revealing the Will of God to us by Hiâ— Word and Spirit page 10.4 The Spirit of Goâ— applies to us the Redemption purchased by Christ page 11.5 In the same page being the Author of Regeneration or the New Birth according to the Scriptures Joh. 3.6 The Spirits sanctifying of us page 15.7 That he teaches us to pray aright and acceptable to God page 41. From hence every one may learn what credit to give to Keith's worth and Calumnies for the future and though he constructs my Compassion over the tender Souls in aâ— American Desart to be a reflection against the Scâ— and English in Virginia I am satisfied it has nâ—… been so Received by them for whom it was intended neither judged so by the Spirit of God whâ—… much after the same manner pitties and compassiâ—nates the Ignorance of his own people by the Propheâ— Hos 4.6 My People are destroved for lack of knowledge And I am perswaded Quakers should nâ— have so great success in drawing aside silly Soul from the Truths and Ways of God if it weâ— not for the abounding Ignorance of Virginia anâ— other dark Corners of the World who have noâ— yet received and comprehended the Light shiniâ— about them and even their ignorance of thâ— Fundamental Truths contained in the Catechâ—… And none deserves more to be pitied for their â—…norance than Quakers and of the most Fundameâ—tal Truths notwithstanding of their high pretenâ— â—o the Spirit and Light within as John Drummond 〈◊〉 Reputed and Received Quaker a Reader of Keith's Books with many others who lately at my House at Poccamok before Keith and several other Witnesses published his gross Ignorance of that Fundamental Article That none could be Saved without Faith in Jesus Christ from which I understand since that he had oft reproached me drawing his own ignorant conclusions from thence And if Quakers are ignorant hereof what can they pretend â—o know Another general charge is That I nothing help the Ignorant neither do I direct them to the true Vision but whoever will but consider how many Fundamental Truths are laid down in the Catechism for the Edification of the Ignorant and plainly asserted That Christ teaches his People with his Word and Spirit and if this be not the true Vision of God Quakers must lose themselves and be puzzled in finding of it but he rather would insinuate what harm it would do if received but this may discover how far men are for keeping sinners in ignorance by possessing their minds with a dislike of this mean of Knowledge which leads and directs sinners to the Scriptures as the great mean of Knowledge and profitable for instruction containing all things necessary to be known by Christians and also to Christ and his Holy Spirit the Author and Efficient Cause of Knowledge who can Enlighten without means in a most immediate manner but most ordinarily conveyes Knowledge by Means and Ordinances of his own Appointment concurring with his Holy Spirit blessing and making them effectual to whom he pleases And in Catechism many savoury truths delivered no fins indulged most duâ—ies relating to our general and special callings enjoined Now â—ow the receiving such a form of sound words containing positive Diâ—vinity should be prejudicial and Kieth's works stuffed with Quibling and Sophistical Controversy his teachings filled with often repeated Calumnyâ— against all the Reformed Churches and Vn-scripâ— turaâ— or unheard of Long-winded Similitudes which amuse the deluded and ignorant should become profitable let every one determine and I am perswaded none has received or can receive injury therefrom but by slighting and disregarding it And this my experience can testifie that since the Catechism was opposed by Quakers they have had a more universal and kindly welcome and reception And here is no new Doctrine but what Keith had oft seen in the Catechisms of our Reformed Churches which he had oft impugned with all his might and Sophistry and his repeating his old Arguments is only with vain Ostentation to show himself among a poor ignorant and deluded people and once possessing them with this that what he delivers is immediately from the Spirit of God he may deliver what he will as infallible and never to be questioned Having answered his Generals I proceed to examine his particulars and he suffers not the first page to pass without a Censure because I have affirmed God made the World out of Nothing and that this is not only true and agreeable to Scripture that to word and expresâ— it otherwise were inconsistent with the Revelation of God and it were to jump in with the Adversaries of Gods Truth for we cannot conceive of Creation without saying it was made out of Nothing which all dâ—scribe to be Preductio ex nihilo therefore as many places of Scripture as but mention Creation say as much as I have done for which I am quarrelled Did not Creation give the First Being to all things that were made