AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST THAT Poysonous and Fundamental ERROR OF THE QUAKERS Denying the same Numerical true and real Manhood of Jesus Christ in Heaven a place remote from the Earth In two SERMONS Preached at Hartford By W. H. CHRISTOPHILUS ISA. 4.2 In that day shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and Glorious and the fruit of the Earth shall be Excellent and Comely for them that are escaped of Israel ISA. 53.2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender Plant and as a Root out of a dry Ground He hath no Form nor Comeliness and when we shall see him there is no Beauty that we should desire him London Printed for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lyon in S t. Pauls Church-Yard 1676. The Epistle Dedicatory To his much Honoured FRIEND Sir John Hartop Baronet SIR THAT which gave the Occasion of my thoughts pitching upon this subject matter viz. Christ's Manhood in Heaven was that Dispute betwixt Mr. Hicks and Mr. Pen at London concerning the same I being there present am satisfied by the Quakers fallacious management of that Discourse that they deny the same Numerical true and real Manhood of Christ in Heaven as a place remote from us Since that I have had Discourse with a Neighbour Quaker William Bates who frequently said He did not believe that the Humane Nature that which was taken by Christ of the Virgin had now any being I have three Witnesses of this whom I can produce if need be Sir I may boldly say That neither you I nor thousands more of Christians in this Nation ever thought that we should live to see that day wherein so many thousands pretending to Christianity in this Nation should be so Brazen-foreheaded as to disown Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah yet so it is O Tempora O Mores The Ends of the World are come upon us My Spirit being stirred within me at the hearing of this grand Fundament al Errour I thought it my duty to the Lord Jesus Christ to Antidote the poor Country as much as in me lieth against these damnable Delusions it made him speak that was dumb before when he saw his Fathers Life in danger So what Babe what Novice will want a Mouth a Tongue to speak a Hand a Pen to write when the Man Christ is struck at by ungodly Seducers Therefore I though the least and most unfit of my Brethren have Printed my Notes Preached you know at Hartford and humbly present them to you Sir as to one whom I know to be a sincere lover of the One Mediator betwixt God and Man the Man Christ Jesus and of his Evangelical Truths Pray Sir vouchsafe to read them and candidly bear with what may not be so congruously worded in so sublime a Mystery The Lord by his Spirit establish settle strengthen you in this and every Truth and preserve you and your Elect Lady both as Vessels of Honour to his heavenly Kingdom there to behold the Man Jesus Christ in his Glory which is best of all Your Servant for Jesus sake William Haworth AN ANTIDOTE Against that Poysonous Fundamental Error OF THE QUAKERS c. 1 PETER 3.22 Who is gone into Heaven and is on the Right hand of God THE Apostle Peter is here speaking of the Grounds of Comfort to the guilty Consciences One is in Vers 21. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ The answer of a good Conscience through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ He rose again for our Justification He being acquitted by the Father then His Members are acquitted now A second Proposition in order to the Answer of a good Conscience is The Ascension of Jesus Christ and his sitting at the Right-hand of God all things being made subject to him To see by Faith our Head exalted into Glory and there Advocating for us and Ruling for us is a very comfortable thing In the 18 Verse he is speaking of Christ's being put to death in the Flesh but quickned by the Spirit i.e. the Divine Power Then descends to speak of his Resurrection as the true solid Ground of the Answer of a Good Conscience and from this Resurrection descends to speak of his Ascension So then That same Jesus that was put to death in the Flesh and Raised by the Power of God from the Dead That same is gone into Heaven It 's plain then that he was put to Death in his fleshly Body and in This it was that he Rose again Why then in This is he gone into Heaven and in This is he at the Right-hand of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it speaks a Motion from one Place to another a Change of the Place Now Whither went he Into Heaven Heaven is not every where as some say and so this Change is only a Change of State But Heaven is a Place where God doth manifest most of his Glory It 's called the Heaven of Heavens and the third Heaven whereunto Paul was wrapt up 2 Chron. 