ページの画像
PDF
ePub

P. He saith,There is a contradiction in the letter,' speaking of the scripture, page 60.

A. Showing that he doth not know to what condition it was spoken, for there is no contradiction in it: but in them that are out of the spirit that gave it forth, is the contradiction.

P. And he saith, There is a perfection that respects justification and not sanctification.' See page 61.

[ocr errors]

A. Now, there is no perfection but where there is sanctification. P. And he perverteth the scripture of John, that saith, If we say we have no sin,' &c. And he saith, Whosoever saith he hath no sin, deceives himself.' See page 62.

[ocr errors]

A. So he wrongs John's words, and puts he for we, and is charging sin upon the elect, and so himself is found a liar. For there is a time for men to see they have sinned, and a time to confess and forsake sin, and a time to witness the blood of Christ cleansing from all sin; and 'he that is born of God doth not commit sin. And here the children of God are manifest from the children of the devil.'

And, Eaton, hast thou been preaching and praying all this while, and never yet heard the voice of God? The night is upon thee, thou hast no answer from God.

And as for the rest of Eaton's lies, we let them rest upon his own head, not being worth mentioning; the witness of God in his conscience shall answer in the day of his judgment.

6

John Bunyan, Richard Spenceley, John Burton, and John Childe, in their book that they call, A vindication of a book called some Gospel Truth's Opened,' are these following principles.

And as for Bunyan's lies and slanders, they will come upon himself; they are his own garments. And for the scriptures which he quotes, they are owned, but not to cover the wolf withal.

6

In his epistle to the reader he saith, The Quakers will own that salvation was obtained by Christ,' (this is truth,' saith he,) and but a little before, he saith, They deny that salvation that was obtained by him,' &c. And thus he hath shamed his father of confusion that taught him, the father of lies, who says and unsays; for salvation is owned by Christ and God, and no other.

[ocr errors]

P. Again, in the same epistle, he denies that salvation is obtained by Christ within,' and saith, The scriptures do not prove it,' and calls it 'fighting against the truth,' &c.

A. The apostle saith, Work out your salvation with fear and

trembling,' and that is within. save souls,' and that is within.

And the ingrafted word is able to
And the apostle saith, If Christ be

not in you, ye are reprobates.' And that is not opposite to Christ with-
out them, nor contrary to the scriptures. And none know salvation,
but who know this Christ in you,' who is the salvation, and where
he is within there is salvation. And so thou art one of the reprobates,
that can talk of Christ without, and denies him the salvation within.
P. He saith, The Quakers own Christ Jesus revealed to them in
spirit,' and calls it 'delusion.'

A. And yet he saith, others are carried away with error for not receiving Christ revealed in the spirit; and this is his patched up stuff, comprehended with the spirit, and with it is judged, who finds fault with them that have it, and is against them that have it not.

[ocr errors]

P. He tells people of the history of the word; and saith, Some have no other witness nor knowledge but the history of the word, and the relation of others,' &c..

A. And yet he is against the revelation of the spirit in the Quakers. But he is one of the beast's officers to fight against the Lamb; but it is to no purpose, who thus builds up and throws down.

Again, Bunyan is railing against the priests, and runs up into the pulpit himself. And so the wolf hath got the sheep's clothing, and they can speak of Christ without, who are reprobates, who have him not within.

P. He saith, The Lord Jesus Christ is afar off in his bodily presence.'

A. And yet he saith, The Lord is at hand!' 'he was in them.' And Christ said, he would P. He saith, They were sealed by Christ's upon the cross.'

And the apostle said, dwell with them.' death, at his offering

A. And yet Christ must come to save them at the last day! And the saints witnessed their salvation while they were upon earth, and said Christ was in them, except they were reprobates.' And the son of God was come, and gave them an understanding.

P. He saith, The Quakers witness the teaching within,' but saith, The apostle witnesseth the contrary,' &c. page 4.

A. Why dost thou wrong the apostle, and put thy lies abroad, when the apostle said, and Christ said, the spirit of the Father spoke in them. And the apostle said, the law and the covenant of God were in their hearts, and the anointing was within them, to teach them. But why fightest thou against the apostle's teaching, the apostle's doctrine, and Christ's doctrine? Dost thou not see thy weapon now fails thee? Thou hast cast thyself without, and have not the apostle and Christ corrected thee here?

[blocks in formation]

P. And to prove that the blood of Christ was shed before the world was,' he brings a scripture, which saith, The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,' &c.

A. Here all may see, whether this be a fit man to teach, or whether he be not one of the novices, I leave it to all to judge, who have a just measure; for the scripture saith, since the world,' and thou sayst, before the world was.'

[ocr errors]

P. He saith, that the son of Mary, God-man, is absent from his church.'

A. Contrary to Christ's words, I in them, and they in me:' and, I will be with you to the end.' So one of the blind prophets, contrary to John, who saith, 'We are in him that is true;' and thou sayst he is absent from his church. And the apostle said he was the 'head of the church.' But of your church we believe he is not the head, but will grind you to powder. And thy words and thy doctrine are corrected by Christ and the scriptures. And Christ said, 'Where two or three meet together in my name, I will be amongst them,' and the saints were 'flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone.'

P. He saith, To be justified by Christ, is not to be justified by the spirit within,' and that Christ within doth not work out justification for the soul, but we must look out for salvation unto that man, that is now absent from his saints on earth;' these are his words.

