cles did in fome Senfe figuratively denote or typify the fanctifying Operations of his Spirit, for the Purifying and Cleansing the Hearts of the Faithful? does he not expreйly acknowledge, p. 251. That the true knowledge of the Power and Effect of his Reconciliation, and Fellow

fhip of his Sufferings, and our being conformable to his Death, must be experienced by us within us, if ever we live and reign within him.' In which we agree with him, as alfo. faying p. 212. That all this was the Purchafe of what was outwardly tranfacted by him wholly without us, as the Meritorious Immediate • Cause thereof, though it is applied to us, by what is inwardly tranfacted by him, by his Spirit, and its fanctifying Operations within us, which he also purchased for us, by the Merit ⚫ of what was tranfacted by him outwardly with'out us.' Yet we do not thereby intend to affert, that the Work of the Spirit of Chrift in us, is in no fenfe Meritorious, fince 'tis that without which no Man fhall be faved; for as R. Claridge well obferves (c) A Man may believe all the Articles of the Creed, all that Chrift hath • done or fuffered, without him; but what will this avail, if he know not the Work of Sancti, •fication by the Spirit of Christ within him? But when a Man comes to receive Chrift in

his inward and fpiritual Appearance, and to know him to be his Saviour, by faving of him from his Sins, and fanctifying of him by his Holy Spirit, then how comfortable are thofe Doctrines recorded in Scripture respecting • Chrift's outward Appearance? For then a Man comes to the fulfilling of Scripture in

his

(c) Melius Inquirendum. p. 217.

his Measure, and to a Tafte and Experience * of thofe Truths which he had before but by Report or Hear-fay.

THE Only Foundation we have to build upon for Acceptance with God to eternal Salvation, is Jefus Chrift; (d) but as one rightly obferves on Col. i. 26. Chrift in you the Hope of Glo< ry. 'Tis not by reafon of what Chrift has done for you, without you, that you have any grounds of Hope: All the Acts of Christ's Mediation faith he, must be acted over again in us. Birth or Conception. Gal iv. 19. His Death Rom. vi. 4. His Refurrection, Col. iii. 1. His Afcenfion. Eph. ii, 6. His Interceffion. Rom: • viii. 26.

(e)

His

FOR all, faith Arch-bifhop Tillotson, that he (viz. Chrift) hath done for us without us, will avail us nothing, unless we be inwardly transformed and renewed in the Spirit of our Minds.

THE Vicar tells us, p. 253. that Tho' the Anci•ents, of whom he Names only Auguftin, indulg'd ⚫ themselves too much in allegorizing, and carried their Allegories fometimes too far, yet they never carried them fo far as the Quakers, and fome other Allegorists and Enthufiafts, ⚫ who have made fo many outward Things mentioned in Scripture to be internal Things.'

WHAT other Allegorists and Enthusiasts, as he calls 'em, have done, is nothing to the Quakers, who

(d) Clark's Annotations on the New Teftament. (e) Sermon 4. concerning the Incarnation of our bleffed Saviour. p. 217. Edit. 1693.

who have made no outward Things to be internal Things; but that Internal and Spiritual Things are frequently reprefented in the Holy Scriptures by external and natural Things, is fo evident, that if the believing it entitle a Man to the hardNames of Allegorift and Enthufiaft, every one that reads thofe facred Records will be in danger of coming under those Appellations.

He next forms this Question, Would it be just to charge the Body of the Quakers with all the Errors of particular Perfons among them, if there were any fuch? He anfwers, It may be ve

ry just to charge them with the Errors of their • Teachers. Now let us fuppofe, what is poffible enough, that a Parish Priest from his Pulpit fhould, through Ignorance or Mistake, drop a Point of Herefy among the People; would the found of his Words make all his Auditors Hereticks? We think not; but that all the wifeMen among his Hearers might continue every whit as Orthodox as they were before, yea, though it should happen, that Preacher might never be called to Account for his Words before his Diocefan, or any Spiritual Court. Why then must the Quakers in fuch a Cafe have harder Measure than other People? They fays the Vicar, pretend to immediate Infpiration and Infallibility in all they teach. But how a Preacher's pretences to Infpiration and Infallibility can make their Hearers juftly chargeable with all their Errors, is a Mystery he has left altogether unexplain❜d,

AND, be adds, They may very juftly be charg⚫ed with all the Errors of any particular Per⚫ fons among them, contained in their Books, approv'd by their Meetings appointed for that

• Service

• Service.' But will he admit the Juftice of his own Charges against the Quakers to be tried by that Rule? If he does, he'll be certainly convicted of Injustice, fince many of the Books and Papers he pretends to Charge them from, were never approv'd by their Meetings appointed for that purpose.

WHICH, fays he. may therefore well pafs for the general Principles of that Body of People, if they will not call in these Books, and Witness against these Errors.' Now, upon Suppofition, not granting, that there were Errors in fome fuch Books, it does not follow that a Society muft either call in those Books, or be juftiy charged with thofe Errors. Some Errors are Typographical, with which no Reader of common Ingenuity will charge fo much as the Author of the Book, much less a Body of People.

OTHER Things, which fome may call Errors, may be but meer Opinions of the Author, which, if not contrary to Scripture, why he may not be indulg'd in publishing of, even though his Book before 'tis printed fhould pafs the Perufal of fome of his Friends, we cannot fee a Reason for. Nor do we think, that the Bishop of London, who, the Vicar fays, was pleased to peruse in ManuScript fome part of his Papers, and thought good to lay on him his Commands to proceed in his Defign (which is more Authoritative than any thing the Quakers do in fuch Cafes) is therefore juftly to be charged with all the Errors he has publifh'd.

WERE fome of the Quakers Books then as really erroneous, as the Vicar is deficient in proBb ving

ving any of them to be fo, it does not follow, that they are any more obliged to call in thofe Books, than the Bishop is the Vicar's, who though he may poffibly difcern fome flips therein, muft not therefore neceffarily defpair of its doing any Service. Much lefs fhould the Quakers who know the general Import and Tendency of their Friends. Writings to have been the fpreading of the Gofpel of Chrift, and the promotion of Truth upon Earth, by directing Men to follow the Guidance of the Light of Chrift which the holy Scriptures teftify, of, call in or prevent the fpreading of Books which tend to the Univerfal good of Mankind, becaufe Carping Adverfaries pretend to find fome Expreffions therein, which they have ill Will enough to conftrue in a Manner contrary to the plain Intent and Purpose of the Author's whole Work.

BUT the Vicar, p. 254. feems to put on fome Appearance of Charity for the prefent Quakers, when, in Anfwer to this Queftion, Do not you

think the Quakers are more found in the Faith than formerly they were judged to be,' he anfwers Yes, I do really think they are now ge

nerally fo.' An excess of Charity he has thought fit to qualify in his Errata, by adding, as to fome Things. For, fays he, at their firft Appearance and for fome Years after, many of their Doctrines were fo Antichriftian and Blafphemous, that they found it generally neceffary to recede from them.' Which is a Miftake, for. they have not receded from the Doctrine taught by their early Friends at their first Appearance, which was the Doctrine of Truth, neither Antichriftian nor Blafphemous; every particular Expreffion we do not think ourselves obliged to defend; when we confider the Difficulty of thofe

Suffering