THE True Christ Ovvned IN A few Plain Words of Truth by way of Reply to all such Professors or Profane who lay to the charge of the Elect People of God called Quakers That they deny the Bloud of Christ and his Body and Resurrection and that they deny the Lord that bought them and trample the Blood of the Covenant under their feet This is the great Out-cry in the Mouthes of such as know not what they say nor whereof they affirm lifting up their Voices like the unbelieving Jews of Heresie and Blasphemy against us and all this is because we answer not their Wils and the Imaginations of their dark mind but according to the Manifestation of God in every mans Conscience as the true Apostles and Ministers of Christ did and according to the Scriptures of Truth which Holy Men of God spake forth as they were moved by the Holy Ghost as will plainly appear to all whose Eye the Lord hath opened which may give much satisfaction to such as sincerely desire to know the Truth as it is in Jesus and walk in it for whose sake and the Vindication of the Truth and People of God is this written By WILLIAM BAYLY London Printed in the Year 1667. The Preface READER who ever thou art consider seriously that the things of God and the true knowledge of them are of deep and weighty concernment and there are but few in comparison that have attained to the true and right knowledge of the Mysteries of his everlasting Kingdom notwithstanding their great noise and talk of Profession the things that truly belong to their peace are hid from their Eyes and their House is desolate and so will remain till they are turned from the Darkness to the Light of Christ which shines in their hearts as it is written God who commanded Light to shine out of darkness hath also shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ Mark here what gives the true knowledge of the things of God which the natural man understands not because they are spiritually discerned it is the Light which shines in the hearts of people which is the Maifestation of the Spirit of God given to every man to profit withal and except people be turned to this and learn of it they can never be profited in the Way and Worship and true Knowledge of God Therefore while People are from th Gift of God in them they put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light And so if thou wouldst have a clear and right understanding of these things and be fully satisfied in thy own mind concerning them thou must wait in the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ for Counsel and Instruction for no man can know the things of God but by the Spirit of God who giveth his Holy Spirit to them that rightly ask it of him to which I shall leave thee to be led into the right understanding hereof that the things belonging to thy Souls peace may not be hid from thee The First Query and Charge 1. DO you Quakers own that Blood of Christ which was shed without the Gates of Jerusalem upon the Cross which when the Souldier thrust in his Spear forthwith there came Water and Blood and they that saw it bare Record that this was visible Blood which came out of the side of the visible Man Christ Do you own Justification by this Blood which was visible which we do believe you do not For we could never hear you directly answer us to this matter but evade it by other terms and shuffle it off not daring to shew your Faith and Principle in this particular so that we conclude and publish that you are them that deny Justification alone by the visible Blood of the visible Man Christ that was born of the Virgin Mary Thus said Matthew Caffen Answer As for the word visible Blood and visible Man which thou so much talkest of in this kind they are terms quite beside the Language of the Scriptures of Truth or else I am very ignorant of such Translations But we do as really own our Justification by the Blood of Jesus Christ the onely begotten Son of God as the Apostles and Saints of old did without any evasion or shuffling according to their very meaning and plain Declaration who said If we are in the Light as he is in the Light then have we fellowship one with another mark in what their fellowship was Is yours in the Light and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 John 1.7 You may see here is nothing mentioned of the word visible And again John 6.53 Then Jesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you Whoso eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath Eternal Life and I will raise him up at the last day For 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 c. These words of Truth we own and witness but your word visible Flesh and visible Blood which you would strain us up to express to answer your wills and dark imaginations we do not read from Christ nor his Apostles in all the Scriptures So we desire all People to take notice of the ground these People have to say we deny the Blood of Christ for because I did not answer Matthew Caffen in a late Discourse about these things in the express tearm visible it being not according to the form of sound words he therefrom concluded that we deny the Blood of Christ that we do not own justification by it who might as well conclude the same of Paul and the rest of the Apostles and Ministers of Christ as of us for not using