last Authority I shall Produce is of the Great Fox Himself in his Book call'd Several Papers given forth for the Spreading of Truth c. Printed 1671. There p. 54. is a Chapter which bears this Title Concerning Christ's Flesh which was Offered c. And this Flesh he makes not to be That which He took of the B. Virgin but That which he had from the Beginning and which he supposes was Crucify'd when Adam Fell And in That Crucifixion to Consist the Atonement and Satisfaction made for Sin And he takes that Text The Lamb slain from the Foundation of the world not as then Decreed and Purposed by God but Literally as then Actually Fulfill'd Thus he Begins that Chapter Christ the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the world when it began its Foundation then the Lamb was slain And Christ according to the Flesh Crucified the Lamb slain that Flesh of His which is a Mysterie when the first Adam's and Eve's Flesh was Defiled This he calls a Mystery And it is the true Mystery of Quakerism It is upon this account That the Quakers think all the Christian world to Lie in Darkness but Themselves That other Christians know of no other Flesh and Blood of Christ but that outward Flesh which He took in Time of the B. Virgin Hence it is common in their Discourse and in their Books to tell others That the Flesh of Christ is a Mysterie That they understand nothing of it As Solomon Eccles wrote That the Pope Sn. Sect. x. p. 138. the Episcopal the Presbyterian Independants and Baptists understand the Blood of Jesus Christ no more than a Brute Beast Therefore the Quaker's Confessing to the Blood of Christ in General Terms can be no Justification of them while they mean another Manhood Flesh Blood and Bones of Christ than any Christian ever Dreamt of But it Argues their Deep Deceit and Hypocricy to seem to Justifie themselves to the world by their General Confessions But Conceal their secret Meaning whereby they know that they Differ most Widely from those with whom they make this False Appearance of Agreeing Exactly Therefore their Answer to the Queres is no Answer while they Refuse to Renounce this Distinction that they have of Different Manhoods in Christ or otherwise to Explain themselves and tell us which of the Manhoods they mean The words of their Answer to the Queres upon this Head are these We sincerely believe in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of the Living God both as he is true God and Perfect Man But what they mean by Man here they do not Declare Whether that Eternal or Heavenly Manhood before spoke of or the Outward and Terrestrial Manhood which he took of our Earth But Tho. Ellwood we thank him has told us and Discover'd the secret in his Answer to G. Keiths first Narrative p. 205. where he Recites a Quotation G. K. had brought out of G. Whiteheads Book The Malice of the Independent Agent p. 17. That Christ's Body now in Heaven is the same in substance He had on Earth which wou'd seem a Fair Confession to the Humanity of Christ But hold a little crys T. E. Did G. Whitehead ever call or own Christ's Body now in Heaven or while it was on Earth to be Terrestrial or of the Earth Here we see how to Understand their words and how to Interpret this their Answer to the Quaeres not of the outward or Terrestrial Manhood which Christ took of our Nature but of their Secret and Heavenly Manhood which they Madly Fancie He had from Eternity And thus G. Whitehead Explains himself in his Part of The Christian Quaker Printed An. 1674. p. 140. where he says That he was not at all against Jesus Christ being God and Man take Man says he as Christ is the Heavenly Spiritual and Glorify'd Man But he Confesses that he was against this viz. That Jesus Christ consisteth of Human Flesh and Bone Here he Distinguishes betwixt the Heavenly and the Human Manhood The first he Ascribes to Christ but Denies the Latter that Christ has any Human Manhood And the Reason he gives for it is Seeing Christ says he was from Everlasting which is the same we have heard before from Thom. Ellwood where he takes upon him to Explain Will. Penn's sense in this Matter viz. That Christ as Christ always had a Manhood And seeing He had it from Everlasting therefore it cou'd not be the Human but the Heavenly Manhood Flesh Blood and Bone What then was that Flesh and Blood which he took of the B. Virgin wherein He suffer'd and Rose again And of which he said Behold my Hands and my Feet Luk. xxiv 39. Handle me and see for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as ye see Me have To this says G. W. ibid. p. 139. 140. yes Christ Had such Flesh and Bones but he did not Consist of them I distinguish between Consisting and Having Says he i. e. A man Hath anything that he Possesses or wears I Have a Cloak but I do not Consist of that Cloak that is It is no Part of my Nature and I may Put it on or Throw it off without any Change of my Nature And no otherwise do the Quakers reckon of the Body and Blood which Jesus our B. Lord took in Time in the Womb of the Virgin Not that He took it into His Person so as to Consist of it as a Man do's Consist of Both Natures of his Body and Soul But only that He Had it that is Made Vse of it and wore it for a Time as a Vail or Garment which He has now laid aside and subsists in Heaven only in that Heavenly and Eternal Manhood Flesh Blood and Bones which He had as Christ from Eternity And they make it a Contradiction to say That Christ do's Consist of any other Flesh and Bone that is of Human Flesh and Bone they think this to be a Contradiction to Christ's being the Eternal Word because they hold that He cou'd not be the Word or Christ without Consisting of Flesh Blood and Bone And therefore That if He had None but the Flesh c. of the Human Nature which was Created in Time it must follow That He was not the Word or Christ from Everlasting Thus says G. W. ibid. p. 139. Is there not a Plain Contradiction between Jesus Christ Consisting of Flesh and Bone Human Nature And that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal word from Everlasting c. Therefore you see it is Necessary for us in order to Oblige these Quakers to Discover their Meaning that we Insist upon the word Human And that they will Answer whether they Allow Christ to have Now in Heaven any Human Body Or whether He do's Consist Now of that Body or did Consist of it while He was upon Earth But will the Word Human hold them Have they no Dodge nor Shift whereby to use even that word Plainly in a sense in which they know that
to have that Child brought into the World This is the true Quaker Notion shewn in the Second Part from p. 215 to 220 That the Child Promised Gen. iii. 15. as the Saviour of the World is a Child born within Every Regenerate Person in their Hearts and not any Child Conceiv'd in the Womb of a Woman For as to what is Recorded of the Outward Jesus His Birth Passion Resurrection c. they can apply it to Oliver or any other of their Favourites They turn it all into an Allegory and Suppose it Perform'd within Themselves And that the Merit of their Salvation Lies Within Themselves and not in the Merits of the Outward Jesus Of which See more in the Said Ms And whereas he accuseth us for denying Christ's Merits Ms p. 46. I say that which can be merited is of self And that which is of Christ is freely given But such a word is not in Scripture as Christ's Merits but is fetch'd from the Whore at Rome by them To all these that pretend to wait for that which they call a personal Reign p. 70. for which they have no Scripture but makes themselves manifest to be these that know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God for they were Written for our Admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10.11 Mark they knew the ends of the world come at that time where sin was put away by the Sacrifice of Himself Heb. 9.26 Now unto all you this is the word of the Lord God you that waits out of the Light wherewith you are Inlightened waits out of the way c. Tell me have not many of your Brethren and Sisters pretended this waiting who are dead take warning and said they looked as you do for a Christ to come in another's Person and not in your own Are you not looking afar off like Fools with your Eyes a broad Pro. 17.24 Answer these Queries and prove what you speak by plain Scripture Whether is not God and Christ one in every thing Yea or Nay p. 71. or wherein do they differ in any thing and whether he is not the same in this Generation that he hath been in all others the I AM. Is not the righteousness fulfilled in Christ and is not God satisfied with this Righteousness where it is put on as it is written put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 13.14 Whether any one man visibly can put on another and therein satisfie God for another man's Sins Yea or Nay or must not every Man or Woman put on the Lord Jesus Christ and then no more a Carnal Christ seeing it is written woe unto them them that are covered and not with my spirit And now all ye that speak of a Personal Reign Answer this from whence must this Christ come which must Reign Personally Seeing the promises of God was but one and to one And all the Prophets of God prophysied but of one and they declared of what Stock and Family and House and Generation he should be off Read Math. 1. and Luke 3. And also where he should be born and of whom to wit of a Virgin which things are fullfill'd and come to pass we are Witnesses of it according to the Scriptures Now Answer in plain words whence must this Christ come you wait for And in what Generation Of what Family And out of what Country And of whom must he be born that they may no Longer be deceived by you who have kept them Gazing after a false Christ Well may it be called Gazing But leave it and mind these in white Apparel which reproves you for it Acts. 1.10 11. And Seeing the Scripture saith that Christ is the way to the Father p. 73. then is not this the Spirit of truth that Leads into all truth to the God of all truth And doth not these that Look for a Christ to come deny the way to God tell me What way must people go to God if Christ be not come Seeing they die dayly Joh. 14.6 Joh. 16.30 Some Queries with there Answers put forth by John Draper Answered by H. Norton pag. 81. IN one of thy Queries thou asketh me whether the Saints shall partake of any other Glory or Perfection then that they now Injoy or whether we that are called Quakers shall partake of any other Glory or perfection then what we now Injoy Ans I say the Saints can partake of no other Glory nor Perfection then what they now Injoy And we that are call'd Quakers partakes of the same But if our Hope Glory and Perfection were only in this Life we were of all men most miserable Wherein thou asketh me if there be any other Heaven then what 's in the Saints And where that Heaven is that Christ Ascended up into I know and believe that there is no other Heavens then that the Saints are in wherein dwells Peace Righteousness and Joy And that the Kingdom of Heaven is where that Christ himself preach'd it Luke 17.21 viz. The Kingdom of God is within you And whereas thou asketh me what I do believe concerning the second Coming of of Christ or whether there is any other Coming of Christ besides what is in his Saints I believe that there was p. 81. five hundred Brethren at once that saw his Second coming And that there is a Thousand now that sees the same And that there is no other coming then what is revealed in his Saints For herein is the righteousness of God revealed Rom. 1.17 and 19. therefore follow no more after the Lo hear and Lo there 's Wherein thou asketh me whether it be not that very Christ that is in us that was Crucified at Jerusalem whose hands and feet was nailed to the Cross and side peirced and whether we do expect any benefit by Christ Crucified at Jerusalem I say no other Christ we own but Jesus the only begotten Son of God the brightness of his Glory the express Image of his person Heb. 1.7 who in our Vanity his Sides often we peirced for which now in our bodies we bear his marks And this benefit we have Redemption by him alone from the filthiness of flesh and Spirit and Saved by him from the Pride and Vanity the World lives in and cleansed from all Sin by his Blood according to that Scripture 1 Jo. 1.7 N. B. What Blood this was which he means you will see in the First Part p. 14.94 95. viz. The Blood of God's Heavenly Manhood which He had from all Eternity And not the Blood of our Nature which Christ took upon Him and shed upon the Cross They here Renounce any such Christ Any Christ that do's differ in any thing from God as before Quoted Or who Suffer'd upon any other Cross than that Metaphorical Cross which He commanded His Disciples to take up Daily Luk. ix 23. And upon which He Daily Suffers in the Hearts of Wicked Men as appears by his following Quaere Querie
down in as Clear a Light as I can the Bottom and Foundation of this their Mystery of Iniquity which indeed is wonderful And without Understanding of which Exactly it is Impossible to Dive into their Hidden Meanings that they have whenever they speak of Christ 1. We must know then That they do hold with the Anthropomorphits and Muggletonians that God has a Body of Flesh Blood and Bones And that Christ as God had such a Body from Eternity And that this was an Human Body And consequently that God or Christ was a Man from Eternity This Humanity of Christ they call Spiritual Heavenly Vncreated And they Distinguish it from that Manhood which He took of our Nature in the Womb of the B. Virgin which they call Earthly Corruptible Created and Outward Manhood 2. They say that He took upon Him this Outward Manhood but not into His own Person so as to become Truly and Really His own Manhood or Part of His Nature But only as a Vail Vessel Garment or Cloathing to His Heavenly Manhood As when Angels assum'd Bodies to Appear in they took them not into their Nature but only as a Vail or Garment for a time and then laid them down again Tho' while they Appear'd in them they might be call'd Their Bodies as being us'd or Possess'd by them So and no otherwise the Quakers call the outward Body of Christ His Body 3. The Heavenly Manhood of Christ Flesh Blood and Bones they say Dwells in them This is what they call their Light within 4. They Attribute the whole of our Redemption of the Atonement and Satisfaction made for our Sins to the Madly suppos'd Sufferings Death Resurrection and Ascension of the Heavenly Manhood or their Light within Which they say is all Perform'd Within them Of which they say the Outward Sufferings of Christ were a Type or Figure 5. They Vilifie the outward Christ and His Sufferings as of no Efficacy towards our Salvation more than the Sufferings of other Goodmen as an Example or Encouragement to us For they say That their Light within is sufficient to their Salvation without any thing else i. e. without the outward Jesus what He did or suffer'd for us And they Deny that He is now in Heaven in the Outward Manhood of our Nature or that He will Come in That Manhood to Judge the World In short They Deny Jesus of Nazareth or that Person who suffer'd upon the Cross to be Properly the Son of God 6. They are Perfect Deists in Every Respect 7. They are the most Monstrous sort of Deists that ever were in the World For they hold with the Ranters whence they sprung That ther is no Difference or Distinction betwixt God and Creatures But that Every thing is God even the Devil The first of these Seven Particulars I will shew in this Place The 2.3.4 and 5. are shewn in Sect. vii viii ix and x. The 6th in Sect. xvi And the 7th in the 2d Part Sect. vii N. 2. For the First then That God and Christ as God was a Man from Eternity c. see Tho. Ellwood's Answer to G. Keith's Narrative p. 96. 