SECTION VII.

them, by low and carnal ways, as they may appear to our more enlightened understand.

1. An objection answered about the various dis-ings; suffering Truth to put on divers sorts

of garments, the better to reach to the low pensations of God: the principle the same. 2. God's work of a piece, and Truth the same and ill lives; seeing them sunk so much be state of men, to engage them from false gods under divers shapes. 3. The reason of the low their nobler part, and what he made them, prevalency of idolatry. 4. The Quakers' tes-that like brute beasts, they knew not their timony the best antidote against it, viz.: Walk-own strength and excellency.

ing by the Divine Spirit in man. 5. It was God's end in all his manifestations, that man might be God's image and delight.

1. Obj. BUT it may be said, If it were one Holy Spirit, why so many modes and shapes of religion, since the world began? For the Patriarchal, Mosaical, and Christian, have their great differences; to say nothing of what has befallen the Christian, since the publication of it to the world.

3. And if we do but well consider the reason of the prevalency of idolatry, upon the earlier and darker times of the world, of which the Scripture is very particular, shall find that it ariseth from this; that it is more sensual, and therefore calculated to please the senses of men; being more out. ward or visible, or more in their own power to perform, than one more spiritual in its object. For as their gods were the work manship of men's hands, they could not preAns. I know not how properly they may fer them, that being the argument which did be called divers religions, that assert the true most of all gall their worshippers, and what God for the object of worship; the Lord of all things, for that reason, they were most Jesus Christ for the only Saviour; and the willing to forget. But their incidency to idollight, or Spirit of Christ, for the great agent atry, and the advantages it had upon the true and means of man's conversion and eternal religion with them, plainly came from this, felicity, any more than infancy, youth, and that it was more outward and sensual: they manhood, make three men, instead of three could see the object of their devotion, and had growths or periods of time, of one and the it in their power to address it when they same man. But passing that, the many would. It was more fashionable too, as well modes, or ways of God appearing to men, as better accommodated to their dark and arise, as hath been said, from the divers brutal state. And therefore it was, that God, states of men, in all which it seems to have by many afflictions and great deliverances, been his main design to prevent idolatry and brought forth a people to endear himself to vice, by directing their minds to the true them, that they might remember the hand object of worship, and pressing virtue and that saved them, and worship him, and him holiness. So that though mediately he spoke only; in order to root up idolatry, and plant to the patriarchs, mostly by angels in the the knowledge and fear of him in their minds, fashion of men, and by them to their fami- for an example to other nations. Whoever lies, over and above the illumination in them- reads Deuteronomy, which is a summary of selves; so to the prophets, for the most part, the other four books of Moses, will find the by the revelation of the Holy Ghost in them, frequent and earnest care and concern of that and by them to the Jews; and since the Gos- good man for Israel, about this very point; pel dispensation, by his Son, both externally, and how often that people slipped and lapsed, by his coming in the flesh, and internally, by notwithstanding God's love, care and patience his spiritual appearance in the soul, as he is over them, into the idolatrous customs of the the great light of the world: yet all its flow-nations about them. Divers other Scriptures ings mediately through others, have still been from the same Spirit, co-operating with the manifestation of it immediately in man's own particular.

inform us also, especially those of the prophets, Isaiah liv. and lv. Psalms xxxvii. and cxv. and Jer. x., where the Holy Ghost confutes and rebukes the people, and mocks their 2. This is of great weight, for our informa-idols with a sort of holy disdain. tion and encouragement, that God's work, in reference to man, is all of a piece, and in itself, lies in a narrow compass, and that his eye has ever been upon the same thing in all his dispensations, viz., to make men truly good, by planting his holy awe and fear in their hearts. Though he has condescended, for the hardness and darkness of men's hearts, to approach and spell out his holy mind to

