Walking sc Zecharias and Elizabeth ' his Wife ver 5. in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless here the Quakers think they are perfect Saints Reply The word Blameless doth not as the Quakers would have it signifie Sinless before the Lord but Rebukeless before men in this World no man can be so blameless as to be sinless in the sight of God 't is true we read Numb 23. 21. He hath not seen iniquity in Jacob that is not with an eye of revenge but pity God saw iniquity in Jacob his people but not so as to destroy them which was the unwearied design desire of Balack the Princes of Moab ver 17. in which sense the not seeing of iniquity in Jacob is only meant Indeed at the glorious second coming of the Lords Christ then the persons of the just shall be sinlesly blameless before the Lord as in 1 Cor. 1. â— That ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ in that day of Christs coming in glory the Saints shall be found of God in peace without spot and blameless 1 Pet. 3 4 14. but not thus in this life nevertheless I willingly grant that Believers may walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless that is to say rebukeless in regard of Men this is verified by the Apostle Phil. 2. 15. That ye may be blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation among whom ye shine as lights in the World in which sense alone Zecharias and his Wiâ—e Elizabeth were blameless for Zecharias was so far from being perfect without sin that he was found at the very time that the words above were uttered of him guilty of the great sin of Vnbelief and for it was punished with dumbness Luk. 1. 20. Behold thou shalt be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed because thou dost not believe my words Obj. Here the Quaker will be apt to say But there is no sin charged upon Elizabeth so that she might be perfect without sin Ans 1. The phrase Blameless on which the Quaker puts his whole stress may refer to an Unbeliever yea to a persecutor of Jesus Christ of Nazareth Phil. 3. 6. Touching the righteousness which is in the Law Blameless even then when Paul was graceless he was blameless this I have only noted by way that Teaching Quakers may plainly see that the word Blameless simply in its own nature will be so far from proving perfection of Grace that it will not prove any truth of Grace 2. It will not therefore follow that Elizabeth was perfect without sin because there is no mention made of her sin let it be well observed that in the 6th verse above They are both said to be righteous and blameless even then when the best of them both was guilty of actual sin now if the expressions of Righteous and Blameless were applicable to Zecharias when he was under sin then the same expressions sc of Righteous and Blameless will not argue her to be more free from sin then her Husband there being the same reason for the one as for the other to deny this were to destroy the rules of right reasoning besides death took hold of her as well as of him which is the wages of sin Rom. 6. 23. 3. If the Term Blameless should prove Zecharias and Elizabeth in their life time sinless or perfect without sin it would prove the Scriptures of God sinful which to assert were Blasphemy for the Holy Scriptures do utterly deny such a blamelesness or freedome from sin in Mortals As in Eccless 7. 20. For there is not a just man upon the Earth that doth good and sinneth not that is that sinneth not in doing good the Spirit doth say simply that there is not a just man that sinneth not but a just man that doth good and sinneth not intimating that in our most religious Actions there is some mixture of sin hence the Prophet Isai 64. 6. That all our Righteousness is as filthy rags Noting to us that no righteous work of ours is so pure but there is some taint and filth of sin cleaving to it which without a Mediator in the rigor of the Law would be damnable so then though the action as to the matter be not sinful yet there is some sin in the Action this difference is exprest Exod. 28. 38 where the High-Priest is said to bear the iniquity of the holy things holy things in the matter of them yet iniquity in the manner of performing them Rom. 7. 18. How to perform that which is good I find not here hence it is that we read 1 King 8 46. If they sin against thee for there is no man that sinneth not and again 2 Chron. 6. 36. For there is no man that sinneth not whence the Apostle James Chap. 3. 2. For in many things we offend all he saith We including himself though an eminent Saint and an Apostle of great holiness All of us offend in many things and many of us in all things likewise our blessed Lord and only Saviour teacheth the choicest of Gods Children to pray unto their Father in Heaven for dayly and continual pardon of sin Mat. 6 12. There is in all true Believers a cursed root of bitterness which God doth mortifie but not nullifie in this World 't is subdued but not removed 't is cast down but not cast out though Grace makes the combat yet death only makes the conquest over sin I proceed to the Quakers Second Principle To wit That the written Scriptures are not 1. The Word of God 2. Nor the infallible standing Rule of Faith and Life Reply 1. VVhereas they say The written Scriptures are not the Word of God if thereby they mean the Scriptures as expressed by humane tongues or as written or printed with ink and paper by the art of the VVriter or Printer if so considered we do not affirm the Scriptures to be the VVord of God But as the Written Scriptures do declare the mind of God to us so the matter therein contained is the declarative VVord of God as in Heb. 1 2. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken to us by his Son Qu. What hath the Son of God spoken touching the Scriptures Ans He tells us that the Scripture is the VVord of God Mark 7. 13. Making the Word of God of none effect Here the Son of God calls the fifth Commandment in the written Scriptures the VVord of God and in Iohn 2. 22. They believed the Scripture the word which Jesus had said Also Ioh. 10. 34 35. And Jesus answered them It is written in your Law I said ye are Gods if he called them Gods unto whom the word of God came and the Scripture cannot be broken Note in these Texts
false Christ we are to understand the Devil is plainly proved by comparing Mat. 24. ver 24. with Rev. 12 9. in the first Text the true Christ calls the false Christ a Deceiver if it were possible shall deceive the very Elect implying that the false Christ is the greatest Deceiver And in the other Text this great Deceiver which aâ—ceives the whole world is called the old Serpent the Devil and Satan Here hence this Argument arose so he that is the great and principal Deceiver is the Devil Rev. 12. 0. but the false Christ is this Deceiver Mat. 24 24. Ergo the false Christ is the Devil The Conclusion ought not to be denied to deny it here were to deny the Scriptures of God from whence it is plainly collected as above Having thus proved the first Part I proceeded to the second Part of the charge To wit That the main end of the Quakers Meetings in these Islands is to make the Lords Christ his holy Spirit his Angels and Apostles all lyars and false Witnesses of God Being about to prove this as I had done the former part of the charge F. Eastlack interrupted me pretending to make some Answer to the foregoing Arguments I told him that by mutual consent as in the Preface is Declared the whole charge against them was first to be proved by me before any Answer should be returned by him or any othâ—r of his Friends Therefore I requested him that as he had any regard either to Truth or Honesty that he would forbear his interruptions that I might proceed according agreement as above to prove the second part of the charge but his Sepulchre being opened he refused to shut it whereupon I spake to the Assembly saying I must let him take his own way to prevent greater confusion howbeit instead of Answering as he pretended the above-mentioned Arguments or any of them He first impertinently runs out into a bare Repetition of some words in the former part of the first Chapter of the Evangelist John sc from the 1st verse to the end of the 12th verse which shall be mentioned and considered in their due places let me note by the way his after stragling inferences from those verses To wit That God the Word took Flesh of the Virgin Mary and in that Flesh suffered Death for all men which he put a special Remark upon by repeating it twice it was well observed that he made no mention of Christs Resurrection but further said sc The Word which is God is Christ the true Light which was manifest in the flesh and as in him so in every man that comes into the World as manifest in them which quoth he it witnessed by John and withal added whosoever shall Preach any other Gospèlis accursed and after he had multiplied words to the same end and purpose alone as above the ingenious Auditors began to mutter at his impertinences and jumbled confusions Thereupon I called to him and said Master Islay so he is commonly called as afore noteh viz. Islay either answer the Arguments which have proved the first part of the charge as you pretended to Mask your interrupting of me or take some Answer to what you have said His first Reply was the Scripture saith Call no man Master I told him the Scripture saith sc Mat. 23. 10 Neither be ye called Masters for one is your Master even Christ which is not to be understood in your unmannerly sense likewise I told him that he had no cause to quarrel the word Master for you affirm the Master even Christ is within you Quakers making your selves the greatest Masters so that herein are fulfilled among you the word of our Lord concerning Deceivers namely that false Christs shall arise and many shall say I am Christ and shall deceive many Mat. 24. 5. Further more I said unto him sc Thou art the Master of an Assembly to wit of the Synagogue of Libertines which opposed and persecuted the faith of Blessed Stephen for believing in Jesus Christ of Nazareth to be the true Christ and only Saviour Act. 6 8 9 14 59. At this be grew impaâ—ient rebuking me saying Thou didst promise not to interrupt me I replied that I did not interrupt but help him sc to remember that my promise was not to interrupt him or any of his party whilest he or any of them were answering the Arguments urged by me as it may appear in the prefixed Preface But hâ— said that he did not value the Arguments for they proved nothing thus he thaâ— was a party made himself the determinating Judge and then with a throat stretched voice returned to his former discourse That the word is Christ the true Light in the Flesh sent to save men from sin and death whose death and sufferings with the effect thereof we do own and witness according to the Scriptures as inwardly received within us yet speaking other whiles of the death satisfaction and sufferings of Christ the true Light as done within us for us to which said he the Scripture testifies repeating these words But the righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise say not in thy heart who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we Preach After he had rehearsed these or most of these words he forthwith inferrd that the word of Faith was Christ the true light within and then confidently affirmed that to preach any other Gospel sc then Christ within to be the Saviour is to be accursed which invited him to reflect on me declaring that I had not in any thing which was by 〈…〉 meaning in the Arguments above made any mention of Christ as God and with that saying he ended as it 's call'd his preseâ—t Dispute Forthwith I made some returnes which I have now put into some better method which was then much hindred by their confused interruptions But before I lay down those more orderly returnes let me request the Reader to understand that I have filed off much of the Rust and Ruggedness of his expressions which often wearied the Christian Hearers For it was not only his but also his Fellow Disputants course all along here and there to steal and strangely to disorder nay to dismember Scripture words out of the Evangelist and the Apostles thereby endeavouring to cover themselves from being discovered not plâ—inly nor hoâ— estly mentioning either Chapters or Verses William Bullock once excepted though often called upon but all in vain they would speak Scripture words after their usual manner darkly and confusedly thereby the more easily to deceive those with whom the Scriptures have any credit I shall at present decline any further observation of this their dangerous and designful practice and proceed to the above signified Method
And 1. As touching the first Chapter of the Evangelist John with which he began as above It treats of the God head of the Son alone the eternal-Word from the first verse to the end of the fifth verse and then of the person of Christ God-man from thence to the end of the Chapter some of these verses for satisfaction sake I shall touch a little in their order First Of the Eternal Word the Godhead of the Son as in ver 1 2 3 In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made These verses denote to us that its only the Godhead of the Son that did Create ver 14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us i. e. whole Christ God man in one person as such he created nothing only as God so he created all things As the Evangelist here so doth Paul to the Colâ—ssians chap. 1. 16. speak distinctly of the God head of the Son alone and also distinctly of him as personal Christ viz. By him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalilitiâ—s or Powers all things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist ver 17 So he is the Creator Again ver 18 19. Paul speaks distinctly also of Christ as Christ for so as noted before he is no Creator because so considered he is in part a Creature hoâ— beit as Christ he is the Head and Saviour Ephes 5. 23. of the Body the Church Who is the beginning and first born from the dead that in all things he Christ God-man might have preheminence for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell and ver 20 Having made peace through the blood of his cross and in the body of his flâ—sh through Death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his fight ver 22. If ye continue in the Faith that is in the Faith of the peace made through the blood of his Cross and body of his flesh through death Grounded and Rooted c. This Distribution both by the Evangelist and Apostle was not understood by this Disputant Eastlâ—ck for in all his foregoing Discourse his design was to mâ—ke the Hearers believe that the Eternal Word the Godhead of the Son â—s distinct from the Manhood of Christ is the true Christ and only Saviour and consequently a Quakers pretended Saviour within him is the true not the false Christ And hereunto agrees his words so frequently repeated by him viz. God was manifest in the flesh that is as to their darkened understanding in all man kind of flesh which gross Error shall be in its proper place considered in the next place this Disputants more lax and general expressions