sight but holds still that it 's solely and alone the Personal Righteousness of Jesus Christ the Son of God in his Active and Passive obedience whereby we are justified and accepted in the sight of an Infinitely pure and holy God who charged his Angels with folly Gal. 1.8 and if any man or Angel preach any other Gospel let him be accursed Thus as chast Virgins espoused we will not through Gods grace suffer our selves through the subtilty of the Serpent 2. Cor. 11.3 to have our minds corrupted from this singlenest that is in Christ in this great business of Justification this Article raigned in Luthers heart he said and I desire it should raign in my heart and it is as that great Patron of it against these Pharesaical Merit-mongers was wont to say the Article of the Churches standing or falling and how can he be a Christian that is not hearty in the belief of it though never more than at this day spoke against Christ in this day is a very great stumbling-stone to the Quakers and Socinians as he was to the Jews and Greeks of old it is no wonder the Quakers care not to have Christs Manhood maintained in its sameness truth and reality now carrying on the work of his Mediation in Heaven pleading the vertue of his Attonement when as they will not own the Righteousness which was wrought out in and by that blessed Manhood sixteen hundred Years since for the Justification of sinners They talk much of the works of the Spirit I would put a few Queries to them 1. Whether the works done by the Man Christ when on Earth here and the works he now doth in Heaven be not works done in the Spirit he had the Spirit and hath in without measure were not his works absolutely and compleatly perfect in Holiness he was a Lamb without spot there was no guil found in his mouth he pleased the Father in all things 2. I would ask whether there be any works done by the Spirit upon any of the sons of Men except Jesus Christ but there still remains a body of sin in them and whether there be any works done by us in the highest degree of the Spirit that any can attain to in this world but God can find some fault with them there is some defect and imperfection let them that dare deny that Scripture Eccless 7.20 There is not a just man upon Earth that doth good and sinneth not 3. If this be true which now of us are mad against the works of the Spirit we that honour these compleat works of the personal Obedience of Christ and receive them with thankfulness for our Justification according to the command of God in Scripture to believe and withall are glad that God works upon us by his Spirit to renew our evil natures after his own Image though it be but in part and that we are enabled by the same Spirit to shew forth any good works to his glory in our Conversation among men though they fall short of that which the holy Law requires and therefore we dare not plead them with God but daily prays for forgiveness in his Blood and that he would accept us not in this our own Righteousness within us or without us but in his Sons Personal Righteousness having union with him or they now on the other hand that are only and altogether for the works done in the spirit both for Justification as well as Sanctification though none of them can ever evince that these works are in every degree compleat and at the same time disown dispise contemn the compleat works of the Imputed Righteousness of Christ calling it a Doctrine of Devils which of us is mad against the works done in the Spirit Let the Reader judge What an unsavoury lorry do many of them make in the ears of Christians in their books and discourses saying and writing you look to be saved by a Righteousness wrought out sixteen hundred Years since and as far off as Jerusalem we cannot but pity their blindness and enmity to the Cross of Christ the Lord reveal his Sons Righteousness to them and make them ashamed of such kind of Pharisaical sayings as that of Bailies viz. if this be to make our own Righteousness stand speaking of the Righteousness of the Law then will we go about to make them stand if they would but remember that great instance given by Christ and consider it it s enough surely to silence them for ever in this matter Luke 18.9 He spâ—ke this Parable to certain that trusted in themselves as being righteous and despised others vers 10. Two went up into the Temple to pray c. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself God I thank thee I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in the week I give Tithes of all that I possess Vers 13. And the Publican standing afar of would not lift up so much as his eyes to Heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner Vers 14. I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other What is this instance of a Pharisee to a Quaker that speaks so much of the Spirit and the inward works of the Spirit Answ Did not the Pharisee think that he had the inward work of the Spirit Yet surely for he gives thanks to God that did inable him to be thus religious he acknowledged that all he had was the gift of God and did not in the least attribute it to his freewill might or power that he had made himself to differ that he did thus fast pray was thus just holy and zealous let is be weighed he was as confident as any Quaker or any other could be that his Righteousness was good of the right sort the Righteousness of the Spirit in that he durst plead it before the Lord for his acceptance yet what was the issue he was not accepted it was the humble sinner that was justified that applyed himself to the mercy of God in Christ Jesus but where do you at any time find this people acknowledge Grace Mercy Attonement confessing their sins with shame and humility are these in the way of Justification They will say why doest thou talk so of the Pharisees thinking he had the Spirit and the inward work thereof we know and are sure we have it are regenerated and act from thence in our lives and whilst it is so if there be any such thing as imputed Righteousness as we think there is not it s only an imagination of your own brains we shall have it for according to you they both go together Righteousness within and without I say to them with as great confidence and boldness and much better grounded that in case they go on thus they do manifestly declare that they have not neither ever had the right Spirit of Christ the Comforter for what
