to query things that call not into Question any one Article of the Christian Faith But further to clear the matter I do affirm that I never said to any nor did I ever conclude in my thoughts that the Doctrine of the Revolutions as they are commonly understood or as delivered in that Book was the matter of my Faith or were things inwardly revealed or opened to me by the Spirit of Truth as I am free to say concerning all things of my Christian Faith which I both believe and profess nor have I ever had any Controversie Strife or Contention with any man about the Revolutions so called and I have been very shy and backward either to lend or recommend the said Book But it is one thing what a man may suppose to be a probable Opinion or rational Hypothesis either as touching the Doctrine of the Revolutions of which there are many sorts asserted by Authors or as touching any other Doctrine in Astronomy or Physick and it is far another thing what a man asserts to be his Christian Faith grounded upon the inward Evidence and Testimony of Gods Spirit in the Heart But as to my real sence of the Opinion of that called the Revolutions which do generally relate to Times past and not with the least certainty to any one particular Person to the time to come ever since the Death of Christ If any hold any such Opinion or Doctrine of them as I know none that do that doth teach That men may delay their Repentance or living a good Life in hope that they shall live again after Death I do sincerely declare I have alwayes abhorred any such Doctrine and judged it Wicked and Abominable and still I do so judge and hope so to do while I live and I have upon many occasions born my zealous Testimony both in publick and in private to the contrary viz. That to entertain any such hope to live again in order to Repent and live a good Life after a man has neglected the present Opportunity wherein to Repent c. in this present Life is as Wicked as it is vain for The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation teacheth us to deny Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Tit. 2.11 12. But it teacheth no man to delay his good living to any time after Death either in hope of a Purgatory while the Soul is out of the Body or in hope to live again in a mortal Body for NOW is the accepted Time NOW is the Day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 And it is the last Time as John hath declared 1 John 2.18 And also Paul saying Rom. 13.11 And that knowing the Time that NOW it is high Time to awake out of sleep c. let us therefore cast off the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light for the Times of Ignorance God wincked at but NOW comenandeth all men every where to Repent Acts 17.30 And as John said Mat. 3. 10. And NOW also the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees therefore eveâ—y Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewn down and cast into the Fire And therefore if any hold such Doctrine of Revolutions that putteth men upon delaying their Repentance or neglecting to live a good Life in hope to live again after Death to Repent and Amend as I have alwayes abhorred it so I hope I shall alwayes do and bear my faithful Testimony against it And whereas the said Person hath accused me before divers Witnesses That my manner of Preaching the Faith of Christ Crucified and Raised again its being necessary to make men Christians and Sons of God of the Free Woman and Children of the New-Covenant doth infer my holding of the Revolutions to wit that all pious Gentiles dying without all bearing Christ crucified and raised again preached to them must of necessity live again in a mortal Body in order to hear that Doctrine outwardly preached to them or then be damned The which Alternative I possitively deny And by this his Accusation he hath shown what a Changeling he is from better to worse in so finding fault with my Doctrine for Preaching or Printing the necessity of this Faith to Salvation which he hath so frequently held forth himself owned and approved in my Books And I propose it to the serious Consideration of all sincere Christians Whether this Difficulty show much so ever real or seeming doth more pinch or straiten me than all Christendom that universally assert the necessity of faith in Christ crucified and raised again to make men true and sincere Christians and that by this Faith men are justified sanctified and attain to eternal Life and that therefore no Jew or Turk can be a true Christian because they have not this Faith however otherwise just and conscientious they may be And whether seeing the whole strain and current of the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament is such as doth demonstrate the necessity of this Faith and Gospel to be preached to all Nations to wit That Christ Jesus the Son of God dyed for our sins and rose again for our Justification and that it is plain from express Scripture That this Justification is not obtained nor Salvation to wit finally fully and perfectly without this Faith