Quakerism the Path-Way to Paganism, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Some remarks upon his Preface to his THESES.
1. BEfore this Author come to set downe his Theses, he premiteth a Preface, wherein (1.) He giveth us the Title & inscription of them. (2.) He sheweth to whom he doth particularly make his address, or to whom he directeth these his Theses, to be considered, or confuted. (3.) He is pleased, to prevent our mistake, to give us a description of himself, their Author. And (4) We have his prologue, or preliminary discourse, to those, unto whom he addresseth himself.
2. I shall not so far preoccupy the judgment of the Reader in the threshold, as to shew & demonstrate, that his Theses, which he stileth Theological, might more fitly & truely be called Ethnical, or, if you will, Diabolical: for upon the review of the whole, after the ensueing examen, this will appeare so manifest, as if written with a sun-beame, to all not blinded with prejudice, & who believe the Word of God, & close with it, as our only Rule of Faith & Practice.
3. His Theses he directeth to all Clerks, or clergymen, or what he will have us understand by Clericis (for thus he loveth to speak, whether Ironically (as he supposeth we call him, & others of his way, Quakers) & out of contempt & disdain, or upon any other account, I leave every man to judg…: But what Clerks are these? To Clerks (sayeth he) of all sorts of the whole Christian world. Whereby it is obvious, that he acknowledgeth a Christian world, in which are Clergy-men of various kindes, & to which he himself, & others whom he here Patronizeth, do not belong; for he speaketh of them all, as belonging to another Profession, than what he & his fraternity hold: and while he thus manifestly excludeth himself & his party from the Christian world, every one may freely judge to what a world he & they must needs belong. It is ominous to stumble thus in the very threshold. But whom doth he meane by these Clericis? The following words will not suffer us to think, that he meaneth all the people of God; nor will the expressions themselves admit that; because these Clerici must be but apart of the Christian world. And if he understand hereby Church-officers, as distinct from Church-members, he joyneth herein with Papists against Protestants, who account the whole Church, & not the Officers thereof only, as do Papists, to be God's Clergy or Heritage, as doth the Apostle Peter, 1 Pet, 5, 3.
4. More especially, in the next place, he directeth them to Doctors, Professors, & Students of Theology: (and this▪ I cannot but think, is spoken indeed ironically; for in his esteem, it is not true Theologie, which is taught by these Doctors & Professours, & learned by these Students:) and that we may know, who these all Doctors &c. are, he addeth, in all the Academies of Europe, whether Popish or Protestant: what his designe hereby is cannot be hid; for who seeth not that he intendeth his Theses as a chartal to provoke them, or any of them all, to a disput; which must needs argue too great an excess of blinde confidence in this Man: and withal, there is a subdolous Insinuation here manifest; for hereby he would make the world believe, that his opinions are equally different from & repugnant to the Popish Abominations, & to the Protestant Truth: which is a shreud presumption, that his ensueing doctrine will not savoure much of Christian candor; seing it is so obvious, & shall be made manifest, ere all be done, that his opinions homologate more with the Popish, than with the Protestant doctrine. And if a provocation to dispute were not here intended, why would he direct his Theses more especially to Professours & Students in Academies, & not equally unto all Christians in common; as charity would require of one, who should intend the common good, that is, the edefication & right information of such, as he supposeth to be out of the way? But I am apt to think, (and it may be every one shall judge me not far mistaken in this) that this confident brag was resolved upon, to the end common people might hear, that such a Quaker had provoked all the learned men of Europe to a disput, & none durst enter the lists to fight with this Goliah: & thence suspect, if not conclude, that the Quakers are the only maintainers & owners of Truth: & their sayings must be all unquestionable & irrefragable Assertions: But the judicious & learned may at the first see, there is little cause to be moved at all this