QUAERIES PROPOUNDED TO GEORGE FOX AND HIS Ministers To answer from a paper wrote by George Fox intituled An Epistle from the People called Quakers to all people to read over of what they hold concerning God Christ his Death Resurrection Redemption Salvation Justification Blood Faith and Hope By a LOVER of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God who was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the holy Ghost for the CHRIST and Mans SAVIOUR as that promised Seed that God to Adam said should break tde Serpents head LONDON Printed for Anna Brewster at the Golden Bellows in Fore-street against the first Postern near Cripplegate 1669. Quaeries Propounded BUt being not ignorant that these assertors affirm the witnessese in conscience to be God Christ light and Saviour and as such teach obedience for Salvation which witness being but a mans own Spirrit as to it that worme of conscience that never dyeth I must against this doctrin testifie that the witness in conscience in it self is neither God nor Christ nor breaker of the Serpents head for as aforesaid the witness in the conscience being that worm in the heart that gnaws the conscience when its book is set open as Solomon calls a wounded spirit that who can bear is but the spirit in and of man that God in man hath placed as man is his creature to bear witness for God and for it self and being forewarned by God from his law placed in mans heart to keep him obedient thereunto which he not obeying is left without excuse it bearing record to the condemning Justice of God for originall sin and in that man will not receive the grace tendred by God through Jesus Christ who is the way and means that God of grace hath found out to save man by believing on his name is from the pride of his heart and self-willed of spirit accounting it two low for his exalted heart and thus from his pride put off from him so great grace that God hath offered to him by Christ and thence despiseth his flesh and trampled his blood under his foot as not sufficient for him in it to trust not allowing him for Saviour but if anything only an examples And thence being turned from him the way by whom cometh eternall life set up the creature all spirit in conscience for Christ and his light But in that you say you own all that the Scriptures teach I hoping these misapprehensions may therefore be reduced to truth am put upon the asserting this point that the witness in the Conscience is not the Creator but that that the Creator hath made and putting confidence upon it for God and Christ it being but a created spirit that God in man hath plac't sets up the works of his hands for God instead of himself and consequently makes man to be God and Christ not considering that God hath made nature but a substance for producing of his creatures by his word by whom he created them in their multiplicities of distinctions colours and shapes and having created man a ruler of his host he as Soveraign Lord over him establisheth a law as his holy decree to him not to aspire beyond the right of his make upon penalty of incurring eternal death which came to pass by transgression but God seeing into what a deplorable state man had brought himself into of grace promised to him a restorer that should break the Serpents head who being Christ that promised seed as born of the Virgin Mary the anointed for a Saviour is him the Christ of God that he gave for a Saviour to the ends of the earth who being him God gave the power too open the book and to break of the seals he is he that brings man out of the prison house of nature into his holy habitation of grace and he being anointed for a Saviour from his receiveing of the Spirit without measure doth shew in that he received that Christ is man and not the eternal father as God for his receiveing from gift proves the giver one thing and him to whom it is given another and he being the second Adam though Lord from heaven as he is God it as he is the son of man is that second Adam to restore man which the first Adam brought into the curse he is humane as being made of woman that was of the linage of David and in that capacity the taker away of sin for saith the Scriptures as sin by one man reigned over all and death by sin so by one man that is Christ shall life reign over many and as by one man all did dye so by one man shall all be made alive and not as it was by one that sinned so is the gift for the judgement was by one to condemnation but the free gift is of many offencies unto justification he having bought us by his blood which being blood of his body that was united to the God-head he as he is thus united is God and man in that person and therefore the blood he shed forth of his person for an atonement with God being blood in this high conjunction was not blood as mans is blood but was the blood of God from whence it is not unsufficient that it cannot attone but hath with God attoned for man that in it hath faith it being the blood of the Lamb of God that hath taken away the sins of the world who suffered by Pontius Pilate who hung him on a tree From whence we quaery for that you say you own all that the scriptures preach of Christ his Birth Miracles Sufferings Death Resurrection and Blood with all the promises that relates to him Whether you own Christ God-man in his Person to consist of nature divine and nature humane and in that capacity to be the Christ or the light in the conscience without the two natures in that person to be Christ and Saviour explain for saith the scriptures that as to his manhood he came of the stem of Jessey and as to his god-head that he was the word made flesh Whether the first promise that God made to Adam of the seed of the womans breaking the â—erpents head was spoke to him of Christ that was to come as the son of Mary or was it spoke of somthing within that Person to be the Christ without relation to that Person explain And since the Prophets dependâ—d on God for salvation by Christ that was to come whether it was not Christ in his person they looked unto for the Saviour and not the light in Christ without the person of Christ explain since they foretold of him as that wonder that God would bring to pass that a woeman should conceive with a man-child and bring him forth without the help of a man And since as it doth appear by Abraham that this was their faith by what Christ spoke of him that seeing his day he rejoyced and by Job that said that he knew that his Redeemer lived and that
