Clean Vessel of a Quaker an Hear-say is enough for an Infallible Demonstration And They can Pronounce I can Assure you of it tho' in a Negative as of his never having Converted any Quakers Now if this shou'd Provoke him to Name Names in Print which I am Morally assur'd he can then ther wou'd be Boasting with a witness But the Quakers are as Infallibly sure That he either Has or Intends to urge this as an Argument for his Attonement and Reconciliation tho' Appen do's not tell with whom But whoever they be I can Assure them says it the Argument is False Now Suppose that he never urg'd this as an Argument of his Reconciliation with any Body nor Ever had any such Intention as all that know him do Believe he do's not think it a Matter of that Merit Well but How can be Perswade others if he had a mind to it of what he is not Infallibly Assur'd Himself What not of his own Thoughts and Actions No. For he is a Foul Vessel that is He is one of the World and so a Child of Darkness because not a Quaker And such have no Right to know their own Thoughts But the Quakers know their own and all other mens too And that Infallibly or else they are the Greatest Lyars in the World and their Fox was a Conjurer by his own Confession See Sn. p. 33. to 37. and p. 284. SECT VI. Their Defence of not taking off their Hats or Giving Civil-Titles Consider'd And of their Plain Language as they call it in Theeing and Thouing Both of which are shewn not to be Merely want of Manners But a Form'd Design to Subvert Government when it is in Any other Hands but their Own For that they think None but Themselves have any Right to Govern I Come now to Sect. vii of Prim. Heres And to Examin the Answers given to it by Appen The subject is The Quakers stiffness in not taking off their Hats and Giving men their Civil Titles Of which we just now spoke Obiter But we will Examin their Answers more thoroly They begin in Appen p. 48. And first this is call'd a Ridiculous Charge And so indeed it is in this Sense as it is a Charge of a most Ridiculous Whim if it were no worse for it is not only a Proud and Senseless Singularity but it is a Contempt of Government and Dissolution of Order and the Difference of Relations that men bare to one another which God Ordain'd and without which the world cou'd not Subsist And therefore it is brought in Prim. Heres Next to Sect. vi which treats of the Quakers Contempt of Magistracy and Government as a Plain Instance of it To this says Appen in their Courtly way He Falsly and Foolishly Insinuates this that is taking off our Hats and Giving men their Civil Titles to have been Commanded by the Apostles c. They mean That ther is no Command in Scripture for taking off ones Hat That is Literally a Hat They wou'd have the word Hat nam'd And here they are Pretty Secure for ther were no Hats worn in those Days nor many Ages after But surely these Quakers are not so Dull as not to know That it is the Respect and Honour which is Due to our Superiors that is here Treated of tho' the Manner of Expressing it may Differ according to the Custom of Several Countrys Thus Vn-covering of the Head is not us'd as a mark of Respect in Turkey Therefore they do it not there even in Presence of the Grand Segnior There the Quakers may have this Liberty of Conscience But if they wou'd observe the Scripture Literally as they Pretend they shou'd put off their Shoos instead of their Hats For that was then the Token of Respect thus Moses was Commanded to put off his Shoos when he Approch'd to the Bush not to take off his Hat Now if the Quakers wou'd have Texts for shewing Respect to Superiors they may have Abundance Honour to whom Honour is Due c. And if Taking off ones Hat be us'd as a mark of Paying Honour or Respect then it is Included in this Command And the not doing of it is an Express Breach of this Command And it is not in our Power to Appoint what shall be the Manner of Paying Honour we must Submit in that to the Custom of the Country where we Live You find frequent Instances in Scripture of Falling Prostrate to Kings and Worshiping of them with our Faces bent down to the Earth and not only to Proud and wicked Kings but to David and the Best of them None came into their Presence without Paying of this Honour to them And this was a Great Deal more than Bare Taking off ones Hat We never find That either Christ Himself or His Apostles Refus'd to Give all the Respect and Civil Titles that were Customarily Paid even to Heathen Magistrates He acknowleg'd to Pilat that his Power was from Above St. Paul gave Felix the Title of Most Noble Even when Felix call'd him Mad and Ask'd Pardon for speaking Dis-Respectfully to the High Priest tho' Judging him Contrary to the Law A Quaker wou'd have call'd him if he Durst a Chemarim Baal's Priest Serpent Dog Devil as they have call'd our Bishops and Magistrates when they were out of their fingers And as Christ and His Apostles so those our H. Fathers in the Church who succeeded them did both Practice and Command the same Honour to be Paid to all Magistrates and Superiors Yet Appen says That this is a Pretence so Idle that he the Author of Prim. Heres may as soon find in those Early times the taking Snuff after his Manner to be Declar'd Heresie This was by way of Wit because he Supposes that Author takes Snuff But I 'll tell thee Appen That if taking of Snuff were by the Custom of this Country as Great a Dis-Respect to Superiors as keeping on my Hat I wou'd think that Author or any other who did it Guilty of as much Ill-Manners as a Quaker But if they set up such Dis-Respect as a Principle and made Themselves Distinguished by it I shou'd Condemn it even as a Heresie for such I think it to Dissolve the Good Order of the World and set Mankind Loose from the Distance and Duty to Superiors and to Teach this as a Doctrin of Christ However against the Quakers this holds good by their own Principles if it be any Sin which has been fully Prov'd to be not only Heresie but even a Denying of the Lord who Bought them For thus say they in Truth defending the Quakers which is said in the Title Page to be Written from the Spirit of Truth in George Whitehead and George Fox the Younger p. 39. 40. All Hereticks are subverted and do sin and in Sinning they Deny the Lord that bought them for Every Sin is a Transgression of the Law And whatever sin they Commit against Christ therein they Deny him Here we see the Necessity of
1.19 is Perverted when taken in that sense and averrs that the Apostle there Doth not tell of Human Blood to Redeem them with for says he Human is Earthly What Blood is it then which Redeems Us He go's on to tell in the next words But Christ whose Blood is Spiritual is Lord from Heaven c. And then he Asks Was that Human Blood which Christ saith except a Man Drink he hath no Life in him and which Cleansed the Saints from all Sin who were Flesh of Christ 's Flesh and Bone of His Bone G. W. means that this cou'd not be the outward-Flesh But that it was the Eternal and Spiritual Flesh before spoke of Which the Quakers suppose that they have within them and this is it which they call their Light within But I will Answer this Quere of G. Whitehead's because I believe he ask'd it thro' Ignorance and that many Quakers are Deluded by it Therefore I say That it was Human Blood of which Christ said Except a man drink of it c. But the Figure lies in the word Drink not that we were literally to Drink the very Material Blood of Christ but to Feed upon it in our Hearts by Faith i. e. in the Satisfaction and Atonement thereby made to God for our Sins But to put the Figure upon the Blood as if that were only Figurative and not True Real Material and Human Blood which Christ offer'd for us but a Notional Spiritual which is not Real Blood this is the Fandamental Error of the Quakers and which overturns the whole Christian Faith And now what do's it signifie to bring Quotations out of the Quaker Books which speak of the Blood of Christ and bear witness to it while they mean not Real or Human Blood of our Nature but only the Inward Spiritual Life of Christ in our Hearts And do not Distinguish this at all from His Blood As G. W. says in the same Book before Quoted Truth defending c. p. 63. Whose Christ's Blood is not differing from His Life which Redeemeth from sin as thou Imaginest says he to his opponent Christopher Wade who having said as G. W. Quotes him That our Blessed Saviour did Instruct men to lay fast hold of and to abide in such a Faith which Confideth in Himself being Without Men. G. W. Replies p. 65. That 's Contrary to the Apostles Doctrin And the Saints Faith stood in the Power of God which was In them Again ibid. G. W. opposes this of C. Wade's which he Quotes That the true Christ doth by infallible Arguments prove Himself not to be a Spirit i. e. not a meer Spirit as in the next page G. W. Quotes him And G. W. gives the like Answer to this which is says he Quite against the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them the Hope of Glory and a Quickening Spirit That Christ is a Spirit and Ever was no Christian Doubts But that He has not likewise a Body not from Eternity as Quakers and Muggletonians madly Dream but an Human Body of our Nature which He took into His own Nature in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin and will for Ever Retain United in His Person true God and Man and therefore is not now a meer Spirit as before His Incarnation none can Deny but the Grossest of Hereticks And G. W. here Denies it and says That to affirm Christ not to be a meer Spirit is contrary to the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them No Christian denies but that Christ by His Blessed Spirit and Influence do's Dwell in the Hearts of Believers But therefore to Deny the Demonstration which Christ gave Luk. xxiv 39. That He was not a Spirit but had true Flesh and Bones is such a Degree of sottish Infatuation as has Possest none amongst us but these Miserable Quakers Why else did G. W. oppose C. Wade for urging this Scripture in Proof that Christ was not a Spirit but had a True Real Human Body G. Whitehead's meaning was as before shew'd p. 18. that the Person who then Appear'd to the Apostles was not the Christ. No but only a Vail or Garment of Borrow'd Flesh and Blood which He Wore And by which the Quakers expect no Justification but only by their own Works wrought In them by the Spirit Thus ibid. p. 62. G. Whitehead brings in C. Wade saying thus That God doth totally exclude works whether wrought by Men or by any Spirit in man whatsoever for Mens Justification He do's not Exclude Works as being a Necessary Effect of Faith and as Requir'd by God and without which when Possible true Faith cannot be nor can men otherwise be made Partakers of the Benefit and Purchase made for Us by the Obedience and Death of Christ But that our works tho' wrought in us by the Operation of the Holy Spirit as all our Good Works are yet must not come in for any share of the Merit and Satisfaction for Sin and our Justification thereby Psal xlix 8. For it Cost more to Redeem our Souls so that we must let that alone for Ever Our Works tho' necessary to Qualifie us and make us Susceptible of that Justification which Christ hath Purchased for us by His Blood yet are they Totally Excluded from being any Part of the Meritorious or Procuring Cause of our Justification And