cannot grow old decay be lost misrendred corrupted transcribed reprinted But hear what he sayes to me Rep. Did we hold as you that it is to be understood of no other but Christ it would be an Absurdity but upon our Principles none at all Would you say that the Scripture is absurd For we are not as many that corrupt the Word of God 2 Cor. 2. 17. Many did so and many do so still of who you are a Ring-Leader Rejoyn Truly if I am I would be glad to know it that I might be sorry for it I would not willingly deceive my self and others both of the Joyes of this Life and that to come But I would desire J. Faldo to consider if his Greek Testament will allow his Translation and least of all his Argument which is this If Christ cannot be corrupted soÌ„mewhat else besides Christ is in Scripture called the Word of God I am not so lean with my Learning but I will spare him a little I find Valla Erasmus Vetablus Castalio Clarius Zegerus and Grotius say the Greek word there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies not adulterantes but cauponantes vel abutentes re quapiam ad quaestum that is We are not as many who Merchandize with the Word of God or use it to self Ends making a Trade of it or as several of our Old English Translations have it chop and change which more sorely reflects upon my Adversaries Profession then mine For though I am a Corrupter of Scripture in his sense I am sure he is a Trader with it in its own sense I might instance to my Defence in several other Languages particularly the Italian Spanish and ancient French Translations but I will be brief Now unless it be absurd to assert that some Men have and may make worldly Advantage to themselves from that place the Living Eternal Word of God hath ministerially given them in the Hearts of People and false to affirm that the Scriptures of the New Testament were not then all written nor gathered or compiled as now they are or made canonical and publick till the Council of Laâ—dicea about the time of Julian the Apostate Anno 364â— I cannot see how any may justly blame me for denying the Scriptures to be the Word of God from the Passage cited by my Adversary that men may make so ill an use of the Living Word of God none dare deny Now that the Scriptures were at that time Imperfect and scattered is clear They were Imperfect in as much as but five of twenty one Epistles were then writ besides John's History of the Gospel and his Revelation and Luke's Acts of the Apostles J. F. may hence see what a lame imperfect kind of Word of God he disputes for But I would query Was there not a Word of God before them What was that Word of God that grew and multiplyed before any New Testament Writings were in being Did not the Apostles preach it Therefore I rather take it to be such a Word of God as attended the Prophets before them in an inferiour Ministration namely the Living Powerful Quickening Word who from its various Operations is said to be as a Fire an Ax an Hammer a Sword a Word of Reconciliation of Patience of inward Washing of Faith that overcomes the World in true Believers that was with God in the beginning and was God which at sundry times and in divers manners spoak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in and by the Prophets and Apostles which was the Author of the Scriptures and therefore before them So that the Scriptures are no more then the Mind of the Living Word of God declared by Writing upon several occasions consequently to call them an Holy Declaration of the Word of God is a more Evangelical and suitable Title then the Word of God whose Declaration they are That they were scattered and several Centuries or Ages uncollected History tells us particularly we find it in the Council of Trent which is given us by the Learned and Juditious Pietro Soane Polano They could not run their Canon higher then the Council of Laodicea which as we said before was about 364. years after Christ at what time sayes a great Author Ambition prevailed with the Doctors of the Church and they began to think de pijs fraudibus of holy Cheats and would have their Doctrines pass pro legibus non pro consilio for Laws not Counsel I could prove as much and more out of several Independent Authors who seem to give all for gone before the end of the third Century though if some of them should now stand to the purest Tradition they must needs give their present Practice for gone I cannot but observe after what a suspected rate the Scriptures have been both first collected and then convey'd through the several succeeding Ages â—twas well said of my former Author Dubium igitur non est quin Testamenta vetus et novum monumâ—nta vera sint earum rerum quae dictae et factae sint a Prophetis et Apostolis Where though he calls them not the Word of God yet allows them to be Monuments of those things which were said and done by the Prophets and Apostles But as he and others so I may well object Are we sure that the Judgment of those who collected them was sufficient to determine what was right and what not For that which gives Scripture its Canon is not Plurality of Voices but that Word of God which gave it forth If that Divine Counsellor presided not what Assurance have our Anti-revelation Adversaries of their Doctors Câ—oce And granting that they have not rejected any Writing given forth by the holy Ghost which is a great question and that what they have given us was in the main writ by Inspiration which I believe yet how we shall be assured that in above three hundred yâ—aâ—s so many hundred Copies as were doubtless taken shoâ—ld be pure and uncorrupted Considering the private Dissensions the Readiness of each Party to bend things to their own Belief with the growing and succeeding Faults of leaving out adding transposing c. which Transscribers might be guilty of perhaps more through Carelesness then Design is beyond J. Faldo's Skill upon his Principles to inform us From hence we may observe the Vncertainty of J. Faldo ' s Word of God who by Authorities can never prove the Scriptures to be given forth by Inspiration nor that they are truly collected neither could those Persons who first made them Canonical be assured of the Exactness of those Copies they then found extant nor was the Collecter's Judgment Infallible and to come nearer to our times Learned Men tell us of little less then Three Thousand several Readings in the Scriptures of the New Testament in Greek Far be it from me to write this in any the least Vndervalue of that holy Record It s only to shew the weak Foundation my Adversary's Faith stands upon I
unworthiest Reflections however unprovoked without any Reproof is to merit their sharpest Retorts in the most vilifying Terms I know not what to infer from such an humorsome Carriage but that it is expected from the Quakers Religion it should bear that which J. Faldo's Vindication tells us his cannot a great Credit to our Cause against his Will Thus far of Christianity and Quakerism as they are contra-distinguished by our Adversary CHAP. III. Of the Scriptures MY Adversary begun his first Chapter in his former Discourse upon this general Charge The Quakers deny the Scriptures The Proof he offered was this The Quakers deny the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God and therefore they deny the Scriptures Upon this account I thus delivered my self He entitules his Chapter That the Quakers deny the Scriptures I was almost astonished at it because he pretended to prove all out of our own Books and none such had ever come to my Hand but upon Perusal I found this to be the Upshot That the Quakers deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God My Adversary's Reply is Rep. This is not the first Cordial you have made of a wilful Vntruth nor yet the last by a great many And you who summed up nine Arguments of mine more which were the Contents of the nine Chapters next following should have been ashamed of calling this one which was the first of ten the Vpshot and then insult But I shall try how you break this single Cord this one of ten Rejoyn I will not say he has Wilfully wronged me but Wronged me he has I did not say that it was the Upshot of his whole Discourse concerning the Scriptures but of that single Chapter For had I reputed his nine following Arguments undeserving of any notice I might have called this single one the Upshot but having singlely refuted his subsequent Arguments I could not in good sense call the First the Vpshot 'T was not therefore the Vpshot of the Whole but of that Chapter in which the Word is used I had good Reason so to term it since the Proof was too particular for the Charge It was not my wilful Untruth but his Mistake His suggesting as if I only encountered that single Cord is very Disingenuous for I throughly considered Nine following Chapters Hear him further Rep. That you deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God you grant But you say pag. 25. I declare to the World that we own them to be a Declaration of the Mind and Will of God with many other things which I have shewed to be short of the main Ends of the Scriptures Rejoyn Whether those other things left out are short of the main Ends of the Scripture or no will best be seen by considering what those Things are I do declare to the whole World that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the Mind and Will of God in and to those Ages in which they were written being given forth by the holy Ghost moving in the Hearts of holy Men of God That they ought also to be Read Believed and Fulfilled in our Day being Useful for Reproof and Instruction that the Man of God may be perfect Now if this belongs not to the main Ends of Scriptures either there are none or they are unknown However it was 〈◊〉 much the End as name of Scripture that was then controverted Again he goes on thus Rep. I shall easily grant that one Word may stand representative of many An odd Phrase that represents him not able to express himself congruously I have heard of Persons as Parliament-men but never of a representative Word before Rejoyn He might have pardoned me an Incongruous Phrase if such it had been for I have twenty times over been so kind to him But I must tell him it is not less proper though less used in Words then in Persons He shews Ignorance in that Philosophy he pretends to be a Master of where there are many single words or Terms that are significative of entire Sentences but argumentum ad hominem granting to the Scriptures that they are the Word of God does not our Adversary repute that Title Representative as well as Expressive of those many thousand Words contained therein if so then there is a Representative Word If not it can never be called so in our Adversary's sense Again he brings me in thus I think it is as good sense to call a King's Letters King as the Scriptures the Word of God Rep. But by your favour Mr. Penn It is neither non-sense nor bad sense to call a King's Letter the Word of a King Rejoyn This is nothing to the purpose the Stress lies here The Word of God being a Title given to Christ as the Title King is to a supreme Magistrate whether it be Reverent or Significant to call the Declaration Christ the Word of God any more then to call the Declaration of a King by the Title of King For we therefore decline to give that Title to any thing below Christ himself to whom the Scriptures most emphatically ascribe it Because I said that it might be the Word of Advice Reproof Instruction which Christ the Great Word of God livingly sows in the Hearts of Men and Women that Christ spoke of when he said The Cares of the World choak the Word and it becomes Unfruitful He replyes Rep. Here you have yielded the Cause to save Christ from being the choaked and unfruitful Word Rejoyn I need not have done so for any such Reason since Christ may in a sense as well be Choaked as by Sin afresh Crucified and the Spirit Quenched Nor could unfruitful obliege me to give away the Cause since the Word is alwayes Vnfruitful where rebelled against But is there no Difference J. Faldo between a Word of Advice spiritually livingly and powerfully sown in the Heart by Christ the great Word of God and that Advice Reproof or Instruction declared by Writing This brings to the Point Whether the Scriptures or Christ may most deservedly be stiled the Word of God Christ is God's living Oracle and rightly called the Word of God because that which livingly speaks forth the Will of God to the Souls of Men The Scriptures are but that Revelation declared and recorded consequently they can have no right to that Title which is so suitably ascribed to the Author of that Revelation To be sure J Faldo acknowledges that they are not the Living Powerful Self-sufficient Word of God Nor does he pretend to dispute for them to be such a Word of God as the Quakers deny them to be Though it seems very strange to me that there should be Two Words of God the one quite differing from the other or that any Word of God if two there were should be of it self Impotent or Insufficient as he seems to allow in his first Book pag 20 27. Vind. pag. 14 16. That the Word of God
believe great and good things of them and that from no less Evidence then the Eternal Word that gave them forth which hath oftentimes given my Soul a deep Savour of those blessed Truths it declares of only we cannot allow them to be The Word though the Words of God and the rather forasmuch as we see the great and general Neglect that People are guilty of towards that Living Powerful Regenerating Word of Life by whom alone all right Knowledge and lasting Peace is derived to the Soul of Man through this Apprehension that in having the Writings they have the Word of God and therefore look no farther the very State of the professing Jews of old who thought better of the Scriptures then of Christ believing to have Life in them at what time they crucified the Lord of Life and Glory From whose Proceedings we learn thus much That the worst Enemies to the invisible Word of Life may carry the greatest seeming Respect to and bestow the highest Titles upon the Scriptures that were given forth from it In short It was when Men turned from the Power of Godliness to the Form only that they did Canonize and lay so vast a Stress upon them In the first and second hundred years after Christ they were so scattered that very few had all of them and it is not unreasonable for us to believe that many had none of them especially those of the New Testament Were they therefore without the Word of God and a sufficient Rule for Faith and Practice Surely not It was an Administration of Life and Power of writing the Law in the Heart and putting the Spirit in the inward Parts From whence came that Christian Answer to the Heathen concerning Swearing Fighting such contra-Evangelical Practices They could not do so because of God in their Consciences At that time of Day the Anoâ—nting led them into all Truth But in process of time when Christians grew Careless and Worldly whereby they lost the Power of Godliness then they began to set up an outward pompous Religion ascribing that to the Letter and Form which was only due to the Spirit and Power And as thus entered the Apostacy into the World so where Men are not turned and conformed to that eternal Spirit and divine immortal Power the Apostacy still remains And our End in pressing People unto the Eternal Word of Life is that they may be brought out of Death and Darkness which the Scriptures can never do They are a Declaration and Testimony of Heavenly Things but not the Heavenly Things themselves and as such we carry an high Respect unto them We accept them as the Words of God himself and by the Assistance of his Spirit they are read with great Instruction and Comfort I esteem them the best of Writings and desire nothing more frequently then that I may lead the Life they exhort to and whatever sleight Apprehensions my disingenuous Adversary is pleas'd to have of these kind of Acknowledgments I write the naked Truth of my Heart knowing I must give an Account to God CHAP. IV. His Pretence of our Equalling our own Writings and Sayings with the Scriptures VVIthout any flourishing Reflections most commonly the Head and Tail and sometimes Middle too of my Adversary's Reply I shall lay down his words Rep. The Means I used for confirming the first part of this Charge were two First Their pretending them to be from Immediate Inspiration This he is so far from denying that he pleads for it but after such a rude impertinent manner that I should but injure you and shew my self Idle to transscribe and animadvert upon it Rejoyn How rude and impertinent a manner I pleaded for it the Reader may best judge by perusing something of the Passage For Inspiration the Scriptures are not more express in any one thing No man can know the things of God by the bare Spirit of a Man The Scriptures are a sealed Book to all but those who know them by the same Hand that originally gave them so that however common they may be in the World they are Strangers to them that understand them not And though Old respecting the Time when they were revealed to the Saints yet New to every Age. So that we assert not a Revelation of New Things but a renewed Revelation of those Things God made former Ages Witnesses of otherwise men are no more benefitted by them And to be benefitted they must be made ours by the Spirit which made them the Holy Ancients In short No Man can understand Spiritnal Things but the spiritually Discerning nor can he so be without the Inspiration of the Almighty This is Scripture Now the Author of those Queries and J. Faldo also denying Inspiration they consequently deny themselves to be spiritually Discerning And for Men not spiritual to judge of spiritual Matters much 〈◊〉 to write of them and bid their Writings go and throwdown Self-will and exalt the Truth is Vain and Idolatrous For the Scriptures themselves considered meerly as such are unable much less Writings founded on Self-Will For it s the alone Priviledge of God's Power and Spirit and no writing whatever distinct from it can perform that Great and Mighty Work in Man Now as Rude and Impertinent as this Answer may be in John Faldo's Eyes his Reply has not afforded me Light enough to see it He would prove us guilty of holding Inspiration as if to do so were a Crime From a Passage of John Story 's who rejected certain Queries exhibited against the Quakers because meerly grounded upon the Author's Imagination of certain Passages in Scripture and not any certain Knowledge or Experience received from the Revelation of the Spirit It must be left to the Reader to judge how pertinently I returned upon my Adversary Sure I am that Self-willed Queries can never throw down Self-will And to urge Scripture not experienced is to steal the words of Truth from our Neighbour Inspiration was in request after Scriptures were in the World And indeed are unintelligible without it The New Birth is never the more known for Christ's Saying to Necodemus though thereby we are taught that without it no man shall enter into the Kingdom of God It is the Spirit alone that reveals the Mysteries of Regeneration therefore to deny Inspiration or Revelation is to overthrow the only and Evangelical Way to divine Knowledge Erasmus himself could tell us What Men set forth by Man's Device may be perceived by Man's Wit But the thing that is set forth by the Inspiration of the holy Ghost requireth an Interpreter inspired with the like Spirit And without the Inspiration of it the Secrets of God cannot be known which is also the substance of the fourth Article exhibited against the Lutherans in the Council of Trent as an erroneous Doctrine they held That to understand the Scripture neither Gloss nor Comment is necessary but only to have the Spirit of a Sheep of Christ's Pasture Vetablus
preach you the Truth or no and send me word what they say that I may learn to speak after them If they say they be Sure ye know what followeth If they say they be Vnsure when shall ye be sure that have so doubtful and unsure Teachers Thus much of Infallibility when he has answer'd this we may give him some more mean time we shall proceed Rep. But further sayes W. P. Cannot one Man be another Man's Brother and not the Eldest Brother This hath done your Work or all Hope is lost It seems the Scriptures and your Writings may without Offience call one another Brother yet not be thought to aspire to Equallity But why Because for sooth you do not say they are the Scriptures Elder Brother I thought till now that Brethren had been a term of Equallity And though in Humane Births there is a Natural Right to the First-born above the Rest yet not in the Productions of Scripture for the new Excelleth the old Testament in Glory Rejoyn In Similes there is some Allowance with honest Men but none to be hoped for from J. Faldo But if it be so hard for him to bear I cannot help it Several Writings may be given forth from the same Spirit without coming upon the Vy If we must needs equaâ— some of our Writings to the Scriptures because given forth by the same Spirit then must every the least True Christian be equal to the greatest Apostle because indued with the same Spirit The Pouring forth of the Spirit which was the Promise of the Father we have proved the very Substance of the Gospel and Inspiration as necessary as divine Knowledge because the only Way to it Whatever therefore hath been writ from Adam's day to this or shall yet be to the End of the World from the Motion of God's Spirit in the Hearts of any of his Children stands as nearly related to the Scriptures as his several Manifestations of his Spirit in his Servants Writing The Ancient Christians were Brethren having one Father Were they therefore equally dignified in Degree of Fellowship And that was the Meaning of my former Simile disingenuously taken by my Adversary For as there is a Degree in natural so in spiritual Births The Dignity of the first lies in Priority of Time the Dignity of the last in a more full Discovery of Immortality and eternal Life Thus the Scriptures of the New exceed those of the Old Testament Where there is the first and most ample Declaration there must be the Preheminence Now alas what can we boast of that was not formerly testified unto we exalt no singular Spirit neither walk we in an untroden Path 't is the Everlasting Gospel we bear witness unto and to the Revival and Breakin gs forth of that ancient Life Truth Spirit and Power which according unto divers Dispensations hath made People true Children of God What do you esteem your own Meanings and Interpretations Do you not intitle them to a very near relation the Text interpreted We never intended to bring our Writings upon the Vye and dispute with it the Scriptures for the Preheminence But our Writings further declaring of the same Truth from the same Spirit are related to them If to testifie and exhort to the same Truth the Scriptures declare of and that in the same Spirit of Christ by which they were given forth be offensively to equal or prefer such Testimonies we are indeed guilty of great Presumption But if it be Scripturally True That as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God and that such as so led may by that Spirit further be drawn forth to fresh Testimonies to any ancient Truth or Truths declared of in the holy Scriptures whether by way of Prophecy Information Exhortation Reproof or Comfort to Believer or Unbeliever as must not be denyed since God cannot be limited it cannot be Presumptuous or Arrogant to affirm any Kindred or Relation between any such Writing or Wrirings of the Scriptures of Truth In short Either there are never to be more Inspiration after the Apostles Decease and consequently no more Testimonies nor Prophecies to be then what the remaining Scriptures give us or the Pouring out of the holy Ghost belongs as well to after Ages as to that as hath been abundantly proved and therefore fresh Testimonies and Prophesies by way of further opening or pressing the ancient Truth recorded in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament may in after Ages be given forth unless God and his Spirit should be limited and many parts of the Scripture remain unfulfilled If any shall object 'T is Adding according to Revel 22. 18. I would have them know that the Addition intended was not of other Writings but other Doctrines I will conclude this with a very notable Passage delivered in a Book entituled An Examen of the late Assembly of Divines Confession of Faith presented to the Parliament Anno 165â— pag. 8 10. It is evident that the Lord will have Prophets in all Ages especially when he is about to bring extraordinary Judgments upon the World in general and upon the Church is special and that the Last Times shall abound most of all with the Prophetical Spirit So that these extraordinary Wayes of God's revealing himself neither are ceased nor shall determine in the militant Church Thirdly whereas you say in the sixth Section that nothing at any time is to be added to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament whether by new Revelations of the Spirit or Traditions of Men We desire to know what Warrant you have thus to determine If you say that in Revelat. 22. 18. it is written That if any Man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book We answer That so much in effect was forbidden long before as Prov. 30. 6. Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a Lyar yet many Books of the Holy Prophets and Apostles have been added since the written Word of those times Yea the same Inhibition was given by Moses Deut. 4. 2. 12. 32. Ye shall not add to the Word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it Therefore this Addition thus probibited must necessarily be understood of any new Doctrine in substance differing from the Old but even that of Moses But that there should be a Vindication of the same when mis-understood or a more full and free Publication of the same by the Prophets of the Old Testament or Inspired Men of the New Rep. My Adversary tells me a Blind Story a preferring our Writings above the Scriptures as being from God essentially in us But this saith he P. has not one word to Rejoyn I had little Reason for it He confesseth pag. 43. of his former Discourse that he expected not to find any such word as Essentially in our Authors Doth he think I was to play the
Fool in answering of him as he begs Excuse for in Replying to me We affirm with the Scripture that God tabernacles in his Children that Christ dwells in 〈◊〉 People and that the holy Spirit Temples in his Saints He was full of all Grace and Truth and of his Fulness have we received a measure of Grace and Truth and he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one After this Way that he calls Heresie know we worship we and enjoy we the God of our Fathers But what was the second Argument by which he endeavoureth to prove we prefer our Writings and Sayings above the Scriptures Rep. My second is their Characters they give of them concerning the Scriptures Feeding Death with Death the Letter which killeth Of their own Sayings The Voice of the Son of God was utter'd forth by him c. Rejoyn I told him before That Death is a State without the living experimental Knowledg of God and his Work in the Heart And that State I said will talk of the Fame of ◠Wisdom as saith the Scripture At this he Scoffs and makes as Merry with it as would some prophane Stager And in the midst of his Desires to be thought Meek to this little piece of a large and sober Answer basely cropt he gives the hard Names of Non-sense Folly and Impious The Scripture justifies me in what I said For Men dead in Trespasses and Sins talk of God and that perhaps according to the Letter of Scripture too why may it not be then said That Death talks of Wisdom as well as Dead Men. But this he calls arriving at as perfect Non-sense as G. Fox himself He would have done better not only to have answered but considered my following words Death or dead men's talking or feeding upon the Words of Scripture being ignorant of the true Sense of the Scripture But it had been vain to have expected this Candor from him In short The Scripture without the Spirit is Dead say some Independents as well as Quakers Men Unregenerate are dead in Sins say all What can such men's Feeding upon the Scriptures be but one dead thing feeding upon another Remember it was Christ that said It was the Spirit alone that quickens But that this Man may shew himself almost irrecoverably gone in Dishonesty because I said There is no Comparison betwixt what God requires and an immediate hearing of his Voice and being sensible of his living Touches upon the Soul Writings are but holy things at second hand He implyes and replyes thus Rep. Their Writings and Sayings they pretend to be perfectly immediate from the Spirit of God But the Scriptures handed through many Ages And therefore there is no Comparison because he affirms theirs to be more immediate Rejoyn Reader Right me in this Matter Was the Comparison betwixt our Writings and Sayings with the Scriptures or any Writings or Sayings and the Immediate Voice and Living Touches upon the Soul Do not I expresly say Writings are but holy things at second hand If so how do I make our Wrings holy things at the first hand Do not I prefer the Voice of God to the Soul and his Immediate Touches upon it as well before our own Writings and Sayings as the holy Scriptures of Truth And who dare deny that heavenly Enjoyment of God to be the blessed End of Writings and Sayings too It is after a manner not less Perverting though much more Scoffing that he deals with my Answer about Our Friends Denying Light to be in Scripture That is said I There is not Living Spiritual Essential Light in the Scriptures Now hear him Rep. Did he not intend his Writings for the View of those only who understand no more Right Reason then a Horse doth Hebrew He could not expect any success in such pittiful Attempts Whatsoever makes manifest is Light saith the Scripture But if there be no Light but according to the Character he gives Candles Stars Moon Sun Reason W. P's Writings also are gross and perfect Darkness Rejoyn This Man would pass both for Just and Rational Just he is not who has left out those very words which remove all Pretence to Scruple viz. That the Scriptures carryed a Descriptive and Declarative Light with them that is a Declaration from and of the divine Light Dares he affirm more or does this deny all other Lights besides the Living Spiritual and Essential Light Unjust Man to leave out that which only could wrong his Adversary and answer his infamous Ends. Besides he abuseth Scripture the Light mentioned in that Passage is the Living Spiritual Light of God in the Conscience as the Verse at length proves viz. That all things that are Reproved are made manifest by the Light for whatsoever makes manifest is Light Again Hear what he sayes to the same Matter Rep. And yet W. P. tells you of the Author of the Quakers Book he writ to give notice of the Day-spring of God's Eternal Light of Life to the World i. e. the Light within that needeth the Light of Farnsworth's Book to be seen by What cannot such a Reconciler do Rejoyn But what cannot such a Scoffer do who dare Affront God and be Injust to Men in the View of the World which is manifested thus First as I denyed a Living Spiritual and Essential Light to be in the Scriptures or any other VVritings so did I acknowledge a Descriptive and Declarative Light to be in them and measurably in other VVritings as well as the Scriptures which he hides from the Reader and then triumphs over a false Consequence Secondly If the Light within needs Rich. Farnsworth's Book as a Light without to be seen by because it is by it testified to the same upon his Argument may be said of God himself who is Light that he needed the Light of the Scriptures to be seen by But what shall I say The man is desperate in his Ventures From my concluding upon his Accusation and my own Answer so that our Adversary's Argument amounts to thus much We therefore prefer our own Writings before the Scriptures because in all our Writings we earnestly endeavour by numerous Quotations to prove what we write to be according to Scripture For this he flyes out into this following Reply Rep. I leave it to my Reader sayes J. Faldo to give a Name to this Passage the like to which for a daring Vntruth the World hath scarcely been ever acquainted with yet the man pretends besides all other Graces to Infallibility In many a large Libel I could produce where there is not one Quotation of Scripture W. Smith often quoted in Quakerism no Christianity in his Directory for Religious Principles consisting of above Two Hundred Pages hath not one Scripture quoted not one Exhortation to read the Scriptures But as his main Scope denyes and throws Dirt upon them Rejoyn Reader right a poor People once Never I think did man so slander Persons
Principles Dwell ◠while here then give thy Judgment of both My Answer unencountered by him lay thus Let it suffice to all impartial People that we only desire to make a Difference betwixt the Writings and the Thing written of And to the eternal Overthrow of our Adversaries not wholely without their own Help since they think the Titles we gave our Books very glorious in themselves most unworthy of them but proper to the Scriptures whom they say we slight Let it be considered that not one of those Books is destitute of Scripture but is either generally in a Scripture stile this Distinction I fear my Adversary wilfully omitted or particularly defended by plenty of express Scriptures cited Therefore of necessity they the Scriptures must also partake with them in common of those famous Titles And thus far have they the Preference that they are quoted on purpose to give the Truth we write of greater Credit VVhat is that Greater Credit but to be exactly agreeable with them Now Reader first consider I did not say that no◠one Book is not without plenty of express Scripture cited as my answer clears but that every one of them is in a Scripture stile or particularly defended by express Scripture cited W. Smith's Catechism belongs to the first and if he would have fastened the Lye deservedly upon me he should have made appear that he treated not on the Truth declared of in Scripture scripturally which is as much the contrary as any thing can be For his Catechism contains nothing else neither is it managed any other way Secondly If he can produce one Book endeavouring to defend or prove our Principle to be true without such Quotation for to such Books the Passage by him cited relates I will confess his Ranting Abuse to be a Just Rebuke But I make this Challenge to him To give me one Book out of a Scripture Stile that is not controversal or any Controversal Book without express Scripture cited if he cannot his vain Insults fall thick upon his own Head But let us see if the Design of W. Smith's Catechism be to deny and throw Dirt upon the Scriptures In the thirteenth page of William Smith's Catechism printed 67. we have this Question and Answer concerning the Scriptures Q. Of what Service are the Scriptures as they are given forth and recorded without A. MVCH EVERY WAY unto those that have received the same Spirit from which they were given forth for unto such they are Profitable and make Wise unto Salvation and are unto them of Service for Instruction Edification and Comfort The same Spirit in them receiving the Testimony of the Spirit as it is declared in the Scripture And there is an Agreement and Vnion in the Spirit within AND ALSO IN THE WORDS without And so there is Instruction Edification and Comfort by the Scriptures unto all that are in the same Spirit that gave them forth Now in my Adversary's words I leave it to my Reader to give a Name to his Passage both against me our Books and particularly William Smith The like to which for a daring Vntruth is not commonly told For if to confess to the Scriptures to believe to read and to fulfil them as what by the right Spirit makes Wise through Faith to Salvation being full of Instruction Edification and Comfort If this I say he to deny and throw Dirt upon them William Smith is deeply guilty but I leave it with God and my Reader 's Conscience whether J. Faldo hath not denyed all Honesty in throwing so much Dirt undeservedly upon W. Smith But let us see what Reply he makes to my Answer in his Inferences and indeed there is need of Patience in having to do with so much unworthy Shifting and ill Language His first Inference was this If the Light within was alwayes sufficient the Scriptures and other Means were ever superfluous His second By the same Ground the Writings of the Gentiles yea the bitter Scoffs of Lucian and Julian the Apostate are of equal Authority with the Scriptures for they resulted from their Light within To all which as my full Answer only thus much I will say That though all Ability was and is in him the Light whom we declare to be the Light of all Mankind to reveal the whole Mind of God Here he leaves off and takes the rest from the beginning of another Paragraph about a page off to clap to it Yet that he so 〈◊〉 mistakes Reason and abuses his Reader as to infer from the ability of the Light whether obeyed or disobeyed the Uselesness of the Scripture Now hear his Reply Rep. Obeyed or Disobeyed were no Words of mine But how can we know any thing the better for VV. P's hard Names he puts upon it seeing there is nothing that pinches him but he hath presently 〈◊〉 hard Name for it And so impertinently and slovenly imposed that a man might learn far more gentile Railing under a Hedge As base Comparison p. 43. Black as Hell in Malice p. 46. The Impudence of his Wickedness p. 49. Rejoyn VVhatever pincht me before I hope the Reader will bear witness for him he has been more merciful in this Reply He first brings little or nothing out of my Answer and sayes just nothing to what he brought He did not say obeyed or disobeyed The more the Shame As my Answer to the Inference will sufficiently manifest the substance of which was this That if the Light had been obeyed and God's Spirit not rebelled against there had not been so much need of Line upon Line and Precept upon Precept Therefore was the Light or Spirit in it self insufficient or Line upon Line superfluous Is the Ability of a Master questioned by the Use of Books or the Use of Books superfluous because of his Ability Insufficiency belongs not to the Light but to the Creature that cannot receive it as it is in it self A Condiscension to such VVayes and Means as suits the great VVeakness and Distance of degenerated Man from God can no more conclude the Light insufficient then God Christ and the holy Spirit To which let me add that as the Law so very much of Scripture was added because of Transgression that makes it not superfluous no more then the succesless Strivings of the Spirit to bring out of Transgression because of Man's obstinate Rebellion renders the Spirit not sufficient To the second Inference he drew I gave a large Answer which I shall contract That the Light of the Jews and Gentiles was one in it self That as either writ by that Degree of Light they had they might both be said to write by the same Light and yet the VVritings be no more equal then the Degrees of manifestation That the VVritings of the Jews greatly transcended those of the Gentiles from that greater Discovery God vouchsafed to them That his bringing Lucian and the best Gentiles upon an Equallity was wicked That nothing lies heavier against the Light
within in that Blasphemous Saying then against the Spirit in the Prophets Apostles and every good Christian who by his infatuated way of Arguing would make us believe that Lucian and Julian acted from the Light within because they acted from something within and that there is no Distinction to be made between their Writings and the Scriptures themselves upon our Principle because they writ according to the Light that was in them as he sayes VVhat is this but to deny all Testimony within or at least allows but of such a one as gives equal Evidence to Apostates and Christians Men acted by the Power of Darkness and the Principle of Light It shall now rest with my Reader to point where the Pinch was For the Ill Language he sayes I gave him to wit a Line and a half made up out of six pages given on distinct Provocations Let us examine Base Comparison pag. 43. This fell out upon his comparing us with the Papists which we shall anon consider How slovenly I was in doing so I will not be mine own Judge Black as Hell it self in Malice page 46. fell from me on this Occasion sayes J. Faldo I know not hardly any worse Lucian and Julian said of Jesus of Nazareth the Scripture and Christianity THEN THE QUAKERS HAVE DONE VNDER OTHER NAMES Now Reader if thus to Unchristian Unscripture in fine Unreligion Prophane yea Atheize a whole Body of People bringing them into parallel with loose and heathenish Scoffers and Persecuters of the Christian Religion who all this while reverently believe in Christ Jesus the Saviour of the VVorld in his Life Death Resurrection Ascension Doctrine and Miracles I say If thus to use us is not as black as Hâ—ll in Malice against us there can be nothing Black Hellish or Malicious For the last piece of Raiâ—ing as he calls it The Impudence of his Wâ—ckedness p. 4 9. VVhat could it be else to charge the Impiety of Julian and Lucian upon the Light within and telling the VVorld That upon the Quakers Principle they may conclude their Writings as Canonical as the Scriptures of Truth But this man studied Personal Reflection more then the Cause or he would not have given but five Lines of nine Pages of my Answer and never have considered that as he ought I could be glad to read one page of his Vindication without unnecessary Reflection who for a Line and a half of pertinent Rebuke by him out of six Pages of my Answer hardly pickt and by me fully defended cryes out of my impertinent slovenly hard Names and that gentiler Railing may be learned under a Hedge where I leave him to be better taught But he is very angry I contract his Comparison of us with the Papists in the Matter of Infallibility and Inspiration thus He tells the VVorld the Papists own Revelation and the Quakers hold Revelation also therefore the Quakers are Papists or very near them Hear his Reply Rep. How can I guide W. P's Pen to write Truth in Matter of Fact If he find such an Argument in my Book I will be content to be his Bond-slave Can you believe that a man can be blest with Apostolical immediate Revelations for every thing in Religion that is not so honest as to use the very Eyes in his Head Rejoyn By this we may perceive it is high Tide with J. Faldo First Reader I deliver not the words in a different Character from my own because I did not pretend to quote him But that it was the drift of the Comparison and so no wrong to his Intention the thing it self abundantly proves The Papists hold Revelation and the Quakers own Revelation what 's the meaning of these two Propositions unless it be the Conclusion I drew But lest the Man should be believed hear what he sayes himself in his first Book It is no little Absurdity in the Quakers to make Out-cry against Popery while they plant and hug the Root in their own Bosoms Again in the same page It were no hard matter to prove an Agreement in a multitude of Particulars between the Papists and Quakers Besides all this he brings in a Story pag. 55. of a certain Romanist who coming into England and being asked which of the multitude of Sects came nearest unto the Roman Church replyed The Quakers And this J. Faldo sayes he remembers How then he should forget to that degree of Abuse that there is any Argument in his Book to prove the Quakers very near to the Papists who in his Story uses that very Word to make People believe it I cannot tell unless his great Desire to bedirt William Penn transported him beyond all remembrance of what he had writ I might now demand his Promise of being my Bond-Slave But alas Proud Man and Insolent he is too high for that Office if such I could accept of Though I know not how he can come off unless with this Passage p. 57. The Quakers out-go the Papists FAR therefore the Quakers are not Papists nor NEAR them He thought I made him abuse us beyond his Intention and he both intended and abused us beyond what I represented If in that I wronged him he has more Reason to Forgive then Revile me But how comes it to pass that he sayes nothing of my argumentum ad hominem The Papists own a God a Trinity of Persons c. And J. Faldo owns a God and a Trinity of Person therefore J. Faldo is a Papist or near a kin to one VVould this be just If not neither is his Conclusion of force against us J. Faldo holds something in common with Jews Turks Heathens and Papists he would not take it kindly if we should therefore conclude him to be all or any of them But he gave this the go-by which shews he seeks not the Promotion of Truth but Disgrace of his Adversary indeed his very good Friend though his own Indeserts will not let him believe it CHAP. V. Of the Scriptures being the Rule of Faith and Life and Judge of Controversie THe first thing in this Chapter he chargeth me with is Forgery Let us see how he proves it Rep. The Charge in my fifth Chapter is That the Quakers deny the Scriptures to be a Rule of Faith and Life or a Judge and Determiner of Religious Controversies but P. as if he had sworn not to repeat my words faithfully trans-scribes them That we deny the Scriptures to be a Rule of Faith and Judge of Controversies Rejoyn Reader observe the Forgery lies here that I left out Life after Faith and Determiner after Judge and Religious before Controversies But because that which is the Rule of Faith is the Rule of Life and that Judge and Determiner are all one and that the Controversies intended were not about Questions in Mathematicks Philosophy Trade or Law common or civil but purely about Religion I thought it no Forgery to leave out words not necessary or what from the Nature of the
God is at Liberty to speak to his People by the Scriptures if he please and so he is at Liberty to speak by another created thing as to Balaam by his Ass and because I returned in Answer To all which said I he sayes just nothing he replies As if sayes he I were to answer the Proofs of my own Affirmation But that was not all for beside that it was no Proof He should have proved it Erroneous or Contemptible as he stiles it or else he doth nothing To cite and not prove the Citation apt to the End for which it was cited that is the Doctrine it contained or abetted to be Erroneous is impertinent What Is it false Doctrine to assert That God is at Liberty to speak by the Scriptures or without them Or is it to contemn the Scriptures to say as John Faldo cites J. N. that God doth speak to People by those Scriptures that were given forth by Inspiration Or is it no Proof that God is at Liberty to speak by any other created thing to instance the Case of Balaam's Ass But he will by all means have it that according to J. N. to take an Ass or Bible to be our Instructer is of equal Prudence adding These Notions sayes he being by the Quakers sucked in I wonder not that they leave the Teachings of God by the Scriptures to attend on the Ministry of Asses But this indirect Reflection and unsavory Abuse both shews the Vanity and Envy of the Man and must needs beget an Abhorrence of his Proceedings against us in the Heart of every solid Reader It had much better become the Author of Poor Robin's Almanack or the Cobler of Glocester then a Turn'd-out Non-conforming Minister J. N's words I fully vindicated in my Answer his Drift was to drive off People from this pernicious Apprehension that God's Voice was only to be heard from the Scripture thereby justling the Spirit out of Doors and confining the Almighty to a certain Instrument and not that he intended to repute every Ass of equal value with the Scriptures though I do not doubt but the Voice of Balaam's Ass was a more immediate and forcible Rebuke with him then any Scripture then written But let this character our Adversary with every Just knowing Reader that he brings J. N's words that allow such Scripture as God shall please to speak to any by to be so far a Rule to those to whom it s directed in order to prove that the Quakers deny the Scripture to be in any case any Rule at all But we must not expect better Usage from a Man who is more perplext at our proving of our selves consistent with Truth because it contradicts his Apprehensions and Charges exhibited against us in Print then that we should be in the Wrong though for that Cause he pretends to write against us Strange that he should rather desire we might be mistaken then himself be thought to have mistaken us But he thinks I have greatly wrong'd St. Paul and I know not why unless it were in showing him to have been guilty of that Fault for to prove the Scriptures to be the Rule he brought this Saying of his And herein that is saith our Adversary all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets do I exercise my self to have a Conscience void of Offence towards God and towards Men. My Answer then was that he left out that which was more applicable to the words as the place it self evidently proves But this I confess to thee that is Faelix that after the way which they call Heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers believing all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets and have Hope towards God which they themselves also allow that there shall be a Resurrection of the Dead both of the Just and the Vnjust and herein saith the Apostle do I exercise my self c. Where its evident that believing all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets was not that wherein he said so properly that he exercised himself as in worshipping the God of his Fathers not after their way and having Hope towards God of the Resurrection c. there lay the Stress as is evident from their calling that Worship Heresie and afflicting him for that Hope which they otherwise allowed of Nay that very Passage he makes the whole place to bear upon comes in rather in the Nature of a Parenthesis then a Principal Matter His thus dealing with us and the Scripture I call'd a Perversion at which he very vainly taunts as if it could not be a Perversion because I confess that it somewhat relates to the Verses cited crying out This is his Mouse his Mountain travelled to bring forth But if to clip a Text be not a Perversion or to stretch it to what it can never reach nor ever intended be not to pervert and abuse Scripture certainly there is no such thing That he clipped it is proved that he misapplyed it is not less evident For to believe a thing is not necessarily to make it a Rule besides if the Law and the Prophets were a Rule because he was exercised in them then must his Worship and Hope also be a Rule because he was exercised in them but that were improper and untrue He is angry I said the Apostle had out-stript the Law and the Prophets therefore they could not be his Rule replying If St. Paul had undertaken a Reply to this Gentleman he would have undoubtedly lasht him severely for this Wrong done to him and the Truth But I am not of that Mind for if he did not out-strip the Dispensation of the Law and Prophets how could he arrive at that State which witnessed the Fulfilling of the Law and the Prophets To deny this is to deny the further Illumination and Enjoyment of that Day and according to J. Faldo's own unhappy way of Reasoning the Apostle must not be a Christian for in denying the Prophets to be Christians because they were before Christ's visible Appearance and preferring Christianity so much above other fore-going Dispensations as he doth in not allowing the Apostle to have out-stript them he makes the Apostle to be no Christian For which I will not say he would have Lasht but Reproved this ignorant Priest as one that knows not whereof he affirms But hear him yet further Rep. I said the holy Scriptures determine according to their kind as much as a Writing can do From whence W. P. infers that it is not so determinative of all Cases as something else may be which is a more living immediate and infallible Judge then a Writing is or can be an inference worthy of a poor Schollar and a conceited Pedant Is he gone beyond Belshazer who trembled at such a rate at the Writing on the Wall Did ever any Man in his Wits affirm the Scriptures to supply the room of Eyes Skill to read Vnderstanding Conscience
and the Assistance of the Spirit of God are not these in my Book all made necessary to render the Scriptures such a Rule and Determiner Rejoyn But why such a trivial Rant for a Reply and why such hard words from a Man of his Circumstances one on many Accounts so near what he represents me to be Is it not true that if something be more firm then Writing that which is more firm and not the Writing is the Judge and Determiner Suppose a Scripture for every Case that ever did or may happen which we know there is not and therefore not THE RULE yet if such Scripture need an Exposition who is most truly the Judge and Determiner the obscure Text or the clear Expositor Certainly where the Stress lies the Power of Determination must be and there the Judgeship rests but that is alwayes in the Interpretation since the Difficulty is not about believing the Text but the Exposition given of it therefore the Expositor is both Judge and Rule and not the Text exposited And since J. Faldo has granted to us the Assistance of the Spirit for knowing the Scriptures the Spirit then which gives us how to understand and believe and enables us to fulfil them must needs be the Rule and Judge and no Writing whatever I shall conclude this Point with my Rejoynder to this following Passage in his Reply Rep. But W. P. hath not done triffling yet neither is the Law the Judge but there is a Judgâ— who interprets and speaks from the fresh Discoveries of his own Reason the Meaning and â—â—â—tendment of those written Laws But Mr. Penâ— The Judge is the Mouth of the Law and subject to thâ— Law and prescribed in his Judgment to that sense 〈◊〉 the Law which is expressed by the Letter of it If soâ—â— of the Judges had the handling of you for imposing yoâ— canting fresh Discoveries of his Reason upon them thâ— would tell you they give Judgment from a Deep Stuâ— and Weighty Consideration of the Letter of the Lâ—â— and moreover give you some hard Names or worse for youâ— canting Law added to your canting Gospel and yet the LIGHT IN THEIR CONSCIENCES NOT GIVE THEM THE LEAST REBUKE FOR SO DOING Rejoyn I perceive he measures the Judges Displeasure by his own Indeed they would be very Vnfit Persons to sit for our Judges that should be like him Men that would call hard Names and do worse to any Man for allowing them to be guided by a Living Reason would greatly evidence they had little or none and therein indeed that we mischaractered them But who most dishonours them I that suppose them to judge and explain Written Reason by the Living Principle of Reason in themselves or he that renders them so many Posts or Pillars that are to be moved by incens't Letters without relation to any Reason inherent to themselves and not otherwise But hear my forme Answer before I further rejoyn His Instance about the Law is same For the good Laws of any Land are but Reason written or rather declar'd by Writing which is oblieging against the Corruption of a Judge but not the Reason of the Judge neither is the Law the Judge but there is a Judge who interprets and speaks from the fresh Discoveries of his own Reason the Meaning Intendment of those written Laws If the Laws be sufficient without a Judge why is there a Judge If then they are Dark Obscure and Doubtful in many Cases so as to need a Judge and Interpreter which I call living and immediate Reason since the Scriptures are Writings in which are many things difficult to be understood it follows that there must be an Immediate Living Judge which must be therefore the Spirit of Truth that gave them forth because none knows the things of God save the Spirit of God And that those who are the Makers of Laws are the only Persons who are fit to judge and determine in Case of Difficulty by a Declaration of their Mind and Intenâ—ion in any such obscure Passage In short Either the Scriptures are not obscure a thing we daily see or if so yet sufficient which is impossible or they must have a Judge which is most true and necessary and what Judge but the Spirit of Truth which leads into all Truth p. 61 62. Now one would have thought that an Answer so sober and reasonable might have deserved a Reply more civil and pertinent then my Adversary gave me But I do the less wonder at it since he makes it his Practice to give hard Words instead of solid Answers But to his Reply as it is Rejoyn He tells me the Judge is the Mouth of the Law and Subject to the Law But I would have him consider two things First that the Scriptures of Truth were never given forth after that formal regular course that the Laws of England were but to particular Persons or Churches on particular Cases though together with hearty respect I acknowledge and enjoy the Benefit of them Secondly The Question is not about things obvious but obscure and herein the Judge is not only the Mouth but Interpreter of the hidden Meaning of the Law This our Adversary's own words import For if the Law were so plain as only to need a Mouth what need would there be of deep Study and Weighty Consideration which he makes necessary to a Judge the bare reading of the Law would be sufficient to determine all Cases Nay it would end all going to Law But inasmuch as the Laws are both numerous and intricate as the Vexatious Cases and Disputes of our Times fully prove 't is manifest that some other Judge and Determiner must be found out one that understands compares and rightly applies Law whose Judgment must decide and determine the Controversie Now though every such Judge may be said to determine according to the Mind of the Law yet his Interpretation and not the bare Letter is recorded for the Determination of the Case depending from whence come our Book-Cases Nor indeed is this only referrable to any certain Person explaining the obscure Passages of Law but the Application of the Law to the Fact in which not only the whole living Reason of the Judge is deeply and circumspectly exercised but the Understanding and Conscience of the Jury respecting the Nature of the Law the Evidence of the Witness the Heinousness of the Fact and Variety of Circumstances wherein the obnoxiousness to Error lies according to the Greâ—k Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Error is about the Circumstances all in order to a definitive Sentence or Determination about the Point handled Now for any Man to call the written Law the Judge and not Synteresis or living sound Reason and Conscience in the Judge and Jury to me seems very absurd Besides Let it be considered First that the Law is added because of Transgression and such as live to that noble Principle from whence all good Laws come have
for Instruction and Comfort Penn objects against my first Proof as not bet having any such Consequence pag. 63. And this is the meaning of our Doctrine to bring People to the Everlasting Word of God in themselves Smith Cat. pag. 95. bestowing on me within Eight Lines Deeply-â—gnorant Malitious Vngodly Possessed by an Evil Spirit Wretched Impious Grosly-blind Malignity Frothiness Envy Impious Injustice Rejoyn If ever Man had to do with an Vnjust Adversary it is my Lot And let this very Passage be the Measure First What are those Words cited out of William Smith that prove we take Men off from Reading the Scriptures What Reason has he urg'd or Argument attempted that were by me employed in Defence of the Passage and Illustration of our Innocency Shall this pass for my Confutation Must my Book be no better answer'd and yet led captive by J. Faldo's meer Pretences to wit Reason Religion and Learning It s a Shame to Professors of Religion to Countenance his Attempts that maintains his Controversie with so much Weakness and silly Evasion He tells you of my Rebukes but is as true in that as just in the rest For neither has he given all those â—ords which abate that Harshness they seem now to carry with them nor do they lie within the compass of Eight Lines as he would have you believe But be they as they are what Man not possessed with a Malitious Spirit would charge Untruths upon a Body of People and then lay sound Expressions upon the Rack if possible to extort a Confession of them Who but one deeply ignorant would repute it an Vndervalue of Scripture to bring People to the Everlasting Word of God that gave them forth that only gives to understand rightly and esteem them And can he be less then Impious and Frothy that sports himself with our serious Belief as well as very Vnjust that draws Conclusions our Premises will not bear and then call them Charges proved out of the Quakers own Writings To give the greater Authority to what I said I urged the Testimonies of Calvin Erasmus and Beza concerning which hear him Rep. But pag. 64. he fathers his Error on Calvin Eras Beza He directs precisely only to Erasmus and Beza in Nov. Test 2 Pet. 1. 19. Beza ' s words on the place which I have examined are these So it may be taken for the Doctrine of the Prophets which was to those to whom Peter wrote more without Exception to whom he may be said to have a respect in this Passage Thus this Man can abuse Scripture Reason Reformers all at once Rejoyn If it be an Error Calvin Beza and Erasmus held it as I will breifly prove But why must Beza's words be cited and Calvin not deny'd so to have writ neither Erasmus by him consider'd who of the rest I most precisely cited But it made not for his turn He seems to adventure at my Dishonesty provided it may bring Disgrace or Weakness to the Quakers Cause But to make good my Quotations J. Calvin expresly tells us Idem spriritus qui per os Prophetarum loquntus est in corda nostra penetret necesse est ut persuadeat fideliter protulisse quod divinitus erat mandatum Calv. Institut lib. 1. cap. 8. That is 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 What sayes J. Faldo to this Now let 's to Beza Our Adversary seems resolv'd to mistake me that he may render me mistaken I cited him to one part of the Chapter and Verse and he to another For my Purpose was to prove that Beza held it to be the Right Way of understanding the Scriptures to have recourse to the Everlasting Word and he takes a piece of the Nineteenth Verse which related to the Comparison 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or more sure Word of Prophesie which is sufficiently cleared in my Answer to his first Book But to pass by this part of his Dis-ingenuity I will set down Beza's words on the 19th Verse it self thus Imó quid si 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocavit solem ipsum i. christum ipsum exhibitum qui simul et ipsa lux est et veram lucem mundo intulit That is Yea What if he called the Day-Star the Sun himself that is Christ himself exhibited which both is the Light it self and brought the True Light into the World Then He was to arise in the Heart if He was the Day-Star in the Heart And on the 20th verse of the same Chapter thus Vt prophetiarum intelligendarum et ad verum scopum referendarum rationem sciant ab ipso spiritu petendam qui prophetis ipsis illas dictavit That is It was required that they might know the Way of understanding Prophesies and referring them to the right Scope must be SOUGHT or FETCHT FROM the SAME SPIRIT which dictated them to the Prophets themselves and more to that purpose Now let us come to Erasmus by him willingly passed over who on that place sayes thus in his Paraphrase The Thing that is set forth by Man's Device may be perceived by Man's Wit but the Thing that is set forth by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost requireth an Interpreter inspired with the like Spirit Further rendring the Scripture so mystical and allegorical as not to be understood without it Nor shall this serve me I will yet add Two or Three Testimonies more and begin with Luther Scriptura non nisi eo spiritu intelligendae sunt quo scriptae sunt i. The Scriptures are not to be understood but by that Spirit by which they were written Peter Martyr that famous Italian Protestant teacheth thus The Spirit is the Arbiter by whom we must assure our selves for understanding of the Scriptures that thereby we must discern between Christ's Word and a Stranger 's quoting Christ's Words My Sheep know my Voice and follow not a Stranger 's and among many other Scriptures he cites these The Spirit searcheth out the deep things of God The Comforter shall declare all things that I have said unto you The Spiritual Vnction shall shew you all things Again The Spirit of God reveals the Truth in the Holy Scriptures Lastly I find him expressing himself in his Oration to the Vniversity of Strasborough thus concerning the Scriptures The School of this Philosophy is Heaven Moreover saith he We must remember that the Teacher hereof is the Holy Ghost And Doctâ—r Ames a great Father of the Independents and both a Learned and Good Man his Day considered in his Disputations against Bellarmine takes this Advantage upon Bellarmine's Acknowledgment that the Unction 1 Joh. 2 taught though not all things yet all those Doctrines which they had already received of the Apostles We require no more sayes Dr. Ames the Anointing of the Holy Spirit doth teach the Faithful to understand those
Rejoyn What can there be more conceited then this He must live very lonely and far from Neighbours that proclaims so much Praise to himself and have wonderful Confidence to bid Defiance so vainly to others Reader I beseech thee for the Truth 's sake on whose side soever thou shalt find it to be to examine with all impartiallity his Charge our Answer his Reply and our Rejoynder If his Honesty Reason and Justice hold any proportion to his great Confidence we yield But if upon an impartial Consideration he shall be found to clip and pervert our Matter and to shuffle with us in his own once do a poor People Right in giving Judgment against his horrible injustice The Charge thou hast heard the Proof was this That is no Command of God to me what he Commanded to another Did any of the Saints which we read of act by that Command which was to another not having the Command to themselves c Now before I give my Answer as it was set down in my Book I shall insert his Quotation of my Answer Rep. To this saith P. I answer briefly and plainly and he is as good as his word No Commands saith he in the Scripture are any further oblieging upon any Man then as he finds a Conviction upon his Conscience otherwise Men should be eâ—gaged without if not against Conviction a thing Vnreasonable in a Man Rejoyn He has a notable Way of Contracting his Adversary's Answers I will set down what I writ faithfully plainly and briefly Edward Burroughs's Expression may be taken two ways both safe enough to the Honour and Credit of the Scripture though not to the Charity or Honesty of J. Faldo Now follows that part he cited No Command in the Scripture is any further oblieging upon any Man then as he finds a Conviction upon his Conscience otherwise men should be engag'd without if not against Conviction a thing Unreasonable in a Man Therefore the Apostle when he wrote to the Churches exhorted them not to do those things whereof they were ashamed to shun what was manifested to be Evil and affirms that whatever might be known of God was manifested within for God had shown it unto them So that Conviction can only obliege to Obedience and since what works that Conviction is the manifesting Light universal Grace or quickening Spirit in the Heart of Mankind it follows that the principal Ground for our Faith in the Scriptures and Reason of our Obedience to the Holy Precepts therein contained is the Manifestation Conviction and secret Drawings of the Light or Spirit of God in the Conscience And thus E. B's words are sound and scriptural Again Such Commands either relate to Ordinary or Extraordinary Cases By Ordinary Cases I mean such as chiefly concern Faith and holy Life which are general permanent and indispensible and then I deny his Consequence By Extraordinary Cases I understand Moses's going to Pharoah the Prophets several manners of Appearance to the Kings Priests and People of Israel with other Temporary Commands relating to outward Services c. And so we say that what is commanded One Man is not binding as such upon another But when the Lord shall say If thou sinnest thou shalt dye If thou keepest my Commands thou shalt live Be ye holy for I the Lord your God am holy For your selves KNOW YE NOT how ye ought to follow us c. I say these Precepts and Examples are oblieging upon all why because they more or less meet with a Conviction in the Consciences of all For I am perswaded none that has a reasonable Soul who has not out-liv'd his Day but would readily say These are true and weighty Sayings For Faith in God and a holy self-denying Life are necessary both to Temporal and Eternal Happiness It was Reader to this sober Answer he flung out his fore-going Rant and makes this following Comment and Reply Viz. sayes J. Faldo Rep. They are no Commands unless we think so 'T is no Sin to break all the Commands in the Bible if our Consciences can be so blind dead or hardened as not to tell us 't is a Sin They who thought they did God good Service in killing his Servants did not sin in the least because they were not convinced of a Command to the contrary To vindicate my whole Chapter concerning the Scriptures 'T is a Principle that hath all Iniquity in the Womb of it Who can find Names for such Impious Principles Penn hath opposed scorned the Truth vilified its Teachers and Defenders so as scarce never Man did vented the most pernicious Errors told abundance of those things that are known to himself to be false Rejoyn Reader This is all the Justice and Reason I can have from this pretended meek and suffering Non-conforming Parson What would such Men do had they as much Power as Anger But I shall leave him with his Pride and Passion Is there any thing more clear then that he extends the words of E. Burroughs to Ordinary Cases which were wholely writ about Extraordinary and that he takes no more notice of my Distinction then if there had been none made As if it had been formerly an equal Sin for any not to be Circumcised and to Murder his Father or Prince or that there was the same Conviction universally upon the Consciences of all Men not to wear Linsey-Wolsey as to do by others as they would have others do to them That what we say was E. Burroughs's Meaning his own words undeniably prove One sayes he was sent to baptize and another to preach the Gospel which were particular and extraordinary Commands He clearly shuffles evades the dint of my Answer would run us within the Borders of Rantism The Question is not Are God's Commands no Commands unless we think so and therefore no Sin to break all the Commands in the Bible which is the Comment he bestows upon us but whether this or that especial Injunction to any Particular Person or Persons to this or that parculiar End be warrantably imitable without sufficient Conviction and Commission Must J. F. Baptize because John Baptized or turn Preacher because Peter was one E. B. only denyed Imitation of Ancient Times in Temporary and Shadowy Services and all those Preachings Prayers Ordinances and Churches that have not as Peter Martyr well expresses it the holy Spirit for their Root So that instead of his holding a Principle that hath all Iniquity in the Womb of it John Faldo first perverts his words and then to confute them both implies a Denyal of the holy Spirit to be the only right Leader to the Performance of Gospel-Prayer Preaching and Ordinances and of gathering of Evangelical Churches and does as good as tell us that God's Commandments are such to him not because of any Conviction in himself of the Justness of them but from the Testimony of the Scriptures which for all his high Boasts of Christianity is a State
far beneath those noble Gentiles who not having an outward Law were a Law unto themselves having the Effect of it written in their Hearts their Conscience bearing witness c. And this we may boldly say That such as ever acted from that inward Sense never thought they did God Good Service in Killing his Servants whilst great Admirers of the Letter of the Scriptures and who as concerning this Commandment Thou shalt not Murder thought themselves most unblamable believed They did God Good Service in killing his Servants Nor can I think it so great a Disgrace to our Cause that we ingenuously profess the Reason why we desire to fear God and keep his Commandments doing unto others as we would have them do unto us not so much to be from the Letter of the Scripture as the Convictions of the Eternal Light and Spirit of God in our Consciences As it ought to be unto John Faldo and his Adherents who ground their Obedience upon the Letter of the Scripture and not upon such internal Convictions What is it but to say They could Lye Swear Steal Kill c. without any Remorse did they not find such Injunctions and Prohibitions upon record A Consequence so detestable yet so natural to their Principles that if this render them not able Guides to the very Confines of Rantism and Atheism I shall gladly ask an Excuse for my Ignorance But that I may leave nothing undone that may compleat the Satisfaction of every moderate Inquirer I shall further weigh and rejoyn to these words of his They who thought they did God good Service in Killing his Servants did not sin in the least because they were not convinced of a Command to the contrary nor the Idolaters in the Case of Baal because they thought Baal to be a God indeed Now Reader observe the Evasion This Passage relates not to Men's practising what God Commands or our Tenderness in imitating other Saints without Commission for fear we should offer strange Fire which is our Question but their doing that which God never commanded yea which Mankind in all Ages hath adjudged impious and which to be sure his Holy Spirit that E. B. said All Men should wait to be convinced assisted and led by in fulfilling God's Commandments never moved any to He unworthily draws a general Conclusion against us from meer particular Premises It seems Men are to act without if not against Conviction upon his Principle and that it is the same thing with him to commit moral Enormities from an Hardned Heart and to be tender of taking up any external Practice or performing some Religious Duty without the Convictions and Leadings of the Holy Spirit The Apostle said to such as had not as yet so full clearness as others That if any were otherwise-minded God would reveal it He did not injoyn them during that Scruple to believe or practice the thing doubted but therefore did Persecutors act inexcusably in their fiery Zeal because their blind Consciences checkt them not Again If Blindness came from Education it is though Blindness still and therefore it was basely done of J. Faldo to say in our Name that it is not Sin in the least c. more excusable for in the dayes of such Ignorance God winks But if it be a Blindness proceeding from long Disobedience and Rebellion against the Convictions and Strivings of the Good Spirit of God as his Word Hardned implies then I say it is not only very hainous in God's Sight but those Persons can never be excused neither from great Guilt nor the Sense of it in themselves let them or J. F. talk never so much of Conscience Besides the most Essential and Universally Necessary Commands of God were through all Ages confest to both before there was any of those Writings we rightly call the Scriptures of Truth from the Law of Nature as many stile it or rather the Law God placed in Man's Nature and since where they have never been Therefore whatever particular hardned and seared Consciences may say we have the Consent of Mankind and their own Rebellion and Lewdness against them But the Words of J. Faldo in plain terms import as if 1 st Men were not generally convinced of the Righteousness of the Moral Commands of God but that Men keep them because they are in the Bible only which runs against the Testimony of Scripture the Consent of Ages and the Writings and Judgment of the most Honest and Learn'd Protestants 2ly As if it were a like Evil Conscientiously to forbear Running Willing and Striving in Matters of Worship without the Spirit 's Conduct and searedly to plead for the Commission of Murder and Idolatry because Men of such Consciences bogle not at it though that is more then J. F. can prove I mean that they have no Stroak or Remorse 3 ly As if we could worship preach gather Churches and administer Gospel-Ordinances aright without the Spirit 4 ly That he is not convinced by any other Testimony then the Scripture without of any Transgression against God's Law 5 ly It supposes that if Men stay'd till the Spirit mov'd they should stay long enough who vainly prate of Praying by the Spirit notwithstanding never considering that the Spirit standeth ready to Reveal it self to their Assistance and Assurance who wait for it and that all the Children of God are led by the Spirit of God which being our Position had it but been weighed by this Adversary he could not methinks be so Unjust in his Aggravations 'T is true should we believe as he doth the Spirit is not to be waited for now adayes to lead us or that it is not ready to our Information when we wait for its Discoveries and Leadings our Assertion would look very absurd and loose for it were to let fall all Worship but not upon our own Principle as I said before for first all Worship to God ought to be performed by the Assistance of his holy Spirit for of our selves we can do nothing that is Good And secondly God's Spirit is ready to assist instruct and comfort those that wait diligently and patiently for it yea God has given it to the Rebellious that it may judge them if it don't lead them It is such Protestant Doctrine that I wonder Men should not know their Admired Ancestors Faith when they met it Oh great Degeneration into Hardness and Ignorance Lastly There is the same to be said against him that pretends to ground all upon the Scripture that he objects against us who plead for the Conviction of Conscience which the Instance of the Jews Murder of our Lord Jesus Christ unanswerably proves There was a Law that Blasphemers should be put to Death By this Law they apprehended Jesus adjudged and got him to be executed These Men above any Age exalted the Scriptures as the Only Rule Where lies the Mistake Not in the Scripture but in their blind and envious Application of it Now I ask if the only Way
in his 4 Decad. and 8th Sermon dedicated to King Edward the Sixth accord with me in the Matter The former thus Without the Spiriâ— it is impossible to understand them Then say I They are not a Mean to know God savingly without the Spirit The other sayes plainly Men fetch the understanding of Heavenly Things and Knowledge of the Holy Ghost FROM NO WHERE ELSE THEN FROM THE SAME SPIRIT This hits the Mark But to proceed Of all this and two whole pages more he cites but two Lines and an half included in what I re-cited on which he bestows this notable Reply Rep. This might look like an Argument for his Meaning if it concerned almost any but the Quakers who assert nothing almost but with a Contradiction I should think it as hard a Task to reconcile the Quakers to themselves as to make the Poles to meet or to dig through the Earth with a Spade to the Antipodes Rejoyn Yes J. Faldo it concerns W. Tindal and H. Bullenger thou seeâ—t as well as the Quakers But did ever any Man not miserably baffled put off such serious Matter with such vain Reflections and Pedantick Similes Will nothing serve the Man's Fancy besides Poles and Antipodes Must the Quakers needs contradict to save him from the Discredit of fouly belying them They are there it seems to oppose one another where they will not harmonize to his End Certainly this Reflection can never be consistent with J. Faldo's own Practice who in a Book of nigh Thirty Sheets writ wholely against the Quakers pretends to confirm his many infamous Charges by scores of Testimonies cold out of many of their own Books which must be unanimous or they prove not his Charges as he calls it nay he has again and again brag'd of their Harmony to his Purpose Thus are we in highest Concord when he thinks it makes for his Designs and when against them as opposite as the Poles But blessed be the Lord We have receiv'd that One Eternal Spirit by which we have been Baptiz'd into One Living Body and are of One Heart One Mind and One Sense concerning the Mysteries of God's Everlasting Kingdom But as our Adversary has said nothing sober or rational to what I answer'd in Defence of W. Smith's words so would he make the World believe I dared not to encounter with one of his Testimonies Hear him Rep. I produced many Testimonies to prove my Charge which Penn dares not deal with nor bring to Light take two of them Matthew Mark Lukeand John are not the Gospel but the Letter The next Hebrew Greek and Latine is nothing worth as pertaining to the Knowledge of God J. Hig. VVarning pag. 7. Rejoyn That he so suggests as I said his own Words prove yet that I did examine some of his Testimonies is undeniable and to let him see I dare handle these without fearing they should bite me I say and that not without very good Seconds They are not the Gospel I mean Matthew Mark Luke and John or their Histories for the Gospel of Christ is the Power of God to Salvation so are not the Scriptures The Gospel is Everlasting so are not the Scriptures John saw the Angel flying in the midst of Heaven having the Everlasting Gospel to preach which could not be the Scriptures The Gospel was preached before the Scriptures were written therefore the Scriptures cannot be the Gospel The Gospel is but One but after this Man 's Reckoning there should be Four therefore they cannot be the Gospel Which is further proved from the Signification of the Word Gospel to wâ—t Glad-Tidings which are to be understood of the Coming of him that was the Saviour of the World of whose Blessed Appearance and Wonderful Transactions these Scriptures are but the Narratives Besides one of their Authors Luke expresly calls them a Declaration consequently not the Gospel thereby declared of which Definition Peter Martyr that Superintendent Reformer in England chuseth of all other Part 1. Chap. 6. of his Common-Places Tertullian calls the Scriptures Instrumenta doctrinae i. e. Instruments of Doctrine And the New Testament Writings Evangelicum instrumentum i. e. An Evangelical Instrument And Matthew he calls A Faithful Commentator of the Gospel Chrysostom being requir'd to Swear upon the Gospel both denyed those Histories to be the Gospel and to Swear at all And D. Featly will not acknowledge the English Bible to be the Authentick Word of God because of Corruption consequently not Authentick Gospel therefore not the Gospel for that is Authentick I hope then I may without Offence in Defence of the Trâ—th and that Honest Man now at Peace yet so severely reflected upon conclude that Matthew Mark Luke and John are not the Gospel but the Letter or Declaration of the Gospel For his second Proof viz. That Hebrew Greek and Latine is nothing worth as pertaining to the Knowledge of God I see no Error nor Blasphemy in so Innocent an Assertion This is so like the catching at Twigs by drowned Men for Safety that no Man not as Destitute of Succour would boast of the Evidence of so Speechless a Witness There is not one Word it can speak on the behalf of his Charge He is fled from the Scriptures to meer Language and makes that a Letter indeed which one would think he took just now for all Spirit perhaps with this Distinction though that the Scriptures may be the Gospel in Hebrew Greek and Latin but by no means in the English What becomes of the Vulgar then But what can there be more Sottish then for a Protestant at this time of day to talk of knowing God by Hebrew Greek and Latine but above all 't is unpardonable in an Independent Priest to write at this rate whose Folk for these Threescore Years have totidem verbis in express terms deny'd the Knowledge of all or either of those Tongues to be necessary to the Knowledge of God Alas who once pretended more to the Spirit and was more derided for doing so then some of the Predecessors of these very Independents and Anabaptists now so hot against us What less were the Invectives cast abroad against Ancient Separatists as the Alchimist Assembly-Man Heudebrass with abundance of more serious Declamations against them under the Names of Tub-Preachers Gifted-Brethren c. But if Language learn Men to know God which Christ himself said was Life Eternal how comes it that Schollars are such Ill Christians and Jews the natural Hebrews were such Persecutors in Christ's time and that they remain Infidels to this very day Methinks at this rate the Greeks when God condescended to speak forth the Gospel in their Language should not have counted it Foolishness nor have mocked at his Embassadour when he came on no less Errand then that of Salvation and least of all since they believ'd should they have Degenerated into so much Superstition But why the Latin must be brought in I cannot conceive unless it be the better
to enable People to understand the Romish Translation for we never yet heard of so much as any part of the Scripture that was Originally writ in that Tongue 'T is strange to me he should so much despise the People whose Language he so much extols and count the one serviceable to the Knowledge of God whilst with more Reason he reputes the other such gross Idolaters Luther jerks the Papists for their laying that Stress J. F. doth upon Humane Learning W. Tindal rejects it W. Dâ—ll and T. Collier write expresly and unanswerably against the Necessity of it or that it can give Man the Knowledge of God In short Common Experience and the Christian-Spirit and Conversation of Thousands that understand nor one Sentence of Hebrew Greek or Latine make good the Assertion of our Honest Friend and is a sufficient Rebuke to this vapouring Adversary whose Defiance to me to encounter his Proofs return Weakness with Shame upon his Head For though he thought to fling me to the Dogs or give me a Prey to Fierce and Lyonly Seconds behold they are my Friends and unananimously turn with me against himself who had designed them upon such ill Service a Recompence may he ever find at what time he shall endeavour to abuse our Friends and pervert their Writings And so I shall end this Chapter wishing for his sake as well as mine own that I may meet if not with more Reason yet with more Moderation in the remainder of his Discourse CHAP. VIII That we do not deny the Scriptures to be any Means whereby to resist Temptation in Opposition to and Denyal of our Adversary's Charge THe Charge by him endeavour'd to be defended in his Eighth Chapter is this That the Quakers affirm the Scriptures to be no Means whereby to resist Temptation I will set down his words Rep. He passes over no less then Six Testimonies without a word to invalidate them among the rest this If you use any other VVeapon then the Light within in-this Spiritual VVar you cannot prevail against him that is the Devil So I more then proved my Assertion Rejoyn I therefore avoided considering every Testimony he brought first because many of them were so forraign that there could be no Pretence for bringing them And next that I might not be prolix I thought it sufficient to examine three in six and with good Conscieâ—e I can assure my Reader I took as I thought those he built most upon if he doubted of any he should not have brought them I have answer'd the Law in the case For this now recited 't is as weak as Water to his Purpose though a strong Truth in it self For the Intent of the words could be no other then this that the Armor of Light the Apostle exhorted the Church at Rome to put on was sufficient to Encounter the Power of Darkness and that such as would overcome should not neglect or exchange that Armour for other Weapons thereby not in the least excluding other such Instruments as this spiritual Light might arm or give Strength and Invigourate to our Help And I am so far from doubting that I firmly believe that God's Spirit not only in times past hath made this use of the holy Scriptures to Instruction and Comfort but doth even yet to them who read them in his holy Fear and Wisdom Reader I am truly weary not because I find my way difficult from the great Perspicuity and Reason that are on the Side of my Adversary no nothing less in this VVorld But I know not which way to turn my self but I meet either with School-Boy Jeers Insolent Language Equivocations or horrible Perversions God is Record between J. Faldo and I who of us two hath behav'd himself with most Ingenuity in encountering the strongest and fullest Arguments and shown most Reason and Moderation in Confuting them Two or Three Instances of his Failure in both respects this Chapter presents thee with Rep. The first thing VV. P. deals with is a Passage of James Naylor ' s For those only are the Children of God who are lead by the Spirit of God to whom they who were led by the Letter were ever Enemies From whence saith Penn He concludes that we account it a very dangerous thing to read the Scriptures Now if this Passage hath any relation to his Charge or Conclusion no Man ever saw the like He should have added that was alwayes stark blind Rejoyn Here he has given my Reflection upon his ill Application of the Passage omitting both my Exposition and Argument An Injustice I do affirm every Page of his Book to be guilty of VVhat I said to explain the Sentence was this That there are Children of the Fleshly Literal and Historical Knowledge of the Scriptures and Religion who are Srrangers to and therefore Persecutors of the Children born of the Spirit and that in all Ages there hath been more or less of this among outward Jews and Christians And let J. Faldo deny this if he dare To all which and much more he sayes nothing but to his blind Squib before-mention'd he adds this Wrestâ—ing of the Passage by me so clearly exposited Rep. It is a Sign his Judgment is very feeble that â—ould not or would not know that it is dangerous to be â—od by the Letter if they that were so led were ever Eâ—emies to the Children of God Rejoyn What is this but to make us Enemies to thâ— very Scriptures who without any Distinction gives so Wretched a Meaning to words so far from bearing it whose true Sense was as I observ'd already to which I may add for further Explanation thus That those who have Confidence in the Letter Erring from and Grieving the Holy Spirit are not withstanding Enemies to the Children of God who are led by the Spirit according to the true Meaning of Scripture which the meer Letter-Professor as such can never attain to so that the Danger lies here to be led by the Letter without the true Meaning of the Letter or rather by his own dark Apprehensions concerning the Mind of it in the stead of it As the Jews when they crucified Christ by the Law of God against Blasphemers This is the genuine Sense of our Friend's words For had they been writ in the Sense in which John Faldo takes them we had then as greatly detested them as he has now wrong'd them A second Passage is in his first Book pag. 109. his words these Isaac Penington who speaking of Knowledge gain'd by the Letter of the Scriptures writes thus Making him wise and able in his Head to oppose Truth and so bringing him into a State of Condemnation Wrath and Misery beyond the Heathen and making him harder to be wrought upon by the Light and Power of Truth then the very Heathen Upon which J. Faldo bestows this Comment If reading the Scriptures and getting Knowledge from them puts us into a bad Condition beyond the Heathen I scarce know what is more