victory over the world is not the hand that receiveth the power by believing on Christ the giver of the grace to beget us unto God childreâ— of the Kingdom or is it by believing the witness in man which yoâ— call the light in conscience which is but the spirit of man that which Solomon calls the Candle of the Lord that gives victory over the worlâ— in the heart explain Whether the Holy Ghost that proceeds from the Father and thâ— Son as proceeding from Father and Son be in the efflux both Fatheâ— and Son explain Since you deny in print three subsistences in the one divine essence and that they are not distinct in their operations as three father word and spirit Whether the water blood and spirit that bore witness to Christ oâ— earth were properties of his humanity or of his divinity explain And if of his divine natue and not of his humane what was it of Ghrist that cryed upon the cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Since the Scriptures say that it behoved the Christ to dye and it being unpossible for God to dye whether the light in conscience which you call Christ be the Christ that so dyed or the person be the Christ that dyed explain Whether since there is but one Gospel is it the power of the light in conscience according to your Doctrine or is it the death buriall and resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures yea or nay explain Whether the price that bought man to God be the blood of Christs person since it was of the body God prepared to do his will or was it the life of God in that body that was blood explain And if the life of the Godhead is blood show us how it came to be blood since without blood there is no remission Whether the Lamb that purchased his Church by his own blood to present it without spot to God was Jesus of whom the Prophet said he was led as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before the shearers he opened not his mouth Or the light in man is this Christ off whom the Prophet spake explain For that of him in his personal appearance John the Baptist said behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World Whether the word without Maries substance for his body is the whole Christ or the word with the substance taken of Mary be the Christ explain For of Christ the Scipture speaks in two distinctions as of two natures in the acting though one in conjunction in the act as he is the word God in Christ and as man Christ in whom God was as written god was in Christ reconciling and Christ him by whom the world was reconciled to God and the word being one with and in Christ whether the whole Christ through the words assuming the humane Nature to his divine be not God the divine and humane nature making up the whole person of Christ explain And since it is written of the Son thy Throne O God is for ever and ever a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity therefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladness above thy fellows whether this Son of God is he that took upon him in his person for mans redemption the state of a servant accounting it no robbery to be equal with God and his fellow or is it the light in conscience you say is Christ who is this exalted Man Gods fellow whose throne is for ever explain But for your asserting of many Scriptures that relate to Christ for the redemption of man I know no professors that deny them as they teach faith to him the Son of God But your bringing them to colour your selves in your opinion of the light in you to be the Christ that I suppose they do deny and bring them for a witness against you for your convincement And I having this knowledge see not wherein you are wronged in being charged to deny God and Christ in a place above stars Sun Moon and Elements since what is said by you to the contrary speaks not of place but power and your saying you own his ascention and yet denyed his personal body to be ascended puts me upon this Quaery Whether you own Christ as a person ascended up into a Heaven that is a place of residence whereinto he is ascended far above stars Sun Moon and Elements explain From the 5 page to the 8 I pass over being but the same spoke to before But that you say in the 8 page Christ is the true light that enleightneth every man that comes into the world you err not knowing the Scriptures for they say not that Christ made all things for that as Christ is man he is made but as the manhood is united to the word who is God and that the two natures in Christ are not to be divided so it may be said that he made them by his head and the head of Christ is God For we find no where in Scripture that it is said of Christ as he is Man of the Virgin Mary that in him was the life that inlightneth every Man but in reference to the word that dwelt bodily in him From whence we quaery whether this Christ of whom John said was the Christ be he or the light in Man the Christ that G. F. saith is the