97. where he Delivers Will Penn's true sense and Meaning The Plain Import of all his W. P 's Arguments says T. E. is That Christ as Christ was from the Beginning before He took that outward Body of Flesh in which He suffer'd at Jerusalem which is so far from a Denyal of His being Man as well as God that it is a fair Acknowlegement of it inasmuch as He wou'd not have been Christ if He had not been Man as well as God As therefore He was Christ from the Beginning so was He also both God and Man and that not only In his People but out of or without them also And if He was Truly Man Then before He Appear'd in that outward Body which was Nailed to the Cross to be sure He is not less Truly Man now since that outward Manhood became as I may say a Cloathing to that Divine and Heavenly Manhood which He had before Thus T. E. wrote lately An. 1696. And shews what their Principles are Now. viz. That ther are Two Manhoods of Christ the one outward which serv'd only as a Cloathing to the Heavenly Manhood That Christ had not been Christ if He had not been Man as well as God And therefore That He was Man from the Beginning as well as God And Consequently That God was Man from Eternity For Christ or the Eternal word was no other than God Now let Us go a little Back and see the same Doctrine taught by the Quakers formerly Isaac Penington in his Question to the Professors c. Printed An. 1667. p. 30. do's plainly Distinguish these Two Manhoods of Christ Thus he says He that knoweth the Substance the Seed of the Kingdom the Birth of the Spirit knoweth the Flesh and Blood which is of the Seed And this Flesh is Flesh indeed this Blood is Blood indeed even the Flesh and Blood of the Seeds Nature But the other was but the Flesh and Blood of our Nature which He honoured in taking upon Him in which He did the will in which He offer'd up the Acceptable Sacrifice but yet did not give the Honour from His own Flesh and Blood to It. For the Flesh and Blood of our Nature was not His own Naturally but only as He pleas'd to take it upon Him and make it His. But that whereof He formeth Vs and which He giveth us to Eat and Drink is the Flesh and Blood of His own Nature And this was It wherein was the Virtue and wherein is the Virtue Life and Power for Ever Happy O happy is he who is of It who is taken out of and Formed of Him as Eve was of Adam and so becomes Flesh of His Flesh and Bone of His Bone c. This was the Flesh and Bone of the Heavenly and Eternal Manhood which he calls of the Seed's Nature that is of Christ not as He was of the Seed of Abraham after the Flesh but as He is the Seed or Light in our Hearts for I. P. calls this the Seed's own Flesh and Blood of His own Nature And Distinguishes it from the Flesh and Blood which he took of our Nature And says that the Vertue and Life is not in that but in the Flesh and Blood of His own Nature Not the Flesh and Blood says he p. 25. of the outward Earthly Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Inward spiritual Nature Not the Flesh and Blood which Christ took of the first Adam's Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Second Adam 's Nature This is of God or Christ as God And p. 10 says We are taught both by the Spirit and by the Scriptures to Distinguish between Christs own Flesh and that of ours which He took up and made His. Ther is much more to the same Purpose in that Book of Penington's with which I will not Detain the Reader The
no body Understands it in this Case What if we spell it Humane for Human and take Humanity in the Moral and not Natural sense of the word as when we say that such an One is a Man of Great Humanity i. e. of Good Nature Gentleness Goodness c. And Christ or The Word having Great Goodness in His Nature consequently we will allow Him a Humane tho not a Human Nature I am Confident the Reader do's now think that I am Fooling with these Quakers and Mean this only as a Banter For that he must Conclude it Impossible for any Men to shew themselves such Knaves as well as Fools to Dodge at such a silly and Impudent rate with Mankind while they Pretend to the Greatest Plainess and Sincerity of any Men upon the Earth Therefore let him Read a Quaker Book Intitul'd A Testimony for the true Christ and His Light in the Conscience in Confutation of Robert Cobbit 's Testimony against the Truth c. Printed An. 1668. And said on the Title Page to be From some of them called Quakers But suppos'd to be Penn'd by G. Whitehead There p. 4. and 5. they say As he Rob. Cobbit speaks of Humane with Relation to Nature or Body it hath Relation to the Earth or Humus the Ground of which Man was made which the First Man is of not the second though He was Really Man too but Humane or Humanity in the other sence with Relation to Gentleness Mercifulness and the like this we know was and is in the Image of God in which Man was Made and His Gentleness Kindness Mercifulness c. is Manifested in Christ And the true and Real Humanity as Oppos'd to that Cruelty Envy and In-Humanity which is got up in Man since the Fall so that Humanity und the Unreasonableness of Beasts are two things Thus the Quakers Here they Deny Christ the Second Man to have been Made of Humus the Earth as the First Man was And yet say they He the second Man was Really Man too How was this It cou'd not be in the same sense as the First Man who was Made of Humus the Earth if Christ did not take our Nature or Humus upon Him No The Quakers do not mean it in that sense as if Christ had ever taken our Human Nature so as to Consist of it or let it be any Part of His Person And yet they say That He is Really Man too By which they Mean only That Eternal and Heavenly Manhood before Mentioned And so Banter the World with their Plain Confessions in Double Meanings Yet have they the Confidence to Cry Whore first And Boldly Challenge others with what Themselves are the most Notoriously Guilty of any that Live upon the face of the Earth Sam. Fisher one of the Chief Rabbies of the Quakers Sam. Fishers Works p. 177. Charges the Priests against whom he Disputes with Shameful shiftings from sense to sense miserable marchings from Meaning to Meaning so that we can hardly know where or How to find them nor what they mean But we says he mostly or ever keep to the True Honest Ordinary and Plain purport of the words as they lie open and Clear to every Ordinary and Common Capacity And G. Whitehead Intitul's one of his Books The Quaker's Plainess detecting Fallacie Whereas their Books are such Un-intelligible Jargon that one must serve a Prentiship before he can understand one word almost of what they wou'd be at Nay they Glory and often Boast that their Words as well as Names are Hidden from the World And this not only in their Books but I Appeal to all that Converse with them whether the same Mysteriousness be not in all their Conversation concerning Religion When you ask them the meaning of their Light within their Christ within their Life Read c. They Answer Commonly with a Grunt of Disdain or Pity as they wou'd have you take it And when they Vouchsafe to Speak it is to this Purpose These things are Hid from thee and from the World Read within there thou wilt find them But we know them and have Sweetness and Life in them c. Their Language is as much a Cant as the Gipsies And this has Preserv'd them so long Vn-discover'd in the World Yet they make up a Mouth and Pretend to Plainess beyond all others But you shall never get them to Answer Directly or to the Purpose To give a Plain Yea or Nay to any Question concerning their Heresies If they say I wrong them let this be the Test That they will either Own or Disown this their Notion of an Heavenly and Eternal Manhood of Christ And tell us in Plain Terms which of the Manhoods that which is Created or that which they say is Vn-created they mean when they Confess to the Manhood of Christ now in Heaven And till they do this which I Guess will not be in Hast let my Charge stand good against them Which I may Reasonably presume from all Judicious Readers But ther is no stop in the Art of Heresie This their Mad Notion of an Heavenly Body in God or Christ has brought them to Fancy that they themselves have the same Heavenly Body And thus they Understand our being Members of Christ not as being Members of His Church of which He is the Mystical Head But as Members of this His Heavenly Flesh Blood and Bones And therefore say that Their own Bodies shall never Dye G. Fox when one minded him that he wou'd Dye Will. Rogers his Christian Quaker IV. Part. p. 49. and turn to Dust and therefore that he ought to be Humble Answers in his Letter which is Printed Thou sayest when I am turned to Dust and Dead Is this thy Doctrin Are the Members of the Heavenly Body turned to Dust and Dead This Doctrin proceeds from Darkness and not from the Light of Christ. This is very Intelligible And Easie to the Meanest Capacity This is the Quakers Plainess It was not said that his Soul shou'd turn to Dust this was spoke of his Body And here he denies it of the Body Why Because it was a Member of the Heavenly Body of God And yet they do not doubt but their Bodies must Dye in the True Honest Ordinary and Plain purport of the Words to which they Mostly or Ever keep But this Mystery is Vn-Riddl'd in the Second Part. Sect. vii n. 2. where it is shewn That they hold their Bodies as well as Souls to be God It is told in the Preface how the Quaker Heresies were Borrow'd from the Ancienter Sectaries amongst us And this their Answer to the Seven Queres shews that they have Inherited their Plainess and Sincerity in Representing their own Principles to the World The Family of Love who Prevaricated in every Article of the Creed Printed a Confession of their Faith in the very words of the Creed An. 1656. But how they meant it Mr. Knewstub has shewn us which is Inserted in Heresiography p. 97.
by a Solemn Declaration asserted their Right to Possess the whole Earth and to Fight for it with the Carnal Sword And the words of their said Declaration are there set down which was Penn'd by that Renown'd Quaker Edward Burrough and Subscrib'd by Fifteen of the Principal Leaders among the Quakers in the Name of All the Rest Now G W. do's not deny one word of all this What then How do's he Answer it what is the Mistake Abuse or Calumny which he charges upon this Passage He says These are very Bitter Invidious and Calumnious Suggestions and Cruel Jealousies of a High Nature as if this poor Libeller eagerly thirsted after our Blood That Libeller as you call him I dare say had no Design upon your Blood or the Blood of any body But if you Preach up Bloody and Treasonable Doctrin must no Man Detect this without a Design upon your Blood You Proclame Blood to the Ends of the Earth especially against the Priests of all Professions Oh! Give the Priests Blood to Drink for they are worthy Slay Balaam vex the Midianites Blot out the Remembrance of Amaleck from under Heaven that is the Clergy and the Lawyers c. as the Quakers themselves Explain it See Sn. p. 230. c. yet this must not be told you but you Cry out Here is a Design upon our Blood But you Answer not a word of the Charge Are any of your Authors falsly Quoted Have they not said all these things Will you then Disown these Authors at least as to these Bloody and Desperate Tenets No. This cannot be done For then their Infallibility will Crack And your whole Foundation Sink Then will it appear that the Spirit by which they have been Led was not the Spirit of Truth but of Murder Treason and the Vilest Errors The Best Excuse that can be made for them in this Case is that which I have before Instanc'd viz. Madness For if they are in Good Earnest in all these Bloody Designs which they have Express'd Considering their Power and Number now amongst Us they are Dangerous indeed And Every Government will be oblig'd to take a Care of them And that in some other Manner than as John Parret Charles Baly and Jane Stoaks were Serv'd who were so kindly dealt with at Rome to be sent to a Mad-House and Phisick prescrib'd for them The Matters thus Suggested Says G. W. p. 17. are so Gross that we need say little to them How Say but Little to them If they are so Gross you need say the More to them But what if they are True as well as Gross And you offer not to Disprove one Tittle of the Truth of them And the more Gross one wou'd think you shou'd be the more Concern'd to Disprove them And if the least of the Proofs which are brought against you had been False or any way Exceptionable no doubt we shou'd have heard of it as from Rich. Scoryer about a small Mistake alledg'd as to his School George you shou'd either have said nothing of this Matter or have said more to it But the Nation is oblig'd to you for this Discovery You Repeat this Charge again p. 18. where you Quote the Sn. p. 133. saying Their Principles Destructive to all Government c. And you answer This is a General very Gross c. How a General was ther only a General Charge given against you and no Proof no Particulars at all Mention'd Yes George ther are abundance of Quotations and Particulars which are Insisted upon and Prov'd at large And Thou do'st not Answer to any one of them Thou Dar'st not Deny one of them yet here Thou woud'st Impose it upon the Reader as if nothing but a General Charge had been Exhibited against you This is Thy Sincerity and Quakers Plainness Their Opposition of Tythes V. From this place to p. 24. he spends against what is said in behalf of Tythes And p. 19. Quotes the Sn. saying that the Pope was the first Author of the Sacrilegious Impropriations which is more largely Insisted upon in the Sn. yet he Charges the Author as a Popish Agent and in his Contents calls this a Popish Plea for Tythes But all the Reason he gives is that some Papists were for the Divine Right of Tythes Then he names some of the Protestants which were not of this opinion And this is all Poor Man that he knows of the Matter He Answers none of the Arguments which are there brought for Tythes nor do's he bring any Arguments against them That is none of his Method But as to Fr. Bugg's Impeachment against them for opposing and Annulling the Laws of the Land which enjoyn Tythes he fairly Pleads Guilty in Express Terms while he thought he was Acquiting the Quakers of that Charge And he Re-Asserts their Seditious Principle p. 18. against The Secular Powers Imposing them Tythes being Abolisht says he by Christ's Law Which was all that Bugg Charg'd against them as making our Laws to be Anti-Christian Upon this Head I wou'd Recommend to their serious Consideration a Principle they set down in a Famous Martyrologie of theirs call'd The West Answering to the North. An. 1657. wrote by G. Fox and several others of their Chiefs suffering then some Chastisements for their Blasphemie c. Contrary as they thought to the then Laws by the Arbitrary Orders of some Inferior Magistrates There p. 80. they say That for Any Party of Men under a Government to Make Laws being not Lawfully Authorized so to do for the Binding of others and thereunto to require obedience is the setting up of Themselves above the Law and Treading it under their Feet And rendring of them whom they do so Bind their Slaves and Vassals And so is Treason Now in the Sn. Sect. xix Ther is mention'd a Declaration Sign'd by above Seven Thousand of the Quakers Abolishing all the Laws and Damning the Law-Makers who Enact Tythes the Payers of them the Receivers or any who but Countenance or Own them This was in the year 1659. At which time the Quakers were very Busie with their Proposals to oppose the Restoration of the Church and the King Rob. Rich Hiden things c. p. 29. a Quaker tells Us of two other Printed Papers of the Quakers that same year one subscrib'd by more than Ten Thousand and the other by More than Fifteen Thousand All presented to the then Parliament To whom I am Credibly Inform'd They offer'd to Raise Twenty Thousand Men against the Common Enemy so they Term'd the King and Loyal Party And they had then so much Favour That as the above Author Informs us And cannot Deceive Us in that by the Act of Parliament bearing Date the 28 June 1659 for Setling the Militia the Quakers were made Commissioners to Form Troops and Regiments to Nominate the Officers and to Assess Money for Buying Horse Arms c. He Names Five by Name whom he knew who were of the Committee for the Militia of
