IT is not a new nor ſtrange thing, to ſee the old Enemy of the Light, viz. the Prince of Darkneſs, to be diligent in raiſing up as high Mountains and Towers as he can, to keep it from ſhining; and as he can bring forth no evil to man of himſelf, without ſome Inſtrument into which he gets an entrance; therefore he is diligent in perſwading and tempting from the Light, even thoſe that have ſeen the Appearance of it, and not become ſo ſubject to it as they ſhould have been, whoſe fooliſh hearts he darkens, and fills their minds with vain imaginations, and then are they choice Inſtruments for his purpoſe, as bearing ſomething more of his Image (who himſelf abode not in the Truth) than others. And ſuch as theſe he alwayes ſpurred on in a blind zeal againſt the Light, as that which was moſt deſtructive to his and their works of darkneſs. And among this ſort of Inſtruments, here is one Robert Cobbet hath preſented himſelf as an enemy to the Doctrine of the Light, though he is indeed but as one of the meaneſt and ſhattredeſt of that Camp, and hath attain'd to but a ſmall meaſure of that ſubtilty which this Father and Prince of Darkneſs doth uſe to furniſh his children withal, that are capable to receive it. But however, what he hath, or thinketh he hath, he hath adventured to preſent to publick view; though indeed it is as a Rod for his own chaſtiſement: and I heartily wiſh there be ſo much ſenſe left in him, that he may feel the ſmart of it, and may amend and leave off his folly and blind zeal, and ſubmit to that which comprehends him, his ſpirit and work; For I knew a time when he could not have believed that he ſhould have been led to ſuch a depth of Confuſion in oppoſing the Light as now he is, though he was never faithful to it as he ought, but ſought in his fallen corruptible wiſdom to have comprehended it; but I deſire he may yet ſee a death upon that which hath unto this day, kept his ſoul in death and darkneſs; and in order thereunto, and for the Truths ſake, I have written theſe few lines, briefly to ſhew him and others his Confuſions, Contradictions and Abſurdities; or at leaſt a few of thoſe many which he hath uttered, and Printed in his Book, called, A Word to the Upright, &c. And therefore, Reader, take notice, that after his Book called, God's Truth atteſted, was made publick, and ſomething was written in Anſwer thereto, ſhewing him how he contradicted himſelf and the Scriptures too, in a ſeeming Reply thereto, he publiſhed this, called, A Word to the Upright, which, he ſaith, is to eſtabliſh them in theſe erring dayes, and to keep the young ſprouts of the Nation from corruption in Opinion; which whether R. C. hath written a piece that is likely to prove an eſtabliſhing of the upright from Error, or to prevent the young ſprouts from corruption in principle or opinion, will more appear anon, to the conſiderate Reader, when he hath rightly weighed the Conſequences of letting in all his Doctrines for truth, whether it will not render them more like to diſtracted men, than principl'd Chriſtians.

At my firſt ſight of this Book, it roſe in my heart to write ſomthing in Anſwer to it, and to take off the reproach which he hath endeavoured to caſt upon the bleſſed Truth and Way of God which he hath turned his back upon; but when I came to make a diligent ſearch into the matter, I found much of that labour ſpared, the moſt part of his Doctrines being anſwered and confuted by himſelf, in the ſame Book, ſo that it might have been called, Robert Cobbet anſwering and confuting Robert Cobbet, as will appear in this enſuing rehearſal of his Doctrines and Principles.

And therefore now let the Upright, to whom he writes, conſider what he propounds to them as an eſtabliſhment against the errors of theſe erring dayes.

And firſt as to the Light in the Conſcience, he ſaith, pag. 22. In that the Light is a ſparkling glimpſe in the Soul, doth convince the Soul of what is done amiſs, which being diſcerned by the Soul, ſerves for a Director of the Soul to Christ Jeſus, where only lies its help. And in his 10th page ſaith, That the Soul hath knowledge from this Light to eſchew evil, and do good; in the doing of either of which, ſtands his 〈◊〉 peace. And in his 22 page ſaith, That this Spirit or Light in man, is the candle of the Lord that ſearcheth the innermost parts of the belly. And in his 4 page faith, Did not this Light in thy Conſcience condemn thee of all that ever thou didst before the day of God brake forth? And in his 3 page ſaith, That the end of Chriſt's coming was to beget unto Communion with the Father and himſelf, by giving them his life, which is man's Light, which (my Brethren) being our Salvation, we have it by him who is our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. And in his 11 page ſaith, The Light ſerves to condemn for unbelief, and to juſtifie the Creature in his obedience of Faith, &c.