confidence, there being so little said hereby him, which hath not been examined, & condemned both from Scripture & found Reason, by the faithfull asserters of the orthodox truth, writting against the Pelagians, Arminians, Socinians, Enthusiasts, Anabaptists, Papists, & others, to whom alone he is obliged for all that he hath said, whether in his Theses, or in his large Apologie & Vindication, & that before he was borne. So that once to take notice of what he hath here scraped-together out of the writings of the Heterodox, might seem a rejecting of the wise mans counsel, Prov. 26:4. answere not a fool according to his follie, lest thou also be like unto him: But the consideration of the humore of these men will enforce a compliance with what the Spirit of the Lord, in & by the same wise man, sayeth, Vers. 5. answere a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his owne conceit, and the simplicity of some, who are ready to believe every thing, set off with such art and cunning, as these men study, and the pronenesse of many in this generation to a relinquishing of the received Truth, will in some sort necessitate an examination of what this late Disciple, & now Patron, of the Quakers, hath so say, in his owne & in their defence. Notwithstanding that the beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water, & that therefore it were better to leave off his contention before it be medled with; yet, upon the forementioned considerations, & to establish such as, it may be, are staggering, or ready to be shaken; & others, who desire further clearing of, & their own confirmation in the Truth, I shall, through the help of the God of Truth, (howbeit I be none of those, whom he particularly here describeth, as the men he would fainest deal with) adventure to discover what evill apprehend to lye wrapped up in his fifteen Theses, & in his large book entituled an Apologie, written for futher confirmation & explication of his Theses; and that in the language best understood by our countrey men, whom I judge most in hazard by these mens doctrine: leaving such of those, he most particularly bespeaketh in his preface, as shall judge it convenient & to edification, to emit in latine, a discovery of his pernicious, but groundless, errours.
5. He stileth himself a Servant of the Lord God: upon what true account I know not, unless upon the same account, that all the works of creation beare that Title, Psal. 119:9…. which yet, if we consider his work, may be very much questioned, seing he endeavoureth so much (as a Servant of Satan rather) to darken & deface (so far as he can) the glory of that God, whom the works of creation, after their kinde, extol. But if he speak thus, upon a more special account, as some will confidently believe he doth, he must not be offended, if I desire to see his credentials, that it may appear, he taketh not that honour to himself, but is called thereunto, as all are who run not unsent. It is no strange thing for this sort of Fanaticks (a sort of men truly such) & Enthusiasts, to pretend to immediat missions, & to assume this stile to themselves: the history of the Anabaptists in Munster, & in other places of Germany & Helvetia, will not suffer us to forget this: Thomas Muncer stiled himself so in his letters; Melchior Hoffman would needs be called & accounted an Apostle from heaven; and what blasphemous titles David Georg did assume to himself, is sufficiently known. It is obvious enough, what mo…ed the former Fanaticks unto this, & what this man designeth by arrogating to himself this stile: but reason will require, that we try such Impostors before we trust; & that we have clear & manifest evidences of his divine call, who cometh with a new doctrine & a new Gospel▪ Nay, I think, it will be saifest for us to hearken to Paul, saying, Gal. 1:8, 9. But though we, or an Angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel to you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed: as we said before, so say I now againe, if any man preach any other Gospel unto you, than that you have received, let him be accursed. And this ground abiding firm, we need not auxiously enquire after the nature & quality of this mans call; for be he Man or Angel, an Apostle, or any Other Person, the other Gospel or Antigospel, which he preacheth in his Theses & Book, discovereth the cursedness of his Call & Imployment: I wish, we all more minded what our Lord said, Mat. 7:15-20. Beware of false Prophets, &c.
