is plain seeing they would never have been commended for examining and trying his Doctrine by the Scriptures except the Scriptures were the Rule or for making that a Rule for examining and receiving of Doctrines of Faith which is no Rule of matters of Faith Nay for this they would have been deservedly discommended Fifthly The Scriptures are able to make us Wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 Therefore they contain the Rule of Faith and Duty The Consequence is easie seeing without the Rule of these we cannot be wise unto Salvation but plainly ignorant of the way thereunto having no Rule to direct us Sixthly the whole Scriptures were given by Inspiration of God and they were written purposely for the Churches Instruction and Learning as is before shewed Therefore they must surely be the Rule of Faith and Duty for I am sure there is nothing wanting here that is requisite to the Constituting of them for a publick Rule or else let the Quakers if they can shew us what that is for I can not perceive it without the Spectacles of their Eagle-eyed Inspirer Seventhly That Doctrine must be the Rule of Faith and Manners which in all matters of Faith and Manners we ought to observe and take heed to as a Doctrine full of shining light for our instruction and direction but that is the Scriptures Therefore the Scriptures are the Rule of Faith and Manners The Major is clear nor do the Quakers deny it The Minor is laid down in 2 Pet. 1.19 20. where Peter after his rehearsing of the glorious Revelation on the Mount at the Transfiguration which was as glorious a Revelation as any else he addeth That they had a more sure Word of Prophecy whereunto they did well to take heed as unto a light shining c. knowing this first that no Prophecy of the Scripture is of any private Interpretation here it is clear that it is the Scriptures which he calls the more sure Word of Prophecy and prefers before all transient Revelations not as if the Scriptures were more certain in themselves Quoad se than Gods immediate voice from Heaven but because they are a more sure way in regard of us Quoad nos they being a Written yea Sealed and Sworn Evidence and Contract of the whole Bargain and Terms of Salvation and Life delivered into our custody to be perused by us upon all occasions and this gives more assurance in regard of our weakness than a passing Revelation and is more ready for our constant direction than a transient Revelation which we cannot always command nor retain often in our memory till we understand nor are all men able to bear them That on the Mount made the Disciples roave and mistake exceedingly Mark 9.6 The Quakers answer in their Confession of Faith or Principles of Truth page 135 136 140. That by the more sure Word of Prophecy the Apostle means the Light within us and so they deny our Minor But contrariwise the 20 Verse there where he cautions the interpreting of the Scripture-Prophecy clearly coheres with the 19 Verse as a caution subjoyned concerning the same thing which he had there called The more sure Word of Prophecy and so by the more sure Word of Prophecy must be meant the Scriptures because of the clear coherence Secondly I must demand of the Quakers to shew if they can How the Dictat or Light within is more sure than Gods immediate Voice from Heaven such as that was at the Transfiguration I have shewed how the Scriptures are called and are so in regard of us but I cannot understand how the Light within can be or be called so Thirdly The Testimony of other Scriptures produced and to be produced will not permit this violent Gloss Again They ordinarily answer to this Scripture That in it we are only appointed to take heed to the Scriptures until the day dawn and the day-Star arise into our hearts that is as they expound till the Holy Ghost be bestowed on us but no longer But contrariwise First by this answer they retract their former Gloss upon the Text and confess the more sure Word of Prophecy here to be meant of the Scriptures and not the Light within Secondly By this answer they overturn one of their own chiefest Principles viz. That all men ought to follow the Light within for now they yield That such as have not received the Holy Ghost and these are not few are exhorted here to follow the Scriptures and not the Light within them Thirdly Hereby they insinuate That the Scriptures in their Opinion serve for nothing to Renewed Men and Believers who are born of the Spirit and Sealed therewith Joh. 3.5 Rom. 8.9 Eph. 1.13 and so the Scriptures as they will are recommended only to Men unrenewed and so that blessing pronounced upon the Readers Hearers and Keepers of the things written in the Scriptures Revel 1.3 and 22.7 is designed and belongs only to unrenewed Men seeing the reading hearing and keeping of the things written therein whereunto the blessing is annexed belongs only to them as the Quakers will What Does not Paul Peter and John direct all their Epistles and the Book of the Revelation to the Churches the Saints and them that had obtained like precious Faith with them delivering them many Rules of Faith and Manners therein See their Inscriptions I pray and these will inform you better Eightly That must be the Rule of Faith by which we are commanded to try the Spirits 1 John 4.1 seeing we cannot try the Spirits or Doctrines without the Rule for that were to try them by guess But that whereby we are commanded to try the Spirits must certainly be the Scriptures seeing the Quakers do not as yet openly profess the Popish Lesbian Rule of Believing as the Church of Rome does and it cannot be the dictat or light within that we are to try them by seeing that is as fallible as their Light whose Doctrines I try and George Keith a Ring-leading Quaker confesses the possibility of their declining from Infallibility both in Speaking and Writing and consequently in Examining or Judging too in his Quakerism no Popery page 33. and beside the Dictat within hath no Divine Institution to be the Rule and if it were the Rule then the Dictat within every diverse Man would be the Rule to try the Dictat or Dectrine proceeding from the Dictat in another which would make the Dictat of every Man both Superior and Inferior to the Dictat of another Superior when it tries and examines and Inferior when it or its Doctrine is tried and examined which is repugnant Ninthly John shews us 1 John 4.6 That the true and sound imbracing of their Doctrine now written in the Scriptures is a manifest evidence of the Spirit of Truth and the rejecting of it a manifest evidence of the Spirit of Error and so their Doctrine written in the Scriptures must be the Rule of Faith and Manners For How shall it be an evidence
Questions within the limits of one and the same Query or separating any part thereof from another that it may be seen that I have not in the least injured the Adversaries but have only sometimes for a distincter Method alter'd the place of a Total Query The Quakers also Inscribed their Queries all which here follows and first the Inscription Quakers Inscription Some Queries as followeth from the People called Quakers for one or all of the Ministers in Scotland to Answer First QUERY Whether or not Grammar or Logick and the many Tongues and Languages which began in Babylon is an Infallible Rule to make a Minister of Christ And whether or not Elisha the Plow-man Amos the Herdsman Peter and John the Fishermen who could hardly read a letter with many others who were not bred up in these things Logick and Grammar and the many Languages if they could not be Ministers of Christ Jesus Yea or Nay Second QUERY Whether or not the Scriptures were the Rule of Enochs Faith Noahs Faith and holy men in the old world and second world Whether or not they were a Rule to Abrahams Faith Isaacs and Jacobs Faith and Moses 's Faith and all the Patriarchs And whether or not they had Scriptures till Moses did write them Answer these things by plain Scripture Third QUERY Or how long was it after Christ and the Apostles days That that Grammar Logick and Philosophy and Schools of learning were set up to make Ministers of Christ Jesus Fourth QUERY Whether or not the Scriptures are the Word or the words of God seeing the Scriptures say themselves God spake all these words Exod. 20. And he that adds to the words in the last of the Revelation Plagues are added to him And what doth the Scripture signifie doth it not signifie Writings