I say Whether in opposition to and in prejudice of the Revolutions and for avoiding that Doctrine and laying it aside we must and ought to lay aside the Preaching and Faith of Christ as he outwardly dyed for our sins on the Tree of the Cross and rose again for our â—ustification as a thing unnecessary and indifferent as it must needs be if men may be compleat and perfect Christians without this Faith and perfectly overcome all sin and attain to a perfect state of Sanctification without it and may be Children of God and Sons of the free Woman and have the Spirit of Adoption without this Faith And if so then doth not this wholly render Pious Paganism or Gentilism to be perfect Christianity and perfect Christianity to be nothing else than pious Gentilism And doth not this make the Faith and Knowledge of Christ both without us and within us of none effect for it cannot be proved that ever any had the true Knowledge or Faith of Christ within them but who had the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ without them for though Christ was and is in Pious and Conscientious Gentiles in thâ—ir meer Gentile state yet they did not know him as such nor did they believe in him as Christ as all sincere Christians did and do And shall not this be of most evil tendency thus to make void the Faith of Christ crucified without us and raised again in prejudice of and in opposition to that call'd the Revolutions as my Accuser hath done though he himself hath declared his favouring of the Revolutions as a probable Hypothesis and hath frequently and but very lately declared the necessity
of the Faith of Christ as he was crucified and raised from the dead without us its being necessary to Salvation bringing for it Rom. 10.9 whereof many are Witnesses And to saâ— This Faith is necessary to such to whom it is preached to make them Christians and perfectly to justifie sanctifie and save them but not to such Pious Gentiles to whom it is not preached as if they could be perfectly Christians and perfectly justified perfectly sanctified and perfectly wholly and fully saved without it this most evidently doth contradict the Scripture that holdeth forth the necessity of its being preached that it may be received in Gods ordinary way of working for which see Luke 24 46 47. Acts 4.10 11 12. cap. 10.43 44. cap 11.14 cap. 13.46 cap. 28.28 compared with vers 23. Rom. 3.30 cap. 8.2 3 4 cap. 16 25 26. Ephes 3.4 5 6. 1. 13. Col. 1.21 22 23 26 27 28. And surely if the Gospel and Faith of Christ both outwardly and inwardly was not necessary to be preached to the Nations to Salvation then Christs Command to the Apostles to preach it was a superfluous and unnecessary work and in vain was it that so many Thousands should suffer Martyrdom and Killing for that Faith and the preaching of it And at this rate the Gospel and Faith of Christ both without us and within us is not only an unprofitable but a burdensom Yoke of Bondage laid on People by having it preacht to them seeing they could have been good and perfect Christians without it if they had never had it preached to them and could have been perfectly justified perfectly sanctified and perfectly saved without it in their meer Gentile state which is a plain overturning and overthrowing the Christian Religion Faith and Gospel and an evident confirming what the Adversaries of Truth have cast upon us the People called Quakers That their Christianity is nothing else but refined Paganism or Gentilism but I hope all the sincere hearted and true Lovers of Christ are and will be otherwise minded and stand up with holy Zeal to assert their true Christianity and Christian Faith and Religion to be altogether another thing than the most refined Pious Gentilism and differing from it as much as Gold differs from Brass or as the Light of the Day differs from the Light of the Night and that principally because they have the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ as he dyed for them without them and rose again and is gone into Heaven there making intercession for them c. and also living and ruling in them conforming them to his Death and Resurrection which they could not have without the Faith of him as he was outwardly crucified and raised again But if any say The Gospel and Faith of Christ as he dyed and rose again tho' not absolutely necessary to perfect mens Salvation yet is very profitable to facilitate and make the Work the more easily and speedily to be done I Answ If not necessary it may be concluded not profitable nor of service to make the Work more easie for wherein is it more profitable not being necessary for in all other things that are not absolutely necessary but profitable and serviceable the profit service is apparent as when a man may labour the ground to raise Corn with Hoe and other Instruments without plowing or a man may go from one place to another by walking without riding or sailing but no such thing is apparent in this case as if the necessity of the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ both without us