attempts against us that he may not be suffered to sculk and hide himself like a Snake under Grass And as to the seven Queries which he upbraids us with reproaching us As puting them all off with one general Answer c. as a trick and deceit of ours to hide and cover our monstrous Heresies and a full confession of our Heresies Pref. p. 350. Which being monstrous Calumnies and from which our general Answer to the unprejudiced clears us though we expected it would meet with such ill Treatment and Mis-construction as it hath from G. K. and this Author therefore thought meet to publish the said Answer herewith for the information of others more Charitable and Impartial than this our present Accuser and unjust Judge The said Queries appear to be of so little weight and some of them so indirect and in unscriptural Terms and perversly designed for cavil that I do not think they deserve to be reprinted here The following Answer being positive plain and scriptural as well as comprehensive of what 's necessary to be said to the matters chiefly Questioned And tho' I have long had a more particular Answer to the said Queries ready I do not think my self obliged at present to gratifie such imperious arbitrary Inquisitors as our present Adversaries with the publication thereof but rather for farther information in these matters chiefly Queried refer them and others to these our Books viz. First A Testimony of what we believe of Christ both as he was God and Man c. By G. F. Printed Anno 1677. And Secondly The Christian Doctrin and Society of the People called Quakers c. And Thirdly The Harmony of the Old and New Testament concerning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ c. With many more ancient Books whereby it may appear that we were not to seek our Faith concerning Jesus and the Resurrection before the said Queries came to our hands G. W. Lon. 3d day 4th Month call'd June 1695. Friend William Lancaster HAving received a Paper of great Objections against us the People called Quakers with seven Queries therein subscribed William Lancaster directed to our Yearly Meeting in Whitson-week 1695. and delivered to some of us very near the conclusion thereof and therefore only read in the said Meeting with not having any further time to consider the Contents thereof or to give any particular answer thereunto It was by the said Meeting left to a few to consider and answer as in the Fear of God and Meekness of Wisdom we should see Cause Wherein we observe is noted great Objections have been made against us by those who have departed from our Communion as by others To which we reply that 't is true and they have been answer'd to which we refer And we observe in the said Paper it s said We would not take an account of you only from your Adversaries c. And we have chosen this solemn Time And again And we have chosen this most proper and convenient Opportunity c. And then states the several Queries and says the Questions may be proposed and their Answer demanded Now the Objections having been publick and our Answers publick we desire to know who the We are that are intended in this Paper that we may apply our selves to them or give such Scriptural Answers as we hope may tend to satisfaction But to repeat Answers in writing or print to we know not who so often as demanded to the same things already answer'd We think it not needful Therefore have herewith only sent thee a few brief Lines being grosly Wronged and Misrepresented in the said Objections and divers of the Queries contain several Questions in them in different Terms and some Vnscriptural so not plain and direct Queries therefore cannot positively be answer'd by our simple YEA or NAY to each Query as designed We therefore at present send this general Answer to the Queries for thy information as follows viz. We sincerely believe and profess Jesus Christ and the Resurrection according to the Holy Scripture Testimony and to that measure of Vnderstanding which God hath been pleased to give us by his Holy Spirit We sincerely believe in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of the living God both as he is true God and perfect Man our Emanuel and Mediator and as in the fulness of Time he was Conceiv'd by the Holy Ghost Born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judea Suffer'd under Pontius Pilate was Crucified and put to Death was Buried rose again the third Day and visibly Ascended into Heaven and was received into Glory and that this same Jesus Christ that was Crucified shall so in like manner come as he was seen to go into Heaven in Power and great Glory to Judge both the Living and the Dead according to their Works at the last and great Day of Judgment in that great Harvest which is the End of the World And that by Jesus Christ there shall be a Resurrection of the Dead both of the Just and Vnjust unto the righteous Judgment of the great Day consequently that the Resurrection is not past as Hymeneus and Philetus said 2 Tim. 2. 18. And that the Dead shall be raised incorruptible Every Man in his own order and that our low Body shall be changed and made like unto Christ's glorious Body The Resurrection of the Bodies of the Saints We Believe shall be Spiritual and Glorious and that the Sons of God and of the Resurrection shall be equal with the Angels of God in Heaven and shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father and yet there is such a great Mystery in the Resurrection as that Flesh and Blood cannot Inherit the Kingdom of God neither doth Corruption inherit Incorruption 1 Cor. 15. The whole Sacrifice of Christ whereof his Blood outwardly that was shed was a part was of great Price with God for Mans Redemption Christ's Blood that was shed without the Gates of Jerusalem together with the whole Sacrifice himself both of Soul and Body was a true Propitiation and Attonement for Mans reconciliation and peace with God for remission of Sins through a living Faith and true Repentance in his Name given and wrought by his Spirit and Word of Power in Mens Hearts whose sincere obedience to Christ and Walking in his Light being required of them in order to experience Christ the Author of their eternal Salvation and to wash them from their Sins in his own Blood For without this true Faith Repentance and Obedience to Christ Jesus Men lose and forfeit the great Benefit of Christs Sufferings and deprive themselves of the Eternal Redemption and Salvation which he hath hereby obtain'd for us Tho' he dyed for all Men tasted death for every Man and gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified of in due time being a true Propitiation for the Sins of the World From thy Friends and Well-wishers John Gratton Samuell Wattson Thomas Lower James Parke John Bowater George Witehead John
the Quakers will not allow Christ to be the promised Seed or that he was more a Man in the Body of Jesus than in the Body of any other Man Ref. These are gross and notorious Falshoods still We ever believed the promised Messiah the Christ of God to be the promised Seed which by the Power of God should bruise the Serpent's Head and that he was true and perfect Man in the Body which he took upon him which was the Body of Jesus who was born of the Virgin Mary as he was and is a quickning Spirit in other Men especially in true Believers Sn. p. 239. He confesseth the Influence and Inspiration of his blessed Spirit is the ONLY true saving Light within us but not the Seed and Christ himself as the Quakers blasphemously dream only a Ray or Communication of his Light and Life to us But p. 242. he speaks of Faith in Christ's outward Blood by which ONLY there is Salvation Ref. If the only true saving Light within us be the Inspiratiou of the blessed Spirit and Communication of the Light and Life of Christ to us as is granted tho' this as within be not Christ in his fulness as in himself yet 't is as truly the Incorruptible Seed the Word Christ our Life and Light as the Life of Christ is Christ or as the Spirit of the Lord is the Lord as where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty now the Lord is that Spirit It is Christ gives us both Life Light and Spirit and Christ is our Life Light and Salvation But do not the Words only Salvation by Christ's outward Blood exclude any other means of Salvation And then how is his Spirit the only true saving Light within us Tho' that Blood of Christ be of true value and esteem as part of his Sacrifice and Price it is his Spirit and Power which quickens and actually saves the Soul from Sin and Death Sn. p. 245. He accuseth the Quakers with denying any other God or Christ but themselves Ref. This is one of his most horrid and blasphemous Slanders and solemnly by us denied with as utter detestation and abhorrence as any of the rest of his most gross and absurd Calumnies Sn. p. 251. That they expresly disown any other Christ than what is within them and that the Quakers do not believe that Christ has any other Body or other Humanity than that spiritual or allegorical Body which they say he has within them Ref. 1. To the first part We own not two Christ's the true Christ is but one Christ and we own him as he is both without us and within us tho' he is not wholly contained within us yet he 's truly within us by his Spirit Light and Life and dwelling in our Hearts by Faith What other Christ does this Man own than him who is in true Believers 2. The latter part of his Charge is not true We believe Christ has his spiritual glorious Body without us like unto which we also believe our low Body shall be changed and fashioned Sn. p. 254. That the Quakers by a monstrous sort of Transubstantiation think themselves to be the Christ. Ref. This is a monstrous Falshood and Forgery still to defame and odifie us grounded on divers other false and partial Stories and is before in substance answered Sn. p. 255. That G. Keith for his most Christian Doctrin of a Christ without was condemned by their last Yearly Meeting Re. This is a notoriously false Story again as the two Accounts given of him by two Yearly Meetings may evince having no such cause assigned in them for our conditionally disowning him but his unchristian Spirit and Behaviovr as an Instrument of divisions and disturbance in the Churches of Christ whereby he hath cut himself off unless he repent Sn. p. 262. Their spiriting away the Letter of the promised Seed the Humanity of Christ c. Re. This Charge with all the hard Consequences depending thereupon against us are sincerely and utterly denied by us As by the Letter of the promised Seed he means the Scripture-History of the Man Christ where proves he that we spirit this away Our owning Christ in Spirit and as a quickning Spirit in us was never intended as we know to deny his real Manhood Mediation or Intercession without us no more than the Apostle did See 1 Cor. 15. 45 47. where the second Man the Lord from Heaven is also called a quickening Spirit Sn. p. 263. He charges them with running into this Excess of throwing off the Humanity of Christ abusing the Scriptures by the contemptible Names of Beastly Ware Dust Death c. and calling the Holy Scriptures by the contemptible Names of Dust and Beastly Ware p. 267. Re. These are still old repeated shameful Calumnies against us The first part is sufficiently answer'd before and in many other Books for our sincerely and plainly owning the blessed and most-glorious Man Christ Jesus according to plain Scripture The latter part is some of F. Bugg's calumnious Abuses and Perversions and clearly detected and refuted in several Answers to his scurrilous Pamphlets and his Authority will go but a little way what Credit soever 't is of with this obscure Adversary 'T is far remote from us to own any such contemptible Names as to call the Holy Scriptures Beastly Ware c. Tho' perhaps making a Trade upon Scripture or Preaching for Hire or Mony hath been so called by some or other Sn. p. 268. That it is plain they never gave the Scriptures a good Word but meerly for popularity when forced to it Re. He is a very unrighteous and false Judge in this also both our Consciences in the sight of God and many of our Writings also testifie the contrary that freely and without force for the sake of that divine Inspiration from whence the Holy Scriptures proceeded and those blessed and holy Doctrins and Truths contained in them they are highly owned and esteemed by us Sn. p. 285. Judge whether these be sound principled Men that can turn conform and transform to every change according to the Times whether these be fit Men to teach People Re. These are still deceitful and envious Suggestions Our manifold Sufferings in our Persons and Estates for Conscience-sake by Persecutions many whereof being the Temporizers of the Clergy do manifest the contrary to what 's here suggested against us that we have not turned changed nor conformed according to the Times in point of Worship Principle Faith or Discipline for could we have so done we might have escaped many deep Sufferings and great Losses which we have undergone and then have been owned by such temporizing and persecuting Priests as now reproach us when they cannot otherwise persecute us as formerly Sn. p. 314. The Lord help them and hear our Prayers for them since they will not pray for themselves c. Re. We have no reason to believe that this Person can pray sincerely for us seeing he is so full
saying That Blood is not in Being this Advocate will have it that he only gives way to this supposition of the Quakers by way of Concession not as his own Opinion p. 16. 'T is a wonder the Man 's not ashamed to use such a slim come off and false cover for him when 't was a real Confession and not forced from him as a meer Concession for Argument sake why should he compare it then to a price lost And another Baptist Thomas Brown confess'd that the Blood that was shed is not in Being it sunk into the ground Light and Life p. 66. The occasion of my Questioning them so much about this matter was because they seem'd to place the great stress of Man's Salvation upon the outward Blood of Christ and the act of shedding of it as if it were the present agent operating in them Purging sprinkling their Consciences Sanctifying and Justifying without making the Spirit the Operator or Efficient thereof whereas both Sanctification washing and cleansing from Sin Regeneration Justification and so Salvation are more principally ascribed to the Spirit the Grace the Word of God yea to Christ himself than to the act of shedding that Blood or to that Blood it self yet I never opposed that as being a part of the Sacrifice of Christ offered for Sinners in order to a Pacification Attonement and Reconciliation And farther to his comparison between the Baptists declaring the Blood shed on the Cross not in being and the Agonies and Passions of Christ upon the Cross as not now in being I do not therefore dissolve all the merits of his Sufferings or Death to our Justification thereby I do not so Argue as implyed against me that because his Passion was Temporal and Finite therefore not Meritorious for the Merits or disserving on Christ's part is placed upon his Obedience in humbling himself to Death even to the Death of the Cross wherefore God hath highly exalted him c. Phil. 2. 8 9. whose Exaltation and Dominion is for our Salvation if we submit to him as our Leader Commander and King But my distinction for Argument is this Tho' that Blood and Sacrifice were offered as a price in order to Man's Redemption it is the Power and Spirit of Christ that inwardly operates and quickens the Soul to God purifies and sanctifies the Conscience and so effectually saves us from Sin and Pollution The Price is already paid but the Work is yet undone in many we value the Price but must not neglect the Work of our Redemption and Salvation in us for Christ's Sacrifice will not save justifie or acquit any in a State of impenitency or unbelief they must know the work of his Grace and Good Spirit in their hearts unto Repentance and Obedience of Faith in Christ or else they perish in their impenitency and wilful unbelief whereby they make both the Cross and blood of Christ of none effect unto them Except a Man be regenerate and born again he cannot see nor enter into the Kingdom of God And I conceive I am not to be blamed much less ranked among Ranters as G. K. has Narr p. 25. for ascribing the saving work of sprinkling the Conscience sanctifying and justifying principally to the inward Grace and Spirit more than to the Blood shed upon the Cross. I say again I see no necessity of directing Men to the Type for the Antitype to Jerusalem or the Temple p. 17. either for Jesus Christ or his Blood there but that such direction is contrary to what the Righteousness of Faith saith Ro. 10. 