Words Three Persons or Three Hypostases have made great Contention in former times and divers judged to be Pious and Learned Men have denied them and disputed against them as namely Jerome against the Three Hypostases and Augustine disputed solidly Lib. 5. 7. de Trinitate That the Words Three Persons are not properly applicable to the Mystery it self although he doth not know what other Names to give them And surely it is too great Presumption and Curiosity in any Man to dive further into this Mystery than what God hath been pleased to reveal or to give Names to it and yet it is more Presumption and smelleth rankly of a Persecuting Spirit to impose upon others these words which the Spirit of God hath not Taught nor left upon Record in the Scriptures and yet because we do not own these Word 's of Man's Wisdom and Spirit to cry out against us as Blasphemers and Deniers of the true Christ whereas we the Quakers believe in and own the true Christ more according both to his Godhead and Manhood more according to the Truth and the Testimony of the Scripture than our Accusers do as I hope in its due place to shew And in p. 87. saith Nor indeed is there any need of these Terms Three Distinct Persons but rather they darken than explain the Mystery which have occasioned not only some of the Vulgar but even some of them called the Learned to Err grosly in their Conceptions about the Mystery it self sure I am they are in an Error occasioned in great part by these unsound and unscriptural Terms of Three Persons in the Trinity for Persons signifies Substances and not the Modes or Properties of One Substance Thus Keith when a Quaker spoke truly of the Quakers tho' now he acts in a contrary Line These Men must be acknowledged to be either Insincere formerly or else they are Insincere now For as we were we are if we were Erroneous then Keith was Insincere for declaring us Orthodox If we are Orthodox Keith is Insincere now for declaring us Heterodox Nor is it in this one Particular for if it might be of Service I believe I could make it appear that he has declared us in all our Principles Orthodox Here in this one Particular we may observe how zealously he Defends our Consciencious Scruple not only by the Authority of these Fathers but also from the Unscripturalness and ill Consequences of such Terms withal fully declaring our Sincere Belief in the Holy Three which may be sufficient to shew we are Sound in Faith touching the Trinity so called I shall not for Brevity's sake say any more to Vindicate our consciencious Scrupling these Words and Terms used by R. B. to express these Mysteries by but shall proceed to shew by a Quotation or two that we are Sound in the Faith touching the Doctrines themselves out of that Book which is generally received by the Society But by this as we do not at all intend either to equal our selves to that Holy Man the Lord Jesus Christ who was Born of the Virgin Mary in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwells Bodily nor to destroy the Reality of his present Existence so neither do we as some have falsly callumniated us For though we affirm that Christ dwells in us yet not Immediately but Mediately as he is in that Seed which is in us whereas he to wit the Eternal Word which was with God and was God dwelt Immediately in that Holy Man He then is as the Head and we as the Members he the Vine we the Branches so God dwells otherwise in the Man Jesus than in us We also freely reject the Heresie of Apolinarius who denied him to have any Soul but said The Body was only acted by the Godhead As also the Error of Eutiches who made the Manhood to be wholly swallowed up of the Godhead Wherefore as we believe he was a true and a real Man so we also believe that he continues so Glorified in the Heavens in Soul and Body by whom God shall Judge the World in the great and general Day of Judgment Neither do we hereby intend any ways to Lessen or Derogate from the Atonement and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ but on the contrary do Magnifie and Exalt it For as we believe all those things to have been certainly translated which are recorded in the Holy Scriptures concerning the Birth Life Miracles Sufferings Resurrection and Ascention of Jesus Christ so we do believe that it is the Duty of every one to believe it to whom it pleaseth God to reveal the same and to bring to them the Knowledge of it Yea we believe it were Damnable Unbelief not to believe when so declared nevertheless as we do firmly believe it was necessary that Christ should come that by his Death and Sufferings he might offer up himself a Sacrifice to God for our Sins who his own self bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree so we believe that the Remission of Sins which any partake of is only in and by Vertue of that most satisfactory Sacrifice and no otherwise for it is by the Obedience of that One that the free Gift is come upon all to Justification Barclay's Apol. 334.335 Thus having given these Quotations of our Faith by which it doth evidently appear how falsly this R. Bridgman hath insinuated against us as well as the Soundness of our Faith is sufficiently declared I shall now proceed and be more Brief because what he offers in the main is but Trifling He adds That without the true Faith of them we cannot be saved which true Faith he acknowledges ought to be wrought by the Operation of the Spirit I would hope since he belteves