and within us which cannot be divided be once laid aside that it cannot be supposed to be profitable but rather it ought to be concluded both unprofitable and hurtful as enjoyning more Precepts relating to God to our Selves and to our Neighbours than the Gentile Dispensation did or doth and for this cause it is that Christianity excelleth Judaism and is far more profitable and serviceable to perfect our Salvation as containing fewer Precepts than the Law under Judaism did and at this rate it would follow because Gentilism containeth fewer Precepts than Christianity therefore Gentilism is the more profitable doth more facilitate mens Perfection who are under it even as an Artist that can perfect his work with fewer and less chargeable Tools Instruments is the most perfect and is worthy of most praise but because all the Precepts of Christianity are spiritual and given us by God and Christ to bring us to that spiritual Perfection that the Law either of Judaism or Gentilism simply considered could not do the Law being weak through the Flesh and so could not make perfect therefore it is that on that very account Christianity is the most excellent Dispensation both for its Spirituality and giving more plenty of Precepts than Gentilism did or doth for as Christianity hath more plenty of Precepts that are highly spiritual and tending to a more high and spiritual Perfection than Gentilism so it hath more plenty of divine Grace and of Life to enable them who are under it to perform them whereby they attain to the Perfection designed But this Doctrine That the Gospel Faith of Christ both outwardly and inwardly is not necessary to perfect the work of mens Salvation doth most manifestly contradict the whole current of holy Scripture and is a most pernicious and pestiferous Principle altogether tending to the dishonour of God and Christ and contradicting his holy and divine Attributes of Mercy and Justice Wisdom and Power and to the deceiving the Souls of men that credit it to lead them into the Pit of Destruction and therefore ought to be with all godly and fervent Zeal witnessed against and reproved notwithstanding of the foolish and idle Clamours of the Ignorant and Self-conceited and Self-willed Men that oppose it whatever their Pretences be either in Prejudice of the Doctrine of the Revolutions so called or any other whatsoever for the Faith and Gospel of Christ as he is both without us and within us which cannot be divided being one of the greatest of Truths how can it infer any Erro or dangerous and hurtful Consequence either relating to the Revolutions or any things else and if any either do not or cannot see but that the necessity of the Faith and Gospel of Christ crucified and raised c. in order to perfect Salvation must needs infer the Necessity of the Doctrine of the Revolutions at least after some sort but not as vulgarly understood I do say it is more tollerable to admit the Consequent than to deny the Antecedent for the Consequent in respect to the Antecedent is but a matter of small Moment whether true or false I meddle not at present to determine and if an Error is but of an inferiour degree and is rather an Error in that call'd Philosophy than in Divinity and is rather a mistake in Opinion grounded upon a pretence of Reason than any Error in the Faith unless it can be
demonstrated that the said Doctrine doth expresly without any far-fetcht Consequences contradict some Article of the Christian Faith the which remote and far-fetch't Consequences are not allowable among vulgar Christians however sincere because there may be a Fallacy or at least a great uncertainty in them but an Error in the Antecedent to wit That the Gospel and Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ as he was crucified for our sins and rose agian for our Justification and is our Elder Brother and high Priest in Heaven without us making Intercession for us is not necessary to be preached to the Nations for Remission of Sin and eternal Salvation to finish and perfect it is a most vile and abominable Heresie most worthily to be detested by all sincere Christians and the Assertors and Abettors of it most worthily to be judged No Christians yea worse than honest Heathens who have never had Christ preached unto them A further clearing of the Truth by a plain Explication of my Sence when I say That Faith in Christ Jesus not only as the Light in us but as he was and is Man without us and as he dyed for our sins and rose again for our Justification is necessary to perfect Justification and finishing the work of mens Salvation universally and by which I show and demonstrate That my present Doctrine concerning the Faith of Christ is well consistent with all my former printed Books and with R. Barclay's printed Books and particularly his Apology and with the Doctrine of our sound Friends and Brethren both aentient and lately raised who have declared their Charity towards all Pious and Conscientious Gentiles to whom the Gospel was not outwardly preached by the Ministry of men That they