The True CHRIST And the Quakers CHRIST compar'd IN A LETTER SENT TO Mr. Richard Hardcastle Wherein is a short Review of some things asserted by the Quakers in their Norfolk-Disputation with the Clergy c. 1698. BY ROBERT PRUDOM Matth. 24.26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you Behold he is in the Desert go not forth Behold he is in the secret Chamber believe them not London Printed for William Marshal at the Bible in Newgate-street and John Marshal at the Bible in Gracechurch-street 1699. Richard Hardcastle I Shall not trouble my self with the Jars of these two contending Parties about their prefixing a Meeting but only recommend to thee and others of you the Truth in the Simplicity of it and how you are gone from it which if God see good to open your Eyes to behold I shall greatly rejoice I shall draw two or three Heads out of this Book which is An Account of a Dispute betwixt the Quakers and the Clergy of the Diocess of Norwich and some of your other Writings which may be of use unto thee Page the 11th of this Book Ever since we have been a People gathered by the Power and Spirit of God we have sincerely believed and do still believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Scriptures do declare of him and do not only plainly say but also firmly believe that there is no other name given under Heaven whereby Man can be saved neither is there Salvation in any other name and this we hope is no Blasphemy Page the 15th We believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth and in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our Lord and Saviour who was born of the Virgin Mary whom the Holy Ghost overshadowed who appeared in the World in that Body prepared for him who died for our Sins and rose again for our Justification and we believe in the Holy Spirit and own the three that bear Record in Heaven and that these three are one We own the Holy Scriptures of truth and believe they were given forth by Divine Inspiration and that they are profitable for Doctrine for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness and are able to make the Man of God wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus and we esteem the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the best Book in all the World and could be glad that People did spend more of their time in reading of it and the Ordinances of Jesus Christ his Baptism and the Supper according to the Holy Scriptures If the Truths laid down in Scripture-words in these two Paragraphs were duly kept unto and the mind of the Spirit of God in them then would there be no need of charging of Error and Blasphemy upon that poor deluded People call'd Quakers But in order to a thorow discovery of their Errors and the Truth in the Spring and Streams that issue from it and how plausibly they cover deceit read this Passage Page the 14th Speaking of the Priests For do they not of Malice rail upon the Truths of God's Word manifestly perceived and as Enemies thereunto persecute the same in charging so many Blasphemies upon the Light within for the Light within is Christ and Christ is the truth of God's Word the Way the Truth and the Life John 14.6 The Word that was in the beginning with God and was God the Sum and Substance of the Gospel and that which the Holy Scriptures give Testimony of and we believe and teach In order to a clear discovery of the Truth in the spring of it and the Streams that come from it I shall lay it down under four Heads First That the true Christ presented unto us in the Holy Scriptures who is the Object of Faith is God and Man in one Person Secondly That the Work of our Redemption was in the state of his Humiliation and the Work of an Intercessor is now in the state of his Exaltation performed by this Christ who is God and Man in union the two Natures of God and Man being concerned in the Work of Redemption and Intercession Thirdly The Holy Ghost's work within being subservient to the Blessed Mediator without and leading to the Father through him doth bring the Soul into an experimental Injoyment of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Fourthly That the two Ordinances of Baptism and the Supper do represent unto the Faith and visible Sight of Believers what Christ hath done for them and that he was a Man dead buried and raised again from the dead and he is now existent in our human Nature in Heaven First That the true Christ presented to us in the Holy Scriptures who is the immediate Object of our Faith is God and Man in one Person dos appear in that when we have an account of his Person in the Old or New Testament we have his Manhood join'd to the Divine Nature Isa 9.6 Many Scriptures do give the Name CHRIST alone to his Manhood not thereby to exclude his Divine Nature Luke 24.25 26. Then he said unto them O Fools and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his Glory compared with Acts 2.36 Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Whenever the Holy Scripture doth speak of him in his Divine Nature it leaves not off the Discourse but by the hand doth lead us to his Manhood John 1.1 to 13. he speaks of his Divine Nature in v. 14. he takes in the Manhood And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his Glory the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth compared with Phil. 2.5 to 12. Let this Mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus who being in the Form of God thought it not Robbery to be equal with God as to his Divine Nature but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the Form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of Men And being found in fashion as a Man he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Cross Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth And every Tongue should confess that Jesus is the Christ to the Glory of God the Father Secondly That the Work of our Redemption was in the state of his Humiliation and the Work of an Intercessor is in the state of his Exaltation performed by this Christ who is God and Man in one Person the two Natures of God and Man being concerned in the Work of Redemption and Intercession I shall divide this Head into two parts 1. Shew that the Work of our