And whether all that is written in the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation be a Rule for your Faith and Manners and every title of it from the one end of the Book to the other both in the Old and New Testament If not distinguish what part is to be obeyed and what not And whether every title from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Revelation is the Word or the Words of God Fifth QUERY Whether or not the Prophets Christ and the Apostles and holy men of God did Preach down perfection and said that men should not be perfect while they were on Earth but said men should carry about a body of Death with them while they were on this side of the Grave let us see where this is written by any of them all Sixth QUERY Whether or not your singing of Davids Psalms his Prayers Prophesies Fastings Reproaches Weepings Mournings Lamentations and Complaints how he was Mocked have any Warrant in the Scripture and you bring all these together in Meeter without distinction Have ye not done this your selves Or did the Apostles it to the Saints in the Primitive times Or have ye the same Spirit the Apostles had Or a larger measure of it than the Apostles had by which ye have turned these into Meeter since the Apostles days And what was the Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs they sang in the Primitive times Answer these things by plain Scripture Seventh QUERY Whether or not your Directory Confession of Faith and Catechisms be an Infallible Rule for you and your people to walk by Or whether or not equal with the Scriptures or above the Scriptures And whether of them is the better Book And whether or not have ye an Infallible Spirit to give forth such a Directory or Catechism or Confession of Faith as ye have done And whether or not the Scriptures are not a better Directory than any ye can make which were given forth by the Holy Ghost by the holy men of God who had the Infallible Spirit Eighth QUERY Whether or not is your Sanctification your Justification and your Faith and Grace the Gifts of these without sin as they are Manifested within you Yea or Nay Ninth QUERY Whether or not Christ and the Apostles gave forth a Command that they should keep the Sabbath-day Let us see where it is written in the Scriptures But the first day of the week the Saints did meet together This is Scripture But let us see the Scripture for a Sabbath-day in the New Testament which speaks for a rest for the people of God But is this a day Yea or Nay Tenth QUERY Whether is there any Scripture or Command in all the New Testament for the Sprinkling of Infants Let us see Scripture without adding or diminishing for it that ye do not bring the Plagues upon you for it for the Plagues are added to them that adds for we do expect plain Scripture from you for this without any shuffling Meanings or Consequences or else never pretend Scripture-Rule more but acknowledge that it hath been your Meanings and Consequences that hath been your Rule Eleventh QUERY Whether doth the Scriptures say in the New Testament that eating of Bread and drinking of Wine after Supper was an Ordinance of Christ And whether do ye practise this as Christ and his Apostles did after Supper Do not ye take it before Dinner Did Christ or his Apostles do so What Scripture have ye for your Rule for this for they took it in the night And Christ says as oft as ye eat of this Bread and Drink of this Wine c. is that a standing Command Or is it left to people seeing it s said as oft as ye Eat this and Drink this do it in remembrance of his Death and shewing his Death until he come again Was this coming to the end of the world Or was it until his coming to dwell in his Apostles who said he would come and dwell and walk in them Need they then Bread and Wine to put them in Remembrance of him And doth not Christ say Eat this and Drink this in remembrance of his Death And doth not the Apostle say that they must die with Christ and to die with him is to come to the Death with him And they that be in the Death of Christ and die with Christ must they have Bread and Wine to put them in remembrance of his Death Yea or Nay And doth not the Apostle say that they must Die with Christ and be Buried with him And when the people are Dead and Buried with Christ must they have Bread and Wine to put them in remembrance of Christs Death Answer this yea or nay And the Apostle says they must rise with Christ Jesus and if they be risen with him then seek these things that are above And is not Bread and Wine from below and if the Apostle puts them to seek these things that are above then he brought them off these things that are below for he says to the Corinthians the things that are seen are Temporal but the things that are not seen are Eternal This he spake when they were Jangling and in a disorder about
the great ground of the change he gives it the honour of his most frequent appearings thereafter to his Disciples Luk. 24.13 15. Joh. 20.19 26. and again of that glorious manifestation of himself in the pouring forth of the Spirit at the Pentecost Act. 2.1 2 3 4. and again it was on this day as shall be shewed that he made that glorious appearance to John in the Isle of Patmos Revel 1.10 again the first day of the week was by the Apostles and the Church following their Masters Example which is binding in things imitable and that by Divine Precept Ephes 5.1 observed for the Celebrating of Gods Publick Worship as a day set apart for that work as appears from Act. 20.7 1 Cor. 16.1 2. where we have not a meer bare Example or instance of the Churches meeting for once or twice to Gods Publick Worship on that day set down but also we have their constant custom of so doing clearly in both places imported yea further the last of these two Texts shews that that day was set apart for the Publick Divine Worship while it expresly requires the publick Collections of Charity for the Poor a Pendicle of the Publick Worship to be made on that day and shews that the same order was also given to other Churches as well as to them of Corinth And lastly the Holy Ghost hath recorded to us these singular Priviledges and peculiar Honour bestowed by Christ upon this first day of the week above all other days as also the Churches observing of it for Gods Publick Worship and that constantly and as a day set apart for that use and the like he doth not mention of any other day which is very observable What is all this for then for some reason uncontrovertibly and yet no other can be given or fall under imagination or else I intreat the Quakers to shew us it if they can But that the first day of the week is a day peculiarly set apart and sanctified by Christ for the Exercise of his Publick Worship and which he would have his Church peculiarly to regard as designed for that holy use beyond and above all other days as was accordingly done by the Apostles and Church in the pure Primitive times The change of the day then is most surely by Divine Authority But Secondly when Christ foretels the Disciples of the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Vespasian Matth. 24.20 which was fourty years and upwards after Christs Ascension and so it was long after the planting of the Gospel-Church and exautorating of the Ceremonial Law He bids them pray that their flight might not be in the Winter nor on the Sabbath-day There is a Sabbath-day both name and thing under the New Testament which Christ wills his Disciples to pray that their flight might not be thereupon because it would be grievous to them to be forced to travel for preservation of their natural Lives on that day which was Instituted for Gods Publick Worship and their Spiritual comfort Neither is it possible to get the Sabbath-day here mentioned meaned of every day seeing then they behooved either to flee on the Sabbath-day or else never Nor yet can it be meant of an uncertain day or some day Indeterminately for then the Disciples could not have known what day to pray that their flight might not be upon and Christs Exhortation had been vain and to no use or purpose which is most absurd and false This one Scripture proves a Christian External Sabbath-day against all Contradicters and that the first day of the week must be this Christian Sabbath-day appears from the Claim and Interest above declared which it hath under the New Testament unto that honourable Title and peculiar Denomination above all other