from being any design of our Religion that it more than any tendeth to humble the Creature for man can never be truly humbled until he see himself in the Light of God shining in his heart and that will greatly humble him as it did Job and Isaiah and all the holy men of God were humbled and kept humble by bowing down and subjecting thâ—â—r Minds and Thoughts with all their Desires and Affections to that divine Spirit Light and Life of Christ in them that bringeth men to the true Denyal of Self and to cease from all Self-Actings Willings and Runnings that only proceed from their meer Natural Paâ—ts and Abilities whether in Prayer or any other Religious Performance and however such Prayers and Devotions that are performed without the Spirit of God may please mans carnal Mind and give 〈◊〉 false and carnal ease and peace and exalt Self in Man yet they can neâ—â—â—â—â— profit them who use them nor please God for God who is a Spiâ—â—â— will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth And whereas in his 8th page he accuseth the Quakers for their horribly Prayer-less Lives withal asking how many Prayer-less Houses and Prayer-less Tables are to be found among the best of them I Answ In that he is very uncharitable as that the best of us had neither Prayer in our Houses nor at our Tables which is false for not only the most grown up in the Truth but even the least Babes in the Truth are not without frequent Prayer both in their Houses and at their Tables altho' not so very frequent vocally yet sometimes vocally as God is pleased to give an utterance and at other times only with our Hearts which God accepts for vocal and external words of Prayer are not so essential to Prayer but that true Prayer may be and is most frequently without it yea Samuell Rutherford a great Presbyterian saith in his Epistles Words are but the Accidents of Prayer yet Prayer with Words uttered with the Mouth as God is pleased to enable us we gladly own both in our Assemblies and Families and if any be wanting in their Families in Prayer or any other part of Devotion it is their own fault for which they must answer and ought not to be charged upon the innocent And we believe Gods holy Spirit will be wanting to none duely to move them and that most frequently to Prayer who watch thereunto both with words or without them And if they watch not unto Prayer their Neglect of watching and likewise of Prayer is their sin and chargeable upon them and they will bear their burden for it But that any faithful man owned by us hath said as C.M. alledgeth not from any Quaker but from a partial Adversary That in many Years they have not had a motion to Prayer we do not believe if any feel not their hearts moved to Prayer and that most frequently it is their own fault and sin for indeed every faithful Soul his Life is a Life 〈◊〉 Prayer and he prayeth in his heart as frequently as he breatheth in the air for true inward Prayer rightly understood is the â—â—â—â—inual Motion of the heart towards God The Spirit helping our 〈◊〉 with Groans that cannot be uttered for even Paul said We know not what to pray for as we ought Rom. 8.26 And also he hath solemn Times and that frequently for solemn Prayer and Meditation and Thanksgiving but the most sincere Christians do not always make the greateâ—â— show or outward appearance to pray as the Phariseâ— did of 〈◊〉 And I might easily retort this Question How many 〈…〉 and Independents have either Prayer lesâ— Houses and 〈…〉 very formal and Hypocritical and are wholly Strangers in the 〈…〉 Life and Mystery of Prayer Though we have Charity 〈◊〉 some of all sorts and as we judge neglect of Prayer a great 〈◊〉 so we judge 〈◊〉 Formality and Hypocrisie to be no less both which Extreams are to be avoided Some Collections of Passages out of Jer. Taylors Book 〈◊〉 The History of the Life and Death of the holy JESUS Part 1. Sect. 9. of Baptism N. 29. JVst as we use to deny the Effect to the Instrumental Cause and attribute it to the Principal in the manner of speaking So we say it is not the good Lute but the skillfull hand that makes the Musick it is not the Body but the Soul that is the Man and yet he is not the Man without both Note And so the Quakers commonly say It is not the Scriptures but the Spirit that revealeth to us divine Mysteries yet by so saying they deny not that the Scripture is an Instrument of the Spirit to reveal the Doctrinal Principles peculiar to the Christian Faith as Christs Birth of a Virgin his Crucifixion c. as much as the Lute is the Instrument of the skillfull hand that makes the Musick Infants Baptism Part 2. N. 8. No man can conclude that this Kingdom of Power that is the Spirit of Sanctification is not come upon Infants because there is no sign nor Expression of it it is within us therefore it hath no signification it is the Seed of God And it is no good Argument to say here is no Seed in the Bowels of the Earth because there is nothing green upon the