a Persecuter but as he received the Commandment within by the Spirit and Power of God or his Light within he saw sin exceeding sinful But further in flat contradiction to his opposing the Light within or the Quakers Christ as he scornfully stiles it he confesseth That the Grace of God received in the work of Regeneration and Reconciliation doth so principle the heart with an enmity to sin and begets an hatred to it and love to Righteousness 1 Thess. 1.5 6 7. so that it is from the Principle within together with the observation of the Rule without that the soul is made to gather Sanctity and Holiness he saith Answ. Then the Grace within which works such a good effect in the soul must needs be saving for that it removes the sin which is the cause of condemnation and works sanctity and holiness through which is acceptance with the Lord and why then is the Quakers Christ within so much despised and scorned in many places throughout his Book And as for the Word together with the Spirit cleansing and sanctifying The Word and Spirit are one and he that hath the Word of God abiding in him hath the Spirit of God in him and this with its blessed effects we certainly know and therefore cannot slight the Scriptures of Truth or Words of God therein which he calls the written Words because they proceeded from the Spirit And whereas he would not give any ground of jealousie that he should judge that the written word and spirit in any man as abstracted from Christ in the titest and most uniform obedience doth cleanse or that our obedience is any cause either of Justification or Sanctification Answ. If this our Opposer deems that the Spirit in any is abstracted from Christ and that any obey the Spirit without Christ It 's none of our belief for they are not divided and we know that there is no condemnation to them that walk after the Spirit for they are in Christ and have life in the Son of God 2. Whereas our obedience to the Spirit is denyed as being any cause either of our Justification or Sanctification This is a denying of the Apostles Doctrine and is repugnant to the spiritual-obedience which is both acceptable to God and through the Spirit and the obedience of the Spirit the true Believers mortified the deeds of the flesh and purified their souls Rom. 8.13 1 Pet. 1.22 Besides the obedience and works of the living Faith which is not a self-righteousness are attended with Justification and some cause thereof for was not Abraham justified by works when he offered up Isaac Jam. 2.21 And the Saints were sanctified and justified by the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 6.11 But then if our obedience in this case must be wholly excluded as not any cause either of Justification or Sanctification how comes the suffering and Blood of Christ so often to be tendred and applied upon believing Is believing no part of the creatures obedience What ignorance and contradiction is in this W. Burnet's Religion what sayes he to this see how he comes off in the following words Bapt. I do believe that our Justification comes in by no other way or means or name under Heaven but by Jesus Christ which is so far true But further he adds and that by shedding of that Blood and offering of that Sacrifice upon the Cross Heb. 9.22 1 Pet. 1.19 and that our Justification is the real cause of our Sanctification Answ. If so and that our obedience be not any cause thereof as before then are all men in a justified state for whom he died and he was offered and dyed for all as is confessed by this our Opposer and others of them from which state men's not obeying or disobeying can be no hindrance if their obedience contribute nothing to it or be no cause of either Justification or Sanctification so their believing or not believing can neither further nor hinder by this account But then if it should be denyed that all men are justified by the sufferings and blood of Christ without I ask Why are not all It 's answered readily Because all do not believe Then it 's because they do not obey But what if they do not if their obedience of the Spirit or Light within be no cause of their Sanctification or Justification are they not therefore justified but then whence is this power of believing and obedience derived if not from the Light and Spirit of Christ within but as to Justification being laid one while upon the name of Jesus another while upon the shedding of that Blood without another while by the Offering or Sacrifice upon the Cross What confusion is here and how is this man put to it to patch up his own principles Christ's name is Everlasting it is called The Word of God who by one Offering hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Where doth the Scripture say that Justification is the real cause of Sanctification or that men are justified in an unsanctified or disobedient state and if some be justified in that state only by the Offering and Blood of Christ without as is supposed and not all that are in the same state does not this render God partial and unjust if he withhold that from men which is both merited and purchased for them as these our Opposers affirm whilst their obedience is so little set by or esteemed that it 's deemed no cause of either Justification or Sanctification