and consâ—quently were all nothing before God commanded them to be for was not Light nothing till God said Let there be Light Further if God made the World he either made it out of his own Essence or some pre existent matter from Eternity or produced it out of nothing I presume you will not be so absurd as to assert any of the first two not the first for so the Essence of God should become divisible and corruptible not the second for then some matter should be Co-eternal with God which were blasphemy to affirm And it is no small argument of the Omnipotence of God to declare and affirm especially to young ones the World was made out of nothing seeing they know not that it is implied in the word Creation for because of the Omnipotent Power of God in Creation Acclamations of Praise are ascribed to him Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the Heavens made all the Host of them by the breath of his mouth Acts 4.24 In that joynt Acclamation of the Apostles Lord thou art good which hast made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all that in them is And it is no adding to the Word of God while nothing is delivered but Gods Mind in his Word though Keith next in his pretences to Nailer himself should discover so much palpable weakness as to censure it again And I have also asserted in my Catechism that there is no work so peculiar to any of the Persons of the Holy Trinity but all of them have a hand in each so that his advice which he calls sufficient is prevented if he haâ— diligently read and considered it as he has said In page 3. He chargeth me for mentioning no other Teacher but the Scriptures to direct us to Seâ— and Glorifie God this is no strange imputation froâ— Quakers who notwithstanding of all their fair pretences yet have uttered many vilipending expression thereof calling it a dead Letter a nose of Wax Pâ—… Ink Divinity Keith in his publick Teachingâ—
publick with it is visible Hypocrisie to be seen of men If publick Worship it must tend to the Edification of others but how the perfect silence without all Admonition Rebuke Prayer Instruction or expressions of Praise edifies is unconceivable and as they meet so they disperse oft without the least motion to speak which demonstrates how fruitless many such Meetings are and what they amuse the World with their imaginary experiences of refreshments from their silent Meeting when nothing is said they must needs be like those which an English Congregation received from a Quaking Dutch woman Teaching in an unknown Language and what reason we have of believing their boasted of Experiences from negative imaginary Worship and they regard not the Experiences of thousands of the Godly of ravishings of Soul and ineffable Joy and Comfort from Praising of God in singing of Psalms and from Communicating in the Supper of the Lord as performed by us and in most of the Reformed Churches In the next place he condemns our asserting and believing there are Three Persons in the God head It is no wonder to find so great and transcending a Mystery rather to be Reverenced Adored and Believed then Reasoned and Disputed as it has been mistaken and quarrelled both by Ancient and Modern Hereticks in the World I encline not to 〈◊〉 up the gross Errors of Ancient Hereticks concerning this Doctrine as of Apollinarius Arrius Rhofinus Nestori us Sabelius and others and am not a liâ—… concerned that Quakers pretending to so great and so good things should joyn hand in hand with such whose subtilties have been long since cunningly silenced and exploded and that they by their frequent and scurrilous Barkings against so Fundamental â— Truth as Solomon Acles who in Barbadees asserted this Doctrine to be a Presbyterian Fiction and most others of that Gang I have conversed with had most ignorant and gross Notions of a person dreaming it to be some gross material visible and corporeal Substance like unto man and looked upon it an absurdity to apply any such thing to God at all and here I find one of their Learned and Litigious Champions quarrelling Three Persons in the God-head or Divine Essence and how such men can be Reconciled among themselves I leave to those that are concerned I must confess if I understood what Keith intends by this Charge so obscurely delivered I could with greater fulness and particularity answer and waving that uncharitableness he was notoriously guilty of concerning me and others I conceive he only contends about words by calling Three Persons in the God head not Scripture Language but words of mans wisdom as all our Doctrines and Writings are commonly Calumniated by such And this I must Animadvert the Reader that I am the more confirmed in that which I charged him with at my House that most of his Writings are quibling Controversies and his Debates a disputing about words little to the Edification of Souls but tending to Foment