The Muggletonians principles prevailing being an answer in full to a scandalous and malicious pamphlet, intituled A true representation of the absurd and mischevious principles of the sect called Muggletonians : herein the aforesaid principles are vindicated, and proved to be infallibly true : and the author of that libel, his scandalous title and subject proved as false to truth, as light is to darkness, and that he knows no more what the true God is, nor what the right devil is, nor any true principle or foundation of faith, for all his great learning he so much bosts of, then those Jews that put the Lord of life to death, for learned and taught reason is but natural, and so falls short of the glory of God, as will appear in the following discourse / by T.T.

CHAP. VII. ANSWER.

1. Your Citation is false; For John Reeve's Words are thus, That God is not a Spirit without a Body. By your false Citation, you would have your worldly Disciples to think, That he affirms, That God is a Body without a Spirit. But, to come to the Point; I must tell you, That the Body and Soul are not Two contrary Things; and if your Solomon, told you so with one Breath, he tells you the quite contrary in another: but many times wise Solomons, do not know the meaning of their own Sayings.

Solomon was a wise Man, but the Wisdom which he craved, and that God gave him, was but natural; so that Solomon's Writings are but the Operations of his natural Reason, and from sum intrigate

Sayings of his Father David: So they are no Scripture, for he was no Prophetical Man.

2. Again, If the Body and Soul are two contrary things, (as you say) and in Oposition to each other, then was the Body and Soul of Christ at variance, with it self; and in Oposition with each other, and so two oposite Things: If so, then Christ's Body did not go to Heaven, nor never would: And belike, you do not belive that Christ's Body is in Heaven, any more than the Quakers; and I know not how you should believe it, because your God hath never a Body: So Christ is none of your Fatherly God if he have a Body.

Can a Spirit live and subsist without a Body; where do the Scriptures say, That God is a Spirit without a Body: Did not you learn your own Catechise, or if you did, have you forgotten? doth it not teach (say∣ing) to your Pupils, That God is a Spirit, Or a spiri∣tual Substance, most Holy, Wise, Just and Infinite.

Now if it be so, that God hath a Substance, then he must on necessity have a Body: And if he be Holy, Wise, and Just, he must have a Person to possess his ravishing Glory in, and yet to be of uncompounded Purity. Is it not said, That God was a Man of War; that shews that he is in the form of a Man: Also Christ told the Pharises, That there was no Man per∣fectly Good but one, which was God.

3. Moreover, if your Soul can be more Wise, Just, and Holy without your Body, then turn it out of the Body, and see what Holiness and Justice it can Act without its Body.

But the Truth of Scripture is, That God had a Body and Person from all Eternity; a spiritual Bo∣dy, brighter than the Sun, more clear than Christi∣al,

and that is the Reason why Mortality cannot be∣hold him as he is in his full Glory: If God was wil∣ling at any time that some of his Servants, the Pro∣phets, should behold him, he was compelled to vale his Glory, so as that their frail Nature might be in a capasity to behold him.

And this we further affirm, That we can sooner find in Scripture, that our God hath, and ever had, a distinct Body of himself, than you can find in Scrip∣ture a Trinity of Persons in one Godhead; for if you find Three distinct Persons, then you must find Three Bodies; and where then is your Spirit God become.

4. Again, is not the Scriptures clear, That the Fathers of old did see God, and ever beheld him in Form and Shape of a Man: Will you say that God assumed that Shape, and yet had no Shape of his own; this is to make God a Conniver.

It is no wonder, as I said before, that you dispise John Reeve for saying that the Lord spake to him to the hearing of the Ear; for you do not believe that God hath any Tongue to speak at all: For, say you, a Spirit hath no Flesh, and hath no Body: For, say you, Body and Spirit are Two contrary things.

As the Scripture saith that God hath a Body, so it attributes to this Body, Hands, Eyes, Face, Nose, Mouth, Ears, Arms, Leggs, Breast, Heart, Back, &c. And yet must he have never a Body, this is clearly to deny Scripture, for the Scripturian saith, That God hath a Body; but the Antescripturian saith, That God hath neither Body, Parts, or Shape, but yet is an infinite vast God, filling all things, and is in all Pla∣ces at one and the same time, and so can neither Assend nor Descend, Come nor Go, but is everywhere at once; as your great Augustin saith.

