The Reviler Rebuked, Treatise · Part 2 · Head 9 – Head 10
9. Head of Self-contradiction. Concerning Quaking and Trembling.
Section 23.
HEre I had noted the Contradiction between their profeſſion of Quaking and trembling, and proſeſſed boldneſs; never having obſerved more daring creatures, to open their lips, or put pen to paper. It fell out that R. F. his Reply to the Prieſts about Beverley, was quoted for an inſtance, he is therefore the more concerned in vindication; but how doth he take off the ſelf-contradiction? even, as along the Book, by perſiſting in his evil cauſe. *Page 28.The ſame power that made Moſes, &c. to quake, ſhake, and tremble, the ſame power we witneſs.
Rep. But Moſes was under a Legal adminiſtration, and atLegal, what? that time, when he ſaid, I exceedingly fear and quake, he was under a type of that Legal bondage, which believers are freed from. The falſe Apoſtles, indeed, by their corrupting the Doctrine of Juſtification, carried Chriſtians (as much as laid in their power) under the Law again; for which the true Apoſtle Paul blames the Galatians, Chap. 4. 21. Tell me ye that deſire to be under the Law, &c. So theſe pretenders to a new Apoſtleſhip, are diſcovered by their Doctrine of a Righteouſneſs within them, that is their Juſtification; to lead people the ſame way, as the ring-leaders among the Jews and Galatians did; and would make them children of the bond-woman, whom Chriſt hath made children of the free-woman: yet boldly they will profeſs they are come from mount Sinai, to mount Zion, while their Doctrine of Juſtification hath no other tendency, then to carry back to bondage.
R. F. yet ſeems to bleat more like a ſheep, then bark like a wolf, in this paſſage: We witneſs working out our ſalvation with fear and trembling.
Rep. 1. The fear and trembling, which Paul ſpeaks of,Phil 2▪ 12. vindicated. Phil. 2. 12. as proper to believers, is not that which Moſes did typically repreſent, at the foot of mount Sinai; for the Apoſtle to the Hebrews, Chap. 12. 18. to 21, denies that believers are under that ſtate, or that Legal adminiſtration, with the effects of it.
2. The fear and trembling, wherewith believers are toEvangelical trembling, what? work out their ſalvation, iſſueth from faith, and love, and Goſpel-humility, and is not the fruit of Legal humiliation.
3. The Goſpel-fear and trembling is not to be found viſible, or legibly to be diſcerned in all R. F. his vindication, hitherto.
But he rounds me in the ear with this, Thou ſpeaks againſt the power of God, that worketh effectually in his people, as it did in Moſes, Habakkuk, David, Paul and other, witneſſed in Scripture, thou there in contradicts the Scripture.
Rep. 1. To contradict the Scripture is worſe then to contradict a mans ſelf; and therefore I deſire the firſt part of this Reply may be minded by R. F. before the latter: Yet there is ſcarce a Self-contradiction, which I have mentioned and charged upon theſe men, but the Reader will finde in it one contradiction or other to the Scripture. If I ſhould deny that Moſes quaked, or that Habakkuk, or Paul trembled, I ſhould deny the Scripture, and the Power of God: but I deny that ſuch a quaking as Moſes, Habakkuk, or Paul (when fallen to the earth, Act. 9. 5, 6.) were taken with, is the fear and trembling believers are to work out their ſalvation withal; as for Davids, it coming from the power of piety, I deſire we all had his meaſure of love to the word of God, then ſhould we tremble as he did, Pſal. 119. 120. at the footſtool of the Lord, at the threatnings and judgements written, and executed even upon Nations, and the wicked ones, and at the fatherly righteous chaſtenings upon our ſelves, or his own people.
2. When Gods power of majeſty, in viſible manifeſtations to the eye of the body, diſcovers it ſelf to any, as to Moſes, or to Paul, or in viſions, as to Habakkuks ſpirit; ſuch a bodily trembling becomes them, and they will not be able to avoid it; but the power of Gods Majeſty in viſible manifeſtations to body or minde, is not that power which worketh effectually to ſalvation in his people; take it alone (for Balaam had ſuch a work) but the Power of his love and grace in Chriſt which in the majeſty of the Goſpel, is made known to us (from the efficacy of our high Prieſt ſat downHeb. 8. 1. at the right hand of the Majeſty of God in the heavens) is that power whereby he worketh in us; and whereon he commands us humbly to reſt and depend, for the finiſhing of our ſalvation the ſame way, as it was begun, according to Gods good pleaſure.
3. How contradictious theſe men are to the profeſſion of trembling, I inſtanced, for demonſtration, in their ſtanding, in an evil cauſe, before magiſtrates without Quaking▪ or fear. R. F. *Page 29.in anſwer hereunto makes good the former branch of demonſtration, which I mentioned, the boldneſs of his pen; This is a fallacy of thine, where thou haſt ſhot out thy ſting in thy tail; herein thou art taught thy gradations methodically in old Antichriſts ſchool, to lye, ſlander, accuſe falſly, and jeer, and cannot prove what thou haſt ſaid.
Rep. 1. Neither do my words ſound as if I jeered, nor was it my ſenſe, nor do I miſ-report their practiſe.
