we make absolutely necessary for the building up of true Faith neither do nor can ever Contradict the outward Testimony of the Scriptures or right and sound Reason yet from hence it will not follow that the Divine Revelations are to be subjected to the Test either of the outward Testimony of the Scriptures or of the Natural Reason of man as to a more-noble or certain Rule and Touch-stone For this Divine Revelation and inward Illumination is that which is evident and clear of it self forcing by its own Evidence and Clearness the well-disposed understanding to Assent irresistibly moving the same thereunto even as the common principles of natural Truths do move and incline the mind to a natural Assent As That the whole is greater than its part That two Contradictories can neither be both true nor both false § I. IT is very probable that many Carnal and Natural Christians will oppose this Proposition who being wholly unacquainted with the Movings and Actings of God's Spirit upon their hearts Revelations by Apostate Christians Rejected judge the same nothing Necessary and some are apt to flout at it as Ridiculous Yea to that Heighth are the generality of all Christians Apostatized and degenerated that though there be not any thing more plainly Asserted more seriously Recommended nor more certainly Attested to in all the writings of the Holy Scriptures yet nothing is less minded and more rejected by all sorts of Christians than Immediate and Divine Revelation in so much that once to lay Claime to it is matter of Reproach Whereas of old none were ever judged Christians but such As had the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8.9 But now many do boldly call themselves Christians who make no difficulty of confessing They are without it and laugh at such as say they have it Of old they were accounted the Sons of God who were led by the Spirit of God ibid. vers 14. but now many aver themselves Sons of God who know nothing of this Leader and he that affirms himself so led is by the pretended Orthodox of this Age presently proclaimed a Heretick The Reason hereof is very manifest viz. Because many in these days under the name of Christians do experimentally find that they are not acted nor led by God's Spirit yea many great Doctors Divines Teachers and Bishops of Christianity commonly so called have wholly shut their Ears from hearing and their Eyes from seeing this inward Guide and so are become strangers unto it whence they are by their own Experience brought to this Strait either to Confess that they are as yet Ignorant of God and have only the shadow of knowledge and not the true knowledge of him or that this knowledge is acquired without Immediate Revelation For the better understanding then of this Proposition we do distinguish betwixt the Certain Knowledge of God Knowledge Spiritual and Literal distinguished and the Vncertain betwixt the Spiritual Knowledge and the Literal the Saving heart-Knowledge and soaring airy head-Knowledge The last we Confess may be divers ways obtained but the first by no other way than the Inward Immediate Manifestation and Revelation of God's Spirit shining in and upon the heart inlightning and opening the understanding § II. Having then proposed to my self in these Propositions to Affirm those things which relate to the True and Effectual Knowledge which brings Life Eternal with it therefore I have Affirmed and that truly That this Knowledge is no otherways attained and that none have any true ground to believe they have attained it who have it not by this Revelation of God's Spirit The Certainty of which Truth is such that it hath been acknowledged by some of the most Refined and Famous of all sorts of Professors of Christianity in all ages who being truly Vpright-hearted and Earnest Seekers of the Lord however stated under the disadvantages and Epidemical Errors of their several Sects or Ages the true Seed in them hath been answered by God's Love who hath had regard to the Good and hath had of his Elect ones among all who finding a distast and disgust in all other outward Means even in the very Principles and Precepts more particularly relative to their own Forms and Societies have at last concluded with one Voice That there was no true Knowledge of God but that which is Revealed inwardly by his own Spirit Whereof take these following Testimonies of the Ancients 1. It is the inward Master saith Augustin that teacheth it is Christ that teacheth Aug. ex Tract Epist. Joh. 3. it is Inspiration that teacheth where this Inspiration and Unction is wanting it is in vain that Words from without are beaten in And thereafter For he that Created us and Redeemed us and called us by Faith and dwelleth in us by his Spirit unless he speaketh unto you inwardly it is needless for us to Cry out 2. There is a difference saith Clemens Alexandrinus betwixt that which any one saith of the Truth and that which the Truth it self Interpreting it self saith A Conjecture of Truth differeth from the Truth it self a Similitude of a thing differeth from the thing it self It is one thing Clem. Alex. Lib. 1. Strom. that is acquired by Exercise and Discipline and another thing which by Power and Faith Lastly the same Clemens saith Truth is neither hard to be arrived at nor is it impossible to apprehend it Paedag. for it is most nigh unto us even in our houses as the most Wise Moses hath insinuated 3. How is it Tertullianus Lib. de Veland Virginibus Cap. 1. saith Tertullian that since the Devil always worketh and stirreth up the mind to Iniquity that the work of God should either cease or desist to act Since for this end the Lord did send the Comforter that because human Weakness could not at once bear all things Knowledg might be by little and little directed formed and brought to perfection by the holy Spirit that Vicar of the Lord. I have many things yet saith he to speak unto you but ye cannot as yet bear them but when that Spirit of Truth shall come he shall lead you into all Truth and shall teach you these things that are to come But of his work we have spoken above What is then the Administration of the Comforter but that Discipline be derived and the Scriptures Revealed c. 4. The Law saith Hierom is spiritual Hieron Epist Paulin. 103. and there is need of a Revelation to understand it And in his Epistle 150. to Hedibia Quest. 11. he saith The whole Epistle to the Romans needs an Interpretation it being involved in so great Obscurities that for the understanding thereof we need the help of the holy Spirit who through the Apostle dictated it 5. So great things saith Athanasius doth our Saviour daily Athanasius de Incarnatione Verbi Dei he Draws unto Piety Perswades unto Vertue Teaches Immortality Excites to the desire of Heavenly things Reveals Knowledge from the Father
and Leading of this Spirit to be Ceased must also suppose Christianity to be Ceased which cannot subsist without it Query III Thirdly What the Work of this Spirit is is partly before shewn which Christ compriseth in two or three things What is the Work of the Spirit He will Guide you into all Truth he will Teach you all things and bring all things to your Remembrance Since Christ hath provided for us so good an Instructor what need we then lean so much to those Traditions and Commandments of men John 16.13 and 14.26 wherewith so many Christians have burthened themselves What need we set up our own Carnal and Corrupt Reason for a Guide to us in matters Spiritual The Spirit the Guide as some will needs do May it not be Complained of all such as the Lord did of old concerning Israel by the Prophets Jer. 2.13 For my People have committed two Evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of Living Waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that hold no water Have not many Forsaken Do not many Deride and Reject this Inward and Immediate Guide this Spirit that leads into all Truth and cast up to themselves other ways broken Ways indeed which have not all this while brought them out of the Flesh nor out of the World nor from under the Dominion of their own Lusts and sinful Affections whereby Truth which is only rightly learned by this Spirit is so much a Stranger in the Earth A perpetual Ordinance to Gods Church and People From all then that hath been mentioned concerning this Promise and these Words of Christ it will follow That Christians are always to be led inwardly and immediately by the Spirit of God dwelling in them and that the same is a standing and perpetual Ordinance as well to the Church in general in all Ages as to every Individual Member in particular as appears from this Argument The Promises of Christ to his Children are Yea and Amen and cannot fail but must of Necessity be fulfilled But Christ hath promised That the Comforter the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth shall abide with his Children for ever shall dwell with them shall be in them shall lead them into all Truth shall teach them all things and bring all things to their Remembrance Therefore The Comforter the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth his Abiding with his Children c. is Yea and Amen c. Again No Man is Redeemed from the Carnal Mind which is at Enmity with God which is not subject to the Law of God neither can be No man is yet in the Spirit but in the Flesh and cannot please God except he in whom the Spirit of God dwells But Every true Christian is in measure Redeemed from the Carnal Mind is gathered out of the Enmity and can be subject to the Law of God is out of the Flesh and in the Spirit the Spirit of God dwelling in him Therefore Every true Christian hath the Spirit of God dwelling in him Again Whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his that is no Child no Friend no Disciple of Christ. But Every true Christian is a Child a Friend a Disciple of Christ Therefore Every true Christian hath the Spirit of Christ. Moreover Whosoever is the Temple of the Holy Ghost in him the Spirit of God dwelleth and abideth But Every true Christian is the Temple of the Holy Ghost Therefore Every true Christian hath the Spirit of God dwelling and abiding in him But to Conclude He in whom the Spirit of God dwelleth it is not in him a lazy dumb useless thing but it moveth actuateth governeth instructeth and teacheth him all things whatsoever is needful for him to know yea bringeth all things to his Remembrance But The Spirit of God dwelleth in Every true Christian Therefore The Spirit of God leadeth instructeth and teacheth Every true Christian whatsoever is needful for him to know c. § XI But there are some that will Confess Object That the Spirit doth now lead and influence the Saints but that he doth it only Subjectively or in a blind manner by inlightning their understandings to understand and believe the Truth delivered in the Scriptures but not at all by presenting those Truths to the mind by way of Object and this they call Medium incognitum Assentiendi as that of whose Working a man is not sensible This Opinion though somewhat more tolerable than the former Answ. is nevertheless not altogether according to Truth neither doth it reach the fulness of it First Because there be many Truths which as they are Applicable to Arg. I Particulars and Individuals and most needful to be known by them are no wise to be found in the Scripture as in the following Proposition shall be shewn Besides the Arguments already adduced do prove that the Spirit doth not only subjectively help us to discern Truths elsewhere delivered but also Objectively present those Truths to our minds For that which teacheth me all things and is given me for that end without doubt presents those things to my mind which it teacheth me It is not said It shall teach you how to understand those things that are written but It shall teach you all things Again That which brings all things to my Remembrance must needs present them by way of Object else it were improper to say It brought them to my Remembrance but only that it helpeth to Remember the Objects brought from elsewhere My second Argument shall be drawn from the Nature of the New Covenant by which and those that follow I shall prove That we are led by the Spirit both immediately and objectively The Nature of the Arg. II New Covenant is Expressed in divers places and Proof 1 First Isa. 59 21. As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord My Spirit that is upon thee and my Words which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed nor out of the mouth of thy Seed 's Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever The Leadings of the Spirit By the latter part of this is sufficiently expressed the Perpetuity and Continuance of this Promise It shall not depart saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever In the former part is the Promise it self which is The Spirit of God being upon them and the Words of God being put into their mouths 1. Immediate First This was Immediate for there is no mention made of any Medium he saith not I shall by the means of such and such Writings or Books convey such and such words into your mouths but my words I even I saith the Lord shall put into your mouths 2. Objective Secondly This must be Objectively for the Words put into the mouth are the Object presented by him He saith not The words which ye shall see written my Spirit shall only Inlighten your
hereunto we stand there for this Word always proceedeth and doth Eternally proceed from God in and by which the Vnsearchable Wisdom of God and Vnsearchable Counsel and Will Conceived in the Heart of God is Revealed unto us That then the Scripture is not the Principal Ground of Faith and Knowledge as it appears by what is above spoken so it is provided in the latter part of the Proposition which being Reduced to an Argument runs thus That the Certainty and Authority whereof depends upon another and which is received as Truth because of its proceeding from another is not to be accounted the Principal Ground and Origin of all Truth and Knowledge But The Scriptures Authority and Certainty depends upon the Spirit by which they were dictated and the Reason why they were received as Truth is because they proceeded from the Spirit Therefore They are not the Principal Ground of Truth To Confirm this Argument I added the School-Maxime Propter quod unumquodque est tale illud ipsum est magis tale Which Maxime though I Confess it doth not hold Vniversally in all things yet in this it both doth and will very well hold as by Applying it as we have above Intimated will appear Neither are they the Primary Rule of Faith and Manners The same Argument will hold as to the other Branch of the Proposition That it is not the Primary Adequate Rule of Faith and Manners thus That which is not the Rule of my Faith in believing the Scriptures themselves is not the Primary Adequate Rule of Faith and Manners But The Scripture is not nor can it be the Rule of that Faith by which I believe them c. Therefore c. But as to this part we shall produce divers Arguments hereafter As to what is Affirmed That the Spirit and not the Scriptures is the Rule it is largely handled in the former Proposition the Sum whereof I shall Subsume in one Argument thus That the Spirit is the Rule If by the Spirit we can only come to the True Knowledge of God If by the Spirit we be to be led into all Truth and so be Taught of all things Then the Spirit and not the Scriptures is the Foundation and Ground of all Truth and Knowledge and the Primary Rule of Faith and Manners But the First is True Therefore also the Last Next The very Nature of the Gospel it self declareth that the Scriptures cannot be the Only and Chief Rule of Christians else there should be no Difference betwixt the Law and the Gospel As from the Nature of the New Covenant by divers Scriptures described in the former Proposition is proved Wherein the Law and Gospel differ But besides these which are before-mentioned herein doth the Law and the Gospel differ In that the Law being outwardly written brings under Condemnation but hath not Life in it to save whereas the Gospel as it declares and makes manifest the Evil so it being an Inward Powerful thing also gives Power to Obey and delivers from the Evil Hence it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Glad Tidings The Law or Letter which is without us kills but the Gospel which is the Inward Spiritual Law gives Life for it consists not so much in Words as in Vertue Wherefore such as come to know it and be acquainted with it come to feel greater Power over their Iniquities than all Outward Laws or Rules can give them Hence the Apostle concludes Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace This Grace then that is inward and not an outward Law is to be the Rule of Christians Hereunto the Apostle Commends the Elders of the Church saying Acts 20.32 And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among all those that are sanctified He doth not commend them here to Outward Laws or Writings but to the Word of Grace which is Inward even the Spiritual Law which makes free as he elsewhere Affirms Rom. 8.2 The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death This Spiritual Law is that which the Apostle declares he preached and directed People unto which was not Outward as Rom. 10.8 is manifest where distinguishing it from the Law he saith The Word is nigh thee in thy heart and in thy mouth and this is the Word of Faith which we preach From what is above said I argue thus The Principal Rule of Christians under the Gospel is not an Outward Letter nor Law outwardly written and delivered but an Inward Spiritual Law ingraven in the heart the Law of the Spirit of Life the Word that is nigh in the heart and in the mouth But The Letter of the Scripture is Outward of it self a dead thing a meer Declaration of good things but not the Things themselves Therefore it nor is nor can be the Chief or Principal Rule of Christians § III. Thirdly That which is given to Christians for a Rule and Guide The Scripture not the Rule must needs be so full as it may clearly and distinctly Guide and Order them in all things and occurrences that may fall out But in that there are many hundred of things with a regard to their Circumstances particular Christians may be concerned in for which there can be no particular Rule had in the Scriptures Therefore the Scriptures cannot be a Rule to them I shall give an Instance in two or three Particulars for to prove this Proposition It is not to be doubted but some men are particularly called to some particular services their being not found in which though the Act be no general positive Duty yet in so far as it may be Required of them is a great Sin to Omit forasmuch as God is zealous of his Glory and every Act of Disobedience to his Will Manifested is enough not only to hinder one greatly from that Comfort and Inward Grace which otherwise they might have but also bringeth Condemnation As for Instance Some are Called to the Ministry of the Word Paul saith There was a Necessity upon him to preach the Gospel Wo unto me if I preach not If it be Necessary that there be now Ministers of the Church as well as then then there is the same Necessity upon some more than upon others to occupy this place which Necessity as it may be Incumbent upon particular persons the Scripture neither doth nor can declare If it be said Object That the Qualifications of a Minister are found in the Scripture and by applying these Qualifications to my self I may know whether I be fit for such a place or no. I Answer The Qualifications of a Bishop or Minister Answ. as they are mentioned both in the Epistle to Timothy and Titus are such as may be found in a private Christian yea which ought in
the National Teachers concerning Water-Baptism we mean the National Teachers into all the World and teach the Nations who do not so much as believe the Gospel historically If they say This was a Command to the Apostles and not to them Why are they so partial as to take one part to them and reject another But we shall now come to a more particular Examination of their Major We have told them That the Apostles baptized some with Water out of a Condescendency as Paul circumcised Timothy and not from that Command Matth. 28. which saith nothing of Water-Baptism Their First Reason against this is They should have Baptized with Water of their own Will and without any sufficient Authority But we deny this Consequence and they themselves have furnished us with a sufficient Answer where they say Paul Circumcised Timothy but not without a Command for the Law of Charity and other General Precepts obliged Paul so to do though it was a thing indifferent of itself The same we say as to their Baptizing with Water The Jews having so great an Esteem of Water-Baptism and thinking it necessary the Apostles used it although it was a thing indifferent of it self after Christ's Ascension and giving of the Holy Ghost the Law of Charity and other general Precepts obliging them But this proveth not That the Apostles had any Command from Matth. 28. or any such Command any where else that made Water-Baptism of it self to be a Necessary Duty to the End of the World And whereas they Query Will G. K. grant that it was once lively We answer Yes under John Yet it followeth not that it was to Continue because John had no Commssion to the Nations but only to the Jews And that the Apostles Baptized whole Families and Thousands if they so did will not prove that it was Necessary of it self more than that Circumcision was and yet even then many Thousands of believing Jews were Zealous for Circumcision see Act. 21.20 21. Yea many Bishops of Jerusalem were Circumcised after this as Eusebius relates A Condescension in the Apostles by Water-baptism The Reason therefore was That People were Zealous of Water-Baptism because of John and therefore the Apostles Condescended to it out of the Law of Charity Another Question they make Where is Water-Baptism buried We answer where the other Shadows are Buried For it was but a Shadow and Carnal Ordinance Heb. 9.10 the Greek Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Again the true Water-Baptism hath been out of use all the Time of the Apostasy for the Apostate Church hath had no true Baptism and so in that respect it hath been Buried And being but a Shadow is not to be raised up again And it is observable That in the Revelation where it is prophesied of the Return and Restauration of the Church there is not any thing mentioned of the Restoring either Water-Baptism or the use of Bread and Wine as Signs c. And so their Second Reason is answered That Water-Baptism is no more to be used out of Condescendency to the Weak than Circumcision because both are long ago buried And what is buried is deadly to be raised up again as Augustin taught Their Third Reason is built on a Mistake That the Godhead of Christ or Names of Father Son and Holy Ghost were a stumbling-block to the believing Jews For of these only we are to be understood Also That the Apostles used the Words Father Son and Holy Ghost when they baptized cannot be proved far less used they the Word Trinity which was not invented long after the Apostles Days Their Second Argument That the Baptism Commanded in Matth. 28.16 is with Water resolves at last into this That it is God only and not Man who baptizes with the Holy Ghost because he is only the proper immediate efficient Cause of Baptism with the Holy Ghost But we deny the Consequence as Weak and False For there is nothing more usual The Effect ascribed unto the Instrumental Cause which is the Principal than to ascribe the Effect unto the Instrumental Cause as truly as unto the Principal Paul was sent to turn or convert the Gentiles from Darkness to Light and to open their Eyes and yet God only was the Proper and Immediate Efficient Cause of this Many more Examples could be given yea the same Reason of the Students would militate against Teaching For even outward Teaching which is by the Motion of the Holy Ghost hath a Power and Vertue in it whereof the Men who Teach are but the Instrumental Conveyers that is only from God as the Immediate Efficient Cause Another Reason they give to make all sure as they say is That it is only Christ as he is God and mightier than John who baptized with the holy Ghost Matth. 3.11 where Baptism with the Holy Ghost is peculiarly attributed to Christ. But this makes their Matter nothing more sure for although that Baptism with the Holy Ghost be peculiarly attributed to Christ as the principal Cause yet it hindereth not that Men are the Instrumental Even as Christ said It is not ye that speak and yet they also spake as Instruments It is true that John did not Baptize with the Holy Ghost as the Apostles did or rather Christ through them because John had not so powerful a Ministry given him as the Apostles of whom Christ said that they should not only do as great Works as he but greater to wit by his Power Again they Argue That giving and not granting that Baptism with the Holy Ghost could be administred by Men yet it is not Commanded here for the Words then would be full of needless Tautologies To this we Answer That this doth not follow For suppose That by Teaching and Baptizing were meant one thing how usual is it in Scripture to express one thing under divers Names without any Tautology However we believe That by Teaching and Baptizing are meant two several Things both which require the special Operation of the Holy Spirit For a Man through Teaching by the Concurrence of the Holy Ghost is first of all Convinced of the Truth and hath a ground laid in him to believe and then he is Baptized with the Holy Ghost upon his believing and obeying in what he is Convinced of Nor is this to confound the Command with the Promise for the Sense of it is this Go ye and Baptize with the Holy Ghost Instrumentally and I shall be with you as the Principal Cause to concur and assist you and thus there is no Tautology the Command and the Promise being in diverso genere id est in a different kind Their next Argument to prove John's Baptism ceased the Reason why That Water-Baptism is to continue to the End of the World is That God sent John to baptize with Water and Christ caused John to baptize him and commanded or causâ—ed his Apostles to Baptize with Water and these Commands were never formally Repealed nor
that that Word according to which they were to speak was not the inward Word which is said to be in the Heart It is observable that to prove this thou bringest John 7.49 where the Pharisees say Have any of the Rulers or Pharisees believed in him but this People that know not the Law are accursed This place sutes the matter very well but makes much against thee For the Pharisees here were crying up the outward Law and the Knowledge of it averring that the ignorance of it caused the mean People to believe in Christ. So do ye now ye pretend to cry up the Law and say The ignorance of it occasions so many to leave you And as they then were setting the Law above Christ and covering themselves with a Zeal for it persecuting him and reviling his Followers as Ignorants So ye now whilst ye are boasting of your great Knowledge in the Law and in the Scripture and your high esteem of them ye are despising crucifying the same Christ in his Spiritual Appearance and upbraiding his Followers now as they did then as Ignorants and Contemners of the Law And as to Luke 10.26 How readest thou This was spoke to one that was a Lawyer or Interpreter of the Law and relied upon it so Christ spoke this to check him and beside the dispensation of the Law which this Lawyer was under was different from that of the Gospel in this matter as may appear Hebr. 8.10 Again as for Christ and his Apostles using the Scriptures for convincing of their Opposers so do we and yet this proves not that either he or we judge them to be the Rule whereby to try all Things and Spirits yea even the Spirit of God himself Page 15. Thou seemest to lay much stress upon this That it were impossible for us to prove to a Jew or a Turk that Jesus the Son of Mary is in very deed the Christ without the Scripture But I Answer thee to that easily by what way wilt thou perswade a Turk to believe the Scriptures or their Testimony but by the inward Testimony of the Spirit Calvin Calvin lib. 1. cap. 7. Sect. 4. of his Inst. after he has said all that can be said of outward ways at last concludes The only certain way to know it indeed is by the Testimony of the Spirit And as to the course that Paul took with the obstinate Jews it was very commendable because they said they believed the Scriptures and seemed to esteem them much though they opposed the Truth witnessed to in the Scriptures So that it is evident that some great pretenders to the Scriptures can make a Cloak of them to deny Christ himself as ye do at this day And though Paul took that course with the Jews yet we see he took no such course with the Athenians to whom he cited no Scripture nor endeavoured to perswade them by it but told them they were the Off-spring of God and wished them to feel after him who was not afar off from every one of them Thirdly sayst thou The Saints had recourse to the Scriptures in the examination of Doctrines So have we too as before has been declared but that will not prove the Scripture is the Rule Page 16. Fourthly thou sayst We are commanded to search the Scriptures John 5.39 Answ. The words may be translated You search the Scriptures as Pasor translateth them but we do acknowledge the Scriptures are to be searched but are not to be rested in which was the Jews fault who would not come to Christ to get life thinking to have eternal life in the Scriptures which Christ checks them for And that the Scriptures are profitable for Doctrine Scriptures profitable to whom Correction Instruction we own and are commended for their Dignity and Authority but they are thus profitable only to such as come to the Spirit to guide and direct them how to make use of them else they may prove an occasion of stumbling as they did to the Pharisees Hence it is said That the Man of God may be perfect mark the Man of God not every Man now no Man can be truly called the Man of God but he that is led by the Spirit of God Next thou wouldst undertake to prove That it is not the Mind of God that the Spirit within men should be the Rule In which thou fallest very short as appears by saying That Christ made use of the Scripture to prove himself c. and not the light within And did these Jews receive him who had the Scriptures Did they not reject him And why because they hearkned not unto the inward Voice and Testimony of the Father concerning him and this was the Testimony which he said was greater than that of John though John was the greatest of the Prophets and those who believe had the witness in themselves 1 John 5.10 but to the unbelieving Jews he said Ye have neither heard his voice nor seen his shape Secondly Thou sayst There is an express command to try the Spirits 1 John 4.1 Answ. But is there any word there of trying them by the Scripture Trying Spirits is by the Spirit of God Cannot the Spirits be tried by the Spirit of God or is there any better way to try them How tried Peter the spirit of Ananias and Saphirah And is not the Trial and discerning of Spirits the priviledge of the Saints now And how is it a peculiar priviledge to Saints unless it be done by the Spirit of God For the Scriptures any can make use of the Apostle John writing to the Saints concerning Seducers points them to the Anointing which remained in them and did teach them all things and by this they did know all things and consequently Spirits 1 John 2.20 26. Thirdly thou sayst Vndoubtedly there are strong delusions c. Answ. There are so indeed But was there any more strongly deluded then the Pharisees Yet how much did they lay claim to the Scriptures How came they then to be deluded who was so skill'd in the Scriptures according to the letter of them and the poor People who were not so skill'd so rightly to hit the matter And as to thy Question What way shall the delusion be tried if you neglect the Word of God and look only within Answ. As for the Word of God nor yet the Scriptures-Testimony we neglect not but what way thinkest thou shall the Delusion be tried if you neglect the Spirit within and look only upon the letter and words without you If the Delusion be strong in the heart will it not twine and wrest the Scriptures without to cause the Scriptures to seem for it And suppose a man be deluded with a Spirit of Delusion what can help him but God whose Spirit searcheth all the deepest things of Satan and can and doth discover them to those who love to be undeceived and are faithful to God in what they certainly know And though the same deluding Spirit who deceived
Word is an Ordinance of Jesus Christ because first Christ appointed Ministers and Pastors to be in his Church But this cannot be asserted in opposition to the Quakers who grant the same And why citest thou Eph. 5.11 and 1. for 12.8 which if they prove the Continuance of Pastors and Teachers prove also the Continuance of Prophets Evangelists and Apostles which ye deny As to the second Reason That the Ministry is not common to all but that there be some Pastors and Teachers is also owned by us Yet that hinders not but that any at a time may speak when the Saints are met together as the Lord moves by his Spirit according to 1 Cor. 14.31 For it is one thing to be particularly called to the Ministry and another to be moved to speak at a particular time which distinction that it was usual among the Apostles in the Primitive times is easily observed in the fore-named Chapter For a Third Reason thou say'st True Minister's Call is not of Man Whom God calleth to the Ministry he doth it either immediately without the intervention of Men or mediately by Men authorised for that purpose But for this thou bring'st no proof neither art thou able to make out that ever God called any under the New Covenant mediately to their Ministry by Men as they were not to have an Immediate Call in themselves Though the Approbation of Good and Experienced Men in its place is not denied by us but dearly owned Fourthly thou say'st Who ever pretends to an immediate Call they ought for the satisfaction of others to shew signs and tokens of their Apostleship To which I answer That those who come preaching the Gospel not in speech only The proof of the same Call but also in Power and in the Holy Ghost and in the evidence and demonstration thereof as it is 1 Thess. 15. and 1 Cor. 2.4 give sufficient proof that they are Called of God though they come not with outward Miracles And though Paul came to some with Miracles where he preached the Gospel yet many believed who saw no outward Miracle Also many of the Prophets wrought no Miracle nor John the Baptist And though some miraculous things came to pass about his Conception and Birth those do not of themselves prove him to be a Prophet Outward Miracles for Miraculous things and Miracles were wrought upon many who were no Prophets If Miracles be necessary to evince a Man sent of God he must come with these Miracles before the People which John did not Nor did Jonas come with any Miracle to convince the Ninivites but simply declared his Message And John Calvin asserteth Calv. l. 4. c. 3. Inst. That there is no need of Miracles and yet he maintaineth that in his day God raised up Apostles or Evangelists saying That it was needful such should be to bring back the poor People that had gone astray after Antichrist Neither did any Protestants pretend to any Miracles they pleading against the Papists That there was no absolute need of any in respect they preached not a New Gospel but that which was already confirmed with Miracles by Christ and his Apostles And so thy Plea against us here is the same that was urged by the Papists against the Primitive Protestants An evil and adulterous Generation said Christ seeketh after Miracles and though Miracles should be given they who will not believe the Testimony of the Spirit of God in their Consciences bearing witness to the Truth will not also believe because of Miracles as we see plainly in the Jews And whereas thou say'st John's Immediate Call is evident by the special Predictions both of Malachy and Isaias concerning him So are there many special Predictions concerning the Lord his pouring forth of his Spirit upon many in these latter days to Prophecy or Minister as the Spirit should put words into their Mouths And as for these Scriptures Tit. 1.5 Acts 14.23 which thou bring'st in the Fifth place they prove not that those Elders had not the Authority and Call of the Spirit of God in themselves And whereas in the Sixth place thou say'st Though Ministers be set a-part and ordained by Men yet their Ministry is not from Men but from God I Answer Where the Inward Call and Authority of the Spirit of God is not witnessed it cannot be said to be of God And though Moses be said to Consesecrate Aaron yet it doth not follow that Aaron had no immediate Call from God Seventhly thou say'st The Ministry is so necessary that it is the Will of Jesus Christ that it should continue unto the end of the World Eph. 5.12 13. Ministry perfecting the Saints But thy proof from that Scripture is altogether impertinent as to you who believe not that the Saints can be perfected in this Life seeing the Ministry is given for the perfecting of them And that this perfection is on Earth is clear from the following Verse That hence-forth we be no more as Children tossed to and fro for in the other Life there is no hazzard of being so tossed And if the Ministry perfected not Men in this life it nowhere perfecteth them for in the other Life it hath no operation upon them The Law and Priesthood thereof was abolished because it made nothing perfect and if the Gospel-Ministry should not make perfect it should also be abolished And seeing your Ministry perfecteth not it is not the true Ministry of the Gospel as indeed it is not for it standeth not in the Power of God nor is it excercised in the Will and Motion of God your Ministry being such that the whole ESSE or BEING of it may be without Saving Grace or true Holiness you expresly affirming That Holiness is not necessary to the Being of a Minister but that a Man may be a Minister of the Gospel who ought to be received and heard though he have not the least Grain of Holiness Eighthly thou say'st They who cast off the Ministry of the Word wrong their own Souls c. Answ. If it be understood of the Ministry of Christ it is granted but of yours it is denied In the Fifth place Page 44. thou would'st prove That the Lord's People are under a tye and engagement to keep the first day of the Week for a Sabbath For a First Reason thou say'st The Fourth Commandment requires the keeping holy of one day of seven But as it requires the observation of one day of seven so it expresly instanceth that day to be the seventh which day â—â—e keep not Wherefore as to the Second Reason If the Command be Moral and Perpetual as thou callest it it ought to be kept in every Point of it which ye not doing therein condemn your selves The outward Sabbath not perpetual But the outward Sabbath or the keeping one day of the Week for a Sabbath is not perpetual but abolished together with the New-Moons and other Feasts of the Jews See Coloss. 2.16 17. Let
Integrity of the Quakers Doctrine is the Second time Justified and Cleared from the Reiterate Clamorous but Causless Calumnies of this Cavilling Catechist By ROBERT BARCLAY JOHN 16.2 They will put you out of their Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think he doth God good service 1 JOHN 4.4 Ye are of God little Children because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the World 3 JOHN 10. Wherefore if I come I will remember his Deeds which he doth prating against us with malitious words LONDON Printed for Thomas Northcott in George-Yard in Lumbard-Street 1691. THE PREFACE TO THE READER READER HAving seriously perused W. M. his late Animadversions upon my Book I find my Judgment of it though a Party concerned to jump with that which is the sense of several Judicious Persons who neither own nor walk in that Profession I am in and therefore can the less be suspected of Partiality viz. That they contain nothing of a solid or satisfactory Reply For though he seems to take notice of all the Particulars mentioned yet he omits in many more than the half of what is said by me concerning them and against that which he doth mention in my name his most frequent Arguments are without any Proof having no other bottom but his own Judgment Thoughts and Conjectures whereby it seems forgetting or mistaking his Work he plays the Catechist rather than the Disputant This put me to some stand Whether it was fit to give him any Reply though truly such as will be at the pains to compare his with my last will need little further Yet knowing how many are apt to take things upon Trust and to receive Misrepresentations concerning us who are a People so generally Reproached I found it expedient to write this succinct Reply which may lead the Reader to a narrow Observation of the Invalidity of W. M. his Work against us and may present in short his most Obvious Omissions his most manifest Contradictions unvail his Dis-ingenuity lay open his Weakness and shew his Unstability especially so far as he has deserved in most of these Arguments he used in his Dialogue as not being able further to maintain them and discover how faintly such new ones as he doth now bring forth militate against us Let it not startle thee that so small a bulk as this is should Answer his for thou may'st perceive several Pages of his taken up in the Capital Letters of the Contents of his many Heads and subdivided Sections which makes it not unlike the City Mindus whereof the Antients spoke whose Gates were so disproportionable in greatness to the quantity of the Town that a certain Philosopher is said to have advised the Citizens To shut them least the City should flee out of them We may very well so far extend the parallel as to aver That the Contained in no ways answers to the Contents there is a deal of more Heads than either Heart or Horns several Sections but small Substance and a great shew of Method but very little Matter I confess I might have far more enlarged this Duply had I taken notice of all the Impertinencies which herein come under my Observation but that the more Judicious and Intelligent would ascribe these things not so much to the Cause as his Weakness who managed it I desire to contend for Truth and not for Victory knowing though I were so minded the Triumph should be but Small that I could gain from so Inconsiderable an Antagonist Therefore Reader I shall wish thee for the Truth 's sake that thou may be found truly owning it and not something else in stead of it seriously to Read and peruse these Papers with such as relate unto them and may that Spirit of Truth which teacheth all things so direct thy Understanding as thou may'st discern what Doctrine is truly and really most according to the Holy Scriptures Which thou art heartily invited in this matter to search and peruse Urie the 24th of the 10th Month commonly called December 1671. By a Well-wisher of thy Soul and of all Men R. B. William Mitchell UNMASK'D year 1672 OR The Staggering Instability of the pretended Stable Christian Discovered his Omissions observed and Weakness Unvailed c. THAT which first presents it self to my View is W. M. his Epistle directed to me and the Quakers in and about Aberdeen which he prefixes as his Considerations upon my Preface but that which is the substantial part of it he hath left Vnanswered For my Preface was to shew the Method of the Priests of Aberdeen's Procedure against the Quakers giving account of most if not all the Papers had past betwixt them and also how by their Instigation some of us had been Imprisoned particularly the falsness of G. Meldrum his way with us first in Pulpit to accuse us as Hereticks and then in private to desire to know of us our Principles but all this he hath wholly waved it seems he either could not or would not defend his own nor his Brethrens double dealing with us As to what he mentions I take notice First Of his denying That any in or about Aberdeen hath reproached the Quakers as Demented Distracted or bodily possessed Checking me for taking things upon Trust. Well it sufficeth me that they are ashamed of such falshoods though if need be I can instance that I had ground to say so Secondly I take notice how that not being willing wholly to clear us he saith Some of us in England have given ground to be so charged by their extraordinarily Trembling c. But it is strange W. M. should so far forget himself as to accompt this a ground to charge People as Demented c. seeing there was a season wherein himself acknowledged He seldom or never went to the Pulpit without sensible Trembling Which if he dare to deny I offer to prove by undeniable Testimonies As to what he adds of Women going naked in the Streets and some offering to raise the Dead alledging for proof Samuel Clark the Newcastle Ministers Paget's Heresiography I Answer As these Calumnies have been particularly answered by our Friends in England so they signifie no more against us being writ by our declared Enemies than Cochlaeus lyes against Luther particularly that he assayed to Cast out Devils or what the Popish Authors write of Calvin That he made a Living Man counterfeit himself Dead that so he might Raise him and that Beza was stigmatized for Sodomy and much more of this kind Thirdly The thing I observe is his Comparing us to John of Leyden and Ignatius Loyola and that because they Preached in the Streets cried down wearing of Rings and other Superfluities as we do were against needless Salutations spoke much of Mortification and pretended to or expected Immediate Revelation John of Leyden But our resembling them in these things which the Apostles of Christ commanded and practised will not prove the Jesuites our Grandfathers as W.
