Self-Contradictions, Confusions, and Rounds about Justification.

I. As to the Doctrine of Justification by Christ and his Righteousnesse with­in us. 1. They tell us one while, that the 3. Question debated on at Sandwich, and held in the affirmative by the Quakers, was stated in these terms. Whether [Our] Good works are the meritorious cause of Our Iustification? which is a Lye with a witness, witnesse T. D. who tells it, P. 14. of his first Pamphlet.

Otherwhiles (to go round again) leaving out the Term [Our] which quite al­ters the state of the Question, and makes it altogether another, This Truth is told us; viz: That the Terms of the 3. Question were, Whether Good works be the meritorious cause of our Justification? which was expressely affirmed by the Qua: Witnesse Hen: Oxenden John Boys Esquires; Mr. Nath: Barry, Mr. Thomas Seyliard, Mr. Char; Nicolls Ministers, a few (of very many) Witnesses (quoth T. D. in his Epist: to the Reader) of the Terms of the Questions agreed to by the Qua: who will free me (and how well they free him let all the world judge) from the suspition of a partial Relator; Witnesse also T. D. himself, who (if it be the same T. D. (as no doubt it is) who wrote both that Book and the Epistle, and Narra­tive thereto annexed) in p. 58. of the self-same Book to the Contradicting and Confounding of himselfe in the former Tale, together with those his own Wit­nesses, tells all that Truth that is last related.

2. They tell us one while (that is, when we not only assert it, but evince it from the Rule of contraries) that its rank Popery to say, Good works de­serve Iustification.

Otherwhiles (that is, when to the contradiction of themselves, they assert and evince the same from the same Rule) then (to go round again) it's no Pope­ry; Witnesse T. D. who in p. 14. of his 1. Pamphlet, sayes S. F. shews himself a rank Papist indeed, in so arguing, yet p. 15. (in proof of himselfe to be a good Protestant, & no Papist) allows himself so to argue; viz: Evill works, which are the violation of the Law, deserve damnation; Ergo Good works which are the fulfilling of the Law, deserve salvation [adding] That he knows no good works such, but Christs; To which I answer, Nor do I know any good works such, but Christs; [and I adde] I own all Good works such, that are Christs and there T. D. dis­sents, in not owning all Christs own Good works such, but some only (namely such as he did at Jerusalem) and some, even of Christs own Good works (as namely, all such as he works in his Saints, who works all their good works in them Isa; 26. 12.) as no better then dung, losse, and filthy rags; Witnesse his blind blending of these two distinct businesses into one and the same; viz: The righteousnesse wrought by men without Christ; and the righteousnesse wrought in men by Christ; or Our good works, alias Mans own righteousnesse wrought only by men in their own wills, wisdome strength, according to their thoughts, ima­ginations, conceits, traditions, &c. without Christs Light and Spirit (which is that only the Spirit calls Ours, that is as an unclaan thing, as filthy rags▪ Isa: 64. 4. which God (speaking to Israel, that being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse, went about to establish their own, Rom: 10. 3.) calls Thy righteousnesse thy works, which cannot profit nor deliver; Isa: 57. 12, 13. And which Paul, Phil. 3. 9. stiles his own righteousnesse which was of the Law, as in opposition to that of God and Christ) And those good works of Christ in our persons, in performing whereof, the righteousnesse of the Law is said (though by Christs Power only) to be fulfilled is us, Rom: 8. 4. Or that righteousnesse which is, though in the Saints, yet of God alone through their faith in Christ Iesus the Light, Phil: 3. 9. For these two Righteousnesses, the one whereof who is not blind may see to be only mans own, which is worse then naught, and avails not, The other only Christs own, which must be of infinite worth, and des [...]rt to justifie (as T. D. also to the further confounding of himselfe, truly consesses; p. 15. 1. Pam:) from the dignity of the person or subject (i. e. Christ in us) by whom it's performed, T. D. confounds together, both into one and the self same, and consequently concludes himself unavoidably to be (respectively) both a Self Contradictor, and (which is worse) a most abominable Blasphemer▪ For if the Righteousnesse and Obedience that is by Christs Power performed in his Saints Per­sons, be both Christs own, and yet mans own also. Yet T. D. most strenu­ously stands to it, that so it is P. 22. 1. Pam. say­ing the Apostle by his own Righteousnesse un­derstands his personal conformity to the Law; Do you think that the righteousness Paul calls his own was not Christs? Then (being one and the same individual righte­ousnesse) it must have a mutual participiation of the same Properties and De [...]ominations, respectively, so that if Christs own righteousnesse may be said to be of worth and desert to Salvation (as it truly is by T. D. himselfe the w [...]mans, Pauls, the Saints own righte­ousnesse (which T. D. sayes was Christs, received from Christ, [...] ought by Christ) must be consequent­ly meritorius also, and that's a piece of rank Popery, and wretched Foppery of T. Ds. own broaching who [Page 4] yet would Father it upon the Qua:) which the Qua: Had he any righteousness which he had not recei­ved? That righteousness which was in the Apostle was wrought in him by Christ, as an efficient cause. (who own all mans own righteousnesse to be (as the Scripture sayes of it) unclean, dung, losse, and filthy rags, and utterly unprofitable) do as utterly abhorre, and so T. D. makes himselfe a Merit Monger, with a witnesse, such as never yet was found among the Qua: That dying-Qua: at Dover himself, whom T. D. belyes in that particular, not excepted.

And again, If Mans, Pauls, the Saints own righteousnesse, may be said (as it truly is, Isa: 57. 12, 13. (64. 4. Phil. 3. 8.) to be unprofitable, unclean, dung, losse and filthy rags, then the self same which Paul and other Saints (their own righ­teousnesse being no other then Christs; then what they receive from him, and he works in them (as T. D. sayes) for their Sanctification) some of Christs own righ­teousnesse, Yea even that too which serves for the Saints sanctification, and to make the Saints meet for that possession, where no unclean thing must enter, For are there not two righteousnesses [of Christ?] quoth he p. 22.) and they serve for two different ends; The one for our justication (meaning that which was inhaerent in that single person of old at Jerusalem) This gives us a right to the inheritance of the Saints in Light; The other for our sanctifi­cation (meaning that he works in his Saints) this (though filthyrags) [mark] makes us meet for the possession. must be unprofitable, un­clean, dung, losse and filthy rags, which is no lesse then point blank blasphemy: yea in expresse terms, p. 23. I deny our justification by Christ in us quoth he) by that righteousnesse in us whereof Christ is the Au­thor; as if that Christ in us, and that righteousnesse of his in us, which is the same with that without us, deserved nothing.

3. Moreover in saying there are two Righte­ousnesse of Christ, when as the Righteousness of Christ (whether in himself, or in his Saints) is but one, he crouds confusion upon confusion, in the eye of every clear considerer of his inconsiderable stuff; which cannot but see that what God joyns together as one, this he separates and puts asunder; what is truly one, and undivided (as Christ and his Righteousnesse is) this he divides, and distinguishes into two righteous­nesses; 2 Things meant by that one name of Christ, his Person and his Operations in us; The latter▪ whereof he denys for righteousness to justification: But what things are truly and distin­ctly two, and ought accordtngly to be, and by the Lord are divided, separated and put asunder as Mans, Pauls the Jewes own righteousnesse, and that righteous­nesse which is of God by faith in Christ, received from, and wrought by Christ in his Saints, which the Scripture Rom: 10 Phil. 3. opposes and speaks of as in con­tradistinction each to other) These two T. D. and his Brother Builders whose work it is to build Babel or confusion, as their reward is the division of their tongues) confound and jumble both together into one.

They tell us one while that truth Christ tells his Disciples, Matth. 5. That except our righteousnesse exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, (whose lives yet (ad extra) as to all outward appearance, were as exact, as they were strict in many Religious observations we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom. Where­by they intimate we must live, walk, and obey Gods Holy Truth and will, [Page 5] though by Christs assistance, yet personally & more spiritually then they; Yea, they tell us what the Gospel requires from us (though it is to be done by Christ in and for us) is a more total abstinence from evil, and even lusting to it then the Law, and so the Gospel to call for more full self-denyall then the Law, if ere we live; The one saying Thou shalt not commit adultery; the other, Thou shalt not lust; the one, Thou shalt not steal; the other, Thou shalt not co­vet; the one, Forswear not thy self, the other, swear not all; the one, Thou shalt not kill, the other, Thou shalt not be angry without cause.

Otherwhiles (to go round again) They make the Law require more full and exact obedience to God, then the Gospel; The Law gives not life with­out perfect obedience (quoth T. D.) The Gospel gives life upon imperfect obedi­ence.

4. Again, They tell us one while (that is, when they preach to their people and see no Quakers among them) the same truths the Scriptures tell us concerning God, that He is of purer eyes then to behold the least iniquity, that God, John 9. 31. Accepts not, owns not, hears not sinners, says to such as work it, and depart not from iniquity; Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity, I know not whence ye are, Matt: 7. 22. Luke 13. 27. And though forgiving iniquity to the penitent, when they confesse and forsake sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, while they lye in impaenitency under sin, Exod 34. 7. That if the heart condemn, God is greater then it, and knows all, and what the Light in the con­science speaks in way of that self-judgment, that's placed in us, and seconds it to justification or condemnation, accusation or excusation, there needs no witnesse to convince a man (quoth J. O. p: 43. 45. that it speaks it from God, it discovers it's Author from whom it is, & in whose name it speaks; So that if that (as it does every sinner holds guilty, God, whose mind it speaks holds not guiltlesse; Yea, That he who justifies the wicked, & condemns the just, even they both are abom­ination to the Lord, as Pro: 17. 15. and much more of that sort; i: e: when the Qua: tell the same truths to turn men from all sin, which is transgression or ini­quity [for not the least sin is equity that I know of] then, in opposition to the Qua: they wheel about, And

Otherwhiles, As if God were another manner of God; Who, because its impossible by the power of his own grace to be fully freed, and perfectly purged from all sin here, will give indulgency to his sinning Saints (to go round again) They tell us other tales of him, whereby (if Pro: 17. 15. be true) they repre­sent him as doing that, in the doing of which, he must be an abomination to him­selfe; viz: 1. That he condemns the just, witnesse T. D. who tells us, that here the best works, and personal performances of Beleevers and Saints themselves are imperfect, sin, iniquity, dung, losse, unclean filthy rags (though done by Christ in them) And yet (to go round again) That God accepts, alias, is well­pleased, delights, and takes pleasure in both these Beleevers and their wicked works; Witnesse the Supralapsarian, Predestination Preachers, who re­present God as loving of few only as Jacob, hating most men personally with Esau (qua sic) as men, the creatures of his own Creation, to shew his wrath, power, soveraignty over them, as the Potter over the Clay of the same lump (the Mistery of which matters of Jacob and Esau, their meer mans wisdom sees no more into, then a Moles eye into a Milstone) not onely before they had done either, but [Page 6] with out reserence to either good or evil foreseen to be done in time by either Adam (their supposed Representative) or themselves; and the Sublapsarians al­so, who represent God as by Praeterition at least) rejecting most on the Ac­count meerly of Adams single act, without a respect to any personall actions of their own; The least and best of which two do (doctrinally) make God a Condemner for ever of Millions of just innocents; yea, very infants as they blush not to infer) for one fault of their Father Adam, for whose only eating the sowr Grapes, all the childrens teeth must be set on edge, contrary to what God sayes now, who will have that Proverb used no more, but sayes as the soul that sinneth shall dye for his own, so every man only for his own iniquity, and not the son for the fathers, any more then the father for the sons.

2. That he condemns not, but clears the very guilty & justifies the very wicked and ungodly, & that not from for the Qua: know that he justifies many ungod­ly Ones from their ungodlinesse, they repenting, not resisting his Spirit by which be would purg them, but giving up to become the Godly whom only he hath chosen Ps. 4.) but even in the most wicked and ungodly Actions, and even whilest under the guilt of most abominable Transgressions, so wearying the Lord, whom they speak well of sometimes as a God of True-judgment, with their evill words of him at other times, when they say, with the wicked Priests of whom God by Malachi complains ch: 2. 17. of such as do evil that they are good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them, or where is the God of judgement? as if he who changes not and said of old Shall I count them pure, &c. Mic: 6. 11. did change and become another kind of God at one time, then he is at another viz: to count men righteous, even while such treasures of wickednesse are in the house of their hearts, as render them no lesse then wicked, scanty, and abominable, and to count men as I know not that ever he did pure, with their wicked ballances, & with their bag of deceitful weights, while they are full of violence, and speak lyes, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouths; Witnesse not only all other his fellow Pillow-sowers under their arms, and Scothers up of sinners in their sins, and Daubers of Evill-doers with the smooth untempered Morter of their Peace, peace, when there is no peace (saith my God unto the wicked; but T. D. himself above all the rest, who p. 38. Pam: 1. not only sayes, but still stands to it, and owns it or'e and or'e again, as grosse as it is, and Justifies it for truth, in his Reply to R. H. who charges it on him [Justly] as a grosse absurdity, which I have above also more at large replyed to that David, even when he was guilty (mark that) of adultery and murder (such sins as for which the Scripture, when he lay impenitent under them, denotes and excepts him as a man not upright, a despiser of God and his Commandemenes, A doer of evil in his sight, 2 Sam: 12. whom God also had not mercy on, but did both condemn and severely judge with no lesse then Hellish horrors for his filth & blood­guiltinesse, till he had repented for it, and was throwly purged from it, Psalm 51.) was not in a condemned, but in a just fied estate. So that the sum of T. D. and those Doctors Doctrine that side with him therein, is this; viz: (to begin the dance right) David while he commited adultery and murder, not repenting was guilty before God, and consequently not just, nor justified, but condemned, for whom God holds not guiltlesse, but guilty, they are not justified, accepted, ac­quitted, absolved, approved; but, which is all one, accused, reproved, condemned in his sight; Yet [to go round again] David while he committed adultery and mur­der, [Page 7] [not yet repenting] was not guilty before God, but held guiltlesse, not con­demned, nor reprobated, or reproved, but cleared, acquitted, absolved, excused, ap­proved; For between the two states of guilty and not guilty, non datur medium.

Contradictions, Confusions, and Rounds about Liberty of Conscience.

II. As to the Doctrine for Liberty of Conscience, and against persecution for cause of Conscience in matters of Religion. One while they tell the world the do­ctrire and practice of rigid imposing upon any sub penâ, or persecuting any tender Consciences for beleeving, and living according to their conviction, or de­nying to beleeve or live contrary thereunto, is a Bloody Tenet, a way to make more hypocrites, that for fear will conform to what they beleeve not to be truth, then true Christians, an evident note of a false Church, and Antichristian Ministry that is degenerate and apostatized from the true pure Primitive Church of Christ, which never did compel any by force and violence to be Christians, but rather suffered all sorts of sorrowes, and bare all manner of abuses from the whole world of false Worshippers, whether Heathens or Nominal Christians, barely for confessing to the truth of Christ, and testifying against the evil lives of all Christs enemies, whether such as hated the very outward name of Christ, or such as named his Name, and yet departed not from iniquity; and were every where cursed, yet blessed the cursers of them, prayed for such as persecuted them, intreated those that defamed and ill-intreated them, and were patient & silent, when revi­led and buffeted, beaten, banished as Vagabonds (because for truths sake they of­ten lest their own Homes and had no certain dwelling place) as seditious, tumul­tuous, disturbers of the peace (because they peaceably went into Synagogues to reason and preach the Gospel of peace) as turners of the world upside down, because they sought to change men from their evill manners, foolish customs, vain inven­tions, and wicked wayes, that were abominable to God, and to bring them to repentance from their dead works and worships, in which their souls could never live, to worship the living God, who is a Spirit, and not tyed to places, in Spi­rit and in truth in the inner parts, and to turn all men from the darknesse wherein they lived in the world without, to the Light of Christ within themselves, and from the power of Satan unto God. Sometimes (I say) our great Gamaliels not only grant these things, but also give them out for truth to the Civill Pow­ers of the Earth, most especially then and that with no small greedinesse, when the Clergy of one kind feel themselves begin to be griped under the greedy clut­ches of the Clergy of another colour, when they are likely to be imposed upon by others, and to be clapped down under hatches by the Clerical cruelties of each other respectively; As for example, where ever the Papal, or Roman, or else the Presbiterian Primacy keeps the Keys, & spreads their Black Eagles claws over all others, & hath the power of permitting or poenal imposing, there the Prelatick Pastoralty pleads his priviledge to have the liberty of his Liturgy (he behaving himselfe no otherwise then peaceably) among them. Where the Episcopal Priest­hood holds his Hierarchy, and is Supream there, as the Papal would willingly have his liberty (and I blame none, neither Jews, Turks, nor Heathens for desi­ring the like, to walk every one in the Name of his God, Mich; 4.) So both that Right-rigid Scottish Presbiterian Race, and that Mongrill seed of loose Independent-Presbiters, are more loud for liberty then any other sort of Sectaries (so called) whatsoever, who do all no lesse rationally then they [they demeaning them­selves; [Page 8] peaceably (as the very Principle of the Quakers binds them to do to all men) require each the peaceable enjoyment of his Religion, Church-Ministry, fellowship, faith and way of Worship under them; When the Rabbies are ready to be Ridden one by another (witnesse the Outcries once of New-England against Old, when under the heat of far lesse Persecution from the Bishops, then they have acted since themselves. Old England it self was too hot to hold them, also the present pleadings, not only for their Directorian Liberties, but (Turpe et miserabile) their very Livings, Tythes Preferments, and their Places, now the Common Prayer Book Priesthood, whom they unhorsed, hath his foot in the Stirrup again, and may not unlikely push the Presbiter besides the Saddle) then, Oh then, what Hue and Cry against the bloody Tenet of Persecution, and grievous groans for this desire of all Nations and People, Liberty of Conscience, Li­berty of Conscience, do we dayly hear from Smectimnuus his own, as well as o­thers mouthes.

