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of that Salvation from Sin, which was the very End and Purpose of his Miffion and Manifeftation. God, faith the Apostle Peter, having raised up bis Son Jefus, fent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his Iniquities. Acts iii. 26. For this Purpofe, fays the beloved Difciple, the Son of God was manifefted, that he might destroy the Works of the Devil, 1 John iii. 8. Thou shalt call his Name Jefus, for he shall fave his People from their Sins, Mat. i. 21. It were easy to enlarge on this Head, but, we think enough is faid to fhew, that this Author in reprefenting a just Man, under the contemptuous Character of a meer moral Heathen, makes not the Scripture his Rule.

His Diftinction between a True Chriftian Life, and that of a Temperate, Sober, Honeft and Juft Man, whom he mifcalls Heathen, is of little Weight; fince all Virtue is undoubtedly Chriftian, and, wherefoever it is, acceptable to God, who, the Scripture affures us, without Refpect of Perfons, judgeth according to every Man's Work. 1 Pet. i. 17. And that, In And that, In every Nation, be that feareth him and worketh Righteoufnefs, is accepted with him. Acts x. 34, 35. Now Acceptance with God is through Chrift alone, He bath made us, faith the Apostle, accepted in the Beloved, Eph. i. 6. Are not they Are not they Chriftians, who are accepted with God through Chrift? Are not they Chriftians who are of the pure and undefiled Religion? The Apoftle James exprefly fays, Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To vifit the Fatherless and Widows in their Affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the World, James i. 27. If our Opponent will affert a Diftinction, between a State of Acceptance with God through Chrift, and a

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State of Chriftianity, let him do it in exprefs Terms, and prove wherein it confifts from plain Scripture: Till then, he may with equal Juftice reflect his Charges of Deifm and Natural Religion upon the Apostles James and Peter, as upon the Quakers. Nor will that great Apologift for the Chriftian Religion, Justin Martyr, escape his Cenfure, who fays, (c) Chrift was in Part ⚫ known unto Socrates.' And again, (d) We have taught that Chrift is the First born of C God, and we have fhewn before that he is the • Word, of which all Men are made Partakers; and that they who have lived according to it are Chriftians.Such among the Greeks were • Socrates and Heraclitus, and the like.

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PAGE 4. he fays, The Hiftorical Faith and Knowledge of Chrift's outward Birth, and Death, and Sufferings in the Flesh, is a neceffary and effential Part of Chriftianity, without which it cannot fubfift.

AND, page 5. having recited, what he calls the peculiar Articles of the Chriftian Faith, af ferts, That fuch a Faith is as effential to Chriftianity as a good Life.'

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He has here utter'd his own Opinion, but neither rightly fhewn wherein the Quakers differ from him, nor produc'd their Reasons for fo doing: We must therefore do both.

THE Quakers do as firmly believe every Part of the Hiftory of Chrift declared in the Holy Scripture, as himself or any other Profeffor of Christianity:

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) Apol. z p. 48. Edit. Coniæ, 1686. (d) Apol. 2. p. 83.

Christianity: They do alfo allow a Belief of that History to be neceffary to all thofe to whom God by revealing the fame has made it a Duty. But they also fay, that (e) though this Faith in • Christ as outwardly, be an Integral, yet it is not fuch an effential Part of the Chriftian Religion, as that it cannot confift without it.' And that (f) Though Men know not Chrift, • neither have Faith in him, as he was outwardly • born, of a Virgin, &c. and this fo falls out, not by their own wilful Neglect, but by the wife Difpenfation of God; the Want of this Knowledge and Faith, as outwardly, fhall not be a Bar to their Accefs to, and Acceptance with, the Lord, if they fear him and work Righteoufnefs.'

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WE fhall now give our Reader a View of their manner of reafoning on thefe Points.

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(g) THE Scripture, fays one of them, reprefents God as no bard Man, reaping where he • he hath not fown, and gathering where he hath not ftrawed. Mat. xxv. 44. But this Doctrine, [viz. of making the Faith of that which they are depriv'd of the Means of knowing necessary to • Men's Salvation] represents him otherwife, and likens him rather to those cruel Ægyptian Tafkmafters, who denied the Children of Ifrael Straw, and yet required of them the Tale of • Bricks, and beat them for not doing it, Exod. V. 10-14. than to a God who delights in Mercy, • and is gracious and full of Compassion, Mic. vii. 18. Pfal. cxi. 4. and cxii. 4. and clxv. 8.

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(e) R. Claridge's Lux Evangelica atteftata, p. 49. R. Barclay's Works, p.895. (f) Claridge's Lux Evang. p. 44. (g) Ibid p. 44.

Yea, it impeaches the Divine Juftice, as well as Compaffion; for where is that Equity in his Proceedings with the Children of Men, which the Scriptures fo frequently make mention of, if they fhall be eternally punished for not doing of that, which is made impoffible to them, through want of means fufficient being in his • Providence withheld from them.'

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UNTO whomsoever much is given, of him fhall be much required, is the Teftimony of 'Chrift himself. Luke xii. 48. And if we follow it in the Line it directly leads us this will be the Conclufion, viz. That unto whomfoever • nothing is given, of him nothing will be required For in the Parable of the Talents, Mat. xxv. we read of thofe Servants only called to an Account, who had received Talents, Five, Two or One, Every Man according to his Ability. And therefore the Heathen have either Means fufficient afforded them, in order to their Salvation, or else they fhall not be called to an Account, but they fhall be called to an Account, For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Chrift, (all, whether Jews or Gentiles) that every one may receive the Things • done in his Body, according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor. v. 10. Tribu•lation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that • doth Evil; of the Jew first, and also of the Gen⚫ tile. But Glory, Honour, and Peace, to every Man that worketh Good, to the Jew first, and alfo to the Gentile. Rom. ii. 9, 10. And therefore God hath afforded them Means fufficient for their Salvation, which they, as well as others, may come to be Partakers of, as they are faithful to the Means; which is Chrift Jefus in his inward Appearance by his Light and Spirit, in

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the Hearts of all Men and Women throughout the whole World.

AGAIN, (b) As the bare Letters of Adam's Name, were not the Mediums of conveying • Condemnation and Death into the World, but his Sin and Tranfgreffion were; and many partake of the fad Effects thereof, who never • heard of Adam, nor of his Falling by eating the Forbidden Fruit: So Life and Salvation being not fimply and neceffarily conveyed to any, by the meer literal Knowledge of the Name of Jefus Chrift, but by that Power and • Virtue which fpring from him; why may not they be made Partakers of the Benefits of Chrift's outward Appearance, by the powerful Operation of his Light and Spirit in their Hearts, fanctifying and juftifying of them, who never heard of his Name, as outwardly, nor that he was born of the Virgin Mary, &c?

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AGAIN, (i) These two Propofitions are not contradictory, viz. That Faith in Christ as he was outwardly born of a Virgin, &c. is neceffary to the Salvation of thofe to whom it is revealed; and that there are faithful Men among Heathens, who have yet nothing of this Faith revealed to • them. And the Reafon is manifeft; because, as Logicians are wont to speak, the Oppofition is not agès vò duro, in the fame Refpect. The Circumstances of the Perfons are diversified by the wife diftinguishing Providence of God, ⚫ who hath afforded fome an Opportunity of attaining this Faith, and therefore to them it is neceffary: But having withheld the Opportunity

(b) Ibid. Pag. 45. (i) Ibid. Pag. 49, 50.

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