Confutation of the Quakers, Section 2
SECT. II. The Quakers deny Chriſt come in the fleſh, as alſo his Death, Reſurrection, Aſcenſion, Interceſſion, and coming to Judgement.
THe Apoſtle John in his ſecond Epiſtle, ver. 7. ſpeaks of many deceivers and Antichriſts come into the world, who confeſſe not that Jeſus Chriſt is come in the fleſh, and forbids to receive ſuch into your houſes, and to bid them God-ſpeed, for ſuch as do ſo, are partakers of their evil deeds: Let us therefore in the next place enquire whether the Quakers may be juſtly charged with this crime, that if they be found guilty thereof, all ſuch as profeſſe to be Chriſtians, may diſclaime them, and take heed of them as Deceivers and Antichriſts.
I ſhall here firſt freely give Teſtimony for the Quakers, and do acknowledge in their behalfs, that they have the name of Jeſus Chriſt often in their mouths and in their writings, and they will tell you in words they own Jeſus Chriſt come in the fleſh; ſo that if this will prove them good Chriſtians, they ſhall paſſe free from this cenſure, and not be charged with it.
But withal I ſhall not conceale the ſubtilty of Satan in deceiving, in this (as well as in the former) particular; as he will let theſe his inſtruments own the Scriptures in words, whileſt they deny them in deed and truth; and are enemies to them as before was proved: ſo whileſt they profeſſe in words to own Jeſus Chriſt come in the fleſh, and ſpeak of his Death, Reſurrection and Aſcenſion, &c. they do in deed and in truth deny all theſe things.
Nor let any wonder at this, they could not be deceivers elſe; they are ſimple deceivers, that will in plain and evident words ſay, they deny Jeſus Chriſt, they diſclaime his Incarnation, Death, Reſurrection, &c. who would then be taken in their ſnares? the ſimpleſt would eſpy what they are? I finde not amongſt all the ancient hereticks in the Church, ſince the time of Chriſt to this day, any that have in expreſſe words ſaid, Chriſt is not come in the fleſh; though open enemies (ſuch as the Jews) deny it plainly, yet none that have profeſſed to be Chriſtians. Some deceivers have ſaid, Chriſt took on him an imaginary (no real) body; ſome an aërial, ſome a coeleſtial, ſome a body, but no humane ſoul; ſome that his humane nature was ſwallowed up of his divine nature, and ſeveral other hereſies about it; and theſe all do in effect deny Chriſt come in the fleſh, becauſe they hold forth ſuch a Chriſt as is no real and true man, but none of them have denied it in expreſſe words, and why ſhould we think ſeducers ſhould be more fooliſh in deceiving in theſe laſt dayes of the world, then in former times? Beſides the Apoſtle John he calls ſuch an one as ſhall not confeſſe Jeſus Chriſt come in the fleſh, foreign, that is, a crafty cheater or juggler, that will cozen you while you look on (ſo ſome expound the word) and therefore you muſt not think they wil in down-right words deny Chriſt, but while they look you in the face, and give you good words, and ſay, we own Chriſt come in the fleſh, and we are ſlandered by them that ſay ootherwiſe of us, yet they do but cozen and cheat you, for they nothing at all intend it.
And indeed, if you examine the Quakers throughly, and ask them, what Chriſt it is they own now in the fleſh, they will confeſſe no other Chriſt but (the Chriſt of the familiſts) Chriſt in their fleſh; that in the conſcience they own to be Chriſt, but as for the man Chriſt now in the heavens him they own not; as for a Chriſt who is a particular man, perſonally diſtinct from other men; that Chriſt, that was of the ſeed of David, the Sonne of Mary, Jeſus of Nazareth, they own not him; ſome have ſaid, he was the idol of the world; they will grant, that God took that fleſh for a time, but no humane ſoul with it, and when that man died on the croſſe, he never roſe againe in this ſame individual body; that ſame particular man did not aſcend into heaven, is not at the right hand of God making interceſſion, ſhall not come to judge the world, &c. but all this by an allegory is applied to themſelves; Chriſt in the fleſh, is Chriſt in their fleſh, dying and riſing again in them, and now Chriſt is come to judge the world, while they take upon them with authority to judge and revile the ſervants and wayes of Chriſt. This is the very doctrine of the Quakers concerning Chriſts Incarnation, Death, Reſurrection, Aſcenſion, coming to Judgement, as may appear by theſe few teſtimonies I ſhall hear ſet down; one of them in a printed paper, called, The ſword of the Lord drawn, &c. p. 5. hath theſe words, Your imagined God beyond the ſtars, and your carnal Chriſt (for ſo they reproachfully call the man Chriſt Jeſus now in the heavens) is utterly denied and teſtified againſt by the light, &c. In their book called Sauls errand to Damaſcus, p. 8, 9. 