Christ explain and if the Christ that G. F. saith is the Christ be he I desire to know of G. F or his Disciples what is become of the Christ whom the Scriptures bears record to be he Since you deny him in heaven the exalted of God for his Christ in a person Whether since you say it is the light that enlightneth every Man that comes into the world and the light is Christ by this assertion is not the light God and God the Christ explain And if the light be God and God is Christ and not the person the Christ then when Christ dyed was it not God that dyed and him that was nailed upon the Cross explain Since it is written of him that is the Saviour that by death he destroyed him that had the power of death to wit the Devil And if it was God that dyed and buried as dead who or what was there in Heaven or in Earth that did or could raize up God from the dead explain And your saying that with the light they saw the blood of Christ I say they did For he whose Testimony is true was by when the Lord was put to death who saith That which we have seen with our eyes and looked upon and handled with our hands and have heard from the beginning declare we unto you that your fellowship may be with us and our fellowship is with the Father and the Son in the light Therefore whether by the light in Man doth Man come to see Christ and his blood in himself
the creature is obedient unto the lighâ— in his conscience 6. That the Father Word Spirit are not threâ— distinct operators in the Divine essence 7. That the blood of Chrisâ— doth not at one for man with God and that his body is not ascended into heaven These I acknowledge arr published for your principle to the world before now And in that you packed up together so many Scriptures as if yoâ— believed Christ and salvation by him as they bear record to him knowing you dance as in a Net concern my self to direct these Quaries unto you for explanation that the truth which is pure in it self may not be vailed through false glosses and you returning a Christian like answer to what is here presented in truth and simplicity without Serpentime twinings and false glosses will give us hope that at length 〈◊〉 you believe the scriptures that you have so largely in show brought you may come to sit down with the children of Christ in the Faith thaâ— leads up unto Eternal Life which if it may appear I shall hope you insides may come to be much better known then they are now being through Faith washed in the blood of the Lamb whatever your outside â—e And you my old Acquaintance to you I write as one from God that have found mercy from believing and depending upon his Name by Jesus Christ who is the glass that you may see his glory in him being â—is glass in whose Face the glory of the Father only can be seen and â—â—owing that your inward Man of your hearts is in bondage by the â—onds of darkness in your inward deeps and that those bonds cannot â—e broken by any but by Christ that hath the key to open the book and â—o break off the Seals I do pray that the eyes of your minds may be enâ—ightned to look up to him by that ingrafted word of Faith which â—akes of him as the hand his Spirit to unlock the shut up gates of our hearts that the King of Glory may come in which hitherto being lockâ—d up the Prisoner of hope cannot come forth although it has the promise from the covenant that God hath made to Christ that by his blood â—e will send it forth out of the deep Pit wherein there is no waters And therefore I say to you that the Principle upon which you botâ—om being not Christ but light of and in Nature is nor that that can â—eliver your Souls out of the Jaws of Death and bring you into the â—and of rest for worm Jacob the hidd n man in the heart obtaineth â—ot unto Gods salvation although for it is ordained from â—he purchasement of our Lord Jesus Christ till that the bright â—eams of the Lord the Christ shines into the heart from the Lamb â—hat sits with God upon the Throne for the goodly Tents of Jacob is a â—abitation of light in the Lord and Christ the Lord who is his light when he appears brings the light for his rest the streams whereof make â—lad the City of my God which light of Christ being from above â—s the supernatural light whose issuing beams no man knows nor can â—now but the elect of God to whom it is given through the Faith that 〈◊〉 in him And my old Friends I would that I might freely speak to you without offence then would I say that the light that is in you as you are creatures by make from the first Adam is not the light of which I speak that is his habitation for his Saints For he that said I am the light and he that believes on me shall not walk in darkness but I will raise them up at the last day is Christ Jesus who was put to death in the flesh bâ— justified in the Spirit that he may give light and life to all them thâ— believe on him and in Faith obey to the receiving of the promise bâ— of the light of and in man he saith if the light in you be darkness how greâ— is that darkness but of the light that proceeds from the Sun thus he speaâ— the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not whiâ—â— being the light that doth accompany the gospel is the salvation of the Saint that the gospel hath purchased for them of which he said ear hath not hear nor eye hath not seen what the father hath prepared for them that love him Which being the light of the Gospel far excels the light in Natuâ— which God as Soveraign Lord hath planted in mans heart for maâ— guide to lead him out of himself to Christ the second Adam by whoâ— the entring in is into the rest that God hath prepared for them befoâ— the World was made And my old friends I would that none of you fall short of