CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Book Committee Of Phila- 
 delphia Yearly Meeting 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029464132 
 
THE GIFT OF 
 
 lA&aJ\JLj...J\^jiUiZM^ 
 
 A:.M.:us.7A IS.I1LJ3.2. 
 
SOME OF THE DOCTHmES 
 
 CHRISTIAN RELIGION, 
 
 AS HELD BY TliE 
 
 SOCIETY OF FRIENDS: 
 
 EXTRACTED PROM THE 
 
 WRITINGS OF WILLIAM PENN. 
 
 FRIENDS' BOOK STOEE, 
 No. S04 Areh Street, Philadelphia. 
 
 1886. 
 
PHILADELPHIA! 
 
 WM. H. PILE'S SONS, PRINTERS, 
 
 422 WALNUT STREET. 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 The following condensed statement of Christian Doc- 
 trines has been prepared from the writings of William 
 Penn. It shows how fully and clearly he bore testimony 
 to the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and 
 to the propitiatory nature of his offering of himself for the 
 gins of mankind ; and also, to the necessity, in order to 
 salvation, that all should know Him as He appears in 
 their hearts to redeem them from all iniquity, and sanctify 
 them by his grace and power revealed there. 
 
 The references are to the first edition of William Penn's 
 collected works, printed in 1726. 
 
A View of Christian Doctrines. 
 
 The writings of William Penn contain several general 
 statements of the doctrines believed in and proclaimed to 
 the world by the Society of Friends, of which he was a 
 beloved and honored member. Among these is the fol- 
 lowing, contained in an epistle written in 1677, and ad- 
 dressed to the king of Poland, pleading with him for the 
 Friends of Dantzic, who were then suflfering persecution. 
 William Penn speaks of it as a statement of " The most 
 fundamental principles most surely believed by us." 
 
 SUMMAEY OF CHEISTIAN DOCTRINES. 
 
 1. We do reverently believe that there is one God and 
 Father, one Lord Jesus Christ, and one Holy Spirit, and 
 these three are one. — Eph. iv. 6. 
 
 2 We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
 ment to have been given forth by Divine inspiration ; and 
 they are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 
 for instruction in righteousness ; able to make the man of 
 God wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ 
 Jesus. — 2 Tim. iii. 15, 16. 
 
 3. That these Holy Scriptures are not to be understood, 
 but by the discoveries, teachings and operations of that 
 eternal Spirit from whence they came. 
 
 4. We believe that all mankind, through disobedience 
 to the Spirit of God, are fallen short of the glory of God, 
 and in that state are under condemnation : But that God 
 out of his infinite goodness and kindness, hath sent his 
 
 5 
 
Son a light into the world, that whosoever believeth and 
 obeyeth this light, should not abide in darkness, but have 
 the light of eternal life. 
 
 5. We believe this gift of light and grace through Jesus 
 Christ, to be universal ; and that there is not a man or 
 woman upon earth, that hath not a suiBcient measure of 
 this light, and to whom this grace hath not appeared to 
 reprove their ungodly works of darkness, and to lead them 
 that obey it to eternal salvation. And this is the great 
 condemnation of the world at this day, under all their 
 great professions of God, Christ, Spirit and Scriptures ; 
 that though Christ hath enlightened them, yet they will 
 not bring their deeds to the Light, but hate the Light, and 
 love their dark customs and practices rather than the 
 Light ; because their deeds are evil. 
 
 6. "We do believe in the birth, life, doctrine, miracles, 
 death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, our 
 Lord ; and that He laid down his life for the ungodly, not 
 to continue so, but that they should deny their wickedness 
 and ungodliness, and liye soberly, righteously and God- 
 likely in this present evil world ; as the saints of old did, 
 that were redeemed from the earth and sat in heavenly 
 places. 
 
 7. We do believe that as the Devil, through man's dis- 
 obedience, brought sin into man's heart, so Christ Jesus, 
 through man's belief jn and obedience to his Holy Spirit, 
 light and grace, cleanseth the heart of sin, destroyeth the 
 works of the Devil, finisheth transgression, and bringeth 
 in everlasting righteousness. That as the Devil hath nad 
 his kingdom of darkness in man, so Christ may have his 
 kingdom of light, life, righteousness, peace and joy in the 
 Holy Ghost in the heart of man ; and not that Jesus Christ 
 saveth from wrath, and not from sin ; for the wages of sin 
 is death, in whose heart soever it liveth ; but the gift of 
 God is eternal life, to all that believe and obey through 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 8. We do believe that all true ministry and worship 
 only stand in the experimental sense, operation and lead- 
 ings of this holy Light, Spirit or Grace, that is shed abroad 
 
in the hearts of men and women, to conduct them in the 
 holy way of regeneration unto life eternal. This was the 
 ancient, apostolical doctrine ; they spoke what they had 
 seen, tasted and handled of the Word of God. And this 
 is our faith, doctrine and practice in this day. — Works, 
 vol. 1, p. 66, 57. 
 
 OBJECTIONS TO THE TEEMS " TEINITY," AND 
 "SEPARATE PEESONS," IN SPEAKING OF GOD. 
 
 In expressing their belief in the doctrine set forth in 
 the first paragraph of the preceding statement, Friends 
 have carefully avoided entangling themselves by the use 
 of terms and distinctions invented to define Him who is 
 incomprehensible, such as " Trinity'' and " distinct pereons" 
 in the Deity ; and have scrupulously adhered to the lan- 
 guage of the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 William Penn, in his treatise entitled, Sandy Foundation 
 Shaken* states that the terms "trinity" and "separate 
 
 * This book was written in the year 1668, under the fol- 
 lowing circumstances. Two of the hearers of one Thomas 
 Vincent, a Presbyterian preacher in London, having left his 
 congregation, and attended the meetings of Friends, he was 
 much disturbed thereat, and publicly accused Friends of 
 holding damnable doctrines, with other railing accusations. 
 
 William Penn and George Whitehead, not being willing 
 that the principles of our Society should lie under such im- 
 putations, requested of Thomas Vincent, a public meeting, in 
 which the matter might be fairly debated, and they have an 
 opportunity of replying to these, charges. A meeting was 
 held accordingly, at which several points of doctrine were 
 discussed ; but it ended unsatisfactorily. William Penn feel- 
 ing that they had been unfairly treated, wrote The Sandy 
 Foundation Shaken, in which he reviews the subjects discussed, 
 and confutes the errors of his opponents. A learned defence 
 of this treatise will be found in the works of Richard Claridge. 
 
