ty they themselves might have thereof, this ⚫ could never fatisfy any others thereof, with⚫ out bringing them to the Touchstone of the Scripture, as a more certain Rule at least to us. For when God raifed up Prophets among the Jews to declare his Mind and Will to them by immediate Revelation, they were not to receive all that pretended thereto, but to try their Revelations by the written Word, or Scripture.'

BUT what does all this prove? Nothing against the Quakers, who (as he acknowledges p. 43.) pretend not to any immediate Revelation from God that is contrary to the Scriptures; and who fay that (g) For their Parts, they are very willing that all their Doctrines and Pra⚫ctices be tried by them; which they never refufed, nor ever fhall, in all Controverfies with their Adverfaries, as the Judge and Teft. And that, they shall be very willing to admit it as a pofitive certain Maxim, That whatsoever any do, pretending to the Spirit, which is contrary to the Scriptures, be accounted and reckoned a Delufion of the Devil.'

Nor does his Difcourfe pag. 45, 46, and 47. about a New Immediate Revelation of the good Old Gospel and Doctrines, affect them, who mean thereby no other than the Testimony of the Spirit of God bearing Witnefs with their Spirits, that the good Old Gofpel and Doctrines are true, which himself has fufficiently admitted.

BUT we are forry that our Opponent fhews himself malicious in pag. 48. when from fo inno

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(g) R. B's Apol. p. 86.

cent Affertion as, That the Righteousness of the Moral Law remains, and that it is binding by the Spirit in every true Believer,' He would infer that the Quakers hold a Principle very dangerous both to Religion and Civil Government. This Confequence we think appears malicious, because 'tis altogether unnatural, unless he can imagine than an Obligation to obferve the Righ teoufnefs of the Moral Law, has a Tendency to Herefy or Rebellion.

PAGE 48. He forms into a Query these Words of W. Penn, (b) No Command in the Scrip⚫ture is any farther obliging upon any Man, than as he finds a Conviction upon his Confcience; • otherwise Men should be engaged without, if not against Conviction, a Thing unreasonable ' in a Man,'

How little Need our Adverfary had to cavil at this Paffage, will beft appear to the Reader by W. P's own Explanation, (i) Such Commands are either relating to Ordinary or Extraordinary Cafes. By Ordinary Cafes, I mean fuch as chiefly concern Faith and Holy Life, ⚫ which are general, permanent, and indifpenfible.-By Extraordinary Cafes, I understand Mofes's going to Pharoah, the Prophets several Manners of Appearance to the Kings, Priests, and People of Ifrael, with other Temporary • Commands relating to Outward Services, &c. And fo we do fay, that what is commanded ⚫one Man, is not binding as fuch upon another. But when the Lord fhall fay, If thou finneft, • thou

(b) Quakerism a new Nick-Name for Old Chriftianity. in W. Penn's Works Vol. 2. pag. 253. (i) Ibid.

thou fhalt die; If thou keepeft my Commands, thou fhalt live; Be ye holy, for I the Lord your God am boly. Alfo in Cafe of Example, as the (k) • Prieft cites, Whofe Faith follow, confidering the End of their Converfation, Leaving us an Example chat we should follow his Steps. For your felves, know you not how you ought to follow us. For after this Manner tn the old Time, the Holy Women alfo who trusted in • God, adorned themselves. I fay, these Precepts and Examples are obliging upon all: Why? Because they more or lefs meet with a • Conviction in the Consciences of all. For I am perfwaded none that have a reasonable Soul, 'who have not outlived their Day, and on whom the Night is not come, among the In⚫dians themselves, but would readily fay, Thefe are true and weighty Sayings; for Faith in • God, and an holy felf-denying Life, are neceffary both to our Temporal and Eternal Happiness. Thus then we are clear from his ungodly Confequence, indeed Afperfion, to wit, That the Quakers affirm the Doctrines, • Commands, Promifes, Holy Examples, expreffed in Scripture, as fuch, not to be binding.

ALL this duly confider'd, W. P. might well fay in another Place, without any Contradiction, refpecting those who would pretend the Want of Conviction in Cafes of general, permanent and indifpenfible Duty, as our Author cites him, That it is the Root of Rantifm to affert, that nothing is a Duty incumbent upon them, but what they are perfwaded is a Duty.' But W. P. fpeaks

(k) John Faldo againft whom he then writ.

fpeaks not a Word in either of thefe Places, about Women's preaching, or Meetings for Difcipline as our Opponent pretends, nor any Thing like it.

He fpeaks pag. 50. of Bold Enthufiafts making void the moral Laws of God, or the standing pofitive Inftitutions of our Lord, as the Quakers have done his outward Baptifm and Supper. But has not proved the outward Baptism and Supper, either moral Laws of God, or standing pofitive. Inftitutions of onr Lord. He then cites W. P. in his Reafon against Railing, pag. 109. who fays, • We can teftifie from the fame Spirit by which • Paul renounced Circumcifion, that they are to be rejected as not now required.' Thefe Words he picks out of the Middle of a Paragraph of W. P's, whofe Senfe that our Readers may throughly understand, we fhall transcribe the whole.

THEY were, fays he, but the more noble C amongst the Meats and Drinks, and divers Washings, that the Apostle faid, were but Sha•dows of the good Things to come. For I would not that any fhould be fo fottifh, as to think that Chrift came to abolish thofe Shadows of the Jews, and inftitute other in their Room; by no Means: He came to remove, change, ⚫ and abolish the very Nature of fuch Ordinances, and not the particular Ordinances only, to wit, An Outward, Shadowy, or Figurative • Worship and Religion. For it was not because they were Jewish Meats and Drinks, and • divers Washings, but because they were Meats and Drinks, and divers outward Washings at all, which never could, nor can, cleanse the Confcience from dead Works, nor give Eternal

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Life to the Soul; elfe wherein would the Change be? I affirm by that one Scripture, Circumcifion is as much in Force as Water Baptifm, and the Pafchal Lamb, as Bread and Wine: They were both Shadows, and both • elementary and perishable. And though the latter were more immediately forerunning and introductory of the Subftance it felf, yet not to be perpetuated: For a Continuance of them had been a Judaizing of the Spiritual Evangelical Worship: The Gofpel would have been a State of Figures, Types and Shadows, which to affert or practice, is, as much as in fuch lies,. to pluck it up by the Roots: The Appellation, Ordinances of Christ, I therefore renounce, as unfcriptural and inevangelical: Befides, a Spi<rit of Whoredom from God, grofs Apoftacy • into Superftition and Idolatry, yea, a Spirit of Hypocrify, Perfecution and Murder, and all manner of Wickednefs has got them, and covered it felf with them, Jezabel-like, the old Enemy of God's faithful Prophets and People. And we can teftifie from the fame Spirit by which Paul renounced Circumcifion, that they are to be rejected, as not now required; neither have they, fince the falfe Church efpoused and exalted them, ever been taken up afresh by God's Command, or in the Leading of His Eternal Spirit. And the Lord will appear to gather People out of them, but never to establish or keep People in them, no, they served their Time, and now the falfe Church has got them; yea, the Whore has made Merchandize with them, and under fuch Hiftorical, Shadowy and Figurative ChriStianity, has the managed her Mystery of Iniquity, unto the Beguiling of Thousands, whofe Simplicity

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