Otherwhyles again, yea ever when the Clergy of any one colour, hath by either craft or conquest catcht the Keyes of the Kingdome, and archi [...]ved the Holy chaire, they straightway clap their cruell clawes upon them, to the keeping down by force of Armes more then Arguments all Liberty for any con­sciences but their own. Then (to go round again) come let us sing a new Song, Behold cry the Counsellers of Egypt, the People of the children of Israell are more &c. Exod. 1. 9, 10, 11. As Pharoah said unto his people, Behold, the people of the chil­dren of Israel are more and mightier then we. Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to passe, that when there falls out any war, they joyn al­so unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the Land. There­fore they did set over them Taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens, and they built for Pharoah Treasure cities, P [...]thom and Raamses. Then they set Taskmasters. Then say the Sanballats and Tobiasses, the Ammonites and Ashdodite, as they Neh. 4. 1, 2, 7, 8, 11. But it came to passe that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren, and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortifie themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish which are burnt? But it came to passe that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together, to come, and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. And our adversaries said, they shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. Then call they out for the help of Prisons, and punish­ments, cruel mockings and scourgings, Pillorings gaggings, draggings before Rulers, accusations to Magistrates, condemnings at Judgement-seats, cutting off ears slitting noses▪ fines, confis [...]ations, stockings, & sloanings, beatings, buffetings, brandings. Borings, Banishings, Hangings, Burnings, as men no more fit to live among men nor on the earth, of such as conforme not to their conceits, as fall not down before what ever Golden Image they set up; then the Priests and Prophets like those Mic. 3. that cryed Peace, Peace, begin to bite with their Teeth, and to prepare War against all whose consciences cannot own them as their own and Christs Ministers, so as to put into their Mouths, then away with all such fellowes from [Page 9] their Families to Courts and Consistoryes, holes and dungeons, haile them from their houses, tear them and theirs to pieces for our Tithes, spoile and make havock of their Goods, let their Relations perish and beg their bread, let their children be fatherlesse and their wives widows; This and the like Divinity is divined out from among the Divines, to the contradicting of themselves as to that doctrine of liberty of conscience, they were most devoted to, while they re­main sufferers under one another; Witnesse (as I faid) the sad sufferings of se­veral of Truths truest friends, not only to bloody whippings, beatings, banishments, and bonds, but also to the Death of their bodyes by hanging in New-England of late, who had, not long since, fled out of Old-Englvud for their conscience sake, and for fear (comparatively to their own fearful fleaings of Christs flock) of but a few Flea-bitings by the Bishops, witnesse also what I. O. himself, an High-Priest who soon forgot that ere he was Clark, not only did in his Vicechancel­lorship, but also would have had done, had he had his own will, who when by his loudnesse for it, he had got not only a liberty for his conscience, to very loosenesse and licentiousresse, but also a large livelihood for his own carkasse, not only many other wayes abused the Qua: who disturbed nothing but that in e­very one that will be destroyed; but also in the place aforesaid, Exer: 3. S. 39. be speaks the whole world on behalfe of that innocent people, for nothing but teaching that innocent doctrine of freedom from all sin, & perfecting holinesse in this life (which T. D. and T. Rumsy also wish as well to, as to any doctrine of devils, by which name they also call it) to this tune, Fanaticos non esse perfe­ctos testimonio sunt illorum mendu [...]ia, fraudes, scelera, hypocrisis; iis vero qui immunes se esse ab his omnibus aliis{que} peccatis vel levissimis impudenter gloriantur, punitiones et incarcerationes, quas Akatastasia sua sibi ultro accersunt, esse debeant; That the Qua: are not perfect their lyes, frauds, hainous crimes and hypocrisies do testifie to us, but to them who impudently glory (so indeed the Qua: do not but assert that free­dom attainable) that they are free from all these and other sins, even the least the more purity it seemsmen come to the more to be punisht with him) punishments and Prisons, which by their tumultuousnesse (such as that of Paul and other Apo­stles, 2 Cor. 7. were proved to be Christs Ministers by) they voluntarily pull on themselves (as the Saints and Christ ever did by exposing themselves to their malice for mens souls sakes ought to be; for which wickednesse of working & wishing that evil to others, which they would not, when they were under others willingly have done to thēselves, hath the Lord who avengeth the cause of his poor people, who had rather suffer persecution ever, then either act it themselves, or wish that any for meer conscience (though blinded) should suf­fer by it; yea God, who judgeth all truly according to their own false judge­ment of others, justly meteth out to that hypocriticall generation, [...] that with Capernaum clim'b up to Heaven in Forms and sair words, and fine shews, but are now brought down to Hell, the same measure they meted to his people, and will I doubt not in due time (except they yet repent) do the like to those holy hypocrites of New-England: And let those Priests, who have now the pre­heminence, take heed of pushing too hard against the pricks, is my desire to them for their own souls, who are every way concerned to be wary of that wonted way of wearing out, wearying and worrying of Christs little flock for not feeding and cloathing, with their Fleeces, such Shepheards, as do not feed them: And that [Page 10] the King and all the Powers that subordinately act under Him, may so far know in this their day what makes for their externall, internall, and eternal peace, as not to be found fighters against God, nor to touch those anointed ones, for whose sakes God hath of old, and will again rebuke great Kings and Nations, whose true intent is not to use any carnal weapons against any, but to let his Prophets, Lambs, and Little ones alone to live a peaceable and quiet life under them in all godlinesse and honesly, As 'tis the best good I can, so 'tis the worst hurt I do wish to him and them: For of a truth the Lord himself is risen up for the help of his own seed, against all that slayes it, and if they hearken to the hasty hue and cry of such Priests, as cry out to them for help against his Saints, when the Lord ariseth once more against the house of the evil-doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity, and stretcheth out his hand again (as undoubtedly he will do to deliver his ransomed ones that are found in innocency toward the King and all men, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall, and they shall all fail together of their expected ends, and aim to root out the seed of Israel, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it, Isa. 31. 2, 3.

Be wise now therefore O King, be instructed O ye Judges of this English Nation, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoyce before him (in this day wherein he hath lif­ted up your heads) with trembling; Oppose him not by your interpositions and impositions in his own Court, which is the Conscience, for let Heathenish people rage and imagine what they will, let earthly Kings set themselves, & Rulers take counsel together as they will, its in vain if against the Lord, and his anointed Christ Jesus his Son in his Saints, whom he will set as his King in the Conscience, and in his holy hill of Sion: But rather kisse the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish for ever from the way of your own peace, for if his wrath be kindled, yea but a little, blessed are all they only that trust and hope in him, Psal. 2.

Contradictions and Rounds about the modern infallible teachings of Gods infallible Spirit.

III. As to our doctrine of the present guidance of Christs Church and Mini­stry by his own infallible spirit; They tell us sometimes, or at least yeeld to us when we tell them, that at this day they only, that are led by the Spirit of God, are the Sons of God, that if any have not Christs Spirit, and the guidance there­of, which is an infallible Spirit and guidance (for we know no fallible Spirit that he hath, nor fallible guidance that that Spirit hath) which leads undoubtedly all men and Ministers that follow it, and not the lustings of the flesh against it, into no sin, out of all errour, into all truth, being truth it selfe and no lye, and that some there are now, that are led of that Spirit, and walk after it, and not after the flesh, as then there were, Rom: 8. Gal: 5.

By and by (they finding themselves erring and contradicting one another, and no betier guided in things of God then by their own thoughts, uncertain conje­ctures, crooked conceits, whereby they crosse one another in their several senses & meanings, about the one mind of Christ, in that one writing, which they call their Rule) because they follow their own flashy fancies, and not the Spirit, and measuring all others by themselves (To go round again) they tell us another thing, and make it no lesse then a matter of meer pretence and high presumption, not so much as safely to be supposed that a man should be now Theopnuestos, di­vinely inspired, or infallibly guided by Gods Spirit in these dayes, as if that Spi­rit [Page 11] did not continue his infallible, but afforded only some kind of fallible gui­dance to his Church & Ministry now, and led them, as R. B. J. T. also say the Light within did the Heathen p. 68. in somethings well, in most into crooked and dangerous wayes, and that makes these men sometimes bid men Attend and take heed to it, sometimes again (cane pejus et angue) reject, detest, and take heed of it, as I shall shew more by and by; Witnesse J. O. in the places above talkt with, where he talks down all Divine inspiration and guidance now a dayes by the infallible spirit, as matters but falsely pretended to, p. 5, 6. 63. 167. &c. And T. D. who denys his own Ministry to be infallible and thereby proclaming those to be but fools who follow it, accuses the Qua: of false­hood with a witnesse, for once offering to affirm this truth that theirs (which yet is truly Christs Ministry) is infallible: As (quo [...]h he) to the infallibillity of their Ministry, 3 Jurates of Sandwich will testifie that they did affirm their Mini­stry to be infallible: Which if it were not (say I) I would yeeld our selves to be as very fools who suffer for it, as those would be who also suffer for attending to it.

Contradictions, Confusions & Rounds concerning the large love and rich mercy of God to all mankind.

IV. As to the doctrine of Gods great grace, universal love, and rich mercy to all men, they extoll it in their Proclamations of it one while as an infinite, boundlesse, bottomlesse Bounty, matchlesse Mercy, endlesse Large love, exceeding rich grace, listing up their voyces among all people to this, or the like tune; O the rich, infinite, unexpressible, unconceiveable, incomprehensible love of God in Christ Iesus to all mankind, to the whole world, so hath he loved the world (a sic without a sicut) that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever beleeves in him might not perish, but have everlasting life: God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved, he is not willing any one of you should perish, but that all should come to repentance, and be saved in the acknowledgement of his truth. Therefore Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, come and buy Wine & Milke, but without mony, without price; God is free of what he hath (onely the Priests (that have freely received, and should as freely give) give them their Fees, let them have Money, and Price, and Pay, and Augmentations, and Maintenance enough) God looks for nothing. Come unto Christ all ye that labour and are heavy laden, here's rest for all, your souls: The Spirit and the Bride say come, and who ever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely: Obje: Oh but we are sinners, will God own us? Answ: Art thou a sinner? then who ere thou art, thou art one of those Christ came to save, he came to save that which was lost, to take away the sins of the world.

Obj: Oh but we are great sinners, wicked wretches, such as never were the like, multiplying sins, transgressions, is there any hope for us?

Answ: If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive them, pardoning ini­quity, transgression and sin, Christ hath received gifts for the rebellious, he tasted death for every man, he is a propitiation not for some only, but also for the sins of the whole world; He opens the door of salvation to all, His tender mercies are over all his works, he delights to magnifie his mercy above all; it rejoyceth against judgement; Come all and welcome, none shall be cast off in any wise that come to him, he would have all to come, he is not willing that any should [Page 12] perish: Behold I bring you glad tydings of great joy to all people, a Saviour is borne unto them, from God, theres peace proclaimed, good wi towards men; Though they are enemies to him by wicked works, yet God is in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe, not imputing trespasses to any that will be reconciled unto him; He swears that he hath no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth, but had much rather that the wicked should turn from his wickednesse and live, and therefore he hath sent his Son a Light to the Nations, and so to be his Salvation, even to the ends of the earth, and this he also declares to men as his good will to them all, and calling to all to look to him and be saved, universally, freely, truly (without mockage) tendering peace to all, offering salvation to all men, intending no otherwayes then he sayes, that every individual that turns to him shall have it, and hath wrought in them to will and to do, and now would have them will & do, hath given every one a Talent, in which Trading he shall enter into the joy, but being unfaith­ful with, and not improving, thereupon only they are shut out; and abundance more of the like, which is all precious, and the plain truth of the Scripture, which they call the revealed will of God, according to which only we must judge of Gods mind to man-ward.

Otherwhiles again, that is, when the Qua: come to question them before their people whether it be so in very deed or no, as they say, that God is so much more prone to mercy then severity, and is so truly loving to all mankind, to all sinner (and so consequently to all men, for all are but sinners) provided they accept his grace given, and improve it, & be not wanting to themselves, and come to him, & whether he would honestly & heartily (as he says) that all should come and would come, and would not have them, ponere obicem, hin­der their Salvation, and put it away from them, and that God as truly intends their good, as they extend the newes of it, if men refuse not the offer and would indeed have them accept of the offer and not slight it?

Then O come let us sing a new song (To go round again) The divine do­ctrine of Gods universal love is drawn in again, as damnable heresie, and his grace niggarded up into a Corner, and his mighty mercy diminisht into a mite, and a Tale told us that this is but a generall outside profer, he intends not truly that all shall come to him by repentance, and have benefit by the death of his Son, he dyed not for all, but though its said All, every man, by all he means but a few, and he hath not put all so much as into a capacity, or common possibility of life by his Son, nor into so much as an ability to come to him, the most can't chuse life that they may live, they may chuse death that they may dye, and must chuse that, being afore of old ordained to condemnation, and so though mercy and misery, blessing and cursing be set before them, and they bid to chuse, yet their wills must of necessity chuse the curse, having it not wrought in them (as a few have) so much as to will and to do any good, and so though they have good and evill to chuse, which they will of the two, yet when all's done, as the case is, they must (Hobsons choice) cleave to the evil, and chuse whether they will have that or none, having not only no arbitrium liberum, but not so much as liberatum, they are yet lockt up to a Post by Adams fall 6000 years before they were born, and were never unloosed to this day, nor ever must be, so as to be at liberty to come when they are call'd, and yet must be con­demned too for not coming. they have enough given them to leave them [Page 13] without excuse & damn them, but Christ [...]n sub nulla considerationem, quoth J. O. Exer: 4. Christ in no case hath given a saving light to all, nor God grace suf­ficient to save them, unto them all: Christ, Comfort, thats the childrens bread, it belongs not to the dogs, Christ dyed and is given only for the world of the elect that beleeve, but the most not only do not, but cannot beleeve; And besides there's no Saviour for the most to beleeve in (as theirs being sent in Gods love but to a few, so that if the most, if all should beleeve him to be theirs, the most must beleeve a lye, for 'tis not so, yet (To go round again) this withall they must know that they must be condemned for not beleeving a lye▪ for not beleeving that, which if they should all beleeve, the most must beleeve a lye; For he that beleeves not is condemned, because he beleeves not in the only begotten Son of God, and this and no other thing is their condemnation, but because Christ is come a light into the world, and they come not to it, beleeve not in it, but love the darknesse more then it otherwise Christ came not into the world to condemn the very world (which is condemned) but to this intent that the world throw him might be saved. And (to go round again) though they are sent to make such fair proffers, promises, and large Proclamations of Gods love, yet this is but his revealed will, he does but do this to make men beleeve he is so loving to them, as to give his own Son for them, that if they beleeve i [...] not as he knows they cannot, faith being his gift, and that which he will give but to sew, and leave the most unable to beleeve) he may come the more in wrath against a hundred to one of mankind, and take vengeance on them for their not belee­ving that false Testimony, which in his revealed will he gives by us of his Son, but he hath a secret will, hidden from us, wherein he far otherwise peremptori­ly decrees, that but a few only shall be saved, and this (though hidden from us) we declare to be of the twain the very truth indeed.

Cum multis aliis ejusdem fursuris, quae nunc praescribere longum est.

