Again. "Moreover, we do both firmly believe that the worlds were made by the Son of God, and that by him all things consist, he being that Word that was with God, and that was God, in the beginning: and that this Son of God was the First-born of every creature, and the Firstbegotten of the dead. And since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. And also, we do as really confess according to holy Scripture, that this Son of God, in due time, took upon him a real body prepared for him, of the same flesh and blood which the children had, Heb. ii. 14., was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Rom. i. 3, 4. That this Christ, the Son of God, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness or habit of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, wherefore God hath highly exalted him, &c. Phil. ii. 8."-P. 33. -1676.

WILLIAM GIBSON.

In the year 1677, this Friend wrote a tract, entitled "The Life of God, which is the Light and Salvation of men, exalted, &c.," in which he vindicates the Society of Friends from many slanderous charges made against it by one John Cheyney. To the assertion that the Quaker's doctrine of the sufficiency of the light and grace of God for salvation, makes the coming of Jesus Christ into the world vain, he says

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And, J. C., it is great ungodliness in thee to say, that from this, our before cited doctrine and testimony, it will follow that Christ came into the world in vain; for we say the coming of Christ into the world was and is of great value and worth, and is of high value and esteem with us: We say he came into the world to save sinners from their sin; He offered up himself, through the eternal Spirit, as an acceptable sacrifice unto God, as a Lamb without spot and blemish: He was and is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of all that believe and obey him: He is the one offering who hath ended the Jews' many

shadowy offerings: He baptizeth with his Holy Spirit, life, and power, all that believe and walk therein; in such, he fulfils what John the Baptist testified of him, viz. he baptizeth them with his holy life, and Spirit, which is as fire to burn up the devil's works in man, which is sin, and so casts him out who is the author of them."-P. 21.

On page 131, in reply to the false charge that the Quakers said they were Christ, he remarks:

"We never said we were Christ. We own no Christ but one, the Son of God, from everlasting to everlasting, who was manifest in flesh in the fulness of time, who was born of the virgin, and went up and down doing good, preached righteousness, wrought miracles, and according to the flesh died, and was laid in the sepulchre, rose again the third day, and ascended, according to the Scriptures." -1677.

WILLIAM SHEWEN.

From an essay, entitled "The true Christian's Faith and Experience, &c.," the following is extracted, viz."The true Christian believes in one Lord Jesus Christ, who came from the bosom of the Father, who is the Son of the true God, by whom he made the world: and that this Lord Jesus Christ is his Saviour, Redeemer, Sanctifier, and Cleanser, by his precious blood, and is to him a King, Priest, and Prophet. And he demonstrateth his faith in this manner-in being obedient to him as he is Lord; in being saved by him from sin, as he is Jesus; and by his learning of him and being taught by him, as he is Christ or the Anointing."-P. 7.-1679.

ELIZABETH BATHURST.

In a defence of the Society of Friends from various aspersions cast upon them by their opposers, published in the year 1679, I find the following remarks, viz.

"A second charge which I have heard brought in against the Quakers is, that they deny the humanity of Christ Jesus, and the obedience that he yielded in the days

of his flesh, by his sufferings, death, burial, resurrection from the dead, together with all the benefits that thereby accrue unto believers, as also justification by faith and the imputed righteousness of Christ. Now that this has been as falsely charged upon them as the former [accusation], I shall undertake to prove by Scripture.”—P. 12.

"First. Therefore, to clear truth from slander, both on the one hand and on the other, I do in the first place affirm, and that upon certain grounds, that all who may be rightly denominated Quakers, such as tremble at the word of God, they are of the faith of one substance which the ancient Christians so earnestly contended for, and suffered such hard things in maintaining, viz., that Christ, the blessed Son of God, (as to his divinity,) was of the same eternal substance with the Father."

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Secondly. I affirm, they faithfully own the Scriptures, and therefore, what John the Divine saw in his revelations concerning Him, as 'tis recorded chap. xii. 8. That he, viz. Christ, was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world: And what the apostle said of him, Phil. ii. 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God; likewise John the evangelist in his first. chapter, saith concerning Christ, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; the same was in the beginning with God; all things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made; for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, principalities, or powers, all things were created by him and for him; who is over all, God blessed for ever, Amen. Col. i. 16. Rom. ix. 5. These, together with the testimonies Jesus gave of himself, John viii. 58. Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am: x. 30. I and my Father are one: xvii. 5. there he prays, And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

“In like manner he speaks of his own eternity, Proverbs c. viii. from verse 23 to the end; to which agrees that application [appellation] given to him of Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Isa. ix. 6. These things, I say, the Quakers believing, according as they are written, and having an

experience of in themselves, by the effectual working of the mighty power of Christ Jesus in their hearts, are sufficient proofs to them of his divine substance, and also to make them see, what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, as 'tis written, Ephes. iii. 9. Wherefore they know the Son to be one and equal in power with the Father.

"Now if any shall object that Scripture where Christ saith, My Father is greater than I.'

"Ans. That must needs be understood only as he assumed the name of man, not at all relating to the fulness of the Godhead that dwelleth bodily in him, as 'tis written, Col. ii. 9. So likewise the author to the Hebrews describes him, c. i. v. 2., to be the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image or character of his substance, (for so the word person ought to be rendered,) by whom also he made the worlds. And therefore I believe, and so do they in whose behalf I write, that Jesus Christ is very God.

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Third, I affirm they do believe that this Jesus, or this God, was manifest in the flesh, as saith the apostle, 1 Tim. iii. 16., and John the Evangelist, c. i. 14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And Paul to the Hebrews, c. ii. 16. speaking of Christ, saith, for verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

"Fourth. Therefore, in the fourth place, I affirm, the Quakers do faithfully own this Jesus to be the Mediator, according to the testimony of the apostle, 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6., for there is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

"Fifth. I affirm they own his obedience also; for I know they do believe, that Christ Jesus, in the days of his flesh, was obedient to God as becometh a Son unto a Father in all things. For he came not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him; wherefore we find him praying to his Father, Not my will but thine be done: Yea, moreover, 'tis written of him, Heb. v. 8, Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered: for he was a man of sorrows and ac

quainted with grief: he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, as saith the prophet Isaiah c. liii. 3. Therefore these do confess to his sufferings according to the Scriptures; for Christ also hath once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit, 1 Pet. iii. 18. Likewise they own his death as an acceptable and most satisfactory sacrifice to God for the sins of all, and is of blessed advantage to all, that shall receive faith in his blood; which agrees to Rom. iii. 25. Ephes. v. 2. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God: and he hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. Also they believe, that as Christ died for our sins, so he was buried likewise, and rose again, according to the Scriptures, 1 Cor. xv. 4, &c. Again, v. 20, 21. 'tis said, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that sleep: For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead: So in Acts xvii. 31. the apostle mentions this as the assurance which God gave to men of his judging the world at the great day, by his Son Christ Jesus, viz., his having raised him from the dead."-P. 13 to 20.

-1679.

THOMAS LAYTHES,

In a tract entitled "The Inward and Spiritual Christian distinguished, &c." says

"And blessed be the God of heaven, that hath raised up a seed in our day, that cannot bow or bend to any thing but to the name of Jesus only, to which let every knee bow, and every tongue confess, who is the Rock of ages, and the Foundation of all the generations of the righteous in all ages; to whom with God the Father, be glory and honour, both now and for evermore. Amen."-P. 6.1683.