days and that by Divine Warrant Thirdly There is a particular determinate day under the New Testament which hath by the mind and sentiments of the Scripture a peculiar relation unto the Lord Christ above all other days whatsoever and so it is separated from the common condition of all other days having a peculiar Divine relation which no other hath and thereby a preheminence and dignity before all of them and so it must be an Holy Day seeing common days are not separated from the condition of common days except we please to speak plain contradiction That there is such a particular determinate day under the New Testament is clear from Revel 1.10 where John says He was in the Spirit on the Lords-day which cannot be meant of every day seeing then he could not have been in the Spirit but on the Lords-day whereas it is most evident that John distinctly points at a particular day having some peculiar relation to Christ above all others But the Quakers like Dictators say that the Lords-day here is meant of an uncertain time called the Lords-day because of the Lords special appearing thereupon But their Commentary is most false and cannot agree with the Apostles Scope which is as to shew the certain Person Who received the Vision viz. John and the certain place of the World Where In the Isle of Patmos and the certain kind of frame Wherein While he was in the Spirit so also the certain kind of day or the certain day of the week whereupon he received the Vision and so an uncertain time cannot stand with the Scope Secondly Let the Quakers if they can prove that an uncertain time is here meant or else their Gloss upon the Text will be justly thought uncertain Thirdly Our Adjective does not very perfectly turn the word which in the Original Language is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying Dominick or more clearly pertaining to the Lord which plainly imports a particular determinate day adding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with it which is in the Text having a peculiar and stated relation to the Lord above others which by common right are his also Having dispatched the Quakers uncertain time I affirm that the Lords-day here is meant of the first day of the week determinately seeing it hath a peculiar interest into that Denomination above all other days whatsoever for it is the day of Christs glorious Resurrection and ceasing from the great work of Redemption whereof it is a Remembrance it is the day of his frequent appearings to his Disciples thereafter it is the day of his glorious pouring forth of the Spirit and enduing the Apostles with Power from on High it is the day set apart for his Publick Worship and observed also for that use by the Apostles and Church in the pure Primitive time and finally it is the day which the Holy Ghost hath particularly noted unto us as alone honoured by Christ and his Church with such peculiar Priviledges all which is before proved Seeing then the first day of the week hath upon so many special accompts so peculiar an Interest into that Denomination which no other can pretend to The Lords day here mentioned must be inevitably understood of the same seeing the
albeit there are diversities of gifts amongst Believers yet they have all the same Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 13. But behold here a rare fansie The Quakers require either at least the same measure or else a larger measure of the Spirit than the Apostles had for turning the Psalms into Meeter What will no less measure of the Spirit than the Apostles had serve to understand Poetry and the Notes of Musick Must we be immediatly Inspired for these two O brave Morology The Quakers it seems will not allow a Boy to sing a Song nor a Minstreller to play his Tune both which requires something of Musick without immediate Inspiration forsooth Spectatum admissi risum teneatis amici The Quakers it seems do not like to be Precenters lest perhaps they get little Salary Lastly They ask what the Psalms were that were sung in the Primitive times Ans They were certainly the same that we now sing seeing these only are written in the Scriptures though the Quakers may have other Psalms in their wild Scripture-Book within and appointed by God to be sung as beside that we are Ordained to sing Psalms and there is no other to choose upon is clear from 2 Chron. 29.30 where the Church of Israel sang praises to God with the words of David and Asaph says the Text by the command of the good King and great Reformer These that would see any further concerning some scruples about Psalms-singing let them read worthy Mr. Durhams Exposition of the Song of Solomon from page 48. to page 53. where they may find some doubts resolved which I purposely here omit because there they may be found though little or nothing here medled with be there touched Ninth QUERY Whether or not your Directory Confession of Faith and Cathechisms be an Infallible Rule for you and your People to walk by or whether or not equal with the Scriptures or above the Scriptures and whether of them is the better Book and whether or not have ye an Infallible Spirit to give forth such a Directory or Catechism or Confession of Faith as ye have done and whether or not the Scriptures are not a better Directory than any ye can make which were given forth by the Holy Ghost by the holy Men of God who had the Infallible Spirit SVRVEY This Inspirer of the Quakers is surely no Spirit of Truth but a manifest Deviser of Lies seeing almost in every Sentence that drops from his mouth he impudently slanders the Church of God in Britain for who ever heard that any Protestant Church did hold any thing of Ecclesiastical Constitution formally as such for an Infallible Rule But on the contrary it hath always been the Doctrine of all Protestant Churches and as much of the Church of Britain as any other as may be seen in the fourth Article of the 31. Chapter of her Confession of Faith that all Synods and Councels since the Apostles days are liable to Error and that therefore their Constitutions formally as such are not to be made the Rule of Divine Faith and Religious Practice and yet there is much more hope of an unerring Spirit in a whole Synod of Orthodox Church-Guides than in any Brainsick Quaker falsly pretending thereunto The Quakers do not here quarrel with our Directory Confession or Catechism as to their subject sentence and the particular definitions which they contain or else they should have instanced the particulars which they judge to be wrong and not agreeable to the Stripture that we might have known what to vindicate which until they do I cannot gratifie them with particular defences Their quarrel therefore here is at the very common form of a Directory Confession or Catechism in a Church and that Church-Guides should presume to Constitute these and so all Churches are concerned in this affair seeing all of them have their Confessions Catechisms and Directories and yet no doubt this quarrel is chiefly intended against the Directory Confession and Catechism of the Church of God in Britain Therefore that we may in the general vindicate these we shall begin with the Directory Therefore first a Church-Directory may be taken in a large and improper sence as comprehending rules concerning parts of the publick Worship of God it self and the religious manner thereof as their immediate object directly regarded and if these Rules teach and direct no other Worship nor any other religious manner of the Worship but the very same which the Scripture directs and teaches then they can never be found fault with seeing even every particular Minister hath authority and is obliged by his Office to teach and enjoyn his Flock the Worship of God and the religious manner thereof from the Scripture yea that is his chief work and I must still think that a Synod of Ministers conveened in Christs name have no less authority nor can be any less obliged Such Rules there are in our Directory as the Rules appointing the Sabbath-day to be kept holy Psalms to be sung Ministers to do their work faithfully diligently c. all which are very Scripture-Rules particularly taught therein and their immediate objects are constituent parts or religious manners of the Worship But Secondly a Church-Directory may be taken in a more strict and proper sence as restricted to and meerly comprehending Rules or Directions concerning the External Circumstances