Sect. x. p. 132. and Sect. xiv p. 175 176. Let me add here one Proof more I have before Quoted a Book wrote by Five Ministers call'd A further Discovery c. There p. 23 24. is a Letter of Will. Baldwinson Dated 14. January 1653. and attested by Three others where Will. Baldwinson Declares that he before a Company where James Nayler and Richard Farnsworth were setting out this Doctrin of Perfection Demanded of them in these words Friends do you hold that a man may attain to that Height of Perfection in this Life to be as Perfect as Pure as Holy and as Just as God Himself And he asserts that They Joyntly Reply'd Yea and they were so After p. 62. of that Book these Five Ministers say of the Quakers But what dare not these men do who Dare lift up themselves in their Blasphemous Pride to be as Pure as God G. Fox Answers this Book in his Great Mystery and p. 232. Repeating these last words thus But how Dare these men lift up themselves in their Blasphemous Pride to say they are pure as God He do's not at all Deny the Charge but Justifies and Defends it from being Blasphemy and says Doth not Christ say Be ye Perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect and As he is so are we in this present World c. These are the Texts they Commonly Abuse to this Blasphemous Purpose John Harwood a Quaker but who had fallen out with G. Fox wrote a Letter to The Friends against him An. 1663. which is Intitul'd To all People that Profess the Eternal Truth c. where p. 3. he says G. Fox hath call'd Himself The Son of God and also said I am the Seed which he might as well have said I am Christ for we know that the Seed is Christ c. To this G. Fox Printed an Answer the same year 1663 with this Title The Spirit of Envy Lying and Persecution made Manifest Where p. 2. He Answers the above Charge thus And first thou saydst G. F. calls himself The Son of God c. And this thou calls a Crime This is all he says to it Confessing the Charge but Retorting upon Joh. Harwood for his Ignorance being a Quaker to think it a Crime in G. Fox to call Himself The Son of God and Christ and The Seed Here now G. W. has a Plain Answer and out of the Mouth of one whom he will not call an Adversary And we need no more witnesses against G. Fox when we have it from his own Mouth Their Asserting the Sufficiency of their Light within to Salvation without Christ And Assuming the Name of Christ to Themselves VIII He comes p. 27. to a material Point indeed where it is objected against the Quakers That they hold the Light within Every Man that comes into the world sufficient to Salvation of it self without Something else that is without the outward Christ to suffer and Dye outwardly for Us. Which makes Christ's coming into the World of no Necessity at all to our Salvation And Faith in Him to be but a sort of an Accomplishment or Civility towards Him but no way Necessary And puts the Heathen upon as good a Foundation as the Christian Nay I must say upon a Better for if Faith in Christ be by the Gospel made Necessary to Salvation and the Light within the Heathen be sufficient without this Then is this not only Vnnecessary but it puts us farther off from Heaven by making more things Necessary to our getting thither than what is Requir'd from the Heathen Then might Cornelius have answered the Angel that commanded him to send for Peter who shou'd tell him words by which he and his House shou'd be saved Act. xi 14. that he had a Light within which was Sufficient without any thing else And that he had Duly follow'd this Light for he had the Testimony of a Devout man Act. x. 2. and one that feared God with all his House But this shews that ther was Something else Necessary without which he and his House were not to be Saved This was the Ground of the Quarrel which the Quakers took against G. Keith because he Preach'd among them the Necessity of Faith in the outward Jesus which they call'd Preaching of Two Christs i. e. one more besides their Light within which they call The Christ G. W. says in answer to this p. 28. That they were not offended at G. K's Preaching Christ or his suffering and Dying without Vs truly consider'd Truly Consider'd what do's he mean by this It is Impossible to catch these Quakers speaking one word Plain without a Mental Reservation By Truly Consider'd he means That the Quakers do allow the History of Christ of His Death and Sufferings i. e. That ther was such a man and that he Did and Suffered such things and that the Light or Christ was in the man Jesus whence he was called Christ as others who have the same Light may for the same Reason be called by the same Name of Christ which as they say belongs to Every Member as well as to the Head Is not the Substance the Life the Anointing called Christ wherever it is found Doth not the Name belong to the whole Body and Every Member in the Body as well as to the Head says Isaac Penington in a Book which he calls A Question to the Professors of Christianity Printed 1667. p. 27. And in the same place says That the Apostle gives them the Members the Name Christ together with Him that is together with Jesus who was called Christ and he Quotes for this 1 Cor. xii 12. in which Text ther is nothing like what he would be at But it shews the Quakers Notion which he go's on to fortifie thus The Body says he is the same with the Head one and the same in Nature and doth not the Nature belong to the Nature in the whole i. e. Because Christ has taken Our Nature therefore J. P. wou'd give us His Nature which wou'd be to make Us God As he words it p. 7. We are as well of His Flesh and Blood as He was of ours By Christ's Flesh of which we Partake he means the Heavenly Flesh which the Quakers say Christ had from Eternity and that it is in them that is Christ's Divine Nature of which J. P. makes us to Partake as well as He of our Human Nature which yet they say He took not Really for J. P. do's not allow Jesus to be the Lamb of God but that the Lamb i. e. the Light Dwelt in Him as in a Vessel in like manner as in us By Feeling says he ibid. and knowing the Lamb in our Vessels we know also what was the Lamb in His Vessel So that by this Jesus was not the Lamb or Christ but only the Vessel in which the Lamb or Christ did for a time Reside Which he further Explains p. 33. in these words Now the Scriptures Do Expresly Distinguish between
1.19 is Perverted when taken in that sense and averrs that the Apostle there Doth not tell of Human Blood to Redeem them with for says he Human is Earthly What Blood is it then which Redeems Us He go's on to tell in the next words But Christ whose Blood is Spiritual is Lord from Heaven c. And then he Asks Was that Human Blood which Christ saith except a Man Drink he hath no Life in him and which Cleansed the Saints from all Sin who were Flesh of Christ 's Flesh and Bone of His Bone G. W. means that this cou'd not be the outward-Flesh But that it was the Eternal and Spiritual Flesh before spoke of Which the Quakers suppose that they have within them and this is it which they call their Light within But I will Answer this Quere of G. Whitehead's because I believe he ask'd it thro' Ignorance and that many Quakers are Deluded by it Therefore I say That it was Human Blood of which Christ said Except a man drink of it c. But the Figure lies in the word Drink not that we were literally to Drink the very Material Blood of Christ but to Feed upon it in our Hearts by Faith i. e. in the Satisfaction and Atonement thereby made to God for our Sins But to put the Figure upon the Blood as if that were only Figurative and not True Real Material and Human Blood which Christ offer'd for us but a Notional Spiritual which is not Real Blood this is the Fandamental Error of the Quakers and which overturns the whole Christian Faith And now what do's it signifie to bring Quotations out of the Quaker Books which speak of the Blood of Christ and bear witness to it while they mean not Real or Human Blood of our Nature but only the Inward Spiritual Life of Christ in our Hearts And do not Distinguish this at all from His Blood As G. W. says in the same Book before Quoted Truth defending c. p. 63. Whose Christ's Blood is not differing from His Life which Redeemeth from sin as thou Imaginest says he to his opponent Christopher Wade who having said as G. W. Quotes him That our Blessed Saviour did Instruct men to lay fast hold of and to abide in such a Faith which Confideth in Himself being Without Men. G. W. Replies p. 65. That 's Contrary to the Apostles Doctrin And the Saints Faith stood in the Power of God which was In them Again ibid. G. W. opposes this of C. Wade's which he Quotes That the true Christ doth by infallible Arguments prove Himself not to be a Spirit i. e. not a meer Spirit as in the next page G. W. Quotes him And G. W. gives the like Answer to this which is says he Quite against the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them the Hope of Glory and a Quickening Spirit That Christ is a Spirit and Ever was no Christian Doubts But that He has not likewise a Body not from Eternity as Quakers and Muggletonians madly Dream but an Human Body of our Nature which He took into His own Nature in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin and will for Ever Retain United in His Person true God and Man and therefore is not now a meer Spirit as before His Incarnation none can Deny but the Grossest of Hereticks And G. W. here Denies it and says That to affirm Christ not to be a meer Spirit is contrary to the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them No Christian denies but that Christ by His Blessed Spirit and Influence do's Dwell in the Hearts of Believers But therefore to Deny the Demonstration which Christ gave Luk. xxiv 39. That He was not a Spirit but had true Flesh and Bones is such a Degree of sottish Infatuation as has Possest none amongst us but these Miserable Quakers Why else did G. W. oppose C. Wade for urging this Scripture in Proof that Christ was not a Spirit but had a True Real Human Body G. Whitehead's meaning was as before shew'd p. 18. that the Person who then Appear'd to the Apostles was not the Christ. No but only a Vail or Garment of Borrow'd Flesh and Blood which He Wore And by which the Quakers expect no Justification but only by their own Works wrought In them by the Spirit Thus ibid. p. 62. G. Whitehead brings in C. Wade saying thus That God doth totally exclude works whether wrought by Men or by any Spirit in man whatsoever for Mens Justification He do's not Exclude Works as being a Necessary Effect of Faith and as Requir'd by God and without which when Possible true Faith cannot be nor can men otherwise be made Partakers of the Benefit and Purchase made for Us by the Obedience and Death of Christ But that our works tho' wrought in us by the Operation of the Holy Spirit as all our Good Works are yet must not come in for any share of the Merit and Satisfaction for Sin and our Justification thereby Psal xlix 8. For it Cost more to Redeem our Souls so that we must let that alone for Ever Our Works tho' necessary to Qualifie us and make us Susceptible of that Justification which Christ hath Purchased for us by His Blood yet are they Totally Excluded from being any Part of the Meritorious or Procuring Cause of our Justification And to this G. Whitehead's Answer is This is a Doctrin of the Devil The same Answer He and Will. Penn Repeated in their Serious Apologie Printed An. 1671. to shew they Alter not p. 148. to those who objected to them That they Deny'd Justification by the Righteousness which Christ hath fulfilled in His own Person for us wholly without us and therefore Deny the Lord that bought us To which their Answer is in these words And indeed this we Deny and Boldly affirm it In the Name of the Lord To be the Doctrin of Devils and an Arm of the Sea of Corruption which do's now Deluge the whole World It makes ones Hair stand on End to Hear such outragious Blasphemy against the very Heart and Foundation of the Christian Religion Against which the Cursed Spirit do's thus Gnash his Teeth to see his Chief Principle Attackt of making men trust for their Justification and Salvation to what is wrought in their Hearts by the Spirit of God as they suppose for which they oft mistake as in the Present Case the most Venemous Suggestions of the Devil Now if the Quaker method of Contrary Testimonies wou'd be allow'd See 2d Part. Sect. ii N. 3. they might Easily get off from all this by what Will. Penn has wrote in Point blank Contradiction to what is above Quoted in his Primitive Christianity Printed 1696. p. 79. where he owns Justification only for the sake of the Death and Sufferings of Christ And nothing we can do says he though by the Operation of the Holy Spirit being able to Cancel old Debts or wipe out old Scores You see he says here Though by the