Divisions in the Churches of Christ upon Earth of which he had been a great Instrument already by making perverse Disputings his Trade in the World and to confirm it he brings a sublime and transcending Mystery rather to be adored and believed then disputed and brought under the Debate of men of corrupt minds but 1. If words not expressed in Scriptures in the same Letters and Syllables be words of mans wisdom and an adding to the Scriptures the Words of the Living God then all Expositions of Scriptures though agreeable to Scripture if not numerically the same words must be condemned and thrust out of doors and then what will become of most of Keith's Teachings which are delivered in publick as immediately from the Spirit of God yet stuffed to the amusing rather than Edification of his Hearers with unscriptural unusual and unheard of Allusions of a Key and losing and finding a Key as also of a Table and covering of a Tabling with Trenchers and Napkins and a Cupboard at Home and no Meat in it as also a Husbands Writing Letters to his Wife while absent all which was delivered in Long winded Discourses at Thomas Fooks his House in Onankok and Nusswaddux to numerous and mixed Auditories of men and women rather offended then edified and affrighted from then engaged to Quakers Principles or Practices 2. If I should make it appear that Quakers are as guilty of using words not to be found in the Scriptures as any of their Neighbours will not all men believe them very perverse to Ceâ—sure others for that which they practice themselves and consequently from Keith's words aâ— to the words of the Scriptures And 1. Let any be prevailed with to observe the Writing of this Litigious Author which is filled in every page with Humane Learning and Scholastick Notions making as much use of School Art in all his sophistical Argumentation as any that has put Pen to Paper as heâ— himself owned the use of Humane Learning in all his Writings 2 I shall instance to you from themselves not only words but sentences and phrases which none could ever yet find or hear of in or from the Scriptures some whereof are Pens others belong to Barclay others are usual and common in the mouth of most Quakers as those uncouch phrases of Miracles in Spirit which Keith made use of at my House a measure of God as if God were divided in parcels from the Spirit in Ward by ravening the Seed in Captivity ravening comprehending brain fleshly comprehensions Traditional Read Knowledge Vulturous Eye with many others and for words none more new and invented without any foundation in the Scriptures then some used by Quakers as Vehicle of the Spirit Fermentation of the Spirit and many such like 3. How much is it to be Lamented that the frequent Debates and needless Janglings of Keith concerning this Subject could not have sufficed him he must now upon his running Circuit raise a new Debate and Controversy about words which is Censured in the words of the Holy Apostle 1 Tim 6.4 He is proud knowing nothing but doting about Questions and Strifes of words whereby cometh Strifes Railing Evil Surmisings 5. Perverse Disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the Truth supposing that Gain is Godliness from such turn away or withdraw thy self And all such are Censured in the words of Holy Calvin that Eminent man of God Lib. 1. Cap. 13. The Hereticks bark at the name Person and others too precise Carp at all words devised by men and would have all to restrain not only their meanings but their very words strictly within the bounds of Scripture who are be Calvin Charged as unreasonable who quarrel words expressing nothing but what is testified and approved by Scripture and what hinders saith he but we may in more plain words express such things as are mysterious to ordinary Capacities where there are necessary grounds urging thereunto such saith he as quarrel this must be reputed to be grieved at the
Light of the Truth because he quarrels this that the Truth is made so easie plain to be discerned and the reason or ground given by this worthy Author why the Churches of Christ are necessitated to use such novelty of words if they may be so called is when the Truth is to be Defended against Rangleâ—… who deride it with Quibbles so the Old Fathers being troubled with False Doctrines were necessitated to express themselves in exquisite plainness least they should leave any crooked by ways to the wicked to whom the doubtful Constructions of words were hiding Holes of Error therefore it was that the Fathers in Confutation of Arius were necessitated in asserting the Divinity of the Son to call him HOMOUSION or Consubstantial with the Father And against Sabellius who denied all Distinction between the Father Son and Holy Ghost but what was Nominal the Defenders of Truth were necessitated to say there did subsist in the Unity of God aâ— Trinity of Persons which