Tantum oro,

Secondly, to the owning of them in their juft Au thority, above all Teftimonies of ancient Writers and modern Authors, who were but men, subject to infirmities in the head, as heart, Above the Churches Testimony, which gives no authority to the Scriptures, but onely declare what is intrinfecally ftamped upon them; Above the testimony of your own hearts and confciences, which must receive a true judgement from the right understanding and application of the Scripture; bove all visions and revelations, which if falfe, draw from the voice of Scripture, if true, they fend you thither as to your Rule, and a more standing Rule, and above all the Pamphlets of the Quakers, now fwelled to above two volumes.

Thirdly, to a dependence upon the Spirit speaking in the Scriptures, to feal up their Authority to you, and to give the efficacy of what you read and hear. Gods Spirit breathes in good mens books, much more in his own, and is there as to feal up the truth of his Word,fo to ftamp the goodness of every truth upon our hearts.

*

As for this Reply, what you finde therein agreeable to the Spirit of God his language, of plain and naked Scripture-truth, receive in the love of it, and ut cum petitis, give God the glory. I onely intreat (as one before etim Tertul me, of his Readers) that in your prayers (which lani peccator is fhould ufher in all our other work or recreation, and memineritis, Tert. lb de that of reading books) you would remember him al

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fo who (though he hath obtained mercy to be faithful, yet) hath caufe enough to fubfcribe himself

The finful

JOHN STAL HAM.

THE

Reviler rebuked.

OR

A Reply to R. FARNWORTH

HIS

INTRODUCTION.

B

Efore I can fall upon the Subject of the Controverlies between me and my Antagonist, I must touch at his Introduction wherein he mentioneth his receiving of my Book renews his charge against me,gives a feeming proof of his charge, and concludes with a Thundering Anathema.

1. What he received, A Printed Paper (as he calls it flightingly) that came out of Scotland into York and Yorkshire in England, published by one John Stalham, Preacher of the Gofpel at Edinburgh. That little piece, of three fheets and a half, 7. S. owneth, as published by him, and that he called himfelf Preacher of the Gospel at Edinburgh (for the prefent, as was inferted) it was because for fome time, he had been, and then continued preaching of the fulness of the blefling of the Gospel of Chrift, to his Auditors, from Rom. 15. 29. with other Scriptures; And for as much as that great truth of the Gospel was openly oppofed by one of the Sect, called Quakers, touching the juftification of a believing finner, he was called to enquire after the opinions of the faid Sect, and to draw up his collections from divers of their Pamphlets, which he referred unto feveral Heads of their Scripture and Self-contradictions, wherein he is,

Secondly,

Secondly, Charged by R. F. to have manifefted himself, and his fubtile ferpentine Spirit, by his lies and flanders, for all his gloffes and covers,to be a minister of deceit, and fo of Antishrift, of all this, or any part of it, 7. S. is no ways confcious, nor of his falfly accufing the people of the Lord (fuppofe any people of the Lord be fallen into the errors and opinions of the Quakers, as he is charitably jealous fome are furpri zed therewith) nor of fhewing forth a bitter spirit of envy. against them and the truth. The Lord knows he loveth all the people of the Lord, for the Truths fake that dwelleth in them, and pitieth those who are over-run with thefe errors (as with a running Itch, or fore) as he himfelf would be loved and pitied, who is not abfolutely free of error; although the particular fruit is not (in thefe matters of difference) visible to him; yet the root of all error, as of all fin, is in him, and feen by him, not throughly in all degrees mortified. As for any of his painted and deckt Notions, Implications, and Contra-diftinctions, his gilded, coloured, bor rowed, and form'd up imagined Expreffions, he thinketh R. F. had a minde to please himself, and fome of his Readers, with feeming fhadows of Rhetorick, which 7.S. never affected, but clothed all he wrote with a familiar,home-spun ftile, as he fhall,this Reply.

Thirdly, The feeming proof of the Charge is, That, with the Light, John 8.12. John 1.9. R. F. thinketh 7. S. is feen and known to be one that hates it, and why? 1. He bears re cord of himself against Chrift and his Apoftles: Let that be found in any paffage of his former, or prefent piece, and. R. F. fhall be no falfe Apostle; 7. S. will hide his head in a hole, or openly recant the folly and wickednefs. 2. He calls the true light (faith R. F.) the Light of nature, and the common Light of reafon: Where's the proof of this allegation? 7. S. doth peremptorily deny, that he ever fo expreft himfelf fince he had the Light of reafon in him. The true Light (as 'tis printed both in R. F. his Book*, and in the **Page 22. Bible, John 1. 9. with a great [L] and there fpoken of) is Chrit: 7. Snever called Christ the Light of nature, or the common Light of reafon, (or reafon, as Page 34. R. F. cla-moreth and clattereth.) Haply, he may fay again and again,

Thate

That Chrift, as the very God,and the true Light, giveth the Light of nature to all men, and common light of reason (more or less) to every man: for he is able to diftinguish betwixt the Donor and his Gift; betwixt the un-created Lightiving God, and created Light-given, before the fall, to Adam; or given back fince the fall to him and his po fterity. If R. F. or any man will confound Chrift-giving, or enlightning, with the Light-given, or lighted up as a Candle in every man, he may as well confound God and the Crea ture, and make them (as fome blafphemously imagine) to be one and the fame Effence. Therefore, as in this, fo in all other inftances,

Fourthly, 7.S. is confident (after R. F. his impudence in his Preface and Proceedings) he fhall neither be found Lyar nor falfe Accufer; but, as he is fure that Saint Pauls Ana thema was out long fince, Gal. 1. 8, 9. and is ftill in force against those that preach another Gofpel-way of Juftifica tion, as do these Quaking-Papists, or Popish-Quakers; fo the Anathema, Maran-atha, that R. F. denounceth impera tively and imperiously [Let him be an Anathema, Maran atha] against 7. S. fhall be as the curfe cauflefs, that fhall not come, but that God will do him more good, as already he hath done fomething for him, by Shimei's railing. T rants, Sectaries, Seducers, and Hereticks (as Luther faid) do nothing else but drive us unto the Bible, to make us read more diligently therein, and with more fervency to sharpen our Prayers; and I may adde, (by their buffetings) to be more taken off from felf-eftimation, and to be viler in our own eyes, then we can be in the eyes of our Adversaries, who know not our hearts.

THE