^ of PmcJrfy <&*f y^orf fanl to QUAKERISM EXAMINED : IN A REPLY TO THF. LETTER OF SAMUEL TUKE. BY JOHN WILKINSON. " For if the first-fruit be holy, the lump is also holy : and if the root be holy, so are the branches.'' — Rom. xi. 16. " That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." — Luke xvi. 13. " Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." — Matt. xv. 13. LONDON : THOMAS WARD AND CO., 27, PATERNOSTER ROW ; AND EBENEZER KING. HIGH WYCOMBE'. 1836. " I acknowledge the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, in all the fulness in which it is taught in Scripture; but I admit no such doctrine as THE ' INWARD LIGHT,' BECAUSE I FIND IT NOT IN SCRIPTURE I and I never can tell what is meant by these words, without the defimtuftl of the person who uses the unscriptural phrase." Isaac Crewdson. CONTENTS. Fac-simile to face the Title Page Advertisement Preliminary information . • • . vu Introduction . . . . • 1 Chap. I. Is there ground for a belief in an " inward light?" Chap. II. Is the "Light within" the "fundamental principle of Quakerism ? " . • .21 Chap. III. Are the Scriptures held in proper estimation by the Society of Friends ? . . .47 Chap. IV. Is the sacrifice of Christ held in proper esti- mation by the Society of Friends ? . .141 Chap. V. Is the Society of Friends justified in not ob- serving the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper ? .... 251 Section I. Concerning Baptism . . 253 Section II. Concerning the Lord's Supper 272 Chap. VI. Is the doctrine of perfection, as held by the Society of Friends, sanctioned by Holy Scripture ?...••■ 2!// Chap. VII. Is the complaint of Friends " shaping their language" unfounded? .... 312 Chap. VIII. Is there among Friends "an open door to the preaching of the whole revealed will of God?" .... ■ 336 Conclusion . . . • • 4.>D Appendix. . . ■ ■ • . «o?9 ADVERTISEMENT. A considerable time after I had begun writing this small volume, I heard of the existence of the paper, whereof a fac-simile is given to face the title-page. It is in the possession of an intimate and valued friend, who is descended from the Fell family : and who, on my applica- tion, very kindly allowed me to avail myself of the opportunity of exhibiting so undeniable an evidence of the nature and tendency of the pro- fession which Friends originally made, and are still making. I present the fac-simile therefore as a basket of genuine first-fruits, which it may fairly be considered to be : because some of the persons whose signatures are affixed to this re- markable document, were individuals of much influence, and were highly esteemed in the Society. They are also still regarded as pre- eminently entitled to veneration, not only on account of their supposed sanctity ; but as having been among the first to unite with George Fox in the formation of the Society. vi ADVERTISEMENT. As it will be difficult for persons who have not been accustomed to read the hand-writing of that day, to make out some of the words, a copy of the paper is subjoined; and there need not at present be any thing further said in explanation of it, than just to remark, that the words " This was sent to G F & he came back againe to thes that sent for him and he that he shak'd the dost of hise feet against was not long after convinsed," are in George Fox's hand-writing: so is also part of the indorsement, as well as the " for G. F.," prefixed. Therefore his making the memorandum, and affixing his initials, must be considered as evidence that he was not dis- satisfied with the contents of the paper. On the contrary, from the purport of what he wrote, it would appear that the paper was acceptable to him : and this also is corroborated by the evidence which other documents in the posses- sion of the same parties afford. A copy of my letter of resignation of member- ship in the Society of Friends, is also added for the purpose of reference. Wycombe, Oct. 28M, 163G. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. "For G. F. (45.)" " Our Dear Father in the Lord, " For though we have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet we have not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus thou hast begotten us through the gospel, eternal praises be to our Father; we thy babes with one consent being gathered together in the power of the Spirit : thou being present with us, our souls doth thirst and languish after thee, and doth challenge that right that we have in thee, oh, thou Bread of Life, without which Bread our souls will starve. Oh, for evermore give us this Bread, and take pity on us whom thou hast nursed up with the breasts of consolation. Oh, our life, our desires is to see thee again, that we may be refreshed and established, and so have life more abun- dantly. And let not that beastly power, which brings us in bondage, separate thy bodily pre- sence from us, who reigns as King above it, and would rejoice to see thy kingly power here triumph over it. Oh, our dear nursing Father, viii PRELIMINARY we hope thou wilt not leave us comfortless, but will come again : though that sorrow be for a time, yet joy cometh in the morning. Oh, our life, we hope to see thee again that our joy may be full ; for in thy presence is fulness of joy, and where thou dwells is pleasure for evermore. Oh, thou fountain of eternal life, our souls thirst after thee ; for in thee alone is our life and peace, and without thee have we no peace : For our souls is much refreshed by seeing thee, and our life is preserved by thee, oh thou Father of eternal felicity. " Margarett Fell. " Tho : Salthol se, " Ann Alverton, " Mary Askew, " Margarett Fell, " Bridget Fell, "Will: Caton." " Oh, our dear Father, when wilt thou come ? Susan Fell. " Dear Father, pray for us. Sarah Fell. " Oh, my dear Heart, shall we not see thee once more again ? Issabell Fell. " Thou art the Fountain of Life. Mary Fell. INFORMATION. ix " My own dear Heart, " Though thou hast shaked the dust of thy Feet at him who would not receive thee nor is not worthy of thee which shall be a Testimony against him for ever yet thou knowest that we have received thee into our Hearts and shall live with thee eternally and it is our life and joy to be with thee. And so my dear Heart* let not the power of darkness separate thy bodily presence from us which will be a grief and trouble to us and especially through him whom thou knows can call nothing his own but the plagues and woes. My soul thirsts to have thee to come once if it be but for two or three days to strike down the deceit in him for the Truths sake and if thou do not come it will add abundantly to our sorrow and strengthen the beastly power. I know it is a burthen and suffering to thee but thou hast borne our burthens and suffered for us and with us and now dear Heart do not leave us nor forsake us for our life and peace is in thee M F 185-2 " This was sent to G F & he came back againe to thes that sent for him & he that he shak'd the dost of hise feet against was not long after convinsed " X PRELIMINARY After the greater part of this work was sent to press, I received a copy of " An Appeal to the Society of Friends, by Elisha Bates," which is altogether so powerful, that I cannot satisfac- torily do otherwise than call the attention of Friends to it ; because it appears to me to be providentially ordered, that a flood of light should be poured into the " chambers of ima- gery," wherein the idolatrous system was put together, by which such a multitude of people have been deluded. In the " Appeal," a fac- simile is given of George Fox's Letter to Oliver Cromwell, in which he unequivocally arrogates to himself Messiahship : for he calls himself " the Son of God," and says that his " kingdom is not of this world." And a letter written to James Nayler, by Margaret Fell, a copy of which is also given in the "Appeal," places the subject beyond all question : for the main pur- port of this letter seems to be, to remonstrate with James Nayler for presuming to dispute the title to the Messiahship with George Fox ! ! And James Nayler was afterwards convicted as a blasphemer by the Parliament, in 1656. As some persons may peruse this volume without having the opportunity of seeing the " Appeal," I give a copy of Margaret Fell's Letter, with Elisha Bates's introductory observations upon it, which are as follows, (page 16:) — "The de- INFORMATION. lusion of James Nayler made much stir in the nation at the time at which it happened. He appears to have had a most erroneous idea of the indwelling of Christ in him; and to have supposed that he himself was the peculiar instru- ment, raised up for introducing some extraordi- nary dispensation or discovery of truth. In con- sequence of these delusions, he sanctioned the application of terms and addresses to himself, which were unlawful to any created being. George Fox visited him when in prison, on this account ; but he, supposing himself the special instrument for the great work which he imagined was about to take place, did not hold himself in the least degree subject to Fox. The latter says, ' The next day I spake to James Nayler again, and he slighted what I said, and was dark and much out; yet he would have come and kissed me. But I said, since he had turned against the power of God, I could not receive his show of kindness, so the Lord God moved me to slight him, and to set the power of God over him. So after I had been warring with the world, there was now a wicked spirit risen up amongst Friends to tear against, and I ad- monished him and his company. And when he was come to London his resisting the power of God in me, and the truth that was declared to Xll PRELIMINARY him by me, became one of his greatest burthens.' — Journal, page 220. " The following letter relates to this subject, and forms a leaf in the MS. Journal. It was from Margaret Fell to James Nayler, and is thus directed, ' For James Nayler, prisoner of the Lord at Exeter, these with care.' It is en- dorsed by George Fox for filing away, 4 M ff to J. Nayler, 1656.' It reads thus: — " Sivarthmore, \bth of yc 8 month (56.) "Dear Brother, " I have received thy letter, and it was gladness to me when I received it, and I could receive and bear wl thou had written in it, if thou had kept in subjection love and unity as thou did express in thy letter. But since I have heard that thou would not be subject to him to whom all nations shall bow, it hath greeved my spiritt. Thou hath confessed him to be thy Father, and thy life bound up in him, and when hee sent for thee and thou would not come to him where was thy life then ? Was thou not then banished from the Father's house, as thou knows thou hath writ to mee ? And y1 wch shewed thee this wch was to come I owne, but that wch banished thee I must deny, and when he bended his knees to ye most high INFORMATION. Xlll God for the seed's sake, and thou would not bend, nor bow, nor joyne with him, how wilt thou answer this to him who hath given him a name better then every name to wch every knee must bow. This is contrary to what thou wrett to me, where thou saith he is buring thy name that he may raise his owne, but it was thy name y1 stood ag" him then. And thou wrett to me ye truth should never suffer by thee, for where y" seed suffers the truth suffers : doth not ye seed and all ye body suffer by y< spiritt y' houlds not the head but rebells against him? Oh, consider what thou art doing; I ame sure ye lamb in his suffering is in subjec- tion, not resisting nor exalting, but in yc time of his suffering hee is servant to all the seed, and if thou stood in ye suffering for ye seed thou had not resisted him who is the prmise of the Father to ye seed, who hath said blessed are ye y are not offended in me : oh, deare heart, mind while it is called to day w' thou art doeing. Least thou walke naked and be a stumbling blocke to the simple, and bee tender of the truth which thou hath [not legible] and suffered for, whch draws thyne eare from unclean spiritts, wl h is like frogs which cometh out of the mouth of the dragon, ye beast, and the false P.fitt there was seene when the first angel poured out his vial upon ye great river Euphrates : b XIV PRELIMINARY read and understand, and return to thy first husband, my deare brother : I can beare all y hath beene past if thou wilt be subject to y« will of the Father, and hee who doth ye will hath learned obedience, and is subject, and I could ly downe at thy feete y' thou might trample upon me for thy good, and soe I know would hee whom thou hath resisted, though to v spiritt y' rebels it cannot bee, for that is not one wth ye Father, soe in dearness and ten- derness have I written to thee, my Father shall bear me witness, and I warn thee from the Lord God y* that thou beware of siding with unclean spirits, least thou bee cutt off for ever. Let me heare from thee as shortly as thou can after the receite of this. " Thy dear Sister in the eternal love, " M. F." " I wrett to thee after I had received thy Letter, whch may be may come to thee after this but then I did not know of this. " My husband tooke some letters from the feeld post which was to me which mentioned the difference between G. and thee and he read them." INFORMATION. XV " The allusion which is made to her husband may be explained by stating that Judge Fell died in 1658, and G. F. and M. F. were not married till 1669." I would just observe, that the authenticity of the documents from which these particulars are supplied is beyond all reasonable question. Wycombe, Dec. 8th, 183G. P. S. That the Society continues to be fully set upon resisting all evidence of the radical unsoundness of the "early Friends," is proved in a very affecting manner by an epistle from "the Meeting for Sufferings," dated "the 5th of the I -2th Month, 1836," which appears to have been written for the purpose of protect- ing the Society against the effects of the shock which the " Appeal" has given to its very- foundation. The epistle is addressed " To Friends in the Quarterly and other Meetings within the limits of this Yearly Meeting," and the following are extracts from the two first paragraphs : — " We have observed with much pain the printing and industrious circulation of various papers and pamphlets, put forth apparently for the purpose of weakening the attachment of the members of our religious Society to those XVI PRELIMINARY views of Christian truth and practice which have ever been entertained by Friends. It is not, however, our purpose, in the present address, to offer a refutation of the various charges brought against our early Friends, and against many of our Christian principles." " In the mercy and appointment of Him who ordereth all things according to the pur- pose of His own will, those who were made instrumental in gathering our Society, were, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, immediately and powerfully visited by the Holy Spirit ; and we believe it was by the ope- ration of this grace that our early Friends were subsequently formed into a distinct religious community. It has been through the exten- sion of the care of the Great Shepherd that we have been preserved to the present day." This is surely little better than sheltering the root with a chip that the axe has already cut away from it, and is a mournful instance of preferring to the Saviour those who are self- convicted of having dared to lay hands on his exclusive prerogatives and highest glory. That the prayers of many persons besides myself are offered up, that God would be pleased effectually to open the eyes of those who are upholding such a system, I cannot doubt. Indeed, how can we sufficiently deplore the resistance which INFORMATION. XVll is shown to such overwhelming evidence : for when we consider the fearful effects which, in all ages, have resulted from the pertinacious support of error, the contemplation of what rfiay result from the present resistance to the truth wrings one's heart with sorrow. Upper Clapton, Dec. 30th, 1836. The following is a copy of my Letter of resig- nation of membership in the Society of Friends, viz. : — TO THE MONTHLY MEETING OF FRIENDS, To be held at Chesfiam, the 4th of the 2nd Month, 1836. " My Dear Friends, " The desire for your welfare, and for the promotion of your best and eternal interests, was never, I believe, more deeply felt by me than at the present time. I therefore hope that the subject of this communication will not for one moment be viewed by you, as in any re- spect indicating a defect of that sincere love that I have long felt for you all, nor of the particular friendship that has been cherished in my heart b 3 XV 111 PRELIMINARY for many of you. But you must be well aware, that circumstances may arise to render the dis- solution of certain connexions indispensable ; and after much deep and very painful consider- ation, I am now fully convinced of the necessity of my withdrawing from the Society of Friends. " It is many years since my eyes were in some measm-e opened to see the Holy Scriptures in a very different point of view from that in which, it seems to me, the Society has always regarded them ; and it is now about seven years since I felt a powerful and enduring conviction of the absolute necessity of gratefully accepting Holy Scripture, not as a secondary rule, but as the rule of faith and practice. " Now I believe this acceptance of Scripture was brought about in me by the operation of the Holy Spirit upon my heart ; because it was accompanied by such a view of my own state as a poor, undone, and helpless sinner, and of the offices of our adorable Saviour, and of the Holy Spirit, as I had never before been able to take. The cardinal doctrine of justification by faith, was also more and more clearly opened to me, for which I can never be sufficiently thankful. " It was not long after the change of view I have mentioned relative to the Scriptures, that I became convinced that the ' fundamental principle' of the Society of Friends, and that of INFORMATION. XIX those who now go under the denomination of Seeeders or Hicksites, is one and the same. I had before imagined that these unhappy and misguided persons had departed from the dis- tinguishing principle of the Society of Friends ; but, alas ! one common root supplies them both : the legitimate fruit of the one being only more conspicuous and undisguised than that of the other. u This conviction was forced upon me very unexpectedly, by reading the second section of Robert Barclay's Third Proposition, which, while it professes to uphold the Scriptures as hea- venly and Divine writings, virtually destroys their authority, by setting above them the Spirit, which is supposed to be in the heart of every man, whereby even the Scriptures themselves may be tested. Now it appears to me, that there never was a more fertile source of error broached in this fallen world ; and where such a principle is held, it only requires some particu- lar excitement to make it productive of the worst imaginable fruit. "The discipline of Friends has served to keep up that moral decency for which they are admired by the world, and on account of which they also hold themselves in estimation; but this is only ' making clean the outside of the cup and of the platter ;' for unless, by the grace PRELIMINARY of God, Holy Scripture be accepted as the rule of faith and practice, there can be no sound in- ternal principle of action : because it is bv faith in what God has been pleased to reveal through the apostles and prophets, which the apostle* speaks of as the foundation upon which all true Christians are built, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, whereby the whole body of believers (represented by a spiritual temple) are consecrated. " If, then, the doctrine of the apostles and pro- phets is that upon which, and upon which only, all true believers rest their faith, (Jesus Christ himself, as the rock of ages, supporting the whole.) it is clear that inward and immediate re- velation, as both Friends and the Seceders from them understand it, is an utter fallacy : and to build faith upon what is imagined to be inwardly revealed, is nothing better than a delusion. I speak of this most feelingly ; because I am fully persuaded that such a notion, when calmly and patiently examined by the light of Holy .Scrip- ture, will be found to lead directly to deism. It appears to me, indeed, to be worse, inas- much as it is deism with a fallacious gloss thrown over it; whereby the unhappy person who is deluded by it, fancies himself to be really a Christian, because he believes in what he * Ephes. ii. 20— "22. INFORMATION. xxi calls revelation, and supposes that he has Christ within him as an inward principle : but alas for him in the day of trial! His 'faith' is no better than a broken reed, which pierces the hand that leans upon it. Tens of thousands have, I fear, thus been lulled, until they have slept the sleep of death. " When, by the unmerited mercy of God, I was roused by the consciousness of this awful state of things, it was my endeavour to point it out, especially to those who had most influence in the Society ; and for a time I indulged the hope, that in this country at least, Friends would be warned against retaining a principle, which had manifestly produced such devastation in Ireland, as well as on the other side of the Atlantic : but I am now obliged wholly to abandon the hope, that as a Society, Friends will ever receive the Holy Scriptures as the rule of faith and practice ; because I see, to mv indescribable sorrow, that whilst, on many public- occasions, they are shaping their language so as to give an idea of their full reception of Holy Scripture, they still cling, if possible, more closely than ever, to the ruinous fallacy of the paramount authority of their own inward and immediate revelation. Ministry, also, is con- stantly brought to the test, which is furnished by the writings of the k early Friends,' not to XXll PRELIMINARY that of Holy Scripture. The books, too, which in the present controversy meet with very ex- tensive acceptance among those who must be considered as having the chief influence in the Society, I can only look upon as being wholly subversive of the gospel: whilst, at the same time, the publications and the preaching, which tend to promote the cause of the gospel, are as generally discouraged, and as much as possible put down. " But, as if to place this matter bevond ques- tion, a publication which is directly levelled against Hicksism, and, by appropriate quota- tions from the Holy Scriptures, clearlv shows its contradiction of gospel truth, is said by the generality of Friends, to be secretly aimed against their principles : thereby, as every rea- sonable and unprejudiced person must see, iden- tifying their principles with those of the Hicks- ites. The excellent author of ' the Beacon, (the publication to which I allude,) as a mark of their disapprobation of the work, has lately, it seems, been silenced ' for the present,' as a minister, by the committee of the Yearly Meet- ing, who were appointed to visit the Quarterly Meeting of which he is a member. But this mark appears to me to give an honourable dis- tinction to the Christian man on whom it is placed, and at the same time fixes a stigma on INFORMATION'. XX1U those who have dared to wound the cause of the gospel by such a stretch of authority : for they have not been able to lay their fingers on a single sentence in « the Beacon' which they have ventured openly to condemn. " I, therefore, feel myself conscientiously bound to renounce a profession which I believe to be incurably hostile to the gospel : but at the same time that I request you no longer to consider me as a member of the Society, I can most truly say that my controversy is with prin- ciples, not with persons; neither do I presume to judge individuals : but my heart's desire and prayer to God is, that, for Jesus Christ's sake, every member of the Society may, by the rege- nerating power of the Holy Spirit, be enabled to lay hold on the word of the truth of the gos- pel : and thus by true repentance, and a scrip- tural faith in God, and in the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, may be made a par- taker of that salvation which comes through him alone. " Indeed, my beloved Friends, I cannot by any words express the affectionate and earnest solicitude I feel, that you may throw aside with holy indignation the mischievous traditions of men ; and receive with child-like simplicity the truth, which God has so graciously and so clearly revealed in Holy Scripture. And let Xxiv PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. me assure you, that notwithstanding the separa- tion now made between us, which will prevent my voice from being again heard among you to proclaim the truth of the gospel, yet my prayers to God for you will continue to be put up in secret. " But allow me most solemnly to remind you, that the numerous and sufficient warnings you have had, not only by the plain statement of the truth, but by the incontrovertible evidence of the delusive nature of the principles you pro- fess, must necessarily bring upon you an aggra- vated condemnation, if such warnings are dis- regarded. Look, I beseech you, with an intel- ligent and impartial eye to Ireland, to America, and though last, not least, to this country, for evidence of the destructive effects of these dead- ening principles. I entreat you, therefore, not to count me ' your enemy because I tell you the truth,' but believe me to be your faithful and affectionate friend, " John Wilkinson." ' " Upper Clapton, ■2nd of 2nd Month, 1836." INTRODUCTION. If my information be correct, the letter ad- dressed to me by Samuel Tuke is not to be considered as the production of that much- esteemed individual alone, but that several other influential members of your Society have given their assistance in drawing it up, and that it has also been revised by the meeting whose business it is to judge of publications that re- late to the principles of the Society. It will, therefore, be more suitable for me to address the observations I have to make upon it to Friends generally, than to the talented writer whose name appears in the title-page of it. I confess, it gives me a great deal of concern to find, that although it was my endeavour to guard the expressions in my letter of resignation of membership in the Society,* so as that no one might consider himself to be personally reflected on ; yet that much offence has been taken from * For the sake of conciseness, this will afterwards be referred to by the term, " My Letter." B •2 INTRODUCTION. the idea, that I had particular persons in view., I can truly say, this was not the case ; and it must be recollected, that in my letter it is dis- tinctly stated, that my controversy is with prin- ciples, not with persons. And if any expressions I have made use of seem to bear hard on in- dividuals, who have for several years taken the most active part in the Society, I must acknow- ledge, it never entered my mind that these, in particular, would imagine themselves to be singled out by me ; because, whatever- has been performed by them as organs of the Society must be considered as done by the Society itself. Nothing, certainly, but an imperative sense of duty would have induced me to make public my reasons for leaving the Society, for no one, I think, can love retirement or dislike publicity more than I do; but as hitherto there has appeared to me to be no proper disposition manifested by the Society to take warning by the very awful exhibitions of the effects of the unscriptural principles which are, as far as I can see, still exerting their full force, unchecked by any substantial public act of the Society ; and as, by the full reception of these principles in which from four years of age I was educated, I have been placed in a situation as perilous as can well INTRODUCTION. be imagined; never could I have answered it to myself, much less to that adorable and merciful Saviour, who, in wholly unmerited grace, has rescued me and snatched me as a brand from v the burning, if I had allowed myself silently to retire from so dangerous a profession. Whether I have made any unjust charges against the principles or practices of the Society, may be better judged of after the perusal of what I am about to write, than can be seen by the letter which is under my review; for it appears to me, however unintentional on the part of the writers, to contain a very partial exhibition of the whole subject. In the first place, it seems to be insi- nuated that I am charging the whole Society with being deists. Now really this is not the case : we know that persons may in the first instance be deceived with regard to the direct tendency of the principles they profess to hold; which principles also may not have so full a hold upon them as might be supposed to be the case, by the manner in which they speak or write of them. And we also know that many who are educated in the profession of certain principles, may see through the fallacy of them, and yet, from not knowing how to liberate them- selves from the trammels of their profession. 4 INTRODUCTION. without the trying alternative of taking up with something which they think would bring them into other conscientious difficulties, are induced to continue in their profession. Such as these may be every day afflicted with the evidence of the fallacy of the principles they profess, and are certainly deserving of much sympathy. But, for all this, it by no means follows, that we are to view the principles in any other than their true light, or, for the sake of sparing the feelings of those who are firmly attached to them, to abate any thing of a plain statement of their real nature, when fairly brought to the only proper test — Holy Scripture, because the immense interests at stake far outweigh any consideration of a little present pain or mortification ; and I must be allowed to say, that I do not write as a speculative, but as a practical man. / have really tasted the indescribable bitterness of the principles I complain of; and I am sure, so far from its being my wish to excite unpleasant discussion, or to bring discredit on any persons living, or to the memory of those who are removed from the present stage of existence, the idea of such things is a real grief to me. It appears that Friends, from the very first, were, by pious and judicious persons of various INTRODUCTION. 5 denominations in the Christian church, warned of the extreme danger of their principles : this faithful dealing seems to have been uniformly met by any thing but what was most desirable — the acknowledgment and rejection of the errors. The effects, however, which have manifested themselves during the last forty years, if no others of an unfavourable nature had been ob- served longer ago, must be considered as fully justifying the painful anticipations of Christians who lived in the days of George Fox. Ever since those days, at longer or shorter intervals, watchmen upon the walls of Zion* have given alarms concerning the dangerous nature of the " inward light," which has all along been con- sidered as the very foundation of Quakerism; and that it is so, I shall soon bring forward quo- tations from the acknowledged, and at this day strongly recommended writings of Friends, to prove. Such quotations might be increased to an amazing extent, but I must of course be satisfied with presenting a very small number. When I consider the professedly spiritual, but really infidel publications that are read and cir- culated by the generality of Friends, even bv many who are in the influential stations of * Baxter, Bum an, Owen, Leslie, &c. B 3 6 INTRODUCTION. "Ministers," "Elders," and "Overseers:" and that the author of the " Beacon" is the subject of what appears to me to be persecution, for hav- ing published a most salutary warning against doctrines, the prevalence whereof is proved by the conduct which is shown towards the author, and the general denunciation of his book : it is impossible for me not to entertain very distress- ing apprehensions relative to the extensive dif- fusion of just such mystical deism in the Society as, from the nature of its professed principles, might be supposed to be of indigenous growth in it. But I am sure it is to me the subject of unfeigned joy and thankfulness also to believe, that an increasing number are rising up in the Society, who are cordially embracing the genuine doctrines of the gospel ; and are, in the midst of many trials and disadvantages, adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour; and that there have been such in all ages of the Society. In my turn, therefore, I must be allowed to remonstrate against the construction which, at page 22 of the letter which is addressed to me,* is given of some expressions of mine, and is certainly straining them beyond any thing that * When reference is made to this publication, it will be distin- guished thus — " Letter." INTRODUCTION. / I intended, or that can fairly be made of them. Surely, when thirty thousand persons in America alone, have, within the last few years, openly become " Hicksites," and, with the profession of high spirituality, are really denying the efficacy of that precious blood, without the shedding of which, by our adorable Saviour, there could have been no remission of sins ; and if (according to page 25 of the "Letter") "the evils which led to the out-break were the growth of years," there can be nothing very wonderful if one, who has been made to feel in his inmost soul the curse of such doctrines, and that he was himself just on the crumbling brink of the yawn- ing gulf, should express his "fear" that even tens of thousands, dreadful as is the thought, may have sunk into ruin. Whether my fears be groundless or not, I must leave it to others to form their own judgment, but I have considered it my duty to express them; and would to God they might be groundless : far be it from me to judge individuals; I look at the mass, and, con- templating their professed principles, cannot view it otherwise than as presenting a most affecting and appalling aspect. I also know that the rescue which has been so graciously afforded to me is owing to no sagacity of mine, but in my 8 INTRODUCTION. distress I cried unto the Lord: he heard my cry; he brought me up out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. Common gratitude would induce me to acknow- ledge this, and when every added year only serves to confirm my view of the nature of the danger in which I was placed, how can I withhold the voice of warning, that others also may be excited to cry out to the same merciful Father for help, in the name and for the sake of that gracious Saviour who gave himself for us. CHAPTER I. IS THERE GROUND FOR A BELIEF IN AN " INWARD LIGHT .' " Before bringing forward quotations from the writings of Friends to substantiate the positions I have laid down in my Letter, let me just examine the very first extract which is given in the appendix to the "Letter" to which I am replying; and it may then be seen whether the extract is really calculated to answer the pur- pose for which we must conclude it has been brought forward — that of proving the soundness of the principles of Friends: and we must sup- pose that, for this end, the best passages that could readily be found would be selected. Alas ! for every line that has an evangelical cast in Friends' writings, I question whether a page might not be found deplorably at vari- ance with the genuine doctrines of the gospel. And the scarcity of good paragraphs may be argued by the fact, that, in very numerous in- stances, the same things in different publica- 10 GROUND FOR BELIEF IX tions are to be found prominently put forth; for instance, the address of George Fox and some others to the Governor of Barbadoes has of late so often caught my eye, that one may almost predict, if the scriptural nature of Friends' views is to be argued, some extracts from that document will make .a conspicuous figure. Accordingly, we find it taking the second place in the appendix to the "Letter." (P. 3*2.) But it will be needless to examine more than the first of the "doctrinal extracts;" because the same remarks must apply to all, for the grievance lies at the root. I may, however, occasionally notice some of them. On referring to page 156 of George Fox's Journal, we find the passage from which Extract 1.* is taken begins as follows: " From Worcester we went to Tewkesbury, where in the evening we had a great meeting, to which came the priest of the town with a great rabble of people. * This extract is ;is follows : — "1. I turned the people to the Divine Light, which Christ, the heavenly and spiritual man, enlightcneth them withal; that with that light they might see their sins, and that they were in death and darkness, and without God in the world ; and might also see Christ, from whom it coineth. their Saviour and Redeemer, who shed his blood, and died for them ; who is the way to God. the truth and the life." AS "INWARD LIGHT." i I The priest boasted that he would see whether he or I should have the victory." Now from this it may be inferred, that not only the people were extremely ignorant, but that the priest too was, unhappily, little qualified to teach them. On what principle, then, could George Fox " turn " these " people to the Divine Light which Christ, the heavenly and spiritual man, enlighten^// them withal?" Because it appears from his own account that " they were in death and dark- ness, and without God in the world." Was it then sufficient to attempt to "turn" such people to a Divine light in themselves? What evidence was there that persons in death and darkness, and without God in the world, had a Divine light to turn to ? If it be said, that George Fox made use of the name of Christ, and spoke of him as their Saviour and Redeemer, who shed his blood and died for them, we must ask, was it a scriptural way of setting him forth, to speak of him as the heavenly and spiritual man, who was already enlightening them, although they were, it seems, in darkness, and without God in the world ? If these ignorant people could catch any idea at all from such kind of declamation, one must suppose it would be, that every thing necessary 12 GROUND FOR BELIEF IN for their salvation was to be found within them- selves. This, then, was not in reality directing them to Christ, because Christ is not within those who are in death and darkness, and are without God in the world. Christ dwelleth in the hearts of believers by faith ; but certainly the Holy Scriptures give no countenance whatever to the notion, that either Christ or the Holy Spirit dwells in the dark, unregenerate heart of man. Let us examine some scriptural authorities on the subject. In the 17th verse of the 14th chap- ter of John, we find that our Lord Jesus Christ declared to his disciples, concerning the Spirit of truth, or the Holy Spirit, that the world could not receive him, because it seeth him not, nei- ther knoweth him : but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. If the objection be raised which, if I am not mistaken, I have somewhere met with, that the world spoken of in the text means those who had re- jected and cast out the light which had been in them, it is very plain that if this were granted, (which no enlightened Christian could, I think, take for granted,) the case we are considering is not at all helped by it, because these people are said to be in death and darkness, and without AN* "INWARD LIGHT. 13 God in the world. Now, as from the text it is perfectly clear that " the world," which cannot be considered as comprehending a small part of mankind, have not the Holy Spirit abiding in them, those who are in death and darkness, and are without God in the world, (whether they have rejected the light or not,) have not light, neither have they the Holy Spirit ; for the Holy Spirit is Goo, but they are without God in the world, How could it be truly said, then, that " Christ, the heavenly and spiritual man," was enlightening persons under such circumstances ? And could it be fairly preaching the gospel to such per- sons, to tell them "that with that light" (name- ly, the light they had though they were in darkness) " they might see their sins, and that they were in death and darkness, and without God in the world, and might also see Christ from whom it cometh ?" Is there a single passage in the New Testa- ment by which it could be proved that our Lord Jesus Christ or his apostles ever directed any persons to a light within themselves ? How numerous were the occasions on which, if there really were this inward illumination, independ- ently of teaching or preaching, those to whom 14 GROUND FOR BELIEF IX our Saviour spoke might and doubtless would by him have been directed to attend to it.* For although our Lord is spoken of and speaks of himself as giving light, it is evident that the light signifies the doctrine he held forth, as well as the perfect example he exhibited. Thus, in Matthew iv. 13 — 17, we find the sojourn of the Lord Jesus in the borders of Zabulon and Neph- thalim, is declared to have fulfilled a prophecy of Isaiah, (ix. 1, 2,) "The people which sat in darkness saw a great light," Sec. And it immedi- ately follows, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of * The parable of tlie rich man and Lazarus, (Luke xvi. 19—31,) may very properly be brought as an evidence of this. In the latter part of the parable we read as follows : " I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him [Lazarus] to my fathers house : for I have five brethren ; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets ; let them hear them. And he said. Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." Now, according to Friends' principles, it would surely have been said by Abraham, " Thy brethren have every one of them an inward light, seed, or principle in them, to the guidance of which, if they take heed, they w ill he kept from the place of tor- ment in which thou art ; and if thou hadst been faithful to the leading of that which was within thee, thou wouldest never have been subjected to what thou art now suffering." AN " INWARD LIGHT. 15 heaven is at hand." The Apostle, also, in the commencement of the Epistle to the Hebrews, says, " God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." It is very clear, then, that a principal meaning of the word light, is true saving knowledge; and that our Lord Jesus Christ is called " light," because of his having communicated that knowledge, and that he is the fountain of all saving knowledge. In this way, doubtless, we must understand his mean- ing when he says, (John xii. 46 — 48,) "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever be- lieveth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not : for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." We see, then, that the words spoken by our Lord are referred to not only as light to believers, but as furnishing a ground for the condemn- ation of those who prove their rejection of him by not receiving his words ; and this, of course, must not only be taken as applicable to tlie 16 GROUND FOR BELIEF IN words heard from his own mouth, but to the faithful record of them which is transmitted to us. Our Lord says, indeed, (Matthew vi. 22,) " The light of the body is the eye : if there- fore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light; but if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If there- fore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness ! " That is, (laying aside the metaphor,) if in simplicity we receive the saving knowledge of the gospel, our whole course will be clear; but if from any cause we take a partial and confused view of the truth, or do not receive it at all, we shall be constantly in peril. And if for our first principle we take error instead of truth, how intense and fatal must be the darkness of mind that is produced by it. In the 19th, 20th, and 21st verses of the third chapter of John, our Lord tells us, " This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, but that men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil," &c. Taking this in connexion with John i. 5, " The light shineth in darkness ; and the darkness comprehendeth it not," plain- ly shows that the latter passage does not imply AN "INWARD LIGHT. 17 that the light and the darkness were in the same individuals, but that true and saving know- ledge was openly promulgated to the world by the Son of God; but that owing to the corruption and evil of the human heart, it was generally disregarded or rejected. Now I think it must be seen, that what George Fox, by his own account, said to the ignorant multitude, essentially differs from warn- ing them to repent of their sins, and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; and as this was the purport of the exhortations of our Lord and the apostles, without any reference to an " in- ward light," or internal manifestation, which would direct them to the knowledge of Christ, we may be well assured that to " turn " ignorant and unregenerate persons to a light in their own minds, is to direct them to something which is not to be found there. Is there not, indeed, an absurdity upon the very face of the supposition, that the Spirit of the Mediator is to be found in the hearts of the enemies of God, (for all those who are in darkness and death, and without God in the world, must be,) that they might see their sins, and also see Christ their Saviour, &c? Will not the spirit which really does abide in c 3 18 GROUND FOR BELIEF IX them, be likely to take advantage of such notions as these, and whilst he is keeping them in a state of enmity, induce them, after they have, perhaps, exerted themselves in more or less of an ineffectual struggle, to feel satisfied with their darkness and ignorance, which they are mistaking for light and knowledge, and becoming i nfiated by their false notions, are built up in their pride and folly ? Our Lord says expressly, w' Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." It is by the operation of the Holy Spirit upon the heart and mind, with " the word of the truth of the gospel," that regenera- tion is effected. " Of his own will begat he us, with the word of truth." James i. 1 8. Without this man cannot see the real nature and hateful- ness of sin, nor can he be sensible of the inesti- mable value of the way of salvation by Christ : he cannot, therefore, submit or truly repent, neither can he believe, love, nor yield obedience. It is, however, by repentance towards God, and by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, not as the dark heart and unrenewed mind may happen to regard him, but as he is revealed to us in Holy Scripture, or made known to us by the preach- ing of the gospel, that we are justified and have peace with God. And it is because true AN " INWARD LIGHT." 19 believers are sons, that God doth send forth the Spirit of his Son into their hearts. We see then, even by this selected quotation from George Fox's journal, what will more fully appear in the sequel, that it really is the funda- mental principle of Quakerism to "turn" men to their own hearts for light* But is there safety in the direction of that which is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ? And are we not expressly told, (Prov. xxviii. 26,) " He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool?" That such doctrine had, from the earliest time of its promulgation by Friends, a strong tendency to inflate as well as to mislead, may be gathered from the following title of one of George Fox's tracts, (Doctrinals, page 131,) " The Pearl found in England. This for the poor distressed scat- tered ones in foreign nations. From the royal seed of God, and heirs of salvation, called Quakers, who are the church of the living God : built up together of living stones in England. * It ought not to escape notice, that when George Fox preached, he "turned" people to the "light within," that they might see Christ; hut when John the Baptist preached, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." He did not turn them to the light that they might see Christ, hut he directed them to Christ himself. '20 BELIEF IN AN "INWARD LIGHT." A visitation and uniting to the pearl of God, which is hid in all the world, that every one may turn into himself, and there feel it and find it." In the preface to his " Battledore," George Fox also wrote as follows : " All languages are to me no more than dust, who was before all languages were, and am redeemed out of lan- guages into the power where all men shall agree." CHAPTER II. IS THE " LIGHT WITHIN" THE " FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE" OF QUAKERISM .' I n page 3 of the " Letter," there appears to me to be an attempt to take off a great por- tion of the stress which Friends have uniformly laid on (I do not know what else to call it than) their fundamental principle ; although, at page "2*2, the expression, " Through the holding of what thou calls the fundamental principle of the Quakers," is to be found; and at page 23, it is said, " I must here repeat my objection to thy term, ' the fundamental principle of the Society of Friends. ' " Now, whether I have really used an improper term, the following quotations will show : a very large number of passages to the same purport might be selected from numerous publications issued by the Society, but I mean principally to confine myself to those which from early times have been most familiar to Friends. " Being to write of the Vujht of Christ within, 22 1 LIGHT WITHIN" the great principle of God in man, the root and spring of divine life and knowledge in the soul ; that by which salvation is effected for man, and which is the characteristic of the people called Quakers, their faith and testimony to the roorld" Penn's Christian Quaker, Fol. Edit, vol i. p. 523. " I have already touched upon their funda- mental principle, which is as the corner-stone of their fabric ; and to speak eminently and pro- perly, their characteristic or main distinguish- ing point or principle ; namely, the light of Christ within, as God's gift for man's salvation. This, I say, is as the root of the goodly tree of doctrines that grew and branched out from it, which I shall now mention in their natural and experimental order." W. Penn's preface to G. Fox's Journal. Third Edit. 1765. page x. " By this seed, grace, and word of God and light, wherewith we say every one is enlight- ened, and hath a measure of it, which strives with him in order to save him, and which may, by the stubbornness and wickedness of man's will, be quenched, bruised, wounded, pressed down, slain, and crucified, we understand not the proper essence and nature of God precisely taken, which is not divisible into parts and measures, as being a most pure, simple being, THE " FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE." 23 void of all composition or division, and there- fore can neither be resisted, hurt, wounded, crucified, or slain, by all the efforts and strength of men ; but ice understand a spiritual, heaveidy, and invisible principle, in which God as Father, Son, and Sj>irit, dwells ; a measure of which divine and glorious life is in all men as a seed, which of its own nature draws, invites, and in- clines to God; and this some call vehiculum Dei, or the spiritual body of Christ, the flesh and blood of Christ which came down from heaven, on which all the saints do feed, and are there- by nourished unto eternal life. And as even- unrighteous action is witnessed against, and reproved by this light and seed, so by such actions it is hurt, wounded, and slain, and flees from them, even as the flesh of man flees from that which is of a contrary nature to it. Now because it is never separated from God nor Christ, but wherever it is, God and Christ are as wrapped up therein, therefore, and in that respect as it is resisted, God is said to be resist- ed ; and where it is borne down, God is said to be pressed as a cart under sheaves, and Christ is said to be slain and crucified. And, on the contrary, as this seed is received in the heart, and suffered to bring forth its natural 24 LIGHT WITIIIX and proper effect, Christ comes to be formed and raised, of which the Scripture makes so much mention ; calling it the new man, Christ within, the hope of glory. This is that Christ within which we are heard so much to speak and declare of every where, preaching him up and exhorting people to believe in the light and obey it; that they may come to know Christ in them, to (Mirer them from all sin." Barclay's Apology. Seventh Edit. Prop. v. vi., § xiii. " And in this seed in the hearts of all men is the kingdom of God, as in capacity to be produced, or rather exhibited, according as it receives depth, is nourished, and not choked; hence Christ saith that the kingdom of God was in the very pharisees (Luke xvii. 20, 21) who did oppose and resist him, and were justly ac- counted as serpents and a generation of vipers. Now the kingdom of God could be no other- wise in them than in a seed, even as the thirty fold and the hundred fold is wrapped up in a small seed lying in a barren ground, which springs not forth because it wants nourishment, and as the whole body of a great tree is wrap- ped up potentially in the seed of the tree, and so is brought forth in due season, and as the THE " FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE." 25 capacity of a man or woman is not only in a child, but even in the very embryo ; even so the kingdom of Jesus Christ, yea, Jesus Christ him- self, Christ within, who is the hope of glory, and becometh wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, is in every man and woman's heart in that little incorruptible seed, ready to be brought forth, as it is cherished and received in the love of it. For there can be no men worse than those rebellious and unbelieving Pharisees were, and yet this kingdom was thus within them, and they were directed to look for it there ; so it is neither lo here ! nor lo there ! in this or the other observation, that this is known ,• but as this seed of God in the heart is minded and entertained. And certainly hence it is, even because this light, seed, and grace, that appears in the heart of man is so little regarded, and so much overlooked, that so few know Christ brought forth in them." Bar- clay's Apology, Prop. v. vi. § 24. Much the same theory is also exhibited by J. Pennington. See his works, vol. ii. p. 598. If Robert Barclay had really wished to bring the gospel into contempt, he could hardly have written any thing more likely to effect the pur- pose. It is, indeed, difficult to conceive how a D 26 11 LIGHT WITHIN " sensible man could gravely write what is ex- tracted above ; and the same observations would apply to what is to be found in the works of J. Pennington. " For a second reason of its (the inward light's) insufficiency, thou sayest it reveals not Jesus Christ a Saviour, in respect it gives not a discovery of his incarnation, passion, resurrec- tion, &c, citing 1 Cor. ii. 2. And from this place thou wouldst infer that the apostle pre- ferred the knowledge of Christ, as crucified outwardly, to all other knowledge. Answer : Though we willingly acknowledge, that to know him even as he did outwardly come, and was crucified, &c, is a good knowledge, and of great profit and comfort to them who believe, yet we deny that the knowledge of him as out- wardly crucified is the best of all other know- ledge of him, or to be preferred to all other ways of knowing him ; nor does that scripture, 1 Cor. ii. 2, prove it. " For Paul is not speaking there of Christ as crucified outwardly in Judea, but of him as he was inwardly crucified in the Corin- thians, when Paul first came unto them to preach the gospel, as the words do plainly im- port, being rightly translated out of the Greek : THE "FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE." 27 " For I determined not to know any thing iv bfiiv that is, in you,* but Jesus Christ and him cru- cified. This was the apostle's care and travail in his ministry, to declare and hold forth unto the Corinthians and other Gentiles Jesus Christ, who was crucified in them in his suffering seed, even that seed of light and truth which suffered and was crucified in them under the burden of their transgression. According to which, he said to the Galatians that Jesus Christ was evidently set before their eyes, crucified in them, iv vjxiv, And (Eph. iii. 8.) he said this grace was given unto him to preach ev ro 69 object of the faith of the saints was the immediate revelations made by the Spirit to themselves ; " and in the last proposition it is said, " that the same continueth to be the object of the saints' faith to this day." Never can I sufficiently deplore these dreadfully sophistical arguments, because they are calculated to draw the minds of men away from the revealed truth of God, and to fix them, as far as the deluded and unstable mind can be fixed, on what they suppose to be "immediate revelations" to themselves. For as, by this train of " undeniable argument" Holy Scripture is left completely out of account, it is not at all wonderful that persons who hold such views should set themselves violently against acknowledging the Scriptures as the rule of faith and practice ; and, whilst they deny it to be the word of God, are satisfied to consider as such what they suppose to be immediate revelations to themselves.* But in this infinitely momentous concern let us spend a little time in examining whether there is ground for asserting that these "inward- re vela- * It can hardly he credible to those who arc not acquainted with the writings of Friends, how continually they were bestowing the epithet of the " word of God " on their own declarations and denunciations. 70 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD tions " were really the formal object of the saints' faith. In the same page with the summing up of the argument which has been brought forward above, Barclay says, " Nor dare any affirm that none come to the knowledge of God and salva- tion by the inward revelation of the Spirit without these other outward means, unless they be also so bold as to exclude Abel, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Job, and all the holy patriarchs, from true know- ledge and salvation." Now, what sound Christian would, for a moment, be inclined to exclude Abel, &c, from true knowledge and salvation ? For we have it on record, that to some of these eminent men God was pleased to give imme- diate revelation, and through them are transmit- ted to us exceedingly important parts of the word of God. With regard to the others, there is no evidence that the revelation they had was imme- diate ; and what, in reality, does it signify ? for, if a man receive and believe a message from God of pardon and salvation, in which both himself and the messenger are alike concerned, he is as well off as the believing bearer of the message, and infinitely better than one whose heart, not being wrought upon by the Holy Spirit, merely communicates the truth to others, which, nevertheless, he has received by Divine INT PROPER ESTIMATION ! 71 revelation. Thus it was with Balaam, who was evidently an unconverted man at the very time that, by immediate revelation, he was prophesying concerning the Messiah ; and he afterwards perished among the enemies of God. In the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle speaks of the elders having obtained a good report by faith ; but it by no means follows that their faith was founded on what had been immediately revealed to them. We have no evidence that Abel had any immediate revelation ; yet he offered the sacrifice of faith ; he believed in the promise of God, that "the seed of the woman " should bruise the head of the serpent, and he shed the blood of victims accordingly, whereby, in the appointed manner, he typified the sacrifice of the Messiah, who, in all ages, has been the glorious object of the saints' faith. But it was surely not necessary for their faith that the promise should be made by God to them immediately; they heard and believed the message of good things ; and they acted accordingly, for truth suffers nothing by passing through a thousand hands, if it be faithfully transmitted; and bearing the stamp of Divine authority, happy is it for those who believe it, however numerous may be the ages 7-2 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD that roll between its original communication and the reception of it by believers. " Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness," ( Gen. xv. 6 ; Rom. iv. 3, &c.) To Abraham, in a special manner, was im- mediately given the infinitely important promise, " In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." This gracious promise was repeated, and was confirmed in the most solemn and condescending manner by an oath. In the long period between the promise and the coming of the Messiah, the stream of prophecy was widened until the days of Malachi ; but although, when we look at this delightful and living stream in its breadth and depth, and think of the number of holy men who were commissioned to swell it by the word trans- mitted through them, we admire the goodness of God in giving such an inestimable treasure as his word, harmoniously flowing through many channels; yet when the number of persons who were immediately commissioned to declare the word of God is compared with mankind at large, how extremely small it is, and how absurd it is to attempt to make out, that because in the days of old there were prophets, thei'e must be pro- phets now, for the testimony of Jesus is the very spirit and life of prophecy ; but the Lord Jesus IN PROPER ESTIMATION' 73 is come according as it was prophesied of him : the declaration, therefore, of the fact is now the chief matter to be regarded. " These " [things] " are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, ye might have life through his name," John xx. 31. And since the days of the apostles, what has been the value of all the prophecies that have been given to the world ? And has there been one single verse added to Holy Scripture ? No ; nor is it needed. " Thomas," said the Lord Jesus, " because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed ; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Abundant, then, is the provision. What is wanting is not the spirit of prophecy, but that humble, teachable spirit whereby we may be induced most grate- fully to accept the word of God as contained in Holy Scripture, and, by a diligent and prayerful study of it, that we may grow in the knowledge of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ. How beautifully does the apostle Paul (*2 Cor. iii. 18) compare the Scripture to a glass, in which the glory of the Lord is to be seen ; by the beholding whereof with unveiled face, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the H 74 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD Spirit of the Lord. We must then believe it is by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit that we are enabled to receive the word, whereby we are changed into the image of Him who gave it. Now, when we consider how exceedingly averse the generality of persons are to the diligent study of the Scriptures, how can we sufficiently deplore the existence of a well-com- pacted system, which, whilst it professedly ac- knowledges the authority of Scripture as a Divine revelation, by a short cut leaves out the whole substance of Scripture, by assuming that we have the substance of it in ourselves, and all that is wanting is for us to search deep enough in our own hearts to find it ! And let us take especial notice, this is not a doctrine held out only here and there by some obscure authors among Friends, for it pervades their standard and ap- proved icriters, and is, in fact, the very essence of Quakerism. As a further evidence of it, I will give quotations from several of their most highly-esteemed writers ; and I am sure extracts might, with the greatest ease, be multiplied to a most frightful extent. The particular passage in Barclay's Apology (Prop. 3rd, section 2nd) to which I have alluded IN PROPER ESTIMATION" r 75 in my Letter, and which has not been even mentioned by the writers of the "Letter" in reply to it, may very properly be first brought forward. It is as follows, viz. — " Though, then, we do acknowledge the Scriptures to be very heavenly and divine writings, the use of them to be very comfortable and necessary to the church of Christ, and that we also admire and give praise to the Lord for his wonderful provi- dence in preserving these writings so pure and uncorrupted as we have them through so long a night of apostacy, to be a testimony of his truth against the wickedness and abominations even of those whom he made instrumental in preserving them, so that they have kept them to be a witness against themselves ; yet we may not call them the principal fountain of all truth and knowledge, nor yet the first adequate rule of faith and manners, because the principal foun- tain of truth must be the truth itself; i. e. that whose certainty and authority depends not on another. When we doubt of the streams of anv river or flood, we recur to the fountain itself: and having found it, there we desist ; we can go no further, because there it springs out of the bowels of the earth, which are inscrutable. Even so the writings and sayings of all men we must 76 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD bring to the word of God — I mean the Eternal Word; and if they agree hereunto, we stand there. For this word always proceedeth, and doth eternally proceed from God, in and by which the unsearchable wisdom of God, and unsearchable counsel and will conceived in the heart of God are revealed unto us. That, then, the Scripture is not the principal ground of faith and knowledge, as it appears by what is above spoken, is proved in the latter part of the proposition, which, being reduced to an argu- ment, runs thus : " — " That whereof the certainty and authority depends upon another, and which is received as truth because of its proceeding from another, is not to be accounted the principal ground and origin of all truth and knowledge: But the Scripture's authority and certainty depend upon the Spirit by which they were dictated, and the reason why they were received as truth is be- cause they proceeded from the Spirit; there- fore they are not the principal ground of truth." The argument is afterwards summed up in the following words : " If by the Spirit we can only come to the true knowledge of God ; if by the Spirit we are to be led in all truth, and so be taught of all things, then the Spirit, and not the IN PROPER ESTIMATION ! Scriptures, is the foundation and ground of all truth and knowledge, and the primary rue of faith and manners." I cannot persuade myself that a single intel- ligent and unprejudiced Christian could atten- tively read the foregoing extract without per- ceiving, that " whilst it professes to uphold the Scriptures as heavenly and divine writings, it virtually destroys their authority, by setting above them the Spirit, which is supposed to be in the heart of every man, whereby even the Scriptures themselves may be tested." And I would appeal to any and to every unprejudiced person, who has been by the Holy Spirit brought to some knowledge of the value of Holy Scrip- ture, whether a more dangerous doctrine can well be conceived. A character is also given by it to the following quotation from Prop. 2, § 1 , which is truly deplorable : — " Under the law, there was the holy of holies, into which the high priest did enter, and received the word of the Lord immediately from betwixt the cherubims, so that the people could then certainly know the mind of the Lord ; but now, according to these men's judgment, we are in a far worse condition, having nothing but the outward letter of the Scripture to guess and h 3 78 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD divine from, concerning the sense or meaning of one verse of which scarce two can be found to agree." I know not how a professed infidel could have written a more cutting libel against not only the Scripture, but against believers generallv. Is it really the fact, that scarcely two persons can be found to agree concerning the sense of one verse of the Bible ? From a variety of causes, there is certainly much disagreement ; but among those who have, by the Holy Spirit, been brought to " repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," although there may be a variety of opinions respecting what may be called minor points — for instance, as to whether baptism should be performed by sprinkling with water, or by immersion in it — the general impression with regard to the mean- ing of Scripture will be found to coincide to a degree which is truly animating and delightful. If, however, this were not the case, what would it prove but the weakness of men, rather than any deficiency with regard to the truth which God has been pleased to reveal in Holy Scrip- ture ? " Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar," (Rom. iii. 4.) What is said, Prov. viii. 8, 9, should also be remembered : " All the IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 79 words of my mouth are in righteousness, there is nothing froward or perverse [wreathed or twisted] in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge." But, according to the false view of the subject given in the last quotation from Barclay's Apology, it would appear that Holy Scripture is something that may unprofitably divert the attention of mankind from what is immediately revealed to them individually. That such must in reality have been Bar- clay's notion, is but too evident from his having adopted a strange legend, which I believe is to be found in at least seven editions of his Apo- logy, and which has lately, by some determined supporters of the notion of " inward light," in- dependent of Scripture revelation, been put forth with much assurance as truth. It is in the seventh edition, (from which I transcribe it,) at page 193, Prop. 5 and 6, sect. 27— " Yea, there is a book translated out of the Arabic which gives an account of one Hai Eben Yok- dan, who, living in an island alone without converse of man, attained to such a profound knowledge of God as to have immediate con- verse with him, and to affirm that the best and most certain knowledge of God is not that 80 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD which is attained by premises premised and conclusions deduced, but that which is enjoyed by conjunction of the mind of man with the supreme intellect, after the mind is purified from its corruptions, and is separated from all bodily images, and is gathered into a profound stillness." That much stress is laid on this as a fact, in evidence of the truth of the argument that precedes it, may be gathered from the next section, which begins thus : " Seeing, then, it is by this inward gift, grace, and light, that both those that have the gospel preached unto them come to have Jesiis brouyht forth in them, and to have the saving and sanctified use of all outward helps and advantages, and also by this same light that all may come to be saved ; and that God calls, invites, and strives with all in a day, and saveth many to whom he hath not seen meet to convey this outward knowledge : there- fore we, having the experience of the inward and powerful work of this light in our hearts, even Jesus revealed in us, cannot cease to pro- claim the day of the Lord that is arisen in it, crying out with the woman of Samaria, ' Come and see one that hath told me all that ever I have done; is not this the Christ?' That others may come and feel the same in themselves, and IN PROPER ESTIMATION.' 