A Cure of deadly Doctrine; Which is death in the Pot: OR M^r. Royles Light proved to be Darkneſſe.

YOur Glimps of ſome truths, as you call it, is a myſting and darkening of the cleere light of the Scriptures; an ad­ding to and taking from the teſtimo­nies and Books of the Propheſies of God, which whoſoever doth is to bring upon him all the plagues that are written therein, and to deprive himſelfe of his part in the booke of life, and in the holy City, and of all the precious things that are written in Gods Records.

And firſt for the generall title of your Paper, it is palpably falſe, to aſcribe to your particular matters the name of truths, and to be made knowne in theſe laſt times; when as many in London know them all to be old Germane errours. The firſt publiſher wee reade of, who plainly & openly profeſt them, was David George, & one Henry Nicholls, ſometimes a tradeſman in Holland, who through pride fell to groſſe and ſtrange deluſions of Satan, and printed many blaſphemons tenents in divers ſmall books, knowne by ſeverall titles, As the Goſpel of the Kingdome; The Propheſie of the Spirit of love; the Pro­verbs of H. N. The glaſſe of Righteouſneſſe; and divers o­thers; many of them being lately reprinted; as, The Re­velation of God; The ſpirituall King of P•…; and the Pro­pheſie of the Spirit of Love; in all of them ſetting forth2 himſelfe to be greater then Jeſus Chriſt our Lord: ha­ving theſe expreſſions in one of his books; There is eight through breakings of the light, and each one exceeding the o­ther, and the laſt the greateſt; in which number he makes Jeſus Chriſt the ſeventh, and himſelfe the eight: and as Jeſus of Nazareth was greater then all, or any before him, ſo himſelfe H. N. to excell, in all manner of gifts and graces, our Saviour Chriſt; for he ſaith, Chriſt is no other in the Scripture then Anointing, and in that he himſelfe exceeded. And the Names alſo that are given in Scripture to Chriſt onely, by them he calls himſelfe; as, the Son of God, the holy One of Iſrael, &c.

And now to your three particulars; and firſt of the firſt; how you can prove your affirmation by Scripture or reaſon, that all the offices, gifts, and ordinances gi­ven to the Apoſtles were figurative; theſe are your own words, and I ſhall keep you cloſe to them; for he that makes error his Propoſition, can make no better of his Concluſion: I confeſſe, the terme Ordinances, as you ex­pound them to be the Supper of the Lord, and Ele­ments Baptiſme, are figurative; but how you will prove the other two terms, offices and gifts figurative, it is ve­ry doubtfull to conceive; for if you meane the office of an Apoſtle, Deacon, Evangeliſt, Biſhop, Elder, Over­ſeer, or any other office mentioned in the New Teſta­ment, then how are they figurative. And by gifts, if you meane, as the Apoſtle doth, 1 Cor. 1 2. the manifold gifts of the Spirit, ſome peculiar to the Saints alone, who are ſpirituall, & others common to all beleevers, although carnall; then how in either reſpect are they figurative? for in right reaſon of ordinary expreſſion, a figure can­not be the thing it ſelfe, but ſome other thing that hath in it the reſemblance of the ſubſtance it ſignifies; as in Circumciſion, the Paſſeover, the Brazen Serpent, the Manna, the Sacrifices, the Prieſthood, the waſhing away the filth of the fleſh, and the Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper.

Againe, I require of you to ſhew in right diſtinction and ſound underſtanding,••what reſpect the Apoſtles gif••▪ and thoſe with them that had received the gifts of•he Holy Ghoſt, deſcending on them at Jeruſalem, Acts 2. that th•ſe ſhould be weake in their gifts and diſpenſations, compared with thoſe after them in S^t Pauls••me, and now in our time ▪••you ſeems to prove it by Rom. 8. 18. If you have not a new way to cleare this, the Scriptures will make it very ſoule againſt you.

