phrafes for Schoolmens; fuch as, diftin&t and Separate perfons, and fubfiftences,' &c. are; from whence people are apt to entertain grofs ideas and notions of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. And they judge, that a curious enquiry into thofe high and divine relations, and other fpeculative fubjects, though never fo great truths in themselves, tend little to godlinefs, and lefs to peace; which fhould be the chief aim of true Chriftians: and therefore they cannot gratify that curiofity in themselves, or others: Speculative truths being, in their judgment, to be sparingly and tenderly declared, and never to be made the measure and condition of Chriftian communion. For befides that Chrift Jefus hath taught them other things, the fad confequences, in all times, of superfining upon fcripturetexts, do fufficiently caution and forbid them. Men are too apt to let their beads out-run their hearts, and their notion exceed their obedience, and their passion fupport their conceits; instead of a daily cross, a constant watch, and an boly practice. The defpifed Quakers defire this may be their care, and the text their creed in this, as in all other points: preferring Self-denial to opinion, and charity to knowledge, according to that great Chriftian doctrine, 1 Cor. xiii.

Perverf. 10. The Quakers deny Chrift to be God." Principle. A moft untrue and unreasonable cenfure: for their great and characteristical principle being this, That Chrift, as the Divine Word, lighteth the fouls of all men that come into the world, with a fpiritual and faving light, according to John i. 9. ch. viii. 12.' (which nothing but the Creator of fouls can do) it does fufficiently fhew they believe him to be God; for they truly, and exprefsly, own him to be fo, according to fcripture; viz. "In him was life, and that

"life the light of men; and he is God over all, "bleffed for ever.""

SECT.

E C T. VII.

Of the manhood of Chrift.

Pervers. 11. The Quakers deny the human nature <of Chrift.'

Principle. We never taught, faid, or held, fo grofs a thing, if by human nature be understood the manhood of Chrift Jefus. For as we believe him to be God over all, bleffed for ever; fo we do as truly believe him to be of the feed of Abraham and David after the flesh; and therefore truly and properly man," like us in all things (and once fubject to all things, for our fakes) fin only excepted.

Of Chrift Jefus, his death, and sufferings.

Perverf. 12. The Quakers expect to be justified and Saved by the light within them, and not by the death and fufferings of Chrift.'

Principle. This is both unfairly and untruly ftated and charged upon us. But the various fenfe of the word juftification, obliges me here to diftinguifh the ufe of it for in the natural and proper fenfe, it plainly implies, making men just, that were unjust; godly, that were ungodly; upright, that were depraved; as the apostle expreffeth himself, 1 Cor. vi. 11." And "fuch were fome of you; but ye are washed, but ye "are fanctified, but ye are juftified, in the name of "our Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God." In the other use of the word, which some call a law-fense, it refers to Chrift, as a facrifice and propitiation for fin,

John i. 1. Rom. ix. 5. Ifa. vii. 14. Mat. i. 23. Luke 1. 31.

as

as in Rom. v. 9. "Much more then, being now justi"fied by his blood, we fhall be faved from wrath

through him:" and 1 John ii. "If any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Christ "the righteous; and He is the propitiation for our "fins; and not for ours only, but also for the fins of << the whole world." Which though a truth, and most firmly believed by us; yet no man can be entitled to the benefit thereof, but as they come to believe, and repent of the evil of their ways; and then it may be truly faid, That God juftifieth even the ungodly, and looks upon them through Chrift, as if they had never finned; because their fins are forgiven them for his beloved Son's fake.'

Not that God looks on people to be in Chrift, that are not in Chrift; that is, that are not in the faith, obedience, and felf-denial of Chrift; nor fanctified, nor led by his Spirit, but rebel against it; and, instead of dying to fin, through a true and unfeigned repentance, live and indulge themselves daily in it; " for they that " are in Chrift, become new creatures; old things are "paffed away, and all things, (with them) become "new." Wherefore we say, that whatever Christ then did, both living and dying, was of great benefit to the falvation of all that have believed, and now do, and that hereafter shall believe in him unto juftification and acceptance with God: but the way to come to that faith, is to receive and obey the manifeftation of his divine light and grace in their confciences; which leads men to believe and value, and not to difown or undervalue, Chrift as the Common Sacrifice and Mediator. For we do affirm, that to follow this holy light in the confcience, and to turn our minds, and bring all our deeds and thoughts to it, is the readieft, nay, the only right way to have true, living, and fanctified faith in Christ, as he appeared in the flesh, and to difcern the Lord's body, coming, and fufferings aright," and to receive any real benefit by him, as their only Sacrifice and "John iii. 20, 21. 1 John i. 6, 7. B

VOL. V.

