The snake in the grass: or, Satan transform'd into an angel of light. Discovering the deep and unsuspected subtilty which is couched under the pretended simplicity of many of the principal leaders of those people call'd Quakers.

SECT. XVII. Concerning the Divinity and Incar∣nation of Christ.

THE Quakers Heresie in this, is taken from the So∣cinians, they say, Christ took Flesh; but no otherwise, as they explain it, than as Angels assum'd Bodies; or as He (Christ or the Word) did Inspire or Dwell in Prophets or Holy Men of old, tho' they allow (not always) that Christ did Inspire the Person of that Man Jesus in an higher measure than other Men.

But they deny any proper In∣carnation of Christ; that is, that he was made Flesh; or that He and Jesus were one Person.

Yet they allow Jesus to be call'd Christ, from the Dwelling of Christ in him: But, for the same Reason, they take the Name Christ to them∣selves; and say that it belongs to Them, as well as to Jesus, from the same Dwelling of Christ in Them as was in Jesus.

They say that Christ did raise up the Body of Jesus from the Dead; but they say not that Christ did car∣ry it up with him into Heaven. So that tho' there be a Christ now in Heaven, that is, as he was before his Descent upon Jesus, as he is the VVord of God, yet they do not con∣fess that there is any Jesus now in Heaven, or any where else; they know not what is become of him, or what Christ did with that Body of his after he had rais'd it from

the Dead. They say there is no Christ without them; no other Christ but what is within them. They allow him now no other Bo∣dy but their own, they call them∣selves his Body, that is, the Church. And as they give him no other than a Mystical Body; so they Spiritualize all his Life and Death to his Spiritual Living and Dying with∣in them. As one of their Prea∣chers Pray'd at a Solemn Meeting. O God, who was Crucify'd, Dy'd, and rose again in us! And G. Fox says, That if there be any other Christ but he that was Crucify'd within,* 1.1 he is the False Christ— this Christ that was risen and Crucify'd within— De∣vils and Reprobates make a talk of him without. And he disputes against

those who say, That the Man Christ that was Crucify'd, his Body is now in the Presence of his Father. (Gr. Myst. p. 211.) or that Christ is absent from them (the Quakers) as touching his Flesh (p. 210.) and (p. 254.) they that profess a Christ without them, and another Christ within them, here is two.

Robert Gordon was the first a∣mong them that I find, who taught the Orthodox Faith in this point, of the Divinity of Jesus, and his Sa∣tisfaction to the Justice of God for our sins; by which he purchas'd Redemption for us, through Faith in him, as outwardly suffering Death for us upon the Cross, and now Personally Reigning in Heaven; and not only as a Light within us: Tho' he denies not that Light within, but

strongly asserts the necessity of it, as it is an influence sent from the Spirit of Christ into our Hearts, to guide and enlighten us, but not the very Christ it self; and the on∣ly Christ and Saviour as the Quakers Impiously do Blaspheme, denying any other at all.

The Book wherein Rob. Gordon taught as above-said, he Entituled, A Testimony to the true Saviour, or Je∣sus Christ of Nazareth, as having al∣ready purchas'd Redemption for us in the Body of his Flesh, and revealing it within us by his Spirit. It was Printed in London in the year 1670.

Against this wrote George VVhite∣head, with three other Quakers.

And Rob. Gordon Published an Answer to every one of them se∣verally, which was Printed 1671.

and call'd, Christianity Vindicated.

And in R. Gordon's Reply, you will find the abominable broad Blasphemous Heresies which these Quakers did hold, as p. 20. That Christ was never seen with any Carnal Eye, nor his Voice heard with any Car∣nal Ear. Hereby (says Gordon) plainly denying him to be the Son of Man. And p. 21. You neither con∣fess nor Preach him (Christ) as a Man, but as a Light in that Man Christ, and as a Light in every Man, as it is in every Man, as he comes into the World. And p. 30: Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the VVorld. a Voice not heard among you (says Gordon) of the Man Jesus Christ, the Son of the Virgin Ma∣ry, as now perishing Outwardly, Bodily, without us, but apply'd by

some among you to Meekness, Humility, and the life within you. And p. 33. The Light, the Seed within, is Christ, then I am he that speaketh; then Hosanna: The Son is equal with the Father, I witness the Son in me, so I witness Equality with the Fa∣ther: The Light in me is Christ, Christ is the VVord by which the VVorld was made, then, it was said of Christ, that he was in the VVorld, and the VVorld was made by him, and the VVorld knew him not; so it may be said of this Pro∣phet G. F. as is said by S. E. in his Paper Entitled, The Quakers Chal∣lenge, p. 6. Christ is the VVay, the Truth, and the Life; Christ is in me, and must not he say where he is, I am the VVay, the Truth, and the Life? He that hath the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the Dead, is Equal

with God: Jesus Christ the Mystery passed before, the same Spirit takes upon it the same seed, where it is ma∣nifested; as it is mentioned in G. Fox's Book Entituled Saul's Errand to Damascus, p. 7, 8.

Here you see them making themselves Equal to God, by their having the true Christ in them: Now see them, for the same rea∣son, Preferring themselves before that Man who was called Christ: they make that Man Christ and all that he suffer'd and did, to be but a Type or Shadow of what is really perform'd in them by the true Christ, as you may see in Gordon's Testimony to the true Saviour above Quoted, p. 36, 37. The same things are fulfilled in thee (speaking to the Quaker) that was figured in

him (Christ.) But tell us plainly (says he p. 37.) is that one Sacrifice of the Crucify'd Body of our Lord, once of∣fered to bear the sins of many, a Pat∣tern and Figure of things to be done over again in us, the Blood with∣out Typifying Life and Spirit within: Is this Sacrifice so weak so empty a thing, that it is a Pattern and Figure having nothing in it self, but as Painting to another, to wit, this Light, enlightning every Man? How are you beguiled (does Gordon Reason with them) to Preach up the Light enlightning every Man that comes into the VVorld for the true Christ! to cry up a Light within! to cry down the Blood without! to Preach him as an Example! to cast out the Atone∣ment! to speak of him as a Figure, pointing at this Light within as the

abiding Substance— p. 40. Deny∣ing him to have any Real, Out∣ward, Individual, Glorified, Bodily Existence in his Father's Kingdom. The Preaching of a Christ without them, they call old Beggarly stuff; and those who have formerly Preach'd him, as without us (tho' Prophets or Apostles) to be Low and Carnal in their day, accor∣ding to their Cant, which he there Repeats.

