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You, my friends, know well enough that Henry Tuke did not give up his religious profession to any society and although, perhaps, he has laid too much stress on the discipline of your society, to the lessening or hurt of your great tenet "inward light" -the teaching and guidance of the Holy Spirit; (p. 169,) he was bold to say, after citing the example of the noble Bereans, (Acts xvii. 11.) "I am not a favourer of that false charity which would destroy all religious zeal, and make all professions of religion immaterial. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind,' (Rom. xiv. 15.) and having endeayoured to obtain that persuasion, from due consideration, let him support it with zeal, tempered with the meekness of wisdom." (conclusion, p. 186.)

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I shall now, my friends, call the attention of the multitudes to you as a people, to the testimonies which you are given to bear; that manifest the holy simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and which I believe, none other than your standard of orthodoxy, contained in Robert Barclay's Thesis Theologica, or fifteen propositions: as he appears to be "one among the first separated, of the people, in scorn called Quakers." But as nearly the whole of these propositions have been, though unavoidably, noticed in the course of this work (not that a certain "precise definition" is given of any one of them,) I shall only give an abstract of them.

I. Concerning the true foundation of knowledge. * Seeing the height of all happiness is placed in

* Here, my dear friends, I feel desirous to make an apology

the true knowledge of God; the right understanding of this ground of knowledge is that which is most necessary to be known and believed. See John xxvii. 3.

II. Concerning immediate revelation.

Seeing no man knoweth the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him; and seeing the revelation of the Son is in and by the Spirit; (Matt. xi. 27.) therefore the testimony of the Spirit is that alone, by which the true knowledge of God hath been, is and can be only revealed; so by the revelation of the same Spirit, he hath manifested himself

for the liberty I am taking with these your grand testimonies, and standard of orthodoxy; but as I acknowledge myself a convert ("convinced," to use your own phrase) to Robert Barclay, and adopt them as my own, I trust you will the more readily excuse me: and more, as they have proved the greatest comfort of my life, and I trust a blessing to my soul, from the first day I saw them. (which is now about some fourteen or fifteen years since.) I am anxious to give some account of them, that others may desire to see the original; and taste and see how good the Lord is; as well as great.---I have added a few texts of scripture to those already annexed to the propositions, from R. B's. apology, as illustrative of the same, which you will excuse also.

And here, my friends, I wish to correct an expression, which, (though smarting at the time under unparalleled inci vility,) in my haste ("in my haste," said David) to condemn "inconsistencies of practices, may appear to aim a blow at these grand principles of religion: I mean that---" here the veil," &c. p. 28, line 29, let. I. This is no more quakerism (as contained in these testimonies) than the practices of those who are characterized for making a hard bargain in trade, and beating their neighbour down in their prices; or than those who put up an article five shillings (per yard) worse than the sample, because, forsooth, it is commerce---" exportation order."

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all along unto the sons of men, both patriarchs, prophets, and apostles; which revelation of God by the Spirit, whether by outward voices, appearances, dreams, or inward objective manifestations in the heart. Moreover, these divine inward revelations, which we make absolutely necessary for the building up of true faith, neither do nor can contradict the outward testimony of the scriptures, or right and sound reason yet these divine revelations are not to be subjected to the examination of these as a more noble or certain rule or touch-stone.

III. Concerning the scriptures.

From these revelations of the Spirit of God to the saints, have proceeded the scriptures of truth, which contain, 1st, a faithful historical account of the acting of God's people in divers ages.-2nd, A prophecy of several things, whereof some are already past, and some yet to come.-3d, A full and ample account of all the chief principles of the doctrines of Jesus Christ, which by the moving of God's Spirit, were, at several times, and on sundry occasions spoken and written unto some churches and their pastors: nevertheless, because they are only a declaration of the fountain, and not the fountain; they are not the adequate primary rule of faith and manner; they are and may be esteemed a secondary rule, subordinate to the Spirit, from which they have all their excellency :-we do, therefore, receive and believe the scriptures, because they proceeded from the Spirit. See John xvi. 13. Rom. viii. 14.

IV. Concerning the condition of man in the fall.
All Adam's posterity is fallen, degenerated, and

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dead, deprived of the sensation of this inward testimony or seed of God, and is subject to the power, nature, and seed of the serpent; from whence it comes, that not their words and deeds only, but all their imaginations are evil perpetually in the sight of God; and can do nothing aright, until he be (disjoined from this evil seed, and, united to the divine light: hence are rejected the Socinians' and Pelagians' errors, in exalting a natural light; as also the Papists. Nevertheless, this seed is not imputed to infants, until by transgression they actually join themselves therewith. Rom. v. 12—15.

V. and VI. Concerning the universal redemption by Christ, and also the saving and spiritual light, wherewith every man is enlightened.

God, out of his infinite love, who delighteth not in the death of a sinner; enlighteneth the hearts of all in a day, (their day,) in order to salvation, if not resisted nor is it less universal than the seed of sin, being the purchase of his death, who tasted death for every man, Cor. xv. 20. See Ezek. xviii. 23. Isa. xlix. 6. John iii. 16. and i. 9. Tit. ii. 11. Eph. v. 18. Heb. ii. 9. And

6. According to which principle (or hypothesis) all the objections against the universality of Christ's death are easily solved :-this certain doctrine then being received (namely) that there is an evangelical and saving light and grace in all, the universality of the love and mercy of God towards mankind (both in the death of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the manifestation of the light in the heart: 1 Cor. xii. 7.) is established and confirmed

against all the objections of such as deny it. There fore Christ hath tasted death for every man; not only for all kinds of men, as some vainly talk, but for eve ry one of all kinds; the benefit of whose offering is not only extended to such, who have the distinct outward knowledge of his death and sufferings, but' even unto those who are necessarily excluded from the benefit of this knowledge, by some inevitable accident; which knowledge we willingly confess to be very profitable and comfortable, but not absolutely needful unto such, from whom God himself hath withheld it; yet they may be made partakers of the mystery of his death, (though ignorant of the history,) if they suffer his seed and light (enlightening the heart) to take place; by whose inward and secret touches, they feel themselves turned from the evil to the good, and learn to do unto others as they would be done by. This salvation in that divine light and life is excellently and evidently held forth in these scriptures, Gen. vi. 3. Deut. xxx. 14. John i. 7-9. Rom. x. 8. Tet. ii, 11.

VII. Concerning justification.

As many as resist not this light, but receive the same; in them is produced a holy, pure, and spiritual birth; by which holy birth, Jesus Christ formed within us, and working his works (of holiness and righteousness) in us, as we are sanctified, so are we justified' in the sight of God:-not by our works wrought in our will, nor yet by our good works; considered as themselves, but by Christ who is both the gift and the giver the cause producing the effects.-See l Cor. vi. 11. Tit. iii. 5. 2 Pet. i. 4. Rom. viii 30. Eph. ii. 5. 2 Cor. iv. 10, 11.

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