So by this time we ſee what a large teſtimony R. C. hath born to the Light in the Conſcience and to its original; to wit, the Life of Jeſus, and to its power, efficacy, and influence; and alſo to the effects that follow both the obedient and diſobedient; as wo and peace, condemnation and juſtification, and how it is the Souls director unto Chriſt, and that by which the Soul obtains the knowledge of what is good, and communion, &c.

Now will or can any, that doth take in and receive this Doctrine from R.C. doubt or queſtion his being a friend to the Light, and to the Quakers too, ſeeing he hath ſo ſtrongly aſſerted their Principle, with ſo many illuſtrations? Well, ſuppoſe that now thou doſt believe R.C. in theſe things, and be ſetled in thy mind that he hath written the truth, and ſo come to find a need of loving and obeying this Light in thy Conſcience; which he further affirms in the 21 page thus, The Word that was God by which all things was made; in him was Life, and that Life was the Light of men, and he it is that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. I ſay, if thou doſt come to be ſettled thus in theſe erring dayes (as he calls them) and doſt come to have an eſteem of the Light according as R.C. hath written; my Counſel is unto thee, that if R. C. or any elſe, ſhall deny this Doctrine again, and write or ſpeak againſt it, that thou believe them not, but keep ſingle to this truth and thou ſhalt find the good effects of it, beyond what he hath or can declare; yet thus far R. C. hath againſt his will witneſſed to the truth. Now mark what follows as to this Doctrine, that R. C. may ſufficiently appear to confute himſelf; He ſaith in the 22 page, The Light in the Conſcience cannot lead the followers of its dictates further than its own centre, which is the centre of nature; and its power felt, but the power of the centre of nature; and that man's internal Light hath no more power to give Salvation than the Soul hath to ſave its ſelf, as in the ſame page; and that the ſinking down into it for a manifeſtation of the Salvation that came by grace in Chriſt, is a Doctrine that turns away the Creature from Chriſt the Redeemer to a property of nature, wherein can be no ſaving health, as in page 10. And again, in the ſame page he ſaith, The Light in the Conſcience being a property in man, as man is a creature, its office in the Soul is not appointed to give Salvation. And in the 21 page he ſaith, Chriſt the Word that maketh all things, is not the Light; and although he be goodneſs it ſelf, and ſends forth his love (to wit) his life, which ſhed in the heart, is a Light which he calls his Spirit, which Light is not Chriſt though of his nature. And in the 5 page ſaith, That the ſpirit of man is of the principle of light, and is a ſpark of that nature, which having loſt its life by the tranſgreſſion of the man to God, is dead, &c.

Now by this time where is the ſettlements for the young ſprouts of the Nation? who muſt (if they will believe R. C.) believe that the Light in Conſcience is to lead to Chriſt, and yet can lead no further than the centre of Nature; and that it is Salvation, and hath power to miniſter wo and peace, to juſtifie or condemn; and now muſt believe it can do neither, it being but a property of Nature, and dead to God: and muſt believe that the Light of men, is the Life and Chriſt; and now muſt believe that though this Light is his Life, and is his Spirit, and of his Nature, yet it is not He. Oh horrible blindneſs and ſottiſhneſs! Is this the way to ſettle People, for ſuch double-minded and double-tongued Hypocrites to take in hand to doctrinate them thus backward and forward, to believe and deny the ſame thing, and all in one hours time?

But one thing more I have to note, which R. C. goes about to ſettle us in, in theſe erring times, about what we ſhould and ought to believe of Chriſt, and what he is that is the Saviour: in which mark; Firſt he affirms in the 3d page, That Chriſt is everlaſting as he is the Word; and in the 16 page ſaith, The Seed is Chriſt, to whom the Covenant was made by God, as written, My Covenant ſhall be with thee, and with thy ſeed, and he is Lord and Saviour: And in pag. 17. he quotes the ſaying of Chriſt, They have believed that I came down from thee. So here thou mayſt ſee who R.C. acknowledgeth to be the Saviour, even the Seed of Promiſe, with which God's Covenant ſtands for ever, which Seed came down from God, &c. So this is good ſound Doctrine according to Scripture; but that thou mayſt be unſettled again from this: R. C. ſaith again in the 18 page, That the Saviour is in Nature and Creaturality like him; and that the Seed that broke the Serpents head is not ſomething that this R.C. is not, as he is nature and creature, but is the off ſpring of Adam, conſiſting as he doth: and ſaith in his 12 page, the body was Chriſt: and in his 6 page, Behold I ſhew you a Mystery, you men in the clouds, Chriſt being the product of the Holy Ghoſt to a coagulated ſubſtance from the properties of Man in Mary. And in the 18 page ſaith, Being out of doubt that the Soul of Chriſt was of and from the properties of nature and creature, made by generation of the properties of Mary, is that Seed God promiſed to break the Serpents head: and in the 19 page, Is it not the Body of Chriſt by which we are reconciled unto God? yes verily.

