Truth and Innocency DEFENDED AGAINST Calumny and Defamation In a late Report spread abroad concerning the REVOLUTION OF Humane Souls With a further Clearing of the Truth by a plain Explication of my Sence c. By George Keith To all Christian People to whose hands this may come WHereas I have been lately accused by a certain Person before divers Witnesses for being the Author of a certain Book called The Two Hundred Queries printed at London eight Years a go his Proof being That four or five Years ago he had it from my own Mouth but being put to bring Evidence from Witnesses he said He could prove it by such Circumstances which I told him that I could not deny I answered him It being so many Years ago he might justly question his Memory seeing when I called him to bear witness to things he had heard spoken but some few days or weeks past he hath said He could not remember them his Memory being weak and he had rather forget than remember such things He did also further charge me That he heard me say I believed I should be moved of God to preach the Doctrine of the Revolâ—tions as he termed it but what Revolutions I meant he did not tell for there are many Revolutions and of many sorts The which I do not remember I ever said to him and as he may understand the Revolutions his so charging me may be an utter Falshood and Slander for there are some sorts of Revolutions relating to the Souls of men that cannot be denyed if we own the Resurrection of the dead according to Scripture and our conveyance and descent out of the Loyns of our Ancestors up to Adam according to the Scriptures see Gen. 46.26 Hosea 12.4 Heb. 7. 9 10 and the word Revolution is the true English of the Hebrew word Gilgal mentioned Josh 5.9 Ezek. 10.13 and this with respect to men see the Hebrew Text and Margen of the English Bible also the Hebrew word Tehupha is translated three several times Revolution by the Translators of our English Bible and set on the Margen by them see Exod. 34.22.1 Sam. 1.20.2 Chron. 24.23 And whereas I declared That I did not remember that ever I owned my self to be the Author of that Book or that I said I did believe that I should be moved of God to preach the Revolutions but on the contrary seeing I do not remember it and my Memory is as good as his if not better I did and do hold it to be rashly and foolishly charged by him and for which he may be accounted a false Accuser nor can I think whatever I said such a thing because I never made the Opinion of the Revolutions as delivered in that Book or as vulgarly held by its Asserters a matter of my Faith or as any divine Opening besides â—is varying the Charge as Witnesses can prove saying first I knew not but I might be moved and last saying I believed I should be moved c. which differ widely and make the whole justly incredible But he did so earnestly assert them that he said As God was in Heaven it was true which some of us that heard him were greatly offended with judging it to be an Oath as that Oath or manner of Swearing under the Law As the Lord liveth Jer. 5.2 And I said to him this is more than Yea or Nay which Christ hath commanded us to keep unto in all our Communications for whatsoever is more than these cometh of Evil and many of us have suffered much in Old England for refusing to swear in any case even before a Magistrate However let it be considered whether it be not a Breach of all common Civility or Morality among men to make Publick a thing secretly spoken if the thing had been spoke by me as he affirmeth that he thought might tend to my Prejudice nor doth it excuse him to say I lately told some-what he spoke to me in private for that was such a thing he might have spoke to any and did not tend to his or any mans Prejudice and was no secrecy And whether his asserting a thing without any Proof but what we take to be a very great Oath will be any sufficient Witness or Evidence in point of common Justice among men for if this be allowed not only mâ—ns Fame and Reputation but Property Liberty and Life it self lieth aâ— stake to be taken away most unjustly But to answer directly to his Charge I do say after the best Recollection of my Memory that I can make after so many Years past I do not remember that I said to him I was the Author of that book and I know not how he can justly think considering theso very Circustances he alledgeth and some other Circumstances whereof he cannot be ignorant unless he hath forgotten the whole for I told him that divers Persons were concerned in that Book called The Two Hundred Queries and after what manner Besides another Person hath in Print divers Years ago owned that Book and why then should he charge me with that which another hath owned The most he can justly alledge is That I said a considerable part of the Matter of that Book which I had from another I put into Writing which will not prove me to be the Author for I oft put into writing other mens words even such as are Adversaries and many