profeffion of theirs, are influenced and directed by the Spirit of God?

Who now fhall determine this queftion? The writer of this book will not confent to the arbitration of Mr. P. or any other Quaker, and he expects they will not leave the matter to be determined by him. He perhaps thinks that he has the Spirit which infpired the New Teftament writers favingly influencing him, and that Barclay, when he wrote the apology, and his brethren, who have written in his defence, had not. He may fpeak this with fincerity, they with equal fin-, cerity and modesty may affert, that they have the Spirit, and that he has not. His own thoughts and declarations he will naturally think as good as any of the Quakers, and Mr. P. or any one of his brethren will think their cogitations and affertions equally authentic and important, if not more fo. To whom then shall the appeal be made, to decide the controverfy?—To friends? Here the matter will be left in the fame ftate of uncertainty, for the determination of the friends of one party, will be just as authentic, in itself confidered, as the determination of the other.-Shall it be decided by the life and converfation? Barclay's opponent may be as ready to fubmit it to this standard, if required, as Mr. P. or any of his brethren, and his character may appear in the world as good as theirs, and theirs. as good as his. Should experience be proposed as the criterion, it would leave the matter ftill uncertain. For though Mr. Barclay expreffes himself thus, "We can, from a certain experience, boldly affirm," and Mr. P. with a measure of felf-infpiration that is unusual, calls thofe writers who diffent from him,

inexperienced," their opponent, with just as much modefty, propriety, and fincerity, may declare, on the contrary, that he can from "a certain experience boldly affirm," (an expreflion of Barclay's) that the fpirit which breathes through their religious writings, is not the fame which influenced the Apostles and firft Chriftians,

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Chriftians. Now the affertions of Quakers, upon this question, will appear to the unprejudiced reader, of equal importance and validity with his, and his with theirs, ftill therefore the question will remain undetermined. For nothing can be more evident, to the obferver of the profeffing religious world, than this, that every fincere devout man, is fond of his own fpirit, and experience, and, from felf-love, will naturally conclude, that they are not only upon the whole faving, but, in every refpect much better than those, which influence the perfon who opposes him.

It would be abfurd then, in every view, as Mr. P. if he will be ingenuous, muft allow, for him, Mr. Barclay, or any other writer, to propose their religi ous fentiments to the examination of mankind in print, unless they will fubmit them to the teft of Scripture and right reafon. For if they have recourse to a higher ftandard than thefe, thofe who oppose them have a right to do the fame. And fhould they take this method to decide the controverfy, their arguments will confift of mere affertions, and all the impartial world will join in laughing at both parties, as a set of conceited dogmatifts.

5. We cannot conclude this chapter without obferving, that Mr. Barclay appears to us, to argue in a circle upon one of the grand points of Quakerifm. "Im"mediate internal revelation," according to his notion of it, "is," he afferts in the fecond prepofition," effenti"ally neceffary to the true and faving knowledge of "God." But how does he labour to prove this? Why, principally from the Scriptures, as any one may fee, who will read his differtation upon immediate revelation.

Whereas in his third propofition, and treatise upon it, he attempts to fhow us, that the "Scriptures are only a fecondary rule;" and this is the fum of his reafening upon the point, that our being perfuaded of their truth and certainty, entirely depends, not upon

the

the Spirit's convincing us, by any internal or external evidence of their divine authority, through fome outward means of information, (which we do not deny), but upon his enlightening and convincing us, by "an "internal immediate revelation *". We cannot have mistaken him here, we prefume, because, whenever he speaks of being led, taught, or convinced, by the Spirit, he means, as will appear more fully afterwards, by its "internal inmediate revelation," in his sense of these epithets.

So then the Apologift has recourfe to the Scriptures, to prove to us the neceffity of "immediate infpi❝ration" for all perfons, but when he will convinceusof the truth and certainty of the Scriptures, he turns us back again to his peculiar notion of " the revelation of "the Spirit in every man." Strange logicindeed! The primary felf-evident rule is to be established, by appealing to the fecondary inadequate rule, and this again to be proved by the primary. But was any propofition ever proved by one that is lefs certain? And more especially, by that very propofition, the sole proof of which refts upon the propofition in debate? Let common sense determine.

