the son of God revealed in them, (which he that hath not, hath not life,) do they not come to witness him who is equal in power and glory with the Father? This is your own catechism. And is it blasphemy to confess your own words, that ye have given people to learn? God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul; God, who hath all souls in his hand. And is not this [breath of life] that cometh out from God, which is in God's hand, part of God, of God, and from God, and goes to God again? which soul Christ is the bishop of. And dost not thou speak of a human soul, an earthly soul, and is earthly, immortal? cannot it die nor be killed? And is not that which came out from God, which God hath in his hand, taken up into God again, which Christ the power of God is the bishop of, is not this of God's being? And doth not the scripture say, 'God is all and in all ?' And how dost thou here divide the word of God aright, who showest so much ignorance of the letter of scripture?

P. He saith, 'It is a wretched doctrine to say men have not a human soul in them, and to say that the soul is a part of the divine essence.'

A. Is not that of God that came out from him? and is not the earthly and human of the ground? and is not that mortal? and is that which is immortal human? And dost thou say it is human, and is not that earthly? And where doth the scripture of the prophets, Christ or the apostles, tell people of a human soul; and of Christ having a human body in heaven? And doth not the apostle speak of his glorified body? P. He saith, That God should dwell in his saints, and Christ inhabit in believers; how can this be? the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, how much less shall the strait heart of man?"

A. The scripture saith God will dwell in men, and walk in men, and Christ that fills heaven and earth is in you, except ye be reprobates;' and so, in this thou hast showed thyself one not able to divide the word aright. And the bodies of the saints are the temples of God, and God will dwell in them, and walk in them, and he will be their God, and they shall be his people.

P. He saith, Nor is it an essential indwelling of the divine nature in God's people,' &c.

A. Doth not the apostle say, the saints were made partakers of the divine nature? and that God dwells in the saints, and Christ is in

* "George Fox says: 'God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul; and is not this of God, of his being, &c. And is not this, that comes out from God, part of God?' G. F. intends that divine life, power, and virtue, by which Adam in soul and body came to live to God: not that the soul of man, as a mere creature, created capacity, is of God's own being and substance." "

'

VOL. III.

[Wm. Penn's Works, vol. 2. pp. 521, 522.

23

them, except they be reprobates? And do not the saints come to eat the flesh of Christ? And if they eat his flesh, is it not within them?

P. He saith, God dwells not in the saints as a personal union,' &c.

See page 22.

A. How come the saints then to eat of his flesh, and to be of his flesh and bone? and to know God dwelling in them? and to have unity with the son and the Father? and to be of his body, which is the church, of which Christ is the head?

P. To say a man is justified and made righteous by God's putting righteousness into us, and by righteousness wrought in the creature, confounds justification and sanctification,' &c. See page 25.

A. The apostle brought people to the faith that was in their hearts, by which they were justified, for with the heart man believes unto righteousness, &c. And they were to believe in the light, that was, Christ. And the light that shined in their hearts gave the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus their saviour. Now justification by the works of the law, was, do this and live.' They were to circumcise the children; if they did not, they were to be cut off: and they were to keep the law. But the faith of Christ ended the works of the law: for it took away the nature that the law went upon. Now the Papists, and priests, are out of the works of the law, and the works of faith that works by love; for they are slaying one another about religion, though they pretend works, and this was ever out of the faith of Christ Jesus, to kill one another about religion. Now the apostles were in the works of faith, who neither prisoned nor persecuted any that were contrary minded, nor wrestled against flesh and blood, but against the power that captivated creatures. And so all this work about works doth show you and the Papists both to be out of the faith that works by love, where love should overcome all things, and bear all things. I do not measure priests and professors, nor Papists, by the works of the law which the apostle speaks of, which the false teachers were bringing people to in the days of the apostles. Neither do I compare or measure Papists, or priests, with the works of faith that works by love,' that becomes all to all, for the winning some of them. Papists, and priests, and professors will kill one another about their faith, which is not the faith that works by love; but contrary to the apostles' and Quakers' faith.

P. He saith, Our warfare cannot be expected to be over as long as we are in the body: and the best of saints do not live free from sin,' page 27.

A. The apostles said they were made free from sin, and that the blood of Jesus Christ the son of God cleanseth us from all sin; and such as witnessed the everlasting covenant of God, that blotted out their sins.

and transgressions. And they witnessed the one offering that perfected for ever them that are sanctified. And the saints witnessed the kingdom of God, which stands in righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy ghost, and were new creatures, the old man being put off, and they were more than conquerors. So thou art ignorant of the scriptures, and it is the doctrine of devils to preach that men shall have sin, and be in a warfare so long as they are on earth; that is not the doctrine of Christ which brings people to the faith, which gives the victory, in which they have unity one with another, and please God.

P. He saith, 'To witness heaven within and hell within, and the resurrection, is the mystery of iniquity,' page 31.

A. Which shows thou never knew heaven in thyself, nor hell there, nor Christ the resurrection and the life, which they are blessed that are made partakers of the first resurrection, on them the second death shall have no power. And the scriptures do witness heaven within. And if Christ that was offered up, the resurrection and the life, be not within thee, thou art a reprobate.