do write for others that whereof they are not the Authors But I further say I never justly could nor do own my self to be the Author of that Book how far I might be concerned otherwise in it in any part or in the writing of a great part of the Matter of it is not material nor necessary for me to determine for others were concerned and he who accuseth me of a thing which he cannot prove by outward Evidence by so doing rather proveth himself a false Accuser and showeth both his own Folly and Prejudice against me And I say yet further as no man living can prove me to be the Author of that Book so I had not the least hand in the Printing it for it was printed altogether without my Consent and Approbation and the Defaults whether in the â—ranscribing or in the Printing it are so many that it hath quite â—â—tâ—red the sence of the Queries in many places and made others of â—â—em Non-sensical and there are things in it for which I am no wise accountable and which I never did own or do own to be mine yet I cannot disown or blame the whole but make a distinction for there are things queried in that Book that are no wise unbecoming the best Christians and which mention nothing of the Revolutions so called nor doth imply them except by such remote seeming Consequences which one may as readily deny as another may affirm and they have no more necessary connexion with the Revolutions than the Scriptures have that are cited in them and I am not convinced that it is a Trespass
demonstrated that the said Doctrine doth expresly without any far-fetcht Consequences contradict some Article of the Christian Faith the which remote and far-fetch't Consequences are not allowable among vulgar Christians however sincere because there may be a Fallacy or at least a great uncertainty in them but an Error in the Antecedent to wit That the Gospel and Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ as he was crucified for our sins and rose agian for our Justification and is our Elder Brother and high Priest in Heaven without us making Intercession for us is not necessary to be preached to the Nations for Remission of Sin and eternal Salvation to finish and perfect it is a most vile and abominable Heresie most worthily to be detested by all sincere Christians and the Assertors and Abettors of it most worthily to be judged No Christians yea worse than honest Heathens who have never had Christ preached unto them A further clearing of the Truth by a plain Explication of my Sence when I say That Faith in Christ Jesus not only as the Light in us but as he was and is Man without us and as he dyed for our sins and rose again for our Justification is necessary to perfect Justification and finishing the work of mens Salvation universally and by which I show and demonstrate That my present Doctrine concerning the Faith of Christ is well consistent with all my former printed Books and with R. Barclay's printed Books and particularly his Apology and with the Doctrine of our sound Friends and Brethren both aentient and lately raised who have declared their Charity towards all Pious and Conscientious Gentiles to whom the Gospel was not outwardly preached by the Ministry of men That they were not or are not excluded from Gods Mercy and Salvation although they have not had the express Historical Knowledge and Faith of Christ as Man without them either outwardly preached or inwardly revealed to them THe Explanation of my sence in this weighty matter I deliver in the following particulars viz. 1 st By Faith in the Man Christ Jesus without us which I assert to to be universally necessary to mens eternal Salvation I do not understand an express distinct Faith in Christ as being so necessary to all whereby all that were or shall be saved must necessarily have such a Knowledge and Faith of him as to these great and weighty Passages and Cases delivered prophetically concerning him in the Old Testament and Historically in the New Testament that were a fulfilling of the Prophecies of him such as 1 That he should come in the Flesh as such a precise Age or Time of the World 2. That he should be born at Bethlem 3. That he should be the Son of Abraham and David according to the Flesh 4. or That his Mothers Name should be Mary or his own Name Jesus 5. That the place of his Death should be Golgotha without the City of Jerusalem in Judea 6. That the manner of his Death should be by being crucified his Hands and Feet pierced and his Side pierced with a Spear 7. That he should be betrayed by Judaâ— and sold for thirty pieces of Silver and sentenced to Death by Pontius Pilate and accused and slain by the Jews and crucified betwixt two Tâ—iâ—ves whereof the one should be penitent and dye believing in him 8. That he should be laid in Sepulchrs where no mans ever lay that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea 9. That he should rise on the third Day and after forty days ascend into Heaven 10. And lastly That he should appear