This is yours and the Worlds monstrous God: Are those the Men that are so capable of Argument; if we should be as ignorant in the Scriptures as you, it were no matter if our Tongues should cleave to the Roof of our Mouths.

I wonder you are not ashamed to pretend to Scrip∣ture; do you believe the Scripture? Certain I am, that there are many Doctors of your Church that doth not believe them at all; for instance hereof, there is one of your Doctors, namely Dr. More: This Man, in one of his Books, called his Cabila, doth little less than give the Scripture the Ly; for treating upon the Creation of Man by Moses, saith That the Scriptures doth not always speak according to the exactness of Truth, but according to their Appearance in Sense and the vulgar Opinion; and he quotes Chrisostim, Bernard, and Aqui∣nus, as holding the same things, and instances it as to the Creating of Adam and Eve: Saying thus, God hath no Figure or Shape, altho Moses saith he hath; he only permits the Ignorant and Vulgar People to Believe so, it being his Prudence and Policy so to do.

Now is not this Odious, for what Prudence is it to Flatter, Dissemble, and Deceive the People; for must Gods Prophets be but like Polititians of State, pretending one thing, and acting another.

Again, this Man brings in Moses speaking thus; God took of the Dust of the Ground, wrought it with his Hands into such a temper that it was fit to make the Body of a Man; which when framed, then comes near to it with his Mouth, and breathed into his Nostrils the Breath of Life.

And when God had made a Woman of one of Adam's Ribs, he takes her by the Hand, and brought her to Adam; so when Adam was awaked, he found his Dream to be

true, for he dream'd that God took a Woman out of him, for God stood by him with a Woman in his Hand.

Now it is true, says this Doctor, Moses spakes in this manner to satisfy the rude Multitude, who was ever ready to think that God was in Forme and Shape as they were; and thus Moses complyed with their Humour, and permited them to belive so; yet, saith he, it is a Contradiction to the Idia of God, to have Figure and Shape.

Now what say you to this, is not this giving Moses the Lie? Moses, you see, would permit People to believe, That God was in the Form of a Man: Now why will not you permit us to believe so? Moses did not count this Doctrine a mischievous Principle, as you do; but you, with this Man, set your selves against Moses, and against the Scriptures; they are counted no other than a Lie with you: Now it is clear by this, that many of you Doctors are stark blind Athists.

your Protestant Church is now grown as blind with Age, almost as your Fathers the Papists, and as Atheistical as one of the Popes, who said, That that Fable of Jesus Christ had brought their Church great Riches: And one of that Church said to me, that the Scriptures were but balderdash Stuff.

Now as to that saying of Christ's to his Disciples, That a Spirit had not Flesh and Bone as he had; it was only to inform them that there was no such Spirit as the World imagined, that could be seen, that had no Body; for Eyes of Flesh must have a Substance for its Object: Therefore said Christ, handle me and see, for I have a Body, a Substance of very Flesh and Bone; and they felt, and believed him to be their Lord and God.

For Christ, from hence, would have them for ever after to know that all Spirits, whither of God, Men, or Angels, are always invisible; for it is the Body that is visible, for the Soul that is in it is always invisible, which Spirit comprehends all visi∣ble things, yet cannot Live, Act, or Operate with∣out its Body. And so much for that Principle.

Again, Page 19th. you Representor object against that most divine and misterious Principle of God the Fathers becoming Flesh; and call this a Doctrine quite contrary to Scripture, and produce those Scriptures for Proof against us; namely, that God sent his Son made of a Woman, And the Word was made Flesh; but, say you, there is not one Word, That the Father was made Flesh.

Notes

• Eccles 3.19.
• Verse 20.
• 1 Kings 3.12. & 12 24 & 11.4.
• Matt. 12.42.
• Exod. 15.3.
• Ma••••. ••••.17. Josh. 9.1. 3.
• 1 Cor. 6.19.
• R••vel. 21.23. & 1.14 & 10.1.
• Deut. 10.6.
• Gen. 17.3. Exod. 24.10. Isa 6.5. John 35.9. Exod. 33.23.
• Dan. 7.9. Revel. 10.1. & 1.14. John 6.••. Psal. 94.9 N••m••. 12.8. Isa. 6••.5.
• Ge••. 2••.21.
• John 20.2••.