of Life the word that is nigh in the Heart and in the Mouth but the Letter of the Scripture is outward of it self a dead thing a meer declaration of good things but not the things themselves therefore it nor is nor can be the Chief or Principal RULE of Christians But least any should mistake him and think that tho he owned them not to be the principal Rule yet at least he acknowledged them to be a RULE he immediatly adds § 3 That which is given to Christians for a RULE and Guide must needs be so full as it may clearly and distinctly Guide and Order them in all things and occurrences that may fall out But the Scriptures are not such as he instanceth in several particulars therefore the Scriptures cannot be a RULE to them And as they are not a RULE so nor the Rule as he sayeth in another place As for CHRIST and his Apostles using the Scriptures for convincing of their Opposers so do we and yet this proves not that either he or we judge them pag. 15. near the end to be the Rule whereby to try all things and Spirits c. The Reader may plainly observe the great inconsistency betwixt what R. B. says and what Andrew Jaffray and his Friends say They affirm the Scriptures to be an RULE an Infallible RULE and an Infallible RULE of Faith and Life in which they are very orthodox and I must in Charity believe that in so farr are our Modern Quakers Reformed and very justly laid aside their former Doctrine Which is yet more plainly and explicitly delivered by William Penn in his Appendix to the Christian Quaker for after endeavouring to prove that the Scriptures were never the General RULE he at last by way of Objection says Pag 136 But is not the Scripture the RULE of our Day he answers if the RULE then the general RULE for pag 137. whatsoever is the RULE of Faith and Life excludeth all other from being general they being but particular in respect of it self therefore not the RULE of Faith and Life but besides their not being general I have several Reasons to oâ—ter and he brings no less then nine or ten Reasons why they cannot be the Rule of Faith and Life See George Keith's Book called the Deism of William Penn c. Wherein there is a full examination and confutation of William Penns Discourse of the General RULE of Faith and Practice and Judge of Contraversie Printed Anno 1699. Observe also what is said in one of their Books called the Quakers Refuge p. 17. Whether the first Penman of the Scriptures was Moses or Hermes or whether both these are one or whether there are not many Words contained in the Scriptures which were not spoken by INSPIRATION of the Holy Spirit And in a Book called Truths Defence by G. F. and R. H. p. 2d You may as well Condemn the Scriptures to the Fire as our Queries Q. 2. Whether the Light within be sufficient of it self to Salvation without any thing else A. Unto such as are under a moral impossibility of coming to the knowledge of the Incarnation Life Miracles Crucifiction Death Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord JESUS ' CHRIST the Light wherewith he inlighteneth every Man coming into the World is sufficient to Salvation Ioh. 1. 9. Tit. 2. 11. But where the outward knowledge of the Scriptures is attainable or the outward History of our Saviour it is altogether damnable not to believe the same R. This Answer to the second Querie is in my opinion no Answer at all but a down right shifting the Question which hath no respect to such as are under a moral impossibility of knowing the Life Death Miracles c. of our Blessed Lord JESUS CHRIST but to such as have the means of knowing them and tho to such it be certainly Damnable not to believe them yet that tells us not whither the Light within be of its self sufficient to Salvation without any thing else yea or not and therefore I must again intreat that they may be pleased Candidly and sincerely to give a plain and direct Answer to the Querie and this I have the more reason to demand because Robert Barclay of Urie at the first giving in of their Answers being â—ressed to declare whether to such as have the means of knowing the Life Death Miracles c. of the Holy JESUS the Light within was of it self sufficient to Salvation He answered negatively that it was not and carried away the Answers to have that insert as thier Answer to the Querie which after all was not done From whence it appears that either they are not agreed amongst themselves about the resolution of this Querie and so shift the Answering it Or else that they are afraid to own the Truth plainly least thereby they contradict their Antient Friends And particularly George Whitehood who plainly asserts in his Antidote p. 28. That the Quakers are offended with G. K. for saying the Light within is not sufficient to Salvation without something else The which Proposition seing he blames as false he must hold the Contradictory to be true that the light within is sufficient to Salvation without any thing else Yea G. W. hath granted in his Antidote p. 28. that CHRIST as outwardly Considered is that something else which G. K. means And W. P. in his appendix to the