But then as to the shedding of Christ's Blood without which so much stress is laid upon whose work was that but a wicked mans after he was put to death and where is that Blood is it in being yea or nay or did it sink into the ground and corrupt as some of you have confessed and in P. 40. that Blood that was shed is not in being saith W. B. How then does it cleanse sanctifie justifie redeem save c. as he would have us beleive whereas in that 1 Pet. 1. cited by this our opposer it s said we are not redeemed by corruptible things but by the precious Blood of Christ Therefore that Blood which redeems is in being and not corruptible no more then his Flesh that saw no corruption but bears record with the Spirit But this is a mystery vailed from all such carnal contenders as carnally look upon things according to the outward appearance and no further Nor can they in that state see thorow the Vail unto the heavenly things themselves nor unto the perfect Tabernacle which Jesus Christ is the High-Priest and Minister of And another Testimony upon which W. Burnet scoffs and carps against the Light within is Humph. Smiths viz. That there is no other rule or means or name by which a man shall ever come to walk with God but that which is manifest of God even the Light of the Son of God the Light of him who saith I am the Light c. But how does W. B. assay to confute
contradiction he saith Christ hath redeemed man by his death and blood shedding at his death he should have said It was shed after his death and then Let every ones expectation be from that Christ c Indeed our expectation is from no other Christ for two Christs we do not preach But mark how one while W.B. makes that blood and the shedding of it his Justifier Redeemer c. which he has confessed is not in being Another while People must seek their Saviour above the Clouds and Firmament pag. 33. contrary to the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 10.6 Another while they must look to Jerusalem for Justification to the blood that was there shed pag. 24. contrary to Deut. 30.13 14. and Rom. 10. And if men should look to Jerusalem for that blood it is not there to be found for it 's not in being sayes W. B. What confusion what a Laborynth and uncertainty is he in and does he bring his Hearers into But as to these things sufficient is said before and the Mystery of Christ's sufferings and blood as revealed by his Spirit owned by us according to the Scriptures of Truth Their vain Confusions they shall die and cease But Light and Truth within they shall increase Some Heads of the Controversies and Disputes that were between Geo. Whitehead and the Baptists at Chertsey and Horn in Surry on the 16 th and 17 th dayes of the fourth month 1668. THat one of you Quakers hath writ that Christ was never seen with a carnal eye which we can prove he was G. W. Christ said unto Philip He that seeth me seeth my Father also which could not be with a carnal eye And was not he the true Christ a Saviour that said Before Abraham was I am and it 's said he took part of the same that the Children had to wit flesh and blood was not that he the true Christ W. B. That Body of Christ that suffered on the Cross and was buried in the Sepulchre was Christ the Saviour of the World G. W. That Body was called the Body of Jesus when Joseph of Arimathea begged it of Pilate for that Body was prepared for Jesus it is not said He begged the Jesus of Jesus but the Body of Jesus Jer. Jves That Body without the Spirit when it was dead was but an empty Trunk G. W. But so is not Christ the Saviour of the World who was before Abraham was W. B. Christ as he was God before he assumed the Body that suffered could not break the Serpents head nor was he capable of being a Saviour without a Body because he had nothing to offer as he was God c. G. W. Herein Will. Burnet hath denied the power of God and its sufficiency and hath spoken no less than blasphemy to say God could not break the Serpents Head whereas God is often said to be a Saviour as in Hosea I am God a Saviour besides me there is none other c. with many other places J. J. W.B. Is the same Body of Christ that suffered on the Cross in Heaven yea or nay G.W. The Body of Christ in Heaven is not Carnal but Spiritual J. J. W. B. But what became of that Body that suffered is it in Heaven yea or nay G. W. I do not read that he is in Heaven with a Body of Flesh Blood and Bones it was changed Jer. Ives As for the question of the Blood wee 'l pass that by Is the same Body of flesh and bones in Heaven G. W. Would you have me answer your Question herein when you dare not assert it to be the same in all the Ingredients to wit as having the Blood in it What say you to it Is it in Heaven without the Blood in it Christ after his Resurrection appeared in divers Forms as one while his appearance to Thomas was to be touched at another time he said Touch me not I am not yet ascended and he appeared among them the Doors being shut and once also he vanished out of their sight Mark he vanished out of their sight and in what manner his Body was changed or what trasmutation it had I shall not go about to demonstrate for I would not go about to make my self wise above what is written in this matter Jer. Ives What change or