14. they ſay, That Chriſt in the fleſh, with all he did and ſuffered therein, was but a figure, and nothing but an example; ſome of them in theſe parts have publickly before many witneſſes denied the Reſurrection of the dead body (and if ſo, then Chriſt is not riſen, and there's no ſuch man as the man Chriſt Jeſus now in heaven) B. L. in conference with my ſelf, denied Jeſus Chriſt to take to himſelfe an humane ſoul, ſo Hubberthorn in a letter to me, though he took fleſh upon him; The ſame perſon being asked by W. S. what became of the body of Jeſus when it was not to be found in the grave? anſwered, it periſhed. Another of them ſaid, Thou hopeſt to be ſaved by the Chriſt that died at Jeruſalem, but I truſt to a Chriſt within me, pointing to his breaſt; when that teſtimony of Chriſt which he gave concerning his Reſurrection, was urged to ſome of them, (in Luke 24.39. The diſciples ſuppoſing they ſaw a ſpirit, and that it was not Chriſt himſelf, he ſaid unto them, behold my hands and my feet, that it is I my ſelf, a ſpirit hath not fleſh and bones as ye ſee me have;) they have ſcoffingly anſwered, where was his blood? that was ſpilt upon the croſſe; they have often urged Chriſts appearing to his Diſciples, the doors being ſhut, to argue that Chriſt roſe not with a corporal body of fleſh and bones, though at the ſame time he bid unbeleeving Thomas behold his hands, and reach his finger and thruſt it into his ſide. They frequently ſpeak of a Chriſt in their conſcience, as the only Chriſt; for no other man Chriſt they will acknowledge. There needs no further proof of this charge, let but any one that deſires further ſatisfaction concerning it, ask them (as I my ſelf have often proved it by experience in conference with them,) whether they acknowledge a man Chriſt perſonally diſtinct from other men, now reſiding in the higheſt heavens, who is to come to judge the world at the laſt day? they will tell you they own the ſame Chriſt that ever was (for they deny not his divinity) but for his humanity they will ſhufle you off, and not ſpeak to that, and thereby prove themſelves Anti-chriſts, becauſe they confeſſe not Chriſt in the fleſh, &c.
I need not ſpend many words in the confutation of theſe things, there is no ſober Chriſtian that hath received any thing of the knowledge of Chriſt, but his heart wil abhor theſe doctrines at the very mentioning of them. I ſhall only refer the Reader to ſome Scriptures, that may eſtabliſh his faith in the truth about theſe particulars. Concerning Chriſts being really and truly a man. See John 1.14. Gal. 4.4. 1 Tim. 2.5. That he was a particular, individual man, perſonally diſtinct from all other men, (and not a man as he dwells in the fleſh of other men) appears, becauſe he is deſcribed to be a man coming of the ſeed of Abraham, of the Tribe of Judah, of the family of David, born of a particular woman, the Virgin Mary, not of other women; and in that the great doctrine concerning Chriſt to be beleeved (which the Scriptures ſpeaks of) was that Jeſus of Nazareth, that particular man was the Chriſt, That he had a humane or reaſonable ſoul, beſides his God-head or divine nature. See Eſay 53.12. Matth. 26.38. John 12.27. And that (after this man Chriſt was crucified, he aroſe again with the ſame individual body that ſuffered on the croſſe, though made more glorious, appears by the many witneſſes that teſtified it, Acts 2.24. and 3.15. 1 Cor. 15.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 2 Tim. 2.8. (indeed it was the great work of the Apoſtles to teſtifie it, Acts 1.22.) nor could theſe witneſſes be deceived; for,
(1) There were many that did ſee him, the eleven Apoſtles, and five hundred brethren at once.
(2) They not only did ſee him, but heard him ſpeak, and did eat with him, nay, felt his prints and marks, and himſelf affirmed he had fleſh and bones ſtill.
(3) And he continued fourty dayes among them; beſides the Angels from heaven teſtified the ſame thing, Luke 24.3, 5, 6. Mark 16.6. and the very ſouldiers that kept watch, bare witneſſe to it, Mat. 28.11. Further, that this ſame individual perſon did aſcend into heaven, even above the viſible heavens, and is there preſent making interceſſion for us at the right hand of God, and ſhall come again to judge the quick and dead at the laſt day. See theſe Scriptures, Mark 16.19. Luke 24.51. Act. 1.9, 10, 11. Rom. 8.34. Heb. 9.24. Acts 3.21. Acts 17.31.
But ſome Scriptures thoſe people do wreſt to make for their purpoſe, which leſt they deceive weak ones by them, I ſhall vindicate them.
1. They ſpeak much of that Scripture, 1 Col Chriſt in you the hope of glory, and of all thoſe Scriptures that ſpeak of Chriſts being, living, or dwelling in his people thereby to inſinuate there is no other man Chriſt, but Chriſt in us men.
