Christianity Vindicated OR The Fundamental Truths of the Gospel concerning the Person of Christ and Redemption through Faith in Him maintained AGAINST The Cavils and Groundless Exceptions of Andrew Robeson and George Keith Gawen Lawrie and George White-head Who are called by the Name of Quakers BEING A Reply to a Book published by these Men in Opposition unto a Book Intituled A Testimony to the true Saviour By ROBERT GORDON Author of the said Testimony 1 Tim. 4. 1 2. But the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing spirits speaking lyes in hypocricie 1 John 4. 1. 3. Believe not every spirit for every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God 1 John 2. 22. Who is a Lyer But he that denyeth that Jesus is the Christ he is the Antichrist John 20. 31. But these things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through him LONDON Printed for Robert Boulter at the Turks-head in Cornhill near the Royal Exchange 1671. THE PREFACE TO THE Christian Reader HAving lately published a Book intituled A Testimony to the true Saviour the tendency whereof was to bear witness in these latter and dangerous times as concurring with and consenting unto the voices of all the Prophets and Apostles in the dayes of old To the man Christ Jesus of Nazareth as the Lords Christ and our only Saviour And unto reconciliation justification and redemption as already in being in him purchased compleated and perfected with God for sinners by the price of his whole intire and perfect obedience to his Fathers will in his crueified body without us to be made effectual by the workings and operations of his Spirit in all such who through faith in him receive that attonement And hence rejecting the errours which tend to the darkening or denying of those blessed truths so plainly testified unto in the holy Scriptures among whomsoever they were lodged without reflection upon any persons or people whatsoever The great opposition and contradiction raised against this my Testimony and the reproach thrown upon me because of it fully satisfies me that a publick Testifying unto those truths was and is both seasonable and necessary A faithful account of the exceptions brought by these Four Men against this Doctrine of Christianity and therewith of the Principles of truth testified unto in the holy Scriptures by the Prophets and Apostles whereby may be seen their agreement or difference with each other is the matter in this following Discourse where I do invite the Reader to be no farther concerned then as be is a Christian If their Book in answer to my said Testimony intituled by them The light of truth triumphing hath or shall come to thy view judge not of it by its fair title the nature of things doth not alwayes answer the names or inscriptions put upon them Hereticks of old have named themselves Orthodox there is nothing more common then for men to adora errours with the robes of truth and to deform truth with the rags of errours Therefore I would not have thee judge the better of these mens Doctrine because they have named it Light of truth triumphing Or the worse of what is asserted in my late Testimony because of the black mark of darkness ignorance errour and envy they have branded it with Wonder not that in these last times even Christianity it self in its very foundation the Person of our Lord Jesus who is that Rock upon whom it is built and faith in him as being the Son of Man now bodily glorified without us is struck at and denied and that among us in these Nations where so many years He as Saviour and faith in him for Salvation hath been openly owned and professed Which as it may be looked-upon as a just rebuke from the Lord against such among us who having long professed him in words yet have and do deny him in their conversations So it is also no less then what was plainly foretold by the Holy Apostles to come to pass in the last times to wit that some should depart from the faith even denying the Lord that bought them and that many should follow their pernicious waies And although these men who have thus appeared against my Testimony to the true Saviour are called by the name of Quakers as reckoning themselves of that Sect or Company yet let it not be so looked upon as if there were not many among those people who not knowing these depths of Satan as they speak are not in their understandings intangled in these errours and therefore every one being to give an account for himself of his own faith we are in charity no farther to determine upon persons among that people as carried away in this Apostacy from the faith as it was once delivered to the Saints then as they acknowledge and own it to be so each for himself But that there are some pretending to be Teachers among them and some others also making a fair shew under the disguise of the names of Light and power within thereby bringing in damnable errours to pervert the faith of some is too too manifest among whom these Four Men have numbred themselves by this their voluntary opposition they have raised of their own accord against the plain truth left to us upon record by the Prophets and Apostles and Testified unto by me Against whom I own no other opposition then in and by the Spirit and Doctrine of Truth to stop the mouthes of these and such gain-sayers Not any delight I have in re-joynders of this kind hath led me thus forth to take notice of these mens exceptions against the truth But their wresting and misapplying the words of the Holy Men of Old recorded in the Scriptures and jumbling