shall receive some Answers 1. I do acknowledge with him that the Word took flesh of the Virgin and that he suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem howbeit as it comes from a Teaching Quaker it is undoubtedly no other then a deceitful shifting of the matter in question yet I am ready to grant that F. E. and his Partners may believe that there was such a man who as Histories mention took flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary and suffered death without the Gates of Jerusalem about sixteen hundred years ago Alas how many Turks and Jews are there that know and believe all this yet they do no more believe Jesus of Nazereth to be the true Christ and only Saviour then a Teaching Seducing Quaker doth Nay such a Quaker attributes no more soul saving Merit to the holy Body of Jesus Christ then to the body of a Turk or a Jew Therefore it s not safe to put any other construction upon his acknowledgement above then a deceitful shifting the business in hand that he might thereby the more easily hoodwink the Hearer for his Discourse had no other tendency then to make us believe that the true Christ and Saviour was only in not at all of the body of Christs flesh 2. I do again acknowledge with him sc That the effects of Christs death and sufferings are to be inwardly witnessed as received within us And if so then there must be a cause of these effects inwardly received as previous and anticedent to them to wit The death and sufferings of the one Man Jesus Christ as in the third Argument which is therefore necessarily finished and perfected already by the one crucified body of Jesus of Nazareth upon the Cross without us for us which in right reason must needs be before the effects thereof could be revealed in us and so inwardly witnessed though this were the thing I argued for yet it was strongly opposed by them all as may afterwards appear making those effects within them the true Christ and their only Saviour Now I proceed to the Texts of Scripture repeated by F. E. which shall be considered in order as he uttered them John 1. 9. That was the true Light which lighteneth every man that cometh into the World This Scripture he more especially insisted on to prove Christ to be that true Light and that Light to be the only Saviour which as he said is in every man that cometh into the world whence he Argued that a Quakers pretended Saviour within him is the true and not the false Christ Answ It s true that by Light in that place of Scripture the true Christ and our only Saviour is meant Iohn 1. 29. and although it be likewise true in a true sence that every man that cometh into the world is enlightened by Christ i. e. with reason the Son of God as he is the Eternal Word that made the World yet the Evangilist hath not in that Text asserted that there is a Light or enlightening in every Man as he cometh into the World which is the true Christ and our only Saviour so that thou hast plainly and openly belied that holy Man Ioâ—r in saying of him as above that he so witnessed Namely that the Light or inlighting in every Man as he comes into the World is the true Christ and Mans only Saviour for this Evangelist witnesseth otherwisâ— as in ver 30 29. he evidently affirms the Light in ver 9. to be the Man Jesus and as such he never was nor can be in any man so witnesseth the Witness bearer whom we are to believe before a Seducing Quaker 2. Thou F. E. didst in thy Discourse effectually affirm Christ to be the Light and the Light in every Man to be the Christ implying thereby sc what might be truly spoken of the one might be also so spoken of the other here hence then it must follow that the Light within a Quaker was born in Bethlehem laid in a Manger hanged upon a Tree and
things which concern created-nature as it s stated by the Apostle in Heb. 2. 17. and in Chap. 4 15. In all things it behoved him Christ to be made like unto his Brethren and he was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin surely he that is in all things like man except sin is rightly called the Son of Man for sin is not at all the Form but all the Deformity of Man The issue is that the Fox hath concealed his craft putting no difference between the terms sc Humune and Humane he knew full well that the Fox's craft would be soon discovered should he admit the Lords Christ to have a humane Nature or a body as is common to Man kind and therefore in Pag. 71. above he quarrels the word Humane and querieth where doth the Scripture speak of Humane where is it written quoth he that we may search for it Rep. Though we have not the Word yet having the Thing it might satisfie all with whom the light of Reason hath any credit Once more Christ the Second Man is said to be Lord from Heaven because he is to restore the heavenly life which was lost by the first man Adam who was also said to be Earthly by reason of Transgression and Christ is also said to be from Heaven by reason of Restoration By he first mans fall all mankind were deprived of all heavenly and spiritual graces By the second Man from