entring into his rest by unbelief through the zeal you bear to your Preacher that teach you an entrance by work of obedience to the light of Natuâ— in you for verily such Preachers preach to you voluntary humilâ— that they may glory in your flesh Wherefore it doth remain to yâ— to walk in the way that is appointed that leads up into his rest least any mistakes by witchcraft in Spirit you take the way of your own iâ—vention and fall short of entring into his rest For that it is certâ—â— that by no other way under Heaven we can enter into this rest bâ— by Faith in him who is both Lord and Christ For him hath God sâ—ed Wherefore look ye up unto him who is arisen from the dead a is ascended into the majesty on high where the principalities aâ— powers and thrones fall down and worship the antient of days and Lamb that sits upon his throne For Christ of whom we speak hath 〈◊〉 off the Grave and is arisen from the Tâ—mbs in which he was laid Christ of whom you speak the light in you it is in the Grave and Grave-cloaths wraps it up in the deeps of your heart from â—here cannot come forth but by him who is the Resurrection of the deed whâ— voice being heard within your hearts your dead hearing the voice the Son of God comes forth and lives and without his voice 〈◊〉 you up you dye eternally whatever you say from your believing in â—itness of your consciences for your Saviour For here it is not of â—n thrt willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth a mercy â—ake heed that no man deceive you For the Spirit foreseeing what â—ould be in the latter days foretold a departure from the Faith and at men should rise up bringing in most o amnable Errors denying the â—rd that bought them and many should follow their pernicious ways of â—em the way of truth should be evil spoken off For verily he that entreth â—to his rest must come in by Christ the door without which there is no â—â—p But you rejecting him and taking to your selves another way â—nnot enter in into his rest although the gates stand open And you
that say you have the power to do wonderful things and â—rophesie in his Name are not you they of whom he speaks that when the Son of man shall sit upon his Throne and all his Angels with him that shall come and say Lord Lord open unto us To whom he shall answer Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not who hath required these things at your hands for did you do the things you did at all â—â—to me Therefore unto you my old acquaintance write I this that you may escape the errors of percition least in you be found an evil heart of unbelief departing from the living God and so you fall short of that rest that God hath prepared for those that love the Lord Jesus and believe that God and our Father hath sent him the love of his bosome to be the saviour of the World Brethren the grace of God the Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ keep your hearts by the holy Ghost by saith unto the end that so the Crown of ever lasting life you may not fall shorâ— off through unbelief for what shall it profit a Man to gain the whole World and lose his own soul search the Scriptures they teach of him compare your opinions with their Doctrine beleive their authority for they are faithful witnesses unto his Name Be faithful to him that hath called you to the gospel of his dear son by whom is the gift of Eternal Life Peace be unto all men from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of the Holy Ghost Is the prayer of him who wisheth your tranquility in God known by the name off R. C. And before I close this Paper I cannot but give a hint of this most hideous impious blaphemy that is started up from those Monsters of conceit who declare themselves the two witnesseâ— spoken off in the Revelations and that they are the two prophets who have received commission to damn and to save whom they will and do exercise their pretended commission upon them by Magick cursing them that will not receive them as they give themselves out to be And that they are the last ministration and dispensation that shall come Who being poysoned in their understandings from a corupted heart do not stick blasphemously to affirm that when the Lord Jesus Christ dyed for the sins of the World that the total God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ dyed also And that when he took his Journey unto the Earth he left the government of heaven to Moses and Elias But in that of God it is said I the Lord change not therefore O you sons of Jacob you are not consumed Therefore I present to these prophane men these Quaeries to wit 1. Whether if the Almighty God who hath made the Heavens and the Barrh and upholdeth all things by his power did dye what was therein the heavens or the earth that could uphold the works of his hands And if that he did dye who or what could raise him up from the dead 1. If the total God that is eternal dyed was not the infinite become finite 3. If it had been possible for God to dye and that he did dye weâ— not he that was and is and is to come who it the Alpha and Omega and the beginning and the ending extinct 4. If that he dyed and is raised from the dead was not that that raised up from the death greater then he 5. If death prevailed over him and that by death he was dead was not death greater then God 6. If death laid some hold upon him that by its power his life was at an end what could have broken death asunder for the redemption of Man But Christ having foretold that in the latter days false Prophets and false Christs should come which prophesie of Christ we see accomplished this day Therefore I leave these blasphemous magick Prophets unto their own pit entombed in Sathans darkness FINIS