81 may know that that little small thing that re- proves them in their hearts, however they have despised and neglected it, is nothing less than the gospel preached in them ; Christ, the wis- dom and power of God, being in and by that seed seeking to save their souls." * Now, if this be not altogether a virtual de- struction of the Divine authority of Scripture, and if it be not one and the same as the Hicks- ite doctrine, I must acknowledge myself to be mistaken, and wholly unacquainted with the subject I have taken in hand. But I cannot persuade myself that any competent judge will consider it as other than what I have in my Letter described it to be, viz. " Deism with a fallacious gloss thrown over it." What but the mind being really perverted by mystical deism could have induced any one to credit such an absurd story as that which is above quoted? What ideas of mediation could the believer of such a legendary tale entertain ? If it were true, what room would there be for the exercise of any of the gracious offices of our adorable Redeemer, Mediator, and Saviour ? * What confusion is here depicted — the conscience made into Christ, the law, and the gospel ! But when essential error is up- held as undoubted truth, no one can calculate upun the extent of the chaos that may be produced by it. 82 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD When about sixteen years of age, I read much of Barclay's Apology, and I cannot but remember, with deep sorrow, the effect which this story had upon my mind ; for it seemed to me to be a complete confirmation of the argu- ments in favour of immediate revelation ; where- by my value for the Scriptures, which had about that time, owing to some serious impressions in the perusal of them, begun to increase, was of course proportionably lowered ; and I need hardly say, that the unavoidable consequence of this was to induce me very much to lose sight of the real benefits of the coming of Christ, For although I considered that the Scripture ac- count was certainly to be believed, I could not see the necessity for an atoning sacrifice for sin, nor for the mediation of Christ. About ten years after this miserable establish- ment in the doctrine of immediate revelation, I was informed that, in the later editions of the Apology, the story of Yokdan had been omitted, because it was found that it had a fabulous origin. I am not likely to forget the effect this information had upon my mind, in breaking the spell under which I was bound by Barclay, and it gave me also a pretty strong caution with re- gard to laying much stress on immediate reve- IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 83 iation ; for here was before me a story, which I as much supposed to be true as if it had been found in Scripture history, and which had pro- duced great effect upon my mind ; but it turned out to be nothing more than a mere fable ! What, then, became of the immediate revelation of this strenuous defender of the doctrine ? and what of the divine direction of the church which from time to time had republished this forgery ? For it must be taken into account, that they who make such high pretensions as those of Barclay, and all such as receive his doctrine, stand upon no common ground, because a de- cided error, especially if it be long persisted in, must be acknowledged to be fatal to their theory. See particularly Prop. 2, pages 18 and 19 of the Apology already quoted : " This Divine revelation and inward illumination is that which is evident and clear of itself, forcing, by its own evidence and clearness, the well-disposed understanding to assent, irresistibly moving the same there- unto," &c Although, therefore, the information on this subject by no means produced in me the effect which it ought to have done — that of driving me to the Scriptures, and inducing me to regret the human system in which I was unhappily en- 84 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD tangled ; and notwithstanding it was, I believe, through Divine grace, made of some use in loosen- ing the implicit confidence I was placing in the writings of Friends ; yet, alas ! it requires many a cut to disentangle one from the meshes of such a net of sophistry as these writings fabri- cate. Let it not, however, be supposed that Barclay is the only esteemed writer among Friends, who, whilst he speaks highly of the Scripture, virtually strikes at the very root of its authority. George Fox is equally decided, as the following quo- tation from page 24 of his Journal will show. " As I went towards Nottingham, on a first-day in the morning, with Friends to a meeting there, when I came on the top of a hill in sight of the town, I espied the great steeple-house, and the Lord said unto me, ' Thou must go cry against yonder great idol, and against the worshippers therein.' I said nothing of this to the Friends, but went with them to the meeting, where the mighty power of the Lord God was amongst us, in which I left Friends sitting in the meeting, and went to the steeple-house. When I came there, all the people looked like fallow-ground, and the priest, like a great lump of earth, stood in his pulpit above : he took for his text these IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 85 words of Peter, ' We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.' • He told the people this was the Scriptures, by which they were to try all doctrines, religions, and opinions. Now, the Lord's power was so mighty upon me, and so strong in me, that I could not hold, but was made to cry out, ' Oh ! no, it is not the Scrip- tures;' and told them it was the Holy Spirit by which the holy men of God gave forth the Scriptures, whereby opinions, religions, and judgments were to be tried, for it led into all truth, and so gave the knowledge of all truth. The Jews had the Scriptures, yet re- sisted the Holy Ghost, and rejected Christ, the bright morning-star. They persecuted him and his apostles, and took upon them to try their doctrines by the Scriptures, but erred in judgment, and did not try them right, because they tried without the Holy Ghost." As of late years some friends have had the candour to acknowledge that George Fox's interpretation of " the words of Peter " is erro- neous, I need not take up time in proving i 86 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD them to be so.* But what an exhibition does this passage from the Journal give of the nature of George Fox's pretensions to immediate reve- lation ! Is it not a striking lesson to such as * Although it might well be supposed that no argument is needed to show, that whatever be the meaning of the passage quoted from the Epistle of Peter, it cannot mean what George Fox was for making of it ; the following note in Scotfs Commentary is so excellent, that I know not how to omit inserting it. 2 Peter i. 19. •■ The recollection of the transfiguration of Christ gave great con- fidence, personally, to the apostle, which was, indeed, especially intended ; and his testimony concerning it might be a great con- firmation of the faith of other Christians ; yet they had also a more sure word of prophecy. The appearance and voice on the mount were transient, and only three persons witnessed the interesting scene, one of whom had long before been martyred. Whatever assurance, therefore, it might bring to the individuals concerned, it was not so well suited fully to satisfy the minds of men in general as the prophecies of Scripture were. These, from the beginning, at least from Adam's fall, had foretold and described one extraordinary- person, and given intimations of his birth, character, miracles, doc- trines, sufferings, death, resurrection, and exaltation, together with the establishment, extent, prosperity, and duration of his kingdom, and his final coming to judgment. And when they were compared with the accomplishment of them in Jesus of Nazareth, they con- stituted a permanent and general proof, unanswerably conclusive, that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world. Thus the prophecies more powerfully corroborated the doctrine of the apostles concerning his exaltation and second coming, than any thing which Peter had seen on the mount could do : not, indeed, to him personally, or to James and John, who witnessed the transfiguration, but to men in general. So that the IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 67 would place confidence in such leaders, and would bring ministry to their writings as a test, rather than to the Holy Scriptures ? But the delusion under which this energetic man laboured is, if possible, more strikingly shown at page 21, where, after speaking of the commission he supposed himself to have re- ceived immediately from God, which is, never- theless, couched very much in Scripture phrases, he goes on to say, " These things I did not see by the help of man, nor by the letter, though they are written in the letter ; but 1 saw them in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by his immediate Spirit and power, as did the holy men of God by whom the Holy Scriptures were written. Yet I had no slight esteem of the Holy Scriptures; they were very precious to me, for I was in that Spirit by which they were given forth, and what the Lord opened in me I afterwards found was agreeable to them. more this word of prophecy should he considered, the fuller con- viction would it communicate. To this, therefore, all who read tin- Epistle would do well to givo peculiar attention ; for it was to he considered as a light shining in a dark place, not only in respect of the total ignorance of the Gentiles, and the comparative darkness of the Mosaic economy, hut as the earth has been at all times a dark place, except where the word of God lias diffused light in it by leading men to Christ, the light of the world." 88 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD I could speak much of these things, and many volumes might be written, but all would prove too short to set forth the infinite love, wisdom, and power of God, in preparing, fitting, and furnishing me for the service he had appointed me to; letting me see the depths of Satan on the one hand, and opening to me, on the other hand, the divine mysteries of his own everlasting kingdom. When the Lord God and his Son Jesus Christ sent me forth into the world to preach his everlasting gospel and kingdom, I was glad that I was commanded to turn people to that inward light, spirit, and grace, by which all might know their salvation and their way to God, — even that Divine Spirit which would lead them into all truth, and which, I infallibly knew, would never deceive any." Now, at page 6, we find him saying, " I fasted much, walked abroad in solitary places many days, and often took my Bible, and sat in hollow trees and lonesome places till night came on, and frequently in the night walked mournfully about by myself, for I was a man of sorrows in the time of the first workings of the Lord in me." It is, therefore, difficult to conceive how a person who, at twenty-three years of age, was in the habit of reading the Bible, could in a IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 89 single year (for, by the date of his Journal, it appears to be no longer,) forget that he had read in the Bible such declarations, for instanc e, as, " the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men," &c, &c, which he must have read, unless he passed them over with culpable neglect ; and that he should then imagine he had received an immediate revelation of these declarations, with which he was before unacquainted, but he afterwards found them in the Scriptures. Now, it appears to me this may be considered as an epitome of the main error of Quakerism, which has continued unabated from its founder to the present day. George Fox read the Scrip- tures, and afterwards, when insulated portions of what he had read came vividly to his recol- lection, he imagined that God revealed them to him immediately; and, by putting the con- struction upon them which the bent of his own mind inclined him to do, he was, of course, induced to suppose the turn which was given by his own thoughts to the passages of Scripture which recurred to his memory, or which he heard quoted, was a special revelation to himself. For instance, at Nottingham, he gave to u the words of Peter" a turn which goes to the i 3 90 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD subversion of the whole Bible. But it is not likely that any one could have convinced George Fox that he had not received, by immediate revelation from God, the error he put forth when he so rudely interrupted the clergyman, who, it seems, was giving the proper interpretation of the text. This notion, then, of immediate revelation may be said to be the very fountain of error of the most incurable and hopeless kind; for the greater a man's energies, and the more his mind is perverted, the greater will be his con- fidence in pouring forth the errors he imbibes, without the probability of correction ; for if he fancies he has the Spirit by which the Scriptures are given forth, and that he has arrived at a state of purity, he will, of course, if Scripture be brought to oppose his views, find he has a revelation which authorizes him to bend the Scripture into conformity with his views; and this he will do without being aware that he puts any force upon the proper construction of it. But the case is opposite with the Christian who is humbled by the consciousness of his own sinful state, and who, by the Holy Spirit, has been led to build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. He accepts the IN PROPER ESTIMATION I Ml Scriptures as the word of God, through those whom God commissioned to declare it ; he prays for the illumination of the Holy Spirit upon the sacred page, and if, through the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, he is enabled, by the influence of the Holy Spirit upon his mind and heart, to see more and more into the beauty, the comprehensiveness, and suffi- ciency of divine truth, he does not imagine that he has any special revelation, but that the film being removed from his eyes, and the veil from his heart, he sees and feels what has been revealed for ages, and which, perhaps, he has himself read many times without having before been at all able to comprehend its meaning. The simple, humble-minded Chris- tian, then, seeks for no revelation of new things, nor for a new revelation to himself of things already revealed ; but his desire is to under- stand, and cordially and gratefully to believe, to the saving of his soul, what is to be found in holy Scripture. Another instance similar to the one last men- tioned is to be found at page *20 of the Jour- nal, where we find George Fox says, " The Lord God opened to me, by his invisible power, how every man was enlightened by the divine 92 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD light of Christ. I saw it shine through all, and that they that believed in it came out of con- demnation to the light of life, and became the children of it; but they that hated it, and did not believe in it, were condemned by it, though they made a profession of Christ. This I saw in the pure openings of the light, without the help of any man; neither did I then know where to find it in the Scriptures, though after- wards, searching the Scriptures, I found it. For I saw in that light and Spirit which was before the Scriptures were given forth, and which led the holy men of God to give them forth, that all must come to that Spirit if they would know God, or Christ, or the Scriptures aright, which they that gave them forth were led and taught by." If this mean any thing at all, it surely means that all men have in them that Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures ; and that if they be- lieve they have it, and will turn to it, they may learn immediately from the Spirit all that can be found in the Scripture which it is needful for them to know ; and indeed, that " if they would know God, or Christ, or the Scriptures aright," they must thus learn from the Spirit already in them, which would teach them all needful things IN PROPER ESTIMATION.' 93 independently of the Scripture. That such was George Fox's notion, will further appear by turning to page 16 of his " Doctrinals," where is to be found this remarkable address : " To all you that are unlearned outwardly of the let- ter, that cannot read the Scripture outwardly, to you I have a word from the Lord to speak, which is, Christ saith, I have given to every one a measure according to their ability ; this is the measure, the light which is pure, which doth convince thee; and if thou dost take heed to this light, that is Scripture within thee" The following quotation is also to the point: ("Doctrinals," page 166:) "The faith of such is no better than the faith of the Pharisees, who only believe of a Christ because the Scriptures declare of him ; but the faith of them who dwell in the life and power of God, and follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes, is that faith which overcomes the world. To believe only of a Christ because the Scriptures declare of him, is to believe as the Pharisees did believe, who were the persecutors and murderers of the just ; but to believe in the light that gave forth the Scriptures is seen, and Christ is believed in, and here he hath the witness in himself, and 94 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD comes to be a child of light and born of God, which birth overcomes the world." Isaac Penington's voluminous writings con- tain abundant evidence that he firmly held the same most unscriptural doctrine ; this, indeed, is shown in a striking manner by the title of them, which is as follows : — " The works of the long mournful and sorely distressed Isaac Pen- ington, whom the Lord in his tender mercy at length visited and relieved by the ministry of that despised people called Quakers ; and in the springings of that light, life, and holy power in him, which they had truly and faithfully testi- fied of and directed his mind to, were these things written, and are now published, as a thankful testimony of the goodness of the Lord unto him." From this, therefore, it would seem that Isaac Penington was " long mournful and sorely distressed," although he had in him " light, life, and holy power ; " because he still needed for his relief and comfort to be told that he had all these, and when so told, they were all brought into exercise; and two quarto vo- lumes were the fruits of the energies which were prompted by their having been "truly and faithfully testified" to be in his possession. IN PROPER ESTIMATION! 9.5 By this, then, may be understood what Friends mean by preaching the gospel, which is " direct- ing" to what they call "the light of Christ within every man," and charging all to be faith- ful to what is by it inwardly manifested. Among a very great mass of matter to the same purport in Isaac Penington's works, we find, at page 10 of the first volume, the follow- ing objection and answer, viz. — " Object. But are not the Scriptures the word of God ? And is not the word of God to be a Christian's rule ? If every one should be left to his own spirit, what confusion and uncertainty would this pro- duce ! Ans. The Scriptures are not that living word which is appointed by God to be the rule of a Christian ; but they contain words spoken by the Spirit of God, testifying of that word, and pointing to that word, which is to be the rule." After a remarkable perversion of many pas- sages of Scripture to support this position, we find, at page 12, as follows: — "The light of God's Spirit is a certain and infallible rule, and the eye that sees, that is a certain eye ; whereas man's understanding of the Scriptures is uncer- tain and fallible ; he, having not the true ear, receiveth such a literal, uncertain knowledge of 96 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD things into his uncertain understanding, as de- ceives his soul. And here man, in the midst of his wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures, is lost in his own erring and uncertain mind, and his soul deceived for want of a true root and foundation of certainty in himself. But he that is come to the true Shepherd, and knows his voice, he cannot be deceived. Yea, he can read the Scriptures safely, and taste the true sweetness of the words that came from the life ; but man that is out of the life, feeds on the husks, and can receive no more." At page 288 of the first volume is to be found as follows : " Consider meekly and humblv whether the Scripture be the rule of the children of the new convenant ? For if the Scripture was not intended by God for the rule, and ye take it to be the rule, then ye may easily mistake the way to eternal life, and also err in your understanding and use of the Scriptures ; making such an use of them as they were never intended for, and so missing of the true use and intent of them. Now, that the Scripture was not intended nor given forth by God to be the rule of the children of the new covenant, besides our faithful testimony from the sight of the thing in the true eternal IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 97 light, weigh our arguments from the Scripture : many are mentioned in our writings ; consider at present of these three." The three " argu- ments " would take up too much space, if inserted at length ; but, in the course of them, stress is laid on Deuteronomy xxix. 1, from which it is taken for granted that Moses makes a covenant with Israel, besides the former cove- nant which he made with them in Horeb, and that "the commandment of this covenant is not to be looked for where the other was written, but in another place, in a place nearer to them, even in their mouth, and in their heart : there they were to read, hear, and receive the commandment of this covenant." And, to support this view, Deut. xxx. 11 — 14 is quoted. Now the name of the book implies the delivery of the law a second time, and it cannot be regarded as a new covenant, but a repetition of the covenant, with some additions and explanations to a new generation. And surely no one who reads the Scriptures with an unprejudiced mind, can suppose that in saying, " The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it," Moses meant any other " word " than that which, in such astonishing conde- K 98 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD scension, had been communicated to him h) God himself, and which, by Divine appoint- ment, he had taught the people. By saying that the word was very nigh, &c, Moses, no doubt, meant that the word so taught them they were acquainted with,* and that they need not go elsewhere for instruction; but he never, for one moment, intended the people to understand that the outward instruction given to them was superseded by an inward revelation communicated to them individually. Else why did he lay such powerful stress (Deut. vi. 7, &c.) upon the children being taught the commandments which are recited in the fifth chapter ; and that they should be bound for a sign on the hands of the Israelites, be worn as frontlets between their eyes, and written on the posts of their doors. But all this ap- pears to have been lost sight of by the mystical * Deut. xxx. 14, " The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth." Does a person pretend that lie cannot understand another, that he must make additional inquiries, it will be said, "Do not understand? In thy mouth are the words." Should a child at school he troublesome to the master, he will peevishly exclaim, " In thy mouth arc the words — meaning that the inquiry was unnecessary, that the subject was well understood. — Oriental Illustrations of tlte Sacred Scriptures, by Joseph Roberts. 8vo., p. 128. IN PROPER ESTIMATION ! 99 writer whose works we have unhappily occasion to notice. And who can sufficiently deplore the fact, that any person should have been so completely deluded as to attempt to offer " arguments " for discarding the Scriptures as the rule, and that, too, with the assumption of having had " the sight of the thing in the true eternal light." And how truly deplorable it is that any society upon the face of the earth should, for almost two centuries, have been counte- nancing such a position, and sanctioning ar- guments for the upholding of it, under the notion of maintaining a spirituality superior to that which is to be found elsewhere among Christians. What are these persons, indeed, who have seen " in the true eternal light " that the Holy Scriptures were not intended by God to be the rule of the children of the new covenant ? All true Christians most fully and devoutly acknowledge, that, in order to understand the Scriptures aright, the mind and heart must be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and that the same blessed Agent must abide with us, or we cannot be inclined to make them our rule of faith and practice. But this is 100 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD diametrically opposed to the doctrine that would set aside the Scriptures as the rule, and make out that we have an inward rule independently of them. Than this, surely nothing in this fallen world can be more false and dangerous : it is the way to open the flood- gates for all sorts of fanaticism and folly, and to shut the door against that instruction which is the way to life, and which God has, in his infinite mercy, provided for us. But we must bring further evidence from the uniformly accredited and highly extolled writings of Friends, to prove these observations are not made on slender grounds. William Penn, at page 106 of the second volume of his works, in summing up his view of the Scriptures, writes as follows, viz. " In short, the Scripture is much like the shadow of the true rule, ichieh may give us some ground to guess what the rule itself is, as a cliart or map of a country how it lies, yet not be the very place itself': and in this respect it may be a kind of secondary rule, carrying with it a testimonial confirmation that what ice are led by is the true Spirit, because the people of God in old time enjoyed the same ; as the Eternal Spirit first of all confirms the Divine authority of the Scriptures unquestionably to IN proper estimation; 101 us, that they are a declaration of the will and pleasure of Almighty God to the sons of men in several ages of the world. He that is so inward with a prince as to know, viva voce, what his mind is, heeds not so much the same when he meets it in print, (because in print,) as because he has received a more living touch and sensible impression from the prince himself, to whose secrets he is privy. And this the Scriptures teach us to believe is a right Christian's state and privilege ; for, said the apostle, 4 We have the mind of Christ,' and ' the secrets of God are with them that fear kirn,' and ' guide me by thy counsel, and briny me to thy glory.'' " It will here be proper to notice William Perm's quotation of 1 Cor. ii. 16, " We have the mind of Christ," which he brings to support the idea that "he that is so inward with the Prince as to know, viva voce, what his mind is, heeds not so much the same when he meets in print," &c. ; by all which, as well as in numerous other instances, it would seem that he places Friends on the same footing with the apostles. ' * It must not be supposed this idea was confined to William Ptnn ; for most, if not all, of the early approved writers among luielids strongly upheld the same notion. K 3 102 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD Now this is a very material part of the main error of assuming "inward and imme- diate revelation," because it induces those who maintain it to take with great confidence those passages of Scripture which are given for the express purpose of asserting the peculiar au- thority of the apostles. In both the Epistles to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul was constrained to assert apostolical authority in a very decided manner, and espe- cially to show, with regard to himself, that although he had been an enemy to Christ, and a persecutor of his church, yet, by the appear- ance of the Lord himself to him, he received a direct commission* from the glorified Head of the church himself, not only to be a minister, but, from what he really saw, to be a witness. Now it is absolutely necessary to take into account that the apostles spoke and wrote as witnesses ; and that, by the immediate revelation of the Holy Spirit, as our blessed Saviour pro- mised them,f his words were brought to their remembrance, and things to come were shown to them. It is also clear that the apostle Paul (2 Cor. xi. 5) was raised to a full equality * See Acts xxvi. 16 — lb\ t John xiv. 26 ; and xvi. 12—15, 25—28. IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 103 with the other apostles ; and therefore he, as well as they, had " the mind of Christ." But this mind is made known to us by the inspired writings of those to whom it was communicated, and they who receive it build upon the founda- tion of the apostles and prophets. But surely nothing but the most deplorable delusion could induce any persons for a moment to fancy themselves under the same circum- stances as the apostles were, either with regard to the power of giving evidence concerning the life, immaculate holiness, sufferings, death, re- surrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the apostles were really, to all intents and purposes, ivitnesses ; * or with regard to receiving immediate revelation, because it was promised to them that they, as individuals, not the church generally, should have this revela- tion,! f°r how could those who had not heard the words of Christ, have them brought to their remembrance? There appears to have been in the church of Corinth this disposition to undervalue the authority of the apostles ; and the apostle Paul * See Luke xxiv. 48. Acts i. 8 ; ii. 32 ; v. 32 ; vii. 58 ; x. 39, and 41 ; and xiii. 31, &c. T See John xiv. 26 ; and xvi. 13. 104 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD says to them, in words full of meaning — would to God that all others in after ages had under- stood it, and we should have been kept from the woful folly of such false pretensions — " What ! came the word of God out from you ? or came it unto you only?" (1 Cor. xiv. 36.) Well may every one to whom it comes be most humbly thankful that it comes unto us, and not deceive ourselves by supposing it comes into us, or can come from us, independently of Scripture revelation ; but, building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, reve- rently accept the assurance,* that they wrote in order that we "might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing we might have life through his name;" for all they wrote is in that rapturous harmony which, to the ear of the believer, is as a foretaste of the music of heaven. Now who can wonder at all the evils of what has since been called Hicksism, though most truly, as it is said in the " Letter," page 25, " Elias Hicks was but the wind which blew the long-smouldering embers into a flame ; " for Fox, Penn, Barclay, and others, had lighted * John xx. 31. IN PROPER ESTIMATION ( 105 and fed the fire which, by the force of its own extravagance, had in great measure spent itself, till Elias Hicks arose, and blew it up again in such a manner as to catch the eye of some who, but for his zeal, might have had their vitality dried up by the " smouldering embers." But his exhibition of " the outbreak " of the " inward light " alarmed them. Others, unhap- pily, rejoice in the flame thus kindled, and there are some who think that his extravagance was only the exuberance of a sound principle ! The experienced Christian will immediately see that the principle is altogether false, and that all the extravagance exhibited by Friends in former times, and all the unscriptural notions in these days, may naturally be traced to the false assumption of inward and immediate revelation, which, let who will say any thing to the con- trary, is, as William Penn and his contemporaries declared, " the root of the goodly tree of doc- trines that have grown and branched out from it." Remove the false assumption, and Quaker- ism would not occupy even so much room as the imposing and beautifully white efflorescence of the dry rot may be compressed into, when it is scraped away from the substance it has been devouring. 106 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD If, indeed, the Holy Scriptures be only "« kind of secondary rule" how is it that none of those who have been entire strangers to the existence of these writings, have come forward and given proof that they have been " so inward with the prince " that they have, " viva voce, become acquainted with his mind," and have endeavoured to act accordingly. For many years, every one of the Yearly Meetings (which includes the whole Society of Friends in this country and America) were, in one way or other, engaged in civilizing the North American Indians. Thousands of pounds were sent from this country to aid in the work, and we used, from year to year, to be informed of the number of acres they had brought into cultivation, the quantity of corn they raised, &c, &c. ; yet never, that I recollect, did we hear, or since have heard, that a single individual who had thus been under the care of Friends, had given evidence of being a truly religious character. But, after all the labour and experience be- stowed— and it was with a sincere desire to benefit these people — no real benefit has been the result to them ; for, on the contrary, if we may credit those (and they are abundantly worthy of it) who have been made successful IN PROPER ESTIMATION! 107 in turning many of the Indians from darkness to light by the simple preaching of the gospel and scriptural instruction, none have been found more difficult to make an impression upon, than those who had come under the notice and in- struction of Friends. Now this is just as any one who is well instructed in the truth of the gospel would suppose ; and it is a most striking lesson, which, it is to be hoped, the Christian church will not allow to pass unnoticed, that, however sincere and benevolent persons may be in their endeavours to do good, all schemes will be abortive, unless the truth of God, as revealed to us in Hull/ Scripture, be made the basis of instruction. And a man might as well wonder that, instead of having a valuable crop to reap after ploughing and harrowing his land, but omitting to sow good seed from the idea that the best seed is already in the ground, he has, after long waiting, no better produce than the rankest weeds which, not having been de- stroyed by the culture, took advantage of the loosened earth to shoot their pernicious roots to a greater depth. Strange, indeed, is it if we be not in this day satisfied that "the seed is the word of 108 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD God," as our Lord Jesus Christ declared it to be; (Luke viii. 11 ;) for we see, on the one hand, that where it is omitted to be sown uncorrupted,* the culture of the mind hardens the heart against the truth of the Gospel ; * I cannot with any satisfaction omit again adverting to the misapprehension that would restrict the use of the term " the word of God " to our Lord Jesus Christ personally. That our Lord did not confine it to himself is very certain from Mark vii. 13, "Making the word of God of none effect," &c. ; and that the apostle Paul did not so confine it, there is full evidence in 2 Cor. ii. 17, " For we are not as many which corrupt the word of God ;" and iv. 2, " Not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully." It is difficult to conceive how any one can seriously think upon these texts without coming to the conclusion that the Holy Scriptures, or the gospel preached by the apostles, and not Christ, is meant by the term there used ; and it is also difficult to conceive that so gross a perversion as that of restricting the words to our meaning should he persisted in, unless it were to support a theory which requires such a prop. But, indeed, this prop is essentially necessary whilst the mischievous assumption, that the Scripture is " a kind of secondary rule." is maintained ; for if the true meaning were allowed by Friends to very numerous passages in which the word of God and equivalent terms are employed, it would go very far to destroy the illusion in which Quakerism hinds the understanding. In proof of this, let the following texts he referred to, and many others might he advanta- geously selected : Prov. xxx. 5. Isa. xl. 8. Luke iv. 4. Acts. iv. 31. vi. 2 and 7. viii 14. xi. 1. xiii. 7, 44, and 46. xix. 20. Rom. ix. C. x. 17. 1 Cor. xiv. 36. Ephcs. vi. 17. Coloss. i. 25. 1 Thess. ii. 13. Heb. xiii. 7. IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 109 and, on the other hand, where it is diligently administered, the Holy Spirit does not fail to render it available to the benefit of those who humbly receive it. In Evans's " Exposition of the Faith of the Religious Society of Friends," &c* we have, at page 244, an instance of William Penn's over- looking the faculty of memory, in much the same way as has been mentioned with respect to George Fox. After giving a summary in which he contends for a " renewed revelation of the eternal way of truth," and declares this renewed revelation is " the life-virtue condition, and very soul of the gospel, and second covenant ; " and " that none oppose this but such as the god of this world hath blinded," &c, he says, according to Evans, " But methinks this our demonstration should satisfy all : when neither man nor Scriptures are near us, yet there continually attends us that Spirit of truth that immediately informs us of our thoughts, words, and deeds, and gives us true directions * The preface to tins work is dated 1827 ; and as it was re- printed in this country in 1829, and the hook was strongly recommended in the Yearly Meeting 1835, it may serve as an additional proof of the high estimation in which the society now holds the writings of the early Friends. L 110 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD what to do, and what to leave undone. Is not this the rule of life ? If ye are led by the Spirit of God, then are ye sons of God. Let this suffice to vindicate our sense of a true and unerring rule, which we assert not in a way of derogation from those holy writings, which, with reverence, we read, believe, and desire always to obey the mind and will of God therein contained; and let that doctrine be accursed that would overturn them." This strange substitution of revelation for recollection is preceded by a positive but most sophistical argument against the Scriptures, not only as a rule, but as a test : for Evans has not given the first part of the paragraph last quoted, which is as follows : " 'Tis true, the touch-stone tries gold, and that from an intrinsic virtue proper and congenial to the stone itself; but have the dead letters of the Scripture that distinguishing property and exertive virtue ? Jenner denies it in the words just now repeated ; for, without the Spirit, says he, they are of no value or service to us. Then, say I, either God gave them for a complete rule, or he did not. If for a com- plete rule, there is no need of any additional assistant, as the Spirit ; if not, then he gave m PROPER ESTIMATION.' Ill them for no rule, because all his gifts are perfect, and his rule could not be deficient : and it is to be supposed that in what gift soever he should fail to us, he would not in a rule of life and doctrine, the capital and most eminent of all." William Penn's Works, folio, vol. ii., page 61. It is truly melancholy, also, in the first volume of William Penn's Works, page 597, to find the following deplorable sophistrv, which, when retailed by Elias Hicks, and supposed bv many Friends to have originated with him, was condemned in strong terms, as it deserved to be. But the more any one sees of the writings of the early Friends, the more fully he may be con- vinced that Hicks's views were in no respect original, and that he really was no more than " the wind which blew the long-smouldering embers into a flame." " Christ left nothing in writing for the rule of faith and practice that we hear of, and it is not to be thought that he was less faithful in his house than Moses; and doubtless, had he intended the rule of his followers to have been a icritten rule, he would have left it upon record with all punctuality : this must be believed, and that done, on pain of eternal death. Nor did his followers write 112 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD I in the method of a rule, as the law was written ,' nor did they so call or recommend what they writ." This must, by every impartial person, be con- sidered as identifying Quakerism with Hicks- ism on an essential point. And what can be more affecting than to contrast it with the fol- lowing passages, in the prayer of our Lord, (John xvii. 7, 8, and 20.) " Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me ; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall be- lieve on me through their word." In bringing forward the views of the early Friends (and consequently the acknowledged belief of the Society) respecting the Scriptures, it will be proper to introduce the sentiments of James Parnel, which are to be found in a thick small quarto book, published in the year 1675, with the following title: "A collection of the several writings given forth from the Spirit of the Lord, through that meek, patient, and suffering servant of God, James Parnel,. IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 113 who, though a young man, bore a faithful tes- timony for God, and died a prisoner, under the hands of a persecuting generation, in Col- chester Castle, in the year 1656." In the first tract which this volume contains, entitled, " Christ exalted into his Throne, and the Scripture owned in its place," we find, at page 25, as follows : — " And if you priests do allege there is a false light, as well as a true light, I answer that it is in you, which blinds your minds so that you cannot re- ceive this gospel, but from you it is hid. (2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.) And, therefore, you bring another gospel, calling the four books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the gospel, in which these four books will witness against you, and bear witness of Christ to be the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation, who is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, who came to take away the sins of the world, and blessed are they that are not offended in him." How bewildered must have been the mind of that person who could call "the four books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John," "another gospel," and reproach and insult those who received the writings of the Evangelists as the gospel ! And how gross l 3 1 14 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD must have been the darkness which prevailed among Friends in . those days, which the youth are now taught to regard as days of the greatest brightness to the Society, wherein such sophistry was held up as having been given forth by the Spirit of the Lord ! In the foregoing extract, " the priests " are reproached for calling the writings of the Evan- gelists the gospel : in the following, a Baptist minister is vilified, because he quoted the Scrip- ture, and professed not "to have heard God speak immediately." This is to be found at page 209. " I passed to the steeple-house with some friends that had formerly been of their [the Baptists] society, and when I came there, I found thee, John Ray, set up in the seat of the Pharisee, the chiefest place in the assembly, speaking a divination of thy own brain, and not from the mouth of the Lord, as thou confessedst openly amongst the people, that none in these days had any open vision, or heard God speak immediately, and here thou wast an open lyar amongst the people ; but here thou barredst thyself from the same Spirit that spoke in the prophets and apostles, and there- fore art a deceiver, for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his; and so thou IN PROPER ESTIMATION '. 115 measuredst others by thyself; but I, and hun- dreds more of the children of light, do witness thee to be a lyar and deceiver in these days, who comes not in the name of the Lord, but in thy own name, therefore the world receives thee ; but here, out of thy own mouth, thou art judged, and condemned out of the new Cove- nant, for there God himself is teacher, and thou that never heardst him speak immediately, and yet comest to preach his word, thou art a Stranger unto God, and a blind guide, a deceiver, and a false prophet, who runs, and the Lord never sent thee ; therefore thou profits not the people at ad, but art a thief, and steals the words of the prophets, and adds a divination of thy own brain, and so feeds the people with notions and airy knowledge, and casting the children's bread unto dogs ; but the greater is thy condemnation, who, for a pretence makes long prayers, and wrests and perverts the Scripture to thy own destruction ; but think not thou shalt be heard for thy much babbling, for the hand of the Lord is against thee." Now, whatever handsome things may be oc- casionally said, concerning the Scriptures, by persons who could write in such a manner about them, as may, in some degree, ba seen by the 116 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD few quotations I have given, it appears to me that little can be really meant by it: for the extracts that are here inserted are but as a drop from the bucket, and it would seem that a material end of the early Friends' writings was to make the Scriptures commit felo de se : or, in other words, to show that the main purpose of Holy Scripture is to convince men how inade- quate it is for their guidance, and that mankind universally have in themselves what is abun- dantly sufficient, not only to guide them aright, but to save them. Let me appeal, then, to judicious Christians of every denomination, and ask whether a more dangerous delusion could be imagined than is exhibited by the preceding extracts; and whether I am not fully justified in what I have said in my Letter respecting the principles of Friends ? If it be said there are passages in their writings that go to modify the meaning of the quotations that have been given, it may be answered, that a decidedly wrong principle must be repudiated, for it can never be modified. We either have inward and immediate revelation concerning those things which are needful for our salvation, independently of the knowledge conveyed by the Scriptures, or we have not. If there were IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 117 such a universal light, abundant evidence of its existence would appear in parts of the world where the Scriptures have never been intro- duced ; instead of which, from all credible accounts that are transmitted to us, universal darkness prevails. If, then, there be not this light which is taken for granted and so stoutly contended for, the principle which, in taking it for granted, is upheld, is a false principle ; and those who trust to it are induced, whether they acknowledge it or not, to trust to their own dark, deceitful, and corrupt hearts, for light, truth, holiness, and salvation. How it could be possible, then, with the views Friends' writings continually exhibit, "that to no people was the Bible so precious as to them," (see " Letter," page 19,) is a problem that I am quite incompetent to solve, except it be to express my disbelief of the fact. For really it would be as easy to credit a man's assertion, that he had more pleasure than any other person in beholding the beauty and eating the fruit of a tree, which, at the same time, he was deliberately cutting up by the roots. He might indeed value it, and wish to exhibit it on certain occasions as a dried specimen, or he might wish to use it for props to support 118 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD a favourite plant which he was encouraging to grow instead of it ; but his words and his actions would be contradictory and inconsistent, if he ever so fully, and with all vanity of ex- pression, declared his relish and superlative value for the fruit of the tree whose roots he was severing. Is it not, then, evident, from the general tenor of the extracts which have been brought forward, that the great satisfaction Friends have derived from the Scriptures must have arisen from the supposed confirmation the sacred writings have given to what they have taken for immediate revelations to themselves : and they have also had the words of Scripture to employ, according to their own views, in maintaining and defending their peculiar tenets. Now there is nothing so absurd and prepos- terous but what may find support in this way. It is thus that " universal and saving light " rests on John i. 9, whereas there is nothing at all but the mere catching hold of the words, and forcing them into the service, that gives any semblance of support to that most unau- thorized doctrine : for our blessed Saviour is not there spoken of as coming a light into the hearts of men, for the Lord Jesus himself IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 119 afterwards explains what is meant by the text, when he says, (John ix. 5,) " As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." And, (John xii. 35, 36,) " Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you : for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light, that - ye may be the children of light." And again, (John xii. 46,) "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." Now what has this to do with an " inward appearance," or " inward light," independently of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as he then manifested himself, and as he is revealed to us in Holy Scripture — true God, one with the Father; and real man, born of the Virgin Mary ? But how is this adorable person an " inward light ?" John the Baptist's testimony was not to an "inward light." There is nothing said of any such thing in the text ; no, nor in the whole Bible, that I am able to discover. But it suits the theory that the Friends have invented, to take for granted that it means an 120 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD inward appearance, because the Lord has not outwardly appeared to every man that cometh into the world. It would, however, be just as fair to conclude from John i. 7, that, as it is said John the Baptist came to bear witness of the light, that all men, through him, that is, through his testi- mony, might believe ; so every man has an inward revelation of John's testimony to induce him to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Or, that, as it is said, (Acts xvii. 31,) God "hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in i-ighteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead ;" so all men have an inward assurance that God hath raised up the Lord Jesus from the dead. For every one must allow that all men have not an outward assurance of this essen- tially important fact ; — or, in other words, there are many millions of persons who are not acquainted with it, nor with any thing connected with it. If, then, the text in question (John i. 9) be fairly considered, so far from proving that the Lord Jesus came as an inward light, it goes to show the direct contrary, as IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 121 Dr. Wardlaw, in his late truly Christian and very masterly work,* fairly demonstrates. Before actually taking into his adorable per- son perfect human nature, the Eternal Word communicated the counsel of God to prophets and messengers whom in his wisdom he se- lected ; and the word so given was light,\ as was also that which, by the constraining influence of the Holy Spirit, was recorded for our instruc- tion. When personally upon earth as Imma- * See Dr. Wardlaw'a Letters to the Society of Friends, p. 268— 285. By a reference to this publication, I am excused from the necessity of entering further into the consideration of this and several other important matters, which, before reading the " Letters," I intended to take up, hut which are incomparably better treated by the Doctor than would have been in my power to have written about them. I may therefore satisfy myself with expressing my earnest and affectionate desire, that a performance, at once so mild, so able, and so convincing, may be extensively read and abundantly useful ; for, like the other works of that efficient contender " for the faith once delivered to the saints," it is eminently calculated to uphold the truth of the gospel, and to silence objections against it ; to guard every candid person against errors, which, in the clearest manner that can well be conceived, are pointed out ; to confirm the sound but inex- perienced Christian in the knowledge and love of scriptural truth ; and to refresh and delight the weary traveller in his arduous path. t " The entrance of thy words giveth light," (Psa. cxix. 130.) " The commandment is a lamp," &c. (Prov. vi. 23.) M 122 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD nuel, the Son of God, by his perfect example, and by whatever he condescended to communi- cate, was light ; as was also the preaching of his apostles and messengers, who, under his imme- diate direction, declared the truth. And by the ample instruction which the Lord Jesus gave to his apostles, and which, in the interval of his resurrection and ascension, appear, by Acts i. 2 — 5, to have been in great measure renewed to them; and by the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit, as the Lord promised to them, the apostles were made instrumental in perpetuat- ing the diffusion of the light, which was for that especial purpose, as well as for their own benefit, given to them. " He that heareth you," said our Lord to them, " heareth me ; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me ; and he that de- spiseth me, despiseth him that sent me," (Luke x. 16.) Neither can any thing be more explicit than the sublime declarations of the Lord Jesus on this subject, in his prayer to the Father : "I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me ; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. — 1 have given them thy word. — Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which IN proper estimation; 123 shall believe on me through their word," (John xvii. 8, 14, 20.) Thus we have a channel, undervalued by the mystic, and despised by the sceptic, but through which, nevertheless, light is transmitted to us from its very source : close that channel on any pretence, and we are involved in darkness. From the earliest age, then, the word has been revealed to a few, to be communicated to the many. The word spoken by the Lord himself, also that which was preached, and what was, after the ascension of the Lord Jesus, " brought to the remembrance" of those whom he chose as depositaries of his truth, and was by them proclaimed and recorded, has been, like the sun rising into full day, the light of the world : in the present day we have the benefit of the con- centration of all this light in Holy Scripture, as in an exhaustless orb exhibiting the omniscience, the infinite wisdom, and goodness of the Al- mighty mind, which has adapted it to every age and to every clime. Surely not more absurd, then, was it to sup- pose that the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars whirled all round the quiescent earth for the sake of giving it light, than it is to insist that the revelation which at long intervals was 1-24 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD bestowed by an all-wise economic hand, has always been given as a seed to every man, wo- man, and child, in every age, for " a light within them," of which, the deeper they look into their own hearts, the more they will discover. Sup- posed proofs of this, however, are sometimes ventured to be brought forward, and their ab- surdity is just as glai'ing as was one of the no- tions in support of the other, — that the hiss of the water was distinctly heard when the sun, in setting, plunged into the sea ! We see in the one case how simply the difficulty was solved — the earth turned round to the heavenly bodies : and in the other, how can any persons think of standing against the torrent of evidence which goes to prove that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ?" It appears to me, therefore, to be undeniable, from the quotations that have been given, (and much stronger might be selected from writings that have been published with the sanction of the Society,) that the preciousness of the Bible to Friends was quite of another and inferior na- ture to the value which the humble believer puts upon it. And although what is stated in page 4 of the " Letter" may be perfectly true, that " The Society of Friends have always IN PROPER ESTIMATION ! 125 maintained that the Holy Scriptures, meaning neither more nor less than the Bible, were given by inspiration of God," yet it by no means fol- lows from this that the Holy Scriptures were held by them in proper estimation ; because, if, as certainly was the case in the early days of the Society, the supposed revelations which in- dividuals thought themselves endued with were held as of at least equal authority with the Scriptures, the unavoidable effect must have been to lower the authority of the Scriptures. We are not informed that the magicians of Egypt were disposed to question the miraculous power by which Pharaoh and his nation were chastised; but we find the sacred historian in- forming us, after having given an account of the infliction of the first plague, (Exod. vii. 22,) " And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments : and Pharaoh's heart was hard- ened, neither did he hearken unto them ; (that is, to Moses and Aaron ;) as the Lord had said." Now nothing has so strong a tendency to bring miraculous power into question as the puny imitations which may be made of its effects even on a small scale, if they appear to succeed. And the same with regard to pro- phecy : if, on some occasions, the predictions of a m 3 126 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD man pretending to Divine revelation are sup- posed to be correct, even if the occurrence of the events be not very improbable, and he should in many other of his predictions be wide enough of the mark, he is looked upon as a pro- phet, and is exposed to the temptation of re- garding himself as such; when, therefore, his inflated mind is excited, his supposed gift of prophecy is presently brought into action to give the more effect to his mental artillery.* The great tendency of this aim at prophesying, as has before been remarked, is to lower the value of Scripture prophecy in the eyes of the inex- perienced and the thoughtless, to a degree that can hardly be calculated; because the natural suggestion to the mind is, that the prophets might be sometimes right and sometimes wrong. * It was doubtless on this principle that Friends in former days were so fearfully misled, as might in very numerous instances be shown. One of these must he familiar to many persons ; I mean that of Edward Burrough pronouncing authoritatively to John Bunyan that his name should rot ; which must be allowed to be as false a prediction as ever the heat of delusion caused an irritated mind to send up, and to boil over with. For the name of Bunyan is embalmed with imperishable sweetness, and will doubtless de- scend to the latest posterity with accumulated admiration ; accom- panied with thanksgiving to God that he was pleased to pluck this brand from the consuming fire, and supply him with the uncon- suming oil of his grace. IN PROPER ESTIMATION* I 1-27 For persons generally do not take into account that the Scripture makes a clear distinction be- tween true and false prophets : the true were never, that we have any account of, wrong in their predictions, although the false, we may be very sure, sometimes appeared to be right, other- wise they could have gained no credit ; and every one allows that the heathen oracles were sometimes remarkably successful in their pre- dictions ; in the present day, also, there is occa- sional success, both among professors and pro- fane. But such is the jealousy of God, with regard to the purity and certainty of his word, that even Balaam, who was evidently a very wicked man, declared, in effect, that he could not utter as prophesy what God did not commission him with. He must, therefore, have had some certain evidence (which it would be idle for us to speculate with regard to the nature of) by which he was guarded from error, and from uttering for truth the falsehood which doubtless abounded in his own wicked heart, although impelled to do so by the powerful operation of fear on the one hand, and the desire of gain on the other. The notion, therefore, of im- perfect revelation is absurd : " The word of 128 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD God is pure : " if He give his word at all, it is perfect truth. So the claim to inward and immediate reve- lation has, in reality, the greatest tendency to lower the authority and value of Holy Scrip- ture, at the same time that it seems to be making full acknowledgment in favour of both. The magicians would, of course, wish for the Egyptians to have a high idea of the power which was exhibited in the mighty infliction under which they suffered, otherwise, surely, they would not have thought much of the auda- cious jugglery of the magicians. False prophets can afford to speak very highly of the revelations that have been given to true prophets, if they do not come into competition with them. And the claimant of immediate revelation must, of course, endeavour to keep up the idea of the importance of revelation, and speak very highly of its authority; or what is to become of his own pretensions? But for all this, the pretender to miraculous power, the sometimes successful prophet, and those who uphold the notion of immediate revela- tion as a common gift, however sincere they may be in making their claims, are, never- theless, doing their part in bringing religion IN PROPER ESTIMATION > 129 into contempt, and invalidating "the oracles of God." Let it not be said that if this reasoning be allowed, the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel would have tended to invalidate those of Isaiah, for there is this infinite distinction : Jeremiah and Ezekiel were true prophets, as well as Isaiah, and these, with all the other prophets and the apostles, pour forth their luminous declarations, as rays towards one common centre. No ; it is false pretension, confidently made, and with a strong semblance of reality, which produces the effects that have been com- plained of; and this is the more injurious, if the persons making such pretensions be sincere, of what is commonly called good moral charac- ter, and be really labouring under delusion : for by these means many may be seriously misled ; and as, sooner or later, the falseness of the claim is sure to be discovered, many others also may, by this discovery, be stumbled. But happy indeed is it for those who, by Divine grace, are, by all these things, more firmly convinced of the infinite value of the truth which God has been pleased to reveal to us in Holy Scripture, and are taught to regard, with increased jealousy, every thing that would 130 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD bring its paramount authority into question, notwithstanding the apparently full acknow- ledgment of this authority that on certain occasions may be made by those who, from whatever motive, are striking at the root of it. That I have not expressed myself too strongly on this subject, will be evident by a quotation from William Penn's Works, vol. ii. page 511 ; and very many others might be given. " And though it may be allowed that the Scripture is a rule respecting the history, as it was to those of old in reference to the particular prophecies fulfilled in Christ's coming; yet as there was then a more inward and heavenly sense of Christ, which drew many after him, and begot deep faith in him, so must there now be a more inward, spiritual, and deep-grounded faith of those things recorded in Scripture, of Christ's appearance, Sfc, than the mere letter is able to give. And therefore that light and spirit which gives that discerning, and works that deep sense and faith, must needs be as well the rule as the author of it, and not the Scriptures ; for if the Scriptures be the rule, then either of themselves, or by interpretation. If of themselves, then either in their translations, or originals. Not in the translations, unless IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 131 the translators had been so inspired that they missed not a tittle, which I am sure is not so ; and consequently none but scholars have a rule, for the unlearned are secluded, and there- fore the English Bible is not a rule. If in the originals of Hebrew and Greek, query, in what copies ? There are various lections in Hebrew ; and for the new Testament, so called, there are no less than thirty copies, and all differing ; in fine, there are many thousands of various readings." Now, as has been before observed, all true Christians devoutly acknowledge, that to under- stand the Holy Scriptures aright, the heart must be changed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. Yet surely those who have a pro- per view of the value of the Scriptures, would never run into quibbles about translations and various readings to invalidate their authority, nor endeavour sophistically to demonstrate that the English Bible is not a rule. For those simple Christians who do bond fide " maintain that the Holy Scriptures, meaning neither more nor less than the Bible, were given by inspiration of God," and at the same time believe that it is by the operation of the Holy Spirit upon their hearts, inducing them to receive the truth 132 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD revealed in the Scriptures, as that which brings them acquainted with their own lost state, and with the way of salvation by Jesus Christ, are willing to leave all such cavils as the above ex- tract exhibits for infidels to make and to dispose of as they are able, after telling them that men of great abilities and acuteness have not found, in the " many thousands of various readings," any thing that materially affects a single article of faith or moral precept of the Bible.* If, then, it be brought as an argument that the Bible cannot be a rule, because "many thousands of various readings" render it ineffi- cient ; when it is proved that all these do not materially affect the sense of it, may not this be brought as an argument of no mean force to prove that the Bible has been thus miraculously preserved, that it may be the rule of faith and practice ? A full exposition of the very dangerous errors * " The real text of the sacred writers does not now (since the originals have been so long lost) lie in any single manuscript or edition, but is dispersed in them all. It is competently exact, in- deed, even in the worst manuscript now extant ; nor is one article of faith or moral precept cither perverted or lost in tlicm. — Dr. Bentley's Remarks on Freethinkiny. Rem. xxxii. See Introduction to tJte Study of the Holy Scriptures, by T. H. Home, M.A. vol. ii. p. 175. IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 133 which the last extract from W. Perm's Works contains might occupy a volume, but we must dismiss this part of our subject with an extract from page 674 of the second volume, in which he gives a quotation from George Whitehead's Apology, page 49, and defends the sentiments it contains. This will, therefore, in few words, serve to show the idea the early Friends had of the authority with which they wrote or spoke, and will illustrate the nature and tendency of their pretensions to " inward and immediate revelation ;" which, be it remembered, is a main pillar of Quakerism ; and, with its fellow, " uni- versal and saving light," serves (in an analogous manner to what we read in the book of Judges with respect to the temple of the Philistines) to support the whole fabric. William Penn's quo- tation from George Whitehead is as follows: " That which was spoken from the Spirit of Truth in any, is of as great authority as the Scriptures or chapters are, and greater, as pro- ceeding immediately from that Spirit; as Christ's words were of greater authority when he spoke, than the Pharisees reading the letter ; and they and their speaking we deny." To the appeal made to me at page 20 of the " Letter," " Whether there is not a real interest N 134 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD in the Society, that the query relative to the frequent reading of the Holy Scriptures which is periodically brought before all the meetings, "should be complied with?" And whether I do not believe that the Holy Scriptures are read daily in almost every one of the families of Friends ? And whether I do not know that they are carefully and diligently taught in all their public schools ? " Are they taught with partial glosses ? " &c, &c. My answer must be, that although I can well suppose persons in general do not read the Scriptures so regularly in their families, as on the average would be found to be the case with Friends ; yet putting the key of knowledge into the hands of the young with apparent frankness, when the wards are effectually blocked up by well-compacted perversion, only serves to bewilder and perplex the possessor of it, or to render him confident in ignorance, and obstinate in error. The worst enemy of the soul, therefore, may well be satisfied to trust the Bible every day, without any apparent restriction, in the hands of those who have from infancy been imbued with two or three confounding principles, whereby the misunderstanding of the general scope and meaning of holy Scripture is secured. Such, IN PROPER ESTIMATION ' 135 for instance, as where the gospel is spoken of, it means the power of God : because it is said, Rom. i. 16, that "it is the power of God unto salvation." And that the gospel is inwardly preached, because the apostle Paul says, Col. i. "23, that it was preached to every creature under heaven : therefore, as every creature cannot have heard it outwardly proclaimed, it is confidently asserted that the text ought to have been trans- lated, "preached in every creature;" and that it is, in fact, " the inward principle in the heart of every human creature" — " the true light which enlightens everv man that cometh into the world" — "Christ within" — "the grace of God which hath appeared unto all men," &C, Sec. That " the name of Christ means his power :" and, as before has been noticed, " wherever the word of Gou is spoken of in Scripture, it means Christ." Now, if these perversions be really received as axioms, (and that they are generally so received among Friends no honest orthodox Quaker will deny,) it is easy to see that to put any particular gloss on thousands of passages of Scripture is not at all necessary, for they are all as effectually turned the wrong way up with a false gloss on them, as if a talisman ic wand were employed to displace the words, or 136 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD render them mystical. And I am sure it is from woful experience I speak, when I declare that nothing but the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to discover the real nature of the master error — inward and imme- diate l-evelation — can dissolve the spell. Many Friends, who at heart are indifferent to religion, and are induced by secular motives to retain that connexion with the society which they have by birth, and are looking on with much stoicism on what they think the needless and senseless agitation which is now prevalent, have perhaps had little pains taken with them in early life to imbue their minds with the principles of Friends ; and there may also be others who are really in earnest with regard to the things which relate to their everlasting welfare, who, owing to their having been providentially thrown in the way of sound instruction, and not inclining to acquaint them- selves much with what Friends profess, are satisfied with reading their Bibles the right way upwards, and with hoping that others do the same. But such persons can have little conception of the dreadful perplexity which a few confounding principles occasion to the mind, which, after having been thoroughly IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 137 warped and misled by them, is brought to the conviction that all is not right : they are not likely, therefore, to sympathize with those who have suffered, and are suffering by the power- ful operation of wrong principles : they may, consequently, wonder that any question should be made of the correctness of what seems to be so confidently held out in page 20 of the " Letter." But truly there is no occasion for either young or old to be subjected to further embarrassment, or to be more dazzled with " partial glosses," than from very early life to have been diligent readers of Friends' writings. The mind, by this means, is so completely bewildered, that when deep anxieties begin to prevail with regard to our final state, it may very properly be compared to the condition of a wretched mariner with his frail bark, tempest-tossed in the midst of the ocean, when neither sun, moon, nor stars appear, his needle set fast, or mocking his aching eyes with the mere motion the vessel gives to it ; his chart illegible, and with nothing better to cheer him than a flickering light in the steerage, by which he can just read as much as this,* (which at * F. " Know the light, the eternal light of life, the little glimmer- N 3 138 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD his leisure he had cut in deep characters,) " Mind the light, and steer the right course." In an agony he exclaims, " Alas ! which is the right course ? Ah ! ichere can I cast anchor ? I know the name of the port I wish with my whole soul to arrive at; but how is it possible for me to get there ?" To the question put to me in the last para- graph of the 20th page of the " Letter," I must repeat the objection, that wrong princi- ples at the root can never be compensated for by a partial exhibition of good fruit. It is declared by the highest authority, that the tree is known by its fruit ; but we must not think that, in order to form a judgment, it is sufficient just to catch hold of some particular thing, and judge by that alone, however good it may appear to be in itself; otherwise men iiig and shining of it in thy sovJ. This comes from the rock, to lead thee to the rock ; and if thou wilt follow it, it will fix thee upon the rock where thou canst not he shaken. 2. " Keep in the light ; keep within the hedge ; step not out of thine own ; keep out of the circumference of the spirit of deceit, the power of whose witchery and sorcery extends all over the regions of darkness." — I. PeningtotCs Works, vol. i., page 217. These are followed by three other rules of instruction equally intelligible, and may be considered as a pretty fair specimen of the didactics of the early Friends. IN" PROPER ESTIMATION? 139 o£ the very worst principles and of the most exceptionable conduct, might be ranked with truly self-denying, devoted, and enlightened Christians. Notwithstanding, therefore, that many Friends have been very commendably diligent for several years past in promoting the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, without note or comment, and I have no doubt whatever but their engagement in this good work has been blessed to them- selves, and that they have cause to rejoice and be thankful in having been made extensively useful ; yet I must be allowed to say, that I cannot understand how a proper regard for the Scriptures by the society can be compatible with the systematic prohibition to read them in their places of worship, and the uniform discourage- ment that is thrown in the way of Bible classes. For, it is well known, that the first symptoms of the " disunity " which has excited so much at- tention in Lancashire, are clearly traceable to the establishment of a very simple and unobtrusive plan for mutual edification in the study of the Holy Scriptures, which was set on foot with the best intention, and indeed under a strong sense of duty, by a judicious, pious, and experienced 140 ARE THE SCRIPTURES HELD IN ESTIMATION.' elder,* at Manchester, whose character might well have secured him (if that of any man living could be thought to secure him ) from the suspicion of a desire for any thing but the spiritual welfare of those whom, in the most disinterested manner, he was endeavouring to put into the way of instruction. But no — the Scriptures must not be studied, in the full and proper sense of the word, lest the principles of Friends might be laid waste in the minds of the young and inexperienced. The extracts from the writings of the early Friends which have been given, will serve to clear up this mystery, because it will be readily seen that the main purpose of the Scriptures was, with them, to confirm " inward and im- mediate revelation," and this is still to be esteemed the paramount rule of faith. * William Boulton, whose friendship, with that of the author of the '■ Beacon" is to me inestimable. CHAPTER IV. IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION BY THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS? But we must now pass on from the considera- tion of the fatal absurdities which the foregoing extracts from the early writers among Friends exhibit, and which we see are held, in the present day, in full estimation by their suc- cessors. That a more clear idea of their system may be formed, let us go on to examine what were the views held out by the early Friends respecting the great sacrifice of Christ. For, although there are some things contained in their writings which would give the idea of scriptural opinions having been held by them on this infinitely important subject, there are others of an opposite nature, which do not appear to me to admit of being explained away; And let it be fully taken into account that, although, in so limited a work as the present, it is impracticable to give more than a few extracts, 142 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST the writings of Friends, unhappily, so much abound with the like views, that the selection on this subject, as well as on those which have before claimed our notice, has been extremely difficult, from the almost incredible bulk that might, with nearly equal propriety, have been transcribed. We may first notice what is said by Robert Barclay, in his Apology, Prop. 13th, § 2nd, page 446, where we find him saying, " The body, then, of Christ, which believers partake of, is spiritual, and not carnal; and his blood, which they drink of, is pure and heavenly, and not human or elementary." And he goes on to say, " If it be asked, then, what that body, what that flesh and blood is? I answer, it is that heavenly seed — that Divine, spiritual, celestial substance, of which we spake before in the fifth and sixth propositions. This is that spiritual body of Christ, whereby and through which he communicateth life to men, and salvation to as many as believe in him and receive him ; and whereby, also, man comes to have fellowship and communion with God." Then, after quoting a number of passages of Scripture, as it appears to me, most fearfully to pervert them, some of which I shall after- HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 143 wards notice, he savs, " From this large descrip- tion of the origin, nature, and effects of this body, flesh, and blood of Christ, it is apparent that it is spiritual, and to be understood of a spiritual body, and not of that body or temple of Jesus Christ which was born of the Virgin Mary, and in which he walked, lived, and suffered in the land of Judea ; because it is said that it came down from heaven, yea, that it is he that came down from heaven. Now all Christians, at present, generally acknowledge that the outward body of Christ came not down from heaven, neither was it that part of Christ which came down from heaven. And, to put the matter out of doubt, when the carnal Jews would have been so understanding it, he tells them plainly, verse 63, ' It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing.' This is also founded upon most sound and solid reason, because it is the soul, not the body, that is to be nourished by this flesh and blood. Now, outward flesh cannot nourish nor feed the soul ; there is no proportion nor analogy betwixt them ; neither is the communion of the saints with God by a conjunction and mutual partici- pation of flesh, but of the Spirit: he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit, not one flesh. 144 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST For the flesh (I mean outward flesh, even such as was that wherein Christ lived and walked when upon earth, and not flesh when trans- formed by a metaphor to be understood spiri- tually) can only partake of flesh, as spirit of spirit: as the body cannot feed upon spirit, neither can the spirit feed upon flesh. And that the flesh here spoken of is spiritually to be understood, appears further, inasmuch as that which feedeth upon it shall never die, but the bodies of all men once die, yea, it was necessary that the body of Christ himself should die. That this body and spiritual flesh and blood of Christ is to be understood of that Divine and heavenly seed before spoken of by us, appears both by the nature and fruits of it." From Barclay's explanation of " the seed " may be clearly understood what is meant by it in George Fox's Journal, where it is very fre- quently spoken of, and is not, perhaps, defined in such a manner as to give a cursory reader much, if any, notion of what he really means by it. For instance, at page 266, we find as follows : — " I was moved by the power and Spirit of the Lord to open unto them the pro- mise of God, that it was made to the seed, not to seeds as many, but to one, which seed was HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 145 Christ: and that all people, both male and female, should feel this seed in them, which was heir of the promise, that so they might all witness Christ in them, the hope of glory, the mystery which had been hid from ages and generations, which was revealed to the apostles, and is re- vealed again now, after the long night of apostacy. So that all might come up into this seed Christ Jesus, walk in it, and sit down together in hea- venly places in Christ Jesus, who was the foun- dation of the prophets and apostles, the Rock of Ages, and is our foundation now." The latter part of this extract might, at first sight, appear to comprehend what is spoken of, Ephesians ii. 19 — 22, "Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow- citizens of the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; in whom all the build- ing, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together, for an habitation of God through the Spirit." But a very different thing from this is meant. George Fox means that, independ- ently of any thing that has been revealed through apostles and prophets, all persons have o 146 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST Christ within them as a seed, which they are to feel as a foundation ; and upon this feeling, without reference to any outward revelation, they are to build, and, in so doing, they will build upon the same foundation as the prophets and apostles built upon : which view of the subject renders the doctrine of the apostle, Ephes. ii. 19 — 22, completely nugatory, and, consequently, destroys the whole plan of the gospel; which destruction is a necessary result of the doctrine of " inward and immediate revela- tion," as it is held by Friends. Again, at page 435 of George Fox's Journal, is to be found the following passage, which also forms part of the second extract in the appendix to the " Letter," page 33, viz., " This Jesus, who was the foundation of the holy prophets and apos- tles, is also our foundation." By bringing in the word "foundation," and also apostles and pro- phets, the above sentence, like the one just before adverted to, would, by a cursory reader, very naturally be thought to include the idea of building on the foundation of the apostles and prophets ; but, by taking into account what has already been shown, it is easy to see the meaning that is veiled under the apparently simple and orthodox sentence just quoted. The HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 147 apostles and prophets are, in reality, cut off from any connexion with those who issued the document from which the sentence in question is extracted. It is indeed acknowledged that the apostles and prophets built on Jesus as their foundation, but then they are not acknow- ledged as the first stones of the Temple upon which other believers must rest. Instead, then, of one temple, according to the sublime view- given by the apostle, in which all true believers are represented as being " fitly framed together," every believer is supposed to have a distinct revelation of Christ made immediately to him- self, and to build on that, independently of the revelation conveyed to us by apostles and pro- phets. Little, we may well suppose, did the " Governor of Barbadoes, with his council and assembly, and all others in power, both civil and military," to whom the paper was addressed from which the short extract is made, suspect the radical error which lay concealed among the goodly phrases with which the document is filled. It is declared, 1 Cor. hi. 11, "Other founda- tion can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Here the figure employed goes to show that there is no other support for the 148 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST faith and hope of any man, than the ample and eternal Rock, Christ Jesus. But then the infi- nitely important question arises, How are we to avail ourselves of this foundation ? How, indeed, in the first instance, are we to hnow of its ex- istence? The great doctrine of Friends, which may be considered as their distinguishing prin- ciple, is this, — That, independently of any out- ward information whatever, every individual human creature may, in himself, come to the virtual knowledge of the Saviour. Perhaps, however, we must except such information as this — which, in most of the writings of Friends, they seem to consider as essential — that people should be " turned " to this " Saviour," or " in- ward principle " of light, life, and salvation : in other words, it appears to be thought needful that every one should be told that he has this " principle " in him, in order that he may know he has it, and may be induced to obey its " inward teachings." Now Ephes. ii. 19 — 22 might seem to have been written for the express purpose of counteracting such a notion. The apostle, in this beautiful passage, represents the whole church — that which existed before as well as since the coming of Christ — as a temple which, from age to age, is being built HELD IX PROPER ESTIMATION? 149 up, or " growing," as believers are added to it. But the foundation of this building, that is, the first course of stones that are laid upon the Eternal Hock (see Rev. xxi. 14,) are the apostles and prophets ; and all other stones are laid or supposed to be resting upon them. Jesus Christ, then, is understood to be the rock which supports apostles and prophets and all other believers ; but these last not only rest on the Lord Jesus, but on the apostles and prophet-. And to show that the it-hole building owes all its worth and sanctity to the Lord Jesus Christ, he is represented not only as the rock to sup- port the whole, foundation-stones and all, but also as the " chief corner-stone," in reference to the practice, in early ages, of consecrating a choice stone, which was to be laid in the most important part of a temple, by virtue of which stone the whole temple would be considered holy. It is very clear then, from all this, we are to understand, that as it was "the Spirit of Christ" in the prophets that did "testify beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow," (see 1 Peter i. 11;) and that the Lord Jesus Christ himself gave instruction to the apostles ; that they were his o 3 150 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST witnesses, (Luke xxiv. 48. Acts i. 8,) and that the Holy Spirit taught them all things, and brought to their remembrance all things that the Lord had said to them; (John xiv. "26 :) so it is through apostles and prophets that we have that testimony of Christ upon xohich we must rest our faith and hopes, if we build safely. And it is the blessed influence of the Holy Spirit alone by which our minds and hearts can be inclined thus to build ; for the corrupt natural heart of man has no inclination what- ever savingly to accept this testimony. Manv utterly reject it ; not a few merely profess to receive it ; and others catch hold of some parti- cular parts, profess to have had these imme- diately revealed to them, and construct a building of their own, by working in these materials they have thus laid hands on, with what may happen to comport with their parti- cular fancies. This is indeed "stealing the words of Scripture," which the early Friends were so eloquent in charging as a crime on " professors ;" for it is taking the words without acknowledgment, and saying they were given immediately to them ; whereas the " pro- fessors," as they were contemptuously called. II ELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION.' 151 made full acknowledgment that they taught no doctrine but what they received through the medium of Holy Scripture. It is, however, perfectly clear that nothing but what is revealed to us through the apostles and prophets can serve as any ground for our faith ; because our Lord said himself to his apostles, " He that heareth you, heareth me ; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me," &c. ; (Luke x. 16;) which, taking into account the commission given to the apostles, (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20,) is surely as much as to say, "Every one that receiveth your testimony, it shall be just as availing to him as if he received it immediately from my mouth ; and whoever de- spises or slights your testimony, it will be just as fatal to him, and as offensive to me, as if he should despise and disregard declarations made to him by myself." Let me then put it most seriously to every professor of " inward and immediate revelation" deeply to consider whe- ther the making such a profession is not virtually despising the apostles in the very manner to which our Lord directly refers, because, if it mean any thing at all, it is professing not to have any need of "hearing" them : they are left out of the question. And most, if not all of the 1.5*2 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST early Friends, have taken particular care to make it known that they did not believe, because of what was written in "the Letter," but that they had received the immediate reve- lation of it themselves. Thus George Fox, in his Journal, page 20, (already quoted,) " I saw in that light and spirit which was before the Scriptures were given forth, and which led the holy men of God to give them forth." In what respect, then, without a manifest perver- sion of terms and destruction of the very intent and meaning of the figure employed, could George Fox be said to build on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, because their words are the medium through which the hum - ledge of the gospel is communicated by the Divine appointment of the glorious Head of the church ? But it is a contradiction in terms for any who profess to have an inward and immediate revela- tion, to require a medium through which it is to be conveyed to them. Let us also think of that most sublime, comprehensive, and affecting prayer of our Lord, which he poured forth just before his passion, in which he made an especial petition for those who should believe on him through the word of his apostles. (See John xvii. 20.) HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 153 How can we, then, be sufficiently earnest in our desire that none may so despise their "word" or testimony, as to think that it may be safely dispensed with altogether, and imagine that it is an attainment not to depend upon it; or, at most, to refer to it merely for the sake of hav- ing evidence that holy men in former days had the same things revealed to them, and the same kind of revelation that is given in these days ; and, therefore, that the Scripture is a confirma- tion of the truth of inward and immediate reve- lation ! And now let me refer to the 22nd page of the " Letter," and ask whether the following positions can be substantiated : " If, as I have endeavoured to show, the doctrine of an imme- diate manifestation of Divine grace be the liv- ing spring of all true faith and true holiness — if this doctrine be not subversive of other revealed truths of the gospel covenant — if the Society of Friends, although they may have given a larger comparative share of importance to one doc- trine than is done by other religious communi- ties, and may not have spoken so much of some other doctrines, or have adopted all the modes of expression relative to them which are in ge- neral use, do nevertheless, as is assuredly the case, fully believe in and build upon the founda- 154 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST tion of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, then the very basis of thy harsh conclusions is destroyed." Of my conclusions I would only just say, that they are either true or false ; if they be true, they are not harsh, unless it would bespeak mildness and Christian charity to let people quietly sink in the mire and clay of false prin- ciples ; and that too, after having been oneself, by the wholly unmerited grace and mercy of God, drawn out from the same dreadful situa- tion. The following paragraph from the " Journal" may serve to show the entire accordance of Fox with Barclay, as it will afterwards be shown how fully these agree with Penn, and some others who stand in very high estimation among Friends. " All Friends of the Lord, every where, whose minds are turned in towards the Lord, take heed to the light within you, which is the light of Christ; which, as you love it, will call your minds inward that are abroad in the creatures, so your minds may be renewed by it, and turned to God in this which is pure, to wor- ship the living God, the Lord of Hosts, over all the creatures. That which calls your minds out of the lusts of the world, will call them out HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION I. 5;} of the affections and desires, and turn you to set your affections above. The same that calls the mind out of the world, will give judgment upon the world's affections and lusts; that which calls out your minds from the world's teachers and the creatures, to have your minds renewed. There is your obedience known and found, there the image of God is renewed in you, and ye come to grow up in it. That which calls vour minds out of the earth turns them towards God, where the pure babe is born of the l i/yi/i, and the babe's food is known, the children's bread, which comes from the living God, and nourishes up to eternal life ; which babes and children receive their wisdom from above, from the pure living God, and not from the earthly one, for that is trodden under foot by such. All who hate this light, whose minds are abroad in the creatures in the earth, and in the image of the devil, get the words of the saints (that re- ceive their wisdom from above,) into the old nature, and their corrupted minds. Such are murderers of the just, enemies to the cross of Christ, in whom the prince of the air lodgeth, — sons of perdition, betrayers of the just. There- fore take heed to that light which is oppressed with that nature, which light, as it arises, shall 156 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST condemn all that cursed nature, shall turn it out, and shut it out of the house. So ye will come to see the candle lighted, and the house sweeping and swept, then the pure pearl ariseth, then the eternal God is exalted." Page 245. As may be supposed, William Penn is very full upon this subject; in vol. i. p. 186, the ap- pendix to his life concludes as follows : "I com- mit and commend you to the word of Jesus nigh in your hearts, in the holy watches of it, to be kept and preserved, that the evil one touch you not, and that this holy word, which is Christ, the Son of the living God, may be brought forth in you, have room in your hearts to live and grow, till you are replenisht therewith. A great mystery it is, but very true, and to the children of light very plain, that he that brings us forth into the regeneration is brought forth in us ; the church is born of Christ, and Clirist is born of the church; wherefore the apostle wrote to the Gala- tians that he travailed in birth again till Christ was formed in them. And what is this virgin church but so many virgin members, that, being overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, conceives, and in the fulness of time brings forth this glo- rious man-child that is to rule the nations. Wherefore, in that pure virgin life live where HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION" ? 157 the sweet overshadowings of the holy life of Jesus are felt, that you may continually bring forth fruits to the honour and glory of the name of the Lord, which is the way to your eternal peace. I have but one thing more, and I take my leave of you at this time, and that is, remem- ber the poverty, simplicity, self-denial, patience, and the cross of Jesus : I beg of you, by all that is dear and sacred to you, shrink not at his bap- tism, neither so much as tamper with any lati- tude that would evade his bitter cup. Let not his vinegar and gall be unpleasant, nor his crown of thorns troublesome ; nor, last of all, let not his nails and spear be terrible to you, for they that will not forsake him in his agonies, but be the companions of his tribulations, and cheerfully lay down their life and die with him to the world, they, and none else, shall rise with him in the newness of life, and ascend with him to his Father, by him to be glorified with that glory which he had with his Father before the world began." At page 182 of this Appendix are to be found the following expressions, which clearly show not only the complete unsoundness of the writer with regard to the great subject we are consider- ing, but also the confounding of the persons of p 158 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST the Deity, and the consequent utter confusion of the gracious offices of the Divine Persons, as revealed to us in Holy Scripture. It may be considered as an epitome of mystical deism, and its necessary attendant self-complacency. " We exceedingly grew in the grace and favour of God, and we were very tender by any wander- ing thought, much more by any evil act, to grieve this Holy Spirit or Babe of Righteous- ness, born in ourselves,*' whom we desired should reign, being overcome with joy, that He was born that brought life with him to our immortal souls. And after we had staid at Jerusalem, the city of our God and King, to receive his instruc- tions, commission, and authority abroad, we went, upon the pourings out of his Holy Spirit. And we went in the name and power of our God, to declare of his judgments, and to tell of his terrible day, to call all to repentance, and to prepare to meet the Lord, to make ready the way of our God." Again, at page 588 in " The Christian Quaker and his Testimony stated and vindi- cated," we find him saying, with respect to " that good man who obeys the light," — " Above all, he is often retired to the Lord, * Contrast this \vitli Luke ii. '25 — 32. HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 159 loves fellowship with him, waits for daily bread, which he asks not in his own words, strivings, or will, but as one empty of his thoughts, and jealous of the peace or comfort that is drawn from thence, he silently waits to feel the hea- venly substance brought into his soul by the immediate hand of the Lord ; for it is not fetching in this thought, or remembering the other passage in Scripture, or designedly call- ing to mind* what has been formerly known, that gives right peace, but every immediate word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, that can satisfy him. In short, he that obeys the light is thereby taught to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to be sober, righteous, pa~ tient, humble, meek, upright, merciful, forbearing, forgiving, peaceable, gentle, self-denying, constant, faithful, and holg, because the Lord his God is holy. Thus have I given a brief account, as well what he is not, as what he is, who is obedient to the light within, which is Christ's spiritual ap- * "Moreover, brethren, I declare Uilto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand ; by which also ye arc saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain," 1 Cor. xv. 1, 2. This might seem to have been written to counteract such wild notions as the above extract abounds with. 160 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST pearance in the heart, ichose holy blood is sensibly felt to cleanse, atone, and save all those who believe and abide therein, both from the guilt and pollution of sin." At page 574 of the " Christian Quaker," we have the whole glorious plan of the gospel completely mystified, and the popish notion of a renewed sacrifice held forth in unequivocal terms, whereby the great sacrifice of Christ is rendered nugatory. " And as at any time dis- obedient men have hearkened to the still voice of the u-ord, that messenger of God in their hearts, to be affected and convinced by it, as it brings reproof for sin, which is but a fatherly chastisement, so upon true brokenness of soul and contrition of spirit that very same principle and word of life in man has mediated and atoned, and God has been propitious, lifting up the light of his countenance, and replenishing such humble penitents with Divine consolations. So that still the same Christ Word-God, who has lighted all men, is, by sin, grieved and bur- dened, and bears the iniquities of such as so sin and reject his benefits : but as any hear his knocks, and let him into their hearts, he first wounds and then heals; afterwards he atones, mediates, and reinstates man in the holy image HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 161 he is fallen from by sin. Behold, this is the state of restitution ! And this, in some measure, was witnessed by the holy patriarchs, prophets, and servants of God in old time, to whom Christ was substantially the same Saviour and seed, bruising the serpent's head, that he is now to us, what difference soever there may be in point of manifestation." To notice all the confusion, absurdity? and deadly error contained in the above extract, would be impossible in a very limited space : suffice it to say, that a very striking virtual resemblance to the doctrine of transubstantiation can hardly escape notice. The omission of the wafer forms the chief distinction. It is very affecting to observe the mystical turn which almost innumerable texts of Scrip- ture have received from the hands of the " early Friends," that they might support the theory of the " inward light," and which, to the present day, are devoutly accepted as bearing the meaning which they gave to them. One of these is Rev. iii. '20, " Behold, I stand at the door and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." And, as we see by the manner in which this text is alluded to p 3 162 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST in the last-quoted paragraph, the sense of it is completely perverted. Instead of considering it as a gracious declaration of Christ that, by the exhibition of gospel truth, taken in connexion with his providential discipline and chastise- ment, (see Rev. iii. 19,) appeals are made to the hearts of men, to which, if, through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, they humbly attend, they will be brought by repent- ance and faith into communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, the passage adverted to is supposed to mean that, independently of any outward appeal or teaching, the heart is wrought upon by an " inward principle," " Christ within," " the inward light," &c, whereby is left out of account the very way in which Christ may be properly said to knock at or appeal to the heart: his office is overlooked, and a merely mystical turn is given to what is calculated to convey a deeply instructive meaning to the mind. Let it be remembered also that all this is done with the high profession of having the presence and immediate guidance of the same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures. We see, therefore, that even the most amiable and talented men, by not receiving or not con- tinuing stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine, (see HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 163 Acts ii. 42, ) but allowing themselves to be dazzled by a new "light" notwithstanding all their profession of spirituality and immediate revelation, do with all sincerity run as in the very face of gospel truth and common sense, and render what is clear and instructive, ob- scure and misleading. For, alas ! a man may wait long enough for knockings at his heart that are worth attending to, if he slight the words which our adorable Saviour declared the Father had given to him, and which he gave to his disciples, (John xvii. 8,) with the commission to proclaim and make them known for the benefit of others, (Matt. x. 27.) And by giving way to a mystical turn of mind, the knockings of a personage very different from the Saviour, though that personage sometimes be arrayed as an angel of " light" may but too readily gain attention, and the wily applicant obtain both entrance and residence, with his whole train of deceit and delusion. And it is very painfully instructive to see the undoubted features of the same spirit in the heathen, the deist, and the mystic* We need not therefore wonder * For an illustration of tliis remarkable fact, see " The Doctrine of the Inward Light considered in its relation to the Written 164 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST that William Penn employs as many as seven chapters in his " Christian Quaker" to prove the identity of the " light " in the heathen, with that which Friends profess to uphold as the " light of Christ within." But to proceed, after this digression, to the subject especially under consideration; let us turn to page 572 of the " Christian Quaker, " where we have " two short arguments " which appear to me to be as completely in opposition to the great doctrines of the Bible, from Ge- nesis to Revelations, as if they had been framed with the express design of overthrowing them altogether. " I have these two short argu- ments further to prove what I believe and assert as to the spirituality of the true seed, and a clearer overthrow it is to the opinion of our adversaries concerning the true Christ. First, Every thing begets its like: What is simply natural produces not a spiritual being : Material things bring not forth things that are immaterial. Now, because the nature or Word," by J. E. Howard. Hamilton and Co., 183b". It would be well if this able, comprehensive, and short tract were generally read and seriously attended to by Friends ; for if it met with im- partial consideration, it could hardly fail to bring conviction to tin- utter and radical unsoundness of the whole system of Quakerism. HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 165 image begotten in the hearts of true believers is spiritual, it will follow that the seed which so begets and brings forth that birth must be the same in nature with that which is begotten, therefore spiritual : then Christ's body, or what he had from the Virgin, strictly considered as such, was not the seed. Secondly, it is clear from hence the Serpent is a spirit. Now nothing bruises the head of the Serpent in man but something that is also internal and spiritual, as the Serpent is. But if that body of Christ were only the seed, then could he not bruise the Serpent's head in all, because the body of Christ is not so much as in any one ; (though too many have weakly concluded it upon us, from a perversion or mistake of our doctrine of Christ in man by his light and spirit;) and consequently the seed of the promise is an holy and spiritual principle of I'ujht, life, and power; that being received into the heart bruiseth the Serpent's head. And because the seed (which in this sense cannot be that body)* is * Would not the following logic lie as sound as the train of reasoning we encounter in the " two short arguments ? " ' There is no question hut that the word white means pale ; pale, too, has the signification of dim ; every one must acknowledge that dim means dark ; and no one would he disposed to question, 166 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST Christ, as testify the Scriptures, the seed is one, and that seed Christ, and Christ God over all, blessed for ever, we do conclude that Christ was and is the Divine word of Light and Life that was in the beginning with God, and was and is God over all, blessed for ever." This altogether is, indeed, a most affecting picture. The apostle might well be supposed to have had such an one in his eye, when he wrote (1 Cor. i. 23) " We preach Christ cru- cified— unto the Greeks foolishness. " For one can hardly imagine that any sophist could with more subtlety attempt to overthrow the whole glorious plan of mediation and atonement, on which all our hopes of salvation depend, and without which we should have no more ground of confidence that even a single sin would be forgiven us, than is possessed by that arch-enemy of God and man, who must have suggested such a train of argument, that men might despise their only means of safety, and be involved in the same irretrievable ruin with himself. We see that, by the confounding of terms, they are liable to the grossest per- that to dark might lie affixed the meaning of black. From these premises, therefore, it is clearly deducihle that the proper meaning of white is black.' HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION > 167 version, and when that is effected, there are no bounds to the errors that may be palmed upon those who accept these perverted defi- nitions for truth.* Thus, the word seed having been laid hold of as a convenient term to designate the supposed " inward principle in the heart of even/ human creature," instead of being allowed to mean offspring, which is its evident signification in the Scripture, when applied to our Lord Jesus Christ, (as it is used, for instance, Gen. iii. 15,) is turned to the account of destroying the doctrine of mediation, in the spiritual sense of the word, and of setting up a mystical principle in the room of it, as the " two short arguments " too fully prove. By the next quotation it appears, that it is by obedience to the Light it becomes life in man. But, if the question were put, " How is man * Fur an example of confounding of terms, see the latter part of the contents of chap. iv. of the Christian Quaker (vol. i. page 527.) " There is no essential difference between the seed, light, word, spirit, life, truth, power, unction, bread, water, flesh and blood, only so denominated from the various manifestations, operations, and effects of the same Divine principle in man. " Compared with this, it would, indeed, be harmless to lay it down as a principle to begin with in giving children reading lessons, that the letters of the alphabet were all in reality alike, only they had different shapes. 168 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST to obey whilst he is spiritually dead ? we should look in vain for the solution, and be constrained to say, as Dr. Wardlaw so admirably expresses himself, " It is preposterous, in the strict sense of the word: it is first last, and last first." And as it is with respect to a matter of such vital importance, how can we sufficiently deplore an error so deadly ? The passage alluded to is in the " Christian Quaker," vol. i. page 529 : " There is a great difference, though not in the principle, yet in its appearance, to man between life and light. Such as truly believe in it, the Word-God, as he appears to illuminate the heart and conscience, and obey it, do really come to know and enjoy a new nature, spirit, and life ; and in that sense, it may be said, as the life in the word became the light in man, so the light by obedience became the life in man. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life, said Jesus. Not that they differ in kind, only in operation, with respect to man ; for, as it is the very life of the word, (in the word,) it is the light of men, and so much it is, let them reject the virtue of it if they will, but it is no more than so in man, unless received and believed by him, and then it begets life, motion, heat, and every Divine HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 169 qualification in the soul suitable to the state of the new birth. And thus the life of the word, which is light common, becomes the life of every such particular by communicating to, or ingenerating life in the soul ; so that 'tis no more he that lives, but Christ (the Word- God whom he hath now put on, and who is become his very life, as well as light) that liveth and dwelleth in him. Let not men, then, in their dark imaginations, with their borrowed knowledge from the mere letter of the Scriptures, contend against the sufficiency of what they obey not, neither have tried, and so cannot judge of its power, virtue, and efficacy, which works out salvation for as many as are turned to it, and abide therein. " The meaning of all this appears to be, that men without any outward information, by obey- ing what they believe to be " the light " in their own hearts, it becomes life to them. In other words, man is regenerated by obedience to " the inward light, " without any reference to an outward revelation; and it would be in vain to quote James i. 18, " Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth," because it would immediately be replied, that the word of truth means " the inward light." It is no wonder, Q 170 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST then, that "at page 865 we find in the descrip- tion Wm. Penn gives of the early Friends, that they professed to give their " Testimony " to a principle in man, which they held up as the only blessed means of salvation, instead of the preaching of the gospel, or making any refer- ence to the scriptural doctrine of the offei-ing of the body of Christ once for all, (Heb. x. 10.) The paragraph to which allusion has been made is as follows : " And as their testimony was to the Principle of God in man, the precious Pearl and leaven of the Kingdom, as the only blessed means appointed of God to quicken, convince, and sanctify man ; so they opened to them what it was in itself, and what it was given to them for. How they might know it from their own Spirit, and that of the subtle appearance of the evil one : and what it would do for all those whose minds should be turned off from the vanity of the world, and its lifeless ways and teachers, and adhere to his blessed light in themselves, which discovers and con- demns sin in all its appearances, and shows how to overcome it, if minded and obeyed in its holy manifestations and convictions : giving power to such to avoid and resist those things that do not please God, and to grow strong in HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ! 171 love, faith, and good works. That so man, whom sin hath made as a wilderness, overrun with briars and thorns, might become as the garden of the Lord, cultivated by his Divine power, and replenished with the most virtuous and beautiful plants of God's own right-hand planting, to his eternal praise." It is in vain to say, that, in the succeeding and other paragraphs, the Lord Jesus is spoken of as opening their way, Sec. &c, because it is perfectly plain, from the quotations given, that all is attributed to the Principle of God in man, &c, as the only Messed means to quicken, convince, and sanctify man. The offices, therefore, both of the Son of God and of the Holy Spirit, are indiscriminately attributed to this " inward light, or " Principle. " Some who have long been deluded with this deplor- able mystical deism, may be disposed to. say, " But if there be an acknowledgment of the exercise of these offices of love and mercy, what need is there of exact discrimination ? " There is this need, that without the scriptural doctrine be adhered to, not only is the fearful charge of contemning the counsel of the Most High incurred, but the great plan of mediation is frustrated ; the holy body broken for m> 172 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST the precious blood shed for us, is virtually left out of the question. Whereby, (as many can by long and painful experience bear witness,) instead of enjoying the light of truth as it is in Jesus, and the hope of the gospel, there is the woe of " sitting in darkness, and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, (Psalm cvii. 10.) The hearts of some of these God hath brought down with labour: they have fallen down, and have perceived there was no man to help. " Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. O that men would praise the Lord for his good- ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder." Alas, the bands of mystical deism are beyond conception stronger than brass or iron ! How great, then, is the goodness of God, if these be dissolved, and we be " set free " by the Son of God ! We can then be at no loss to know what will be the theme for everlasting grati- tude to dwell upon with rapturous delight in eternity. HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ! 173 On reading the following sentence in the " Letter," (page 4,) " And, though shunning some scholastic terms, they [the Society of Friends] have ever held, without any mysti- fication, the real manhood, as well as the Deity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," I con- fess it gave me so much surprise, that I could not conceive how, even with all reasonable latitude, it could be supposed to wear the sem- blance of truth. For, really, as may have been seen by the quotations which have already been given on the subject of the manhood of Christ, there is little else than a tissue of the most woful and fatal mysticism ; and in the extracts which are to follow, the same mysti- cism might appear to be " unbodied," (if one may, with reference to a cloud, adopt such an expression,) even to the utmost desire of the most determined Irvingite. How, then, are the assertions quoted from the " Letter" to be understood, so as to shelter the persons who put them forth from the charge of misrepresent- ation ? For I am sure it is far from me to believe they intended to write what they knew to be contrary to the truth ; yet they could scarcely be unacquainted either with the works that have furnished the foregoing extracts, or Q 3 174 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST with those from which the succeeding ones are taken, because they are the standard works of the Society. Barclay's Apology, as I have before stated, has been held up in a court of justice, by a considerable body of Friends in America, as containing their Creed, or, indeed, more properly speaking, as their Creed. I can only, therefore, consider the assertions in question, which are contained in the " Let- ter, " as a proof that the whole system of Quakerism is so thoroughly mystical, that per- sons who, from earliest life, are brought up in it, are no more aware of its real nature, than those who are born and brought up in a coal-pit are aware of any deficiency of light in it ; or than such as, from year to year, have been living in a smoky atmosphere, are aware of its want of clearness. Ask a child, whose residence has always been in a coal-mine, how- he can possibly see to do any thing with so little light, and he would point with exultation to the " Davy, " as furnishing an abundant supply. Ask another, born in the closest part of one of the most smoky of our large towns, whether he is not incommoded with the smoke ? he would wonder why the question was put to him, and HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION f 175 would probably answer, there was no smoke that he knew any thing about. Thus, therefore, it is with respect to the case we are considering. The system fully accepted induces so complete and instinctive a perversion of Holy Writ, that even a glaring mystical turn given to it is really not perceived ; and notwith- standing that such quarto volumes as those of Isaac Penington might be staring them in the face, the writers of the " Letter" would not be at all aware there were any mystical passages to be found in them. This is, indeed, an affect- ing picture of the state of things in the Society, but I have no doubt it gives the true solution, although many persons, as well as myself, may be surprised on reading the following para- graphs, that any persons so well acquainted with all the standard works of the Society, as we may presume they must be who were engaged with respect to the "Letter," could assert that the real manhood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has ever been held by the Society " witliout any mystification." The paragraphs I allude to are to be found at pages 5 and 6 of the second volume of I. Penington's works : viz. " Our knowledge is in a principle, wherein we receive our capacity of knowing, and wherein 176 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST the Father (from whom the principle came) teacheth us. And this is his way of teaching us, by making us one with the thing he teacheth. Thus we learn Christ by being born of him, by putting him on. Thus we know his righteousness, his life, his wisdom, his power, by receiving a proportion of them, which giveth an ability to discern and acknowledge the ful- ness. And in this we receive the understanding of the Scriptures, and know the seed of the woman, (which bruiseth the serpent's head,) by receiving the seed, by feeling its growth in us, and its power over the enemy. Then we know the thing ; likewise, we know the woman that brings forth this seed after the Spirit, which is the Jerusalem above ; and we know, also, and singly acknowledge, the bringing forth of it outwardly after the flesh. This seed we know to be the seed of Abraham ; the seed of David after the flesh ; and the seed of God after the power of the endless life; and we are taught of God to give the due honour to each : to the seed of God in the first place, to the seed of David in the second place. There was the seed that wrought the thing, which seed was the life ; and the seed in which he wrought it, which was formed into a vessel HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 177 like ours, but without sin, in which the pure Lamb appeared in the pure power of life, which kept the vessel pure ; and so he (who was to be the first-fruits) had the honour above all his brethren, being anointed with the oil of glad- ness above his fellows." " But we also are born of the same seed. He is formed in us, we are formed of him; we are as well of his flesh and blood as he was of ours. And by being thus formed, and feeling him grow up in us, and receiving an understanding from him and in him, thus we come to know him, and to understand the words of Scripture concerning him. By feeling and knowing the Lamb in our vessels, we know also what was the Lamb in his vessel." For evidence of the most hopeless mysticism, we might also quote a very large proportion of the voluminous work from which the above extract is made. Indeed it is hard to select passages, for the whole seems to be one tissue of confusion and subversion of the gospel of Christ, by the substitution of a most fearful spiritualizing, or rather volatilizing system, which, if a person at one moment fancies he can lay some hold of, he finds the next that he might as well have attempted to possess 178 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST himself of a passing shadow : and the man who has had the privilege of being taught the value of Scripture, and the benefit of common sense, will give up the pursuit accordingly. But at page 19 we find whereabouts this mystical transport is to land us : for there we read as follows : viz., " Can outward blood cleanse the conscience ? Ye that are spiritual, consider. Can outward water wash the soul clean ? Ye that have ever felt the blood of sprinkling from the Lord upon your consciences, and your con- sciences cleansed thereby, did ye ever feel it to be outward ? It is one thing what a man apprehends (in the way of notion) from the letter concerning the things of God, and an- other thing what a man feels in spirit." " Seeing the apostle speaks of purifying the .heavenly things themselves, (Heb. ix. 23,) it would seriously be inquired into, and the Lord waited on, to know what nature these sacrifices must be of which cleanse the heavenly things ? whether they must not of necesssity be heavenly ? If so, then, whether was it the flesh and blood of the veil, or the flesh and blood within the veil ? Whether was it the flesh and blood of the outward earthly nature, or the flesh and blood of the inward spiritual nature ? Whether HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 179 was it the flesh and blood which Christ took of the first Adam's nature, or the flesh and blood of the second Adam's nature." (Page 20.) And again, at page 21, we find the following sophistical questions — " What did all the types, veils, and shadows under the law signify ? Did they signify another veil ? Did they signify, or shadow out that which was outward ? Or did they shadow out and signify that outward life, virtue, and saving power which was the substance of all ?" Here, then, we discover the purpose for which we have been led up into the clouds : it is, that we may be let drop into what, in reality, is no better than the very sink of infidelity. If "outward blood" cannot cleanse the conscience, what ground have any of us for hope that our consciences ever will be cleansed ? What is to prevent that tremendous surge breaking in upon us, which, at any moment, like an over- whelming tide, may rage throughout the whole soul ? True, men may raise barriers against it, and by false systems and false hopes seem to succeed for a time in keeping off the evil day ; but if ever we be " cleansed," if ever we have a permanent sense of reconciliation with God, it must be by the application, by faith, of that 181) IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST blood shed for us on the cross by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, (Luke i. 30-35,) and not by the application of spiritual blood ; for the Scrip- ture tells us not one word about any such thing. We need be at no loss to know what is meant by " the veil," and " the flesh and blood of the veil ;" the following quotation from page 26 will show. It forms part of " An Incitation to Professors, seriously to consider whether they or we fail in the true acknowledgment and owning of the Christ which died at Jerusalem." " Now, that professors generally have not received their knowledge of Christ from the Spirit, or from Scriptures opened in the Spirit, (and so know not the thing, but only such a relation of the thing as man's reasoning part may drink in from the letter of the Scriptures,) is manifest by this, in that they are not able in spirit and under- standing to distinguish the thing itself from the garment wherewith it was cloathed, though the Scriptures be very express therein. Speak of Christ according to a relation of the letter, then they can say somewhat; but come to the sub- stance, come to the spirit of the thing, come to the thing itself, there they stutter and stammer, and show plainly that they know not what it is." HELD IN" PROPER ESTIMATION? 181 " Now the Scriptures do expressly distinguish between Christ and the garment which he wore, between him that came and the body in which he came, between the substance that was veiled, and the veil which veiled it. Lo! I come, a body hast thou prepared me. There is plainly he and the body in which he came. There 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. Now, if ye indeed know the Christ of God, tell us plainly what that is which ap- peared in the body ? Whether that was not the Christ before it took up the body, after it took up the body, and for ever?" At page 616, we find a positive denial of the flesh and blood of Christ, as the meat and drink whereof he declared it to be essential for us to be partakers. " The outward flesh is not the meat indeed, nor the outward blood the drink indeed; but it is the spirit, the life, the substance, which the birth that is born of the Spirit feeds upon and lives by. Oh ! consider seriously, and wait on the Lord rightly to un- derstand that scripture, John vi. 63, " It is the Spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth it 182 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST nothing : the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." At page 106 the notion of sacrifices is held out in such a manner as to nullify the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross ; but this is very naturally to be expected when the real sacrifice of Christ is virtually denied, and an imaginary one substituted. Otherwise, who could have thought of any people presuming to suppose, that the types and shadows of the law pointed to what was to be offered up in themselves ? The heart fairly sickens whilst one is transcrib- ing such an evidence of the robbery of Christ of his peculiar glory and honour. Will any of those who have dared to entertain such notions, stand before the judgment-seat of " that max whom God hath ordained to judge the world in righteousness," and lay a claim to having had expiatory sacrifices given them to offer up in themselves ? What were all the types and sha- dows intended mainly to signify, but that man by sin had actually forfeited his fife, and that he must be indebted for life to another upon whom he had no claim whatever? And the pouring out of the blood of the victims was doubtless intended to show, in the most striking manner, that they who, according to God's appointment, HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 183 brought them to be offered up, deserved the death which in their stead was inflicted upon the innocent sufferers. All these sacrifices, there- fore, most clearly and unequivocally pointed to Christ the immaculate Lamb, whom God the Father sealed; and John the Baptist saw the Spirit descending from heaven and abiding upon, and bore witness to; and who, according to Divine appointment, and his own free gift, of himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree. How infinitely different is all this from the notion held out in the extract which, how- ever, corresponds with the doctrine of the other standard writers among Friends. But when scriptural truth is made subordinate to "in- ward light," there are, indeed, no bounds to the extravagance, folly, and vain pretensions to which men will aspire, and that, too, under the semblance of greater sanctity than is to be found among " the professors," as they are contempt- uously called, who are endeavouring to accept the Scriptures in the way which God hath ap- pointed them to be received; well aware, as they must be, that in very many respects they fail of so accepting them, but at the same time praying that "in his light they may see more light." The epitome of fatal error which I have 184 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST adverted to, is as follows, viz. — " What if I should say that we worship the Lord in spirit on the Lord's-day, (which is inward and spiri- tual, the true rest, the substantial Sabbath,) and that we offer up to him the living sacrifices which the High-priest of our profession prepares in us for the most excellent majesty and glory of our God therein ? Were not the sacrifices under the law, which they offered up, according to the letter, types, and shadows of what the Lord teacheth us, and giveth us to offer up to him in spirit, when we appear before him in his house built on his holy mountain ? For, Friends, the house wherein we appear is spiritual, (a house of God's own building,) the worship spiri- tual, the sacrifices spiritual, the day of worship spiritual — even the day which the Lord hath made." But as if all this was insufficient to neutralize the glorious scheme of the gospel, by which " Immanuel" — God with us, God manifest in the flesh — is shown forth as our all-sufficient Sa- viour and Mediator, we have the following mys- tical notions held out respecting the manhood of Christ, by which those who receive them may be effectually turned from Christ to themselves, and their hope be made to rest on their own HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION .' 185 mental excitement : — " Did not the Bridegroom go away, as to his appearance in the flesh, that he might come again in spirit? Did not the apostles, who knew his appearance in flesh, and his tabernacling among them, know after- wards his appearance in spirit, and his taber- nacling in them? And were not their hearts filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory, because of the presence of the Bridegroom ? Did they not know the man-child born and brought forth in spirit, as really as ever he was born and brought forth in flesh ? Yea, did they not travail and help to bring him forth ?" vol. ii. p. 19. We need hardly make further search in the two quarto volumes for a climax, full fraught as they are with matter of a similar description, which if it be not genuine " Hicksism," what is it ? Most certainly not Christianity. I have, for quotations, purposely confined my- self, with very little exception, to the writers among Friends who are considered as pre-emi- nent ; but I would now give one extract on this vital subject from a work with a very attractive title, viz. " Balm from Gilead. A Collection of the living Divine Testimonies, written by the faithful Servant of the Lord, William Smith." This author, although not so extensively known R 3 186 IS THE SACRIFICE GF CHRIST in the Society as some others, is spoken of in the " Testimonies" prefixed to his works with high commendation, as a man and a minister of Christ. John Whitehead speaks of his writings " as sweet unto the taste as honey and the honey- comb." At page 30 is to be found as follows : — " Now the Quakers' principle and practice an- swering these general reasons, there is a neces- sity why their liberty should be granted in things pertaining to God. 1st. Because they have re- ceived Christ Jesus in the appearance of his light, and are followers of his light in his own way, and by the light they are restored into the pure reason, wisdom, and understanding in which their inward man stands innocently before God, and their outward man disposed in right- eousness, as in the beginning. 2nd. Because the light of Christ in which he hath unto them ap- peared, and is in their principle, is made unto them the power of God unto salvation. 3rd. Because the light of Christ hath taken away their sin, and redeemed them from all iniquity, and hath made them a peculiar people unto God. 4th. Because the light of Christ hath broken down the partition-wall of sin, and hath recon- ciled them unto God, and made their peace." At page 54 : " The work of God's power in HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION .' 187 man — " There is a time when man comes so to be smitten by the light of Christ in his con- science, as that he is brought to stand still and consider his way, and with the light he comes to see the evil of his doings, and there he feels the light to be a witness against him," &c. Page 55 : " There is a time when the Power woths redemption, by drawing and leading man out of the sin, &c. There is a time when the Power works salvation, in saving from the sin out of which it redeemeth, for Christ is the power of God to salvation." . . . . " For where can any come to feed upon Christ, if they find him not within them ? How can they eat his flesh and drink his blood, if he be not within them ? And can any have life in him, if they do not eat his flesh and drink his blood ? Or can any eat that flesh that was crucified in times j/ast, and drink that blood which teas shed, (/s it is jiesh and blood, without them ? Nay, nay, there must be a nearer communion with Christ ; if any eat his flesh, any drink his blood, they must feel him to be within them," &c. A striking evidence of the working of all this, is shown by some questions put by Win. Bayly, of whom Sewel, in his " History of the People called Quakers," page 146, says, that he was 188 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST " convinced by George Fox's ministry," and " afterwards became an eminent minister." His first question is, " Whether there be any more Saviours of the immortal soul but one, that is able to save it, or to bring salvation to it — yea or nay ? If you say nay, there is but one able to save, and able to destroy, as the Lord said, ' Beside me there is no Saviour;' and there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved, but Jesus Christ. 2nd. Then whether the visible person of jiesh and bones be the only Saviour, seeing the apostle saith, ' The ingrafted word is able to save the soul,' and the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men ? And who was Enoch's Saviour, and the prophets' ? Who were before that visible flesh and bones was ? 3rd. Whether the visible person of flesh and bones be the ingrafted word ? Or whether that person hath appeared to all men, seeing that which bringeth salvation hath ? I leave it to the witness of God in you all to consider and judge. For if you say, The visible man with visible Jlesh and bones is the alone Sa- viour, as you have said, then, whether this visi- ble man be in the hearts of people ? For the apostle preached Christ, the Word nigh in the heart and in the mouth, and the ingrafted word HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION.' 189 is able to save the soul : so he did not preach a risible Christ with flesh and bones, as you do, [which W. B. said was not Christ,] but the Word. And Paul preached God that made the world, §"C, that was not far from every one of us, the in visible God ; but you preach a visible man with flesh and bones, at a great distance from all peo- ple, above where the sun, moon, and stars are, as Matthew Caffin said his Saviour was, which he owned for salvation." (Bayly's Works, pages 600, 601.) Here, then, we see that a perversion of Scripture is no trifle. This notion of the Lord Jesus Christ being " the word nigh in the heart," " the ingrafted word, " &c, is really brought as a fulcrum on which to rest the lever, whereby the religion of Christ is to be overturned; for this "eminent minister" asks, triumphantly, " whether there be any more than one Saviour? " Then, taking for granted, that " the engrafted word " is the Saviour, he is for penning up those who preach a visible man, with flesh and bones, as the Saviour, by assuming it to be absurd for such an one, at a great distance from all people, to be the Saviour, when the only Saviour is " the word nigh in the heart." It is, then, perfectly clear 190 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST that " the fundamental principle " of Quakerism is there taken as a ground for overturning the very basis of the Christian religion. How, then, can we wonder at the " incurable hostility " which is shown to the gospel by the Society at this day? for Quakerism, properly so called, is unchanged, and in its nature is unchangeable ;* and it must be evident to every enlightened Christian, that the cardinal doctrine of justification by faith in a crucified Saviour never can be held in its genuine scrip- tural import by the Society, unless it give up the very foundation on which it stands, when, of course, it would cease to be " the Society of people called Quakers." Take for granted that we are saved by obe- dience to an " inward principle," " inward light," " the word nigh in the heart," &c, and there is no foundation for Christian faith. For, on such a principle, the great doctrines of me- diation and atonement are a mere encumbrance, and the wretched subterfuge of making out that our blessed Saviour gave himself to pur- * " We wish to assure our dear Friends every where that we still retain the same unalterahle principles, and desire to be enabled, under every variety of circumstance, steadily to uphold them." — Yearly Meeting's printed Epistle, 1835. HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ! 