formerly the Gospel is NOT the Words the Unbeliever hath that but the Gospel he knows not it is â—id from him Christ himself is the great Preacher of that and his now saying that neither the Scriptures nor the Spirit and Light is the Gospel barely and abstractly considered He then said Christ preached it immediately he now tells us a little below It cannot be conceived without some Form of Words and Propositions that consist of words inwardly conceived and cannot be outwardly preached without some Form of Words outwardly expressed whereby he confounds a Declaration of or concerning the Gospel with the Gospel it self quite beside his Sentiments formerly That it was spoken in Man by Christ by the powerful Breath of his Spirit which surely may be without a Form of words as outwardly The one the Unbelievers may read hear and know and yet noâ— know the Gospel But will he say the Gospel was never communicated by the Divine Breath without a Form of Words seeing he now makes the outward Preaching and the thing preached so inseparable to the Gospel that neither of them are Gospel in the abstract And whereas he tells Imm. Rev. p. 213. The Gospel was preached unto Abraham Abel Enoch Noah and to all Believers who lived before Scripture was writ in a Book and that it was spoken into their Hearts by the Spirit of Jesus Christ c. Will he now maintain that they had both the Scripture Words and the Spirit and Light in order to make it Gospel Could not Christ in speaking into their Hearts be conceived without some Form of Words or was it not Gospel till so conceived Nor will his Allegations from p. 55 to 71. and p. 69 stand him in any stead For the first Reference is wide no passage assigned and though I cannot find any thing there to help him off yet I find in p. 56. what makes against him viz. The best of words uttered from Christ himself in the days of his Flesh or from any oâ— the Apostles or Prophets and yet recorded in Scripture cannot reveal the Father nor the Son neither they point only at that which reveals and were spoken and writ for that end that People might come to the Principle of true Knowledge in themselves see also p. 59. Whence I Query Cannot the Gospel which is the Power of God unto Salvation reveal the Father or doth that Gospel point only at that which reveal Or is that which reveals the Father which he saith the best of words cannot do as it is opened in Man by the Son no Gospel till outwardly preached or written Thus for want of Sincerity to retract and by labouring to defend as Congruous what is so Contradictory is the Man entangled and the more he toils the more he is perplext His second Reference instead of doing him any good further lays him open For though he doth there assert the Light as the Principal thing yet not in ordine ad idem not with relation to the Gospel for which end he here adduceth it for there was no Dissertation thereof there His words are these One takes himself to read Commentators to furnish him for the Ministry another to read Hypocrates and Galen to become a Physician while their hands are out from the Light of Christ which gives true Knowledge and Ability to Minister either to the Soul or Body and is the principal thing Mark he doth not say it is the principal thing of the Gospel he was not defining Gospel here but what was the principal thing â—o make a good Minister or Physician nor did he say â—eading of Hypocrates or Galen was Gospel in the abâ—tract but the Light was the principal thing or that â—hey and the Light together make up the Gospel in the â—ull and adequate Sense thereof This I urge to shew â—he Man's Falshood and Deceit who offers so remote â—n Instance and wide from the subject we are treating â—f to prove that to which it had no coherence and all â—o cover himself that the Shame of his Nakedness â—ight not appear which now is so much the more viâ—ble by this fresh Demonstration thereof From hence he sallieth to a Discourse about the Scripâ—ures being called the Word of God That he may ratifie our Adversaries he represents it an unprofitable â—rtful and groundless Contention on our parts especially â—r Friend B. Cool having in a late Book of his said That as they declare the Mind of God with respect to us and are his Commands to us they may in that respect bâ— called the Word or Command of God to us And so saitâ— G. K. all other Professions