upon his Breast Within me Within me I shall not trouble you much more in discovering to you the Quakers Heaven and what they intend by it G. Fox in his Great Mystery p. 16. writes thus Thou art deceived who saith Christ is distinct from the Saints Can any Man eat the Flesh of Christ if his Flesh be not in them Can you call him Christ in Man if the Man be not there George Whitehead Dip. Plong Christ without us is not Scripture-Language but the Anthropomorphites and Muggletonians and Socinians saith he tell us of a Personal Christ and that the Man Jesus our Lord hath a place in Heaven remote from the Earth Let this serve to satisfy the impartial Reader that the Quakers believe the Heaven they intend to be within them and they are but Hereticks that believe in a Christ in any other Heaven remote or at a distance from them for it is plain that they deny Christ to be a distinct Person without them And in like manner all the three Divine Witnesses they speak of that bear Record in Heaven are within them also for the Light within them is really and compleatly Christ and Christ is God But this will further appear under the next Head But let all Christians believe that Jesus Christ is at the Right-hand of the Father in the glorious Heavens above However the Quakers do endeavour with their false Glosses to abuse the World and bethrone Christ We own and believe those Scriptures in their true and proper sense 2 Cor. 13. 5. Know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates 1 Cor. 6. 19. Ye are the Temples of God and Christ in you the Hope of Glory c. And it is also true that the Saints are said to be in Christ 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any Man be in Christ he is or let him be a new Creature And he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and he in him How often doth Paul speak of the Faithful in Christ Jesus and he also speaks of some that were in Christ before him Now the Quakers if they are not stark blind may see in what sense Christ is said to dwell in the Saints that is by the Gifts and Graces of his holy Spirit Ephes 2. 22. the Saints are the Habitation of God through the Spirit For if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his These Gifts of the Holy Ghost Christ promised John 16. 7. I go to my Father and he will send the Comforter this Spirit of Truth to guide into all Truth which was accordingly poured upon the Apostles and Disciples Acts 2. at large And Acts 19. 2. Paul asks those Disciples at Ephesus whether they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed that is this Comforter that Christ had promised that when he went to the Father he would send Acts 5. 32. and give to them that obey him albeit the personal Ascension of Christ is fully witnessed to And to put this out of doubt read Luke 24. 49 50 51. And behold I send the Promise of my Father upon you but tarry ye in the City of Jerusalem till ye be endowed with Power from on high and then go and prosecute the Commission I have committed to you And he led them out as far as Bethany and he lift up his Hands and blessed them And it came to pass that while he blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into Heaven Compare Act. 1. 9. He was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight And while they looked stedfastly towards Heaven as he that is Jesus went up behold two Men stood by them in white Apparel which were two Angels ver 10. which also said Ye Men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into Heaven Ay saith George Whitehead in like manner but every Like is not the same Pitiful shift Thus you plainly see the Certainty of Christ's Ascension and that the Holy Ghost's Descension Acts 2. 3 4. ver 38. promised to the penitent believing obedient Soul But Act. 3. 20 21. He shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you Whom the Heavens must receive till the times of Restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the Mouth of all his holy Prophets since the World began Now this Restitution is not yet tho the Spirit was come See Acts 7. 55. But he that is Stephen being full of the Holy Ghost mark that looked stedfastly up into Heaven and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing on the Right-hand of God ver 56. and there he saith I see the Son of Man standing at the Right-hand of God Observe Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost or of the Spirit of Christ when he had this glorious sight of Christ in the Heavens at the Right-hand of God and in the Glory of the Father Now it is the Faith of Christians that Christ shall come in this glorious Body the second time from Heaven Phil. 3. 