high Divine Enjoyment is properly speaking neither an Act of Faith nor Practise though it is a proper Consequent and Concomitant of sound Faith and godly and virtuous Practise for as in the exercise of the outward Sight Hearing and Taste no Form of words can be a Rule to a Man to teach him how to See Hear or Taste but the sound Disposition of the Organs of those Senses and the due Application of the Objects is all that is requisite to enable a Man to know what he certainly Sees Hears and Tasts so when the Spiritual Senses of the Soul are awakened by the quickning Power of God and the Mind fitly and duly disposed whatever Divine and Spiritual Objects are presented to that Soul and Mind it naturally and necessarily apprehends them by its Spiritual Senses which are as it were the Spiritual Organs of the Inward and Spiritual Man the best and fittest Disposition of the Soul and Mind making it capable for such Divine Enjoyment is Internal Purity of Heart as our Saviour hath taught us saying Blessed are the pure in Heart for they shall see God that is always accompanied with a sound Faith grounded upon the sound and wholsome Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures And though no Form of words can be a Rule a Priori whereby to discern true Enjoyments from false and counterfeit yet a Posteriori that is by the Consequents and Effects they may soon and quickly be discerned if duly examined by the infallible Rule of Faith and Life laid down in the Scriptures even as a Posteriori or consequentially a Man may know whither what he apprehends he seeth heareth or tasteth outwardly be real or imaginary Section 14. Diverse places of Scripture explained and rescued from his Corrupt Glosses and Interpretations BUT before I finish my Answer to this his last Argument I think fit to take notice how he has perverted misconstrued and misapplied all and every one of the places of Scripture above recited out of his Page 21 to prove that the Light in every Man's Conscience is the Rule of Faith and Life to every Man and that without any necessary super-addition without or within Men be they Jews Mahometans Infidels Christians they have all but one and the same Rule of Faith and Life as they have one and the same Creator For indeed not one of these places are to be understood as with respect to that part of Mankind that lived or now live in pure Heathenism or Gentilism but such as were or are professed Members of God's Church as the Jews were when our Saviour was bodily present on Earth and as the Christians were and now are excepting that one place Rom. 1.19 which as I have above noted he falsly quotes rendring it Whatsoever may be known of God which as the English Translation doth not so word nor doth the Greek bear it and the Falseness of it I have above described as for the saying of our Saviour My Kingdom is not of this World which is the first of those Quotations above given Can it be supposed that by his Kingdom there he meant nothing but the Light in every Man's Conscience he offers not the least proof of it the Kingdom of God and of Christ in Scripture otherwise called the Kingdom of Heaven hath diverse significations sometimes it signifies his Church that is called a Kingdom of Priests sometimes his Rule and Government in and over his Church by his Laws and Precepts and Power of his Spirit and manifold Gifts and Graces and sometimes the Gospel with the Blessings thereof that is the Doctrine of the Gospel as where Christ said to the Jews The Kingdom should be taken from them Matt. 21.43 as hath been accordingly fulfilled though still they have the common Illumination of the Light within them and sometimes it signifieth his Kingdom of Glory in the future State after Death This next Quotation is out of Luke 17.20 21. The Kingdom of God is within you which also he falsly quotes leaving out the word you so making it universal to serve his Design for a Proof that the Light in every Mans Conscience is that which is meant by Christ in this place the Kingdom of God I grant God has an universal providential Kingdom in and over all his Creatures and more particularly in and over all Mankind according to Psal 103.19 and his Kingdom ruleth over all or in all and that his providential Kingdom among Men is administred in great part by means of the common Illumination in and over all Men but the Kingdom as it is here understood Luke 17.20 21. is not his providential Kingdom but a new Administration of the Gospel that many were looking for and expecting which made the Pharisees ask when the Kingdom of God should come surely as they meant not to ask when his providential Kingdom should come or when should Men begin to have something to reprove or convince them for common Sins in their Conscience nor did Christ mean it so but of some more excellent Dispensation by his Doctrine and Preaching which the Pharisees had heard as well as others and therefore it might well be said to be not only among them as some translate it but
them speak that God was manifested extraordinarily in the Flesh that he gave his Life for the World that such as believe and obey his Grace in their Hearts receive Remission of Sins and Life everlasting First It is needful he should explain what he means by these words That he gave his Life whither the Life of the Man Christ without us or the Blood which is the Life and that Life is the Light within as he hath been heard to preach and is according to his Books And what means he by the word believe Whither to believe that Christ died for our Sins and rose again Well in Charity I will suppose this to be his meaning otherwise he would greatly equivocate but still all this belief is none of the absolute Necessaries in Religion they are some considerable Matters superadded Superadded to what To the Scriptures Nay they are the chief Doctrines of the Scriptures Therefore again I ask Superadded to what Why to the Light within its Dictates But are they necessary to be believed since they are supernumerary and superadded to the Dictates of the Light in every Conscience Yea saith