Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

to the words of so christian a writer, in order to make him speak the language of unbelief.

On page 73, of the compilers' pamphlet, we are furnished with an extract from a sermon preached by Thomas Story, in which he treats upon the necessity of cultivating that divine charity, which our blessed Lord enjoined upon his disciples in these words" this is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you." He tells us, that under the influences of this heavenly love, we shall not personally hate those, who may differ from us in religious opinion; but that as God loved us, while we were in sin, and was kind toward us, so we should be, toward those whose opinions we may consider erroneous; yet, he adds, we may and ought to persuade one another in love, with a single eye to the convincement, conversion, and salvation of those with whom we reason. With these sentiments, we do most cordially unite :-we consider them coincident with that divine command, "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." It must, however, be remembered, that the same divine love which can only enable us to do this, does as certainly, prevent us from uniting with wicked men, or joining ourselves to their society. It leads us to pray for the persons, but to abhor and to protest against their evil practices. It enjoins it as an imperative command, "come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

While, therefore, we earnnstly desire to fulfil the important precept of loving all, we are far from thinking, that our blessed Lord enjoined it upon his followers, to have unity and church fellowship, with all. Those, who, by the temptations of a cunning adversary, have been allured into the mazes of unbelief, and are denying the Lord that bought them, we can truly commiserate, well knowing how painful and comfortless a path they tread-we mourn over their errors, and under the influence of this divine charity, we desire ever to pray earnestly, for their restoration to the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ; but we cannot, nay, we dare not, unite with them in their unbelief. We feel it our incumbent duty, in meekness and christian boldness to expose their errors, not only to clear our own hands of the evil, but also to free our christian profession from the reproach.

[ocr errors]

CHAPTER IV.

Of the compilers' quotations from the works of ISAAC Pennington.

THE first quotation which the compilers have made from the works of this faithful servant of Jesus Christ, is to be found on page 27 of their pamphlet. It is extracted from a short essay, entitled, "An Incitation to Professors, seriously to consider, whether they or we, fail in the true acknowledgement, and owning of the Christ, which died at Jerusalem." From an essay headed with such a title, it was not to be supposed that much could be extracted, which would go to prove that the author denied Christ; and accordingly the quotation made by the compilers, so far from proving I. Pennington to coincide in the unbelief of Elias Hicks, evinces in the clearest manner, his full faith both in the manhood and Godhead of our blessed Lord. He commences the essay thus:

"We who are commonly called Quakers, being a people whom the Lord hath gathered, out of the wanderings, out of the many professions, (out of the several scattered estates and conditions wherein his eye pitied us, and his love found us out,) into a measure of the eternal rest; where we have found that life, that power, than manifestation of the Eternal Spirit, and that redeeming virtue which we never were before distinctly acquainted with, I say having tasted of this, having known this, having felt this, and come to a real enjoyment of it, in some degree in our several measures; we could not possibly conceal this treasure, but in bowels of love, (and in the movings of the life and power of the spirit) have been drawn to testify of it to them who are left behind, grovelling under the burden of corruption, and crying out because of the sin and bondage from the powers of darkness; who have in a mist withheld their eyes from beholding that living virtue which is able to save, (and doth save, blessed be his name,) therefrom. Now this we have often found; that this our testimony hath not been received in the same spirit and love, wherein it hath gone forth; but the enemy, (by his subtilty,) hath raised up jealousies concerning us, and prejudices against us, as if we denied the scriptures and ordinances of God, and that Christ that died at Jerusalem; professing him only in words, (to win upon others by) but denying him in reality and substance.

"To clear this latter, (for my heart is only at this present, drawn out concerning that,) we have solemnly professed in the sight of the Lord God, (who hath given us the knowledge of his Son in life and power,) these two things.

"First, That we do really, in our hearts, own that Christ, who came in the fulness of time, in that prepared body, to do the Father's will (his coming into the world, doctrine, miracles, sufferings, death,

resurrection, &c.) in plainness and simplicity of heart, according as it is expressed in the letter of the scriptures.