Christian Quakers pag. 158. plainly affirms that the belief of the History of CHRIST's Birth Death c. is none of the absolute necessaries to our Salvation And in his Quakerism a new Nickname c. He saveth That Faith in the History of CHRIST's outward pag. 6 manifestation is a deadly poyson these latter Ages has been infected with and he sayes also in his Rejoynder to I. Faâ—do that CHRIST in the Gentiles is a greater mistery then CHRIST as he was made manifest in the Flesh it is strange that should be counted most misterious which was the introduction to the mistery and these transactions counted most difficult that were by the Divine Wisdom of GOD ordained as so many facil representations of what was to be accomplished in Man it is to leâ—en if not totally exclude the true mistery of Godliness which is CHRIST manifested in his Children their hope of Glory p. 335 Like to this is his saying in his Preface to the Collection of Robert Barclays Book ' s. O Reader sayeth he great is the mistery of Godliness and if the Apostle said it of the manifestation pag. 36. of the Son of GOD in the Flesh if that be a mistery and if a mistery it is not to be spelled out but by the revelation of the Spirit how much more is the See also His Christi an Quaker pag. 12. work of Regeneration a mistery that is wholly inward and spiritual Q. 3. Whether the Holy Three the FATHER SON and HOLY GHOST that bear record in Heaven be not threedistinct Persons of one
as I know One thing more I must say which is that as it is well known to divers in this place that no outward prospect ever mov'd me to leave the Protestant Religion and join with the Quakers so I can say in the sight of Almighty GOD and in the sincerity of my heart that no Worldly interest induced me now to leave their communion but plain conviction and full perswasion of those many gross and pernicious Heresies which were very clearly discovered to me in their Writtings And as I am convinced that many sober and serious Persons among them do not believe or somuch as imagine that such unchristian Doctrines were ever broached or mantained by their chief Ieachers so I heartily pray that the LORD would enlighten their minds that they may both discover and acknowledge their Errours and abhore them as much as I do GEORGE KEITH'S Letter My Old Friends Andrew Jaffray Iohn Robertson Robert Gordon Iohn Forbes of Achortes c. HAving the occasion of the Bearer I thought fit to send you my fourth Narrative and another late Book of mine called the Deism of William Penn c which I desire you to read impartially and without prejudice I hope ye will not be so strait as not to read them for as ever I could and did very freely read the Books of any against me so I still can and do readily read them The said Narrative as to the truth of the Quotations is attested by men of Credit and beside I suppose many of the Books that I have quoted in the same ye may have by you and some others ye may easily procure whereby to find whether my Quotations be true and just and if you find them so to be I hope you will calmly and seriously consider them and Compare them with the Holy Scriptures which I beseech you more diligently to search with earnest Prayer to God Almigty that he would give you a good understanding by His Divine Illumination by which you will see that the chief Teachers of the Quakers whom both Ye and I have in our Ignorance owned for true Teachers have Taught very false Doctrines contradicting the Holy Scriptures in diverse of the great fundamentals of Christianity I shall not here expostulat with You for your unkindness to me Uncharitableness and rash Judgement against me in your Letters and Papers sent up here to London against me some Yeasr ago But my Prayer is to God both for You and others thereaway that he may give You a better Understanding and make You more Charitable in Judgement both to me and others and more humble in Your own Conceits I freely own with sorrow and deep Repentance that I have been injurious to You and others thereaway not in any Wordly matter but while I was with You and in my ignorant Zeal thinking that I did God good Service that I was any wayes instrumental to mislead and misinform You and turn You out of the way in any of the least Principle or Practice of Christian Religion For this I acknowledge that I am a great Debtor to You and would willingly make restitution and be at as great and greater Pains to undeceive You and bring You out of the Mire as ever I was to lead You into it but if You refuse my offer God I doubt not will forgive me and not lay it to my Charge and the Sin will ly at your Door I hope I can say as Paul said I have obtained Mercy because I did it ignorantly The main things wherein I Charge my self to have misinformed You and any others either by my Words or Books are in leading You into great Unchatitableneâ—s towards all other Protestant Societies and into too high an Esteem of the People called Quakers and their Leaders and Teachers and Way of Practice in diverse things both Religious and Civil and more especially to the