4. Now that which is furthest from idolatry, and the best antidote against it, is the Spirit of God we have spoken of; and the more people's minds are turned and brought to it, and they resolve their faith, worship and obedience into the holy illuminations and power of it, the nearer they grow to the end of their creation, and consequently to their Creator. They are more spiritually qualified, and be

come better fitted to worship God as he is: and be acquainted with him, is to seek him in who, as we are told by our Lord Jesus Christ, himself, in his image; and as he finds that, is a Spirit, and will be worshipped in Spirit he comes to find and know God. Now man and in Truth, and that they are such sort of may be said to be God's image in a double worshippers which God seeketh to worship respect. First, as he is of an immortal nahim, in this Gospel day. The hour cometh, ture; and next, as that nature is endued with saith he, and now is; that is, some now do | those excellencies in a small degree, and proso, but more shall. A plain assertion in pre-portionable to a creature's capacity, that are sent, and a promise and prophecy of the in- by nature infinitely and incomparably in his crease of such worshippers in future. Which Creator. For instance, wisdom, justice, mercy, shows a change intended from a ceremonial holiness, patience, and the like. As man beworship and state of the church of God, to a comes holy, just, merciful, patient, &c., by spiritual one. Thus the text, "But the hour the copy he will know the original, and by cometh, and now is, when the true worship- the workmanship in himself, he will be acpers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in quainted with the holy Workman. This, Truth." Which is as much as to say, when reader, is the regeneration and new creature the worship of God shall be more inward we press, Gal. vi. 15, 16., and according to than outward, and so more suitable to the this rule, we say men ought to be religious, nature of God, and the nobler part of man, and walk in this world. Man, as I said just his inside, or his inward and better man, for now, is a composition of both worlds; his so those blessed words import, in Spirit and body is of this, his soul of the other world. in Truth. In Spirit, that is, through the The body is as the temple of the soul, the power of the Spirit. In Truth, that is, in soul the temple of the Word, and the Word realities, not in shadows, ceremonies, or form- the great temple and manifestation of God. alities, but in sincerity, with and in life, being By the body the soul looks into and beholds Divinely prepared and animated; which brings this world, and by the Word it beholds God, man not only to offer up right worship, but and the world that is without end. Much also into intimate communion and fellowship might be said of this order of things, and their with God, who is a Spirit. respective excellencies, but I must be brief.

SECTION VIII.

1. The doctrines of satisfaction and justification owned and worded according to Scripture. 2. What constructions we cannot believe of them, and which is an abuse of them. 3. Christ owned a sacrifice and a mediator. 4. Justification twofold, from the guilt of sin, and from

the

power and pollution of it. 5. Exhortation to the reader upon the whole.

5. And if it be duly weighed, it will appear that God in all his manifestations of himself, hath still come nearer and nearer to the insides of men, that he might reach to their understandings and open their hearts, and give them a plainer and nearer acquaintance with himself in Spirit: and there it is that man must seek and find the knowledge of God for his eternal happiness. Indeed, all things that are made, show forth the power and wisdom of God, and his goodness too, to mankind; and therefore many men urge the creation to silence atheistical objections: but though all those things show a God, yet man 1. Obj. THOUGH there be many good things does it above all the rest. He is the precious said, how Christ appears and works in a soul, stone of the ring, and the most glorious jewel to awaken, convince and convert it; yet you of the globe; to whose reasonable use, service seem not particular enough about the death and satisfaction, the whole seems to be made and sufferings of Christ: and it is generally and dedicated. But God's delight, by whom rumoured and charged upon you by your man was made, we are told by the Holy adversaries, that you have little reverence to Ghost, is in the habitable parts of the earth, the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction to God with the sons of men, Prov. viii. 31. And | for our sins, and that you do not believe, that with those that are contrite in spirit, Isaiah the active and passive obedience of Christ, lxvi. 1. And why is man his delight, but be- | when he was in the world, is the alone ground cause man only, of all his works, was of his of a sinner's justification before God. likeness. This is the intimate relation of man to God : somewhat nearer than ordinary; for of all other beings, man only had the honour of being his image; and by his resemblance to God, as I may say, came his kindred with God and knowledge of him. So that the nearest and best way for man to know God,