in Christendom own them and nâ— otherwise Answ Till he be more steady to what himâ—self owns I deem him no fit Voucher for others mucâ— less for all other Professions in Christendom Yet foâ— the sake of such to whom he labours to traduce us 〈◊〉 reply We contend not meerly about Words but aâ— some Men have erred in denying the immediate Internaâ— Revelation is a continuing Gospel-Privilege so havâ— they also in mis-applying what hath been said in thâ— Scriptures concerning the Word of God whence iâ— hath come to pass that as the Jews of Old thought iâ— them to have Eternal Life while not coming to Chrisâ— John 5.39 so these not attending to nor coming tâ— Christ as inwardly revealed have set up the Scripture as their Rule in opposition to an inward Guidance by the Spirit of God in these days assigning to them whaâ— was spoken of the Divine Inshining Words Now tâ— undeceive these and direct them to an inward Prinâ—ciple in themselves our Friends have been led to thiâ— Distinction not in Derogation to the Holy Scriptures nor through an Itch of Contention but as a necessarâ— Medium to six Mens Minds upon that Word which iâ— able to save the Soul and enlighten the Eye which thâ— best of Words could not do without it Yet very unfâ— was G. K. to fling this stone who himself hath botâ— used and defended this very Distinction in his Help iâ— time of Need p. 65. a passage not yet retracted foâ— there he not only tells us Though the Holy Scripâ—tures declare of this Word yet they are not thaâ— Word more than a Map or Description of Rome oâ— London is Rome or London or the Image of Caesar iâ— Caesar or Bread and Wine is the Body and Blood oâ— Christ c. But also allows They may borroâ— the Name and sometimes be so called as the words or Prophecy of Isaiah is called by himself his Vision c. He should therefore have first retracted his own unprofitable hurtful and groundless Contention as he calls it in others before he had bestowed his Censures upon us But the Man's Malice hath run him a-ground who needed not by this repeated instance to have given fresh Evidence of his Instability we having enough to load him with besides and more than he can fairly get from under were he not judiciously infatuated
of Christ the One Offering come to be revealed by which One Offering he hath for Ever perfected them that are sanctified as in Truth Advanced p. 71. I have opposed to his saying Way to City of God p. 125. that through the coming of Jesus Christ in the inward even before he was outwardly come or manifest many were saved and attained unto PERFECT Peace and Reconciliation with God in their Souls And to what he alledged in Vni Gr. p. 8. c. that the Gospel lay hid within the Law as within the Vail that Christ Jesus was in the Law and under it that universally in ALL Men both Jews and Gentiles there hath been both Moses and the Prophets in Spirit and also Christ See my Keith against Keith p. 4 12 13 c. Nor yet have we blamed his saying None were justified by the Law or first Ministration of the Spirit or Light within or their Obedience thereunto but thro' Faith in Christ which yet are not delivered as deduced by us out of him but shewed what he meant by Faith in Christ then viz. a believing in the Light nor is the outward Name that which saveth but the inward Nature Vertue and Power which was made manifest in them said he Vni Gr. p. 30. who had said p. 29. That in diverse of these Gentiles the Seed was raised which is that Divine Nature or Birth by which they did the things contained in the Law and SO were JUSTIFIED by him Also in his Postscript to G. W. â—is Nature of Christianity p. 65 and 70. Cited by me Keith against Keith p. 11. and not yet retracted God was in Christ reconciling Men to himself ever since the Fall in all Ages both before and since Christ suffered in the outward having given them or put in them the Word of Reconciliation by which they who became renewed thereby were reconciled and justified in all Ages blaming R. G. his Doctrine that no Men were justified nor reconciled until Christ suffered Death in the outward because then and not till then his Adversary had said was Reconciliation and Justification wrought c. to whom also he assigns as an Error the asserting That Obedience to the Light within in the Conscience is buâ— the work of the first Covenant and Righteousnesâ— thereof and that no