191 chase this " principle, " that we may or might be " put into a capacity to be saved," is nothing at all more than just for the sake of seeming to include principles, which, if flatly denied, would subject the system to the designation it deserves ; for the case is not in the least degree helped by this clumsy contrivance. It is no better than attaching a wheel to a machine, which loads it, without answering any other purpose than to give it what, at first sight, may appear like symmetry ; for where is the use of this supposed principle, taken in the view that has been last mentioned? It either gives a clear and intelligible idea of the law of God, and an inclination to obey it, or it does not. If it give this idea and inclination, how is it accounted for, that in parts of the world where no religious instruction is given, (consequently there is nothing to interfere with the knowledge and energy this principle is supposed to com- municate,) there is nevertheless an entire igno- rance of God, consequently of his holy law, as being his law, and therefore there can neither be repentance for the transgression of the law of God, nor hope of the forgiveness of the transgression of it : the evil heart, then, necessarily remains unchanged. It would seem, 192 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST then, that where the light of this principle is most wanted, and where it has the most oppor- tunity of showing itself to the greatest advan- tage, it is the least known, or rather not at all known. If this principle do not give the knowledge of God, nor of his law, and conveys not the remotest idea that there is a remedy for sin, of such efficacy that men who by faith lay hold on it know that they have forgiveness of sins, and are thereby induced to love God, and really to desire to obey his law, which they also love because they truly repent of having transgressed it, and are sensible that it is holy, and just, and good, how can this principle answer the purpose so essentially required? How is that great thing to be effected without which there is nothing, — reconciliation with God, grateful love to him, and a consequent desire and prayer for ability to obey his com- mandments ? No, truly ; we do not read of a " Principle " having been bought for us, but that we are bought with a price. Disbelieve this, and we are out of the covenant of life : believe it, through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit with the word of truth, and we are justified by faith. HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 193 But it is not our works that are justified, or justifiable ; they are condemnable, and would condemn us at every point; our persons are justified. " Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; and patience experience ; and experience hope ; and hope maketh not ashamed ; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Rom. v. 1 — 5. What, then, could the purchase of a prin- ciple, to put us into a capacity for salvation by our obedience to it, do for us ? If a man be honest to himself, he must find that, instead of obedience to this principle, he is constantly disobeying it, unless he imagine the principle merely to require such things as with moderate ease, in the general way, he can perform. But if it be made to include thoughts as well as words and actions, he will be utterly hopeless, unless he allow the main current of them to run by disregarded. How so ? Because nothing really inclines to God in such a way as to make s 194 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST us delight to think of him as a God of perfect love (in which are included the sublime at- tributes of justice, holiness, righteousness, and truth) as well as mercy, but faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, not as a " principle," but as he is true God and real man ; our Redeemer, Me- diator, and Saviour; our Prophet, High Priest, and King, who, by one offering of himself to God for us, hath stopped our just wages, death, and purchased for us eternal life. We may, indeed, indulge ourselves with the thoughts of God, as a God of love, making out this love to be such as shall promote our happi- ness in our own way, and on our own terms ; and, by our real and spiritual pride, we may, perhaps, make those terms occasionally intricate, difficult, and painful to both body and mind ; but, by all this, the great evil of the heart, the original disease, pride, remains untouched ; or, rather, is nourished and made luxuriant. And with all this human contrivance, what becomes of those who are disobedient to the purchased " principle ? " If the value of the great sacrifice of Christ is laid out in the pur- chase of this " principle," or " seed," which by our obedience we are to render effectual to our salvation ; if we disobey it, we require an atone- HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION I 195 ment to be made for us, just as much as if the principle had never been purchased. Who, then, is to make this atonement for us ? " for there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin," (Heb. x. 26.) Say that "we must atone for our acts of disobedience to ' the principle ' by future attention to its manifestations," and we have undisguised deism that moment. Ask, who is there that really has entirely obeyed " the principle ? " For we must not lose sight of the positive declaration by a higher authority than that of the inventors of this " principle," that " whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all," (James ii. 10.) Whom, then, shall we have pointed out to us ? The heathen whom Wil- liam Penn and others so highly extol ? Have not the best of these, with their dying breath, upheld the notion of false gods ? This, of all things we read of in the Scriptures, is ever mentioned as being most offensive to the Ma- jesty of Heaven : and the generality of the heathen, unless they be visited by the light of the gospel, are not only idolaters from child- hood to the grave, but are sunk in the most shocking debasement and defilement. Turn to the Christian world, and whom do we 196 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST find there that can fairly be supposed to be completely obedient to the " principle ? " None of "the professors," certainly, can be expected to make good the claim. The early Friends ? Look at the fac-simile : there we see the picture of a man who could write thus in his Journal, (page 22;) " Moreover, when the Lord sent me into the world, he forbad me ' to put off my hat ' to any, high or low, and I was required to thee and thou all men and women, without any respect to rich or poor, great or small. And as I travelled up and down, I was not to bid people good morrow or good evening, neither might I bow or scrape with my leg to any one ; this made the sects and professions rage. But the Lord's power carried me over all to his glory, and many came to be turned to God in a little time ; for the heavenly day of the Lord sprang from on high, and broke forth apace ; by the light of which many came to see where they were." Yet this same person could compla- cently receive the honours due to the Saviour alone. And at the time he was zealously teach- ing persons that they must not use the common tokens of respect and civility to one another, because it was robbing God of his honour, he seems to have been quietly receiving, from those HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 197 lie had thus taught, the best jewels of the Saviour's crown, or, indeed, the crown itself, which they, poor mortals, had taken away to present to him. This, as was said afterwards, when " the embers were rekindled into a flame," was " coming up into an equality." Then what is all this system which, in the eyes of very many, appears to be so venerable and comely ? Has it truth for its basis, or only the perversion of it? Will it do not only to live by, but to die by ? Is it as good for eter- nity as it is confidently stated to be for time ? In that great day when all shall stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, — yes, before Him who was born of the Virgin Mary, — Jesus of Nazareth, — who will dare to say, " I have obeyed the principle which by thy death thou didst purchase for every man that came into the world, that whoever obeyed it he should be saved." Oh for a voice to peal through the whole land, and every land where this sore delusion has spread, that all might be most solemnly warned to flee from it as from a subtle and destructive serpent, fair to the eve. but with an insidious tooth to dry up the vitality of the frame it pierces. Many, I believe, are the prayers put up, not s3 198 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST only by some who still retain their membership in the Society, but by the pious of various denominations who have no connexion with it, that its members may, by the grace of God, be induced to renounce and abhor the error under which too many are sunk, and that God may give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. Joyful is the hope that many will be so blessed, and earnest, I am sure, are my desires for those who are awakened to a sense of the danger of false principles, that they may not presume to calculate on the continuance of making such a profession ; because, if we look at the " root and ground " of it, as Friends are so much disposed to do with respect to matters of comparatively small importance, what do we find but the subversion of the gospel ? and yet this system is upheld as a standard to which all are invited to flock, and there are not wanting, even in this day, "prophets," as there were abundance of such in the early days of the Society, to foretell that eventually all will flock to it. But, alas ! what is it better than the white flag of rebellion against the Lord Jesus, under which many are serving without knowing the HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 199 real nature of the ensign ; for, as there is nothing definite emblazoned upon it, they form their own notions as to the nature of the cause they are engaged in, and are satisfied with the belief they are in good company, without being aware how much they are really governed by the ''■esprit du corps." How, then, can there be other than great responsibility attaching to those who continue associated with the body who up- hold this standard ? And is it not a case in which the words of the Lord Jesus Christ are especially applicable, (Matt. x. 37,) " He that loveth father or mo- ther more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." We must also take into account the sublime and affecting exhortation which is given, (Philip, ii. 4 — 11,) "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind bfe in you, which was also in Christ Jesus : who, being in the form of God, thought it not robberv to be equal with God, but made him- self of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the like- ness of men : and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient 4200 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST unto death, even the death of the cross. Where- fore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." How, then, can we be too jealous of any interference with the Saviour's honour, which, although it be pro- fessedly given, is virtually taken away under the guise of honouring the Spirit? But it is per- fectly clear that God will not accept honour of those who derogate from the honour of the Son ; for it is at the name of Jesus that every knee shall bow. Unless, therefore, he be acknowledged, not as a veil or garment worn by Christ, but as the Lord of life and glory, there is neither worship nor honour that God will accept : it is all the mere will-worship of the fallen nature, whether it be with the high pretensions and the pomp of Romanism, or in the meagre silence of Quaker- ism, professing to wait for the fresh or renewed revelation of what God hath already explicitly revealed through apostles and prophets. Some of those who have been awakened are HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? '201 tempted to imagine themselves to be as safe in retaining the connexion in which they have been educated, as they could be in joining any other, so long as they do not take any part in the So- ciety, by which they might seem to commit themselves in supporting particular views ; but they certainly do countenance those views be- yond what they can easily be aware of. If the foundation were sound, I would not presume to offer a contrary sentiment ; but as it is, I can only look on such as are brought to the point I have described, as in some respects comparable to flies liberated from the spider's web, except- ing that a single thread of it still holds them. How often do we see these, except they make one resolute effort and break the bond, drawn in again by the tenacity of the snare ? Their partial escape has then only made the spider more eager to secure them as his prey. No ; it is no matter to be trifled with ; and how severe must be the compunction, if, when through the goodness of God there has been so much grace afforded as to enable them to perceive the truth as it is in Jesus, they unhappily delay their op- portunity of escape for the sake of any worldly consideration ; for, before they are aware, they may lose the disposition to break their bonds, 202 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST and may continue attached to a system which is subversive of the gospel, and dishonours the adorable Author of it. In the love of the gospel, then, I offer this caution : a word to the wise is sufficient. Let us now take a more general view of the extracts that have been given on this momentous subject. One can hardly imagine that any well- instructed Christian, who may condescend to give these pages a perusal, could fail to per- ceive, that notwithstanding the sophistical man- ner in which, in several of the extracts, the sub- ject is involved, the whole tenour of them goes to deprive the human nature of Christ of that glory which the Scriptures most unequivocally assign to it, and, under the semblance of ele- vated spirituality, virtually to sink the visible person of Christ into nothing more than a mere veil or garment in which Christ appeared. And in order to keep up an apparent agreement with Scripture doctrines, notwithstanding that Christ is thus deprived of his manhood, the terms hea- venly and spiritual, man, man-child, &c. &c, are liberally held out. It will be clearly seen that all this is for the sake of making Christ an " in- ward principle," an " inward light," &c, which could not be done, if the humanity of Christ HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ! 203 were allowed the place which the holy Scripture assigns to it; for although the dignity of the humanity is infinitely raised by the divinity, still it is humanity. " There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," (1 Tim. ii. 5.) And such is the intimacy of the union of the humanity with the Deity, that in Acts xx. 28 we find this expression : " The church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Now, who can doubt the human blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is here meant ? and surely nothing can give a more exalted idea of the in- timacy of the union of the word with the hu- manity of Christ, than such an expression. Analogous to this are the sublime words with which the Majesty of Heaven inspired the pro- phet Zechariah, (xiii. 7,) "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts." What need is there for us, then, to have re- course to the human contrivance of interposing spiritual flesh and spiritual blood, for us to feel in our hearts, before we may lay hold on the hope set before us in the gospel? No; the crucifixion of " that holy thing" which was born of the Virgin Mary, was not merely rend- "204 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST ing "the veil," "the garment which Christ wore !" Holy Scripture utterly repudiates such a degrading view of the humanity of the Lord Jesus, as well as the notion so often advanced in the writings of Friends, that he is really crucified in the hearts of men, and we are to depend upon his resurrection in us for our re- demption ; thus mystifying, or rather nullify- ing the whole great subject, and leaving us, in reality, nothing better to rest on for salvation than our own obedience. For it is our obedi- ence, it seems, to this light which is crucified in our hearts, that is to raise it into dominion, and so to save us. But what signifies talking about believing in Christ, and in all that he did and suffered for us, if the real dependence is on something which we are to do to render our- selves fit, or worthy, or whatever else, to be saved by him ? It is inverting that blessed order of the gospel, which the child-like Christian will perceive in every part of the New Testament. For instance, what is to render a man fit to partake of the marriage-supper? Why, he is not required even to provide his own salt ; the feast is prepared, all things are ready ; and his own mean and vile garments are not to hinder him from coming, because a garment is pro- HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION > 205 vided for him, which is to cover him entirely. What then is required ? — a real desire to be a partaker of the feast, and an humble conscious- ness of the vileness of our garments, whereby we are induced, most gratefully, to accept the i*obe provided for us. For, by the comprehen- sive parable which is here alluded to, we are taught, that it is not only by the holy body of Christ broken for us, and his precious blood shed for us, but by the righteousness he wrought, which we must avail ourselves of as of a robe which we have neither spun nor woven, that we are saved in the full sense of the word.* Other- wise we can never appear before God, but with shame and everlasting contempt; whatever we may have dreamed about co-operation by right- eousness in our own salvation, Christ is all our salvation, or we are not saved; the belief that he is all our salvation is our only ground of hope. This hope is given to us by the Holy Spirit ; and to the abiding with us of the Holy Spirit, are we every moment indebted for the maintenance of it as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whither the fore-runner is for us entered, even Jesus: He is entered for us as * See Matt. xxii. 2—14. Rom. iii. 22. T 206 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST High-priest, Redeemer, Mediator, Saviour, and Intercessor. What atoning sacrifice can we make for ourselves ? What part of the price of our redemption can we pay for ourselves? What cause can we show on our own behalf that judgment should not go against us ten thousand thousand times over ? What can we interpose between ourselves and the everlasting burning ? And what can we offer in extenuation of our sins ? What can we plead, but that we are alto- gether corrupt and vile ! " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me," (Ps. li. 5.) Ah ! little may that man believe, that when he is fancying "the Babe is raised" in his heart ; or, when he is supposing that he feels the " spi- ritual flesh and blood of Christ" in his heart, he is doing homage to a creature of his own ima- gining, or what some sophistical mystic has ima- gined for him. And that notwithstanding all his notions of refined spirituality, he is exposing himself to the dreadful risk of for ever losing the spirit and life of Christianity. For the Lord Jesus Christ himself " bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness," (1 Pet. ii. 24.) This is the way which God has appointed to in- HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 207 duce us to hate and abhor all sin — to have no life in any sin — and at the same time to have life, real consolation, and joy in righteousness. ; Are there, then, two ways of bringing about this state of mind; one which God hath or- dained, and another which man has discovered in "the light;" one by which our affections may be wrought upon, and we be drawn and bound by cords more soft than silk to our infinite Benefactor, whom God himself, by the Holy Spirit, draws us to regard as such, awl makes known to us by his express word, that if we believe in his beloved Son Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary, he is propitiated towards us. and for his sake will no more remember our sins against us ; — another, by which we may have the everlasting self-complacency of thinking that ice have rendered effectual what was intended for our good ? Little, at first sight, may seem to be the dif- ference, but it is in reality infinite, as may well be seen by the specimen of the first-fruits of the delusive system of error and folly, which is represented in the fac-simile prefixed to this small volume. Oh ! how thankful ought men to be that it is by grace — favour wholly unde- "208 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST served and unpurchased by them — that they are saved ; through faith, and that not of themselves, it is the gift of God, " not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."* Wherefore, remember — yes, ever- lasting will be our remembrance of our vileness, and that all our salvation is of grace, otherwise it is plain enough that even if admitted within the gates of heaven, we should soon fall like Lucifer, by the unsubdued pride that would be still lurking in our inmost souls. Will the thousand times answered objection be made, that if we be saved without our own co-operation in our salvation, we may then do as we please, and leave the work to go on whether we do well or ill ? But how does that man please to do who is made " free" (John viii. 36) from the domineering bondage of Satan, by the Son of God who gave his life a ransom f for the lost soul of the captive ? Is he not sensible that it is really Christ who hath set him free ? After, it may be, long pining with sorrow because of sin ; having been long bound with a more op- pressive tie than the palsy % would bind and en- * Rphcs. ii. 9, 10. t Matt. xx. 28. { Matt. ix. 2. HELD IN PROI'ER ESTIMATION '. 209 cumber him with ; when by the renewal of the Holy Ghost he is enabled to realize by faith that word of liberation, " Son, thy sins be for- given thee" — " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth thee from all sin ;" will he with senseless ingratitude to his Deliverer run after his old master, and gratuitously offer him his services ? If left to himself, no one, indeed, can tell what folly or ingratitude he might not be guilty of. But is the child of God left to him- self? Are the sheep of Christ's pasture left just to wander whither chance may misguide them ? No ; " My sheep," saith that great Shepherd who laid down his life for them, "my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they fol- low me : and I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand," (John x. 27, 28<) From having been goats, they are really changed into sheep : it is a new birth, a new creation, a change from the love of sin to the love of holi- ness, and the consequent desire and prayer for it. How is this effected? Is it that Christ was lying dormant, wrapped up as "a seed" in the heart, and, by some acts of obedience, wrought by the heart, the seed has been deve- t3 . •'■ 210 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST loped into a babe, which, by continued obe- dience, may be cherished and nourished to a full stature ? Or, is it by spiritual flesh and spiritual blood believed to be in the heart, and felt to be there, by which feeling we are sus- tained and induced to be obedient to whatever is manifested within us ? No ; it is a mighty change from death to life, effected by the power of the Holy Spirit with the word of the truth of the gospel. It is the communication of spiritual life by the Holy Spirit to the soul, otherwise dead in trespasses and sins. And the first effects of this spiritual life are repentance to- wards God; a real contrition of heart; abhor- rence of self as in dust, and ashes, and sorrow for sin, because that it is offensive to God, not mere servile dread of the effects of it ; and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, a real belief in him, however weak, whereby is brought about, more or less gradually, the thankful acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus, in all his gracious offices. And by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, faith is strengthened and inci'eased ; and the abhorrence of sin, as a trangression of the law of God, who is now loved and adored as a reconciled Father, is maintained. The filial love of God induces the earnest desire to do those things which are well-pleasing in HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 211 his sight according to his commandments ; and the heart glows with gratitude to God, when, through his grace in Christ Jesus, any thing is done which there is reason to believe is accept- able to him. This, also, by a blessed re-action, is productive of a more lively faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, without whom (or severed from whom) the believer is conscious he could do nothing. Continual watchfulness is required against " the world, the flesh, and the devil," for these have still but too powerful an influence upon the heart of the believer. But how can any thing have so strong and permanent an effect in exciting the mind to watchfulness, and to humble fervent prayer, for the efficient help of the Holy Spirit, to maintain a steadfast resist- ance against these potent enemies of the spi- ritual life, as the consciousness that we have reconciliation with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, by faith in whom we have the constant evidence of the love of God to us. Because, how much soever enemies, within or from without, may assail us, we have firm ground to stand upon for resistance, and the strongest inducement to resist; for we are sensible that, on the one hand, we have an interest in God, through the finished work of our Saviour for •212 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST us ; and, on the other, that we must wear the fetters, and drink the wormwood and the gall again if we give way. There is, therefore, the love of holiness, and the hatred of sin, as the consequence of the certainty of the love of God to us, in that he gave his beloved Son, who offered up himself a sacrifice for our sins. It is, therefore, evident that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ does not consist in our feeling him to be within us, but in believing that he gave himself for us, and that he ever liveth to make intercession for us. And it is by the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit that we thus look to Him, and that we are sensible of his love, and of the love of God to us for his sake. The idea, then, of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost wrapped up, as in a seed, in the heart, and identifying these, the adorable persons of the Godhead, with the flesh and blood of Christ, is nothing better at all than " deism with a fallacious gloss thrown over it," because it destroys the whole glorious plan of the gospel, which even angels desire to look into. And it is, to all intents and purposes, a virtual denial that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 213 (1 John iv. 2, 3.) Because, although the term is made use of, that he came in the flesh, yet the flesh in which he came is so completely de- graded from its scriptural character, and flesh of which the Scripture knows nothing substi- tuted, that it is, in reality, no better than a circuitous, and sophistical, and, therefore, more dangerous mode of denial than open deism offers. The gracious invitation to sinners is, " Repent ye and believe the gospel," — " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved," — " This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." But instead of this, the human system we are reviewing teaches, " Believe in ' the light,' and as thou art obe- dient to ' the light,' thou shalt be saved." If the stricken penitent anxiously inquires, " What light is it in which I must believe?" The answer, according to the general tenour of the writings we are examining, would be, "It is a '■seed' in thy heart, as it is in the hearts of all men, in which is wrapped up the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and this ' seed' is the flesh and blood of Christ. This ' seed ' in the heart is the purchase of Christ's death for all men, and those who are obedient to its teachings are saved." — •J 14 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST " Alas," exclaims the agonized penitent, " in me, that is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing; I seem to myself a mass of corruption, for sin hath defiled my whole frame, and the thought that I must appear before an infinitely holy and just God, whose law I have broken, terrifies me. If, therefore, I could believe that he were already in my heart, as you describe, how could it relieve my distress? I believe that God is om- niscient, and that he knows all my thoughts ; but if there were within me the 'seed' you speak of, the idea of it would only still more terrify me, for in my distress I find myself continually ex- claiming, Oh, how must I, how can I, appear before God? And as to what you tell me of the seed, wdiich, according to your account, contains the all-seeing God, and yet that it is identical with the flesh and blood of Christ, I cannot un- derstand it." If, then, the answer were given, " The seed which is within thee is not of thee, there is in- deed nothing good of thyself ; but hast thou not found reproof for whatever thou hast done amiss? It is the seed, the light, which has thus reproved thee, and although thou hast slighted it, yet if now thou obeys it thou wilt find peace, instead of the distress thou now complains of; and as thou HELD IX PROPER ESTIMATION? *2 1 5 continuest obedient to its monitions and teach- ings thy peace will increase, and thou wilt be saved." The penitent might well answer, " Oh, how strangely you are mistaken in supposing that whatever I have done amiss has been made known to me at the time. You do not take into account what the corruption of the heart really is. I see now, what I never saw before, that the commandments of God are exceeding broad — that the law is spiritual — that my thoughts come within its condemning power, as much as my words or my actions, and I am terrified with the consideration that, for years and years together, the very current of my thoughts has been wrong, and must, therefore, have been altogether offen- sive to God, which I am sure I was not aware of until lately. How then can you say that the light in me has reproved me for whatever I have done amiss, and that if I now obey it I shall have peace, and that if I continue to obey it shall be saved? Why, the very thoughts I have had since conversing with you have not been such as I could desire God to know : how much less then could I offer them up, or any thing that I have ever thought, said, or done, as ac- ceptable tokens of obedience to the seed or light 216 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST you speak of? I would not be understood to mean, that in past days, when I have said or done any thing that was glaringly against the law of God, which he has made known to us in his holy commandments, that my conscience has not smitten me ; but then the commandment is a lamp, and the law is a light* I do not conceive it has been from any seed or light in me, inde- pendently of what God's commandments have shown to me, that I have been sensible of the alarms which my conscience has given me. For although I have so shamefully neglected to think on God's holy law, yet I have been enough ac- quainted with it to make me sensible that I have often grossly violated it ; and I must have been without common sense if, on such occasions, I had not been aware that I was running dreadful risk of having the judgments of God poured down on my defenceless head. Sometimes, in- deed, this well-grounded fear kept me from doing many things that I otherwise should have done ; but when my fear of the effects of God's anger went off, I fell again into just the same sort of conduct, or worse, till perhaps some great distress, with which I saw others visited for their wickedness, brought my own evil words and * Prov. vi. 23. HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 217 deeds into view again. But as I told you before, my thoughts never came under review, and the first and great commandment, ' Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might,' hardly ever came into my thoughts ; or if it did at any time, it was only that I might say it by heart, rather than with any wish to lay it to heart. You see, then, that it was only the tangible points of the law that formerly wounded me; but now mv heart is altogether broken with the conscious- ness that I am depraved by nature, as well as a vile sinner by practice ; and I cannot lay hold on the least particle of hope from what you say, about being more and more obedient to a law that I have so grievously broken, and which I know it is not now in my power to obey, for I cannot help looking to God with great dread, instead of the love he commands : because, how do I know but this very night God may cut me off, and that when I awake it may be before the bar of his justice. Oh, what must I do to be saved?" Who, that has really had the barbed iron of conviction pierce his heart, and has long been agonized with remorse, and with the fearful looking for of judgment, because of sins of omis- u -J is IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST sion, and of commission, which he knows, that in the very nature of things, and from circum- stances over which he has no control, he can never remedy the evil of, nor in any respect atone for; but in the mercy of God has been relieved from the anguish of his wounds, his terrors allayed, and instead of tearless grief, has wept with grateful joy; — ah! who that has known this, would persist in offering the mystic nostrums of " spiritual flesh and spiritual blood ;" of waiting to feel a babe formed in the heart, and of obedience to an " inward light," which u light " or " seed " is purchased by the death of Christ, and is bestowed as a gift to every man, to put him into a capacity to be saved? And these as remedies for the wounds which sin has made, and to draw out its deadly sting ! No, — the answer to the awakened sinner who exclaims in the anguish of his spirit, " What must I do to be saved ? " will never be improved by fresh revelations, but must always remain the same ; " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." For if a man can really believe that he has in him such a seed as is described in the strange extracts that have been given, must it not either fill his inflated brain with conceit, that he pos- HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 219 sesses so wonderful a "principle," which, by care and watchfulness, he can nurse up to its full development ; or else must he not be ter- rified with the idea, that, having failed in most respects to obey " the principle," he has nothing left but the forlorn hope of rendering himself more acceptable to this " seed" by future exer- tions, which he has no inclination whatever to use? Or, what is more likely than either, that he should be stupified by the unintelligibleness of the whole thing, and by a want of inclination to think upon the subject; dreaming on with the notion that, although he does not under- stand it, he is making the best and highest pro- fession of religion ; a profession which has been graced by so many characters whom lie reveres : and, therefore, if he can have the satisfaction of seeming to walk in the footsteps of such as these, keeping clear of such kind of transgres- sion as would bring him under censure, he may do well at last. But what is all this better than deism ? Perhaps it may be answered, that under the best instruction, persons may be completely in- different with respect to religion, and may even remain in gross ignorance ; but this is no argu- ment, that either young or old are to be misled "220 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST by a sophistical and delusive system which, whilst it is wearing the guise of self-denial, re- commends itself to the pride of the human heart, by giving it something wherein it may glory with the utmost self-flattery. Whilst at the same time it throws so thick a veil over the simple gospel, that they who adopt the false system seem to be as much strangers to the real nature of the gospel, as if that blessed message of sal- vation had never been proclaimed to the world. There is, too, a fearful consistency, in many respects, in the system that Friends have adopted, by which, taking their first principle for granted, every chink is closed without any apparent contrivance. Thus, "inward light" is insured its full operation, to an extent which none could imagine who have not had their attention turned to the subject of ingenious and plausible perversion. This takes place so naturally, that texts seem to lie just at hand to support the theory without any apparent twist ; so that a person who is not alive to the subject, is almost obliged to think the texts were placed for the very purpose to which they are in reality most lamentably perverted. A more striking example of this need not be sought for, than in the case of John vi. 63, " It HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION .' 221 is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing." This may be considered as a turn- ing point, on which the whole great subject of the religion of Christ hinges. Take it in its true meaning, and we have Christianity; per- vert it, and we have deism : as but too fully is exemplified by the extracts we are considering. " It is the Spirit that quickeneth." Our Lord had before declared to Nicodemus, that, " Ex- cept a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He now tells the Jews that it is the Spirit that giveth life ; that is, spiri- tual life to the soul. Without this life they could not eat his flesh, nor drink his blood. They could not spiritually partake of that sacri- fice which he was about to make of himself. The spiritually dead could not be profited by what it required spiritual life to render profit- able : but never did our Lord Jesus Christ for one moment intend to be understood, that his flesh " profited nothing" as an offering for our .f 'the truth as it is in Jesus, might safely calculate that, whatever disagreement with the substan- tial doctrines of Holy Scripture would be dis- covered in their books, they agreed full well with the general tenour of the voluminous writings of the " early Friends," which would, to them, serve as an impenetrable shield, or rather as a dead block, if any poor Quaker, waking out of his lethargy, and startled at the horrible conclusions at which he found them arriving, should assail them with scriptural weapons. It can hardly have escaped observation, that in the quotation from Barclay's Apology, (Prop. 13, sect. m2, page 448,) it is said, *' That the x 3 •234 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST flesh here spoken of is spiritually to be under- stood, appears further, inasmuch as that which feedeth upon it shall never die ; but the bodies of all men once die ; yea, it was necessary that the body of Christ himself should die." The question forcibly occurs, " If the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost, what argument is there to prove that it was necessary for his body to die, because the bodies of all men die once ? " I am not likely soon to forget the dreadful effect the sophistry contained in the above short quotation from Barclay, had upon my mind in early life ; and it would be far from me to enter upon this painful subject, were it not for the hope that, by exposing the utter fallacy of such reasoning, some persons may be guarded against its pernicious effects. It is, indeed, an insidious way of getting rid of a difficulty which must necessarily present itself, when the theory of the " inward light " is to be supported : for as that is to be considered all-sufficient to in- struct, to mediate, to atone, and to save, the holy body of our adorable Lord and Saviour must be reduced to a vail or garment ; and now we find it is necessary for this body to die ! Why ? There is nothing at all hinted as if this necessity arose from the infinite goodness of God, HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? "235 and of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the pressing wants of lost man should be supplied by that holy body being offered up as an expiatory sacrifice for the sins of the world ; but, by the argument, it seems to be degraded to a level with the bodies of men generally. Why is it " appointed unto men once to die ? " Certainly because all men have sinned ; but the Lord Jesus Christ was perfectly holy. What a world of error, then, if one may use such an expression, does it open, to assume that the body of the Saviour must die, in common with those of all men. It destroys the idea of his immaculate holiness. Why should a perfectly holy body die, when it is on transgression that the penalty of death is laid ? It destroys the idea of Christ's making an atone- ment by the sacrifice of himself ; for if it was necessary that his body should die on any other account than that of expiation, neither his death nor his resurrection could be of the least avail to us : we are yet in our sins ! For how are we benefited by the death or by the resurrection of a body that has died from any other necessity than that of the expiation of our sins?— that the law of God might be magnified and made ho- nourable ; and that God might be just and the 236 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. It directly contradicts our Lord's own words, (John x. 18,) " No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it. down of myself : I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." But if, as the bodies of all men once die, it was necessary that the body of Christ himself should die, how could he be said to lay flown his life of himself ? How can that be voluntary which is of necessity ? But, then, as a substitute for scriptural truth, there is the spiritual body, upon which we are to feed ; the flesh, whereof we are to eat ; and the blood, whereof we are to drink ! And did this spiritual body make an expiation for us ? In what way 8 Not by its death, surely ! Where, then, is any expiation to be found, if it be not found in the offering up of the body of Jesus Christ once for all ? But if there was a neces- sity for the death of that body on any other ground, then the whole glorious plan of the gos- pel, as revealed to us in the Bible, must be abandoned, and recourse must be had to some- thing else as a substitute for it. Accordingly we find there is the " inward light," as the primary rule, to guide us instead of the Bible ; and spi- ritual flesh and blood to sustain us, instead of HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 237 the Holy Spirit to incline our hearts gratefully to believe "the word of the truth of the gos- pel," whereby we are taught that " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," (John iii. 16.) The real nature of the necessity for our Lord's death, is most strikingly described by himself, (John xii. 24,) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone, but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit." As it related to himself, our blessed Saviour most certainly need not have died ; as the substantial, incorruptible " corn of wheat," he would have endured for ever, and of his glory there could be no end; but then he must, as it related to our undone spe- cies, have " abode alone ;" that is, no man could possibly have been gathered into the garner with him. It was, then, in the boundless love of the Father that he gave his beloved Son, and in the same inconceivable love and goodness that the Son of God gave himself to endure the death of the cross, that he might " bring forth much fruit" — that he might bring many sons to glory — and that thereby the garner might be stored with a full crop. Glory, honour, praise, 238 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST and thanksgiving, be rendered to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. I have alluded to the distressing effect which the passage from Barclay, which has been last quoted, produced on my mind : its effect on me, combined with much more which I drank in of Friends' writings, was this — to make me reject the belief of the miraculous conception of our Lord Jesus Christ. On that great subject it seemed to furnish the same sort of clench to the false reasoning which Friends appear all along to have maintained concerning the flesh and blood of Christ, that the story I have quoted about Hai Fben Yokdan, gave me, to the spuri- ous doctrine of inward and immediate revelation. Thus the whole glorious system of the gospel was, by this pernicious sophistry, uprooted in my mind, as it has been, and is in the minds of tens of thousands ; and, I am sure, in reviewing some of the numerous books which, to me, when at the most susceptible age, seemed to contain reasoning so conclusive, that I fondly thought it was the very truth itself, I can only now feel shame and sorrow for having been misled bv them. Knowing, therefore, that to me they have been as the very smoke of the bottomless HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 239 pit, and that very many are within the influence of the mephitic vapour which continues to be sent forth by them, I would, with all earnestness, utter the voice of warning against their fatal fumes, that those who have, with myself, severely suffered by them, may be induced prayerfully to study the Holy Scriptures for themselves, and not longer be deluded by the specious rea- soning to be found in the writings of misguided persons, who, however sincere in their errors, could do no better for those who put themselves under their guidance, than to induce them to run away from the very fountain of life, and ex- pose themselves to the snares of death. For we know full well that to tell a man he has the word of God in his heart, does not put it there ; and if persons be weak enough to be- lieve that without any outward instruction, they may, by "digging deep" into their own hearts, become sufficiently acquainted with divine things, and that, indeed, it is the only way in which they can become savingly acquainted with them ; what is it all but, in reality, to tempt the devil to try his skill upon them, to induce them to re- ceive the most insinuating and pernicious error for essential truth ? One of the artifices of Satan is, to induce men to believe that he does not 240 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST exist : another, perhaps equally fatal, is to make them fancy that he is obliged to stand quietly by, and not to meddle with them, if they get into true silence. Thus we find in Barclay's Apology, Prop. 11, sect. 12, page 370, "The excellency of this silent waiting upon God doth appear, in that it is impossible for the enemy, viz., the devil, to counterfeit it so as for any soul to be deceived or deluded by him in the exercise thereof." How is it possible for any one who believes this to entertain a scriptural view of his own heart, or of the part which Satan really acts in taking advantage of the evil nature, the deceitfulness, and deceivableness of the heart ? What can be the probable effect on those who in a state of ignorance receive such doctrine, but to lull their minds, make them satisfied with their ignorance, and despise the channel through which alone we have the knowledge of the truth communicated to us ? Or, if persons who re- ceive such notions have a little knowledge, much pride, and great indolence, would not the worst enemy of the soul induce them to make idols of their own hearts, and imagine the deceitful workings of them to be revealed truth. Who can help seeing that such notions are HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION? 241 just what the adversary of God and man would, of all things, wish to propagate. Every spiri- tual thing to be found within a man's heart that is needful for him, if he dig deep enough ! Ad- mirable, indeed, was it, that a strict discipline was set on foot, which Friends are not at all mis- taken in thinking has been as a hedge about them. Had it not been for this, they must have been scattered long ago ; but who does not see from what, at the present day, is going forward in the Society, that although by the exercise of this discipline there is a facility afforded for " washing the outside of the cup, and of the platter," the principles of Friends are such as to require that the inside should be kept clear of the great doctrines of the gospel, unless they be in some way diluted by " inward and immediate revelation," and thereby of course rendered nu- gatory: for it must ever be kept in mind that truth cannot, like wine, be diluted, and yet re- tain its quality. No ; such an admixture is often rendered the most pernicious error. Is it not clear, then, that for discipline and outward order in a religious society to be valuable, the prin- ciples of that society must be according to the truth as it is revealed to us in Holy Scripture ? Pervert the truth, and set a hedge around the Y 242 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST perversion, what is it but to give an idea that what in reality is an abomination, is a holy en- closure ? Deeply afflicting, then, as it would be to me, if I had given just cause for the charge of being " blind to the living practical evidences of true religion," (see " Letter," page 21,) I can most calmly submit to the accusation, if it only rest on what I have said concerning the discipline of Friends, in my letter of resignation of member- ship. Surely good fruits must proceed from a good root ; no culture, no enclosure can make a bramble-bush bear grapes, (Luke vi. 44.) The bush, by care and dressing, may rival the vine in beauty, and its branches of rich-looking fruit may make the mouth of the wayfaring man to water; and it may require trial after trial to convince a person of the insipidity of the fruit, which seems as if it were ready to burst with lusciousness : but he must be con- vinced, at last, if he have common faculties. Oh ! if " the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto," did nevertheless conde- scend, in his matchless love and goodness, to describe to his faithful servant Moses the ma- HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION i 243 terials of which he would have the tabernacle constructed, even to the very pins of it, and the form and manner in which it should be made, doubtless to show to that generation, and to the church in all succeeding ages, that it is essential to adhere to the word of God, as he has been pleased to reveal it, even in apparently trivial things, — can his all-penetrating eye be deceived by the fair appearance of fruits, when his very word is made secondary to what men are pleased to call revelations in their own hearts ; when the very person of his Son is analyzed, and the wo- man's promised offspring, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, is degraded to a vail or gar- ment ! and all this under the profession of being " so inward with the Prince," that his word was heard " viva voce ?" Talk of fruits ! Why, what should be the first- fruit? Repentance in dust and ashes, and the acknowledgment of the truth. If the Society remain other two centuries, however much indi- viduals within its compass may be blessed with illumination of mind, notwithstanding the dark- ness and error of the principles in which they be educated, and "with a good hope through grace," as I have no doubt whatever has been the case with many, and in that belief I do and 244 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST will rejoice ; yet how can either the profession, or the discipline, or the imagined " testimonies," or the fruits of such a Society, be acceptable in the sight of God ? If it would have been offensive to God for Moses, after he had been instructed with such inconceivable condescension concerning the building of the tabernacle, to have gone straight from the mount, and dug a cavern in the earth, telling the people, at the same time, there was the place in which they were commanded to worship ; then it must be so, with the word of God before them, (that with such amazing grace, and yet with wise economy, has been conveyed through appointed channels,) for men to turn it upside down and inside out, making it seem to say, that man's dark and deceitful heart is the repository of the light of life, independently of the light which is conveyed by the word which is given to us through apostles and prophets. Far, indeed, be it from me to undervalue works done with a view to benefit mankind, or in any way to discourage the performance of them ; but let us not be deceived into the no- tion that any thing can act as a set-off against the evil of false principles. When that great day shall come for all to give an account of the HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? •245 deeds done in the body, who would not rather have spent their lives in slavery, and in a dun- geon, having only the enjoyment of the hope set before us in the gospel of Christ, than to have lived with every outward accommodation, with the mind alienated from the truth, or with only a delusive hope that vanishes at the judg- ment-seat, in the midst of an assembled world ? Let me then ask, whether the extracts I have given, purporting to be from the writings of Friends, are not to be found in the respective works from which I profess to have extracted them ? Do they not contain the essential doc- trines of Quakerism ? Do they contain the truth as it is in Jesus ? On the contrary, do they not contain errors as deadly in their nature as ever infidels promulgated ? And have they not proved their quality by the fruits they have produced, not here and there only, but on a large scale ? True, there is much to admire in the outward decorum among Friends ; in their benevolence, hospitality, domestic virtues, and usefulness as citizens ; but when we think of thirty thousand within these few years having been separated from the body because of all but acknowledged deism, and that, excepting comparatively few in this country, and a few individuals across the y 3 246 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST Atlantic, none have been found guilty of hold- ing the great doctrine of justification by faith in its full and scriptural sense, what can be said, but that there is, from some cause or other, a most fearful rush to the precipice of infidelity t What is the cause ? Look at the principles ori- ginally promulgated : those who promulgated them were blinded, otherwise they must have seen what, by some of the best and most expe- rienced men of their times, they were told of, till they grew impatient, and resented it so much that their reprovers also grew weary, and left them to take their own way, in which they and their successors long plodded, until the "outbreaks" produced alarm. But that no un- due excitement should be continued, the gap where the leap down the precipice took place must have some green boughs thrown across it, and then the comfortable assurance is repeatedly given in this country, that within its favoured precincts Hicksism is not to be found — there is no danger of it here ! Let it not be said, when the glaring errors in the extracts are looking Friends full in the face, that although it cannot be denied there are some things which might perhaps have better been omitted by the standard writers among Friends, HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION ? 247 yet there are plenty of expressions which ought to have been brought forward, that would have modified, if not have counteracted them. No ; if a man would write a folio volume to modify the assertion, that a right angle only contains eighty-nine degrees, every page of his writing about it, if he were sincere in the task he undertook, would only serve to convict him of folly, as well as of error, in that particular. There are certain principles that do not admit of modification — certain assertions that can never be explained away, and such are to be found in the extracts that have been given. What, for instance, can neutralize the de- claration in which the standard writers among Friends agree : — " The body of Christ, which believers partake of, is spiritual, and not carnal : and his blood, which they drink of, is pure and heavenly, and not human or elementary." I cannot persuade myself that a single enlight- ened individual of the whole Christian church would say otherwise than that the assertion goes to the virtual denial of the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, and that whoever he be, and whatever be his pretensions, who de- liberately holds the sentiment, must sincerely renounce and repent of it before he can 248 IS THE SACRIFICE OP CHRIST become a Christian. Is he, then, an enemy, who lifts up the warning voice to those who are receiving the most deadly error for the most spiritualized truth ? and is he to be considered as " blind to the living and practical evidences of true religion," who declares, that " unless, by the grace of God, Holy Scripture be accepted as the rule of faith and practice, there can be no sound internal principle of action?" Is not the earth the Lord's, and the fulness thereof ? Will he, then, be satisfied with men, if they observe great decorum, and even de- vote the time and property which He bestows upon them in using endeavours to improve the condition of their . fellow-men, if, at the same time, they are " bearing their testimony " against the simple observance of his commandments, and are upholding the perversion of his truth ? How necessary it is to take into account, that the better a man's moral character appears to be who perverts the gospel, the greater injury he inflicts on the cause of the gospel; because those who admire his conduct will be the more likely to be favourably impressed with his prin- ciples, and, consequently, be the more liable to be led astray. Arius and Socinus are represented as having been men of unblameable moral con- HELD IN PROPER ESTIMATION 1 249 duct ; but yet I suppose that many who are by no means " blind to the living practical evi- dences of true religion" would not be disposed to give them credit for much more than a moral decency. And surely no doctrine of either Arius or Socinus can be more preju- dicial, or involve consequences more truly dreadful, than what is contained in the extracts from the writings of Friends which have been given in the course of this work. In the estimate of fruits, " the fruit of the lips " is too much left out of account. We have it upon the very highest authority, " By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned," (Matt. xii. 37.) It must, then, be of infinite importance for our words to correspond with the word of God ; otherwise the word which the Lord Jesus Christ hath spoken will most certainly condemn us in the last day. Many " good works " may be done ; but if the truth of the gospel be system- atically perverted by any society, that adorable Majesty who hath " magnified his word above all his name," (Ps. cxxxviii. 2,) will surely withhold honour from that people. Accord- ingly, we have never heard of Friends, who hold what may be called the acknowledged 250 IS THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST, Sec. doctrines of the Society, having been made the instruments of converting a single individual to genuine Christianity. If, through their means, any persons have had their attention arrested to the consideration of eternal things, it has been reserved for others to bring them to the know- ledge of the truth. CHAPTER V. ARE THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS JUSTIFIED IN NOT OBSERVING THE ORDINANCES OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER ? Although I wish, as much as possible, to confine myself to the exhibition of the leading principles of the Society of Friends, and not to descend much into particulars ; yet it appears to me to be so serious a matter to fritter away the injunctions of the Lord Jesus Christ, given under circumstances so deeply affecting, and calculated to make the most powerful impres- sion on the mind, that I cannot allow myself to pass over the views of the Society respecting Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The more we take a simple unsophisticated view of the Holy Scriptures, the more we shall be surprised that any persons could persuade us that the observance of these ordinances is not en- joined upon Christians ; and when we look at the 252 THE NON-OBSERVANCE OF sort of reasoning by which the non-observance of them is attempted to be supported, shame as well as deep sorrow fill the mind that such deplorable absurdity should ever have been al- lowed to move us to assent to it. I must, how- ever, acknowledge myself to be deliberately of the opinion, that the rejection of these ordinan- ces by the Society is graciously overruled by Divine Providence, to set a mark upon the Society, by which its real character is shown forth ; and that many persons have been, by this means, as well as by the peculiarities of language and dress, kept from falling into the snare of its very plausible pretensions ; because there is something so truly congenial to the natural heart to be assured that every thing necessary for salvation is to be found within itself; and if persons once receive the notion, the difficulty of getting rid of it is so great, even after being in no small measure con- vinced of its fallacy, that one can only ad- mire the goodness of God in putting on it some external sign by which persons may be induced to pause before they give themselves up to it. BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 253 SECTION I. Concerning Baptism. Robert Barclay's Proposition concerning bap- tism, (page 429,) is as follows: — " As there is one Lord and one faith, so there is one bap- tism, which is not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good con- science before God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this baptism is a pure and spiritual thing, to wit, the baptism of the Spirit and fire, by which we are buried with him, that, being washed and purged from our sins, we may walk in newness of life, of which the baptism of John was a figure, which was commanded for a time, and not to continue for ever.* As to the bap- tism of infants, it is a mere human tradition, for which neither precept nor practice is to be found in all the Scriptures." Now it would be folly to deny that our Lord gave his apostles a commission to baptize ; and * As the subject of Baptism, in general, is all that I propose to touch upon, the latter part of the proposition is merely inserted, that it may be given entire. Z 254 NON-OBSERVANCE OF it is also perfectly clear that the apostles under- stood this to mean baptism with water, because, as far as we have any information, they uni- formly adopted it. If, therefore, the founda- tion of the apostles were really built upon by Friends, they could not reject this part of what is recorded in the New Testament as the com- mand of the Lord, and is proved by the Acts of the Apostles to have been practised by them for more than a quarter of a century after our Lord's ascension. In the margin of page 429 are the following references, which direct to passages of Scrip- ture, which, of course, are thought to afford support to the view contained in the Proposi- tion; viz., Ephes. iv. 5 ; 1 Peter hi. 21: Rom. vi. 4; Galatians hi. 27; Colossians ii. 12; John iii. 30; 1 Cor. i. 17. These are all from apos- tolic writings ; but surely it ought to strike every person, that nothing could do more to- wards completely invalidating the testimony of the apostles, than to show that their words and their practice disagreed — that, while they were teaching one thing, they were doing another. Well might persons think themselves excused from paying much regard to them as witnesses, whose evidence was to serve as a foundation for BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 255 belief, if such a thing could be proved against them. And at page 437 of the Apology, there is to be found much ingenious sophistry to show that the apostles, in using water baptism, were merely yielding to their Jewish prejudices. Thus a door is thrown open to let out all that is valu- able, and to let in every thing that perverse man may take it into his head to introduce. It is no wonder, therefore, that Christians, in the days of the early Friends, should have been greatly disgusted, and not a little alarmed, at seeing persons who were pretending to the highest degree of spirituality, attempting to establish their claim at the expense of the understanding, if not of the veracity, of the apostles. Let us, however, take a glance at the texts which are above referred to, and see how they answer the intended purpose. The first is, Ephes. iv. 5 — " One Lord, one faith, one baptism." Now the object of the apologist is to show, that as the baptism of the Holy Ghost is essential, and this text implies there is but one baptism, therefore baptism with water is virtually denied by the apostle, be- cause he must have acknowledged the baptism with the Holy Ghost to be one ; and if he had •256 NON-OBSERVANCE OF also allowed that with water, there would then be two baptisms. This is a striking instance of the sophistry which so much abounds in the standard writ- ings of the Society of Friends. It is extremely plausible, and an exhibition of it may serve to awaken the sympathy of Christians, of all denominations, for those who, at the present day, are bound by such insinuating error. But what can be more clear to an unprejudiced and candid mind, than that the apostle had in view the baptism which the Lord Jesus had commanded his disciples to administer, which certainly could not be that with the Holy Ghost ; for if it had been so it cannot be supposed that our Lord would have omitted to describe it as such ; instead whereof his commission to them was, (Matt, xxviii. 19,) "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And what warrant does the Scripture give for the supposition that baptism with the Holy Ghost was ever committed to any mere man? On the contrary, there is the express testimony of John the Baptist, that it was the high prerogative of the Lord Jesus Christ BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. *_>57 himself: — "He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and re- maining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God," (John i. 33, 34.) Why, therefore, is any one to suppose that the apostle by one baptism means another than that which the apostles, and, through their testimony, ministers of the gospel, were com- missioned by the Lord Jesus to administer to those of all nations who should become mem- bers of his church ? Is it not, then, dealing in a most unwarrant- able manner with the apostles, to attempt to make out that it was owing to their dulness of comprehension, or prejudice in favour of Jewish ceremonies, that they adopted and continued a practice which it clearly appears they were commanded to adopt by the Lord Jesus Christ himself !