the truths distinctly testified unto in them thereby among simple people to deface and darken the truth published by the Apostles and asserted by me by forcing them to appear as a heap of confusion and contradiction and there openly charging me as smiting in the dark and as it were daring me to speak more particularly hath forced and constrained mâ— for the very Truths sake to this reply therein to name the very books wherein and by whom these errours are asserted as truth that I might vindicate my Testimony to the blessed mystery of Christ crucified against these and such opposers so far as they appear against that mystery testifyed unto in it And that by removing all their exceptions against the truth I might in my measure assert and justifie the blessed harmony which is betwixt the perfect redemption that is already finished in Christ Jesus for us and the revelation of Him in us against unbelievers in this age who judging of this mystery by the reason of man cry out Confusion contradiction how can these things be so And that such who
for the taking away of sin as quite useless and unprofitable to us as to our Redemption Justification or Salvation as a name and thing done abroad that avails nothing at all leaving out even the very Parenthesis of thy Partners to wit that Christs sufferings and example had a tendency thereunto wherein thou hast outdone them all Another exception of thine was in these words so it is contrary to Scripture to say Christ came in the weakness of our flesh that came by sin It is blasphemy to say Christ came in the weakness of our flesh My answer was surely either passion hath blinded thee or a cloud of thick darkness hath vailed thee how dare thou thus charge the Apostles as blasphemers who said of Christ he was made of a Woman made under the Law came in the likeness of sinful flesh partaked of flesh and bloud was hungry weeped was touched with the feeling of our infirmities and gave up the Ghost are not these weaknesses of our flesh and I may add such as came by sin too Another charge was That I write of the child born according to the flesh to wit of Jesus Christ the Son of Mary There should be no end of his Government contrary to the Scripture that saith he suffered death and continued not many years upon earth My answer was I assert according to the Scriptures that the Son that was conceived in the womb of broughtforth by Mary he shall Reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end and doth it in thy understanding make void his Government because he suffered death tell plainly did the Grave hold him did his flesh see corruption did he not rise from the dead and if so art thou not in union with those who gave money to the Souldiers to hire them to say that his Disciples came by night and stole him away Another charge was That I assert out of the natural seed of David is the Saviour which is blasphemy contray to the Scriptures which say he was without beginning and end of dayes and who could tell his Generation which it seems thou seeks to count My answer was that out of the man Davids seed God hath according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour Jesus and is this blasphemy with thee then surely the Apostles were blasphemers And if I did count his Generation so did Matthew and Luke Now in answer to that part of my Letter published by thee I do asert again that in those Scriptures mentioned by thee it is not said who the true Christ was or is but what and how he is in Believers as thus if Christ be in you he that hath the Son hath life greater is he that is in you c. The question still remains who is he that is thus in us and how is he in us Thou sayest It is thy mistake to say that Christ in believers is but the operation of his spirit in us not he the operator I answer tell plainly is the anointing in us as in us he the anointed one are the motions of his Spirit as in us he the mover are the gifts and graces of the Spirit in us he the giver of them I own that the man Christ Jesns of Nazareth is the Operator and Author of Faith in us but are faith hope meekness c. as they are in us he the Son of man the Author of them how darkly dost thou write of these things not according to the Holy Scriptures though agreeing with the Doctrine of W. B. a Teacher among yon in his Book intituled from the spirit of truth to all persecuting enemies 39. pag. saying humility meekness in the heart of Gods child is a Mediatour to asswage and stop the wrathful anger which lieth in the enmity-seed and it is the Lamb of God in whom he is well-pleased that takes away the sin to whom the Soul is to hearken as a true Prophet guide and Saviour And this is like the Doctrine asserted by G. F. in his Book already mentioned p. 257. in these words That which humbles people which brings down sin is the humility which bears the sin and iniquity which is Christ Is there in the whole Scriptures any mention made of such Doctrine nay verily it is quite another and indeed a plain denying of the Testimony of the Prophets and Apostles joyntly testifying to the man Jesus of Nazareth as the only Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree and there is not another man name or thing ever in Scripture called the Lamb of God which takes away sin but he the man Christ the very mentioning these things is enough to refute them among such with whom the Scriptures have any credit I wish for thy own sake thou hadst not joyned with these men against my Testimony nor after this manner against thy old Friend R. G. GEORGE WHITE-HEAD