Christ and the Garment which He wore between Him that Came and the Body in which He came between the Substance which was Vailed and the Vaile which Vailed it Lo I come a Body hast thou Prepared Me. There is Plainly He and the Body in which He came Ther was the outward Vessel and the Inward Life This we certainly know and can never call the Bodily Garment Christ but that which Appeared and Dwelt in the Body So that by this Jesus was not the Christ only the Prepared Body Garment or Vaile in which Christ Dwelt The same Argument is Prosecuted by Will. Penn in his Part of the Serious Apology p. 146. and in the like words with Is Penington to shew the Unanimous Consent of the Quakers in this the Heart of their Christianity These are his words He that laid down his Life and suffer'd his Body to be Crucify'd by the Jews without the Gates of Jerusalem is Christ the only Son of the most High God But that the outward Person which suffer'd was Properly the Son of God we utterly Deny A Body hast thou Prepared me said the Son then the Son was not the Body tho' the Body was the Son's i. e. The Body was the Son's as a man's Garment or Vaile is his who owns and wears it as the Body of Will. Penn is the Son's who he supposes Dwells in it But the Son was not the Body that is Jesus in whose Body Christ Dwelt was not the Son not Properly the Son of God but in a Large sense as other men are call'd the Sons of God And Christ Suffer'd His Garment or Vaile the Body of Jesus to be Crucifi'd But that the outward Person which suffer'd was Properly the Son of God the Quakers do Vtterly Deny And as that Person which Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God it follows as certainly that the Son of God was not Properly that Person or was not Properly a Man This was the Meaning of Will. Penn in his Sandy Foundation p. 20. calling Christ a Finit Impotent Creature He did not mean the Eternal word Or that this Word was Properly a Man in our Nature for then tho' the Manhood was a Creature and Finit yet the Man or Person was not so As a Man's Body is Corruptible yet the Person Consisting of Body and Soul is not so Tho' the Properties of Each Nature whereof a Person do's Consist may be Attributed to the Person as a Man is said to Dye to Eat Drink Sleep c. tho' these are Proper only to the Body And likewise he is said to Think to Reason to be Immortal tho' these are Proper only to his Soul Thus God is said to Dye to shed His Blood c. tho' this be Proper only to the Manhood which the Word assum'd into His own Person And Man is said to be God Infinit Almighty c. tho' this be Proper only to the Divine Nature of Christ who is likewise Truly and Properly a Man And none who had a True Notion of this cou'd ever have brought himself to call Christ a Finit Impotent Creature Such a Blasphemous Contempt of our B. Lord and God cou'd never have Dropt from the Pen of a Christian But upon Will Penn's Scheme that the Word was not Properly a Man it must follow that the Person who Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God And Consequently that the Person who Suffer'd which is the Christians Christ was but a Finit Impotent Creature and not Truly and Properly the Christ J. Pennington asserts that the Name of Christ did not belong to the Person of Jesus which he calls only the Vessel or Vaile as in his Quest to Professors p. 25. but only to the Light or Christ which Dwelt in Jesus as in the Quakers So that the Name Christ says he is not given to the Vessel but to the Nature to the Heavenly Treasure to that which is of him In the Vessel And he Contends That it was not the Flesh and Blood of the Vaile which was the Sacrifice that Cleanses i. e. not the Flesh and Blood of Jesus but The Flesh and Blood within the Vaile i. e. the Spiritual Flesh and Blood of their Light within Not the Flesh and Blood says he of the outward Earthly Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Inward Spiritual Nature Not the Flesh and Blood which Christ took of the first Adam's Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Second Adam's Nature And What is the Laver of Regeneration says he p. 24. wherewith the Soul is washed Is it the water which ran out of the side of the Natural Body when it was Pierced with a Spear or the Water which floweth from the Spirit And Can outward Blood Cleanse the Conscience c. Now G. W. is not against telling the History of the Life and Death of Jesus that is as he puts the Caveat Truly Consider'd i. e. so as not to lay the stress of our Salvation upon Faith in those outward Sufferings or to make that Necessary to us That Prerogative they Reserve only for the Sufferings Blood-shedding c. of Their Christ the Light within That only is sufficient without any thing else And when you come to this say they in a Book Intituled The Doctrin of Perfection vindicated Printed 1663. p. 19. you will cease Remembring His Death at Jerusalem and will come to see how He hath been Crucify'd In you c. His outward Death is to be Forgotten for the stress do's not Ly upon that And as Mr. Penn says in his Quakerism a new nick-name c. p. 12. Since they believe that appearance of Christ in the Flesh at Jerusalem they need not Preach what is not to be again See Satan Dis-Rob'd p. 11. Ther is an End of any more Preaching or Faith in that Nay it do's Hurt as taking men off from Trusting wholey and soley in the Light within as sufficient without it Which is the very Heart and Soul of the Quaker-Faith And therefore they think the Heathen in a Better Condition than those Christians who lay so much stress upon the outward Christ His Death and Sufferings for that the Heathen have not that Encombrance to Divert them from Trusting wholly to their Light within and to nothing else And they think the Faith in the outward Christ so very Destructive that G. Fox Denounces them to be Reprobates and Possest with the Devil who Expect to be sav'd by Faith in the outward Jesus and as wholly Ignorant of the Inward Presence of Christ in the Heart For thus he Replies upon Christopher Wade who had in a Book he wrote call'd Quakery Slain asserted the Necessity of Faith in the outward Christ but withall he is Full and Large upon as Great Necessity of the Inward Presence and Operation of the Spirit of Christ in our Hearts In his Inspections Influences and Operations and by His Spirit Dwelling even in the Hearts and Societies of His People as he words it
Body of Christ is within them as well as His Spirit Indeed they are here in a monstrous Confusion for by this Body they mean the Spirit and by a Spiritual Body they mean nothing but Spirit However this serves them to Dodge and Decieve others It was to meet with them in this that the First and the Sixth Quaeres of those given to their Yearly Meeting 1695. were fram'd viz. Do you believe in a Christ without you Now in Heaven And Quaer 6. Is Christ now at this Day and for Ever to come Truly and Really a Man in true and Proper Human Nature without all other Men But in their Pretended Answer to these Quaeres they wave Answering Directly and leave out the words without us and without all other Men and the word Human upon which the Chief stress was laid because they do believe that this Notional Body of Christ is within them as well as His Spirit Therefore they wou'd not Answer to this And tho' this was again Prest upon them in the Conclusion of the Sn. and they were told of all this Dodging and this was put upon them as a Criterion to Clear themselves and therefore they were Desir'd to begin their Answer to the Sn. with a Plain and Direct Ans Yea or Nay to these Two short Queres Yet no Provocation can bring them to it They will not yet Answer to it for it Discovers the Heart of their Cause It wou'd totally overthrow their Ancient Testimonies wherein they Deny That Christ hath now a Body of Flesh and Bones Circumscript or Limited in that Heaven which is Above and out of Every Man on Earth These are the words of John Whitehead in his Quakers Refuge Printed 1673. p. 40. And p. 41. he says that they are in the Error who wou'd Limit it to a Particular Place and out of every Man on Earth for says he The Spirit and Body of Christ is not Divided but wheresoever the Spirit and Life of Christ is it is in the Body of Christ. This shews plainly what they mean That the Body of Christ is not Now a Body Circumscript or Limited to any Place and consequently it is no Body at all for that is Inseperable from a Body but that it is wheresoever His Spirit is and that it is within them and not without all other Men. Thus Edward Burough being Demanded in these Positive Terms Is that very man with that very Body within you Yea or Nay And this he do's not at all Deny but Answers in the Affirmative p. 149. of his works The very Christ of God is within us You must take the meaning of these men by Considering that to which they Answer and which they oppose for in a Limited sense Christ by His Holy Spirit and Influences is within us and Christ is The very Christ so that ther is a sense in which that Expression tho' offensive in the wording of it may be admitted But then when we consider that which they Oppose or to which they Answer the meaning appears Plain for why wou'd they Oppose what they thought Orthodox And this is the method by which we must understand G. Fox's Great Mystery which is a Pretended Answer to 108 Books and Disputes against the Quakers For G. Fox's own words are â—eldom either Sense or English and he Miserably Mis-Quotes and Mistakes their words whom he writes against sometimes it appears to be on Purpose and sometimes out of Pure want of Vnderstanding Half Knave and Half Fool But by Reading those Books which he opposes you may Discover what he wou'd be at Instances of this out of Number can be given Which if any think it worth the while are Ready to be Produc'd But to the Subject we are upon The first Book he Answers in his Great Mystery is of one of the then Ministers Mr. Sam. Eaton call'd The Quakers Confuted Printed A. D. 1654. where p. 12. Mr. Eaton makes as full a Confession as can be to the Inward Presense and Operation of Christ by His Spirit in the Hearts of Believers And therein says he they have Him But they have not Christ in Flesh or the Flesh of Christ dwelling in them for that was taken up into Heaven and will there be Contain'd till the Restitution of All things This G. Fox opposes in his Great Mystery p. 3. And Quotes thus much of his words with the Page But the Saints have not Christ in the Flesh p. 12. And opposes this as Contrary to Christ and the Apostles Doctrin who said they were of His Flesh and of his Bone and they that have His Flesh have it in them This shews in what sense he Understood these Scriptures and what his Notion was of the Flesh of Christ viz. That it was now at this time in all Believers and so not any Literal Flesh but some Imagination or other that they have of Spiritual Flesh which they think that God Himself has and Christ or the Light had from all Eternity so nothing of outward Human Flesh or Nature Tho' if you take the word Human as it may be Deriv'd from Homo a Man thus they will allow that Christ has a True Human Body and Ever had from Eternity that is a True and Real Manhood In this sense it is said before p. 11. l. 8. that they allow the Body which they say Christ had from Eternity to be an Human Body For ther is no other word in Latin whereby to Express the Nature of Man but Humanitas whence we use the word Humanity to mean the same as Manhood But if you Derive the word Human from Humus the Ground or Earth of which Man was Made in this sense the Quakers Deny that Christ had an Human Body from Eternity or indeed while He was upon the Earth For which I Refer you back to p. 19 20. where you will find this Artfully Distinguish'd by the Quakers But we will now go on to see the further Salvos that the Present Antidote affords in this Case Their Denyal that Christ had any Human or Created richer Soul or Body while upon Earth 2. G. W. Skips to p. 38. And takes up this Argument again where he Pretends to Answer the objection of the Quakers making the Body of Jesus only a Vaile or Garment wherein Christ or the word Dwelt but that He took not that Body into His own Person so as to be Hypostatycally United to it And to this he says p. 38. We are to seek herein as not knowing where the Quakers say these things Yet Answers not or Names one of the many Proofs which are brought for this See Sn. Sect. x. This wou'd be very Provoking but that I am us'd to it for it is his Constant Method Yet in the Excuse he makes for it he Confesses enough to shew that the Quakers are Guilty herein For says he Tho' His Flesh is call'd the Vail yet it was that he own'd as His own Body being also call'd the Body of