6 7 8. compared with Deut. 30. 11 12 13 14 15. Tho' we also Preach Christ as he was Crucified and Dyed at Jerusalem and raised from the Dead and I do not say that 's contrary to Ro. 10. as G. K. wrongs me several times over Narr p. 26 27. But to direct Men either to go to the material Temple at Jerusalem or to look to Jerusalem for Jesus Christ the Antitype of that Temple c. This I deem'd contrardictory to Ro. 10. above quoted but they are to turn and look to the Word of Faith nigh in the Heart where they may Livingly find feel and know Christ in Spirit and Power even in the Power of his Resurrection so as to be enabled both to confess with the Mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in the Heart that God raised him up from the Dead And this word of Faith and of God is confessed unto by G. K. himself to be the Object and Foundation of true Faith and that this is Christ in them and that from the same Scriptures I quoted Deut. 30. 12 13. Ro. 10. 5 6 7 8 9. As more fully appears in his immediate revelation p. 3. p. 64 65. Print 1668. Therefore 't is not to destroy nor allegorize away the Object of Faith to direct People to Christ as the word of Faith nigh in the Heart as the Object thereof nor is it Antichristian Doctrin as G. K. has unjustly accused me in this Point Narr p. 27. contrary to his former confessions And suppose any one in deep distress for want of Christ to free and save him from Sin should earnestly enquire where shall I find him Whither will you direct me to find Christ And one should answer I direct thee to Jerusalem to the material Temple to the Type for Christ the Antitype and should again say I direct thee to Christ as above the Clouds and not to Christ as the Light within and then call the Light within an uncertain Guide as the Baptist did whom I answered in this Case How would this answer the distressed Soul Or agree with the Testimony of Moses or of Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ in Deut. 30. 11 12 13 14. and Rom. 10. 6 7 8 9. As for what the Righteousness of Faith saith I should rather answer the Question according to the Testimony of Moses and the Apostle Whither shall I be directed to go to find Christ Answer Say not in thine Heart who shall Ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above Or who shall Descend into the Deep that is to bring Christ again from the Dead But what saith it The Word is nigh thee even in thy Mouth and in thine Heart that is the Word of Faith which we Preach And this Word of Faith will bring thee to know the great benefit and fruit of Christ's Death at Jerusalem for thee and the power of his Resurrection that thou mayest thereby be enabled livingly to confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine Heart that God hath raised him from the Dead so as thou mayest be saved by him But I yet say to preach Christ as a remote outward Christ only in opposition to his Light and Word of Faith within as in the Heart is to keep People in unbelief remote from the true Faith and Knowledge of Christ either as without us or within us which opposition ought not to be to
Therefore 't is a great and gross Lie to say of the Quakers They all pretend to such Perfection and Equality As it was also likewise answered in the said Just Inquiry into the Libeller's Abuse as followeth p. 12. It 's therefore a gross Slander implied against the Quakers that 't is their Boasting Doctrin or Principle that they or any of them are equal with God because they partake of his Spirit that raised Jesus from the Dead and of the divine Nature and Image they pretend to no such Equality or Principle neither doth G. F. but the contrary he denies it of himself or any other Creature as that any Creature should be equal with the Creator as in his Great Mystery fol. 127. and we abhor any such Boasting Sn. p. 216 217. That most of all are they inraged against G. Keith for Preaching up the necessity of a Christ without and that the Light within is not sufficient to Salvation without something else that is Christ Jesus without us suffering and dying outwardly for us Ref. 1. The first part is not true We are not offended at G. K.'s preaching Christ or his Suffering and Dying without us truly considered But 2. at his undervaluing the Light within as not sufficient to Salvation or not sufficient without something else seeing G. K. confesseth That the Light within in a true sense is God and Christ the eternal and essential Word as in his Antichrists and Sadducees p. 23. Surely Christ within and Christ without are not two Christ's Christ without is not another Christ than Christ within tho' his being without and within are in different manners By the Light within being sufficient to Salvation or to bring Salvation we mean able to save as the ingrafted Word is able to save the Soul yea even where the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a little Leaven which leavens the whole it bespeaks its Vertue and Efficacy surely then God and Christ the eternal and essential Word is all-sufficient and able to save Man from Sin Wrath and Damnation nevertheless God hath respect to Christ Jesus his Mediation Suffering and Dying for us in his so saving us but that God and Christ the eternal Word of God within who cannot be divided are absolutely sufficient and able actually to save and deliver Men from Sin and the Wrath to come and so do ought not to be questioned we being reconciled by the Death of Christ are saved by his Life The Light and Life of Christ within cannot be without Christ no more than the Light of the Sun can be without the Sun or a Stream without a Fountain the Light and Life of Christ within us hath livingly made us Partakers of the Fruit and Benefit of his Suffering Death and Resurrection without us and as much has been asserted of the Light within and sufficiently thereof by G. K. as any of us in his former Books How he is shaken and varied in this and some other Points we may refer to his Vniversal Grace and Immediate Revelation and other Books as also to the Remarks made on them and his latter Books by Tho. Ellwood John Penington and the Moderate Church-man Sn. p. 218 219. That Christ's making an outward attonement and satisfaction for Sin by an outward shedding of outward Blood they i. e. the Quakers turn all this to a meer Allegory tending only to an inward Christ that is their Light within to spiritual Blood shed inwardly in their Hearts Ref. 1. We are injuriously and wrongfully accused in this Charge We do not turn Christ's outward Suffering Sacrifice Blood or Attonement made for Sin thereby into a meer Allegory as if there had been no such thing in reality both outwardly and literally this is far remote from our Intentions thus to allegorize away all these to the Inward as if no Christ had outwardly been or suffered for Mankind 't was never our Opinion 2. Yet deny not but it has been and still is our sincere Belief and Persuasion as well as our Experience in measure that all Christ's Sufferings and Sacrifice his Cross his Blood and Water shed without had a misterious and allegorical Meaning and interpretation as well as a literal in them who are crucified with him and really washed from their Sins in his Blood and there is his spiritual Blood and Water as well as the outward for all that is spoken of the Blood of Christ in Scripture is not to be taken only in a literal sense Sn. p. 219 220. That this inward Christ they make to be the Archi-Type of which that Man Christ Jesus was but the Type Figure c. Ref. 'T is a new Notion imposed upon us that we make Christ as inward the Archi-Tipe chief or principal Type for Christ who is not divided is the substance and end of all Tipes and Figures and therefore 't is not true in it self nor of us That the Man Christ Jesus was but the Type or Figure for it hath pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell in him which Tipes Figures and Shadows are far short of Sn. p. 220 221. That this Doctrin which he charges against the Quakers makes no more of Christ Jesus than a good Example as a Man who had a great measure of the true Christ and that the Body of that Man Christ Jesus he has now thrown off and is no more a Man Thus saith he has the Devil in the Quakers totally destroyed Christ's Humanity as in the Socinians he has taken away his Divinity Ref. Here are five notorious Falshoods contained in this Charge against the Quakers In opposition to which we say our Belief and Doctrin is That Christ Iesus was and is more than a good Example he was also a most acceptable Sacrifice and Saviour in whom we have Life and Salvation through Faith in him his Name and Power 2. He received the Spirit not by measure but in fulness and that he is the true and very Christ of God 3. That the Man Christ Jesus has not thrown off his own particular Body for 't is a most glorious Body 4. And Christ himself a most glorious heavenly Man in Soul and Body 5. The Devil is a great Enemy to all faithful Quakers and hath no place in them by the Power of Christ they have overcome that wicked one and he cannot destroy Christ's Humanity or Manhood 't is blasphemous to affirm it tho' he persecute the Seed of the Woman and bruise his Heel this Seed shall bruise his Head and hath done it and will destroy the Devil and his Works from having any Power or Dominion where Christ the promised Seed is truly received and reigns Sn. p. 222. That they make themselves equal to Christ Jesus yea to be Christ preferring of themselves before him p. 224. Ref. These gross Lies and blasphemous Calumnies are utterly denied being also refuted before We have abundance of such Stuff reiterated in the windings and turnings of this Snake in the Grass Sn. p. 239. That
of Wrath and Envy that he notoriously belies us in his Prayer in saying That they i. e. the Quakers will not pray for themselves He seemingly prays but rails and reviles as it were with one Breath both next before and after his Prayer Sn. p. 319. That thus the Quakers say That he Christ dwelt only in the Body of that Man Jesus as in a Vail but took not that Body into his own Person so as to become Hypostatically united to it Re. We are to seek herein as not knowing where the Quakers say these things of Christ and his Body which he took and dwelt in as if he took it not into his own Person so as to be really or substantially united to it we never understood that it did not properly belong to himself but to some other Person The Objection herein against us is not only some Perversion but frivilous and impertinent Tho' his Flesh is called the Vail yet 't was that he owned as his own Body being also called the Body of Jesus which was not a fantastical but a real Body and he who is the entire Christ the Man Jesus is not divided in Body or Spirit Nevertheless Christ the eternal Son of God was as to his divine Nature and spiritual Being as the spiritual Rock before he took on him that Body that was prepared for him Sn. p. 320. That the Quakers most expresly make Christ's outward Blood the Type and Figure of inward Blood shed spiritually in their Hearts Re. We know not what Author he has for this Charge However the Quakers really own Christ's outward Blood as a part of his precious and acceptable Sacrifice and we deny not but that Blood of his as well as the Water that came out of his Side with it had an allegorical and misterious signification as well as an outward and literal evâ—â— of the spiritual Blood and Water of Life which Christ our High Priest sprinkleth and really washeth our Hearts and Consciences withal which we hope no sensible Soul will say is an outward or literal Sprinkling or Washing but an Inward and Spiritual Sn. ibid. That the Quakers make Christ without but the History and the Light within the Mistery or Substance which the Christ without as a History or Shadow of it only pointed Re. The Quakers do not so make Christ they make him no otherwise than the Father has appointed and made him to be He is more than either the History or Shadow of the Light within he as in himself is the substance of all Shadows and fulness of Light and Life from whom we have received both Spirit Light and Life Pray how proves he that the Quakers call Christ without but the History or Shadow of the Light within We want proof of this Point Sn. p. 321. That this the Quakers have done viz. set up other Scriptures against those received by the Church beyond any that ever went before them Re. We positively deny this Charge What other Scripture have they so set up against those Let 's have plain Proof for we are wholly ignorant of any such thing Sn. p. 322. That none ever have so contemned and vilified the Holy Scriptures as they have done Re. This is still maliciously to reproach and odifie us with the same old reiterated Calumny We know none that esteem and own the Holy Scriptures more than we both in Faith and Practice by the assistance of the Holy Spirit from whence they came Sn. p. 323. That a Man bringing a Bible into the Quaker's Meeting-House in Grace-Church-street and reading part of a Chapter the 14th of St. Luke it being the Bible so moved their Indignation that one of the chief of them snatched the Bible out of his Hand and thrust him along the Gallery down several Steps Re. We know no such Indignation or Action shewn by any of us against the Bible nor against any Person because thereof neither do we believe it let the Author prove it if he can We disown any such Indignation either against the Bible or any Person meerly because thereof Possibly some publick Disturber might by some or other present be gently turned out of Doors not because of the Bible but because of some offensive turbulent Behaviour Sn. p. 325. That upon pretence of the Light within the Devil the grand Deceiver drew them away from reading of the Scriptures c. discovers their preference of their own Writings to the Holy Striptures Re. We deny both these as utterly false scandalous and relative to many more Lies of the same kind in this Point Sn. p. 327 328. That they give all the threatning Discouragements that can be to deter any from reading of them Re. This is as gross and notorious a Falshood as the rest Sn. p. 330. I can saith the Opposer name those that now stand high among them who did before many Witnesses of the principal Quakers not stick to say That Paul was dark and ignorant and that they saw beyond him Re. We know none either High or Low among us that ever so said of Paul therefore let him produce his many Witnesses to prove who those were that so said that Paul was dark c. or otherwise for ever be ashamed of such odious Defamations Sn. p. 335. That Simon Magus was the Father of the Quakers Socinians and all the rest of the Anti trinitarian Hereticks Re. A gross Calumny against the Quakers rendring them a Sorcerer's Children But they deny both Simon Magus and all Sorcerers and the Devil the Father of Lies and all such as would persuade People to buy the Gift of God the Gospel for Mony The Quakers are as opposite to such Simony as Light is to Darkness Sn. p. 338. That E. Burrough pag. 47. determines clearly That the Scriptures are not now of any Authority at all to us at this Day Re. He perverts E. B.'s Words We find not such a determination of his but where he speaks of that not being a Command from God to me which he commands to another he intends this of special Commands that were to some as to Baptize and Preach the Gospel as he immediately explains it and not of general Commands of Duty incumbent upon all nor against the Authority of the Scriptures it being the Holy Spirit that makes them authoritative and binding and enables Men to live accordingly who are led by the same Spirit Sn. p. 342. That G. Whitehead in his serious Apology p. 49. prefers not only their Writings but their Ex tempore Preachments and even all whatsoever they speak upon any Account to the Holy Scriptures themselves Re. He very perversly wrongs G. Whitehead in all these Expressions for there 's not a word of preferring our Writings to the Holy Scriptures much less of all whatsoever we speak thereto but a preferring the Holy Spirit and its immediate Teaching in Man to the Letter of Scripture and preaching in the true sense of the Spirit with divine Authority according as Christ did
