be required of us to be done that is sin in the sight of God to wit that is any breach of any positive express command of God Pag. 71. citing my Book called Help in time of Need concerning the Antichrist mentioned 1 John 2. 18. this is Antichrist who denys Christ the Son come in the Revelation of himself in the Heart for that coming of Christ in his Bodily Appearance at Jerusalem Antichrist will not does not deny seeing to confess him so come will never harm his Kingdom provided Christ's Kingdom be not set up in the Heart Here Note These foregoing Words For that coming of Christ in his Bodily Appearance at Jerusalem Antichrist will not does not deny I Retract as unsafely worded for though a sort of Antichrists may not deny but confess in Hypocrisie to Christs outward coming as also they may confess in Hypocrisie to his coming in Mens Hearts yet I am satisfied the true meaning of these words 1 John 2. 18. compared with 1 John 4. 3. respects principally the coming of Christ in the Flesh as he outwardly suffered in that Body of Flesh and consequentially the spiritual Blessings and Benefits we have by that same among which is his Spiritual coming into our Hearts and though a sort of Antichrists and men of an Antichristian Spirit may confess in hypocrisie to Christ's outward coming yet they neither do nor can confess to him as he did outwardly come in sincerity of Heart And it is the sincere Confession from the Heart to Christ as he outwardly came in the Flesh and to all the spiritual Blessings that men receive by him as of his Light Spirit and Grace in them that is the Confession there meant for every one that truly viz. with sincerity of heart so confesseth him come in the Flesh whose Confession floweth from a Living Faith in him is of God and whosoever doth not so confess him but deny him so come is of Antichrist and this denyal of Christ come in the Flesh may be several ways as 1st to deny that he who did so come is the Christ and thus the unbelieving Jews did and do deny him 2dly To deny that he who did so come was and is both God and Man and that as such he is the Salvation of men in whom they are to believe and whom they are to call upon and worship with divine adoration and thus the Mahumetans do deny him and many who go under the Name of Christians who deny that the man Christ is their Salvation and the Object of Faith and adoration 3dly To deny the virtue and efficacy of his being a Sacrifice by his Death for the Remission of the sins of all Men who ever shall be saved from the begining of the World to the end of it 4thly To deny that all the Light and Grace and divine Influence of the Spirit that any Man have or ever had is by Jesus Christ who hath purchased and procured it unto them by his most holy and perfect Obedience unto Death and in these three respects my late Opposers among the People called Quakers are guilty of denying Christ come in the Flesh as I have sufficiently proved against them in divers printed Books particularly in my Narrative of the Proceedings at Turners-Hall the 11th of the 4th Month 1696. and in that called The Antichrists and Saddnces detected For whatever seeming Confessions they give to the Man Christ without them while they place Mens whole Salvation upon an inward Principle and plead that Men may be saved eternally without all Knowledge and Faith of Christ without them either express or implicite As they do particularly in that Antichristian and Abusive Book containing many Antichristian Principles and false Accusations against me called Keith against Keith for which I purpose God willing ere long to call them to an Account All their seeming Confessions is but a Judas Kiss and a plain betraying the Christian Cause into the hands of Infidels Jews and Pagans Pag. 195. Nor doth it follow that because Confession in the adult is necessary to Salvation that therefore Baptism with Water is seeing confession of the Truth may well consist without Water-Baptism namely in a Holy Conversation and profession of Christianity with the Mouth as the Apostle said With the Mouth Confession is made to Salvation Here Note 1. I still adhere to it with all charitable Christians that Baptism with Water is not of equal necessity with Faith and Confession unto Savation for many of the Martyrs did nobly confess to Christ who were put to cruel Deaths before they could be Baptized and in that and in all other cases where Baptism cannot be duly had the votum Baptismi i. e. the desire of Baptism is judged equivalent to Baptism by all charitable Christians 2. That I said Confession in the adult is necessary to Salvation by this it doth appear that it is no new Doctrine in me so to affirm this Book of mine having been in Print for sixteen Years past and which was approved by the Second Days Meeting though in contradiction to what they then approved they have of late greatly blamed me as guilty of broaching a new Doctrine among the