rejecting of the Holy Institutions of our Blessed Lord of Baptism and the Supper and setting up Humane Institutions in room of them as George Fox his orders of Womens Meetings and Government in Church Affairs the Condemning all other Protestant Teachers though more sound in Faith and of more Religious Practices and Professors of Christianity as Priests of Baal and Worshippers of Baal crying out against their Congregations for their Mixtures Whereas alas there has been all along a greater Mixture among the People called Quakers both as to Unsoundness of Doctrine and Practices Ye Your selves know how little God is Worshipped with Prayer and Thanksgiving in the Families of the Quakers generally very few excepted excusing all by pretence of mental and inward Prayer and want of Divine Motions to carry them forth in external Acts of Worship So that to my certain knowledge possibly to Yours also too many high Pretenders to Spirituality among the People called Quakers who are Masters of Families and have Wives and Children and Servants yet rarely Bow their bodily Knees to God in their Families And Set-times of Prayer and Thanksgiving either for the Closet or Family Worship have been generally laid aside These are the Chief Things for which I have blamed my self in being instrumental in former Times to have misinformed you though I think all along I was generally more Charitable in Judgement towards many others of other Societies then many were or now are among the People called Quakers But it 's a great Comfort to me that upon a strict Examination of my former Perswasions and Principles as extant in my former Books for which I think I can appeal to You as well as what I have declared among You I was never guilty of that Horrid Unbelief and Antichristian Errors and Heresies contradicting the chief Fundamentals of Christianity that I have found the Chief English Teachers among the Quakers guilty of I desire to Bless God my Preserver who all along hath Preserved me sound in the Faith as touching all the twelve Articles of that called the Apostles-Creed the God Head and Man hood of Our Blessed Lord JESUS CHRIST His Person and Offices For which I desire You to Read and Consider the Answer given by me and my dear and Worthy Friend Alexander Jaffray now with God to the thirty Questions sent to him by Bishop Scougal if that Worthy Man had Lived to this Day in the Body I Question not but he would have been a Strength to me in my Opposition to those Vile Errors held by the English Leaders among the Quakers Viz. G. F. G. W. F. B. and many others I hoped also that ye had been better Principled against these vile Errors and that in good Measure by Means of my Labour among You. So that it was no small Surprise to me to find you join in a Combination against me with my Adversaries here as you know ye and Your Friends generally did soon after my Arrival into England from America Your pretence then was that ye could not believe that Friends either in America or England were guilty of the
Errors I had Charged them with but if you will give your selves the Liberty to Read my late Books and particularly the two I now send you I hope ye will be convinced of the Truth of my Charge as diverse hereaway both in City and Country through the Mercy of God are so convinced but I fear that some among you are too deeply guilty of some of the same Errors And if ye in particular are not how can ye in Conscience own them to be your Christian Brethren whom I have proved so evidently guilty of them as particularly the chief Teachers among the Quakers hereaway some Living and some Deceased And I earnestly request you to distinguish betwixt any good things either in Doctrine or Practice which ye have seen or observed in me and whatever was contrary thereunto so as to cleave unto the former and only reject the latter What Honesty or Sobriety and Christian Practice ye ever saw in me I hope to persevere in it and increase in the same and I desire you to do the like but reject your Errors your Uncharitableness of Judgement towards others your Spiritual Pride and over high Esteem of your selves Believe not every Spirit either in your selves or others but try the Spirits and bring all Doctrines and Practices to the Test of the Holy Scriptures and pray God to give you that True Light and Discerning to help you to make an Impartial Examination It hath been a great default generally among the people called Quakers and remains among them too much to Countenance Ignorant Persons if they pretend to the Spirits Teachings and Motions to Preach and Pray and Travel from Place to Place as Teachers of others when yet they want to be taught the first Principles of Christianity and it s to be feared ye have such ignorant Teachers among you I am sure I remember when some of you used to blame it in my hearing and as I desire you to make a distinction betwixt what is right and wrong in any of my former Doctrines or Practices I hope none of you could ever charge me with any Immorrality or Scandalous Conversation when among you but that if I wanted an