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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47124	The arguments of the Quakers, more particularly, of George Whitehead, William Penn, Robert Barclay, John Gratton, George Fox, Humphry Norton, and my own arguments against baptism and the Supper, examined and refuted also, some clear proofs from Scripture, shewing that they are institutions of Christ under the Gospel : with an appendix containing some observations upon some passages in a book of W. Penn called A caveat against Popery, and on some passages of a book of John Pennington, caled The fig leaf covering discovered / by George Keith.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.	1698 (1698)	Wing K142; ESTC R7322	106,695	121

Heathens as to my certain knowledge it is among the American Heathens who in all their Covenants make use of Signs for the greater Security and Confirmation Thus in the 50th Psalm it is said gather my Saints together who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice v. 5. And if any should be so Stiff and Pertinacious as to deny that outward Signs are necessary to the Confirmation of Covenants universally yet the Case is plain here as to the Supper for Christ himself hath said it this Cup is the new Testament in my Blood c. Which must have this meaning that the Cup was Christ's Testament as Circumcision was God's covenant with Abraham and his seed for so it was called in Scripture that is to say the Cup is a sign of Christ's Testament and of the covenant of grace that God hath made with believers through Christ the Mediator of it But if any object this would seem to make the outward Baptism and Supper of so great necessity as that it cannot be said that the Covenant is duly confirmed without them betwixt God and Believers Ans It sheweth inded a great necessity of them as in respect of any People being in Covenant with God in a visible way of a Church and as Members of a visible Church or Society well and duly constituted for all the Members of a visible Church as they are in Covenant with God inwardly by the Faith and Obedience of their Hearts so they are in Covenant with him outwardly by the Confession of their Mouths and other External Acts of Religion whereby they declare their professed Subjection to him and to his Laws Hence we find in Scripture that not only Faith is required in order to Salvation but Confession also and that Confession is not only with the Mouth but by External Works of the Body proceeding from a living Principle of Faith in the Heart among which Works are the External Practices of outward Baptism and the Supper where they can be duly had whereby they declare their Subjection to the positive Laws and Institutions of Christ and thereby distinguish themselves from either Jews or Pagans who may be Moral Men and Profess Faith and Religion towards God as a Creator and yet be professed Enemies to the Christian Faith such as many Jews and Heathens were in the Apostles Days and are in our Days And therefore the outward Baptism and the Supper have been not unfitly called and esteemed Badges of Christianity peculiarly distinguishing Christians from Jews and Pagans though not the only Badges but when they are accompanied with a good Conversation of Sobriety Justice and Piety they do make the distinction betwixt true Christians and Jews and Heathens much more apparent for if these External Practices Instituted by Christ be laid aside whereby shall it outwardly appear that Men and Women are Christians If it be said by the Sobriety Justice and Piety of their Conversation But these are no positive distinguishing Marks of Christianity because Men and Women that are no Christians may have as much of the out-side of Sobriety Justice and Piety towards God as many true Christians have If it be again said their frequent Prayer to God in the Name of Christ and calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ in Prayer is a Badge of their Christianity I answer in part it is so but not in full or in the whole for he that not only Prayeth to God in the Name of Christ and confesseth him in Words but also sheweth his Obedience and Subjection to all the Commands of Christ the least as well as the greatest whereof the outward Baptism and the Supper are some is the most Accomplished Christian and beareth the most compleat Badge of Christianianity And though Men's Ignorance in their not knowing them or not being persuaded concerning them that they are the Commands of Christ being darkned by the Prejudice of Education or fasly persuaded by Seducers and false Teachers doth in part excuse them or at least where Sincerity is as to the main gives ground of Hope that God will forgive them the Omission of these Practices yet where Obedience is not given to every Command of Christ even the least as well as the greatest though the Omission be through Ignorance or false Persuasion yet it is a Sin and renders the Persons found in that Omission defective and incomplete Christians SECT VIII THE 4 th Reason is this These outward practices of Baptism