Man is justified thereby By aâ— which the Reader may perceive G. K. hath not fairlâ— stated what we objected to him out of his Books as weâ— as that he had no cause to say as he doth here p. 19. â— That upon a diligent search into his Books and an impartiâ— examination of all the places Cited by us to prove it he caâ— find no such thing as that he had formerly asserted Mâ— might be justified and saved without all Knowledge aâ— Faith of Christ without us as he was Crucified c. Foâ— what I have here laid before him of which I havâ— Treated more at large in my People called Quakers cleaâ—ed p. 26 to 31. out of his Book of Vni Gr. p. 28 29 3â— 34 35 36 56 57 58 115 117 and 120. are sufficieâ—â— to shew both what he formerly called Faith in Chrisâ— and what Faith justified even the Gentiles before Chriâ— was Crucified even a belief in the inward Manifestatioâ— in the Word nigh in the Mouth and Heart as Vni Gâ— p. 34 35. and abundantly elsewhere However there is a blunder of his behind p. 18 which having slipt over I now return to where 〈◊〉 saith no Justification is by that Law whether it be understâ— of Moses his outward Ministration or the same Ministrâ—â—tion of Moses in Spirit where the Law is writ but in Tabâ— of Stone till the Seed be raised c. Upon which I Qâ—ry Whether the Ministration of Moses in Spirit was writ in Tables of Stone or the fleshy Tables of the Heart If upon the former where were these Tables to be found Who had the keeping of them And who wrote them there He had need have recourse to his Metaphorical Allusion again and even that will not help him But it is just with God that such as Fight against his Wrath and are Bladder-blown with their own Learning should expose themselves that others may see if they will not that Pride goeth before Destruction and a haughty Look before a Fall Prov. 16.18 Yet in as much as in the Citation above out of Vni Gr. p. 29. I have shewed that he then allow'd that in diverse of the Gentiles the Seed was raised and they were justified by Christ In as much also as he here recurrs to his late distinction of Express and Implicit Knowledge and Faith for which he widely referrs to his Book of Anti. and Sadd. Detected without either assignâ—ng Page or Passage or observing that I have Answered him even with respect to that very distinction â—n my Keith against Keith p. 62 to 71. which seems to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Universal Heal-all of G. K's Languishing Cause brought in at every turn to stop a gap with whether applicable or no I shall tell him He that affirmeth must prove and if he will affirm those Gentiles had an Implicit Faith and Knowledge that Christ was outwardly to be Born Suffer Die and Rise again â—n order to their Justification he must not barely alâ—edge but demonstrate that they had it either explicitly or implicitly which I have more than once put him upon and he hath not yet attempted to do as well â—s that I have shewed that even then several of the Citations given out of him while unretracted block â—p his way Which I again press upon him to do whatever comes short hereof being meer Trifling § 4 G. K. having so severely as well as unjustly reflected upon G. W. Ex. Narr p. 39 40. as having Allegorized away Christ's Birth Death Resurrection Ascension and coming to Judgment it might reasonably have been expected himself should not have exceeded therein or at least that he would have corrected and retracted his own before he found fault with another Yet when his own Allegories or Metaphorical Allusions as he now tearms them lay at his Door unretracted hath he been casting the first Stone at another so unjust is he The instance before me and which aâ— length G. K. endeavours here to palliate in his § 4. is in Vni Gr. p. 9. where alluding to Moses his putting a Vail before his Face he saith The Word became Flesh and dwelt in us said John And this inward Appearance of Christ in Flesh is his Appearance iâ— Weakness as Natural and yet Spiritual the Mystery hid within the Vail of Flesh or Natural Spirit Again This is the Body of Christ that is indeed Spiritual but for our Cause descendeth into a Natural Form or Appearance Thus it is sown Natural but is raised Spiritual and thus also we become changed thereby both in the Soul and Body so as being sowâ— Natural we come to be raised Spiritual And indeed there was