to this G. Whitehead's Answer is This is a Doctrin of the Devil The same Answer He and Will. Penn Repeated in their Serious Apologie Printed An. 1671. to shew they Alter not p. 148. to those who objected to them That they Deny'd Justification by the Righteousness which Christ hath fulfilled in His own Person for us wholly without us and therefore Deny the Lord that bought us To which their Answer is in these words And indeed this we Deny and Boldly affirm it In the Name of the Lord To be the Doctrin of Devils and an Arm of the Sea of Corruption which do's now Deluge the whole World It makes ones Hair stand on End to Hear such outragious Blasphemy against the very Heart and Foundation of the Christian Religion Against which the Cursed Spirit do's thus Gnash his Teeth to see his Chief Principle Attackt of making men trust for their Justification and Salvation to what is wrought in their Hearts by the Spirit of God as they suppose for which they oft mistake as in the Present Case the most Venemous Suggestions of the Devil Now if the Quaker method of Contrary Testimonies wou'd be allow'd See 2d Part. Sect. ii N. 3. they might Easily get off from all this by what Will. Penn has wrote in Point blank Contradiction to what is above Quoted in his Primitive Christianity Printed 1696. p. 79. where he owns Justification only for the sake of the Death and Sufferings of Christ And nothing we can do says he though by the Operation of the Holy Spirit being able to Cancel old Debts or wipe out old Scores You see he says here Though by the
likewise the Inward operations of His Spirit in our Hearts And that if Will. Penn or Thom. Elwood cannot Name one single Man much less any of those Communions which he Disputes against that ever thought Christ's outward Appearance wou'd save them without His Inward Appearance in their Consciences then against whom have they Disputed The Objection being thus stated wherein I take no Notice of his misplacing some words to hurt both the Sense and the English he Answers thus Yes I can Name one Single Man whom he has Vindicated against Us. in G. K's behalf who has both thought and said as much as That Christ's outward Appearance and Sufferings has saved them without his Appearance or Work in them And that is the said Rob. Gordon And it 's Charged against him among his many other Corrupt Doctrins by G. Keith in My and his Book Entituled The Nature of Christianity p. 70. 71. Artic. 1. That Christ without Us upon the Cross hath already subdued all things finished Transgression Made an end of Sin abolish'd Condemnation and Death Art 8. That Redemption Justification were finished and Completed in the Crucify'd Body of Christ for Us not in our Persons Art 12. That Redemption and all things are wrought Purchas'd for Us without the help of any thing to be wrought in Us. So that here was one Man i. e. R. G. and too many more that laid the whole stress and work of Mans Salvation Only upon Christ's outward Appearance and Suffering without His Inward Appearance and Operations by His Spirit in Vs I have given G. W's words at large because upon this Depends the whole Cause of Quakerism Therefore I will Examin them Fully and Fairly But first let me take notice of the Modesty of the Quaker-stile In My and His Book says G. W. It founds Harsh in English because so Vnusual But G. W. wou'd not Give Place to G. K. He Reserves His Dignity And Comon Civility is an Heresie among the Quakers But now to our Work And first I observe That G. W. has left out in the Articles he Quotes out of His and G. K's Book the pages in R. Gordon's Book call'd A Testimony to the true Saviour to which their Nature of Christianity is in Answer For there the Pages of R. G's book are Quoted after Each Article Which was wisely done of G. W. That none might know where to find the Quotations unless they wou'd have Recourse to G. W's Nature of Christianity which not one of a Thousand knows where to find It was Printed An. 1671. and now hardly to be Got. And G. W. not only leaves out the Pages but do's not so much as Name that Book of R. G's out of which they are taken that his Reader might be left Sufficiently in the Dark And that he had Good Reason so to do will soon Appear To These Articles here Quoted these pages of R. G's Testimony are added in The Nature of Christianity viz. p. 3. 4. 5. 20. And whoever will Read these will see R. G. fully Clear himself from this Imputation cast upon him and that he had given no Ground at all for these Objections made against him P. 4. and 5. he makes Two great Gospel Truths The first God manifest in the Flesh of Christ whereby Christ became our H. Priest in the Flesh therein to offer up himself the one Perfect Sacrifice Sufficient Atonement the Compleat Peace-Offering Once for Ever not often and in Every Generation and in Many Bodies as the Quakers say he Dayly offers Himself in their Bodies but in One Body by one Offering not in our Persons or Within Vs which is the Exact Quaker Notion but in His Crucifi'd Body without Vs and before any Good wrought in Vs whereby He hath already subdued all things finished Transgression made an end of Sin Abolished Condemnation and Death and so hath for Ever as our Head in Himself compleated the work of our Redemption and Reconciliation with God for Vs God thereby commending His Love towards Vs that while we were yet Sinners Christ Dyed for Vs when we were Enemies we were Reconciled to God by the Death of his Son The other Truth is the Mystery of Christ by His Spirit Dwelling in His Saints called in the H. Scripture Christ within you whereby God works In Us through Faith in Christ the Fruit and Effect of the work already wrought by Christ in His