Againe, where doe you read•, that the coming of Chriſt in the fleſh, put an end to all the Ceremonies of the Law, to them of whom they were required? And how can you prove, that the promiſe of his coming againe is fulfilled, in the ſending, giving, or powring forth of his Spirit; I hope you hold the diſtinction of the perſons in the God-head, Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghoſt, neither con­founding the perſons ▪ Excellencies, or Offices of either, ſo that theſe Appellations are onely proper to the Sonne, and not to the Father, or Spirit ▪ Th〈…〉y•o•••, this day have I begotten thee: Againe, The Lord hath ſworne, and wil not repent, thou art a Prieſt for ever, &c. Againe, The Lord ſaid unto my Lord, ſit thou a•my right hand, &c. Againe, Whom t〈…〉s muſt containe, or receive ▪ till the reſtitution of all things, &c. And againe ▪ As you have ſee••him goe, ſo ſhall you ſee him come. Now obſerve, it is ſaid, he ſhall come,••is no•ſaid, the Fa­ther, or the Spirit; wherefore doe you ſtraine the Text? And whereas the Lord ſaith ▪••will ſend the Spirit, he doth not ſay nor meant, he will ſend himſelfe; for as he hath aſſumed the humane nature, and exalted it••Gods right hand, even ſo there he i•to a­bide and continue till the time appointed of his returne. Likewiſe other Scriptures ſpeaks properly of the Father, and not of the Son, nor Spirit; as this is properly ſpoken of the Spirit, and not of the Father, nor the Sonne; therefore vaine and incredulous is it to af­firme, that Chriſts ſending his Spirit to his Church, is his ſecond coming, or coming againe to them according to the Scriptures, Joh. 14. 2, 3. Heb. 9. 28. Matth. 16. 27. Luk. 19. 11, 12. &c.

Friend, if I may call you ſo, take heed how you expound Scrip­tures; for th••to affirme, as you have done, is to abuſe the Scrip­tures; and to force, violate, injure, wound and kill the Witneſſes of God, which whoſoever doth, ſhall periſh and be ſlaine by them,4 Rev. 11. 5. For fi•e proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth, ſaith the Text ſuch enemies: The truth is, when a Chriſtian wants his principles and beginnings of Chriſt, and yet will take upon him­ſelfe to be a Teacher in Chriſtianitie; he is like the Martiner that takes upon him the office of a Pilot, and yet underſtands not the Art of Navigation; for to know the common tearmes, without the perfect skill in the myſtery, by the theorick or by the practick, the more he acts, the farther he ingages the Ship to deſtruction, not­withſtanding all his pretences to the contrary.

Sir, Blame mee not thus to charge you, for you prove your ſelfe to be the unskilfull Chriſtian, as in what is paſt, ſo in that which is to come; for you uſing the tearme Baptiſme, and not rightly di­ſtinguiſhing in the different acceptation thereof; you make that ob­ſcu•e in your reaſonings, which otherwiſe were plaine in the holy Scriptures, comparing Scripture with Scripture; for there is a Bap­tiſme of Water in the Element, and a Baptiſme of Water in the Myſtery; and John the Baptiſt and S^t Paul with all the Apoſtles and ſervants of God were more converſant in this laſt ſignification of Water, then in the firſt; and this laſt hath differing meanings alſo; as ſometimes repentance, ſometimes remiſſion of ſinnes, and ſometimes the gifts of the Holy Ghoſt, as I have elſewhere proved largely; therefore well ſaith he that is Worthy, It is the definiti­on, not the names of things by which they are rightly knowne: and you being not skilfull to define, to diſtinguiſh, and divide be­tween things that differ, make as falſe conſtructions in the ſecond part of your Paper, as in the firſt; for although therein you have a ſeeming pretence of a Chriſtians ſpirituall death and reſurrection, which rightly underſtood, is a truth, yet the thing you ayme and drive at to reveale under theſe ſpecious pretences, is to deny the re­ſurrection of the naturall body; for theſe are your own words, I deny that to be a truth, ſpeaking of the reſurrection of the naturall body, page the ninth.

To which error of the Sadduces and Familiſts, I ſay thus much, that the Scriptures affirme plainly, that the naturall body is ſowne, that is, buried in the earth; which naturall body at the reſurrecti­on ſhall be raiſed a ſpirituall body, 1 Cor. 15. 44. And if there be no reſurrection of the dead, ſaith the Apoſtle, then is Chriſt not riſen, that is, his body is not riſen, and if Chriſt be not riſen, ſaith he, then is our preaching vaine, and your faith alſo vaine, Verſ. 13, 14. Now to wave5 your Allegory of Chriſts Sepulchre, as alſo of his death and reſur­rection, making it a phanſie; for although there be a ſpirituall death and reſurrection in the regenerate, daily to dye to, and ariſe from ſinne, and live to righteouſneſſe, yet there was no ſuch thing in Jeſus Chriſt, which was, and is, the King of life and righteouſ­neſſe, the Author and giver of life, the brightneſſe and glory, the expreſſe image of the Father, from all eternity, and to all eternity. And notwithſtanding the Saints ſpirituall death and reſurrection, which is in, by, and through Chriſt, Col. 2. 12. yet this doth not nullifie and take away their naturall death, nor bodily reſurrecti­on to life and perfection at the laſt day; for as the firſt is by the power and voyce of God ſpirituall in our regeneration, through the operation of God, ſo the reſurrection of our bodies out of the graves, is by the ſame power and voyce, to incorruption, life, and ſalvation, Joh. 5. 25, 26. and verſ. 28, 29.

