George Keith's explications of divers passages contained in his former books as also his free and open retractations of sundry other passages contained in the same, which may at present suffice for a reply to the late, as well as former books of Tho. Elwood, and John Penington, published against me, in respect of the most material things.

George Keith's explications of divers passages contained in his former books as also his free and open retractations of sundry other passages contained in the same, which may at present suffice for a reply to the late, as well as former books of Tho. Elwood, and John Penington, published against me, in respect of the most material things.

Table of contents

Title page

THE PREFACE to the Friendly Reader.

George Keith's Explications, AND Retractations: CONTAINING An Impartial Review of his former Printed books, relating chiefly to matters of Doctrine: Wherein are given divers Explanations, as also Emendations and Corrections of divers Passages in his said books, no wise derogating from, nor invalidating the weight of his former Testimony, but greatly confirming it, with respect to the great Truths of the Christian Faith and Doctrine. SECTION I. Containing divers Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book called, Immediate Revelation not ceased; First Printed in the Year 1668. and Re-printed with an Appendix in the Year 1676.

SECT. II. Containg diverse Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book, called, The Universal free Grace of the Gospel Asserted, Printed 1671.

SECTION III. Containing divers Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book called, The Rector Corrected: Printed at London, 1680. And in my Book called, Truth Defended: Printed at London, 1682.

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[Page] [Page] George Keith's EXPLICATIONS OF Divers Passages Contained IN HIS Former BOOKS, AS ALSO His Free and Open Retractations of sundry other Passages contained in the same.

Which may at present suffice for a Reply to the Late, as well as Former Books of Tho. Elwood, and John Penington, Published against Me, in Respect of the most material Things.

Every day they wrest my words, all their thoughts are against me for evil, they gather themselves together, they hide themselves, &c. shall they escape by iniquity, Psal. 56. 5, 6, 7.

Will you speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him, Job 13. 7.

LONDON: Printed for B. Aylmer, at the Three Pidgeons in Cornhill, and Rich. Baldwin in Warwick-Lane, and are to be Sold by [...] the Golden Ball in White Chappel, 1697.

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THE PREFACE to the Friendly Reader.

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THE chief occasion I have of Writing this short Preface to the following Treatise, is to excuse the delay of Publishing it until now, having declared my purpose of doing such a thing in a Printed Treatise, called, The True Copy of a Paper given into the Yearly Meeting, with a short List of some of the gross and vile Errors of G. Whitehead, &c. which was Published above a Year ago, and to Answer the Objection that some make, why I should expose the Errors of these Men, before I did Correct my own? To both which I thus Answer briefly. To the First I say, Upon an after Review of my Books, I then mentioned in that Treatise, I found divers more Passages that needed an Explanation, and some of them a Correction, above what I had discovered when I published my said purpose, and I thought it was more proper to do both at once, then to Publish one Part before another. But indeed the Whole might have been much sooner Published, had not the great Brags of my late Adversaries, telling what great matters of Contradictions, and other Absurdities, they had found in my Books, justly occasioned a longer delay, that I might see the Sum Total of what they had to charge me with, which at last is come out against me in several late Printed Books of my Adversaries, as of Thomas Elwood, John Penington, and Edward Penington; but having diligently perused them all, I find nothing material in them, justly chargeable, but what I had much more charged my self with, and had Corrected before; beside that, most of the Things I have Corrected and Retracted in my Books, they have so past them over, that they have not put the least Censure on them. And the Contradictions and Absurdities they would fasten on me, are nothing, for the far greatest part, but their own blind Inferences, and perversions of my sound Words, proceeding from their great Ignorance. What are otherwise, are my own Observations, and free Acknowledgments, without any assistance I had from their insignificant and self-contradictory Scriblings. And that they may demonstrate their Itch to Scribble, they have filled a great many Sheets with repeating the same things over, again, and again, with very little addition; and what is so, is almost wholly either a manifest perversion of my Words, or a palpable bewraying their Ignorance and Folly, which I may (if God permit) in divers particulars hereafter discover (it not being proper in this place) above the particular Instances I have given in the following Treatise. And this I hope will suffice to Apologise for this small delay, and will be a reasonable Excuse to impartial Men, and may serve to stop the Mouths of my Adversaries also, who have taken as much time, and perhaps more, to publish Answers to Books that they have said they would Answer.

[Page] To the Second I Answer. First, My free Acknowledgment that there were things in my Books that did need Correcting, and my declaring my purpose with the first convenience to Correct them, might excuse me for my not beginning with my own Books, until I had either brought them to give an equal Acknowledgment of their need of Correcting their Books, or upon their stubborn and pertinacious conceit of their Books being free of all Erros, I might the more justly expose them, not only to be guilty of Errors, but that they hold them pertinaciously. Secondly, As I said before in the Preface to my Printed Narrative, my Errors being compared with theirs, were but as Motes to their Beams, which Motes I had so far pull'd out of my own Eyes, that I had made a general publick Acknowledgment of them in Print, and a particular Acknowledgment of as many of them, as came under my Observation, to divers particular Persons viva voce. Thirdly, The particular occasion given to me by my Adversaries, did justly give me cause to begin with detecting their Errors, for they did Excommunicate me (as they did pretend) for breaking the Peace of the Church, which pretended Breach was my opposition to the vile Errors and Heresies I had proved divers of the Preachers in Pensilvania guilty of. They who Excommunicated me here at London, viz. the Yearly Meeting, where G. W. and W. Penn were the Ring-leaders, instead of blaming these Persons in Pensilvania, or censuring their vile Errors, did justifie these Men, and would take no notice of my effectual Proofs against them, but did most abominably cloak them, and gave out a Bull of Excommunication against me, (which together with my Answer to it I Printed soon after) as if I had been the only Offender, and I did quickly perceive, what the bottom was why they did so justifie these Men, and cloak their Errors, even because they were guilty of the same Errors themselves, and were the Nursing-mothers, out of whose Breasts these in Pensilvania had sucked that poisonous Milk; therefore it was necessary that they should in the first place be discovered, to give warning to the many Thousands that were so greatly deceived by them. I desire the Friendly Reader to excuse my Inserting in this short Treatise, divers perversions and misrepresentations of my Adversaries, cast upon divers Passages in my Books, with my Answers unto them, the nature of the present Case so requiring it to be, without which my Explication of these things had not been so clear, nor my just Defence so intelligible.

And Lastly, I desire them to take notice, As I have not here, or elsewhere Retracted, nor renounced any one Assertion, contained in any of my former Books, that ever was Judged by me an Article of Faith, so they will not find (as I have not found) that my Adversaries have proved any Contradiction in my latter Books, to any Article of Faith Asserted in my former Books.

George Keith's Explications, AND Retractations: CONTAINING An Impartial Review of his former Printed books, relating chiefly to matters of Doctrine: Wherein are given divers Explanations, as also Emendations and Corrections of divers Passages in his said books, no wise derogating from, nor invalidating the weight of his former Testimony, but greatly confirming it, with respect to the great Truths of the Christian Faith and Doctrine. SECTION I. Containing divers Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book called, Immediate Revelation not ceased; First Printed in the Year 1668. and Re-printed with an Appendix in the Year 1676.

George Keith's Explications, AND Retractations: CONTAINING An Impartial Review of his former Printed books, relating chiefly to matters of Doctrine: Wherein are given divers Explanations, as also Emendations and Corrections of divers Passages in his said books, no wise derogating from, nor invalidating the weight of his former Testimony, but greatly confirming it, with respect to the great Truths of the Christian Faith and Doctrine.
SECTION I. Containing divers Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book called, Immediate Revelation not ceased; First Printed in the Year 1668. and Re-printed with an Appendix in the Year 1676.

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I. AS Concerning the Term Immediate Revelation, in the Title Page of that Book, at which some are offended, and which some misconstrue to a wrong sense, never intended by me, as if thereby I did signify such a Revelation, as did give us the Doctrinal knowledge and Faith of Christian Religion, and Principles thereof, without the Holy Scriptures, or other outward means of Instruction; to obviate this offence and mistake I recommend to the Reader what I have said, from pag. 38. to pag. 42. of that Book: Where I distinguish of means Intermitting and Transmitting, and show that it is the Intermitting means that hinder the Revelation to [Page] be Immediate, but not the Transmitting, and the same distinction I use in my Book, called, Divine Immediate Revelation, Printed in the Year 1684. But in other words, as discontinued and continued. Moreover, how far I did own the Holy Scriptures to be a necessary means, to give us the true Knowledge and Faith of Christian Doctrines and Principles. I refer the Reader to my Book, Divine Immediate Revelation, p. [...] Where I say, ‘And if we except these Doctrines and Heads of General Religion common to us, with the Gentiles, which are revealed both to them and us, without Scripture, of all which notwithstanding the Scripture doth abundantly testify, all other Doctrines and Heads of the Christian Religion, (which is a special Religion, more perfect and excellent than the General, and perfecting the said General Religion, in true Christians) are made known to us, by the Scripture-means; the Holy Spirit inwardly inlightning and inspiring us, that we may understand the Doctrines declared in the Scripture, and may savingly apply them with true and sincere Faith to the salvation of our Souls.’ And here Note, that in the words above cited, I did distinguish twelve years ago betwixt Gentile Religion, and Christian Religion, tho some call this a New Doctrine in me so to dislinguish. And seeing the word Immediate Revelation is no Scripture Term, (tho Revelation is) and that it is not well understood by many, I can freely consent, that the word Immediate be not pressed, or imposed on any. But I do constantly assert, (as I have formerly asserted) that the inward sensible Communications and Enjoyments of God and Christ, that the Saints have frequent Experience of, are not only beyond all Demonstration of words, but are oft received without all present use of words, in a deep inward silence of the Soul.

II. That I blame them who say, that the Scriptures are a filled up Canon, and the only Rule of Faith and Obedience in all things, and no more Scriptures (or Writings) to be given forth Pref. Imm. Rev. from the Spirit of the Lord. And pag. 4. That I said, tho no NEW ESSENTIALS ARE to be added, yet a New and fuller and clearer Testimony may be added, concerning the same old essentials. Here Note, the words may be added, as importing the possibility of such a thing. But whether God shall be pleased to add to the Books of the Holy Scripture, other Books of the same Authority, in any time to come before the End of the World, I Judge it is not safe for me to determine, either in the Affirmative or Negative, but that it is possible he may do it, ought not to be questioned of. But that any Mens Writings (beside that of the Prophets and Apostles,) are of equal Authority with the Scriptures, ought not to be granted, and that all Doctrines of Men, however so much Illuminated, ought to be subjected to the Rule, test and touchstone of the Holy Scripture, and tryed [Page] by the same, I do assert, as formerly I have done, still leaving Room to the Spirit, to give particular Guidance to the Souls of the Faithful, with respect to their inward State, and directing them, in Particular Cases and Affairs, as to things in themselves Lawful, and not forbidden, nor Commanded in General by any positive Precept; and that I said no New Essentials are to be added, is sufficient Proof, that I held the Scripture did contain all the Essential Doctrines of Christianity.

III. As to my blaming them, who deny that there is Pres. Imm. Rev. an infallible way, whereby to discern the true Ministers and Members of Christs Church from the false. To this I say, tho such a discerning of Spirits was given at times to the Prophets and Apostles, and others extraordinarily endued, whereby to know Mens inward States, without regard had to their Fruits; yet the general way that Christ has given us, whereby to know Men, is by their Fruits, of words and works, whether Good or Evil. And whatever inward sense, or discerning any may pretend to have of another Mans Spirit being bad, yet we find no warrant from Scripture to receive an Accusation against any, far less a positive Judgment, without plain evidence of matter of Fact against them, by credible Witnesses, 1 Tim. 5. 19. For if such a thing be given way to, in any Society, that Men shall be Judged to be of a wrong Spirit, only by the pretended discerning of Spirits, that some may claim without any real Proof or Evidence of words or works, that are really evil, the most innocent Men may happen to be Condemned, and the most guilty justified. And even to know Men by their Fruits is a gift of the Spirit, and proceedeth from a true Spiritual discerning, that is given Universally in some measure to all the Faithful, tho they have not always such due use of it, but they may be, and are at times mistaken.

IV. ‘This Seed groweth up into a perfect substantial Pag. 12. lin. 2. 2d Edit, Birth, which is Christ formed within, the Body of Christ his Flesh and Blood, which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth Life unto Man which eateth it, and feedeth upon it; and it is called the Body and Flesh, and Blood of Christ, because his Eternal Life and Spirit dwelleth in it immediately.’ Here Note, by this perfect substantial Birth, I did not mean (as I now do not) any substance newly produced, even as in the Generation of natural things, as Plants and Animals, no new substance is produced, but only a vital Union of substantial Principles formerly existing; so by Christ formed within, I understood, (and do still understand) that a measure of the pure Life of Christ cometh to be [Page] United to the Soul, and the Soul to it, after the Soul is duly purified and prepared for such an Union, by which Union that Soul becometh a Member of Christ, even as the Hand is a Member of a Man's Body, by its having the Life of the Body in some measure united to it, and by Virtue of that Union actuating that Member, and making it living and sensible. And whereas I did call that inward substantial Birth, the Flesh and Blood of Christ, I did so call it only by a Metaphor, or Allegory, for with such Metaphors, Allegories and Figurative Speeches, the Scripture aboundeth in treating of the Spiritual and Divine Refreshments, and Enjoyments of the Saints; as when they are called, Bread, Wine, Milk, Honey, Marrow and Fatness; and a Feast of fat things. But this Allegorical and Figurative sense of Christs Flesh and Blood, ought not to divert our minds, not take off our Faith, from Christs Flesh without us, that he gave to be broken for us, nor from his Blood that he gave to be shed for us, without us, for the Remission of our Sins, nor was it ever so intended by me, Now that to believe in Christ, as he gave his Body of Flesh outwardly to be broken for us, and his Blood outwardly to be shed for the Remission of our Sins, is the Eating of his Flesh, and drinking of his Blood, as well as the inward Enjoyment of his Life in us, is clear from John 6. 29, 35, 40, 47, 48. According to which Augustin said, concerning Eating Christs Flesh, and drinking his Blood, Quid paras dentem & ventrem, crede & Manducasti, i. e. VVhy preparest thou Teeth and Belly, believe and thou hast Eat Christs Flesh, and drunk his Blood.