and the Supper are not only visible Signs and Pledges of our being in Covenant with God thro' Christ and that as he is our God so we are his People but they are also the visible Signs and Pledges that we are in the Unity and Communion of the Church as Children of one Family begot of one Father having one Faith and Hope one Lord and being Members of one Body And though the Communion of Believers consists chiefly in the Spirit and the inward Graces thereof yet as they are a visible Body and Society they are to have some outward and visible Signs and Pledges of the same that carry some distinguishing Character to distinguish them not only from professed Infidels but also from loose and scandalous Persons professing the Christian Faith with them Therefore as in the Jewish Church God had appointed that whoever did not obey the Mosaical Precepts were to be excluded the Congregation and debarred from the external Privileges that they had as a Church even so Christ has appointed that whosoever professing him in Words deny him in Works and walk disorderly and offensively as well as who err concerning the Faith so as not to hold the Head that they ought to be rejected and disowned in token whereof they are to be debarred from the external Signs of the Saints Communion with God and Christ and one with another Otherwise what can be meant by rejecting casting out and purging out in the Scriptures of the New Testament Also by the word separating and withdrawing so as to have no Fellowship with them Surely it was more than a verbal denyal of them or giving forth a Paper against them Doth not Paul tell us what it was when he saith 1 Cor. 5.11 If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator c with such an one no not to eat This not to eat cannot be meant the common Eating but such as that 1 Cor. 10.21 to wit at the Lord's Table And therefore the Lord did see it meet that as the Outward Baptism should be a Sign declarative of the Persons Baptized taking or putting on the Profession of a Christian so the Eating at the Lord's Table should be a Sign that they did remain Faithful under that Profession and did continue in the Unity and Communion of the Church as Paul's words declare We being many are one bread and are all made partakers of that one bread c. Even as under the Law the receiving of Circumcision was the Sign or Badge of

and Blood that therefore he is a Carnal and Bloody Man or because the Quakers have Flesh and Blood as other Men therefore there Church is a Carnal and Bloody Church and as raw and defective is R.B. his way of Reasoning p. 25 26 27. of the above said Treatise that where the Author is the same the Matter of Ordinances is the same and the end the same and having the same effect they are never accounted more or less Spiritual because of their different times For all this is not a sufficient enumeration to prove the one not to be more Spiritual than the other there are diverse other great Considerations or Arguments besides these mentioned by him so generally and overly as in the respects above mentioned relating to their Form and Manner and greater Efficacy because of the greater plenty of Grace accompanying the latter than the former and having greater and more excellent Effects for who that knows what a true Christian is but will say he is far beyond an ordinary Religious Jew that had some degree of Faith in the promised Messiah the Scripture comparing the Jew and the Christian as the Child and the Man And who but will say that the true Gospel way of Ministry as it was in the Apostles Days and wherein they were exercised in Preaching and Prayer did far excell the Ministry of the ordinary sincere Jewish Priests and Scribes although they had one Author and one Doctrine for Substance and one end in their Ministry at large and in general and also one effect in general and at large viz. to instruct in Righteousness such as heard them And though in one sense the Jewish Baptisms and that practised by the Apostles after Christ's Resurrection had one Author viz. God yet in another sense there was a considerable difference it being God or the word Incarnate or Christ God Man that was the Author of the latter but not of the former And though the Jewish Water-Baptisms and the Christian Water-Baptisme which is but one do agree in relation to their end in some sort yet there is a great difference in that very respect for tho' the remote end of the Jewish Baptisms was to signifie Remission of Sin through Faith in Christ yet the proximate or next end of those Baptisms was to make them legally clean so as to be allowed to come into the Congregation of the Jewish Church but the end of the Christian Water-Baptism even proximately and nextly considered is to signifie Remission of Sins and the spiritual Cleansing by Christ and also to indicate such Baptized Persons and recognize or acknowledge them to be Members of the Church of Christ that is more excellent and honourable as far as the Christian Dispensation excelled the Judaick But that they farther argue that Water-Baptism cannot reach