Animad 12. They believe that Christ did not become man when the Virgin conceived by the over-shaddowing of the Holy Ghost but was man before Answ. He was man before but yet he was not man cloathed with Flesh and Blood in the likeness of our Flesh before the Virgin conceived by the over-shaddowing of the Holy Ghost and therefore we do saithfully believe that the Man Christ was born of the Virgin and conceived by the over-shaddowing of the Holy Ghost who was the Son of God both after he was so born and also before even from Everlasting Pamplet Animad 12. Thus Christ was never man had never a Humane Nature for as they have said before The Soul most properly is the man and Christ never had a Humane Soul according unto Keith Answ. That Christ was never man I altogether deny to follow by any true Consequence from what I have affirmed and as to his reason that Christ never had a Humane Soul according unto Keith as touching the words Humane Soul I do not remember that I have used that Term at all in my book The way cast up for because it is not a Scripture-Term and of a doubtfull and Equivocous signification I purposely did pass it by I say it is of a doubtfull or Equivocous signification because first it may signifie such a Soul as hath no substantial dignity or perfection in it above the Souls of other men and in this sense the Soul or Spirit of Christ as he is the Heavenly man is not a Humane Soul but Divine and Heavenly for it is more excellent even in the nature of it than the souls of other men Or Secondly it may signifie the true soul of man having all the Essential Properties of mans soul and it 's whole perfection and if in this sense any will say that Christ hath a Humane Soul and call the Man-Hood of Christ his Humanity there needeth no contention about it for in the Latine Tongue we have not a word so proper as Humanitas to signifie the Man-hood and if we may say Humanitas in Latine we may say in English Humanity that is to say Man-hood But then by the Humanity of Christ we understand not only the whole Essential perfection of the souls of Ordinary men but also some greater and more Excellent perfection as aforesaid and therefore it may be called his Heavenly and Divine Humanity or Man-hood which took part of Flesh like unto ours in the womb of the Virgin And not only the soul of Christ but also his body of Flesh in the outward as it had all the Essential properties and whole Essential perfection of our bodies so it had somewhat more as being conceived of a Heavenly and Divine seed that came down from Heaven and for this cause the Heavenly man Christ Jesus is truely Divine both in soul and body being divinely qualified in both And if this offend any that Christ should be called a Divine man I desire them to consider how oft men are called Divines only for some profession of Divinity surely Christ Jesus as man hath incomparably more reason to be called Divine than any of them And what if I should call all their Divines Humanes Is this too mean and low a Terme whereby to call them But why is it too mean and low unto them and yet they give it unto Christ and call him Humane his soul a Humane soul and his body a Humane body Is not this to exalt themselves above Christ himself and to take to themselves a Title which they will scarce allow unto him and to give him a Title as namely Humane which they think too mean for themselves Pamplet Animad 12. So that he is so far from being like to us in all things that he is not like unto us in any thing for though he had a body like to ours yet that body is not informed as ours Answ. He is sufficiently like unto us in all things sin excepted that both his soul and his body had all the Essential properties and whole Essential perfection that the soul or body of any other men hath but that he had and still hath greater and more excellent perfections both of soul and body than all other men doth not hinder that he was made like unto us in those which both he and we also have for was not Adam made in the Similitude or likeness of God So that by reason of that Similitude man was like unto God and yet God is infinitely more excellent in nature and being than Man but yet according unto the reasoning of this Author either man hath no likeness unto God is not like unto him in any thing or then God hath no Substantial or Essential perfection above man both which are most absurd and contrary unto Scripture But again is not man like unto the Beasts in some things as also unto the Herbs Plants and Trees of the field So that as the Herbs Plants and Trees have a Vegitable soul or life and as beasts have a sensitive soul or life hath not man both the Vegitable and sensitive soul and is he not like unto them in those respects And yet hath he not a Substantial dignity and excellency of nature above them But yet again according unto this mans reasoning either man is not like unto the Beasts and Trees in any thing or else he hath no Essential dignity or perfection not so much as in his very soul above them and therefore it shall follow at last that as God is no more excellent in his nature than man and as man is no more excellent in his nature than any beast