of the Spiritual and Divine Refreshments and Enjoyments of the Saints as when they are called Bread Wine Milk Honey Marrow and Fatness and a Feast of fat things But this Allegorical and Figurative sense of Christs Flesh and Blood ought not to divert our minds not take off our Faith from Christs Flesh without us that he gave to be broken for us nor from his Blood that he gave to be shed for us without us for the Remission of our Sins nor was it ever so intended by me Now that to believe in Christ as he gave his Body of Flesh outwardly to be broken for us and his Blood outwardly to be shed for the Remission of our Sins is the Eating of his Flesh and drinking of his Blood as well as the inward Enjoyment of his Life in us is clear from John 6. 29 35 40 47 48. According to which Augustin said concerning Eating Christs Flesh and drinking his Blood Quid paras dentem ventrem crede Manducasti i. e. VVhy preparest thou Teeth and Belly believe and thou hast Eat Christs Flesh and drunk his Blood V. Pag. 36. For we do freely acknowledge that such is our State and Condition as we are capable to run out and both think speak write and do things that are not only not infallible but may be wrong and false And pag. 37. So that this infallibility as it relates unto the Seed Birth and Spirit of God is absolute but as it relates to us is limited and conditional and is rather a possibility of not being deceived than an impossibility of being deceived Here Note seeing I have plainly acknowledged that not only I but we to wit any of us all may err why should I or any of us be ashamed or unwilling to own and correct any unsound or unjustifiable words that may have dropt from our Mouths or Pens by humane weakness or inadvertency or why should any be upbraided and reviled as Apostates and Changelings for so doing Also Note that the Calumny of such is sufficiently repelled who have falsely charged me as holding my self or others of the People called Quakers to be infallible which I never did tho I Praise God I am no Sceptick in Religion But do believe that both all sincere Christians and I have an infallible Faith and Perswasion touching the Fundamental and Essential Doctrines of Christianity yet in other things of an Inferior Nature I grant I not only may have erred but that I have erred and I desire to bless God that hath given me a Heart willing both to see and Acknowledge my Errors and to retract and amend them VI. Pag. 54. And tho I cite Scriptures and make use of them in arguing this Point yet I can truly say I have not my knowledge from them Here Note I say from them as being the efficient cause but I did not deny that I had my knowledge by them Instrumentally to wit the Doctrinal Knowledge and Faith I had of the Gospel Truths and Principles of Christianity for that is abundantly acknowledged in many places of my Book of Immediate Revelation as I have above mentioned therefore what I then held I still hold that I do own and acknowledge the Doctrinal Knowledge and Faith of the Principles of Christianity Principally to the Spirits inward Teachings and to the Holy Scriptures and other outward means of Instruction Instrumentally VII Pag. 57. Jesus Christ himself who spoke to them in the days of his Flesh Face to Face did his words reveal him or his Father unto them c. Here Note I show how there is need of Internal Revelation to give the Knowledge of Christ as he came in the Flesh and therefore it appeareth I did then believe as well as now I do believe that the Knowledge of Christ as he came in the Flesh was needful to salvation even to all Mens salvation who ever shall be saved either express or implicite else why should I plead that it was needful to be revealed by the Spirit VIII Pag. 60. Seeing the Knowledge of Christ after the Flesh was not sufficient not to be rested in but they were to look for a better c. Here Note that as it will appear from the foregoing and following words in that Book by the Knowledge of Christ after the Flesh I did not mean the Knowledge of him as he came in the Flesh but that knowledge that the Disciples and Apostles had of him by their outward sight and hearing of him or by what they could know of him by the meer Actings of the mind without Internal Divine Illumination But the true saving knowledge of him is a Spiritual Knowledge of him as he came in the Flesh and dyed for us so as by the Inward Revelation of the Spirit of God the mystery of his Death and Sufferings is opened to us and the end and intent thereof with the great Blessings and Benefits we receive by him IX Pag. 63. The Glorious Gospel of Christ is not the words the best of Scripture words Here Note that whereas I say the Glorious Gospel of Christ is not the Words even the best of Scripture Words It appeareth sufficiently from what I have at large discoursed on that Head in that Book of Immediate Revelation from pag. 55. to 