the Conscience to cleanse it from Sin that therefore it ought not to be practised and because Bread and Wine in the Supper cannot nourish the Soul therefore ought it not to be used in the Supper they might as well have argued against the brazen Serpent that the Jews at God's command should not have looked to it when they were poisoned with the Serpents in the Wilderness because there was no inherent Virtue in that piece of Brass to effect any Cure and they might argue as well against Naaman's going to wash in Jordan to be cured of his Leprosie I know none that plead for Water-Baptism and the outward Supper that think there is any inherent Virtue in these outward things either to wash or feed the Soul the Virtue is wholly in Christ whose Grace Power and Spirit doth accompany the due and right use of these things as they are practised in Faith and in Obedience to Christ's command And the like way they might argue against all vocal Ministry which abounds among the Quakers for no words have any inherent Virtue in them to Cure or Cleanse the Soul or profit any more than Water or Bread and Wine it is only the Grace and Spirit of Christ when it goeth along and accompanieth these outward things whether Words or those outward Elements that is effectual and maketh the use of them effectual without which they are all but as empty Cisterns that can hold no Water SECT IX ANother Argument of W. Penn against the outward Baptism and Supper is that therefore they are to be rejected now the false Church has got them yea the Whore hath made Merchandize with them and under such Historical Shadowy and Figurative Christianity has she managed her Mistery of Iniquity unto the beguiling thousands whose simplicity the Lord will have a tender regard to Ans In this way of Arguing also he is very inconsiderate for his Reason is of equal force against the Holy Scriptures and all the Doctrinal and Historical part of Christ's coming in the Flesh his Death and Sufferings c. Why the false Church has got all this and makes Merchandize therewith and therefore the Bible and the whole Historical and Doctrinal part of Christ's coming in the Flesh and his Death and Sufferings must be rejected also all Preaching and Praying and Meeting together and all external Acts of Worship must be rejected for the same reason because the false Church has got them all Tho' I think it may be said the false Church has not got either Baptisme or the Supper in the true Administration of them but rather a false show and likeness of them But what hinders that the true Church may not Practise these things aright tho' the false Practise them amiss Should the abuse of any thing commanded by God take away the use of it Must Meat Drink and Cloathing be rejected because that many abuse them But he continueth to argue against them p. 110. Reason against Railing Let it be considered that no other Apostle recommends these things nor Paul himself to either the Romans the Corinthians in his first Epistle the Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians Hebrews nor to Timothy Titus and Philemon Ans If so it were that in none of these Epistles Paul had mentioned them nor any other of the Apostles which yet is not so for I have answered it at large what was objected from Peter 1 Pet. 3.21 as that Water-Baptisme is not there meant and in the Epistle to the Romans Galatians Ephesians and Colossians and in that to the Hebrews Baptisme is mentioned and he hath not proved that it is not Water-Baptisme that is there meant yet it will not follow that therefore they are to be rejected seeing other places of Scripture mention both the command and practice of them so that he cannot instance one professing Christianity that was not Baptized any where in the Scripture after the command of Baptism was given by Christ to the Apostles suppose there were but one Text in all the Scripture that clearly proveth some Doctrin of the Christian Faith were not that enough for its proof As that one Text that God is a Spirit

must quit his Post and cease any more to Argue from his place of Scripture that the Gospel that Paul Preached was not the Doctrin of Salvation by Christ Crucified but the true Sense of that place Col. 1.23 I had formerly given as he Quotes me p. 71. Saying though it was not at the same time actually Preached to all Men yet it was begun to be Preached and after the Prophetical Stile that which was to be done is said to be done He Quibbles against this saying Where that Prophetical Phrase is or how it is used he Assigns not Indeed it was not necessary to shew to any but a little Skilled in the Letter and true Sense of Scripture where that Prophetical Phrase is for it is so general in Scripture Prophecies that no Man that is not Brutish but must be sensible of it when he Reads them When Isaiah Prophecied of Christ's Death and Sufferings and Birth yea and Burial it is all said in praeterito as if it had been which yet was not some hundred Years after And so it is almost in the whole Prophecie of the Book of the Revelation and particularly that 14. Rev. 6.7 