The True CHRIST And the Quakers CHRIST compar'd IN A LETTER SENT TO Mr. Richard Hardcastle Wherein is a short Review of some things asserted by the Quakers in their Norfolk-Disputation with the Clergy c. 1698. BY ROBERT PRUDOM Matth. 24.26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you Behold he is in the Desert go not forth Behold he is in the secret Chamber believe them not London Printed for William Marshal at the Bible in Newgate-street and John Marshal at the Bible in Gracechurch-street 1699. Richard Hardcastle I Shall not trouble my self with the Jars of these two contending Parties about their prefixing a Meeting but only recommend to thee and others of you the Truth in the Simplicity of it and how you are gone from it which if God see good to open your Eyes to behold I shall greatly rejoice I shall draw two or three Heads out of this Book which is An Account of a Dispute betwixt the Quakers and the Clergy of the Diocess of Norwich and some of your other Writings which may be of use unto thee Page the 11th of this Book Ever since we have been a People gathered by the Power and Spirit of God we have sincerely believed and do still believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Scriptures do declare of him and do not only plainly say but also firmly believe that there is no other name given under Heaven whereby Man can be saved neither is there Salvation in any other name and this we hope is no Blasphemy Page the 15th We believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth and in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our Lord and Saviour who was born of the Virgin Mary whom the Holy Ghost overshadowed who appeared in the World in that Body prepared for him who died for our Sins and rose again for our Justification and we believe in the Holy Spirit and own the three that bear Record in Heaven and that these three are one We own the Holy Scriptures of truth and believe they were given forth by Divine Inspiration and that they are profitable for Doctrine for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness and are able to make the Man of God wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus and we esteem the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the best Book in all the World and could be glad that People did spend more of their time in reading of it and the Ordinances of Jesus Christ his Baptism and the Supper according to the Holy Scriptures If the Truths laid down in Scripture-words in these two Paragraphs were duly kept unto and the mind of the Spirit of God in them then would there be no need of charging of Error and Blasphemy upon that poor deluded People call'd Quakers But in order to a thorow discovery of their Errors and the Truth in the Spring and Streams that issue from it and how plausibly they cover deceit read this Passage Page the 14th Speaking of the Priests For do they not of Malice rail upon the Truths of God's Word manifestly perceived and as Enemies thereunto persecute the same in charging so many Blasphemies upon the Light within for the Light within is Christ and Christ is the truth of God's Word the Way the Truth and the Life John 14.6 The Word that was in the beginning with God and was God the Sum and Substance of the Gospel and that which the Holy Scriptures give Testimony of and we believe and teach In order to a clear discovery of the Truth in the spring of it and the Streams that come from it I shall lay it down under four Heads First That the true Christ presented unto us in the Holy Scriptures who is the Object of Faith is God and Man in one Person Secondly That the Work of our Redemption was in the state of his Humiliation and the Work of an Intercessor is now in the state of his Exaltation performed by this Christ who is God and Man in union the two Natures of God and Man being concerned in the Work of Redemption and Intercession Thirdly The Holy Ghost's work within being subservient to the Blessed Mediator without and leading to the Father through him doth bring the Soul into an experimental Injoyment of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Fourthly That the two Ordinances of Baptism and the Supper do represent unto the Faith and visible Sight of Believers what Christ hath done for them and that he was a Man dead buried and raised again from the dead and he is now existent in our human Nature in Heaven First That the true Christ presented to us in the Holy Scriptures who is the immediate Object of our Faith is God and Man in one Person dos appear in that when we have an account of his Person in the Old or New Testament we have his Manhood join'd to the Divine Nature Isa 9.6 Many Scriptures do give the Name CHRIST alone to his Manhood not thereby to exclude his Divine Nature Luke 24.25 26. Then he said unto them O Fools and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his Glory compared with Acts 2.36 Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Whenever the Holy Scripture doth speak of him in his Divine Nature it leaves not off the Discourse but by the hand doth lead us to his