Just as if, a thousand men fast settered up in Prison, standing all condemned to be hanged, a messenger should be sent from a King, in whose power it is to save or slay them All on what Terms he pleases, to proclaim the good-Newes, and the Glad-Tidings of pardon and life to them All, and the wonderfull mercy of the King to them All, as one more prone by far to mercy then wrath, in such wise and to such a purpose as followes:

O ye poor undon lost men, ye lye now at the mercy of the King, dead men All, but behold I am come from him to bring glad tidings of great joy to you All, lift up your heads, chear up your hearts, the King that he may shew he delights more in saving then destroying, in mercy then wrath, though for displeasing him, not personally, but paternally, in your fathers loins, he has advantage to cut you All off, yet he is resolved to save one of you and hang but 999, and he would every man of, you beleeve it for himself that its he in particular he comes to, and not to the rest; And yet to go round again) Conditionally that every man of you beleeve it for himself, it is to every such individual indeed, & consequently both to one and all the rest, and if ye all unloose your selves out of the Chains and come away (but that ye can't do, and 'tis not his will ye should, and none must give you the keyes) ye shall all be spared, and I know not which that elect one is for my part, nor which of you All it is he in tends absolutely to spare, that lyes in his secret will, but I am sent with his re­vealed [Page 14] will to tell you that he that can beleeve it, its he that is to be favoured, he is the man who ere it is, and though (I am sure his love) is to but one, and 999 are peremptorily, personally, possitively ordained to dye; Yet (to go round again) If ye all beleeve his love to you, ye shall All live, if any dye 'tis his own fault, because he beleeves not the Kings love to him, and comes not away out of his Fetters, and nothing else, and though he can't come out of his Fet­ters, yet let him know its but just that I should leave him there▪ because his father offended the King before he was born, its enough for them that he is so rich in mercy to the whole thousand, as to save one, and proclaim salvati­on to All, with no intent of pardon, that he may take the more advantage on the rest by their refusal to come, when they cannot, to do execution on them with ten fold more wrath, rigour and severity, then if the pardon never had been proclaimed to them at all.

In much what such a rambling, confused, self contradictory manner do our Nationall-Messengers and Ministers of Gods grace (Consideratis considerandis) hold out their Gospell to All men as Embassadours from God to them All. One while extolling, & extending it over all Gods works to All men, and otherwhiles, when they have carryed it about long in a vast circuit and circumference of Commendatory conference (To go round again) in their niggardly News-books they wind it about, and wrap it all up within the narrow corner of their conceited wheel, within a wheel, or little world of a few Elect ones only, ex­tenuating it till they all most quite extinguish it in their talk, & preach it wel­nigh into nothing: Witnesse J. O. (as is shewed more at large in the book aforesaid) and T. D. also telling us indeed that God offers Salvation to All men, but intends it only to a few.

Contradictions, Confusions, and Rounds about the doctrine of perfect freedom from sin attainable in this life.

V. As to Salvation from sin in this life, which Christ gives to all that fol­low him in his light. One while they teach it to us themselves as attainable here by the grace of God, as the Qua: do, in these or the like deliveryes of themselves in their preachings and writings according to the Scriptures; People ye must deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts, and live Godly, righteously, and soberly (mark) in this present world; The grace of God that bringeth salva­ti [...]e to such as take heed to it, and receive it not in vain, appears to All men, and teaches them so to live, but that they turn from it and turn it into wantonnesse, and if we walk in the Light as God is in the Light, we then have fellowship with him (who hath none with sin and sinners) and not only so, but also the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from All sin, and though we cannot say we have no sin, since we and all men have sinned, yet if we confess our sins God is faithful not only to forgive us our sins past, but (which is a further matter) to cleanse us from All unrighleousnesle: Having therefore such promises let us cleanse our selves from (mark) All filthiness of flesh and spirit (who knows any more then all) per­fecting holiness in Gods fear; The blessed men, Psal. 119. 3. are the Saints or Holy Ones that do no iniquity but walk in Gods way and though ye think well of your selves because your sins are little, yet no sin is so little, but if liv'd & died in, its damning, therefore take heed of the least iniquityes, & while ye have time and space given you to repent from them in, leave, forsake, foregoe them, live [Page 15] according to the Scripture, which allows of no sin, which is written that men might not sin, which is able through faith to make a man of God perfect and wise to salvation from sin, which is perfect to its own end, which is Salvation, which end it attains not hereafter, for its of no use then, and therefore must do it here, or no where, so that if you dye in the least of your sins (unrepented from) better ye had never been born, for there's no Purgatory in the world to come as the Pope fains, but as the Tree falls it lyes, as death leaves you, judgement finds you, if ye lye down in your Graves in your sins, you will rise out of them full of sorrowes: Listen unto Christs Ministers, who are given for the work of the Mi­nistry, for the perfecting of the Saints, the edifying of the body, till we all come to a Perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullnesle of Christ himselfe, so as to be as he is in this world, and whoever saith he abides in him ought so to walk as himselfe walked in whom was no sin: and who hath true hope in him purifieth him­selfe as he also is pure; and a multitude more sayings of like sort we may hear them utter.

Otherwhiles (that is when the Qua: call men to the same living without sin, telling them these things are possible to be done by Gods grace, who of his good pleasure hath wrought in men to will and to do, so that by the power and suf­ficiency of that they may now work out their own salvation, if they neglect not this day of Gods long suffering and salvation, wherein God would succour them if they will, and that God requires not by either his Ministets or their Scriptures, Impossibilities from his creatures under such poenalty as eternall dam­nation if not performed) then (to go round again) they tell us other matters, which (as contradictory as they are to those above-said) we must notwith­standing (or else be held for Hereticks) believe from them to be the truth, viz. That tis most false to affirm that the Scripture (the perfection whereof they plead to lye, in nullâ aliâ re, in no other thing then its sufficiency to its end, which it can't attain hereafter (if not here) sith there it ceases as to all its uses) either doth or can obtain its end (which end they say also is salvation from the sin that destroyes the soul) dum in hoc mundo haeremus (so sayes I. O. Ex. 3.) while we have a being in this World. Then they make as if the Ministry of them who wrote the Scriptures, were such as their own is, viz. a meer Antick mock­age of men, a conclave of contradictions, confusions, absurdities and Rounds, a Mini­stry of flat falsities (not to say fooleries) a mad-message of impossibilities, where­in they stand all their dayes calling upon all men for money (as Homines Domini) in Nomine Domini in the name of God on pain of his eternall displeasure and their damnation, to do what they are to believe to as an Article of their Faith on pain of the Hereticks condemnation, All men can never possibly do, God empowering but very few by true grace to do ought at all of what he requires; nay not empowering any one at all to do all that, viz. to cease from all sinning a­gainst him in the time of this life, wherein he requires it to be done by them; as being never possible to be done in that to come if neglected here: Yea then the Doctrine of full freedome from sin here is contrary to the Tenour of the Scripture, (quoth T. D.) yea in short no better nor worse then a very doctrine of Devils (quoth T. D. and T. Rumsey both in their Book, which is so largely answe­red already in mine above said.)

So then we have the Ministers mind in this poynt tripliciter or rather qua­drupliciter [Page 16] at least about the time of the Saints perfect purgation from all sin. First, It is somewhere that they all confesse at first. Secondly, 'Tis not here in this World, (cry they) that comes too near the Copyhold of the Qua: and we would not be ensnared with their beguiling Doctrine. Thirdly, 'Tis not in that to come (cry they) this puts us poynt blank into the Purgatory of the Pope: We must beware of that, lest fleeing too farre from the Qua: snare we fall into the Papists pit. Fourthly, 'tis not in any World between this and that to come, for there's no such middle World that we know of; therefore Fifthly, (to goe quite round to where we were before we began, for Incidit in Scyllam qui vult vit [...]re Charybdim) It's somewhere (as we said at first) but we know not where; which (to go round again) is as much as to say (for ought we know) just no-where at all.

Howbeit some are not so well aware yet of the Traps they talk themselves into thereby, but that they will be taking on them precisely to determine where it is when we closely urge them; but their Testimony hangs as hand­somely, and is as well tangled together as the links of a pair of [...]thangers, whereof every one draws a different way from another, for some if askt when the full purging is; it is (say they) while the soul is passing between here and heaven after its departed from the body; This as A. P. informes me was T. Ds. answer to L. H. when askt at Sandwich in an assambly of many the precise time and period of the perfect purging; so making a purgatory after death notwith­standing, which it seems is in the aire, and therein only different from the Popes, which is feigned to be under the earth: Others that I have put the Questi­on to, say tis a little before the soul departs out of the body, to whom when I have redoubled my Query thus; if a little before the soul depart why not a little sooner, sith before is but before let it be a longer or a lesser while? and if a minute, why not an hour? if an hour, why not a day? and so (caeteris paribus, the same means attended to) why not a month, a year, and years, many as well as few? I have received no answer and good reason why, because there's none to give; and so we take it for granted from them that it's before death, however as we say (if at all) though these contradict T. D. who sayes, with the Pope, it's after death: Others not knowing which to say, seeing accor­ding to our Argument, which is thus, viz. perfect purging, if at all, must be in this World as the Qua; say, or in that to come as the Pope says, who feigns a Purgatory there for the remnant of sins that remain unpurged away here, or else in ano­ther World, betwixt this and that to come, which Chimaera who ere heard of? being now somewhat wary lest if they say before the soul go out, which is in this World, they yield to the Qua: and if after it's gone out which is the World to come, they appeare too near a kin to the Pope in his poynt of Purgatory, affirme it to be in the very [...] or moment or instant of the souls departure, which is not in tempore it seems, not in any time at all, but in instanti, and so sith Instans non est Tempus, but as it were punctum temporis, the instant being but a poynt of time and not properly Time it self; it seems that

Accidit in puncto quod non speratur in aevo.

That happens in a poynt of time, which could never be so much as hoped to he attained in all the life time before.

Thus the Divines dance between this world and that to come, not knowing [Page 17] yet where Purgatory is, nor daring to say distinctly one thing nor other, whether here or hereafter, in this World or that, hovering like Coesar at Rubicon with one foot over the dore sell t'other on this side, one in, t' other out▪ one in that World, t'other in this World, saying with him yet I may go on, and when afraid, yet I may go back; So 'tis

Contradictions, and various self-confutations, absurdities, riddles and rounds about their Rule of Scriptures.

V. A [...]o their Doctrin [...] about▪ the Scripture or Letters, and not the spirit and lights being the Word of God, the fixt, firme foundation, stable standard, truest touchstone or tryall of all truth, only sure, inalterable, invariable, infallible Rule of holy life, They tell us one while not the light within, but the Hebrew and Greek Texts and Transcripts only, and those at least (though no Translations, but as agreeing therewith) are all those things abovesaid, that one only Lydius la­pis, unchangeable measure for all doctrines, spirits, faiths, truths, and things of God, and sayings to be measured by, yea both it self, and its own sayings also; the Word of God properly, the foundation, rule, inalterable and unaltered in so much as points, tittles, iota's, or losse of one letter or syllable, and what not? Quarrel­ling with the Qua: as siders with Papists in denying it only to be all this, and for calling it a nose of wax that is flexible, and may be twined and wrested by mistakes and mistranscriptions (as themselves confesse it may by many mistran­slations) and for calling it (as I. O. himself calls that most ancient Translation of it, the Septuagint (therefore see what an infallible rule and Word of God poor people have that know not Heb. and Greek) a Lesbian Rule, &c. Witnesse I. O. whose businesse in all his Book above mentioned is to prosecute the proof of the Scripture in those and the like particulars, and T. D. in his Books, where he disputes the Scripture to be the Word of God, and only Rule of saith, and life, and that there's no other standing Rule but the Scriptures, p. 25, 26. 1 Pam. p. 16. 2. Pam.

Otherwhiles, yea no further off then in the self same Books wherein they prosecute the proof thereof, yea and T. D. no further off then in one of the self same pages, wherein he begins his discourse with me about it (to go round again) they plainly enough confesse the Scripture to be neither the Word of God nor the Rule, witnesse T. Ds. words, who, when told what the Scripture is, viz. a [...] the letter, writing that holy men wrote, replies you cannot think us so silly sure as to affirm the Scripture in that sence (which yet is the only sense in which it can properly be called Scripture) to be the Word of God, but we mean the matter contained in the Scripture (which is another matter then the Scripture) whether that be the Rule of faith or no: witnesse also I. O. who Ex. 15. 50. sayes Scriptura non verbum Dei vocatur formaliter quatenus scrip­ta [Page 18] &c. The Scripture formally considered (and if not so, not properly (say I) for forma dat esse, et est id per quam res est id quod est, is that by which every thing is what it is) is not called the Word of God. And yet (to go round again) p. 140. If the Scripture be what it reveals and declares it self to be, it is then unque­stionably the Word of the living God, for that it professeth of it self from the begin­ning to the ending, and Exer. 1. S. 32. Scripturam saepius eo nomine a spiritu san­cto indigitari cuivis eas vel leviter inspicienti facile apparebit; that the Scripture is very oft specially pointed out by that name is plain to him that but lightly looks in­to it. Exer. 1. S 28 Scriptura verbum Dei est, locis poene innumeris verbum Dei dicitur. The Scripture in well nigh innumerable places is called the Word of God, Joh. 17. 17. (a Text that vel leviter inspicienti touches on no such matter) and yet (to go round again) in the self same Section, in the very next clause, for all those innumerable places (if there were, as there are not, so many in the book as the Scotchman said) ubi verbum Dei ennarratur promulgari, &c. where the word of God is said to be preached, publisht, multiplyed, received, that most holy truth it self, which is in mens hearts, and is the matter of it, is, but the Scrip­ture (formaliter) formally considered in no wise is intended: And yet (to go round again) Exer. 1. S. 3. Fault is found with the Quakers by I. O. as meer feign­ers from them of that verbum internum or inward word they talke of, because they do no more then I. O. does i. e. not own the Scriptures to be intended in those well nigh innumerable places, but that holy matter, truth or Word the Scrip­ture speaks of as nigh in the heart (of which I. O. himself Ex. 1. S 40. sayes also thus, verbum quod in nobis est; &c. The word in us is that word of faith the Apostles preacht) Which well nigh innumerable places also I. O. himself sayes cannot be intended of Christs person neither, quoniam autem millies fere mentio facta est ver­bi Dei, &c. because there is well nigh a thousand times mention made of the word of God, and its preaching, publishing, receiving, in those places which can't possibly be meant of the person of Christ and the Qua; will not acknowledge the Scripture as in­tended there neither, they carve from thence and wrest from thence I know not what Internall Word, of which they are possessors in chief & Haeredes ex Asse of such as held it shut up among themselves of old: So shewing himself to be none of those Disciples of Christ, among whom his Testimony is bound, and his Law sealed up, and hasting in his haughty mind to quarrell with the Qua: for that which is no fault (unlesse it be his own also he proves himself to Haeres ex Asse illorum quos tenebrae antea inclusos tenuerunt, who were justly shut up in groapable dark­nesse for despising the true light, so as to groap for the Wall like the blind, as if he had no eyes, to stumble at noon day as in the night, and, as one horrendo percussus scotomate, to run round with other blind guides in his giddy mind with­out sense or reason so as not to feel when he interferes and hacks one leg against another, yea somtimes he confesses that the very Greek and Heb. copies or Transcripts are not only (as well as Translations) by the fallibility of the Scribes, and the Criticall faculties of men, liable to be turned eight wayes in one word [...], some as contrary one to another as life to death, and what way any Critick will, and that the very immediate Transcribers of the Originalls, both might and also did erre, faile, mistake, and that thereupon various lections (when as I. O. at first said there was none at all, not in a Tittle) are risen (witnesse I. Os. own confession) and so not fit to be a foundation or a rule which (to goe [Page 19] round again) they say (witnesse R. B. I. T.) must not be variable; and those (though nickt in at next word by I. O. into the lesse offensive and formidable number of a few) yet at next word (to go round again) both clearly confest and plainly cleared by I. Os. own self, to be many, among which though I. O. at the next word nullifies them all under that diminutive name of A picular, in­considerable accents not at all intren [...]hing on the sense, or at all of any moment, of no importance) yet some (to go round again) are confessed to be of some importance, and those of importance (quoth he) are considered by Glassius, and consisting not only in superfluity of words unnecessary, but in deficiency of words necessary to the sense of the places, and that some of them are of such moment as Textum sacrum et in literis et sensu corrigere, that they do alter the Text both in its letters and its sense: And though, to get from under that grievous ga [...]h which this grant of his own gives to his grand assertion of no variation of the Text in Tittles, I. O. glazes it over with this glosse, viz. That those that are inconsistent with the sense in their stations, of more or lesse weight or moment are but private obscure and novell not above two or three hundred years standing, in some late, but no antient copies, yet by and by (to go round again) I. O. denyes not but that some are not only of such publick and open observation as to be obvious to the view of all, but also of long standing▪ witnesse his words, p. 190. There are (quoth he) in some Copies of the new Testament, and th [...]se some of them of good Antiquity, diverse readings in things o [...] words of lesse importance (and those which are of importance (quoth he p. 193.) have been already considered by others, specially Glassius, is acknowledged, the proof of it lyes within the reach of most in the Copies that we have, and I shall not sollicit the reputation of those who have afforded [...] others out of their own private furniture, and pag. 27. of his Epist. he grants that there are Corruptions (mark) and various lections in the Greek Co­pies of the Scripture, and our grant (quoth I. O.) is founded on this experience, that we evidently find various lections in the Greek Copies we enjoy, and so grant that which ocular inspection evinces to be true: And though I. O. having yield­ed the Greek Text to be corrupted▪ which is enough to prove his foundation faulty and fallible, if the Hebrew Text were to a tittle entire) fills up that gap again with this fiddle-fadling defence (viz.) Yet there are none able to shew out of any Copies yet extant in the World, or that they can make appear ever to have have been extant, that ever there were any such various lections in the Originalls of the Old Testament: Neverthelesse (to go round again) notwithstanding what hath been spoken (quoth he, p. 178.) We grant that there are and have been va­rious lections in the Old Testament and the New; and so falls a shewing in many pages together many varieties in the Old Testament himself, to save his Anta­gonists the labour of shewing what he tells them they are not able to shew, some of which are not obscure and private (as I. O. sayes they are) but publick and open (as I. O. sayes) not (as I. O sayes they are) of no importance, but of im­portance, and inconsistent with the sence (as I. O. sayes to go round again) not novell, and of late only (as I. O. sayes they are) but (as I. O. sayes to go round again) of longer standing, of some good Antiquity:

Thus I. O. all this while gives and takes, grants and begs back again, abates & exacts the whole again, allows and pulls in again, owns and denyes, lets go and commands home again his Assertion, till by a little and a little he hath set it go, and [Page 20] granted it all away, and then (to go round again) fearing he hath let it go too far from serving his turn, does what in him lyes (though hoc aliquid nihil est) by a little and a little to fetch it all in again to his first pretended purpose; he goes on granting from ore shooes to o [...]e boots, till in the quagmire, wherein he qua­vers too and fro in his quarrel for his quick-sandy foundation, he sinks first up to the An [...]kles, then up to the Knees, anon up to the Loynes, by and by up to the neck:

And Lastly, searing lest he hath gone so far in granting to the weakening of his own Assertion of the Texts integrity to a tittle, that he shall hardly ever re­cover it to stand for truth in that exquisite primitive posture, wherein he at first exerted and propounded it, unlesse he utter somwhat more like a man, & more to the purpose then all those childish pedling put offs, I. O. urges a knocking Ar­gument from the multitude of the Copies to the impossibility of the Texts being corrupted, thus viz. p. 176. There was a multiplying of Copies to such a number that it was impossible any should corrupt them all willfully, or by negligence, which hath as much reason in it as his other confident conclusions have, for (Riddle me this, ye Rabbies) why might not the same fate fall out to one Copy of Scripture in its transcribing as to another? and if the sate and fault of falsity and mi­stake to some, why not to all? Yet if it were never such a solid consequence we need not deny it; I. O. (who still saves us the labour of confuting I. O.) knocks it down and confounds it himselfe, while elsewhere he argues from the multitude of Copies to the impossibillity of their esca [...]ing corruptions; For (To go round again) That so many Transcriptions (quoth he) should be made with­out some variation [...] that is, impossible; thus running out in hast to recover his lost Assertion, he runs himselfe or'e head and eares in the Gulf of most irreconcileable contradiction, and irrecoverable confusion; yea, how many various Lections and various contradictions to himself, are to be found (yet heres not all) in I. Os. opposing of that one plain undeniable truth; viz. That there are various Lections in the Copies of the very originall Texts of the Scripture which they call their Rule, which though they say tru­ly (witnesse R. B. I. T: p. 43. & 51.) That a Rule and guid should be certain, which will not deceive, and that which is variable and alterable cannot be a persons Rule, for it is the property of a Rule to be invariable, and the same at all times; the Rules, Measures, Weights, Dialls, Squares, and what other things are made, if they be va­ryed they cease to be Rules, for Rules should be fized and certain, and confesse al­so with us▪ that Error minimus in principio fit major in medio maximus in fine, the least errour in a foundation makes a thing not fit to be a foundation, and so if the Scripture be not intire to a tittle, so but vel [...] one jot or tit­tle fail, and every letter be not preserved by Gods providence from being lost they must needs cry out [...] they have no footing nor foundation for their saith, and see no means of being delivered from utter uncertainty in and about all sacred truth, (Witnesse I. O. Ep: p. 25. and much more of that sort in his book, as its more at large talkt with, in the second of my four Exercitations) and do confesse also the Scripture is not only flexible and lyable to be changed easi­ly at every Criticks will, and the Transcribers might and did fail and mistake, so that various Sections are thence arisen, witnesse I. O. p. 167. and Epist. p. 21, 22, 23, 24. where he tells how many wayes its easie for a Critick to alter it; [Page 21] Yet (To go round again and face about half way at least) they plead the said (confessedly) variable and much varied Text, to be the only fixt, firm, foundati­on, sure Basis, stable Standard, right Rule, true Touchstone, and such like; Yea (and to go the whole round, and face quite about as they were) that it is neither so varied nor variable, by reason of the loving care and aspect of God over the Transcribers whom (yet for all that, he would not guid) infallibly, whose promise and providence which cannot fail, are engaged to preserve the Hebrew & Greek Texts in their integrity to a tittle, but that its most fit to be own'd as the most perfect and only steady Rule and foundation.

Moreover how entirely true soever the Transriptions are, the Translations, which is all the Rule the people have (unlesse the Priests prattle must be their Rule) are confessed to be most various, and abominably, and wofully corrupted; Witnesse I. O. who is scarce more busie to evince the entirenesse of his Hebrew and Greek Text, then in evidencing the erroneousnesse of all Translations, some of which that are most ancient and of most account among most Priests (as the Septuagint are gone off (quoth I. O.) from the Original in a thousand places twice told. And yet (To go round again) the only infallible Rule and sure Word of God which they tell the poor people that they have, is the Scripture Text, as it is thus Translated, for they to them either the infallibility of their own Mini­stry, or of the Holy Chair, and any present guidance of any by the Infallible Spirit also.

Thus they run the Rounds, trace to and fro, and dance up and down in their darkminds about the transcriptions and translations of their Text, which they take to be their Rule which transcriptions & translaions were they never so certain and entire by answering to the first originall copies, yet are not capable to be (to all men) any other then a lesbian Rule or Nose of Wax, forasmuch as even where men have them as halfe the world has not they are liable to be wre­sled, and actually twisted twenty wayes by interpretours, whose expositions, senses and meanings, which are as many and various, as the thoughts, and con­ceits, and inventions, of the men are who comment upon them, must be the Rule to such as can read them neither in Hebrew, and Greek, nor in their own Mother-Tongues neither: And whereas we ask them (who tell us that Scrip­ture rightly interpreted only is the right rule of the faith by what Rule shall we know whether the Text be rightly interpreted yea or nay, and not rather wrested, and what is the Rule according to which men are to interpret that Rule of their faith, i. e. that Scripture (to go round again) they tell us the Analogy of Faith: And when we query how it may be known that that Faith is right according to which the Scripture is (if rightly) to be interpreted (To go round again) they tell us the Scripture rightly interpreted; And when we ask them how it may be known assuredly, uncontroleably, infallibly, that the Scripture is at all of God, and not a cunningly devised fable & invention of men? they tell us by the Testimony of the Spirit, which (say they is necessary & onely all­sufficient to that purpose, [see the Articles of the Clergy of England about the Scrip­ture, And when we ask them but by what shall we try and find assuredly] in­fallibly that that Spirit is of God, and not a false one that tells us the Scripture is of God; To go round again) they tell us by the Scripture.

Moreover as when others deny his asserted Authority, purity & integrity of [Page 22] the Text, J. O. pleads it to the least tittle, and yet (to go round again) falls flat­ly to affirm the Non-integrity of it himself, so when he dreams those poor delu­ded Fanatical souls (as he calls them call'd Qua: (who yet own it as usefull, helpfull, profitable, perfect to its own end through faith in the Light to the man of God) do deny the perfection of the Scripture to its proper end, then J. O. strikes up in such strict strains of proving the living power, efficacy, perfection of the said Scripture to its own proper end, which (he sayes) is the effecting and perfecting of mens eternall salvation without any help of the Spirit and Light within, stretching it out into such a singular absoluteness this way, as that which by it self alone is Regula perfectissima, Ex: 3. S. 26. ita perfecta, &c. omni­bus numer [...] absoluta, ut nihil opus sit ulla alia revelatione per spiritum aut lumen internum, &c. as revelatio omni respectu perfecta, Ex: 3. S. 28. Potens servare animas, reslituens onimam, potentia Dei ad salutem, so that inania inutilia sunt alia omnia principia, &c. S. 29. which all is more fully inculcated at large in Greek and English, p, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87. where he sayes its absolutely call'd the power of God, and that to its proper end, the Rod of his power without other helps and advantages, that hath efficacy and power in it to save souls, living, effectual, sharper then any two edged sword, &c. as Heb. 4. 12. and much more to that tune, adoring and extolling the external Text with the honour and venera­tion thats due to God, Christ and his Spirit, Light, and living word in the heart alone.

But when J. O. comes to quarrel with those poor deluded souls, the Jews, for the self same adoring and glorying in their enjoyment of the naked letter, and seeking for life and salvation in the Scriptures without the Light and Spirit within, which he and his Fellow-Scribes are found in, and con­demned by the Qua: for at this day, as they were by Christ of old, and when he comes to quarrel with the Qua: for asserting that doctrine of Devills (as they call it) viz: Attainablenesse of perfect freedom & salvation of the soul from sin in this life; then J. O. runs and rambles round about and about again with as great an Ardency as he danced the other way before, saying Ex: 3. S. 39. Falsissimum est sacram Scripturam, dum in hoc mundo Haeremus, respectu nostri totum suum finem obtinere aut obtinere posse; It's most false to say the Scripture or doth, or can obtain its whole end in respect of us while we live here; and if we ask where then does it do it in the world to come? no neither, then cessabit Scripturae usus, &c. its use will then cease, its accimmodated to our present state on­ly, and if we ask does it do it at all? yes (quoth he [...] or else it cant't he per­fect, as I assert it to be, for Ex: 3. S. 24. Disciplinae cujusvis perfectio, &c. In English thus The perfection of every discipline stands in it's relation to its end, so as that is to be held perfect which can, and that imperfect which potis non est, cannot effect its own end, and the perfection of the Scripture, can consist in no other thing then its sufficiency to its own proper end, which is the perfecting our eternall salvation, which salvation though the Scripture be perfect, and does accom­plish it, yet (To go round again) it can accomplish it neither in this world, nor that to come, and so not at all; and (To go round again) is imperfect; and fur­ther yet,

That its not so absolutely perfect nor effectually powerfull to this end (of saving souls so as to need no other revelation by the Spirit or Light within, as he [Page 23] says 'tis, witnesse its inefficacy to the Jews, who are as busie in it to no [...]ur­pose, as J. O. himself, of whom J. O. (to go round again) sayes p. 236. thus The Jews enjoy the letter of the Scriptures, yea they receive it sometimes with the honour and veneration due to God alone; Their poslession of it is not accompanied with the manifestation of the Spirit, without which as we see in the instance of themselves, the Word is a dead letter, of no efficacy for the good of souls, they have it for their further ruine, yea while they keep the Scripture (quoth J. O. of the Jews, and I of J. O. and such literal Christians as he is we shall never want wea­pons out of their own Armony for their destruction, like the Philistine, they carry the weapon that will serve to cut off their own heads.

Thus, Though I. O. who sayes elsewhere, the Scripture is without need of other helps or advantages, or revelation by the Spirit, or Light within▪ per se sola sufficiens) living, absolute, full of power and efficacy to save souls, and yet rides the Rounds so here, as to say that without the Spirit, the word (and that's more then the Qua: dare say, howbeit he means thereby but the Scripture) is a dead letter, of no efficacy to the good of souls, yet (horrendo percussus scotomate) he stayes not here, but having said the letter is dead, rather then the Qua: he so hates, shall be owned by him in saying the self-same that himself sayes, hee'l ride round back again to his first stage, that he may not seem to side with them, and therefore in Ex. 3. S. 40. where I. O. brings in the Qua: arguing strong­ly against the Letters being the only most perfect rule, thus, Scriptura est litera mortua, Spiritus vivificat, quis literae mortu [...] nisi ipse sit mortuus, adhaerere, v [...]lit? The Scripture is a dead letter, the Spirit quickens, who but he thats dead will adhere to a dead letter as his Rule? I. O. brings in himself weakly answering thus, viz: (To go round again, to the confounding of all his own former sayings that the letter is dead) Falsissima est ista assertio, Scriptura est verbum Dei quod vivum est et efficax ne{que} us [...]iam litera esse mortua dicitur; i. e. That's a most false assertion, the Scripture is that word of God which is living and efficacious, neither (quoth he, Trapezuntius like who forgot his own name, forgetting its the name of I. Os. own imposing in the same book) i [...] the letter any where at all said to be dead.

J. Os. Rounds, and Contradictions to himselfe about the Hebrew punctation.

Moreover as to Hebrew Points J. O. capers about, quavers u [...] and down, and runs round like a blind Horse in a Mill; One while asserting them coaevous with the Consonants, of such necessity that without the owning of these to be of Divine original men are left (which is as much as to say all the Iewish Church were so left from Moses to Ezra, if the Points were added, but by Ezra and his companions, and not by Moses at the first writing) unto great uncertainty in all Translations and Expositions of the Scripture, p. 202. That who owns them not [...]s so, and are otherwise minded then those who maintain the Antiquity of the Vowels and Accents, so as that the Hebrew Language was written with them from the beginning, not only make doubtfull the Authority of the Scriptures, but even pluck it up by the Roots, sith without the Vowels and Notes of distinction, it hath nothing firm and certain, p. 2. 13. That he that reads it without Points (as the Church did before Ezra, if Ezra was the first Author of them) is as one that rides a Horse without a bridle, that may be carried he knows not wither, whereup­on relating the opinion of Radul [...]h Cevall, to be that the Hebrew Language was plainly written with them from the beginning; This mans judgement (quoth [Page 24] I. O.) is also mine; yea p. 205, 207. He makes the foundation of all Questionable upon the supposition of the Novelty of the Hebrew Points, insinuating it as a just consequence which great and wise men suppose naturally, and necessarily flows from the opinion of the Novelty of the Vowels, and from the state of the Hebrew Lan­guage, and Bible unpointed.

Otherwhiles notwithstanding, not knowing whether he had best assert them to be so ancient or no, he (to go round again) at first faces halfe about, and leaves those, who held them up as high as Moses, to prove it, saying on­ly, He shall not oppose them that maintain the Points Coaevous with the letters, and yet after a while does no less in effect then face quite Round about, and op­pose them in the same sentence, by this confident assertion; viz. I no wayes doubt but, as we now enjoy them, we shall manifest that they were compleated by [...] The men of the great Synagogue, Ezra and his compani­ons, p. 210, 211. and p. 226. Pleading against such as hold them to be more Novel, and of no higher invention, then from the Tiberian Missorites, on his own, and their behalf, who affirm Ezra and his companions to have been the Authors of the Points, he sayes their sayings, whom he opposes, cast a probabi­lity that Ezra laying aside the old letters because of their difficulty, together with the new introduced the Points, to facilitate their use; which, if so, then he leaves all ages of the Jewish Church before Ezra, even the true Saints, meerly for want of the Hebrew Vowels and Accents, as men riding Horses without Bridlès, who were carried they knew not whether, but so the Saints then were not, and though the generality of the Jews were, yet 'twas not because they had no Vowels, Accents, and Points to attend to as their guides (though I am of J. Os. mind, tis like they then, and till Ezra's days had none) but because they refu­sed to be led by the Light within, and guided by the Holy Spirit, which, for all their attendance to the letter, they (as Stephen said Acts 7.) had allwayes resisted.

Thus I. O. to the contradiction of his first-selfe, is run round down the hill from Moses as low as Esdras about his punctilio's, and Hebrew Points, but there he reckons to stand and keep his ground against all that come against him, to bring him and his Ancient rich possession of Pins and Points any lower, or at least so low as the Tiberian Massorites: and here he fights like a man in a fright or frensie, lest all truth be for ever lost, if he can't make it uncontroleably manifest that the Points are better guides then may be expected from such bad men, as the Ti­berian Massorites; And first to make that good, to the begetting of an infal­lible, and divine faith of the Points divine original, and not such a humane one as they must have, if from the Massorites, that these Charecters the Hebrew Points (mark, as we have them) are not to be ascribed to the Massorites as their Authors, he does not more make severall silly consequences, then he does him­self confound them, even as fast as he makes them.