Media

1

Mediator: according to the beloved difciple's emphatical paffages, "If we walk in the light, as God

is in the light, we have fellowship one with ano"ther, and the blood of Jefus Chrift his Son cleanf"eth us from all fin." And because this people fay, that Chrift's outward coming and fufferings profit not to their falvation that live in fin, and rebel against this divine light; fome have untruly and uncharitably concluded, that they deny the virtue and benefit of Christ's coming and fufferings in the flesh, as a facrifice for fin. Whereas we only deny and oppofe a false and dangerous application of them in and to a difobedient ftate. For we believe Chrift came not to fave men in their fins, but from their fins; and that those that open the door of their hearts at his inward and Spiritual knocks, (to wit, the reproofs and convictions of his light and grace) have their" confciences fprinkled " with his blood (that is, difcharged from the guilt "of them) from dead works, to ferve the living "God:" and that fo far only as men come, by faith, repentance, and amendment, to be Chrift's, Chrift is theirs; and as he has an intereft in their hearts, they have an interest in his love and falvation. That is, fo far as they are obedient to his grace, and take up his crofs, and follow him in the ways of meekness, holiness, and felf-denial, fo far they have an intereft in Chrift, and no farther. And here," there is no condemna"tion, indeed, to them that are in Chrift Jefus," becaufe, fuch "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit:" for we have seen a fhoal or fand here, that we fear many thousands have split upon, which we defire to avoid, and are earneft that others may beware of it alfo; viz. That becaufe Chrift died a facrifice for the fins of the whole world, by which he put mankind into a capacity of falvation, and has given every one a talent of grace to work it out by; they ' prefume upon the facrifice, and fin on, without a thorough repentance, reformation, and converfion to

r

1 John i. 5, 6, 7. y Rev. iii. 20.

• God;

God; not dying, with Chrift, to the world, but living in it, according to the lufts and spirit of it.' Such as these may be affured, that "where Chrift is gone, they shall never come:" For, fays the bleffed apoftle, God fent his Son to blefs us, by turning every "one of us from the evil of our way." So that the contrite, humble, meek, and felf denying people, are those that have the true and full benefit of Chrift's coming, fuffering, and mediation, and of all those holy ends for which God his Father anointed and gave him to the world, viz. to be the Way, Truth, and Life; Light, Leader, and Saviour; to be a King, Prieft, Prophet, Sacrifice, Sanctifier, and Mediator; being fenfibly felt of all fuch to reign over their hearts; teach them God's royal law; give them faving knowledge; and to mediate, atone for, fanctify, and justify them in the fight of God his Father, for ever.

By all which it is evident, to any moderate enquirer, that we acknowledge Chrift in his double appearance; as, in the flesh," of the feed of Abra"ham," fo in the Spirit, as he is "God over all, "bleffed for ever." Wherein is a full confeffion both to him as a Bleffed Perfon, and as a Divine Principle of light and life in the foul; the want of which neceffary and evident diftinction, occafions our adverfaries frequent mistakes about our belief and application of the fcriptures of truth concerning Chrift, in that twofold capacity.

For it is not another than that eternal Word, Light, Power, Wifdom, and Righteousness, which then took flesh, and appeared in that holy body, by whom they have received, or can receive, any true fpiritual benefit. They holding, light is ONLY from Him, forgivenefs ONLY through Him, and, fanctification ONLY by Him. So that their afcribing falvation from fin, and death eternal, to him in this age, who now appears by his holy Spirit to their fouls, as before expreffed, cannot render him no Saviour in that age, or make void the end and benefit of his bleffed appearance then in the flesh on earth, or his mediation now in