THou art the last Man I meet with of this Company who have joyned your selves together against my Testimony And thy part in this matter is that of a clamorous Woman having only brought forth a meer Libel stuffed with a parcel of scurrilous expressions which I pass by as not fit to be repeated among sober persons however it sufficiently manifests whose Off-spring thou art and whence thy work is But to give the Reader some account of thy Spirit by thy work let this be considered I find thee very forward in fashioning my words at thy pleasure to make them appear contradictions which are really no further so then as snch as thy self might reckon the Scriptures of truth to be But consider thy own words in a Book Printed 1669 intituled Christ ascended above the Clouds in the Preface being an answer to one J. N. The main subject of this J. N. in his Book is to prove the light in every man not to be Christ which he should not need to have done until it had been so affirmed by us for though we do affirm a spiritual divine light of God and his Son to be in every man yet it is not our principle to say Christ is in every man or that every man hath the Son Now read over thy words p. 16. of thy part speaking Thus of me let the impartial Reader judge of R. G. his confusion and ignorance not owning the light that lightens every man to be Christ or the Son of God contrary to the Scriptures O strange be ashamed was it never affirmed before the year 1669 by any of the Ministry among the Quakers That the light in every man is Christ That Christ is in every man if this man honestly intends what he hath asserted without any mental reservation wherewith at his pleasure to twist his words meaning another thing then plainly he expresseth Then surely I suppose there may be so much honesty in G. F. to rebuke him openly and bring him
sacrifice of his crucified body That he slew the enmity in himself so making peace that God reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son while we were yet enemies so no qualification wrought in us by any spirit whatsoever in order to the perfecting of the purchase of a redemption and paying the ransome for sinners Hence not I who only Testified to the Truth of the Apostles express Doctrine But this man is more truly and properly an imposer of this his unscriptural Doctrine especially being a Teacher of a people to whom it is not allowed to question examine or dissent from the Doctrine delivered to them by the ancient friends of the Ministry But to these men I say that the works wrought for us by Christ in his crucified body is the first Mystery the foundation of all our mercies the ground of the possibility of having any works wrought in us by the Spirit of God tending to our being made like unto him yea had not our Lord finished the work the Father gave him to do when he set him forth as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world and had he not triamphed over all things that were against us for us and had he not obtained eternal redemption for us by the price of his blood we had not witnessed the benefit thereof by receiving that attonement through faith in him if he had not died not for himself but for our-sins and risen for our justification we had died in our sins and remained in death for ever the works wrought in us who believe being but the consequence and effect of what he did for us even when sinners before we believed He loved us first he saw us in our blood and said onto us live and it was a time of love he died for us while we were yet sinners and reconciled us to God while we were enemies And this Doctrine doth not invalidate the inward operations of God within us neither is it the Devils or his Agents instrument to exclude the inward works of Christ as if not necessary to us thereby to make us partakers of his Divine Nature and give us fellowship with the Son of God as G. W. in his last words of his part would make people believe But it is the very Doctrine of the Apostles thus Testifying of Christ That he slew the enmity in himself so making peace who having finished the work the Father sent him to do by purchasing and perfecting Redemption und Reconciliation with God for sinners by the ransome of himself and being ascended and glorified sent forth his Ambassadours intreating men to be reconciled to God That in all Ages and Generations such as through faith in him receive that attonement might witness what the Apostle testifieth of the Corinthians 1 Cor. 6. 11. in these words But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God a place of Scripture mentioned by G. W. in his last words of his part but miserably perverted contrary to the true intent of the Spirit by leaving out these words as pressing him to hard In the Name of the Lord Jesus as if of purpose to exclude the sufferings and sacrifice of Christ as the price of our Redemption and the ground and cause of our witnessing a being washed sanctified and justified by the Spirit whereas had not the first been the other had never been and this man opposing and denying the first shuts out himself from the benefit of the second Whilest indeed it hath been the work of the Devil and his Agents in several generations to darken this Doctrine of the justification of sinners through the death of Christ as a work already perfected with God to be witnessed by the spirit through faith in Christ By pretending through an obedience to be wrought by us or in us to some law or other as the only way to blessedness and perfection being a principle agreeing with the reason of man Thereby darkning and plainly denying the attonement and one propitiatory sacrifice of the Body of the man Christ Jesus once offered for sins and redemption as already obtained through his blood so plainly Testified unto throughout the Scriptures as being known only to believers through the revelation of the Spirit But further that thou derogates from the honour and dignity that belongs to the Son of God appears by thy next words pag. 5. saying That Christ offered up his very flesh through the eternal Spirit in the outward as an attonment unto God in order unto our justification so as thereby he made ready way for our justification though our justification was not simply and absolutely wrought thereby as if no more were to be done by him or his spirit in us I do acknowledge that although I do assert that redemption and justification is already purchased for sinners by the intire and perfect obedience of the man Christ Jesus as he whom God sent forth as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world and that he finished and perfected what he came to do for us yet I do not say that he so finished it for us as if no more were to be done within us by his spirit in order to our receiving that attonement But thou as doth thy Partner G. W. jumbles these things confusedly together and so divides not the word aright speaking of the works wrought for us by Christ as lame and imperfect not as having purchased redemption and reconciliation with God for sinners but only having done it in part so not as having finished the work given him to do though he so Testifieth of himself but that he did something in order thereunto that his Sufferings Testimony and Example had a tendency thereunto not telling how much or what he did or what he left undone and what further tendency the Sufferings Testimony and Example of Christ had hereunto then that of Pauls or any other Martyrs whose Testimony Sufferings and Example had also a real tendency hereunto which you should have distinctly done had you intended plainness in honesty to bring forth your doctrine to be tryed in the light Therefore although in the 13. pag. thou acknowledges That Christs outward coming was not a bare Example but had a real influence and service in its place yet because thon still keeps thy self in the dark unwilling to be manifested in the light not telling us what that further influence and service was more then being a bare example and opposest him as the great propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the whole world as having by the sacrifice of himself taken away sin and obtained Eternal Redemption for us by his blood as being a work already perfected by that one offering once for all telling us plainly that Christ did only something in order hereunto May I not therefore understand by thy saying that Christ was more then a bare example that thy meaning is that
man as he is a man which also G. W. in pag. 6. seems to say of it And though man through his disobedience wholly lost fellowship and communion with God and hope of eternal life with a possibility under that Covenant of works through his future obedience of ever being restored yet he continued a man still even under all this loss and also enlightned by this Law though more darkly whereby he knew he had disobeyed his Maker and therefore was ashamed and hid himself and of which had he been utterly deprived he had ceased from being a man and so from being capable of condemnation or of receiving the promise of restoration of which he knew nothing by this enlightning remaining in him untill God published it to him by promising him the Messias the Womans feed to break the Serpents head for that Law as thou acknowledges pag 10. in these words only condemns him and gives him the knowledge of sin This Law or enlightning thus planted in mans nature by creation is by generation conveyed into every man as the comes into the world and is hence called by Solomon 20. Chap. Proverbs 27. verse The Spirit of man which is the Candle of the Lord searching the inward parts of his belly and of the spirit of man the Prophet 12. Zach. 1. writeth thus Thus saith the Lord which stretcheth forth the Heavens and layeth the foundation thereof and formeth the spirit of man within him hence this Law in every man as it is in every man is that which God hath formed therefore of it the Apostle truly and properly hath spoken they do by nature the things contained in the Law as being born of the seed and after the kind of man they are naturally or by nature men so being born of the seed of man they do naturally or by nature the things contained in the Law the work of the Law being written in their hearts as they are men hence this Law or enlightning in every man as he comes into the world being the formed spirit of man enlightned by him that made it Is not God that formed it the word by which the world was made as G. F. in that Book above mentioned pag. 185. asserts neither is it the word manifest in flesh as G. W. asserts pag. 3. So what pag. 6. he would have to be right reason in pag. 3. with him is God manifest in flesh Neither is it the end of the Law the Saviour the Mediator the Righteousness of God the foundation of God as G. F. in that Book already named pag. 9. 57. 102. 168. and 277. asserts for by these assertions the creature is and is worshipped instead of him the creator who is God blessed for ever wherefore if it be not too late I would have these men consider the words of the Lord spoken by Esayas 50. 