6.21 Hear thou from thy dwelling-Place even from Heaven It 's called here and 1 Kings 8.30 Gods Dwelling-Place John 14.2 It 's called the Fathers House In my Fathers House are many Mansions I go to prepare a Place for you And is on the Right-hand of God An Allusion to the Custom of Kings who were wont to take their Favourites and place them on their Right-hand as Solomon placed his Mother at his Right-hand And as Zebedee would have had her Sons at Christ's Right-hand in his Kingdom It is a Place of Honour Glory Power and Authority Learn this Truth from the Words That the Same Jesus Christ that was put to Death in the Flesh and did Rise with that Same Flesh again That Same Jesus in that Same Flesh and Man-hood is now in Heaven which is a Place not a State only there he is at Gods Right-hand in Power and Glory So that as to that Humane Nature he is not upon Earth I will prove this That Jesus Christ is now a true real Man in Heaven and so Is not here on Earth as he is Man That ever Jesus Christ was a true real Man some have denied and have held That it was only an Appearance or Spectrum in the shape of a Man And some are of this mind now But we will take this for granted That Christ was once here on Earth a real true Man but that he is so Now the Quakers deny A Man consists of these two Essential Parts viz. Soul and Body Both these Christ had Heb. 10.5 A Body hast thou prepared me That which was taken by the Virgin which consists of Flesh and Bones Luke 24.39 A Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as ye see me have 2. A Soul he had Matth. 26.38 My Soul is sorrowful even unto Death That both these Essential Parts Soul and Body are now in Heaven I am now about to prove a Place remote from us so that he cannot be said as to his Corporal presence to be here on Earth Though we believe that
this Soul and Body is in Union with the Godhead in Heaven and so he is Mediator in both Natures take this by the way That the Quakers may not deceive you by their Juggles Christ was a Person before he took Man's Nature They may grant to you that Christ is a Person and yet deny his Manhood and grant a Manhood and yet deny the Fesh in which he was to be in Heaven 1. That his Soul is in Heaven see Luke 23.46 Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit What is become of that Soul that Christ had when he came to Die Surely it did not vanish and perish but he commends it into his Fathers hands as into a safe depository to be laid up kept and preserved Luke 23.43 To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Was not that Heaven Now he spake this as to his Soul it 's plain for as to his Deity he was always there as to his Body that remained in the Sepulchre two dayes 2. His Body that 's in Heaven that Flesh and those Bones that were handled by his Disciples at the Resurrection And he himself saith A Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as ye see me have Behold my Hands Luke 24.39 and my Feet handle me and see And they handled him 1 John 1.1 Whom our hands have handled of the Word of Life Now this Flesh and Bones those Hands and Feet that were handled are now in Heaven And Luke 24.50 51. He led them forth as far as Bethany and he lift up his hands and blessed them And it come to pass while he blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into Heaven This Body was the proper Object of their sight The Soul they could not see this was parted from them this was carried up into Heaven Act. 1.9 While they beheld he was taken up If he had secretly ascended more doubts might have risen what was become of him but he did openly-and visibly Ascend having many Witnesses of the truth and reality of it that it might be out of doubt Now if it be asked whither he did ascend the Angels give an accoutn Vers 11. This same Jesus which is taken up into heaven and observe how they speak This same Jesus as you have seen him go They saw him with their Carnal Eyes they were Eye-witnesses of this thing Other Scriptures opened to prove this Acts 7.56 Behold I see the Heavens opened Stephen's sight was strengthened in a wonderful miraculous way so that he pierced to the very heavenly Glory with his Eye This was more than what was natural no doubt for the other that stood by saw nothing but he saw as much of the Heavenly Glory as he could bear I see the Son of Man denoting Humane Nature when here on Earth that he had it then at that time after his Ascension 1 Tim. 3.16 God manifested in the Flesh And the last Phrase of the Verse received up into Glory that flesh wherein God manifested himself was received up into Glory Acts 3.21 Whom the Heaven must receive until the restitution of all things Peter had been preaching the Resurrection of Christ now here he tells them what is become of him since why He is in Heaven thither should their minds be lifted up by Faith and this Heaven having received him should contain him until a certain time then he will appear Therefore Beza saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Antecedent we may understand the Consequent it is so to receive him as to contain him Therefore all those places where you read of Jesus Christ by Name appearing are not to be understood as if Christ in Body came down from Heaven but either they saw him the Heavens being as it is said of Stephen opened or it was in Extasie Matth. 