Ans. The doctrines of satisfaction and justification, truly understood, are placed in so strict an union, that the one is a necessary consequence of the other, and what we say of them, is what agrees with the suffrage of Scripture, and for the most part in the terms of it; always believing that in points where

there arises any difficulty, be it from the obscurity of expression, mis-translation, or the dust raised by the heats of partial writers, or nice critics, it is ever best to keep close to the text, and maintain charity in the rest. I shall first speak negatively, what we do not own, which perhaps hath given occasion to those who have been more hasty than wise, to judge us defective in our belief of the efficacy of the death and sufferings of Christ to justification:

2. First, We cannot believe that Christ is the cause, but the effect of God's love, according to the testimony of the beloved disciple, John, chap. iii. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son into the world, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Secondly, We cannot say, God could not have taken another way to save sinners, than by the death and sufferings of his Son, to satisfy his justice, or that Christ's death and sufferings were a strict and rigid satisfaction for that eternal death and misery due to man for sin and transgression; for such a notion were to make God's mercy little concerned in man's salvation; and indeed we are at too great a distance from his infinite wisdom and power, to judge of the liberty or necessity of his actings.

Thirdly, We cannot say Jesus Christ was the greatest sinner in the world, (because he bore our sins on his cross, or because he was made sin for us, who knew no sin) an expression of great levity and unsoundness, yet often said by great preachers and professors of religion.

out our salvation with fear and trembling: as he died for sin, so we must die to sin, or we cannot be said to be saved by the death and sufferings of Christ, or thoroughly justified and accepted with God. Thus far negatively. Now positively what we own as to justifi. cation.

3. We do believe that Jesus Christ was our holy sacrifice, atonement, and propitiation; that he bore our iniquities, and that by his stripes we were healed of the wounds Adam gave us in his fall; and that God is just in forgiving true penitents upon the credit of that holy offering which Christ made of himself to God for us; and that what he did and suffered, satisfied and pleased God, and was for the sake of fallen man, who had dis pleased God: and that through the offering up of himself once for all, through the eternal Spirit, he hath for ever perfected those (in all times) that were sanctified, who walked not after the flesh, but after the spirit, Rom. viii. 1. Mark that.

4. In short, justification consists of two parts, or hath a two-fold consideration, viz. justification from the guilt of sin, and justifi. cation from the power and pollution of sin; and in this sense justification gives a man a full and clear acceptance before God. For want of this latter part it is, that so many souls, religiously inclined, are often under doubts, scruples, and despondencies, notwithstanding all that their teachers tell them of the extent and efficacy of the first part of justification. And it is too general an un happiness among the professors of Christianity, that they are apt to cloak their own active and passive disobedience with the active and passive obedience of Christ.

Fourthly, We cannot believe that Christ's death and sufferings so satisfy God, or justify men, as that they are thereby accepted of The first part of justification, we do rever. God. They are indeed thereby put into a ently and humbly acknowledge, is only for state capable of being accepted of God, and the sake of the death and sufferings of Christ; through the obedience of faith and sanctifi- nothing we can do, though by the operation cation of the spirit, are in a state of accept-of the holy Spirit, being able to cancel old ance. We can never think a man justified debts, or wipe out old scores; it is the power before God, while self-condemned; or that and efficacy of that propitiatory offering, upon any man can be in Christ who is not a new faith and repentance, that justifies us from creature; or that God looks upon men other-the sins that are past; and it is the power of wise than they are. We think it a state of Christ's spirit in our hearts, that purifies and presumption and not of salvation to call Jesus makes us acceptable before God. For until Lord, and not by the work of the Holy Ghost; the heart of man is purged from sin, God will Master, and he not yet master of their affections; never accept of it. He reproves, rebukes and Saviour, and they not saved by him from their condemns those that entertain sin there, and sins; Redeemer, and yet they not redeemed therefore such cannot be said to be in a jusby him from their passion, pride, covetous-tified state; condemnation and justification ness, wantonness, vanity, vain honours, friend- being contraries. So that they that hold ships, and glory of this world; which is to deceive themselves; for God will not be mocked, such as men sow, such they must reap. And though Christ did die for us, yet we must, by the assistance of his grace, work