it of so great Concernment he will take care for one or else notwithstanding all his other Performances and going to Church he is like to remain still Ignorant of the true Faith of them besides how can he be fully assured whether he has the true Faith of them wrought by the Spirit without sticking to his Quaker-Principle of Immediate Revelation I would see this R. Bridgman and G. Keith to give over playing upon words which is only a trying of Skill If they would betake themselves like Sampson to the great Pillars of our Religion our known and acknowledged Principles this were far more Manly than raising up a Man of Straw to Fight with for then if they could overthrow them it would render them Sampsons indeed Now G. K. when a Quaker accounted Immediate Revelation as stated in his Book on that Subject and the Universal Principle of Light and Grace which Principle he States and Proves in his Books The Universal Free Grace of the Gospel asserted the two great Principles or Pillars of our Religion as differing from other Societies of Christians therefore Oh ye mighty Men to work R. B. proceeds to Teach of what necessity it is to every one to be rightly inform'd concerning those above-mentioned Doctrines adding
is Go Teach baptizing all Nations into the Name of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost And the Name of either the Father or the Son or the holy Ghost is most frequently if not always used in Scripture to signifie Power and Life as The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower Thy Name is as Ointment poured forth c. Thus we see Keith after having been a Quaker nigh if not altogether 30 Years holds out Zealous in his Testimony against Water-Baptism and says It can never be proved from Mat. 28.18 19. And if Water-Baptism can never be proved how much less can Sprinkling Infants be proved for which there is neither Precept nor Practice in all the Bible And yet this is the Baptism R. B. must stand by It will be necessary to shew that the Ministers of Christ may Instrumentally or Ministerially Baptize with this Spiritual Baptism indeed it were Gross if any held that any Man or Men had Power to Command or Give the Holy Ghost but I doubt not but it will be Plain as well as Orthodox That the Apostles were the Means or Instruments tho' Christ the Principal by which the holy Ghost was given which when I have done I hope I have performed what will be expected from me at this time My first proof shall be from Acts 10.44 While Peter yet spake these Words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word To this plain matter of Fact what can be objected or who dare deny but Peter's Preaching was the Means or Instrumental Cause of their being thus eminently Baptized with the Holy Ghost this passage exactly agrees and runs parallel with our Lord's Command of Teaching all Nations Baptizing them c. for as the Text words it it implies that to Teach Baptizing went together and was performed by Christ's Presence attending their Ministry so here not only by Precept but by Practice and Matter of Fact is true for through Peter's Preaching they both heard the Word and were baptized with the Holy Ghost at one and the same instant Acts 11.15 16. And as our Saviour said in another Case My Father works hitherto and I work So tho' this Power be granted as indeed it ought to Christ and that Christ doth Principally or Originally Baptize with the Holy Ghost and also that he administers it as it pleases him either Immediately and without all outward Means or Mediately and by Instruments yet his Servants that are by him Commissionated may be truly said Instrumentally to Baptize with the Holy Ghost and may say Christ worketh hitherto and we work So I would have all be very careful that they do not oppose what they do not understand but rather fall in with Peter and say What are we that we should withstand God Tho' several Texts of like import might be produced that proves this Truth yet for Brevity sake shall conclude with this one Gal. 3.5 This only would I learn of you received ye the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith He therefore that ministreth to you the Spirit and worketh Miracles among you doth he it by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith Thus it is clearly proved that the true Ministers are Ministers of the Spirit and do minister it And as Paul saith They were made able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit R. B. begins a new Charge thus But to manifest how liable they are to pervert the true sense of matter see what G. Whitehead says concerning the Supper p. 35. of his Rector Examined where he produces some Testimonies out of the Book of Martyrs to favour his Case which duly considered are directly against it I have examin'd the Quotations and for further satisfaction if R. B. will not be offended I will be so Ingenuous both to Transcribe them and the end for which G. W. produced them in G. W's own Words by which the Impartial may perceive the falseness of R. B's Charge And note he doth not bring this so much to detect this particular Perversion of G. W's as he accounts it but thereby to shew how apt we are to pervert the true sense of matter so that we may reasonably conclude he would not bring one of the meanest in his Budget since it was to be his Goliah These following are G. W's Words and therein is expressed the end for which he quoted the following Testimonies And