6. Moreover, in his single Theses, he calleth himself, one also of these, who are ironically (as he supposeth) called Quakers, but I finde that he leaveth out this particular in the second edition of his Theses, premitted to his large Apologie, whether as ashamed thereof, or upon whatever other account, I leave to others to judge. I need not descant upon the Name, nor use many words to shew the appositness of its application, or the grounds thereof; seing it is sufficiently known, how, at the beginning of their appearance, they used, while at their meetings, to be strangly affected with Quakings, Shakings, Tremblings, Foamings at the mouth, & other such like Unusual Motions of the body: Others of his perswasion rather owne this title, as disowne it, w…ile they maintaine the thing, & look upon it, as an effect of the same power, that made Moses to quake, shake & tremble; saying that Moses was a Quaker: so Richard Farnworth, in his Returne to the Priests about Beverly (as he stiled his book Pag. 14. as also in his writings against Mr. Stalham, saying, Thou speaks against the power of God, that worketh effectually in his people, as it did in Moses, Habbakuk, David, Paul, & others, &c. Insinuating that as they are all Prophets, immediatly inspired, so they are made to quake the same way that Moses, Habbakuk & the rest were. Nay himself giveth us this account of the matter, in his Apology Pag. 230.231. That from the inward birth, while the darkness striveth to obscure the light & breaketh through the darkness, there ariseth great trouble in the soul, which affecteth even the outward Man, so as that by these workings, ofttimes the body is wonderfully shaken, many sighs & groanes are emitted, yea, as it were, the paines of a woman in travail are felt; and this not only in one person alone, but in the whole meeting, so that every one fighting against this power of darkness, & being moved with the motions of contrary waves, are exercised as in a day of battel; & thus trembling & motions of the body seize upon all: And then he tels us, that hence came the name, Quakers, whereof (though they did not choose it to themselves, yet) they are not ashamed; but rather rejoyce that they are made sensible of this power. And seing it is so, why he should account this name ironically attributed to them, I know not; especially seing it is the most apposite characteristick that can be, expressing in a signal manner that which they account their glory, & which manifestly distinguisheth them from all other Secks, which we know now a dayes, But passing this, I only observ… from thence, That he clearly intimateth a distinct party, of which he accounteth himself a member; & withal giveth us no other name, by which they should be called, who make up that distinct Seck: and therefore till he helpe us to a more apposite characteristical denomination, & to a more adequate distinguishing title, we must, with his favour, use the old, though he should think, that we used it only ironically. If he say, that his meaning is, That all those, who ironically (in his judgment) are called by others, Quakers, should go under that distinguishing character & title, which he assumeth to himself; & so be discriminated from all other persons of the Christian world, by the Name & Stile of The Servants of the Lord God. Then indeed, beside that his latine conjunction et, will not well admit of that construction, or sense, we must of necessity cast away our Bibles, as no more to be regairded, than the Turks Alcoran, (which, it is like, they would gladly have us do) before we be induced to owne them, as such.
7. His Salutation, being a wish of sincere repentance unto the acknowledgment of the truth, is good in it self, but what his perverse meaning is, cannot be hid: and I shall not here anticipate a clear & full manifestation of the perversness of his meaning; our following discourse will abundantly discover that. Only I adde, that I think all true Christians should repay him & his Associats, with a full measure of the like kinde, shaken together, pressed downe & runing over, If it can stand with the unchangable purpose of God.
8. Having thus described himself, & the party, for whom he appeareth▪ to prevent our mistake, in the next place he bespeaketh those, he directeth his Theses unto: and first he would perswade them, that his following propositions, being read & viewed in the fear of God, will discover simple, naked, & plaine truth. But though he, both in his Theses & in his large Book, holdeth forth his meaning▪ more plainely & nakedly, than heretofore others of his perswasion have doneꝰ, so far as I could observe, (in which I must needs commend him;) yet I dar not say, that he is in all things so clear & distinct, as I could have wished; as I shall have occasion to note hereafter. And whereas he thinketh, that such as read & view his Theses, in the fear of God, will observe simple, naked & plaine truth, I must needs judge him to be in a mistake, & to speak thus through the blindness of prejudice: for after all the reading & pondering of them, that I can make, (and, I hope, in the fear of God) I cannot come to that light or perswasion; for I finde them to be a Farrago of errours, old & late, patch'd up in a bundle, & sometimes set off with dark & enigmatick expressions, which can no way suite plaine, simple & naked truth.
