gift of God." All that man is capable of believing, or performing, can never properly be faid to merit everlasting bleffednefs; because there can be no proportion (as there must be, in cafe of merit) between the best works that can be performed in the life of man, and an eternal felicity. Wherefore all that man can do, even with the affiftance of the Holy Spirit,' can never be faid ftrictly to merit, as a debt due to the creature: but, on the other hand, that right faith, and good works, (which arife out of it, or will follow it) may, and do, obtain the bleffed immortality, [which it pleafeth Almighty God to give, and privilege the fons of men with, who perform that neceffary condition] is a gospel and neceffary truth. And this the Quakers ground upon, and therefore boldly affirm to the world.

So that they deny all merit from the best of works; especially by fuch as fome Papifts may conceive to be meritorious. But as they, on the one hand, deny the meritoriousness of works; fo, on the other hand, neither can they join with that lazy faith which works not out the falvation of the foul with fear and trembling: pray let not good works make men Papifts, because they make men Chriftians. I am fure 'believing and not working, and imagining a falvation from wrath, where there is no falvation or cleansing from fin, which is the cause of it, is no whit lefs unfcriptural, and abundantly more pernicious to the foul. "Bleffed is he that hears Chrift's words, and does "them." The doer is only accepted. Wherefore it fhall be faid at the laft day, not, "Well professed," but, "Well done, good and faithful fervant, enter "thou into the joy of thy Lord." Thou holy,

humble, patient, and meek liver: thou that lovedst me above all, and thy neighbour as thyself: enter thou. For, for thee, and fuch as thou art, was it ⚫ prepared from the foundation of the world.' Which recompence of his faithfulness, is the infinite love of

* Phil. ii. 12.

Mat. vii. Pfalm xvii.

B 3

God

God revealed and given to man, through Chrift. For though "death be the wages of fin,' yet "the gift

" of God is eternal life to fuch." So that as the people called Quakers do not hold that their good works merit, neither believe they that their good works justify them: for though none are juftified that are not in measure fanctified, yet all that man does is duty, and therefore cannot blot out old fcores: for that is mere grace and favour, upon repentance, through Christ, the Sacrifice and Mediator; our great Scape-Goat. So that men are not juftified, because they are fanctified, but for his fake that fanctifies them, and works all their good works in them and for them, and prefents them blameless; to wit, Chrift Jefus, who is made unto them, as he was to the faints of old, "wifdom, righteoufnefs, "fanctification, and redemption; that he that glofieth, "might glory in the Lord."

SECT. X.

Of Water-Baptifm, and the Supper.

Perverf. 14. The Quakers deny the two great facra'ments or ordinances of the gofpel, baptifm, and the Supper.'

Princip. Whatever is truly and properly a gofpelordinance, they defire to own and practife: but they obferve no fuch language in the fcripture as in the reflection. They do confefs the practice of John's baptifm, and the fupper, is to be found there; but practice only is no inftitution, or fufficient reafon of continuation. That they were then proper, they believe; it being a time of great infancy, and when the mysteries of truth lay yet couched and folded up in figures and fhadows, as is acknowledged by Proteftants: but it is their belief, that no figures or figns are perpetual, or of inftitution, under the gospel-administration, when CHRIST, who is

• Rom, vi. 23. d Ifa. xxvi. 12. 1 Cor, i. 30, 31.

the

the fubftance of them, is come: though their use might have been indulged to young converts in primitive times, becaufe of the condefcenfion of former practices.

It were to overthrow the whole gofpel-difpenfation, and to make the coming of Chrift of none effect, to render figns and figures of the nature of the gospel, which is inward, Spiritual, and eternal.. If it be faid, But they were used after the coming of Chrift, and his afcenfion too:' They answer, So were many Jewish ceremonies, not easily abolished, as circumcifion, &c. It is fufficient to them, That water-baptifm was John's and not Chrift's. See Mat. iii. 11. Acts i. 5. That Jefus never used it, John iv. 2. That it was no part of Paul's commiffion, which if it were evangelical, and of duration, it would certainly have been. 1 Cor. iv. 15, 16, 17. And that there is but one baptifm, as well as one faith, and one Lord, Ephef. v. 4. And that baptifin ought to be of the fame nature with the kingdom of which it is an ordinance, and that is fpiritual. The fame holds alfo as to the fupper, both alluding to old Jewish practices, and used as a fignification of a near and accomplished work, viz. The fubftance they reprefented.