First (Not to meddle here with those many paedantick proofs and put offs, which I have elsewhere (viz: in the 2 Exer: of my Book call'd The Country correcting the Ʋniversity, sufficiently already disproved) he treats it out throw a great part of his two Treatises with no other Tool then that Toy of Tradition, or a taedious, vain, uncertain talking of some Learned Humanists, Iews and Christians, in proof of the Points original before the Massorites, against [Page 25] othersome, full as well-studied as the other, and in an extravagant way Argles against the Arguments urged by not only learned Iews, and Iesuites, Elias Levi­ta, Bellarminus, &c. but also confessedly learned Protestants, Luther, Zwinglius, Prideaux, Capellus against his pretended antiquity of the Points from Ezra, va­garying abroad unreasonably in the high Road of forgeries and fables, then which (as he sayes himself, p. 264.) in nothing more hath the world been chea­ted, answering conjecture with no more then conjecture, laying about him like a Thatcher, thawcking Author upon Author story upon story, tittle upon tattle, fan­cy upon fancy, humane fallible persuasion against humane fallible perswasion, and yet in his conclusion not only shooting a thousand years short of Moses, from whom he would at first have drawn them, but also not adventuring to vent himself about their compleat being and beginning from Ezra at any certain­ty, or clearly, but thus cloudily only, viz: Let any man judge whether from such a heap of uncertainties any thing can arise that may be admitted to give testimony in the cause in hand, and so say I, either for or against, on one side or 'tother; for quod utrobi{que} incertum est, non est vel hin [...] vel illinc certum, whats uncertain be­tween two, concludes nothing either way for certain and so he falls as short of making it evident that they were first from Ezra, as they do who say they were at first from the Massorites or Jewish R [...]bbins: But suppose his argument from the tradition of some men, had been as 'tis not) from all men downwards (Nemine contradicente, none to vye, with the rest) if he go about thereby to manifest, as he does, the undoubtednesse of his consequence and conclusion, yet he hath confounded it himself, if no other man had ever stirred against the businesse, whilest (to go romnd again) he tells us p. 105. The constant Tradi­tion of more then a thousand years, carried on by innumerable multitudes of men, great, wise, and sober from one generation to another, doth but set open the gates of Hell for Mahumetans as well, to prove the goodnesse of their Alcoran, and p. 107, 108. Because this Tradition is pretended with great confidence, as a sure bottome & foundation for receiving of the Scriptures (& in effect so 'tis say I by I. O. for the receiving the Points from Ezra, not the Massorites, and that not without the Tradition of as learned to vye with the Reporters) I shall (quoth he) a little further inquire into it. Tradition, which is report of men, from those who are gone before may be either of all men of the world, or only of some of them, if of all, ei­ther their suffr [...]ges must be taken in some convention, or gathered up from the indivi­duals, as we are able and have opportunity, if the first way of receiving them were possible, which is the utmost improvement that imagination can give the authority inquired after, yet every individual of men being a lyar, the whole Convention must be of the same complexion, and so not be able to yield a sufficient Basis to build a faith upon, cui non potest subesse falsum, that is in [...]allible, and cannot possibly be deceived, much lesse is there any foundation for it in such a report, as is the emergency of the Assertion of individuals.

Thus I. O. with the whirlwind of his own round about doctrine, layes all his long Traditionary Tales for the Antiquity of his tittles on the ground again, with his own talk of the invalidity of Tradition to beget such a divine, infallible faith, and certainty, as men must have about the Scripture▪ which he makes the Rule, Basis and Foundation of all faith and certainty, in other things; so

Diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata Rotundis.

Secondly I. O. treats out two more Arguments for the Antiquity and Divi­nity of his tittles, whereof if no man should intermeddle to confute them) the one confounds and utterly overturns the other.

The first, whereby (Alas poor man he hampers himself (and to as little ef­fect) most horribly to evince the Points to be as high as Ezra at least▪ which salves not his Assertion of the Texts integrity however, were it granted him) and not so novel an invention as of the Tiberian Massorites, is an extraordinary excentrick bo [...]ndlesly bitter invective, as against the Iewes in general, in their rancor against Christ, wickedly attempting the restoration of their Religion un­der Barchochab and Rabbi Iuda, by the compiling of their Talmuds, and much other impertinent staffe, and story, of which I. O. himself very truly consesses, p. 234. in t [...]tidem verb [...], that its all nothing to his own purpose, so specially a­gainst the Tiberian Massorites in particular, the supposed Authors of the Heb­rew Pun ation for half a hundred pages together; not caring how he vilifies them, so he may but bring men to beleeve so badly of them, as not to own them as the Inventors of the Vowels and Accents, but Ezra or some holy men guided therein at least by the infallible direction of the Holy Spirit: His Argu­ment, which he hath from Dr. Lightfoot, drawn close up out of p. 240, 241, 242, 246, 247. in form is on this wise, The pointing of the Bible savours of the work of the Holy Spirit, not of wicked, blind, mad men, but the Tiberian Massorites were wicked, blind, mad men, possessors of the Letter without the Spirit, desperately enga­ged to oppose the truth, under Gods curse, one of whose funda­mentals was opposition to the Gospel, feeding themselves with vain fables, True Characters all along of our present Priesthood, and Schoolmen, & Universities, De quibus haec fabula vere narratur. and mischievaus devices against the Gospel, labouring to set up a new Religion under the name of the old, in despite of God, so striving to wrestle it out with his curse to the utmost, men of a profound ignorance in all lear­ning and knowledge, but what concerns their own dunghill Traditions, and innumerable fopperies, addicted to such mon­strous fopperies as their Successors in after ages are asham'd of, and seek to palliate what they are able, Idolaters crafty, raging, serious in nothing, childish about serious things, how much deceitfulness, froth, venome, smo [...]k, nothing in their disputations; Therefore, considering the importance of the Hebrew Vow­els and Accents to a Right understanding of the Scripture, we need clear, yea undeniable, unquestionable evidence and testimony [and so (say I) there is as clear, and unquestionable given this way, as I O. who is concerned to give in­fallible proof his way, gives to the contrary] to prove the Rise and Spring of the Points to be from these men, that is, the Tiberian Massorites.

This is one of I. Os. Arguments, which how it lacks little confutation by any thing, but its own apparent folly and evident weaknesle and blindnesse, a child may see: It intimates as if wicked men could not possibly find out and affix fuch a thing as the Figure of Accents, Vowels and Points, to facilitate to them­selves the reading of any Character whatsoever, as if it must be some more then or inary divine and Supernatural work to devise the shape of the He­brew Vowels, more then 'tis for the Greek or English, or others to devise theirs; whereas, if I. O. had not for hast run himself out of the Remembrance of things that are so obvious and ordinary that none but Ignoramus and Tra­zuntius [Page 27] himself could easily forget them, what more common and frequent then for men that are ignorant and enmity against God to have the skill and faculty of inventing not only tittles, a [...]cents, points and vowels, but also Let­ters, Consonants, and Characters, Figures, and those of diverse sorts and shapes, long and short hand to expresse themselves by in writing and [...]rinting in their respective native Languages: I trow who invented [...], and our aeiou, [...], ai oi eu ou, and the several kinds of figures for different sounds, and what Nation hath not some of that wit that England hath so much of, as to find out many sorts of Chirography and Brachography for their own conveniences? and who invented first that so great, so skilful, so useful and eminent work of Typography it selfe, & so many exact wayes of cutting and setting, and stamping so many different Characters of all Languages? might it not be done by men who heeded not the inspirations of the Spirit? by men moved meerly with love of mony, and hope of gain? in which way the Bible comes out lyable to the common sate of all other Books, as to mat­ter of falsification by misprinting? How many differing Characters and sorts and sizes of Letters, of Greek, Hebrew, English are, and have our Bibles them­selves been written and printed in? and doth not I. O. himself p. 227. tell us of an universal Character attempted by diverse, and ready to be brought forth by his Dr. Wilk: Ward, whereby to expresse all his Apert, Simple, and Double sounds, Vowels and Dipthongs, which I. O. says, will doubtlesse give universal satisfaction to learned and prudent men, when he shall communicate his thoughts on it? and yet I. O. denyes Wilkins Ward, or any man else in these dayes to be inspired or guided by the infallible Spirit.

How worthlesse and frivolous then? what childishnesse, light­nesse? what froth, smoake, nothing are the thoughts of I. O. and his Co-Conjecturor Dr. Lightfoot, whom he there cites, p. 247. who can scarce beleeve it possible that the Points should hominem sapere, proceed from such a School as the Tiberian Ʋniversity, or savour of the work of any Humanists or wicked men, or of any other then the Spirit of God? But if this Argument of I. O. had any such force in it as were worth reselling (as indeed it hath not) yet, if we should say nothing to it, I. O. backs it with another so strong­ly, that he breaks the very back of this, so that it can bear nothing of the bur­den he layes on it, nor be of the least import, whilest after all his talk of the wickednesse of these men, in proof of their unfitnesse and unlikelinesse to be the Authors of such a businesse as the Points, least this should fail (To go round again still) he adds this as another Argument thereof, viz: The likelinesse of it that there were never any such men as these Massorites in the world at all.

So odde and Antick is I. Os. extream eagernesse in driving on his design against them that talk of the Tiberians, as the Authors of his Superlatively prized Points, that rather then any should imagine those men to have invented them, he streins and stretches his twatling strings so far, as not to deny, but own, and tell us 1. that there was an Ʋniversity and School of such Tiberians, and so describes the men who and what they were, and when they liv'd (viz:) after the finishing of the last Talmud, p. 240 241, 242. Only that they were men so, and so, and so ill mannered and qualified, Idolate [...]s, Magicians, &c. and what not that's evill? as not likely to be Inventors of so rare a businesse as Vowels [Page 28] and Accents. Secondly, Lest all this should not be of force enough, next by a denyall of it to fright souls into a faith and fancy that there were never any such men in the world at all; to which purpose he uses such suppositive, doubt­ful & negative expressions concerning it, as whereby to cause it to become questionable and render it doubtfull whether there ever were any such, or nay, Men they were (quoth he) (if any such were) who were so and [...]o,▪ 240. and 243. Of all the Fables that are in the Talmud, I know no [...]e more incredible then thi [...] story (quoth he) that men who cannot b [...]y any story [Mark, he sayes, it appears not by any story there were such, and yet in the very line above sayes 'tis a story in the Talmud; Was there ever any man found so self-confounding in a Treatise as I. O. and so ready in this work of running the Rounds?] or other record be made to appear that they ever were in rerum natura, not obser­ved, not taken notice of by any learned man, Jew or Christian, should find out so great, so excellent a work.

To which (say I) That though of all the Contradictions that I. O. gives to himself, this is not the first, nor greatest, nor clearest, to say as he does p. 246. & 247. that learned Dr. Lightfoot observes and takes notice of the Ʋniversity and School at Tiberias, and of the great Doctors among the Tiberia [...]s by name out of the Talmud (viz:) R. Juda, R. Chanina, R. Chaija Barba, R. Jochannan, R. Jonath [...]n and the rest of the Rabbins, Gem [...]rists, and M [...]ssor [...]tes, of whom I. O. sa [...]es the Jewes generally beleeve not only that there were such men, but also that the Points had a reviving by them according to the observation and notice of R. Az [...]rias, and yet p. 243. to say, as he [...]oes, that it cannot be made to appear by any story or other Record, that ever there were such, and that they are unobserved, and not taken notice of by any learned man, Jew or Christian; yet of all the ridiculous passages that are in the Talmudi [...]al Treatise of I. O. this is not the least not to say the most incredible) that men of whom it cannot by any story or other record be made to appear that they ever were in rerum natura, should according to, or by I. Os. strange story of them, be made to appear to any reasonable man to be Idolaters, Magicians, wicked, blind and mad men, &c. Surely they must first appear and be obser­ved to be in rerum naturâ, before they can to or by any (save such blind Seers as can see nothing at all better then they can see things as they are) appear & be observed, much more described by name to be in natura hominum [...]npro­borū, and if any man beleeve with I. O. that those men can appear to him to be wicked men, &c. In esse cognoscibili, who cannot be made to appear at all that they ever were at all in esse re [...]li; Il'e give them leave to upraid me with [O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt it?] for my beleevable faculty is indeed too narrow to entertain, or contain that self-gainsaying story for a truth: Credat Apella: he that can beleeve it let him, I am an Infidel as to that foolish figment, and if these two contrary Tales can be both true, my reason can't reach the reason of these Rabbinical-riddles.

But among the numerous odd passages that passe from I. O. in this Point about the proof of the Points antiquity, that which is yet more observable, as to my present purpose is, that I. O. when he hath roled Sysiphus his stone a great while, perve [...]ire ad summum, to get up to the top, to prove the pedigree of his Punctation as high as Moses if it might be, if not, from Ezra at least, seeing [Page 29] he could not hold it up in the utmost hight, nor carry it clearly into a coae­vousnesse with the Scripture, according to the strictnesse of his position, conde­scends to come down by the Rounds of his Ladder half way, first to the dayes of Ezra, and in the prosecution of his undertaking to manifest it (as at first he makes no doubt to do) that they were compleated by Ezra and his Compani­ons, finding himself uncapable to carry the matter, against such as derive their descent from the Judaical Rabbins, or Tiberian M [...]slorites, clearly up so high as Ezra, but only cloudily by foisting, flinging, and casting out at least but forge­ry against f [...]rgery, fable against fable, and a heap of uncertainties against the heap of uncertainties of others, for so he will needs call the most cogent and more then probable evidences of all his confessedly learned Antagonists, Elias, Capellus, L [...]ther, Prideaux, &c. p. 218. 264. 267. Though his own pleas, considerations, repulses and replyes, are in the eyes of all impartial ones (suppose I should say (but as) 'twere enough, ad hominem, to impeach his position of utter falshood, though I might say more) uncertain, at last he sinks down by the Rounds as low as the Massorites dayes, and so per force by little and little yeilds up as far as is demanded from him, assenting with Azarias p. 247. That the Jews generally beleeve these Points to have been from Moses, at least fr [...]m Ezra, not denying t [...]at the use and knowledge of them, received a great reviving by the Gemarists and Massorites, when they had been much dissused, and p. 271. with the same Azarias ascribing them as to their virtue and force, to Moses, or God on Mount Sinai, as to their Figure and Character, to Ezra, as to the Re­sta [...]ration of their use, unto the Maslorites, in which he hath come quite Round with much ado▪ and granted enough to prejudice his own position, to the utter overthrow of the truth thereof, for as to the virtue and force, none can deny them to be coaevous with the Hebrew Language it selfe▪ but 'tis the Figure and Character only the question is about, and that is yeelded to be but from Ezra, and since Ezra to have been much diss [...]sed, but to have received their great Reviving and Restoration to the use they now stand in (which is th [...] thing pleaded for against I. O.▪ from the M [...]ssorites, and so howbeit I. O▪ makes no doubt, p. 211. but to manifest it that they were (as we now enjoy them) compleated by Ezra and his companions, yet instead thereof he hath con­fessed in effect that (as we now enjoy them, since last dissused) they were revived, restored, and compleated by the Massorites, whom he disclaims as having any hand in them. There remain sundry more Contradictions and Rounds I. O. runs in about the Points, of which for a tast take one more here (though touched on elsewhere) and then (sat [...] quod suffocat) as more then enough from I. O. so enough from me, as to that point of the Hebrew Punctation. P. 217. I shall manifest (quoth I. O.) that its fit they, i. e. the Points, should be all taken out of the way, if they have the Original assigned to them by the Prolegomena, i. e. from the Massorites; Yet p. 221. Grant (quoth I. O.) the Points to have the Original pretended; yet (to go round again) they deserve all regard and are of sin­gular use for the right understanding of the Scripture, so that its not lawfull to de­part from them without urgent necessi [...]y, &c. Yet p. 244. (to go round again, and face quite about as ye were I professe (quoth I. O.) if I could be throwly con­vinced that the present Hebrew Punctation were the figment and invention of those men, i. e. the Massorites, I should labour to the utmost, to have it utterly taken away [Page 30] out of the Bible, nor should I in its present station make use of it any more, to have it placed in the Bible as so great a part of the Word of God is not tolerable.

Contradictions and Rounds of I. O. about the manner of the first giving out of the Scripture.

P. 10. 153. The Word, the Scriptures (quoth I. O.) come forth (mark) unto us from God, without the least mixture or interveniency of any medium obnoxious to f [...]llibillity (as is the wisdome, truth, integrity, knowledge, memo [...]y of the best of all men (or capable of giving change, or alteration to the least Iota or Syllable:

Yet p. 30. (to go round again) We live (quoth I. O.) many yeares from the last person who received any part of the Scripture from God, & have not received it immediately from God.

