the Tabernacle which was called the Holiest of all in the Old Covenant that the golden Censor and Ark of the Testament were put and the golden Pot which had Manna and Aaron's Rod that had budded and the Tables of the Testament and over the Ark the Cherubims of Glory shadowing the Mercy-seat Heb. 9. Exod. 26. So the most excellent things were within the Veil tho' there was a Beauty and Glory also without it All which I doubt not were Shadows of the New Covenant and the spiritual Dispensation thereof in Christ Jesus in whom the most holy place of that divine Service and Worship in the New Covenant Sanctuary which the Lord has placed in the midst of his People is in the Spirit and in the Truth And all our spiritual Blessings and heavenly Treasures are in Christ Jesus who is our Sanctuary and Hiding-place And it is in the inmost or most inward and spiritual Dispensation of the New Covenant that Mercy and Forgiveness is receiv'd and Christ most livingly and effectually known to us and enjoyed and in him the most holy and heavenly Places wherein the true spiritual Believers sit down with him and as being washed from their Sins in his Blood by his Spirit are his Church and Sanctuary also and thereby have boldness to enter into the holy Place even by that new and living Way which Christ hath prepared for us through the Veil that is to say his Flesh Heb. 10. that we may follow him therein into Heaven it self And what entrance through Christ our Mediator we have here in measure received into this new and living Way and holy and heavenly Places in him we doubt not but it is to us an Earnest of a more full Enjoyment of Heaven and Glory hereafter with Christ Jesus our Fore-runner Leader and Captain of our Salvation we continuing faithful to the end in this his new and living Way as true and constant Followers of him God in his great Love and Wisdom has afforded several Dispensations one higher and more glorious than another in order to bring Man nearer and nearer to himself as that of the Law and of Shadows and Types that of the Prophets that of John the Baptist that of Christ in the Flesh and that of Christ in the Spirit and New Covenant which is higher more powerful and more glorious than the former and therein a more clear knowledge of Christ than in all the former wherein there was some Sight of him through Shadows and Veils but by his divine Light shining in our Hearts God is pleased to give us the Light of the knowledge of his Glory in the Face of his dear Son Christ Jesus that we all with open Face as in a Glass may behold the Glory of God and be changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. Ch. 4. 6 7. Now tho' our Adversary has made a deal of Dispute and Quarrel with us about calling Christ's Flesh the Veil as in Heb. 10. yet he is fain to grant That Christ's Body is called a Veil in relation to its Type the Veil of the Temple p. 262 263. but he 'll have this not to be in the Quakers Sense They call it a Veil that is saith he a Garment in contradistinction to its being Christ's Substance and of his Nature p. 262. Whereas its rather in contradistinction to its Being his Divine Natnre or to its being in the first place or principally or chiefly Christ himself who is the Son of God for whom the Body was prepared because he did pre-exit it or was in Being before he took upon him that Body even in his Father's Glory before the World began wherewith he is glorified However the Veil which was Christ's Flesh through which he set open the new and living Way we never deny to be Christ's Body or to be a real Body but own it was and never believed it to be a Fantastical Body as I have often said but that Christ the Son of God took upon him real Flesh and Blood of our Nature yet pure and incorrupt in him And as his Flesh was called the Veil it answers its Type or Figure i. e. the Veil of the most Holy Place or Oracle where God gave Answers 1 Kings 6. 20. 8. 6 8. 2 Chron. 3. 10 16. And these most Holy Places in the Tabernacle and Temple being Places of divine Service then peculiar to the High Priest to enter into their Antitype is in Christ Jesus the New Covenant where in the Spirit and in the Truth God is truly worshipped and meets with and speaks to his People even by Christ Jesus their High Priest who is present in the midst of his Church and Assemblies of his People the true and spiritual Worshippers who meet in his Name Spirit and Power whose Light and Truth brings its Followers unto his Holy Tabernacles Psal. 43. 3. And as to Christ's Substance and Nature what does our Opposer mean thereby How has he distinguished in this Point Christ has in him a divine Nature as well as that of Man which he hath also in the purest Sense But which is the greatest Is not the divine Nature the Deity in him greater than the Manhood As he said My Father is greater than all greater than I John 10. 29. Nevertheless as our great and only Mediator and Intercessor it was necessary he should be Man as he is the most glorious heavenly Man and as the Christ of God he is spiritually in us in his Saints and Members in some measure by his Spirit Light Life and Power even as the incorruptible immortal Seed in Man is of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and therein all true spiritual Believers do in measure partake of the divine Nature being born again of this incorruptible Seed The gross Calumnies cruel Mockeries false Stories and Perversions of the Author of The Snake in the Grass are therein so numerous together with his partial picking nibling mincing and carping at our Books which is so perverse and much on 't so silly that I confess many of them are waved in this Answer as not worthy of spending more precious time about them and I shall leave the said Author to the just Judgment of him that judghth righteously wishing his Repentance before it be too late And tho' he sculks and hides himself as if he were afraid or ashamed to own his Work with his Name to it so am not I of my Name or Vindication tho' I be and expect to be reproached and misrepresented for Christ's sake whose Servant I am George Whitehead A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF Some Passages IN THE Second Book of the Author OF The Snake in the Grass FALSLY STILED Satan dis-rob'd from his Disguise of Light Or The Quakers last Shift to cover their monstrous Heresies laid fully open WHEN I looked upon the Title of the said Book stiled Satan dis-rob'd from his Disguise of Light With this additional
AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST THE VENOME OF The Snake in the Grass Or the Book so stiled AND THE Christian People CALLED QUAKERS Vindicated from its most gross Abuses and Calumnies In certain Reflections detecting the nameless Author's Malice Outrage and Persecution against the said People Unto which is Annex'd A brief Examination of the Author's second Book stil'd Satan Dis-rob'd Also Some Notice taken of his Discourse for the Divine Institution of Water-Baptism Psal. 83. 3. They devise deceitful Matters against them that are quiet in the Land London Printed for Tho. Northcott in George-yard in Lombard-street 1697. THE BOOKSELLER TO THE READER Friendly Reader THE so long delay of this Answer to The Snake in the Grass has been chiefly the Printers occasion and partly to have some Answer to his latter Book still'd Satan Disrob'd So Reader that thou may'st be preserved from the Venom of this Snake in all his twistings and twinings is the desire of him who wisheth the Well-fare of all Men. T. N. ERRATA PAge 37. l. 13. r. Persecutors l. 38. dele as p. 56. l. 6. r. Kingdoms p. 81. l. 1. r. Prosecution p. 166. l. 30. for them in r. in them p. 167. l. 12. for reprobachs r. reproaches p. 200. l. 25. r. universally p. 204. l. 7. r. who rendred p. 232. l. 4. r. of Sin and Death l. 5. r. of Life p. 235. l. 13. d. 60. Some litteral Faults and Points mis-placed may be understood by the sense of the matters Impartial Reader AFter the perusal of the said Snake in the Grass seeing the gross and absurd Aspersions Calumnies Perversions and scornful Stuff therein Contained and the great Malice of the nameless Author's Spirit against the People called Quakers It was slighted by us and laid aside for some Months being stuft with many lying and incredible Stories as scarce deserving any particular Answer except the notice of some few to discredit the Author and invalidate his fruitless attempts of his foul Envy and Falshood But some indifferent Persons being urgent for an Answer and the said Book being rendred as an unanswerable Piece by some too easily imposed upon and others in prejudice gave occasion for the insuing Reflections to be Exhibited in order to obviate the injurious Design of the Author and his Abettors i.e. some wrathful implacable and perfidious Apostates who are of those Cattle he has principally Plowed withal and from whom he has chiefly derived his unjust Authority to Defame and Scandalize the said People with those old false and refuted Aspersions and Slanders as Possessed with the Devil Enthusiastick Madness Blasphemy Heresie