If the reader will recollect what has been advanced in this chapter, it is prefumed he will be convinced,-That Mr. Barclay's conceffions about the Scriptures are attended with fome artful and futile referves-That

very obvious, the Quakers ufe the diftinctions of a primary and fecondary, adequate and inadequate rule, with no manner of propriety and juftice, unless they can point out the real nature of the Spirit to us by feeling or fpeculation, which they are unable to do-That Mr. P.'s remarks, upon his opponents appeal to the Scriptures and right reafon, are imperti

*For as by the inward teftimony of the Spirit we do alone truly know them; fo they teftify the Spirit is that guide, by “which the faints are led into all truth." Apol. Prop. III.

nent,

nent, as Meffrs. Barclay and Beafley had made this appeal before him, and that his attempts to diminish the importance of either, neither helps his caufe, nor advances his reputation; fince there is as much, if not more abfurdity and diffention, among those who pretend to be governed by the motion of the Spirit within them, as there is amongst them who make the connected sense of a written revelation and right reason, the standard of their judgment and practice---That the writer of this treatife and his friends, if the Quakers will reject the above-mentioned standard, have as much a right to appeal to the teachings of the Spirit within them, as they can have---And that their great champion Barclay, with all his artifice, most abfurdly argues in a circle, upon one of the grand points of Quakerifin.

CHA P. III.

1. George Fox's divine call or miffion examined by his own pretenfions in his journal. 2. Barclay's alfo confidered. 3. The measure of the Spirit, allowing, for argument's Jake, their call to be genuine, they may be fuppofed to have poffefled;---the impropriety of Barclay's adopting the reply of the proteftants to the papifts ;---and Mr. Phipps's attempt to defend it---freely and fairly difcuffed. 4. Some remarks upon Mr. B----y's notion concerning the prophecies of thefe latter ages, and Mr. Phipps's catalogue of prophets and their predictions.

1.

Gar

EORGE FOX's fuppofed divine miffion examined, as it is related in his own journal. It is allowed by all, that this man was the firft founder of Quakerifm. He, and his moft diftinguifhed cotemporaries, are efteemed by the people of this fact, the great reformers of mankind. Their

doctrines,

doctrines, difcipline, fufferings, and dying fayings, being very highly revered, compofe that fyftem of faith, experience, and practice, which they honour with the name of "our ancient Chriftian teftimony:" A ferious and conftant attention to which, is ordinarily pressed upon the youth of both sexes among them. Fox, at his death, left a number of papers behind him; from whence one T. Ellwood, in the name of the deceased, composed a journal: This, as well as another of Ellwood's own life, is held in great repute among thofe the Quakers call "plain Friends."

Mr. W. Penn, who wrote the preface to this journal of George Fox, honours him with as great and magnificent titles, as were ever given to the greatest of God's infpired fervants. He calls him, not only "the first blessed and glorious inftrument in this "work," but, Preface, p. 41. "the most high God's "faithful fervant and Apoftle to this generation of the "world *." His original call to this apostleship is also set forth by Mr. Penn, in terms nearly as grand and fublime, as any of thofe recorded in facred writ, concerning the call of Mofes or Paul; which the reader may fee in his preface, P. 44.

Thomas Ellwood likewise, in the journal of his own life, P. 253, calls George Fox "That eminent "fervant and Prophet of God." Moreover he fays of him, in his account prefixed to Fox's journal, "This Holy Man was raised up by God, in an ex"traordinary manner, for an extraordinary work, 66 even to awaken the fleeping world, by proclaiming "the mighty day of the Lord to the nations, and "publishing again the everlasting Gospel to the in"habitants of the earth, after the long and difmal "night of apoftacy and darknefs."

Margaret Fox, his widow, and divers others, give much the fame teftimony concerning him.

*The edition of Fox's journal used in this treatise, is that published 1709, 2 vols. 8vo.

Thefe