TRUTH VINDICATED:
AN APPEAL
LIGHT OF CHRIST WITHIN
AND TO THE
w of f^olg Scripture;
BY WAY Of
ANSWER TO A PAMPHLET
ENTITLED,
"EXTRACTS FROM PERIODICAL WORKS ON THE CON-
TROVERSY AMONGST
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS."
LONDON:
EDMUND FRY & SON, BISHOPSGATE STREET
NEW YORK: Y,
REPUBLISHED BY ISAAC T. HOPPER.
1836.
PREFACE
TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.
IT is near two centuries since the Society of Friends
took their rise. In the beginning they were a plain
sincere hearted people. " The bent and stress of
their ministry (says William Penn) was conversion
to God, regeneration and holiness ; not schemes of
doctrines and verbal creeds, or new forms of wor-
ship." " They directed people to a principle, by
which all that they asserted, preached, and exhorted
others to, might be wrought in them, and known,
through experience, to them to be true ; which is a
high and distinguishing mark of the truth of their
ministry ; both that they knew what they said, and
were not afraid of coming to the test :" and while
this principle was the rule of their lives, they were
preserved in unity and harmony. But in process of
time, about the year 1693, George Keith, a man of
talents and learning, and who for several years had
been a minister in the society, " giving way to a con-
tentious spirit, endeavoured to lay waste what he him-
self had asssited to build up." He " let in an aspiring
mind, aiming at pre-eminence among them, (his
brethren,) which, when he could not attain, he trans-
gressed the bounds, not only of Christian charity, but
of common decency." " He charged T. F. and W.
S. with preaching false doctrine, in setting forth the
light of Christ to be sufficient for Salvation, and
declared to T. F. that he himself did not believe the
light was sufficient, without something else." He
further said, that although, of late, some of them
say, they (Friends,) have a reverend esteem of
2088051
Christ without, of his death, sufferings, resurrection
and ascension, yet none of them preach it as a ne-
cessary matter of salvation to believe it, that ever
we heard of," " and it cannot be supposed, that they
hold faith in Christ without them to be necessary to
their salvation, seeing many of them have given
their judgment, that the light is sufficient to salva-
tion, without something els~e, which is a plain exclud-
ing the man Christ Jesus from having any part in
our salvation, and leaving him only the bare name
or title of Saviour/'
John Gough in his " History of the People called
Quakers," gives a pretty full account of the seism oc-
casioned by the defection of Keith, and his followers,
it is well worth a perusal. There the reader will find
the same charges made against Friends then, that those
called orthodox make against them now. Thus we
see that when any external thing, no matter how ex-
cellent in itself, is set up above the teaching of the
spirit of Christ in the soul, it leads to contention and
division. Almost every religious society takes the
scriptures for the primary rule of faith and practice,,
and yet, no two of them understand them alike.
" All scripture given by inspiration of God is pro-
fitable for doctrine, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness ; that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works ; but when
leaned upon as the rule of faith and life, they are
exalted above their proper place, being made to oc-
cupy the position which rightfully belongs to the
Divine light, the only infallible and sufficient teach-
er in the things of God and salvation. That when
thus depended on, ' the letter kills,' and those who
so lean on them are liable to wrest the scriptures to
their own destruction."
The same causes that produced the seism in the
days of George Keith, have operated to effect the late
separation here, which was not only promoted and
greatly facilitated, but was finally consummated
through the instrumentality of several Friends in the
station of ministers, from England, who within a few
years, previously, had visited us under the profession
of religious concern. Instead of those plain, una-
dulterated heart searching truths, so conspicuous in
the discourses and writings of our worthy predeces-
sors, and which had been sustained through a suc-
cession of faithful standard bearers, to the period
referred to, we had now to listen to laboured discourses
on doubtful speculative points of doctrine, strongly
urged as fundamental articles of faith, and those
who presumed to question their validity, were de-
nounced as Deists and Infidels. Before this time
some uneasiness had been manifested by a few rest-
less and aspiring individuals 'among us, who had
taken an active part in some of the popular religious
as well as political concerns of the day ; and in
the prosecution of which, they had not only im-
bibed doctrinal views incompatible with the profes-
sion they had previously made, but acted, on some
occasions, in direct violation of some of the most im-
portant testimonies of the society.
Some of these taking offence at Elias Hicks, be-
cause of his having boldly and faithfully exposed
their inconsistent proceedings, formed a combination
with the English Friends, referred to ; and with a
zeal worthy of a better cause, redoubled their efforts
to piostrate his religious character. The unbend-
ing integrity and faithful dedication of this Friend hav-
ing presented an almost insuperable obstacle to the
accomplishment of their designs. To effect this ob-
ject, talebearing and detraction were resorted to, and
the most extravagant and unfounded misrepresenta-
tions were widely, though for some time, privately
circulated in relation to him and his religious opinions.
About this period, many discovered in the sermons
of the English Friends, sentiments at variance with
the doctrines of the society, and for some time others
who have since joined the Orthodox party, did $>ot
hesitate to declare, that they were sensible i,r this
fact. Much excitement ensued, and the ' jr ,ii u !s of
many becoming obscured through prei' if( ]j cp . they
could not be brought to admit that ',^ose English.
Friends held views which they h?<v & since avoypd
1*
without disguise, and which are now distinguished in
England as " Evangelical."
This departure from primitive doctrine had been
gaining strength in England for some time ; but had
made but little progress in this country until after
the arrival of those English Friends.
It became conspicuously manifest in that country
about the year 1824. Near this time was published
a pamphlet, entiled, " A Letter to a Friend on the Au-
thority, Purpose and Effects of Christianity, and
especially oa the Doctrine of Redemption, by Joseph
John Gurney." The views inculcated in this tract
being such as rendered it acceptable to Calvinistic
professors, it was reprinted and extensively circulated
by the " American Tract Society." The same Friend
about the same time, published a work which he en-
titled " Observations on the Religious Peculiarities of
the Society of Friends." Those who have atten-
tively perused these works, with an eye unclouded
by prejudice, must see in them an insidious attack
upon the doctrines and important testimonies, which
the society has maintained, through persecution and
great suffering, and which it has always considered
as having originated in Divine wisdom. Notwith-
standing this was obvious to many, the Orthodox
approved these works, and republished them in Phi-
ladelphia.
Some time after, another work from the pen of J.
J. Gurney, made its appearance, entitled, " Brief Re-
mark* on the History, Authority and Use of the Sab-
bath," which contains sentiments directly opposed
to those of Robert Barclay, and all. our Friends, an-
cient and modern, who had previously written on
the subject.
This work was also favourably received by Ortho-
dox professors, in this country, whose views on
this subject have uniformly been opposed to those of
Friends, and was republished by them, accompanied
with a preface, by Moses Stuart, professor of The-
ology, at Andover. This latter work did not pass
unnoticed ; the erronious views inculcated in it> were
vii
ably refuted by a Friend in England, and another in
Ireland, each of \vhom wrote a tract in reply to it.
About the year 1S34, J. J. Gurney, wrote another
small work, entitled, " Portable Evidences of Chris-
tianity," containing sentiments very similar to those
inculcated in the " Beacon." This work also obtain-
ed the approbation of the Orthodox professors, be-
fore alluded to, and was republisbed by them here.
Up to this time we are not aware that much dis-
satisfaction appeared, either among Friends in Eng-
land, or among the Orthodox party here, in relation
to the works above mentioned. That portion of
the Society of Friends in England, now distinguished
as " Evangelical," having gained confidence from the
favor with which the foregoing works had been re-
ceived, at length threw of the mask and came out
openly against some of the fundamental doctrines
of the society, in the work above referred to, called
" A Beacon to the Society of Friends, by Isaac Crewd-
son," a minister, in which the paramount authority
of the Scriptures, over the Divine Light, as the pri-
mary rule of faith and practice, is asserted and de-
fended.
Soon after the appearance of the "Beacon, "Dr.
Hancock, of Liverpool, published a small treatise,
entitled "A Defence of the Doctrines of Immediate
revelation and Universal and Saving Light," &c , in-
tended as a defence of these fundamental doctrines
of the Society, from the attacks made upon them in
that work. Such were the conflicting opinions ad-
vanced in these works, and so great was the excite-
ment and alarm . occasioned by the boldness with
which some of the ancient doctrines of the Society
were attacked by the author of the "Beacon," that
a serious breach of unity and harmony ensued. The
subject was taken up in the last yearly meeting in
London, and much animadversion, and a protracted
and somewhat stormy discussion was the consequence.
It resulted in the appointment of a committee to visit
Lancashire quarterly meeting, where the greatest dis-
unity existed, with a view of restoring harmony.
By accounts from that meeting, and the committee*
viii
proceedings, it appears that their labors have proved
unavailing.
Such has been the progress of this departure from
original principles, that of latter times, doctrines are
openly promulgated and defended by some filling the
highest stations in society ; entirely repugnant to
those always held by Friends. In evidence of this,
we refer to the "Beacon," and to "Holy Scripture,
the test of Truth," &c., by Richard Ball. The lat-
ter openly denounces the writings of Barclay, Penn,
and others as unscriptural and unsound. These two
last mentioned works, we have lately republished,
that it may be seen that the authors have openly de-
nounced the doctrines which Friends have always
held, and for which some have laid clown their lives.
Those unacquainted with the state of the Society in
England, will learn with surprise that the " Evangel-
ical Friends" form a large and increasing party,
among whom are many of the most wealthy and in-
fluential individuals belonging to the society in that
country.
Although the English Friends succeeded in effect-
ing a separation in the Society here, we hope there
are but few among those called Orthodox, who have
fully adopted the " Evangelical" opionions of their
trans-atlantic brethren.
The following work from the pen of an English
Friend, is of a different character, and it is consol-
ing to find, notwithstanding the defection above men-
tioned, that there are yet those who are not ashamed
to maintain and defend the truth, as it was revealed
to and proclaimed by our early Friends, in a dark
and degenerate age. The views inculcated in
it are generally those of genuine Quakerism. The
work is well written, and illustrates and defends the
opinions held by Elias Hicks, and all faithful Friends
from the beginning; though it has met with the de-
cided opposition of some prominent Friends in Eng-
land. Josiah Forster in Lancashire Quarterly Meet-
ing, said, that he "could not feel satisfied without
expressing his entire disapprobation of a book that
had appeared since he was last in Liverpool, entitled,
ix
4 Truth Vindicated,' he felt bound to caution hla
friends against it, more particularly as he had heard,
with pain, that the first edition had been exhausted
and that a second was called for. It was, in his opinion,
a very pernicious work." Samuel Tuke, James Crop-
per, and several others in that meeting, expressed
much dissatisfaction with the work ; though others
said that they could see nothing objectionable in it.
It has been called a " Hicksite" volume.
Many Friends in England of latter time, have been
awakened to a sense of their danger, and we believe
that the works above mentioned have had a salutary
effect in opening their eyes, to see the great deviations
in many of their members from the simplicity of the
Gospel. Several treatises have lately appeared, which
form a pleasing contrast to the speculations in those
we have been noticing. The writers have " not fol-
lowed cunningly devised fables," but as said the
Apostle, " That which Avas from the beginning, which
we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and which our hands
have handled, of the word of life." One cause which,
we think, has contributed largely to bring about the
declension so conspicuous is, that many among them
have joined other professors in their favourite project
of evangelizing the heathen nations and in spreading
the Gospel, to accomplish which, they have united
with hireling priests and others in Bible and other so-
cieties, having for their object, professedly, some reli-
gious or charitable purpose. The language addressed
to Israel formerly, we think applicable to us of the
present day. " The people shall dwell alone, and
shall not be reckoned among the nations." By mixing
familiarly with the world we are in great danger of
becoming leavened into its spirit, and hence our testi-
monies become lightly esteemed.
It is natural to inquire how the English Friends,
aided as they were, by an inconsiderable number of
our members here, at the early period of the difficul-
ties, should eventually have succeeded in drawing oft'
so many of the society.
We think a little reflection will solve the matter
satisfactorily. It is well known, that the ancestors
of most of our members here, emigrated from Eng-
land, after the rise of the society there ; and it is
natural that a degree of veneration should linger in
the minds of many, for those who were not only
brethren in religious profession, but also descendants
from the same parent stock, who, amid grievous per-
secution maintained their faith with a firmness and
integrity, that could not be shaken by all the suffer-
ing which envy could devise or malice could inflict.
Independently of this, their principles lead them to
look upon all men as childrea of one common father,
as the offspring of the same Almighty beneficent Cre-
ator, equally the objects of his care, whether rich or
poor, bond or free. Hence, through all the turmoils
of political and civil commotion, for more than a
century, a degree of Christian harmony and fellow-
ship was maintained by Friends unknown to other
religious societies. This communion and fellowship
were cherished and strengthened by frequent episto-
lary correspondence between the yearly meetings ;
and also, by a frequent interchange of religious visits
of their ministers.
Although a high degree of deference and respect
was felt by us for the counsel and advice of our trans-
atlantic Friends, yet the very genius of our discipline
has ever been based upon the most perfect liberty and
equality of the members : and no sooner was it dis-
covered, that some among us, in conjunction with
the English Friends, were seeking to introduce in-
novations upon the doctrines and usages of the society,
than a determination was shown, by those who re-
mained steadfast to original principles, to assert the
rights which belong to every independent Chris-
tian community : such however, was the ascendency
acquired by the " Evangelical" English Friends,
over the minds of some of our members, that they
were induced to resort to the most unjustifiable mea-
sures to accomplish their purposes.
Although our members generally, have been dis-
posed to award to the Society in England, the defer-
ence and respect due to an elder brother, yet we had
act
hoped, that few of us felt such devotion to their opi-
nions, and such confidence in their judgment, as to
yield without inquiry, a ready acquiescence, to
whatever they might think proper to advance, as im-
provements upon the ancient institutions of the soci-
ety. This evident devotedness to the cause of the
society in England, evinced by some of our members,
undoubtedly gave rise to the following remarks of an
eminent statesman, more than twenty years ago.
" The theory of American Quakerism is a very ob-
vious one. The mother society is in England. Its
members are English by birth and residence, de-
voted to their own country, as good citizens ought
to be. The Quakers of these states are colonies or
filiations from the mother society, to whom that so-
ciety sends its yearly lessons. On these the filiated
societies model theiropinions, their^conduct, their pas-
sions and attachments." v v
Although these observations could not with pro-
priety have been made as applicable to the great body
of the society, yet the course since pursued by the
Orthodox party, goes to show, that the strong dis-
criminating mind of Jefferson, discovered at that
day, in some of our members, a disposition which
had escaped the notice of more superficial observers,
and which has finally resulted in their withdrawal
from those, who neither in their religious or political
relations, were disposed to acknowledge allegiance to
any foreign power.
That a strong bias still exists among those called
Orthodox in favor of England, is evident from the
following circumstance. In the bill which they filed
against Friends in the Court of Chancery, in speak-
ing of their yearly meeting, they say, that it " has
always been and still is recognized by the ancient amd
PRIMARY yearly meeting in London." Although
that yearly meeting was the first established, we
are not disposed to award to it, "first in dignity,
chief, principal." All the yearly meetings are upon
an equality, none having pre-eminence over another.
" One is your master, even Christ and all ye are
brethren."
Xll
We shall touch upon one subject more, and then
close this preface. The Orthodox have evinced the
same want of candor, in endeavouring to make the im-
pression that we are a new society, of which Elias
Hicks was the founder, that has characterized all their
proceedings against us. Although they often reiterate
it, they know the imputation is utterly unfounded.
We have embraced no new doctrines, adopted no
new system of discipline or church government, nei-
ther have we ever been the followers of Elias Hicks,
or any other man ; though we conscientiously believe
him to have been an eminent instrument in the Lord's
hand, in calling Friends home to the ancient founda-
tion the revelation of the spirit of God, in the soul
of man, " For other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
ISAAC T. HOPPER.
New York, 3mo. 1836.
THE
TRUTH VINDICATED,
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
I WISH it to be distinctly understood, that the Society
of Friends is in no way implicated in the views which
I have thought it my duty to promulgate in tire course
of this work, any further than my own opinion rela-
tive to the fundamental principles upon which the
Society appears to me to have been originally based,
can be considered to implicate them. I have consult-
ed with no human being upon the subject ; and was not
aware, until within these few weeks, that any " con>-
troversy" of the kind existed amongst the Society of
Friends. One reason is, I have been out of the way
of it and another, perhaps, may have operated, viz*
that, knowing although "an angel from heaven were
to preach any other gospel than the gospel of Christ,"
that it could not be of God, I am not much disposed
to heed the wind of any or every doctrine, by which
he who builds his house upon the " Rock of Ages"
is continually liable to be assailed, in common with
him who builds it on the sand. But whether we
build upon that Rock or not, most certain it is that
nothing can prevail against IT the Rock itself. One
may be of Paul another of Cephas and another
of Apollos. One may own the Romish church an-
other, the Greek church another, the Protestant
church (so called.) One may follow Luther an-
other, Wesley and another, Fox. But what is the
use of thus enumerating names and creeds ? Through-
out the whole of the habitable globe, the opinions o
SOME MEN influence the opinions of OTHERS ; an
2
14
whilst we hear the leaders of one party deprecating
the influence exercised by the leaders of others,
we see them, at the same time, strengthening their
own ; and, though incessantly finding fault with the
lights that other men " set up," they have the vanity
to think that they can erect a " Beacon" themselves,
to which it behoves all men to "take heed," forget-
ting what themselves at other times set forth, that
there is a light already "shining as in a dark place,"
and that John, many centuries ago, bore witness to
that light, and declared it to be " the true light,
which enlighteneth every man which cometh into
the world." I do not, therefore, profess to " set
up," any new light, or " beacon," or to direct to any
light but Christ, who and who alone is " the light
of the world," which was " set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, or ever the earth was." I wish
then again to repeat, that no one but myself can be
considered chargeable with any opinions expressed in
this volume ; and perhaps it never would have ap-
peared before the public, had it not been for the fol-
lowing circumstances.
Walking along the streets the other day, I saw a
board hanging by the side of the door of a booksel-
ler's shop, announcing that " Extracts from Periodi-
cal Works, on the Controversy among the Society
of Friends, may be had within," I immediately walk-
ed into the shop, and purchased the little pamphlet
bearing the foregoing title.
It contains, firstly, "An extract from the Scot-
tish Congregational Magazine for March 1835 ; arti-
cle Review of the ' Beacon,' &c." Secondly
" An extract from the Evangelical Magazine for
March, 1835 ; article Society of Friends." Thirdly,
" From the Scottish Congregational Magazine for
April, 1835; article the Society of Friends." Fourth-
ly " From the Baptist Magazine for May, 1835 ;
article Heview of the 'Beacon,' and Hancock's
Defence." Fifthly "From the Wesleyan Maga-
zine for May, 1835 ; article Review of the Beacon."
Sixthly, " From the (London) Congregational Mag-
azine for May, 1835 ; article Review of the ' Bea-
15
Coil,* ' Brief Account,' ' Bates' Vindication,' and
* Hancock's Defence.' " Seventhly, and lastly,
" From the Christian Observer for May, 1835 ;"
which several " articles" appear to me,
each more or less, to misrepresent the religious prin-
ciples or tenets of the Society of Friends, as pro-
fessed and borne testimony to, both in faith and prac-
tice, by the" founders and early members of the So-
ciety, as well as, 1 trust, by some, though alas, too
few, of the present day. And believing also, not
only that those principles are strangely misrepre-
sented therein, but that the general scope and ten-
dency of these " articles" are calculated to under-
mine and remove the faith of the members of that
society from " the foundation which standeth sure ;"
and with fair words and smooth speeches. with
false hopes and deceitful promises of peace and rest,
have, instead of erecting a " beacon-light, which
shows the rocks to be avoided, and the haven to be
reached," been inviting us to follow, but the ignis
fatuus of man's imaginations and fallible opinions ;
or, at best, the reflected glory of that " true light
which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the
world." The following pages are intended as an
answer to those seven articles or reviews; and it is
my intention to take them one by one, in the order
in which they appear in the little pamphlet before
me. The " Beacon," to which they owe their origin,
I have not read I pretend to know nothing of the
work, farther than its friends, the Magazines, have
made me acquainted ; I have, therefore, to do with IT
only in so far as it stands forth in their pages ; but
this I must say (whatever might be the motives of the
author in writing it,) that no good which it can other-
wise possibly possess, can in the least degree coun-
terbalance the harm which, in my humble opinion,
must of necessity ensue, if those principles should
be iaibibed in the Society, which are embodied in
the greater part of the quotations selected by the
Magazines as matter to them of great joy and gratifi-
cation.
It is my intention, briefly as I can, in justice to the
16
high magnitude and importance of the subject to shew'
that not only did the early members of the Society
consider the Scriptures in the light of an AUXILIARY
rather than a PRIMARY rule, but that the Scriptures
themselves do not warrant by evidence, either direct
or fairly constructive, or by the nature of their testi-
mony, so startling a conclusion- to the sincere be-
liever of " Christ WITHIN, the hope of glory," the
startling unseriptural assertion, that " it is clear to-
demonstration, that there CAN BE NO HIGHER RULK
than the SCRIPTURES-." This is not what ChrisS
taught it is not what the Apostles taught it is
not what Fox, and, Penn, and Barclay, and Fisher
taught; no they taught that CHRIST was "the
way, the TRUTH, and the life" that " no man
cometh unto the Father but by the Son, and he
to whom the Son will reveal him," they taught that
Christ was " that light which enlighteneth every
man that cometh into the world," and that " a mani-
festation of his blessed spirit is given to every man
to profit withal ;" they did not teach that John was
"that light," they did not teach that they, or THEIR
" IMPRESSIONS" were " that light," they did not
teach that the prophets, and " holy men of old," were
*' that light," or that the Scriptures which they wrote,
"as moved by the Holy Ghost," were " that light ;"'
they taught not that any, or all of these aposfcles,
prophets, holy men, or their writings, as "moved by
the Holy Ghost," were " that light ;" but that they
vvere only witnesses, and testimonies, and records
of " that light." This, as I shall endeavour to shew,
was the high and holy testimony upon which were
based all the remaining testimonies, that the humble
and persecuted followers of our Redeemer were ever
called upon to bear. And that I may not be misun-
derstood in any observations I may feel called upon
to make in the course of these pages, in reference to
the just weight and authority of the Scriptures, I
wish to state, that it is far from my view to depreciate
them, but on the contrary, I am willing to accord
them every high title, and holy office they accord to
themselves; but I dare not give them titles, which they
17
not only do not appropriate to themselves, but which
they exclusively apply to "Him who is without be-
ginning or end of days." Believing " that no prophe-
cy of Scripture is of any private interpretation," for
the self-same reason which the Scriptures testify
themselves, " for tlie prophecy came not in old time
by the will of man ; but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost," 1 feel indubi-
tably convinced, that without the presence of that liv-
ing power which gave them forth, we must be " slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."
It may be also, that I may have to express a coin-
cidence of sentiment with some of the views of that
misguided individual, Elias Hicks ;* but do not from
this, let it be imagined that in so doing I intend to
countenance, directly or indirectly, any errors into
which he or his followers may have unhappily fallen,
by following " whatever suggestions most comport
with their particular bent of mind." I deem it es-
sential to be extremely clear and explicit upon this
point, so as, if possible, to leave no room for cavil
or misconstruction ; or in case any of my statements
may not be sufficiently clear to all minds, to prevent
a construction being put which would be utterly re-
pugnant to my feelings, and at complete variance
with what I conceive to be (in the emphatic language
of that good man, and faithful servant of Jesus Christ,
George Fox) " the Truth." To suppose that the
mere IMPRESSIONS or SUGGESTIONS of our minds, can
teach us the way to life and salvation, appears indeed
to me to be^" making shipwreck of the faith," and
perhaps upon a more dangerous coast than that of
the mere letter of Scripture ; I wish it therefore
to be clearly understood, that whilst I perceive all
these Reviewers have rejoiced at the " Beacon-light"
[* It appears that the writer has here fallen into the error he so
justly and severely reprehends in the latter part of this work:
he must have laboured under deep rooted prejudice to have pronoun-
ced B. Hicks, a " misguided individual/' without knowing some-
thing-more about him than can be gleaned from mere "report 11
" and the extracts from periodical works," more especially as these
are evidently maiie by his zealous opposers. L T. H.l
IS
blazing upon Scylla, I believe them to have beeri
cither blind or indifferent to the dangers of Chary bdis;
I have never read the writings or heard the ser-
mons of Elias Hicks, or to the best of my knowledge^
any of his followers. I know of his opinions only
by report; and the "Extract from Periodical
Works,"* have furnished me with the fullest. So
far as my own opinion goes, I do not see that any
ostensible cause existed, to lead us to suppose that
there was any tendency of the Society in this coun-
try to fall into " the gulf of Ilicksism, or deism."
To, I believe, a very great majority, the very exist-
ence of such girifs were unknown ; or if known I
trust I speak truly when I say, that there has been
but little inclination to explore the paths that lead to
them. No " Beacon" appears to me to have been
needed, where no real danger has existed, and it af-
fords cause for deep regret, that any thing with so
attractive a name should have appeared with the ob-
vious, if not the avowed tendency and object, to at-
tract us to the reflected beams of Scripture truth, for
that full and glorious display of light, which comes
direct only from the " Sun of righteousness" himself.
The leading character of the testimonies, that the
ministers of the Society have usualry borne, since
and before the .days of Hannah Barnard, has been
that of an implicit faith in the divinity and aH-suffi-
ciency of Christ, and a just veneration and deference
for Holy Writ. Although it forms a part of the
plan of infinite wisdom to place good and evil before
his weak and erring creature, man, I much doubt the
propriety of our placing the latter before each other,
unless in cases where it cannot be avoided, or point-
ing by way of warning or comparison, Avhen it is
f * After admitting that he " knows of Elias Hicks' opinionsbnly by
report," and "extracts from periodical works," it would seem rather
illiberal and unfair to follow the Reviewers in connecting Hieksism
with Deism. The author doubtless, was not aware that the religious
opinions of E. H. have been grossly misrepresented and perverted
by the garbled extracts that have been published from his sermons
and writings. Many such are ta be found in- the Beacon.
I. T. H.}
id
placed there already. I think I am safe in Sayin r
that such was a feature of our Saviour's ministry, and
of the apostles that succeeded him. It is better to
" let the time past suffice," " to leave the things
that are behind, and press forward to those that are
before," " looking to Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith." Elias Hicks, and his opinions, might,
I think, therefore, have been safely left behind.
It must, 1 am satisfied, be the cause of deep grief
to many, that those excellent and precious testimo-
nies, which the early members of the Society were
called upon to bear in the face of a corrupt and sin-
ful world, exposed to bufferings and whippings, sore
imprisonments, heavy fines, banishment, malignant
tortures, and cruel deaths, should, by an acknow-
ledged minister of that Society, be asserted to be the
source from whence has ORIGIXATED " that desolating
heresy, which, in the United States of America, has
lately swept thousands after thousands of our small
section of the Christian Church into the gulf of Hicks-
ism and deism." And it is not more extraordinary
than true, that those testimonies are repudiated upon
the self-same ground, (though urged, so far as I have
seen, with a freedom from bitterness, and, PERHAPS,
in a spirit of less derision.) upon which they were
opposed by some of the most malignant and stanch-
est foes, that enlisted against the Friends of those
days. No No, my young Friends ; read, try, ex-
amine, judge for yourselves the writings, the labours,
the travels, the sufferings, the experiences, the joys
which the world could neither give nor take from
the worthies of those days. Read of "the gift of
grace" that was upon them of the holy love that
knit their hearts together, as the heart of one man
" fully know their doctrines, see their manner of life,
purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience ;"
and then say whether that blessed and sanctified tes-
timony to " the light within, has led, step by step,
into the deadly gulf of deism !"
I cannot adopt the opinions conveyed, in the pre-
fatory remarks, to the " Extracts from Periodical
Works," that such discussions as religious contro-
20
versy "are the chief, it' not the only, means whereby,
humanly speaking, the errors which have, from time
to time, crept into the Christian church, can be eradi-
cated." If any errors have ever been eradicated by
what is termed " religious controversy," I think such
eradication has formed the exception, and not the
rule. One assumption, at all events, is entitled, from
a third party, to as much deference as another ; and
I think, upon sober reflection, it must be admitted
on all hands, that "knowledge has been darkened by
words without wisdom ;" and that controversy,
though recommended to us by the appendage of the
hallowed term, "religious," has produced, amongst
the professors of Christianity, more ill-will, confusion
of ideas, MYSTICISM of thought, word and deed ; in
short, has been the means of introducing not only a
great variety of conflicting, inconsistent, and anti-
scriptural opinions amongst men, but has been one
of the chief causes of those errors, both in faith and
practice, which, alas ! but too generally, it is to be
feared, prevail in these days of outward ease, and
great profession. " Of making many books," said
Solomon, " there is no end," and " the conclusion of
the whole matter," the same authority declared to be
the "fear of God, and the keeping of his command-
ments ;" for this is the whole duty of man." If men,
therefore, neither heed Solomon nor a greater than
Solomon, the conjectures of fallible creatures like
themselves, upon the meaning of this text and the
other of Scripture, though multiplied to ten thousand
limes the bulk of the whole Scriptures put together,
will neither eradicate " the errors that, from time to
time, have crept into the Christian church," nor
" teach them to fear God and keep his commandments
for this is the whole duty of man." Oh ! how tru-
ly harmonious, how beautifully corroborative of this
important truth, are the respective testimonies of the
Prophet, the Sage of Israel, and the Redeemer of
man ! I must place them conspicuously before us "He
hath showed thee, oh, man ! what is good : and what
doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to do
justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy
21
God!" "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter fear God, and keep his commandments, for
this is the whole duty of man." "Jesus said unto
him, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment, and the se-
cond is like unto it- thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself. On these two commandments hang all
the law and the Prophets." How can religious con-
troversy, let me here ask, make this great trinh clear-
er ? Surely the Scriptures, which the Reviewers
say, are " the only rule of faith and practice," may
be allowed to speak for themselves to stand as they
are, whole and unmutilated, without this man's com-
mentary, or that man's conjecture ! And let me ap-
peal to the honest conviction of every man, whether
there is not a something within him (whatever name
they may give it, which something I know by the
name of " the light within"), that bears its testimony
to the testimony of Scripture, that to "fear God and
keep his commandments, is the whole duty of man ?"
Has not, I repeat, every sane person, unless " given
over to a reprobate mind," something within him that
declares this testimony of Scripture to be the truth ;
and that acquits or condemns him independently of
his own volition, his own wishes and strivings with
it, according as he walks in obedience or disobedi-
ence thereunto ? If such evidence be disregarded,
and errors be allowed to creep in, how can disputa-
tions and learned janglings, commentaries, interpre-
tations, and explanations, adapted to the systems of
the various originators and defenders of them, tend
to any thing else, but to lead us from the simplicity
of " the Truth as it is in Jesus" to conduct us to a
labyrinth of endless mazes, instead of that path that
" a wayfaring man, though a fool, cannot err there-
in." ! !
It is highly necessary that the meaning we attach
to certain words should be distinctly explained, or
the arguments we adopt, and the views we take, are
liable to be misconstrued or misunderstood. From
this consideration, therefore, I deem it incumbent on
me, in this place, to state that I do not take 4i the
Word of God" to be the writings of the Old and New
Testament. And for these reasons, viz. in the first
]>lace, it is giving them a title which they not only do
)iot appropriate to themselves, but which they inva-
riably and exclusively apply to Him " who was in
the beginning with God, and without whom there
was not anything made that is made." And, in the
second place, it is not only the misappropriation of
a name, but it is confounding things which are, in
their nature, essentially distinct and separate from
each other. " In the beginning," writes the Apostle
John, " was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God, the same was in the begin-
ning with God." And again " the Word was MADE
FLESH and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth," and " In Him was life, and the life was
the light of men. That was the true light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
And in the First Epistle of John " For there are
Three that bear record in Heaven the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one."
And in Revelations, we read " And he was clothed
with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called
the Word of God." I have given these quotations
as " a reason for the hope that is in us." Now I
earnestly entreat that every individual, into whose
hands this little book may fall, to look at these passa-
ges individually and collectively, as though (if it be
possible,) it were the first time their eyes had ever
beheld them, and then tell me if the Society of
Friends, without adducing anything farther, have not
scriptural authority and reason for appropriating the
term " The Word of God," solely to Him " who was
in the beginning with God?" Can all, or any of the
high attributes and things which are here related of
Him " who liveth for ever and ever," be predicated
of the Scriptures, either as a whole or in part, from
the first chapter of Genesis to the last cf Revela-
tions? Will any man affirm of the Scriptures that
they are one with God will he affirm of the i'Scrip-
23
tures, in this passage, that they are synonymous with
" the Word ?" Will any man aflirm of the Scrip-
tures that they are ''that light which enlighteneth
every man that comethinto the world?" will he*f-
firm that the Scriptures are " The Word," which the
Apostle John says is that light which enlijjhteneth
KVERY MAN that cometh into the world.' VVill any
man affirm of the Scriptures that they were " made
flesh, and dwelt among us," and that the glory of the
Scriptures was beheld "as of the glory of THE ONLY
BEGOTTEN of the Father, full of grace and truth?"
Will any man affirm of the Bible, that it " was in the
beginning with God," and that it " it was God ?"
Hardly, I think. Yet such, according to the Bible's
own testimony, must be affirmed of the Bible, IF the
Bible be " the" Word of God ;" for "The Word," we
are told, is " The ONLY BEGOTTEN :" and if the Only
Begotten, there can be no other. Nor is the Bible in
the least undervalued, its authority impaired, or the
weight and excellency of its precious truths dimin-
ished, by not giving it a title which it nowhere gives
itself. He who sincerely believes that " All Scripture
was given by inspiration of God, as holy men of old
were moved by the Holy Ghost," will not feel in-
clined to view the Bible as a " mere written book"
to deride its authority to spurn its counsel to de-
spise its warnings to refuse its consolations, and
trample under foot the glorious promises and blessed
hopes that it holds forth. I think it unnecessary to
dwell any longer on this point at the present, as I
shall probably have to recur to it in the course of this
work ; but I cannot quit it even 'here without again
urging the entreaty, for my readers to peruse, with
attention, impartiality, and desire of truth, the passa-
ges I have adduced hereon. Have we authority from
these passages, or from any others throughout the
Bible, to designate it by that term which is used there-
in to denominate "The Only Begotten of the Fa-
ther ?" Do the word?, I say, warrant any other ap-
plication of the peculiar and expressive term " The
Word," than in the only scriptural sense in which
they are there used 1 Can, or could, anything but
24
(i controversy," improperly termed " religious contro-
versy," have ever put any other construction upon
them ?
I am now, perhaps, arrived at the most proper place
for stating that my principal reason for appearing be-
fore the public anonymously, is, that I believe more
good will be thus effected than with my name annex-
ed. In a work of this description, it is more the cha-
racter of the principle than of the author that should
be sought for. I wish to see the truth prevail, and I
am convinced that a more careful inquiry, and a more
just and impartial judgment will be obtained than if
the name of the author were made known. I wish
that spirit to be exercised and brought to the inves-
tigation of these pages " which knows how to distin-
guish what is just in itself, from what is merely ac-
credited by illustrious names," even so far as to
"adopt a truth that no one may have sanctioned, and
reject an error, of which all -approve, with the same
calmness as if no judgment were opposed toils own."
My name, if it appeared, might have weight my
character and station might be a passport with some
for my opinions, for aught that can now be said.
They might, on the contrary, be of no weight, or,
they might be worse than none ; they might prove
" a stumbling block, and stone of offence" to the
Truth itself. As it is, none of these things are likely
to occur. I therefore send it forth for such as it may
be worth in the sight of Him " who weigheth the
mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance :" and
being so weighed, may it not "be found wanting,"
May the heart of him who writes, and of them who
read, be alike endued with grace and understanding
to distinguish the "precious from the vile ;" and in
the beautiful words of the poet, may we put up the
petition,
" What in me is dark,
Illumine; what is low, raise and support!"
CHAPTER IL
THE article which stands first in these " Extracts,"
is one " from the Scottish Congregational Magazine
for March, 1835 ; article, Review of the ' Beacon,'"
&c. ^An article written in a less scornful spirit per-
haps than any of the rest. It commences, by intro-
ducing the " Beacon" to the notice of its readers, and
after alluding in complimentary terms, rather than
otherwise, to the Society of Friends, it goes on to
state that " their (the Friends') SECTARIAN PECULI-
ARITIES, (we use the term in HO invidious and ill-ua-
tured sense) are calculated., as not a few of the more
evangelically serious and spiritually-minded among
themselves .are abundantly sensible, to engender a
spirit of pharisaical self-estimation, that is far from
being in harmony with the lowly-mindedness of the
gospel : and this tendency is increased by the very
virtues for which they are distinguished, by their
high average character as a body, for truth and inte-
grity, for simplicity and humanity, and other com-
mendatory excellencies. They are in imminent peril
of 'lovitig the praise of men more than the praise of
God' of being more solicitous to maintain their re-
putation in the world, than humbly to 'approve them-
selves' to their divine Master ; and cherishing the
delusive imagination, that what procures them the
estimation of their fellow-creatures may do something
at least towards their acceptance at a higher tribu-
nal, of maintaining, amidst all the externalities of
lowliness of mind, a spirit the very opposite of that
self-renunciation, which is the primary element in
the character of every true believer of the gospel.
They are thus in danger of being ' moved away' from
the 'sure foundation,' or of never at all building upon
it, and of * trusting in themselves that they are righ-
teous,' if not even of 'despising others.' ' :
3
26
Alarming dangers ! awful consequences to be sure,
from whatever causes they may arise; but I cannot
help thinking that if this writer was as prudent, as he
is earnest and apparently sincere, if he is so much
inspired with a " wakeful and solicitous apprehension
of their (the Friends') spiritual danger, as he avows,
is it not to be lamented, that he with his own hand
should have contributed to foster that " spirit of pha-
risaical self-estimation," by an unsolicited testimony
to " their high average character, as a body, for truth
and integrity, for simplicity and humanity?" Surely
if he is *' alive to the true interests," and regrets
"the errors, whether doctrinal or practical, of their
(the Friends') religious system," he should not by
any adulatory remarks, have administered to that
spirit, which makes them " more solicitous to main-
tain their reputation in the. -world than humbly to
'approve themselves' to their divine Master." It
must surely be a mistaken kindness, to express one's
"almost reverential admiration," for, and to enume-
rate some of the good works of a body of men, whose
very " danger of being moved away from the sure
foundation," consists, according to the same indivi-
dual's views, in their imminent peril of "loving the
praise of men, more than the praise of God." It
does seem, I say, a pity, with such vievVs and such
feelings, towards the Friends, that this individual
should have increased the danger, by a gratuitous
increase of the occasion of it "the praise of men."
However, the tendency to this " spirit of pharisaical
self-estimation," is laid at the door of " their Secta-
rian peculiarities," "as not a few of the more evan-
gelically serious and spiritually-minded amongst
themselves are abundantly sensible." Now it ap-
pears to me that the humble followers of Christ, by
whatever name they may be called, must possess
"peculiarities" in the present immoral and irreli-
gious condition of the world. Where " the lusts of
the flesh" instead of the " fruits of the spirit" are
generally fulfilled, the latter will be ever sure to
make the possessors a " peculiar people zealous of
27
GOOD WORKS," these being " the very virtues, for
which" says this writer, " they (the Friends) are dis-
tinguished."
" They are distinguished," says he, " for truth and
integrity, for simplicity and humanity," which very
virtues, include the fear of God, and the love of our
neighbour, which are neither " the tithe of mint, anise,
or cummin but the weightier matters of the law."
I am not however at liberty to pass such unquali-
f ed eulogiums upon the Friends as a body, as does
this writer, who, nevertheless, considers such praise
as a proximate cause of danger ; and, although where
such excellent fruits do appear, the praise and glory
should be jriveu to the great Husbandman "who giv-
eth the increase." I feel abundantly satisfied that
their good wor^s would appear much more conspi-
cuously before men* than they do, so that they might
" glorify our Father which is in Heaven," were those
ancient testimonies, and "distinctive peculiarities"
more strictly heeded, and observed than they are ;
I mean not mere FORMAL "peculiarities," but "pe-
culiarities embodying a great principle embodying
that principle of self-renunciation, which is the pri-
mary element in every true believer of the gospel"
even that "peculiarity" of "becoming fools for
Christ's sake." It is not indeed in the particular cut
of a coat it is not in the width of a hat brim, or the
height and shape of the crown it is not in thee and
thou or in SAMUEL this, or MARY that it is not in
" quietism and silence," that the great principle of
"Friends' peculiarities" can be seen or understood ;
no he who takes but this superficial view of them,
has yet to learn the difference between ceremonial
observances, and the simplicity of truth ; whether he
be one professing Friends' principles, or otherwise.