Worshipping of Angels and other such Acts of voluntary Humility A. Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking Lies in Hypocrisie having their Conscience seared as with an hot Iron forbidding to Marry and commanding to Abstain from Meats which God hath Created to be received with Thanksgiving of them which believe and know the Truth Let no Man beguile you of your Reward in voluntary Humility Col. 2.18 and Worshipping of Angels intruding into these things which he hath not seen vainly puft up by his Fleshly Mind CHAP. XIII Concerning Magistracy Question WHat is the Duty of a Magistrate Answer The God of Israel said the Rock of Israel spake to me he that Ruleth over Men must be Just 2 Sam. 23.3 Ruling in the Fear of God Q. What do the Scriptures speak of the Duty of such Subjection as are under Authority A. Let every Soul be Subject to the Higher Powers Rom. 13.1 2 3 4 5. for there is no Power but of God The Powers that be are ordained of God Whatsoever therefore resists the Power resists the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation For Rulers are not a Terror to good Works but to the Evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the Power Do that which is Good and thou shalt have Praise of the same for he is the Minister of God to thee for Good But if thou do that which is Evil be afraid for he beareth not the Sword in vain for he is the Minister of God a Revenger to execute Wrath upon him that doth Evil. Wherefore Ye must needs be subject not only for Wrath but also for Conscience sake Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supream 1 Pet. 2.13 14 15. or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the Punishment of Evil-Doers and for the Praise of them that do well for so is the Will of God that with Well-doing ye may put to silence the Ignorance of foolish Men. Tribute Q. Ought Tribute to be paid to them A. For for this Cause pay we Tribute also for they are God's Ministers Rom. 13 6 7. attending continually upon this very thing Render therefore to all their Dues Tribute to whom Tribute is due Custom to whom Custom Fear to whom Fear Honour to whom Honour Then saith he unto them Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's Matth. 22.21 and unto God the things that are God's Obedience Q. Are we obliged to obey Magistrates in such things as we are perswaded in our Minds are contrary to the Commands of Christ Acts 4.18 19 20. A. And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus but Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard And when they had brought them Acts 5 27 28 29. they set them before the Council and the High-Priest asked them saying Did not we straightly command you that ye should not Teach in this Name And behold ye have filled Jerusalem with your Doctrine and intended to bring this Man's Blood upon us Then Peter and the other Apostles answer'd and said We ought to obey God rather than Man Moderation Q. What ought to be Magistrates Behaviour in such Cases according to the Counsel of wise Gamaliel A. Then stood there up one in the Council a Pharisee named Gamaliel Acts 5.34 35 38 39. a Doctor of Law had in Reputation among the People and commanded to put the Apostles forth a little space and said unto them Ye Men of Israel take heed to your selves what ye intend to do as touching these men And now I say unto you Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Counsel or this Work of Men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it leâ—t happily ye be found even to fight against God Tares Q. What Command giveth Christ to his People under the Gospel in Relation to this matter How doth he hold forth their Duty under the Parable of the Tares A. So the Servants of the Houshold came and said unto him Sir didst thou not sow Good Seed in thy Field Matth. 13.27 28 29. from whence then hath it Tares He said unto them An Enemy hath done this The Servants said unto him Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up But he said Nay lest while ye gather up the Tares ye root up also the Wheat with them Tares the Wicked Q. Doth he explain these Tares of the Wicked whom the Godly must not take upon them to cut off lest through mistake they hurt the Good but leave it to God to do it by his Angels A. * Matth. 13.38 39 40 41. The Field is the World the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom but the Tares are the Children of the Wicked One the Enemy that sowed them is the Devil the Harvest is the End of the World and the Reapers are the Angels And therefore the Tares are gathered and burnt in the Fire So shall it be in the end of this World the Son of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them which do Iniquity CHAP. XIV Concerning the Resurrection Question WHat saith the Scripture of the Resurrection of the Dead Answer And have Hope towards God Acts 24.15 which they themselves also allow that there shall be a Resurrection of the Dead both of the Just and Unjust Q. To what different End shall the Good be raised from the Bad and how are they thereunto reserved A. Marvel not at this for the Hour is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth John 5.28 29. they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done Evil unto the Resurrection of Condemnation But the Heavens and the Earth which are now 2 Pet. 3.7 by the same Word are kept in store reserved unto Fire against the Day of Judgment and Perdition of Ungodly Men. Q. What must be answered to such as ask how the Dead are raised and with what Body A. Thou Fool that which thou sowest is not quickened 1 Cor. 15.36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44. except it die and that which thou sowest thou sowest not that Body which shall be but bare Grain it may chance of Wheat or some other Grain But God giveth it a Body as it hath pleased him and to every Seed his own Body All
themseves when-as the Cause and Ground for which they were commanded is removed As there is no need now for the Decision about Circumcision seeing there are none Contend for it neither as to the Orders concerning Things Offered to Idols seeing there is now no such Occasion yet who will say that the Command enjoin'd in the same place Acts 15.20 To abstain from Fornication is now made void seeing there is daily need for its standing in force because it yet remains as a Temptation man is incident to We confess indeed we are against such as from the bare Letter of the Scripture though if it were seasonable now to debate it we find but few to deal with whose Practices are so exactly squared seek to uphold Customs Forms or Shadows when the Vse for which they were appointed is removed or the Substance it self known and witnessed as we have sufficiently elsewhere answered our Opposers in the Case of Water-Baptism and Bread and Wine c. so that the Objection as to that doth not hold and the Difference is very wide in respect of such Things the very Nature and Substance of which can never be dispensed with by the People of God so long as they are in this World yea without which they could not be his People For the Doctrines and Fundamental Principles of the Christian Faith we own and believe originally and principally because they are the Truths of God whereunto the Spirit of God in our Hearts hath constrained our Understandings to obey and submit In the second place we are greatly Confirmed The Joint-Testimony of the Apostles c. to the Truths of God in our Hearts Strengthned and Comforted in the Joint-Testimony of our Brethren the Apostles and Disciples of Christ who by the Revelation of the same Spirit in the Days of old believed and have left upon Record the same Truths so we having the same Spirit of Faith according as it is written I believed and therefore have I spoken we also believe and therefore we speak And we deny not but some that from the Letter have had the Notion of these Things have thereby in the Mercy of God received Occasion to have them Revealed in the Life for we freely acknowledge though often calumniated to the contrary that Whatsoever Things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures may have Hope So then I hope if the Spirit of God lead me now unto that which is good profitable yea and absolutely needful in order to the keeping my Conscience clear and void of Offence towards God and Man none will be so unreasonable as to say I ought not to do it because it is according to the Scriptures Nor do I think it will savour ill among any serious solid Christians for me to be the more confirmed and perswaded that I am led to this Thing by the Spirit that I find it in it self good and useful and that upon the like Occasions Christ Commanded it and the Apostles and Primitive Christians practised and recommended it Now seeing it is so that we can boldly say with a good Conscience in the Sight of God that the same Spirit which leads us to believe the Doctrines and Principles of the Truth and to hold and maintain them again after the Apostacy in their primitive and ancient Purity as they were delivered by the Apostles of Christ in the Holy Scriptures I say that the same Spirit doth now lead us into the like holy Order and Government to be exercised among us as it was among them being now the like Occasion and Opportunity ministred to us therefore what can any Christianly or Rationally object against it For that there is a Real Cause for it the thing it self speaketh A Real Cause for the same Order and that it was the Practice of the Saints and Church of old is undeniable what kind of Ground then can any such Opposers have being such as scrupling at this do notwithstanding acknowledge our Principle that this were done by Imposition or Imitation more than the Belief of the Doctrines and Principles seeing as it is needful to use all Diligence to Convince and Perswade People of the Truth and bring them to the Belief of it which yet we cannot do but as Truth moves and draws in their Hearts it is also no less needful when a People is gathered to keep and preserve them in Vnity and Love as becomes the Church of Christ and to be careful as saith the Apostle That all things be done decently and in Order and that all that is wrong be removed according to the Method of the Gospel and the good cherished and encouraged So that we conclude and that upon very good Grounds That there ought now as well as heretofore to be Order and Government in the Church of Christ. Head III. That which now cometh to be examined in the Third place is First What is the Order and Government we plead for Secondly In what Cases and how far it may extend and in whom the Power Decisive is Thirdly How it differeth and is wholly another than the oppressive and persecuting Principality of the Church of Rome and other Antichristian Assemblies SECTION IV. Of the Order and Government which we plead for IT will be needful then before I proceed to describe the Order and Government of the Church to consider what is or may be properly understood by the Church for some as I touched before seem to be offended or at least afraid of the very Word because The Power of the CHVRCH The Order of the Church The Judgment of the Church and such like Pretences have been the great Weapons wherewith Antichrist and the Apostate Christians have been these many Generations persecuting the Woman and warring against the Man-child And indeed great Disputes have been among the Learned Rabbies in the Apostacy concerning this CHVRCH what it is or what may be so accounted Which I find not my place at present to dive much in but shall only give the true Sense of it according to Truth and the Scriptures plain Testimony What the word Church signifies properly The word CHVRCH in it self and as used in the Scriptures is no other but a Gathering Company or Assembly of certain People called or gathered together for so the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies which is that the Translators render Church which word is derived from the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Evoco I call out of from the Root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Voco I Call Now though the English word CHVRCH be only taken in such a Sense as People are gathered together upon a Religious Account yet the Greek word that is so rendered is taken in general for every Gathering or Meeting together of People and therefore where it is said The Town-Clark of the Ephesians dismissed the Tumult that was gathered there together the same Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
of the Romish Church and are so far such as to understand their own Principles do unquestionably acknowledge First That no General Council can be lawfully called without the Bishop of Rome as Christ's Vicar and Peter 's Successor call it Secondly That either he himself or some for him as his Legates must be there present and always preceed Thirdly That the Members having Vote are made up of Bishops or Presbyters or Commissioners from the several Orders being of the Clergy Fourthly That what is Concluded on by Plurality of Votes and Agreed to by the Pope and his Legates must necessarily be supposed to be the Judgment of the Infallible Spirit Fifthly That all the Members of the Church are bound Implicitly to Receive and Believe it because it proceeds from a Council to be accounted Lawful in the Respects above-mentioned without Regard to the Intrinsick or Real Truths of the Things prescribed or bringing them in any Respect to the Test or Examination of the Spirit of God in themselves or the Scriptures Testimony or their Agreement or Disagreement with Truths formerly believed and received for so much as to Prove or Try them by Way of Doubt they reckon a Breach of the first Command as on the other Hand a matter of Merit Implicitly to receive and believe them however inconsistent with the Testimony of the Spirit in ones own Heart Scripture Truth and Reason Sixthly That no Man as a Member of the Church of Christ in that simple Capacity unless a Clergy-man or the Ambassadour of some King c. can be admitted to Sit Vote or give his Judgment Seventhly That it is in no Respect to be supposed that any Members especially Laicks whether in a particular City Country or Nation may meet concerning any Things relating to the Faith and Worship of the Church and give by the Spirit of God any Judgment but that all such Meetings are to be accounted Schismatical and Unlawful And Lastly That the Promise of Infallibility and the Gates of Hell not prevailing is necessarily annexed to the Pope and Council called and authorized in the Manner above-expressed Now if to deny every one of these Propositions wherein all Understanding Men know the Errors and Abuses of the Romish Church consist be to be Popish then indeed may we be supposed to be one with the Papists in this Matter but no otherwise So that the very mentioning of these things is sufficient to shew the Difference betwixt us and them But if any will needs plead our Agreement with them thus The Papists affirm an Infallibility of Judgment in the Church of Christ Objection and so do you therefore you are one with Papists I Answer That proves no more our Oneness in this Matter than if Answ. 1 it should be said The Papists plead that God ought to be Worshipped and so do you Therefore ye Agree Notwithstanding of the Vast Differences as to that which is known not only betwixt us and them but betwixt them and all Protestants who Agree more with them in the matter of Worship than we do Next again Infallibility in the Church according as we hold it Answ. 2 and I have above Defined it no man upon our Supposition or Hypothesis can deny it For since we first Assert as a Principle That no Gathering no Church nor Assembly of People The true Church is Led by the Infallible Spirit however True their Principles or Exact their Form be are to be accounted the Church of Christ except the Infallible Spirit lead and guide what can be the Hazzard to say that in such a Church there is still an Infallible Judgment Indeed this is so far from Popery that it resolves in a Proposition quite Contradictory to them The Romanists say That the Infallible Spirit always accompanies the Outward Visible Professors and is annexed to the External Succession of Bishops and Pastors though ever so Vitious as to their Lives yea though perfect * For some Popes have been known to deny or at least to doubt the Truth of the Scriptures as to the History of Christ and to call in question the Immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection Atheists and Infidels in their private Judgments yet if outwardly professing the Catholick Faith and Subjection to the Church they must be partakers of the Infallible Spirit We say the quite Contrary That where there is either Vitiousness of Persons or Vnsoundness of Judgment in the particular Members these cannot by Virtue of any outward Call or Succession they have or any Profession they make or Authority they may pretend to so much as claim an Interest in any part of the Church of Christ or the Infallible Spirit So then if we admit none to be Members of the Church but such as are led and guided by the Spirit The Infallible Judgment where it is it will be no Popery in the Second Place to affirm That were there is a Company of People so gathered who are not any longer to retain justly the Name of the Church of Christ than they are led and guided by his Spirit or a Church so qualified and designed there is still an Infallible Judgment So that this Infallibility is not annexed to the Persons to the Succession to the bare Visible Profession though true which the Church of Rome is denied to be or to any Society because of its Profession but singly and alone to the True Real and Effectual Work of Sanctification and Regeneration the New Creature brought forth in the Heart And this is the Spiritual Man which the Apostle saith Judgeth all Things 1 Cor. 2.15 To affirm there is an Infallibility here cannot well be Condemned by any or whoso doth must needs say the Spirit of God is fallible For we place the Infallibility in the Spirit and in the Power not in the Persons And so these are the Degrees we Ascend by Because such and such Men are led by the Spirit of God and are obedient to the Grace in their Hearts therefore are they Members and Officers in the Church of Christ. And because they are Members of the Church of Christ in the Respect before declared therefore there is an Infallible Judgment among them We do not say Because such men profess the Christian Faith and have received an outward Ordination and so are by a lawful Succession formally established Officers in the Church when they Meet together according to certain Rules above-declared there is an Infallibility annexed to their Conclusions and they cannot but Decide what is Right or rather what they Decide must needs be supposed to be Right Who seeth not here a vast Disproportion Now we differ herein fundamentally that is as to the very Basis and Foundation upon which we build and that not only from the Church of Rome but also from the Generality of Protestants in this matter All Protestants do acknowledge a General Council to be useful The Constitution of a Synod or General Council among yea necessary
Exercised in the Church in the days of the Apostles were built For I am far from believing that the most Exact Conformity to the Order and Method of the Church in the Apostles days Conformity from the Life or even to what may now be Appointed by the same Spirit without the Inward Life and Vertue go along signifies any thing for I know that nothing done by meer Imitation will any thing avail in the Worship and Service of God and therefore that No Act done without Conviction will any ways be profitable to the Doer Yet that hindreth not but that such as forbear to do what by the Testimony of God in his Servants is Commanded to be performed in the Church are Justly to be blamed and be judged therefore in respect that through Disobedience and Vnwatchfulness they have blinded themselves from the sight and knowledge of their Duty For if it should be said No man were to be Condemned for not doing that which he sees not to be his Duty Then no man were to be Condemned who had by Iniquity and Vnwatchfulness brought Hardness and Blindness upon himself The Hardned and blinded see not their Duty for all the Iniquities he commits afterwards And how would this tend to Establish Ranterism the substance of which is to bring their Consciences to that pass as not to be sensible of any Checks Then the Nations are not to be blamed for all their Idolatry Wickedness and Superstition for that they are not sensible of the Evil of it Whereas Truth teaches us to believe that had they been faithful to the small measure of Light in things more obvious it would have further opened and manifested other things The Jews Crucifying Christ ignorantly Then should not the Jews have been Condemned for Crucifying Christ since Peter says They did it Ignorantly And Paul testifies That if they had known they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory Yea then all those that persecuted and burned the Protestant Martyrs Martyrs Instanced were not to be Judged for it because they suppose they did well in it even according to Christ's Testimony who says That in killing you they shall think they do God good Service Shall men then never be Condemned for doing evil or omitting their duty because they see it not What Absurdity would follow thereupon may easily appear And yet its strange that William Rogers in his Papers should labour so much against this Affirming very positively That nothing ought to be given forth in the Church of Christ but by way of Recommendation and not of Command Wherein he doth either greatly Mistake the matter as affirmed by me or otherways run into a far greater Inconveniency than he is aware For if he mean That no Man of or from himself only or by vertue of any Office or Place he either hath or hath born in the Church of Christ ought to Command any thing to be performed in the Church I freely Agree to it and have Asserted the same in very full and ample Terms But if he will say That no man albeit really moved by the Spirit of God ought to go further than a meer Recommendation It is a most Insolent Limiting of God under a false pretence of liberty and will necessarily Conclude that God hath not power to Command any thing unless Men be content to agree to it For the Controversy is here drawn to a Narrow Compass For he that will allow that God hath power to Command things to be practised in the Church and that those Commands must be Conveyed by Immediate Revelation through some of the Members of the Church and that it may fall out that some of the Members of the Church may through Weakness or Vnwatchfulness not be sensible they must either acknowledge that Such are to be Condemned or say that God hath not power to Command or that there is no such Revelation now-a-days as do the Priests and Truth 's Enemies or that Man is not Condemnable for disobeying God if he believe it not to be his Duty which is as much as to say that Vnbelief is no sin Now let these things be seriously Considered how this is or can be Avoided without granting the things Affirmed by me For what way can the Truth be Asserted the honour and just Authority of God Acknowledged the Necessity of the continuance of Immediate Revelation Affirmed and the Iniquity of Vnbelief not Justified and the just Judgment of God upon the Rebellious and Disobedient Vindicated without Affirming what I have done And if any can do this in words more wary than I have done I shall very readily Agree to it For that things may be proposed to the Church by way of Command and further than a meer Recommendation the whole Current of the Scripture shews not only to the Churches among the Jews where Moses and the Prophets do propose the Will of God to be performed very positively and peremptorily but even under the New Covenant as appears in the Eleventh of the Acts and in many places of Paul's Epistles particularly that on 2 Thess. 3.14 If any man Obey not our word by this Epistle note that man and have no Company with him that he may be ashamed This then being manifest with respect to those Times I would know of W. R. Whether Christ has now lost any of his Authority as he has left off to Rule his Church Immediately by his Spirit and whether so to Affirm be not grosly to Contradict the Antient and Primitive Doctrine of Friends Fifthly Whereas some did suppose that I did make the Difference Expl. V in the end but very small betwixt Decisive Judgment among Friends and among Papists and other Persons because I say Decisive Judgment They place the Decisive Judgment in the plurality of an Assembly made up of their Chief Teachers and Ministers And albeit I Limit it not to that yet I seem to Affirm that it most usually is so conveyed and so the difference only is that they make it always so and I most usually To this I Answer That if in Charity I may suppose this Insinuation comes not from Malice at least it proceeds from great Ignorance of the Popish Principle and it were better for such to be Silent than to Judge of things they do not understand For the Difference here is very great and Fundamental in respect both Papists and others do Affirm That men by vertue of an outward Succession or Vocation may have true Right to sit and give Judgment in such Assemblies Papists pleading Succession c. albeit they be void of true Holiness and have not the Grace of God which they say is no Necessary Qualification to the being of a Minister So that they place the power of Judgment not only in the plurality of Votes absolutely in which we differ from them but also in the Judgment of such as may without any absurdity by their own Principles be supposed to be all
the Letter of the Scripture the Traditions of Churches the Works of Creation and Providence whence they are able to Deduce strong and undeniable Arguments which may be true in themselves are yet not to be Esteemed Christians according to the certain and infallible Definition above-mentioned And if the Inward and Immediate Revelation of God's Spirit in the heart in such as have been altogether Ignorant of some and but very little skill'd in others of these Means of attaining Knowledge hath brought them to Salvation Then it will necessarily and evidently follow By Revelation is the true Knowledge of God that Inward and Immediate Revelation is the only sure and certain Way to attain the true and saving Knowledge of God But the First is true Therefore the Last Now as this Argument doth very strongly Conclude for this way of Knowledge and against such as deny it so herein it is the more considerable because the Propositions from which it is Deduced are so Clear that our very Adversaries cannot deny them For as to the first it is acknowledged that many Learned men may be and have been damned And as to the second who will deny but many Illiterate men may be and are saved Nor dare any Affirm that none come to the Knowledge of God and Salvation by the Inward Revelation of the Spirit without these other outward Means unless they be also so bold as to exclude Abel Seth Noah Abraham Job Abel Seth Noah c. Instanced and all the holy Patriarchs from true Knowledge and Salvation § IV. I would however not be understood as if hereby I excluded those other means of Knowledge from any use or service to man it is far from me so to Judge as in the Next Proposition concerning the Scriptures shall more plainly appear The Question is not What may be profitable or helpful but What is absolute Necessary Many things may contribute to further a Work which yet are not that main thing that makes the Work go on The sum then of what is said amounts to this that where the true inward Knowledge of God is through the Revelation of his Spirit there is all neither is there any absolute necessity of any other But where the best highest and most profound Knowledge is without this there is nothing as to the obtaining of the great End of Salvation This Truth is very effectually Confirmed by the first part of the Proposition it self which in few words comprehendeth divers unquestionable Arguments which I shall in brief Subsume First That there is no Knowledge of the Father but by the Son Secondly That there is no Knowledge of the Son but by the Spirit Thirdly That by the Spirit God hath always Revealed himself to his Children Fourthly That these Revelations were the formal Object of the Saints Faith And lastly That the same continueth to be the Object of the Saints Faith to this day Of each of these I shall speak a little particularly and then proceed to the latter part § V. As to the first viz. That there is no knowledg of the Father but Assert I by the Son It will not need much probation being founded upon the plain words of Scripture Proved and is therefore a fit Medium to draw the rest of our Assertions from For the Infinite and most Wise God who is the Foundation Root and Spring of all Operation hath wrought all things by his Eternal Word and Son This is that WORD that was in the beginning with God and was God John 1.1 2 3. by whom all things were made and without whom was not any thing made that was made Eph. 3.9 This is that Jesus Christ by whom God created all things by whom and for whom all things were created that are in heaven and in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalitys or powers Col. 1.16 Who therefore is called The First-born of every Creature Col. 1.15 As then that Infinite and Incomprehensible Fountain of Life and Motion operateth in the Creatures by his own Eternal Word and Power so no Creature has Access again unto him but in and by the Son according to his own express words No man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will Reveal him Matth. 11.27 Luk. 10.22 And again he himself saith I am the Way the Truth and the Life no man cometh unto the Father but by me Joh. 14.6 Hence he is fitly called The Mediator betwixt God and Man For having been with God from all Eternity being himself God and also in Time partaking of the Nature of man through him is the goodness and love of God conveyed to mankind and by him again man receiveth and partaketh of these Mercies Hence is easily deduced the Probation of this first Assertion thus If no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will Reveal him then there is no Knowledge of the Father but by the Son But No man knoweth the Father but the Son Therefore There is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son The first part of the Antecedent are the plain words of Scripture The Consequence thereof is undeniable except one would say that he hath the knowledge of the Father while yet he knows him not which were an Absurd Repugnance Again If the Son be the Way the Truth and the Life and that no man cometh unto the Father but by him then there is no Knowledge of the Father but by the Son But the First is true Therefore the Last The Antecedent are the very Scripture-words The Consequence is very Evident For how can any know a thing who useth not the Way without which it is not Knowable But it is already proved that there is no other Way but by the Son so that whoso uses not that Way cannot Know him neither Come unto him § VI. Having then laid down this First Principle I come to the Second viz. That there is no Knowledge of the Son but by the Spirit or Assert II that the Revelation of the Son of God is by the Spirit Where it is to be noted that I always speak of the saving Proved certain and necessary Knowledge of God which that it cannot be acquired otherways than by the Spirit doth also appear from many clear Scriptures For Jesus Christ in and by whom the Father is Revealed doth also Reveal himself to his Disciples and Friends in and by his Spirit as his Manifestation was sometimes outward when he testified and witnessed for the Truth in this World and approved himself Faithful throughout So being now withdrawn as to the outward man he doth teach and instruct mankind inwardly by his own Spirit He standeth at the door and knocketh and whoso heareth his Voice and openeth he comes in to such Rev. 3.20 Of this Revelation of Christ in him Paul speaketh Gal. 1.16 in which he placeth the Excellency of his Ministry and the Certainty of his Calling And
of God to his Children in these latter days For I have known some of my Friends who profess the same Faith with me faithful Servants of the most-High God and full of the Divine Knowledge of his Truth as it was immediately and inwardly Revealed to them by the Spirit from a true and living Experience who not only were ignorant of the Greek and Hebrew Wrong Translations of Scriptures discerned in the Spirit by the Unlearned in Letters but even some of them could not Read their own Vulgar Language who being pressed by the Adversaries with some Citations out of the English Translation and finding them to disagree with the Manifestation of Truth in their hearts have boldly Affirmed The Spirit of God never said so and that it was certainly wrong for they did not believe that any of the Holy Prophets or Apostles had ever written so Which when I on this Account seriously Examined I really found to be Errors and Corruptions of the Translators who as in most Translations do not so much give us the genuine Significations of the words as strain them to express that which comes nearest with that Opinion and Notion they have of Truth And this seemed to me to sute very well with that saying of Augustine Epist. 19. ad Hen. Tom. 2. fol. 14. after he has said that he gives only that honour to those Books which are called Canonical as to believe that the Authors thereof did in writing not Err. He adds And if I shall meet with any thing in these Writings that seemeth Repugnant to Truth I shall not doubt to say that either the Volume is Faulty or Erroneous that the Expounder hath not reached what was said or that I have in no wise Vnderstood it So that he supposes that in the Transcription and Translation there may be Errors § V. If it be then asked me Whether I think hereby to render the Scripture altogether uncertain Object or useless I Answer Not at all The Proposition it self declares what Esteem Answ. 1 I have for them And provided that to the Spirit from which they came be but granted that place the Scriptures themselves give it I do freely Concede to the Scripture the Second Place even whatsoever they say of themselves Which the Apostle Paul chiefly mentions in Two places Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things were Written aforetime were Written for our Learning that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures might have hope 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. The Holy Scriptures are able to make wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus All Scripture given by Inspiration from God is profitable for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto every good Work For though God do principally and chiefly lead us by his Spirit yet he sometimes conveys his Comfort and Consolation to us through his Children whom he raises up and Inspires to Speak or Write a Word in Season whereby the Saints are made Instruments in the hand of the Lord to strengthen and encourage one another which do also tend to perfect and make them wise unto Salvation And such as are led by the Spirit cannot neglect The Saints Mutual Comfort is the same Spirit in all but do naturally love and are wonderfully cherished by that which proceedeth from the same Spirit in another because such mutual Emanations of the heavenly Life tend to quicken the mind when at any time it is overtaken with Heaviness Peter himself declares this to have been the End of his Writing 2 Pet. 1.12 13. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in Remembrance of those things though ye know them and be Established in the present Truth Yea I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in Remembrance God is Teacher of his People himself and there is nothing more Express than that such as are under the New Covenant They need no man to Teach them yet it was a Fruit of Christ's Ascension to send Teachers and Pastors for perfecting of the Saints So that the same Work is ascribed to the Scriptures as to Teachers the one to make the Man of God perfect the other for the perfection of the Saints As then Teachers are not to go before the Teaching of God himself under the New Covenant but to follow after it neither are they to Rob us of that great Priviledge which Christ hath purchased unto us by his Blood so neither is the Scripture to go before the Teaching of the Spirit or to Rob us of it Answ. 2 Secondly God hath seen meet that herein we should as in a Looking-glass see the Conditions and Experiences of the Saints of old that finding our Experience Answer to theirs The Scriptures a Looking-glass we might thereby be the more Confirmed and Comforted and our Hope Strengthened of obtaining the same End that observing the Providences attending them seeing the Snares they were liable to and beholding their Deliverances we may thereby be made Wise unto Salvation and seasonably Reproved and Instructed in Righteousness This is the Great Work of the Scriptures and their Service to us that we may witness them fulfilled in us and so discern the Stamp of God's Spirit and Ways upon them by the inward Acquaintance we have with the same Spirit and Work in our hearts The Scriptures Work and Service The Prophecies of the Scripture are also very comfortable and profitable unto us as the same Spirit Inlightens us to observe them fulfilled and to be fulfilled For in all this it is to be observed that it is only the Spiritual man that can make a right use of them they are able to make the Man of God perfect so it is not the Natural Man and whatsoever was written aforetime was written for Our Comfort Our that are the Believers our that are the Saints concerning such the Apostle speaks For as for the other the Apostle Peter plainly declares that the Vnstable and Vnlearned wrest them to their own destruction These were they that were Vnlearned in the Divine and Heavenly Learning of the Spirit not in Humane and School-literature of which we may safely presume that Peter himself being a Fisher-man had no great skill for it may be with great probability yea certainly be affirmed that he had no knowledge of Aristotle's Logick Logick which both Papists and Protestants now degenerating from the Simplicity of Truth make Hand-maid of Divinity as they call it and a necessary Introduction to their Carnal Natural and Humane Ministry By the infinite obscure Labours of which kind of men mixing-in their heathenish stuff the Scripture is rendered at this day of so little service to the simple people whereof if Jerom complained in his time now twelve hundred years ago saying Hierom. Ep. 134. ad Cypr. Tom. 3. It is wont to befall the most part of Learned men that it is
Authentick that it ought to be Received First If he should say Because it Contradicts not the Rest besides that there is no mention made of it in any of the Rest perhaps these men think it doth Contradict Paul in relation to Faith and Works Whether the Epistle of James be Authentick and how to know it But if that should be granted it would as well follow that Every Writer that Contradicts not the Scripture should be put into the Canon and by this means these men fall into a greater Absurdity than they fix upon us For thus they would Equal every one the Writings of their own Sect with the Scriptures for I suppose they judge their own Confession of Faith doth not Contradict the Scriptures Will it therefore follow that it should be bound up with the Bible And yet it seems impossible according to their Principles to bring any better Aagument to prove the Epistle of James to be Authentick There is then this Vnavoidable Necessity to say We know it by the same Spirit from which it was written or otherwise to step back to Rome and say We know by Tradition that the Church hath declared it to be Canonical and the Church is Infallible Let them find a Mids if they can So that out of this Objection we shall draw an Vnanswerable Argument ad hominem to our purpose That which cannot Assure me concerning an Article of Faith necessary to be believed is not the Primary Adequate Only Rule of Faith But The Scripture cannot thus Assure me Therefore c. I prove the Assumption thus That which cannot Assure me concerning the Canon of the Scripture to wit that such Books are only to be Admitted and the Apocrypha to be Excluded Cannot Assure me of this Therefore c And lastly As to these words Rev. 22.18 that If any man shall add Object 3 unto these things God shall add unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book I desire they will shew me Answ. how it relates to any thing else than to that Particular Prophecy It saith not Now the Canon of the Scripture is filled up no man is to write more from that Spirit Yea do not all Confess What it means to Add to the Scriptures that there have been Prophecies and true Prophets since The Papists deny it not And do not the Protestants affirm that John Huss prophesied of the Reformation Was he therefore Cursed or did he therein Evil I could give many other Examples Confessed by themselves But moreover the same was in Effect Commanded long before Prov. 30.6 Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar Yet how many Books of the Prophets were written after And the same was said by Moses Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not Add unto the Word which I command you neither shall ye Diminish ought from it So that though we should extend that of the Revelations beyond the particular Prophecy of that Book it cannot be understood but of a New Gospel or New Doctrines or of Restraining Prop. 4 man's Spirit that he mix not his Humane Words with the Divine and not of a New Revelation of the Old as we have said before PROPOSITION IV. Concerning the Condition of Man in the Fall All Adam's Posterity or Mankind both Jews and Gentiles as to the first Adam or Earthly Man is fallen degenerated and dead deprived of the sensation or feeling of this Inward Testimony Rom. 5.12 15. or Seed of God and is subject unto the Power Nature and Seed of the Serpent which he soweth in mens hearts while they abide in this Natural and Corrupted Estate from whence it comes that not only their Words and Deeds but all their Imaginations are Evil perpetually in the sight of God as proceeding from this depraved and wicked Seed Man therefore as he is in this State can know nothing aright yea his Thoughts and Conceptions concerning God and things Spiritual until he be dis-joined from this Evil Seed and united to the Divine Light are Unprofitable both to himself and others Hence are Rejected the Socinian and Pelagian Errors in the Exalting a Natural Light as also the Papists and most of Protestants who Affirm That man without the true Grace of God may be a True Minister of the Gospel Nevertheless this Seed is not imputed to Infants until by Transgression they actually join themselves therewith for they are by Nature the Children of Wrath who walk according to the Power of the Prince of the Air Ephes. 2. and the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of Disobedience having their Conversation in the Lusts of the Flesh fulfilling the desires of the Flesh and of the Mind § I. HItherto we have Discoursed how the True Knowledge of God is Attained and Preserved also of what Vse and Service the Holy Scripture is to the Saints We come now to Examine The State and Condition of Man as he stands in the Fall what his Capacity and Power is and how far he is able as of himself to Advance in relation to the things of God Of this we touch'd a little in the beginning of the Second Proposition but the full right and through Understanding of it is of great Vse and Service because from the Ignorance and Altercations that have been about it there have arisen great and dangerous Errors both on the one hand and the other While some do so far Exalt the Light of Nature or the Faculty of the Natural man as Capable of himself by vertue of the Inward Will Faculty Light or Power that pertains to his Nature to follow that which is good and make real progress towards Heaven And of these are the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians of old and of late the Socinians and divers others among the Papists Others again will needs run into another Extream to whom Augustine among the Ancients first made way in his Declining Age Augustine 's Zeal against Pelagius through the heat of his zeal against Pelagius not only Confessing men Vncapable of themselves to do good and prone to evil but that in his very Mother's Womb and before he Commits any Actual Transgression he is Contaminate with a Real Guilt whereby he deserves Eternal Death in which respect they are not afraid to Affirm That many poor Infants are Eternally Damned and for ever endure the Torments of Hell Therefore the God of Truth having now again Revealed his Truth that good and even Way by his own Spirit hath taught us to avoid both these Extreams That then which our Proposition leads to Treat of is Part I First What the Condition of Man is in the Fall and how far Vncapable to meddle in the Things of God And Secondly That God doth not impute this Evil to Infants until Part II they Actually join with it That so by Establishing the Truth we may overturn the Errors on both parts And as for that Third thing Included in the Proposition it self concerning Part III