71. My sense was that the words of Scripture are not Principally and chiefly the Gospel are not the Principal thing of the Gospel which I expressly mention pag. 69. And I call the Light of Christ shining in the hearts of the Faithful The Principal thing that giveth the true Knowledge of God which if Mens minds were come to and begot into it their Reading in the Scriptures and other Exercises in the leadings of this would be useful and serviceable in their place But as the Scripture words without the inward Life Spirit Light and Grace is not the Gospel so nor is the Spirit and Light barely and abstractly considered without the Words and Doctrine the Gospel In the full and adequate sense of the VVord Gospel which signifieth glad tydings and 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 And certainly when Paul said Rom. 1. 16. That the Gospel was the Power of God unto salvation To every one that believeth he did not think that the Gospel was a form of words without the Power of God inwardly revealed for he said to the Thessalonians 1 Thes 1. 5. For our Gospel came not only unto you in word only but in Power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance and 1 Cor. 4. 20. For the Kingdom of God is not in VVord but in Power And that by the Kingdom of God is sometimes understood in Scripture the Gospel is clear from Math. 13. Mark 4. Luk. 8. Treating of the parable of the Sower and is generally acknowledged by Christian Writers But when Men commonly call the words of
called Mary really and truly according to the flesh And his Birth thus after the flesh as he was born of the Virgin at Bethlem in Judea I did always believe as I do at present so believe was really intended and foretold in these words Gen. 3. 15. And as Mary was the immediate Mother of Christ according to the flesh so Evah who was the Mother of all Men was his Mother remotely But the Allegorical sense of Christ's Birth or Formation in the Saints is warranted both by Scripture and Antiquity By Scripture as Mat 12. 50. Rev. 12. 2. 5. And by Antiquity for Augustin first and long after him Erasmus said If Mary had not born Christ in her heart or soul he could not have been her Saviour tho she had born him in her flesh But this Allegorical Allusion of Christ's Birth in the Saints I did not ground on Gen. 3. 15. but on Mat. 12. 50. and Rev. 12. 1 5. And how and in what sense I understand the Birth of Christ in the Saints I refer to the 4th Paragraph of this Section XX. Page 254. And this is as proper a Death as when a man dieth for when a man dieth his soul dieth not in it self but it dieth unto that Fellowship it had with the body by reason of the Vital Union betwixt it and the body being broken Here Note I acknowledge this passage is not safely worded therefore I retract it For tho I had very safely asserted That the Life af Christ viz. The Principle of the Divine Life in men never dieth in it self but only as to men when they commit great and heinous sins whereby they are said to quench the spirit and crucifie the Son of God afresh to themselves after they had known a divine quickening yet the Union betwixt the soul and body of a man being broken is more properly a Death the other I take to be understood rather figuratively than proper For when the Vital Union betwixt Soul and Body is broken the Soul doth wholly cease to act in that body while it is dead But Christ ceaseth not oft times to act in a dead soul but doth oft act in it by sharp Reproof and Conviction for its sin and also by new and fresh Visitations of his Life and Love in order to quicken and renew it again Moreover the Soul and Body of a Man are so united that they make up one Person but so are not Christ and the Soul united as to be one Person for that would make every Saint to be Christ The Union betwixt the Soul and Body of a Man is a Personal Union whereby every Action of the body is chargable upon the Person according to that true Maxim Actiones sunt suppositorum i. e. Actions are of Persons as what the hand doth the Man whose hand it is is justly said to do it whether Good or Evil. But the Actions of Mens Souls in whom Christ is are not chargeable upon Christ for as Christ is no wise chargeable with the least Sin that the Soul Acteth so when the Soul repenteth and believeth c. That is not Christ that repenteth and believeth in that Soul Christ indeed is the Author and chief efficient cause of true Repentance and Faith in believers but he is not the subject of reception This excellent Union betwixt Christ and true Believers is compared in Scripture to that Union betwixt the Head and the Body the Vine and the Branches the Foundation and the Building but it is better felt by the Faithful than it can be defined by the best of words for it is unspeakable and yet is incomparably short of that Union that is betwixt the Godhead and Manhood of Christ which is a