face of it And N. 19. For as the reasonable Soul and all its Faculties are in Children Will and Vnderstanding Passions and Powers of Attraction and Propulsion yet the Faculties do not operate or come abroad till Time and Art Observation and Experience have drawn them forth into Action so may the Spirit of Grace the Principle of Christian Life be infused till in its own day it is drawn forth for in every Christian there are three parts 〈◊〉 to his integral Constitution Body and Soul and Spirit and all these have their proper Activities and Times but every one in his 〈◊〉 Order first that which is Natural then that which is 〈…〉 what Aristotle said A Man first lives the Life of a Plaâ—â— then of 〈◊〉 and lastly of a Man is true in this sence and the 〈◊〉 spiritual the Principle to the longer it is before it operates because â—â—re things concur to spiritual 〈◊〉 than to Natural and these are 〈◊〉 and therefore first the other are perfect and therefore last 〈…〉 who is he that so 〈◊〉 understands the Philosophy of this third Principle of a Christians Life the Spirit as to know how or when it is infused 〈◊〉 how it operates in all its Periods and what it is in its Being and proper 〈◊〉 and whether it be like the Soul or like the Faculty or like a 〈…〉 to what Purposes God in all varieties doth dispense it thaâ— which is 〈◊〉 is that the Spirit is the Principle of a new Life or a new Birth 〈…〉 the Seed of God and may lie long in the Furrows before it springs up that from the Faculty to the Act the passage is not always suddain and quick And a little after
Capacities I shall let pass only minding the Reader That the nature of a Contradiction is difficult many times to understand even in Natural things so that it is reckoned the subtâ—lest part in Logick or Metaphyâ—â—â—â—â— to understand throughly what are alwayes Contradictions and 〈…〉 and therefore much more hard it is to understand in 〈…〉 that contain many seeming Contradictions for tho' 〈…〉 â—cripture containeth no real Contradiâ—â—ons coming from 〈…〉 Spirit of Truth yet it containeth 〈…〉 seeming which 〈…〉 and Scoffers use to object His comparing me to Julian the Apostate favoureth of the like Spirit of Envy as formerly when with no more ground he accused me of being guilty of the Vnpardonable Sin It is a part of my Blessing that being reviled and fully accused I can patiently bear it by the Grace of Christ in whom I believe and to whom I confess even to the Crucified Jesus that was nailed to the Cross for my Sins whom my Soul loveth and whom Julian openly denyed But Cotton Mather will gain no credit nor esteem either to himself or his Cause by 〈…〉 and Extraordinary Revilings rarely to be parallelled among the greatest Readers His Fourth Argument hath as weak and sandy Foundation as any of the rest as namely as he saith That I renounce both the Religion and the Saviour which the Saints have hitherto ventured their Souls upon c. to wit Christ Jesus And this he undertaketh to prove Sathan like by wresting my words and omitting some of them in the very Sentence he citeth that were altogether essential to make up the intire period and sence for I said in my Book Your Visible Churches 〈◊〉 true Churches of Christ for the Religion ye profess is not the true Religion of Christ Jesus yea in Fundamentals and in the very Foundation it self which is Christ Jesus on which the true Church is 〈◊〉 and every Member thereof but ye who say note my following words p. 137. all inward divine Revelation is ceased ye to wit your visible Church build not on Christ but on a meer Hear-say and Historical Report of him for how can ye build on him when ye have no belief that Christ is nearer unto you than in some remote place beyond the Skyes Where the Impartial Reader may see first That my words expresly mention their visible Church that doth not build really on Christ but on a Profession of him even by Cotton Mather's Confession 〈◊〉 nothing is required to make up the Members of a visible Church but a Profession of him and of the true Religion But every judicious leâ—son will say it is one thing to profess Christ in words or show and another thing really to build on Christ that everlasting Rock for by Christs Doctrine none buildeth on the Rock which is Christ 〈…〉 that heareth Christ's Sayings and doth them and that is much 〈◊〉 than barely to profess him But yet I did not question nor â—o but that according to my Christian Câ—arity moving me so to believe divers among all sorts Societies call'd Christian in Christendom that hold the Fundamentals as many do do really build on Châ—ist thâ—â—â—â—e Foundation and because they so do in due time the Wood Hay and Stubble of their Errors in other things while they build on the true Foundation will be burnt up by the divine Fire of the living Word and living Spirit of God in them and their Lord Jesus Christ iâ— mine and mine is theirs and I could be glad that I could entertain that Charity to C.M. but however I