Students tell us whether in their esteem they deserve a better Designation Now that to use Proverbs in things written even from the Spirit of Truth is no Inconsistency let them read Tit. 1.12 To use Proverbs is not Inconsistent with Truth Evil beasts slow bellies 2 Pet. 2.22 The dog is returned c. and the sow to the puddle But to proceed they offer to prove the Spirit in the Quakers not to be the Spirit of God because it teaches Doctrines contrary to the Scriptures The first Instance of this is The Quakers denying the necessity of the Continuance of the use of Bread and Wine as an Ordinance in the Church which they alledge pag. 67. is Commanded Matth. 26.26 Mark 14.21 Luke 22.19 But the Students may look over these places and find if they can any thing in the first two of Matth. and Mark like a Command The Use of Bread and Wine discontinued but only a meer Narrative of the Matter of Fact In that of Luke these Words are added Do this in remembrance of me They proceed to prove that this is not Ceased of its own nature carping at these Words of R. B. in his first Answer to W. M. pag. 54 55. where he saith The very Institution intimates the Abolishing thereof at Christ's Coming Insinuating as if he had mistaken himself for his Words say they allude to Paul 's 1 Cor. 11. and not to Christ's But while they take a Liberty to judge of his Thoughts they do but shew their own forwardness to Mistake For either these Words of Christ's in Luke above-mentioned do import They should do that in Remembrance of him until he came or they do not If they do not the Students give away their own Cause If they do then he might allude to that as being there included though not expressed As often c. implies no Continuance They urge The Coming of Christ mentioned must be his Coming to Judgment because these to whom Christ was come in Spirit do use it But this proves not That they then practised it by way of Necesary Duty more than their practising other things which our Adversaries themselves do acknowledge do not Continue nor are not Binding But they proceed pag. 69. to prove it Commanded since from the Apostle's words 1 Cor. 11. And to prove that this was not a meer Narrative of a Matter of Fact as we truly affirm but a Command they Affirm first That he often gives the Title of the Lord's Supper to it even as received by those Corinthians For Answer the Students must needs be like themselves and as they often belied us so they use the Apostle the same way For not only in this Chapter or Epistle but in all Paul's Epistles these Words the Lord's Supper are only once mentioned so not often Secondly verse 20. where he useth these Words thus When ye come together therefore into one place this is not to eat the Lord's Supper It is so far from making for them that it makes clearly against them And the Syriack Copy hath not in that 20. ver nor elswhere these Words The Lord's Supper at all but in lieu of it when then ye meet together not as ye ought to do in the day of the Lord. For the Apostle clearly here asserts that the Corinthians in their using of Bread and Wine did not eat the Lord's Supper He says not they did not eat it as they ought Secondly they urge That the Apostle received of the Lord a Command to take eat do this This is strongly alledged but we deny it and let them prove it For Proof they give none unless we may take an Example for a Proof in which they beg the Question For unless that alledged Minion of the King should tell these Citizens he came to that he had received Order to Command them to obey the Decree repeated by him the Example says nothing But that the Apostle has signified any such thing to us we deny and it remains for them to prove Thirdly They alledge That since the Apostle reproves them for Abuses in the use of this and to rectifie those brings them back to the Institution the duty of Receiving it may be much more concluded from the same Institution Answer this is their bare Affirmation The Abuses committed in practising a Ceremony may be regulated by telling the proper Rise Vse and End of it and yet the using it may not be an Absolute Duty The Apostle says how those that observe Days ought to do it to the Lord it will not therefore follow that the Observation of Days is a Duty Incumbent upon all Yea the Apostle in that Place expresly asserts the Contrary Their fourth Reason is yet more Ridiculous The Apostle insinuates that it is a Duty because of the first Word FOR that which I have c. Who but the Students would Argue at this rate such kind of Reasons serve to shew their Folly not to confirm their Opinions As do these that follow with their old Example of the King's Minion In all which they miserably beg the Question taking for granted That it is a standing Statute Which is the thing remains to them yet to prove In the end of this page they desire to join the Word OFTEN which say they evidenceth it was a practice to be Continued in And here they insult because that R. B. in answer to W. M. arguing thus from this Word Often did Reply That thence it would not follow That As often as a man sins he offends God did import we should sin often Here they say R. B. egregiously shews his Folly and Impiety because they never did argue from the Word OFTEN precisely But their Brother W. M. to whom he then Answered did precisely Argue from it whose express Words in his pretended Sober Answer are pag. 92. It may be observed That the Corinthians were to be often in the use of it because it is said as often as ye eat c. So since he argued from the Word Often his answer was proper nor have they brought any thing to weaken it And whereas they add Who will say that ever sin was instituted by God R. B. never said so but yet that weakens not his Retortion nor strengthens their Argument from the Word Often As may appear in a thing truly Instituted by God and yet unlawful else as Often as a Man Marrieth he is bound to his Wife might be said to Import that it were a Duty Incumbent upon Men to Marry often or unlawful to forbear Their Fifth Reason is A Regulating Prescription is no Commanding Injunction because the Apostle prescribes the right Method of using it For they alledge If it had been indifferent he would have rather forbidden it as useless c. This is no Argument but their bare Conjecture in which they would be wiser than the Apostle and we have answered it before shewing the Apostle gives Rules to rectifie the Observation of Days
to be written by the Spirit both which I deny and he has not so much as offer'd to prove and therefore his Argument if I should go no further can Conclude nothing Next his Minor to wit That all pretending to Immediate Revelation have been led by a Spirit of Error is not at all proved by him For albeit it might be said of all those Old Sects named by him and of the German Enthusiasts yet that is not sufficient Proof unless he can make it appear that there was never any other but were so also which yet remains for him to Prove and will trouble him to Effect For to Affirm there were never any because he has never heard nor read of them were an Argument a great deal more Ridiculous than Rational And for his Challenging me to shew them albeit the Instance of the Quakers be enough to spoil all his Argument as will after appear yet by his good Leave I am not bound Affirmanti incumbit probatio And that this Answer is sufficient I have the Testimony of his Learned Brother John Menzies Professor of Divinity at Aberdeen in his Book Intituled Papismus Lucifugus where he Answers the Jesuit's Minor the same way and proveth it to be Sufficient And surely he has not taken notice that by this he has Condemned as led by a Spirit of Error all the Primitive Protestant-Martyrs that Prophesied at any time such as John Huss and George Wishart our Country-Man and many others by reason of whose Prophesying J. B. and his Brethren have valued their Cause J. B's condemning the Primitive Martyrs as led by a Spirit of Error since these Prophecies were said by them to proceed from Inward and Immediate Revelation and so they pretended to it albeit not as the ground of their Faith and Obedience in all matters of Doctrine and Worship yet as the ground of that Faith by which they believed these Revelations to proceed from God and not from the Devil and of that Obedience by which they published and declared these things Moreover he Overturns all by the last Instance which he gives to prove it to wit That the Quakers who pretend to Immediate Revelations are led by a Spirit of Error For Proof of which we have only his bare Affirmation and yet till this be proved his Objection is naught For indeed this is a rare way of debating with an Adversary to make use of an Argument by which he must be Concluded already as Erroneous in order to Convince him that he is such If this be not as they say To put the Plough before the Oxen I know not what can be said to be so For J. B's Argument to make it plain amounts to this J. B's Argument against Immediate Revelation If the Quakers be led by a Spirit of Error Then the Quakers Err in affirming Inward and Immediate Revelation to be the Ground and Foundation of true Faith But The Quakers are led by a Spirit of Error Therefore c. Which is just as if I should Argue thus If J. B. be a Knave a manifest Lyar and Calumniator Then he is not a true Minister of Christ nor fit to write in Religious matters But J. B. is such Therefore c. Is not this a notable way of Arguing and a quick Way to dispatch Controversies What saith Robert Macquair Doth not this well become his singularly Acute solidly Learned and truly gracious Author Postscript pag. 559. The next thing to be considered is His Stating the Controversy Where according to his Custom he all along beggs the Question For having writ down his Opinion and taken it for granted without offering to prove it he goes on and builds thereon without more difficulty as if it were not to be further questioned This appears in pag. 20.28.29.30.34.35.36.37.40.43.44 in which places he states his Opinion of the Immediate Revelation of the Spirit What J. B. will have Revelation by the Spirit to be as not being such as presents any Truths to be believed objectively but only in removing the Vail of the Eye of the Vnderstanding and spiritually Illuminating the Mind and Working effectually upon the Heart to embrace and receive the Truth already Revealed and Proposed in the Scriptures Now for not using this Distinction and holding Revelation in this his sense he greatly blames me as jumbling things together and darkning and pre-judging the Reader and bestows upon me ever and anon many Railing Words with the Repetition of which I will not trouble the Reader And yet notwithstanding this Accusation in Contradiction of himself he cites me pag. 42. and 28. taking notice of this very Distinction as used by some and also Refuting it Surely the Man must have miserably forgot himself and will verify the Proverb Lyars should have good Memories Next Since he judges I Err in not holding this manner of Revelation and that he builds all his Superstructure upon it as the Truth he should have offer'd to prove it to be such For since he saith They willingly grant to these Scriptures noted by me As many as are led by the Spirit of God c. Rom. 8.9 14. together with 1 Joh. 2.27 Joh. 6.45 Joh. 14.16 17. By which Scriptures he cannot deny but the manner of the Apostles being led as well as of all Christians is Included since some of them were directed to the Apostles particularly In all which there is no ground for his Distinction and Assertion It is not said The Comforter that I will send shall lead you the Apostles immediately by proposing Truth to be believed objectively to you and this shall be accounted Extraordinary but after you it shall only lead other Christians by Illuminating their Understandings and that shall be the Ordinary Leading And since then it is a Rule granted by all that we must hold to the plain Words of Scripture unless an Vrgent Necessity force us to the Contrary he should shew us where this Necessity lies and prove his Assertion to be the true and genuine Meaning of the Words and that we ought not to take them as we do according to their plain and naked Signification and Import For I would willingly hear any ground from Scripture of this Nature of Extraordinary and Ordinary Revelations as pertinent to this Debate For albeit Things Extraordinary may be Reveal'd to some and not to others that only respects the Things Revealed not the manner of Revelation For a Man telling me Extraordinary things and Ordinary albeit the things may differ in their Nature yet neither my manner of Hearing nor his of Speaking do thence necessarilly differ ¶ But perhaps the Man doth Apprehend that what he saith pag. 20.30.31.40.44.45 is some Proof of his Assertion which if he do the Reader may easily observe his Mistake where he would Insinuate As if the manner of Immediate Revelation by the Spirit asserted by me rendred all other Means Mediate Instruction not Inconsistent with Immediate Revelation even those of Teaching
Impertinent which is As these ought to be done without the Spirit so ought the other And yet he more manifestly Contradicts this pag. 456. saying That God requireth not Men to feel the Influences of the Spirit as a preparation to Prayer yea that Men ought to pray even when and because they feel they want them For if it be true that he said before That these Influences are necessary to the right performance of Prayer either Men ought to perform Prayer wrong or this must be a manifest Contradiction But since this manner of Prayer is owned really in their Praying at set times whether they have the Spirit 's Influence or not it shews I spake no Vntruth of them and that his saying so was untruly said by him And hence also the Man's Impudence may be seen pag. 460. in saying I am a liar in affirming they profess they may pray without the Spirit and have their set times But the thing I say is Professors limit themselves to pray at set Times without Waiting for the Spirit That they limit themselves so as to lay a Necessity upon themselves to pray at set Times as before and after Sermon and before and after Meat and this he cannot deny Or if he should their Vniversal Practice would declare him a Liar And if they pray at set Times and that professedly without Waiting for the Spirit 's Influence yea when they are sensible they Want it do not they profess to pray without the Spirit What he saith here and elswhere that this was the Opinion of Swenkfeldius and the Familists is not to the purpose For what we believe in this we do it as being the Truth and not with respect to such of whose Belief we take no notice so as to make it any Ground for our Faith And to shew how Impertinent this Classing us with others is to render us odious upon every occasion I may tell him here once for all That even as to this very thing of Prayer he agrees against us with Papists Socinians Pelagians Episcopalians Independents Anabaptists Lutherans Arminians Antinomians yea and with Pagans Turks and Jews all which affirm with him That Men may and ought to pray at certain Times and upon certain Occasions albeit not having any present Motions or Influence of the Spirit of God so to do J. B. pleading for Prayer forgets to Pray for but not to Rail against such he accounts his Enemies ¶ 5. What he saith here in several Places of Introversion I refer to what is said before to avoid Repetition It might have been thought that in this Chapter of Prayer and where he urges it so much from the general Command that he would have minded it would have been more suitable to pray for such as he may account his Enemies and even Hereticks than Rail at them but the Treating upon this Subject has had no such Inference with him And therefore he is sure to keep here his Old Style of Railing which the Reader may observe pag. 452-456-459 460 461. He hath divers little Cavils and Quibbles in this Chapter which I willingly omit as not concerning the Weight of the Question only to give the Reader a Tast of them I shall note one or two Pag. 455. upon these Words sub degustationem he fancieth The Quakers hold a State of Prayer distinct both from Publick and Private But if he had not been very Critical and ready to Catch albeit he omits more weighty things he had not troubled himself with this which is an Error either of the Transcriber or Printer for it is in my Copy ad cibum meaning the Prayers before and after Meat and that the other Word doth also signify The next is his asking What I mean by Ejaculations emitted to Man's self Ejaculations quibbled at by J. B. allowed in Scripture and this he saith looks like a piece of Quaker Idolatry This shews the Man's eagerness to stretch every thing to make an Accusation for by this I intended nothing but to express such Prayers as Men make unheard of others And if this be a piece of Quakers Idolatry it is such as he must account the Apostle Paul guilty of as well as I whole words are 1 Cor. 14. v. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sibi ipsi loquatur let him speak to himself as both Arias Montanus Beza translate it as well as the English And that this is understood of Prayer see from verse 24. So the furious Man may see whither his Malice hath driven him He forgetteth not also in this Chapter his old Calumny and therefore hath it here oftner than once that As all the rest so the Prayers of the Quakers as well as Preparations thereunto come only from that Light of Nature as pag. 455 456 457. and hence he accuseth me of Pelagianism A Man can no more Pray without the Spirit than he can see without Eyes p. 459. for saying That to Command a Man to pray without the Spirit is to command him to see without Eyes and work without Hands because Pelagius said that whatever God commanded us to do he gave us sufficient Strenghth to do it But if Pelagius said so he understood it of an Ability without the Spirit of God for which the Ancients condemned him Whereas my very Assertion here is in as opposite Terms to that as any thing can be since I argue that a Man can no more pray without the Spirit than he can see without Eyes And indeed all this Man 's Reasoning in this Chapter savors strongly of Pelagianism where he pleads throughout for Mens setting about Spiritual duties without the Spirit yea pag. 463. he saith That the Divine Indulgence towards such as have begun to pray without the Spirit and afterwards have found it assisting them in their Prayer is a strong inducement and encouragement to them For this agrees exactly to the Semipelagian principle Facienti quod in se est Deus non denegat gratiam i. e. God will not deny Grace to such as do what they can And indeed this allowing Men to perform Spiritual duties without the allowance of the Spirit as this Man doth pleading for it and reckoning the contrary Absurd pag. 453. is Compleat Pelagianism and doth clearly import that Man by the working of Nature can acquire the Spirit and can do something in order to obtaining the Spirit of himself before he have it J. B. with Pelagians plead for a Prayer from Nature's Law and Light and thence this Man pleads so much pag. 451. for the general Vse of Prayer from the Light and Law of Nature Let him Reconcile this if he can with his other Doctrines and Clear himself of Pelagianism And it is so much the more considerable that he has fall'n into this Pit of which he so often falsly accuseth me as also pag. 461. He asketh again pag. 460. Why we come to their places of Worship if our Conscience be hurt in joining with them and thence
them hungry and hardly bestead for many years feeling after Life and Immortality but could not find that somewhat was raised in me that Words and Reports could not feed Names and Notions I minded little but Christ to dwell in me was that and is that more and more I press after And now I must for the Truth 's sake say somewhat which I humbly mention with a fresh Remembrance of the Love L. S. his first Convincement Power and tender Mercy of God who enabled me I know the Lord will not impute it to be boasting in that season wherein the Lord Revealed the true way to Life and Immortality to me by his Inward Appearance in my Soul it was a time wherein he had mercifully turned me from all that ever his Light inwardly and Law outwardly had Condemned me for my heart also did bear witness for me that whatsoever I had known would please him I was chusing to do that not that thereby I was seeking Justification in my own Righteousness but a sure Evidence of my Interest in him who was made unto us Righteousness Justification c This blessed Glimps of my begun Freedom was given me in a seasonable time that I might thereby be enabled to speak with mine Enemy in the Gate and be encouraged to believe in the Light and wait upon the Lord to feel his vertue perfectly to Cleanse me from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit Neither was I an Vnder-valuer of the Scriptures they were my Rule then and I hope for ever my Life shall answer them I think To whom and how the Scriptures are a Rule they honour the Scriptures most who live most according to them and not they who call them the Only Rule yet do not make them their Pattern The Scriptures of Truth were precious to me and by them was I taught not to walk nor worship in the Way of the People the Spirit shewing me his mind in them and then I saw in his Light that it is not the Scriptures many Adore so much as their own Corrupt Glosses upon them Neither can my Experience go along with what thou affirmest of the hazzard of Converse with that People It is very well known to all that lived in the place where I sojourned I was none who Conversed with them I was never at one of their Meetings I never read one of their Books unless accidentally I had found them where I came and lookt to them and laid them by again So now it remains with me to tell thee what was the Occasion I joined with them The occasion of L. S. 〈◊〉 joining with the Quakers since it was none of those thou mention'st which I will very singly and can very comfortably do It was that thing ye School-men call Immediate Objective Revelation which my desire is ye were more particularly and feelingly acquainted with whereby the Lord raising in my Soul his feeling Life I could not sit down satisfied with hearing of what the Son of God had done outwardly though I believe thereby he purchased all that Grace and Mercy which is inwardly wrought in the hearts of his Children until I should be a partaker of the Vertue and Efficacy thereof whereby I might possess the Substance of things hoped for I saw an Historical Faith would neither Cleanse me nor Save me if that could save any the Devils were not without a Door of Hope I felt I needed the Revelation of the Son of God in me all that ever I read or heard without this could not give me the Saving Knowledge of God None knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son Revealeth him through the Vertue whereof mine Eyes were more and more by degrees opened For the tender-hearted Samaritan had pity upon my wounded Soul when both Priest and Levite passed by and the Watch-men rent my Vail and when there was no Eye to pity nor Hand to help me he drew near and poured in Wine and Oil as he saw needful and fulfilled the Promise in measure wherein he had long caused me to hope He that follows me The Scriptures made Comfortable by the Spirit of Truth shall not walk in Darkness but shall have the Light of Life and that sweet saying whereby I am confirmed and comforted If evil Parents know how to give their Children good things how much more will the Lord give his holy Spirit to those who ask him When your Children ask bread will ye give them a stone or when they ask a fish will ye give them a serpent These precious Scriptures and many such like being opened up and applied by the Spirit of Truth powerfully and seasonably in saying Be not faithless but believing times above number before and since hath made me set to my seal to these words of Christ The words that I speak are Spirit and Life and as I walk with him and abide in him watching at the posts of Wisdom's gates travelling in Spirit more and more to bring forth Fruit unto him and walk worthy of him unto all well-pleasing daily to die unto self that Christ may live in me I becoming a passive Creature and he an active Christ in the Increase of his Government I feel the Increase of my Peace And so My Friend thou hast here by some Touches at things occasion to see how far thou art mistaken concerning us and how far contrary to the Truth as it is in Jesus thou represent'st many things to the world speaking evil of things which thou knowest not and if thou dost the greater is thy sin Two Particulars indeed I cannot strain Charity so far as to believe Christ owned and the Scriptures thou thinkest Do we deny Jesus Christ and Justification through his Righteousness because we make the Sufficiency thereof of a more universal Extent than ye or because we love whole Christ so much and his seamless Coat that we will not have it divided Nay we dare not divide Justification and Sanctification neither confound them we have felt the Blood and the Spirit distinct things yet inseparable Neither canst thou think We make void the Scriptures because we honour the Spirit that was before the Scriptures were written and bear Testimony against all who deny the Spirit 's Immediate Teachings to be the Vniversal Priviledge of his People whereby ye take away the key of Knowledge and neither enter the Kingdom nor suffer others who would but monopolize Knowledge to your selves Monopolized Knowledge by Professors and intrude your Meanings upon the Consciences of men as the Rule which Meanings indeed I do not own either as the only or any Rule but as the Spirit of Christ in my Conscience answers it The Testimony of the Spirit of Truth in Thousands with me will stand and rise up against thee in the presence of the Lord when all thy Vnjust Reproaches and Malitious Accusations shall melt away before the presence of the Glory of the heart-searching God before whose
he ought not But as to these which are indeed owned by us thou wilt find them at large vindicated by Scripture and Reason either in my Apology or in this Treatise I could have made a further Remark in this his Index to shew thee how many of them he sets down as our Assertions are not nor ever were Asserted by any of us nor by him Affirmed to be so where he has them in his Book but only his own meer Conjectures and Consequences but I am loth to detain thee any longer in this by looking the Pages to which he referreth thou mayest easily observe it year 1686 THE POSSIBILITY NECESSITY Of the Inward and Immediate REVELATION OF The Spirit of God Towards the Foundation and Ground of True FAITH proved in a Letter writ in Latine to a Person of Quality in Holland and now also put into English by R. B. Advertisement to the Reader THIS serves to Inform thee That it is above seven Years since this Epistle was Printed in Latine The Person to whom it was writ the Heer Paets is a Man of no mean Accompt both in the Learned and Politick World The Conference I had with him was lately after his Return from Spain where he had been Ambassadour from the United Netherlands I discoursed with him on the same Subject last Year at London where he was one of the Commissioners for the Dutch East-Indian Company but could not find him propose any thing New nor what I could Conceive had any Weight towards a Reply What his Reasons were not to prosecute this Matter further I shall not determine But thus far he readily yielded That he had been mistaken in his Notion of the Quakers for he found they could make a Reasonable Plea for the Foundation of their Religion Vpon my reading it over again I found an Inclination in my self and was perswaded by some Friends to publish it in a Language more obvious to all my Country Men. It is a Question now frequently tossed The Ground of Faith and its Foundation Revelation What is the Ground and Foundation of Faith And when the Matter is sifted to the bottom it resolves in Tradition or Revelation For those who lay claim to the Scripture and would make it the Foundation of their Faith do resolve it but in a Tradition when the Motives of Credibility are Inquired into since the subjective Revelation which they yield comes but in the last place and is by themselves termed Medium Incognitum Assentiendi And such a Revelation those of Rome will not refuse to influence them to Assent to the determination of the Church So those Protestants who say The subjective Operation of the Spirit influences them though they know not how to believe the Scripture presented and conveyed to them by Tradition as the Dictates of GOD's Spirit and so understand them as their Preachers interpret them differ not much or at least have not Reason to differ from the Church of Rome who say The Church of Rome 's Belief concerning Scriptures The Spirit Influences them to believe the Scriptures as proposed by the Church and according as her Doctors and Councils Interpret them And neither has any better Foundation than Tradition And to speak the Truth plainly the Faith of both resolves in the Veneration they have for their Doctors but whereas the one affirms they do it by an Intire Submission they think it decent to say they judge them Infallible And certainly it is most reasonable that such as affirm the first believe the last The other because they pretend they believe the Church but conditionally have denied to her Infallibility though generally they be as Credulous as the other And I find the Doctors of their Church as angry to be Contradicted as the other that is an Ingredient goes to the Composition of all Clergy-men since it became a Trade and went to make a part of the outward Policy of the World from whence has flowed that Monster PERSECUTION In short the matter is easily driven into this narrow Compass We believe either because of an outward or inward Testimony that is because it is outwardly delivered to us or inwardly Revealed to us For my part I think the Papists do wisely in pleading for Infallibility for certainly the true Church never was nor can be without it And the Protestants do honestly in not claiming it because they are sensible they want it I should therefore desire the one to prove That they are Infallible and advise the other to believe They may and seek after it But I am sure neither the one is nor the other cannot without Immediate Divine Revelation Therefore as to deny Revelation is a bad way to prove Infallibility so to deny Infallibility is a bad way to make a Reformation Since they who do Reform had need to be certain they are doing so The asserting of Infallibility in the Church of Christ is not the Errour of the Church of Rome but the pretending to it when they have it not and placing it where they should not But since those who oppose Immediate Revelation do it on the accompt that they reckon it either Impossible or Unnecessary I hope there will be as much found in this Epistle as will evince the Contrary I have now Exceeded the Limits of an Advertisement but being known not to be a Man of Form I hope my Reader will Excuse me to whom I wish true Certainty of Faith and so bid him heartily Farewel The 9. of Octob. 1686. Robert Barclay My Friend ALBEIT I Judge I did fully Answer to all thy Arguments in that Conference we had concerning the Necessity and Possibility of Inward Immediate Revelation and of the Certainty of True Faith from thence proceeding nevertheless because after we had made an end and were parting thou would'st needs Remit to my further Consideration the strength of thy Argument as that in which thou supposedst the very Hing of the Question to lye That I might satisfy thy Desire and that the Truth might more appear I did further Consider of it but the more I weighed it I found it the Weaker And therefore that thou thy self may'st make the truer Judgment of it I thought meet to send thee my Further Considerations thereon which I had done ere now had not I both at London and elsewhere been diverted by other necessary Occasions wherein I doubt not but thou wilt perceive a full and distinct Answer to thy Argument But if thou canst not as yet yield to the Truth or thinkest mine Answer in any part to be defective so that there yet remains with thee any Matter of Doubt or Scruple I do earnestly desire thee that as I for thy sake and out of Love to the Truth have not been wanting to Examine thy Argument and to Transmit to thee my Considerations thereon so thou mayst give thy self the Trouble to Write and Send me what thou haft further to say Which my Friend N. N. who delivers
Reason as those false and pretended Revelations and Diabolical Inspirations from such as are truly Divine Now how many Men who would be esteemed Philosophers are miserably deceived by those false Likenesses of Reason Judging their false Reasons to be the true Similitudes of things and solid Ratiocinations which nevertheless moveth no Man of sound Reason to reject sound and solid Reason as doubtful and uncertain For even sound natural Reason is an Excellent Gift of G0D and very useful to mankind when used in its proper place Natural Reason comprehends not things Supernatural But let none think to comprehend by their natural Reason things that are of a Divine and Supernatural kind And as we use to do when any one is deceived by false Appearances of Reason we endeavour to reduce them to Contemplate the first natural Idea's of natural things and to meditate therein which is as a Test or Touch-stone by which all the Appearances and Likenesses of Reason are to be Examined if they Contradict them to be Rejected So also when any one is deceived by his own Imagination or the Cunning of Satan thinking any Evil Inspiration of the Devil to be a true Divine Revelation He that is so deceived is to be reduced to the natural Ideas of things if so be that pretended Revelation doth contradict them for no true Divine Revelation can Contradict the true natural Idea or to the Supernatural Idea's of Divine things which are most simple clear and obvious to the minds of men if they will turn their minds to the Divine Seed in them or at least those Ideas are readily and easily stirred up The Supernatural Idea's of divine things are most Clear Obvious to the mind For as in Natural Ideas so in Supernatural some are more easily raised than others For there is a certain Order both of Natural and Supernatural Idea's whereby they are gradually excited Nor is there any Mortal Man in whose Mind at some time or other there is not stirred up some Idea that is truly Supernatural and Divine and who hath not felt in himself both the Wrath and Judgment of GOD for his Sins and also some tender and gentle Tast oâ— GOD's Love and Goodness by which wicked Men are invited to Repentance Now that which is thought to be a Divine Revelation and is felt to Contradict any Divine and Supernatural Idea which is clearly perceived in the Soul it is a manifest token that it is not a Divine Revelation but either a false Imagination or the wicked Suggestion of some Evil Spirit But to proceed God hath declared his Will even in Contingent Truths in the Scripture If we will hear the Scripture as all Christians ought it testifies to us That GOD hath declared his Mind and Will even concerning Contingent Truths to come in the Prophets as that of the first to the Hebrews doth evidently declare GOD who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke to our Fathers in the Prophets Yea let us hear the Prophets themselves Hosea Chap 1. saith plainly That the Word of the LORD was made in him as it is in the Heb. Habakkuk also says As he was standing on his Watch to see what Jehovah would speak in him And it is so manifest Revelations were in the minds of the Prophets by Inward â—nspirations that the most Heavenly Revelations are by Inward Illustrations and Inspirations in the very Minds of the Prophets that it is strange how any that believes the Scripture should doubt of it And if it happened at any time such Revelations were made in the natural Imaginations of the Prophets or any of their Inward Natural Senses then it may be confessed they could not be Infallibly Certain they came from GOD unless they also felt God in the Divine and Supernatural Senses by which they did most neerly approach to him from these Superior and most-Inward Senses working upon the lower and less noble Faculties of the Mind But which ever way the Prophets were certain that they were Inspired of GOD even when they foretold Contingent Truths to come it is without doubt they were most certainly perswaded that they were Divinely Inspired Which were most-certain without any Outward Miraculous Demonstrations and that frequently without any outward Miracle For John the Baptist did no Miracle and many Prophesied where there appeared no Miracle as in the Scripture may be often observed And we also by the Inspiration of the same Divine Spirit by which the Prophets prophesied do believe their Words and Writings to be Divine concerning Contingent Truths as well past as to come else that Faith by which we believe the Scripture would not be Divine but meerly Humane And thence we need no outward Miracles to move us to Believe the Scriptures and therefore much less were they necessary to the Prophets who Writ them For we see in many places of the Prophets where they declare Prophecies as revealed to them of GOD there is not a word mentioned of any outward Miracle as that by Which alone they were Certain of it Moreover the Falseness of this Argument doth appear in that the Scripture doth declare many Contingent Truths to have been revealed to the Prophets in Dreams Divine Revelations by Dreams Now as natural and wicked Men do not see what they dream by a real perception of the Outward Senses but by Inward Idea's which are presented to the Mind and perceived by it so it is also in Divine Revelations of this nature Of which we have a clear Example in Joseph the Husband of the Blessed Virgin who when he observed his Wife with Child was told in a Dream That She had Conceived by the Holy Ghost Now I would know to which of Joseph's Outward Senses was this Revealed Or what Miracle had he to Induce him to Believe Which could neither be proved so as to make an Infallible Application to Mary by the Testimony of the Scripture and which being against the Order of Nature did Choke his Reason The Scripture mentions no Miracle in this matter and yet no doubt Joseph had highly sinned had he not Believed this Revelation and not withstanding rejected his Wife as an Adulteress But if thou say'st That according to thy Hypothesis there must have been a Miracle That is only to beg the Question And how false this Hypothesis is The Apostle shews clearly Corinth 2.14 The Natural or Animal Man knoweth not receiveth not the things of GOD. Now Divine Revelations are of this Nature The Outward Senses cannot discern the things of God for they are Spiritual and if either chiefly or only those things were to be Judged by the Outward Senses it would Contradict the Apostle For natural Men yea the most-wicked have the use of the outward Senses as true and exact as the most-Godly And whereas the Apostle adds For they are Spiritually Discerned It puts the Matter out of all Question For thence it abundantly appears that this discerning
