THE CHRISTIANITY OF THE PEOPLE Commonly Called QUAKERS ASSERTED Being a brief Account of their Faith in Relation to divers Matters wherein their Christian Belief is Questioned Published in behalf of the People of GOD called Quakers by some of them Luke 6. 22. Blessed are ye when Men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their Company and shall Reproach you and cast out your Name as evil for the Son of Man's Sake Acts 24 14 After the way which they call Heresie so Worship I the GOD of my Fathers Printed in the Year 1696. THE PREFACE TO THE READER THere hath been of late Years many Aspersions cast upon Vs whereby the People in some Places especially in the West of this Nation of Scotland have been much stirred up against us and much hard and cruel Vsage have we Suffered and have often been in danger of our Lives both in our Meetings and in the Streets and sometimes in our own Houses And since the Sitting of the Late General Assembly at Edinburgh what a mighty Clamour hath been among the People through a great part of the Nation concerning us Some saying we must be all Excommunicated and that none must Converse or Deal with us others saying we must all be Banished The rude Multitude that abuse us often threatning us with the General Assembly and taking occasion from thence especially in our Meeting at Edinburgh to be more Wicked Prophane and Loose in their Carriage towards us than they were before And the only Reason that is given for this Confused Noise about us and for all the Cruel and Vnchristian Vsage we meet with is it not the same that was alledged against the LORD and his People by their Adversaries and Persecutors in former Ages that is under pretence of being Deceivers Deluders Hereticks Schismaticks possessed with the Devil c. Did not the Chief Priests and Pharisees tell People that Christ was a Deceiver and that he had a Devil John 7. 47. Mat. 2. 63. Luke 11. 15. John 8. 48. and did not the People revile and persecute Him under that pretence and were not the Apostles accounted Deceivers Turners of the World upside-down and deemed unworthy to Live upon the Earth 2 Cor. 6. 8. Acts 27. 50. And was not Paul called a Pestilent Fellow a Mover of Sedition a Ring-leader of the Sect of the Nazarines c. Acts 17. 6. Acts 24. 5. And were not all the Revilings Scoffings Stonings Imprisonments and other hard usage that they met with inflicted upon them under those hatefull Names and Epithites aforementioned whereby the dark Priests benighted Elders and Proud Pharisees and others stirred up the People against them and did not the Heathens put Wild-beasts Skins upon the Christians to make them appear like Beasts that the Dogs might be stirred up to Devour them And was it not under the black and detestable Names of Hereticks Deluders Schismaticks and sometimes of Socerers or Witches That the Popish Clergy incensed the People against the Ancient Protestants prohibiting them all Trade and Commerce exposing them to cruel Scoffings and Revilings and at last Murthering many Thousands of them as may be seen at large in the Books of Martyrs Was ever Christ or his Apostles found in such cruel practices or stirring People up thereunto Did he not rebuke those Disciples that desired the destruction of some that would not receive Him telling them they knew not what Spirit they were off and that he was not come to destroy mens lives but to save them Joh. 9. 55 56. And were not the Stoners Abusers Scoffers and envious Murthering Persecutors and the Priests and Teachers that stirred them up thereunto such as were filling up the measure of their iniquity and drawing down the Righteous and terrible Judgments of God upon themselves Mat. 23. 32 33 34 35 Acts. 7. 51. 52. So our earnest desire is that they who have shown themselves so eager to be found in such cruel Practices in this our Age may seriously consider what Spirit they are off and whose Steps they are treading in and that they may Repent before it be too late Now we having often been wrongfully accused and from thence hatefull Names put upon us with denying the Trinity the Holy Scriptures that we undervalue the Merits and Sufferings of CHRIST Some saying we deny His Divinity others saying we deny His Humanity The Ordinances The Resurrection and the Great Day of Judgement c. We have therefore found a Concern upon us to Publish a brief Relation of what our belief hath been still is concerning those other weighty points of Christian Doctine so leave it to the serious Consideration of the empartial Reader what ground there is for that mighty Clamour that hath been and yet continues against us and whether it be not like theirs of Old that cryed out Men of Israel Help c. Acts 21. 