brought by him which yet he applyeth not to John's Time but to his and his Brethrens Preaching not the Doctrin of Salvation by Christ Crucified if we must believe J. P. behold your Patron all Sober Persons among the Quakers but the Light in every Creature under Heaven And p. 22. Some Principles of the Elect People And now saith G. F. the Gospel must be Preached again to all Nations and this saith J. P. is not the Doctrin of Salvation by Christ Crucified but the Light or inward Principle in every Creature and his and his Brethrens Argument is Weak that because Paul called the Gospel the Power of God to Salvation therefore it is nothing else but the inward Principle for he called the Preaching of the Cross the Power of God 1 Cor. 1.18 And yet that Preaching was an outward Preaching and he called it the Power of God because it was made Effectual to many that heard it by the Power of God that accompanied it Thus Reader I have given thee a Tast of this Man's Ignorance and Anti-Christian Doctrin which is the same with that of his Brethren of the Second Days Meeting who have approved his Books against me I shall not nauseate thee with his other many Impertinencies and Extravagancies as well as his Gross Errors in other Particulars of Doctrin nor take notice of his Base and Scurrilous Revilings that are equally Unjust and Malicious As his calling me not Sincere but a Belly-Convert and his insinuating If I be disappointed among Protestants I may seek a Living from the Papists which is like his and his Brethrens other false Prophecies Note Reader That having some Years ago seen a Book of Thomas Lawson a Quaker against Water-Baptism I have made search for it but cannot find it any where to have it however I suppose it hath nothing of Argument in it but what in effect is contained in those above Examined and Answered and I do not think that any of their Books on that Subject will be found to have any other Arguments in them against Baptism and the Supper but what is in effect contained in those above-mentioned FINIS The ERRATA P. 2. l. 18. for thereof r. therefore p. 2. l. 24. for becomes r. because p. 3. l. 30. after Whitehead r. only p. 5. l. 17. r. judged p. 13. l. 18. before have r. they have and l. 29. for art r. act p. 30. l. 38. for there r. thrice p. 68. l. 13. for visible r. invisible

under the Gospel That of Christ's washing the Disciples Feet which he insisteth on for several Pages is fully Answered to in the first Part. As also that of Anointing the Sick with Oyl so that no more needs be said to it here As for these Objections that he raiseth about the Time of the natural Day when this Institution should be practised as why not at Night and what sort of Bread whether Leavened or Unleavened and whether other Drink may not be used as well as Wine which he calls Difficulties out of which it is impossible he saith p. 101. to extricate themselves but by laying it aside another of which Difficulties is to understand as he alledgeth that these Words Take Bless and Break the Bread and give it to others are to the Clergy meaning the Pastors but to the Laity only meaning the People Take Eat c. Ans I do not find that he proveth in the least any such Difficulties they may be all easily extricated much more than in many other Cases where far greater Difficulties occur But this is too Rash and Preposterous because of some seeming Difficulties therefore to lay aside a Divine Institution or to conclude it is no such thing This is to cut the Knot instead of loosing it and to Kill instead of Curing At this rate because in Paul's Epistles and in many other places of Scripture there are things hard to be understood and resolved therefore all such places of Scripture are to be rejected Who doth not see the Impertinency of such Consequences And the like may be said in Answer to his Objection from the great Contentions that have hapned betwixt Papists and Protestants about the Supper and betwixt the Protestants one with another and the much Blood that hath been shed occasioned by these Controversies All which say nothing against the Institution it self more than against Christ and his Gospel about which more Blood has been spilt than about that He should have better considered the distinction betwixt a causa per se and causa per accidens and the use of a thing and the abuse of it SECT VI. PAge 104. For would they take it as it lies it would import no more than that Jesus Christ at that time did thereby signifie unto them that his Body and Blood was to be offered for them and desired them that whensoever they did eat or drink they might do it in remembrance of him or with a regard to him whose Blood was shed for them Ans If this Supposition be true as he would have it that whensoever they did eat or drink they were to do it in remembrance of him then why hath he pleaded so much for the ceasing of it Surely if they were to do it whensoever they did Eat or Drink they were to do it to the end of the World because as long as the World continues Eating and Drinking will continue But we do not find that our Saviour's