No " not a few," I trust, " of the evangelically se-
rious, and spiritually minded among themselves are
abundantly sensible" that none, or all of these things
together are a sine qua non in reference to man's sal-
vation. These are but as the " tithe of mint, and
anise, and cummin," of the old Mosaic law, when
looked upon as mere ceremonies, or "peculiarities '*
the adoption of which will ensure " an inheritance
amongst the saints."
But these, as well as other peculiarities, .notwith-
standing they are denominated " sectarian," can find
ample support from that book which contains the
" recorded testimony of the Spirit." And let me here
ask what is meant by "SECTARIAN peculiarities?"
Are not the modes, forms, etc. of different sects ALL,
"peculiarities 7" Is it not by means of their identi-
cal " peculiarities" that they are constituted differ-
ent sects ? and if so, are not the peculiarities of ALL,
sects SECTARIAN I Then why apply that term to one
sect in particular, if " nothing invidious and ill-na-
tured be intended I"' To such a construction of the
term sectarian, I can have no objection ; but if no
other be intended, it becomes superfluous to adapt it
here. If the writer, who informs us in what sense
he does NOT intend it, but leaves his readers to dis-
cover in what sense he DOES, if, I say, the term is
used to express a something in the character of the
Friends' peculiarities that is not to be met with in his
own sect, or any other, inasmuch as the peculiarities
of his own and others, are all based upon some great
principle of Christian truth, but that the " peculiari-
ties" of Friends are the mere result of " those sug-
gestions which most accorded with the particular
bent of mind" of those with whom they originated,
and by whom they are continued ; if such be his
meaning, I join issue with him, and affirm to the con-
trary. I maintain that the " distinctive peculiari-
ties," of the Friends were testimoneis that the early
Friends were called upon to bear, in the face of " a
crooked and perverse generation," testimonies from,
and to, that " light within," of which John " bare re-
cord," and sweetly harmonizing with the revealed
truth in Scripture.
Although a more suitable opportunity will arise in
the course of this little work, to dilate upon these
"peculiarities," still I cannot well forbear from in-
dulging in a few observations now the subject is be-
fore me. The chief " peculiarities" of Friends con-
sist in their mode of worship, their dress, their la,n-.
29
gliage, anil meeting discipline. Now, for all these
14 peculiarities," Scripture authority can be adduced,
find what more can any adduce who have adopted
other 44 peculiarities?" Other bodies of professing
Christians, with but very few exceptions, acknow-
ledge no higher authority. Amongst those who do
not, is the writer of the " Review of the Beacon ;"
he, with the author of the " Beacon," makes the Bi-
ble (which book I apprehend he alludes to, when
speaking of the Word of God) "the ultimate appeal
for the truth of every doctrine, and the propriety of
every practice." Well, the Fjiends are willing to
abide the judgment of this tribunal upon every "pe-
culiarity" " which has ever had so powerful a ten-
dency to produce a propensity to scorn." Now,
with regard to their discipline and mode of worship,
let me ask in Christian love, if any man desirous of
truth, for truth's sake, will read the history of our
Saviour when on earth, as recorded by the pens of
the four evangelists of the mode the times the
places of preaching and prayer if, also, he will con-
tinue his search through the Acts snd Epistles of the
Apostles, and cannot see a nearer accordance to the
strict equality, the sweet simplicity, the meek, the
mild, the unoffending, unceremonial, and charity-
breathing discipline, which pervades the harmonious
whole, if, I say, he cannot perceive a nearer accord-
ance to these beautiful and glorious features of Chris-
tianity, in these " peculiarities" which exclude all
temporal power all unjust and impartial distinctions
-^-all pompous rites, and superstitious ceremonies
all human consecrating of things, and buildings, and
places which exclude all formal iip and knee homage
or all drawing near with the lips to God, when the
heart is far from him" which essays not to enter
into the pool before the Angel has descended to
trouble the waters, but which rests with humble con-
fidence upon " him who is mighty to save," and will
in his own time make bare his holy arm for the de-
liverance of his contrite and afflicted ones, who know
that " the preparation of the heart in man, and the
answer of the tongue is from the Lord ;" if, I say, a
3*
30
nearer accordance to the simplicity of Christian Wot*"
ship, and Christian discipline, cannot be seen in these
"peculiarities" which recognize no ministry, "but
of the ability which God giveth" no government
but that which rests upon " HIS shoulders" to whom
it belongs, and of whom the prophet Isaiah foretold,
in that beautiful passage, wherein he declares, that
" He shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the
Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace, and the government shall rest upon his shoul-
ders, and of the increase of his kingdom there shall
be no end :" " if, I repeat, a stricter affinity be not
seen between these " peculiarities," and the modes of
worship and discipline of the early Christians, so far
as they are set forth in the writings of the Apostles,
than can be discovered between the Jatter and those
" peculiarities," which must have Cathedrals, and
Churches and Chapels,- Archbishops and Bishops,
and Deans, Popes and Cardinals, and Monks and
Friars, Presbyters, Doctors, right reverend, very
reverend, and not very reverend sirs crosses, ima-
ges, altars, fonts, holy water (so called), wafers, mi-
tres, crosiers, gowns, surplices, and silk aprons
reading or giving out their own or other men's opin-
ions, upon some text of Scripture twice or thrice a
week, and reading over, time after time the same form
of prayer, without reference to the immediate wants,
states, or conditions of the hearers tithes, oblations,
offerings, dues letting of seats support by volun-
tary contributions, and a long train of other practices,
contradictory doctrines, and strange ceremonies, too
numerous to mention : if, I say, it is not seen that
the Friends' "peculiarities," which the " Scottish
Congregational Magazine" writer, designates Secta-
rian, do in these particulars of worship and discipline,
more closely resemble that of the Primitive Chris-
tians, so far as they are set forth in the Scriptures, I
can only say in almost their own words, that it is
marvellous " that any intellect should be the subject
of such hebetude of vision as not to discern the falla-
cy." And with respect to the " peculiarities" of
dress and language, if plainness and simplicity in the
31
one, use and cleanliness in the other, do not accord
with the doctrine, and probable practice of our Sav-
iour the Apostles and primitive believers generally,
according to Scripture testimony, than the bowing
and cringing the hypocritical deference to mere
rank- the indiscriminate application of worthy and
honourable terms and titles, to individuals, from the
mere circumstance of station alone, without refer-
ence to the moral fitness of the expressions, or worth
of the party addressed- if, to call our fellow-crea-
tures most religious, gracious, noble, illustrious,
honourable and right honourable reverend, right
reverend, and most reverend, whether they possess
these qualities, or on the contrary, are irreverend,
mostirreverend dishonourable, most dishonourable,
ungracious and irreligious if such " peculiarities"
as these, are more conformable to Apostolic precept
and practice than the " peculiarities" of Friends,
which disown that spirit which prompts us to "hold
men's persons in admiration, because of advantage ;"
then I must confess that I have read the Bible to but
little profit, and that those dear and persecuted
Friends of former days, who " in perils in the city,
in perils in the wilderness, in perils amongst false
biethren," were enabled through "the everlasting
arm" of divine power and love, to uphold in faithful-
ness and patience the testimonies they were given to
bear ; then, I say, were they " of all men most raise*
rable."
Be not deceived, my Christian brethren, these
things are not of Christ^f/icse "peculiarities," are
of the spirit that warreth against the Truth, and to
which the call of the prophet extends with searching
power, "come out from amongst them, and be ye
separate." Whence is it, my fellow Christian pro-
fessors of all denominations, but from the pride of
man, and not the humility of the Cross, that THESE
" peculiarities" these ceremonies and demands >
these titles, and honours, and DISTINCTIONS arise?
The writer of the " Review of the Beacon," praises
that work, chiefly because of" the principle adopted
in it of making the Word of God," (which holy title
32
he misapplies to the Bible,) " the ultimate appeal fo*
the truth of every docirine, and the propriety of every
practice." Mind, not of some doctrines and prac-
tices, but of " EVERY doctrine," and " every practice."
Now,, in what part of the Bible does he find Christ,
or his Apostles, dividing Christians into two distinct
bodies, of cLERGY-men, and LAY-men ? Where is
the command, that men are to ordain each other to
preach the Gospel, which Paul declares to be, not
this holy man's writings, or that holy man's writings,
or all the writings, and sayings, and prophecies of
all the holy men that were ever " moved" thereunto,
but, " the power of God unto salvation." Where, I
say, is the command for men to ordain one another
to preach the Gospel ! to establish universities and
schools of divinity, and to forbid all preaching "in
the name of Jesus," but such as receive a licence
from their fellow dependants and expectants on di-
vine love and mercy? Where do we find that such
authority should be given to " the wise, and mighty,
and learned of this world," to appoint and qualify all
those in their earthly wisdom and favour they may
think meet, " to preach the unsearchable riches of
Christ ?" Where do we find the command that such
a mode of proclaiming the "glad tidings" of heaven
shall be adopted in the Church of Christ, and that the
members shall contribute of their earthly, substance
to support it in wordly pomp and grandeur? Where
do we find the command for even " voluntary" con-
tributions? Where do we find authority for placing
the Gospel for support upon public charity ? Did
Christ, or his Apostles, order one more than the
other? Did they press the civil power into their ser-
vice, and coerce men to give the tenth of the land's
produce to a body incorporated with the state, and
invested with almost all kinds of temporal privileges
and honours, in order that men might "not be con-
formed to this world, but transformed by the renew-
ing of their minds ?" Where do we find authority
for men to appoint ministers of the Gospel of Christ,
and to give a certain sum per annum for a seat in a
building, or so much as their means can afford, in
33
order that they may participate in the benefits of
this man-made min : stry ? Where is the chapter and
verse from the Reviewer's standard of " ultimate ap^
peal for the truth of EVERY doctrine, and the propri-
ety of EVERY practice," for this practice and the doc-
trine upon which it maybe founded? Is this de-
scription of payment of making as much of the
Bible as fair competion will allow, sanctioned by
Christ, or any of his Apostles, according to Scrip-
ture testimony? Is this putting up of a human mi-
nistry to the highest bidder, recommended in the
sacred volume, in preference to a compulsory pay-
ment? Or, have, either of these "peculiarities' 1
scriptural authority to enforce them? May we not,
without fearing the charge- of unbecoming levity be-
ing urged against us, exclaim, " I never heard of
such a thing in the Bible ?" Monstrous infatuation
indeed, gross hypocrisy. enormous wickedness,
or extraordinary blindness, that, with the Bible the
very Bible itself in their own vernacular tongue
before their eyes, " that any intellect should be the
subject of such hebetude of vision as not to discern
the fallacy."
But I cannot quit this part of the subject yet. A
serious charge has been made against what are termed
the "Sectarian peculiarities" of the Friends, and
these peculiarities are, more or less, throughout the
" Extracts from Periodical Works," held up for re-
probation, as dangerous and anti-scriptural : yes, that
' the tenets of Elias Hicks," (says the Baptist Maga-
zine writer,) "are clearly deducible from the funda-
mental principles of Quakerism." Now, for my own
part, I am fully satisfied that these " peculiarities"
will bear the test of scriptural examination, and that
it is only by a steady, sincere, and faithful adherence
to the spirit of them, that the Society will ever be
enabled to fulfil those gracious designs of Divine
Providence, for which, I believe, they were raised
up as a people. And if the faith of the Society has
received a shock if it has seemed meet to inscruta-
ble wisdom to permit the tempter to break in, and
worry and seduce the flock, it behoves those who
have been spared, " to ponder well the paths of their
feet," and, in deep self-abasement and humiliation,
to call aloud for help, where help only can be had.
I well know, that it is not in mere forms, in "quiet-
ism," or any other form, that the life and power of
Christ is to be found. I know it is in vain to " search
for the living amongst the dead ;" but \ve should be
careful and not confound a principle with mere pro-
fession an.d form, so as to condemn the former be-
cause the latter may assume its appearance.
Simplicity of dress and language, and silence when
we meet together to worship the Almighty, are, when
practised as mere forms, but a solemn mockery, so
far as they are depended upon as a means in them-
selves to salvation ; but they assume a very different
character when we view the-m as external indications
of Christian humility, meekness, and simplicity, or
as testimonies borne against that spirit of pride and
vanity which seeks its gratification in the ever-vary-
ing fashions of the world, or that dependence upon
external helps set forms of praying and preaching,
instead of that utter abandonment of self, and total
prostration of all human power at the feet .of Him
unto whom all " power and glory" belongs in that
stillness from all creaturely movements, and that true
silence of the mind in which no voice but the vo ce
of the true Shepherd can be heard, "teaching as
man never yet taught." Viewed in this light, in this
only light in which the real worth and tendency o-f
these " peculiarities" can be seen, we shall find, that
instead of engendering "a spirit of pharisaical self-
estimation," they will lead us to a just sense of our
own poverty, and helplessness, and that if we are ena-
bled to "take up the cross, and despise the shame,"
if we are qualified to render acceptable worship to
the Most High, " in spirit and in truth," if we are
enabled to hold fast our profession without waver-
ing," " to use the world as not abusing it, knowing
that the fashion of this world passeth away," if we
are enabled to hold our conversation in the world
*' in all simplicity and godly sincerity," if, finally,
we are favoured to walk " soberly, righteously, and
35
godly, in this present world," then, oh ! how beauti-
fully does that " peculiarity" of silence, before Al*
mighty God, when met together to offer the tribute of
praise and thanksgiving, that utter relinquishment
of all created power, that sole dependency upon
Him who commanded the isles to "keep silence"
before him, "that the. people may recover their
strength," oh ! how beautifully, then, does this " pe-
culiarity" proclaim a consciousness of utter incapa-
city, to " think even a good thought of ourselves,"
but that if we are enabled to do all these things r it is
" through Christ, which streiiglJieneth i/s."
With these views; most heartily do I concur in
those interrogatories put to the Society by by Joseph
John Gurney, in the quotation made from the sev-
enth edition of his work, " On the Distinguishing
Views and Practices of the Society of Friends," a
work which I have not read. " What ought to be our
course ? Shall we turn our backs on our high Chris-
tian views of the spirituality of true Avorship? Shall
we return to ceremonial and figurative rites? Shall
we make way in our meetings for a ministry, which
one man may prepare, and another appoint? Sh 11
we cease from our testimony against all pecuniary
corruption in the church ? Shall we surrender our
Saviour's standard of the yea and the nay : and no
longei* refuse an oath when expediency is supposed
to demand it? Shall we, after all our peaceable pro-
fessions,' recur to the warfare of the world ? Shall
we forsake our simplicity in dress and language, and
break down a hedge which so usefully protects many
of our behoved young people from the vanities of the
world? In short, shall we renounce that unbending
adherence to the rule of right, by which our forefa-
thers were distinguished ? Shall we exchange a
child-like obedience to the Shepherd's voice for the
mind which is ever ready to criticise and to argue?
If such, through the wiles of Satan, should be our
course, how awful and affecting must be the conse-
quence ! The gracious purposes for which we were
raised up to be a people, will be frustrated through
our want of faithfulness ; and by forsaking our own
place and sphere of duty in the fold of Christ, it ia
but too probable that we may, in the end, fall from
Christ himself, and become wanderers in the waste
of an empty profession," &c.
" But the particulars? enumerated in this appeal,"
(writes the Reviewer,) "are the badges of QUAKER-
ISM, rather than of CHRISTIANITY." I do not like
the term BADGES, either as applied to QUAKERISM or
Christianity. The word characteristic is not only
less offensive, but more appropriate. For in every
particular, enumerated in this appeal, a vital prin-
ciple is involved, and there is not a single character-
istic throughout, but what may be found in Christi-
anity ; if, therefore, they are the characteristics of
QUAKERISM, they are so only because they are the
characteristics of Christianity, for Quakerism, as it
is called, professes and teaches none other than
Christ, and him crucified." Get thee to thy " ulti-
mate appeal," (friend Reviewer,) "for the truth of
every doctrine, and the propriety of every practice,"
and compare " the particulars enumerated in this
appeal," with the things that have been therein
"written for our instruction." Get thee to thine
" ULTIMATE appeal," and bring with thee, one by
one, these particulars, and then apply, if thou darest,
the term badge to any of those important and funda-
mental principles of Christianity ! Wilt thou have
presumption enough, to call " the spirituality of true
worship" a badge of QUAKERISM, rather than a cha-
racteristic (I cannot use the word here) of Christi-
anity? Dost thou remember who it was that told
the woman at the well of Samaria, " God is a Spirit,
and they that worship him, must worship htm in
spirit and in truth?" John, chap. 4, ver. 24. Is
" the spirituality of true worship," then " a badge
of Quakerism ?" or is it noT; the worship which " the
Father seeketh ?" " Shall we return to ceremonial
and figurative rites ?" is another of the particulars
that stands charged with being " a badge of Quaker-
ism." What does the Apostle say in his Fpistle to
the Hebrews, chap. 9, ver. 8 ? " The Holy Ghost
this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was
37
fcot yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle
was yet standing, which was a figure for the lime
then present, in which were offered both gifts and
sacrifices, that could not make him that did the ser-
xice perfect, appertaining to the conscience, which
stood only in meats and drinks, and divers wash-
ings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until
the time of reformation ; but Christ being come, an
high priest of good things to come, by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that
is to say, not of this building: neither by the blood
of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of
gont?, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the wa-
clean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; how
much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through
the eternal spirit, offered himself without spot to
God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God .<"' And again the same Apostle
to the Romans, chap. 14, ver. 4, " Who art thon
that judgest another man's servant 1 to his own mas-
ter he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden
up : for God is able to make him stand. One man
esteemeth 6ne day above another: another esteemeth
every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded
in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, re-
gardeth it unto the Lord ; and he that regardeth not
the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that
eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks ;
and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and
giveth God thanks." And again, " For the kingdom
of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." And in his
Epistle to the Galatians, chap. 4, ver. 9 " But now
after that ye have known, or rather are known of
God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly
elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bond-
age ? Ye observe days, and months, and times and
years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed
upon you, labour in vain." Is the absence of cere-
monial and figurative rites then " a BADGE of
4
KERISM, or is it not a feature of CHRISTIANITY, that
it frees us from the bondage of them?" "Stand
fast therefore," saith the Apostle, "in the liberty with
which Christ hath made you free."
" Shall we make way in our meetings for a ministry
which one man may prepare and another appoint,"
is another of the " badges of Quakerism," according
to the Reviewer. Come, turn with me again to thine
" ultimate appeal," and tell me who chose and ordain-
ed the Apostles; from who?n did THEY receive their
commission? From the Master, the Great Head of
the Church, thou wilt scarcely deny. And highly as
they were favoured with the outward as well as in-
ward presence of their Lord, yet the law of ordinan-
ces was not so fully blotted out, nor did they come
to the FULNESS of the Gospel dispensation till after
the bodily presence of our Saviour was withdrawn,
who came " to FULFIL the law." It was the " Holy
Spirit," the Comforter," who should " lead. them into
all truth" "that would teach them all things;" and,
perhaps, no where throughout the writings of the
four Evangelists, is this true source of ordination
more clearly illustrated, than where the Apostles,
exercising their own judgment, forbade one, casting
out devils, in the name of Jesus. They were re-
proved for the exercise of this authority, by Him
from whom alone the power could be derived. Mark,
c. 9, v. 38, " And John answered him, saying, Mas-
ter, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and
he followeth not us, and we forbad him, because he
followeth not us. But Jesus said, forbid him not,
for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my
jiame, that can lightly speak evil of me." And to
which testimony, the Apostle Pa\il, in his First
Epistle to the Corinthians, adds this remarkable con-
firmation, in speaking of spiritual gifts, chap. 12,
ver. 3, " Wherefore I give you to understand, that
no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus
accursed ; and that no man can say that Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." And the same
Apostle, in his Epistle to the Galatians, chap. 1, ver.
12, " But I certify you, brethren, that the Gospel
39
Vfhich was preached of me, is not after man; for I
neither received it of man, neither was I taught it,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." And again,
" If any, man minister, let him minister as of the
ability that God gireth, that God in all things may
be glorified?' And in Heb. chap. 5, ver. 4, " And
no man taketh this honour unto himself but he, that
is CALLFD OF GOD, as was Aaron."
Is this, then, a " badge of Quakerism" the exclu-
sion from our meetings of " a ministry which one
man may prepare and another appoint?"
" Shall we cease from out testimony against all
pecuniary corruption in the Church ?" is another of
the " badges of Quakerism," says the Reviewer.
Come to thine " ultimate appeal again." Turn to
the Acts of the Apostles, chap. 8, ver. 18, "And
when Simon saw that through laying on of the Apos-
tles' hands, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered
them MONEY, saying, GIVE ME also this power, that
on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the
Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, thy money
perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the
GIFT OF GOD may be purchased with money." And
again, in the 20th chap, of the Acts, 33rd ver. in
that affectionate farewell to the Church, before his
departure for Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul expresses
himself thus, " I have coveted no man's silver, or
gold, or apparel; yea, you yourselves know, that
these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and
to them that were with me." And the same Apostle,
in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians, chap. 2,
ver. 9, " For ye remember, brethren, our labour and
travail : for labouring- night and day, because we
would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preach-
ed unto you the Gospel of God." And again, in the
3rd chap, and 8th ver. of his Second Epistle to the
Thessalonians, " Neither did we eat any man's bread
for naught: but wrought with labour and travail,
night and day, that we might not be chargeable to
any of you," " not because we have not power," (see
how this Holy Man used his power; he had obtained
that ascendency over their minds, by which, had he
40
possessed the evil inclination, as well as the power,
it would have been gratified,) " not because we have
not the power, but to make ourselves an example
unto you to follow. For even when we were with
you, this we commanded you, that if any would not
work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there
are some which walk among you disorderly, work-
ing not at all, but are busy-bodies. Now them that
are swch we command, and exhort by our Lord Jesus
Christ, that with quietness they walk, and EAT THEIR
OWN BREAD." " Freely ye have received, freely
give," said our Saviour to his disciples, Matthew
chap. 10, ver. 8. And 1 Tim. chap. 6, ver. 9. " But
they that will be rich, fall into temptation, and a
snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which
drown men in destruction and perdition ; for the
love of money is the root of all evil, which, while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
And how worthy of note here, is the condition that
our Saviour placed upon the young man, who in-
quired of him, " what he should do, to inherit eternal
life." " One thing thou lackest, go thy way, sell
whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor,, and thou
shall have treasure in heaven, and come take up the
cress, and follow me. And he was sad at that say-
ing, and went away grieved ; for he had great pos-
sessions. And Jesus looked round about and saitb,
nnto his disciples, how hardly shall they that have
riches, enter into the kingdom of God !" Is then,.
THIS " testimony against all pecuniary corruption in
the Church," " a badge of Quakerism ?" or is it
not rather a characteristic of Christianity ?
" Shall we surrender our Saviour's standard of the
yea and the nay, and no longer refuse an oath when,
expediency is supposed to demand it?" -Another of
the Reviewer's " badges of Quakerism."" To thy
" ultimate standard," again, friend and in the 5th
chap, of Matthew, and from the 33rd to the 37th
verses, both inclusive, thou wilt find the following,
as delivered by our Saviour, in his memorable sermon
on the Mount. *' Again, ye have heard, it hath beet*
41
said by them of old time, thou shalt not forswear
thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.
But say unto you, swear not at all; neither by
heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it
is his footstool ; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city
of the Great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy
head, because th6u canst not make one hair white or
black. But let your communication be, yea, yea ;
nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these, corneth
of evil. 1 ' And in the 5th chap, of the Epistle of
James, we find the above command of our Saviour
most forcibly^earnestly, and unconditionally repeat-
ed, by way of exhortation to the brethren, " But
above all things, my brethren, swear not ; neither by
heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other
oath ; but let your yea, be yea ; and your nay, nay,
lest ye fall into condemnation." Is, then, the " re-
fusal of an oath," and " our Saviour's standard of the
yea and the nay," " a badge of Quakerism ?" or is it
not rather one of the strictest, and most plainly stated
obligations that CHRISTIANITY enjoys?
Shall we, after all our peaceable professions, recur
to the warfare of the world ?" Again to thine, " ul-
timate appeal for the propriety of every practice."
" Blessed are the peace-makers ; for they shall be
called the children of God." Matthew, chap. 5. ver.
10. " Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto
you, that ye resist not evil : but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also." Matthew 5th chap. 38th and 39th verses.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt
love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy ; but I say
unto you, Jove your enemies, bless them that curse
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute
you." Matt. 5th chap, 43rd and 44th verses. "And
behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched
out his hand and drew his sword, and struck a ser-
vant of the high priest's, and smote oft' his ear. Then
said Jesus unto him, put up again thy sword, into his
place : for all they that take the sword, shall perish
4*
42
with the sword." Matt. 26th chap, 52nd verse'.-*
" He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into cap-
tivity : he that killeth with the sword, must be killed
by the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the
saints." Rev. 13th chap. 10th verse. " Recompense
to no man evil for evil evil." Rom. chap. 12, ver.
17. " From whence come wars and fightings amongst
you ? Come they not hence, even of your lusts
that war in your members ?" " For though we walk
in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. "For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds." 2 Cor. chap. 10, ver. 3. Are then " a peace-
able profession, and a practical refusal to join in the
warfare of the world," " badges of Quakerism /"' or
are they not rather genuine characteristics of that
religion which was ushered into the world by the
joyous language of " peace on earth, good-will to-
wards mankind? "
Shall we forsake our simplicity in dress and lan-
guage, and break down a hedge which so usefully
protects many of our beloved young people from the
vanities of the world ?'* This is another of the
" badges of Quakerism," according to the Magazine
Writer. Well to " thy ultimate appeal again, for
the propriety of every practice." 1 apprehend in
the term, " simplicity of language," is included the
" sectarian peculiarity," of using the pronouns thee
and thou objectively r nominatively, as the case may
be, to or of a single person. Now, it would really be
superfluous to make any quotation from the Scrip-
tures as to this practice, as I am not aware, from one
end of the whole book to the other, that there is a
single instance of deviation from the sweet simplici-
ty, and grammatical purity of this mode of expres-
sion. The Almighty Lord of the universe kings-
princes subjects bond and free all are alike ad-
dressed and spoken of in this, form of speech. And
in reference to the practice of speaking to, and of one
another, by the names which have been given the
parties, such as James, Mary, &c., unless when the
name is merely descriptive of the office, as King-
43
William, Chief Justice Denman, Chancellor Broug-
ham, &c., I think, if friend Reviewer will just turn
again to his " ultimate standard for the propriety of
every practice," he will find, without the necessity of
my referring to any particular instance, that from
the first chapter of Matthew to the end of the Gene-
ral Epistle of Jiide, or, if he chooses, he may include
the book called Revelation, he will find that our
Saviour invariably addressed his disciples by their
respective names, without any distinctive titles or
appendages whatever, and that it was also the cus-
tom of the apostles and disciples to address one an-
other after the same manner ; not only the example
of their Lord, but probably, the following precepts,
also, having some weight upon their minds. Matt,
chap. 23, ver. 7, 8. They, the Pharisees, " love
greetings in the markets, and to be called of men,
Rabbi, Rabbi. ,But be not ye called Rabbi, for one is
your master, even Christ, and a'l ye ARE BRETHREN."
And in the 20th chap. Matt. 2oth ver. " But Jesus
called unto them, and said, ye know that the princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and
they that are great exercise authority upon them.
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever
will be great among you, let him be your minister,
and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be
your servant." And the apostle James, chap. 3,
ver. 1. "My brethren, be not many masters, know-
ing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation."
And in the 2nd chap, of the same Epistle, 1st ver. we
read, " My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect to per-
sons." Our Saviour to the Pharisees. " O, gene-
ration of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good
things? For out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh. A good man, out of the good trea-
sure of the heart, bringeth forth good things : and an
evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil
things. But I say unto you, that every idle word
that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
in the day of judgment." 1 Thes. chap. 2, ver. 5.
" For neither at any time used we flattering words,
44
<Stc. And Paul recommends to Titus, " sound speech
that cannot be condemned ;" for he tells him previ-
ously, that " there are many unruly and vaia talkers,
and deceivers." And to the Ephesians, chap. 4, ver.
29 " Let no corrupt communication proceed out of
your mouth, but that which is good to the use of
edifying." And in the Acts, " Then Peter opened
his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God
is TIO re-specter of persons." And Paul to the Ro-
mans, " For there is no respect of persons with
God." Rom. chap. 2, ver. 11. And to the Gala-
tians, " But of these, who seemed to be somewhat,
Avhatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me,
God accepteth no man's person" &c. Gal. chap.
2, ver. 6. And even in the old Gentile world, we
find as recorded in the book of Job, so remarkable a
testimony to this simplicity of address, that I must
recall it to our remembrance " Let me not," said
Elihu to Job and his three friends, " I pray you, ac-
cept any man's person, neither let me give flattering
titles unto man. For I know not to give flattering
titles, in so doing my Maker would soon take me
away." With respect to simplicity of dress : how
frequent were the exhortations of our Saviour and
the Apostles, " not to be conformed to this world,
but to be transformed," <fcc. that " the fashion of
this world passeth away." " whose adorning let it
not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and
of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but
let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is
not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great
price." " And," said the blessed Lord to his disci-
ples, " why take ye thought for raiment 1 consider
the lilies of the field how they grow, they toil not,
neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you, that
even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like
one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass
of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast
into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
O ye of little laith ? Therefore take no thought, say-
ing, what shall we eat? or what shall Ave drink? or
46
wherewithal shall we be clothed ?" Is, then, " simpli-
city in dress and language," only " a badge of Qua-
kerism?'' 1 It is not recommended to us by the high
authority of" our Saviour, his discciples, and apostles?
Nor is it a " badge of Quakerism" only, to say that
this " simplicity of dress and language is a hedge
which so usefully protects many of our beloved
young people from the vanities of the world." I
make no doubt but Joseph John Gurney, looking at
it merely as a moral auxiliary, saw in it a security
against the unrestricted participation in the grosser
sins of poor human nature, for whilst this simplicity
is observed but in the letter of it alone, it certainly
in a great degree preserves such pharisaical Christ-
ians, if I may use the term, from any very intimate
intercourse with the vain and corrupt practices, cus-
toms, and amusements of the world. And perhaps
a little confirmation of these views, may be obtained
from the exhortations of Paul to the Ephesians,
where he tells them, " This I say therefore and tes-
tify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other
Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the
understanding darkened, being alienated from the
life of God, through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart ; who being
past feeling, have given themselves over to lascivi-
ousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ." And in Eph.
chap. 5, ver. 6, "Let no man deceive you with vain
words : for because of these things cometh the wrath
of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not
ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were
sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the
Lord : walk as children of light (for the fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness and truth,)
proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of dark-
ness, but rather reprove them, for it is a shame even
to speak of those things which are done of them in
secret." And to the Philippians, chap. 1, ver. 27,
" Only let your CONVERSATION be as itbecometh the
Gospel of Christ." 2 Cor. chap. 1, ver. 17," When
40
I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness ? or
the things that I purpose do I purpose according to
the flesh, that with me there should be yea, yea, and
nay, nay ?"
"In short, shall we renounce that unbending ad-
herence to the rule of right, by which our forefathers
were distinguished ?" This is another of the " badges
of Quakerism," according to friend Reviewer. An
" UNBENDING adherence to the rule of right," a
badge ! Excellent badge say I would that it were
engraven upon the very heart of every one who
runneth the name of Christ ! Come my friend, turn
again to thy "ultimate rule," and thou wilt find in
the seventh chapter of Matthew, our Saviour, liken-
ing those who "heard his sayings, and did them,
unto a wise man who built his house upon a rock:
and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not;
for it was founded upon a rock." And on another
occasion addressing his disciples, he says, "And ye
shall be hated of all men for my name's sake ; but
he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Mat-
thew, chap. 10, ver. 22. And "FEAR NOT them
which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
And "he that taketh not his cross and followeth me,
is not WORTHY of me." Arid again to his disciples,
" And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold; but he that shall endure unto th end,
shall be saved." And in the Acts of the Apostles,
in the fourth chapter, we find no very slight testi-
mony to the soundness of that doctrine, which en-
joins an " unbending adherence to the rule of right,"
in the conduct of Peter and John, when forbidden
by the Jewish rulers, &c., to teach in the name of
Jesus, " And they" (the rulers, &c.) " called them,"
(Peter and John,) " and commanded them not to
speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus But
Peter and John answered, and said unto them, whe-
ther it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto
you, more than unto God, judge ye," &c. And the
Apostle Paul, in his affectionate farewell to the Church
at Miletus, thus expresses himself, " And now, behold
47
I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not know-
ing the things that shall befall me there ; save that
the Holy Ghost witncsseth in every city, saying, that
bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto
myself; so that I might finish my course \vith joy,
and the ministry which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
Acts. chap. 26, ver. *2. " Watch ye," (saith the
same Apostle to the Corinthians,) " ST ND FAST in
the faith, quit you like men, be strong." "I mar-
vel," (saith he to the Galalians,) " that ye are so
soon removed from him that called you into the grace
of Christ, unto another gospel." Gal. 1, 6. And
again, "ye did run well, who did HINDER you, that
ye should not obey the truth?" Gal. 5, 7. And to
the Philippians, where he exhorts them, to "stand
fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together
for the faith of the gospel; and in nothing- terrified
by your adversaries, which is to them an evident
token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that
of God." Phil. chap. 1, ver. 27- Is an "unbending
adherence to the rule of right," also " a badge of
Quakerism?" Is it not recommended both by pre-
cept and example throughout the whole history and
epistles of the Evangelists, and Apostles ?
" Shall we exchange a child-like obedience to the
Shepherd's voice, for the mind which is ever ready
to criticise and argue?" Now, I really think that
the Reviewer has put a construction upon " the Shep-
herd's voice" which was never intended by the Wri-
ter of the " Appeal ;" for, in a note, he (the Review-
er,) writes, " let not this be understood as if Mr.
Gurney were hostile to such an appeal to the Scrip-
tures. In the very next sentence he refers to the
Shepherd's voice." This is really a sad perversion
of terms. Who but the Reviewer, or some other
strangely-misguided person, could apply the term,
" the Shepherd's voice," to the Scriptures ? The
Scriptures do most certainly testify OF " the Shep-
herd," and "the Shepherd" himself said so to the
Scribes ; but that the Scriptures themselves are that
48
" Shepherd which laid down his life for his sheep,'*
is really a most unwarrantable wresting of Scripture
evidence. Come, get thee to the Scriptures them*
selves, which thou callest the " ultimate appeal for
the truth of every doctrine." Jesus is there recorded
to have said to his disciples, " / am the good shep-
herd : the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep,"
John, chap. 10, ver. 11. "/am the good shepherd,
and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As
the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father,
and lay down my life for the sheep. And other
sheep I have which are not of this fold : them also I
must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there
shall be one fold and one shepherd," John, chap. 10,
ver. 14, &c. " And when he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth BEFORE THEM ; and the sheep FOL-
LOW HIM ; for they know his voice," John chap. 10,
ver. 4. And of whom was it Isaiah said (not the
Scriptures, surely,) "He shall feed his flock like a
shepherd: he shall gather the LAMBS with his arm,
and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead
those that are with young?" Isa. chap. 40, ver. 11.
"But ye," (said Jesus, addressing some of the Jews,)
" believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I
said unto you, My sheep hear my voice ; and I know
them, and they follow me," John, chap. 10, ver. 26.
Thus, an " obedience to the Shepherd's voice," the
Scripture testifies to be an infallible sign of the sheep
of Christ's fold, and not " a badge of Quakerism," as
the Reviewer declares. And of what is the gather-
ing of the lambs symbolical the tender, maternal
care of carrying' them in his bosom but of that
"child-like obedience" alluded to in the "Appeal?"
And what did our Saviour say to his disciples in re-
ference thereto ? " Verily I say unto you, except ye
be converted, and become as little children, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven," Mat. chap. 18,
ver. 3. " A child-like obedience," then, we find to
be, not "a badge of Quakerism" merely, but a state
of mind that must actually be attained before an en-
trance will be granted into that " city, whose walls
are salvation, and whose gates, praise."
49
I have now gone through the particulars, one by
one, which the Reviewer has asserted to be " the
badges of QUAKERISM," rather than of " CHRISTIANI-
TY." The remainder of the quotation, is rather a
prospective lamentation over the consequences of
abandonment of that sound, scriptural and immuta-
ble principle which is embodied throughout the whole
of these queries, than any distinct appeal on behalf of
any "sectarian peculiarity. " But even upon this it
may be remarked, that in contemplation of so awful
an event as the Friends, as a body or society, wan-
dering like sheep that have gone astray on " the bar-
ren waste of an empty profession," instead of lying
down in " the green pastures of life," "beside the
still waters." In the contemplation, I say, of an
event so awful, surely the forebodings of brotherly
love and Christian compassion, might have merited a
more sympathetic reception than the scornful and
unjust appellation of "a badge of Quakerism" be-
speaks. And would that no cause had arisen to war-
rant such .fear would that the love of the things of
this world had not drawn away the hearts of, alas !
too many would that no " grievous wolves" had
entered in, tearing and devouring the flock would
that when the enemy had " come in as a flood," that
a greater number had flocked to lift " the standard of
the Lord" against him. For, alas ! are there not
those who, with the Prophet of old, can exclaim,
" Oh ! that my head were waters, and mine eyes a
fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night
for the slain of the daughter of my people !"
Well, I have gone through these " sectarian pe-
culiarities," and applied to each of them the test
which has been chosen by the Reviewer himself, and
to which, I am free to confess, everything that is of
truth will be ever ready to submit. And how, let me
ask, have they stood the test? Has the aquafortis-
touch of Scripture truth changed their colour, and
laid bare their impurity ? or do they not exhibit in the
native brilliancy in which they stand forth, a trium-
phant refutation of the Reviewer's misrepresenta-
tions, and discover themselves to be of that precious
5
50
collection, of which, " in that day when the Lord of
Hosts shall make up his jewels," he will say, " they
shall be mine, and I will spare them as a man spareth
his own son that serveth him ?" I have shown that
each of these "peculiarities," denominated "badges
of Quakerism," have, according to the testimony of
Scripture, the high authority of Christ and his Apos-
tles to recommend them. The world may own them
not the Scripture-searching Scribes, and learned
Rabbles of the day, may count them as foolishness ;
but it, perhaps, may be as well to remind them, that
if they would follow Jesus in the path and after the
manner that himself pointed out, it must be with the
cross upon their shoulders the cross which made the
young rich man turn away sorrowful, and which Paul
declared to be, " to the Jews, a stumbling block, and
to the Greeks," (the learned and polished Greeks,)
" foolishness ; but to them that believe, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God."
We have seen in the course of this brief examina-
tion, that Spiritual worship, is Christian worship,
aifld that ceremonial, and figurative rites, form no
part of it. We have seen that a minister of the Gos-
pel, is " called of God, as was Aaron," and that all
pecuniary corruption in the Church, should be borne
testimony against, inasmuch as the ministry being
"a gift of God," incapable of being purchased with
money, should be as " freely GIVEN," as it has been
"freely RECEIVED." We have seen that oaths are
forbidden, and that yea and nay, is the standard,
which we are assured upon divine and apostolic au-
thority, is unsafe to surrender. We have seen that
peace and not war belongs to Christianity, and that
" simplicity of dress and language," lay just claim
to a relationship also. We have seen that an " UN-
BENDING adherence to the rule of right,'''' is earnestly
and fervently enjoined upon all who would obtain
"the prize of their high calling," and that without a
" child-like obedience to the Shepherd's voice,'''' we
shall fail of entering the fold of Christ. Finally, we
have been not only taught, that when men seek to
bring the simple, pure, and holy principles of Chris-
51
tian truth, down to the level of their own weak judg-
ments, instead of casting the latter, as well as all
their other crowns at the feet of Jesus, there to
" abide the day of his coming;" we have been not
only taught, I say, in such case, how widely we may
deviate from the truth, but I trust we have been
taught also, experimentally to adopt the language of
the disciple, " to whom shall we go, Lord, but to thee,
for thou hast the words of eternal life ?"
Before I conclude this chapter, I must crave the at-
tention of my readers to an observation or two, upon,
the following lines from the "Extracts." "We do
the Friends no injustice, in speaking of their thus
placing the IMMEDIATE suggestions of the Spirit
above the RECORDED TESTIMONY of the Spirit. The
terms, it is true, in which they express the sentiment,
are generally, that THE SPIRIT must be superior to
the Word. But this is a mere blind a blind to them-
selves as well as others, &c." Now, I assert that
a direct and shameful injustice is done to the Friends
in the latter part at least of this statement, if by " the
Friends," he means that part of the Society, that de-
spite the scorn of the world the scofl's and sneers of
Reviewers the charges of mysticism and so forth,
still adhere to those pure principles, and sound doc-
trines, believed, preached, written, and practiced by
such men as Fox, Penn, Barclay, and Fisher ; all of
which writers hold, in the language of Scripture,
which is the Reviewer's " ultimate appeal Tor the
truth of every doctrine," that "there are three that
bear record in Heaven, the Father, the W r ord, and the
Holy Ghost,* and these three are one." It is there-
fore not only an injustice, but it is a statement utterly
devoid of truth, to say " the Friends generally ex-
press the sentiment that THE SPIRIT must be SUPE-
RIOR TO THE WORD," they do no such thing ; on
the contrary, THEY SAY, as say the SCRIPTURES, that
they are ONE ; and I feel satisfied that the writer of
this false statement cannot produce a passage from
* Or Holy Spirit, as the more proper interpretation of the Greek
word nveva is.