of the Publick Worship and Government of Gods House And for vindicating our Directory in the general as was explained taken in this proper notion We must observe first that as it is utterly impossible to exerce any action except under the vesture of several circumstances So likewise the publick Worship of God cannot be performed except under the vesture of various Circumstances as needs no demonstration Secondly I must observe that as the vesture of unbeseeming undecent and disorderly circumstances in the exercise of Gods Publick Worship doth very much deform and disgrace the work as all may know and so cannot but very much hinder Edification and beget Scandals So the Vesture of comely decent and orderly circumstances therein doth greatly beautifie and adorn the work by the Rule of Contraries and so doth promote and advance Edification and Growth which by the contrary are exceedingly letted and hindered Thirdly I must observe that these External Circumstances of Gods Publick Worship are not in the Scripture particularly defined and determined seeing it is no where of Scripture particularly defined what time of the day or night the publick Worship shall begin how long it shall last what order shall be observed in reading preaching praying singing hearing c. But only they are therein determined in the general as to their common form of order and decency that decency and order must be observed therein seeing all things must be so done in the Church 1 Cor. 14.40 which command is manifesty transgressed by the undecency and disorder of one small Circumstance and so it plainly injoyns to maintain order and decency in all the Circumstances
for that which is before clean needs no more cleansing Fifthly They object That the Apostle says 1 Cor. 7.28 That though a Woman Marry she hath not sinned Therefore there are some actions at least free of all sin Ans If this objection proved any thing it would prove that Reprobates and Pagans also have perfect works Secondly I answer that Paul there means of the action of Marriage considered in respect of it's nature and kind and in order to its proper object as abstracted from all particular circumstances which may attend it which way the action hath no evil in it otherwise it could not be lawful to Marry whereas to forbid Marriage is a Doctrine of Devils 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. Nevertheless albeit the action of Marriage so considered be not sinful yet seeing every particular action is necessarily exercised in several Circumstances wherewith it ought or ought not to be cloathed it may easily be defiled and become sinful by the Vesture of evil Circumstances instead whereof it should have been cloathed with good ones especially adding the impurity and uncleanness of the Agent which exerts it self in every particular action Sixthly The Quakers object and hereby they endeavour to prove the perfection both of the Saints and of their good works in this life The Saints say they have in this life perfect good works Therefore the Saints in this life must be perfect They prove the Consequence because perfect Effects crave perfect Causes They prove the Antecedent because they are acceptable to God and because if they be not perfect then they are sinful but sinful they cannot be seeing God commands them who commands not things sinful Ans Our good works are acceptable to God thorow Christ into whom all believers are by Faith Ingrafted and thorow whom alone both their persons and good works are accepted but none of aur good works here-away ore in themselves acceptable to God seeing they are still Imperfect Again God accepts them as they are good that is Sincerely done not as they are Imperfect and so evill and so from their acceptation their perfection follows not To the Second I Answer that God Commands our good works not as we perform them but as we ought to perform nor yet as they are defective as to the Degree he does not Command their gradual defect but he Commands them as they are good in respect of their Nature and kind So the objection perishes Seventhly they endeavour to prove that Christians have at least some perfect Actions in this Life and for that purpose they Inquire of us if the Apostles sinned in writing the Scripures Ans First this will not prove the perfection of any Action of any man now living except they can first prove him to have as large a measure of grace and of the Spirit 's Influence and Assistance as the Apostles had when they wrote the Scriptures which will be hard enough I think for them to get done Secondly the writing of the Scriptures wherein the Prophets and Apostles were but Pen-men for the Holy Ghost dictated all may consist with some Degree of imperfection as the Action is considered Morally and as lyable to the Law of God David and Asaph wrote Scriptures when they were not perfect Psal 51 10. and 73 22. or else beside the Instances given what will they say of an Hypocrites writing over in whole or in part the whole Scriptures and of every Action of Printing while our Printers print them over But Thirdly for full satisfaction I Answer that in that Action the Apostles did not at all sin upon the matter which yet is the most Formal sense of the objection which thus proposed directly imports the matter seeing the matter of the Action did perfectly agree with the Law of God as also the Action of an unrenewed man may doe Secondly there was much good in it compared with all the rest of the causes and so it was sincere and of another nature and kind then any Action of an unrenewed man is or can be seeing the principles thereof love to God and men The ends thereof the glory of God and good of Souls the form and manner wherein it was done in obedience to God were all certainly good Yet considering it as a Moral Action lyable to God's Law it was surely for the reasons given Defective and Imperfect as to the exact and compleat Degree of love to God and men and respect to the glory of God and good of Souls and Acting in it in pure obedience to Gods Command wherewith every perfect Action is to be qualified They will may be say that then the Scriptures would be in danger to Contract some Impurity from the Impurity of the Agent and Action of writing Ans That is false as appears from our Instances of an Hypocrite and Printer and of David and Asaph when they were not pure or perfect And if the Doctrine written did necessarily Contract any impuritie from the impurity of the writer by the same Reason and with more Reason seeing the Tongue is a more Immediat Instrument of the Heart then the Hand the Doctrine Preached should Contract some Impurity from the Impurity of the Preacher which is manifestly false to the Worlds eye Christ was the external object of the persecutive Actions of the Jews yet he Contracted no Impurity from thence But the Quakers urge saying though we cannot do all we ought to do yet that which we do we may do it perfectly Ans This reply must either be understood of diverse Actions so that the sense shall be though we cannot do all the good Actions we ought to do yet that Action or these Actions which we do we may do it or them perfectly which seeing by Perfectly they must mean the perfection of Degrees and otherwise it would be nothing to their purpose of a sinless perfection which they plead we must deny because of these and many other Scriptures Prov. 20 9. Eccles 7 20. Galat. 5 17. Rom. 7 21. or else that reply must be understood of one and the same Action And so the sense is though we cannot do an Action in that perfect degree of goodness that we ought yet in that degree of goodness wherein we do it we may do it perfectly where it being the perfection of degrees which is here Controverted and by the Adversaries pleaded for and otherwise we should have no debate with them here their reply involves a strong Contradiction viz. that any Action performed below that degree of goodness which it ought to have should notwithstanding be performed perfectly in respect of the perfection of Degrees seeing so it would both want and yet not want some Degree of goodness which it ought to have For these reasons I justly deny the latter part of their proposition Sixteenth QUERY Can any man be saved by his own works Self-righteousness will worship And are not all men in Self-righteousness that are not in the righteousness of Christ Jesus And