Heaven the Elect of God have those Graces in some measure restored As Calvin in his Exposiâ—ion on the 47th ver above Paul doth not saith he speak of the substance of the second Mâ—ns body but of the habit of Graces and heavenly gifts of the Spirit of Christ And on the same verse he affirms that the Manichies were the first knaves which invented that Heresie Namely That Christ brought from Heaven an invisible body of flesh and blood into the Womb of the Virgin And undoubtedly the Quakers have drunk this Poison originally from them by whom the Devil according to Calvin first set it abroach which as it was so still it is a design from Hell to beget not only a denial but an utter blotting out of the very Name and remembrance as before of the true Jesus Christ and to set up a Spiritual Christ a Mystical Invisible Heavenly King Jesus and all this only to advance the Idol-light within and the more easily to deceive poor ignorant and unstable persons which hath been and still is their stragling Trade I have yet one thing more to mention concerning this Fox which is in his Book above Page 135. to wit That Thomas Mâ—or had said that Christ was absent from us while we are in this mortal body which said the Fox is contrary to the Apostle who saith The life of Jesus is Mark is manifested in their Mark their mortal flesh but he Fox like quotes not any place of Scripture the Text of Scripture abused by him is in 2 Cor. 5. 11. Eor we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus sake that the life also of Jesus might not is but be made manifest in not their but our mortal flesh Note the Fox saith The life of Jesus is manifested making it present but Paul saith that the life of Jesus might be made manifest making it future nay he hath not only believed the Letter but the Sense also of the Text which may appear partly by the former part of this 11th verse and partly by the subsequent verses in the former part of the verse thus For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus sake i. e. we have sc for the testimony of Jesus Death that is sufferings to death as in the subsequent verses 9 10. continually before our eyes that we might be prepared for the fellowship of the glorious resurrection when there will be a full manifestation made of the glorious life of Jesus in our mortal flesh this may yet further appear in ver 12. so then death worketh in us i. e. our daily sufferings from the cruel hands of unbelieving men for our Faith in and Testimony for Jesus and as it worketh in us so it sc the strokes which are deadly to our bodies works ver 17 for us And what work they the 17th verse Answereth For our light Affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory But how do they work it Answ Not by way of merit or earning our striving to blood cannot oblige God but by way of preparation to the resurrection in ver 14. Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus Then that glorious life of Jesus shall be manifest in our mortal flesh the sum oâ— all is this to wit That the Lord sends afflictions yea death it self which to the Saints is the last and greatest affliction not only to cleanse their souls but to fashion and prepare their bodies as vessels to hold the exceeding weight of glory Now let any sober Saint judge wheâ—her Thomas Moor or George Fox hath contradicted the Apostle surely that Fox which endeavours as much as in him lies to choak the Lamb of God wâ—ll be ready to wrest the mind of the Apostle This Fox is seconded by Quaker Penington sc That the body prepared Heb. 10. 5. above was a Mystical Invisible body of flesh and blood for in his Book called Mysteries of the Kingdome he saith That the external blood of Christ cannot cleanse the Conscience for the blood of Bulls and Goats could not do it no more can his blood putting no more worth or vertue in the blood of Christ than in the blood of Beasts the consideration of this insufferable Blasphemy did so provoke the Spirit of Mr. Francis Duke a Man eminent for Meekness and Modesty that in his answer to one John Chandler a Teaching Quaker for the like expressions from him Page 67. he plainly tells this Chandler That he and his fellow-leading Friends are a Pack of such Villains as base as ever the Earth borâ— as for Penington he declares in his Book above That the heavenly body of flesh and blood which Christ brought with him from heaven meaning into the Virgin and dwelt in the Garment of his body a while and now is in every Saint sc Quaker Saints his mind herein is shortly this sc That a Mans wearing Garment is not his body so the visible material body of Jesus Christ which he calls the Garment of his body is not the Saviour Christ but as the natural body of a Man is within his Garment even so the true Christ was within the Garment of his external body whence it s most evident that this Seducing Teacher doth not confess with the Apostles That Iesus Christ of Nazareth the Man approved of God and by him exalted to be a Saviour is the true Christ Act. 5. 31. Let me add a little more of Peningtons Divinity