Manhood John 1.1 to 13. he speaks of his Divine Nature in v. 14. he takes in the Manhood And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his Glory the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth compared with Phil. 2.5 to 12. Let this Mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus who being in the Form of God thought it not Robbery to be equal with God as to his Divine Nature but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the Form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of Men And being found in fashion as a Man he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Cross Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth And every Tongue should confess that Jesus is the Christ to the Glory of God the Father Secondly That the Work of our Redemption was in the state of his Humiliation and the Work of an Intercessor is in the state of his Exaltation performed by this Christ who is God and Man in one Person the two Natures of God and Man being concerned in the Work of Redemption and Intercession I shall divide this Head into two parts 1. Shew that the Work of our
Redemption was wrought out in the state of Christ's Humiliation performed by him as God and Man in Union the two Natures in that Person being concerned in this Work Isa 53.11 12. He shall see of the Travail of his Soul and shall be satisfied By his Knowledg shall my righteous Servant justify many for he shall bear their Iniquities Therefore will I divide him a Portion with the great and he shall divide the Spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his Soul unto death and he was numbered with the Transgressors compared with 1 Tim. 2.16 And without controversy great is the Mystery of Godliness God was manifested in the Flesh justified in the Spirit The first Scripture gives us an account how the Manhood was concerned in the Work in suffering for Sinners and therefore he should see the travail of his Soul in bearing part in that Honour due to the Redeemer The second Scripture shews us how the Divine Nature perfumed his Sufferings in order to their acceptance with the Father for the Persons for whom he suffered 2. The Work of an Intercessor is performed now in the state of his Exaltation by this Christ who is God and Man the two Natures of God and Man being concerned in the Work Rom. 1.4 And declared the Son of God with Power according to the Spirit of Holiness which was his Divine Nature by the Resurrection from the dead by whom we have received Grace and Apostleship that is the Qualifications for that great Work belonging to that great Office Acts 2.32 33. This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we all are Witnesses Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear 1 Tim. 2.6 For there is one God and one Mediator betwixt God and Men the Man Christ Jesus Thirdly The Holy Ghost's work within being subservient to the blessed Mediator without and leading to the Father through him brings the Soul into an experimental Injoyment of the Father Son and Holy Ghost John 15.26 27. But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father He shall testify of me And ye also shall bear witness because ye have been with me from the beginning What was the Sum and Substance of the Apostle's Doctrine Even to recommend this Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ in his Person and Sufferings to Sinners Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy Heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved What is the Sum and Substance of the Holy Ghost's Work within Even to accompany this outward Declaration of the Gospel opening the Understanding of poor Sinners letting them see the need of a Saviour inabling the Heart to close with him and by faith to lay hold of that Grace which comes from the Father through him The inward Discovery of the Father and the Sons Love to us is by the Spirit and it is the Spirit 's work to kindle the Fire of Love more and more in the Souls of Saints by which through the blessed Mediator they are inabled to offer up their Souls to their heavenly Father Fourthly The two Ordinances of Baptism and the Supper do represent unto the Faith of Believers what Christ hath done for them because they both point at his Person and what he hath done in his Human Nature buried in the Grave for them held forth by Water Baptism Doth Bread and Wine support by feeding upon it the outward Man So doth the Flesh and Blood of the Man Christ through that Vertue which the Divine Nature puts into it tend to feed the Inward My Flesh saith Christ is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as ye eat this Bread and drinks this Cup speaking of the Supper-Ordinance ye shew the Lord's Death till he come Doth it point at him that died and is risen and come in Spirit then until he come must refer to his second personal Appearance as a glorified Man to judg the World Acts 17.31 Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judg the World in Righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the dead In the next place I come to speak of this