have not that uncharitable judgment of him as bad as he is that he hath committed that unpardonable Sin for though he hath reproached the precious workings and operations of the holy Spirit both in my faithful Brethren and me calling them Delâ—sions of Satan yet because I judge he doth it ignorantly therefore his sin is pardonable upon Repentance which I pray God may be given him for that and all his haâ—d Speechâ—â— and all other sins before it be too late But because he cannot fix his â—â—â—se Charge upon me of denying Christ he essayeth 〈◊〉 but with 〈…〉 success to fix it upon my Brethren as dear Isaac Pennington whom I well knew to be a true Believer in the Lord Jesuâ— Christ and a sincere Lover of him even the crucified Jesus and whose Souâ— I believe is in test in Christ in heavenly Glory And as to his words We can never eat the Bodily Garment Christ but that wâ—ich appeaâ—ed and dwelt in â—he Body it is easie to put a fair and charitable construction on it as wâ—â—l as on Christs words when he said He that 〈…〉 seen 〈◊〉 hath seeâ— the Father and yet many saw Christ's body of Flesh that never saw the Father But to clear the thing I 〈◊〉 speaâ—eâ—h â—hâ—s in opposition to Socinians and oâ—hers tincturâ—d with 〈…〉 as if â—he Manhood of Christ that was born of the Viâ—gin exâ—â—ndâ—â—g the 〈◊〉 Word was the only and whole Christ whereas 〈◊〉 was 〈…〉 his Body of Flesh therefore he is said to have come in the Flesh and to have taken Flesh And if we consider Christ as he was before the World was by whom all things were created and in respect of his Godhead the Body was not that but the Garment of it when he assumed it But when we consider Christ as Man as every other man 〈◊〉 both Soul body belonging to his essential Constitution as Man 〈◊〉 and Christ and still hath a moâ—â— gâ—orious Soul and Body and we 〈◊〉 not but according to Scripture 〈◊〉 Christ Manhood yea and his Body iâ— called Christ as when the Scripture saith that he was buried nailed to the Cross buâ—â—ited and even his Body was and is a part of his Manhood and his Soul the other and more Noble part most wonderfully and incomparably united with the Godhead and most incomparably filled with all fullness of the Godhead and of Grace and Truth out of whose fullness we all receive and Grace foâ— Grace and yet we do not judge that the Godhead is circumscribed within the Body of Christ for the Godhead is Omnipresent as well as Omnipotent and Omniscient And whereas he querieth saying Let Keith tell us honestly whether he does not count his own Body to be the Body of Christ in the same sence that the visible tangible Flesh which hung upon the Cross was the Body of our Lord I Answer honestly Nay by no means as I have sufficiently formerly declared in my printed Books and Testimonies on all occasions for as the Body of the Head is of far more Dignity than the Body of the inferiour Members and hath the Soul or Spirit and Life of man otherwise dwelling in it than the inferiour Members so much more the Soul and Body of Christ hath the eternal Word living and dwelling in the same than any other and that incomparably as Augustine well demonstrateth lib. de agonâ— Christianâ— cap. 20. thus concluding And therefoâ—e tâ—e Word doth not
many in England and Scotland In his 17 th Assertion he is as weak and abusive as in any of the former That he his Brethren cannot own true Piety to be essential to a true Minister of Christ to make a necessary Provision for the everlasting Peace of renewed Souls which cannot be saved without their Assertion viz. That true Piety is not essential to a true Minister for this would make their Conversion or Peace wholly depend upon Grace in the heart of a Minister But this is a most gross Abuse and Pervertion and a most silly trick or cheat to palliate or excuse their absurd Doctrine which a Child may discover for the Contradictory Assertion viz. That true Piety is essential to a true Minister of Christ doth not make that the Conversion of the Souls dependeth on Grace in the Minister because many Thousands of Souls have been and are daily converted without any Minister good or bad by reading or hearing the holy Scriptures the holy Spirit aiding and concurring therein and this is generally confessed by all Protestants And if some think they were converted by means of some Ministers that were afterwards sound to be Hypocrites all that this can prove is not that they are not converted but that they are in some mistake about the man whom they thought was the Instrument of it and was not And for my saying It is no wonder that New-England abounds with such Impious Ministers I did argue ad hominem according to your Principle for to say True Piety is not essential to a true Minister of Christ openeth a door to let in a stood of Impious Ministers upon the People of New-England and it is to be feared this absurd Principle hath too much open'd a Door unto them And for all your strict pretended Tryal of men