W.P. Page 35. where the History has reached and the Spirit of God has made a Conviction upon the Conscience Well then If they are necessary to be believed where the Spirit of God hath made this Conviction upon the Conscience this Conviction is not the Effect of the general Light in every Conscience but somewhat superadded and therefore the general Light in the Conscience is not the perfect and compleat Rule But what if the Spirit make not this Conviction upon the Conscience of some who have the Scripture which he calls the History Is he sure the Spirit will make it or doth make it on every Conscience to whom the History reacheth If he say yea he throweth down his Fabrick with his own words for if so this Conviction made by the Spirit of God on the Conscience must be a part yea the greatest part of the Rule of Faith to all who have the Scriptures because the Scriptures hold forth many more things to be believed and practised than these few eternal Precepts as he calls them of the Spirit in the Conscience And though W.P. here seems to render them excusable to whom the Doctrine of Christ's Death hath reached and yet believe it not on whom the Spirit of God hath not made a Conviction Yet in his Treatise of Spiritual Liberty he calls it a loose Plea to pretend want of Conviction for not obeying G. F's Orders and tending to Ranterism But if he shall say the Spirit doth not work this Conviction upon many that the History reacheth as his words import then they are left at liberty whither to believe them at all without all Sin or danger Thus we may see what sort of Faith he and his Brethren have of the Articles of the Creed viz. An unnecessary Faith to have it or not have it is all a Case if they have it not it is not their Sin their primary Rule the Light within them tells them nothing of it But then why should the Secondary Rule tell them any of these things As there is nothing in the Copy but what is in the Original so there is nothing in the Secondary Rule the Scriptures at this rate but what is in the Dictates of the Light within and therefore all that is to be found in the Scripture that is not in the Dictates of the Light within is not so much as the Secondary Rule Thus we may see of what little value the Scriptures are and must be with him and his Party by this his way of arguing and answering Objections But note Reader how in his foregoing words I have faithfully quoted he makes the believing and obeying God's Grace for Remission of Sins and Life everlasting to be none of the absolute Necessaries of Religion but superadded as some of them speak Here is Obedience to God's Grace made as unnecessary by W.P. as Faith in Christ as he was outwardly manifest in the Flesh What thinks G.W. and his Brethren of this Doctrine Is it not plain Antinomianism yea plain Ranterism Section 16. The Scriptures are not certainly known and believed upon the Foundation of W.P. and his Party among the Quakers but are upon the Foundation of all Orthodox Christians The Question wrongly stated by W.P. about the Sufficiency of the Light or Spirit of God within which is not what he can reveal but what he doth reveal without the outward Means of Instruction Page 23. HE labours to turn off that Objection against him of his arguing from the uncertainty of the Scriptures that they cannot be a Rule of Faith and Life by answering The Scriptures are uncertain upon their Foundation but not upon ours We would have them received saith he upon the Spirits Testimony and Evidence which gave them forth I answer And so would all true Christians but the difference is great in the way and manner of their and his defining this Testimony or Evidence which he and his Brethren will have wholly to be by Prophetical and Apostolical Inspiration the same in Specie and Kind with what the Prophets and Apostles had giving them a new repetition of the same Articles and Precepts and all this only from the Light within as it is a common dispensation to all Mankind the falsity of which common experience as well as the Testimony of Scripture doth sufficiently prove for if the Light within them doth de novo give W.P. and his Brethren the Revelation of all or most of these peculiar Doctrines of Christianity why should they have it more than Jews Mahometans Deists and Heathens many of whom they account have been and are faithful and obedient to the Dictates of the Light within them Besides if more be revealed to the Quakers by the common Light within than to other parts of Mankind who have not the Scriptures they must needs grant their Rule of Faith is more large and full than that in others and consequently not being so perfect in others as in them it is no general Rule of Faith for thus he argued against the Scriptures But if the Scriptures are so wholly uncertain upon the foundation of other Christians and so certain upon the foundation of the Quakers from their pretence to the same divine Inspiration that the Prophets and Apostles had they would wonderfully oblige the Christian World If we could believe them to tell us from their infallibility what Translations are best or rather to give us a new Translation by divine Inspiration and which of all the Copies and various Iections are truest but that this is a groundless and empty brag is too apparent while their ignorance and gross perversions of Scripture and false Interpretations are greater than any other in Christendom as can easily be proved But in contradiction to all this that the Scriptures are certain upon the Quakers foundation from the divine Inspiration and Revelation that