Personal Union So that the Man Christ is God yet so that the Manhood is not the Godhead And the Union betwixt Christ and Believers is by their Faith in him and Love to him by which Faith and Love as they are United to his Spirit and Measure of his Life and Grace in them so thereby they are United to the Man Christ in Heaven and to that fullness of Grace that dwells in him as every Member of the Body as it is United to the Life in that Member so it is to the Head and to the Life that is in the Head and as all the Members in the Natural Body are United both to the head and to each other so all the faithful are United to Christ and to one another The Reader that is willing to know my sense further as to these weighty matters above-mentioned relating to Christs Birth or Formation in the Saints and their Union with him may read if they please my Appendix to the General History of the Quakers by G. Croese Printed at London this present Year 1696. SECT II. Containg diverse Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book called The Universal free Grace of the Gospel Asserted Printed 1671. TItle Pag. Proved by many infallible Arguments in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit of Truth Here Note That I had the Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit of Truth on my side in diverse of the Arguments I have used in that Book I still believe but whereas on a further consideration and more mature Judgment I find diverse Passages in that Book that need correction therefore I Acknowledge my Weakness and Rashness in ascribing all the Arguments in that Book and my whole way of Arguing on that subject to the Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit of Truth and I freely and most willingly retract that clause both here or any where else in any of my Books where I have used it so far 〈…〉 have ascribed any saying or Passage to the Spirit of 〈…〉 that is not according to the Testimony of the Holy 〈…〉 the Spirit of Truth leads into all Truth and into 〈◊〉 but Truth therefore whoever ascribes whether I or any Man else any untruth or Inpertinency or undue Application of Scripture to the Spirit of Truth however unwittingly they so do as what I did was unwittingly they do greatly Err and Sin in so doing And my sin and error herein I freely confess trusting in the Mercy of God for Christs sake for the pardon of that and all my other Sins I. Pag. 4. That God by an Eternal decree hath wholly passed by the most part of Men and left them in Darkness without any Light to shine in their Darkness that can possibly at any time Lead them out of it Doth not this discourage People Here Note That it is this which I mainly opposed in my Book Viz. The decree of absolute reprobation making salvation impossible to the greatest part of Mankind And on the other hand I earnestly plead for the Universality of the Light Word Grace and Spirit of God towards and upon all In a day of Visitation for making salvation possible unto them compared with p. 110. And in this Testimony I remain against that absurd Doctrine of absolute
Reprobation rendring salvation impossible either to the greatest part or indeed to any part of Mankind and for the possibility of salvation to all Mankind So that who shall not be saved are left without excuse But this possibility of salvation cannot be understood without it be acknowledged that God has made some Provision of means whereby Men Universally are put under a possibility of salvation the means of salvation are both without Men and within Men the means without are chiefly Christs coming in the Flesh and his suffering Death for all Men and offering up himself a Sacrifice for all c. The means within are the inward Visitations and Illuminations of God by his Spirit inwardly convincing Men of Sin and moving them to Repentance and Conversion unto God and Christ And tho I have plainly enough in this my Book opposed that absurd Doctrine of absolute Reprobation yet An Election even of Persons as well as of the Divine Seed I have owned and that God doth visit such elect Persons with his Mercy that he never leaveth them till he hath gained them to himself which is a wonderful Discrimination of the free Love of God Viz. To them above and beyond others who are not saved See pag. 107 and in p. 108. allowing the common Translation of these words Acts 13. 48. And as many as were ordained to eternal Life believed I say we grant that as whoever believes are ordained to Eternal Life so whoever are ordained to Eternal Life do believe And pag. 109. I denied that Faith foreseen or something in the Creature was the moving Cause of God's Decree of Election And that I said Election was not without respect to Faith my sense is obvious viz. That Election respects Faith not as its Cause but as its Effect and as the means unto salvation so that whoever shall be eternally saved God hath chosen them to eternal salvation And in the same page 109. I own a more special giving according to John 6. 