Spiritual Christ as he is worshipped by this poor deceived People called Quakers who are greatly imposed upon by their Leaders for want of bringing their Writings to be seriously examined by the Holy Scriptures And first as to his Person we have him in their Writings represented as a Spirit and as such Divine Honour given to him 2ly The Work of Redemption not brought in a way of satisfaction to Divine Justice for sin but in the way of the first Covenant of Do this and live i.e. Obey the Light within and live 3ly Acceptance with God not bottom'd upon a Mediator without us but an interceding Spirit within First as to his Person we have him in their Writings presented as a Spirit and as such Divine Honour given to him This appears pears in the most of their Books but I shall at this time only mention two the first taken out of the 14th Page of this Book which is An Account of a Dispute betwixt the Clergy of the Diocess of Norwich in December 98. and the People called Quakers Speaking of the Priests For do they not of malice rail upon the Truths of God's Word manifestly perceived and as Enemies thereunto persecute the same in charging so many Blasphemies upon the Light within for the Light within is Christ William Pen 's Christian Quaker pag. 97 98. The Body of Christ is not so much as in any one and consequently the Seed of the Promise is an holy and spiritual Principle of Light Lise and Power that being received into the Heart bruiseth the Serpent's Head and because the Seed which cannot be that Body is Christ as testify the Scriptures the Seed is one and that Seed Christ and Christ God over all blessed for ever We do conclude and that most truly that Christ was and is the Divine Word of Light and Life that was in the beginning with God and was and is God over all blessed for ever In answer to these Paragraphs it is evident and plain that whatever confession is made by this People of the Lord Jesus Christ as born of the Virgin Mary they do not intend that the Body which was formed in the Womb of the Virgin by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost doth share with the Eternal Word Creator in the constituting of Christ and partakes with the Divine Nature in Divine Honour and yet this poor deluded Man who hath been an Instrument to lead many sober Persons into grievous Errors hath the Confidence in his
the Gospel-Channel and takes down the two main Pillars upon which it stands which was a transferring our Sins upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his Righteousness upon us 2 Cor. 5.21 For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteonsness of God in him What ground of hope and certain assurance of Salvation their obedience to the Light which convinceth of sin will afford them if they could but have a view of their state in the glass of the holy Law of God deserves their most serious consideration For upon their own Principles without Perfection no Salvation and yet hardly any of them so hardy as to say they have attain'd it Their Doctrine may sute a Self righteous Person but will not go down with a heavy-laden Sinner neither a humble Saint both these by Faith are led to close with the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation and cannot but acknowlege it their Mercy that they have such good security in another when they find so little in themselves To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the Vngodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness The Persons that come for Salvation in the Gospel-way come to Christ as sensible Sinners and as such to the Footstool of Grace and yet at the same time are pressing after a sincere Obedience in a way of Duty yet sensibly attended with much Imperfection The Apostle in Heb. 2.14 tells me it is by the death Christ that Satan's Power is taken away which I take to be a bruising of his Head a Door of entrance into Heaven being thereby open'd another way than by Man's imperfect Obedience Heb. 10.19 William Pen's blind Reason is as opposite to Faith as Light and Darkness and sees not how Gen. 2.15 points at the blessed Jesus as a representative Head overcoming Satan for all his mystical Body Thirdly This spiritual Christ placeth our acceptance with God not upon a Mediator without but an interceding Spirit within William Pen's Christian Quaker p. 101. As at any time disobedient Men have hearkened to the still voice of the Word that Messenger of God in their Hearts to be affected and convinced by it as it brings reproof for Sin which is but a fatherly Chastisement so upon true brokenness of Soul and contrition of Spirit that very Principle and Word of Life in Man hath mediated and atoned and God hath been propitious lifting up the Light of his Countenance and replenishing such humble Penitents with Divine Consolations So that still the same Christ Word God who hath inlightned all men by Sin is grieved bearing the Iniquities of such as sin and reject his Benefits but as any hear his Knocks and let him in he first wounds and then heals afterwards atones mediates and reinstates in the holy Image behold this is