nature with that which he had before his Resurrection for it appears evidently that was not such a Manhood why then if it be not the same in kind and Nature it cannot be the same in Number 3. The third thing as to the matter of Charge viz. That this same Manhood is now in Heaven a place remote so circumscribed there that it is not here on Earth this they openly deny in so many words Pag. 6. But his conclusion i. e. is denyed by the connexion it appears that therefore Jesus Christ is not here on Earth as he is Man but as to his Manhood only in Heaven a place remote from us and in many other places of the Book you shall find the like They do clearly affirm that Jesus Christ is present on Earth in and with his Saints as to his soul The Papists say in their monstrous opinion of Transubstantiation that the natural Humane body of Christ can be and is in an hundred nay a thousand several places at once So these that the soul of Jesus is in innumerable places at once Thus every whit of the matter of Charge stands good against them and I have brought them in as witnesses against themselves whilst they did pretend to the weak people to vindicate themselves Now do not they that deny these three things mentioned plainly deny Jesus Nazareth to be the Messiah which they say Pag. 4. is the other part of the Charge if Jesus Christ hath not the self same true and real Manhood which he took of the Virgin and which dwelt here on Earth at that place called Nazareth then is not Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah according to the Quakers For his name was called Jesus as he was born of the Virgin Mat. 1.21 And she shall bring forth as Son and thou shalt call his Name Jesus and that adjunct of Nazareth is given because of his habitation in those parts Mat. 2.23 And he came and dwelt in a City called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets He shall be called a Nazarene But these people now it 's plain the mask being pull'd off deny that Manhood that was taken of the Virgin and dwelt at Nazareth in that they do suppose it so changed that it 's turned into an Immense infinite Being a Deity which that Manhood was not Let them but remember that Scripture John 8.24 Except you believe that I am he ye shall die in your sins and if they write again fairly take off these things that I have briefly brought against them Let us now hear throughout the Book what they have to say for themselves that they are not guilty of denying the Manhood of Jesus Christ in Heaven The first thing produced is W. Pens confession at Barbakin Pag. 4. W. P. speaks in the name of the Quakers thus we do believe the Man Christ Jesus to be glorified in Heaven we do believe the holy Manhood to be in Heavenly Glory they add see how far the Quakers are from denying the true and real Manhood of Christ in Heaven Some that are not acquainted with their way of speaking may think this sufficient but others that have been used to them cannot till W. Pen doth describe what he means by the Man Christ Jesus and what by the Manhood whether it is such a Manhood as hath a Humane soul and body as its essential parts For G. Fox in his great Mystery Pag. 286. hath these words the Man may speak Christ in the Male and in the Female W. P. then in the name of all the Quakers may mean such a man is Jesus Christ as is in every Male and Female Preacher that is nothing but the light within Fox again hath another passage Pag. 71. Christ's nature is not bumane which is earthly for that is the first Adam's This man Christ that W. P. confesseth in the name of all the Quakers may be such as hath no Humane nature such a man as never had a nature that was of an Earthly substance such a man as came not of Adam's race and line but we always thought and believed that the Manhood was such which is Christs nature as properly as his Divine nature Again nothing more obvious in our discourses with them than that Heaven is within them I have heard it in discourse with them What doth all this brave sound of words in this Confession at Barbican come to why this is the sum of it when he saith we believe the Man Christ to be glorified in Heaven and the holy Manhood to be in heavenly glory viz. that the Light within being hearkened to and obeyed is lifted up and exalted and glorified in the heart of man I know it to be true that Pen hath written it in the Folio put forth by him and Whitehead viz. that the Light in that body that was taken of the Virgin is the Christ whereas we know and assert that it 's neither the Divine nature alone nor Humane alone but both in union that is the Christ of God I will give one testimony out of Smith's Primer Pag. 8. They that are false Teachers preach Christ without and bid the people believe in him as he is in Heaven above Now lest some Reconciler as W. P. or any other should say that their Brother Smith