Operation of the Holy Spirit so that by this All that is wrought in the Quakers by their Light within is Declar'd Insufficient to their Salvation without something else even the Death and Sufferings of the outward Christ Unless Mr. Penn will say That he Meant not this of the outward Christ but of the Death and Sufferings of their Light within which I suppose he will not venture upon because it wou'd be so Gross a Sophistication as he wou'd be asham'd of and Disparage any thing he cou'd say hereafter for it wou'd be to Declare that none must know his meaning Therefore I will not suppose any such thing but that he Intends sincerely as he speaks But then that Great Point of the Quakers is given up upon which G. Keith was Pronounc'd an Heretick by a Publick Quaker Meeting at Philidelphia An. 1692. See Heresie and Hatred by G. K. giving an Account of this And that by Authority of a Sentence out of a Book of Will Penn's call'd the Christian Quaker where he said that The Talent is in its self sufficient i. e. as these Quakers Expounded it That the Light within was sufficient to Salvation without any thing else For that was the Dispute And G. Keith was Accus'd for Heresie in Preaching Two Christs because he Preach'd the Necessity of Faith in a Christ without Us now in Heaven which they who knew of no Christ but their Light within thought a Preaching of Two Christs and a Denying the sufficiency of their Light within without Faith in an outward Christ Their turning the Death and Sufferings of Christ into an Allegorie and a Type IX G. W. p. 29. Answers the Charge of their Allegorizing the Death and Sufferings of Christ into an Inward shedding of Spiritual Blood c. thus he says they do not turn the Death and Sufferings of Christ into a meer Allegory as if ther had been no such thing in Reality both outwardly and Literally No. It was never Charg'd upon them But this is the Charge against them That they Place the Merit and Satisfaction not in the outward Sufferings of Christ but in the Inward Sufferings c. of their Light within And to this they do not Answer This is mere Dodging And shews their Guilt But he says Secondly p. 30. That they do hold an Allegorical Meaning in Christ's outward Blood and Passion And there is His Spiritual Blood says he now if ther be an Allegorie in His outward Blood then His outward Blood is an Allegorie And the Inward Blood is the Substance or Principal and the Merit and Satisfaction lies in That That is the Mysterie of which Christ's outward Sufferings were but the History or Facile Representations as they Express it See Sat. Dis. Sect. i. N. xii p. 15 16. And this is and has been our sincere Belief and Persuasion says G. W. ibid. He Answers in the same page to the Objection of making their Light within the Archi-Type of which the outward Christ was but the Type or Figure He Denies none of the Proofs brought for it See Sn. Sect. x. p. 129. c. But he wou'd Play the Critick he means by Archi-Type the Chief of Principal Type and their not making the Light within any Type at all but the Substance consequently he thinks he has come off Cleverly that they do not make it the Archi-Type But his Skill has Fail'd him for by Archi-Type is not meant any Type at all but that thing to which all the Types do Refer and which is Represented by them Thus the Legal Sacrifices were Types of Christ and Christ the Archi-Type not as G. W. wou'd have it that He was the Chief-Type of Himself And hence the Quakers making the outward-Christ a Type of their Light within gives That the Preference and makes Christ Inferior to It. See Sat. Dis. Sect. 2. N. v. p. 34 Will he say the Light-within is an Allegorie if not then in his sense of it he plainly Prefers it to Christ And makes Christ His Sacrifice and outward Blood to Refer to It. He Confesses while he Denies He wou'd avoid the Charge of making Christ's outward Blood an Allegorie and yet he Expresly calls it an Allegorie i. e. that it has an Allegorical Meaning for that is the only way that any thing can be call'd an Allegorie But what the Quakers call the Spiritual Blood of Christ they will not let that be an Allegorie or have any thing else to Refer to for then it wou'd not be the Chief and Principal Now the Quakers in this as in other things have lighted upon the Direct Contrary to the Truth for whatever it may be which they Dream by Spiritual Blood that can be only Allegorical to the outward and Real Blood For let me ask whether the Blood of a Spirit or the Blood of Light i. e. of their Light within be not an Allegorical Expression But they will have the outward Blood of an Humane Body to pass for an Allegorie For all that is spoken of the Blood of Christ in Scripture says G. W. ibid. is not to be taken only in a Literal Sense Here is an only again to put us off from knowing of his Meaning Not only in a Literal Sense The Jesuits are but Dunces to these Quakers for Plainness and Sincerity If the Efficacy and Merits of the Blood of Christ do Extend to any Spiritual Effects by Faith in Him His Death and the Satisfaction thereby Made for our Sins then G. W. thinks to come off by his word only that the Blood of Christ is not to be taken only in a Literal Sense And then it must be an Allegorie And so he has gain'd his Point But George all this do's not make it an Allegorie nor hinder all that is spoken of the Blood of Christ in Scripture to be taken in a Literal Sense and notwithstanding of Thy only I will say only in a Literal Sense for outward Blood is only outward Blood and not Spiritual Blood And its having Spiritual Effects do's in no ways hinder its being only outward Blood nor do's it make such Blood to be any Allegorie at all unless as the Blood of the Legal Sacrifices it have Respect to another Blood more Worthy and Efficacious than it self for Allegorie in this Dispute means the same as Type or Figure Thus Gal. iv 24 Isaac and Ishmael Sarah and Hagar are call'd an Allegorie because they were a Type or Figure of the Two Covenants And thus it is that the Quakers wou'd have the outward Christ to be an Allegorie Sc. of what they call the Inward Christ or Light within which they make the Archi-Type and so of more Worth and Dignity than the outward Christ and consequently the Merit and Satisfaction by which we are sav'd to be Referr'd to That and not to the outward Christ who was but the Allegory Type or Figure of It. And this totally throws off the outward Christ from having any Share or Parcel in our Redemption
Jesus which was not a Fantastical but a Real Body Here is putting in things they are not Accused of that they may seem to vindicate themselves in something They are not Accused for saying that the Body of Jesus was a Fantastical or not a Real Body but that it was not Truly that is Hypostatically the Body of Christ only a Vail or Garment wherein He Dwelt And in that sense it was His Body as a Man's Cloak or Garment is his Garment and so it was that as G. W. says which Christ owned as his own Body being also adds he called the Body of Jesus i. e. in some other sense than it was the Body of Christ That is It was the True Proper and Natural Body of the Man Jesus But it was the Body of Christ only as He Dwelt in it in the Body of that man Jesus as G. W. thinks He do's in the Body of George Whitehead Otherwise it cou'd not be call'd the Body of Christ and also as G. W. here the Body of Jesus This must make Jesus and Christ to be Two Persons For Example if I shou'd say the Body of George which is also the Body of Whitehead this wou'd either be Non-sense or else it must Divide George from Whitehead and make the Body to belong to George in one sense and to Whitehead in another It is told before p. 17 18. How nicely G. W. do's Distinguish between Consisting and Having and tho' he Allow'd that Christ once Had a Body that is in His Possession as a man Hath an House or a Cloak yet G. W. positively Denies That Christ did Consist of Human Flesh and Blood And if so Then He was never Truly and Really a Man only such in Appearance and False-shew Which overthrows the whole Foundation of the Christian Faith And is an Abominable Heresie long since Condemn'd by the Catholick Church as I have elsewhere shewn And that the Quakers have Lick'd it up as they wou'd Pretend by Inspiration which if so was most Certainly from the Devil the Father of Lies But let us see more of them Richard Hubberthorn in his works Printed 1663. among several Queres which he puts against Christ's being a Creature or having any Created Nature in Him do's Demand p. 49. and 50. When was that Christ Created which you say must as a Creature Judge the World And if in Mary 's time who was Judge of the World till then Was not the Person of Christ Jesus before the World was And when had the Man Christ Jesus his Beginning if you can Declare it How is Christ the only begotten Son of God if He be a Creature or how can God beget a Creature And if the whole Person of Christ was not before the Earthly Adam how was the Creation made by Him Or how can He be of the Nature of fallen Adam and not Earthly and Defiled And is the Flesh of Christ Heavenly or Earthly Or is He Christ without His Flesh i. e. He had always an Heavenly Flesh and that He has still But never took Flesh of Adam's Nature for then they think He must have been Defil'd As if He cou'd not take the Nature without the Defilement which was but Accidental to it George Fox in his Great Mystery p. 99. sets down this Principle of the Professors as he calls them That Christ hath a Humane Reasonable Soul And he Disputes against it and Battels it as a Gross Error For says he Is not a Human Soul Earthly for you say that Christ had a Human Soul and is not Human Earthly And hath a Human Body and is not a Human Body an Earthly Body was not the first man of the Earth Earthly and had an Human Body the Second man the Lord from Heaven This is the Heavenly Body and Flesh which they suppose Christ had from Eternity But here and in many other Places they Deny Christ to have either Human Body or Soul or to be a Man otherwise than as they say He was Man before the Creation This being Urg'd against them by John Bunyan Minister of Bedford who in his Gospel-Truths Opened Sect. 18. takes pains to prove that the Christ who was Born of the Virgin was the true Saviour and then Infers p. 652 of his works in these words How are they then Deceived who own Christ no otherwise than as He was before the world began For in their owning of Him thus and no otherwise they do directly Deny Him to be come in the Flesh and are of that Anti-Christian Party which John Speaks of 1. Joh. iv 3. Edw. Burrough Answers this Book of Bunyan's and coming to this Passage p. 142. of his works he Repeats Bunyan's words thus How are they Deceived who own Christ no otherwise than as He was before the world began c. And instead of Clearing the Quakers from this Objection or Disowning it to be a Principle of the Quakers he stands by it and pretends to give Reasons for it as Christ the same Yesterday to Day and for Ever And that Christ was before Abraham c. And falls upon Bunyan for his Grievous Ignorance in not Apprehending this Quaker-Mystery as he words it thus To own Him Christ as He was before the world was for Salvation But that was not the Question Bunyan's words even as Repeated by Burrough are not against owning Christ as He was before the World was for that Bunyan and all Christians own but against owning Him so And No otherwise i. e. Not as having taken Flesh in time of the B. Virgin having Suffer'd and Dy'd for us for in that Respect and not only as He was before the World was Bunyan Contends that He was our Saviour And Burrough opposing him in this shews plainly what they mean viz. That Christ has now no other Flesh or Manhood than what He had before the World was and that He is not our Saviour upon account of that Flesh of Jesus which He Borrow'd as a Vail to shrowd Himself in for a time or for what that Body suffer'd but that He is our Saviour only as He was before the World was and as they say that He is Inwardly now in their Hearts in His Heavenly Flesh and Blood which he had from Eternity And the whole Merit and Atonement for Sin they place in the Inward Shedding of this Spiritual Blood in their Hearts which they call the Sufferings of Christ yes and of His Manhood too of His Body and His Flesh thus Bantering Mankind while they Mean nothing of this of that Visible Body in which He Appear'd in the Days of Pontius Pilat and which was Nail'd to the Cross but of the Invisible Body Flesh Blood and Bones of the Godhead The Arch-Enemy having Taught them this Damnable Heresie and thereby put the Grossest of Darkness for Light and Defrauded them of whole Christianity the Faith in the outward Jesus and what He did and suffer'd outwardly for Us tho' it be Inwardly Apprehended and Apply'd by Faith which is
make the same Repartee upon Will. Penn and G. Whitehead Was it for this Cause Good William and George c. They Examin another Excuse for Wiggs viz. Some say shaving is to Prevent the Pox. To which they Answer Small honour to wigwearers to Incur such a suspicion of it This suspicion comes Near some of the most Able Holders-forth among the Quaking-Friends See Sn. p. 4.7 I know not whether G. Archer or if C. Atkinson wore a Wigg But he might have had Occasion for it from what you will find in the Sn. p. 43. c. And a Quaker said lately at the Conference in Norfolk That he was at Last Hanged for a High-way-Man A pretty Life and Death for a Quaker Apostle And therefore that they did Disown him It was full time They will Quit any of their Friends at the Gallows But they will not yet Disown his Books which G. Fox G. Whitehead c. have Defended and owned For then they must disown Fox Whitehead Howgil and Burrough c. who wrote a Preface to one of his Books call'd The Standard of the Lord And with 15 or 16 more of the Eminent Quakers Subscrib'd to it And they never Disown'd any of Atkinson's Books but Defended and Justify'd them when the Professors brought Quotations out of them But to Return In that Precious Declaration against Wiggs it is said That the Apostles went with Sandabs and a Single Coat whose Examples the famousest Primitive Christians followed yea and Primitive Quakers too who Generally went Bare-foot because they had no Shoos And few of them were Worth Two Coats or had one Good one Which might have been one of the Causes why they brought up the fashion of going Naked And they Urg'd the Example too of the Prophets for that They Boast ibid. how John Millner a Friend about Northampton a Wigg-maker left off his Trade and was made to Burn one in his Prentices sight and Print against it And that John Hall a Gentleman of Northumberland being Convinced sitting at a Meeting was shaken by the Lords Power Pluck'd off and threw down his Wigg c. When shall we see such a Power in the Quaker-Meetings now To see their Wiggs fly about or left for Mops to clean the House and they come out all Elisha's They must do this or else Renounce their Ancient Friends and their Precious Testimonies Else that is not True which they say in their yearly Epistle for the year 1696 That what their Light Convinced them of to be Evil in the Beginning it Reproves still For it Convinced them of these things Fine-Houses Coaches Wiggs c That they were very Evil In The Trumpet of the Lord Blown before Quoted p. 2. They made All those to be mere Heathens who us'd these things especially the Priests who Suffer'd them Thus say they And you say he is a Minister of Christ and he saith you are Christians Whereas you are All Heathens both Priest and People And so sure were the Quakers then of the Truth of this And of the Force of these their Doughty Arguments That they say ibid. p. 5. And if you will not believe this you wou'd not believe Dives and he shou'd Rise from the Dead Yet ther are not now more Dives's among any sort of People than the Quakers They are Rich and fare Sumptuously And they Direct these their Dictates to Christ Himself for thus say they ibid. To the Light in all your Consciences I speak Now they make this Light to be Christ and God Himself And thus they take upon them to Instruct and Teach the Light This Confounds All their Preaching and Teaching For has the Light has Christ need of being Taught by Them But this belongs to another Head And is spoke of in Prim. Heres to which this Appendix is said to be an Answer But says nothing to it Therefore I Return and go on with the Present Subject VIII Their Primitive Principle was That none shou'd Preach or Pray but as the Spirit mov'd them And they