37. by Virtue whereof all that are thus given by the Father unto Christ shall come unto him and cannot but come to him II. Pag. 5. The spirit of Life from God is entred into the two slain Witnesses and yet shall more abuudantly enter Here Note this is said only by an Allegorical and Metaphorical Allusion What my sense of Scripture Allusions is see a little after § 4. III. Pag. 6. Forasmuch as they both deny That the Universal Light that is given unto all is the Light Evangelical or a Light for the Faith of the Gospel to rest in Therefore they viz. Papists and Arminians do not hold it forth as the Immediate Object of the Christian Faith 2dly They deny the way and manner of its Operation to be by Immediate Revelation 3dly They say This Light comes from Christ but Christ himself is not in man Here Note That divers of my late Adversaries among that Sect of Quakers with whom I have had a great Contest of late concerning some of the great Fundamentals of Christian Doctrine have from this passage sought to infer my Agreement with them so as to hold That the Light within was sufficient to salvation without any thing else and thereby not only excluding all outward helps and means of salvation but even the Man Christ Jesus and his Death and Sufferings and Sacrifice of himself from being necessarily concerned in our salvation as because I had said that this Light is Evangelical that is in every man and is the Immediate Object of the Christian Faith and so that Christ is in every man But all this doth not prove that I ever did hold that the Light within is sufficient to salvation without any thing else for I did always believe that Christ is our intire and compleat Saviour in both respects viz. both as he came outwardly in the Flesh and died for our sins and became a Sacrifice of a sweet savour unto God to make a Reconciliation betwixt God and us and also as he cometh into us and is in us as the Eternal Word but I never held that the Word alone was our entire and Compleat Saviour without his taking the true Nature of Man upon him And that I never did exclude him but that still both in this book and all my other books first and last I did respect him both ways viz. both within us and without us as our compleat and entire Saviour and the compleat and entire Saviour of all that shall be saved by him I can sufficiently prove and that I have so considered him in this very book I shall bring sufficient Evidence for thus I write p. 120. of this book That the sufficiency of the Light and Grace of Christ within doth not make void the use and benefit of his Outward Coming Obedience Death and Sufferings For they are not to be set in Opposition to each other as if the one did hinder the sufficiency or usefulness of the other both being sufficient and useful and necessary in their own kind and way consummating and being consummated in one another And p. 10. I say And as concerning the sufficiency of this Light unto salvation we do not understand it in Opposition to either the Necessity or Usefulness of the Outward Coming of Christ and his Sufferings and Death for our sins nor in Opposition to the service and use of any Teachings in the Outward that come from the spirit of God or any Outward things to be done or practised which his spirit leadeth unto And p 11. I say Neither do we assert That men that have received this Light and spirit of God and have given themselves up unto it to obey it and so are become servants of Righteousness do receive at once a full and sufficient measure for the whole course of their lives but only sufficient for the present state condition opportunity and case to preserve protect and defend them from all Evil so that the Creature must be continually exercised in a perpetual dependance and waiting upon the Lord to receive the renewed and fresh Influences of his Divine Life and Light according as its present state condition and necessity may require there being no security of the soul out of this dependent waiting receiving frame And whereas my late Adversaries have much blamed my distinguishing betwixt a first and second Ministration of the Spirit and Light within given to both Jews and Gentiles calling the first Legal and that of the first Covenant the second Evangelical being that of the second Covenant and for my saying That none were justified by the Law or first ministration of the spirit or Light within and their Obedience thereunto but thro' Faith in Christ And they call this distinction New Doctrine and say therein I do contradict what I have formerly delivered in this book But for the Reader 's satisfaction I recommend to him if he please to read what I have writ in that very book from p. 8. to p. 10. where he will
Emendations of Passages in my Book called Immediate Revelation not ceased First Printed in the Year 1668. and Re-printed with an Appendix in the Year 1676. I. AS Concerning the Term Immediate Revelation in the Title Page of that Book at which some are offended and which some misconstrue to a wrong sense never intended by me as if thereby I did signify such a Revelation as did give us the Doctrinal knowledge and Faith of Christian Religion and Principles thereof without the Holy Scriptures or other outward means of Instruction to obviate this offence and mistake I recommend to the Reader what I have said from pag. 38. to pag. 42. of that Book Where I distinguish of means Intermitting and Transmitting and show that it is the Intermitting means that hinder the Revelation to be Immediate but not the Transmitting and the same distinction I use in my Book called Divine Immediate Revelation Printed in the Year 1684. But in other words as discontinued and continued Moreover how far I did own the Holy Scriptures to be a necessary means to give us the true Knowledge and Faith of Christian Doctrines and Principles I refer the Reader to my Book Divine Immediate Revelation p. 〈◊〉 Where I say And if we except these Doctrines and Heads of General Religion common to us with the Gentiles which are revealed both to them and us without Scripture of all which notwithstanding the Scripture doth abundantly testify all other Doctrines and Heads of the Christian Religion which is a special Religion more perfect and excellent than the General and perfecting the said General Religion in true Christians are made known to us by the Scripture-means the Holy Spirit inwardly inlightning and inspiring us that we may understand the Doctrines declared in the Scripture and may savingly apply them with true and sincere Faith to the salvation of our Souls And here Note that in the words above cited I did distinguish twelve years ago betwixt Gentile Religion and Christian Religion tho some call this a New Doctrine in me so to dislinguish And seeing the word Immediate Revelation is no Scripture Term tho Revelation is and that it is not well understood by many I can freely consent that the word Immediate be not pressed or imposed on any But I do constantly assert as I have formerly asserted that the inward sensible Communications and Enjoyments of God and Christ that the Saints have frequent Experience of are not only beyond all Demonstration of words but are oft received without all present use of words in a deep inward silence of the Soul II. That I blame them who say that the Scriptures are a filled up Canon and the only Rule of Faith and Obedience in all things and no more Scriptures or Writings to be given forth from the Spirit of the Lord. And pag. 4. That I said tho no NEW ESSENTIALS ARE to be added yet a New and fuller and clearer Testimony may be added concerning the same old essentials Here Note the words may be added as importing the possibility of such a thing But whether God shall be pleased to add to the Books of the Holy Scripture other Books of the same Authority in any time to come before the End of the World I Judge it is not safe for me to determine either in the Affirmative or Negative but that it is possible he may do it ought not to be questioned of But that any Mens Writings beside that of the Prophets and Apostles are of equal Authority with the Scriptures ought not to be granted and that all Doctrines of Men however so much Illuminated ought to be subjected to the Rule test and touchstone of the Holy Scripture and tryed by the same I do assert as formerly I have done still leaving Room to the Spirit to give particular Guidance to the Souls of the Faithful with respect to their inward State and directing them in Particular Cases and Affairs as to things in themselves Lawful and not forbidden nor Commanded in General by any positive Precept and that I said no New Essentials are to be added is sufficient Proof that I held the Scripture did contain all the Essential Doctrines of Christianity III. As to my blaming them who deny that there is an infallible way whereby to discern the true Ministers and Members of Christs Church from the false To this I say tho such a discerning of Spirits was given at times to the Prophets and Apostles and others extraordinarily endued whereby to know Mens inward States without regard had to their Fruits yet the general way that Christ has given us whereby to know Men is by their Fruits of words and works whether Good or Evil. And whatever inward sense or discerning any may pretend to have of another Mans Spirit being bad yet we find no warrant from Scripture to receive an Accusation against any far less a positive Judgment without plain evidence of matter of Fact against them by credible Witnesses 1 Tim. 5. 