alteration Christs Body might have we cannot determine nor what glory he is in for to inquire with what Body the the dead are raised is absurd and that which should not be G. W. Why then do you obtrude a Question upon me which you dare not plainly assert or which you are unlearned in your selves W. B. You deny the shedding of the Blood upon the Cross that was let out by vertue of the Spear being thrust into his side to be meritorious or the meritorious cause of mans Justification This W. B. held in the Affirmative G. W. The shedding of that Blood let out by the Spear was an act of a wicked man and the Spear an instrument of cruelty which to lay the meritorious cause or stress of Justification upon is false Doctrine for there is a great difference between Christ's offering up himself by the Eternal Spirit a Lamb without spot to God and the acts of wicked men inflicted upon him as it 's said by wicked hands they put him to death Jer. Ives You must not stand upon the Grammatical sence of his words but take his meaning my brother Burnet meant Christs Passion and not the Act of wicked men or not the Souldiers act of shedding Christs Blood Brother Burnet was not that your meaning W. B. Yes brother yet it is proper to say It was Christs Act to shed his blood as it was Sauls Act to kill himself when he bid his Armour-bearer thrust him through G. W. This is a gross Instance and Comparison thus to instance a murderer in this case of Christs suffering thus to bring a murderer to prove it Christs Act to shed his Blood when he suffered neither doth it hold parallel for Christ did not bid the Souldier thrust his Spear into his side it was done after he was Crucified and put to death Jer. Ives But whether or no that Blood that was shed upon the Cross was a meritorious cause of Justification I am justified and purged by it G. W. Whether or no that Blood which purgeth cleanseth and justifieth is still in being seeing it is the Blood of Christ that cleanseth them from all sin who walk in the Light as God is in the Light and that there are three that bear Record in the Earth the Spirit the Water and the Blood and these three agree in one But to this Question Whether the blood that cleanseth beareth Record in the Earth be still in being no answer they gave Now the Principal Heads of the Controversie were more briefly collected as followeth Together with Matt. Caffin's Contradictions against them Jer. Ives THE Blood
THE Light and Life OF Christ within AND The Extent and Efficacy thereof DEMONSTRATED AND The Quakers Principles Justified by the Scriptures of Truth the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles from the false and Blasphemous Constructions put upon them by WILLIAM BURNET in his Book stiled The Capital Principles of the people called Quakers Herein the rest of the Baptists that own him may see His Antichristian spirit and doctrines detected By a Servant of Christ G. WHITEHEAD His Doctrinal and self contradictions compared By a Servant of Christ G. WHITEHEAD His Ignorance and Errours discovered By a Servant of Christ G. WHITEHEAD His Envy and Feign edness reproved By a Servant of Christ G. WHITEHEAD Professing themselves to be wise they became fools Rom. 1.22 London Printed in the Year 1668. The PREFACE I Should very willingly have forborn to appear thus publick in such Controversies at this time if the Truth might have been otherwise cleared for I have a life in peace more than in contests and a tender respect to the more Conscientious of all sorts professing Religion that have a tenderness and sincerity in them but I am necessitated thus to appear because of the hardness and perversness of some Baptists and their publick reproaching and scandalizing the Truth professed by us called Quakers both in words preaching and print and their clamouring up and down the Countries against us both in Buckinghamshire Surrey Sussex and other parts in which thing Matthew Caffin their great Agent and Contender and W. Burnet of Chertsey are chiefly concerned against us whereby they have to their power supplied the Persecuters place now in this little time of liberty like persons implacable envying our liberty and prosperity William Burnets personal reflections in his Book against some amongst us which he has gathered from Reports as the former persecuting Priests were wont to do I could more easily have passed by than his wronging perverting opposing the truth of our Principles though several of his Reflections are false and slanderous for that any particular fall or failings of persons cannot rationally be alleaged to destroy principles fallen from But considering the divisions that are amongst Baptists even the Leaders as to their Principles it might have been some stop to W. B. his outrage in this matter and they should have agreed among themselves before they had thus appeared against us some being for a particular Election of persons and both denying saving Grace to be free to all and Christ's dying for all Others being for Christ's death for all and General Redemption and some pleading for Free-will Several of their Teachers and some Hearers are for and observe the Seventh-day-Sabbath imposed on the Jews and have preached writ and printed for the imposing of it on