Reasonable or Understanding Part is a Wrong that would have drawn a whole Chapter of Railing from him had he been so serv'd by a Quaker And for Faith how can a Man have it and not know he hath it and which way may he possibly know it and not experience it As to the Scriptures they may both be instrumental to Experience and with respect to what they declare of be also experienced Two places more and we leave this Chapter in which it will appear that his Courage is as much upon the ebb as his Envy was before upon the flote In his former Book he was so unhappy in his Cause as to let fall this Expression That God above and the Scripture without have taught us better things The use I made of it in my Answer he takes a little notice of I mean to recite not confute it Now what is the Teaching of the God above said I If it be in the Scriptures it was impertinent to say any more then that the Scriptures have taught them better things But if he meant that God taught by his immediate Discoveries with and beside the Scriptures then wherein do we differ To which I will faithfully set down his Reply that if there be any Reason in it I may lose none of it in Transscription Rep. W. P. thinks now he has me upon the hip this Phrase he calls assisting to my own Confutation If joyning the Teachings of God and the Scriptures alwayes together be Self-confutation let me be ever so Confuted Rejoyn This is both Evasion and False Doctrine Evasion in putting alway together in the Reply which was not in the first Passage and very much alters the Case since to say the God above and the Scriptures without have taught us better things and to say if joyning the Teachings of God and the Scriptures alwayes together c. are vastly differing For the first Saying or Passage is general and leaves God at Liberty to speak beside with or above the Scriptures but the Reply tyes God alwayes to the Scriptures that he cannot speak otherwise then by them nor the Scriptures be without him which makes up the False Doctrine I charged upon him But if he means that God speaks nothing contrary to his Mind declared in Scripture and the Scriptures nothing contradictory to the Mind of God I acquiesce yet this Concession not only brings him upon the Hip but upon the bare Ground too for it confutes him without Controle inasmuch as he grants that the Scriptures without are not sufficient to teach without the God above the very thing in Controversie almost from the beginning betwixt us so that I return his own words upon himself pag. 40. of his Reply All this ado is to make the Scriptures nothing without immediate Inspiration implying that we hold them to be profitable as God is pleased to discover unto us and breath into our Hearts the true Meaning and Vertue of them for our Instruction and Comfort and what short of this doth John Faldo's Expression import that makes the Teachings of the God above necessary to render the Scriptures truly profitable unto any And what is this but to say with us that they are of no value not in themselves but to us unless the God above unfold them and brings our Souls into a sense of those States and Truths they declare of I leave my sober Reader to make his Judgment of this and so proceed to the next Particular which will end this Chapter I will set down his words Rep. He quarrels with my Mannagement of Ephes 6. 16 17. thus And a Shame it is that this Man should bring these places to prove that the Scriptures are Means whereby to resist Temptation The Words are Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God And among the rest is reckoned the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Why doth he not say it is a Shame I produce any Scripture at all which is like a Quaker throughly but the Matter is it a Shame to call the Scriptures the Word of God or a spiritual Sword Rejoyn No such Matter The Shame was that J. Faldo perverted and mis-apply'd Scripture and the Shame still is that he should so bungle and bogle in the Business as of Two Pages to take Two Lines that concern'd not either the Exposition or the Argument and when he has done say nothing neither to it Is this Man like to acquit himself with Advantage against the vain Attempts of W. P. as he is pleas'd to call them Reader I have often complain'd and yet shall have Cause enough of my Adversary's unfair Dealing in not reporting the fortieth part of what I urge and that he is sure to take not what is most but least material to my Cause and then bestows a Squib or two upon it instead of taking my Strength or giving a sage Reply and that I complain not without Just Cause be pleas'd to consider my former Answer with what he first writ to occasion it by which his Honesty in reciting and Reason in replying may be most impartially judged of Thus he pag. 113. Above all take the Shield of Faith which is able to quench c. and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Observe saith J. Faldo Faith in the 16th verse is preferred above the Word of God in the 17th verse therefore it is not Christ the Word but the Scriptures the Word for Faith is not above Christ Jesus Christ who had less need of Scripture then any of us all resisted Satan ' s Temptation by Scripture It is written it is written Mat. 4. To which I gave this following Answer But neither will this do his Business and a Shame it is that this Man should bring these places to prove that the Scriptures are Means whereby to resist Temptation which Rebuke was the whole he recited that concerned them not especially this in Hand unless he would have Faith to be the Scriptures or Word of God in his Sense which as it is absurd so it will by him be deny'd since he allows the Faith to be preferr'd before the Word of God therefore distinct from it and consequently not the same with it And should we grant to him that Christ is not understood by the Word of God but the Scriptures yet observe the fatal Blow his Cause receives at his own Hand Every true Christian hath Faith that Faith is above the Scriptures therefore every true Christian hath something in him above the Scriptures Again True Faith overcometh the World and quenches the fiery Darts of Satan consequently Temptations therefore not so properly the Scriptures as true Faith which is preferred above them by John Faldo himself and which resists Temptation and overcomes the VVorld is c. Once more the Just they live by Faith but Faith is above the Scripture saith J. F. Therefore the Just live by that which is above the Scriptures
and consequently the Scriptures are not the Rule of Faith for how can any thing be ruled by that which is inferior to it Thus much we get granting to him that the Scriptures are the Word of God in the Text. Now Reader tell me of this Argumentation what has he taken what has he replyed to Yet this man is deem'd worthy by the Professors of our Times to act the Tertullus against the poor Quakers For those words The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God I told him then We rejected his Gloss for the spiritual Sword as he sayes Beza renders it must be of the Narure of the rest of the Armour mention'd in that Chapter that is invisible and Spiritual which the Bible or meer VVritings we know are not To which let me add that I know no Reason why the Shield of Faith should be preferred before the Sword of the spirit unless it be because that 's in the Verse before this if we consider them in an abstract Sense or as they are in themselves For Above all is not a preferring the Shield of Faith in Dignity before the Sword of the Spirit respecting their own Nature and Quality but with regard to the Creature For if Vnbelief enters how can the Loins be girt with Truth the Breast arm'd with Righteousness the Feet shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace the Head covered with the Helmtt of Salvation or the Enemy encounter'd with the Sword of the Spirit So that respecting Man not respecting the Dignity of the several parts of the Armour Faith is above all or first necessary for though God Christ the Holy Spirit Eternal Salvation be all or either of them greater then Faith as in themselves yet without Faith no interest can be had in them Wherefore our Adversary's Preference vanisheth and his Consequence about the Scriptures being the VVord of God falls to the Ground Concerning Christ's Answer to the Devil It is written it is written I shall desire the Reader to observe in my Adversary's Reply what of my Answer he trans-scribes which I gave to the use he made of that Scripture and what sort of Treatment he affords me These are his words Rep. Once more and I have done with this Chapter But said Christ to the Devil It is written VVhat then sayes W. P. Therefore must the Quakers needs deny the Scriptures to be any means to resist Temptation pag. 90. You may fear the Man is craz'd or was almost asleep when he wrote this I produced the Example of Christ to prove that the Scripture is a Means for resisting Temptation he resisting so effectually with It s written it s written But Penn would make you believe I intended it to prove that the Quakers deny the Scriptures to be such a Means Can you think such a Man to be sinlest yea Infallible Rejoyn His Froth and Reflection I am no otherwise concern'd at then that it ill becomes a Pretender to Divinity It is enough for me to shew that he has willingly conceal'd my Answer and hath made a Reply as if he had taken in all that was fit to be consider'd my Answer lay thus But said Christ to the Devil It is written VVhat then Therefore must the Quakers needs deny the Scriptures to be any Means to resist Temptation Here J. F. leaves me but I go on or rather are they not such Means which I am sure no right Quaker ever deny'd Now Reader mark Besides it was reasonable that Christ should so answer set that Power aside which filled up those words and chain'd Satan because the Devil used Scripture to prevail upon him as the place proves However we deny not but confess that where-ever God is pleased to speak by any place of Scripture to a Tempted Soul it may very well be acknowledg'd to be a Means by which God scatters such Doubts and Despondences and gives Power over Temptations and that it may often so occur yet we would not have People fly to them as what of themselves may be sufficient but rather have Recourse to that Divine Faith which the Scriptures testifie is able to Quench the fiery Darts and which J. F. himself has largely confest is to be preferred above the Scriptures themselves Now I desire the Reader to consider First That he gave not the 10th part of my Answer in any respect 2ly That what of it would have prevented his reflecting upon me he wholy omitted He seems di pleased that I made such a Question upon his citing Christ's words to the Devil as this therefore must the Quakers needs deny the Scriptures to be any Means to resist Temptation telling Folks They may fear I was craz'd or a sleep when I wrote it asking If they think such a Man to be sinlest or infallible as thinking it improper to his Quotation and yet would take no notice of these words that were directed immediately to it viz. it was therefore reasonable that Christ should so answer because the Devil used Scripture to prevail upon him the very Answer in his pretended Reply was wanting VVith what Face then can our Adversary over above his other ill words charge me with designing to render him impertinent by making him endeavour to prove that the Quakers deny the Scriptures to be such a Means by the Question I ask'd as if I had wrong'd him that he never intended any such thing through the bent of the Chapter And what can be clearer then that he on purpose avoided the shock and took notice only of that part of my Answer which being torn from the rest he thought fittest for him to play upon But I see no VVrong I did him in so asking what I did for I am sure it was one End for which the Scripture was quoted by him and the Jeers he bestows upon me and it besides his wilful Neglect of the rest of my honest Return and yet complain for want of it when he had done so is a pittiful come off for a Man of his Pretence to Controversie CHAP. IX Not we but our Adversary opposeth the Teachings of the Spirit to the Doctrines of the Scriptures The Testimonies brought by him cleared and delivered from his Application Our Doctrine proved from Scripture and several Testimonies His frequent and gross Perversions of our Words and Writings discovered and justly rebuked VVE are now got to his last Chapter relating to the Scriptures in which he pretends to justifie his Charge by further evidencing a Consistency between it and William Smith's Doctrine which I utterly deny'd to have been William Smith's VVords or Meaning The Charge was That the Quakers put the Spirit of God and the Scriptures in Opposition to each other His Proof of the Charge lies in these words Traditions of Men Earthly Root Darkness and Confusion Apostacy the Whore's Cup the Mark of the Beast Bastards brought forth of Flesh and Blood c. which sayes John Faldo in his first Book would amaze a
Christian to read what is contained in the two pages quoted of vilifying Reproach to the Scriptures If this be not opposing the Spirit of God to the Scriptures the Devil himself must dispair of inventing words to express it by Thus far John Faldo And indeed I must confefs If all or any of these things were ever said or publish'd by VVilliam Smith there is great Cause for Amazement and Abhorrence too But what said I to this Truly enough but that J. F. was careful to conceal he brings in a small Limb of my Answer and then scares it with hard words Take notice of his Reply to what he ventures to trans-scribe of my Answer Rep. Penn saith VV. Smith reflected not in the least upon the Scriptures nor those Doctrines which were truly received thence No such words can be produc'd by our Adversary No Jesuit in the World did ever out-do VV. P. in Equivocations and Subterfuges His stress lies on the words TRULY received thence Rejoyn Suppose them to be my stress what Subterfuge lies there Are there not Doctrines falsly deduced through Men's Ignorance of the true Intendment of Scripture And do not such as confidently think them to be truly receiv'd from Scripture as if they really were so But the Stress lies here with J. F. His Religion cannot bear a Scruting and is as well nigh as shy of a Search as Mahometism it self Though had John Faldo and the rest of his Gang continu'd where they were the poor Quakers might have had an Inquisition with a VVitness at their Heels by this time But he has a further Comment for us Rep. The Quakers allow no Doctrine to be truly received from the Scriptures but such as is received by immediate Inspiration and not from the Authority of the VVritten VVord Rejoyn VVhere 's the Opposition now Doth not he set the Authority of the Scriptures against the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost at least exclude the holy Inspiration from any share in that Authority and so do what he can to shuffle out the Spirit from being concerned in the Authority of the Scriptures which is if not the only yet the greatest Proof of their Authorities since it is chiefly by the Testimony of the Spirit in our selves that we know them to have bin given forth by the Inspiration of the holy Ghost in others as held both the Primitive Christians our Famous Martyrs and most Considerable Protestants He speaks as if he affected Obscurity and aim'd only at jumbling and intricating instead of explaining the Matter But had we put the Spirit in Opposition to the Letter it is no more then what the Scripture hath done before us as H. Bullenger that notable Reformer observes upon Rom. 2. 29. The Spirit saith he is opposed to the Letter as when Paul saith The Circumcision of the Heart is the Circumcision that consisteth in Spirit not in the Letter And again The Lord hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth Life 4 Dec. 8 Serm. A notable Application to our Purpose but while we only so oppose them as to give the Preference to the Holy Spirit J. F. falls foul of us for a Pack of Enthusiasts shutting out the Spirit at least setting it aside to exalt the Letter But what doth he mean by these Terms Immediate Inspiration for a Mediate Inspiration I never heard of Sure I am that Inspiration is God's own Breathing into the Soul by which it hath Understanding given it whether it be of things written or not written and how that can be done and not immediately I know not If he will exchange his impertinent Distinction of Mediate and Immediate for Ordinary and Extraordinary we shall allow him more then we can upon the other for by Ordinary Inspiration or Revelation I understand such daily and common Vision and Discovery to the Soul as concerns it in its general Station respecting God and Men By Extraordinary such as great Fore-Sights or Divine Prospects which give to fore-tell or prophesie things to come or decide some signal Controversie or very special Case of Difficulty The first is what I speak of and do affirm that neither can the Scriptures be understood our Souls fed and comforted nor our Duties to God rightly perform'd without it The last is a Case so peculiar that all along it is plain I never intended it But if by Immediate Inspiration respecting us he understands that from thence forwards we cast off all Scripture as an antiquated or insignificant piece of Business which are yet Words too Modest for his Malice to father upon us as I shall anon make appear then doth he wrong us and our Doctrine to an high Degree And no matter what he thinks of me or what Names he may please to call me who is too far gone in his present splenetick Disease to think any better of such as I am I shall plainly set down what was my Meaning by the Words he cavils at viz. TRULY received thence I hope to their Satisfaction who will be more dis-interested in their Judgment By Doctrines TRULY owned and received from Scripture we mean such holy Truths as God by his Spirit inlightning our Understandings hath given us a true Discerning of to be such and those are they which we put in Opposition to Men's Carnal Interpretations upon and Imaginary Deductions from the Scriptures and not that we clash the Spirit 's Inspiration against the Scripture for they harmonize and bear reciprocal Testimonies to each other And this God that knows all Hearts both knows to be our true Sense in the Matter controverted and will one day abundantly prove to our Adversary's Eternal conviction This I fear J. Faldo will never swallow and why because it would choak him Perhaps I must be a Jesuit an Equivocator and what else he pleaseth but wherefore because it strikes at his Honesty indeed Dishonesty for he had rather we were what he sayes we are then receive a Contradiction by finding us otherwise then he hath so confidently represented us to be So much dearer is Humor Pride and Worldly Credit to him then our being not so mistaken as he thought for Is this Man like to make Converts that first maims my Answers and then either pelts what he doth take with Dirt or if one Sense worse then another may be had that usher'd in with a Rant and wound up with a Quibble must be given for an apt and irrefutable Reply This hath hitherto been his Practice and we now go upon both a Proof of it and yet more evidently to clear the Truth In that little piece of my Answer he cropt off from the rest for after his wonted manner he thought it not best for him to encounter it at large but a snap and away I told him that he could produce no such Words as Traditions of Men Earthly Root Darkness Confusion Corruption Deceitful Whore's Cup c.
as said of the Scriptures out of W. Smith's Book which was one part of my Stress he was willing to shake off but it will not so easily acquit him Observe his Reply Rep. And whereas W. P. saith No such Words can be produced he intends no other but that Smith doth not accuse himself in so many words of Blaspheming the Spirit of God in the Scriptures and the Doctrines from thence received Rejoyn His first Words belye me nor can any Man be so sottish as to believe I intended any such thing as he would have his Reader believe for that were no Answer to the Objection but an arrant yet fond Cheat and Illusion My Meaning went with my Words and my Words meant as I just now explain'd them the substance of which was in my Answer though evaded by his Reply and perhaps my Rejoynder will meet with no better Usage For his Phrase of Blaspheming the Spirit of God in the Scriptures I will tell him and that upon very good Authority that he now playes the Canter with us and that shamefully The Spirit of God IN the Scriptures a Scripture for that I intreat him You may see what a Doctor he is you that believe in him that thinks he can clasp up the Spirit with his Bible It seems thus far John Faldo and Simon Magus agree for the one thought he could buy it of Peter and the other implies he may have it of his Book-seller Indeed if I thought J. Faldo could believe what he sayes I should be the tenderer of him for Ignorance is to be pittied But when he shall shut the Spirit of God out of Men and shut him up in the Scripture though it call Men the Temples or Tabernacles of God and his Spirit whilst it never calls it self so but Holy Writings or a Declaration of things certainly believed he is to be censur'd for his improper and ambiguous Terms and the rather because his Charity is so small to others in Cases more excusable and that no Man acts the Doctor of the Sentences to others more snappishly and imperiously then himself however I shall be so favourable as to take his Words in this Sense else I know not which way he will turn himself viz. The Spirit of God speaking when it pleaseth by the Scriptures which brings him and his Cause unavoidably over to us But let us see if J. F. can honestly fasten any of those fore-cited Epithetes upon W. Smith's Book If he can we will condemn the Book as heartily as J. F. traduceth us in his But if he shall be found to have wrong'd W. S. God that lives forever will avenge our Innocency upon him which we desire may extend no further then to work him into true Repentance and effectually to vindicate us in the Understandings of the Mis-informed His words are these Rep. But that all that Inventory of execrable Names W. Smith doth intend of the Scriptures and the Holy Doctrines grounded on the Authority of the written Word take these Testimonies John 1. 9. He that is John beheld him and his Glory and felt his Power and what his Power took away then he declared him as he knew him and not from any Tradition or Writing before him why then do teach for Doctrines Men's Traditions running into the Lines of what others have written Morn Watch pag. 6. Rejoyn The Passages from whence the particular Epithetes are taken shall be consider'd anon This is one of those Testimonies he brings to prove he rightly cited and apply'd his former Testimonies out of the same Author which had he intended in reallity he should as well have inserted the one as the other to help such as had not seen his other Book into a true Judgment of this but then may he say I should not make the best of my Case which to do him no Wrong he studies more then the Truth or any thing else next to his making the worst of ours And now Reader that this Proof is as lame as his former and wholely as silent to his Wicked purposes consider I entreat thee the Drift of this Man as his Discourse at large manifests Two things he had in his Eye First to beat People off from the Doctrines and Traditions of Men in the Sense Christ once spoke those words to wit not the Scriptures but Men's humane Interpretations of them with such Forms and Worships as they had invented in the Apostacy from the true Spirit of Christianity as these words by J. F. purposely omitted notwithstanding they lay between the two first Sentences which therefore make an absolute Break though he makes none do undeniably evince to wit VVeigh this Truth all ye Priests and Professors and ponder it in your Hearts have you beheld Christ and seen his Glory Have you felt his Power to take away your sin If yea then why do ye teach for Doctrine Men's Traditions Again pag. 16. For they being from the Life that gave forth Scriptures their Vnderstandings are darkened and they err and know not the Scriptures nor the Power of God Lastly in the 14th page he hath these words All the vain Worships and Customs which People at this day are in who yet abide in Forms and Traditions are all come up since the dayes of the Apostles and are after Men's Traditions and not after Christ And the Conception of all hath been in Man's Imagination and hath been brought forth in his own Will and Wisdom By all which Reader it appears that he distinguisheth between Men's Traditions and God's Tradition For first how can he mean the Scriptures in the first Passage the middle of which our Adversary so wilfully dropt when he implies that from feeling the Power of Christ to take away Sin Men would leave off Teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of Men making them thereby sinful and a Sin to teach them when J. Faldo confesses that upon the Spirit 's moving and giving us the understanding of Scripture we do allow the Doctrines therein deliver'd to be rightly preach'd In the second Passage he undeniably distinguishes between the Scriptures rightly understood and their Mistake of them to whom he wrote Not knowing says he the Scriptures nor the Power of God being darkned which imports that truly to know and teach according to the sense of Holy Scripture is a quite differing thing from Teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of Men. Nor is his third Passage less clear in the Point pag. 14. sinâ—â— he explains what he means by those offensive Words to J. Faldo's Ear by such Customs Worships and Traditions as were not of Christ and that took their rise since the time of the Apostles and proceeded from the Imagination Will and Wisdom of Man therefore not the Writings of either Prophets or Apostles that were before such Apostacy and which were given forth as they were mov'd of the Holy Ghost The second thing greatly in the Author's Eye and with which his Spirit seems to be prest through the
the gaudiest Titles and sweetest Entertainments this Temporal World can bestow It s for God against the Devil his Power and Spirit against Satan's the Spiritual against the Formal Man and the real Life of Jesus and Heavenly Experience of his Salvation within whereby the Doctrine of the Gospel is accomplish'd in Men against all Transformation into Likenesses and but meer verbal Immitations and Outsides of Religion For every Plant that the Heavenly Father hath not planted will he root up in this the Day of his Power in which the Lord will make his People a willing People and that notby indulging but rebuking and taking Men off from their own Willing and Running For the Lord has decreed to over-throw the Banks which the False Prophets of the Nations have cast up in the Night of Darkness whereby all Refreshment has been damm'd up from them and the Nations have been like a parched Heath and desolate Wilderness that his Life Power and Spirit may flow over every Kindred Nation and People under the whole Heaven and they shall be all taught of God and in Righteousness will he establish them and there shall be one Sheep-fold and one Shepherd and the Idol Shepherds who have no Vision neither have any Bread of Life wherewith to feed the Flock God will utterly scatter and make an end of and his Name shall be Famous and Renowned through all Generations Amen But Reader my Adversary is not yet willing to leave me he proceeds to tell us That the Quakers charge him and such others with the Sin of Idolatry to believe and live according to the Iustructions and holy Examples expressed in and by the Scriptures except they have them by Immediate Inspiration And though the Substance of it hath been already consider'd by me yet I shall not grudge my Pains if the Reader will bestow his perusal and perhaps he may find something not unserviceable to the further Clearing of our Sense and Detection of our Adversary's Dis-ingenuity He writes thus in his Reply Rep. I produced among others two Testimonies which W. P. takâ—s notice of My first is out of Morn Watch page 23. And this is Babylon the Mother of Harlots and the Abomination of all Uncleanness Rej. I need say the less to this because I have so clearly and lately defended W. S. in that Book and Page from any such wretched Meanings and Applications which J. F. has employ'd his Wits to rack his Words to Only Reader observe his Fallacy that he sets not down what Examples and what Instructions but confounds Moral with Ceremonial Precepts on purpose to make us at one Blow cut off all Regard to Scripture indifferently Next mark his Antichristianism in that he maketh the Mind of God and Doctrines and Lives of the holy Ancients in Scriptures capable of being understood and follow'd without the Inspiration of God's holy Spirit thereby giving the Lye to the most express Texts of holy Scripture and the plainest Assertions of the purest Fathers most famous Reformers and constant Martyrs I will say no more to this then that our Adversary himself hath in the same page cited so much of W. S. as declares his Perversion of the other part of his Book viz. And are all out of the Life and Power of God that is Those that say they have God to their Father speak high things of Holy Scripture and bedeck themselves with the Passages thereof and notwithstanding are out of the Life and Power of God are not true Jews or Christians but are of the Synagogue of Satan the Abomination of all Uncleanness and which help to make up Babylon the Mother of Harlots For the other Proof he brought which indeed was his first though in his Reply he tells us it was his last he was affraid to meddle with it and there was great Reason for it For he knew not which way to handle it but would bite his Fingers I will set it down with my Answer contracted that I may help the Reader to another Instance by which he may take his just Measures of the Man in hand respecting his sort of Fair Dealing or Strength of Argument W. Dewsbury he cites thus in his Discovery of Man's Return pag. 21. All People may search the Scriptures and see how you have been deceived by your Teachers who have caused you to seek your lost God in Carnal and Dead Observations WHICH THEY HAVE NOT ANY SCRIPTURE FOR. Now Reader was not this an extraordinary Passage to prove J. Fâ—do's Charge viz. That it was Idolatry to act according to Scripture c. which is given by our Friend as a Reason why People ought not to follow their Blind Teachers But be pleased to read my Defence as I then writ it W. Dewsbury is so far from making it Idolatry to live up to the Scriptures that he condemns the seeking for the True God where he was not to be found which saith he they have no Scripture for As much as to say that such seek after God not according to Scriptures And therefore are both Deceivers and Deceived Unto which J. F. reply'd nothing unless it be that he had nothing to Reply except an Acknowledgment which he thought would not make for his present sort of Credit He winds up this Chapter with a Justification of his Comparison of our Doctrine about the Scriptures with that of Jesuits and Papists I will set him down at large Rep. Concerning my Parallel between the Jesuits and the Papists in the venomn Spit against the Scriptures W. P. hath thus little to say It is Ridiculous and every way unworthy our notice a meer begging of the Question We can never allow of the Comparison But why all this Contempt Rejoyn Contempt pinches his proud Stomach But Curteous Reader ask J. F. why he left out the Words immediately proceeding viz. He has been so Cunning or Vnjust rather as to quote their Authors and not ours and some Passages we justly doubt What base Juggling is this with his Reader and Abuse of his Adversary It concern'd him more to be just in this then to ask Why all this Contempt And had he not had less Honesty then Stomach we might have expected that Justice the want of which brings greater Contempt upon him then my sober Reflection upon such unfair Dealing But he proceeds to cite these words as the whole Reason why we disallow the Comparison Sence the Papists place the Rule and Judgship in a Pope and General Council and the Quakers in the Eternal Unerrable Holy Spirit of God To which he replies thus Rep. The first is as I said the second is Blasphemously False for the Quakers call their Light within the Spirit of God which I have sufficiently proved to be a BLASPHEMER of the Spirit of God a SORDID SINFVL CORRVPT and RIDICVLOVS THING Rejoyn What he means by his first I know not unless that he said true of the Papists And if any of them have writ or spoak
great Geneva Doctor that made Servetus keep Company with his Books or rather had him burnt by them as if it had been to save Wood for Exceeding their Presbyterian Reformation and instead of repenting defended it in Writing when he had done at what time the said Doctor and that whole City were persecuted themselves with the Anathama's of Rome and 't is not to be doubted but they thought them unchristian It would fill a Volumn to tell the Tragical Excommunications and other notable Feats done by some of this Tribe of Men for the Maintenance of their Church Power and Dignity oft times saving the civil Magistrate the Trouble of abusing such poor Dissenters from them as we are by a licentious Usurpation and Practice of his Power upon their Backs we well know it yet has this man the Confidence to fall hard on us for censuring such as recede from what they once own'd because we can never allow them as such to be of us he cryes out Oh the Charity of the Quakers the Quakers may see the Image of the Beast among themselves c. But on better Grounds may every ingenuous Reader return this Exclamation Oh the Incharity of J. F. and his Adherents whose very Mercies are Cruelties Let him pack up his Pipes and play us no more of these Envious and Hypocritical Notes and hold himself contented that whether we be the Image or no to be sure he has made Sydach Sympson and his Church the Beast in great Letters cum multis aliis not forgetting nor excluding his own railing and excommunicating self The Conclusion of the First Part. WE have now run through his Nine Chapters Seven of which concerned the Scriptures doubtless writ to vindicate his former Discourse but with what Success I leave with Thee Courteous Reader to judge And before I sum up our Sense for a Farewell to this Part of his Pamphlet I request thee when thou next falls into Company with J. F. or any of that Tribe of Men the pretended Admirers of Scripture and one would almost think the devoutest Observers of those Precepts and precisest Imitators of those Examples expressed therein to ask in good Earnest Whether it be the whole and every part of Scripture they call the Word of God and Rule of Faith and Life or No If they say All and every part of it then the Words of Wicked Kings False Prophets Persecutors c. yea the Devil himself therein at large declared with the whole Jewish History and Ceremenial and Judiacal Law containing the Government Sacrifices Priesthood and all other Jewish Rights will necessarily make up a great part of the Word of God and their Rule of Faith and Life But if they shall answer Negatively that they are not in the whole and every part of them the Word of God and Rule of Faith and Life Then ask them Which are those Places Precents and Examples that particularly concern us under this Administration And if they answer this Enquiry and are not grown too hot and angry by this time entreat them to tell thee By what they discern and distinguish in this weighty Matter For if they either set aside what they should receive or continue what should be laid aside they Add or Dminish to what themselves acknowledge to be the Word of God If they say the Harmony of Scriptures the same Question holds How and by What doth it appear so Harmonous since there are very deep and obscure places and sometimes seeming Contradictions and that in highest Points If they say by the Spirit and Vnderstanding of meer Man the Apostle Paul directly opposes himself to every such answer 1. Cor. 2. But if thus driven they answer in the Words of J. Owen That the only Publick Authentick and Infallible Interpreter of the Holy Scripture is HE who is the AUTHOR of them from the Breathing of whose Spirit it derives all its Verity Perspicuity and Authority Exerc. 2 7 9. against the Quakers Entreat their Patience to stand one Question more and thou hast done viz. If the Verity Perspicuity and Authority of the Scriptures depend upon the Breathing of the Holy Spirit or as he expresses it a little further the Infusing a Spiritual Light into our Hearts Then Whether People ought not to have recourse unto the Holy Spirit and Light as the only Interpreter Judge and Rule what Scripture remaine of Force to our Day and how and which way such Scripture is to be understood When thou hast obtained such sober Answers as thy Questions deserve at their hands I should be very glad to have the Perusal of them In the mean time we own and with our whole Hearts confess First That the Scriptures given forth by Inspiration are a true and faithful Narrative or Declaration of the Mind of God towards the Sons and Daughters of Men and his various Dealings with them respecting Precepts Prophecies Threatnings Promises Providences Rewards Punishments Deliverances Doctrines Examples and Practices Seconly That they are Profitable for Reproof Instruction Edification and Comfort Thirdly That it is the Spirit of God which only gives Men to read understand and use them to Advantage as Thomas Collier hath well expressed it about Twenty Five Years ago viz. And truly Brethren it is my earnest Desire to see Souls to live more in the Spirit and less in the Letter and then they will see THAT WE JUDGE OF THE LETTER BY THE SPIRIT AND NOT OF THE SPIRIT BY THE LETTER which occasions so much Ignorance amongst us And they who profess themselves to be our TEACHERS ARE CHIEF IN THIS TRESPASS Four â—hly That the Holy Spirit is the New Covenant Rule and Judge it being the Promise of the Father and Ministry and Dispensation of the latter Days as there Scriptures abundantly prove Neh. 9. 19 20. Job 32. 8. Isa 59. 21. Joel 2. 28 29. Hag. 2. 25. Mat. 16. 17. Jo. 14. 17 18 19. Chap. 16. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. Rom. 8. 1 9 14. 1 Cor. 2. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. Gal. 5. 16 18. Eph. 1. 17. I. Jo. 2. 20 27. Yet we deny not but the Lord hath and yet may make the Holy Scripture a Mean to several in the Hand of his Spirit of Understanding and Comfort and so far they may be a particular Rule Yea I do believe they have been and yet are next to a Living and Powerful Ministry a more ordinary Mean then many if not any other whatever Howbeit we are not to center here but press on forward to the Life Power and Spirit it self of which they declare for into That God hath determined to bring and as it were wind up his People by which they come to be fulfilled whereas those that stick in the Letter of them and pass not througâ—â—â—d beyond it into the Life and Vertue they bear record of know but as the Scribes and Pharisees did and cannot as such be true and faithful Witnesses for the
true and living God Fifthly We have proved our Doctrine of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit as by us distinguisht and cleared from J. F.'s Perversions by abundance of such Authorities as I think he dares not gain-say So that we cannot be longer Hereticks and those continue Orthodox showing thereby that we are but pressing more intirely plainly and effectually what the best Protestants and Separatists have at times not only let drop from their Mouths and Pens but insisted on and prophesied also the increase and Enlargement of in the hearts of Men however forgot or denyed by their Dry and Degenerated Posterity Lastly That we do not therefore exhort People to hearken unto the Voice and Leadings of the Holy Spirit which strive with them as that by which God who is a Spirit comes truly to be known and the Scriptures themselves only to be read with a right Understanding and true Benefit with any the least Design to justle the Scriptures out of their place and Authority No God knows it is not our Purpose but for this very End do we so write and speak that People may come to possess what they declare of and witness them fulfilled in themselves instead of contending about what they do not understand and which can never be revealed to that dead dark and unregenerate State in which they live for the Lord is at work as I said before to gather People more and more into the Spirit and Life of his Son accomplishing his Glorious Promises in these latter Dayes and bringing People to the good Things themselves by which Out-sides are daily wearing off more and more and the Testimonies of Holy Scripture witnessed and fulfilled in them that believe Which is not to Overthrow but to answer the great End of their first Publication Preservation unto this very Day Whereas the contrary is not truly to esteem them but under the very vain Pretence of it to withstand and as much as in them lieth to bar out the Great Gospel-Ministration which stands in the Convictions Instructions Leadings and Orderings of the Holy Spirit And unto that must all come who in this Life would witness a Translation into Christ's Kingdom that is not of this World and know a being made free of that Jerusalem which comes down from above the Mother of the Free-born which they only are that have been born again by the Regenerating Word to whom the Formal and Literal Professors are but as Hagar and her Off-spring unto Sarah and the Seed of the Promise And this is the Word of the God of Heaven and Earth unto all those that are yet unacquainted with this Convincing Baptizing Reconciling Ingrafting and Regenerating Word Power or Spirit within And so I am thus far clear of your Blood and am at Peace with the God of my Salvation THE INVALIDITY OF John Faldo's Vindication Of his Book called Quakerism No Christianity PART II. CHAP. I. of Gospel-Ordinances in general such truly embraced THis second Part of my Rejoynder is a Consideration of his Defence of his Charge of our Denying Gospel-Ordinances the True Christ with his Transactions at Jerusalem also that we are guilty of Idolatry and own not the Resurrection of the Dead The Work of this Chapter will be to see how he will make good our Denyal of Gospel-Ordinances in general Be pleased to hear how he handleth both me and the Matter Reply pag. 49 50. The first Proof is out of Fox Myst p. 2. He hath triumphed over the Ordinances and blotted them out and they are not to be touched and the Saints â— Christ in them who is the End of outward Forms This saith W. P. pag. 103. is Scripture Language But why so because some Scripture-words are in it although the Text be mangled Corrupted and abused to the Contradiction of Scripture-Truth Thus they apply sinfulyenough False Prophets Dogs Serpents Hypocrites Devil Lyar c. But if I should call W. P. Thou Child of the Devil Thou Enemy of all Righteousness he would not therefore allow it to be all very true though so applyed it looks much more like Truth then G. Fox's scriptural Language who hath these Words about Baptism and the Lord's Supper Rejoynder For his Proof as he calls it it is not in pag. 52. of G. F's Book which were Answer enough to so shuffling an Adversary I confess in page 16. I find it but it is so far from being immediately directed to either Baptism or Supper that there is no such thing mentioned much lest insisted on from the Beginning of G. F's Answer to J. Timson's Book to the very place wherein the Words are found Now what to call this piece of Invention is sest with every Readers Discretion But it is not less worth our notice that of all my Explanation of G. F's Words he only reports these three viz. is Scripture Language who further told him Christ did blot out the Hand-writing of Ordinances Collos 2. 14. That he was to the Saints then and is to those now who rightly believe in him the End of all Meats Drinks Washing Dayes or any other Temporal Elementary or Figurative Worship according to verse 16 17. By this it will appear whether of us two have most honestly and most truely applyed Scripture I in thus expositing and vindicating G. F's Passage or J. Faldo in calling me by Implication a Child of the Devil and an Enemy of all Righteousness But again Reply p. 50. I also told Mr. Penn That if the Saints having Christ in them were the Consideration of which the Ordinances were not to be touched then not only we but even all other Saints under the Mosaical Administration sinned in their Practices of God's Ordinances also for they had Christ in them in those Dayes in the same Sence as the Saints in these Rejoynder This Saying carries with it a large Concession to Christ's Manifestation in the Hearts of his People as well under the Mosaical Administration as that which we call for Distinction Evangelical Indeed larger then true if by the same Sence he understands that all that he was to his Apostles and the Churches by them planted he was to the People of Israel under the Conduct of Moses for first it is manifest they were not capable of such Discoveries being weak-Sighted carnal and greatly addicted to embrace the Fopperies of the Heathen Secondly There would have been no need of shewing forth a further Glory by Types and Figures or to entertain minds so enlighted and Heavenly with such low and as the Apostle phraseth them beggarly things had they enjoyed Christ under the Administration of Moses as in more Gospel Times But above all that J. Faldo should plead for the Continuance of Ordinances after Christ had blotted them out and such Meats and Drinks c. as Christ ended being the Substance of them because Christ might be in some measure known to the Saints of old at what time such Ordinances were given forth and such Meats