Book to tell us that he is of the same Faith with the Martyrs that suffer'd in Queen Mary's days which if he can bring one instance of any of the Martyrs in any of their Writings that exclude the Human Nature in union with the Divine from being the true Christ of God I will be willing to make a publick Recantation that I have greatly wronged the Quakers The true Christ was conceived in the Virgin 's Womb and lay in the Grave But he tells us that the Seed is one as saith the Scripture intending only the Divine Nature or rather the Light of natural Conscience in all Men Pag. 98. of his Christian Quaker and in the Margin of the Book he directs us to Gal 3.16 Now Reader let me desire thee in the Fear of the Lord and as thou wishest the Welfare of thy immortal Soul that thou seriously weigh this Scripture and see if thou canst find any thing in it for the excluding of the Human Nature from having a share to constitute Christ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the Promises made He saith not to seeds as of many but as of one And to thy Seed which is Christ Here in this Scripture Abraham an eminent Believer and those that are of the same Faith with him are promised eternal Happiness by God here is the one Seed by way of eminence set above all the rest but then mark it well this one Seed shall be thy Seed Abraham Moreover he is said to be the Seed of David according to the Flesh Reader make use of thy Understanding and judg whether by thy own Seed Abraham be meant a Principle of Light Life and Power or is meant that Man which the Virgin Mary brought forth in the Land of Judea and who was seen with natural Eyes if the latter be meant thou mayst then see the door by which an erroneous Spirit hath led so many from the Foundation of Christianity But saith William Pen The Body of Christ is not so much as in any one And another Quaker saith The true Christ was never seen of bodily Eyes Answ See 1 Cor. 15.1 2 3 4 5 c. and what Christ faith to the Man whose Eyes he opened Joh. 9. Dost thou believe on the Son of God To whom he replyed who is he Lord See our Saviour's Answer Thou hast both seen him and he it is that speaketh to thee Also God sware to David that of the Fruit of his Loins according to the Flesh he would raise up Christ to sit upon his Throne Will they render God guilty of Perjury it must be so if Christ be not truly of David's Seed according to the Flesh See Heb. 12.1 Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a Cloud of Witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the Sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the Race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the Shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God This Cloud of Witnesses are the Saints from Abel recorded in the 11th Chapter who in the Promises of a Saviour to come through the Spirit 's Work upon the Heart were by Faith led to behold him and inabled to anchor upon the Immutability and Unchangeableness of the Promises concerning him so often renew'd in the Old Testament unto the Fathers so that this poor deceived Man William Pen doth not distinguish betwixt a personal Injoyment of him within and an Injoyment of him within by Faith If a personal Injoyment of him within were intended then indeed it would exclude the Human Nature from sharing with the Divine Nature in constituting Christ but the Scripture when it speaks of Christ it speaks of him as personally absent but present by Faith and by his Spirit and with this agree the Experiences of Saints Phil. 1.23 For I am in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better compared with 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory Our dear Lord in that visionary Discourse which he gives of himself to John in Rev. 1.17 18. doth with great clearness hold forth his two Natures to us Fear not I am the first and the last I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Was the Eternal Word the Divine Nature of the Lord Jesus ever dead if not he is speaking of his Human Nature I have staid the longer upon this Head that I might clear up the Foundation of Christianity and vindicate the Son of God in that Honour which is confer'd upon him as God-man against this Erroneous Spirit which notwithstanding the pretence of the setting up of a spiritual Kingdom is from their own confession as to the Work upon the Heart no other than the first Covenant Light which gives no discovery of the Gospel Dispensation and which a Mahometan or Indian hath in common with them Sam. Fisher's Testimony of Truth exalted p. 696. as recorded by Squire Edwards in his Book of Baxterianism Barefac'd Is the Light in America then any more insufficient to lead its Followers than the Light in Europe Asia or Africa the other three parts of the World I have ever look'd upon the Light in all Men since I began to look at it in myself as one and the same Light in all Fisher saith true for the experience of the Quakers and the sober Gentiles Socrates Pythagoras and others of them if compared will answer one another as Face answers Face in a Glass with this difference Satan in the poor Quakers sheltering himself under the Convictions of the Law doth by deceivableness seek to rob the Son of God of his Honour nay of his Person 2ly We have this spiritual Christ or Light in all bringing in the Work of Redemption not in a way of satisfaction to Divine Justice for sin but in a way of the first Covenant Obey and live Mr. Barclay a Scots-Quaker in his Apology for the People call'd Quakers p. 91. compar'd with p. 90. The Light within takes away all ground of despair in that it gives every one ground of hope and certain assurance that they may be saved neither doth feed any in security in that none are certain how soon their day may expire and therefore it is a constant Incitement and Provocation and lively Incouragement to every man to forsake evil and close with that which is good compared with William Pen's Christian Quaker p. 97. The Serpent is a Spirit Now nothing can bruise the Head of the Serpent but something that is also internal and spiritual as the Serpent is In answer to these two Paragraphs I say that the drift of these Words turns the Work of Redemption quite out of
