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Show The Chrill:ian-Quaker, !!i'c. Voi.. I': rbcm i11 Cbt~rge, ir pktu'd bim to nMke this One .of tf,eir l'!flr_uqion.t) Into whatfoever City or Town ye fhall emer, enquue who .m 'lt Js Wonhy :_ Fore-fteing rbc ill V.fe Cnwortby Perfons _woxld make _c,f tkat hlcffitge, and. wi/b wbar Umuearitt~f1 tfJ( imp!tuable Phanfee and.fubtd Scnhe Wf1tt/J C71dea .. vour 10 Pervert the Right Way o_f the Lord, '!nJ rbereby pre)ltdue rhe Srm· Pic 11 rrinflrbe Reception of rbat Excellent Tcjlrmony. _ Th'f.. b · the Cife of rbe J>eople ca!Jcd Quakers, who above rvery Tnhc of M~n ::ec mojl ;~licioufly Re.preftntcd, !Jiuerlj Envic_d, and lUrioufly _Dp· 11 n'd b many of tbc Scribes and Phanfces o] our _Tune, for '!I lntptolu fv~etcbe!'as Thofi:: of rbttl r·epuud _our B!cjfed SaVJollr an~ bts CtnjJ,mr Followers; it buometbtn in" ConditJOnfo Jifperat~, to prowde og.r }elver with fome Worthy Readers, .Alen that dar~ trufl tb71r Reafon abtive ~epo:rr, onJ be Impartial in an Age n.r bytifs'tl at tbu we kue m; whofe Dac~mmattons ffit~ll not wait upon the Stntrnce cf Ignorance nor lmuejf, but a Smcere and Pnnffual Examination of the 1l1.:rrrcr. . .lind jince there are None recorded in Sacred Jllru, on rehom the Holy Ghoft conferr'd Jo Hono~~.rable a CbaraO:r, bt~~ the Bereans of rbcrt .tf~e (for tbat they borbfenrched after Truth 1mpar!wlly, and when they foun_d 1~, imbraced it readily) for robicb they_ mere entJtuted Noble) Tbert[orc 11 H thtltto yoN, the Ojf-fpring of that Worthy .Stock, and Noble Bereans of o11r Jlge I in Behalf of rbe fo much Ca/ummared .Abuton cf the Caufe .of Truth eboJe to dedieoll tlJis Defence of ONr HolyProfeffion from the In;u~ riotn Pr(10ices of a Sort of .blen, frho not unlik~ to the Jews of Theffaloni· c3, that, Envying the Profperity of tke GoJPei. omong your .A.neejlors, mttde it their Bujinc{s to jlir up the .A1ulutude agamfl the Zealo~ Pro"!oters of it. lind no .Malter wh8t it be, provided they can bul Obtarn tbe1r End Of fixing ~n Odium uppn tbe Quakers: Tbej do ,'!ot only boldly eondemn w_hat they efteem Wor!l rn rn (bow deferwd!y we,.,[[ not now fay) but jlyly mfi· nuate wbat is Beft, to be Criminal. _ . The Sobriety <Jf our lives, they call a Che3t for Cuftom; and our Incef~ fant Preachings and Holy Living. a DecQy to .~dvance our Party: _Jf. rxe /'!Y Nothing to them when th:y jnterroga~e tiS, us Sull~nnefs, or Inabiluy; iJ we fay Somctbin.t ro ~bem, It lS Impernnency or Equ1vo~auon. We 1R.IIjl not b~lieve ar we do belieVe, but dl tbey would have uS bebeve, ttJbu,h t~'?'Y lire Jure to make--obnoxior1s en~u$b, tbat they may the mrfrt ftt~lrely znve1gb againft_ TIS. Nor mujl our TVrztm,l"r mean wha.t we fay we mean hy thtf~!, but what they will have them to mtan, lrfl they fhould want Proof~ for tbezr Charger. It was our very Cafe tbat put David upon thor_ Complamr, Ev:ry Day they Wreft my Words: All their Thoughts are agam!l me for Evtl: But to David'1 (Jdd 'WI! eDmmit dilr S!altder'd Cawfe., anll t~ yON the Bereans of our Age. . if J Degenerate not from~the Example of yol!r P~ogem~ors; t you o, you are 110 IMger Ttae Rereanr. alld t'o{llcb w~ tnfuzHt t.hlr Wor~: lj /IJN JtJ ndr, fl'l!' may al[urt Ollr jeJvet ot. the ]uflue of a rfll' ~(llllr) an an qua/ Judgment. · I · The God and Father of our Lord Jefus Ch;ift augment your Dcfire afrer Truth, give you clearer Difcerning of the Truth,.. ~nd enable. yo~ bmh more readily to Receive, and with greater Refoluuon to Mamtam the T ll U T H. 1 am A Chrifiian Quaker, ffnd • •1 Yo•n Chrif\' an Friend, WiUiam P1nn. .