making the meer Body only to have dyed which not being the intire Christ of God it was not He but his Body only that dyed So that either J. Faldo holds the meer Body to be the Christ or else that something more dyed then the meer Body But because he acknowledgeth the Deity could not dye nor that the Soul did dye it must follow that the Body only dyed And since he will strictly have it that the Christ of God dyed the meer Body must be the Christ of God His second Exception is very trivial and what in it can be thought to deserve an Answer is included in what was said before for whom might be attributed to the Body as it represented the whole or intire Christ that is Metonymically spoaken the Thing containing for the Thing contained which is very frequent in Scripture for many times that is ascribed to the Body of Jesus which belongs to the whole Christ This with abundance more of pertinent Answer he takes no more notice of then if it had never been written But a little to give J. F. his Humor and to see if the Upshot rises higher then which What doth he understand by the Person slain according to J. F's own distinctions Was it the Godhead That he denyes first Book part 2. p. 73. Was it the Man's Soul No Reply p. 78. Must it not be the Body then And if so What Corrupting of Scripture is it to say which ye slew instead of whom ye slew 'T is at this slender trifling rate he hath dealt with us throughout the Controversie Two Passages more before we conclude this Chapter Upon my recollecting the whole of this Argumentation and concluding thus Since the Divinity could not dye and the Man's Soul was not Mortal much less could be hanged on a Tree or put into a Sepulchre it follows That it was the visible Body only that dyed c. and that it is therefore the intire Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in J. F's as well as Blasphemous L. Muggleton's Sense he makes this Reply word for word Reply p. 78. But if it follows upon my Sense it follows upon the words and scope of the Scripture which saith the same in so many words and in sense a Hundred Times But there is no such abâ—urdity follows upon either The Soul can't dye cannot therefore the Man dye If not there is no such thing as killing of Men or mortal Men. Rejoynder Man cannot properly be said to dye whilst his Soul lives but he may be said to cease to be in this Visible World or to depart out of it and to lay down his mortal Body so that the Body dyes but not the Man I know it is a common Phrase but synecdochically spoken where that is ascribed to the whole Man which only belongeth to the Mortal part of Man This brings the Business no nearer then it was before for if I understand any thing the Comparison makes the Death of Christ to be the Death of his Body only and that it is call'd the Death of Christ instead of the Death of the Body of Christ from that familiar usage in Speech the Thing contained for the Thing containing that is Christ instead of the Body of Christ In short Because such Murderers who are said to kill Men kill only the Bodies of Men those Jews who crucified Christ properly crucified the Body of Christ only though in a more mysuical Sense they may be also said in that very Action to have murdered the Prince of Life and Glory 1 Cor. 2. His other Passage containeth a Reflection upon my saying that Souls could not be hanged on a Tree Reply pag. 79. I had thought that the Soul being Vnited with the Body till Death where-ever the Body was disposed the Soul was also and therefore the Body so long as it liveth hanging on a Tree the Soul hangs there too also many a poor Wretch can tell him at the Torment of Execution that his Doctrine is False for were but their Souls separated from their Bodies they would feel no Pain nor cry out of their Torment Rejoynder A very Shuffie and nothing to the Purpose The Soul is in the Body so long as the Body is alive upon the Tree and yet it self not strictly hanged on the Tree for if it were then would it be as impossible for the Soul as Body to free it self whilst the Soul by his own Allowance is incomparable and impossible because immaterial whereas Nales Ropes or any other Instruments of Cruelty can only fasten upon material things for if the Soul could be properly hanged she could as well be burnt and laid into a Sepulchre A Man might as well say if J. Faldo were hanged on a Tree his Watch in his Pocket would be hanged or if he were put in the Stocks his Understanding would be in the Stocks Nor hath any poor Wretch reason to complain of my Doctrine at their Executions for I never denyed that Pain was a Sign of the Soul 's not being separated since it is an undeniable Reason why it is not separated however it is not the Soul but the Body through that sensibility the Soul while unseparated continues in it which feels that Pain But I could tell J. Faldo of many Blessed Martyrs that in the midst of Flames were carryed above the Sense of Pain not because their Souls were not in their Bodies at the Stake but from the exceeding Joy of the Holy Spirit which by the way may as well be said to be tyed to the Stake as the Soul because in the Soul for that is the Conclusion of J. F's Argument The Soul is in the Body therefore the Soul is as well tyed as the Body the Holy Spirit and his Comforts are in the Soul therefore tyed as well to the Stake as either Body or Soul In short Souls may be hanged upon Trees as Souls in Scripture are said to dye or be slain an Hebrew Phrase not that Souls really did dye or were slain but that Man is called many times by his nobler Part. I shall conclude this Chapter with a few Reasons for the Hope that is in us concerning the Subject Matter of this Chapter and two or Three Testimonies in Confirmation of them which I offer with all Tenderness of Conscience unto my serious Reader First This Opinion of our Adversary's renders Christ not to have been the Saviour of the World from Abel's Day contrary to Scripture which teacheth us to believe That there was never another Name or Power by which Men could be saved then the Name and Power of Jesus Christ Acts 4. 12. Secondly It makes Christ's Words either an Equivocation or a Contradiction when he said unto the Jews Before Abraham was I am since it makes him that was before Abraham and him that said so not the same Person or Being rather Thirdly Because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Anointed hath a Relation to his being King Priest and Prophet which are both of a
nay the Evangelist is not yet come so much as to mention any Thing of his Manifestation in Flesh and if we will believe J. Faldo the Verse concerns the Word Creator and not Redeemer which he stints to his Coming in the Flesh see pag. 89. But by his Interpretation THAT is not relative to his Appearance in the Flesh but to the Word which was with God and was God as p. 84. and so the Spanish Translation hath it That WORD was the true Light c. so that either the Word was not before that Appearance or if it were being that true Light that true Light was before that Appearance Therefore Man-kind may very well be said to have alwayes been enlightned by that Light or that the Word should be before that Appearance and that true Light which is the very Life of the Word or Word it self should be stinted to that Appearance is as absurd as any thing well can be Now Reader comes that part which he cited but more regularly That we should take That was the true Light c. to deny Christ now to be true Light that enlightens all because he was so is a strange Impertinency and gross Falshood In Reply to all which next to what I have already transcribed he sayes no more then this Reply p. 82. W. P. should have undertaken to prove that Christ was before that time and is now God manifest in Flesh as he was then and to those Ends. Rejoynder I did abundantly prove it in our Sence and nothing solid hath been offered to invalidate what I alledged but let it suffice that he hath granted my Charge First In denying Christ to have been either Christ or the true Light before that Time a manifest Contradiction to himself p. 84 85 86 87 88 89. of his first Book second Part. Next He therefore denyes that Christ is now the true Light because he is not at this Day God manifested in Flesh in the same Manner as he was then and thus much further that he was the true Light before that Appearance Socinianism in the abstract I do not say so in Disgrace but because he pretends to disown it For his saying I should have undertaken to prove them is absurd unless he had denyed them This with me is matter enough to impeach my Adversary of blackest Sacriledge I need add no more nor no more will I add then this The Question was not whether we affirm Christ to be that Light by his visible and bodily Appearance Life Doctrine Miracles Death Resurrection c. in this Day which he was in that But whether these Words that was the true Light did not relate to the Life of the Word which was with God and was God and consequently if he did not enlighten Men before he took Flesh in the Flesh and after his Resurrection and Ascension by his Eternal Power and God-head as the great Sun of Righteousness and spiritual Luminary of the Invisible and Intelligible World Unto which his Words bear no Relation unless it be any to deny the Question In short I told him the very next Words to those he cited That should we grant the Evangelist to refer to that Appearance Joh. 1. 9. yet it would conclude no Denyal of Christ's being the true Light that enlightens every Man that cometh into the World both before and since that Appearance because it was the most eminent breaking forth of the divine Light which doubtless had been enough to satisfie any moderate or modest Man but not satisfying him I must infer as before that his Displeasure is against our believing Christ to have enlightned before and since that visible Coming which if I understand any thing is in so many Words to deny his Divinity The next Scripture by him exposited and by me rescued was Rom. 10. 3. The Word is nigh thee c. he doth but touch upon it and gives so little of my Answer that there is scarce Head or Tail to be made of his Paragraph I will contract my Answer and give his Reply He made the Word to be the written Laws Statutes and Commandments given by Moses his first Book p. 94. I answer'd It could not be so understood for the Question was not about them but about the Commandment of Commandments and Word of Words which he resolves thus Let none say who shall ascend descend or go beyond the Seas to fetch the great Word and Conmandment but the Word is very nigh thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the innermost Parts of Men whereinto the outward Commandments could never come Besides without the Word nigh in the Heart there could be no Conviction upon the Conscience c. Reply p. 82 83. W. P. puâ—s to fetch the great Word and Commandment in the Letter of the Text as the very Words of Moses A Crime to be abhorred yet frequent with him that pretends a sacred Esteem of the Scriptures In few Words to answer all Moses said of this Word verse 12. It is not in Heaven which may be said of the Book of the Law or written Word but not of Christ the Word also as I cold him before 't is such a Word as uses to be in the Mouth which is the Organ and Instrument of speaking the Greek Word for the Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is never to be understood of Christ not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is sometimes intended of Christ the Word Rejoynder This looks more like a Reply then any thing we have had a great while yet that it only looks so will ly on our Part to show First He charges me with Forgery Let 's see what it was I said to fetch the great VVord or Commandment and the Scripture sayes to bring the VVord or Commandment Now I know no Difference betwixt fetching and bringing 't is true I added Great which of God's VVord or Commandment be not I did amiss If it be he is an idle Caviller fitter to kill Flies all day with the foolish Emperour then to write Books of Religious Controversie It is called Commandment Deutr. 30. 11. and Word ver 14. But it is not in Heaven therefore it is not Christ sayes our Adversary I believe J. Faldo knew in his own Conscience that those VVords were spoken on purpose to prevent the Excuse of being without a Commandment and that so nigh as their own Hearts or innermost Parts and not to exclude the VVord Heaven but rather thus The Word is not so in Heaven as that it is excluded your Consciences or that ye need to say who shall go up to fetch it down for it is in your Hearts to instruct you that you may do it and reprove you if you do it not God was never the less in Heaven for being nigh unto the Consciences of the Athenians which was Paul's Doctrine Acts 17. 27 28. for sayes he in the Name of their own Prophets In him we live move and
Why did Christ say I thank Thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and revealed them unto Babes if they are discoverable by humane Reasoning for Babes are ignorant of that Art yet out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings c. The Apostle's Question 1 Cor. 1. 20. was very impertinent if J. Faldo may be of Authority who said Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer c. for this implies an Exclusion of all those Arts Sciences and Natural Gifts from any Capacity to reveal the deep Things of God shut up in the Divine Principle of Life Besides W. S's Words imply a Clouded Understanding and degenerated and therefore Uncapable J. F. must either intend by his Derision that he thinks W. S. deserves to be hiss'd for denying the Knowledge of Divine Things to be attainable by the Degenerated Understanding of Man or sanctified If the first All may have Cause to abhor his False Doctrine If the latter I would know which way that can be without the Divine Principle of Life This abundantly manifests J. Faldo's unsavory Spirit and proves him to be ignorant of the Way Method Work of God in his Children When the Natural Man by his Reason can know Christ he may know his Sheep the Scriptures and the Power of God and not before but because it is impossible in Reasoning or Arguing pro and con by the utmost Strength and Search of Natural Abilities to know Christ but by the Revelation of the Spirit of God alone as hath been abundantly proved therefore William Smith's words are sound and weighty and J. Faldo's carnal and prophane showing himself to be a Mocker of the Priviledges and Mysteries of the Gospel but what else may we expect from one that walks after the Lusts of his own vain Mind having not the Spirit Jude 18 19. Yet that we may manifest how inconsistent he is with himself as that he can't write against us but he must write for us take this Passage out of Quakerism No Christianity which ought alwayes to begin his Books against us upon this subject as it ends this Chapter of mine Those Gospel-Illuminations are beyond the utmost reach of our Natural Faculties of the Mind though sanctified and therefore it is said to be 2 Tim. 3. 16. Divinely inspired It is not produced in the Exercise of the Rational Faculties the Soul is purely passive or receptive therein and is to those Illuminations as the Wax is to the Seal CHAP. XV. His several gross Miscarriages summ'd and further observed I. Of his Over-looking my Answer and Arguments OF Twenty Two Chapters in his Reply there is not one of them in which he hath not wilfully declined inserting my Answer and Arguments and only flutters about pecks and scratches at some part that is of least moment to the Reason of the Point perhaps some Rebuke or Reflection upon the ill use he makes of our Friends Writings particularly pag. 9 22 23 24 30 31 35 53 56 57 71 73 82 83 85 86 90 92 93. How is it possible my Arguments should be conquered when they were never encounter'd I was never yet so unjustly dealt withal in this Particular by any Adversary of his Pretences II. Of his drawing False Inferences Where he ventures at any time to insert any considerable part of my Answer he is sure to draw some Inference that may bring an Odium my words never deserved I could particularize at large pag. 6 13 17 18 31 35 41 42 47 49 71 72 73 74 75 85 86 87 88 89 90 91. but take these following for the rest 1. From Edw. Burroughs Reflecting upon Peoples imagining God to be confined to some place beyond the Stars he implies they deny Christ's Manhood Vindic. pag. 6. 2. From our not styling the Scriptures the Word but Words of God he infers that we deny the Scriptures First Book p. 18 19. 3. From our Asserting the Doctrine of Inspiration and Certainty of what we are inspired either to write or speak he infers not only our Equalling with but preferring what we speak and write before the Scriptures First Book pag. 40. Vind. p. 17. 4. From our Condemning the Imitation of any of the Holy Men of God of former Ages in particular Cases without they are thereunto required by the Spirit of the Lord he infers that Commands of God in Scriptures are no Commands unless we think so and that it is no Sin to break all Commands in the Bible if our Consciences can but be so blinded as to tell us it is no Sin Vind. p. 34 35. 5. From our Asserting that there is no knowing of God but by the Spirit and that Mens Apprehensions of God and his Work in the Souls of his People are but the Endeavours and Effects of the Wisdom of the Flesh he infers that we oppose the Spirit and the Scriptures nay that we reject and scorn them Vind. pag. 41 42 47. 6. From our denying a Carnal Worldly Mercenary Ministry Lifeless Prayers a meer formal Church Preaching and not by the Spirit and W. Smith's saying that the present Use of Bread and Wine and Water called Baptism and the Supper as they are used at this Day are no other then Popish and Humane he infers that the Quakers deny the Gospel-Ministry Gospel-Prayer Gospel-Church Gospel-Preaching and that we CALL Baptism and the Lord's Supper as PRACTISED IN THE FIRST AGE AFTER CHRIST the Popes Inventions c. Vind. from p. 49. to p. 71. Oh Injurious 7. From our reproving People for feeding in an Unconverted State upon the meer Report of what Christ hath done without them and depending thereon from our asserting that Justification taken for Remission goes not before Repentance which is an inward Work much less that Men can be compleatly justifi'd or made inwardly just but by the washing of the Word of Regeneration Sanctification of the Eternal Spirit this Man dares to infer Our Denyal yea our Vndervalue and that to the Degree of Blasphemous Contempt of the Transactions of Christ at Jerusalem Vind. p. 71 72 73 74. 8. From J. Penning asking If outward Blood would cleanse the Conscience from indwelling Sin he infers that we deny all Benefit by the Blood of Christ shed upon the Cross for the declaring of Remission of Sins Rom. 3. 25. First Book 2. Part p. 46 47. Vind. 77. 9. From our chusing to call that Body God prepared in which to do his Will the Body of Christ rather then the Christ of God And from our asserting God to be that Light which enlightens every Man and that the Soul of Man had something of the Life of God in its primitive Perfection he makes no more ado but concludes First That we deny the Christ of God 2dly That we make the Measure of Light in every Man the Eternal God thereby confining him to Man's Soul And lastly That the Soul of Man is
God himself and so God saves God and God worships God This my Reader may find in his Vind. from p. 75. to 87. particularly this following of E. B. about the Soul 10. From E. Burroughs affirming the Light of Christ in every Man to be one with the Spirit as good as the Spirit of Christ in order to prove it the same J. Faldo infers he made the Soul of Man God because that which is as good as the Spirit of God is God Book 1. Part 2. p. 122. Vind. p. 85 86. As if E. B. had spoken it of the Soul of Man and not the Light of Christ shining in the Soul of Man as his Words express it 11. Lastly from our Denyal of his carnal Resurrection as inconsistent with Scripture and Reason he takes Heart to tell all People that W. P. and all the through Quakers deny the Resurrection of the Dead and are guilty of not believing a future Reward in an other World with a Train of Ill Language too long to bring in Vind. p. 88 89 91. This Friendly Reader hath been the Entertainment we have received at J. Faldo's Hands but all things shall work together for good III. of his evading my Answer and Arguments It is very frequent with him next to leaving out what I say or fastening false Consequences upon what he transcribes to evade the Strength of mine Answer either by pretending to have said enough in his first Book as if that had foreseen my Answer and anticipated his Reply with a Refutation or by some one Word which will serve him to play at or by being in haste or else my Answer deserves no Reply at all c. An Evidence of this Sort of Carriage my Reader may find in his Reply p. 5 17 18 38 51 57 58 59 69 71 76 91 93 One at large for all To my several Arguments in defence of Immediate Revelation Inspiration as he terms it he returns three or four Lines This W. P. is so far from denying that he pleads for it but after such a Rude Impertinent manner that I should but injure you and shew my self idle to animadvert upon it p. 17. The cheapest Way that ever Man took to confute his Adversary Doth this become any Man of his Pretence to either Schollarship or Christianity IV. Of his Forgery or Perversion I am sorry I have such reiterated Occasion to charge him with Forging that is foisting in Words into our Writings and Sayings that are wholly inconsistent with them or perverting those he delivers to the End he may make them ponounce his Mind the more plainly A few of many Places I have observed as in page 22 25 41 42 50 51 92 93. Of which I shall give four Instances more particularly 1. â— Pennington speaking of Knowledge according to the Flesh By Flesh sayes he The Quakers understand the Vse of our Vnderstandings though sanctified first Book p. 41. Vind. p 24 25. 2. His second is making W. Smith to call the Scriptures Traditions of Men Earthly Root Darkness Confusion Corruption Rotten Deceitful the Whore's Cup the Mark of the Beast all out of the Life and Power of God and not that the meant them of those who had degenerated from the Power of Godliness and had set up their own Imagination in the stead of God's Institutions teaching for Doctrines the Traditions of Men first Book p. 117. 119. Vind. 41 45. 3. The Third is his making I. Pennington to call visible Worship the City of Abomination Vind. p. 50. 4. Lastly That he gives in our Name this Interpretation of the Vail is over them i. e. the Belief of the Man Christ Jesus which was of our Nature to be the Christ c. Vind. p. 93. V. Of his grand Improbabilities and downright Untruths This Charge I know must needs be very unpleasant to a Man as Vain Glorious as many Places of his Book declare him to be but I cannot help it 'T is Truth if there be anâ— Truth in the World that he hath writ a great many unlikely and absolute untrue Things Let my Reader take the Pains to look over these following Pages of his Reply and I am well assured if impartial he will not think that I have in a Tittle wrong'd him p. 6 7 19 21 33 35 38 39 42 46 47 48 49 55 56 65 70 72 73 89 93. Of which I will only instance four 1. First he affirms that he quoted forty Places out of our Friends Books that would prove the Light within as within us to be the only Lord and Saviour and very God p. 6. whereas he brought not any one that either proved the Terms or the Matter 2. Secondly He confidently accused us of charging the Miscarriage of Mens Souls on the Knowledge the Letter of the Scriptures by God's Blessing doth convey p. 21. 3. Thirdly Whereas I said that W. Smith's Words reflected not in the least upon the Scriptures nor those Doctrines truly received thence neither that any such VVords can be produced by our Adversaries he boldly tells his Reader I intended no other but that Smith doth not accuse himself in so many Words of Blaspheming the Spirit of God in the Scriptures and the Doctrines from thence received as much as to say We both knew it to be Blasphemy but W. Smith did not call it so p. 41. There is no ingenuous Man that will not abhoâ—â— the Falseness of this Passage 4. Lastly I opposing his Affirmation that we did not profess or believe Eternal Rewards thus pretends to confute me W. P. opposes me rather because he would not be thought to subscribe to me then that he believes not what I say to be true p 69. But if this be true sure I am there is no Truth in the World And indeed there is no giving this Sort of Carriage at large but by transcribing far the greatest Part of his Book VI. Of his idle Jeers and frothy Expressions I have not met with any Man writing upon so serious a Subject as Religion is that gives himself the Liberty of so many vain Expressions as if he had intended his Discourse for vulgar Merriment not to Christian Information If my Reader please to trouble himself with the Perusal of these following pages he shall find enough to nauseate p. 6 22 23 26 27 29 30 34 37 40 47 50 51 53 58 60 69 71 72 95. Take two Instances He cackles like a Hen when he had laid a WORSE THING then an Egg p. 47. Again because we said God spoak once by Balaam's Ass thereby proving that he did not alwayes speak by the Scriptures he thus reflects I wonder not that they leave the Teachings of God by the Scriptures to attend on the Ministry of Asses thereby calling us Asses p. 27. Which how Witty soever he thinks such sort of Sayings to be sure they are more Frothy and Irreligious then becomes a Man professing Religion much less writing of the Weightiest Points of it
His Disingenuity great His Perversions and Wrestings about his Key pretending to open our Words Detected pag. 389. CHAP. XIV Of Reflections on Persons and Things pag. 397. CHAP. XV. His several gross Miscarriages summ'd and further observed p. 420. Authors Testimonies Occasionally cited in Defence of this DISCOURSE R. Allen pag 16. Ambrose p. 371. D. Amesius p. 98. Arnobius p. 21. Augustin p. 15 130 285 360 361. D. Barnes p. 129 234 292. H. Barrow p. 176. M. Barker p. 247. T. Beza p. 96 97 333. J. Bradford p. 48 227. T. Brooks p. 247 383. Brownists p. 176. H. Bullinger p. 115 143 245 292 360. J. Calvin p. 46 92 93 96 245. J. Camero p. 358. J. Cann p. 153 176. J. Caryl p. 129 172 247. S. Castalio p. 36 172. D. Cave p. 22. J. Chrysostom p. 46 118. M. T. Cicero p. 92 93. J. Clarius p. 36 43 172 357 372. Clemens Alex. p. 22 173 292 329. P. Codurcus p. 172 358 376. T. Collier p. 73 114 120 154 202 215 236 316 341 377. Council Laod. p. 36 37. G. Cradock p. 43 246. D. Cradock p. 277. J. Dallaeus p. 78. W. Dell p. 45 46 75 120 153 215 230 246. Annot. cert Divines p. 368 372. Doctor and Student p. 91 93. B. Downham p. 293. J. Drusius p. 43 172 357 358 376. Epictetus p. 93. Erasmus p. 36 43 96 97 325 333 358. Ethiopick Version p 331. D. Everard p. 200 239 247 285. Eusebius Pamph. p. 21 22 P. Fagius p. 326 360. Farellus p. 378. D. Featly p. 118. Mart. Finch p. 342. C. Goad p 128 200 214 226 235 315 341. W. Greenham p. 217. H. Grotius p. 36 295. B. Hall p. 383. D. Hammond p 295 378. C. J. Hobert p. 91. P. D. Huetius p. 378. E. Hutter p. 329. Jerome p. 379. B. Jewel p. 113 314. Irenaeus p. 291. Ignatius p. 340. Justin Mart. p. 340 359. Lactantius p. 92. H. Latimer p. 46 50 51. M. Luther p. 46 47 98 120. Lutherans p. 43. P. Martyr p. 98 107 118 360. D. H. Moore p. 358 374. S. Munsterus p. 172 357. Origen p. 292 379. D. Owen p. 172 W. Parker p. 54. D. Patrick p. 277. W. Perkins p. 246. Philo p. 172. J. Philpot p. 47 50. Plato p. 329. Plotin p. 172. Plutarch p. 93. P. S. Polano p. 37. J. Robinson p. 176. A. Sadeel p. 285. Samaritan Copy p. 326. B. Sanderson p. 16 92 93 C. C. Sandius p. 78. Scapula p. 329. Seneca p. 93. W. Sherlock p. 277. Spanish Translation p. 322. J. Sprig p. 127 201 202 293 315 342. D. Stillingfleet p. 89 277. Synesius p. 378. Syriack Translation p. 331. Theophil Antiochenus p. 21 371. Tertullian p. 21 118 360. D. Tillotson p. 89 277. W. Tindall p. 46 113 115 120 226 234. L. Valla p. 36. F. Vatablus p. 36 43 172 357 358. Vossius p. 378. B. Usher p. 16. Waldenses p. 76. J. de Wessalia p. 418. J. Wickliff p. 46. D. Wilkins p. 33 226. R. Woodman p. 341. N. Zegerus p. 36 358. V. Zwinglius p. 46 47. THE INVALIDITY OF John Faldo's Vindication Of his Book called Quakerism No Christianity The Introduction THis Controversie not of Choice but absolute Necessity thus continued and which hath swell'd this Rejoynder beyond both my Desire and Expectation through such great Provocations and multiplyed Wrongs as are utterly inconsistent with the Honour of Truth to put up and which require our serious Notice in its Defence was begun by J. Faldo a Non-conforming Minister at Barnet in a large Discourse entituled QUAKERISM NO CHRISTIANITY disgusted as I have heard at the coming over of some of his Hearers to the Way we profess in which he not only accused us of the Blackest Errors but pretended to prove every Charge out of our own Writings an Essay none had ever yet fallen on besides himself At what Rate soever he proved them certain it is he charged us home and managed it with Equal Disingenuity This it was my Lot to answer which I did in a Book call'd QUAKERISM a New Nick-Name for Old CHRISTIANITY c. Chiefly intending by it to discover how grosly he had mistaken our Principles and unworthily perverted those Words we had employed to maintain them and finally to confirm our true Sence with the Authority of holy Scriptures Unto which he has ventured to give us a Reply doubtless that he might not be thought to have nothing to say so little hath he said to the Purpose which is already become the Discourse of the Moderate and Regret of his Party But what he wants of Solidity he fills up with Air and places his Reflections to the Account of Arguments and when he comes to a Pinch he gives us Confidence for Evidence attended most commonly with a Rout of hard Names to drive it more forcibly home And truly herein he has deceiv'd me for I must needs say I did not take him to be one that would withstand such manifest Conviction and that with no other then Froth Rant and very Obstinacy I hop'd that when I had given him a Serious Answer to his Book he would either have ingenuously acknowledged his Mistake of our Writings with this Satisfaction that he found us not so Heterodox as he apprehended us to be or else have bestowed upon us such a sober and convincing Reply as might have sufficiently proved our Error and justified his own Undertaking But instead thereof behold a Pamphlet stuffed with Rage and scornful Abuse by him entituled A Vindication but is indeed his Condemnation with God and all Good Men. He seems to have deserted the Matter as giving that for gone and under pretence of answering my Book fully payes himself of my Person Of that he has no Mercy I am all that a Man swelled with Passion Prejudice and Revenge can character me to be He complains much yet himself is the Injurer Forgery he layes at my Door and 't is his own beloved Crime He sayes I boast of Victory yet John Faldo is the great Crack Where I rebuke his Froth he returns me Railing and if I improve his own Similes against him then Disingenuous W. P. Devotion he fleers at as if it were an old-fashioned thing My Reprehension of his Ill-Language he counts intollerable Is this your Meek Christian sayes he making it a greater Sin in me to Defend my self then in him to Accuse me Personal and Principâ—â— Reflections run fluently through his first Book My Reproof of that unprovoakt Asperity he storms at and will needs have it to be Reviling and instead of Repenting of his ill beginning with us he hath greatly encreased his score by a more Scurrilous Reply as if the Man's Business were not to make us Better but prove and justifie his own being Worse He would make us in Love with our Errors if such we held that uses so ill a Way to reclaim us Does he think we are to be Jeered or Railed out of our Religion No No. In his first he
went too far In his second he has done little else What shall we say of those whose Pride has brought them to such a pitch of Passion that Rage must follow Reproof and Revenge a Confutation Without out breaking one part of the Law of Modesty I may say for I know he is irrecoverably gone in my Answer Not one Charge can he prove nor one Friend of ours can he make to speak to his Purpose He was for having us to assassinate our selves our Friends he would fain have to turn Executioners to their own Principles This Fool 's Paradise pleased him but the Discreet know and think better Some were startled at the Pretences of the first wherein nothing less then our own Books wâ—â—e to bear Witness against us who are now great Abominators of his Injustice and Railing Blessed be God for that Good Success we hope the like of our following Endeavours I have for the sake of such as expect an Answer sent forth this Rejoynder wherein several weighty Points are as clearly handled as Time Place and other Occasions would permit It greatly concerns all to be fully satisfied therein And I hope there is enough said for all Impartial Readers to reap that Benefit I seek no Revenge I aim not at Reputation God is Record neither has he done enough to raise up the One or question the Other yet he has done doubtless what he could and I must take the Will for the Deed. I shall not show my self so Personally concerned in this Rejoynder as his Personal Reflections would make me 't is below the Spirit of a Christian Man to be disturbed by such Barks of Malice Curs yelping at the Moon neither questions nor ecclipses her Light 'T is a sort of Suffering I must expect to undergo and the best is I find little Difficulty in it And though I shall not cite all his Injustice towards me for that were well nigh to transcribe his Book yet that which may be requisite to give a further Relish of this pretended Christian may be done in its proper place In the mean time I shall betake my self to the Consideration of such Passages in his Reply as may be thought to call for my Rejoynder and that without those insolent Checks frequent Abuses and very vain and gingling Taunts he has cramb'd his Pamphlet with For I can suffer that my self I cannot let the Truth suffer Nor can I think my Silence to his Revilings the worst Answer especially when my Religion will not allow of a like Return in Vindication For though Scoffs and Abusive Reflections may discredit an Adversary with the Weak or Prejudiced yet with a Serious Reader such rather pollute then defend a Cause I will leave the whole Honour of that Way of Confutation to my Adversary not being in such Necessity for Conquest as to take that Dishonourable and Dishonest Way of procuring it If I can make my Rejoynder a little more intelligible then he has done his Reply defend the Truth I own and honour so as to answer my Reader 's Conscience I shall have obtain'd my whole End and maugre the Impetuous and blustering Humour of a few Enraged Adversaries my Mind will sweetly rest in Peace with God in whom I have believed and for whose Cause only I am thus warmly concerned in the World CHAP. I. Of Christianity in General JOhn Faldo in his Book entituled Quakerism No Christianity begins with his Account of Christianity What it is as I honestly observed in my Answer called Quakerism a New Nick-Name for Old Christianity What he laid down was this By Christianity we are not to understand all those Matters of Faith and Practice which Christianity doth obliege us unto for Christianity is a large and noble thing and takes in all that 's worthy in those Religions which it hath out-stript To which I gave this Answer though disingenuously mangled and transposed by my Adversary A strange Definition of true Christianity For if to Believe and Do all Christianity requireth be not Christianity then there is something beyond all that Christianity requireth to be believed and done that is Christianity else I understand nothing This is all he brings of my Answer to ground his Reply upon omitting that part of his Definition and my Return to it which in Honesty stood him most upon to consider But first let us hear his Reply to what he has quoted for Reply and Rejoynder distinguish our matter Reply You may as well affirm a Finger to be a Man when separated from the rest of the Man as common Justice Truth c. to be Christianity Rejoynder Though the Finger be not the Man yet it is Part of the Man therefore common Justice Truth c. by his own Instance are a Part of Christianity but if no Part of Christianity then may Christianity be without Justice or Truth My Drift was in my Answer and is in my Rejoynder That something of what was at Antiâ—ch called Christianity was in the World before Chrst's Visible Appearance at Jerusalem And that his Coming was but to bring the World to a more improved Knowledge and large Enjoyment of that Divine Power Wisdom Life and Righteousness which former Ages had comparatively but an obscure Sight and imperfect Sense of and this was my Reason because the contrary Opinion excludes all antecedent times from any Share in Christianity and plainly shuts them out of all Hope of Eternal Salvation which my Adversary takes a little notice of in these words Rep. If the Scripture had any where said that none but Christians shall be saved his Consequence had been grounded But he might have found asserted in my Book THAT SALVATION DEPENDS ON A RIGHT BELIEF AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE Rejoyn The Scripture saith as I instanced for Proof of that little Part of my Answer by him considered For there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men whereby we must be Saved neither is there Salvation in any other Now how to distinguish betwixt a Man being saved by Christ and his being a true Christian I must declare my Ignorance Nay John Faldo though in Contradiction to himself tells us That Salvation depends on a right Belief and Acceptance of the Covenant of Grace Let him either show how a Man may rightly believe and accept of the Covenant of Grace and yet be no Christian or else he does nothing to his own purpose whatever he does for ours Christ is called God's Covenant The New Covenant stands in him How a Man may believe in the Covenant and not in Christ How in Christ and not be a Christian concerns John Faldo to reconcile only Reader let me tell thee that of about Six Pages concerning Christianity this Man has not undertaken Eight Lines to reply to neither are those the Strength of my Discourse To conclude I dare not repute Enoch to be no Christian who walked with God Abraham no Christian who saw Christ's Day and rejoyced
on this Passage in Job But there is a Spirit in Man and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth him Understanding There is no man saith he that doth not partake of the Spirit and from Almighty God and his Spirit Vnderstanding and Wisdom is to be sought Adds Clarius there is no Vnderstanding in men nisi ab altissimo afflentur unless they be inspired from the Most High Drusius is yet clearer Our Eternal Help is from God who illuminates our Minds without whom we are unable to understand any thing in Divine Matters and that inspires men with that Vnderstanding which neither Age nor Industry nor Doctrine of any man can possibly give Cradock a famous Independent-Preacher tells us That if men had all the Sermons that ever they heard recorded in their Memory though some may think them very knowing yet truly they might be miserable confused and blind For that it is the Spirit of God alone in the Heart clears orders assures and settles things yea that the Scripture is a dead and speechless thing without the Spirit of God This sayes he is the exceeding Greatness of the Power of the Spirit of God And it is a wonderful thing to see how quickly the Spirit of God will make a Schollar ripe In short as to him he greatly extolls the Dispensation of the Spirit and pag. 210. ventures at a kind of Prophecy That in these latter times God will exalt his Spirit and throw down every thing that exalts it self against the Spirit and stands in his Light He affirms the Spirit to be within that the Children of God are taught by it for sayes he If thou be a Saint thou hast the Spirit of God as truly dwelling in thee as in the Lord Jesus Christ now Blasphemy and that the Way to know this Spirit to be in us is from its own Evidence and that it is the Way to know it in others too from whence he draws such kind of Conclusions That the Lord Jesus is anointed and so are they we have the same Vnction with Christ we have the same Offices with Christ we have the same Love of God the same Spirit and the same Kingdom with Christ The Church is the Fulness of Jesus Christ It is said of the Oyl that was poured on Aaron It ran upon the Skirts of his Garments so Christ being anointed that Oyl runs on us Nay the least Saint is as real a Prophet Priest and King as the Lord Jesus was for he dwells in him only in all things he must have the Preheminence William Dell no small man in the Account of many who profess not themselves to be Quakers positively saith in Answer to this Objection That men now are not to receive the Spirit in that immediate way to understand the Scriptures in which it was given to them who wrote the Scriptures â—he very Point depending between J. Faldo and me Surely Mr. Simpson will not deny that the Spirit is given to that whole Church which is the Body of Christ seeing Paul saith If any man have not Christ's Spirit he is none of his he is no Member of his Now the Spirit is alwayes given to whomsoever it is given by the Father and the Son as Christ taught his Disciples promising them that the Father would send the Spirit to them in his Name And also that he himself would send it to them from the Father and was this Promise only made to them and not to all the Faithful also Doth not Paul say Rom. 12. 13. of the whole Church that by one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body and are all made to drink into one Spirit because ye are Sons God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts crying Abba Father Gal. cap. 4. And do they not receive it alike immediatetly from God Who can give the Spirit of God to Man but God himself When God promised to pour out his Spirit in the last dayes upon all Flesh did he name any Difference in the pouring of it out saying some shall receive it immediately and some mediately No But all who receive it receive it alike immediately from him And by this Spirit saith W. Dell did Holy Men speak the Scripture and by this onely do Holy Men of God understand the Scripture To this Objection that Men now are to get Knowledge to wit of the Scripture by Studies and humane Learning and not by Inspiration still the very matter betwixt us he boldly briefly and smartly answers This Doctrine carryes the visible Mark of Antichrist upon it For it is only the Inspiration of God that enables a man to know the things of God and not a man's Study or humane Learning It is not in this case in him that wills and runs but in God that sheweth Mercy Wherefore Christ hath said No man knoweth the Son but the Father and he to whomsoever the Father will reveal him Wherefore Paul prayes for the Ephesians that God would give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Christ without which Spirit of Revelation Christ and the Father can never be known Wherefore to deny the Inspiration of God's Spirit now is the most gross and palpable Doctrine of Antichrist and his Prophets To confirm what he writes He brings several Testimonies out of Chrisostom Wickliff Tindall 〈◊〉 Luther Latimer and Calvin I will transscribe but two of them Of the Knowledge of the Gospel Zwinglius speaks thus We must needs be taught of God not of Men for this is the Saying of the eternal Truth which knows not how to Lye John 6. Luther gives us his Mind thus The Scriptures are not to be understood but by that very Spirit by which they were writ No man sees one jot or tittle in the Scriptures but he that hath the Spirit of God For all men have a darkened Heart in such sort that if they could speak and know how to bring forth all things of the Scripture yet have they not any true Sense or right Knowledge of them For saith Luther The Spirit is required to the Vnderstanding of the whole Scripture and of every part thereof To this I am willing to add the Testimony of a Famous English Godly and Learned Martyr John Philpot in a Conference with Bishop Bonner in his eleaventh Examination before him and several other Bishops B. Bonner asking what meanest thou by writing in the beginning of thy Bible Spiritus est vicarius Christi in terris The Spirit is Christ's Vicar on Earth Philpot gave him Answer after this manner That Christ since his Ascension worketh all things in us by his Spirit and by his Spirit doth dwell in us Again in Answer to one Morgan who mockingly queried Have you alone the Spirit of God and not we he thus answered I say not that I alone had the Spirit of God But as many as abide in the true Faith of Christ have the Spirit of God as well as I.
