distinguishes this from the Blood outwardly shed for having told us what Blood he so Highly values as above he subjoins in the next words to signifie what Blood of Christ it is which he did not value more than the Blood of another Man and that was the outward Blood which was shed upon the Cross His words are these following But the Blood that was forced out of Him by the Souldiers after He was dead who before that bowed His Head to the Father and gave up the Ghost but thou sayest that was the Blood of the New Covenant which was shed after he was dead which I deny yet I did say that was no more than the Blood of another Saint These were my words And he adds a little after That the Baptists and Independants and Presbyterians and the Pope are all of one Ground and none of you understand the Blood of Jesus Christ no more than a Brute Beast therefore Repent for God will suddenly overthrow your Faith and your Imputative Righteousness too for the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness which He did at Jerusalem and without the Gates the Pope the Episcopal the Presbyterian Independants and Baptists shall fare all alike and shall sit down in sorrow short of the Eternal Rest But the true Imputative Righteousness of Christ we own but it is Hid from you All till the Lord open an Eye within you These are the words of his Letter which I have transcrib'd out a Book wrote by William Burnet Entituled The Capital Principles of the People call'd Quakers Printed 1668. p. 41. And here you may see how they construe the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to be only within them And disown that which the whole Christian World understand by it and their Notion of Christ's outward Blood shed without the Gates of Jerusalem But they have a Notion of inward Blood inward shedding and inward Imputation which no other Christians know of more than Brute Beasts says Eccles. And they expresly deny Christ's outward Blood to be the Blood of the New Covenant And make no more of it than of the Blood of any other Good Man See G. Whitehead's Impious Defence of this in The true Copy c. above Quoted p. 24 25. To which I will only add as a Confirmation of what I before observ'd That the Quakers will seem to Confess any thing but with such Reserves as secure their own meaning and serve to Amuse the Inadvertent Readers Thus in G. Whitehead's Answer to this Passage of Solomon Eccles in the 58. p. of his Book Entitled The Light and Life of Christ within Printed 1668. Repeating the above-quoted words of Solomon Eccles where he speaks of the Blood of Christ as more Excellent and Living and Holy than is able to be uttered c. he adds which might have satisfy'd any Spiritual or Unbyass'd mind And the Reader might have gone away with this as a full Vindication of Solomon Eccles without taking notice how he had in the same place explain'd himself as I have above Quoted him not to mean this of Christ's Blood shed outwardly upon the Cross but only of a Notion which the Quakers have of Spiritual Blood Spiritual shedding c. which is all perform'd within them And G. Whitehead Entitles that very page of his Book The Blood of the New Covenant Spiritual And therein Argues thus Blasphemously against his Opponent Will. Burnet These are his words But if W. B. intends that the Blood outwardly shed by wicked Hands was the Price and Life of Christ as his words import then it follows from his own words that the Life of Christ is not in being and this wou'd render Him a Dead Christ c. But G. Whitehead can speak Honourable things of the Blood of Christ in his own Sense and this is enough to satisfie any Unbyass'd Mind Tho they have evaded the most Express Texts for Christ's Humanity even that Gen. 3.15 His being the Seed of the Woman They Allegorize all that too into a Spiritual Sence quite away from the Letter and to mean nothing else in the World but their Light within Where they have a Spiritual Woman and Spiritual Seed as well as Spiritual Blood Hear how Mr. Penn endeavours to prove it in his part of The Christian Quaker p. 97 98. The Serpent says be is a Spirit now nothing can bruise the Head of the Serpent but something that is Spiritual as the Serpent is But if that Body of Christ were the Seed then cou'd He not bruise the Serpents Head in all because the Body of Christ is not so much as in any one and consequently the Seed of the Promise is an Holy Principle of Light and Life that being received into the Heart bruiseth the Serpent's Head And because the Seed which cannot be that Body is Christ as testifie the Scriptures the Seed is one and that Seed is Christ c. Thus Mr. Penn. And this is his Deduction That the Seed being Christ and he having Prov'd as he thinks that the Body of Christ was not the Seed his Consequence is that the Promis'd Seed was not any Person but a Principle And that this Principle is