before they enter into the Ministry do ye try them concerning their Piety if nay then ye open a door to them who may be really Impious if they have but wit enough to be Hypocrites and only seemingly Pious if Yea this contradicts your Doctrine who say ye have no certain way to try whether men be really Pious or not for ye reject all pretence to a discerning of Spirits whereby to know who are really Pious and who not and the Marks given by Paul whereby to try men before they be owned to be either Bishops i. e. Overseers or Pastors or Deacons were not out-side Marks of Holyness only that Hypocrites may have but to be really sober just holy temperate Tit. 1.8 and where these Virtues are they do as certainly and infallibly discover themselves in words and works to the spiritual Discerners as Spices and precious Oyntments or Perfumes discover their sweet smell and odour to them who have the right use of their natural smelling And as to his Question How People may know whether we have an Immediate Call to the Ministry To this I Answer There must be some spiritual Ability or Gift of Discerning in such who are able to know such a thing for it is only the spiritual Man that is able to judge of spiritual things and whomsoever God calleth to the Ministry by his Power and Spirit inwardly revealed that is immediate his Power and Presence according to his faithful Promise doth go along with them so that some that hear them though not all are the Seal of their Ministry and the Blind are made to see the Deaf to hear the Lame to walk the Dumb to speak and the Dead to live to wit spiritually And as this was Luther's answer to the Papists that asked for some Signs to prove his and his Brethrens Call who did commonly upbraid them That they never so much as cured a Lame Horse so it may suffice for our Answer for whether C.M. believe it or not we have had the Seal of our Ministry that many by means of our Testimony have had their inward Eyes opened and have been turned from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Sathan unto God and this inward Change hath had its evident Effects of Christian Piety Sobriety and Justice in their outward Conversation But such who were blinded and hardned against the Spirit of Truth did not know Christ nor his Apostles and Ministers and therefore we cannot expect that such can know us And this Question of C.M. may be easily retorted upon him that doth so confidently affirm That there are so many Ministers in New-England that have and use all true Piety let him tell us how he or they can prove that they are really Holy and that their Holyness is not a meer outside Holiness that Hypocrites may have If he â—â—y they may be known by their Fruits I query again By what Fruits Are these Fruits only outward words and works that Hypocrites may have for there is nothing barely outward but Hypocrites may have But if by Fruits he mean that which hath some inward Virtue and savour of Life and Grace with them that do infallibly demonstrate themselves to be the Fruits of the Spirit to such as have a spiritual savour and discerning as this would contradict their Principle so it maketh for us to answer his Question Nor are there sufficient Testimonies of antient Christian Writers wanting who did agree with us in our Assertion viz. That Hypocrites and Vnholy Men who have not the Spirit of Christ are not true Ministers of Christ as not only Luther whom I cited in my former Book who calleth them Sectaries and Seducers who know to preach much of Christ but seeing they feel him not in their Hearts as to be sure such do not who have no true Piety they leave the right ground of the Mystery cap. 11. Luth. Mensal But of the Antients backwards of above 1200 Years ago I shall cite two short Testimonies for this Assertion held by us viz. Cyprian who lived about the middle of the 3d Century and Athanasius who lived in the 4th Century for Cyprian in his Epistle to Januarius saith How can he who is unclean himself and who hath not the holy Spirit cleanse or sanctifie the Water viz. in Baptism seeing the Lord saith Numb 19. All that the unclean toucheth shall be unclean And after What Prayer can a sacriligous Priest and who is a Sinner make for the Baptized seeing it is written God heareth not a sinner but he that worshippeth him and doth his Will him he heareth but who can give what he hath not or how can he do spiritual things who hath lost the holy Spirit And in his Epistle to Stephen Bishop of Rome he with his Collegues gathered in Council in Africa writeth saying It behoveth that Priests and Ministers who serve at the Altar and Sacrifices be sound and immaculate seeing the Lord saith in Levit. cap. 21. The man in whom there is any fault or vice shall not approach to offer Gifts to God and in Exodus the Priests who approach to God let them be sanctified lest the Lord forsake them Exod.