* Thus, for the sake of supporting an unauthorized theory — viz., That under the spiritual dispensation of the gospel there are no rites whatever to be observed, the foundation of the apostles, and consecpiently of the prophets, for they stand or fall together, is exposed to the derision of the infidel, who z 3 258 NON-OBSERVANCE OF is left to infer that the witnesses whom the Lord Jesus Christ chose, did not understand his meaning, but put in practice what accorded with their early prejudices, and that they also wrote what ought to have been taken in quite a different sense from that which it was gene- rally supposed to mean. The same remarks apply to the next passage of Scripture brought forward by Barclay, viz., 1 Peter iii. 21, " The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Now let us take into account, that when Peter and the rest of the apostles had, on the day of Pentecost, been made instrumental to the conviction of a great multitude, who were by their ministry (through the operation of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of the people) brought to a painful sense of their sinful state ; and when these, in their extremity, applied to the apostles, saying, " Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter answered them, " Repent, and be baptized, every one of y u, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost," (Acts ii. 38.) " Then they that BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 259 gladly received his word were baptized," (verse 41.) How, then, is it likely for this same apostle afterwards to write in any way to dispa- rage baptism with water, especially when, as is generally supposed, not less than seven or eight years had elapsed, he said, in the case of Cor- nelius and his household, " Can any man for- bid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" (Acts x. 47.) This, surely, is as much as to say, " Although these are Gentiles, yet see, the gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon them. Believers must immediately get rid of all their prejudices respecting Gentiles ; for there cannot be the least question, that every token of Chris- tian communion should be bestowed upon those of them who believe. Let them be made par- takers of the solemn ordinance which the Lord Jesus commanded us to administer; for who- ever supposes it was to be restricted to the Jewish nation, must, if they could witness what we now see, be convinced of the contrary." What, then, would a candid reader of the text in the first Epistle of Peter understand by it? The apostle refers to the deluge which was employed to destroy a sinful world ; but, under the Christian dispensation, the very thing •260 XOX-OBSERVAN'CE OF which was the emblem of death, and was used as the instrument of destruction to the antedi- luvian world, was made to show forth the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, and to be a token of the covenant in which all true believers in the Lord Jesus are united to him as their Head. Parallel to this is that consoling passage in the 12th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, " But ye are come, ike. to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprink- ling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." The blood of Abel cried unto God for vengeance, but the blood of Christ for mercy. How can we, then, suppose the apostle Peter to mean otherwise than after this manner ? — " Noah and his family were borne up in the ark by the water which destroyed an unbelieving world : and water is now employed in baptism, that Christ, as the refuge of all believers, and as their head, may be regarded as, by his death for them, bearing them above what must otherwise have been their utter destruction. You are not, therefore, to consider baptism as an ordinary ablution, merely the putting away of the filth of the flesh : for if you reallv be by faith joined to Christ, as members of his body, your con- science will be set at rest— freed from that sense BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 261 of guilt which otherwise must for ever have pressed upon you. If, then, you be true be- lievers, your baptism will be a sign of the cove- nant by which you are joined to Christ : he, as your surety, died for you : he is risen ; by his death, therefore, and resurrection you are saved. " The next reference is to Romans vi. 4, " Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death ; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." But this, ceftainly, would go to show the di- rect contrary of what Barclay wished to prove ; for the being baptized with the Holy Ghost, the Giver of life, cannot surely, by any analogy, be said to mean the being buried with Christ by baptism into death ! We then come to Galatians iii. 27, " For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." But what can any im- partial person make of this text, that should induce the supposition that the apostle meant to discard water baptism, and to insist on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as that only which should be regarded as baptism ? What proof is there that the expression, " baptized into •262 NON-OBSERVANCE OF Christ," means the baptism of the Holy Spirit, exclusive of the baptism which the apostles administered, or which was administered under their direction ? Colossians ii. 12. " Buried with him in bap- tism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." This text comes next in order, and it seems to serve the purpose as little as any of the former. The expression, " buried with him in baptism," would surely go against the idea that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was there alluded to ; for that which gives spiritual life to the soul cannot, without violating all analogy, be supposed to be referred to by what relates to death. It would seem, however, to furnish a very lame argument for convicting the apostle, out of his own mouth, of error in practising or sanctioning water baptism, which really has reference to the death and burial of Christ for our sakes. We may now notice John iii. 30. " He must increase, but I must decrease." One might well be at a loss to know what this is brought for- ward to prove, were it not that in the course of the argument it is shown to be for the purpose liAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. "263 of confounding the baptism commanded by our Lord with that of John the Baptist; but this is certainly a most disingenuous as well as un- scriptural method of supporting a favourite theory; because, if there were no other obstacle to its adoption, Acts xix. 1 — 6 would at once show the two baptisms to be distinct, and that there is no such thing as fairly getting rid of both by confounding them together, which ap- pears to have been the intention of the Apo- logist. The last passage of Scripture we have to notice is 1 Cor. i. 1 7, " For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel," &c. One can hardly imagine any thing moi*e unfair than the manner in which Barclay treats this text; but unhappily it may serve as a fair specimen of the way in which the subject altogether is treated by him. The seventh section, page 428, begins thus : " But, again, if water bap- tism had been an ordinance of the gospel, then the apostle Paul would have been sent to ad- minister it; but he declares positively (1 Cor. i. 17) that Christ sent him, not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. The reason of that con- sequence is undeniable, because the apostle Paul's commission was as large as that of any 264 NON-OBSERVANCE OF of them ; and, consequently, he being in special manner the apostle of Christ to the Gentiles, if water baptism, as our adversaries contend, be to be accounted the badge of Christianity, he had more need than any of the rest to be sent to baptize with water, that he might mark the Gentiles converted by him with that Christian sign. But, indeed, the reason holds better thus, that, since Paul was the apostle of the Gen- tiles, and that in his ministry he doth through all (as by his epistles appears) labour to wean them from the former Jewish ceremonies and observ- ations ; (though in so doing he was sometimes undeservedly judged by others of his brethren who were unwilling to lay aside those ceremo- nies;) therefore his commission, though as full as to the preaching of the gospel and new covenant dispensation as that of the other apostles, did not require of him that he should lead those converts into such Jewish observa- tions and baptisms : however, that practice was indulged in and practised by the other apos- tles among their Jewish proselytes ; for which cause he thanks God that he had baptized so few, intimating that what he did therein, he did not by virtue of his apostolic commission, but, rather, in condescension to their weakness, BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 265 even as, at another time, he circumcised Timothy." Here, then, is the same apostle who, in Acts xix. 1 — 6, is allowing a number of converts to be baptized with water in the name of the Lord Jesus, notwithstanding the account they gave him of their having been baptized " unto John's baptism," brought forward as offering thanks that he had not baptized more than a very few persons. Now, in what a strange light this places the apostle. But when the whole matter is taken into account, there is nothing strange about it, so far from it, indeed, that it gives an additional lustre to the character of that distinguished man. The apostle himself was baptized by divine direction, (as may clearly be understood by the account which is given, Acts ix. 18, and xxii. 16,) soon after his miraculous conversion to the Christian faith; and in the course of his subsequent ministry numerous converts were baptized, though not by his own hands, (see Acts xvi. 33, and xviii. 8.) Why, then, on a particular occasion, does he give thanks to God because he has only baptized a few pei-sons in a certain district? Was it really because he disapproved of baptism with water, 2 A •266 NON-OBSERVANCE OF and thought it a mere useless ceremony ? He says nothing of the kind. Does he give no plain reason for this remarkable expression of satisfaction ? Yes ; such an one as no person of plain sense can misunderstand : " I thank God," says he, (1 Cor. i. 14, 15,) "that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius ; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name." There were divisions in the church at Corinth : some contended for Paul, some for Apollos, &.c. ; but such was the abhorrence of the apostle to every thing that might even have the appear- ance of making a party matter of the gospel, that he was thankful there could not be the circumstance of baptizing converts brought forward to give rise to a notion that he had endeavoured to strengthen a party in his own favour. Surely, no passage in the whole Bible explains itself more clearly and fully : a child might understand it, and might also readily see that the cause which Barclay assigns for the thanksgiving of the apostle is not the true one, for the whole passage gives no colour whatever to the notion that the apostle considered bap- tism with water needless, or as a Jewish cere- mony that had better be dispensed with. BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 267 As to laying any stress on the declaration of the apostle, that he was not sent to baptize, but to preach the gospel, when it clearly appears from the account of his labours in the ministry which is given in the Acts, that he sanctioned the bap- tism of persons whom he had been made instru- mental in converting, it must be considered as the mere begging of the question ; for, surely, the acknowledgment that he was not sent to baptize is no proof whatever, either that baptism is unnecessary, or that the apostle disapproved of it ; for what a man does by another he does himself. The apostle Peter did not baptize Cornelius and his household, but " he com- manded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord," (Acts x. 48.) In such stirring times, when so much must necessarily have devolved on the apostles, they might well be glad to avail themselves of the assistance of others in matters wherein the ex- ercise of the highest spiritual gifts was not required. And such division of labour would be also useful to those who were entrusted with the execution of what the apostles thought proper to commit to them. The inference, therefore, which Barclay attempts to draw from 268 NON-OBSERVANCE OF 1 Cor. i. 14 — 17 is completely nugatory, to 9ay the best of it. Now, as before has been stated, no one can deny that our Lord gave a command to his disciples to baptize; and it appears perfectly clear that there is no warrant at all for sup- posing that he ever delegated the immense prerogative, which there is the clearest scrip- tural proof he possesses, of baptizing with the Holy Ghost. What, then, but the very spirit of delusion itself, can furnish the semblance of a reason for supposing the apostles misunderstood the commission the Lord Jesus gave to them, or that they, from Jewish prejudices and attach- ment to outward observances, substituted a rite which he did not command, and which it is the duty of Christians to discontinue ? And what but this same spirit of delusion can induce any to deny that baptism, as the apostles practised it, is the sign of the covenant of Christ with his church ? And it is by submitting to baptism that a public profession is made of repentance towards God, and of faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, and that our only hope of salva- tion is by his meritorious death for our sakes, made efficacious to us by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 269 To say, that if we have the thing signified, we may well dispense with the sign, and that if we are joined to Christ in the covenant of life, we need observe no ceremony, shows ignorance with respect to the nature of the sign, and is presumptuous and vain. Did our Lord Jesus Christ command baptism ? Yes. What right have any persons, then, who deliberately refuse to obey his commands, to take for granted that they really do possess the thing signified ? " If ye love me, keep my commandments." " If a man love me, he will keep my words." " He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings," (John xiv. 15, 23, 24.) If it be said, as it has too often been said by Friends, that being dipped in water, or sprink- led with it, is a small matter, and can signify nothing, whether done or omitted ; it may well be answered, Naaman thought just the same. If he had persisted in thinking so, and had omitted to do as he was commanded, he must have carried his leprosy with him to the end of his days. What spirit is it that would induce persons to imagine any thing to be of small importance which the Lord Jesus commanded, who came on earth for the very 2 a 3 270 NON-OBSERVANCE OF purpose of taking away sin — our malignant leprosy. How little do we know the effects of things apparently trivial ! Words spoken with little thought — idle words, may reverberate in eter- nity to the shame and remorse of those who have spoken them. Actions of little seeming consequence, performed in faith and with a real desire to obey and to please God, may be made the means of everlasting blessing to us, through Jesus Christ. The omitting to perform such actions, through stubbornness, wilful ignorance, prejudice, or pride, may be the occasion of everlasting loss to us. But let no one suppose for a moment that I am arguing for baptism, with the notion that it is the cause of salvation. Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all that obey him, (Heb. v. 9.) The ark bore up Noah and his family above the waters of the deluge that drowned the rest of the world. But Noah and his family, getting into the ark did not give it buoyancy, nor render it waterproof; yet, not- withstanding the perfect adaptation of the ark to the purpose it was intended to serve, they must have perished with the rest of mankind if BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 271 they had not entered the ark in the appointed way ; for Noah entered it by God's com- mand, "and the Lord shut him in," (Gen. vii. 16 ; and compare 1 Peter iii. 20, 21.) It is often said, that by submitting to "outward observances," persons are induced to trust to them for salvation, on which account they are better omitted; but it is easy to see that the propriety of their being submitted to or not depends upon whether they are according to divine appointment, else this notion might lead us far astray indeed. If any persons were so foolish as to suppose that, by using the marriage ceremony, they became exonerated from all obligations as man and wife, their folly might be a subject of regret ; but if any number of people held such a notion, it would surely afford no ground for dispensing with the marriage ceremony alto- gether: and yet what is that ceremony but a number of words, and what are words but agitated air ? Yet, truly, they are such a de- claration of a covenant as must not be dis- pensed with ; for it is evident that the general omission of them would soon plunge any nation into barbarism of the lowest description; and this dreadful effect would be proof enough 272 NON-OBSERVANCE OF of the evil of omitting a sign or declaration under the pretence that it might be done without, because persons having in their hearts the things signified — love and fidelity — no- thing more could be necessary; or, not having them in possession, no declaration could make up for the deficiency. If such, then, be the case with respect to what may be called, in a great measure, a civil engagement, why may it not hold good as it relates to a religious engage- ment ? Why are we not to avail ourselves of the privilege of entering into a solemn covenant with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in the way which the Son of God, our Mediator and Redeemer, has himself prescribed? To what extent soever this may have been abused, it is not, surely, for fallible man, under any pretence, to presume to do away with the use of it. SECTION II. Concerning the Lord's Supper. In the course of what has been said respect- ing the flesh and blood of Christ, it is hinted that, with the views the Society of Friends en- BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 273 tertain on that great subject, it is no wonder they discard the observance of the Lord's Supper. After adverting to the three opinions into which Barclay says " the professors of Christianity do chiefly divide in this matter;" viz., those of the Papists, the Lutherans, and the Calvinists, we find him saying, concerning them, (Prop. 13, sect. 4, page 456,) "Now all those uncertain and absurd opinions, and the contentions there- from arising, have proceeded from their all agreeing in two general errors concerning this thing, which, being denied and receded from as they are by us, there would be an easy way made for reconciliation, and we should all meet in one spiritual and true understanding of this mystery ; and as the contentions, so would also the absurdities which follow from all the three fore-mentioned opinions cease and fall to the ground. The Jirst of these errors is in making the communion or participation of the body, flesh, and blood of Christ to relate to that out- ward body, vessel, or temple that was born of the Virgin Mary, and walked and suffered in Judea ; whereas it should relate to the spiritual body, flesh, and blood of Christ, even that heavenly and celestial light and life which was the food and nourishment of the regenerate in all ages, 274 NON-OBSERVANCE OF as we have already proved. The second error is in tying this participation of the body and blood of Christ to that ceremony used by him with his disciples in the breaking of bread, &c, as if it had only a relation thereto, or were only enjoyed in the use of that ceremony which it neither hath nor is." The substance of the above extract, I must contend, is neither more nor less than genuine Hicksism, or, in other words, mystical Deism. Whoever knows what the doctrine of the Hicks- ites is,* must be aware that it is one and the * The following extract of a letter addressed to a friend at Tottenham, by an individual who went to America from this country, and joined the Hicksites, gives so clear a statement of their doctrine on this vital subject, that, to those readers who are not acquainted with their views, it can hardly be otherwise than acceptable ; and it will serve to show the identity of their doctrines with those contained in the extracts from the standard writings of Friends that have been given in the course of the foregoing pages. The letter is dated " New York, 10th of 6th month, 1833." " They [the Hicksites] believe in Christ as an atonement for sin, according to the Scriptures ; but this they believe to be an inward one, not an outward one. They believe and teach that the blood of Christ can alone purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God ; but they do not believe, neither do they read, that this is the material blood that was shed upon the cross. They do not bring their doctrine to the BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 275 same with what is contained in the above quo- tation ; and whoever knows what the Christian religion is, must see clearly enough that its vital doctrine— viz., that we are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was con- ceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was cru- cified, dead, and buried, rose again the third day, ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father — is, by what is contained in the above extract from Barclay, unequivocally denied. For, if the communion of saints does not relate to "that body, vessel, or temple that was born of the Virgin Mary, and walked and suffered in Judea," there is no communion of saints, — for there could then be no saints ; test of the Bible : they bring it to a higher and a more certain test, even the Spirit of Truth, which leads and guides into all truth ; but this does not contradict the Scriptures, but, on the contrary, it confirms them : and this they call the liijld within. But I have never heard them speak of it in a manner for which there is no authority in the Holy Scriptures. They believe, with Robert Barclay, it is the primary rule of faith and practice, by which the Scriptures are to be tried. They believe that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and he is the propitiation for our sins ; but they do not find the terms propitiatory sacrifice in the Scriptures." 276 NON-OBSERVANCE OF because, according to that doctrine, there has been no availing sacrifice for sin — no atoning blood for the Holy Spirit to apply to the heart, to soften it into repentance, and to draw its affections to God, nor to satisfy the impe- rious demands of the holy, just, and good law of God, which we sinners have broken ; no source of joy open to us; no ground of hope for us to depend on ; but all is cold as death, and dark as the grave ! For, as all is made to depend on that which has never existed, and is nothing but a mystical illusion — spiritual flesh and spiritual blood — and not the flesh and blood which the Bible describes as that which Immanuel took, if there be warmth with such a notion really occupying the mind, it is only the flash of imagination, not the genial and real warmth communicated by the Sun of Righteousness, because by the theory de- veloped by the extract, He is cut off from us. For there is no Mediator, no Intercessor, no High Priest, since all these gracious offices, if they be filled at all, are filled by Him " that was born of the Virgin Mary, and walked and suffered in Judea." But it is one of the great errors, it seems, to suppose that communion relates to his body : BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 277 but the Scripture tells us of this and of no other body that was offered up once for all. If, then, the denial of this be not to deny Jesus Christ come in the flesh, we must search in vain through the annals of all heresies and all corruptions of the truth to discover such denial. Is it not, then, well that persons, who really hold these doctrines, are kept from eating and drinking condemnation to themselves, since it seems clear they do not discern the Lord's body ? And must not the refusal to eat and drink be considered as a mark which God has provi- dentially set upon them ? Because there is, certainly, nothing in the New Testament more clearly and intelligibly revealed than that it is the command of the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples to commemorate his great sacrifice for our sakes, by the observance of the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, as it is set forth in the evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And that there might not be the excuse for supposing (as some of the writers among Friends have in a most remarkable manner got hold of the notion) that it was a command restricted to the apos- tles, its perpetuity is placed beyond all reason- able doubt by what the apostle Paul has written 2 B 278 NON-OBSERVANCE OF in the eleventh chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians. After reproving them for the dis- graceful manner in which they conducted them- selves on occasions for the observance of this solemn rite, instead of telling them it was not needful for them to continue the observance of it, he repeats to them what he had himself " received of the Lord " concerning it, and says, that he had before given them instructions accordingly; and, moreover, that by this me- morial, " Ye " (that is, doubtless, the church of Christ throughout all ages of the world) "do show the Lord's death till he come." This is a clear intimation, that as an imperishable memo- rial it should prove an incontrovertible evidence of the truth of the record of the sufferings and death of the Lord for the sins of the world, till he so come in like manner as his disciples saw him go into heaven.* (See Acts i. 11.) And * For a striking illustration of this, sec " Leslie's Short anil Easy Method with the Deists," — the suhstance of which admirable Work is contained in No. 109 of the Religious Tract Society's publications. In this it is clearly shown that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are undeniable memorials, which have been strictly observed from the earliest days of Christianity, whereby the truth of the record is proved. Leslie's Work has been eminently useful, and has furnished arguments for writers who have suc- ceeded him. . BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. '2~9 as, in this point of view, it is very important, so the discontinuance of it is proportionally indica- tive of a departure from the religion of Christ. This may seem like a harsh suggestion, but I am sure, as far as I know my own heart, it is not offered in any other than the very spirit of Christian love. Is that harshness that would induce any one to use the most unwelcome remonstrance to those who are persisting in a course that has, to a fearful extent, already proved ruinous, and there is every reason to fear will continue to do so ? And do let it be taken into account, that it is written by one who feels, to his inmost soul, that he has escaped, as by a miracle, from the very brink of that crumbling and dreadful precipice which overhangs the bottomless pit, and who most certainly had none but a purely conscientious motive for leaving the Society, nor any inducement to enter on what to him is the thoroughly disagreeable task of religious controversy, but to confess to the truth as it is in Jesus, with an earnest desire for the best welfare of those who continue in the Society. But let us examine a little more particularly the main subject treated of in the extracts that have been given. We see great stress is laid on •280 NON OBSERVANCE OF the contentions that have been occasioned by the different views respecting the Lord's Sup- per; but that as those who have disputed " agree in two general errors, if these errors were to be denied and receded from, as they are by the people called Quakers, there would be an easy way made for reconciliation." Now, it is very plain this "easy way" involves the denial of the very essence of the Christian re- ligion. Is it not, therefore, a very striking proof, that however much persons with high notions of spirituality may despise the appa- rently weak, and often greatly abused sign, it is nevertheless ordained by the wisdom of God, because the plainest and easiest way of dispens- ing with it, is to get rid of the religion to which it directly and most significantly points. Would that the instruction, this so plainly developed re- sult is calculated to convey, might be received ! But, indeed, we see in this, as in other parts of the unscriptural theory that has been exhi- bited by extracts from the standard writings of Friends, amidst much contradictory verbiage, an awful consistency ; which may be further shown by the following extract from page 761 of Ro- bert Barclay's Apology Vindicated, viz. " I do freely affirm, that I believe man fell, and was BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. *281 degenerated, both as to soul and body; and I understand the first Adam (or earthly man) to comprehend both. But that there was some- thing in Adam which was no part of his soul and body, nor yet constitutive of his being a man, (in my judgment,) which could not dege- nerate, and which was in Adam, by the fall, re- duced to a seed, and could never have been raised in him again to his comfort, but by a new visitation of life, which from Christ, by the pro- mise, was administered unto him, and is to all men in a day, (for to say the affirming such a seed remained in Adam when he fell, doth infer his understanding was not hurt, and as he doth, page 94, is a consequence I deny, and remains for him to prove,) that to believe there was such a thing in Adam, which the Scripture calleth spiracidum vitarum, the breath of lives, is no new coined doctrine, as those may see that will read ' Athanasius de Definitionibus,' and his third dialogue ' De Trinitate,' and fourth oration against the Arians, and Cyrillus Alexandrinus, in his treatise upon John, lib. ii. and iii., and lib. viii. 47, and in his 'Thesaurus,' lib. iv. and others that might be mentioned. As for his arguing (page 96) that because I affirm the seed of God is a substance, therefore (according '2 b3 282 NON-OBSERVANCE OF to me) the seed of sin must be a substance also, which consequence I deny, and thei-efore what he builds against me upon this supposition, falls to the ground." I have not the opportunity of consulting the works of Athanasius ; but if no more justice is done to them by the above extract, than is done to the Holy Scripture, his orthodoxy need not be called in question, from what Barclay states of his agreement with him in this matter. For only think of imagining that the declaration (Gen. ii. 7,) "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, [or, as it is in the He- brew, the breath of lives,] and man became a living soul," gives any countenance to such a pernicious heresy as that " something" that was no part of the soul or the body of Adam, nor yet constitutive of his being a man, was by his fall reduced to a seed. We see, then, what this " seed," " principle," " light within," " Vehiadum Dei," " Christ with- in," "the spiritual flesh and blood of Christ," Stc. &c. really is : — " something" which man has retained notwithstanding his fall ! Here, then, is the " universal saving light," the source of "inward and immediate revelation," a "ve- BAhTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 283 hide" or "seed" of Deity, which has sustained the shock of the fall, has only been compressed by it, and is in the heart, ready to be developed under favourable circumstances ! Are we then, indeed, to be asked, (see " Letter," page 3,) " Is the doctrine of Christ's spiritual presence, as held by Friends, subversive of any other Scrip- ture doctrine relative to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?" "Is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, as held by Friends, subversive of the authority of Holy Scripture?" What can the answer be, but that these doctrines, as held by Friends, do most completely uproot and subvert the whole blessed scheme of the Gospel, and substitute in its room an imaginary and most detrimental systen, which serves to establish the folly, nourish the pride, and perpetuate the ig- norance of fallen man ? For, in the first place, how is it proved that man had deity in him before the fall ? With the Bible in my hand, I should be wholly at a loss to know to what part of it to turn that would be likely to give such an idea, or any thing bordering upon it. Surely, the text in Genesis that has been adverted to, can by no fair construction whatever bear such a meaning. If, then, the Scripture gives no warrant at all 284 THE NON-OBSERVANCE OF to suppose there was deity in man before he fell, there is an end of the theory at once. But, even if there could be found any passage of Scripture that might be thought to support such a notion, there is the most positive declar- ation of Scripture by which we may be assured that no spiritual life remained in man after the fall. This point ought, surely, to be settled by Gen. ii. 17 : " But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it ; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." And the whole his- tory of man gives undeniable evidence of the truth of it. Let us turn to the third chap- ter of Romans, and see how the apostle, from the 9th to the 18th verse, brings express Scrip- ture testimony to prove the utter debasement of the whole human racei There is nothing there, truly, to give any warrant for the suppo- sition of the existence of this universal " seed," or " light," that has survived the fall. But it must not be thought that such a notion rests with Barclay alone, although his authority in matters of doctrine may be considered as decisive as that of any writer among Friends. Perhaps all the standard writers might be iound to agree with him on the subject of the BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPEIt. 283 last extract. It is hard to understand what William Penn says, vol. ii. page 183, on any other principle : " When men have sinned away their first stock, God is not bound to recruit them again : he may proceed to determinative judgment if he please." But what a dreadful scene does all this open to us, with regard to a people who are really upholding a system which, the further you examine the writings which comprise it, the more you perceive it to be, root and branch, one mass of error and delusion. Well may the significant and heart-stirring memorial be laid aside ; for if this " something," which has sus- tained the wreck of the fall, be looked to for light and salvation, which, according to the extracts that have already been given from the standard writings of Friends, most certainly is the case, where could be the necessity for aton- ing blood ? for, according to the theory of " universal and saving light," life — a spiritual life — was never lost. The work on the cross, there- fore, may very consistently be looked upon only as rending the veil or garment. Mediation, too, is out of the question ; for where is the scope for the gracious office of a mediator, when the two parties are already 286 NON-OBSERVANCE OF most intimately united ? God, as a "Pri/icip/r," not only already in the heart of the offending party, but has been there all along, only by man's offence " reduced to a seed ! " Deity reduced to a dormant state ! Of course, I have nothing to do with what Friends, in the present day, may, some of them, believe, or with what others of them may wish to be believed ; but my business is with the Quakerism of record — that to which ministry is brought as to a test — that which stains reams and reams of paper, under the full and con- tinued sanction of the Society, with the most unequivocal pretensions of being put forth to the world under the direction of the same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures, and which, indeed, is dignified by terms which are not allowed to be applied to the Holy Scriptures themselves. I have to do, as before is stated, with the Quakerism of Fox, Penn, Barclay, Pennington, &c. For whilst these authors are not only retained without expurgation, but are, from time to time, (and last year as much as ever,) authoritatively recommended to the youth of the Society, as being replete with instruction. &c, there is no getting rid of the incubus with which the deathlike productions press on BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 287 Friends, just when their glaring absurdities might induce the sincere wish for the rid- dance. Because, although like the bat in the fable, it may sometimes be more convenient, lying quietly on the ground, to claim affinity with the order of quadrupeds, and at others by mounting aloft to claim indissoluble connexion with the tenants of the air, the real nature of the thing must, some time or other, be fairly brought to light, and it must be shown that it has neither legs to support it, nor plumage to cherish and decorate it, notwith- standing all its high pretensions: its dormant state, therefore, is readily acounted for. No, truly ; when we come to the nucleus of the whole system, as we see it exhibited in the extract which has been given from Barclay's Vindication of his Apology, and find that it is in reality nothing but an idol of man's making, which he chooses to dignify with the radiance and attributes of Deity, according to his own notions, none need be surprised if those who persist in supporting such a system begin to see the effects of the voice which has gone forth, though they understand it not themselves, " Come out of her, my people." •J.S.X NOX-OBSF.RVANCE OF It is not to be doubted that, in the present day, the views that Friends generally allow themselves to entertain on the subject of Bap- tism, and of the Lord's Supper, merely result from the prejudice of education, and that they have not considered it necessary for them to seek for the Divine blessing in the exercise of that understanding, for which, nevertheless, as the gift of God to them, they are accountable. The fallacy of the gloss put upon the words of the apostle Paul, by Richard Claridge, in his " Reasons for the Non-payment of Steeple- house and Warden's Rates," may serve to show bv what extremely absurd reasoning Friends suffer themselves to be deluded on the subject of the Lord's Supper. I copy it from a Tract which some Friends have had printed for the purpose of distribution. It is sold by Edmund Fry, and is dated 1831. [Reason.] "5. That bread and wine conse- crated by the priest and taken and received by the communicants, is the Supper of the Lord. Art. 28." " Contrary to that of the apostle Paul, 1 Cor. ii. 20, who saith of the elementary eating and drinking, ovk ztrn Kvpiatcov Srarvav faytlv — < This is not to eat the Lord's Supper.' But the BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 289 Lord's Supper is the communion of the body and blood of Christ, that is of his spiritual Jies/t and Mood which he speaks of John vi. 63. \ For my words,' saith he, ' are spirit and life.' ' Behold, I stand at the door, and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me,' (Rev. iii. 20.) This is the Supper of the Lord, which doth not consist in eating and drinking outwardly, but in inward supping with Christ, whose spiritual Jlesh and blood giveth life and nourishment to the immortal soul." Now here is the parade of giving the text in the Greek, as though something very learned was coming forth, whereas the translation in the authorized version is literal, and it is so given in the quotation ; we are left at a loss, therefore, to conjecture why the Greek was given, but are at no loss to perceive that the meaning of the apostle is most completely perverted. For by the manner in which the text is used, or rather abused, we are led to infer that the apostle meant to exclude bread and wine from the Lord's Supper, whereas, on looking at the con- text, it is perfectly plain he only meant that the very disorderly manner in which the Corinthians 2 c •290 NON-OBSERVANCE OF conducted themselves on occasions of meeting for the professed purpose of eating the Lord's Supper, deprived the rite of its proper signi- fication, and, instead of celebrating the Lord's Supper, they were making a common meal, or even an intemperate one, which induced the apostle to add, " What, have ye not houses to eat and to drink in ?" But, if there really were nothing to be eaten and drunk, how could any one eat and drink unworthily, concerning which a very solemn caution and warning are given in the 27th verse ? As by the detection of undeniable error, in what has perhaps appeared to be but of small import- ance, persons have often been led to a close and profitable examination of the system with which the error is connected ; I would, therefore, with all affectionate earnestness, beg of Friends who have not determined to give themselves body and soul to uphold the system of Quakerism, at all events to look seriously into the whole subject for themselves, and see whether such fearful perversions of Scripture, as every part of the system is built upon, can be a sufficient and firm foundation for sure hope to rest upon. Be- cause, the more it is examined, the more clearly it will appear, that Quakerism is constructed upon BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. 291 the misconstruction, and the frame of it formed by the misapplication of Holy Scripture. How is it possible then, that " the same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures " can have in- fluenced any persons, notwithstanding their ex- alted pretensions, to descend to the most pal- pable perversion of Scripture evidently for the sake of propping up a theory which the Scripture, by any fair construction, would by no means support. For we see by this attempt to make the apostle Paul condemn the celebration of the Lord's Supper, exactly the same kind of management as was observed in Barclay's en- deavour to make the apostle Peter do away with baptism. Peter says, with respect to baptism, what amounts to this: " You are not to look upon baptism as a mere ablution — a putting away of the filth of the flesh; it is analogous to the exhibition of the faith of Noah and his family, in their getting into the ark which was provided for their safety." With regard to the Lord's Supper, Paul says to this import : " You are not to consider this solemn ordinance as a common meal. It is ?wt to eat the Lord's Supper, to make it an occasion for the satisfying of your appetites : you may do that in your own houses. It is for the commemoration of the Lord's death, '292 NON-OBSERVANCE OF which Christians are to show their grateful re- membrance of till he come again." But instead of allowing these eminent apostles to speak con- sistently with their actions, their words are to be turned upside down, and their practices con- demned. Now, can there be any thing more absurd than to refer to the writings of the apostles for the support of doctrines by which their practice is condemned — refer to their writings as authority to condemn their practice, though they profess to act as " ambassadors for Christ? " (I Cor. v. 20.) This is indeed putting the " inward Light " into the highest office, but it is making mere tools of the Apostles. Much need not be said with regard to the second error, which Barclay states as consisting " in tying this participation of the body and blood of Christ to that ceremony used by him with his disciples in the breaking of bread," &c. Because, if it be an ordinance of Christ, which it certainly is, if his apostles are to be believed, we may safely leave the observance of it to take its proper course, without presuming to get rid of the use because of the abuse of it. But do we not see that Friends who have discarded the visible signs which Christ gave to his Church, and have made signs of their own — a peculiar BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. '293 dress, and formal language — laying a great deal too much stress on these, and considering them as a hedge about them ; yet notwithstanding the evidence that Satan has all along been ranging at large within this enclosure, taking advantage of the security it affords, and inducing tens of thousands "to deny the Lord that brought them," they are still bent on strengthening the hedge, and are mourning because it is not kept up as they think it ought to be. Look at the subject, therefore, in what point we will, there is little to be found in favour of the human contrivance. But if there were no- thing else objectionable in the system, it is, in- deed, no trifle to fritter away the positive in- junctions of the Lord Jesus to his disciples when he was about to leave them, and to rise triumphantly as the King of glory, to whom the gates of heaven were commanded to lift up their heads, and the everlasting doors to open, that the conqueror of death, hell, and the grave might enter in. Oh, when we think of Him as knowing all things that should come upon him, with the full view of his inconceivable agony just before him, and with surpassing love in his beneficent and tender heart, giving to his disciples the bread which he had blessed •2 c 3 294 NON-OBSERVANCE OF and broken, saying, " This is my body which is given for you : this do in remembrance of me," and also the cup after supper, saying, " This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Then, after the traitor had been dismissed, discoursing with his disciples with the most winning condescension and good- ness ; praying for them, and for those also who should believe on him through their word ; then going forth to agony and death. And after his resurrection, lifting up his holy hands to bless his disciples, those very hands which, not many weeks before, had been nailed to the cross for their sakes and for ours. And when we hear his words, which, immediately before his ascension, he gave as a standing commission to his disciples and ministers, " All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- manded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," (Matt, xxviii. 18 — 20.) who that has learned truly to pray that the will of God may be done on earth as it is in heaven, can help feeling the most poign- BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER. "295 ant sorrow that such numbers of persons should have been misled by deluded men, whose offi- cious hands, skilled in mangling the truth, could tear, sophisticate, disjoint, and patch the simple and clear directions of that adorable Saviour, who, before his agony and death, had said to his disciples, " Henceforth I call you not ser- vants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends ; for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you." (John xv. 15.) After a careful examination of the extracts that have been given from the standard writings of Friends, I must leave the reader to judge whether the following declaration be well or ill-founded, (" Letter," pages 27 and 28,) « But this I am bold to maintain, as the result of some pains-taking investigation into their his- tory and character, in connexion with the his- tory of the church at large, that they did hold and maintain the truth as it is in Jesus ; that they did not set up one portion of Divine truth in opposition to another ; and that they were honourable though suffering instruments in carrying forward the work of true Protestant reformation. There may have been times in the history of the people who have borne their 296 NON-OBSERVANCE OF BAPTISM, Src. despised name and testimony, in which partial and contracted views of Divine truth may have been taken by many; but never, I maintain, was there a period (as might be made to ap- pear from our public documents) when the So- ciety, as a body, excluded any part of truth, and did not afford evidence of its upholding the plain doctrines of holy Scripture ; and in which there were not living testimony bearers to the truth, by whose instrumentality sinners were converted unto God, and the church edified." CHAPTER VI. IS THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, AS HELD BY THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, SANCTIONED BY HOLY SCRIPTURE » As, from the notion Friends hold, that the fall of man, so far from producing his entire ruin, left " something " in Adam that was no part of his soul and body, which could not de- generate, and which was in Adam by the fall reduced to a seed, it is no wonder at all that they entertain the views they have all along held with regard to perfection. It is not neces- sary for me to enter much into this subject, yet I cannot wholly omit alluding to it, because it appears to me to afford a striking additional evidence of the depth of the delusion in which Friends have been bewildered, and the men- tion of it may serve to bring more fully into view the nature and extent of the danger in which those who uphold the system are involved. 298 THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, The apostle John, from whose Epistle Friends have gleaned many passages to support their views on this subject, expressly declares, (1 John i. x.) " If we say that we have not sinned we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." But this is not all, for he had said before, (verse 8,) " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Now the apostle by no means gives us to under- stand that the last declaration relates only to such or such a time of a man's life, or to such or such a state in the course of his life ; but it surely means that, if any man at any time should say that he has no sin, the truth is not in him, he deceives himself. How, then, is the doctrine of practical perfection to be proved, if a man can never, at any time, or on any occasion, nor under any circumstances, say he has no sin, without departing from the truth ? Again, in the seventh verse, we must per- ceive that, so far from believers having it given them to suppose that their most careful and con- stant walk is one of perfection, that, although the consoling view is given of having fellowship one with another in walking in the light, yet it is the blood of Jesus Christ that is required to cleanse us from all sin. And let us be assured this is AS HELD BY FRIENDS. 299 not the mystical " spiritual blood " that is so much spoken of by Friends, as being brought into the heart, which spiritual blood, as by the extract from " Barclay's Apology Vindicated " has been shown, is nothing more or less than the supposed " something " compressed into a " seed " by the fall. No, truly ; it is the atoning blood really shed for us by that blessed " Seed of the Woman," who gave himself for us, to which by faith we have constant need to have recourse for cleansing. The apostle Paul also declares, " Ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Gal. v. 17.) Why ? Because " the flesh lusteth against the Spirit," and " these are contrary the one to the other." How, then, can there be perfection whilst there is the flesh to lust against the Spirit ? No ; sin has ruined the whole frame ; and, although we have the sure hope that our vile body shall be changed and fashioned ac- cording to Christ's glorious body, yet, whilst we have this vile body, such is its influence that even the most watchful and the most devoted and energetic saints will ever be made sensible, to their deep humiliation, that, so far from per- fection, their best actions, words, and thoughts •300 THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, require atoning blood, and their very tears want washing in it. God will mark that body in which sin has been committed ; it will ever be a burthen : and it must at last be crumbled into dust, to show the vileness of sin and the debasement it produces. It must have been extremely galling to those eminent and excellent men with whom the early Friends disputed, to be told by them, that, in denying the attainableness of practical per- fection in the present life, they were " pleading for sin term of life." Truly, in no other sense did they plead for sin, than a man may be said to plead for distress and pain who has a virulent disorder which he knows he must carry with him to the ^;rave. " Who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?" is the frequent soliloquy of the humbled believer, when espe- cially made conscious of his imperfection, which, perhaps, none but himself has been struck with. As, therefore, every error must have disad- vantage attached to it, so the doctrine of per- fection, as held by Friends, is among those which have their full load of woe hanging to AS HELD BY FRIENDS. 301 them. Because, on the one hand, how woeful is it if any poor mortal really imagines himself to have attained to perfection, when he knows not himself : for " who can understand his [own] errors." (Psal. xix. 12.) And, on the other hand, how deplorable must be the case of those who see no other ground for the hope of salva- tion than their own perfection — are toiling and exerting every nerve that thought, word, and deed may be pure, and yet are obliged to ac- knowledge to themselves that they are still im- perfect; and see themselves merely toiling as drudges, instead of acting as children, humbly conscious of much imperfection, yet cheerfully and energetically seeking to please God, be- cause his love is shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them through Jesus Christ. No; "Ye cannot do the things that ye would." There may be, as far as we can judge, perfection of purpose, but none besides fanatics and enthusiasts will ima- gine they have arrived at practical perfection. The absurdity of the pretension to perfection is most strikingly shown in the case of George Fox, who, in his Journal, under the date of 1648, writes thus, "Now was I come up in spirit through the flaming sword into the para- 2 D 302 THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, dise of God. All things were new ; and all the creation gave another smell unto me than be- fore, beyond what words can utter. I knew nothing but pureness, innocency, and righteous- ness, being renewed up into the image of God by Christ Jesus, so that I was come up to the state of Adam, which he was in before he fell. The creation was opened to me, and it was showed me how all things had their names given them according to their nature and virtue. I was at a stand in my mind whether I should practise physic for the good of mankind, seeing the nature and virtues of the creatures were so opened to me by the Lord. But I was immediately taken up in spirit to see into ano- ther or more stedfast state than Adam's in in- nocency, even into a state in Christ Jesus, that should never fall. The Lord showed me that such as were faithful to him in the power and light of Christ, should come up into that state in which Adam was before he fell. In which the admirable works of the creation, and the vir- tues thereof, may be known through the open- ings of that Divine word of wisdom and power by which they were made. Great things did the Lord lead me into, and wonderful depths were opened unto me, beyond what can by AS HELD BY FRIENDS, 303 words be declared; but as people come into subjection to the Spirit of God, and grow up in the image and power of the Almighty, they may receive the word of wisdom that opens all things, and come to know the hidden unity in the eternal Being." (Page 16.) Look once again at the fac-simile, and see this perfect man quietly putting on his brow the crown of the Saviour, and then consider what sort of perfection he had attained to. Any one who had really known true penitence, which there is no evidence from George Fox's Jour- nal that he ever experienced, for although there is much sorrow of heart expressed respecting the sins of other people, there is little or no- thing said concerning his own — any one who had been made acquainted with the breadth of the Divine commandment, the holiness of God, and his own vileness — any one who ab- horred all sin, and had found no relief from condemnation but by the more often than daily application of the blood of sprinkling, would have been agonized at the reception of such a Letter, and would have racked his memory, and stirred up his whole soul to find out what occasion he himself could have given to any persons, whether young or old, learned or un- 304 THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, learned, to assail him with such titles as that Letter contains. And if he could not discover that he had given, by word or conduct, any ground for such profaneness, he would, if he really loved the writers with Christian love, have wept, as soon as he could weep, bitter tears for them. And if he had chosen to keep the Let- ter, as a memorial of the weakness of human creatures, that he might, to his own humiliation, retain more fully in mind the absolute necessity of setting a double guard, lest he should either by word or action, give any persons cause for committing such heinous offence; and that he might be very careful to acknowledge his own utter worthlessness more fully than he had done before — for such a purpose he might have kept it, but he would, doubtless, have left some mark of sorrow and disapprobation upon it, and never have stained it with complacent words. If, then, the writings of Friends would delude those who spend their time in reading them, with the notion of the perfection of sinful creatures before the sentence "dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return " is executed, there is abundant evidence of the fallaciousness of the doctrine in the conduct of those who plead for it, as well as the contradiction that is given to AS HELD BY FRIENDS. 305 it in Holy Scripture. Because, although what is said, for instance, of the Patriarch Job, by the very highest authority might, if taken in an isolated manner, give the idea of his being abso- lutely perfect ; it is very evident from what fol- lows in the history of Job, that the word perfect as it is used in the first chapter, was not intended to convey the meaning of an absolute freedom from " the law (or principle) of sin warring in his members," which might far too often gain some temporary advantage that would call for renewed humiliation and penitential sorrow. This is proved by what Job says, (chap. xl. 4, 5) " Behold, I am vile ; what shall I answer thee ? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken : but I will not answer : yea, twice, but I will proceed no farther." And in the 42nd chapter, 5th and 6th verses, we find him making this contrite acknowledgment, " I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear ; but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I ab- hor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Would that such expressions were to be found in George Fox's Journal concerning himself ! Let it be also taken into account that the whole ceremonial law, (which having been or- dained by God ought by no means to be passed 2 d 3 306 THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, over with indifference as though we had nothing to learn from it) points in a very remarkable manner, and with reiterated indication to the continuance of the pollution of the heart to the end of our day in this life. For as the Jews for ceremonial uncleanness (which doubtless typified moral uncleanness) were subjected to various ceremonial observances for their cleansing, and after these observances, were nevertheless to remain unclean until the evening, so after the application by faith of the precious blood which cleanseth from all sin, there will nevertheless be the harassing effects though not the dominion of sin in us, inducing as from the inmost soul the humbling exclamation of the patriarch, " Behold I am vile." Because, as the believer sees more and more the breadth of the requirements of the law, how- can he but acknowledge his own deficiences ? " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deut. vi. 5.) Is this an unreasonable requirement ? Is it not, on the contrary, a most condescending and gracious requirement? How contriting to think that God who is absolutely perfect and needeth nothing inviteth us — com- mandeth us to love him entirely ! But who AS HELD BY FRIENDS. ••307 does this ? Yet who that was perfect would not do it ? Who has God in all his thoughts as much as a miser has gold in his thoughts ? Who lays all his plans for the purpose, and with every breath seeks to promote the glory of God, simply from the filial love of God, as much as the miser contrives every thing, and with the beat of every pulse strives to augment his store or to prevent its diminution ? No ; there is much, very much to humble the most devoted Christian, and the most simply and truly devoted is the first to acknowledge his distance from perfection. How often is this observable in the writings of the apostle Paul, who, although one of the most honoured and most devoted servants of God, never forgets to acknowledge his own imperfec- tion. On the contrary, George Fox, it seems, in 1648, was perfect; yet, in 1652, he could ac- cept the blasphemous adulation of his converts. And be it known, the Letter which has been repeatedly alluded to, is by no means a soli tary evidence of it : there are other proofs, if it were needful to bring them forward, quite as striking. If, therefore, this apostle of perfection could really, as by his autograph it appears he did, complacently accept such language as would •308 THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, have made any ordinary man shudder and turn pale, what becomes of the practical application of his high-flown doctrine of perfection? And were himself and his companions justified in combating " professors," right and left, and vili- fying them, because they would not acknow- ledge the truth of the doctrine ? For if any supposed merit of ours were allowed even the smallest part in the procurement of our justifi- cation, the pride of our fallen nature would claim the whole ; and if we were allowed to con- sider ourselves perfect, we should, by the de- ceitfulness of our hearts, be led to imagine this perfection was attained, when, alas ! we should only be perfectly deluded. The true believer will always acknowledge he has no perfection or completeness, but in Christ. It is the robe of the righteousness of Christ that must cover him from head to foot. This completeness of the believer in Christ is so admirably set forth in Bogatzky's Golden Treasury, that I am induced to transcribe the following passage, which stands under " Octo- ber 22." " Ye are complete in him," Colos. ii. 10. " Think, O believer, with wonder and amazement, reflect with gratitude and love, that whilst thou art deploring the common ruin of AS HELD BY FRIENDS. 309 human nature, and mournfully feeling its sad effects upon thy own soul, thou mayest yet look through all thine imperfection, frailty, and un- worthiness to thy glorious Representative, and see thyself ' complete in him.' The law which would condemn thee he has completely satis- fied ; the obedience which it requires in order to thine acceptance with God, he hath com- pletely paid ; and that eternal life from which thy sinful imperfections must have for ever barred thee, is now become thine inalienable inheritance, as the reward of his righteousness, who lived and died for thee. Go forth, then, and glorify him in heart and life ; the more thou believest in him, the more wilt thou love him ; and the more thou lovest him, the better wilt thou serve him ; and till he shall remove thee from this vale of sin and sorrow, let thy song in the house of thy pilgrimage be this ' complete in him.' " I am the more earnest in endeavouring to expose the utter fallaciousness of the doctrine of perfection, as held by Friends, because, not- withstanding, from the days of George Fox to the present, no one that we have ever heard of could be fairly brought forward to make the claim ; and if it had been made by any one, it 310 THE DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, could only have been to his own shame and confusion ; yet the doctrine is in many quarters much insisted on, if one may judge from the quantum of remonstrance by elders, and the proportion of ignorant letters that I have re- ceived, complaining heavily of my having dis- paraged it in my ministry. » What a most material difference there must be in the state of mind of those who hold the unscriptural theory we have been considering, from that in which simple believers are found ; who, so far from expecting to discover any thing in themselves that can give them the smallest ground for complacency, have all their hopes fixed on another, even on Him who is our surety, and who gave himself for us. Unhappy, indeed, to my certain knowledge, have many found themselves to be, who, having been " turned," as George Fox expressed it, " to seek for the Pearl within themselves," have ever been disappointed, and have written bitter things against themselves, because they could by no means find it. Oh, what would not the sure hope of the Gospel have done for these ! Instead of tracing a thorny path, as if it were across a barren desert, where there was " nei- ther rain nor fields of offering," how might they AS HELD BY FRIENDS. 311 have rejoiced in God their Saviour ! True — there was the evil and corruption of their hearts. But, although the believer is often compelled to exclaim, " Who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?" he does not despair, because he knows where to flee — he casts himself down at the foot of the Cross, with all his burthens and with all his woes, and he finds to his relief and grateful joy that the compassionate word of his Saviour is true as ever, " My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Then is the humbled believer able to open his heart — his inmost soul — to that blessed One who himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree, and by whose stripes we are healed ; and as to a good physician to tell him the whole case, and by faith, put again in vigour by the renewal of the Holy Ghost, is more and more sensible of the efficacy of that precious blood so freely shed for him by the adorable I.m.manuel on the Cross. CHAPTER VII. IS THE COMPLAINT OF FRIENDS SHAPING THEIR LANGUAGE UNFOUNDED ? Now, when we consider the immense mass of error that exists in the system of Quakerism, which is to be supported with the appearance of conformity to Scriptural truth, how is it pos- sible for it to be held together without, what I am unable to see is improperly designated by the term " shaping their language," which is used in my ' Letter of Resignation of Member- ship : ' not that I meant, or would now be understood to wish to convey the idea, that, on certain occasions, the truth has been delibe- rately and intentionally violated. But as, by the extracts that have been given, it must be clearly apparent to every person, who is ac- quainted with gospel truth, that the principles of Friends are essentially at variance with the truth, if there be the endeavour to maintain these principles, and, at the same time, to make SHAPING LANGUAGE. 313 them appear consistent with Holy Scripture, there will be an instinctive tendency in the minds of those who undertake such a task, not to consider with a heartfelt desire to be in- formed " What saith the Scripture ? " but to give such a view of the principles that are to be supported, as shall seem best to agree with the Scripture. And this is one principal reason that I have endeavoured to show the fallacious- ness of the " fundamental principle," and its main ramifications, that persons who may not be aware of their nature and tendency, may be warned against holding opinions which, if they have not thought much on the subject, will, more than they can be aware of, lead them astray, even in spite of themselves : for really we are not, nor can we be, sufficiently aware of the evil of false principles in connexion with eternal things. The disownment of the Hicksites seemed to give the promise of an expurgation of the creed of Friends ; because no one in his senses, who is not warped by prejudice, can fail to perceive that the Hicksites have all they can possibly desire in the standard writings of Friends ; and nothing, it seems to me, can be more unfair than to have disowned them, and yet to retain, 2 E 314 COMPLAINT RESPECTING unrepudiated in the standard writings, the iden- tical opinions they hold. It is clear, then, that, with all this monstrous injustice and inconsist- ency, the shaping of language to preserve anv thing like a good face upon such a system of unscriptural error, is imperiously required. Renounce the error, and a straightforward course may be pursued — determine to retain it, and all sorts of sinuosity are required — there is no alternative. For myself, I will acknowledge that in 1829, when the yearly meeting really appeared to be affected with a sense of deep sorrow on account of the " outbreak " of the Hicksites, and a " document " was issued to protest against their views, and by a number of quotations of Scrip- ture to declare the faith of Friends in the Deity of Christ, I was weak enough to imagine it was a first step that would be followed by others to do away with the unscriptural notion of inward and immediate revelation, independently of any knowledge of the revelation of Scripture which the Hicksites were carrying to its legitimate extent. For I fondly thought that every one who looked at the subject carefully, must see that the Hicksites merely exhibited the main prin- ciple (that Friends had all along held) in SHAPING LANGUAGE. 315 such a manner as to demonstrate that it was really nothing better than Deism ; and that the effects having been so palpable, and on such a frightful scale, every one must acknowledge (as many with whom I conversed seemed to do) that the principle was a wrong one. But no — the poor Hicksites were to be made to bear the onus, and those who had sent them adrift with it on their backs were to shut the door against them with the utmost composure ; congratulate themselves upon the right exercise of the discipline; rejoice there was so much vigour in the Society to bear its " Testimony and then — nurse up the same principle with occasional expressions of sorrow at the grievous departure of so many from the " Faith." Then, after getting well rid of those who, having been from childhood taught to believe in an " inward light," had the temerity to pronounce what they believed that light had taught them, it was thought to be high time to uphold " first principles " as firmly as possible : and in 1835 there was, as before has been shown, the full recommendation, to the younger part of the Society, of all the writings of Friends without any discrimination, as being " eminently calculated to impress the mind with 316 COMPLAINT RESPECTING a deep sense of the importance of the experi- mental work of religion on the heart." The written epistle of 1835, from which the above recommendation is quoted, caused me completely to despair of any material reformation in the Society ; for, really, to direct young people to writings for instruction concerning "the experimental work of religion on the heart," when these very writings are demonstrably sub- versive of the first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, (as by the extracts given in the foregoing pages is evident,) and when the tre- mendous effects of the principles those writings uphold had been so lately exhibited, was setting all experience at defiance. As, therefore, I had long, with anguish of spirit been convinced that Quakerism and Christianity are two things, the only way left for me was, with the sincere ex- pression of best wishes, to leave the Society. And for having been thus liberated, I can never be sufficiently thankful, because I am fully per- suaded that for those who, by the unmerited grace of God, have been enabled to see the dangerous nature of the profession which Friends are making, and are convinced that it is not ac- cording to the doctrines of the Bible, to remain in connexion with the Society is extremely SHAPING LANGUAGE. 