No Power But of God, Title page – Dedication
No Power but of God And yet a Power in every Creature.
OR, A word in ſeaſon, to all Men not void of Grace, or deprived of Reaſon.
Where in is beld forth, That the Almighty God is not wanting to us, in impowering of us; but we are wanting to him, in not improving our talent for him. The Almighty gives to every man ſome talent or talents, viz. To ſome Natural, to others Spiritual talents or gifts: But there is no man that improves his talent ſo well as he might, in point of obedience to him. Which appears, In our not doing ſo much good, and refraining ſo much evil, as by the power he hath given us we ought and might have done.
And, That the Ordinances, Inſtitutions, & appointments of Chriſt held forth in the Goſpel, are ſtill in force: ſo that to ſlight them, is to ſlight our own priviledges; and to forſake them, is to forſake our own mercies. The abuſe of Goſpel-Ordinances by ſome, doth not take away the lawful uſe of them to others.
By ROBERT PURNEL.
Iſa. 28. 7.
The Priests and Prophets, they erre in viſion, and stumble in judgment.
Pſal. 140. 11.
Therefore let not an evil speaker be eſtabliſhed in the earth.
Iſa. 28. 11.
But wi…h a stammering lip, and another tongue speak to thy people.
London, Printed for Samuel Newton, dwelling in Wine-ſtreet in Briſtol. 1651.
THE EPISTLE to the Impartial READER.
Courteous Reader,
TIme is one of the moſt precious Herbs in the Garden of the World; ſo that there is nothing more precious; and yet by moſt men, there is no one thing more ſlighted: Wherefore, if I ſhall here give thee the fruits of a little redeemed time, think not hardly of me, but let it have acceptance with thee; I muſt confeſſe, that I am the moſt unmeet of many, which this Age doth afford, to write or ſpeak of things of ſo great concernment: Yet I ſuppoſe this will be granted by all men rational, that he which hath but a little strength, and improveth that to the uttermoſt, to doe good withall, is more acceptable in the ſight of God and ſincere-hearted men, then he which hath ten times the ſtrength and uſeth it not. And although in me there is the leaſt Candle that ever God enlightened, yet I ſhall not put it under a Buſhel; and although I have but one Talent, I will not hide it in a Napkin; it's true, the Candle of the Lord cannot burn with a more dim light then in my ſelfe. (Though a little truth liveth in me, yet clouds and darkneſſe are round about me.) So that I have but a little of the Spirit, in abundance of weakneſſe; Wherefore if any of the glory of Chriſt break forth, in the enſuing diſcourſe, let him have the glory, who hath choſen the weak things of the World to confound the wiſdome of the wiſe; and although theſe things be not broug… forth in the painted Diſh of Human Learning, varniſhed and coloured over with the wiſdome of man; yet if the fruit be good in the taſte, though the Tree be not ſo beautiful in the eye, reject no the fruit for the Trees ſake, but rather conſider that which is moſt unpleaſant in the eyes of men, is for the moſt part moſt pleaſant in the ſight of God; for man is apt to love that which God abhors, and to abhor that which the Almighty loves.
For this Treatiſe, as much as in me lieth, I have avoided the crying up of any party or opinion, and endeavoured to own truth, and deny untruth whereſoever it is found, either in noble or ignoble, old or young, weak or ſtrong, learned or unlearned; wiſhing with my whole heart that there were but only theſe two names under Heaven to know the ſons and daughters by, viz. Saints and Sinners; for there is but light and darknes, heaven and hell, truth and errour, ſheep and wolves. But the muddy waters of Babylon have run ſo long in the channels of our underſtanding, that it hath blinded our judgements and diſordered our affections.