8 
 
 persons" in the Godhead, are expressions not to be found 
 in the Scriptures ; that the doctrine itself was unknown 
 for the first three hundred years of the Christian era, and 
 was the result of " too daring curiosity" on the part of one 
 of the ancient bishops. He brings forward several scrip- 
 ture prooS of the unity of God, quoting, among other 
 passages, the language of Christ, " This is life eternal, thstt 
 they might know thee, the only true God ;" and the words 
 of the Apostle Paul, who several times declares in his 
 epistles, " there is one God." 
 
 In an Address to Protestants, designed to promote har- 
 mony and good feeling among the different denominations 
 of Protestants in Great Britain, he refers to the contro- 
 versies and disputes which have arisen from a departure 
 from the language of Scripture in the statement of doc- 
 trines — of which the use of the word " trinity" is an ex- 
 ample. Men of speculative minds, he says, were not satis- 
 fied with the statements of Scripture simply — 
 
 To know there was a God, and that He was but One, 
 just and good, the observer of their actions, and the re- 
 warder of their deeds, and that therefore they should serve 
 Him ; but they must be distinctly informed of his nature, 
 and all his attributes, his purposes and his decrees, and 
 the suitableness of them all to the line and plummet of 
 their understanding. Nor did it satisfy that there was a 
 Christ ; that this Christ was the son of God ; that God so 
 loved mankind, as, beholding them in a way of destruc- 
 tion, He sent his Son to proclaim pardon upon true re- 
 pentance, and offered a general reconciliation to as many 
 as received and embraced his testimony ; and that to that 
 end, He laid down his life a ransom, rose and ascended, 
 and gave his good Spirit to lead his followers after his 
 example, in the way of truth and holiness. But they 
 must search into the secret of this relation, how and after 
 
9 
 
 what manner He is the Son of God ? His nature, power 
 and person must be discussed. They will be satisfied in 
 this, before they can find in their hearts to believe in Him. 
 
 Of this kind of treatment of the Divine messages, Wil- 
 liam Penn says : — 
 
 It introduces the traditions of men in the room of God's 
 records, and setteth up their judgment and results for the 
 rule of Christian faith. — Works, vol. l,p. 749-751. 
 
 DIVINITY OP CHEIST. 
 
 While careful to guard against the reception of merely 
 human speculations, and scholastic refinements as doctrines 
 of the Gospel, William Penn fully received the declara- 
 tions of the Holy Scriptures as to the divinity of our Lord 
 and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In his remarks on this subject 
 in the tract, Innoceney, with her open Face,* he shows that 
 Isaiah prophesied concerning Christ, " I will give thee for 
 a light unto the Gentiles ;" and the Evangelist adds, " That 
 was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh 
 
 * In his treatise entitled, ITie Sandy Foundation Shaken, Wil- 
 liam Penn, in exposing the erroneous doctrines of Thomas 
 Vincent and his fellow ministers, advocated the unity of the 
 Grodhead, and objected to the terms "Trinity" and "Separate 
 Persons," as not being the language of Scripture. Hence 
 some of his adversaries falsely and " maliciously" (as he says) 
 charged him with denying the Divinity of Christ ; "supposing 
 what I never thought, much less writ of, to be the intention 
 of my book." To remove these mistakes and aspersions, he 
 published, in the same year (1668), the tract, "Innoceney 
 with her open Face," in which he fully replies to the charges 
 brought against him, and sets forth his belief clearly and 
 strongly. 
 
10 
 
 into the world." These texts he compares with the further 
 declaration, " God is light, and in Him is no darkness at 
 all ;" " from whence," he says, " I assert the unity of God 
 and Christ, because, though nominally distinguished, yet 
 essentially the same Divine light; for if Christ be that 
 light, and that light be God, then is Christ God." 
 
 In the same manner both God and Christ are spoken of 
 as the Saviour of men. " From which," says WiUiam 
 Penn, " I conclude Christ to be God." 
 
 Lastly : In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 
 was with God, and the Word was God. AH things were 
 made by Him, and without Him was not anything made 
 that was made. — (John i. 1-3). For by Him were all 
 things created that are in heaven and that are in earth. 
 He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. — 
 (Col. i. 16, 17). Upholding all things by the Word of his 
 power, &c. — (ffeb. i. 3). Wherefore I am stiU confirmed 
 in the belief of Christ the Saviour's divinity ; for He that 
 made aU things, and by whom they consist and are up- 
 held, because before all things ; He was not made nor up- 
 held by another, and consequently is God. . . . He that is 
 the everlasting Wisdom, the Divine Power, the true Light, 
 the only Saviour, the Creating Word of all things (whether 
 visible or invisible), and their Upholder by his own power, 
 is without contradiction God ; but all these qualifications 
 and divine properties are, by the concurrent testimonies of 
 Scripture, ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, 
 without a scruple, I call and believe Him to be really the 
 Mighty God.— Works, vol. l,p. 268. 
 
 In an epistle to John CoUenges, William Penn says : 
 
 I do heartily believe that Jesus Christ is the only true 
 and everlasting God, by whom all things are made that 
 are made in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or 
 the waters under the earth ; that He is, as omnipotenit, so 
 omniscient and omnipresent, therefore God. — Works, vol. 
 l,p. 165. 
 
11 
 
 PROPITIATION THROUGH CHRIST. 
 
 In various parts of his writings, William Penn sets forth 
 the object and effect of Christ's appearance in the flesh, — 
 even the salvation of man — and how this great work is ac- 
 complished. From the second chapter of No Cross, no 
 Crown* the following paragraph is condensed : 
 
 Because there is mercy with God, that He may be 
 feared, and that he takes no delight in the eternal death 
 of poor sinners, no, though backsliders themselves ; but is 
 willing all should come to the knowledge and obedience 
 of the Truth, and be saved. He has set forth his Son a 
 propitiation, and given Him a Saviour to take away the 
 sins of the whole world, that those that believe and follow 
 Him, may feel the righteousness of God in the remission 
 of their sins, and blotting out their transgressions forever. 
 — Works, vol. l,p. 279. 
 