V. Pag. 36. ‘For we do freely acknowledge, that such is our State and Condition, as we are capable to run out, and both think, speak, write, and do things that are not only not infallible, but may be wrong and false. And pag. 37. So that this infallibility, as it relates unto the Seed, Birth, and Spirit of God; is absolute; but as it relates to us, is limited and conditional, and is rather a possibility of not being deceived, than an impossibility of being deceived.’ Here Note, seeing I have plainly acknowledged that not only I, but we, to wit, any of us all may err, why should I, or any of us be ashamed, or unwilling to own and correct any unsound or unjustifiable words, that may have dropt from our Mouths or Pens, by humane weakness, or inadvertency, or why should any be upbraided and reviled, as Apostates and Changelings for so doing? Also Note, that the Calumny of such is sufficiently repelled who have falsely charged me, as holding my self, or others, of the People called Quakers to be infallible, which I never did, tho I Praise God I am no Sceptick in Religion; But do believe that both all sincere Christians and I, have an infallible Faith and [Page] Perswasion, touching the Fundamental and Essential Doctrines of Christianity, yet in other things of an Inferior Nature, I grant, I not only may have erred, but that I have erred, and I desire to bless God that hath given me a Heart, willing both to see and Acknowledge my Errors, and to retract and amend them.

VI. Pag. 54. And tho I cite Scriptures, and make use of them, in arguing this Point, yet I can truly say, I have not my knowledge from them, Here Note, I say from them, as being the efficient cause; but I did not deny, that I had my knowledge by them, Instrumentally, to wit the Doctrinal Knowledge and Faith I had of the Gospel Truths, and Principles of Christianity, for that is abundantly acknowledged in many places of my Book of Immediate Revelation, as I have above mentioned, therefore what I then held, I still hold, that I do own and acknowledge the Doctrinal Knowledge, and Faith of the Principles of Christianity, Principally to the Spirits inward Teachings, and to the Holy Scriptures, and other outward means of Instruction Instrumentally.

VII. Pag. 57. Jesus Christ himself, who spoke to them in the days of his Flesh Face to Face, did his words reveal him, or his Father unto them, &c. Here Note, I show how there is need of Internal Revelation, to give the Knowledge of Christ, as he came in the Flesh; and therefore it appeareth, I did then believe, as well as now I do believe, that the Knowledge of Christ, as he came in the Flesh, was needful to salvation, (even to all Mens salvation who ever shall be saved, either express or implicite) else why should I plead, that it was needful to be revealed by the Spirit.

VIII. Pag. 60. Seeing the Knowledge of Christ after the Flesh, was not sufficient, not to be rested in, but they were to look for a better, &c. Here Note, that (as it will appear from the foregoing and following words in that Book) by the Knowledge of Christ after the Flesh, I did not mean the Knowledge of him, as he came in the Flesh, but that knowledge that the Disciples and Apostles had of him, by their outward sight and hearing of him, or by what they could know of him, by the meer Actings of the mind, without Internal Divine Illumination. But the true saving knowledge of him, is a Spiritual Knowledge of him, as he came in the Flesh, and dyed for us, so as by the Inward Revelation of the Spirit of God, the mystery of his Death, and Sufferings is opened to us, and the end and intent thereof, with the great Blessings and Benefits we receive by him.

[Page] IX. Pag. 63. The Glorious Gospel of Christ is not the words, the best of Scripture words. Here Note, that whereas I say, the Glorious Gospel of Christ is not the Words, even the best of Scripture Words: It appeareth sufficiently from what I have at large discoursed on that Head, in that Book of Immediate Revelation, from pag. 55. to 71. My sense was, that the words of Scripture, are not Principally and chiefly the Gospel, are not the Principal thing, of the Gospel, which I expressly mention, pag. 69. And I call the Light of Christ, shining in the hearts of the Faithful, The Principal thing that giveth the true Knowledge of God, which if Mens minds were come to, and begot into it, their Reading [in the Scriptures] and other Exercises in the leadings of this, would be useful and serviceable in their place. But as the Scripture words, without the inward Life, Spirit, Light and Grace, is not the Gospel, so nor is the Spirit, and Light, barely and abstractly considered, without the Words and Doctrine, the Gospel, In the full and adequate sense of the VVord Gospel, which signifieth glad tydings, and cannot be conceived without some form of Words and Propositions, that consist of words inwardly conceived, and cannot be outwardly Preached, without some form of words outwardly expressed. And certainly when Paul said, Rom. 1. 16. That the Gospel was the Power of God unto salvation, To every one that believeth, he did not think that the Gospel was a form of words without the Power of God inwardly revealed, for he said to the Thessalonians, 1 Thes. 1. 5. For our Gospel came not only unto you in word only, but in Power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, and 1 Cor. 4. 20. For the Kingdom of God is not in VVord, but in Power. And that by the Kingdom of God is sometimes understood in Scripture the Gospel, is clear from Math. 13. Mark 4. Luk. 8. Treating of the parable of the Sower, and is generally acknowledged by Christian Writers. But when Men commonly call the words of Math, Mark, Luke and John the Gospel, while they understand it not strictly and barely, nor primarily, but figuratively, by way of Metonimy, we should not contend with them, as neither in their calling the Scriptures, the word of God, providing they call it not the only word of God, as in opposition to any internal word, and teaching of God in Mens hearts. And certainly it has been not only an unprofitable, but an hurtful and groundless Contention, that many called Quakers have raised, in denying that the Scriptures should be called the word of God, or so much as the written word, Clamouring unjustly, where do ye read in Scripture of a VVritten word? and to call the Scripture words, which are many, the word (say they) is a Lie or Nonsense. But in Answere we read expressly, that a sentence out of one of the Psalms of David, recited by our Saviour, John 15. 25. They hated me without a cause, is called by him, [...]. The written word, nor is it a Lye to call many words the word, as it is not a [Page] Lye to call many Letters the Letter; as the Scripture calleth it, and so high did this Groundless contention arise, betwixt some called Quakers, and other professions; that they made this one of the Causes, why they did separate from them, because they called the Scriptures the word of God, and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Gospel; whereas themselves commonly call the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Acts, with the other following Books and Epistles of the Apostles, the New Testament. For with such Figurative Speeches the Scripture aboundeth, and to charge them to be a Lye, or Nonsense, is to charge a Lye, or Nonsense upon Christ and the Holy Spirit. But in a late Book, Stiled, the Quakers cleared, &c. By B. Coole, given out by approbation of the second days Meeting of them, called Quakers at Grace-Church-street, they say, as they, (viz. the Scriptures) declare the mind of God, with respect to us, and are his Commands to us, they may in that respect be called the word or Command of God, and so the Quakers own and esteem them; And so indeed do all other Professions in Christendom, and not otherwise.

X. Pag. 64. ‘We are not those Prophets.’ Here Note, it is a Typographical Error; which should be Corrected thus, ‘we are not that Prophet.’ And not only in this, but in many or most of my former Books, diverse Typographical Errors are to be found, which yet are obvious enough, to the judicious and unprejudiced Reader to be such, as indeed are to be found in most Books; and it is very unfairly done, by my late Adversaries, to charge me with such Typographical Errors, as if they were mine, as on the other hand, to make that a Typographical Error in some of their own Books, which is plainly obvious to be no such thing.

XI. Pag. 74. ‘Now the Bowels of the Fathers love stirred in Compassion to the work of his hands, that of the pure Creation in Man, which tho shut up in Death, yet it remained, and perished not as to its being, it did not become a nothing, but remained a being, and this is the lost which God sent his Son into the World to seek and to save, not to seek and to save the Old Adam, that Birth of the Serpents begetting, but to destroy it.’ For it is not capable of Gods salvation. Here Note, that I said, that which Christ came to save, is the work of Gods hands, that of the pure Creation in Man, to wit, the Soul of Man, that is, a Created being; and that I called it, That of the pure Creation, I did not mean, that it had not been defiled by Sin, but because of its great worth, in respect of its Original and Primitive State, and its near capacity to be Cleansed and Purified. And this is said, not only agreeable to mystick Writers, that have distinguished betwixt the Soul of Man, and the impurity of the Serpent, or Serpentine Seed, and spawn that became mingled with the [Page] Soul of Man by Transgression, and have called the true Soul of Man the nucleus, i. e. The kernel, but that of the Serpent, or of the Devil in Man, (since the entrance of Sin) the Cortex and Putamen, i. e. the Shell and Husk, and the Impurity of Belial, but also in agreement with the Holy Scripture, that plainly distinguisheth betwixt the Wheat and the Tares, the good and the bad Seed, good and bad Fish, the Silver and the Dross, the Sheep, with other clean Animals; that the Scripture calleth clean, and Dogs, Swine, and other unclean Animals. And as a Sheep, how much soever defiled with dirt, is called a clean Animal, and a Dog or Swine, how much soever washed, is called an unclean Animal, so the distinction holds good in a Mystical and Allegorial sense betwixt the true Soul of Man; that may be said to be pure Comparatively (tho defiled) in respect of the Serpent impurity that cleaves to it, the which when separated from it, the Soul is simply and compleatly pure, and after this manner, the People of Israel, in respect of the Heathen Nations, are called in Scripture the Holy Seed, tho even then they had great defilements, also tho the Nations before Christs passion were called unclean, yet afterwards by virtue of his Passion, they are forbidden to be called common, or unclean, as the Lord said to Peter in the Vision, Acts 11. VVhat Gods hath cleansed (Note cleansed) call not thou common. This was only comparatively. And briefly, all Souls of Men that belong to Gods Election, and shall be saved, are called in Scripture the Good Seed, the VVheat, &c. But these that shall not be saved, are called the bad Seed, the Chaff, Tares, Dross.

XII. Pag. 75. ‘That which Christ came to save, is that of God, which proceeded from him, The Seed of God in Man, the Seed of Abraham, whereof Abrahams old decayed Body, and Sarahs Barren womb was a Type.’ Here Note, that I call the elected Souls of Men, that shall be saved, and belong to Gods Election, the Seed of God, is to be understood only in a secondary sense, according to diverse places of Scripture, as Isaiah 53. 10. and 59. 21. and Rom. 4. 16. and 9. 8. Mal. 2. 15. The Hebrew hath it Seed of God. See the Margin; and that I call it the Seed of Abraham, is only by an Allegorical Allusion, to the Spiritual and Divine Birth in the Faithful, signified by Isaac, the Son of the free Woman, which Allegorical Allusions is grounded on Gal. 4. 24. But this was never intended by me to lessen, or obscure that great Truth of the Gospel, That the Man-Christ is the promised Seed of Abraham, in the true literal sense, and without all Allegory, as he was Born of the Blessed Virgin, In whom all Nations of the Earth are Blessed, And that promised Seed of the VVoman, that should bruise the Head of the Serpent.

[Page] XIII. Pag. 87. Through him, (viz. Christ) not at a distance, but near. Here Note, my sense was, not at a discontinued distance, but both near and far off, both within us, and also without us in the Heavens; as where it is said, Acts 17. 27. That God is not far from every one of us; viz. at a discontinued distance; for otherwise he is both a God a far off, and a God nigh at hand. And pag. 88 While I remained Ignorant of the Appearance of Jesus Christ, to meditate in me; it is a Typographical Error, read to mediate in one. Here Note, That I did not intend, in the least, by asserting the Mediation, or Intercession of the Mediatory Spirit of Christ in the Saints (according to Rom. 8. 26.) to deny, or derogate from Christ's Mediation and Intercession without us in Heaven.

XIV. Page 99 Jesus Christ revealed in Man is the Foundation of the True Church. Here Note, That I did not mean by Christ Jesus, only and alone the Light within; but my sense was, That the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ, as he is both God and Man, and who, as Man, died for our sins, rose again, and ascended into Heaven, and is our High Priest, Mediator and Advocate with the Father in Heaven; is grounded upon him as inwardly revealed by his Spirit and Light in our Hearts, which was my Design chiefly in this Treatise; and how much, and how far I did then own the Man Christ Jesus without us in Heaven, as our Head and Foundation, and Object of our Faith, I recommend to the Reader to read what I have writ in this same book of Immed. Revel. from page 243, to page 247. where note that particular passage, page 245. where I say, The Man Christ Jesus, who suffered in the Flesh at Jerusalem, above sixteen hundred years ago, is the Spring out of which all the streams of Living VVater flow into our souls: And the Sun out of which, and from which all the Light we have shineth into our souls, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth, and through whom God doth communicate unto us every good and perfect Gift. And page 247. I say—All our Prayers, and Breathings, and Crys in the spirit and Life of Jesus in us, do immediately reach unto the Man Jesus, ascended unto Glory, and he is touched with them.—And through the Man Jesus help doth come down unto us from the Father of Lights: And all our Refreshments, Quicknings, Consolations, and Renewings of Life and strength come unto us from God through him, in whom we have favour with God, in whom God is well pleased with us.—And a few Lines after I say, In whom we believe, as we do in God, as he himself hath taught us; Ye believe in God, (said he) believe also in me: In whom believing, we also call upon him, even Jesus, who, as concerning the flesh, was crucified, who is God over all blessed for ever. And lest any should surmise, That by Christ Jesus, in all this large Citation, I did mean the Light within [Page] only, and not the Man Christ Jesus without us, I expresly mention the Man Christ Jesus without us, page 246. who is ascended into the Heavens, with whom we have immediate Fellowship and Union, through the measure of the Life of Jesus, as Man made manifest in us. Which is abundantly sufficient to discover the Impudence of my late Adversaries, who by perverting my words, assert, That I made the Light within the alone Object of Faith; which I never did; altho I grant, That with all True Christians I hold, That as God, who is Light, is every where present; so in a special way of Presence, he is together with his Word and Spirit in the Saints; and as so present is the Object of their Faith, yet so as that Christ Jesus, as he is both God and Man, is also the Object thereof.