Words import any such Sense he doth not say whensoever ye eat or drink c. But as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup where the Word this Imports it to be another Eating than their common Eating and the like is Imported by these Words let a man examine himself and so let him eat c. whoso eateth this bread unworthily c. 1 Cor. 11.28 27. But to this Sense that he hath given I find a Passage a little after p 111. that as I judge is a plain Contradiction to the former He saith there the Apostles Words For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come Imports no more a command than to say As oft as thou goest to Rome see the Capitol will infer a Command to me to go thither Now if they were to obey this Institution whensoever they did Eat or Drink then surely they were to do it very often and that by a Command which plainly contradicts this last Assertion of his butth Words As seen as thou goest to Rome see the Capitol implie neither a Command nor any frequent Practice of going therefore this Example is very improper and impertinent in this respect as well as in others Page 110 111. As to that passage 1 Cor. 11. from 23. to 27. He saith There is no Command in this place but only an account of matter of Fact He saith not I received of the Lord that as he took Bread so I should Command it to you to do so also there is nothing like this in the place Ans Be it so that there was no new Command given in the Case either to Paul or by him to the Corinthians It sufficed to Paul to give an account of the matter of Fact as it was delivered to him from the Lord by Divine Revelation as he plainly affirmed That saith he which I received of the Lord that also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed c. Now as all Divine Revelations are for some great end we may safely argue that since what the Lord did that night was Revealed to him by the Lord it was not an indifferent thing either to be Believed or Practised since it had a Command in it This do in remembrance of me Here was a positive Command that Christ gave unto his Apostles alledged both by Paul 1 Cor. 11.24 And also by Luke 22.19 There was no need of renewing the same Commandments as the Law of the Ten Commandments once given at Mount Zinai did oblige the twelve Tribes of Israel without any other giving them though what was then given them was oft taught them both by Moses and the succeeeding Prophets so what Christ the great Law-giver under the New Testament gave forth to be his Command wherever that Command is made known to any People Nation or Country it ought to be obeyed without the requiring or expecting any new Sanction And to shew a little further how improper his Example of one saying As often as thou goest to Rome See the Capitol is to the present Case If one that has the Command of another should first say go to Rome and then add As often as thou goest to Rome go to the Capitol this would imply a Command Now Christ said first to his Disciples This do in remembrance of me as both Luke and Paul testifie and then Paul adds further v. 25. As oft as ye drink it this do in remembrance of me and v. 26. for as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lord's death till he come the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated ye shew may be translated ye declare or ye preach for so is the same word translated Acts 15.26 Acts 13.38 Acts 17.13 which signifieth some Publick way of shewing it forth in Religious Meetings that proveth it was not Mens private Eatings which may oft happen when they are alone and for this and the

like Reasons some of the Antients and particularly Augustin called it Verbum visibile the visible Word which when joyned with the Word that is founded in Mens Ears has a double force upon the Minds of devout Believers To which doth well agree that saying of Chrysostome in his Homilies on Matthew cited in the Title Page If thou hadst been without a Body God had given thee naked and incorporeal Gifts but because the Soul is planted in a Body he giveth thee Intelligible things in Sensible things And it was well observed by the Antients that all obsignatory Signs have some words of God or Christ added unto them to make them effectual according to which Augustin said Accedat verbum ad rem fit Sacramentum i.e. let the word be added to the sign and it becomes a Sacrament and therefore we find in Eph. 5.26 the washing of Water joyned with the Word That he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word I know some will have the Water here to be meant the inward Water and the Word to be inward also but such a Sense would be not only strained but unintelligible as to say with the washing of the Word by the Word for they make the inward Water and Word to be the same thing here but the Apostle distinguisheth them as two things both which have the Efficacy by the inward working of the Holy Spirit Titus 3.5 Page 111. He undertakes the Answering of the Argument for the Institution of the Supper and its continuance until Christ come at the end of the World from those Words Ye