So now let all People ſee if this man be like to ſettle any, and to keep the young ſprouts from being deceived, who is thus confuſed himſelf; one while telling it is the Seed that is the Saviour, and the everlaſting Word of God, and he which came down from God, &c. and then preſently ſaying it is a thing produced, a thing formed of the properties of man, a body that reconciles, a coagulated ſubſtance, a thing in nature like him himſelf, conſiſting as he doth both in kind and ſubſtance; and much ſuch-like, as may be ſeen more at large in his Book.

Well, if R. C. had known Chriſt Jeſus, and the Power of his Death and Reſurrection, he had not written ſo confuſedly; for then he had known the virtue of the Seed, and the ſervice of Body and Soul too, and had known the offering to be made by the eternal Spirit, and then he would not have ſaid that it was the body only that reconciled, or that the body only was Chriſt, ſeeing that the Body without the Spirit is dead, and that could not give life; but the Son of God that took the body, hath life in himſelf, and can give life to them that believe, and was, and is, and is to come; and he is in the Faithful, and they are in him and in his body, bone of it, and fleſh of it; and the life which they live is by faith in him, and not by talk of him. But theſe things R.C. is a ſtranger to, and ſo imagines about him, and intrudes into things which he hath not ſeen, and is vainly puft up in a fleſhly mind, and fleſhly knowledge which is for judgment; for this jumble and confuſion is the only way to bring into Atheiſm indeed, if there were no better Aſſerters of the Doctrine of Chriſtianity then he is. But let all ſober People wait to feel a meaſure of that life and fulneſs that dwelt in that Body of Jeſus, for which it was prepared, that ſo they may by the power of that Life be ſettled in the knowledge of the Saviour Jeſus, and may daily wait for his Appearance to ſave; for he ever liveth and is ever needed, and none are ſafe but under the government of his Spirit. Now as to what ſubſtance he was of, R. C. ſaith in his 6th page, His ſubſtance was from the properties of man in Mary: but in the ſame page he ſaith again, That the body of our Lord was of an heavenly ſubſtance. And in his other Book ſaith, He is the Son from the ſubſtance of the Father; and was, he ſaith, of the nature of heaven. So then the properties of Man in Mary was heavenly ſubſtance, of the nature of heaven, or elſe R. C. is here unſettled, and in error and darkneſs himſelf; nay that which is more, R. C. himſelf muſt be of this heavenly ſubſtance, this nature of heaven; for he ſaith, Chriſt conſiſted as he doth. But leſt ye ſhould believe what he ſaith about the heavenly Nature, he ſaith, his ſoul was made by generation of the properties of Mary. R. C. wilt thou not bluſh at theſe things when thou reviews them?

And then for the form of this ſubſtance, he ſaith page 8. That while he there ſtood, differed nothing from the form of a ſervant: but in the 6 page he ſaith, That as he was thus circumſcribed, and thus conſiſted of Soul, Body and Spirit, he was that form of God.

How now R.C. What, is the form of a ſervant, and the form of God all one? And is the form of God a circumſcribed form? Haſt not thou learned this of Lodow. Muggleton, that falſe witneſs and notorious blaſphemer? (that ſaith God is but the bigneſs and compaſs of a man) whoſe ſteps thou art treading, and whoſe end will be thy end, except thou repent.

And then again concerning the Blood that ſaves and does away ſin; hear what R. C. in his 11 page ſaith, My Brethren, you are bought with a Price, not of blood of Bulls, and Goats, nor Heifers of a year old, but by the Blood of God. But in his 13 page he is of another opinion, and ſaith quite contrary; theſe are his words, viz. Which blood being the blood of his humanity, as he was creature, was that which did with God expiate for ſin. So now which of theſe two Doctrines ſhall we believe, that we are ſaved by the blood of God, or blood of the Humanity? or ſhall we ſuppoſe them to be both one, and ſo God to be humane, and ſo the Doctrines indifferent?