XV. Page 123. and Luke 15. 8, 9. He compareth it to a Woman having lost a peice of money, &c. Here Note, This I freely confess is one of these places of Scripture, that I have, through weakness of understanding, misunderstood, and unduely applyed to prove a truth, for whereas I have with others among the People called Quakers, construed the lost Piece of Money mentioned in this place to be the Light within, being too much swayed by their Authority; I am sufficiently convinced by the lost peice of money in this Parable of our Saviour, he did not mean the Light within, but the lost Souls of Men, whom he came to seek and to save, and I plainly now understand that by the lost Sheep, the lost peice of Money, and the lost Son, is understood Men, or the lost Souls of Men, who when they have sincerely repented, and are Converted unto God, are said to be found; therefore that the Repenting Sinner is the lost peice of Money, is clear from our Saviour's Words, v. 10. Likewise I say unto you, there is Joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. But they who expound the lost peice of money to be the Light within, will find difficulty to show what the Nine Pieces are that were not lost. Whereas to understand it of the Souls of Men, there is no difficulty in it; for as of these many created Angelical, rational Spirits, many did not Sin, and so were not lost, so the Souls of Men did Sin, and these are fully signified by the lost piece of Money, yet although by the Light within is not to be understood the lost piece of Money, but the Soul of Man, the Light within is very well proved, from that part of the Parable which saith, that the Woman Lighted her Candle to seek the lost piece of Money; which plainly signifieth, That the way that the Lord useth to find the lost Soul is, by Lighting a Candle in it, and Inwardly enlightning it to see its lost condition, and how it may return to God by sincere Faith and Repentance. And tho it is not the intended sense of this place of Scripture, that [Page] the Light within i [...] the lost peice of Money, but the Soul of Man is that lost peice, ye it may well be allowed to be a Truth, That as God and Christ [...]ad lost the Soul of Man, so that Soul had lost God and Christ, and the loss was mutual, and the finding is also mutual; as soon as God and Christ findeth the lost Soul, that Soul formerly lost, finden God and Christ, and greatly rejoyceth on that Account. I find the same mistake happened to Origen, in his expounding this Parable of the lost piece of Money to signify, The Kingdon of God within, the Image of the Heavenly King, Hom 13. in Genesin. Again, whereas I said, pag. 125. So all his Ministers ever Preached People to this, the lost in them, that it might be found, That they may find a lost God, a lost Christ whom they had lost, and from whom they were seperated by their Sins. Tho. Hicks in one of his Dialogues, had imposed a perverse Gloss upon them, by leaving out the latter part of them, Viz. Whom they had lost, and from whom they were separated by their Sins, as if I had taught for Doctrine, that Christ came to save God and Christ, that they were lost, or as that God or Christ needed Salvation, whereas my following words plainly show my real sense, Viz. That God had not lost himself, nor Christ had not lost Christ, but Men had lost both by their Sins.

XVI. Pag. 126. And therefore, said Paul, 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined not to know any thing among you (in you) save Jesus Christ, and him Crucified, he Preached every where, Christ Crucified that he might be Raised up in them. Here Note, Tho the Greek words, [...] can be Grammatically Translated in you, yet they will not always admit of that Translation, otherwise in many places, the sense would be marred, as 1 Cor. 15. 12. How say some [...], It cannot be with good sense Translated in you, but among you. And as to that place, 1 Cor. 2. 2. and Coloss. 3. 1. Both these places are to be understood of Christ, as he was outwardly Crucified; And but consequentially of his inward appearance, and the true sense of Pauls words is this, that he determined not to show himself wise or skillful among them, in any other Knowledge or Wisdom, but in the Knowledge of the Crucified Jesus, how he is the gift of the Fathers Love to poor Sinners, to save them from Sin and Wrath, and what the great Benefits and Blessings are we have by him, and by his Death and Sufferings, Resurrection, Mediation, and Intercession for us in heaven, which doth include his inward appearance consequentially, so that I freely Acknowledge my [Page] Weakness and Shortness in understanding, in training these and some other places of Scripture, to prove what they did not so directly and properly prove, the which und [...] application of both these places, 1 Cor. 2. 2. and Gal. 3. 1. Both here and whereever they may be found in any other of my Books, particularly, Universal Grace, p. 43. I retract and correct as above-mentioned. Yet I would not have any to think, that I relinquish my Testimony, to Christs Inward appearance, in the Souls of Men, and Gods Inward Revelation and Teaching by his Spirit in Men, for I remain in the same Testimony, as to the main, and I hope so to do, while I live in that, and in all other parts of it, relating to essentials of Christianity and Spiritual experiences, and all openings of Truth at any time given to me, of the Lord, and delivered by me, in this, or any other of my Books, therefore let none Judge amiss of my free and Christian Acknowledgement, in this, or any other mistakes, that upon a further discovery, I am made free to acknowledge, retract and correct.

XVII. Pag. 137. Then they would turn their Backs upon them, and their Colledges would become like the Abbacies at this day. Here Note, The great Rudeness, and Unmannerliness I saw in many of them called Collegians, and other unchristian Behaviour in our Meetings, and in other places, drew this passage from me, yet let none from this conclude, that I either then was, or now am against Schools of good I earning, either of Divine or Natural Things, but it is the Abuse and Irregularity of them, that I then was, and now am against. And I do not think that true Divinity can either be truely taught, or truely learned without God's inward teachings and illumination; and that there are but too few that are so taught, it is but too apparent; Yet that many called University-men, have had, and may now have a good measure of true spiritual Knowledge, I dare not be so uncharitable to deny. And I cannot omit to mention the great benefit I had by reading the truly pious books of several pious English Writers, and also of some of my Native Countrey, before I came among the Quakers; not only John Wickliffe (who was an Oxford Scholar), but Luther, and most of the first Reformers from Popish Darkness, Idolatry and Slavery, were University-men, and the English Martyrs, Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, &c.

XVIII. Page 230. The Historical Knowledge and Faith, viz. of Christ's outward coming in the flesh, birth, life, death, &c. is not an essential part of true Religion, but an integral. Here Note, That by the Historical Knowledge and Faith, I did understand that Knowledge and Faith [Page] that respecteth the History of Christ's Birth, Life, Miracles, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, &c. with all the Circumstances of Times, Places and Names of Persons, as related by the four Evangelists, which elsewhere I have called the express, or explicite Knowledge and Faith, which many of the Faithful never had. But the Doctrine of Christ simply considered, is one thing, and the History, or Historical Revelation of the many Circumstances of times, places, and persons, &c. Relating to that Doctrine, is another thing. The Knowledge and Faith of the first may be had, and was had by many, without the second, and as the first I call express, or explicite, with other Christian Writers, so the other may be called Implicite, and is Implyed in the other, the explicite I hold not to be Universally necessary to Salvation; but to whom an opportunity is given, to have it made known, but the Implicite I hold is Universally necessary to all that shall be Eternally saved. And I know not any thing to be found in all my former Writings, to the contrary, notwithstanding of the attempts of my ignorant Adversaries who affirm it, and whom I have sufficiently Answered in diverse of my Late Books, particularly that called, The Anti-Christs and Sadducees detected. However, upon supposition, that any such thing can be found in my Books, I retract and renounce it; And I had far rather contradict any unsound assertion, ever held by me, than contradict the least truth, warranted by Holy Scripture. Nor is it properly to be guilty of a Contradiction, for a Man to correct his former Errors, but my Adversaries are guilty of foul Contradictions, who both together affirm and deny the same things, as if two Contradictories could be both true at once, which no Sober or sincere Men will allow.

XIX. Page 20. And thus Christ, according to his spiritual birth, in the Saints, is the Seed of the Woman; for that the Saints are the Woman, that bring him forth after the spirit; and are his Mother, as Mary brought him forth after the flesh and after the spirit also. Here Note, That I call Christ with respect to his being formed in the Saints, according to Gal. 4. 19. The seed of the Woman. It is plain from the whole Series of my discourse in that place, both before and after, for some Pages, that I did understand it but Allegorically, and by way of Allusion, and never intended it, that Christ was not the Seed of the Woman, in the true and proper sense of the words, without all Allegory, as he was made of a Woman, and was born of the Virgin called Mary, really and truly, according to the flesh. And his Birth thus after the flesh, as he was born of the Virgin at Bethlem in Judea, I did always believe, as I [Page] do at present so believe was really intended and foretold in these words, Gen. 3. 15. And as Mary was the immediate Mother of Christ, according to the flesh, so Evah, who was the Mother of all Men, was his Mother remotely. But the Allegorical sense of Christ's Birth or Formation in the Saints, is warranted both by Scripture and Antiquity. By Scripture, as Mat 12. 50. Rev. 12. 2. 5. And by Antiquity; for Augustin first, and long after him Erasmus said, If Mary had not born Christ in her heart or soul, he could not have been her Saviour, tho she had born him in her flesh. But this Allegorical Allusion of Christ's Birth in the Saints, I did not ground on Gen. 3. 15. but on Mat. 12. 50. and Rev. 12. 1, 5. And how and in what sense I understand the Birth of Christ in the Saints, I refer to the 4th Paragraph of this Section.

XX. Page 254. And this is as proper a Death, as when a man dieth; for when a man dieth his soul dieth, not in it self, but it dieth unto that Fellowship it had with the body, by reason of the Vital Union betwixt it, and the body being broken. Here Note, I acknowledge this passage is not safely worded; therefore I retract it. For tho I had very safely asserted, That the Life af Christ, viz. The Principle of the Divine Life in men, never dieth in it self, but only as to men, when they commit great and heinous sins, whereby they are said to quench the spirit, and crucifie the Son of God afresh to themselves after they had known a divine quickening, yet the Union betwixt the soul and body of a man being broken, is more properly a Death; the other I take to be understood rather figuratively than proper. For when the Vital Union betwixt Soul and Body is broken, the Soul doth wholly cease to act in that body while it is dead; But Christ ceaseth not oft times to act in a dead soul, but doth oft act in it by sharp Reproof and Conviction for its sin, and also by new and fresh Visitations of his Life and Love, in order to quicken and renew it again. Moreover, the Soul and Body of a Man are so united, that they make up one Person; but so are not Christ and the Soul united, as to be one Person: for that would make every Saint to be Christ, The Union betwixt the Soul and Body of a Man is a Personal Union, whereby every Action of the body is chargable upon the Person, according to that true Maxim Actiones sunt suppositorum; i. e. Actions are of Persons; as what the hand doth, the Man whose hand it is, is justly said to do it, whether Good or Evil. But the Actions of Mens Souls, in whom Christ is, are not chargeable upon Christ, for as Christ is no wise chargeable with the least Sin that the Soul Acteth, so when the Soul repenteth, and believeth, & c. That is not Christ that repenteth, and believeth in that Soul. Christ indeed is the Author and chief efficient cause of true Repentance, and Faith in believers, but he is not the subject [Page] of reception. This excellent Union betwixt Christ and true Believers, is compared in Scripture, to that Union betwixt the Head and the Body, the Vine and the Branches, the Foundation, and the Building; but it is better felt by the Faithful, than it can be defined by the best of words, for it is unspeakable, and yet is incomparably short of that Union that is betwixt the Godhead and Manhood of Christ, which is a Personal Union; So that the Man Christ is God, yet so that the Manhood is not the Godhead: And the Union betwixt Christ and Believers, is by their Faith in him and Love to him, by which Faith and Love, as they are United to his Spirit, and Measure of his Life and Grace in them, so thereby they are United to the Man Christ in Heaven, and to that fullness of Grace that dwells in him, as every Member of the Body, as it is United to the Life in that Member, so it is to the Head, and to the Life that is in the Head; and as all the Members in the Natural Body are United both to the head and to each other, so all the faithful are United to Christ and to one another. The Reader that is willing to know my sense further, as to these weighty matters above-mentioned, relating to Christs Birth or Formation in the Saints, and their Union with him, may read, if they please, my Appendix to the General History of the Quakers, by G. Croese, Printed at London this present Year 1696.

SECT. II. Containg diverse Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book, called, The Universal free Grace of the Gospel Asserted, Printed 1671.

TItle Pag.—Proved by many infallible Arguments, in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit of Truth. Here Note, That I had the Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit of Truth on my side, in diverse of the Arguments I have used in that Book, I still believe, but whereas on a further consideration, and more mature Judgment. I find diverse Passages in that Book, that need correction, therefore I Acknowledge my Weakness and Rashness, in ascribing all the Arguments in that Book, and my whole way [Page] of Arguing on that subject, to the Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit of Truth, and I freely and most willingly retract that clause, both here or any where else, in any of my Books; where I have used it, so far [...] have ascribed any saying, or Passage to the Spirit of [...] that is not according to the Testimony of the Holy [...] the Spirit of Truth leads into all Truth, and into [...] but Truth, therefore whoever ascribes (whether I or any Man else) any untruth or Inpertinency, or undue Application of Scripture to the Spirit of Truth, however unwittingly they so do (as what I did was unwittingly) they do greatly Err, and Sin in so doing. And my sin, and error herein I freely confess, trusting in the Mercy of God, (for Christs sake,) for the pardon of that and all my other Sins.

I. Pag. 4. ‘That God by an Eternal decree hath wholly passed by the most part of Men, and left them in Darkness, without any Light to shine in their Darkness, that can possibly at any time Lead them out of it. Doth not this discourage People?’ Here Note, That it is this which I mainly opposed in my Book, Viz. The decree of absolute reprobation, making salvation impossible to the greatest part of Mankind. And on the other hand, I earnestly plead for the Universality of the Light, Word, Grace and Spirit of God towards, and upon all, In a day of Visitation for making salvation possible unto them, compared with p. 110. And in this Testimony I remain against that absurd Doctrine of absolute Reprobation, rendring salvation impossible either to the greatest part, or indeed to any part of Mankind; and for the possibility of salvation, to all Mankind, So that who shall not be saved are left without excuse. But this possibility of salvation cannot be understood, without it be acknowledged that God has made some Provision of means, whereby Men Universally are put under a possibility of salvation, the means of salvation are both without Men, and within Men, the means without are chiefly Christs coming in the Flesh, and his suffering Death for all Men, and offering up himself a Sacrifice for all, &c. The means within, are the inward Visitations and Illuminations of God by his Spirit, inwardly convincing Men of Sin, and moving them to Repentance, and Conversion unto God and Christ. And tho I have plainly enough in this my Book opposed that absurd Doctrine of absolute Reprobation, yet An Election even of Persons, as well as of the Divine Seed, I have owned, and that God doth visit such elect Persons with his Mercy, that he never leaveth them till he hath gained them to himself, which is a wonderful Discrimination of the free Love of God, [Viz. To them above and beyond others who are not saved.] See [Page] pag. 107, and in p. 108. allowing the common Translation of these words, Acts 13. 48. And as many as were ordained to eternal Life believed. I say, we grant, that as whoever believes are ordained to Eternal Life, so whoever are ordained to Eternal Life, do believe. And pag. 109. I denied, that Faith foreseen, or something in the Creature was the moving Cause of God's Decree of Election: And that I said, Election was not without respect to Faith, my sense is obvious, viz. That Election respects Faith, not as its Cause, but as its Effect, and as the means unto salvation; so that whoever shall be eternally saved, God hath chosen them to eternal salvation. And in the same page 109. ‘I own a more special giving, according to John 6. 37. by Virtue whereof, all that are thus given by the Father unto Christ, shall come unto him, and cannot but come to him.’

II. Pag. 5. The spirit of Life from God is entred into the two slain Witnesses, and yet shall more abuudantly enter. Here Note, this is said only by an Allegorical and Metaphorical Allusion. What my sense of Scripture▪ Allusions is, see a little after § 4.