28. The CHRISTIANITY of the People commonly called QVAKERS Asserted Being a Brief account of Their Faith in Relation to several weighty Matters wherein Their Christian Belief is Questioned Question WHat 's your Belief concerning the Blessed Trinity as our Term is Answer Our Belief is that in the Unity of the God-head there is Father Son and Holy Ghost being those Three Divine Witnesses that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Spirit and that these Three are One according to Holy Scripture Testmony Mat. 28. 19. 1 Joh. 5. 7. Quest. Do you Believe the Divinity and Humanity of Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of God or that Jesus Christ is truely God and Man Answ. Yes we verily believe that Jesus Christ is truly God and Man according as Holy Scripture Testifies of Him God over all blessed for ever he true God and Eternal Life the One Mediator between God and Men even he Man Christ Jesus Joh. 1. 1. 2. Rom. 9. 5. 1 Joh. 5. 20. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Quest. Do you believe and expect Salvation and Justification by the Righteousness and Merits of Jesus Christ or by your own Righteousness or Works Answ. By Jesus Christ his Righteousness Merits and Works and not by our own God is not indebted to us for our deservings but we to him for is free Grace in Christ Jesus whereby we are saved through Faith in Him not of our selves and by his Grace inabled truly and acceptably to serve and â—ollow Him as He requires He is our All in All who worketh all in us â—at is well pleasing to God Rom. 3. 24. Eph. 2. 8. 9. Quest. Do you believe Remission of Sin and Redemption through the Sufferings Death and Blood of Christ Answ. Yes through Faith in Him as he Suffered and Died for all Men â—ave himself a Ransom for all and His Blood being shed for the Remission â—f Sins so all they who sincerely believe and obey Him receive the Benefits â—d blessed Effects of his suffering and dying for them they by Faith in His â—ame receive and partake of that Eternall
Redemption which he hath â—tained for us who gave Himself for Vs that he might Redeem us from 〈◊〉 Iniquity He died for our Sins and rose again for our Justification and if 〈◊〉 walk in the Light as He is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all Sin 1 Joh. 2. 2. 2 Cor. 5 14. 1 Joh. 1. 7. Quest. Do you believe and own the Divine Offices of Jesus Christ in his Church Answ. Yes verily we sincerely believe and own Christ not only as He is the Light of the World enlightning every Man coming into it but also that he is given for a Leader and for a Commander And that He is both King Priest and Prophet to and over His Church and People He is the Minister of the Sanctuary which the Lord pitched and not Man and we are to hear Him in all things Isa. 55. 4. Zech. 9. 9. Heb. 3. 1. Deut 18. 15. 18. Heb. 8. 2. Quest. Do you believe or own Baptism as Essential to Christianity or necessary to Salvation and for the Ingrafting us into Christ and His Church Answ. We believe and are fully perswaded That Baptism which is Essential to Christianity and the saving Baptism or the Cause without which none can be true Christians or saved is the Inward Spiritual washing of Regeneration by the Word of Life This is the saving Baptism into Christ and His Church which produceth the Answer of a Good Conscience towards God of which the outward was a Figure 1 Pet. 3. 21. This is that One Baptism of Christ by one Spirit into that one Body whereof Christ is Head Eph. 4. 5. As to Dipping or Sprinkling Infants or Young Children we find no Precept or Precedent in Holy Scripture for the practice thereof and therefore we cannot think our not believing it Essential or necessary to Salvation or making Christians a sufficient Argument to prove us no Christians unless it can be proved that none are saved without it and that all are saved that have it Considering also what 's positively affirmed in the 39 Articles of the Church of England as in the 6th Article That whatsoever is not Read in the Holy Scriptures nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any Man That it should be believed as an Article of the Faith or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation And in the 20th Article That the Church ought not to Decree or Enforce anything against or besides Holy Writ to be believed for necessity of Salvation And in Article 21. That things ordain'd by General Councils as necessary to Salvation have neither strength nor Authority unless that they be taken out of Holy Scripture And in the Westminster Confession of Faith professed by the Kirk of Scotland Chap. 20. It is Said God alone is Lord of the Conscience and hath left it free from the doctrins and Commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his word i. e. The holy Scripture or beside it if matters of Faith or Worship so that to believe such doctrines or obey such Commands out of Conscience is to betray true liberty of Conscience and the requiring of an implicit faith and an absolute and blinâ—â— obedience Quest. Do you believe