19. For if such a thing be given way to in any Society that Men shall be Judged to be of a wrong Spirit only by the pretended discerning of Spirits that some may claim without any real Proof or Evidence of words or works that are really evil the most innocent Men may happen to be Condemned and the most guilty justified And even to know Men by their Fruits is a gift of the Spirit and proceedeth from a true Spiritual discerning that is given Universally in some measure to all the Faithful tho they have not always such due use of it but they may be and are at times mistaken IV. This Seed groweth up into a perfect substantial Birth which is Christ formed within the Body of Christ his Flesh and Blood which cometh down from Heaven and giveth Life unto Man which eateth it and feedeth upon it and it is called the Body and Flesh and Blood of Christ because his Eternal Life and Spirit dwelleth in it immediately Here Note by this perfect substantial Birth I did not mean as I now do not any substance newly produced even as in the Generation of natural things as Plants and Animals no new substance is produced but only a vital Union of substantial Principles formerly existing so by Christ formed within I understood and do still understand that a measure of the pure Life of Christ cometh to be United to the Soul and the Soul to it after the Soul is duly purified and prepared for such an Union by which Union that Soul becometh a Member of Christ even as the Hand is a Member of a Man's Body by its having the Life of the Body in some measure united to it and by Virtue of that Union actuating that Member and making it living and sensible And whereas I did call that inward substantial Birth the Flesh and Blood of Christ I did so call it only by a Metaphor or Allegory for with such Metaphors Allegories and Figurative Speeches the Scripture aboundeth in treating
find that I have used that very distinction and largely insisted on it in several pages of that book And in p. 29. I say giving the sense of Paul 's words By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified Rom. 3. 20 By Law there is understood the Law of the first Covenant which came by Moses and it 's true no justification is by that Law whether it be understood of Moses his outward ministration Or of the same Ministration of Moses in the Spirit where the Law is Writ but in Tables of Stone till the Seed be raised by which the Law is fulfilled But in diverse of the 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 who gave them power to fulfil it And whereas they strongly alledge out of this Book and some other of my former Books That I had formerly Asserted Men might be Justified and Saved without all knowledge and faith of Christ without us as he was Crucified c. But upon a diligent search into my Books and an Impartial Examination of all the places cited by them to prove it I can find no such thing and my so frequently cautioning the Matter all along wherever I had occasion That the express knowledge and faith of Christ's death is not universally necessary to Mens Salvation so that as I have noted in my Book called The Antichrists and Sadducees detected some of my Adversaries ten several times at least in the Words and Passages they have quoted out of my Books bring me in using the word Express still saying the express knowledge and faith of Christ's death is not universally necessary c. is sufficient to clear me with all intelligent and impartial Men that I still held some knowledge and faith of Christ though not express yet implicit was universally necessary to Mens Salvation IV. Pag. 9. And as he viz. Christ had his Flesh in the outward which was a Vail so he hath his Flesh in the inward which is a Vail also the Word became Flesh and dwelt in us said John Here Note Though I deny not the Flesh of Christ in the inward in an Allegorical and Metaphorical Sense as above Explained § 4. Sect. 10. yet I freely acknowledge I have unduly and improperly applied that place Joh. 1. 14. 1 Tim. 3. 16. to the Flesh of Christ in the inward as likewise I have made the same undue Application of that place in my Book called The Way cast up as in Page 133 134. and possibly in divers other Places and Books which undue Application wherever it is in any of my Books I do Retract judging it to be improper And though I might possibly excuse it to be only said by way of Allusion yet even in that respect I Retract it having found by too great Experience that too frequently Allusions do great hurt and are an occasion to ignorant People to draw them from the true Sense of that place of Scripture really intended by the Spirit of God to which the Allusion is made And though I am not against Allegorical Expositions of some places of Scripture warranted by Scripture or such as cannot be truly understood without an Allegory nor do I condemn universally Allusions to some places of Scripture yet for the sake of the Ignorant that may be hurt thereby I judge they had better be not used in many cases and when used in