denying the true Christ and his holy Humanity or Manhood real Sufferings and Satisfaction and the Resurrection and Contemning the Holy Scriptures Doctrins and Precepts therein contained with abundance more of such like Calumnies and Slanders Abuses and Perversions of our Words and Doctrins frequently answered and refuted by divers of us in our former and latter Books And now because of our present Ease and Liberty which Mercy our Gracious God hath influenced the present Government to afford us from our late grievous and destructive Persecutions for which Liberty we are truly thankful For this Cause the Devil and his Agents appear the more enraged and to have exceeding great Wrath against the remnant of the true Seed and to combine together to persecute us with their most shameful Reproaches Abuses Lyes and Slanders which is the present Persecution we are under When the Devil was suffered to imploy his Agents to Oppress and Persecute us in our Persons and Estates by severe Imprisonments and spoil of Goods tending to Ruin us and our Families then the Pens of his Clerks and Ministers were quiet towards us But seeing his and their wicked ends by that kind of open and cruel Persecution could not be accomplished upon us now they bend their perverse Studies and Pens to persecute us with shameful Reproach and Blasphemy to Destroy and Murther our Reputations both as Men and Christians not sparing either the Living or the Dead The Lord our God will rebuke their Fury and Outrage and confound their mischievous Devices and Confederacies even the just and righteous God who by his power supported us under our deepest Sufferings and Persecutions and gave us Faith and Courage then to Face the severest Storms and Blustering Winds which rose up against us for our Christian Testimony and Assemblies he hath enabled and will enable us to face and outface this Storm of envious and outragious Persecution of our open and secret Enemies And 't is no small shame and disparagement for such Eminent Church of England Men as the Author of the Snake in the Grass would seem one of them to be beholding to pretended Quakers such as George Keith and Thomas Crisp for their Aid or Authority against us and to F. Bugg's Authority also who has been detected of numerous Falshoods against us since he left us and turned to the Priests and to the Publick as he calls it and the said George Keith contrary to his many and frequent Vindications of the People called Quakers and their Principles and above thirty Years Conversation among them now turned an open Adversary to Revile and Reproach them and yet a falsly pretended Quaker as if he would ingratiate himself into favour with the worst of our Enemies the Day will yet further discover him and them I confess where Persons of a contrary Judgment to us appear moderate and civil in their Discourse and Treatment in things wherein they differ from us they deserve to be gently and tenderly Answered and Treated and if such suppose me mistaken in any thing or circumstance of words from which I intend not altogether to excuse my self in all Controversies from my young and early Years and yet be assured by the Spirit of Truth in matters Essential to Salvation I would take kindly their civil and friendly Discovery thereof to me being desirous that the Truth may be exalted above all Self-reputation But when I find Persons like this Author of The Snake in the Grass maliciously set in a persecuting Spirit to defame and reproach Truth and our Christian Society which I am concerned in Conscience for I confess then a holy Zeal the Lord raises and has raised in my very Heart and Soul against such bitter Implacable and Persecuting Spirits And the Lord's Power I have felt and do still feel it to accompany and inable me in Defence of his blessed Truth and People And inasmuch as the said Author of The Snake in the Grass is so very liberal in his most odious Characters upon us and has so frequently Branded us even divers Persons by Name with Blasphemies and Heresies c. who have been and are known to be Persons of good Reputation both as Men and Christians in Life and Conversation 'T is pity but this Defaming Author should be publickly exposed by Name for his Folly and outrage especially if he persists in his Scorn and envious injurious
Lies and Slanders as ever we met withal But who or what has forced him to be such a Railer Not the Spirit of Christ not a Christian Spirit to be sure If he had apprehended us such mad Men and silly ridiculous Fools as he has represented us he should rather pity us than bend his Wits to rail and scoff at us Sn. p. 13. Intending chiefly to insist upon some of their more material and monstrous Heresies thus against the Quakers Re. This Charge looks big and seems to make a great Noise but as 't is levelled against us in general 't is as false as the rest As concerning the Government his Authority is as invalid which is he only refers us to the Quakers Vnmask'd printed 1691. What great Authority is this but one of F. Bugg's abusive Pamphlets which is fully answer'd and his Abuses detected over and over which this partial Adversary takes no notice of That some of these called Quakers were at first Common-wealth's Men or for a Common-wealth and afterward for a Monarchy when it pleased God by his over-ruling Power and Providence to cause such alterations We see no monstrous Heresie herein any more than was in Samuel See 1 Sam. 8. 5 6. ch 10. 1. That the Quakers are against their being concerned in Fighting and destroying Men's Lives as believing that 't is not in Christ's mediatory Kingdoms and yet grant that Wars and Fighting are a Judgment from God in the Kingdom of this World What Heresie or Fallibility is in this pray This is the true state of the Difference however aggravated and perverted by this Adversary and his Author Sn. Sect. 3. p. 17 18. Anno 1650 and 1654. Then it was that Rome was reaping a plentiful Harvest which they had long been sowing by setting up in that universal Toleration multitudes of various Sects on purpose to divide and so confound their only substantial Adversary the Church of England They dressed Enthusiasm in several Shapes and Forms of Presbyter Anabaptist Independent Quaker Muggleton and along c. which differ only in degrees Re. Here the Snake puts his Sting out against all Protestant-Dissenters and as greatly envying their Liberties makes a very ill Construction of their former Toleration And no doubt their present Liberty does as ill please him Ishmael like his Hand is against every Man and no sort of Dissenters how conscientious soever can escape his Blow or Push He makes Rome the Author Patron and Planter of them all both Presbyter Anabaptist Independent Quakers c. how plainly soever they have approved themselves Protestants averse to Popery and as Dissenting-Protestants are tolerated it appears how greatly he envies their Liberties and is displeased with the Government for granting the same Oh rare Son of the Church Will nothing satisfie this Incendiary but Persecution and Ruin to Dissenting-Protestants May not such his Work be very grateful to the Popish Interest What a cordial Friend then does he shew himself to the Protestants Sn. p. 19. This Doctrin of Enthusiasm came chiefly from the Church of Rome Labadee a Jesuit set it up in Holland and Robert Barclay the Quaker was tinctured in his younger Years in the Scotch Convent at Paris and John Vaughton was a Roman Catholick who is now a great Preacher among the Quakers in London and he adds in his Errata William Southby a Preacher now among them in Pensilvania Re. These this obscure Accuser brings as Instances to make good the Title of this Third Section which is That the Popish Emissaries first set up Quakerism in England which is an old lying Story and his Instances as impertinent And 1st We deny that any Jesuit set it up in Holland and are persuaded many of our Friends there can testifie the contrary 2. Whatever the Educations of the said R. B. and J. V. were in their Youth as to Religion they were none of the first Promoters of Quakerism as he calls it in England by many Years 3. And suppose the One was tinctured and the other was a Roman Catholick this makes for us that was not since they were Quakers but before they turned Quakers and then when they did they turned from Papists and Popery in Testimony against it and against human Traditions and Superstitions and for the Holy Spirit 's Teaching and Worship of God in Spirit and Truth Sn. p. 20. The Quaker-Infallibility was contrived on purpose to bring Men back to the Infallibility of the Church of Rome by these Steps First the Infallibility was placed by G. Fox and all the Primitive Quakers in every single Quaker Re. These are envious and false Aspersions to render us infamous obnoxious and offensive 1. We positively deny any such Contrivance Design or Purpose 2. We deny that G. F. and all the Primitive Quakers place Infallibility in a single Person like Papists or in every single Quaker without distinction but in the Spirit of Truth which assures us in Matters of Faith and