or own the Lords Supper either as a sign of the Love that Christians ouâ—ht to have among themselves or as a Seal of the Saints Communion and Commemoration of Christs Death for us or as Figurative of Christs Body and Blood Spiritually received by Faith Answ. The Supper of the Lord we own and tenderly consider in a twofold Sense 1. In the Figure 2. In the Substance 1. That our Lord Jesus Christ at his Supper with His Disciples did Eat the Passover which was for the Fulfilling and Consummation of the Fasts under the Law see Luke 22. And at this Supper He did take and Minister Bread and the Cup to his Disciples for there was no Transubstantiation saying This do in Remembrance of Me and said the Apostle As often as ye shall Eat this Bread and Drink this Cup ye shew the Lords Death till he come 1 Cor. 11. After this they did more clearly know His coming and Christ after the Spirit Jesus Christ in them 2 Cor. 13. 5. and 5. 16. 2. And Christ sald to His Disciples I will not Drink henceforth of this Fruit of the Vine until that day I Drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom Matth. 26 29. And likewise of the Bread I will not any more Eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God Luke 22. 16. And he further said I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed to me that ye may Eat and Drink at my Table in my Kingdom c. Luke 22 29. 30. In these things we believe he spoke Mysteriously and that every Member of his Spiritual Church doth daily Spiritually partake of His Body and Blood by Faith as the Cup of Blessing which we Bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ And the Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ For we being many are ONE Bread and ONE Body for we are all partakers of that ONE Bread 1 Cor. 10. 15 16. 17. The Son of God saith Behold I stand at the Door and knock if any Man hear my Voice and open the Door I will come into him and will SVP with him and he with me Rev. 3. 20. And Wisdom calleth to the Simple Come Eat of my Bread aud Drink of my Wine Prov. 9. 4 5. And saith Christ The Bread of God is He that cometh down from Heaven and giveth Life unto the VVorld I am that Bread of Life my Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed He that Eateth my Flesh and Drinketh my Blood dwelleth in Me and I in him John 6. We believe that all who thus do truly partake of Christ by Faith are in true Communion and Love among themselves which they do want who are only in the outward Observations of Sign and Shadows Quest. Do you own the Seals of the New Covenant Answ. Yes as the New Covenant is Spiritual so are the Seals thereof as they may be Termed proper to it and therefore we believe they stand not in any external Shadow Sign or Figure but in Spirit and Substance the Seals of the New Covenant which is Inward and Spiritual must needs be the Evidence Testimony and Work of the Holy Spirit giving us Assurance through Faith of our share and Interest in that Covenant See what the Holy Scripture saith in this Case see 2 Cor. 1. 22. Who hath also Sealed us and hath given us the earnest of the Spirit in our Hearts Ephes. 1. 13. After that ye believed ye were Sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise And Ephes. 4. 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are Sealed unto the day of Redemption Our Christian Sense
in Jesus Christ both as he is true God and Perfect Man and that he is the Author of our living Faith in the Power and Goodness of God as manifest in his Son Jesus Christ and by his own Blessed Spirit or divine Unction revealed in us whereby we inwardly feel and taste of his goodness life and Vertue So as our souls live and Prosper by and in him And the inward sense of this Divine Power of Christ and faith in the same and this inward experience is absolutely necessary to make a true sincere and perfect Christian in spirit and life That divine honor worship is due to the Son of God that he is in true faith to be prayed unto and the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ called upon as the primitive Christians did because of the Glorious Union or oneness of the Father and the Son and that we cannot acceptably offer up prayers or praises to God the Father not receive a gracious answer or blessing from him but in and through his Dear Son Christ. That CHRIST's Body that was Crucified was not the God-head yet by the Power of GOD was raised from the Dead and that the same CHRIST that was therein Crucified ascended into Heaven and Glorie is not questioned by us His Flesh saw no Corruption it did not corrupt but yet doubtless his Body was changed into a more Glorious and Heavenlie Condition that 't was in when subject to divers Sufferings on Earth but how and what manner of Change it met withall after it was raised from the Dead so as to become such a Glorious Body as 't is declared to be is too