is most suitable to thoughâ— not rigidly the same with the Language of John There are Three and these Three are One Trinity Tres Vnes or Tres in Vno Trinity Having offered these Generals I come particularly to the Charge for asserting there are Three Persons in the God-head All that Keith would seem to Alledge is only that it is not Scripture Language whereby he would seem to favour the great Fundamental Principle most of his Brethren have been blasphemously barking against these Thirty or Forty Years and devoutly to say There are Three in One But it were to be wished that he and all of them would demonstrate themselves according to their usual boasting more skilful in the Scriptures then any of their Neighbours by declaring freely ingenuously what those Three are called that are but One God and what Substantive they joyn with the Adjective three which is distinguished in the Father Son and Holy Ghost and then they would have dealt plainly without all Popish Equivocation or Reservation which all that Read their Books and frequently Converse with them will find the generality of Quakers as guilty of as any subtile Jesuit at St. Omers For if this great and Fundamental Truth would be made plain to the Edification of the Church of God to which it is so highly necessary that God can neither be known believed in or called upon aright without it then some denomination must be ascribed and given differing from one another in Incommunicable Properties for they must either be three somethings or three nothings the former being rejected if three somethings they must be either three Gods three Essences three Parts of the same Essence or three Qualities or three Names or three Manners or wayes of Subsisting To assert to Three Gods were insufferable Blasphemy Though Josiah Coal is as guilty of as great Blasphemy in a Letter to George Fox which as it came from a Quaker was also Approved of by Pen himself in his Answer to Mr. John Faldo a Minister I lately saw in London which for the Readers satisfaction and abhorrence of all I shall here Insert Dear George Fox who art the Father of many Nations whose Life has reached through us thy Children even to the Isles afar off to the Begetting of many again unto a Lively Hope for which Generations to come shall call thee Blessed whose Being and Habitation is in â—he powtr of the Highest in which thou Rules Governs â—n Righteousness And thy Kingdom is Established in Peace and the Encrease thereof is without End Let Pen and as many as will dare to Justifie this consider the Language of the Righteous God Hâ— that Justifies the Wicked and he that Condemneth thâ— Just even they both are Abomination to the Lord. But to return To assert Three Essences were to conceal Three Essentially Distinct which were to fall in with the former absurdity To receive or be lieve three parts of the same Essence or God head which were most inconsistent with that Oneness and absolute Simplicity in the Nature of God which cannot be conceived divisible and to call the three in one three qualities or accidents were to believe accidents in God which were absurd and to asseâ—… nothing else but three Names were to fall in with the long since exploded Heresy of Apollinarius and to hold Faith repugnant to the Rule of Gods Word whence he has twice Three Names and yet asserted to be but Three only so that it must be Three Distinct Manners Methods or Wayes of Subsisting and is Termed in the Schools Ens and Modus Entis And according to the unanimous Opinion of our Reforming and Reformed Divines A Person in the God-head is whole God not absolutely or simply considered but by way of some personal Properties or a manner of Being or Distinct Subsistence haveing the whole God-head in it Vsher and Calvin call a Divine Person a Subsistence in the Divine Nature which having relation to the other is distinguished from them with Incommunicable Properties So that though the Father Son and Holy Ghost be really and essentially the same in Essence or Being yet they have something differing from one another for if the Word Joh. 1.1 had been simply and absolutely God without any thing peculiar to 〈◊〉 self it had been improper and amiss to have said 〈◊〉 was not only God but with God To which Dâ—ctrine Tertullian agrees saying there is in God a certain Disposition or Distribution which changeth nothing of the Unity of the Essence I need not heap up these manifold Testimoâ—ies both of old New Testament asserting Three in One and One in Three and if any quarrel the word person they shall find this plain Scripture Language Heb 1.3 speaking of Christ the Second Person in the Trinity saith He is the Brightness of his Fathers Glory and Express Image of his Person can any serious and illuminated Reader pass over this Text without owning the word Person to be Scripture Language and that the Father is a Person distinct in Person from