the Light within and consequently that the Light within is Christ And his Syllogism stands thus in Mood and Figure The Seed is Christ But the Light within is the Seed Ergo the Light within is Christ But the Minor remains yet to be Prov'd That the Light within is the Promis'd Seed Which Mr. Penn has only supposed and that the Seed is not a Person but a Principle Which is a Supposition of so Pernicious a Nature that it Unchristians any one who holds it For the Faith of Christians is built upon that Man Iesus Christ as the Seed Promis'd to Bruise the Serpent's Head And that the Bruising of it was Perform'd by the shedding of Christ's Blood outwardly upon the Cross as a Propitiation and Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World Tho' the Application of this to our Souls must by inwardly by Faith in our Hearts not only a bare Historical Faith that Christ did so Suffer Die Rose again c. which the Devils do Believe and Tremble to see their Power so overcome But by a Lively Faith and full absolute Dependance and Trust in that Satisfaction made by Christ's Death for our Sins as our Surety who has paid our Debt for us and Purchas'd an Eternal Inheritance for us upon our Performance of the Conditions which He has set to us And not only so but as our High Priest now sitting in His true Humane Nature whereby He is our Mediator and in the same Body tho' Glorify'd and Chang'd in Qualities but not in Substance at the Right Hand of His Father to make continual and daily Intercession for us and to power down His Spirit upon us to give us this Saving Faith for it is the Gift of God And this Influence and Inspiration of His Blessed Spirit is the only true Saving Light within us but
and Consequence to us Therefore it is that the Devil is 〈◊〉 concern'd to support and keep up thâ—â— Doctrine which makes no more 〈◊〉 Christ Jesus than a Good Example as a Man who had a great Measurâ— of the True Christ or the Light with in but no more Incorporated iâ— Him or made part of his Substancâ— and Person than in any other Man and consequently that the Light oâ— Christ Dwelt in the Body of that Maâ— who was called Christ Jesus only 〈◊〉 in a Veil or Garment which he haâ— now thrown off and is no more Man nor has any Human Nature now 〈◊〉 Heaven Nay indeed at this Rate He never was a Man only Dwelt in â—e Body of the Man Christ Jesus or a time as He Dwells in the Body â—f any other Saint Nor did He Suffer or Die more in Christ Jesus â—han in any other who Suffer'd or Died â—or the Truth or any more than a Man can be said to be Crucify'd when you Crucifie the Cloak or Garment which he wears Thus has the Devil in the Quakers totally Destroy'd Christ's Humanity as in the Socinians he has taken away His Divinity and in both he has Rooted up the Doctrine of the Satisfaction made by the Passion and Death of Christ God and Man to the Justice of God for our Sins which is the very Heart and Corner-stone of the whole Mystery of the Gospel and by which only we can expect Salvation Therefore till the Quakers are fully Rescuâ—d out of Satan's Power 〈◊〉 can never expect that he will give theâ— leave to quit this main Pillar of hiâ— Kingdom No On the contrary he has made them most Zealous and expresly Blasphemous in this They compare themselves to Christ Jesus make themselves Equal to Him to be Christ as well as He. And in some things Prefer themselves before Him They Prefer their own Sufferings to the Sufferings of Christ and His Apostles These are the words of a Great Apostle of the Quakers Edward Burrough p. 273. of his Works The Sufferings of the People of God called Quakers in this Age is greater Suffering and more unjust than in the Days of Christ or of the Apostles What was done to Christ or the Apostles was chiefly done by a Law and in Great Part by the Due Execution of a Law I will not stay to Comment upon this Blasphemous Expression to say that the Sufferings and Death of Christ was the Due Execution of a Law If it was Due then Christ had His Due and He Deserv'd what He met with Nor will I in this place take time to Detect the subtile Artifice of the Quakers in Magnifying their Sufferings of which there are very Remarkable Instances to be given Nor to shew that their Sufferings were by Law and for the most part by the Due Execution of a Law I being now chiefly concern'd in their Blasphemous Comparing of themselves with Christ our Lord and as in the present Instance Preferring of themselves before Him their small Imprisonments or Fines for none of them suffer'd Death the Law does not allow it for not Paying their Tythes their Stubbornness and open Contempt of Magistracy and the Laws for which they wou'd not have Escap'd so Easily in any other Christian Country I say my Business at present is to shew how they compare their short Imprisonments for the above-said Causes with the Death and Passion of Christ and His Apostles and make these Their Sufferings not only Greater against Common Sense as if Tortures and Death were not Greater Sufferings than Fines and Imprisonments But most Blasphemously make Their Sufferings too to be more Unjust than those even of Christ Himself As if it were more Unjust to touch the Hair of a Quaker's Head to Fine or Imprison him tho' transgressing all the Laws of the Land than to Crucifie the Lord of Glory when they had no Legal Proof against Him nor any Law either of the Jews or Romans by which He ought to die Let the Quakers never more pretend to Persecution when they can escape with such Impudent Blasphemy as this Which was repeated by another of their Prophets whom I have had often occasion to mention Solomon Eccles who said That the Blood of Christ was no more than the Blood of another Man I do not mention this as if this Contempt of our Lord Christ were only to be prov'd by these Two Evidences No There are Clouds of Witnesses to be produc'd of the like Blasphemy in almost all their Teachers it is their dayly Theme in their Profane Meetings But more sparingly since the Noise that has been made upon this Head by G. Keith and others of their Separatists They now to cover themselves from that Horrid Odium which this must justly bring upon them from all the Nation and from all Christians begin to Preach in their Publick Meetings of a Christ without and of His Sufferings at Jerusalem c. a Voice which since their first appearing in the World has hardly ever been heard among them The whole Tendency of all their Doctrine being always to depreciate as much as was in their Power the outward Man Christ Jesus and to build All upon the inward Christ or Light within But how sincerely and with what Reserves they now when Forc'd by Worldly Politicks speak of Christ without I have chosen this Instance of Solomon Eccles to explain by shewing the Subtile and true Quaker Answer which he gives to one Robert Porter who objected to him what I have above Quoted and told it to others Solomon Eccles writes to him in these words Robert Porter take heed of belying the Innocent for I hear that thou hast reported to a Priend of mine that I shou'd say that the Blood of Christ is no more than the Blood of another Man I never spake it but do very highly esteem of the Blood of Christ to be more Excellent and Living and Holy and Precious than is able to be uttered by the Tongues of Men and Angels And now Reader wou'd not 〈◊〉 think that he had fully deny'd the Charge against him And that he did highly esteem the Blood of Christ But behold the Quaker Subtilty He does not mean one word of this of the Blood of Christ which He shed upon the Cross but of the Spiritual Blood whatever he or the Quakers intend by it for after the abovesaid High Witness to the exceeding Value of Christ's Blood he adds immediately in the very next words to Explain himself I mean says he the Blood which was offer'd up in the Eternal Spirit Heb. 9.14 You may say that this was the outward Blood which Christ shed upon the Cross True it was so For He offer'd his Blood through or in as this Quaker alters the Text to make it incline the more to their meaning the Eternal Spirit And if Solomon Eccles had said no more so it might have pass'd But he goes on in plain words to tell us what he wou'd be at and
this cannot be true unless it be the same It that is the same Body which is spoke of in both Branches of the Comparison The Objection is in these words If the It in the Text be not the same Body how can it be callâ—d a Resurrection for that supposeth the same I Answer says Mr. Penn If a thing can yet be the same and notwithstanding Changed for shame let us never make so much stir against the Doctrine of Transubstantiation for the Absurdity of it is rather out-done than equallâ—d by this Carnal Resurrection First the Church of Rome owes Mr. Penn thanks for so very kind a Representation of Transubstantiation as to make it stand upon a better foot than the Resurrection of the Body which is an Article in our Creed and receiv'd by the Catholick Church in All Ages Secondly This is answering one Objection with another But Thirdly as to his Objection Cannot he apprehend a thing to be Changed in many of its Qualities and yet remain the same in its Substance For that is the present Question Quite contrary to that of Transubstantiation which supposes a Change of the Substance the Qualities or Accidents remaining the same What does he think Was not Christ's Body Changed in his Transfiguration upon the Mount Was it not therefore the same Body or did Christ take a New Body That wou'd have been Death For after a Soul is Hypostatically that is Personally united to a Body their separation is call'd Death Unless he thinks that Christ took a Body no otherwise than as Angels have done that is not into any Hypostatical Union with his Person