the Spirit has given them of their Truth much or indeed most of all this is again denyed by W.P. telling us in answer to that Objection Page 32. This Light you speak of could not tell you which way Sin came into the World that there was an Adam and Eve that they fell after that manner and that Sin so entred the World that Christ was born of a Virgin suffered Death and rose again c. He roundly answereth that inasmuch as an account of those things hath been already revealed and is extant therefore any new Revelation of such things is not needed I answer How not needed and yet certain to you upon the Spirits inward Evidence and Testimony and to none but you and such as you who pretend to the same Revelations with the Prophets and Apostles However seeing he grants he and his Brethren have no Revelation from the Light within them That Christ was born of a Virgin suffered Death and rose again therefore he must needs confess all these things concerning Christs Birth Death Resurrection are uncertain to them and so no matters of their Faith And then seeing other Christians believe these things upon an inward Evidence and Testimony of the Spirit though not by the same Revelation in Kind or Specie with that of the Prophets and Apostles yet by way of Seal to the truth of them as above explained the proper consequence of which is this that all these great things recorded in Scripture concerning Christ's birth of a Virgin his having dyed for our Sins his Resurrection Ascension and Intercession for us in Heaven are altogether uncertain upon the Quakers foundation because as W.P. confesseth not inwardly revealed to them which yet are certain upon the foundation of all true Christians to wit the inward Testimony and Evidence of the Spirit by way of sealing to the Truth of them as by an objective medium as above explained But why are not these things concerning Christ's Birth Death revealed to the Quakers by W. P's confession Why because they are not necessary to be believed they are none of the Eternal Precepts of the Spirit in the Consciences of all Men Teaching some few things of owning a great God Almighty and some few moral Principles of Temperance and Justice as doing as we would be done by this is the Quakers Evangelium Eternum their everlasting Gospel whatever is more is unnecessary and Superfluous Page 32. He saith To say the Light or Spirit could not do it viz. reveal that Christ was born of a Virgin suffered Death and rose again c. is blasphemous as well as absurd Answ I know none that saith the Spirit or God and Christ considered as the Light could not do it but that 's not the Question what the Spirit could do or what the Light within taking it in the highest Sense as to signifie the divine Word could or can do but the proper state of the question is whither the Spirit or Light within hath given generally any such Revelation of these things which if he hath not given and that to all Men then to be sure even by W. P's confession such Revelation is no part of the Rule of Faith for it is not what God who is Light or the Spirit can reveal but what he hath revealed that is the Rule of Faith and doth ordinarily reveal And seeing the Quakers as W.P. hath granted have no inward Revelation of these things viz. That Christ was born of a Virgin c. It is no part of their Faith or Creed for the Rule of their Faith hath not taught it them If any have said the Light within every man cannot reveal these things they do not mean by the Light within either Christ or the Spirit but that common Illumination that is in all Men that is neither Christ nor the Spirit but yet is a gift of Christ and of the Spirit Section 17. His Proofs out of the Fathers and Primitive Protestants for the Spirits being the Rule of Faith all Fallacious An Instance of Calvin quoted by him in some Passage of his Institutions expresly to the contrary Whither the Esseni Pythagoras Clinias and the Scythians before our Saviour's Incarnation thought Swearing unlawful from the Light within AS for these many Authors some Fathers and other late Protestant Authors that he quotes in confirmation of his Assertion viz. That the Scripture is not the Rule of Faith and Life but the Light in every Conscience none of all these quotations which I have diligently read and considered say any such thing viz. That the Scriptures are not the Rule of Faith and Life or that the Light in every Conscience is that Rule Either he is very ignorant and unacquainted in Calvin and Beza's wriings and other Protestants or very unfair to quote them when he cannot but know in his Conscience if he be acquainted with them that all those Protestant Authors did Zeolously contend that the Scripture was the Rule of Faith and Life and though they did Zealously assert the necessity of the Spirits Internal Evidence and Testimony to Seal to the Truth of the Scripture and give the understanding of it yet none of them all that he has quoted say or hold that the Spirit or Light in every Conscience is the Rule of Faith and Life I rememno such Doctrine taught by them and yet I suppose I know their Doctrine as well as he and were it needful I could produce sufficient Testimonies from their Books that he has manifestly wronged them but he who takes so great liberty to wrest the Scriptures no wonder if he make bold to do the same with these Mens Writings His Quotation out of Calvin is this Inst Lib. 1. Cap. 8. It is necessary the same Spirit that spake by the mouth of the Prophets should pierce into our Hearts to perswade us that they faithfully delivered that which was committed to them of God This doth not prove that Calvin denyed the Scriptures to be the Rule of Faith having expresly taught that they were But to shew how little acquainted W.P. is with Calvin's Doctrine in this point whom he hath quoted for him to prove that the Scripture or written word is not the Rule of Faith but the Light in every Conscience or the Spirit abstractly considered from the written word or how unfair and fallacious in so doing if acquainted with his writings I shall give some passages out of his Institutions That is in English For when the mind of Man for its weakness could by no way come to God unless helped and assisted by his Holy Word it was necessary that all Men the Jews excepted did walk in vanity and error because they sought God without the Word Thus we see according to Calvin how necessary was the Word of God to wit the Doctrine outwardly delivered of God to Men by the Holy Prophets to bring them to God out of error and vanity for by the Holy Word it is manifest Calvin meant not the