that the Bread and the Cup which Christ gave at his Supper were a Figure or Typical was confessed by divers eminent Martyrs as John Frith in his Reasons upon the Sacrament treating of Christ the promised Seed saith Likewise the same Promise was made unto Moses the most meek and gentle Captain of the Israelites which did not only himself believe on Christ which was so often promised but also did prefigurate him by divers Means both by the Manna which came down from Heaven and also by the Water which issued out of the Rock for the refreshing the Bodies of his People Neither is it to be doubted but that both Manna and this Water had a prophetick Mystery in them declaring the very self-same thing which the Bread and the Wine doth now declare unto us in the Sacrament For thus saith St. Augustine Whosoever did understand Christ in the Manna did eat the same spiritual Food that we do but they which by that Manna sought only to fill their Bellies did eat thereof and are Dead On the Margent it is Manna and the Water of the Rock a Figure of Christ's Body Bread and Wine a Figure likewise of Christ's Body 1 Cor. 10. See 2 Vol. Mart. p. 305. printed 1641. And Dr. Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury confesseth Christ's Speech i. e. this is my Body to be Figurative and quoting Ambrose in 1 Cor. 11. he calleth the Bread and the Cup Signs a Type Figure or Sign of the Blood of Christ and of his Benefit In his Disputations in Oxford Vol. 3. Mar. p. 59. and Chap. 54. ibid. he saith The Flesh liveth by Bread but the Soul is inwardly fed by Christ And Dr. Ridley Bishop of London in his Disputations at Oxford saith And as one of the Fathers saith A Figure is in vain where the thing signified is present ibid. p. 74. And p. 75 76. in opposition to the Popish Doctrine of Transubstantiation he saith The Sayings of the Fathers declare it to be a Figurative Speech as appeareth in Origen Tertullian Chrysostom in opere imperfecto Augustine Ambrose Basil Gregory Nazienzen Hilary and most plainly in Bertram Thus we have both the end for which G. W. quoted them in his own Words and the whole Quotations themselves For my part I cannot find any Perversion and it stands R. B. upon to manifest it more plainly if there be any what because some of them was brought to oppose the Doctrine of Transubstantiation therefore they are no good Arguments to G. W's purpose to
prove that they were Figures R. B. might have saved his Quotation to prove that for G. W. acknowledges it so says R. B. The Martyrs intended one thing and G. W. would make them to intend another May I not say O pertinent Logician Is there not divers Texts in holy Scripture that one and the same Text holds out two or more Principles of Faith And what because one of these Texts is brought to prove one of these points if one offer it for proof of another must it be accounted a Perversion I hope not His next Charge is That the Faith of the Body of Christ now absent in Heaven is lost among us I believe he here speaks Truth of us against his will and saves himself telling a great Lye thereby for that Faith is indeed lost nay it never was received by us That the Body of Christ is now absent in Heaven we have always and still do believe it to be there present These are fit Reasons to shew his leaving us was out of Envy for I hope I have made it already manifest that we believe the Existence of the Body of Christ in Heaven as really as any Christians whatsoever As to his hopes and dependance on the outward Baptism and Supper as two such Pillars and Supports of the Christian Faith I may advertise him that suppose they were what most Protestants account them to be yet if he have not regard to something beyond them he may find himself mistaken in the end and the Army of Abaddon may compass him about To conclude what I have to say concerning them at present is That as many as do practice them out of pure Conscience to God believing the same to be their Duty we are charitable towards them hoping in time they will come to see further as they continue true Seekers of God His next is he saith It is a specious pretence the Quakers have made to the Vertue and Efficacy of the inward Principle as having therein an Art of Extraction by which they perform as by one single Still all that can be proposed from the variety in a Laboratory This specious pretence as he calls it rightly stated will stand all Winds and Weathers For this Principle in it self as held by the Quakers is no other than the Word God in whom was Life and the Life the Light of Men John 1.4 Tho' the Quakers are no such ill Distinguishers that if R. B. will be so barbarous as to divide the particular Measure or Manifestation from the fulness and the purchase of that Blessing tho' that is a Presumption the Quakers dare not attempt because God as Father Word and Spirit is present therein to say That that particular Measure and Manifestation so divided is sufficient Tho' they do boldly say This inward Principle not divided but conjunctly taken as aforesaid is able to effect whatever is needful yet this doth not lead us to slight any of the least means appointed of God as helps in the Work of our Salvation for there are many things very useful and highly needful towards an End yet cannot be said to be absolutely necessary and yet who so unwise as to reject them At the same rate R. B. might find fault with St. John who told the Believers of his time That they had