wilful Seducers and malicious Opposers of the Truth whose Blasphemous Mouths must be stopt and their Heretical fury repressed that the Truth may not be Troden under foot and the simple Seduced who are easily ensnared where such men get way and are not Redargued That which hath deceived and been a Snare unto many simple and ignorant people is some hairy Garments of a few and but a few external Duties of the second Table of the Law wherewith these Instruments of Satan have Clothed themselves But such should remember that false Apostles and Ministers of Satan do Transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ and Ministers of Righteousness even as Satan also Transforms himself into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11.13 14 15. and false Prophets being inwardly Wolves do notwithstanding come in Sheeps Clothing Mat. 7.15 and even Resisters of the Truth put on a form of Godliness 2 Tim. 3.5 8. and however these Doctors of the Quakers Mask and Vizorn themselves with some few externals of the second Table yet how even in Doctrine they trample generally upon the whole Moral Law but more especially upon the first Table thereof which yet in reason ought to have the first room is not obscure For as for the First Commandment it is notour to all acquaint with the Principles of the Quakers how manifestly even in Doctrine they contradict and oppose the same while they Impudently deny that any man who hath not received the Spirit ought to Worship God This is so known a Tenet of the Quakers that we need hardly to produce Testimonies thereof but it may be seen in a Book of theirs Published in the year 1668 entituled The Principles of Truth or a Declaration of their Faith in the 81 82 and 92 pages whereof they expresly Teach and I shall repeat their very words That all men ought First to wait Vntil they receive the Spirit in Truth Then in the same Truth to worship God in Spirit who is a Spirit In plain Terms that is to say men must first wait until they receive the Spirit before they offer to meddle in worshipping of God The same also may be seen in a most virulent Printed Pamphlet of theirs Intituled in the beginning of the Chapters or Sections thereof for I had it without a Title page The Principles of the Priest so they call the Ministers of Scotland of whom they there speak of such a Place and such a Place in the 14. and 15 pages whereof they directly Impugn and oppose this Position and Principle alledged by them to have been Taught by Mr. John Carstairs Minister at Glasgow viz. That all men whatsoever ought to Worship God Unto this their Atheistical Doctrine is Subalternate that other impious Principle of theirs That no man ought to Pray to God till he be actually moved thereunto and Influenced by the Spirit otherwise Mr. George Keith one of their Chief Apostles affirms it is but Will-worship and Superstition in his Quakerism no Popery page 99. and 100. Good Reader allow me to take a small word of these Mad Principles and I shall do it very briefly Therefore first all men whatsoever they be are bound to Fear Reverence Love and praise God say the Contrary who dare but these are all most principal Arts or parts of the Worship of God Therefore this Principle of the Quakers is both False and Prophane Secondly Obedience to God Essentially and Indispensably includes worshipping of God seeing it includes a subjecting and stooping to his Yoke and Soveraignity and a doing of Homage and Honour unto him and this also includes Reverence all which are no mean parts of his most Substantial and Moral worship Well then if no man ought to Worship God until first he receive the Spirit then no man ought to obey God until first he receive the Spirit seeing obedience Essentially includes Worship and cannot be performed without it as is shewed but it is utterly Atheistical Profane and Absurd to say that no man ought to obey God until first he receive the Spirit for then no unrenewed man ought to obey God seeing such men have not received the Spirit Joh. 14.17 Rom. 8.9 if then unrenewed men ought not to obey God then they are not under any Law of God and he requires no obedience of them for if they be under any Law of his and if he requires any Duty of them I am sure the Quakers will never get them exempted from it Well then if unrenewed men be not under any Command or Law of God and he requires no Duty of them then it follows Infallibly first that let unrenewed men do what they will they cannot sin against God seeing such as are not under any Command or Law of God cannot trasgress any Law of his and so sin against him see Rom. 4.15 1 Joh. 3.4 Such men then in the Quakers Principles may deny disown reject hate and Contemn God Worship the Devil and Debauch at their pleasure and yet they cannot sin against God for all that seeing they are not under any Law of God Secondly it follows thereupon that Reprobates are all most unjustly Condemned for their sinning against God seeing they not having received the Spirit are not under Law to God as is supposed and so cannot be Guilty of sinning against him Thirdly it follows thereupon that unrenewed men cannot sin albeit they should never so much Counte-ract and Contraveen all the Precepts of the second Table of the Law also seeing these that Transgress no Law of God nor any Command of his cannot be sinners seeing Sin is a Transgression of the Law and where no Law is there is no Transgression they are not capable of Trangressng a Law who are not under it and bound to obey it Hence then in the Quakers Principles unrenewed men may Lawfully Dishonour and Defame all men Murder commit Adultery Steal bear false Witness and what not Is not that a sweet Doctrine that tends so directly to all mischief and wickedness losing all men that have not received the Spirit from all Bonds of God and cutting asunder all the Divine Cords of their Duty are not the Sage Doctors of these black Mysteries of Satan very Divinely Inspired Do they not seem to be very Pious Would it not be a sweet world if these Principles were put in practise God preserve us from from so Impious a Piety and such stark Mad Inspirations which I am sure are the very quintessence of the Devils whole Treasury and the utmost of his strength and endeavour Hence falls that other Lewd and Prophane Principle of the Quakers subalternate to their Doctrine here presently Confuted viz. That no man ought to Pray to God until he be actually moved and influenced thereunto by the Spirit seeing calling upon God is a part of Moral Worship or of our Obedience to the Moral Law whereunto all men are obliged Pour out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the Kingdoms that call not on thy
was some necessity for his arising to be Baptized with Water that he might go where there was Water Seeing then the Circumstances of these Texts will not permit these improperly so called Baptisms to be meant therein and its certain that some sort of Baptism is meant therein or else the word Baptize must be razed out of them It inevitably follows that Baptism with Water must be therein meant or else no Baptism at all which Impudence it self dare not say and so much the less seeing the Circumstances of these Texts do very well agree with the Circumstances of Baptism in other Texts where the word Water is expresly added And in these Texts we see what care the Apostles took for the speedy Administration of the Baptism therein mentioned to the Disciples appearing such and to all appearing such And these things evidently prove our Antecedent of this second Argument Thirdly our third principal Argument for proving Baptism with Water to be an Ordinance of Divine Institution under the New Testament is taken from Act. 2.38 which Text I have now proved to be meant of Baptism with Water where Peter Injoyns Baptism with Water to all these New Testament Disciples as a necessary Sacred Symbol or Pledge for Sacred it must be in regard of its Sacred and Spiritual signification of a Spiritual Benefit of the Remission of Sins For his Injoyning them to be Baptized for the Remission of Sins doth plainly hold forth some necessity thereof though not by necessity of Mean yet by necessity of Precept Therefore Baptism with Water must be an Ordinance of the New Testament Divinely Instituted For certainly Cancelled Jewish Ceremonies much less Humane inventions or any thing not appointed of God could never thereafter be necessary for Justification or Remission of Sins though sometimes they might