Experience the just Authority of his Confidence because The natural Man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he as such because they are spiritually discerned The Natural Man may talk of them of God his Nature and Attributes of Christ his Relation Natures and Offices of Regeneration which is the Great Work of the Son of God in and upon Man But Alas that is all the Natural Man with all his Natural Powers and Skill is Capable of he can go no deeper 'T is all Hear-say and Imagination For they are a Mystery shut up close from all Unsanctified Hearts and Heads Yea they are all wrapt up and strongly inclosed in this Holy Seed of Light and Spirit that shines in the dark Hearts of Men and through the Power of that Darkness they cannot Comprehend it The Ground of which Darkness is Disobedience Which made Christ say to the Jews If you will do the will of God you shall know of my doctrine Joh. 7.17 if it be of God or not I say the Mystery Power and Virtue of Christianity is shut up in this Divine Seed And if thou O Reader knowest it not but art only speculatively a Christian open thy Heart and let it into the good Ground and thou shalt quickly find the Efficacy and Excellency of it in the Fruits that will spring from it The Increase will be very great and the Tast thereof sweeter much than the Honey or the Honey-Comb Psal. 19.10 She is a Tree of Life said a Wise and a great King of old Time to all them that lay hold upon her Prov. 3.18 ch 8.19 and happy is every one that retaineth her for her fruit is better than gold and her revenue than choice silver It was by him stiled Wisdom because it made him Wise and will make every one that is Taught by it Ch. 9.10 Job 28.111 Psal. 10. For it makes People Wise to Salvation by teaching them the Fear of the Lord and to depart from Iniquity and every evil way All such are said to have a good Vnderstanding The Apostle Paul also calleth it the Grace of God Tit. 2.11 12 13. that bringeth Salvation that hath appeared to all men c. Grace because it is God's Free Gift not our Merit or Purchase God so loved the World Joh. 3.16 Ch. 1.14.16 he gave his only begotten Son to save it who was full of Grace and Truth And of his fulness we receive grace for grace in order to Salvation In which Saying of the Apostle Five things are to be seriously remarked as Comprehensive of the very Body of our Christian Divinity First the Principle Talent or Gift which God giveth to Man and that is his Grace The Grace of God c. Secondly This Grace Talent Gift or Principle is sufficient to the End for which it is given viz. It bringeth Salvation God bestows it for that purpose Paul might well say so that had tried the Power and Virtue of it under the greatest Temptation As God told him 2 Cor. 12.8 9. his Grace was sufficient for him so he found it to his exceeding great Joy Thirdly The Vniversality of God's Bounty It appears to all Men more or less It is so intended Christ died for all and distributes Grace to all that all might come to the Knowledge of the Truth 1 Tim. 2.4 as it is in Jesus and be saved Fourthly The way by which the Sufficiency and Vniversality of it is demonstrated and that is The Teaching Quality and Virtue of it v. 12. Teaching us that denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and Godly in this present World This every one feels in his own Bosom at Times and that of all Religions and of all Nations A Just Monitor a Secret Reprover and a Faithful Witness Blessed are they that give heed thereunto and learn of it what to Leave and what to Do what to shun and what to Embrace Prov. 8.20 Mich. 6.8 For it Leads in the Ways of Righteousness and in the midst of the Paths of Judgment It is by this God sheweth Man his Thoughts and what he doth require of him This it is that Man has made an Adversary by his Iniquities which he must make Peace with lest he bring him before the Judge Matt. 5.25 and he cast him into Prison and he come not out till he has paid the uttermost Farthing This Inward Teaching Reproving Exhorting Light Spirit or Grace of God Learns us Two Lessons which make up the holy Order of our Conversion and Salvation 1. What we are to Deny 2. What we are to Do. We are to Deny Vngodliness and wordly Lusts and it will shew us what they are both within and without in Thought as well as in Word and Deed if we will attend to it and Watch and Wait upon it And though the grosser Evils that carry the largest Characters of Impiety are easily seen and observed yet there are Lusts that lie near and stick close that are less perceptible and it may be are hardly by some thought Evil neither As in Relation to Extreams in Food Apparel Furniture Discourse Converse Gain Honour Revenge Emulation c. And there is an Vngodliness in a Mystery too which utterly mistakes and overthrows the true Nature and End of Religion as well as palpable Enormities Such is setting up the Form above the Power of Godliness Humane Traditions above the Scripture and Opposing that to the Spirit of God which it Testifies of and so often Refers unto and making and pressing Civil Edicts about Matters of Faith and suffering none to Live and Enjoy what is their own and prosecute their Lawful Callings for the Maintenance of their Families unless they will forgoe Convictions play the Hypocrite be of their Creed and receive their Mark in their Forehead Rev. 13.16 c. 14.9 or at least in their Right hand by which means they have made a Worldly Interest and Empire of the Church and of Religion that should be the Purity and Peace of the VVorld a meer Step and Test to Temporal Preferment These are the Things under which Religion and indeed Civil Society and true Civil Policy groan as well as other Impieties though by Worldly Men and some that would be thought Religious too this is as little seen as the more sensual Vngodliness is amended For all which the Eternal God is come by many Judgments and coming in Flames of Fire to Execute Vengeance upon the Wicked 2 Thess. 1.7 8. whatever Carnal and Secure Minds think And it is not the least of our Miseries that we are but too Vnsensible of it Thus we see what we are Taught by the Grace to deny Let us next consider the other part of our Duty which the Grace teacheth us and that is What we are to do Teaching us says the Great and Zealous Apostle that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World This is also a most Comprehensive Expression a plain and
the Life no Man cometh unto the Father but by me Q. By whom and after what manner doth the Son Reveal this Knowledge A. But as it is written Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither hath entered into the Heart of Man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him But God hath Revealed them unto us by his Spirit 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11 12. For the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God For what man knoweth the things of a Man save the Spirit of a Man which is in him Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God Now we have received not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name John 14.26 he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your Remembrance c. CHAP. II. Of the Rule and Guide of Christians and of the Scriptures Question SEeing it is by the Spirit that Christ Reveals the Knowledge of God in things Spiritual The Spirit the Guide is it by the Spirit that we must be led under the Gospel Answer But ye are not in the Flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his For as many as are Led by the Spirit of God Rom. 8.9 14. they are the Sons of God Q. It is an Inward Principle then that is to be the Guide and Rule of Christians A. But the Anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you 1 John 2.27 and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you of all things and is Truth and is no Lie and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him But as touching Brotherly Love ye need not that I write unto you Thes. 4.9 for ye your selves are taught of God to love one another Q. I perceive by this that it is by an Inward Anointing and Rule that Christians are to be taught Is this the very tenor of the New-Covenant-Dispensation A. For this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those Days The Anointing the Teacher saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their Mind and write them in their Hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People And they shall not Teach every Man his Neighbour Hebr. 8.10 11. and every Man his Brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the Least to the Greatest John 6.45 And they shall be all taught of God Q. Did Christ then promise that the Spirit should both abide with his Disciples and be in them A. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter Joh. 14.16 17. that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwells with you and shall be in you Q. For what End were the Scriptures written A. For whatsoever things were written aforetime Rom. 15.4 were written for our Learning that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Q. For what are they profitable A. Thou hast known the Holy Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all Good Works Q. Wherein consisteth the Excellency of the Scriptures A. Knowing this first 2 Pet. 1.20 21. that no Prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private Interpretation For the Prophecy came not in Old Time by the Will of Man but Holy Men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Q. The Scriptures are then to be regarded because they came from the Spirit and they also testifie that not they but the Spirit is to lead into all Truth In what respect doth Christ Command to Search them A. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life John 5.39 and they are they which testifie of me Q. I perceive there was a Generation of old that greatly exalted the Scriptures and yet would not believe nor come to be guided by that the Scriptures directed to How doth Christ bespeak such A. Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father there is One that accuseth you even Moses in whom ye trust for had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me for he wrote of me But if ye believe not his Writings how shall ye believe my Words John 5.45 46 47. Q. What ought then such to be accounted of notwithstanding of their Pretences of being ruled by the Scriptures A. In which are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 which they that are Vnlearned and Vnstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own Destruction CHAP. III. Of Jesus Christ being manifest in the Flesh the Vse and End of it Question WHat are the Scriptures which do most observably prophesy of Christ's Appearance Answer Deut. 18.15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy Brethren like unto me unto him ye shall hearken Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a Sign Behold Isai. 7.14 a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his Name Immanuel Q. Was not Jesus Christ in being before he Appeared in the Flesh What clear Scriptures prove this against such as erroneously assert the contrary Mich. 5.2 A. But thou Bethlehem Ephratah though thou be little among the Thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel whose Goings forth have been from of Old from Everlasting John 1.1 2 3. In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God The same was in the Beginning with God All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Jesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you Before Abraham was John 8.58 I am John 17.5 And now O Father Glorifie thou me with thine own self with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was And to make all Men see what is the Fellowship of the Mystery which from the beginning of the World hath been hid in God Ephes. 3.9 who created all things by Jesus Christ. Col. 1.16 For by him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth
and Observances A. * Gal. 6.14 15. But God forbid that I should Glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the World is Crucified unto me and I unto the World For in Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but a New Creature Q. What speaketh Christ of the Unity of the Saints with him A. At that Day ye shall know that I am in my Father John 14.20 and ye in me and I in you Abide in me and I in you John 15.4 5. As the Branch cannot bear Fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me I am the Vine ye are the Branches He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much Fruit for without me ye can do nothing Neither pray I for these alone but for them also John 17.20 21 22 23. which shall believe in me through their Word That they all may be One as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in Vs that the World may believe it that thou hast sent me And the Glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be One even as we are One I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in One and that the World may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Q. What saith the Apostle Paul to this purpose A. For both he that Sanctifies and they that are Sanctified Hebr. 2.11 are all of One for which Cause he is not ashamed to call them Brethren Q. What saith the Apostle Peter A. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and pretious Promises 2 Pet. 1.4 that by these you might be Partakers of the Divine Nature having escaped the Corruption that is in the World through Lust. CHAP. V. Concerning the Light wherewith Jesus Christ hath enlightned every Man The Vniversality and Sufficiency of God's Grace to all the World made manifest therein Question WHerein consists the Love of God towards Fallen and Lost Man Answer For God so loved the World John 3.16 that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not Perish but have Everlasting Life In this was manifested the Love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the World 1 John 4.9 that we might live through him Q. What is intended here by the World all and every Man or only a few A. But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of Death crowned with Glory and Honour Hebr. 2.9 that he by the Grace of God Should taste Death for every Man 1 John 2.1 2. And if any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but also for the Sins of the whole World Q. Methinks the Apostle John is very plain there in mentioning the whole World which must be not only the Saints but all others seeing he distinguisheth the World from himself and all the Saints to whom he then wrote What saith Paul elsewhere in this matter A. Christ in you the Hope of Glory whom we Preach warning every Man Col. 1.27 28. and teaching every Man in all Wisdom That we may present every Man perfect in Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.3 4 6. I Exhort therefore that first of all Supplications Prayers Intercessions and Giving of Thanks be made for All Men for this is good and acceptable in the Sight of God our Saviour who will have All Men to be saved and to come to the Knowledge of the Truth who gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified in due time Q. What is the Apostle Peter 's Testimony in this A. The Lord is not slack concerning his Promise as some Men count slackness but is long-suffering to us-ward 2 Pet. 3.9 Not willing that any should Perish but that All should come to Repentance Q. Are there any more Scripture-Passages that prove this thing A. Say unto them As I live saith the Lord God I have no Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked Ezek. 33.11 but that the Wicked turn from his Way and Live The Lord is Gracious and full of Compassion slow to Anger and of great Mercy Psal. 145.8 9. The Lord is good to all and his tender Mercies are over all his Works To wit That God was in Christ Reconciling the World unto him self 2 Cor. 5.19 Q. Seeing then by these Scriptures it appears that the Love of God is held out to all that all might have been or may be saved by Christ What is to be judged of those who assert that God nor Christ never purposed Love nor Salvation to a great part of Mankind and that the Coming and Sufferings of Christ never was intended nor could be useful to their Justification but will and must be effectual for their Condemnation even according to God's Purpose who from their very Infancy to their Grave with-held from them all means of Salvation What saith the Scripture to such A. For God sent not his Son into the World to Condemn the World but that the World through him might be saved John 3 17. I am come a Light into the World that Whosoever believeth in me John 12.46 47. should not abide in Darkness And if any Man hear my Words and believe not I judge him not for I came not to judge the World but to save the World Q. From what Scripture then came these Men to wrest an Opinion so contrary to Truth A. For the Children being not yet born neither have done any Good or Evil Rom. 9 11 12 13. that the Purpose of God according to Election might stand it was said unto her The Elder shall serve the Younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Q. I perceive in that Scripture it was only said before the Children were born The Elder shall serve the Younger These other Words Jacob have I loved Esau have I hated are mention'd out of the Prophet Malachy who wrote them many hundred Years after both were Dead Doth not the Scripture mention any other Cause of God's hating Esau than meerly his Decree What saith the same Apostle elsewhere A. Lest there be any Fornication or Prophane Person as Esau Hebr. 12.16 17. who for one Morsel of Meat sold his Birth-right for ye know how that afterward when he would have inherited the Blessing he was rejected Q. But seeing that such alledge that it is because of Adam 's Sin that many even Children are Damned Doth not the Scripture aver that the Death of Christ was as large to Heal as Adam 's Sin could Condemn A. For if through the Offence of one many be Dead Rom. 5.15 18. much more the Grace of God
and the Gift by Grace which is by one Man Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the Offence of one Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one the free Gift came upon all Men unto Justification of Life Q. That proves abundantly that Christ's Death is of sufficient Extent to make up any Hurt Adam 's Sin brought upon Mankind What is then the cause of Condemnation A. He that believeth on him is not Condemned but he that believeth not is Condemned already 1 John 3 18. because he hath not believed in the Name of the Only Begotten Son of God And with all Deceivableness of Unrighteousness in them that Perish because they received not the Love of the Truth 2 Thess 2 10 11 12. that they might be saved And for this Cause God shall send them strong Delusions that they should believe a Lie that they all might be damned who believe not the Truth but had Pleasure in Unrighteousness Q. Seeing it is so of a Truth according to the Scriptures Testimony that God has purposed Love and Mercy to all in the appearance of his Son Jesus Christ Is the Gospel or Glad Tidings of this Salvation brought nigh unto all by which they are put into a Capacity of receiving the Grace and being saved by it A. If ye continue in the Faith grounded and setled Col. 1.23 and be not moved away from the Hope of the Gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every Creature which is under Heaven whereof I Paul am made a Minister Q. What is the Gospel A. I am not ashamed of the Gospel for It is the Power of God unto Salvation Rom. 1.16 unto every one that believeth Q. Is this Gospel hid 2 Cor. 4.3 4. A. If our Gospel be hid It is hid to them that are Lost in whom the God of this World hath blinded the Minds of them which believe not lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them Q. Is this Light then come into the World And are not Men condemned because they love it not and not because it is hid from them John 3.19 A. And this is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World and Men love Darkness rather than Light Q. Why do they so A. Because their Deeds are Evil. Q. Is every Man enlightened by this Light John 1.8 9. A. He was not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light that was the True Light which enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the World Q. Doth this Light discover all things A. All things that are reproved are made manifest by the Light for whatsoever doth make manifest Ephes. 5.13 is Light Q. Do Evil Men preach up this Light or mind it John 3 20. A. Every one that doth Evil hateth the Light neither cometh to the Light lest his Deeds should be reproved Job 24.13 They are of those that Rebel against the Light Q. Do good Men love it and follow it John 3.21 A. He that doth Truth comes to the Light that his Deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God Q What Benefit doth redound to such as love the Light and walk in it 1 John 1.7 A. If we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have Fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all Sin Q. Doth Christ command to take heed to the Light A. While ye have the Light believe in the Light that ye may be the Children of the Light John 12.36 Q. Were the Apostles Commanded to turn People to the Light Acts 26.17 18. A. Delivering thee from the People and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee to open their Eyes and to turn them from Darkness unto Light and from the Power of Satan unto God that they may receive Forgiveness of Sins and Inheritance among them which are sanctified through Faith that is in me Q. Doth this Light abide with every man all his Life time in order to save or only during the Day of his Visitation John 12.25 A. Yet a little while is the Light with you walk while ye have the Light lest Darkness come upon you Again He limiteth a certain Day saying in David To day after so long time Hebr. 4.7 as it is said To day if ye will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts Q. How can it be proved that there is a Day wherein People may know things concerning their Peace which afterwards may be hid from them A. And when he was come near he beheld the City Luke 19.41 42. and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy Day the things which belong unto thy Peace but now they are hid from thine Eyes Q. Is there any further Scripture-Proof of the Lord's willingness to gather a People who would not and therefore were Condemned A. Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets Matth. 23.37 Luke 13.34 and stonest them which are sent unto thee How oft would I have gathered thy Children together even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings and ye would not Then his Lord after that he had called him said unto him Matth. 18.32 33 34. O thou wicked Servant I forgave thee all the Debt because thou desiredst me shouldst not thou also have had Compassion on thy Fellow-Servant even as I had Pity on thee And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the Tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said It was necessary Acts 13.46 that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judge your selves unworthy of Everlasting Life lo we turn to the Gentiles Because I have called and ye refused Prov. 1.24 25 26. I have stretched out my Hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought all my Counsel and would none of my Reproof I also will laugh at your Calamity Jer. 18.9 10. I will mock when your Fear cometh And at what Instance I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to build and to plant it If it do Evil in my Sight that it obey not my Voice then will I Repent of the Good wherewith I said I would benefit them Q. Doth God's Spirit strive then for a season and afterwards forbear A. And the Lord said Gen. 3.9 My Spirit shall not always strive with man Q. May it then be resisted A. Ye Stiff-necked and Uncircumcised in Heart and Ears ye do always Resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye Acts 7.51 For the Wrath of God is Revealed from Heaven against all Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of man Rom. 1.18 who hold the Truth in Vnrighteousness Q. Hath God manifested to Man
find none save the Dispensation of Truth now again revealed but such as in most of their substantial Principles differ greatly and in many Contradict grosly the plain Text and Tenour of the Scripture I confess there be certain Men in this Age who with some plausible Appearance of Reality undertake this Task These are they that join with and own not wholly any Imbodied People but while they pretend a general Love to all yet find fault with some part of every Sort while in the mean time they scarce can give any Account of their own Religion and most of them prove at bottom to have none at all These Men I say may perhaps acknowledge some general Truths and also hold to the Letter of the Scripture in some other things so as thereby to take Occasion largely to judge others while themselves offer not to bring these good things to practice they blame others for the Want or Neglect of But such an Enterprize from these Men will not when weighed prove a fulfilling of this Matter Seeing it is not enough to acknowledge many Truths but also to deny and witness against all Error and likewise not to fall short of any Truth which ought to be acknowledged Whereas these sort of Men for the most part cannot give account of their Faith in many things needful to be believed and whatever things they may acknowledge to be true they Err most grievously and Contradict a Truth most needful to be minded and answered as is proved hereto in that they stand not forth to appear for any of these Discoveries they pretend they have but make a shift to hide their Heads in Times of Trial Pretenders hide their Heads in time of Trial. so as not to suffer for nor with any And through these fine Pretences above-mentioned through their Scruples of joining with any they can cunningly shun the Difficulties of Persecutions that attend the particular Sects of Christians yet by their general Charity and Love to all claim a share in any Benefits or Advantages that accrew to one and all Such then cannot honestly lay claim to justifie their Principles and Practices from the Scriptures But I leave these Straglers in Religion and come again to the divers Sects To begin with these that are most numerous I think I need not say much to the Papists in this Case for they do not so much as pretend to prove all their Dogma's by the Scriptures sith it is one of their chief Doctrines That Tradition may Authorize Doctrines without any Authority of Scriptures Papistical Dogma's Traditions and Councils Yea the Council of Constance hath made bold to Command things to be believed Non obstante Scripturâ i. e. Though the Scriptures say the contrary And indeed it were their great Folly to pretend to prove their Doctrines by Scripture seeing the Adoration of Saints and Images Purgatory and Prayer for the Dead the Precedency of the Bishop of Rome the Matter of Indulgencies with much more Stuff of that kind hath not the least Shadow of Scripture for it Socinians Pretences contrary to Scriptures Among Protestants I know the Socinians are great Pretenders to the Scriptures and in Words as much exalt them as any other People and yet its strange to see how that not only in many things they are not agreeable to them but in some of their chief Principles quite contrary unto it as in their Denying the Divinity of Christ which is as expresly mentioned as any thing can be And the Word was God John 1. As also in Denying his Being from the Beginning against the very Tenour of that of John 1. and divers others as at large is shewn in the Third Chapter of this Treatise Divers other things as to them might be mentioned but this may suffice to stop their Boasting in this Matter The Arminians are not more successful in their Denying the Doctrine of Absolute Reprobation Arminians Denials do center amiss and in Asserting the Vniversal Extent of Christ's Death for all than they are short in not placing this Salvation in that Spiritual Light wherewith Man is enlightned by Christ but wrongously ascribing a part of that to the Natural Will and Capacity which is due alone to the Grace and Power of God by which the Work is both begun carried on and accomplished And herein they Pelagians the like as well as both the Socinians and Pelagians though they do well in Condemning their Errors yet they miss in setting up another and not the Truth in place thereof and in that respect are justly proved by such Scriptures as their Adversaries who otherwise are as far wrong as they bring against them in shewing the Depravity of Man's Will by Nature and his Incapacity to do any Good but as assisted by the Grace of God so to do On the other hand its strange to observe how many Protestants the first Article of whose Confession of Faith is to assert the Scripture to be the Only Rule should deny the Vniversal Extent of Christ's Death contrary to the express words of Scripture which saith He tasted Death for every man or the Vniversality of Grace and a sufficient Principle which the Scriptures assert in as many positive Words as except we may suppose the Pen-men intended another thing than they spake it was possible to do viz A Manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal The Grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared unto all men and many more before-mentioned The like may be said of their denying the Perfection of the Saints and asserting the Impossibility of any falling away from real Beginnings of true and saving Grace contrary to so many express Scriptures as are heretofore adduced in their proper place But to give all that desire to be undeceived a more full Opportunity to observe how the Devil has abused many pretending to be Wise in making them cloak with a Pretence of Scripture false and pernicious Doctrines I shall take a few of many Instances out of the Confession of Faith and Catechism made by the Divines at Westminster so called because the same is not only most universally received and believed by the People of Britain and Ireland but also containeth upon the Matter the Faith of the French Churches and of most others both in the Nether-lands and elsewhere that it may appear what wild Consequences these Men have sought both contrary to the naked Import of the Words and to all Common Sense and Reason to cover some of their Erroneous Principles CHAP. XVIII A Short Examination of some of the Scripture-Proofs alledged by the Divines at Westminster to prove divers Articles in their Confession of Faith and Catechism IT is not in the least my Design in this Chapter to offer so large and Examination of any of their Articles as might be done nor yet of so many as are very obvious but only of two or three to give the Reader a Taste of them
needful for the good Ordering and Disposing all things in their proper Place and for preserving and keeping all things in their right Station did in the Dispensation and Communication of his holy Spirit Minister unto every Member a Measure of the same Spirit yet divers according to Operation for the Edification of the Body some Apostles some Teachers some Pastors some Elders there are Old Men there are Young Men there are Babes For all are not Apostles neither are all Elders neither are all Babes yet are all Members And as such all have a Sense and Feeling of the Life of the Body which from the Head flows unto all the Body as the Ointment of Aaron 's Beard unto the Skirts of his Garment and every Member has its place and Station in the Body so long as it keeps in the Life of the Body and all have need one of another yet is no Member to assume another Place in the Body than God has given it nor yet to grudg or repine its Fellow-member's Place but to be content with its own For the Vncomely Parts are no less needful than the Comely and the less-Honourable than the more-Honourable which the Apostle Paul holds forth in 1 Cor. 12. from Verse 13 to 30. Now the Ground of all Schisms Divisions or Rents in the Body is The Ground of Rents and Divisions when-as any Member assumes another Place than is allotted it or being gone from the Life and Vnity of the Body and loosing the Sense of it le ts in the Murmurer the Eye that watches for Evil and not in holy Care over its Fellow-members And then instead of coming down to Judgment in it self will stand up and judge its Fellow-members yea the whole Body or those whom God has set in a more Honourable and Eminent Place in the Body than it self Such suffer not the Word of Exhortation and term the Reproofs of Instruction which is the Way of Life Imposition and Oppression and are not aware how far they are in the things they Condemn others for while they spare not to reprove and revile all their Fellow-members Yet if they be but admonished themselves they cry out as if their Great Charter of Gospel-Liberty were broken Now though such and the Spirit by which they are acted The Subtilty of that Spirit be sufficiently seen and felt by Thousands whose Hearts God has so established as they are out of Danger of being intangled in that Snare and who have Power and Strength in themselves to judge that Spirit even in its most subtil Appearances yet there are who cannot so well withstand the Subtilty and seeming Sincerity some such pretend to though in measure they have a sight of them and others that cannot so rightly distinguish betwixt the Precious and the Vile and some there are that through Weakness and want of true Discerning may be deceived and the Simplicity in them betrayed for a season as it is written With Fair Speeches and Smooth Words they deceive the Hearts of the Simple Therefore having according to my measure received an Opening in my Understanding as to these things from the Light of the Lord and having been for some time under the weighty sense of them I find at this instant a Freedom to commit them to Writing for the more Universal Benefit and Edification of the Church of CHRIST Now The Heads treated of viz. for the more plain and clear opening and understanding of these things it is fit to sum up this Treatise in these following general Heads to be considered of First From whence the Ground and Cause of this Controversy is the Rise and Root of it Secondly Whether there be now any Order and Government in the Church of Christ Thirdly What is the Order and Government which we plead for in what Cases and how far it may extend in whom the Power decisive is and how it differeth and is wholly another than the Oppressing and Persecuting Principality of the Church of Rome and other Anti-christian Assemblies SECTION II. Concerning the Ground and Cause of this CONTROVERSIE WHenas the Lord God by his mighty Power began to visit the Nations with the Dawning of his Heavenly Day for thus I write unto those The first Dawning of the Heavenly Day of the Lord described that have received and believed the Truth and that he sent forth his Instruments whom he had fitted and prepared for his Work having fashioned them not according to the Wisdom and Will of Man but to his own heavenly Wisdom and Counsel they went forth and preached the Gospel in the Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit not in the Enticing Words of Man's Wisdom but in Appearance as Fools and Mad And breaking forth to those that judged according to Man But their Words and Testimony pierced through into the Inner Man in the Heart and reached to that of God in the Conscience whereby as many as were simple-hearted and waited for the Redemption of their Souls received them as the Messengers of the Most High God and their Words were unto them not as the Words of Men but as the Words of God for in the receiving and embracing the Testimony of Truth through them they felt their Souls eased and the Acceptable Day began to dawn in and upon them Now what Evidence brought these Men to make their Testimony to be received did they Entice did they flatter did they daub up did they preach Liberty to the Flesh or Will of Man Nay verily they used no such Method their Words were as Thunder-Bolts knocking down all that stood in their Way and pouring down the Judgment of God upon the Head of the Transgressor every where Did they spare the Zealous Professor more than the open Profane Nay verily they condemned equally the Hypocrisy of the one as well as the Profanity of the other yet wanted they not Regard to the tender Seed and Plant of God in either Did they give way Did they yield to the Wisdom of Man To the Deceitfulness of the Serpent that would reason Truth for themselves saying I must stay until I be Convinced of this and that and the other thing I see not yet this to be wrong or the other thing to be my Duty How did they knock down this manner of Reasoning by the Spirit of God which wrought mightily in them shewing and holding forth that this is the Day of the Lord that is dawned that all are invited to come that none ought to tarry behind that that which so pleadeth is the same Spirit which of old time said in those that were invited I cannot come yet I must first marry a Wife I must go prove my Yoke of Oxen I must go visit my Possessions let me first bury my dead Father Did not the Lord through them testify and declare against these things and is there not a Cloud of Witnesses who felt the Enemy thus reasoning to keep us in the Forms Fellowships false Worships and
the true Faith that they might learn not to Blaspheme In short if we must as our Opposers herein acknowledge preserve and keep those that are come to own the Truth by the same means they were gathered and brought into it we must not cease to be plain with them and tell them when they are wrong and by sound Doctrine both Exhort and Convince Gainsayers If the Apostles of Christ of old and the Preachers of the Everlasting Gospel in this day had told all People however wrong they found them in their Faith and Principles Our Charity and Love is such We dare not judge you A wrong Charity and false Love to Cherish in Error is nor separate from you but let us all live in Love together and every one injoy his own Opinion and all will be well how should the Nations have been or what way now can they be brought to Truth and Righteousness Would not the Devil love this Doctrine well by which Darkness and Ignorance Error and Confusion might still continue in the Earth unreproved and uncondemned If it was needful then for the Apostles of Christ in the days of old to Reprove without sparing to tell the High-Priests and great Professors among the Jews That they were stubborn and stiff-necked and always resisted the Holy Ghost without being guilty of Imposition and Oppression or want of true Love and Charity and also for those Messengers the Lord raised up in this day to Reprove and Cry out against the Hireling Priests and to tell the World openly both Professors and Profane That they were in Darkness and Ignorance out of the Truth Strangers and Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel if God has gathered a People by this means into the Belief of one and the same Truth must not they they turn and depart from it be Admonished Reproved and Condemned yea rather than those that are not yet come to the Truth because they Crucifie afresh unto themselves the Lord of Glory and put him to open Shame It seems the Apostle judged it very needful they should be so dealt with Tit. 1.10 when he says There are many unruly and vain Talkers and Deceivers especially they of the Circumcision WHOSE MOVTHS MVST BE STOPPED c. Were such a Principle to be received or believed That in the Church of Christ no man should be Separated from no man Condemned or Excluded the Fellowship and Communion of the Body for his Judgment or Opinion in Matter of Faith The Inlet to all manner of Abominations then what Blasphemies so horrid what Heresies so damnable what Doctrines of Devils but might harbour it self in the Church of Christ What need then of sound Doctrine if no Doctrine make unsound what need of Convincing and Exhorting Gainsayers if to Gainsay be no Crime where should the Vnity of the Faith be Were not this an Inlet to all manner of Abominations and to make void the whole tendency of Christ and his Apostles Doctrine and render the Gospel of none Effect and give a Liberty to the unconstant and giddy Will of Man to innovate alter and overturn it at his Pleasure So that from all that is above-mentioned we do safely Conclude That where a People are gathered together into the Belief of the Principles and Doctrines of the Gospel of Christ if any of that People shall go from their Principles and assert things false and contrary to what they have already received such as stand and abide firm in the Faith have Power by the Spirit of God after they have used Christian Endeavours to Convince and Reclaim them upon their Obstinacy to Separate from such and to Exclude them from their spiritual Fellowship and Communion for otherways if this be denied farewel to all Christianity or to the maintaining of any sound Doctrine in the Church of Christ. But secondly Taking it for granted that the Church of Christ or Assembly of Believers may in some Cases that are Matter of Conscience Quest. II pronounce a positive Sentence and Judgment without hazzard of Imposition upon the Members it comes to be inquired In what Cases and how far this Power reacheth I answer First As that which is most clear and undeniable In the fundamental Principles and Doctrines of Faith Answer in Case any should offer to teach otherways as is above declared and proved But some may perhaps acknowledge that indeed if any should Contradict the known and owned Principles of Truth and teach otherways it were fit to cast out and exclude such but what judgest thou as to lesser matters as in Principles of less Consequence or in outward Ceremonies or Gestures whether it be fit to press Vniformity in these things Consideration For Answer to this it is fit to Consider First The Nature of things themselves Secondly The Spirit and Ground they proceed from And Thirdly The Consequence and Tendency of them But before I proceed upon these I affirm and that according to Truth That as the Church and Assembly of God's People may and hath Power to Decide by the Spirit of God in Matters fundamental and weighty without which no Decision nor Decree in whatever Matters is available so the same Church and Assembly also in other Matters of less Moment The Decision of Matters of less Moment in the Church Obligatory as to themselves yet being needful and expedient with a Respect to the Circumstance of Time Place and other things that may fall in may and hath Power by the same Spirit and not otherways being acted moved and assisted and led by it thereto to pronounce a positive Judgment which no doubt will be found Obligatory upon all such who have a Sense and Feeling of the Mind of the Spirit though rejected by such as are not watchful and so are out of the Feeling and Vnity of the Life And this is that which none that own Immediate Revelation or a being inwardly led by the Spirit to be now a thing expected or dispensed to the Saints can without contradicting their own Principle deny far less such with whom I have to do in this Matter who claiming this Priviledge to Particulars saying That they being moved to do such and such things though contrary to the Mind and Sense of their Brethren are not to be judged for it adding Why may it not be so that God hath moved them to it Now if this be a sufficient Reason for them to suppose as to one or two I may without absurdity suppose it as well to the whole Body And therefore as to the first to wit Cons. 1 The Nature of the things themselves If it be such a thing the doing or not doing whereof that is either any Act or the Forbearance of any may bring a real Reproach or Ground of Accusation against the Truth professed and owned and in and through which there may a visible Schism and Dissension arise in the Church Against the Reproach of Truth by which Truth 's Enemies may be