19. And again When they come to ministâ—â— at the Altar let them not bring a blemish lest they dye Which woâ—â—â— of Cyprian and his Collegues are as much against Impious as Heretick Ministers and yet Protestants who judge Popish Priests to be great Hereticks allow of their Baptism so far that they do not baptize any that leave Popery and joyn to them And Athanassus in his Interpretation of the Parables saith Who 〈◊〉 will do the Work of God who will teach others or be profitable unto 〈◊〉 is behoveth him to be in the first place Virtuous and to receive the Gifâ—◠〈◊〉 Grace from God and to possess the Fruits of the holy Spirit and the Treasures of the Knowledge of the good things of God and then he can impart Gifts to others for if any go with his hands to anoint another with Oyl and have no Oyl how can he give to others what himself hath not and after the same manner we must judge of a Teacher As for C. M's great Clamour for Maintenance to him and his Brethren for preaching from 1 Cor. 9.14 and Gal. 6.6 Let them first prove that they are true Ministers of the Gospel and have a divine and spiritual Gift and Ability to preach it and we should allow to such that Maintenance which the Scripture mentioneth which to be sure is neither any stinted Sallary nor forced which yet many of the Priests of New-England have had and yet would have if they knew how and which C.M. doth plead for Nor is he less Impertinent in his seeking Shifts and Evasions to excuse their putting to Death our four Friends in New England one time telling us There are Laws for iâ— against the Quakers for speaking and writing Blasphemous Opinions despising of Government c. And so had the Jews a Law as they said against Christ and so had the Papists against the Martyrs that they burned in Queen Mary's time But what the blasphemous Opinions were that these were guilty of who were put to Death at Boston hath not yet been made appear nor any other thing worthy of Death or Corporal Punishment And suppose which yet I never heard sufficiently proved that some called Quakers said to People in New England things that were blasphemous as Thy Bible is the Word of the Devil we deny thy God c. as C.M. saith but doth not prove must the innocent suffer for the guilty if these that were put to death said no such thing as ye can never prove they did they were unjustly put to Death and their Blood yet lieth upon them that either shed it or doth justifie the shedding of it and it were far better to C.M. not to take innocent Blood on him if he were wise Another while again These Laws were but begun to be executed before the New-Englanders grew sensible of their Error in making them c. But then if it was their Error to make them why should C.M. use so many Evasions to justifie their executing them Another while The Quakers would not have born New-England men to have done the like c. But the Quakers have suffered a great deal more disturbance even in their â—ublick Meetings and never used any such Violence even where they 〈◊〉 Power And his Example of a mans entring into another mans Horse 〈◊〉 Plague upon him without that others Consent is altogether imâ—â—â—per for the wide World or any wide part of it as New-England â—â—â—ereth far from a mans private Dwelling and if this Example had â—ny force in it it hath the same for the Papists in France and Spain â—â—nishing and putting to Death the Protestants there But it seems C.M. is not of our Saviours mind who bid suffer the Tares and the Wheat to grow together in the Field which he expoundeth to be the World until the Harvest And this Example of C.M. is like that which I heard that a New-England Preacher gave to move the People to put the Quakers to Death though they could not prove them guilty of any fact worthy of it That men use to kill the Wolves they catch as well these who have done no harm to the Sheep as others who have done harm because it is the Nature of Wolves to do harm and the way to prevent their Harm is to kill them And for all C. M's fair Pretensions of Lenity to the Quakers now-a-dayes yet seeing he calleth us at least the Speakers among them grievous Wolves it showeth his envious Mind and how he would have us treated if his Perswasion could prevail nor ought we to believe his Protestations to the contrary seeing he doth so much contradict them in his so much justifying the putting our Friends to Death But it is no new thing that the Sheep should be put into Wolves and Bears Skins as C.M. doth to us in the Title page of his Book calling it Little Flocks guarded against grievous Wolves but the Title of his Book had been most true and proper Cotton Mather proving himself a grievous Wolf against the poor innocent Sheep of Christ called in scorn Quakers for his fierce and ravenous Spirit against the Quakers is more like to a Wolf than any thing that ever appeared in any of us against him or his Brethren and he can never prove that ever one of us stirred up the Magistrate to Persecution against any that differed from us in any part of the World