W. Penn's Works, The New Man is the inward Regeneration, or New Creation of the Soul, Mind, and Spirit, with the Inclinations and Affections, fo that the Image of the New Man may be created or begotten in Believers, and on that account be called the New Man; but not that CHRIST JESUS is the created New Man, for it is He, who having all Power, begets his People into a New State, renewing them in all Divine Knowledge, after the Image of Him that created. Page 397. But for our Adverfary to fay we deny the Ufe of our Understanding in Prayer, is a great Miftake, if not Slander. Understanding is always made ufe of by the Holy Spirit in Prayer, for without it there would be no Subject for the Spirit to act or work upon: Wherefore, fay we, the Underftanding is not to direct, but to be directed in Prayer to Almighty GOD, by his own Spirit, according to that notable Paffage, Rom. 8. 26, 27. W. Penn's Quakrif a new Nick name for Old ChriKianity, Ch. 14. We do acknowledge that GOD is; that he ought to be worshipped; that worshipping of GOD is strictly a Bowing down before Him, in Fear and Holy Reverence, according as he makes Himfelf known to the Creature; that Prayer is a Gofpel-Ordinance; that it is not only good, but neceflary to be used; that GOD only can give us to pray aright, as well as to pray at all; that therefore His Affiftance is neceflary: To have which there ought to be a Waiting, out of all Conceivings, Inventions, or Forms, to receive a living Touch and Senfe from his pure Living and Eternal Spirit, whereby to fet our Spirits at work. This is that Oil which makes the Chariot-Wheels go fmoothly, and without which they grate and jar: Those who have not Words, efpecially in publick Places, have Sighs and Groans, and a deep and filent Exercife of Spirit GOD GOD-wards; in which, bleffed Communion is enjoy'd, and Refreshments that out-do all worldly Satisfaction: That it is the Duty of all to wait upon GOD, and that not only at publick Meetings, but at their own Houses alfo; and therein, as well as at their Meals, as at all other Times for Worship, if any have the Motion of GOD's Eternal Spirit upon their Hearts, let it be answered to GOD's Praise, and the Edification of others; if not, let none offer up an unfanctified dead Sacrifice to the LORD, as all that comes from meer Man is, for that will be their Burden; neither prodigally fpend their own. Portion, or that Bread upon others, GOD has beftowed for their own Ufe: Think not to be heard by your Multitude of Words, nor Variety of Duties; GOD regards the Root, the Life, the Power, the Spirit, that begets them, and whofe Life it is that animates them: If they arife from GOD's Holy Spirit, and Seed of Life, they can, they will interceed and prevail, but if not, GOD will fay to you one Day, Who has required thefe Things at your Hands? Now let all Men judge which Account of Worfhip is moft Rational and Scriptural, Ours or Theirs, and his Brethren aforefaid. Laftly, if by this odd, uncouth, and ambiguous Phrafe, the immediate Principle of any religious Action, fo often repeated in this Query, he means the principal and firft Mover in any religious Act, we feem herein to be both agreed, as appears by his Definition of fcriptural Regeneration and Worship, unlefs they make in their Writings and Sermons only an empty Flourish of the Work and Affiftance of the Holy Spirit; but if he means the fole Agent, as one may think by his Inferences, at which he is evermore ready, we deny both his Premifes and Conclufions, as is plain from the aforefaid. For For we ever held the Holy Ghost to be the first Mover to every good Word and Work, and the Soul of Man the Moved; the Spirit of GOD the Influencer, and the Spirit of Man the Influenced 3 the Light of CHRIST the Enlightner, and the Intellectual Faculties of Man the Enlightned: And account it our Duty to wait in an humble Dependence upon CHRIST, our High-Prieft, to inform us of the right Time to Addrefs the Father in His Name, the right Way of demeaning our felves in that great Duty, and the right Thing to ask of Him; that fo our Petitions may be answered in all which, we, tho' Agents, may mifs, except the HOLY GHOST vouchfafe to affift and direct, without which no Man can call Jefus LORD, or pray to GOD acceptably. SECTION SECTION VII. QUERY VII. Whether thofe that affert the Blood of Chrift to be no more than the Blood of another Saint; (a) who deny our Redemption from Death and Hell to be the Effects of that material Blood which he fhed upon the Crofs, (b) i. e. of the Sufferings (a) S. Eccl. Letter to R. Porter. (b) Barclay's A pol. paffim. Pennington's Quef. p. 25. (c) Edw. Burrough's Trumpet, &c. p. 17. Pennington's Quest. p. 33. Apol. p. 146. which he there endur'd in our Nature; who deny the Man that fuffered at Jerufalem to be Chrift; and who accordingly reproach us with feeding upon the Report of a Thing done many hundred Years ago; (c) who deny that Christ afcended with the fame Body that rofe from the Dead; who deny that Chrift's glorify'd Body in Heaven is of an human Nature; who deny that Chrift has any other Body than his Church, (d) who deny that Chrift has a perfonal Being at the right Hand of GOD; (e) who deny that Chrift fhall vifibly come at the laft Day to judge the Quick and Dead; who tell us that those are like to be deceiv'd that expect that Chrift's fecond Coming will be a perfonal Coming, (f) do not plainly fubvert thofe fundamental Articles of the Chriftian Religion, viz. Chrift's bearing our Sins in his own Body on the Tree; his Redeeming us by his precious Blood; his giving his Life a RanF (e) G. Whitehead's Chrift afcen ded. p. 17. 18. (f) Ibid. p. 23. And Nature of Christ. p. 29. fom fom for ours; the Refurrection of his human Body; his afcending with it into the highest Heavens; his appearing there in our Nature in the Prefence of GOD, as our Mediator and Advocate, and his vifible Appearance and Coming to judge the Quick and Dead? And whether thofe who deny fuch effential Doctrines of the Chriftian Religion have any juft Title to the Name of Chriftians? Let the Quakers then either openly renounce and cenfure these pernicious Opinions of their chief Writers, or else they must give us leave to cenfure them, as notoriously fallen from the Faith once delivered to the Saints. REPLY. E fincerely believing the Divine Inspiration WE and Authority of the Holy Scriptures, can't deny any Thing therein recorded, concerning our LORD and SAVIOUR Jefus Chrift, His Blood, Afcenfion, and Coming again to Judgment, as in Section I. We do, We blefs GOD, religioufly believe and confefs to the Glory of GOD the Father, and the Honour of His dear and beloved SON; that Jefus Chrift took our Nature upon Him, and was like us in all Things, Sin excepted, being wonderfully conceived by the Holy Ghoft, His Divinity and Manhood wonderfully United; for in Him dwelt the Fulnefs of the Godhead Bodily; He was Born of the Virgin Mary at Bethlehem above 1700 Years ago, wrought many Wonderful Miracles in the Land of Judea; lived a Life of Sanctity and perfect Obedience, died the fhameful Death of the Crofs, under Pontius |