20 21. We saith Paul look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ not for a greater Fulness of the Spirit as the Quakers dream for what greater Fulness could Paul expect if the Quakers Notion were true if Heaven and the whole Trinity were in him before But saith Paul we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile Bodies and make them like his glorious Body Yea saith Christ you shall see the Son of Man come in Power and great Glory and every Eye shall see him c. Mat. 24. 26. It is more than probable that Christ pointed at this Generation of Impostors the Quakers who say Behold he is in the secret Chambers ay within thee not at a distance from thee Believe them not saith Christ for my second coming shall be visible as the Lightning or the Sun that riseth in the East and shines to the West every Eye shall see me c. Let this serve to construe what they intend in their Paper when they speak of three Divine Witnesses bearing Record in Heaven it is the Heaven within they intend III. I proceed to the third Head collected out of their Pamphlet as proposed to be examined and that is they profess to own the Divinity and Humanity of Christ I shall therefore proceed to examine their Belief herein and still I know no better way than to make use of their own Construing Books as the surest way not to wrong them for by comparing this professed Faith with the Writings of some of their chief Guides by that you will see whether they believe as they say or whether it be not only a gloss to deceive the Hearts of the Simple And in examining this Point of Faith professed by them I shall begin with their greatly admired George Fox in his Great Mystery c. p. 71.
8. 3. to oppose the Devil's Assault Man lives not by Bread alone but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God Prov. 30. 5. Every Word of God is pure Jer. 23. 36. the Complaint is The false Prophets had perverted the Words of the Living God A great Evil and too common in this day But would the Quakers have the Word always to intend Christ Mark 4. 19. The Cares of this World and the Deceitfulness of Riches and the Lusts of other things entring in choke the Word Will the Quakers say these things entring in choked Christ Surely no. By all this the judicious Reader will see the Endeavours that have been used by the Quakers to explode the holy Scriptures not only to rob them of their Nature Use Power and Efficacy but also of their very Name But let all Christians learn to prize them and carefully improve them and be thankful to Divine Providence by which they have been preserved through all Times and against all Tyrants Psal 19. 7 8. David sets forth the worth of them The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the Heart the Commandments of the Lord are pure enlightning the Eyes 2 Tim. 3. 15 16. They are able to make wise to Salvation Soul thou needest not fear miscarrying if thou makest the holy Scriptures the Rule of thy Faith and Guide of thy Life This short Treatise will not admit me to enlarge I shall leave this short Scheme by which the Reader may judg what an Esteem the Quakers have for holy Scriptures they so much pretend to in their Pamphlet The Names they give the holy Scriptures Scriptures no standing Rule it is dangerous for the ignorant to read them No better than an old Almanack neither Rule Guide Light nor Teacher A dead carnal Letter They are Precepts and Traditions of Men. Paper Iak and Writing The Letter without Swine feeding on Husks Obedience to Scriptures is the Harlot's Child You may as well expect God to teach or rebuke by any other Creature as the Scripture as he did Balaam by his Ass The Names they give their own lying Pamphlets A true and everlasting Rule The Royal Law and Covenant of God Love to the Lost News out of the North written from the Mouth of God The pure Language of the Spirit A Salutation to the Seed of God The Lip of Truth The Spirit of Truth A Trumpet from the Lord sounding out of Zion A true Prophecy of the mighty Day of the Lord. The Word of the Lord and a Word from the Lord p. 13. of the Mighty Day of the Lord. Blusn O Heavens and tremble O Earth at the Pride and Ignorance of these Impostors I shall add but two or three Passages more concerning their Contempt of the Scriptures see Tho. Lawson Vntaught Teacher p. 6 7 8. The Scriptures are not a Rule whereby Men may know the Will of Christ And in Pag. 2 and 3. of the same Book he denies that the Ministers of Christ endowed with the Spirit of Christ ought to minister or preach from Scripture Add to this what is said in Cloud of Witnesses a Book of theirs p. 1 3 4. But the Priests of England the blind Guides they do teach the People and say Hearken to the Word of the Lord as it is in such a Chapter and Verse Now is it not a sign that the Quakers are untaught Teachers indeed but let the Word of God be true and these Men Liars Did not our Lord make use of the Scriptures in teaching Mat. 21. 