R. C. will do well to clear up theſe things, or own his condemnation upon his folly and preſumption; for its unlike he ſhould ever be reconcil'd to the People of God who is ſo at odds in himſelf in this manner. Alas Robert! Doſt thou not yet ſee whither thou art gone by going from the Light, and now ſtaggers and reels, and doſt not know whither thou goeſt? Oh! that a day may be yet found for thee and thine, and that thou mayſt come to bow down to that, which thou now kick'ſt and ſpurn'ſt againſt.

And in page 21 thou ſayſt, If the Light in Conſcience be Chriſt, then ſo many men as are in the world, ſo many Chriſts. Why ſo, Robert, Haſt not thou thy ſelf anſwered this in confeſſing that one Chriſt hath with his Life ſerved to lighten every man that cometh into the world, and what need is there then for every man to have a diſtinct Chriſt, ſeeing he is the Chriſt of God thou ſayſt that lightens them all. And thou ſayeſt in this ſame page, That Chriſt, as he is the Word and Maker of all things, is not the Light in Conſcience; but in the next line or two thou ſayſt, But the Word that was God, &c. in him was Life, and the Life is the Light of men, and he lightens every man. How doſt thou mean by this? Doſt thou not mean that he lightens them in their Conſciences? Or where elſe?

And as to the Soul of Man thou ſayſt in thy 4 page, That it is a ſpark of God's eternal Nature, coagulated into a Spiritual ſubſtance for a centre of his inſenſitive life; and as thus compacted is a creature of an eternal being, of an own ſelf-ſubſiſting conſiſtency.

Anſw. R.C. hath here deſcribed a creature that ſubſiſts of its ſelf contrary to the Scripture, that ſaith all things are upheld by the Word; and beſides this eternal creature, as he calls it, this ſpark of God's eternal Nature, this coagulated ſubſtance (he ſaith) was to be a centre for God's inſenſitive life. What Robert! Had it not a centre before? But if this coagulated ſubſtance ſubſiſts of it ſelf, then not by the life that centers in it; and if the Soul be a ſpark of God's nature, how comes it to be created? And if it be his nature, how comes it to be corrupted in the life time as thou ſayeſt it is? and how can a ſpark of God's eternal nature let into its ſelf the poyſon of the Serpent and ſo die? Where is its own ſelf-ſubſiſtency now? Is this thy explaining the matter? Or, where is its being a centre for that inſenſitive Life of God? And further in thy 5th page thou ſayſt, This ſpark, this coagulated ſubſtance, this own ſelf-ſubſiſtency dieth: and in another place ſpeakeſt of its periſhing; and yet talks of an eternal creature. But R. C. what life of time is that which corrupts the ſoul, and how came it to have its abode in an infectious life of time, ſeeing its an eternal creature as thou ſayſt? But what man's Soul, or the Soul of Jeſus either is, thou knoweſt not; for if thou hadſt, thou wouldſt not have thus befool'd thy ſelf, to ſay man's Soul was a ſpark of God's eternal nature, and yet ſay the Soul of Chriſt was but of the properties of nature made by generation; nor yet have affirmed that to be the Seed of Promiſe which came by generation of, and from the properties of Mary: Is not that the Seed of Promiſe mentioned in Iſa. 9.6. who is called, The Mighty God, the Everlaſting Father, the Prince of Peace? And what is Mary the Mother of God? This will pleaſe the Papiſts well; and is this the way to ſettle Chriſtians, and preſerve the young ſprouts of the Nation from corruption? And where is thy Scripture to prove that Jeſus, the Saviour, was created, as in thy 6 page thou ſayſt? But Oh! this darkneſs and confuſion that thou mayſt ſee it, and be aſhamed of it.

Again Robert Cobbet, in his 26 page, ſaith in plain words, That Chriſt and his Spirit are not one: and his Argument is, That Chriſt ſaid, I go away, but I will ſend you a Comforter. Which Argument is ſufficient to prove, that Chriſt, the Meſſias and Saviour, is one with the Spirit of Truth, and not diſtinct. If one ſhould ask R. C. how many were mentioned in that text, where he ſaith, He that now is with you, ſhall be in you; would he anſwer that there was more than one He; if not, then here is no more (to wit) Chriſt and his Spirit which eternally are one.

But that he may ſufficiently manifeſt his folly, he tells us in the ſame 26 page, That the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, are all One, both in reſpect of conſent in their Teſtimonies, and alſo in reſpect of their eternity of being; ſo which of theſe ſhall we believe? that Chriſt and his Spirit are One, or that they are not One? R. C. will do well to tell People which he will ſtand by.