But we can prove that his Brethren the Priests in New-England did most earnestly stir up the Magistrates in New-England to persecute our Brethren and did prevail with them to do it and if C.M was too Young or not born in those dayes to joyn with his Blood thirsty Brethren it is well if his Father Increase Mather was not equally guilty with others of them and I find not as yet but that C.M. doth approve their deeds and so bringeth their sins upon him as Christ said to the Pharisees who in the like Hypocritical Spirit said If 〈◊〉 had lived in our Fathers dayes we would not have killed the 〈◊〉 Mat. 23.30 And seeing according to C.M. the Quakers that 〈◊〉 put to Death were Mad and fitter for Bedlam than to be put to Dâ—â—â—â— on which Concession John Delavall in his Appendix to my Boâ—â— proveth by the Law of England That these who put them to Death 〈◊〉 Murtherers and deserved Death for so doing What saith C.M. to this Surely nothing at all CHAP. VI. HIs Apology for using You to one and saluting with the Hat is very weak and silly viz. Because to say you to a single Person became a Custom when the Common Wealth of Rome was turned into a Kingdom first to treat Persons of Quality in the plural Number with You and so by degrees it s descended unto all particular men But if 〈◊〉 be a sufficient Reason to justifie a 〈◊〉 then all the 〈…〉 and vain Inventions of Heathens and Papists may be allowed but the Scripture saith The Customs of the People are
so to be and that a charitable Construction cannot be safely and sincerely put upon them but that they do contradict the holy Scriptures and the wholsom Doctrine therein delivered by the holy Prophets and Apostles we do sincerely deny and disown them and declare our being ready with all possible sincerity to disown them upon due notice and advertisment for though we affirm That the Spirit of God in us and all Belieâ—ers in every discovery it gives is infallible yet we have never judged our selves absolutely infallible nor did we ever place or fix an absolute Infallibility upon any Man or Number of â—â—â—iety of Men since the Apostles dayes but through Gods mercy 〈◊〉 are sensible of our danger of being liable to Mistakes as well as â—â—her men if we be not duely humble watchful and careful to keep â—lose and chaste to the pure openings teachings and leadings of the infallible Spirit of Truth And we readily grant the great benefit we have by the holy Scriptures as being instrumental by and with â—he immediate working of the Spirit to preserve us from Error or if any be overtaken in an Error and beguiled by the Enemy to Recover and Restore them there-from therefore it is that in all respects we prefer the Scriptures both to our own and all other Writings and if any Doctrine or Practice be found contrary thereunto upon due and impartial Examination we say it ought to be disowned and denyed for the Scriptures of Truth and the Spirit of Truth that gave them forth can never contradict the one to the other CHAP. II. IT cannot with any colour of Justice be expected by Cot. Mather that I should give a particular Reply to all things in his Book called An Address said or alledged against the People called Quakers in general or me in particular until such time that he give a distinct particular Answer to my former Book called The pretended Antidote proved Poyson c. particularly directed to him and his Brethren and to the several Chapters and Sections thereof which he hath not so much as essayed wherein notwithstanding almost the whole matter he doth muster up against us in his late Address is sufficiently and solidly answered and therefore until he give a full and distinct particular Answer to the said Book I judge not my self obliged so much as to notice many things contained in his said Address being filled with manifest falshoods perversions and abuses sufficiently already Replyed unto partly by others and partly by me but containing no new matter against us excepting his Personal Reflections against me which yet I think not to spend much Time or Paper to answer most of them being so manifestly false and foolish that of themselves they fall and evanish only I intend to give a short glance or hint at some of the most considerable Abuses and Perversions he musteret◠〈◊〉 against us Pag. 3. He saith If I have one spark of Light in me Quakerism 〈◊〉 but a profound and deadly pit of Darkness Answ This Assertion doâ—â— not come from any true Light in him but from his Darkness Pag. 4. Quakerism under pretence of advancing the spiritual Objeâ—â— of Religion goes to annihilate all the Sensible Ans False Again pag. 4. There is hardly any one Fundamental Article of thâ— reformed Religion whereby we look to be saved that is not undermined by Quakerism Ans But of this he has not given one true instance And as to what he alledgeth that some of us have said The Letter is not the Word of God to wit properly and without a figure he himself hath said as much