42. saith Christ Did ye never read in the Scriptures The Stone that was set at naught by you Builders and Mat. 22. 29. Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures Surely they will not deny Christ to have the Spirit and he proves the Resurrection of the Dead by Scripture Exod. 3. 6. Surely Peter had the Spirit yet he proves Christ to be the great Prophet Acts 3. 22. from Deut. 18. 15. And will they deny Philip to be endowed with the Holy Ghost Acts 8. 35. he preacheth Jesus to the Eunuch from Isa 53. And Acts 17. 2 11. Paul reasoned and preached out of the Scriptures and the Bereans searched the Scriptures to try whether Paul's Doctrine was true or not The Reader may see from hence with what an open Face these deluded Impostors will assert apparent Falshoods From all this it appears the Quakers are great Enemies to and Contemners of holy Scriptures and that what they say in their Pamphlet is a great Falshood II. I proceed to examine the other part of their first Article professed in their Paper Article Our Belief is That in the Unity of the Godhead there is Father Son and Holy Ghost being those three Divine Witnesses that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the holy Spirit This Profession looks like good and Orthodox Christianity but yet when it comes to be weighed it will be found wanting I shall only examine what Heaven this is the Quakers intend not in the glorious Heavens above beyond the Clouds and starry Heavens no by no means it 's ridiculous to speak of an imagined God beyond the Stars it is the Heaven within thee where these three Divine Witnesses are you will hear their severe Rebukes by and by if you will have any other Heaven to be meant as their Residence See James Parnell's Book Satan's Design discovered p. 19 25. he affirmeth They that confess not Christ to be come in their Flesh are the Antichrist and also affirmeth That by preaching of Christ in Heaven the Devil gets his Work done on Earth Pray what is fairly to be inferred from hence why the Heaven they intend is no where else but within their Mortal Corrupt Bodies or else Christ is not one of those three Divine Witnesses they speak of in the Paper for they will allow of no other Christ but what is in every Man And see further Tho. Lawson in his Book against William Jeffery calls him Thou Image-maker thou Cockatrice hatching Eggs Vulters Eye c. because William Jeffery had said that Christ was ascended into Heaven with that Body that was raised from the Dead And they intend no other Heaven than what is within them and thus they must be understood in their Pamphlet for see Lawson's Book p. 9 and 19. they say that they have eternal Life now really in Possession But would you have it more plain that the Quakers Heaven is within them take a Testimony out of Edward Burrough's Works Pag. 9 149. a chief Guide among them therefore you may take his word for it We say he that was slain upon the Cross is the very Christ of God and the very Christ of God is in us Tho Lucock being ask'd several times before many Witnesses where that Heaven was that Christ did ascend into and now was in he answered clapping his Hands
to the begetting them again to a lively hope and they are many therefore he calls him the Father of many Nations 3. He tells us what kind of Power and Authority it is in which this King rules and governs and that is in the Power of the Highest a Spiritual and Divine Power not like that of the Kingdoms of Men. 4. We have here the Stability of this Kingdom ' Thy Kingdom is established in Peace 5. The Extent of this Kingdom The Encrease thereof is without End it is a boundless Kingdom 6. The Excellency of this King is such and his Happiness so great that Not only the present Age but Generations to come shall call him Blessed So that here you see G. F. fully invested and throned in Christ's Kingly Office and why should the Quakers be angry as they have been for calling G. Fox the King of the Quakers since he is as really so on their account as Christ is the King of Christians I suppose all Christians conclude Isa 9. 6 7. where several of these Terms are included to be spoken of Christ as the Prince of Peace Of the increase of his Government and Peace there shall be no End c. Luk. 1. 32 33. and he shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no End Luke 11. 27. Blessed be the Womb that bare thee G. Fox and the Breasts that gave thee suck And Isa 9. 6. Everlasting Father or Father of the Ages to come Heb. 2. 13. Behold I and the Children which God hast given me Mich. 5. 