have withdrawn the secondary gifts, if the primary, which required their support, still remained. We have, therefore, the evidence of our senses, that objective revelations are withdrawn from the church. Lastly. The doctrine of the Friends has no foundation in any of those passages of holy scripture which they adduce in proof of it.* It might be enough simply to say, that each of these texts which they quote, refers either to the special influences of the Spirit, or to his miraculous gifts. If to the former, then we have gained our point, and the dispute is at an end. If to the lat ter, the Friends gain nothing fron this, unless they can prove that all men were invested with these miraculous powers; that “all were prophets-" that all were apostles;" that none were taught mediately by inspired teachers. But in every age of inspiration, these gifts were vouchsafed only to a few; and the fact that these gifts were conferred then on a few only, ought surely not to be quoted in proof that all men now have them. Nothing but miraculous powers can bear the friends out in their extraordinary claims. I shall close with a review of their exposition of three passages of sacred writ, which have been called, with some degree of assurance, "The Quaker texts." And this, it is to be hoped, will be a sufficient specimen of the manner in which other texts are to be redeemed from similar abuses. 1. "This is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; my Spirit that is on thee, and my words which I have put into thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord from henceforth and forever."t It is evident that these are the words of the Father to the Son on behalf of his spiritual seed. They contain a double promise. First: That the Spirit who rested on "the Redeemer," shall never leave his "seed." Second: That the words put into “ the Redeemer's mouth shall never depart from the mouth of his seed," nor of "his seed's seed." There is no intimation that the 66 *Such as Jerem. xxxi. 31. Joel ii. 28, 29. Heb. viii. 10. 1 John ii. 27. Bar. Apol. Prop. ii. sect. 11, 12. † Jer. lix. 21 From verse 20. Spirit will, by an immediate interposition, put words into their mouths. "The words which I have put into thy (Christ's) mouth, shall not depart out of the mouth of thy seed." It is a truth not to be contested in this day of light and triumphant demonstration, that we possess an authentic copy of his words, written by men from his lips. And no " immediate revelation" can do more than what this authentic copy actually does, in keeping them “in our lips." And The gross abuse of this passage by Penn and Barclay merits the severest reprehension. To give it a turn to their own purpose the one quotes it thus: "I will pour out my Spirit on thee, and on thy seed and thy seed's seed to all generations." And the other models it into this form to be the basis of his syllogism: "My word, I even I, saith the Lord, have put into your mouth.”* from this forgery he draws the conclusion that as "the Spirit puts words into their lips," they were certainly inspired. Had this bold deed of altering a clause in the Testament of God Almighty, been practised on a human instrument, the perpetrators would have been declared guilty of felony, by the laws of every civilized state. 2. "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things;"" and ye need not that any man teach you." If ever there were a period in which these happy times and conditions were fully enjoyed by individuals and by the church, it was during the extraordinary effusion of the Holy Ghost in the apostle's days. Did we take the sense imposed on these sacred passages as the sense of the apostles, then every one to whom they addressed themselves, was possessed of immediate revelations. All were prophets, all were apostles, and none were taught by the lips of inspired men. If christians had "the anointing" in this sense, the conduct of the apostles was utterly inexplicable. Why did they teach? all had the teacher within. Why did they preach? all had the light within. Why write epistles? why did John write these words to tell them about "the anointing?" They all had the word in perfection within. I cannot yield to the learned critic, and refer this "anointing" * Penn vol. ii. p. 494 note. Barcl. Prop. ii. sect. 11, p. 63. † 1 John ii. 20 and 27, add to this Joel ii. 28, 29. Jer. xxxi. 31. Dr. M'Knight's new Trans. of the Epist. in loco. and "this knowing all things to the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost in this discerning of Spirits." Let us place before our minds the context. We shall perceive that the apostle is referring to the doctrines which he had been inculcating on the attention of the church, and is pointing to the "anti-christs” which "had gone out from them."