Further Discovery of the Quakers, Reply · Position 13
Poſition 13. That the Scriptures are not the Word of God, but a Declaration of the conditions of them that ſpoke them forth.
He anſwers nothing, according to his cuſtome, to our arguments, nor excepts againſt our proofes, but labours to confirme the Poſition.
Excep. 1 Chriſt is the Word; now if the Scriptures be the Word then there is two Words of God, now prove that in Scripture, or that the Letter is …aked the Word in plaine words.
Reply. 1. That Chriſt is the Word, is plaine, Iohn 1. and who knoweth it not,
The eſsentiall and declarative Word, not all one.2. That the will of God contained in the Scripture, is the Word of God, is as plaine, beſides the Scriptures we named …n the Perfect Phariſee, pag. 24. Marke 7.13. Luke 11 28. Rom. 10.17. Iohn 12.48. we ſhall adde theſe; Luke 8.11. the Seed is the Word of God, ver. 12. then commeth the Devill and taketh the word out of their heart, leaſt they ſhould beleeve and be ſaved; can the Devill take Chriſt out of their hearts? 1 Theſ. 2.13. When yee receaved the Word of God which you heard of us, yee received it not as the Word of Men, but as it is in truth the Word of God &c. This was the Word which the Apoſtles ſpake; yea, received it, which cannot be me…nt of Chriſt; he ſhould have ſaid, yee received him, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God. This is ſo plaine a caſe, we ſhall not trouble thee further. And here th…u mayſt obſerve there are two words of God; the eſſentiall and … declarative, and wonder the man ſhould be ſo weake as to bid … produce Scripture to prove this, when the Scripture is ſo full of it to any that doth but reade it.
Excep. 2 The Apoſtle calls what he wrote a Declaration, 1 …ohn 1.2.3.
Reply. How doth this prove the Scriptures are no… the word of God? nay, doth it not fully prove the contrary? for that which he declares was what he had heard of the Lord Ieſus.Scriptures not onelyonly a declaration of the conditions of Saints. Againe, we doe owne the Scriptures, to be the declarative Word of God, or a declaration of the minde of God; but we ſay, the Quakers doe deſtroy the Scriptures Divinity and authority, when they call them onelyonly a declaration of the conditions of them that ſpoke them forth. For as we pr…ved before, 1 They ſhall be then no foundation for the Faith of Saints; for one mans condition is not the foundation of another mans Faith. 2. The Scripture ſhall have no authority over the ſoule of any, but he that is in the ſame condition, and hath experienced it, contrary to Iohn 2.4 8. this is the reaſon why Nayler ſayes, they are not commanded to forbear to weare ſh…oes in his Book, p. 21. if they were, they ſhould, as well as they are commanded, not to ſ…lute; whereas that command (if it be in any part binding) Luke 10.4. requires both; but this will tell thee, what is meant by their calling Scripture a ſpeaking forth of the Saints condition viz. it ſhall have no authority over them further then they liſt, or have an impulſe on their ſpirits, or they practice; for both the commands are of equall auth…rity, yet he denyes they are commanded one of them: nay they are both in the ſame verſe. Luke 10.4. Yea 3. This deſtroyes the divine authority of all Hiſtoricall and Propheticall Scripture, which could not be the Saints conditions when th…y ſpoke them; as alſo threatnings and promiſes &c But ſee this at large Perfect Phariſee. pag. 24.25. We ſha l ſay but this, 1 Iohn 5.16. There is a ſinne unto death, I doe not ſay that you ſhould pray for it. was this Iohns cond…ion when he ſpake it? did he exper ence in his heart that he had ſinned to death? 2 Pet. 2.22. The Dog is returned to his vomit, &c. was this the condition of Peter that ſpoke it? but we are aſhamed of this wickedneſſe and folly of theſe men.
Excep. 3 VVhereas you ſay, it cannot be underſtood to be the word Chriſt that came to the Prophets Samuel, Ieremy, &c, it ſeems your underſtanding is not with the Apoſtle who ſaith, It was the Spirit of Ch iſt that was in them, 1 Peter 1 11 and you ſay, what Chriſt and his Apoſtles Preached, &c. was not Chriſt, the Father, or Spirit, when as the Scripture ſaith, Holy men of God ſpoke as they were moved by the holy Ghoſt, 2 Pet. cap. 1, ver, 21.
Reply. The Quakers groſs… confounding of Chriſt with the written VVord.1, Conſider Reader, how groſſely he abuſeth, and perverts the Scripture, to prove that the words that they ſpoke were Chriſt and the ſpirit, becauſe it is ſaid, Theſe holy men of God ſpoke as they were moved by the holy Ghoſt. What a groſſe and blaſphemous con…ounding is here of the word that thoſe men ſpoke, and the holy Ghoſt that moved them to ſpeake; making the word ſpoken by a finite creature, to be the everlaſting ſpirit, the holy Ghoſt? The words were committed to Paper and Inke, Rev. 1. Heb. 2.2. engraven in Tables, 2 Cor. 3.7. Iſay 30 8. write it before them in a Booke, note it in a Booke, &c. can this be Chriſt, or the Spirit of God? and yet theſe are the things which they were moved of the holy Ghoſt to write. Who knoweth not that it was the ſpirit of God that moved them to write, that revealed the things they were to publiſh to the world? but were thoſe things that the holy Ghoſt moved them to write, were thoſe things Chriſt? were thoſe things the ſpirit? What a miſerable ignorance, or judiciall blindneſſe is this, which certainely the righteous judgement of God hath given up this Generation of people to, becauſe they received not the truth in the love thereof, that they might be ſaved.