they judge to be Errors in my Book which they did not formerly see or at least gave me no notice of Then why do they blame me that I have both of late seen and noticed diversâ—â— Errors in their Books which formerly I had not seen foâ— want of due Examination nor noticed Answ He stateâ— the Case amiss with respect to us What we have Collected out of him being not so much to detect the unsoundness of his Principles as his late Contradictions to his former Principles and is rather a Vindication of them for the most part than the contrary Yet iâ— â—on this view which he hath led he hath drawn and 〈◊〉 it were invited us to by pretending as in his Seâ—us 〈◊〉 Appeal p. 21. that he lâ—â—d not Contradicted himself in â—NY THING referring to his own words in his Printed 〈◊〉 for proof we have not only shewed he hath Conâ—dicted himself in MANY THINGS but have also â—nd here and there especially in those Books borâ—ing upon the time of his Schism from us an unâ—und passage or two are we to be blamed for our exâ—sing of them which perhaps had not occurred to us â—t upon the Scrutiny himself occasioned Whereas â—mself had Read our Books and in Year 1692. quoâ—d them in Print in his Christian Faith and Serious Appeal 〈◊〉 an Evidence of our Soundness in Doctrine who a litâ—e time after quoted some of the very same Books to â—ove us unsound in those very Doctrines as I have â—fted already in my Apostate Exposed and Keith aâ—ainst Keith p. 57 and 116. which shews G. K. is not 〈◊〉 much Eagle-sighted as Double-sighted looking variâ—sly yea contrarily upon one and the same Object as â—mself is changed from a Friend to an Enemy § 8 G. K. after having given a Citation out of Truths Def. â— 170.171 That if nothing should be required of one sort from another as an Article of Faith but what is expresly delivered in Scriptures in plain express Scripture Tearms of how much Advantage it might be to bring to a true Reconcilement c. saith p. 33 34. â—ome of his late Opponents have brought this place to prove â—m guilty of a Contradiction by his late practice of what â—ey call his imposing on them unscriptural Creeds and Tearms as when he told them They must believe in Christ â—ithout them for Salvation c. Answ His stating his Opponents Allegations even if he had not so often Noâ—oriously traduced them deserves no Credit except he â—ad brought his Proofs along with him by whom where and when they were so laid down Yet whether G. â— may not have so Preached Christ without Heaven Râ—â—surrection and Day of Judgment without in suâ— terms as might minister just occasion to some to endeâ—â—vour to hold him to his own Rule of Scripture tearâ— and expressions may deserve our Enquiry I 〈◊〉 then that C. Pusey in his Modest Account p. 56 to 5â— after having given the Citation out of Truths Deseâ— much larger than G. K. hath here given it Quetiâ— thus ad hominem 1. Where are the express woâ—â— of Scripture that say The same Body for Matter aâ— Substance shall rise 2. That none but those tâ— have the Faith of Christ Crucified can love Enemies 3. That the 400 Pieces of Silver that Abraham Pâ—â—chased the Burying-place with signifie 400 Vertuâ— and that those who have not those 400 Vertues cannâ—â— have the Priviledge to be Buried in that most Exceâ—â—lent Burying-place 4. That Adam and Eve weâ— not Naked before the Fall and that the Garden Gâ— placed Man in was no part of this visible Earth 5. That Men may not have that Holy Ghost that wâ— given to Believers in Christ Crucified without tâ— Faith of Christ Crucified whereas G. K. had saiâ— Looking-glass for Protestants p. 28. It is our Faith thâ— the Heathen once had the Spirit of God and thâ— Pharaoh before his Heart was hardned had the Spâ—â—rit of Grace 6. That the Light is not sufficieâ— without something else 7. That no Man can â—â—tain unto Eternal Life and Happiness without tâ— Knowledge of Christ's outward Sufferings Deatâ— Resurrection c. If this was it G. K. meant by 〈◊〉 Charge above it reacheth not his purpose for wâ—â—ving that I might say would I take G. K. for my Eâ—â—ample C. P. doth but Query they were simply proposed 〈◊〉 him as Queries as G. K. hath alledged for himself 〈◊〉 Ant. and Sadd. p. 34. what he doth Query is nâ— Whether we viz. we to whom the History hath â—en revealed must believe in Christ without us for â—alvation the tearms of G. K. his Charge but wheâ—â—er NO