—" Ye have the anointing-ye need not that any man teach you." You are no strangers to our doctrines; they are in the lips of all the faithful; you need none of the teachings of these men-these false teachers-these pretenders to inspirations. You have the instructions of the apostles, by word and epistle; you have the anointing of the Spirit: and those perceptions of truth which you have thence acquired, set you above the necessity, and above the seducing influences of the teachings of these false prophets. This simple exposition makes the practice and the doctrine of the apostle consistent and harmonious. But if the Friends will insist on the literal meaning, then we will act on the offensive; we will turn on them and say: Be it so, that these christians to whom John wrote had inspirations in the fullest measure—be it so, that they, all men, women and children were prophets and apostles :-what will that prove in your favour? Does that prove that moderns-that you have these inspirations? Prove you that you are divinely led! Bring forth your miracles! Pronounce your prophecies.-No! you have none! Then you are self-convicted. 66 Last, and that which is the burden of every Quaker's sermon. "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” * Under Εκαστω δε δίδοται ἡ φανέρωσις του Πνεύματος προς τον συμφερον. the term "paspoor" "manifestation," is comprised the different φανέρωσις” gifts of the Holy Ghost. The term literally taken signifies the active manifestation by proof. It implies the power and faculty of declaring by doctrine, and of demonstrating by deeds, that the person has the Holy Ghost. It is a gift entrusted to men " 66 προς 1 Cor. xii. 7. We are pained at hearing this text almost universally quoted by the Quaker preachers thus: "a measure of the Spirit, &c." And not unfrequently is it written in this manner, “a measure of the Spirit is given." Which completely alters the meaning. See Dr. Owen on the Spir. vol. ii. ch. 1. sect. 11. τον συμφορον ; ;" "for the good or benefit,"* that is of the church.† This gift was bestowed not on all, but on "each" "izarra." For it is to be referred to the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit only. And these gifts, it is evident, were not conferred on "all" without discrimination. Hence the meaning of the passage is this: The extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were given to each man chosen to extraordinary services, to demonstrate that their messages were from God, and, therefore, were for the common good. Now, what advantage does the Quaker cause gain from this? In what manner can they shape an argument out of it? These gifts of the Holy Ghost were given to select men in those ages to which we refer. Does this offer any proof that inspirations are given to all men now indiscriminately? The individuals who actually possessed these gifts, demonstrated the divinity of their commission by miraculous powers. Will that prove that the equally high claims of the Quakers need not these domonstrations? On what principles are we called upon to yield our faith to these pretenders, who bring no evidence, when the church of old would yield to no claims, not even to those of an apostle, without miracles? We can give no credit to them, for they lay down no foundation for faith to rest upon. They claim the Holy Ghost; but they have no "parspoors," no manifestation of his presence, by his gifts. No man can be a believer in their revelations without renouncing his reason: and there is not a man of reflection in the society who would not laugh in his sleeve at the simpleton who would believe without evidence, and with the deistical Pope who chuckled over the easy belief of his catholic subjects, would exclaim "A fine fabrication this—which has proved so lucrative to us!" • See Schleus. and Stockius in voc. vμqepov. As is evident from 1 Cor. xiv. 2, 5. As the next verse (8) fully declares, and as every Quaker admise. 25 CHAPTER II. ON THE CHARACTER OF THEIR SILENT WORSHIP. "The funde of the soule is the secretest part of the soul. In this funde God begets his sonne. Into this man must introvert, and drawe himself in, and sinck into this funde, and denude himself of all thoughts, words and deeds. There God poureth himself into our spirits. We dissolve in God and become pure, &c. Tauler a Dominican of A. D. 1346.` Deep from the vault the Loxian murmurs flow; "And Pythias' awful voices peal below." § 1. That blunt polemic, Brown of Wamphry, after having bestowed much attention on the form and theory of the silent worship of the Friends, exclaimed, that he had discovered in it "plain vestiges of devilrie !”* If the spirit of the age has polished the genius of criticism, it has also smoothed down the rugged features of sectarianism. But whatever polish may be conveyed to the surface of these principles, their substantive form is the same. We discover in the silent worship of the society singular phenomena, produced evidently by a rigid adherence to their leading tenet. Its moral and physical aspect is altogether extraordinary, and cannot fail to attract the notice of the philosopher who investigates the history of the human mind. The society has excluded not only all that is venerable by antiquity, but what is sacred by the authority of our Lord. They have banished the holy scriptures from their assemblies. They are not permitted to be read there. They have excluded baptism and the Lord's supper; they have rejected stated prayers, and the singing of psalms. They have removed the distinction between the regular ministry and the flock. Their only ministry is composed of those straggling individuals whom a fortuitous impulse brings upon their floor. Each of them enters the assem *Pref. of his book. |