Salvation The Man often sillily scoffs at the Quaker's Infallibility but does not truly state their Principle in that Case Sn. p. 38. in Sect 5. They i. e. the Quakers damn all the World to Hell all since the days of the Apostles but themselves Re. This is a great Untruth We damn none to Hell 't is Men's own Wickedness in hating the Light which carries them to Hell We believe there were many good Men and saved since the Apostles days Sn. p. 40. They pretend to a Perfection even equal with God Re. We pretend so of Christ not of our selves We desire we may always be kept truly Humble and in true Fear out of all Boasting and high Thoughts of our selves that Christ may be magnified in us Sn. p. 41 42. in Sect. 5. They give to themselves and to one another the most peculiar Titles of Christ as that of The Branch and the Star and the Son of God which are attributed to George Fox and which he takes to himself quoting New Rome Arraigned p. 33 34. and The Quakers Vnmask'd and New Rome Vnmask'd referring the Reader to those Books of F. Bugg 's which he has quoted upon the Margin as he saith p. 48. Re. These are F. Bugg's notorious refuted Lies which this Adversary is so shamefully credulous of We positively deny giving those peculiar Titles of Christ to our selves or to one another and Bugg has been charged therewith and cannot prove them G. Fox is not so much as mentioned in that Epistle of E. Burroughs out of which F. Bugg takes these Titles the Branch the Star c. which are peculiar to Christ. Sn. p. 51 53. Sect 6. That G. F.'s Great Mystery p. 282. endeavours to prove That the Quakers are perfect as God not only in quality but in equality from Christ's words Be ye perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect Re. These are not G. F.'s Words of the Quakers that they are so his Words are here perverted He refers to Christ's Words and the Apostles and
to that which is of God and from him and mentions not the Quakers in the place Sn. p. 52. Great Mystery p. 248. again quoted viz. All THAT have the Son and the Holy Ghost have THAT which is equal in Power and Glory with the Father and this all the Quakers say they have Re. That the Son and Holy Ghost are equal in Power with the Father and that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the Dead dwells in the Saints we see not this to be such a monstrous Heresie Are not the Son and Holy Ghost of the same Substance with the Father And have not the Assembly at Westminster confessed as much as G. F. says Yet the Quakers do not say they have the Holy Ghost in fulness but in measure Sn. p. 53 54 55. Sect. 7. Of the Quakers making their Soul of the same Person and Substance with God quoting Great Myst. p. 247. p. 90 91. 273. Of Christ's dwelling in the Saints Of that which came out from the Creator Of the Soul that came out of him c. Re. 1. The Case herein is both mis-understood and mis-represented against the Quakers They do not so make their Souls of the same Person and Substance with God I know no such Expressions used by the Quakers 2. There 's a mis-understanding also of G. F. in the Case about his questioning Is not that a part of God which came out from God and of his Being as God breathed into Man the Breath of Life and he i. e. Man became a living Soul to which Words G. F. expresly refers We always understood him to intend That this Breath of Life which made Man a living Soul was that divine Breath or Spirit of Life which came out from God and of his own Being for otherwise how should Man thereby become a living Soul Which clearly distinguisheth the Creature Man to be that living Soul that was so made by that Spirit Breath and Life which proceeded from his Creator and which some term the Soul of the Soul So that the Soul of Man abstractly considered was as truly created as Man himself tho' that divine Inspiration or Breath of Life whereby the Soul had its Being Life and Immortality be Increated and of God himself for we ever distinguished between the Soul of Man and that which saves it Note That his 2d 4th 8th 9th Sections are not particularly pointed at being in Substance comprehensively and sufficiently answered in divers Answers to the rest and in our Just Enquiry the same things being often repeated in his Book as about Carnal Weapons Damning all the World the Soul and Immediate Revelation Sn. p. 69. Sect. 10. As they place Infallibility in every single Quaker so they confine it not to Matters of Faith but extend it to all Persons and Things to know all Men's Hearts and all Things in the World by their inward Light without being told by any Re. Here 's a great Mistake in these Accusations 1. Such a personal Infallibility as to know all Persons States and Things in the World we pretend not to for that were for Man to pretend Omnisciency which is only proper to Almighty God The Man 's egregiously out in confounding Infallibility with Omnisciency The Infallibility or Certainty own'd by us originally is in the Spirit and Light of Truth given by Christ Jesus and not consisting in Persons their humane or natural Parts yet we must confess to the Glory of God that the Spirit of Truth doth infallibly teach and lead them into all Truth who truly obey it and gives them certain knowledge in Matters of Faith and Salvation Sn. p. 81. They turn and wind this Infallibility of theirs at such a rate that no Man can I am sure I cannot know what they mean by it Re. Where 's then the Blasphemy Here 's manifest Contradiction to what he hath said before about extending the Quaker's Infallibility to all Persons and Things and to know all Mens Hearts and all things in the World c. which is to pretend to Omnisciency which is only proper to God who only is Omniscient Silence had better become this occult Adversary's Ignorance than to reproach or vilifie us about what he knows not Sn p. 83 84. The Strength which God has given to our Bodies is as sufficient to climb up to the Skies as the Wisdom or Light which he has given to our Souls was sufficient of it self to have found out the redemption of lost Man by the Incarnation and Satisfaction of Christ to God's Justice for our Sins or if found out to have paid that Price and to have accomplished that whole wonderful Oeconomy of our Salvation by our own Abilities and then he goes on thus confusedly so very insufficient is the Light within us even tho' followed to the utmost by its own Strength to carry us to Heaven Re. This is to deny any divine Wisdom Light Word or Power to be given to our Souls as if they could live and immortally subsist without the divine Logos or Word in them which in Scripture is called The Ingrafted Word which is able to save the Soul and consequently to carry us to Heaven 't is therefore great Darkness to oppose the sufficiency of this Light this Word or Christ within or to oppose his Incarnation Sufferings Satisfaction or our Redemption obtained by him as our Mediator to this his own inward Light Power and Appearance for as truly as Christ Jesus as our blessed Mediator has obtained eternal Redemption and Salvation for us so truly doth Christ Jesus by his Light Life and Power make us Partakers of that Redemption and Salvation and to know the Oeconomy Law or Rule of his House and Family as we obey him therein that we being reconciled by his Death might be saved by his Life The divine Logos the Light or Spirit of Christ is as able now to discover what Christ hath done and suffered for our Redemption as it was to shew the Prophets his Sufferings and the Glory that should follow Sn. p. 84. And therefore the Quakers preaching up the sufficiency of the Light within as all of them but the Separatists do is not only highly derogatory to the satisfaction paid by Christ for our Sins but it is blasphemous in ascribing to Our Selves a Power sufficient to work out our own Salvation Re. There are two gross Mistakes in these Passages 1. The sufficiency we ascribe to Christ his Light and Life within is not any derogation to his Satisfaction Attonement or Ransom given and paid by him without us for Sins and Sinners no more than Christ's own exhorting Men To believe in the Light that they might become Children of the Light or the Apostle's to a receiving the ingrafted Word which was able to save the Souls could be derogatory to his blessed intention and end in his Suffering and Sacrifice for Mankind but the contrary Christ by his Light and Life within leads to know and experience the