Attestation to that I think ye would do me that Justice to give me an ample Testimony so I would have you to know that I continue grounded and firmly perswaded as to that most necessary and excellent Doctrine of Gods Inward Teachings by his Holy Spirit Light and Grace and his gracious operations and Assistances to enable us and all good Christians to perform every acceptable Service to him And whatever ye or any others may or doe judge of me I bless my Gracious God that I feel my self a living member of CHRIST's Body by partaking daily of the Life and living Vertue of the Head JESUS CHRIST our Lord and a Living branch upon that living Vine and my care is and ever I hope shall be to abide in him which I bless God for I find by true experience that I can remain and abide such and yet be reformed in many things in my judgement and diverse practices from what I formerly was It hath been a great mistake in us to think that we could not be more holy or soholy as we think we are or were without being so excessivly uncharitable towards others and so contrary to them in our Perswasions and Practices when as many of their Perswasions and Practices were better then ours and others of them more inoffensive I hope ye will excuse my writing thus largely unto you for it is in true Love and good will however you receive it and as I have said I do not expostulat with you for your injuring me for I have more injured you though not by any Immorality but by being instrumental to have in any wayes misinformed you I pray God forgive you and me I remain your truly wel-wishing Friend George Keith London 17th 2d Moneth 1700. To Andrew Jaffray John Robertson Alexander Gellie John Forbes Robert Gordon John Glennic And the rest of the Monthly Meeting of the people called Quakers at Aberdeen Something of weighty importance modestly proposed to your serious Consideration FRIENDS Forasmuch as there hath been and is some just cause given to apprehend that many among the People called Quakers have not a found Faith touching diverse great and weighty Doctrines and principles of the Christian Religion plainly delivered in the Holy Scriptures for both mine and others satisfaction and also for your own vindication if so be which I should be truly glade of and rejoice in that ye manifest your selves to be really innocent and clear of those gross Errors and Heresies which the chief English Teachers among the Quakers have been and are still charged guilty of and upon which account only I have in good Conscience been concerned to leave communion with them not finding that they have in the least as yet cleared themselves of the same which they can never well do without a publick and ingenuous retractation of those many unwarrantable and unsound passages in their Books You are therefore earnestly desired and requested to give your plain and candid Answer in writing to these following Queries Querie 1. Whether the Holy Scriptures containing the Old and New Testament called the BIBLE in their plain and literal meaning Or the Light within be the certain fixed and standing Rule whereby to judge and determine matters of contraversie as to Religion Here followers the Quakers Answer Ans We believe that the Holy Scriptures containing the Old and New Testament called the BIBLE as having come from the Spirit of GOD and being written by Men Divinly inspired which we most firmly Believe they were when they are opened and explained by the same Spirit of GOD which gave them forth they being of no private interpretation 2 Pet. 1. and 20. are an Infallible Rule of Faith and Life unto all to whom GOD hath in his Providence been pleased to communicat them for they being the things of GOD cannot be understood but by the Spirit of GOD 1 Cor. 2. 11. Remark This Answer to the 1 Q. being in all appearance sound and orthodox if they have no secret reserved meaning and agreeable to the sense of all sound Protestants I am heartily glade that they have deserted the unsound and hetrodox Doctrine that some of their principal Teachers both in Scotland and England have vouched in their writtings in relation to the Holy Scriptures being the Rule of Faith and therefore the Reader may be pleased to compare this their Answer with what Robert Barclay says tho I confess that he and G. K. were the soundest and mâ—st Orthodox Writters among the Quakers in See R. Rs. works pag. 299. his explanation of his 3d proposition among his Theses Theologicae The principal Rule saith he of Christians under the Gospel is not an outward Letter nor Law outwardly written and delivered but an Inward Spiritual Law ingraven in the heart the Law of the Spirit
