Children and yet that its impossible for them to discharge that Duty or be found in that Practice 2. Man of himself or by his own Strength and Ability is not able to do any thing that is good or well-pleasing to God which every true Christian must acknowledge because Christ hath said to his Disciples without me ye can do nothing Yet those that through Faith and Obedience become Christ's Disciples and God's Children are through that Grace and Truth that came by Jesus Christ and hath appeared to all Men taught and enabled to fear God and keep his Commandments which is the whole Duty of Man and is that Allegiance which I esteem we all owe unto Jesus Christ the great King of Heaven and Earth and the mighty Ruler of Princes And I desire B. Bird his Friend and all to whom this may come seriously to consider the evil Consequence of such Doctrine viz. That 't is impossible while Men are here to keep God's Commands From whence I observe I. It 's contrary to Christ's Saying Matth. 19.26 and Mark 9.23 If thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth II. It renders the End of Christ's giving himself not sufficient or possible to effect it viz. That he might redeem us from ALL iniquity see Tit. 2.14 III. It contradicts Paul's Exhortation to Titus v. 15. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority What Things One of which was That Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from ALL iniquity IV. And it s directly contrary to what the Spirit of God hath declared John 1.7 viz. If we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from ALL sin V. And it contradicts what B. B. quotes and the Apostle declares 1 John 1.9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness VI. It renders People unfit to enter God's Kingdom or going where Christ is as appears by Christ's own Words and the holy Scripture-Testimony John 8.21 Then said Jesus again unto them I go my way and ye shall seek me and shall dye in your Sins and whither I go ye cannot come See also v. 24. And in 1 Cor. 6.9,10 it appears that the unrighteous cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and if it s not possible to be righteous while we are here it s not possible to enter God's Kingdom for it s said 1 John 3.7,8 Little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous he that committeth sin is of the Devil c. And 1 John 5.17 all unrighteousness is sin and so is the Breach of God's Law and holy Commandments VII And lastly this Doctrine of its being impossible to keep God's Commands or for Christians to live here without transgressing God's Laws renders the Devil more powerful to lead and keep People in sin than Christ Jesus to whom all Power both in Heaven and Earth is given is to lead and preserve People out of sin and bespeaks all those unreasonable Men that will oblige Persons to promise and vow in the Children's Name when baptized as they call it those things which they do not believe its possible should be performed viz. That the Child will renounce the Devil and ALL his Works and constantly believe God's holy Woâ—d and obediently keep his Commandments See the Common Prayer concerning the Ministration of Baptism when the Priest saith to the Sureties unscripturally called God-fathers I demand therefore Dost thou in the Name of this Child renounce the Devil and all his Works the vain Pomps and Glory of the World with all covetous Desires of the same and the Carnal Desires of the Flesh so that thou wilt not follow nor be led by them Answer I renounce them all See also the 3d and 4th Answer in the Catechism in the Common-Prayer-Book I desire B. Bird and his Ingenious Friend may seriously consider these things and these Covenants and Promises and whether its reasonable and just that B. Bird should take Mony of People and oblige them to PROMISE AND VOW on this wise that which he declares it's VNPOSSIBLE to perform and yet in the Common Prayer and Collect on Innocent's Day prays O Almighty God mortifie and kill ALL Vices in us and so strengthen us by thy Grace that by the Innocency of our Lives and Constancy of our Faith even unto DEATH we may glorifie thy Holy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. And in the Collect of the Circumcision of Christ its said Almighty God grant us the true Circumcision of the Spirit that ALL our Hearts and ALL OUR MEMBERS being mortified from ALL worldly and carnal Lusts we may in ALL THINGS obey thy Blessed Will through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Surely if Benj. Bird doth not believe it possible while People live here to keep God's Commands or lâ—ve without transgressing God's Law he doth not pray in Faith or believe its possible to have ALL Vices killed in him and ALL Carnal and Worldly LVSTS mortified or that in ALL THINGS its POSSIBLE for him to obey God's blessed Will through Jesus Christ If he doth let him blush and be ashamed of venting and publishing such Doctrine in Print for what greater Perfection ever did any Quaker teach or pretend unto in this Life than what 's implyed in what 's afore-quoted And what a Man of Sense this Benj. Bird is that terms Jasper Batt and me nonsensical and how concurring or contradictory he writes and what excellent sense for a conclusion of this Head take his own Words p. 2. Gods Commands are not grievous to good Men THEY KEEP THEM WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS tho' by Reason of human Infirmities THEY FAIL IN THE KEEPING OF THEM Mark they keep them with all their Hearts tho' they fail in the keeping of them Is not this egregious Nonsense And he farther saith in the said Page And we may keep our Allegiance to Christ altho' we cannot live without transgressing Gods Law Answer I deny that we can keep in Truth and Faithfulness to Christ which I account Allegiance and yet live at the same time in transgressing against God's Law And how agreeable this is to what the Minister is to read in the Commination after he hath pronounced the Unmerciful Fornicators and Adulterers Covetous Persons Idolaters Slanderers Drunkards and Extortioners cursed and the People have said Amen I desire him and the Reader to examine and consider and also how agreeable it is to what is said in misere mei Deus viz. Wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin Thou shalt purge me with hysop and I shall be clean thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than snow In Page 3. he saith Secondly John Feild calls the Author of the Sauciness of a Seducer rebuked a Scribling