Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Fifthly, This belief must be such as owns the holy Scriptures for the rule of faith; To the Law and to the testimony, saith the Prophet, If they speak not according to this word, it is because, here is no light in them, Isa. 8.20. As soon as the morning of faith breaks in the heart, the word is owned as the rule. Enthusiasts going oft from the Scriptures, take the spirit for their rule. Swenckfield was altogether for the spirit and the internal word, and little or nothing at all for the external. Henry Nicholas boasting of the holy anointing, looked on the Scripture as a literal fleshly elementish thing. John Valdesso saith, that Christians may at first serve themselves with Scripture as an Alphabet, but afterwards leaving it to beginners, they attend to their proper Master the spirit of God: Others say, the Scripture is but a dead letter, a thing of paper and ink, and we must not try the living by the dead, the holy spirit by the Scripture. Such as these, bragging of their own revelations, call all other Christians Vocalists and Literalists, because of their adherence to the Scriptures. Mr. Saltmarsh makes three spheres of administration, the Law or mere letter, the Gospel which hath duty and grace in it, and the spirit, the pure spirit, which is the third heaven, higher then Scriptures ⟨p. 56⟩and ordinances. The Weigelians talk of a seculum Spiritus Sancti, in which there shall be higher dispensations then before, and we shall be wiser then Apostles. The Quakers make the light within, that is, as I take it, natural conscience the standard of all their actings. All these, though clothed in various words, agree together to crucify the Scriptures, as if they had somewhat more noble. Unto them I shall offer some considerations.

Fifthly, This belief must be such as owns the holy Scriptures for the rule of faith; To the Law and to the testimony, saith the Prophet, If they speak not according to this word, it is because, here is no light in them, Isa. 8.20. As soon as the morning of faith breaks in the heart, the word is owned as the rule. Enthusiasts going oft from the Scriptures, take the spirit for their rule. Swenckfield was altogether for the spirit and the internal word, and little or nothing at all for the external. Henry Nicholas boasting of the holy anointing, looked on the Scripture as a literal fleshly elementish thing. John Valdesso saith, that Christians may at first serve themselves with Scripture as an Alphabet, but afterwards leaving it to beginners, they attend to their proper Master the spirit of God: Others say, the Scripture is but a dead letter, a thing of paper and ink, and we must not try the living by the dead, the holy spirit by the Scripture. Such as these, bragging of their own revelations, call all other Christians Vocalists and Literalists, because of their adherence to the Scriptures. Mr. Saltmarsh makes three sphears of administration, the Law or meer letter, the Gospel which hath duty and grace in it, and the spirit, the pure spirit, which is the third heaven, higher then Scriptures