Again by way of Defence of his severe Rebuke of this insolent and scoffing Adversary like mine when he told him that he Raged he thus replyed Thy foolish Blasphemies have compelled the Spirit of God that is in me to speak that which I have said to thee thou Enemy of all Righteousness I tell thee plainly thou art not able to answer that Spirit of Truth which speaketh in me for the Defence of Christ's true Religion Of this Judgment were the most eminent Martyrs I shall conclude with John Bradford's plain Assertion to the Arch-Bishop of York We do believe and know the Scriptures as Christ's Sheep not because the Church saith they are the Scriptures but because they be so being thereof assured by the same Spirit which wrote and spake them How all these Testimonies can be True and yet Inspiration Untrue I shall leave with the sober Reader to judge And if my Arguments are still Irrational and my Testimonies Insufficient or Erroneous in his Account it will become his Pretences to Divinity not with Squibs and Railing but Reason Scripture and better Authorities to discover it The second way he took to prove our Equalling our Writings to and preferring them before the Scriptures is our Pretence to Infallibility Hear what he sayes Rep. Infallibility W. P. does not deny to be their Pretence but would make it very necessary and casts the contrary Opinion again and again and again too as Dirt in my Face This is your Fallible Errable Uncertain J. Faldo Rejoyn It is ill done of my Adversary to call my Answer Dirt which is so serious and to which he has replyed little else but Dirt I perceive all along notwithstanding the vast Difference he represents us to be at as to a Worldly Condition this Priest is ten times more enraged at the Just Consequences I draw from his own fallible Doctrines then he thinks a Quaker ought to be displeased with him for his numerous and scurrilous Provocations But if it be Dirt it sticks fast still for I find none of it wiped off And how dirty it is the Reader may judge by perusing it He that doth not Infallibly know what he pretends to know of God or Religion knows nothing certainly which concerns either Now if men cannot attain to any such Certainty farewell all Religion For that a man should affirm and not know whereof That he should profess God and Religion yet be uncertain of both But that J. Faldo should preach up and profess himself Errable in all such Doctrine Who ought to believe him Why spends he his Breath at a venture What Reason have any to believe him against us who is Uncertain of what he says against us by his own Principle This is your Independent Errable Fallible Vncertain J. Faldo Reader this is by much the greatest part of that Dirt he sayes I cast in his Face But I must tell him that greater Ignominy no Man can well bring upon the Gospel then that those who are converted by it are both Vncertain of the Truth of it and their own Conversion he either seems to have forgot or never to have understood the Meaning of those words delivered by the Apostle Paul That their Hearts might be comforted and being knit together in Love and unto all Riches of the full Assurance of Vnderstandding to the Acknowledgment of the Mystery of God Again And we desire that every one of you do shew the same Dilligence to the full Assurance of Hope unto the End Let us draw near with a true Heart in full Assurance of Faith And the Apostle John tells us He that believeth on the Son of God hath the Witness in himself That they knew that they were of God and the whole World lay in Wickedness And that the Son of God was come and had given them an Vnderstanding that they knew him that was True and were in him that is True even in his Son Jesus Christ And this is the Record that God has given to us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life 1 John 5. 10 11 12 19 20. If these prove not Certainty in Faith Hope and eternal Life there is no Truth proved in Scripture for that People should have full Assurance Christ in them their Hope and Life and Witness of these things in themselves knowing him that 's true and being in him that 's true and yet be Uncertain of their Faith Hope and Life and doubtfuâ—l of their Inward VVitness and the Evidence and Knowledge that is given by him cannot be less contradictory then to affirm men Ignorant of what they know or guilty of what they are Innocent To be infallibly assured of what we believe is no Error in the Opinion of John Philpot and Bishop Latimer whatever use is made of it now to discriminate a Quaker The first to the Bishop of Chiehester who reflected upon him as conceiting himself better learned them the Bishop and the rest of his Brethren a Flout my lordly Adversary has more then once bestowed on me answered I take upon me the Name of no Learning I boast of no Knowledge but of Faith and of Christ and that I am bound undoubtedly or infallibly to know as I am sure I do The Bishop replyes These Hereticks take upon them to be sure of all things they stand in you should say rather with Humility I trust I know Christ then that I be sure thereof which is so like J. Faldo that he seems to be the Bishop revived proudly catechising reproving the poor Quakers But hear John Philpot's bold and smart Answer Let him doubt of his Faith that listeth saith he God give me alwayes to believe that I am sure of true Faith and Favour in Christ Bishop Latimen in his second Letter directed to Sr. Edward Bainton a Favourer of him that little time he lived in Queen Maries Reign who through his desire to preserve him was willing to allay the honest Man's Zeal for the Truth from the great Uncertainty that is in the World about Truth sayes he First ye mislike that I say I am sure that I preach the Truth saying in Reproof the same that God knoweth certain Truth Indeed God alone knoweth all certain Truth and God alone knoweth it as of himself and none knoweth certain Truth but God and those that be taught of God as saith St. Paul For God hath shewed it unto them And Christ himself They shall be all taught of God And your Friends deny not but that certain Truth is communicated to us according to Capacity But as to my Presumption and Arrogancy either I am Certain or Vncertain that it is Truth that I preach If it be Truth why may not I say so If I be Vncertain why dare I be so bold to preach it And if your Friends be Preachers themselves after their Sermon I pray you ask them whether they be certain and sure they
Rule and Controversie on foot were manifestly implyed especially when I made no Advantage to my self by it But every such little thing must be called by a hard Name or John Faldo would have little to write and but a few to believe his Books But to the Point avoiding many Occasions for severe Reflection Perhaps he grants us what we can desire For upon my asserting that what was and is more general then the Scriptures is most properly the General Rule he replies Rep. I never affirmed them to be a general Rule nor is it that I charge the Quakers for denying but I charge them with denying them to be any Rule at all of Faith and Life he mistakes the Question and yields my Charge to be their Principle and pleads for it p. 54. Rejoyn If that be not the Question how have I granted the Question Do I plead for his Charge because I plead against the Scriptures being the General Rule p. 54. which he sayes is no part of the Charge and what himself undertakes not to contradict But sure I am if the Scriptures be not the General Rule as he implies and thereby cuts his own Throat and grants to the Quakers the Question as largely as needs to be They are not The Rule by way of Excellency or the Rule by which God's People in all Ages have walked for that was and is General So that the Scripture upon his own Concession is but a particular Rule and therefore must be subservient to the Spirit who is the great Evangelical Rule as are many other Instruments that have been made use of upon several Occasions He might have learn'd thus much in p. 53. of my Answer where I say that we acknowledge the Scriptures to contain many Holy Rules for Godliness I would know of him how that could be and yet deny them to be a Rule in any sense But we have good Reason to deny them to be the Rule of Faith and Judge of Controversies who can neither give nor govern Faith nor Judge of Controversies as the many different Perswasions in the World fully prove for then all that have the Scriptures would be of one Perswasion as it is most certain those are who have and walk by the One Spirit VVherefore since the Scriptures themselves testifie to the Spirit as the great Judge Rule and Leader especially under the New Covenant where the Law is not written on Tables of Stone much less Paper but of Flesh to wit the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of Men the Spirit and not the Scripture must be the Rule of Faith and Judge of Controversie In short The Scripture cannot try a present Motion or Prophecy Bad Spirits are wholely hid from it For Instance Paul reproved not the Spirit that cryed These are the Servants of the Most High God that shew unto us the VVay of Eternal Life from the Scriptures neither did Peter Deceitful Ananias but from the heavenly Instinct and Savour Relish or Discerning they received from the Spirit of God within them 'T was in a Case of such Difficulty that some in these late Times have writ That the Scripture gave no general standing Rule for all particular Cases in fleeing or standing in Times of Persecution but that it was the Frame of the Spirits of the People of God to retire at that season which whether it be true or false that the Spirit of God did so influence them two things are undeniable first That it was the Frame of their Spirits witness their Practice secondly That the Scripture was not sufficient for them to square themselves by on that Occasion And what else do Professors mean when they advise People to seek the Lord in this or the other Case why do they not go seek the Scriptures rather Doth not such a Practice manifestly detect the Scriptures of Insufficiency and evidently prove their Acknowledgment both of Revelation and their Recourse to a more Living Spiritual Immediate and Sufficient Rule VVhy else do they seek God's Mind say they by Prayers not formal but by the Spirit But this is become despised Heresie with J. Faldo For Faith in his Sense rises no higher then so many Articles laid down suppose truly according to the bare Letter of the Scriptures which the Devil can believe as well as he This Faith I call meerly Verbal and Historical of which the Scripture may be a Rule but not of Saving Faith for of that Faith only the Spirit can be the Rule and why because the Spirit of God alone reveals him to the Soul who is the Object of Faith and works Faith in the Soul upon that Object and as this only begets Faith so it increases enlivens rules governs and strengthens Faith unto Dominion This alone unfolds those Mysteries spoak of in the Scriptures Wherefore answered the Eunuch unto Philip when he queried Understandest thou what thou readest How should I unless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I had a guide as sayes our old English Translation which implies That the things declared of by the Scriptures are not to be understood from the Scriptures but a more Living Spiritual and Certain Guide Wherefore we affirm That Repentance Faith Sanctification Justification Redemption Regeneration c. are all a Mystery never to be disclosed but by the Revelation and Operation of the Spirit of God in Man the Scripture can only testfie to such things that they are but it is the Spirit alone that works them and illuminates guides governs and rules the Soul in and about such things 'T is true all the Spirit leads to is according to the Scriptures it overturns them not for they declare of most of these Operations yet because we believe know and witness them from the Conviction and Operation of the Spirit before we can possibly understand them in Scripture therefore the Scripture is but a Declaration and not the Rule of Faith c. And the only best way to determine any Controversie on foot about Repentance Faith Sanctification Justification c. is the Judgment of that Spirit which works them For how can the Scripture that has so many Meanings put upon it determine which of those meanings is the true Let them shew me that Scripture that plainly and uninterpretatedly tells me such a Proposition is True and such a one is False that consists only of their additional Meanings such a new Nick-named People right and such wrong and they do their Business if they cannot as it is impossible they should they must have recourse to something else to rule determine and what can that be besides that Eternal Spirit which worked the true Faith and ruled the holy Life of those Ancients who gave forth this Declaration of Faith and Life Can any Man tâ—ll another's Mind better then himself or resolve any Doubt or clear up any Mis-understanding concerning what is delivered better then he that spoak it To understand those holy Men's Mind and disprove them that mistake it
there is an unavoidable necessity of coming to that Spirit which made it theirs 'T is granted that all True Doctrine is according to Scripture but the Question is What is true Doctrine Scripture is a strong Testimony but what enlightens the Mind resolves Doubts and works Faith and informs guides and helps the Soul through the whole Work of Conversion and without which the Testimony of Scripture it self is truly an unintelligible and an incredible thing This must be nothing less then the Spirit it self In short The Scripture is not the Rule but Declaration of Faith and Knowledge That only must be the Rule of Faith which gave and ruled the Faith of those that gave forth Scripture And because none can give or work Faith now but what did give and work Faith then 't is not the Scripture but that which was before the Scripture even the Spirit of Truth which was the Author Rule and Finisher of their Faith And if our Faith in this Age be the same with the holy Men's of old that gave forth the Scriptures they are no more our Rule now then they were theirs then who had a Rule and a Faith before them But as it was a Declaration of what they believed knew and witnessed so it is a Declaration of what we now believe and desire to know and witness John's Epistle was not writ to be the Saints Rule for he directed them to the Anointing yet their Faith and Life of which the Anointing was the Rule was according to John's Epistle Agaiâ— The Declaration in time was after the Faith declared of but where there was Faith there was a Rule consequently that Declaration which was after that Faith and Rule was not that Rule so that the most that can be said against us is this The Scriptures cannot be a Declaration of your Faith till you come to such a Belief of the Truth 's thereby expressed as they had who writ them and a great Truth it is But then say we The Spirit must work that Faith before the Scriptures can be accounted a Declaration of our Faith or we interested in them And because that Faith has a Rule so soon as it has a being it must needs follow that the Declaration of that Faith cannot be either the Author or Rule of it Here lies the Mistake of my Adversary and many more that because what a Man does is according or agreeable to a thing therefore that is the Rule of the thing done To proceed For this reason it is a Constraint lies upon us from God to direct and exhort all People diligently to mind that Measure of the Holy Spirit which God hath given them to profit with as that alone by which Man comes to a certain Knowledge of his Mind and Will and to do the good and acceptable Thing in his Sight and that by which his poor labouring Mind is brought out of the Incertainties numerous Interpretations vain Janglings Men have pesterâ—d the World withal who have darkened Counsel and bewildered many in their Conscientious Enquieries after God drawing out their Minds from the seasoning Principle of Life instead of bringing them nearer to the Lord for which great and heavy Plagues hang over the Head of this Generation who make War against the Spirit with the Letter instead of confirming its Appearance from the Letter and under Pretence of calling the Scriptures the Word of God and Rule of Faith and Life divert People from Waiting for the Word nigh unto themselves which is the Word of Faith and gives Life to all that believe and obey it decrying us as Seducers and deriding us as Euthusiastick Canters because we prefer and turn all to the Spirit of Life within an Out-side Carnal Envious and Hypocrical Generation as it is I will conclude this Head with a Passage out of some certain Authors that were never professed nor reputed Quakers Wherefore they who are true Believers sayes the first and have received Christ's Spirit their Judgment is to be preferred in the Tryal of Spirits before a whole Council of Clergy-Men And they only who can try Spirits by the Spirit of God and Doctrines by the Word of God written in their Hearts by the Spirit can in measure discern all Spirits in the World And the Spirit of Christ which dwells in all true Christians cannot deceive nor be deceived in the Tryal of Spirits With abundance more to the same purpose The other brings in Two Objections frequently made against us and by him pertinently answered for us Object 1. It is said Isa 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if any Man speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in him Answ Truth there is the Law and Testimony in the Spirit as well as in the Letter The Law of God is in the Heart there it is written and there it testifies the Truth of God and if any Man speak not according to this Rule it is because there is no Light or Morning risen in him The Spiritual Man judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no Man Object 2. It is said Gal. 6. 16. That whoso walketh according to this Rule Peace upon him Answ True but that is not the Rule of the Letter but of the Spirit even the Rule of the New Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Read the Words before and you shall see it There is nothing of any Value but the New Creature And whosoever walketh according to This Rule Peace shall be upon him c. And truly my Brethren it is my earnest Desire to see Souls to live more in the Spirit and less in the Letter and then they will see that we judge of the Letter by the Spirit and not of the Spirit by the Letter which occasions so much Ignorance amongst us and those who profess themselves to be our Teachers are chief in this Trespass Observe this J. Faldo Again The Spirit of God who is God is the ALONE RULE of a spiritual Christian c. Further declaring That some setting the Scriptures in the room of the Spirit they make them an Idol Ibid. p. 248. Let him either discard these Men from being Christians that were reputed great and refined Professors before the Breaking forth of the People called Quakers or leave off censuring this part of our Doctrine as no part of Christianity Nor have we any Ground to believe that they were intended for the Rule at first since they were not given forth all at one time and yet every Age stood in need of such a Rule but on divers Occasions as Miscarriages in the Churches Threatning of Judgments Prophecies Histories and Comfortings under Afflictions c. required Nor do they carry the least Method or Designment of the great Rule with them here they are Proper there Figurative in one thing Literal in another Allegorical without all Definition of Terms framing of Articles such Plainness and
Coherence in Matter and Intelligibleness of Language to all Nations which may render them such a Rule Besides it is more then probable that much of the Writings of the New Testament are lost from Luke ' s Word 's in the beginning of his History where he tells us that he was but ONE OF THE MANY who did set forth a Declaration of those things which were most surely believed amongst them even sayes he as they delivered them unto us which from the beginning were Eye-witnesses and Ministers of the Word For it must be considered when Luke writ his Narrative that John's History was not in being and some will have it that Luke wrote before Mark But whether it be so or no certain it is that Mark and Matthew could not make up those many that took that Work in hand neither can we think he should call Matthew and Mark 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie with the Athenians a Multitude for a certain Learned Man will have it That no better Greek was spoken then that wherein Luke wrote his History That those Narratives were not Apocriphal but at least of equal Authority with his dedicated to Theophilus his own words tell us For those that writ were such as related what they received from Eye-witnesses and the first Ministers of the VVord Besides which there were in the Apostles Age and the two following Centuries several Writings reputed genuine which either dyed out of the World through that Neglect brought upon them by the Advantage some accounted Hereticks might make of them in Defence of their Opinions or stifled by the subtilty of the Romish Church being more expresly opposite to her growing Superstition and Grandeur And for such Writings as still remain among us methinks it should not be unknown to a Man of J. Faldo's Pretences to Learning how much the Authority of several of them has been questioned by some and exploded by others though never by any of us particularly the Epistle to the Hebrews the Epistle of James second and third of John second of Peter Jude the Revelations and with some Matthew's History it self has not escaped the like Censure Of which Reader thou hast an Account at large in that Notable French-Man Dallaeus De usa Patrum and a late Discourse mainly directed against the Roman Church entituled Christoph Christophori Sandy Nucleas Historiae Ecclesiasticae I would not any from hence should repute me so Impious as to endeavour to weaken the Testimony of Scripture or beget any the least Doubt of the Doctrine thereby declared only upon our Adversary's Principles which so strongly oppugn'd the Doctrine of Revelation or Inspiration I must take leave to conclude in his Name and upon his Principles that the VVord of God is imperfect and a great part of the Rule of Faith and Life and Judge of Controversie is lost and that he has no more Reason to believe the Truth of those great things related in that part of the Scriptures yet remaining then any Legend at Rome For exclude Revelation and what Ground has he for his Faith besides Tradition and what Evidence can he give us upon his Principles of the Truth of the former and Falshood of the latter These Councils and Synods who collected and canonized them he accepts for one part and rejects for the other Again he trusts their Judgment in picking and chusing and yet rejects their Interpretation as if it were not so difficult to relish Genuine from Spurious Scriptures as when rightly discerning them to be such to understand them which is an absolute Contradiction For how should they know true from False and not understand the True That Council which made the Writings of the New Testament Canonical left out the Revelations as Apocriphal yet I hope J. Faldo accepts that as heartily and unquestionably as the rest And that Council which took in the Revelations and made it first Canonical brought in with it the Books of Tobi Judith c. which J. Faldo I suppose with all his Brethren rejects as Apocriphal Thus are meer Men and the Judgments of such Councils as he otherwise rejects his Rule for believing the Scriptures that remain to be Canonical if it be proper to say the first is the Rule of his Canon which is too short and the other which is superfluous as by his Account My next Question is What was his Rule for believing those Councils I am sure he must have been without all other then a Willingness to believe so because they said so which how like this is to his Papist unto whom he would resemble us let all sober Protestants consider I cannot see how he is able to oppugn any thing they say upon Tradition who mounts no higher for his Assurance then Tradition and such too as rests mostly within their Hands But if it shall be granted us that to know Scripture to have been given forth upon Inspiration Men must have Recourse to Inspiration then not so much Councils and Synods as the Inspiration of the Almighty which gives certain Understanding is our Rule in the Case as well saith the Assembly of Divines in their Confession of Faith chap. 1. § 4. The Authority of the holy Scripture for which it ougâ—t to be believ'd and obeyed depends not on the Testimony of any man or Church but only upon God who is Truth it self the Author thereof And since J. Faldo himself confesseth the Spirit necessary to the Vnderstanding of the Scripture which implies the Insufficiency of the Scripture to give that Understanding of it self the Spirit must be the Rule of our Vnderstanding the Scripture as it was before the Rule of our Faith concerning the Divine Authority of Scripture For the Light of the Interpreter and not the Thing interpreted is the Rule both of Faith and Practice which is undeniably evident from the reconciling of seeming Contradictions If the meer Letter of the Scripture were to be followed no Man could ever make them meet in the same Truth The many Different Perswasions at this Day about Religion prove this whose respective Authors and Abettors think it no mean Advantage to their Cause that they hold the Scriptures to be their Rule But such as come unto the Spirit of God know and believe the Truth as it is in Jesus David ' s Key that opens and none shuts is given unto them and the Secrets of their God remain with them This reconciles those seeming Contradictions and leads through the Greatest and Deepest Truths mentioned in Scripture without the least Doubt or Stumble This is the Super-excellent Benefit of the New-Covenant Administration the Promise of the Father the Instructer Leader and Comforter of all God's Children And for a further Account of which I refer the Reader to my Book entituled The Spirit of Truth Vindicated from pag. 16. to pag. 47. and Reason against Railing from pag. 24. to pag. 46. To prove his former Charge he produces this Passage out of James Naylor
things which they received of the Apostles therefore to understand the Scriptures in those things which are necessary to Salvation for those things those Believers had received of the Apostles With much to the same Purpose in that Chapter I could produce many more Testimonies from Great and Famous modern Writers besides the Pathetical Expressions of a multitude of Martyrs both English and Forreign as well famous for their Learning as great Fidelity that express themselves fully in Defence of our Assertion That to bring Men and Women to the Obedience of the Everlasting Word nigh in the Heart is so far from being repugnant to or undervaluing of the holy Scriptures as without their Acquaintance with it and Conformity to it they can never be read by any with Instruction and Comfort But if God please there may be a time for our more full Disquisition of this Point But be thinks to supply his Wilful Omission and Disingenuous Carriage about my Answer to the ill use he made of my other Proof by reflecting upon my Honesty in transscribing his Second taken out of our Friend James Parnâ—ll his Book entituled The Shield of the Truth pag. 10. because I added not these words Seeking the Living among the Dead at the end of this Sentence By the same Light do we discern him to be in Darkness who putteth the Letter for the Light and so draw People's Minds from the Light within them to the Light without them And as if he had fully obtain'd his Will upon us by making us speak what he untruly sayes we own and practice he goes on This needs no Comment to render its Proof valid and is out of the Reach of the utmost stretch of Penn ' s Wit and Confidence to put any Appearance of another Construction upon it But methinks this Sound renders him very Empty It must be a very plain Case if not so much as the Appearance of another Construction can be made upon it then what he would have it to import but I am wholely of another mind and that there is no Difficulty in making a very free and sufficient Defence for the Passage I ought to take it for granted that the whole of his Objection lies against the Words I omitted inasmuch as he pretends not to reply to my Vindication of the former part of the Sentence which was to this purpose That by turning People to the Light of Christ we did not teach them to undervalue but how they should most truly understand and value the Scriptures that the Spirit was more excellent then the Letter the Power then the Form of Godliness yet both Letter and Form to be respected in their place and that we only took our Aim against such as put the Letter in the Place of the Spirit thereby keeping People from the Holy Spirit by which alone the Scriptures are read and understood unto Edâ—fication and Comfort My Adversary I say taking no notice of this I must think he had nothing to say saving his Charge of the fore-mention'd Omission To which thus much It was not designed I took and defended the Substance of the Passage For I would faiâ— know what Life is to be had in the Letter without the Aâ—â—â—stance of the Light or Spirit of Christ If then the Letter is Dead without the Spirit which is Old Protestant Doctrine Can it be any thing else then seeking the Living among the Dead to draw People from the Light and Spirit of Christ within to seek for Life in the meer Letter without â—or so the Question ran This was the State of the Jewish Church in her Apostacy and is the Condition of Thousands at this very day who under Pretence of Honouring the Scriptures despise grieve and in a sense quench the Spirit that gave them forth for which God is wroth with the false Christian and his Religion Worship is an Abomination in his Sight and great sudden will be their Distress for his Indignation is kindled aud his Fury ready to be revealed and in that day shall such lofty Boasters as my Adversary be brought â—â—ow their Spirits faint and Hearts fall within them â—at what time the Light Spirit and Life of Jesus shall be unto all that trust therein a Rock of Everlasting Strength an immoveable Foundation and Sanctuary full of Comfort Peace and Joy forever And indeed this thing â—oth so deeply affect my Soul that I cannot refrain from â—rying Wo Wo Wo against all such Watchmen of the Night who rack their Wits for Tales and Stories to care well-meaning and devout People from the Enjoyâ—ent of the Life Vertue and Substance of the Scripâ—ures Nick-naming that only Way by which so great â—nd heavenly Benefit can ever be procured I mean the â—nspiration of the Almighty with such hateful Terms â—s Enthusiasm Quakerism Familism a more refined â—rt of Ranterism c. and what else may keep them â— their Snare stop their Enquiery and render the â—iving Eternal Truth of God odious in their Sight â—etter were it for such that they had never been born then â—nder Pretence of being Ministers of the Gospel to â—urder the Life and Spirit of it estranging the minds of People from that unchangeable Covenant instead of inâ—teresting them in it thereby manifestly depriving their Souls of blessed and Eternal Priviledges They are like Troops of Robbers indeed as the Prophet anciently said they murder by Consent most of them combining against the in-dwelling Life of Jesus and immediate Springings and Flowings forth of his Spirit in the Hearts of his Children Let it never be forgotten that the first Murderer was a Sacrificer and the deadliest Persecutor a Pharisee Nor has there been a more Venemous Enrag'd Blood-thirsty Generation of Men then the Formal Literal Professor who ever called God Father and Christ Beelzebub who crucified his Son and persecuted the Apostles reputing them Mad Men that is Phanaticks or Enthusiasts Seditious Fellows Sect-Masters Introducers of New Doctrines Innovators upon the Church Turners of the World up-side down in fine Despisers of the VVritings of the Law and the Prophets while they themselves thought to have Eternal Life therein being of the Circumcision Sons of Abraham and Children of the Promise Oh! that these of our Day might Repent which those of that Day did not lest neglecting God's present Visitation neither entering themselves nor suffering others to enter into the blessed Rest the miserable Doom of that Hard-hearted Generation overtake them and that speedily CHAP. V. Of Scripture-Commands what are binding and what not Our Adversary's Disingenuity observed BUt however he has fail'd in his last Chapter doubtless he thinks he has done my Business in this he begins like himself Rep. My Charge and Argument in this Chapter is The Quakers affirm the Doctrines Commands Promises holy Examples expressed in Scripture as such not to be at all binding to us such an Argument and so proved by me mark Reader as a Thousand Penns can never invalid it
for them to have come to the true Sense and Knowledge of him and escaped that Wicked Murder and the Deplorable Consequences of it had not been to have waited upon God for the Convictions Discoveries and Guidance of his Holy Spirit since Flesh and Blood and the utmost VVit of Man with the Exactness of the meer Letter of the Scriptures could never give the certain Discerning Knowledge and Savour of him unto that Generation whose very VVords themselves were Spirit and Life It was by a Divine Touch Sense and Knowledge given from above that he was truly diâ—cern'd own'd and follow'd of those that believ'd in him and cleav'd to him therefore said Christ No man cometh to me but whom my Father draweth Where was that Drawing but within Again Simon Peter Flesh and Blood hath not revealed what who I am but my Father that is in Heaven So that at last Men must come to this Spiritual Sense in themselves to understand and apply the very Commands of Scripture otherwise not Justice but detestable Murder may under the Name of it be confidently perpetrated Wherefore we Exhort all To have Recourse unto God's Spirit that illuminates certainly and gives to act unblamably by which the Scriptures are only understood as they should be and People brought into the Possession of that Life of Righteousness they plentifully declare of Had it not been for this inward Discerning there had been no Ground for the Abolishment of the whole Jewish Service which follow'd some years after Christ's Ascension And it is the same Eternal Spirit that is the great Rule and Judge now which God promised more particularly to shed abroad in the latter Dayes and is the great inseparable Priviledge from the New and Everlasting Covenant But to conclude Why should it seem so Heterâ—dox in J. Faldo's Judgment since if Men believe the Scripture upon the Testimony of the Spirit they practise it by the Knowledge and Power of the same How else could Paul have decry'd Jewish Ceremonies or we know what to take and what to leave Or why do we omit any Command therein mention'd They Cicumcised therefore must I Circumcise They Baptized must I therefore Baptize with forty more particular Cases wherein nothing can secure any from the Imitation of them set Conviction or Spiritual Disâ—erning aside I will offer two or three Testimonies from approved Men in our Defence William Tindal that ancient faithful Protestant Martyr whom J. Fox that writ the Books of Martyrs calls the English Apostle speaks thus That it is impossible to understand in the Scripture more then a Turk for whosoever or any that hath not the Law of God writ in his Heart to fulfil it Again Without the Spirit it is impossible to understand them John Jewel Bishop of Salisbury in his excellent Book against the Papists writ above One Hundred Years ago sayes thus to our purpose The Spirit of God is bound neither to Sharpness of Wit nor to abundance of Learning Oftentimes the Unlearned see that thing that the Learned cannot see Christ saith I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the Wise and the Politick and hast revealed them unto the Little Ones Therefore Epiphanius saith Only to the Children of the Holy Ghost all the Holy Scriptures are plain and clear Again Flesh and Blood is not able to understand the Holy Will of God without SPECIAL Revelation Therefore Christ gave Thanks unto his Father and likewise opened the Hearts of his Disciples that they might understand the Scriptures Without this special Help and PROMPTING of God's Holy Spirit the Word of God is unto the Reader be he never so wise or well learned as the Vision of a Sealed Book Now unless Men are bound to do what they do not understand how to do then only are they to do them where they are Revealed or Discovered to them which being by the Spirit only according to their Doctrine the Testimony and Discoveries of the Spirit are requisite to our understanding of the Scriptures which implies and comprehends a Discriminating Knowledge or Certain Discerning of what we should practise from what is not oblieging upon us to practise and consequently that we ought not to run head-long without such knowledge T. Collier an Ancient and Eminent Man among the Western-Separatists of our Nation writeth thus For me to speak of God because another speaks of him and to be able to talk much of God as I read of him in Scripture NOT BEING MADE ONE IN THE SAME TRUTH I see and speak BUT WHAT ANOTHER HATH SPOKEN and so may speak truly sometimes of God but it is by Hear-say ANOTHER MAN's TRUTH BUT NOT MINE So I doubt many a Soul BOASTS IN ANOTHER MAN's LIGHT Again I see that external Actings according to a Rule without is nothing if not flowing from a Principle of Life and Love within Which is more then E. B. said of whom J. Faldo with unworthy Reflection and base Wrestings hath said so much Thus much of sober Rejoynder and much more then my Adversary's scurrilous Reply deserves but the ConCernment I have for the Information of others drew this from me I shall pass by his Ranting Strain against us at the top of his 36th page desiring to keep close to the Business and where I may without breaking his Matter avoid troubling the World with a Transcript of them I am very careful to do it But this next particular as many more being little else and since he suggests thereby an Untruth with great Confidence against me I should wrong both the Truth and my self in omitting it He charged us with Denying the Scriptures to be any Means to know God Christ or our selves for which he quoted W. Smith's Primmer pag. 2. because he there tells the Questioner that Christ is the Only Way to which J. Faldo answered That though Christ said No Man can come to the Father but by me yet he did not say that there is no coming to the Knowledge of God but by Christ thereby making as I observed in my Return to him a Difference between coming to the Father by the Son and to God by Christ though no other Name be given under Heaven then the Name of Jeâ—us Christ c. That we never deny'd the Scriptures to be a Means in God's Hand to convince instruct or confirm nor could this be W. Smith's Meaning since he would thereby have cut off all Benefit from accruing to People by his Books and also that Ministry he had receiv'd of God In short From our Denying that there is any other Way to the Father but Christ he concludes that we exclude the Scriptures and consequently our own Books and Ministry with them from being any way Instrumental of Good however if I err'd it was in good Company and that J. F. must acknowledge for worthy W. Tindal p. 80. of his Works and H. Bullenger a learned and famous Reformer in Switzerland