same i. e. our effectual Cleansing and actual Deliverance from Sin and Satan c. which he has obtained for us and for Mankind by his Sufferings and Mediation 2. We never ascribed to our selves a Power sufficient to work out our own Salvation that 's notoriously known to be expresly contrary to our professed Principle We ascribe our sufficiency to be in Christ by his own Power Grace and Light in us to work out our Salvation it being by Grace through Faith in Christ that we are saved not of our selves 't is the Gift of God and without him we can do nothing And this Heavenly Treasure though we have it in our earthen Vessels the excellency of the Power is of God and not of us After his many Scoffs at our Doctrin of Infallibility which he knows not what to make of he has at length stumbl'd upon an Instance of those he esteems will be found to have the best Title to it p. 85. where it is written Prov. 16. 10. A divine Sentence is in the Lips of the King and his Mouth transgresseth not in Judgment We would ask him If none are indued with a divine Sentence and unerring Judgment but Kings Or if none are Saints and Partakers of the Spirit of Truth or divine Wisdom but Kings What kind of Kings he means that are thus infallible he does not distinguish sure they must be just and good Kings indued with divine Wisdom But are none else so but Kings Do not all that truly fear God partake of the same Spirit and Wisdom Is God any respecter of Persons What does he think of those very Elect whom Christ implies 't is impossible to deceive Mat. 24. 24. Are they fallible or deceivable Or of them in whose Mouths was found no Guile Or of them who have put away all Guile and all Malice and all Lying and all Hypocrisie c. 1 Pet. 2. 1. Are such led by an infallible Spirit or no But to proceed he has some very scurrilous and abusive Flings at G. W. to prove him not led by an infallible Spirit of discerning or true Judgment p. 87. He quotes G. W.'s Charitable Essay in Answer to Fr. Bugg p. 6. his objecting against G. F. That they the Quakers could discern who were Saints and who Apostates without speaking ever a Word And says that he G. W. puts it off ingeniously thus That they could discern it by their lofty Looks wanton and scornful Eyes envious and fallen Countenances and so without speaking ever a Word p. 87. And then among divers other Scoffs and Flouts goes on Is not this very hard Fishing for Infallibility Adding Alas poor George Is the infallible Quaker dwindled down to a meer Gypsie or paltry Fortune-teller to nothing but a little Skill in Physiognomy Ah! George what a blessed Spirit would'st thee have thought Satan if thee hadst seen him when he was transform'd into an Angel of Light p. 88. 89. in Sect. 10. To all which it may be safely answer'd This Scorner's Abuse and Perversion is herein very evident for that we do not place our Infallibility of discerning of Spirits only upon those outward Signs in the Countenances of wicked Men or Women as their lofty Looks scornful Eyes envious fallen Countenances though these were in part instanced in Answer to the great wonderment made of knowing wicked Hearts when silent to shew there are other outward Signs and Tokens to manifest them by than their wicked Words or prophane Talk and even such Signs as Scripture takes notice of And seeing this Scorner has unjustly perverted and minced the Passage quoted Char. Essay p. 5 6. 't is meet to recite it more fully for the Quakers having a Spirit given to them beyond all the Fore-fathers in the Apostacy c. viz. That the very intent and meaning of G. F.'s Words herein was not beyond all the Fore-fathers without exception but beyond all in the Apostacy And further and they can discern who are Saints and who are Devils and who are Apostates without speaking ever a word that is they that be in the Power and Life of Truth as G. F. there saith can so discern between Saints and Devils and that 's possible as 't is for humble Men to discern wicked Persons even by their proud and lofty Looks wanton and scornful Eyes envious and fallen Countenances the shew of whose Counteannces testifing against them And more especially by the Gift of discerning of Spirits given to some in the Church of Christ Apostates and wicked Spirits are discernible from Saints and that a Spirit of Vnderstanding and Discerning is given among us c. concluding with the Saints Right of discerning by the Power and Life of Truth between Saints and Devils From all which pray observe how plain it is that discerning of Spirits which we assert is principally placed on and springs from the Power and Life of Truth that is from Christ and the Gift of discerning of Spirits given to some Members especially and still is continued in the true Church and from which discerning Satan cannot be hid however he transform himself altho' proud and lofty Looks wanton and scornful Eyes envious and fallen Countenances are rendred in Scripture as outward Signs or Marks of such wicked Hearts which also the Gift and Spirit of discerning perceiveth and gives to see many times through such outward Mediums And therefore the true discerning of Spirits which we plead for is neither dwindled down to a meer Gypsie nor paltry Fortune-teller nor to nothing but a little Jugler's Skill in Physiognomy as this scornful Adversary reflects And to reprehend his Reproach and Blasphemy herein and shew him that both God and good Men divinely inspired have also taken notice of such Signs Marks and Tokens in wicked Men's Looks and Countenances as before mentioned Let him read and consider these places of Scripture Gen. 4. 5 6. Psal. 10. 4. Isa. 3. 9 16. 2. 11. 5. 15. Psal. 131. 1. Prov. 30. 13. 6. 17. 21. 4. And he may see that both God Himself and his Prophets and Servants took notice of wicked Men's Countenances proud and lofty Looks and wanton Eyes c. and did not therefore deserve to be numbred among Gypsies and Juglers Behold the Levity and Ignorance of this prophane Scoffer of the Spirit of discerning and Scripture Who further in 's scoffing Humour proceeds against G. W. notoriously to detect his Infallibility by Signs and Faces as well as G. Fox 's without speaking ever a word as he pretends His Story is about one Chr. Athinson 's miscarriage at Norwich in the Year 1655. from Richard Hubberthorn's writing That in the wisdom of God we were searching it out and in his Will waiting for his Counsel The Scoffer reflects That notwithstanding all this neither G. Fox G. Whitehead nor any other of the infallible Gang could find it out till Chr. Atkinson prickt with the stings of his own Conscience did freely and of his own accord confess
it and sign'd a Paper of Condemnation of himself for this wicked Fact p. 90 91 92. Sect. 10. And what of all this What can he make of it That the then Quakers could not find out the Matter of Fact till upon their searching it out and waiting in the Will of God for his Counsel the Offender was made to confess it from inward Conviction in 's own Conscience And what 's the consequence Therefore they were not led by an infallible Spirit that follows not That Spirit might lead them to search and examine the Offender in order to bring him under Judgment and Sense of his Evil which they understood before and upon Examination and placing true Judgment upon him were made instrumental to bring him under Judgment and Confession for some discovery of his Crime was made before which occasioned their farther Enquiry and Care to prevent the reproach thereof from falling upon Truth and our Friends that were innocent Besides G. W. was not at Norwich when this Miscarriage hapned and was discovered yet he affirms that sometime before both he and some others perceived that the said C. Atkinson's Spirit was wrong and that he did not live in the fear of God nor in Humility and that they were burthened concerning him and did seriously caution him but he was too high to receive their Counsel insomuch that they were jealous Truth would suffer by him some way or other tho' they pretended not to know the Grossness of his Miscarriage aforehand nor till some discovery was made thereof neither were they or are we desirous to know all private Conversations and Actions of evil Men. We pretend not to know by Revelation or the infallible Spirit how many drunken Priests are in England c. nor how many of them have had their Misses and Bastards by their Maids and others nor who they all are by Name but by outward Relation we have had account of a great many such tho' we charge not all nor any of the eminent ones who are more sober than the rest And if this scornful Adversary shall therefore conclude that we have not the Spirit of Christ which is infallible he might as well conclude no Man has it because not omniscient which were very absurd and blasphemous And then be sure he has excluded himself from having that infallible Spirit of Christ and so is none of his and consequently destroyed the credit of all his own Work against us as therein having followed his own Spirit dictated by Satan as the false and lying Prophets did and not the Spirit of the Lord God To his scurrilous Story of more tender regard shewed to some young Women who had given a Confession in Writing to John Bolton of their frailty in the Flesh as is told in the Spirit of the Hat but it was hush'd up because it touched many eminent ones in the Ministry who from Day to Day resorted unto them c. p. 95 96. Sect. 10. This is a sligh insinuating way of implicitely scandalizing Persons by such old envious Stories and all to cast Dirt not only upon some private Persons but even upon many eminent ones of the Ministry without telling us the Names either of the Men or Women charged At this rate many honest Persons who are of good Fame also may be very injuriously brought under suspicion of great Enormity and Scandal But let this Adversary who is so very credulous of such infamous Stories come forth and shew himself and be more plain and particular in his Charge as of the Persons and Matters of Fact charged together with the said Confession of the Women and probably he may have a more direct Answer For his suspicious Charge as it is exhibited by him appears a very blind Story which we can make neither Head nor Tail of And the Spirit of the Hat did then prejudicially and blindly bring it forth which 't is hoped the Author hath repented of long before this time But this Opposer should look and examin among his own Brethren and remember that the Incontinency of Priests is no new thing for there is an old penal Statue-Law 1 H. 7. 