"He [Jesus] does not move us in the least degree to any book or writing whatever, but leaves every thing outward entirely behind as having passed by, for he abolished all external evidence, as not being capable of bringing about salvation to the soul." Quaker; vol. II. p. 264.

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No experience will ever be worth any thing to us, which is not our own experience, begotten through the influence of the blessed Spirit of God." N. York sermons, p. 123.

Thomas Wetherald says, "I want us therefore, in our investigation of spiritual things, to bring spiritual evidence to prove spiritual truths. Let us attend to spiritual reflections, and not be looking to the Scriptures, and to the systems of men, and to the words of preachers; for all these being of an external character, can only form an ignis fatuus, which leads to bewilder and dazzles to blind."" Quaker, vol. II. p. 217.

In accordance with the above sentiments concerning the Holy Scriptures, the Berean says, "In vain does any man quote the scriptures as authority for his opinions; for if they have not been immediately revealed to his own mind by the Holy Spirit, they deserve no better name as it respects him, than speculations." Vol. II. p. 211.

"Those revelations were for other times and other states, and not for us. They belong to those to whom they were immediately revealed. And that, and only that, which is immediately revealed to us, belongs in like manner to us and to us only." Ibid. p. 212

"Now the revelations respecting the nature of God, which were made to the Israelites, are true when

viewed as in connection with, and as having relation to their spiritual condition; but to any other state, they are not true; therefore such revelations abstractedly taken, are NOT TRUE IN THEMSELVES ARE NOT THE TRUTH OF GOD." Ibid. vol. I. p. 403.

We could select many other passages derogatory to the Holy Scriptures, but these are sufficient to show the contemptuous manner in which they are spoken of by the Separatists and their ministers. They assert that they are not necessary, and perhaps not suited to any other people, than those to whom they were written, they are a thing without any life at all, a dead monument, all shadow, upon which we should turn our backs, that the direction of our Lord to search them is not correct, that his parables have no such effect as a tendency to reform and turn men about to truth, that in vain does any man quote the Scriptures as authority for his opinions, that without immediate revelation they are no better than speculations, that they only form an ignis fatuus which leads to bewilder and dazzles to blind,-that no experience will ever be worth any thing to us which is not our own experience, and that that only belongs to us, which is immediately revealed to us, and that the revelations which were made to the Israelites respecting the nature of God, ARE NOT TRUE IN THEMSELVES,-ARE NOT THE TRUTH OF GOD.

We are not surprised that persons holding the opinions which they do, relating to the great truths of Christian redemption, should undervalue and endeavour to destroy the authority of the Holy Scriptures For so long as they are admitted to be a test of doc

trine, all their pretended revelations which contradict the testimony of the Sacred Record, are properly con-demned as "unsound and spurious." p. 18.

The Separatists would appear to be great advocates for divine revelation, at the same time they declare that the revelations made to the Lord's prophets respecting the divine nature are not true. p. 20.

The succeeding extracts from the public printed discourses of the Separatists, clearly prove their denial of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, his propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of mankind, and degrade him to a level with his creature man.

p. 21. "We must turn our back upon them,* and come home to the light of God in us; for it is the same. spirit and life that was in Jesus Christ the Son of God. We need not say that it is his spirit, but only that it is the same spirit, a portion of which was in him; because as reasonable beings, we must always take things rationally." Quaker, vol. I. p. 197.

"And what encouragement my friends we receive through this medium, when we are brought by the light into a feeling of unity with our great pattern, Jesus Christ, and with God our Creator, O see how we come up into an equality with him." Ibid. p. 13.

“And we derive a portion of the same [spirit] which is able to save the soul if properly obeyed. Here now he was put upon a level;" &c. Ibid p. 17.

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Every Christian must come up under the influence of the same light that guided Jesus Christ-that Christ that was his saviour, and preserver; and that power

We suppose the Scriptures.

which enabled him to do his work, will enable us to come on in the same path." Ibid, p. 44.

"I don't want to express a great many words, but I want you to be called home to the substance. For the Scriptures and all the books in the world can do no more. JESUS COULD DO NO MORE than to recommend to this comforter, which was this light in him.” Ibid p. 40.

“He never directed to himself, but all he wanted was to lead their minds to the spirit of Truth, to the light within, and when he had done this, he had done his office." Ibid. p. 47.

"If we believe that God is equal and righteous in all his ways, that he has made of one blood all the families that dwell upon the earth, it is impossible that he should be partial, and therefore he has been as willing to reveal his will to every creature, as he was to our first parents, to Moses and the prophets, to Jesus Christ and his apostles. He never can set ANY OF THESE above us, because if he did he would be partial." Philadelphia Sermons, p. 292.

"He was only an outward Saviour, that healed their outward diseases, and gave them strength of body to enjoy that outward good land. This was a figure of the great Comforter, which he would pray the Father to send them; an inward one, that would heal all the diseases of their souls, and cleanse them from all their inward pollutions, that thing of God, that thing of eternal life. It was the soul that wanted salvation, but this no outward Saviour could do, no external Saviour could have any hand in it." Ibid, p. 50.

"The apostle had allusion to that perfect righteousness which is the immediate Saviour in the soul, Christ

within the hope of glory; but it was not that outward Jesus Christ that was the hope of glory." Quaker, vol. I. p. 164.

"Oh, dearly beloved friends, young and old, may you gather deeper and deeper to that which is within the veil, where we may have access to our God WITHOUT ANY MEDIATOR." Ibid, vol. II. p. 277.

The preceeding selections have all been taken from the discourses of Elias Hicks.

Edward Hicks, at the Green-street meeting, says, "I ask then the question, how did he [Jesus Christ] leave the bosom of his Father? Can we form no other idea than that of a corporeal being, leaving a located place, somewhere above the clouds, and coming down to this earth? Is this the coming into the world that is meant? I want us to go deeper to come to the spirituality of these things, and to recognize a spiritual saviour, rather than an outward and corporeal one. Because it is only a spiritual one that can save us from sin. That animal body that appeared at Jerusalem, I had its use and day, but the spirit that was clothed upon by the fulness of divine power, this was the Saviour-this is the Saviour to whom I look for salvation, and not by any means to any thing outward or corporeal." Ibid, vol. II. p. 151.

This declaration corresponds with others which we have quoted, and is a virtual denial that Jesus Christ who appeared at Jerusalem, is the Saviour of men. The term animal body, used to designate our Lord, is irreverent and unbecoming a creature dependent upon him for salvation.

The Berean says, "In what manner then, or by