Revelation made to another? 1 Kings i. 1, 3. And is not every Man as certain of his own Light within him, as they are of theirs? And is he not more certain of his own, than he can be of theirs? And what Authority have they of judging of his Light within him, more than he has of judging of their Light within them? And who are the Body, or of what Perfons muft it confift? Muft it be made up of Men only, and those of the Ministry only? or of Men or Women, whether of the Ministry, or not of the Miniftry, indifferently? And is it every Perfon in such an Affembly, or only the Majority of them, or of the Principal leading Men in it, that is infallible? Or is it their univerfal Agreement together that makes them fo?

And when feveral of these Affemblies and Meetings, which they call the Church, have different and contrary Lights, which has often happened; as about putting off the Hat in Prayer, and a stated Ministry, and Womens Preaching, and their Meetings for Difcipline diftinct from Mens; and the preaching Christ without them, as well as by his Spirit within them; and the leaving Friends at Liberty to pay Tythes, is their Light fo directed; and divers other Things, about which they have differed among themselves, and for which they have cenfured or excommunicated one another; which of them must be then owned as infallible, when they are all alike pofitive in afferting their Light, and their Infallibility? Or is it only their general yearly Affembly that is infallible, and that is by all of them to be fubmitted to?

And which then are the right Quakers, whether those of their Church Affemblies, whether

whether General or Particular, who have cenfured others for not fubmitting to their Judgment? Or they who follow their own Light, in not fubmitting thereto? And when the Question is, which of them follows, or ftrays from the Light of Chrift within, which they fay is one in all of them; How is this to be judged, but by the Scripture, and not by what they call the Witness of God in ancient Friends, without mentioning the Scripture, and which appears in fo many Instances to be contrary to the Scripture?

Queft. Do not they fay their Church Af- Switch. femblies do not pafs Judgment against the Light in particular Perfons; for the Light of Chrift cannot contradict it felf; but against those who profeffed the fame Doctrine and Difcipline with them, and have innovated therein?

Anf. It is their Church Affemblies that have innovated in their allowing a ftated Ministry, and Womens Preaching, and Meetings for Difcipline, and in not fuffering them to act in the Matter of the Hat in Prayer, as the Spirit moved them, which the Light in particular Perfons teftified against, as Innovations.

berty

Queft. Do not they alfo fay, that when W P's Lithey were for leaving every Man to the Light Spritual, of Chrift in the Confcience, as to Matters of p Religion, they meant it only of Things that concern'd Faith and Worship; but as to what related merely to the Order and Decency of Society, the Concurrence of the Generality fhould fuffice, against which Confcience can never be warrantably pleaded? And do they not still leave every Man to the Guidance of the Light within, in Matters of Faith and Worship?

Anf.

W. P's

Prote

Edit.p.

Auf. No, they do not. For the preaching of Chrift without them, in the fame Body he had here on Earth, now glorified in Heaven without them, befides his Spiritual Prefence by his Light and Life in all his Children, is a Matter of Faith, and very Fundamental one: And they have called it a bringing in a new way of preaching Chrift among Friends, to preach of his outward Appearance without them, before they preach of his inward Spiritual Appearance within them. And the putting off the Hat in publick Prayer, is a Matter relating to Worship, which they impofe on all as neceffary, tho' thought indifferent, or even unlawful, and forbidden by the private Light of fome of them. And though they act agreeably to Scripture in putting it off, I Cor. xi. 4. yet in impofing it on all, they innovate, and act not agreeably to their former Principle and Practice, which was to leave every one to act therein as they were moved by the Light within.

And though they have faid formerly, that Addrefs to that Text, Tell it to the Church, Matth. xviii. ftants, 2d 16. related only to private Injuries between Man and Man, and not at all to Matters of 152. Faith. Yet at another Time they fay, if in W. P's Cafe of private Offences between Brethren, Judas and the Jews, the Church is made abfolute Judge, from whom there is no Appeal in the World; how much more in any the least Case that concerns the Nature, Being, Faith and Worship of

P. 13.

the Church it felf?

Queft. Does not the Scripture fay, the Spirits of the Prophets are fubject to the Prophets? I Cor. xiv. 32.

Anf. It is not faid the Spirits of the Prophets are to be fubject, but that they are fub

ject

ject to the Prophets; that is, to the Prophets themselves: So that this concerns not at all the Tryal of the Spirits of the Prophets, by other Prophets, but only the Time of their speaking; that the Impulfe was not fo violent on them, but that it might be reftrained by them till others had done fpeaking; and fo might all prophefy one after another; as appears from the Context, and the whole fcope of the Place.

Quest. Will they not allow that their Light within them fhould be tried by the Scripture or Reason, as a more certain and noble Rule?

Anf. No, by no Means. But they will have their Light within to be the Judge of the Scripture, and of its Interpretation and Meaning. And they reject all Use of human Reafon in finding out Spiritual Truths, as carnal Reafonings: So that there is no way left of convincing fuch Men of the groffeft Errors, contrary to the Scriptures, if their pretended particular Light, or the Light of the Body tell them they are Truths.

SECT. III.

Queft. What is the true Rule and Standard of a Chriftian's Faith and Practice in Religion, if it is not the Light within him, or the Light of the Body of ancient Friends, in their Affemblies and Meetings?

Anf. It is the Revelation that God has made of his Mind and Will to us in the holy Scriptures, which were given by Infpiration, and are able to make us wife unto Salvation, through Faith which is in Chrift Jefus, 2 Tim. iii. 15, 16. For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures,

D

might

might have Hope, Rom. xv. 4. And as the Jews were faid to have Mofes and the Prophets, and to hear and believe them, by hearing and believing their Doctrine in their Writings; fo we who have the Scriptures of the New Teftament, may be faid now to have Chrift and his Apoftles, and to hear and believe them, by hearing and believing their Doctrine contained in them. For fo St. Luke tells us, he wrote his Gospel, that we might have a perfect Declaration, and know the Certainty of those things which were then moft furely believed among Chriftians, and of all that Jefus began both to do and teach, until the Day in which he was taken up, Luke i. 1, 4. Acts i. 1, 2. And St. John wrote his Gofpel, That we might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, and that believing we might have Life through his Name, John xx. 31. And the Things that I write unto you, fays St. Paul to the Corinthians, are the Commandments of the Lord, I Cor. xiv. 37. And when he had declared that important Doctrine in Writing to the Galatians, that in Chrift Jefus, or in his Religion, neither Circumcifion availeth any thing, nor Uncircumcifion, but a new Creature; he fays, As many as walk according to this Rule, Peace be on them, and Mercy, Gal. vi. 16. whereby 'it appears that the written Word, or Scripture, or Doctrine contained in it, is a Rule for us to walk by, and given us as the Rule and Standard of our Chriftian Faith and Practice in Religion.

Quest. Are we to have the fame Regard now for what we are taught from the dead Letter of the Apostles and Evangelifts Writings, as they who heard them preach, had for their immediate infpired Preaching?

Anf. Yes: For their Doctrine is the fame

when