but only as a Cloak or a Veil which he might throw off and put on again without any alteration as to his Person And if so then Christ did not die upon the Cross more than upon the Mount that is He only put off that Bodily Garment but that was no Death more than an Angel is said to die when he lays down that Body which he took up only for an occasion But this will be discours'd of more fully in the Section concerning the Divinity of Christ In the mean time let me give an easie answer to the two Verses in the 15th Chapt. of the 1st Ep. to the Corinthians which the Quakers make use of against the Resurrection of the Body One is ver 37. Thou sowest not that Body which shall be The other is ver 50. That Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God Answ Flesh and Blood while Corruptible as ours is in this Life cannot bear the Incorruptible State of Heaven As it is express'd in the same ver in explanation of the Expression Flesh and Blood cannot Inherit the Kingdom of God neither doth Corruption Inherit Incorruption But our Corruptible Flesh will be changed in its Qualities and put on Uncorruptible Qualities and thus the Dead shall be rais'd Incorruptible and we shall be Changed for this Corruptible must put on Incorruption c. ver 53. c. The same Answer will serve ver 37. where the Apostle does Illustrate the Resurrection of our Bodies by the Resurrection of Grain that is sown in the Ground For the Body of such Grain is chang'd in its Qualities but not in its Substance The Grain must die or else it will not Fructifie or Rise again In this Death it loses something as the Husks but it retains the Substance which rises again much alter'd from what it was when it was sown for it rises in the Blade then the Stalk Ears and then the full Grain in the Ear. But to shew that the Substance is not alter'd in all this we find that every Grain rises the same it was sown if you sow Oats you expect not a Crop of Wheat And there is full as much Reason to say that God does Anew Create every year all the Grain that grows in our Fields without any respect to the Grain that was sown or any Natural Production from thence as that we shall receive totally New Bodies without any Relation or any part of the Body that was sown And as to Mr. Penn's mighty Wonder how a thing can be chang'd and yet the same which he cannot comprehend and compares to Transubstantiation it is so far from being any difficulty at all that it proves the thing that is changed to be the same because otherwise It were not changed If George be chang'd in Quality in the State of his Health or in Reputation this is a certain proof that it is the same George still But if William be chang'd this is no change in George So that a thing being chang'd proves it to be the same Nor is the greatness of the Change any Difference as to the sameness of the Person chang'd Death is a great change yet if VVilliam dies it is VVilliam even the same William that liv'd who dy'd and as sure it will be the same who shall rise again tho' undergoing another great change But I am now to tell you a very strange thing which I wou'd not believe when it was told me till I saw it And that is that Mr. Penn does understand that Long and Elegant Description of the Resurrection of our Bodies from the 35 ver of the 15. Chap. of the 1 st Ep. to the Corinthians only of the Spiritual State of the Soul in this Life The Invalidity of John Faldo's Vindication c. 1673. These are his own words p. 373. of his Book Quoted in the Margent and repeating ver 44. It is sown a Natural Body it is rais'd a Spiritual Body c. he adds p. 369. I do utterly deny that this Text is concern'd in the Resurrection of Mans Carnal Body at all I will recite it says he with the five following verses which he there sets down but for Brevity I omit them referring to the Chapter and having repeated them which speak of the Natural and Spiritual Body that the First Man is of the Earth Earthly the Second is the Lord from Heaven and that as we have born the Image of the Earthly that is of Adam in this Corruptible Life so we shall bear the Image of the Heavenly that is at the Resurrection when our vile Bodies shall be made like unto Christ's Glorious Body but Mr. Penn p. 370. having repeated these verses goes on thus I say this doth not concern the Resurrection of Carnal Bodies but the two States of Men under the First and Second Adam Men are sown into the VVorld Natural so they are the Sons of the First Adam But they are Raised Spiritually through Him who is the Resurrection and the Life and so they are the Sons of the Second Adam who came to Raise up the Sons of the First Adam from their Dead to his Living the Natural to his Spiritual Estate But perhaps says he it will be objected that the 47. verse The first Man is of the Earth Earthly and part of the 9. verse We shall also bear the Image of the