brought it as an Argument against all other Professions that they did not Preach c. by the Spirit because they had set and stated Times for it as if the Spirit were oblig'd to come at their Appointment Yet now the Spirit moves Them just at such Times as they Appoint And they have their Stated Days and Hours of Worship like other People IX They now Swear in the same Terms which before they Declar'd to be a Direct Oath and yet Pretend to stand still to their former Principle against the Lawfulness of taking an Oath See Sat. Dis. Sect v. N. vii p. 54. It wou'd be Endless to Pursue their Contradictions see a Catalogue that Mr. Peniman has Printed of them This I hope will be sufficient to shew that the Method taken in this Antidote and Appendix of bringing Contrary Testimonies is no Clearing of the Objections brought against the Quakers while they Refuse to Disown those Heresies c. which are plainly Prov'd upon them It is as if a Man Accus'd of Treason shou'd bring Testimonies where he spoke Honourably of the King but did not offer to Disprove any Part of the Evidence brought against him Double meanings and Cross-purposes 4. Ther is another Method of Great service to the Quakers in Answering their Adversaries and Deceiving of them which is The Double-Meanings they have in their words whereby tho' they speak the same Words that you do and know your Meaning fully in them yet they Mean them in a Quite Different Sense And so in Quakers Plainess make their Escape But ther being so much said of this in the First Part § v. p. 9. c. I need Add no more here tho' I cou'd Exemplify this their Artifice in Many other Instances were I not Tender of the Reader 's Labour and Mine own And that I think these are sufficient at least till Answer'd Ther is Another Trick of the Quakers may come in with this Head And I cannot give it a Better Name than Cross-Purposes that is They will not Answer Directly but as we say About the Bush But ther is always a Reason for it when they so do Thus if you Ask them whether they are Perfect even as God They will Answer Be ye Perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect And As He is so are we in this World If you Ask whether the very Body of Christ Flesh Blood and Bones be in them They will Answer We are Bone of His Bone and Flesh of His Flesh If you ask How they Understand these Scriptures whether Strictly and in a Literal Sense They will Answer Let him that Readeth Vnderstand And He that hath Ears to Hear let Him Hear And no other satisfaction will you get from them But the meaning is They Dare not Assert their Blasphemies Broad-Fac'd And wou'd thus Hide them But this shews them Plain And to what Sense they wrest the Scriptures which they thus Quote These are the sort of Answers you
Father A Manifestation can not take Flesh be Born Suffer or Dye then it must be the Father Himself and none other who was Born Dy'd c. then it was the Father who sent Himself and Return'd back to Himself and was Received of Himself who upon the Cross Pray'd to Himself and Complain'd to Himself that He had Forsaken Himself And when He Dy'd Recommended His Spirit into the Hands of Himself c. This the Quakers are Desir'd to Answer and it will soon Discover their sensless Sabelliamsm And Farnsworth's Testimony says nothing at all against this 2. They Leap now Ten years forward for the next Testimony p. 13. which is of Rich. Hodden An. 1661. in his Book call'd The one Good way of God Where he tells of the Great Mystery of Jesus Christ come in the Flesh which he says no Man can Understand by Hearing Reading Telling or Talking of Him or Concerning what He Did Said or Suffer'd How he is Formed In his Servants How they take up the Cross or what that Cross is How they are Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones What the Church is or how his Body or what it is to Eat his Flesh and Drink his Blood c. This as before told is the Body Flesh and Bones of God which they suppose He had from Eternity and which now Dwells in the Quakers not the Flesh of our Nature which Jesus assum'd in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin That is not the Flesh which we Eat c. And they that think so he tells know nothing of the Mystery of Christ which they say cannot be learn'd by Hearing contrary to what the Apostle thought Rom. x. 17. of what Christ Did Said or Suffer'd Which shews that they meant not the outward Christ but Their Christ the Light within otherwise how is it that as he says none but the Quakers understand what the Church is how it is the Body of Christ or what it is to Eat his Flesh or what his Cross is c This shews plainly That they have another Meaning for All these things than we have And Consequently this is so far from being a Contrary Testimony to the Charges produc'd upon this Head that it speaks the same and might well have been put among the Charges instead of the Contrary Testimonies 3. The third Testimony is p. 14 from Geo. Bishop that Loyal good Subject See Sn. p. 227. to 232. in his Vindication of the Principles and Practices of the People called Quakers An. 1665. where he speaks too of Christ made Flesh c. But then tells us what Christ he means Christ In you says he that is their Light within which they call Christ. He says p. 15. as here Quoted That where this Christ is there is not the Body that Suffer'd at Jerusalem that was Flesh that Proceeded from the Virgin Mary c. that is not within Men. No. who ever said it was tho' Christ may be there by the Blessed Influences of His Holy Spirit But then what Body of Christ is it which the Quakers say is within them For G. Fox will not allow Christ to be Absent from His Saints as touching His Flesh Gr. Mystery p. 210. And Edw. Burrough p. 146. of his Works says in Answer to this Question which he there puts Is that very Man with that very Body within you yea or Nay And this he do's not Deny but Answers in the Affirmative The very Christ of God is within Vs we Dare not Deny it He do's not mean as Bishop says well the Body of our Nature which Suffer'd at Jerusalem for that is not so much as in any one says Will Penn in his Christian Quaker p. 97. But they mean as before has been shewn The Heavenly Body of the Human Nature of God which He had from Eternity And this Vile and most Absurd Heresie is that Deep Knowlege which the Quakers Boast they have in the things of God beyond all other Men. This is the Great Mystery of Quakerism And this Testimony of G. Bishop's do's rather Confirm than Contradict it 4. The fourth Testimony is p. 15. from Isaac Penington Concerning the Sum or Substance c. This is he who in his Question to the Professors before Quoted in every Page almost tramples under foot the outward Humanity of Christ or that which He took of our Nature And sets in opposition to it as the Foundation of the Quaker-Faith that which he calls Christ's own Humanity or their Sensless Notion of the Humanity of the Heavenly Nature Now let Us hear what this Man will say to the Contrary How much he Attributes to the outward Humanity and Sufferings of Christ. First he puts the Objection That the Quakers look not to be sav'd by the outward Christ but by a Christ in us says he And to this he Answers We do indeed Expect to be Saved yea and not only so but do already in our several Measures Witness Salvation by the Revelation and Operation of the Life of Christ within Vs So that their Salvation is from the Attonement c. which is wrought Within them And what Salvation do they mean That of Heaven No not of any outward Heaven but the Heaven within Themselves See Sn. at the end of Sect. xii and consequently it is that Salvation which they have Attain'd Already in their several Measures for ther are Degrees of Glory even in Heaven But now that All is given to the Inward Christ what do's he ascribe to the Outward Truly as little as may be only to take Notice of Him he says That the Salvation wrought by Christ within is yet not withont Relation to what he did without us and had its Place and Service in the will and according to the Counsel of the Father What Place and Service was this For that he leaves you to Guess he will come no Near. Every Good Action nay every Good word of any Good Man has its Place and Service This is the Noble Testimony of Isaac Penington which is brought as a Vindication of the Quakers from throwing the Least Slight upon the outward Humanity Death and Passion of our Blessed Lord Jesus and the Satisfaction and Full Propitiation thereby Made for the Sins of the whole World And to Clear them from Transferring of this to the Propitiation which they suppose made within them by the Heavenly Flesh and Blood of their Light within 5. The fifth Testimony is p. 16. from G. Keith's Immediate Revelation where he do's sufficiently Express what Manhood of Christ he meant for he speaks of The Man Jesus whom Simeon Imbraced with his Arms according to the Flesh And the Quakers will not say That it was the Light within which Simeon had in his Arms or the Manhood of the Heavenly Nature which cou'd not be Seen or Felt. And then as to the Inward Presence of Christ in the Soul G. K. do's not speak of the Body of Christ there as the other Quakers but says
Meant than to Keep to his Light within Cou'd that have told him all that was Commanded in the Law of Moses How came all the Heathen then not to Know it for they had the Light within As little cou'd it of it Self without the Help of outward Revelation have Discover'd a Messiah the Son of God to be Incarnat and offer'd up a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World This Faith as the Apostle truly Says All men have not None Ever had it by Means only of their Light within But either by Express Revelation such as was Given of it to Adam to Abraham and the Prophets or by the outward Means of Hearing as the Apostle says in that same Chap. of the x. Rom. ver 17. Describing how that same Faith commeth of which he spoke ver 8. And he says That it cometh by Hearing viz. The outward Preaching of it For as he says ver 14. How shall they Believe in Him of whom they have not Heard And how shall they Hear without a Preacher So Mad and Void of all Common Sense as well as most Impious and Heretical Is that Quaker Exposition of Deut. xxx 14. And Rom. x. 8. Whereby they wou'd Exclude the outward Christ from being the Object of the Christian Faith And Blasphemously Translate it to Themselves that is to their own Light Within And by this make the Christian Faith Common to all Mankind even to those who never Heard of the outward Christ Which is To make Him His Blessed Death and Passion Vseless and Vn-necessary to the World Another Text they urge mightily for the Vniversality of their Light within is Joh. 1.9 That was the true Light which Lighteth Every man that cometh into the World This they Understand of Faith the True Saving Faith and so suppose that Every Man must have it But the Apostle from the beginning of this Chap. was speaking of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Divine Word by whom All things were Made And therefore not only what Light but what Life Every man or any Creature has is from Him Act xvii 25.28 Seeing He giveth to All Life and Breath and All things For in Him we Live and Move and have our Being Now that Light which He giveth to All Men is not the Light of Faith which All Men have not But the Natural Light of our Vnderstanding which is Common to All Men. And is a Ray Communicated from the Supreme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Reason The Quakers to Avoid this set about that Mad Task of Proving that All men have not Reason as before is shewn And yet wou'd give All men Faith of which no man is Capable without supposing him to have the use of his Reason Otherwise a Tree or a Stone might Believe as well as a Man I will Name but one Text more upon which they Chime Exceedingly that is 1 Joh. 2.20 27. But ye have an Vnction from the Holy one and ye know All things And ye need not that any man Teach you but as the Same Anointing Teacheth you of All things This they Interpret of the Light within which is Common to All Men. But then by this it wou'd follow That All Men do know All things Quite contrary to what the Apostle there Supposes who speaks of those who Knew not the Truth And Applys this of the Anointing only to those who Knew the Truth Ver. 21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the Truth but because ye Know it c. Therefore this of the Anointing was spoken only To and Of the True Believers and not of Infidels or Generally of All Men as is Plain to any who Read that Chapter These are the Chief Texts they Insist upon for the Vniversality of Faith which they call The Light within And they All prove Directly against them Ther are others so Forc'd and Strain'd as need not Confutation As 2 Pet. 1.19 We have also a more sure word of Prophesy c. which they apply to their Light within Whereas it was plainly spoken of the Holy Scriptures as the next Verse do's Expressly Determin it Knowing this first that no Prophesy of SCRIPTVRE is of any Private Interpretation I wish the Quakers wou'd Reflect Seriously upon this It wou'd correct the Exorbitancy of their Private Interpretations by what they call their Light within Different from the Sense of the whole Catholick Church in All Ages And let them see and Consider that ther was Great Reason for that Caution given in this same Epistle Ch. iii. 16. That the Vnlearned and Vnstable do wrest the Scriptures to their own Destruction The Quakers pretend sometimes to be Determin'd by Scripture and to admit of no Interpretation which is not in Express words of Scripture See a Book of theirs call'd The Divinity of Christ Wrote by G. Whitehead and G. Fox where in the Epistle they speak thus Where do the Scriptures speak of three Persons in the Godhead in these Express words Let us see where it is written Come do not shuffle for we are Resolv'd the Scriptures shall Buffet you about And where doth the Scripture speak of a Human Nature of Christ in Heaven And where doth the Scripture say the Soul is Part of Man's Nature Give us plain Scripture without Adding or Diminishing Come let us see Chapter and Verse c. Now the Quakers cannot Refuse the same Measure which they have Meated to others Therefore let us see Chapter and Verse where The Light within is spoke of In these Express words wher is ther any thing of Faith in the Light within of Believing In The Light within as this Appen do's often speak Where is it said that Christ was not the Lamb but that the Lamb was in Christ where is ther a word of the Manhood of God of Christ's Heavenly Flesh Blood and Bones of His Flesh that was Crucify'd when Adam Fell Where is His Body call'd a Garment or a Vessel where shall we find the Distinction of Christ Without and Within of an Outward and an Inward Christ of the Shedding of His Blood within Vs of the Blood and Bones of our Light within where is it said that the Person who Suffer'd upon the Cross was not Properly the Son of God He is oft call'd The Son of God what Text says that He was not Properly so In these Express words Come Produce Chapter and Verse Where are the Holy Scriptures call'd Beastly ware Serpents meat Death and Dust Where is the Text for Theeing and Thouing and for not taking off your Hats For your Silent-Meetings For the Ceasing of Baptism and The Lord's Supper For Womens Preaching and Womens Meetings which you call the Good Ordinance of Jesus Christ what Text do's Abolish Tythes in these Express words or Declare all going to War to be unlawful To keep Holy-Days or Marry by a Priest Where is it said that the Quakers are Infallible That their Preachings are of as Great Authority as the Scriptures and GREATER And