MAN can attain to Eternal Life and Salvatiâ—n without the Knowledge of Christ's outward Sufferâ—â—gs c. which being an Article of G. K. his Faith at â—resent even contrary to what he had Asserted formerâ— who then was for keeping to express Scripture â—ords C. P. hampers him with it and is cogent aâ—ainst G. K. but not to the End assigned by G. K. for â—â—at we must believe in Christ for Salvation is not queâ—ioned but whether no Man can attain to Eternal Life â—nd Salvation to whom the History is not revealed is the Query Thus much for C. P. now let me present â—he Reader with the gross Notions I brought out of his Book of Truth Advanced relating to the Resurrection He had said p. 27. That the Coats of Skins wherewith God clothed Adam and Eve after the Fall was a clothing them inwardly with the Righteousness of the Lamb and outwardly with the Skin and Flesh of this Frail Mortal and Corruptible Body that the true Body of Man lyeth within the Shell Oar or Mine of this Gross Heavy and Corruptible Body and that is it which shall be the Resurrection-body at the Resurrection of the Dead And upon this Notion that Man had not this Grosness and Imperfection before the Fall be grounds his Chimera p. 28. of Man and Womans being made Back to Back before the Fall and afterwards split 〈◊〉 divided into two halves in order to their multiplying their Species which they could not do without that Separation as they might have done if the Fall had not been And in p. 113 he saith Within this Brutal Skin of the gross Body that â—otteth in the Grave there is lodged the true Body of Man that at the Resurrection of the Dead nothing of the drossy part that is Brutal shall Arise but only that which is proper to Man as Man such as Adam had before the Fall So the Flesh thâ— is Gross Mortal and Corruptible is not that Flesâ— that shall be Raised up Immortal and Incorruptiblâ— c. And p. 115. he tells us The Separation 〈◊〉 made between the pure and noble part and that droâ—â— part in Man's Body in the Mystical and Invisiblâ— Machpelah or Sepulchre in Hebron in the Land 〈◊〉 Israel Figuratively and Mystically understood thâ— Ephron signifieth the Dust-Eater and the 400 Pieces 〈◊〉 Silver so many Vertues the
Expressions might not be so much from his own Experience as his Master Plato 's Writings or allowing he might have some true Experience of a Divine Contact or Vnion it was in some transient way like a glance or slash of Lightning Answ If G. K. will allow Plato to have had the Divine Spiritual Contact Union c. himself must prove beyond probabilities and may-be's that Plato had Faith in Christ yea even in Christ Crucified and Raised again to wit such a degree of Faith as was accompanied with a Divine Union such an Union which in the Quotation given out of Ant. and Sadd above he denies to have been given to the Pious Gentiles or to Cornelius who had not that Faith And if that could be done and Plato could be proved to be more than a Speculative Philosopher is it not pretty fair that G. K. even when denying that Cornelius of whom the Holy Scripture give so large a Character as a Devout Man one that feared God whose Prayer and Alms were come up as a Memorial before God Acts 10.24 had the Holy Ghost in his Gentile state should admit Plato might have it and that by Union Was Plato a better Man than Cornelius Or is not G. K. worse than either A very Changeling in Religion And yet stiff in defending he is not so Nay Plotinus himself a Writer against Christians shall have so much of G. K's good word though Cornelius go without it as that he will not deny he had not this Union at least in a transient way A sign that they who write against Christians a Work himself hath lately taken in hand have more of his Favour than the Pious Gentiles But he hath not spun his Thread fine enough yet so that if the word Union will not fetch him off but he be hampered there in p. 36. he will riveit it with the words permanent and lasting inward residence abiding and then he vaunts saying It is great Ignorance in his late Opposers not to understand how the Spirit of God who is holy may work in the Hearts of the Gentiles and Vnbelievers but we were speaking not of Gentiles and Unbelievers indefinitely but of Cornelius and the Pious Gentiles yet hath no inward residence or abiding Vnion or Communion with them but such only who have Faith in Christ Answ The words fore-cited viz. MOST INWARD UNION AND COMMUNION cut the Nerves of this New Exposition for what can be so if not that which is a permanent lasting abiding Residence and that in the Pious Gentiles But to mislead his Reader as he adds so also he substracts at pleasure yet gives it as our Inference For besides the word Pious which he left out as if the Debate had been only of the Vnbelieving Gentiles he here speaks of Faith in Christ not of Faith in Christ Crucified his own tearms when he denied Cornelius to have had that Holy Ghost as if there had been two Holy Ghosts which was a peculiar Gift to Believers in Christ Crucified and Raised again and not to every Believer in Christ indefinitely to whom the History thereof had not been revealed All which shews the Man is a meer Shuffler seeking to reconcile his former with his latter Sentiments instead of retracting either by indirect means adding to and taking from the Premises at pleasure and yet giving them as if they were even so stated what we had alledged to him A Work ill becoming a Scholar to such Illiterate Antagonists as â—e would render us But his Cause and Management are a kin § 10 Waving then any Doctrinal Discussing of the Point for the Matter before me is a Consideration of the Incongruity and Incoherence of his Contradictory Assertions and the Defectiveness of his false Covers instead of shewing wherein the Scriptures alledged by him do not answer his purpose I come to consider the next trifling Objection as he also calls it we have made but where he saith not I had in my Keith against Keith p. 107 108. quoting him out of Presb and Ind. Chur. p. 111 112. shewed this Notion there that Men who had not the express Knowledge and Faith of Christ Crucified WHEN LIVING might have it at or after Death to wit in their passing through the Valley of shadow of Death favoured that of Purgatory as in my People called Quakers Cleared c. p. 31 to 33. and else where I proved what he held with respect to that of the Transmigration of Souls Now to obviate both these he alledgeth a passage out of his Pretended Antidote p. 115 116. which Book I know not how to come by That all that go to Christ in Heaven after Death must have an express Knowledge of Christ in Heaven Whence he Queries both whether the Souls now in Heaven can be without all Knowledge of Christ and whether the Souls of Plato and Socrates whom farr be it from him he saith to suppose they are not in Heaven are still without all express Knowledge of Christ Answ If the Faith the Gentiles have will carry them to Christ in Heaven they are well enough We doubt not but their Knowledge there will be compleat nor do we think when they are once there they will be sent back again for want of an express Knowledge before they came thither However I thought before this great Philosopher arose that the Faith and Knowledge that carried me to Christ in Heaven was Saving Knowledge and that if I had not my Saving Faith and Knowledge here I should never come thither Thus to extricate himself from an Imputation of holding the Notion of a Purgatory on which he was like to be stranded he alledgeth another as unsound i. e. They shall have their express Knowledge of Christ in Heaven the tendency of which as it is a Procrastination a putting off the day of Salvation so it contradicts the Scriptures which say TO DAY if ye will hear his voice harden not yâ—â— hearts Heb. 3.7 8. NOW is the day of Salvation 2 Cor 6.2 Thus he shews his unsoundness in what follows his Malice by insinuating if some of his Opposers whom he names not think there is no Christ in Heaven having any bodily Existence it 's no wonder they think the Saints in Heaven have no knowledge of him In which he is both Injurious and Detractive as well as Self-inconsistent in his malitious Charge once vented by his Brother Apostate Chr. Lodowick who then defended that it was not true and quoted a Book of G. W's called Malice of Ind. Agent p. 17. and another written by some Friends called Testimony for the Man Christ Jesus which p. 4. cited W. P. on that behalf wherein both G. W. W. P. and those Friends assert the Man Christ's Existence in his glorified Body in Heaven see G. K. his Christ Faith p. 12 13. as he is also in suggesting we think the Saints have no knowledge of Christ in Heaven which I remember not to have heard from him before and is