 In his treatise entitled, The Christian Quaker, f William 
 Penn says : 
 
 * This work was written while imprisoned for his religious 
 views, in the Tower of London, in the year 1668. It is prac- 
 tical in its character, and designed to show that " the denial 
 of self and daily bearing of Christ's cross is the alone way to 
 the rest and kingdom of God." It has many times been re- 
 printed and widely circulated. 
 
 t Thomas Hicks, a Baptist preacher, having published a 
 hook, which he called, " A Dialogue between a Christian and a 
 Quaker," in which he put into the mouth of his pretended 
 Quaker, reasoning so weak as to be easily confuted ; William 
 Penn replied in 1673, in a work entitled, " The Christian Quak- 
 er." This treatise is mainly devoted, as is said in the opening 
 sentence, to " The Light of Christ within, the great principle of 
 God in man, the root and spring of Divine life and knowledge 
 in the soul ; that by which salvation is effected for man, and 
 which is the characteristic of the people called Quakers." 
 
12 
 
 There is yet a farther benefit that accrueth by the blood 
 of Christ, viz : . That Christ is a propitiation and redemp- 
 tion to such as have faith in Him. For though I still 
 place the stress of feeling of a particular benefit upon the 
 light, life and Spirit revealed and witnessed in every par- 
 ticular person, yet in that general appearance there was a 
 general benefit justly to be attributed unto the blood of 
 that very body of Christ, which He offered up through the 
 eternal Spirit, to wit : that it did propitiate. — Works, vol. 
 1, p. 577. 
 
 Yet forever we must affirm, that no man or woman can 
 be made a child of God, but as the new birth, regeneration, 
 and the Divine and heavenly image comes to be witnessed 
 through the putting off the old man and his deeds, and 
 being baptized by the Holy Ghost and fire into the one 
 body, of which Christ, the immaculate Lamb of God, is 
 head and lord. — Works, vol. 1, p. 580. 
 
 In short [Christ] was the general Saviour in that emi- 
 nent appearance at Jerusalem, in which He did so many 
 great and good things for mankind ; and is an effectual Sa- 
 viour to every particular person, as we find Him in our 
 hearts, an holy Light ; showing sin, reproving for it, and 
 converting from it, into the holy nature of the Light, 
 Christ Jesus. — Works, vol. 1, p. 581. 
 
 In the Address to Protestants, occurs the following pas- 
 
 He gave his life for the world, and offered up one com- 
 mon sacrifice for mankind. And by this one offering up 
 of himself, once for all. He hath forever perfected, that is 
 quitted and discharged and taken into favor, them that 
 are sanctified ; who have received the spirit of grace and 
 sanctification in their hearts ; for such as resist it, receive 
 not the benefit of that sacrifice, but damnation to them- 
 selves. 
 
 This holy offering up of himself by the eternal Spirit, is 
 a great part of his messiahship ; for therein He hath both 
 confirmed his blessed message of remission of sins and life 
 everlasting, to as many as truly believe in his name, and 
 
13 
 
 hath given himself a propitiation for all that have sinned, 
 and thereby come short of the glory of God. Insomuch 
 that God is said by the Apostle Paul to be just, and the 
 justifier of him which believeth in Jesus, whom God hath 
 set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to 
 declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are 
 past, through the forbearance of God. — Works, vol. l,p. 
 762. 
 
 In The Invalidity of John Faldo's Vindieation,* Wil- 
 liam Penn says : 
 
 I must again declare, that we are led by the Light and 
 Spirit of Christ with holy reverence to confess unto the 
 blood of Christ shed at Jerusalem, as that by which a pro- 
 pitiation was held forth to the remission of the sins that 
 were past through the forbearance of God unto all that 
 believed. And we do embrace it as such ; and do firmly 
 believe, that thereby God declared his great love unto the 
 world ; for by it is the consciousness of sin declared to be 
 taken away, or remission sealed to all that have known 
 true repentance and faith in his appearance. But because 
 of the condition, — I mean faith and repentance, — there- 
 fore do we exhort all- to turn their minds to the Light and 
 Spirit of Christ within, that by seeing their conditions and 
 being by the same brought both into true contrition and 
 holy confidence in God's mercy, they may come to receive 
 the benefit thereof; for without that necessary condition, 
 it will be impossible to obtain remission of sins, though it 
 be so generally promulgated thereby. — Works, vol. 2, p. 
 411. 
 
 * John Faldo was an Independent preacher near Barnet, 
 England, some of whose hearers had gone over to Friends. 
 He gave vent to his displeasure in his " Quakerism no Chris- 
 tianity," to which William Penn replied in a treatise called, 
 " Quakerism a neiv Nickname for Old Christianity." Faldo 
 soon after published a " Vindication" of his former work ; 
 which Penn followed with " The Invalidity of John Faldo's 
 Vindication." These treatises were published in 1673, 
 
14 
 
 EEDEMPTION THROUGH CHEIST. 
 Not only did William Penn fully testify to the divinity 
 of the blessed Son of God, and to the propitiatory nature 
 of his offering of himself for the sins of the world ; but 
 he -was YePy clear in his statements as to the further -work 
 of Christ, as the sanctifier and redeemer of those who re- 
 ceive and follow Him in his inward appearance, -without 
 which none can be saved from sin or from its punishment. 
 In No Cross no Grown* the way to eternal life is thus un- 
 folded to the earnest seeker after heaven and holiness : 
 
 But thou wilt say. What is Christ, and where is He to 
 be found ? And how received and applied, in order to 
 this mighty cure ? I tell thee then : First, He is the great 
 spiritual Light of the world, that enlightens every one that 
 comes into the world, by which He manifests to them their 
 deeds of darkness and wickedness, and reproves them for 
 committing them. Secondly He is not far away from 
 thee, as the Apostle Paul said of God to the Athenians. 
 Behold (says Christ himself,) I stand at the door and 
 knock ; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I 
 will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me. 
 
 He told the Jews : If you believe not that I am He, ye 
 shall die in your sins ; and whither I go ye cannot come. 
 And because they believed Him not, they did not receive 
 Him, nor any benefit by Him ; but they that believed 
 Him received Him ; and as many as received Him, his 
 own beloved disciple tells us, to them gave He power to 
 become the sons of God. 
 
 So I say to thee, unless thou believest that He that 
 stands at the door of thy heart, and knocks, and sets thy 
 sins in order before thee, and calls thee to repentance, be 
 the Saviour of the world, thou wilt die in thy sins, and 
 where He is gone, thou wilt never come. For if thou be- 
 lievest not in Him, it is impossible that He should do thee 
 
 *See note p. 11. 
 