III. Pag. 6. Forasmuch as they both deny, That the Universal Light that is given unto all, is the Light Evangelical, or a Light for the Faith of the Gospel to rest in; Therefore they (viz. Papists and Arminians, do not hold it forth as the Immediate Object of the Christian Faith. 2dly, They deny the way and manner of its Operation to be by Immediate Revelation. 3dly, They say, This Light comes from Christ, but Christ himself is not in man. Here Note, That divers of my late Adversaries among that Sect of Quakers with whom I have had a great Contest of late, concerning some of the great Fundamentals of Christian Doctrine, have from this passage sought to infer my Agreement with them, so as to hold, That the Light within was sufficient to salvation, without any thing else; and thereby not only excluding all outward helps and means of salvation, but even the Man Christ Jesus, and his Death and Sufferings, and Sacrifice of himself, from being necessarily concerned in our salvation; as because I had said, that this Light is Evangelical that is in every man, and is the Immediate Object of the Christian Faith, and so that Christ is in every man. But all this doth not prove, that I ever did hold, that the Light within is sufficient to salvation without any thing else; for I did always believe, that Christ is our intire and compleat Saviour, in both respects, viz. both as he came outwardly in the Flesh, and died for our sins, and became a Sacrifice of a sweet savour unto God, to make a Reconciliation betwixt God and us, and also as he cometh into us, and is in us, as the Eternal Word; but I never held, that the Word alone was our entire and Compleat Saviour, without his taking the true Nature of Man upon him. And that I never did exclude him, but that still both in this book, and all my other books, first [Page] and last, I did respect him both ways, viz. both within us and without us, as our compleat and entire Saviour, and the compleat and entire Saviour of all that shall be saved by him, I can sufficiently prove; and that I have so considered him in this very book, I shall bring sufficient Evidence; for thus I write, p. 120. of this book, That the sufficiency of the Light and Grace of Christ within, doth not make void the use and benefit of his Outward Coming, Obedience, Death and Sufferings—For they are not to be set in Opposition to each other, as if the one did hinder the sufficiency or usefulness of the other, both being sufficient, and useful, and necessary in their own kind and way, consummating, and being consummated in one another. And p. 10. I say, And as concerning the sufficiency of this Light unto salvation, we do not understand it in Opposition to either the Necessity or Usefulness of the Outward Coming of Christ, and his Sufferings and Death for our sins, nor in Opposition to the service and use of any Teachings in the Outward, that come from the spirit of God, or any Outward things to be done or practised, which his spirit leadeth unto. And p 11. I say, Neither do we assert, That men that have received this Light and spirit of God, and have given themselves up unto it to obey it, and so are become servants of Righteousness, do receive at once a full and sufficient measure for the whole course of their lives, but only sufficient for the present state, condition, opportunity and case, to preserve, protect and defend them from all Evil; so that the Creature must be continually exercised in a perpetual dependance and waiting upon the Lord, to receive the renewed and fresh Influences of his Divine Life and Light, according as its present state, condition and necessity may require, there being no security of the soul out of this dependent, waiting, receiving frame. And whereas my late Adversaries have much blamed my distinguishing betwixt a first and second Ministration of the Spirit and Light within, given to both Jews and Gentiles, calling the first Legal, and that of the first Covenant, the second Evangelical, being that of the second Covenant, and for my saying, That none were justified by the Law, or first ministration of the spirit, or Light within, and their Obedience thereunto, but thro' Faith in Christ. And they call this distinction New Doctrine, and say, therein I do contradict what I have formerly delivered, in this book. But for the Reader's satisfaction, I recommend to him, if he please to read, what I have writ in that very book, from p. 8. to p. 10. where he will find that I have used that very distinction, and largely insisted on it in several pages of that book; And in p. 29. I say, [giving the sense of Paul's words, By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified, Rom. 3. 20] By Law there is understood the Law of the first Covenant, which came by Moses; and it's true, no justification is by that Law, whether it be understood of Moses his outward ministration; Or of the same Ministration of Moses in the Spirit, where the Law is Writ, but in Tables of Stone, till the Seed be raised, by which the Law is fulfilled, But in diverse of the Gentiles the Seed [Page] was raised, which is that divine nature, or birth, by which they did the things contained in the Law, and so were Justified by him who gave them power to fulfil it. And whereas they strongly alledge out of this Book, and some other of my former Books, That I had formerly Asserted, Men might be Justified and Saved, without all knowledge and faith of Christ without us, as he was Crucified, &c. But upon a diligent search into my Books, and an Impartial Examination of all the places cited by them to prove it, I can find no such thing; and my so frequently cautioning the Matter all along wherever I had occasion, That the express knowledge and faith of Christ's death is not universally necessary to Mens Salvation (so that as I have noted in my Book called, The Antichrists and Sadducees detected, some of my Adversaries, ten several times at least, in the Words and Passages they have quoted out of my Books, bring me in using the word Express still, saying, the express knowledge and faith of Christ's death, is not universally necessary, &c.) is sufficient to clear me with all intelligent and impartial Men, that I still held some knowledge and faith of Christ, though not express, yet implicit, was universally necessary to Mens Salvation.

IV. Pag. 9. And as he (viz. Christ) had his Flesh in the outward, which was a Vail, so he hath his Flesh in the inward, which is a Vail also, the Word became Flesh, and dwelt in us, said John. Here Note, Though I deny not the Flesh of Christ in the inward, in an Allegorical and Metaphorical Sense, as above Explained, § 4. Sect. 10. yet I freely acknowledge, I have unduly and improperly applied that place, Joh. 1. 14. & 1 Tim. 3. 16. to the Flesh of Christ in the inward, as likewise I have made the same undue Application of that place in my Book called, The Way cast up, as in Page 133, 134. and possibly in divers other Places and Books, which undue Application, wherever it is in any of my Books, I do Retract, judging it to be improper. And though I might possibly excuse it to be only said by way of Allusion, yet even in that respect I Retract it, having found by too great Experience, that too frequently Allusions do great hurt, and are an occasion to ignorant People, to draw them from the true Sense of that place of Scripture really intended by the Spirit of God, to which the Allusion is made! And though I am not against Allegorical Expositions of some places of Scripture, warranted by Scripture, or such as cannot be truly understood without an Allegory, nor do I condemn universally Allusions to some places of Scripture, yet for the sake of the Ignorant that may be hurt thereby, I judge they had better be not used in many cases; and when used in any case, it should be told that it is but an Allusion.

V. Pag. 9. Thus it is sown natural (viz. the Divine Seed) but is raised Spiritual. Here Note, This is but an Allusion, and was no wise intended [Page] in prejudice of the Resurrection of the Body; for in this san Book, Pag. 70. I plainly Assert the Resurrection of the Body, as thing not yet attained by the deceased Saints. But because, as is a ready said, Allusions in many cases are not safe, I wish I had in used it in this case, and therefore let it be as unsaid, and the rathe because to my certain knowledge, some great Preachers among that sort of Quakers that are turned my Adversaries, do wholly apply all that is said in 1 Cor. 15. of the Resurrection, to the inward rising of the Soul or the Seed within. And I have more than once heard some Preachers among the Quakers wholly Expound that place, 1 Cor. 15. 14. [If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.] of the inward rising of the Life in the Hearers when the Ministers speak. And one of their Ministers did so strongly Assert it, that in a private Conference with him, I could not by the best Reasons I could bring, persuade him that it was meant of a Resurrection of the Body after death.

VI. Pag. 20. So that it is manifest by this Expression. That which may be known of God, Rom. 1. 19. And as it is in the Greek, [...], ‘is understood the Gospel. And a little after, I say, aggreeable unto this is that the same Apostle writeth unto the Colossians, 1. 23. That the Gospel has been preached to every Creature which is under Heaven; but according to the Greek it is [...] in every creature, i. e. in every man, as when Christ said to his Disciples, Preach the Gospel to every creature.’ Here Note, that by the [...] Paul meant an inward divine supernatural Principle in the Gentiles, who had not the Gospel outwardly preached unto them, which, he saith, was manifest in them, and which God had shewed unto them, and which he calls the Truth that many held in unrighteousness, v. 18. I still hold, and that in a figurative way of Synecdoche, it may be called Gospel, or as the word Gospel may be extended to a more general signification than is commonly used in Scripture, I will not deny; for taken at large, it may signifie any Intimation of God's Love, Goodness and Mercy to sinful men; and in this sense it may be said, that the Gospel hath been preached in every Creature, i. e. in every Man. And as the Divine Principle, Word and Light within preacheth in some sort, the Love, Goodness and Mercy of God to sinful men, in order to their salvation, so every creature without, or, so to speak, the whole Creation, both without Man and in Man himself, doth preach it, as it is said, Ps. 19. 1. The Heavens declare the glory of God, &c. Not only the glory of his Power, Justice and Wisdom, but also the glory of his Mercy, Love and Goodness towards men; Yet I must needs acknowledg, that I am fully convinced, that it is not a due application to apply this to the word Gospel, as it is generally used in Scripture, and particularly by Paul in these places quoted by me, Ro. 1. 16. and Col. 1. 23. and [Page] 1 T. 3. 16. therefore I do freely retract and correct my undue application of these places of Scriptue to the inward Principle; as to what it did or doth discover and reveal universally in men, and particularly in such of the Gentiles to whom the Gospel was not outwardly preached; for upon a more diligent search into the holy Scripture, I find, that in all places in the New Testament, where the word Gospel is used, it signifieth the Doctrine of salvation by the promised Messiah, that was outwardly to come, and did come in the true Nature of Man, together with the spiritual blessings that men were to receive by him, of which the inward principle of God's Grace, Light and Spirit within, both in general to all, and in special to believers, in a more excellent degree and manner of Operation and Influence, is but a part. Yet I confine not the Gospel, even in this sense, to outward preaching, by the Ministry of Men or Books; for it was preached to Adam and Eve after the Fall, by God himself, and so was it to Abraham and Job, and so it is probable it has been to divers, even to some Gentiles, singularly favoured without the Ministry of Men, though in God's ordinary way it is preached by the Ministry of Men, God himself by his Spirit and divine Influence inwardly accompanying the same, to work the true Faith of it in the Hearers. Therefore whatever Doctrine Men preach, or have at any time preached, the great Subject whereof is not the promised Messiah, to wit, the Crucified Jesus, as the main Foundation of all the Spiritual Blessings of Light, and Grace, and divine Influences of the Spirit within, it is not the Gospel in the proper, full and adequate Sense and Signification of it, as the Scripture useth it. And as concerning that place in Colos. 1. 23. and other such places, as I have noted above, though the Greek Particle [...] is oft properly Translated in, yet not always, and there is no cause so to Translate it here, but rather to, for the Apostle Paul in that place means the Doctrine of Salvation by Christ Crucified, and the Grace and gift of the Holy Spsrit given of God to Men through him, as it was preached by him, and the other Apostles and Evangelists, in that clear and bright Dispensation of it, that was then given. And though it was not at that time actually preached to all Men, nor to all Nations, yet because it began then so to be preached, and was certainly to be preached to all Nations, and will be so preached before the end of the World, therefore after the Prophetical Phrase of Scripture, That which was to be done, is said to be done:

VIII. Pag. 43. And that it hath pleased the Lord to send his Son into the world, both in the outward and inward, in a weak and low appearance, that he might show forth the more abundant glory, in that which was so low and weak in appearance, to prevail over the greatest power that stood in his way, for thus doth the Seed of the woman bruise the Serpents head.

Here Note, That I did not place our Salvation wholly upon [Page] Christ's inward appearance, but upon God his sending him, both in the outward and inward, to bruise the Serpents head. And that I did not understand, that the bringing Men simply to the inward Principle, so as only to believe in the Light, Word, or Spirit within, was the bringing them to the Christian Faith, but that it was a proper means by way of preparation and introduction, in order to the gathering of People into the true Faith of Christ, which is the whole aim and scope of my fifth Argument in that Book, from P. 88. to 94. where note these words, p. 92. And this will bring People naturally to own the Scriptures, and things therein declared, to own Moses, and the Prophets, to own the Dispensation of God to the Jews in that day, and to own Christ in the Flesh, his miraculous Birth, his Doctrine, Miracles, Sufferings, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, together with the wonderful end and design of God therein, &c. And this Method I very well approve of still; for as the knowledge of Christ, the Word Incarnate, or made Flesh, presupposeth some knowledge of God, and of his Word, so to preach to People that are ignorant of God, and of his Divine Perfections, that there is a God, and what his Divine Perfections are, is very proper and necessary, that they may be brought into some true knowledge of him, which they cannot be brought into, without some Divine Illumination of the inward Principle, the Internal Word and Light. But all this is an introduction and preparation to dispose the Souls and Hearts of Men to receive the Christian Faith and Religion, and is not the Explicite Christian Faith it self (no more than the Porch that leads into the House is the House, though it may be said to be a part of it,) as in the definition of a Man, that he is a living Creature, or Animal, is not his true definition, but the Genus of it, which is but a part at most; but when the difference is superadded, that he is a Rational, or Intellectual Living Creature, that is his true definition. And so the true definition of a true Christian, and sincere Believer in Christ, is he who not only believes that there is a God, and that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, &c. but that the Word was made Flesh, and that the Son of God by Eternal Generation became the Son of Man, by a miraculous Generation in time, and so is both God and Man, and yet not two Sons of God, but one, not two Christs, but one. This is the true Christian Explicite Faith: like a Tree spreading forth its boughs and branches (together with the other great Truths of the Christian Doctrine, delivered in the Holy Scriptures) with rich and precious Fruit, to which the implicit Faith, in some Virtuous Gentiles, may be compared to that same Tree, when it was in the Seed, or but a little sprung up into the Bud, or Blade, as Christ compared the Kingdom of God, to wit, the Evangelical Dispensation, Mark 4. 26, 27, 28, 29. Compare this with what is above quoted out of that Book p. 6. §. 3. of this Section, and with what is said p. 61 of that Book.