the Resurrection of their Bodies c. See also W. P. his Invalidity of I. F. vindication p. 373 c. Q 19. Whither outward Baptism with Water and the outward Supper called the LORDS Supper be not Divine Institutions and Ordinances of our Blessed LORD JESUS CHRIST commanded by Him to be continued and practiced to the end of the World A. First as for Baptism we believe that as there is one LORD and one Faith so there is one Baptism Eph. 4 5. which is not the puting away the filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience before GOD by the Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST 1 Pet. 3 21. And this Baptism is a pure and Spiritual thing to wit the Baptism of the Spirit and Fire by which we are buried with him Rom. 6. 4. And puts on CHRIST Gal 3 27. that being purged and washed from our sins we may walk in newness of Life being risen with him through the Faith of the Operation of GOD Collos 2. 12. Of which the Baptism of John was a figure whose ministry was to decrease but CHRIST to increase Iohn 3. 30. and who said himself I indeed Baptise you with Water to repentance but He that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear He shall baptise you with the HOLY GHOST and with Fire Mat. 3. 11. Here are two Baptisms mentioned whereof certainly Johns was the figure and CHRISTS the continuing substance and though Johns was continued or practiced for a season yet Paul that great Apostle who was not a whit inferiour to the chiefest Apostles 2 Cor. 11. 5. expresly affirms that outward Baptism was not within his Commission from CHRIST read 1 Cor. 1. 17. As for the sprinkling of Infants called Baptism we find neither Precept nor Practice of it in all the Scriptures of truth and therefore judge it to be a meer humane Tradition And as for the Outward Supper we do believe that the communion of the Body and Blood of CHRIST is inward and Spiritual as to the substance which is the participation of his Flesh and Blood by which the Inward man is daily nourished in the Hearts of those in whom CHRIST dwels 1 Cor. 10 chap. 16. 17. verses John 6. 32. 33 35 Of which things the breaking of Bread by CHRIST with his Disciples was a figure which they even used in the Church for a time who had received the substance for the sake of the weak even as abstaining from things strangled and from blood the washing on anothers feet and the anointing the Sick with Oyl all which are commanded with no less authoriy and solemnity then the former and the two last of them as true outward Signs or Simbols of Inward Grace as the Bread and Wine yet seeing they are but the shaddows of better things they cease in such as have obtained the substance Acts 15. 20. John 13 14 Ja. 5 14. Where these forementioned things are commanded or institute R. It is indeed to be much lamented that the whole Body of the Quakers every where is too well agreed as to their disowning and Contempt of our Blessed SAVIOUR's Institutions especially Baptism and the LORD's Supper But A. J. c. might have given a shorter Answer for I designed not by these Queries that either they should prove what they hold or that I should disprove the same And therefore for a full Reply to what either they have here alledged or what R. B. and others of the Chief English Teachers among the Quakers have argued against the Continuance and practice of outward Water Baptism and the LORD's Supper I refer the Reader to Geo Keith's Book called the Arguments of the Quakers against Baptism c. wherein they are intirely consuted and fully Answered And which Book I do not know that the Quakers have so much as pretended to Answer Q 20 Lastly if ye be realy sound and sincere in the Faith of the great fundamental Truths of the Christian Religion are ye not then bound in Conscience to manifest the same and that both by disowning and condemning by a publick Testimony all those gross Erroneous and Unchristian passages which have been and may still more and more be discovered out of your ancient and chief Friends Printed Books Observe so far only A. J. c. recited this last Querie and wholly omitted all the rest And I doe hereby offer to prove the same before any Judicious Indifferent Persons as it shall please GOD to give me an opportunity by producing such Palpable Quotations out of the said Books directly contradicting the plain Testimony of the Holy Scriptures and contrary to the necessary essential point of Christian Faith and Doctrine and if ye be clear and Innocent as I said already ought ye not likewise to disown all such for your Christian Brethren that have opposed and who doe still continue to oppose any of those precious Truths of the Gospel which have been universally received by all true and sound Christians I doe expect your positive and candid Answer by your plain and simple Affirmation or Negation to each of these Queries by which you may prevent any Suspicion of quibling or equivocating to be sent with all Convenience to Aberdeen the 5th day of the 4th Moneth called June 1700. Your Real Welwisher ROBERT SANDILANDS A. We are realy sound and sincere in the great and fundamental Truths of the Christian Religion and we are ready to manifest the same but we are not bound in reason to receive the Testimony of an avowed Adversary against our Brethern and if he have any thing to charge against them among whom he resides he wants not opportunity to do it face to face and we doubt not but they can clear themselves sufficiently This Answer to the above written Queries was drawn upon the 7th day