that all true Minifters are truly infpired: It is furely a dismal Time with the Profeffors of Christianity if they have no Ground to look for any but falfe ones.

BUT before we leave this Text of 1 John ii. 27. But the Anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any Man teach you, &c. we fhall give our Reader a genuine and rational Interpretation of it from (u) R. Barclay, who fays,

C

FIRST, • This could not be any fpecial, peculiar, or extraordinary Privilege, but that which is common to all the Saints, it being a general Epiftle, directed to all them of that Age.'

SECONDLY, The Apoftle propofeth this anointing in them, as a more certain Touchftone for them to difcern and try Seducers by, • even than his own Writings; for having in the • former Verse said, that he had written fome Things to them, concerning fuch as feduced them, he begins the next Verfe, But the Anointing, &c. and ye need not that any Man teach you, &c. which infers, that having faid to them what can be faid, he refers them for all to the inward Anointing (which teaches all things) as the moft firm, conftant, and certain Bulwark, againft all Seducers.

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AND Lastly,

That it is a lafting and continuing thing; the Anointing which abideth; if it • had not been to abide in them, it could not

F 2

have

(1) Apol. p. 52,

have taught them all things, neither guided them against all Hazard. From which I argue thus,

• HE that hath an Anointing abiding in him, ⚫ which teacheth him all Things, fo that he needs no Man to teach him, hath an inward and im• mediate Teacher,

BUT the Saints have fuch an Anointing,

THEREFORE the Saints have an inward and • immediate Teacher.

OUR Opponent adds, p. 67. And it is very obfervable, that too many of them who pretend to it now, and to know all Things by the Unction or Anointing within them, do really with the Seducers in the Apoftles Days deny that Jefus is the Chrift, or that Christ is come in the Flefb, in the true and fcripture Sense of it, by his affuming Jefus his Body of Flesh into a per• fonal Union with himself. For they Query, Is it not a Lie to fay, that Chrift is God and • Man in one Perfon? And they deny that that is the Body of Chrift, which was not with the Father before the World began?

FOR fuch a Query he cites, Christ. Atkins's Sword of the Lord drawn, p. 5. And for fuch a Denial, Edward Burroughs, p. 465. Had our Adversary read that Paper called The Sword of the Lord drawn, he might have feen it's Author's Name to be Chriftopher Atkinson, not Atkins, but he feems to quote blindfold. Nor does that Author in the Place quoted propound any fuch Query. He uses indeed the Words; It is a lie, adding, he is not divided from what he was before

the

the Foundations of the Hills were laid; by which 'tis apparent, that those Words relate to fomewhat his Oppofer had faid or infinuated, of Christ's being divided from what he was before the Foundations of the Hills were laid; and not merely to the faying, Chrift is God and Man in one Perfon.

His Perversion of Edward Burroughs will best appear by tranfcribing the whole Paffage, which is, by way of Query to the Papists, in thefe Words.

WHETHER the Body and Blood of Christ, that is Meat indeed, and Drink indeed, be car ⚫nal and visible things, to be feen, felt and known vifibly and carnally? and whether Bread and • Wine (that is mortal and will corrupt) be the very Body and the very Blood of Chrift Jefus ? and whether Chrift hath any other Body and Blood, to be known in any other Way and Manner than what is profeffed to be vifibly and carnally known by you? And is that Bread, after Confecration, the very exprefs Image of the Father, and was with the Father ⚫ before the World began? elfe it is not the Body of Chrift: Answer me plainly.

THE Reader will now eafily fee the Unfairness of our Opponent, who takes thofe Words, it is not the Body of Chrift, which have Relation to the feveral Interrogatories foregoing, and fixes them to the Latter Part of one of them, viz. was with the Father before the World began, which laft Words plainly relate to the Bread Chrift fpeaks of, John vi. 58. This is that Bread which came down from Heaven. And the manifest purpofe of all thofe Queries, was to fhew that the Bread and Wine which, the Papifts fay,are tranfubftantiated into the very Body and the very Blood of F 3

Chrift

Chrift, is not the Body and Blood of Chrift, in any Senfe, either natural or fpiritual.

OUR Opponent next propofes this Query,

Page 67. Is it not a far better and more defirable thing to have converse with God immediately, than only mediately, as being an higher Difpenfation? For this he quotes, R. B's Apol. p. 51. in Juftice to whom, we fhall tranfcribe the whole Paffage, How much then are they deceived, who inftead of making the Gospel preferable to the Law, have made the Condition of fuch as are under the Gofpel far worfe? • For no doubt it is a far better, and more defiable thing, to converfe with God immediately, than only mediately, as being an higher and more glorious Difpenfation. And yet thefe Men acknowledge, that many under the Law • had immediate Converfe with God, whereas they now cry it is ceafed.

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AGAIN, under the Law, there was the Holy of Holies, into which the High Priest did 6 enter, and received the Word of the Lord immediately from betwixt the Cherubims, fo that the People could then certainly know the Mind of the Lord; but now, according to thefe Men's Judgment, we are in a far worfe Condition, having nothing but the outward Letter of the Scripture, to guefs and divine from, concerning one Verfe of which, fcarce two can be found to agree. But Jefus Chrift hath promised us better things, (though many are fo unwife, as not to believe him) even to guide us by his own unerring Spirit, and hath rent and ⚫ removed the Vail, whereby not only one, and that once a Year may enter; but all of us at all times have Accefs unto him, as often as we

draw

.

⚫ draw near unto him with pure Hearts: He reveals his Will to us by his Spirit, and writes. his Laws in our Hearts.'

OUR Opponent's Difcourfe in p. 68, 69, and to the End of this Section, about a falfe Peace, and the many falfe Suppofitions he makes to fix it upon the Quakers, carry not with them the Appearance of Argument. Were we difpofed to talk after that manner, we could retort with very great Advantage: But 'tis our Business to defend the Truth without Breach of Charity.

Of the Inward Immediate Teflimony of the Spirit.

OUR Adversary afferts, p. 70.

That there may be a real, certain, undoubted Belief of the Truth of Chriftianity, which may fatisfy • a Man's Conscience or Judgment, without the inward immediate Teltimony of the Spirit,' and then tells of feveral outward Teftimonies and Atteftations, fufficient, as he thinks, for that Purpose, viz.

1. THE external vifible Defcent of the Spirit upon our Saviour at his Baptism, Mat. iii. 16,17, Which Descent that Text does not mention that any Body faw, but our Saviour himself. John the Baptift did alfo fee it, as appears, John i. 32. But he places the Ground of his Belief, not barely on that outward Atteftation, but on the Testimony of the Spirit of God inwardly affuring him of its Certainty; for he fays,