Redemption was wrought out in the state of Christ's Humiliation performed by him as God and Man in Union the two Natures in that Person being concerned in this Work Isa 53.11 12. He shall see of the Travail of his Soul and shall be satisfied By his Knowledg shall my righteous Servant justify many for he shall bear their Iniquities Therefore will I divide him a Portion with the great and he shall divide the Spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his Soul unto death and he was numbered with the Transgressors compared with 1 Tim. 2.16 And without controversy great is the Mystery of Godliness God was manifested in the Flesh justified in the Spirit The first Scripture gives us an account how the Manhood was concerned in the Work in suffering for Sinners and therefore he should see the travail of his Soul in bearing part in that Honour due to the Redeemer The second Scripture shews us how the Divine Nature perfumed his Sufferings in order to their acceptance with the Father for the Persons for whom he suffered 2. The Work of an Intercessor is performed now in the state of his Exaltation by this Christ who is God and Man the two Natures of God and Man being concerned in the Work Rom. 1.4 And declared the Son of God with Power according to the Spirit of Holiness which was his Divine Nature by the Resurrection from the dead by whom we have received Grace and Apostleship that is the Qualifications for that great Work belonging to that great Office Acts 2.32 33. This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we all are Witnesses Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear 1 Tim. 2.6 For there is one God and one Mediator betwixt God and Men the Man Christ Jesus Thirdly The Holy Ghost's work within being subservient to the blessed Mediator without and leading to the Father through him brings the Soul into an experimental Injoyment of the Father Son and Holy Ghost John 15.26 27. But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father He shall testify of me And ye also shall bear witness because ye have been with me from the beginning What was the Sum and Substance of the Apostle's Doctrine Even to recommend this Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ in his Person and Sufferings to Sinners Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy Heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved What is the Sum and Substance of the Holy Ghost's Work within Even to accompany this outward Declaration of the Gospel opening the Understanding of poor Sinners letting them see the need of a Saviour inabling the Heart to close with him and by faith to lay hold of that Grace which comes from the Father through him The inward Discovery of the Father and the Sons Love to us is by the Spirit and it is the Spirit 's work to kindle the Fire of Love more and more in the Souls of Saints by which through the blessed Mediator they are inabled to offer up their Souls to their heavenly Father Fourthly The two Ordinances of Baptism and the Supper do represent unto the Faith of Believers what Christ hath done for them because they both point at his Person and what he hath done in his Human Nature buried in the Grave for them held forth by Water Baptism Doth Bread and Wine support by feeding upon it the outward Man So doth the Flesh and Blood of the Man Christ through that Vertue which the Divine Nature puts into it tend to feed the Inward My Flesh saith Christ is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as ye eat this Bread and drinks this Cup speaking of the Supper-Ordinance ye shew the Lord's Death till he come Doth it point at him that died and is risen and come in Spirit then until he come must refer to his second personal Appearance as a glorified Man to judg the World Acts 17.31 Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judg the World in Righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the dead In the next place I come to speak of this Spiritual Christ as he is worshipped by this poor deceived People called Quakers who are greatly imposed upon by their Leaders for want of bringing their Writings to be seriously examined by the Holy Scriptures And first as to his Person we have him in their Writings represented as a Spirit and as such Divine Honour given to him 2ly The Work of Redemption not brought in a way of satisfaction to Divine Justice for sin but in the way of the first Covenant of Do this and live i.e. Obey the Light within and live 3ly Acceptance with God not bottom'd upon a Mediator without us but an interceding Spirit within First as to his Person we have him in their Writings presented as a Spirit and as such Divine Honour given to him This appears pears in the most of their Books but I shall at this time only mention two the first taken out of the 14th Page of this Book which is An Account of a Dispute betwixt the Clergy of the Diocess of Norwich in December 98. and the People called Quakers Speaking of the Priests For do they not of malice rail upon the Truths of God's Word manifestly perceived and as Enemies thereunto persecute the same in charging so many Blasphemies upon the Light within for the Light within is Christ William Pen 's Christian Quaker pag. 97 98. The Body of Christ is not so much as in any one and consequently the Seed of the Promise is an holy and spiritual Principle of Light Lise and Power that being received into the Heart bruiseth the Serpent's Head and because the Seed which cannot be that Body is Christ as testify the Scriptures the Seed is one and that Seed Christ and Christ God over all blessed for ever We do conclude and that most truly that Christ was and is the Divine Word of Light and Life that was in the beginning with God and was and is God over all blessed for ever In answer to these Paragraphs it is evident and plain that whatever confession is made by this People of the Lord Jesus Christ as born of the Virgin Mary they do not intend that the Body which was formed in the Womb of the Virgin by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost doth share with the Eternal Word Creator in the constituting of Christ and partakes with the Divine Nature in Divine Honour and yet this poor deluded Man who hath been an Instrument to lead many sober Persons into grievous Errors hath the Confidence in his