4. made against Priests Clerks and religious Men for Incontinency being duly convicted of Advoutry Fornication Incest or any other fleshly Incontinency to be punished by the Ordinary by Imprisonment according to the quantity and quality of the Trespass If this Law be obsolete and not put in Execution we cannot suppose 't is because all the Priests are reformed and clear of that Enormity in these Days However they would not all be charged with the Faults of some Sn. p. 99. I hope what has been said will be sufficient to cure Men of this most mistaken pretence to Infallibility grounded upon the Infallibility of the Spirit of God as if nothing could proceed from Infallibility but what was infallible Re. 1. We know no mistaken pretence to Infallibility that 's grounded on the Infallibility of the Spirit of God for 't is an infallible unerring Spirit in all its Gifts Teachings Operations and Fruits and leads the truly spiritual-minded into all Truth and no other Spirit can we ground Infallibility in Matters of Faith or Duty upon 2. As no Lie is of the Truth so nothing proceeds from this Spirit of Truth but what 's true and certain as all its Ways and Teachings are Sn. p. 102. The Case of the Quakers is so hard that if we can prove but ONE false Prophet among them the Infallibility of All and every one of them must be a Deceit because out of E. Burr the Infallibility is asserted to belong to every One of them in particular Re. 1. The first part is as good Logick as to say If we can prove but one Drunkard or effeminate debauched Person among the Clergy of England then they are all Drunkards c. and their pretence to be all and every one of them Christ's Ministers is but a Deceit but let him better consider on 't True Prophets were not to suffer nor to be branded for the false Prophet's Falshood and Presumption See Deut. 18. 20 21 22. 2. Infallibility is no otherwise asserted to belong to every one or any of us than as we are led by the Spirit of Truth and taught thereby a Manifestation whereof is given to every one to profit withal But we do not therefore grant that every or any false Prophet belongs to us or our Society Sn. p. 102 103. To his long Story of a Quaker-Glover in Cheapside who had his Till robb'd and of a Quaker-Prophet mistaken in the Person c. Re. 'T is too long a Story to repeat and seems designed to render us ridiculously odious to which at present take the Answer following till the Snake-man appears to bring forth better Proof THE Glover replies for himself thinking it no Favour to have his Name concealed under a true state of the Case and minds his Author it is not safe nor warrantable to publish by Hear-say
for his Account is almost in every part false containing at least twelve plain Mistakes at best A natural Consequence of being over-officious and medling in other Mens Affairs which he is the readier to let him know that if he will please to appear Face to Face and hath two Ears may be yet better informed by him who is willing to join Issue with him in his great many more Instances as he saith Nath. Marks Among his many repeated Falshoods there is something of Truth hinted about one he calls a Prophet although never so esteemed by us who not keeping in Humility true Fear and Watchfulness as the Light of the Lord would have guided him the Enemy prevailed to hurry him by the shrength of Imagination and a secret discomposure of Mind wrongfully to charge a Person with the Fact for which he has been reprehended and testified against and we desire the Lord may truly humble that Person unto true Repentance Is it just to reproach all for this one Man's Offence Would this Accuser be so dealt by from the gross Miscarriages of many of his esteemed reverend Brethren of the Clergy Or because some of them have run Mad would he and the rest be so deemed We trow not Sn. p. 104 105. These Quaker-Prophets resolv'd to try their Hands round since they had begun and see if they could terrifie some or other to confess their Infallibility Re. What Prophets and how many did so resolve This is a foul Aspersion mix'd with the other false and partial Story to defame us and to invalidate our Christian Testimony which is to the Spirit of Truth and its Infallibility Sn. p. 112. Now it is made apparent that that Spirit which possesses them i. e. the Quakers is the very Spirit of Lies which is the Spirit of the Devil and consequently that their Light within is Darkness and then as our Saviour said O how great is that Darkness Re. What a blasphemous scornful and defaming Wretch is this 1. Thus to defame and condemn a sober religious People as possest with the Spirit of the Devil from some personal Mistakes Failings and Weaknesses 2. Thus to condemn the Principle i. e. our Light within as great Darkness because of some personal Miscarriages or Darkness prevailing through their not walking in the true Light which we profess Sn. p. 113. O therefore let those Christians beware who are led away with pretences to the Spirit in any Men not only against but beside that which is written who break the Vnity of the Church which Christ calls the tearing of his own Body to pieces and forsake the Communion of their lawful Bishops whom Christ has left as his own immediate Representatives and Vice gerents and as the Principles of Vnity in their respective Churches Re. This Story affects all Protestant Dissenters how conscientious soever any of them are as if they were all led by an ill Spirit against Scripture to break the Unity of the Church of Christ and tear his Body to pieces and to forsake the Communion of Christ's own immediate Representatives and Vice-gerents Very high Charges indeed but we deny them he must produce some better Proofs than his own ipse dixit or thus imposing upon Dissenting Protestants And suppose some such Dissenters should deny a Church guilty of severe Persecution to be the Church or Body of Christ and such Bishops as have countenanced Persecution to be his Vice-gerents and therefore cannot in Conscience hold Communion with them or with that Church what proof will he bring to satisfie the Denyers thereof See what follows Sn. p. 115. Sect. 10. Tho' God sent many Prophets to reprove the Kings and the Priests yet they neither rebelled against the Kings nor set up opposite Altars against those of those wicked Priests But AS they paid all dutiful Obedience to their persecuting Kings and suffered Martyrdom under them without resistance SO did they always keep in the Communion of those same Priests whom they had provok'd and reprov'd and paid all due Obedience to their sacred Authority Re. 1st That God sent Prophets to reprove the wickedness of Kings and Priests and the Covteousness Idolatry Prophaneness and Persecution of corrupt and polluted Priests is true and that true Prophets patiently suffered by both 2. But that the true Prophets did always keep in the Communion of those same corrupted polluted and wicked Priests whom they had reproved as asserted we deny for the Holy Prophets had a distinct pure Communion from that of the polluted Priests 3. 'T is no better than a piece of Popery thus to plead for keeping Communion with wicked Priests and Obedience to their Authority as sacred when they have no divine or sacred Authority being debased by their own Iniquity This is to make People Vassals to a corrupt Priesthood such as the holy Prophets testified against and as God overthrew for their Covetousness Idolatry and Wickedness the great Corruption of Priests is sufficient cause to dissent and separate from them Sn. p. 124 125. Their Churches have censur'd these Separatists and consequently given Judgment against the Light within particular Persons Re. The Consequence is falsly deduced for where the Separation is a Self-separation for which no just Cause is or can be assigned or Corruption charged upon the Society or Church from whom the Separation is made 't is unwarrantable and not arising from the true Light in any particular Persons and therefore the Judgment against such a Self-separation is not against the Light but against a Fruit of the Flesh and Darkness The Lord requires a Separation from the Unclean but not from the Congregation of his People nor from the Flocks of his Companions Sn. p. 128. The Ground of this Persecution against G. Keith was his preaching Christ without or a personal Christ in Heaven besides the Light within which he said was only the spiritual Presence of Christ by his Light and Life in all his Children P. 130. They do not really believe in any other Saviour than their own Light within which they call Christ and so endeavour to amuse us Re. 1. We never understood that G. K. was prosecuted for preaching Christ without in Heaven and only his spiritual Presence by his Light and Life in all his Children seeing this is all still but one and the same indivisible Christ and not two Christs Christ as in the Heavens and as in our Hearts is not divided There were other Matters charg'd against G. K. of his turbulent Spirit and Behaviour making Divisions Parties Separations c. 2. We do really believe in the intire Christ of God who was sent to be the Saviour and Light of the World that enlightens every Man coming into it and he is our Light Life and Salvation and this can amuse none but them that walk in Darkness Sn. p. 140. That G. K. upon the Text 1 John 1. 7. said It ought to be taken literally that it was the outward shedding of Christ's Blood which