the state of Restitution In answer to William Pen. If Scripture-Authority may take place we may see here how the Mediatorship of the Lord Jesus Christ as God-man now in his exalted State at the right hand of the Father is invaded by a lying Spirit the Apostle in Eph. 2.18 saith Through him we both Jew and Gentile have an access by one Spirit unto the Father As the Holy Ghost is sent forth from the Father through the Intercession of the Son as God-Man now at his right hand in Glory so his Work is subservient to the Mediator The Apostle Peter acknowleges the Spirit to be sent this way and how the Manhood of Christ was concerned in sending him Acts 2.32 33. This Jesus hath God raised up who in the former Verses he tells us was laid in the Sepulcher whereof we all are Witnesses Therefore being exalted and having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth that which we now see and hear The Apostle to Heb. 7.24 25. incourageth Persons to go to God the Father by Faith through this blessed exalted Mediator and that because they have this Incouragement of his continuing in his Priesthood and that his Intercession is of such a prevailing nature that those that come to him shall be saved to the uttermost by him But this Man continueth ever I shall now draw a few heads in order to compare William Pen's Christ and the true Christ one with the other William Pen's Christ is a Spirit within the Saints Christ is an exalted God-man in Heaven who by his intercession with the Father hath the Holy Ghost now on Earth subservient to him to manifest him to the Hearts of his People William Pen's Christ is a Spirit who bears the Iniquities of his People within the Saints Christ bore the Iniquities of his People without in his Body upon the Cross at Jerusalem and now bears their Persons before the Father in Glory William Pen's Christ is already come and with Contempt treads down the two Ordinances of Water-Baptism and the Supper which the true Christ left his Church until his second personal Appearance The true Christ is yet to come and when he comes as saith the Apostle in 1 Thes 4.16 shall descend from Heaven with a Shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the Dead in Christ shall rise first and that we may know whereabouts we are take a view of Christ's word 's Mat. 24.26 he is in the secret Chambers believe them not A Christ within set up to oppose a Christ without and to bear away those Insigns of Honour due to the true Saviour For the scene that is acted next I leave to the Reader 's Meditation ver 27. For as the Lightning cometh out of the East and shineth unto the West even so shall the coming of the Son of Man be Take but a serious view of the Books of the People call'd Quakers and we may clearly see that whatever Confessions they may make towards Gospel-Truths in agreeing with other Christians it is but as a Blind or Cover to keep those spiritual Delusions which they are carried away withal from being discovered It may be thought that I have suck'd in some prejudice against their Persons but the Searcher of hearts knows 't is otherwise it s only in sincerity and faithfulness to God who hath to the praise of his rich Grace inlightned my Soul with Gospel-Light and Love to their Souls and the Souls of others that I deal thus plainly with them And so what I have written I recommend to thee my Friend in particular and all others who may come to the fight of it search it throughly by the Holy Scriptures only let me tell thee the Author hath no Eloquence to allure thee it is only the Truth in its native Beauty that he presents unto thee so that it is the truth it self that must take thee if thou be taken and not the manner in which it is presented POSTSCRIPT NO Errors are more dangerous than to deny the Lord that bought us for such are damnable and they that
hold them are guilty of Heresy and bring upon themselves swift destruction 2 Pet. 2.1 2. The Socinians say that Christ is a mere Man and that he had no Being or Existence before he was conceived and born of the Virgin and so utterly deny he is the Most High God The Arians assert Christ was the first and most glorious Spirit which God made and that Spirit they affirm as I think did assume our Nature in the Womb of the Virgin We have also other Hereticks raised up among us who I hear are headed by one Matthew Caffin and swarm in Kent and Sussex who seem to favour the Arians but with this difference these seem to say that that Spirit was converted into a sort of Flesh or was made Flesh in the Virgin 's Womb but partook not of her Substance so that they deny both his Divine and Human Nature viz. affirm that he is not God of the Essence of the Father nor Man of the Substance of Mary not the Most High God tho he be a God yet a lesser or Demi-god a God by Office only and not God by Nature The Eutichians hold that the Divinity or Godhead was turned into Flesh and this I hear Câ—ffin once asserted The Quakers say that Christ is the Light which is in all Men the same in Turks Pagans as those called Christians which is nothing more nor less than an inward quality of