A whip of small cords, to scourge Antichrist: (sitting in the temple of God, and exalting himself above, and opposing himself against all that is called God) out of the temple of God; and clearing up the way for the receiving in of the Lord Jesus Christ in his glorious power in and over the church; now exercised in the working of miracles, gifts of healings, and other extraordinary gifts. With the knot at the end of the whip. Whereunto is added, the sheerer sheer'd, and casheer'd; the shaver shav'd, & the grinder ground. By Matthew Coker, being apostolicus propheta, & propheticus apostolus; ut baptista severus, Christi præcursor; baptismate spiritûs baptizatus; Antichristi & antispiritûs antithetos oppositus; necnon angelus: non evanus, (qui vanus) sed evangelicus.

WHereas some persons (curiously wise) have taken upon themselves to be the onely-best interpreters of those most sacred gifts of God's holy Spirit, which none can so well judge of, or under∣stand, as he or they that have received a greater mea∣sure of that same Spirit, and been made thereby par∣takers in some sort of some Gifts, at least, likewise:

I therefore, who (as the works best testifie of me) have received the power of working Miracles, and the gifts of Healings, have thought fit (hoping to be soonest heard) to speak both experimentally and knowingly: And my Method shall be, in resolution of Questions in this Age proposed, or that haply may be proposed; and answering Objections which have been, or may be made unto or against the same.

[Quest. 1] Whether the Gifts in the Apostles times be in our times.

[Answ.] The Gifts in the Apostles times being the gifts of Gods Spirit, as recited in Chap. 12. of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, have extremely abated since the division of us and Rome, that is, of us living in the Jurisdiction of the Church of England, and them under the Papal power usurped over the Church of Rome; and so the spirit of Unity ha∣ving much ceased in that respect between Churches

at home and abroad, and the spirit of Division ha∣ving advanced it self, the faith of Christians through want of true Charity hath been much weakned, to the great disabling of them in the receiving of those great Gifts, which the Apostles, inflamed in holy flames of Love and Zeal for the Truth, even unto the death, received in their time, and men neerest ap∣proaching unto them in several Ages since, have, ac∣cording to the great measure of God's Spirit impar∣ted to them, and their great care in not resisting the motions of that blessed Spirit, received gifts measu∣rably answering to the Grace given and received.

[Quest. 2] Then none can have those gifts, but he or they that have such grace given.

[Answ.] None can: For it is not an injunction and command to men, to believe so far as to the obtain∣ing of those Gifts: it is enough to believe to salva∣tion.

[Quest. 3] How then is it that they can be received?

[Answ.] As I said, By grace given; that is, that God through his Son, Head of the Church, is pleased, by his Son, through the Spirit of him, to convey, when he pleaseth, that faith in the ninth verse of the former Chapter, which brings man within the capacity of receiving of those gifts, and exercising the same, by vertue of our Saviours affirmation; (But observe, here is not his command:) If you beleive, the things that I do you shall do also, and greater things then these.

[Quest. 4] Are not miracles ceased according to the opi∣nion of the Church of England?

[Answ.] Yea, according to the opinion of many they have ceased, but according to the faith of the Church

it cannot be presumed that any member will say, Those gifts are ceased which are in Christ the head, from that time especially that he ascended into hea∣ven, and so ever since. Ceased indeed, as to the great operation there was in the Apostles time, as yet they have; but ceased so, as never to be again exer∣cised in the Church of God, will sure be maintained by none, that believe, That that same Spirit shall be given more and more in the later days, till Time's last day; after which, in Eternity, we shall live in and by the full measure of that Spirit, for ever.

[Quest. 5] What hath the common received opinion been, touching Miracles ceased?

[Answ.] By wise men, in this sense: As when night comes, we say day ceaseth, till the Sun returns again to the East: so in the night of Ignorance, Schism, and Division, times of Error and black Darkness in the Church, the Truth ceaseth to shine in its pure lustre, and the Spirit of God hath not its perfect vi∣sible operation in and over the face of the Church, till the Sun of righteousness, which hath been long set in the firmament of the Church, (in respect of the great wane of light which the Apostles had) shall a∣rise oriently and purely, to the bringing in at last of the perfect day. But that being come, or neer his full approach to the high noon-tide of Gospel-light; Ig∣norance, Schism, &c. are dispersed, and vanish quite away into the bottomless pit, back into the smoke again from whence they ascended up; and then those gifts appear more and more, as fast as the contrary flee away.

[Quest. 6] Whether it hath been held, that gifts of Heal∣ings in the Church have ceased?

[Answ.] That was never held, but by those curi∣ously-wise persons, who have by Sophisms laboured to prove Miracles and Healings all one; which is as accursed as the separating of that which God hath conjoyned. And that Miracles (that is, as the text saith, working of Miracles) and Gifts of Healings are not all one, appears, first, by the wisdom of God, whose Word puts them distinctly, which otherwise it would not it rather for the most part speaking with the greatest brevity, so far as may be, and yet avoid too great obscurity. And here if Miracles and Healings be all one, then Miracles are Healings, and Healings Miracles. But that cannot be: for that act that makes the Lame to go immediately, is much dif∣ferent from the laying on of hands, which on a wound being placed, conveys immediately vertue, but heals not up under many days or weeks some∣times, according to the quality of the wound. So that that wound which by Plaister requires long time, will also proportionably by that Gift take long time; but yet ordinarily cures within half the time the o∣ther doth. So that such healings, though miracu∣lous, are not in themselves Miracles, for that such healings may & usually are effected by Physick, and by Plaister. But yet as to this they are Miracles, in that touching the maner and way of cure, they are healed without such means, and that by laying on of hands, the form and way in the Apostles days of con∣veying the holy Ghost on believers, and the form and maner always of exercising the gifts of Healings, proceeding by and from that self-same Spirit.

[Quest. 7] What is to be conceived the scope and intention

of God, in sending to any person the power of working Mi∣racles, gifts of Healings, and such-like extraordinary gifts of Gods Spirit in these later days?

[Answ.] That in the Apostles days they were given for proofs of true Apostleship, and of the Word de∣livered by Apostles, as in the Prophets days such gifts (though not so generally) were given for vindi∣cating and manifesting those persons God sent to be Prophets, and for better proof of their word of pro∣phecie. And so as in the Apostles days they tended to the beginning of that Church, which in Christs time (the fulness of time) was erected and confirmed by and under him the Great Prophet and Apostle: so in these later days, wherein the Church hath been so often lifted at, and even shaken off the foundations, it befits the goodness of God, and the office of Christ, to depute a person or persons unto the restoring and setling of his Church according to the true Aposto∣lical Faith and Government.

[Object. 1] of this Age. These things done in our age, are not the works of God.

[Answ.] These works done by Christ in our age, are not the works of Antichrist, which denies our Lord Jesus and all his works: nor are they the works of Satan, the father of the son of perdition.

[Object. 2] But, Sir, these things cannot be done.

[Answ.] They cannot be done unto or upon you that deny them by unbelief, which obstructed our Saviour from doing many mighty works in his own country.

[Object. 3] There are many wise men, and many grave Divines; and why he? and why not rather they?

[Answ.] Why was Moses raised up a Deliverer, Da∣vid a King, Daniel a Prophet, Paul an Apostle? Let God, or his Word, or manifested will, declare that; and the same God, and his yet-secret will, in time manifest the other.