cleanseth from Sin and that this was not to be resolved into the Light within nor to be spiritualiz'd away from the Letter Re. Let us be excused if we cannot take that Text 1 John 1. 7. altogether literally if cleansing from all Sin be a spiritul and inward Work or Act as no doubt it is there 's as much ascribed to the Spirit as to the Blood in respect to the Work of Sanctification Washing and Cleansing from Sin And therefore the Blood of Christ may be both taken spiritually and literally and this is not to spiritualize away the Letter relating to the outward Blood and Sacrifice of Christ seeing we have always believed both in the Letter and receive the Fruit thereof in the Spirit Sn. p. 148. Sect. 11. These Men whose chief Principle is to decry and damn the Letter Re. This is a most gross and foul Calumny Our preferring the Spirit to the Letter as the Apostles did is no decrying nor damning the Letter nor so intended by us but to bring People to the Life and Substance and real fulfilling of Scripture To what he saith in distinction between Christ the Word of God and the Book of Scriptures p. 151 152. this makes for us and against them who have often affirmed that Book to be the Word in opposition to our owning Christ to be the Word of whom the Scriptures testifie And this on our part is no Contempt of the Holy Scriptures nor in their place any deifying of our own Spirit and our own Scriptures as this Adversary most falsly accuseth us p. 152. His most seeming pretence for Proof against us of Contempt of Holy Scripture is in p. 142. Sect. 11. where he quotes a Passage out of a Book Entituled The Quaker's Refuge c. thus viz. Whether the first Pen-man of the Scriptures was Moses or Hermes Or whether both these are not one Or whether there are not many Words contained in the Scriptures which were not spoken by Inspiration of the Holy Spirit Whether some Words were not spoken by the grand Impostor some by wicked Men some by wise Men ill applied some by good Men ill express'd some by false Prophets and yet true some by true Prophets and yet false And here the Accuser breaks off in his Citation like as F. Bugg used to deal by us who has the same Passage to defame us as he hath done Whereas next after the Words And yet false these follow viz. Is not the Subject of my Argument at this time Here 't is plain the Author R. R. has cited these Questions about the Scriptures not as the Subject of his own Argument but of some others he would not then be concerned to dispute those Questions or Doubts For the said Author farther confesseth That such Scriptures and Prophesies as have been written and prophesied by the Holy Men of God as they were moved by his Spirit treating of the Mystery of God in the Redemption and Salvation of Mankind by Jesus Christ and the Duty of Man in his Obedience to and Worship of the same God as his reasonable Service for the Gift of so great Salvation are the great Concerns now under our most serious Consideration From hence it 's clear the Author was no Contemner of Holy Scripture and 't is clear the Subject of his Argument was for the Authority of the Holy Spirit in judging or discerning the Mind of God in the Holy Scriptures as truly own'd by the Quakers thus in the said Book Quaker's Refuge p. 17. which could not intend any Contempt of the Holy Scriptures much less a deifying either of our own Spirit i. e. the Spirit of Man or our own Writings in their place We have rarely ever met with more mad unlikely and improbable Aspersions than these from our most outragious Adversaries To what is objected p. 155. Sect. 11. viz. That they i. e. the Quakers cannot be bound by any Command in the Scriptures unless their Spirit anew require the same This is falsly stated 't is not our own Spirit i. e. the Spirit of Man abstractly that we profess to be under the Conduct of but the same Spirit which gave forth the Holy Scriptures And is not awanting to require of us the performance of its own necessary Commands and Doctrins contained in the Scriptures seeing 't is the same Spirit which leads it's sincere Followers into all Truth consequently not to undervalue any of those blessed Truths recorded in the Holy Scriptures And therefore this Adversary's Consequence intended against us viz. That the Scripture remains of no Authority with us p. 155. is very unjust being deduced from his own false Suggestions supposing us to set the Spirit in opposition to the Scriptures of Truth whereas we plead for the divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures in so much preferring the Holy Spirit from whence they proceeded and derive their Authority and not from Human Tradition And this is far from spiritualizing away all the Letter of the Scripture or Christ's Humanity as in p. 166. as we are often unjustly aspersed To what he saith p. 168. That Enthusiasts have no Principles they have no Rule but their own Fancy which is strongest in mad Men and this they mistake for Inspiration and then their Madness is at the height We say take Enthusiasm in the truest and best Sense and then such are inspired of God and by his Inspiration have a true Understanding and right Principles given them both Divine and Moral and do not mistake Fancy for Divine Inspiration But to whom does the Man apply this Enthusiasm which he renders Fancy more strong in mad Men and height of Madness In his next Page 't is to the Quakers He says No Quaker can deny but that the Principle of the Quakers is all Enthusiasm There never was any Enthusiasm in the World that exceeded it p. 169. Sect. 11. Here he seems to take Enthusiasm in the Quaker's Sense which is Divine Inspiration or inspired of God which sure cannot be meer Fancy much less the height of Madness as before The Quakers certainly deny this of themselves Thus the Man's confused in 's injurious Attempts to defame us with the height of Madness His Objection against the Quaker's Enthusiasm as he calls it That none that ever called themselves Christians have advanced themselves so high to have the same infallible Spirit and immediate Revelation as the Prophets and Apostles or as Christ himself c. p. 169. Herein he 's greatly out All true Christians are Partakers of the Spirit of Christ in some degree or measure for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his and his Spirit is infallible and a Manifestation of the same Spirit is given to every Man to profit withal and the Effusion of this Spirit upon all Flesh was promised and we believe the Promises of God which are all Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus Therefore this our Adversary who is so much averse to having the same infallible