Christians many others of them are against it And why doth not our Opposer plead for his Water-Baptism and Seventh-day-Sabbath here against us but therein he would not be popular enough Many affirm Christ to have done and compleated all for Man on the Cross without But some that the Offering was not compleated nor the Type under the Law fully Answered till he was entered into Heaven or the Holy-Place Many of them are for paying Priests Tythes rather than suffer others have writ against it as Antichristian and yet few stand out of it Some of their Teachers have contended and printed for taking the Oath several gratifying the Persecuters and swearing themselves out of Prison by which others have suffered the more which hath been a grief to some who were more Consciencious many of them running into holes and corners not daring to meet publickly if but a little storm break forth And has not W. B. heard how Thomas Tillam their great Seventh-day-Sabbath man and his fellow-prisoner deceitfully made escape out of Ipswich Prison which was no small blot upon them And have not some of them gotten into the Priests places Pulpits preached for Hire Tythes c. as Tombs and others when permitted As also two of their eminent Leaders viz. Robert Everard and Jo. Attaway of Brantree in Essex turned Papists and become great Contenders for the Church of Rome These things I mention as having been most obvious and publick besides gross corruptions both as to principle and practice might be further manifest against some of their Chieftains which at present I shall forbear to mention here And now though this W. B hath shewed his envious and persecuting spirit which hath put forth its sting against us We do in the Elect Seed tread upon its head and are not pierced thereby And that spirit shall be crushed and the Elect shall reign over it in the power of Christ and I have as much satisfaction in appearing against the persecuting spirit in W. B. as against it in other open Opposers and Persecutors For what could we reasonably expect from him and such as he is if they had power but they would be as great Persecutors as any that we have suffered under whilst they shew such enmity and implacableness at this time a day against us And whereas W.B. in his Epistle sayes he shall leave it the Cause is God's and whatever reproach he undergoes therein he hopes he shal quietly bear c. By which he seems as if he would be quiet now when he has done his worst against us But 't is probable he would have had more quietness and peace if he had never appeared thus against the Upright as he hath done in his confused Book Now Reader take a view of some of his Doctrines and apparent Contradictions hereafter whereby he hath given a deadly blow to his own Cause which is proved none of God's VV. Burnet his Contradictions HEre are several of William Burnets Contradictions collected in his own words out of his Book and compared as followeth W.B. in pag. 3. of his Book saith Paul preached a Christ made of a woman and not a Christ in them that God will redeem the world by But in contradiction he saith I do not deny that the fruits and effects of our Justification doth shew it self both within and without Pag. 4. Paul's knowledge of sin came by the Law and not by the Light within Contradiction The Grace of God received and the Love of Christ revealed in the work of Regeneration doth principle the heart with an enmity to sin and the Grace received in the work of Reconciliation begets a hatred to it so that it is from the principle within Pag. 5. I would not give any one ground of jealousie that I should judge that our obedience is any cause either of our Justification or Sanctification And p. 10. The spirit in man and obedience to that spirit is not the cause of mans union with God But in contradiction pag. 35. We are sealed by an obedience to the Gospel And Pag. 8. The Spirit is alive because of Righteousness Paul's knowledge of sin came by the Law not the Light within Contradiction P. 8. That Light is
to shew me that Text in Scripture where any of God's Worthies directed people to turn to a Light within and obey the Light within to expect salvation This is altogether contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles John exhorts his followers to believe in him that should come after him and not a Christ that should come into them the Apostle preached Christ to the Jews whom they by wicked hands had crucified slain Paul preached a Christ made of a Woman and not a Christ in them that God will redeem the World by Reply Because this our opposer is so ignorant of the Scriptures and of the Light and Power of God which saveth I may Answer his Challenge and inform him that the tendency and drift of all the preaching and directions of the holy men of God Christ and the Apostles was to turn people from darkness to the Light to the knowledge of God and Christ which is spiritual and therefore inwardly and spiritually to be received and revealed for that which may be known of God who is Light is manifest within Rom. 1. And Paul said God who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus 2 Cor. 4. And Christ exhorted to beleive in the Light that they might be the Children of the Light And was not that in them which did