same i. e. our effectual Cleansing and actual Deliverance from Sin and Satan c. which he has obtained for us and for Mankind by his Sufferings and Mediation 2. We never ascribed to our selves a Power sufficient to work out our own Salvation that 's notoriously known to be expresly contrary to our professed Principle We ascribe our sufficiency to be in Christ by his own Power Grace and Light in us to work out our Salvation it being by Grace through Faith in Christ that we are saved not of our selves 't is the Gift of God and without him we can do nothing And this Heavenly Treasure though we have it in our earthen Vessels the excellency of the Power is of God and not of us After his many Scoffs at our Doctrin of Infallibility which he knows not what to make of he has at length stumbl'd upon an Instance of those he esteems will be found to have the best Title to it p. 85. where it is written Prov. 16. 10. A divine Sentence is in the Lips of the King and his Mouth transgresseth not in Judgment We would ask him If none are indued with a divine Sentence and unerring Judgment but Kings Or if none are Saints and Partakers of the Spirit of Truth or divine Wisdom but Kings What kind of Kings he means that are thus infallible he does not distinguish sure they must be just and good Kings indued with divine Wisdom But are none else so but Kings Do not all that truly fear God partake of the same Spirit and Wisdom Is God any respecter of Persons What does he think of those very Elect whom Christ implies 't is impossible to deceive Mat. 24. 24. Are they fallible or deceivable Or of them in whose Mouths was found no Guile Or of them who have put away all Guile and all Malice and all Lying and all Hypocrisie c. 1 Pet. 2. 1. Are such led by an infallible Spirit or no But to proceed he has some very scurrilous and abusive Flings at G. W. to prove him not led by an infallible Spirit of discerning or true Judgment p. 87. He quotes G. W.'s Charitable Essay in Answer to Fr. Bugg p. 6. his objecting against G. F. That they the Quakers could discern who were Saints and who Apostates without speaking ever a Word And says that he G. W. puts it off ingeniously thus That they could discern it by their lofty Looks wanton and scornful Eyes envious and fallen Countenances and so without speaking ever a Word p. 87. And then among divers other Scoffs and Flouts goes on Is not this very hard Fishing for Infallibility Adding Alas poor George Is the infallible Quaker dwindled down to a meer Gypsie or paltry Fortune-teller to nothing but a little Skill in Physiognomy Ah! George what a blessed Spirit would'st thee have thought Satan if thee hadst seen him when he was transform'd into an Angel of Light p. 88. 89. in Sect. 10. To all which it may be safely answer'd This Scorner's Abuse and Perversion is herein very evident for that we do not place our Infallibility of discerning of Spirits only upon those outward Signs in the Countenances of wicked Men or Women as their lofty Looks scornful Eyes envious fallen Countenances though these were in part instanced in Answer to the great wonderment made of knowing wicked Hearts when silent to shew there are other outward Signs and Tokens to manifest them by than their wicked Words or prophane Talk and even such Signs as Scripture takes notice of And seeing this Scorner has unjustly perverted and minced the Passage quoted Char. Essay p. 5 6. 't is meet to recite it more fully for the Quakers having a Spirit given to them beyond all the Fore-fathers in the Apostacy c. viz. That the very intent and meaning of G. F.'s Words herein was not beyond all the Fore-fathers without exception but beyond all in the Apostacy And further and they can discern who are Saints and who are Devils and who are Apostates without speaking ever a word that is they that be in the Power and Life of Truth as G. F. there saith can so discern between Saints and Devils and that 's possible as 't is for humble Men to discern wicked Persons even by their proud and lofty Looks wanton and scornful Eyes envious and fallen Countenances the shew of whose Counteannces testifing against them And more especially by the Gift of discerning of Spirits given to some in the Church of Christ Apostates and wicked Spirits are discernible from Saints and that a Spirit of Vnderstanding and Discerning is given among us c. concluding with the Saints Right of discerning by the Power and Life of Truth between Saints and Devils From all which pray observe how plain it is that discerning of Spirits which we assert is principally placed on and springs from the Power and Life of Truth that is from Christ and the Gift of discerning of Spirits given to some Members especially and still is continued in the true Church and from which discerning Satan cannot be hid however he transform himself altho' proud and lofty Looks wanton and scornful Eyes envious and fallen Countenances are rendred in Scripture as outward Signs or Marks of such wicked Hearts which also the Gift and Spirit of discerning perceiveth and gives to see many times through such outward Mediums And therefore the true discerning of Spirits which we plead for is neither dwindled down to a meer Gypsie nor paltry Fortune-teller nor to nothing but a little Jugler's Skill in Physiognomy as this scornful Adversary reflects And to reprehend his Reproach and Blasphemy herein and shew him that both God and good Men divinely inspired have also taken notice of such Signs Marks and Tokens in wicked Men's Looks and Countenances as before mentioned Let him read and consider these places of Scripture Gen. 4. 5 6. Psal. 10. 4. Isa. 3. 9 16. 2. 11. 5. 15. Psal. 131. 1. Prov. 30. 13. 6. 17. 21. 4. And he may see that both God Himself and his Prophets and Servants took notice of wicked Men's Countenances proud and lofty Looks and wanton Eyes c. and did not therefore deserve to be numbred among Gypsies and Juglers Behold the Levity and Ignorance of this prophane Scoffer of the Spirit of discerning and Scripture Who further in 's scoffing Humour proceeds against G. W. notoriously to detect his Infallibility by Signs and Faces as well as G. Fox 's without speaking ever a word as he pretends His Story is about one Chr. Athinson 's miscarriage at Norwich in the Year 1655. from Richard Hubberthorn's writing That in the wisdom of God we were searching it out and in his Will waiting for his Counsel The Scoffer reflects That notwithstanding all this neither G. Fox G. Whitehead nor any other of the infallible Gang could find it out till Chr. Atkinson prickt with the stings of his own Conscience did freely and of his own accord confess
it and sign'd a Paper of Condemnation of himself for this wicked Fact p. 90 91 92. Sect. 10. And what of all this What can he make of it That the then Quakers could not find out the Matter of Fact till upon their searching it out and waiting in the Will of God for his Counsel the Offender was made to confess it from inward Conviction in 's own Conscience And what 's the consequence Therefore they were not led by an infallible Spirit that follows not That Spirit might lead them to search and examine the Offender in order to bring him under Judgment and Sense of his Evil which they understood before and upon Examination and placing true Judgment upon him were made instrumental to bring him under Judgment and Confession for some discovery of his Crime was made before which occasioned their farther Enquiry and Care to prevent the reproach thereof from falling upon Truth and our Friends that were innocent Besides G. W. was not at Norwich when this Miscarriage hapned and was discovered yet he affirms that sometime before both he and some others perceived that the said C. Atkinson's Spirit was wrong and that he did not live in the fear of God nor in Humility and that they were burthened concerning him and did seriously caution him but he was too high to receive their Counsel insomuch that they were jealous Truth would suffer by him some way or other tho' they pretended not to know the Grossness of his Miscarriage aforehand nor till some discovery was made thereof neither were they or are we desirous to know all private Conversations and Actions of evil Men. We pretend not to know by Revelation or the infallible Spirit how many drunken Priests are in England c. nor how many of them have had their Misses and Bastards by their Maids and others nor who they all are by Name but by outward Relation we have had account of a great many such tho' we charge not all nor any of the eminent ones who are more sober than the rest And if this scornful Adversary shall therefore conclude that we have not the Spirit of Christ which is infallible he might as well conclude no Man has it because not omniscient which were very absurd and blasphemous And then be sure he has excluded himself from having that infallible Spirit of Christ and so is none of his and consequently destroyed the credit of all his own Work against us as therein having followed his own Spirit dictated by Satan as the false and lying Prophets did and not the Spirit of the Lord God To his scurrilous Story of more tender regard shewed to some young Women who had given a Confession in Writing to John Bolton of their frailty in the Flesh as is told in the Spirit of the Hat but it was hush'd up because it touched many eminent ones in the Ministry who from Day to Day resorted unto them c. p. 95 96. Sect. 10. This is a sligh insinuating way of implicitely scandalizing Persons by such old envious Stories and all to cast Dirt not only upon some private Persons but even upon many eminent ones of the Ministry without telling us the Names either of the Men or Women charged At this rate many honest Persons who are of good Fame also may be very injuriously brought under suspicion of great Enormity and Scandal But let this Adversary who is so very credulous of such infamous Stories come forth and shew himself and be more plain and particular in his Charge as of the Persons and Matters of Fact charged together with the said Confession of the Women and probably he may have a more direct Answer For his suspicious Charge as it is exhibited by him appears a very blind Story which we can make neither Head nor Tail of And the Spirit of the Hat did then prejudicially and blindly bring it forth which 't is hoped the Author hath repented of long before this time But this Opposer should look and examin among his own Brethren and remember that the Incontinency of Priests is no new thing for there is an old penal Statue-Law 1 H. 7. 4. made against Priests Clerks and religious Men for Incontinency being duly convicted of Advoutry Fornication Incest or any other fleshly Incontinency to be punished by the Ordinary by Imprisonment according to the quantity and quality of the Trespass If this Law be obsolete and not put in Execution we cannot suppose 't is because all the Priests are reformed and clear of that Enormity in these Days However they would not all be charged with the Faults of some Sn. p. 99. I hope what has been said will be sufficient to cure Men of this most mistaken pretence to Infallibility grounded upon the Infallibility of the Spirit of God as if nothing could proceed from Infallibility but what was infallible Re. 1. We know no mistaken pretence to Infallibility that 's grounded on the Infallibility of the Spirit of God for 't is an infallible unerring Spirit in all its Gifts Teachings Operations and Fruits and leads the truly spiritual-minded into all Truth and no other Spirit can we ground Infallibility in Matters of Faith or Duty upon 2. As no Lie is of the Truth so nothing proceeds from this Spirit of Truth but what 's true and certain as all its Ways and Teachings are Sn. p. 102. The Case of the Quakers is so hard that if we can prove but ONE false Prophet among them the Infallibility of All and every one of them must be a Deceit because out of E. Burr the Infallibility is asserted to belong to every One of them in particular Re. 1. The first part is as good Logick as to say If we can prove but one Drunkard or effeminate debauched Person among the Clergy of England then they are all Drunkards c. and their pretence to be all and every one of them Christ's Ministers is but a Deceit but let him better consider on 't True Prophets were not to suffer nor to be branded for the false Prophet's Falshood and Presumption See Deut. 18. 20 21 22. 2. Infallibility is no otherwise asserted to belong to every one or any of us than as we are led by the Spirit of Truth and taught thereby a Manifestation whereof is given to every one to profit withal But we do not therefore grant that every or any false Prophet belongs to us or our Society Sn. p. 102 103. To his long Story of a Quaker-Glover in Cheapside who had his Till robb'd and of a Quaker-Prophet mistaken in the Person c. Re. 'T is too long a Story to repeat and seems designed to render us ridiculously odious to which at present take the Answer following till the Snake-man appears to bring forth better Proof THE Glover replies for himself thinking it no Favour to have his Name concealed under a true state of the Case and minds his Author it is not safe nor warrantable to publish by Hear-say
Believers are baptized unto Christ and into Christ's Death and into One Body there being One Faith and One Baptism which is that of the Spirit 's which is the Soul 's saving Baptism typified by that of Water See 1 Cor. 12. 13. Rom. 6. 3 4. Gal. 3. 27. Ephes. 4. 5. 1 Pet. 3. 21. In the next place we may observe this censorious uncharitable Man will not allow Christ's Commission Mat. 28 19. To intend spiritual Baptism or the Baptism of the Holy Ghost because he saith Christ only is he who could baptize with the Holy Ghost To say that Man could bestow God which the Holy Ghost is is the highest Blasphemy p. 203 204. And further to aggravate the Matter against us he saith If the Quakers Interpretation of Mat. 28. 19. do hold it will follow that the Apostles and their Successors have power to baptize with the Holy Ghost which is Blasphemy Reply He is highly mistaken in his superlative Charge of Blasphemy in this Case for if our Interpretation of the Text does hold That Christ's Apostles and Ministers had Power given them by him being present with them even in his own Work to baptize with the Spirit as well as to convert Men to God then our Interpretation isd not Blasphemy because it holds This severe Judge against us is quite out here For tho' Christ be the great and efficient Cause both of giving and baptizing with the Spirit yet his true Ministers who were indued with his divine Power were instrumental in his Work of baptizing with the Spirit yea and of ministring the Spirit and he was with them in his own Work Lo I am with you always to the end of the World saith he What for To enable them to baptize with Water No that many can do without him or the least sense of his Presence but lo Christ was with them to impower them to Go teach all Nations baptizing them into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost It is not Go teach and then baptize them with Water but Go teach all Nations baptizing them c. There was a divine and spiritual Baptism immediately attending and present with their Ministry and it was to such as were docible too and not to Infants who are not capable of Teaching and this spiritual Presence of Christ and his Baptism accompanying their Ministry is evident according to St. Peter's own Relation Acts 11. 15 16. And AS I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell on them that heard even as upon us at the beginning Then I remembred the Word of the Lord how he said John baptized with Water but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost What 's more plain than that here was Teaching and Baptizing with the Holy Ghost accompanying his Ministry Query But were Christ's Apostles instrumental in ministring the Spirit Yes they being Ministers of the Spirit and not of the Letter See Gal. 3. 2. Received ye the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith preached And ver 5. He therefore that ministreth to you the Spirit and worketh Miracles among you doth he it through the Works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith preached Their Speech and Preaching being not in the enticing Words of Man's Wisdom but in plain Evidence of the Spirit and of Power that the Faith of the Hearers might not stand in the Wisdom of Men but in the Power of God 1 Cor. 2. 4 5. For said he our Gospel was not unto you in Word only but also in Power and in the Holy Ghost and in much Assurance 1 Thes. 1. 5. But contrarywise this imposing Judge has promoted Water-Baptism above the spiritual powerful Ministry of the Gospel He 'll have the spiritual Baptism to go along with that of Water duly administred and received as he saith p. 205. But by no means will he allow the spiritual Baptism to go along with the Gospel Ministry or Teaching as commanded Mat. 28. 19. No by no means that he deems Blasphemy which bewrays his no small Ignorance both of the Scriptures and of the Power of God and true Gospel-Ministry in this case and therefore he 'll not allow Inward Baptism to supersede the Outward Though John Baptist who had a peculiar Commission for the Outward allowed it he preferred and exalted Christ's Baptism above his own saying He must increase but I must decrease John 3. 30 I indeed baptize you with Water unto Repentance or amendment of Life but he that cometh after me is mightier than I whose Shoes I am not worthy to bear he will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire Mat. 3. 11. Mark 1. 8 Luke 3. 16. John 1. 26 27. That John as to this his outward Ministry of Baptism should decrease implies not an immediate or present end thereof upon the entrance of Christ's Dispensation or Baptism but that John's should gradually decrease and wear out as Christ's Ministry and Baptism do encrease and grow as the Heat of Fire or Sun dries up the Water and causes it to decrease by Degrees and not suddenly all at once For John and his Ministry being of great esteem with many both Jews and Greeks no doubt his Baptism was condescended unto and allowed when the Apostles were gathering divers of the Churches of Christ to a higher Ministry And that this of John's Baptism was an Act of Condescention and not of Commission to the Apostles Paul is very plain in this case 1 Cor. 1. 14 15 16. after he saith I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius lest any should say that I had baptized in my own Name I baptized also the Houshold of Stephanus c. He gives a more general Reason for his thanking God he baptized no more ver 17. For Christ sent me NOT to baptize but to preach the Gospel c. And doubtless Paul's Commission from Christ was as large and extensive as any of the Apostles had therefore their Commission in Mat. 28. 19 was not to baptize with Water but with the Spirit wherein their Gospel Ministry came His supposing that If the inward Baptism must supersede the Outward then must Inward Teaching p. 203. This supposes the outward Baptism of equal Authority with Teaching or Preaching the Gospel and as necessary to continue which we do not believe yet we deny not but the inward and immediate Teaching of the Holy Spirit is more excellent and permanent than the Outward as the Holy Spirit is the Original and Spring from whence the true outward Ministry arises and flows and unto which it leads and the more People come to know an Introversion and joining of their Minds to the Inward the less need they 'll have of the Outward though we bless God for both But how proves this Adversary That the visible Representation of the Lord's death by the Bread broken and the Wine poured forth and also Water-Baptism are the Body or outward part of Religion which he saith the
only measurably This is always allowed by us 3. False again That they deny any proper Incarnation of Christ that is that he was made Flesh. For the Word was made Flesh John 1. 14. And he took not upon him the Nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham and part of the same Flesh and Blood which the Children had Heb. 2. 14 16. and Christ Jesus is one entire Christ and Saviour We do not divide nor confound Jesus and Christ nor take the Name Christ to our selves but Christians as anointed by him and Partakers of Christ and only so far have an Interest in his Name Power and Life 4. False also That they say not that Christ did carry up i. e. the Body of Jesus with him into Heaven Whose Body then but his own when he was visibly seen to ascend so as a Cloud received him out of their sight Acts 1. 9 10 11. 5. Seeing we confess That Christ is now in Heaven when did ever we refuse to confess that there is any Jesus now in Heaven or any elsewhere This is an absurd Accusation as if we divided Jesus and Christ or denied Jesus to be Christ which is far from us 6. That they know not what 's become of him Jesus is also false He ascended far above all Heavens that he might fill all things and we know him in us by his Spirit 7. That they say there 's no Christ without them is false also 8. No other Christ but what 's within them There 's not Two Christs 'T is one and the same Christ that is without us and within us tho' in different manners 9. That they allow him no other Body but their own is false They allow him his own proper glorious Body in which he is their Head and they united to him so as the Body in general or comprehensively is but one Body even so is Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. 10. That they spiritualize ALL his Life and Death to his spiritual Living and Dying within them which is a reiterated Falshood The same Christ that was crucified in the Flesh without is spiritually within known in true Believers 'T is not another Christ but another Manifestation of one and the same Christ. 11. Our Friend G. F. in the places impertinently and perversly quoted Gr. Myst. p. 210 211 254. does not dispute against saying That the Man Christ that was crucified his Body is now in the Presence of his Father But against their saying Christ is absent from the Saints and People and against their professing a Christ without them and another within them i. e. Two Christs There being but one Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 8. 6. 12. 'T is neither impious nor blasphemous in the Quakers to affirm That the One Lord Jesus Christ does influence inspire and enlighten us by his Life and Spirit in our Hearts this is the true state of the Case to guide us and that he is the only Christ and Saviour that so doth and that Christ and his Spirit and Light are not so divided Being still but One Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who suffered for us and reigneth both in Heaven and Earth in which he hath all Power committed to him 13. Our Adversary refers to one Rob. Gordon's Authority against us in his pretended Testimony to the true Saviour or Jesus of Nazareth printed 1670. In which there are many Abuses Misrepresentations and Contradictions answered and detected by G. Keith and G. Whitehead in their Book Entituled The Light of Truth triumphing over Darkness Ignorance Error and Envy G. Keith then vindicated us and our Principles against R. G. and other Opposers however he be now declined and turned against us he has not retracted his Answer to the said R. Gordon whose Authority we deny and it will not support our present Opposer against us 14. What he quotes of S. E. 's Challenge What was said of Christ the World was made by him and the World knew him not so it may be said of this true Prophet G. F. p. 232. We the Quakers so called disown the Comparison any otherwise than as it relates to the World knew him not for so far Christ himself allows his own They are not of the World as I am not of the World John 17. And the World knoweth you not because it knoweth not him 1 John 3. 1. 15. His repeated false Charges of making our selves equal with God and preferring our selves before the Man Christ making him and all he did and suffered to be BVT a Type or Shaedow of what is really performed in us by the true Christ p. 233. These Falshoods and Perversions are answered denied and detected partly before in this and in our Just Enquiry and also in an Answer to Dr. Ford Entituled The Christianity of the People commonly called Quakers c. Some of his other Falshoods he quotes and credits out of R. Gordon are viz. 16. Crying up a Light within to cry down the Blood without 17. To preach him Christ as an Example to cast out the Attonement 18. Denying him to have any real outward individual glorified bodily Existence in his Fathers Kingdom 19. That the preaching of a Christ without them they call old beggarly Stuff Adding viz. 20. And those who formerly preacht him as without us though Prophets or Apostles to be low and carnal in their Day according to their Cant which he there repeats p. 235. These foul and odious Lies Calumnies and Perversions he credits and repeats against us which we utterly deny and his Authority also quoted by him as malicious and injurious 21. His next Authority against us is T. C. i. e. Tho. Crisp his Animadvers and F. Bugg's Quakerism Withering both which are fully answered and their manifold Falshoods and Calumnies justly detected and reprehended particularly in G. W.'s Answer Entituled The Counterfeit Convert and T. C. by Edward Pennington As to those offensive Words Your carnal Christ your imagined God we do not affect the Terms neither are they proper to the true Christ or omnipresent God 22. In p. 236. the Snake unfairly cites G. F. in two places Gr. Myst. p. 250. leaving out the very reason of his Reflection upon Chr. Wade his recording himself a Reprobate which was his Ignorance of the Mystery of Christ within him And Gr. Myst. p. 183. The Imputation to a Believer is owned and this Imputation is within for he that believes is born of God and hath the Witness in himself Abraham believed and the Romans and to such the Imputation was spoken in the Belief c. All these Words left out as seems to us with design to render us as wholly denying Imputation on any account which is a manifest Perversion tho' G. F. in the place cited esteems the inward Enjoyment of Christ Jesus and his Righteousness to be beyond any Imputation only in the first Belief as true Believers in Union with Christ are nearer to him than when they first believed 23. 'T is false That the
to the bare reading the Letter as the Pharisees did which was not at all to lessen the Authority of Holy Scripture Sn. p. 343. To prove gross Contempts of Scripture daily found among them i. e. the Quakers he gives us another particular Instance of a Quaker-Servant that took the Bible and in the open Day publickly burnt it against the Church in Bread-street to shew her Zeal Re. Upon a late Enquiry we understand That there was such a Servant-Maid who under some Discomposure and Temptation attempted such an evil and mad Action but was severely rebuked and testified against by our Friends who came to understand that Attempt or Action which we utterly abhor and therefore not justly chargeable upon us as a People any more than all the mad Actions of the People in Bedlam who belong to the Church of England Wherefore the great Envy and Injustice of this Defamer is very remarkable in this Passage as 't is extended against the Quakers to prove gross Contempts of Scripture daily found among them which is as bad as to say They daily burn their Bibles Oh sad and sordid Stuff Sn. p. 346. I assure thee Reader that there is no mixture of any personal Prejudice in this Vndertaking for I do freely own that I have a real Kindness and good Wishes for every one of the Quakers that I have hitherto been acquainted with and I never received any sort of Disobligation from any of them in my whole Life Re. 1. We have no reason to believe this Person has no personal Prejudice in this his reproachful Undertaking being against a whole People where every Person of their Society is concerned and shamefully defamed by him under as gross Terms and Characters as the Devil and Malice could invent and produce through a poor dissembling Hypocrite as thus pretends such real Kindness and good Wishes for every one the Quakers of his Acquaintance while at the same time he 's endeavouring to murther their Reputations both as Men and Christians 2. And yet he has received no sort of Wrong from any of them to disoblige him in his whole Life More shame for him then thus sordidly to abuse the whole People as he hath done Sn. p. 348. As to the Nature of Christ they can subscribe the whole Creed and yet not mean one word of it of a personal Christ existing now in Heaven in his own true human Nature without all other Men or that he is now any otherwise a Man than as existing in his Saints But that they mean ALL they say of their own Light within ONLY which they call a spiritual Christ and shedding spiritual Blood c. within them Re. Here are several Things very perversly and falsly insinuated in these Passages 1. As if we did not believe the Man Christ Jesus to be now in Heaven without us as well as spiritually within us which is not true 2. As if we did not own Christ Jesus to be intire and perfect Man in himself or in his own proper Being or Existence without us as well as he is by his Spirit in us which also is not true for we really own him in both And though Christ being the spiritual Rock and as he is the Word of God the immortal Seed and a quickning Spirit he is in us and livingly felt and known in all true Believers yet not to lessen his intire Existence or limit him the Holy One as if he were no where or otherwise in Being than within us Such limitation we disown as well as wholly to exclude Christ out of his Saints as some have done under those unscriptural Expressions of a personal Christ existing in Heaven wholly without us which Terms some of us have questioned chiefly because imposed by some to oppose the Light Life and Spirit of Christ within whereby we can only truly know the Lord Jesus Christ to our eternal Salvation and Peace 3. That Christ is truly spiritual and glorious we confess and shall never deny and that he has spiritual Blood too spiritual Water Wine and spiritual Drink to sanctifie refresh and comfort our Souls we must confess as that we daily experience as well as he had natural and outward Blood to offer and shed on the Cross for the sins of the World Sn. p. 350. That the Quakers general Answer to the seven Queries of the 15th of May 1695. was a Trick and Deceit of theirs to hide and cover their monstrous Heresies Re. This is a very severe and high Charge especially from one pretending real Kindness for us and as false as any of the rest of his Railery against us But what Proof is offered of these monstrous Heresies or covering them viz. Sn. They tell of Christ born of the Virgin Mary who suffered under Pontius Pilate c. but they keep off the whole stress of the Queries viz. Whether they believe in such a Christ as without them And that he is now this day a Man without all other Men No not a word of this this pinches too close And I think this a full Confession of their Heresie Re. Our Adversary appears very much out here For suppose we did not answer expresly in all the Terms of the said Queries being indirect and confusedly stated seeing we gave a scriptural intire substantial and comprehensive Answer which he is not able to confute This could not amount to any confession of Heresie on our parts neither does his thinking so prove any such thing He judges with very dark and evil Thoughts in this Matter Where did we ever say That Christ being born of the Virgin Mary and suffering under Pilate were not without us Or that Christ is not a Man without all other Men as well as spiritually in them We are to seek for such a Confession by us for we know none such but the contrary we are bound to believe in Christ intirely in all respects as he is both as he is within us and as he is without us both as he is God and as he is Man according to Holy Scripture-Testimony of him and 't is not uncharitable or envious thinking the contrary of us that can be any valid Argument to convict us to the contrary or of any Heresies whatsoever Sn. p. 351. Out of some of their i. e. the Quakers Books George Keith has collected their true and genuine Answers to each of the said Queries c. under this HOLY Title Gross Error and Hypocrisie detected c. Re. The first part is false For G. K. did partially and perversly collect divers Passages which could be no proper nor direct Answers to those Queries nor so intended nor by us adapted to any such Queries therefore the greater Abuse in him to collect and place them for Answers thereto 2. His Title and Charge of Gross Error and Hypocrisie is blasphemously termed HOLY for 't is altogether Unholy as well as Malicious and G. Keith is accountable to the just God for scandalizing and defaming us not only
with Gross Error but Hypocrisie too The first intends those Books of ours quoted by him in all which there 's Matter sufficient to clear us from his Aspersions as Thomas Ellwood and John Pennington also have well observed in divers Answers to him together with G. Keith's own former Vindications of us as a People and our Principles The latter i. e. Hypocrisie we may suppose must intend our Answer given to the said 7 Queries wherein as in divers other things G. K. hath foully belied us contrary to our own Consciences which are clear in the sight â—f God from Hypocrisie in this Matter as well as in other things And seeing G. K.'s Authority seems to be of some value with the obscure Author of The Snake in the Grass he and his Brethren of the Church of England may take G. K. for their Champion and see what they can make of him for he shews himself now no Quaker but more near to them and where he 'll yet center or settle in what Society or Communion is a great Question Or rather whether he does not aim at setting up for himself as Sect-master if he can draw some sort of People to admire him in his Notions and reproaching the Quakers contrary to his former manifold Vindications of them and their Principles after above 30 Years Conversation and kind Treatment among them The Second Part. Here follows a Catalogue of some of the great Mistakes notorious Abuses and Calumnies in the Second Part of the said Book stiled The Snake in the Grass after the Preface which is bigger than the Book it self THE Controversie with the Quaker-Dissenters has not been pursued by the Church of England with the like Zeal and Pains as those against the Presbyterians Independents and other Dissenters because the Quakers were not so considerable either for their Learning or for their Influence upon the publick Revolutions which the others caused both in Church and State But their numbers whether increased by their being so neglected are now really formidable I mean for the many Souls seduced by them they not only swarm over these Nations but they stock our Plantations abroad Re. Tho' the first part of this Complaint carries no small Reflection upon the Presbyterians and Independents c. rendring them greatly obnoxious in the Eye of the Government as not only formidable but dangerous which is most proper for them to answer 't is not truly stated as to the Quakers For the Church of England in the two late King's Reigns has pursued them with more Zeal and Pains than any other Dissenters both to stop their Growth and to root them out also tho' not by rationally controverting Matters in difference but by such extream and severe Persecutions as hard Imprisonments Banishments Spoil of Goods c. as no other People of Dissenters have so generally suffered nor to such a degree because they did not stand in a publick Testimony in the Heat of the Day as the People called Quakers have So that 't is not through the said Churches neglect or want of taking Pains to pursue the Quakers that they are so multiplied and increased but rather as the first and chief cause of their Increase was God's Power and divine Providence A secondary Cause was their great Oppressions and Persecutions of which Israel's Oppression and Increase when in Egypt in some sense and degree was figurative or resembling even of the true Churches Sufferings when the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and grew Sn. p. 4. I find them scoffingly telling of the Rabbies of the Quakers to inherit the Subtilty as well as Heresie of the Arians and Socinians who were the most subtil and hardest to be detected of any of the Christian Hereticks and the Quakers do defend themselves with the same distinctions and even add to their Arts. Re. This Adversary is very much out and maliciously calumnious in this his charging the Heresie of the Arians as well as Socinians upon the Ministers among the Quakers For what was the Heresie of Arius Was it not that he held That the Son of God had his beginning of nothing That there was a time when he was not That he had a beginning of Essence That he had this Essence of nothing That the Son of God was of free Will inclined to Virtue and Vice That he was a Creature and made neither like unto the Father in Substance neither the true Word of the Father by Nature neither his true Wisdom and that the Word of God was not from Everlasting c. These Heresies were charg'd upon Arius and his Complices in the Syâ—odical Epistle of the Council of Nice and Bishop of Alexandria lib. 1. cap. 3. Socr. Scol p. 215 216. p. 225. ch 6. Now we challenge this obscure Adversary to prove where ever the Quakers or their Ministers held these blasphemous and atheistical Notions Nay 't is manifest they hold the quite contrary both to Arius and Socinus for the Divinity of the Son of God the Eternal Word as many of their Writings testifie and therefore he is a gross Lyar who charges us with them and highly guilty of Folly and Self-contradiction also in rendring such mad Folks as he deems us so very subtil in Distinctions and Arts. Sn. p. 5. Many of them have really gone off from the height of Blasphemy and Madness which was professed among them at their first setting up in the Year 1650. and so continued till after the Year of the Restoration Anno 1660. Re. We utterly deny this Charge again as a foul Scandal That many of us professed the height of Blasphemy and Madness or that any in Society with us have so done The Man shamefully abuseth the Readers by imposing such lying defaming Stories upon them Sn. p. 10 11. Divers Comparisons made between L. Muggleton and the Quakers as denying all Church-Authority making a dead Letter of the Holy Scriptures and resolving all into their own private Spirit c. That these are Twin-Enthusiasts both born in the Year 1650. Re. His Comparisons herein are unjust and Accusations false 1. We never owned nor had Society with Muggleton but always bore our Testimony against his dark blasphemous Conceits 2. The spiritual Authority of the true Church we always own and esteem 3. The Holy Scriptures i. e. the Holy Doctrin of the Gospel we do not make nor call a dead Letter We distinguish between the dead Letter and the living Doctrin and follow not our private Spirits for the understanding thereof but the Spirit of God the Inspiration of the Almighty which giveth the true understanding Sn. p. 12. I desire before I go farther to obviate a Prejudice which some Readers may take as a little Railery I am forced to use now and then which they may think not becoming the Subject in Hand Re. His said Book of Four Shillings Price has more than a little Railery in 't for 't is stuft with abundance of as shameful Railery
for his Account is almost in every part false containing at least twelve plain Mistakes at best A natural Consequence of being over-officious and medling in other Mens Affairs which he is the readier to let him know that if he will please to appear Face to Face and hath two Ears may be yet better informed by him who is willing to join Issue with him in his great many more Instances as he saith Nath. Marks Among his many repeated Falshoods there is something of Truth hinted about one he calls a Prophet although never so esteemed by us who not keeping in Humility true Fear and Watchfulness as the Light of the Lord would have guided him the Enemy prevailed to hurry him by the shrength of Imagination and a secret discomposure of Mind wrongfully to charge a Person with the Fact for which he has been reprehended and testified against and we desire the Lord may truly humble that Person unto true Repentance Is it just to reproach all for this one Man's Offence Would this Accuser be so dealt by from the gross Miscarriages of many of his esteemed reverend Brethren of the Clergy Or because some of them have run Mad would he and the rest be so deemed We trow not Sn. p. 104 105. These Quaker-Prophets resolv'd to try their Hands round since they had begun and see if they could terrifie some or other to confess their Infallibility Re. What Prophets and how many did so resolve This is a foul Aspersion mix'd with the other false and partial Story to defame us and to invalidate our Christian Testimony which is to the Spirit of Truth and its Infallibility Sn. p. 112. Now it is made apparent that that Spirit which possesses them i. e. the Quakers is the very Spirit of Lies which is the Spirit of the Devil and consequently that their Light within is Darkness and then as our Saviour said O how great is that Darkness Re. What a blasphemous scornful and defaming Wretch is this 1. Thus to defame and condemn a sober religious People as possest with the Spirit of the Devil from some personal Mistakes Failings and Weaknesses 2. Thus to condemn the Principle i. e. our Light within as great Darkness because of some personal Miscarriages or Darkness prevailing through their not walking in the true Light which we profess Sn. p. 113. O therefore let those Christians beware who are led away with pretences to the Spirit in any Men not only against but beside that which is written who break the Vnity of the Church which Christ calls the tearing of his own Body to pieces and forsake the Communion of their lawful Bishops whom Christ has left as his own immediate Representatives and Vice gerents and as the Principles of Vnity in their respective Churches Re. This Story affects all Protestant Dissenters how conscientious soever any of them are as if they were all led by an ill Spirit against Scripture to break the Unity of the Church of Christ and tear his Body to pieces and to forsake the Communion of Christ's own immediate Representatives and Vice-gerents Very high Charges indeed but we deny them he must produce some better Proofs than his own ipse dixit or thus imposing upon Dissenting Protestants And suppose some such Dissenters should deny a Church guilty of severe Persecution to be the Church or Body of Christ and such Bishops as have countenanced Persecution to be his Vice-gerents and therefore cannot in Conscience hold Communion with them or with that Church what proof will he bring to satisfie the Denyers thereof See what follows Sn. p. 115. Sect. 10. Tho' God sent many Prophets to reprove the Kings and the Priests yet they neither rebelled against the Kings nor set up opposite Altars against those of those wicked Priests But AS they paid all dutiful Obedience to their persecuting Kings and suffered Martyrdom under them without resistance SO did they always keep in the Communion of those same Priests whom they had provok'd and reprov'd and paid all due Obedience to their sacred Authority Re. 1st That God sent Prophets to reprove the wickedness of Kings and Priests and the Covteousness Idolatry Prophaneness and Persecution of corrupt and polluted Priests is true and that true Prophets patiently suffered by both 2. But that the true Prophets did always keep in the Communion of those same corrupted polluted and wicked Priests whom they had reproved as asserted we deny for the Holy Prophets had a distinct pure Communion from that of the polluted Priests 3. 'T is no better than a piece of Popery thus to plead for keeping Communion with wicked Priests and Obedience to their Authority as sacred when they have no divine or sacred Authority being debased by their own Iniquity This is to make People Vassals to a corrupt Priesthood such as the holy Prophets testified against and as God overthrew for their Covetousness Idolatry and Wickedness the great Corruption of Priests is sufficient cause to dissent and separate from them Sn. p. 124 125. Their Churches have censur'd these Separatists and consequently given Judgment against the Light within particular Persons Re. The Consequence is falsly deduced for where the Separation is a Self-separation for which no just Cause is or can be assigned or Corruption charged upon the Society or Church from whom the Separation is made 't is unwarrantable and not arising from the true Light in any particular Persons and therefore the Judgment against such a Self-separation is not against the Light but against a Fruit of the Flesh and Darkness The Lord requires a Separation from the Unclean but not from the Congregation of his People nor from the Flocks of his Companions Sn. p. 128. The Ground of this Persecution against G. Keith was his preaching Christ without or a personal Christ in Heaven besides the Light within which he said was only the spiritual Presence of Christ by his Light and Life in all his Children P. 130. They do not really believe in any other Saviour than their own Light within which they call Christ and so endeavour to amuse us Re. 1. We never understood that G. K. was prosecuted for preaching Christ without in Heaven and only his spiritual Presence by his Light and Life in all his Children seeing this is all still but one and the same indivisible Christ and not two Christs Christ as in the Heavens and as in our Hearts is not divided There were other Matters charg'd against G. K. of his turbulent Spirit and Behaviour making Divisions Parties Separations c. 2. We do really believe in the intire Christ of God who was sent to be the Saviour and Light of the World that enlightens every Man coming into it and he is our Light Life and Salvation and this can amuse none but them that walk in Darkness Sn. p. 140. That G. K. upon the Text 1 John 1. 7. said It ought to be taken literally that it was the outward shedding of Christ's Blood which
cleanseth from Sin and that this was not to be resolved into the Light within nor to be spiritualiz'd away from the Letter Re. Let us be excused if we cannot take that Text 1 John 1. 7. altogether literally if cleansing from all Sin be a spiritul and inward Work or Act as no doubt it is there 's as much ascribed to the Spirit as to the Blood in respect to the Work of Sanctification Washing and Cleansing from Sin And therefore the Blood of Christ may be both taken spiritually and literally and this is not to spiritualize away the Letter relating to the outward Blood and Sacrifice of Christ seeing we have always believed both in the Letter and receive the Fruit thereof in the Spirit Sn. p. 148. Sect. 11. These Men whose chief Principle is to decry and damn the Letter Re. This is a most gross and foul Calumny Our preferring the Spirit to the Letter as the Apostles did is no decrying nor damning the Letter nor so intended by us but to bring People to the Life and Substance and real fulfilling of Scripture To what he saith in distinction between Christ the Word of God and the Book of Scriptures p. 151 152. this makes for us and against them who have often affirmed that Book to be the Word in opposition to our owning Christ to be the Word of whom the Scriptures testifie And this on our part is no Contempt of the Holy Scriptures nor in their place any deifying of our own Spirit and our own Scriptures as this Adversary most falsly accuseth us p. 152. His most seeming pretence for Proof against us of Contempt of Holy Scripture is in p. 142. Sect. 11. where he quotes a Passage out of a Book Entituled The Quaker's Refuge c. thus viz. Whether the first Pen-man of the Scriptures was Moses or Hermes Or whether both these are not one Or whether there are not many Words contained in the Scriptures which were not spoken by Inspiration of the Holy Spirit Whether some Words were not spoken by the grand Impostor some by wicked Men some by wise Men ill applied some by good Men ill express'd some by false Prophets and yet true some by true Prophets and yet false And here the Accuser breaks off in his Citation like as F. Bugg used to deal by us who has the same Passage to defame us as he hath done Whereas next after the Words And yet false these follow viz. Is not the Subject of my Argument at this time Here 't is plain the Author R. R. has cited these Questions about the Scriptures not as the Subject of his own Argument but of some others he would not then be concerned to dispute those Questions or Doubts For the said Author farther confesseth That such Scriptures and Prophesies as have been written and prophesied by the Holy Men of God as they were moved by his Spirit treating of the Mystery of God in the Redemption and Salvation of Mankind by Jesus Christ and the Duty of Man in his Obedience to and Worship of the same God as his reasonable Service for the Gift of so great Salvation are the great Concerns now under our most serious Consideration From hence it 's clear the Author was no Contemner of Holy Scripture and 't is clear the Subject of his Argument was for the Authority of the Holy Spirit in judging or discerning the Mind of God in the Holy Scriptures as truly own'd by the Quakers thus in the said Book Quaker's Refuge p. 17. which could not intend any Contempt of the Holy Scriptures much less a deifying either of our own Spirit i. e. the Spirit of Man or our own Writings in their place We have rarely ever met with more mad unlikely and improbable Aspersions than these from our most outragious Adversaries To what is objected p. 155. Sect. 11. viz. That they i. e. the Quakers cannot be bound by any Command in the Scriptures unless their Spirit anew require the same This is falsly stated 't is not our own Spirit i. e. the Spirit of Man abstractly that we profess to be under the Conduct of but the same Spirit which gave forth the Holy Scriptures And is not awanting to require of us the performance of its own necessary Commands and Doctrins contained in the Scriptures seeing 't is the same Spirit which leads it's sincere Followers into all Truth consequently not to undervalue any of those blessed Truths recorded in the Holy Scriptures And therefore this Adversary's Consequence intended against us viz. That the Scripture remains of no Authority with us p. 155. is very unjust being deduced from his own false Suggestions supposing us to set the Spirit in opposition to the Scriptures of Truth whereas we plead for the divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures in so much preferring the Holy Spirit from whence they proceeded and derive their Authority and not from Human Tradition And this is far from spiritualizing away all the Letter of the Scripture or Christ's Humanity as in p. 166. as we are often unjustly aspersed To what he saith p. 168. That Enthusiasts have no Principles they have no Rule but their own Fancy which is strongest in mad Men and this they mistake for Inspiration and then their Madness is at the height We say take Enthusiasm in the truest and best Sense and then such are inspired of God and by his Inspiration have a true Understanding and right Principles given them both Divine and Moral and do not mistake Fancy for Divine Inspiration But to whom does the Man apply this Enthusiasm which he renders Fancy more strong in mad Men and height of Madness In his next Page 't is to the Quakers He says No Quaker can deny but that the Principle of the Quakers is all Enthusiasm There never was any Enthusiasm in the World that exceeded it p. 169. Sect. 11. Here he seems to take Enthusiasm in the Quaker's Sense which is Divine Inspiration or inspired of God which sure cannot be meer Fancy much less the height of Madness as before The Quakers certainly deny this of themselves Thus the Man's confused in 's injurious Attempts to defame us with the height of Madness His Objection against the Quaker's Enthusiasm as he calls it That none that ever called themselves Christians have advanced themselves so high to have the same infallible Spirit and immediate Revelation as the Prophets and Apostles or as Christ himself c. p. 169. Herein he 's greatly out All true Christians are Partakers of the Spirit of Christ in some degree or measure for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his and his Spirit is infallible and a Manifestation of the same Spirit is given to every Man to profit withal and the Effusion of this Spirit upon all Flesh was promised and we believe the Promises of God which are all Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus Therefore this our Adversary who is so much averse to having the same infallible
We question the Truth of this Story also in the last part of it viz. That he believed no other nor expected any than Christ risen in him and this also of no other we disown for as truly as we own Christ risen in us and we in him from Sin and Condemnation so truly do we believe and expect to be raised up by him in the last Day above all Corruption and Mortality we being raised in Christ from Sin here we shall be raised by him to Glory hereafter And therefore are not of the Opinion of Hymeneus and Phyletus who said That the Resurrection is past or made already 2 Tim. 2. 18. For that Resurrection which Paul in his converted state when risen with Christ had not attained Phil. 3. 11 12. we do believe and expect as yet to come after this Life and at the last Day Another Accusation is That G. F. says plainly in these Words There 's none have a Glory and a Heaven but within them leaving out what follows which was before Man had a Being Gr. Myst. p. 214. This is intended of what the Saints have and enjoy in this Life in the Present Tense and not of that more full attainment in that which is to come who have and enjoy the indwelling of God and Christ as their God and their Glory according to his Promise having of this excellent Treasure in their Earthen Vessels according to their measures of degrees of attainment being changed from Glory to Glory from one degree of Glory to another as by the Spirit of God There 's no doubt but all true and spiritual Believers who are dead with Christ and whose Life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is their Life shall at last appear they shall appear with him in Glory Col. 3. Yea in far more Glory than 's here attainable in a mortal State Though we are now the Sons of God yet it appears not what we shall then be but when Christ appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 John 3. 2. Heaven which is God's Throne and Dwelling-place is no doubt so spacious and the Heavens which declare his Glory so wonderfully extensive that we cannot suppose they should all be contain'd in the narrow compass of our Hearts though our Conversation be now in Heaven and we come to a heavenly state in Christ Jesus Therefore we do not confine all our expected Attainments of Heaven and Glory to within us in this Life but the way to attain more thereof in that which is to come is to partake of some share thereof in Christ Jesus even in this Life and where Christ is enjoy'd there Heaven and Glory is in measure spiritually enjoy'd there being spiritual and inward Heavens as well as natural and outward Note For the spirituality of the Resurrection Bodies and the nature of the Body of Christ after his Resurrection and Ascension Our Opposer may peruse H. Moor's Search into the nature of a glorified Body Apol. ch 3. p. 494. Of his Modest Enquiry into the Mystery of Iniquity And compare the same with what we have written on that Subject and then let our Opposer answer him having been a Doctor of his own Church and Philosopher also of Repute in Cambridge c. As to his 14th Sect. Of the Sacraments as he terms them but without Scripture-proof of the Term Sacrament as applied to the outward Elements Signs or Shadows which end in Christ the Substance who livingly represents himself beyond them by his Spirit in the Hearts and Souls of spiritual Believers who have attained unto the spiritual Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ and to partake of his spiritual Supper with him Rev. 3. 10. The difference between us and our Accuser in this Point is about the Text 1 Cor. 11. 26. of shewing forth the Lord's Death till he come as he says By the Celebration of his last Supper Whether this coming of Christ be spiritually in our Hearts or at the Resurrection at the last Day which ends the time limited for the Celebration thereof We believe it of the first if that may be owned as any real coming of Christ He of the last His Reason is That Christ was so come in the Hearts of the Holy Apostles and of the purest Primitive Christians The Apostle's condescending to divers Things that were Shadows and Figures for sometime it follows not that therefore we are bound to imitate them in all things they did Neither were the Corinthians the purest of Primitive Christians when Paul writ his first Epistle to them nor had they then so far attained to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as to confirm and make them blameless as in his Day but then waited for such his coming 1 Cor. 1. for there were divers Disorders among them and many of them carnal and walked as Men. And therefore they were not then of the purest of Christians though they had good Gifts yet they had then great need to wait for the coming of Christ to make them better to bring them into a blameless state The Apostles themselves were come to higher Attainments in Christ Jesus which they laboured to bring their Hearers to as is evident from Paul's desiring That the Corinthians might not be ignorant how that all the Fathers who were baptized unto Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea did all eat the same spiritual Meat and drink of the spiritual Rock which followed them or went with them which Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 10. And told them the Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ And the Bread which we break it is not the Communion of the Body of Christ For we being many are One Bread and One Body being all Partakers of the One Bread ver 16 17. and doubtless the knowledge of this Mystery was what he received of the Lord which was above the Sign Shadow or Figure thereof Yet 't is not to be questioned but there was a good Intention in the first Proposal and Practice of those outward Memorials of Christ's Death among the Corinthians in the capacity they stood in to remember and shew forth Christ's Death thereby until they knew and had more of his Life to shew forth in a holy and unblameable State and Conversation in the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ for whose spiritual coming they waited for that end 1 Cor. 1. 6 7 8. And also that they might flee from Idolatry and keep out of it and forbear eating in the Idols Temple which he warned them against As to Christ's Celebration of his last Supper 't is strange that should be so much urg'd as obligatory upon us until Christ's last coming again at the Resurrection in the last Day seeing we find none of the Urgâ—rs thereof so much as in a true imitation of the last Supper of Christ where he eat the legal Passover with his Disciples according to his own
appointment this part of the Supper being laid aside as Jewish fulfilled and ended by Christ. And therefore to us that last Supper of Christ appears to be a Consummation and fulfilling of the Jewish solemn Feasts under the Law as John's Baptism was of the divers legal Washings or Baptisms imposed until the time of Reformation when Christ blotted out and nailed the Hand-writing of Ordinances to his Cross. After which they were not legally obligatory though condescended unto for a Season by reason of the Weakness of divers and Respect many had unto them in the Churches Infancy And tho' too many now are very formal and superstitious in those outward Observations and Shadows laying so much stress for Salvation upon them that they neglect the Substance yet others being more conscientiously tender in the observation thereof we are the more tender to these so as not to censure or condemn them meerly for practising that which they believe is their Duty either in breaking of Bread or Water Baptism yet desire they may see further and come under that higher and evangelical Dispensation of the spiritual Communion and Bread of Life and Cup of Blessing from Heaven which can only nourish the Soul unto eternal Life and of the spiritual Baptism of Christ which only is the Soul 's sanctifying and saving Baptism so that this One Baptism and this One Bread which is the Substance they may livingly partake of unto eternal Life We do hitherto want Proof that Paul either received of the Lord the Bread and the Cup or the real Supper of the Lord in the Figure or Type but the Mystery thereof or that to observe the Figure was an Institution of Christ to continue in the spiritual Church And tho' he fulfilled the Command of the Passover at his Supper we have no reason to think that was his own Institution to continue in the Christian Church no more than the Passover Legal Offerings Circumcision c. We confess That the neglect and abuse of the Holy Mystery p. 207. which is the Substance Christ the living Bread did and doth incur Damnation and grievous Diseases as among the Corinthians He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself not discerning he Lord's Body 1 Cor. 11. 29. If you rest or stick in the Shadow and neglect the Substance or Mystery so as you discern not the Lord's Body you discern not that whereby your Souls should live and be nourished unto eternal Life 'T is Matter of Condemnation you are but eating and drinking Damnation to your selves The main end and drift of the Apostles labouring with and writing to them at Corinth was to bring them to Life and Substance to the spiritual Rock the spiritual Meat and Drink which is Christ 1 Cor. 10. 14 15 16 17. 2 Cor. 13. 5. that they might be blameless in his Day which 't is evident the outward Figure or Shadow did not bring them to but they were blameable and blamed for the Carnality Divisions and Disorders which were among them 1 Cor. 3. 1 3. Now as to the outward Supper so little being said for it by our Opposer we are not willing to enlarge or enter into any strict Controversie about that Subject but for further Explanation refer him to what our deceased Friend Robert Barclay has writ upon it in his Apology from p. 493 to p. 514. And if we were convinced that it is our Duty to receive Bread and Wine as an outward Memorial of Christ's Death we should never own this our Accuser who has shamefully reproached us or any such Enemies to be our Administrators nor hold Communion with them For Baptism he alledges Mat. 28. 20. Go teach all Nations baptizing them And here the Man breaks leaving out In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost and then brings in And lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World Taking it for granted that this Commission must intend Water Baptism and the continuance thereof as well as Teaching or Preaching even unto the End of the World Hence saying They i. e. Christ's ministerial Officers indeed were impowered as John to baptize with Water p. 205. But is this Adversary really for John's Baptism or for baptizing as John did He 's not express nor plain in this Point Tho' he would seem an eminent Advocate for the Church of England we may greatly question his Sincerity herein If under this Pretext he means Infants Baptism or Sprinkling them he should not take up the Anabaptist's Arguments for that which they oppose as a scriptureless Thing and at the same time deem them Schismaticks Enthusiasts and number them among the various Sects set up by Rome under universal Tolleration as before p. 17 18. 2d Part. He 's very disingenuous in this as well as in many other Things He should have plainly told us what Baptism he aims at and who the Subjcts of it whether Infants or Believers before he had either upbraided or threatned us for the neglect of it However pray observe the great Stress he lays upon this outward Baptism with Water viz. That it was an Ordinance instituted as a means of Grace whereby the inward Baptism with the Holy Ghost was conveyed therefore the Form appointed of admission into the Society of the Church and thereby giving a Title to all the Privileges and Promises annexed to it p. 206. whereby Persons are daily baptized into Christ's death p. 209. And tells us of Outward Signs and Seals Pledges and Means of Grace which he judges the Enemy has deluded Men into a neglect of Now observe 1. He makes Water-Baptism whether of Infants or Believers he resolves not not only an Institution but a Means of Grace whereby the inward Baptism of the Holy Ghost is conveyed 2. Such a Form appointed of admission into the Church as giveth a Title to all the Privileges and Promises c. 3. That 't is the Baptism into Christ's Death 4. A Seal Pledge and Means of Grace In all which he does but upon his own Authority impose upon the Reader without Scripture-proof And his Impositions herein are liable to many Exceptions 1. They suppose all Persons under Grace and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost who are come under Water-Baptism without Exception of Infants or others when the contrary is evident in many wicked Persons and even in Simon Magus the Sorcerer who was baptized and yet wicked and wanting the Gift and Baptism of the Holy Ghost would have bought it for Mony Acts 8. 2. It also supposes all to be void of Grace and of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and of the Promises who are not baptized with Water consequently that many thousands are Damned because they are not so baptized Which is highly uncharitable 3. We deny that by Water-Baptism Men are baptized either into Christ's Death Body or Church or that 't is a Seal or Pledge of Grace For 't is by one Spirit that true
the Tabernacle which was called the Holiest of all in the Old Covenant that the golden Censor and Ark of the Testament were put and the golden Pot which had Manna and Aaron's Rod that had budded and the Tables of the Testament and over the Ark the Cherubims of Glory shadowing the Mercy-seat Heb. 9. Exod. 26. So the most excellent things were within the Veil tho' there was a Beauty and Glory also without it All which I doubt not were Shadows of the New Covenant and the spiritual Dispensation thereof in Christ Jesus in whom the most holy place of that divine Service and Worship in the New Covenant Sanctuary which the Lord has placed in the midst of his People is in the Spirit and in the Truth And all our spiritual Blessings and heavenly Treasures are in Christ Jesus who is our Sanctuary and Hiding-place And it is in the inmost or most inward and spiritual Dispensation of the New Covenant that Mercy and Forgiveness is receiv'd and Christ most livingly and effectually known to us and enjoyed and in him the most holy and heavenly Places wherein the true spiritual Believers sit down with him and as being washed from their Sins in his Blood by his Spirit are his Church and Sanctuary also and thereby have boldness to enter into the holy Place even by that new and living Way which Christ hath prepared for us through the Veil that is to say his Flesh Heb. 10. that we may follow him therein into Heaven it self And what entrance through Christ our Mediator we have here in measure received into this new and living Way and holy and heavenly Places in him we doubt not but it is to us an Earnest of a more full Enjoyment of Heaven and Glory hereafter with Christ Jesus our Fore-runner Leader and Captain of our Salvation we continuing faithful to the end in this his new and living Way as true and constant Followers of him God in his great Love and Wisdom has afforded several Dispensations one higher and more glorious than another in order to bring Man nearer and nearer to himself as that of the Law and of Shadows and Types that of the Prophets that of John the Baptist that of Christ in the Flesh and that of Christ in the Spirit and New Covenant which is higher more powerful and more glorious than the former and therein a more clear knowledge of Christ than in all the former wherein there was some Sight of him through Shadows and Veils but by his divine Light shining in our Hearts God is pleased to give us the Light of the knowledge of his Glory in the Face of his dear Son Christ Jesus that we all with open Face as in a Glass may behold the Glory of God and be changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. Ch. 4. 6 7. Now tho' our Adversary has made a deal of Dispute and Quarrel with us about calling Christ's Flesh the Veil as in Heb. 10. yet he is fain to grant That Christ's Body is called a Veil in relation to its Type the Veil of the Temple p. 262 263. but he 'll have this not to be in the Quakers Sense They call it a Veil that is saith he a Garment in contradistinction to its being Christ's Substance and of his Nature p. 262. Whereas its rather in contradistinction to its Being his Divine Natnre or to its being in the first place or principally or chiefly Christ himself who is the Son of God for whom the Body was prepared because he did pre-exit it or was in Being before he took upon him that Body even in his Father's Glory before the World began wherewith he is glorified However the Veil which was Christ's Flesh through which he set open the new and living Way we never deny to be Christ's Body or to be a real Body but own it was and never believed it to be a Fantastical Body as I have often said but that Christ the Son of God took upon him real Flesh and Blood of our Nature yet pure and incorrupt in him And as his Flesh was called the Veil it answers its Type or Figure i. e. the Veil of the most Holy Place or Oracle where God gave Answers 1 Kings 6. 20. 8. 6 8. 2 Chron. 3. 10 16. And these most Holy Places in the Tabernacle and Temple being Places of divine Service then peculiar to the High Priest to enter into their Antitype is in Christ Jesus the New Covenant where in the Spirit and in the Truth God is truly worshipped and meets with and speaks to his People even by Christ Jesus their High Priest who is present in the midst of his Church and Assemblies of his People the true and spiritual Worshippers who meet in his Name Spirit and Power whose Light and Truth brings its Followers unto his Holy Tabernacles Psal. 43. 3. And as to Christ's Substance and Nature what does our Opposer mean thereby How has he distinguished in this Point Christ has in him a divine Nature as well as that of Man which he hath also in the purest Sense But which is the greatest Is not the divine Nature the Deity in him greater than the Manhood As he said My Father is greater than all greater than I John 10. 29. Nevertheless as our great and only Mediator and Intercessor it was necessary he should be Man as he is the most glorious heavenly Man and as the Christ of God he is spiritually in us in his Saints and Members in some measure by his Spirit Light Life and Power even as the incorruptible immortal Seed in Man is of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and therein all true spiritual Believers do in measure partake of the divine Nature being born again of this incorruptible Seed The gross Calumnies cruel Mockeries false Stories and Perversions of the Author of The Snake in the Grass are therein so numerous together with his partial picking nibling mincing and carping at our Books which is so perverse and much on 't so silly that I confess many of them are waved in this Answer as not worthy of spending more precious time about them and I shall leave the said Author to the just Judgment of him that judghth righteously wishing his Repentance before it be too late And tho' he sculks and hides himself as if he were afraid or ashamed to own his Work with his Name to it so am not I of my Name or Vindication tho' I be and expect to be reproached and misrepresented for Christ's sake whose Servant I am George Whitehead A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF Some Passages IN THE Second Book of the Author OF The Snake in the Grass FALSLY STILED Satan dis-rob'd from his Disguise of Light Or The Quakers last Shift to cover their monstrous Heresies laid fully open WHEN I looked upon the Title of the said Book stiled Satan dis-rob'd from his Disguise of Light With this additional
him withal as such than these same Eyes of Flesh they now have Again I am manifestly mis-represented by G. K. Narr p. 18. As thinking all Anthropomorphites and Muggletonians who believe that the Man Christ has any bodily Existence in Heaven which was none of my Answer or Argument But upon J. Newmans excluding Christ out of all Men because at the right hand of God as a personal Being and calling Christ within only a feigned Christ as his terms were this Argument I opposed and still do as no sufficient reason to exclude the true Christ out of all Men and therefore gave this Answer i.e. This manner of excluding God's right hand and Christ to a limitation as wholly out of his People in a Personal Being which are no Scripture Terms still implyes him to be such a Personal God or Christ like the Anthropomorphites c. Now I say again If any one should argue in better Terms that Christ is a glorious Intelligent Being at God's right hand without all Men Ergo he is not in Men no not in believers I deny the Consequence for this is to limit the Omnipresent God to a remoteness as well as Christ and tends to gratifie the carnal imaginations of such as have formed an Idea or Imagination of God and his right hand like a Person or Man remote and without all Men under such limitation as the Anthropomorphites did and that according to the common speaking when we say such a Person we mean such a Man whom we call a Person as we do a Woman also and my Adversarie's also more finely defining a Person to be a Spirit p. 5. will neither help the Argument for the Baptist against us nor amend some Mens carnal Imaginations of a Personal God like themselves for who are most carnal in their Thoughts about God are most apt to imagin carnally of him and suppose any should argue in this Man's Terms That Christ being at God's right hand who is a Spirit Ergo not in believers or any Men this would bespeak as much Ignorance as the former and more Absurdity to suppose God a limited circumscribed Spirit not Infinite nor Omnipresent which is to oppose his being the true God as he is an Infinite Omnipresent Spirit Power Life Light and Wisdom Besides my Animadversion is very plain to J. N. in this case Christ Ascended p. 69. If the indwelling of God and Christ be such in his People and the Saints in such near Union and Conjunction with Christ as the Branches with the Vine and the Members with the Body as in contradiction to himself he confessed then 't is false and a lying Imagination to imagin either Christ God and his right hand so remote as not to dwell in any Man no not in their own People And I may add 't is also contrary to God's own promise to dwell in them and walk in them and to his saving and upholding them by his own right hand Christ's being set at God's right hand bespeaks his Exaltation Dignity and Glory obtained through his Humiliation and Sufferings but not an exclusion of Christ of God or his right hand as if each were limitted or circumscribed wholly without all Men and as not to be in any Men as they are in a true Spiritual and Scripture sense p. 6. My telling J. Horn and T. Moor That the Nature of Christ is pure but theirs filthy therefore not in Christ as they said it was whilst pleading for Sin as their natural Heritage during this life This was simply in Opposition to the Antinomian Sin-pleasing Notion of their being justified and pure in Christ when in themselves filthy and actually Sinful which was all one as if I had told them you are not in Christ nor Heirs with him whilst in your selves filthy and Sin your natural Heritage which is far from any such false Notion as that Christ could not take on him Man's nature except he took on him the pollution of it 'T is none of my Notion nor intended in the Passage before but unjustly cast upon me by G. K. Narr p. 7. and his Advocate Satan Disrob'd p. 6. To my Adversary's confidently asserting That J. Faldo nor any other did ever oppose this That they should Preach ONLY the Incarnation and Sufferings of Christ at Jerusalem i.e. without Preaching likewise the inward operations of his Spirit in our hearts Satan Disrob'd p. 7. And that if W. P. or T. E. cannot name one single Man much less any of those Communions which he disputes against that ever thought Christ's outward appearance would ever save them without his inward appearance in their Consciences then against whom have they disputed p. 8. Answ. Yes I can name one single Man whom he has vindicated against us in G. K.'s behalf who has both thought and said as much as that Christ's outward Appearance and Sufferings has saved them without his Appearance or Work in them and that is the said R. Gordon and it 's Charged against him among his many other corrupt Doctrins by G. Keith in my and his Book Entituled The Nature of Christianity p. 70 71. Artic. 1. That Christ without us upon the Cross hath already subdued all things finish'd Transgression made an end of Sin abolish'd Condemnation and Death Art 8. That Redemption Justification were finished and compleated in the Crucified Body in Christ for us not in our Persons Art 12. That Redemption and all things are wrought purchas'd for us without the help of any thing to be wrought in us These G. Keith Charged upon him with many more as corrupt Doctrins So that here was one Man i.e. R. G. and too many more that has laid the whole Stress and Work of Man's Salvation only upon Christ's outward Appearance and Suffering without his inwarad appearance and operations by his Spirit in us Which is corrupt Doctrin and repugnant to that of the necessity of Regeneration and being born again without which no entrance into God's Kingdom Another Passage by the way I observe Whereafter this Advocate for G. K. has represented T. Ellwood as telling how little of difficulty there is in barely and historically believing this i.e. that God sent Christ to dye for Sinners and to reconcile God to Men by his Death the common Faith of all that part of the World called Christian shews c. p. 11. He grants That though that Belief alone will not do yet that it is not so easie a matter truly to believe this even historically But that 't is a hard Task with the Quakers and opposed by the Socinians i.e. the satisfaction by Christ's outward Death and by all the Deists open Debauchees and among the Profligate and Prophane of the meaner Rank few if any of them do really believe it even historically or forget it and never think of it otherwise it would have a greater influence upon them p. 11 12. He might have been so charitable or just as to have ranked the Quakers among better company
the Conscience are Spiritual and Mysterious as the New Covenant it self is which they belong to and these things known in And this is the New and Living way which Christ set open through the vail of his Flesh Heb. 10. Let him receive this who can And if our Adversary and his abetters know no more of the Mystery of Christ's Blood or Work of purging and sprinkling the Conscience than their profession and application of the Material Blood without the sanctifying Spirit and Operation of it they may remain long enough with defiled Consciences and full of Envy and Malice That precious outward Offering and Blood of Christ outwardly shed has long been greatly abused by misapplication and the holy design and ends thereof perverted by carnal Professors to indulge themselves in Sin and Disobedience against Christ during Life Now laying aside the Baptist's Argument aforesaid I do grant that the Material Blood whereby all things under the Law were purged as it had the very Image of the Material Blood of Christ that was outwardly shed it was Typical thereof And that Blood of Christ including his whole Sacrifice argued by the Apostle to the Hebrews as the Antitype answering and fulfiling the Types thereof and which were not only Types of that Blood and Sacrifice as outwardly offered but also a shadow of the inward and spiritual sprinkling purging and sanctifying of the Conscience by Christ our High Priest with his Blood and Spirit of Grace The good things to come which the Law had the shadow of but not the very Image of them were Heavenly and Spiritual things Heb. 10. 1. But the Law had the very Image or Resemblance of the Material Blood of Christ that was shed in that it had material Blood of Sacrifices one Blood resembles another therefore that Material or Natural Blood outwardly shed was not those Spiritual and Heavenly things which the Law had the shadow and not the very Image of The Material and Typical Blood whereby all things were purged under the Law was sprinkled on them by Moses and the High-Priest therefore 't is Christ our High Priest who sprinkles and effectually purgeth the Conscience which he doth not Literally but Spiritually in which work his Spirit and Power is livingly concerned as the efficient Cause and his Blood and whole Sacrifice in preparing and making way for and obtaining Redemption and Remission of Sins received upon true repentance on our parts It 's said How much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. The value efficacy and fruit of his offering himself without spot to God is greatly or principally placed upon the eternal Spirit and so is the work of Sanctification and effectually purging the Conscience both from dead works and the pollution of Sin That which inwardly and effectually purgeth the Conscience and sprinkles the heart from an evil Conscience is the Spirit the spiritual Vertue Blood and Life of Christ that actually purgeth and cleanseth them from all Sin who truly walk in his light which has the sanctifying life and vertue in it There was a kind of expiation and purging by way of Sacrifice under the Law and old Covenant yet the Consciences thereby not purified nor made perfect But the Expiation or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Purgation or Cleansing Heb. 1. 3. That 's made and prepared by Christ himself and his Sacrifice and the Covenant of Grace and Mercy wherein that work of Grace is fulfiled Sealed with his own Blood this reacheth the Conscience to a real purifying and perfecting thereof by the Spirit and Power of Christ. By one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are Sanctified whereof the Holy Ghost also is witness to us Heb. 10. 14 15. Therefore that Expiation made by that most excellent Offering without us is fulfilled by the Spirit in the work of Sanctification within us We are delivered from the outward Law and the Curse of it by the Body of Christ but are made free from the Law and Sin of Death by the Law of the Spirit and Life in Christ Jesus Ro. 7. 4. 8. 2. To that of Act 20. 28. The Church of God which he purchased with his own Blood Hereupon the Man has some slight flings at me but makes very little work on 't As to my saying The Blood of God which is God's own Blood and whereby his Church is purchas'd must needs be spiritual and the Covenant of God is inward and spiritual and so is the Blood of it consequently both Mystical I did not hereby hold that God is either Material or has a Material Body or Blood but the contrary that his own Blood whereby his Church is purchased is more than the Material or Natural Blood of Christ that was shed though that was a part of the Sacrifice offered for Man's Redemption neither dare our Adversary say that Blood could be properly called God's own Blood unless he holds that God has a material Body and Blood no more than the Annotation thereupon which saith Of God's own Blood that which appertaineth to Christ's humanity is attributed to his Divinity because of the Communion of properties and union of the two Natures in one Person Which Notation or the Terms of it I shall not now dispute But I 'le take leave to explain my self farther for the spiritual vertue and mystery of God's own Blood and the Blood of his everlasting Covenant the Blood of sprinkling therein c. wherehy God has purchased his Church God's own Blood was no less than his own dear Son Christ himself It was a manner of speaking the Blood put for the whole Offering the innocent Blood that Judas betrayed was Christ himself Mat. 27. 4. And the Ransom or Price given for Man's Redemption was Christ himself who came to give his life for the Ransome of many Matt. 20 28. And he gave himself a Ransome for all Men to be testified of in due time 1 Tim. 2. 6. God spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all There 's a twofold work in the Redemption that is by Jesus Christ 1. By the Sacrifice and Mediation of Christ general for all Men. 2. By his Power Spirit and Life actually freeing and delivering the truly believing Soul from Sin and from the Nature and Being of Sin and Condemnation because thereof in which sense God's Church was purchased with his own Blood and in which last and special sense my Answer was intended as not only by the natural or outward Blood shed but principally by the spiritual Blood or Life of Christ Jesus God's sparing not his own Son but delivering him up for us all includes the whole Sacrifice of Christ in Soul and Body which were offered therefore God's own Blood is such an high and elegant Phrase as bespeaks the great love of God in Christ as the whole Ransom and Price of
fully explained a Passage in that Book Christ Ascended Pref. and p. 67. Where 't is implied that we do not affirm Christ is in every Man or that every Man hath the Son but a measure of his Light Grace or Heavenly Gift in all Whereby is meant Christ in his fulness is not in any Man nor revealed in every Man nor is every Man in Christ. Neither is Christ in every Man as he is in them in whom the Body is Dead because of Sin Rom. 8. 10. But as a Light as an Immortal Seed as the Word he is in some degree in every Man but every Man is not in Christ as the new Creature is and all true Believers who walk in his Light are in him and he in them And for our endeavours to draw Peoples Minds off from their carnal expectations of Christ's outward coming again in the Flesh or from resting upon a fleshly knowledge of him as come in the Flesh without them only that their Minds may be turned to his Light and Grace within them to know his Power and Work in them This cannot be truly deemed any Antichristian Doctrin or Ministry and we are sure G. K. did not so deem it heretofore but the contrary see his Help in time of need p. 22. This is the Antichrist who denies Christ the Son come thus in the Revelation of himself in the Heart for that comeing of Christ in his Bodily appearance at Jerusalem Antichrist will not does not deny it being he knows it will never harm his Kingdom so to confess him come provided Christ's Kingdom be not set up in the Heart So that Antichrist's work now-a-days is to oppose Christ's spiritual Coming and Kingdom and yet pretend to own his coming in the Flesh Yet this greater subtility of Antichrist's work now than formerly will not cover his evil designs but the true Seed Christ will prevail and his Power reign over that Spirit of Antichrist and Son of Perdition Glory to God and to the Lamb that sitteth upon the Throne Some of the Author to the Snake in the Grass his notorious Lyes and Perversions gleaned out of his said Book Satan Disrob'd THat they i.e. Quakers have thrown off the Baptism of his i.e. Christ's Death having renounced the benefit of his Death it self Note Which are both false Christ's Baptism into his Death and the benefit thereof are very precious to us 2. p. 24. That G. W. makes the Righteousness of God to be of the same kind and nature with ours which is Blasphemy Note This is not true Christ who is made of God unto us Righteous hath brought us to deny our own Righteousness 3. p. 28 29. That heavenly Body which they i.e. Quakers talk of most of them understand nothing by it but the Soul it self or an heavenly frame or disposition of the Soul which they think they have attained already Note These are not true the heavenly Resurrection Body is not the Soul it self but a Body which God giveth as it pleaseth him 4. p. 29. Innumerable instances might be given of lying Prophesies the rankest Treasons and Blasphemies pronounced in the name of the Lord. And this against the Quakers these are outragious Aspersions and Slanders 5. p. 30. That the coming i.e. of Christ to the future judgment this he i.e. G. W. utterly denies I take this to be an utter Falshood I am not conscious of such denyal by my questioning such a manner of coming again in the Flesh as they carnally expected to see with their carnal Eyes who I answered about this point 6. p. 30. That they mean that there is no visible coming of Christ to be now looked for outwardly What they mean by a glorâ—fied heavenly Body not any thing either visible or intelligible This is not true The coming of Christ to Judgment in the great and last Day will be both seen and understood and so will the glorified Bodies of his Saints I really believe Pray observe what a storm of furious Rayleries and Falshoods this Author to the Snake c. vents against us and other Dissenters as followeth viz. 7. p. 33. The Year 1650. when our new Light arose in our Hemisphere when the Church being pull'd down the vilest and most monstrous and numerous Spawn of Multifarious Sects that ever the bottomless Pit spew'd forth at once were with a thousand other Devils let loose among us a just punishment for our Schism and Rebellion And we are yet left to War with the Tayl of this Hydra which is gathering new life and if it should for our Sins prevail our last State would be worse than the first Who can refrain from indignation to see such a conceited senseless most ignorant and blasphemous Crew destitute of common modesty or shame wipe their mouths and gravely set up themselves above all the glorious Light of the Church Confessors and Martyrs ever since the Apostles whom they damn as Apostates Which is a gross Lye I forbear Answer to these Passages because of the grosness outrage ralery and notorious Falshood thereof 8. p. 34. Denial of these four great Essentials so call'd 1. Faith in Christ as he outwardly suffered at Jerusalem to our Salvation 2. Justification by his Blood outwardly shed 3. The Resurrection of the Dead 4. The future Judgment unjustly charged and perversions alledged for proof 'T is mis-construction and mis-application of Christ's Sufferings and Blood without the Spirit and Operation thereof within that we deny and not the real living Faith in Christ concerning any of these Points which his Spirit reveals according to holy Scripture 9. p. 35. He saith And it is an horrible scandal that such should be suffered under the name Protestant As 't is the People called Quakers he chiefly smites at this appears to us a bold reflection upon the Government for so esteeming and recognizing the said People by Law as being Protestants Whereas G. F. Question'd about the Soul partly in the Terms of his Adversary i.e. Is not that a part of God and of his Being which came out from God viz. the Breath of Life God breathed into Man the breath of Life and he became a living Soul gr myst This I have more fully spoken to before and I see no great cause the Man has to quarrel with the Passage if rightly quoted only the words part of God may seem somewhat uncouth but they were first an Aposer's words and admitted of as from him The breath of Life which God breathed into Man whereby Man became a living Soul was intended by G. F. Seeing he who now quarrels with us confesseth Man's Soul was breathed from God and made a glorious Image of him and partook of many excellencies and endowments which were communicated by God unto it all this the usual opinion doth ascribe to the Soul p. 40. of Satan Disrob'd That Man's Soul was Breathed from God c. I think this Confession and that we are his Off-spring Act. 17. 28. is much of the
's Great Myst. p. 7. extends this i.e. Infallible discerning Spirit to all and every of the Quakers To us says he every one of us in particular And this Light gavâ— us to discern between Truth and Error between every false and right way and it perfectly discovered to us the true state of all things p. 20. Upon perusal of the place quoted in the said Epistle I do not find that E. B. extends the gift of discerning to all and every of the Quakers nor the discovery of the true state of all things herein are his words and intention perverted tho' he confesses that every one has a true Light given by Christ but not that every one has attained to the same gift of discerning of Spirits and States Observe 1. E. B. personates the converted and faithful among the Quakers who walk in the Light which gives to discern between Truth and Error the Right and the Wrong way for whatsoever things are reproved are made manifest by the Light 2dly The perfect discovery of the true state of all Things He does in the place quoted restrict to the discovery of the Fall and restoration of Man and to what 's needful for Man to know i.e. in respect to Salvation Epis. to Gr. Myst. p. 7 8. We are not to suppose that By discovery of the true state of all things he intended to ascribe Omnisciency to us Creatures no more than the Holy Apostle John did in the like Expressions 1 John 2. 20. But ye have an Vnction from the Holy One and ye know all Things And verse 27. But as the same Anointing teacheth you of all Things and is Truth and is no Lye These were all things needful for their Salvation and preservation in Christ Jesus And herein in this divine Unction and the teachings thereof stands the Infallibility Certainty or assurance we plead for and not in Man's Will Wisdom Parts or Acquirements And as we keep in this Anointing received from the Holy One we receive its Teachings which are true and certain and so faâ— partake of Certainty or Infallibility in what it Teacheth being Truth and no Lye But if any go from this Anointing into the Will or Wisdom of Man or carnal Reasonings they go into uncertainty and so become fallible and subject to fall into Error erring from this certain Principle produceth Error both in Judgment and many times in Practice For 't is He that abideth in Christ that sinneth not 1 Joh. 3. 6. And those in whom this divine Aâ—ointing did abide who were taught by it As it taught them they did abide in him i.e. in the Son of God ch 2. 27. Who saith abide in me and I in you John 15. 4. I find this Author to the Snake in the Grass is very apt frequently to misrepresent our Friends Words which I cannot impute so much to his Ignorance as Envious design to make us as Infamous and Odious as he can As he had dealt by E. B. in the passage before he has in like manner serv'd Francis Howgil in his Preface to the Snake in the Grass p. 244. Which I did not so much search or remark in the foregoing Answer as since He charges F. H. with Blasphemy quoting p. 232. of his Works intitled The Dawning of the Gospel-day where he saith He that hath the Spirit of God is in THAT which is Equal i.e. as follows he that is join'd to the Lord is one Spirit there is Unity and the Unity stands in Equality it self Hence and on some other words curtaliz'd and mangl'd the said Author infers viz. 25. Having thus made themselves Equal to God in very Nature it is not strange to see them denying any other God or Christ but themselves they pull God out of Heaven c. Snake p. 245. These Blasphemous and general Inferences against the Quakers as they are utterly denyed by us I find no just occasion for them from F. H' s Words if truly cited and considered where he places the Equality between the Father Son and Holy Spirit That which is Equal he plainly speaks of the Spirit of God in the place quoted and by the Unity stands in Equality it self he means no other than that the Saints Vnity stands in Christ who is Equal with the Father according to Christ's own Prayer John 17. 21. That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us And verse 22. And the Glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be One as we are One. And verse 23. I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one That F. H. places the Equality in the Son of God and on his part is evident by his following Words left out by the said Author viz. He that is born from above is the Son of God and he said I and my Father are one and when the Son is reveal'd and speaks the Father speaks in him and dwells in him and he in the Father Now though the Saints cannot claim to themselves that Equality the Son of God who is their Head hath yet who can in Truth deny their being made Partakers of the Divine Nature and Union in Christ Jesus and holy Spirit with the Father The account which this Author of the Snake hath given against Tho. Curtis p. 20 21 22. which he saith he has seen under the hand of W. Clark I do somewhat Question the Truth of divers Passages in it as whether T. C. is not therein mis-represented though I cannot from my own knowledge refute them yet 't is very strange that T. C. should be represented so very grosly Ignorant as in that said Account but I am sure 't is a gross Lye that the Quakers do hold or have always held these Heresies charged on him or that G. Keith should suffer him to be so foully expos'd in print if he was privy thereto I am apt to think 't was a piece of great Incivility as well as Ingratitude and Treachery against T. C. to serve him such an ill turn 26. That he would not lessen the Sufferings of the Quakers p. 13. is a notorious Falshood as his scoffing at and vilifying them and rendring many of them to have suffer'd for open and notorious Blasphemy p. 12. doth evince 27. That Mary Fell after she was Married to G. F. became the Mother of the Quakers Church p. 17. is a scornful Falshood we have not given her or any other Woman that Title though she and many more faithful Women have been own'd as Mothers in Israel but Jerusalem that is above the Mother of us all 28. That many of the generality of the Quakers do stick in the very bottom of that sink of Heresies which they have been taught and that their Leaders go about to justify excuse and pallitate them p. 18 These proceed from the Sink of his gross Calumnies and Malice 29. That the Quakers yearly Epistle directed to