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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65896	The way of life and perfection livingly demonstrated in some serious animadversions or remarks and answers upon the book entituled The middle way of perfection, with indifferency between the orthodox and the Quaker, herein considered, and the naked truth as it is in Christ Jesus, opened in real love to the souls of men / by George Whitehead.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1676 (1676)	Wing W1973; ESTC R20758	42,882	60

THE Way of Life AND PERFECTION Livingly Demonstrated IN Some serious Animadversions or Remarks and Answers upon the Book ENTITULED The middle VVay of Perfection with Indifferency between the Orthodox and the Quaker Herein considered and the naked Truth as it is in Christ Jesus opened in real Love to the Souls of men By George Whitehead Let your Moderation appear unto all Men Doing nothing by Partiality Printed in the Year 1676. Friendly Reader THE Publication of this ensuing Treatise is from a Necessity that came upon me for the holy Truth sake to remove Occasions of stumblings out of the Way of the simple and honest minded Inquirers after the Way of the Lord which is perfect so that although by Reason of other weighty Concernments the Press being also clogged with other Books this hath lain by in Manuscript above a Year after it was finished being written at sundry Oportunities when I could find some spare time yet I could not be clear in Conscience that my Labour in it should so remain obscure or the Service frustrated which I hope it may be of to such serious and unprejudiced Readers as desire after the Knowledge of the Truth as i● is in Chrst Jesus which is the Aim and End of my Labours and Travails I could have been content only to have sent a Copy of this Treatise unto the Author of the Book stiled The Middle Way of Perfection if that would have cleared Truth from his Mistake and removed the Burden off me but that could not be sufficient in regard his Book was so publick and if he come seriously to consider and see wherein he hath been mistaken and misrepresented us called Quakers especially in the latter Part of his Book it is to be hoped that out of a Respect to that Christianity Justice and Moderation professed by him he will as publickly do us Right in retracting his Mistakes and Misconstruction put upon us as to some Things of weight and moment which in this Treatise are seriously and from a Sense of the Foundation of God spoken to and opened in Love both to this Man's Soul and the Souls of all who desire true Information in these weighty Matters of Salvation herein treated on London the 12th of the 12th Moneth 1675. G. W. THE CONTENTS Sect. I. OF Justification from the Charge of the Law and the Charge of the Gospel how far it extends and our Evangelical Obedience of absolute Necessity page 10. Sect. II. Of Perfection being our Duty and how attainable confessed by this Moderator or midle-man pag. 12. Sect. III. Some Objections alledged by him against the attaining to Perfection answered pag. 17. Sect. IV. His Objection against sinless Perfection for sinful Imperfection in this Life proceeds from his wanting the true Sight of that Seed and Nature wherein is Victory and Perfection pag. 19. Sect. V. His Alleganiots for Sin from these Scriptures viz. There is no Man that sinneth not not a just Man upon Earth that doth good and sinneth not No more I that sinneth but Sin that dwelleth in me in many Things we offend all if we say that we have no Sin c. considered and answered pag. 21. Sect. VI. Of Regeneration the two contrary Principles and concerning the Phrases Whatsoever is born of God and Whosoever is born of God c. pag. 23. Sect. VII The Law of Grace Condition of Life and greater Commandments being performed sincere Obedience in lesser things may not be omitted pag. 25. Sect. VIII The calm Protestants in granting a Real and True Righteousness and that which is perfect and entire according to the Covenant or Law of Grace do assent to the Quakers Doctrine of Perfection pag. 28. Sect. IX The Performance of the Condition or Covenant of Grace and David's Perfection or being found a Man after God's own Heart not concerned in a sinful State nor consistant with the Breach of Duty and of Sin unto Death pag. 30. Sect. X. That Heaven wherein Unrighteousness dwells is not the New Heaven of the new Law and Spirit 's Assistance to the Performance of Imputation being crucified with Christ Children of God c. pag. 33. Sect. XI Of Repentance what real and what not of Christ as Propitiation some Scriptures perverted for Sin by our Moderator of God's entering into Judgement c. pag. 36. Sect. XII Of Justification Grace Law of our Creation Redemption as in Christ and as in us as universal and as peculiar the Quakers opinion about Perfection misconstrued pag. 39. Sect. XIII That those called Divines who deny Christ's Universal Grace and Redemption are stumbling in the dark and not orthodox of God's Terms and Man's Terms of Faith Repentance sinning and not sinning c. pag. 42. Sect. XIV That the Quakers have the Divines on the blind Side that the orthodox are quite out about Justification c. confessed pag. 44. Sect. XV. The Spirit 's Help to that Perfection which is the keeping the Commandments or Perfection obtained in and by the Spirit and spiritual Birth and not by the Flesh in the Letter pag. 47. Sect. XVI The Charge of bolstering up Men in their Sins justified against the pretended Divines who oppose Perfection and they not at all cleared by this Advocate pag. 49. Sect. XVII His pretended Discovery of several Inconveniencies of our Doctrine as the hurling Men into Despair casting off God's Care c. no real or true Discovery but the Consequences of his own and his Divines Doctrine for Imperfection so much confuted by himself the State of the most mortified on E●rth not consistant with Sin his reiterated Mistake against us pag. 53. Sect. XVIII His most dreadful Consequence and Conclusion of our Doctrine viz. of Evils secret and deadly to the Soul Contempt of most serious holy Professors monstrous overweening Conceit of a Man's self despising and setting at nought of others turned into a groundless Fear and proved inconsequent and his pretended Danger and Fear that it cannot consist with the Grace of God c. proved altogether causeless and groundless pag. 56. THE WAY of LIFE AND PERFECTION Experimntally Demonstrated c. WE must confess that the Author's Proposition near his Beginning is very moderate viz. As the best Physitians have been noted sometimes to take very great Regard to the ordinary Receipts of old Women and the meanest Persons so will it become the M●dest Divine to endeavour rather to discover and sift out that Truth which lies in his Adversaryes Meaning then to expose and shame their Opinions As also that in the first Part of his Book there are divers Truths contained in which he hath exprest more Modesty and Candor then in the latter Part and because there appears not that universal Consistency in his Work which the profest Indifferency or Impartiality should have produced I therefore propose this Method in my Observations and Remarks upon them viz. 1 st To take Notice of those Truths in his first Part together with some Variations therefrom

more absolute not only from all those Things from which we could not be justified by the Law of Moses but also in a constant Perseverance in the Grace and Goodness of God in Christ and faithful Obedience to him through the Spirit which is revealed in us Again we know no Opinion of ours that leads th●se Friends called Quakers from the Spirit and Life back to the Letter and Flesh and Ministration of Death but to bring men forward through the Law to be dead unto it and through the Sentence of Death to the Ministration of Life which exceeds in Glory that under this they might live unto God Though I own the Apostle's distinguishing between the Letter and the Spirit the Law of the Spirit of Life and the Law of sin and Death the old Covenant and the new the Law of Faith and the Law of Works yet his deeming the ●aw written in stone the Law of sin and Death page 27. In this I am not satisfied for the Apostle spe●ks of two contrary Laws the Law in his Mind which was holy and the other Law in his Members which rebelled against the Law and led him captive Now I dare not exclude the Substance of what was contained in the Law written in Stone as not being contained in that Law in Paul's Mind though that Law in his Mind had a greater Effect and Force upon him then the Law without ever had before and when he said The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ hath made me free from the Law of sin and Death We may not understand him to be made free from answering the Righteousness of Love to God required in the Law written in the Tables of Stone so though it was in a more effectual and lively Manner written in the fleshly Tables of the Heart wherein it was renewed and became a New Commandment though in it Self an old Commandment yet this Commandment as renewed and made lively in the Soul remains still Love out of a Pure Heart and is ●ve● that Commandment which is exceeding broad Sect. XV. The Law of Grace does require a sincere walking before God in all his Commandments and the Spirit of God doth certainly help us so far as we sin not against that Sincerity page 28. Animad Why then should we fall short of our Duty or of Perfect Obedience Can we desire better Help then that of the Spirit Object But the Spirit is not given to bring us up to the Terms of the Law and that we should not sin at all page 28. Animad Not That 's strange is not the Spirit given to lead us into all Truth throughly to sanctifie justifie c what can be requir'd more then to be in ALL Truth for a perfect sinless State Object The Galatians were seduced to the Opinion that they must keep Moses Law or else they could not be saved and this is their seeking to be made perfect by the Flesh the Flesh and Nature are synoynmous Terms the Works of the Law as given by Moses are called Flesh pag. 28. Animad 1st The Galatians then were seduced from the Spirit wherein they had begun to seek to be made perfect by the Flesh which cannot be justly chargeable upon us who seek Perfection by the Spirit desiring to continue and walk therein for that End 2 dly The Apostle doth not oppose Perfection but reprove their Foolishness for seeking it the wrong way viz. in the Flesh and not in the Spirit 3 dly Not all the Works of the Law given by Moses are called Flesh or Nature but such Works as the Galatians were turned again into from the Spirit such as were but shadowy ceremonial and elementary and such as stood in Fleshly Observations as the observing of Dayes Meats Drinks dive●s Washings weak and beggerly Elements of the World Circumcision c. which the Apostle so much argues against 4 thly ●f any turn from the Spirit and then seek to be made perfect by their Fleshly lmitation of the Law or Voluntary observation of the most weighty Precepts thereof without the Spirit 's Guidance and Assistance this is no better then a seeking to be made perfect by the Flesh and short of that which the Apostle travailed for on the behalf of the Galatians which was that Christ might be formed in them which is not a Fleshly Birth in the Shadow but a Spiritual Birth in the Life and Substance that lives to God for ever Object If the Quaker then is come to seek Life by such a following his Light as must answer the Covenant of Nature it self that is by a Perfection as is without sin against the Law he is plainly under the Notion of the Spirit brought at last to the Flesh for what he seeks page 28. Animad This is a gross Mistake and it no Wayes follows from our following the Light of Christ for Perfection without sin that we must be brought at last to the Flesh for what we seek this can be no wayes deducible from our following this Light within for it is neither Flesh nor Fleshly but Divine and Spiritual and the contrary Inference plainly follows for if we walk in the Light as God is in the Light then have we Fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin observe from all S●n what Sin then can remain behind Sect. XVI Object Concess It seems that these Friends do apprehend that our Doctrine which p●●seth Perf●ction doth serve for the boistering up Men in their sins and lull them into security that though they live and dye in their Wicked●●ss they must be saved and this being taught spiciall among us Protestants who believe that we are justified by Christ's Righteousness without Works doth appear very destructive to many Souls which makes them out of an Intention which we may suppose zealous for God●ness and the Promotion of a Good Life to f●ll on our Divines with so much tragical Exclamation as they do on this Point page 28 29. Animad And we have Reason sufficient to exclaim against them on this Point for indulging and bo●stering up men in their Sins to their Grave yea we may say to their Grave of Perdition and what this Man saith for such their divines and against Vs for an abuse herein page 29. will neither clear them nor prove us guilty of wronging them and I wish that he would no further contribute to their Sin in this Point though yet he himself is not satisfied with those he calls Divines as appears in divers Passages of his Book and particularly touching their unsound sense of imputed Righteousness which he sets aside in the same 29th page which we are now upon and I would seriously ask him if that their unsound Sense of Imputation doth not give us occasion to witness against them as too much soothing or bolstering up men in their Sins And if their Sense herein be not repugnant to Christianity But to excuse