-. ·' ·rt THE Chrifi:ian - Quaker , fS c. C H A P. t. Chap. L The lntrodttOion. Three !;.urflio!ls propofed, fl,11ing tbc 1lratter tD !Je Treat· ~ td uron. Firfi, What is Salvation? An f. 1o De faved from Sin ar 'IJ.'tll tU froJJJ Wrat!J, nnd not /rom Wrmbwitbour Si11 . B!:ing to Write of the Light of Cbri/1 Witbi,, the Great Principle of God in Man, the Root and Spring of bivine Life and Knowledge in the Soul; that by which Salvation is Effeaed for Man, and which is rhe CharaEterill: ick of tht.:: People ca11ed f<_ual\ers, their Faith and Tefiimony ro the World: I chufc to confider it under thefe Three folJowing Queftions, as Seated by none of rhe meaneft of our Adverfarics, being comprebenfh·e of the Pri.nciple, it's Force, Jnd Friends; wherein I endea\'our to folve thofe Objetl:ions, as they naturally arife, which either h3ve been, or may be ad .. vanced 3gainft what is Afi'ened by us, in Favour of this Divine Principle, and ir•s Elfefts up~n Mankind: Which I Recommend w my Reader's feriOus Conlider:aion; deliring that Patience and Impartiality may keep them Comp3ny in the Perufal rhereof; it being writ for their Advantage~ as well as our Vindication, that they may have 'a nearer and clearer Profpect of that Way the Bleffed ever trod to Glory. J. What i1 that Salvation, cbieh t1Je Light leads to? :2. What is this Light, and how does thi1 Light knJ to It? And, 3· Who tbi. HE or THEY art, that Obey tbis Ligbt, and in Obeying, 111oin Salvation? I. By Salvation, we underHand, as by Scripture is deliver'd to us, Marfi being Javed from Sin here, and the Wages of it, which is Wrath to come • Whereby we. are taught, Utterly to renounce and rejed: the Common Acceptation of it, as the full and compleat Force of the Word, viz. Barely_ to befauedfrom Punijhmenr hereafter: In which Security, through a vain Ex· pe£larion of Salvation, whilft nor Really and Allually fav'd froth the Pow• er of Sin, through the Invifible Power of Chrift, Thoufands die. In fhort, We call Sllv:Ition, Cbrifl'1 ma~'n an End of Sin, Deflroying the Worlu of the Devil, Fini/hing of Tranfgre o,, Bmding the Strong Man, and Spoiling of his Goods in the Hearts and onfciences of Men and Women; and bringing in his Everlafling RiJbteouj'nefs into the SoN!, whereby to Cleanfe, Walb, Regenerate, Renew ttnd Refrefh the So11f; in one Scripture-Phrafe, to favr His People {ro1n their Sinr. • Thefe are the Times of Refrefbment, and this is the D~y of Reftit~ti.o on; and thus is HE King, to Reign; Prophet. to give Vijion;: and High Prieft, to Anoint with tbe lJoly UnO ion, tbotleadcrb bit Pecple into aD Trllth, Wbo{e Lips 4/one preferve Knowledge; and therefore is h the Unch:~ngeGo( pel·Rule to Believers: And thofe who are thus freed or f.tved here from the Pcwer, Nature, and Dejilemenr of Sin, are the alone Perfons1 rha.t are or !hall be hereafter faved from Eternal Wr,uh and Venget~llct, t~e heavy Retompence of Sin. All this we underftand by that Word SalvtJtzon; and in this Center the Great and Glorious Prophecies and Perform:;ances of Chri!l. X x ¥ a CHAP. |