[ocr errors]

A. Corrected by the apostle, who saith, He works all in us, and for us;' and yet thou sayst that Christ is absent from his saints on earth, who art corrected again by the apostle, who saith, Christ is in you,” and contrary to Christ, who is the saviour of the soul. And men are justified through faith, and that is within, in the heart, which is held in a pure conscience. And Christ is in the saints, who is their justification; and the apostle preached Christ in them, and where he is, there is justification; and they who have his light and receive him not, there is condemnation.

P. And he saith, 'The Quakers are deceived, because they say, Christ is within them, kept down by something within them.'

A. Corrected by the apostle, who saith to the saints, 'Christ in you the hope of glory;' and he was pressed down as a cart with sheaves." And Christ was in prison, and they visited him not; and hungry, and ye fed him not; and thou never knew Christ formed in thee, nor the reigning of the seed, which is the heir of the promise of God. How was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, but among such as thou art? And reprobates may talk of justification, in whom Christ is not; ye who witness him not within, he is not your justification.

P. And his principle is, 'that the place where Christ shall come to judgment, is at the mount of Olives, on the cast side of Jerusalem.'

A. Thou hast put him far enough off from thee, and hast not yet

[ocr errors]

judged thyself, (and Christ is come to judgment,) and so art one of the false prophets, who bid people look for him beyond the sea, Lo here, lo there:' but who are come to Christ, the light, the life, they need not go forth; they who abide here are sealed by the spirit, and put not off the good and evil day.

P. He saith, 'It is a delusion of the devil, and a dangerous doctrine, to bid people follow the light within them.'

[ocr errors]

A. They are in the dangerous doctrine, and the delusions of the devil, that draw people from the light within. And thus he opposes the foundation of God, the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,' and the doctrine of the apostle, who saith, the light that shines in their hearts' must give them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus.' So he is one of the devil's ministers, opposing the foundation of God, drawing people from that the apostles drew them to; for no one comes to the kingdom, but who comes to the light within them.

P. He saith, that every man hath not the spirit of Christ within him.'

A. But John said, Every man that cometh into the world is enlightened.' And Christ said, 'I will send you the comforter, the spirit of truth, which shall lead you into all truth; and he shall take of mine, and give it unto you; and he shall reprove the world of sin;' the spirit shall. Mark! 'every man;' here are saints, disciples, and the world. Get from under this if thou canst, for under reproof thou art come, and that which doth reprove the world is manifest to them; and the wicked quench the spirit, but the saints are led by it; and here are all men.

P. And again thou sayst, that it is a filthy error to say, that that light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, will lead man to the kingdom of righteousness and peace.'

A. Thus he is splitting himself against the rock, and striking against the foundation; for every man that cometh into the world is enlightened, that through the light he might believe, and believing in it, he might not abide in darkness; and this he makes insufficient, when he that

doth not believe in the light is condemned. And thus the spiritual Sodomite and Egyptian is blind, raging about the door. And no man comes to the kingdom of righteousness and peace, but by the light within: and so he is in the filthy error himself, denying the light, and hating it. P. Thou sayst, 'Christ is the light of the world, and yet not in every one that cometh into the world.'

A. Corrected by John, who saith, he doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world.' And 'the light shines in darkness,' and the darkness cannot comprehend' it; and he that hates the light' is enlightened, and will not come to it because it will reprove him.' That

which doth manifest to man an understanding of reproof, is within him, and hating it, that condemns him. And the saints believed in the light, and they abode not in darkness, which unbelievers do, and stumble, which the others do not.

P. And he saith, Christ was not in his disciples when he said, I am the light of the world.'

A. And so is corrected by Christ, who saith, I in you, and you in

me.'

P. He saith,They that will come to justification, must go to Christ's grave without, and to mount Calvary,' page 9.

A. The scripture saith, ye need not go up to heaven, nor say, 'who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us that we may hear it, and do it; but the word is nigh, in thy heart.' Deut. xxx. So corrected by the scriptures. And the angel said unto them that went to the grave without, Why seek ye the living among the dead, he is risen;' and the saints sit with him in the heavenly places,' and need not go to mount Calvary for him.

[ocr errors]

P. He saith, The light wherewith Christ doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world, is but a creature, and is not a spirit,' page 10.

A. John saith, All things were made by him, (made by the light,) in him was life, and the life was the light of men:' and this shines in darkness, and the darkness cannot comprehend it. The foundation of God, which was before any creature was made, is the power of God, Christ Jesus the light; and the prophets' and John's doctrine they stumble at, who say, the light by which all things were made and created is a creature, and so thou art corrected by the scripture.

P. He calls the light 'conscience,' and 'a poor dunghill creature that will convince of sin.'

A. Which light was before conscience was, or creature was, or created or made light was. He made the sun, the moon, &c. and the light which was before these were made; and he is life and spirit too. For that which convinceth of sin is above the creature; checks him, and reproves him, and lets him see when he goeth astray from the Creator, and that is the light of Christ, with which all men see their salvation, with that which lets them see their sin.

P. He saith, The law doth not lead men to Christ, but under the curse,' page 17.

[ocr errors]

A. That is to them that transgress it. Solomon said, the law was light.' And David said, the law was a light unto his feet, and a lamp unto his paths,' and so led him, and will lead them that do it, from the curse, and redeems from under it, of which law Christ is the end.

P. He saith, It is not the faith and works together that justifies in the sight of God, but it is faith and good works that justifies in the

« 前へ次へ »