yea or Tree that God is no more excellent than any beast or Tree of the field which is most gross and blasphemous and yet the Natural and necessary Consequence of this mans Doctrine When I think upon these and such like gross absurdities that follow from this mans Doctrine together with his other absurd sayings and Malicious perversions I wonder not that he hath been either ashamed or afraid to put his Name to his Pamplet Pamplet Animad 12. A Son is not a Son if he have not the same nature with the Father and Mother Answ. I grant for Christ hath the same Nature both of Father and Mother seeing as I have declared in my book he is True and perfect God and True and perfect Man but that he hath the same Nature with Mary and all Mankind as to all the Essentials of soul and body hindereth not that he hath also a more excellent nature otherwise thou might as well say that Christ could not be the Son of Man and also the Son of God which is contrary to Scripture Pamplet Animad 12. Jesus increased in Wisdome his Soul was then subject to some kind of ignorance though not sinfull it did not know all present or past things Answ. Ey Jesus increasing in Wisdome may be very well understood the manifestation of the spirit of Wisdome that did
animae hominem Sed ut per se sibi sumpsit ex Virgine corpus ita ex se sibi animam sumpsit qua utique nunquam ab homine gignentium originibus prebetur Si enim conceptum carnis nisi ex Deo Virgo non habuit longe magis necesse est anima corporis nisi ex Deo aliunde non fuerit at vero si Dominici corporis sola ista natura sit ut sua virtute sua anima feratur in humidis insistat in liquidis et extructa transcurrat quid per naturam humani corporis concepta ex Spiritu S. caro Iudicatur And concerning the Soul of Christ he further saith Naturae hujus potestatem Iam non dico metus sed nec infernae sedis regio est concludens quae descendens ad inferos a paradiso non desit sic ut hominis filius loquens in terris maneat in Caelo Non habet hunc metus corporalis penetrantem quidem inferos sed ubique Naturae suae virtute distentum naturam hanc mundi Dominam ac libertate Spiritualis virtutis immensam non sibi terrore mortis Gehennae chaos vindicat qua Paradisi deliciae carere non possunt In English thus Again he said that he was bread that by this that he is bread coming down from Heaven the Original of his Body may not be esteemed to be of Humane Conception while it is shown to be a Heavenly Body And the Hereticks use to accuse us because we say that Christ was born a man having a Soul and Body not of our kind but as by himself he took to himself a Body of the Virgin so of himself he took to himself a Soul which is never to be acknowledged to have the same Originals of them begotten of Man for if the Virgin had the Conception of the flesh not of any other but God it is much more needfull that the Soul was not of any but of God But indeed if that be the onely Nature of the Lords body that by its own vertue by its Soul it is carried upon the waters and standeth upon the Floods and being struck at can pass through why is the Flesh conceived of the Holy Ghost judged by the Nature of an Humane Body And concerning the Soul of Christ he further saith The power of this Nature now I say not only fear but the region of the infernal seat doth not contain which descending into the Hells is not absent from Paradice so that being the Son of Man speaking in the earth he doth remain in the Heavens Bodily fear doth not take hold of him that doth indeed penetrate the hells but is everywhere extended in the vertue of his own Nature and the pit of Hell cannot claim to it self by the Terrour of death this Nature that is the Lady of the world immense or unmeasurable in the liberty of Spiritual vertue Which the delights of Paradice cannot want Post-script SInce I wrote the Answer aforesaid to the Pamphlet set out by a Nameless Author called the Quakers Creed c. I have seen a sheet in print subscribed by William Haworth a sort of Independent Teacher at Hartford which he calls a Winding-sheet for the five Hartford Quakers and in the said sheet he refers the Reader to the aforesaid Pamphlet called the Quakers Creed for an answer to my Book The way cast up This gives me just ground to hold the said William Haworth either to be the Author of the said Pamphlet or at least an approver of it and therefore all the Lies and Calumnies and whatever other gross abuses weaknesses and impertinencies and all the absurd and blasphemous Assertions which I have discovered in the said Pamphlet are Chargeable upon him and lye at his door And whereas William Haworth saith at the end of that fheet aforesaid that G. Keith saith Christ never was a man this I charge upon him as a most gross and Notorious lye and slander I never spoke wrote nor thought any such thing It is strange that the man has so far lost all sense of shame to publish such a manifest lye in the sight of the world Now how truely and uprightly I own and believe that Christ is both God and Man my book called The way cast up is a sufficient witness and this other Treatise writ by me in answer to the lying Pamphlet owned by him is another But it seemeth he doth suppose that such a Conclusion will follow by way of Consequence from my words because I have affirmed in my book that Christ the Heavenly Man was from the beginning even before Adam the first Man which was of the Earth earthly But this consequence I altogether deny as false and unreasonable for his being before he came in that body doth no more infer that he was not man in that body than it doth infer that a man ceaseth to be a man or that the Soul of any Man ceaseth to have a being when it is not in a Fleshly body and if the having of a Fleshly Body be so Essential to the being of the Soul which is most principally the Man so as the Soul cannot be or subsist before the Fleshly Body the same reason holds as much that the Soul cannot subsist or have a being after the Fleshly Body is put off and so by W. Haworth his Argument the Soul of every man dyeth with the body and hath no immortal Subsistance Let him see how he can clear himself of this and many other absurdities which he runneth himself into by his foolish and inconsiderate way of reasoning And as for other things in that he calleth his Winding Sheet which he chargeth upon the Quakers as their Doctrines and then upon some called Quakers as that one should say that the Soul of man was the Devil that the Devil was made an offering for sin and another should say that Christ was a bastard These false and abominable Calumnies have been so fully and sufficiently answered above by the said five Hartford Friends and especially in their last called the Malice of the Independent Agent again rebuked that it is to no purpose to give any further reply Nor is the evidence he giveth by proof of some witnesses of any more Authority than his own who hath openly in the face of the world discovered himself to be a lyer and false accuser and can it be questioned but he can find others like to himself who because of their deep malice and prejudice against the Truth make no more conscience than himself to bear false witness against the innocent Moreover whereas these five Friends of Hartford did justly blame W. H. for Charging the whole people called Quakers with any errour that some one or other called a Quaker may be supposed to have writ or asserted set case any one had so writ or asserted And they Query further Is it just the Independent party should be charged with the private Opinions of every one of them because they pretend all to one rule the Scripture The said W. H. giveth only this bare and naked evaston in that he calleth his Winding Sheet Should the Independants saith he hold Infallibiliy as you do then might that party be Charged with all the Religious Opinions that any of them at any time vented Unto which bare evasion these Friends of Hartford have given a sufficient reply in pag. 13. of their last book where among other things they say Such an absurdity was never the assertion of the people called Quakers viz. That either every one pretending to be guided by the light within or distinguished by the name Quaker is therefore guided by the same light in all discourses or so to be owned by the said people This which they have already said is sufficient to overturn his evasion as because the Quakers do all pretend an infallible Spirit that therefore all must be acknowledged to have that infallible Spirit and to be guided thereby which doth no more follow than that because all the Independants so called pretend to one Rule the Scripture that therefore all that they or any of them speak write or do is according unto the Scripture which instance of parity they did bring in their foresaid answer pag. 13. Yet do not thereby grant that any of the people called Quakers are guilty of any such Blasphemous Doctrines as before cited To which W. H. hath made no reply and therefore it is returned upon him as wholly unanswered as also the whole substance of their last book which W. H. hath not answered nor indeed hath not so much as pretended to give a particular answer unto the greatest and most Principal part thereof And therefore these Friends see it not needful to give any further answer to what he calleth his Winding Sheet until he give a particular answer to the several parts of their book and they look upon his sheet to be no Winding-Sheet for them but that it is an evidence he hath spent all his strength and is as it were a dying man that is no longer able to hold out in this controversie and that therefore it may be more fitly called a Winding-Sheet for VV. Haworth himself than for them FINIS
or substance And the first greatest of all the second less than the first but greater than the Third so that Plato his Doctrine of this Mystery was unsound and imperfect although it seemeth that he aimed at the Truth Now whereas we believe that the Holy Ghost is one and the same Essence with God and that the Heavenly Man-hood or Nishmah of the Soul of Christ is distinct in essence or substance from the God-head although by a most excellent and wonderful union united with the same for ever and yet is not any third essence as Plato calleth his Anima Mundi It is very manifest that Plato his Anima Mundi cannot at all be acknowledged to be the Soul of Christ. Again Plato calleth it the Soul of the World as Judging the World it self to be an Animal or living creature composed of Soul and Body But this doth by no means agree unto the Soul of Christ for if it did then the world should be Christ and the body of every beast fish foul tree or stone and also the earth it self should be the real body of Christ all which is false and absur'd and therefore Plato's Anima Mundi cannot be the Soul of Christ. Pamphlet Animad 21. I Query whether this Soul of Christ can be the Holy Ghost Answ. This query is altogether needless seeing in my book called The Way cast up I have expresly declared that the Soul of Christ and the Holy Ghost simply considered are distinct beings but because the Holy Ghost dwelleth in Christ the Heavenly Man and by him only is conveyed unto us and that they are wonderfully united one unto another we cannot understand them as separate and therefore as Christ the Second Adam in Scripture is called the quickening Spirit and the Lord is the Spirit so he may also be called the Paracletus or Advocate as he is expresly called 1 John 2. 1. And if any man Sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and this same advocate or paracletus is but one it is clear that sometimes Christ himself is called the Holy Ghost in Scripture for the words Holy Ghost as well as the word Spirit have different significations in Scripture for God is said to be a Spirit also Christ is called the Lord that Spirit and the Second Adam the quickening Spirit And thus the words Holy Ghost and Spirit do sometimes signify more generally and sometimes they have a more particular and peculiar signification Pamphlet Animad 21. Why then the Christian hath a great advantage of a Quaker in that his Sanctification is of another and better nature than that of the Quakers in that it is the Holy Ghost who is God who mystically dwells in them Answ. Here thou dost commit Three great abuses 1. To distinguish betwixt the Christian and the Quaker whereas every true Christian is a Quaker namely one that trembles at the Word of God and every true Quaker is a Christian and we desire to be called by no other name than that of true Christians 2. That thou dost insinuate as if we did not believe that the Holy Ghost who is God did dwell in us but only Christ which is a gross perversion and false calumny yea so false that thou givest thy sels manifestly and openly the lie in the next citation 3. Thou dost grosly again contradict thy self that thou sayest the Holy Ghost dwells mystically in every true Christian and yet thou deniest that the essence of God dwelleth in any Christian although the Holy Ghost be one essence with God Nor will thy term mystically save thee for if by mystically thou understandest not a real indwelling of the Holy Ghost as he is one essence with God then the Quaker is in a better condition and hath a great advantage of thy supposed Christian that according unto us every true Christian and Quaker hath the Holy Ghost who is one essence with God really or essentially dwelling in him through Christ who is also in him and this according unto 1 Cor. 14 25. God is in you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being rightly translated is essentially from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth being or essence Pamphlet Animad 21. But they understand the Holy Ghost who is God is not separated from this Body Soul of Christ but why then did they not express themselves so Answ. Thou seest Reader how openly he giveth the lie unto himself in this citation by acknowledging that we understand the Holy Ghost is not separated from this Body and Soul of Christ and yet a few lines before he did alleadge that according to our principle the Holy Ghost did not dwell in us and whereas he saith why then did they not express themselves so I answer first how couldest thou know our understanding or mind if the thing had not been expressed But Secondly I say that I have sufficiently expressed the same in my book called The way cast up in several places particularly in p. 114. where I say expresly For because the Fullness dwelt in him and that he was immediately and most intimately united with the God-head so as no Man nor Angels are but only the Man Jesus he is only the true Christ. And because he it is alone who in an immediate way and originally is Gods Anointed who hath Anointed him with his Holy Spirit and all other men even the most Holy but mediately united with God through him receiving the Anointing or Holy Spirit Therefore all other men are not Christ but Christians not being immediately Anointed of the Father but by the means of Jesus Christ. Nor are they otherwise partakers of the Anointing or Holy Ghost but as they are partakers of Christ. Thus Reader thou feest how clearly I have expressed this very thing and how faulty the Author of this Pamphlet is and how far he hath fallen short of his promise to give the World a true account of our Faith concerning the Man Christ Jesus who is guilty of so many false insinuations gross perversions self belyings and contradiction as I have sufficiently demonstrated Pamphlet Animad 22. They believe this humane nature is divine farewell that distinction then yet 't is inferior to the God-head But this Author thinks that omnipresency and omnisciency may be attributed to the Man-hood yet the man hood not being consounded with or equalized to the God-head contrary to the Doctrine Taught by our Christian Divines Answ. Mark Reader the great ignorance and partiality of this Author who is so much offended because I call the Nature of the Man-Hood of Christ Heavenly and Divine as if because the name Divine is given to the Man-Hood of Christ that therefore I consound the Man Hood with the God-Head and equalize it thereunto and yet within three or four lines he calleth these of his brethren who profess to teach of Divine things Christian Divines he will therefore have men that Teach or profess to teach Divine things to be
followeth from thy Doctrine that the Brat of thine own Imagination is Equal unto God Which if it be not the grossest Idolatry that ever any Man was Guilty of I leave unto all Men of a true Understanding for to judge yea if it be not the Height of Atheisme But again supposing but not at all granting that there were such Infinite wast Places having no Creatures in them I ask thee If God should fill them all with Creatures as he could well do because he is Omnipotent should these Creatures taken in the whole Complex be Equal unto God and have the same Immensity or Infinitness with him Surely thou must needs say Not And therefore Christ the Heavenly Man although he should also be in all these Places is still inferiour to the Godhead For whatever any Man or Creature can conceive of Places or Spaces of the greatest Extent Imaginable God is still infinitly Greater and all the Creatures Visible and Invisible are unto Him but as the Drop of the Bucket and Dust of the Ballance And here if any should ask me because I deny all such Imaginary Spaces as idle Fictions of foolish and Ignorant Men What is beyond this Visible World of Heaven and Earth I do easily and readily answer That not only God and Christ but also real Parts of the Creation which are true real beings Created of God are beyond this Visible World of Heaven and Earth whose Greatness and Number no Humane nor indeed any Created Understanding can fathome or comprehend but God alone the most High and Christ Jesus by whom all Things are created and made Visible and Invisible For Solomon said truly We cannot find out the Works of God from the Beginning unto the End And thus we have no need to run into these Fictions of Imaginary Spaces to find a Place beyond this Visible World seeing the Things which God hath made are Greater and more Numerous than we can conceive or imagine And therefore are really Infinite and Immense or Immeasurable unto our Understanding although they are well known unto God in Number Weight and Measure and are in comparison as Nothing and as the Prophet speaketh Even less than Nothing Pamphlet Animad 23. And thus he layes the Ground and Foundation of the Angels Worship upon the Excellency of the Nature of the Manhood barely considered in it self I query solemnly If it be not great Idolatry for Men or Angels to worship any Creature and that Creature though never so Excellent be not in Personal Union with God and the Worship terminated upon the Godhead Christ is God and Man Christians worshipping him terminate the Worship upon the Godhead See if Keith hath not made the Angels Idolaters Answ. That he saith I lay the Foundation of the Angels Worship upon the Excellency of the Nature of the Manhood barely considered in it self is a gross Abuse and Perversion and a most palpable Lye and Contradiction to my Words As also that he insinuates that Men or Angels are to worfhip the Man Christ without a Respect unto that Union he hath with God So that by Vertue of the said Union he is God This also is another gross Lye and Perversion And 3 dly That he alledgeth that in our worshipping the Man Christ Jesus we do not terminate our Worship upon the God-head but only upon the Manhood and that also barely considered in it self All which Three Assertions of the Author are gross Lies and most groundless Calumnies For I no where in all my Book use any such Words as he alledgeth And that I have no such Meaning as his Words import my Words that stand upon Record in my Book do sufficiently clear me As namely where I say expresly p. 82. That the Man Christ is God by reason of that most wonderful Union betwixt the Two Natures And a little after I say The Godhead and Manhood of Christ are but one Christ. And the God-head of Christ is no Inferiour Divinity or Deity but the very same Godhead of the Father Again as concerning this most wonderful and singular Union whereby the Godhead and Manhood of Christ are one Christ I say p. 83. Christ as Man hath a true and real Soul distinct from the God-head yet for ever united with the same in a most immediate and wonderful manner Of which Union no other Soul or Spirit of Men or Angels ever were or shall be Partakers And thus Reader thou mayest clearly see that I lay not the Foundation of Men and Angels their worshipping Christ upon the Excellency of the Nature of the Manhood barely