wonderfull for Mortals to Conceive Apprehend or Pry into and more meet for Angels to see The Scripture is silent therein as to the manner thereof and we are not Curious to Enquire or Dispute it nor do we esteem it necessary to make our selves Wise above what 's written as to the Manner and Condition of Christ's Glorious Body as in Heaven no more than to Enquire how Christ appeared in divers Manners of Formes or how he came in among the Disciples the Doors being shut l or how he vanished out of their sight after he was risen However we have cause to believe his Body as in heaven is changed into a most Glorious Condition far transcending what it was on Earth otherwise how should our low Body be Changed so as to be made like unto his Glorious Body For when he was ou Earth and attended with Sufferings he was said to be like unto us in all things sin only excepted which may not be so said of him as now in a state of Glory as he prayed for otherwise where would the Change be both in him and in us True and living Faith in Christ Jesus the Son of the Living God has respect to his entire Being and Fulness to him entirely as in himself and as all Power in Heaven and Earth is given unto him and also an Eye and Respect to the same Son of God as inwardly making himself known in the Soul in every Degree of his Light Life Spirit Grace and Truth and as he is both the Word of Faith and a Quickning Spirit in us whereby he is the immediate Cause Author Object and Strength of our Living Faith in his Name and Power and of the Work of our Salvation from Sin and Bondage of Corruption and the Son of God cannot be divided from the least or lowest Appearance of his own Divine Light or Life in us or in Mankind no more than the Sun from its own light nor is the sufficiency of his Light within by us set up in opposition to him the Man Christ or his Fulness considered as without us nor can any Measure or Degree of Light received from Christ as such be properly called the Fulness of Christ or Christ as in Fulness nor exclude him so considered from being our Compleat Saviour for Christ himself to be our Light our Life our Saviour is so consistent that without his Light we could not know life nor him to save us from sin or deliver us from darkness condemnation or wrath to come And where the least degree or measure of this Light and Life of Christ is sincerely waited in followed and obeyed there 's a blessed encreass of Light and grace known and felt as the path of the Just it shines more and more untill the perfect day and thereby a growing in Grace and in the knowledge of God and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ hath been and is truely experienced and this Light Life or spirit of Christ within for they are one Divine Principle is sufficient to lead into all Truth having in it the diverse Ministerations both of Judgement and mercy both of Law and Gospel even that Gospel which is Preached in every intelligent Creature under Heaven it does not only as in its First Ministeration Manifest Sin and reprove and condemn for sin but also excites and leads them that believe in it to true Repentance and thereupon to receive that mercy Pardon and Redemption in Christ Jesus which he hath obtained for Mankind on those Gospel terms of Faith in his name true repentance and Conversâ—â—ion to Christ thereby required Now though we had the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and 〈◊〉 a belief of Christ crucified and raised c. We never knew the mystery thereof until we were turned to the Light of his Grace and Spirit within us We knew not what it was to be Reconciled by his Death and Saved by his Life or what it was to know the fellowship of his Sufferings the Power of his Resurrection or to bâ— made comformable to his Death we knew not untill he opened our eyes and turned our minds from darkness unto his own Divine Light and Life within us Notwithstanding we do sincerely and greatly esteem and value the Holy Scriptures Preaching and Teaching of faithful divinely inspired gifted and qualified persons Ministers of Jesus Christ as being great outward helps and Instrumental in his hand and by his spirit for Conversion where God is pleased to afford those outward helps means as that we neither do nor may oppose the sufficiencie of the Light or Spirit of Christ within to such outward helps so as to reject disesteem or undervalue them for they all proceed form the same Light and Spirit and tend to turn Peoples minds thereunto and all center therein Nor can the Holy Scriptures or true Preaching without be Justly set in opposition to the Light or Spirit of God or Christ within for his Faithful Messenger are Ministers thereof being sent to turn People to the same Light and Spirit iâ— them Acts 26. 18. Rom. 1. 2. 2 Cor. 4. 6. 1 Peter 2. 9. 1 John 2. 8. 'T is certain that great is the Mystery of Godliness in it self in its own