themselves at last a prevailing party Excommunicated Mr. Keith out of their Society but a considerable Number of Quakers stood by and vindicated him and his Doctrine and they set up several new Meetings as I am informed about twelve in and near Pennsilvania and Mr. Keith undertakes to write and print against the Errors of his old Friends and tells the World That there are such Damnable Doctrines and Heresies cloaked among the Quakers here that no Protestant Society in Christendom would tolerate the like His old Friends say they are belyed by Mr. Keith This has made some to be curious in searching into this Controversie and among the rest my very good Friend Coll. Quarry late Governour of Carolina now residing in Philadelphia has made some diligent enquiry into this Controversy but received not full satsfaction as he informs me whether Mr. Keith and these joyned with him had falsly charged their old Friends or not And there lately coming to his hands very providentially a Copy of Queries sent by Dr. Lancaster to the General Meeting of the Quakers in London last Whitsuntide and not hearing of an Answer to the same Mr. Quarry presents them to the General Meeting of the Quakers in Philadelphia viz. both to that Meeting which joyn with Mr. Keith and to that Meeting which Excommunicated him desiring their Answer to each Query That Meeting or Party of Quakers which joyn with Mr. Keith readily returned their Answer in writing to the Collonel which is hereunto annexed The other Meeting of Quakers which have Excommunicated Mr. Keith send three Messengers to the Collonel viz. Mr. Cook Mr. Jenings and Mr. Pusey who acquainted him That they received his Letter with the Queries annexed which they said were read in their general Meeting but not knowing whether their Friends in London had answered them or not they did not think fit to answer till they had an account from their said Friends and what Answer their London Friends gave they would stand by or to that effect Whereupon the Collonel told them That indeed they lay under severe Reflections as to their soundness in the Christian Faith and their answering the said Queries might have cleared them and given the world satisfaction of their soundness therein To which Mr. Jenings replyed That tho' by the said Paper of Queries it was insinuated that they turned the Scripture into an Allegory yet they did really believe that Christ was born suffered dyed was buried and rose again outwardly But he stopping there the Coll. repeated his words adding I also believe that the same Body that so Arose did Ascend into Heaven is now in Heaven and will come again at the end of the world to judge the quick and the dead Vpon which Mr. Pusey it seems took up the Coll. very short and interrogated him Whether he believed that Christ's outward Body of Flesh Blood and Bones ascended into Heaven To which when the Collonel answered Yea Mr. Pusey Replyed The Scripture says Flesh and Blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven c. Vpon which the Collonel told him He was sorry to find they understood the Scripture no better and that he now perceived the Accusations against some of them was not altogether groundless But. Mr. Jenings immediately brake off the Discourse whether upon finding his Friend Mr. Pusey had like to have spoiled all by discovering their Error I 'll not here determine and saying We came not here to discourse but to do our Message took leave and departed I shall not here make any further Observation upon these Answers from each party of the Quakers but commit the matter of fact to publick view and leave every man to judge for himself hoping it may make some further discovery into this great Controversie among the Quakers about the fundamental Principles and Doctrins of the Christian Religion and shew which party is the most Orthodox I shall only add Read impartially and judge Candidly I am yours in all Offices of Love and for the promoting the Cause and Testimony of the crucified Jesus and his sincere Followers J. C. To the People called Quakers assembled at their New Meeting-house in the second street in Philadelphia Sept. 18. 1695. Gentlemen I Have spent some time in perusing and considering what hath been printed on both sides in reference to the Difference and Disputes which hath lately happened betwixt you and some of your Friends and upon the whole matter I must own and declare That as to the saving Fundamentals of the Christian Religion in Controversie betwixt you and t'other Meeting you have declar'd and publish'd to the World That your Principles and Doctrine in those controverted Points are sound and Orthodox consonant and agreeable to the Scriptures and Church of Christ in all Ages But although it be my Opinion yet knowing my own weakness and very sensible that many of those called Quakers do abuse the World with false Glosses and ambiguous Terms hiding their true meaning and imposing false Notions on People therefore I am not willing to trust my own Judgment without a further confirmation And Providence hath given me an extraordinary opportunity to be fully satisfied I having lately met with a Copy of Queries sent by Dr. Lancaster of London to the Yearly Meeting of your Friends there met last Whitsuntide the answer to which I have not heard of nor seen and finding the Queries so full of substance and so learnedly handled by the Doctor and especially containing the full state of the fundamental Principles and Doctrines contested betwixt you and the other Meeting I thought my self obliged to send it to you at this your general Meeting and do beg the favour of a positive Answer Yea or Nay to each Query as the inclosed Paper doth intimate Gentlemen I do assure you I have no other design or end in this my Address to you but that by your clear and candid Answer to these Queries I may satisfie my self and others of the Truth and Soundness of your Faith in the saving Fundamentals of the Christian Religion I have sent another Copy of these Queries to the other Meeting with the same request Your Pardon for this trouble and an Answer is desired by Your assured Friend Servant Robert Quary Here follows the Answer of the said General Meeting From our Yearly Meeting of the Christian People call'd Quakers who are joyned in Testimony with George Keith held at the New Meeting-House in Philadelphia this 18 day of the 7th Month. 1695. Friend R. Q. WE this day received thy Letter with the Queries hereunto annexed and notwithstanding we might reasonally hope that our former Printed Confessions of Faith might have given satisfaction to those who have had the opportunity of perusing them yet because as thy Letter intimates some under our Profession have as we are sensible exprest themselves in Doubtful and Ambiguous words and because according to the Apostles command we are ready and willing to give an account of the Hope
Christ and the Garment which He wore between Him that Came and the Body in which He came between the Substance which was Vailed and the Vaile which Vailed it Lo I come a Body hast thou Prepared Me. There is Plainly He and the Body in which He came Ther was the outward Vessel and the Inward Life This we certainly know and can never call the Bodily Garment Christ but that which Appeared and Dwelt in the Body So that by this Jesus was not the Christ only the Prepared Body Garment or Vaile in which Christ Dwelt The same Argument is Prosecuted by Will. Penn in his Part of the Serious Apology p. 146. and in the like words with Is Penington to shew the Unanimous Consent of the Quakers in this the Heart of their Christianity These are his words He that laid down his Life and suffer'd his Body to be Crucify'd by the Jews without the Gates of Jerusalem is Christ the only Son of the most High God But that the outward Person which suffer'd was Properly the Son of God we utterly Deny A Body hast thou Prepared me said the Son then the Son was not the Body tho' the Body was the Son's i. e. The Body was the Son's as a man's Garment or Vaile is his who owns and wears it as the Body of Will. Penn is the Son's who he supposes Dwells in it But the Son was not the Body that is Jesus in whose Body Christ Dwelt was not the Son not Properly the Son of God but in a Large sense as other men are call'd the Sons of God And Christ Suffer'd His Garment or Vaile the Body of Jesus to be Crucifi'd But that the outward Person which suffer'd was Properly the Son of God the Quakers do Vtterly Deny And as that Person which Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God it follows as certainly that the Son of God was not Properly that Person or was not Properly a Man This was the Meaning of Will. Penn in his Sandy Foundation p. 20. calling Christ a Finit Impotent Creature He did not mean the Eternal word Or that this Word was Properly a Man in our Nature for then tho' the Manhood was a Creature and Finit yet the Man or Person was not so As a Man's Body is Corruptible yet the Person Consisting of Body and Soul is not so Tho' the Properties of Each Nature whereof a Person do's Consist may be Attributed to the Person as a Man is said to Dye to Eat Drink Sleep c. tho' these are Proper only to the Body And likewise he is said to Think to Reason to be Immortal tho' these are Proper only to his Soul Thus God is said to Dye to shed His Blood c. tho' this be Proper only to the Manhood which the Word assum'd into His own Person And Man is said to be God Infinit Almighty c. tho' this be Proper only to the Divine Nature of Christ who is likewise Truly and Properly a Man And none who had a True Notion of this cou'd ever have brought himself to call Christ a Finit Impotent Creature Such a Blasphemous Contempt of our B. Lord and God cou'd never have Dropt from the Pen of a Christian But upon Will Penn's Scheme that the Word was not Properly a Man it must follow that the Person who Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God And Consequently that the Person who Suffer'd which is the Christians Christ was but a Finit Impotent Creature and not Truly and Properly the Christ J. Pennington asserts that the Name of Christ did not belong to the Person of Jesus which he calls only the Vessel or Vaile as in his Quest to Professors p. 25. but only to the Light or Christ which Dwelt in Jesus as in the Quakers So that the Name Christ says he is not given to the Vessel but to the Nature to the Heavenly Treasure to that which is of him In the Vessel And he Contends That it was not the Flesh and Blood of the Vaile which was the Sacrifice that Cleanses i. e. not the Flesh and Blood of Jesus but The Flesh and Blood within the Vaile i. e. the Spiritual Flesh and Blood of their Light within Not the Flesh and Blood says he of the outward Earthly Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Inward Spiritual Nature Not the Flesh and Blood which Christ took of the first Adam's Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Second Adam's Nature And What is the Laver of Regeneration says he p. 24. wherewith the Soul is washed Is it the water which ran out of the side of the Natural Body when it was Pierced with a Spear or the Water which floweth from the Spirit And Can outward Blood Cleanse the Conscience c. Now G. W. is not against telling the History of the Life and Death of Jesus that is as he puts the Caveat Truly Consider'd i. e. so as not to lay the stress of our Salvation upon Faith in those outward Sufferings or to make that Necessary to us That Prerogative they Reserve only for the Sufferings Blood-shedding c. of Their Christ the Light within That only is sufficient without any thing else And when you come to this say they in a Book Intituled The Doctrin of Perfection vindicated Printed 1663. p. 19. you will cease Remembring His Death at Jerusalem and will come to see how He hath been Crucify'd In you c. His outward Death is to be Forgotten for the stress do's not Ly upon that And as Mr. Penn says in his Quakerism a new nick-name c. p. 12. Since they believe that appearance of Christ in the Flesh at Jerusalem they need not Preach what is not to be again See Satan Dis-Rob'd p. 11. Ther is an End of any more Preaching or Faith in that Nay it do's Hurt as taking men off from Trusting wholey and soley in the Light within as sufficient without it Which is the very Heart and Soul of the Quaker-Faith And therefore they think the Heathen in a Better Condition than those Christians who lay so much stress upon the outward Christ His Death and Sufferings for that the Heathen have not that Encombrance to Divert them from Trusting wholly to their Light within and to nothing else And they think the Faith in the outward Christ so very Destructive that G. Fox Denounces them to be Reprobates and Possest with the Devil who Expect to be sav'd by Faith in the outward Jesus and as wholly Ignorant of the Inward Presence of Christ in the Heart For thus he Replies upon Christopher Wade who had in a Book he wrote call'd Quakery Slain asserted the Necessity of Faith in the outward Christ but withall he is Full and Large upon as Great Necessity of the Inward Presence and Operation of the Spirit of Christ in our Hearts In his Inspections Influences and Operations and by His Spirit Dwelling even in the Hearts and Societies of His People as he words it