So p. 5, speaking of the first Penmen of the Scripture, Their tongue (quoth I. O.) in what they spake, or their hand in what they wrote, was no more at their own disposall, then the pen is in the hand of an expert writer. Yet p. 6. (to go round againe) their mind (quoth I. O.) and understanding was used in the choyce of words, for they did use [...] words of choyce. Yet Ex. 1. S. 29. Verba disposita sunt per spiritum sanctum, ne{que} ad exprimendum sensum quem ipsi de mente et voluntate Dei conceperunt ingenio ac arbitrio ipsorum scriptorum sunt permissa aut relicta (To go round about as ye were) The words were at the disposall of the holy Spirit, neither to expresse the sense they conceived of the mind and will of God, were they lest to the dispose, arbitriment, will, or choyce of the Writers themselves:

Finally, as I. O. so abundantly (as is above shewed) contradicts and confounds himself in many matters about the Scriptures, or outward Text, so about the sence and meaning of one Text of the Scripture, wherein they all 4 disagree with the Qua: I. Os. hand, like Ishmaels, is against all his fellows hands & every of his 3 fellow fighters hands (whom I have here to do with, who from the same Text fence against the Quakers) is against him to the confounding of him: which Text is Ioh. 1. 9. Where the true light is said to enlighten every man coming into the World; for howbeit I. O. cloudily concludes with all the other three, viz. T. D. R. B. I. T. in concluding and crouding that most univer­sall Terme [...], every man, within the little compasse and narrow corner of his wheel in a wheel, i. e. The Elect men only, saying Synagogically with the rest, Hoc est Syncategorema istud omnis, non absolute sed relate ad Electos dicitur, This is the Consignification of that Term [All] its meant not absolutely, but relatively to the Elect; yet when he sayes Non dicitur Christum illuminare omnem hominem venientem in mundum, sed quod ipse veniens in mundum omnem hominem illuminat, Christ is not said to enlighten every man that comes into the World, but that he coming into the world lighteneth every man, and that this is the sence of those words (the falsenesse & silliness of which sence, & the insufficiency & nothingness of it also to serve his turn against the Qua: (if granted him) I have shewed in the book it self, to which this is but an Appendix) Here not only each of his three friends forsake him (for T. D. himself among all his many meanings meddles not with this) but two of them viz. I. T. and R. B. who backs I. Ts. Book, make bold to fight against him for it as well as the Qua. do; Witnesse their words, p. 1, 2. There is a doubt whether it should be read thus, that was the true light coming into the World, which inlightneth every man, by a trajection, or (as ours read it as the words are placed) That was the true light which in­lightneth [Page 31] every man which cometh into the World. Grotius after Cyrill, and Austin and some others (see how the Divines are divided, and the Founders confounded among themselves) likes the formar as best; but first such trajection disordering the words, 2. The phrase being as fitly interpreted of birth as of appearing as a Teacher, I rather chuse the reading of our Translators, And p. 24. They tell us over again how, coming into the World here is related to every man coming, and not to Christs coming into it, and how they before gave reasons against I. Os. sence.

So having been walking the Rounds with these men to give the World a Review of the Riddles they are wrapt in, and the manifold Contradictions they are by the network of their own hands snared, catcht and tangled in about their letter, till I am come with them to that main Text at which they leave me, be­cause it talks so plainly of the true light which they love not, and I leave them to dance about still in the darknesse of their own divinations; I proceed (in the light in which I see them, though they, being out of it see not them­selves) to open briefly to all people, who love not to live with them rather in their darknesse, then in Christs light, the mist of darknesss, wherein they mop [...] about, and dance the Rounds in their discourses about the Light, in their fiery fluttering against which, the wicked now is as he ever was, snared in the work of his own hands, Psal. 9: 16. Higgaion, Selah, consider and note it.

Contradictions, Absurdities, and Rounds concerning the Light in the Conscience, which the Qua: testifie to.

As concerning the True Light or gift of Gods grace in every man, the four men aforesaid do (as all their fellowes do uno ore) babble somwhat about it, and bear witnesse either for or against it, but each mans witness agrees no bet­ter together within it self, then that they give about the other matters abovesaid.

Somtimes they call it Light, truly▪ really, naturally and properly so, and not metaphorically, nor by way of allusion to what is so: Witnesse I. O. p. 74. It is spirituall, morall, intellectuall light that hath the preheminence as to a participation of the nature and properties of Light. Otherwhiles the same who excluded it from the name of Metaphoricall, by that of naturall and proper (to go round a­gain) do conclude it to be metaphoricall, as in opposition & contradistinction to both naturall and proper; Witnesse I. O. who confounds his own foresaid saying, p. 74. with another division Ex. 3. S. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, &c. Where under that same term of metaphoricall he distinguishes that Light he calls morall, spiri­tual, intellectuall (as respecting and exercising mens mi [...]ds whether in mat­ters morall, civill or spirituall) from that which respects bodily sight, which he call'd naturall and proper.

Somtimes they call this very light, whereby duties and divine things are discerned, universall and common to all (as the Qua; do i. e. in some measure, though not to all in the same) but when so, then no other but naturall, as in opposition to supernaturall and spirituall; Witnesse T. D. p. 1. 1 pamp. Naturall and supernaturall light are two, and though all have the one, yet few the other, and I. O. Ex. 4. S. 17. Lumen internum omnibus commune naturale est, &c. The light within common to all is naturall, and to be called so, S. 18. If this light that is com­mon▪ [Page 32] be not naturall, the very Intellect is not naturall. So S. 25. Concessimus reliquias primaevae lu [...]is esse in omnibus, sed eas esse spirituales id pernegamus, some relicks of the primitive light we grant to be in all, but deny these to be spiritu­all: Nihil non naturale, nihil spirituale communicatum &c. Nothing but what's narurall, nothing thats spirituall is common or communicated to all: So also R. Bax. I. Tom. A naturall light from Christ is yielded to be in every man, &c. pag. 33.

Otherwhiles this very universall light in all which before was said to be not supernaturall or spirituall, but meerly naturall (to go round again) is by these men yielded to be at least more then naturall, and so no lesse (according to T. Ds. division of light into two) then supernaturall and spirituall: Wit­nesse (against themselves) R. B. I. T. p. 37. It can hardly be avouched that that knowledge in morality and divinity which they (i. e. People that never had the Law nor Gospell made known to them as the Jewes and Christians have h [...]d) attained to, was by meer light of Nature, and in Baxters Epistle, p. 7. he tells us of a [...]ommon supernaturall light given to the unsanctified. I might also call in John Horn, and the two Thomas Moores that push with him against the truth, as Witnesses of the same confusion that is among all the Priests in this matter, who in their book stiled, A fuller Discovery, &c. P. 61. affirm the light where­with Christ lighteth every man is both naturall and spirituall; but as my busi­nesse lyes mainly with the other four men; So George Whitehead hath suffici­enly thrust down the vain thoughts already of those three, in his Book stil'd The Hee goats Horn broken: So I let them passe. Witnesse also T. D. who, though he (together with I. O. p. 77. Nor doth it in the lea [...]t impair this self-evidencing efficacy of the Scripture that it is a morall and spirituall not a natu­rall light) owns the Scripture, specially the light in the Scripture, or holy matter contained in the Scripture to be a morall, spirituall, supernaturall, and not a natu­rall Rule or Light, yet affirms it to be common or universall▪ i. e. in some mea­sure in the hearts of all, even the very Heathen, p. 16. 2. pamp. The matter contained in the Scripture (quoth he) is a Rule to all men (so far as tis revealed to them) and was so before 'twas put into writing, and so much of it as is written upon the hearts of the Heathens is a Rule to them, Rom. 2. 12. Thus T. D. who before made the one light to be Two, viz. Naturall and supernaturall, here (to go round again) makes that light which is in the Scriptures and in the Heathens hearts, Rom. 2. 12. truly One and the same, and no lesse then supernaturall and spi­rituall: Witnesse also I. O. who calls the light often naturall, yet (to go round again) Ex. 4. S. 9. Splits this one light, which they all somtimes falsly call no more then naturall, into a Light which is both naturall, civill, supernatu­rall and spirituall, as it were all at once: This Light (quoth he) or faculty of understanding (so he foolish­lyLux autem haec seu in­telligendi facultas, in eam quae maere natura­lis est, eam{que} quae circa res civiles versatur▪ at{que} illam quae res spiritu­ales omnia{que} alia in or­dine ad finem superna­turalem, spiritualem [...] ultimum discernit, disp [...]scitur: [...]lumen au­tem ho [...] internum spiri­tuale, seu facultas intel­ligendi [...], varium &c. calls it) splits it self into meerly naturall, and civill, and supernaturall, i. e. spirituall which diseerns spi­rituall matters, and all things in order to the last end, and this inward spirituall light (quoth he) or faculty of understanding spirituall things spiritually is various, &c. Where note how I. O. (falsely) calls the light no [Page 33] other then the faculty of understanding which he calls elsewhere (truly enough) but naturall and yet (to go round again) calls the very faculty of understanding which is common to all men, as men, by the Title of this inward spirituall light which discerns spirituell things and that spiritually, in order to the supernatu­rall and ultimate end, i. e. Salvation. And this inward spirituall light common to all that discerns spirituall things spiritually in order to that ultimate end, I. O. sayes is various too, and very well he may (if it may be divided again in­to those two severall sorts into which I. O. sub-splits it) for whereas here he calls this Light in the Conscience which the Qua. call to) lumen internum spiri­tuale &c. An inward spirituall light, which discerns spirituall things spiritually in order to the supernaturall, spirituall and ultimate end; yet a little lower, viz. S. 17. (to go round again) he calls it meer darknesse it self, by which no di­vine saving thing can be seen; witnesse his words, * This Light within common to all, however attended to, Lumen hoc internum om­nibus commune, utcun{que} ei attendatur, non est ullo respectu salutare, sed in rebus omnibus divinis, finem ultimum quod atti­net, merae tenebrae et cae­citas. is (quoth he) in no respect saving, but in all divine matters, so far as to the ultimate end, meer darknesse and blindnesse:

One while again they deny this light to be the visive (i. e. Intellective) faculty or eye of the soul, or to be given for any such end, as so much as to re­move the desect of the visive faculty: Witnesse I. O p. 77. Light will not remove the defect of the visive fa­culty: Light is not eyes.

Otherwhiles (to go round again) It is the very visive faculty as Ex. 4. S. 9. This light or faculty of understanding, which is meerly naturall, &c. This inward spirituall light or faculty of understanding spirituall things spiritually, &c. So S. 8. 18. Lux quae proprie mentem respicit seu facultas illa intelligendi est [...]; oculus, acies mentis, The light which pro­perly respects the mind, or the faculty of the understanding, is the sight, the visive force, the very eye of the mind.

One while they tell us that its true among the Gentile Philosophers there was light that guided well, and that in the Law there was light, and that no light that is truly such (though dimme and imperfect, as (say they) that of the Philosophers and the Law was) is to be rejected, Witnesse R. B. I. T. p. 68.

Otherwhiles some light, yea even the Philosophers light, which led them well (as they say afore) in some, did in most things lead men into crooked [...]nd dangerous wayes: therefore, unlesse men love, and it be best to be led into crooked and dangerous wayes (to go round again to be rejected: Witnesse a­gainst themselves, R. B. & I. T. in the self same page, the next line but one after the other, witnesse also I. O. against them both, who Ex 3. S. 28. sayes of the spirit and light within the Qua: calls to (among other things that he calls incerta, periculosa, inutilia minime necessaria, re [...]cienda, at{que} detestanda) that they are to be both rejected and detested. Thus when they begin of their own accord among their own supposed friends somtimes, these men com­mend [Page 34] and extoll, and call men to heed this light in the Conscience, which the Qua: call to, so eminently that the Qua: scarce need more words to re­commend it to men in, as to its excellency, divinity, usefullnesse, profitablenesse, needfullnesse, and necessity to be heeded and obeyed, then the same which our Divines themselves, who hate it, do seem to set it out in.

Otherwhiles, that is, when any Qua; begin to call men to it, to commend and extoll it among their Parish people (though in their own forms of speech a­bout it) and when the Qua: desire them, as they will prove themselves true Ministers of Christ, with Paul to labour to turn all men to the light within themselves; then (to go round again) either they'l be silent, or (if they sing any thing at all concerning it) sing out no more so loudly as before to the praise and glory of it, but rathe (what they are able, they sing their old new song, to the Turncoats Tune of Truth turned out of Doores) in way of dispraise and dispa­ragement and utter detestation of it to the utmost, as if twere the vilest kind of Canting in the whole world to utter one word in order to the begetting of any people into so much as any measure of any good opinion at all of a light within, so that I may truly say of these Seers as the Poet once of one of Caesars Singers:

To shew the World how Sepharically these Ministers sing out the high praises of the light of Christ, the light of the World, the light in the Conscience, when they please to begin of themselves. and (to go round again) how symphonically they set it at their heels, in opposition to the Qua: rather then the Qua: shall prevail with them to say any thing of it that is any better then nought, I shall hereunder shew both their voluntary calls to, and commendations▪ of, & their unjustly occasioned cautions about & condemnations of this light of Christ in the Conscience of men, when the Qua: commend and call to it, and set the one of these immediately under the other, only premising this, that whether they speak of the light which themselves call Christs, which the letter holds forth and testifies to, or the light wherewith God shines and shews his will and mind in some measure in the hearts and minds of all men, even Heathen Philosophers or others, which we call Christs light, though they do not we mean (however they divide these) no other but that one Law of God which the Letter is the Copy of, which is spirituall, holy, just and good, which T. D. confesses to be the Heathens Rule so far as is w [...]itten in their hearts. Christ the Light of the World, and his light in the heart, which the Scripture testisies of abundantly, & not any such thing as mans own thoughts, wisdome, imaginations, inventions, &c. Which the Heathen became vain in, Rom, 1. which the Qua: call all men out of, and the Divines, that lead men by no o­ther are themselves yet led by more then any, steering by nothing but their own many m [...]nds and meanings on the Scripture, &c.

Some few calls to, and Commendations of the light, with Cautions to take heed to it, collected out of many more that are in R. B. and I. T. his Book.

‘P. 68. It concerns us, (say they) to take heed how we dote on our own [Page 35] reason, or the most exact writers of morality, and neglect the light which Christ hath brought into the World: Let us be wise so to use Candles as not to burn day▪ light, that we so make use of all the reason & humane wisdome and virtue we have our selves, or discern in others writings or examples that yet we chiefly eye and follow the grand light, the Sun of righteous­ness, the Lord Jesus, learning him by studying the great Counsell of God, which he revealed and denying our selves take up our Crosse and sollow him as his Disciples; Christ is to be chosen and followed as our Light: An Exhortation to use Christ as our Light, that was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the World; be induced to imbrace and follow the Lord Christ as the great Light of the World, besides the e­vidence out of Scripture to prove him to be sent from God a light into the World, &c. His sayings and doings do amply confirm it.’ And p. 88. 89. they go on thus; ‘Though the Jewes contradicted and blasphemed, the Romane Emperour raged, Lucian jeered, Liba [...]ius wrangled, Julian calumniated, Papists, corrupt Gn [...]sticks, Hereticks, Fanaticks, Quakers,’ [here they abomi­nably bely the truth, for the Quakers call all and only to the light of Christ] ‘adulterate and cloud the truth of Christ, they do but pisse against the Sun, the light of Christ Doctrine, the truth of the Gospell doth and will shine forth, nor can all the cavills (say they) of moderne Atheists, or the dust raised by new Phantasticks, take away the brightnesse of Christs light, or hinder its enlightning others then themselves, and shall we after all the Arguments given of Christs being the true light, follow after ignes fatuos,’ [who these be but that fraternity, who would have men follow their fancies, and not Christs light in the Conscience, which is that the Quakers call to, I know not] ‘What reall comfort or spirituall help to holinesse or heavenly directions do they give to lead men to God, better then Christ hath done? May you not discern a vain glorious spirit, a self-seeking, proud, carnall spirit in them, what do their censures of others shew, but a mind to extoll themselves? their affected speech, looks, carriage, but a desire to hide their falshood? what do all the devices of Iesuits, Popes, and their Agents tend to, but ei­ther by force or subtlety to set up the monstrous powers of the man of sin, and their own domineering over mens consciences under him?’ [ [...]actenus recte quidem sed et etiam de te fabula O Parochialis Sacerdos] ‘What is in their conclave but pollicy? in their counsell but deceit? in their Iesuists and Casuists but jugglihg? shall we go after such Masters and leave Christ? Remember we that one is our Master, even Christ; when any shall sollicit us not to adhere to Christ as our Teacher, reject them: Christ hath warned you,’ [say they, and so say I too as concerning any that lead forth from his light with­in, therefore, saith he, go not forth after them, nor follow them] ‘If any say low here is Christ or there’ [and so do all Priests and Professors, and their Teachers in their sundry forms and outward observations, in which they look for the Kingdome which comes not in them] ‘believe it not. We will not venture our lives upon Mountebanks, and will we our souls upon deceivers? Shall we follow our own conceits, which often prove foolish, and neglect Christs Doctrine’ [which say we still is his teaching light and counsell in the Conscience] ‘which alwayes proves wise and sase? no, no, let us answer as Peter, Lord, to [Page 36] whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternall life.’

‘Alas, what can we expect but if we follow blind leaders, as all are that teach the things of God ortherwise then Christ and his Apostles did’ [who, say I, called all along to walk in the light within] ‘we should fall with them in­to the Ditch, into everlasting perdition? On the otherside there is so much plain and clear light in Christs doctrine as will guide our feet in the way of peace; Away then with all such obtruded insinuating Teachers as indea­vour to hide from us the light of Christ shining in his Doctrine, recorded in Scripture; Let's say none but Christ, none but Christ, that Christ which preached, dyed at Jerusalem, that word of his which is written in my Bible’ [of which the Bible testifies say I, that its near in the heart to heare and do it] ‘shall be my light: to the Testimony of Jesus’ [which sayes the Scripture is the spirit of prophecy, the sure word of prophecy, that as a light shineth in the dark place of the heart, and is to be taken heed to] ‘to his Everlasting Gospell I stick.’