the Body Christ hath called him to and would force him to exercise the same Office he doth though he be not called to it The Breach of Liberty begets Jars and Schisms here is a Breach of Christian Liberty and an Imposing upon it Now all Schisms and Jars fall out in this twofold Respect Either when any Person or Persons assume another or an higher Place in the Body than God will have them to be in and so exercise an Office or go about to perform that which they ought not to do or when as any truly exercising in their Place which God hath given them others rise up and judge them and would draw them from it both of which Cases have been and may be supposed to fall out in the Church of Christ. As 1 Cor. 4.3 4 where some judged Paul wrongously 3 John 9. where one exalting himself above his Place judged whom he ought not We see then what Diversities be most usually in the Church of God consisting in the Difference of the Gift proceeding from the same Spirit and in the divers Places that the several Members have in the same Body for the Edification of it and every one being here in his own Station is standing therein is his Strength and Perfection and to be in another though higher and more eminent would but weaken and hurt him and so in this there ought to be a mutual Forbearance that there may neither be a coveting nor aspiring on the one hand nor yet a despising or condemning on the other Acts of Forbearance in the Primitive Church But besides the Forbearance of this Nature which is most ordinary and universal and for the Exercise whereof there is and will still be a need so long as there is any Gathering or Church of Christ upon the Earth there is a certain Liberty and Forbearance also that is more particular and has a Relation to the Circumstance of Times and Places which will not hold universally whereof we have the Example of the Primitive Church testified by the Scriptures in two or three Particulars The first was in suffering Circumcision to the Jews for a time and not only so but also divers others of the Legal and Ceremonial Purifications and Customs as may appear Acts 21. vers 21 22 23 24 c. The second was in the Observation of certain days Rom. 14.5 And the third In the Abstaining from Meats 1 Cor. 8. throughout Here the Apostle perswades to and recommends a Forbearance because of the Weakness of some for he says not any where nor can it be found in all the Scriptures of the Gospel that these things such Weak ones were exercised in were things indipsensibly necessary or that it had been better for them they had not been under such Scruples providing it had been from a Principle of true Clearness and so of Faith Next again Acts of Forbearance or Condescension under the Law These Acts of Forbearance were done in a Condescension to the Weakness of such upon whom the Ancient and truly deserved in its season Veneration of the Law had such a deep Impression that they could not yet dispense with all its Ceremonies and Customs And to such the Apostle holds forth a twofold Forbearance First A certain Compliance by such Believers as were gathered out from the Jews though they saw over these things 1. To Jews yet it was fit they should Condescend somewhat to their Country-men and Brethren who were Weak Secondly The like Forbearance in the Gentiles 2. To Gentiles not to judge them in these things but we see that it was not allowed for such weak ones to propagate these Scruples or draw others into them and that whenas any of the Churches of the Gentiles who wanted this Occasion would have been exercising this Liberty or pleading for it the Apostle doth down-rightly Condemn it as I shall make appear in all the Three Instances above-mentioned Instances 1 First In that of Circumcision Gal. 5.2 4. 1. Of Circumcision Behold I Paul say unto you that if ye be Circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Christ is become of none effect unto you Whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from Grace Can there be any thing more positive Might not some here have pretended Tenderness of Conscience and have said Though the Decree of the Apostles do dispense with Circumcision in me yet if I find a Scruple in my self and a Desire to it out of Tenderness why should it be an Evil in me to do it more than in the Jews that believe We see there is no room left here for such Reasoning Inst. 2 Secondly As to Observations Gal. 4.9 10 11. Might not they have answered Of Observations of Days What if we Regard a Day to the Lord must we not then Are not these thy own Words We see that did not hold here because in them it was a Returning to the Beggerly Elements Thirdly As to Meats 1 Tim. 4.3 Here we see that is accounted Inst. 3 a Doctrine of Devils Of Meats which in another respect was Christian Forbearance And therefore now and that in the general respect he gives this Reason Vers. 4. For every Creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with Thanksgiving of them that believe and know the Truth So we see that in these particular things there is great need of Wariness in the Church of Christ for that sometimes Forbearance under a Pretence of Liberty may be more hurtful than down-right Judging I suppose if any should arise and pretend Conscience and claim a Liberty for Circumcision and the Purifications of the Law whether all Christians would not with one Voice Condemn it And so as to Days and Meats how do the Generality of Protestants Judge it Though I deny not but there may and ought to be a mutual Forbearance in the Church of Christ in certain such Cases which may fall in and a Liberty there is in the Lord which breaks not the Peace of the true Church but in such Matters as I observed at large before both the Nature of the things the Spirit they come from and the Occasion from whence and their Consequence and Tendency is to be carefully observed SECTION VII Concerning the Power of Decision SEeing then it may fall out in the Church of Christ that both some may assume another place in the Body than they ought and others may lay claim to a Liberty and pretend Conscience in things they ought not and that without Question the wrong is not to be tolerated but to be testified against however specious its Appearance may be and that it must and ought to be judged The Question will arise Head III. Who is the proper Judge or Judges in whom resideth the Power of Prop. 2 deciding this Controversy And this is that which I undertook in the next Place to Treat of as being the Specifick Difference and Distinguishing
the Decision of the Church and in case of Refractoriness that such Persons ought to be Disowned That though R. B. in one place Affirms to this purpose That there never will nor can be wanting in Case of Controversy the Spirit of God to give Judgment through some or other in the Church of Christ as long as any Assembly can properly or in any tolerable supposition be so termed he declares that the Words are sound and further saith that thereby he Intends no other but such Assemblies as in reality and truth may be termed the Church of Christ. And whereas he saith to this purpose Submission That it's Disobedience to God not to Submit to the Sentence of such Assemblies though the Persons refusing to Submit pretend they see it not yet he declares that his Meaning thereby is not That if they Submit before Conviction of Conscience they therein find Acceptance with the Lord but rather to shew that their Want of Sight is through Disobedience or Unwatchfulness to the Grace of God in themselves which if they did take heed thereunto would shew it their Duty to Obey Principles as Terms We also had Discourse touching his Assertion That Principles and Doctrines c. believed through the force of Truth on the Understanding are as it were the Terms and in another place of the Book produced it appeared that he Asserted There was a more Inward Bond viz. the Life of Righteousness and that the Book declares that we are gathered into the belief of the Principles and Doctrines by the Truth it 's Power and Influence upon our hearts and that very Bond by which we became centred into one Body and Fellowship c. And on a Debate thereof he acknowledged That his meaning was not they were the Original Bond but rather as Fruits and Branches of that Bond and so in that respect might be as an outward Bond whereby we are united in an heavenly Society The Order of the Gospel We also had some Discourse touching his Title-Page wherein he Asserts That the Ancient Apostolick Order of the Church of Christ is re-established on its right Basis and Foundation touching which he declares that his meaning is Not only with respect to all the outward Orders or Forms of Discipline in Government amongst us but with respect to the Power of God which in the Primitive Days was and now is the great Order of the Gospel And though R. Barclay hath given these Explications of his Meanings yet the very Explications as he saith are to be found in his Book if duly weighed Having given you an Account in short of what Discoursed this day amongst Friends this further lies upon me to signify unto you on the Behalf of R. Barklay I am satisfied that he is not Principled as I and many by some Passages in his Book took him to be And since it is so that many have taken an Offence against him for that Cause R. B. Cleared and as may be doubted even so far as to Reject his Testimony and Service for the Truth it lies upon me as my Duty even for his and the Truth 's sake to Warn all that they take heed not to entertain a Prejudice against his Testimony on Jealousy that may enter on the score of any Apprehensions or Mistakes of his Book and that Answer that I have given thereto but rather in an Unprejudiced Spirit to Wait on the Lord to feel and savour his Testimony even as if the Occasion taken had never been And I do freely Confess that in as much as I publish't my Book before I gave R. B. Notice of my Objections and Intentions therein W.R. blame-worthy I acted in that respect not according to Gospel-Order but am Justly worthy of Blame therein It is with me also to signify unto you that l am abundantly satisfied that R. B ' s. Book of Government was written at or before the Time of it's date for that he solemnly affirms it was so W. Rogers FOrasmuch as William Rogers of Bristol hath lately written a Book in Manuscript The Judgment of the Meeting against a Book of Robert Barclay's Intituled The Anarchy of the Ranters and Approved at the Second-Days-Meeting in London and hath dispersed his Manuscript in several parts of this Nation without so much as first giving either to the said R. Barclay in particular or the Second-Days-Meeting in general an Account of his Scruples or Dissatisfaction concerning the said Book of R. B's Contrary to all Rules of Brotherly Love Christian Fellowship Gospel-Order and Exemplary Practice of the Church of Christ to the Defamation of the said R.B. the great Derogation from the Christian Authority of the said Meeting and the general Disservice of Truth especially being sent unto persons who at present are Disaffected to the Vnity of the Body of Friends And whereas on the Seventh day of the Third Month 1677. we whose Names are under-written were Met together in the City of London in the pure Fear and holy Dread of the Lord God Almighty to hear what the said W. R. had Objected against the said Book of R. Barclay's It Appeared to us upon Deliberate serious and Impartial Hearing of the matter in Controversy that the Objections of the said W. R. lay not so much against the Matter and Substance of the said R. B's Book as against his way of Expressing some passages therein and that upon R. B's Defence and Explanation the said W. R. did declare that he was satisfied with R. B. as to his principles but that he thought some Passages in his book might have been better Worded Confessing that he did not Brotherly to publish his Book before he had Communicated his Exception to the said R. B. and the Brethren of the Second-days-Morning-Meeting in London It is therefore the Inward Sense Advice and Judgment of this Meeting that the said W. R. ought forthwith to deliver up into the hands of James Claypoole that Copy of his said Book which he hath here with him and as speedily as may be Recall all such other Copies of his said Book as he knows to be Dispersed in the Nation or elsewhere And that he also ought speedily to write a Letter to Friends in all those places where he doth or shall know the said Book to be dispersed and therein to Clear both the said R B. and the Friends of the Second-Days-Meeting in London from all such Aspersions as by means of his said Book may be Cast upon him or them And though it doth not appear to this Meeting by any thing that the said W. R. hath Objected or Offered that there is any Errour or Vnsoundness of Doctrine in the said R. B's Book yet forasmuch as there are some Terms or Expressions therein which some conceive might be made yet more Plain Easie and Familiar It is the desire of this Meeting that the said R B. as he feels in himself the Opening of Life thereunto will in Christian
Kingdom of Scotland and that thou may'st know which I hope thou shalt have no Reason to be troubled at that God is Raising up and Increasing that people in that Nation And the Nations shall also hereby know that the Truth we profess is not a Work of Darkness nor propagated by Stealth that we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because we know it to be the Power of God unto Salvation and that we are no ways so Inconsistent with Government nor such Disturbers of the Peace as our Enemies by Traducing us have sought to make the World believe we are for which to Thee I dare Appeal as a Witness of our peaceableness and Christian patience Generations to come shall not more Admire that singular Step of Divine Providence in Restoring thee to thy Throne without outward Bloodshed than they shall admire the Increase and Progress of this Truth without all outward Help and against so Great Opposition which shall be-none of the least things rendring thy Memory Remarkable God hath done great things for thee he hath sufficiently shewn thee that it is By Him Princes Rule and that He can pull down and set up at his pleasure He hath often faithfully Warned thee by his Servants since he Restored thee to thy Royal Dignity that thy Heart might not wax Wanton against him to forget his Mercies and Providence towards thee whereby he might permit Thee to be soothed up and lulled asleep in thy Sins by the flattering of Court-Parasites who by their fawning are the Ruin of many Princes There is no King in the World who can so Experimentally testify of God's Providence and Goodness neither is there any who Rules so many Free People so many True Christians which thing renders thy Government more Honourable and Thy self more Considerable than the Accession of many Nations filled with slavish and superstitious Souls Thou hast Tasted of Prosperity and Adversity thou know'st what it is to be Banished thy Native Country to be Over-ruled as well as to Rule and Sit upon the Throne and being Oppressed thou hast reason to know how hateful the Oppressor is both to God and Man If after all these Warnings and Advertisements thou dost not Turn unto the Lord with all thy heart but forget him who remembred thee in thy Distress and give up thy self to follow Lust and Vanity surely Great will be thy Condemnation Against which Snare as well as the Temptation of those that may or do feed thee and prompt thee to Evil the most Excellent and Prevalent Remedy will be to Apply thy self to that Light of Christ which shineth in thy Conscience which neither can nor will flatter thee nor suffer thee to be at Ease in thy Sins but doth and will deal plainly and faithfully with thee as those that are Followers thereof have also done GOD Almighty who hath so signally hitherto visited Thee with his love so Touch and Reach thy heart e're the Day of thy Visitation be Expired that thou may'st effectually Turn to him so as to Improve thy Place and Station for his Name So wisheth so prayeth From Ury the place of my Pilgrimage in my Native Country of Scotland the 25 th of the Month called November in the Year 1675. Thy Faithful Friend and Subject Robert Barclay R B. unto the Friendly Reader Wisheth Salvation FOrasmuch as that which above all things I propose to my self is to Declare and Defend the Truth for the Service whereof I have given up and devoted my self and all that is mine therefore there is nothing which for its sake by the Help and Assistance of God I may not Attempt And in this Confidence I did sometime ago publish certain Propositions of Divinity comprehending briefly the Chief Principles and Doctrines of Truth which appearing not unprofitable to some and being beyond my Expectation well Received both by Forreiners though Dissenting from us albeit also Opposed by some Envious ones did so far prevail as in some part to Remove that false and monstrous Opinion which lying Fame and the Malice of our Adversaries had Implanted in the Minds of some concerning us and our Doctrines In this Respect it seem'd to me not fit to spare my Pains and Labour Therefore being acted by the same Measure of the Divine Spirit and the like Design of propagating the Truth by which I published the Propositions I judg'd it meet to Explain them somewhat more largely at this time and Defend them by Certain Arguments Perhaps my Method of Writing may seem not only Different but even Contrary to that which is commonly used by the Men called Divines with which I am not concerned for that I Confess my self to be not only no Imitator and Admirer of the School-men but an Opposer and Despiser of them as such by whose Labour I judge the Christian Religion to be so far from being bettered that it is rather destroyed Neither have I sought to Accommodate this my Work to Itching Ears who desire rather to Comprehend in their Head the Sublime Notions of Truth than to Embrace it in their Heart For what I have written comes more from my Hearth than from my Head what I have heard with the Ears of my Soul and seen with my inward Eyes and my hands have handled of the Word of Life and what hath been inwardly Manifested to me of the Things of God that do I Declare not so much minding the Eloquence and Excellency of Speech as desiring to Demonstrate the Efficacy and Operation of Truth and if I Err sometime in the former it is no great matter for I act not here the Grammarian or the Orator but the Christian And therefore in this have followed the certain Rule of the Divine Light and of the Holy Scriptures And to make an end what I have Written is Written not to feed the Wisdom and Knowledge or rather Vain Pride of this World but to starve and oppose it As the little Preface prefixed to the Propositions doth shew Which with the Title of them is as followeth ADVERTISEMENT IF Perhaps it be known to the Reader e're this come to his hand that there is a large Answer writ to the Latin Edition before this came forth by John Brown that little Presbyterian c. at his Brother Robert Macquair terms him in the Post-script though it be Esteemed that such as will seriously Compare it with this will judge no further Reply needful and that it appeared not to deserve any seeing a great part of it is a bundle of meer Railing and Abuse and that the said John Brown hath now Manifested himself to be a person so Furious Head-strong and Violent as he is become Unsupportable to the Chiefest of his own Non-conforming Brethren Yet there was a Reply written to it divers Months ago and may e're long come to Publick View if the Difficulty of Printing and Distance do not retard it In which the Reader may find Satisfaction and see that Furious Railer soberly Rebuked and
understandings to Assent unto but positively My Words which I have put into thy mouth c. From whence I Argue thus Vpon whomsoever the Spirit remaineth always and putteth words into his mouth him doth the Spirit Teach Immediately Objectively and Continually But The Spirit is always upon the Seed of the Righteous and putteth words into their mouths neither departeth from them Therefore The Spirit teacheth the Righteous Immediately Objectively and Continually Proof 2 Secondly The Nature of the New Covenant is yet more amply expressed Jer. 31.33 which is again repeated and re-asserted by the Apostle Hebr. 8.10 in these words For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel in those days saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People And they shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest The Object here is God's Law placed in the Heart and written in the Mind from whence they become God's People and are brought truly to know him The Difference between the Outward and Inward Law In this then is the Law distinguished from the Gospel The Law before was Outward written in Tables of Stone but now it is Inward written in the Heart Of old the People depended upon their Priests for the Knowledge of God but now they have all a Certain and Sensible Knowledge of him concerning which Augustine speaketh well in his Book de Literâ Spiritu from whom Aquinas first of all seems to have taken occasion to move this Question Whether the New Law be a Written Law or an Implanted Law Lex scripta vel Lex indita Which he thus resolves Affirming That the New Law or the Gospel is not properly a Law written as the old was but Lex indita an implanted Law and that the Old Law was written without but the New Law is written within on the Table of the Heart How much then are they deceived who instead of making the Gospel preferrable to the Law have made the Condition of such as are under the Gospel far worse For no doubt it is a far better and more desirable thing to Converse with God Immediately than only Mediately as being a higher and more glorious Dispensation and yet these men acknowledge The Gospel Dispensation more Glorious than that under the Law that many under the Law had Immediate Converse with God whereas they now cry It is Ceased Again Vnder the Law there was the Holy of Holies into which the High-Priest did enter and received the Word of the Lord Immediately from betwixt the Cherubims so that the People could then Certainly know the mind of the Lord But now according to these mens Judgment we are in a far worse Condition having nothing but the Outward Letter of the Scripture to guess and divine from concerning one Verse of which scarce Two can be found to Agree But Jesus Christ hath promised us better things though many are so Unwise as not to believe him even to Guide us by his own Vnerring Spirit and hath rent and removed the Vail whereby not only one and that once a year may enter but All of us at all times have Access unto him as often as we draw near unto him with pure hearts He reveals his Will to us by his Spirit and writes his Laws in our Hearts These things being then thus premised I Argue Where the Law of God is put into the mind and written in the heart there the Object of Faith and Revelation of the Knowledge of God is Inward Immediate and Objective But The Law of God is put into the mind and written in the heart of Every true Christian under the New Covenant Therefore The Object of Faith and Revelation of the Knowledge of God to Every true Christian is Inward Immediate and Objective The Assumption is the express words of Scripture The Proposition then must needs be True except That which is put into the mind and written in the heart were either not Inward not Immediate or not Objective which is most Absurd § XII The Third Argument is from these words of John 1 John 2. Arg. III vers 27. But the Anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you The Anointing recommended as but the same Anointing teacheth you of all things and is Truth and no Lie and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him First This could not be any special 1. Common peculiar or extraordinary Priviledge but that which is Common to all the Saints it being a general Epistle directed to all them of that Age. Secondly The Apostle proposeth this Anointing in them 2. Certain as a more certain Touch-stone for them to discern and try Seducers by even than his own Writings for having in the former verse said that he had Written some things to them concerning such as Seduced them he begins the next Verse But the Anointing c. and ye need not that any man Teach you c. Which infers that having said to them what can be said he Refers them for all to the Inward Anointing which teacheth all things as the most firm constant and certain Bulwark against all Seducers And Lastly That it is a Lasting and Continuing thing 3. Lasting The Anointing which abideth if it had not been to Abide in them it could not have Taught them all things neither Guideth them against all hazzard From which I Argue thus He that hath an Anointing abiding in him which teacheth him all things so that he needs no man to Teach him hath an Inward and Immediate Teacher and hath some things inwardly and immediately Revealed unto him But The Saints have such an Anointing Therefore c. I could prove this Doctrine from many more places of Scripture which for brevities sake I omit And now come to the Second Part of the Proposition where the Objections usually formed against it are Answered Object § XIII The most Usual is That these Revelations are Vncertain Answ. But this bespeaketh much Ignorance in the Opposers for we distinguish betwixt the Thesis and the Hypothesis that is betwixt the Proposition and Supposition For it is one thing to Affirm That the true and undoubted Revelation of God's Spirit is Certain and Infallible and another thing to Affirm That this or that particular Person or People is led infallibly by this Revelation in what they speak or write because they Affirm themselves to be so Led by the Inward and Immediate Revelation of the Spirit The first is only by us Asserted the latter may be called in Question The Question is not Who are or are not so Led but Whether all ought not or may not be so Led The Certainty of the Spirit 's
Ineffectual to bring them the least step towards Salvation and do only Contribute to render their Condemnation the greater and their Torments the more Violent and Intolerable Having thus briefly Removed this false Doctrine which stood in my way because they that are desirous may see it both learnedly and piously Refuted by many others I come to the Matter of our Proposition which is That God out of his Infinite Love who delighteth not in the death of a sinner but that all should live and be saved hath sent his Only-begotten Son into the World that whosoever believeth in him might be Saved Christ tasted Death for every man Which also is again affirmed in the sixth Proposition in these words Christ then tasted death for every man of all kinds Such is the Evidence of this Truth delivered almost wholly in the Express words of Scripture that it will not need much probation also because our Assertion herein is Common with many others who have both earnestly and soundly according to the Scripture pleaded for this Vniversal Redemption I shall be the more brief in it that I may come to that which may seem more singularly and peculiarly ours § VI. This Doctrine of Vniversal Redemption Christ's Redemption is Vniversal contrary to the Doctrine of Absolute REPROBATION or Christ's dying for all men is of it self so Evident from the Scripture-Testimony that there is scarce found any other Article of the Christian Faith so frequently so plainly and so positively Asserted It is that which maketh the preaching of Christ to be truly termed the Gospel or an Annunciation of glad Tidings to all Thus the Angel declared the Birth and Coming of Christ to the Shepherds to be Luke 2.10 Behold I bring you good Tidings of great Joy which shall be to all people He saith not to a few people Now if this Coming of Christ had not brought a possibility of Salvation to all it should rather have been accounted Bad Tidings of great sorrow to most people neither should the Angel have had reason to have sung Peace on Earth and good Will towards men if the greatest part of Mankind had been necessarily shut out from receiving any Benefit by it How should Christ have sent out His to Preach the Gospel to every Creature Mark 16.15 a very Comprehensive Commission that is To every son and daughter of Mankind without all Exception He Commands them to Preach Salvation to all Repentance and Remission of sins to all Warning every one and Exhorting every one as Paul did Col. 1.28 Now how couldd they have preached the Gospel to every man The Gospel is preached to Every man as became the Ministers of Jesus Christ in much Assurance if Salvation by that Gospel had not been possible for all What! If some of those had asked them or should now ask any of these Doctors who deny the Vniversality of Christ's Death and yet preach it to all promiscuously Hath Christ died sor me How can they with confidence give a certain Answer to this Question If they give a Conditional Answer as their Principle obligeth them to do and say If thou Repent Christ hath died for thee doth not the same Question still Recur Hath Christ died for me so as to make Repentance possible for me To this they can Answer nothing unless they run in a Circle whereas the Feet of those that bring the glad Tidings of the Gospel of Peace are said to be beautiful for that they preach the Common Salvation Repentance unto all offering a door of Mercy and Hope to all through Jesus Christ who gave himself a Ransom for all The Gospel Invites all and certainly by the Gospel Christ intended not to deceive and delude the greater part of Mankind when he Inviteth and Crieth saying Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and ' I will give you Rest. If All then ought to seek after him and to look for Salvation by him he must needs have made Salvation possible to all for who is bound to seek after that which is Impossible Certainly it were a mocking of men to bid them do so And such as deny that by the Death of Christ Salvation is made possible to all men do most blasphemously make God mock the World in giving his Servants a Commission to preach the Gospel of Salvation unto ALL while he hath before decreed The Absurdity of that Doctrine of Absolute Reprobation that it shall not be possible for them to Receive it Would not this make the Lord to send forth his Servants with a Lie in their mouths which were blasphemous to think commanding them to bid all and every one to believe that Christ died for them and had purchased life and Salvation whereas it is no such thing according to the fore-mentioned Doctrine But seeing Christ after he Arose and perfected the work of our Redemption gave a Commission to preach Repentance Remission of Sins and Salvation to all it is manifest that he died for all For he that hath Commissionated his Servants thus to preach is a God of Truth and no mocker of poor Mankind neither doth he require of any man that which is simply Impossible for him to do for that No man is bound to do that which is Impossible is a principle of Truth ingraven in every man's mind And seeing he is both a most Righteous and Merciful God it cannot at all stand neither with his Justice nor Mercy to bid such men Repent or Believe to whom it is Impossible § VII Moreover if we Regard the Testimony of the Scripture in this matter where there is not one Scripture which I know of that affirmeth To Pray for all for Christ died for all Christ not to die for ALL there are divers that positively and expresly Assert he did as 1 Tim. 2.1 3 4 6. I exhort therefore that first of all Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all men c. for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour who will have All men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth who gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified in due time Except we will have the Apostle here to Assert quite another thing than he intended there can be nothing more plain to Confirm what we have Asserted And this Scripture doth well answer to that manner of Arguing which we have hitherto used For first the Apostle here Recommends them to Pray for all men And to obviate such an Objection as if he had said with our Adversaries Christ prayed not for the World neither willeth he us to pray for All because he willeth not that All should be saved but hath ordained many to be damned that he might shew forth his Justice in them He obviates I say such an Objection telling them That it is good and acceptable in the sight of God who will have all men to be saved I desire
strange ways seeing according to this most true Doctrine the Gospel reacheth all of whatsoever Condition Age or Nation Eleventhly It is Really and Effectively though not in so many words Cons. 11 yet by deeds established and confirmed by all the Preachers Promulgators and Doctors of the Christian Religion that ever were or now are even by those that otherways in their Judgment Oppose this Doctrine in that they all wherever they have been or are or whatsoever People Place or Country they come to do preach to the People and to every Individual among them That they may be saved Intreating and Desiring them to believe in Christ who hath died for them So that what they deny in the general they acknowledge of every particular there being no man to whom they do not preach in order to Salvation telling him Jesus Christ calls and wills him to believe and be saved and that if he refuse he shall therefore be Condemned and that his Condemnation is of himself Such is the Evidence and Vertue of Truth that it constrains its Adversaries even against their wills to plead for it Cons. 12 Lastly According to this Doctrine the former Argument used by the Arminians and Evited by the Calvinists concerning Every man's being bound to believe that Christ died for him is by altering the Assumption rendred Invincible thus That which every man is bound to believe is True But Every man is bound to believe that God is merciful unto him Therefore c. This Assumption no man can deny seeing his Mercies are said to be over all his Works And herein the Scripture every where declares the Mercy of God to be in that he Invites and Calls sinners to Repentance and hath opened a way of Salvation for them so that though those men be not bound to believe the History of Christ's Death and Passion who never came to know of it yet they are bound to believe that God will be Merciful to them if they follow his Ways and that he is Merciful unto them in that he Reproves them for Evil and Incourages them to good Neither ought any man to believe that God is unmerciful to him or that he hath from the beginning Ordained him to come into the World that he might be left to his own evil Inclinations Our Adversaries unmerciful Assertion of God and so do wickedly as a means appointed by God to bring him to Eternal Damnation which were it true as our Adversaries affirm it to be of many Thousands I see no reason why a man might not believe for certainly a man may believe the Truth As it manifestly appears from the thing it self that these good and excellent Consequences follow from the belief of this Doctrine so from the Probation of them it will yet more evidently appear To which before I come it is requisite to speak somewhat concerning the State of the Controversy which will bring great light to the matter For from the not right understanding of a matter under Debate sometimes both Arguments on the one hand and Objections on the other are brought which do no way hit the Case and hereby also our Sense and Judgment therein will be more fully understood and opened § XII First then by this Day and Time of Visitation which we say Quest. 1 God gives unto all during which they may be saved The Stating of the Question we do not understand the Whole Time of every man's Life though to some it may be extended even to the very hour of Death as we see in the Example of the Thief Converted upon the Cross but such a season at least as sufficiently exonerateth God of every man's Condemnation which to some may be sooner and to others later according as the Lord in his Wisdom sees meet So that many men may out-live this day after which there may be no possibility of Salvation to them That many may out-live the Day of God's Visitation and God justly suffers them to be hardned as a just punishment of their Vnbelief and even raises them up as Instruments of Wrath and makes them a Scourge one against another Whence to men in this Condition may be fitly applied those Scriptures which are abused to prove That God incites men necessarily to sin This is notably express'd by the Apostle Rom. 1. from v. 17. to the end but especially vers 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them up to a Reprobate Mind to do those things which are not Convenient That many may out-live this Day of God's gracious Visitation unto them is shewn by the Example of Esau Hebr. 12.16 17. who sold his Birth-right so he had it once and was capable to have kept it but afterwards when he would have inherited the Blessing he was Rejected This appears also by Christ's weeping over Jerusalem Luke 19.42 saying If thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine Eyes Which plainly imports a Time when they might have known them which now was removed from them though they were yet alive But of this more shall be said hereafter § XIII Secondly By this Seed Grace and Word of God and Light Quest. 2 wherewith we say every man is Inlightned and hath a measure of it which strives with them in order to Save them and which may by the stubbornness and wickedness of man's Will be quenched bruised wounded pressed-down slain and crucified we understand not the proper Essence and Nature of God precisely taken which is not Divisible into parts and measures as being a must Pure Simple Being void of all Composition or Division and therefore can neither be resisted hurt wounded crucified or slain by all the Efforts and Strength of men The Light what it is and its Properties described But we understand a Spiritual Heavenly and Invisible Principle in which God as Father Son and Spirit dwells a measure of which Divine and Glorious Life is in all men as a Seed which of its own nature draws invites and inclines to God And this we call Vehiculum Dei or the Spiritual body of Christ Vehiculum DEI. the flesh and blood of Christ which came down from Heaven of which all the Saints do feed and are thereby nourished unto Eternal Life And as every unrighteous Action is witnessed against and reproved by this Light and Seed so by such Actions it is hurt wounded and slain and resiles or flees from them even as the flesh of men flees from that which is of a contrary nature to it Now because it is never separated from God nor Christ but wherever it is God and Christ are as wrapped up therein therefore and in that respect as it is Resisted God is said to be Resisted and where it is born down God is said to be pressed as a Cart under sheaves and Christ is said to be slain and crucified And on the contrary as
touching those who according to the common Opinion of Protestants have been Converted whom albeit they confess they persist always in some Misdeeds and sometimes in hainous Sins as is manifest in David's Adultery and Murder yet they assert to be perfectly and wholly Justified How comes he then so often to Complain to Expostulate so much throughout the whole Scripture with such as our Adversaries Confess to be Justified telling them That their sins separate betwixt him and them Isa. 59.2 For where there is a perfect and full Reconciliation there is no Separation Yea from this Doctrine it necessarily follows either that such for whom Christ died and whom he hath thus Reconciled never Sin or that when they do so they are still Reconciled and their Sins make not the least Separation from God yea that they are Justified in their Sins From whence also would follow this Abominable Consequence That the good Works and greatest Sins of such are alike in the sight of God seeing neither the one serves to Justify them nor the other to break their Reconciliation which occasions great Security and opens a door to every lewd Practice †Proof III. Thirdly This would make void the whole practical Doctrine of the Gospel and make Faith it self Needless For if Faith and Repentance and the other Conditions called for throughout the Gospel be a Qualification upon our part necessary to be performed then before this be performed by us we are either fully reconciled to God or but in a Capacity of being Reconciled to God he being ready to Reconcile and Justify us as these Conditions are performed Which latter if granted is according to the Truth we profess And if we are already perfectly Reconciled and Justified before these Conditions are performed which Conditions are of that Nature that they cannot be performed at one time but are to be done all one's life time then can they not be said to be absolutely Needful Which is contrary to the very express Testimony of Scripture which is acknowledged by all Christians For * Hebr. 11.6 John 3.18 Luke 13.3 Apoc. 2.5 Rom. 8.13 without Faith it is Impossible to please God They that believe not are Condemn'd already because they believe not in the Only begotten Son of God Except ye Repent ye cannot be Saved For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die And of those that were Converted I will Remove your Candlestick from you unless ye Repent Should I mention all the Scriptures that positively and evidently prove this I might transcribe much of all the Doctrinal Part of the Bible For since Christ said It is finished and did finish his Work sixteen hundred years ago and upwards if he so fully perfected Redemption then and did then actually Reconcile every one that is to be Saved not simply opening a Door of Mercy for them A Door of Mercy opened by Christ upon Repentance offering the Sacrifice of his Body by which they may obtain Remission of their Sins when they Repent and Communicating unto them a measure of his Grace by which they may see their sins and be able to Repent but really make them to be Reputed as Just The Antinomians Opinion of Reconciliation and Justification either before they believe as say the Antinomians or after they have Assented to the Truth of the History of Christ or are sprinkled with the Baptism of Water while nevertheless they are actually Vnjust so that no part of their Redemption is to be wrought by him now as to their Reconciliation and Justification then the whole doctrinal Part of the Bible is useless and of no profit in vain were the Apostles sent forth to preach Repentance and Remission of Sins and in vain do all the Preachers bestow their labour spend their lungs and give forth Writings yea much more in vain do the people spend their money which they give them for preaching seeing it is all but Actum agere but a vain and uneffectual Essay to do that which is already perfectly done without them Proof IV But lastly To pretermit their humane Labours as not worth the disputing whether they be needful or not since as we shall hereafter shew themselves Confess the Best of them is Sinful this also makes void the present Intercession of Christ for men What shall become of that great Article of Faith Christ's daily making Intercession for us by which we Affirm That he sits at the right hand of God daily making Intercession for us and for which end the Spirit it self maketh Intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered For Christ maketh not Intercession for those that are not in a possibility of Salvation that is absurd Our Adversaries will not admit that he prayed for the World at all and to pray for those that are already Reconciled and perfectly Justified is to no purpose To pray for Remission of Sins is yet more Needless if all be Remitted past present and to come Indeed there is not any solid Solving of this but by acknowledging according to the Truth that Christ by his Death removed the Wrath of God so far as to obtain Remission of sins for as many as Receive that Grace and Light that he communicates unto them and hath purchased for them by his Blood which as they believe in they come to know Remission of sins past and power to save them from sin and to wipe it away so often as they may fall into it by unwatchfulness or weakness if applying themselves to this Grace they truly Repent For to as many as receive him he gives power to become the sons of God So none are sons none are justified none reconciled until they thus receive him in that little Seed in their hearts and life Eternal is offered to those who by patient continuance in well-doing seek glory honour and immortality For if the righteous man depart from his righteousness his righteousness shall be remembred no more And therefore on the other part none are longer Sons of God and justified than they patiently continue in righteousness and well-doing And therefore Christ lives always making Intercession during the day of every man's Visitation that they may be Converted and when men are in some measure Converted he makes Intercession that they may Continue and go-on and not faint nor go back again Much more might be said to Confirm this Truth but I go on to take notice of the Common Objections against it which are the Arguments made use of to propagate the Errors Contrary to it § VI. The First and Chief is drawn from that saying of the Apostle before-mentioned 2 Cor. 5.18 19. God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not Imputing their Trespasses unto them Object 1 From hence they seek to Infer That Christ fully perfected the Work of Reconciliation while he was on Earth I Answer If by Reconciliation be understood the Removing of Wrath