God the Son for he is not called the Fathers Person Remark it Reader but the Express Image of his Fathers Person And if none must be called a Person but the Father as some Quakers have said then what was Christ's Person when Mediator having two Natures of God and man not mans personality for so Divine Nature would have satisfied in the Person of the Humane Nature which would imply no small Absurdities or he should be the Person of the Father which were repugnant to the formerly cited Text Our Mediator was without all Person And finally if the Father is a Person and the Son the Image of this Person why not the Holy Ghost a Person also and Three in One and One in Three The Next Charge is and that a Weighty one in P. 9 10. And that is for mentioning only Three Offices of Christ as Mediatour a Prophet Priest and King And that Really Savingly and only to those that Believe
AN ANSWER TO George Keithâ—… Libel Against A CATECHISM Published by Francis Makeâ—… To which is Added by way of â—…script A Brief Narrative of a Late Difference among the Quakers begun at Philadelphia BOSTON Priâ—…ed by Benjamin Harris 〈…〉 of the BIBLE over-agâ—… 〈…〉 MDCXCIIII Imprimatur Increase Mather March 31st 1694. Christian Reader SVch is not only the Impiety Irreligion and Contradiction to clear Scripture Light which the Doctrine of the Quakers is stuffed withal but the Unreasonableness Nonsense and Self-contradiction which 〈◊〉 â—arries with it that it may well seem a wonder to men of Vnderstanding that it hath not long since been Exploded and that the Abetters of it have not been a shame and ridicule to themselves and one to anotherâ— and that it had not died alone if no attempts had been made against it by so many worthy Champions of the Truth and indeed there can be no other account given of it but that God in his awful and righteous Judgment hath left men to Believe a Lie because they received â—ot the Truth in the Love of it 〈◊〉 so a Deceived Heart hath turned them aside that they cannot say is there not a Lie in our Right hand and were it not that there are so many Labouring of such ignorance as to think that holding our peace were a yielding up the cause it were pity at this time of day to take so much notice of their Scriblings as to waste Paper in replying upon them But since there is a kind of a necessity for it lest the sacred Oracles should see◠〈◊〉 some not sufficiently defended without it it may not be thought unadvisable to comply with the second part of the Wisemans Antithesis Prov. 26.5 and though no Truth is to bâ— foregone yet when the Foundations arâ— stricken at and those Articles on which our hopes for Eternal Life are built bâ—…Vndermined it is time to arm in Defence of them The following Discourses then will bâ— found both seasonable and profitable 〈◊〉 which the venome and sophistry of â—rand Apostate and one of the moâ—… 〈◊〉 caried Supporters of that totteriâ—… Fabrick of Enthusiasm are detected and the perverse spirit which God hath sown among them in suffering them to lay open each others follies is discovered by the Reverend and Judicious Author We do therefore Commend him and these Labours of his to the Blessing of God who alone can recover the fallen settle the wavering and confirm such as stand and make the faithful Endeavours of this his Servant become instrumental to these Desired Ends. Increase Mather Iames Allen Samuel Willard Iohn Baily Cotton Mather An Epistle to the Reader Reader I Cannot but admire the Instability of many who are so easily and soon drawn to Embrace and Espouse that perswasion and way of those called Quakers and that because of an outward and seeming Sanctity that is to be found and to be discerned among many of them consisting only in Negatives making up a Pharisaical Righteousness made of those things that are not peculiar to Quakers only of not Swearing Drinking and Ranting but if they would but cautiously Look before they Leap they would find the principles of many of the Reformed Churches as much against all those and many more evils as theirs can be and thousands of Professors exceed them in a shining Holiness and Christian Universal Piety and though others walk disorderly and not answerable to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus is not to be imputed to our Profession Principles or manner of Worshipping God otherwise all Religion would soon be rejected and Quakerism it self would be soon deserted The most of their Religion is composed of Negatives for many of them are as void of the positive part of Religion as worshipping God in the publick private and secret Duties of Religion as many moral Heathens who if they had but Learned their usual tone and grown sullen and unmannerly might pass for Quakers all over the world If we take a view of their principles in believing every one of them severally by themselves and the Books of particular Writers