‘So Baxt. Ep. p. 7. (speaking of the Qu [...];) Do they affirm that all men have the light of reason? who denyeth it of any but Idiots and Infants? Do they maintain that this light is from Iesus Christ, both as the Authour and restorer of nature? and by whom among us is this denyed? Do they say that repaired or reprived nature may be fitly called grace? about this also we have no mind to quarrell with them, so they will not exclude superna­turall grace thereby (as we do not, but hereby conclude it) Do they hold that common supernaturall light is given to many (at least) of the unsan­ctified, &c. and who contradicteth them in this? Do they hold that as the Sun is appointed in nature to be the light of every man that cometh into the World, though shutting our eyes may exclude it; So Christ is by office the Sun in the world of grace, giving men actually all the gracious light they have, being sufficient himself to enlighten all, and giving them an illu­minating word, which is sufficient in its own kind to do its own part, though many are blind, and for their sin are deprived of the communica­tion of this light? why all this we maintain as well as they: do they say that all this light (within us and without us) is to be hearkened to and obeyed? why what man did they ever speak with that's a Christian;’ [no Christians indeed say I, but too many Antichristians] ‘that denyeth it?’

[See what a deal of the Quakers doctrine concerning learning only at Christs light is here uttered by these men R. B. I. T. who yet hate the self same doctrine at their hearts when the Quakers teach it; olso in many other places they teach much more to the same purpose; putting men on to attendance to the light, yea even the light within every man, as P. 40, 41.] ‘This light usefull for two ends; First, To restrain men from excesse of sin, &c. As he gave a Law to the Jewes because of transgression, to restrain them or abate punishments; so to other people he gave a law in themselves to prevent the extirpation of the Nations by bri­dling them in their lusts, thorow conscience of sin and fear of punishment. Secondly, Besides this God hath another end, that they might be inexcu­sable who sinned against the light in them, and God justified in his Sen­tence and judgment upon them.’ [Observe how this light within is owned by hem as the Law of God, which T. D. affirming the work of the Law only to be there, [Page 37] yet denyes to be in the heathens hearts, to the contradiction of these men and of him­self also in that other plaee, p. 16. 2. pamp. Where (to go round again) he con­fesses much of the holy matter of the Scripture to be written upon the hearts of the hea­thens, and that to be their Rule) I say as the Law of God which is spirituall, holy, just and good, and to be obeyed, for else transgression of it could not be sin deserving judgment, for sin is no other then the transgression of the Law.]

So p. 82. 83. they go on thus, ‘If the light shine into thy soul from Christ so as any convictions or discoveryes of truth from Christ get into thee,’ [and some convictions they confesle all have by the light within] ‘take heed thou hold it not in unrighteousnesse, nor seek to quench it, Rom. 1. 18. Wrath to all that hold truth in unrighteousnesse, when lust imprisons light, no en­trance for the light of Christ into that soul, there must be a love of the light: Its the greatest sign of a man willfully evill, when he hates the light; and its a good sign of a man truly good, when he can delight in that light (mork) which discovers his own euills,’ [What light is that which discovers a mans own evills but the light within? the letter without doth de jure only, the light with­in doth de facto discover mens own evill] ‘Christ hath determined this to be the great condemnation, that men love darknesse rather then light’ [or else the Heathen could not be condemned, say I, who have and yet hate the light within, for they have no letter without] ‘for thats the sign they side with the Prince of darknesse, and men that do truth come to the light that their deeds may be manifest, &c. The more light is rejected, the more purely voluntary any sin is, when men are willingly ignorant, they are incurably evill, &c. Each person is to make their use of the light within him, so far as it is light and usefull. Certainly it concerns every man so far as to look to the light within him, (mark) that he do not, as tis said of some, Job 24. 13. Rebell against the Light,’ [which Text in Job I. O. interprets of the letter, but I. T. to the confutation of I. O. (truly with us) of the Common light wi [...]in men] ‘A mens conscience is so far a law to him, that though it cannot of it self justifie’ [which is contrary to Rom. 2. which sayes their inward thought as well excuses the Heathen when they do well, as accuses when they do ill, and excusation and justifi­cation, or to excuse, clear, justifie are all one] ‘yet it may condemn him:’

So p, 37. they go on thus, ‘God hath imprinted in all, even the most Barba­rous people, some relique of light, though in some it is so small’ [that may be say we, for all have not the same, but all some measure of Gods light, which these men somtimes call darknesse, delusive and dangerous, and degrees vary not the na­ture of the case] ‘that it can hardly be perceived whether there be any sense of sin or wrath, of duty or reward, of God or Devill, Heaven or Hell. Secondly, Some people that never had the Gospell nor the Law made known to them as the Jewes and Christians have had, yet have attained to so much knowledge and practice of morall duties’ [Mark, morall duties are the main things of the Law, and required in the morall Law, viz. To do as w [...] would be done by, which saith Christ is the Law and Prophets, Math. 7. The sunt, substance, and upshot of all, and more then all offering and sacrifice, so that the Jews failing in these weightiar matters, viz. Iudgment, mercy, faith, &c. all outward oblations and observations were abhorred] ‘that in some acts of righteousnesse, temperance, chastity, fidelity, and such vertues they have equallized at [Page 38] least in respect of their outward demeanour toward men, if not exceeded not only Jewes’ [who had the Scripture, as our Scribes have, and search, as much in it] ‘but also’ [the more shame for the most of you filthy, fruitlesse, faithlesse Christians the while, whom very heathens will therefore judge] ‘the most Christi­ans, Thirdly, And in the knowledge of God, though therein they were most defective, yet they attained to so much knowledge and right appre­hension of him, as enabled them to correct the Vulgar errours concerning God.’

[See how far beyond our vulgar Christians, and very Christian Clergy men, that have the letter to boast, talk & trade on, the light within hath led the very Ethnicks that have heeded it, by these mens own confession; But they go on yet further prea­ching up the light with the Qua: thus, p. 84. ‘It will concern those who own Christ as their light, to judge themselves and their wayes by his light:’ [This act of self judgment is within saith I. O. Seconding that morall instinct of good and evill, that is imprinted by God on the Conscience from the innate light therein] ‘It is the great benefit of the light that it doth make manifest, Eph. 5. 13. Thus by the light of Christ the evill of our wayes is reproved, the wayes of God approved: Now this is no small benefit to have the light to discern our errors, which without light from Christ we should never have understood, A wise Christian will be often judging himself by the light of the Law, dis­covering his Transgressions’ [That must needs be the Law in the Conscience which, de facto, shewes every mans own sins to himselfe] ‘It will be needfull not on­ly to use the light of Christ to judge our selves by, but also to order our actions by. I am the light of the World, faith Christ, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness. There cannot be unsafe walking by Christs light, there is no danger when Christ our light goes before, walk in the light saith Christ, while ye have the light, lest darknesse come upon you: how many millions a [...] there of souls perplexed and tortured all their life with fears and doubts for want of walking by the light of Christ in Scripture’ [which, say I, is that in the conscience which the Scripture mainly calls to] ‘and chu­sing rather to walk by a light and sparks of their own kindling’ [alias their own wisdome, conceits, sences and meanings on the Scripture, traditions in worship, and such like which they call light] ‘which in the end either goes quite out, or burns so dim as to leave them in darknesse of spirit and horror of consci­ence; and no marveile since such as neglect the word preached’ [which is that word of faith i. e. which men are to beleeve in unto life, which the Scripture testifies, and the Apostles preached to be nigh in mens hearts to heare and do it] ‘should follow the mares of humane reason, the examples, customes, and dic­tates of men, and in conclusionly down in sorrow, Isa. 40. 11. Such foolish fires will lead to nothing but bogs and precipices, but Christ the true light when his Gospell is followed (which is the light in the heart, 2 Cor; 4. 5, 6.) guides the feet of men into the way of peace: The light of Christ is to be used as our weapons or Tools to defend our selves, or to work with, let us put off the works of darknesse, and put on the armour of light, the truth is light, is the chiefest instrument for safety and worke, if a man be without light he can neither defend himself nor offend an enemy; he that would make use of Christs light must be armed with his doctrine; he that would [Page 39] improve the light, must be a doing the businesse which the word of Christ directs him to, and to that end it (mark) must dwell richly in him. Make use of the light of Christ for thy comfort and rejoycing; it is it which re­moves doubts, griefs, fears, despair in life or death. Oh how sweetly might men live, how comfortably might they dye, if they did make use of it:’ [Thus highly do these two men R. B. I. T. speake of the light of Christ within, which the Qua: preach: yea that in the very Heathen, though they oft call it naturall, yet they recommend it as that which told the truth to the heathen, which they holding in unrighteousnesse were under wrath, and without excuse before God, because they glorified him not as God, but were fill'd with unrighteousnesse, and did the things which by that of God in them they knew judgment was due to, and that they were worthy of wrath.] ‘Ignorance of the Law being not to be pleaded by them, (say they) who sin against the innate light of their own spirits, forasmuch as that fact must needs be voluntary which is done against the knowledge and judgment of a mans own conscience;’ [And yet somttmes (to go round again) they tell us that when their Saints sin through infirmity only (as T. D. judges David did when he was guilty of murder and adultery) which when they doe they act against the knowledge and judgment of their own consciences, their facts are not voluntary, but altogether, yea utterly against their wills: Yea p. 41. They seem to judge themselves much belyed by the Qua. for denying the light within, and set themselves to vindi­cate themselves from that as a false aspersion, as if they were men that do truly own the light within as much as any, yea they there make a use of Application of their Do­ctrine about the Light that enlightneth every man that cometh into the World, [...]o justi­fie themselves against the Qua: as owners and honourers of the light within, and to warn men that they act not against their Light within, to this purpose] ‘we may infer (say they) a plea for our selves against the unjust accusations of the Qua: who use to charge publick preachers with denying the light within each man, whereas such light is not at all denyed by them; each person is to make use of the light within, that he do not rebell against the light, a mans own conscience is a Law to him, &c.’

[This and much more do these men, when they are pleased to begin of themselves confesse to the excellent usefullnesse and sing out to the praise of the light of God with­in each man, but if the Qua: fall in with them in the same work, and commend the same light (for tis no other but that of Christ the Qua: cry up) in the same words with the Priests, the [...] in enmity against the Qua, they set themselves to cry it down with as much indignation and detestation, as they cryed it up with approbation and high commendation before: Then (to go round again) they sing a new song in contempt of it, to the Tune that hereunder followeth, inveighing most heavily and bitterly against the Qu [...]k: for this businesse of warning men to [...]ake heed to the Light within, to that of God in their consciences, calling both it and them no lesse then all to nought: witnesse their clamours against the Qua: for this very thing in Baxt. Epist. p. 7.] ‘Their i. e. the Qu [...]: great pretence, when they dishonour the Scrip­ture and the Ministry, is to lead men to a light within them, and this is their cry in our Assemblies and our streets’ [hearke [...] to the light and word within you] ‘and the sufficiency of this they clamorously defend.’ So p. 6. ‘They (i. e. the Quakers) assert that there is a light in every man sufficient to guide him to God of it self, that it is a Rule to shew duty and sin, that theres no need [Page 40] of other teaching of man, that this is one in all, that it is the Gospell, this is the main prop of the new Anti-christian Religion, or frenzy of the Quak: and leads them into pernitious courses.’

So p. 41. ‘A mans own light’ [cry they, speaking of that of God in the Conscience of all men, which somtimes themselves call no lesse then Gods Law in them, which is in them, but not of them, nor naturall, but spirituall, holy, just and good] ‘cannot war­rant of it self without the Scripture a mans actions to be lawfull, which he doth according to that light’ [And yet T. D. sayes much of the truth of the Scrip­ture is written on the hearts of the Heathen, and that so much of it as is there written is their Rule, so by consequence mens Rule can't of it self warrant mens actions to be right that are regulated by it: (Oh the Rounds of these men) yea Tomb. and Bax­ter blush not in proof of that their lye as boldly as blindly, to assert in the same page that Paul in his bloody persecutions and sins followed the light within him, and counted it his great sin that he had so done, though they confesse (as before) that all light in all men is from God and Christ, and that the light, some of which all men have from God and Christ, though dim in regard of its small measure, gives them to discern sins, dutyes, and divine Attributes, and leads them to much of God and more morallity, fidellity, chastity, temperance, righteousnesse, which the Letter sayes are the fruits of the Spirit, then most Christians have attained to: Yea so blasphemously seeme they to speak in the same page of the light within which the Qua. follow and call to, which is no other then that of God in men that convinces them of sin as to intimate that men may, as the Quakers say they do, follow the light within them, and yet their practice be of the Devill [The Prince and Ruler only of the darknesse in men] ‘and not from Gods Spirit, yea (say they there) if following the dictates of a mans own Conscience (i. e. the leadings of the light in it) could warrant his actions the most horrid acts of Idolaters, Papists, Pagans, Mahometans, Fanaticks, i. e. mad men should be free from censure and controul.’

Thus to their own shame confusion, and self-contradiction who one while speak well of it, they speake abominably of the light within, as if all the wickednesle that is in the world [...]ame to passe by following the light within the conscience, the going away from which into mans own vain imaginations and vile inventions into the dark▪ & not taking heed to the Councell of God, i. e. his light in the heart, is the only cause of all abomination, without which light shining, and mens loving the darknesle and e­vill deeds, which it condemns more then it, there could be neither sin, as Christ sayes, nor condemnation, Iohn 3. 19. Rom. 8, 1.

As (to go round again) to their own confutation themselves intimate in the very next words, p. 41, 42. which are thus. ‘If a man do that which he thinks to be evill,’ [that is by the lights dictating it so to be in his own Conscience, as they hinted just before] ‘though it were good and lawfull in it selfe, it would be sin to him, yea that man that doth good against his conscience is hut an hy­pocrite in so doing, though the thing in if self be right and good: When a man doth evill, which his conscience tells him is so, he commits a sin of the highest degree, as to him that knowes to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin, Iam. 4. 7. That is, sin in an high degree, hence great horrour of spi­rit hath attended them that have omitted good, which their conscience told them they should do, and much more horrour in them that have done evill against their conscience, as in the case of Iudas, Spira and other in­s [...]ances [Page 41] might be given’ [Without which acting against conscience there's nei­ther sin nor horrour say we with Iohn and Christ, Ioh. 15. 24. 1 Ioh. 3. 20. but peace as themselves hereunder confesse, i. e. assurance of Gods acceptance, acquittance, non­condemnation, justification.] ‘And therefore (say they) if the Qua: intended no more then this, by bidding men look to the light within them’ [And no more then that do we intend, God knows, though the blind Guides, who can't see Wood for Trees, hating us, are minded to make men mistake us, as miserably as themselves mistake us] ‘that men should take heed that they omitted not the good their own consciences told them they ought to do, and that they did not the evill their consciences judged to be so, we should accept of their warn­ing. Surely it will concern you, as to look that your conscience be not er­roneus’ [As it ever is when, and never is, say I, but when it erres from the light of God within it, for the heart is a dark place of it self but as the true light shines in it, 2 Pet. 1. 19. and heeds not that.] ‘So, when your conscience is rightly infor­med, to follow it, and when it goes wrong’ [As it never does, say I, but when it goes from its guide the light] ‘yet to suspend the act which it condemns [Till by the light it come to approve of what it ignor [...]ntly condemned] if you desire peace’ [It seemes then by these men, as well as the Qua: do [...]ine, that peace is no where to be had but in walking according to the light in the Conscience] there will (say they) ‘be no plea to acquit him before God, or to quiet his own spirit, who proceeds to act according to the light in his own conscience: And a sin a­gainst the light of nature’ [So they stile that voyce of God in the conscience still] ‘is so much the more damnable in that it is against the most irrefragable evi­dence’ [Mark how they somtimes yield the light in the conscience of all to be a far clearer evidence then that of the letter it self, and more dangerous to resist, in refe­rence to which they somtimes (to go round again call the light within, but obscure, meer darknesse and blindnesle, and not so dangerous nor damnable to resist, but rather dangerous, yea no lesse then damnable to follow] He that doubteth (say they with Paul) is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith, for whatever is ‘not of faith is sin’ (Mark how themselves affirme with Paul and us, that faith, without which nothing is pleasing to God, out of which all that's done is damning, to be a faith in that light of Christ, which is in the conscience. Wo be to him (cry they as we also do▪ who condemns himself in what he allowes, and contrariwise, say we and Paul, and consequently themselves, happy is he (and he only) who is not con­demned in himself (that is by the light in his own conscience) in what he allowes.