the least Farthing with the aforesaid Discourse and then see how he 'll reconcile his Notion thereunto In Sect. 16. Concerning the Holy Trinity he saith The Quakers and Socinians acknowledge a Three but deny a Trinity which is to confess the same Thing in English and to deny it in Latin for Trinitas is only Latin for Three He mistakes the Quakers They do not deny the Three either in Latin or English but really own the holy divine Three in Heaven tho' their being rendred distinct and separate Persons by some of our former Adversaries we have conscientiously questioned as unscriptural Terms Our Adversary adds They cannot tell what Three they are if not Three Persons p. 219. This is a Mistake we can safely tell what to call them in Scripture Language That they are Three that bear Record or Three witnessing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Witnesses in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these Three are One John 1. 5. These are the Father Son and Holy Spirit which are essentially One or One in the Divine Being Our Adversary further saith The Quakers who own the Divinity of Christ are under greater Difficulties than the Socinians who deny the Divinity of Christ p. 219. 'T is well he now grants the Quakers own the Divinity of Christ But how well this agrees with much of his Book against us let the serious Reader judge And we know no Difficulties we are under herein The Man imagins and would obtrude Difficulties upon us from his own Terms which are none of ours as that there is but One Person in the Godhead which are none of our Words Much less his Muggletonian Consequence That God died and that Christ was his own Father to whom he pray'd upon the Cross. We know no real occasion given by the Quakers for him to draw such Absurdities upon them or to be afraid of such Distinctions and Salvo's at the bottom of the Quaker-pretences as impertinently he prates against them exposing his pretended Fears instead of Proofs And what if G. F. opposed Chr. Wade's calling The Holy Ghost a Person And if he said The Scriptures do not tell the People of Three Persons c And yet confessing the Father Son and Holy Spirit to be always One Does it follow That the Quakers do not acknowledge that there were Three in Heaven before Christ was born as he saith it seems p. 220. And then to aggravate the Matter against G. F. That he means One Person as Muggleton does p. 220. What if the Quakers think the Term Three Persons too low an Epithite or Character to put upon the most Glorious Blessed Three that bear Record in Heaven Can they be to blame herein When they aim at giving more Honour to them in a true Scripture sense than they think the Term Persons imports yet still owning the Holy Divine Three in Heaven and that they were before Christ was born contrary to what 's unduly suggested against us For the Father the Word and Holy Spirit were concerned both in Divine Wisdom Power and Goodness in forming preserving and governing both the Old Creation and the New By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the Host of them by the Spirit of his Mouth Psal. 33. 6. So here 's the Divine Holy Three forming and compleating the first Creation And the Gospel was commanded to be preached in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost that Men might truly believe and know the Work of God by his dear Son and Holy Spirit unto their everlasting Salvation Peace and Comfort For God so loved the World that he hath given his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life John 3. 16. And Jesus answered and said If any Man love me he will keep my Word and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and will dwell with him John 14. 23. And ver 26. The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance which I have told you And Ch. 15. 26. But when the Comforter shall come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth of the Father he shall testifie of me And 1 Joh. 4. 13 14. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit And we have seen and do testifie That the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the World All which may evince how scripturally we own a Trinity or Holy Three in the Deity Our Accuser tells of what unimaginable Excesses Enthusiasm may drive Men to and that all should beware of that desperate Shelve upon which both our Church and State have suffered miserable Shipwreck p. 221 222. Here he disparages his own Church whereby we may beware of embarking in such a â—raz'd wreck'd Vessel as here he represents her He excepts against the Words not distinct from which G. F. intends in a sort of common Acceptation That the Son is not divided or separate from the Father p. 222 223 224. Tho' 't is true in one Sense the Father Son and Holy Ghost are not essentially distinct as to their divine Being which is but One they are but One God but in respect to their Properties of Relation as Father Son and Holy Ghost as such they are distinct but not divided nor separate either in themselves or Work of the Old or New Creation yet not Three Gods nor Three distinct Creâ—tors but One God and One Creator Passing by divers Impertinencies and Absurdities under this Head to conclude We know no People professing a Deity in Christendom that more sincerely and livingly believe and confess a most glorious Scripture-Trinity or Holy Three the Father the Word or Son and Holy Ghost than we the People called Quakers do believe and confess to the Praise and Glory of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Our Accuser's 17th Sect. Concerning the Divinity and Incarnation of Christ is full of Falshoods Perversions and Misconstructions 1. He begins with this Falshood viz. The Quakers Heresie in this is taken from the Socinians They say Christ took Flesh but no otherwise as they explain it than as Angels assumed Bodies c. Which is notoriously false against the Quakers who confess and believe That Christ the Word took real Flesh a real Body and not a meer Apparition nor a Fantastical Body and so they have often declared both in Print and Preaching 2. That they allow not always that Christ did inspire the Person of that Man Jesus in an higher measure than other Men. False and perverse again God did inspire the Man Christ Jesus higher than all other Men he received the Spirit not by measure but in fulness he was anointed with the Oil of Gladness above all his Fellows All other Men even the best are inspired
Christ in either respect As concerning Sol. Eccles saying That the Blood that was forced out of Christ's Side with the Spear after he was Dead being no more than the Blood of another Saint p. 19. and Nar. p. 28. Concerning which I said I do not make S. E. his Expressions therein an Article of our Faith for I own that in one sense the Blood shed was more than that of another Saint tho' not in the visible matter of it more in that it had a peculiar signification for Christ the one offering was the Man peculiarly ordain'd and appointed of God both to bear the Sins of many and to end the many offerings under the Law and in all his Example and Sufferings that were permitted to be laid upon him he both Answered Fulfilled and ended the outward part and administration of the Law and Shadows and performed the Father's Will therein and was particularly Eyed and Prophesied accordingly by the Holy Prophets and through all his sufferings in the Flesh he gave an universal Testimony and Consecrated a New and Living way even through the Veil that is to say his Flesh that the way into the most Holy might be manifest Light and Life p. 58 59. In the first place I did shew a dislike of S. E's Expressions before cited in not allowing them as an Article of our Faith tho' I was willing Charitably to improve his own explication so far as it would bear a Charitable Construction with respect to his own declared Estimation of the Blood of Christ it 's Value and Vertue 2dly I shewed in part my estimation of the Blood and whole Sacrifice or Offering of Christ both in respect to the Blessed Testimony Value and Efficacy thereof more than that of any other Saint or Saints which manifestly differs from S. E.'s Expressions before cited However if I have not been thought plain enough in this matter let me be allowed so much candor as to be credited in being more full and plain therein I disown his said comparison of the Blood of Christ with that of another Saint and believe he was not in the Counsel or Wisdom of God therein tho' I did charitably construe his meaning with respect to the sincerity he had towards God and his self denying crucified Life and Testimony he bore for Truth in divers sufferings and respects and I believe he dyed in Peace tho' in some things he in his zeal was not guided in true Wisdom which was his own weakness and personal Failure not justly chargeable on us as a People much less on our Principle or belief of the Spirit of Truth or the infallible guidance thereof Howbeit this Adversary appears so eagerly bent against us as a People that he is willing to take any occasion to Defame and Brand us as in this very Passage which he calls The Broad and Impious Blasphemy of Sol. Eccles. He Scornfully yet Bitterly reproaches us as a People and my self in particular in these Words viz. There never was surely such a Company of good natur'd forgiving People They can slip over cover and excuse the Lewdest Blasphemies in a Charitable way c. They can see no faults in their own Friends G. W. says of this very Passage of Sol. Eccles. That it was so harmless as might have satisfied any spiritual or unbiassed Mind p. 21. And that this is in his Light and Life before quoted p. 58. Wherein he notoriously wrongs me and perverts my Words I did not call this very Passage or comparison of S. E's harmless but his Words declaring his high esteem of the Blood of Christ and of the new Covenant which was not his comparison of the Blood of Christ with that of another Saint which I have disown'd In my answer to W. Burnet quoted but lamely and partially cited p. 22. 