People called Quakers for my saying It is a necessary Duty that every one among the Quakers should give a Confession of their Faith to Christ and his doctrine in the fundamental and essential parts thereof before they can be owned to be Members of a Christian communion This they extreamly cry out against knowing that such a thing would discover the vile Errors that are lodged among them But until they do this whatever great and high pretences they make to be the Church of Christ and the only gathered Church they can never be justly esteemed a Church of Christ In my Book called Truth 's Defence c. pag. 104 105. and as for the Word Immediate Revelation seeing it is not any Scripture-phrase no not in the case of the Prophets and Apostles so far as I can remember if the thing it self were granted to wit That God doth inwardly reveal and speak his Mind or shew his Glory and glorious Presence in his Children as he did in and to his Saints of Old so that the Saints do hear see and perceive also tast and savour and feel after God himself as he reveals himself in his Son by the Holy Spirit the Controversie about the Name or Phrase should soon be at an end Here Note That sixteen Years ago I was for holding up no Controversies about the name or term Immediate Revelation though many among the People called Quakers have earnestly and fiercely contended for that term and some of them no doubt will much blame me that I do not now contend for it But why did they not blame me then for my not contending about it are they become of late more Eagle-sighted to see this and other things they judge to be errors in my Books which they formerly did not see or at least gave me
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
but near Here Note my sense was not at a discontinued distance but both near and far off both within us and also without us in the Heavens as where it is said Acts 17. 27. That God is not far from every one of us viz. at a discontinued distance for otherwise he is both a God a far off and a God nigh at hand And pag. 88 While I remained Ignorant of the Appearance of Jesus Christ to meditate in me it is a Typographical Error read to mediate in one Here Note That I did not intend in the least by asserting the Mediation or Intercession of the Mediatory Spirit of Christ in the Saints according to Rom. 8. 26. to deny or derogate from Christ's Mediation and Intercession without us in Heaven XIV Page 99 Jesus Christ revealed in Man is the Foundation of the True Church Here Note That I did not mean by Christ Jesus only and alone the Light within but my sense was That the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ as he is both God and Man and who as Man died for our sins rose again and ascended into Heaven and is our High Priest Mediator and Advocate with the Father in Heaven is grounded upon him as inwardly revealed by his Spirit and Light in our Hearts which was my Design chiefly in this Treatise and how much and how far I did then own the Man Christ Jesus without us in Heaven as our Head and Foundation and Object of our Faith I recommend to the Reader to read what I have writ in this same book of Immed Revel from page 243 to page 247. where note that particular passage page 245. where I say The Man Christ Jesus who suffered in the Flesh at Jerusalem above sixteen hundred years ago is the Spring out of which all the streams of Living VVater flow into our souls And the Sun out of which and from which all the Light we have shineth into our souls in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth and through whom God doth communicate unto us every good and perfect Gift And page 247. I say All our Prayers and Breathings and Crys in the spirit and Life of Jesus in us do immediately reach unto the Man Jesus ascended unto Glory and he is touched with them And through the Man Jesus help doth come down unto us from the Father of Lights And all our Refreshments Quicknings Consolations and Renewings of Life and strength come unto us from God through him in whom we have favour with God in whom God is well pleased with us And a few Lines after I say In whom we believe as we do in God as he himself hath taught us Ye believe in God said he believe also in me In whom believing we also call upon him even Jesus who as concerning the flesh was crucified who is God over all blessed for ever And lest any should surmise That by Christ Jesus in all this large Citation I did mean the Light within only and not the Man Christ Jesus without us I expresly mention the Man Christ Jesus without us page 246. who is ascended into the Heavens with whom we have immediate Fellowship and Union through the measure of the Life of Jesus as Man made manifest in us Which is abundantly sufficient to discover the Impudence of my late Adversaries who by perverting my words assert That I made the Light within the alone Object of Faith which I never did altho I grant That with all True Christians I hold That as God who is Light is every where present so in a special way of Presence he is together with his Word and Spirit in the Saints and as so present is the Object of their Faith yet so as that Christ Jesus as he is both God and Man is also the Object thereof XV. Page 123. and Luke 15. 