And for R. Cobbet's pleading or hoping, That the Powers will keep up a Charity to us, upon the account that thouſands of us do (he hopes) believe his narrative of God; and his deſire altering the matter for a corporal form into a nature for production of creatures, ſpeaking forth the modal by his word, &c. page 26. Truly we need not R. C. to ſet forth an account of our Faith and Belief in theſe things, neither can we own it, or him; for if we ſhould, we ſhould ſoon be brought under the judgment both of God and Man. And for his pleading, That in the ſoundest Bodies, there ſometimes breaketh forth a Boyl. Truly if he aims at us by this Body (as I think he doth) we do confeſs, that ſo far as ever he was of us, ſo far he is that Boyle which we confeſs is now broken forth: but they that know him in particular, know how little he was of us, and how little while he profeſt himſelf to be of us; ſo his breaking-out and running like a boyle or ſore, the corrupt matter that was in him, is no great diſparagement to the Body; for the body is ſounder without him than with him: and whilſt he was amongſt us, he was often breaking out with his whimſeys and imaginations, ſo that he became naucious unto us, but not in ſo groſs a manner as now.

And for R. C. ſaying, That ſome of us knew that he counted our language but a cant language. We know that from the firſt of his coming among us, he was far enough from our language or life either; but it is no great matter for him to call our Language a Cant, who replyes to our words thus, viz. when we ſaid, The Lord is one, and his Name one; he anſwers, Friends, do not caper, as in his 2d page. And he ſaith in his 31 page, That he is no Quaker; of which, all that ever ſaw or heard any thing of the Quakers Books or Doctrines, will bear him witneſs; for never did Quaker appear in ſuch a heap of confuſion as R. C. hath done; and yet that malicious ſaying of his in this 31 page, That to be a Quaker, is to deny his Lord and Maſter, God will judge him for; if by Lord and Maſter he means the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, as I think he doth. But he that really and truly is his Lord, viz. the Prince of the air that rules in the hearts of ſuch diſobedient Children and Apoſtates as he is; He, I confeſs, he muſt deny more than ever yet he hath done, before he can become a Quaker, or have unity with them, who are ſcornfully ſo called.

But why doth R. C. in his 30 page come with a kiſs, Judas-like, and ſay, Brethren, I will ask you a queſtion, &c. when as the matter he intends there to inſinuate to his Reader is, That we deny that Chriſt that was born of the Virgin Mary, to be Chriſt: Is not this on purpoſe to betray us, and beguile his Reader? and that with a Lye; for we never yet denied him that was born of the Virgin Mary, and ſuffered under Pontius Pilato, to be the Lord and Saviour. But indeed we never did believe him to be produced by coagulation as R.C. doth; nor by generation of and from the properties of Man in Mary; for then ſome might have declared his generation, which the Scripture ſaith, Who can do? And beſides, we believe him to be the Eternal Son of God. But if R. Cobbet's Doctrine be true, then he was not before Mary; but his ignorance of Chriſt is ſufficiently manifeſted to all that have an eye opened.

And as to his ſaying, That the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Cor. 15.1, 2, 3. That the Sufferings of Christ is the Power of God and Goſpel, by which we are ſaved: That's falſe, and a belying the Apoſtle and Scripture too: for all that reads the text may ſee, that the Apoſtle ſpeaks of his Sufferings but as one part of many of that Goſpel which he had preached; but it was the Reſurrection of Chriſt he moſt of all pointed at, as the principal thing, they muſt come to feel the power of; as in verſ. 12.

Many more of R. Cobbet's Abſurdities and Contradictions I might note down, as alſo thoſe noted in the Anſwer to his firſt Book, which yet remains unanſwered, nor ſo much as an attempt made thereof; he (it may be) diſpairs of ever reconciling them in the ſight of rational men: But theſe, at preſent, may ſatiſfie the ingenious Reader, what ſpirit it is in Robert Cobbet, that hath taken in hand to ſettle People in theſe erring dayes, and to preſerve the young ſprouts of the Nation from corruption. And ſo let Robert Cobbet mind (if he writes again) to keep more within the bounds of moderation, and not to let his envy againſt the Light, ſo captivate his reaſon, as to bereave him of the uſe of it, as it hath done; for truly is that Scripture fulfilled in him, He that walketh in darkneſs ſlumbleth, and knoweth not whither he goeth.