they are not only repugnant to truth contrary to Gods Word and the publick received Doctrine of the Churches of Christ for many Centurys past but also dangerous and damnable They cannot be looked upon as a Church having not unanimously-and fairly or faithfully published all their opinions and principles which is the cause many Espouse they know not what they have not in any of their Writings declared their Church Order Constitution Government nor Discipline They have no orderly way of Admission for Teaching Officers but as many men women as say the Spirit of the Lord is upon them must be received though they can give no convincing proof but to those already Deluded to their way from which they want the pure and powerful Preaching of the Gospel and all Administration of Sacraments which they slightly ridicule rather than own they hold or maintain a common Christ in all even in the Reprobate in whom the Spirit of God says Christ is not a sufficient saving Light and grace in all even the children of Darkness denying Original and Damnable Guilt in any Infants even in their natural State Railing against Singing of Psalms denying the Resurrection of the same Body many of them scoff at the Imputed Righteousness of Christ for our Justification and Salvation maintaining an absolute perfection for many years in this Life by a Popish Possbility of keeping all Gods Commands of which neither they nor Papist could ever in any age produce one known Instance Reader I offer here some Sheets to thy impartial perusal which was occasioned by a Paper writ by George Keith and delivered by his own hands into the hands of Mr. George Layfield at Rehoboth in Pocamok from whence as many as read may soon conclude this debate was first set on foot by themselves and by promoting it gave occasion for Laying open both their Principles and their practises more in these corners of the World then they have yet been In which Answer I have given Reply to all the Calumnies and Charges in that Paper against my Catechism which I am obliged to Justifie and Defend And the only Apology why I have not Enlarged in the proof of some points and particularly of our Doctrine concerning the Sabbath though I have sufficiently vindicated my Charge because they are fully handled by others And concerning this Subject I Recommend Keith and all of them to Caudree and Palmer Mr. John Brown sometime of Holland and Mr. Matthew Crawford and whoever answers them shall answer me If any should Censure me for my tediousness in answering I had finished it a year ago but by reason of my tedious Affliction not Transcribed until now I had a visit from Keith at my house in Virginia which though promised and intimated by his Harbinger to be on Fryday was not performed until Saturday in the Afternoon by the uncertainty of their coming was
say God had a Church among the Jews under their Defections and Failings away to Idolatry and Superstition Now where Christ has a Church though Invisible in the Wilderness there are the Essentials of Religion Ordination and Church-constitution tho' much infected with Error and corrupted with Romish Superstition and these Essentials are still Gods and to esteem his and not theirs who are the chief Instruments Heads and Authors of all the Corruptions under that Defection to whom only and properly belong those Errors Corruptions Idolatries and Superstitions they have invented and introduced to the Church And yet the soundest of Divines believe that upon all Reformations which undoubtedly are originally and efficiently of God a people or particular persons leaving and Renouncing the Abominations of Antichrist and their submitting to and embracing the Truth of the Gospel and the Purity of all Ordinances and Worship abandoning the Pope as their Head and Subjecting themselves to Christs Kingdom they are ipso facto Constituted Churches of Jesus Christ and the Gospel Truths Ordination and Ordinances VVord and Sacraments they adhere to are not theirs nor from those they Separated from is Keith ignorantly and invidiously asserts but they are still the Lords and belong to Jesus Christ for even in the Church of Rome and under Antichrist there were Ordinances of Jesus Christ VVord and Sacraments Praying Preaching and Praising of God tho' much vailed and corrupted and consequently they had Ministers or Officers to Dispense these Ordinances who undoubtedly had some of the Essentials of Ordination which was the Lords and nothing was properly Antichrists but Antichristian Corruptions of which he is Author for differentia constituit speciem so that we no more have Ordination from the Pope upon Reformation then we have Baptism and the Lords Supper Reading and Praising and Quakers have Prayer Teaching the Scriptures and their new Observation of the First Day of the VVeek And we would gladly know from what part of Gods Word is it or can it be made to