9. Secondly he goeth on, & inveigheth, in a subdolous manner, against all humane learning, that hath been any way made use of in Theology, not spareing even usefull Commentaries written upon the Scriptures, complaining that the whole of the worthy labours of pious & orthodox writers, hath but darkned the Truth, an hundered fold more, than it was in itself. I will be loath so far to contradict him, as to say that, through the corruption of man, & Satan improving the abilities of some to his own wicked ends, there is nothing of this too true; for, as in all ages, so never more than in this present, Satan's wicked designes have been & are carried on, by the writings of men of corrupt mindes, darkening the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, & perverting the T…uth, as it is in Jesus: Yet I must needs say, that, though his single sheet of Theses beareth no great bulk, it hath, in its designe, contributed, nevertheless, no small assistance unto the corrupting & darkning of the Saving truth of God: yea, I may saifly say, more than any, or many of the volumes, at which he carpeth; Nay, I doubt, if more errour, pernicious in it self, & dangerous to souls, shall be found amongst the heterodox writers themselves, couched up in lesser, yea or in so little, bounds, as is his single sheet of Theses, than is to be found here. It is usual with this sort of men, as it was with their forefathers, or fore runners, to cry downe learning & books: Iohn Matthize at Munster, after a revelation from heaven, (as he pretended) commanded all books to be brunt, except the bible; & I nothing doubt, but that had been commanded to be burnt with the first, if he had not seen how odious that would have made him, & how it had crossed his corrupt designes. And they ordinarily cry out against Learning & Schools of learning: what they intend hereby, is so obviously notour, that it cannot be hid; for if all books were once destroyed, & all learning once banished away, how easily might they prevail with their errours, & lead captive silly people, with their faire flourishes of glorious-like expressions, & make faire way unto their dreames & pretended Revelations, & to their setting up their Diana, the Light within, their Scripture & all? But they know, that the learned & judicious, having read of the Pranks & Pretensions of men of their stamp, in former ages, & of the heterodoxies of men, corrupt as to the faith; & of their grounds, in all former ages, will soon be in case to detect their pernicious errours, & deceits, now againe revived, & brought up from the bottemless pit; & discover their abominations, which, by all meanes possible, they would carefully prevent. I should judge it superfluous & unnecessary, upon this occasion, to digresse, & shew the usefulness & necessity of learning, & of books writen for our help to understand the truth & the minde of God, revealed in his word, whether by particular Treatises, writen on particular & practical subjects, or by more general Treatises, clearing up the whole body of divinity, or by Commentaries on one or moe particular places, or books of holy Scripture; seing the labours of the worthy & painful servants of Christ, in this kinde, speak sufficiently for themselves.
10. He complaineth moreover, that the world is overburthened with books: wherein, I acknowledge, he speaks not far amisse: But I would faine know, why he & his party contribute their assistance, to the making of this burthen heavier? It is sufficiently known, how busie they are in scribling, & troubling the world with their Pamphlets ▪ and though his sheet of Theses did not adde much weight unto the oppressing burthen of books, under which, he said, the world was groaning; yet his Apology, consisting of moe than fiftie sheet in a large quarto, addeth some considerable weight.
11. He inveigheth also against disputes & debates, or books written of that nature, calling them altercations, & thus would condemne all the useful works of the faithful vindicators of Truth against hereticks, & other erroneous persons; & among the rest, all that have been written against Papists, Pelagians, Arminians, & others, of whose dregs he hath made a mass, & framed it into fifteen Piles, to be swallowed by such as love death; &, that they may the more easily goe over, hath painfully laboured to guild them over with his voluminous Apology: But I think he might in prudence have forborn this, not only because, he hereby giveth a manifest ground of suspicion, that he loveth neither the detection, nor confutation of errour; but also because his one Sheet smelleth rankly of Ismael; and so, as his hand is against every man, who is not in all things of his judgment, so every mans hand must be against him: and his thus chartaling of all Doctors, Professours & Students, in all the Vniversities of Europe, whether Popish or Protestant, is no great toaken, that he would have all Disputes & Altercations laid aside and his voluminous Apologie is a demonstration hereof, beyond contradiction.