11. Behold all ye that kindle a fire that compass about your selves with sparks walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled this shall ye have of my hand ye shall lie down in Sorrow And although by this Law or enlighting in every man he is capable to receive the glad tydings of the Gospel when preached to him through the promised seed of the Woman yet it is not he the promised seed neither is it the light of the Gospel shining in our hearts by faith as G. W. would have it to be pag. 6. Neither is it Christ within the hope of glory nor the word of faith nor the ingrafted word within that is able to save the Soul though it be that which receives it and where it abides when received though thou seems so to assert in thy Book Yet neither thou nor any of you have proved or can prove what you have so asserted by the Scriptures of truth And although by this Law in every mans nature the eternal power and God-head may be known by the things that are made and equity and sobriety among men may be observed yet the glorious Gospel shining in our hearts by faith is not thereby discerned although G. W. pag. 6. so affirmeth of it asserting as much as if right reason in every man as becomes into the World by natural generation discerneth the light of the glorious Gospel which if so why is the word of faith preached how comes faith by hearing and indeed to what end was the Comforter the spirit of truth promised and sent to reveal this Mistery and how is it foolishness to the wisdom and reason of the Greeks But I find it not so asserted in the Scriptures of truth of this Law in every man as he comes into the World that it discerneth or discovereth to man the purpose of grace that was in God before the world began preached to Adam foretold by the Prophets typified under the Law pointed out by John the fore-runner whom last of all his Apostles preached as do all his Ministers in all Ages proclaiming this message of Gods love to the world not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life all in one joynt voice pointing to this Jesus the Son of Mary this Son of man with an Hosanna to this Son of David and to none before him or to any ever since Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world a voice not heard among you of the Man Jesus Christ the Son of the Virgin Mary as now existing outwardly bodily without us but applyed by some among you to meekness humility and the like within you Therefore not the Law in every man as he comes into the world but the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus shining in the hearts of Believers manifests to them the Saviour Jesus and Salvation through faith in him That being graven in the heart of a man as he is a man this being revealed only by that Spirit which the world never saw nor can receive as the Apostle plainly asserts 1 Cor. 2. 9 10 14. And hence these Laws are not therefore one and the same because both of them are written in the heart the one being within man as he is a man the other as he is a believer And as these Laws are different so the teachings of them differ hence the Apostle saith doth not even nature it self teach as being far below the teachings of the new Covenant the teachings of this Law in every man either as in every man or as outwardly administred leading no farther then as it was said of old eye for eye tooth for tooth what you would not men should do unto you that do ye not unto them But when he came who brought in a better Covenant a more glorious Law even that of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus he preached a higher Doctrine But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you
to a publick Confession before him thereby at least to vindicate his own Book already mentioned Printed 1659 wherein it is often affirmed by him that the light in every man is Christ and wherein he pleads That Christ is in every Man See pag. 9. 10 19 20. and many other places through that great Book Now which of these Ministers speaking so contrary to one another shall the people called Quakers who depend upon such Teachers believe verily it is high time for such among them who have known any thing of the Teachings of the Spirit of Jesus to cease from these men and to deliver themselves from being thus imposed upon however these assertions of G. W. compared together sufficiently manifests his self-contradictions to such as are not willing to be deluded by him For if the Quakers will believe G. W. it is not their principle in the year 1669 to say Christ is in every man but if they will believe G. F. it was their principle 10. years before And if they will believe the same G. W. in the year 1670 then they must condemn R. G. as Anti-christian and ignorant because denying the light in every man to be Christ or Christ to be in every man Next let it be further considered to manifest thy Spirit by thy work that in my Testimony I metioned two Gospel-Misteries declared of in the Scriptures both joyntly concurring as necessary to us yet in their order and that it was the work of the enemy in his instruments to divide them and set them as opposites each to other thence to render them as contradictory Now this is really the greatest part of thy work quarrelling and fighting against the works wrought for us by the Man Christ Jesus in his Crucified body as erroneous and contradictory to the works he worketh in us by his Spirit hence what Spirit drives thee is plainly manifest But let it be considered what it is I have asserted against which thou so much clamours I have testified in the Apostles express words that the man Jesus Christ of Nazareth even that same Jesus whom the Jews Crucified him God hath raised from the dead and he is both Lord and Christ If this be so why art thou angry if it be false tell us plainly Thy quarrel against what I have asserted is manifest first in the 13. pag. in these words for whom doth R. G. reckon hath this God-man as he calls him or God in Christ in Vnion wrought and compleated and purchased all c. An expression fitter at Constantinople then at London however hence it is manifest that with thee Jesus Christ of Nazareth is God-man as R. G. calls him not as G. W. esteems him But thou art reproved by our Lord who said of himself who was but one Person these may be contradictions to thee if thou durst say so seeming contrary expressions and yet in both he spoke the very truth I and the Father am one yet the Father is greater then I thus plainly he is both God and man in one undivided person Next turn to the 16. pag. where repeating some of my words by which I proved the true Christ to have been and still to be a man not the word only but the word made flesh Jesus Christ the Son of Mary To this thou answers in these words Note his errour in denying the light to be Christ and so opposing Christs Divinity Mark thy words If because of my asserting the true Christ to have been and to be a man even then when I also asserted his being God be with thee an opposing of Christs Divinity as thou sayest it is then with thee the true Christ was not is not a man Wherein thou art led by the Spirit and wisdom of the Greeks who esteemed the Preaching of Remidion of sins and the Resurrection of the dead through the man Christ Jesus whom the Jews Crucified as foolishness But art reproved by our Lord himself Math. 24. 30. testifying thus of himself And they shall see the Son of man coming in the Clouds of heaven with power and great glory and art contrary to the Apostles who testified of the true Christ both to Jews and Gentiles even after his being ascended and glorified that he was and is a man as is mentioned in several places of the Acts adding 10. Acts 43. that to him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive Remission of sins Again turn to the 7. p. where thou expressest thy self in these words Nor was the Son of God and his light to be under such a limitation either as to time or place to wit in the Womb of the Virgin Mary as a finite creature for his out-goings were of old from everlasting Mark thy words if that holything conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of Mary is not was not therefore the Son of God whose out-goings were from everlasting because as thou words it he was under a limitation as to time and place in the Womb of the Virgin Mary then plainly with thee the man Jesus Christ of Nazareth who was that Son of the Virgin Mary was not is not the Son of God whereby as in so many words thou hast given the Angel Gabriel the lye Luke 26. 35 who being sent of God to the Virgin Mary said that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God thus thou art in union with these Jews of old who reckoned him but a meer man the Carpenters Son John 10. 33. for a good work we stone thee not but for blasphemy and because that being a man Mark thy own very Spirit thou makest thyself God therefore I do reprove thee in those very words our Lord reproved these unbelievers of old 36. ver Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world thou blasphemest because I said I am the Son of God Next let thy cavils and exceptions against the works wrought for us by the man Christ Jesus be a little examined In the 1. p. thou argues thus how is sin finished without man while no good is wrought within him Seeing Christ works all things in us by his Spirit how is all things finished without them before any good wrought in them I answer all things relating to the one propitiatory Sacrifice of the body of Christ once offered for the sins of the whole World as an attonement of his own bloud to be received and believed in for Remission of sins as the ground of our hope of the Resurrection of the dead unto life eternal are finished All things relating to our receiving that attonement and making that blessed work so already finished by him without us for us effectual within us are wrought and to be wrought not at once but by degrees by the workings of his Spirit within us untill mortality be swallowed up of life By what I have already written in answer to G. K. I have
sufficiently vindicated these truths testified unto by me from the cavils of this man according to the Scriptures who either ignorantly or wilfully jumbles these things confusedly together not dividing the word of truth aright And hence it is that he reckons it erroneous in me and a contradicting opposing and invalidating the inward operations of the Spirit of God within which is falsly charged upon me To assert of the Messias the man Christ Jesus of Nazareth that he finished transgression made an end of sin brought in everlasting righteousness fulfilled the Law abolished condemnation Curss and death condemned sin in the flesh took part of our flesh and in it destroyed death and him that had the power of death abolished in his flesh the enmity so making peace that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross And all this for sinners ungodly unjust enemies even while enemies so no good wrought in them by any light or spirit whatsoever so as to have purchased or perfected that blessed work all which and much