QUERIES fent to Mr. Sedgwick, by the Prophet Reeve. Courteous Friend, I Suppose my temporal Condition, in fome Measure to you, hath been made known and manifeft, through which the Most High already hath moved you, thefe five Years paft, to fupply my quarterly Neceffity: And though you want no Objects of Mercy, yet I fhall be constrain'd to vifit you upon this Account, until the Creator hath opened fome other Way. Therefore if our God fee it good, my Defire is, that your Spirit may freely and chearfully act your Charity towards me, that you may have Confolation in the Deed, and I Joy in the Lord Jefus, from whom alone all Good proceeds. But paffing by the perifhing Comforts, fuffer me to write unto you about Things of more Concernment, which I am moved to in a querying Way. Dear Friend, Country-man and Brother in the Flesh, O! that I could knowingly fay fo in the deep Things of the Spirit also, then should I be fully affured, that thefe following Queries, by Divine Operation, would rather fatisfy you, and move you filently to fit down in Peace, than offend you in the least. 1. My first Query is this, Whether you do knowingly believe Jefus Chrift alone, to be both Father, Son, and Spirit, in only one diftin&t Perfon glorified? 2. Whether any Man can truly demonftrate who or what the living God is against all Gain fayers, without an immediate Commiffion from bis eternal Spirit? 3. Whether it be not spiritual Treafon against cur Lord Jefus Chrift, for a Man to execute the Office of a Prophet, or a Minifter of the Gospel, without an immediate Command from his own Majefty? 4. Whether any Man that prophefieth, or preacheth, can have any real Knowledge of his own Salvation abiding in him, without an unquestionable Affurance of his own Soul, that the Moft High bath anointed him? B 5. Whether 5. Whether the Lord's former Embajadors were not all impowered to pronounce a temporal or eternal Glory, or Mifery to come, according to the Obedience or Difobedience of those they were fent unto? 6. Whether any Man in this Age can be an experimental Speaker of the Counfels of God, without an infallible Knowledge of Divine Myfteries above all other Men in the World? 7. Whether a Non commiffionated, or unfent Embassador, or Speaker to the People, upon a spiritual Account, may not be in as much Danger of an eternal Vengeance, as a counterfeit Embassador, upon a natural Account, is of a temporal Vengeance? 8. Whether you are fully fatisfied against all Gain-fayings, that it was the Spirit of Chrift alone, that formerly, or at this Time moved you to preach or speak in a minifterial Way to the People? 9. Whether, as your own Faith or Judgment, you do not hold forth to the People, that God alone is the Teacher of his Chofen ones, by the Infpirations of his moft Holy and Blessed Spirit? bis 10. And lastly, If the Lord Jefus Chrift alone be the only Teacher of his Beloved ones, by the continual Incomes or Enlightenings of his moft glorious Spirit; what then are those that acknowledge God alone to be the Teacher of his Saints, and yet in a minifterial Way gather the People together, under Pretence of preaching Christ, or speaking the experimental Movings Spirit to them, but Mockers of God, Deceivers of the People, and deadly Enemies to their own true Peace; unless from on High, God bears Witness by infallible Teftimonies, in the Spirits of his New-born ones, that he hath fent them by an immediate Speaking to them, from his glorious Throne, as abundantly before faid? Now in Obedience to that Commiffion, which I once receiv'd by Voice of Words, from The One Perfonal Glory itself, even to the Hearing of the outward Ear, as well as the inward Soul, never baving had the leaft Sound of the Truth of it, in all Love, Meeknefs, and Humility of Soul, prefent I these few Queries to your private Meditations, and fhall I trust with Patience, wait the Lord's Leifure for his loving Anfwer in you to thefe Things. Yours in the Lord's June the 11th, 1657. Eternal Majesty, I Mr. Sedgwick's Replies. Mr. Reeve, Am not wholly against Queries; they are much ufed by that caviling and difputing Spirit that is in all Sects, and may be better used by humble Minds, who are inquiring after Truth; but I think they leaft of all agree with that infallible Spirit which you profefs to have. To the First Query I answer, I may fay I do believe what you there exprefs, but it may be not in your Sense: But I choose rather to say, I defire my Faith may not ftand in a Form of Words, but in the Power of God. 2. To the Second I anfwer, I know none that do demonstrate who or what God is perfectly or with Power: In Weakness and in Part many do fhew who and what he is. Secondly, If you mean by [against all Gain-fayers] a confident cleaving to what they affirm without being removed, that is very common: If you mean a filencing or convincing Gain-fayers, it is not yet done by you nor any Man that I know. Thirdly, The Commiffion of the Spirit which you would feem to appropriate is larger than you imagine; for no Man can fay Jefus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit, And there are Diversities of Gifts but the fame Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 3, 4. 