Father A Manifestation can not take Flesh be Born Suffer or Dye then it must be the Father Himself and none other who was Born Dy'd c. then it was the Father who sent Himself and Return'd back to Himself and was Received of Himself who upon the Cross Pray'd to Himself and Complain'd to Himself that He had Forsaken Himself And when He Dy'd Recommended His Spirit into the Hands of Himself c. This the Quakers are Desir'd to Answer and it will soon Discover their sensless Sabelliamsm And Farnsworth's Testimony says nothing at all against this 2. They Leap now Ten years forward for the next Testimony p. 13. which is of Rich. Hodden An. 1661. in his Book call'd The one Good way of God Where he tells of the Great Mystery of Jesus Christ come in the Flesh which he says no Man can Understand by Hearing Reading Telling or Talking of Him or Concerning what He Did Said or Suffer'd How he is Formed In his Servants How they take up the Cross or what that Cross is How they are Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones What the Church is or how his Body or what it is to Eat his Flesh and Drink his Blood c. This as before told is the Body Flesh and Bones of God which they suppose He had from Eternity and which now Dwells in the Quakers not the Flesh of our Nature which Jesus assum'd in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin That is not the Flesh which we Eat c. And they that think so he tells know nothing of the Mystery of Christ which they say cannot be learn'd by Hearing contrary to what the Apostle thought Rom. x. 17. of what Christ Did Said or Suffer'd Which shews that they meant not the outward Christ but Their Christ the Light within otherwise how is it that as he says none but the Quakers understand what the Church is how it is the Body of Christ or what it is to Eat his Flesh or what his Cross is c This shews plainly That they have another Meaning for All these things than we have And Consequently this is so far from being a Contrary Testimony to the Charges produc'd upon this Head that it speaks the same and might well have been put among the Charges instead of the Contrary Testimonies 3. The third Testimony is p. 14 from Geo. Bishop that Loyal good Subject See Sn. p. 227. to 232. in his Vindication of the Principles and Practices of the People called Quakers An. 1665. where he speaks too of Christ made Flesh c. But then tells us what Christ he means Christ In you says he that is their Light within which they call Christ. He says p. 15. as here Quoted That where this Christ is there is not the Body that Suffer'd at Jerusalem that was Flesh that Proceeded from the Virgin Mary c. that is not within Men. No. who ever said it was tho' Christ may be there by the Blessed Influences of His Holy Spirit But then what Body of Christ is it which the Quakers say is within them For G. Fox will not allow Christ to be Absent from His Saints as touching His Flesh Gr. Mystery p. 210. And Edw. Burrough p. 146. of his Works says in Answer to this Question which he there puts Is that very Man with that very Body within you yea or Nay And this he do's not Deny but Answers in the Affirmative The very Christ of God is within Vs we Dare not Deny it He do's not mean as Bishop says well the Body of our Nature which Suffer'd at Jerusalem for that is not so much as in any one says Will Penn in his Christian Quaker p. 97. But they mean as before has been shewn The Heavenly Body of the Human Nature of God which He had from Eternity And this Vile and most Absurd Heresie is that Deep Knowlege which the Quakers Boast they have in the things of God beyond all other Men. This is the Great Mystery of Quakerism And this Testimony of G. Bishop's do's rather Confirm than Contradict it 4. The fourth Testimony is p. 15. from Isaac Penington Concerning the Sum or Substance c. This is he who in his Question to the Professors before Quoted in every Page almost tramples under foot the outward Humanity of Christ or that which He took of our Nature And sets in opposition to it as the Foundation of the Quaker-Faith that which he calls Christ's own Humanity or their Sensless Notion of the Humanity of the Heavenly Nature Now let Us hear what this Man will say to the Contrary How much he Attributes to the outward Humanity and Sufferings of Christ. First he puts the Objection That the Quakers look not to be sav'd by the outward Christ but by a Christ in us says he And to this he Answers We do indeed Expect to be Saved yea and not only so but do already in our several Measures Witness Salvation by the Revelation and Operation of the Life of Christ within Vs So that their Salvation is from the Attonement c. which is wrought Within them And what Salvation do they mean That of Heaven No not of any outward Heaven but the Heaven within Themselves See Sn. at the end of Sect. xii and consequently it is that Salvation which they have Attain'd Already in their several Measures for ther are Degrees of Glory even in Heaven But now that All is given to the Inward Christ what do's he ascribe to the Outward Truly as little as may be only to take Notice of Him he says That the Salvation wrought by Christ within is yet not withont Relation to what he did without us and had its Place and Service in the will and according to the Counsel of the Father What Place and Service was this For that he leaves you to Guess he will come no Near. Every Good Action nay every Good word of any Good Man has its Place and Service This is the Noble Testimony of Isaac Penington which is brought as a Vindication of the Quakers from throwing the Least Slight upon the outward Humanity Death and Passion of our Blessed Lord Jesus and the Satisfaction and Full Propitiation thereby Made for the Sins of the whole World And to Clear them from Transferring of this to the Propitiation which they suppose made within them by the Heavenly Flesh and Blood of their Light within 5. The fifth Testimony is p. 16. from G. Keith's Immediate Revelation where he do's sufficiently Express what Manhood of Christ he meant for he speaks of The Man Jesus whom Simeon Imbraced with his Arms according to the Flesh And the Quakers will not say That it was the Light within which Simeon had in his Arms or the Manhood of the Heavenly Nature which cou'd not be Seen or Felt. And then as to the Inward Presence of Christ in the Soul G. K. do's not speak of the Body of Christ there as the other Quakers but says
Angels differ in their Natures and Glory Distinct from their Creator in their Persons And the Answer of the Quakers is That the Nature and Glory of the Elect differs not from the Nature and Glory of the Creator For the Elect are one with the Creator And thy word Distinct Essence I Deny For the Elect is not Distinct from the Creator The First Quaere Asks How God is Distinct from all Living Creatures And the Answer is He is not Distinct from Living Creatures for in Him Living Creatures Lives Moves and hath their Beings This shews how the Quakers and Ranters their Predecessors understand that Text. Act. xvii 28. Not as there Explain'd and ver 25. That God gives us all these things But that these things are Part of God's Essence and not any Distinct Essence from Him That ther is but one Essence or Being which is God Of which All Creatures do Partake in their several Degrees By which Hypothesis as Sebastian Frank one of this Horrid Gang in Germany did Impiously Blaspheme In Trunco Dcum esse Truncum in Porco Porcum in Diabolo Diabolum O Astonishment to Repeat it That In a Block God is a Block in a Swine a Swine and in a Devil He is a Devil These last Quotations I take from Mr. Farmer not having seen that Answer of Burrough and Howgil to Reeve But G. Fox in his Answer to this Book of Mr. Farmer do's not Deny them which ther is no Doubt he wou'd have done had they been False Nay on the Contrary he do's Justify the Doctrin and stand by it He Quotes the very Place in Farmer where these Quotations are viz. p. 60 61 62. In p. 61. is that Dreadful Blasphemy above Quoted of Sebast Frank there call'd one of the same Gang with the Quakers and in the same page and beginning of p. 62. it is Compar'd with what I have above Quoted out of Christopher Atkinson's Sword of the Lord c. where he Denies God to be a Distinct Being from All Creatures And G. Fox in his Gr. Myst p. 174. Quotes this same Page of Farmer viz. p. 62. and sets down this as one of Farmer 's False Principles which he Opposes He saith says Fox That God is Distinct in His Being and Blessedness from All Creatures and that God who is the Creator is Eternally Distinct from All Creatures He Quotes the same again from p. 53. of Farmer thus He saith That this God who is the Creator is Eternally Distinct from All Creatures And from p. 55. That Christ being God only in one Man's Person remains a Distinct Person from All Creatures and Angels And G. Fox's Answer is This is Contrary to Scripture And he Quotes some of the Scriptures which they use to wrest to this Blasphemous Purpose as That God is All in All. In Him we Live and move c. And he Disowns not Sebast Frank or his Blasphemy Thus they hold That Christ is God not only in One Man's Person i. e. in the Person of our Lord Jesus of Nazareth but in Every one of their Persons and as much Incarnat in Them as in Jesus Nay as much in Every other Man ay and Beast too by this Principle which Degrades God into a Stock to a Swine to a Devil O Horror who by this Means wou'd Maintain His Equality with God And has Taught it to the Quakers Who from his Inspiration think Themselves to be Infinit and Eternal as God is Thus says G. Fox in the Introduction to his Battle-doore for Teachers and Professors c. All Languages are to me says he no More than Dust who was before Languages were And p. 214. Next follow a few words by George Fox Who is before Confusion or Many Languages were In the same Strain says James Parnell in his Book Intituled The Watchers c. p. 37. To the End of all Disputes and Arguments I am come for before they was I AM. And thus it must be if their Soul be not a Creature and have no Beginning as before has been Quoted out of their Books It will not now seem Strange That they Allow no Created that is no Human Soul to Christ Since they Deny it to themselves This you may see in George Whitehead his Answer to Thomas Danson his Synopsis of Quakerism Printed An. 1669. p. 18. There he says As to T. Dansons telling of the Son of God's Incarnation the Creation of his Body and Soul the Parts of that Nature he Subsisted in c. To this I say if the Body and Soul of the Son of God were both Created doth not this render him a Fourth Person for Creation was in Time Where doth the Scripture say That his Soul was Created The Consequences of this Horrid Opinion Engages the Quakers to believe That God may Grow and Encrease be Born and Suffer because they find it so with Themselves They Suppose that what they call the Seed in their Hearts do's Grow from a Seed to become a New-Born Child Thence to be a Son that is in the Perfection of a Man And thence by Degrees to Encrease till it be God! This is the Climax of the Quaker-Perfection for they Cannot say that they were Perfect at first Thus Will. Penn gives it Us in his Christian Quaker An. 1674. p. 98. When says he what was but in the Condition of a SEED or NEW-BORN CHILD shou'd become the ONLY SON the WONDERFVL COVNCELLOR the MIGHTY GOD the EVERLASTING FATHER This is the same Language with Will. Bayly in his Works p. 291. CHRIST is known says he to be first a Holy thing then a CHILD given and a SON Born Which is EMANVEL God with Vs a Saviour a Wonderful Councellor the MIGHTY GOD the PRINCE OF PEACE c. And this is not said of Our Blessed Lord Jesus of Nazareth his Conception in the Womb of the Virgin MARY and being Born of her Body But the Quakers Mean it as all fulfill'd Within Themselves viz. The SEED Sown or Conceiv'd in their VIRGIN Hearts which at the first in Embrio is only a Holy thing But Encreasing it becomes a Child in the Womb of the Heart thence Repening it has a Spiritual BIRTH and is a SON Born Which SON Grows up to be at last the MIGHTY GOD the EVERLASTING EATHER Nor do they Suppose that Christ was any otherwise Born of the Blessed Virgin than as He is thus Born in Themselves They Allegorize all the History of His Incarnation into this Spiritual Birth of the Light which they Call CHRIST in their Hearts The Virgin MOTHER of God is a Virgin HEART wherein God is Conceiv'd and Born They have Spiritual Shepherds too heeping their Flocks by Night A Spiritual STAR in the EAST Spiritual WISE MEN who follow'd it to a Spiritual BABE in a Spiritual INN MANGER c. And all this Perform'd Within them Now at this Day Awake therefore NOW says Will. Bayly p. 292. of his Works Ye Shepherds who have been keeping your Flocks by Night and Look