This your allegoriz•ng Doctrine doth not onely deſtroy the Faith of ſome in particular, but it overthrows the whole Doctrine of faith it ſelfe, which was once delivered unto the Saints, and turns the true and faithfull witneſſe, who once was dead, but now is alive, and liveth for evermore, into a lye, a phanſie, or conceit, imagining another meaning then what is reall and ſubſtantiall, of his conception, birth, child-hood, full age, temptations, faſtings, preaching miracles, his being accuſed and apprehended by the Jews, his being adjudged and condemned by Pilate, his crucifixion, his death and buriall, his lying three dayes in the grave, his reſurrecti­on and aſcenſion, and now his ſitting at the right hand of the Fa­ther; to deny the literall ſenſe and ſubſtance of all theſe things, and to turne them to allegories, and other meanings, as they ſhall ſeverally imagine or phanſie, is to deny the Lord that bought them, whatſoever gloſſes and faire pretences ſoever they make.

I proceed now to the third part of your Paper, the day of Judge­ment, as you call it, what it is, and when it ſhall be: and here you ſay, you will lay open ſuch a myſtery as hath been hid from many ages, but hath ſhewed it ſelfe to you within theſe few dayes, which is as falſe as the former I condemned; for theſe depths of Satan are not of yeſterdayes birth and manifeſtation, but are ancient and of long continuance; and their Books are extant, although thoſe of your deluſion have endeavoured to buy up all they could me•…withall heretofore, that they might have the more credit to af­firme6 a lye, in calling theſe viſions of their own hearts, new Lights, as if never heard of, nor knowne before: And therefore you much miſtooke to ſpeake of your ſelfe as the onely man to be acquainted with this Revelation; for what thinke you of Doctor Everit, D. G. Maſter Dell, Maſter Saltmarſh, Maſter P•rdig, Maſter Randall, Ma­ſter Denne, and Maſter Galtorne, and many more preachers tha•maintaine the ſame deluſion and miſtake with your ſelfe; beſides Lords and Ladies, and many thouſands amongſt the common people.

But to your preſent matter, you boldly affirme to your friends, as you call them, that the coming and day of Chriſt is ſpirituall; And for proofe hereof, you ſay that Eliah the Prophet, ſpoken of by Malachi, Chap. 3. 1. is that ſpirituall Appearance of Chriſt in us, and that Eliah is he that ſhall ſuddenly come to his Temple, even the Meſſenger of the Covenant, his coming being now in the Spirit, as he ſaith; and the Spirits preſence is the dreadfull day of the Lord, conſuming and burning up all fleſhly excellency in us, deſtroying the ſonne of the bond-woman, which he expounds to be creature-wiſdome and darkneſſe in us: Here's his relation of the Scripture, and his expoſition alſo.

Now how contrary he is to the truth of the Text, let all that heare, judge; for he makes Eliah, and the Meſſenger of the Gove­nant to be one and the ſame, whereas the Spirit of God ſhews the contrary, prooving thereby that M^r Royles ſpirit is a ſpirit of con­tradiction to Gods holy Spirit; for thus ſaith the Lord of truth himſelfe; If you will receive it, this is Elias that was to com•, Matth. 1•. Prooving it was John the Baptiſt of whom the Prophet Malachi ſpake, both of Perſon and Office, to prepare the way of the Lord, which Lord is called the Meſſenger of the Covenant; for although there be many Meſſengers, yet there is but one that can be ſaid to be the Meſſenger, who indeed is the onely Au•hor and bringer of light and ſalvation. Now for this Impoſtor to turne the Offi­ces and Perſons of our Lord, and his forerunner John the Bap­tiſt, that great Prophet, whom none before him amongſt all the holy Prophets of God ſince the world began, exceeded in ſpiritu­all power and efficacy: I ſay, to turne this Almightie God, and this great and extraordinary ſervant, into ſpirituall appearances of a fancied conceit, is to croſſe, ruinate, and deſtroy, both the body and ſpirit, the letter and meaning of the Text of Scriptures,7 and what a curſed thing it is, the Records of God declare.