[Page] VIII. P 63. Which peice of silver betokeneth the divine principle, &c. Luke 15. 8. Here Note, This undue Application is Retracted and Corrected above, in the first Sect. §. 13. And in fine, although I firmly remain in my Faith and Persuasion, of the Truth, of that great Principle of the Universal Love and Grace of God, making Salvation possible to all Men, and that in order thereunto, Christ hath Inlightened every Man that cometh into the World; which universal Illumination, is an universal Benefit that all Men have by his dying for them, as is largely urged by me, particularly from p. 31, to 34. in that Book, and in divers other places; and that it was my principal Aim and Design in that Book to prove and demonstrate the Truth of that Principle, which I am well satisfied, as to the main, I have truly done, by divers effectual and solid Arguments; and therefore I adhere to what I have delivered in that Book, as to the main, yet I freely acknowledge, that divers of the Arguments I have used to prove the Truth of that Principle, are not so proper and demonstrative, nor are several places of Scripture, from which I argued, so duly applyed to that effect, as Rom. 10. 7, 8, 9, 10. and the several Parables brought in Arg. 10. from p. 60. to 65. Titus 2. 11, 12. 1 Cor. 12. 7. Therefore the undue Application of these places of Scripture, or any others that can be found in my Book to that effect, I freely Retract, which though they necessarily respect the inward Principle of God's Grace, Word, Spirit, Light, &c. yet these places are not to be understood only and alone of that, but respect that bright Gospel Dispensation, that had then appeared in the World by the Apostles preaching, which was accompanied with new superadded Illuminations, in the Souls and Hearts of Believers (tho' all coming from one Fountain, one God, one Christ, and one Spirit,) as much differing from, and as much excelling and surmounting any inward Illumination given to all that part of Mankind, where the Apostles Doctrine concerning Christ Crucified and Raised again did not come, as the Light of the Sun after he is risen, excells that which shineth in the Night time, which is a Scripture Comparison, that compareth the state that the Gentiles generally were in, before God visited them, by the Preaching of the Gospel in the Ministry of the Apostles, and their Successors, to the Night, but the State of the Believing Gentiles, who had received the Holy Ghost by their Ministry to the Day; which very Distinction I had noticed in the stating of the Question, p. 8. of that Book. And that bright Dispensation of the Gospel, that did visit the World, by means of the Apostles Ministry, and their true Successors, was like the rising of the Sun, that may be said to be truly Universal, and the Grace of God, that bringing Salvation did appear unto all, as the Sun is truly said to rise unto all, and to bring day unto all, tho not at one and the same time, and Christs Prophecy, which then began to be fulfilled, and was in great part fulfilled, in the very time of the Apostles, must be fully and compleatly fulfilled, that the Gospel of the Kingdom shall be Preached in all the VVorld, which is to say, not the Inward Principle only and alone, but the Doctrine of Christs Birth, Death, Burial, Resurrection, Ascension, &c. As is plain from his own words, wherever this Gospel [Page] of the Kingdom shall be Preached, this also shall be told, what this VVom an hath done, for she hath done it for my Burial. But that many were saved by Christ through Faith in him, before that time, and before his coming in the Flesh, as well among Gentiles as Jews, Inothing question, as I never did.

IX. Pag. 72. But let the Scriptures be searched throughout and it shall never be found, that any are simply Condemned, or made Inexcuseable for Adam's Sin, but for their own Sins in the first place, and for those of their Ancestors, but consequentially, this is the Condemnation of the World, saith Christ, that Light is come into it, and they Love Darkness, &c. But no where it is said, this is their Condemnation, simply that Adam Sinned.

Here Note, That whereas in my Book above-said, I did draw one of my Arguments, from the Righteousness of God, to prove an inward Principle of Light given to all Men, in order to salvation, let it be considered, that I did Argue from the Righteousness of God not simply considered; but with respect to a New Dispensation of God, towards Mankind since the Fall, for in the same p. 72. I say, If God hath De novo, or of a New, given unto all Men a sufficient Principle of Light and Life to do his will, then he may say, as in Isaiah, and now O Men of Judah, and Inhabitants of Jerusalem, what could have been done more to my Vineyard, that I have not done in it? Viz. In point of Righteousness, he hath done all that was needful to clear his Justice, &c. In my way of managing this Argument, tho effectual and solid, in the main, and as to the substance of it, yet as with respect to diverse weighty Circumstances, in Answering Objections against it; I am dissatisfied with the method, I there used from pag. 67. to pag. 72. Therefore what is there generally said, by way of Answer to some Objections there made, let it be as unsaid, for the Coments of these 5 pages, in diverse things not being clear, I retract, yet still adhering to the substance of the Argument there brought, and to the main Answer that may suffice to all these Objections; I did give p. 72. Viz. That none are simply Condemned, and sem to Hell, for Adams Sin, for I cannot agree to that uncharitable opinion that any dying Infants Perish, or suffer the Fire of Hell Fire, simply and only for Adams Sin, what God in strict Justice might do is one thing, and what he will do is another. Moreover, as I have formerly in that Book affirmed, p. 69. That there is a Seed of Sin Transmitted from Adam into all his Posterity, in the Natural Birth which becomes the Original Sourse and Spring, or Root of all Actual Transgressions, wherever it Springs up, in which all Sin is Committed, I still affirm; But to Answer all these Objections and Questions that are raised, about the manner of its Conveyance and being Transmitted, as it pusled the worthy Ancients, Augustine and Hierome, and others, to Answer Pelagius and his followers, who used to ask, Per quas rimas, by what chinks, that Seed of Sin and Defilement entred Adams Posterity, and is Transmitted through the most Holy Parents that ever Lived in some Degree to their Children; so I confess, it pusseth me, especially upon the common Principle, that the Soul of the Infant is instantly Created in the Mothers Womb, (and that other Principle, that the Soul is by Carnal Generation is most absurd). But what my reason cannot comprehend my Faith teacheth me to believe, and so I believe that their is a Principle, Seed, or Leaven of Sinful Defilement, conveyed generally through all Adams Posterity in the Natural Birth, because I find many places of Scripture that sufficiently prove it, by means whereof Infants on the Breasts and in the VVomb, are not clean, but defiled, and therefore need the New Birth and washing of Regeneration, as really as adult persons. And they do all need that God be merciful to them for Christ's sake that died for all men, they being a part of mankind; and that the vertue, efficacy and merit of Christ's Sacrifice of himself upon the Cross, be applied unto them, which was figured by the Offering under the Law, that was to be offered for every male child, and by circumcision of every male child, that sufficed also for the Female, which was implied under the male.

SECTION III. Containing divers Explanations and Emendations of Passages in my Book called, The Rector Corrected: Printed at London, 1680. And in my Book called, Truth Defended: Printed at London, 1682.

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BY Christ his giving his Flesh for the Life of the World, we pag. 22. understand, both the offering up of his Flesh, as his dying for us upon the Cross, and also his giving us his Flesh to eat, and his Blood to drink: for even as the Priests under the Law, were to eat of the Sacrifice, and to have the Blood sprinkled upon them, so Believers under the Gospel, are to eat the Flesh of Christ, and drink his Blood. And pag. 26. Although the Saints do not eat the visible Flesh of Christ [to wit, by the Bodily Mouth] and drink his visible Blood, yet they partake of the benefit and virtue of both his Flesh and his Blood, and the substance of both doth remain, which is his glorified Body in Heaven, and the virtue of which doth really extend unto the Saints both in Heaven, and on Earth, by which they are spiritually refreshed and nourished, as with Meat and Drink; and thus we do not divide Christ, &c.

Here note, that as by divers other Quotations out of my Books it hath been proved, that I did not place all our Salvation upon the Light within, excluding the Man Christ without, and his Flesh and Blood, that was outward and visible, but that I did lay a great weight upon it; so the like appears by this present quotation. And whereas, pag. 25. it is said, and indeed it is very plain by the words of Christ, that by his Flesh and Blood, John 6. 50, 51. he meaneth Only Spirit and Life; The word (said he) that I speak unto you, are Spirit and Life; it is the Spirit that quickneth, the Flesh profiteth nothing: Whether the Word only being there is a Typographical Error, or was an oversight in me, for want of due consideration, I hold it needful to retract and correct it, and accordingly I so do: and that it was at most an oversight in me, for want of due consideration, and that by it, I did not intend that the Faithful did not partake of the unspeakable benefit of the Flesh of Christ, that was outwardly Crucified, and of his Blood that was outwardly shed, and that the virtue of it did not extend unto them, for that is above plainly affirmed, but my sense was, they were not to eat it with the bodily Mouth, but by Faith, so as to have the virtue of it conveyed unto them, by a living Faith in him, which virtue may be said to be Spirit and Life, and the Words that he spake, had a spiritual sense and signification, and not such as the carnal Capernaumites did conceive.

[Page] Pag. 29. So we see he (viz Hilarius) findeth fault with the word Humane, as well as G. F.

Here Note, That my bringing the words of Hilarius to excuse G. F. was not that I did not believe that Christ had the true nature of Man, consisting of a true reasonable created Soul, and a true Body; for that I did always believe, and that he did partake of Mary's Substance, for so did also Hilarius believe. But seeing Christ had a miraculous Conception, and Birth, above all other Men; therefore I did judge that G. F. and some others with him, meant only by blaming the word humane, and humanity, humane Nature, as applicable to Christ, that his Manhood Nature was more excellent, than that of other men: But I never thought, that any of them denyed him, as Man to be a Creature, or to have been produc'd by Generation of and from the Properties of Man in Mary, as some of them have. But of late divers of the chief Teachers among the People called Quakers, have used the terms Humanity, and Humane, with reference to Christ. But what they understand by it, is not easie to determine; for if Christ's Humanity be not a Creature, or created, what is it? seeing it cannot be the Godhead: and T. Ellwood hath argued in his late Book, That if Christ be a Creature, he is not God. But all who have the sound Faith, believe that Christ, as a Man, is a Creature, or created Being; but as he is the Eternal Word, he is God, and not a Creature. But this they think a contradiction, not owning that Christ hath a twofold Nature essential to him, the one uncreated, as God, the other created as Man, and yet but one Christ, therefore they have said, That Man or outward Person that suffered [at Jerusalem,] is not properly the Son of God: So W. Penn expresly faith, in his Serious Apology, pag. 146.

Pag. 37. ‘Christ was once offered to bear the Sins of many, and unto them which look for him, he shall appear the second time without Sin unto Salvation, Heb. 9. 28. Whether these Words may not very safely be understood, and are not really meant of Christ's appearing in the Heart to destroy Sin, I desire the Reader to consider.’

Here Note. The occasion of my giving this Sense to these Words in Heb. 9. 28. was in defence of G. Whitehead, who had before that given the same sense to them, and which Thomas Wilson, (whom I answered) had blamed as a false Interpretation. But at that time I knew not in the least, that G. Whitehead had put that sense on that place, in prejudice to Christ's coming without us, to judge the World in his glorified Body, and Person, as since I have found, for not only did he deny this place to be meant of his Coming without us, to Judgment, but any other places that his Opponents brought to prove his outward coming to Judgment, he turned them all to his inward coming, as that in 1 Thes. 4. 15. and that in Matth. 16. 27. and brought that in John 14. to prove that Christ was not to come in Person, or in a Personal Existence to judge the World, Yet a little while, and the World shall see me no more. This positive unbelief of theirs, which I had but of [Page] late discovered by a more narrow search into their Books, hath awakened me, I confess better, to consider things, that both I and they had formerly written; and upon better consideration, I declare I am convinced, that the true sense of these words above-mentioned, is of his outward coming the second time, in his glorified Body to judge the World: and it is called his Second Coming, as denoting his former coming, which was in his state of Humilation; but his Second Coming shall be in a state of Glorification. I shall not enlarge to give my Reasons at present, why I so understand that place of his coming without us, nor to answer largely the Reasons I gave in that Book, that it was to be understood of his inward coming, for that would take up too much time, and be improper in this place, it sufficeth at present, that I retract that sense formerly given, and that I declare my sense of that place of Scripture to be, conconcerning his coming without us to Judgment, which is, I think, the more general sense of Christian Expositors. But let none from hence infer, that I deny the inward coming of Christ in mens hearts, to destroy Sin, for that I own; but I say, it is not the true sense of that place of Scripture; and whereas it is said in that place, He will appear the Second time without Sin unto Salvation, doth not infer, (being understood of his coming without us to Judgment) that Sin remains in the deceased Saints, until his coming: But that at his coming, he will not charge Sin upon them, but will solemnly acquit and discharge them, of all their Sins, however great they have been, who have sincerely repented of them, and believed in him: whereas upon all others, he will charge their Sins upon them, as is clear from Matth. 25. And though the deceased Saints need no Salvation from Sin, yet from some of the effects and consequences of it they do, until the Resurrection, with respect to which Paul said, We are saved by Hope, and Hope that is seen, is not Hope, &c. For seeing Death is the last enemy that is to be destroyed, which is not destroyed but by the Resurrection from the Dead; therefore the Resurrection from the Dead is that Salvation, which all the Saints both living and deceased wait for, which will be at Christ's coming without us. And that this was my Belief, when I did write that Book, as well as formerly, I shall for proof recite two plain passages out of that Book, the first is, pag. 42. where I say, We believe with all our Hearts, and in believing the same, we rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory, in all our Sufferings, Tryals and Temptations, even that He whom we look for, will come again at the Last Day, and raise us up to live with him for ever, in an immortal and incorruptible Body: and then shall we be saved, as well from all the consequences of Sin of all kinds, as now from Sin it self, in the being and nature of it. For then, and not till then, fully and in all respects, shall Death be swallowed up in Victory, and that full Salvation and enjoyment be attained, which all true Christians do yet wait for. The second passage is, pag. 45. And I hope it will satisfie any sober Reader that we [Page] acknowledge the Coming of Christ in the Clouds, or in the Air in a Literal Sense.

Pag. 65. That Christ will come in the End of the World, we do faithfully believe, according to that 1 Cor. 15. and other Scriptures. But that his coming, mentioned, 1 Cor. 11. is that last coming of his, is not yet proved, but is a meer begging of the Question.