Human Nature of an Human Soul and Human Body And likewise Truly and Properly the Son of God Contrary to Will. Penn. And that He is not such in Any Other Person Whatsoever Not in the Person of Will. Penn G. Whitehead or Any of the Quakers Reader forgive me for using so many Words Less Particular and Positive will not do with these Men. It is for their sakes that I do it That I may by any Means if Possible Open their Eyes to Discover their Horrible Delusions They have by this Means of Allegorizing the Incarnation and Birth of our Blessed Saviour from the Letter to their Imagined Conception Birth Passion Death and Resurrection of the Light within taken away all Certainty whereby we may know Whether ever ther was Such a Man in the World as Jesus Christ or that He ever did any Miracle or had any Attestation from Heaven for His Ministry That Most Express of the Glorious Appearance of a Light from Heaven Descending Leasurly and Hovering upon the Head of Jesus at His Baptism after the Manner that a Dove Lights upon the Ground the Quakers have Deny'd that is turn'd it to an Allegorie Doest thou believe says G. Whitehead to his Opponent in his Truth Defending the Quakers p. 42. That it was visible to the Carnal Eye as a Created Dove is or its Lightning I believe he Meant Lighting upon Him as a Dove was in respect of its Nature and Comliness By this they Mean That Innocency and Simplicity like that of a Dove was all that did Light upon Jesus or which Exprest His Nature and Comliness at that Time And then indeed they might well Ask Was it visible to the Carnal Eye But by this they have Quite Overthrown the Validity of that Miraculous Attestation given to Christ And so they have done to all the Rest That as I said they have not left One Single Proof that Ever ther was such a Man in the World For that can not be known but by Outward Acts and Attestations And if they can be thus Turn'd ther is an End of all Proof from them But they wou'd have no other Proof for Christ or His Mission than ther is for their Own Since they vouch Themselves to be Christ and God! Indeed as many Gods as ther are Quakers For if as they say the Seed in them can Grow up to be God That God do's BEGET Himself in them Then I do not see how they can avoid the Consequence of a Multiplication of Gods Of God's having a Beginning and being Created For if He be Begotten in Time Every Day in Every New Quaker He must be Created and so is both the Creature and the Creator If He be Capable of Encrease of Growing up from a Seed to a Child c. He must likewise be Subject to Dissolution He must be Lyable to Infirmities and Passions as We are And this the Quakers do not Deny Nay they Argue Expresly for it They take in a Literal Sense those Expressions in Scripture Where God is said to Repent to be Weary to Suffer c. several of which G. Whitehead Quotes in his Divinity of Christ p. 56. as Isai 63 10. Amos. 2.13 Hos. 11.8 9. Psal 95. Gen. 6.6 Psal 78.40 Isai 1. and chap. 43.24 These he brings as an Answer to the Argument of Thomas Vincent against whom he Disputed That Christ as God Cou'd not make Satisfaction for our Sins because as God He cou'd not Suffer The Contrary of which G. W. here Endeavours to Prove and brings these Texts to shew That God can Suffer These are the Natural and Necessary Consequences of this Mad Foundation of the Quaker Faith in Setting up their Light Within for Christ and God I am Weary in Pursuing their Blasphemies But it is Necessary in Order to Un-Deceive the Simple and Deluded among them Who know not these Depths of Satan into which they have been Led Especially Considering the Tenacious Obstinacy of their Leaders Who tho' they know these things Yet for Popularity or other Ends will not Suffer their Implicit Followers to Repent But Buoy them up with all the Artifice and Cunning they are Able to Believe That all is Well And to adhere firmly to All that they haue Taught them from the Begining And that IN ALL THE PARTS OF IT Some Texts Rescu'd from the False Glosses of the Quakers to favour the Universality of what they call The Light within 3. Let me for a Conclusion Rescue some Texts of Scripture which the Quakers have wrested to their own Destruction And upon which they build their wild Notion of the Light-Within That being undeceiv'd in this they may by the Blessing of God see their Error and Return Their Chief Text which they have Constantly in their Mouths is Rom. x. 8. The word is Nigh thee even in thy Mouth and in thy Heart that is the word of Faith which we Preach This word of Faith they take to be the Light which is in Every man of the World and not to Refer to the outward Christ or to the Faith in Him His outward Sufferings and Death but to the Faith in their Light within which Every man has even those who never heard of Jesus of Nazareth But the very next words ver 9. shew the Apostle's Meaning to be quite otherwise and to Refer wholy to Faith in the outward Christ This is the word of Faith which we Preach says he That if thou shalt Confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt Believe in thine Heart that God hath Raised Him from the Dead thou shalt be saved Now that by Faith the Apostle did not mean that Light which is Common to All men is plain from 2 Thess iii. 2. For all men have not Faith Says he You see here That in the very next verse following Rom. x. 8. which is the Quakers Text the Apostle do's Limit it Expressly not to the Light within but to Faith in the outward Jesus So in Deut. xxx 11 12 13 14. Whence the Apostle Quoted it the very next Verse immediately Before viz. Ver. 10. do's Limit these words in Moses to the outward Book of the Law and not to their Light within For thus says he If thou wilt hearken unto the Voice of the Lord thy God to keep His Commandments and His Statutes which are Written in this Book of the Law For this Commandment which I Command thee this Day is not far off It is not in Heaven or Beyond the Sea c. And Chap. xvii 18 19 20. The King is Commanded to Write him a Copy of this Law in a Book out of that before the Priests the Levits And to Read therein all the Days of his Life That he might thereby Learn to Fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of this Law and these Statutes to do them Was he to write a Copy of the Light within in a Book out of the Levits Book And by Keeping the words of this Law was no More
therefore not so strong as mine Secondly I have brought William Shewen's own Book Writ and Printed after that Meeting sufficiently declaring at least the Two last Particulars or rather indeed all the Three For since he construeth Christ's Ascension into Heaven to be inwardly in Men he has left us no proofs for his Ascension outwardly Thirdly had G. Whitehead been ingenuous he would have been positive to have told what he did remember seeing some present at these Meetings as old in years and as weak in Memory as himself hath very lately told what was said in one of them Meetings and that is the chiefest of the Three and indeed includes all the three Particulars above mention'd Fourthly know then for a further evidence that Thomas Heart an ancient Citizen of very good credit and fame a person of greater Age than G. Whitehead as I suppose and one whom G. Whitehead I think will own to be worthy of Credit in any other thing if not in this hath lately declar'd to me in answer to my request to him that seeing I was called in question as a Lyer for saying some of my opposers at one of these Meetings had said they needed not Christ then he would be pleased for the truths sake to speak what he did remember was said by them to that effect that he did remember that they did say They needed not Christ and also that he did reply to them It may be before they Dyed they would find their need of Christ thus he freely and voluntarily declared to me in my House 22d 12. Month. 1697. in answer to my request as above I having told him that to clear me of the Imputation of a Lyer I did desire him by a few lines in writing to speak with me who came to my House in complyance to my desire and I having repeated to him all his words as they are above mentioned that he spoke to them he answered me directly that his memory was weak and did not remember the other passages but this said he I do well remember that when some of them said they needed not Christ I told them before they Dyed they might come to find their need of him and he said further I own it to be a truth that I need Christ still for I find my obedience so short that I cannot rely upon it and therefore I need that God be merciful to me and forgive me my sins and failings for Christ's sake And diverse things he spoke to this purpose very sensibly and Christianly with which I was much refreshed to find him so sound and sensible and that he still adhered to his former Testimony he gave at one of these Meetings And seeing he hath confirmed the truth of my Relation in one of the chief Particulars that one containing all the rest I judge it is an Authentick evidence to the whole for if they needed not Christ then sure they were not to Pray to him and as sure it is that there is no need of any such belief according to their sentiments that Christ's Body did Ascend into Heaven for they having denyed the end of his Ascension which was that We might have him to be our merciful high Priest in Heaven to make intercession for us according to our need they must consequently deny his Ascension otherwise say he Ascended to no purpose or end as to us For a further evidence I here add the Testimony of John Bull who was present at one of these Meetings who had also at my desire and request obtesting him to speak the truth seeing my Christian Name and Reputation was concerned in the case declared Note since the writing of this Paper John-Bull is det ceased Bu I have Evidence of some alive who heard him so affirm that it having been long ago he did not remember much but this he did remember that they opposed to that passage in my Book wherein I did assert that Christ's Body that was buried rose again and ascended into Heaven As also that several Friends said they were much benefited by the things that they heard discoursed by way of Objections and Answers and blessed God for that opportunity This he told me at my House 23d 12th Mo. 1697. Having thus finish'd my Relation touching these weighty Matters which I solemnly declare to be true and which I think I have give a sufficient Evidence of by the concurring Evidences of some of their Brethren that remain in Unity with them it now remains to give some Reasons of making publick this Relation which I do thus 1. My first Reason of making publick this Relation is to clear my Name both as a Man and a Christian from the imputation of Lyer Slanderer and false Accuser which some of the contrary Party have cast upon me for my having affirmed that some noted men among the Quakers yea and Teachers too Twenty years ago have oppos'd some of the great Fundamentals of Christianity and greatly Censured me for asserting them 2. The second Reason is that this Account given by me here will serve for an Apologie and Excuse to me in great part why I have in some of my former Books especially in my Controversies with some of the Preachers at Boston in New England praised and defended William Penn and George Whitehead as sound and Orthodox in the Fundamental Principles of the Christian Faith Concerning Christ and the real existence of his manhood-Manhood-Nature consisting of a glorified Soul and Body in Heaven being both God and Man and yet one Christ And our Faith in him as such for Remission of Sin and eternal Salvation whom these men did represent as unsound Now that which gave me as I thought just ground so to judge was that they seemed to me by the defence they made for me at these two Meetings aforesaid to be not only sound in their judgements as touching these great truths but to be cordially and zealously concerned for the defence of them And in this persuasion of them I continued until the differences arose in Pensilvania betwixt my Adversaries and me in the year 1691 concerning the necessity of Faith in Christ without us for Remission of Sin and eternal Salvation as well as the beleif of his inward appearance by his Light and Grace in our hearts both which I affirmed was necessary to our Christianity which my Adversaries rose up against charging it to be false as well new Doctrine and contradicting the printed Testimonies and Books of sound Friends and particularly of William Penn and George Whitehead so that I was accused by my Pensilvanian opposers in our publick Meetings there for contradicting the Principles of William Penn and G. Whitehead in their Printed Books particularly in that Book called the Christian Quaker both in relation to the sufficiency of the Light within without any thing else to Salvation and also in relation to the Resurrection of the Body And thus time after time they opposed me with these men's Books and when I
down in as Clear a Light as I can the Bottom and Foundation of this their Mystery of Iniquity which indeed is wonderful And without Understanding of which Exactly it is Impossible to Dive into their Hidden Meanings that they have whenever they speak of Christ 1. We must know then That they do hold with the Anthropomorphits and Muggletonians that God has a Body of Flesh Blood and Bones And that Christ as God had such a Body from Eternity And that this was an Human Body And consequently that God or Christ was a Man from Eternity This Humanity of Christ they call Spiritual Heavenly Vncreated And they Distinguish it from that Manhood which He took of our Nature in the Womb of the B. Virgin which they call Earthly Corruptible Created and Outward Manhood 2. They say that He took upon Him this Outward Manhood but not into His own Person so as to become Truly and Really His own Manhood or Part of His Nature But only as a Vail Vessel Garment or Cloathing to His Heavenly Manhood As when Angels assum'd Bodies to Appear in they took them not into their Nature but only as a Vail or Garment for a time and then laid them down again Tho' while they Appear'd in them they might be call'd Their Bodies as being us'd or Possess'd by them So and no otherwise the Quakers call the outward Body of Christ His Body 3. The Heavenly Manhood of Christ Flesh Blood and Bones they say Dwells in them This is what they call their Light within 4. They Attribute the whole of our Redemption of the Atonement and Satisfaction made for our Sins to the Madly suppos'd Sufferings Death Resurrection and Ascension of the Heavenly Manhood or their Light within Which they say is all Perform'd Within them Of which they say the Outward Sufferings of Christ were a Type or Figure 5. They Vilifie the outward Christ and His Sufferings as of no Efficacy towards our Salvation more than the Sufferings of other Goodmen as an Example or Encouragement to us For they say That their Light within is sufficient to their Salvation without any thing else i. e. without the outward Jesus what He did or suffer'd for us And they Deny that He is now in Heaven in the Outward Manhood of our Nature or that He will Come in That Manhood to Judge the World In short They Deny Jesus of Nazareth or that Person who suffer'd upon the Cross to be Properly the Son of God 6. They are Perfect Deists in Every Respect 7. They are the most Monstrous sort of Deists that ever were in the World For they hold with the Ranters whence they sprung That ther is no Difference or Distinction betwixt God and Creatures But that Every thing is God even the Devil The first of these Seven Particulars I will shew in this Place The 2.3.4 and 5. are shewn in Sect. vii viii ix and x. The 6th in Sect. xvi And the 7th in the 2d Part Sect. vii N. 2. For the First then That God and Christ as God was a Man from Eternity c. see Tho. Ellwood's Answer to G. Keith's Narrative p. 96. 97. where he Delivers Will Penn's true sense and Meaning The Plain Import of all his W. P 's Arguments says T. E. is That Christ as Christ was from the Beginning before He took that outward Body of Flesh in which He suffer'd at Jerusalem which is so far from a Denyal of His being Man as well as God that it is a fair Acknowlegement of it inasmuch as He wou'd not have been Christ if He had not been Man as well as God As therefore He was Christ from the Beginning so was He also both God and Man and that not only In his People but out of or without them also And if He was Truly Man Then before He Appear'd in that outward Body which was Nailed to the Cross to be sure He is not less Truly Man now since that outward Manhood became as I may say a Cloathing to that Divine and Heavenly Manhood which He had before Thus T. E. wrote lately An. 1696. And shews what their Principles are Now. viz. That ther are Two Manhoods of Christ the one outward which serv'd only as a Cloathing to the Heavenly Manhood That Christ had not been Christ if He had not been Man as well as God And therefore That He was Man from the Beginning as well as God And Consequently That God was Man from Eternity For Christ or the Eternal word was no other than God Now let Us go a little Back and see the same Doctrine taught by the Quakers formerly Isaac Penington in his Question to the Professors c. Printed An. 1667. p. 30. do's plainly Distinguish these Two Manhoods of Christ Thus he says He that knoweth the Substance the Seed of the Kingdom the Birth of the Spirit knoweth the Flesh and Blood which is of the Seed And this Flesh is Flesh indeed this Blood is Blood indeed even the Flesh and Blood of the Seeds Nature But the other was but the Flesh and Blood of our Nature which He honoured in taking upon Him in which He did the will in which He offer'd up the Acceptable Sacrifice but yet did not give the Honour from His own Flesh and Blood to It. For the Flesh and Blood of our Nature was not His own Naturally but only as He pleas'd to take it upon Him and make it His. But that whereof He formeth Vs and which He giveth us to Eat and Drink is the Flesh and Blood of His own Nature And this was It wherein was the Virtue and wherein is the Virtue Life and Power for Ever Happy O happy is he who is of It who is taken out of and Formed of Him as Eve was of Adam and so becomes Flesh of His Flesh and Bone of His Bone c. This was the Flesh and Bone of the Heavenly and Eternal Manhood which he calls of the Seed's Nature that is of Christ not as He was of the Seed of Abraham after the Flesh but as He is the Seed or Light in our Hearts for I. P. calls this the Seed's own Flesh and Blood of His own Nature And Distinguishes it from the Flesh and Blood which he took of our Nature And says that the Vertue and Life is not in that but in the Flesh and Blood of His own Nature Not the Flesh and Blood says he p. 25. of the outward Earthly Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Inward spiritual Nature Not the Flesh and Blood which Christ took of the first Adam's Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Second Adam 's Nature This is of God or Christ as God And p. 10 says We are taught both by the Spirit and by the Scriptures to Distinguish between Christs own Flesh and that of ours which He took up and made His. Ther is much more to the same Purpose in that Book of Penington's with which I will not Detain the Reader The
last Authority I shall Produce is of the Great Fox Himself in his Book call'd Several Papers given forth for the Spreading of Truth c. Printed 1671. There p. 54. is a Chapter which bears this Title Concerning Christ's Flesh which was Offered c. And this Flesh he makes not to be That which He took of the B. Virgin but That which he had from the Beginning and which he supposes was Crucify'd when Adam Fell And in That Crucifixion to Consist the Atonement and Satisfaction made for Sin And he takes that Text The Lamb slain from the Foundation of the world not as then Decreed and Purposed by God but Literally as then Actually Fulfill'd Thus he Begins that Chapter Christ the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the world when it began its Foundation then the Lamb was slain And Christ according to the Flesh Crucified the Lamb slain that Flesh of His which is a Mysterie when the first Adam's and Eve's Flesh was Defiled This he calls a Mystery And it is the true Mystery of Quakerism It is upon this account That the Quakers think all the Christian world to Lie in Darkness but Themselves That other Christians know of no other Flesh and Blood of Christ but that outward Flesh which He took in Time of the B. Virgin Hence it is common in their Discourse and in their Books to tell others That the Flesh of Christ is a Mysterie That they understand nothing of it As Solomon Eccles wrote That the Pope Sn. Sect. x. p. 138. the Episcopal the Presbyterian Independants and Baptists understand the Blood of Jesus Christ no more than a Brute Beast Therefore the Quaker's Confessing to the Blood of Christ in General Terms can be no Justification of them while they mean another Manhood Flesh Blood and Bones of Christ than any Christian ever Dreamt of But it Argues their Deep Deceit and Hypocricy to seem to Justifie themselves to the world by their General Confessions But Conceal their secret Meaning whereby they know that they Differ most Widely from those with whom they make this False Appearance of Agreeing Exactly Therefore their Answer to the Queres is no Answer while they Refuse to Renounce this Distinction that they have of Different Manhoods in Christ or otherwise to Explain themselves and tell us which of the Manhoods they mean The words of their Answer to the Queres upon this Head are these We sincerely believe in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of the Living God both as he is true God and Perfect Man But what they mean by Man here they do not Declare Whether that Eternal or Heavenly Manhood before spoke of or the Outward and Terrestrial Manhood which he took of our Earth But Tho. Ellwood we thank him has told us and Discover'd the secret in his Answer to G. Keiths first Narrative p. 205. where he Recites a Quotation G. K. had brought out of G. Whiteheads Book The Malice of the Independent Agent p. 17. That Christ's Body now in Heaven is the same in substance He had on Earth which wou'd seem a Fair Confession to the Humanity of Christ But hold a little crys T. E. Did G. Whitehead ever call or own Christ's Body now in Heaven or while it was on Earth to be Terrestrial or of the Earth Here we see how to Understand their words and how to Interpret this their Answer to the Quaeres not of the outward or Terrestrial Manhood which Christ took of our Nature but of their Secret and Heavenly Manhood which they Madly Fancie He had from Eternity And thus G. Whitehead Explains himself in his Part of The Christian Quaker Printed An. 1674. p. 140. where he says That he was not at all against Jesus Christ being God and Man take Man says he as Christ is the Heavenly Spiritual and Glorify'd Man But he Confesses that he was against this viz. That Jesus Christ consisteth of Human Flesh and Bone Here he Distinguishes betwixt the Heavenly and the Human Manhood The first he Ascribes to Christ but Denies the Latter that Christ has any Human Manhood And the Reason he gives for it is Seeing Christ says he was from Everlasting which is the same we have heard before from Thom. Ellwood where he takes upon him to Explain Will. Penn's sense in this Matter viz. That Christ as Christ always had a Manhood And seeing He had it from Everlasting therefore it cou'd not be the Human but the Heavenly Manhood Flesh Blood and Bone What then was that Flesh and Blood which he took of the B. Virgin wherein He suffer'd and Rose again And of which he said Behold my Hands and my Feet Luk. xxiv 39. Handle me and see for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as ye see Me have To this says G. W. ibid. p. 139. 140. yes Christ Had such Flesh and Bones but he did not Consist of them I distinguish between Consisting and Having Says he i. e. A man Hath anything that he Possesses or wears I Have a Cloak but I do not Consist of that Cloak that is It is no Part of my Nature and I may Put it on or Throw it off without any Change of my Nature And no otherwise do the Quakers reckon of the Body and Blood which Jesus our B. Lord took in Time in the Womb of the Virgin Not that He took it into His Person so as to Consist of it as a Man do's Consist of Both Natures of his Body and Soul But only that He Had it that is Made Vse of it and wore it for a Time as a Vail or Garment which He has now laid aside and subsists in Heaven only in that Heavenly and Eternal Manhood Flesh Blood and Bones which He had as Christ from Eternity And they make it a Contradiction to say That Christ do's Consist of any other Flesh and Bone that is of Human Flesh and Bone they think this to be a Contradiction to Christ's being the Eternal Word because they hold that He cou'd not be the Word or Christ without Consisting of Flesh Blood and Bone And therefore That if He had None but the Flesh c. of the Human Nature which was Created in Time it must follow That He was not the Word or Christ from Everlasting Thus says G. W. ibid. p. 139. Is there not a Plain Contradiction between Jesus Christ Consisting of Flesh and Bone Human Nature And that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal word from Everlasting c. Therefore you see it is Necessary for us in order to Oblige these Quakers to Discover their Meaning that we Insist upon the word Human And that they will Answer whether they Allow Christ to have Now in Heaven any Human Body Or whether He do's Consist Now of that Body or did Consist of it while He was upon Earth But will the Word Human hold them Have they no Dodge nor Shift whereby to use even that word Plainly in a sense in which they know that