But as a man d•ſtracted doth no ſooner paſſe one danger but preſently•uns into another, ſo this blind Leader proceeds to far­ther error, for he falſifies the ſeventh Verſe of the 114. Pſalm, in making that an allegoricall myſt•ry, that is a plaine literall hiſto­ry, by bringing Iſrael out of Egypt through Gods wonderfull and almightie power, in dividing the great Sea, and the ſwelling Ri­ver Jord•n, that the hi•l•and mountaines removed, melted ▪ and fled away, the maſſi•and huge Earth trembled a•the preſence of the Lord, at the preſence of the God of Jacob. And further he ſh•mes not to affirme contrary to the conſent of Scriptures, that before this earthly Tabernacle be put off which wee beare ab•ut u•, when Chriſt ſaith he comes in the Spirit to reigne within u•, then all his enemies are made his footſtoole: which notwith­ſtanding his fancy, it ſhall not be truly ſo, as faith the Prophet and Apoſtle, till the end of this world, when Chriſts Mediatorſhip ſhall be finiſhed, not•i•l the Lords returne in the Clouds of Hea­ven, with ten thouſands of his Sa•n••, for the Lord himſelfe ſhall deſcend from Heaven with the voyce of the Archangel, and with the Trump of God; and then, and not before, ſhall the dead in Chriſt ariſe•u•of the E•rth, & then ſhall the Lord execu•e judge­ment upon all ungodly ſinners, of all their h•rd ſpeeches where­with they have ſpoken againſt him. And M^r Roylie, I ſp•ake ſeri­riouſly to you, and deſire you would let my words take place in your heart, except you repent of this writing, which you ſeeme to glory in, you wi•l be found an enemy to Chriſt, and guil­tie of hard falſe, and evill ſpeeches againſt him; to turne all the holy hiſtory of him, his perſon, office, reigne, and kingdome, with the reality of all of them, into a deceitfull myſtery.

And thoſe reall truths of his incarnation, death, reſurrection ▪ aſcenſion, and interceſſion, to turne theſe a•ſo into ſaigned alle­gories of your own devifing, even imagining all things, paſt and to come, to be preſent, and to be•u••i•d in our bodies before o•r diſſolution, all things that are written from the beginning of the world unto the end; and that wee, that is, the firſt Adam, becom•Abel, and Enoch, and••a•, and Abraham, and Moſes: And ſo Chriſt the ſecond Adam, and all things of him and them, in us fulfild from his conception to his aſcenſion, to be ſ•t at the right hand of the Father: N•y, which is more, that his coming againe in the Clouds,8 the generall reſurrection, and great day of Judgement, and the world to come, alſo that all theſe things ſhould be in this life here, and fulfild in u•▪ i•a blaſphemy beyond compariſon; for in ſetting up your Idoll-phanſie, of wicked invented Allegories, never heard of, nor taught by the Word of God, for theſe inventions of you and your generation, as it doth deny the Meſſiah in the true under­ſtanding of him, and alſo it doth obſcure and exclude all the hea­venly benefit•by him, as the cleare Doctrine of the Goſpel of re­pentance and remiſſion of ſinnes, with the hope of ſalvation, pur­chaſed by his own bloud, and to be preached in his Name; and al­ſo you ſhew your ſelfe to be wholly ignorant of the eſtate of a true Chriſtian in his ſpirituall birth and heire-ſhip, and of the hope of glory in him to be entred into, and poſſeſſed at the Reſurrection, called in Scriptures the inheritance, the purchaſed poſſeſſion and ſalvation. The more you give credit to theſe deluſions, the more impoſſible is it for you to come to ſee the truth, the ſtraight way of the Lord: for your wo•d of light and truth, as you call it, is groſſe blaſphemy againſt God, blaſpheming his Name and his Tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven: Wherefore never write nor ſpeake any more for it; and finally, remember what is written: Add•tho•not to Gods Word, leſt he reprove thee, and thou be found a lyer, Pro. 30. 6.

And as Gods Word binds me•o d•ſſwade you from your error, ſo it doth likewiſe command mee to perſwade all my Chriſtian friends to take heed and beware of the great deceit of this dange­rous doctrine, of which there is no•the like in the world; for in tearms it grants unto you all the ſubſtantiall truths that are; as God and man, Nature and grace, the new man and the old, thi•lif•and that to come, the ſpirituall reſurrection and that of the body, mor­tification and vivifica•ion, repentance and remiſſion of ſinnes, the preſent time and that hereafter, ſuffering and triumphing: which in the tryall will prove but a dreame, as it is indeed. That man is cheated with•ſhadow for the ſubſtance, that dreames he hath rich and coſtly food ▪ when it is nothing but a phanſie, and when he awakes he feels it to be ſo by his hunger. Now there is no chea•e to the chea•e of the underſtanding; for a man to be cheated of his meate, he may get more for his money, if of his horſe, he may goe a•oo•e, or buy one, if of his money, he may labour for more; but that man that is cheated of his underſtanding, is wholly left without all manner of remedy, ſo is he that is cheated of the true knowledge of the way of life, and myſtery of ſalvation.