12. He proceedeth & inveigheth against Scholastick divinity (as it is called) telling us, that an age were not sufficient to learne it, & that it helpeth no man nearer to God, nor maketh any less a sinner, or more righteous. I must confess, that I am not a very fit person to judge in this matter, being it may be, as little, if not less, conversant in this kinde of writings, as himself; and shall willingly grant, that much of that learning might have been spared, as being more adapted, I mean as spun out by light, audacious and too too philosophical braines, to the drawing of mindes off the serious study and improvment of substantial and necessary Truthes; than to the fixing of hearts, in the faith and practice of saving Truthes: and though much of it be not very necessary, yet it is not wholly to be rejected or thus condemned, as noxious or useless; for though it be (as the best things may be) abused by some, and not only idle and vaine questions handled therein, but errours and pernicious doctrines maintained thereby; yet experience hath taught us, that worthy instruments have been raised up of the Lord, who, having had a competent knowledge therein, (which they acquired in far less time, than the one halfe of an age) were in case to defend the Truth against Papists, (who most study, and cry up this Scholastick Theologie,) against Socinians, Pelagians and Arminians, who make no little use of that sort of learning to maintaine their errours: as also against other hereticks, and erroneous persons; having had hereby no small advantage in detecting their shifts and evasions, and in urging them to a punctual debate, without oratorious declamations, long and tedious argumentations, and subtile subterfuges; so that such as have had most acquantance therewith, have been most fit to deal with adversaries: and I suppose (though it be little to the commendation of that learning, upon the account of its perversion) had himself been an utter stranger hereunto, he had not been in case to have said so much (to such good purpose, as he imagineth) as he hath done, in his Apology, in the defence of his Theses. Upon which account, as also because, Papists, Pelagians, Arminians and Socinians, (to whom he is so much endebted for his new doctrine) have by their practice so much declared their approbation thereof; I cannot but wonder at the mans unadvisedness in this point; and especially because, some, most acquanted with this sort of learning, can tell us, how much Quakers are beholden to it, for some of their prime notions, which have either had their first rise there, or confirmation therefrom. As to the censure, which he passeth upon this Scholastick Theology, I shall only adde, that howbeit he preferre his Script, to all learned volumes, written by Scholastick divines; yet I must needs say, That the chiefe heads of his doctrine (Theology I cannot call it) which I confess may be learned very quickly, and that without the help of subtile Teachers, being (so far as I can judge of it) borne with every corrupt son of Adam, and deeply seated in the dunghil of corrupt Nature, if reduced into practice (which is the end he driveth at) shall prove no less, if not more, insufficient and inept, for the effects mentioned by him, that is, to bring Men nearer unto God, and to make them less sinners and more righteous; as our following examination will manifest.
13. I do the less wonder at his taking in, among the rest, the commendable labours and paines of such, as have written Commentaries, for explaining of Scripture, (though I will not say, but that, as all that proceedeth from Men, wanteth not its own dross) when I consider, how low an esteem this man and his party have of the Scriptures, which they will not look upon, as our only sure Rule, by which we are to order our Pathes, and to examine the Teachings of Men. One Francis Howgil (as Mr. Stalham sheweth in his Revilers rebuiked part. 1. sect. 2.) called the Scriptures, other mens words. Commonly they deny that the Scriptures should be called the word of God; and therefore in contempt they call it, a printed bible. So did Richard Farnworth call it, as Mr. Stalham reporteth, in the forecited place: and sect. 36. he tels us, that one Iohn Lawson, another Quaker, called it, the letter, the written word, which is natural and carnal. Such like is to be seen ordinarily in their writings, as we will hear afterward.
14. For a ground of his prejudice against the many volumes, writen in divinity, he allaigeth, That they have more darkened, than cleared up the truth. And yet I judge, that the smallest Systeme of divinity, that ever was put forth by an Orthodox writer, is able abundantly to discover both his errour, and ignorance; and will be found a fitter mean to clear up the Truth, and to attaine the ends by himself mentioned, than Cart-loads of such Theses as his are, though backed with as many moe of his Apologies, which do manifestly both darken and deny Truth. But I am apt to think, that the real ground of his prejudice, is, that there is so much to be found in any of these books (I meane such as are written by the Orthodox, and upon the points, here touched by him; or more generally upon the wholy body of divinity) against his old errors, new broached again, and put into a new dress, that he could wish, for salving of his own credite, and for helping forward his disperate designe, that either these were all consumed, or that they were utterly laid aside; for he cannot but know, that who ever readeth these, must needs see his nakedness and folly, without much study.