believe it I shall only from this derive this one Argument If no man can be Justified without Faith and no Faith be living Arg. nor yet available to Justification without Works Then Works are necessary to Justification But the First is true Therefore also the Last For this Truth is so apparent and evident in the Scriptures that for the proof of it we might transcribe most of the Precepts of the Gospel I shall Instance a few which of themselves do so clearly Assert the thing in Question that they need no Commentary nor further Demonstration And then I shall answer the Objections made against this which indeed are the Arguments used for the Contrary Opinion Hebr. 12.14 Not the Sayers but the Doers are blessed Without holiness no man shall see God Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in heaven Joh. 13.17 If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them 1 Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and Vncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandments of God Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life and through the Gates may enter into the City And many more that might be Instanced From all which I thus Argue If those only can Enter into the Kingdom Arg. that do the Will of the Father If those be accounted only the Wise builders and happy that do the sayings of Christ If no Observations avail but only the keeping of the Commandments and if they be blessed that do the Commandments and thereby have right to the Tree of Life and Entrance through the Gate into the City Then Works are absolutely necessary to Salvation and Justification But the First is true And therefore also the Last The Consequence of the Antecedent is so clear and evident that I think no man of sound Reason will call for a proof of it § X. * Object 1. But they Object that Works are not necessary to Justification First Because of that saying of Christ Luke 17.10 When ye shall have done all these things that are Commanded you say We are unprofitable servants c. Answer As to God we are indeed Vnprofitable for he needeth nothing neither can we Add any thing unto him Unprofitable Servants but as to our selves we are not Vnprofitable else it might be said that it is not profitable for a man to keep God's Commandments Answ. which is most Absurd and would Contradict Christ's Doctrine throughout God needeth nothing Doth not Christ Matth. 5. through all those Beatitudes pronounce men blessed for their purity for their meekness for their peaceableness c And is not then that for which Christ pronounceth men blessed profitable unto them Moreover Matth. 25.21 23. doth not Christ pronounce the men good and faithful servants Those that had improved their Talents were called Good and Faithful Servants that Improved their Talents Was not their doing of that then profitable unto them And vers 30. it is said of him that hid his Talent and did not Improve it Cast ye the Vnprofitable servant into utter darkness If then their not improving of the Talent made the man Vnprofitable and he was therefore cast into utter darkness it will follow by the Rule of Contraries so far at least that the Improving made the other profitable seeing if our Adversaries will allow us to believe Christ's words this is made a Reason and so at least a Cause Instrumental of their Acceptance Well done good and faithful Servant thou hast been faithful over a few things I will make thee Ruler over many things Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. Object 2 Secondly They object those sayings of the Apostle where he excludes the deeds of the Law from Justification as first Rom. 3.20 Because by the deeds of the Law there shall be no flesh justified in his sight and v. 28. Therefore we conclude that a man is Justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law Answ. We have shewn already what place we give to Works even to Answ. 1 the best of Works in Justification and how we ascribe its Immediate and Formal Cause to the Worker brought forth in us The Works of the Gospel or Grace distinguish't from the Works of the Law but not to the Works But in answer to this Objection I say There is a great difference betwixt the works of the Law and those of Grace or of the Gospel The first are excluded the second not but are necessary The first are those which are performed in man's own will and by his strength in a conformity to the outward Law and Letter and therefore are man's own Imperfect Works or works of the Law which makes nothing perfect And to this belong all the Ceremonies Purifications Washings and Traditions of the Jews The second are the works of the Spirit of Grace in the heart wrought in Conformity to the Inward and Spiritual Law which Works are not wrought in man's Will nor by his power and ability but in and by the Power and Spirit of Christ in us and therefore are pure and perfect in their kind as shall hereafter be proved and may be called Christ's Works for that he is the Immediate Author and Worker of them Such Works we affirm absolutely Necessary to Justification so that a man cannot be Justified without them and all Faith without them is dead and useless as the Apostle James saith Now that such a Distinction is to be admitted and that the Works excluded by the Apostle in the matter of Justification are of the first kind will appear if we consider the Occasion of the Apostle mentioning this as well here as throughout in his Epistle to the Galatians where he speaks of this matter and to this purpose at large which was this That whereas many of the Gentiles that were not of the Race nor Seed of Abraham as concerning the flesh were come to be Converted to the Christian Faith and believe in him some of those that were of the Jewish Proselytes thought to subject the faithful and believing Gentiles to the Legal Ceremonies and Observations as necessary to their Justification The Occasion of the Apostles speaking of the Works of the Law which are Excluded This gave the Apostle Paul occasion at length in his Epistle to the Romans Galatians and elsewhere to shew the Vse and Tendency of the Law and of its Works and to Contradistinguish them from the Faith of Christ and Righteousness thereof shewing how the former was Ceased and become Ineffectual the other Remaining and yet Necessary And that the Works excluded by the Apostle are of this kind of Works of the Law appears by the whole strain of his Epistle to the Galatians Chap. 1 2 3 4. For after in Chap. 4. he upbraideth them for their returning unto the Observation of days
the Holy Scripture signifies An Assembly or Gathering of many into one place The Etymology of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Church and signification of it for the Substantive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comes from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I call out of and originally from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I call and indeed as this is the Grammatical sense of the word so also it is the real and proper signification of the thing the Church being no other thing but the Society Gathering or Company of such as God hath called out of the World and worldly spirit to walk in his LIGHT and LIFE The Church then so defined is to be considered as it comprehends all that are thus called and gathered truly by God both such as are yet in this Inferior World and such as having already laid down the Earthly Tabernacle are passed into their heavenly Mansions which together do make up the One Catholick Church concerning which there is so much Controversy Out of which Church we freely acknowledge No Salvation without the Church there can be no Salvation because under this Church and its Denomination are comprehended all and as many of whatsoever nation kindred tongue or people they be though outwardly strangers and remote from those who profess Christ and Christianity in words and have the benefit of the Scriptures as become obedient to the Holy Light and Testimony of God in their hearts so as to become sanctified by it What the Church is and cleansed from the evils of their ways For this is the Vniversal or Catholick Spirit by which many are called from all the four Corners of the Earth and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob By this the secret Life and Vertue of Jesus is conveyed into many that are afar off even as by the Blood that runs into the Veins and Arteries of the natural Body the Life is conveyed from the head and heart unto the extreamest parts There may be Members therefore of this Catholick Church both among Heathens Turks and Jews may become Members of this Church Turks Jews and all the several sorts of Christians men and women of Integrity and Simplicity of heart who though blinded in something in their Vnderstanding and perhaps burthened with the Superstitions and Formality of the several Sects in which they are Ingrossed yet being upright in their hearts before the Lord chiefly aiming and labouring to be delivered from Iniquity and loving to follow Righteousness are by the secret Touches of this Holy Light in their Souls inlivened and quickned thereby secretly united to God and there-through become true Members of this Catholick Church Now the Church in this respect hath been in being in all Generations For God never wanted some such Witnesses for him though many times slighted and not much observed by this World And therefore this Church though still in being hath been oftentimes as it were Invisible in that it hath not come under the Observation of the men of this World being as saith the Scripture Jer. 3.14 One of a City and two of a Family And yet though the Church thus considered may be as it were hid from wicked men as not then gathered into a visible Fellowship yea and not observed even by some that are Members of it yet may there notwithstanding many belong to it as when Elias complained he was left alone 1 Kings 19.18 God answered unto him I have reserved to my self seven thousand men who have not bowed their knees to the Image of Baal whence the Apostle argues Rom. 11. the being of a Remnant in his day § III. Secondly The Church is to be considered as it signifies a Certain Number of persons gathered by God's Spirit and by the Testimony of some of his Servants raised up for that end unto the belief of the true Principles and Doctrines of the Christian Faith who through their hearts being united by the same Love and their understanding informed in the same Truths gather The Definition of the Church of God as Gathered into a Visible Fellowship meet and assemble together to Wait upon God to worship him and to bear a joint-Testimony for the Truth against Error suffering for the same and so becoming through this fellowship as one family and houshold in certain respects do each of them watch over teach instruct and care for one another according to their several measures and attainments Such were the Churches of the primitive Times gathered by the Apostles whereof we have divers mentioned in the Holy Scriptures And as to the Visibility of the Church in this respect there hath been a great Interruption since the Apostles days by reason of the Apostasy as shall hereafter appear § IV. To be a Member then of the Catholick Church How to become a Member of that Church there is need of the Inward Calling of God by his Light in the heart and a being leavened into the Nature and Spirit of it so as to forsake Vnrighteousness and be turned to Righteousness and in the Inwardness of the mind to be cut out of the wild Olive-tree of our own first fall'n Nature and ingrafted into Christ by his Word and Spirit in the heart And this may be done in those who are strangers to the History God not having pleased to make them partakers thereof as in the fifth and sixth Proposition hath already been proved To be a Member of a particular Church of Christ The Outward Profession of the Members of the True Church as this inward Work is indispensibly necessary so is also the outward Profession of and Belief in Jesus Christ and those holy Truths delivered by his Spirit in the Scriptures seeing the Testimony of the Spirit recorded in the Scriptures doth answer the Testimony of the same Spirit in the heart even as face answereth face in a glass Hence it follows that the Inward work of Holiness and forsaking Iniquity is necessary in every respect to the being a Member in the Church of Christ and that the outward Profession is necessary to be a Member of a particular gathered Church but not to the being a Member of the Catholick Church yet it is absolutely necessary where God affords the opportunity of knowing it And the outward Testimony is to be believed where it is presented and revealed the sum whereof hath upon other occasions been already proved § V. But contrary hereunto the Devil The Members of the Anti-Christian Church in the Apostasy their Empty Profession that worketh and hath wrought in the Mystery of Iniquity hath taught his followers to affirm That no man however holy is a Member of the Church of Christ without the outward Profession and that he be Initiated thereunto by some outward Ceremonies And again That men who have this outward Profession though inwardly unholy may be Members of the true Church of Christ yea and ought to be so esteemed This is plainly to put Light for
expresly commanded to Turn away from such as have a Form of godliness but deny the Power of it For we may well Object against these as the poor man did against the proud Prelate The Answer of a poor Rustick to a proud Prelate that went about to cover his vain and unchristian-like Sumptuousness by distinguishing That it was not as Bishop but as Prince he had all that splendor To which the poor Rustick wisely is said to have answered When the Prince goeth to Hell what shall become of the Prelate And indeed this were to suppose the Body of Christ to be defective and that to fill up these defective places he puts counterfeit and dead Stuff instead of real living Members like such as lose their Eyes Arms or Legs make Counterfeit ones of Timber or Glass instead of them But we cannot think so of Christ neither can we believe for the Reasons above adduced that either we are to account or that Christ doth account any man or men a whit the more Members of his Body because though they be really Wicked they hypocritically and deceitfully Cloath themselves with his Name pretended to it for this is contrary to his own Doctrine where he saith expresly Joh. 15.1 6 c. That he is the Vine and his Disciples are the Branches that except they abide in him they cannot bear fruit and if they be unfruitful they shall be cast forth as a branch and wither Now I suppose these Cut and Withered Branches are no more true Branches A Wither'd Branch can draw no Nourishment so has no life nor virtue nor Members of the Vine they can draw no more Sap nor Nourishment from it after that they are Cut off and so have no more Virtue Sap nor Life What have they then to Boast or Glory of any Authority seeing they want that life virtue and nourishment from which all Authority comes So such Members of Christ as are become dead to him through Vnrighteousness and so derive no more virtue nor life from him are Cut-off by their sins and Wither and have no more any true or real Authority and their Boasting of any is but an Aggravation of their Iniquity by hypocrisy and deceit But further would not this make Christ's Body a meer shadow and phantasm Yea would it not make him the Head of a lifeless rotten stinking Carcase having only some little outward false shew while inwardly full of rottenness and durt A Living Head upon a Lifeless Body what Monster would that be And what a Monster would these men make of Christ's Body by assigning it a real pure living quick Head full of virtue and life and yet tied to such a dead lifeless Body as we have already described these Members to be which they alledge to have been the Church of Christ Again the Members of the Church of Christ are specified by this definition to wit as being the Sanctified in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 1.2 But this notion of Succession supposeth not only some unsanctified Members to be of the Church of Christ but even the Whole to consist of unsanctified Members yea that such as were professed Necromancers and open Servants of Satan were the true Successors of the Apostles and in whom the Apostolick Authority Prop. 10 resided these being the Vessels through whom this Succession is Transmitted though many of them as all Protestants and also some Papists Confess attained these Offices in the so called Church not only by such means as Simon Magus sought it but by much worse even by Witchcraft Murther Traditions Money and Treachery which Platina himself confesseth * In the life of Benedict 4. of Joh. 16. of Silvester 3. of Boniface 8. of Steph. 6. of Jean 8. Also Onuphrius Annotations upon this Papass or Popess towards the end of divers Bishops of Rome § XI But such as Object not this Succession of the Church which yet most Protestants begin now to do distinguish in this matter affirming That in a great Apostasy such as was that of the Church of Rome God may raise up some singularly by his Spirit who from the Testimony of the Scriptures perceiving the Errors into which such as bear the name of Christians are fall'n may instruct and teach them and then become Authorized by the people's joining with and accepting of their Ministry only Most of them also will affirm That the Spirit herein is subjective and not objective But they say Object That where a Church is Reformed such as they pretend the Protestant Churches are there an ordinary orderly Call is necessary and that of the Spirit as extraordinary is not to be sought after alledging that Res aliter se habet in Ecclesiâ Constituendâ quà m in Ecclesiâ Constitutâ that is There is a difference in the Constituting of a Church and after it is Constitute I Answer This Objection as to us saith nothing seeing we Accuse Answ. and are ready from the Scriptures to prove the Protestants guilty of gross Errors and needing Reformation as well as they did and do the Papists A Difference Objected between a Constituting Church and one as Constituted and therefore we may justly lay claim if we would to the same Extraordinary Call having the same Reason for it and as good Evidence to prove ours as they had for theirs As for that Maxim viz. That the Case is different in a Constituting Church and a Church Constituted I do not deny it and therefore there may be a greater measure of power required to the one than to the other and God in his Wisdom distributes the same as he seeth meet But that the same Immediate Assistance of the Spirit is not necessary for Ministers in a gathered Church as well as in gathering one I see no solid Reason alledged for it For sure Christ's promise was To be with his Children to the end of the world and they need him no less to preserve and guide his Church and Children than to gather and beget them Nature taught the Gentiles this Maxim Non minor est Virtus quam quaerere parta tueri Englished thus For to Defend what you Attain Requires no less strength than to Gain For it is by this inward and immediate Operation of the Spirit which Christ promised to Lead his Children with into all Truth and to Teach them all things that Christians are to be lead in all steps as well last as first which relate to God's Glory and their own Salvation as we have heretofore sufficiently proved and therefore need not now Repeat it And truly this Device of Satan 'T is a Device of Satan for Men to put the Spirit 's Leadings far off to former times whereby he has got people to put the Immediate Guidings and Leadings of God's Spirit as an Extraordinary thing afar off which their Fore-fathers had but which they now are neither to Wait for nor Expect is a great Cause of the growing Apostasy upon the many gathered Churches
times are as full of the various Tragedies acted upon the account of this Spiritual and Ecclesiastick Monarchy and Common-wealth as the Histories of Old times that gave account of the Wars and Contests that fell out both in the Assyrian Persian Greek and Roman Empires These last upon this account though among those that are called Christians have been no less Bloody and Monstrous than the former among Heathens concerning their outward Empires and Governments The Ground and Cause thereof Now all this both among Rapists and Protestants proceedeth in that they seek in Imitation to uphold a Form and Shadow of things though they want the Power Vertue and Substance though for many of their Orders and Forms they have not so much as the Name in the Scripture But in Opposition to all this Mass of Formality and heap of Orders Rules and Governments we say the Substance is chiefly to be sought after and the Power Virtue and Spirit is to be known and waited for which is One in all the different Names and Offices the Scripture makes use of as appears by 1 Cor. 12.4 often before-mentioned There are diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit And after the Apostle throughout the whole Chapt. hath shewn how one and the self same Spirit worketh in and quickneth each Member then in vers 28. he sheweth how thereby God hath set in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets Teachers c. And likewise to the same purpose Eph. 4.11 he sheweth how by these Gifts he hath given some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors some Teachers c. Now it was never Christ's purpose nor the Apostles that Christians should without this Spirit and Heavenly Gift set up a shadow and form of these Orders and so make several Ranks and Degrees to establish a Carnal Ministry of mens making without the Life Power and Spirit of Christ this is that Work of Anti-Christ and Mystery of Iniquity The Work of Antichrist and Mystery of Iniquity that hath got up in the dark night of Apostasy But in a true Church of Christ gathered together by God not only unto the belief of the Principles of Truth but also into the Power Life and Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God is the Orderer Ruler and Governour as in each particular so in the general And when they Assemble together to wait upon God and Worship and Adore him then such as the Spirit sets apart to the Ministry Such as the Spirit sets apart to the Ministry their brethren hear them by its Divine Power and Influence opening their mouths and giving them to Exhort Reprove and Instruct with virtue and power these are thus of God Ordained and Admitted into the Ministry and their Brethren cannot but hear them receive them and also honour them for their works sake And so this is not Monopolized to a certain kind of men as the Clergy who are to that purpose Educated and brought up The Clergy and Laicks as other Carnal Artists and the rest to be despised as Laicks but it is left to the free Gift of God to chuse any whom he seeth meet thereunto whether Rich or Poor Servant or Master Young or Old yea Male or * Women may preach Female And such as have this Call verifie the Gospel by preaching not in speech only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much fulness 1 Thess. 1.5 and cannot but be received and heard by the sheep of Christ. Object § XXV But if it be objected here That I seem hereby to make no distinction at all betwixt Ministers and others which is contrary to the Apostle saying 1 Cor. 12.29 Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers c. from thence they insinuate That I also Contradict his Comparison in that Chapter of the Church of Christ with a Humane Body as where he saith vers 17. If the whole Body were an Eye where were the Hearing If the whole were Hearing where were the Smelling c. Also the Apostle not only thus distinguisheth the Ministers of the Church in general from the rest of the Members but also among themselves as naming them distinctly and separately Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers c. Answ. 1 As to the last part of this Objection to which I shall first Answer it is apparent that this Diversity of Names is not for to distinguish separate Offices Diversity of Names makes no distinct Offices but which may Coincide or be together in one person but to denote the different and various Operations of the Spirit a manner of speech frequent with the Apostle Paul wherein he sometimes exspatiates to the illustrating of the glory and praise of God's Grace as in particular Rom. 12.6 Having then Gifts differing according to the Grace that is given to us whether Prophecy let us prophesie according to the proportion of faith Or Ministry let us wait on our Ministring or he that Teacheth on Teaching Or he that exhorteth on Exhortation Now none will say from all this that these are distinct Offices or do not or may not coincide in one person as may all these other things mentioned by him in the subsequent verses viz. of loving being kindly affectioned fervency of spirit hospitality diligence blessing rejoycing c. Which yet he numbers forth as different Gifts of the Spirit and according to this Objection might be placed as distinct and separate Offices which were most Absurd Secondly In these very places mentioned it is clear that it is no Real Distinction of separate Offices because all acknowledge that Pastors and Teachers which the Apostle there no less separateth and distinguisheth than Pastors and Prophets or Apostles are one and the same and Coincide in the same office and person and therefore so may be said of the rest For Prophecy as it signifieth the foretelling of things to come is indeed a distinct Gift but no distinct Office and therefore our Adversaries do not place it among their several Orders neither will they deny but that both may be and have been given of God to some Prophecy and Prophesying its twofold signification that not only have been Pastors and Teachers and that there it hath Coincided in one person with these other Offices but also to some of the Laicks and so it hath been found according to their own Concession without the Limits of their Clergy Prophecy in the other sense to wit as it signifieth a Speaking from the Spirit of Truth is not only peculiar to Pastors and Teachers To Prophesy a Priviledge of Teachers and of all the Saints who ought so to Prophesy but even a Common Priviledge to the Saints For though to Instruct Teach and Exhort be proper to such as are more particularly called to the Work of the Ministry yet it is not so Proper to them as not to be when the Saints are met together as any of them are moved by the Spirit Common to
harmonious Sound or words suitable to the present Condition whether they be words formerly used by the Saints and recorded in Scripture such as the Psalms of David or other words as were the Hymns and Songs of Zacharias Simeon and the blessed Virgin Mary But as for the formal Customary Way of singing But formal Singing has no Scripture-Ground it hath in Scripture no foundation nor any Ground in true Christianity yea besides all the Abuses incident to Prayer and Preaching it hath this more peculiar that often-times great and horrid lies are said in the sight of God For all manner of wicked Profane Singing of David's Conditions Rejected profane people take upon them to personate the Experiences and Conditions of blessed David which are not only false as to them but also as to some of more Sobriety who utter them forth As where they will sing sometimes Psal. 22.14 My heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels And verse 15. My Strength is dried up like a pot-sherd and my Tongue cleaveth to my Jaws and thou hast brought me into the dust of death And Psal. 6.6 I am weary with my groanings all the night make I my bed to swim I water my Couch with my tears And many more which those that speak know to be false as to them And sometimes will confess just after in their Prayers that they are Guilty of the Vices opposite to those Vertues which but just before they have asserted themselves Endued with Who can suppose that God accepts of such Jugling And indeed such Singing doth more please the Carnal Ears of Men than the pure Ears of the Lord who abhors all Lying and Hypocrisy That Singing then that pleaseth him must proceed from that which is PVRE in the heart even from the Word of Life therein in and by which richly dwelling in us spiritual Songs and Hymns are returned to the Lord according to that of the Apostle Col. 3.16 But as to their Artificial Musick either by Organs Artificial Musick or other Instruments or Voice we have neither Example nor Precept for it in the New Testament § XXVII But Lastly The great Advantage of this true Worship of God which we profess and practise is that it consisteth not in Man's Wisdom Arts or Industry neither needeth the Glory Pomp Riches nor Splendor of this World to beautify it as being of a Spiritual and Heavenly Prop. 12 Nature and therefore too simple and contemptible to the Natural Mind and Will of Man that hath no delight to abide in it because he finds no room there for his Imaginations and Inventions No Splendor of this World attends this Inward Worship and hath not the opportunity to gratify his outward and carnal Senses so that this Form being observed is not like to be long kept pure without the Power for it is of it self so naked without it that it hath nothing in it to invite and tempt Men to Dote upon it further than it is accompanied with the Power Whereas the Worship of our Adversaries being performed in their own Wills The Carnal Worship pleases Self is self-pleasing as in which they can largely exercise their Natural Parts and Invention and as to most of them having somewhat of an Outward and Worldly Splendor delectable to the Carnal and Worldly Senses they can pleasantly continue in it and satisfy themselves though without the Spirit and Power which they make no ways Essential to the performance of their Worship and therefore neither wait for nor expect it The Worship of the Quakers § XXVIII So that to conclude The Worship preaching praying and singing which we plead for is such as proceedeth from the Spirit of God and is always accompanied with its Influence being begun by its Motion and carried on by the Power and Strength thereof and so is a Worship purely Spiritual such as the Scripture holds forth Joh. 4.23 24. 1 Cor. 14.15 Eph. 6.18 c. Our Adversaries Worship But the Worship preaching praying and singing which our Adversaries plead for and which we oppose is a Worship which is both begun carried on and concluded in Man's own Natural Will and Strength without the motion or influence of God's Spirit which they judge they need not Wait for and therefore may be truly acted both as in the matter and manner by the Wickedest of Men. Such was the Worship and vain Oblations which God always rejected as appears from Isa. 66.3 Jer. 14.12 c. Isa. 1.13 Prov. 15.29 Joh. 9.31 PROPOSITION XII Concerning Baptism As there is one Lord and one Faith so there is one Baptism which is not the putting away the filth of the flesh but the Answer of a good Conscience before God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this Baptism is a Pure and Spiritual thing Eph. 4.5 1 Pet. 3.21 Rom. 6.4 Gal. 3.27 Col. 2.12 John 3.30 1 Cor. 1.17 to wit the Baptism of the Spirit and Fire by which we are buried with him that being washed and purged from our Sins we may walk in newness of Life Of which the Baptism of John was a Figure which was Commanded for a time and not to continue for ever As to the Baptism of Infants it is a meer Humane Tradition for which neither Precept nor Practice is to be found in all the Scripture § I. I Did sufficiently demonstrate in the Explanation and Probation of the former Proposition how greatly the Professors of Christianity as well Protestants as Papists were degenerated in the matter of Worship and how much strangers to and averse from that true and acceptable Worship that is performed in the Spirit of Truth because of Man's Natural Propensity in his fall'n State to exalt his own Inventions and to intermix his own Work and Product in the Service of God and from this Root sprung all the idle Worships Idolatries From whence Idolatries and Heathen-Superstitions did spring and numerous Superstitious Inventions among the Heathens For when God in Condescension to his chosen people the Jews did prescribe to them by his Servant Moses many Ceremonies and Observations as Types and Shadows of the Substance which in due time was to be Revealed which consisted for the most part in Washings outward Purifications and Cleansings which were to continue until the time of the Reformation until the Spiritual Worship should be set up and that God by the more powerful pouring forth of his Spirit and guiding of that Anointing should lead his Children into all Truth and teach them to Worship him in a way more Spiritual and acceptable to him though less agreeable to the Carnal and Outward Senses Yet notwithstanding God's Condescension to the Jews in such things we see that that part in man which delights to follow its own Inventions could not be restrained nor yet satisfied with all these Observations but that often-times they would be either declining to the other Superstitions of the Gentiles or adding some New
legions of Angels so to do did notwithstanding not exert that power but left his Church to the mercy of the wicked without so necessary a bulwark Secondly Seeing every Magistrate is to exercise his power according to the best understanding he hath being obliged so to do for the promoting of what he in Conscience is perswaded to be Truth Will not this justifie all the Heathen-Emperors in their Persecutions against Christians Will not this justifie the Spanish Inquisition which yet is odious not only to Protestants but to many moderate Papists How can Protestants in reason condemn the Papists for persecuting them seeing they do but exercise a lawful Power according to their Conscience and best understanding and do no more to them than the Sufferers profess they would do to them if they were in the like capacity Which takes away all ground of Commiseration from the Sufferers whereas that was the ground that gained of old reputation to the Christians that they being Innocent suffered who neither had nor by principle could hurt any But there is little reason to pity one that is but dealt by according as he would deal with others For to say They have not reason to persecute us because they are in the wrong and we in the right is but miserably to beg the question Doth not this doctrin strengthen the hands of Persecutors every where and that rationally from a principle of self-preservation For who can blame me for destroying him that I know waits but for an occasion to destroy me if he could Yea this makes all suffering for Religion which of old was the glory of Christians to be but of pure necessity whereby they are not led as Lambs to the slaughter as was the Captain of their Salvation but rather as Wolves catched in the snare who only bite not again because they are not able but could they get force would be as ready to lead those the same way that led them Where is here the faith and patience of the Saints For indeed it is but a small glory to make a vertue of Necessity and suffer because I cannot help it Every Thief and Murderer is a Martyr at that rate experience hath abundantly proved this in these last Centuries For however each Party talk of passively obeying the Magistrate in such cases and that the power resides in him yet it is apparent that from this principle it naturally follows that any Party supposing themselves right should so soon as they are able endeavour at any rate to get uppermost that they might bring under those of another opinion and force the Magistrate to uphold their way to the ruin of all others What engine the Pope of Rome used to make of his pretended power in this thing upon any pretence of dislike to any Prince or State even for very small Heresies in their own account to depose Princes and set up their Subjects against them and give their dominions to other Princes to serve his interest they cannot be ignorant that have read the life of Hildebrand and how Protestants have vindicated the Liberty of their Consciences after this same manner is apparent They suffered much in France to the great Increase and Advantage of their Party but how soon they found themselves considerable and had gotten some Princes upon their side they began to let the King know that they must either have the Liberty of their Consciences or else they would purchase it not by Suffering but by Fighting And the Experience of other Protestant States shews that if Henry the Fourth to please the Papists had not quitted his Religion to get the Crown the more peaceably and so the Protestants had prevailed with the Sword they would as well have taught the Papists with the Faggot and led them to the Stake So that this Principle of Persecution on all hands is the Ground of all those Miseries and Contentions For so long as any Party is perswaded that it is both lawful for them and their Duty if in Power to destroy those that differ from them it naturally follows they ought to use all Means possible to get that Power whereby they may secure themselves in the Ruine of their Adversaries And that neither Papists nor Protestants judge it unlawful to compel the Magistrate if they be strong enough to do it to effect this Experience shews it to be a known Popish Principle That the Pope may depose an Heretick Prince and absolve the People from the Oath of Fidelity And the Pope as is abovesaid hath done so to divers Princes and this Doctrine is defended by Bellarmin against Barclay The French refused Henry the fourth till he quitted his Religion And as for Protestants many of them scruple not to affirm That wicked Kings and Magistrates may be deposed and killed yea our Scotch Presbyters are as positive in it as any Jesuites who would not admit this present Charles the Second though otherwise a Protestant Prince unless he would swear to renounce Episcopacy a Matter of no great Difference though contrary to his Conscience Now how little Proportion these things bear with the Primitive Christians and the Religion propagated by Christ and his Apostles needs no great Demonstration and it is observable That notwithstanding many other Superstitions crept into the Church very early yet this of Persecution was so inconsistent with the Nature of the Gospel and Liberty of Conscience as we have asserted it such an innate and natural part of the Christian Religion that almost all the Christian Writers for the first three hundred Years earnestly contend for it condemning the contrary Opinion Athan. in epist. ad solit vit ag ibid. § V. Thus Athanasius It is the Property of Piety not to force but to perswade in imitation of our Lord who forced no body but left it to the Will of every one to follow him c. But the Devil because he hath nothing of Truth uses Knocks and Axes to break up the Doors of such as receive him But our Saviour is meek teaching the Truth Whosoever will come after me and whosoever will be my Disciple c. but constraining none coming to us and knocking rather and saying My Sister my Spouse open to me c. and entreth when he is opened to and retires if they delay and will not open unto him because it is not with Swords nor Darts nor Soldiers nor Armour that Truth is to be declared but with Perswasion and Counsel And it is observable that it was the Impious Arrians who first of all brought in this Doctrine to persecute others among Christians whose Successors both Papists and Protestants are in this Matter whom Athanasius thus reproveth further Where saith he have they learned to persecute Certainly they cannot say Athan. Apol. 1. de fuga sua tom 1. they have learned it from the Saints but this has been given them and taught them of the Devil The Lord commanded indeed sometimes to flee and the Saints
burned for denying the Divinity of Christ if Calvin's Report of him be to be credited Which Opinion though it was indeed to be abominated yet no less was Calvin's Practice in causing him to be burned and afterwards defending that it was lawful to burn Hereticks by which he encouraged the Papists to lead his Followers the more confidently to the Stake as having for their Warrant the Doctrine of their own Sect-master which they omitted not frequently to twit them with and indeed it was to them unanswerable Hence upon this occasion the judicious Author of the History of the Council of Trent in his fifth Book where giving an account of several Protestants that were burned for their Religion well and wisely observeth it as a Matter of Astonishment that those of the new Reformation did offer to punish in the case of Religion And afterwards taking notice That Calvin justifies the punishing of Hereticks he adds But since the Name of Heresy may be more or less restricted yea or diversly taken this Doctrine may be likewise taken in divers Senses and may at one time hurt those whom at another Time it may have benefited So that this Doctrine of Persecution cannot be mentioned by Protestants without strengthening the Hands of Popish Inquisitors Protestant Persecution strengthens the Popish Inquisition and indeed in the end lands in direct Popery Seeing if I may not profess and preach that Religion which I am perswaded of in my Conscience is true it is to no purpose to search the Scriptures or to seek to chuse my own Faith by Convictions thence derived since whatever I there observe or am perswaded of I must either subject to the Judgment of the Magistrate and Church of that Place I am in or else resolve to remove or dye Yea doth not this Heretical and Anti-Christian Doctrine both of Papists and Protestants at last resolve into that cursed Policy of Mahomet Who prohibited all Reason or Discourse about Religion as occasioning Factions and Divisions And indeed those that press Persecution and deny Liberty of Conscience do thereby shew themselves more the Disciples of Mahomet than of Christ and that they are no ways followers of the Apostle's Doctrine who desired the Thessalonians 1 Thess. 5.21 To prove all things and hold fast that which is good And also saith Vnto such as are otherwise minded God shall Reveal it Phil. 3.15 not that by Beatings and Banishments it must be knocked into them § VI. Now the Ground of Persecution as hath above been shewn is an unwillingness to suffer for no Man that will persecute another for his Conscience would suffer for his own if he could avoid it seeing his Principle obliges him if he had Power by Force to establish that which he judges is the Truth and so to force others to it Therefore I judge it meet for the Information of the Nations briefly to add something in this Place concerning the Nature of true Christian Sufferings whereunto a very faithful Testimony has been born by God's Witnesses which he hath raised up in this Age beyond what hath been generally known or practised for these many Generations yea since the Apostacy took place Yet 't is not my Design here in any wise to derogate from the Sufferings of the Protestant Martyrs whom I believe to have walked in Faithfulness towards God according to the Dispensation of Light in that Day appearing and of which many were utter Enemies to Persecution as by their Testimonies against it might be made appear But the true faithful and Christian Suffering is For Men to profess what they are perswaded is right and so practise and perform their Worship towards God as being their true Right so to do and neither to do more in that because of outward Encouragement from Men nor any whit less because of the Fear of their Laws and Acts against it Thus for a Christian Man to vindicate his just Liberty with so much boldness and yet Innocency will in due time though through Blood purchase Peace as this Age has in some Measure experienced and many are Witnesses of it which yet shall be more apparent to the World as Truth takes Place in the Earth But they greatly sin against this excellent Rule that in Time of Persecution do not profess their own Way so much as they would if it were other ways and yet when they can get the Magistrate upon their Side not only stretch their own Liberty to the utmost but seek to establish the same by denying it to others The Innocent Sufferings of the People called Quakers But of this excellent Patience and Sufferings the Witnesses of God in scorn called Quakers have given a manifest Proof for so soon as God revealed his Truth among them without regard to all Opposition or what they might meet with they went up and down as they were moved of the Lord preaching and propagating the Truth in Market-places High-ways Streets and publick Temples though daily beaten whipped bruised haled and imprisoned therefore And when there was any where a Church or Assembly gathered they taught them to keep their Meetings openly and not to shut the door nor do it by Stealth that all might know it and who would might enter And as hereby all just occasion of Fear of plotting against the Government was fully removed so this their Courage and Faithfulness in not giving over their Meeting together but more especially the Presence and Glory of God manifested in the Meeting being terrible to the Consciences of the Persecutors did so weary out the Malice of their Adversaries that often-times they were forced to leave their Work undone For when they came to break up a Meeting they were forc'd to take every individual out by Force they not being free to give up their Liberty by dissolving at their Command And when they were haled out unless they were kept forth by Violence they presently returned peaceably to their Place Yea when sometimes the Magistrates have pulled down their Meeting-houses they have met the next Day openly upon the Rubbish and so by Innocency kept their Possession and Ground being properly their own and their Right to Meet and Worship God being not forfeited to any So that when armed Men have come to dissolve them it was impossible for them to do it unless they had killed every one for they stood so close together that no Force could move any one to stir until violently pulled down So that when the Malice of their Opposers stirred them to take shovels and throw the Rubbish upon them there they stood unmoved being willing if the Lord should so permit to have been there buried alive witnessing for him As this Patient but yet couragious way of Suffering made the Persecutors Work very heavy and wearisom unto them so the Courage and Patience of the Sufferers using no Resistance nor bringing any Weapons to defend themselves nor seeking any ways Revenge upon such Occasions did secretly smite the Hearts of