themselves in a justified state by the active and passive obedience of Christ, while they are not actively and passively obedient to the spirit of Christ Jesus, are under a strong and dangerous delusion; and for crying out against

this sin-pleasing imagination, not to say doctrine, we are staged and reproached as deniers and despisers of the death and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. But be it known to such, they add to Christ's sufferings and crucify to themselves afresh the Son of God and trample the blood of the covenant under their feet, who walk unholily under a profession of justification; for God will not acquit the guilty, nor justify the disobedient and unfaithful. Such deceive themselves, and at the great and final judgment their sentence will not be, "Come ye blessed," because it cannot be said to them, "Well done good and faithful," for they cannot be so esteemed who live and die in a reproveable and condemnable state; but, "Go ye cursed, &c."

1. AND lest any should say we are equivocal in our expressions, and allegorize away Christ's appearance in the flesh; meaning only thereby our own flesh; and that as often as we mention him, we mean only a mystery, or a mystical sense of him, be it as to his coming, birth, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension, mediation and judgment; I would yet add, to preserve the well disposed from being staggered by such suggestions, and to inform and reclaim such as are under the power and prejudice of them:

That we do, we bless God, religiously believe and confess, to the glory of God the Father, and the honour of his dear and beloved Son, that Jesus Christ took our nature upon him, and was like unto us in all things, sin excepted that he was born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, was crucified, dead, and buried in the sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathea; rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God, in the power and majesty of his Father; who will one day judge the world by him, even that blessed Man, Christ Jesus, according to their works.

5. Wherefore, O my reader, rest not thyself wholly satisfied with what Christ has done for thee in his blessed person without thee, but press to know his power and king. dom within thee, that the strong man, who has too long kept thy house, may be bound and his goods spoiled, his works destroyed. and sin ended, according to 1 John iii. 7. For which end, says that beloved disciple, Christ was manifested; that all things may become new; new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Thus thou wilt come to glorify God in thy body and in thy spirit, which are his; and live to him and not to thyself. Thy love, joy, worship and obedience; thy life, conversation and practice; thy study, meditation and devotion, will be spirit. ual. The Father and the Son will make their abode with thee, and Christ will manifest himself to thee; for the secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him; and an holy unction 2. But because we so believe, must we not or anointing have all those, which leads them believe what Christ said, "He that is with into all truth, and they need not the teachings you shall be in you." "I in them, and they of men. They are better taught, being in- in me," &c. "When it pleased God to restructed by the Divine oracle. They are not veal his Son in me." "The mystery hid bare hear-say, or traditional Christians, but from ages, is Christ in the gentiles, the hope fresh and living witnesses; those that have of glory." "Unless Christ be in you, ye seen with their own eyes, and heard with their are reprobates!" Or must we be industriown ears, and have handled with their own ously represented as deniers of Christ's coming hands, the Word of life, in the divers operain the flesh, and the holy ends of it, in all the tions of it, to their souls' salvation. In this parts and branches of his doing and suffering, they meet, in this they preach, and in this only because we believe and press the necesthey pray and praise; behold the new cove-sity of believing, receiving and obeying his nant fulfilled, the church and worship of Christ, the great anointed of God, and the great anointing of God, in his holy high priesthood and offices in his church!

SECTION IX.

1. A confession to Christ and his work, both in doing and suffering. 2. That ought not to make void our belief and testimony of his inVOL. V.-No. 7.

inward and spiritual appearance and manifestation of himself, through his light, grace and Spirit in the hearts and consciences of men and women, to reprove, convict, convert and change them? This we esteem hard and unrighteous measure; nor would our warm and sharp adversaries be so dealt with by others but to do as they would be done to, is too often no part of their practice, whatever it be of their profession.