received an Unction from the Holy One and they knew all things and that they needed not that any Man should Teach them but as the same Anointing should Teach them of all Things Tho' the Apostle no more than we intended hereby to lay waste Gospel Means or outward and instrumental Helps appointed by God What he adds of William Penn's Ranting at an unreasonable rate and disparaging the Reputation of our Principles I must say doth not become him if he had only regarded Civility it would have taught him better Language Doth he think his going to Church will priviledge him to abuse by Authority Nay surely many of them are Men of better Temper and more Honour Nor can I think he cares how much W. P. disparages our Principle tho' the Truth of his Heart may be that he thinks him too great an Honour to it neither can I believe that the repute of our Principles affords him any great pleasure His charging G. Whitehead with irregularity of Practice without producing proof doth not bespeak him a Man of Honour for a Person of worth would abominate to impeach Men of Note without producing some good Ground for so doing P. 9. He has more cause to reflect upon his own Incivility for exposing in Print part of G. W's private Letter to his Father-in Law unduly intercepted together with his own angry Resentments and Defamations against G. W c. I am sure saith R. B. no Principle of Truth ever taught W. P. to advance such a Notion of the Composition of Man as he delivers in p. 71. of his Primitive Christianity Man says W. P. as I said just now is a Composition of both Worlds his Body of this his Soul of the other World If R. B. has a better Notion of the Composition of Man to advance I should be glad to hear it tho' a truer I am confident he cannot so that I cannot but tell him he is mistaken in so rashly judging W. P's Notion Is it not apparent that our Bodies are of this World Yet where is the Person that believes that the Soul is a created immortal and invisible Spirit that can be so gross as to believe it is of this World too If not of this then of some other World of this it cannot be for this World is Visible Material and Corruptible but the Soul is Invisible Immaterial and Incorruptible Truly I should think R. B. cannot be so gross as to think otherwise if he believes Man to have an Immortal Soul He goes on adding more words of W. P's viz. By the Body the Soul looks into and beholds this World and by the Word it beholds God the World without end Upon which R. B. Comments thus So that the World without end and God are with him Terms Synonimous which by the way is falsly inferred and of this endless World it 's with him a part of Man's Composition his Soul is of its Essence and beholds its being a-kin to God not only by a Relation but in Substance Oh! false Comment and notable Reason for leaving the Quakers it is much that Men will expose their Envy so apparently Let us consider W. P's Words and then without any difficulty we shall discern the disingenuity of this Adversary and the falseness of the Comment First let us observe tho' W. P. do say Man's Soul is of the other World yet he doth not say The other World is God or that God and the other World are one and the same thing so that except R. B. can make it appear that W. P. believes the other World and God to be one and the same he argues to no purpose and all the fine Gloss and
Guilt with which he would bespatter W. P. will fall as Dung upon his own Face as well as the dull and apparent Sophistry which he would father upon us will a great deal of it fall to his Share to account for neither will it all vindicate his abuse of W. Penn and others And as impertinent is he in making those words he Quotes out of Judas and the Jews p. 130. a description of God and of the Soul of Man it being a part of him from W. P's there saying The new dispersed Flock of God shall rest with him in that World which never had Beginning and is without End Where do we find such a Description of the Soul in these Words The words carped at viz. That World which never had beginning may be allowed by the Ingenuous as figuratively expressed as That World is put for Eternal Life in Heaven Luke 20.35 They that be counted worthy to enjoy that World by the World eternal Life is here intended * See T. Wilsons Dictionary it being only a Transmutation as between the Cause and the Effect Behold what a weighty Reason this is for R. B. his leaving our Society But at the rate he wrangles he may even fault the very Doctrine of our Lord that because he told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of Heaven was within them that he thereby destroyed the Kingdom of Heaven without I think it is time to remind him of what he writ in 1694. in our Vindication Supposing says he there may have been some defect in Expression by which means the matter has not been left so well guarded against the exceptions of malicious Cavillers who no doubt were it not for the general Authority of the holy Scriptures would be as ready to make their exceptions against many Sentences or Expressions therein also But R. B. making God and the World without end terms Synonimous with W. P. for want of the word and before the World without end shows himseif now to be turned a malicious Caviller Would one have thought that this Man would have himself become herein so quickly guilty What he quotes out of W. P's Book called Judas and the Jews is one with this above so needs no