be necessary for avoiding the Offence and stumbling of weak brethren as Act. 15.29 and 16.3 Fourthly whoever under the New Testament hath probably received the Spirit of Grace hath a right in the Churches Court unto Baptism with Water and she is bound to admit them thereunto Therefore Baptism with Water is surely an Ordinance of the New Testament Divinely Instituted or otherwise these could never have any Right thereunto in her Court nor she be bound to admit them into it without a Divine appointment making it due unto them but on the contrary they should be bound to abstain from it and she to Discharge them therefrom as unwarrantable Will-worship in the Scriptures Condemned Colos 2.20 21 22. These things clearly prove the Consequence The Antecedent is proved by Peter Act. 10.47 where he says Can any man forbid water that these should not be Baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we where by the Holy Ghost as often else where Act. 1.5 and 8.16 17. and 19.6 is meaned the Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost as is clear from the Context So then Peter Argues here from these Gifts of the Spirit bestowed on them as a probable Evidence though not an Infallible one See Mat. 7.22 of the Spirit of Grace bestowed on them That therefore they had a Right unto Baptism with Water and no man could Debar them from it for that were absurd as the Expression bears Can any man forbid c. So then according to the Apostle a probable Evidence of the Spirit of Grace received doth immediately infer a Right in the Churches Court to which his Discourse is here directed unto Baptism Water and so whoever hath probably received the Spirit of Grace hath that Right and the Church is bound to admit them to it and they are as absurd as Quakers that would Debar them from it These things plainly prove the Antecedent Fifthly there is one Baptism mentioned Ephes 4.5 which is certainly an Ordinance of Divine Institution and belongs to the New Testament as can never be gotten denyed But that must be Baptism with Water and can be no other for when Paul says There is one Baptism either he means of one properly so called which is Baptism with Water seeing the signification of the Word Baptize Primarily and properly agrees unto it or else he means there is one Baptism Improperly and Metaphorically so called but that cannot be seeing there is not one but many of these sorts of Baptisms as we have already seen whereof therefore to mean it would be a contradiction to the Text. Sixthly Baptism with Water is necessary to Salvation under the New Testament viz. by necessity of Precept and so as not the simple privation of it when it cannot be had but the Contempt of it when it may be had is Damnable Therefore Baptism with Water must be an Ordinance of Divine Institution under the New Testament The Consequence is manifest seeing a material piece of Divine Worship necessary to Salvation not appointed of God is a Will-worship necessary thereunto which is repugnant to the Scriptures I prove the Antecedent The Baptism mentioned Mark 16.16 is there made a necessary Antecedent of Salvation under the New Testament by the plain Sentence of the Text But the Baptism there mentioned is Baptism with Water Therefore Baptism with Water is necessary to Salvation under the New Testament The Major needs no more proving I prove the Minor because the Baptism mentioned in that Text of Mark doth in adult persons we shall speak afterwards of Infants pre-require Faith in Christ as the Text shews without which some way appearing by external Signs they have not a visible Interest and cannot be accompted Disciples by the Church but the Baptism of Doctrine does not pre-require that or else no man might be admitted to partake of the Gospel-Doctrine but such as before-hand probably believe and so it should never have been Preached to the Gentile-world Nor does the work of Conversion pre-require Faith in Christ to a mans partaking of it self otherwise it should pre-require it self without which there can be no such Faith before partaking of it self that is it self without it self which is repugnant Nor yet can it be meant of enduing with the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit seeing these were never necessary to Salvation as this Baptism mentioned in the Text is And I am sure the Quakers will not say that Baptism here is meant of the Baptism of the Cross under which they do not use to seek shelter or in any other Text that we have named seeing the Apostles and other Ministers of Christ are the immediate Administrators of the Baptism mentioned here and in all of these but were not so of the Cross they had no Commission for that Seeing then there is a Baptism meant herein Mark 16.16 And it cannot agree with any of these Improperly so called Baptisms but only with Baptism with Water which is properly so called it must Inevitably be meant of Baptism with Water wherewith it agrees or let the Quakers prove that it disagrees with that too and then I am sure it shall agree with none at all and
Covenant hath a Divine right unto Baptism under the New Testament but Children of believing Parents are by God Adopted and received within the Covenant as is plain from Gen. 17. ch Mat. 19.14 Act. 2.39 1 Cor. 7.14 Therefore Children of believing Parents have a Divine right unto Baptism under the New Testament The Minor is Evident by the Scriptures Cited I prove the Major because Baptism under the New Testament is the Initiating Seal and Symbol belonging and appended to our Entry and Reception into the Covenant as was before proved under the New Testament and so it belongs to every person that is received into the Covenant upon the accompt of their Reception or else it shall belong to their Entry and Reception as is supposed and above proved and yet not to them as Entered and Received which involves a manifest Contradiction Thirdly all who are probably Partakers of the Spirit of Grace and Regeneration have a Divine Right under the New Testament unto Baptism in the Churches Court and she ought to admit them thereunto as was before proved from Act. 10.47 48. But the Children of believing Parents are probably Partakers of the Spirit of Grace and Regeneration under the New Testament Therefore they have a right unto Baptism in the Churches Court and she is bound to admit them thereunto The Major was evidently proved before I prove the Minor for Gods taking them in within the Covenant Gen. 17. chap. makes it probable His promising to Circumcise the hearts of the Children as well as the Parents Deut. 30.6 makes it probable Gods Sanctifying some of the Children of believers from the Womb Jerem. 1.5 Luk. 1.15 makes it probable Pauls calling them Holy 1 Cor. 7.14 viz. federally and externally makes it probable And if it were not probable that the Children of Believers did partake of the Spirit of Grace and Regeneration then it could not be probable that any of them Dying in Non-age should be Saved seeing none but such as are Born of Water and of the Spirit can enter into the Kingdom of God Joh. 3.5 And lastly for I am sure I need no more Christs declaring and asserting their Interest into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19.14 Luk. 18.16 whereunto they cannot enter without being Regenerated makes it probable These things make it Infallibly certain as to the Kind or Quoad Speciem and probable as to particular persons or Quoad Individua But against this Last the Quakers except with the Aâ—abaptists That Christ does not in these Texts say that the Kingdom of Heaven pertained to these Infants that were brought to him and such other Natural Infants but unto Spiritual Infants whom he means of when he says Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Ans But then Christs reasoning runs thus suffer little Children these were true Natural Infants that were brought to Christ as we shall presently see wanting Interest in the Kingdom of Heaven to come unto me for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to mature persons regenerated which are Spiritual Infants and Infants Improperly so called This would have been so bad a Consequence that it would have bereft the Discourse of all Sence Secondly hereby they shew that in their opinion there are no Infants that have Interest into the Kingdom of Heaven otherwise they should have granted Christs words in respect of Infants properly so called and then