dangerous then reading the Scriptures Reader 't is worth our while to see if I. Penington be as bad a Man as J. Faldo represents him in order to which I ask First May a Man that reads and pretends to value the Scriptures from up an Vnderstanding of them and yet be absolutely mistaken for want of the True Interpreter the Spirit of Truth I cannot think but J. Faldo himself will say that such a thing may be I am sure I believe so for it hath often been so already and J. Faldo's present Writings are an Unanswerable Instance for the Point The next Question I would ask is this Whether such Persons so mistaken are not very apt in Defence of their own Conceivings to oppose the Truth it self Methinks the whole Jewish Church at the time of Christ's Visible Appearance in the World in disputing against him and decrying of his Religion while they magnify'd the Scriptures as the only great Doctors of them should without further Labour answer that Question in the Affirmative Next Let me ask J. Faldo If the high Conceit the Jews had of their Knowledge in the Commands Doctrines and Prophecies of Scripture however Erroneous for want of the True Interpreter did not render them more captious and obdurate then the Heathen themselves If he can read the Scriptures of the New Testament he may answer this Question to our Mind and his own Shame Lastly Was not this State more dangerous then that of the Gentiles God himself long since resolv'd this Question when he brought such heavy Judgments upon the Jews and turn'd the Stream of his Love to the Gentiles It was not for nought those words were left upon record He came to his own and his own received him not That is He came to the Nation and People of all others God had selected for his Service to whom he had been propitious beyond measure whom he redeem'd by wonderful Miracles and blessed with Holy Leaders Just Judges a Righteous Law True and Faithful Prophets whose were the Covenants and Scriptures who were the Seed of Abraham and of whom Christ came as concerning the Flesh yet they received him not as God over all blessed forever manifested in Flesh in the Fulness of Time for their Deliverance but vehemently rejected him under the Title of Beelzebub Prince of Devils By this time I hope Isaac Penington's Passage is vindicated from the Malignity of our Adversary's Comment whose Perversion must needs be open and conspicuous to all that read him First in charging him To have made this Reflection upon the Knowledge gained by the Letter of the Scriptures which are none of I. P's words Next in concluding that by I. P's Doctrine nothing can well be more Dangerous then Reading the Scriptures who alwayes was and yet is a great Respecter and Reader of them making the Stress of I. P's Saying to lie in a Dislike and Contempt of the Scriptures absolutely instead of their dark Interpretations upon and Carnal Deductions from the Scriptures which he only levell'd his Discourse against Thus have we been serv'd in every pretended Proof he has brought out of our Friends Writings to prop and enforce his feeble and incredible Charges For where we reprove Men's forming unto themselves Religion from the Letter of the Scriptures according to their own Conceptions of it and give a Check to their great Eagerness to comprehend the most weighty Mysteries therein expressed and their continual Questioning Cavilling and Contending concerning them whilst they themselves are Ignorant of the very first Principles of Religion being yet Strangers to Unfeign'd Repentance fâ—om Dead Works and Fear towards the Living God with Loud Voices and Clamorous Tongues they thus exclaim against us after this Unruly as well as Unjust Manner The Quakers Deny the Scriptures The Quakers say they are not binding upon them The Quakers say it is Dangerous to read them but I say in their Name Blessed are they who reading truly understand them and live according to them I might here break off but I intreat my Reader to peruse Two notable Testimonies given by University-Men and such as were reputed Famous Thirty Years ago The first is out of Joshua Sprigg's Book entituled A Testimony to an Approaching Glory pag. 96. Christ desires that his Disciples may be sanctified not by planting the Knowledge of the LITERAL Word in their Minds but by ingrafting the Nature of the DIVINE Word in their Hearts Again in pag. 107. Christ may offer himself long enough in the LETTER in the HISTORY of the Gospel but if he appear not in the SPIRIT and sit in our Consciences to quiet them we shall never have any true Understanding of the Word aright And in page 79 80. We may see what is to be done by looking upon the HISTORY of Christ but till we find the same things done in us in some measure in the MYSTERY we can find little Comfort The whole HISTORY of Christ will profit you nothing nor all that you know except you find EXPERIMENTALLY the same things done in you by the Spirit The second is afforded us by Christopher Goâ—d stiled Bachellor of Divinity and Fellow of King's Colledge in Cambridge in his Book entituled Refreshing Drops c. pag. 12. There is no Knowledge of Christ nor of the Scripture but by REVELATION it is that the Apostle prayes for That God would give unto us the Spirit of Revelâ—tion Again in pag 18. It is neither Moses nor the Scriptures nor Christ's Works can settle our Hearts unless the Father be in them c. Also in pag. 89. To go forth in Man's Power in the Power of a Letter of the Scripture only is not safe Yet again pag. 87 upon Acts 17. Here they hold Paul play in Reasoning and Disputing Paul holds up Christ out of the Scriptures and the Jews do dispute against Christ by the Scriptures And this is that that all the Learning of Man doth all his Knowledge in the Scripture doth but serve him to oppose the Spirit The greater Knowledge in the Scriptures and the more Learning if it be only of Man the greater Opposition unto Christ and unto the Spirit These Jews had LEARNING AND KNOWLEDG IN THE SCRIPTURES MEERLY TO OPPOSE THE TRUTH THE POWER AND LIFE OF THE SCRIPTURES And lastly that we may not be too prolix we shall content our selves in the over-looking many more with this Passage in his last Testimony pag. 71. upon Esa 25. There are that have devoted themselves to the Law and the Letter of Scripture There are others that have their Life in the Creature God will shortly draw all Life unto himself and all they that run after other Gods shall starve and famish They and their Gods These Passages Reader speak for themselves and which is more so much for us that till J. Faldo and his Fellow-Separatists have publickly renounced them and their Authors we have great Cause to say that such as themselves have hitherto reputed their Spiritual and
whole Book is this Men ought to teach and preach to others no further then they have a living Sense or Experience of what they so teach or preach that this was his Meaning by those Words Running into the Lines of what others have written hear the following Words in his Defence How dare any of you saith he make mention of his Name or speak of his Glory or of his Power seeing you have not beheld him yet made manifest in your selves Again thus For John testified that the giving forth of the Law was by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ John 1. 17. Mark says he Grace and Truth were come unto John by Jesus Christ and he had felt the Vertue of it by which Moses ' s Admistration was fulfilled in him I say Reader his whole scope was to inforce the Necessity of coming into the Enjoyments of the Holy Ancients and an Experiencing of the Truth of those Doctrines they declar'd before Men are fit to teach them unto others And as this is the Tendency of his Words so does holy Scripture strongly warrant the same Particularly Jeremiah and the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians in Jeremiah thus He that hath my Word let him speak my Word faithfully What is the Chaff to the Wheat saith the Lord Is not my Wordlike a FIRE saith the Lord and like a HAMMER that breaketh the Rock in pieces Therefore I am against the Prophets saith the Lord that steal my Word every one from his Neighbour Chap. 23. Vers 28 29 30. The Meaning of which notable place is plainly this Such as have God's Word to declare which is known from all False Pretenders who steal the Word from their Neighbour and then cry he saith as the 31th Verse expresseth by the Resemblance it bears to Fire a thing easily to be felt let them faithfully speak it But those who steal and preach the Word or Testimony that came from the Lord by and through another as if the Lord spake the same by them unto whom the Lord never spoak it such Prophets the Lord is against which strikes J. Faldo dead respecting his Pretence for Preaching who abundantly proves it to be his Belief that such are as Good Ministers as any yea the only Orthodox and the other but a Pack of giddy-headed Enthusiasts The next place is in the Apostle's 2d Epist to the Corinthians Chap. 10. Vers 15 16. Not boasting of things beyond our measure that is of other Men's Labours but having Hope that when your Faith is encreased that we shall be enlarged by you according to our Rule abundantly to preach the Gospel in the Regions beyond you and not to boast in another Man's Line of things made ready to our Hands Of this sort of Boasters is John Faldo who hath nothing for his Religion but the mâ—er Bible and but an usurpt Title to that Reader take notice that all along J. F. hath made no Difference between the Truths the Scriptures truly declare of and Man's dark and unregenerated Conceptions upon Scripture about Truth and Error Thereby confounding that which in it self is most clearly different to the end he may bring all those Blows we give at Men's Traditions and Doctrines which they pretend to be rightly deduced from Scripture but in Reallity are their own Imaginations to bear hard upon the Scriptures themselves and those Doctrines and Traditions that are truly delivered by them which is a wretched begging of the Question that was not about the Scriptures to which he would turn it but his and their way of understanding them as if it were the same thing to decry the Scriptures as to disclaim against J. F.'s false Opinions concerning them But he thinks he has quite done our Business and sav'd himself from the Black Blemish of Forgery by another Testimony produced to the same purpose which is this And reading in the Scriptures that there were some who met together and exhorted one another they observe and do as near as they can what they read of the Saints Practice and so conceive a Birth in the same Womb and bring it forth in the same Strength that others do and in the Ground it differs not W. S. pag. 22. But what of all this J. Faldo Can this Saying rise higher then a Reproof of those who are but in the Form of Godliness whom the Scriptutes exhort us to turn away from But why was he so disingenuous as to refuse us our Friends words at large thereby making People believe that the Imitation reprov'd by W. S. concerns the holy Life and Conversation of the Saints For it s not two Lines before that he tells us expresly what sort of Practice he means when he writes thus And because they Baptists read of some that went into the Water and were baptized they do the same In short The Zeal of his Spirit runs against all Apish Religions and those Persons who take unto themselves the Name and Form they are Strangers to the Nature and Power of being not led by the Eternal Spirit to Worship God but with an Unregenerate Mind and Ambitious Will eagerly rush into those things for which they have neither Commission nor Quallification I could urge several Testimonies out of Authors that neither liv'd nor dy'd in Fellowship with the Quakers as a further Vindication of their Sense in this Particular but Three shall suffice at this time The first is given us by Jo. Canne stiled by Parson Ball an Eminent and Early Presbyter The Leader of the English Brownists or Independents at Amsterdam more then 30 Years ago viz. Labour to Experience the Power and Leading of the Spirit It is very dangerous to rest in any thing that comes from the Creature till you have the Witness of the Spirit which is not fleshly heady or empty but powerful inward and abides and settles the Soul In thy Light shall we see Light and no where else let them pretend never so high Attainments A Knock to J. Faldo The second is a Passage in W. Dell's Tryal of Spirits writ as I take it while he was Master of Cains Colledge in Cambrige They says he who want Christ's Spirit which is the Spirit of Prophecy though they preach the EXACT LETTER of the Word yet are FALSE PROPHETS and not to be heard by the Sheep And one Reason among many for this Assertion was this Under the New Testament we are not to regard the Letter without the Spirit but the Spirit as well as the Letter yea the Spirit more then the Letter And therefore Paul saith That Christ shall destroy Antichrist with the Spirit of his Mouth and the Brightness of his Coming He scarce saith this Author takes any notice of the Letter but calls the true Preaching of the Gospel the Spirit of Christ's Mouth or the Ministration of the Spirit His next Reason is this They that preach only the outward Letter of the Word without the true Spirit they make all things outward in the
Church and so carry the People with whom they prevail only to outward things to an outward Word to outward Worship outward Ordinances outward Church outward Government c. whereas in the true Kingdom of Christ all things are inward and spiritual and all the true Religion of Christ is written in the Soul and Spirit of Man and the Believer is the only Book in which God himself writes his new Testament pag. 19 20. The third Testimony is out of T. Collier's Works p. 249. How can they teach others who know not Truth themselves as they say but as they read it without them And so at the best speak but other Men's Light And if they mis-understand what other Men have written then they speak Falshood instead of Truth Thus much in Countenance of W. Smith's Expression from Three Men of great Note among our English Separatists But let us hear what Use J. Faldo makes of the Testimony he brought and which we have thus clear'd and confirm'd Rep. Then follows in this and pag. 23. all that rabble of villifying Expressions of both their Practices and Authority quoted by me in Quakerism No Christianity p. 119. Rejoyn If this be true W. Smith's Book shall yet be blam'd as much as J. F. will otherwise have abus'd him I will set down his words faithfully They said he hope to be sav'd after this Life is ended by Christ though they be Sinners and so are set down in a Carnal Security and rest at ease in the Formality and are Strangers to the Quickening Spirit and the Faith that they have made is not held in a pure Conscience but is conceived in the Heart that is Degenerated and Corrupted I Query of my Reader if this was meant of the Scripture upon whom J. F. makes W. S. bestow the word Corrupted Again And what was by the Saints given forth and appears in VVritings without them that their Life is in and that they contend about and all strive to set up their own Conceivings and teach for Doctrines Men's Traditions Mark that Reader He speaks not against the Scriptures nor of them but their Blindness in using them and mind not the Measure of God in themselves that is Reader God's Measure or the Grace of God which teacheth to deny those sins he told them a little before they liv'd in with Carnal Security But sayes he stretcht beyond it in the Comprehension and run into other Men's Lines and Labours That is They out-run their own Experiences and intrude themselves into those things which were beyond their own Growth which W. S. rebukes them for making it his Business to turn them to that Grace which obeyed teaches them not to vilifie Scriptures but brings them into the right Possession of them and Title to them which he make appear to be more to their Advantage then to dispute and contend about them whilst in Sinful Security Formality Estrangedness from the Quickening Spirit Humane Faith Impure Conscience and in a Degenerated and Corrupted Heart All which is in his 22th page and give Light enough to any Man that has not like J. F. put out his Eyes of Reason and Candour unto these following words which can no more relate to the Holy Scriptures then that Spirit from whom they came to wit They are all upon the Earthly Root and in Darkness and Confusion in their Practice and Worship Now Reader What does the Scripture practise and whom and how doth the Scripture worship if the word they relate to the Scriptures and not those several ranks of Professors to whom he expresly dedicated his Book Yet further That from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Feet the Image that is the several Sects hath no whole part in it but is full of Putrefaction and Corruption and every Branch rotten and deceitful and no good Fruit is found for the bringing forth of all is from the Heart that is deceitful and corrupted which lies faln and degenerated from God What Man Reader that ever thought to have his Proofs examin'd would have dar'd to apply in the Author's Name these terms to the Scripture that so particularly and plainly relate to Man in his fallen State But please to consider what better Authority he has for the rest viz. And are all found Wanderers in the Night of Apostacy and in the Darkness have taken the VVhore's Cup and do drink it And unto all those is the Cup of God's Indignation poured out because they are Bastards and not Sons Upon which I query with J. F. who are the VVanderers If the People then the fore-going word They of which the word Wanderers must be the Relative concern Professors and then all those Terms before-mention'd belongs not to the Scripture and consequently mis-apply'd by our Enemy But if he says VV. S. meant the Scriptures how could they be said to wander or drink the VVhore's Cup And if the Whore's Cup be the Scriptures as J. F. makes W. S. to mean either the People drank up the Scriptures in the Apostacy or the Scriptures drank up themselves Next VVho are those Bastards to whom the Cup of God's Indignation is pour'd fourth Certainly they are Disobedient Children and not as J. Faldo would have it the Scriptures and holy Doctrines deduced thence Reader Doubtless the Man is desperate and to me he seems to have laid Violent hands upon himself to the destroying of his Reputation among Men and his Soul in the Eye of God since after all this Injury to our deceased Friend he dares yet appear in so impudent a Strain as this following Passage makes him guilty of All this Penn KNEW to be true when he dared to make such Hypocritical Appeals to Delude the World Save the Quakers Credit and Abuse me as a Forger The Righteous God judge between us whether I writ otherwise then I knew or he in affirming it more then he knew My Appeals were solemn in the Grief of my Spirit to see a Man arriv'd at that pitch of Falsness as to pervert and forge about Sacred Things even while himself would pass for a Minister of them and I can scarce think any Man so prejudic'd against us as not to conclude with me that his Aim in this untrue Passage to say no more was to bear People down as to the Honesty of his Quotation by the mighty Vehemence and Confidence of his positive Charge against me to have known what in Reallity I never knew and to have appeal'd hypocritically to God concerning our Innocency who did it in the Humility and Sincerity of my Soul because the Man had no other way left him to secure himself from the deserv'd Imputation of Forgery or wilful Perversion scarce a remove from it But that by which he would clear himself from it fastens it inevitably upon him and renders him one of the daringst and most harden'd Perverters I have ever yet met with in all my Life The next Testimony he brought to prove our Opposition
of the Spirit to the Scriptures and which he pretends to justifie against my Explanation was this Of this sort are the False Prophets who have their Preaching from Study and other Men's Mouthes charging me that I treacherously left out or from the Letter and not from the Mouth of the Lord. But as I us'd no Treachery neither omitted it in Design nor thought it Prejudicial to his Cause since my Answer as himself hath trans-scrib'd it shews that I understood it to be the Letter of the Scripture that was meant from whence they stole their Preaching and not that they receiv'd it from the Mouth of the Lord so in the end it will prove more my own Disadvantage to have omitted it then any Bodies else I shall set down my Answer as he has trans-scrib'd it and his Reply the equall'st Way of Judging The natural Purport of the Words said I can be no more then this That though the Things declar'd of in the Scriptures were the Word of the Lord to the holy Ancients and Jeremiah as God's Mouth not his Mouth therefore to the People Israel yea much of it mark the Mouth of the Lord to us also yet for Men to say any part of it by rote especially if they add mark their own Comments and Glosses framed from study OF any part of the Scripture and say Thus saith the Lord or Hear the Word of the Lord and not in the same living Sense nor upon the like Commission every such one doth rob his Neighbour and steal his words This is so much of my Answer as he trans-scribes which seems thus far ingenuous that in three times a larger Answer he has not trans-scrib'd one third of this perhaps he thought it not so much for his turn But before I set down his Reply I shall find two Faults with this recital First That he has I will not say treacherously or that I knew he did design'dly mis-give my words as he is frequently pleas'd to charge me falsly set down one part of my Answer for in my Book it is If they add their own Comments and Glosses framed from study TO any part of the Scripture and he trans-scribes it Framed from study O F any part of the Scripture as if the studying O F the Scripture and adding Men's own Glosses TO the Scripture were one and the same thing All I shall say of it is this 'T is a scurvy Mistake and looks very suspitiously The second is That he has left out the most material part of my Answer The Stress of which in brief lay here Parrots imitate Men But if such Creatures are not therefore to be reputed Reasonable though the Sentence be rational in it self because it proceeds from meer Imitation and not a Principle of Reason neither is He a true Prophet nor That the Word of the Lord with respect to that Prophet who has not receiv'd what he delivers from the immediate Word of God himself but by Hear-say or meer Imitation But of all this part he takes no notice I now come to his Reply which I will faithfully set down and I hope as clearly enervate Rep. The Errors Self-Contradictions and Absurdities of W. P. I shall express briefly First what he saith they mean I say they mean also viz. The Scriptures are not the Mouth of God Rejoyn The Mouth of God is a most uncouth Expression for which he has not one Scripture from Genesis to the Revelation nor do I see how he should since it is unsound if not Blasphemons for by calling them not A Mouth but THE Mouth it renders them the most constant necessary and excellent Mouth by which God who is a Spirit utters forth his Mind to his Children thereby excluding the Word of God nigh in the Heart and his Spirit in their Inward Parts But to proceed What does he mean by Mouth or how does he take it Properly or Metaphorically If the first I deny it If the last I thus far concede That the Scriptures as other things may be in a sense so stiled when God pleaseth livingly to speak by them otherwise I chuse to express my self as in my Answer by him also omitted The Eternal Word of God is the Mouth of God and the true Prophets and Apostles in all Ages have been as the Mouth of the Word of God declaring the Mind of it either by Word of Mouth or Writing to the People and the Scriptures are the Writings of those inspir'd Prophets and Apostles What more would he have Nay there is not only no such Negative as he charges upon us in my Answer but I do expresly say The Scriptures are not in a sense without a Mouth and that for God too being a Declaration of much of his VVill and Works though I cannot allow them to be the Mouth of God in the sense my Adversary throughout his whole Book tugs hard to get for by that means we should with him shut up the Mouth of the Eternal Word which is God's Living Oracle to the Souls of his People But he proceeds Rep. VV. P. saith the things spoken of were the Word of the Lord. Then the Word of the Lord is or was more then one a Contradiction to himself Rejoyn Reader take notice that there is no such thing as he pretends to reply to in this part of my Answer he brings into his Book It seems he has left it behind him and I must go back to look for it My words were these The Scriptures then are to us oblieging as the Thing they declare of was the Word of the Lord to several Ages Temporary Commands excepted VVhich import no more then this That the Word of the Lord declared the Mind of the Lord by the holy Prophets And the Mind of the Lord is not distinct from the Word of the Lord though the Declaration be different from the thing declar'd of I cannot see any Contradiction in what I writ Sure I am I meant not by the thing they Declare of the Declaration either by VVord of Mouth or VVriting but the Wisdom Will Glory and Power of the Eternal Word as they are Eternally One with and in the Word before so declared He was a little too nimble in the Business but if I should let him make the worst Construction he is able it can rise no higher then this I should mean by the VVord of the Lord the living Command of the Lord in the Heart of his Prophets afterwards declared by VVord of Mouth or VVriting For Word sometimes signifies Command as thus This is the VVord of the Lord or this is the Command or Mind of the Lord which are equivalent Rep. 3dly That God hath a Mouth in a proper Sense Rejoyn This is untruly charg'd upon me My Adversary's Reason for this indirect Consequence was my saying that Jeremiah was as God's Mouth not his Mouth therefore which to me is a good Reason why he ought to have inferr'd the quite contrary since as his
Mouth signifying no more then something in lieu of a Mouth and not His Mouth therefore was on purpose brought in by me to prevent that very Construction which my Adversary hath not withstanding hit upon But to the next part of his Reply which is still by way of Consequence as he thinks from my Principles Rep. 4thly What the Scriptures say the Lord doth not say unless he that utters them hath the like Commission from God as Jeremy Rejoyn A meer Tale of J. Faldo's making They are the VVords of the Lord let who will speak them or say them over But they are not the words of God by or through that Person that is dead to them And instead of hearing and receiving them from such Intruders and False Pretenders they ought to be flunâ— back into their Faces and they reprov'd for False Prophets VVhat hast thou to do to take my Name into thy Mouth saith God that hatest to be reformed And how is he reform'd that is not renew'd into that Life Power and VVisdom that Man was indu'd with before he came to be through Transgression deform'd The Drift of our Adversary is to prop and maintain a Company of dry sensless and unregenerate Talkers for VVorldly Maintenance They are of their Race who taught for Hire and divined for Money the Chemarims or Black-Coats of old times The plain English of all J. F's Jeers and Railings against us is this VVe deny him to be a Minister of the Gospel who preaches or teaches what he has not experienced of God's VVork in his own Heart viz. who preaches of David's Languishings and never was in them of the Terrors the Apostles knew and never felt them In fine the whole Exercise that attends the Soul of Man from the beginning of his Repentance to the Compleating of his Salvation and never have experimentally trod that Path and pass'd thorough those divers States He is an ill Guide that never went the VVay himself and an unskilful Physitian who is ignorant both of the Disease and Cure His 5th Consequence is this Rep. That all that call them by that Name and tender them to others are Thieves and Robbers Rejoyn This is a piece of Gibberish I do not understand VVhen did we call any Thieves or Robbers for a Name given to the Scriptures if them he mean On what part of my Answer can he fasten these words 'T is true I said then and I say again They are all Thieves and Robbers that steal other Men's Experiences and then preach them for Advantage For they that stole of old were such as spoke other Men's VVords without their Sinse And as the False Prophet stole the True Prophets VVords which was one of their Marks so the True Prophets did not speak in Immitation of one another but as the VVord of the Lord came upon their Spirits so they declar'd it which is prov'd thus First If it had been the VVords or VVritings of the true Prophets themselves then it could not have been said Let the Prophet that hath a Dream tell a Dream and he that hath My VVord speak My VVord faithfully since most if not every one of them had the VVords or VVritings of the true Prophets by them So that after J. F's Conceit every one of them might have spoken it and then too when it best pleas'd him which being utterly inconsistent with the very VVords and Nature of the Text. I conclude It was an Invisible Immediate and Spiritual VVord the true Prophets spoak by as they were moved of it 2dly It was a Fire and Hammer and that the Scriptures were not 3dly It came at certain times to them who had so much of the Scripture as was then extant always by them therefore not the Scripture but an Immediate VVord 4thly Otherwise there had been no more Scripture upon Inspiration but a continual discanting upon those they had therefore still an Immediate VVord and not the VVords and VVritings of others Lastly If the Difference then between a true and a falâ—e Prophet was the declaring faithfully the VVord of the Lord when and as they felt the Operation and Motion of it in themselves and a borrowing or rather Stealing those words and so without either the Operation or Motion of the same Eternal Word which was before the coming of Christ much more then ought the true Prophets in these Evangelical Times to whom were promised a more large Effusion of the Holy Spirit to wait for the Operation and Motion of God's Eternal Power Word or Spirit of Life in order to instruct others And more reason have we to repute them False Prophets that in these days of greater Light should prop up themselves as God's Ministers with the old Cheat of Stealing their Neighbours VVord Certainly they are less sufferable now then at that time And if that Dispensation renounce them this ought much more But J. F. thinks he saith something when he flings this Consequence upon me as ridiculous Rep. That Jeremy and the Prophets are our Neighbours though dead Two or Three Thousand years since Rejoyn I never said they were John Faldo's Neighbours nor does he deserve so good Company though he needs it But let it suffice that J. F. steals as bad as Jeremiah's Neighbours did And thus far more boldly and notoriously in that they perhaps got the true Prophets Words so soon that some might not know who had them first whereas J. F. runs back Two or Three Thousand Years a pilfering for his Hackny-Sermons out of them which are so well known to be other Men's Lines and Labours Methinks People should not suffer themselves to be so miserably guld nor lie at the Expence of maintaining a Priest to tell his Tales who may buy each of them a Bible containing the Writings of the Holy Prophets and Apostles for Five Shillings more to their Edification since their Ministers or Masters rather deny Inspiration and consequently all inward certaintâ—â— to their own Conceptions and Glosses hugging Fallibility as a necessary Article and flinging it more then once in our Teeth as arrogant Heresie to say VVe are Certain of what we teach Truly my Soul magnifies the Lord and I rejoyce in God my Saviour that he has dis-vail'd this Mystery of Iniquity and dis-spoil'd that Painted Jezabel and splendid VVhore of Babylon who hath long fate upon the many Waters and hath discover'd her Merchants her Wares her Witchcrafts whereby her Abominations are known and her darkest Stratagems and deepest Subtilties found out It s not her saying She 's a Bride a Church nor her Merchants and People that they are Ministers and Christians that will serve their turn for their Conception is known their Original their Number their Power their Devices and utmost Extent and they are all found to be out of the Redeeming Power Life and Spirit of the Lamb. And for this Cause am I engag'd on Earth and the Reproaches that attends me on that Account are unutterably more grateful to me then
any drawn up to speak of the Substance they are as men lost cold and heartless which is a plain Evidence to me that they prefer the Shadow before the Substance being meerly exercised about Childish things and are not willing to come up to the Truth to the Excellencies and Glories of what Baptism and other Ordinances signifie c. p. 560. C. Goad's Last Testimony p. 76. Ordinances are Vails Man's Ministry is a Vail if we see God in it it is but darkly C. Goad's secret and safe Chamber p. 72. The Carnal Jew looks for the fulfilling of the Letter the spiritual Jew looks for the Spirit Abraham Isaac and Jacob sought a Country not an Earthly one but an Heavenly We pitch upon Figures and Vails and enter not within the Vail These outward things are a Vail a Table made a Snare but when we are turned to the Lord the Vail shall be taken away All Man 's Teaching Wisdom c. makes the Vail the thicker Those that only feed upon the Vail upon outward Things in which God may appear their Life shall be destroyed when others are fed and feasted Joshuah Sprig pag. 142 143 144 147 148. The Design is to cupple the Lord and Ordinances together and we cannot endure to hear of the parting of them Swear by the Lord and swear by Malcham so we have but Ordinances we are well something from the fleshly Form and Appearance we do promise our selves and so like the Israelites hanker after the Flesh-Pots of Egypt though they had as good Meat in the Wilderness So though God offer himself and Christians tell you they cannot find God in such Forms but find him abundantly good in the Spirit and though he be gone out of the Temple yet they find him in their Hearts they press you to wait till God appear to you in the Spirit O say you I can never believe it that God should do it without an Ordinance This is to say that the Fleshly Form doth add something to God who being all in all is sufficient without it You are like a Man that is kept up with Cordials not to be compared with him that is in a Way of Recovery when you want the Physitian it is as much as your Life is worth and the Cordial if it be long a fetching you begin to faint you have not your Strength within you but in Cordials without you So is the Case between you that live upon Ordinances and they that live upon Christ in the Spirit Christ is never in a Journey or to fetch a great Way off T. Colliar's Works p. 46. The Christians Priviledges under the Gospel they are all spiritual and so are their Ordinances T. Colliar's Works p. 241. God was in Christ reconciling men to himself yet this Dispensation of the Father was but a fleshly Dispensation comparatively with a more spiritual this fleshly Righteousness answering a fleshly Transgression Thus likewise hath he given Ordinances answerable to this fleshly Dispensation wherein when he pleaseth he appears in and through these Ordinances yet note that God never appears in any fleshly Dispensation to keep them in the Flesh but that through these he might bring up Souls to himself in the Spirit Sprig's Testimony to the approaching Glory p. 55. Ordinances are but the Shadow as it were of the Image therefore take heed of idolizing Forms Your Interest lieth in knowing the Father not in knowing of the Form whatsoever and take heed of censuring and judging spiritual Discoveries CHAP. II Of true and false Ministry OUr Adversary endeavours to strengthen his general Charge considered in the former Chapter by proving our Denyal of each Ordinance in particular He begins in his other Book with the Ministry His Proofs as he calls them were these And their Call to the Ministry we deny which is Mediate J. Parn. Shield p. 16. Also G. Fox in his Gr. Myst p. 45. But who can witness an Immediate Call from God and speak as they are moved from the Holy Ghost and such travel from place to place having no certain Dwelling-Place This Ministry we own and witness Now without reporting one Word of my Answer he concludeth his first Paragraph concerning J. Parnels Words thus Having this Charge confessed there needs no further Debate O disingenuous Man What! Only repeat the Charge and the pretended Proof out of J. P. without inserting any Thing of my Defence or Explanation and then cry having this Charge confessed there needs no further Debate Poor Brag yet nimble and notable Way of contracting Controversie indeed what is this but saying the same thing over again But as a Man that hath forgot himself in his next Section he thus recollects Reply p. 51. To my Proof of a Call by men W. P. sayes nothing but that he may not seem to have nothing to say he tells us It is not Go ye forth into all the World and preach the Gospel that belongs unto all Men no more then because Princes send Ambassadors to Princes with their Credentials that therefore every Man ought to do the like in Imitation without considering necessary Qualifications thus far W. P. Did you ever meet with so ignorant and impertinent an Answer Did ever any of us take those Words for our only Call Or pretend we had a Call thereby to preach to all Nations Rejoynder VVhy so much Contempt I have hitherto thought that Christ's Commission to his Apostles had been pretended by you to be a Successive Commission if neither the Spirit of God within nor the Scriptures without give not that Call what doth It had much more concerned J. F to declare what he meant by his mediate Call and not to ask if ever any met with so ignorant and impertinent an Answer But let this suffice that he denies that any of them pretended a Call or Authority from Christ's Commission to his Disciples to preach c. Next That be can only mean by a mediate Call that of the People since he had excluded a Call by the Spirit within and the Scriptures without But because the Call of a People is neither that which qualifieth nor authorizeth any Man in himself without the Commission of God's Spirit in a Man's self it is the Commission immediately received from God's Spirit and proper Qualifications that make the Minister and not the Desire of the People that is an Invention hatcht in Babylon whereby as well blind Pharisees as true Disciples base Hirelings as Godly Shepherds may be made Ministers There is this further lazy End in it that being once called by any People they think themselves only obliged to reside there where they may take their Ease unless a fatter Benefice present it self at which they have been alwayes wont to catch with Greediness still with this Design that they might live with more worldly Peace and Fatness This was one of those Doors by which the Apostacy crept in for the whole VVorld God's Field or Vineyard and such as he calls
to Labour neither will nor ought to be limitted by men but alone by the good Husbandman who has called them into his Vineyard But he proceeds Reply p. 52. Did we ever say it belonged to all men to ordain Ministers and without considering Qualifications Rejoynder Did I ever say you did VVhat Trifling is this But did not J. F. charge my Answer just now with Impertinence and Ignorance for making them to ground their Call upon the Apostles Commission only and does he not now make me to accuse them with holding That all Men may ordain Ministers What Agreement can there be in this Especially when there are no such Words in my Answer But it shows the poor Man is hardly put to it For his inferring that not only it belongs to all Men to ordain Ministers but also without considering Qualifications is utterly false for J. Faldo to his apparent Overthrow pag. 9. as I have observed in my Answer p. 106. grants us in so many Words that all true Ministers of Christ ought to have an immediate Call such as consists in Grace and Gifts and such 〈◊〉 have not this immediate Call we account unworthy of the Thing and Name Thus hath he given away his Cause yet still he swaggers like a Conquerer But may I ever be thus overcome for if this immediate Call constitutes both the THING and NAME then a mediate Call let him understand what he will by it neither worthily gives Thing or Name else what means his reputing such as have not this immediate Call unworthy of the Thing and Name It is to say if I understand any Thing and that in so many Words Mediate Ministry and Ministers are unworthy of being called Ministries and Ministers because the immediate Call only makes worthy of both Thing and Name Reply p. ead But W. P's Comparison exceeds because Princes send Ambassadors to Princes That is Gods send Ministers to Gods therefore every Man ought to do the like a rare Similitude-Maker Rejoynder A rare Similitude-Taker Reader I would not have diverted thy Eye from the Controversie but that he forceth me to shew how much more like a Vain Whiffter then a grave Divine he governs himself I have hitherto learnt that Similes run not alwayes upon four Feet should they what havock might we make in holy Scripture Similes ought to be taken where the Similitude lyeth It had been but leaving out two Words that is to Princes and he had lost his quibble for all sober Readers will discern that the Force lay upon private Persons imitating Princes in sending out Ambassadors that is because Christ sent forth his Disciples and Princes their Ambassadors therefore every Man must turn Disciple and Ambassador which we call acting without a Commission and which J. F hath sufficiently rated us for and what is worse forged in our Names that without an immediate Commission we deny Obedience to all the Commands in the Bible but that we have already considered in our Chapter of Commands Reply p. 53. In VV. P's Answer his Passion so blinded him that he tells me I therefore pretend to refute G. Fox and therefore was impertinent and that the Words were Scripture Words whereas I quoted J. Parnel for those Words not G. Fox But for VV. P. to call them scripture-Scripture-VVords which are neither in that Order nor so much as relating to such a Subject much less to the same End in any Place of the Scripture is such an impertinent Whiâ—sie as becomes one who is resolved to say something no matter what Rejoynder If any Passion I had he was unfit to see that Mote in my Eye who discovers so great a Beam in his own The Mistake was inconsiderable for it was not in any Alteration about VVords or Matter but the Person that should write them which so long as he was one that J. F. calls a Quaker was altogether as much to his Purpose But I have this further to say he led me into that Mistake by putting G. Fox Mysâ— p. 45. right against J. P's Passage and so connected them without any Mark of Distinction that he rather deserves to be blamed for Negligence then I to be reflected upon for Passion or Blindness But be it J. Parnel's Saying and not G. F's sure I am J. Faldo hath very untruely cited it Thus it begins But who can witness an Immediate Call from God leaving what follows in a differing Character quite out from the Outward Callings and Countries Lands Livings and Possessions into several Countries to preach the free Gospel as they have receâ—â—ed it by the immediate Inspiration of the Spirit now comes in another Peice of J. Faldo's citing and speaks it forth as they are moved from the Holy Ghost here he lets fall again And as the Spirit gives them Vtterance freely as they have received it freely by which Ministry many are convinced and as they abide in it are converted as Many in the Nation can witness to the Honour and Glory of God who are now new Creatures and this Call we own and witness and this Ministry we own and witness which is immediate and stands in the Will of God And such covet no man's Silver nor Gold neither could be hired to a certain Place now comes in another Peice of J. Faldo Citation but travel from Place to Place and have no certain Dwelling Place here he drops again and such are the true Ministers of Jesus Christ who make the Gospel free and without Charge now comes the last Parcel of his Citation and this Ministry we own and witness This Reader was J. Parnel's Doctrine which if it be contrary to a Gospel-Ministry there is no Gospel-Ministry can be proved by Scripture read these Scriptures Isa 35. 2 Mark 16. 25. Amos. 3. 7 8. Amos 7. 14 15. Gal. 1. 11 12 1 Cor 1. 17 18 19. Chap. 2. 10 11 12 13 14 c. 2 Pet. 1. 29. Acts 2. 4. Acts 20. 33. I Thes 9. 6. J. F. should have proceeded and have given us four Lines more of this young Man's Discourse but as he left out what bore most closely and hardly upon HIRELINGS before so would it not have been for the Interest of himself and his Brethren to have brought in this little of a great deal that immediately follows viz. And for the Testimony of this true Ministry some of us are imprisoned some stoned some stocked whipped and shamefully intreated as Vagabonds and Dâ—luders and Wanderers and Raisers of Sedition and pestilent Fellows and esteemed not worthy to live in the Nation both by Priests People and Rulers A Shame to Independents that then ruled and which is worse the Guilt of the Blood of this Innocent Man lyeth at the Door but of too many of them about Coxel and Colchester in Essex who by their cruel Imprisonment scarce to be paralelled by any Story brought this godly young Man to an untimely Death I need not tell you why he hath done it to my Hand because sayes he