to the Women first of all after his Resurrection These and many other very weighty and great Cases Passages belonging to his outward Coming Death and Sufferings Resurrection and Ascention I do not say are necessary to be known and believed universally to mens eternal Salvation and this I have called in my former printed Books The Express Clear and Distinct Knowledge or Faith of his outward Coming see my Book called The Vniversal free Grace of the Gospel asserted pag. 117. printed in the Year 1671. and R. B. in his printed Apology and Theses printed in the Year 1676. calleth it as I do the distinct outward absolute Knowledge i. e. the perfect Knowledge of the outward History see his Latine Apology Thes 6. the which Doctrine as laid down by him in his 6 th Thesis he calleth an Hypothesis in that very place and others of our antient Friends who have writ in defence of the People called Quakers have called it the Historical Knowledge viz. as containing the knowledge of the above-mentioned Historical Passages and others the like for as concerning these great and weighty Passages Cases fore-told by the Prophets and Historically declared to be fullfilled by the Evangelists and Apostles concerning him many of the faithful knew or believed few or none of them before Abraham's Time and even after Abraham to whom Christ was promised to be his Seed and to come out of his Loyns the Doctrine concerning the Time and Manner of his Coming Death and Sufferings Resurrection and Ascention was gradually revealed to the Prophets from Moses to Samuel and from Samuel to David and from David to these who followed after as Isaiah Jeremiah and others and still the nearer the Time approached of Christs coming in the Flesh the Prophets did Prophecy the more clearly and expresly concerning him 2 dly I do with great Assurance and Freedom affirm as God hath perswaded me and opened it out of the holy Scriptures to me That the Faith of all the Faithful from the beginning of the World was in Christ as he should be that Seed of the Woman that should bruise the Head of the Serpent and whose Heel the Serpent should bruise which was the first Gospel Promise that the Lord himself preached to our first Parents after the Fall and though this Promise was not committed to writing so far as we know until Mosâ— who was the first â—on man of holy Scripture yet it was without all doubt faithfully delivered and preached by Adam to his Children and by the faithful of their Children such as Seth to their succeeding Posterity even until Noah and if it was lost again it was restored to Abraham for we have good cause to believe that the Church of God from the beginning of the World hath never failed in the Earth universally to this Day nor will to the end of the World however at times it hath been much obscured and hid both under the Old and New Testament And by this Seed of the Woman is to be understood the Man Christ with the spiritual inward blessings of Grace Light and Life flowing from him and though the outward Name Jesus and Christ is sweet and comfortable to every true Believer by the Spirit of Christ that knoweth it yet it is no more simply necessary than the other above-mentioned weighty Circumstances concerning him the Saviour and Redeemer of the World who should be born
to query things that call not into Question any one Article of the Christian Faith But further to clear the matter I do affirm that I never said to any nor did I ever conclude in my thoughts that the Doctrine of the Revolutions as they are commonly understood or as delivered in that Book was the matter of my Faith or were things inwardly revealed or opened to me by the Spirit of Truth as I am free to say concerning all things of my Christian Faith which I both believe and profess nor have I ever had any Controversie Strife or Contention with any man about the Revolutions so called and I have been very shy and backward either to lend or recommend the said Book But it is one thing what a man may suppose to be a probable Opinion or rational Hypothesis either as touching the Doctrine of the Revolutions of which there are many sorts asserted by Authors or as touching any other Doctrine in Astronomy or Physick and it is far another thing what a man asserts to be his Christian Faith grounded upon the inward Evidence and Testimony of Gods Spirit in the Heart But as to my real sence of the Opinion of that called the Revolutions which do generally relate to Times past and not with the least certainty to any one particular Person to the time to come ever since the Death of Christ If any hold any such Opinion or Doctrine of them as I know none that do that doth teach That men may delay their Repentance or living a good Life in hope that they shall live again after Death I do sincerely declare I have alwayes abhorred any such Doctrine and judged it Wicked and Abominable and still I do so judge and hope so to do while I live and I have upon many occasions born my zealous