admirer of the school-men, but an oppofer and defpifer of them as fuch, by whofe labour I judge the Chriftian religion to be fo far from being bettered, that it is rather deftroyed. Neither have I fought to accommodate this my work to itching ears, who defire rather to comprehend in their heads the fublime notions of truth, than to embrace it in their hearts: for what I have written comes more from my heart than from my head; what I have heard with the ears of my foul, and feen with my inward eyes, and my hands have handled of the Word of Life, and what hath been inwardly manifefted to me of the things of God, that do I declare; not fo much regarding the eloquence and excellency of speech, as defiring to demonftrate the efficacy and operation of truth; and if I err fometimes in the former, it is no great matter; for I act not here the Grammarian, or the Orator, but the Chriftian; and therefore in this I have followed the certain rule of the Divine Light, and of the Holy Scriptures. And to make an end; what I have written, is written not to feed the wisdom and knowledge, or rather vain pride of this world, but to ftarve and oppose it, as the little preface prefixed to the propofitions doth fhew; which, with the title of them, is as followeth. THESES TO THE CLERGY, OF WHAT SORT SOEVER, Unto whofe Hands these may come; BUT MORE PARTICULARLY To the DOCTORS, PROFESSORS, and STUDENTS of Divinity in the Universities and Schools of Great Britain, whether Prelatical, Prefbyterian, or any other; ROBERT BARCLA Y, A Servant of the LORD GOD, and one of those who in Derifion are called QUAKERS, wifheth unfeigned Repentance, unto the Acknowledgment of the Truth. FRIENDS, UNT NTO you these following propofitions are offered; in which, they being read and confidered in the fear of the Lord, you may perceive that fimple, naked truth, which man by his wisdom hath rendered fo obfcure and myfterious, that the world is even burthened with the can ever contradict the outward teftimony of the fcriptures, or right and found reafon. Yet from hence it will not follow, that thefe divine revelations are to be fubjected to the examination, either of the outward teftimony of the fcriptures, or of the natural reafon of man, as to a more noble or certain rule or touchstone; for this divine revelation, and inward illumination, is that which is evident and clear of itself, forcing, by its own evidence and clearness, the well-difpofed understanding to affent, irrefiftibly moving the fame thereunto; even as the common principles of natural truths move and incline the mind to a natural affent: as, that the whole is greater than its part; that two contradictory Sayings cannot be both true, nor both falfe; which is alfo manifeft, according to our adverfaries principle, who (fuppofing the poffibility of inward divine revelations) will nevertheless confefs with us, that neither fcripture nor found reafon will contradict it: and yet it will not follow, according to them, that the fcripture, or found reafon, fhould be fubjected to the examination of the divine revelations in the heart. The Third Proposition. Concerning the SCRIPTURES. FROM thefe revelations of the Spirit of God to the faints, have proceeded the fcriptures of truth, which contain, 1. A faithful hiftorical account of the actings of God's people in divers ages, with many fingular and remarkable providences attending them. 2. A prophetical account of feveral things, whereof fome are already paft, and fome yet to come. 3. A full and ample account of all the chief principles of the doctrine of Chrift, held forth in divers precious declarations, Ne clarations, exhortations and fentences, which, by the moving of God's Spirit, were at feveral times, and upon fundry occafions, fpoken and written unto fome churches and their paftors: nevertheless, because they are only a declaration of the fountain, and not the fountain itself, therefore they are not to be esteemed the principal ground of all truth and knowledge, nor yet the adequate primary rule of faith and manners. vertheless, as that which giveth a true and faithful teftimony of the firft foundation, they are and may be efteemed a fecondary rule, fubordinate to the Spirit, from which they have all their excellency and certainty; for as by the inward teftimony of the Spirit we do alone truly know them, fo they teftify, that the Spirit is that guide John 16.13. by which the faints are led into all truth: there- Rom. 8. 14. fore, according to the fcriptures, the Spirit is the first and principal leader. And feeing we do therefore receive and believe the fcriptures, because they proceeded from the Spirit; therefore alfo the Spirit is more originally and principally the rule, according to that received maxim in the schools, Propter quod unumquodque eft tale, illud ipfum eft magis tale. Englished thus: That for which a thing is fuch, that thing itself is more Juch. The Fourth Propofition. Concerning the Condition of MAN in the FALL. ALL LL Adam's pofterity (or mankind) both Jews Rom. 5.12, and Gentiles, as to the first Adam or earthly 15 man, is fallen, degenerated, and dead, deprived of the sensation or feeling of this inward teftimony or feed of God, and is fubject unto the power, nature, and feed of the ferpent, which he fows in men's hearts, while they abide in this natu B 2 ral ral and corrupted ftate; from whence it comes, that not their words and deeds only, but all their imaginations are evil perpetually in the fight of God, as proceeding from this depraved and wicked feed. Man therefore, as he is in this ftate, can know nothing aright; yea, his thoughts and conceptions concerning God and things fpiritual, until he be disjoined from this evil feed, and united to the divine light, are unprofitable both to himself and others: hence are rejected the Socinian and Pelagian errors, in exalting a natural light; as alfo of the Papists, and moft Proteftants, who affirm, That man, without the true grace of God, may be a true minister of the gospel. Nevertheless, this feed is not imputed to infants, until Eph. 2. 1. by tranfgreffion they actually join themselves therewith; for they are by nature the children of wrath, who walk according to the power of the prince of the air. 23. Ifa. 49. 6. John 3. 16. & 1. 9. Tit. 2. 11. The Fifth and Sixth Propofitions. Concerning the Univerfal Redemption by Chrift, and alfo the Saving and Spiritual Light, wherewith every man is enlightened. The Fifth Propofition. Ezek. 18. GOD, out of his infinite love, who delighteth not in the death of a finner, but that all should live and be faved, hath fo loved the world, that he hath given his only Son a light, that whosoever believeth in him should be faved; who enlighteneth Heb. 2. 9. every man that cometh into the world, and maketh manifeft all things that are reproveable, and teacheth all temperance, righteousness, and godliness: and this light enlighteneth the hearts of all in a day*, in order to falvation, if not refifted: nor is it lefs *Pro tempore, for a time. |