3. Yet we are very ready to declare to the

35

whole world, that we cannot think men and women can be saved by their belief of the one, without the sense and experience of the other; and that is what we oppose, and not his blessed manifestation in the flesh. We say that he then overcame our common enemy, foiled him in the open field, and in our nature triumphed over him that had overcome and triumphed over it in our fore-father Adam, and his posterity: and that as truly as Christ overcame him in our nature, in his own person, so by his Divine grace, being received and obeyed by us, he overcomes him in us: that is, he detects the enemy by his light in the conscience, and enables the creature to resist him, and all his fiery darts; and finally, so to fight the good fight of faith, as to overcome him, and lay hold on eternal life.

and that his obedience has an influence to our salvation, in all the parts and branches of it, since thereby he became a conqueror, and led captivity captive, and obtained gifts for men, with divers great and precious promises, that thereby we might be partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corrup tion that is in the world, through lust. I say, we do believe and confess, that the active and passive obedience of Christ Jesus affects our salvation throughout, as well from the power and pollution of sin, as from the guilt, he being a conqueror as well as a sacrifice, and both through suffering. Yet they that reject his Divine gift, so obtained, and which he has given to them, by which to see their sin and the sinfulness of it, and to repent and turn away from it, and do so no more; and 4. And this is the dispensation of grace, to wait upon God for daily strength to resist which we declare has appeared to all, more the fiery darts of the enemy, and to be comor less; teaching those who will receive it, forted through the obedience of faith in and "to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to this Divine grace of the Son of God, such to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this do not please God, do not believe truly in present world; looking for (which none else God, nor are they in a state of true Christican justly do) the blessed hope and glorious anity and salvation. "Woman," said Christ, appearing of the great God, and our Saviour to the Samaritan at the well, "hadst thou Jesus Christ," &c. And as from the teach- known the gift of God, and who it is that ings, experience and motion of this grace we speaketh to thee," &c. People know not minister to others, so the very drift of our Christ and God, "whom to know is life eterministry is to turn people's minds to this nal," because they are ignorant of the gift grace in themselves, that all of them may be of God, viz: "A manifestation of the Spirit of up and doing, even the good and acceptable God is given to every man to profit withal;" will of God, and work out their salvation which reveals Christ and God to the soul. with fear and trembling, and make their high Flesh and blood cannot do it, Oxford and and heavenly calling and election sure; which Cambridge cannot do it, tongues and phinone else can do, whatever be their profession, losophy cannot do it: for they who by wischurch or character: for such as men sow dom knew not God, had these things for they must reap; and his servants we are their wisdom. They were strong, deep and whom we obey. Regeneration we must know, accurate in them; but, alas! they were clouded, or we cannot be children of God, and heirs puffed up, and set further off from the inward of eternal glory. To be born again, another and saving knowledge of God, because they Spirit must prevail, leaven, season, and go- sought for it in them, and thought to find God vern us, than either the spirit of the world, there. But the key of David is another thing, or our own depraved spirits; and this can be which shuts and no man opens, and opens and no other Spirit than that which dwelt in no man shuts; and this key have all they that Christ; for unless that dwell in us, we can receive the gift of God into their hearts, and be none of his, Rom. viii. 9. And this Spirit it opens to them the knowledge of God and begins in conviction, and ends in conversion themselves, and gives them quite another sight, and perseverance; and the one follows the taste and judgment of things than their eduother. Conversion being the consequence of cational or traditional knowledge afforded convictions obeyed, and perseverance a natu- them. This is the beginning of the new ral fruit of conversion, and being born of creation of God, and thus it is we come to be God; "For such sin not, because the Seed of new creatures. God abides in them." But such, through faithfulness, continue to the end, and obtain the promise, even everlasting life.

5. But let my reader take this along with him, that we do acknowledge that Christ, through his holy doing and suffering, for being a Son he learned obedience, has obtained mercy of God his Father for mankind,

And we are bold to declare, there is no other way like this, by which people can come into Christ, or be true Christians, or receive the advantage that comes by the death and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore we say, and upon good authority, even that of our own experience, as well as that of the Scriptures of Truth, Christ will