26.11 For you have the poor alwayes with you but me you have not with you alwayes Therefore he speaks frequently to his Disciples of his Departure that he would go away from them Yet a little while and I am with you John 14.2 3. I go and if I go to prepare a place And now Whither went he He tells us John 17.11 And now I am no more in the World but these are in the World I come to thee Holy Father Now this must needs be as to his Manhood for the Father and He were one as to his Godhead in Essence and so he was with the Father from Eternity John 1.1 In the beginning the Word was with God Prov. 8.22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his wayer before his works of old Vers 30. Then I was by him i.e. before there was any thing created or framed You see by thâ—se Scriptures he removed from the Earth and went to Heaven and there he is Yet farther What else must we understand by that of the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 5. Absent from the Body present with the Lord. While we are at home we are absent or Pilgrims from the Lord. Now Christ as God is immense as to his presence he is every where and as to his Saints he is with them alwayes and in them by his Spirit then must it needs be spoke as to Christ's Bodily presence So in another place the Apostle saith I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ He must needs speak this as to his Soul for Pauls Boyd was to sleep in the Grave till the Resurrection But was not Christ present with Paul Yea certainly as to his Spirit so he saith 2 Tim. 4.17 The Lord stood by me What then was this being with Chirst but to be as to his Soul upon departure from the Body in some certain place where the Soul and Body of Christ were they could not be every where for then this desire of his was a vain desire and he withall wishes his Soul to be every where and so to be Infinite and to be God which is absurd In Ephes 1.20 he is mentioning Christ and saith Whom he raised from the dead and set him at his own right-hand Now what ever was raised was set at the right-hand The flesh of Christ was raised He here tells us what it is for Christ to sit at Gods right-hand viz. to have power over all things to have all things put in subjection to him which is taken from Psal 8.4 where observe what is said What is Man that thou art mindfull of him or the Son of Man that thou visitest him This state of Exaltation in Heaven is applyed to him as Man he is a Man in Heaven 1 Tim. 2.5 Out Mediator betwixt God and man the Man Christ Jesus That Man that gave himself a Ransom for that followeth immediately that Man is the Mediator betwixt God and man therefore none of any sort but may have hopes of being saved by him upon Faith on him Heb. 4.14 15. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens We have not an
things is either his giving gifts to his Church He is speaking of this in the 8th verse When he ascended be gave gifts to men it is spoke so generally here and universally all things because the Gentiles as well as Jews were now of the Church and all filled with gifts from Christ in Heaven Otherwise I answer thus fulfilled all things for so the word will bear he fulfilled all things that were written of him and that were required of him to do 3. Object Christ said to his Disciples Matth. 28.20 I am with you alway 〈◊〉 the end of the World How then can he be in Heaven Answ This he speaks in reference to the presence of the Spirit in the hearts of his People working in their Souls and giving gifts to his Minister by this Spirit and succeeding them in their Labours with his blessing but it cannot be spoke of his humanity for of that he had said Me you have not alwayes And in another place Do this till I come which implyes his bodily absence 4. Object It 's said 1 Cor. 15. Flesh and Blood cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Therefore Christ is not there as to his Manbood Answ Flesh and Flood unchanged and so mortal corruptible cannot but changed and so immortal incorruptible may and can and so was Christs Flesh upon his Resurrection and so he entred into Glory The Qualities are changed but the very same Substance remains 5. Object It is said by Christ when here on Earth John 3.13 The Son of Man which is in Heaven By this it appears that Christ was