no body Understands it in this Case What if we spell it Humane for Human and take Humanity in the Moral and not Natural sense of the word as when we say that such an One is a Man of Great Humanity i. e. of Good Nature Gentleness Goodness c. And Christ or The Word having Great Goodness in His Nature consequently we will allow Him a Humane tho not a Human Nature I am Confident the Reader do's now think that I am Fooling with these Quakers and Mean this only as a Banter For that he must Conclude it Impossible for any Men to shew themselves such Knaves as well as Fools to Dodge at such a silly and Impudent rate with Mankind while they Pretend to the Greatest Plainess and Sincerity of any Men upon the Earth Therefore let him Read a Quaker Book Intitul'd A Testimony for the true Christ and His Light in the Conscience in Confutation of Robert Cobbit 's Testimony against the Truth c. Printed An. 1668. And said on the Title Page to be From some of them called Quakers But suppos'd to be Penn'd by G. Whitehead There p. 4. and 5. they say As he Rob. Cobbit speaks of Humane with Relation to Nature or Body it hath Relation to the Earth or Humus the Ground of which Man was made which the First Man is of not the second though He was Really Man too but Humane or Humanity in the other sence with Relation to Gentleness Mercifulness and the like this we know was and is in the Image of God in which Man was Made and His Gentleness Kindness Mercifulness c. is Manifested in Christ And the true and Real Humanity as Oppos'd to that Cruelty Envy and In-Humanity which is got up in Man since the Fall so that Humanity und the Unreasonableness of Beasts are two things Thus the Quakers Here they Deny Christ the Second Man to have been Made of Humus the Earth as the First Man was And yet say they He the second Man was Really Man too How was this It cou'd not be in the same sense as the First Man who was Made of Humus the Earth if Christ did not take our Nature or Humus upon Him No The Quakers do not mean it in that sense as if Christ had ever taken our Human Nature so as to Consist of it or let it be any Part of His Person And yet they say That He is Really Man too By which they Mean only That Eternal and Heavenly Manhood before Mentioned And so Banter the World with their Plain Confessions in Double Meanings Yet have they the Confidence to Cry Whore first And Boldly Challenge others with what Themselves are the most Notoriously Guilty of any that Live upon the face of the Earth Sam. Fisher one of the Chief Rabbies of the Quakers Sam. Fishers Works p. 177. Charges the Priests against whom he Disputes with Shameful shiftings from sense to sense miserable marchings from Meaning to Meaning so that we can hardly know where or How to find them nor what they mean But we says he mostly or ever keep to the True Honest Ordinary and Plain purport of the words as they lie open and Clear to every Ordinary and Common Capacity And G. Whitehead Intitul's one of his Books The Quaker's Plainess detecting Fallacie Whereas their Books are such Un-intelligible Jargon that one must serve a Prentiship before he can understand one word almost of what they wou'd be at Nay they Glory and often Boast that their Words as well as Names are Hidden from the World And this not only in their Books but I Appeal to all that Converse with them whether the same Mysteriousness be not in all their Conversation concerning Religion When you ask them the meaning of their Light within their Christ within their Life Read c. They Answer Commonly with a Grunt of Disdain or Pity as they wou'd have you take it And when they Vouchsafe to Speak it is to this Purpose These things are Hid from thee and from the World Read within there thou wilt find them But we know them and have Sweetness and Life in them c. Their Language is as much a Cant as the Gipsies And this has Preserv'd them so long Vn-discover'd in the World Yet they make up a Mouth and Pretend to Plainess beyond all others But you shall never get them to Answer Directly or to the Purpose To give a Plain Yea or Nay to any Question concerning their Heresies If they say I wrong them let this be the Test That they will either Own or Disown this their Notion of an Heavenly and Eternal Manhood of Christ And tell us in Plain Terms which of the Manhoods that which is Created or that which they say is Vn-created they mean when they Confess to the Manhood of Christ now in Heaven And till they do this which I Guess will not be in Hast let my Charge stand good against them Which I may Reasonably presume from all Judicious Readers But ther is no stop in the Art of Heresie This their Mad Notion of an Heavenly Body in God or Christ has brought them to Fancy that they themselves have the same Heavenly Body And thus they Understand our being Members of Christ not as being Members of His Church of which He is the Mystical Head But as Members of this His Heavenly Flesh Blood and Bones And therefore say that Their own Bodies shall never Dye G. Fox when one minded him that he wou'd Dye Will. Rogers his Christian Quaker IV. Part. p. 49. and turn to Dust and therefore that he ought to be Humble Answers in his Letter which is Printed Thou sayest when I am turned to Dust and Dead Is this thy Doctrin Are the Members of the Heavenly Body turned to Dust and Dead This Doctrin proceeds from Darkness and not from the Light of Christ. This is very Intelligible And Easie to the Meanest Capacity This is the Quakers Plainess It was not said that his Soul shou'd turn to Dust this was spoke of his Body And here he denies it of the Body Why Because it was a Member of the Heavenly Body of God And yet they do not doubt but their Bodies must Dye in the True Honest Ordinary and Plain purport of the Words to which they Mostly or Ever keep But this Mystery is Vn-Riddl'd in the Second Part. Sect. vii n. 2. where it is shewn That they hold their Bodies as well as Souls to be God It is told in the Preface how the Quaker Heresies were Borrow'd from the Ancienter Sectaries amongst us And this their Answer to the Seven Queres shews that they have Inherited their Plainess and Sincerity in Representing their own Principles to the World The Family of Love who Prevaricated in every Article of the Creed Printed a Confession of their Faith in the very words of the Creed An. 1656. But how they meant it Mr. Knewstub has shewn us which is Inserted in Heresiography p. 97.
Generation of Men call'd Quakers Printed 1654. subscrib'd by five of the then Ministers p. 83.84.85 where you will find more Instances as of Edmund Nuby's wife who went Naked through Kendal and after in Dec. 1653. came in the same manner into the Church at Kendal Another in the Same Posture about the beginning of January into Hutton Chappel at the time of Exercise as they word it Elizab Levens and Miles Newby Here they go by Couples Male and Female like the Beasts into the Ark went Naked up the streets at Kendal This was attested by Mr. Walker Minister at Kendal under his hand by his Letters baring Date 31. January 1653. Thom. Castel went as Naked as he was Born thro' the streets at Kendal the 10. January 1653. On Monday 28. Octob. 1653 one Thom. Holme of Kendal went as Naked thro' the Market-Place at Kirby Steven upon the Market Day and at his turning he said It is not I but God that goeth Naked And the week following another Great Ring-Leader of the Quakers one Taylour came to that Town And Denounced Woes against it for Rejecting that Prophet of The Lord whom He had sent to do signs and wonders in it All these Instances were in one Year within the Compass of 4 Months in and about Kendal when Quakerism was but 3 years old You may Imagin then how many more Examples might be Produc'd in other Places throu-out this and other Kingdoms and Nations where they have spread themselves in 48 years time now since they came into the World But if you say that these Testimonies are taken from Adversaries the 5 Ministers before Mentioned I Answer that in things of such Publick and Notorious Nature it cannot be suppos'd that they wou'd Print a Lye so soon that is Presently after as by the date of their Book such things were done when it wou'd have been in the Power of Every body in those Towns to Contradict and Expose them And if these Instances had been False it is not to be Imagin'd but that the Quakers in those times wou'd have Deny'd them But further we have both George Fox and James Naylor their Answer to this book of these 5 Ministers And they Both do allow these Instances to be True Boast of More of them And Defend and Justifie the thing as being Divine and From God G. Fox's Answer is in his Great Mystery p. 233. where as to these Persons going Naked he says This hath been a Figure of your Nakedness who are Egypt Spiritual and the Ethiopian Black And speaking of the Holy Prophets having been Signs to those in their Generations he adds such the Lord hath moved his Servants to give a True Sign amongst you and not a Lying who have their Cloathing of the Spirit which ye want which ye shall witness the Truth of the Lord God in the Sign if ever ye come into the True Cloathing of the Spirit of God By this no man can be sav'd who will not Allow and Receive these Beastly Im-Modesties of the Quakers as Divine and Heavenly Signs James Nayler in his Answer to this Book of the Five Ministers which he Intituls A Discovery of the Man of Sin Printed 1655. coming to that Point of their Going Naked he says p. 48. God hath made as many Signs among you as to go Naked in your Steeple-Houses in your Markets in your Streets as Many in the Northern Parts which is a Figure to you of all your Nakedness Here he owns many Instances of the like Nature in other Places I cou'd Produce more by name as of Daniel Smith Distiller of Malborrough in Wiltshire who about Twenty years ago went from Malborrough to Hull on purpose to shew himself stark Naked in the Church there which he did And I suppose the Friends have not forgot at least the Quaker that Marry'd her has not that Precious Servant Maid at Putney who came Quite naked into the Room where her Master had Company at Dinner and when some wou'd have cover'd her shame she thank'd them for their Love but wou'd not admit of that sort of Kindness But said that she was moved of the Lord to march quite round the Table in that same Posture which she did But why shou'd I heap up Instances of this their Beastliness seeing it is not Disputed but Justify'd And the Receiving such Obscene Bruts as Signs sent from Heaven made necessary to Salvation as you have heard from Fox But all sober Christians will rather look upon them as Signs of the Prodigious Delusions of the Devil to make Men believe even Women that Divesting themselves of all Natural Modesty And Exposing themselves Naked in Publick Naked Men and Women together as before is told and out-doing the very Impudence of the Stews is Consistent with that Shamefastness and Sobriety which is so strongly Inculcated in the Gospel of Christ But to think such Highly Englightned beyond the ordinary Measure and thereby to Commence Prophets and Prophetesses sent from God what is this but to have their Brains turn'd with this Enthusiastical-Madness and without straining the Matter to be Literally out of their Wits and Distracted What Greater Signs are shewn of it even in Bedlam And are not they as Mad who Defend and Justify these in their Madness Of which more hereafter 2. But as those who thus Expos'd themselves Stark-Naked In their Strange Singularities are to be Computed no otherwise than as Stark-Mad so these who in lesser Degrees act contrary to the Common Reason and Sense of Mankind are to be suppos'd Maddish for ther are Degrees of Madness Now if we see a man Abstract himself from all Human Conversation to be always alone to Grow surly and Morose silent and sullen when Accosted Exotick and Phantastical in his Dress shunning what any body else do's wear loving to Appear Singular in all his words and Gestures who will neither Speak Look nor Go like other men the Common observation of Mankind reckons of these as Growing towards Madness But if they say such a stress upon these as to think it a Sin to use the Common Language Habit or Salutations this is a Heightning of their Madness To make it as G. Fox do's a Sin for Women to have slit-Peaks on the Skirts of their Wastcoats Short Black Aprons or Vizard-Masks or for Men to wear Skimming-Dish Hats as he calls the little Hats or Vnnecessary Buttons on their Coats or Cloaks And to Pronounce all this stuff as from the Immediat Spirit of God! see Sn. p. 299. If this be not Madness I think Olivers Porter had hard measure to have his Preaching Confin'd to Bedlam when G. Fox was suffer'd to go Loose who said in his Journal p. 24. When the Lord sent me forth into the World He forbad me to put off my Hat to any and I was Requir'd to Thee and Thou all Men and Women they wou'd Down with all wordly Honour as long as they had no share in it Now in all the fore-mention'd