Anſw. I ſhall not ſpeak now of the nature of Chriſts in-dwelling or in-being in his people, till I come to the fourth Section, where I ſhall have occaſion to open it more diſtinctly; onelyonly thus much for the preſent; Chriſts dwelling in his people now is by his Spirit, and not according to his humane nature, for this the heavens do containe, till he deſcend viſibly to judge the world, as he was ſeen to aſcend, Acts 1.11. Acts 17.31. But it is by his ſpirit he dwells now in his people, which is infinite and fills all places, (and ſo doth not his humane nature, being a created thing and finite) ſee this cleer from Rom. 8.10, 11. in v. 10. the Apoſtle ſpeaks of Christ being in you, in v. 11. he explaines the expreſſion by ſhewing the manner of it, by his Spirit dwelling in you: And indeed we muſt thus have Chriſt in us by his Spirit, or elſe we can have no aſſured hope of glory; though the meritorious cauſe of our ſalvation and glory is Chriſts obedience unto death performed in his own perſon, Eph. 1.7, 11, 14, &c. yet we can have no evidence of our right to glory, but by finding Chriſts in-being in us by his Spirit now, ſo that theſe Scriptures are utterly perverted to make for their ends.
Further, that Scripture, 2 Cor. 5.16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the fleſh: yea, though we have known Chriſt after the fleſh: yet now henceforth know we him no more; is as groſly abuſed, when it is made to ſpeak againſt that particular man Chriſt Jeſus now in heaven, &c. for,
(1) This doctrine concerning the man Chriſt Jeſus his Reſurrection, &c. the Apoſtle had before aſſerted in many places (as we ſhewed even now, 1 Cor. 15. the beginning, Rom. 1.3, 4. &c.) and he doth not now deſtroy what before he built; it was the great thing the Apoſtles were to teſtifie and witneſſe to the world, Acts 1.22. they were to be witneſſes of his Reſurrection; this Apoſtle doth in more then twenty places in his Epiſtles teſtifie, how that the man Chriſt indeed was riſen from the dead, and aſcended into heaven, &c. therefore he doth not contradict in this place what he lays down in ſo many other places.
(2) And therefore we muſt enquire after another interpretation of that Scripture, and it will clearly appear to be this. The falſe apoſtles had vilified the Apoſtles Miniſtry, that they might draw away the hearts of people from him, (according to the practiſe of the Quakers in theſe dayes, for this is an old trick of Satan) and one plea they had againſt him, was this, he had not converſed with Chriſt upon earth, as had the other Apoſtles, and therfore he was not ſo much to be accounted off: The Apoſtle hints we are not to look on Chriſt under ſuch outward relations, as if there were ſo much benefit by being related to Chriſt in the fleſh, or by being in his bodily preſence; but we are to conſider him as having compleated the work of our redemption, having overcome death, being raiſed up in glory, and aſcended into heaven, and thus we ſhould know him for the future, this is the ſpring of a Chriſtians comfort; thus he ſpeaks not againſt Chriſts being in the fleſh ſtill (which other Scriptures clearly witneſſe) but againſt looking upon him under theſe carnal relations they ſtood in to him whileſt he was upon earth; this will appear more fully to be the Apoſtles mind, by conſidering the various acceptation of the word [fleſh] in Scripture, which to avoid tediouſneſſe I omit here, intending to ſpeak of it in Sect. 6. where in proving the reſurrection of our dead bodies, I ſhall further prove the truth of Chriſts reſurrection, and that ſtill he is really and truly in our natures in heaven, even in the ſame particular body he had upon earth, though glorified; and indeed, if this were not ſo, the Apoſtles were falſe witneſſes, our faith is in vaine, we are yet in our ſins, and they who are fallen aſleep in Chriſt are periſhed, 1 Cor. 15.15, &c.
Thus for the clearing of this ſecond charge, That the Quakers deny Jeſus Chriſt come in the fleſh, overthrow his Incarnation, Death, Reſurrection, Aſcenſion, Interceſſion and coming to Judgement, and thereby pull down the maine pillars of Chriſtianity, and overthrow the faith and comfort of Chriſtians, and that while they pretend to be more ſpiritual (but are indeed deceivers herein) turning all into Allegories, and faining theſe things done in the true Chriſt to be but as a ſhadow of what is now really done in them; From this it is clear the Quakers-chriſt and Ours is not the ſame: they hold no other man Chriſt but in their conſciences; we beleeve our Chriſt is in heaven, and do wait for him to come from heaven, who was raiſed up from the dead; even Jeſus which delivereth us from the wrath to come, 1 Theſ. 1.10. Let all that profeſſe the Name of Chriſt take heed of ſuch as preach another Chriſt, then whom they have received, and look upon them as Deceivers and Anti-chriſts, as for us we have not ſo learned Jeſus Chriſt.