the word visible when they express the Flesh and Blood of Christ yea of Christ himself who leaves out that expression which they so much contend about and on the contrary saith The Flesh profits nothing it s the Spirit gives Life John 6.62 63. Then tell me O ye Professors of Christ's and his Apostles words who say they are your Rule What is that Flesh that is meat indeed And what is that Flesh that profits nothing seeing both are the words of Truth And again take the words of Peter a Minister of the Word which endureth for ever to the Elect that were scattered throughout several Places 1 Pet. 1.18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye are not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your Fathers but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Why do you not here find fault with Peter for not using the word visible instead of precious which was my term several times to thee and thy Companions in that
I spoke of Christ who said Before Abraham was I am and that all things were made by him and for him c. said one William Burnet a Baptist-Teacher There was nothing made by Christ then said I By whom were all things made in the beginning Said he By the Word Now let all People see the Darkness of these Men whom their envy hath blinded that they cannot see the plain Scripture how that Christ is called The Word of God Rev. 19. and in divers places he is called the Word And said the Apostle Paul By him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible c. Coloss 1.16 So it s no marvel they oppose us and revile us about these things when they belye the Apostle and contradict his plain words who are like the unbelieving Jews that looked at the outward age of the Person of Christ when he said to them Before Abraham was I am Is not this the true Christ that was before Abraham Was not he with the Father glorified before the World began Will ye deny these things so plainly recorded in the Scriptures of Truth And is not Christ Jesus the same yesterday day to day and for ever And did not John Baptist say He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me See here Did not this Baptist-Teacher see farther then you Baptist-Teachers do now who cries out the visible Flesh and Bones is the Saviour And farther than the unbelieving Jews who said Thou art not Fifty years old and hast thou seen Abraham Whose answer serves for you all Before Abraham was I am Then took they up Stones to cast at him John 8.59 Can you read your Spirit For ye throw the hardest things that ye can scrable up against us about these things except ye had the outward Power and Sword in your hands then I am sure some of you would punish the Blasphemers as ye call them with a Prison or Death like as your Brethren have done for We have a Law and by our Law he ought to die said the unbelieving Jews And the Pope hath a Law to Burn Hereticks that do not believe the Natural Visible Corruptible Bread and Wine to be the Real Natural Substantial Body and Blood of Christ and so the Saviour and Redeemer And in New-England the Zealous Professors of the Letter the Man-slayers and Murtherers have Laws against the Quakers and call them A Cursed Sect and you call them Blasphemers So that Christ's Words are fulfilled Ye shall be hated of all Nations or Opinions for my Name-Sake who said I am the Light of the World and before Abraham was I am And Lodowick Muggleton he curses them and cries They deny the Son to be a Person in the form of a Man which suffered death and is risen c. And calls them the Cursed Sect of Quakers But all your Curses and Revilings Scandals Lyes and Reproaches will turn back into your own Bosoms and shall not come nigh the Dwelling of them whom the Lord hath blessed for we do not deny the Person of Christ nor the Blood of Christ nor the Resurrection of the Body as we are falsly charged but do own them all in their Place and Office according to the Scriptures of Truth and we are one with the Saints and Apostles in the Primitive time in all these things and so are not a Sect but Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones as they were Ephes 5.30 But his Sayings are fulfilled If they have called the Master of the House Beelzebub much more them of his Houshold If ye were of the World the World would love his own but because I have chosen you out of the World therefore the World hateth you The third Query and Charge 3. BVt do you Quakers own and believe the Resurrection of this Body that this very Body that is visible of Flesh and Bones which we now see and feel and handle do you believe that this same Body shall rise again said Matthew Caffen and his Companion Burnet while they were handling one hand with the other For we believe you do not but deny the Resurrection of this same visible Body of Flesh and Bones as we have good ground to believe by your Books in which we cannot find that you own the visible Man Christ that is risen and ascended up into Heaven and sitteth at the Right-hand of God nor the Resurrection of this same visible Body if you do or do not say ay or no said M. C. directly to the Question Answer As I told thee then in that Discourse upon the Heath so I tell thee again That the Man Christ and his Resurrection from the Dead I own according to the Scriptures which thou said was