52
the writings of any approved author of the Society,
conveying such a senti.nent EXPRESSED or IMPLIED,
that " the SPIRIT is superior to the Word." Pre-
suming that by " recorded testimony," the Review*
ers mean the Scriptures ; it ; s true that the Friends
do place in that sense the IMMEDIATE SUGGESTIONS of
the Spirit, above the RECORDED TESTIMONY of the
Spirit. But if the Reviewer means by " recorded
testimony," the Spirit itself, the statement is alto-
gether au absurdity, because the Spirit, as stated by
the Scripture, is one with the Father; and, therefore,
though its operations may vary, it is in its own ES-
SENCE in all times and all places the same Holy
Spirit and so says the Scripture." I Cor. chap.
12, ver. 4. " Now there are DIVERSITIES of gifts, but
the same Spirit." And the Apostle states also, that
some gifts are ABOVE and BETTER than others, and he
enumerates them accordingly, and concludes thus,
"But covet earnestly the BEST gifts : and yet show I
unto you a more excellent way." 1 Cor. chap. 12,
yer. 31. There would therefore be no inconsistency
or want of due reverence, but the very reverse, iit
Friends placing, as they do, " the immediate sugges-
tions of the Spirit, above the RECORDED TESTIMONY
of the Spirit, as being "the more excellent way,"
even did they award it a higher place than they do.
And I think the reasonableness and truth of this-
plain and Scriptural doctrine, may be illustrated in a
very simple manner. If, far instance, King Wil-
liam were to direct his private secretary to write to
friend Reviewer, and command him to do such and
such things, to deliver an oration, or write a book,
&c., there is little doubt perhaps, if within his pow-
er, but that he would immediately comply, and think
himself highly honoured by such a mark of the
King's esteem. But if at another time, the King,
instead of commanding his secretary to write to
friend Reviewer, were to condescend so far, as to
call upon him at his own house, and in a friendly
vnanner, and kind aspect take him by the hand, and
with his own lips bid him to do so and so ; I do not
aee that he would have any need to despise or un^
53
dervalue the former application, because of the
greater condescension, more marked kindness, and
immediate suggestion of the latter, for although
what is " meant by the King," is but the King " in
his present influence upon the mind;" the latter in-
fluence I apprehend would be more powerful than
the former, and be considered as a renewed and
stronger obligation to obey. I am thus speaking
humanly, but I trust most reverently, on this solemn
and most important subject. \Ve hare none but EX-
TERNAL emblems to represent our views upon the
highest subjects. I am therefore fully aware how
circumspect, judicious, and reverential we should be
in those that we select, that we use the " form of
sound speech," and Scriptural language as much as
possible. " The secret things of God belong unto
himself, but those that are revealed unto us, and to
our children." It is revealed that there are " gifts,
differing according to the grace that is given to us,'
and according to the humble measure of light be-
stowed upon me, I am endeavouring to show that the
GIFT of the HOLY SCRIPTURES, is not to be esteemed
so highly, as the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT.
54
CHAPTER HI.
" IT is indeed by the power of the Holy Spirit tnaf
the heart is softened and opened to receive the truth,
and also that the truth, when received, is applied with
saving efficacy to the heart, and made to produce
fruit unto holiness. But let us, with fixed attention
to the following passages, consider the divine testi-
mony to the authority of the Word, which word,
whether originally written or spoken, comes down to-
ns by the revelation of the Spirit, through the Scrip-
tures ; constantly bearing in mind that it is through
these divine records that we, at this day, have the
true knowledge of God of his holy law, and of the
Gospel of life and salvation through Jesus Christ."
In one of the "Extracts" from the "Beacon," Isaac
Crewdson speaks something about " misapprehen-
sion of terms, leading to confusion of ideas."
I agree with him, that such results are likely to
flow from such a cause. It is therefore, very desira-
ble that we either attach the same meaning to the
same terms as is attached by others, or that we clear-
ly state our own meaning so as not to be misunder-
stood. I will endeavour to illustrate this by an ex-
ample, viz. : Isaac Crewd-son and the Reviewers un-
derstand by the term, " the Word of God," those
writings which are bound up together in one book r
called the Old and New Tastament, distinctively ;
and the Bible, unitedly. But they APPEAR to have
another understanding of it also ; for instance :, -
Isaac Crewdson talks of an "OUTWARD Word;"
Mark not " The Word," but an OUTWARD Word ;
which would lead one to suppose (if they did not, by
the general tendency and result of their writings,
deny it,) that they believed in an INWARD word also.
So that, notwithstanding they interpret " the Word
of God" to mean the Bible, they still give another
meaning to it upon other occasions, when such mean-
55
ing assists them in the building up of their Babel ;
but they are, nevertheless, unable to prevent that
confusion, which they speak of in so admonitory a
style, and which ever must happen to those who
would supply the place of the " chief corner stone,"
for any other that may " comport best with the par-
ticular bent of mind" of such wise master builders.
The confusion of ideas, and obscurity of expres-
sion consequent upon this misapprehension, or want
of clear definition of terms, is fully exemplified in the
last paragraph of the quotation I have just selected,
" It is, indeed, by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT
that the heart is softened and opened to receive the
truth, and also that the truth, when received, ia
APPLIED with saving efficacy to the heart, and made
to produce fruit unto holiness. But let us, with fixed
attention, to the following passages, consider the
divine testimony to the authority of the Word, which
"Word whether originally written or spoken, comes
down to us by the revelation of the Spirit, through
the Scriptures; constantly bearing in mind that it
is through these divine records that we, at this day,
have the true knowledge of God of his holy law,
and of the Gospel of life and salvation through Jesus
Christ." What these passages may be I know not,
not having seen the work, nor is it material to my
argument in this place. The writer, in these pas-
sages, speaks of " the authority of the Word as
something distinct from the Scriptures, although the
whole scope and tendency of the "Beacon," appears
from other extracts, as well as from the observations
of the Reviewers, to have been written with a view
to establish the Scriptures, as " the ONLY standard of
religious truth." He speaks of " the authority of
the Word," which, in this place, mark ! is not as-
serted to be the Scriptures, but " which Word,
whether originally written or spoken, comes down
to us by the revelation of the Spirit through the
Scriptures." Now, the SCRIPTURES, in this instance,
are not made the ONLY standard of religious truth,
but spoken of as a MEDIUM through which another
standard, " the Word," comes down to us, and for
56
the authority of which Word, our attention is DI*
RECTED to " the divine testimony," as conveyed in
certain passages of Scripture, which, I suppose,
thereinafter follow.
Now, if it be said, that by " the authority of the
Word," the Scriptures only are meant, it must surely
be admitted that this mode of expression is not only
calculated to mislead us, but, from the indistinct,
nay, absurd and contradictory phraseology employ-
ed, is inevitably calculated to produce " a confusion
of ideas." For, in the first place, we are told of
" the authority of the Word," we are next informed
of the " divine testimony" to the Word's authority,
and directed to the place where this testimony may
be found. But then, again, for the author to be con-
sistent with the general reasoning and object of his
work, no authority or standard is admitted but the
Scriptures ; so that, after all, " the authority of the
Word" the " divine testimony" to it and the
" Scriptures," through which, by the revelation of
the Spirit, " the Word comes down .to us," are all
one and the same thing. If any proposition or doc-
trine can possibly be more perplexing than this, I,
for one, must confess myself at a loss to imagine ;
for if no authority or standard but that of the Scrip-
tures, is contended for by the author in this passage,
he has certainly, to my mind, " darkened counsel by
words without knowledge," because, if he had used
the same words to express the same meaning
throughout the whole of the passage, especially as
they occur so nearly together, all constructions, at
variance with his intentions, would have been pre-
vented, although his whole process of ratiocination
might conclude in a palpable absurdity ; for how
stands the matter, if the writer is speaking of the
same thing only ; viz., the Scriptures, under these
different aspects. The passage would then read thu&
" Let us, with fixed attention to the following
passages of Scripture, consider the Scripture testi-
mony to the authority of Scripture, which Scripture
(Word in the quotation) comes down to us by ' the
revelation of the Spirit' (which reveals nothing but
when reading the Scriptures, or hearing others read
them) ' through the Scriptures.' " Now, the writer
of the passage either predicates thus of the Scriptures
ONLY, or he does not. If only of the Scriptures,
what does it all amount to ? why only to this, that
Scriptural authority is Scriptural authority ; and that
what the Scriptures contain has, come down to us
through the Scriptures that they bear their own
testimony to their authority that that authority is
divine, and that there is no divine authority, for
THEIR divine authority, but the divine authority that
they de jure are of themselves. If such be the
meaning of Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers, I
must beg leave to differ from them, feeling in my own
mind fully persuaded (which persuasion the Scrip-
ture recommends) that there is another testimony
(whether it be acknowledged by others or not) " to
the true knowledge of God, of his holy law, and
of the gospel of light and salvation, through Jesus
Christ."
Really, when I read of a person, who I understand
for 'a number of years has been an acknowledged
minister of the Society, calling in question the great
leading truth upon which every doctrine and prac-
tice of the Society is professed to be based ; viz.
that " the Word of God," according to the Scriptures,
"is that light which enlighteneth every man that
cometh into the world," really when I find a person
of such standing and station in the Society, attempt-
ing to subvert the very foundation of our hopes, I
cannot but with the most earnest and affectionate en-
treaties, reiterate the language of one of old- "To
your tents, oh, Jacob ! and to your tabernacles, oh,
Israel." Have the Society been thus from the day
that George Fox first opened his mouth in the name
of the Lord, under " the delusions of Satan, or their
own minds?" Were the searching testimonies,
written and oral, which they bore against the polluted
notions and practices of their day, but mere " sug-
gestions of their own minds?" Was the solemn si-
lence which covered their assemblies, and which, at
times, was so miraculously accompanied with evi-*
58
dence of divine regard was it, I say, but QUIETISM?"
Was " the light" to which they called a new light
within, set up by themselves ? And let me here ask
Isaac Crewdson of what has HE been the minister ?
Hast thou, lasac, been the minister of the " letter
which killeth, or of the Spirit which giveth life."
If only of the letter, thou hast been ministering only
thy own " suggestions," instead of waiting till thou
hadst been " endued with power from on high."
Thou must know that the principles of the Society
recognize no ministry, " but of the ability that God
giveth ;" why then hast thou, in contravention of that
principle, taken upon thyself that " honour," know-
ing that thy hearers believed the " honour was of
God ?" And then, most extraordinary 1 clothed with
the weight of this character, thou twinest round and
aimest a blow at the very ground and pillar of that
Christian ministry, to which thou hast led others to
believe thou hast been called. Hast thou all this
time been the minister of a religion of " mysticism,"
*' quietism," and those " suggestions," which have
"most comported," with thy own "particular bent
of mind," knowing at the same time, that those who
have sate under thy ministry, have, according to the
principles in which they have been educated, most
probably been led to appreciate thy communications
at a higher price than they have been worth? Thou
must either have been guided by the influence of the
Holy Spirit, in thy ministry, or thou hast not. If
the latter, thou must be aware that thou hast taken
upon thyself an office, which, considering the ac-
knowledged principles of the Society, without refer-
ence to their truth or error, thou hadst no right to
enter; and common fairness, at least, to speak of no
higher principle, should have induced thee, at the
very commencement of thy ministerial course to have
stated to the members of thy meeting something sim-
ilar to this "Friends, having a 'certain impression'
upon my mind, that it is my duty to address you, I
could not feel easy in allowing us to separate, with-
out relieving my mind from the burden that rests upon
it. At the same time, I think honest candour requires
59
me to inform you, that my opinions upon some very
important points are at complete variance, with those
of our early Friends, as well as with those, which
may be considered as the opinions and principles,
which have been held by the Society up to the pre-
sent day. I therefore wish you plainly to understand,
that what I am now about to deliver in a ministerial
capacity, is not the effect of divine influence, but
merely those ' suggestions' which most comport with
my particular bent of mind. I look upon the Scrip-
tures as ' the only standard of religious truth' to which
' test' therefore, according to the best of my memory,
(not having a Bible in my pocket,) I think it my duty
to ' bring these impressions,' which having done, I
am "impressed,' that these * impressions, are right
' impressions,' and that they are incapable of being
distinguished any other way. I do believe, to be
sure, in the influence of the Holy Spirit, but then I
do not believe the Holy Spirit ever does influence us
' independently of his revelation through the Scrip-
tures.' We must therefore resort to this 'test;' for
when we are in possession of the Scriptures, the Spirit
will teach us, all that is necessary fur man to know ;
but to assert that he will do so at any other time, is
an 'assumption, which is unsupported by Scripture,
(the only test of religious truth) contradicted by fact,
and one which renders its votaries a prey to many
fatal delusions.' This, Friends, is my view of gos-
pel ministry ; I differ also with the Society upon
other points ; but as this is my first appearance as a
minister amongst you, I thought I could not consist-
ently with my sentiments, appear in this capacity
without first acquainting you therewith. It appears
to me that the Scriptures are the only rule by which
the ministry as well as all other things, can be pro-
perly understood, and ' to speak of the Holy Spirit
as a rule, involves the same incongruity as to speak
of God as a rule.' ''
In some such language as this, I think, Isaac
Crewdsoa should, according to the opinions he has
lately promulgated, have addressed his audience be-
fore ever he had presumed to open his mouth, and
60
break the silence of a religious meeting, in the capa-
city of a minister of the Gospel, that is, if he held
those opinions at that time, and was aware of the
character of that estimation in which his testimonies
might be held. It cannot be justified either by Isaac
Crewdson himself, or by any who side with him, that
a person entertaining such views of gospel ministry,
should assume to himself the duties of that office,
knowing at the same time that his audience attached
a value to his ministrys, which it did not meiit, and
which no other ministry, whatever might be the evi-
dence of its authority, could upon I. C's principle,
possibly possess. Is it honest, is it just, to allow
these false " impressions," so long to have borne
sway to have externally identified himself with the
preachers of a gieat truth, at the same time that he
was opposed to it in belief, and in direct and total
opposition to a long outward conformity to and tacit
recognition of that truth, now for the first time to
publish his genuine sentiments ; thus offering, as it
were a practical illustration of his assertion, that
those who believe in the, immediate teaching of the
Spirit, "independently of his revelation through the
Scriptures," are rendered " a prey to many fatal de-
lusions ?" But perhaps Isaac Crewdson has not all
along held such opinions. It may be that their origin
is of modern date. He has perhaps laboured sincere-
ly in the work of the ministry, and now, alas ! thinks
it all to have been the "delusions of Satan," or mere
" impressions," the result of misguided zeal, ardent
imagination, or educational prejudice. If such be
the case, may not the language of the Apostle Paul
to the Galatians, be affectionately and appropriately
adopted here " Oh foolish Galatians and unwise,
who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the
truth," and again, " ye did run well, what did hinder
you that ye should not obey the truth?" Oh ! I well
know that this appeal, if sincerely and faithfully ap-
plied to ourselves, when we have wandered on the
right hand and on the left, is calculated to awaken
the soul to a sense of its former obedience and safety,
and inspired it with a well grounded fear of its pre*
61
sent faithfulness and danger. I trust the revival of
those lines in our remembrance, may stimulate us to
pursue with increasing earnestness after those things
to which we are called, to watch closely, to pray fer-
vently, " lest, after having preached unto others,"
we ourselves become " castaways. 1 ' Let it not be
supposed, that 1 take upon myself to judge the ma-
tives of others. I do no such thing. To Isaac
Crewdson alone, and to Him who "judgeth the se-
crets of all hearts," can be known how far he has
been right or wrong as an acknowledged minister of
the Society of Friends, to publish opinions so entire-
ly opposed to those principles, by the abandonment
of which, it can never again be the Society that it WAS.
I do therefore deem it to be a matter of the utmost
importance, that a doctrine which tends even in the
most remote degree to impugn the authority of the
Spirit of Christ, in the midst of his Church, should
not be tolerated for a single moment, but should be
utterly extirpated root and branch.
It is not because men who have professed the
truth preached the truth suffered for the truth, do
fter all fall from it, it is not because men who have
-walked in the narrow path, swerve off into the
broad one it is not because men who have pro-
fessed what they do not believe, and are at last
discovered to be the hypocrites that they are that
the truth is less noble, less pure, less lovely, less
worthy to be followed it is not because thus abused
and kicked about by the rebellious sons of men, that
it is less precious in the eyes of Him, who is a "God
of truth and without iniquity, just and light is He."
Therefore stumble not marvel not, Friends, that
there should be those who fall from the truth. '* Hold
fast your confidence" in Christ, and " the profession
of your faith without wavering," " knowing in whom
ye have believed." There were those in the earliest
days of the Society, who " ran out from the truth,"
some this way, and some another; but alas ! what a
falling off has there been since that time ; and what
think ye Is it because the truth has changed ; Is it
because our grand adversary has quitted his prey,
6
62
and men no longer follow that which lusteth to evil?
Is it because the world has been transformed to the
truth ; or, is it not because ye have been conformed
to the world, that ye have been so barren and un-
fruitful ? How is it that the way of truth is evil spo-
ken of? How is it that your PRINCIPLES are charged
with a " tendency to engender a spirit of pharisaical
self-estimation, that is far from being in harmony
with the lowly-mindedness of the Gospel?" How is
it that ye are "in iminent peril of loving the praise
of men, more than the praise of God ?" How is it
that you stand charged, Friends, with being " in imi-
nent peril of being more solicitous to maintain your
reputation in the world, than humbly to approve
yourselves to your divine Master ?" How is it,
Friends, that the leading principle of your religious
faith, stands charged with " sweeping thousands, and
thousands of our small section of the Christian Church
into the gulf of Hicksism and deism ?" Are you pre-
pared to charge the doctrine of the light of God in
the conscience, with leading to consequences so awful
and deplorable ? Are you prepared to add to the
number of your transgressions, this most ungrateful
and heaviest of them all? Are you ready to charge
infinite love and mercy, with indifference and neg-
lect, and that the eye of Him who "never slumbereth,"
hath been closed upon you, whilst ye have thus been
hastening to destruction ? Will ye no ye cannot
surely, be lost so far as a body, as to charge your
unfaithfulness your pride your lusts your love
of the world, and the god of it to the effect of those
pure and simple principles of Christian truth, for
which your predecessors were ^visited with cruel
beatings, stonings, cutting off" of ears, branding with
irons, imprisonments, even unto death ?
These were the things which the professors of
Friends' principles were, in a day gone by, " in imi-
nent peril" of encountering. The rigour and cruelty
of those days, to be sure, are past ; but that they are
past never again to be revived, is, probably, known
to Him alone who keepeth the seals of" the Lion of
the tribe of Judah." Bitterness, intolerance, and
63
hatred of good, still roll along their troubled streams
in darkness. The fiend of religious persecution, no
thanks to him, or to the vaunted influence of superior
knowledge and more refined cultivation, is kept in
abeyance by a higher power than man is willing to
acknowledge. "The Prince of the power of the
air" still " reigns in the hearts of the children of
disobedience." Satan is the same he ever was " a
liar and a murderer from the beginning ;" and if,
through the over-ruling agency of Him " who inhabi-
teth eternity," and in whom dwelleth all might and
majesty, and dominion, he is not suffered to blast
with the lightning and the hail, and to afllict with the
boil and the scab, his errvy and his malice remains
the same, arid he is still permitted to oppress the suf-
fering seed of the kingdom.
The world has not yet embraced the spirit of
Christianity, however that part of it which assumes
the name, may extol and magnify tke bare book
which records the mighty deeds that have been done
in its power. They read and they talk about these
things, but do them not. They will tell you that
the Bible is their standard and their ultimate rule ;
and since it contains the greatest possible variety of
instructions, that can be adapted to the greatest pos-
sible variety of circumstances in which man can be
placed, none find a difficulty to produce authority for
the views and principles that conform with their in-
terests or their prejudices ; and thus is it torn piece-
meal asunder at the headstrong will of any, instead
of being sought for as an aid in the discovery and
further prosecution of those things which have been
already made " manifest by the light ;" and hence
we find that those principles of moral action, which
are most clearly made manifest in the hearts of all,
and distinctly testified of in the Scriptures, are, nev-
ertheless, obscured or subdued, misunderstood, or
entirely neglected, by bringing down their authority
to be tested by a standard which our own carnal
desires or interests have erected. It is thus that
some men assert a spiritual supremacy over others,
erect themselves into a tribunal, from whence alone,
64
they tell you, can issue the great truths of God. It
is thus they constitute themselves the-only legitimate
revealers of His will, the learned Rabbies, Scribes,
and Doctors of the Bible. It is thus they press into
their service the secular arm of power, and force a
worldly maintenance from the deluded people, upon
the false pretence that they are the only triie and
authorised venders of wholesome spiritual food,
Yes, they direct you to the Bible, as a voucher for
their authority they point to the Bible as their fixe'd,
and certain, and highest appeal THEY say, what it
nowhere says of itself, that it is the Word of God
that they are the true interpreters of it, and that it
declares them to be so : aye, the thirty-nine articles,
said an Arch-bishop, according to a reported speech
the other day, are founded, some on "the natural
principles of religion, others, though at first they
might appear startling-, were capable of being proved
by a reference TO SCRIPTURE ; and who could wish for
more than that they should be borne out by Scripture I
Then come the " Scotch Congregational" men,,
with the same book in their hands, declaring it to be
" the ultimate appeal for the truth of every doctrine,
and the propriety of every practice." Then the Wes-
leyan, the Baptist, the Ana-Baptist, the Primitive
Methodist, the Muggletonian, the Southcotian, the
Independent, the Irvingite, and the rest of the nu-.
merous sects, all distinct, and completely averse to
the views and interpretations of each other, upon the
same texts of their " ultimate appeal," and " only
sure foundation ; M each following some learned
Scribe or Rabbi of their order, till somebody else-
starts up, with, some fresh interpretation, and causes,
another separation. These all have their " distinc-
tive peculiarities," arising foom "suggestions which
most comport with their own partieu-laj bent of mind.'*
Some say you are justified one way, some another.,
Some assert certain ceremonies to be essential, which
others assert to be non-essential. Some, that have
universities, invested by the legislature with exclu-.
sive privileges, altogether supported in their anti-
Christian pomp and grandeur by allian.ce with the
State, hold up the Bible, and tell you there are the
records of their rights. Others, who are debarred
entrance, hold up the same Bible, and tell you there
are the proofs that they are unjustly excluded from a
participation in these temporal and merely civil bene-
fits they hold up the Bible, and tell you that it for-
bids all forced maintenance, such as tithes, and the
like ; but THIS, they tell you, is AJLL that it does for-
bid. It ends here. Its proscriptions extend only
to the mode of payment, and NOT to the payment it-
self. Pay you must, for the Bible no where autho-
rises the GENTLEMEN preachers of the present day,
to degrade themselves by following the menial occu-
pations (at least if they can possibly avoid it) of Si-
mon, the tanner of Paul, the tent-maker of Lydia,
the purple-seller or of James and Peter, the fisher-
men. No, no ! although none of these traded out
of the Bible, staying in one place, and obtaining as
much money as they could from their hearers, for
feeding them with their own "suggestions," until
they could hear of another place where their " sug-
gestions" and thoughts (given out twice or three
times a week upon some few words that had been
written or spoken by some prophet before them)
would fetch a higher price although none of these
old fashioned preachers (and such are the only true
ones) were wont thus to preach the gospel, to force
an outward subsistence from the means of the people,
whether they preached to them or not- yet the "vo-
luntary system" is not only sanctioned, but positively
enjoined by our " highest rule," the Bible which
is our " ultimate standard for the truth of every doc-
trine, and the PROPRIETY OF EVERY PRACTICE."
Thus we see how the different professing sects
handle their "highest" and " ultimate rule." I be-
lieve that they mostly agree in this that the Bible
is the " Word of God," and that some men should be
set apart from the rest of the community, and be
handsomely paid for what they call explaining it
one party affirming that they ought to take it, if the
people refuse to give it ; and the other party, not
having the power to enforce the payment, affirming
6*
66
they have a right to take so much as they can per-
suade the people to give them. With these excep-
tions, there is scarcely another important point upon
which they approach so nearly to unanimity. Their
readings, their preachings, their forms of praying,
their ceremonies, all vary more or less from each
other, and yet they have all the same " standard of
religious truth," the Bible. Still, for all this, dif-
fering as they do so widely, and contending so stoutly
for Scriptural authority to support their several ' dis-
tinctive peculiarities," in the very face of all these
glaring contradictions of each other, with the whole
mass in constant motion before their eyes, of these
incongruous and irreconcilable doctrines and prac-
tices, the Author of the " Beacon," and his eulogists,
the Reviewers, notwithstanding they tell you that the
Bible is " the only test of religious truth," and that
the " Friends," who, in accordance with the Scrip-
tures' testimony, say the "C&mforter, the Spirit of
truth, (and not the Scriptures) will lead you into all
truth," are thus rendered a prey to many fatal delu-
sions" these men, who all disagree with each other,,
upon what is the truth, though they all acknowledge
the very SAME " ultimate standard," and NO OTHER*
by which " the truth of every doctrine, and the pro-
priety of every practice," can be ascertained, never-
theless charge the "Friends" with "mysticism,'*
tendency to Hicksism and " the gulf of deism ;" be-
cause, most extraordinary ! they say in the very
words of their own touchstone and " ultimate stand-
ard," that "CHRIST is the way, the truth, and the
life ; if a man followeth me (saith Christ) he shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life ;'*
for such is the plain doctrine of " the light within,'^
professed by " Friends," and which meets with such
sneers and contemptuous notice at the hands of these
men.
Well, let me conclude this chapter by a word of
reproof as well as encouragement, in which I wish
myself to be included. Smooth as the path has been
made to our feet, comparatively to that rugged road
in which our predecessors sojourned on their way to-
67
wards Zion, have we not, nevertheless, been unfaith-
ful as a people to those testimonies we have been
called upon to bear? Have we not compromised too
much with the spirit of the world? mixed up too
much with its manners, its customs, its honours, and
its riches, and so fallen from that spirituality, and
word of grace, which is able to build us up," in all
that is excellent and good, and which has done so
"abundantly" for all those, who have trusted to it in
simplicity and faith? We acknowledge no other in-
fallible leader, no other "ultimate rule," but Christ
the light " the beginning' and end of days," " the
author and finisher of our faith ;" and rest assured
that this doctrine, if acknowledged in sincerity and
truth, will never lead any " into the gulf of Hicksism
and deism," but into the way everlasting, for " let
God be true, and every man a liar." "Be ye there-
fore stedfast, immoveable," and remember that
though all men should forsake the truth, the truth
will remain the same. One of the chosen twelve for-
sook it and some who had received it in the Apos-
tle's days, " fell away." And as one sinner that re-
penteth, giveth more joy to the Angels in Heaven,
than ninety and nine just persons, who need no re-
pentance ; so, perhaps, it affords a greater degree of
malignant satisfaction, to the evil ones, that one who
was in the light should fall into the darkness, than it
would rage and envy, that ninety and nine, who were
in the darkness, should be turned to light, and from
the "power of Satan unto God." The Truth must
finally prevail. It has beertevil spoken of, mocked,
and oppressed, from the time of Adam until now,
therefore "beloved, think it not strange, concerning
the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice inas-
much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings ; that
when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also
with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the
name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory,
and of God resteth upon you : on their part he is evil
spoken of, but on your part he is glorified."! Phil,
chap, 4, v. 12, 13, 14,
68
CHAPTER IV.
IN this and the following chapters, I shall endea-
vour to show, from the authority of the Scriptures
themselves, as well as from arguments drawn from
existing facts, that the Scriptures are NOT, as the au-
thor of the " Beacon," and these several Reviewers
say they are, " the only standard of religious truth."
It is thus stated in the " Beacon," according to the
quotation in the article before me" It is plain that
the rule must be THAT WHICH PROCEEDS from the
Spirit and not the Holy Spirit himself. To speak of
the Holy Spirit as a rule, involves the same incon-
gruity as to speak of God as a rule. It is clear to
demonstration, that there can be no higher rule than
the Scriptures. There can be no higher rule than
that which is given by inspiration of God. " All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God,' therefore
there can be no higher rule than the Holy Sriptures."
Now these premises may be all very correct, so far
as they are set forth. " All Scripture," (provided
all Holy Scripture is only spoken of,) I most un-
doubtedly admit " is given by inspiration of God ;"
but whilst I admit this, and of consequence, the con-
clusion (but not the conclusion I. C. educes) that
flows from it, I also deem It to be of the utmost im-
portance to know whether all that you say is Holy
Scripture, is really Holy Scripture or not, and whe-
ther there never was, is not now, and never will be
any Holy Scripture, but so much of the writings of
" holy men," as is at present contained in the book
called " the Bible." And in proportion as the con-
sequences involved in my acceptance or rejection of
such authority, are of the utmost importance to my
well-being both here and hereafter, so is it incumbent
upon me to make diligent search, and be " fully per-
suaded" in my own mind, that I follow " not the
C'J
doctrines of men, for the commandments of God."
Neitheir is this the only consideration that is of weight
here. Even supposing I grant without inquiry, that
every letter and syllable from the first chapter of
Genesis, to the last of Revelations, " is given by the
inspiration of God," and that within these contract-
ed limits, is included all that he did (which is con-
trary to the Scripture testimony itself,) at any time
make known by His Holy Spirit, to the children of
men, still there is no good reason, to show that the
whole of those things which were revealed at diffe-
rent times, to different individuals, under different
circumstances, are to stand as the only appeal, and
" ultimate standard," to the end of time, for all states
and conditions of men. " The spirits of the Pro-
phets are subject to the Prophets." God is a "God of
order," and " not of confusion." Does Isaac Crewd-
son, arid do the Reviewers, believe that any of the
Prophets, or holy men of old, whenever anything
was revealed to them, tested its genuineness and au-
thority by the writings of OTHER inspired men ?
Was it necessary for Jeremiah, think ye, when the
" Word of the Lord" came to him, " as a burning
fire," so that he 4i was weary with forbearing, and
could not stay," to run to the writings of Isaiah, and
David, and Moses, and the rest of the inspired men,
who had committed their several revelations to wri-
ting ? Think ye he was obliged to resort to these as
an "ultimate standard," in order to ascertain
whether " the Woid," which he declares to have been
in his " heart," was from God, or not ? And when
the Apostle Paul received a " dispensation of the
Gospel," not by man, or the will of man, but by
" the Holy Ghost," (and there is no other way of
receiving it,) did HE also, think ye, " search the Scrip-
tures" that were written up to that period, as an
" ultimate standard," or did he not, without reason^,
ing with " flesh and blood," or anything else, " give
up to the heavenly vision ?" And when the twelve
Apostles, after the ascension of our Saviour, had met
together at Jerusalem, mid " were all filled with the
Holy Ghost," what had THEY to consult, to ascer-.
70
tain whether it was the Holy Ghost, or not, with
which they were " filled ?" And when Peter and John
were " commanded not to teach in the name of Jesus,"
think ye they looked into the writings either of the
old prophets or the new ones, to ascertain the validi-
ty of their commission ? Did they resort to so much
6f your " ultimate standard," as had then made its
appearance in the world, in order to be " fully per-
suaded" that " the testimony of Jesus, which is the
spirit of prophecy," "dwelt " richly" in their minds ?
Did not " the Spirit bear witness with their spirits,"
and was not that witness, think ye, of superior weight
to any other that could be produced ? Did they
think in that eventful moment, that it was any, " in-
congruity to speak of God as a rule ?" but did they
not expressly acknowledge that He WAS their rule,
when they said, " Whether it be right in the sight of
God, to hearken unto you MORE than unto God, judge
ye?"
Will Isaac Crewdsom and the 1'eviewers contend
that the Prophets and the Apostles were thus com-
pelled to consult the writings of other Prophets and
Apostles that had gone before them, in order to be
assured whether, or not, it was " the inspiration of
the Almighty" that gave them "understanding," or
whether it was " certain impressions" of their " own,"
by which, through " self-importance," they were
"blinded," so as they could not distinguish "be-
tween the infallibility of the Holy Spirit, and their
own fallibility ?" They will scarcely assert this ;
but if they do, where is the chapter and verse in
their " ultimate standard for the truth of every
doctrine" for the truth of this ? It is, certainly, a
most irrational and extraordinary doctrine, more es-
pecially coming from those who, tauntingly, and
jeeringly, and gravely too, accuse others of being the
preachers of " mysticism," " certain impressions,"
" suggestions," and other similar phantasies. I say
it is a most irrational and extraordinary doctrine,
that the influence of the Holy Spirit in the heart of
man cannot be distinguished from the mind's own
" suggestions," or from " the delusion of the Devil,"
71
,unless it be brought to the records of former " in-
spirations," with which some holy men were favour-
ed, who have been "at rest from their labours,"
some, hundreds, and others, thousands of years ago !
"Where is the chapter and verse, in any part of " the
ultimate appeal" for this most irrational and extraor-
dinary doctrine? And supposing, for the sake of
more clearly showing its utter groundlessness in all
truth and reason, that we ARE to " test" a present
revelation to ourselves, by a revelation to some one
else many hundred years ago, what revelation, I ask,
am I to test it by 1 Am I to " test" it by what Moses
did or said ? or by what those did and said who
" walked with God" before Moses's time ? er am I to
look into some of the Prophets, or the Evangelists,
or the Epistles of the Apostles, or of that book of
heavenly mysteries, called the Revelations of John
the Divine; or, is it of no consequence into which
part I look, as each and every part is alike competent
to decide the important fact? And, again, by what
process, in what manner, and way, am I to " test it?"
Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers say, that "if we
unhappily flatter ourselves, that we have the know-
ledge of the will of God, independently of the written
revelation^ by which it has pleased him to convey it,
we lay ourselves open to the delusion of the Devil."
Now, "if they do sincerely believe and mean in this,
that the will of God concerning us," can only be as-
certained by reference to so much of the different
writings of the Apostles and Prophets, that are con-
tained in the book called the Bible, I think it but fair
to ask them, how I am to ascertain the will of God
in the particular instance I have just specified. The
Holy Spirit influences my heart; thou canst not
tell that it does, says Isaac Crewdson and his co-
thinkers, unless thou triest it by the best translated
copies, of those copies, of those original manuscripts,
of those holy men, \vho, hundreds and thousands of
years ao, were under the immediate influence of the
SAME Holy Spirit? Well if this is to be the test
of the genuineness of this influence, HOW is it to be
the test ? What portion, as I asked before, of the
72
Bible, am I to appeal to ? Or, am I to take any part
indiscriminately, as I may open upon it? How am I
to set about the work? A " certain impression" or
" suggestion" that may " most comport" with my
" particular bent of mind," that this text, or the other
text, confirms the influence to be of the Holy Spirit,
will not do. I am no nearer then to the truth, than I
was before so HOW am I to discover it ? Why, both
Isaac Crewdson and his friends, when they have
brought you to what they call " the ULTIMATE AP-
PEAL," and the " ONLY TEST," and the " HIGHEST
RULE," tell you themselves, in direct contradiction
to what they tell you before, that something else is
requisite. They learn, as all must learn that do the
game, that the Bible, like themselves, can do nothing
of itself , that it z's, what it declares itself to be " of
no private interpretation," and that as for any power
which it possesses in itself essentially, it possesses
none at all it is a mere dead letter ; and notwith-
standing the same truth concerning it, may have
been spoken by Elias Hicks, or all the Deists, and
Atheists, that have ever lived, it is of ITSELF but a
mere " written," (or, more properly speaking in
these times,) printed book. Surely, Isaac Crewdson
and his co-thinkers, who have extolled it so highly
invested it with such glorious attributes called it
by the name of " The Highest" even by the name
of him who sate upon the " white horse," and who
was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, and his
name is called, " the Word of God" placed it in the
judgment seat as being the ultimate authority to
which we can appeal, surely, after according all
these high titles, and noble offices to the Bible, after
specifically appealing to it, to confirm the judgment
of what they deem the " court below," surely, after
all this, they will not report to us that the case
does not fall within its jurisdiction, that it is incom-
petent to give a judgment, and must therefore be
referred to a higher tribunal ? Surely, my friends,
Isaac Crewdson and his co-thinkers, cannot say thus!
Yes, inconsistent and utterly at variance, as it is
with their other assertions, they tell you, in other
73
'Words to be sure, but they do tell you positively,
that there is something else requisite, besides the
"highest appeal," as they term it ; and, WHAT do
they say that something is ? After appealing to the
Scriptures, to distinguish between the " infallibility
of the Holy Spirit," and our " own FALLIBILITY,"'
and failing in our object, to WHAT and to whom think
ye, they say we must go 1 why to the Holy Spirit
at last. " It is indeed by the power of the HOLY
SPIRIT, that the heart is softened and opened to re-
ceive the truth, and also, (that is by the POWER of the
HOLY SPIRIT) that the truth, when received, is AP-
PLIED with saving efficacy to the heart, and made to
produce fruit unto holiness." To be sure Isaac
Crewdson and his friends, all testify here to " the
truth," the same as Elias Hicks appears to do at
times, but such an acknowledgment, by no means
argues a tendency to plunge into " the gulf" of either
of their errors. I must confess that darkness and
" thick clouds of the sky" are on either side, and
that I am as unwilling to follow the one, as I am the
ether, convinced that there is but one way, and that
way is Christ."
Isaac Crewdson acknowledges in the passages last
quoted, that the truth which is even contained in the
Scripture, can be received into the heart only by the
power of the " Holy Spirit." He is compelled will-
ingly or unwillingly to assent to this, or else, it all
comes to those very '* suggestions" and "certain im-
pressions," which he asserts has " lately swept
thousands after thousands of our small section of the
Christian Church, into th-e gulf of Hicksism and
deism." Yes he is compelled, I say, to acknow-
ledge the superiority of the Spirit over the letter,
he bears testimony himself at one time, though he
denies it at another, that to HIM belongs the "power,"
even whilst he gives " the glory to another."
If this point was not ceded at last, although their
creed would be more consistent with itself, as being
far less contradictory, it would nevertheless be based
upon nothing sounder than "suggestions," after all ;
which " suggestions," andcertainimpressions" would,
7
74
according to tkeir opinion, be of authority when tried
by the Scripture, but of NO authority without ; and
as one man's " suggestion" would be as good as ano-
ther's, the "highest rule," as they call the Scriptures,
would be no rule at all. Nor does it stand much, if
any, better in RKALIIY, as it does stand at present;
for, if the " Holy Spirit" does not hold intercourse
with the soul of man, whereby, and by whose quick-
ening influence alone, man is made a "LIVING soul"
if the Almighty does not reveal himself in any de-
gree if the knowledge of his will concerning us can
be known only at such times when we can " gain ac-
cess" (not " to the Father," but) to the records of
former revelations, with which He was graciously
pleased to favour OTHER men, some centuries ago
if the visitations of divine grace and heavenly love
are necessarily restricted within bounds so narrow'
if the spiritual intercourse of man with the " Father
of Spirits" can only be enjoyed with the recorded
experiences of other men before us if He "in whom
we live, and move, and have our being," and who
never yet said to the wrestling " seed of Jacob, seek
ye me in vain" if He who produceth all things, sus
taineth all things, and " numbereth the very hairs o
our heads" if He, " the high and lofty One, who
inhabiteth eternity, and whose name is Holy," and
who hath promised to dwell with that "man of a
lowly and contrite heart" if the Son revealeth unto
us the Father at such times, and on such occasions
only, as Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers declare,
I am even then placed in the same uncertainty ; for
how I am to distinguish then, better than I could at
any other time, between the INFALLIBILITY of the
Holy Spirit, and my own FALLABILITY, is a secret
which they do not disclose. I admit* with Isaac
Crewdson, that " the question is.not what God COULD
have done, nor what it was befitting, according to
our apprehension, that he should have done ; but it
is simply what is the way which God hath chosen
for communicating the knowledge of life and salva-
tion." Isaac Crewdson says, that the way He has
chosen is the Holy Scriptures. He calls the Scrip-
75
tures the " highest rule," and " the written revela-
tion," without which we cannot have "the know-
ledge of the will of God." Now, I am sure that
there is no such verse in any chapter of his " highest
rule," that says in this respect what Isaac Crewdson
says. Isaac Crewdson makes " the true knowledge
of God," his " holy law," and " the Gospel of life
and salvation through Jesus Christ," synonymous
terms with holy Scriptures ; but they are nowhere
said to be so IN the Scriptures. Such a meaning can
only be applied to them by construction, and a con-
struction, too, at complete variance with the whole
tenor of Scripture evidence. It assuredly is a strange
thing, that men who appear so very solicitous to ex-
clude the influence of "certain impressions," and
mere "suggestions," from their company in search
of truth, should all the time yield up their own judg-
ments to no higher authority that they should make
it a matter of solemn regret that any should be so
deluded as " to set up a light within," ad yet, after
all, to rest themselves upon no other staff, than such
as stands upon no surer foundation, than the recorded
experiences of other men. They complain, and
rightly, of those who "set up a light within," whilst
themselves set up a light without. Foolish men !
their own " ultimate standard" tells them that the
only " true light" is set up by Him who said, " let
there be light, and there was light." " /am the light
of the world, (said Christ) he that followeth me, shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
But, no ! says Isaac Crewdson and his co-thinkers,
flatly contradicting (if there is such a thing as contra-
diction in the world) the very " ultimate standard,"
the very test for " the truth of every doctrine," which
they have chosen for themselves, and others also.
No say they Christ is not the light of the world,
but only of such PART of the woi-ld as have some of
the writings of Moses, the Prophets, and Apostles.
*' He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life." This will not do
for Isaac Crewdson and his friends, although they
hare made the book in which it is BO stated, their
76
"ultimate appeal," they must come in here with 3
disjunctive conjunction but no man can follow
Him (Christ) unless he has the Bible therefore he
must walk in darkness, and cannot have " the light
of life." Such is the " gulf," the gulf of darkness
into which this doctrine leads, or it leads no where
at all. For, if a man can follow Christ if he can
have " the light of life," without the Scriptures, then
the Scriptures are not the "highest rule r " are not
the sine qua nori that Isaac and his friends say they
are. It is clearly and expressly stated in the Scrip-
tures, that Christ said, " /AM the light of the world."
Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers deny i,L What !
cho.ose their own "appeal," call their own witness,
appoint their own judge, and then reject the testimo-
ny and the decre'e ! Yes so it is they will not take
the evidence as it is given, but they will take it only
in conformity to " certain impressions," to " sugges-
tions" which "comport most with their own particu*
lar bent of mind." John, the forerunner of Christ's
outward appearance, said he came to " bear testi-
mony to that light," and that "that was the true light,
which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the
world." Now, if there is any thing in the meaning
of words at all if there is any stability in their
meaning if they are not to be wrested at pleasure,,
and twisted about into any sense that men like best
if these things have been " written for our instruc-
tion" if these words mean in this place what they
would mean in any other if " light," means " light,'*
and not darkness if " THE world r " means " the
WORLD," and NOT a part of the world only if
" every man," means " every man," and NOT some
few men only, then "it is manifest that light is come
into the world," and was in. the world before Ma,t-
thewr, Mark, Luke and John wrote their histories,
or Pa.ul and the other Apostles, their Epistles ; and
that it would be in the world, although all their writ-
ings, precious, and extremely precious, as I acknow-
ledge them to be, were lost to-morrow.
I am no more, I trust, inclined to follow " certain,
impressions*' and suggestions than Isaac CrewdsoQ
and his Reviewers; and I feel no inclination to be
" wise above that which is written" in Holy Scrip-
ture, or to " set up a light within, above the revela-
tion of the Spirit of God" therein. I heed not, in
this respect, all the " impressions" and " sugges-
tions" from Adam downwards, until now. I am
thankful to take that which is written, or, at least,
as much as remains of what WAS written, knowing it
to have been written " for our instruction." And I
also know that a light is already set up. " I have
set thee to be a light 6f the Gentiles, that thou should-
est be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." And
I also know that it is written, that " he that followeth
me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life." Still, notwithstanding these plain de-
clarations, we are cautioned not to " presume to spe-
culate" with regard to the Heathen. Right not to
" presume to speculate ? But who DOES speculate ?
These people who caution u? against the presump-
tion of speculation, inform us, first, truly enough,
that without the Gospel there is no salvation : then,
contrary to the evidence of their own " ultimate ap-
peal," that the Heathen are, as I shall shew further
on, without the Gospel. Why they leave us nothing
to speculate upon. The conclusion is inevitable
the Heathen are lost; for they say, the Heathen are
not possessed of that which ALONE can save them.
This is pretty well, to be sure ; but this is not all ;
for whilst the witness they themselves bring forth,
testifies that Christ is the light of the world, and that
those who follow him " shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life," they say that those ONLY
can have the " light of life" who have the SCRIP-
TURES. They shut their eyes with the book before
them, and then implore us not to do the same thing.
*' And let none of us shut our eyes against what God
has made known to us, because (now mark the be-
cause,) because there are other things which, in his
wisdom, he hides from us ;" amongst which " other
things," they include the state of the Heathen. Were
ever men more bewildered with their own " impres-
sions" and " suggestions," or more confused in their
18
manner of publishing them, than these mea? They
first shut their own eyes to the meaning of plain
words t,o the truth, as it is written and made known ;
and then, as though their eyes were wide open, ad-
vise us not to follow their unwise example!. "With their
eyes thus shut they give us a " certain impression"
for the truth of God, backed by; a certain " sugges-
tion," which " most comports with their own partic-
ular bent of mind," leave the conclusion to be drawn
thereupon inevitable, and then charge us not to spe-
culate upon that very self-same conclusion^ which
they themselves have placed out of the field of specu-
lation.
Before I enter more minutely into a consideration
of the grounds upon which the doctrine of the Scrip-
tures being the " highest appeal," is founded, it will
be necessary for me to explain what I understand by
the terms, " true knowledge of God," " his holy-
law," and the " gospel of life and salvation through
Jesus Christ." It is evident by the manner in which
these terms are employed throughout " the Extracts,"
that the different writers therein, use them in a
synonymous sense with the Scriptures. Now, I do
not believe them to haveany such meaning properly.
If in any part of their " ultimate appeal for the
truth of every doctrine," they can produce a single
passage in which either of these three terms is pre-
dicated of that portion of Holy Writ bound up in one
volume, called the Bible, I will admit their authori-
ty ; but if not, I shall treat such interpretation of
these terms only with that courtesy, which is the
due of "certain impressions," and those "sugges-
tions which most comport with their particular bent
of mind," who assert it. I will therefore give what
I understand by the terms, which is no other than as
they are explained in the Scriptures themselves. I
presume not to give any other definition. I dare not
say that they mean the Scriptures; and the Scrip-
tures, I repeat, say not so of themselves. The Scrip-
tures narrate, that our Saviour said to his disciples,.
"If ye had known ME, ye should have known my
FATHER ALSO ; and from henceforth ye KNOW him,.
79
and have SEEN him." John, chap. 14, ver. 7. "No
man KNOWETH the Father but the SON, and he to
whom the SON will reveal him." "To whom Lord
shall we go but to thee, for thou hast the words of
Eternal Life <"' By the first text, I arn told the
" true knowledge of God," is the knowledge of
CHRIST. In the next text I am told, the way to the
knowledge of the Father is through or by Christ.
And in the last, I am told that the knowledge of the
Father and Son, is life eternal. And thus is clearly
seen how " Christ is the way, the truth, and the life."
Now, with respect to " God^s holy law." The Scrip-
tures declare, that there was a law written by the
" finger of God" on " tables of stone," and given to
Moses, for the SPECIAL observance of the ISRAEL-
ITES ; I say for the SPECIAL observance of the Israel-
ites, because independently of that particular law
embodied on the " tables of stone," there was the uni-
versal Jaw, which was written, not upon " tables of
stone," but on " fleshy tables of the heart," which
was in the hearts of the Israelites as well as in the
hearts of the Gentiles ; which special law, whatever
were its peculiar ordinances, was not at variance
with the universal law, (for all " God's ways are
equal,") but in perfect unison and harmony with it.
" For this, commandment which I command thee
this day," (said Moses to the children of Israel,) "it
is not HIDDEN from thee, neither is. it FAR off. It is
not in Heaven that thou shouldest say, who shall go
up for us to Heaven, and bring it unto us, that we
may hear it, and do it ? Neither is it beyond the sea,
that thou shouldest say, who shall go over the sea
for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and
do it. But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy
mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." It
may be objected, that no reference is made here to
any other law, but the law written upon the " tables
of stone," since it was made a part of their duty to
learn it themselves, and teach it their children, and
might therefore be said to be " in thy mouth, and in
thy heart." But this was not the Apostle Paul's
view of it, for in his Epistle to the Romans, in the
tenth chapter, he directs their attention to the differ-
ence between the special law given to the Israelites,
and the -universal law which they in common had
with all the Gentiles ; calling one " the righteousness
of the law," and the other, by way of distinction, as
well as de jure and defacto "the righteousness of
faith," and in so doing, quotes the very words in
which Moses described the latter, (viz. " the right-
eousness of faith") to the children of Israel, first of
all quoting what he (Moses,) had said of " the right-
eousness of the law." Thus " For Moses de-
scribeth the righteousness which is of the law that
the man which doth these things shall live by them.
But the righteousness which is of faith, speaketh on
this wise, say not in thine heart, who shall ascend
into Heaven ? (that is to bring Christ down from
above,) or who shall descend into the deep? (that is
to bring up Christ again from the dead :) but what
saith it? The WORD is nigh thee, even in thy mouth
and in thy heart ; THAT is the WORD OF FAITH which
WE preach ; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved."
This then is what I believe to be " the holy law of
God," and that this law is written upon the heart of
every human being. " For there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord
over all, is rich unto all that call upon him." And
it is evident that this universal law, was the law re-
ferred to by Moses when addressing the Israelites
upon the occasion alluded to, and not the SPECIAL
law which was written upon the " tables of stone. "-
Thus far as to the " true knowledge of God," and
his "holy law;" and now as to what I understand by
" the Gospel of life and salvation." The Apostle
writes to the Romans, " For I am not ashamed of the
Gospel of Christ, lor it is the power of God unto
salvation, to every one that believeth, to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek." This then is what I
apprehend to be the Gospel, what the Apostle says
it is " the power of God unto salvation," &c. If it
81
be asserted that the Scriptures arc " the power of
God unto salvation, 1 ' I reply,, that PAUL says the
GOSPEL is " the power of God," and that YOU say the
SCRIPTURES are ; but that throughout the Scripture?,
which are your "ultimate appeal," no such thing; is
affirmed of them. Paul declares the GOSPEL to be
" the power of God,'' and he declares to what END
the power is directed, in reference TO the Gospel, viz.
" unto salvation." Can this be affirmed of the
Scriptures I Are they THE power of God ?" If they
are NOT the power of God, they are NOT the GOS-
PEL, for the Gospel is " the power of God." If it be
said that Paul told Timothy that the holy Scriptures
were able to make him " wise unto salvation," I re-
ply truly ; but then not of themselves ; they did not
themselves possess -the power; they were only ix-
STRUMENTALLY capable of effecting that end: they
were, and are, capable of making " wise unto salva-
tion ;" but not, I repeat, by any power of their OWN,
any more than could Paul by his preaching, who con-
fessed his own weakness, but yet said, " 1 can do all
things." How could he do all things ? Why,
" through Christ," (sailh he,) " that strengthened
me." And so the Scriptures were able to make Ti-
mothy, and others as well as Timothy, " wise unto
salvation." But how are they able to make " wise
unto salvation?" Why, "through faith, which is
in Christ Jesus." The Apostle Paul, who makes fre-
quent use of this word, Gospel, as well he might,
being ordained a preacher thereunto, thus exhorts
the Colossians " If ye continue in the faith ground-
ed and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was
preached to every creature which is under heaven,
whereof I Paul am made a minister." Now, without
entering into any verbal criticism, which has been
indulged in upon the word TO in this text, it is evi-
dent, even if the Gospel had not been so explicitly
defined as we have just seen, that this single passage
would be quite conclusive against the SCRIPTURES
being the Gospel. When Paul wrote this to the
Colossians, all the Scriptures which at present com-
pose the Bible, were not written, therefore the Co-
lossians could not have heard them ; but Paul says,
they had heard the Gospel. The Scriptures, there-
fore, were XOT the Gospel. Nor could the Scrip-
tures, even supposing they had beea written, have
been preached to every creature under heaven. To
suppose that they had, would be assuming, for a fact,
that which was impossible; and as I apprehend no
one would be so foolish as to assert it, I shall not be
so unwise as to waste more time in refuting it.
Taking for granted, then, that the Scriptures, in
Paul's time, had NOT been " preached to every
creature under heaven," it is clear that the Scrip-
tures are not the Gospel ; for Paul declares that, in
his time, the Gospel " WAS preached to every crea-
ture under heaven."
I have now given, according to Scriptural defini-
nition, the meaning I attach to the terms, the " true
knowledge of God," " His holy law," and " the Gos-
pel of life and salvation ;" the whole of which centres
in Christ, in whom " dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily."
I could, had I felt disposed, have adduced many
more texts shewing that these views are sanctioned
by Scripture; but, as, in the course of this work,
more suitable opportunities will occur, I shall not,
at this place, enlarge upon them, satisfied that to eve-
ry candid and unprejudiced mind, I have done enough
to prove that my view of these matters is in accord-
ance with the express words of Scripture, and that
any other appropriation of the terms is not warranted
by Scripture, nor, as I trust I shall prove, by the
evidence of existing facts.
Isaac Crewdson says, that it " involves an incon-
gruity to speak of the Holy Spirit and God as a rule."
I cannot, myself, see any incongruity that it in-
volves ; for, although I do not at this time, remember
any passage in Scripture in which the identical word,
rule, is applied in such a relation, there are, neverthe-
less, numerous places in which words of the same
meaning are so employed. We are exhorted to
H WALK BY the Spirit," and to be " LED BY the Spir-
S3
it," and are encouraged to believe that the Spirit
will " LEAD" us " into all truth." Our Saviour told
his disciples to " be perfect, even as your FATHER
in heaven is perfect." And the Apostle Paul writes
to the Ephesians "Be ye followers of God, as dear
children." Eph. chap. 5, ver. 1. No\v, whether we
use the words pattern, or guide, or any other word
that conveys to us the same meaning, appears to me
of but very little consequence, although it some-
times happens that out of many synonymous words,
there is one more appropriate in all respects than the
rest, for the precise meaning we wish to convey. Our
Saviour is, I think, by most Christians, spoken of at
times as a pattern, a guide,'&c. To which, perhaps it
may be replied, that it is his works, his manner of
lite, &c. that are here alluded to ; but is not this ma-
king an exception in favour of those who think with
you, which you will not grant to those who do not?
Does not the common custom of our language allow
us to speak of this man as our rule our guide our
pattern, &c.-? And although we probably do not
mean the man in propria persona to be the rule, &c.,
but to that which he does or says, nevertheless, we
are not apt to consider that it " involves an incon-
gruity," in this particular application of the terms.
Neither is this form of expression, when thus applied,
Scripturally unsound. For our Saviour not only
POINTS the way not only REVEALS the truth not
only LEADS to life ; but most distinctly and emphati-
cally declares, " I AM the way, the truth, and the
life."
And there is another point, upon which I must just
make a remark or two, before I close this chapter.
" By vainly attempting," (says I. C.) " to compare
the Scriptures with the Spirit, and asserting that the
Spirit is a higher rule, they depreciated the attested
revelation of the Spirit, the only standard of religious
truth. Yet this attempted comparison, whatever
might be their view of it, was not between the Scrip-
tures and the Holy Spirit, (for these admit of no
comparison, but in reality, the comparison was
between the true revelation of God by Holy Scrip-
84
ture, and impressions made on their own minds."
I suppose that the parties alluded to in this para-
graph, are Elias Hicks and his followers; but, who-
ever they are, is of no importance to us. It is evi-
dent, in accordance with the testimony of Scrip-
ture itself, that if they went about interpreting Scrip-
ture, by the light of their natural understandings, or
the mere "impressions" wrought on their minds, by
the power of their own imaginations, that they
" wrested" them, as must inevitably be the case, with
all who do the like, "to their own destruction." But
there are "impressions," whatever Isaac Crewdson
and the Reviewers may say to the contrary, there
are " impressions" which are neither the offspring
of our own fancy, the result of our own reasonings,
or, the produce of any external cause whatever ;
which, although they can abide comparison, inas-
much as truth cannot contradict itself, nevertheless,
need it not, because they are in " demonstration of
the Spirit, and with power."
I do not deny, in a conditional or restricted sense
of the word, the Scriptures to be a rule ; but they
are no more a rule to those who do not walk by them,
and lead the life they require, than is the Spirit a rule
to those who despise its influence, and are "aliens"
from its power. Nor must we be intimidated from
giving glory where glory is due, or from humbly at-
tempting to show the might and majesty, and exceed-
ing excellency of the source and fountain of light and
life itself, because others have attempted a compari-
son between the bright and glorious beams that have
been poured forth from it, and the feeble sparks
which the natural fire of their own hearts has kin-
dled. And thus it stands as I. C. and the Reviewers,
sometimes please to put it themselves. They do not
upon all occasions confound things which are essen-
tially different they sometimes make a distinction
themselves between the revelation, and the Spirit
'which reveals. "It is plain that the rule (by which
I. C. means the Scriptures,) must be THAT WHICH
PROCEEDS FROM the Spirit, and NOT the Holy Spirit
itself." So that after all, I C., who says, that the
85
^Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, admit of 710 COM-
PARISON," does himself COMPARE them, and tells us
the result of his comparison, viz. " that it is clear
to demonstration, that there can be no higher rule
than the Scriptures." If he has NOT compared them,
how can he trll that the one is a rule, and that the
other is NOT ? And may we not, by transposing the
words Scripture and Spirit, into the respective place,
which each at present occupies in the paragraph of
his own making, say, "By vainly attempting to
compare" the Spirit with the Scriptures,' and assert-
ing ihat the Scriptures are a higher rule, he has de-
preciated the authority of the Spirit, " the only im-
mutable standard of religious truth." Yet (we may
continue in almost his own words)-^yet this attempt-
ed comparison, whatever may be his view of it, is
not between the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures, but
in reality the comparison rs between his " impres-
gions" regarding the Holy Spirit on the one hand,
and his u impressions" regarding the Scriptures on
the other. And, supposing that Isaac Crewdson had
not, in refutation of himself, entered into ANY com-
parison, yet what more than a " suggestion comport-
ing most with his OAVH particular bent of mind," is it
for him to say that' they "admit of no comparison?"
The gratification of a vain and imperitnent curiosity
in things of so high and holy a kind is certainly to
be deprecated and utterly disowned ; but in integrity
of heart and simplicity of mind, to make " diligent
search" after truth to " prove all things, and hold
fast that which is good," is not only lawful in itself,
but is expressly recommended by apostolic authority.
Therefore, when men assert that the writings of
other men who lived centuries ago, and wrote under
the influence of the Holy Spirit, are a "higher rule"
to me, than the influence of the same Holy Spirit
upon my OWN mind ; I surely am not to be dissuaded
by an assertion, grounded upon no reason whatever,
that " these admit of no comparison," although com-
ing from Isaac Crewdson, and backed by the great
authority of the " Scottish Congregational Maga-
zine." I am not to be dissuaded from placing before
8
86
my own view, or that of others, the distinctive cha-
racters and offices of the Scriptures, and, with all
reverence be it said, of the Holy Spirit. Humanly
speaking, the Scriptures are always at our command,
but "*the Spirit* bloweth where it listeth, and no
man knoweth whence it cometh, nor whither it go-
eth." The operations of the Holy Spirit are clearly
denned in many parts of the Scriptures* and He is
declared to be one with the Word. The Scriptures
also declare what they are, as well as the end for
which they are designed the powers, and essence
of both are there distinctly defined, so far as- Al-
mighty wisdom has seen meet to reveal them ; and
if men, yielding to " certain impressions" and " sug-
gestions" of their own minds, attempt either to de-
press the one below, or exalt the other above its re-
spective station, it appears to me rather too much
like " straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel,"
to say they "admit of no comparison," because we
refer to " the true revelation of God by the Holy
Scriptures," their, own " ultimate appeal for the truth
of every doctrine," to find what is there revealed of
both, and what, de jure and de facto, both are de-
clared to be.
A few words more upon comparison, and I have
done with it. Equals and extremes appear to me the
only things that do not admit of comparison. A
spirit infinitely good, and a spirit infinitely bad, ad-
* The GREEK word in this place is the SAME as it is in all other
places, where it is translated Spirit: And Samuel Fisher observes
upon it, " Ghost is that terrible word which the ghostly Fathers
have used to frighten poor simple" people with, in their liturgies,
talkings, treatises, and translations, it sounding somewhat more
hideously than the word Spirit ;' or else I know no reason why
they render not the Greek word by that English word, Spirit, in
one place as well as another ; for it is the same word all along in
their original copies, as well where they translate it Ghost and
Wind, as they do in one place, John, chap. 3, vgr. 8, as well as
where they translate it Spirit. But it would be an uncouth sound
to say Ghost in most places, where the word Spirit stands : as it
were strange to say, the Ghost of God witnesSeth to our Ghosts,
&c. Tht Ghost lusteth against the flesh, and the flesh against the
Ghost, &c. Such as are led by the Ghost of God are his sons, &c.
The Ghost helpelh our infirmities, &c.
87
mit of no comparison ; but infinite degrees exist
throughout the infinite series which constitute the
medium between them ; and as some men approach
nearer to the source of good, so others approach
nearer to the source of evil. " Ye are of your father,
the Devil," said our Saviour to the Pharisees, " and
the works of your father ye will do. He was a liar
and murderer from the beginning." Thus did our
Saviour institute -a comparison between the works of
evil, and the grand parent "of evil. And to his disci-
ples he said, ""Be ye perfect, even as your Father in
heaven is perfect." The Apostles advise us to prove,
try, and examine ourselves and how are we to do
it? what standard are we to resort to ? Why to no
less than the eternal and immutable standard of per-
fection itself the Father. " Prove all things," says
the Apostle, and " beloved, try every spirit, whether
it be of God." Now, if " EVERY spirit" is to be
tried, and " ALL things" are to be proved, then NO
spirit, and NO thing are exempted from proof and
trial. But we cannot prove a thing without com-
paring it with something else ; therefore, unless the
Scriptures are one arid the same thing with the Holy
Spirit, they come within the circle of those things
that are to.be submitted to proof and comparison.
You can institute a comparison between them and
other writings if you like, and you need not fear the
consequences they will bear it, yes ! their true
excellency will appear stronger by the contrast than
otherwise ; and you can compare them with the Di-
vine -Source from whence they have emanated yon
need not fear, for their title will be confirmed, and
their testimony acknowledged ; so that the Scrip-
tures can be compared with the Spirit that gave them
forth ; bti't, strictly speaking, the Spirit cannot be
compared with them, BECAUSE being of infinite per-
fection, it demands no comparison. " To whom,"
asks the .prophet Isaiah, " will ye liken God ? or
what likeness will ye COMPARE unto him ?" There-
fore, although we may positively assert of the Scrip-
tures that they do admit of comparison, yet we can
only say so of the Spirit conditionally, inasmuch as
He is the immutable standard, by which the Scrip-
tures and all spirits may be proved and tried. " lie
(the Spirit of truth) shall teach you ALL THINGS."
CHAPTER V.
" ^ " f. ' '
IN the last chapter I stated, according to Scriptu-
ral authority, what I understood by the. terms "the
true knowledge of God," " his holy-law" and " the
Gospel of life and salvation, through Jesus Christ."
And in that sense alone, as there expressed, I use
them throughout these pages.
I also showed, according to Scripture evidence, as
well as by the practice of common discourse r that no
Incongruity is involved in speaking of the Holy Spirit
as a rule; and although I might have adduced many
more texts of Scripture than I did, to fortify my
views, yet, as I should probably have occasion, in
the progress of this little work, to bring those passages
before us, I thought that I had advanced a sufficient
number to establish my position, without the intro-
duction of any more. I shall now come more closely
to examine the grounds upon which-Isaac. Crewdson.
asserts, that " it is clear to demonstration, that there
can be no higher RULE than the Scriptures." The
way in which Isaac Crewdson demonstrates it is "this
" There can be no higher rule then that which is
given by inspiration of God.-'* " All Script'iire is
given by inspiration of God." 2 Tim. chap. 3, ver.
16. " Therefore there can be no higher rule than
the Holy Scriptures." Upon which the -Reviewer
remarks "'In our anticipations of benefit from the
distinct admission and extending prevalence of this
primary principle," .i e. (" that there can be no higher
appeal than the Holy Scriptures,"} we are influenced
by a deep conviction of what the writer says else-
where, page 149 " That in proportion as SCRIPTS
fuvi. TRUTH, Is embraced, the Church will be brought
to '' the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son
of God.' " I most unhesitatingly agree with the con-
clusion of the Reviewer in this latter quotation from
the " Beacon," " that in proportion as SCRIPTURAL
TRUTH is embraced, the Church will be brought to
' the unity of the faith; and of the knowledge of the Son
of God.'" But then comes the very question at issue
are the Scriptures, and Scriptural truth one and the
same thing? The Reviewers, and Isaac Crewdson,
according to their views and .principles, say they ARE ;
I, on the contrary, according to my views and prin-
ciples, say they are NOT.' They say, according to
their views, that the Scriptures, ARE the truth TESTI-
FIED OF, by, or hx the Scriptures; I say, that the
SCRIPTURES are. ONE thing, and the TRUTH they TES-
TIFY of is ANOTHER. Now, what do the Scriptures
say themselves upon this point? What do they say
is the truth? This is the question remember that
Pilate put to our Saviour, " What is truth ?" And
if, for inscrutable reasons, he saw fit not to reply to
the interrogation of this wicked governor, who, at
the very, time that he pat the query, was prepared to
act in opposition to the very dictates of THE TRUTH
in his conscience, and, who shortly after called for
water " and washed his hands, saying, I am innocent
of the blood of this just person," thereby confessing
that he was trampling " the truth" under his feet,
and needed no Scriptures, or outward declaration,
to tell him what it was ; nevertheless, the Scriptures
elsewhere declare, that " the truth" is no other than
Christ himself. "I am the way, the truth, and the
life," said our Saviour to his disciples. And in that
beautiful prayer to the Father, just before he was de-
livered up into the hands of sinners, which is pre-
served by John, he prays for his disciples thus,
" Sanctify them through thy truth, THY WORD is
TRUTH."
Now, the histories of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, the Epistles of Paul, and the rest of the Apos-
tles who wrote, could not at that time have been
committed to writing, for a number of the events
therein treated of had not transpired ; therefore
8*
" sanctify .them through THY WORD," could not mean
the Scriptures which we possess. If it meant Scrip-
tures at all, it must have meant such Scripture as was
then in existence, and not that which \vas to come ;
for if it had meant that which was to come, then
could not all those for whom Jesus prayed, have been
sanctified; for Paul declares, when writing his FIRST
Epistle to the Corinthians, that " some brethren had
fallen asleep." But, is if necessary thus to reason ?
Is it not written, so that " he who runs, may read" if
he will, what the Word of God is? Does not our
Saviour say, " thy Word is TRUTH?" And if we
make a further inquiry, do we not find that our
Saviour declares himself to be "-the truth." Then,
according to Scripture testimony, how does if stand ?
Why thus " THY Word,*" says Jesus, in prayer to
the Father, " is TRUTH," and again " / am the truth,"
&c. And further, " the Word was with God, and,"
(not only with Him, but) " was God." If, therefore,
the Word of God is Truth, and if Jesus is The Truth
also, then is Jesus one .with the Word; and if the
Word is God then is Jesus and the Word one with
God " Sanclify them," says Jesus, " through thy
WORD." If then the -Word .means the Scripture,
Jesus was supplicating of the Father for sanctifica-
tion, through the writings of holy men who had not
yet been inspired for the purpose. And do Isaac
Crewdsofi and the Reviewers mean to say, that " the
Word" here spoken of by Jesus, means the Scrip.ture,
and that the heart of man can be sanctified by the
writings of the Evangelists and Apostles ? Can any
facts they relate, however important, or any truths
they reveal, however glorious and sublime, have any
effect by virtue of themselves alone, to cleanse the
heart of man and purify his soul from the pollutions
of sin ? Are we not " sanctified," are we not justi-
fied through Him, and by Him who " wrought de-
liverance for us," by his death upon the cross ?
Why Isaac Crewdson, as I have showed before,
is obliged to acknowledge to the inadequacy of the
Scriptures to this end, and is compelled to resort in
the LAST place, to the same Almighty Power, that
91
we acknowledge both. FIRST and LAST. He expressly
says, that " it is indeed by the power of the HOLY
SPIRIT, that the heart is softened and opened to re-
ceive the truth, and also that the truth when received,
is applied with SAVISG EFFICACY to the heart," &c,
But, yet he denies the exercise of this power dis-
putes the capacity of the heart to receive the truth
and when received, contends it cannot be savingly
applied, but in conjunction with the Scriptures,
thus rendering the Holy Spirit powerless without
them. If this is riot the result of their doctrine, it
has no result at all. If it means not this, it means
nothing. For further on, the question is asked,, and
to about as much purpose, and for as substantial
reasons as the question was asked by Pilate, " what
is truth ?" it is asked, " what is the amount of evi-
dence that this is," ^that is " the work of conversion
by the power of the Holy Spirit,") " ever done
wholly- without the instrumentality of the outward
word, either immediately or indirectly applied ?"
To be sure, Isaac Crewdson puts it by way of inter-
rogation here ; he does not say in direct and positive
terms that there is NOT any evidence, but the whole
fabric of his reasoning, stands upon the assumption
that there is not any ; and therefore if he knew that
there was, or believed that the're was, it is both un-
just and uncandid, to ask, if that is true which he
either believes to be true, or knows to be so,, and
then to build his argument upon the assumption of a
contrary position. Really this comes with a very ill
grace from men who charge others with mysticism,
following their own impressions and suggestions
of " setting up lights," and being " wise above that
which is written."
Where is it written, let me ask, but in books of
fallible men like themselves, that the Holy Spirit
does NOT effect the work of conversion in. the heart,
" without the instrumentality of the outward word,,
either immediately or directly applied ?" But stop,
Isaac Crewdson asks if it " is ever done WHOLLY,"
implying that it may be done, in PART, " without the
instrumentality of the outward word." If this is not
believed, why employ the word " wholly," which
creates the inference t If it is believed, it is a most
unscriptural belief; for it is declared that "He who
began a good work in us will perfect it," and that
" Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith."
In short the doctrine is so contrary to reason, so in-
consistent in itself, and so opposed to Scriptural
testimony, that one would almost suppose that no-
thing but the spirit of controversy for its own pastime^
could ever have broached any thing so transcendantly
preposterous.
Since, then, the Author of the " Beacon" acknow-
ledges, and the Reviewer coincides with his views,-^-
that the knowledge of the truth, even by reading of
Ifee Holy Scriptures, can only be obtained by -the
preparatory operations of the Holy Spirit upon the
heart, and that when received can only by the same
power be rendered capable of producing " fruit unto
holiness," is not the same watchfulness required, in
order to the attainment of correct and clear views of
the Gospel, as it would be were the external means of
Scripture withdrawn? Is there not the same danger
of being "blinded by the self-importance which their
own delusions may produce," when reading the
Scriptures, as at any pther time? Does the sknple
fact of reading the Scriptures place us of necessity in
a situation in which we are made incapable of delu-
sions of our own, or of Satan's either ! Christ says,
"My sheep know my voice, and the voice of a
stranger will they not follow." But the author of the
" Beacon," and his friends the Reviewers, according
to their views of Christianity, would lead us to con-
clude that the voice of Christ cannot be heard except
in the writings of the Old and New Testament, for
they exclude the influence of the Spirit but in con-
junction with the text, or as I. C. calls il, " the out-
ward word," so that unless a man either has the
power of fleeing to his Bible, or has his memory well
stored with its contents, he is left not only a prey to
the delusions of the evil one, but to every suggestion
of his own mental powers. And I would fain ask
ihe advocates of this extraordinary doctrine, how
they can assuie themselves or others that this is really
"the truth a,s it is in Jesus?" What reason can
they give for this hope that is in them, that their
hope of life and salvation, and other men's hope of
the same, rests entirely npon the Holy Spirit's
operation on the heart at such time only, when with
the outward eye and ear, they aie reading or hearing
read, the writings' of Prophets and Apostles, and
just so much of them too, as the learned men of the
world have thought sufficient for the purpose ? Is
this really a truth, or is it only a suggestion of the
mind, or is it a delusion of Satan ? If it be a delusion
of Satan, we know him to be the " father of lies,"
and therefore that he should tell this lie would not
surprise us if but a mere "suggestion" of the mind,
unaided by any satanic prompter, then the "sugges-
tion" of my mind, or of the minx! of any other person,
is as much authority against it, as the " suggestion"
of Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers on its behalf.
If, however, it be a scriptural truth, I would ask'I. C.
and his friends, what portion of the Scriptures they
were reading^ at the time, when the influence of the
Divine, Spirit prepared. their hearts for its reception?
For, mind according to Vheir declarations, the Scrip-
ture is "the ultimate appeal for the troth of every
doctrine," but is nevertheless incapable of'conveying
the truth to the heart WITHOUT the influence of the
Spirit; thereforeifit.be the truth that the Spirit
does not cenyey the truth without the Scripture as an
auxiliary, any more than does the Scripture Without
the Spirit's assistance, and since it is. contended that
the truth is- not communicated but under these cir-
cumstances, then this truth itself respecting their
united efficacy, and their separate inefficiency, must
have been revealed at some time or other, when they
were reading or thinking of some 'portion of the
Scriptures.
Now, the influence of the Holy Spirit is complete-
ly denied by this doctrine, except upon certain con-
ditions which conditions are a reference to revela-
tions vouchsafed to "-holy men," centuries and cen-
turies ago, originally recorded in another language.
04
and translated into ours, not from the original copies
themselves either, but from copies of those copies, of
which, probably, I may say more further on. Under
these circumstances alone, say they, does the Holy
Spirit operate upon the heart of man. And how do
they prove the truth of this doctrine ? why, by re-
ferring you to these aforesaid revelations, and putting
constructions upon some passages therein contained,
in conformity to those " suggestions which most
comport with their own particular bent of mind."
Yes ! they refer you to these self-same revelations,
inasmuch, as they say, they are " the ultimate appeal
for the truth of every doctrine," and, therefore, of
THIS. They must have gone there themselves, to
ascertain it and when there, they could not have
received it but "by the power of the Holy Spirit,"
which had " softened and opened" their hearts for its
reception ; for, say they, tl It is indeed by the power
of the Holy Spirit that the heart is softened and
opened to receive the truth." Now, let me put these
plain questions to them. To w.hat part of the Bible
did you apply for the truth of THIS doctrine ? And
when you did so apply, did the " power of trie Holy
Spirit soften and open your hearts to receive it as a
truth?"- -'Did the Hely Spirit reveal to you that this
doctrine is truth,? Are you prepared to say that such
is the case? because, if you are NOT, it resolves itr
self into a mere "impression," " suggestion," or
" delusion of Satan ;" and- " physician, 'heal thyself,'
maybe accompanied -with the words of Isaac Crevvd-
son himself, where lie states " how important is it
that all, especially those who profess to be ministers
of Jesus Christj should possess correct and clear
views of the Gospel, as taught in the Scriptures : lest,
blinded by the self-importance which their own delu~
lusions produce, and not distinguishing between the
infallibility .of the Holy Spirit, and their own infalli-
bility, they become blind leaders of the Hind. For
if, by any partial or distorted statement, they produce
an IMPRESSION which the whole counsel of God, as
revealed in Holy Scripture, does not warrant, they
dishonour its divine Author, by pretending his au-
thority, for what he has not revealed ; whereby they
greatly endanger the souls of those who receive the
erroneous impression."
Has THIS doctrine, then, God's authority ? Has his
Holy Spirit revealed it to you ? And were your hearts
opened and softened for its reception, at such time,
under sucTi circumstances, and by the specific modus
operandi, by which alone its truth, according to your
statement, could be established ? Mind, this is your
own process of discovering truth ; and I only ask
you whether you maintain this doctrine, for truth, as
the result of this process ? It will not do for you to
heap text upon text, and then tell me that it is in con-
formity with 4i the true revelation of God, by Holy
Scripture." "The test," you have so vauntingly
held up in the face of day, must not be thus dexter-
ously and ingeniously eluded you must not talk
about the Holy Spirit.opening and softening tfae heart
to receive the truth, and then,- confounding all pre^
cision of speech and distinctness of ideas, give us
your constructions of texts of Scripture, as " the true
revelation of God :" this will not do ! Clearly and
plainly tell me, has, or has not, the Holy Spirit re-
vealed to you, that he only reveals truth to man " by
the instrumentality of tbe outward word (the Scrip-
tures,) either immediately or indirectly applied ?"
If you say he has NOT revealed it to you,, then the
"reason for the hope. that is in you" is derived" from
" impressions" made on your minds by some particu-
lar texts of Scripture, or perhaps, from one of the
other two causes, which yourselves have assigned as
the " reason for the hope that is in" others. If, how-
ever, you expressly .declare that the " truth of this
doctrine" has been revealed to you, I reply, that I
KNOW, whatever you may think or know either, that
God's Holy Spirit has operated, does operate, and, I
pray, may continue to operate, and not be quenched,
in my heart without the assistance of any external
means whatever ; not that I mean to assert that He '
invariably does operate, independently of such means,
as you assert to the contrary, that He never does act
without. And, whether you own it or not, I KNOW
96
that " a manifestation of His Spirit" is given to me }
and not to. me only, but "to every man, to profit
withal." And though there may exist that darkness
which comprehends not the light although it may
not be observed from inattention or gross wicked-
nessalthough its existence may be denied, and the
very name derided and held up to scorn, it, neverthe-
less, " shineth in darkness ;" and to those who are
willing to bring their deeds to it, that they may be
judged, it " will shine more and more, unto the dawn
of the perfect day." You may deny it; what of
that? Shall I not believe the evidence of my own
senses, and only fancy I see the sun when I de facto
do see it, because a blind man, or an obstinate man, or
a deluded man, tells me I do not ? And am I to doubt
what I DO really feel ? Am I to doubt what I do really
know, because other men tell me that I do not fee],
and do -not ;know, any-more than themselves, what
I_really do both "feel and know? In short, my reply
shall be summed up in the language of Scripture,
" What, know ye not that Christ is in you, unless
ye be reprobates?"
"There can be no higher rule than' that which is
'given by inspiration of God;'." is the ground.upon
which Isaac Crewdson has : d-erived his axiom that
" there can be no higher rule than the Holy Scrip-
tures." He says that it is clear to demonstration.
And how does he .demonstrate it? thus: "'All
Scripture is given.by inspiration of God' therefore,"
&c. Now, with 'all proper -.respect for the logical
powers of Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers, I must
beg leave to., say, that the second foot of this syllo-
gism is not equal with the first. Taking for granted
that the demonstrative pronoun "that," in his first
predicate, means. RULE, his second, to correspond,
ought to express it also ; but it does jiot : it only
says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God."
To make it logically capable of generating the aver-
red deduction, it should stand "All Scripture is
given FOR A RULE, by inspiration of God." The de-
duction, then, that " there can be no higher rule than
the Holy Scriptures," would, I admit, be better logic
97
more consistent : as it stands, however, it is im-
perfect and untrue. Admitting that " there can be
no higher rule than that (rule) which is ' given by in-
spiration of God,' " it surely does not follow that
every thing which is given " by inspiration of God,"
is a RULE. Was it not, pray, by inspiration of God,
that Paul, when lie was caught up into " the third
heavens, heard unspeakable things, which it was not
lawful for man to utter?" You scarcely will deny
that it was by " inspiration of God" that Paul heard
these things ; and if you do not deny it, you must ad-
mit that Paul had something " given by inspiration of
God," which was NOT a rule, for he says it was not
lawful for man to utter what he heard. It was by
"inspiration of God" that Philip joined himself to
.the chariot of the Eunucli, opened the Scriptures to
him, and baptized him. And it was by "inspiration
of God" that Abraham was called upon to sacrifice
his only son. But how is it that there is no higher
rule for the regulation of my life, the foundation of
my faith, and ground of .ny hope, than the records
of facts which took place thousands of years ago,
under the immediate influence, and in obedience to
the dictates of the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit?