see pag. 59. And that some of us have call'd their Books Light risen out of Darkness Shields of Truth c. they understood it not but metaphorically or figuratively by some Metonymy as is common in all Titles of Books but we have alwayes preferred the Scriptures to our Writings And that the Scriptures may be call'd the Word of God in a figurative Speech and also that the True Sense signified in them is the Word of God I have acknowledged and so I do still but that the inward Testimony of God in our Hearts is more properly and immediately the Word of God than the outward Testimony of the Scripture I still affirm with Augustine and other antient Writers As for his citing William Penn's words agruing against that same Numerical Body its rising at the Resurrection it is clear that he understandeth the same exact Number of the small Particles or Dusts neither more nor less than what is commonly buried and what hurt is there in that doth not C.M. and his Brethren generally say as well as W. Penn That at the Resurrection all shall rise Men and not Infants nor lame nor defective in any part and yet how many Thousands dye Infants and defective in some Bodily Members That some have denyed the Saints as such to be miserable Sinners it ought to be considered that according to the common stile of Scripture Saints and Sinners are distinguished and the unconverted are called Sinners for the denomination of a thing is taken chiefly from that which is the greatest part but â—ecause in all Saints even the weakeâ—â— Grace and Holiness is the chief and gâ—eatest part therefore from that they receive their Denomination and are said to â—e righteous and clean and not to do Iniquity That one said The Scripâ—â—â—â—â—s not the means by which Faith is wrought it can receive a candid â—â—â—â—â—pretation as to say the only means excluding the inward Grace 〈◊〉 Operation of the Spirit as some say Medicine is not the means of 〈◊〉 Cure though a Means it is understood not the only means â—nd whereas he querieth If their Primmer hath yet been corrected 〈◊〉 they read False Teachers preach Christ without and bid People 〈◊〉 in him as he is in Heaven If he mean William Smith's Primmer 〈◊〉 I believe he doth I Answer Yea it hath been Corrected in the 〈◊〉 Edition of his other Treatises joyned with it as is plainly to be 〈◊〉 thus That false Teachers preach Christ only without but true â—â—eachers preach Christ both without us and also within us And what William Penn argueth as concerning Three Persons he â—nly argueth against the invented Names Persons as Calvin doth â—cknowledge them as above-said which in all proper Language doth signifie Substances and not meer Properties or relative Attributes which W.P. will not deny to be in God Nor are W. P's words so to be understood concerning Justification as if he excluded Christ's Righteousness which he fulfilled in his own Person but only he denyeth that any can be justified by that alone without Faith and Repentance c. As for Bodily Tremblings that they are not so common among these called Quakers as formerly as good or better Reason can be given as that these or the like unusual Motions that seized on the Bodies of some Presbyterians in Scotland about fifty Years ago are not now so common among them
of his Learning would not suffer him to understand And what H. Moore saith of the spiritual or heavenly Life lying for a while closed or shut up at rest in its own Principle is but the same in other Terms with what we say That the Life of Christ is crucified in Vnbelievers viz. not in it self but to them And why should C.M. find so great fault with this manner of Expression that is according to Scripture when his reverend Baxter as he designeth him writeth in a phrase that must have a charitable Construction put upon it otherwise it would look as odd as any thing C.M has quoted out of any of the Quakers for R. Baxter â—aiâ—h concerning God in his Treatise above-said called Directions to the Converted motive 12. pag. 34. Doth it not wound you to think that even there He viz. God should be so straitned and tâ— râ—st into Corners by a 〈◊〉 Enâ—my as if that simple Habitation were too much for him and 〈…〉 were too good for him meaning the heart defiled with sin Now if any should accuse Baxter with Blasphemy heâ—e in saying 〈◊〉 câ—n be straitned thrust into Corners by a hellish Enemy would noâ— C.M. excuse him and say it is a Catachrestical or improper manner of Speech and is not to be strictly taken and then if he were not very partial why doth he not excuse such Expressions in the Quakers Writings that are capable of the same charitable Construction And it were an easie thing to gather may Phrases and Expressions out of Presbyterian Independent Books that might seem very offensive to a degree of Blasphemy if they were not charitably consâ—rued yea I find an Expression in Calvin which if C.M. could have found in a Quakers Book we should have had him cry out aloud