"Secondly, That we own no other Christ than that, nor hold forth no other thing for Christ, but Him who then appeared and was made manifest in the flesh."-Vol. iii. pages 58, 59.

The following is the quotation made by the compilers, viz.

"Now that professors generally, have not received their know"ledge of Christ from the spirit, or from scriptures opened in the "spirit, (and so know not the thing, but only such a relation of the "thing, as man's reasoning part may drink in from the letter of the "scriptures) is manifest by this, in that they are not able in spirit "and understanding to distinguish the thing itself, from the garment "wherewith it was clothed, though the scriptures be very express "therein. Speak of Christ according to a relation of the letter; "there they can say somewhat, but come to the substance, come to "the spirit of the thing, come to the thing itself, there they stutter "and stammer, and show plainly that they know not what it is."Now the scriptures do expressly distinguish between Christ and "the garment which he wore, between him that came, and the body "in which he came, between the substance which was veiled, and "the veil which veiled it. "Lo! I come; a body hast thou prepared "me." There is plainly HE, and the body in which HE came. There "was the outward vessel, and the inward life. This we certainly "know, and can never call the bodily garment Christ, but that "which appeared and dwelt in the body. Now if ye indeed know "the Christ of God, tell us plainly what that is, which appeared in "the body?-Whether that was not the Christ before it took up the "body, after it took up the body, and forever? And then their con "fining of Christ to that body, plainly manifesteth that they want "the knowledge of him in spirit. For Christ is the Son of the Fa"ther; he is the Infinite Eternal Being, one with the Father, and "with the Spirit, and cannot be divided from either; cannot be any "where, where they are not, nor can be excluded from any place "where they are. He may take up a body, and appear in it; but "cannot be confined to be no where else but there; no, not at the 66 very time while he is there. Christ while he was here on earth, yet was not excluded from being in heaven with the Father, at the very same time; as he himself said concerning himself, the Son of "Man, which is in heaven.' John iii. 13. Nor was the Father ex"cluded from being with him in the body, but the Father was in him "and he in the Father: whereupon he said to Philip, He that hath "seen me hath seen the Father.' What! did every one that saw "that body see the Father also? Nay not so, but he that saw "Christ the Son of the living God, whom flesh and blood revealed "not, but the Father only, Matt. xvi. 16, 17, he saw the Father "also."-Page 61.

66

66

[ocr errors]

The compilers seem to evince but little perception in some of the passages which they have selected, and this among the number. It contains a most full and positive declaration, of the doctrines of "the three that bear record in heaven;" the ordained appearance of Jesus Christ in the flesh, and his eternal divinity and manhood. Scarcely could a pas

sage be selected more directly at variance with the dogmas of Elias Hicks. It contradicts his assertions, that Jesus Christ was not the Son of God, until after the baptism of John; that he was liable to fall like other men; that he was no more than a man; that the same power that made Christ a Christian, must make us Christians; and that it was impossible the Word could take, or be made flesh; all which, Elias Hicks has repeatedly asserted.-See "Letters and Observations, &c. with the review of his Letter to Dr. N. Shoemaker." To those who will read the essay of I. Pennington, carefully and candidly, it must be apparent that he has in view, to recommend to all professors, an inward and living acquaintance with Jesus Christ, by the revelation of his own holy spirit; to draw them off from a dependence for salvation, upon a mere literal knowledge of the appearance of the Son of God in the flesh, without coming to witness his power and life revealed in the soul; and mainly to clear himself and his brethren, the Quakers, from that very imputation which the compilers insinuate against them, by adducing him as authority for Elias Hicks' doctrines, viz. denying the scriptures, and the divinity and atonement of that Christ, who died at Jerusalem.

The compilers have italicised those parts of their extract where I. Pennington speaks of the distinction between the Christ of God, and the body of flesh; but they might have saved themselves the trouble, since Friends have always professed a belief, both in the manhood and in the Godhead of Christ, and this is the real meaning of I. Pennington; which is very different from the notion, that he was a mere fallible man, endued with a portion of the spirit, commensurate with the work he was called to, and that he was no otherwise divine, than as this spirit dwelt in him, or as every other Christian is. I. Pennington thought not so meanly of his Saviour, as is evident from the exalted epithets which he bestows upon him, in this very

essay.