more I that live but Christ in me that is The Apostle had no Life in him in any sense Would this be good Doctrine But more openly do the Words of Christ lay to the Exception of such Cavillers 'T is not I that speak but the Father in me Again It is not you that speak but the Holy Gost in you For after J. Faldo's Parapharase we must either deny that Christ or his Apostles spoak those words or confess that they contradicted themselves in saying they did not speak when they did or lastly He must acknowledge to us That such Teachings and Speakings are not the Teachings and Speakings of Men but of God by and through Men. Let him first see if he can reconcile himself to these Scripture-Passages so pertinent to our Purpose and leave off his silly Shifts as easily confuted as discovered Upon my saying That we do believe that there is One and but One Universal Church the Ground and Pillar of Truth and that is in God and that the Members of it are washed in the Blood of the Lamb and grafted into the True Vine bringing forth Fruit unto Holiness p. 113. he thus replyes and I beseech my Reader to consider it Reply p. 59. If he own no other Church but this which is the Character of the invisible Church he owns not a Gospel-Church whose Order and Frame is according to the Doctrine of the Apostles and Practice of the Saints in the New-Testament Rejoynder VVe are beholden to him for this May we ever meet with such kind Adversaries It seems then my Definition hath nothing to do with the Gospel-Church VVhat is it but to say that the Gospel-Chruch is not the Pillar of Truth The Gospel-Chruch is not washed in the Blood of the Lamb The Gospel-Chruch is not grafted into the true Vine that Men may be in the Truth washed in the Blood of the Lamb grafted into the true Vine bring forth Fruit unto Holiness and yet no wayes concered in the Gospel-Church in short the Gospel-Church is not the Vniversal Church nor the invisible Church a Gospel-Church and what is his Reason if any there can be for all this pernicious and Anti-christian Doctrine Because a Gospel-Church is one whose Order and Frame is according to the Doctrine of the Apostle and Practice of the Saints Worse and worse it seems then in J. F's Sence that the Order and Frame the Doctrine of the Apostles brought the Church of Christ to and the Practice of the Saints in the New Testament had nothing to do with the Pillar of Truth dwelling in God being washed in the Blood of the Lamb grafted in the true Vine and bringing forth Fruit unto Holiness What Sort of impious Gibberish is this For according to his Notion of the Gospel-Church the most Satanical Crew may as well be of that Church as the best of Christians since the External Order at most but the Form of Godliness was and is imitable and imitated by arrant Hypocrites By this Argument Elias and the Seven Hundred who had not bowed their Knees to Baal so invisible as Elias himself knew not of them were Schâ—s maticks or Infidels to the then Jewish Church being without all Visible Church Policy or Order and the Jews that had it though Apostatized must have been God's Legal Church It will also follow that for above 1200 Years together since Christ's time there hath been no Gospel-Church yet Gospellers as their Enemies have called them which were to grant to the Roman-Catholicks all they Desire What was that Church that fled into the Wilderness It must either be the Gospel-Church or not the Gospel-Church If not the Gospel-Church then not the Christian and consequently the Antichristian-Church But that could not be because she fled from Antichrist If the Gospel-Church then may a Church be Gospel without punctuallity in visible Order for it is notorious by all Story the Remnant of the Woman's Seed who have born a faithful Testimony against the Spirit of Antichrist in their Sack-Cloth and Wilderness Estate have been destitute of that Visible Order Indeed I hitherto thought that a Gospel-Church constituted necessary external Order and not that meer external Order constitutes the Church Gospel or Evangelical But John Faldo sayes No who seems not to scruple at the Word Church but to play upon the Word Gospel as if external Order and Gospel were synonimous or of equal force whereas the Gospel is called in Scripture The Power of God to Salvation from that Spiritual Redemption it efficatiously worketh in them that receive it from the Bondage of Corruption under which they have fruitlesly laboured which is the Reason and a good one too why it signifieth Glad-Tidings since nothing can be more Joyous to a weary and heavy-loaden Sinner then to be eased of his former Iniquities by Remission and purged from the Nature and Habits of it out of the Soul by the Operation of this Heavenly and Everlasting Gospel which worthy Christopher Goad Right Spirit of Christ pag. 17. calls the forming or bringing forth of Christ in us What is all our Adversary hath said but to make Remedies against or Condescension to the Weakness of the Church's Infancy as sayes honest W. Tindal in his Works p. 9. 436 438. the only great Constitutes of a Gospel-Church By which he denyes a Gospel-Church to have been antecedent to that External Order and consequently that the Believers were not a Gospel-Church when met together on the Day of Penticost not long after since the Gospel had been many years preached Multitudes converted and many baptized by the One Spirit into the One Body of true Gospel-Fellowship before ever those Epistles were written by the Apostle Paul either to the Church at Corinth or to Timothy in which only External Order is mentioned Nay at this rate he hath Unchurched every Party in England but one if yet one may be excepted for if External Order only constitutes a Gospel-Church every Party in England differing greatly in their External Order it must follow that none but one if any one can have any just Pretence to a Compleat Gospel-Church consequently Mungrils He still forgets what he promised that None of them were further concerned against the Quakers then Vindicated Howbeit herein they may hold him excused that he hath equally unchurched Himself and these he preacheth to in Company with all other Parties in England being out of that Order But I intreat the Reader to consider what a Monster he hath made of Christ who describeth him with two such Bodies to one Head one Invisible the other Visible one washed in the Blood of the Lamb grafted into the true Vine bringing forth Fruit unto Holiness Qualifications hid from the Eye of the World as worthy John Bradford told T. Weston as in B. Martyr p. 104 312. That the Church of Christ is Invisible to him that hath not a Spiritual Eye The other constituted of People no matter how Vnregenerated if submitted to
chosen called out of the World they are not of this World as he is not of this World W. Dell's Sermons p. 152 156 186. The Church is a Spiritual Invisible Fellowship gathered together in the Unity of the Faith Hope and Love Christ and the Spirit are the only Officers CHAP. IV. His Charge of our Denying to Hear the Word of God examined True Preaching acknowledged HE hath maintained this Charge against our Answer with the same sort of Jeers and Florish but manifest insuccess too that he hath done what went before His words are these Reply pag. 61. Concerning denying the Ordinance of hearing the Word preached to my Proof from G. F. We must not hear Man c. W. P. saith That is so far from making against us that it makes for us at an high rate Much like the Mad-man of Athens who called all the Ships that came into the Port his own while he was for all that but a poor Thred-bare Gentle-man I proved that they asserted the Light to be only preached to be the only Preacher and only â—eached to yea and the only Obeyer Rejoynder If this be done Erit hic mihi magnus Apollo If to cease from Man be not false Doctrine then not to hear Man is no false Doctrine for Man is taken in the same sense in both places For as God never intended by ceasing from Man that they should not regard his Prophets who were Men when they came to declare his VVill so neither did G. F. intend that Man ought not to be heard when he comes on God's Errant or Message in the Name of the Lord but meer Man Man in his Natural Capacity and Ability without the Holy Spirit and Power of God which is but a carnal humane and worldly Ministry To say we only preach the Light is no more then to report The Quakers preach Christ for our Doctrine directs People to the Knocks of Christ the true Light at the Door of the Soul who is the Saviour Redeemer and Preserver of them that believe in him and keep his Commandments But that we ever said That it was only preached to yea and the only Obeyer of such Preaching is as false as any Thing that can be said He tells us he proved it I will give the strongest Passage he brought J. Parn. Shield c. Epist To the Light of God in all your Consciences I speak Very well and what then Is the Light therefore preacht to taught or instructed when he only appealed to the Light in all their Consciences concerning the Truth of what he said as the Apostle did To the Light I speak that is To the Light I direct my self To that I make my Appeal if what I write be not true for what soever is reproveable is made manifest by it Ephes 5. 13. This Construction is Natural Our Adversary's forced for nothing is more common with us in General and that Author in particular then to turn People to the Light pressing their Conformity to the Reproofs and Instructions of it alwayes respecting it as given us of God to be our true certain and constant Teacher and alwayes have we been reproacht by such as J. Faldo for doing so But above all that this Passage should be brought to prove the Light is the Obeyer of such Doctrines and Instructions who is the Author of them is an Absurdity that reflects great Ignorance or something worse upon our Adversary We have already declared our Faith so freely and plainly in this Matter besides the Testimony of our dayly Practice that we need say no more then this A true Living Gospel-Ministry we own and the Service and Benefit of such a one we have enjoyed and beautiful are their Feet who come in the Power and Demonstration of the Spirit that open the blind Eye turn People from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto God Act. 26. 18. that He may be their Instructer according to that Promise They shall be all taught of Me which is the chiefest End of all External Instrumental Ministry To prove our Sence of true Preaching we may add these two following Testimonies out of that renowned Independent Dr. Everad Dr. J. Everad's Sermon Militia Coelestis Truth it 〈◊〉 many toss and tumble the Letter and make you believe they expound it and give you the Sense and Vertue yet how shallow how literal how humane how low how sensual and carnal do they make the Worlâ— to be Even your Rabbies your Doctors your great Schollars which shews if God himself if the Lion of the Tribe of Juda if the Root of David do not open the Seals 't is not all the Learning or all the Universities in the World can help us to the Mystery and the Mind of Christ as the Apostle calls it Shadows vanishing c. p. 326. I dare not offer at any Method in the whole nor at any Connection in the Parts For I find that all the curious Dichotomzers do but dream and play with the Scriptures feeding themselves with Fancies and not Truth for Sure I am the only Method that holy Men of old observed was to speak as they were moved by the Holy Spirit There be many Expositions on this Place which I will not trouble you withall for Men speak according to Men but the Scriptures were written by God's Spirit dictated by his own Finger We must therefore labour to find out what is God's Mind in the Scriptures whatever Men say pag. 369. 370. CHAP. V. Of True and False Prayer HE pretends in this Chapter which containeth not a page to refute several pages in my Book relaing to Gospel-Prayer in which if I 〈◊〉 not he hath done me and the Truth I defend the greatest Service that a reasonable Man would desire at the Hands of his Adversary for the Truth of the Matter is the Man hath shrunk from his Post and deserted his Colours which we shall make appear by comparing his first Book with his Reply Reply VV. P. according to my Charge disowns man's Wilâ— and the Vse of his Conceptions to have any thing to do in Gospel-Prayer pag. 122. and disowns all Prayer that is not by and in the Light within The Quakers Christ The Reasons he gives are as Witless as his Assertion Truthless Thus Now unless Men may perform Gospel-VVorship without the Spirit and the Truth or if in the Spirit and the Truth yet not by the Motion of either a thing absurd it must needs be that Men ought only to preach and pray by the Motion of the Spirit and of the Truth How absurd is W. P' s Reasoning here as if the Vnderstanding Conceptions Will of Man in Prayer must needs exclude the Motions of the Spirit or the Motions of the Spirit exclude them Rejoynder The first Thing our Adversary charged upon us in his former Book was our Denyal of Gospel-Prayer to prove which he cited W. Smith who in his Catech. p. 107. spoak against Prayers of Man's forming
Christ's eating the Supper with his Disciples just before his Death and their breaking Bread together soon after his Death Not a Year whereas the Pope showed not himself till near six hundred Years after I cannot see Friendly Reader how much more criminal I made my Adversary by charging him with saying in our Name The Bread and VVine Christ blessed is the Invention of the Pope then he hath made himself by his own Saying That we call the Lords Supper eaten soon after his Death the Popes Invention unless he should deny the Latter to be the same Sort of Supper with the former In short We cannot but repute this an Injury too apparent for John Faldo's utmost Invention to cover But that he may not suffer the Imputation of Forgery at least a very gross Perversion he thus braveth me Reply p. 70. If Pen dare deny it to be in W. Smith's Book which Iquoted three or four times over in pag. 39. I shall prove him a Deceiver to all that will but read it W. S. answers to this Question I would know Father how it is concerning these things called Ordinances as Baptism Bread and Wine which are much used in their Worship Answ Why Child as for those things they rose from the Pope's Invention Rejoynder This Citation as rankly and partially as he hath put down doth not prove that we account the Lord's Supper either as it was eaten by Christ and his Disciples before his Death or by his Disciples after his Death to be the Pope's Invention How can it since we know the Pope's Date to have been so many hundred Years after that Practice His Citation must therefore be understood of such a Baptism and such a Supper as the Apostate Church hath presumed to practice and that I put not a fairer Gloss then his own Answer will allow observe these Words and the whose Practice of those things AS THEY use them had their Institution by the Pope and were never SO ordained of Christ strongly implying that what was of Christ's Ordination was not of the Pope's Invention and Institution consequently That the Lord's Supper was neither a popish Invention nor Institution which is yet plainer from his following VVords For he did not ordain sprinkling Water in a Child's Face or to make a Sign of the Cross in his Forehead nor God-Fathers and God-Mothers to undertake for it Neither did he ordain Bread and VVine to be SO or after that Manner used and received So that nothing can be plainer then that his Reflection lies against their Manner of practizing and using them not against the Things themselves as at any time practiced by Christ or his Disciples Followers Therefore he is quite beside the Truth in telling the VVorld that he doth but apply these VVords Pope's Invention to the Name that is Lord's Supper which the Quakers apply to the Thing since we so clearly distinguish betwen Baptism the Lord's Supper Name and Thing and these Practices and Usages of them which have risen since the Apostacy Now it rests with thee Friendly Reader to pass Judgment which of us two hath acted the Deceiver to leave out a great many more of his hard VVords he that affirmed VV. Smith called that Baptism and Lord's Supper which was in Use some time as well after Christ's Death and Ascension as before the Pope's Inventions or I that affirmed and from VV. Smith's own Book have expresly proved that there was no such thing said as Primitively practiced but only as they have been since abused by the Apostate Church For the Supper it self I refer the Reader to the sixteenth Chapter of my Answer and shall only say at this Time that as it was a Commemoration or Remembrance of Christ to the Disciples who were at that Day so weak in Faith as Luke 24. 11. Mary Magdalen's news about Christ's Resurrection seemed to them as Idle Tales yet that the Service and consequently the Institution of it were of as they came to witness him the Evangelical Supper of Passover to their Souls and that we therefore discontinue it First Because the false Church hath made Market with her imitating that primitive Practice drawn the Minds of People abroad from the Heavenly Bread of Life which is only to be received within and hath been shedding so much Blood about it rendring it and Water Baptism the Seal of Christianity thereby puffing up People to believe that of themselves which they are not Next we have the Testimony of God's Spirit that he is withdrawn from such Observations that have been so much insisted on and magnified in the World Lastly and eminently we discontinue it because Christ is become unto our Souls that very Thing which it was most truly and properly the Sign of to wit the Heavnely Bread and Passover which nourisheth the Soul unto Eternal Life Where by the Way it must not be forgotten how perversly he wrongs Christ and Holy Scripture who turns this Passage Do this till I come after this strange Manner The Lord's Supper is a Remembrance of Christ's Death past NOT TO COME Rep. p. 71. wherein first he makes as if there were a Death to come Next Instead of exhorting People to look for his Coming until which he bid his Disciples practice it he turns back their Eyes from that Expectation and makes the Sign wholy to have Reference to what was past and not what was to come thereby seeking to perpetuate his Absence and bar out his Appearance implyed in these Words till I come which ends the Absence during which the Institution lasteth For the plain English of it framed into an Argument is this The Supper is to remember Christ's Death that is past but that will be alwayes past therefore it ought to be alwayes so remembred The like may be said upon the Word Remembrance for if it ought to be practised because of remembring Christ's Death then forever because his Death ought never to be forgotten Thus it perverts the Text in that it makes not the outward Supper to cease upon his Coming as John 14. 23. Rev. 3. 20. which is the Evangelical Supper till whose Coming Christ bid his Disciples do it But to continue upon the Score of remembring Christ's Death only which as I said before ought never to be forgotten is consequently to continue it upon Institution forever I shall only leave two things with my Reader and so proceed to the next Chapter first That from our discontinuing the Practice of these outward and temporary Observances J. Faldo concludes our absolute and general Denyal of them 2ly Because some of our Friends have denyed rejected and termed Popish the long Abuse of these Things he makes no Difficulty of charging us in so many Words with calling Water-Baptism and the Lord's Supper as laid down in Scripture and primitively practised Popish Inventions c. God if he please make this Man sensible of his notorious Injustice towards us CHAP. VIII Of the Doctrine of
manifested himself by it was from Everlasting In short Christ qualified that Body for his Service but that Body did not constitute Christ He is invisible and ever was so to the ungodly World that was not his Body as honest J. Bradford told Arch-Deacon Harpsfield B. Mart. 3. Vol. p. 293. and so much the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or anonted signifieth which was not outward after the Jewish Ceremony but by the Spirit and invisible Power of God Lastly I will leave it with my Reader to consider what better terms then Earthly and Perishing J. F's Comparison implyeth to Christ's Body for such was the Apostles and the Bodies of those Saints he writ to But he will by no means have himself concerned with a great Part of my following Discourse which was he thinks in Opposition to no Body because I argued that the meer Body of Christ could not be the intire Christ though he makes our Denyal of it to be a disowning of the true Christ producing a Passage out his Book to my Purpose in Contradiction to himself viz. p. 72. The Flesh and Blood of Christ we do not believe to be Christ separated from his Mans Soul or that to be Christ separated from his Divne and Eternal Nature bestowing upon me for so ill employing of my time these Terms Vain Trifler Pedantick Magesterialness Forger and that it is a greater Wickedness then being a Thief to make him assert the meer Body to be the intire Christ adding but this is Penn ' s high-way and beaten Rode One would think after all this that I had wronged him with all imaginable Baseness in fastning upon him any such Conclusion yet if I make it not appear by his Reply which one would think he should have penned a little more cautiously after he had given such Occasion by his former Discourse and that to in his very next page let my Reader say I merit all thâ—se hard Words that J. Faldo flingeth so angrily upon me He produced several Scriptures to prove as I understood him the Manhood to be the Christ of God or else he did nothing for without so believing and arguing it was impossible for him to prove our Denyal of the true Christ because we asserted Christ to have been before that Body consequently that it was not the the intire Christ which I explained and rescued He omits giving the Reader any account of it only in general Tearms and that not without Perversion His Reply unto which will make good my Construction of his Words or I am greatly mistaken Reply p. 77. Whereas I produced Abundance of Scriptures to prove that the Man Jesus is the Christ W. P. will by no means allow them to have that Sence no not that in Luke 2. 26. And it was revealed to him Simeon by the Holy Ghost that he should not see Death before he had seen the Lord's Christ neither that the Child Jesus whom Simeon took up in his Arms was the Christ Certainly sayes W. P. p. 161. This Allegation from Luke 2. 26. will never prove the Body of Jesus which the Father prepared before him to be the whole intire Christ c. Neither did I produce It to prove the Body to be such what Disputing can there be with a Man that keeps neither to my Words nor to the Question Rejoynder But is this the great Enemy to Forgery the express Quoter one that cites to a Tittle and scorns as to Ignore his own Concessions so to render his own Conclusions for his Enemies Assertions who charges me with denying this Passage among others as any whit proving the Man Jesus to be the Christ whilst he quotes my own Conclusion upon it to have been no other then the Body of Jesus to have been the whole and intire Christ Now he cant compass his End he produced not those Scriptures to prove any such Thing but what is clearer then that it is the same thing with J. Faldo to deny the Body of Jesus to be the intire Christ of God and to deny the Christ of God consequently that by the Christ of God he understands with L. Muggleton only the Body that died So that he did but evade when he said that I argued against no body in affirming and proving that the Body taken in that time was not the whole Christ of God and that he produced those Scriptures to that very End notwithstanding what he sayes to the contrary for what else can any infer when he so obviously makes no Difference between saying The Man Jesus is not Christ and the visible Body of Jesus is not the whole intire Christ Thus Reader he Faulters at the Entrance I will give a brief Account of neer two pages of Answer by him omitted It is and will be granted that Simeon saw the Lord 's Christ but I hope J. F. will not deny unto that good man who waited for Israel's Consolation that he had as well a spiritual as natural or inward as outward Sight of Christ for it were both to deny Christ's Divinity and to conclude Simeon void of any spiritual Sight or Intendment in these Words of the Lord 's Christ as a Light enlightning the Gentiles c. though still be it understood that we confess that Child as seen and understood by Simeon with Respect to that great End of his Appearance to be the Lord 's Christ Let none then be so unjust as to infer we deny the Lords Christ because we rather chuse to say the Body of Christ then Christ for sayes J. Faldo as well as we elsewhere Christ is God manifest in Flesh See my Answer pag. 161. Nothing can be clearer then that I only argued in Opposition to his carnal Doctrine against the meer Bodie 's being the Christ of God Now since he makes me hereby to deny the Man Christ Jesus I must conclude that by the Man Jesus he understands no more then the meer Body of Jesus otherwise how do I deny the Man Jesus to be the Christ of God in only scrupeling to call the meer and only Body of Jesus the â—hrist of God His next Animadversion was this Reply p. 78. Let us observe how W. P. abuses that Scripture Acts 5. 30 31. The words sayes he are thus to be understood The God of our Fathers who raised up the Body of Jesus from the Dead which ye slew and hung upon a Tree him whose Body you so cruelly used hath God exalted at his Right Hand c. Beside this Construction which renders it not to be Christ but only his Body that suffered and so Christ never suffered nor dyed nor rose he W. P. puts instead of whom he slew which he slew that it may intend only the Body and not the Person of Christ Rejoynder I appeal to my Reader 's Understanding and Conscience if J. Faldo doth not in this Sentence make the meer Body of Christ to be the Christ of God for one Reason why he denyes my Interpretation is my
Pet 1. 19. OUr Adversary imployes his 19th Chapter in defence of his Exposition of 3 Passages in Scripture against what I offered in my Answer to be the true Scope and Intendment of them But what shall I say so lamely doth he cite me so constantly overlook me that unless he had hop'd to be believ'd write what he would or that what he writ would pass for a Reply whether it deserved to be called so or no I can see no Pretence for continuing the Controversie for either he grantâ— what we say by contradicting himself or sayes nothing to what we deny that may strictly merit our notice But let him speak for himself Reply p. 80. Vpon my Exposition of Joh. 1. 9. That was the true Light c. W. P. makes a huge Brag of the Advantage I give his Cause and thus he argues from my Words If Christ made all things then Christ was before his Appearance p. 168. and consequently Christ was and is the Word which was with God and is God and the Light of Men c. Rejoynder If he saith nothing as nothing he sayes to what he cites blame not me for I would have reported it But whether I had any Advantage or having it bragged of it will be best seen by giving my Answer as it lay If Christ be that Light which is that Word which made all things and therefore God as saith J. Faldo then Christ was before his bodily Appearance and consequently our former Chapter is justified on our Part against his Notions of the Lord 's Christ but J. Faldo expresly sayes p. 84 85. as the Word is the Light of Men so or in that Manner is Christ the Light of Men nay he calls it Christ appearing in the Flesh consequently Christ was before he took that Flesh or appeared in that Body not to constitute him or make him Christ but to transact work declare and bring to pass by and through it as a peculiar Vessel and prepared holy Instrument therefore Christ was and is that Word which was with God and is God and the Light of Men. This was my Argument grounded upon his Concessions What Advantage it is to our Cause let it answer for it self what Bragg I made I know not unless it was my calling his Acknowledgments a Justification of our fore-going Chapter I leave the Meaning of his Silence to my Reader and insert his Reply to another part of my Answer which was this And least we should yet mistake him he calls it God manifested it in the Flesh and that he might speak all for us in a little give the Deaths Wound to his own Cause he tells us in so many Words That the Salvation and Life Eternal of poor Sinners was wrapt up in Christ as God Mark his Reply Reply p. 80. Yea and as Man too yet as this excludes not his Divinity as necessary to our Salvation neither doth his Diâ—ity exclude his Humanity as necessary Rejoynder These Words Yea and Man too are added but with this woful Impertinency that they wholy contradict his Saying Salvation of poor Sinners was wrapt up in Christ as God for they imply a Denyal of Man's Salvation being wrapt up in Christ as Man and that this was his Meaning take his own Words as they ly in his own Book part 2. p. 85. And this I take to be the Import of the 4th verse 10. 1. In him was Life and the Life was the Light of Men That is the Salvation and Life Eternal of poor Sinners was wrapt up in Christ as GOD who being SO QUALIFIED was capahle of working it I say again and all reasonable Men must acknowledge I did not wrong his Meaning but gave his Sense and not mine To be sure there are no such Words as these yea and as Man too which is just as if I should say The Vnderstanding of a Man is wrapt up in him as he is a reasonable Creature being charged with a self-Contradiction should absurdly add yea and as an Animal too There needs so pointing at so much palpable Weakness His other Words about the Divinity 's not excluding the Manhood of Christ as necessary to Salvation is no part of the Question but a meer go by Slip to the Buâ—â—ness for all was necessary that God thought necessary that is instrumentally But will it therefore follow that the Salvation and Life eternal of poor Sinners was wrapt up in Instruments But let us see what he sayes at the Defence I made for my rendring of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enlightned in my Book entituled the Spirit of Truth vindicated Hear him Reply p. 81. I know not any Cause he hath to think me stumbled at his rendring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enlightned unless for rebuking him for wastng so many pages in quoting Authorities for that which would be granted easily Rejoynder He and his Friend H. H. are the more to be blamed that they put me to so much Expence to make good it at least he intented to grant me but his easie granting is of those things that are too hard to be kept however I accept his Acknowledgment as also of his Silence to what I writ in Defence of our Understanding the following Words so much Controverted by some Every Man coming into the World However there is one Passage that must not slip It is this Reply p. 81. The last part of my Exposition viz. Thatâ— he THAT WAS the true Light points at Christ's Appearance in the Flesh I added in his State of Humiliation This faith W. P. P. 178. stints Christ to that Appearance denyes Christ now to be that true Light that enlightens all and he might as well infer that because the Word was with God and was God therefore he is not now with God or God But to blast all in a Breath sayes he Is this your Tertullus I would have Mr. Penn more solid and pertinent or leave his scribling Humor which at this rate is fit to write to none but those that can find Refreshment by a Dutch Woman's Babbling though understanding not one Syllable upon the Conceit it comes all from the Spirit Rejoynder Whether my Answer or his Reply be more solid and pertinent I shall leave with my Readers to judge Oh how ready are Men to condemn in others what they indulge in themselves It is strange to me if my Adversary be not guilty in censuring but that hurts him more then me I say again that his Drift was to unconcern That was the true Light in any other Time then Christ's Coming in the Flesh to which I opposed about a page and a half of which he hath reported not above four Lines and those not as they lay Take it Reader briefly thus If the Word that made all things which was with God and was God was that true Light as sayes J. Faldo himself p. 84. then can it never be restrained to that Appearance as the Beginning or End of it
living VVord of God Besides there is but one word in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most commonly used to signifie a word and though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are two words yet they both are under this one word in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in E. Hutter's Translation John 1. 1. Rom. 10. 8. 2 Pet. 1. 19. But the Weakness of our Adversary in this Particular must needs be obvious to all that consider how poorly he begs the Question in saying that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie Christ the Word which is the Matter disputed he appeals to the use of the Word which helps him not for sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies as well Christ as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie Christ as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Reply confesseth the latter and the Text and Context of this place with J. F's Interpretation Rom. 10. 8. maketh good the former I do but herein make use of J. Faldo's own Rule The Construction of Words of various significations is to be made as most suits with the Context Rep. pag. 83. and so we leave him in this Particular The Third Scripture was 2 Pet. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Scripture was effectually rescued in my Answer from the ill use many have made thereof against us and the Truth He sayes little if any thing besides meer Cavil leaving the most considerable part of the Defence of our Translation of the Text behind him After four Pages escaped he begins with me thus Reply p. 83. W. P. tells me That though our Translation hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also yet it is commonly understood by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it signifies a Comparison p. 186. If J. F. hath but Greek and Honesty enough he must needs acknowledge that Positives Comparatives and Superlatives are used promisucously in the Greek This I shall shew it is little to purpose except his Ostentation c. If Stephanus Pastor Schrevelius Scapula and Leigh understand Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fignifies And Also For and If Although and many more yea and very often But and is an Adversative Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 8. 55. Yet or but ye have not known him Rejoynder Ostentation belongs with Emptiness to this Reply first I never said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did signifie but in no place next I only said it was commonly by our Adversaries understood so here and consequently made an Adversative Particle contrary to the Nature of the Text and all Translations that I have ever seen or heard of It had been to his purpose if he had brought Stephanus Pastor Schrevelius Scapula and Leigh to prove that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be rendred But in this Text in order to make good his Adversative Particle thereby quarrelling the Translation and continuing a Comparison not well consistent with the Text. Again Reply pag. 83 84. But that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be rendred in that positive Degree not comparative W. P. produceth some Authorities The Syriak and Ethiopick Versions which gave him little Countenance by we have over and above a sure Word Rejoynder I told our Adversary in my Answer That if the Translation were more sure Word of Prophecy we must either understand it of the Eternal Word or conclude that the Writings of the Prophets were more sure to the Apostles then the Voice they heard from God himself in the Mount I produced several Authorities as he well said to exclude the Comparison of more sure some he hath taken notice of as the Syriak and Ethiâ—pick Versions but that they give little Countenance to my Attempt is vain and false unless there be no difference between saying We have over and above a sure Word which is but an additional Testimony and We have a MORE sure Word The Case may be paralelled thus I have also another Witness which I desire may be called and heard and I have also a more able Witness which I desire may be called and heard Is there no Difference to be found here Another sure Witness another more sure Witness Is not all Preference shut out of the first and brought in by the last J. F. must needs be guilty of great Ignorance or Immodesty in this Particular Reply p. 94. VV. P. tells me The French German Low-Dutch Sweedish have it in the positive or sure VVord but I not having his Polyglott Bible cannot easily examine them all if he doth not wrong them Rejoynder But if this great Linguist had it he would find none of those Languages in it I know not what he means by examining them easily in it without it but he spoak more Truth then he is aware of for if he will go to E. Hutter he may find them without the Polyglott though perhaps not easily as he well sayes for I scarcely think he masters Twelve Languages To conclude This I will assure him They all speak for me and I am ready to think they were translated by as able Men as himself at least let him and them dispute that Reply pag. 84. He adds Erasmus's Paraphrase and Beza's both of whom he abuses Erasmus renders it by firmiorem Beza by firmissimum the one a more firm the other most firm in the old Latine it is most sure in the new Latine more sure So D. Hammon Arias Montam and Piscator Rejoynder This looks like something so does Bubbles but they easily vanish Erasmus I quoted in his Paraphrase not in his Translation but J. F. after his old wont observes not the Difference but sets Erasmus against Erasmus or rather to put the Trick upon me would have Folks think that Erasmus's rendring it by firmiorem was not in his Translation but Paraphrase which I quoted for he is so far from allowing firmiorem or more sure to be the Word of the Prophets according to the common Acceptation at least that against which we object that he expresly sayes If so be that the Prophets plain Oracles be in great Estimation among you which Prophesie by Figurative Dark Shadows of Christ of much more Gravity or Weight ought so evident a Declaration by the Father himself of the Son be which turns the Text upside down as to the Vulgar Sense of it This I cited out of his Paraphrase upon his Epistle J. Faldo shuffles from the Paraphrase to his 〈◊〉 Translation which he explains in his Note in Criâ—cis Sacris thus Verum Graecis mos est subinde compaâ—â—ivum positivo usurpari That is It is the Custom of the Greeks sometimes to use the Comparative for the Positive And if he understands Latine â—e may know that Senior is also used for Senex 'T is true Beza translates it firmissimum most sure very sure which also excludes comparison as Ipsissiâ—us the very same he not the most same he If J. Faldo denyes this it will show him