15 
 
 good or effect thy salvation. Christ works not against 
 faith, but by it. 'Tis said of old, He did not many mighty 
 works in some places, because the people believed not in 
 Him. So that if thou truly believest in Him, thine ear 
 will be attentive to his voice in thee, and the door of 
 thine heart open to his knocks. Thou wilt yield to the 
 discoveries of his light, and the teachings of his grace will 
 be very dear to thee. * * * 
 
 As they that truly believe receive Christ in all his ten- 
 ders to the soul, so, as true it is, that those who receive 
 Him thus, with Him receive power to become the sons of 
 God, — that is, an inward force and ability to do whatever 
 He requires ; strength to mortify their lusts, control their 
 affections, resist evil motions, deny themselves, and over- 
 come the world in its most enticing appearances. — Works 
 vol. 1. pp. 279, 280. 
 
 In William Penn's Call to Christendom,* the same 
 fundamental doctrine of the Gospel is set forth as follows : 
 
 God hath so loved the world, that He hath sent his only 
 begotten Son into the world, that those that believe on 
 Him should have eternal life. And this Son is Christ 
 Jesus, the true Light that lighteth every one coming into 
 the world ; and they that abide not in Him, the Light, 
 dwell in darkness, in sin, and are under the region and 
 shadow of death. * * * Whoever would see [the 
 treasures of wisdom and knowledge, redemption and glory] 
 must come to Christ Jesus, the true Light in their con- 
 sciences, bring their deeds to Him, love Him and obey 
 Him, whom God hath ordained a light to lighten the Gen- 
 tiles, and for his salvation to the ends of the earth. Light 
 and salvation are joined together, and none can come to 
 salvation, but as they come first to the Light, and submit 
 
 * The Call to Christendom was written at Amsterdam, in 1677. 
 It is an earnest exhortation to all classes' to turn inward to 
 the Light of Christ in their consciences, that by it they may 
 be led out of sin, and experience Christ to sanctify, regenerate 
 and convert their souls unto God. 
 
16 
 
 to the mamfestation of it, -whicli leadeth to salvation. For 
 the nations of them that are saved shall -walk in the light 
 of the Lamb, Christ Jesus. Light and justification are 
 also joined together. " If we walk in the light, as God is 
 in the light, l£e blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth 
 us from all sin." And light and eternal life are joined 
 together : For in the Word (that was with God in the 
 beginning, and was God, by whom all things were made, 
 that were made,) was life, and the life was the light of 
 men. And this is the testimony of Jesus, " I am the light 
 of the world ; he that followeth me shall not abide in dark- 
 ness, but have the light of life." Yea, it is eternal life to 
 believe in Him, in Christ the life ; to receive, embrace and 
 follow Him. — Works, vol. l,pp. 187-8. 
 
 To the same purport are the following passages, con- 
 densed from The Christian Quaker : * 
 
 " I am the Light of the world (said Jesus Christ himself), 
 he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall 
 have the light of life." In which it is very evident that 
 the same light which manifests darkness redeems from it, 
 and brings to a state of life : that is to say, those who con- 
 fidently believe in Christ, as He manifests himself a light 
 in their consciences to condemn sin in every man's flesh, 
 (whom He hath therefore illuminated), and that obedi- 
 ently follow the holy requirings of it ; (relinquishing the 
 pleasures of sin, which last but for a season, and taking 
 up the daily cross to their own lusts and wills), shall most 
 assuredly find this Divine principle (which in reference to 
 the dark state of man, and the discerning and conviction 
 it brings with it, is rightly denominated Light), to have 
 also power and efiicacy to save from that which it mani- 
 fests, and condemns men for, and to bring them unto that 
 glory, of which it gives them a true revelation and hope. 
 * * * * 
 
 So that a sincere faith in and obedience to the light of 
 Christ, as it shines in the heart, whereby to give the living 
 
 * See note p. 11. 
 
17 
 
 and experimental knowledge of the glory of God unto the 
 creature, is the way to be redeemed from darkness, and to 
 be made a child of light ; as, that there is power and vir- 
 tue sufficient in the Light of Christ to ransom the souls of 
 such as diligently adhere to it, from under the power of 
 darkness. — Worhs, vol. 1, pp. 528-9. 
 
 The Society of Friends believe that the inshining of the 
 Light of Christ for the redemption of man from sin, is not 
 limited to any station in life, to any nation, or to any age 
 of the world ; but that the mercy of God in Christ Jesus 
 reaches to all, whether they have an historical knowledge 
 of Christianity or not ; and that it was the ground of sal- 
 vation to those who lived in the period prior to the ap- 
 pearance of the Son of God in the flesh. 
 
 In one of his controversial works, entitled, Quakerism 
 a New Nick-name for Old Christianity^ William Penn 
 
 I appeal to the consciences and understandings of all 
 impartial people, if our belief be not the most just, merci- 
 ful and true ; that, however, it pleased God to send his Son 
 into the world at that time more eminently than before, 
 yet that He was so far spiritually manifested in all ages, 
 as the Word of God nigh in the heart, and great com- 
 mandment in the consciences of men, as [that those] who 
 believed and obeyed, obtained remission of sins and eter- 
 nal salvation. This is clear ; for if no man could ever 
 see, or know the Father but the Son, and he to whom the 
 Son reveals Him, then, because many of the holy ancients 
 both spiritually saw and knew God (otherwise they could 
 never be saved) it follows, that Christ did in aU ages re- 
 veal God.— Works, vol. 2, p. 230. 
 
 * In reply to John Faldo's " Quakerism no Christianity," 
 see p. 13. 
 
18 
 
 In The Invalidity of John Faldo's Vindication,* the 
 following paragraph occurs : 
 
 As we think it no wrong to Christianity, so no discredit 
 to our case, that it should be reported that we believe the 
 " Word nigh in the heart," (the Apostle Paul calls the 
 Word of faith and reconciliation) to have been preached 
 by Moses ; that Christ, the promised Seed, bruised the ser- 
 pent's head, as well before as at, and since his visible ap- 
 pearance ; that Enoch, when he walked with God, walked 
 in the Light, in which he felt the blood of Christ cleans- 
 ing from all sin ; that the Spirit of God strove with men 
 as well before Christ's coming as since; and that some 
 were led by it before as well as since; and, therefore, 
 children of God ; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God 
 and joint-heirs with Christ. Not that we deny a pre-emi- 
 nence to Christ's visible coming, and the greater benefits 
 that came into the world thereby; we should not be 
 thought so to mean at any hand ; only this, that some- 
 thing of that Divine life, power, wisdom and righteousness, 
 that then so super-ex cellently appeared and broke forth, 
 was revealed in all former ages, as mankind was in a capa- 
 city to receive it: wherefore the diiference lay in the 
 manifestations of the one thing necessary, and not in sev- 
 eral things. — Works, vol. 2, p. 318. 
 
 THE ONENESS OF CHEIST IN HIS OUTWARD 
 AND INWARD APPEARANCE. 
 
 The Society of Friends has ever regarded the wonder- 
 ful works of Christ in that prepared body in which He ap- 
 peared among men, and the operations of Divine Grace 
 in the heart of man in all ages of the world, as the works 
 of the same Divine, eternal, holy Being — God manifest in 
 the flesh and revealed in the spirit. This oneness of Christ 
 as outwardly and inwardly manifested, is well expressed 
 
 * See note p. 13. 
 
19 
 
 by John Banks in his Testimony concerning his faith in 
 Christ, in which he says : " We as truly believe in that 
 same Christ, who laid down his body and took it up again, 
 as in his Light within, and we have benefit to salvation by 
 the one as well as the other, and of both, they being one." 
 In his tract entitled, Reason against Railing,* William 
 Penn replies to some objections urged against the doc- 
 trines of Friends, as follows : 
 
 We believe in no other Lord Jesus Christ than He who 
 appeared to the fathers of old, at sundry times and in divers 
 manners, and in the fulness of time took flesh of the seed 
 of Abraham and stock of David, became Immanuel, God 
 manifest in flesh, through which He conversed in the 
 world, preached his everlasting gospel, and by his Divine 
 power gathered faithful witnesses ; and when his hour was 
 come, was taken of cruel men, his body wickedly slain, 
 which life He gave to proclaim, upon faith and repent- 
 ance, a general ransom to the world : the third day He 
 rose again, and afterwards appeared among his disciples, 
 in whose view he was received up into glory, but returned 
 again, fiilfilling those Scriptures, " He that is with you 
 shall be in you ;" " I will not leave you comfortless, I will 
 come to you again, and receive, you unto myself" — John 
 xiv. 3, 17, 18. And that He did come and abide as really 
 in them, and doth now in his children by measure, as with- 
 out measure in that body prepared to perform the will of 
 God in ; that He is their King, Prophet and High Priest, 
 and intercedes and mediates on their behalf, bringing in 
 everlasting righteousness, peace and assurance forever into 
 all their hearts and consciences ; to whom be everlasting 
 honor and dominion. Amen. — Works, vol. 2, p. 420. 
 
 In another part of the same tract, Reason against Rail- 
 ing, he says : 
 
 * A reply to " A Continuation'' of Thomas Hicks' " Dialogue 
 between a Christian and a Quaker," see note p. -11. 
 
20 
 
 We own not, neither do we confess to another Christ 
 than Him, who, after the flesh, was born of the Virpm 
 Mary, at the city of Bethlehem, in Judea, who preached 
 an everlasting gospel, wrought miracles, bore our miqui- 
 ties, and was cut off or died for the people. 
 
 After speaking at some length of his glorious works, and 
 the blessings to mankind that flowed therefrom, William 
 Penn thus shows the oneness of Christ and of the Light 
 from Him that visits the hearts of men : 
 
 That which gave the life, power, virtue, strength and 
 efficacy to all this, and to whom, therefore, eminently the 
 work, salvation, power and glory are most deservedly 
 ascribable, is the Word that was in the beginning with 
 God and was God, whose life was and is the Light of men, 
 who took flesh and was manifested therein. Therefore, He 
 who is our Light, ought not to be denied being the true 
 Christ and true Saviour ; for no other light and life than 
 appeared in that body, that was then an offering for sin 
 once for all, is the life and light that we assert and defend. 
 — Works, vol. 2, p. 506. 
 
 ON IMPUTED EIGHTEOUSNESS 
 
 AND THE DANGEK OP TRTJSTIKG TO THE ODTWARD OFFERING OF 
 CHBISTj WITHOUT THE INWARD EXPERIENCE OF HIS WORK. 
 
 Under a sense of the dangerous condition of those who 
 were placing their hopes of salvation on an acknowledg- 
 ment of the coming and sufferings of Christ in his outward 
 appearance, without having submitted to his power in- 
 wardly revealed, William Penn was often drawn, in the 
 love of the Gospel, to pour forth earnest and tender en- 
 treaties to such, not to rest satisfied until they had experi- 
 enced that change of heart and of life, which all must 
 know to fit them for eternal blessedness. Of these ex- 
 
21 
 
 hortations the following is one, addressed to the people of 
 England :* 
 
 You will say, perhaps, that though you are sinners, and 
 live in daily commission of sin, and are not sanctified, yet 
 you have faith in Christ, who has borne the curse for you, 
 and in Him you are complete by faith, his righteousness 
 being imputed to you. 
 
 My friends, let me entreat you not to deceive yourselves 
 in so important a point as is that of your immortal souls. 
 If you have true faith in Christ, your faith will make you 
 clean ; it will sanctify you ; for the saints' faith was their 
 victory of old. By this they overcame sin within and sin- 
 ful men without. And if thou art Christ's, thou walkest 
 not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, whose fruits are 
 manifest ; yea, thou art a new creature, new made, new 
 fashioned, after God's will and mould. Old things are 
 done away, and behold, all things are become new ; new 
 love, desires, will, affections and practices. 
 
 Have a care how you presume to rely on such a notion, 
 as that you are in Christ, whilst in your old, fallen nature. 
 For what communion hath light with darkness, or Christ 
 with Belial ? Hear what the beloved disciple tells you : 
 " If we say we have fellowship with God, and walk in 
 darkness, we lie and do not the truth." This is, if we 
 go on in a sinful way, are captivated by our carnal affec- 
 tions, and are not converted to God, we walk in darkness, 
 and cannot possibly in that state have any fellowship with 
 God. Christ clothes them with his righteousness that re- 
 ceive his grace in their hearts, deny themselves, and take 
 up his cross daily, and follow Him. Christ's righteousness 
 makes men inwardly holy, of holy minds, wills and prac- 
 tices. It is not the less Christ's because we have it ; for it 
 is ours not by nature, but by faith and adoption ; it is the 
 gift of God. But still, though not ours, as of or from our- 
 
 * In his admirable Preface to the Journal of George Fox, 
 and published separately with the title " The Bise and Progress 
 of the People called QvMkera." 
 
22 
 
 selves, yet it is ours, and must be ours in possession, efficacy 
 and enjoyment, to do us any good ; or Christ's righteous- 
 ness -will profit us nothing. — Works, vol. \,p. 891'. 
 
 In various parts of his writings, William Penn shows 
 that the righteousness required of the Christian is a real 
 and not a fictitious one ; that so long as man remains un- 
 der the government of sin, he is subject to the penalty for 
 sin ; and that the faith in Christ which jiistifies, includes 
 that confidence in the Divine character of his visitations 
 to the soul, which induces man to submit thereto, and thus 
 to experience the washing of regeneration. 
 
 In his Sandy Foundation Shaken,* to show the falsity 
 of the doctrine of imputed righteousness, as commonly 
 held, he quotes, with appropriate comments, the words of 
 our Saviour and his apostles, such as the following : " Not 
 every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
 the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my 
 Father." — Matt. vii. 21. " Ye are my friends, if ye do 
 whatsoever I command you." — John xv. 10. " If ye live 
 after the flesh ye shall die ; but if ye, through the Spirit, 
 do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." — Rom. viii. 
 13. " Little children, let no man deceive you ; he that 
 doeth righteousness is righteous, as God is righteous ; he 
 that committeth sin is of the devil." — 1 John iii. 7, 8. 
 All of which show the practical nature of that righteous- 
 ness which Christ requires of his followers. 
 
 In An Apology for the Principles of the Quakers,^ Wil- 
 
 * See note p. 9. 
 
 t This work was written in 1671, as a reply to the aspersions 
 and errors of two Independent preachers, Thomas Jenner and 
 Timothy Taylor, who had published an attack on Friends, 
 which they called " Quakerism Anatomized and Confuted." 
 
23 
 
 liam Penn briefly sums up an argument on this subject, as 
 follows : 
 
 Since men are to reap what they sow ; and that every 
 one shall be rewarded according to his works ; and that 
 none are justified but the children of God ; and that none 
 are children but who are led by the Spirit of God ; and 
 that none are so led, but those that bring forth fruits 
 thereof, which is holiness ; 'tis not the oil in another's 
 lamp, but in our own only, which will serve our turns ; I 
 mean the rejoicing must be in ourselves, and not in 
 another : Yet to Christ's holy power alone do we ascribe 
 it, who works all our works in us and for us. — Works, vol. 
 2, p. 66. 
 
 DOCTRINE OF "SATISFACTION" KEFUTED. 
 
 William Penn regarded the doctrine of Satisfaction as 
 a fruit of the attempt to be wise beyond what is written. 
 The belief on this subject of some professors, with whom 
 he came into conflict, he expresses in the following lan- 
 guage : 
 
 It is impossible for God to remit the penalty of sin 
 incurred by man's transgression, witheut full satisfaction ;, 
 and the only way in which such satisfaction could be ob- 
 tained, was by inflicting the penalty of infinite wrath on 
 Jesus Christ, who for sins past, present and to come, hath 
 wholly borne and paid it. 
 
 The reader will notice, that these are not the sentiments 
 of William Penn, but those of his adversaries, and which 
 he thus states in order to show their fallacy. 
 
 The previous extracts from the writings of William 
 Penn show how fully he believed in the Divinity of 
 Christ and in the blessed fruits of his coming in the flesh, 
 as well as of his inward work in the hearts of men. They 
 
24 
 
 show also the strong testimony that he felt against that 
 presumptuous "curiosity," which is not satisfied with the 
 simple statements of Scripture, out sets up human 
 "judgment and results for the rule of Christian faith." 
 In his Sandy Foundation Shaken* he brings forward many 
 texts of Scripture to show that the doctrine ot Satisf action 
 as above stated, conflicts with the testimony of those in- 
 spired writings, which everywhere sp^ak of mercy and 
 forgiveness as attributes of the Almighty, and freely ex- 
 tended to mankind upon repentance and returning to 
 Him ; and that the coming of Christ was the effect of Di- 
 vine love. Some of these texts follow, with the comments 
 thereon of William Penn, which are enclosed in brackets. 
 
 " If ye turn again to the Lord, the Lord your God is 
 gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face 
 from you." — 2 Ghron. xxx. 9. [Where how natural it is 
 to observe that God's remission is grounded on their re- 
 pentance ; and not that it's impossible for God to pardon, 
 without plenary satisfaction.] 
 
 " Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merci- 
 ful. "—iVe/i. ix. 16, 17. 
 
 " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 
 man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and 
 He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He 
 will abundantly pardon." — Is. Iv. 7. 
 
 " God so loved the world, that He gave his only begot- 
 ten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not per- 
 ish, but have everlasting life." — John iii. 16. [By which 
 it appears, that God's love is not the effect of Christ's 
 Satisfaction, but Christ is the proper gift and effect of 
 God's love.] 
 
 " All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to him- 
 self by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of 
 reconciliation, to wit : that God was in Christ, reconciling 
 
 * See note p. 7. 
 
25 
 
 the world to iiiuself, not imputing their trespasses unto 
 them." — 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. [How undeniably apparent is 
 it, that God is so far from standing off in high displeasure, 
 and upon his own terms contracting with his Son for a 
 satisfaction, as being otherwise incapable to be reconciled, 
 that He became himself the reconciler by Christ, and 
 afterwards by the apostles, his ambassadors, to whom was 
 committed the ministry of reconciliation.] 
 
 Towards the conclusion of this treatise, William Penn 
 makes the following remark : 
 
 I can boldly challenge any person to give me one Scrip- 
 ture phrase which does approach the doctrine of Satisfac- 
 tion, (much less the name), considering to what degree it's 
 stretched ; not that we do deny, but really confess, that 
 Jesus Christ, in life, doctrine and death, fulfilled his 
 Father's will, and oifered up a most satisfactory sacrifice, 
 but not to pay God, or help Him (as otherwise being un- 
 able) to save men. — Workg, vol. i,pp- 255-264. 
 
 Although the preceding extracts clearly set forth the 
 views of William Penn, and of the Society of Friends, as to 
 the work of Christ our Redeemer, without us and within 
 us ; yet, as this involves the very substance of the Christian 
 religion, it seems proper to quote some additional passages 
 from his Primitive Christianity Revived* written in 1696, 
 
 * The fuller title of this work is " Primitive Christianity 
 Revived in the Faith and Practice of the People called Quakers." 
 It lays down as a fundamental doctrine in religion, "That 
 God, through Christ, hath placed a principle in every man, to 
 inform him of his duty, and to enable him to do it ; and that 
 those that live up to this principle are the people of God, and 
 those that live in disobedience to it are not God's people, what- 
 ever name they may bear, or profession they may make of 
 religion." The object in writing it was "That so the merci- 
 ful visitation of the God of light and love (more especially to 
 these nations) may no longer be neglected by the inhabitants 
 thereof." 
 
26 
 
 in his mature years, when he was nearly ready to lay aside 
 the pen, which he had so long used in defence of the 
 truth. There is the more occasion for this, because 
 there are some persons who deny the divinity of our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, regarding Him merely as 
 a man endowed with a larger measure than usual of the 
 Holy Spirit ; and who assert that his death on the cross 
 had no relation to the salvation of mankind. That such 
 was not the belief of William Penn, has already been 
 shown, and will further appear by extracts from the work 
 referred to. In this he says : 
 
 We cannot believe that Christ is the cause but the effect 
 of God's love, according to the testimony of the beloved 
 disciple, John iii., " God so loved the world that He gave 
 his only begotten Son into the world, that whosoever be- 
 lieveth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life." 
 
 We cannot say God could not have taken another way 
 to have saved sinners, than by the death and sufferings of 
 his Son, to satisfy his justice; or that Christ's death and 
 sufferings were a strict and rigid satisfaction for that eternal 
 death and misery due to man for sin and transgression ; 
 for such a notion were to make God's mercy little con- 
 cerned in man's salvation ; and, indeed, we are at too great 
 a distance from his infinite wisdom and power to judge of 
 the liberty or necessity of his actings. 
 
 We cannot believe that Christ's death and sufferings so 
 satisfies God, or justifies men, as that they are thereby ac- 
 cepted of God. They are, indeed, thereby put into a state 
 capable of being accepted of God ; and through the obedi- 
 ence of faith and sanetification of the Spirit, are in a state 
 of acceptance ; for we can never think a man justified be- 
 fore God, while self-condemned ; or that any man can be 
 in Christ who is not a new creature ; or that God looks 
 upon men otherwise than they are. We think it a state 
 
27 
 
 of presumption and not of salvation, to call Jesus Lord, 
 and not by the work of the Holy Ghost ; Master, and He 
 not yet master of their affections ; Saviour, and they not 
 saved by Him from their sins ; Redeemer, and yet they 
 not redeemed by Him from their passion, pride, covet- 
 ousness, wantonness, vanity, vain honors, friendships and 
 glory of this world : which were to deceive themselves ; 
 for God will not be mocked, such as men sow, such they 
 must reap. And though Christ did die for us, yet we 
 must, by the assistance of his grace, work out our salva- 
 tion with fear and trembling. As He died for sin, so we 
 must die to sin, or we cannot be said to be saved by the 
 death and sufiferiuga of Christ, or thoroughly justified and 
 accepted with God. 
 
 We do believe that Jesus Christ was our holy sacrifice, 
 atonement and propitiation ; that He bore our iniquities, 
 and that by his stripes we were healed of the wounds 
 Adam gave us in his fall ; and that God is just in forgiv- 
 ing true penitents upon the credit of that holy offering 
 Christ made of himself to God for us ; and that what He 
 did and suffered satisfied and pleased God, and was for 
 the sake of fallen man, that had displeased God ; and that 
 through the offering up of himself once for all, through 
 the eternal Spirit, He hath forever perfected those in all 
 times that were sanctified, who walked not after the flesh, 
 but after the Spirit. — Rom. viii. 1. 
 
 The first part of justification [from the guilt of sin], we 
 do reverently and humbly acknowledge, is only for the 
 sake of the death and sufferings of Christ ; nothing we can 
 do, though by the operation of the Holy Spirit, being able 
 to cancel old debts, or wipe out old scores ; it is the power and 
 efficacy of that propitiatory offering, upon faith and re- 
 pentance, that justifies us from the sins that are past; and 
 it is the power of Christ's spirit in our hearts, that purifies 
 and makes us acceptable before God. For 'till the heart 
 of man is purged from sin, God will never accept of it. 
 He reproves, rebukes and condemns those that entertain 
 sin there, and therefore such cannot be- said to be in a 
 
28 
 
 justified state; condemnation and justification being con- 
 traries ; so that they that hold themselves in a justified 
 state by the active and passive obedience of Christ, while 
 they are not actively and passively obedient to the spirit 
 of Christ Jesus, are under a strong and dangerous delusion. 
 
 Wherefore, O, ray reader ! rest not thyself wholly sat- 
 isfied with what Christ has done for thee in his blessed 
 person without thee, but press to know his power and 
 kingdom within thee ; that the strong man, that has too 
 long kept thy house, may be bound, and his goods spoiled, 
 his works destroyed and sin ended, according to 1 John, 
 iii. 7. For which end, says that beloved disciple, Christ 
 was manifested, that all things may become new — new 
 heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 
 Thus thou wilt come to glorify God in thy body and in thy 
 spirit, which are his ; and to live to Him and not to thy- 
 self Thy love, joy, worship, and obedience ; thy life, con- 
 versation and practice ; thy study, meditation and devotion, 
 will be spiritual : for the Father and the Son will make 
 their abode with thee, and Christ will manifest himseb 
 to thee ; for the secrets of the Lord are with them that 
 fear mm.— Works, vol. 2, p. 867, 868. 
 
 WOESHIP, MINISTKY, AND THE SCRIPTUEES. 
 
 The firm belief and reverent faith which the Society of 
 Friends has ever maintained in the Light of Christ in the 
 soul, as that Divine Power which will lead those that are 
 obedient to it in the way of salvation, necessarily affected 
 their whole course of life, and especially their practice in 
 regard to the great duty of worshipping God. 
 
 In a letter to one of his correspondents,* William 
 Penn describes his own experience, as follows : 
 
 Christ, the true and only Seed of God visited my soul 
 even in my young years, spread my sins in order before me, 
 
 * The Countess of Falckensteyn and Bruch. 
 
29 
 
 reproved me, and brought godly sorrow upon me. Often 
 was there a great concern upon my spirit about mine 
 eternal state. In this seeking state I "was directed to the 
 testimony of Jesus in mine own conscience, as the true 
 shining Light, giving me to discern the thoughts and in- 
 tents of mine own heart. And no sooner was I turned 
 unto it, but I found it to be that which from my childhood 
 had visited me, though I distinctly knew it not. And 
 when I received it in the love of it, it showed me all that 
 ever I had done, and reproved all the unfruitful works of 
 darkness ; judging me as a man in the flesh, and laying 
 judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet 
 in me. And as by the brightness of his coming into my 
 soul. He discovered the man of sin there, upon his throne, 
 so by the breath of his mouth, which is the two-edged 
 sword of the Spirit, He destroyeth his power and kingdom. 
 And so having made me a witness of the death of the cross. 
 He hath also made me a witness of his resurrection, so 
 that in good measure my soul can now say, I am justified 
 in the Spirit. — Works, vol. l,p. 81. 
 