considered as if he were not God by reason of his most rare and singular Union with God But on the contrary I do very plainly affirm the said Union and that because thereof Christ is God And therefore also I do further say That the Worship which Men and Angels give unto the Man Christ doth not terminate which is as much as to say in more plain English doth not rest nor end upon the Manhood but ascendeth through the Manhood of Christ unto the Godhead where it doth terminate or rest And therefore the Saints in Scripture are said to praise God through Jesus Christ and by Him to offer up unto God continual Sacrifices of Thanksgiving And so much doth the word Mediator import which signifieth a Middle Man betwixt God and Us So that although our Prayers our Thanksgivings and whole Worship be directed unto Christ yet not unto Him alone but also unto God htrough Him Nor do my Words cited by thee give thee the least Ground to say That I lay the Foundation of the Angels Worship upon the Nature of the Manhood barely considered in it self because I say That the Man Christ Jesus is a Great and Mighty and most Excellent Being far above All and excelling all Men and Angels For doth not the Man Christ Jesus excell all Men and Angels by reason of his Union with the Godhead such as none else are Partakers of Is not this Union of his with the Godhead most Excellent And doth it not cause him to Excel all other Beings that have no such Union By thy Doctrine indeed it addeth no Excellency unto him and consequently by the same Doctrine of thine although in Contradiction to thy self the Man Christ is to be worshipped as barely considered in himself without any respect of his Union with the Godhead For according unto thy Doctrine that Union addeth no Excellency unto him and maketh him not one whit more Excellent And thus now I desire all Men of Understanding to see and consider whether the Author of this Pamphlet and not I hath not made the Angels Idolaters And here Reader I desire thee also to consider how this Author of this Pamphlet seeketh to lurk in the Dark and giveth us no express Account whether he believeth that the Man Christ Jesus is to be worshipped only telleth that all true Christians do terminate the Worship upon the Godhead which we also do But this
hindreth not that the Man Christ as Mediator is also to be worshipped and God through him which can be no Idolatry because he is God by Vertue of his most wonderful Union with him which no Men nor Angels are Partakers of or ever shall be And if the Man Christ is to be worshipped my Argument holdeth still good that therefore he is really Present as Man To which Argument although most convincing and demonstrating he hath made no Shaddow of Answer and therefore I return it upon him or them who take any part with him As also I return all the other Arguments in my Book which are many that he hath not so much as once named far less answered And particularly where I argue from what he and they do generally acknowledge of the Devil his being every where present in all Evil Men at least which are more numerous than the Good and yet they will not acknowledg that Christ the Heavenly Man is every where Present in all Good Men. And thus they make the Devil greater than He And which is more seeing he holdeth That the whole Essence of the God-head is contained within the Body of Christ which as he saith is of no greater Extent than the ordinary Body of one Man and will not acknowledge that God himself is any where but in that one only Human Body and yet the Devil possesseth really the Souls and Bodies of many Men and Women He doth make the Devil not only greater and more largely or universally present in the World than Christ but also with Fear and Reverence be it spoken than the very Godhead it self which is indeed the greatest Blasphemy and Impiety of Words that ever I heard formerly in all my Life and yet the plain down-right Language of his Doctrine and vain Impious Scribling against us And thus Reader having answered sufficiently unto every one of his Animadversions which I have done some-what more fully and largely than was either needful unto him or then indeed he was worthy of yet for the sake of others who might be desirous to have some Things further opened and cleared I have found Freedom so to do And now I shall take some Notice of what he addeth by way of Conclusion and reply also there-unto so far as is needful Pamphlet p. 14. He proposeth three generall Considerations which he thinketh will Answer my whole Book 1. That the Prophets spoke of many Things to come as if they were present Answ. To this I have sufficiently answered above and I have proved how absurd and contrary to Truth the Opinion of the Author is that Christ was no more Christ before his birth in the Flesh than Cyrus was God's Anointed of whom Isaiah prophecyed many Years before he was Born Where-as although the Prophets prophecyed of Christ's Coming and Birth in the Flesh as a thing to come yet they did still understand that Christ himself was present in and with the Church in all Ages as I have already proved in my Book at large And this was also the Testimony of the Apostle and particularly of Paul who said expresly That by Jesus Christ all Things were Created and He is the same Yester-day To-day and for Ever Also Paul said The Fathers did Eat the same Spiritual Meat and Drink the same Spiritual Drink For they drank of the Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ. And if they did eat the same Spiritual Meat and drink the same Spiritual Drink then they did eat the Flesh of Christ and drink his Blood otherwise as Christ taught him self They could not have Life Pamphlet p. 14. His Second Consideration is That Christ acted in his Mediatorship in all Things before his Incarnation in reference still to his Incarnation which was to be in the Fulness of Time Answ. That Christ acted in his Mediatorship in all Things before he was Born in the Flesh of the Virgin Mary in reference still to his Birth in the Flesh which was to be in the Fulness of Time and also in reference to his Sufferings Death Resurrection Ascention c. I do readily grant But what saith this against any thing that I have affirmed in my Book Or What doth it infer against the Real Being and Existence of Christ in all Ages from the Beginning Surely nothing at all but on the contrary if thou stand to thy own words they do prove manifestly that Christ as he is the Heavenly man was from the beginning for how could he Act in his mediatorship if he was not mediator from the beginning How can Mediatorship be without a Mediator Surely not at all more than Kingship can be without a King or Lordship without a Lord or any other Office without him that doth bear it And if Christ was Mediator from the Beginning it followeth most clearly that he was Man from the Beginning For it is the Man Christ Jesus who is the Mediator betwixt God and Man as Paul hath expressly declared 1 Tim. 2. 5. For Christ as God simply considered without his Manhood cannot be Mediator even as Man simply considered without the Godhead he cannot either for the Nature of a Mediator is such that he must have the Nature both of God and man united together after the most excellent and singuler manner so as by reason of that Union he is true and perfect God and true and perfect Man and therefore seeing he was Mediator from the beginning and acted in his Mediatorship or mediatory Office as King Priest and Prophet and as Head of his Body the Church he was Man from the beginning although not Man cloathed with flesh and blood in the likeness of our Flesh until the fullness of time was come that He was Born of the Virgin Mary Pamphlet Pag. 14. His third consideration is that many things in Scripture are spoken of Christ by that figurative speech of the communication of properties when that which is proper to one nature only is attributed to the other or to the whole person c. Answ. Although thou dost betake thy self to this as thy last refuge namely that called by some the communication of properties yet doth it nothing help thy Evil cause more than the former For albeit I grant that there is such a figurative speech of the communication of names and properties whereby the Man Christ is called God and also God is called Man and God is said to have Shed his Blood although Christ as God hath not Blood to Shed but only as Man yet by reason of that most rare and wonderful union betwixt the Godhead and Manhood the Blood of the Man Christ is called the Blood of God Acts 20. 28. But this communication of names and properties is not a bare Titular or Verbal communication but is grounded upon a real communication of real Divine Attributes and Properties which the Godhead of Christ doth communicate unto the manhood so that the manhood of Christ by reason of this most rare and excellent and
truly Divine union it hath with the Godhead doth by vertue of the same receive such Divine attributes and perfections as are communicable unto none else beside him and the nature of the Manhood of Christ must be so excellent so great and so perfect and so substantially excelling all Men and Angels that is capable of such an Union or of such Divine attributes properties and perfections that are both proper and necessary for such an one as is to be Mediator betwixt God and Man and our High Priest with God of which Divine attributes omnipresence and omnipercipience aforesaid are some which I call Divine because of their great excellency and in respect of which the manhood of Christ is nearest unto the Godhead of all other distinct beings although as I have already shewed the omnipresence and omni-percipience or omniscience of Christ as man is not the same nor equal unto these attributes of omniscience and omni-presence that belong to Christ as God or unto the Godhead but of a far inferior sort Moreover seeing the foresaid communication of names is grounded upon that so rare and singular union betwixt the Godhead and manhood of Christ it is very manifest from hence that the said communication of names could not be from the beginning of the world unless also the union betwixt the Godhead and Manhood of Christ which is the ground of the said communication had been from the beginning and consequently also the Manhood of Christ was from the beginning for two natures cannot be united before the one of them have any being again as the said communication of names and properties require the Man-hood of Christ to exist or have a being from the beginning of the World otherwise it could not be said that the Man Christ Jesus was from the beginning not so much as by that figurative speech of communication of properties so in like manner that communication of properties cannot be allowed but where as well as when the Godhead and Manhood are together united and existent and that for the same reason already given namely that the communication of the names is grounded upon the union of both existing together in the same things places or persons as well as in the same times and therfore if the Manhood of Christ were not omnipresent in all places as well as all times The Man Christ could not be said to be omni-present not so much as by that figurative speech of communication of properties which is not barely Verbal or Titular and Nominal but Reall and Substantial according to the manner above expressed Again there are many Scriptures which speak of Christ that must needs be understood of Christ as Man and not as God so much as by that figurative Speech of communication of prorerties as when Christ said John 6. I came down from Heaven not to do my own Will this must needs be understood of Christ as Man as I have already proved seeing Christ as God always doth his own Will What he adds page 14 15. concerning the sum of the Quakers Doctrine concerning Christ it being in great part a heap of Nonsence and Confusion and not my words nor meaning and so far as any part of it is true being sufficiently answered already I need not make any new Reply unto it only whereas he talketh of two Souls and Bodies of Christ I would have the Reader to Remember that I have no where in all my Book spoke of two Souls of Christ and as concerning the two Bodies of Christ they are also but one body in the full and intire Notion of a body consisting of various parts and members united into one so that the manhood of Christ is still but one in its full and intire Nature And again whereas he finds fault with us for saying that Christs heavenly body whereof the Saints are partakers confisteth of flesh blood and bones he may find the same fault with Christ who spoke os his flesh and blood that came down from Heaven which is the Saints Food also he may blame Paul who said the Saints were of his flesh and of his bones But flesh blood and bones here understood are not to be meant literally and after a vulgar manner but spiritually and figuratively for his flesh and blood from Heaven are Spirit and Life And although the Wisdom of God hath expressed them under these distinct Names yet originally they may be but one substance even as flesh and blood and bones of an earthly body are originaly but one substance which is dust and earth And I can and do freely appeal unto all Christians whom God hath spiritually Enlightned and given a Spiritual Understanding unto of the Mystery of God and Christ whether this be not the True Christ of God of whom I have declared And Whether that described by the Author of this Pamphlet here Answered by me is not indeed a False Christ And also his God whom he limiteth Essentially within the Dimensions of an ordinary Human Body be not also False And so Whether He and not I be not guilty of Gross Idolatry and bringing in another Gospel and so is acted by another Spirit and hath therefore a Curse from the Apostle upon him Gal. 1. 8 9. And lastly Whereas he laboureth to fix upon me the Heresies of no less than Seven several sorts of Heretical Sects he but sheweth forth the same Lying Spirit that hath acted him all along And therefore to undeceive the Reader whom he seeketh so grosly to abuse I shall very clearly and briefly pass through these Seven Heads and sufficiently purge my self of every one of them to any that are Judicious and Impartial 1. He chargeth me with the Heresie of the Macedonians and Valentinians who said Christ brought an Heavenly Body from Heaven with him To this I answer That was no part of their Heresie but only that they said Christ's Body in the whole Substance of it came down from Heaven and did not in any part share or partake of the Substance of the Virgin Mary but altogether passed through the Virgin as Light passeth through the Air or purest Christal But this I do not maintain for I have sufficiently declared That Christ did really partake of the Virgins Flesh and Substance although the Body of Christ was not Conceived after the manner of Human Conception And therefore it was Heavenly in respect of its Original and more Excellent than the Body of any other Man And that this was reputed no Heresie among the Antients I prove because Hilarius one of the Fathers of great Antiquity and in high Esteem among these called the Orthodox was of the same Judgment namely That both the Body and Soul of Christ had a Nature more Excellent than that of all other Men although they had also what belonged to the true Nature of Man in all Essentials 2. He chargeth me with the Heresie of Apellis that said Christ had an Airy Body and Starry Flesh that passed through the