beget them to God and bring them to be his Children And did not Christ say he that is with you shall be in you and I in them and they in me Joh. 17. And this appearance without in the flesh and coming after John Baptist and being slain by wicked hands as touching the flesh doth not destroy nor make void the doctrine of his spiritual appearance in his People no more then his coming after John did his being before him in Spirit for John said he that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me mark he was before John 1 Joh. 1.13 though not in the flesh or body in which he was crucified but being quickned by the Spirit thereby he went and preached unto the spirits in Prison and was not this preaching spiritual and directed to Spirit Life and Light within which opened the eyes of the understandings to see the power of God in Christ the Light even the same power that raised up Jesus And was not the Word within a Light which both Moses and the Apostles directed to and the Spirit or Anointing within to teach lead into all truth and save from sin and death which has reigned in people And what is Redemption but a freeing from the servitude of sin and it is fulfilled in every true Believer by Christ who is the power of God who is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption and all these are inwardly experienced by such as know that God hath wrought all their works in them And therefore for W. Burnet to deny that Christ in them to redeem is his gross error and ignorance and contradiction to the Apostles Doctrine as also how appearently does he contradict himself when he grants that the fruits and effects of our Justification doth shew it self within and without And surely then the cause thereof must be known within Christ within the Spirit that Sanctifies and Justifies within God who works all our works in us Isa. 26.12 dwels in his people 2 Cor. 6. Now if Christ be to be known within then that which reveals him and may be known of God is within there must be an eye or else no seeing and if it be blind or vailed it must be opened by that which makes manifest things that are reproved which is Light But now as to Christs being in every man p. 4. that 's not our affirmation nor words but that there is a Light of Christ in every man even in the Rebellious to leave them without excuse And what T. Tayler has said in that case is true and will stand over the head of this our ignorant opposer who hath carped at this expression of the word in the heart and the Light shining in man yea in every man as being a present help against sin which is neither a marring of his work nor any extenuation of the glory of the true Christ nor any falshood as it is very ignorantly charged for the Word in the heart is to be obeyed it saves the soul the Light shining in the heart gives the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Therefore 't is helpful against sin 1. in that it saves from it 2. in that it leads such as be kept in it to the Glory which is immortal and leaves them that rebel against the Light without excuse which if it had not sufficiency and a saving property in it it could not for otherwise its insufficiency therein would be ground of excuse And as touching the Word which is nigh IN the heart and wherewith shall a young-man cleanse his way Psal. 119. W.B. his perswasion is that neither of those Scriptures refer to Christ but to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament which is called both the Word of God and of Christ he sayes To which I reply This Baptists ignorance and absurdity in this plainly appears touching both the Word that cleanseth and the Scriptures which are the Writings that contain many Words of Truth in the plural whereas the Word which clenseth and sanctifieth Joh. 17. is but one which also is both a discerner of the thoughts and powerful in the operation Also when David directed to the Word which was a light unto his paths much of the Old Testament was not given forth or written and to be sure not the New And when the Apostle directed to the Word of Faith which was nigh in the heart to obey it this could not be the Scriptures or Writings of the New-Testament for he was then but a writing part of them and several other Epistles were unwritten neither were they bound up into one Volumn till many years after besides many have corrupted the Scriptures but the Word which sanctifies and redeems is the Incorruptible Seed which lives and abides for ever And is not that Seed or Word Christ And how comes any to know and rightly to understand the Scriptures but by the Spirit of God for it 's granted p. 4. That the Law of God is made applicable to us by the Spirit of God So then men are to be directed to the Spirit of God within which convinceth the world but in contradiction to himself he saith Paul's knowledge of sin came by the Law not by the Light within Surely not by the Law without the Light within if by the Spirit of God it be applicable to us as before for it was not the Law outward as it was in the letter of it that convinced Paul for he had that before when
