The Christian-Quaker and his divine testimony vindicated by Scripture, reason, and authorities against the injurious attempts that have been lately made by several adversaries, with manifest design to rendor him odiously inconsistent with Christianity and civil society : in II parts. / The first more general by William Penn ; the second more particular by George Whitehead.

Sect. XX. The Baptist's Ignorance and Cavil about Redemption and the Spiritual Discoveries of Christ and his Seed.

WHereas thou makest a peice of thy Dialogue, p. 47. run thus viz.

Qua. He (viz. Christ) comes to work Redemption.

Christi. I query, for whom or what did he work this Re∣demption.

Qua. There is a Seed to which the Promise of Redemption is, which only wants Redemption: Thus Nayler in his Book, Love to the Lost.

Answ. Thou perverts his Words; for they are not, That this Seed only wants Redemption, but wherein only its seen and received, viz. that in the promised Seed Redemption is only seen and received by Man or the Creature, as he fully after explains.

Chr. Nayler saith, that Christ is the Election, and the Elect Seed; and Fox in his great Mystery, the Seed hath been laden, &c. which Seed is the Hope Christ.

Answ. If God was so prest as a Cart with Sheaves, and his Spirit grieved by mens Sins, is it otherwise with his Seed in them? And it thou wert not willfully blind and hardened, thou wouldst not raise such a Consequence from the Words before perverted by thee, while the Scripture mentions the Seed under a two-sold Consideration.

• 1st. As to Christ, to whom the Promises originally are, as being Heir of all.
• 2ly. As to the Children of Promise the Children of the Kingdom, the true Believers, who are truely Israel, and of Abraham's Seed according to the Faith.

Now know that Christ, the promi ed Seed, hath entred into Sufferings and Travel of Soul to bring forth his Seed: as its written, He shall see his Seed, he shall see of the Travel of his Soul, and shall be satisfied

So he came not to redeem or save himself (as absurdly

thou infers) but to bring forth and redeem a Seed which shall serve him, and be counted for a Generation.

And the Life of Christ as manifest in mortal Flesh, hath pertaken of the Afflictions of the Upright in all Ages; and the Spirit of God is grieved, the just Principle oppres∣sed and offended with mens Iniquities and Transgressions: So Christ considered as a Seed, and in that low Estate is ca∣pable of being formed in man, both of being raised up in man by the Power of the Father, of growing up as a ten∣der Plant, and as a Root out of dry Ground; and so of re∣ceiving Power and Help from him, as indeed every Seed thats sown, and every Plant that takes Root is capable of receiving Vertue and Nourishment according to its kind, or else it cannot be quickned to Life, grow or bring forth Fruit: And such a Growth of the immortal Seed was both in Christ and in his People, which must be owned, if the Seed of the Kingdom within, and the Spiritual Birth or forming of Christ within (or he as a Seed or Plant of Renown) be known and owned, or a Suffering, Crucifying, Dying and Living with Christ be witnessed by man.

For Christ's Suffering, Cross, Death, Resurrection, Life and Dominion are spiritual, known in the true Be∣liever, who is of that Seed which Christ took upon him; yea, his spiritual begetting, spiritual forming in man, and spiritual birth is known within; and all for the Redemp∣tion and Salvation of man to God, or else he falls short o•…•… L•…•…e and Glory; and he that brings up the Soul out of the horrible Pit first descends thither.

And though its not true to say, he only comes to redeem, raise up or save himself; yet it may be truely said, he doth arise to scatter his Enemies, and to bring man out of the Pit; and in conquering his Enemies, his own 〈◊〉〈◊〉 brings Salvation to him, Isa. 63. 5, 9. And thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of Salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a Covenant of the People, to establish the Earth — that thou mayst say to the Priso∣ners go forth, and to them that sit in Darkness, shew your selves, Isa. 49. 8, 9. which Promise is of a general Extent.

So mark here, He that redeemeth the Prisoner, and calleth forth them that are in Darkness, he hath his help of God that sent him; we are not to conclude that he helps not others, because he is helped himself: And

Christ's Sufferings both inward and outward (for they were two-sold) were for man's Benefit (as is testified in the said Book [Love to the Lost] accused by thee)

The Creature is blessed of God for the Seeds Sake, and Redemption from the vain Conversation, as Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, &c.

So if thou wert thus redeemed, thou needst not enquire for the Subject of Redemption, nor accuse others for owning the Seed of God, both in an oppressed State, and as raised up by the Eternal Power and Glory of the Father; for wor thy is the Lamb that was slain from the Foundation of the World, to receive Power, and Wisdom and Glory and Might, &c.

However T. H. slites our Testimony of the Seed of God within, as in several States; and so the spiritual Resur∣rection of Christ in man; his Brother H. G. confesseth thereto in his Book, p. 54. where he saith, Praises and Halelujahs to God for ever, who hath given us that Witness in our selves of which thou speakest, that we can experience the Power of Christ's Spiit risen in us for our Sanctification and Renovation, as well as Christ was raised from the Dead, &c. Thus far H. G.

Is it not here evident, that he hath confest to Christ's arising in man, for man's Restoration? What thinkst T. H. of this? Is this Canting or Gibberish? as his Words are against us, p. 47.

Moreover, as the elect Seed is spoken of in the Scrip∣ture, both with respect to Christ the Anointed, and with respect to his Seed and Heritage; so also the Seed is Christ, not only as in himself a•…•…ointed with the Oyle of Gladness above his Fellows, but also as in Union and Conjunction with his Church or Members: As the Body is one, and hath many Members, so also is Christ; and so Christ and the Body comprehensively is one; he is the Anointed, and we are anointed in him, and he that hath anointed us is God.

By all which it is understood, that we are Partakers of the Life, Redemption and Priviledge that is in Christ, as we are in him, and grow up in him; so that all our Op∣posers Cavils (which render our Principle as only including Christ and God in the Redemption, and not man) do fall to the Ground, as Groundless and Frivilous.

As for his groundless Cavills in his p. 48. The little Un∣derstanding

he hath either of the Measure of God's Gift, his Seed within, or of Redemption by Christ, the Elect Seed, is very intelligible from the Tenour of his imperti∣nent and contradictory Discourse throughout his Pamphlet. By all which we see the Nature of his pretended Christi∣anity, and how Un-christian he is in his appar•…•…nt Oppo∣sitions against the divine Light and Seed within.