As by Circumcision the Purifications and other things the Holiness of God was typified and that the Isralites ought to be Holy as their God was Holy In the like manner Oaths under the Shadows and Ceremonies signified the Verity of God his faithfulness and certainty and therefore that we ought in all things to speak and witness the Truth Truth was before all Oaths But the Witness of Truth was before all Oaths and remains when all Oaths are abolished and this is the morality of all Oaths and so long as men abide therein there is no necessity of nor place for Oaths as Polybius witnessed who said The use of Oaths in Judgment was Rare among the Antients but by the growing of perfidiousness so grew also the use of Oaths To which agreeth Grotius saying An Oath is only to be used as a Medicine in case of necessity A solemn Oath is not used Oaths supply presupposed Defects of Mens inconstancy but to supply defect The lightness of men and their inconstancy begot diffidence for which swearing was sought out as a remedy Basil the Great saith That Swearing is the effect of sin And Ambrose That Oaths are only a condescendency for defect Chrysostom saith That an Oath entred when evil grew when men exercised their frauds when all foundations were overturned That Oaths took their beginning from the want of Truth These and the like are witnessed by many others with the fore-mentioned Authors But what need of Testimonies where the Evidence of things speaks it self For who will force another to Swear of whom he is certainly perswaded that he abhors to Lie in his words And again as Chrysostom and others say For what end wilt thou force him to swear whom thou believest not that he will speak the Truth § XII That then which was not from the beginning which was of no use in the beginning which had not its beginning first from the Will of God but from the work of the Devil occasioned from evil to wit from Vnfaithfulness Lying Deceit and which was at first only evindent by man as a mutual Remedy of this evil in which they called upon the names of their Idols yea that which as Hierom Chrysostom and others testifie was given to the Israelites by God as unto Children that they might abstain from the Idolatrous Oaths of the Heathens Jer. 12.16 Whatsoever is so is far from being a moral and eternal Precept And lastly Whatsoever by its profanation and abuse is polluted with sin such as are abundantly the Oaths of these times by so often swearing and forswearing far differs from any necessary and perpetual Duty of a Christian But Oaths are so Therefore c. Sixthly They object That God swore Therefore to swear is good I answer with †Athan. in pass cruc Domin Athanasius Seeing it is certain it is proper in swearing to swear by another thence it appears that God Object to speak properly did never swear but only improperly Answ. Whence speaking to men he is said to swear because these things which he speaks because of the certainty and immutability of his Will are to be esteemed for Oaths Compare Psal. 110.4 where it is said The Lord did swear and it did not repent him c. And I swore saith he by my self And this is not an Oath For he did not swear by another which is the property of an Oath but by himself Therefore God swears not according to the manner of men God swears not by another but by himself neither can we be induced from thence to swear but let us so do and say and shew our selves such by speaking and acting that we need not with our Hearers an Oath and let our words of themselves have the testimony of Truth For so we shall plainly imitate God Seventhly They object ◠Christ did swear Object and we ought to imitate him I answer that Christ did not swear and albeit he had sworn Answ. being yet under the Law this would no ways oblige us under the Gospel as neither Circumcision or the celebration of the Paschal Lamb. Concerning which Hierom saith Hier. lib. Ep. part 3. tract 1. Ep. 2. All things agree not to us who are Servants that agreed to our Lord c. The Lord swore as Lord whom no man did forbid to swear but unto us that are Servants it is not lawful to swear because we are forbidden by the Law of our Lord. Yet lest we should not suffer scandal by his Example he hath not sworn since he commanded us not to swear Eighthly they object That Paul swore and that often Object Rom. 1.9 Phil. 1.8 saying For God is my Witness 2 Cor. 11.10 As the Truth of Christ in me 2 Cor. 1.23 I call God for a Record upon my Soul I speak the Truth in Christ I lie not Rom. 9.1 Behold before God I lie not Gal. 1.20 And so requires Oaths of others I Obtest you saith he before God and our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5.27 I charge you by the Lord that this Epistle be read to all the Brethren But Paul would not have done so if all manner of Oaths had been forbidden by Christ whose Apostle he was To all which I answer First Answ. That the using of such forms of speaking are neither Oaths nor so esteemed by our Adversaries For when upon occasion in matters of great moment we have said We speak the Truth in the fear of God and before him who is our Witness and the searcher of our hearts The Ceremonies of an Oath adding such kind of serious Attestations which we never refused in matters of Consequence nevertheless an Oath hath moreover been required of us with the ceremony of putting our Hand upon the Book the kissing of it the lifting up of the Hand or Fingers together with this common form of Imprecation So help me God or So truly let the Lord God Almighty help me Secondly This contradicts the opinion of our Adversaries because that Paul was neither before a Magistrate that was requiring an Oath of him nor did he himself administer the office of a Magistrate as offering an Oath to any other Thirdly The question is not what Paul or Peter did but what their and our Master taught to be done and if Paul did swear which we believe not he had sinned against the Command of Christ even according to their opinion because he swore not before a Magistrate but in an Epistle to his Brethren Object Ninthly they object Isa. 65.16 where speaking of the Evangelical times he saith That he who blesseth himself in the Earth shall bless himself in the God of Truth and he that sweareth in the Earth shall swear by the God of Truth because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hid from mine eyes For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth Therefore in these times we ought to swear by the Name of the Lord. Answ. I
he may rather be Troubled and Shamed to find himself so fawningly Flattered and Commended by such as the Students like the Philosopher of Old that was troubled when spoken well of by a Profligate Person Lastly They go about to Apologize for the Long Time their Book hath been a coming out because of their Difficulties at the Press Which Difficulties were not such as We meet with to have their Papers surprized and stopt as they sought to do ours but because they could not perswade a Printer to be so foolish as to print them without due Payment But it is like the Contriving and Patching it together hath been as great a Cause of Lett since when it was out and came from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and after we had bought one Intire Book at Edinburgh they kept it up at Aberdeen several Weeks Advising and Consulting about it And upon notice of some Gross Contradictions in it which we had Observed to some of their own Way They caused the Printer there to patch two Pages to it to help them By which they have but rendered their Weakness more Obvious For whereas to solve that gross Contradiction before observed by us of their making us speak in their Accompt one after another and yet saying The Auditors can testify That we are Liars and never spake so They say Their meaning is not that we did not speak one after another What means the Word never then This Apology amounts to no more but that the Students intended not to Contradict themselves and instead of Bettering themselves by this Addition they have given away their Cause For whereas they before make a great Clamour against G. K. for Asserting Permissive Inspirations as if it had been some great Absurdity themselves here Affirm the same thing saying The Apostle by these Words it is good for a man not to touch a Woman doth not Command but only Permit he himself nevertheless being Inspired by the Spirit of God so to do Is not this then a Permissive Inspiration So that these things will but make their Folly manifest as also their further Frivolous Apologies in that Additional Advertisement which to the truly Judicious doth not Cover but rather Discover their Weakness Seeing it may fall out that this Tract may arrive at the Hands of many who perhaps may not see those Sheets in which we have Disproved the Students Calumnies and Lies in Matter of fact as in Relation to the Dispute we had with them we thought fit here also to Insert the Certificate of four Students present at the Dispute and since come among us Three of which were at that time actual Students of Philosophy in the Vniversity and the other had been in the Class with one of the Disputants R. B. WE Vnder-Subscribers late Students of Philosophy in the University of Aberdeen being present at the Dispute do faithfully declare That the Students have grosly belied the Quakers in their Accompt making them speak that which they spake not and also forging Arguments and Answers not mentioned upon the Place And though we had no Intention at that time to own the People called Quakers yet we dare not but declare That their Answer and Behaviour had no small Influence upon us to make us in love with their Way and to search after it more diligently As also the Students Arguments and Lightness did not a little tend to make us disgust them and their Principles And albeit that inward Peace and Satisfaction of Mind which we enjoy in the Truth we now profess with that Despised and Injured People doth make us bless the Day in which it pleased God to bring us among them yet we are not a little Confirmed in the Belief of this Reproached Testimony and Witnesses that we find the strongest Arguments their Adversaries have against them are Lies and Calumnies And this we Testify for the Truth whom the Truth hath taught not to Lie R. S. I. A. And I also declare who being a Student at that Time in the Old-Town-Colledg was present at the Dispute and heard the same with Attention that the Students have grosly belied the Quakers in many things in their Account And although that since it hath pleased God to join me unto that People yet at that Time I had no Mind to be of their Way However when I saw their Account I did approve it as Ingenuous as now also I do and disapprove the Students as false in many things Alexander Seaton And I likewise being a Student in the New-Town Colledge at that Time was present at the Dispute and do declare that the Students Folly and Lightness had no small Influence upon me to search more narrowly into the Way of that People Which it pleased the Lord to bless unto me so that the Eyes of my Understanding came to be opened and I came fully to be Convinced of the Truth of their Principles and Way to which now by the Mercy and Goodness of the Lord I am joined and do find by comparing the two Accounts together that the Students have wronged the People called Quakers in divers things as the Students Self-Contradictions do sufficiently shew Alexander Paterson Universal Love CONSIDERED And established upon its RIGHT FOUNDATION Being a Serious Enquiry how far CHARITY May and ought to be Extended towards Persons of Different Judgments IN MATTERS of RELIGION AND Whose Principles among the several Sects of Christians do most Naturally lead to that due Moderation Required Writ in the Spirit of Love and Meekness for the removing of Stumbling-Blocks out of the Way of the Simple By a Lover of the Souls of all Men ROBERT BARCLAY 1 Joh. iv 16 God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God 1 Jo. v. 2 For this is the Love of God that we keep his Commandments London Printed for Tho. Northcott 1691. Universal Love c. year 1676 SECT I. The INTRODUCTION Giving an Account of the Author's Experience in this Matter with the Reasons Moving him to Treat thereof ALbeit it were very desirable Godliness from a tender Age is the Happiness of few that Man could from his very Tender Age upwards receive so Living an Impression not only of the truest and surest Principles of the Doctrines of Christ but also of the Life and Power of Godliness to leven the whole Mind and Affections unto the pure and holy Nature of Jesus yet seeing that this Happiness befalls to few most of Men being by the prejudice of Education either pre-possessed or defiled with wrong Notions or else those who come to receive even at first a Right Impression in their Understandings as to Opinion or Principle do either by the power of inward Corruption working upon their Natural Complexions or by other Temptations from without oftentimes fall exceeding short of this pure Life the best way to Redeem the Time and to Repair that Loss is from the Experience we have had of the Evil and the Memory we retain of how far we
no doubt with them will deny That Immediate Revelation now is since they positively say That it is Ceased and James Durham whom I. B. applauds as a Reverend Brother and Pastor of the Church hath most absurdly affirmed in his Treatise upon the Revelation That when John finished that Book God spake his last words to his Church ¶ 7. When he cometh pag. 28. to my Proposition Asserting That these Revelations were of old the Formal Object of Faith he beginneth to Inquire and Conjecture what I mean by the Formal Object and upon that he bestows the following page For answering then his Scruples in that matter I say In a Divine Revelation two things are to be considered 1. The thing Revealed and 2. The Revelation The Thing Revealed is indeed the Material Object The Revelation is the Formal Object In which may be considered not only The Manner of the Revelation The Material and Formal Object of Faith distinguished that is the Voice or Speech of God unto the Soul or his Imprinting in the Soul by a Divine Manifestation the things Revealed but also God himself so Operating both which to wit Deus loquens id est God speaking is the Formal Object of Faith He himself his Veracity is the Original Ground of our Faith His Voice Holy Influence and Manifestation by which he Expresseth himself gives us the Certainty and Assurance that it is He and is very distinguishable by those of a Spiritual Discerning from the most subtile Appearance and Transformations of the Devil since Christ saith My Sheep hear my Voice and will not hear that of a Stranger Even as the Voice and Appearance of two Men of the most contrary and different Humours Statures and Complexions are different and distinguishable by a Man of a sharp Sight to whom those Men are well known But of this I wrote more largly in my Letter to a certain Ambassadour printed the last Year at Roterdam at the End of the Letter written to the Ambassadours of Nimmegen whereto I refer him for further Satisfaction But I wholy deny the Consequence deduced by him that if God's Veracity because it is God that speaketh and commandeth be the formal Object of Faith therefore it is all one whether it be Mediate or Immediate Since albeit that be the Original Ground yet the Immediate Revelation is necessary that we may certainly know that it is he For what avails it me to believe That all that God Commands is True and ought to be Obeyed if I do not certainly know the things I believe as Truth do come from him And the Question is Whether certain Knowledge can be had without Immediate Revelation And therefore to this his Question in the following page 30. What was the formal Object of the Faith of the People to whom the Patriarchs and Prophets said Thus saith the LORD I answer The Inward Testimony of the Spirit in their Heart assuring them That the things spoken were from the Lord and not the Divinations of the Mens Brains that spake them and therefore inclining their Hearts to receive and acknowledge these things as the Commands of God unto them Since as J. B. Confesseth They were not to believe them because spoken by those Men but because of the Authority of God It must be that which wrought this Perswasion and Assurance in them was the formal Object of their Faith as the things spoken were the Material Even as the Light serves by way of formal Object to make us see what is proposed unto us ¶ 8. Pag. 31 and 32. he acknowledgeth That Divine and Inward Revelations need not be tried by the Scripture as a more Noble Rule by him who hath such a Revelation but by those to whom he delivers it And then giveth the Instance of the Beraeans being Commended To which I shall willingly Assent judging no Man that delivers or declares a Revelation to another ought to be offended that he Try it by the Scripture which no true Revelation can Contradict The Spirit of God in the Heart to try Revelations by is a more noble Rule than the Scriptures But that such may not also Try it by the Testimony of the Spirit of God in their Hearts I cannot deny and that it is the More Noble Rule as being most Vniversal Since some Divine Revelations such as Prophecies of Contingent Truths or things to come cannot be Tried by the Scriptures as was that of George Wishart concerning the Cardinal's Death For had another taken upon him at that time to Prophesy the quite Contrary I would willingly be informed by what Scripture it could be deduced or known that the one was false or the other true yet who will be so absurd as to deny but that it could by the Immediate Testimony of the Spirit As for his Proof That the Scripture is the most certain Rule taken from those Words 2 Pet. 1.19 20. We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy c. It is but a begging of the Question in supposing that Peter by this understood the Scripture and indeed is most Ridiculous to Affirm For since the Apostle reckons this Word more sure than the Voice they heard with their outward Ears J. B. pleads the Scriptures to be the more sure Word of Prophecy and the Vision they saw with their outward Eyes it were absurd to affirm that the Description or Narration of a thing were more sure than the Immediate Seeing and Hearing it Can any Description I may receive of J. B. however True give me so certain a Knowledge of him as if I saw him and spake with him Yet without any absurdity it may be said That the Inward Word or Testimony of the Spirit in the Heart is more sure in things Spiritual than any thing that is objected to or conveyed by the outward Senses as that Vision was of which the Apostle there speaks since the Inward and Spiritual Senses are the most proper and adequate Means of conveying Spiritual Things to the Soul by which the Saints after they have laid down this Body and have no more the Use of the Outward Senses which are seated in it do most surely enjoy the Blessed Vision of God and Fellowship both with him and one another As for that of Isa. 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony c. and that of Joh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures c. mentioned here by him I shall have occasion to speak of them hereafter It 's true We are not to believe every Spirit but it will not thence follow that the Scripture is a more sure Rule than the Spirit for such a Trial. Pag. 35. he thinks My saying That the Divine Revelation moveth the Vnderstanding well disposed Confirmeth what he saith and spoieth all my Purpose because then Every Revelation pretending to be Divine is not to be submitted to But where did ever I say so What he talks further of this Well-disposed Intellect pag. 36. I spake to in my Answer to
principally than to us to be a Railing and Roving and a Contradicting what I said in the former These But this Cavil often repeated before I did Answer above The like he Judgeth my Arguing there-from That as they were to Try all things by the outward Law so we are to Try all in the First Place by the Word within But here his base Disingenuity appears For he has leftâ—out these Words In the first Place that he might introduce the better the difficulty he fancieth to himself to have brought me to afterwards for by this Argument saith he I prove more than I ought to wit that the Scriptures shall not be so much as a less principal Rule Who will be so foolish as to Conclude that the saying Things ought in the first Place to be tried by the Word within The Scriptures a secondary and subordinate Rule excludes things in the second Place to be Tried by the Scriptures and is not that still to own it as a Secondary and subordinate Rule And so he may see my Feet here are easily Rid and that he held them not so fast as he fancied And as for the other part of his Alternative the Consequence is of the like Nature That what was a Principal Rule then is now only subordinate For albeit I said it was more Principal to them than now to us yet I said not it was the most Principal to them or then more Principal than what came immediately from the Spirit which he Confesseth to have been frequent under the Law yea more frequent than now according to his Principle and my saying so could only Infer that Consequence He Rejects what I urge from the Version of the Septuagint as spurious but for that we must take his Word else want a Proof And then because he cannot come off better according to his Custom he Concludes with a gross Perversion and Falshood saying It is my Opinion that the Law idâ—est the outward Law was given the Jews for a Rule even above the Spirit 's Revelations Which if it be mine as I utterly Renounce it I desire to know where I have Asserted it he might have been at the Pains to mark it but he knew it's like it was not Convenient Scriptures to be searched makes them not the Primary Rule Next he comes to prove that these Words Search the Scriptures c. Joh. 5.39 do Evince The Scriptures to be the Primary and Adequate Rule because if Christ's Doctrines should be Tried by them much more private Enthusiasms But who denies that Yet he doth not thence prove that the Scriptures are the Primary Rule by which all things must be Tried in the first Place which is the thing in Question Secondly I would ask him Whether the Words Christ spake to the Jews which are Recorded in Scripture were less a Rule to them or less binding and obliging upon them than the Sayings of Moses and the Prophets If he say They were less then he overturns all his own tedious Reasonings by which he labours to prove the Obligation of what Christ and the Apostles delivered p. 84. at the end as well as what Moses and the Prophets without the need of a New Obligation And likewise he must shew us how these Sayings come to be as binding upon us now as Moses and the Prophets or how they acquired greater Authority after Christ spake them than they had then Or why they wanted then that Authority If he say They were binding and obliging to the Jews because spoken by Christ then his Proof falleth to the Ground He is Angry that I say The Words may be interpreted Ye search the Scriptures as well as Search the Scriptures albeit the Greek Word signify the one as well as the other and for Answer very Magisterially tells 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye Search and search ye It is quite Contrary to the very Words of Command Search the Scriptures But the Question is Whether that be the Words and that was what he should have proved But he makes no Bounds of begging the Question telling Tolet and Maldonat say It is so taken by all the Fathers except Cyrill And what then Did I undertake to subscribe to all these Authors Writings He must give me a Reason Why ere I do it And let him deny it if he dare that the Greek Word signifies Ye search the Scriptures as well as Search the Scriptures and if it do before I conclude the one more than the other I must have some better Argument than his bare Affirmation But to finish this he will conclude all by the Words of the Apostle James c. 1. v. 25. where he saith The Apostle calleth the Scriptures the perfect Law of Liberty The Perfect Law of Liberty the Royal Law in the Heart But that doth not prove them to be the Primary Rule Suppose it were granted the Apostle meant the Scriptures which remains yet by him to be proved and is not done by what he citeth Chap. 2.8 by his desiring them to Fulfil the Royal Law according to Scripture Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self which proves it not at all Yea to understand it of the Scriptures were to make the Apostle's Words scarce good Sense as if he had said Fulfil the Scriptures according to the Scriptures whereas it sutes the Place much better that the Apostle meaned They should fulfil the Royal Law in their Hearts which was one with the Scriptures that also command the same thing That the Apostle means the outward Law and not that Written in the Heart Chap. 4. 12. he hath Affirmed but not Proved Next Beroeans commended for searching the Scriptures he comes to the Beroeans being commended for Searching the Scriptures Acts 17.11 But this is the same way answered as the former For if the Beroeans were obliged to believe and receive Paul's Testimony because he preached the Truth to them by Authority from God then their Vsing or his Commending them for using the Scripture will not prove the Scripture to be the Primary Rule yea more a Rule than the Doctrine they Tried by it In the the rest of what he saith in this n. 28. he but fights with his Shadow for I never said They excluded the Law of Nature in affirming the Scripture to be the Rule or did I ever deny but that the Scripture Reveals things which Nature could never have Discovered But the Question is Whether that Truth that Man is the Off-spring of God from which the Apostle argues with the Athenians was discovered to any by meer Nature or by a Divine Principle And this is that he should have proved and therefore yet remains for him to do But to be like himself he concludes this also withh a gross Lie saying I affirm the Scripture to be no more our Rule than the Heathen-Poets which no ways follows from my Words neither hath or can he ever prove it ¶ 9. He thinks The Scriptures not determining of many
Lives is no New-Coin'd Doctrine as those may see that will read Athanasius de Definitionibus and his Third Dialogue de Trinitate and Fourth Oration against the Arians and Cyrillus Alexandrinus in his Treatise upon John lib. 2. and 3. and lib. 8.47 and in his Thesaurus lib. 4. and Others that might be mentioned As for his arguing p. 96 that because I affirm The Seed of God is a Substance therefore according to me the Seed of Sin must be a Substance also which Consequence I deny and therefore what he builds against me upon this Supposition falls to the ground What he saith here and there scattered in these Pages of the Light will in its proper place come more fully to be Considered ¶ 2. Pag. 98. n. 17. after he has saluted me with the Titles of Effronted and Impudent he will have me one with Socinians and Pelagians because I deny Outward Death to be a Consequence of the Fall but where he proves I do so I see not It 's true I say The death threatned Gen. 2.17 was not outward death Adam did not die an outward Death the day he did Eat for Adam did not so die the Day he did eat and I do still believe so neither offereth he me any thing to give me ground to alter my mind but to Conclude thence I deny Outward Death to be a Consequence of the Fall was too hastily Inferred But what if I were Vndetermined in this matter and that it remained a Mystery to me for I believe not the being positive therein Essential to my Salvation which if I were truly what he saith seems not to me sufficient to Proselite me to his Opinion For albeit I willingly Confess with him that Sickness and all the other Miseries attending this Life yea and Death it self considering the Anguishes wherewith it is now generally accompanied are the Consequence of the Fall and of Sin yet I see not how it would thence follow that Adam should not have died seeing Death to him if he had not fall'n would have been freed of all these Miseries and rather a Pleasure than a Pain which has been known to have befall'n many Saints As for his n. 19. he Confesseth the matter of it is left to the next Chapter where I may meet him ¶ 3. Pag. 100. n. 20. He goes on at an high rate of Perverting For after he has said Who would suspect but I mean honestly He applieth to me the saying of Solomon He that hateth dissembleth with his Lips we must not believe him for there are seven Abominations in his heart But why am I with him guilty of this great Charge Because albeit I affirm That Man is wholly degenerate yet I say Whatever good Man doth in his Nature that doth not proceed from him but from the Divine Seed in him Answ. These words are none of mine but a Forgery of his own so incident it is for the Man to lie and pervert And therefore all his vapouring and absurd Inferences drawn from this throughout this Paragraph fall to the ground My words are That the nature by which the Apostle saith the Gentiles did the things Contained in the Law How the Gentiles did the things of the Law cannot be understood of the proper Corrupt Nature of Man but of a Spiritual Nature which proceedeth from the Seed of God as he receiveth a New Visitation of the Divine Love Where it is very plain I consider Man as visited a-new and that in the Strength of that Grace thereby received not of his degenerate Nature he doth that which is good Nor do I any where say as he falsly insinuates That this Spiritual Nature is in all Men though I do say That all Men are visited by God in order to beget this spiritual Nature in them as will after come in its place to be spoken of Now all his battering of this my Assertion in the three following pages depends upon this Supposition That the good Acts done by the Gentiles are not done by vertue of any such Visitation but only by a Light of Corrupt Nature which remained in them after the Fall So that it is but a meer begging of the Question until that be first debated But he thinks he has brought me under a great Dilemma p. 103. urging That since I say All their Imaginations are Evil I must say Every Heathen has this Spiritual Nature in him yea and the Devils must be Partakers of it because they believe there is a God which is a good Thought Answ. The difference between Head-Knowledge and the partaking of the Divine Nature He is too hasty in his Reasonings for that the knowledge a Man may receive from the Divine Seed makes him instantly to partake of the Divine Nature is not proved by him and he knows I believe all Men to be Visited by this Divine Seed which may give them an Head knowledge which they may retain as some Men do the Truth in Vnrighteousness and yet not receive it in the Love of it So though they have it from a Divine Seed yet it will not follow they must necessarily so receive it as to become Partakers of the Divine Nature And as for the Devils he will Confess that once they had this Knowledge from a Spiritual Nature and though they have fall'n yet they may retain the Memory of it for that their Fall and Man's is every way alike he will not Affirm He saith p. 102. That to believe good done by Heathens that is by such as have not the benefit of the outward Knowledge of Christ is done in vertue of a Divine Seed overturns the Gospel but he leaves the Confirmation of it to the Sequel where I shall attend him N. 25. he tells me very fairly The Apostle doth not Contradict himself as if I had ever imagined he did but the question is Whether the Meaning he gives the Apostle's words implies not a Contradiction which indeed he can no ways Reconcile but upon the Supposition above denied And the Reader may judge whether he or I do most fully acknowledge Man's fall and most truly Exalt the Grace of God he that affirmeth That Man notwithstanding the Fall yet retaineth some Reliques of the Image of God yea so that the Law of God which is Holy Just Good and Spiritual is written in his Heart pag. 105. and all this Considered as fall'n Man without receiving any Grace and Benefit from Christ or I J. B's false Assertions that Man retained some Relicks of the Image of God in the Fall who affirm That Man by the Fall was wholly degenerated retaining nothing of the Image of God in whom albeit there remained a Seed of Righteousness yet no other ways than as a Naked Seed in Barren Ground in vertue of which he can do nothing until visited by a New Visitation which he receives by vertue of Christ as Mediator And yet while he ascribeth all this to Vnregenerate Men he saith in a few Lines
being a Theam much debated and Common to us with others I might pass it by with a Reference to those Authors who largely Treat of them yet I will take notice of what he saith in direct Answer to what by me is Affirmed And first as for his Accusation of me as not being positive and punctual enough in setting down my Judgment of the Decrees of Election and Reprobation It is of no weight All do at Times Confess That it is not Safe nor Proper too curiously to Inquire into the Decrees of God though this Man dive into them and be as positive in telling the several Causes of them as if he were upon the Secret Counsel of the Almighty I judge I have said that which is needful and sufficient God calleth every Man to Repentance and Salvation who has not fore-ordained any to be Damned to wit that God calleth Every Man Every where to Repent and be Saved through Faith in Jesus Christ who tasted Death for every Every Man and is given for a Light to inlighten the Gentiles and to be God's Salvation to the Ends of the Earth And therefore that Every Man ought to Apply himself to Repent and Believe and Obey without believing That God has fore-ordained him to be Damned and therefore has with-held from him Grace and Power to do what he finds himself Commanded and Obliged to do Which if it were true as he supposeth it to be of most Men there can be no Reason Why they ought not to believe the Truth If he say they either ought or need not because they know it not Let him remember what Pains he has been at in the former Chapter to prove That Ignorance of a Truth doth not take away the Obligation of believing it So he must either overturn all or be Content this Absurdity stick to his Doctrine As for his saying That the Opposers of it do Arraign God and give a Sign of their Pride and Arrogancy because they cannot Comprehend it with their Corrupt and Blinded Vnderstandings it is but a silly begging of the Question And supposing it to be true thus every Impostor might Intrude upon Sober Christians Wild Absurd and Non-sensical Notions contrary to God's Justice and Mercy and because they would not Accept of them tell them They Arraign God are proud and arrogant and not receiving the Truth because not Comprehended by their Corrupt Vnderstandings Would not this thinks he be wisely Reasoned But pag. 135. n. 3. he thinks I run so furiously against this Doctrine that I run my self blind And why so because I say They Affirm That God did predestinate to Everlasting Damnation the most part of Men without any respect had to their Sin only to demonstrate the Glory of his Justice And upon this he Rants as a ridiculous and false Representation of their Meaning But this Storm is quickly blown away for all his great Noise For their Westminster Confession of Faith saith Ch. 3. expresly Westminster Confession falsly says That some are Ordained by God for Wrath. That GOD ordained such as are not Elected for Dishonour and Wrath to the Praise of his Glorious Justice And the same Confession saith in the same Chapter That nothing future or what was to come even as fore-seen by God was the Cause of God's Decree and this himself also affirms p. 137 138 139. What then is become of all his Boast But if he place it here and say Sin became the Cause so soon as To demonstrate the Glory of his Justice became the End and therefore they say It was for their Sin he so Decreed This may serve for a Rattle to please Fools and Children but not such as are spiritually Wise and look more narrowly unto things since they so manifestly Contradict themselves telling Sin nor any future thing is not the Cause of God's Decree and yet in a few Lines That God Ordained or Decreed Men to Wrath for their Sin to manifest the Glory of his Justice Which is as much as to say God Decreed Men to be Damned without respect to Sin and yet he decreed them to be damned for their Sin How makes he this hang together by Scripture-Proofs Besides all will Confess that the Cause of all God's Decrees is his own Glory which is exerted in his Divine Attributes whereof Justice is one so that this must be a Cause before Sin can have any Place to be a Cause since they deny it has any He tells me p. 136. n. 5. That the Orthodox have written copiously on this Subject and very far above my Reach There was the less need then for him to write so many pages upon it which must be little but a Transcribing out of their Writings unless he think he has written more accurately and copiously than any of them which I judge he will hardly affirm I might easily If I would trouble the Reader with a tedious Discourse also Transcribe an Answer out of those who write Copiously against these his supposed Orthodox but truly Heterodox men but I rather chuse to pass it by not affecting to be Admired for the Bulk of my Writings to come to what he saith directly in Answer to me which is the Business properly in hand ¶ 2. After he has premised what he thinks meet he comes p. 143. n. 12. to take notice of what I say and first wherein I misrepresent them in which he saith he has found no less than twelve Vntruths But how Vntrue this Assertion is shall shortly appear The first is that I say God for perfecting of this that is for bringing his Decree to pass did appoint that these miserable Souls should necessarily sin this he saith is a Mistake But if the Testimonies of Calvin Zanchius Piscator and others cited by me whose Testimonies must have more Weight than his to prove the Calvinists Principle in this do not prove this to be no Mistake Calvinists Principle That God Predestinates Men to Sin and to the Causes of it then I may Conclude that 2 and 3 makes not 5. Calvin saith That God not only predestinated Men to Sin but to the Causes of it which is Sin The Reader may look the other Passage of it in my Apology Several of his other Vntruths p. 144. he builds upon supposing that I Insinuate That they believe the Gospel is once preached to every person That every Reprobate had the Knowledge of Christ and that God had given to every one that heareth the Gospel sufficient Grace to embrace it But truly I was never so Mad as to Insinuate they believed these things for not believing of which I Condemn them Neither will his Pedantism upon the Word subtrahendo make it out since to Withdraw or With hold may be said of things that Man never had without any great Impropriety And yet according to him all Men had a Will and Power to obey God's Law in Adam so his Ordaining Adam should fall was even in that Sense a Withdrawing of what