more than the Blood of those Bulls and Goats which were Sacrific'd under the Law for the Quakers make the outward Blood of Christ to be but a Type as these tho a nearer Type than these But All is to be Referr'd into the Archi-Type which they make to be the Light within When the Archi-Type comes All Types of it do vanish and become of no more Effect at all Nay it is a Sin to use them any more for that is an Implicit Denying of the Archi-Types being come And hence it is that the Quakers are so Enrag'd against laying any stress upon the outward Christ His Death or Sufferings without us which they say as before Quoted need not now be Preach'd because they are not to be again i. e. They are Past but the Archi-Type the Light within Remains which is Sufficient of it self and without any thing else i. e. without the outward Death of a Christ without Vs For this Inward Christ the Light within was always before the Incarnation of the outward Christ And before that say the Quakers did shed its Spiritual Blood c. which was Sufficient to Save us And that therefore ther was no need of the outward Christ's coming at all as now the stress is not to be laid upon it but upon the Light within which is Sufficient without It. This is the true Quaker Doctrin But how the outward Christ cou'd be a Type of the Inward Christ or Light within which was Before Him the Quakers are left to Explain for a Type must be Before that of which it is the Type else it were not a Type which is a Fore-runner of it But Contradictions are no Novelties with them G. W. falls again upon this Topick p. 39. And takes a new way thus says he We know not what Author he has for this Charge as if none of their Authors had been Quoted in the Sn. where Sect. x. the Reader will find Quotations sufficient all of which G. W. passes over in this Confident manner of which I have taken notice already But in this same place where he makes this Excuse he do's himself Confess what is Charg'd upon them for he says Expresly That Christ's outward Blood and Water which flow'd out of His Side had an Allegorical Signification even says he of the Spiritual Blood and Water of Life c. Now as before is said having an Allegorical signification is all that makes any thing to be an Allegorie And making the outward Body and Blood of Christ to be an Allegorie that makes it but a Type or Figure and Plainly gives the Preference to whatever they Fancie by Inward Body and Blood The Question being put to George Fox in these words Whether Christ in the Flesh be a Figure or not He Answers in his Saul's Errand p. 14. His Flesh is a Figure And p. 8. It being objected against Richard Hubberthorn that he had wrote in these words That Christ's coming in the Flesh was But a Figure G. Fox Defends that saying thus Christ in his People is the Substance of all Figures-but as He is held forth in the Scripture-Letter without them and in the Flesh without them He is their Example or Figure which is both one that the same things might be fullfill'd in Them that was in Christ Jesus Here he says that Example and Figure are both one For he Understood not Words or the Sense of them therefore you must take his Meaning as he Expresses it and by Example mean Figure And here you see he makes a Distinction betwixt Christ in His People and as in the Flesh without them The first is that Spiritual Flesh before spoke of or their Light within the Second is the outward Christ Jesus The first he makes the Substance and no Figure but the Second he Expresly calls a Figure And of what is it the Figure He tells of the same things to be fulfill'd in Them that was in Christ Jesus That is the Atonement and Satisfaction which Christ made for Sin was not the outward shedding of His Blood but the shedding of the Spiritual Blood Inwardly And that this is Perform'd in Them as it was in Christ And that the Atonement and Satisfaction is made in Them and The same in Them that was in Christ This Inward Atonement they make the Great Mystery of which Christ's outward Sufferings were but the History as Mr. Penn expresses it in his Rejoinder to John Faldo p. 336. That these Transactions i. e. of Christ's outward Sufferings were as so many Facile Representations of what is to be Accomplish'd In Man See Sat. Dis. Sect. i. N. xii p. 15 16. Now Reader these Quotations out of G. Fox's Sauls Errand are Produc'd among many others in the Sn. yet G. Whitehead crys We know not what Author he has for this Charge Ther is another Little Author which G. W. has Forgot it were well for him if he cou'd who Answers to the same Objection that was put to G. Fox six years after the Answer before Quoted given to it by G. F. in his Saul's Errand which was Printed An. 1653. But G. Whitehead's Truth defending the Quakers was Printed An. 1659. where p. 20. he Answers to the same objection which he sets down in these words Did Richard Hubberthorn well in writing That Christ's Coming in the Flesh was but a Figure And his Answer is Delicious which therefore I will set down every word of it and is as follows Ans Cou'd Christ have been said to have been Transfigured if his Coming in the Flesh had not been a Figure or Example till his Glory was Revealed And hast thou not read that he was the Express Figure of his Fathers Substance instead of whih its translated Image c. This c. is not but here as if ther were any More in his Answer of which this is every word and ends with an c. as I have set it down lest G. W. might have a Secret-Reserve in that who never writes without one and Accuse me of False-Quotation in leaving any thing out after the Manner of his Appendix as you will see hereafter in the Second Part. Sect. ii N. 6. But now as to this Answer Here G. W. do's not Deny that his Friend Hubberthorn had wrote thus Or that this was the Current Doctrin of the Quakers and Justify'd by them No he owns all that and go's on to Justify it as Fox had done before him and he had Six Years time after Fox had Answer'd to have Consider'd of it But the Quakers Doctrin is the same it was from the Beginning for Truth is one and Changes not But the Wit sometimes may Of which G. W. here gives a noble Turn He proves That Christ was but a Figure because He was Transfigured This Punn looks as if it had been stolen out of Cambridge Jests And I cou'd forgive George to Exert this Size of his Wit were it not in Serious Matters But to Pretend That this was Written from the
because the Devil is said to Limit Him Then the Israelits were Stronger than God for David says that they did Limit Him But as C. W. said no such thing do's G. W. think that C. W. Believ'd the Devil to be Stronger than God No. he cou'd not think so for who ever thought so And then he said this against his own Conscience Without doubt he did And for this calls C. W. a Deceiver Now here are some small Mistakes First of G. Fox's in taking God for the Devil That was All Next of G. Whitehead's in saying that C. Wade did Affirm That the Devil was Stronger than God Now Recollect Will. Penn's Rule before Mentioned That he that gives that for a Man's Answer that is not his Answer is a Forger and so no true Christian The Application is Easie and Unavoidable That neither Fox nor Whitehead are Christians because they are Notorious Forgers and Give that for a Man's Answer which is not his Answer Nay more The very Objections which are put against them they Retort as being the Principles of the Objectors Thus five Ministers wrote a Book against the Quakers call'd The Perfect Pharisee An. 1654. And another in Defence of it the same year Intituled A further Discovery of that Generation of Men call'd Quakers in Reply to an Answer the Quakers had put out to the Former In both these they Charge the Quakers with Seventeen Gross Positions of which this is the Third That the Soul is a Part of the Divine Essence Thus plainly put down p. 5. of the Further Discovery Num. 3. of the Quaker Positions which are there first Rang'd in order And then particularly Disprov'd under their several Heads And coming to this Head p. 31. they call this Position as truly it is Blasphemy G. Fox Answers to this in his Gr. Myst p. 227. and sets down this as the first of the Ministers Principles That the Soul is a Part of the Divine Essence And thence Inferrs p. 229. That in calling this Blasphemy they had given Judgment against themselves And so you five says he have Judged your selves to be Blasphemers who said the Soul was Part of the Divine Essence and yet 't is Blasphemy to say so This is Giving that for a man's Answer which is not with a witness And if Will. Penn can any Longer Defend G. Fox even Dear George who Excelleth All the Quakers to be a Christian by his own Rule he will Exceed himself and Out-do all that he has Ever yet Done At least I hope he will Alter his Opinion if he spoke it sincerely That George Fox was as Good a Proas Asaiah which has been Mention'd before But not only Putting words upon a Man which he did not say nay Quite Contrary to what he says but Leaving out the Material part of a Man's Answer and giving that for his Answer is Belying of a Man and comes under Will Penn's Rule Let me give one Instance of this among many that I cou'd Produce Matthew Caffyn in his Damnable Heresies of the Quakers Discover'd p. 29. gives his Charge thus The Quaker saith that Christ is already Come the second time And George Fox Affirmed in Plain words before many Witnesses that he knew him come within him and he looked for Him to come NO OTHERWISE And James Parnal affirmeth That by Preaching of a Christ in Heaven the Devil gets his work done on Earth as appears in his Book call'd Satan's Design discover'd p. 19. 25. This Fox Answers in his Gr. Myst p. 141. And first he leaves his Brother Parnel to shift for himself He Denies not the Quotation But says nothing to it Then as to what is Charg'd upon Himself he Quotes the Page in Caffyn but Repeats his words thus And George Fox said that he knew Christ come in him p. 29. Then he Crys that Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates As if Caffyn had Deny'd the Inward Presence of Christ by the Influence of His H. Spirit in the Hearts of Believers which no Christian ever did Deny But they Deny the Person of Christ His Flesh Blood and Bones in Men as the Quakers Blaspheme And Caffyn found no Fault with Fox's saying that He knew Christ come within him On the Contrary he Justifies the Indwelling of Christ by His Spirit But he laid the stress upon G. Fox's saying That he Looked upon Christ to come NO OTHERWISE whith was put in Capital Letters to shew that the stress lay upon that as being a Denyal of Christ's Second Coming to the Final Judgment Of all which G. Fox took no Notice at all but gives his words short as above Quoted Whereby it appears which I have often observ'd before That without looking into the Books which this Fox Answers ther is no knowing of their Meaning or what they object by his False and often Absurd Chopping and Changing of their Words Caffyn ibid. p. 35. Charges thus The Quaker saith that the offering of Christ's Body to be Broken and His Blood shed Avails not so as thro' Faith therein to set free from Sin But Blood in a Mystery and a Body in a Mystery which we know not what it is saith Lawson in his Book p. 18. which was Typified by the Fleshly Body of Christ and His Blood And says Caffyn p. 36. Wherefore he saith Boldly but Blasphemously That the Lord Jesus whom we Profess is Accursed professing a Spirit within him to be the only Christ To this G. Fox Answers Gr. Myst p. 142. And Repeats the Charge only thus They say they own Christ that suffered meaning the Spirit within Page 36. Here he Quotes the Page in Caffyn's Book whereby we cannot mistake to what it is that he Answers And instead of Denying he Justifies in his Squinting way this Hideous Blasphemy by laying the whole upon the Light within But Denies nothing of the other part of the same sentence of calling that Jesus whom we Profess Accursed c. Blessed God Defend Us The Pen is like to Drop out of my Hand while I am forc'd to set down this Greatest Outrage that Ever the Devil durst Presume to Belch out against our Blessed Lord and Saviour thro' these the most Wretched of all his Instruments the Quaker Tongues which are set on Fire of Hell I cannot stay longer upon this Subject Ther is Infection in the very Air. Let us Return to their Moderate Sins of Lying and Mis-representing the Answers of their Adversaries and Rid Christianity of them at the Back-Door which Will. Penn has Pointed But not open the Mouth of the Gulph at once of Blasphemies not fit to be Heard upon Earth lest the Stench shou'd carry Plagues with it thro' the World Christoph Wade in his Quakery Slain p. 7 8. tells of a Quaker Wizard one James Milner who Pretended that he must Suffer as Christ did to save the Souls of two Women Dorothy Barwick and the Wife of Brian Fell of Ulverston and in a Juggling Inchanting Manner with a Knife and a
that He is there According to the Spirit by whom we Receive Light Grace and Truth and through whom we have Access unto God This is Orthodox and plainly Exprest Which shews that G. K. had too much Sense and Learning ever to be a Quaker tho' he thought himself one And therefore he cou'd not stay with them He was Deceiv'd by them and Catch'd by their Sheeps-Cloathing of outward Sanctity and Preciseness But he still had Battling with them about their Doctrines as you may see in his Narrative hereunto Annex'd And by their Double and seeming Fair Answers then and at other times he was Induc'd to Err on the Charitable side And not think them so Monstrously Heretical as upon a more serious Examination of their Books he has since found them I say not this as if I did not think that he has been even Seduc'd in his Judgment into several Errors by their Conversation it is hard to touch Pitch and not to be Defil'd for he has own'd it to the world And as a Testimony of the Sincerity of his Repentance has after the Example of St. Augustine and other Holy Men Publish'd a Book of his Retractations the more to his Honour And by that shewn the other Quakers the only way to Reconcile themselves with God and Man But while they Persist to Cover Palliate and Excuse their Notorious Heresies which yet cannot be Hid And that their Leaders to save their own little Credit wou'd Ruin so many Thousand poor Souls of their Ignorant Followers by Keeping them in that Ditch into which they have Led them while they go on in this Wicked Course they must be Expos'd more and more till they come to be an Abhorring to all Flesh And if they will Choose this rather than to become the Joy of God Angels and Men in their Conversion let them Remember that Life and Death has been set before them 6. The sixth Testimony is p. 17. out of G. Fox's Journal p. 358. which indeed seems Fair and is put in the words of Scripture and of our Creed that Christ was Conceived by the Holy Ghost and Born of the Virgin Mary c. And if nothing had been said otherwise by G. Fox or other of the Quakers no Exceptions had been taken whatever Secret Meaning they had had in their Minds But when they have Express'd their Meaning in other places and not Retracted it in these seeming Fair Confessions we must to make them Consistent with themselves understand their words as themselves have Explain'd them Now we do not Charge the Quakers that they Deny that Christ took Flesh and that in our Nature in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin it is own'd that they do hold all this in Prim. Heres Sect. 1. and Sn. Sect. x. But the Charge is this That the Quakers do hold that Christ took or Borrow'd Flesh of our Nature only as a Vail or Garment wherein to shrow'd His own Flesh of the Heavenly Nature for a time as Angels when they Assume Bodies to Appear in upon an Occasion But that He did not take our Flesh into His own Nature so as to become Part of His Person without which what is before quoted out of Will Penn's part of the Serious Apology p. 146. must be true viz. That tho' Christ Suffer'd that Body which He so took to be Crucify'd yet that the Person which Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God As if you Crucify'd the Body which an Angel assum'd yet it were not Properly the Angel which wou'd be Crucify'd more than a Man wou'd be Crucify'd if you Crucify'd his Cloak And if Christ was no otherwise Crucify'd then was He not Crucify'd at all only in Appearance and False shew If that Person which Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God then Whose Son was He Do ye Quakers believe as some Socinians That He was Begot by Joseph Therefore will they Please to tell us who they think was His Immediate Father They have Deny'd it to be God Else He wou'd be Properly the Son of God Luk. i. 35. And G. Fox in this Testimony sets down only General Terms that Christ took Flesh c. But he has not Descended to say any thing in Opposition to their Sense of it and therefore this is no Contrary Testimony to the Charge against the Quakers And Will. Penn in a Book very lately Publish'd the end of the year 1698. call'd A Defence of a Paper Entitul'd Gospel-Truth's against the Exceptions of The Bishop of Cork 's Testimony p. 31. Likes better of this Quaker Turn of the Text Joh. 1.14 which they Learn'd from the Socinians that it shou'd rather be said The Word Took Flesh than as we Translate it The Word was Made Flesh Tho' the Greek cannot Bear their Sense and is Literally Render'd by Us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Became or was Made not Took Flesh But we see the Reason why they wou'd have it Turn'd because it might the more Favour their vile Heresie That Christ did not Assume our Nature into His own Person so as to become Really a Man only That He Took an Human Body that is of the Man Jesus as a Cloak or Vail to shrow'd Himself in for a Time Which is the very Heresy of Cerinthus against which St. John wrote these Words For Cerinthus said That Christ did Descend upon Jesus at his Baptism Thus Dividing Christ from Jesus as say the Quakers That Jesus was not the Lamb Only the Lamb or Christ Dwelt in Jesus as He do's in Their Vessels G. Fox is before Quoted saying in his Several Papers for the spreading of Truth p. 55. That Christ according to the Flesh was Crucify'd in the Days of Adam And that in That Flesh of His was the Reconciliation Then it was not in the Flesh which He took 4000 years after of the Blessed Virgin You see how Necessary it is for these Men to Explain themselves And that Generals will not do Now if any Testimony can be brought Contrary to this their Lurking Distinction of a Flesh of the Heavenly and a Flesh of the Earthly Nature or that places the Merit of our Salvation upon the Sufferings of the Earthly Nature they will indeed be to the Purpose And nothing can be so that is short of that For Example 7. The seventh Testimony p. 18. is brought out of the Serious Apology just now Quoted which Denies our Lord Jesus who Suffer'd to be Properly the Son of God But let us hear them This Testimony is taken out of p. 149. but three pages after what is above Recited And it Confesses to One Lord Jesus Christ who took upon him Flesh to whose Holy Life Power Mediation and Blood we only ascribe our Sanctification Justification Redemption and Perfect Salvation Now see what Hold can be taken of these Men or what Trust is in their words Here I Appeal to the Reader whether this Quotation do's not seem to say That our Justification is ascrib'd to Christ