23. § 5. I did not call Christ's outward material Blood a Type of the mystical Blood or Light within as my answer is perverted but closely pursued his Argument with exceptions which he is not cleared from by this Advocate his Argument is this viz. All things under the Law in the Type were purged with Blood and this Blood was material Blood and not mystical and that Blood that Christ shed in order to the effecting the Salvation of Man must needs be visible and material Blood Which is to Argue thus that because all things under the Law were purged with material Blood and not mystical Ergo the Blood of Christ which purgeth the Conscience and Effecteth the Salvation of Men must needs be Material and not Mystical I still deny the inference and my answer shews where and against what my Exceptions lye The Types and Shadows under the Law did both point at what was Material and what was Mystical in Christ If the legal Sacrifices were Types of Christ and so Mystical as is confess'd p. 23. contrary to Burnets asserting them Material not Mystical As in his asserting That 't was Material Blood not Mystical whereby all things under the Law were purged but now contrarywise those Sacrifices are granted to be Mystical because Types of Christ the Substance and Mystery of them My Answer to Burnet's Argument even in the first part left out by this Adversary is plain and clear viz. As if one should reason That because the Type was Material visible and not Mystical therefore the Antitype or Substance must needs be Material and not Mystical by this all Mysteries of divine things are excluded from being either spiritual the Antitype or substance Whereas it was the Heavenly things themselves that are in Christ in which consists the substance and end of Types and Shadows And my subsequent exceptions against the said Argument are as plain and unanswered That if the Antitype was Matterial and Mystical because the Type or Shadow was Material then this is like as to argue That because Circumcision which was a Type was Material or outward therefore the Circumcision of the Spirit which is the Antitype of it must needs be outward too and not Mystical and thus he might as well reason touching all other Types and Shadows under the Law and the Heavenly or good things to come Prefigured or Shadowed by them That because the Priests under the Law at the outward Tabernacle or Temple were Ministers of outward or Temporal things Carnal Ordinances Shadows c. Therefore those good things to come which Christ was said to be the High Priest of must needs be Temporal and not Mystical which to assert were absurd c. And I farther proceed in my Answer about the Heavenly and Spiritual things which the Law had the Shadow of viz. Whereas both the Heavenly and more perfect Tabernacle and Altar with the Heavenly things are all Mystery and Spiritual the Offering and living Sacrifices are Spiritual the Passover Spiritual the Seed Spiritual the Bread the Fruit of the Vine the Oyl the Flesh and Blood which give Life to the Soul yea the Water and Blood which washeth and sprinkleth
's Great Myst. p. 7. extends this i.e. Infallible discerning Spirit to all and every of the Quakers To us says he every one of us in particular And this Light gavâ— us to discern between Truth and Error between every false and right way and it perfectly discovered to us the true state of all things p. 20. Upon perusal of the place quoted in the said Epistle I do not find that E. B. extends the gift of discerning to all and every of the Quakers nor the discovery of the true state of all things herein are his words and intention perverted tho' he confesses that every one has a true Light given by Christ but not that every one has attained to the same gift of discerning of Spirits and States Observe 1. E. B. personates the converted and faithful among the Quakers who walk in the Light which gives to discern between Truth and Error the Right and the Wrong way for whatsoever things are reproved are made manifest by the Light 2dly The perfect discovery of the true state of all Things He does in the place quoted restrict to the discovery of the Fall and restoration of Man and to what 's needful for Man to know i.e. in respect to Salvation Epis. to Gr. Myst. p. 7 8. We are not to suppose that By discovery of the true state of all things he intended to ascribe Omnisciency to us Creatures no more than the Holy Apostle John did in the like Expressions 1 John 2. 20. But ye have an Vnction from the Holy One and ye know all Things And verse 27. But as the same Anointing teacheth you of all Things and is Truth and is no Lye These were all things needful for their Salvation and preservation in Christ Jesus And herein in this divine Unction and the teachings thereof stands the Infallibility Certainty or assurance we plead for and not in Man's Will Wisdom Parts or Acquirements And as we keep in this Anointing received from the Holy One we receive its Teachings which are true and certain and so faâ— partake of Certainty or Infallibility in what it Teacheth being Truth and no Lye But if any go from this Anointing into the Will or Wisdom of Man or carnal Reasonings they go into uncertainty and so become fallible and subject to fall into Error erring from this certain Principle produceth Error both in Judgment and many times in Practice For 't is He that abideth in Christ that sinneth not 1 Joh. 3. 6. And those in whom this divine Aâ—ointing did abide who were taught by it As it taught them they did abide in him i.e. in the Son of God ch 2. 27. Who saith abide in me and I in you John 15. 4. I find this Author to the Snake in the Grass is very apt frequently to misrepresent our Friends Words which I cannot impute so much to his Ignorance as Envious design to make us as Infamous and Odious as he can As he had dealt by E. B. in the passage before he has in like manner serv'd Francis Howgil in his Preface to the Snake in the Grass p. 244. Which I did not so much search or remark in the foregoing Answer as since He charges F. H. with Blasphemy quoting p. 232. of his Works intitled The Dawning of the Gospel-day where he saith He that hath the Spirit of God is in THAT which is Equal i.e. as follows he that is join'd to the Lord is one Spirit there is Unity and the Unity stands in Equality it self Hence and on some other words curtaliz'd and mangl'd the said Author infers viz. 25. Having thus made themselves Equal to God in very Nature it is not strange to see them denying any other God or Christ but themselves they pull God out of Heaven c. Snake p. 245. These Blasphemous and general Inferences against the Quakers as they are utterly denyed by us I find no just occasion for them from F. H' s Words if truly cited and considered where he places the Equality between the Father Son and Holy Spirit That which is Equal he plainly speaks of the Spirit of God in the place quoted and by the Unity stands in Equality it self he means no other than that the Saints Vnity stands in Christ who is Equal with the Father according to Christ's own Prayer John 17. 21. That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us And verse 22. And the Glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be One as we are One. And verse 23. I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one That F. H. places the Equality in the Son of God and on his part is evident by his following Words left out by the said Author viz. He that is born from above is the Son of God and he said I and my Father are one and when the Son is reveal'd and speaks the Father speaks in him and dwells in him and he in the Father Now though the Saints cannot claim to themselves that Equality the Son of God who is their Head hath yet who can in Truth deny their being made Partakers of the Divine Nature and Union in Christ Jesus and holy Spirit with the Father The account which this Author of the Snake hath given against Tho. Curtis p. 20 21 22. which he saith he has seen under the hand of W. Clark I do somewhat Question the Truth of divers Passages in it as whether T. C. is not therein mis-represented though I cannot from my own knowledge refute them yet 't is very strange that T. C. should be represented so very grosly Ignorant as in that said Account but I am sure 't is a gross Lye that the Quakers do hold or have always held these Heresies charged on him or that G. Keith should suffer him to be so foully expos'd in print if he was privy thereto I am apt to think 't was a piece of great Incivility as well as Ingratitude and Treachery against T. C. to serve him such an ill turn 26. That he would not lessen the Sufferings of the Quakers p. 13. is a notorious Falshood as his scoffing at and vilifying them and rendring many of them to have suffer'd for open and notorious Blasphemy p. 12. doth evince 27. That Mary Fell after she was Married to G. F. became the Mother of the Quakers Church p. 17. is a scornful Falshood we have not given her or any other Woman that Title though she and many more faithful Women have been own'd as Mothers in Israel but Jerusalem that is above the Mother of us all 28. That many of the generality of the Quakers do stick in the very bottom of that sink of Heresies which they have been taught and that their Leaders go about to justify excuse and pallitate them p. 18 These proceed from the Sink of his gross Calumnies and Malice 29. That the Quakers yearly Epistle directed to