of the 4th moneth called June 1700 And signed as follows Alexander Gelley Robert Barclay Iohn Forbes George Forbes senior Robert Gordon William Taylor Andrew Jaffray Iohn Robertson Robert Gerard Daniel Simson Iohn Somervaile William Glenny James Wallace Iohn Merser Robert Keith Yet at the desire of some of the Magistrats so many of our Number as are present have again signed the same with their own hands Observe They first gave a Copy of their Answer unsigned and which they brought to the Publick Mercat place and Copies thereof given to divers Persons afterwards they brought their Answers much Corrected with large Additions with several names at them but all write with one hand and that not being satisfactory it was returned to them again At last they delivered it Signed Authentically by severals of their own Hands Andrew Jaffray Alexander Gelley William Taylor Daniel Simson Robert Keith Iohn Sommervaile Robert Gordon George Forbes Senior Iohn Merser Iohn King R. I should truly rejoice and be heartily glade to find both A. J. c. And all others among the People called Quakers manifest themselves to be realy sound and sincere not
only in some but in all the fundamental Truths of the Christian Religion but whether A. J. and his Friends have evidenced themselves to be such by their Answers to the Queries before recited I leave that to all impartial and judicious Readers to judge And for a manifest Tryal of the sincerity and soundness of their Faith in those points wherein they seem orthodox and that they have no secret reserved meanings but what is agreeable to the Sense of all sound Protestants it is here proposed to them and which is reasonably expected that they give a publick Testimony in Writing against those erroneous passages and positions as they are here set down as before and quoted out of their approved and antient Friends Books which plainly contradicts their own orthodox Answers They are obliged I think either to own or else to disown these errors the latter I hope they will ingeniously doe as being no Respecter of Persons For the Truth must be owned and preferred before all things and persons tho never so near or dear to us And unless A. J. c. doe this their sincerity will still be suspected notwithstanding all their great Pretences As for their saying we are not bound in Reason to receive the Testimony of an avowed Adversary against our Brethren as I would not be imposed upon in such weighty concerns so I doe not impose my Testimony upon them but have fairly and sincerely laid before them their own antient and most eminent approved Friends Testimonies both in England and Scotland And I could have produced many more Quotations if they had been so candid to have granted me the use of their Friends Books which I had not by me here and I being a Traveller could not be other wayes provided with however I offer this to them let the Books be produced out of which the Quotations are taken and let them be perused by any judicious and indifferent Persons and see whither they are justly and fairly quoted and I shall submit the same to their censure And whoever it is they mean to be their Brethrens avowed Adversary I bless GOD I can sincerely say that I have no Personal enmity or Prejudice against them or any Persons whatsomever it s true I detest their vile errors but I still love and respect their Persons and what I have herein done may shew that it was not through Malice c. I could also have given an account of many very Unchristian and unsavoury Passages which were Preached publickly in their Meetings at Reading in England where I live which occasioned divers to leave them And whereas they say and if he have any thing to Charge against them among whom he receeds he wants not opportunity to doe it face to face and we doubt not but they can clear themselves sufficiently I should be very glade as I have said before they would do so indeed but I am sure they have never in the least yet done it as they ought to doe notwithstanding of the many opportunitis and that publickly to have cleared themselves of what has been charged against them and still lyes at their door uncleared and unanswered by them and I am fully satisfied that notwitstanding of their many late new Creeds they can never well clear themseves until they publickly and ingeniously Retract those Errors in their Printed Books and when they once do that I think there is none will be so Unchristian as to Charge them any more therewith There is one or two Quotations more which I think fit to add G. F. and R. H. sayes in Truths defence p. 89 and 109 Our giving forth papers and printed Books it is from the immediat eternal Sipiritual GOD. 〈◊〉 Now I leave it to the serious Consideration of A. J. 〈◊〉 and the rest of his Friends whether in their Consciences they realy believe that the foresaid Passages quoted out of their Friends Books were given forth from the Immediat Eternal Spirit of GOD. And G. F. pleads for the same degree of the Spirit to know the Scriptures by as the Prophets and Apostles had See his great Myst p. 213. c. FINIS