and Faith that is in us to every sober Enquirer and indeed are glad of an opportunity to satisfie any such Person who may be in doubt of the soundness of our Faith in the saving Fundamentals of the Christian Religion we have with the full and Unanimous Consent of this our said Yearly or General Meeting given a plain positive and we hope Christian Answer to each of the said Queries which that they may give thee full and ample satisfaction of our soundness in the Christian Faith in the sincere desire of Us who in behalf and by appointment of the said Meeting do subscribe and remain They Loving Friends Rich. Dungworth John Hampton Thomas Martin Geo. Hutcheson John Hart Thomas Budd Here follows Dr. Lancaster's Queries with the above-named Meetings Answer to each Query To the Quakers assembled in their Yearly Meeting at London this Whitson Week 1695. GReat objections have been made against you in many Books which of late Years have been writ as well by those who have departed from your Communion as by others But because we would not willingly take an Account of you only from your Adversaries no nor yet the advantage which may be had from some of your own Apologists we have chosen this solemn Time of your most general Assembly that you have in the World where there comes of your Number out of all parts where any of your Profession live even as far as from the West Indies on purpose to attend this your Yearly Meeting at London We have chosen this most solemn and convenient time for you to vindicate and clear your selves and to give satisfaction to the World particularly to the Church of England as to these great and grievous objections which are made against you It is said of you that as Hymeneus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2.18 did construe the Resurrection spiritually saying It was perform'd inwardly within our Souls and so avoided the litteral and outward Resurrection of the Body which the Scripture calls Overthrowing the Faith so that you do construe the Resurrection in the same spiritual manner to be the rising again of Christ or the Light in our hearts and consequently that the Saints generally have attained the Resurrection already and that ther will be no Resurrection of these our Bodies after they lie down in the Dust And not only this but That you construe likewise those Scriptures which testify of our Lord Jesus Christ in this Allegorical manner to mean no more than what you call the Light within and That this Christ or Light is Born and Crucified Dyes is Buried Rises again Ascends and is Glorified within you That it sheds its Bloods within you and thereby quenches the Wrath of God in you as your Sacrifice or Propitiation And that Christ has now no other Blood or Body than what he has within his Saints or other than he had with his Father before the World began That the outward Blood of that Man Jesus that was shed at Jerusalem was not the Propitiation or any Satisfaction to the Justice of God for our sins but only the spiritual Blood shed inwardly within us And by these means when you are asked Whether you believe in Christ that Dyed for our sins Rose again and Ascended and that by his Blood we are saved c. You can readily answer Yea That you believe all this and yet mean it all in an inward Allegorical sense that is The Blood shed within you The Light or Christ suffering within you c. and thereby deceive others and your selves and keep your meaning hid and double that the Truth of what you hold may not be known which if in plain words told and asserted would grate all Christian Ears and shew you to be those miserable Hereticks before told who brought in damnable Doctrines denying the Lord who bought them Therefore that you may clear your selves from this great and grievous Charge you are desired to give a plain positive and direct Answer to these following Queries Your Reasons or Explanations are not required this not being intended for a Dispute but only your plain Yea or Nay to each of these Queries that your Doctrine and Faith may be known Query 1. Do you believe in a Christ without you now in Heaven The Christian Quaker answers Yea. Qu. 2. Hath he now in Heaven the same Body tho' changed in Qualities and Glorify'd which he assumed in the Womb of the blessed Virgin in which he Suffered Dyed was Buryed Rose again and Ascended outwardly Ch. Qu. answ Yea. Qu. 3. Will he return in that same Body outwardly or without men to judge the World in the last day Ch. Qu. answ Yea. Qu. 4. Will our dead Bodies arise the same Bodies though altered in Properties and Qualities which we now have and shall lay down in the Dust Or do you believe an outward and litteral Resurrection contrary to Hymeneus and Philerus Do you believe that the Saints generally have already attained the Resurrectien either before or since Christ came into the World Ch. Qu. To the former part of this Query we answer Yea To the latter Nay Qu. 5. Do you believe that Christ or the Eternal Word was so made Flesh as that he truly and really became Man as truly Man as he was God and not only as the Socinians say that he dwelt in or did inhabit the Person of that Man Jesus Christ as a Garment or a Vail as he dwells in or inspires other holy Persons though not in so high a Degree or as Angels assume Bodies like men wherein they appear without taking them into their own Nature or thereby becoming Men Ch. Qu. answ Yea. Qu. 6. Is Christ now at this day and for ever to come truly and really a Man in true and proper humane Nature without all other men Ch. Qu. To this we answer Yea under the Qualifications contained in the second Query viz. changed in Qualities and Glorify'd Qu. 7. And lastlv Was his outward Blood outwardly shed at Jerusalem the true Propitiation and Satisfaction for our sins Is this the true saving Faith Was not his outward Blood that Blood without sheding of which there could be no Attonement Heb. 9.22 Ch. Qu. Answer Yea not excluding the work of the Spirit of Christ in our hearts The above Queries were signed by Dr. Lancaster Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of London and delivered Fryday the 17th of May. 1695. into George Whitehead's own hands in their general Assembly in Grace-Church-street and there publickly read They were desired to return their Answer to Dr. Lancanster at Mr. Wiseman's House a Chyrurgion in Long-Acre But we hear of no Answer that they returned Wherefore the said Queries were presented to the Yearly Meeting of the Quakers in Philadelphia That Party which have Excommunicated Mr. Keith returned Answer as set down in the Preface But that Party which joyn with Mr. Keith presently returned the Answers above inserted after each Query THis is Verbatim what was Printed at Philadelphia
had made them Conceive of his very silly Reign Especially considering that according to their wont they gave forth the above Quoted words to Richard P. in the Name of The Lord for Immediately after those these words follow And thus Friend according as it lay upon me from the Lord I have Written this unto thee in Dear and Pure Love God is Witness And yet they have Hypocritically Nibb'd This out of the aforesaid Letter to Hide their Shame And God is Witness of that too 9. Ther are several other Instances of the like Practise in other Parts of this same Book as in p. 23. where the Quakers Boast to the Protector and his Council of their own Merits thus Who have in times past as faithfully as your selves serv'd their Nation with their Lives and Estates to the Purchasing of this Peace and Freedom out of the Hands of TYRANTS But in the Re-print p. 563. of E. B's Works instead of the word Tyrants they put the word Oppressors that it might not look so Directly upon the Kings Cha. I. and II. but be Turn'd to any other as they saw Cause Tho' it cou'd not properly be Apply'd to any other For the Government was in Their Hands and therefore cou'd not be Purchas'd out of Other Hands And therefore They the Kings were the Tyrants here meant at least Principally and Chiefly They having the Chief Part in the Government and it was against them that Oliver and the Quakers took Arms. 10. Again p. 35. they say to Oliver in the like strain as that before Quoted to his Son Richard And as concerning thy War and Armies abroad in Spain something ther is in it known to the Lord seek not thine own Honour in it but be faithful and leave the Issue of all things to the Lord Make no Covenant with Idolators but Tread down their Idol Gods that they have set up and Hew down their Mountains in which their Confidence stands and Plow up their Ground that the seed may be sowen after thee it 's Honour enough to be the Lord's Plow-Man All this is left out in the Re-print p. 568. of E. B's Works They had conceiv'd mighty Hopes of that Army in Spain Which they Hollood thus to Shed Blood without Mercy see Sn. p. 239. what is there Quoted out of this same Book Councel and Advice That they might Sow their Seed in the Ruin and Destruction of whole Nations This they then Greedily Gaped for and Expected They were sure Something ther was in it known to the Lord. But the Lord knew that ther was Nothing in it For Oliver Dy'd about a Month after they had Wrote this Letter to him which bears Date in the 6. Month. 1658. And was then Deliver'd to him at Hampton Court as is told at the end of this Letter p. 36. But their Confidence did not Dye with him One Disappointment is a small matter with a Quaker Prophet Two Months after they renew'd the same to his Hero Son Richard as before Quoted And then they were as sure To say no more about it That ther was something in it But he fail'd them too And now they have Dasht out Both these Prophesies for Spite or Shame Yet they are not Asham'd However will say no more about it 11. In this same Edw. Burrough his Message to the present Rulers of England An. 1659. p. 6. these words viz. He God overthrow the oppressing Power of Kings Lords and Bishops both in Church and Civil State And brought some Tyrants and Oppressors to Just Execution for their Wickedness are left out in the Re-print of E. B's Works p. 591. Yet this Message E. B. said he had from the Lord God whose Ambassador he stiles himself and says p. 1. In his Name and Authority I am come unto you And as such Affixes an Imprimatur to his Book in these words I order this to be Printed and given to their Particular Hands with Speed E. B. 12. In what he calls A Just and Lawful Tryal of the Teachers and Professed Ministers of England The Re-print instead of England put of this Age and so in several other places in this Book And p. 8. where they Reproach other Mens Preaching to be At the best but what the Saints of the Lord said before them And this is no more then stealing of the Prophets words They seeing how this must Expose them and make them Stealers too if they said any thing of what the Saints said before them in the Re-print they Add to these words thus And this is no more AS DONE BY THEM then Stealing c. i. e. It is Stealing in Others but not in the Quakers 13. Ibid. p. 9. E. B. says of the Ministers of England or of this Age as they now turn it Most of them are Lovers of Wine c. But his new Editors knowing the Wicked Falshood of this Charge and how it must Expose their Boundless Malice have taken away the word Most and put in the Re-print only SOME of them are Lovers of Wine c. So that if they can fix this but upon One or Two they may come off with the word SOME The like Trick is us'd in several other Places of this Book And thus they take upon them to Alter and Mend E. B's Message which he said he had from The Lord God! It is not worth while to make Reprisals upon the numerous Train of Wet-Quakers That is not the business now 14. But if they take from the full Extent of his Message in one Place they Add to it in another Speaking of those who Profess themselves to be Orthodox Divines he says p. 16. They seek to Allure all People to follow them in their way of Wickedness But the new Editors of his Works thinking this not to be Angry enough instead of their way of Wickedness put it their Idol Worship 15. Ibid. p. 22. Says E. B. I have accounted and I find the Sum of their the Ministers Maintenance yearly in this Nation being Reckoned in a whole Sum is about or above Fifteen hundred Thousand pounds a Year This was wrote in the year 1657. And the Quakers being sensible how Grossly their Prophet had over-shot himself to make the Mistake more Easie in the Re-print they leave out the words I have Accounted and I find which being so Possitive an Assertion wou'd Render this Horrible Prophet a most Impudent Blasphemer to Father what he knew to be a Lye upon the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost And to Deliver it as a Message from the Lord God! But E. B. goes on to Prove it ibid. If any doubt of this Account says he and shall think this not to be like to be true upon an even Reckoning it may be Proved and made Appear considering how many Parishes ther is in England and Reckon what belongs to every Priest's Parish But this very Reckoning will Prove him to be a Blasphemous Lyar for what was Allotted to every Parish Priest as he calls