in Heaven when on Earth and so every where when on Earth and so now Answ This is spoken by a communication of Properties that which is only proper to one Nature is spoken of the other Nature He was not in Heaven as to his Body it is only true as to his Deity but he attributes Omnipresence to his whole Person by this figurative way of speech as that Acts 20. The Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood How can Blood be attributed to God but by this way of speaking So likewise 1 Cor. 2.8 Crucified the Lord of Glory is spoken in the same way Reasons of this viz. Christ being now a Man in Heaven Reason 1. If Christ be not now a Man in Heaven then there is no Intercession for us and so there is no Mediator Christ is Mediator and Intercessor according to his Humane Nature as well as his Divine Nature take away the Humane Nature and he ceases to be an Intercessor Under the Law they had an High-Priest that was a Man like themselves who when he had offered the Sacrifice for the Sins of the People went into the Holy Place with the Blood to appear there in their behalf this was a Figure of Christ's Priesthood therefore the Apostle speaks thus in Heb. 9.24 For Christ is not entered into the Holy Places made with hands which are the Figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us Now as I said this Intercession is quite nulled if no Humanity remain'd so that all the Saints remain still full of Wants Weallnesses Fallings Infirmities and there is none to Advocate for them but they must Plead for themselves and how can we of our selves draw near to such an Infinitely Glorious Majesty and have not a Mid 〈…〉 all our Prayers would be lost and we should be utterly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 up Let it then be 〈◊〉 how sad a thing it would be to the Highest Ground of a Christians Triumph which is this viz. That Christ rather fits on the right hand of God That there is none now to bear our Names before the Father as the High-Priest under the Law bare all the Names of the Tribes upon his Breast The Faith of this hath been and is daily sweet unto the Saints and therefore the Church is brought in Praying Set me as a Seal upon thy Heart as a Seal upon thine Arm Cant. 8.6 Reason 2. If Christ be not a Man now in Heaven then is there no entring into Glory and Heaven for any as there was upon the Fall of Man a Church placed with a Flaming Sword at the Gate of Paradise so that there was no entring any more for Man Why so by reason of the Sin of Man there was no entring into Glory because of God's Flaming Justice had not the Man Christ entred in and made way for us all that ever entred into Glory entred by Virtue of Christ's entring as Man John 14.2 I go to prepare a Place for you his going thither did prepare the Place for us Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus Ver. 20. By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the Vail of his Flesh The People under the Law were not to enter into the Holiest only the High-Priests alone by the Blood Christ our High-Priest hath now entred into Heaven by his Blood and hath thereby made us a Royal Priesthood so that now we may enter into Glory therefore are we said Ephes 2. to be set down with him in Heavenly Places He being our Head and having entered we being united are entered also In him we have a pledge and first Fruits of Glory but if he be not entered as Man we have no hopes of Glory Reason 3. If Christ be not a Man in Heaven then is not the Spirit not any Gifts thereof upon any What ever is of the Spirit upon any it is by virtue of Christ as Man entering into Glory That pouring out of the Spirit that we read of in the second of the Acts was by virtue of Christs Ascending into Heaven in his Manhood Verse 33. Therefore being at 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 As Christ is Man and so Mediator all things come first into his haâ—â—◠〈…〉 from him to us therefore he hath received and shed forth this The Prophets and Saints had the Spirit before his Ascension but they had it by Virtue of this his Ascension therefore when it is said The Spirit was not yet given because he was not yet glorified John 7.39 It speaks of a more plentiful beffosion of the Spirit this plentiful effusion was reserved till this time of his Ascension to seal up the fruits of his Death and Resurrection All the Gifts for the Instruction and Edification of the Church comes this way viz. by virtue of Christ's Ascension as Man into Heaven Ephes 4.8 Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led Captivity Captive and gave Gifts unto men Which is taken from Psal 68.18 There it is he received Gifts He received them not for himself but on purpose to give them to his Church as Kings on their Coronation dayes bestow gifts upon their Subjects