3. To the Third I anfwer, In the general it is true, 'tis Treafon only I except against the word [immediate] ufed in this and the fecond Query, being jealous that you do in it and in your Miniftry, either deny or vail the Mediator 'twixt God and Man, for Immediate is without a Mediator; for by Virtue of Christ, who is Mediator 'twixt God and Man, and who is the Light of the World, and enlightneth every Man that cometh into the World; Every Man may minifter according to the Gift that is given him, Rom. xii. If he have Faith he may speak according to the Measure of his Faith, Pfal. cxvi. 10. I have believed therefore have I spoken; or if he have Experience he may speak according to his Experience, Acts iv. io. For we cannot but fpeak the Things we have beard and feen. Nay, they not only may but ought, 1 Cor. xii. 7. For every Gift is given to profit with of what Kind foever it be; and I fear it is the Enemy in you that denies it. 4. To 4. To the Fourth I answer, First, A Man may have Salvation abiding in him, and yet he not know it. Secondly, A Man may have a real Knowledge of Salvation abiding in him, and yet come to lofe it. Thirdly, A Man may think himself faved when he is loft, and loft when he is faved. There are that have their Lives but fhall lofe them, and their are that lofe their Lives and yet fave them. Fourthly, He is not fure that knows, but he is fure that God knows that he fhall be faved. Fifthly, That is not the best Affurance which you call unquesti onable, but that which is join'd with Fear and Trembling, efpecially at this Time. Sixtbly, A Man may be anointed to the Work of Prophefying, and yet not have Salvation abiding in him. The Spirit of God came upon Saul and upon Balaam, and they did Prophesy by it. 5. To the Fifth I answer, I do fuppofe they were fo impowered, and that every Man, according to the Proportion of Faith in him, hath the fame Power: First, If he fpeak Truth temporally, a temporal Punishment or Reward attends that Truth as Men obey or difobey it. And if any Man speak Truth eternal, the Punishment or Reward is eternal, according as it is obey'd or difobey'd, there is Matter of eternal Condemnation in it; but the abfolute eternal Condemnation which you declare is not juftify'd in my Heart, neither do I fee it at all justify'd of any. 6. To the Sixth I anfwer, I do own myself an experimental Preacher, though in very great Weaknefs and manifold Infirmities: What I do feel or have felt Evil I warn others of, but cannot own an infallible Knowledge of Divine Mysteries above all other Men in the World: IfI fhould it would be great Prideof Spirit in me; and I judge it fo in any that affume fuch Things. to themselves. And let me speak my Experience, and defire you to reflect, if you can, upon your own Words, and fee what a narrow lofty Spirit runneth in them: High fwelling Words none muft fpeak but he that hath an infallible Knowledge of Divine Myfteries above all other Men in the World: And who hath this infallible Knowledge but yourself and your Companion? I can experimentally warn you of that which faith, 1 am, and there is none elfe befide me, I fhall not fit as a Widow, Ifa. xlvii. 8. Another Experience I have obferv'd that you and your your Friend have allowed Preaching by Experience without any fuch lofty Qualification which you now exprefs, and therefore you yourselves are not true to what you declare. 7. To the Seventh I answer, Every one that goes without a Commiffion, or that goes beyond his Commiffion, is in Danger of eternal Vengeance; therefore it concerns you and me very much to stand in Awe, to tremble at the Word left we fall under the Curfe for adding to and taking from his Word. I believe fome will fuffer for running before they are fent, and fome for running beyond what they are fent about. But concerning Speaking, I defire you to confider how large a Commiflion the Scriptures give; The Heavens declare Day unto Day, and Night unto Night uttereth Speech; their Sound is gone through the Earth, and their Words to the End of the World. Pfal. xix. cxlviii. and cl. 6. Let every Thing that hath Breath praise the Lord. All Believers feem to be commiffionated. Rom. xix. 9 and 10. The Word is nigh thee, even in thy Heart, and in thy Mouth, that is the Word of Faith which we preach. Ver. 10. With the Heart Man believeth unto Righteoufnefs, and with the Tongue Confeffion is made unto Salvation. Therefore the Apoftolical Miniftry is to continue in the Church in all Ages, and Chrift promifeth his Prefence with them, and that Miniftry, to the End of the World. Matth. xxviii. 20. And there will be found in the Midst of the great Apoftacy, when the Church comes out of Captivity, Apoftles and Prophets, Rev. xviii. 20. 8. To the Eighth I answer, That when I did fpeak formerly, I was as fully fatisfy'd, as you are now fatisfy'd in your Miniftry; neither do I now wholly condemn my former Speaking, but have seen an evil Spirit which got into it; and it was not the least Evil of that Spirit that I did undertake to judge all others. 9 and 10. To the Two last Queries I answer, I am of this Faith, that God alone doth Teach his Chofen ones; yet Chrift himfelf taught, and the Apoftles taught, and the Prophets taught. You likewife hold the fame Faith, and yet you teach, God teacheth by his Son, by his Servants, by his Word, by Afflictions, and in all by his Spirit. For that Charge of Mockers, Deceivers, &c. I fhall bear it from you and others, 'till the Lord plead my Caufe. For your Commiffion received by |