They may be a rule to me, I admit, in so far as the
facts of obedience to the divine commands might
serve as an example, saying, " go thou and do like-
wise," under similar circumstances. But according
to the principles held by Isaac Crewdson and his
friends, they would'npt be of service even to this ex-
tent, because THEY do not admit there is such a thing
as immediate revelation, or inspiration of God in
these days, but it is all impression, suggestion, or
" the delusion of the Devil." Therefore, energeti-
cally as they contend for the Scriptures being the
HIGHEST rule, it is evident that, -consistently with
their doctrine, neither Abraham or Philip could be
any rule at all to them in the instances referred to:
because, if God no longer inspires us with his Spirit,
but has withdrawn it from the moment that the last
chapter of the Revelations was revealed, there re-
mains no longer the same ground for our obedience,
9
98
viz: the immediate inspiration of God. Now, if
Isaac Crewdson had quoted the whole of that text, a
portion of which forms the second predicate in his
syllogism, his conclusion would not have appeared
so clear to demonstration, as he asserts it is ; neither
if he had himself duly weighed the remaining portion
of the text, with a free and unbiassed judgment, do I
think he could have arrived at such a conclusion ;
for the text itself does not leave us to the miserable
resource of ascertaining the highest rule, which the
Almighty Father has been pleased to grant to his de-
pendent creature, man, by a conclusion drawn from
a disjointed syllogism, but it states itself to what end
"all Scripture is given." It does not say, for the
highest rule, but, that "All Scripture is given by in-
spiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works." This is what the Scriptures
declare themselves to have been written for ; they
nowhere say that there is no higher rule than them-
selves ; but Isaac Crewdsofr and the Reviewers say
so, and yet condemn others, for being " wise above
that which is written."
It appears, then, that the Scriptures, according to
their own testimony, declare themselves to be pro-
fitable to certain ends, that " the man of God may be
perfect,* thoroughly furnished unto all good wbiks;"
and who else can use them aright .? for do they not
declare, that " the unstable and unlearned wrest them
to their own destruction?" Unlearned, as to the
" wisdom from above," as is evident from the end for
which the text declares them to have been given.
Precious, then, as they may be mighty auxiliaries
as they are replete with instruction, consolation, and
truth, and the dealings of the Almighty with man in
different ages of the world yet does not any or all
of these things constitute them the HIGHEST RULE,
and although fi the man of God" might not be per-
fect without them, inasmuch as he would not be so
* Or, perfected.
" thoroughly furnished unto all good works," yet it
does not follow from hence that there can be no
man of God without them ; but, on the contrary, it
is assumed, that " the man of God" is already in ex-
istence, for the text declares, it was for him, and on
his behalf, that they were "given." " For in every
clime, he that feareth God, and doeth righteousness,
is accepted of him."
But I am sure it is more than Isaac Crewdson or
the Reviewers can demonstrate, that Paul meant in
this text, mere outward writing, by the term Scrip-
ture. I do not mean to dispute the point at this
time ; but it perhaps may be as well to recollect that
Paul speaks elsewhere of another kind of Scripture,
than that which we generally call Scripture " writ-
ten, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living
God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of
the heart." This, perhaps, may be woith considera-
tion, especially coupled with the admonition imme-
diately preceding Paul's estimate of the Scriptures
to Timothy " But continue thou in the things which
thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing
of whom thou hast learned them." . Doubtless, he
had " learned them" of Him " who taught as never
man taught. "~ " Forasmuch," says the Apostle, " as
ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ,
ministered by us, written, not with ink, but with the
Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in
fleshy tables of the heart." So that Paul believed in
other Scripture or writing than that Avhich was writ-
ten with ink, and declared the one to be more glori-
ous than the other. And it is this spiritual Scripture
or writing, that he declares to be the " New Testa-
ment," and not those writings of his, and the rest of
the . Disciples and Apostles, to which that name is
now generally given. In short, it is more than any
one can tell, whether they were written at this time.
Paul wrote, at all events, after, as well as James,
and Peter, and John, according to those who have
arranged their writings. " Who also (that is God)
hath made us able ministers of the NEW TESTAMENT,
not of the letter, but of the Spirit : for the letter kill-
100
eth, but the Spirit giveth life." " But if the minis-"
tration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not
steadfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of
his countenance, which glory was to be done away,
how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather
glorious ?" By all which it is evident, whatever
Scripture Paul alluded to, when addressing Timothy,
ad intra or ad extra, he nevertheless believed the
New Testament to be something more than mere
outward writing ; for he says expressly," that the Tes-
tament of which he was the minister was NOT the
LETTER not the Old Testament, but of " the epistle
of Christ MINISTERED by us, written not with ink, but
with the Spirit of the living God ';" and which Old
Testament, for all Isaac Crewdsori's and the Review-
er's strenuous advocacy and tender care of, for all
their bestowing upon it the glorious title, which be-
longs to the Redeemer of the world, the name that is
given to Him, who with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, " bears record in heaven," even the high and
everlasting name of the word of God, yes ! for all
their startling back with amazement, at calling it a
" mere written book" yet so it continues to be, and
fto more, to all those who have yet the vail over their
hearts, which can only be " done away in Christ."
Paul himself calls it a " book." In his epistle to the
Hebrews, chap. 9, ver. 19, he writes, " For when-
Moses had spoken every precept to all the people,
according to the law, he took the blood of calves and
of goats, with water and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and
sprinkled both the BOOK and all the people," saying,
" This is the blood of the Testament which God hath
enjoined unto you :" by which it is clear, under that
dispensation, that the " Book" was ONE thing, and
the matter or Testament therein declared, was
another. Now where, throughout the Bible, I ask,
is the "book of the law," called by Paul, or any one
else, the Word of God ? Paul calls it a BOOK ; the
" propriety of the practice," therefore, can scarcely
be called in question by those who refer to it as " UIQ
ultimate appeal/'
101
*' There can be no higher rule than that which is
given by inspiration of God," is not capable of an
application sufficiently specific, to constitute it an
unconditional axiom, if I may so express it, as to
make it ground from which an indisputable conclu-
sion may be educed. It requires of itself explana-
tion. " Every man to his own master, standeth or
falleth," and we are told that our Master is not " a
hard Master, reaping where he has not sown, and
gathering where he has not strewed."
If, therefore, Isaac Crewdson means that there can
be no higher rule to every individual man than that
which " is given by inspiration of God," for every
individual man to obey, I admit its truth ; and from
what other source men individually are to obtain a
knowledge of their duty, is more than Isaac Crewd-
son, or any one else can demonstrate. This was the
conviction of a man, whom we believe to have lived
years before the greater part of the books of the Bi-
ble were wrkten, and may be seen in the book of
Job " There is a spirit in man, and the INSPIRATION
of the Almighty giveth him UNDERSTANDING." So
that here is a confirmation, and a very clear and de-
cisive one too, of the " truth of this doctrine," which
I am much more inclined to rely upon, than all the
mere " impressions" and " suggestions" tha have
ever teemed forth from all the presses or pulpits in the
world. If, therefore, this meaning was attached to
the words " there can be no higher rule than that
which is given by inspiration of God," I agree
with it. In fact, it would be a self evident proposi-
tion ; but, as I have said before, is the Scripture
given as a rule to every individual man ? If it is not
given as a rule to every individual man, although it
may have been given by inspiration, still the conclu-
sion that Isaac Crewdson deduces, does by no means
necessarily follow. To all, therefore, who were in-
spired of old to perform any of the various deeds re-
corded in the Scriptures, there could be no higher
rule than that which was revealed to them to do or
follow, and this is the very principle that the Society
of Friends maintain that there is no higher rule f
9
102
never was any higher rule, and never can be any
higher rule, to the children of men to walk by than
the " inspiration of the Almighty," " which giveth
them understanding." "Christ which is in you,"
says the Apostle, " the hope of glory." But Isaac
Crewdson and the Reviewers say in effect, though
not in the precise words, that there can be no higher
rule to us, who are living now, and to those who are
to come, but that which WAS given by' inspiration to
other men. That which is given, and that which
WAS given, constituting the COMPARATIVE difference,
in my estimation, between the two rules, if that
which WAS given can properly be called a rule to us
at all. And we should also bear in mind, that the
latter has been subject to all the accidents attendant
upon transcribing, translating, printing, and nume-
rous other circumstances necessarily incidental to all
those things which Providence has left in charge, in
the hands of erring and imperfect man ; but not so
with the former that same Almighty word which
was heard by Adam in the garden of Eden, by Abra-
ham in the plains, by Moses on the mount that same
eternal and unchangeable Word which said to the
Prophet " this is the way, walk in it" which was
heard when " the Spirit of God descended like a
dove, and lighted upon Jesus" that " voice from
heaven" which was heard by one journeying to Da-
mascus, may STILL be heard in the hearts of all who
are not "given over to a reprobate mind," and is
'{ the same to-day, yesterday, and for ever." " To-
day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts,"
writes the Apostle.
What texts of Scripture Isaac Crewdson may have
selected to fortify his position, I do not know,
those two in which the identical word Scripture,
are used to Timothy, say no such thing " that there
can be no higher appeal than the Holy Scriptures."
Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers say, so but NOT
the Scriptures. I prefer therefore the nagative tes-
timony of the former, to the assertions and syllogisms
of the latter. There is also a text in Romans, in
which the term Scriptures is used, ami their end and
103
use is there stated, and illustrated by reference to som<3
former Scripture. The Apostle was exhorting the
strong, to bear the infirmities of the weak, and to study
to edify our neighbour, although to the sacrifice of our
own pleasure ; stating that "Christ pleased not him-
self, but as it is written" and then follows the quota-
tion, viz.^-" the reproaches of them that reproached
thee fell on me." And immediately succeeding this
quotation he continues, as if to justify himself in
having made the quotation, " FOR whatsoever things
were written afore-time, were written for our learn-
ing," (not fur our highest rule, mark rule is no
where mentioned here,) " were written for our learn-
ing, that we through faith and comfort of the Scrip-
tures might have hope." But surely it will not be
contended that from hence, we are authorized to
erect them into the highest rule, simply because the
Apostle justifies his reference to the former dealings
of God, by the hope and consolation those accounts
are calculated to inspire.
Although I am ignorant of the texts that Isaac
Crewdson adduces, with the endeavour to prove the
Scriptures to be the highest rule ; I am well aware
of those that were urged by one Richard Baxter,
nearly two centuries ago, in support of the same as-
sertion, accompanied with many false, reproachful,
and unchristian epithets, on the Friends and the
principles they professed ; all of whose arguments
were so fully refuted, and laid bare, by Samuel Fisher,
who " died a prisoner for the testimony of Jesus,"
that I can do no better than recommend their perusal
to every one desirous of seeing how completely the
stanchest and most inveterate opposers of our prin-
ciples, were confuted from their own "ultimate ap-
peal," by the weapons of truth, in " all simplicity and
godly sincerity." I may at some future period refer
again to the writings of Samuel Fisher the limits
of my present undertaking will not, however, permit
me to make those quotations from him that I could
wish, but I do most earnestly recommend the perusal
of his " Collected Labours," to all ; " for such
labours have been, are, and will be useful," writes
104
William Penn, concerning them, "to distinguish
truth from falsehood, and to invalidate the works of
ignorance and malice, that have either obscured or
misrepresented what we hold." And again, " I can-
not but recommend his labours to both friends and
foes," and, " I beseech Almighty God to open the
understandings of those that shall peruse these ensu-
ing labours, that they may plainly see, and cordially
embrace, those great apostolic truths therein handled
and maintained."
Now, as Isaac Crewdson has published an " abridg-
ment," as the Reviewers say, of one of Richard Bax-
ter's works, he may perhaps be well acquainted with
that portion of his writings, which was peculiarly
aimed with so much harshness and unbecoming zeal,
at the early Friends, and the principles they pro-
fessed. I may not therefore be widely mistaken, in
the supposition, that he has selected those " pas-
sages" to what he calls " the divine testimony to the
word," as were selected by this stout opposer of the
truth. But whatever this "rich selection'.' may con-
sist of, 1 know there is NOT a SINGLE text from
Genesis to Revelations, that says what Isaac Crewd-
son and the Reviewers say in this respect, viz.
" there can be no higher rule than the Scriptures."
If there is such a text of Scripture, tell me the verse,
chapter, and book. It cannot be done. It is NOT
Scripture I repeat but construction " impres-
sion" "suggestion" it is not a saying of Moses,
the Prophets, or the Apostles ; but, of Baxter, Crewd-
son, and the Reviewers.
I cannot refrain from drawing attention still more
closely and methodically to the great principle at
issue in this discussion. It is contended by one party
that the Scriptures are " the ultimate appeal for the
truth of every doctrine ;" I say that I am willing
that the doctrines in dispute shall be decided by their
authority, and I say so, because I know their testi-
mony to be true. With this view, I would wish my
readers to endeavour to clear their minds from the
influence of all mere " impressions" and " sugges-
tions," and with the unqualified desire to " hold fast
105
that which is good," and entertain those views only
that are consonant to right reason, Scripture testi-
mony, and the clear light of conscientious convic-
tion, to read the following texts of Scripture, as
though they were for the first time presented to their
eyes.
1.: " I am the way, the truth, and the life : no man
cometh unto the Father but by me." John, chap.
14, ver. 6. Now, believing that these were the
words, or the genuine meaning of the words uttered
by our Saviour, I ask any unprejudiced mind, al-
though "an Angel from Heaven were to preach
another Gospel," would they believe it, or be author-
ized in believing it? If not, by what strange in-
fatuation are they led to believe the assertions of
their fellow-creatures, who say that without the
writings of the Evangelist, who recorded this testi-
mony of Jesus, and the writings of a few more Apos-
tles and Disciples, together with some of those of the
Jewish prophets there is NO way NO truth NO life.
Christ says he is the way the truth and the life
unconditionally, the declaration is as unfettered
in its language, as it is clear and intelligible in its
meaning- If it is allowed to rest, as it there stands,
without construction " impression or suggestion,"
any other than the plain meaning of the words con-
vey ; how can we suppose, and supposition
most irrational and unscriptural supposition it is ;
how can we suppose, that the wrkings which only
testify of the way, are THE WAY itself ?
2. " Then said Jesus unto them again, verily,
verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep."
John, chap. 10, ver. 7, 11, 27.
3. " I arn the good shepherd : the good shepherd"
giveth his life for the sheep."
4. " My sheep hear my voice : and I know them,
and they follow me."
5. " 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 sup with him and he. with me." Rev.
chap. 3, ver. 20.
If these words, again, or words of a similar mean' -
106
ing, are believed to be those which were spoken by
Jesus, how, but by a perversion of the simplest lan-
guage, can it be said that the writings of holy men
the Scriptures can possibly be the door, the good
Shepherd, the voice which the sheep hear? How
can it be said, that the SCRIPTURES stand at the door
and knock, and that if any man opens, they will come
in, &.c. ? How can it be said that the SCRIPTURES
lay down any life for the sheep ? What can be clear-
er what more simple what more consistent and
harmonious what closer relation what more beau-
tiful and perfect similies to represent those relations
which subsist between man and his Maker between
Christ and his church than the natural and familiar
similies that are here given with such sublime pathos,
as they fell from the lips of Wisdom himself. And
" where is tke amount of evidence," let me ask, that
there has ever lived the human being, at the door
of whose heart the Spirit of the eternal God
the universal Redeemer of man has not knock-
ed and sought for admission? "Where is the
amount of evidence" that God is " a respecter OF
PERSONS," and that " a manifestation of the Spirit"
is given only to those, " to profit withal," who have
been favoured with the outward history of his provi-
dence, his grace, and love towards the chidren of men ?
" In the beginning was the W r ord, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The same
was in the beginning with God. In him was life,
and the life was the light of men. And the light shin-
eth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it
not. There was a man sent from God, whose name
was John. The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of that light, that all men through him might
believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear
witness of that light. That was the true light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
From these passages alone, it is evident, unless we
believe, in direct opposition to every principle of
belief unless we. are to confound all place, time, and
circumstance, in order that, we may have some
ground for saying what is not, is, and what is, is NOT,
107
we surely are not authorised to say that Scripture is
that Word, and life, and light, mentioned in the above
texts. We cannot say that the Scriptures were in
the beginning, because we know, however high their
authority, they were, nevertheless, penned by our
fellow-creatures of former times. And no one will,
surely, contend that there is rife in them, or that they
are the true ligkt of men, which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world, and to which John was
sent to bear witness. We know they do NOT light
every man that cometh into the world ; and that the
books of what is called the New Testament, were not
written at the time when John " came for a witness."
To what and to whom, then, do all these high and
mighty properties belong ? Why the book tells us it-
self " / am the light of the world," said Christ, " he
that FOLLOWETH ME shall not walk in darkness, but
shall have the LIGHT OF LIFE." What a striking
corroboration of John's testimony " In him was
LIFE and the LIFE was the LIGHT of men."
" For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye
light in the Lord : walk as children of light." Eph.
chap. 5, ver. 8. To what light does the Apostle re-
fer 1 Can we suppose that he referred to any but the
"TRUE LIGHT," which is Christ?
"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his
brother, is in darkness even until now." 1 John,
chap. ", ver. 9. In what light does John mean ? Can
we suppose HE means any other than the " true light?"
For what did the " true light" himself say upon bro-
therly love? " By this shall all men know that ye
are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. "-
" O, house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the
light of the Lord." Isa. chap. 2, ver. 5. And to what
"light of the Lord" do we suppose the prophet in-
vited the house of Jacob? Can we suppose he in-
vited them to any other light than that light " which
was in the beginning with God ?"
" For whoso nndeth me findeth life, and shall ob-
tain favour of the Lord," Prov. chap. 8, ver. 35. Of
whom does Solomon say that life can be found, since
John bore witness that in the " true light was life ?"
108
Turn to the book, and we shall find that " a greater
than Solomon is here" we shall find that Him in
whom LIFE may be found, " the Lord possessed in
the beginning of his way before his works of old,"
in Him whose " delights were with the sons of men,"
even in the " Wisdom of God," for it is the " Wis-
dom of God" of whom the King of Israel was speak-
ing. And who is the " Wisdom of God ?" The
Apostle Paul tells us, "Christ, the power of God,
and the WISDOM OF GOD."
These several testimJtoies of our Saviour, John
the Baptist, and of the Disciple John, together with
those of Paul, Solomon, and Isaiah, most distinctly
and unequivocally show, that "the light," "life,"
and " Word," are properly applicable as scriptural
expressions, to Christ alone : they also show that the
" light," " life," and " Word," " was set up from
everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth
was ;" and, that of this "light," "life," and ' Word,"
Solomon said, "/LEAD in the way of righteousness,
in the midst of the paths of judgment." " I love
them that love me, and those that seelc me early shall
find me." My limits will not permit me upon this
head, to "search the Scriptures" farther at this time,
or a most overwhelming evidence could be adduced
to strengthen, the already impregnable phalanx be-
fore us these however are quite enough, for any
mind making inquiries in the " simplicity of truth."
We have " searched the Scriptures, and have found
what our Lord declared, that " they are they that
testify" of him. We have found them " testifying"
that there is a " light that lighteth every man that
cometh into the world." We have found that THEY
" are not that light," but that, like John, they have
been sent to " bear witness of that light," which
"light," they declare to be Christ; and that to
Christ, " the true light," we are to go, that we " might
have life."
Is it not then astonishing, with these clear decla-
rations and powerful testimonies, to " the light of
Christ" in man, that a whole host of writers should
spring up, armed with the old rusty weapons of
109
Cormer warfares pregnant with the constructions,
the " impressions," the derisions, and the falsehoods
of the Baxters and the Owens, of the sixteenth cea-
tury ? How can these men call the doctrine of the
"light of Christ" in man, mysticism, impression,
delusion of Satan, and tending to lead " step by step
into the gulf of Hicksism and deism ?"
With calumnies such as these, falling from their
pens, and rankling in their hearts, one of these wri-
ters assumes the character of EVANGELICAL, for his
publication goes under the title of " The Evangelical.
Magazine ;" but how closely he resembles the Evan-
gelists in his irreverend and scornful mode of desig-
nating, " that light" which is " the life of men," I
leave to " the light" in his own conscience to judge ;
and would feelingly recommend him to forego the
mockery of assuming the title of EVAN&ELICAL, for
a Sectarian publication, which makes itself the vehi-
cle for publishing opprobrious and derogatory sentt-
ments, respecting Him who said, " I am the light of
the world."
And can it with any show of truth or reason be
contended, that the writings of holy men which have
been given out in the light and^Spirit of Christ, are
a " higher rule" to men 'than that light and Spirit
itself? What rule had Abraham to walk by ? What
Scriptures had^iE ? Not those at all events, that we
hare ; for venturesome and dogmatical as you are ia
your assertions, you will ^scarcely have the face to
assert, that they -were written in HIS time. What
rule then did HE walk by? And what rule did Enoch
walk by, of whom it is said, that he "walked with
God ?" Wih at Scriptures had these faithful men to
resort to, in order to try " the tfhth of every doc-
trine, and the propriety of every practice ?" What
"light" did they follow? What word did they
preach ? What rock did they drink of? Think ye
not, that it was " the light of the world ?" the Word
that was in the beginning ? the spiritual rock of which
all the fathers drank ? and was not that light that
W0 rd and that rock Christ? And what authority
more than your own "impressions," or " the delu-
10
110
sions of Satan," can you adduce what more than a
limping syllogism to demonstrate, that this everlast-
ing light this eternal word this spiritual and un-
moveable rock of which the " fathers drank," and to
which the righteous of all ages have fled, and found
refuge, has withdrawn its beams, its power, and its
living waters, from all but those only who have the
printed records, (and but a small portion of these
either,) of the revelations in former ages ?
Ill
CHAPTER VI.
THE powerful testimonies to the light of Christ,
adduced in the last chapter, are, I conceive, amply
suffij^nt to demonstrate, to any but those who are
di?pose\Kto cajfcj at the plainest truths, that, what-
ever light \vitniit, or " Beacon" without, man may
" set up," th^rtf' is but one^light, which is the " life
of men.'*- &ffd. that light jfcs Christ. And whether
j fr V ~
mensbow dov^n before idols that are the work of their
own hands, ana the device/6f their own hearts ; or
whether they worship the host of heaven, or any of
the innumerable things, all good in their kind, that
the all -beneficent Father of the universe hath given
forth from his inexhaustible stores of creation, still
to Him alone is all *tower, and honour and glory
due ; neither will htit^Sleit to another. The Patri-
archs " walked">with niiSlEMoses hearkened to his
voice ; and he leajtffe cRiTHfen of Israel through the
wilderness, by a crabby day, and a pillar of fire by
night. " At sumiry urnes, and in divers manners, he
spake in times past, unto the fathers by the PRO-
PHETS, and hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his SON, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom ulso he made the worlds." These things
have been recorded by holy men, as they have been
moved thereunto by his Holy Spirit, " that we,
through patience and comfort thereof, might have
hope." Part of these writings have been lost part
remain unto this day, subject to the constructions and
misconstructions the translations and mistransla-
tions of fallible, partial, and erring man.
Some learned men render a text this way, others
render it another; those that do not understand the
dead languages, are obliged to take it upon the faith
of those that do ; and, splitting into divers parties,
the Christian world, as it is called, are swept along
the varied currents of opinidn, either because they
were brought forth upon the stream which bears
them on, or fall into it by accident, or feel themselves
at liberty to embark on that, which in their opinion,
appears most likely to empty itself, direct and unim-
peded, into the ocean of eternal life. Thus runningv
as they do, divers ways, contradicting and confuting
each other they profess but one beacon to direct
them but one "ultimate appeal for the truth of
every doctrine, and the propriety of every practice."
I can only compare it to so many travellers to^a coun-
try or a city, who, furnished with a valuable history
of the perils and hardships, the discoveries and joys
of former travellers, who have been commissioned
by the king to record thd!r experiences for the in-
struction and consolation <f those that rnight follow,
relating those things of which they were witnesses
"which their eyes had seen and their hands handled
of the Word of life;" I say that I can only com-
pare it all to so many traveller*, furnished with
valuable a directory, wasting their time, and < isput-
ing about whether this verb should be translated in-
dicatively or imperativelyand numerous other im-
portant trifles; but at the^^^*sa*rie time they wer.e
thus strenuously contending fomtheir diverse read-
ings and understandings, neve^weless extolling thi
collection as the HIGHEST RULE, by which every in-
dividual man can walk, instead of falling in with the
very recommendation of the writings themselves,.
which declare CHRIST, and not themselves, to be
" the way" that leads to the Father, and who, of old,
" opened the Scriptures to the disciples as they jour-
neyed with him, and who has promised " to abide"
and " teach us all things," and " lead us into all truth,'*
wnless, like the Scribes, thinking that in the Scrip-
tures we have eternal life, we will not go unto Him,
" that we might have life."
That " there can be no higher rule than the Holy
Scriptures," stands, we have clearly seen, upon no
other authority than the construction put upon cer-
tain expressions or passages of the Scriptures, and a
conclusion, deduced from an illogical syllogism. But,,
'aithbugh there does not exist a passage throughout
the Bible in which the Bible or Scripture is declared
to be a rule (which I do not dispute it is in a condi-
tional sense,) much less " that there can be no higher
rule ;" yet the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Galatians
and Philippians, speaks of a rule, recommends it, and
blesses those who walk by it. Now, it may not be
without profit and instruction, if we just turn to these
two places and see if we can find what rule it was
that the Apostle recommended; and discover, if we
can, whether it was the SAME rule asserted by Baxter,
Grewdson, and the Reviewers whether it was a rule
equal, inferior, or superior to the one which they
have syllogised into the HIGHEST.
We will turn to the Galatians first, and in the 6th
chapter, loth and 16th verses, we find it written,
" For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth
anything, nor uncircumci-ion, but a NEWCRKATURE.
And as many as walk according to THIS RULE, peace
be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."
Here is the favourite and identical word "rule."
Now, then, to what rule does the Apostle allude? It
can certainly be misstated, but I feel it no breach of
charity to say that it cannot be MISTAKEN by any
sane person, arrived to years of understanding, who
reads the preceding verses of the chapter, unless they
" be given over to strong delusion, and to believe a
lie." Does the Apostle so much as hint at any Scrip-
ture ? No! he is telling the Galatians, that neither
the practice or neglect of a certain ceremony, are of
any avail in Christ Jesus, but a "new creature."
And what is a " new creature," the only available
thing in Christ? " They that are Christ's, have cru-
cified the flesh, with the affections and lusts." " He
that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his."
"This, I say, then, WALK in the Spirit, and ye shall
not fulfil the lusts of the flesh." " If we live in the
Spirit, let us also WALK in the Spirit." So that here
is not only living in the Spirit, but walking in the
Spirit; which, perhaps, Isaac Crewdson and the Re-
viewers may think an " incongruity," although ex-
horted to do so by their highest rule. And is sot
10*
this a most extraordinary and indubitable confirma-
tion of the testimony of John, and the saying of our
Saviour? Paul says, " If we LIVE in the Spirit"
John said, "In him was the LIFE of men" and Je-
sus said, " I am the LIFE." Paul says, " Let us also
WALK in the Spirit" John said, " I am the voice of
one crying in the wilderness, make straight the WAY
of the Lord" Jesus said, "I am the WAY," &c. and,
" He that followeth me shall not WALK in darkness,
but shall have the light of life."
In looking with a single eye, an eye divested of
the film of prejudice and evil, upon these passages,
what RULE can we suppose the Apostle means, but
Christ and his blessed Spirit, when he says, " And
as many as walk according to this- RULE, peace be
on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God ?"
Paul most emphatically tells the Galatians what
they arc to walk in ; and are we really to believe,
that after exhorting them to "walk in the Spirit,""
and telling them that if they were " led by the Spirit,
they were not under the law," after enumerating
the fruits of the Spirit,, " against which there is NO
law." can we suppose, as rational beings, that it
\vas some other rule than the Spirit, according to.
which if they walked, that " peace and mercy should
be on them?" He tells them "to walk by the
Spirit," and "to- be led by the Spirit," and yet
metins some other rule than the Spirit according to
which if they walk, although he does not disclose the
rule, but leaves them to make the best guess at it
they can, or assumes that they know, without infor-
mation from him, the blessings of "peace and mercy
should be on them." And we ray observe, also, that
no further assistance is required " THIS rule" is all-
sufficient of itself nothing beyond this is required
to make perfect, or ensure the blessing.
" There is now, therefore, no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus, who WALK not after
the flesh, but after the SPIRIT." " My grace is suf-
ficient for thee," said God to the Apostle. This rule,,
therefore, of which Paul spoke, must be a " higher
rule," than that to which Isaac Crewdson and the
115
Reviewers direct us, for they acknowledge that the
Scriptures, which they say are the highest rule, are
of no " saving efficacy without the power of the Holy
Spirit to soften and open the heart to receive the
truth."
They crowd all truth into the few writings of
" holy men" of former ages that have been g*athered
from the wreck of time, bind them up altogether into
one volume, say that they are the highest rule, and
" the ultimate appeal ;" but that both rule and appeal
are useless, without the power of the Spirit to make the
application, or pass the decision : yet, acknowledging
the Spirit's power, they mark out the limits of its
operation they draw the circle of their own en-
chantment, and blinded by "the illusions of art
magic," they say of the Spirit, thus far does it go,
but we believe that it goes no farther. No more
prophets no more Scripture no more revelation
-T-no more leading in the Spirit no more walking
in the Spirit no more hearing of " the Shepherd's
voice" no communion of the soul with God, but by
the connecting- link of former revelations. There
is but "one Mediator between God and man, the man
Christ Jesus," declare the Scriptures; "which Media-
tor ever Iweth to make intercession for us," they
also testify. " But what is the amount of evidence,"
asks Isaac Crewdson, "that the work of conversion
is ever done wholly without the instrumentality of
the OUTWARD word, either immediately or indirectly
applied ?" I reply, here is already an incalculable
amount that it MAY be, which sufficiently establishes
the principle, without adducing particular instances
to show that it is done.
There is also another very striking passage in
which the Apostle Paul employs the word rule it is
in his epistle to the Philippians, chap. 3, ver. 16*
" Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained,
let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the SAME
THING. In this verse the Philippians and the Apos-
tle included, are exhorted to walk by the same rule,
by which they had attained to that state of spiritual
excellency, in which they stood, when the Apostle
116
writing to them ; he was urging them on to
" press towards the mark, for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus." And although all
might not be perfect, yet he said, " God shall REVEAL
even this unto you." Here is nothing said about
their first having recourse to the Scriptures as an
indispensable preliminary to that revelation. The
Apostle throughout the whole of this epistle does not
afford ground for the most ingenious to construe his
meaning otherwise than in the plain sense which
the terms convey. " And if in any thing ye be
otherwise minded, God shall REVEAL even this unto
you."
Who could suppose, but a person whose mind was
borne down with an iron yoke of prejudice, that the
Apostle intended any other revelation than the im-
mediate revelation and influence of God's Holy
Spirit upon their hearts? Who, but such an one,
could suppose that the Philippians had attained to
the stale they were then in, and were incapable of
attaining to a higher, and that God would not reveal
his will to them, unless they were to apprehend it
out of the books of former Scripture, and that too,
when the Apostle had been just telling them in the
preceding chapter, "For it is God which worketh IN
you, both to WILL and to DO of his good pleasure."
Observe it was " the SAME rule," which they had al-
ready observed, that they were exhorted to follow,
and the " same rule," which the Apostle himself had
followed. Now, we do not find that Paul, after he
was a Christian, consulted the Scriptures as his
highest rule, although he frequently refers to them as
a testimony to the truth he preached. He HAD at
one time made them a rule, at least the Jewish Scrip-
tures, for the Christian ones were not then in exis-
tence, but it appears so far as regards any saving
efficacy he derived from them, he might as well have
been without them for he declares, " as touching the
righteousness which is in the law," (the law written
upon tables of stone) he was " blameless," and yet he
persecuted the church of Christ. But he counted all
those things loss afterward, " for the excellency of the
m
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom," con-
tinues he, i4 I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung that, I may win CHRIST,
and be found IN HIM, not having my own righteous-
ness which is of the LAW, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
BY FAITH." It was this knowledge that the Apostle
was desirous the Philippians should attain to per-
fection, and in respect of the attainment of which, he
says, " let us walk by the SAME RULE, let us rnind the
same thing" It is always through Jesus Christ, BY
Jesus Christ, IN Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit, or
God the Father of all, that Paul speaks of his own
conversion, ministry, acts, ability, faith, hope, and
comfort. And in these terms, he invites others both
orally and otherwise, to build upon the same founda-
tion to look to the same Almighty and everlasting
SOURCE as the only fixed ground and hope of their
salvation. "For this cause we also," says he to the
Colossians, "since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled
with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding, that ye MIGHT WALK worthy
of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every
good work, and increasing in the knowledge of
God."
Here is the Apostle's "rule" again, "the know-
ledge of His (Christ's) will, in all wisdom and spirit-
ual understanding. And he proceeds, speaking of
their translation from the " power of DARKNESS,"
" to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints IN
LIGHT ;" he next proceeds to relate the glorious at-
tributes of Christ, and in so doing, he says, " He
(Christ,) is the head of the body, the church, who is
the BEGINNING, the FIRST BORN from the dead, that
in all things he might have the PRE-EMINENCE, for it
pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness
dwell." And in the second chapter of the same epis-
tle, " As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so WALK ye in him." Here is advice tanta-
mount to that which he gave to the Philippians.
" WHEREUNTO we have already attained," he write*
118
to them, to the Colossians, "As ye have received,"
&c., "so walk ye in him," "let xis walk according
to the same rule." So that if any thing is clear in
the world, it is very clear, whatever Isaac Crewdson
and the Reviewers may think, that Paul thought it
NO " incongruity" to speak of Christ as the rule ;
for he not only says, " He "is the BEGINNING, the
FIRST BORN from the dead not only that He has the
PRE-EMINENCE, and ihalallfulness dwells in HIM
not only speaks of him as the " Rule" to walk BY,
but as the " Rule" to walk IN. Therefore, if any
ambiguity exists in the previous quotations, if any
doubt could have remained upon the most critical
litigious mind, all cause for it is in this last quoted
text completely removed.
If any doubt could have remained as to what rule
the Apostle referred, when exhorting the Philippians
to " walk by the SAME rule, to mind the SAME thinsr,"
it surely must be done away in reading a similar
advice to the Colossians " as ye have therefore re-
ceived Christ Jesus the Lord, so WALK ye in Him."
And to the Galatians also he said, " WALK in the
SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh."
Now, observe, it was the " SAME rule," and the
" SAME THING," that they were to mind ; and. it is
more than Isaac Crewdson, or all the Reviewers that
ever lived, can prove that any of the writings of the
New Testament, so called, except those epistles
which the Apostle had then in hand, had at that time
been given forth to the churches, and even if they
had been published ; yet Paul, as well as other Apos-
tles, wrote several epistles after, according to your
own statement, and the acknowledged chronological
order in which they are arranged ; so that if Paul in-
tended the Scriptures by the words, " the SAME rule,"
he was speaking of a rule not yet COMPLETED, and
yet exhorting them to walk in it.
This train of reasoning might be carried to a much
farther extent ; but all the reasoning in the world
upon a subject of this kind, is but of little use, unless
the heart be disposed to receive " the truth, in the
love of it." I must for my own part confessj that I
119
take that to be a rule IN which we are to walk, and
BY which we are to be led. The Apostle exhorts us
to be " led BY the Spirit," and to " walk IN 4he
Spirit," to " walk IN Christ," and those who do so,
he says, are " the Sons of God," and that they
" shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh ;" and our
Saviour is recorded to have prayed the Father that
the disciples might be one, " even as we are one."
" I IN them, and Thou IN me, that they may be made
perfect ii\ one." I cannot therefore see how any
" higher rule" can by possibility exist, than that by
which we are to be led, and in which we are to walk
even the blessed Spirit of Christ. And without
reversing the very meaning of plain words as they
appear in your own " ultimate appeal," and substi-
tuting others in their stead, I must candidly declare
my utter incapacity to account for any OTHER rule ;
much less a rule which is declared to be not only para-
mount, but "that CHRIST and the Spirit, which the
Apostle advised the early churches to walk in and by,
is NO RULE AT ALL, and that to speak of them as a
rule, " involves an incongruity."
I must, I repeat, declare my utter incapacity to ac-
count for this most extraordinary assertion, in the
very face of scriptural testimony, although I place
into the scale, that turns their judgment, all the
" impressions," " suggestions, "-^prejudices, and
" sectarian peculiarities," which probably bear no
small proportion of the aggregate weight that bears it
down. I shall, in this place, just make a remark or
two upon a passage which appears to be much insisted
upon as decisive authority in establishing the Scrip-
tures as the highest rule. I mean the 39th ver. of
the 5th chap, of John. " Search the Scriptures, for
in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are
they which testify of me." Now, throwing aside all
the learned rubbish that has been written upon this
text, for if we attend to one comment, I see not where
we can stop ; and this fact of itself, would, one might
have thought, have taught the world, long ere now,
the insufficiency of the Scriptures, and the all-suffi-
ciency of Christ, as respects salvation : throwing
120
aside, I say, the contentions of the learned world as
to the right rendering of this text, let us take it as it
stands ; for whether our Saviour commanded the Jews
to search the Scriptures for a certain end, or simply
meant that they did search them, without obtaining
that end, it surely does not amount to saying that
" there can be no higher rule than the Scriptures."
It is, at all events, but construction, for it is not
WRITTEN so, either in that passage, or in any other
throughout the four Evangelists. I am willing, I say,
to take the passage as it stands, and if it needs expla-
nation, let us be careful in our attempts to explain it,
that we are not, as Isaac Crewdson warns us, also,
" wise above that which is written."
Quoting the words recorded to have been used by
our Saviour, " Search the Scriptures," says Isaac
Crewdson, and draws the consequence from such
command, that they are the highest rule, and that
without the knowledge derived from thence, there is
no salvation. Now, if Isaac Crewdson insists upon
this as a complete quotation, refuses to go farther, and
will not wait to form his conclusion until our Saviour
has concluded what he has to say respecting them
then, in such case, it must be a mere " impression,"
or " suggestion which comports most with his own
particular bent of mind," as to what they are to be
searched FOR. If he argues for the pre-eminence of
the Scriptures from a simple command, " search the
Scriptures," without reference to any thing farther
that was said concerning them at the time, by Him
who gave the command, how, I ask, is he to know
what they are to be searched FOR ? The command
of itself no more implies that they are the highest
rule, than that they are no rule at all.
I have as much right to suppose in this unconnect-
ed and naked state of the passage, that they were to
be searched in order to discover that they were NOT
the highest rule, as Isaac Crewdson has authority to
assert, that they were to be searched because they
WERE the highest rule. At all events, it is not writ-
ten that " there can be no higher rule." And if Isaac
121
Crewdson and the Reviewers will just review the
circumstances connected with those expressions,-
the preceding and the succeeding verses, 1 really am
inclined to believe, that they must see the error into
which their " impressions" have led them in the CON-
STRUCTION they have put upon these words.
We find that our Saviour was addressing the Jews,
and upbraiding them for their want of belief. He told
them that John, to whom they had sent, " bare wit-
ness unto the truth." "But 1 have a GREATER WIT-
NESS than that of John ; for the works which the Fa-
ther hath given me to finish, the same works that I
do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent
me. Ye have neither heard his voice at anytime,
nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abid-
ing in you, for whom he hath sent, him ye believe
not. Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye
have eternal life, and they are they which testify of
me. And ye will not come unto me, that ye might
have life."
Taking this to be a command to search the Scrip-
tures, to what does it' amount? "Why to no more
than this, as the concluding part of the verse plainly
shews that the Scriptures themselves, from which
THEY expected so much", even no less than "eternal
life," bore testimony to Christ's divine authority. It
is not to be supposed but that the Jews for the most
part, so far as a mere literal and formal knowledge
was concerned, were well acquainted with the Scrip-
tures, " for in THEM ye think," said Jesus, " to have
eternal life." The writings of Moses and the Pro-
phets formed a prominent and integral part of their
education. In short, as our Saviour said, in THEM
they thought to have eternal life. But He told them
" ye will not come to ME, that ye might have life."
That they were read in the Scriptures is farther evi-
dent from our Saviour's telling them that there was
no occasion for him to accuse them, for " there is
one," says He, "that accuseth you, even Moses, IN
WHOM ye trust. For had ye believed Moses ye would
have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if ye be-
lieve not his writings, how shall ye believe my
11
122
words. Therefore it was want of belief in. Him, and
not want of having read the Scriptures, that consti-
stuted their guilt; for it appears they TRUSTED in
Moses ; they were of opinion that in the Scriptures
they had eternal life. It was here that they rested
this was their ioimdation this their " rule." And
most scrupuously did they fulfil and practice the cer-
emonial observances, whilst they neglected, as our
Saviour told them elsewhere, "the weightier matters
of the law." These, it appears, they did not believe
in. They thought, in the Scriptures, " they had eter-
nal life," and they troubled themselves no farther.
" But their minds," as J*aul told the Corinthians,
when speaking of them, " were blinded : for until
this flay remaineth the same vail untaken away in
the reading of the Old Testament : which vail is done
away IN CHRIST. But even unto this day when
Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Never-
theless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall
be taken away." So that Moses was read, and the
Prophets were read, and " eternal life" was thought
to be had in them ; but, alas"! vain thought ; they
would not turn to the Lord they would not go to
Him of whom those very Scriptures testified of
whom Moses and the Prophets did write.