general and nothing to the Question Then said I I own the Resurrection of the Body as Paul did and mentioned his words It is sown a Natural Body it is raised a Spiritual Body It is sown in Weakness it is raised in Power And there is a Natural Body and there is a Spiritual Body c. And whereas you cry the self same visible Body of Flesh and Bones you believe shall be raised and this is your Faith and Principle I do not so read it in your tearms in all the Scripture of Truth though ye alledge that saying in Ezekiel chap. 37. about the dry Bones I will lay Sinews upon you and will bring up Flesh upon you and cover you with Skin and put breath in you and ye shall live and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Now look in the 11th Verse and see the Mystery thereof if it be not above your reach for you are very near the Earth though ye talk so much of Heaven whether it was not spoken only of the Restoration of the Jews out of their Captivated and dead state as the Apostle said What shall the reviving or returning of them be but life from the dead Rom. 11.15 Consider well what ye say and whereof ye affirm for the Light will make all things manifest and the Fire must try your Works And we have read that Fifteenth Chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians through and find not your word visible in it from the one end to the other which speaks as much or more of the Resurrection as any place that I know of But I find Paul an Apostle of our Lord Jesus saying Thou Fool to such as queried how are the dead raised up And with what Body do they come But he doth not tell people as you do that the same visible Body of Flesh and Bones shall be raised up but says Thou sowest not that Body that shall be and in the 50th verse speaks very plainly which might be a full answer to your visible Flesh and same Flesh and to your shame Now this I say Brethren said he that Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God neither doth corruption inherit
drying up the Tongue of the Egyptian Sea and he will make the Rivers Islands and dry up all their Pools And this shall be the Plague of Egypt and of all the Heathen that will not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts even upon them shall be no rain Zech. 14. And the true Worshippers are such as worship the Father in the Spirit and in the Truth he that hath an Ear to hear let him hear And the Lord is making Wayes in the Wilderness and Rivers in the Desart and the Wilderness shall sing for joy and the Desart shall blossom as a Rose and grow as the Lilly and this is the Lords doing by his own Arm that no Flesh should glory in his Presence who is confounding the Wisdom of the Wise and bringing the Understanding of the Prudent to nothing so that Babes and Sucklings shall say Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer Where is he that can count the Towers Hath not God made Foolish the Wisdom of this World the World by all their Wisdom know no God I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes even so Father for so it seemeth good in thy sight Matth. 11.25 These things I have written for the vindication of the Truth and for the manifesting the Darkness of them that reproach and oppose it and them that live in it and for their Souls sake that have any true breathings or sincere desires after the true Knowledge of the True and Living God for to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent is Life Eternal Query 1. Whether there be any more Saviours of the Immortal Soul but one that is able to save it or to bring Salvation to it yea or nay If you say nay there is but one able to save and able to destroy as the Lord said Beside me there is no Saviour and there is no other Name under Heaven by which Men can be saved but Jesus Christ 2. Then whether the visible Person of Flesh and Bones be the only Saviour seeing the Apostle saith the Ingrafted Word is able to save the Soul and the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all Men And who was Enoch's Saviour and the Prophets who were before that visible Flesh and Bones was 3. Whether the visible Person of Flesh and Bones be the Ingrafted Word Or whether that Person hath appeared to all Men seeing that which bringeth Salvation hath I leave it to the Witness of God in you all to consider and judge For if you say the visible man with visible Flesh and Bones is the alone Saviour as you have said Then whether this visible man be in the hearts of People for the Apostle preached Christ the Word nigh in the Heart and in the Mouth and the Ingrafted Word is able to save the Soul so be did not preach a visible Christ with Flesh and Bones as you do but the Word which W. B. said was not Christ And Paul preached God that made the World c. that was not far from every one of us the Invisible God but you preach a visible man with Flesh and Bones at a great distance from all People above where the Sun Moon and Stars are as M. C. said his Saviour was which he owned for Salvation So let all People read with moderation and see how contrary these zealous Professors are to the Apostles of Christ who desired to know Christ no more after the Flesh And Christ said to such Ye worship ye know not what God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in the Spirit and in the Truth