and believe And people it is as you have been taught and believed So let us leave this to the people to judge of c. G. W. There is something more to be said to what thou hast alleadged from Job 19. of seeing God with these eyes which thou wouldst make people believe are these bodily eyes This supposes that God is not a Spirit nor invisible c. for no object or thing is obvious or visible to the Carnal or outward eye but what is visible and outward that is a bodily and outward Substance for these bodily eyes cannot see a Spirit or that which is invisible M. C. These Eyes shall be glorified and made Spiritual for as now they are mortal and corruptible they cannot see God but as they are made immortal and glorified they shall see God G. W. Job after said to God I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Job last Chap. This was a Spiritual eye and not his bodily eyes but to tell of these bodily eyes to be made spiritual and then of seeing God with them that they must be made so spiritual and be the same they are for matter and substance This is strange Doctrine and that which we could never hear demonstrated from any Maxime in Divinity nor yet from any general Rule or Reason in Philosophy Le ts hear how thou wilt demonstrate that these carnal or bodily eyes shall be made so spiritual as to see God who is invisible and yet they be the same in substance that they are but M. Caffin did not at all assay to demonstrate this his Assertion nor to clear himself of his absurdities M. C. Let us go on to the next Question and leave this to the judgment of the people G. VV. It 's here before this Auditory evident and manifest that thou M. C. art confounded in thy work and put to a non-plus not being able to manage thy Assertion nor to clear thy self of the absurdities justly charged upon thee from thy own Words and Arguments wherefore be ingenious and confess thy error and that thou art confounded and not able to maintain the controversie in this matter Thou hast come off very faintly I advise thee as thou wilt answer it before the great God who will judge the secrets of men by Christ according to the Gospel that thou dost not wrong nor go to out-face thy own Conscience before this people as if thou wert not confounded but deal plainly and ingeniously and confess and acknowledge thou art at a loss and confounded who for proof tells the people It is thy belief and what thou hast affirmed is true As much as to say It is true because it is true or people must believe it because M. Caffin sayes it and then they must receive it upon an implicit Faith as believing he is infallible but M. C. hath no such authority with us for we see him fallible in error and in confusion as particularly about the same Wheat growing again and seeing God with these bodily eyes With many more errors and falshoods which M. Caffin was detected for which we have more at large upon record A POST-SCRIPT THese Baptists who have been thus wrangling querying and contend about the Resurrection of the same flesh blood and bones have manifested their carnal fleshly minds wherein they are puffed up as Intruders into things they have not seen and their Gospel to consist more of imaginations about flesh blood which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15.50 than of any real knowledge of the true and saving Gospel which consists of Spirit Divine Power Life and Light the knowledge of which doth afford true satisfaction to them that enjoy it without such vain and carnal contentions of Baptists and questioning how the dead are raised and with what Body like those whom the Apostle reproved as fools 1 Cor. 15.35 36 37. As also like the Devil his disputing or contending with Michael the Arch-Angel about the Body of Moses Jude 9. They have appeared in these their carnal contests to darken peoples minds from the true Light and Life within And such have been the products of flesh and darkness against the breakings forth of Truth in its Light and Power which is and will be exalted over all these oppositions and Clouds of ignorance that rise up against it THE END Reader Thou art desired to amend such Errors as have escaped the Press whether Words or Points PAge 8. line 3. for yet is not read yet it is not p. 30. l. 3. f. computure r. composure p. 32. l. 22. f. had a knowledge r. had not a knowledge p. 33. l. 26. f. be the rule r. be not the rule p. 36. l. 18. f. this r· their p. 38. l. 19. f. has r. he has p. 50. l. 1. f. denies r. deems p. 63. l. 29. f. trasmutation r. transmutation p. 27. l. 1. f. W. B. his false Aspertions r. and its sufficiency * Where are these tearms in Scripture but that God was in Christ God manifest in flesh c. †Act and suffering are two things the Act was wicked mens but the suffering Christs Will. Burnet Jer. Ives * The accusation †To this they would not answer * Here he flatly contradicted his Bro. Burnet †Blasphemy * What a Body is that without Blood in it †Of which absurdity divers of you Baptists are guilty as M. Câ—ffin others †Here one Brother contradicted the other * Note he meant by a wicked mans actions Christ's passion †See how the Question is altered 1. If the shedding the blood c. 2. If that blood 3. Is the meritorious cause 4. Is a meritorious cause †That which cleanseth must needs be still in being if cleansing be a real work and that is spiritual * What holy Place and with what Blood * What a Babel are you Baptists building