" A Prophet," said Moses, " shall the Lord thy
God raise up like unto me, him shall ye hear in all
things." But they would not hear him. They had
" neither heard the Father's voice at any timr, nor
geen his shape." Him whom the Father had sent
they believed not, though they heard him with the
OUTWARD ear, as they read the Scriptures- with the
OUTWARD eye ; but they neither believed one nor the
other the vail was over their faces their highest
rule was the Scriptures; and, like Isaac Creudson
and the Reviewers, in THEM they THOUGHT "they
had eternal life." And although these very Scrip-
tures testified of Christ although Moses wrote of
Him yet would they not follow their directions
they rejected their testimony, and sal down satisfied
with a mere educational and traditional knowledge
of their contents. And therefore said our Saviour,
123
" Had ye BELIEVED Moses, ye would have BELIEVED
me, for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his
WRITINGS, how shall ye believe my WORDS ?" How,
indeed, when His " words are Spirit and life ;" which
life, for ul! their letter-wisdom, they possessed not,
and rejected the only means to obtain it !
They only thought they had eternal life in the
Scriptures. And of what worth, alas ! were the
thoughts of tfrese" querulous -and sceptical Scribes.
That they thought wrong is past doubt ; for our Sa-
viour said, " ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures,
nor the power af God." And is it likely that " He
who taught as never man taught," would have sent
them from himself, to the writings of Moses and the
Prophets, to, obtain that life which they THOUGHT
they had there already, but which he told them they
had not, because resolving to trust in Moses, they
refused to come to him. Did He not refer them to
the Scriptures as a mere evidence for himself?
Doting upon them as they did, "implicitly relying
upon their extraordinary power and virtue, so far as
to think " eternal life was in them," was it not as
much as saying go to your highest rule refer to
your '* ultimate appeal for the truth of every doc-
trine, and the propriety of every practice," " Search
ihe Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal
life, and they are they that testify of me ?" Did he
not also allude to John, and in so alluding, did he
not say, ', But I have GREATER WITNESS than that of
John ; for the works which the Father hath given
me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness
of me, that the Father hath sent me."
Now, our Saviour at another time declared, " Veri-
ly I say unto you, among them that are born of wo-
men, there hath not risen a greater than John the
Baptist." 'And yet John, whose commission was so
peculiar and extraordinary, who was equal to, if not
greater than all the Prophets that had preceded him,
was still an inferior witness.
Clear strong and important as was his testimony
a testimony which concluded and bound up the tes-
timony of the Old Testament, and "sealed the law
124
amongst his disciples" yet, said our Saviour, "f
have a greater witness than that of John." If then
the testimony of John was at least equal to the testi-
mony of Moses and the Prophets, and if our Saviour
had a " GREATER WITNESS' than that of John he
had also a "greater witness" than that of Moses and
the Prophets. How then, from the advice to the
Jews to " Search the Scriptures," can we rationally
infer, that " there can he no higher rule," than an
inferior witness? And there is another very impor-
tant light in which this may he viewed, and which
alone is sufficient to convince any man of plain sense,
that no authority caa be derived from the words,
" Search the Scriptures," for exalting them into the
highest rule.
it must be remembered that it was the JEWISH
Scriptures, that our Saviour told the Jews to search j
the books of the Evangelists and the epistles of the
Apostles, were- .not so much as thought of at that
time, much less written. If therefore there could be
41 no higher rule," than THEY if THEY were suffi-
cient to give eternal life-then,, there needed nothing
beyond ; and if the WRITINGS which succeeded them
were the Gospel, it would appear that the Jews could
obtain salvation without the Gospel, although Paul
said, " Let him be accursed," that preached another
Gospel than HE preached.
If the old Scriptures were all sufficient to that end
those that followed were not required ; and Isaac
Crewdson and the Reviewers, can produce nothing
better than "impressions" and " suggestions, "' ac-
cording to the doctrine they preach, why the search
should not be confined to those Scriptures which the
unbelieving Jews were commanded to search, and
which only they could search, there being no others
FOR them to search. So that the highest rule at that
time, if we believe Baxter, Crewdson, &c., is not the
highest rule now, without the addition of some more
Scripture that was written afterward, and yet not all
the Scripture either, but just such a portion of it as a
number of Bishops of the Pope's, or An tichrist's ordain-
ing thought proper, according to " those suggestions
125
which most comported with their own particular bent
of mind," to retain.
Well might our Saviour tell the Jews, "ye do err,
not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."
They read them-^they searched them disputed from
them but "the vail was over their face;" they trust-
ed in Moses, and thought that in the Scriptures they
had eternal life but for all this, they no more KNEW
the Scriptures that they read, than they knew Christ,
the power of God, who spoke to them ; for if they
had known and believed those who had WRITTEN,
they would also have believed and known him who
SPAKE to them, who was greater than Moses, and
whom they were directed by Moses to "hear in all
things." They read the Scriptures, but did not
know or understand them, being_ unlearned in the
Wisdom from above, although Doctors, and Rabbies,
and Scribes, yet they " wrested them to their own
destruction."
Noi does Paul's commendation of the Bereans, in
the least countenance the doctrince that " there can
be no higher rule than the Holy_ Scriptures." It
goes no farther than an expressum of satisfaction at
the extreme diligence of the Bereans for, although
they are commended, as being "MORE noble than
those of Thessalonica, yet the Thessalonians who
did NOT "search the Scriptures, to see if those things
were so ;" nevertheless, are stated to have " received
the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy
Ghost, so that they were examples to all that believe
in Macedonia and Achaia." But it was not solely
upon the account of their searching the Scriptures,
that they were called more noble, but inasmuch as
they "received the Word with ALL READINESS."
And remember these were JEWS men who had been
educated in a conscientious deference to the Jewish
Scriptures, and who might not unreasonably be
deemed to have entertained that veneration and high
esteem for those writings, which a long succession of
ages, and miraculous interpositions of Divine Provi-
dence were calculated to inspire. They believed
them to have been given forth by the " inspiration of
11*
God ;" it was therefore highly commendable in them
to turn to these writings and discover from them, if
possible, a corroborating testimony to that " WORD,"
which, " with all readiness of mind," they had al-
ready received. Contrast this example with those
Jews, who professedly holding the Old Testament
writings in equal veneration, who trusted in Moses,
and thought they had eternal life, yet neither re-
ceived " the Word," nor " searched the Scriptures,
to see if those things were so." Here are three re-
markaMe instances, in which the Gospel was preach-
ed to the Jews. In one case they neither received
the " Word preached," nor searched the Scriptures,
which TESTIFIED of "the Word." They erred, " not
knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."
The Thessalonians on the contrary, we find " turn-
ed to God from idols, to serve the living and true
God." They believed.; "your faith" writes the
Apostle, " to Godward is spread abroad, so that we
need not to speak of any thing.'' Th'ey believed
they DID NOT ERR, for they knew " Christ the power
of God." They received him, "find as many as re-
ceived him, to such gave he power to become the
Sons of God." But the Bereans " were MORE noble
than those of The-salonica, in that they received the
Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
Scriptures daily, to see if those things were so."
These could not err, for they knew the Scriptures,
and " the power of God." And because the Bereans,
with a godly zeal, and holy perseverance, sought
" comfort and consolation," and " instruction in righ-
teousness," by comparing their own experience of
"Christ, the power of God," with the experiences of
those holy men of old, who had been " moved by the
Holy Spirit" to record them ; are we from thence to
conclude, that " there can be no higher rule than the
Holy Scriptures ?" No, believe it not their re-
ceiving the Wqrd was not consequent upon their
reading the Scriptures, for in one case, their testi-
mony was not sought, and in the other, not until the
" Gospel, the power of God unto salvation," had been
received, ** with all readiness of mind."
12?
It has been seen, in the course of this chapter, that
those passages which are considered most favourable
to the elevation of the Scriptures into the highest
rule, do not of themselves- declare, directly or indi-
rectly, any such thing,. and that 1,0 principle of just
and legitimate construction, can possibly wrest them
into any such meaning. Let it not be thought that I
have urged every argument that truth nd reason af-
ford upon our side ; or that I have applied myself to
the direct refutation of every cavil that is unwisely
raised, upon the other; and although I fearl should
be trenching upon my limits to say more, yet I could
not feel satisfied to say-less than I have.
)PI must, however, considerably curtail my observa-
tions upon the universality of .divine grace, which I
shall treat of in the following chapter, as well as fore-
go any very minute reference to the works of our
early Friends, which, at the commencement, I had in-
tended. I shall, however, close this chapter with a
quotation in reference to "the canon of Scripture,"
as it rs called, from a work replete with learning,
powerful in argument, impregnable in truth a work
which, though little read, I fear, and less understood,
is one of those master-preces of the human mind,
which heavenly truth and godly simplicity, joined to
a refined taste, and highly cultivated understanding,
are alone competent to produce. I allude to "The
Rustic's Alarm to the Rabbies," by Samuel Fisher.
After very minutely and ably disproving the full and
complete integrity of the present text of Scripture in
numerous paiticulars, he proceeds nearly in the fol-
lowing words. " And as to thy Scriptures' canoni-
zation, or the complete bounding of the canon of it, a
few words here about the manner, and means, and
true bounds thereof (for as to the question, whether
it be a canon or rule, I may defer it to another place),
let trie expostulate wiih thee, and ask by whom your
standard comes to be bounded, and to be limited to
those dimensions, that is allotted to it as (without the
Apocrypha) it stands bound up within your lately-
bound Bibles. I mean that such and such parcels,
123
prophecies, proverbs, histories, epistles, holy sente'iv
ces, sacred sayings, shall stand owned, honoured,
signed, and authorized, with the sacred high and
holy titles of God's Word, God's Witness, Founda-
tion, Kule, Unalterable Standard; and not one piece
of holy writings, more or less, than such as are so
consecrated and canonized, shall stand as the stand-
ard ; and all others, viz. those called Apocryphal,
and those also that are mentioned in the ones ye ca-
nonize, shall stand out of, and form no part of the
standard, so long as the world stands ? Who was it ?
"Was it God, or was it man, that set such distinct
bounds to the Scripture, so as- to say such a set num-
ber of books, viz. those that are summed up toge-
ther in your Bibles (excepting the Apocrypha,
which stands midway) shall be owned as CANONICAL,
and the rest, though such as were of the same divine
inspiration, be rejected 'as human, and of no higher
account than the mere writings of other men, an I re-
ceiving no higher respect accordingly ? Whence
hast thou this conceit that God himself commanded
the close of the CANON of the Old Testament to be
Malachi, and that it should consist of such books of
the Prophets as ye now possess, exclusively of such
prophecies that are therein mentioned, but which ye
have not? and the close of the canon of the New to
be the Revelations, and the bulk of it to be those few
histories, and apostolical epistles, as ye have, exclu-
sively of such as are therein mentioned, which ye
have not? Who was it that said to the Spirit of
God, ' O, Spirit, blow no more, inspire no more
men, make no more Prophets from Ezra's days,
and downwards till Christ ; and from John's days
downwards for ever? But cease, be silent, and
subject thyself, as well as all evil spirits, to be tried
by the standard that is made up of some of the wri-
tings of some of those men, thou hast moved to write
already, and let such and such of them as are bound
up in the Bibles, now used in England, be the only
means of measuring all truth for ever.' Who was it,
God or man ; the Spirit in the Scripture itself, or
129
the Scribes in their synods, councils, and consistories,
that so authorized or canonized these, and expunged
those ?
Was it not mere men in. their imaginations ? Doth
the Scriptures, or the Spirit and the Apostles therein,
give any such command, or make mention even of
any such matter ? Is it not mere man in his imagi-
nations, that hath taken upon him, according to the
good or ill opinion he entertains of these or those
respectively, to say he will give authority to the
Scriptures? Is it not man in his proud mind, that
comes in with his sic volo, sic jubeo, so I'll have it
thus it shall be? Saying to the books of the
Scripture, as God says to the waves of the ocean,
" Hitherto shall ye come, but no farther." So many
of the Prophets' and Apostles' writings shall be in
the authority, nature and office of the Supreme De-
terminer of all truth forever; and that all others,
even such as are written by the same men, in the
motion of the same Spirit, shall be but as commo-R
men's writings, and be looked on afar off as apoc-
ryphal, i. e. hidden or unknown writings, that no
such notice shall be taken of, as of the other.
And as for the books, which ye sprinkle with that
name of apocryphal, and give leave to have a standing
with it, but not so as to make any part of your stan-
dard, what ye think of them upon second thoughts?
Are they fit for nothing but to be cashiered and cast
out of your canon by wholesale, by mere tradition
from one to another, without trying them ? Is there
nothing among them that may be judiciously judged
of to be of equally divine original and authority as
some of those particular letters to private men, as
that of Paul to Philemon about private or domestic
matters, which ye own in such a transcendant man-
ner as ye do ? Surely, if some of them are fictitious,
or but merely human, so that ye will say no better
of them but vox hominem sonat, yet are there none
to be acknowledged as of divine authority, and of as
self-evidencing efficacy as some of those ye own ?
None that ye can see cause to sign meliore lapillo,
with some better name than ye vouchsafe them, and
130
standing in the church than ye allow them, as if they
were a mongrel seed between that of Canaan and
Ashdod, that ye know not well what to make of, nor
how to entreat altogether so ill, as not to afford them
a middle place in some of" your Bibles, between the
Old Testament writings, and those ye call the new,
and yet not think so -highly of them either, as to in-
clude them in your canon? Surely, there are some
of them, which, when ye look over them again, ye
may find ground to receive as having as fair a stamp
of the beaming majesty, truth, holiness, and authority
of God, and his Spirit, as some at least (not to say
the most), of those ye ascribe to God as their chief or
only author; and that do" so savour as much of
J. Owen's so much insisted on Theo-pneusty, as some
other doctrinal, historical, and prophetical parts of
your acknowledged divinely-derived Scripture, of
which, what infidels soever you are as concerning
them, yet I, together with many others, whereof
some, are as book-learned as yourselves, can say,
Credo equidem, ncc vana Fides, genus csse Dcorum ?
It is indeed the faith, or rather infidelity, of such
as call themselves REFORMED CHURCUES, that all
those books 'called APOCRYPHA, are, without excep-
tion, of no such divine original, as those ye call ca-
nonical; but who first set the one upon the bench,
and the other at the bar, I am yet to learn ; but this
I know, that howbeit, ye second the depression and
degradation of the one so far below the other, yet as
neither were ever canonized by God himself (if we
speak of the outward text only, about which my bu-
siness with J. Owen is) into that name of his Word
and into the authority of the foundation of faith
the infallible rule of interpretation of itself of trial
and examination of the supreme judge also, by
which all controversies of religion are to be determi-
ned the only pure and authentic standard unto
which the church is finally to appeal, in whose sen-
tence it is to rest, and into which all faith is finally to
be resolved ; so if such synods of men, cither ancient
or modern, as have thrust out all those at once from
sharing with the other writings in what they can lay
131
just claim to, had been as spiritually discerning as
they were spiritually blind, shallow, and undiscern-
ing, they would have seen cause to have joined some,
at least, of those apocryphal Scriptures to an equal
participation of that plea of divine original and in-
spiration with the rest, as they have without just
cause excluded them from it by their joint consent.
And though it be the declared faitb of that Assem-
bly of DIVINES that both houses of Parliament advi-
sed with in 1648, and of the Congregational Churches
in England, whose confession is put out this instant,
1659, as to that article about the Scriptures, word
for word, in the same words with the other, viz:
'That the books commonly called Apocrypha, not
being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon
of the Scriptures, and therefore are of no authority
in the church of God, nor to be any otherwise ap-
proved or made use of than other human writings ;'
yet this I declare to the whole world, as my faith con-
cerning them, that though I own neither them, nor the
best bare writings or outward text or letter of the other
Scripture at so high a rate as J. Owen does, M'ho
makes the naked letter in all things equivalent to the
holy matter ; yet, whatever is truly to be predicated
of the one, or can solidly be pleaded on behalf of the
one, which ye call your canon, as to ihe divinity of
their original, the same may be pleaded on behalf of
not a few of the other.
And as all that in general are styled apocryphal,
can plead their authority from long before the Apos-
tles' days, and also the especial care and providence
of God (which is an argument of such weight with
J. Owen and T. D,, as sways them not a little into
their frivolous faith about the rest) in the preserva-
tion of them to this very day ; so that all of them
have been kept by the Church, that kept the rest
bound up and translated into various languages, were
as publicly read as the rest, and highly esteemed by
Austin and other fathers; of vhich facts ye divines
cannot be easily ignorant.
And as for sundry of them, ye are ignorant wilh a
witness, if ye see them not to be of divine inspiration,
132
or of as divine an original as some, or even any of
the other which ye own so to be
As for that fourth boo < of Esdras, which is but the
second as it stands in the Apocrypha, besides that it
is acknowledged by Clem. Alexandvinus, Faber, and
many more men of renown among you, and by many
holy men in these later times, as well learned as
yourselves, at least in the wisdom of God's spirit, to
be written by his immediate inspiration ; so also, it
is such a plain prophecy of things to be fulfilled in
these last ages, as clearer is hardly to be found in the
whole Scriptures besides ; insomuch that he who
reads it in the chapters 11, 13, 13, and 16, as well as
in some other places, and sees not the beams of a di-
vine majesty in it, nor the matters that are now man-
aging upon the stage in the world, that are there
foretold in it, reads not in the light of that Holy Spi-
rit, that moved in the writing both of that and all
other holy Scripture, and may come before he is
well aware to feel the dint of that divine displea-
sure that is denounced against the sinners of the later
ages.
And the same may be said as to the divine original
of Jeremiah's epistle, which was written and sent to
them that were to go captive into Babylon ; and also
of Ecclesiasticus, and the Wisdom of Solomon,
which savours so much of the wisdom of the Spirit,
that he is yet in that wisdom only which is from be-
neath, which is earthly, animal, deceitful, who doth
not acknowledge the finger of God, writing those
deep and precious truths and predictions in the heart
of him whose hand committed them to outward wri-
ting ; which, whether it were not Solomon, after
whom it was so entituled, nil ultra qucero, he uttered
3000 proverbs, whereof scarce 300 are extant in that
book of his Proverbs, some of which are standing,
inserted there in the Hebrew text, and not the origi-
nal copy, but a transcript only, at best, out of that,
or some second-hand copies, taken and copied out
long after Solomon's days, by the men of Hezekiah,
eight or nine generations from hirn. Prov. chap. 25,
ver. 1. The thirtieth chapter of which book also
133
are the words of one Agur, the son of Jakeh ; but
sure I am that book of WISDOM was inspired or
breathed into the penman that expired or breathed
it out, from no less than that wisdom which is from
above.
The main argument that ever I have seen agaiast
the divine original of these books, are, first, their
not having been written in the Hebrew tongue, which,
what a poor peddling DISPROOF it is, he is no wiser
than he should be, that does not see^ for what warrant
Is there that all that was not penned in the Hebrew
tongue, is no Scripture of divine inspiration ? Or if
there be, is it not as conclusive against much of the
Scripture which J. Owen counts canonical, the whole
of which he reckons at random, was written in the
Hebrew tongue, since it is evident that much of that
Book of Esther (nine chapters and three verses of
which are set among the canonical Scripture ; and,
oh, the wisdom the other six chapters, and ten
verses of the tenth chapter, by you self-willed chop-
pers and changers, because written in GREEK, are
reckoned and ranked with the APOCRYPHAL,) was
written, not in the Hebrew, but in the Chaldee, as
much of EZRA, NEHEMIAH, and DANIEL also were.
And, besides, if being originally written in the
Hebrew will avail towards the evincing of them to be
canonical, this will help some of your apocryphamto
your canon, since that of Tobit, or Tobias, is not
only (as that of Baruch also is, the holy man that
wrote much for that Prophet and of that prophecy of
Jeremiah,) most preciously, both doctrinal and pro-
phetical, but also extant in the Hebrew, as well as
Greek and Latin ; and that of Ecclesiasticus was
originally written in Hebrew, witness Jesus the son
of Syrach, who himself coniesseth in his prologue, he
translated it out of the Hebrew text; and if ye say
that is but & translation at best, and so not canonical
Scripture, I reply two things thereto.
First, this argues ad hominem against J. Owen, that
tittles and iotas of the Hebrew text are lost since the
giving out thereof at first.
Secondly, that either translation must be owned
12
134
as canonical with you, as well as the first original
manuscripts and your original transcripts ; or else
it must be concluded, that whatever you linguists
have, yet the people that live upon your lips, not be-
ing able to read Hebrew and Greek, have no canoni-
cal Scripture at all to read.
The second argument that is supposed to be of
weight against the divine original of the apocryphal
Scriptures (Broughton, in his Sinai Sights, touches
upon them both,) is, because no writers in the New
Testament cite or quote any of them, any otherwise
than they do Heathen authors.
But I marvel not, since the wisdom of this world is
nought, that prudent Broughton should be so blind
as not to see how Paul, Heb. chap. 1, ver. 3, quotes
out of Wisdom, chap. 7, ver. 16 ; and Heb. chap. 11,
ver. 5, quotes Wis. chap. 4, ver. 10; and 1 Cor.
chap. 6, ver. 2, quotes Wis. chap. 3, ver. 8 ; and Heb.
chap. 11, ver. 35, quotes 2 Maccab. chap. 7, ver. 7.
Yea, and Christ himself, Matt. chap. 23, ver, 36 38,
quotes 2 Esdras, chap. 1. ver. 30. And Rev. chap,
7, ver. 9, snswers to 2 Esdras, chap. 2, ver. 41 46 ;
besides many other passages in the Scriptures of the
New Testament, but especially in the Revelation,
relate to their parallels in that Second Book of Es-
dras, which is the fourth, at least, of that man Ezra
or Esdras' writing; whereof that some should be re-
ceived as of divine original and some that have as
truly spiritual a tincture on them as the other, or
any in all the Scripture, should be rejected as mere-
ly human, I see not any solid ground for. Witness
that fourth of Ksdras, wherein he declares his visions
and revelations he had from God, in which he would
not fain and lie, for then he were not fit to have his
two first books owned as from God. Yet such is the
divine, the-anthrophical wisdom of our mere human
divines, that two of that same man's books, who wrote
all the four, (for the identity of the person that penned
them all, every believer may easily believe,) are ca-
nonized as divine, and the other two condemned as
but human.
Thus, though J. Owen contends so much for the
135
whole Book of God bein^ providentially preserved,
so that we may have full assurance that we enjoy the
whole revelation of His will (which will is, with him,
all the writings that ever were written by inspiration
from the Spirit, fit to stand among those that he makes
the standard,) in the copies abiding amongst us ; and
though he contends that the whole Scripture entire,
as given out from God, without any loss of so much
as one letter, tittle, or iota, is preserved in the copies
yet extant amongst us to this day : yet I know not
upon what frivolous conceit and prejudicate surmises,
possessing the minds of himself and his brethren,
both of the convocational and congregational way,
among which, blind cusiom, more than clear sight, I
believe to be none of the least, which are so far from
enjoying the whole book of Scripture, that no small
part of that Scripture that was written by men di-
vinely inspired, and so providentially preserved, he
refuses to enjoy or own as of sueh divine descent
from God, as other parts of the Scripture are, but
rejects it and contemns it as apocryphal, that is, so
altogether hidden from him that he knows not very
well what to make of it.
But suppose he should own and take all the apoc-
ryphal writings into his standard and canon (as he
calls it.) of the Scriptures does that, and all the rest,
old and new, that are bound up in old English Bibles
with it, constitute the utmost bounds of his canon ?
Doth his standard stand in so little room ? Is it
closed within so narrow a corner ? Consists it of so
few, FO small a company of holy men's writings and
Scriptures as are comprehended in no greater a com-
pass than that book, called the Bible, contains? Is
that the whole Book of God the whole outward de-
claration of his will, by the writings of holy men
at his motion? The whole Scripture entire, that
was ever so givn out from God, without any loss of
any of the integral parts of it, so much as of one let-
ter, tittle, or iota ? Is all extant all remaining all
preserved to this day, that was written by holy men
as moved by the Holy Spirit? And is that ALL of
the inspired Scripture which we now have and enjoy
136
in our present Bible ? Was there no more of the
Old Testamei't Scripture than the Apocrypha, and
that which is commonly counted to the canon ? And'
is the Revelation the close of the immediate revela-
tion of His will to holy men, and of his moving
them to -write it out by His Holy Spirit?
Num tarn
Pellibus exiguis arctatur Spiritus ingens t
Two things, J. Owen, at least, I have to say to
the contrary. That is, not all of the old nor all of
the new Scriptures that were, by inspiration, written
before Christ, and after him, to the same use, ends,
and purposes, as the rest were written, until John's
writing the Revelation. Secondly that as there was
much more than that ye wot of, which was written-
as the Spirit moved from Moses to the Revelation, so
there hath been more since then so written, and more
is, and will yet be in time to come, before the world,
that now waxes old, be at an end.
First There is not all in your Bibles, by much,,
and by hw much, who knows, that was given out
by inspiration of God, when, as to say nothing of
the Testament of the twelve Patriarchs now extant,
there is not all the inspired Scripture by much, which
the very Scripture ye have makes mention of.
Where is the Book of Nathan the Prophet ?
The Book of Ahijah ?
The Book of Iddo? 2 Chron.- chap. 9,
ver. 29.
The Book of Shcmaiah ? 2 Chron. chap,
12, ver. 15.
The Book of Jehu the Prophet ? 2
Chron. chap. 20, ver. 34; 1 Kings,
chap 16, ver. 1.
The Book of Gad the Seer? 2 Chron.
chap. 20, ver. 29.
The Book of Jasher? 2 Sam. chap. 1,
ver. 18, of which, it may well be supposed, that he
was a very ancient writer, since those that wrote
Joshua, who ever they were, dp quote him ; for him>
137
self it was not that wrote it all, at least, (as Moses
not all Deuteronomy,} unless he wrote of his own
death and burial before he died. See Josh. chap.
24, ver. 29.
Where is that part of Jeremiah the Prophet,
wherein he spake that which Matthew cites Mat.
chap. 27, ver. 9, 10, about the giving the thirty pieces
of silver, the price that Christ was sold at, for the
potter's field; for howbeit, Zachary, the Prophet,
Zach. chap. 11, ver. 12, speaks of the same thing,
(who was in his work an exalter of God in his time,
which the name Jeremiah seems to signify, and so
may be called Jeremiah, which is not likely to be
Matthew's meaning,) yet in all the prophecies of Je-
remiah extant in your Bibles, there is no such thing
spoken : and for you to say that Matthew was mista-
ken, quoting through forgetfulness one prophet for
another, or that the transcribers of the copies of their
original, out of Matthew's original copy, failed so
foully in their transcribings, (for all your copies that
ever I saw so read) as to write Jeremy for Zachary,
will be for J. Owen upon his principles, who stands
to plead every letter, tittle, and iota, that was in the
etti-rfypxpa to be now in the u7r'-ypct<pct, as sorry a
shift, and as miserable a remedy, as he makes for
himself, who leaps out of the frying pan into the fire.
Where is the prophecy of Enoch, spoken of Jude,
verse 14, out of whose prophecy the Jews can tell
you more than ye can learn from that of Jude ? And
^is for Esdra or Esdras, and his true companions, of
whom thou sayest truly enough, if not truer than thou
art aware of that their care in restoring the Scrip-
ture to its purity, when it had met with the greate&t
trial that it had ever underwent in this world, con-
sidering the paucity of copies then extant, was great,
and that the consignation and bounding of the canon
delivered to the Judaical Church, was in their days,
and that they did labour to reform all the corruptions
crept into the Word of God.* And that they cora-
* It seems then thy Word of God (so called) may be, and was
corrupted (i. e.) the Scripture, secundum te, who sometimes sayest
pleted the punctuation, (the completeness of which
then was not COOKVOUS with the text as at first written
in Hebrew, as thou eontendest, to the confuting of
thyself here,) and that they were guided herein by
the infallible direction of the Spirit of God, Did
they not in the Spirit and Power of God, write many
more books, even 204, most of which are not in your
Bibles ? Head 2 Esdras, chap. 14, throughout the
chapter. Where are ail these, and sundry more
Scriptures, (some as, and some more ancient than
Moses) of which I will not now speak particularly?
And as to the new, where is that first epistle of
Paul to the Corinthians-,, mentioned in the first of
those two that we have ? 1 Cor. chap. 5, ver. 9. And
that first epistle of his to the Ephesians, (for it is
evident he wrote one to them before that) mentioned
in that one which ye have ? Eph. chap. 3, ver. 3.
Arid that espisile of his to the Laodiccans, mention-
ed, Col. chap. 4,. ver. 10, besides several to Seneca,
Nero's Tutor, and other of Paulas writings, who was
doubtless far more voluminous in his writings, than
that poor pittance* of epistles to churches and minis-
ters, and the letter to Philemon, a tradesman, about
a domestic business of r-eeeiving his servant Oncsi-
mus, that had been unserviceable to him, amounts to,
of whose spiritual Scriptures and speeches that fell
from him at his martyrdom, that were taken by such
as were present at it ; some in these days have seen
more, than that which was written of him by Luke in.
the Acts, and written by him in the epistles, ye count
a part of your canon.
And whether that which John wrote to the church,
mentioned by him in the 9th verse of his letter, to
Gains, were no other, than the first of those three re-
corded ? And whether that of Jude, whereof, Jude
it cannot be corrected in its original text, and is not to this day :
but were it the Word of God indeed, as that is it speaks of, it
were incorruptible.
* The words, " poor pittance," here used, are to be understood
only in reference to the comparatively small quantity, that has come
down to us, of these invaluable writings of the Apostle.
139
3, lie says in the prater imperfect tense, " when I
gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you,"
were not one wrote before this, which was now but
under his hands, is more than ull you savers of what
ye think only, are able groundlessly to gainsay. And
whether Clement's epistle, whose name was in the
Book of Life, and that Church of Rome to Corinth,
written thirty years after Paul's, may not challenge
to be ranked among the rest, is worthy your inquiry?
And what think ye of that short, sweet, precious re-
ply of Christ Jesus himself, in his letter to Agbarus,
king of Edessa, who wrote so lovingly and believ-
ingly to him about the malady that lay upon him, as
it stood recorded in the rolls of that city, and may do
still for ought ye know, which is to be read, and
many other precious passages about that business in
the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilius ?
Is it not as Christian, as divimim spiritum non homi-
nem sapiens, and worthy (as particular as it is,) to
stand in your standard, and claim a room in your
canon, as that particular letter of Paul to Philemon ?
"What is become, I say, of all these, and more tha
may now be mentioned, none of which are within the
confines of your congrcgationaliy constituted, syno-
dically composed, ecclesiastically authorized, cleri-
cally conceived canon ?
\Veie they not DIVINELY INSPIRED ? That were
to render doubtful your undoubted divine original of
what you have ; since some of them are quoted in
those you have.
Are they H utterly lost? that were to lose himself
much more in his cause, (who is lost too much alrea-
dy,) for J. Owen to say so, since more than ttlaru^fu-
etmpstict, one jot or one tittle is then passed away and
perished from the law, (if the letter be it) not one
jot or one tittle of which letter quoth J. Owen (wo-
fully misinterpreting that of Matt. chap. 5, ver. 18,.
for the iotas and tittles of the mere text and letter,
which Christ utters only of the doctrine, truth, and
holy matter of the law,) is to pass away till heaven and
earth, which are yet standing, shall be passed away..
140
Or, did not God himself intend to dignify these
with the same honour, and crown them with so high
an account as these, though as well descended, and
as immediately derived from him as the rest ? Or,
did he not design them to the same spiritual ends, and
renowned vises with their fellows?
Or, were these books out of the way, and not pre-
sent at the time and place of the first setting up of
your standard, by such synods and sanydrims, as
took upon them to authorize what Scriptures of the
prophets and apostles should, and what should not
stand under that honourable title of the steadfast
standard, and so were sentenced for ever for not ap-
pearing at that sacred session and high court ofju'
dicature, which was to judge what books from
thenceforth, should be the supreme judge, to which
all should appeal in all cases, and in whose sentence
all should rest, and all faith be finally resolved ; and
not coming in at the completing and final closing of
the canon, should for ever Jure Ant-Ecclesiastico,
or Apostatico, and in for o hominum, forfeit that (ori-
gina ! ly) equal title, which in foro Dei, Jure Christi-
co and Apostolico, they else had to be canonized with
their fellows?"
I must here conclude my quotation from this able
work, which I found almost impossible to curtail
without in some degree impairing its efficiency. It
should be remembered that the excellent man who
wrote it, resigned a large living in the Church, to
Breach freely what he had freely received ; that for
this purpose he travelled not only in many parts of
England, but likewise in foreign countries, and once
over the Alps on foot, a great and perilous underta-
king at that time ; and in the midst of the very heart
of the Romish Apostacy, did he " preach Christ and
him crucified." He defended the pure principles of
Truth, from the venomous attacks and foul misrepre-
sentations, of some of the most subtle, learned, and
powerful disputants of his day ; and it was given him
clearly to foresee, as the work I have quoted will
bear evidence, the state of contending parties as they
are exhibited before us, at the present time on the
141
public stage of affairs. He was frequently treated
with great cruelty, by those who were in, as well as
by those who were out of authority ; confined in noi-
some prisons, and persecuted at last, " even unto
death," for he died a prisoner in Newgate, " for the
testimony of Jesus and the Word of God," in the
year 1605 ; and in truth may it be said, that he was
one of those " of whom the world was not worthy."
His labours were highly esteemed by his brethren,
and his controversial writings received a most pow-
erful, but unsophisticated and merited eulogium, from
the hand of William Penn. The quotation I have
made, is therefore very conclusive as to to the views
of the early Friends, with the Holy Scriptures.
How far they were right or wrong, is seen by the
Scriptures themselves to a higher authority, the
principles of Isaac Crevvdson, and the Reviewers,
forbid an appeal ; and though they (the Scriptures)
declare, that a higher authority, we are to " hear in
all things ;" it is still most strangely and irrationally
insisted on, that "nothing can be heard in the way
of salvation, but by the Scriptures ; thus, like the
Jews, they think, that in THE.M, they have eternal
life."
There is a wide difference, be it remembered, be-
tween acknowledging the just worth of all such
things, as it has pleased the Almighty at different
times to communicate to our fellow-creatures, for
general or particular ends and purposes, and bowing
down as to an infallible, unerring, and supreme judge,
to such records of those communications, as some few
men of worldly power and literary attainments, have
thought fit to select and constitute for that purpose.
The events and matter of the Bible sweep over a vast
portion of time, and though the light of Divine Truth
may be seen upon every page ; yet it comprises al-
most an infinite variety of shades, more or less bright,
the brightest of which extends no farther than to the
mere surface of the mind's apprehension, and is in-
capable by virtue of its own intrinsic power, as the
Reviewers and Isaac Crewdson themselves confess,
of searching to the root of the matter, of penetrating
142
to the heart, so as " to produce fruit unto holiness."
But that same Holy Spirit, " the Creator of the ends
of the earth who fainteth not, neither is weary," and
who alone can thus effectually and rightly make ap-
plication of the " mere written 1 '' records of his former
communications, CAN also afford fresh and living sup-
plies of his grace, mercy, and goodness, to the chil-
dren of men direct, from the eternal and inexhausti-
ble source of his unspeakable Providence and love.
Of the same "Spiritual Rock that the fathers drank,
and that Rock was Christ," so CAN we. That " bread
which came down from heaven," can still be given
to those who hunger ; and although there appears to
the sight of many, but " five loaves and two fishes,"
yet CAN the innumerable multitudes of our fallen
brethren throughout the world, " eat and be filled."
-
CHAPTER VII.
" WHEN I gave all diligence to write unto you of the
common salvation," &c., wrote an Apostle formerly
to one of the Christian congregations of his day ; and
clearly as the whole tenor of Scripture testimony
bears out the important fact that " God is no respecter
of persons," that " his tender mercies are over all
his works that Christ is the " propitiation for the sins
of the whole world" that " he will recompense every
man according to his works," and that " as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive,"
clearly, distinctly, and expressly, as salvation is de-
clared to be "common salvation;" yet, strange per-
versity marvellous "hebetude of vision," that men,
Avhose " ultimate appeal for the truth of every doc-
trine," is stated to be the very book which announces
a " common salvation," should, nevertheless, in
open contempt of the sentence of the judge, which
themselves have chosen to try their cause, interrogate,
whether "it would not be presumptuously to fly
in the face of Divine Wisdom, for us to say that men
are converted without the knowledge of the Gospel,
(meaning the Scriptures) by outward means . ? " Is it
not a most remarkable illustration of the force of pre-
judice,* the obstinacy of opinion, the blindness of
party, or the venality and adamant-cased heart of
bigotry, fanaticism and priestcraft, that flatly contra-
dicting the express declaration of their " highest
rule," which says that salvation is a " comm on salva-
tion," they should insist that it is not " common,"
but particular ?
That they should construe the Gospel to mean a
* I do not pretend to specify the real root of this doctrine, I only
interrogate, whether it does not proceed from one of several causes.
It may arise from prejudice in some, and from other motiyes in
others.
144
Certain portion of holy men's writings, and that sin*
ners are converted from the errors of their way?, and
salvation is a boon to those ONLY, who can gain access
lo these Avritings 1 That this may be the Gospel ac-
cording to Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers, is one
thing, but that it is really the Gospel according to the
Disciples and Apostles of Christ, as it appears in the
writings of those that are preserved to us at this day,
is another thing, and which I most plainly and uncon-
ditionally deny.
The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Colossians,
flays of the Gospel, lhat ''itiscome mtoall theworld,"
and that it " was preached to every creature which
is under heaven," Now, we know the Bible is not
"come into all the world," nor has it been heard of
by a thousandth part of the creatures that are, or have
been under heaven. Unless therefore contraries be
alike, disagreement, agreement light, darkness
and darkness light unless a thing could have come
into all the world, and not have come into all the
world, but only into a part of it unless there is a
something, which has been preached to every crea-
ture u^der heaven and yet not have been preached to
every creature under heaven, but only to a compara-
tively small portion of creatures under heaven ;
then, and then only, can the Gospel and the BiMe be
one and the same thing. I am aware of the ' con-
struction most comporting with the particular bent
of some people's minds," that has been put upon the
words, "all the world" in this place : but do not talk
about construction ; if the Greek text signifies not all
the world, but part only, not every creature, but a
limited number of creatures, why not translate it so at
once 1 The illiterate who, if the Bible be the only
source of truth, and " power of God unto salvation,"
must have their eternal interest staked upon the cor-
rectness of your translations, are liable to be awfully
misled, and sadly perplexed the " wayfaring man"
must be strangely confused and widely err, by trans-
lating a sentence one^ way, and then construing it
directly another ; and after such " construction, 11 ~
excludes the far greater part of mankind from " the
145
fcope of the Gospel," to tell us, with all the assurance
of priestly exclusiveness, "not to presume to specn.'-
late" upon the relative condition, in which they stand
towards their Maker.
There needs no speculation. The Bible bears its
testimony that " life and immortality are brought to
light, by the Gospel." And that " light is come unto
all the world, and that this is the condemnation." If
the Gospel therefore be*' preached to every creature,"
and if by the Gospel " life and immortality are brought
to light ; then, unless men " chose darkness rather
than light," "every creature under heaven," might
have "_the true knowledge of God, of his holy law,
and of the Gospel of life and salvation through Jesus
Christ." That such would be necessarily acquainted
with the different histories, epistles, advices, and vast
collection of extraordinary and deeply interesting
matter, recorded in the Scriptures, I do not pretend
to say : but that such would be " converted from the
error of their ways," and stand justified in his sight
*vho " accepteth rto man's person," is not only pre-
sumption, but a flat and unqualified contradiction of
Scripture evidence to dny ; for is it not written,
(hat " in every clime, he that feareth God, and work-
cth righteousness, is accepted of Him ?"
If our Saviour was offered up upon the Cross " for
the sins of the whole world," and the Scriptures say
he was, the offering must remain as complete and ef-
fectual for the purpose for which it was intended,
viz. the redemption of man, although no written ac-
count of the fact had ever reached us, or any history
been published by the hand of man of the different
acts of our Saviour and some of his disciples.
But it has pleased the Almighty, amidst the con-
flicting circumstances of time, that some external
memorials of that period should escape from the
tomb of oblivion ; and ungrateful indeed must we be,
to think lightly of so great a blessing, The fact of
their preservation, does however by no means prove,
that those who never possessed them, are cut off from
the " hope of the Gospel," and that there is no salva-
iioo without them, any more than the mere .posses-
13
146
sion of them can light up the hope, and confer the
salvation.
The sin of Adam is as fatal and extensive in its
consequences, to those who never heard his name, as
it is to those who have read he was placed in the
garden of Eden, and ate of the tree which his Maker
forbade him to taste. Although this account had
been lost to the whole world, as it has been to the
far greater part of it, the sin of Adam would, not-
withstanding, have been committed, and all his pos-
terity be still participators of his sinful nature, heirs
of the same curses, and objects of the same bless-
ings. No on this last point we are not " to pre-
sume to speculate." Very modest advice, indeed !