were not or are not excluded from Gods Mercy and Salvation although they have not had the express Historical Knowledge and Faith of Christ as Man without them either outwardly preached or inwardly revealed to them THe Explanation of my sence in this weighty matter I deliver in the following particulars viz. 1 st By Faith in the Man Christ Jesus without us which I assert to to be universally necessary to mens eternal Salvation I do not understand an express distinct Faith in Christ as being so necessary to all whereby all that were or shall be saved must necessarily have such a Knowledge and Faith of him as to these great and weighty Passages and Cases delivered prophetically concerning him in the Old Testament and Historically in the New Testament that were a fulfilling of the Prophecies of him such as 1 That he should come in the Flesh as such a precise Age or Time of the World 2. That he should be born at Bethlem 3. That he should be the Son of Abraham and David according to the Flesh 4. or That his Mothers Name should be Mary or his own Name Jesus 5. That the place of his Death should be Golgotha without the City of Jerusalem in Judea 6. That the manner of his Death should be by being crucified his Hands and Feet pierced and his Side pierced with a Spear 7. That he should be betrayed by Judaâ— and sold for thirty pieces of Silver and sentenced to Death by Pontius Pilate and accused and slain by the Jews and crucified betwixt two Tâ—iâ—ves whereof the one should be penitent and dye believing in him 8. That he should be laid in Sepulchrs where no mans ever lay that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea 9. That he should rise on the third Day and after forty days ascend into Heaven 10. And lastly That he should appear to the Women first of all after his Resurrection These and many other very weighty and great Cases Passages belonging to his outward Coming Death and Sufferings Resurrection and Ascention I do not say are necessary to be known and believed universally to mens eternal Salvation and this I have called in my former printed Books The Express Clear and Distinct Knowledge or Faith of his outward Coming see my Book called The Vniversal free Grace of the Gospel asserted pag. 117. printed in the Year 1671. and R. B. in his printed Apology and Theses printed in the Year 1676. calleth it as I do the distinct outward absolute Knowledge i. e. the perfect Knowledge of the outward History see his Latine Apology Thes 6. the which Doctrine as laid down by him in his 6 th Thesis he calleth an Hypothesis in that very place and others of our antient Friends who have writ in defence of the People called Quakers have called it the Historical Knowledge viz. as containing the knowledge of the above-mentioned Historical Passages and others the like for as concerning these great and weighty Passages Cases fore-told by the Prophets and Historically declared to be fullfilled by the Evangelists and Apostles concerning him many of the faithful knew or believed few or none of them before Abraham's Time and even after Abraham to whom Christ was promised to be his Seed and to come out of his Loyns the Doctrine concerning the Time and Manner of his Coming Death and Sufferings Resurrection and Ascention was gradually revealed to the Prophets from Moses to Samuel and from Samuel to David and from David to these who followed after as Isaiah Jeremiah and others and still the nearer the Time approached of Christs coming in the Flesh the Prophets did Prophecy the more clearly and expresly concerning him 2 dly I do with great Assurance and Freedom affirm as God hath perswaded me and opened it out of the holy Scriptures to me That the Faith of all the Faithful from the beginning of the World was in Christ as he should be that Seed of the Woman that should bruise the Head of the Serpent and whose Heel the Serpent should bruise which was the first Gospel Promise that the Lord himself preached to our first Parents after the Fall and though this Promise was not committed to writing so far as we know until Mosâ— who was the first â—on man of holy Scripture yet it was without all doubt faithfully delivered and preached by Adam to his Children and by the faithful of their Children such as Seth to their succeeding Posterity even until Noah and if it was lost again it was restored to Abraham for we have good cause to believe that the Church of God from the beginning of the World hath never failed in the Earth universally to this Day nor will to the end of the World however at times it hath been much obscured and hid both under the Old and New Testament And by this Seed of the Woman is to be understood the Man Christ with the spiritual inward blessings of Grace Light and Life flowing from him and though the outward Name Jesus and Christ is sweet and comfortable to every true Believer by the Spirit of Christ that knoweth it yet it is no more simply necessary than the other above-mentioned weighty Circumstances concerning him the Saviour and Redeemer of the World who should be born