See more Quotations of this sort in T. C's Animadversions above-mentioned, p. 35. Your imagined God beyond the Stars, and your Car∣nal Christ is utterly deny'd— That this Christ is God and Man in one Person, is a Lye. This is in p. 5. of a Book of theirs Entituled, The Sword of the Lord drawn, &c. Quoted by

F. Bugg in his Quakerism withered, p. 26. Printed 1694.

The Devil was in thee (says G. F. to his Adversary Chr. VVade, in his Gr. Myst. p. 250.) thou say'st thou art saved by Christ without thee, and so hast Recorded thy self to be a Rebrobate. And p. 183. such as have Christ in them, they have the Righteousness it self, without Imputa∣tion, the end of Imputation, the Righteousness of God it self, Christ Jesus.

And in his Saul's Errand to Da∣mascus, p. 14. Christ (says he, that is, The Light within) is the Substance of all Figures, and his Flesh is a Figure, i. e. of their Light within, which they make the only Christ. F. B's Sheet, p. 3. The very Christ of God is within us.

And the Flesh or Body which Christ ••ssum'd, they do not call the Body ••f Christ, as a Man's Body is call'd his Body, that is, as one Person with his Soul, both which toge∣ther make the Man; but only as when an Angel assumes a Body, he ••akes not that Body into his own Nature, so as to be part of his Per∣son, but only as a Cloak, or a Gar∣ment which a Man wears, which he may throw off, or put on again, without any alteration in his Per∣son. Nor can such a Garment be call'd the Man. So we (say the Quakers. F. B's New Rome Araign'd, p. 24) can never call the Bodily Gar∣ment Christ, p. 27. For that which be took upon him (his Body) was our Garment, even the Flesh and Blood of our Nature, which is of an Earthly,

Perishing Nature. And as a Cloak alters not its Nature, but is the same, whoever wears it, be∣cause it does not, thereby, alter its Nature, nor is taken into the Nature of him who wears it; so (and no more) do they make of the Flesh of Christ, which they say (as above) was of an Earthly Pe∣rishing Nature.

And is Perished, by their ac∣count, for they allow not that it was taken up into Heaven. Some of them say it vanished, or was anin∣hilated: But they have not (that I find) determin'd Judicially what is become of it. And so their Doctors may vary about it.

But from this account which they give of it, they think that the Name of Christ does belong to e∣very

one of them, not only more than to that Body now, but as well as to It while it was upon the Earth, and when Christ did Inhabit It. Yea, their very words are (F. B's New Rome, p. 28.) Doth not the Name (Christ) belong to the whole Body, and to every Member in the Body, as well as to the Head: A Quest. &c. p. 27. and G. Fox says (Myst. p. 88.) Christ is the Elect. Thus Christ is the Elect, and the Elect are Christ! they make them convertible terms. And p. 207. he desputes against this Position. That God hath a Christ, distinct from all other things whatsoever. And says, in opposition to it, That God's Christ is not distinct from his Saints.

I shew'd in the last Section, that they wou'd not allow God the Fa∣ther

to be distinct from the Son: But here is a stretch which far out∣does that, to shew that there is no stop, as in Art, so neither in Enthu∣siasm; which indeed is an Art, to put upon our selves as well as others. They say a Man may tell a Lye so often, that he may come to be∣lieve it himself at last. And a strong Enthusiastick habit may fix a Man's Thought so long upon a beloved Object, as to dazle his Understanding, and glare so in his Eyes, that without conside∣ring, the grossest Absurdities will go down; and the highest Blasphe∣mies gain a pretence, even of Piety, and Exalted Devotion. This is the Devil transform'd into an Angel of Light. This is the most Fatal an Irrecoverable State of a Soul,

when we fall in Love with our Diseases, and, as in a Calenture, mistake the deepest Oceans of Pre∣sumptuous Blasphemy, for sweet and pleasant Fields of Contemplation, and even of Humility; and thus mistake Hell it self for our Hea∣ven.

Who that had not his Head turn'd with such Enthusiastical De∣lusion, cou'd have imagin'd, that G. Fox cou'd find no Difference, no Distinction at all, betwixt Christ and Himself! And that Men of Sense shou'd lick up his spittle!

And it is but consequential to this, that all the Divine Attributes shou'd be given to G. Fox as well as unto Christ; if there be no Di∣stinction between them, then they are the same. And I have

shewn some Instances, Sect. 5. where G. Fox does assume the Stile and Names of Christ to Himself; and that others do allow them to him. All which is excus'd by Mr. Penn in the XI. Chapt. of the Invalidity of Iohn Faldo's Vin∣dication, in such a wonderful man∣ner as will leave no Blasphemy or Idolatry in the World without a ve∣ry fair pretence.

But I turn from him, out of re∣spect to him, and invite the Rea∣der to go along with me, as a Conclusion to this whole Di∣scourse, and take a short view of G. Whitehead's Creed, where it re∣lates to some of the particulars be∣fore spoke of, that especially which is Treated of in this Section.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Great Myst. p. 206.