farewel to the Objection Thirdly we here appeal the Analogy of Faith without some necessity from which the words must not be detorted from a proper to an Improper Sence Secondly they except that these were not young Infants that were brought to Christ but grown to some pretty Age because Christ says Suffer them to come intimating that they themselves could Walk Ans But when I Marvel did Come begin so necessarily to signifie walking on ones own Feet A man is said to Come from America albeit he should lie all the while in a Ships Cabin The Text shews that these Children came not on their own Feet For in the Text of Luke they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Sucking Infants And in all the Texts there is a word used for their bringing that signifies to bear or carry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Again Christ took them in his Arms and Blessed them but never a word of his Teaching them These that brought them spoke as the Texts Intimate but never a word in their head And if they had been in any small measure capable of Christs Doctrine the Disciples it seems would not have forbidden their coming Lastly they except against the Body of the Argument that it cannot be discerned if Infants have received the Spirit or not Ans I have shewed before how as to the Kind quoad Speciem it may be Infallibly discerned and probably as to Individuals Now probable Evidences are sufficient for the Baptism of particular persons Old or Young or else none at all should be admitted to Baptism seeing heart-searching is Gods Prerogative Jer. 17.9 10. nor did the Apostles themselves Infallibly discern peoples hearts as may be seen Act. 8.13 with 23. and 9.26 27. 1 Joh. 2.19 Fourthly all the visible or appearing Disciples of Christ ought to be Baptized under the New Testament as is evident from Mat. 28.19 Where Christ commands to make all Nations his Disciples Baptizing them c. From which Text it is as clear as Noontyde that whoever is once visibly or appearingly become Christs Disciple for the Church cannot go beyond probabilities here ought to be Baptized and that forthwith assoon as it can be conveniently done as the Expression imports Go make them Disciples Baptizing as if they should be Baptized in the very same instant that their Interest and Discipleship appears without requiring or expecting any further that as being the Condition being once probably discovered But the Children of believing Parents are visible Disciples of Christ Therefore they ought to be Baptized under the New Testament The Major needs no more proving I prove the Minor for all the visible Members of Christs School are his visible Disciples seeing to be a Member of ones School and to be his Disciple are both one thing as is undeniable but the Children of believing Parents are visible Members of Christs School seeing Christs School is his Church whereof the Children of believers are certainly Members seeing they were Members thereof in the time of the Old Testament and doubtless Christs coming in the Flesh when the Grace of God was enlarged hath not deprived them of so merciful a Priviledge surely not and since God received them into the Covenant we never heard of his putting them out again and they are Holy viz. federally and in order to Church-membership and of such is the Kingdom of Heaven all which iâ— already declared The Anabaptists use to urge this Text of Matthew against Infant-Baptism reading the words as they are in our Translation Go ye therefore and Teach all Nations Baptizing them c. From whence they
Holy Ghost that dwelt in them 1 Cor. 1.2 and 6.11 19. and yet they did Celebrate the Gospel-Supper among them and that by Divine Appointment 1 Cor. 10.16 and 11.21 23 24 28. and so the Gospel-Supper was appointed to be Celebrated by People in whom Christ doth already and previously dwell yea none else but such are allowed to partake of it as is shewed before But need they then Bread and Wine say the Quakers to put them in Remembrance of him after Christ is come to dwell in them Ans Now the Quakers begin to dispute and prove their Thesis against the Gospel-Supper and their Argument is a fruit of their conceipted perfection in this life from whence they infer that they need no Ordinances albeit the Apostle affirms 1 Cor. 8.2 and 13.9.12 that our knowledge in this life is still short of that which it ought to be and is but in part and that all of it is but dark and through a Glass which shews that we have need of Means and Ordinances as so many Perspicils or Glasses to help our weak and dim-sighted Eyes without which we cannot take up the object This conceipted Perfection of theirs I shall discuss at the Fifteenth Query when I come to it But whaâ— Do these in whom Christ dwells need nothing to put them in Remembrance of him for the Argument carries as much against every such thing as against the Gospel-Supper as is manifest indeed this very well Homologates with their Confession where they decry all manner of External Ordinances calling them Unclean Carnal Dead Babylonish Heathenish Observations and the Whores Cup of Abominations in several places thereof for which see it pages 10 24 77 79 87 92 102 104 105 108 111 122 130 133 135. But I am sure it suits not with the Scriptures any where that shews us many Ordinances and Means appointed of God to keep us in mind of him and our duty unto him and particularly of the Sacred Supper as a Memorial of what Christ hath done and Suffered for us and our memories that are especially weak in Spiritual things have great need of Remembrancers Joh. 14.26 Philip. 3.1 2 Pet. 1.13 and 3.1 2. The Divine Institution of the Gospel-Supper and the Commandment given to the Church to Celebrate the same is enough to warrant our practice of it methinks and our Imperfection in this life proclaims our need of it and other helps and means yea Adam in Innocency had a Tree of Life allowed him of God to eat of as a Symbol and Pledge of Life as long as he stood in his obedience much more need have we of a Pledge to strengthen our weak Faith In the next place to shew us their good skill in Physical Philosophy they give us a very learned and no less true definition of Death To Dye with Christ say they is to come to the Death with him But is it so Then never a Malefactor Died upon a Gibbet but they Died always by the way while they were coming to it seeing they were coming to their Death while they were by the way and to Dye and come to the Death is all one by this definition Hezekiah shewed himself more expert in Physicks when he distinguished betwixt the Birth and coming to the Birth Isa 37.3 but he did not learn his Philosophy at the Quakers School it seems They would have defined Death much better with Aristotle that it is the loss of heat and moisture because the loss of these infers it or if they will stand to my Judgment Death is the separation of Soul and Body because it is the very dissolution of their Union But I shall pass this only I behoove to notice the ignorance of their Inspirer in Naturals as well as Spirituals In the next place they do again vainly repeat that their foolish Argument now refuted and answered viz. That they that are in the death of Christ and buried with him need not Bread and Wine to put them in Remembrance of his Death the contrary whereof is abundantly shewed already and we will not repeat only I cannot but with astonishment wonder that seeing Christ so peremptorily commands it whether it were needful for us or not This do in Remembrance of Me they dare with their Brain-sick fancies directly contradict Divine Commands Oh! who but the Quakers that have gotten a new Christ of their own to be saved by would refuse any Token that Christ had appointed for a Memorial of his Death who wrote his love to us which many waters could not quench in the Characters of his Blood in the day that he was wounded for us in the House of his friends But say the Quakers the Apostle says they must rise with Christ Jesus and if they be risen with him then seek these things that are above and is not Bread and Wine from below Ans Here is another Argument against the Lords-Supper and whereby they reproach and condemn all the Ordinances that ever God appointed from the beginning of the World whereof any External Element was from below as well as the Gospel-Supper Secondly I answer That the seeking of things that are above does not exclude but on the contrary