Man a Measure of Faith. Rom. xii. 3. Or what thinks he of Grace? Is that a material Subftance? The Apostle fays, Unto every one of us is given Grace according to the Measure of the Gift of Christ.. Eph. iv. 7.

He queries, p. 28, about the Light in par<ticular Perfons being tried by the Light of the Body, &c.' For which he quotes Some of the Quakers Principles.' A Book we do not find written by any of them. He quotes' alfo the Yearly Meeting Epistle 1666, tho' no Yearly Meeting then was: He alfo cites Barbadoes Judgment, a Paper from whence fome former Adverfaries have taken Occafion to traduce us; though it was oppofed by many honeft Friends there, generally difliked here, and by thofe of our communion in other Parts of the World. However, we find an Objection parallel to this of our Author's made by one of his own Fraternity, answered by Daniel Philips in these Words,

(u) THE Paffage from whence my Adverfary would infer that the Quakers are obliged implicitly to believe whatever their Minifters • teach them runs in these Words, viz. (x) Idefire to give up my whole Concern, if required, both Spiritual and temporal, unto the Judgment of the SPIRIT OF GOD in the Men and Womens Meetings. Had this Rector no other Design, than the expofing of the Quakers Errors, as he infinuates in his Introduction, certainly he would • never have made this particular Act an univerfal Objection; because as foon as this order

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(u) Vindicia Veritatis, p. 47, 48, 49. (x) These are the Words of the Barbadoes Paper.

came to the Sight of G. Fox it was cenfured by ⚫ him; and he in Conjunction with George Whitehead and Alexander Parker, wrote to their • Friends in Barbadoes, to ftop this Paper from going any farther, becaufe they did not approve of the Doctrine therein contained; and (y) Stephen Crifp wrote a Book principally against this Paper, where he tells his Reader, • That he believed the Paper was not only ill worded, but ill meant, by him that contrived or drew it up. Doth Chriftianity teach a Minister to condemn a whole Society for the inconfiderate • Action of a few, when 'tis publickly oppugned by the reft? Is this doing as you would be • be done unto? Common Morality would even blush at fuch inviduous Deductions.

.

• HAD there been nothing in this Paper more repugnant to our Principles, than this Quotation, Viz. I defire to give up my whole Concern, if required, both Spiritual and Temporal unto the Judgment of the Spirit of God in the Men and • Womens Meetings, it is very probable that our • Friends would not have fo earnestly oppofed it, when it first appeared. For what Hurt could accrue to any, from fubmitting their Affairs, whether Spiritual or Temporal, to the Judgment of the Spirit of God in the Men or Womens Meetings, or in a particular Perfon? Nay, I ⚫ am fo far from cenfuring my Friends, for their < Readiness to be guided by the Spirit of God, that I judge it my Duty implicitly to believe, that whatever the Spirit of God commands is obligatory, let the Organ that delivers it be never fo contemptible; provided he can perfuade me that he is divinely commiffionated.

(y) Stephen Crifp's Works. p. 454.

• But

But where J. S's Senfes were I cannot imagine, • when he, from the forecited Premifes, concluded, Therefore they (i. e. the Quakers) have given up themselves Soul and Body to the abfolute Conduct and Management of their Leaders; unless he fancies, that Spirit of God and Leaders are equivalent Terms.

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HAVING thus briefly defended my Friends from the Imputation of blindly following their Teachers, I fhall in the next place fhew how cuipable our Accufer and his Fraternity are in this very thing, viz. In abfolutely refigning them felves to the Conduct of their Superiors; not t, tire my Reader with many Inftances, I fha' at prefent only prefent him with one, which, contained in the Oath of Canonick Obedience, which the Minifters of the Church of England are obliged to take when they are ordained by their Bishops: The Form of it runs thus, (z) Ego A. B. Juro quod præftabo Veram & Canonicam obedientiam Epifcopo ejufque Succefforibus • in omnibus licitis & honeftis ; fic me Deus adjuvet. • I, A. B. do fwear, that I will perform true and ⚫ canonick Obedience to the Bishop

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and to

his Succeffors, in all Things that are lawful and honeft; fo help me God. By Virtue of this • Oath of Canonick Obedience the Diocefan hath his Clergy in an abfolute Subjection; his Defpotick Authority is fo prevalent with them, that if he commands any of them to deliver this or that Perfon to the Devil, that is, to excommunicate him, they are obliged, without demanding a Reason, to pronounce that difmal Sen• tence. And as the Bishops affume a Power to determine, what is True and Canonick Obedience, • and

D

(*) Bishop Sparrow'sCollect A, Art, &c. p. 132.

and what Particulars are included in thefe Ge< nerals, ALL THINGS THAT ARE LAWFUL AND HONEST; I cannot perceive where their Power terminates, and what Burthens they may not impofe on the Necks of their Curates, &c. by reafon of the various Senfes which may be given the extenfive Terms contained in this • Oath.'

THE reft of this Section, from p. 28, to 33, refpecting the Church-Government of the Quakers, is of no Validity, for 'tis certain, they only cenfured fuch as profeffing to be of their Society, kept not the Rules of it: But the Vicar, perhaps, fees not the Advantage he here puts into our Hands, who, were we difpofed to recriminate, could prefent him with a large Lift of Sober, Honeft, Confcientious Men, for mere Trifles excommunicated out of the Church of England, of which they did not profefs to be Members, and who in confequence of fuch Excommunications have fuffered long and difmal Imprisonments, fome of them even unto Death. But we forbear, and proceed to fhew our Reader that our Opponent in feveral Places of this Section has given up the Point he contends againft; for he fays,

PAGE 10. Chrift the word is by his divine Effence every where, in all Things, and in all Men, and fufficient and able in an extraordinanary way inwardly to teach Men all the Effentials of Chriftianity, without any outward Teaching.

'PAGE II. Chrift, as he is the Word God, by whom all things were made, enlightevery individual Man in the World, whether Heathen or Chriftian, with the Light of

S ens

Natural

Natural Reason, or (as may be alfo allowed) with fome common Illumination to strengthen and affift their natural Faculty of Reafon and Understanding, whereby they my be able to discover the Being of a God from his Works, and in fome measure to difcern between moral Good and Evil, or Virtue and Vice, fo that they are without Excufe, if they Walk not according to that Light.'

PAGE 28. He admits fome Illumination and Divine Light fent in upon the Conscience, a measure of which is given to every Man to < warn them of their Duty, and reprove them for Sin.' Where he allows the fame Light to be divine, which p. 11, 12. he fays, 'tis moft prefumptuous to call fo.

IN the Conclufion of this Section, he fays, And they reject all Ufe of Human Reason in finding out fpiritual Truths, as Carnal Reafonings.' Which is not fo, for tho' they justly reject Carnal Reafonings, yet not the Ufe of Reafon, for they fay the Light within can never contradict either Right Reafon, or Scripture-Teftimony. This brings us to

Sect. III.

Of the Holy Scriptures.

IN the Examination of this Section, we shall

fhew,

1.

I. Our Opponent's Affertions, and the invalidity of his defending them.

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II Th