2. The proofs I ſhall give, will evidence the truth of the charge. They ſtand in an evil cauſe who being convented before magiſtrates deny the Scriptures to be the word of God, diſturb the Churches in their publique worſhip, and that ſometimes on a ſolemn day of humiliation; All this did J. P. laſt ſummer in Eſſex at Cogs-hall; yea, and that without quaking and fear; witneſs his challenge of him that had preached, witneſs his queſtion to the magiſtrate when he was bidden pull off his Hat, why he did not bid him in the Pulpit pull off his Cap? witneſs his skipping up the Table, before four Juſtices of the Peace placed at it, with his back towards them (in the room where they examined him after the publique work was ended) pretending he ſhould be heard the better; witneſs his denyal of the Scriptures to be, what they are, the word of God, neither regarding what was held forth to him from Hoſea 8. 12. what God hath written, is his written word &c. nor from Prov. 30. 5, 6. Every word of God is pure &c. Adde thou not unto his words &c. Again, that is ſtanding in an evil cauſe, not to own and confeſs the Scripture to be a Rule to walk by, when called to ſuch an acknowledgement before the magiſtrate: this, William Dewſbery, and Hen: Williamſon would not directly afford to Judge Windham when he askt the queſtion, but put it off another way (as their maner is) and thatDiſcovery of perſecution in Northamp. pag. 12. without fear or due reſpect of the Power ordained by God; for they would not ſtand uncovered, till their Hats were taken off R. F. may ſhoot out his arrow againſt me, Stop thy mouth deceiver, and take in thy ſlander again, but it will light upon his own pate; or he thinks to anſwer all with what follows: The Lord makes the righteous as bold as Lyons, but it cannot be applied here when men will be ſilent in a good cauſe, and bold in a bad one. There is a bad Lion as well as a good, the roaring Lion that goes about ſeeking whom he may devour, and that firſt by ſeducing the minde to error, and then come forth the effects of bodily ſhaking, falling to the ground, and roaring, as lately at Witham in Eſſex hath been viſible and audible enough. The late Teachers. hereabouts (ſome of them) have been ſo bold, as they will not give over, till they knock down people as Butchers do their calves, although one of the laſt that came (by name Will: Dewſbery) was againſt ſuch violent dealing. The boldneſs of J. P. lately in Colcheſter Caſtle is legible enough in Print, *Fruits of a Faſt. p. 5. & 6. &c.What a bold falſhood is that to ſay, our Intent was to enſnare him, and bring his body into bonds: or that we were gathered againſt the truth, a bold calumny! That the four Teachers (as he names them) of Independent companies, are all Pariſh-Prieſts, a bold lye! as is that which followeth, that I ſpake to the Rulers in the publique place, thereby to ſtir up their ſpirits to perſecute. The chiefeſt paſſage which I had in my Sermon (none of which he heard) reflecting upon this Sect, was occaſionally taken up (by reaſon of his interrupting our work) viz. that in ſtead of the term Quakers, henceforth they may be ſtiled Church-diſturbers. That, this was plotted among the Prieſts and gathered Churches to appoint meetings to inſnare the innocent, is ſtill more impudent, our meeting on a ſolemn day of ſeeking God was deſigned to bear witneſs againſt their errors, to ſtrengthen the hands of one another in the truth, and to preſerve the innocent in the way of truth; but for inſnaring, it was far from our intendment, the Lord knows; nor did we know that J. P. would be there till we met. But all theſe paſſages with his bold Letters to the Juſtices (after his Commitment) and to the Judge (after the Aſſizes) and his bold entituling his Book, The Fruits of a Faſt, the Lord hath rebuked, after his bold undertaking a Faſt, of his own for many days together (in the aforeſaid Caſtle) and therefore I ſay no more but the Lord rebuke all thoſe of his way, by this warning piece, though (if it be his will) I deſire not one of them ſhould periſh either by death, or by impriſonment.
Section 24.Section 24. 25.
THey deny (as I noted from their Books) all them that deny Quaking, and one ſaith Moſes was a Quaker, and yet they think it ſcorn to be called Quakers. R. F. who was concerned in this (ſeeing, of all that I have read, it is he that expreſly affirmeth *A return to the Prieſts about ▪Beverly, page 14.Moſes was a Quaker) hath not a word for reconcilement; what I noted therefore muſt ſtand with the reſt of their Self-contradictions, as a Teſtimony againſt them.
10. Head of Self-contradiction. Concerning growth in Grace.
Section 25.
HEre I obſerved their witneſſing (as they ſay) of the Saints growth, and the time of their preſſing after perfection, and weighed it with their exclamations againſt thoſe who deny perfection of degrees, and affirm ſin to dwell in the Saints all their life time. R. F. cunningly asks me, *Page 29.Art thou offended, that we witneſs the Saints growth, and the time of preſſing on to perfection? but hides from the Reader the contradiction that followsThe time of proſſing after perfection is not the time of perfect attainment. by their condemning thoſe that deny perfection of gradual holineſs in this life: For they that are yet to grow further, are not at their full and perfect growth; and if the time of this life be but a time to preſs after perfection, it is not the time of the Saints attainment to thoſe degrees, which at death, their ſouls are filled withal. And if they that witneſs a time of preſſing on, do not therein croſs nor contradict the Scripture, as R. F. acknowledgeth, and I acknowledge that their witneſs doth not croſs us, why then will they by their acclamations, of ſome here already perfect, and without ſin, both croſs us and contradict themſelves?