Underſtanding Reader! the things that I have written of are many, the method which I have obſerved is familiar and plain, the rule which I have endeavored to walk by is the word of truth, the end I have aimed at is the glory of God, in the good of his people; and wherein I have come ſhort of my end, attribute that to my weakneſſe, and not the truths aſſerted. The fore named conſiderations have enflamed my deſires, and winged my endeavours to caſt in this mite alſo into the Cabinet of thy ſoule. And although I have met with ſome diſcouragements already, and do ſuppoſe I ſhall have many more when this comes to publike view: Yet if any man doe reap any ſpiritual benefit by it, though I may ſuffer reproaches for it, I have not loſt my end in it: I have endeavoured according to the meaſure of light and ſtrength that is in me, to ſpeak the words of truth and ſoberneſſe unto thee. But that I might not ſpin out my Epiſtle beyond the ſtaple; I will endeavour to give thee a brief ſum of what I have written, and leave the farther enlargement of theſe things to every one that ſhall reade this book: I have written theſe things, not as ſo many Infallibilities, but under correction, with ſubmiſſion to beter judgements I have given mine, and that, I hope, without a preingaged affection, honouring the things of God, as well in thoſe under one form, as thoſe under another. And as in every place, and amongſt all ſorts of people, he that feareth God and worketh righteouſneſſe is accepted of him; ſo I would endeavour to love any, in whom I ſee the leaſt appearance of Chriſt, let them go under what name or notion the Prince of darkneſſe and his children pleaſe. The ſum of what I have hereafter written, in brief is this; Firſt, I have laid before thee the ſeveral Temptations that doe ſurround thee on every ſide; next I have exhorted thee to put on all the armour of God to defend thy ſelf, and offend thy enemies, and that thou mighteſt ſo doe, abide in the Doctrine of Chriſt, which is a City of Refug…, and then love in the will of God, which is the ſtrong Caſtle of content; Improve thy power whether natural or ſpiritual for him who gave it thee, …n whom are all our ſprings, from whom are all our ſupplies; yet let our omiſſions and commiſſions be charged upon our ſelves, that God may be true and every man a liar. There is darkneſſe in the Prophets, and groſſe darkneſſe in their Flock…; and but a little light in any of the Saints. A few words to the preiended Miniſtery, with a brief Epiſtle to the World, whom they have deceived, with a diſcovery of them, and how thou mayeſt eaſily know them; Of our fall in the firſt-Adam, and of our recovery by the ſecond-Adam: The glorious ſtate of thoſe reſtored; the deliverances they have already had are great, and greater then theſe be at hand; onelyonly, the Saints be too ſuddain in their expecting theſe deliverances. Theſe with many other particulars are laid before thee, and commended unto thee: Now although theſe things are not brought forth in the golden diſh of humane Learning, painted and varniſhed over with arts, parts, and wiſdome of man, but in an earthen veſſel; yet deſpiſe not the meat for the diſhes ſake. Remember that Chriſt called thoſe men Scribes, Phariſees and Hipocrites, becauſe they looked ſo much upon the outſide, and ſo little on the inſide; even ſo now, in theſe dayes moſt of the ſ…ns and daughters of men, doe looke more upon gifts then upon Grace, upon Law then upon Goſpel, upon the forme more then upon the power of godlineſſe; viz. If a man come and ſpeak with the tongue of men and angels, the people are preſently ſaying as once was ſaid of learned, eloquent, yet wicked Herod; it is the voice of a God, and not of man: but if another come unto your Aſſemblies, though well grown in grace, yet if he doth not equal you in natural gifts, you ſay he is an illiterate Mechanick, &c. But if I might be thought worthy to adviſe you, I ſhould beſeech you to call no man ignorant, whom God hath taught; nor no man learned, that hath not been taught at the School of Chriſt.
Grace is more excellent then Gifts, yet both in their places are good: Gifts do adorn the outward man, and Grace doth beautifie the inward: The outward man may be adorned, and the inward man be left naked: And I think experience in theſe dayes doth abundantly prove it; and for my own part, if I am cenſured for it, I doubt not but I ſhall conſider I am not better then my Maſter, for his doctrine was deſpiſed, and that of the learned, and well may mine: but I hope thou wilt try me before thou judge me, leſt I ſhould ſay to thee, as it is ſaid to ſome in the ſame caſe, Pro. 18. 13. He that judgeth a matter before he heareth it, &c. But I hope better things of thee, though I thus ſpeak. So I wi… hold thee no longer in the porch, but invite thee into the houſe, and ſuch as I have I will ſet before thee, deſiring thee to taſte of every diſh, before thou doſt ſpend thy judgment of the feaſt: For what is wanting in the firſt Courſe, may be made up in the ſecond; and if there be not ſuch varieties as was expected, yet let it have acceptance with thee, ſeeing it is according to my ability. 1 Pet. 4. 10. As every man hath received the gift, ſo let him adminiſter the ſame. Thus do, and thou wilt engage him, Who is,
Thy Friend and Servant, R. P.