more being the express Testimony of the Prophets and Apostles concerning him and the work effected by him for sinners thou G. W. art justly reproved by them as having manifested thy self a plain denier of them and thy work is seen in the light of Christ Jesus and by it the Spirit that leads thee so that these Scripture words thou steals out of the writings of the Apostles cannot cover thee from being discerned while thou dost not plainly and honestly mention what is intended by them writing as thy manner is in thy works darkly and confusedly thereby the more easily to deceive And this is so plain in all this thy work that to mention it in every place would prove tedious I would therefore only have the Reader consider thy words in the 12. p. thus God sent his Son to save man from sin and death whose sufferings sacrifice mediation intercession and offices with the blessed effects thereof within we own and witness according to the Scriptures of truth as inwardly revealed I own and acknowledge that the blessed effects of Christs sufferings Sacrifice and Offices are to be witnessed within as inwardly revealed But how confusedly dost thou write If what is inwardly revealed within us be the effects of the death sufferings sacrifice mediation intercession and offices of the Son of God then there is a cause of those effects as previous and antecedent to them to wit his sufferings and sacrifice which is therefore necessarily finished perfected and accomplished by him for us without us in his Crucified body before the effects thereof could be witnessed or revealed in us And this is that which I plead for and thou hast opposed as do also thy partners speaking other whiles of an attonement a sacrifice a Mediation to be done by Christ within us for us and at another time speaking of the blessed effects of them to be witnessed within and therefore only mentioning these words of the Prophets and Apostles to catch simple Souls thereby among a people where the Scriptures have had and have some credit while you really speak another Doctrine then that testified unto by those Holy Men of old by these and such expressions But were you to Preach among a people to whom the report of the man Christ Jesus the Son of God his Sufferings and Sacrifice is not conveyed would it be accounted necessary by you to Preach Remission and forgiveness of sins through that man and that one Sacrifice of his Crucified body and the hope of the Resurrection from the dead unto eternal life through faith in that man even the same Jesus whom the Jews Crucified and whom God raised from the dead and that he is both Lord and Chrst and that there is no other Saviour and no other Salvation but through faith in that man and no other ground of hope or confidence of ever being saved but through that sacrifice already offered up and that perfect obedience by him already performed to the will of the Father What you would Preach to such is manifest by your Doctrine and by such like words from among you that you would Preach to the Indians nothing but what they knew already However to him the man Christ Jesus the Apostles testified as Saviour and through him they preached Remission of sins and the Resurrection of the dead To the unbelieving Greeks with whom the Testimony of Moses and the Prophets had no credit and so they Preached to them what they knew not before strange Gods say they one Jesus that was dead whom they preached to be alive and Remission of sins the Resurrection of the dead through faith in him May we know say they what this new Doctrine thou preachest is In the 18. pag. thou expressest thy self thus This man thinks that he is gotten beyond reason in his Paradoxes every rational man may see his darkness herein to conclude the believer in warfare and imperfections in the body and in Victory in perfection in Christ which is all one as to say he is in Christ and out of Christ perfect and imperfect at the same instant I answer there are Scripture Paradoxes relating to the Mystery of the Gospel which mans wisdom and reason which is foolishness with God cannot comprehend hence to the wise Greeks Philosophers and Stoicks the Preaching of Jesus and the Resurrection from the dead and of the day in which God will judge the World by that man whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead I say this Doctrine those wise rational men counted Paradoxes gotten beyond reason saying of Paul what will this babler say he sets forth strange Gods because he preached to them Jesus and the Resurrection But I do acknowledge that among those Paradoxes this is one a believer lives at one and the same time in a twofold state by faith he is a man in Christ Jesus in him he is compleat while according to sense he is a man in the flesh subject to infirmities and death in the body he hath a Law of sin in the Lord he hath put it off as he walks by faith he is in rest victory and perfection as he walks by sight he is in labours warfare and imperfections hence the Apostle testifieth 8 Rom. 23. we who have received the fruits of the spirit even we our selves groan within ourselves waiting for the Redemption of our body for we are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man sees why doth he yet hope for but if we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities hence also faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Thus the Believer is in a state of hope and faith having received but the earnest of the inheritance not the full fruition not as if already perfected is daily pressing