Here Note, That this passage contains another plain proof, that I believed that Christ would come in the End of the World in his Glorified Person, without us, to judge the World; and I judged that the People called Quakers generally so believed, until my late experience hath given me sufficient ground to think otherwise, and that from the Words of divers among them, plainly denying, and ridiculing any such thing, telling me, the End of the World is already come, and there is no other coming of Christ to be expected, but his inward coming in the Hearts of People, and into this foul Error the Printed Books of G. W. and other Leading Men among their Teachers had led them; although now, he and some others seem to own it, that Christ will outwardly come again. But if a Scrutiny were made among them one by one, few among them in comparison, would be found to own it, in respect of many that would deny it. But whereas in that passage above-quoted, I had affirmed, That our Lord's coming, mentioned, 1 Cor. 11. 26. is that last coming of his, is not yet proved, but is a meer begging of the Question: This whole Passage, I fully and freely retract, with all the other passages, either in this Book, or in my Book called Truth Defended, where I have denyed his coming, mentioned 1 Cor. 11. 26. to be his outward coming, or in any other of my Books, where any such like passage is to be found, I fully and freely Retract them all: And on the Contrary, I do freely, and with great Satisfaction, declare, That I am sufficiently convinced and perswaded in my Conscience, that the Coming of the Lord, mentioned 1 Cor. 11: is His Last Coming, which is to be without us, which will be accompanyed with his more abundant inward coming and Revelation in us. As also, whatever is said in this Book, called the Rector Corrected, concerning the Command that our Lord gave to his Apostles, Matth. 28. 19. That it was not Water-Baptism there commanded, I fully and freely Retract that also; and all the like passages, either in Truth Defended, or in any of my other Books whatsoever, conconcerning the sense of that place of Scripture, Matth. 28. 19. And on the contrary, I do declare that I am fully and clearly perswaded in my Conscience, that Water-Baptism was there commanded by Christ. And here I think fit to Transcribe what I have already said in my late Book, called The Antichrists and Sadduces detected, &c. to this effect, pag. 34, 35. ‘I am not ashamed to own my general Mistakes I have been under, concerning divers places of Scripture, particularly relative to Water-Baptism and the Supper, as Matth. 28. 19. and 1 Cor. 11. 26.—And I am so far from being ashamed to publish this Confession, that I have great Peace and Joy in it. [Page] Amd I also declare, that I am justly ashamed that I have been so long deceived and byassed with such weak Arguments, as both they called Friends and I have used (being too much influenced and byassed by their pretended Authority) to perswade and draw away the Minds of People from the true sense of these places of Scripture, and the Arguments that we have used against these two things, are so weak, that they have the some force against the Bible it self, and all Books and outward Testimonies, and outward Acts of Worship, and therefore are void in themselves; for seeing they have no force against the latter, they have as little against the former. However, I continue in my faithful Testimony against the abuse of these things, and the dead, empty and formal may that too many practise them; and except the Lord be found to bless and accompany them, who use them with his Power and Spirit, they are but as empty Shadows and Shells; but who find the Lord to bless them with his Presence, I judge them not.’ It is not proper for me in this place, to give any large account of the Reasons, why I am otherwise minded, as to the Sense of those two places of Scripture, Matth. 28. 19. and 1 Cor. 11. 26. than I was sometime formerly, only I think fit to give one Reason at present in particular as to each, and another in general as to both. My reason why Water-Baptism is to be understood, Matth. 28. 19. as a thing commanded of the Lord to be done by the Apostles, and not the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, because we no where find in all the Scripture such a phrase or manner of Speech that ever any Man (but Christ alone who is both God and Man) did Baptize with the Holy Ghost, or had power so to do, it is peculiarly attributed to Christ, (whose Work it was) and still is, and to no other Man, or Men, as John declared, He that cometh after me, shall Baptize you (he did not say, They that come after me, but he) with Fire and with the Holy Ghost. And as to that distinction formerly given by me, and others, that though the Apostles neither could nor did baptize with the Holy Ghost principally, yet instrumentally or ministerially, they might and did. But in answer to this, I say, where the Scripture doth not distinguish, nor give any ground of such a distinction, we ought not to give it: But the Scripture giveth no such ground; and the Scripture phrase and manner of Speech is strictly to be observed in all such cases, so that we ought not to put our private glosses on Christ's Commandments: as it were a most absurd Distinction to say, though God created the World principally, yet Angels did create it instrumentally; or to say, Christ redeemed the World principally by his Death and Sufferings, but the Martyrs redeemed the World, by their Deaths, instrumentally; surely as these Distinctions are false and unwarrantable, so is that other about Baptizing with the Spirit instrumentally and ministerially. My reason why the comeing of the Lord mentioned, 1 Cor. 11. 26. is his outward Comeing; because the outward practise of Breaking Bread, in the Supper, was appointed as a commemoration (in a solemn way) of his Body that was broken for us on the Cross, and of his Bodily Sufferings and [Page] Humiliation? for he did not say, Take, eat this is my Spirit; but This is my Body, and it was the Man Christ Jesus that said this; therefore, as the practise of Breaking the Bread, with Prayer and Thanksgiving, and Eating it, and Pouring out Wine into the Cup, and Drinking it, was a solemn Commemoration of his Body that was broken for us, and his Blood that was shed for us; so the believers being enjoyned to do it, untill his comeing again; that Comeing again must needs signifie his Bodily Comeing (for he was Spiritually come both then and in all Ages to the Faithful) that the living and faithful Remembrance of his last coming might be preserved by that solemn Practise, and also the unspeakable benefit that the Faithful haveby his Sufferings; for as Preaching by Words doth hold forth Christ Crucified by audible Signs to the Ears of the Faithful; so do these outward things duly practised by visible and otherwise sensible Signs hold him forth to their Eyes, Smelling, Tast, and Feeling, that so the Remembrance of him by these so many doors, as it were may the more effectually enter into their Hearts, and make the deeper Impression upon them; and it stands well with good reason that, what is represented to Mens Hearts of our Lord's Sufferings, by their Hearing, Sight, Smell, Tasting, and Feeling in the use of these signs instituted by himself, will more effectually affect their Hearts and Souls than what is done alone by the Hearing or Reading; as in other cases, for Men to see a Tragedy of the real Sufferings of some noble Person acted before their Sight, is more than to read it, or hear a Report of it, and on this account it was that some ancient Writers called these outward Institutions verbum visibile, i. e the visible Word. My reason in general for both is, that it hath pleased. God of late (since I have found the great opposition to this great fundamental Truth of the Gospel, that many among the People called Quakers have made, viz. the Faith in Christ crucified, and raised again &c. as a necessary thing to our Christianity and Salvation, let them pretend and profess what they will to the contrary) to give me a further and clearer sight, and a more deep inward sense and consideration of the great benefit and advantage, the practise of these outward things (when duly practised) is to the preserving the Christian Doctrine and Faith in the World, as well as to divers other great uses and ends, they being as proper and effectual means in their kind and manner in conjunction with Preaching, to preserve the Doctrine and Faith of Christ in the World as Preaching it self; and where these outward things are practised, the true Doctrine of them ought to be Preached; but the Doctrine of them is like to be laid aside, when the Practise of them is not only discontinued, but opposed, and reviled, under the Names of beggarly Elements, worldly Rudiments, and carnal Ordinances. And I do boldly and freely, in the sincerity of my Heart, further declare, that it hath pleased God to give me to see, that the spring and rise of thatgreat Opposition that hath been, and is in many against these outward Practices, has been and is a secret Prejudice against the Doctrine [Page] of Christ crucified, and the mysterious working of an Antichristian and Diabolical spirit, designing to draw men from Name and Thing of Christianity, to Paganism and Deism, and at the next step to Idolatry, and Atheism. Howbeit, in many there is not this knowledge and sight of this Mystery of Iniquity. But many simple-hearted, and truly pious, and well-meaning Souls, have been led aside, to disown, and speak against the use of these outward Practices, being stumbled and greatly offended with the beholding the great abuse of them, and the undue and irregular way and manner of many their practising them, as it was said, that the Sons of Ely caused the Sacrifices of the Lord to be abhorred. But as the abuse of things, ought not to take away the due use of them, so where they are not duly practised, the simple want of them, (as neither the simple want of preaching, where the Gospel is not outwardly preached) I judge will not be imputed to them to be their Sin, it being generally acknowledged among sober judicious Christians, that it's not the want of them, but the wilful neglect of them, where they can be duly had, that is a man's Sin, and hindrance to his Salvation. I adhere to the general rule of Christian Communion in this case, generally received and owned by all true Christians, that we ought to join in all external acts of Christian Religion and Worship, with all professed Christians, holding the Fundamentals of the Christian Religion, and maintaining nothing contrary thereunto, against whose sincerity we have nothing justly to object. If so in our joyning with them, in these external acts of Worship, nothing be required of us to be done, that is sin in the sight of God, to wit, that is any breach of any positive express command of God.

Pag. 71. ‘citing my Book, called Help in time of Need, concerning the Antichrist, mentioned 1 John 2. 18. this is Antichrist, who denys Christ the Son, come in the Revelation of himself in the Heart, for that coming of Christ in his Bodily Appearance at Jerusalem, Antichrist will not, does not deny, seeing to confess him so come, will never harm his Kingdom, provided Christ's Kingdom be not set up in the Heart.’

Here Note, These foregoing Words, For that coming of Christ in his Bodily Appearance at Jerusalem, Antichrist will not, does not deny, I Retract, as unsafely worded; for though a sort of Antichrists may not deny, but confess, in Hypocrisie, to Christs outward coming; as also they may confess in Hypocrisie, to his coming in Mens Hearts; yet I am satisfied the true meaning of these words, 1 John 2. 18. compared with 1 John 4. 3. respects principally the coming of Christ in the Flesh, as he outwardly suffered in that Body of Flesh, and consequentially the spiritual Blessings and Benefits we have by that same, among which is his Spiritual coming into our Hearts; and though a sort of Antichrists, and men of an Antichristian Spirit, may confess in hypocrisie, to Christ's outward coming, yet they neither do, nor can confess to him, as he did outwardly come, in sincerity of Heart. And it is the sincere Confession from the Heart to Christ, as he outwardly came in the Flesh, and to all the spiritual Blessings that men receive by him, as [Page] of his Light, Spirit and Grace in them, that is the Confession there meant; for every one that truly, viz. with sincerity of heart so confesseth him, come in the Flesh (whose Confession floweth from a Living Faith in him) is of God, and whosoever doth not so confess him, but deny him so come, is of Antichrist; and this denyal of Christ come in the Flesh, may be several ways, as 1st. to deny that he who did so come, is the Christ; and thus the unbelieving Jews did, and do deny him. 2dly, To deny that he who did so come, was, and is, both God and Man, and that as such he is the Salvation of men, in whom they are to believe, and whom they are to call upon, and worship with divine adoration; and thus the Mahumetans do deny him, and many who go under the Name of Christians, who deny that the man Christ is their Salvation, and the Object of Faith and adoration. 3dly. To deny the virtue and efficacy of his being a Sacrifice, by his Death, for the Remission of the sins of all Men, who ever shall be saved from the begining of the World, to the end of it. 4thly. To deny that all the Light, and Grace, and divine Influence of the Spirit, that any Man have, or ever had, is by Jesus Christ, who hath purchased and procured it unto them, by his most holy and perfect Obedience unto Death; and in these three respects my late Opposers among the People called Quakers, are guilty of denying Christ come in the Flesh, as I have sufficiently proved against them in divers printed Books, particularly in my Narrative of the Proceedings at Turners-Hall, the 11th. of the 4th. Month, 1696. and in that called The Antichrists and Saddnces detected. For whatever seeming Confessions they give to the Man Christ without them, while they place Mens whole Salvation upon an inward Principle, and plead that Men may be saved eternally without all Knowledge and Faith of Christ without them, either express or implicite, [As they do, particularly in that Antichristian and Abusive Book, containing many Antichristian Principles, and false Accusations against me, called Keith against Keith, for which I purpose, God willing, ere long, to call them to an Account. All their seeming Confessions is but a Judas Kiss, and a plain betraying the Christian Cause, into the hands of Infidels, Jews and Pagans.

Pag. 195. Nor doth it follow, that because Confession in the adult, is necessary to Salvation, that therefore Baptism with Water is, seeing confession of the Truth may well consist without Water-Baptism, namely in a Holy Conversation, and profession of Christianity with the Mouth, as the Apostle said, With the Mouth Confession is made to Salvation.

Here Note, 1. I still adhere to it with all charitable Christians, that Baptism with Water is not of equal necessity with Faith and Confession, unto Savation, for many of the Martyrs did nobly confess to Christ, who were put to cruel Deaths, before they could be Baptized; and in that and in all other cases, where Baptism cannot be duly had, the votum Baptismi, i. e. the desire of Baptism is judged equivalent to Baptism by all charitable Christians. 2. That I said Confession in the adult is necessary to Salvation, [Page] by this it doth appear, that it is no new Doctrine in me so to affirm, this Book of mine, having been in Print for sixteen Years past, and which was approved by the Second Days Meeting, though in contradiction, to what they then approved, they have of late greatly blamed me, as guilty of broaching a new Doctrine, among the People called Quakers, for my saying, It is a necessary Duty, that every one among the Quakers, should give a Confession of their Faith, to Christ and his doctrine in the fundamental and essential parts thereof, before they can be owned to be Members of a Christian communion: This they extreamly cry out against, knowing that such a thing would discover the vile Errors, that are lodged among them. But until they do this, whatever great and high pretences they make to be the Church of Christ, and the only gathered Church, they can never be justly esteemed a Church of Christ.

In my Book called, Truth's Defence, &c. pag. 104, 105. and as for the Word Immediate Revelation, seeing it is not any Scripture-phrase, no not in the case of the Prophets and Apostles, so far as I can remember, if the thing it self were granted, to wit, ‘That God doth inwardly reveal, and speak his Mind, or shew his Glory, and glorious Presence in his Children, as he did in and to his Saints of Old; so that the Saints do hear, see and perceive, also tast and savour, and feel after God himself, as he reveals himself in his Son by the Holy Spirit, the Controversie about the Name or Phrase should soon be at an end.’

Here Note, That sixteen Years ago I was for holding up no Controversies about the name, or term, Immediate Revelation; though many among the People called Quakers, have earnestly and fiercely contended for that term, and some of them no doubt will much blame me, that I do not now contend for it: But why did they not blame me then, for my not contending about it? are they become of late more Eagle-sighted, to see this, and other things they judge, to be errors in my Books, which they formerly did not see, or at least gave me no notice of? then why do they blame me, that I have both of late seen, and noticed divers Errors in their Books, which formerly I had not seen, for want of due examination, nor noticed?

Pag. 170, 171. ‘Now if this were but received among those called Christians, that nothing should be required by one sort from another, as an Article of Faith, or Doctrine, or Principle of the Christian Religion, in common to be believed, but what is expresly delivered in the Scriptures, in plain express Scripture-terms, of how great an advantage might it be, to bring a Reconcilement among them, and to beget true Christian Unity, Peace, Love, and Concord.’

Here Note, Some of my late Opponents have brought this place against me, to prove me guilty of a contradiction, by my late practise of what they call my Imposing on them Unscriptural Creeds and Terms, as when I told them, they must believe in Christ without them for Salvation, [Page] as well as in Christ, or the Spirit of Christ within them, they have blamed this as Unscriptural, and have queried me, for express Scripture, to prove Christ without, and a Heaven without, and a Resurrection without, and a Day of Judgment without? to whom I have Answered them, by again querying them, Where do they find express Scripture for an Earth without, or Sun, Moon, and Stars without us, or a Land of Judea without, or a Moses or David without us? For though the Word without is not expressed, yet it is so easily and universally understood, in all these cases, as if it were expressed. And I still adhere to my former Advice, that nothing be required by one sort from an other, as an Article of Faith or Doctrine, in common to be believed, but what is expresly delivered in the Scriptures, in plain express Scripture terms, yet not so as every Word must be exprest, in so many Letters and Syllables, when there is no necessary occasion for it, for it may suffice, if a truth be exprest in such plain and easie terms, as are equivalent to Scripture terms, as when we say, Christ was born at Bethlehem, we mean that Bethlehem was a place without us; and also that Christ was born without us; and I confess, it had been as little needful to have mentioned Christ without us, or Heaven without us, &c. as Judea without us, or any other place, had not that wild Notion of many, who own no Christ without, nor Heaven, nor Resurrection, nor Day of Judgment without, but only within, occasion'd it.

Pag. 191. ‘The sacrifice of Christ's Death did truly extend for the Remission of Sins past, from the beginning of the World, Hence ALL THE BELIEVERS that lived under the Law, and Prophets, and BEFORE THE LAW, were saved by FAITH IN CHRIST, and had their Sins pardoned, not by the Offering of the Blood of Bulls and Rams, but by the Blood of Christ, who was to dye for them, and in whom they believed, and dyed in Faith, as is clear out of many places of Scripture, and especially the Epistle to the Hebrews; and by virtue of Christ's Death and Offering once for all Men, all have had, or have, or shall have, a Day of Visitation, and offer of Grace through Christ, even these who lived before Christ came in the Flesh, in that prepared Body, as well as others; and therefore all who finally perish, and are lost in whatever Age or Time of the World they lived, they must be accountable to Christ, who is judge both of quick and dead, and Lord of both, and they shall be punished with Fire of Hell, for neglecting and despising the Salvation offered by him. And although this is a great Mystery, and hard to be uttered, how this Gospel Invitation, and Visitation cometh unto all, and how all shall be accountable unto the Man Christ Jesus, on the score or account of his dying for them, Acts 10. 42. Acts 17. 31. Yet seeing the Scripture is so plain and clear for it, it is better to believe it, than curiously to dispute, how or after what manner it comes so to be.’

Here Note, 1. These foregoing Words, published by me in Print sixteen [Page] years ago, prove that I did not place our whole Salvation upon an inward Principle, excluding the Man Christ Jesus, from being jointly concerned with his Light, Grace and Spirit in men, as many called Quakers now do. 2. That I then held, that all who were saved in any Age of the World, were saved by Faith in Christ, as well before he came in the Flesh, as since; and that by Faith in Christ, I meant the Man Christ, [who is both God and Man] who in the fulness of time, came in the Flesh, and shed his Blood for the Remission of their sins, is obvious to any intelligent Reader; therefore my late Adversaries among a sort of Quakers, are most injurious to me, and false Accusers of me, who call this a new Doctrine of mine, to affirm that all who ever were saved, or shall be saved with Eternal Salvation, were saved by Faith in the Man Christ, [either express or implicit] even him that was in the Fulness of Time crucified for them. And it is but a trifling and nonsensical Objection in them, to argue against it, that they could not believe in Christ crucified, before he was crucified; for it was one and the same Christ, that was to be crucified, and who was crucified in the fulness of time, the same yesterday, to day, and forever, who is the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World, and a Priest forever, and who therefore by virtue of the Sacrifice of himself, that was to be slain in the fulness of time, made Peace betwixt Believers and God, as well before he came and suffered for the Sins of men as since, and on whose Account they had Remission of Sin, and the Holy Ghost to sanctifie them, and none had the Holy Ghost by union and indwelling, but such as had some degree of Faith in Christ, either express or implicit, as not only this Book called Truth Defended, but all my Books that treat on that subject plainly shew; and particulary my Book called, The Presbyterian and Independent visible Churches; all which I refer to the Reader's serious consideration: And though my late Adversaries among the Quakers find great fault, with divers passages in the Book last mentioned, especially for asserting the necessity of Faith in Christ crucified universally either express or implicit, for Eternal Salvation, yet that Book before it was printed in America, had the approbation of them called Friends in the Ministry in Pensilvania, and was so well approved by the Quakers here at London, that some caused it to be Reprinted, and it was publickly sold in a Quakers Shop in George-Yard in Lumbard-street; nor did I ever hear any exceptions against it, from any of them in England, until our late differences betwixt them and me began: And whereas I had formerly said, none but such who have Faith in Christ crucified, or who was to be crucified, had the Holy Ghost by union. To this some of my late Adversaries have objected a Quotation, I made in some of my former Books out of Plato and Plotimus, who did mention union with God, and a certain divine contact; but it doth not appear, that these Gentiles had Faith in Christ, as above exprest. To this I Answer, That Plato who lived some hundred of years before Christ's Incarnation, had no Faith in [Page] Christ, so much as implicit, is more than they can prove; for there are divers sayings in his Books that make it probable he had. There is less ground to think that Plotimus, who lived Two Hundred Years and more after CHRIST, and was contemporary with Origen, had Faith in Christ, seeing he writ against the Christians, therefore what things he said of Union with God, and the divine contact, and other high Expressions of the like nature might possibly be, not so much from his own experience, as from his Master Plato's Writings, or allow he might have had some true experience of a divine contact and union, in some transient way, like a glance or flash of Lightning; yet this proves not that he, or any others, who never had any degree of Faith in Christ crucified, [or that was to be crucified] had that permanent and lasting Union with the holy spirit that the Saints and Believers recorded in the holy Scriptures had, [which permanent and lasting Union, through the in ward residence and indwelling of the lively Spirit in the Faithful, is that which most properly deserveth the name of Union with God] for it is most evident from the holy Scriptures, that none but Believers in Christ, even the Man Christ Jesus, have the holy Spirit by union, and inhabitation; for which see and well consider the following places, Gal. 3. 2. 14. Ephes. 1. 13. John 7. 39. Acts 10. 43, 44. Acts 26. 18. And it is great Ignorance in my late Opposers, not to understand, how though the spirit of God, who is holy, may and doth work and operate, in the Hearts of Gentiles and Unbelievers, yet he hath no inward residence, or abiding union in them, or communion with them, but such only who hath Faith in Christ.

Another trifling Objection they have made, that because I have said, That all who had not the express knowledge of Christ before death, who are saved, had it either at Death, or after Death. From this they infer, I hold a sort of Purgatory, or transmigration. But behold these mens ignorance, doth it imply any Purgatory or Transmigration, to say, all that go to Christ in Heaven after Death, must have an express knowledge of Christ in Heaven, for so I expressed my sence in my Book, called The pretended Antidote, &c. pag. 115, 116. Can it be supposed, that any Souls now in Heaven, can be without all express knowledge of Christ; can they be with him, and yet not know him? Hath not the least Saint in Heaven, more clear knowledge of Christ, than any living on Earth? Suppose the Souls of Plato, and Socrates be in Heaven (as far be it from me to judge the contrary) are they still without all express knowledge of Christ. But if indeed they think there be no man Christ in Heaven, having any Bodily Existence, as some of my Opposers have affirmed, its no wonder they think that the Saints in Heaven have no knowledge of him.

Having performed what I promised in my Book called, A short List of the vile and gross Errors of G. W. &c. Printed in the Year 1695. concerning some Explications and Emendations, of some Words and Passage [Page] in my four Books above-mentioned, viz. Immediate Revelation, Universal Grace, The Rector Corrected, and Truth Defended: which four chiefly relate to matters of Controversie, I think fit to publish some other few Explanations and Emendations (such as I see needful) of some pages in my Book called, Help in time of Need.

Help in time of Need: printed at London, 1665. pag 46. ‘But now the Light hath shined forth in such clearness, that we have seen to the bottom of all Babylon's Treasures. And pag. 58. And we the Lord's People, called in derision Quakers, do witness this day of God come and broke up among us, in pure perfect brightness, to the fulfilling all these things aforesaid, every one in their measure, and yet more abundantly to be fulfilled. Pag. 62. And we have seen the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, adorned and trimmed, for the approach of her Husband, and the New Jerusalem descending from above, the Holy Gity coming down from God out of Heaven, having the glory of her God, and her Light is like unto a stone most precious, like a Jasper clear as Crystal, and we have seen the frame and proportion of this City, with the Walls and Gates of it (within which our Feet have stood) whose Builder and Maker is God, and there is nothing of man's work in it, but all purely of him.—And now the Lord hath made us Citizens of this City, and stones of this Building, even living stones—and the Builders are wise Builders—and the Ministry is spiritual, and so are the Ministers, men taught by God,—who speak because they believe, and are endued with Power from on High, and filled with the Holy Ghost.’ Pag. 66. ‘And as the Ministry and Worship of the Church or House of God, among us, is spiritual, so is the Order, Discipline, and Government among us, and we witness the Lord's presence with us in our Assemblies, and the Head Christ in us (whether few or many) passing sound, righteous, and infallible Judgment concerning the Particulars that come before us. And pag. 74. And now what I have declared unto you, (and the Manifestation of the Spirit of Truth will shew much more, even the perfect Pattern of the House of God in the Mount) concerning these things, which are necessary and expedient, in order to a through, cleanly, and perfect Reformation, we the People of the Lord, called Quakers, have fallen upon them, being taught and directed by the Wisdom of God.’

Here Note, All these passages, so far as I did understand them, to respect the People called Quakers, as a visible Body of People, together with the generality of their Ministry, and general way of Worship, and Discipline, &c. I retract, and revoke, as being too large and ample a commendation of them, generally considered, and all other passages of the like nature, respecting the generality of that People and their Ministry, that may be found either in this Book, or any other of my Books whatsoever: and I freely and willingly acknowledge my weakness, and short-fightedness, in having so high and great an esteem of them generally considered. My zeal and fervour, [Page] I freely consess did carry me too far, even beyond the due Bounds, not only in the estimation I had of that People in general, but also in the Judgment and Thoughts I had of my own Attainments, though I dare not disown it but I do to God's praise, declare it, that I had great inward experience of the Lord's love and goodness at that time when I wrote that Book, which was a time of great Suffering unto me, being straitly confined in Prison, where I met with divers Hardships and Severities from Men, all which the Lord turned to my spiritual Advantage, and the spiritual Comforts and Refreshments where withal the Lord was pleased to visit my Soul, were exceeding precious unto me, as they are at this day, feeling at this present time, these of the same kind and nature by the good Spirit of the Lord, continued and renewed unto me, notwithstanding of the unjust and uncharitable Judgment of my late Adversaries against me, as if I were become a dry Tree, yet my Soul is alive to praise God, who hath preserved me to this instant, in the midst of many great and deep Exercises and Tryals, both inward and outward, one of the greatest of which hath been, and is, the envy and rage of such who have risen up in great enmity against me, for my telling them the Truth, and my faithful opposing the Errors and Evils that I have found among them; and my trust and Faith is in God through Christ Jesus, that he will preserve me to the end, and disappoint and frustrate all their False Prophecies, bitter Curses, and lying Divinations they have poured out against me, and continue to utter both in print, and private Letters they send to me, for which I desire and pray sincerely unto God, that he may give them Repentance and Forgiveness. And being sensible, and truly convinced, that I had too far exceeded in the thoughts of my spiritual Attainments, not only then, but since; therefore whatever passages are to be found either in this first Book, or any other of my later Books, that are justy offensive, on the account of my going beyond the due Bounds of my real growth and spiritual and inward state in the Truth, or of thinking of my inward Attainments and Calls, Services, Labours and Testimonies, beyond what I ought to have thought, or wherein either in this, or any other of my Books, I have seemed to my self, or professed to others, to have been acted by a purely divine impulse and motion to speak and write, I do freely and most willingly retract and revoke it, so far as any thing of the least mixture of mistake or untruth is to be found therein; as I confess I have found some mixture in this Book, and in other my Books.

And as in other things, I acknowledge my Mistakes, as to the People called Quakers in general, so in this, that was the general mistake among us, that their chief Leaders led us generally into, that the People called Quakers was the Church come out of the Wilderness. But for divers Years past, I have seen my Mistakes as to this, and the great Defects, Disorders, Confusions, and Imperfections I have found among them, and especially the ignorance, and great want of dne Qualifications in the generality of their Ministry, have given just ground to [Page] judge far otherwise concerning them. But yet I do affirm, that I have found divers that go under that Name, that have to my understanding and apprehension, made a good progress in spiritual Experiences, and other spiritual Attainments of Knowledge and Virtue. And I do still continue in my real perswasion, and belief, that there was a good Work of God upon the Hearts of many of that People, and his mighty Power did stir and operate in them, as I hope it doth in some continue to do unto this day. But greatly has the Power of Darkness and Error prevailed with many, especially their Leaders in great part to mislead them, and Presumption and Pride, earthly Lusts, and uncharitableness, in so highly condemning others, are Sins that did and do greatly prevail among them, and hath brought a great Cloud of Darkness over many of them, which I pray God to remove, and cause his blessed Light to shine forth more among them, and all others, and that he would be pleased to knit and unite the Hearts of all that sincerely love the Lord, to love one another, and make them of one Heart and Soul, that they may worship the Lord together in Spirit and in Truth; that as the Lord is one, all his People may be one, which cannot otherwise be effected, but by the more powerful Coming and Appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ into their Hearts and inward parts, to prepare them for his last coming in Glory, without them, to receive them to his Heavenly Kingdom: Even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly; Amen.

But notwithstanding of the particular passages in that Book, which I have retracted, I adhere to my Testimony I have given in the same, as in all my other Books, as to Matter and Substance, of many weighty things there delivered, and the good Advice I gave to my Country-men in that Book, I wish heartily they would duly regard.

Pag. 63. ‘And this Prophet Jesus Christ is nigh unto us, yea, more nigh than all the Men or Books upon the face of the Earth.’ And a little after. ‘And the Bride rejoyceth greatly, because of the Voice of the Bridegroom himself: And now we need not-say, who will go down into the Grave, and bring up Christ to us; or who will ascend to Heaven, to bring him down to us; or who will go over the Seas, and bring us tydings of him from Jerusalem, when he suffered in the Flesh, him (whose Name is the Word of God) we of a truth witness near us, even in our Hearts, so that we need not either ascend, or descend, or go fouth, &c.’

Here Note, That this above-mentioned passage was brought by T. Ellwood, in one of his late printed Books against me, to parallel that

Antichristian Doctrine of G. Whitehead, who said, in his Truth Defended, Answer to W. Burnet, The Quakers see no need of directing to pag. 110, 111. the Type for the Antitype, viz. neither to the outward Temple, nor yet to Jerusalem, either to Jesus Christ or his Blood, knowing that neither the Righteousness of Faith, nor the Word of it doth so direct, Rom. 10. And a little after he saith, And where do the Scriptures say, the Blood was there shed for Justification, and that Men must be directed to Jerusalem to it? Light and Life, pag. 59, 60. But who seeth not, that my Words have no such tendency, as [Page] his, but are of quite another importance, as intimating that after we are brought to know God and Christ, by the inward Teaching of God and Christ in our Hearts, that perswadeth us, that Christ suffered in the Flesh at Jerusalem, and moveth us to believe the outward Testimony of the Holy Scriptures, concerning Christ's Death and Sufferings; we need not say, who will go over the Seas, and bring us Tydings of him from Jerusalem, where he suffered in the Flesh, for all sincere Christians are well satisfied, with the Faith they have already of Christ, by the inward Testimony of his Spirit in their Hearts, that the Scripture-record of him is ture. So that they neither need nor seek any other ground of confirmation, to their Faith, either of an outward Voice from Heaven, or from beyond the Sea, from Jerusalem, where he suffered; yea, a true Christian, and sincere Believer, who sincerely believes that Christ suffered for his sins at Jerusalem, and has the Faith of it wrought in his Heart by the Spirit of Christ in him, the Scriptures Testimony having been Instrumental thereunto, hath not so great and absolute necessity, of the Scriptures outward Testimony, as that his Faith must be lost, if the Letter of Scripture were quite taken away from him; for though the Scripture be very useful and comfortable to him, yet if persecuting Infidels should rob him of the Bible, and all other Books, it followeth not, that they can rob him of his Faith. And that this is the importance and signification of my Words above-mentioned, is obvious to any intelligent unprejudiced Person. But the Question in debate there, betwixt G. W. and W. Burnet, was not about the manner how the Saints are taught, as whether more by an outward Teacher, or by Christ their inward Teacher, how to believe in Christ, or whether the Spirits inward Testimony, or the outward Testimony of the Letter of Scripture, or any outward testimony of Men is the more necessary, and greater ground of Confirmation to our Faith, but whether the Quakers see need to direct men, to Christ, as he suffered at Jerusalem, or to his Blood, as it was there shed for Justification; and as G. W. his Words further clear his sense, he saith, Where do the Scriptures say, the Blood was there shed for Justification, and that Men must be directed to Jerusalem to it? I need not insist to show how unparalel altogether is the quotation he takes out of my Book, to excuse the Antichristian Doctrine of G. W. But suppose I had been in the same Error with him, doth my Error excuse his Error? But how impudent a wrester of my innocent Words is T. Ellwood, that to make me an Apostate from my former Principles, he fains me, so far to contradict my former Testimony, that I am now for sending to Jerusalem, to have Tydings of Christ brought from thence. But to discover him to be a shameless Forger, and false Accuser (which are plain signs of his Apostacy from common Honesty, in this as in many other particulars) I tell him and all his Gang and Fraternity of False Accusers, whose best Weapons to support their tottering Kingdom, are Lyes and Calumnies, I am now no more than ever, for sending to Jerusalem to have Tydings of Christ brought from hence, for I seek no other outward [Page] Testimony, not need any other, but that which began to be preached at Jerusalem by the holy Apostles of our Lord, above sixteen hundred Years ago, and from Jerusalem came to Britain, and many other parts of the World, and that the said outward Testimony is true, I am fully perswaded by the inward Testimony of Christ, the Living Word in my Heart, which praised be God my preserver, I am not gone from, neither in Principle nor Practise, but own it and embrace it with great joy and satisfaction (that is infinitely more to me than all worldly treasure) as much as at any time formerly, and I hope shall so be for ever. Therefore it is another absolute Forgery and Falshood in T. E. to charge me, as he doth, saying, But now being gone from the Word in his Heart, and turned against it, &c. But why doth he think I am gone from it, and turned against it, because I did blame G. W. his Antichristian Doctrine, in saying, ‘It was contrary to Rom. 10. to direct Men to Jesus Christ, as he suffered there; and to his Blood as it was shed there for Justification.’ Which is a gross abuse put upon Rom. 10. that doth direct us to Christ the Object of our Faith, as he rose from the dead, at Jerusalem, where he suffered Death, ver. 9 10. If thou shall confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe with thy Heart that God raised him from the Dead, thou shalt be saved. And as for T. E. his poor evasion, in alledging it was a Typographical Error in G. W.'s Book, To for For, having formerly shewed the falseness of it, he having used the Particle To, in divers other places to the same effect; and supposing it were to be read For, mends not the matter. I shall not any more insist on it here.

As touching divers passages quoted by my late Adversaries, particularly Thomas Ellwood and John Pennington, out of some other of my Books, as The Way to the City of God: The Way cast up: Light of Truth, in Answer to R. Gordon; or any others of the like nature and importance, which they have sought greatly to pervert, and misconstructure, on purpose to abuse me, and make their credulous followers think my late Principles contradictory to my former, touching Articles of Faith: I see no present need nor cause, to recite them particularly one by one, or to rescue and vindicate them by any large Answer, from their perversions and wrestings, the passages themselves in great part, as quoted by them (abstractly considered from their perverse glosses) sufficiently serve to clear me, that I remain constant to my former Principles, with respect to these great Doctrines of the Christian Faith, and will much more clear me, if they be read and considered, as they stand in my own Books, so that I think it worth mentioning, what an unprejudiced and judicious Person, that had read their several late Books against me, and the Quotations they have brought out of my Books, to prove me changed in my Principles, said both to some of themselves, and also to me (He was not one called a Quaker, but of another Communion) that instead of their thinking to do me a diskindness, so as to prove me changed from my former Principles, from those several [Page] Quotations they have brought out of my Books, (they have, (though contrary to their design) done me a great Kindness, for these very Quotations prove, that I have been of the same Principles formerly, that now they blame me for, and which they commonly call Priests and Professors Principles. And seeing I have in divers late Printed Treatises, as in my Printed Letter to G. Croofe, at the end of his General History of the Quakers, and in my late Book called, Antichrists and Saddnces detected, given divers plain Explications of most of these, and such like Quotations brought by them against me, and shown the good Consistency of them with my present Faith, it would be a superfluous labour, to Reprint another Vindication of those Quotations, from their Perversions. And here in the close, I acquaint the Friendly and Judicious Reader, that if any of my above-given Explications seem to him in any degree strained beyond what the genuine sense of the Words will [...] (though I know not any one such) I am freely willing that what he [...] in any degree strained, he may take it, if not for a genuine and proper Explication (if so be it is in the least inconsistent with the truth of the Holy Scripture) to be my plain and free Retractation. For what I cannot fairly defend by Explication, I am freely willing to correct and amend by Retractation. As concerning the late abusive Books, published in Print against me, as well as the former, by T. E. and J. P. and others, containing vile Errors, in point of Doctrine, gross Perversions, base Slanders, trifling Defences in their own and others Vindication, I defer my larger Answer to them to another occasion, which I hope may be e're very long, if it shall please God to afford it unto me.

Having thus far proceeded to explain, amend and retract those particular passages in my Books above-mentioned, which I judged my Duty so to do, from true Conviction, and out of real love to Truth, I conclude with my making a general Retractation (which I do freely and humbly) of all passages, either in my Books above-mentioned, or in any others of my Books, not mentioned in this Treatise, in so far, as they are not perfectly consistent with the holy Scriptures, and the divine Doctrines and Testimonies delivered in them; and likewise I submit all that I have at any time given forth in Word, Writ or Print by way of Doctrine, in Religious matter to the Test, Touch-stone, and Rule of the holy Scriptures, as the greatest, the best, and most authentick Rule, and Standard of Truth, compared with all Testimonies, Writings, and Books of Men whatsoever, renouncing, revoking, retracting, disowning and denying whatever is contained in any of my former, or latter Books, that doth not perfectly agree with the holy Scriptures. Which general Retractation I make for this Reason, because it is possible that divers other particulars in my Books, which I have not observed, may need correction; therefore until I see other particulars to need Correction, which how soon I see, I am ready to correct. I hope this general Retractation will suffice. And if [Page] any shall inform me, or show me either by Word or Writ, any particular passages, in any of my Books, that may need further Correction and Amendment, they being enabled so to do by a divine Illumination, I shall receive so most kindly, and as amost friendly Office, and judge my self greatly obliged to be thankful unto them. But if any presume or proffer, to make any seem Corrections in my Books, or pass Censures on passages in them, without a right understanding, or from a spirit of Prejudice, or a scossing, taunting, airy, Unchristian Spirit, as my late Adversaries have done, whereby they have shown, and continue daily to show, their great Ignorance and Perverseness of Spirit, they have their Reward, and they will but still more and more expose their Folly and Enmity: for indeed so blind with Ignorance and Prejudice my-late Adversaries have been, particularly Tho. Ellwood, and John Pennington, and Caleb Pusey, that the soundest Passages for most part in my Booke in relation to Doctrine, they have blamed and censured, though ge [...]y such as most need Correction, they have past, without the least censure. However, as my great Comfort is, that both they and I shall stand e're long before the Supream Judge of the whole Earth, to whom I have committed my Righteous Cause; and I do still commit it, and make my humble Appeal to him, acknowledging my many sinful defects and imperfections, for which I humbly beg pardon of God, for Jesus Christ's sake, and for all my other Sins, and hope for it, and have in measure the sense and Faith of it, being fully perswaded in my Conscience, both by the divine Testimony of the Holy Scriptures without me, and the divine Testimony of the Holy Spirit within me, and also by the concurrent Testimony of all true Christians in all Ages, of the truth of that doctrine God has raised me up to contend for, which three are as a threefold Cord that cannot be broke, that whatever my Imperfections are in managing this great Controversie, my Cause is Just, and my Heart is sincere before him, so it is a great comfort to me, that many throughout these Nations, far and near, have a good understanding of the present Case; and though my Adversaries seek to overwhelm me with a thick Cloud of Infamy, grounded on Falshoods and Calumnies, yet the Truth and Integrity of my Testimony will overcome it all, and will shine forth, and be manifest, and the Generation to come of the Posterity of many of that People, who now account me their Enemy, and pour out Curses and Lying Prophesies against me, will regard my Testimony, and it will be a good savour unto them. This trust and hope I have in my gracious God, whose I am, and whom I serve; and it is a considerable advantage unto me, that some of my greatest Adversaries have acknowledged, they have nothing against my Morals nor Doctrine; and it is come under the Observation of many that hear them in their Meetings, how admirably they are changed of late, to preach the very same Doctrines, which formerly they have so fiercely opposed in all that were not of their way, and for which they have Excommunicated me; but they cannot be judged sincere, until they plainly Retract their former Errors.

[Page] And finally, with a free and willing mind, I make a general Retractation of all the hard Names, and uncharitable Censures, I have at any time, either by Word or Writ, past on any, differing from me in point of Judgment, that have not deserved them, humbly desiring their Forgiveness, wherein I have in that case justly offended them. And though I do (with deep regrat) acknowledge and blame my too great rashness, in giving hard Names, and passing uncharitable Censures on divers, with whom I have differed in point of judgment, being engaged in the heat of Controversie, and divers times provoked by the hard Names and uncharitable Censures, that some of my Opponents have given me; which provocation I should not have given way to, but rather according to what the Scripture requireth, to have sought in meekness, to instruct them that opposed themselves, if God peradventure would give them Repentance; yet I was never so uncharitable, as to think or judge that few or none were truly Pious, or of a true Christian Spirit, or that did belong to the true Church of Christ, but such as were of the same outward Profession with me; for the Contrary I have several times signified in Print, and as I have been charitable in my Judgment, with respect to others with whom I have distered, in Controversal points, when I did think they held the Head, and built on Christ the true Foundation, though some part of what they built was but Hay, Wood and Stubble; so it is my resolution, by divine assistance, to be yet more charitable in judgment concerning others that differ from me in the lesser matters, when they agree with me in the greater, and whose manner of Life and Conversation is suitable to their Christian Profession. But as for such who deny the Lord that bought them, and hold such Antichristian Principles, as oppugne the great Fundamentals of the Christian Religion, as I have sufficiently proved my late Adversaries to have done, the greatest and best Charity that I can extend unto them, is to deal roundly and plainly with them, and give them and their vile Errors, such sit and proper Names, as they deserve, and as the Scripture giveth to such, who were guilty of such vile Errors, in former times: But the nasty and unclean Terms, and Words, worse than Billingsgate, that some called Teachers among the Quakers, and some of which are my present Adversaries have given to their Opponents. I account it my mercy, that I never had the faculty of them, and yet so impudent have these my late Adversaries been, to accuse me for giving hard Words to such, unto whom they have given an hundredfold much harder: and I have this with other great advantages over them, that I have freely and willingly Retracted them, as well as other things that I saw cause and occasion for, which I find not that any of them in the least have done, and are not like to do, until their Crown of Pride come down, and they see themselves to be fallible men, having Infirmities and Defects like other Men, which I pray God, they may see, and find Mercy to Repent of all their Errors and Evils, before it be too late, and may have a. Heart given them of God, if not to follow me, as an Example, yet to follow the Example of other great Penitents, and obey the Command of God, that requireth every Man both to confess and forsake his Sins; for he that hideth his Sins, will not prosper; but if we confess our Sins, he is just and faithful to forgive us our Sins; and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness,

G. K.

THE END.

[Page]

Information about this book

Title statement

George Keith's explications of divers passages contained in his former books as also his free and open retractations of sundry other passages contained in the same, which may at present suffice for a reply to the late, as well as former books of Tho. Elwood, and John Penington, published against me, in respect of the most material things.

Keith, George, 1639?-1716.

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1697

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Date

2005-12 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

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A47142

ID [STC]

Wing K163

ID [STC]

ESTC R18950

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

12730331

ID [OCLC]

ocm 12730331

ID [VID]

66443

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A47142)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 66443)

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Source

— George Keith's explications of divers passages contained in his former books as also his free and open retractations of sundry other passages contained in the same, which may at present suffice for a reply to the late, as well as former books of Tho. Elwood, and John Penington, published against me, in respect of the most material things., Keith, George, 1639?-1716..

Extent

[4], 44 p.

Printed for B. Aylmer ..., and Rich. Baldwin ..., and are to be sold by the author ...,. London :: 1697.. (Reproduction of original in Huntington Library.)

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