Crucifi'd Body for Vs without Vs And then he tells that for which he Reprehends the Quakers viz. That they Pretend so much zeal for this Mysterie of Christ within the Operations and Actings of the Spirit of God in themselves That they Deny the Mysterie of God in the Flesh of Christ as a Matter of no Necessity to them as to Redemption Reconciliation and Justification Reckoning to Accomplish this in their own Bodies Each for himself thro' Obedience to the Law or Light in his Conscience which Light they call Christ Redeemer and only Saviour without Respect to the true Christ and our only Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth and Redemption already wrought and Accomplished for Vs in His Crucifi'd Body Thus Plainly do's R. G. Express himself Giving full Testimony to Christ within Dwelling in our Hearts by Faith But Disputes only against that Quaker Heresie of Placing the Sacrifice and Atonement for Sin in the offering up of this Light within Perform'd in their Hearts and throwing off the Sacrifice and Atonement made by the offering which Christ made of Himself for Us upon the Cross as of no Efficacy to our Salvation This is it for which the Quakers so violently oppose him and which G. W. here calls Corrupt Dectrin And observe That in the 12 Art above Quoted R. G's words are Recited Imperfect for after the last words here put down viz. without the help of any thing to be wrought in us ther follows in R. G's words p. 20. so as to Atone with God for Vs which Explains his Meaning and is most Orthodox viz. That nothing Perform'd In us is the Atonement or Satisfaction for our Sins But this in no ways Hinders or Denies the Necessity of the Inward Presence and Operations of his H. Spirit to Sanctifie our Hearts whereby only that Atonement Perform'd by Christ in His own Body without Vs is Apply'd and Made Effectual to Us. Which R. G. over and over again not only Asserts but Zealously Contends for it Now let the Reader Judge whether G. W. has found an Instance in R. G. of one who Asserted That Christ's outward Appearance and Sufferings wou'd save any without His Appearance and Work in them The doing Right to R. G. is not the Matter I shou'd not have Detain'd the Reader so long meerly for that But by this it is very Evident That the Quakers have all along oppos'd the Christian Doctrin and Rejected all Faith in our Lord Jesus of Nazareth as to our Redemption or Salvation by His Death and Sacrifice of our Sins upon the Cross Why
Bason he pretended his Blood was shed and said that he Gave up the Ghost as Christ did Thus C. Wade And hence he Charges Milner with Luciferian Pride to Save Souls as Christ did To this G. Fox Answers in his Gr. Myst p. 246. And Repeats no more of the Charge but these words He Crys says Fox Oh Luciferian Pride to save Souls And thence falls upon Wade as if he were an Enemy to the Saving of Souls and asks him What good then doth all your Preaching do And Quotes the Apostles who watched to save Souls by turning People from their Sins Now wou'd not any one have suppos'd upon G. F.'s Quotation of C. W.'s words That C. W. had been against all Methods or Means to Save Mens Souls and that he had call'd it no less than a Luciferian Pride for any one to Attempt it either to Preach or Pray or do any other Office of Religion Who cou'd have Imagin'd from this Quotation as G. F. gives it That C. W. only spoke of Attempting to Save Souls as Christ did that is by Shedding of our Blood and Giving up the Ghost as an Atonement or Propitiation for the Sins of others I will spare my Pains to Exemplifie the Truth and Faithfulness of this Quotation And when Will. Penn can make a 〈◊〉 of G. F. for this by his own Rule I will Promise Twenty and Twenty more of the â—ike if need be out of that one Book the Gr. Mystery In which p. 298. And in his Saul's Errand p. 9. G. F. Justifies this Wretch Milner And notwithstanding that he cou'd not nor did Deny this Matter of Fact and much more of the Like Blasphemy as Giving forth Twelve several Prophesies in the Name of the Lord all of which prov'd False Pretending to Fast Forty Days as Christ did and other Madnesses of High Enthusiasm yet G. Fox Justifies Milner says Ther was a Pure seed in Him And that The Lord did open True Prophesies and Mighty things to Him And calls those Persecutors and Wicked Men who wou'd go tell the Nation as he words it of the Above mention'd and such like Infirmities of that Precious Quaker Prophet And now that I have given the Reader a Taste of Rich. Hubberthorn's G. Whitehead's and G. Fox's sincerity in Reciting the Answers of other Men out of the Fountain that is behind of the like Instances in their Works and those of the other Quakers Approved and Recommended by W. Penn And by his standing Rule before Mention'd He himself and all the Rest of that Herd turn'd out of the Pale of Christianity together to Graze in the Common with Deists Jews and Pagans Themselves the worst of the Company Let me for a Concluding stroke upon this Head Divert my self a little with Witty Ap-Pen from whom I have thus far Digress'd to his more Considerable Brethren Now then you shall see Ap-Pen shew his Parts in behalf of Himself and Partners at the End of the Preface he gives their Authority for their so Frequent calling the Author of the Sn. a Serpent a Viper a Snake Will. Penn has lately Improv'd it to a Rattle-Snake and they say it is A Title of his own Choosing As I said before it is not very Material what they call him He is neither the Better nor the Worse for that They have call'd others by the same and worse Names where they had not the Pretence for such a witty Pun as this But that which I take notice of this for is to shew them the Consequences which Themselves have laid down of Mistaking or Mis-Representing the words of other Men. Did the Author of the Sn. then mean that Title for Himself or for the Quakers How you can Turn it upon him is not the Point free Leave you have But to say That you wou'd not Abridge him a Title of his own Choosing and to give this as a Reason of your calling him so is Expresly to Mistake and that Wilfully his words And then out of Christianity with you according to Will. Penn. If you may call him a Snake by this Argument you may as well call Him the Devil and say that too his A Title of his own Choosing for another of is Books is Intitul'd Satan Dis-Rob'd Therefore both Will. and Ap-Pen cum Sociis must either Renounce their Christianity and then they will be just where they were or else Correct the above Mention'd Rule which W. P. has Infallibly laid down to Thrust others from thence Thus Justly in the same Trap which they set for others is their own Foot taken SECT III. The Quakers Clear'd from Contradiction in those Seeming Contrary Testimonies which are Produc'd in this Appendix to Defend them from the Heresies Charg'd upon them WHAT I have already said may be thought sufficient in Answer to this Appen wherein ther is nothing like an Argument but the Contrary Testimonies which are Produc'd against the Charges Exhibited And these are Reply'd to without Considering of them in Particular in Sect. ii N. 3.4 Whereby it appears First That tho' these Testimonies produc'd were Contrary to what is Charg'd from other Testimonies of the Quakers yet that this is no Justification but rather a further Argument of Contradictions against them Secondly That by the Contrary Meanings which they have these Testimonies tho' seemingly Contrary yet are not so and do not Contradict the Charges laid against the Quakers To make the which more fully Appear I will go over the Contrary Testimonies Produc'd And shew the Deep Deceit of these Quakers 1. These Testimonies begin Appen Sect. 2. p. 12. with this Title Some Testimonies to Christ Jesus as the Son of God and Come in the Flesh The first is of Rich. Farnsworth An. 1651. in his Confession and Profession of Faith where he Confesses to the Father Son and Holy Spirit but he calls them not 3 Persons so that this is no Contrary Testimony to the Quaker-Heresie concerning the Blessed Trinity which makes them to be only three Manifestations or Operations of the same Person as the Sabellians Socinians c. But then how is this a Testimony to the Son of God as Come in the Flesh if the Son be not Distinct from the Father as G. Fox affirms in so many words Great Mystery p. 142. and 293. c. if so then it was God the Father who took Flesh as Muggleton said Ay and Fox too Gr. Myst p. 246. where he falls upon Chr. Wade for offering to say That not God the Father but the Son said Wade took upon him Human Nature This Fox opposes and brings as an Argument against it that Christ is call'd The Everlasting Father Isa ix 6. The truth is these Quakers make no Distinction at all betwixt God and Christ they mean the same thing by Father Son Spirit Christ Light or Light within which they make to be God If otherwise let them tell us how the Son took Flesh and not the Father if the Son be only a Manifestation of the
Father A Manifestation can not take Flesh be Born Suffer or Dye then it must be the Father Himself and none other who was Born Dy'd c. then it was the Father who sent Himself and Return'd back to Himself and was Received of Himself who upon the Cross Pray'd to Himself and Complain'd to Himself that He had Forsaken Himself And when He Dy'd Recommended His Spirit into the Hands of Himself c. This the Quakers are Desir'd to Answer and it will soon Discover their sensless Sabelliamsm And Farnsworth's Testimony says nothing at all against this 2. They Leap now Ten years forward for the next Testimony p. 13. which is of Rich. Hodden An. 1661. in his Book call'd The one Good way of God Where he tells of the Great Mystery of Jesus Christ come in the Flesh which he says no Man can Understand by Hearing Reading Telling or Talking of Him or Concerning what He Did Said or Suffer'd How he is Formed In his Servants How they take up the Cross or what that Cross is How they are Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones What the Church is or how his Body or what it is to Eat his Flesh and Drink his Blood c. This as before told is the Body Flesh and Bones of God which they suppose He had from Eternity and which now Dwells in the Quakers not the Flesh of our Nature which Jesus assum'd in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin That is not the Flesh which we Eat c. And they that think so he tells know nothing of the Mystery of Christ which they say cannot be learn'd by Hearing contrary to what the Apostle thought Rom. x. 17. of what Christ Did Said or Suffer'd Which shews that they meant not the outward Christ but Their Christ the Light within otherwise how is it that as he says none but the Quakers understand what the Church is how it is the Body of Christ or what it is to Eat his Flesh or what his Cross is c This shews plainly That they have another Meaning for All these things than we have And Consequently this is so far from being a Contrary Testimony to the Charges produc'd upon this Head that it speaks the same and might well have been put among the Charges instead of the Contrary Testimonies 3. The third Testimony is p. 14 from Geo. Bishop that Loyal good Subject See Sn. p. 227. to 232. in his Vindication of the Principles and Practices of the People called Quakers An. 1665. where he speaks too of Christ made Flesh c. But then tells us what Christ he means Christ In you says he that is their Light within which they call Christ. He says p. 15. as here Quoted That where this Christ is there is not the Body that Suffer'd at Jerusalem that was Flesh that Proceeded from the Virgin Mary c. that is not within Men. No. who ever said it was tho' Christ may be there by the Blessed Influences of His Holy Spirit But then what Body of Christ is it which the Quakers say is within them For G. Fox will not allow Christ to be Absent from His Saints as touching His Flesh Gr. Mystery p. 210. And Edw. Burrough p. 146. of his Works says in Answer to this Question which he there puts Is that very Man with that very Body within you yea or Nay And this he do's not Deny but Answers in the Affirmative The very Christ of God is within Vs we Dare not Deny it He do's not mean as Bishop says well the Body of our Nature which Suffer'd at Jerusalem for that is not so much as in any one says Will Penn in his Christian Quaker p. 97. But they mean as before has been shewn The Heavenly Body of the Human Nature of God which He had from Eternity And this Vile and most Absurd Heresie is that Deep Knowlege which the Quakers Boast they have in the things of God beyond all other Men. This is the Great Mystery of Quakerism And this Testimony of G. Bishop's do's rather Confirm than Contradict it 4. The fourth Testimony is p. 15. from Isaac Penington Concerning the Sum or Substance c. This is he who in his Question to the Professors before Quoted in every Page almost tramples under foot the outward Humanity of Christ or that which He took of our Nature And sets in opposition to it as the Foundation of the Quaker-Faith that which he calls Christ's own Humanity or their Sensless Notion of the Humanity of the Heavenly Nature Now let Us hear what this Man will say to the Contrary How much he Attributes to the outward Humanity and Sufferings of Christ. First he puts the Objection That the Quakers look not to be sav'd by the outward Christ but by a Christ in us says he And to this he Answers We do indeed Expect to be Saved yea and not only so but do already in our several Measures Witness Salvation by the Revelation and Operation of the Life of Christ within Vs So that their Salvation is from the Attonement c. which is wrought Within them And what Salvation do they mean That of Heaven No not of any outward Heaven but the Heaven within Themselves See Sn. at the end of Sect. xii and consequently it is that Salvation which they have Attain'd Already in their several Measures for ther are Degrees of Glory even in Heaven But now that All is given to the Inward Christ what do's he ascribe to the Outward Truly as little as may be only to take Notice of Him he says That the Salvation wrought by Christ within is yet not withont Relation to what he did without us and had its Place and Service in the will and according to the Counsel of the Father What Place and Service was this For that he leaves you to Guess he will come no Near. Every Good Action nay every Good word of any Good Man has its Place and Service This is the Noble Testimony of Isaac Penington which is brought as a Vindication of the Quakers from throwing the Least Slight upon the outward Humanity Death and Passion of our Blessed Lord Jesus and the Satisfaction and Full Propitiation thereby Made for the Sins of the whole World And to Clear them from Transferring of this to the Propitiation which they suppose made within them by the Heavenly Flesh and Blood of their Light within 5. The fifth Testimony is p. 16. from G. Keith's Immediate Revelation where he do's sufficiently Express what Manhood of Christ he meant for he speaks of The Man Jesus whom Simeon Imbraced with his Arms according to the Flesh And the Quakers will not say That it was the Light within which Simeon had in his Arms or the Manhood of the Heavenly Nature which cou'd not be Seen or Felt. And then as to the Inward Presence of Christ in the Soul G. K. do's not speak of the Body of Christ there as the other Quakers but says
Wife This made several of the Quakers particularly Ann Docwra come to Mr. Crisp's house thinking ther had been a misunderstanding betwixt Mr. Crisp and his Wife to Endeavour a Reconciliation For a Man's Abuse of his Wife is a Comprehensive Charge And standing thus Generally in the Contents of a Book might Raise strange thoughts in the Reader as we see it did and Probably was the Design of the Writer For what other Design cou'd he have If ther was no Discontent as ther was none in this Case yet the Quakers did their Best to Raise one betwixt Man and Wife At least to Brand them to the world in the Contents of their Books tho' when you come to the Proof it is only putting the Abuse upon the Cheats the Quakers To be Cheated is an Infirmity but the Knavery is in the Cheaters However this is call'd Mr. Crisp's Abuse of his Wife We see by the way what sort of Regard they have to the Church of England when it is made so Heinous a Crime to Marry by any of her Priests Ought not She to make it as Penal for any to Marry by the Priests of the Quakers But that is not the Point now in hand We are upon the Charges Exhibited in Contents And how they are made Good in the Books Particularly the Charge against the New-Quakers in Prim. Heres Well but the whole Body of the Quakers are brought in upon this Point so far as that the Principle upon which these New-Quakers go is the avowed Principle of the Body of the Quakers viz. of taking the Resurrection in an Inward Sense to Mean only the Rising up of the Light in their Hearts and upon this Account they Deny the Literal Resurrection of the Body which has been sufficiently shewn They say that those who obey the Light