includes the use of the means which God hath appointed for attaining them seeing then the Lords-Supper is one of the means appointed of God for our better attaining things above the use thereof is not there viz. Colos 3.1 disallowed more than the use of Water is in Baptism of which before Thirdly Let the Elements be from whence they will yet I have shewed that the Gospel-Supper Celebrated under these External Elements as the Symbols is an Ordinance Instituted by Christ to be observed by the Gospel Church till his coming to the last Judgment And what then can the Quakers say to enervat Christs Institution Fourthly There is nothing in the Gospel-Supper that is from below excepting the meer External Elements materially and entitatively considered for the Institution the Internal Substance the Mystical Signification the Ends and Effects thereof are all of them things Heavenly and from above and so though Bread and Wine Entitatively considered be from below yet the Sacrament of the Supper and Bread and Wine taken Sacramentally are not from below for Bread and Wine simply or in themselves do not make a Gospel Eucharist more than a Body without a Soul makes a Man as is palpable from many things above said The seeking therefore of these things above mentioned Colos 3.1 is meant only in opposition to the seeking of Corporal commodities belonging to this Life and that not in every respect either but as the chief scope of our Actions Mat. 6.33 or to fulfil our Lusts Rom. 13.14 or with inordinate care and affection Colos 3.2 Luk. 12.22 or with anxious distrust Luk. 12.29 or by unlawful means or without submission to God for that we may seek our worldly necessaries also as Secundary means moderately without anxious care by lawful means for the right use
the Church and to be by Her observed till Christs coming again at the day of general Judgment and that for shewing forth his Death until then which notwithstanding is not a Gospel-Ordinance Instituted by Christ it's a horrid contradiction to say so Is this the Spirit of Revelation I should say of occaecation and fascination that the Quakers boast of Oh miserable Guide and grand Cheat who instead of a plain Path as he pretends doth thus conduct them continually into the dark mists of Cimmerian Clouds or rather into the Chimerical Desarts of Utopia where all their Principles seems to concenter in the common place of Contradiction But say the Quakers here Is that a standing Command or is left to People seeing it 's said As oft as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup do it in Remembrance of his Death and for shewing forth his Death till he come again Was this Coming to the end of the World Or was it till his coming to dwell in his Apostles c. See their Heretical Confession of Faith where they harp the same string page 26 27 77 78 79 80. Ans O miseri Quae tanta Insania cives Quis furor here is a whole heap of Romantick Fictious and Phantastick Dreams For first here they alledge that Christ did not dwell in his Apostles when the first Gospel-Supper was Celebrated and the same they also largely insinuate in their Confession pages 72 74 75. and so they behoove to be all at that time unregenerated Men meerly in Nature seeing Christ by his Spirit dwells in all Regenerated Persons and Believers as these Scriptures witness Rom. 8.9 10. 2 Cor. 13.5 Galat. 4.6 1 Joh. 3.24 But it is most false that Christ did not dwell in his Apostles when the first Gospel-Supper was Celebrated and that they were then unregenerated Men seeing Christ plainly declares that they were clean though not all Joh. 13.10 by this meaning of Judas the Traitor And again he affirms that they were clean through the Word that he had spoken unto them Joh. 15.3 and again he says that they had received the Word of God and kept it and knew surely that he came out from God and that the Father had sent him Joh. 17.6 7 8. and these are things which Flesh and Blood never revealed unto them and the natural Man cannot discern Matth. 16.17 1 Cor. 2.14 It is indeed true God had not at that time when the first Gospel-Supper was Celebrated furnisht the Apostles with the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit to accomplish them for their extraordinary work that ensued but that was done at the Pentecost but that Christ did not Spiritually dwell in them before the Pentecost the Scriptures cited declares to be false And as for that which Christ says to Peter Luk. 22.32 When thou art Converted strengthen thy Brethren it is not meant of the Conversion of his state as if he had been at that time unregenerated but it is meant of his Conversion from a particular Fact or his Rising after a Fall as beside what is already said is clear in the Text it self for Christ there tells him that he had prayed for him that his Faith might not fail which intimates that he then had Faith and that it should not be totally extinguisht by the temptation he was to meet with seeing Christs prayers were always heard Joh. 11.42 Secondly They thereby insinuate That the Gospel-Supper should be allowed to none but unregenerated Persons in whom Christ dwells not who will surely take it unworthily and eat and drink their own Damnation therein 1 Cor. 11.29 for they do not here deny but acknowledge that the Apostles were by Christ admitted to the Gospel-Supper before he came as they would have it to dwell in them but they will not have them partaking of it after Christ is once come to dwell in them alledging that to be its period and term day but Christ dwells in all Regenerated Persons as is proved Therefore they allow the Gospel-Supper to none but Unregenerated Persons who cannot discern the Lords Body nor shew forth his Death which is not a bare Historical Remembrance of a thing past but consists in our Spiritual feeding by Faith upon Christ Crucified and the application by Faith of him and all the benefits of his Redemption to our selves in our thankfulness to him for so great benefits and in our love towards him and each other which things Unregenerated Men meerly Carnal cannot do Rom. 8.7 8. 1 Cor. 2.11 14. So then the Quakers in this point do directly contradict the Holy Ghost who requires 1 Cor. 11.25 26 29. that none come to the Gospel-Supper that cannot discern the Lords Body and shew forth his Death Thirdly They thereby alledge That there is not a standing Command left to the Church for Celebrating the Lords Supper which I have shewed to be most false from Luk. 22.19 and 1 Cor. 11.23 24. in both which places we have a clear Command set down Do this in Remembrance of Me which Command seeing it was never to this day repealed or else let the Quakers shew where that is Recorded must be as yet standing still in force otherwise they may as well say that all the Commands are repealed together without any ground as that this is repealed and not standing when they can shew us no ground for it from the whole Word of God Fourthly They thereby alledge that the coming again of Christ mentioned 1 Cor. 11.26 and which is no where else in all the Scriptures mentioned upon this purpose is meant of Christs coming to dwell in his Apostles viz. at the pouring forth of the Spirit at the Pentecost after which time they will not deny that Christ dwelt in them as their Confession of Faith owns pages 72 73 74 75. albeit they plainly teach that he did not dwell in them before that time But it 's impossible that Christs Coming again mentioned there 1 Cor. 11.26 should be meant of Christs pouring forth of the Spirit or coming at the Pentecost seeing Christs coming at the Pentecost was already past long before the writing of that Epistle to the Corinths whereas his coming there mentioned is held forth as a thing meerly future and not past now it 's a flat contradiction to say a thing meerly future and not past is already past and so his coming again mentioned in the Text of the Corinths cannot be meant of his coming at the Pentecost Again The Eucharist was Celebrated by the Apostles and the Church after the Pentecost when Christ either dwelt in the Apostles or else never Act. 2.42 and 20.7 1 Cor. 10.16 and 11.28 Therefore the period of the Gospel Eucharist could not be at the pouring out of the Spirit at the Pentecost What Did not Christ dwell in these Corinthians whom Paul writes to seeing they were sanctified in Christ Jesus and justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God and they were Temples to the