The reviler rebuked: or, A re-inforcement of the charge against the Quakers, (so called) for their contradictions to the Scriptures of God, and to their own scriblings,: which Richard Farnworth attempted to answer in his pretended Vindication of the Scriptures; but is farther discovered, with his fellow-contradictors and revilers, and their doctrine, to be anti-Scriptural, anti-Christian, and anti-spiritual. By John Stalham, a servant of the great bishop and shepherd of souls, appointed to watch his little flock at Terling in Essex.

Section 40.

THat they may with the fairer shew make void the Lords institution, at his Table; they have devised false Interpretations of that place in 1 Cor. 11. 26. one of which* 1.1 I discovered in this Section; to which R. F. answereth no∣thing, although I had it out of one of his Pamphlets, viz. of shewing the Lords death till he came to his disciples after his resurrection; which to mention onely carrieth confutation

in the forehead: J. Nayler notwithstanding its grosness, favors this sense, and addes another. First, he gratifies R. F. in his sense, by reading or writing it in the Praeter tense * 1.2: They were to do it in remembrance of him, shewing his death till he came. Now Pauls words are plainly respecting the time to come; till he come, i. e. till the very instant hour of his coming; for the * Adverb of time notes duration, ha∣ving* 1.3 another Adverb and Particle added to it, which imply a drawing out of the time; that should the Lord stay never so long ere he comes, the Supper is to be continued till that coming of his, which I hinted in the former Section, was his coming the second time (as it is called Heb. 9. 18.) in that humane nature which at his first coming he assumed into the unity of his person: The word for [he come] used by Paul, is the same, and in the same subjunctive Mood, as in Luke* 1.4 9. 26. when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Fa∣thers, &c. so it might be read in Paul, as our Latine * 1.5 Tran∣slation hath it, usquequo venerit, and Tremelius out of the Syriack, usque ad adventum ejus, even till his very appearance in the clouds: For that meaning must stand, whatsoever.

J. Nayler * 1.6, secondly, addes to the former Fiction; viz. That Christ charging his disciples to wait for his coming, at Jerusalem, the promise of the Father, of which he had told them before his death, which they were to shew so often as they broke bread, till he came, and after he was come to the Apo∣stles, they continued it for their sakes which were weak in the faith, to whom he was not yet appeared. Where, by the com∣ing of Christ, he would have his lost Souls understand his coming in the Spirit onely: and not minde what Paul saith of the after-continuance of the Lords Supper, till his visible glorious appearance: onely if he hath appeared in the Spi∣rit, it is enough, the Lord is come, they are now perfect, and may cast off Gods instituted Forms of Worship, in the for∣mer figure, onely for others sake, they may keep them up; but then, poor souls, what will follow? You that are not yet arrived at their perfection, must hold fellowship with them that may forget Christs death (for they eat and drink no longer in remembrance of him) and put dooms-day out of their thoughts, and then the sensuality charged by James

Nayler upon others, seizeth upon themselves. But against this poyson let me give you a few Antidotes.

[unspec 1] 1. No Believer is without the Spirit, and the Lords com∣ing* 1.7 in Spirit, as it came at first to the Apostles, before Christs death, and to the Corinthians by Pauls ministery, at their first conversion, 1 Cor. 2. 4. and to the Thessalonians, 1 Thess. 1. 5.

[unspec 2] 2. There are none that have the greatest measures of the Spirit, in a sanctified way, but have need of more, Phil. 3. 12.

3. The Apostles continued the Lords Supper (after the pourings out of the Spirit, Acts 2. 1.) for their own use and benefit; for 'tis said, Acts 2. 42. The converts continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and prayers: not that the Apostles continued it for their sakes onely who were weak in the faith. The strongest Be∣liever walks but by faith here, and not by sight, 2 Cor. 5. 7. and will have need of such wheat-bread and red-wine, as a bait in his walk and journey: And although the Apostles had gifts extraordinary Acts 2. 1, &c. conferred upon them, their Sanctification was not then perfected. Peter, one most forward, slipt and stumbled now and then, Acts 10. 14, 15. Gal. 2. 12, 13, 14. Barnabas, a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, Acts 11. 24. yet fell into sharp contention with Paul, stumbled on the blinde side, in siding with Mark his sisters son, Col. 4. 10. Acts 15. 37, &c. and halted with Peter, Gal. 2. to instance in no more.

[unspec 3] 3. The comings and manifestations of the Lord in his Spirit, may be lost in a great degree by the Saints, as the ex∣periences of David, Psal. 51. 11, 12. Heman, Psal. 88. 11. 15. and others are upon Record in Scripture. Famous is that of Mr. Robert Glover Martyr, who two or three days before his death, was lumpish and desolate of all spiritual Conso∣lation, till going to the Stake, the Lord restored his Joys, and then he cryed out to his friend Mr. Bernher, Austine, he is come, he is come. Christ is free to come, or go, and with∣draw as he pleaseth, both as to the in-comes of joy, and of power also: and look to it, O ye lost souls, who trust to these deceivers, that trust to their present manifestations, were they never so true, their hearts deceive them, and their

doctrines deceive you; if onely you keep to ordinances, and that of the Lords Supper, till you have got a little com∣fort, and then bid farewell to all. Great is the pride and un∣thankfulness of such, who, after they have been enlightned, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made parta∣kers of the holy Ghost, and have tasted of the good word of God (the sweetness of the promises) and the powers of of the world to come, do fall off from the means, and or∣dinances; a great forerunner it is to the unpardonable sin, to wilful, malitious Apostasie, which if it be totall, will be final and irrecoverable. Heb. 6. 4, 5, 6. &c.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Cor. 11. 26. vandicated.
• * 1.2

  Love to the lost. page 43.
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.5

  Beza.
• * 1.6

  Love to the Lost. pag. 46.
• * 1.7

  Antidotes.