have obtain'd the Resurrection already And in this Sense They call themselves The Children of the Resurrection in Opposition to The Children of this World by which Name the Wicked are Describ'd Now the New-Quakers finding it Written That the Children of this World do Marry But that The Children of the Resurrection neither Marry nor are Given in Marriage consequently they finding Marriage Inconsistant with the Resurrection-state and thinking by the Receiv'd Principle of the Quakers that they were come to the Resurrection-state it follow'd of Course That they must turn off their Wives But then finding likewise That these their Spiritual and Resurrection-Bodys Retain'd still a strange Hankering after the Old way of the Flesh And that Propagation was still to be kept up they cou'd Fall no where else but upon Fornication For The Children of this World MARRY And indeed this is a Natural Consequence of the Quaker-Notion of the Resurrection and were Enough to Cure them any Sober man wou'd think of this Mad and Heritical Extravagance But they still stick to it For Infallibility must never Repent or Amend Upon this occasion they are Ask'd in Prim. Heres p. 13. whether they are The Children of the Resurrection If they Answer Yea then by this Text in their Sense they must not Marry And if they say Nay then are they Reprobates by their own Construction And how do you think they get off from this Dilemma By putting any other Sense upon the Text or Denying this to be their Exposition of it or shewing That this was not the Consequence of their Exposition No. none of these ways None of these wou'd do How then Appen p. 36 and 37. trys for the first time what the Quakers can do at Wit and Raillery But it is so Heavily Dull as shews Them to be Children in the Literal Sense but neither of the Resurrection nor of This world for ther is neither Wit nor Wisdom in their Poor Repartees They say they will Turn the Tables and most Ingeniously upon this Author whom they call Charles And thus they Begin p. 37. Charles Art thou a Child of wrath He must Answer Yea or go against his own avowed Principles Must he so But what if he shou'd not than BAYS 's Suppose is spoyl'd But if he shou'd not then he must Go against his own Avowed Principles What Principles are these they Name none They leave us to Guess And I think I have found it out It is said in our Catechism That we are By Nature Born in Sin and the Children of Wrath. There it is And now they Twit us again with our Confessing our selves to be Sinners And Hugg themselves in their Perfection But Hark ye my Friends you have Read but Half For it is said That being by Nature Born in Sin and the Children of Wrath we are Hereby that is by coming as we ought to Christ's Holy Baptism made the Children of Grace So that by our own Principles we are Children of Grace and you are The Children of Wrath who Remain in your Natural Corruption and Flout at and Despise those Means of Grace which Christ has Commanded And therefore your Genteel Inference upon your Forcing Charles to say Yea whether he will or not That it is very Hard a Man shou'd send Himself thus to Hell must be sent Home again to be Answer'd at The Second-Days Meeting And Charles has Escap'd for Once But don't wonder says Appen till we see what the next Question will do Well we won't if we can Help it Now Charles look to thy self Let me ask again Charles art thou a Disobedient Son He will say NAY That is if he be not Cross And because we know he is a Sinner he may perhaps not Clear himself from all Breaches even of the Fifth Command But he shall not put those Tricks upon Us. He shall Answer Nay as you wou'd have him And now what is your Inference Be sure you hold him Fast Why then say you It is written Disobedience is as the Sin of Witchcraft therefore say all Good Men Disobedience is a wicked thing and consequently of the Devil Verily those Good Men are very Ingenious men who have found it out That Sin and witchcraft is a wicked thing And more than that That it is Consequently of the Devil Well what of all this Now Reader says Appen see Before he sent himself and now he wou'd Hale all the People thither Whither To the Devil That 's Hard indeed But Appen you have Forgot that you made him Answer Nay to this Question of Disobedience And then How do's this Affect him No matter for that It affects others For says Appen he calls those Disobedient who are truly Obedient and Loyal And so wou'd Hale All the People to the Devil Do's he then call All the People Disobedient Do's he Except None This is a Terrible Fellow we must look to him But now Appen suppose he shou'd call for Proof of this Have you your Witnessess Ready For you must not Expect the Rogue will Confess Otherwise may he call Thee and thy Friends who thus Accuse him as you have done to others upon Less occasion Lyars Impostors