317 perilous ; for have we not seen some, who seemed as if they might have clean escaped, drawn again into the bog of mysticism. But it is necessary for me to show more particularly what I mean by the "shaping of language," for I am sure it was not spoken of as mere conjecture, but with a most painful sense of the evil which induces persons instinct- ively to give an appearance to the thing which does not belong to it. Intense error has all along been maintained by the Society, from the days of George Fox to the present time, as sufficiently appears from the evidence that has already been given. In the days of the " early Friends" it was embodied, and, as an encum- bering mass, constantly requiring defence and support, it has descended to these times ; and it is now more venerated, because it seems to be hoary with age. We see, therefore, in the voluminous works of Friends, which from generation to generation have been published, the main thing aimed at by the writers is to show that their principles are true, and to obtain the support of Scrip- ture for them. Numerous instances of this have in the preceding pages been given. The Address to the Governor of Barbadoes 2 e 3 318 COMPLAINT RESPECTING by George Fox and others has been adverted to as exhibiting a mode of expression calculated to give an idea of the scriptural soundness of the principles of the writers, when the very contrary was maintained by them : for if a hundred persons, unacquainted with the real" views of Friends, were asked the meaning of the expression, (see appendix to " Letter," page 33,) "This Jesus, who was the foundation of the holy prophets and apostles, is our founda- tion," probably ninety-nine of them would an- swer, " They wish it to be understood that they build on the foundation of the prophets and apostles,-" whereas the real meaning is, that, independently of prophets and apostles, Friends considered themselves as building on Christ by immediate revelation. This, then, appears to me to be an instance of that instinctive shaping of language, by which, without any apparent design, a completely dif- ferent idea is given from what is the real fact ; because, why mention prophets and apostles ? Why not at once say, " We build on Christ, the only foundation? which foundation is an inward principle in our own hearts." And the first part of the same extract runs thus, (page 32,) " And we own and believe in Jesus Christ, SHAPING LANGUAGE. 319 his beloved and only begotten Son, in whom he is well pleased; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Now, who could possibly imagine, from the way in which this is worded, that it all means nothing more than that he who was born of the Virgin Mary was the vail, or temple, in which Christ, the inward principle, dwelt; and that redemption through his blood means the spiritual blood of this in* ward principle ? But that such is the real mean- ing, no one can be at a loss to discover, who has read the extracts which have been given in the foregoing pages, and which might be multiplied to an almost incredible extent — not that the crucifixion of the body of Jesus is denied — that is always acknowledged ; but then it is not from that, as we have abundantly shown, the early Friends believed that redemption was wrought ; it was well in its place, but, accord- ing to their theory, the main thing is effected by the spiritual flesh and spiritual blood of Christ, or, in other words, by the " inward prin- ciple," inward light," " seed," " vehiculum Dei," or " something not lost by the fall, but reduced to a seed by it. 3-20 COMPLAINT RESPECTING Thus, on certain occasions, an apparently scrip- tural confession of faith is drawn up; but the words have, in the view of Friends, not the same meaning as the generality of people attach to them. And when, on some future occasion, the orthodoxy of the Society happens to be called in question, there is here and there to be found a confession of faith, which serves the turn of warding off the suspicion. That there are many Friends in the Society who abhor the principles held by the standard writers, I rejoice to believe ; but owing, per- haps, to the blinding effect of allowing them- selves to continue in the profession of deadly error, they do not appear to be sufficiently aware that sound expressions to be found here and there cannot by any means neutralize prin- ciples subversive of the gospel : on the con- trary, the evil principles render the whole a hopeless mass of corruption and error. If, on reading these pages, any Friends are disposed to say, " We ought not to be charged with holding unscriptural tenets; for whatever the early Friends believed, and whatever they understood, we believe that the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross, and by faith, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, applied to the SHAPING LANGUAGE. 321 heart, is that alone which cleanseth from sin," — I can only say that I am heartily glad of it : but you must look to it as it relates to the pro- fession you are making. Examine the standard writings of Friends, which may be said to con- tain their creed; you will see that the main stress is laid on the " inward principle," " seed," or "light within." Now what is this? Bar- clay, who must be esteemed as the oracle in the case, tells you what it is in his Apology Vindi- cated, as before quoted. Is it according to Holy Scripture ? No. It is hard to say what might not as easily be gathered from Holy Scripture as that could be. What, then, but shaping language can give such a religion a passable, and even an impos- ing form ? And by dressing the thing up in this way, those who are engaged in it have, perhaps, little or no idea what they really are about ; nor that, when they are crying up the writings of the early Friends, they are, in fact, fresh-baiting so many traps that have already been fatal to an awful extent. They act, it may be, sincerely ; but a man may, with the utmost sincerity, in- volve himself and others in irretrievable ruin. " To the law and to the testimony : if they speak not according to this word, it is because 322 COMPLAINT RESPECTING there is no light in them," (Isa. viii. 20.) And, therefore, " if the blind lead the blind, both," according to the highest authority, must " fall into the ditch." How, then, can one sufficiently deplore the fact, that many who have, at least in part, seen the unsoundness of the system Friends have all along maintained, are still lending themselves to the support of it ? But to leave numerous instances of "shap- ing of language" in former days, and to notice those which have not long since occurred, it will hardly have escaped observation, that from the year 1828 to 1833, the tenour of the Epistles of the Yearly Meeting was, generally speaking, more of an evangelical cast than formerly ; and it was not uncommon to hear this spoken of with satisfaction by serious persons not con- nected with the Society, as indicating more scriptural views, which they hoped would in- crease among Friends. It was also repeatedly noticed in the periodical works of the day. For instance, in the Epistle of 1828, we find as follows : — " But, beloved Friends, it is only as we are brought to the feeling of our utter insufficiency to effect our own salvation, that we can look availingly unto Him who taketh away the sin of the world, and be redeemed from the SHAPING LANGUAGE. 323 consequences of the fall of our first parents. We all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Be persuaded, then, we entreat you, to seek to be set free from the guilt and power of sin ; — to come in faith unto Christ ' as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious ;' remembering that gracious promise, which applies with unabated force to us and to all men individually, ' Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.' He is the Mediator between erring transgressing man, and that pure and holy Being'who created us for a purpose of his own glory." In 1829, we have the following paragraph: — " It pleased the Father, in his abundant mercy and love to the human race in their fallen and lost estate, to give his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that ' Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ' Oh, then, that not one amongst us may, by neglecting or undervaluing this blessed means, come short of that rest which is pre- pared for the people of God ! May we all, in true and living faith, accept the Saviour of men as our Redeemer, and deliverer from the thral- dom of sin. ' In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily : ' He is that eternal 324 COMPLAINT RESPECTING Word which in the beginning was with God, and was God, and who was made flesh, and dwelt among men. He offered himself a sacrifice for our transgressions, 'the just for the unjust.' ' We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.' He, our ever-living Intercessor and ' Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,' ' is passed into the heavens,' and 'set down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.' " In 1830, the first part of the fourth paragraph runs thus : — " Dear Friends, we are again made sensible that we cannot meditate on a subject more fraught with instruction and com- fort than the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, and the many blessings which, through Him, have been conferred on the human race — the coming of Him, who, being born of a vir- gin, ' was made in the likeness of men,' ' who, being in the form of God, thought it not rob- bery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.' ' He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justifi- cation.' " In 1831 we find as follows : — " A just view and full belief of the astonishing fact, that God SHAPING LANGUAGE. 325 sent his only begotten Son into the world to save us, is, we believe, suited, beyond all other things, under the power of the Holy Spirit, to humble us in a sense of our own corruption, and to excite in our minds fervent gratitude towards the Author of all good. Under the influence of this gratitude may we all devote ourselves, without reserve, to the service of our Redeemer." The former part of the third paragraph, in the epistle of 1832, is in these words : — " We feel a warm and affectionate concern that all may be fully awakened to the necessity of having an interest in Christ — of knowing him to be their Redeemer. Dear Friends ; may the Holy- Spirit enlighten your understandings to a sense of the need of a Saviour, and may we all with penitent hearts look in simple faith unto the Lord Jesus, ' who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree ; that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness.' In boundless love he tasted death for every man ; all that inherit eternal life, of every age, and of every nation under heaven, partake of the blessings of that Redemption which comes through his sufferings and death : he gave him- 2 F 326 COMPLAINT RESPECTING self for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify us unto himself." And, in 1833, the repeatedly considered sub- ject of missionary labours was wound up by the following paragraph : — " The deplorable con- dition of the heathen, and the degraded cir- cumstances under which they are living, have been felt at this time, as well as in former years, to be truly affecting. And although no way appears to open for our adopting any specific measure in order to communicate to them the knowledge of the truths of the gospel, we ear- nestly recommend their benighted condition to the frequent remembrance, and Christian sym- pathy of all our members. There are various means of diffusing a knowledge of Christianity among them, which, in no degree, compromise our religious principles. The Holy Scriptures abundantly testify how offensive in the Divine sight are the abominations of idolatry ; and we desire that all may stand open to the intimations of the Heavenly Shepherd, and follow the leadings of his Spirit into such services as he may be pleased to appoint to them individually. We rejoice in the part which many of our mem- bers have taken in the general diffusion of the SHAPING LANGUAGE. 327 Holy Scriptures, and in promoting a Christian education of the poor in this and in other countries, and we desire that these very im- portant objects may receive the continued attention and support of Friends." The Epistle of 1834 retrograded very much into the strain of former years, and then, in 1835, came the extinguisher of evangelical hopes, by the recommendation of the old writings in the " Epistle of counsel," or, as it is usually called, " the written Epistle," which has been already more than once adverted to, and a high eulogium upon the " early Friends" in the printed Epistle, which is as follows : " Our forefathers in the Truth were, as we believe, remarkably visited with the day-spring from on high, and under the fresh and powerful influences of the Holy Ghost were enabled to proclaim among men the purity and spirituality of the gospel of our Redeemer. They pro- fessed to be instructed in no new truths, they had nothing to add to ' the faith once delivered to the saints ;' they cordially acknowledged the Divine authority of the Holy Scriptures ; they were deeply versed in the contents of the sacred volume ; and they openly confessed, that what- soever doctrine or practice is contrary to its 328 COMPLAINT RESPECTING declarations must be ' accounted and reckoned a delusion of the devil.' But it was evidently their especial duty in the Christian church to call away their fellow-men from a dependence upon outward forms, to invite their attention to the witness for God in their own bosoms, and to set forth the immediate and perceptible operations of the Holy Spirit. It was given them to testify that this Divine influence was to be experienced, not only in connexion with the outward means of religious instruction, but in the striving of the Spirit with a dark and unregenerate world, and in those gracious visit- ations to the mind of man which are indepen- dent of every external circumstance. Nothing could be more clear than the testimony which they bore to the eternal divinity of the Son of God, to his coming in the flesh, and to his propitiatory offering on the cross for the sins of the whole world; and they rejoiced in the benefits of the Christian revelation, by which these precious truths are made known to man- kind. They went forth to preach the gospel, under a firm conviction that, in consequence of this one sacrifice for sin, all men are placed in a capacity of salvation. And they called on their hearers to mind the light of the Spirit of SHAPING LANGUAGE. 329 Christ, that they might be, thereby, convinced of their transgressions and led to a living faith in that precious blood throiujh ichich alone we can receive the forgiveness of our sins, and be made partakers of the blessed hope of life everlasting." How far this differs from shaping of lan- guage, the quotations respecting the Scriptures, and the flesh and blood of Christ, already given from the writings of the persons thus eulogized, will sufficiently demonstrate, and those quota- tions will furnish a key to the above extract. Now, those who undertook to hold up the writings of the "early Friends," in the manner we find them spoken of in the " Epistk' of counsel," which seemed to be specially written for the purpose, either knew what they were or they did not. If they were well acquainted with them, what were the goodly paragraphs in the Epistles of preceding years, but language shaped for the occasion ? Because the very substance of the writings of the " early Friends," as already has been shown, goes to deprive the Christian religion of its distinctive character — Faith in a crucified Saviour, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Hoi) Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. But the 2 f3 .330 COMPLAINT RESPECTING writings of the " early Friends " speak of him who " was born of the Virgin Mary, and walked and suffered in Judea;" as "the veil or gar- ment which Christ wore;" and of the hope of salvation as consisting in a belief in, and obedience to, an "inward principle," "light within," " vehiculum Dei," " seed," &c, &c. If, on the other hand, these writings were recommended without an intimate knowledge of their contents, it must surely be acknow- ledged as a very unwarrantable thing to speak with high eulogium of authors, and give a strong idea of the practical value of their works, without much acquaintance with them. Taking it in this way, therefore, the recommendation would only seem to have been for the sake of keeping up the credit of the founders of the Society, rather than for the promotion of the eternal interests of those to whom the Epistles were addressed. I confess, therefore, that I have yet to learn the justice of the very strong remarks addressed to me in the " Letter," (page 21,) on the occa- sion of my having used the following expres- sions : " I see, to my indescribable sorrow, that whilst, on many public occasions, they [Friends, as a Society] are shaping their language so as SHAPING LANGUAGE. 331 to give an idea of their full reception of Holy Scripture, they still cling, if possible, more closely than ever to the ruinous fallacy of the paramount authority of their own inward and immediate revelation. " This may be " so- lemnly repelled on behalf of the Society," but the blame lies somewhere, for the fact is unde- niable : let any number of competent and im- partial persons be judges in the case. For I must say that the Epistles from 18"28 to 1833, as far as I am capable of understanding them, would give no more idea of the Quakerism of record than would the address of George Fox and others to the governor of Barbadoes ; and 1 may add, that I had no conception, at the time these Epistles were issued, that Friends, in is: 55, were to be turned short round and di- rected into the horrible bog of the mystical writings wherein thirty thousand persons had just been swamped. Again, with regard to the shaping of lan- guage— just as if it happened for the very pur- pose of showing the vanity of the expressions contained in the paragraph in the " Letter," (page 21,) which is devoted to the purpose of indignantly repelling the idea of the possibility of it; the printed Epistle of the present year 382 COMPLAINT RESPECTING gives such a proof of it, that really it exceeds any thing one could have contemplated. I am sure not only myself, but others have started with surprise on reading the following passages : " Often as our religious Society has declared its belief in the Divine authority of the Holy Scrip- tures, and upheld the sacred volume, as the only divinely authorized record of the doctrines of true religion, we believe it right, at this time, to revive some important declarations of Scripture itself on the subject." Then follow several ap - propriate texts, and the former part of the next paragraph runs thus : " Although most of these passages relate to the Old Testament, our So- ciety has always freely acknowledged that the principles developed in them are equally ap- plicable to the writings of the evangelists and apostles. In conformity with these principles, it, has ever heen, and still is, the belief of the Society of Friends, that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God ; that, therefore, the declara- tions contained in them rest on the authority of God himself, and there can be no appeal from them to any other authority whatsoever; that they are able to make us wise unto salva- tion, through faith which is in Christ Jesus, SHAPING LANGUAGE. 333 being the appointed means of making known to us the blessed truths of Christianity." Now, although these passages in the Epistle are wound up with amazing ingenuity, they convey as erroneous an idea as can well be imagined, and certainly can only be reconciled by the perpetual contradictions that are to be met with in the writings of Friends. And I understand not mere surprise has been evinced, for in Lancashire, where there has been so much pains taken to restore "unity," at the expense of the gospel, it was moved at the summer Quarterly Meeting, by some who have taken an active part in the melancholy proceed- ings there, that the Yearly Meeting's printed Epistle should not be circulated, because there were sentiments contained in it not accordant with the writings of the early Friends. These persons were most certainly correct in their conclusion, although it was thought, by many who held the same view, to be a more correct proceeding to let the Epistle take its usual course of circulation. With regard to the passages that are above quoted from the Epistle, they contradict the ge- neral tenour of the standard writings of Friends, who uniformly speak of the Scriptures as a se- 334 COMPLAINT RESPECTING condary rule, of which I have already given numerous instances, which might be multiplied to an indefinite extent. Robert Barclay, in his third Proposition, sect. 2, page 71, says ex- pressly, (as before has been quoted,) " When we doubt of the streams of any river or flood, we recur to the fountain itself, and having found it, there we desist ; we can go no further, because there it springs out of the bowels of the earth, which are inscrutable. Even so the irritings and sayings of all men we must bring to the word of God, I mean the Eternal Word, and if they agree hereunto, we stand there. For this word always proceedeth, and doth eternally proceed from God; in and by which the unsearch- able wisdom of God, and unsearchable counsel and will CONCEIVED IN THE HEART OF GOD, IS RE- VEALED unto us. That then the Scripture is not the principal ground of faith and knoiuledge, as it appears by what is above spoken, so it is proved in the latter part of the Proposition," &c. And in the second Proposition, sect. 4, as may be seen in the former part of this little volume, the Scriptures are expressly spoken of as not absolutely necessary; and to demonstrate this, the apologist gives, what he calls, "divers unquestionable arguments." But, surely "the SHAPING LANGUAGE. 335 appointed means of making known to us the blessed truths of Christianity," are absolutely necessary, otherwise, the acknowledgment must be made, that Christianity is not absolutely ne- cessary. The declarations concerning the Scriptures in the paragraphs of the Epistle that have been ad- verted to, are certainly true ; but then it seems to me to be holding the truth in unrighteous- ness, to make it appear that it is truth that has always been held by the Society ; for the above quotation and reference show the direct con- trary. There must, therefore, have been some special purpose to answer by the use of such a form of language which contradicts the wri- tings of the " early Friends," because the spirit of their writings is kept in full activity by the conduct which is still unremittingly pursued in putting down the unmixed gospel, and discou- raging all that is worthy the name of studying the Scriptures. CHAPTER VIII. IS THERE AMONG FRIENDS "AN OPEN DOOR TO THE PREACHING OF THE WHOLE REVEALED WILL OF GOD?" The following passage, in page 28 of the " Let- ter," is so extremely pointed, that much as I dislike writing about myself, there appears to be no alternative, because it is really necessary for me to show the errors with which the state- ment abounds. And, as before has been men- tioned, never do I recollect to have met with any thing which gave me greater astonishment than what is contained in it, viz., "And ano- ther assertion I will venture to make in this place, that there is at present amongst us an open door to the preaching of the whole re- vealed will of God. Perhaps a more striking evidence of how little of sectarian restraint there is amongst us, in this respect, could hardly be afforded, than by thy own experience. Whe- ther its being so indicate our health or our weakness ; whether the proceeding on thy part TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 337 were right or not, it appears that for nearly seven years thou hast been declaring thy views of the gospel amongst us, as an official acknow- ledged minister of the Society, whilst believing in thy heart that our very foundation was rot- ten, and that our profession is ' incurably hostile to the gospel.' No, my brother, if one of that despised fraternity may presume so to address thee, thou hast not been straitened in us, thou hast been straitened in thyself. I believe there is no body of persons, collected as a religious society, and maintaining a pretty efficient discipline, amongst whom there is a larger portion of true Christian liberty of sentiment. This liberty, without latitudinarianism, has long been one of the many grounds on which I have valued my connexion with it. The Bible, and the Bible alone, may be fairly said to be our formula of divine truth." In order to show the real state of the case, and how materially it differs from what must be inferred from the above extract, I conceive the only proper way for me to take, is to have re- course to copies of letters and memorandums, which may be fully relied on, as they were writ- ten when the circumstances detailed in them were strongly impressed on the memory. It 2 G 338 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL would appear by the quotation from the " Let- ter," as if my course had been a very easy and uninterrupted one; and credit is given to the Society, for the striking evidence of how little sectarian restraint there is in it, from the cir- cumstance of my having, for nearly seven years, been declaring " my views of the gospel," &c. Now, as several of those who were engaged, either in drawing up or sanctioning the " Let- ter," were acquainted with the real difficulties I had encountered for a large portion of the time mentioned, I am at a loss to know how they can think there is so much credit due : unless it be, that they consider every thing short of absolute durance to be liberty. Little do those who were made acquainted with the deep distress I suffered, seem to have recollected any vestige of it : for a very natural reason certainly, that we are able to bear the afflictions of others with calmness and philoso- phy. But although this be the case (for " feel- ing has no fellow,") it by no means follows, that those who have to walk in a thorny path should forget the sharpness of the points that pierce them. But it is certainly not for the sake of claiming any sympathy, that I have recourse to the memorandums which are lying beside me. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS! 339 My motive is to show, that I have not just fol- lowed such a dishonest course as might be in- ferred from some of the sentences last extracted from the " Letter ;" and also to prove what I considered it my duty to declare in my letter of resignation of membership, that there is in the .Society, " an incurable hostility to the gospel :" incurable, because the principles of the Society are such as to be incompatible with the gospel : and, therefore, neither the Society, nor indivi- duals, can be favourable to the genuine gospel of Jesus Christ, without departing from the Quakerism of Fox, Penn, Barclay, and Pening- ton. In my letter it is stated, that it was my endeavour to point out, especially to those who had most influence in the Society, the unsound- ness of its principles, after my eyes were merci- fully opened to perceive it. This, I am sure, many could testify, if they were disposed; so that, on my part, there was no secrecy ; and it is now more than six years ago, that in " the Meeting for Sufferings," on its being proposed to send a second copy of William Penn's works into Greece, I stated my objections to them at some length, and also to Barclay's Apology : instancing in particular, with regard to the lat- ter, the same passage which is referred to in my 340 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL " Letter." Several who were present have not forgotten this; and the recollection of having given warning with respect to those writings, so soon after having seen the fearful errors Avith which they abound, is with me a subject of heartfelt thankfulness to God. It may be said, " If, then, the objections were sufficiently explicit to be understood by those who heard them, they showed forbearance in not putting the objector under some restraints." That the objections were explicitly made is very certain ; and it affords me most sincere satisfaction and comfort to know there were some present who showed their Christian for- bearance; and that they were, and continued to be, disposed to view the subject as one which required the deepest attention, not allowing themselves to be drawn along by human opinion ; and that they felt the necessity of the all-im- portant inquiry, " What saith the Scripture ? " But it must also be considered, that truth has a force in it which it requires some little time to make head against. It was not very long before the disapprobation of my remarks was, in several respects, made obvious enough to me, and I have since heard more on the subject. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS f 341 At the subsequent Yearly Meeting, some strong objections made by me on the views of the Society respecting missionary labours, were, as was likely to be the case, so distasteful to several Friends, who have influence in the Society, that some shackles were prepared for me, and not long afterwards were put on at P , where I paid a visit of several weeks. There it was found out that in my ministry I " set the Scriptures loo high." But as I have an account of what took place, which I wrote to some intimate Friends soon after my return home, describing the case more accurately than I could now do without such a help to the memory, it will be better to give extracts from the letters. The first was dated as follows : — "Wycombe, Qth of Wth month, 1881. " I hardly know how to do otherwise than to let thee know how I am at present circumstanced ; yet I feel extremely reluctant to run the risk of exciting thy feelings, or of giving thee the idea of being mixed up at all in my affairs. I have, therefore, been long vacillating with respect to writing to thee I have no right to ask thy advice, for I really don't know how thou could give it; but I 2g 3 342 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL believe I shall not apply in vain if I ask for thy sympathy. If ever any person required the sympathy of a friend, I am that poor mortal : not that I wish to excite feeling with regard to my own personal trial ; for I estimate this at absolutely nothing, compared with the responsi- bility which I now feel to be pressing upon me with an awful weight : for, however insignificant I am, yet the cause of religion is to me unutter- ably dear, and I know not to what privation I would not submit if I could promote it, or rather than I would injure it. Perhaps and have given thee some information relative to what has passed at P ; but, in case they have not, I will give thee a few parti- culars. The first meeting I sat there was under the sensation of an intolerable weight : some Friends spoke, but I was not of the number. One or two meetings followed under much the same circumstances; but afterwards, although under a distressing pressure, ability was given me, from time to time, as far as I am capable of judging to preach the gospel with- out any reserve : and on fourth day, the fifth of last month, although I happened to be very unwell, and did not get up till just time enough to go to meeting, I rose soon after the meeting TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ? 343 had gathered, and spoke perhaps rather more than an hour : this communication served to fill up the measure of my iniquities, and a few days afterwards I was called upon by J. T. and I. A. [who are in the station of Elder.] The former told me, after a civil introduction of their busi- ness, that, before he left home, (he had, I think, been absent nearly two weeks, and was not present on the fourth day I have men- tioned,) he had been made very uneasy with my communications at meeting, because I had set the Scriptures too high ; and whilst he was from home, he understood my manner of speak- ing on that subject had been still more objec- tionable, and he asked me if I was not aware that what I had said was different from Friends' principles. I told him certainly it was, and I would candidly inform him what my views upon the subject were. Whereupon I gave him, to the best of my ability (for I was quite unwell at the time, and was taken by surprise,) my sentiments with regard to " universal and sa- ving light." " These I need not mention, as I have more than once, I believe, fully explained them to thee. The poor man stared as if he had fallen foul of of an Atheist, and asked with a sort of authorita- 344 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL tive vehemence, how I could think, as a minis- ter in the Society, of preaching doctrines con- trary to those of Friends : I told him that I had endeavoured to preach the Gospel, and gave him to understand that it was no matter of spe- culation with me ; for that I had had the oppor- tunity of estimating the value of Friends' prin- ciples, and of those which I now hold, and that I would not for ten thousand worlds make the exchange back again, were it in my power to do so. To cut short the discourse, which was pro- tracted to some length, I told the Friends that I concluded from what had passed, their wish would be, that I should not speak again as a minister, and I thought I could almost engage this would be the case whilst I remained at P , though I could not engage that it should be always so. To this I thought they both as- sented; but J. F. in discoursing on the subject afterwards with J. T., discovered that he did not mean to limit my preaching otherwise, than that it should accord with Friends' principles. I be- lieve what gave so much offence on the fourth day I have alluded to, was to this effect, that in- calculable loss had been sustained by persons not accepting the Scriptures as they ought to be received ; and that our Society had suffered its TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 345 full share of loss in this respect ; for, as not all the wisdom of all the men who have lived since the creation, could have found out the truth with which the Bible opens, ' In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,' we ought to go to the Scriptures as little children go to be taught. I am sorry to make so long a story of this ; but thou wilt see from what I have said, that I am virtually a suspended mi- nister, unless I can swallow and disgorge the doctrine of ' universal and saving light,' which I see is fully maintained in the ' Testimony,'* published by Friends in America; which I am sorry to find has as full a portion of alloy as is generally to be found in Friends' writings, and is calculated to render the gospel of almost no effect or value. Of course not one particle of the truth can I consent to smother, or attempt * This is entitled " The Testimony of the Society of Friends on the Continent of America." Printed at New York, hy B. and G. S. Wood, 1830. At page 20 of this pamphlet we find as follows: — ." We therefore profess and firmly believe, that the litjld of Christ in tin' heart, is an unerring guide anil the primary ruin of faith and practice — that it is ilic only medium through which we can truly and livingly attain to the knowledge of God and the mysteries of his heavenly kingdom.'' This surely needs no comment, as it speaks volumes for itself, and is the quintessence of Quakerism aud Hieksism ; or in other words mystical Deism. 346 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL to neutralize ; the gospel, the whole gospel, and nothing but the gospel shall, if I preach at all, to the very best of my ability be preached : and, therefore, whilst discoursing with the official Friends, I felt that the last tie which attached me to the Society was cut; and I shall never forget the painful force with which Quakerism and Christianity are two things, darted through my mind — Do I merely waste words in asking for thy sympathy under these circumstances ? Thou may say, ' Depart from Eden, the world is all before thee where to choose.' But still to leave those for whom I cannot but feel deeply interested, within the fumes of that bottomless pit, by which I have myself been well nigh made to sleep the sleep of death, trusting the while to my own righteousness for life, is indeed afflicting; yet I cannot at present see that I have any alternative, and must hope that those who, with a good conscience, can still raise the warning voice, and are allowed to do so, will diligently exert it. With regard to myself, I acknowledge that I have long been obliged to abandon the principles upon which Friends found many of their peculiarities ; because they seem to me to be supported only on the miscon- struction of Scripture, or on points pulled out TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 347 beyond their proper length. I cannot, there- fore, find one single foot of ground on which, as a conscientious man, I can retain my con- nexion with the Society ; yet it would grieve me hastily to take a step that might risk the causing others at all to stumble. " On the other hand, I am induced to think, that an out-of-joint connexion may, on all ac- counts, be far worse than the dissolution of it. I have no idea whatever, that I could con- nect myself with any other denomination, and I have no other prospect than that of being a stranger and a pilgrim upon the earth. I for- got to tell thee, that one of J. T's. grievances was, that he had heard several persons, not of our society, came to meeting to hear Mr. Wil- kinson preach evangelical doctrine. From the specimens we heard whilst at P , I can well believe that evangelical doctrine was indeed something quite novel in that meeting house, which, I suppose, does not often resound with the gospel, but with a perplexing medley of ex- hortations, which would generally lead the be- wildered mind to suppose (if any definite im- pression be made upon it) that our salvation is to be wrought, by our doing all that we possibly can towards effecting it, and then we may have 348 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL hope in the merey of God. As to justification by faith, or that it is through faith in Christ Jesus that we are enabled to obey from the heart — the thing is so far from being held up bv them, that when it was held up, it was stoutly opposed ; so that I understood, several persons who came to hear ' evangelical doctrine^' went away wondering at the direct and open opposi- tion it met with on the other side of the house. Now any one may say, that all these things amount to nothing ; and that, the straightfor- ward way is to go on preaching the gospel ; in which I should fully agree, but I know of no Friend's writings acknowledged by the Society, that are clear on the great subject of justifica- tion ; and all seem to agree, in what I must ever view as the pernicious doctrine of accept- ance with God being obtainable independently of faith in Christ, provided that the gospel have not been rejected. Now, it is certainly not for us to limit the mercy of God, but we have, I conceive, no scriptural ground whatever for such doctrine; and it goes directly, not only to the theoretical, but, as we have seen most unequivocally, to the practical subversion of the gospel. I cannot see, therefore, how any re- former can find an inch of ground to plant a TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ! 349 standard upon. The foundation is, in my view, unsound; and the thing wanted is transforma- tion. For, in my opinion, J. T. was perfectly in order in silencing me, and it is what, in am meeting, I might fairly expect, and to disregard it seems to me like a breach of order, that if I were to commit, would be like doing evil that good might come. Neither can I think it right, after due warning, (which, until the time I have mentioned, I never had the least hint of, ) to go about as an £ acknowledged mi- nister,' preaching doctrines, which however much many among us are thirsting for, drink in with eagerness when they are held forth, and are the doctrines of the New Testament, are not the doctrines of the Society of Friends. On our way from P we paid a little visit at , where the society of was most truly cor- dial to us. We told them freely of the circum- stances under which I was placed ; indeed, we thought it right to do so before we could satis- factorily subject them to the onus of giving us house-room, for it would grieve us to the heart to bring any one under responsibility or diffi- culty on our account. But I did not tell them fully the manner in which my mind was af- fected, nor have I told or written to any one on 2 H 3.30 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL the subject but thyself. Indeed, when we were at , I had not had time to give deliberate consideration to the subject, but was filled with an astounding kind of sorrow, at the prospect of being cut off from any service among those whose best interests are, I am ready to think, more truly dear to me than ever, but for whom I can now only offer my fervent prayers. Wilt thou do me the favour, as soon as convenient, to write to me ? do give me thy sentiments with the greatest freedom ? do not think I shall be offended with any reproof thou may think it right to give me — mine is a case in which it will not do to mince the matter. Do not use reserve to me, I have never abused thy confi- dence, and now I have no temptation to do it. With brotherly attachment, I am ever, my dear Friend, thine in the bonds of the gospel, "John Wilkinson." The letter from which the above extracts are taken, was not answered, at which, possibly some persons may be surprised; but such is the nature of Quaker principles, that it is no- thing to be wondered at, for if a sympathizing reply had been written to such a letter, it might possibly have brought the writer into great disgrace, if I had allowed any one to see TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 351 it; of course, therefore, the safest way was to let it drop. After waiting, with much anxiety and distress, for rather more than two weeks, I wrote to a near relative an account of the cir- cumstances I was under, and concluded my letter nearly as follows : — " I hope no considera- tions of outward advantages to be gained or lost, or of life to be preserved, would ever induce me to hold up to the world such a feartnl mixture of truth and error as the American ' Testimony.' And I think any one who care- fully reads the first chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians, might well be afraid of taking upon himself such a responsibility, for any con- sideration whatever. I can only say that my whole frame is often prostrated with the prayer, that if I preach at all, it may be the gospel, the whole gospel, and nothing but the gospel; for neither for any man, nor for the upholding of any system, will I either add thereto, nor aught diminish, if that great Shepherd, who, in un- merited goodness and boundless compassion, hath led me out of narcotic and deadly error, will but continue to me the same gracious support and guidance. No — that man must be a fool indeed, who, if he be led by the good hand of God to discover the treasure in the 352 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL field, and by the bounty of eternal goodness is enabled to purchase it, he should, then, for the sake of reputation, friendship, or any other con- sideration, allow himself to give up a single par- ticle of this treasure, and dare to muddle that gospel which affords him the hope of salvation. The deep sorrow I feel, therefore, is not owing to any uncertainty or perplexity in my own mind, but it arises from an increasing sense of the very great want of the genuine doctrines of the gospel among that body to whom I am most tenderly attached, and that I shall now be cut off from further communication with them. Alas ! that men should go blundering on, with- out being able to connect cause and effect. And, whilst their unscriptural creed is driving them by thousands into deism, cannot see that the very essence of it is deistical; and that, notwithstanding it professes to exalt the Saviour, in reality it points out the short cut by which they may do without him. True, many sincere, and some enlightened Christians have been found in the Society, who have effectually shunned this dangerous by-path ; but no thanks to those who opened it, however good might be their intentions ; and, if they could now see the dire effects of their officiousness, how gladly TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS [ 359 would they stop it up. In this country we have, through the unmerited mercy of God, many material helps from our fellow-Christians, which many among us (though their number I hope greatly diminishes) affect to undervalue. But let the full leaden weight, of the American 'Testimony' hang fairly upon them, and I can- not doubt, that whoever lives to see what passes thirty years hence, will see another horde of deists ready to take their departure. The cruse of salt has not yet been thrown into the bitter waters, neither will it ever be, whilst ' inward and immediate revelation,' independent of re- generation, repentance, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, lies at the bottom to tincture and embitter the fountain. 4 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,' (James i. 18.) To fix the meaning of ' the word of truth,' look at Ephes. i. 13; Colos. i. 5; and 2 Tim. ii. 15, and then say what becomes of that system, which makes the gospel non-essential, and the Scriptures a secondary rule ! As to the notion that was intended as a sort of middle path, which we heard at the Yearly Meeting, That the heart of every man has inscribed in it, in characters perhaps in many instances but faint and overlaid, (yet certainly there,) a counter- 2 h 3 354 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL part of the Scriptures : it would, in my view, be far more rational to insist, that in every rock may be found incased the Apollo, the Venus, and every statue that has graced the galleries of classic art. No — it wants the chisel of the artist, and his art to use it, to bring forth the statue. And it requires the gospel, with the Spirit of God to apply it, to regenerate the man, and make him a living member of the church of Christ." The letter from which the above extracts are made, was dated "22nd of 11th month, 1831 ;" and, although it excited great surprise, very little time elapsed before I received a truly sympathizing answer, mingled, of course, with cautions, &c. Because, it really seemed as if calling in question the soundness of the prin- ciples of the Society of Friends, was like dis- puting the truth of the gospel. It will now be proper to introduce the sub- stance of some memorandums, which I made on the occasion to which they allude. "Towards the end of the 10th month, 1832, the meeting for sufferings,* joined by nearly * This is a singular name for a meeting, but it was given to it at a time when there \v:us much persecution of the early Friends ; and it has ever since retained its appellation, although the business TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS 355 forty Friends from different parts of the coun- try, who were specially appointed for the pur- pose by their respective Quarterly Meetings, began their sittings to revise the Book of Ex- tracts. I was present, and on the 9th paragraph, under the head, ' Conduct and Conversation,'* brought before it is, of course, of a very different nature to what used formerly to engage its attention. It may be called a meeting fbi watching over the interests of the Society. * This is as follows : " It is with much grief and concern that \u observe in some a declension from the way of righteousness and truth, as well as from the plainness of habit, and simplicity of speech and behaviour, which were so conspicuous in our early Friends, and many of their offspring. This declension, we apprehend, arises from a disregard to the divine light and truth they have often been recommended to, as the regulator of their words and actions. By a careful conscientious regard to this, the holy men in all ages ob- tained a good report, and our ancients and many of their- imme- diate offspring, were comely in the eyes of the nation for their de- portment and religious regard to their words and actions : a godly fear resting upon their minds, that the precious truth and principles which they professed, and felt the blessed effects of, might not suffer reproach from their misconduct. The like holy concern now, would tend to regulate our youth. This would instruct them to avoid all pride and affectation, and endue them with humility, modesty, and virtue, which recommend to the favour of God, anil a good esteem among men. A religious regard to the principle of light and truth, <;od"s witness in the mind and heart of man, ever produces the most beneficial effects, as well to Society in general, as to every one in .356 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL having been read, (after some observations had been made on it by one or two Friends,) I expressed my entire dissatisfaction with this paragraph, because it takes for granted that every man has ' the principle of light and truth ' in his own heart, independent of any outward revelation. A considerable number of Friends expressed their approbation of the paragraph. Some thought it one of the most instructive and im- portant in the book; and G. B. (an "Elder") attacked me in an extremely pointed manner, as having expressed sentiments wholly at va- riance with the acknowledged principles of our Society, which was not to be tolerated in one who occupied the station of a Minister. I was then called upon to explain, which I did by unequivocally stating my conviction, that to particular. This would introduce universal love, peace, and eon- cord anion? mankind. This would sweeten the hitter spirit, mol- lify and assuage the fierce and violent dispositions of men, mu- tually endear relations and friends, and bring all into the unity and fellowship of the Holy Spirit: the fruits whereof the apostle de- clareth are joy, peace, long-suffering, brotherly kindness, and cha- rity. We do, therefore, most earnestly recommend a strict attention to this holy and divine principle to Friends everywhere, and in a particular manner to the youth of the present generation."- — 1736. P. E. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS! 357 uphold the notion of a principle of light and truth in the mind and heart, independent of regeneration, and of repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, is unsound, and completely subversive of the gos- pel ; because " faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." And that it is unscriptural and unreasonable to suppose, that persons who have never heard even of the existence of the true God, and moreover have not a word in their language whereby to de- scribe the Deity, should nevertheless have the law of God written in their hearts, and have the hope of the gospel, when at the same time their whole community is sunk in the lowest debasement, and every individual is a gross idolater. This explanation seemed to draw down a more severe reprobation than the first expres- sions of dissatisfaction with the paragraph had done ; and at the close of the evening sitting of the " Conference," (as this meeting was called,) I happened to meet with G. B., (in company with S. and J. C.,) and found him violently incensed against the notion, that any human creatures are not furnished with an 358 IS THE PREACHING OP THE GOSPEL internal light, sufficient to direct them aright in things pertaining to their salvation. I re- quested him to bring forward Scripture au- thority to support his doctrine of internal light, when it appeared that he had none to bring with any plausibility, but John i. 9, * That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." In reply, I urged that if every man had the light which he con- tended for, there would be evidence of it given among heathen nations; but where had he heard of any persons becoming acquainted with the truths of the gospel without any out- ward information having been given to them respecting it ? Of course he could bring for- ward no instances ; and it was then stated that the meaning of the text he laid so much stress upon, must be, that Christ is the only true light, and, therefore, that every man who is truly enlightened, must be enlightened by Christ ; and this is effected by the power of the Holy Spirit, preparing the mind and dis- posing the heart to receive " the word of the truth of the gospel." Many parallel cases might be brought forward to show that, where u all" or " every man" is the term made use of TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 359 in the Scripture, the sense evidently requires some limitation to be made in the application of the word.* It was also urged, that as light is the very last thing that a person need be informed of the presence of, if he have eyes to see it — and if he have none, no information of its presence could make him perceive it — the supposition that every one has gospel light must necessarily render the preaching of the gospel, and the reading of the Scriptures, wholly superfluous. Much more argument to the same purport was advanced; but the dis- course ended without the least satisfaction on either side, and G. B. seemed to utter a deep- toned threat, that he would not rest until such heresy was rooted out. In answer to his ex- pression of regret, that he was not acquainted with any member of the Monthly Meeting to which I belonged, otherwise he should give information of my unsoundness, I thought it right to tell him that I feared not the face of any man, and that I hoped never to compro- mise what I fully believed to be the truth of the gospel for any set of men whatever, See Acts xvii. 31, and xxii. IS) Luke xvi. 16; Matthew xxiv. 22, (fie. &c. 360 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL and that he might do what he thought proper.* * It may here lie proper to mention, that at the Yearly Meeting of 1830, a large Committee was appointed to visit the several Quarterly Meetings. I was one on this appointment, and. in company with four other Friends, paid a visit to the Quarter!} Meeting of Lancashire, in the summer of that year. As this Committee was continued in its appointment for several years, it was my intention to have joined in the visit that was paid to the London Quarterly Meeting in the winter of 1831; but the transaction at P — , as was likely to be the case, cast such a complete shade over my prospect of religious service in the Society, that I excused myself from joining in the visit to the Meetings in London and the neighbourhood. But, although at that time it seemed impossible for me to take part in such a visit, the persuasion that mysticism was fearfully prevalent in the Society, and that it might be possible, by the simple preaching nf the gospel, without the introduction of any thing of a contro- versial nature, to give at least some little check to so dreadful a delusion ; notwithstanding the very great discouragement I felt, owing to the unsound profession in which I was involved, and which, as I have mentioned, occasioned me for a considerable time to refrain from preaching: in the summer of 1832 I informed the Monthly Meeting, of which I was a member, of the interest I felt on account of the Friends in London and Middlesex, and in Essex particularly ; and requested their consideration, whether they would be satisfied to give me a certificate " to preach the gospel" in the meetings composing those Quarterly Meetings, also to attend the Quarterly Meeting in Suffolk. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS. 361 At the sitting of the " Conference," which took place next morning, I took an early This was granted ; and, in paying this visit, I confess it greatly surprised me to find the openness with which my ministry seemed to be received; for, .as far as I could judge, the purport of it differed in no respect from that which had given offence at P — . Several of the sermons in London were taken down and published without my knowledge ; and, in looking over these, there seems to me just as much for Friends to object to, as on the former occasion ; and on comparing those taken down in London with what were subsequently preached and taken down in Lancashire, there appears no difference in the doctrine they contain ; yet the latter were considered so objectionable, that, as will be seen, it was brought forward as an offence of no common order for an " Elder " to be accessory to the affording me house-room. There is not, that I know of, any way of accounting for this strange anomaly, but that ministry in the Society of Friends is brought to the test of feeling, and not to that of the word of God. The ab- surdity, therefore, of such a fluctuating test is very apparent in this as well as in innumerable other instances. Would that the lesson it teaches might be received ! It will, probably, appear strange to many, that as in the letter written soon after what occurred to me at P — , I give reasons why I conceived it would be improper for me to continue in the Society, I should, in the following year, again engage in the ministry. I can only say, that in my case, as I suppose in that of many others, when placed under circumstances of extreme distress and difficulty, sometimes one view presents itself, sometimes another : it wa9, however, thus with me. At first it appeared to me that consist- 2 i 362 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL opportunity of saying, that I thought I must have been misunderstood the day before ; be- cause I could hardly conceive that any Friend could imagine that the Holy Spirit existed as an abiding Principle in the hearts of unregene- rate persons ; and I thought the passage in the prophet Ezekiel, where he describes his vision of the dry bones in the valley, would illustrate my meaning, and perhaps give a clearer view of my sentiments than I was able to throw before the meeting on the previous day. The prophet (chap, xxxvii. 1 — 14) when he saw the many dry bones, was asked whether they could ency required that I should leave the Society : then came the consideration, that I had myself been " plucked as a brand from the burning ; " and if by the grace of God I might be made at all serviceable to others, it was not for me, merely for the sake of consistency, to put myself out of the way of affording a helping hand, however feeble, to those who were in the same perilous situation, from which, by the mere and wholly undeserved mercy of God, I had boen rescued. This last view of the subject, if not originally induced, was greatly strengthened by the earnest recommendation of many Friends whose judgment I hold in high estimation ; and who have themselves since acted on this principle with great effect ; and I cannot doubt but their dis- interested and strenuous exertions to uphold the truth of the gospel in its simplicity will be abundantly blessed. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ? 363 live ? He humbly answered, " O Lord God, thou knowest." On which he was commanded to prophesy upon the bones. When he had obeyed the command, " Behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." Afterwards also sinews and flesh came upon them, but there was no breath in them. The prophet was then commanded to " prophesy unto the wind," whereupon " breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet." Now although, when sinners are warned of their danger, there may be a shaking, as in the case of Felix, who trembled under the powerful reasoning of the apostle Paul, yet it was evident that the Holy Spirit did not abide in him, for he repeatedly sent for the apostle afterwards, in order to extort money from him. Not only, also, may there be what is comparable to the shaking of the bones : there may be enough of conviction to induce a fair profession of religion ; the bones may be covered with sinews and flesh, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira ; yet it was evident that the Holy Spirit was not abiding in them, for " they lied against the Holy Ghost." — No ; it is absolutely necessary that the wind which bloweth where it listeth should, by the power of God, be made 364 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL breath to the body, or there can be no real life, whatever appearances it may put on. There must be regeneration before it can truly be said of any one, that he has the Holy Spirit abiding in him as a Principle. This explanation called forth expressions of still greater disapprobation than before ; where- upon, after assuring the meeting of the affec- tionate interest I felt on behalf of the Society in general, and of those who were then met together in particular, I bade them farewell, took up my hat, and was about to withdraw. I was, however, very cordially requested by J. H. to remain ; and the request being seconded by some others, I consented to do so, and also attended the sitting in the afternoon, but absented myself the next day. After the morning sitting (when the subject which gave so much offence was introduced) I met with , who expressed himself in a very kind manner, with the wish, that although my views did not meet with the concurrence of Friends, I should not allow it to interfere with my peace of mind; and suggested (as I under- stood him) whether the passage of Scripture, much insisted on by Friends, (John i. 9,) " That was the true light," &c, and which said TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 365 he could by no means give up as having an universal application, might not be understood to refer to [the moral sense, which is certainly found in every human being. I made but little reply in conversation ; but, on reflecting upon the subject, wrote a letter, which, with very little omission, is as follows : — Stamford Hill, 2nd of Uth Month, * * * "I will therefore tell thee of my views, and of some of my difficulties, with the greatest freedom : indeed, so far from having any thing to conceal from any one, I only wish I could freely open my heart to all who are capable of estimating religious senti- ments, and of making a right use of such an un- reserved exhibition. I am sometimes enabled to believe, that I do really prefer Christ and his gospel to every thing else, however near and dear to me ; and therefore, although I hold friend- ship and full unity with those whom I affec- tionately love to be more precious than any thing which this world can afford besides, yet, for the sake even of these, I continually find that I would not give up nor deny one single particle of the pure truth of the gospel. Very far indeed am I from wishing to lay stress upon 2 i 3 •366 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL things which may fairly be considered as specu- lative matters, on which, if opposite opinions be entertained, no practical detriment can be the probable result; but I have long perceived that the subject which was thrown before the " Conference," and which has taken a turn so afflicting to me, is one of vital importance. I have, as far as I am capable, endeavoured to view it in the light which thou suggested to me yesterday; but (owing possibly to my not having fully taken in thy meaning) I find myself un- able to perceive its accordance with the tenour of Scripture. Our Society, as well as others, has, I think, come in for a share of the loss which must ever accrue from the fixing on certain passages of Scripture meanings which are not supported by the uniform tenour, and which must be modified by it ; otherwise iso- lated passages, as thou art more fully aware than I can be, would be found contradicting each other. John i. 9 is, in my view, pre-eminently one of these ; and I cannot conceive that the evangelist intended to designate by it what, if I am not mistaken, thou described as 'a universal moral sense, which may be accepted as an endowment bestowed, for Jesus Christ's sake, on the whole family of man.' It appears TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 367 to me that the moral sense was never lost by the fall ; on the contrary, I think it was extended by it : ' The eyes of them both were opened ' — ' The man is become as one of us, to know both good and evil.' This, I conceive, was no fulfilment of the promise, nor in any respect an advantage derived from the anticipated sufferings and death of our adorable Redeemer. The moi-al sense caused our first parents to strive to flee from the presence of God. It was the light of Christ — the promise, which I have no doubt they believed — (see Gen. iv. 1, ? I have gotten a man from the Lord,' or the God-Man,) whereby they were led to God. There can be no doubt but that the moral sense is tremen- dously prevalent in the abodes of darkness, from which the light of Christ is for ever excluded. The moral sense may be properly appealed to in every individual, when the light of Christ — the gospel — is held up to induce every one to flee from the wrath to come. For men must be moved by fear, and held by love; and in- duced to flee from condemnation to justification by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby alone we can have peace with God. I confess myself, therefore, to be wholly at a loss to imagine how any person can be benefited by the idea that 368 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL John i. 9 alludes to what may be construed into a moral sense : on the contrary, it appears to me, that the most serious loss has ensued to individuals who have virtually held the notion, that, when actuated by this moral sense, they are moved by the Spirit of God, and have, there- fore, no need of any thing else. They have thus, as they suppose, a light within them, but it has, in very many instances, proved itself to be an ignis fatuus, generated by their own selfish- ness— their own carnal desires and fears. We have an instance (among very many others) in John i. 11 and 12,* to show the necessity of the restriction and modification of the meaning of passages which, taken in a strictly literal way, are contradictory. I will now freely tell thee what is my deliberate opinion on the text I have before alluded to. It is certainly, when taken in its extended and literal sense, a passage com- pletely by itself; for Titus ii. 11, &c, which has been brought to support the meaning put upon * " lie came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to hecome the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." See also John iii. 32 and 33, " And what he hath seen and heard, that he tcsti- fieth ; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is trrie." TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 369 it, only serves to show that it requires restric- tion ; because, with the additional light that has now broke upon us with respect to the heathen world, one would suppose that nobody could be so blind as to imagine that ' the grace of God has inwardly appeared to all men; ' or that all 'looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, are inwardly taught to deny ungodliness,' &c. Because no unin- structed human creature has yet been found to have any knowledge of the true God, much less to have the least or most distant idea of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But when the gospel is preached, many are enabled to receive it in faith, and then they have a blessed hope, to which they were before utter strangers. As, therefore, this text can only mean that the gospel of the grace of God (see Acts xx. 24) has been publicly proclaimed and made mani- fest, that all who hear may be taught; so it seems to me John i. 9 signifies that Christ, the only true light, (as the sun in the firmament enlightens or shines upon every thing exposed to its rays, and into every thing which is made pervious to its rays,) enlightens every individual who receives the gospel, — for the gospel is the 370 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. And it appears to me to be not befitting us to try to find out by what other means God is pleased to operate on the minds and hearts of men, but that it is enough for us to know the gospel is the instrument which is made use of, and rendered effectual by the Holy Spirit to the renewing the Divine image in us, which was lost by the fall. This view of the subject by no means limits the Divine power, or the Divine mercy ; but, believing the gospel, and acknowledging its efficacy, we humbly leave all the rest to the Judge of the whole earth, who will certainly do right. The extremely ill effects of holding out that every man is enlightened by a saving light, have been exhibited on a large scale among us; and I know of no possible good to be derived from looking beyond the gospel. We see, in fact, that the effect of this is to tempt us to overlook it, and make us fancy there is a shorter way to reconciliation and peace with God than by our Lord Jesus Christ, and to imagine that there is a foundation for hope in the uni- versality of grace, independent of faith in the Saviour. I cannot help being more and more sensible of the danger there is to myself, in TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 371 presuming to point out how God may be pleased to deal with our benighted fellow-crea- tures who have never had the gospel proclaimed to them; or to say this would be just, or the other unjust, with regard to them. I desire ever to leave the subject, except it be to pour forth my humble and sincere prayers for them, and to endeavour to be instrumental in promot- ing the diffusion of the light of the gospel among them. But I find, continually, that if I speak of the gospel as the power of God unto salva- tion, and that the Scriptures inform us of no other way to peace with God than by a living faith in Christ, I am immediately called upon to settle the question, ' What is to become of the unenlightened part of mankind?' This, I think, is as unfair as if I were required to solve the question, 'Whence cometh evil?' before I am allowed to assume the existence of it. I know of but one remedy for sin ; why it is not more generally applied, or had recourse to, my heavenly Father knows, but I do not. As a minister of the gospel, it is not for me to pre- sume to exceed my commission, and to tell peo- ple there is 'a saving light,' independent of the knowledge of the gospel. It is our business to teach, not to settle how well or how ill off those •372 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL persons are who are not taught ; nor to sink the value of the gospel by endeavouring to show that, under certain circumstances, the necessity of it is superseded. * * * I am ever, &c. " Thine, &c. "John Wilkinson." In a day or two very kindly called on me, at Stamford-hill, when the above letter was read to him, as it was not finished in time to send to him before he called. We had much friendly conversation, and went immedi- ately to the " Conference," where J. M. noticed my absence, and in a very brotherly way ex- pressed his regret that wdiat had passed at some former sittings should have been the means of preventing my attendance at the "Conference ;" and that he considered it an irregular proceed- ing that any Friend, on the expression of his sen- timents respecting what came before the meet- ing, should hastily be put upon something like a confession of faith. He therefore proposed that I should be requested to resume my at- tendance. then mentioned the conversa- tion he had just had with me, and seconded J. M.'s proposition ; when, after some others had approved of the plan, it was agreed that the clerk should officially invite me to attend: I TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 373 therefore attended the remaining sittings of the " Conference." Now, although many persons may be of the mind that the " Conference" showed its tole- rance, by the conclusion to which it came in my case ; and I am fully disposed to give all the credit which is due to it, because I believe many were actuated by a Christian disposition towards me, which I gratefully felt ; yet, on the other hand, it must be seen, that it could be no very enviable light for any set of people to place themselves in, to allow an individual, who was appointed by a meeting as one of its represent- atives or delegates, to consider of the propriety of adopting or rejecting certain rules, regula- tions, and advices, to remain under the threat of disciplinary proceedings, for expressing his sentiments with regard to one of the advices to be considered. My connexion with the Society, from that time, was, however, inexpressibly painful to me ; because from the rencounters that have been mentioned, the having it so pointedly brought home to me that sound doctrine would not be endured, was enough to induce the thought that it could not be proper, even to appear to make a profession which virtually denies the 2 K 374 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL first principles of the gospel of Christ. For to make the gospel a universal principle, instead of the message of salvation, and to confound it with Christ and the Holy Spirit, making altoge- ther an if inward principle," is most completely to nullify the Christian religion. And, I am sure, nothing but the consciousness that it was not for me to choose for myself, but that it was my business to endeavour to take such a course as a gracious Providence might be pleased to point out to me, by either more fully opening or closing the way that seemed to lie before me, could have induced me to retain my member- ship for a single month. For a very considerable time after this occurrence, as well as that before- mentioned, such was the distress of mind in which I found myself involved, that I did not speak as a minister ; but held myself in readi- ness, if way should appear more fully to open for it than 1 could then discern, to leave the Society. But as (in a note) has before been ad- verted to, from the strong solicitation of many Friends, of whose judgment and religious ex- perience I could not but entertain a high opinion, I was induced to relax from my hold of the idea, that, in making a particular pro- fession of religion, one must be rigidly bound TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS 375 to conform to the opinions of the body, or give up one's connexion with it ; because, they urged the necessity there was for the preaching of the gospel ; and that, so long as it would on any terms be borne with, it was the duty of those who could proclaim the message not to with- hold it. From time to time, then, like one walking on thorny ground, I endeavoured, without com- promise, to preach the gospel ; and I would here gratefully acknowledge the support which a merciful God was pleased, in unmerited good- ness, to afford me under circumstances of great discouragement. And, although frequently in- terfered with, by persons in the unscriptural office I have described in a former page, called Elders, as well as by ministers and others, yet I thought myself at liberty, laying aside sectarian considerations, to go on until something should really present itself as an insuperable obstacle in the way of my ministry. It will therefore be proper to give some instances of the difficulties that were found in pursuing this course, whereby it will be seen how wide the door was really set open " to the preaching of the whole revealed will of God." I copy memorandums, which were made almost 376 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL immediately after the occurrence of the circum- stances they detail. " On 6th day, the 20th of the 9th month. 