by a Solemn Declaration asserted their Right to Possess the whole Earth and to Fight for it with the Carnal Sword And the words of their said Declaration are there set down which was Penn'd by that Renown'd Quaker Edward Burrough and Subscrib'd by Fifteen of the Principal Leaders among the Quakers in the Name of All the Rest Now G W. do's not deny one word of all this What then How do's he Answer it what is the Mistake Abuse or Calumny which he charges upon this Passage He says These are very Bitter Invidious and Calumnious Suggestions and Cruel Jealousies of a High Nature as if this poor Libeller eagerly thirsted after our Blood That Libeller as you call him I dare say had no Design upon your Blood or the Blood of any body But if you Preach up Bloody and Treasonable Doctrin must no Man Detect this without a Design upon your Blood You Proclame Blood to the Ends of the Earth especially against the Priests of all Professions Oh! Give the Priests Blood to Drink for they are worthy Slay Balaam vex the Midianites Blot out the Remembrance of Amaleck from under Heaven that is the Clergy and the Lawyers c. as the Quakers themselves Explain it See Sn. p. 230. c. yet this must not be told you but you Cry out Here is a Design upon our Blood But you Answer not a word of the Charge Are any of your Authors falsly Quoted Have they not said all these things Will you then Disown these Authors at least as to these Bloody and Desperate Tenets No. This cannot be done For then their Infallibility will Crack And your whole Foundation Sink Then will it appear that the Spirit by which they have been Led was not the Spirit of Truth but of Murder Treason and the Vilest Errors The Best Excuse that can be made for them in this Case is that which I have before Instanc'd viz. Madness For if they are in Good Earnest in all these Bloody Designs which they have Express'd Considering their Power and Number now amongst Us they are Dangerous indeed And Every Government will be oblig'd to take a Care of them And that in some other Manner than as John Parret Charles Baly and Jane Stoaks were Serv'd who were so kindly dealt with at Rome to be sent to a Mad-House and Phisick prescrib'd for them The Matters thus Suggested Says G. W. p. 17. are so Gross that we need say little to them How Say but Little to them If they are so Gross you need say the More to them But what if they are True as well as Gross And you offer not to Disprove one Tittle of the Truth of them And the more Gross one wou'd think you shou'd be the more Concern'd to Disprove them And if the least of the Proofs which are brought against you had been False or any way Exceptionable no doubt we shou'd have heard of it as from Rich. Scoryer about a small Mistake alledg'd as to his School George you shou'd either have said nothing of this Matter or have said more to it But the Nation is oblig'd to you for this Discovery You Repeat this Charge again p. 18. where you Quote the Sn. p. 133. saying Their Principles Destructive to all Government c. And you answer This is a General very Gross c. How a General was ther only a General Charge given against you and no Proof no Particulars at all Mention'd Yes George ther are abundance of Quotations and Particulars which are Insisted upon and Prov'd at large And Thou do'st not Answer to any one of them Thou Dar'st not Deny one of them yet here Thou woud'st Impose it upon the Reader as if nothing but a General Charge had been Exhibited against you This is Thy Sincerity and Quakers Plainness Their Opposition of Tythes V. From this place to p. 24. he spends against what is said in behalf of Tythes And p. 19. Quotes the Sn. saying that the Pope was the first Author of the Sacrilegious Impropriations which is more largely Insisted upon in the Sn. yet he Charges the Author as a Popish Agent and in his Contents calls this a Popish Plea for Tythes But all the Reason he gives is that some Papists were for the Divine Right of Tythes Then he names some of the Protestants which were not of this opinion And this is all Poor Man that he knows of the Matter He Answers none of the Arguments which are there brought for Tythes nor do's he bring any Arguments against them That is none of his Method But as to Fr. Bugg's Impeachment against them for opposing and Annulling the Laws of the Land which enjoyn Tythes he fairly Pleads Guilty in Express Terms while he thought he was Acquiting the Quakers of that Charge And he Re-Asserts their Seditious Principle p. 18. against The Secular Powers Imposing them Tythes being Abolisht says he by Christ's Law Which was all that Bugg Charg'd against them as making our Laws to be Anti-Christian Upon this Head I wou'd Recommend to their serious Consideration a Principle they set down in a Famous Martyrologie of theirs call'd The West Answering to the North. An. 1657. wrote by G. Fox and several others of their Chiefs suffering then some Chastisements for their Blasphemie c. Contrary as they thought to the then Laws by the Arbitrary Orders of some Inferior Magistrates There p. 80. they say That for Any Party of Men under a Government to Make Laws being not Lawfully Authorized so to do for the Binding of others and thereunto to require obedience is the setting up of Themselves above the Law and Treading it under their Feet And rendring of them whom they do so Bind their Slaves and Vassals And so is Treason Now in the Sn. Sect. xix Ther is mention'd a Declaration Sign'd by above Seven Thousand of the Quakers Abolishing all the Laws and Damning the Law-Makers who Enact Tythes the Payers of them the Receivers or any who but Countenance or Own them This was in the year 1659. At which time the Quakers were very Busie with their Proposals to oppose the Restoration of the Church and the King Rob. Rich Hiden things c. p. 29. a Quaker tells Us of two other Printed Papers of the Quakers that same year one subscrib'd by more than Ten Thousand and the other by More than Fifteen Thousand All presented to the then Parliament To whom I am Credibly Inform'd They offer'd to Raise Twenty Thousand Men against the Common Enemy so they Term'd the King and Loyal Party And they had then so much Favour That as the above Author Informs us And cannot Deceive Us in that by the Act of Parliament bearing Date the 28 June 1659 for Setling the Militia the Quakers were made Commissioners to Form Troops and Regiments to Nominate the Officers and to Assess Money for Buying Horse Arms c. He Names Five by Name whom he knew who were of the Committee for the Militia of
1.19 is Perverted when taken in that sense and averrs that the Apostle there Doth not tell of Human Blood to Redeem them with for says he Human is Earthly What Blood is it then which Redeems Us He go's on to tell in the next words But Christ whose Blood is Spiritual is Lord from Heaven c. And then he Asks Was that Human Blood which Christ saith except a Man Drink he hath no Life in him and which Cleansed the Saints from all Sin who were Flesh of Christ 's Flesh and Bone of His Bone G. W. means that this cou'd not be the outward-Flesh But that it was the Eternal and Spiritual Flesh before spoke of Which the Quakers suppose that they have within them and this is it which they call their Light within But I will Answer this Quere of G. Whitehead's because I believe he ask'd it thro' Ignorance and that many Quakers are Deluded by it Therefore I say That it was Human Blood of which Christ said Except a man drink of it c. But the Figure lies in the word Drink not that we were literally to Drink the very Material Blood of Christ but to Feed upon it in our Hearts by Faith i. e. in the Satisfaction and Atonement thereby made to God for our Sins But to put the Figure upon the Blood as if that were only Figurative and not True Real Material and Human Blood which Christ offer'd for us but a Notional Spiritual which is not Real Blood this is the Fandamental Error of the Quakers and which overturns the whole Christian Faith And now what do's it signifie to bring Quotations out of the Quaker Books which speak of the Blood of Christ and bear witness to it while they mean not Real or Human Blood of our Nature but only the Inward Spiritual Life of Christ in our Hearts And do not Distinguish this at all from His Blood As G. W. says in the same Book before Quoted Truth defending c. p. 63. Whose Christ's Blood is not differing from His Life which Redeemeth from sin as thou Imaginest says he to his opponent Christopher Wade who having said as G. W. Quotes him That our Blessed Saviour did Instruct men to lay fast hold of and to abide in such a Faith which Confideth in Himself being Without Men. G. W. Replies p. 65. That 's Contrary to the Apostles Doctrin And the Saints Faith stood in the Power of God which was In them Again ibid. G. W. opposes this of C. Wade's which he Quotes That the true Christ doth by infallible Arguments prove Himself not to be a Spirit i. e. not a meer Spirit as in the next page G. W. Quotes him And G. W. gives the like Answer to this which is says he Quite against the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them the Hope of Glory and a Quickening Spirit That Christ is a Spirit and Ever was no Christian Doubts But that He has not likewise a Body not from Eternity as Quakers and Muggletonians madly Dream but an Human Body of our Nature which He took into His own Nature in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin and will for Ever Retain United in His Person true God and Man and therefore is not now a meer Spirit as before His Incarnation none can Deny but the Grossest of Hereticks And G. W. here Denies it and says That to affirm Christ not to be a meer Spirit is contrary to the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them No Christian denies but that Christ by His Blessed Spirit and Influence do's Dwell in the Hearts of Believers But therefore to Deny the Demonstration which Christ gave Luk. xxiv 39. That He was not a Spirit but had true Flesh and Bones is such a Degree of sottish Infatuation as has Possest none amongst us but these Miserable Quakers Why else did G. W. oppose C. Wade for urging this Scripture in Proof that Christ was not a Spirit but had a True Real Human Body G. Whitehead's meaning was as before shew'd p. 18. that the Person who then Appear'd to the Apostles was not the Christ. No but only a Vail or Garment of Borrow'd Flesh and Blood which He Wore And by which the Quakers expect no Justification but only by their own Works wrought In them by the Spirit Thus ibid. p. 62. G. Whitehead brings in C. Wade saying thus That God doth totally exclude works whether wrought by Men or by any Spirit in man whatsoever for Mens Justification He do's not Exclude Works as being a Necessary Effect of Faith and as Requir'd by God and without which when Possible true Faith cannot be nor can men otherwise be made Partakers of the Benefit and Purchase made for Us by the Obedience and Death of Christ But that our works tho' wrought in us by the Operation of the Holy Spirit as all our Good Works are yet must not come in for any share of the Merit and Satisfaction for Sin and our Justification thereby Psal xlix 8. For it Cost more to Redeem our Souls so that we must let that alone for Ever Our Works tho' necessary to Qualifie us and make us Susceptible of that Justification which Christ hath Purchased for us by His Blood yet are they Totally Excluded from being any Part of the Meritorious or Procuring Cause of our Justification And to this G. Whitehead's Answer is This is a Doctrin of the Devil The same Answer He and Will. Penn Repeated in their Serious Apologie Printed An. 1671. to shew they Alter not p. 148. to those who objected to them That they Deny'd Justification by the Righteousness which Christ hath fulfilled in His own Person for us wholly without us and therefore Deny the Lord that bought us To which their Answer is in these words And indeed this we Deny and Boldly affirm it In the Name of the Lord To be the Doctrin of Devils and an Arm of the Sea of Corruption which do's now Deluge the whole World It makes ones Hair stand on End to Hear such outragious Blasphemy against the very Heart and Foundation of the Christian Religion Against which the Cursed Spirit do's thus Gnash his Teeth to see his Chief Principle Attackt of making men trust for their Justification and Salvation to what is wrought in their Hearts by the Spirit of God as they suppose for which they oft mistake as in the Present Case the most Venemous Suggestions of the Devil Now if the Quaker method of Contrary Testimonies wou'd be allow'd See 2d Part. Sect. ii N. 3. they might Easily get off from all this by what Will. Penn has wrote in Point blank Contradiction to what is above Quoted in his Primitive Christianity Printed 1696. p. 79. where he owns Justification only for the sake of the Death and Sufferings of Christ And nothing we can do says he though by the Operation of the Holy Spirit being able to Cancel old Debts or wipe out old Scores You see he says here Though by the