any case it should be told that it is but an Allusion V. Pag. 9. Thus it is sown natural viz. the Divine Seed but is raised Spiritual Here Note This is but an Allusion and was no wise intended in prejudice of the Resurrection of the Body for in this san Book Pag. 70. I plainly Assert the Resurrection of the Body as thing not yet attained by the deceased Saints But because as is a ready said Allusions in many cases are not safe I wish I had in used it in this case and therefore let it be as unsaid and the rathe because to my certain knowledge some great Preachers among that sort of Quakers that are turned my Adversaries do wholly apply all that is said in 1 Cor. 15. of the Resurrection to the inward rising of the Soul or the Seed within And I have more than once heard some Preachers among the Quakers wholly Expound that place 1 Cor. 15. 14. If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain of the inward rising of the Life in the Hearers when the Ministers speak And one of their Ministers did so strongly Assert it that in a private Conference with him I could not by the best Reasons I could bring persuade him that it was meant of a Resurrection of the Body after death VI. Pag. 20. So that it is manifest by this Expression That which may be known of God Rom. 1. 19. And as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is understood the Gospel And a little after I say aggreeable unto this is that the same Apostle writeth unto the Colossians 1. 23. That the Gospel has been preached to every Creature which is under Heaven but according to the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in every creature i. e. in every man as when Christ said to his Disciples Preach the Gospel to every creature Here Note that by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paul meant an inward divine supernatural Principle in the Gentiles who had not the Gospel outwardly preached unto them which he saith was manifest in them and which God had shewed unto them and which he calls the Truth that many held in unrighteousness v. 18. I still hold and that in a figurative way of Synecdoche it may be called Gospel or as the word Gospel may be extended to a more general signification than is commonly used in Scripture I will not deny for taken at large it may signifie any Intimation of God's Love Goodness and Mercy to sinful men and in this sense it may be said that the Gospel hath been preached in every Creature i. e. in every Man And as the Divine Principle Word and Light within preacheth in some sort the Love Goodness and Mercy of God to sinful men in order to their salvation so every creature without or so to speak the whole Creation both without Man and in Man himself doth preach it as it is said Ps 19. 1. The Heavens declare the glory of God c. Not only the glory of his Power Justice and Wisdom but also the glory of his Mercy Love and Goodness towards men Yet I must needs acknowledg that I am fully convinced that it is not a due application to apply this to the word Gospel as it is generally used in Scripture and particularly by Paul in these places quoted by me Ro. 1. 16. and Col. 1. 23. and 1 T. 3. 16. therefore I do freely retract and correct my undue
no notice of then why do they blame me that I have both of late seen and noticed divers Errors in their Books which formerly I had not seen for want of due examination nor noticed Pag. 170 171. Now if this were but received among those called Christians that nothing should be required by one sort from another as an Article of Faith or Doctrine or Principle of the Christian Religion in common to be believed but what is expresly delivered in the Scriptures in plain express Scripture-terms of how great an advantage might it be to bring a Reconcilement among them and to beget true Christian Unity Peace Love and Concord Here Note Some of my late Opponents have brought this place against me to prove me guilty of a contradiction by my late practise of what they call my Imposing on them Unscriptural Creeds and Terms as when I told them they must believe in Christ without them for Salvation as well as in Christ or the Spirit of Christ within them they have blamed this as Unscriptural and have queried me for express Scripture to prove Christ without and a Heaven without and a Resurrection without and a Day of Judgment without to whom I have Answered them by again querying them Where do they find express Scripture for an Earth without or Sun Moon and Stars without us or a Land of Judea without or a Moses or David without us For though the Word without is not expressed yet it is so easily and universally understood in all these cases as if it were expressed And I still adhere to my former Advice that nothing be required by one sort from an other as an Article of Faith or Doctrine in common to be believed but what is expresly delivered in the Scriptures in