Testimony both in publick and in private to the contrary viz. That to entertain any such hope to live again in order to Repent and live a good Life after a man has neglected the present Opportunity wherein to Repent c. in this present Life is as Wicked as it is vain for The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation teacheth us to deny Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Tit. 2.11 12. But it teacheth no man to delay his good living to any time after Death either in hope of a Purgatory while the Soul is out of the Body or in hope to live again in a mortal Body for NOW is the accepted Time NOW is the Day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 And it is the last Time as John hath declared 1 John 2.18 And also Paul saying Rom. 13.11 And that knowing the Time that NOW it is high Time to awake out of sleep c. let us therefore cast off the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light for the Times of Ignorance God wincked at but NOW comenandeth all men every where to Repent Acts 17.30 And as John said Mat. 3. 10. And NOW also the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees therefore eveâ—y Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewn down and cast into the Fire And therefore if any hold such Doctrine of Revolutions that putteth men upon delaying their Repentance or neglecting to live a good Life in hope to live again after Death to Repent and Amend as I have alwayes abhorred it so I hope I shall alwayes do and bear my faithful Testimony against it And whereas the said Person hath accused me before divers Witnesses That my manner of Preaching the Faith of Christ Crucified and Raised again its being necessary to make men Christians and Sons of God of the Free Woman and Children of the New-Covenant doth infer my holding of the Revolutions to wit that all pious Gentiles dying without all bearing Christ crucified and raised again preached to them must of necessity live again in a mortal Body in order to hear that Doctrine outwardly preached to them or then be damned The which Alternative I possitively deny And by this his Accusation he hath shown what a Changeling he is from better to worse in so finding fault with my Doctrine for Preaching or Printing the necessity of this Faith to Salvation which he hath so frequently held forth himself owned and approved in my Books And I propose it to the serious Consideration of all sincere Christians Whether this Difficulty show much so ever real or seeming doth more pinch or straiten me than all Christendom that universally assert the necessity of faith in Christ crucified and raised again to make men true and sincere Christians and that by this Faith men are justified sanctified and attain to eternal Life and that therefore no Jew or Turk can be a true Christian because they have not this Faith however otherwise just and conscientious they may be And whether seeing the whole strain and current of the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament is such as doth demonstrate the necessity of this Faith and Gospel to be preached to all Nations to wit That Christ Jesus the Son of God dyed for our sins and rose again for our Justification and that it is plain from express Scripture That this Justification is not obtained nor Salvation to wit finally fully and perfectly without this Faith I say Whether in opposition to and in prejudice of the Revolutions and for avoiding that Doctrine and laying it aside we must and ought to lay aside the Preaching and Faith of Christ as he outwardly dyed for our sins on the Tree of the Cross and rose again for our â—ustification as a thing unnecessary and indifferent as it must needs be if men may be compleat and perfect Christians without this Faith and perfectly overcome all sin and attain to a perfect state of Sanctification without it and may be Children of God and Sons of the free Woman and have the Spirit of Adoption without this Faith And if so then doth not this wholly render Pious Paganism or Gentilism to be perfect Christianity and perfect Christianity to be nothing else than pious Gentilism And doth not this make the Faith and Knowledge of Christ both without us and within us of none effect for it cannot be proved that ever any had the true Knowledge or Faith of Christ within them but who had the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ without them for though Christ was and is in Pious and Conscientious Gentiles in thâ—ir meer Gentile state yet they did not know him as such nor did they believe in him as Christ as all sincere Christians did and do And shall not this be of most evil tendency thus to make void the Faith of Christ crucified without us and raised again in prejudice of and in opposition to that call'd the Revolutions as my Accuser hath done though he himself hath declared his favouring of the Revolutions as a probable Hypothesis and hath frequently and but very lately declared the necessity