their Sufferings more Vnjust than the Sufferings of Christ That the Blood of Christ was no more than the Blood of another Saint That ther is no Heaven or Hell but Within Men That ther shall be no Resurrection of our Dead Bodies or General Judgment at the End of the world These are the men who call for Scripture for every thing And will allow of no Inferences But will have All in Express Words And yet they have set up the most Vn-scriptural Jargon that ever was heard of in the world They Demand Scripture for Christ's having any Human Nature in Heaven because they Deny it They Require Scripture for the Soul being Part of Man's Nature because they make it a Part of God as before shewn Let them then Produce Scripture for the Soul being a Part of God Gr. Mystery P. 90. for its being Infinit and without Beginning which they Assert in these Express words Will. Penn speaking of Baptism and The Lord's Supper Denies them to be Ordinances of Christ And for this Reason says he Reason against Railing p. 108. The Appellation Ordinances of Christ I therefore Renounce as Vn-scriptural and In-Evangelical Yet the Quakers call Womens-Preachings and Womens-Meetings set up by G. Fox The Good Ordinances which Christ Jesus hath set up in His Church And Accus'd those who oppos'd them Solom Eccles â—â—tter to 〈◊〉 Sto-John Babels Builders 1st Part. p. 15. of no less than Rebellion against the Living God This to all Considering men is sufficient to Render them Self-Condemn'd But they have a Salvo which will carry with their Deluded Followers that is That their Appealing to Scripture is only an Argumentum ad Hominem against those who do own the Holy Scriptures for their Rule which the Quakers do not but Resolve all into the Guidings of their Light within which they make the only True Gospel and Faith And my Design is not so much to Confound as to Convert them Therefore I wou'd Intreat the Sober-Minded among them to Consider of that Gospel and Faith which the Apostles Preached Whether they Taught a Faith in the Light within or rather a Faith in the Outward Jesus What was it which St. Peter Preach'd to Cornelius Ther was not a word of the Light within or Reading within Listning to that Within or the like But of Faith in the outward Jesus of Nazareth Act. x. 38 c. That through His Name whosoever Believeth in Him shall receive Remission of Sins And Cornelius had the Light within before and the Attestation of God that he had truly Follow'd it ver 2. And if that had been sufficient for Remission of Sins what needed another Faith in an Outward Man Jesus of Nazareth have been Preach'd to him And why was that Faith which Peter Preach'd call'd Words by which Cornelius and all his House shou'd be saved And that God had granted to the Gentiles Repentance unto Life Act. xl 14 18 by allowing the Faith in Jesus of Nazareth to be Preached unto them if Faith in the Light within and obedience to that had been Sufficient without any thing else If Good Cornelius had Dy'd before the Gospel had been Preach'd unto him as I before have said I will not take upon me to Determin of him but leave him to the Vn-covenanted Mercy of God But if Cornelius had Rejected the Faith in Jesus of Nazareth for the Remission of his Sins when Preach'd to him all his Former obedience to his Light within had not been Sufficient to Save him And therefore the case of the Vn-converted Gentiles upon which the Quakers do so much Depend will be no Relief to them who do after the Preaching of the Faith in Jesus of Nazareth set up their Faith in their Light within as Sufficient without It for the Remission of their Sins I do beseech these Quakers likewise to consider that large Description which the Apostle Paul gave of the Gospel which he Preached whether it was the Faith in Jesus of Nazareth His Outward Sufferings Death and Resurrection or the Faith in the Light within Moreover Brethren says he I Declare unto you the Gospel which I Preached unto you by which also ye are saved 1. Cor. xv 1 2 c. if ye keep in memory what I Preached unto you unless ye have Believed in vain For I Delivered unto you first of all that which I also Received how that Christ Dyed for our Sins according to the Scriptures And that He was seen of Cephas then of the Twelve After that He was seen of above Five hundred Brethren at once After that He was seen of James then of all the Apostles And last of all He was seen of Me also This cannot be Apply'd by any means to the Light within which cannot be seen of any body And this Great Article of the Resurrection of Christ was the Chief thing in consideration of which Matthias was Chosen in the Room of Judas Wherefore of these men which have Company'd with us Act. 1.21 22. all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us beginning from the Baptism of John unto the same Day that He was Taken up from us must one be Ordained to be a witness with us of His RESVRRECTION This was the Great Foundation of the Christian Faith 1 Cor. xv 14. for says St. Paul If Christ be not Risen then is our Preaching vain and your Faith is also vain Do's not this make the Faith in the Light within to be a Vain Faith At least this is a Demonstration that it was not the Faith which the Apostles Preached For the Apostles do Testify that the Faith which they Preached had been Vain if Christ be not Risen Yea and we are found False Witnesses of God say they because we have Testify'd of God that He Raised up Christ whom He Raised not up ver 15. if so be that the Dead Rise not But against all this Conviction the Quakers will not let this be Meant of the outward Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth but of the Rising up of the Light in their Hearts And therefore they come in for Witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ jointly with the Apostles Which is Monstrous to Believe But it is true For thus says Edw. Burrough in his works p. 42. We witness the same Christ made Manifest in Vs and His Resurrection not because Paul said so But we have seen it And are Witnesses of it And Will. Penn in his Primitive Christianity p. 103. Describing those who are True Ministers of Christ says Ministers of Christ are his Witnesses And the Credit of a Witness is that he has Heard Seen or Handled And thus the Beloved Disciple states the Truth and Authority of their Mission and Ministry 1. Joh. 1.1 3. That which we have Heard which we have Seen with our Eyes which we have Looked upon and our Hands have Handled that Declare we unto you I say if Christ's Ministers are His Witnesses they