meant that whoever preached Christ without only were false Teachers not but that the preaching of Christ without will consist with the preaching of Christ within hear his own words again Pag. 9. Child This is a great difference in their Doctrine speaking still of the true and false Teachers for one to preach Christ without and another preacheth him within Fat Yes it doth make a great difference and bath no more fellowship together then the East with the West See how far they are from denying the true and real Manhood of Jesus Christ in Heaven he that will be decieved let him be deceived by this line you may measure all the rest that followeth The next thing to take off the Charge is their own confession in the Book Pag. 5. They write We farther add and confess that the same man Christ that suffered and was put to death in the flesh and was raised from the dead by the mighty Power of God ascended into Heaven Gods dwelling place ascended both as to change of place and state of glory Is not here a very full and plain confession Would not you take the Hareford Quakers more Orthodox than others of them would not one hope that our writing against their Errour doth inlighten them teach them convince them and that they are coming near to some good settlement in the good old Truths and that they will at length become Christians but it is so with some that have accustomed themselves to ly and cheat they are always suspected by them that know them so truly is it with this People they have altogether lost their credit and reputation with many as in this matter in that we
though in another Horizon only it did not then appear it was not published if I say of a Child in the womb it is not yet come into the world the Quakers will say it is not strictly true is not the Mothers womb in the world only it stayeth there and is not come through the place of the breaking forth of Children John Crook had his Answer first written in his mind before it was in his Paper it was not then strictly true but that there was an Answer before the Answer was written as well as before it was published so witty are these people we know not how to speak the plain Truth as to matter of fact to them But I had not best talk too loud for if I should it may occasion the publication of it and that they say will not be for my credit and that if it comes out I shall have need of a better Antidote this is their Conclusion Here is the same Insinuation in the clause of this Book as was in the end of Christopher Tayler's Postcript he said had more against me then he would write these say that the answer to my Book will not be for my credit when it is published why are they still so like the Jesuits going about if possible to take away our good name and credit from us But it may be they mean only because it will be such a full and clear Refutation of my Book Truth is strong and bold that I fear not try it as soon as you will or dare But they give me fair warning to provide a better Antidote here is a tacit Concession then that there will be a stronger poyson than usual in the future Answer however I have but one and the same and there needs no other Antidote it is sufficient against all the deadly poyson inchantments divinations errors of the Socinians Quakers Ranters Mugletonians Papists in this day viz. That soveraign anointing spoken of in 1 Joh. 26 27. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you but the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lie and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him Now see what mischief these men have done to the Christian Religion how sacrilegiously they have robbed the Curch of many sweet and comfortable Truths that the Saints in all ages have lived by Faith upon as their life and treasure in all their failings weaknesses and imperfections tryals temptations afflictions desertions for if Christ be not the same real true Man in Heaven that he was here upon Earth which the Quakers have here denied while in some woâ—ds they confess it then it follows according to what I writ in my last Book which I desire may be perused again 1. There is no Intercessor no high Priest to appear in the presence of God for us for according to his real Humane Nature as well as Divine he is Mediator 2. Then is there no entring for us into Heaven for the way thither was consecrated for us through the vail of his Flesh that was his Manhood by that he went to prepare a place 3. Then is there no Spirit to be expected nor any gift thereof for the shedding of it forth was the fruit of his Ascention as Man 4. He is not now Lord and King for according to his Manhood he was exalted above all Principalities and Powers 5. Then shall Christ never come again personally to be Judge of quick and dead for as Man he is to judge the World Acts 17.31 He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man c. This Truth is openly denied by the Quakers and no wonder 6. Then hath Christ no fellow-feeling with us in our straits for it 's only as to his Manhood that he was made like to us and tempted as we ase he is now neither a merciful nor faithful high Priest if his Manhood doth not remain Heb. 2.17 And lastly we cannot then come unto him with any boldness in prayer but shall be amazed and confounded in the thoughts of the glorious Majesty of God if He hath not rendred himself familiar to us by taking our Humane Nature upon him and still retaining it in union with his Deity upon this it is that we are bid to come boldly to the Throne of Grace Heb. 4. ult Because we have an high Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted as we are FINIS