plain express Scripture terms yet not so as every Word must be exprest in so many Letters and Syllables when there is no necessary occasion for it for it may suffice if a truth be exprest in such plain and easie terms as are equivalent to Scripture terms as when we say Christ was born at Bethlehem we mean that Bethlehem was a place without us and also that Christ was born without us and I confess it had been as little needful to have mentioned Christ without us or Heaven without us c. as Judea without us or any other place had not that wild Notion of many who own no Christ without nor Heaven nor Resurrection nor Day of Judgment without but only within occasion'd it Pag. 191. The sacrifice of Christ's Death did truly extend for the Remission of Sins past from the beginning of the World Hence ALL THE BELIEVERS that lived under the Law and Prophets and BEFORE THE LAW were saved by FAITH IN CHRIST and had their Sins pardoned not by the Offering of the Blood of Bulls and Rams but by the Blood of Christ who was to dye for them and in whom they believed and dyed in Faith as is clear out of many places of Scripture and especially the Epistle to the Hebrews and by virtue of Christ's Death and Offering once for all Men all have had or have or shall have a Day of Visitation and offer of Grace through Christ even these who lived before Christ came in the Flesh in that prepared Body as well as others and therefore all who finally perish and are lost in whatever Age or Time of the World they lived they must be accountable to Christ who is judge both of quick and dead and Lord of both and they shall be punished with Fire of Hell for neglecting and despising the Salvation offered by him And although this is a great Mystery and hard to be uttered how this Gospel Invitation and Visitation cometh unto all and how all shall be accountable unto the Man Christ Jesus on the score or account of his dying for them Acts 10. 42. Acts 17. 31. Yet seeing the Scripture is so plain and clear for it it is better to believe it than curiously to dispute how or after what manner it comes so to be Here Note 1. These foregoing Words published by me in Print sixteen years ago prove that I did not place our whole Salvation upon an inward Principle excluding the Man Christ Jesus from being jointly concerned with his Light Grace and Spirit in men as many called Quakers now do 2. That I then held that all who were saved in any Age of the World were saved by Faith in Christ as well before he came in the Flesh as since and that by Faith in Christ I meant the Man Christ who is both God and Man who in the fulness of time came in the Flesh and shed his Blood for the Remission of their sins is obvious to any intelligent Reader therefore my late Adversaries among a sort of Quakers are most injurious to me and false Accusers of me who call this a new Doctrine of mine to affirm that all who ever were saved or shall be saved with Eternal Salvation were saved by Faith in the Man Christ either express or implicit even him that was in the Fulness of Time crucified for them And it is but a trifling and nonsensical Objection in them to argue against it that they could not believe in Christ crucified before he was crucified for it was one and the same Christ that was to be crucified and who was crucified in the fulness of time the same yesterday to day and forever who is the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World and a Priest forever and who therefore by virtue of the Sacrifice of himself that was to be slain in the fulness of time made Peace betwixt Believers and God as well before he came and suffered for the Sins of men as since and on whose Account they had Remission of Sin and the Holy Ghost to sanctifie them and none had the Holy Ghost by union and indwelling but such as had some degree of Faith in Christ either express or implicit as not only this Book called Truth Defended but all my Books that treat on that subject plainly shew and particulary my Book called The Presbyterian and Independent visible Churches all which I refer to the Reader 's serious consideration And though my late Adversaries among the Quakers find great fault with divers passages in the Book last mentioned especially for asserting the necessity of Faith in Christ crucified universally either express or implicit for Eternal Salvation yet that Book before it was printed in America had the approbation of them called Friends in the Ministry in Pensilvania and was so well approved by the Quakers here at London that some caused it to be Reprinted and it was publickly sold in a Quakers Shop in George-Yard in Lumbard-street nor did I ever hear any exceptions against it from any of them in England until our late differences betwixt them and me began And whereas I had formerly said none but such who have Faith in Christ crucified or who was to be crucified had the