Light flowing from Christ considered as Creator Job 1.1 2 3 4 5. and it is the Substance of the Law that was given to Israel which Law the Gentiles having not in that Ministration in two Tables of Stone have it written in their Hearts Rom. 1.15 Now evident it is that all these deny the true Christ or Christ of God i. e. God-man or God with us God in our Nature I having only now to do with this last sort shall add a little more to discover their deceit who whilst they pretend to own him to be the Christ who died on the Cross it may appear evident to all they mean no such matter for they own no other thing to be Christ but that Light which is in all Men which is no body of Flesh True they own that which died was his Body i. e. Christ dwelt eminently in him but that Body faith Pen is in no Man ergo that can't be the Christ in his Sense which is incapable to dwell in Men. Now Reader consider that Christ was one of our Brethren and that the Divine Nature took on him the same Flesh and Blood the Children have Heb. 2.14.15 that he was Abraham's Seed and the Seed of David according to the Flesh and tho David's Lord as to his Divine Nature yet David's Son as to his Human Nature and so the Root and Off spring of David But if what these Men say be true then Christ did not die for that could not be the Christ that died because that Body could not be in any Man Christ being only a Spirit in their judgment Paul says Christ died according to the Scripture I might mention I think 30 or 40 Scriptures that affirm that Christ died for our Sins and that he that died was the Son of God because his Human and Divine Nature make but one Person We say such a Man died but we do not mean his Soul died so we do not say the Divine Nature died that was impassible yet it is as true that Christ died as to say that Thomas or John died But now did the Light within die Did that bear our Sins on its Body on the Tree Did the Light within shed its Blood to satisfy God's Justice Was the Light within conceived and born of the Virgin crucified dead buried and raised again Did the Light within ascend to Heaven and sits now at the Father's right hand to make intercession for us All this is affirmed in the Holy Scripture of the Christ of God therefore the Quakers Christ is none of God's Christ 1. The Quakers say they own him to be the Christ that was born of the Virgin yet affirm the true Christ is the Light within all Men and that he was never seen with any outward bodily Eyes and that that Body was called Christ because the true Christ was in him Why then may not they be called Christ for he they say is in them Is it not strange they should give such a plausible Confession of their Faith as is written in the beginning of this Letter and yet do often declare quite contrary Doctrine viz. What good can a Christ without do us Let us mind the Light within that is enough for us and not trouble our selves with a Christ without See Margaret Everard's late Sheet page 2 3. who was a great Preacher among them for many years but is now saved out of the Snare of the Devil Also further she says They call the preaching Christ without Wisdom and feeding upon the Tree of Knowledg and Scripture-notions and that they did not mind Scripture-notions 2. They say they believe the Scriptures to be of Divine Authority yet deny them to be the Rule of our Faith and Practice 3. They say they own Baptism and the Lord's Supper yet deny Water-baptism and condemn breaking of Bread and drinking of Wine in remembrance of Christ's Death and call both carnal and beggarly Elements 4. They say they deny not Justification by Christ but own it But we do deny say they Justification by that Man or Person that died that his Righteousness wrought without us should justify us Thus Pen. 5. They say they own the Resurrection of the dead yet deny that that Body that is buried in the Grave of the Earth shall ever rise again they mean other things and like the Papists have their Equivocations and mental Reservations Secondly And as they who deny Christ to be God and Man in one Person do deny the Lord that bought them so from hence it follows they must be guilty of other Heresies nay of Idolatry and Blasphemy also viz. 1. They deny Christ's Satisfaction and the Imputation of his Obedience or Righteousness as the material Cause of our Justification before God as apprehended by Faith alone because his Satisfaction depends on the Worth and Dignity of his Person he being God in our Nature 2. They assert Unless we become Doers of that Law which Christ came not to destroy but to fulfil as our Example we can never be justified before God nor say they let not any fancy that Christ hath so fulfilled it for them as to exclude their Obedience from being requisite to their acceptance but only as their Pattern Pen's Sandy Foundation p. 26. If it be our own Righteousness by keeping the Law that justifies us why do they call this the Righteousness of Christ who as they say only kept the Law as our Pattern and Example and how is it then true which Paul affirms i. e. By the Righteousness which is of the Law no Flesh can be