shew forth the Lord's death till he come To this he p. 112. Answers They take two of the chief parts of the Controversie here for granted without proof First that as often imports a Command the contrary whereof is shewn neither will they ever be able to prove it 2ly That this coming is understood of Christ's last Outward coming and not of his Inward and Spiritual that remains to be proved whereas the Apostle might well understand it of his Inward coming and appearance And a little after he saith Now those weak and carnal Corinthians might be permitted the use of this to shew forth or remember Christ's Death till he come to arise in them For though such need those Outward things to put them in mind of Christ's Death yet such as are dead with Christ and not only dead with Christ but burried and so risen with him need not such Signs to remember him Ans That as often together with the foregoing words import a Command I have already proved and it was rashly said in him that he had shewn the contrary and that they will never be able to prove it And whereas some argue had it been a Command some certain times would have been mentioned how oft in a Week Month or Year it should have been Practised To this it is Answered that it followeth not more than to argue that because it is not mentioned how often in a Week Month or Year Publick Prayer is to be used that therefore they are not Institutions of Christ for as Publick Preaching and Prayer is to be used as frequently as can stand with the Ability and Conditions of both Preachers and Hearers so this Practice as frequently is to be used which as the time of those is to be left to the Discretion of the Persons as God shall inwardly Guide them and outwardly afford them the Convenience so is the Time of this to be left to the like Discretion Guidance and Convenience which as it seemed to be the Practice of the Church in the Days of the Apostles each Lord's-day being the first Day of the Week so it is clear from Justin Martyr and other ancient Writers that it was the constant Practice of the Christians Solemnly to Celebrate the same every Lord's-day besides what other times they might have done it As to the second which he calls together with the other the chief thing in Controversie it is indeed so even the chief thing and therefore if this be effectually proved against them that those Words until he come again are understood of Christ's last outward coming the Cause is gained But first let us examine what Proof he brings that they are not to be understood of Christ's last outward coming First he saith the Apostle might well understand it of his inward coming and appearance but what Proof doth he give of this None at all but his simple Affirmation Secondly He saith these Weak and Carnal Corinthians might be permitted the use of this to shew forth or remember Christ's Death till he should arise in them But what Proof gives he of this that this was or might be a Permission for no such Permission is any where expressed in the Scriptures the things that simply were permitted as Circumcision were used but by a few and not long Paul severely opposed them after some time but so he never did either Water-Baptism or the Supper Thirdly That he said though such need th●se outward things to put them in mind of Christ 's Death why then seeing there are now in all Churches and Christian Societies some that are as weak as those Corinthians were do not they allow the use of them to such as need them Fourthly That he saith such as are Dead and Buried with Christ and Risen again with him need not such things to remember him Answer Here as elsewhere his Argument is faulty by arguing that because such things are not absolutely necessary therefore they are not useful or necessary in any respect Besides as I have above shewn his Argument has the same force against the use of the Holy Scriptures and all Books all Preaching of the best Men and all External Parts of Worship viz. They that are Dead and Buried with Christ and Risen with him need none of these outward things But the best Men and such are the most humble will and cannot but acknowledge that all outward Helps and Means that God hath afforded them are very useful to them and help to stir up the pure Mind in them Nor are any so Risen with Christ as the Raised Saints shall be at the Resurrection therefore till then they may be helped with outward Means of God's appointing It is very Unwisely as well as Irreverently Argued we need not those things therefore they are not commanded The contrary is the better Argument they are commanded therefore they are needful at least in some respect God better knoweth what we need than we do our selves and therefore in his great Love and Wisdom hath provided outward Helps for us as well as inward But seeing they will needs understand the Words until he come not to mean Christ's last outward coming but his inward then with the same Pretext they may as well understand his Death of an inward Death of Christ in them and the shewing his Death of an inward shewing and then all Remembrance of