Francis Bugg, and after him, the author of the Snake in the Grass, quoted the parts of this extract which the compilers have italicised, in order to prove that the Quakers denied the proper humanity of the Lord Jesus. Joseph Wyeth and George Whitehead both replied to this aspersion. The following observations of G. Whitehead, may serve to show, that the meaning which the compilers would have us draw, from I. Pennington's language, is not what was intended by the author. After reciting the Snake's charge, he says

"We know best our own meaning, being well satisfied that it is according to Holy Scripture. Where is then the difference? He then quarrels with our meaning, not with the words here, but elsewhere; he doth as his author, F. Bugg, has done with the words, "veil and garment," in I. Pennington's question to professors; but this author yields the point; he assents to both; as our soul is clothed with our body, as with a garment or veil, and so of Christ; which warrants I. Pennington's question, against his author, F. Bugg, and himself, at least so far as not to make a subject of any further contention against us."-See page 499.

Again on page 505: "Now, though our adversary has made a deal of dispute and quarrel with us about calling Christ's flesh the vail,

as in Hebrews x., yet he is fain to grant that Christ's body is called a vail, in relation to its type, the vail of the temple, but he'll have this not to be in the Quaker's sense. They call it a vail; that is, saith he, a garment, in contradistinction to its being Christ's substance, and of his nature. Whereas it's rather in contradistinction to its being his divine nature; or to its being, in the first place, or principally, or chiefly, Christ himself, (who is the Son of God,) for whom the body was prepared; because he did pre-exist it, or was in being before he took upon him that body, even in his Father's glory, before the world began, wherewith he is glorified. However, the vail which was Christ's flesh, through which he set open the new and living way, we never deny to be Christ's body, or to be a real body, but own it was; and never believed it to be a fantastical body, as I have often said; but that Christ, the Son of God, took upon him real flesh and blood of our nature, yet pure and uncorrupted, IN HIM. And as his flesh was called the vail, it answers its type or figure, viz. the vail of the most holy place, or oracle, where God gave answers. 1 Kings vi. 20. viii. 6, 8. 2 Chron. iii. 10, 16. And these most holy places in the tabernacle and temple, being places of divine service, then peculiar to the high priest to enter into, their antitype is in Christ Jesus, the new covenant, where in spirit and in the truth, God is truly worshiped, and meets with and speaks to his people, even by Christ Jesus, their High Priest, who is present, in the midst of his church, and assemblies of his people, the true and spiritual worshipers, who meet in his name, spirit and power, whose light and truth brings its followers unto his holy tabernacles.-Psalm xliii. 3. "And as to Christ's substance and nature, what does our opposer mean thereby? How has he distinguished in this point? Christ has in him, a divine nature, as well as that of man, which he hath also in the purest sense. But which is the greatest? Is not the divine nature, the Deity in him, greater than the manhood? As he said, 'My Father is greater than all, greater than I.' John x. 29. Nevertheless, as our great and only Mediator and Intercessor, it was necessary he should be man, as he is the most glorious heavenly Man; and as the Christ of God, he is spiritually in us, in the saints and members, in some measure, by his spirit, light, life, and power, even as the incorruptible, immortal seed in man, is of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and therein all true spiritual believers do, in measure, partake of the divine nature, being born again of this incorruptible seed."-See also Switch, 202.

These very clear remarks of George Whitehead, must satisfy every candid reader, that by the use of the words garment and veil, the early Quakers never designed any thing more, than to distinguish between the essential divinity and manhood, of the Lord Jesus Christ. The manhood they could not consider as exclusively the Christ, nor yet the divinity exclusively, but gave the term Jesus Christ to both, declaring that what God had joined together, they could not separate, though they believed that the fulness of the Godhead, which dwelt in the manhood, was chiefly and eminently the Saviour.

The next quotation which we have from Pennington, is on pages 28 and 29, of the compilers' pamphlet. It is from a treatise entitled

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »