Further Discovery of the Quakers, Reply · Position 12
Poſition 12. That there is no need of any outward teaching by Reading or Hearing the Scriptures opened or applyed, &c.
The Reader by his anſwer may obſerve, there is nothing ſaid againſt our many proofes; onelyonly one ſhuffle about the expreſſions of Iohn Audland, who we ſaid affirmed, No need of outward teaching, which Nayler ſayes is falſe; for the words were, He needed no man to teach him; What a ſhufflle is this? or doth this deny what we ſay? doth he not ſay, no need of outward teaching to himſelfe? But Nayler hath this but by report, and the words were ſpoken in our hearing. Nayler alſo (we obſerved in the laſt Poſition) aſſerts the ſame fully, in theſe words, Where this light of Chriſt is, there needs no outward light or diſcovery, &c. the reſt of his anſwer is the groſſeſt heape of rayling and lying, as we have ſeen. His rayling will appeare to all that reades it, and his lying is as full; For he ſaith, Theſe promiſes you give to them that are in the firſt birth, ſow pillowes under every arme-hole; you Preach them up all Beleevers, except ſome that refuſe to give you hire, and them you prepare warre againſt: you ſay men muſt commit ſinne while they live, &c. who knowes not that knoweth us, the falſeneſſe of theſe lyes, which he ſpeakes out ſo freely, as if they were as true as could be. But as their wickedneſſe is fully knowne, ſo the Lord will in due time diſcover what ſhall be given to a falſe tongue.
Except. There is onelyonly produced by him theſe Scriptures, Ier. 31.31.32.33. Heb. 8, 10.11. they are both the ſame, They ſhall teach no more every man his neighbour, or ſaying, Know the Lord &c.
Reply 1 We anſwer, That this promiſe doth only concerne the children of God, as Nayler himſelfe confeſſeth alſo, it concernes them onelyonly.
That great promiſe in Jer. 31.31. opened at large.1. The children of God onelyonly are in everlaſting covenant in the new covenant. 2. They that ſhall be thus taught, are ſuch as have their ſinnes pardoned. Will Nayler ſay, that every man hath his ſinne pardoned? he may as well affirme, that all have their ſins pardoned, as affirme that this promiſe belongs to all. So that as in the point of pardon all fleſh muſt ſignifie not every man; ſo it muſt be reſtrained alſo in the point of teaching, to thoſe all that are the people of God, and are intereſſed in the mercy of this everlaſting covenant.
2. Though theſe people of God be thus taught of God; yet this excludes not the uſe of outward …eaching. Reader, beſides the evidences of this we gave thee in foure arguments under our reply to his anſwer to the eleventh Poſition; If thou wouldſt take the paines to reade what we have Written in the Perfect Phariſee, pag 21. 22. in which we have convinced the needleſneſſe of outward teaching, even to the beſt of Saints, by plentifull arguments, and above thirty undenyable, plaine, evident Scriptures, thou wilt be fully ſatisfied; and therefore we ſhall not trouble thee to repeate what we have ſaid; onelyonly in a few words to open the meaning of the expreſſion, we ſhall adde.
1. Know this promiſe was made good when the Saints were under outward teachings, when the Apoſtles preached, when Elders were ſet over the Churches, when Faith came by hearing, Rom. 10. For in thoſe times the ſpirit was abundantly powred forth: yea, then was the time, when their Sons and Daughters Propheſied; ſo that it is a promiſe conſiſting with outward reaching. 2. With how much willingneſſe did the Saints, when enjoying this promiſe, attend the Apoſtle Doctrine, Acts 2.42. 3. Why doth the Apoſtle write to the Hebrewes to teach them, if that were the meaning, that no man ſhould teach his neighbour. 4. Nay, doth he not ſay, Heb. 5.12. Ye… have need that one teach you againe which be the firſt Principles of the Oraecles of God. 5. Paul blames them for their forſaking their Church-aſſemblies, Heb. 10.25. Yea 6. Command… theſe Hebrews, Remember them that have the rule over you, w…e… have ſpoken to you the Word of God, Heb. 13.7. And 7. Iud. ver. 3. It was needfull for me to Write unto you, and exhort you. 8. Paul ſpeaking of himſelfe as to his Miniſtry, ſayes, Phil. 1.24. to continue in the fleſh is more needfull for you; and what was it for? but as to their inſtruction, So that it plainely appeares, this is not ſpoken to exclude outward Preachings, but are to ſhew the abundance of ſpirituall Knowledge and light in Goſpel-times, comparatively with the diſpenſation the Iewes were under, before the comming of the Lord Ieſus But we have abundantly proved the ſenſe is not, cannot be, to take away the needfulneſſe of outward teaching.
VVarrant for diviſion of Scripture into chapter and verſe.To excuſe George Fox his jugling in a Concordance, he fall to abuſe the diviſion of Scriptures into Chapters and Verſes: It ſeems he hath a minde to caſt all the dirt he can upon any outward light, though it be the Scriptures, and though for nothing but this, and he ſaith, the Hireling Prieſts have done it to trade withall; thus doth he ignorantly rayle, though the Old Teſtament was ſo divided and diſtinguiſhed long before the comming of Chriſt, by the Maſorites into chapter and verſe, about two hundred yeares before the comming of our Saviou; and the moſt Learned ſay, that they were that Eccleſiaſticall Senate, held by Ezra, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachy, with divers others; who amongſt others their eminent ſervices, diſtinguiſhed the Scriptures into ſections and verſes. And as we finde none of the Apoſtles, nor Chriſt himſelfe diſalowing that diviſion; ſo the Saints of God in our dayes, have …ound pretious advantage by thus methodizing Scripture, though this man revile it under the name of the worke of Hirelings.
How he ſhu…fles in the reſt about the Apoſtles Preaching and ordaining E…ders, will info…e thee fully how the man was puzzled in that buſineſſe: and his laſt expreſſions of ſaying, we tell men, they muſt commit ſinne, will informe thee of his maliciouſneſſe. He would inſinuate to the Reader, as if we preſſed men to ſinne. We have ſaid ſo much of this, that we ſhall adde no more, having fully cleared, our preſſing to all yea to the beſt, to ſtrive after grea er degrees of holineſſe dayly, and that they muſt ſtruggle after that perfection, which yet they doe not enjoy; but we ſee the man is vexed and ſo we leave him to calme his ſpirits. We have been very full alſo as to pro…e the neceſſity of teaching, to which thou mayſt obſerve he anſwers nothing, and thereby ſee the ſpirit of thoſe men, that doe ſtop their eyes againſt the plaineſt light; but he that hardeneth his heart ſhall not proſper.