other answer And to his insinuating that G. F. held that Notion of the Souls being a part of God is already answered by abler Pens as G. W. and J. W. so I need not say any thing thereto He returns to W. P. again touching W. P's Answer to John Faldo concerning the Resurrection of the Body if I take for granted what R. B. quotes as W. P's Answer not having the Book by me I do say W. P. answered wisely and did well to put by his Antagonist as he did for I find that those that define so nicely often run themselves into Contradictions even G. K. is scarce clear in this particular as for Instance G. K. says in his Testimony against that absurd Opinion page 3. and That which rises is the Mortal that puts on Immortality and the Corruptible that putteth on Incorruption Now Paul says It is sown a natural Body it is raised a spiritual Body it is sown in Corruption it is raised in Incorruption so that G. K. and Paul seems to assert two things G. K. says that which rises is the Mortal and Corruptible and Paul says that it is raised Spiritual and Incorruptible Would not R. B. account this an Error in a Quaker Besides W. P's words are safe for neither do I remember any Text of Scripture that says in express words of a Body having the same Matter and not the same Grosness c. but that W. P. is Sound in the Faith as well as we is clear see his Key where he thus expresses himself on our behalf as well as his own In this says he also i. e. the Quakers are grosly abused They deny not but believe the Resurrection according to Seripture not only from Sin but also from the Grave but are conscienciously not contumeliously Cautious in expressing the manner of the Resurrection intended in the Change because it is left as a Secret in the Scripture Are People angry with them for not believing or asserting what is hidden and which is more curious than necessary to be known and which the Objectors themselves cannot be positive in Thou Fool is to the curious inquirer as saith the Apostle which makes the Quakers contented with that Body which it shall please God to give them being assured that their Corruptible must put on Incorruption and that their Mortal must put on Immortality but in such manner as it pleaseth him And in the mean time they esteem it their Duty as well as Wisdom to acquiesce in his holy Will It is enough they believe a Resurrection and that of a Glorious and Incorruptible Body without further nicities for to that was the antient Hope Passing by his Inference touching the Body of Christ because of his following Query For as he says he could not obtain a plain and positive Answer thereto from several of our Friends appointed to hear his Reasons for declining our Meetings and least he should blame me too I will first place the Query and then give a positive and plain Answer with little trouble Query Whether our Lord Jesus Christ is now in Heaven above or without us in the true and entire Nature of Man glorified the same for Substance which he had on Earth and for ever to come united to the Godhead Answer Yea. What he says of finding it fully and safely expressed in the Articles of the Church of England I think it is as fully and as safely expressed in the Apology in the Quotation I have brought at the beginning I come now to his last which is touching a Letter writ by G. Whitehead to his Father-in-law and G. W's Brother-in-law he gives us some part of G. W's Letter as well as a Copy of his own Answer requesting a meeting with G. W. in order that G. W. might make good what he had insinuated against him to his Father-in-law as he says but G. W. giving him no such Meeting he was willing to expose it to the publick As to the Letters it being a private Concern between them two I have nothing further to say than this That G. W. was under a simple impossibility to offer him a Meeting for till G. W. saw his Letter in Print he knew nothing of it wherefore R. B. ought either to have taken more care in sending his Letter or when he was in London to have gone to G. W. so he has no cause to Glory as tho' G. W. declined to give him a Meeting it is nothing but an empty Flourish Having thus briefly gone through R. B's whole Paper of his wonderful Reasons for leaving us hoping I have not omitted any thing that might in the least require my notice withall both modestly detecting his Envy and also shewing the Soundness of our Faith in opposition to his false Charges whereby as I doubt not but the Impartial Enquirer will meet with satisfaction and plainly see that it is more Envy than real Matter that thus Influences our Adversaries hoping withal tho' blessed be God it is not only hopes but we see evidently that it is true in Fact that the very means our Adversaries use to revenge themselves upon us turns to our advantage for thereby the Sober and Enquiring are the more stirred up to examine into the Truth of Matters and God is daily adding to his Church blessed be his holy Name Now for a Conclusion I heartily wish R. B. may cease to envy the Children and People of God and come to true Repentance for I am heartily sorry for him So with the words that he was pleased to add to his Uncle G. Whitehead's Letter I shall at present leave him Prov. 26.26 27. Whose Hatred is covered by Deceit his Wickedness shall be shewed before the whole Congregation Whoso diggeth a Pit shall fall therein and he that rolleth a Stone it will return upon him Graithwait the 7th of the 6th Month 1700. FINIS