Thus absolutely do these Light-haters somtimes themselves blesse, approve and ap­plaud the light, which other whiles they brawl and bark against, when its own chil­dren the Qua: appear to justifie it; Somtimes (to go round again) as absurdly do they bolt out bitternesse and hlasphemies against that light which (forgetting how un­awares they confesse the truth to the Qua:) otherwhiles they so eminently applauded as good and of God, &c, making it somtimes pernitious, dangerous, yea in the highest degree damnable to neglect it; at othertimes (to go round again) pernitious, dan­gerous, and in the highest degree damnable to attend to it: As p. 68.] ‘Among the Gentile Philosophers there was light, but dim, no light, truly such, is to be rejected; Philosopphers light guided men well in some things; yet (to go round again) in most did lead them into crooked and dangerous wayes’ [Which position of these blind Guides is such an Ignis fat [...]s, such a Will with a [Page 42] wish or whimsicall piece of guidance, as they falsly render the light it self to be, which they call so; as if one and the same light of God should be a safe and sure guide at one time, and such a misleading, unsafe guide and foolish fire at another, as p. 84. w [...]ll lead into nothing but Bags & Praecipices, or as if the least measure of the light of God could lead any man into the least measure of iniquity; Yea somtimes they call this light of God in the Conscience, which is Gods own voyce (in Nature at least as I. O. sayes) his Law and most immediate Counsell to a man, no other then mans own counsell, way, lust that leads to cursing, Witnesse p. 45, 40. Where they say thus] ‘To leave a person to his own imagination, lust, to walk in his own counsell, his own way (which is all one as to leave him to the light within him) is the grea­test curse and judgment to a man from God, for refusing to hearken to Gods voyce. Therefore the light within each person is of it self no safe guide, and the Qua; prescribe that to men as their rule, which God counts their curse’ [yet (to go round again) p. 55.] ‘the light within each person is by creation and inward work of the Spirit’ [So to be left to the inward work of the Spirit is it seems with these men the greatest curse, yet (to go round again) as before, p. 41.] ‘The Qua: charge publick preachers with denying the light with­in each man, whereas such light is not at all denyed by them, but is acknow­ledged to be a great benefit to mankind,’ and p. 84. ‘It concerns those who own Christ as their l [...]ght, to judge themselves and their wayes by his light,’ [And the light within is his light, witnesse Baxt. Epist. above cited, ‘This light is from Christ both as the Authour and Restorer of nature, all this light’ (within us and without us) is to be hearkened to, and obeyed] ‘its the greatest benefit of light that it doth make manifest, by the light of Christ the evill of our wayes is reproved, the wayes of God approved, we know the righteousness of God and our own unrighteousness, this is no small benefit to have light to discern our own errours, which without light from Christ’ [and his light within say I, by which only every man knowes, de facto, what he is] ‘we should never have understood, a wise Christian therefore will be often judging himselfe (And self judgment saith I. O. is from the light indelebly im­planted by God within each mans conscience) by the light of the Law’ [Which law is light saith the letter, Prov. 6. 23.] ‘discovering his transgressions’ [yet (to go round again) p. 85. ‘Oh that all that talk of the light within them would follow the light about them! Light within you whatever the Qua: tell you, will leave you in perplexity, when you shall have most need of comfort; but (to go round again) if you believe in the Light of Christ, as its held out to you in the Gospell’ [That is the letter with them, which letter yet testifies the light of the Gospell▪ of Christ to be shining from God within mens hearts, 2 Cor. 4.] ‘you shall see the light of life. Therefore (to go round again) be perswaded’ [Cry they, and so they conclude their Book] ‘to disclaime the pretended new light within you, as your sufficient guide to God, and chuse the light of Christ from Heaven in his Gospel to walk by’ [Which Christ say I, speaks and shines from heaven to men, now no where immediately, but in mens hearts and consciences, though men write and speak as from him here on earth, whom speaking there by his spirit from heaven, it's more dangerous to turn away from, then from them that speak but on earth]‘and it (say they and so say I) will guide and comfort you surely and sweetly to eternall life.’

So I have shewed how these two children of the night and darknesse R B. an I. T. who were wont to bite and tear one another about the Tradition of Infant Baptisme, do both concurr in their divinity doings against the Qua; and the light within, to bawl out somthing, uno ore, against both, far better then their joynt dis-joynted talk concurres together within it self; and so run the Rounds and dance the Hay, up and down, in and out, and somtimes round about, that the Reader of them can hardly discern or find whether they be fuller of concessions to the Qua: by their confessions to, and commendations of the light within, or of denyalls, contemnings and condemnations of it, for at severall times (somtimes more Expresly, somtimes more implicitly) they are found in both in a most egregious manner; One while (as if parturirent montes) mightily magnifying the light within for a great way together, as if we might warran­tably take them to be some trusty friends to it, Another while minifying, vilifying, nullifying it into nothing but some blind lump of darknesse; like the Lizard making many good prints upon it with their fore-feet, in that sandy way wherein they passe, and then dashing them all out again with a long bushy Tail, or Tale of it to the contrary; like the blind night B [...]t flying and fluttering up into the Air with a mighty humming noyse of Encomiums about it, and then dropping down into a piece of Cow dung: As the Devill serv'd him who is the Author of it, who, after he had set him upon the highest pinnacle of the Temple, he would fain have thrown down thence to destruction; so deal these by the inward light or Word of Gods speaking in the heart, which, after in words they with I. O. have magnified over all Gods name, they thrust it down (as he does) below every name yea and every thing almost that hath any name at all; and, as I. O. after in a sound of words, they have set it out as glorious, next to God, as the Sun in its brightnesse, render it under many reviling, opprobrious Titles, well nigh as odious, as Satan himself in his Princely, and their own Priestly blindnesse: So that which side soever of those two sides and sorts of say­ings or double tongu'd talk of the light the Truth stands on, yet (unlesse con­tradictories can) it's certain all cannot be true which they utter of it: And if the worst should be true, as (absit blasphemia, far be it from any good man to beleeve their blasphemies of it are) then the best is false, and that at best proves themselves no better then Self confounders; but if the best they say of it be true (as most true it is) then R. B. and I. T. till they both repent in dust and ashes before the Lord for their sin in belying his light, can expect no better from him, then what is due to all blind Truth Blasphemers.

As for T. D. he sayes the least of all these sour in contradiction to himself about the light; howbeit, as is above shewed, not so little, but that its seen, that eodem cum illis haeret luto, he sticks in the same Quagmire together with them: But as for I. O he is more over head and eares in it, as to this poynt, then all the rest. I shall only take two or three more turns upon that wheel of his, on which he is unwearied in running round, and so make an end with them altogether at this time.

And first let us see what I. O, saith by way of Concession to us, against himself, a­bout the light in all mens conscionces. First, Tr, 1. c. 2. S. [...]1. he writeth thus (viz.) ‘God declares his Soveraign power and Anthority, righteousness and holi­nesse by the innate or ingrasted light of nature, and principles of the Con­sciences of men. That indispensible morall obedience which he requireth [Page 44] of us as his creatures subject to his law, is in general thus made known un­to us; Then citing and writing out at large that Text, Rom. 2. 14, 15. For the Gentiles, &c. he goes on thus: By the light which God hath indelibly implan­ted in the minds of men accompanyed with a morall instinct of good and e­vill, seconded by that self judgment which he hath placed in us in reference to his own over us, he doth reveale himself unto the Sons of men’ [And that we may know and be ascertained that this thing is no deceivable pretence, but that God doth so indeed reveale himself thereby he adds S. 13.] ‘The voice of God in na­ture is effectuall; it declares it self to be from God by its own light and Au­thority. There is no need to convince a man by substantiall witnesses that what his conscience speaks it speaks from God, whether it bear testimony to the Being, Righteousness, Power, Omniscience or Holiness of God himself, or whether it call for that morall obedience which is eternally and indispensa­bly due to him, and so shewes forth the work of the Law in the heart, it so speaks & declares it self that without further evidence or reasoning, with­out the advantage of any considerations, but what are by it self supplyed,’ [And then without an outward Ministry, letter, or writing surely, or if it did not, yet the letter without, that came from the light within, is of the lights own supplying] ‘it discovers its Author from whom it is, and in whose name it speaks: [...], those common notions and generall presumptions of him & his Authority, that are inlayed in the natures of rationall creatures by the hand of God to this end, that they might make a Revelation of him as to the purposes mentioned, are able to plead their Divine Original without the least contribution of strength or assistance from without’ [Thus far I. O. writes the truth of the light within, saving here and there the interposition of that Epithite Naturall]

Thus far have I set down I. Os. words, that all may see how far he accords with them in these words, in the same things about which he Quarrells with the Qua: as not knowing what to make of their Inward word and Light they talke of: which is indeed wholly (though himselfe sees it not) excepting in his often undervaluing of the Light within by that name of naturall, as in opposition to the Qua: which otherwise, while he sees it serves his turn so to do against another sort of his Antagonists, he magnifies in words, and makes as honourable with all his might, as the Qua: do, and together with them: He grants that its the voyce of God, a means of the knowledge of God, and of his will, of Divine Originall and Authority, calls for that morall obedience (A higher matter then he thinks for) which is eternally and indispensably due to God, speaks in the name of God and from God so infallibly in the heart, that it needs no other evi­dence, assistance, advantage, &c. (and then not the letter) to witnesse that it speakes from God, is his law to which his creatures are to be subject, is ascertain'd to be no deceivable pretence, but that indeed by which God doth reveale himself to the soul of man, that light which God hath indelibly implanted in the minds of men, is accompanyed with a morall instinct of good and evill, seconded with a self-judgment in us in reference to Gods own [...]ver us, shewes the work of the Law in the heart, so as they are left wholly inexcusable, who will not learn and know God from thence: neverthe­lesse (to go round again) he pinches it back at first (after he hath done magni­fying it) with the diminitive termes of the Light of nature, low, dark, obscure, a winckling light, that scarcely peeps out of the most pernitious darknesse, enlighten­ing [Page 45] meerly in morall matters, duties, morall good and e­vill, sufficient to leave men without excuse, not save, nor bring them to the true knowledg of God, only that which was given to man at first before he fell, he state of the first man, and at last a thing altogether faigned, a de­ceivable pretence, grossely imagined, every ones private light making as many Rules as men. That inward light, the Revelation that comes from which is uncertain, dangerous, unprofitable, no way necessary to the know­ing of God and his will, therefore to be rejected and de­tested. A means of the knowledge of God, and of Com­munion with him, boasted of by the Fanaticks, an addi­tion to the written word of God which is most heavily damned by the Spirit of God, among that of confabula­tion with Angells and others, id genus surfuris, of the like bran: that which we are sent to that we may get the knowledge of God, or any direction in our duty to him at no time and no where at all by God; a principle of Revelation most uncertain, fallacious, both as to it self, and what things it reveals; a meer faculty of the under­standing; I know not what light, of no correspondency with the Scripture and word; I know not what divine soul of the world mingled in all things, which is Every thing, and truly Nothing; a light which, however atten­ded to, is in all divine things, as to the utmost end, meerly darknesse and blindnesse it self.

These and many more Id genus furfuris et farragi­nis are the depressive, debasive denominations, whereby I. O. having first advanc'd the light with­in and law of God in the heart into its proper place, prerogative, Titles, and Authority, as Gods Vicar on earth (which Office the Pope and Clergy have long usurped) as a faithfull witnesse, right reverend Recorder, and subordinate Judge for God, and be­tween God and man in the Conscience, doth af­ter Thrust it out again from its Throne, Rob it of its Recordership, detrude it from its true Title, Divest it of all its Authority, Digrade it from its Vice-gerentship, turn it down from the Bench to the Bar, and there, like a Justice of neither Peace nor Truth, pass his scornfull sentence on it, and damn it into utter darkness, among a crue of Counterfeits, fanatical fancies meer Figments, & imaginations, & the whole robble of such like malefactors & deceivers, as any may see, who having so much skill will be at so much pains as to consult those pieces of his Latine piece, that are to that end here cited in the margent. Fx. 1. S. 5, 6. Figmentum horrendum lum [...]n internum omnibus commune, &c. De fictitio isto sive lumine sive verbo interno et Chri­sto imaginario &c. Ex. 3. S. 11. Fanatici nostra­les enthusiasmos nescio quos jactitantes lucē internā at{que} infallibilitatem inde emer­gentem, &c. Et S. 22. Lu [...] en rescio quod, cui nihil com­mune est cum scripturis, tanquā Doctorem infallibi­lem sequi, et in omnibus o­bedire. S. 25. Lumen illud internū Res est omnino fic­ta at{que} commentum crasse excogitatum. S. 28. Nihil opus est ullâ revelatione per Spiritum aut lumen in­ternum, Enthusiasmum, &c. incerta periculosa inutilia ea omnia media ad cognos­cendum Deum at{que} volunta­tent [...]jus, ideo{que} rejicienda at{que} [...]standa esse quae si­mulant fanatici apparet. S. 30 Omnes istas vias et modos cognitionis Dei, ac cum eo communionis, quos jactitant Fanatici, rejici ac damnari a spiritu sancto ap­paret, presertim Angelorum colloquia revelationes alie­nas a verbo scripto, deinde spiritum Fanaticorū internū omnibus commune. S. 32. Ad lumen internum seu spi­ritum internum privatum nusquam nunquam a Deo ab­legamur. S. 34. Enthusias­morum omne genus fallax, incertum, incertissimum, &c. Ex. 4. S. 15. Lux nictans ne{que} è tenebris perniciosissimis e­mergens: [...] Deo quopiam melius. S. 21. Qualitas nescio quae divina, &c. [...], verè Nihil. [Page 46] Wee see then that though these men agree all together to witnesse against the Truth, yet their witnesse agrees not together within it self, their Asser­tions assent not, but assault one the other about the self same subject, the light, some saying, as they said of Christ, he is a good man, others nay but he deceiveth the people: One while tis O divinae Originis lumen! O voo [...] Dei effectualu! non Homi­nem sonat, est Dea, aut a Deo certè; O Lux Dei seipsam declarans, et authoritatem suam, per quam Deus infallib [...]liter revelat seipsum hominibus! quid verbis opus est cum Ipsa loquitur? quid testibus ad extra ad convincendum? &c. O Lex Dei in corde scripta; in mentibus hominum insita! ibi loquens, judicans in Nomin [...] Domini, Nomen Dei, per quod seipsum exhibet cognoscendum, &c. Anon again, in hoc Nomine Domini incipit omne malum, Then tis, O pestis! O Labes! O nequitia! ipsa nequitia nequior. So then Sua ipsorum contra seipsos Pugna de Luce sic se habet: Ex hac parte pudor et pudi­citia est, illinc petulantia et stuprum: Hinc fides est, illinc fraudatio; hinc pietas, il­linc scelus; hinc constantia, illinc furor; hinc certitudo, illinc fallibilis pretextus; hinc honestas. illinc turpitudo; hinc justa, justitia (adeo{que} si fieri possit) justitia justior; illinc ficta, fictitia, falsa, falsissima, fallaciâ ipsâ fallacior: hinc Dei quidam digi­tus, seu insculptio quaedam in cordibus, non nisi per Dei quidem ipsius manus, illinc (Ironicè) Deus nescio quis? seu forsan Deo quopiam quid melius, aut ipso Diabolo pejus; hinc penè [...], illinc verè nihil, hinc Lux ipsa luce clarior, illinc merae Tenebrae & caecitas, adeo{que} obscuritate ipsa ferè obscurior.

One more Jigge of I. O. about the Light of God we testifie to, as one and the same gift or grace of God in all, as to its nature, though different in measure, is this, which is in part toucht on above, and then I leave them all to Dance in the dark all together if they will, till they are as weary, as I am in tracing after them: He may well say [...] of it, yet verè nihil, for he first makes it every thing, and at last just nothing, as any one may find comparing his first Treatise with his last Tract [...] Theses: One while he calls it metaphoricall, not proper; O­therwhiles proper, not metaphoricall; One while natural, as opposite to civill, and not morall, spirituall, nor supernaturall; Otherwhiles and in other respects he makes it civill, morall, spirituall, and in effect supernaturall, as in opposition to naturall; One while (Ironically) some certain divine soul of the world mixt with all things, yea all these things above said, yea all things also, [...], Otherwhile verè nihil, truly nothing; One while common to all and universall, but then not saving; Otherwhile sufficient and saving, but then particular only and peculiar to few, not common nor univarsall: yea the Light is made little lesse then a Monster of all shapes, a nescio quid? a certain naturall, supernaturall, civill, morall, spi­rituall, reall, metaphoricall, sufficient, insufficient, efficacious, ineffectuall, usefull, useless, safe, dangerous, peculiar, common, speciall, generall, particular, universail, Every thing, which when all comes to all is none knowes what, but a meer just No­thing, So here is a Ʋnity, thus parting it self into a Plurality, divided first in­to a Duality, then turned into a Trinity, then quartered into a Quaternity, then extended into an Ʋniversality or certain Omniality, and then as some Nihil in Nil revertens, returning back into a Particularity, and narrowed up nearer in­to a Neutrality, till it resolve and annihilate it self at last into a very Nullity.