1833, I went to T , on a visit to . On the following first-day I spoke a consider- able time at the meeting in the morning, and the subject of my discourse was that of justi- fication by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A few minutes after I sat down, stood up, and appeared, by her communication, disposed to throw a different view before the meeting ; but what she said was not very intelligible. T. S. rose soon after had taken her seat, and spoke in direct opposition to my dis- course. This altogether, therefore, protracted the meeting to a later hour than usual. The next evening T. S. called on me, and desired to have some conversation with me on the sub- ject of my discourse above mentioned. After adverting to the recollection he had of me, as a school boy, he said that he did not doubt but I had received a gift in the ministry ; but now, and for some time past, although he was willing to hope that I had not so entirely lost the gift as that it should never be re- covered. ' But really,' said he, ' thou now brings together such a heap of rubbish, that TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? .377 I wonder where thou hast got it from.' I made no reply, and T. S. continued to express him- self freely. In the course of his ohservations he said that, with regard to the atonement being so much held up — although we must believe that the blood of Christ was shed, yet the bringing it forward as the means of salva- tion, was very much like the Roman Catholic's images, to which the people in Ireland, and other countries, were in the habit of bowing ; and then some of them would go away to the gin-shop. He said that, on going out of meeting the day before, he met a friend, who, of his own accord, began to speak to him about my preaching ; for, although he had been so very much distressed with it in the meeting, he did not intend to begin speaking of it to any one. But this friend said to him, ' How long we have been detained at meeting, and how very wearisome it was.' And two other friends had stopped him, and said, ' Well, to day we have had a lecture — a long lecture, that has left nothing worth remembering.' For, said T. S. to me, ' Thou had a way of asking questions, and answering them, and putting a number of things together without any profit.' He then adverted to my not having ■_> k 3 378 IS THE PREACHING OP THE GOSPEL been in business, and said, he thought that, although it required care not to be too much entangled with the things of this life, yet the having no employment had been injurious to me, and left me at liberty to speculate a great deal about things. It gave him ' a great deal of pain and concern some time ago, at a week- day meeting, as well as yesterday,' to hear me say that all our sins, however small they might might appear, would be remembered at the great day. I told him I hoped that my state- ment was clear, that there is a remedy for sin — ' The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin ; ' that if this be applied by faith, it is sufficient to remove the stain of every sin, whether great or small ; but that there is no other way whereby sin is remitted. This did not satisfy T. S. I therefore asked him in what he supposed the gospel consisted. He answered, readily, ' The gospel is the power of God ; — the gospel does not consist in words, it is preached inwardly in every creature, and it is a power by which we are enabled to obey the Divine law.' I then said to him, ' But I have not obeyed the Divine law : I am a sinner, what is to become of me ? ' e Why,' replied T. S., ' thou must be obedient for the future, TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS '. 379 and then thy sins will be blotted out and not remembered.' I then asked him, in what respect his view of the subject differed from deism ; because deists profess to believe in a law written in the heart, which they suppose to be plain enough to every individual for him to understand and to obey ; and they also trust in the mercy of God for the forgiveness of sins. T. S. professed not to know much about the doctrines of deists, but said, they do not hold these doctrines in the same way that Friends hold them. I then told him I could not perceive in what respect his view differed from deism, excepting in name, and ex- pressed to him my full persuasion that in a deep affliction, I had some years ago to pass through, if I had not been enabled, as I most surely be- lieved, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to realize the assurance that 'the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin,' I must have been driven to absolute despair. T. S. then unequi- vocally expressed his belief, that ' nothing more was required than to be obedient to the inward light or power ; and that if we had been disobe- dient, if we were sincerely sorry for it, and for the future endeavoured to obey, this is the way in which we are to be saved.' In the course of 380 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL what T. S. said, he adverted to my having ex- pressed sentiments at the ' Conference,' which gave him very great concern, in connexion with the objection I had made respecting the ninth paragraph under the head ' Conduct and Con- versation,' which many Friends thought was one of the most valuable in the whole ' Book of Ex- tracts ;' and he wondered very much at my hav- ing again exposed myself on the subject at the yearly meeting. He also said, that he supposed I had suffered for want of advice from judicious elders. Owing to this he said he had himself also suffered ; for he had in the early part of his ministry been allowed to run pretty much at the loose end. On taking leave of T. S., I told him he must not consider it as arising from any obstinacy on my part, if I should make no alteration in the tenour of my ministry." The day after the occurrence of this very painful conversation, the London and Middlesex Quarterly Meeting was held ; and not very long after the Meeting had gathered, I stood up, with the text, (Isa. viii. 20,) "To the law and to the testimony : if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." And after quoting also, 1 Pet. if. II, " If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 381 of God," (explaining "the oracles* of God" to mean the Scriptures, as it is the term whereby they are repeatedly designated in Holy Writ,) I expressed the deep sense I felt of the re- sponsibility of a minister, and my earnest de- sire to be found faithfully delivering the real doctrine of the gospel. My discourse then turned to the subject of justification by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I endeavoured to show, that it is by this means the promise of God is fulfilled, " I will write my law in their hearts ; " the signification of which is, that the affections would be engaged in receiving and in obeying the holy law of God, &c, &c. Almost immediately on my taking my seat, D. W., who is going out on an extensive visit to the South Sea Islands, stood up, and after repeating several texts of Scripture, advocated * It is a melancholy evidence of delusion, often to hear this text perverted, to make a claim for ministers to inward and immediate revelation ; without the notion of which, ministry in the Society is not at all valued. To fit this, therefore, "oracles" are made singu- lar thus ; " If any man speak, let him speak as the oracle of God !" Analogous to this is the mangling of Isa. xxx. 20, to favour the notion of " inward light ;" " Yet shall not thy teacher be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teacher," in- stead of teachers. All arts are instinctively had recourse to. and arc required to maintain error : truth supports itself. 382 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL the doctrine (which is to be found in Barclay's Apology) of the existence, in every human heart, of a seed, in which is wrapped up the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This he brought in with remarkable abruptness, so that one could hardly avoid being startled with it. He also brought forward the equally un- authorized doctrine, which may probably be found in some Friend's writings, that Christ is crucified in the heart of every human being, but that we must seek with the apostle to be crucified with him, as when he saith, " I am crucified with Christ." Some parts of his com- munication seemed to be specially intended to counteract the impression which might have been made by my discourse. And when he took leave of the Meeting, with the prospect of soon leaving this country, he quoted the text with which I concluded, " I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace," &c, laying stress on the latter part, which he described as the " inward word," or " the word nigh in the heart." W. A. then rose, and in a zealous strain endeavoured to show the efficacy of the " inward principle," and with remarkable in- appropriateness quoted, Acts xix. 2, " He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 383 since ye believed ? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost." He also stumbled upon John xvii. '20, of which he quoted, " Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me," but apparently bethinking him- self how little this text would answer his pur- pose, as it really stands, he left out the last words, viz. " tlmnu/h their tcord." His whole discourse seemed to be uttered in a spirit of vehement opposition. Immediately at the close of the meeting, there was great activity among many of the ministers and elders, which excited a good deal of attention ; and it was, of course, very evident to the large body of Friends who were present, (perhaps twelve hundred,) that my sermon had given much dissatisfaction among the most influential persons in the Society; yet the purport of it could hardly be said to include more than what would generally be considered among Christians, the essential parts of the Christian religion. I was presently requested by G. S. (who is in the station of elder) to meet S. G. (a minister) and himself, to which I agreed. S. G. informed me that in my discourse "there seemed, to her mind, to be nothing •384 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL but what a serious clergyman might have said ;" and indeed, when she met me, last year, at the Quarterly Meetings in Essex and in Suf- folk, she was struck in the same way. I did not incline to make any reply, because I con- ceived it could not be advantageous to enter into the subject with one whose views I knew were so much opposed to my own: especially as there was hardly time allowed for even the shortest exchange of sentiment that could have taken place; for G. S. almost immediately said, he must leave the room to attend to his office as clerk to the Quarterly Meeting. It struck me, however, very forcibly, that the objection which was made to my ministry gave an affect- ing evidence of the perverted views of Friends with regard to ministry. For who would wish to say more than "a serious clergyman" might say? or who would speak of such a thing as an objection to ministry, if there were not an habitual assumption of something which Holy Scripture does not sanction. In this little in- terview there was nothing passed of a harsh or unkind nature ; but it served as an affect- ing additional proof, that the simple preaching of the gospel was not to be tolerated in the Society. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS 383 On first day, the 13th of the 10th month, after the morning meeting at T , in which I had spoken, and laid great stress on the ne- cessity of bringing ourselves to a scriptural test in self-examination, G. S. called on me, and, in a kind and friendly manner, endeavoured to fulfil his office, as an Elder, in throwing before me the impropriety of holding up the Scrip- tures as a test. I could not help expressing surprise ; but G. S. told me he conceived there was as much danger of the spirit of infidelity showing itself in denying the in- fluence of the Holy Spirit, as in denying the divinity and atonement of our Saviour. There was no time for entering into that part of the subject, otherwise it might, of course, have been easily shown to any candid objector, that the recommendation I had given in no respect involved the denial he adverted to; because no person who, by a living faith, had received the scriptural doctrines of the divinity and the atonement of our blessed Saviour, could pos- sibly deny the influence of the Holy Spirit : for he would certainly know that by that influence alone he could believe the essential doctrines of Christianity : for faith is the gift of God, and without regeneration by the 384 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL Holy Spirit, there can be neither true re- pentance nor faith. Leaving that subject, therefore, which I regretted, I merely in- sisted on the absolute necessity of bring- ing ourselves to some test; and that, as the Scripture is the word of God, it must ne- cessarily be the proper test for us to bring ourselves to. That the Scripture is properly called the Word of God, was then disputed by G. S. ; and on my quoting 1 Thess. ii. 13, " For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe ;" G. S. said, that although it was the Word of God to those who heard it from the apostles, we must not consider it as the Word of God to us. I could not help feeling deep sorrow, as well as astonishment, on hearing such perversion of plain Scripture from such a quarter; and I endeavoured, in the best man- ner I could, to express my conviction, that such a view of the subject went directly to over- throw the authority of the Scripture. There was, however, nothing said on either side, but TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS .' 385 what was consistent with entire friendliness. I observed, in the course of the conversation, that G. S. laid great stress on the notion that Friends, from the first, have so much adhered to, that the gospel is preached in every crea- ture. This is the " inward principle" which is essential to Quakerism : it is the confounding of the gracious offices of the Son of God with those of the Holy Spirit, whereby indeed the evil which G. S. wished to guard against, is brought about : for this confusion sinks the gospel altogether ; causes that which does not exist to be assumed as truth, (for ages have proved to demonstration, that there is no such inward preaching of the gospel,) and the as- sumption of it cuts off all connexion with the foundation of the apostles and prophets. But the notion that, without our being built upon this foundation, we can have the support of Christ, the rock of ages, is unscriptural and vain. G. S. not only objected to the Scriptures being called the Word of God; but, as with his views it was likely would be the case, con- sidered it improper to designate them the sword of the Spirit ; and alluded with disapprobation .'386 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL to my having so described the Holy Scriptures at the Quarterly Meeting, in reference to Ephes. vi. 17. I reminded him, that in four texts in the Revelations, our Lord Jesus Christ is de- scribed as having a sword proceeding out of his mouth, which must surely be intended to repre- sent the Word spoken by him. G. S. said he understood it to mean the Spirit ; and I found it was in vain to object, that such a construction of the metaphor destroyed the analogy, by making the Spirit use Himself as a sword. Whereas, by allowing the Word to be the sword, a consistency and strength of meaning is given to other passages of Scripture, as well as those where the sword is mentioned; especially in that memorable one, where our Saviour says, concerning the Holy Spirit, " He shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you," (John xvi. 13, 14.) Now, by confounding the Spirit with the Word, the whole force of this, and other very important passages is lost, and no meaning can be attached to them. But if the dis- tinction be kept up, which is so obviously need- TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 387 ful, the great Scripture doctrine, that the Word* is the instrument made use of by the Spirit for the regeneration and conversion of men, is clearly seen ; and the whole is harmo- nious, intelligible, and beautiful. Unhappily, however, the system of Quakerism does not admit of this. Hence the sedulous endeavour to bend Scripture away from its natural and mani- fest signification into a forced and mystical one.f • Sec, among many other texts of Scripture, Psalm cxix. .50 and !30; John xv. 3 ; Kphes. v. 2b' ; 1 Thess. ii. 13 ; 1 Peter i. 23 andii. 2; James i. 1)1 and 21 ; Luke viii. 11 ; and John xvii. 17. f The following quotation from Ellis, " On the Knowledge nf Divine things,'' will serve to show how entirely Friends' notion of an " inward principle," independent of scriptural instruction, and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ corresponds (excepting in the mere name) witli the main tenets of deists, viz. — " That we conic at this knowledge [of divine things] by innate ideas : or, having the law and rule of life written and engraven on our hearts, in such plain, visible characters, that whoever looks into himself will clearly discern the great principles and duties of religion, and the several obligations he thereby lies under to obedience. " This the Lord Herbert and others have maintained. Page 2. "Lord Edward Herbert, Baron of Cherbury, may be justly regarded as the most eminent of the dcistical writers, and, in several respects, superior to those that succeeded him." — Leland's " View of Dcistical Writers," page 3. •> L 3 388 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL In consequence of the occurrences I had met with, I was induced to write a letter to a particular Friend, from which the following extracts are made, viz. — " Stamford Hill, 29th of Wth Month, 1833. U " * It is my earnest desire and prayer to be enabled to hold up the doctrines of the gospel in their simplicity, fulness and clear- ness : how far I have been favoured to succeed in this respect I must of course leave ; but it is impossible for me to disguise from myself the hostility with which, what I do in my heart believe to be the genuine gospel, is met by many in these parts ; and I cannot help feeling dis- couragement the more I think on the subject. It would give me sorrow improperly to discou- rage any one; but when I consider, that the principles of Friends allow of no standard to which we may rally, (for we have, in fact, no foundation whatever but tradition,) I cannot see how any thing can be established from such a mass of ruin as would be found if there were a thorough convulsion among us ; and if there be TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 389 not such a convulsion, I can see nothing for us but fog and cloud. " Some in this neighbourhood are on the very point of escaping from the fumes of the horrible Hicksism with which they are assailed in meet- ings for worship ; and for one 1 must rejoice in their escape, and mourn for those who are left. The more I examine the subject, and I have certainly taken some pains, the more fully I am convinced that Quaker principles are incompat- ible with the gospel ; and that if ever we be- come a Christian society, it must be by the abandonment and denial of our original prin- ciples. Through the wonderful mercy of God there are many among us who are snatched as brands from the burning. But how can these long consent to remain making a profession which they see to be essentially subversive of the gospel ; and that, if they speak the truth, the very principles they profess are fairly brought forward to cut it up by the root ? Neither can they shelter themselves from the deadly stroke of their professed principles, but by abandoning them. " For myself, I would not shrink from suffer- ing, and expect nothing but bonds and afflic- tions, whatever way I may turn. These, every 390 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL one who truly values the gospel will joyfully consent to bear; but if the very sword of the Spirit is to be met by the dead block of the principles we are professing to uphold, it is forced upon one's consideration, whether one can, without sin, profess to the world to uphold such principles. " Now, although it may seem that Friends, in many parts of the nation, receive the doctrines of the gospel, when preached by those whom we highly value, it is, I confess, a painful question with me, whether one in a hundred receive what they hear, as any other than a mere modifica- tion of Friends' principles ; which vary as essen- tially from the gospel as brass differs from gold. I can, therefore, take little comfort, when I hear of whole districts being satisfied with this or the other minister ; because I believe, if they really understood what is said to them, in the sense in which it is said, (if it perfectly correspond with the gospel,) a very large proportion indeed would reject it, and in their hearts utterly oppose the minister, whoever he might be. The Hicksism, or, more properly, pure Quakerism, with which Friends in this neighbourhood are ' fed,' or rather poisoned, seems to be inducing many to open their eyes; so that I think there will, at TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ; 391 all events, be a stronger incitement than ever for them to examine for themselves, whether the gospel or tradition affords the best ground of hope for salvation." After a Meeting at Devonshire House, du- ring the time of the Yearly Meeting, 1834, I was officially spoken to by an Elder, (E. P.,) who conveyed to me the censure, that in a meeting of Elders had been awarded, for having, in my ministry, recommended persons to bring themselves to a scriptural test. This, he said, left the matter short, by omitting to recommend them to turn to the light of Christ within. Another Friend (also an Elder) was standing by, to whom the first addressed himself, saying, " I think, James, this was all we had in com- mission." To which he seemed to assent, but added, that it was also "necessary to give a caution not to call the Scriptures the Word of God." At the same Yearly Meeting, in the course of the last sitting of the Committee on the General Epistle, S. T. expressed his regret that so much was said about the secession in Ame- rica, as though there was the same danger in this country, of the spreading of the doctrines held by the seceders from Friends in America, 392 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL which he thought was by no means the case. To this Elisha Bates replied, by expressing his apprehension of much clanger from that cause, in this country. I then said, that I felt an earnest desire that the Scripture might be acknowledged among Friends as the only rule of faith and practice. We should then have sound ground to stand upon ; but that if we continued to view the Scripture in any inferior light, we should be no better than a rope of sand. Upon this, J. F. (an Elder from Ireland) stood up, and, with some vehemence, said, he hoped that would never be the case. A. F. (also an Elder from Ireland) expressed his disunity with what I had said. P. B. (an Elder) said, that if I really held those opinions, he was glad I had been so honest as to acknoioledge them, but that he entirely differed from me. Several others also expressed their disapprobation. Isaac Crewd- son supported my views relative to the Scrip- ture, and Elisha Bates said, that, as there were errors on all hands, we should agree that it was necessary to guard every side : to this some gave their assent. If, on this occasion, a hundred persons, not connected with the Society, and ignorant of its TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 303 principles, had been present, I question whe- ther a single individual among them, would have even suspected, that " the Bible and the Bible alone," was to the Society of the people called Quakers their formula of Divine Truth ! While memory lasts, I can never forget the manner in which my observations were met ; for it occurred to me, most painfully and most forcibly, " If it had been proposed to introduce the Koran as the rule of faith, could there have been more determined opposition to it on the part of those who were for upholding the doctrines of Quakerism in their original purity f" What will be the ultimate result of this un- acknowledged, but real and systematic slight to the Scriptures of Truth, which has obtained in the Society from its earliest days, God alone knows ; but none, I think, who have been made deeply to feel in their hearts the effects of it, can fail to contemplate the subject with the most distressing apprehension. The results have already been ruinous; they have been from time to time fairly pointed out, and held up as the legitimate fruits of the traditional system. The plea of ignorance, therefore, cannot be made. 394 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL It was because our first parents would not take the word of God as their rule of faith and practice, that they fell from their original state of innocency, and incurred the guilt which " brought death into the world and all our woe." In narrow compass was the word of God originally delivered to them ; but they understood it, and yet dared to give ear to the suggestions of one who, from that day to this, has made it his special business to "turn" men from regarding what God has revealed, to what he, the enemy of God and man, is ever ready to suggest: and if he can induce men system- atically to prefer the suggestions of their own minds, whilst he has access to them, let them call those suggestions by whatever name they please, so much the better is his purpose answered, and his prey is the more readily secured, without the probability of its breaking the snare and escaping. It will readily be believed that, after what passed in the Committee, of which I have given an outline, my connexion with the So- ciety became additionally painful to me; for, although I turned a deaf ear to the many strange and injurious reports and surmises that were set afloat respecting me, it was impossible TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ? 395 for me to be insensible to the hostility that was evinced to ray ministry. To Elders and others who objected to what I preached, my request always was, that they would point out in what respect it varied from Scripture doctrine. This, of course, for the best of all reasons, they declined ; but pressed on me the objection, that what I said did not agree with the doctrine of the " early Friends." My answer to this was uniform, that I had no- thing to do with the " early Friends ;" my only consideration was, " What saith the Scripture ?" As that, unhappily, is not generally the simple consideration with " Elders," who, with few ex- ceptions that I have ever discovered, in under- taking the office, seem to look upon it as their special business to uphold the views of the " early Friends," and to judge of ministry by their own feelings, our conferences could not end satisfac- torily. Now I would ask, when all this is taken into account, how it can be a correct statement in the " Letter," " Thou hast not been straitened in us, thou hast been straitened in thyself." If this was the fact, most certainly I was not aware of it; and it appears to me that, in mak- ing such an assertion, there must have been a remarkable lapse of memory on the part of those 2 M •396 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL who have made it, as several of them are on the committee of the Yearly Meeting to visit Lanca- shire Quarterly Meeting. Had they lost sight of the circumstance, that without making any re- mark as to the frivolousness of the charge, they had heard it gravely alleded, as a fault to be visited with disciplinary proceedings, against a Friend in the station of Elder, at Liverpool, that she had entertained me at her brother's house ? I have no intention to apply any epithet to such a charge ; but it surely would not give persons in general the idea, that quite so full a toleration of a minister of the gospel was allowed among Friends, as they have credit given them for, by the last quoted passages from the " Letter." Now, as it seems, it would have been a virtue in the eyes of those Liverpool ministers and Elders who made the charge I have mentioned, for me to have been treated as an outlaw by their associate in office ; and that because she did not so treat me, she was no longer worthy to be one of their number : this mighty toleration, which is held up in the " Letter," would seem at last to be little to glory in, unless it could be shown that my preaching was contrary to the doctrine of Holy Scripture. For I know that the ministers and Elders of Liverpool, numerous TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ! •397 though they be, could have nothing more to accuse me of, than " that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers." I consider it, therefore, providential that, without my knowledge, it so fell out that the last sermon preached by me at Liverpool was taken down ; and with two others preached at Manchester soon afterwards, has been some time before the public:* who may, thereby, see what kind of ministry is perseveringly repro- bated by official persons in the Society of Friends, and the minister publicly held up as a man not to be entertained at the house of his relative ; for such to my wife and myself is the hospitable and beloved Friend f where we were guests ! X Neither did I escape at Manchester without a pretty full share of interference. As I sup- pose, it was thought that some of those who were in office would not join in censuring me, ' Under the title of "Three, Sermons preached by Mr. John Wilkinson, of High Wycombe," &c., published by Hamilton. Adams, and Co., &c. t Robert Benion. w X See " The whole Correspondence between the Committee of the Yearly Meeting of Friends, and Isaac Crewdson," page 8". 398 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL one who was not in the station of Elder, but has since been active in supporting the arbitrary and absurd proceedings which have taken place with respect to the " Beacon," thought proper to send me a letter. It is too long to insert ; I think it better, however, to give the postscript, as it seems to contain the pith of the whole, ex- cepting a charge against me for preaching a contrary doctrine to that of the " early Friends," with respect to the attainableness of perfection in the present state of existence, which is in the letter much dilated upon ; the postscript is as follows, viz. : — " P.S. Thou seemedst to deprecate the idea of intuitive knowledge of God's holy law, and in a i-ound-about way to imply that the revelation of God's will and mind to man is confined to the Scriptures. I have always understood that the great fundamental principle of our persua- sion is, ' the light within,' ' the law within,' 'the Spirit within,' ' Christ within ;' and that, without the knowledge and perceptible influ- ence of this Divine Teacher in the heart, the Scriptures to us are a dead letter, a hidden mystery, and we without God in the world. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 399 I could not understand thy nice distinctions between the religion of feeling and the religion of faith, but hope thou wilt frankly answer my letter. "J. H." "Manchester, -25th ofWth month, 1834." I am the more disposed to notice this letter, because, as I did not think myself called upon to enter into a defence of my ministry to so ignorant and supercilious an objector, he thought proper to send it in the form of an accusation against me to the official Friend in the Monthly Meeting of which I was a member, thinking, no doubt, as I made no reply, it was too good a thing to be lost. The Friend at Wycombe, to whom it was sent, called upon me, in his official capacity, and suggested to me the propriety of my giving an answer to it: but this I declined, and what further passed upon the subject I did not consider it to be my proper business to inquire. On the same day in which I received the before-mentioned letter, the following, written by one who has long been a minister in the Society, came to my hands, viz : •2 M 3 400 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL " Stochjwrt, \\th month, 24th, 1834. " Respected Friend, " I well remember the time when thou and I travelled together in much harmony : both of us then, I believe, holding the principles and doctrines of the Christian religion, as pro- fessed by Friends from the beginning, and which I do, and ever have considered to be no other than primitive Christianity on the true apostolic ground, according to the doctrines of the New Testament. But that does not appear to be thy case now, as I have observed with sorrow, and have frequently been grieved on this account. No doubt thou thinks thou hast sufficient reasons for the change, and, therefore, I am not disposed to say much on that head ; but, under these circumstances, is it not very inconsistent for thee to continue to profess with us, and to be a teacher in our Society, when, to be a consistent member, thou must act agreeably to the rules of the Society, and not hold or promote views and doctrines contrary thereto ? I think, on the ground of true friend- ship, it is right for me thus to express myself to thee, as it appears that the unity which has TOLERATED AMONG FR1EXDS ? 401 subsisted between us is, on thy part, broken ; but my desire is, that love and an affectionate regard for each other may be maintained, and that by a humble application to Him who is light, and who dwelleth in the light, thou mayst be favoured to see wherein thou hast erred and strayed from the safe path, and experience restoration. In this desire I remain thy well-wishing friend, " George Jones." A few weeks before the receipt of the fore- going letters, an individual, who has since taken a very decided part in the doctrinal discussions in Lancashire, asked me to allow him a private interview with me, for the pur- pose of conversation respecting the tenour of four sermons preached by me in London about two years before.* I told him I had no objec- tion to hear any thing he had to say, if wit- nesses were present ; but, as I had found in several instances that what I had said in private interviews was afterwards greatly misrepre- * These, without my knowledge, had been taken down and published under the title of "Four Sermons, preached in London, 183-2," &c. Hamilton and Co. 40'2 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL sented, I did not incline to have any conver- sation with him, on the subject of my ministry, unless some other persons were present to notice what might pass between us. This did not accord with his inclination ; and on my mentioning to some friends the request that had been made to me, they recommended that no interview of such a description should be private; and on three or four friends being applied to, they agreed to meet C. H. and myself. But, although we all met, C. H. objected to enter into the subject, unless I was alone with him. To this I could not agree, and we parted. Soon afterwards I re- ceived the following letter, to which, as it contained no scriptural ground of objection, I made no reply. " Marsden, near Colne, 1 0th month, 30th, 1834. " Dear Friend, " Since thou declined to give me a private interview on the subject of thy published Sermons, I have concluded to adopt this mode of stating my objections to them. " In the first place, thou appears to think, that a belief in the doctrine of the atonement com- TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 403 prises the whole covenant of life and salvation, and exploding the doctrine of works thou relies solely on the merits of Christ, as though there was no condition on our part to be performed, save a belief in the atonement. " Thou also appears to think that such is the overwhelming nature of sin, there can be no freedom from it on this side the grave — that perfection is not attainable in this life. " It is, also, a leading principle with thee, and which is very much enforced in the Sermons, that people may and ought to pray, whether they feel a Divine influence to draw them thereto or not. These doctrines, I think, are fairly deducible from the Sermons in question ; and since they are much at variance with the doctrines of our early Friends, as set forth by George Fox, Robert Barclay, and others, and also with my own religious views, I have not been a little concerned that thou shouldst be thus engaged in disseminating such erroneous sentiments, especially whilst thou holds the station of a minister in our Society. Hoping shortly to hear from thee on the subject, " I remain, thy sincere Friend, " Caleb Haworth." 404 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL A short time before leaving Manchester, 1 received the following letter, from one in the station of " Elder," viz. — " Oxford Street, Manchester, \2th Month, \5th, 1834. " Dear Friend, " Not knowing whether thou art intending to leave Manchester soon, I am unwilling to omit saying to thee, as I believe it will conduce to my own satisfaction, that I have been painfully impressed with some of thy communications in our meetings ; not only because of their extreme length, but that some parts of them are not, as I apprehend, in accordance with the doctrines of our early Friends, which has induced the belief, that there would be much safety in trying, again and again, the source of thy ministry : and I earnestly desire that nothing may ever be expressed that is not immediately under the baptizing power of the Holy Spirit. These being my views, I think it most consistent with true friendship simply to say so. " With love, I remain thy affectionate Friend, " Hannah Stephenson." TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ! 405 After returning from Manchester, I remained almost entirely at home until the Yearly Meeting of 1835, which I attended; and, as I have already mentioned some of the melancholy incidents which mai'ked that Yearly Meeting, I shall leave minor matters, and hasten to relate what, in the latter part of the year and the beginning of the present, proved to me, beyond dispute, that the proper time had arrived for me to leave the Society. Because, although I felt, if possible, more than ever desirous that the delusive system might be broken up, in which so many were entangled, and some who I had hoped were in the way of escaping from it, instead of that were intrenching themselves in it, yet it was perfectly clear that the door was shut against me for the declaration of gos- pel truth, unless I had run the risk of exciting a party spirit, which it was ever my sedulous endeavour to avoid. For, of this I am perfectly sure, that no one can fairly charge me with having, on any occasion, endeavoured to form a party, or to encourage a sectarian spirit. And, although, from year to year, at the Yearly Meeting, on several occasions, my declaration of sentiment was certainly very explicit, yet, I never recollect having pertinaciously endea- 406 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL voured to support my views : on the contrary. I have every reason to believe that my not having replied to one individual in particular, who generally undertook to controvert my senti- ments, was, by many, supposed to arise from my inability to defend what I had advanced. But, I can truly say, it arose from a fear of infringing the precept — " The servant of the Lord must not strive ; " and, from the consideration that a popular assembly was not the place for dis- putation ; and also that I must be satisfied with simply declaring what in my heart I felt and believed to be the truth. That I carried this view of the subject too far I am now convinced ; because, from what I have repeatedly heard since I left the Society, there is no doubt with me that my silence was construed into a proof of my having been struck with conviction by what was said in reply to me : on the contrary, I must acknowledge that, on many occasions, the arguments brought against me were such, that I flattered myself persons, generally, would be of the mind that no reply on my part was needed. In leaving the Society, I simply passed as through a door, which I conceived was provi- dentially opened for my liberation from a pro- TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS! 497 fession, the burden of which was become into- lerable, because, however explicitly I might declare my belief of the truth as it is in Jesus, it was impossible for me not to see that, in con- tinuing to make the profession, I was, whether it were my choice or not, apparently upholding the system, however insignificaut might be my influence, as an individual, in any respect. On going into the neighbourhood of London, in the winter of last year, I could not help hoping that something decisive might occur, either to convince me of the propriety of patiently continuing to set forth the simple doctrines of the gospel among Friends, or to show me that another description of service was marked out for me. The first meeting I attended was at Stoke Newington, where, both on first day, the 13th, and on fifth day, the 17th of the 12th Month, it was my endeavour to set forth the main doc- trines of the gospel in a plain manner; and I insisted on the Scripture being the Word of God, which it may be called without the least risk of its being confounded with the Word who was made flesh ; exposing also the fallacy of depending on the frames and feelings of the mind, which might vary to any extent: but as 2n 408 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, the believer has, by his reliance on the atoning sacrifice and the righteousness of Christ, a constant evidence of the love of God, independently of his ever- varying feelings. And, having this evidence, he has the strongest possible inducement to resist temptation, and strive to obey the holy, just, and good law of God. This, I endeavoured to show, could only be brought about by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, whereby true repentance and living faith is produced : without which we can neither love, serve, nor please God. This, altogether, gave great offence to many Friends, and the following letter was sent me by one in the station of Elder. " Stamford Hilt, 19th of \<2th Month, 1835. " My Dear Friend, John Wilkinson. " I do not recollect ever having taken the pen, under feelings similar to those which at this time arrest my attention : the subject is to me awfully important, and one in which I consider myself by no means qualified to enter into; but I believe I shall not be acting the TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ! 409 part of a faithful friend, nor yet discharging what I apprehend to be my incumbent duty, unless I endeavour to relieve my mind by a few words, dictated, I trust, in brotherly love, and by no means in that spirit that is desirous of improperly meddling with other men's mat- ters; considering, as I do, that it is a very serious thing to interfere with the ministry. And truly I can say, that it is much in the cross to my natural inclination, thus to expose myself. But, to be honest, I dare not shrink from thus simply, and in brotherly openness and freedom, informing thee, that for a consider- able time past, when thou hast happened to be at our Meeting, thy communications have not felt to me to be delivered ' in the demon- stration of the Spirit and of power,' so as to have a baptizing effect on the hearers. I take blame to myself for not before expressing these feelings to thee ; but the fear of unsuitable in- terference on so important a subject hitherto prevented. Last first day a renewal of these feelings was my experience ; but I still pro- crastinated. On fifth day, however, I was so uncomfortable under the communication, that I can no longer forbear thus tenderly express- ing my uneasiness. I apprehend thou art well 4 10 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL aware there are parts of what thou delivers, not in unison with the views of Friends; this is a very serious matter, as the assembly must at once see that we are not all of one mind. But what affects me the most, and which I must, my dear friend, candidly, and with due de- ference to thy long religious experience, ex- press, is a fear that the precious spiritual life is seldom to be felt, which alone can render offerings of this sort acceptable. I am well aware that I am treading on very tender ground ; and I hope and trust thou wilt bear with me, for truly it is no small task to me thus to ex- press myself. I do so for the relief of my own mind, and with an eye to the welfare of our poor tried Society, especially the younger part of it, many of whom must and do feel staggered. I would not for a moment have thee to suppose that I have the slightest doubt of thy sincerity. No ; far from it. I give thee the fullest credit for purity of intention, and I believe thou wilt give me the same, in thus laying before thee what I apprehend to be a duty ; and in that love in which we can unite, and remain, " Thy affectionate friend, "John Kitching." On the first day morning, the 20th, I attended TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 411 the meeting at Tottenham; and after explain- ing the great doctrine of justification by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I expressed myself to the following purport :—" Let us not deceive our- selves by supposing that believing in an 'in- ward principle' is believing in Christ. An in- ward principle Christ! Christ is not defined by the term 'inward principle.' The veriest deist that ever breathed might believe in an in- ward principle." Christ is true God and real man in one adorable person : he cannot, there- fore, be an inward principle. Christ does, in- deed, dwell in the hearts of true believers by faith; but this is essentially a different thing from that of supposing him to be an inward principle, that mediates and atones for us, and that we are to be saved by this " inward prin- ciple? if we are obedient to it. Very soon after I sat down T. S. stood up, and said nearly as follows : " I feel constrained to say, that if by an inward principle is meant the inshining of the light of Christ in the heart, which is his second coming without sin unto salvation,* is not to be believed in and depended * A volume might easily be filled with evidence of the incal- culable mischiefs which have resulted from holding the "inward light" in this form ; for it must not be supposed that the speaker 2n 3 412 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL upon, then I am in a most deplorable state. Now, at my advanced age, at this solemn period. here quoted, advanced any tiling but what is perfectly consistent with the views of the Society. And it might serve its an addi- tional evidence, if such were wanted, of the perversion of Scripture, which is constantly required to support the notion of the " inward light," in whatever form it is upheld. This may be proved by the following quotation from the preface to Evans's Exposition, page '■>■'>, viz :■ — : "It will probably be objected, that the doctrine of the imme- diate and sensible influence of the Holy Spirit, is not made the subject of a distinct chapter in the following compilation. In reply to this it may be observed, that this essential article of faith appears to he properly included in the section appropriated to the divinity and offices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; in- asmuch as it is his peculiar office to shed forth on his rational creation the gift of his grace. In the extracts on this subject, care has been taken to give a view of the sentiments of Friends, in relation both to his outward appearance in the flesh, and his second coming by the Holy Spirit, without sin unto salvation. The Society are so well known to hold this as a fundamental principle, and their belief on the subject is so fully and largely treated of, that 1 apprehend it is scarcely probable any opponent, however pre- judiced or uncharitable, will charge them with denying it." Now we know of no Scripture which declares that our Lord Jesus Christ is come the second time " by the Holy Spirit, without sin unto salvation." We sec clearly, however, that what is caught hold of in the above extract, and perverted to the purpose of su|>- porting the inward light, is Heb. ix. 28; for there is no other pas- sage in the Bible where the expression, " Without sin unto salva- TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ! 413 for a solemn period I feel it to be, and in the prospect of being soon called to stand before the tion," is to lie found. But how completely is the text turned from its proper meaning ! The apostle had been speaking of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself: he then says, " Unto them that look for him shall he appear the se- cond time, without sin unto salvation." It is difficult to conceive how this can he construed to mean any other than that as our adora- ble Saviour once appeared, that he might offer himself a sacrifice for sin, (see 2 Cor. t. 21,) so he will again personalia appear, without making an offering for sin, because that is already done, ''once for all." But he will come to save, or take to himself, "all those who look for him;" or, in other words, all true believers. He came once to make an offering of himself for sin. After this stupendous work, he ascended up on high, and sitteth on the right hand of God. He will come again in person, as it is declared Acts i. 11, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." The second coming of the Lord, therefore, is indisput- ably future ; for he has never yet come in like manner as he then went into heaven. But to get rid of difficulties, Friends have all along, without any other authority than their own dictum, made it A fundamental PRINCIPLE, to regard the second coming of Christ as a spiritual appearance ; and that it has already been, and continues to be by the Holy Spirit in the heart of every human creature ! Thus, although they have, according to Barclay, " sometliim/ which could not degenerate, and which was in Adam by the fall reduced to a seed" " the Vehiculum Dei," the p'athcr the Sou 414 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL judgment-seat of God, to receive the reward ot my works, then where shall I be ? And if there and the Holy Ghost, wrapped up in a seed," which is also " the spiritual flesh and spiritual blood of Christ ;'' yet, besides all this, they must have within them, "Christ in his second coming." Now is not this another incontrovertible evidence that Quakerism is mystical deism ; which thus, as in a great gulf, swallows up every office, and every attribute of Immanucl, and leaves us neither Mediator nor Saviour P We see, then, (as repeatedlv lias been shown before,) that the Scripture is in fact treated as if it were a mere magazine of materials in dismembered parts, which may be put together according to the particular fancy of those who, having a system to construct, thus dare to pervert the Word of God to render it subservient to their purpose, instead of humbly endeavour- ing to make themselves acquainted with its meaning, by patiently comparing Scripture with Scripture, with prayer for the illumi- nating power of the 'Holy Spirit. The dreadful evil, however, of perverting scriptural truth, both to the misguided persons who pervert it and to their deluded followers, is exhibited in a very striking manner in a small but very important work of Elisha Bates, just now published, entitled, " An Appeal to the Society of Friends," in which he gives copies of several authentic documents, that have in a remarkable manner escaped destruction, as if it were to show, in a way that perhaps nothing else could so effectually have shown, what the principles of the "earlv Friends" really were, and what was the nature of their deplorable delusion. Yes, of those very persons who are held up as paragons of excellence and sanctity; and whose writings are appealed to as tests of ministry by official persons in the Society, at the present day. Not so much matter, alas ! if ministry do not TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS.' 415 is no inward principle, then for sixty years past I have been following a Jack-o'-the-lantern, a Will- o'-the wisp ! For it is now more than sixty years since I became acquainted with the principles of this Society. Oh ! no, my friends, the evi- dence in my mind at this time is, that as I have followed the leading and guidance of this in- ward principle — this inshining of the light of Christ, it has led me safely along through all the dangers and perils of the way, and will continue correspond with Scripture doctrine, as it it vary from what is taught in the writings of these "early Friends ;" because to agree with both is out of the question. At page 22 of the work to which I refer, we have a case com- pletely in point, as it relates to the subject under consideration. It is in the letter of Thomas Lower to his " Deare and ever honored Rather and mother," George and Margaret Fox; which is dated " Swarthmore, this 4th of ye 1st month, 1674-5 ;" and concerniiiL' George Fox we find the following sentence; "Whose company is a blessinge to all y! see, knowe, and receive him, as he is a blessinge to ye nations, and ye joy of his people; ye second ai'PEaranlk of him wltoe in blessed for ever." Is not this an awful instance of delusion? And there are many such exhibited in the small pam- phlet from which this is quoted. Does it not speak volumes with regard to the sin of perverting the Scripture ? Yet to support this delusive system, have the committee of the Yearly Meeting used their strenuous endeavours; and have, as far as at present appears, succeeded in putting down the preaching of the gospel within the compass of Lancashire (Quarterly Meeting! 416 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL to lead me to the end. And it is the chief corner-stone, on which I build all my hopes, and shall do to the end of my days; and I crave that during the remainder of my life, nothing I may ever hear, nothing I may ever read, nothing any man may say, may jostle me from off this foundation. And I warn you to take heed how you receive any other doctrine than this." The next fifth day (the 24th) there was a funeral at Newington, which many Friends from some other meetings attended. It was my endeavour, in an explicit manner, to set forth the great doctrines of the gospel ; and, acknow- ledging the Holy Scriptures to be the Word of God, showed the fallaciousness of depending on human tradition. On the succeeding first day, at Westminster Meeting, and again at New- ington on the fifth day, it was also my endea- vour to preach the gospel explicitly, and with- out any reserve. On second day, the 28th, was the Quarterly Meeting of Ministers and Elders in London, which T. S., though in poor health, thought himself "strengthened" to attend, that he might " cast his burden " before them ; which consisted in laying a very strong accusation TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 417 against me, as being "a member of one of the weakest Quarterly Meetings in the king- dom," who was going from meeting to meet- ing in their quarter, preaching false doctrine : and he thought it was as necessary to notice my case, as ever it was to take up that of Hannah Barnard:* for if I were "let alone," I should make them "nothing but Bible Christians." Notwithstanding this remarkable accusation was irregularly made, (for London and Middlesex Quarterly Meeting of ministers and Elders was certainly not the body to receive a complaint against a minister who was not one of their members,) yet they did not wholly discounten- ance the complaint ; but deferred the consider- ation of it, until after their regular business was finished, when they concluded, that such of their number as held the station of Elder, should re- main to consider what had better be done. * This person came, about thirty-six years ago, from America to this country, and she also visited Ireland. She was zealous in pro- pagating the same doctrine which, since her day, has gone under the name of Hkksism ; merely because Elias Hicks, by his greater energy and popularity, succeeded more fully in " blowing up the smouldering embers of it into a flame." For an account of the proceedings of the Society in this country, and in America, against Hannah Barnard, I must again refer to the excellent pamphlet on " The Doctrine of the inward Light," bv J. E. Howard. 418 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL This deliberation was entered into, with the profession that the particular case should not be adverted to, but that the consideration should be of a more general nature. This restriction was, however, soon laid aside, and my case was pretty freely canvassed ; but it resulted in no- thing, except an agreement that the elders should, if it were needful, meet at the close of the Quarterly Meeting, which was to be held on the day following, when, if any cause of un - easiness occurred, they might agree on proper measures. In the evening, William Manley (who had taken some active part in the above-mentioned consultation) called at Clapton, where I was on a visit ; but as I happened not to be within, he agreed to call again to see me. In this re- spect, however, he altered his mind, and wrote me the following letter instead : — "Devonshire House, Hounrfsditrh, 31st of 1st month, 1835. " Dear Friend, John Wilkinson, " Hitherto I have endeavoured to restrain myself from personally approaching thee, to mention the distress I have long felt with thy movements as a minister in our Society, prin- TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 419 cipally, because of my feeling unfitness for such a proceeding; and also knowing, as I do, that others more qualified have spoken to thee on the subject: but now it has become a burden too heavy to bear, without casting my feelings before thee. And first, let me say, that I have nothing but love in my heart towards thee as an individual, and I am willing to give thee credit for much sincerity; yet I should, as I apprehend, be wanting in my duty, if I did not tell thee that some part of the doctrine preached by thee in the Society, of which we are mem- bers, is in my opinion unsound. In the first place, I must inform thee, that my feelings under thy ministry are most distressing; for notwithstanding thou mayest express many gos- pel truths, I cannot feel that evidence in my own mind, that thy communications come from the true spring of that blessed gospel : instead of the contriting power of Christ, and baptizing effect being witnessed, to me all is lifeless and an empty sound ; and then thy views of various passages of Holy Scripture, are at variance with what I have long believed : whilst I feel, at the same time, that I am not qualified to go into many points of Christian doctrine, so as clearly to convey my understanding thereof. There is, 2 o 420 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL however, one or two I am free to advert to. In many parts of these inestimable writings of holy men of God, the expression of the 'Word' occurs : for instance, in Hebrews, iv. 12, where it is stated, that ' the word of God is quick and powerful,' &c. I have heard thee publicly de- clare, that this word so mentioned, is 'the Scriptures :' whereas I have ever been given to understand, that the principle of truth, placed by Divine Providence in the heart of every man horn into the vorld, is here meant. And I hear it is not uncommon for thee to call the Holy Scriptures the 'word of God,' in thy public communications ; to my feelings and judgment this is, I had liked to have said, shocking, and I do say it. We read in these sacred writings, that Christ is that Word ; see John i., and else- where. And I am decidedly of the judgment, however common it may be for persons of other denominations, so to designate that invaluable volume ; yet Friends have ever, and still have, a testimony against so calling it, that cannot be dispensed with; therefore bear with me, my dear friend, when I say, if thou cannot be brought to see this testimony in the same sense that Friends have ever seen it in, to remember the injunction of our blessed Saviour, ' first to TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 421 be reconciled to thy brother:' for until this is effected, I do not see how thou canst any longer exercise what thou mayst deem a 'gift' in the ministry. As one, therefore, that feels dis- tressed and dissatisfied with thee as a minister in our Society, under existing circumstances, I subscribe myself in the feeling of a great desire for thy restoration to sound principles, and re- main, "Thy sincere friend " William Manley. " P. S. I called at thy cousin, Hannah Mes- ser's, last second day evening, for the purpose of seeing thee, and engaged to call again this even- ing; but having heard that thou art in poor health, I thought it would be more acceptable to thee to receive what I had to remark in this way : and, indeed, I prefer doing so, from an apprehension I may be the better understood : and also, that what is stated may be the more readily conveyed to any friend, whom thou may incline to show it: — for the charge I make is, indeed, a serious one, and I wish it to claim the close investigation of Friends. « W. M." 422 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL On third day, the 29th, was the Quarterly Meeting; but owing to illness I was prevented from attending it. I again preached at the meeting at Newington, on the following fifth day, and the next day, the first of the present year, returned home. My stay at home, how- ever, was not long, for I could not but feel an increasingly deep and lively interest for many Friends, who were thirsting for the gospel in the neighbourhood of London. I was also the more induced to return to them by the solicitation of several who are, and have long been, near and dear to me. Although, therefore, it seemed like running some risk of producing that kind of collision that it had been uniformly my study to avoid, I again attended the meeting at New- ington on first day, the 24th of the 1st month last. At this meeting I spoke in a very full manner on the great doctrines of the gospel; and in the course of my sermon, explained the nature of the oath which God condescended to swear to Abraham, (Gen. xv. 9 — 17,) adverting, by way of illustration, to Jer. xxxiv. 