ignorant in the Latine Tongue for the Superlative or firmissimum exceeds the positive or firmum by valde very as well as by maxime most However had we nothing of this to urge yet his own use of the Comparison as his Concession to what I said in my Answer and Erasmus and Beza confirmed there at large gives us all we desire for he acknowledges That the Writings of the Prophets are not MORE true in themselves then any other Revelation of the Mind of God but more certain with respect to the Jews who had a greater Esteem for and Testimony of the Writings of the Prophets to be of God and not a Delusion then of Peter's Revelation So that we see from J. F. himself the Scripture is not set above the Spirit as the more sure Word the thing promoted of old by our Enemies and which we only oppose for I doubt not but the Scriptures were more sure to the Jews then Christ himself else they would never have thought to find Eternal Life in them whilst they neglected yea persecuted him which whether it was their Perfection or Imperfection so to do I leave with the Judgment of my serious Reader yet doth the poor Man vainly call this his defending these three Passages from my Corruption and the Quakers Service May my Adversaries alwayes defend themselves at this rate and I shall never fear any loss to the Cause For what with his misrendering of our Writings unfair Quotations plain Wrestings pittiful Evasions and at best weak Replies never diâ— Cause receive more Advantage at the hand of an Enemy then ours hath from J. Faldo I will give one Proof more before we leave this Chapter Reply pag. 84. My Exposition of Coloss 1. 25. Christ in you c. though the most opposite to the Quakers Christ within W. P. hath not one Word of Answer to Rejoynder I know not whether he means the Text or his Exposition to be most opposite to our Christ within The Text is Coloss 1. 27. not 25. and lyes thus To whom God would make known what is the Riches of the Glory of the Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ IN you the Hope of Glory In which I find not one word that opposeth Christ's Dwelling in his People One would think our Adversary spoak Ironically or by Contraries if he meant it of the Text for it seems an impossible thing to me that a Text so plainly expressing Christ to be in Men should notwithstanding prove Christ not to be in Men. If he understood it of his Exposition how can that truly exposite the Text who exposites it quite to another sense then it will bear at least he should call this a begging of the Question Let us hear what he offers First Book Part 2. p. 100 101. For Christ to be in the Gentiles rightly understood would be no hard Matter for the Gentiles to believe as to believe such a Glory to be attained by Faith in and Obedience to the Laws of a Man who dyed as a Malefactor and that â—his Death of his should reconcile God to Man with the Addition of such a Purchase This sort of Doctrine well becomes J. Faldo I perceive I have not mistaken him What Carnalist in the World could have let drop a more pernicious Sentence to the Doctrine and Kingdom of Christ then to render it more difficult to believe and lay a greater Stress upon the External then the Internal Work of Christ VVe must read the most weighty Scriptures backwards upon this Man's Principles He hath helped us to a new VVay of rendring the Text not this Mystery among the Gentiles is Christ IN you the Hope of Glory but this Mystery among the Gentiles is a Man who dyed as a Malefactor by his Death reconciled to God c. Behold your Expositor I dare warrant this Man's Comment will never trouble the next Collection of Criticks At this rate the Lord-Lord-Cryer is highly priviledged and the Galatians had passed the most difficult Birth before they had known Christ to be formed in them Regeneration is a sleight thing in comparison of the Knowledge of Christ after the Flesh This Doctrine brings not Men to Christ in them the Hope of Glory but inticeth them into the Vain Hope of the Hypocrite which perisheth The History is made the greatest Mystery and to believe the one matter of greater Difficulty then to experience the other Besides why should his Dying as a Malefactor render him unfit to be believed since his Vertue was most Exemplary his Miracles stupendious his Doctrine Spiritual and Powerful his whole Deportment amongst the Jews Innocent and Heavenly Did not Tiberius himself move to the Roman Senate his being taken into the Number of their Godds upon the Report of his mighty Works 'T is strange that should be reputed most Mysterious which was the Introduction to the Mystery and those Transactions counted most difficult that were by the Divine Wisdom of God ordained as so many facile Representations of what was to be accomplished in Man In short It is to lessen if not totally to exclude the True Mystery of Godliness which is Christ manifested in his Children their Hope of Glory But he proceeds thus The Man Christ that was nailed on the Cross the Quakers do not believe to be in them for the Godhead if Christ that is every-where and every-where alike he is in every thing at all times and nothing can be void of his Presence So that if this be it you mean the Saints have no more Priviledge then any other Creature whatsoever The second New and Living Man who is the Lord from Heaven the Quickening Spirit the Anointed Saviour whose Body was nailed to the Cross we confess before Men to be the Christ and do by Vertue and Authority of Scripture assert him to dwell in his Children and we see nothing offered by J. Faldo that can induce the weakest of us to desert this Faith having with the Testimony of Scripture that of Christ in our selves But let it be considered with what Confidence this Man excludeth Christ the Souls of his People as well with respect to his Godhead as Manhood but if in any Sense he may be said to be in them as God it is no more then he is in Cats and Dogs Oh Irreverent oh prophane Man Are Beasts and Birds as properly the Temples of the Living God as sanctified Men How can God be said to dwell and walk in his People if so remote from them as J. Faldo represents him to be The Apostle is much to be blamed according to our Adversary's Doctrine for letting fall this Passage I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Gal. 2. 20. The Upshot of this sort of Doctrine is down-right Atheism for as they that know not God from the manifestation of God within are ignorant of him if Rom. 1. 19. sayes true So those who teach that God is no more in his Saints then in any other Creature endeavour
upon what Foot his Resurrection standeth if it may be said to have any or to stand at all Faellacious is but one of his hard words for if the Body rifeth with the same Matter it carried to the Grave it riseth with gross Matter unless it carried no gross Matter thither Let him chuse of the two which to deny But is this to answer my Argument to tell us with so much unwarranted Confidence that the Body shall be the same Matter Substance and Essence c. the very Question What is this but to say It shall be so because it shall be so If he would have done any thing he should have demonstrated how Matter can be without Grosness and the most gross and Material part of the Body to be but the Accidents But he thinks he hath said something to the Point Reply pag. 89. To talk that it the Body cannot be incorruptible because beyond the Nature of Matter it self is to talk like an Atheist making Nature to be God and not acknowledging the God of Nature Rejoynder Did I dare sport in Religion scarce ever Man gave a fairer Occasion in his Compass But he practises it and I abhor it This is such a riddle me riddle me as I never heard of before W. P. sayes The Nature of Matter admits not of Incorruptibility ergo W. P. is an Atheist ergo he makes Nature to be God and ergo he acknowledges not the God of Nature This is the very Man that not a page off reflects Ignorance upon my Philosophy Doubtless a Peerless Disputant one way or other May he evermore thus confute me which is all I will say to such subtil Reasoning and losty Argumentation in this place Yet he has not done Reply p. 89. If God be omnipotent which he is or he is not God he is able as the Apostle speaks to subdue all things to himself with which words he answers all Cavils from Impossibility in Nature Rejoynder The Question was not about God's Power nor was it so much as any Part of the Question But whether Matter is not by Nature corruptible and how that which is corruptible by Nature may be by Nature incorruptible This Scripture he urges to prove his carnal Resurrection will as well prove the Popish Transubstantiation or any the most unreasonable Conceit in the World for it is but saying All things are possible with God and God is able to subdue all things unto himself and the Business is done at J. Faldo's rate of arguing But the Question is not about what God can do but what he hath done and has declared he will do I know there are Impossibilities in Nature which God's Omnipotency makes possible but if J. Faldo doth not know that there is a Difference between Impossibility in Nature and Contrariety to Nature I now tell him there is one and that so wide as though Almighty God frequently supplies Nature's Want of Power yet he rarely if ever acts contrary to and inconsistent with the Nature of his own Creatures What is spiritual remains spiritual what is material material and what is corruptible corruptible But let us see how much better he acquits himself of another Passage which he ventures to cite and in my Opinion doth no more Reply p. 89. W. P. proceeds farther in this vain Reasoning and wicked too p. 202. I say we cannot see how that which is of the Dust should be eternal whilst that from whence it came is by Nature but temporal and that which is yet most of all irreconcileable with Scripture and right Reason is that the Loss and Change of Nature from corruptible to incorruptible natural to spiritual should not make it another Body That it is according to Scripture I have given large Proof in my Book to no one of which he replyeth as also how unreasonable it is to call that a Resurrection which is not of the same numerical Body Rejoynder We may guess how well he proved it in his first Book by the Strength he hath employed to maintain it in his second But let all sober Men judge if this Reply be pertinent to this Part of my Answer yet he promised he would answer my Arguments For the Scripture it is clear That Corruption shall not inherit Incorruption neither can Flesh and Blood inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. 50. Thus Anota cert Divin anno 1645. upon the Place and if he will know the true Resurection set him learn to understand this weighty Passage For we know that if our Earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a Building of God an House not made with Hands Eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5. 1. And I cannot but wonder my Adversaries Understanding should be so benighted as that contrary to express Scripture he should assert a Resurrection of the same Body that is buried properly and strictly so the Apostle teaches us to believe that it is not that same Body that is sown that shall be for though we shall be changed from Mortality to Immortality Corruption to Incorruption 2 Cor. 5. 1. and 1 Cor. 15. 37 50. yet mens Bodies of Flesh and Blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God For the Word Resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth hot strictly imply a taking up of the same Numerical Body as he would have us believe from his new found Relative IT first Book 2. Part p. 138. for which Beza shall give him a Release both from the Latin and original Greek there being no Word in either for his Relative IT on which he and his factious Brother Hicks have so relatively insisted Indeed as their last and best Refuge The Text lyeth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seritur corpus animale resuscitatur corpus spirituale i. e. Anatural Body is sown a spiritual Body is raised that is They lay down a natural and take up a spiritual Body or in lieuof a Natural receive a spiritual Body not that the Natural Body shall be transubstantiated into a Spiritual Body or that admitting of such an Exchange that the Spiritual is the same Numerical Body that was the Natural for so the Natural and Spiritual Body would be one and the same but suppose J. Faldo ' s Relative IT to hold I do utterly deny that this Text is concerned in the Resurrection of Man's Carnal Body at all I will recite it with the five following Verses as they ly in our English Translation It is sown a Natural Body it is raised a spiritual Body There is a Natural Body and there is a Spiritual Body and so it s written The first Man Adam was made a Living Soul the last Adam was made a Quickning Spirit howbeit that was not first which is spiritual but that which is Natural and afterward that which is Spiritual The first Man is of the Earth Earthy the second Adam is the Lord from Heaven As is the Earthy so are they that are Earthy and as is the Heavenly so are they also
quote it so If we speak of Salvation unless we put future or eternal to it he confines it to this World he deals so with Heaven and Hell boldly concluding from what we say Men feel and know of those things here our Dis-Belief of any such thing hereafter I told him of B. Hall and T. Brooks their Books entituled Heaven upon Earth but he sayes nothing to that In short he seems to have made it his Business to render us but as odious as his Wits and worse would let him but let him go with this Character no Man having charged so home proved so weakly and abused so grosly as this Adversary hath done Because I concluded my Answer to the two first Parts of his former Book though contrarily to what he did yet in the same Method he is pleased thus to treat me Reply p. 90 91. Set how good W. P. is at APING MY Logick If Quakerism so called sayes he be not another Dispensation then that of Christ preached and setled by the Apostles If it deny not the Scriptures if it deny not all nor any of the Ordinances of the Gospel c. And so he goes on with his Negatives by the same good Logick I will prove Geometry Logick or Philosophy to be Christianity If Geometry c. deny none of these Things Geometry is Christianity but it doth not therefore Christianity yea if we will pass to the Concrete you may prove a HORSE or a GOOSE a Christian by the same Argument for they deny none of these things Rejoynder Take away his idle Carps and Cavils and he would have nothing to say and he rarely sayes any Thing but something is against himself Who any whit intelligent or candid considering that I refumed the Argument in opposite Terms could think I intended it not to opposite Ends That is when J. Faldo tells us that we deny the Scriptures and all the Ordinances of the Gospel and we answer that we do not deny the Scriptures or any Ordinance of the Gospel that we thereby do not mean or these Words do not imply an Acknowledging of the Scriptures and every Ordinance of the Gospel for Instance Suppose any Man charges J. Faldo with a Denyal of the Scriptures to be the Word of God and Baptism and the Supper to be Ordinances of the Gospel and he shall answer I do not deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God nor Baptism nor the Supper to be Ordinances of the Gospel Are we to conclude that J. Faldo acknowledged the Scriptures to be the Word of God and those Ordinances to be Gospel no more then an Horse or Goose I will form it into an Argument for his Sake He that denyes the Scriptures and Ordinances of the Gospel is no true Christian But W. P. sayes J. Faldo denyes the Scriptures and Gospel Ordinances Therefore W. P. is no true Christian I deny the Minor or second Proposition I query then if I ought not to be understood to own the Scriptures and Gospel Ordinances If not there is no Disputation If I ought to be so understood was it ingenuous or just in him so to cavil But that his Honesty and Logick may yet more clearly appear I will give his Reply in this plain Argument wherein I wrong him not one Tittle Whosoever denyes not the Scriptures and Gospel Ordinances is a true Christian But an Horse or a Goose doth not deny the Scriptures and Gospel-Ordinances Therefore a Horse or a Goose according to J. Faldo is a true Christian I know he would fling this Absurdity upon me but he right well deserves it himself who would extend the Major Proposition beyond its Bounds for it was not Who or Whatsoever did not deny Christianity thereby including all Sorts of Beings and Things which made a Gap for his Horse and his Goose but if Quakers or Quakerism so called of whom was the Controversie and must either deny or own do not deny the Scriptures c. it follows they own the Scriptures c. for by the same Rule that his owning the Scriptures includes no Denyal of the Scriptures it holds e contra that our not denying of the Scriptures includes an â—owning of the Scriptures or else his Argument proves nothing for if it stands not upon the Rule of Contraries it will follow that we may deny them and yet own them for not denying them though there be no Medium is with him no owning them But what Part is not that Man fitted to act who can argue against his Adversary at such a Rate as this W. P. denyes not the Scriptures yet for all that he owns them no more then an Horse or a Goose and why because they do not deny them Next to this Injustice his Logick in these Attempts excells But above all the rest that the first Piece of my Argument as formal as any thing can be should not eâ—cape this Man's Abuse viz. If Quakerism so called be not another Dispensation then that of Christ preached and settled by the Apostles then the same said I though not another yet not the same sayes he Let the Reader judge in this Case My Adversary in his first Book 2d Part p. 144. begins thus If Quakerism be an other Dispensation then that of Christ settled and preached by the Apostles Now what is plainer then that this is a Negative as well as mine for another Dispensation is not the same Next doth it not imply that Quakerism so called is not Christianity if another Dispensation And why may it not follow if it be not another Dispensation that it is the same with that of Christianity Is not this implyed as strongly and clearly as his Consequence in the contrary Proposition Why should his Negative pass and mine be stopt or his Consequence hold and not mine He will have That if Quakerism be another Dispensation then not the same but I must not be allowed to infer If Quakerism so called be not another Dispensation it is the same as if it were not alike to say If Quakerism so called be not another Dispensation then the same Or thus If Quakerism so called be the same Dispensation then not another Our Controversie lay upon absolute Contraries not upon things only indifferent as Geometry c. for they are neither for nor against Christianity neither do they own or deny them But if J. Faldo will be understood of his Saying The Quakers deny the Scriptures that the Quakers do not own the Scriptures Why should not we be understooâ— when we say we do not deny the Scriptures to mean that we do own the Scriptures His Objection is we run upon Negatives whose first Proposition of nine Parts hath eight Negatives in it unless If the Quakers deny Scriptures Ordinances Christ c and affect not a future Blessedness c. are no Negatives or that we must not thereby understand They do not own them for if he sets it not in Contradiction but at the Distance of Geometry only
chosen by Man though he be thereto disposed by the Will of God revealed in the Scripture W. P. This is False Many things may be and are daily chosen by Man that is not in the Will of the Flesh nor by his own Will much less when any should be disposed thereto by the Will of God revealed in the Scripture An Abominable Untruth and so Notorious that I need say no more only Challenge him to produce any of us that is any of our Sayings or VVritings in Proof of his Exposition if he can otherwise be hath Slandered Us and Our Principles For the Wâ—ll of the Flesh is that which is quite Contrary to God and inconsistent with the Good of the Creature How well he hath acquitted himself in point of Honesty as well as Ability first in so maiming my Answer and next in saying nothing to it is still referred to my Reader 's Judgment and so we proceed Reply pag. 92. The second is pag. 249. CHRIST THE OFFERING i. e. the Light within W. P. calls this no Quakers Expression that it is take this Proof We believe that Christ in us doth offer himself up a Living Sacrifice to God for us Smith Cat. pag. 64. Rejoynder I still say it is no Quaker's Expression Though the Light that shineth in our Hearts be Christ the true Light But that which I most insisted on he hath as he useth to do quite left out viz. for he would by this insinuate that we deny Christ to be an Offering as in the Flesh and that Body then offered up to be concerned in our Belief of the Offering but I do declare it to have been an Holy Offering and such an one too as was to be once for all therefore let none receive his Abuse of us for our Faith He that hath half an Eye may see how poorly and meanly he hath shifted off the Weight of my Answer Again Reply p. 92. The third MEN-PLEASERS Sense They who comply with Men though in things not only Lawful but also to Edification This W. P. calls an arrant Lye but the ground is provided J. F. meaneth by Lawful unto Edification what we do I am not so silly to put such Bonds on the Truth Rejoynder Indeed I never took him to be so Silly as Mischievous in the Matter not to use his own Phrase more then Ignoramus for instead of putting Bonds on the Truth he hath broken all Bonds of Truth he pretends to give our Sense of Men-Pleasers and substitutes his own in the room of it and when we tell him that if he means by Lawful and to Edification what we do he belies us he confidently replies I am not so silly to put such Bonds on the Truth as if in rendring our Sense of words he were not bound to keep to our Sense of them how is it our Sense if it be his and not ours and how truly ours if it be putting Bonds on the Truth to render ours truly But the Man's present Hardiness is beyond wondring at To the next Reply p. 92. TRADITIONS OF MEN i. e. The Scripture or written Word p. 250. To this W. P. adds But to say they are the Traditions of Men in the sense Christ forbid the Pharisaical Religion God forbid I had rather my Tongue were cut out of my Head Oh base Man to abuse an Innocent People thus grosly I have already proved the Phrase to be the Quakers viz. Smith ' s and Nailor ' s. Rejoynder This answers it self if he had taken off the Force of my Words I might have bestowed a Rejoynder upon him in the mean time I have disproved his pretended Proof where I met with it and what I find here is but a meer begging of the Question The fifth and last Particular he thus endeavours to vindicate is this Reply p. 93. THE VAIL IS OVER THEM p. 251. Their Sense I give of this he presents the greater half of which explains the other by an c. to blind the Reader and make the Quakers believe I deserve the Imputations of Malice and wicked Man which it seems he is resolved afore hand to bestow on me Rejoynder The Man is weary of his Work as we may see by the great haste he makes over every particular No Man living that hath not read both our Books can make any Sense of this Hodge-Podge Section that ever any Man should touch with Religious Controversie that is so visibly defective in it My Answer shall be my Rejoynder for sure I am he hath overlookt it and therefore yet to be replyed to J. F. p. 89. THE VAIL IS OVER THEM that is sayes J. Faldo the Belief of the Man Christ Jesus which was of our Nature to be p. 251 252. the Christ c. W. P. Let this be the last though several more might be observed which at this time shall be considered in which we shall see that J. Faldo has done like himself and the Man we have all along taken him to be The Vail is over them it is a Scripture-Phrase 2 Cor. 3. 15. used by the Apostle to express the Darkness and Ignorance that to that time remained over the Understanding of the Jews in reading the Law and this Vail he makes us to interpret after this gross and absurd manner namely that the Vail is the Man Christ Wicked Man Did ever Quaker so irreverently express himself Give us his Name or tell us in what Book we may find it What greater Malice couldst thou have shown then thus injustly to pervert the Scripture in our Name abusing both As if because Christ's Flesh is called a Vail and the Ignorance of the Jews a Vail that therefore the Quakers must of Necessity mean by Vail in the first Sense Vail in the second Sense as if the Way to have the Vail rent were to deny the Man Christ Jesus All this my Adversary thought fit to conceal left his transcribing it into his Reply would have made that Discovery of his Baseness which he should never have been able by all his Shifts to palliate I think I did not nick-name this Chapter when I called it a Representation of his whole Reply He ends as he begun with Squibs Puns Evasions and Ill Language for unless the Goodness of a Book be to be measured by the Paint of a Title-Page or bare Writing reputed Replying he might with more Sense and Reason have called it Froth Folly and Fiction then a Religious Vindication c. No Man I ever read of hath exceeded the Bounds of Truth by obtruding Falshoods and wandred from the Dâ—corum of a fair Adversary by unfair Citations and obvious Wrestings betaken himself for Sanctuary to such silly Shifts School-boy Jeers at the rate this Adversary hath done And I have no Reason to Doubt of others being of the same Mind since the World is not so destitute of Understanding as to be cheated with his hocus-pocus Tricks to take Tin for Silver or Copper for Gold or Froth for
Friendship to him yet so invincible was his Displeasure that there was no holding for me of his Good-will and believing Christ to be God They were with him as inconsistent as Light and Darkness I know no other Reason if this be any for his Sharpness to me And God knows this is the very Truth I leave it with my Reader to satisfie his own Conscience concerning this Matter But he never wrote against me Truly he needed not who hath another Instrument so nimble and so able a Scribe as J. F. for the Purpose But if calling me the basest Names undervaluing detracting and traducing me in almost all Companies behind my back and in a Garden at Hogfdon where I went to accompany some of my Relations to affront me with opprobrious Names as many can witness who demean'd my self with all Gentleness towards him and to act in the Quallity of an incessant Agent against us by Informations Reports Books c. WHO ONCE DID ALL THESE THINGS FOR US and we are no worse Men then we were If these things be no just Provocations to mention two Letters I am to blame Yet that I name him in almost all my Writings or all that he hath read is false for in the Spirit of Alexander the Copper-Smith c. which J. F. quotes he is not named and of above Twelve Books he was mention'd but in Three and that obscurely this makes the Fourth against my Will The Occasion besides what hath been already toucht upon was this H. H. one of his Friends writes a Book against us or rather to us against G. F. J. Faldo's Mr. T. F. was the Promoter and Scatterer of these Pamphlets especially upon the Exchange where not in private Converse as J. F. sayes and makes to be the only Reason of my taking notice of him that he may render me base to his Readers before several and those of divers Perswasions called G. Fox Knave Puppy Logerhead with such like unhandsome Terms unworthy of a Man of T. F's Consideration in the World This I would never have repeated had not J. Faldo drawn yea compelled it from me by suggesting an Untruth and substituting it in the room of the True Reason Well But if his Information fail him not I have been engaged by T. F. to another kind of Deportment And suppose all this hath he not dis-engaged me sufficiently I owe no Man any thing beyond Truth nor will be fettered from my Testimony by any Obligations But I never was engaged to him beyond what I have faithfully related except it was his lending me as he thought by one that was my Servant at that time of my Tower-Imprisonment about Forty Pounds he coming in my Name counterfitting both Messages and Letters as I made appear to him afterwards which though mine Eyes never saw one Penny of it nor was there a Penny employed in my Service or to my use I did when God enabled me having then no Estate in my Hands faithfully repay as if I had really had every Penny believing then and still that it was Kindness in him to me that was abused by a Knavish Servant and I would never let him suffer for it If herein I have wronged him he may forgive me But because in my Answer to J. Faldo and what he said in his behalf against us I told him that some thought it a Shame that so ill a Tongue should go unrebuked of those whose Principles and Interest give them the Liberty of doing it in a way that might be more effectual then all the Moderation and Reason that can easily be shown to him J. Faldo exactly like himself strains these words all the Moderation and Reason which I intended of our bearing his Abuses only showing their Vnreasonableness by writing to nothing below some Vnjust and Violent Course to rid him out of the way which are but softer words for down-right Murder and to Countenance this Comment of his I was told I think by one that had it at T. F's Mouth that he was advised to take the Law of me for his Security But to put all this out of doubt those that thought it a Shame he should so frequently violently and publickly revile honest Men bringing their Common Credit into Question by scurvy Names meant by the way that might be taken only the Law which was what some counselled him to use to secure himself against me These Men had need have good Consciences that are thus affraid before they are hurt Thus have I vindicated those Reflections J. Faldo lay'd such Foundation for and if T. F. be troubled at this I must tell him so am I but I cannot help it Let him better advise his Scribe next time for I have nothing but hearty Love and good Wishes for him nor have I said any thing harsh or disgraceful in this Defence of my self imputing much of what hath happened more to his Natural Haste and sometimes ungoâ—â—rn'd Speech then a Premeditated Injustice He knows how often I have caution'd him in those respects while we conversed together Nor hath it been my only Observation and Admonition by a great many others and some of his own Friends too Thus I leave T. F. â—n perfect Good-will to see what Leave it is that J. Faldo is taking of us His Epilogue degenerates not one jot from the Book it self And as if he would do me a great Deal of Mischief in a little Compass and say whatever is rude and unjust once for all he tells his Reader That I have egregiously played the Forger that I am a Cheat that all Men understanding Controversie will judge me worthy to be made a Proverb of and when they would express an impudent Forger to say no more then W. PENN Rep. pag. 95. And that he may add Prophaneness to his Railing he proceeds A Great Poet of their own hath these words worthy to begin all Mr. Penn's Books on that Subject as it ends this of mine If a meer Scoff in Scripture-Phrase be prophanening Scripture then I have not over-charged him in calling this Phrase wherein he useth Paul's words to the Athenians but with Scorn and Levity against us Prophaneness But let us hear these so much Derided Words And they that would be satisfied concerning us any way they must find us and know us in the Principle of Life where we are and not in their own Reason where we are not and so let none REASON about us for there they can never know us nor come unto us W. Smith's Cat. p. 94. But why so much Contempt upon this Passage unless it be to show us that he can still Scoff at that Principle of Life which is the Strength and Habitation of God's Children as he hath done already throughout both his Books Did the Disciples or the Pharisees find out Christ's Meaning by their Reasoning about it John 6. or would not either have relisht the true Meaning of his Words had they dwelt in the Divine Principle of Life
second Books both by a fair Rescue of our Words from his gross Perversions and indirect and unnatural Meanings and the Confirmation of our real Sense with plenty of plain Scripture many Reasons and the unquestionable Testimonies of several Ancient and Modern considerable Authors My Design hath not been Conquest but Information that by these Religious Wars we may at last arrive at Peace And these Weapons be all beaten into Plow-shares so as to learn War no more That to fear God and work Righteousness the Life of Jesus Christ our Lord who hath left us his most Holy Example that we should follow his steps may be the very bent of our Hearts the Resolution of our Minds and constant Practice of our Lives which bring the Soul to the Inheritance of Substance establish the Heart forever Oh that all who read this Discourse may with me wind up their Spirits and lodge their Souls not in the Love of Controversie but of that Divine Life which stills resolves and fixes all and gives such Heavenly Waiters to feel and enjoy Immortallity To see and possess something that is beyond time these painful Exercises that are within it Oh this makes Men Weighty Serious Loving Meek Holy Forbearing and Constant the Image and Delight of God! Such become Livers of Pure and Vndefiled Religion who have been thitherto but so many vain and verbal Contenders for Religion so shall this Scripture be fulfilled to our unutterable Rejoycing Surely his Salvation is nigh them that fear him that Glory may dwell in our Land Mercy and Truth are met together Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other The God of Everlasting Strength Bless and Prosper this Glorious Work in the Earth to the Praise of hiâ— Holy and Blessed Name Amen W. P. THE END ERRATA THe Author 's frequent Absence from the Press with that continu'd Difficulty which attends us in printing has now as at other times made way for several Escapes The most offensive though few very obstructive to the Sense are here collected and corrected The other as Stops Parenthesis and some â—ew Improprieties are left for the Ingenuity of the Reader to excuse and amend Page 9. line 20. read Principle p. 10. l. 9. for were r. was pag. 20. l. 3. r. writ in p. 21. l. 11. r. charged p. 30. l. 27. r. should not p. 32. l. 16. for no r. not p. 33. l. 9. r. there are l. 10 11. r. as much p. 35. l. 27. f. who r. whom p. 38. l. 33. r. belief p. 42. l. 22. r. much more p. 50. l. 22. r. doubtful p. 53. l. 26. it dele p. 54. l 2. r. as are so l. 29. r. 1651. p. 55. l. 22. f. but even r. even p. 56. l. 2. in dele l 4. f. the r. his p. 59. l. 32. for this dele p. 64. l. 7. f. no r. any p. 78. l. 18. r. 〈…〉 7. l. 8. for dele l. 20. r. lame p. 88. l. 32. f. me r. 〈◊〉 l. 33. f. thy r. my p. 92. l. 23. r. praelect p. 117. l. 2. r. cull'd p. 129. l. 10. r. Caryl p. 136. l. 3. f. it r. them p. 140. l. 15. r. reply pretended p. 142. l. 3. r. scars l. 19. r. scrutiny p. 144. l. 22. r. gone I fear p. 147. l. 31. r. ye teach p. 153. l. 16. r. Cajus p. 161. l. 23. r. distinct p. 166. l 5. r. certainty p. 169. l. 18. r. but it p. 188. l. 3. f. of r. have l. 9. r. sinfully p. 195. l. 28. r. foild p. 197. l. 25. r. to conclude p. 204. l. 17. not dele p. 209. l. 22. r. serpâ—ntine p. 216. l. 24. r. and a. l. 27. r. spake p. 225. l. 33. f. it out of the Soul r. Sin p. 226. l. 26. r. promised in his Discourse p. 232. l. 16. r. repute p. 235. l. 11. r. verb. p. 239. l. 22. r. word l. 31. r. Dichotomizers p. 244. l. 25. f. any r. my p. 247. l. 29. r. Barker p. 248. l. 27. f. they r. themselves p. 249. l. 21. f. with such an r. thus with his l. 22. r. 65 66. p. 253. l. 23. â— Sharers p. 259. l. 30. after dele p. 260. l. â—8 the Baptism dele p. 262. l. 17. to dele p. 263. l. 32. r. he wore p. 265. l. 6. r. trouble in his p. 266. l. 2. r. crowing l. 15. r. philosophical p. 269. l. 2. f. a r. of p 270. l. 18. r. were l. 30. f. yet r. so l. 31. r. wore off p. 255. l. 5. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 30â— l. 25. r. incompeâ—ible p. 308. l. 16. r. he that p. 310. l. 12 8 22. r. holys p. 311. l. 24. f. too short r. to show f. so as to r. so to p. 318. l. 26. it dele p. 319. l. 25 r. needs no. l. 22. r. or slip p. 320. l. 5. f. â— r. what p. 324. l. 14. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 325. l. 27. f. Propheâ—s r. Poets p. 326. l. 7. r. had p. 327. l. 14. r. that they p. 329. l. 15. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 17. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 20. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 330. l. 11. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 332. l. 1â— 21. r. Polyglott p 339. l. 7. r. of some l. 23. r. 〈◊〉 p. 346. l. 21. r. ubiquitary p. 348. l. 15. r. â—leverly p. 352. l. 11. r. terreno p. 353. l. 19. r adventrdus p. 358. l. 11. f. then r. that p. 3â—0 l. 8 12 22. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 361. l. 21 r. imperious p. 365. l. 18. f. in r. is 〈◊〉 p. 369. l. 12 r. fictious l. 15. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 372. l. 11. r. and bring l. 21. however dele l. 29. r. Souly Body p. 373. l. 24. r. pass p. 374. l. 27. r. up of p. 375 l. 15. r. numerical p. 370. l. 2. r. resuscitation l. 4. f. 32. r. 2. p. 379. l. 1. f. but r. and. l. 20. r. restituent semina l. 26. r. weigh'd l. 31. r. as dâ—stroyes p. 380. l. 17. r. intricate p. 382. l. 19. r. wrotâ— p. 383. l. 21. r. hath p. 408. l. 24. r. and would p. 419. l. 4. f. as r. and. p. 422. l. 24. r. of the Light p. 423. l. 18. r. and Inspiration l. 〈◊〉 r. Pretences p. 428. l. 9. r. Vind. pag. 47. l. 19. r. Vind. pag. 4. p. 429. l. 4. f. and r. greater then l. 5. and dele p. 430. l. 11 31. f. Chapters and Pages r. Chapters or Pages * advers Err. Johan Hierosoly mitani Qua. no Chr. pag. 2. My Answ pag. 2 3. pag. 5. Acts 4. 12. 1 John 1. 7. Rom. 8. 14 17. Qua. no Chr. pag. 13. pag. 8. pag. 21 22. D. Cave Primitive Christianity Rom. 8. 1 2 3 4. Tit. 2. 12. Heb. 1. 1. See my Answ p. 193. pag. 7. p. 15 16. See my Answ pag. 24 pag. 13. pag 25. See it in Dr. Wilkins Real char pag. 14. pag. 28.
how can he conclude The Quakers deny the Scriptures yet so he concludes per fas per nefas What can be said to a Man of this hardy Stamp whom neither Logick Reason nor Modesty can bound yet a pretended Master of them all Had I used him at this toyish gibing and illogical Rate I had been an airy Sophister of no more serious Conscience or Religion then Punchenello but being his Adversary I must be a Dunce an Ignoramus and something else he was so wise as to hide from us which are the Epithetes he is pleased out of his great Store-House of Ill Language to bestow upon me at parting But which is stranger if any thing be strange that he doth after all the Perversion Addition Diminution Wresting Misquotation Evasion and School-Boy Puns and Gibes he hath the Confidence thus to end this Chapter and his Defence of the first and second Part of his first Book Thus I have honestly clearly vindicated every Charge in that Part of my Book which intends the Proof of Quakerism to be no Christianity How honestly and how clearly he hath vindicated his Charges belongs not to either of us to judge whatever we think but is leâ—â— with every impartial Reader to determine though if it be as he saith I am yet to learn what an Honest and Clear Vindication meaneth for according to that Sense I have had of him through this whole Controversie and the most upright Observation I could make of his Management it seems to me a moral Impossibility that he should not be conscious to himself of exhibiting Charges he hath not proved of abusing our Writings to endeavour it of declining the Strength of our Answers and Vilifying of our Persons for writing them To the Righteous God I recommend the whole and according to our Truth and Honesty in this Matter may we receive the Sentence of Well or Ill done c. I hope my Conscience will abide the Search for God that knoweth all Hearts is Witness I have not the least Guilt upon me for my Concern Carriage in this Affair having done to him as I would all Men should do unto me and therein fulfilled the Royal Law CHAP. XIII My Adversary declines meddling with my Appendix His Dising enuity great His Perversions and Wrestings about his Key pretending to open our Words Detected VVE are now come to his Two and Twentieth and last Chapter which for his Truth Reason Language and Carriage towards me is an exact Representation of his intire Reply which will not be hard for any serious Reader to observe and make that use of it which may forever discard J. Faldo in his Opinion from any future Pretence to honesty in Writing till he hath publickly recanted this but because I always desire he should speak for himself be pleased to hear him this Reply p. 91. In W P's Answer to the third Part of my Book he sayes nothing to the Chapter of the Characters of Apostolical Persons and Inspirations wherein it consisting of Twenty four Pages I agitated at large these Points to the Overthrow of their pretended Apostolical Ministry and Inspirations of the same kind with theirs common to all Believers on which Quakerism is founded Rejoynder This Complaint might have been very allowable in case I had not already sufficiently considered and answered whatsoever was of moment in those Twenty Four Pages under the Head of Inspiration and that himself had not been so shamefully injust as after having attackt the first Part of my Book intituled The Spirit of Truth Vindicated with Thirty Four Pages and I replied in an intire Appendix of Thirty Pages he had not wilfully neglected to give â—s one word of Rejoynder I beseech my Reader to take notice of this one great Piece of Disingenuity for if I must be chid because I did not unnecessarily repeat Controversie having already defended our Doctrine in this Point under the Head of Inspiration and Gospel-Ministry What shall be said to him that unprovokedly fell foul of my fore named Book and after I had replied in its Defence takes no more notice then if he were wholly unconcerned in any such Attempts He must either think what he writ irrefutable or indefensible If the first then he need not have replyed at all since I am perswaded he believes one part of what he writ to be as irrefutable as the other If because indefensible he is to be excused yet deservedly to be blamed for finding that Fault with others which he is much more guilty of himself To say nothing of his Pretence of Answering Two Hundred Fifty Four Pages within the Compass of Ninety Six and that Skip he makes over my whole Key consisting of about half a score Pages added for the Opening our true Meaning from that perverted sense ignorant and malicious Persons have put upon our Principles And lastly his Vindication of his Key in not a page and an half against Six or Seven Pages of my Answer wherein I hope it was proved abundantly defective But let us hear what he sayes to remedy those defects I therein charged upon it Reply p. 92. In my Key of Two Hundred and Fifty Particulars he excepts against Ten Five of which he further explains the other Five he opposes Rejoynder This looks unfair on my part till my Reader be informed that not one of these Two Hundred and Fifty Particulars had so much as the Name of Man or Book consequently no Page how to find and read any of those things he affirms to be our Sense or Meaning which is enough to discredit an Honester Writer then J. Faldo so that what I did was more then could be justly expected much less challenged from me however I took Ten of the most suspicious If he be disproved in those there is great Reason to suspect him about the Rest till he hath produced more unquestionable Evidence Of these he tells us I explain one Five and oppose the other Let us hear how he gives my Opposition and what is his Replication Reply The first of these is in pag. 247. THE WILL OF THE FLESH i. e. All that is chosen by Man though he be thereto disposed by the Will of God revealed in the Scriptures This W. P. calls False and an Abominable and Notorious Untruth I have proved at large their calling all things of a Religious Nature by that Name which are not by Immediate Inspiration although the Scriptures have Precepts and Examples commanding and prescribing them Rejoynder If this be not to beg the Question no Man ever did since the World was He sayes he hath proved it at large and I say I have refuted it at large and what sayes he to that no more then this I have proved it at large c. Doth this Man look like an able Disputant That he is not an honest one take my Answer by him omitted with his own words faithfully cited J. F. pag. 69. THE WILL OF THE FLESH i. e. All that is