8 9. He compareth it to a Woman having lost a peice of money c. Here Note This I freely confess is one of these places of Scripture that I have through weakness of understanding misunderstood and unduely applyed to prove a truth for whereas I have with others among the People called Quakers construed the lost Piece of Money mentioned in this place to be the Light within being too much swayed by their Authority I am sufficiently convinced by the lost peice of money in this Parable of our Saviour he did not mean the Light within but the lost Souls of Men whom he came to seek and to save and I plainly now understand that by the lost Sheep the lost peice of Money and the lost Son is understood Men or the lost Souls of Men who when they have sincerely repented and are Converted unto God are said to be found therefore that the Repenting Sinner is the lost peice of Money is clear from our Saviour's Words v. 10. Likewise I say unto you there is Joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth But they who expound the lost peice of money to be the Light within will find difficulty to show what the Nine Pieces are that were not lost Whereas to understand it of the Souls of Men there is no difficulty in it for as of these many created Angelical rational Spirits many did not Sin and so were not lost so the Souls of Men did Sin and these are fully signified by the lost piece of Money yet although by the Light within is not to be understood the lost piece of Money but the Soul of Man the Light within is very well proved from that part of the Parable which saith that the Woman Lighted her Candle to seek the lost piece of Money which plainly signifieth That the way that the Lord useth to find the lost Soul is by Lighting a Candle in it and Inwardly enlightning it to see its lost condition and how it may return to God by sincere Faith and Repentance And tho it is not the intended sense of this place of Scripture that the Light within iâ— the lost peice of Money but the Soul of Man is that lost peice ye it may well be allowed to be a Truth That as God and Christ â—ad lost the Soul of Man so that Soul had lost God and Christ and the loss was mutual and the finding is also mutual as soon as God and Christ findeth the lost Soul that Soul formerly lost finden God and Christ and greatly rejoyceth on that Account I find the same mistake happened to Origen in his expounding this Parable of the lost piece of Money to signify The Kingdon of God within the Image of the Heavenly King Hom 13. in Genesin Again whereas I said pag. 125. So all his Ministers ever Preached People to this the lost in them that it might be found That they may find a lost God a lost Christ whom they had lost and from whom they were seperated by their Sins Tho. Hicks in one of his Dialogues had imposed a perverse Gloss upon them by leaving out the latter
application of these places of Scriptue to the inward Principle as to what it did or doth discover and reveal universally in men and particularly in such of the Gentiles to whom the Gospel was not outwardly preached for upon a more diligent search into the holy Scripture I find that in all places in the New Testament where the word Gospel is used it signifieth the Doctrine of salvation by the promised Messiah that was outwardly to come and did come in the true Nature of Man together with the spiritual blessings that men were to receive by him of which the inward principle of God's Grace Light and Spirit within both in general to all and in special to believers in a more excellent degree and manner of Operation and Influence is but a part Yet I confine not the Gospel even in this sense to outward preaching by the Ministry of Men or Books for it was preached to Adam and Eve after the Fall by God himself and so was it to Abraham and Job and so it is probable it has been to divers even to some Gentiles singularly favoured without the Ministry of Men though in God's ordinary way it is preached by the Ministry of Men God himself by his Spirit and divine Influence inwardly accompanying the same to work the true Faith of it in the Hearers Therefore whatever Doctrine Men preach or have at any time preached the great Subject whereof is not the promised Messiah to wit the Crucified Jesus as the main Foundation of all the Spiritual Blessings of Light and Grace and divine Influences of the Spirit within it is not the Gospel in the proper full and adequate Sense and Signification of it as the Scripture useth it And as concerning that place in Colos 1. 23. and other such places as I have noted above though the Greek Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is oft properly Translated in yet not always and there is no cause so to Translate it here but rather to for the Apostle Paul in that place means the Doctrine of Salvation by Christ Crucified and the Grace and gift of the Holy Spsrit given of God to Men through him as it was preached by him and the other Apostles and Evangelists in that clear and bright Dispensation of it that was then given And though it was not at that time actually preached to all Men nor to all Nations yet because it began then so to be preached and was certainly to be preached to all Nations and will be so preached before the end of the World therefore after the Prophetical Phrase of Scripture That which was to be done is said to be done VIII Pag. 43. And that it hath pleased the Lord to send his Son into the world both in the outward and inward in a weak and low appearance that he might show forth the more abundant glory in that which was so low and weak in appearance to prevail over the greatest power that stood in his way for thus doth the Seed of the woman bruise the Serpents head Here Note That I did not place our Salvation wholly upon Christ's inward appearance but upon God his sending him both in the outward and inward to bruise the Serpents head And that I did not understand that the bringing Men simply to the inward Principle so as only to believe in the Light Word or Spirit within was the bringing them to the Christian Faith but that it was a proper means by way of preparation and introduction in order to the gathering of People into the true Faith of Christ which is the whole aim and scope of my fifth Argument in that Book from P. 88. to 94. where note these words p. 92. And this will bring People naturally to own the Scriptures and things therein declared to own Moses and the Prophets to own the Dispensation of God to the Jews in that day and to own Christ in the Flesh his miraculous Birth his Doctrine Miracles Sufferings Death Resurrection and Ascension together with the wonderful end and design of God therein c. And this Method I very well approve of still for as the knowledge of Christ the Word Incarnate or made Flesh presupposeth some knowledge of God and of his Word so to preach to People that are ignorant of God and of his Divine Perfections that there is a God and what his Divine Perfections are is very proper and necessary that they may be brought into some true knowledge of him which they cannot be brought into without some Divine Illumination of the inward Principle the Internal Word and Light But all this is an introduction and preparation to dispose the Souls and Hearts of Men to receive the Christian Faith and Religion and is not the Explicite Christian Faith it self no more than the Porch that leads into the House is the House though it may be said to be a part of it as in the definition of a Man that he is a living Creature or Animal is not his true definition but the Genus of it which is but a part at most but when the difference is superadded that he is a Rational or Intellectual Living Creature that is his true definition And so the true definition of a true Christian and sincere Believer in Christ is he who not only believes that there is a God and that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God c. but that the Word was made Flesh and that the Son of God by Eternal Generation became the Son of Man by a miraculous Generation in time and so is both God and Man and yet not two Sons of God but one not two Christs but one This is the true Christian Explicite Faith like a Tree spreading forth its boughs and branches together with the other great Truths of the Christian Doctrine delivered in the Holy Scriptures with rich and precious Fruit to which the implicit Faith in some Virtuous Gentiles may be compared to that same Tree when it was in the Seed or but a little sprung up into the Bud or Blade as Christ compared the Kingdom of God to wit the Evangelical Dispensation Mark 4. 26 27 28 29. Compare this with what is above quoted out of that Book p. 6. § 3. of this Section and with what is said p. 61 of that Book VIII P 63. Which peice of silver betokeneth the divine principle c. Luke 15. 8. Here Note This undue Application is Retracted and Corrected above in the first Sect. § 13. And in fine although I firmly remain in my Faith and Persuasion of the Truth of that great Principle of the Universal Love and Grace of God making Salvation possible to all Men and that in order thereunto Christ hath Inlightened every Man that cometh into the World which universal Illumination is an universal Benefit that all Men have by his dying for them as is largely urged by me particularly from p. 31 to 34. in that Book and in divers other places and
and 1 Cor. 11. 26. than I was sometime formerly only I think fit to give one Reason at present in particular as to each and another in general as to both My reason why Water-Baptism is to be understood Matth. 28. 19. as a thing commanded of the Lord to be done by the Apostles and not the Baptism with the Holy Ghost because we no where find in all the Scripture such a phrase or manner of Speech that ever any Man but Christ alone who is both God and Man did Baptize with the Holy Ghost or had power so to do it is peculiarly attributed to Christ whose Work it was and still is and to no other Man or Men as John declared He that cometh after me shall Baptize you he did not say They that come after me but he with Fire and with the Holy Ghost And as to that distinction formerly given by me and others that though the Apostles neither could nor did baptize with the Holy Ghost principally yet instrumentally or ministerially they might and did But in answer to this I say where the Scripture doth not distinguish nor give any ground of such a distinction we ought not to give it But the Scripture giveth no such ground and the Scripture phrase and manner of Speech is strictly to be observed in all such cases so that we ought not to put our private glosses on Christ's Commandments as it were a most absurd Distinction to say though God created the World principally yet Angels did create it instrumentally or to say Christ redeemed the World principally by his Death and Sufferings but the Martyrs redeemed the World by their Deaths instrumentally surely as these Distinctions are false and unwarrantable so is that other about Baptizing with the Spirit instrumentally and ministerially My reason why the comeing of the Lord mentioned 1 Cor. 11. 26. is his outward Comeing because the outward practise of Breaking Bread in the Supper was appointed as a commemoration in a solemn way of his Body that was broken for us on the Cross and of his Bodily Sufferings and Humiliation for he did not say Take eat this is my Spirit but This is my Body and it was the Man Christ Jesus that said this therefore as the practise of Breaking the Bread with Prayer and Thanksgiving and Eating it and Pouring out Wine into the Cup and Drinking it was a solemn Commemoration of his Body that was broken for us and his Blood that was shed for us so the believers being enjoyned to do it untill his comeing again that Comeing again must needs signifie his Bodily Comeing for he was Spiritually come both then and in all Ages to the Faithful that the living and faithful Remembrance of his last coming might be preserved by that solemn Practise and also the unspeakable benefit that the Faithful haveby his Sufferings for as Preaching by Words doth hold forth Christ Crucified by audible Signs to the Ears of the Faithful so do these outward things duly practised by visible and otherwise sensible Signs hold him forth to their Eyes Smelling Tast and Feeling that so the Remembrance of him by these so many doors as it were may the more effectually enter into their Hearts and make the deeper Impression upon them and it stands well with good reason that what is represented to Mens Hearts of our Lord's Sufferings by their Hearing Sight Smell Tasting and Feeling in the use of these signs instituted by himself will more effectually affect their Hearts and Souls than what is done alone by the Hearing or Reading as in other cases for Men to see a Tragedy of the real Sufferings of some noble Person acted before their Sight is more than to read it or hear a Report of it and on this account it was that some ancient Writers called these outward Institutions verbum visibile i. e the visible Word My reason in general for both is that it hath pleased God of late since I have found the great opposition to this great fundamental Truth of the Gospel that many among the People called Quakers have made viz. the Faith in Christ crucified and raised again c. as a necessary thing to our Christianity and Salvation let them pretend and profess what they will to the contrary to give me a further and clearer sight and a more deep inward sense and consideration of the great benefit and advantage the practise of these outward things when duly practised is to the preserving the Christian Doctrine and Faith in the World as well as to divers other great uses and ends they being as proper and effectual means in their kind and manner in conjunction with Preaching to preserve the Doctrine and Faith of Christ in the World as Preaching it self and where these outward things are practised the true Doctrine of them ought to be Preached but the Doctrine of them is like to be laid aside when the Practise of them is not only discontinued but opposed and reviled under the Names of beggarly Elements worldly Rudiments and carnal Ordinances And I do boldly and freely in the sincerity of my Heart further declare that it hath pleased God to give me to see that the spring and rise of thatgreat Opposition that hath been and is in many against these outward Practices has been and is a secret Prejudice against the Doctrine of Christ crucified and the mysterious working of an Antichristian and Diabolical spirit designing to draw men from Name and Thing of Christianity to Paganism and Deism and at the next step to Idolatry and Atheism Howbeit in many there is not this knowledge and sight of this Mystery of Iniquity But many simple-hearted and truly pious and well-meaning Souls have been led aside to disown and speak against the use of these outward Practices being stumbled and greatly offended with the beholding the great abuse of them and the undue and irregular way and manner of many their practising them as it was said that the Sons of Ely caused the Sacrifices of the Lord to be abhorred But as the abuse of things ought not to take away the due use of them so where they are not duly practised the simple want of them as neither the simple want of preaching where the Gospel is not outwardly preached I judge will not be imputed to them to be their Sin it being generally acknowledged among sober judicious Christians that it 's not the want of them but the wilful neglect of them where they can be duly had that is a man's Sin and hindrance to his Salvation I adhere to the general rule of Christian Communion in this case generally received and owned by all true Christians that we ought to join in all external acts of Christian Religion and Worship with all professed Christians holding the Fundamentals of the Christian Religion and maintaining nothing contrary thereunto against whose sincerity we have nothing justly to object If so in our joyning with them in these external acts of Worship nothing
Holy Ghost by union To this some of my late Adversaries have objected a Quotation I made in some of my former Books out of Plato and Plotimus who did mention union with God and a certain divine contact but it doth not appear that these Gentiles had Faith in Christ as above exprest To this I Answer That Plato who lived some hundred of years before Christ's Incarnation had no Faith in Christ so much as implicit is more than they can prove for there are divers sayings in his Books that make it probable he had There is less ground to think that Plotimus who lived Two Hundred Years and more after CHRIST and was contemporary with Origen had Faith in Christ seeing he writ against the Christians therefore what things he said of Union with God and the divine contact and other high Expressions of the like nature might possibly be not so much from his own experience as from his Master Plato's Writings or allow he might have had some true experience of a divine contact and union in some transient way like a glance or flash of Lightning yet this proves not that he or any others who never had any degree of Faith in Christ crucified or that was to be crucified had that permanent and lasting Union with the holy spirit that the Saints and Believers recorded in the holy Scriptures had which permanent and lasting Union through the in ward residence and indwelling of the lively Spirit in the Faithful is that which most properly deserveth the name of Union with God for it is most evident from the holy Scriptures that none but Believers in Christ even the Man Christ Jesus have the holy Spirit by union and inhabitation for which see and well consider the following places Gal. 3. 2. 14. Ephes 1. 13. John 7. 39. Acts 10. 43 44. Acts 26. 18. And it is great Ignorance in my late Opposers not to understand how though the spirit of God who is holy may and doth work and operate in the Hearts of Gentiles and Unbelievers yet he hath no inward residence or abiding union in them or communion with them but such only who hath Faith in Christ Another trifling Objection they have made that because I have said That all who had not the express knowledge of Christ before death who are saved had it either at Death or after Death From this they infer I hold a sort of Purgatory or transmigration But behold these mens ignorance doth it imply any Purgatory or Transmigration to say all that go to Christ in Heaven after Death must have an express knowledge of Christ in Heaven for so I expressed my sence in my Book called The pretended Antidote c. pag. 115 116. Can it be supposed that any Souls now in Heaven can be without all express knowledge of Christ can they be with him and yet not know him Hath not the least Saint in Heaven more clear knowledge of Christ than any living on Earth Suppose the Souls of Plato and Socrates be in Heaven as far be it from me to judge the contrary are they still without all express knowledge of Christ But if indeed they think there be no man Christ in Heaven having any Bodily Existence as some of my Opposers have affirmed it s no wonder they think that the Saints in Heaven have no knowledge of him Having performed what I promised in my Book called A short List of the vile and gross Errors of G. W. c. Printed in the Year 1695. concerning some Explications and Emendations of some Words and Passage in my four Books above-mentioned viz. Immediate Revelation Universal Grace The Rector Corrected and Truth Defended which four chiefly relate to matters of Controversie I think fit to publish some other few Explanations and Emendations such as I see needful of some pages in my Book called Help in time of Need. Help in time of Need printed at London 1665. pag 46. But now the Light hath shined forth in such clearness that we have seen to the bottom of all Babylon's Treasures And pag. 58. And we the Lord's People called in derision Quakers do witness this day of God come and broke up among us in pure perfect brightness to the fulfilling all these things aforesaid every one in their measure and yet more abundantly to be fulfilled Pag. 62. And we have seen the Bride the Lamb's Wife adorned and trimmed for the approach of her Husband and the New Jerusalem descending from above the Holy Gity coming down from God out of Heaven having the glory of her God and her Light is like unto a stone most precious like a Jasper clear as Crystal and we have seen the frame and proportion of this City with the Walls and Gates of it within which our Feet have stood whose Builder and Maker is God and there is nothing of man's work in it but all purely of him And now the Lord hath made us Citizens of this City and stones of this Building even living stones and the Builders are wise Builders and the Ministry is spiritual and so are the Ministers men taught by God who speak because they believe and are endued with Power from on High and filled with the Holy Ghost Pag. 66. And as the Ministry and Worship of the Church or House of God among us is spiritual so is the Order Discipline and Government among us and we witness the Lord's presence with us in our Assemblies and the Head Christ in us whether few or many passing sound righteous and infallible Judgment concerning the Particulars that come before us And pag. 74. And now what I have declared unto you and the Manifestation of the Spirit of Truth will shew much more even the perfect Pattern of the House of God in the Mount concerning these things which are necessary and expedient in order to a through cleanly and perfect Reformation we the People of the Lord called Quakers have fallen upon them being taught and directed by the Wisdom of God Here Note All these passages so far as I did understand them to respect the People called Quakers as a visible Body of People together with the generality of their Ministry and general way of Worship and Discipline c. I retract and revoke as being too large and ample a commendation of them generally considered and all other passages of the like nature respecting the generality of that People and their Ministry that may be found either in this Book or any other of my Books whatsoever and I freely and willingly acknowledge my weakness and short-fightedness in having so high and great an esteem of them generally considered My zeal and fervour I freely consess did carry me too far even beyond the due Bounds not only in the estimation I had of that People in general but also in the Judgment and Thoughts I had of my own Attainments though I dare not disown it but I do to God's praise declare it that I had great inward experience of the
Lord's love and goodness at that time when I wrote that Book which was a time of great Suffering unto me being straitly confined in Prison where I met with divers Hardships and Severities from Men all which the Lord turned to my spiritual Advantage and the spiritual Comforts and Refreshments where withal the Lord was pleased to visit my Soul were exceeding precious unto me as they are at this day feeling at this present time these of the same kind and nature by the good Spirit of the Lord continued and renewed unto me notwithstanding of the unjust and uncharitable Judgment of my late Adversaries against me as if I were become a dry Tree yet my Soul is alive to praise God who hath preserved me to this instant in the midst of many great and deep Exercises and Tryals both inward and outward one of the greatest of which hath been and is the envy and rage of such who have risen up in great enmity against me for my telling them the Truth and my faithful opposing the Errors and Evils that I have found among them and my trust and Faith is in God through Christ Jesus that he will preserve me to the end and disappoint and frustrate all their False Prophecies bitter Curses and lying Divinations they have poured out against me and continue to utter both in print and private Letters they send to me for which I desire and pray sincerely unto God that he may give them Repentance and Forgiveness And being sensible and truly convinced that I had too far exceeded in the thoughts of my spiritual Attainments not only then but since therefore whatever passages are to be found either in this first Book or any other of my later Books that are justy offensive on the account of my going beyond the due Bounds of my real growth and spiritual and inward state in the Truth or of thinking of my inward Attainments and Calls Services Labours and Testimonies beyond what I ought to have thought or wherein either in this or any other of my Books I have seemed to my self or professed to others to have been acted by a purely divine impulse and motion to speak and write I do freely and most willingly retract and revoke it so far as any thing of the least mixture of mistake or untruth is to be found therein as I confess I have found some mixture in this Book and in other my Books And as in other things I acknowledge my Mistakes as to the People called Quakers in general so in this that was the general mistake among us that their chief Leaders led us generally into that the People called Quakers was the Church come out of the Wilderness But for divers Years past I have seen my Mistakes as to this and the great Defects Disorders Confusions and Imperfections I have found among them and especially the ignorance and great want of dne Qualifications in the generality of their Ministry have given just ground to judge far otherwise concerning them But yet I do affirm that I have found divers that go under that Name that have to my understanding and apprehension made a good progress in spiritual Experiences and other spiritual Attainments of Knowledge and Virtue And I do still continue in my real perswasion and belief that there was a good Work of God upon the Hearts of many of that People and his mighty Power did stir and operate in them as I hope it doth in some continue to do unto this day But greatly has the Power of Darkness and Error prevailed with many especially their Leaders in great part to mislead them and Presumption and Pride earthly Lusts and uncharitableness in so highly condemning others are Sins that did and do greatly prevail among them and hath brought a great Cloud of Darkness over many of them which I pray God to remove and cause his blessed Light to shine forth more among them and all others and that he would be pleased to knit and unite the Hearts of all that sincerely love the Lord to love one another and make them of one Heart and Soul that they may worship the Lord together in Spirit and in Truth that as the Lord is one all his People may be one which cannot otherwise be effected but by the more powerful Coming and Appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ into their Hearts and inward parts to prepare them for his last coming in Glory without them to receive them to his Heavenly Kingdom Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Amen But notwithstanding of the particular passages in that Book which I have retracted I adhere to my Testimony I have given in the same as in all my other Books as to Matter and Substance of many weighty things there delivered and the good Advice I gave to my Country-men in that Book I wish heartily they would duly regard Pag. 63. And this Prophet Jesus Christ is nigh unto us yea more nigh than all the Men or Books upon the face of the Earth And a little after And the Bride rejoyceth greatly because of the Voice of the Bridegroom himself And now we need not-say who will go down into the Grave and bring up Christ to us or who will ascend to Heaven to bring him down to us or who will go over the Seas and bring us tydings of him from Jerusalem when he suffered in the Flesh him whose Name is the Word of God we of a truth witness near us even in our Hearts so that we need not either ascend or descend or go fouth c. Here Note That this above-mentioned passage was brought by T. Ellwood in one of his late printed Books against me to parallel that Antichristian Doctrine of G. Whitehead who said in his Truth Defended Answer to W. Burnet The Quakers see no need of directing to pag. 110 111. the Type for the Antitype viz. neither to the outward Temple nor yet to Jerusalem either to Jesus Christ or his Blood knowing that neither the Righteousness of Faith nor the Word of it doth so direct Rom. 10. And a little after he saith And where do the Scriptures say the Blood was there shed for Justification and that Men must be directed to Jerusalem to it Light and Life pag. 59 60. But who seeth not that my Words have no such tendency as his but are of quite another importance as intimating that after we are brought to know God and Christ by the inward Teaching of God and Christ in our Hearts that perswadeth us that Christ suffered in the Flesh at Jerusalem and moveth us to believe the outward Testimony of the Holy Scriptures concerning Christ's Death and Sufferings we need not say who will go over the Seas and bring us Tydings of him from Jerusalem where he suffered in the Flesh for all sincere Christians are well satisfied with the Faith they have already of Christ by the inward Testimony of his Spirit in their Hearts that the Scripture-record of him is ture So