18, 19; then showing from Matt. xxvi. 63, 64, that our Lord Jesus Christ, took the oath before the high-priest, that he was the Christ, that is, the seed or offspring promised to Abraham, (see TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS i 423 ,Gen. xxii. 18,) the whole was made to bear on Hebrews vi. 16 — 20, with the intention of prov- ing how consoling and satisfactory to the be- liever, is the evidence which God has merci- fully afforded for the foundation of a sure and steadfast hope. From my thus bringing into view the sub- ject of the oath to Abraham, it was currently reported that I had been preaching a sermon to encourage swearing, which the Society has a " Testimony" against. This, of course, there- fore, increased the desire that Friends very generally felt, that I should be put down as a minister ; and on the following fifth day, the 28th of the Month, the desired event was accom- plished ; for, after the most painful conflict of mind that I ever remember to have experienced, I spoke at the meeting at Newington to the following purport : — " It is said of the apostle Paul, that he * was pressed in spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.' If it was the case with this apostle, who was inspired by the Holy Ghost, and was filled with living energy and zeal for the propagation of the gospel of Christ, that when he was surrounded by those who were prejudiced against his doctrine, that the decla- 2 o3 424 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL ration of it was, if I may so speak, wrung out of him, it is no wonder if those who are con- scious of utter weakness, and who feel them- selves to be nothing, should, when they find themselves constrained to controvert the views of those among whom they minister, be ready to question, ' Can it be proper for me to attack prejudices that are so firmly fixed in the minds of those who hear me, and who appear so well satisfied with their own opinions that any thing I can say may only have the effect of making them wrap themselves more closely round in their cloaks of security ? ' " Oh, nothing, my beloved Friends, nothing, I assure you, but the love of Christ and the love of your souls, could induce me to speak a word among you. The apostle did not say that we must accept as truth any thing that a person might believe himself to be called upon to preach. — No : what were his words ? ' Though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed.' " These are awful words ! Are they not enough to induce ministers to look well to what they preach ? Are they not enough tobring them TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 425 upon their knees to humble, earnest, fervent supplication, that they may say nothing contrary to what prophets and apostles have declared? * * * Oh, that we may now receive the truth in the time mercifully afforded to us. God alone knows how long or how short that may be — that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ — that we may by faith lay hold on him who is our life. Oh that we may believe the declaration of our blessed Saviour himself, ' Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.' This everlasting life must be begun on earth, or it will never be ours. * * * May it be said to us in that great day when all must stand before the Judg- ment Seat of Christ, ' Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' * * * I tell you, and I tell you plainly, that the gos- pel we have to preach is not an ' inward and immediate revelation,' it is an outward revela- tion : for the revelation which God has in all ages been pleased to make known, has been communicated to a few for the benefit of the many." On these words being uttered, a young man, who, I am informed, had a day or two before given some intimation of what he 426 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL meant to do, if I preached again at Newington, went out of the meeting, in a manner evidently intended to excite attention, which induced me to cease speaking; and at the same time a Friend, in the station of " Overseer," stood up, and said, " My heart is sorely pained within me." Upon which I said, in answer to her, that I could tenderly sympathize with the pain she felt; and was about to inform her what would be a remedy for it, but E. H. (who also was in the station of Overseer) stood up and said to me, " My dear friend, in the pre- sent excited state of the meeting would it not be better to sit down ? " Upon which I imme- diately took my seat, and in about twenty minutes afterwards stood up, and spoke to the following effect : — " May I be allowed, before I leave this meeting, to express my earnest desire and prayer that every individual here may receive the truth — may prefer the truth above all things ; and, abiding in the truth, may accept of that salvation which alone comes by Jesus Christ. May Almighty God bless you, my beloved friends ; may He guide you by His Spirit; may He save you with an everlasting salvation." TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 427 At the close of the meeting, my highly - valued friend, James Foster, in a calm and dig- nified manner, expressed himself to the follow- ing effect : " I cannot be satisfied to allow this meeting to separate, without saying that I am greatly distressed by the interruption that has been offered this morning to my dear friend John Wilkinson. I deplore the manner in which it has been done, and believe it to be decidedly contrary to good order. I shall not say any thing further on the subject at present ; but I intend to bring it forward where it can be properly entered into." James Foster, although he does not hold any office in the Society, some days after- wards requested a meeting of the Overseers, which some of the Elders also attended, before whom he laid the case, which, as might be expected, was by them passed slightly over. There was, however, no time lost in en- deavouring to put me to silence ; for, at the close of the meeting in which the interruption occurred, the Elders met and sent me the following letter : — 4*28 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL " Stoke Newington, 28th of 1st month, 1836. "Dear friend John Wilkinson, " It is under a feeling of much Christian love and interest, that we believe it to be our duty to inform thee, that for a considerable time past, but more particularly last first-day and this day, thy communications in our meetings have deeply afflicted our minds ; and we have much painful evidence that thy ministry has caused great uneasiness to others also. " Under these feelings, we would very ten- derly, yet earnestly, express our hope that thou mayst, when assembled with us, feel it thy place to remain in silence. " We remain thy sincere friends, " John Kitching, " Rosamond Post, " Isabel Kitching, " Susanna Corder." A copy of the above letter was sent to the official Friend in the Monthly Meeting of which I was a member, in order, as I conclude, that regular proceedings against me might be TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 4-29 commenced on account of my ministry. Of this, however, I had no knowledge until more than two weeks had elapsed, when I received a letter from John Kitching, informing me of the circumstance, and also that what is said in the letter addressed to me by the Elders, respecting the " painful evidence " that my ministry had " caused great uneasiness to others " besides themselves, had no allusion to the interruption that occurred when I was speaking. This occurrence, although afflicting to me, when the thought of leaving many for whom I felt the most lively interest pressed upon me, was, as I have before mentioned, regarded by me as the opening of a door of escape. I therefore sent my letter of resignation of membership to the Monthly Meeting at Ches- ham, which occurred within a few days. In addition to what I have related, let it be taken into account, that persons of unimpeach- able character, and, as it would seem by their assiduitv and talents, the most likely to be use- ful as ministers, if in the exercise of the ministry to which they believe themselves called, they hold up the great Christian doctrine of justifica- tion by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, how 430 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL fully soever they may show forth the absolute necessity of such a walk in life, as shall give evidence of the possession of true faith. And, notwithstanding they fully declare the indispens- able need of the indwelling, and abiding in- fluence of the Holy Spirit, if they speak of the Scriptures as needful to convey the knowledge of the religion of Christ, they are uniform- ly discouraged, and their ministry slighted. Whereas, on the other hand, such as uphold mystical doctrines are as generally recom- mended as ministers. It is needless for me to do more than just to refer to the accounts that have been published of the proceedings in Lancashire, which exhibit a determined hostility to essential scriptural truth that may well challenge comparison with almost any thing that ecclesiastical history can furnish ; the infliction of bodily pains and penalties being left out of account. But to throw still further light on this mo- mentous subject, I shall make some quotations from " An Address to the Members of the Society of Friends," published not long since by Elisha Bates, who is the truly devoted Christian minister alluded to in the course of the foregoing pages, as having visited this TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ? 431 country from America ; and for whom, after his return, a certificate was refused by the Yearly Meeting of ministers and Elders. He has visited England again in a more private capacity than was the case before, as he did not apply to any meeting for a certificate to travel as a minister, and returned home not many weeks ago. A more argumentative and power- ful, yet mild and truly Christian remonstrance, I am sure never came under my notice. Those who are acquainted with Elisha Bates, and have witnessed his unobtrusive manners, his quick sensibility, yet patient endurance of all sorts of petty indignities ;. his returning kind- ness for slights, and gentlemanly behaviour for obtrusive interference, cannot but appreciate the force of the following affecting appeal. " It is a time of peculiar trial ; and much deep suffering is endured for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jealousies, cruel as the grave, have been widely spread in the Society, against those who preach the simple and plain doctrines of the Scriptures. Much unkindness has been practised towards them, and measures are now preparing to silence, and finally to disown many, who are endeavouring to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Will you now, 2 p 432 IS THE PREACHING OP THE GOSPEL after all that you have seen of the danger of departing from the great doctrines of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and justification by faith, declare to the world that you are enemies to that faith, by driving from your communion those who are bound uncompromisingly to maintain it ? This is a question to which the Society is now brought, and in the decision every member is deeply interested. " I love the Society with an ardent affection ; and, as far as my feeble abilities would go, I have given up to its service my time, my health, and my domestic comforts. In the time of open collision and controversy I did not turn back from its defence. And in times more proving, more deeply afflicting, I have hazarded the loss of reputation, and the favour of many that I loved, that I might promote the best interests of the Society, on the only permanent founda- tion. It is not for myself that I plead, but for the truth as it is in Jesus ; that you may receive it in simplicity and love, and through its happy influence enjoy the blessings which are offered to your acceptance." — "Miscellaneous Repository, edited by Elisha Bates. 9th Month, 1st, 1836." Page 454. The following quotations will also serve to show, TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS ? 433 whether " the Bible and the Bible alone " may be said fairly to be [the] " formula of Divine truth" to the Society of Friends. (Pages 456. 457,) " The alarm is raised of the dangers of departing from the ancient foundation of our profession, and a recoil has taken place through- out the Society from the point of announced danger. Our early Friends are spoken of as being in the meridian of the gospel-day, and on the summit of the Lord's mountain. They are represented as 'not being under the juda- ical bias' which involved the apostles and ■ primitive believers (as it is said) in so many improper things.' They [the early Friends] are said not to have received their commission from man, nor by man, but by revelation of the Holy Ghost, and thus stamping their writings with the character of being given by inspiration, they are made the standards of doctrines more immediately binding on us than the Scriptures ! ! Those [ the early Friends' ] writings are indiscriminately recom- mended, as replete with Christian instruction. While all those passages, so deeply to be la- mented, which were quoted in favour of the doctrines we recently denounced as infidelity, are included in them. Did we in that con- 434 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL troversy deny these passages to contain the true doctrines of the gospel ? That ground undoubtedly was taken by the very selection of other passages from the same writings, con- taining other sentiments diametrically opposed to them, as the doctrines we intended to defend as Quakerism.^ * * * jn the mean time, the authority of the Scriptures has been in- creasingly brought into view, and the dread of attention to them has been strikingly mani- fest. The study of the Bible has been viewed with great jealousy, and domestic devotion re- garded as proof of a departure from the original grounds of our profession. " The Scriptures are represented as leaving us in doubt and perplexity, and as incapable of giving a clear decision on the doctrines of religion, while our own writings are upheld as the depositories of the true meaning of the Scriptures. But if the Scriptures are doubtful f This is certainly important evidence. It is by the means above-mentioned that the form of either beast, or bird, or fish is assumed at pleasure. And indeed, unless the precise point to lay hold on the erroneous system of Quakerism is hit upon, it has, from its earliest days to the present time, either effected a metamorphosis, or slipped away from the grasp like an eel, and swam about as coolly as if it had never been touched. TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 435 and uncertain, and our own writings are the depository of the true meaning, I ask if these writings are not claimed to be the more valu- able to us of the two ? The consequence is undeniable. " But where do we find the doctrinal views of our early Friends ? Are they in the pas- sages which we selected in the Hicksite con- troversy ? Or are they in those selected by our opponents ? Or in all of them put together ' If the first, the Hichsites were wrong. If the second, we were wrong. And if the third, we were all wrong together. These consequences are inevitable : for we all agreed that the two parties in that controversy were divided by doctrines that were irreconcileable to each other. And each expressed their views in the selections they respectively made." These unequivocal declarations from the pen of a man so able, so intelligent, and so truthful as Elisha Bates, (for his eyes are now opened to see, and his heart to feel the truth which he honestly declares,) require no comment, and I leave them to bear with their whole weight against the assertions in the " Letter," which, as I have said before, were to me most sur- prising. 2 p 3 436 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL Let it not be supposed that the publication of the letters, of which I have given copies, is any breach of confidence. They are letters officially addressed to me as a public character ; and from ignorance of the real nature of the gospel, the object of the writers was to put down the preaching of it, in order that "the tradition of the elders " might have its full sway. If, then, some of those very persons who wrote or signed these letters, could after- wards calmly sit, in their corporate capacity, and sanction such a " Letter " as that to which I am replying — in which it is declared, with respect to me, " Thou hast not been straitened in us, thou hast been straitened in thyself;" it is absolutely necessary, that not only the Society of Friends, but the Christian church, should know what kind of "shaping of language" is adopted ; because it can never be for the benefit of any body of people to hold up decla- rations, that (from whatever cause) so essen- tially vary from the fact, when matters of vital consequence are at stake. For, with the pro- fession of there being "an open door to the preaching of the whole revealed will of God," one can hardly imagine a more decided opposi- TOLERATED AMONG FRIENDS? 437 tion to the gospel within the compass of any society calling itself Christian. Although, there- fore, the account I have given will probably be tedious to many — and it is entirely against my inclination to make myself the subject of re- mark,— yet, as I am persuaded the circum- stances I have detailed have a practical bearing upon the best interests of numerous individuals who are connected with the Society, I could not conscientiously withhold the recital of them. And when we consider the systematic manner in which error is upheld in the Society, under the notion that the " early Friends" had certain " Testimonies " committed to them in an espe- cial manner to support, it is the more needful to give evidence of the working of that system, which, of course, nothing but an appeal to facts can show. A system, raised by an individual, who was himself manifestly labouring under the most intense delusion, and was surrounded by others who, so far from checking his errors, contributed their share to confirm them, can, surely, never be reasonably expected to be pro- ductive of any thing but spiritual loss or dis- advantage, in some way or other. And one is how painfully reminded of the affecting words 438 IS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL that are to be found in the first chapter of the prophet Malachi, " We are impoverished ; but we will return, and build the desolate places. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, they shall build, but I will throw down." CONCLUSION. In bringing this extremely painful examina- tion to a conclusion, I would strongly and affec- tionately urge upon Friends the absolute neces- sity of special and persevering prayer to God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the all-sufficient help of the Holy Spirit, to enable them to receive " the word of the truth of the gospel," in the way which God hath appointed. Because it can hardly fail to force itself on the minds of those who are not really determined to shut their eyes against the light of Holy Scrip- ture, that there is real unsoundness at the very root of the doctrines contained in the standard writings that have been quoted. And let it be taken into account, that the extracts do not consist of only a detached 'sentence or two ; for, at the risk of greatly wearying the reader, whole paragraphs, and those sometimes very long ones, have been given, in order to remove even the shadow of an objection that might otherwise have been made, that the extracts were garbled. 440 CONCLUSION And although many of the quotations, now they are held up to view, may appear to be, as they are, of a nature so greatly to be deplored that many persons will probably question the propriety of exposing them ; yet I wish it espe- cially to be considered that they are from the standard works of the Society of Friends — works that are to be met with in most Friends' houses, open to the perusal of any persons, young or old, who may incline to take them up — works, which alas ! many a parent in the Society even at this day, yes, in the year 1836, would delight to see his child inclined to study, though he would be rendered unhappy if the child should show a disposition to attend a " Bible class" for the study of Holy Scripture. No one, then, must fastidiously exclaim, " Why are these things exposed ? " Consider they are taken from the very works that no longer ago than last year were strenuously recommended by the Yearly Meeting, to young persons in par- ticular, as being " replete with instruction ;" and the authors of them eulogized as having been " remarkably visited with the day- spring from on high." Now when we consider the manner in which we have seen by the extracts the Holy Scrip- CONCLUSION. 441 tures were undervalued by the " early Friends," there is no reason to wonder at any errors into which such writers fell ; because, I must repeat, it is by the Scriptures that the knowledge of spiritual things is communicated to us. If then on any pretence, the channel of religious know- ledge be slighted, error is the necessary conse- quence : for the mind of man, so far from being naturally inclined to receive truth of the highest importance, is averse to it. The ex- tracts which have been produced prove this to be the case in the most unequivocal manner. Wise in their own conceit, the writers rejected the main doctrines of the gospel— ruin by the fall ; repentance by the contriting power of the Holy Spirit in bringing home the Word of Truth to the heart; and restoration by faith in Im.manuel. — But no ; " inward light," as the standard writers constantly exhibit, and as it is abundantly proved by transactions that are now taking place, is the very warp and weft of Qua- kerism. In order to form it, all scriptural truth, even to the prophecy of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ without sin unto salva- tion, is, as we have seen, sacrificed or perverted. And when it is formed, it is the web in which the makers of it are entangled. Instead of 442 CONCLUSION. standing fast in the liberty wherewith Christ doth set his people free, they are set fast in the bondage wherewith perverted truth ensnares them.* For in the place of accepting the gospel as the message of salvation to ruined man, they have already " something which man has not lost by the fall, but which is by the fall reduced to a seed." In this doctrine surely there is enough error to darken the whole soul ; because it is not only utterly false in itself, but it inevitably leads to an erroneous view with re- gard to the person and offices of Christ. And we find, accordingly, that the " something," " seed," " light," &c, &c, being assumed, the benefit of the coming of Christ is lowered down to the liberation from its " wrapping" of this " seed " already in man. The all-important doctrine of mediation is * For undeniable evidence of this we need look no further than to " the Whole Correspondence," published a few months ago ; and a very able " Defence of the Beacon," which is just published by Isaac Crewdson, in which the supporters of the doctrine of "the inward light" are fairly exhibited as being completely snared in their own devices ; and prove by their own words the truth of what I have stated in my letter, " that the fundamental principle of the Society of Friends, and that of those who now go under the denomi- nation of Seccders or Hicksites, is one and the same." See parti cu larly the " Defence of the Beacon," pages 38—41, S3, 54. CONCLUSION. 443 therefore as effectually, though not so grossly perverted and nullified, as is the case in many heathen nations, where some traditional notions of retributive justice are to be found. They are sensible that something is needful for them to lay hold of, for the purpose of obtaining the pardon, and conciliating the favour of the Deity, according to the notions they entertain of him. Therefore they form idols, which they fancy will protect them from the evils they deprecate ; because they have no idea of the entire corrup- tion of their own hearts, and they only seek for atonement on account of particular offences and palpable crimes, which they are conscious of having committed. Quakerism, then, leads into just the same fatal error; because, unless there be the recep- tion of the Scripture doctrine with regard to our entire corruption as the offspring of Adam, there cannot be that sense of obligation to God for the gift of his beloved Son for us, nor of gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ, for that he gave himself for us, which is essentially neces- sary to the production of true repentance. Neither, of course, can there be true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, unless we humbly accept the Scripture revelation of him. 2q 444 CONCLUSION. For proof of this, look at the prevailing error which runs through the standard writings of Friends. In these Jesus is represented as only the veil or garment, in which Christ made his appearance on earth, and in which he ascended to heaven. Now, this error is of a nature so tremendous, that I am sure no true Christian will wonder at my having used great plainness of speech, in my humble endeavours to show to those for whose eternal well-being I cannot but feel an exceedingly deep interest, how com- pletely it cuts off from all hope of the gospel such as persist in maintaining it. For to those who ai*e entangled in it, without having entirely given up their minds to it, the whole Scripture, excepting the moral precepts, must necessarily seem to be an unsolved enigma. This, after a person has over and over strained his faculties by vain attempts to discover the meaning of, he will throw aside with indifference, and, perhaps, with disgust. It is not, therefore, to be won- dered at, that under this circumstance persons should fall into the snare of imagining, that what they find in Holy Scripture difficult to reconcile with their crude notions, merely belongs to a less spiritual dispensation than the present, although it be enforced by apostolic authority and practice. CONCLUSION. 445 But those who, by the power and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, receive and retain the great and leading doctrines of Holy Scrip- ture, may be compax-ed to such as have taken hold of 'the right end of a clue, which, as they draw, almost insensibly supplies them. Thus, to them that have, shall more be given, and they shall have abundance. And the Scripture, which to the mind in its dark and inimical state, only seems like a tangled web, becomes more and more clear to the prayerful and attentive mind, which, often without effort, perceives fresh beauties and excellencies open out, in a manner that would seem almost like a fresh revelation ; but which is only the effect of that clearness of mind, for the reception of sacred truth, which the Holy Spirit gives when He takes the things of Christ, and shows them unto us. There is, however, a state of mind in which the Scripture seems to be no enigma ; for all is completely, and as consistently as is compatible with the most intense error, turned upside down and inside out — for this there is no rectification ; because the very standard is, as we have seen, inverted and perverted. Instead of rising to heaven, it is sunk into the corrupted and deceit- 446 CONCLUSION. ful heart ; instead of comprehending the truth of God, it is limited to the traditions of men. Light is put for darkness, and darkness for light ; for the Sun of righteousness is blotted out of the firmament, and the uninformed, evil, and corrupt heart, dark as the pit, deceitful as sin, and destructive as death, is made the fountain of light, the repository of truth, and the trea- sury of salvation. Oh, for miracles of grace ! that the breath of life may " come from the four winds, and breathe upon these slain that they may live." To enumerate the evils that result from radi- cal error would be endless ; but I cannot be satisfied to close this examination of the system of Quakerism, without very seriously adverting to the dreadful evil which results from the notion of an " inward light," as it relates to prayer. Earnest and persevering application to God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the renewal of the Holy Ghost, when it is taken for granted that there is already in every heart the " Vehiculum Dei," which is nothing less than "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and the flesh and blood of Christ," would, to any person capable of reasoning, appear to be absurd. But our adorable Sa- CONCLUSION. 447 viour, after having given the most animating exhortation to prayer, says, " If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him," (Luke xi. 11.) How lamentable, then, is the consideration, that whilst making the highest profession of spirituality, the very means w hich that Blessed One, who came to save us, has pointed out to us in order that we may procure an infinite benefit, is, by the force of of a system of error, instinctively disregarded or lost sight of. For a man naturally turns away from what he conceives to be needless and irrational ; accordingly, without laying stress on the numerous confessions, that would induce us to believe there is a most lamentable deficiency of private prayer among Friends, it is notorious that there is hardly any such thing as what may properly be called family prayer throughout the whole Society. Alas ! how- many heads of families there are, even among those who hold offices in the Society — such, for instance, as " Elders," who are apponited to watch over the ministry, and " Overseers," who, although many of them are in advanced age, have never kneeled down in prayer with their 2q 3 448 CONCLUSION. families. Why ? The answer would often be to this effect, " Because it requires a special evidence that we should pray to God, otherwise it w~buld be presumptuous." Thus a man who is appointed "tenderly to encourage and help young ministers, and advise others, as [he] in the wisdom of God sees occasion," (see Rules of Discipline, and Advices, page 135,) may very probably be the father of a family, which may grow up and be dispersed, without his having once joined with them in prayer for the blessing of God upon himself and them. But more than this, if it were known that any father of a family in the Society regularly kneeled down in prayer with his family, it would subject him to advice against formality, &c. ; and he might depend upon it that he would never be ap- pointed to any important office in the Society, unless he abandoned the practice. On this subject we have the very important evidence of Elisha Bates, which he gives in his " Address to the Members of the Society of Friends," some extracts from which have already been given. At page 457 of his " Miscellaneous Repository," we find him saying, " The study of the Bible has been viewed with great jealousy, and domestic devotion regarded as proof of a CONCLUSION. 449 departure from the original grounds of our pro- fession." Now, all this is perfectly consistent with the doctrine of " inward light ;" but what an affecting evidence it is of the loss that is sustained by upholding such a system ! I might appeal to the few who, by the infinite mercy and goodness of God, have been enabled to break through the prejudices of their educa- tion, and who now gratefully accept the inspired invitation of the apostle, and " come boldly to the throne of grace that they may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need;" whether they are not sensible of the indescribable privi- lege of such a filial approach to their heavenly Father ; does it not more than answer all the expectations that had previously been formed with regard to it ? Ah ! would not every indivi- dual of a famishing multitude consider a general invitation to the whole of them a sufficient warrant for application to a bountiful benefactor, who had publicly declared, that he should have pleasure in dispensing all that was needful to supply the wants of those who would apply to him. Cold formality in prayer is indeed to be deplored ; but whence arises the disuse of prayer ? If men believe, that by asking they can obtain worldly enjoyments, we have evidence 450 CONCLUSION. enough to show how perseveringly they ask. There are no great niceties observed as to whether they ought to do so, if they think they can obtain what they want without putting themselves under an inconvenient obligation. If, then, parents can go on from year to year with their families, without once joining toge- ther in prayer — can see their families increase —or can witness in them the ravages of dis- ease and death, and, at the same time, that they are professing to be " led and guided by the spirit of truth" — " the principle within them"— never avail themselves of the privilege which God, by his word, invites all to the benefit and enjoyment of, what can be said, but that there must be something at the root which checks true devotion, and keeps men at a distance from the throne of grace, and from the fountain of life ; induces them to grope in darkness at noon- day, and to starve in the midst of plenty, not- withstanding they be appointed "tenderly to encourage and help young ministers, and advise others as they, in the wisdom of God, see occa- sion." How can we wonder, then, that so much hostility to the gospel is met with ? I know it will be said that " waiting upon God in silence," and mental prayer is encouraged in CONCLUSION. 451 the Society ; but who that reads the Holy Scriptures attentively, with a real desire to know their true meaning, can believe this silent waiting and mental prayer is coming up to what they enjoin? And who, that by the powerful stimulus of a pressing sense of need, has been induced to disengage himself from the trammels of that deadening system of sepul- chral silence, which must not be broken except by the pretender to inspiration, cannot give his joyful testimony, that in humble prostration before God in prayer, he has, through the all- availing mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, been made sensible with admiring gratitude that the Spirit has helped his infirmities, and has given him renewed assurance of the fulfilment of the promises of God ? And that, although he sees more and more of the depth of the evil of his own heart, his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is proportionably strengthened. Thus, from day to day, is he attracted to the Saviour for daily spiritual sustenance, which, like as was the manna to the Israelites, is daily supplied to him. But those who have " something in them which by the fall was reduced to a seed" like the murmuring Israelites formerly, with respect to the manna, complain of the holy 452 CONCLUSION. body broken for us, and the precious blood shed for us, as being no better than " light bread." Instead, therefore, of receiving it by faith, with profound gratitude, they think they have disco- vered that " the outward flesh is not the meat indeed, nor the outward blood the drink indeed."* But if the anger of the Lord was kindled against the Israelites for undervaluing the bread that was supplied to them, so that fiery serpentsf were sent among them to punish them for their audaciousness in complaining with respect to what was only a type of the flesh and blood of Christ, how can we wonder that the serpent's tooth should dry up the vitality of those who lightly esteem the bread that was really given for the life of the world. I would now just advert to page 25 of the " Letter," where the following sentence is to be found, " But thy call is, as I understand it, that we abandon our views of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, because many who have professed them have run into error." Now, I must say, that my call is not for Friends to abandon their vieics of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, "be- * See Isaac Pennington's Works, vol. ii. page 610'. + See Numbers, xxi. 4 — 9. CONCLUSION. 453 cause many who have professed them have run into error," but because of my full persuasion, that their views of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit are erroneous ; and that such is the case, if I am not greatly mistaken, has been suffi- ciently shown in the course of the foregoing pages : if it be so, the reasoning on the subject in the "Letter" completely falls to the ground. Nothing, I am sure, could be further from my intention than to call any one to abandon the scriptural doctrine of the Holy Spirit; though, at the same time, I would gladly use my utmost endeavours to persuade every one to give up all false notions of revelation, which have produced such fearful effects. But in rejecting the spurious doctrine of revelation, let me not still be reproached with the accusations, which from various quarters have been so liberally heaped upon me, that I "deny the influence of the Holy Spirit." In some in- stances, I understand this accusation has amounted to the ranking me among blas- phemers. This, however, has been the practice of Friends from the earliest age of the Society, towards those who have brought scriptural proof of the unsoundness of the notion of " inward and immediate revelation," as held by 454 CONCLUSION. Friends. Nothing surely can be more unjust ; as I hope not only these pages will show, but also the sermons to which I have before ad- verted, as having been taken down and printed. I am certain that many can testify that it was a leading feature of my ministry to inculcate the belief of the absolute necessity of humble, earnest, and persevering prayer for the all- efficient help of the Holy Spirit ; and to show that when the heart is really wrought upon by the Holy Spirit, the very breathing of that heart will be to ask of God, in the name and for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the in- dwelling and abiding of the Holy Spirit ; but it was, and is my endeavour also to show, what I am sure no unprejudiced person will deny, that the taking for granted that without regeneration we already have the Spirit abiding in us, as a " seed," " inward light," &c, &c, is the very notion of all others to keep the mind in darkness, and to damp its energies with regard to prayer. And that to imagine the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is indicated by revelations to us, or that it is the gracious office of the Holy Spirit to reveal truths to us inde- pendently of the knowledye of Holy Scripture, is as much opposed to the fair construction of CONCLUSION*. 455 Scripture doctrine as it is contrary to fact ; whilst seasons of peculiar contrition of heart, special interest with regard to the welfare of others, or the remembrance of Bible truths, promises, and warnings in the hour of exigency will be acknowledged as the work of this blessed agent — the Comforter, the guide into all truth. But one thing that I have particularly in view in thus introducing the subject, is to make a distinction which I conceive is too much overlooked, between providential direction and revelation. By not perceiving this distinction many very serious errors and gross incon- sistencies are run into. Those who hold the notion of immediate revelation, if they find themselves especially inclined to do or to omit this or the other particular thing, and one time in- ten find that some result takes place, which they think remarkable, are sure to imagine they have been guided by revelation. Whereas, the ravens which conveyed food to the prophet Elijah were impelled in a very peculiar way ; yet surely no one will venture the supposition that they acted by revelation. The lions, also, which when the prophet Daniel was let down amongst them, abstained from doing him the least 2 R 456 CONCLUSION. injury ; but soon afterwards, when the enemies of the prophet were cast into their den, fell upon them and devoured them, acted by providential impulse, but most certainly not by revelation. And how often do we see even the most irreligious persons providentially re- strained or directed; but to whom nothing has been revealed any more than it was to the ravens or to the lions. The injury then is immense which results from confounding providential impulse or restraint with revelation, because it leads to fatal error ; and many persons, I believe, who are in some degree made sensible of the great error in the views of Friends with regard to " inward and immediate revelation," still cling to it, from the idea that the rejection of it would involve the denial of that providen- tial direction which every attentive and thought- ful person must be sensible of the existence of. We are told by our blessed Saviour himself, (Luke xii. 6,) that "Not even a sparrow is forgotten before God." The constant provi- dential care that is exercised towards and over us is a subject of grateful joy to the Christian; but surely the very mention of a providential care being exerted in favour of inferior animals CONCLUSION*. 457 ought to teach us that it is not by "immediate revelation" we are to expect the exercise of that care towards us. In order to prove the doctrine of immediate revelation I have often heard Friends bring forward instances of providential impulse or restraint, which they have themselves expe- rienced: but which have had no more to do with revelation than would be the case if a wealthy man should accidentally drop a piece of money, and that a person in danger of starving should, on some account or other, be inclined to go a little out of his usual road, by which means he might be thrown in the way of picking up the money, wherebv his distress would be relieved. Yet, in such a case as this, it is impossible to calculate how nu- merous or how important the consequences might be. But in order to judge of the real existence of " inward and immediate revelation," we ought to make our observ ations on those who have had no knowledge of the Scriptures. In addition to a great deal of evidence on this subject, I was forcibly struck with the account given to me by the Rev. Henry Nott, who is one of two surviving Missionaries, that, with several others, went to 458 CONCLUSION. the South Sea Islands about forty years ago, in the ship Duff. Mr. Note, who returned to this country not many months ago, told me he had never met with a single uninstructed heathen, who appeared to have the least idea of the true God. He had conversed with a great many, after some information had been conveyed to them of spiritual things, in order that he might discover if there had been any thing in their minds that gave them any idea of a Creator; but he uniformly found they had no conception whatever of the world having been created: nor any notion of Divine superintendence or providence, until the information was communi- cated to them by the Missionaries. He said he had been in the habit of putting such questions to them as the following : " Now, when you have looked up to the heavens, and seen the stars ; when you have seen the sun and the moon, the earth and all the beauties of nature before your eyes, have you never had any idea cross your mind, that all these things must have had a Creator to form them?" Their answer was, uniformly, " No; our minds were too dark to have any such notion at all." This exactly corresponds with information that has been given to me by other pious and CONCLUSION. 459 intelligent Missionaries ; and with the general tenor of the accounts we receive from all quarters, respecting the more degraded of the heathen, who have had no instruction with re- gard to the truths of religion. Now it is certainly not to be denied, that the heathen, in their ignorant and dark state, are the objects of providential care ; but it is perfectly clear they are utter strangers to revelation. We see then, a well defined distinction, which ought ever to be kept in mind. Persons of wild imagination and enthusiastic- minds, may, by a process of reasoning, which takes place with such rapidity that they are not sensible of it, come to conclusions, which by the vividness of their fancy appear to them like words spoken in their ears. These supposed words they may dote upon with peculiar delight I and it is hard to calculate upon the extent of the evils that may result from such notions : but the humble Christian, ever intent upon receiv- ing the blessed teaching of the Holy Spirit by the word of God, which it is his continual prayer to be instructed by, is not to be caught by such a snare ; for " in vain is the net spread in the Mght of any bird." And happy is it for those, who neither fall into the snare themselves, nor 2 r 3 460 CONCLUSION. give countenance to notions that may be the means of insnaring others. For every thing tends to show, to the attentive disciple, that there is no neutral ground: "He that is not with me," said our Lord, "is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." How powerfully, then, are we called upon, by all that is excellent and sacred, to keep in simpli- city to the word which God hath revealed by his beloved Son, through apostles and prophets, that we may emphatically "gather" with him; or, in other words, take with humble confidence the spiritual food he invites us to accept; be satisfied with it, and be grateful receivers of it. Friends are very apt to say, that if they were to be confined to the Scriptures, they should be at a loss to know how to act on innumerable occasions, when they cannot have the Scriptures to look at. And if they had them at hand, they might fail to find in them direction for the par- ticular circumstances, about which they require information. But if they had not had the ad- vantage of the knowledge the Scriptures convey, although they inconceivably undervalue that advantage, in what respect would they have dif- fered from those who have never had it be- stowed upon them ? What but scriptural know- CONCLUSION. 461 ledge has raised them in the scale above the darkest of the heathen ? Can they plead supe- rior worthiness; or that by any "faithfulness" of theirs they have been made to differ ? Surely, if we have the benefit of hearing scriptural truth, we must be dull scholars, in- deed, unless we catch some ideas of the way in which we ought to conduct ourselves. And those whose hearts are, by the Holy Spirit, in- clined to be not only hearers, but doers of God's holy law, will be at no loss, generally, how to conduct themselves. Because having received the great principles of the gospel, they will be governed by those principles. And what does all the professedly clear di- rection to which Friends lay claim amount to, with respect to ministry, for instance ? When, perhaps, the course of a minister's service has been marked by little more than the uttering some prophecies which have never been ful- filled ; turning their hearers to " the light in their own hearts;" and urging them with all .•sincerity and earnestness to be obedient to "the light," they are to find there, that they may be saved by it ? For, instead of preaching the gospel, how deplorably common has it been for ministers, either to direct persons to "the 462 CONCLUSION. light within" them, when they are really in darkness, or to attract their hearers to them- selves, by assuming to be acquainted with their "states" instead of directing them to "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." What, then, is all the assumed direc- tion, under such circumstances, better than the supposition, that a person is guided in his path in such a manner as to avoid obstacles, slips, and falls ; but the course of it leads directly to a bog or a precipice — a minute direction to a dreadful catastrophe ! By the quickening power and the teaching of the Holy Spirit, the blessed doctrine of the Bible is made to bear upon the mind of fallen man, so as to bring him to repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God is then shed abroad in our hearts, by the Spirit which God hath given us; and we are devoted to God as sons, not con- strained to eye him as slaves. We cannot, then, habitually practise sin, because the seed (the word of God) remaineth in us ; * it furnishes us with principles ; and the Saviour, ever present to our thoughts, and upon whom we live by faith, is always at our right hand, that we should not * Sec Luke viii. 1 1 : and 1 John iii. 9. CONCLUSION. 463 be greatly moved. Through him we have ac- cess to God continually. The remembrance of his great sacrifice for us melts our hearts, and is the constant evidence of the love of God to us. We love him because he has, in the most affect- ing and gracious manner, proved that he hath first loved us; loving him with heartfelt affec- tion, reverence, and gratitude, we love his word — desire to become more and more acquainted with it, and firmly believe it — discover new beauties and excellencies in it continually; and wonder at the blindness and stupidity of our minds, that we should have passed over them before with comparative indifference. I certainly have not affected to speak doubt- fully respecting things which are clearly revealed to us in Holy Scripture; nor have I hesitated to pronounce with decision in cases where the truth is self-evident. But although to some persons this may seem like presumption, I trust it will by no means be generally so considered ; because a Christian is called upon to express himself with decision concerning the great and leading doctrines of Christianity, which it is his duty, his privilege, and his delight, most surely and most gratefully to believe in his heart, and to confess with his mouth. " For 464 CONCLUSION. if the foundations be destroyed," what can we any of us do ? Those who are acquainted with me must be aware that I could have no worldly motive, either for leaving the Society of Friends, or for writing on the subject of their principles. And far, indeed, is it from me to wish to give offence to persons of any description; but if we must run the risk of this, in cases where only the natural life is in peril, how much more are we warranted in running that risk when eternal life is at stake ? We must also constantly keep in mind, that however much we may have esteemed persons and venerated them, we are not to call any man father or master upon earth, in the sense of adopting his views, when they come in compe- tition with the revealed truth of God. And our Lord Jesus Christ tells us expressly (Matt, x. 37, 38) " He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." It matters not, therefore, who or what any person may be, if he call us, or join m calling us, from a simple reliance for whole CONCLUSION. 465 salvation on Him " who was born of the Virgin Mary, and walked, lived, and suffered in Ju- dea ; " * we must stop our ears to his voice, and run for life to that Saviour who gave his life for us. Now, it has been my endeavour to set be'fore Friends honestly, fairly and plainly, what I do most unequivocally believe and know by expe- rience to be the evils of their system; for, as I have myself been driven by it as to the very mouth of the pit, I would use every argument to convince those of their immense danger, who are still giving themselves up to it : I must, however, repeat, that it is far from me to judge persons. My whole soul abhors the principles of Qua- kerism. I believe they come from beneath, and whither can they lead ? But, I will say again, it is my consolation most surely to believe, that many who make profession of them are really not aware of their nature, and are satisfied to take the word of God for their rule, and to look in simplicity to our adorable Saviour, without entering into the subject of the principles of the Society, which they are, perhaps, fearful to examine deeply, lest their minds should be * See Barclay's Apology, pro]), xiii. sect. 2, page 448 CONCLUSION. perplexed. But let me not be understood in any respect to justify the deliberate and quiet continuance in a profession of religion, without strictly considering the ground upon which it is based, especially when there has been sufficient evidence that all is not right. One great object I have had in view, in wading through this most painful examination of the principles of Friends is, to enforce on every one who is con- cerned, the necessity of abandoning the profes- sion of error, and of holding the truth right- eously. I will, however, close this examination with a passage, which I highly value, from a living author of great piety. And, oh, may the boundless goodness and mercy of God in Christ Jesus, rescue every individual from the dele- terious effects of that narcotic dose, with which, in early life, so many of those who have had their education in the Society are drenched; insomuch that their eyes being closed to the glories of the cross of Christ, they habitually look to their own hearts for the germ of salva- tion. Look, I earnestly beseech you, look to to Jesus as he is revealed in his icord ; and let mystical dreams no longer rob you of the peace of God which passeth understanding. " The serpent of brass, in the form, but free CONCLUSION. 467 from the venom of that creature, was a symbol of the Messiah in the likeness of sinful flesh, but free from all sin. He was lifted up on the cross that every one who looks to him with the eye of faith may be delivered from death, and the injuries inflicted by Satan the fiery serpent. The sins of the redeemed, transferred to the Saviour, presented him who was holy and unde- nted, as a sinner before God, and as such he bore the punishment of their iniquities ; but as the innocent materials carried the resem- blance of the noxious reptile, yet the impress of the latter was not attended by any internal, venomous influence, so the imputation of our transgressions produced no contamination in the Messiah. He sustained their weight and endured the wrath due to the offenders; but he continued the Minister of righteousness. There was no other means of escape from the effects of the bite of the fiery serpents, but by having recourse to the brazen one of God's providing ; so there is no remedy for the evil of sin, or refuge from the assaults of Satan, but in the Saviour and Mediator whom God has pro- vided ; and as every Israelite, in whatever part of the camp he might be placed, and however weak his sight, could yet direct his eyes to the 2 s 468 CONCLUSION. typical healer of Israel, so every penitent sinner, in whatever place or station, may direct his faith to his crucified Redeemer, and experience the healing influence of him who was exalted that he might destroy him that had the power of death : nor will his safety depend upon the strength but the genuineness of that faith. The tremulous eye of infancy, or the feeble sight of old age, if only directed to the proper object, alike experienced its salutary energy ; and the obscure and imperfect faith of those whose natural faculties may be insufficient to comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom, or even to explain the nature of their belief, yet, if humbly directed to the Author of Life, shall experience his power to save equally with their more highly-gifted brethren. " The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." — " Typical Instruction considered and illustrated, by John Peers, A.M." APPENDIX. Within these few days I have had lent to me a publication that I have long been desirous of meeting with, viz. "The improvement of human reason exhibited in the life of Hai Ebn Yokdan : written in Arabic, above five hundred years ago, by Abu Jaafar Ebn Tophail : in which is de- monstrated by what methods one may, by tht meer light of nature, attain the knowledge of things natural and supernatural ; more particu- larly the knowledge of Goo, and the affairs of another life. Newly translated from the original Arabic, by Simon Ockley, A. M. Vicar of Swavesey in Cambridgeshire. London, printed, and Dublin reprinted by and for Sam. Fuller, at the Globe, in Meath-street, 1731." Nothing can exceed the absurdity of this metaphysical romance, which, throughout the whole, has not any thing even bordering upon probability. Hai Ebn Yokdan is represented as having been the offspring of a private marriage 470 APPENDIX. and as it was not convenient that his birth should be known, "his mother took him in the evening, and when she had suckled him she put him into a little ark, which she closed up fast," and set him afloat on the ocean. He was however safely landed the same night on an uninhabited island, for " it fortuned that the water being high, carried the ark a great way on shore, farther than it would have done at another time, (for it rises so high but once a year,) and cast the ark into a little shady grove, thick set with trees, a pleasant place, where he was secured both from wind and sun. When the tide ebbed, the ark was left there ; and the wind rising, blew a heap of sand together between the ark and the sea, sufficient to secure him from any future danger of such another flood. The violence of the waves had loosened the joints of the ark : the boy was hungry and cried. It hap- pened fortunately, at that juncture of time, that a roe wandering about the island in search of her fawn, which straying, was devoured by an eagle, heard the boy cry; and following the voice, (imagining it to have been her fawn,) came up to the ark, which she immediately at- tacked ; and what with her beating it with her hoofs without, and the boy's struggling within, APPENDIX. 471 at last, between them both, they loosened a board. As soon as she saw him, she showed the same natural affection to him as if he had been her own, suckled him and took care of him." (Page 8.) When he had attained to the age of about seven years, the roe which had brought him up died ; upon which he felt so great a desire to know by what accident it fell out, that the ani- maf to whom he owed so much ceased to pos- sess the power of motion, that he dissected her, in order to find out the vital principle. But although he did not succeed in discovering this delicate affair in the dead roe, he was nothing flaunted; but prosecuting his discoveries by the dissection of living animals, he seems to have succeeded to admiration ; for " he took a wild beast and tied him down so that he could not stir, and dissected him after the same manner he had dissected the roe, till he came to the heart ; and essaying the left ventricle first, and opening it, he perceived it was full of an airy vapour, which looked like a little mist or white cloud; and putting in his finger, he found it hotter than he could well endure it, and imme- diately the creature died. From whence he assuredly concluded, that it was that moist va- 2 s 3 472 APPENDIX. pour which communicated motion to that ani- mal ; and that there was accordingly in every animal, of what kind soever, something like it, upon the departure of which death followed." (Page 19.) We have then an account of many of his cu- rious speculations upon matter and motion : and at page 34 we are told as follows, viz. : — " Which notion of his is exactly the same with which God's apostle (Mahomet) says, 'I am his hearing, by which he hears ; and his seeing by which he sees.' And in the Alcoran, ' You did not kill them ; but God killed them : when thou threwest the darts, it was not thou that threwest them but God.' " His discoveries are then re- presented, as proving to him that the Creator of the world is " super-eminently bountiful, and exceedingly gracious." (Page 42.) To confine his thoughts to the contemplation of the "necessarily self-existent Being," "he removed all his affections from sensible things, shut his eyes, stopped his ears, and refrained himself as much as possible from following his imagination ; endeavouring to the utmost to think of nothing besides him, nor to admit to- gether with him any other object of contempla- tion. And he used to help himself in this, by APPENDIX. 473 violently turning himself round ; in which, when he was very violently exercised, all manner of sensible objects vanished out of sight ; and the imagination, and all the other faculties which make any use of the organs of the body grew weak; and on the other side, the operations of his essence, which depended not on the body, grew strong : so that at some times his medita- tion was pure, and free from any mixture, and he beheld by it the necessarily self-existent Being." (Page 60.) "And all those powers which are separate from matter, and are those beings which know the necessarily self-existent Being, all disappeared and vanished, and were as if they had never been ; and amongst these his own being disappeared too, and there re- mained nothing but this one, true, perpetually self-existent Being, who spoke thus in that say- ing of his, (which is not a notion superadded to his essence,) ' To whom noio belongs the kingdom ? To this one Almighty God.' (Alkoran.) Which words of his Hai Ebn Yokdan understood and heard his voice ; nor was his being unacquainted with words, and not being able to speak, any hindrance at all to the understanding him. Wherefore he deeply immersed himself into this state, and witnessed that which neither eye hath 474 APPENDIX. seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it ever entered into the heart of man to conceive." (Page 63.) After this sublime confirmation of the "truth" of the Koran, we are informed (page 68) that Yokdan had the sight of an essence which had " seventy thousand faces, and every face seventy thousand mouths, and every mouth seventy thousand tongues, with which it praised, sanctified, and glorified incessantly the essence of that One true Being." At page 80, we are brought to the climax ; for it so fell out that Yokdan, when he had attained to the age of about fifty years, had an unex- pected visitor on his desolate island, with whom, after a while, he learned to converse, and on explaining what he had seen in his extraor- dinary visions, he received from his visitor, whose name was Asal, " An account of what was delivered in the Law (i. e. Alcoran) relat- ing to the description of the divine world, para- dise and hell, and the awakening and resurrec- tion of mankind, and their gathering together to judgment, and the balance, and the way. All which things Hai Ebn Yokdan understood very well, and did not find any of them disagreeable to what he had seen when in that noble station : APPENDIX. 475 and he knew that he (Mahomet) had described these things, and given an account of them — had given a true account, and was a messenger sent from his Lord, and he believed him, and affirmed his veracity, and bore witness to his message." The source from whence Robert Barclay has drawn his grand confirmation of the truth of the doctrine of " inward and immediate revelation," is now therefore plainly laid open ; and it is indeed humiliating to have been deluded by such deplorable and profane absurdity. But it may well serve also to raise in our hearts the most reverential gratitude, when we find how deceivable we are, to feel assured that the mercy of God is so gi'aciously extended to us, for Jesus Christ's sake, as to draw our attention to that unchangeable word, which to the be- liever is " a lamp to his feet, and a light unto his path," (Ps. cxix. 105.) But how truly affecting is the consideration that such absurdity, as at page 79, is quoted from the seventh edition of Barclay's Apology, was current in the Society of Friends for a cen- tury ; and that, too, under the profession with which the Apology is sent out to the world us " The true Christian Divinity " ! ! Well may 476 APPENDIX. every one who has been in the way of accepting such " Divinity " for truth, be put upon his guard by the apostle's salutary caution, (Coloss. ii. 8,) " Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." If a romance, which appears to have been written for the express purpose of giving cre- dit to Mahomet as a " true prophet," and to support the main doctrines of the Koran, has been but too successfully employed to give evidence of the truth of the doctrine of " in- ward light," which is the very essence of Qua- kerism, it may well serve as an awful warning to those who, in spite of all evidence of its utter fallaciousness, are pertinaciously supporting a system so fatally delusive. Dec. 22, 1836. 478 INDEX. Certificates to Ministers, 41 Christ crucified in the Corinthians, 26 , "the garment which he wore," 181, 229 , dignity of the humanity of, 203, 228 , brought forth in us, and born of the church, 156 , necessary his body should die, 144, 233 Claridge, R., his absurd reasoning respecting the Lord's Supper, 288 Conference, the, 354, 373 Confounding of terms, 166 Confusion, Quakerism founded on, 49, 60, 81, 385 Conscience? can outward blood cleanse the, 178 Controversy with principles, not with persons, 2, 465 Conversation with S. G., 384 ; T. S., 376 ; G. S., 383 (the second page so numbered.) Corn of wheat, 237 Creed of Friends, Barclay's Apology held as the, in Ame- rica, 47, 174 ■ Deistical, 352 Deism, main tenet of, 287 with a fallacious gloss, 81, 212 , mystical, epitome of, 158, 274 and Quakerism identified, 112, 414 Deluge, 259 Delusion, evidence of, 87, 302, 381 (note) Denial, virtual, that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, 212, 247, 277 Digging deep into the heart, 239, 241 Dignity of the humanity of Christ, 203, 228 Discipline of Friends, 241 Door into the sheep-fold, 223, 229 Elders, 6, 36, 447, 395 Enigma, the Scripture like an, 444 Epistles of the Yearly Meeting, extracts from, 35, 322 Evans, T., his " Exposition " quoted, 109, 412 Expiation, 236 Extravagancies, 33 Fac-simile, 196, 207, 231, 303 Faith, 65, 119, 124, 151, 210, 222, 225, 462 Fell, Margaret, claims Messiahship for G. Fox, against J. Nayler, ix. xi. First stock, when men have sinned away their, 285 INDEX. 479 Flesh and blood of Christ, not that body born of the Virgin Mary ! 143, 227, 273 , outward, not the meat indeed, 181, 452 spiritual, 23, 34, 142, 222, 224, 228, 236, 247, 289, 414 Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, xx., 90, 145, 200, 222, 254, 257 Formula of Divine Truth, 337, 393 Fox, G., calls himself " the Son of God," ix. his unscriptural preaching, 17 his absurd notion of perfection, 301, 307 his scruple to use common tokens of civility, 196 extracts from his "Battledore," 20 extracts from his " Doctrinals," 19, 93 his Journal, 10, 84, 87, 88, 91, 144, 146, 152, 154, 196, 301 Fruits, much care required to judge of their real nature, 138, 243, 245, 249 " Fundamental Principle," 21, 412 (note) , taken as a ground for over- turning Christianity, 190 , self-idolatry, 232, 240 Gospel, not preached, 38 , knowledge of the, essential, 67,369 , no fact to prove the contrary, 68 , incurable hostility to the, 190, 339 , determination to preach nothing else than the, 346, 351 Heathen, their vague conjectures and traditions, 50 , not for us to judge with regard to them, 371 Hicks, E., " was but the wind," 104, 111 , nothing original in his views, 111 Hicksite doctrine, 81, 104, 185, 274, 435 Hicksites, disownment of the, 313 Holy Spirit, not abiding in unregenerate persons, 362, 454 , doctrine of the, as held by Friends, subversive of the Gospel, 60 , indwelling of the, 210 , influence and power of the, in rendering the Word of God availing to us, 59, 74, 91, 99, 136, 210, 441 480 INDEX. Holy Spirit, regeneration effected by the, 18, 210, 221 Hope given by the Holy Spirit, 205 Howard, J. E., his pamphlet on "inward light," 163, 417 Impulse to preach, 37 Indian converted, 65 (note) civilization, 106 Infidel works circulated and read by Friends, 5, 33, 233 Inward light, no person directed to, by the Lord Jesus or his Apostles, 13 , how can the term be applied to Christ ? 119 , effects of its " teaching,'' 315, 368 , the warp and weft of Quakerism, 441 Inward principle, 355, 385 ■ , the purchase of Christ's death, 190 , T. S.'s notion of it, 411 , its identity with the main tenet of Deists, 387 Jewish ceremonies and prejudices, 228, 255, 257, 264, 266, 268 Job, his conciousness of imperfection, 305 Justification by faith, 18, 192, 381 Key of knowledge, its wards blocked up by perversion of the truth, 53, 134 Lamb, feeling the, in our vessels, 177 Letter of S. Tuke, allusions to, and quotations from the, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 21, 36, 42, 43, 47, 60, 75, 104, 105, 111, 117, 124, 133, 137, 138, 146, 153, 173, 174, 175, 242, 246, 248, 249, 283, 295, 314, 318, 330, 331, 336, 338, 339, 375, 393, 395, 396, 433, 435, 436, 452 Letters from Elders, &c, 398, 400, 402, 404, 418, 428 Light, why the Lord Jesus is called, 15 , its chief scriptural meaning, 15, 121 , the same in the heathen as professed by Friends. 164 , becomes life in man by obedience to it, 167 , universal and saving, the doctrine of, supported by the perversion of Scripture, 118, 357, 368 INDEX. 481 Lord's Supper, said to be only a Jewish ceremony, 228 , refusal of the, a mark, 277, 279 , its perpetuity proved, 277 > easiest way to get rid of it is to get rid of the Christian religion, 273, 280 Lower, Thomas, his blasphemous notion of George Fox 415 (note) Man-child born and brought forth in the Spirit 185 202 Manna, 451 Meeting for sufferings, xv,, 339, 354 Memory, the faculty of, overlooked, 58, 88, 109 Ministers, 6, 36 Ministry, 36, 454, 461 brought to the test of feeling, &c, 361, 395 Moral sense, not lost by the fall, 367 , universal, 366 New Creation, 209 Nucleus of the system of Quakerism, 287 Ordinances, non-observance of, a providential mark 252 Overseers, 6, 447 Parable of the rich man and Lazarus, 14 (note) Parnel, J., his works quoted, 1,12, 114 — -, calls the books of the Evangelists another gospel, Pennington, I., title of his works, 94 , extracts and quotations from his works 63 (note), 95, 96, 137, 175, 178, 179, 180, 181 ' 184, 185 ' Penitent, 61, 213 Penn, W., extracts from his works, 21, 100, 109 111 130 156, 158, 160, 164, 168, 170, 285 ' Perfection, doctrine of, cannot be proved, 298 of purpose, 301 , none could lay a claim to, 302 Perplexity produced by the leading errors of Quakerism, 136, 223 " Pleading for sin term of life," 300 Prayer, 61, 211, 446, 454 Precipice of infidelity, 246 482 INDEX. Principles of Friends still exerting their full force upon them, 2, 389 , false, the evil of, 244, 313, 320 , cannot be modified, 116, 247 Prophecy, more sure word of, 84 , professed gift of, 125 , Scripture, fulfilment of, 45 , true and false contrasted, 129 Prophesying, 38 , unfulfilled, 40, 44 Providential direction, 455 Quakerism unchanged and unchangeable, 190 and Christianity two things, 316, 346 of Fox, Penn, &c, the real standard of Friends, 36, 286 constructed on the misconstruction of Scripture, 290, 414 , epitome of the main error of, 89 identified with Hicksism on essential points, 112, 274 Query relative to the Scriptures, 134 Rebellion against the Lord Jesus, 198 Regeneration effected by the Holy Spirit with the Word, 18, 353, 462 indispensably necessary, 57, 61 by obedience to the " inward light," 168 Repentance, 61, 210, 215, 243, 247, 462 Revelation through the Apostles and Prophets, 90, 200, 244, 460 , inward and immediate, danger of the notion of, 31, 38, 45, 90, 128, 151, 243 , no real need of it, 71 , a false principle, 88, 117, 238, 454 , the root of the tree of Quakerism, 105 Sacrifices, the intention of, 182 Salvation by obedience, 190 Scriptures, the only proper test, 4 , authority of, virtually destroyed by Barclay, 75, 81 by G. Fox, 84, 93 INDEX. 483 Scriptures overleaped by Barclay, 55 said to be not absolutely necessary, 49 denied as the rule, 95, 96, 99, 111, 130, 391 as the test, 110, 383 denied as being the word of God, 3S4, 391 professed high value for, 117, 12-1 infinite value of, 129 set too high, 341, 343 1 " a kind of secondary rule," 100 -, study of, discouraged, 139, 335 Seed, the word of God, 53, 58, 107 , feeling the, 145, 176 , spirituality of the true, 164 , not Christ's body, 165 , " we know the woman that brings forth the," 176 in the heart, 213, 2W Sermons taken down, 361, 397, 454 Shaping of language, charge of, substantiated, 331, 436 Silence, deceptive notion respecting, 240 Smith, William, 185 Something in Adam, by the fall reduced to a seed, 281, 297, 299, 413 Spider's web, 201 Standard works of the Society of Friends, 74, 174, 175, 246, 256, 280, 285, 295, 440, 444 Stealing the words of Scripture, 115, 150 Testimony in the true eternal Light that the Scripture is not the rule, 96, 99 of Friends in America, 345, 351, 353 Truth, never attempt to smother the, 345, 351 T. S., his notion of an " inward principle," 411 , dialogue with, 376 , his accusation, 416 , his fear about Bible Christians, 417 Vail, that is to say His flesh, 229 Vehiculum Dei, 23, 29, 34, 282 Wardlaw, Dr., his Letters to the Society of Friends, 121 (note), 168 Watchfulness, 211 Wedding garment, 204 484 INDEX. Word of God, the term not to be confined to one meaning, 54, 108 is pure, 127 ', the instrument made use of by the Spirit, 38/ Word ni^h in the heart, 97, 189 Writings of Friends strongly recommended, 35, 315, 321, 433 Yokdan, Hai Ebn, 79, 82, 238, 469 (Appendix;. W. Tyler. Printer, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. In consequence of the Author's residence being at a distance from the place where the work was printed, he has to offer an apology for the following ERRATA. Page 17, line S from the bottom, insert such between for and all. 37, — 14, put quotation marks to the word revelation. — 41, — 2 of the note, for or, read and ; and for Yearly Meetings, read Yearly Meeting. — 48, the paragraph beginning, The sum, and ending substance, should have been put in quotations. — 53, — 16', for is, read in. — 60, last line, for his, read is. — 67, line 17, for 28, 35, read 28—35. — 75, — 5, dele the quotation marks. — 76, last line but one, for led in, read be led into. — 77, line 1!), for § 1, read § 11, page 51. — 84, last line, for we have a, read, we have also a. — 101, line 7 from the bottom, for meets in, read meets it in. — 106, — 6 from the bottom for experience, read expence. — 108, — 14 of the note, for our, read one. — 109, — 13, for life-virtue, read life, virtue. — 115, — 15, after prophets, insert Christ and his Apostles. — 118, — 4, for vanity, read variety. — 164, — last line but one of the note, for to, read of. — 167, line 13, for spiritual, read scriptural. — 167, — 6 of the note, for of the same, read of one and the same. — 173, — 16, for unbodied, read embodied. — 171), — 9, for outward, read inward. — 231, — 18, for "Letter," read Letter. — 232, — 7, for " Letter," read Letter. — ■ 286, bottom line, for the, read their. — 411, line 9, insert quotation marks before inward, and the paragraph should be terminated by quotation marks. — 418, — 6 from the bottom, for 1st Month, read 12th Month. 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