 In reference to worship, William Penn says :* 
 
 True worship can only come from a heart prepared by 
 the Lord. This preparation is by the sanctification of the 
 Spirit ; by which, if God's children are led in the general 
 course of their lives (as Paul teaches), much more in their 
 worship to their Creator and Redeemer. And whatever 
 prayer be made, or doctrine be uttered, and not from the 
 preparation of the Holy Spirit, it is not acceptable with 
 God ; nor can it be the true evangelical worship, which 
 is in spirit and truth — that is, by the preparation and 
 aid of the Spirit. 
 
 It may be asked ; How shall this preparation be obtained ? 
 I answer ; By waiting patiently yet watchfully and intent- 
 ly upon God : Lord (says the Psalmist), thou hast heard the 
 desire of the humble; thou wilt prepare their heart, thou 
 wilt cause thine ear to hear. And (says Wisdom), the 
 
 *In Ifo Gross No drown, see note p. 11. 
 
30 
 
 preparation of the heart in man is from the Lord. Here 
 it is thou must not think thy own thoughts, nor speak thy 
 own words, (which indeed is the silence of the holy Cross), 
 but be sequestered from all the confused imaginations that 
 •are apt to throng and press upon the mind in those holy 
 retirements.-;— Works, vol. 1, p. 298. 
 
 *True' silence before the Lord is better abundantly 
 than forward prayers or self-willed offers, or any traditional 
 and formal performances ; for, consider that it is life eternal 
 to know God. Now no man can know Him who has not 
 heard his voice. And no man can hear his voice, who is 
 not silent in himself, and waits not patiently for Him, 
 that he may hear what God will speak to his soul, through 
 Christ Jesus. — Works, vol. 1, p. 220. 
 
 If no one could worship aright, but by the help of 
 the Spirit, it follows that this help is essential to the ex- 
 ercise of a living ministry. Of the first ministers among 
 Friends, William Penn says :f 
 
 Those experimental preachers of glad tidings of God's 
 truth and kingdom, could not run when they list, or pray 
 or preach when they pleased, but as Christ, their Redeem- 
 er, prepared and moved them by his own blessed Spirit, 
 for which they waited in their services and meetings, and 
 spoke as that gave them utterance. — Works, vol. 1, p. 866. 
 
 They went not forth or preached in their own time or 
 will but in the will of God ; and spake not their own 
 studied matter, but as they were opened and moved of his 
 Spirit. — Works, vol. l,p. 873. 
 
 J We affirm that none ought to preach in the name of 
 the Lord, but such as are empowered by the immediate 
 
 * In "A Tender Visitation in the Love of Ood," to the people 
 of the High and Low Dutch Nations. 
 
 t In No Cross No Crown, see note p. 11. 
 
 % In " An Apology for the Principles of the Quakers," see note 
 p. 22. 
 
•61 
 
 teachings and requirings of his Holy Spirit. — Works, vol. 2, 
 p. 49. 
 
 To the same holy Light or Spirit of the Lord, on which 
 they relied for ability to worship aright, or to minister to 
 others, did Friends look for that illumination of their 
 understanding, which would enable them to understand 
 the spiritual meaning of the Holy Scriptures — which they 
 highly valued and diligently used. In his Advice to his 
 Children,* William Penn says : 
 
 Having thus expressed myself to you, my dear children, 
 as to the things of God, his truth and kingdom, I refer 
 you to his light, grace, spirit and truth within you, and 
 the Holy Scriptures of truth without you, which from my 
 youth I loved to read, and were ever blessed to me ; and 
 which I charge you to read daily ; the old Testament for 
 history, chiefly, the Psalms for meditation and devotion, 
 the Prophets for comfort and hope, but especially the 
 New Testament for doctrine, faith and worship. For they 
 were given forth by holy men of God, in divers ages, as 
 they were moved of the Holy Spirit ; and are the declared 
 and revealed mind and will of the Holy God to mankind, 
 under divers dispensations, and they are certainly able to 
 make the man of God perfect, through faith unto salvation ; 
 being such a true and clear testimony to the salvation that 
 is of God, through Christ the second Adam, the Light of 
 the world, the quickening Spirit. — Works, vol. 1, p. 896. 
 
 In the Spirit of Truth Vindicated, f written to defend 
 his friend, George Fox, from some unjust aspersions, Wil- 
 liam Penn says : 
 
 George Fox, and we who are called Quakers, although 
 
 * Written in 1699. 
 
 f Written in 1671 in reply to " The Spirit of the Quakers 
 tried," &e. 
 
32 
 
 we heartily acknowledge the Scriptures so given forth to 
 be a declaration of the mind of. God, so far as it pleased 
 Him to discover it ; and that men ought to believe, read, 
 obey and fulfil them as the ancients did : Yet that the 
 Eternal Spirit is, by way of excellency, the rule and guide 
 of Christians. This only gives the knowledge of the truth 
 of the Scriptures, and brings into those states of which the 
 Scriptures are but a godly narrative. 
 
 Our religion stands not in the doctrmes, meanings, 
 preachings or notions of men's devising or deducting from 
 the Scriptures themselves, but in the living, quickening 
 power of the Eternal God, which plainly discovers sin, 
 and wounds deeply for it ; and, as obeyed, ransoms the 
 soul from death, hell and the grave, to serve the living 
 Lord God, in his new, living and spiritual way. 
 
 The wisdom that is from beneath may study, carp, con- 
 tend about scriptures and religion, and from thence frame 
 and imagine how those things are wrought, that are men- 
 tioned therein, but can never give true, unfeigned repen- 
 tance, nor living faith, by which to overcome the world, 
 and to live unspotted in it, walking with God till the 
 time of dissolution comes. O ! this is the life of Christians 
 indeed ; and blessed are they forever, who, having found 
 that living, holy light and power, abide with it. This is 
 that foundation which can never be moved, and that dur- 
 able Rock which the gates of Hell could never shake, nor 
 prevail against them that built thereon in any age ; for 
 which the Holy Host of Heaven, and we on earth, magnify 
 the name of God, and return and ascribe to Him by Jesus 
 Christ, all honor, glory, praise, wisdom, power, strength, 
 majesty and dominion, who alone is worthy, now and tor- 
 eyerl—Worh, vol. 2, p. 148, 149, 150. 
 
Cornell University Library 
 BX7617.P41 S6 
 
 Some of the, doctrines of the Christian r 
 
 olin 
 
 3 1924 029 464 132 
 
?:<