15. The account he maketh of all the learned men of the world, beside himself and his party, is, that they are the Wisemen, the Learned, the Scribes, and the Disputers of this world, whom the Lord hath cast downe, or destroyed, understanding, no doubt, such as Paul meaneth, 1 Cor. 1;19, 20. But this is the measure of charity that must be expected from them: However, let his esteem of them be as meane as he will, there are among them, who shall be found to be, whether he will or not, no enemies to the cross of Christ; and to whom the preaching of the cross is not foolishness, but the power of God; and who, through grace, are helped, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe; and make it their work to preach Christ crucified, even Christ the power of God, and the wisdome of God. And on the other hand, what enemies to Christ, to his Cross, to the Preaching of His Truth, and to all His Ordinances, he and his party are, we may have occasion to shew, ere all be done. And I am not afrayed to say, that they will be found among the Chief Enemies of the cross of Christ, howbeit he would faine equalize them to the Apostles, whom I supposeth he meaneth by, the fisher men, he mentioneth. Hereby also we can see, that this new Seck, would faine become, yea make themselves, the only Compurgators of all that hithertil hath been written in Theology; and from them alone we must expect the indices expurgatorii, which will only except, or reserve, some writings of Papists, Pelagians, Semipelagians, Arminians, Enthusiasts, Anabaptists, Perfectionists, Antiscripturists, Libertines, and of such as are against the Ministery and the Ordinances of Christ; or some special pieces of their writings, which serve to confirme his sentiments, which are an Hotch Potch, made up of the Quintessence of all these: and for the rest, that any way contradict him, they will have but one sentence and censure passed against them, viz, all is naught. It is remarkable also, that according to this Mans judgment, the pure and naked Truth of god was never unfolded and declared, until this Generation of Quakers arose, and (if some of themselves be to be believed, it is far from half an age, since they appeared in our Horizon) which neither agreeth with truth, nor with himself.
16. He tels the Clergy, That God thrust downe the wise men, &c. and hath chosen some few despicable and unlearned persons, as to Scholastick learning (as he did of old fishermen) to publish his pure and naked truth; by whom no doubt, he meaneth himself and his fraternity; for which we have nothing but his own assertion: If their call be thus immediate and extraordinary, it can be evidenced by such characters of credentials, as may rationally satisfie any man concearning it: and what these characters are, I would gladly understand. The Apostle Paul hath told us, that the Spirit speaketh expresly, that in the later times, some shall depairt from the faith, giving heed to seduceing Spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisie▪ having their consciences seared with an hote yron. 1 Tim. 4:1, 2. And how fitly this will quadrate with this sort of men, the sequel will evince The same Apostle hath told us in that same Epistle, Chap. 5:3, 4, 5. That who ever consent not to wholesome words, the words of our Lord Iesus Christ, and to the doctrine, which is according to godliness, is proud (or a fool, as the margine hath it) knowing nothing, but doteing about questions, and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, stri…e, railings, evil surmiseings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt mindes, and destitute of the truth, supposeing that gaine is godliness: from which he adviseth Timothy, and us all in him, to with draw. He describeth also, in his second Epistle, a sort of men, whom he would have shuned, saying Chap. 3:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. This know also, that in the last dayes, perillous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to Parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers false accusers (or make bates, as it is in the margine) incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitours, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having the forme of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turne away: for of this sort are they, which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledg of the truth. And how app…sitely these all, or the most of them, agree to this generation of Men, a few words might evince, if it were my present business: But all that I now designe, is to evince a necessity laid upon us, to try Pretenders, before we trust them; especially such pretenders, as are thus described by the Apostle.
17. As concearning these fisher men, he mentioneth, and to whom he compareth himself and his complices (by whom I imagine, he meaneth the Apostles, except Paul, who was no fisher man, but was learned, being brought up at the feet of Gamaliel) I would enquire at him, if he thinketh, that they did publish the naked and pure truth? If so, he must know, that we desire only to follow that, as we have it recorded to us in the Scriptures of truth, which he and his party do not much value. And I would ask further. How it cometh to pass, that there is such a discrepancy and contradiction betwixt what these Apostles did teach, and what he and the rest of the Quakers do teach? Truth, sure, and pure and naked truth cannot be contrary to it self. And if he say, that there is no difference, betwixt his doctrine and the truth delivered by the Apostles, he must not be offended, if we try the same by their writings, and make use of what light within we have, to this effect.
18. It is not enough for him falsly to accuse all tha… have written of Theology, of darkning and obscuring the truth; but he must also usurpe the throne of God, and judge of the heart and intentions of men: for he alleidgeth that this was their end, That the poor common people might admire them, and maintaine them: which carryeth as little truth in it, as it evidenceth Christian charity in the asserter: But we must not storme at such reflexions, from the men, whose wo…ks declare what Spirit they are of. Nor shall I retaliat (though I might) nor enquire what way they are maintained; it is enough, that there are shreud presumptions, that their stock lyeth at Rome.
19. Whatever we think of them, they will needs look upon themselvs, as the only called and authorized dispensers of the Gospel; for he sayeth, that God hath made choise of some few despicable and illiterate persons, to publish the pure and naked truth; and among the rest of himself, to be a dispenser of this Gospel. So that among them, all are equal administrators, and dispensers of this their Gospel, for they have no select officers, especially set apart for this work: and so with them all are eyes, eares, &c. and their body is no organical body; so that their Church (if their combination may, with any propiety of speach, be called a Church) must needs be a monster. But passing this, which sufficiently discovereth, what enemies they are to Gospel Order, and to the institutions of Christ, in his Church; of which more when we come to his Tenth Thesis: we think ourselves concearned to know, what for a Gospel this is, which they pretend to a mission to preach. Sure, it is not that, which Christ and his Apostles taught, and left on record, as this man putteth beyond all debate, in his writings; and others clearly demonstrate by their books, containing such positions, as overturn and destroy the Gospel. Mr Norton, teacher of the Church at Boston, in New England, being appointed to write against the Quakers, by order of the General Court, tels us, in his Tractat printed A. 1660. Pag. 6.7. &c. that the Quakers deny, that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, are three distinct Persons; that Christ is God and Man in one Person: that Christ is a distinct person from the person of the Father: that Christ is a distinct person from any of His Members: And so their Christ doth unchrist Christ. He tels us moreover, that they deny the Scriptures, or written word, to be the Rule of life; and that they make the light within them, and the Spirit without the Scriptures, to be their guide: that they owne none as lawful magistrats, who are not of their way: that they assert an infallible light within them, above the trial of the Scriptures: that they will not acknowledge that they sinne; but professe perfection of degrees in his life. Mr Stalham, in his Epistle to the Reader, prefixed to his Reviler rebuiked, sheweth us, that they make nothing of the historical letter of Christ's Death, Resurrection, &c. but turne all into allegories. And that they are, with H. N. in his joyful message of the Kingdom, Pag. 170. ready to call these things meer lies, which the Scripture-learned (through the knowledge, which they get out of the Scriptures) bring-in, institute, preach & teach. As also, how they joine with Iacob Behme, who slighted the imputed righteousness from without, and magnified the little spark within, whereby the Father draweth them all to Christ, and teacheth all within them: and say further, that in Adam stood the Covenant of grace: that there is no certaine Ordination from eternity, upon any soul particularly, which is yet to be borne; but only a common universal foreseeing of grace. He sheweth us also, how Will. Erbury, in his Call to the Churches. Pag. 4. said, what Gospel or glade tideings is it, to tell the world, that none shall be saved, but the elect and believers? and that the Gospel, which Christ taught was but in part, that which was proper only to the Iewish Church; not that to be preached to the world. And moreover Pag. 6. he telleth us, that he said, the Gospel, which the Apostles preached to the world, was not that, which they wrote to the Churches, nor yet what they read in the Scriptures of the Prophets: but the Gospel was a mystery, which in the light of God, they could manifest to men, and make all men, see themselves in God, that's in Christ. And Pag. 9. that God is in our flesh, as in Christ's—for the mystery of faith was more than men imagine, and, it may be, more than Paul wrote to the Romans and Churches of Galatia. And Pag. 37. that Christ's coming againe promised, Act. 1:11. was nothing but his coming in Spirit and power in the Saints, and in their flesh, when they are most confused and dark. Further the same Mr Stalham, in the book cited, sheweth how they contradict Scriptures, in several points, as concerning Scriptures, Trinity, the Light within, the Law, Sin, Iustification, Regeneration, Sanctification, and its Perfection, Christian warfare, Repentance, Meanes of grace, Baptisme, Lord's Supper, Prayer, Singing, Elders and Ordination, Ministers maintainance, Immediat calling, Immediat teaching, Civil honour, Swearing: unto which might be added several things brought out of their writings, by Mr Hicks; beside what we shall have occasion to remark in this Author, with whom we now deal. By all which, we may conjecture, what a Gospel this is, which they teach, even another, than we have in the Scriptures, and than that, which the Apostle taught: And what welcome such as come with another Gospel, were their credentials angelical (unto which these men are strangers) should have, Paul hath taught us Gal. 1:8, 9. as was mentioned above: which is a sufficient warning for all that fear God, to beware of these men.