appear that upon every Defection and Corruption of the Church God will Beget and Create New Churches in an immediate manner under the Gospel more man under the Law For after the Defections of Israel and long continuance in Idolatry upon their Repentance and Reformation from all their Coruptions and Abuses they were Re Established 〈◊〉 Adâ—…itred unto all the Ordinances and Priviledges of the Church of God and what does Keith think of them and their Reformation dâ—are he affirm they had all their Ordination and VVorship from Jereboam Who made Israel to Sin and other chief Idolaters so it will unquestionably follow that neither we our Ordination Doctrine VVorship nor Sacraments while warranted from the Authoâ—ly of Gods VVord are from Rome the Pope or any Prelate in the VVorld as Quakers after the manner of Satan would Accuse the Brethren Thus Keiths invincible Armado is beat to pieces whereby he thought to have overthrown all Churches who have obeyed Gods Call and are come out of Babylon And we are confident that a great part of our Teachings are Christian Experiences to which we oft publickly do Appeal for Confirmation of what is delivered and many Preachers have a peculiar way of Preaching their own Experiences And finally as he begins so he closes shuts up his Paper with groundless False Calumnies and invidious Reflections affirming I assert and alledge False things concerning Baptism and the Lords Supper and First concerning Baptism he saith First I do not distinguish between Johns Baptism and Christs In answer to this I Freely assent to any and all the distinction made in the Scriptures which is not in Substance or Essence but in Fruit and Efficacy and the same distinction I still make between our External Administration and Christs Efficacious Blessing thereof for what John said we and all Ministers of the Gospel to the end of the World must still acknowledge we Baptise with Water but Christ and he alone Baptiseth with the Holy Ghost and with Fire And if the Baptism Administred by Christs Disciples in His Name Authority and Presence was Christs and no doubt it was the same with Johns for Substance as you or any other may Read John 2.22 23 24 26. verses For 1. That Baptism wherewith Christ and His Disciples Baptised in the Land of Judea was Water Baptism 2. It was an outward visible and discernable Baptism to Spectators saith Johns Disciples to him Rabbi he that was with thee beyond Jordan the same Baptizeth and all men come unto him it is observable that it was not the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and with Fire as distinct from the outward Ordinance for it is said John 4.2 Jesus himself Baptised not but His Disciples yet it is called his in the 1 v. of this chap. and in the 22. v. of the former chap 1 Because done by his Disciples 2 By his Command and Authority And it was the same Baptism his Disciples and Apostles performed in all and Every Church where they Preached the Gospel according to that last Commission of Our Lords immediately before His Ascension Matth 28. and last Go Teach and Baptise al Nations and Lo I am with you to the end of the World Hence Four things are observable in this Text. 1 That Teaching of Nations yea All Nations by external means and instruments is a Standing and Perpetual Ordinance in the Church of Christ to the end of the World 2 That as many as are Called Ministers of the Gospel are also Commissionated To Baptise also Go Teach all Nations Baptising them 3 That Water Baptism or the External Ordinance is that Enjoined or Commanded in the Words and not the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and with Fire for it is enjoined to meer men who can do no more then John could do who Professed he Baptised with Water and yet we believe many who were Baptised by John received also the Holy Ghost otherwise a very empty and insignificant Ordinance and unprofitable to all if nothing else was reaped thereby but Sprinkling or Washing with Water and yet the Outward Mean Ordinance and Administration was from John and the fruit efficacy and blessing was from Jesus Christ and it is bold impudence and Arrogant Presumption for any to pretend to Baptise with the Holy Ghost and with Fire which is Christs peculiar Work and Prerogative And Keiths answer here unto in his Book is void of all satisfaction to any Intelligent Person for he affirms tho' no man Baptize with the Holy Ghost efficiently yet they may instrumentally we who use the outward mean Instrument and Ordinance may through the Blessing of God and Efficacious Presence of Christ's Spirit and undoubtedly are made Instruments of the Inward Grace Life and Advantage of that Ordinance but how Quakers can be Instruments of Baptizing Spiritually who are opposite to and ridicule the outward Ordinance which is the only proper means and instrument of Gods own Appointment I cannot resolve unless they