4. And he shall stand and feed or rule in the strength of the Lord c. He shall be great to the ends of the Earth Now one would have thought that such Expressions as these out of which Coal and Eckels had theirs might have intended Christ But you see these divinely-inspired Men by virtue of their immediate Revelations apply them to George Fox with blasphemous Confidence enough But it may be they will say That the Scriptures mentioned point at Christ as the Figure or Type and G. Fox as the Substance for they say in Saul's Errand to Damascus p. 6 7. That Christ in the Flesh was a Figure And where 〈◊〉 Paul saith 2 Cor. 5. 10. We must stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and that the Father hath committed all Judgment to the Son But read p. 6 7. Saul's Errand to Damascus and George Fox takes the Name to himself saying He is the Eternal Judg of Quick and Dead But it may be it is the Christ in George Fox that hath this Regal or Kingly Power But why then was it not so expressed P. 44 45. Tyranny and Hypocrisy detected saith Rebekah Trevers a great Prophetess amongst them If she had a Motion from the Lord as she believed yet if George Fox did not own it to be so she would deny it So that George Fox is not only a King of the Quakers but also of the Light or Christ in them for those believed Motions must give way to the Motions of George Fox Spirit of the Hat pag. 27. you have this saying of King George repeated Friends although I have not told it you I do now declare it I have power to bind and loose whom I please c. Ay and well he may since he hath deprived Christ of his Kingly Office Now who can imagine that these Men can believe the Kingly Office of Christ who thus strip him of his Regal Power But it may be the Quakers will say It is not George Fox but the Light or Christ within him that assumes this Kingly Power Well and if the same Light and Christ be in another must the Christ in George Fox rule or reign over the same Christ in another for it seems the Light or Christ's Motions in Rebekah Trevers must be denied and rejected if the Light or Christ in G. Fox opposeth it so that then Christ reigns as King over Christ But who G. Fox left to sway this Scepter I know not except it was G. Fox junior who in his Book pag. 53 54 55. you may observe him speaking thus I will make you know that I the Light which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World that all through me should believe am the true Eternal God which created all things that by me the Light all things are upheld and that there is not another besides me can save and I will purge out all your Iniquities and forgive all your Trespasses and I will change your Natures and I will make you new Creatures if you will hearken to me and obey me the Light in you What I have here written is the words of the Father who is one with Christ the Son gave me to write in which words the true Christ is renewed and a Testimony given of him and no other But this is more than enough of this Blasphemy against the Son of God So that it appears to every seeing Eye that the Quakers do not own the Kingly Office of Christ that died at Jerusalem no more no nor so much neither as the Kingly Office of George Fox for the Laws of Christ are made null by him and the Ordinances of King Jesus contemned and rejected by him as being more powerful and infallible as may further appear anon 2. I shall examine how they own Christ's Priestly Office which upon diligent search will appear nothing so as professed by them but a meer flourish to delude the Ignorant and Easy And that the Quakers deny the Priestly Mediatory or Advocatory Office of Christ will appear for these Reasons 1. They deny the Person or Humanity of Christ as hath been before shewed then they cannot own Christ's Priestly Office for 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is one Mediator betwixt God and Man the Man Christ Jesus Now if Christ hath no Body but his Church as when occasion calls for it I shall shew But let what hath been beforesaid suffice at present then I argue thus Arg. If Christ had a Body that was broken for the Church then he had a Body besides the Church but he had a Body broken for the Church Ergo. The Major is out of doubt or else he gave his Church to be broken for his Church which is absurd The Minor is proved from Mat. 26. 26. Luk. 22. 19. where Christ saith of his Body that it was broken for them Now if the Quakers say Christ was never seen with any carnal Eye and that he hath no Body but his Church it will appear they deny the Mediator the Man Christ Jesus 2. They deny the Place where Christ our High-Priest is enter'd which is the Heavens the Holy of Holies according to Heb. 4. 14. Seeing then that we have a great High-Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our Profession But see what the Quakers say Smith's Primmer p. 8 9. They that are false Ministers preach Christ without and