pages needs no answer but that of Michael to the Devil who is the Author of such Stuff The Lord Rebuke thee This Method of Answering is no less Unreasonable than his Railing for it is either by supposing things not proved by him by concluding things not following from my Assertions or by manifest Perversions all improved by the height of Abuse to render the things that displease him Absurd and Ridiculous Of these I shall take notice in order First He supposeth Nothing to be the Gospel J. B. supposes nothing to be the Gospel save the Outward Preaching save the outward preaching and that there is no Gospel where there is not an outward Administration of it And this he never offers to prove What he saith to Contradict my Asserting the Gospel to be where the outward may not be will after be Examined Upon this his meer Supposition he accounts me Absurd pag. 226. and upon this Supposition he urges all mens not having Grace as not having the Gospel p. 235 236 240. That to preach the Light within is to despise the Gospel p. 244. That according to me the preaching of the Gospel is not necessary to Salvation Another of his Suppositions is That because the Light within is common to all therefore it can be nothing but Nature And upon this false and unproved Ground he Raileth and Enlargeth p. 229. where he calls it the Pelagian Grace of God that is Man's Free-will doubting whether I will say so much as did Pelagius Which is nothing to the purpose neither proveth his Inference which is false as the Scriptures brought by me in my Apology to prove There is a Saving Spiritual Grace given to all do Evince What he saith in Answer to any of them as it occurs will hereafter be considered And yet upon this false Inference he Concludes p. 233. The Height of the Quakers Divinity is but what a Natural Conscience can teach a Man-eater and to the same purpose p. 234. and then battereth against it p. 237. saying Christ in the Saints the Hope of Glory is not brought about by Nature Which I never said and therefore he but fights with his own Shadow as he doth upon the like Occasion pag. 231 232-236-238 241 256. where he saith That Men are not made partakers of the Priviledge of the Saints in their Natural State and the Scripture saith not There is any thing in the Heart of Man by Nature which produceth Christ in the Soul c. which things were never Asserted by me More of his Mistakes of this kind may be seen pag. 257 262 265. where he concludeth The Quakers Religion and Gospel to be nothing but what meer Nature teacheth But it is observable that in that almost one and only Argument which he bringeth to make this Inferrence good albeit much of his Work and Exclamations depends upon it he involves himself in a notable Contradiction For p. 234. n. 7. to prove There is no Vniversal Light or Seed that beareth Witness against all evil Deeds he asketh J. B. denies the Light to bear Witness against Evil in the Cilicians and Messagetians How came it that this Light and Seed did not bear Witness against the Cilicians who lived upon Theft and against the Messagetians who use their Wives in common and against such as used to kill Men and eat them Now these can make nothing for his purpose unless for this Reason that because these People Commonly and Avowedly did these things therefore they had no Light that Reproved them for them otherwise their doing of them will not Import the Light did not bear Witness against their so doing more than Men under the Presbyterian Ministry committing Adultery and Murder will import there was no Witness born against these Sins by the Presbyterian Preachers But he has overthrown this his Reason himself by affirming p. 232. and 235. J. B. overthrows his former Reason asserting the Law of Nature in every Man That there is a Natural Conscience or the Law of Nature left in every Man as God's Deputy informing of some good and testifying against some Evils of which elsewhere he particularizeth Murder and Adultery and yet here he saith It is observed there is hardly one point of the Law of Nature which some Nation hath not Violated not only by their Customs but by their very Laws If then their thus violating the Law of Nature do not prove they had not the Law of Nature or were not Reproved by it which he himself has Confessed all had then neither will their doing those things prove they had no Divine Light nor Seed or were not thereby Reproved for if it prove they had not that it will as much prove they had no Natural Conscience no Law of Nature which yet he confesseth is in Every Man ¶ 4. In this Chapter also he would Insinuate and Infer to render that which he writes against Odious That the asserting of an Universal Gospel by which Salvation may be possible to such as want outward Preaching renders outward Preaching needless but this Cavil used often before by him is already Answered in the 3 and 4 Sections and therefore what he repeats of this again here p. 229.236.245 needs no further Answer And whereas he asks upon this Occasion p. 244. The History of the Gospel is necessary How can the believing of the History of the Gospel be necessary as I say it is to such as hear it if they may be saved without it Because God Commands every one to believe these Truths to whom he bringeth the Knowledge of them albeit not them to whom he hath rendred it Impossible Has he forgotten their own Distinction of some things being necessary Necessitate praecepti that are not so Necessitate medii Neither do I intend by this Belief which the proposing of the outward Knowledge requires a Belief meerly Historical Necessitas Praecepti Medii as he malitiously would Insinuate I shall now take notice of his gross Perversions and Calumnies which as he advances I observe grow thicker and are in this Chapter very Numerous As first from my saying That we understand by the Light or Seed a Spiritual and Heavenly Principle in which GOD as he is the Father the Son and the Spirit dwelleth from this he infers p. 231. It may be he doth not acknowledge a Trinity c. But if there be any ground for such an Inference from these words of mine I leave it to all Rational men to Judge Pag. 255. Because I say It is Christ's Flesh and Blood which came down from Heaven he asks If Christ had no other Flesh and Blood and then as if I had answered He had not he Concludes Us Deniers of the Incarnation of Christ asking Whether the Death of Christ his Resurrection and Ascension and all the History of his Life be but Dreams and Lies Which Malitious Insinuation and Perversion is returned upon him as false and groundless And whereas he
are the Laws useless if Men obey them This saith he takes away the Exercise of Repentance the Exercise of Prayer and maketh the Petitions of the Lord's Prayer useless forgive us our Sins On this he also insisteth pag. 345 346.349 That because all have sinned they have need to Repent and pray for Forgiveness and the Continuance of it I have shewen in my Apology But if this his Argument hold true to prove That Men must sin all their Life time and break the Commands every day in Thought Word and Deed then the greatest Sinners and most Wicked profligate Villains do less make useless Gospel-Commands than others because they afford more Matter to Exercise Repentance and Prayer for Forgiveness of Sins J. B. believes Perfection foments Pride ◠and taketh away the Vsefulness of Ordinances But he proceedeth That this tendeth to foment Pride and Security and taketh away diligent Watchfulness and holy Fear Humility and the Vsefulness of the Ordinances of Christ But where dom from Sin is where can Pride and Security have place or Diligence and Humility be wanting But with him to sin is the way not to be proud and secure but to be watchful and humble Let the Judicious Reader judge whether they that break the Commands daily in Thought Word and Deed and affirm they must do so all their Life-time be more diligent and humble and less proud and secure than such as keep and obey them for such Ordinances as must be made useful by daily breaking God's Commands in Thought Word and Deed I resolve never to Cry up but always Cry down by the Grace of God however J. B. may Rail at me for it Some Scriptures here added by him will come herereafter to be Examined ¶ 2. Pag. 332. N. 9. When he comes to take notice of my stating this Matter as not being such a Perfection as cannot admit of a daily Increase but only a being kept from Sin and receiving Strength to fulfil the Will of God for these are my words he would upon this both in this Place and elsewhere pag. 333 341. c. urge this Absurdity That since the least Sin is a Transgression of the Law it follows that no Regenerated Man can sin and that no Man that sinneth is Regenerated But we will not wonder at his Inference here considering his many other Perversions But to shew he has no ground to urge this Absurdity let it be Considered Regeneration begun carrying on and perfected that we are to consider Regeneration as begun and carrying on and as perfected and accomplished he which hath begun a good Work in you saith the Apostle Paul Phil. 1.6 And again Ye did run well Gal. 5.7 with many other Places which might be mentioned Whereby it is clear That Regeneration is not wrought in an Instant and if he think so he must prove it ere he conclude any thing from it and those were already Converted and Regeneration begun in them Now albeit such may Sin and that every Sin doth Hinder and Impe the Work of Regeneration yet it doth not Destroy it nor wholly Annihilate it Physick given to a Man Physick doth not Cure in an instant in whom there is an Inward and Inveterate Disease doth not Cure Instantly and albeit by some heedless Actions he may hinder the Cure from being perefected so soon yet every one of these Actions do not render it altogether Vnsuccessful Also as to the Comparison of a Child which he accepts of A Child has not the Strength of a Man So those that are born of God albeit he have all the Integral Parts of a Man yet he has not that Vigour and Strength of Body nor yet that Vnderstanding nor Exercise of Mind that a Man hath and thence can neither defend himself nor do either in Body or Mind that a Man can do Now what I speak of such as are born of God saying That I dare not affirm but there may be some that cannot sin I understand this of Absolute Compleat and Full Regeneration Not that I deny but such as are Entred and in part Regenerated may be also said to be born of God though not in that absolute Sense and therefore still under the possibility of sinning and Capacity thereunto And thus his great Absurdity upon which he Insists so much is removed Next he proceeds p. 334. to shew my Agreement with the Pelagians but the very Citation he brings to prove it out of Vossius History bewrays his Weakness and shews the Contrary where it is manifest that the thing Condemned in Pelagius was his affirming Men might keep the Commands by the Power of Nature which I never said but always denied The Fathers believed a Freedom from Sin And whereas he cites the Fathers Saying That none by the Strength of Grace did live all their Days without sin That the perfection ascribed to some in Scripture was not from Nature but from Grace c. This clearly shews they believed Men might be free from Sin by Grace sometime though none had been so far all their Life-time Which shews they were far from believing Man must break the Commands daily in Thought Word and Deed Which is his Affirmation What he adds of the Fathers Arguments against the Pelagians and of the Opinions of the Socinians and others in this Matter I judge it not my Work to meddle with it I heed not in this what these Sects say but believe the Truth without respect to them as it is clearly proposed in Scripture I could easily Recriminate by shewing things wherein he Agrees with Papists Socinians Arminians Antinomians Pelagians Anabaptists and others against us if I judged it pertinent to be filling up Paper with such Stuff to make a Noise as he doth hundreds of Times to nauseating but I love to abstain from such Superfluities and come to the purpose And will now Consider What he saith in Answer to my Arguments ¶ 3. He begins pag. 337. n. 18. and to my saying Their Doctrine is against the Wisdom of God who is of purer Eyes than he can behold Iniquity he asketh Is it against these Attributes of God that Sin should be in the World But my following words shew I spake of the Godly neither will it follow what he adds after That then they must be as free of Sin here as in Heaven and that at first for I urge it to be Contrary to God's Wisdom to make this Freedom Impossible unto them only Means for their being free being given them and not his permitting Sin And whereas he proceeds in Answer to my saying That if Man be always joined to Sin he should be always disjoined from God according to Isaiah 59.2 whereas on the contrary they to wit the Saints are said to be Partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 and one Spirit with him 1 Cor. 6.17 he answers All this would plead for a Sinlesness from the very first Instant of Regeneration In the absolute
understood of true and saving Grace but let him Inform according to Scripture How any Man can come to tast of the Heavenly Gift and of the Powers of the Life to come and be made partaker of the Holy Ghost without true and saving Grace For what he adds to this being built upon the Supposition of Election I refer it to what is abovesaid upon this Subject He Concludes Vossius's Testimony to be false in saying That this was the Common Opinion of the Ancients But if so little Credit be to be given him he did not well that made so much use of him to prove what was Pelagius's Doctrine as he has done throughout this Treatise For John Owen's Citations I have neither Accommodation nor Time at present to Examine them it is enough to me that this is Contrary to Scripture though all these he mentions had said so To prove That Men may have a good Conscience and yet want true Faith he bringeth Paul's Words Acts 23. v. 1. where speaking of himself while a Pharisee he saith He lived in all good Conscience before God c. but that will not meet this Case Those 1 Tim. 1.19 who are said to Make shipwrack of a good Conscience are such who believed the true Doctrine of Faith in Christ A Man may live in good Conscience to other Principles while Ignorant of the true Faith in Christ. as himself before acknowledgeth Now albeit a Man may be said to live in good Conscience to other Principles while Ignorant of this yet he should prove How a Man can be said to have a good Conscience with respect to the true Faith of Christ held by him and yet without saving or true Grace With Railing he tells me pag. 358. N. 18. that Phil. 1.6 and 1 Pet. 1.5 speak of God's beginning and perfecting the Condition And what then yet God doth not this against our Wills it is with a respect to our performing the Conditions on our part which yet we cannot do without him Then he goes about to prove That Paul could not fall in answer to my saying from 1 Cor. 9.27 That Paul supposeth a possibility that he might become a Reprobate But if the Reader Consider how I bring that in my Apology he will find he had no reason for this Cavil for I alledged it only to Reprove those that are too too secure shewing where Sin was there was always a Ground of Jealousy Since the Apostle did reckon it needful to keep under his Body to subdue Sin that he might not become a Reprobate Which since the Apostle did but upon this Supposition if he did not keep under his Body suppose possible others had no Reason to presume SECT XI Wherein his Sixteenth Chapter Of the Church his Seventeenth Of the Ministerial Call his Eighteen Nineteen and Twenty First Of their Qualifications Office and Maintenance and his Twentieth Of Womens Preaching is considered ¶ 1. HIs Chapter of the Church is soon dispatched for it contains scarce any thing but Perversions and Railing For after he has given a large Citation out of their Confession of Faith and then added some Enlargements of his own and some little nibbling Cavils to what I say of No Salvation being without the Church pag 361. he goes on with his old reiterated Calumny That I suppose Men may be made Members of the Catholick Church by the Light of Nature which is utterly false And upon this false Supposition is built his N. 5. pag. 362. as also what he saith pag. 364. But N. 4. he screws this to a greater Pitch of Falshood affirming J. B.'s gross Calumny That our Faith and Principles are only taught by the Light of Nature That what I say of a Particular Church gathered together in the Faith of the true Principles and Doctrines of Christ by the Spirit of God and Testimony of some of his Ministers is that these are Persons only taught by the Light of Nature and by such Ministers as preach nothing of the Gospel Against a Man thus desperately resolved and determined to Lie and Calumniate there can be no Guard bu sure all sober Readers will abhor such Dealing What I speak of a Church in this Respect is only of such as have the Advantage of the outward Knowledge of Christ as my Words afterwards shew where I say Such were the Churches gathered by the Apostles of which the Scripture makes mention And therefore what he Objects That cannot be done by Pagans is wholly Impertinent and doth but verify the grosness of his Calumny which he endeavours to inculcate as a Truth to his Reader pag. 363. as if what I say further of the things requisite to be a Member of this Particular Church were a third Sort and not a more particular Description of the former Which the Reader may easily observe by looking to the Place to be a meer Fetch of his to afford himself some matter of Cavil Which imagining he has got he fills up the Paragraph with gross Lies and Railing saying That the Quakers believe not the Holy Truths set down in the Scriptures because they oppose and contradict them J. B.'s further Lies against us of the Scriptures of Christ and our Faith That they believe not in nor make Profâ—ssion of Jesus Christ Revealed in the New Testament because they oppose him and all his Institutions That Faith according to them is not wrought by the Spirit of God but that Nature can sweetly and naturally Incline yea Compel thereunto All which are Gross Calumnies And then he concludeth saying And thus we have Run round and are again where we began which is very true for he began with Calumnies and having run round the same way his Work Resolves in them Pag. 364. He affirmeth Men may be Members of the visible Church and consequently ought to be reputed such who are ungodly and without holiness and offereth to make it good if I will form a Dispute upon it but I leave him as to this to Dispute with his Learned Dr. Owen whose Works he has Applauded in this Treatise and whom his Postscript-Brother R. M. has in his Preface to this J. B.'s Book highly Commended as a Gracious Man As for his Silly Argument that from the Apostle's saying Act. 2.39 The Promise is unto you and to your Children and 1 Cor. 7.14 it follows Men become Members of the Church by Birth I leave him to debate it with his great Author Thomas Hicks who will tell him if he be Consonant to his own Principles it is a Babylonish Invention But J. B. hath here unawares Contradicted himself for if these Scriptures prove Men become Members of the Church by Birth then the Sprinkling them with Water sometime after they are born or their Baby-Baptism J. B. shuts out their Baby-Baptism from making them Church-Members is not necessary to make them Members of the Church and they are to be accounted such without it He saith I am mistaken when I say
Durham as he calls him and giving the Example of Judas J B.'s Gospel-Ministers Call and Qualification may agree to the Devil himself whom yet they will not turn away from of which hereafter However we see according to him That not only one who wanteth Holiness but even a Devil may and ought to be esteemed heard and obeyed as a Minister of Christ and that all they judge needful in the Call and Qualification of a Gospel-Minister may agree to the Devil himself nor can they be sure but their Ministers may be all Devils for ought they know It is false that he addeth in this page 370. That I agree with Socinians and Arminians in affirming That whoever understands the Truth of the Gospel and are able to instruct others may and have Right to Teach This I no-where affirmed and do wholly deny whatever Knowledge or Ability a Man have to Instruct by reason of his Gifts either natural or acquired that he ought to take upon him to Teach without being particularly Called thereunto and therefore the Scriptures he brings against such as say so are not to the purpose against me To my first Argument he confesseth That it proveth the necessity I speak of to make a Man a real upright and sincere Minister before God but that any that are not real and upright are to be esteemed Ministers at all or heard as such I deny and remains for him to prove Why are we so often forbidden to hear false Teachers And that this is not only with respect to Teaching false Doctrine the Apostle shews 2 Tim. 3. v. 5. where he exhorts to Turn away from such as have the form of Godliness only which cannot consist with false Doctrine To my Second Argument mentioned pag. 372 he Confesseth what he saith further in that Paragraph is above answered To my Argument shewing That if the Inward Testimony of the Spirit be not thought needful the Gospel-Ministry should be postponed to the Legal he most ridiculously answers Then the Jews needed to doubt of the Priests and Levites whereas my Argument was If they were certain and we should be uncertain it would make the Evangelical worse than the Legal and therefore to this he returneth nothing further but Railing Pag. 373. n. 10. he asketh How I will prove That all such as want the Call of the Spirit come not in by the door but are Thieves and Robbers affirming Here a Man may come in the Way appointed by Christ though they want this whereas before pag. 369. and in the end of this page he affirms the Necessity of an Inward Call saying They must have an Inward Call I run not out as he alledgeth upon a Mistake in saying The Succession of the Church is objected against this Doctrine albeit J. B. and his We may not do so since I write to others than he will perhaps include in his We. He bestoweth his n. 12. pag. 374. in Railing and referring to what is formerly said by him pag. 375. n. 13. To my Answer to that Objection That who pretend to an Immediate Call should prove it by Miracles shewing It was the same Objected by Papists against the Primitive Protestants he in a frothy manner desires me to take it thus and it will be too hot for my Fingers That they J. B. pleads for Miracles c. to evidence a Call who had Immediate Calls from God were able to give evidence of the same by Miracles or some other evident Testimony of the Spirit which to contradict had been Iniquity and utterly Vnreasonable I grant the whole and therefore desire him to shew me and prove it What way the first Reformers did thus evidence their Call which is not done by those called Quakers But his Probation must be somewhat solider than the Railing with which he filleth up the rest of this Paragraph Pag. 376. n. 14. as it should be marked he argueth against my saying That such as receive and believe the Call of true Ministers verify it and become the Signs of their Apostleship 2 Cor. 13.3 albeit this was the very Answer given by Beza to Claudius Espenseus at the Conference of Poissy by Papists against Protestants and let him urge this if he can any way against us which may not be as well urged by Protestants against Papists and if he cannot he doth but work for his great Father the Pope to whom to their great Shame the Protestant Clergy begin to Recur to Justify their Calling Having ended this Paragraph with Railing he begins the next with a silly groundless Perversion and Inference The Inward Life is their true Call and Title viz. That because I say that this to wit the Inward Life and Vertue which is in true Ministers is that which giveth to the Minister the true and substantial Call and Title it follows That the Extraordinary Call was no true and substantial Title As if any Extraordinary Call wanted this Life and Vertue and that albeit it prove an Evidence to such as receive them yet some may have it who are Rejected of Rebellious Men. To prove the necessity of Laying on of Hands he asketh Why then were Hands laid upon Paul and Barnabas Act. 13.3 citing other places Answ. Because there was then a Spiritual Vertue Communicated by that Action which they ascribe not to theirs yea the places cited by him prove it as Mark 16.18 Luk. 13.13 where the Laying on of hands is said to Cure the Sick I said not The Apostles and their laying on of Hands do differ from J. B.'s c. that the laying-on of hands always was the giving of the Holy Ghost it is enough if it was a Communicating of some spiritual Vertue which by their own Confession theirs is not Af◠he has ended this Paragraph with Railing he ends this Chapter with observing the Infallibility pleaded for in Ministers by some Quakers but if he judgeth them to Err in this he should have applied himself to them answering the Arguments by which they vindicate what they say in that matter ¶ 3. I come now to his Eighteenth Chapter of Ministerial Qualifications Where after he has begun and repeated some Words of mine The Grace of God doth Qualify the Minister or Preacher he will have the Grace of God to respect not the esse or being but bene esse or well-being of a Minister albeit elswhere he would be mincing this and eating it up yet it appears to be his Belief To prove which he asketh pag. 380. What I think of Balaam who is called a Prophet not a false Prophet But he hath not proved That no more is Required in a Gospel-Minister than in a Prophet meerly to fore-tell things to come God's speaking to him urgeth nothing For God spake also to Cain as himself confesseth Chap. 3. yet it will not follow that Cain had all the Qualifications requisite to a Gospel-Minister To my answer of Judas that they had not proved he wanted Grace when
Called he Refers to what is written of the Possibility of falling from Grace To which also I Refer it And in this also resolveth what he saith pag. 380. N. 4. In his very first Paragraph he has his Old Calumny That all the Power Vertue and Life of the Spirit according to me is not to be understood of what is imported by these Words in Scripture And this he insinuateth again pag. 379 380 384. But as this is false so what is built upon it falls to the Ground Because I deny the absolute Necessity of Humane Learning to the Ministry therefore he insinuates as if I thought it utterly Vseless pag. 379. which is false And so what he saith p. 382 The Sciences may be of Vse but make no Gospel-Teacher 383 384. to prove the Vsefulness of Natural Sciences is to no purpose against me who deny not their Vsefulness among Men nor yet say when well Improved they are Vseless to a Minister or that such things may not be Improved by a Minister when acted by the Spirit so to do as Paul did the saying of the Heathen-Poet The thing then I only deny is That they are absolutely needful Qualifications to a Minister What he mentions to be said by Calvin of the Philosophy spoken of by Paul Col. 2.8 I can very well agree to without Prejudice to any thing said by me I do not say as he falsly affirms p. 383. That Learning and Grace are contradictory And whereas he saith He is far from saying that Learning is more necessary than Grace he doth but Cheat his Reader and Contradict himself and his Learned Mr. Durham who makes Grace only needful to the well-being but Learning to the being of a Minister And their Admitting of Ministers shews this for they will Admit none till they be sure he has Learning But many whom they are not sure have Grace yea upon the Supposition they want Grace yet they think they ought to be held and reputed by the People as true and lawful Ministers And whereas he insinuateth pag. 383. that I bring in a Fable which he saith I have ready at Hand if he dare Charge me in this with the Asserting of a Falshood in Matter of Fact I will give Evidence for Proof the Persons being yet alive But until he do that Without Grace none can be a Member of Christ's Body which is the Church my knowing the thing to be True gives me ground enough to Assert it To my Argument shewing That without Grace a Man cannot be a Member of Christ's Body which is the Church far less a Minister in stead of Answer after he has accused me as not understanding the Difference betwixt the Visible and Invisible Church he tells Christ is an Head to both Which I deny not That I apply Eph. 4.7.11.16 1 Cor. 12. solely to the Invisible Church so as to exclude the Visible is his Mistake not my Ignorance Then he goeth about to shew the Difference betwixt Gift and Grace but that any had the Gifts there mentioned who were altogether void of Grace remains for him to prove Besides what is mentioned he is not sparing of his Calumnies in this Chapter as where he saith pag. 382. That I deny that about the Time of Reformation there was a Christian World which is false in respect of Profession in which Sense I only here understood it And pag. 385. albeit he find me calling the Heresy of Arius horrid yet upon the Trust of his Author Mr. Clapham he affirmeth The Quakers to be in this Erroneous But sure I have better Reason to be acquainted with the Quakers Doctrines than any of his lying Authors Another of his Calumnies is pag. 386. That we lay aside all Means in coming to the Saving Knowledge of God's Name And albeit his Railing in this Chapter be thick enough that the Reader may easily observe it yet for his more particular Direction let him observe 380 381-385 386. And whereas pag. 386. N. 11. he enumerateth several Particulars wherein he affirmeth We agree with Papists he may find them Refuted and Answered in G. K.'s Book called Quakerism no Popery And in the last two Sections of that Book written by me he may find himself and his Brethren proved far more guilty of that Crime than we which because the Professor John Menzies If Number and Increase bespeak Delusion J. B.'s surpasseth Ours and leaves him in Confusion against whom it is written found not yet Time to Answer he as having more leisure may assume that Province If the Increase of our Number be as he saith a Clear Verification of 2 Thess. 2.9 10 11 12. That we are of the Deluded ones there spoken of then it must be a Clearer Verification of it as to them that they are of that Deluded Company since they are more Numerous than we and also Increased more suddenly As for his Exhortations and Wishes in the end because I will be so Charitable as to suppose they come from some Measure of Sincerity I do not wholly Reject them only I must tell him that nothing has more Conduced of an External Mean to Confirm me in the Belief of the Verity of the Principles I hold than his Treatise because of the many gross Calumnies manifest Perversions J. B's gross Calumnies Perversions and Railing Truth needed no such Way and Method of Defence and furious Railing in it since I know the Truth needed no such Method to defend it and I can not believe one in the Truth would use it since Lying is contrary to the Truth Therefore if he will lay aside all this Falshood and Passion he may have a more sure Ground of hope to see the Truth manifested to the dispelling of Error ¶ 4. He beginneth his Nineteenth Chapter of the Ministerial Office with supposing That their Order is according to Scripture and that what we plead for is quite contrary And so ushereth himself into a Rant of Railing with which he concludeth this Paragraph saying That the Evil Spirit that acteth us is such an Enemy to all Gospel Order that it cryeth up only Paganish and Devilish Confusion More of this kind the Reader may observe pag. 388 389 391 392-394 His Calumnies and Perversions are also very frequent in this Chapter as pag. 387. where he saith We cast away all Order and in stead thereof bring in the Confusion of Babel and pag. 388. because we are not for the Shadow without the Substance therefore he saith We make a Repugnancy betwixt them which is also false And again in the same page N. 4. because I say It was never the Mind of Christ to establish the Shadow of Officers without the Power and Efficacy of the Spirit therefore he concludes That the Quakers think that Men can establish the Spirit Which silly Perversion will easily be manifest to every intelligent Reader And after the like manner pag. 389. N. 5. because I say That upon setting up meer Shadows where the
thee this will at what Time thou shalt appoint Receive from thee and Transmit to me thy Letter that at last the Truth may appear where it is And that the whole matter may the more clearly be understood it will be fit in the first Place To propose thy Argument whereby thou Opposest the Immediate Revelation of GOD in the Saints thence concluding thou hast fully overturned the Foundation of the People called Quakers Which Argument of thine is H. P's Objection against Immediate Revelation stated by way of Argument That since as thou Judgest the Being and Substance of the Christian Religion consisteth in the Knowledge of and Faith concerning the Birth Life Death Resurrection and Ascension of Christ Jesus thou considerest the Substance of the Christian Religion as a Contingent Truth which Contingent Truth is matter of Fact Whence thou reasonest That Matter of Fact cannot be known but by the Relation of another or by the perception of the outward Senses because there are naturally in our Souls no Idea's of Contingent Truths such as are concerning Necessary Truths To wit That GOD is and that the Whole is greater than the Part. And since it may without absurdity be said That GOD cannot make a Contingent Truth to become a Necessary Truth neither can GOD reveal Contingent Truths or Matters of Fact but as Contingent Truths are Revealed But Matters of Fact are not revealed but by the outward Senses From whence thou Concludest That Men are not even obliged to believe GOD producing any Revelation in the Soul concerning Matter of Fact whether of a thing done or to be done unless there be added some Miracles obvious to the outward senses by which the Soul may be Ascertained that that Revelation cometh from G0D And this thou endeavourest also to prove from the Scripture The Proofs of the Argument Rom. 10. where the Apostle saith Faith cometh by Hearing And because the Apostle speaketh afterwards of those who were sent in the Plural Number thence thou concludest That to be spoken of outward Preaching by the Ministry of Men And since the Apostle uses a Question saying How shall they believe unless they hear Thou gatherest from the Induction and Connexion of the Text that the Apostle treats only of outward Hearing thence Concluding That without outward Hearing Faith cannot be produced And therefore that there can be no Immediate Revelation by the simple operation of the Spirit in the Mind unless there be somewhat proposed to the Outward Senses Before I proceed to a direct Answer to this Argument some things are necessary to be premised First then That is falsly supposed The Christian Religion consists not in the Historical Knowledg of Christ. That the Essence of the Christian Religion consists in the Historical Faith and Knowledge of the Birth Death Life Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. That Faith and Historical Knowledge is indeed a part of the Christian Religion but not such an Essential Part as that without which the Christian Religion cannot consist but an Integral Part which goes to the Compleating of the Christian Religion as the Hands or Feet of a Man are Integral Parts of a Man without which nevertheless a Man may exist but not an Intire and Compleat Man Secondly The Historical Knowledg of Christ is not commonly manifested to us but by the Holy Scripture If by Immediate Revelation be understood such a Revelation of GOD as begets in our Souls an Historical Faith and Knowledge of the Birth of Christ in the Flesh without the Means of the Holy Scripture we do not contend for such a Revelation as commonly given or to be expected by us or any other Christians For albeit many other Evangelical Truths be manifested to us by the Immediate Manifestation of God not using the Scripture as the Means yet the Historical Knowledge of Christ is not commonly manifested to us nor to any others but by the Holy Scripture as the Means and that by way of a Material Object Even as when we see the Person of Peter or Paul to our visive Faculty Immediately yet not without the Medium of that Person concurring as a Material Object to produce that Sight while the Light of the Sun concurs as the formal Object of that Vision or Sight So that when we Livingly and Spiritually know the History of the Birth of Christ in the Flesh the Inward Revelation or Illumination of GOD which is like the Sun 's Light proceeding from the Divine Sun doth shine into the Eye of the Mind and by Its Influence moves the Mind to Assent unto the Historical Truth of CHRIST's Birth Life c. in the Reading or Hearing the Scripture or Meditating therein Thirdly * God can manifest the Historical Truth of Christ to our Minds without the Scripture Nevertheless we do firmly Assert That GOD can most easily clearly and certainly manifest to our Minds the Historical Truths of CHRIST's Birth c. when it so pleaseth Him even without the Scripture or any other outward Mean And because this Argument seems to be formed against the possibility of such a Revelation therefore I shall proceed to discuss it But first thou may'st mind that the Prophets who foretold CHRIST's Coming in the Flesh and being to be born of a Virgin and afterwards to suffer Death did know these Truths of Fact by the Inward Inspiration of GOD without Outward Means For which see 1 Pet. 1.10 11. Now that which hath been may be Fourthly This Argument doth at most Conclude that we cannot know Naturally any Truth of Fact A Contingent Truth may be known by a Supernatural Knowledge but by the Relation of another without us or by the perception of the outward Senses because there are naturally in our Minds no Idea's concerning Contingent Truths and every Truth of Fact is a Contingent Truth as there are of necessary Truths This then proveth that we cannot naturally know any Contingent Truth but by the Relation of another or perception of the outward Senses But that hindereth not but we may know a Contingent Truth by a Supernatural Knowledge GOD supplying the place of an outward Relator who is so true that he may and ought to be believed sith GOD is the Fountain of Truth The Form of Revelation is the voice of God inwardly speaking to the Mind of Man Fifthly When GOD doth make known unto Men any Matter of Fact by Divine Immediate Revelation or Inspiration GOD speaking as to the Ear of the Heart of the Inward Man or as by his Finger writing it therein two things are to be considered in such an Immediate Revelation 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Materiale The Matter of Fact or thing Revealed which is Contingent 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formale The Form or Mode how the Revelation is made which Form is an Inward Divine and Supernatural Revelation which is the Voice or Speech of GOD inwardly speaking to the Ear of the Inward Man or Mind of Man
is not by the Outward Senses according to the following verse for the Apostle saith The Spiritual Man Judgeth all things This then must be done by some Senses or properties Peculiar to the Spiritual Man and in which he excells the Natural man which is not in the outward Senses as all do know Therefore the Perception of Spiritual things cannot be by the outward Senses either as the chief or only Means as is falsly contended for Now as to these words of the Apostle Rom. 10. That Faith comes by Hearing Zuinglius observed well That the Apostle intended not to affirm Faith to come by the hearing of the Outward word Whether Faith comes by the Outward Hearing Neither do the following words prove it How shall they Believe unless they hear And how shall they hear without a Preacher And how shall they Preach unless they be sent For the Apostle uses these words not as his Arguments but as Objections which might be formed as the same Apostle uses in other places To which Objections he answers in the same Chapter as appears verse 18. But I say have they not all heard Yes truly their Voice went into all the Earth That is of the Father and Son Or the Father in the Word which Word is not only neer us but according to the same Apostle in the same Chapter in our Mouths and in our Hearts But further thou canst conclude nothing from this but that Faith is begotten by Outward Hearing only and no otherwise For this is the strength of thy Argument That since Faith cannot be without Outward Hearing Therefore nothing can certainly be believed but where somewhat is proposed to the Outward Hearing For if thou acknowledge Faith can be begotten any otherwise than by Hearing thou loosest the Strength of thy Argument And if that Argument hold That Faith comes only by Outward Hearing thou destroyest the whole Hypothesis For having before affirmed That outward Miracles are sufficient to render one certain of the Truth of any Revelation those Miracles whether it be the Healing of the Sick or the Raising of the Dead would avail nothing because those as for most part all Miracles are obvious to the Sight not to the Hearing And if it be not by Outward Hearing only thou canst conclude nothing from this place But I the more wonder thy using of this Argument considering the Discourse we had together before we entred upon this Debate A certain Person placing the Certainty of every thing in the Outward Senses For when we were speaking of the Opinions of a certain Person who denied the Certainty of every thing but what was discerned by the outward Senses thou condemnedst as most Absurd But Why I cannot conceive since there is no great difference betwixt those two Opinions The one saith There can be no certainty concerning any Truth whether they be Necessary or Contingent but by the perception of the Senses The other affirms the same of Contingent Truths though not of Necessary Truths But among the number of Contingent Truths thou Esteemest what belongs to Christian Religion for thou reckons the Necessary Truths only to belong to natural Religion This then is all the difference that that other Person says There is no Certainty of any Religion neither Natural nor Christian but by the perception of the Outward Senses But thou say'st though thou Esteems the Certainty of Natural Religion to be without them yet not of the Christian Religion But again since thou Esteemest that not Natural Religion but the Christian Religion is necessary to Salvation Thou must necessarily conclude That those Truths which are necessary to Salvation rre only known and believed by the benefit of the Outward Senses In which Conclusion which is the Sum of all thou yeilds the Matter to that other Person But lastly If all the Certainty of our Faith Hope and Salvation did depend upon the Infallibility of Outward Senses Outward Senses can be deceived we should be most miserable since these Senses can be easily deceived and by many Outward Casualties and Natural Infirmities whereunto the Godly are no less subject than the Wicked are often vitiated and there are as the Scripture affirms False Miracles which as to the Outward cannot be distinguished from the True of which we cannot Infallibly Judge by the Outward Senses which only discern what is Outward There is a Necessity then to have Recourse to some other Means From all which it does appear how Fallacious and Weak this Argument is But thanks be unto GOD who would not that our Faith should be built upon so uncertain and doubtful a Foundation And whoever hath known True Faith or hath felt the Divine Testimony of GOD's Spirit in his Soul will judge otherwise neither will be moved by such Reasonings I pray GOD therefore to remove these Clouds which darken thy Understanding that thou may'st perceive the Glorious Gospel of CHRIST This is that Saving Word of Grace which I commend thee unto and that GOD may give thee a Heart inclinable to believe and obey the Truth is the desire of The 24th of the Month. called November 1676 Thy Faithful Friend R. BARCLAY This Letter a Year ago at the desire of my Friend R. B. I delivered into the hands of the afore-named Ambassador desiring his Answer in Writing which he then promised but not having as yet done It was seen meet to be Published Roterdam the 28th of March 1678. B. F. R. B's Testimony concerning his Father David Barclay of Vrie in the Kingdom of Scotland Received the Truth in the Year 1666. being the Fifty Sixth Year of his Age about the Seventh Month and Abode in it R. B's Account of the Death of his Father and in Constant Vnity with the Faithful Friends thereof having suffered the Spoiling of his Goods cheerfully and many other Indignities he was formerly unaccustomed to bear and several Tedious Imprisonments after the Sixty Sixth Year of his Age. In the latter End of the seventh Month 1686. being past the Seventy Sixth Year of his Age he took a Fever which continued with him for Two Weeks during which time he signified a Quiet Contented Mind freely Resigned up to the Will of God And gave several Living Testimonies to the Truth and to the Love of God manifest to him in the Revelation thereof And though there be hardly to be found one of a Thousand like to him for Natural Vigor of his Age and that his Fever at times was very strong yet he never was Vnsensible nor did any wrong Expression or Actions proceed from him nor the least Symptom of Discontent or Fretfulness He had been troubled with the Gravel and after his Sickness had very much Pain in Making Water So about Two Days before his Death as those about him were helping him up for that End feeling his Weakness with the Pain in an Agony he said I am gone now And then instantly checking himself added But I shall go to the Lord and