If any fay, But Chrift commanded that one of them 'fhould continue in remembrance of him;' which the apostle to the church of Corinth explains thus; "That "thereby they do fhew forth the Lord's death until he "comes:" We allege, That he that faid fo, told his difciples alfo, "That he would come to them again: "that fome fhould not tafte of death until they faw "him coming in the kingdom: and that he that dwel"leth with them, fhould be in them: and that he would "drink no more of this fruit of the vine, until he "fhould drink it new with them in the kingdom of "God:f" which is the new wine, that was to be put into the new bottles, and is the wine of the kingdom; as

Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 26, Mat. xvi. 28. John xiv. 17. Mat. xxvi. 29. Mark xiv. 25.

he expreffeth it in the fame place: which kingdom is within, as may be read in Luke. He was the beavenly bread that they had not yet known, nor his flesh and blood, as they were to know them; as may be seen, John vi. So that though Chrift was come to end all figns, yet, until he was known to be the fubftance to the foul, as the great bread of life from heaven, figns had their service with them, to few forth, and hold in hand, and in remembrance of Chrift: efpecially to the people of that day, whofe religion was attended with a multitude of the like types, fhadows, and figns of the one good thing and fubftance of all, Chrift manifefted in his people. And that great apoftle Paul fays exprefly of the Jewish obfervations, "That they were fhadows "of the good things to come, but the fubftance was "of Chrift." Hence it is, that the people called Quakers cannot be faid to deny them; that is too hard a word: but they truly feeling in themselves the very thing, which outward water, bread and wine do fignify, or point forth (to fay nothing here of their abufe, and what in that cafe may be argued, from the instance of Hezekiah's taking away the brazen ferpent by God's command) they leave them off, as fulfilled in Chrift, who is in them "the hope of their glory: And henceforth they have but one Lord, one faith, one baptifm, one bread, and but one cup of bleffings, and that is the new wine of the kingdom of God, which is within.'

SECT. XI.

Of the Resurrection, and Eternal Recompence.

Perverf. 15. They acknowledge no resurrection of the dead, nor rewards to come.'

Princip. In this alfo we are greatly abused. We deny not, but believe, the refurrection, according to the

• Luke v. 37. • 2 Kings xviii. 4. Luke xvii. 20, 27.

Luke xvii. 20.

Mark xiv. 25.

John vi. 53 to 63. 1 Cor. x. 15, 16, 17.

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fcripture; not only from fin, but alfo from death and the grave; but are confcientioufly cautious in expreffing the manner of the refurrection intended in the charge, because it is left a fecret by the Holy Ghost in the fcripture. Should people be angry with them for not expreffing or afferting what is bidden, and which is more curious than neceffary to be known, and in which the objectors themselves cannot be pofitive?" Thou "fool," is to the curious enquirer, as fays the apoftle:* which makes the Quakers contented with that body, which God fhall please to give them hereafter being affured," that their corruptible fhall put on incorrup"tion, and their mortal fhall put on immortality," but in fuch a manner as pleaseth God. And in the mean time they esteem it their duty, as well as wifdom, to acquiefce in his holy will. It is enough they believe a refurrection, and that with a glorious and incorruptible body, without farther niceties; for to that was the ancient hope.

Now as to eternal rewards, they not only believe them, but, as the apoftle fays of old, above all people have the greatest reason fo to do;' for otherwife, who is fo miferable? Do they inherit the reproach and suffering of all that have separated from time to time from national churches? That is to fay, Are the outcries that have been against the Proteftants by the Papifts, and those of the church of England against the Puritans, Brownifts, and Separatifts, fallen fo thick upon them, and shall they hold principles inconfiftent with an eternal recompence of reward? By no means. It is their faith, their hope, their intereft, and what they wait and have suffered for, and prefs, as an encouragement to faithfulnefs, upon one another. And the contrary, therefore, must be both an unjust and an improbable fuggeftion of their adverfaries.

Of Civil Honour and Respect.

Perverf. 16. The Quakers deny all civil honour and respect, but what is relative or equal between men.'

1 Cor. xv. 36 to 54. 11 Cor. xv. 19.