20. This man hath an high and mighty conceit of his Theses, calling them though short yet ponderous, and saying, that they comprehend many things, and denote the true original of knowledge, of that knowledge, which leadeth to life eternal. And I do indeed conceive, that they containe much (though I dar not say the whole) of the marrow of that Gospel, whereof he is a dispensator; we may look upon ourselves therefore, as called more narrowly to consider and examine them. If the matter contained in them were good, I should not quarrel at their brevity; but I see, what they want in length, the Apology hath, Ponderous he calleth them; but we know, wet sand, though of smal value, is more ponderous than what is more worth; and indeed so ponderous are they, that they will sinke the poor soul, that embraceth them, without any other super added weight, into the bottomless pit. His saying, that they pointe forth the true original of saving knowledg, will never perswade me that they do so. How defective they are as to this, we may shew in the next Chapter. Nay rather: I dar say, that they discover the true original of that science (falsly so called) which leadeth to the bottomless pit: and this I hope, to make appeare, ere all be done.
21. He tels us that he beareth witness to this truth, in this his work: But he must hold us excused, to seek for a more sure ground to our faith and perswasion, than his bare testimony, especially when he speaketh not only not consonant to Scripture, but so manifestly contrary thereto. Indeed if we were called to rest upon his and his co-partners bare testimony, all further dispute were at an end, and we might cast our bibles at our heels, and learn all our divinity, at their mouth, or at the light with in us, & rest thereupon, notwithstanding it contradict sound reason and experience, let be Scripture. But through grace, we have not ye… drunk-in that principle; and therefore must stand upon our old bottome, and go to the Law and to the Testimony.
22. In fine, he tels us, that he leaveth this his testimony unto the light of Christ, illuminating every one of our consciences: which words may have a double sense, as expressed in his latine; and either import, that he leaveth this his testimony, as a confirmation of that light of Christ, which illuminateth every man: and if this be his meaning, the preaching up of this light, must be the whole of his Gospel wor…, and the whole Intent and designe of his writting and publishing these Theses; yea if so, these Propositions of his must serve for no other end, but to confirme the truth and reality of this light of Christ; But then I think, They, or He by them, should have given us some clear discovery and explication of the nature of that light of Christ, which is (as he saith) within every man; which I finde not: but it may be, what is here wanting is supplied by his Apology. But if his meaning be▪ that he leaveth this testimony, to convince that light of Christ, which illuminateth every mans conscience, than it seemeth, that light of Christ hath need of his information; and that, notwithstanding thereof, conscience may refuse to receive his doctrine and information: so that this light of Christ, though it enlighten the conscience, cannot captivate the same to a kindly submission to that Gospel, which he preacheth, till some other thing worke. But seing he leaveth this his testimony to be pondered and considered by the light of Christ, which enlighteneth every mans conscience; and thereby granteth, that every man hath this Supream light of Christ within him, and thereby may, and is allowed by him to judge of what he saith; he cannot be offended, that I judge by all that light of Christ within, enforming my soul and conscience, from that light of Christ, which is held forth in the Scriptures of truth; and determine accordingly against his Assertions.