of William Penn and his brethren." W. Penn being then in America, Thomas Elwood commenced a reply to this Book. But B. Coole publishing an answer to Keith, Elwood's was never finished, and we have only some extracts from it in his Journal; p. 405, to 414. In that reply he says: "The Book of W. Penn's, called, 'A Discourse of the General Rule of Faith & Life;' to which G. Keith's Deism is an answer, was first printed in the year 1673, as an Appendix to W.Penn's part of the Christian Quaker, (a folio book in two parts, the former written by W.Penn, the latter by G.Whitehead.) In that former part of the Christian Quaker, written by W. Penn, though the tendency of it is to assert and defend the Divinity of Christ, and his Spiritual appearance, by his Divine Light in the hearts of men, yet there is enough said concerning his Manhood, his outward appearance, and sufferings in the flesh, to free W. Penn from the imputation or suspicion of deism. W. Penn, p. 102, says: 'His righteous life, with respect to its appearance in that body, was griev-. ed by sin; and the weight of the iniquity of the whole world, with the concernment of its eternal well-being, lay hard upon him: nor was his manhood insensible of it: under the load of this did he travail: alone he trode the wine press, &c. Not that we should irreverently rob the holy body, of whatsoever acknowledgment is justly due, nor yet separate what God hath joined.' P. 104. chap. 21, 'A confession in particular, to Christ's redemption, remission, justification, and salvation-which was actually to the salvation of some, and intentionally of the whole world.-As there was a necessity that one should die for the people, so whoever then or since believed in him, had, & have, a seal or confirmation, of the remission of their sins in his blood. This grand assurance of remission do all receive, in the

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ratifying blood of Christ, who, repenting of their sins, believe and obey the holy Light, with which he hath illuminated them.' P. 107, 'But there is yet a further benefit that accrueth by the blood of Christ, viz: That Christ is a propitiation and redemption to such as have faith in him. For though I still place the stress of particular benefit upon the Light, Life, & Spirit, revealed and witnessed in every particular: yet in that general appearance there was a general benefit, justly to be attributed to the blood of that very body of Christ: to wit: that it did propitiate. For however it might draw stupendous judgments upon the heads of those who were authors of that dismal tragedy, & died impenitent, yet doubtless it thus far turned to very great account, in that it was a most precious offering in the sight of the Lord, and drew God's Love the more eminently to mankind: at least, such as should believe in his name." P. 108, 'Doubtless it did greatly influence to some singular tenderness & peculiar regard, unto all such as should believe in his name, among other his weighty performances; for the sake of that last and greatest of all his external acts, the resisting unto blood, fcr the spiritual good of the world, thereby offering his life upon the cross, through the power of the Eternal Spirit, that remission of sin, God's bounty to the world, might be preached in his name. and in his very blood too: as that which was most ratifying of all, his bodily sufferings. And indeed therefore might it seem meet to the Holy Ghost, that Redemption, Propitiation, and Remission, should be declared, and held forth in the blood of Christ, unto all that have a right faith therein, as saith the apostle to the Romans— because it implies a firm belief thatChrist was come in the flesh,& that none could then have him as their propitiation and redemption, who withstood the ac

knowledgment of, & belief in his visible appearance.' P. 110, Faith in his blood was requisite, that they might confess him, whose Body and Blood it was to be Christ. To conclude, we confess; he who then appeared, was, and is the propitiation, &c. And in him was redemption obtained, by all those who had such true faith in his Blood."

After T. E. had taken the above extracts, with considerably more to the same purpose, he says: "Thus much, (& more which I have omitted,) against Deism, in that very Treatise of W. Penn's, to which the Book, out of which G. Keith, by his art of counterfeit Chemistry, would extract deism, was an Appendix: and yet this was not the direct subject of that Treatise, but only touched on occasionally, or by the by. Should I gather up all quotations on this argument, out of our other Books, such especially, as have more directly handled this subject, I might therewith fill a large volume."

And after quoting a large number of texts, in support of this doctrine, he adds: "These things, G. Keith certainly knows have been constantly held, believed, professed, and owned by W. Penn, and his brethren the Quakers in general, both privately and publicly, in word and writing. These things are so often testified of in our meetings, and have been so fully and plainly asserted and held forth in our books, that we might call in almost as many witnesses thereof, as have frequented our meetings, or attentively read our books."

To these testimonies from the writings of our primitive friends, I will add a few from the society in its collective capacity. The Epistle from the Yearly Meeting in London, written in the year 1723, to the Quarterly and Monthly Meetings of Friends, in Great Britain, Ireland, and elsewhere, contains the following advice:

"And, dear Friends, this Meeting, considering that some in the present age, do endeavor, as well by certain books, as a licentious conversation, to lessen and decry the true Faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, even that precious Faith once delivered to his Saints-which, by the mercy of God, is also bestowed upon us, doth therefore earnestly advise and exhort all parents, masters and mistresses of families, and guardians of minors, that they prevent, as much as in them lies, their children, servants, and youth, under their respective care and tuition, from the having or reading books or papers, that have any tendency to prejudice the profession of the christian religion, to create in them the least doubt concerning the truth of the Holy Scriptures, or those necessary & saving truths contained in them."

1728. "And, dear Friends, inasmuch as the Holy Scriptures, are the external means of conveying and preserving to us, an account of the things most surely to be believed, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh, and the fulfilling the prophecies relating thereto; we therefore recommend to all Friends, especially elders in the Church, and masters of families, that they would, both by example and advice, impress on the minds of the younger, a reverend esteem of those sacred writings; & advise them to a frequent reading and meditating therein. And that ministers as well as elders and others, in all their preaching, writing, and conversing about the things of God, do keep to the form of sound words, or scripture terms; and that none pretend to be wise above what is there written, and in such pretended wisdom, go about to explain the things of God, in the words which man's wisdom teaches."

1732. "We tenderly and earnestly advise and

exhort all parents and masters of families, that they exert themselves in the wisdom of God, and in the strength of his love, to instruct their children and families, in the doctrines and precepts of the christian religion, contained in the Holy Scriptures; and, that they excite them to the diligent reading of those sacred writings, which plainly set forth the miraculous conception, birth, holy life, wonderful works, blessed example, meritorious death, and glorious resurrection, ascension and mediation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: and to educate their children in the belief of those important truths, as well as in the belief of the inward manifestation & operation of the Spirit of God on their own minds, that they may reap the benefit and advantage thereof, for their own peace, and everlasting happiness, which is infinitely preferable to all other considerations. We therefore exhort, in the most earnest manner, that all be very careful in this respect; a neglect herein, being, in our judgment, very blameworthy: and further, where any deficiency of this sort appears, we recommend to Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, that they stir up those whom it may concern to their duty herein."

1736. "We earnestly exhort, that ye hold fast the profession of the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, without wavering; both in respect to his outward coming in the flesh, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension, mediation, and intercession, at the right hand of the Father: and to the inward manifestations of his Grace and Holy Spirit in our hearts, powerfully working in the soul of man, to the subduing every evil affection and lust, and to the purifying of our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God: and that, through the virtue and efficacy of this most holy faith, ye may become strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might,"