P. He saith, 'We shall have incorruptible, powerful, glorious, and spiritual bodies;' and yet they say Christ is in heaven with a human body,' (which is earthly,) see page 34. Again the spirit can enter . into heaven, while the body is upon the earth,' &c. And he saith,' the fourth commandment commandeth the keeping of a seventh day: and he that breaketh the least commandment and teacheth men so to do, is least in the kingdom of heaven,' page 41.

A. Have not all the priests and teachers in England denied the Jews' sabbath, the seventh day? and do not you work on it? and do not you meet together on the first day of the week? and do not you all teach men to break the commandment there? And you keep markets and fairs on the seventh day, the Jews' sabbath; ye meet together on the first day of the week, which is the eighth day, and so not one in seven. And if the saints sat in heavenly places with Christ Jesus; and if the saints in heaven must have a glorious body, and Christ a human body, (which I say is earthly,) how doth this agree with scripture, that says Christ's is a glorious body? And is it an earthly body the saints eat, when they eat the flesh of Christ? And are not people in their first state, in the earthly, before they come to witness a spiritual body like unto his glorious body? How do you divide the word aright? And they that have the spirit of Christ, their spirits are in heaven, and they have unity with the Father.

P. We have no such immediate converse with God now, as to see him face to face,' page 42.

A. We do believe you have not, who are gone from the spirit that

the prophets and apostles were in, ravened from it since the days of the apostles in the apostacy, and so are not in the counsel of God; and are out of his teaching and instruction, and so far from having fellowship with God; for who have fellowship with him come to see him. And you are not of Abraham's seed who saw God face to face, but are of the Pharisees' stock, who never saw his shape, John v.

P. And you say, 'In the last days false prophets should arise, and show signs and wonders; and if it were possible they should deceive the elect. And the coming of the man of sin is after the working of satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders,' &c. page 44.

A. Christ said, the false prophets and antichrists should come, which John saw were come; yea, many antichrists were gone out into the world. And the apostle Paul saw the man of sin before his decease, the coming of him with the lying signs and wonders; which man of sin since the days of the apostles, in this night of apostacy, has ruled and reigned, with his lying signs and wonders; and these are not the true signs, but lying. And when they were ravened from the spirit of God they got the sheep's clothing while inwardly ravening wolves, which if it were possible, would deceive the very elect;' which went forth from the apostles in the apostacy; and since they have deceived the nations, the wolves, the inwardly raveners, though covered with the sheep's clothing. And here these things have been among you in the apostacy: and the apostates have reigned and ruled, and have had the dominion since the days of the apostles. But now with that which ye all have ravened from, are ye made manifest and comprehended. So this man of sin, with his lying signs and wonders, who ravened from the spirit of God, as the devil did, who went from the truth, is he that compels all his members to plead for the body of sin while they be upon earth, and so to keep them out of the faith of God's elect, that gives the victory over the world. And such he cannot deceive, nor any of his members, that are ravened from the spirit of God.

P. He saith, The Quakers' despising the fashions of the world, contemning the honours and pleasures thereof, and their sober carriage and deportment among men, and willingness to suffer;' all these he calls 'wickedness.' See pages 49, 50.

A. But it seemeth this practice of denying the fashions of the world, and contemning the honours and pleasures thereof, and their sober carriage, offends him and the world, and the rest of the priests and professors, and the denying the lusts which they are in.

P. He saith, The devil is not an adulterer,' page 51.

A. Did the devil abide in the truth? Did not he go out of it? And are not all that go out of the truth with him, adulterers, who begets his own image, and is the foundation of adultery?

P. He saith, The light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, is a natural light, or law,' page 56.

A. Which light, Christ Jesus, is the end of the law, before any natural light was made or created; for all things that were made were made by him, and he doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world."

P. He saith, the light will not bring men to salvation,' page 56. A. The light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, is Christ, the salvation to the ends of the earth.'

P. He saith again, "The light is not sufficient to lead men to salvation,' page 60. 'And to witness sanctification within, and justification there, is to confound justification and sanctification. And grace and justification is a created thing, and the light within is mere darkness, which the Quakers speak of.' See page 61.

A. The light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened with, comprehends all darkness, and leads out of it, and there is no occasion of stumbling in it; for, as many as receive him, to them he gives power to become the sons of God.' And the light is not darkness; but he that saith the light is darkness, is out of the light, in the darkness. And justification and sanctification being within, doth not confound it without, but it is the same that is within that is without. And grace is the gift of God, and sanctification both, Christ Jesus, who was before any creature was created, and the grace comes from the throne.

P. He saith, They are the unestablished people that are running after every way of error, that own the Quakers in these nations,' page 62.

A. In that the nation will witness against thee; for they that own the Quakers are known to have been the most knowing, seeking people that have been in the nations, and the most sincere people; and none come out of error, but who come to the Quakers' light which they follow, which is Christ.

P. He saith, That Christ hath a human created soul.' See page 63. Again, "And the light in the conscience to be Christ is a false doctrine. And the Quakers seek to bring people from all other teaching but the light within them,' page 65.

A. The soul of Christ is witnessed: but to say it is human, earthly, and created, (when the scripture doth not teach us that doctrine,) we cannot believe nor own your words, but deny them. And Christ is the light in the conscience, which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, who was before any creature was; which he that receiveth comes to him to be his teacher, and feels him reign. And all men must come to the light which Christ hath enlightened them withal, who is the covenant of God, to feel the law written in their