After dogmatically asserting, that the law of God,
like the Jaw of man, is written only in a book, mani-
fested and visible only on perishable materials of this
world, circumscribed in its promulgation to a small
portion of mankind, taken upas any other law book,
wrested, com/nented upon, and interpreted by con-
tending counsel with black robes, uplifted hands, and
grave faces, whilst the poor deluded people they
practice upon, pay them enormous fees for their
endless contentions, explanations, and preachings,
either by way of forced maintenance, or to such as
have no special act to establish a table of fees, by
what the TOLERATED class of Bible merchants so
mildly term, ".voluntary contributions," after thus,
without one difficulty one tender doubt one gen-
tle misgiving, including millions upon millions of
souls in the' awful consequences.of one transgression,
Believers to the full, that the wrath of God is reveal-
ed against them that " obey unrighteousness," and
that " tribulation and anguish awaiteth every soul of
man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the
Gentile;'' yet do .they become the most obdurate of
Sceptics, and tell us " not to speculate," when we
only follow on with the Apostle and say, " but glory,
honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good,
to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. For there
is no respect of persons with God." But they de-
clare by their doctrine, that there is a " respect of
147
persons with God." Nay, they contend farther, and
putting the case suppositiously, affirm it to be " pre-
sumptuously flying in the face of Divine Wisdom,
for us to say that men are converted without the
knowledge of the Gospel by outward means." They
say it is laying ourselves open to the delusion of the
devil, " if we unhappily flatter ourselves that we have
the knowledge of the will of God, independently of
the written revelation, by which it has pleased him
to convey it."
Talk about presumption and speculation, indeed !
Upon what authority do Isaac Crewdson and the
Reviewers thrust millions of their fellow creatures
from the arms of redeeming love and mercy, merely
because they are not possessed of the written records
of some of his special dealings, in generations thai
have long since passed away ? Upon what authority
higher than their own "impressions," do they thus
prescribe limits to the unbounded mercy of God ?
Upon what authority better than " those sugges-
tions, which most comport with their own particular
bent of mind," do they make the curse upon disobe-
dience universal, arid the blessing upon obedience
partial and particular ? Does not their own "ulti-
mate appeal" say, " As in Adam all die, even so, in
Christ shall all be made alive." Is not the life by
Christ said to be as universal, in this passage, as the
death by Adam ? Is not the remedy here stated to
be co-extensive with the disease ? Is sin to lie at the
door of the heathen, "whether they do well or ill, and
salvation only at ours 1 Doth God suffer the innu-
merable multitudes of mankind thus " to multiply
and replenish the earth," and enlarge Ihe kingdom
of ?*'atan, without " shewing them what is good," and
what " He, the Lord their God, requires of them?"
Is the evil spirit of the Dev41 thus left to range freely,
and establish his undisputed dominion in the hearts of
all those who are unhappily deprived of the means of
knowing that he tempted our first parents, with for-
bidden fruit in the garden of Eden, and that they fell
sinful victims to his wiles ? Is the evil spirit of the
Pevil thus permitted to take possession of their hearts,
148
whilst an all-merciful, compassionate, and almighty
God, " who willeth not the death of a sinner, but that
all should turn to him and live," sends " the Comfort-
er," the holy and blessed Spirit of truth, to those
alone who are already favoured with the precious-
gift of the Holy Scriptures ? For myself, I openly
avow, that I esteem the Bible, and all those writings
that have proceeded from the same source,, above all
the writings in the world beside. 'It is, indeed, a
cause for rejoicing, that these memorials of former
mercies and wondrous works of things past, pre-
sent, and to come, have been thus preserved amidst
the revolutions of empires anti-kingdoms ; and the
wish to extend the Messing is worthy of the Chris-
tian character. Spread it,. I say, from sea to sea,
that men may hear of, the marvellous works- of the
Most High, and of his dealings with the children of
men. Call it a record call it a testimony, call it
a witness, if you will, to the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit ; but you have no authority to lift it up
like the serpent in. the wilderness, and proclaim,
'' look upon it, all ye-people, and be healed."
I do not take upon myself to say how far it is a
*' mere impression," or how far it may be " a delu-
sion of the Devil," to believe that this-evil spirit is
permitted to hold supreme and undisputed possession
in the souls of those from whom scriptural knowledge
has been withheld by circumstances over which they
could have had no possible controul ; but it perhaps
may be as well for those who maintain this horrible
and life-chilling doctrine, to examine and re-examine,
the ground upon which it rests, and to be thoroughly
persuaded in their owa minds, whilst they thus limit
by their doctrine the operation of the Almighty and
Omniscient Spirit of God whilst they thus promnl-
gate to the world that " He whos tender mercies are-
over all his works," no .longer "pours forth hi*
Spirit upon all flesh," but leaves the far greater por-
tion in utter darkness, without one ray of his eternal
light to save them from becoming the victims of the
everlasting rage and malice of Satan ; it rnay be as
>rell, I say,, for these to consider if their spirits be
149
Covered with that charity, without which they are but
as ''sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
AVhat ! think ye, that He who is present every-
where " who sitteth upon the circle of the heavens,
and counteth the inhabitants of the earth but as grass-
hoppers" who counteth all nations but as vanity,
and " taketh up the isles as a very little thing"
whose love is felt whose goodness seen whose
power acknowledged from pole to pole from the
ice-girt regions of the north, to the " golden sands"
of Lybia, and the spice-embosomed islands of the
west think ye that He who hath " borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows :" hath not borne, hath not
carried THEIRS ? that He who was " wounded for
our transgressions," was not wounded for theirs ?
that He who was " the propitiation for our sins,"
was the propi'tiation for ours only and not "for the
sins of the whole world,'" because the whole world
happens not to have the Book which relates the ex-
ternal circumstances connected with the mysterious
plan of His redemption ? Is He a " hard master,
reaping where he hath'not sown, and gathering where
he hath not strewedj"
Doth he require justice, mercy, humility, and fear
of Him, where He hath not " shewed unto man
what is good ?" Does He whom John testified to
have " enlightened every man that cometh into the
world," shed the glorious beams of light only upon
the writings of Moses, the Prophets, and Apostles.?
Is there not "a more sure word of prophecy, unto
which it would do well for us to take heed, as unto
a Ijght shining in a dark place ?" Think ye that He
who was taken by the Devil " into the wilderness,
and was a hungered forty days": " who knoweth our
frame, and reraembereth that we are dust" remem-
bereth not the poor Heathen? "la it presumptuously
to fly in the face of Divine Wisdom," to declare that
God " has not left_himself without a witness" in their
breasts ; and that they come within the verge of sal-
ration, although depiived of " the written Revela-
tion."
Is there no presumption, no speculation, in a doc-
13*
1*0
trine which denies that " Christ is mighty to save
unto the uttermost;" and that none can "come unto
God by him," without they have the " written Reve-
lation <"' " The " written Revelation," is thus made
the law of God, or, at least, indispensable to the
knowledge of it ; the infraction of which, though
ignorantly done, is, nevertheless, visited with a pen-
alty equally severe, even no less than an eternal ex-
clusion from purity and happiness hereafter, as
where it forms almost the very ground-work of educa-
tion, and its prohibitory and condemnatory clauses
are amongst the first lessons the child can repeat.
The law of sin the influence of the Devil is assum-
ed alone to operate and be made known, God has
never given them the " knowledge of his holy law"
never influences their hearts to good 'leaves them
the undisputed prey of evil whilst here on earth, and
debars them of the benefit of the Redeemer's sacrifice
hereafter. And did not Christ die for the Heathen,
who have not what ye call the " written Revelation,"
as well as for those who have it ?. Doth He " ever
live and make intercession" for us, but not for them ?
Or, think ye that his pleading for them is in vain I
Think ye that they are not " safe," -because they do
not know so much as yourselves ? Think ye the of-
fering of Christ is of no effect till ye spread y.our
Bibles in the land ? Is the purchase of our salvation
dependent, then, upon the circulation of the Bible I
Must we read, that Christ was nailed to the cross
without the gates of Jerusalem, and that He gave
" some Apostles, some Pastors, sonic Evangelists,
for the edifying of the Church," 1 * &LC., must this be
published in every clime, and read by every eye y
that " the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin ?"
Hath He " tasted death" for those only who have the
Bible? or hath He not " tasted death for every man ?
Where is your authority you who talk about ^'-pre-
sumption and speculation 11 where is your authority,
I say, to appropriate salvation, and restrict the Spirit
of Almighty God, to the possessors of the Bible ?
Thou who tellest others not to speculate, dost' thou
not speculate ? Thou who tellest others not to pre-
151
sume, dost not thou presume in thus giving to the gift*
the power, and glory, and honour of the High and
Holy Giver ?
There is not a passage throughout the Bible that
sanctions the revolting and merciless doctrine of
transgression without law, but by a forced construc-
tion, at variance with the whole tenor of every doc-
trine and principle it illustrates in opposition to
every attribute, of a just and merciful God, and of the
internal sense of moral justice, which is implanted in
every breast. Man cannot be insensible, but by ha-
bitual wickedness, of the corruption of his nature,
and his tendency to err ; and even after a long course
of evil after an uniform and systematic warfare
against the Light of God in the conscience the soul
that is arrested with mercy, and finally " converted
from the error of his ways," is made deeply sensible
that his acts of rebellion have been all his own ; and
can subscribe, with repentant tears, to the truth of
that address, recorded in Isaiah, " Oh ! that thou
hadst hearkened unto my commandments, then had
thy peace flowed as a river, and thy righteousness as
the waves of the sea."
Does not the Apostle -declare, " where there is no
law, tliere-is no transgression?" What can be
clearer evidence than this, I ask, supposing obscuri-
ty prevailed throughout every part of the Bible
beside, upon this important point? Does it not
clearly show that rr.an will not be punished for an ig-
norance he cannot avoid ? Does it not show, where
no law Iras been proclaimed, no law can be broken ?
Does it not show that the justice of God will not visit
with eternal vengeance the sins of those, that have
been perpetrated in ]he weakness of corrupted nature;
or that are the immediate offspring of the Devil's un-
restricted power, who, according to your doctrine,
has been suffered to work in the hearts of the poor
Heathen, and place them out of the pale of infinite
and eternal Mercy, because they have not the " writ-
ten Revelation?" Does not this passage, in short,
clearly show to all but those who will not see, that,
in the Apostle's view r the accountability of man rests
152
solely on the grand principle of the knowledge of*
good and evil, and his freedom to choose the one or
reject the other ? Thus says your own " ultimate
appeal for the truth of every doctrine," that " where
there is no law, there is no transgression." And
yet, where that is positive, you are dubious nay,
more the doctrine you promulgate, completely op-
poses its testimony.
What, then, let me ask, is the use of this appeal to
you ? For, if, after you have made the appeal, your"
" bent of mind" remains the same, although in direct
opposition to its decision, it is plainly manifest,
whatever you may profess, that its clearest state-
ments, instead of- being " the highest rule by which
all controversy can be decided," is no rule whatever
to you ; but, on the contrary, you over-rule its great-
est truths its simplest propositions^ by your " im-
pressions" -your pre-conceived opinions, or " those
suggestions, which most comport with your own
particular bent of mind." When your " ultimate
appeal" tells us positively totally unfettered by
those little IFS with which doctrines, involving
the most terrible and awful consequences to millions
upon millions of thos& who have Keen " made of one
blood", with ourselves, are Vouched for as Christian
truth when, I say, your " ultimate appeal" states
unreservedly, that " where there is no law, there is
TIO transgression''' where, in these few plain words,
the relative general state of those who are without
law, is made k?iown where there is nothing left for
conjecture nothing, one would suppose, that the
most obstinate opinionist could raise a cavil upon ;
or the veriest quibbler, who acknowledged the au-
thority of the " appeal," wrest, -by the most subtle
ingenuity, from its obvious and only legitimate mean-
ing yet are we told not " to presume to speculate."
But it is not we who speculate ; it is yourselves.-
The Heathen have a law, orj,hey have not. If they
have not a law, then they have " no transgression,"
Paul has written the truth. The speculation, there-
fore, is not with us, who hold the same views with
the Apostle, but with you. You call the Bible
153
the writings of holy men the law of God ; and yotr
deny the knowledge of that law to those who have
not the Bible ; and you call it speculation and pre-
sumption to say that the Heathen " are safe," without
this law, the Bible ; and that, too, in utter contradic-
tion of the statement of the very Bible itself, which
says, that " where there is no law, there is no trans-
gressio7i."
The infatuation, the blindness, or hypocrisy, of
men, proclaiming forth to the world -such doctrines,
with the admonitory caution not to speculate or pre-
*vme that God's infinite mercy may possibly extend
beyond the limits that they have prescribed for it,
is scarcely exceeded in arrogance and vain conceit,
by the vaunted spiritual supremacy of the Pope hinv-
self. What when the Book itself says, " there is
no transgression, where there is no law," is it pre-
sumption is it speculation, to say that the arms of
Divine Mercy are stretched out to where the Book
has never reached ? Is this the standard of God's
love to man? Does the fathomless ocean of infinite
love and compassion, ebb and flow with the tide of
biblical knowledge, so that the moment that the
transcripts of a certain portion of the- writings of
certain Piophets and Apostles are published in any
fresh land, that moment the mercy of God follows it
the " revelation of His will" becomes, for the first
time, made known to the desolate and deserted out-
casts, and, with the possession of the Bible, they are,
for the first time, placed within the reach of God's
salvation, or placed in a capacity, or within even the
verge of possibly becoming "partakers with the
Saints in light ?" Doth not the earth yield forth her
fruits to supply their wants ? Doth not the external
things of creation light up a joy in their bosoms, and
inspire them with delight the springing flowers
the budding trees the warbling birds the valleys
and the mountains the flowing stfeams, the heaving
ocean the twinkling stars, the placid moon, the fiery
sun ? Hath He not given them the delights of home,
the love of country and of kindred ? And is not
<' that which may be known of God, made manifest to
154
them," as the Apostle in the book declares it is, "for
God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal Power and Godhead; so that
they are without excuse ?"
Why the Apostle in the 10th chapter of his Epistle
to the Romans, after testifying to the universality of
Divine Grace after most emphatically and clearly
stating that " the Word is nigh thee, even in thy
mouth and in thy heart : that is the word of faith,
which we 'preach," exhibits himslf the very argu-
ments which I. C. and the Reviewers have urged
against the same vital principle of truth ;"ho"w then,"
writes the Apostle, " shall they call on him in whom
they have not believed ? And how shall they believe
in him, of whom they have not heard ? And how
shall they hear without a preacher ? And how shall
they preach unless they be sent ?" (Mark this) " as
it is written, how beautiful Sre the feet of them that
preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things ? But they have not all obeyed the
Gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed
our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God."
Thus strongly does the Apostle put the objections
urged by the opposers of the universal operation of
God's Spirit on the heart of man ; and let us hear
what he says in reply. " But I say, have they not
heard ? Yes verily, their sound went into all the
earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."
And he farther writes, " But Esaias is very bold, and
saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I
Avas made manifest unto them that asked not after
me." Yet, notwithstanding all this, it is denied, that
a " manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man,
to profit withal." Now it either -is given to every
man, or it is not. The "test of Truth," (the Scrip-
tures) according to the Reviewers, say it is given to
every man.
It is not presumption or speculation, I apprehend,
to say that the Heathen are men, and if they are,
then is a " manifestation of the Spirit given" to them,
since it is given to " every man," and given to them
also " to profit withal." You will scarcely contend
that the words " to profit withal," has reference to
pecuniary advantage, or is confined merely to tem-
poral benefits ; if, therefore, it alludes to an interest
of a higher nature, even- no less than to the eternal
interests of the soul : is it not evident, that if they
" do well, they will be accepted, and if they do not
well, sin lieth at their door?"
And may it not be well for those, who arrogate to
themselves, the means of an exclusive and partial
salvation who would thus monopolize the grace and
farour, and unbounded love and mercy of God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord, to the. chartered com-
munities of spiritual corporations, that themselves
have marked out would it not be well for such as
these, who with presumption and speculation upon
their tongues, affix their own seals to their foreheads
deck themselves out in " white robes" of their own
making, and with " palms" which their own hands
have gathered, declare that this privileged class will
alone be permitted " to cry with a loud voice, saying,
Salvation to oui God which sitteth upon the Throne,
and unto the Lamb," instead of being sounded forth
by "a great multitude which no man can number, of
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues;"
may it not, I say, be as well for the preachers of this
contracted, gloomy, and lifeless Gospel, to reflect
a little and see how 4ar the Spirit in which it is
conceived, merits the reproof of the Apostle, when
he wrote, " For I say, through the grace given unto
me, to every man that is among you,, not to think of
himself more highly than he oAight to think ; but to
think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every
7nan the measure of faith /" If man can be placed
in a capacity to be converted^ and can obtain salva-
tion only by means of the Scriptures, it is then in the
power of our feHow-creatures to frustrate the de-
signs of Omnipotence, and mortal man may interpose
a barrier between the blood of Jesus, and the souls
of his fellow-creatures. He has only to withhold
the Bible, " the written Revelation," as I. C. terms
it, and it is done.
And do Isaac Crewdson and his co-thinkers, really
believe that the offering of Christ was of no effect, and
availed nothing for the penitent sinner, during the
many centuries that an avaricious and imperious, and
cruel priesthood, chose to seal up those precious re-
cords from the sight of men? and that the moment
the translator translated them, and the printer printed
and sold them, and hundreds and thousands vrere per-
mitted by human law to call themselves expounders
of it, and preachers out of it, making as much money
as they can by letting out x>f seats, in different sorts
of buildings, where they rpin out, one against ano-
ther, long narratives atid treatises, upon some single
text of it, confusing, mystifying, and perplexing both
themselves and their hearers, by their multifarious
opinions, doctrines, and renditions, till nothing ap-
pears certain, but this, that the Bible which they call
the Word of God, is a more extensive source of pe-
cuniary gain and emolument than any other article of
trade in the known world besides, do Isaac Crewd-
son and his co-thinkers, 1 ask, really believe, that
from the moment when human law thus threw off
the protecting duty from the Bible, and left it open
to the trading community of talent to men as it
were of smaller capital in short, made a free trade
of it, to all those whose intellectual means would en-
able to open shop, and make up some sort of a mess
by the infusion of a small portion of the genuine arti-
cle, into a vas't mass of their own preparation , each de-
crying the composition of the other, as not only spu-
rious, but most poisonous and destructive ; do, I re-
peat, these persons really think, that from this mo-
ment, " the true knowledge of God, of his holy law,
and of the Gospel of life and salvation, through Jesus
Christ," has been more fully known and more impli-
citly obeyed lay reason of these means? Do they
know what they believe themselves, and do they
really believe that without the Bible, "Christ, the
Power of God, and Wisdom of God," intercedes not,
or intercedes in vain for the sinner ? for such is the
1B7
hievitable and monstrous conclusion to which this
doctrine drives its supporters.
It was -my intention to have gone into a moral
analysis of the motives to action, amongst mankind
in their various civilized and uncivilized states, and
to have endeavoured to have brought before the
minds of my readers in these different aspects, the
distinct operation of that active powerful principle of
life that bright emanation of the Spirit of Almighty
God, which John declares lo be " the Light of the
world, which enlighteneth every man, that -cometh
into the world." But I must reserve it for another
occasion and curtail the observations, upon this im-
portant point, with just remarking, that amongst the
most savage tribes, even the most barbarous canibals,
. neither Isaac Crewdon nor the Reviewers, can give
us any thing better than their " impressions and sug-
gestions," as to the amount of responsibility which
they incur, or how far they stand condemned in the
sight of their Maker. They deny the immediate in-
fluence and teachings of God's Spirit upon their own
hearts, and deride the idea of its illuminating the
hearts of others ; but I am convinced, if they were to
bring their opinions, as well as their deeds "to the
fight," it would be made manifest to them, as it was
to the inspired writer of the 'book, called " Ecclesi-
asticus, lhat however heinous maybe the sins of man,
they cannot be charged upon him who is "a God of
truth and without iniquity, just and right is he"
which high and holy attributes are completely denied
in that doctrine, which maintains transgression with-
out law, and precipitates man headlong to eternal
destruction, whose sins from the corruption of his
nature, or the influence of the evil one, were perpe-
trated witho-ut a single compunction, or the faintest
sense of a counteracting power.
And I may observe, that the frequent repetition,
and constant commission of the grossest sins, that
disgrace humanity amongst the most barbarous na-
tion?, is no proof that they sin not against the
*' light ;" for in all those countries where the Bible
is freely circulated and easy of access to all, the
14
158
vilest and most unnatural sins are committed ; lies
thefts murders adulteries and the whole black
catalogue of direful crime stands over the guilty heads
of nations who boast of the special favour of Heaven,
and flatter themselves, that salvation is for them
alone, because they possess what they call the *' high-
est standard," " the ultimate appeal," " the Word
of God," " the written revelation of his will," &c.
But I will not at present dilate farther upon this
point, but conclude this chapter with a quotation
from the book called Ecclesiasticus, to which I have
just alluded. I beg the serious attention of my
"readers to it, and let them, after the bestowal
of such attention, say whether it does not give
a more correct, rational, apostolic, and Christian
definition of the relation in which mankind enmasse,
stand towards their Maker, than is conveyed in the
narrow, selfish, uncharitable and revolting doctrine
of exclusive salvation. " Say not thou, it is through
the Lord that I fell away, for thou oughtest not to do
the things that he haleth. Say not thou, He hath
caused me to err, for He hath no need of sinful men.
The Lord hateth all abomination ; and they that fear
God love it not. He himself made man from the be-
ginning ; and left him in the hand of his counsel : if
thou wilt to keep the commandments, and to perform
acceptable faithfulness. He hath set fire and water
before thee : stretch forth thy hand unto ivhither thou
wilt. Before man is life and death, and whether him
liketh shall be given him. For the wisdom of the
Lord is great and he is mighty in power, and behold-
eth all things ; and his. eyes are upon them that fear
him, and he knoweth every work of man. He hath
commanded no man to do wickedly, neither hath he
given anv man licence to sin." EC chap. 15. ver. 11
20.
159
LAST CHAPTER.
I SHALL now shortly conclude this little volume, by
a few general remarks directed against the prevailing
doctrine, which pervades the whole of the different
articles, " From Periodical Works." Want of space,
and a wish to expedite the publication, have induced
me to abandon my original intention of replying se-
riatim to those articles, as they appear in the "Ex-
tracts." The more I have perused these articles, the
more have I been convinced, if possible, of the
weaknessof the foundation they acknowledge, and
ihe strength of ours. A scoffing, jeering, uncharita-
ble spirit prevails in the most of them. They gross
]y, for the most part, misrepresent the views and
opinions of the Society, and that with a degree of as-
surance and pharisaical conceit, which are always
the most prominent characteristics of " Sectarian"
publications. And yet, these are the men that com-
plain of the partial and exclusive bearings of what is
called the National Protestant Church Establishment.
Why they never persecuted others for their opinions
with half the rigour they never possessed, I believe,
one-tenth part of the intolerance that the cruel, igno-
rant, and selfish Presbyterians, and Independents, at
they call themselves, evinced, whenever political power
chanced to fall into their hands. Some of these Pro-
fessoj'f, who, in the time of the Commonwealth and
the Charleses, fled to New England to escape perse-
cution, became themselves the most furious of bigots,
and the most bloody of persecutors, and actually
hanged both men and women Friends, for preaching
the Gospel of Christ freely. Oh ! but the Presbyte-
rians and Independents of those days, were very
different to the Presbyterians and Independents o
these, it will be said. I reply, they do not commit
160
the same atrocious acts certainly, and for one very
good reason, they have not the power. But that
spirit from which all intolerance and persecution
springs, ever has sprung, and ever will spring, has
not been transformed to a spirit of peace and good
will, and never will be, however its deadly operations
may be restricted by the will of Almighty Power, or
the secondary influence of legal control. Why
should we suppose, that this spirit to which I allude,
would be less mischievous, odious, and tyrannical, in
its Papistical form than it used to be, if it had politi-
cal power, and was permitted to work without con-
trol, the mighty engine of human legislation ? In all
countries of the present day where it commands it,
cruelty and oppression, of almost every description
exists in the extreme. And so with any of the dif-
ferent sects, I believe, would it be in this country, the
ministers of which, are like so many petty Popes
amongst their several followers, who abandon their
own judgments, and reject the impulses of even a
higher nature, to what the Reverend Mr. this, or the
Reverend .Mr. that, happened to say last Sabbath
evening-, although it were in direct opposition to
what the so called reverend personage said on the
Itist Sabbath morning: Therefore, though I dissent
from some of the principles of the Established
Church, and do not believe that Christ ever intended!
His Church to be essentially joined to Political Insti-
tutions, or what is more commonly expressed and
understood by ihe term Church and State ; still I
have no hesitation in saying, that if any party in the
eommunity are to have a political ascendency over the
rest, I know of none who wou-ld wield it so judicious-
ly and temperately, and with less of that overbearing
and intolerant spirit, which is infused more or less
i-nto all the different systems of professed religious
establishments of human constitution ; there is
none, I say, of them all, which I would desire to
wield that power, in preference to that which is
known by the name of the Protestant Church Estab-
lishment of Great Britain and Ireland.
It does not fall within the nature- of- a work of the
161
present description, nor does it accord with the in-
clination of the writer, to enter into any political
views or discussion ; but these observations arise
rather from a desire to draw the attention of my rea-
ders to the worldly tendency of all hireling minis-
tries, whether supported by compulsions, or " volun-
tary contributions."
These different writers, with whom I have had to
do in the course of the preceding pages, are devoted
to the interest of certain sections of the Christianity-
professing community, all of whose dogmas are en-
forced and upheld amongst their respective congre-
gations, by men who are paid with the current coin
of the realm for that end. They all join, and no
wonder, in declaiming against, yea, in reviling and
vilifying that foundation, which the Society of Friends
recognise, as the only sure and true foundation upon
which all Christian ministry must ever rest, viz., the
immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
A man may be influenced by correct moral feeling,
and convey his opinions and sentiments to others
with learning, talent, energy, and effect; he may
have neglected other pursuits which might have yield-
ed him great pecuniary advantages, and directed all
his time and application to these objects, from a be-
lief that he was more properly employed in the path
he had chosen ; but let his talents and his learning
be ever so great, his intentions and principles ever
so virtuous, unless he be specially " endued with
power from on high," he cannot preach the Gospel.
" Thy silver and thy gold perish with thee," said an
Apostle to one Simon Magus, who coveted the gift
of the Holy Spirit, in order that he might convert its
powers into a source of pecuniary advantage ; and
upon what principle, but that of gain, promotion, and
respectability in the world's eyes, is the ministry of
the different sects regulated ? Do not they all en-
deavour to escape from manual labour, and to devote
themselves strictly to the duties, as they term it, and
truly term it, of their professions ? They talk about
an " ultimate appeal," the "highest rule," the
" final closing of the canon," nnd so forth ; and yet
14
162;
contrive to induce people to believe f that it is neces-
sary for their souls' salvation, that such men as them-
selves, should be clad and fed as gentlemen, for just
taking a verse, two or threetimes a week, from this
very identical book, which they say is " the ultimate
appeal," and to which, " not a word must be added
or taken ;" for just taking a verse, I say, of some
chapter, two or three times a week, and giving their
opinions upon it, their " impressions," and those
"suggestions, which most comport with their own
particular bent of mind." The well paid preachers
of these sects, all join in a league against the Law
Established Church, and like a pack of hounds in full
cry, they may be heard in pursuit of their victim.
They talk about the advancement of spiritual reli-
gion, and yet deny the immediate influence of the
Spirit ; scoff at and deride those who rely on its in-
fluence for their guidance and direction, and direct
the purchasers of their thoughts and " impressions,"
to external helps, instead of that Word, which their
highest rule says " is nigh th.ee,. even in thy mouth,
and in thy heart."
But what, after all, is the real difference between
the Christianity of the Establishment, and the Chris-
tianity of any of the money supported ministries of
any of the Sects ? What I ask constitutes the real,
difference between them? Why, political power.
The Establishment has political power, the Sect*
have not ; but they desire u. I do not mean to say
that the Priesthood of the sects exercise no political
power, for they do in a certain sense. In fact the
power by which they raise the means for their sup-
port from their different followers, is a truly political
power ; but then it is restricted and local in its ope-
ration. They have not the general law of the land,
and the sword of the state to enforce their views, and
exact their claims ; but their unremitting exertions
are directed to impress their supporters with the be-
lief, that they are the only true expositors of the
Divine Will, in fact that they are God's ministers,,
and that as such they should be paid for their ser-
vices. After making people believe this ; after pro-
163
ducing their " impressions," that they are a kind of
intercessors or mediators between God and their
fellow-creatures, an Order specially qualified to ex-
pound what God revealed to others centuries and
centuries ago, after making people believe they are
a sort of indispensable assistants towards their eter-
nal salvation after reducing the volition- of others to
complete subjection after talking the very senses
and will of their hearers, into a total prostration before
the very sound of their voices, or the raising of their
little fingers, they hold out iheir hands and open their
purses for their wages, and softly call it " voluntary-
contribution."
We are so apt to be misled by a name, and I much
fear that great error has prevailed in consequence of
the connexion of the term voluntary, with the pay-
ment of Sectarian persons. I do not mean to contend
for a moment, that a system which recognizes no
other payment for its Teachers, but that which is
made from the unbiassed deliberate conviction of the
contributors, that it is just and right that the Teach-
ers or Preachers should receive pecuniary remunera-
tion for their services, is not to be. preferred to sys-
tem, which will not refuse the assistance of distress-
warrants, and warlike weapons to secure its demands ;
but is the "voluntary system," as it is called, de-
serving this superiority of merit'? Are the "volun-
tary contributions" by which the Sectarian Priest-
hood is supported, the free-will offering of unbiassed
and deliberate conviction, or are they not rather by
far the. greater part, but so much money that perse-
verance, talent, and priestly ingenuity, wrings from
fanaticism, igno/ance, and credulity ? Would these
men, any more than the clergy of the Establishment,
preach without pay ? Does " the love of Christ con-
strain them," and is " a dispensation of the Gospel
committed" unto them, and can each of them in very
truth, say with Paul, " Woe is me, if I preach not the
Gospel?" If so, tell us the chapter and verse, in,
which it is plainly and directjy enjoined that they
shall receive money, " the root of all evil," as their
due and just remuneration, for preaching " the Pow-
er of God unto salvation.
Let these Evangelical preachers, as they call
themselves, tell us of one Evangelist, or Apostle of
Christ, that ever received a quarterly stipend, or had
places built for them, and let out the seats at a cer-
tain price per annum, for people to come and hear
them once or twice on the first day of the week, state
their impressions, and offer their suggestions, upon
three or four lines, that had been written in some
epistle of some other Apostle, or perhaps out of the
writings of the old Jewish Prophets. Show us the
chapter and verse in your " ultimate appeal for the
truth of every doctrine, and the propriety of every
practice," for THIS practice. If any of them have
really had a dispensation of the Gospel committed
to them, did it come with a command that they
should turn from industrious and honest employments,
and devote their time solely to the acquisition of
worldly knowledge, and acquaintance with the con-
fused, absurd, and contradictory opinions, embodied
in the various theological systems of the world, in
order to qualify them to communicate to their fellow
creatures, what the Holy Spirit of God, if they be
really Gospel ministers, has already given, or will
give them to communicate ? What ! " He who
spake, and it was done ; who commanded, and it
stood fast !" requires that these men should be ac-
quainted with " profane and vain babblings, and op-
positions of science, falsely so called ?" What ! HE
who told his disciples " not to think beforehand of
what they should say, when brought before Kings
and Princes, but that it should be given them in that
hour what to say" what ! HE require the servants
and messengers that HE sends, to be filled with the
wisdom of this world, in order that they may be fill-
ed themselves, and fill others also, with all wisdom
and knowledge of that kingdom, which is " right-
eousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spi-
rit." Is the power of Christian ministration a gift of
God, or something that may be purchased of our fel-
1G5
low-creatures at schools and universities 1 Is it
bong-Jit from Heaven that it may be sold on earth ?
Or, does not the command of our Saviour to his dis-
ciples continue equally binding upon all who are
rightly called to the work of the ministry, to all
who have received this gift, " Freely ye have re-
ceived, freely give." Is not this preaching for mo-
ney, the " root of all evil," amongst the different re-
ligious communities in our own country ? All the
other dissensions, are for the most part but branches
of that trunk, which springs from this deadly root
and source of evil. It infuses amongst the different
bodies of teachers and preachers a spirit of avarice,
covetousness, pride, luxuriousness ; in short, any
thing but that love, peace, good-will, and charity,
which ought to form the prominent features in a
Christian minister. It draws and binds the heart to
earth, even while the lips are talking of a treasure in
heaven. What occasions the greater pait of the
feuds and animosities, which at this moment prevail
amongst contending political parties ? Why, money
for the priests. If, however, these men were truly
Christian ministers, not seeking each for " the gain
from his quarter," how different would things be !
Instead of adding to the causes of irritation blowing
upon the troubled waters of strife, and feeding the
evil and angry passions of man, how would they
be enabled to allay the exciting causes of disturbance
amongst their frail and sinful brethren ! How would
they be enabled to assuage angry feeling, to recon-
cile contending foes, and strengthen and confirm the
bonds of peace and concord ! How disinterested
would be their counsel ! How pure and charitable
their motives ! How noble and influential their ex->
ample, " not greedy of filthy lucre," but " in all
things showing themselves patterns of good works."
Until, therefore, the corrupting influence of money
be withdrawn, and the ministers of the different reli-
gious bodies disdain not to " provide things honest,,
-in the sight of all men" for their livelihood, instead
of preaching for hire, how can we as rational crea-
tures expect a pure Gospel ministry ? One mode o(
166
payment may certainly be less offensive than another,
but the character of the principle is not changed by the
means that are taken to carry it into effect. I main-
tain that the principle of pecuniary remuneration for
those things which appertain exclusively to man's
salvation, is an utter absurdity in itself, and at utter
variance with the doctrines and practice of Christ,
his Disciples, and Apostles. There is no counte-
nance given, expressed, or implied, in that book,
which is the Reviewers' " ultimate appeal" for the
"propriety of every practice," for this practice of
paying the ministers of the Christian religion.
So far, therefore, as the principle of payment is
concerned, there is no difference between the Esta-
blished Church, and the great body of Dissenters ;
both maintain their RIGHT to the payment, but one
says that the right should be enforced by legal
means, in cases where it is withheld ; and the other,
that no legal means ought to be employed for this
purpose.
Now, it appears to me a point well worth serious
consideration, whether the term " voluntary," as ap-
plied to the payment of " Sectarian" ministers, is
not a most mischievous illusion, and calculated to
uphold priestly power, and pecuniary corruption
amongst professing Christians, longer than it would
otherwise last. If this payment is contended for as
a right, why should men be prevented from adopt-
ing legal means to secure this right more than any
other? Nothing, that I can see, but want of power.
They may talk about the excellency of " voluntary"
payment, as long as they like, but whether a man,
by artifice, by persuasion, by false representation,
by inducing me to believe, that he has a " dispensa-
tion of the Gospel committed to him, and that it be-
comes my duty to pay him, for the good things he is
able to communicate by virtue of his high and holy
callings" whether, I say, by such means, fifty
pounds are obtained from my credulity, or whether
with my eyes open to the flagrant dishonesty of the
act, the same sum be forcibly extorted from my pock-
et, the actual loss in both cases is the same ; and he
167
who resorts to the first process to obtain it, but dare
not and cannot resort to the last, may be more hypo-
critical, but not less dishonest, than he who does it
boldly and openly in the face of all the world. They
both seek for money, and both use the means within
their power the, same end is obtained by both one
obtains it by force, and the other by stratagem.
They have a right to be paid, or they have not. If
they have not, why should they be paid ? If no mo-
ral or legal right can be established, why introduce
what the Apostle calls the " root of all evil," as a re-
muneration, for the labours of professed ministers of
Christ? If, however, they have a moral right to be
paid, then a corresponding duty must exist to pay.
And where the moral right is admitted, and the legal
right obtained, there remains but one short step from
its recognition, to its enforcement, whenever it meets
with opposition ; therefore do not, my fellow pro-
fessing Christian brethren, be deluded by a " flatter-
ing title ;" think not that a "voluntary" payment,
as it is called, changes the nature of a hireling minis-
try, but rather lament that so specious a disguise
should conceal its hideous features, and cause for a
while its dark and anti-christian spirit to appear
comparatively as " an angel of light." It may sound
all very well " voluntary system," but what security
can be obtained, what confidence can rational and
reflective men possess, how long it would continue
voluntary, when once the power was obtained to
make it compulsory ?
"What guarantee from the practice of this sort of
men can be produced, to satisfy us that they would
not exert those means the law placed within their
power to enforce their disputed rights? Do they
not at present exercise a spiritual dominion over their
flocks, and mark themselves out as a distinct and
holier class? Do they not distinguish themselves by
the term, reverend gciitlc7nen, and even reverend doc-
tors ? and yet, do they pretend that the Bible is their
" ultimate appeal for the propriety of every practice."
In what part of the Bible do we find this practice of
calling even the real ministers of the Gospel, doctors
168
And reverend gentlemen ? Who ever heard of Dot-
tor Simon Peter, with his "fisher's coat?" This
would sound perhaps less " Evangelical," than would
the reverend Mister Judas Iscariot, who " carried the
bag." Is it not then extraordinary, that men who
appropriate these titles of exclusive. sanctity and spi-
ritual superiority to themselves, should, through the
accredited organs and supporters of their views,
charge the equal, plain, and simple principles recog-
nized by the Society of Friends, with a tendency to
engender " a spirit ofpharisaical self estimation, that
is far from being in harmonywith the lowly minded-
ness of the Gospel." There is no wonder that the
different Sectarian writers take advantage of this la-
mentable defalcation from the primary ground of the
Society's testimonies, in one of its acknowledged mi-
nisters, to aim a united blow at those testimonies, under
the false and malicious charge, " that there is scarcely
a doctrine of revelation, which their fundamental
principles do not discard or explain away." The
Baptist Magazine writer, declares this to be the result
of E. Hicks' " ultra mystic theology," and then states
that they " can easily prove that the tenets of Elias
Hicks are clearly deduced from the fundamental
principles of Quakerism." What, I ask, but the
most virulent spirit of Sectarianism, the most wanton
disregard of truth from men, who write and preach
for as much money as people are unwise enough to
give them, could such a gross and scandalous injus-
tice be perpetrated upon the "fundamental princi-
ples" of the Society of Friends?* But no wonder, I
* [It is to be regretted that the author should express so much
concern on account of the Reviewers asserting that they " can
easily prove that the tenets of Elias Hicks are clearly deduced
from the fundamental principles of Quakerism," when he has told
us, page 18, that he "knows of his opinions only by report; and
the Extracts from periodical works." We have no hesitation in
affirming that Elias Hicks held the same opinions as our primitive
Friends, and we think this must be evident to every intelligent
person who is acquainted with their principles and those of Elias
Hicks, when the latter shall be freed from the false colouring with
which a distorted and fiery zeal has enshrouded them.
If Elias Hicks were now living, he would, doubtless, consider
169
say, that such malice is displayed and such injustice
perpetrated by men, whose "fundamental principles"
are no money no gospel no " outward means,"
no salvation. -No wonder that such join in an unholy
league, offensive and defensive, against that gracious
proclamation, " Ho every one that thirsteth, conrve ye
to the waters ; come, buy wine and milk, without
money, and without price ! Wherefore spend ye
your money for that which is not bread, and your
labour for that which satisfieth not?" The fact is,
the principle of the Gospel ministry, cuts the money
foundation away from under the feet of the hireling,
and acknowledges neither the " voluntary" nor the
compulsory system ; it admits not " the root of all
vil" iti the soil it remains pure and uncon-tanrinated
from its poisonous nature " freely ye have received,
freely give," is the behest it follows it is " the love
of Christ which constrainelh the hope of his salva-
tion on "every soul that doeth well," that animates it
pure holy disinterested given of God for his
glory and honour to " call men out of darkness into
his marvellous light," and not as a source of pecuni-
ary profit and advantage to a select and favoured few
How can these men be so wicked and perverse, as
to say that " the avowed and acknowledged princi-
ples of Quakerism," (as they term it) are in "opposi-
tion to the Word of the truth of the Gospel," and en-
deavour to promote the belief, that Friends' princi-
ples have a direct tendency to lead into " the gulf of
Hicksism and Deism." How false! how uncharita-
ble ! how unchristian ! how like the charges of a
hireling ministry, and their abettors ! From what
they tell us of " Hicksism," it appears that the light
of fancy, and the wanderings of the imagination, are
substituted for " the Light of Christ."* And though
the Author of " Truth Vindicated?' an able coadjutor in the cause
in which he himself was a zealous and devoted laborer.
I. T. H.]
* [If we were to judge of Elias Hicks and his opinions, " from
what they tell us of ' Hickaism,' " then indeed we may with pro-
priety, connect them, not only with Deism, but with almost every
phantom that the wildest imagination has pictured. But those
15
170
Deism is not one uniform thing, still it is generally
understood, as excluding wholly and without reserve,
all revelation of God to man, any other than that ex-
ternal exhibition presented in the works of Creation,
or through the regular and uniform medium of our
bodily senses. Now, the grand principle upon which
religion throughout all ages has been based, is that
of immediate revelation. It is this principle upon
which the Society grounds the whole of its practice
the whole of its doctrines the whole of its inter-
nal discipline and it is against this principle that
the Reviewers rave ; and how, but by immediate re-
velation, can the soul hold communion with God.
And how can it know His will concerning it so clear-
ly, so convincingly, so affectingly, as at those favour-
best acquainted with him during a long life, can testify that he
was a practical and sincere Christian warm in his love to God
and man a friend to the oppressed a peace-maker, patient un-
der contradiction and suffering, a bright example of humility and
of every Christian virtue, not elated in prosperity nor depressed in
adversity. Can it be supposed that such a man had " substituted
the light of fancy and the wanderings of the imagination for 'the
light of Christ 1'"
It is strange what 'inconsistencies people sometimes fall into.
The Reviewers have evinced more malice than sound judgment,
in connecting " Hicksism," as they term it, with Deism they are
as opposite a!s fight and darkness. The former is charged with
believing in revelation to an extreme the latter denies it alto-
gether.
In reproving some of his brethren, who, in conjunction with
the " Evangelical Friends" from England, had attempted impor-
tant innovations upon the doctrines and testimonies of the Society,
E. H. occasionally used strong language, and which was not al-
ways sufficiently guarded and explicit ; to leave no room for cavel-
ling ; and when taken unconnected with the occasion that called
it forth, might seem to border on the opposite extreme. This
afforded an opportunity, and it was eagerly embraced by his op-
posers, to misrepresent his meaning. They also often made gar-
bled and unfair quotations from his discourses and writings ; and
in this way they succeeded, for a while, in producing an impres-
sion that he entertained opinions directly opposite to his real sen-
timents. This disingenuous procedure is not new ; it was as suc-
cessfully practiced by the opposers of George Fox, and many
others of our early Friends ; and in the present case, as formerly,
much time and labor will be required to remove these erroneous
impressions. I. T. H.]
171
ed intervals of abstraction from all sublunary objects,
when its only life, its only enjoyment, its only mo-
tion is from the sensible and glorious presence of
the Lord of life and glory? They talk about the
advancement of Evangelical views, and spiritual re-
ligion, and yet deny strange { 'marvellous ! speak
in scornful and contemptuous terms of the influence
of the Holy Spirit upon the heart unless, mind
accompanied with the Bible then His power is ac-
knowledged: but take the Bible away, and the Holy
Spirit departs also; for it- is an "important axiom,"
say they, "that since the canon of revelation was
completed, and miraculous gifts ceased, the Holy
Spirit invariably operates upon the human mind and
heart, by means of revealed truth," that is the Bible.
One would almost suppose that men could not be
serious, but were unwisely indulging in jocularity upon
the gravest subjects, to warn others of " impres-
sions," " suggestions," " setting up of lights,"
" presumption," and " speculation," who have the
assurance to put their hands to paper, and put forth
to the world, that the Almighty and Omniscient
Spirit of God, has only one means, viz , the records
of His former revelations, to mvike himself known to
his creature man, and that He invariably operates by
these means only, because some learned men have
been so wise, so kind, and so condescending, as to
make what they formidably call an "' important
axiom," that " the canon of revelation is completed,
and miraculous gifts ceased." Alas ! poor deluded
and priest-benighted people, to be thus drawn away
from " the way, the truth, and the life," to be thus
wiled away from the " manifestation of the Spirit,
which is given to every man to profit withal," to be
thus yielding up your own freedom of judgment
your own mental crowns, before conclaves, and sy-
nods, and assemblies, and congregations, instead of
casting them all " at the feet of Jesus" to place your
dependence upon the saysoes of mortal and .erring
men like yourselves, and wind them up into " im-
portant axioms," in matters relating to God and your
172
own souls, instead of " looking to Jesus, who is the
author and finisher of our faith," if our faith be right,
Alas ! alas ! can these " important axioms" re-
move from the mind of the guilty sinner the con-
scious presence of an offended Deity, and close the
ears of his soul to the audible and terror striking call
of " Adam, where art thou ?" Or can they deprive
the soul of that immediate revelation of Jesus Christ,
in which is experienced "the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of pea.ce ?" These writers know that Deists
not only deny immediate revelation, not only deny
that the Holy Spirit influences the hearts of any in
the present day, but they contend that He never has.
They deny the Divinity of our Saviour, speak and
write reproachfully of " holy men of old," revile the"
most inscrutable mysteries of our religion, and scorn-
fully and contemptuously treat of the most amazing
miracles of Almighty power. But the principles upon
which the Society of Friends were originally based,
exalts the name of Jesus above every name under
Heaven, and point to him as the eternal substance of
all faith, hope, and salvation. They bid us acknow-
ledge the unutterable power, wisdom, and goodness
of Almighty God in ages past away, as recorded by
the pens of Prophets, Evangelists, and Apostles ; and
they lead us to take a broad, comprehensive and
Scriptural view of the universal love of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord that "a manifestation of his Spirit is
given to every man to profit withal," and that He,.
and He alone, " is the true Light* that enlighteneth
every man that cometh into the world," that he-
hath showed unto man- what is good, and what he the
Lord their God requireth of them, so that " in every,
clime, he that feareth God and. doeth righteousness,
is accepted of him ;" but that if he " doeth not well,,
sin lieth at the door" that " Jesus was given for the
propitiation of our sins, and not for ours only, but
f.or the sins of the whole world." How then can the
Baptist Magazine writer, give himself up so far to the
instigations of a false and evil spirit, as to say that
tthere is scarcely a doctrine of revelation which these
173
principles do not discard or explain away. "Why it
is the very principle of revelation, past, present, and
to come, that the Society asserts. The Magazine
writers will have no revelation, but that which is
contained in the records of the past. The Friends,
who not only acknowledge the same, not only pay all
just and due veneration to the past, as coming from
the inexhaustible source of all power and goodness,
but are also well assured, that the same Holy and
Almighty Spirit still does and will continue io mani-
fest himself in the hearts of the children of men, are
nevertheless, charged with Deism, or a total disbe-
lief in the doctrines of revelation, by those, who ac-
cording to their own confession, are but partial and,
conditional believers themselves. These writers be-
lieve that the Almighty has revealed himself to man.
So do the Society of Friends. So far then as to
the fact of revelation, there is no difference between
them. If the principles of Friends went no farther,
they would be all right enough quite Orthodox
Presbyterian Baptistical Wesleyanical Evangel-
ical, so called, and the like ; but the principles of
Friends go farther they tell us that the " Word of
Faith," which was preached of old, "is nigh thee,
even in thy mouth, and in thy heart;" and they tell
us that the law of God is a spiritual law, and that it
?'.? written, and will continue to be written upon
"fleshy tables of the heart,"* as- well as it " was
written also upon tables of stone," and is still re-
corded on paper with printers' ink. They tell us in
* Judge Meadowbank, in a very recent case, in which he was
passing the sentence of the law upon a man, who exhibited, an
awful state of guilty hardihood, in the impious expression with
which he interrupted the firm minded Judge, in the performance
of his painful task, is reported to have made use of these remark-
able expressions. " Sir, the Almighty has said in a voice of
thunder, thou shalt do no murder. He has written it upon the
heart of every human being, and the most hardened wretch, that
ever lived upon the face of the earth, knew when he was embru-
ing his hands in blood, that he was sinning against the laws of Gcd
and man." Such at leait, if not word for word, is the substance
of the Judge's declaration, as reported. I quote from memory.
15*
174
the words of old, that the " words of Christ, are Spirit
and are Life," and that "710 man knoweth the Fa-
ther save the Son, and He to whom the Son will re-
veal Him ;" they tell us that it is only by living and
walking by this rule, the revelation of Christ or God's
Holy Spirit in the heart, that we can be transformed
from the enticing, fluctuating, and perishable things
f our earthly nature, to enjoy the permanent, pure,
and holy things of our heavenly nature, in the com-
munion of our souls with God the Father of Spirits,
*' that he would grant us, according to the riches of
his glory, to be strengthened with might, by his
Spirit in the inner man* That Christ might dwell in
our hearts by faith ; that being rooted and grounded
in love, we may be able to comprehend with all
Saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth,
and height ; and to know the love of Christ, which
passeth knowledge, that we might be filled with all
the fulness of God." " For it pleased the Father,
that in Him should all fulness dwell." Col. chap.
1, ver. 19. This then is what the principles of
Friends lead to they enjoin obedience to the present
revelation, and faith in the future revelation, as well
as in the past revelation of God's will, of his " holy
law, and of the Gospel of life and salvation through
Jesus Christ."
And yet because these principles carry as beyond
the point at which the principles of the Magazine
writers finally rest, we are told they do not go so far.
Why we are on the same line of road, if I may so
speak, but because we do not feel ourselves at liberty
to halt at the first stage ; because conditionally speak-
ing, " we leave the things that are behind, and press
forward to those that are before ;" we are ungener-
ously, uncharitably, yes, I fear, maliciously ranked
in principle with those who refuse to set a single foot
upon the road at all in other words, we whose prin-
ciples inculcate a humble faith in immediate revela-
tion, are charged by the believers in mediate revela-
tion with holding the same principles as those who
deny all revelation both mediate and mmediate.
Such is the state of dismal confusion, irrationality,.
175
and contradictions, into which sectarian and party
feelings will lead their unhappy victims. He who
believes that the Almighty has revealed himself,
whose faith in revelation has reference only to the
past, takes a modern Evangelical view of the nature
of the connexion between man and the Deity : but
he who believing this, believes also that " that which
may be known of God is manifest in them, for God
hath showed it unto them*" who believes that
" the Spirit of Truth will teach us all things," and that
" He will be with his disciples unto the end of the
world ;" he who to his belief in the past revelation
of the Almighty, adds his fervent and humble belief
in his continued revelation is represented as an unbe-
liever in revelation altogether. Monstrous perver-
sion of truth ! See what preposterous assertions such
misguided men are led on to "make, with all the dog-
matism with which tbey thrust upon us their" impor-
tant axioms." The Baptist writer says, " But the
veneration of men for the authority of Scripture de-
creases in exact proportion to their zeal for immedi-
ate revelation." Does it indeed ? And is this an
"important axiom too? Because if this be true,
then all Deists and Atheists would have the greatest
"veneration for the authority of Scripture; for not
only have they no zeal for immediate revelation, but
they disbelieve and deny revelation in toto. The
veneration of Scripture authority is, by this writer,
tested by the faith in immediate revelation. If his
faith be perfect if he fully believe in the doctrine of
immediate revelation, " he is entitled to disregard the
authority of Scripture ;" mind- this is the rule of
" exact proportion," by which his veneration for the
authority of Scripture," is to be ascertained. The
man, therefore, according to the " important axiom"
of this writer, who believes in the past, present, and
continued revelation of the Almighty, has no venera
tion for the authority of Scripture. He who be-
lieves in the immediate revelation to the " holy men
of old" before Christ, and to the Apostles and Disci-
ples after Christ, has some " veneration for the au-
thority of Scripture."
The Jews, who believe in the immediate revelation*
" to holy men of old" before Christ, but not to the
Disciples and Apostles after Christ, have more " ve-
neration for the authority of Scripture." Deists and
Atheists, who neither believe in immediate revelation,
before or after Christ, have the most " veneration for
the authority of Scripture." This is the result of
this "important axiom" of the Magazine wiiter,
" that the veneration of men for the authority of
Scripture decreases in exact proportion to their zeal
for immediate revelation." Now, do let me entreat
these writers, to endeavour to free themselves, if pos-
sible, from the trammels of educational bias, and the
sway of pecuniary interest, which, more or less,
holds in a state of abject subserviency, all those who
preach and write for pay ; let me entreat them to bear
this cross if they can, against perhaps the combined
forces of prejudice and self-interest, and then give
me their sincere and conscientious opinion, whether
it be reasonable, that he who is a sincere believer in
the never ceasing operation of God's Holy Spirit in
the hearts of his creatures, is likely to hold in less
esteem the records of the influences and revelations
of that Holy Spirit in times gone by, than he who
contemns and spurns the belief in toto, and denies
that there "is a Spirit in man, and that the inspira-
tion of the Almighty giveth them understanding ?"
This writer interrogates, " Is it unusual in that
(the Friends') Society, to speak of the Scriptures in
terms of disparagement, compared with the teaching
of the Spirit and immediate revelation?" I reply
that the principles of the Society, not only discoun-
tenance any disparaging terms, as applied to the
Scripture, but teach us to hold them in that respect
and veneration which is due to all that proceeds from
the same Almighty and everlasting source of good-
ness it is false and malicious in the extreme, it is
evident that it is, from the knowledge that the writer
displays, and the unworthy ingenuity he employs in
exhibiting the principles of the Society, through the
false medium and artful disguises of a false and des-
picable logic ; it is false, I say, and malicious in the
177
extreme, to state such to be the practice educible
from the principles of the Society.*
But I am persuaded that sensible, and intelligent
rational, and conscientious men, will not allow their
minds to be possessed of such false notions respect-
ing the real principles of Friends, from the distorted,
the shockingly distorted and mutilated features, which
these theological and self-constituted Evangelical
limners, have chosen wherewithal to display as a
true and faithful " portraiture of Quakerism. "f The
principles of the Society of Friends lead us to believe
that " all Scripture j is given," and ever was given,
and ever will be given " by inspiration of God," and
is profitable for the purposes to which the Apostle
has declared it to be. The principles of the Society
teach us to look upon the Holy Scriptures, as one of
the good and precious gifts of Divine goodness a
good and, to its end, " a perfect gift, which hath
come down from above, from the Father of lights."
The principles of the Society engender this belief
with regard to the nature and authority of Holy
Scriptures ; how can they lead us to speak in terms
of disparagement of them ? How far removed from
truth and Christian charity, how repugnant to com-
mon sense, and how utterly at variance with common
honesty of intention, and propriety of language, to
attempt assimulation of these principles with those
of Deism, and to openly assert that we disparage
this gift of the Almighty because we value the " in-
estimable gift of his grace and Holy Spirit, through
Christ Jesus, our Lord, more highly. If a right
esteem be set upon a gift of lesser value, can I be said
to disparage it, by esteeming more highly, a gift of
* See Note, p 17.
t A work written by Clarkson, an intelligent minister of the
Church of England, entitled " A Portraiture of Quakerism," which
ought to make the class of these Evangelical aspirants for the
" blushing honours" of the Universities, tingle for shame at the
recklessness of their Sectarian and exclusive bigotry.
t Of course the sense is limited in this expression to all Holy
Scripture because Scripture in its simple and literal meaning is
significant of bare writing only.
greater value ; or do I not rather show myself to be
insensible to their comparative value by esteeming
both alike, or by giving to the lesser gift the prece-
dence in my affections ? Must I of necessity speak
in disparagement of the various physical, intel-
lectual, and spiritual gifts, that a beneficent Creator,
amidst all the stormy and adverse circumstances of
life, coupled with my sins and unfaithfulness, has
been pleased to bestow upon me, because I prize and
am thankful above them all, for the gift of eternal
life, which he hath promised " to all those who love
the appearing of our. Lord Jesus Christ?"
As an instance of the "terms of disparagement"
in which the Scriptures are spoken of, this writer
says, that " Barclay affirms, that the Scriptures
being outwardly written, are the law which brings
condemnation and kills; but that the gospel is the
inward spiritual law which gives life." My limits
prevent, at this time, my saying much upon this
point, but can this quotation from Barclay be fairly
and truly said to be in any way disparaging to the
Scriptures? How much difference is there pray
between what Barclay says, and what Paul says ?
Paul says " the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth
life;" and, "because the law worketh wrath: far
where no law is, there is no transgression." " More-
over the law entered that sin might abound." " There
is now, therefore, no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but
after the Spirit : for the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin
and death; for what the law could riot do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, con-
demned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit"
Now, what is the sum and substance of these quo-
tations from the Apostle, with many more passages
that can be adduced from the same inspired writer,
but a statement of the same principles as those con-
tained in the quotation from Barclay. "Will the Ue-
179
viewer deny that the Scriptures are " outwardly
written ?" Will he not make a distinction between
the writing and the thing written of between the
mere external text, and that which the text treats
about? Will he not, even though to the contradic-
tion of himself at other times, join his brother Re-
viewer and Isaac Crewdson, and say in eft'ect, if not
in words, that the Scripture is but a " dead letter,"
vithout " the power of the Holy Spirit ?" And does
not he know that that power can even give " dry
bones" life, and even " of the stones, raise up chil-
dren unto Abraham ?" And does not this law bring
wrath and condemnation ? but does not salvation
come through Jesus Christ ? Does not even the law
of human society in some cases bring death to the
transgressor ? and when the law thus brings condem-
nation is it not the royal prerogative of mercy alone
that can set free from it? Is not this the power of
human law, viz. condemnation, be it little or be it
much? And is not such the power of the law of
which the Apostle speaks ? Doth he not say that it
" worketh wrath ? Doth he not say the law which
brings no condemnation, as contra-distinguished
against that which does, is the law of the Spiiit of
life in Christ Jesus ? Docs he not say that the law
which brings condemnation could not set him free ?
Doth he not give us to .understand that the law which
brings condemnation requires a righteousness, or
an obedience., which it has not the power to enforce ?
Doth he not plainly draw a distinction between the
dead letter of the law itself, the righteousness it re-
quires, and the power of the \a\v-giver ? Doth he
not clearly draw this distinction, when he saith,
" for what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the fiesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit ? .
So much for speaking in terms of disparagement
of the Scripture. I must, however, just venture an-
other observation or two. Pray what is law in re-
180
ference to human power and society, both civilized
and barbarous ? Is it not a regulation or rule, or
the regulations and rules, proceeding from the con-
densed will of society, in reference to mutual action?
It is either statute or common law, or both that is, ei-
ther written or traditional and understood, or both. It
is the consent of this condensed will of society, brought
into practical operation, which de-jure and de-facto is
the law.
Now let me ask whether the law is not a distinct
and separate thing from the book or characters which
only inform us what the law is 1 Has the law, or the
book which tells us what it is, the power of enforc-
ing obedience to its commands, or setting us free
from the condemnation which it brings? Is it not
the law which brings disobedience, for is it not clear
that where there is no law to obey, there can be none
to disobey ? If the law, therefore, by virtue of its
own power, is incapable of producing obedience, if
it requires the active operation of the executive to that
end, what in fact is the law itself bui " a dead letter?"
Now is it speaking in terms of disparagement of
this law, does it amount to saying that no law has
ever been given does it "discard or explain away"
every law that has been given, because I deny to the
law itself, or the book which contains it, the power
to enforce its own enactments ? Does not, I ask,
this power reside there from whence the law proceed-
ed? Do I deride the law, or derogate from its au-
thority and the obedience which it enjoins in speak-
ing the truth respecting it? In saying the mere
parchment, or paper, or writing, or book, is not the
law, and that the law itself is a dead letter, which
can neither give the will to obey, nor the obedience
to fulfil? Are they who thus say what the law is,
to be charged from this circumstance alone, as viola-
tors, despisers, and revilers of the law? Oh! no,
you surely would not say so. And is not all that I
have here said in reference Ao human law, applicable,
humanly speaking, according to the doctrine of the
Apostle, to that " law, which worketh wrath?" Doth
he not say that " what the law could not do, the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus could ?"
181
From this disparaging sentence of Barclay, they
proceed to another, which they designate " a grand
axiom, which is in the mouth of all orthodox Friends;"
of which they proceed to make very short work, al-
though they admit a possibility of there being some
vanity in the thought, that their remark thereupon is
44 worthy the attention of Friends," because, if they
*' are correct," they say, " the main pillar of Quaker-
ism is overthrown, and the edifice must, as in that
case it would deserve to, fall." However, if mista-
ken in their view of the subject, they express that
they " should be happy in being put right." Well,
if they are really disposed to be made happy, I will
endeavour, so far as this will do it, to make them so.
The axiom, then, which they say, " would seem all
very plain ; but it is very fallacious,'" is this " The
author is greater than his work ; the Spirit which
gave the Scriptures, is greater than the Scriptures
which he gave : therefore the Spirit, and not the
Scriptures, is the first and chief foundation of truth,
ground of faith, and rule of conduct." Now, you
say " this would seem all tery plain." And why, I
ask, is it not as plain as it would seem to be ? Be-
cause, you say, " it is very fallacious." And Itow do
you prove it to be " very fallacious ?" By show-
ing that the author is not greater than his work?
By showing that " the Spirit which gave the Scrip-
tures," is not " greater than the Scriptures which
he gave ?" And that therefore the Scriptures, the
gift of the Spirit, being greater than the Spirit
from whom they came, are the first and chief
foundation of truth, ground of faith, and rule of con-
duct ? No you have not had the rashness to assert
It, nor the madness to attempt to prove it. Yet this
must be done before that " grand axiom," as your-
selves are pleased to call it, can with any show of
reason, truth, and justice, be said to " very fallacious."
The author must be either inferior, or equal to, or
greater than his work. The Spirit must be either
inferior, or equal to, or greater than the Scriptures.
If the Spirit be, therefore, neither the inferior, nor
the equal of the Scriptures, He must be the superior ;
consequently, it is not " very fallacious," but very
16
182
true, to say that He is superior ; which renders that
" grand axiom," as they are pleased to term it, not
in " fancy" and " notion," but in very truth and fact,
" as stable as the pillars of creation, and as clear as
the light of Heaven." Well, these very expert and
skilful logicians, after considerately sparing them-
selves and their readers the trouble of proving this
" grand axiom" fallacious, by cutting the matter short,
in saying- that it is so, assert that Friends, when
" pleading for immediate revelation, as the surest
foundation of all Christian faith, and the principal
rule of Christian conduct, are not placing the author
above Ins work, but one work of the author above
another of the works of the same author." Now, if
this be true, if the Friends when asserting the supe-
riority of the Spirit itself, above any thing that has
ever been done, or said, undei his guidance or com-
mand, are not asserting the superiority of the Spirit,
but merely " placing one work of the author above
another work of the same author ;" the fact of the
Spirit's superiority, would nevertheless remain the
same. The grounds of the " grand axiom" remain
still untouched, " the foundation standeth sure."
Their placing one work of the author, above another
work of the same author, the comparative value the
works bear to each other, has nothing to do with the
comparative value they bear to the author. Although
the value of both works may be equal, as to each
other, that is no proof that the author is not superi-
or to both. And I am surprised that any writer ior
a professedly religious publication, should attempt
to hide the simplicity of truth by such an unworthy,
Jesuitical, and subtle web of sophistry. As I have
in a preceding chapter shown that some gifts are
superior to others, I shall take no farther notice upon
this point here, than by just observing, that the ma-
terial as well as spiritual works of the Almighty, are
placed one above another, according to the order
which His own infinite Wisdom has established, and
that " there is one glory of the sun, and another
glory of the moon, and another of the stars, for one
star diffcreth from another star in glory.' 1 ''
These writer ssometimes talk of Friends being mis-
1S3
led by certain terms; no\v the Baptist writer nses a
term, which I think highly conducive to the same
end. He calls the Bible the inspired volume, and
says in substance, " that Friends, (admitting tor ar-
gument sake, what we do not believe to be the fact,)
are placing the private and personal revelations of
the Spirit to them, above the "inspired volume."
Now, they must know that it was the original writers
of the volume that were inspired, and not the volume
itself. They know very well that the original manu-
scripts are now no longer in existence, and that the
volume in its present state, is but the printing of
men, out of translations of copies of original copies,
&c. &c., who do not pretend to any inspiration at
oil in the matter, but who print it and sell it for so
much money. To call therefore the volume inspired,
when.we know that it is but so much ink and paper,
is little short of the idolatry of those, who honour
with high and holy titles the mere graven images of
our Saviour and the Virgin Mary. What they call
the inspired volume, is, after all the high appellations
bestowed upon it, nothing more than a volume con-
taining the records of what has been committed to
writing by "holy men," who have been inspired; and
a cause of great thankfulness it is, to "the Giver of
every good and perfect gift," that so much of these
writings has been preserved.
Even amongst the highly favoured men and wo-
men, therein spoken of, there were different degrees
of light imparted, and things of higher importance
revealed to some, than there were to others ; and we
find one Apostle who, lest by reason of the abundance
of his revelations, he should be exalted above mea-
sure, had the messenger of Satan " a thorn in the
flesh, sent to buffet him." Now, the principles of
Friends lead us to believe that " all the ways of the
Most High are equal," that He is a God of order
and not of confusion, that the Spirits of the Prophets
are subject to the Prophets," that " He is the same
to-day, yesterday, and for ever," that the unchange-
able truth is alone communicated in cill the different
appearances in which it has pleased his inscrutable^
184
Wisdom to reveal himself in the hearts of his
tures, and that therefore He will not contradict in one
revelation, what has been communicated in another.
Although the Bible therefore contained word for
word, without the alteration of a single syllable,
which it does not, the exact words, and those only
which the inspired penmen used themselves, in their
own original manuscripts, yet knowing as we do,
that these records of inspiration have been r and arc
translated and printed, and circulated about,, by those
who do not profess themselves inspired to that end,
who do not in fact profess to approach nearer to in-
spiration, than seventeen or eighteen hundred years
ago; just to the last word of the last chapter of
what is more than all the learned world in full pow-
ers of convocation can tell, the last revelation of
John ; although, I say, the Scriptures answered word
for word to the original manuscripts, as they came
forth fresh from the hands of the inspired penmeft
themselves ; yet considering- the nature of that care ta
which they have been committed, left to the ordinary
means and channels of human power and exertions
to translate, print, and circulate, bought and sold;
for money, which "the true knowledge of God, of
his holy law, and of the Gospel of life and salvation
through Jesus Christ," never was, and never can be;
when, I say, all these things are considered, I cannot
really see how any rational conviction could exist in
the mind of any, who are willing to bear a " reason
ibr the hope that is in other men, that it is a " conse-
quent disparagement of the living oracles of God,""
to prefer as " the first chief foundation of truth,
ground of faith, and rule of conduct,'* the immediate
and direct influence of God"s Holy Spirit upon my
own heart, to the records of that influen.ce and reve^
Intion upon the hearts of others, records too which
have been in the custody and at the disposal of men,
who deny now that very immediate revelation, upon,
which alone the authority of those very records is
said by themselves to be based. Bui, say they, " it
is not the Spirit which you (the Friends) have, but,
qt best,,, a revelation from the Spirit." 1C we
185
not the Spirit, we are none of Christ's. What says
the Apostle Paul '? " If any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his." And " What know
ye not that Christ is in you, unless ye be repro-
bates ?" If, therefore, these men reason from them-
selves to others, how lamentably blind must be their
condition ! May He who is " the light of the World,"
be pleased in the renewed visitations of his love, to
apply " the spittle and the clay" to their benighted
understandings !
I cannot well help bestowing a few more observa-
tions that I had lately intended, upon the article from
the Baptist Magazine, because it is characterised by
a spirit of mis-representation, as wilful, 1 fear, as it
is unjust; and because the specious Jesuitry in which
its malice and falsehood lie concealed, may lead the
simple and unwary astray. In support of a charge of
inconsistency ironically preferred against Dr. Han-
cock, the author of the Defence, they make the fol-
lowing quotation from his works, viz : "I consider,"
says Dr. H. in his Defence " every opinion which
has not their (the Scriptures) support must fall to the
ground ;" but in page 8, he says, " if nothing of di-
vine influence, in the days of Fox and Penn noth-
ing, I say, but the light and knowledge of Scripture,
had operated on the minds of men, then, I believe,
our religious society would never hate had existence ;
for they were taught immediately by Christ, and they
directed all to Christ." After this quotation come
the following sapient remarks of the Baptist Maga-
zine writers : " Every opinion not supported by
Scripture must fall to the ground : then Quakerism
must necessarily sink ; for according to the Doctor's
own showing, that system owes its very existence,
not to the Scriptures, but to something else to im-
mediate revelation."
And is this the " clearness and consistency" of a
Magazine writer ? Expert logician ! dost thou not,
or wilt thou not perceive the difference between a
principal and an ally, between receiving support
from the one and deriving existence from the other?
Doctor Hancock does not say that " every opinion
16 *
IStf
not owing its existence to the Scriptures must fall id
the ground : but that he considers every opinion
which has not their su pport mtist fall to the ground."
Doctor Hancock, I apprehend, considers the exist-
ence of the Society, and the existence of the Scrip-
tures, both originated from the source of divine in-
fluence, and therefore the one to be necessarily sup-
ported by the other; and that the Society are no
more immediately indebted to the Scriptures for their
existence, than the Scriptures are indebted to the
Society for their existence. The Magazine writer
makes collateral assistance, synonymous with the
source of existence and the obligations it creates,
and he represents, or rather Tnis-represents the Doc-
tor as doing the same ; and then r from these artfully
disguised false premises, he deduces a palpably false
conclusion. Again he quotes Doctor Hancock, thus :
' In page 22, he (Dr. H.) says, 'neither the opinion
of Robert Barclay, nor that of any other man, would
weigh with me, if I did not consider that it was
founded on a correct and enlarged view of Scripture
doctrine :' " " very good, but then, in the very next
sentence, he (the Doctor) adds, ' I quote the Apology
of Robert Barclay, concluding, that one who is now
a minister (Mr. Crevvdson, in outward fellowship in
the same Society with myself can hardly be supposed
TO HAVE THROWN OFF THE AUTHORITY OF A WORK
so justly esteemed as it is amongst us, for this would
imply, that his departure from the ground of our tes-
timonies, was greater than I am y.et willing to be-
lieve it to be.' " f Upon which the Reviewer remarks,
" the opinion of Barclay has no weight : yet no man
in the Society of Friends can be supposed to have
thrown off the authority of Barclay'' s Apology!"
This is a gross mis-representation of the quotation
they have made from Doctor Hancock's " Defence."
Dr. Hancock does not say that " the opinion of
Barclay has no weight" but that it would not weigh
with him, " if says he "I did not consider that
it was founded on a correct and enlarged view of
Scripture doctrine." The Reviewers actually quote
the Doctor as writing conditionally, and then argus
187
upon it, as though he had written unconditionally.
If this is not something more than unfair, I should
like to hear from the Magazine writer what can be.
Dr. Hancock does consider the opinion of Robert
Barclay, to have weight, and he considers so, because
that opinion " is founded on a correct and enlarged
view of Scripture doctrine." Is it then inconsisten-
cy, for Dr. Hancock to quote Robert Barclay, in sup-
port of his views, and tender them to the calm and
dispassionate consideration of " one who is now a
minister in outward fellowship," in the same Soci-
ety with himself, upon the supposition that such an
individual could not have " THROWN OFFTHE AUTHO-
RITY" (mind a conditional authority is implied, al-
though not expressed in this place,) " OF A WORK so
justly esteemed as it is amongst us . ? " Which is
greater, let me ask -v/liich more obvious, the incon-
sistency of the Doctor, or the insincerity of the
Baptist Magazine writer ? and let me here inform the
latter in answer to a query of his in a preceding page,
that the authority of Robert Barclay, and Paul, or
any one else, or "even an angel from Heaven," ac-
cording to the principles of the Society, could not
subvert the truth of the everlasting Gospel of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But those princi-
ples do not allow us to join Paul and Jesus as testi-
monies of equal power, as does the Baptist Magazine
writer, since Paul, and all the Apostles and Pro-
phets that ever lived, where but the offspring of Adam,
made of flesh and blood the same as ourselves, and
were but instruments " to testify the Gospel of the
grace of God." Whereas, Jesus is his own witness,
being "the incorruptible Word of God." "born
not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of the will of God." The authority of
Barclay, therefore, does not rest exclusively upon
Paul, or any other good man, or Prophet, or Apos-
tle ; but the authority of Paul and Barclay, and
every other man past, present, or to corne, must rest
upon Christ Jesus, the rock of ages, "for other foun-
dation can no man lay."
I shall now dismiss this wiley and disingenuous
writer by denying that' l a bit! er spirit of intolerance
188
and persecution" has been raised against I. Crewd-
son, by the Society of Friends " the peaceable, the
non-resisting Friends," as the writer sneerinyly ob-
serves. The relative situation of the two parties
the Society and the individual the power of the one
to inflict, and the power of the other to repel per-
secution, forbid it, even did the evil Spirit preside
over their wishes in this respect. Isaac Crewdson is,
I believe, a rich and independent man, according to
the common acceptation of these terms the Society
has no power, even had it the desire to lessen any
of the advantages that these may yield they can de-
prive him of no pecuniary emolument they can ex-
ercise no power over his mind, body, or estate, so as
to prevent the free and legitimate disposition of either.
The utmost that the discipline of the Society could
effect, or according to Christian charity should effect,
in the case of I. C,, or any one else similarly situ-
ated, is to disown the. ministry and fellowship of one,
who, in his character of minister, publicly propounds
doctrines at variance, with the fundamental princi-
ples of the Society; which disownment would and
ought to be accompanied with fervent and heart-felt
expressions of regret for the error into which such
an individual had fallen, and a sincere and afi'ection-
ate desire for his re-inslatement in the doctrine of
truth, and the fellowship of the Gospel, in the " unity
of the Spirit, and the bond of peace." This is all
the Society, I feel convinced, would do in a case of
this nature it is all that its principles call for and
enjoin. No\v, then, can this writer so falsely charge
the Society of Friends, with "a bitter spirit of in-
tolerance and persecution," in this particular in-
stance ? Suppose a person in the capacity of a Bap-
tist parson, was from his pulpit, or in a book, to pro-
mulgate views opposed to the practices of dipping
people, would the writer call it a "bitter spirit of in-
tolerance and persecution," if the Baptist Society
were to disown his views, and take measures to pre-
vent him giving publicity to them in their meeting^
in the capacity of an acknowledged and authorised
minister ? Would this writer then exclaim upon.
189
such steps being taken, "alas for poor human na-
ture ! whatever else may change, this is always the
same the same, whether under a Bishop's mitre, or
a Quaker's broad brim," or a Baptist's dipping tub?
I am now about to finish with the Magazines, for
I have no more room to notice their many false rep-
resentations, which I otherwise should like to do ;
but before I finally quit them, I must deny that either
the principles of the Society, or its consistent mem-
bers, ever sanctioned the extravagancies imputed to
them by one Professor Yaughan, from whose work
a long quotation is made, by the writer in the " Scot-
tish Congregational Magazine," as a " brief outline
of the distinguishing features of the system ;" and
yet, after having made this quotation, the writer says,
"Mr. Vaughan, after alluding to some other cases,
very properly remarks, ' These examples, however,
should not be taken as specimens of QUAKERISM, even
in its earlier stages.' " Then of what are they spe-
cimens, pray? This is the "Scottish Congregation-
al" mode of giving the " distinguishing features of a
system." But, by the way, I will just ask the w r riter
in relation to one of the specimens the female and
the trencher, which the Professor speaks of, did
not the event verify the prediction ? And with refe-
rence to another specimen of the Professor's the
man who removed his cap from his head, tore it into
several parts and cried out to Cromwell " So shall
thy government be torn from thee and thine house"
was it not unto him even as it was spoken .<"'
I have now answered most of the false statements
and mis-representations which it has pleased the e-
viewers, to heap on the Society of Friends ; as well
as endeavoured to place before the public rlew, the
simplicity and scriptural character of that great and
fundamental principle of Christian truth, which forms
the foundation upon which the Society was originally
based, and which will remain, when all human soci-
eties shall have ceased to exist, and when heaven and
earth themselves shall have passed away even the
direct and immediate influence of God's Holy Spirit.
If these Reviewers have thus, without any special
exciting cause, been led on to this unbecoming attack,
I expect nothing but a renewal of the same at their
hands. But this I know, that he who
" From seeming evil still educeth. good,
And better thence again, and better still,
In infinite progression,"
can make even the rage and malice of Satan redound
to liis glory and honour. My mind is easy, in that I
have performed a duty, which has been required of
me ; and though I cannot expect from men, who get
a living by writing and preaching up a certain set of
dogmas, an honest and candid acknowledgement of
that truth, the practical adoption of which would for-
bid them to take another farthing, during the remain-
der of their lives, for their stock in trade of opinions,
" impressions," and "suggestions," under the falla-
cious plea of preaching the Gospel, yet " whether
they will hear, or whether they will forbear," the day
is fast approaching when the people will no longer
" give their money for that which is not bread, and
their labour for that which satisfieth not?"
And now, let me address, under the influence of
the most affectionate feelings of regard, and deep so-
licitude, a few words to you the professed followers
and lovers of those principles, which regulated the
lives, animated the hopes, and soothed the afflictions
of those excellent men, who from the chaotic mass
of priestcraft, infidelity, and fanaticism, in which the
human mind had more or less been enveloped during .
the darkness of centuries, were enabled, through the
everlasting arm of Divine love and power, to shew
again, " the good old way," to draw men's minds from
a dependence upon man "whose breath is in his nos-
trils," and direct them to " the Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last," to " Christ within, the hope of
glory," and " the Light of the world."
Reason, my fellow professing Christians, is no less
upon your side than truth ; for, whilst in the way of
salvation, all power but " the power of God," imme-
diate, or by duly authorised Ambassadors, is exclu-
ded or disowned, and the various faculties of the
mind and senses of the body, are left unfettered by
191
the chains, which superstition and tyranny, hav
forged for their victims, and at perfect liberty to
" use this world as not abusing it, knowing that the
fashion of it soon passethaway ;" whilst these prin-
ciples lead to the conviction, that no grasp of
mind can reach, no powers of intellect can attain
unto the faintest glimmering of knowledge of the
spiritual " kingdom of God, which cometh not by
observation," any more than can the mere powers of
sense, comprehend even the elements of intellectual
life and action whilst these principles hold the
highest " wisdom of this world," as nothing in refe-
rence to the next, whikt they bring the conviction,
that " life and immortality are brought to light by the
Gospel," the " power of God" alone, in the hearts of
all, be they Jew or Gentile, bond or free, saint,
sage or savage ; whilst our principles teach us this,
they also erect an inseparable barrier, between the
holy truth itself, and the disguises and pretensions of
priestcraft and fanaticism, and all those numerous
imitation "lights," "impressions," and "sugges-
tions which most comport, with the particular bent
of mind," of any man, or body of men, whatever
power or authority they may arrogantly assume.
Therefore, if ye " stand fast in the liberty, with
which Christ hath made you free," then shall ye be
free indeed. That such may be your happy experi-
ence, and that all "who name the name of Jesus,
"may depart from iniquity," is no less the fervent de-
sire of my heart, than it is the unshaken conviction of
my mind, that this can only be done by a faithful obe-
dience to that " light within," and " manifestation of
his blessed Spirit, which is given to every man to
profit withal."
That obedience has not kept pace with knowledge,
is too obvious, from the sad falling away from the
waste and desolation, the spiritual declension the
dead formality and the despicable love of riches,
which hath led into "temptation, and a snare;" but,
alas ! too, too many of those, who tacitly or openly
acknowledge the same principles as those good and
excellent men, who, in times of great trouble and
192
distress, were in many instances cheerfully induced,
to give up all, and follow Christ. Whilst, therefore,
I thus contend for the principles of Friends, as for
the simple, genuine, unadorned principles of Christi-
anity, I cannot speak " smooth things," unto all those
who have, or do profess them.
I cannot, like most of the Reviewers, flatter the
people, and revile the principles ; but my testimony
to them is, " repair the breaches, build the waste
places," lest the language go forth against you, as
against a people of old, "Forasmuch as this people
draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips
do honour me, but have removed their heart far
from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the
precepts of men; therefore, behold I will proceed to
do a marvellous work among this people, even a
marvellous work and a wonder ; for the wisdom of
their wise men shall perish, and the understanding
of their prudent men shall be hid."
Consider, my fellow professing Christians, with
reverent thankfulness, the power, the love, and mer-
cy, which through the midst of intense sufferings,
were showered upon the minds of the firm but humble
minded men, to whom was given the contemptuous
nickname of Quakers, and, who in truth, "worked
out their salvation with fear and trembling." What
could have instructed them but Divine Wisdom?
What could have upheld them but Divine Power ?
What could have sustained and consoled them, but
Divine Love and Mercy? " But Jeshurun has wax-
ed fat and kicked ; thou art grown fat, thou art grown
thick, thou art covered with fatness ; then he forsook
God which made him, and lightly esteemed the
Rock of his Salvation."
THE END.
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