likewise the Inward operations of His Spirit in our Hearts And that if Will. Penn or Thom. Elwood cannot Name one single Man much less any of those Communions which he Disputes against that ever thought Christ's outward Appearance wou'd save them without His Inward Appearance in their Consciences then against whom have they Disputed The Objection being thus stated wherein I take no Notice of his misplacing some words to hurt both the Sense and the English he Answers thus Yes I can Name one Single Man whom he has Vindicated against Us. in G. K's behalf who has both thought and said as much as That Christ's outward Appearance and Sufferings has saved them without his Appearance or Work in them And that is the said Rob. Gordon And it 's Charged against him among his many other Corrupt Doctrins by G. Keith in My and his Book Entituled The Nature of Christianity p. 70. 71. Artic. 1. That Christ without Us upon the Cross hath already subdued all things finished Transgression Made an end of Sin abolish'd Condemnation and Death Art 8. That Redemption Justification were finished and Completed in the Crucify'd Body of Christ for Us not in our Persons Art 12. That Redemption and all things are wrought Purchas'd for Us without the help of any thing to be wrought in Us. So that here was one Man i. e. R. G. and too many more that laid the whole stress and work of Mans Salvation Only upon Christ's outward Appearance and Suffering without His Inward Appearance and Operations by His Spirit in Vs I have given G. W's words at large because upon this Depends the whole Cause of Quakerism Therefore I will Examin them Fully and Fairly But first let me take notice of the Modesty of the Quaker-stile In My and His Book says G. W. It founds Harsh in English because so Vnusual But G. W. wou'd not Give Place to G. K. He Reserves His Dignity And Comon Civility is an Heresie among the Quakers But now to our Work And first I observe That G. W. has left out in the Articles he Quotes out of His and G. K's Book the pages in R. Gordon's Book call'd A Testimony to the true Saviour to which their Nature of Christianity is in Answer For there the Pages of R. G's book are Quoted after Each Article Which was wisely done of G. W. That none might know where to find the Quotations unless they wou'd have Recourse to G. W's Nature of Christianity which not one of a Thousand knows where to find It was Printed An. 1671. and now hardly to be Got. And G. W. not only leaves out the Pages but do's not so much as Name that Book of R. G's out of which they are taken that his Reader might be left Sufficiently in the Dark And that he had Good Reason so to do will soon Appear To These Articles here Quoted these pages of R. G's Testimony are added in The Nature of Christianity viz. p. 3. 4. 5. 20. And whoever will Read these will see R. G. fully Clear himself from this Imputation cast upon him and that he had given no Ground at all for these Objections made against him P. 4. and 5. he makes Two great Gospel Truths The first God manifest in the Flesh of Christ whereby Christ became our H. Priest in the Flesh therein to offer up himself the one Perfect Sacrifice Sufficient Atonement the Compleat Peace-Offering Once for Ever not often and in Every Generation and in Many Bodies as the Quakers say he Dayly offers Himself in their Bodies but in One Body by one Offering not in our Persons or Within Vs which is the Exact Quaker Notion but in His Crucifi'd Body without Vs and before any Good wrought in Vs whereby He hath already subdued all things finished Transgression made an end of Sin Abolished Condemnation and Death and so hath for Ever as our Head in Himself compleated the work of our Redemption and Reconciliation with God for Vs God thereby commending His Love towards Vs that while we were yet Sinners Christ Dyed for Vs when we were Enemies we were Reconciled to God by the Death of his Son The other Truth is the Mystery of Christ by His Spirit Dwelling in His Saints called in the H. Scripture Christ within you whereby God works In Us through Faith in Christ the Fruit and Effect of the work already wrought by Christ in His Crucifi'd Body for Vs without Vs And then he tells that for which he Reprehends the Quakers viz. That they Pretend so much zeal for this Mysterie of Christ within the Operations and Actings of the Spirit of God in themselves That they Deny the Mysterie of God in the Flesh of Christ as a Matter of no Necessity to them as to Redemption Reconciliation and Justification Reckoning to Accomplish this in their own Bodies Each for himself thro' Obedience to the Law or Light in his Conscience which Light they call Christ Redeemer and only Saviour without Respect to the true Christ and our only Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth and Redemption already wrought and Accomplished for Vs in His Crucifi'd Body Thus Plainly do's R. G. Express himself Giving full Testimony to Christ within Dwelling in our Hearts by Faith But Disputes only against that Quaker Heresie of Placing the Sacrifice and Atonement for Sin in the offering up of this Light within Perform'd in their Hearts and throwing off the Sacrifice and Atonement made by the offering which Christ made of Himself for Us upon the Cross as of no Efficacy to our Salvation This is it for which the Quakers so violently oppose him and which G. W. here calls Corrupt Dectrin And observe That in the 12 Art above Quoted R. G's words are Recited Imperfect for after the last words here put down viz. without the help of any thing to be wrought in us ther follows in R. G's words p. 20. so as to Atone with God for Vs which Explains his Meaning and is most Orthodox viz. That nothing Perform'd In us is the Atonement or Satisfaction for our Sins But this in no ways Hinders or Denies the Necessity of the Inward Presence and Operations of his H. Spirit to Sanctifie our Hearts whereby only that Atonement Perform'd by Christ in His own Body without Vs is Apply'd and Made Effectual to Us. Which R. G. over and over again not only Asserts but Zealously Contends for it Now let the Reader Judge whether G. W. has found an Instance in R. G. of one who Asserted That Christ's outward Appearance and Sufferings wou'd save any without His Appearance and Work in them The doing Right to R. G. is not the Matter I shou'd not have Detain'd the Reader so long meerly for that But by this it is very Evident That the Quakers have all along oppos'd the Christian Doctrin and Rejected all Faith in our Lord Jesus of Nazareth as to our Redemption or Salvation by His Death and Sacrifice of our Sins upon the Cross Why
that He is there According to the Spirit by whom we Receive Light Grace and Truth and through whom we have Access unto God This is Orthodox and plainly Exprest Which shews that G. K. had too much Sense and Learning ever to be a Quaker tho' he thought himself one And therefore he cou'd not stay with them He was Deceiv'd by them and Catch'd by their Sheeps-Cloathing of outward Sanctity and Preciseness But he still had Battling with them about their Doctrines as you may see in his Narrative hereunto Annex'd And by their Double and seeming Fair Answers then and at other times he was Induc'd to Err on the Charitable side And not think them so Monstrously Heretical as upon a more serious Examination of their Books he has since found them I say not this as if I did not think that he has been even Seduc'd in his Judgment into several Errors by their Conversation it is hard to touch Pitch and not to be Defil'd for he has own'd it to the world And as a Testimony of the Sincerity of his Repentance has after the Example of St. Augustine and other Holy Men Publish'd a Book of his Retractations the more to his Honour And by that shewn the other Quakers the only way to Reconcile themselves with God and Man But while they Persist to Cover Palliate and Excuse their Notorious Heresies which yet cannot be Hid And that their Leaders to save their own little Credit wou'd Ruin so many Thousand poor Souls of their Ignorant Followers by Keeping them in that Ditch into which they have Led them while they go on in this Wicked Course they must be Expos'd more and more till they come to be an Abhorring to all Flesh And if they will Choose this rather than to become the Joy of God Angels and Men in their Conversion let them Remember that Life and Death has been set before them 6. The sixth Testimony is p. 17. out of G. Fox's Journal p. 358. which indeed seems Fair and is put in the words of Scripture and of our Creed that Christ was Conceived by the Holy Ghost and Born of the Virgin Mary c. And if nothing had been said otherwise by G. Fox or other of the Quakers no Exceptions had been taken whatever Secret Meaning they had had in their Minds But when they have Express'd their Meaning in other places and not Retracted it in these seeming Fair Confessions we must to make them Consistent with themselves understand their words as themselves have Explain'd them Now we do not Charge the Quakers that they Deny that Christ took Flesh and that in our Nature in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin it is own'd that they do hold all this in Prim. Heres Sect. 1. and Sn. Sect. x. But the Charge is this That the Quakers do hold that Christ took or Borrow'd Flesh of our Nature only as a Vail or Garment wherein to shrow'd His own Flesh of the Heavenly Nature for a time as Angels when they Assume Bodies to Appear in upon an Occasion But that He did not take our Flesh into His own Nature so as to become Part of His Person without which what is before quoted out of Will Penn's part of the Serious Apology p. 146. must be true viz. That tho' Christ Suffer'd that Body which He so took to be Crucify'd yet that the Person which Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God As if you Crucify'd the Body which an Angel assum'd yet it were not Properly the Angel which wou'd be Crucify'd more than a Man wou'd be Crucify'd if you Crucify'd his Cloak And if Christ was no otherwise Crucify'd then was He not Crucify'd at all only in Appearance and False shew If that Person which Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God then Whose Son was He Do ye Quakers believe as some Socinians That He was Begot by Joseph Therefore will they Please to tell us who they think was His Immediate Father They have Deny'd it to be God Else He wou'd be Properly the Son of God Luk. i. 35. And G. Fox in this Testimony sets down only General Terms that Christ took Flesh c. But he has not Descended to say any thing in Opposition to their Sense of it and therefore this is no Contrary Testimony to the Charge against the Quakers And Will. Penn in a Book very lately Publish'd the end of the year 1698. call'd A Defence of a Paper Entitul'd Gospel-Truth's against the Exceptions of The Bishop of Cork 's Testimony p. 31. Likes better of this Quaker Turn of the Text Joh. 1.14 which they Learn'd from the Socinians that it shou'd rather be said The Word Took Flesh than as we Translate it The Word was Made Flesh Tho' the Greek cannot Bear their Sense and is Literally Render'd by Us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Became or was Made not Took Flesh But we see the Reason why they wou'd have it Turn'd because it might the more Favour their vile Heresie That Christ did not Assume our Nature into His own Person so as to become Really a Man only That He Took an Human Body that is of the Man Jesus as a Cloak or Vail to shrow'd Himself in for a Time Which is the very Heresy of Cerinthus against which St. John wrote these Words For Cerinthus said That Christ did Descend upon Jesus at his Baptism Thus Dividing Christ from Jesus as say the Quakers That Jesus was not the Lamb Only the Lamb or Christ Dwelt in Jesus as He do's in Their Vessels G. Fox is before Quoted saying in his Several Papers for the spreading of Truth p. 55. That Christ according to the Flesh was Crucify'd in the Days of Adam And that in That Flesh of His was the Reconciliation Then it was not in the Flesh which He took 4000 years after of the Blessed Virgin You see how Necessary it is for these Men to Explain themselves And that Generals will not do Now if any Testimony can be brought Contrary to this their Lurking Distinction of a Flesh of the Heavenly and a Flesh of the Earthly Nature or that places the Merit of our Salvation upon the Sufferings of the Earthly Nature they will indeed be to the Purpose And nothing can be so that is short of that For Example 7. The seventh Testimony p. 18. is brought out of the Serious Apology just now Quoted which Denies our Lord Jesus who Suffer'd to be Properly the Son of God But let us hear them This Testimony is taken out of p. 149. but three pages after what is above Recited And it Confesses to One Lord Jesus Christ who took upon him Flesh to whose Holy Life Power Mediation and Blood we only ascribe our Sanctification Justification Redemption and Perfect Salvation Now see what Hold can be taken of these Men or what Trust is in their words Here I Appeal to the Reader whether this Quotation do's not seem to say That our Justification is ascrib'd to Christ