and God dwells and walks in his People according to his Promise 2 Cor. 6.16 4. And whether the Flesh which you call visible be not the Vail spoken of Hebr. 10.20 And whether the Pot of Manna and Aaron's Rod that Budded and the Holiest of all were not within the Vail And whether that Vail in the old time was not a Type of this Vail through which this New and Living Way is consecrated for us read Hebrews 10. and understand what ye read 5. And whether such as were made to sit together in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus who would know him no more after the Flesh were not come within the Vail where the true Bread was which nourishes their Souls up unto Eternal Life which the Manna was a Type of 6. And whether the Bodies of the Saints did not become the Temples of the Living God and did not he dwell in them and walk in them And he that knew not Christ in him was not he a Stranger to the New and Living Way and a Reprobate Or were the Heavenly Places in Christ where they sat above the Skyes 7. And when Matthew Caffen said his Saviour was up in the Heaven where the Sun Moon and Stars are which are visible without him Did he not then ask me where my God was that I worshipped and served And did I not plainly tell him before many People that he dwelt in me according to his Promise and that he was my Saviour And didst not thee M. C. cry out with a loud voice O Blasphemy just like the Jews against Christ and them that stopt their Ears against Stephen but did not I reply to thee Then call the Scripture Blasphemy nay thou may as well call the Lord Blasphemer for speaking so for they are his Words and Promise to his People I will dwell in them and walk in them I will be their God and they shall be my People Here all may see the Darkness and Blindness that is happened to these men who do withstand the Truth of God and his precious Promises as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses but their folly will be made manifest to all men as theirs was who call such Blasphemers who witness the Promise of the Father which Christ bid his Disciples wait for fulfilled But some may say If God and Christ and Justification and Salvation and all must be known within Then what Benefit have you by the Death and Sufferings of Christ And for what end came he into the World And what advantage have any People by these things Answ Much every may for first he in his Birth and coming in the Flesh was the opening of a Door though under a Vail to the Carnal Eye to see into the Mysteries of his Kingdom which was at hand as he told them as his being born of a Virgin and then being carried into Egypt and then being brought back again as also his being kept out of the Inn which was full of Guests in the dayes of Taxing and his being wraped in swadling clothes and laid in a Manger shewed his entertainment in the World and among the Professors of all sorts that saw not the Invisible Life but lookt at the visible appearance and so his Face was more marr'd then any mans and his form more then the sons of men And then in his Preaching he told for what end he was born and came into the World to bear witness to the Truth and so he fulfilled all the Types and Shadows and Sacrifices under the Law by his Offering once for all and ended them for ever and so a Body was prepared to do his Fathers Will who would nor have any more such Sacrifices and Offerings but a New and Living Way must be consecrated for the People through the Vail that is to say his Flesh which was offered up once for all so here all the outward Offerings which were many and often ended and now the Offering is in Righteousness in that which exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees and the true Worship is now as he said in the Spirit and in the Truth And so as they offered the Blood of Bulls and Goats and such like things in their Sacrifices for Sin and Transgression so Christ at his Death and Suffering offered up a Body of Flesh and Blood which was prepared as I said to that end of his Father So he did his Fathers Will with which he was well pleased saying This is my beloved Son hear ye him so that God is in Christ reconciled and out of him there is no Reconciliation nor acceptable Sacrifice And now all must hear him who said I am the Way the Truth and the Life and I am the Light of the World belive in the Light whose name is called The Word of God which his Ministers in his stead preached nigh in the heart and in the mouth and forbid saying who shall ascend up into Heaven to bring him down or descend to fetch him up c. but the Word of Reconciliation they had and this they preached that People might come to Christ and be reconciled to God and their Fellowship was with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and the Blood of Christ did clense them and yet they desire to know him no more after the Flesh But these things are Parables to the Wise men of the World Therefore I may conclude as the Apostle did Without controversie great is the mystery of Godliness God was manifest in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received up into Glory 1 Tim. 3.16 And so he is out of your sight who deny the Light within for that gives the knowledge of his Glory in the Face of Jesus Christ as ye may read 2 Cor. 4. and 6. THE END