Blasphemy for he saith expresly lib. 3. cap. 2. n. 24. Quia Christus non extra nos est sed in nobis habitat In English thus Because Christ is not without us but dwelleth in us but if Cotton Mather say Calviâ—s 〈◊〉 is That Christ is not only or wholly without us but also dwelleth in 〈◊〉 as this is a charitable Construction so let it be given to such or the like words that may be found in the Quakers Books unless he could find that their words could not bear such a favourable Construcâ—ion But since C. M. findeth so much fault with me for saying That not only Conscientious Gentiles but 〈…〉 Chriâ—tians shall know more of 〈◊〉 and Christ after Death which is the general Expectation and Consolation of all Saints who know now but in part but then shall know fully and thereupon suâ—mizeth That a Quâ—kers new Purgatory 〈…〉 be erected what saith he to his much esteemed Calvin 〈◊〉 on these words of Peter 1 Pet. 3.19 By which also he went and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spiâ—iâ—s in Prison c. plainly affirmeth concerning the Souls of the deceased before the Death of Christ Indeed I willingly grant saith Calvin that Christ did shine unto them by the Virtue of his Spirt that they might know that the Grace which oft they had only tasted was then given unto the World and by a probable Reason that place of Peter 1 Pet. 3.19 may be applyed to this where it saith That Christ came and preached to the Spirits which were in Custody or place of Expectation the commonly translate it Prison for even the Context leadeth us thither that the faithful who before that time were deceased were made partakers of the same Grace with us because he doth amplifie the Power of the Death oâ— Christ from thence that it â—id penetrate even to the dead while pious Soâ—Iâ— did enjoy the present sight of that Grace which they earnestly expected and on the other hand it was made more manifest to the Reprobate â—â—at they were excluded from all Salvation But if C.M. think that Calvin words doth not infer a Purgatory why should he surmize any such thing from mine And though C.M. ignorantly in his airy fantastical Mind mocked at some called Quakers for calling the Flesh by way of Allegory the Woman that should not speak in the Church although we deny not but Women are there also to be understood litterally but yet not all Women nor in all respects alledging That the Devil is the Fleshes Husband yet if he had been well read in Origine or Augustine he might have found a better account but not to go so far backward let his Reverend Baxter answer him who saith in the Preface to his Directions to the Converted In a weak Christian the Spirit is Master but the Flesh is Mistriss And notwithstanding that the said R. Baxter is too uncharitable to the People called Quakers yet I find in the said Book he is much more charitable to them than C.M. is who will not allow them the lowest degree among true Christians Because as he will have it they deny almost all the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith for thus Rich. Baxter expresly writeth concerning Quakers Bâ—hmenists and some of the Religious Orders of the Papist in his 23d Character of a confirmed Christian pag. 66. But those of them that place their chiefest Happiness in the Love of God and the eternal Fruition of him in Heaven and seek this sincerely according to their Helps and Power though they are misled into some superstitious Errors I hope I may number with those that are sincere for all their Errors and the ill Effects of them And truly I have that Charity for Rich. Baxter that if he had known the Quakers better and had had that occasion of some more inward acquaintances with them he would have been still more charitable to them in his judgment of them for the things he hath judged to be Errors in them either they do not hold them or they are not Errors but sound things of Truth and many of them possibly owned by himself but in other Terms It is the great Calamity of these Age that men are oft confounded in their Languages and contradict one another in Words and Terms when they agree in one Sense of the same things It may be hoped and is earnestly to be prayed for unto Almighty God that all that are sincere Lovers of the Truth in all Societies in Christendom may have more Charity one towards another and they may acknowledge whatever is of Truth and Virtue one in another and this would prepare the way to bring them all to one Sheep sold and to have one Shepherd as the Lord hath promised and which he will in due time fullfill and that Time is at hand Amen CHAP. IV. ANd thus having sufficiently answered what was needful to the First Part of his Address which is the largest I shall answer some things but very briefly to his latter part partly because almost the whole of it is answered in my former printed Books directed to the People in New-England and partly because very much of it is answered in the fore going Sheets In