Spirit of Truth in George Whitehead and Geo. Fox the younger as it is said on the Title-Page of this Book And p. 7. That it is of as Great Authority as the Scriptures and Greater this puts it past a Jest and ought to be Animadverted upon as a most Outragious Blasphemy And shews moreover the Mad Delusion of these Quakers that they are out of their Wits and their Brains turn'd by an Enthusiastical Distraction For as before has been shewn the meaning of the word Figure in this Dispute is a Type or Shadow whether Christ was a Type or Figure of something else i. e. of the Light within Vs And to Prove this by the Figure that is the Shape or outward Appearance of His Body and Raiment being Chang'd in His Transfiguration upon the Mount if these Men believe themselves is such a Portion of Ignorance as sets them not out of the Rank of Children But their thinking it to be Divine Inspiration makes them Mad-Men and Blasphemously so Then again to make Figure even in this sense that they wou'd take it to be the same as an Example which is Express'd in both the Answers of G. F. and G. W. this is not to know at all what they say but to set down words at Random For let Christs Transfiguration be a Figure in whatever sense yet how is it an Example to Vs Are we to be Transfigur'd while upon Earth as He was upon the Mount And must the Cloaths we wear become White and Shining as His was then Who wou'd have found fault with Hubberthorn for saying that Christ was to be an Example to Us Tho' the word But cou'd not have past even there To say that Christs coming in the Flesh was But an Example as if it had been Intended for nothing else And neither G. F. nor G. W. find any fault with this But of Hubberthorn's tho' it was objected but Justify Hubberthorn in the whole For it is the very Quaker Doctrin viz. That the Birth Sufferings and Death of Christ are but Types or Examples of all those things to be Perform'd more Eminently within Vs what Christ Did or Suffer'd Outwardly they make but the History and even Facile Representations as before has been said of what was to be Accomplish'd in Man Where the Atonement and Satisfaction for Sin is made by the Birth Sufferings c. of the Light within and not by any thing which Christ suffer'd Outwardly for Us. For that we must Suffer the same our selves even Eternal Burnings and are Justify'd only by what We suffer or the Light suffers In us And not by the Sufferings of any Christ without Vs as before shewn p. 61. And this Regeneration wrought by the Light in our Hearts they make to be a greater Mystery than the Incarnation of Christ and His taking our Flesh upon Him in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin who according to them was But a Type or Example of their Virgin Hearts where the True Christ is Born c. But G. W. has another Text for his Figure it is Heb. i. 3. where Christ is said to be The Express Image of His Fathers Person Which G. W. will have render'd thus The Express Figure of his Fathers substance He gives no Reason for the Fault he finds with our Translation Yet I suppose he gave all he had But however what use can he make of it That Christ was the Figure or Example of His Fathers Substance what is the Example of a Substance And was Christ an Example to His Father Alas poor Quakers Every thing goes wrong with them But Pursue this Antidoie G. W. says p. 39. That the Quakers do own that Christ's outward Blood is a Part of His Sacrifice But George what Part is it this was put in but to Amuse And by what is said above if it be a Type tho' the Chief Type it can be no Part of the Sacrifice or Atonement for let me ask thee George Is not the Light within sufficient without something else was ther no Atonement before Jesus suffer'd under Pontius Pilate or was it the Vertue of that Death and Sacrifice of Jesus which did operate backward to those before Him by Faith in Him who was to Come or was ther then another Atonement before He came if so was not that Atonement Perfect then the outward Blood was no Part of it Or were ther Two Atonements was that First which the Quakers suppose made by the Heavenly Body which as G. Fox says was Crucified when Adam fell was that Perfect and Sufficient If so what needed Another was the other which follow'd 4000 years after any Part of it And if not a Part then how is it a Part now But George thy Light and Life p. 55. has been before Quoted p. 97. where thou opposes the outward Blood of Christ being Any way Meritorious to Salvation Yet here thou allows it us as a Part of the Sacrifice Great wits have short Memories G. W. in the same p. 39. offers two mighty Arguments why the Quakers do not make Christ without but the History and the Light within the Mystery or Substance First Argument The Quakers make him Christ no otherwise than the Father has Appointed and made Him to be This was strong And in favour to George I pass it without any Reply Second Argument He Christ as in Himself is the Substance of all Shadows and the fulness of Light and Life Who Doubts it George But what Christ do'st thee mean Thee say'st As in Himself did'st thee not mean by this The Light within yea verily then thy meaning is that the Light within is the Substance of all Shadows And this is the very thing that is Charg'd upon thee and thy fellow Quakers Why did'st thee not say that the outward Jesus of Nazareth who was Nail'd to the Cross was the Substance of all Shadows That wou'd have been speaking Plain But that was none of thy meaning But by this Dodging way which thy Sincerity uses we see thy meaning plain enough 1. Their Spiritual Body of Christ which they Suppose He â—â—d from Eternity And their Denial of his now Human Body in Heaven X. Yet they have a Salvo even for this tho' full of more Contradictions for as before shewn p. 13. c. they have a Notion of a Body which Christ had all along before His Incarnation And which sort of Body they now allow him to have in Heaven but not that Body which He took of the B. Virgin in which He Suffer'd Dy'd and Rose again And by the help of this Private Notion of a Body they Deceive many People who know it not in their Confession to the Body of Christ now in Heaven as if they meant the same Body that we do which they do not but they mean it only of that Spiritual Body of the Second Adam's Nature as they Phrase it which they say Christ or the Light had before the First Adam was Created And they say that this
ye Vpwards ye Earthly-Minded and behold His Star in the East the Wise Men whose Eyes are in their Head have Seen it and been Led by it till the Babe was found Lying in a Manger for in the Inn ther was no Room for him He that hath an Ear to Hear let him Hear Thus they Commonly Conclude when they Speak Mystically This is to shew that they Mean not according to the Letter Therefore they Cry He that hath Ears c. For it is not given to Every One to Understand these Quaker Mysteries Therefore they speak to Us in Parables that Seeing we might not See nor Vnderstand them for they think Us not Worthy as having Harden'd our Hearts against them Let me here set down a Quotation more at Large out of the fore-cited place of Will Bayly's Works p. 291 292. It will give the Reader a Plainer View of this their Principle And they Complain often that their Words are given too Short and the whole Sentences not Produc'd at Large Thus then says that Renowned Quaker So now this Christ was before the World that now is began and was a Seed before any Name was given to it which in process of time being Begotten of God was Born of a Virgin had a Body Prepared to do the will of his Father as it is at this Day But none knows him or ever shall Born but of a Virgin he that hath Ears let him hear Whose Eye is Single Mind stayed on God Forsakes all takes up the dayly Cross denies Self These only know him Born tho' once like Mary said How can this be Seeing I know not a Man Seeing I have no Strength Wisdom Parts or Abilities of my Own But the Answer is at it was Be thou but the Virgin The Power of the Most High shall Over-Shadow thee And that Holy thing which shall be Born of thee shall be Called the Son of God This was Christ's Name in the Womb a Holy thing Read within This is the I AM which was before Abraham the Virgin is Subject to the Power of the Most High Where Christ is known to be first a Holy thing then a Child given c. as before Quoted That which may be known of God or Christ which is One is Manifest IN People there He is and is ONLY to be found This is that God which Paul Preached to the Athenians that Made the World c. Thus Will. Bayly And by this you see That they make God and Christ to be all One. That this God was a Seed before any Name was givin to it i. e. from Eternity That this God do's in process of time even at this Day Beget God IN Us. That this God do's Grow and Encrease IN Us from a Seed to a Child then to a Son lastly to be the MIGHTY GOD the EVERLASTING FATHER Again you see how they Allegorize the Virgin of Whom CHRIST was Born to a Pure or Virgin HEART That when Mary said she knew not a Man by Man here was only Meant Our own Wisdom Strength Parts or Abilities out of which Christ cou'd not be Born That they know Him Born of them at this Day as Mary knew Him Born of Her And indeed it do's not Appear That they think Him to have been Born any otherwise of Her than He is of Them that is Not of her Body in a Literal Sense but only in the Womb of her Heart as in Theirs They say that Christ or the Light is Begotten of God But they say not this of that Prepared Body as they call it of Jesus of Nazareth in which Christ or the Light Dwelt which was Literally Born of the Virgin MARY Whom they do not that I can find own to have been a Virgin in the Common Acceptation of the Word that is who had no Carnal Knowlege of a Man but only that she had a Pure that is a Virgin HEART Therefore they are Desir'd to tell us who they think was the Immediate Father not of Christ or the Light but of that Prepared Body of Jesus of Nazareth Whether they think as some Socinians have done that it was Begot by Joseph in the Ordinary way of Generation If they Wave giving any Answer to this It is Owning that they do think so For if they Believe as all other Christians do they can have no Scruple in Owning of it Especially Now when they are upon Smoothing of their Principles and Endeavouring to make them Appear the same with other Christians particularly with the Doctrin of the 39 Articles of the Church of England And in their Answer to this I here give them Caution to Avoid Ambiguity of Terms That they Word it not Who was the Father of Christ or of Jesus for they can call their Light within sometimes by the Name of Jesus that is a Saviour as well as by the Name of Christ that is Anointed But that they Answer Directly Who was the Father of that Outward Body of Jesus of Nazareth the Son of Mary And that they say not only Who was his Father for they may say it was God which is true in a Large Sense as He is the Father of All Living But that they tell Who was his IMMEDIATE Father And whether He was Begotten of Any Mere Mortal Man I Desire them to keep in the word Mortal because they have a Notion of an Eternal Manhood of God as shewn in the beginning of the First Part Therefore I Desire they may say whether our Jesus was Begotten of any MORTAL Man And because they have a Sense too in which they think that God or the Light may Dye in Our Hearts Therefore that they add the word Mere to Mortal and say Whether the Outward Body of Jesus of Nazareth which was Born of Mary the Wife of Joseph was Begotten by any Mere Mortal Man Ther is Need of all this Caution with these Quakers as sufficiently shewn before It is Impossible otherwise to Hold them Ther are None who have such Starting-Holes and Evasions as they have With all their Pretences to Flainness and Sincerity Now if they shall Answer in the Terms before set down That Jesus was IMMEDIATLY Begotten by God in the Womb of the B. Virgin Then that they give a Good Reason Why He was not Properly the Son of God Or otherwise That they Disown that Representation of their Belief which Will. Penn has Given and says it in their Name viz. That the outward Person which Suffer'd was Properly the Son of God We Vtterly Deny As has been before Quoted from p. 146. of his Serious Apology Then let them Own That Christ was otherwise Begotten and Born of the Blessed Virgin than He is in their Hearts or Ever was or will be in any other Person That only at that Time in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin and Never Before He did Assume our Flesh into an Hypostatical or Personal Vnion with His Divine Nature And that He is now Truly and Properly a Man in Compleat