its having been written-transcribed-copied-re-copiedtranslated-printed-re-printed &c." intimating that the stream has become muddy since it left the fountain! 4. Therefore you take great liberties with the Bible, rejecting some of it as not inspired, denying to it its proper names of the Gospel,” “ Revelation," "word of God," calling its "lively oracles" a "dead letter," the mere words of John and Jude:" You misuse its terms, such as Baptism, Lord's Supper, Justification, Righteousness of Christ, word of faith, preaching, singing, praying: You reject its leading doctrines of Total Depravity, Vicarious Righteousness, Trinity, Resurrection, Everlasting Punishment,-all through your over-weaning confidence in internal light.

5. It leads you to oppose the use of Divinely appointed means. It leads you to prefer a silent waiting to vocal Prayer. Whereas God has appointed the external ordinance as a means of exciting in our hearts an internal spirit of supplication. Our prayers if social may be often times blessed to others as well as ourselves. It is the Divine plan to move our spiritual, through our intellectual and bodily senses; and were you oftener engaged in outward prayer in the Sanctuary, in your families and in Societies, you would probably do more good to others, and receive no less blessing for yourselves than on your present plan. Preaching is another Divinely appointed means which your doctrine leads you to neglect. The Papists hold that the efficacy of the sacrament depends on the "intention" or piety of the administrator. You hold an equal absurdity in supposing that the efficacy of preaching depends on the lively exercises of the preacher. Whereas it is not the minister that is blessed to the edification of others, but the word of God, or the doctrine preached. The Apostle rejoiced that "Christ was preached," though from wicked motives, (Phil. i. 18.) because he knew that the "preaching of Christ" (not the preacher) was the means of salvation. The Apostle Paul never (that I read of) held a silent meeting, cr refused to preach when called on, or when people were assembled to hear. But you, preferring an imaginary light to Apostolic precept and example, preach only when you feel like it. Singing is another means of grace which the Scriptures appoint, and internal light rejects. Col. iii. 16.—“teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your hearts unto the Lord." Here the Apostle advises to sing not only in their hearts," but aloud that they might profit others.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper are also means appointed to exhibit truth, and thereby enlighten the mind and move the heart.

The Sabbath also was ordained as an external means of call

ing off our minds from the world to meditation, prayer and worship. But the abundance of your internal light sets them aside. Christian Conversation is another means of benefitting our fellow creatures which you neglect. "Exhort one another daily," is the Divine Command; "wait till the Spirit moves" is yours. 6. To this doctrine may be traced your opposition to Bible and Missionary Societies. You are not anxious to circulate the Bible, because you do not think it necessary, as the heathen have already a sufficient guide in internal light. Accordingly Dillwyn in his Reflections page 175, says "If there be not in all men a capacity (internal light) for receiving the glad tidings of the gospel, missions would be altogether absurd; and if such a capacity is confessed, it is equally absurd to suppose it may not be as effectually reached by the immediate influence of Divine grace, as by the medium of any instrumental labour." Thus you leave Six Hundred Millions of your fellow creatures in ignorance of the only Name under Heaven whereby they can be saved! For "how shall they believe or hear without a preacher?" Rom. x. 14. Out of a thousand other evils resulting from your doctrine, I will mention but one more.-7. It leads you to depreciate the Evil of Sin and the value of the Atonement of Christ. Penitence for sin and gratitude for the death of Christ appear to me essential evidences of piety. But I find neither of these in your writings, Sermons or prayers. In "Fothergill's Sermons," (a volume very popular among you,) I have looked in vain for the spirit of a Penitent, or the faith of a Believer. In Fothergill's dying exercises, there is not one word of Christ or of confession for sin! The volume contains five long prayers, in the last four of which there is but one sentence of confession!! They are made up of Praise, Thanksgiving (not for Christ however) for temporal blessings and for internal light and petitions for support in adversity,-just such prayers as an honest Deist would offer to his Creator and Preserver. The title under which you generally address the Deity is not Reeemer, but "Creator," and the blessings for which you thank him are not the Atonement and Obedience of Christ, nor the Scriptures, but the internal light he has sent into your hearts! Now when we can discover, in your most pious men, nothing more of gospel doctrine and of gospel Spirit than this; and when it is evident all this evil arises from the substitution of internal for external light as a Rule of Faith, who can doubt the importance of the present question?

Other Arguments-to prove that Internal Light is not a sufficient, Universal and Divinely appointed Kule.

14. Because there are places on the earth where there is no spiritual light. Prov. xxix. 18. Where there is no vision the people perish." "Vision" in this place must mean either

the Scriptures or internal light. If it means internal light, then internal light is not universal; for there are places where "there is no vision." If it means the Scriptures, (as it probably does,) then it shows their importance and absolute necessity; for without them the people "perish." This text then proves two things, that light is not universal, and that the Scriptures are the light of salvation, without which people perish.

15. Where there is no external revelation the people are in darkness. Ps. 74, 20. "The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." Quere. Why are some places called "dark?" If you say "because they have no internal light," you surrender your doctrine of the universality of this light. If you say "because they have not the Bible or external light," you acknowledge that without the Bible the world is in darkness, in other words, that the Bible is our Light and Rule.

16. It is represented as the peculiar and high Privilege of Israel to have the revealed will of God. Deut. iv. 7, 8. "What nation is there so great that hath God so nigh unto them? And what nation is there so great that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?" Ps. lxxxix. 15: "Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound." Ps. cxlix. 19, 20: "He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation." Rom. iii. 1, 2: "What advantage then hath the Jew? Much every way; chiefly because unto them were committed the oracles of God." These texts speak unequivocally the inestimable value of the Bible.

17. That there is not a sufficient light in every man is evident from the fact that some really think they are right when they are fatally wrong. Prov. xvi. 25: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Now if as you say, the gift of the Spirit is universal, and its light as clear as when the sun shines," how happens it that any man mistakes his way? Can a man at noon day think he is travelling the turnpike, when he is climbing a fence or crossing the fields?—or think he is going up hill when he is going down? Yet Solomon tells us there are men who really think they arc travelling the road to Heaven, when they are on the highway to hell! How shall we reconcile you and Solomon? was he mistaken? If not, you are;—and there is no such thing as a sufficient, universal internal Guide. It is an ignis (not "ignus") fatuus,— the delusion of a dream.

18. It is said in praise of Apollos that he was "mighty in the Scriptures," and that "he mightily convinced the Jews, showing by the Scriptures (not by internal light) that Jesus was the Christ." Acts xviii. 24, 28: To say this of one of your preach

ers would be considered a burlesque. Apollos or you therefore must be wrong.

19. Our Lord referred the brethren of Dives, not to internal light, but to Moses and the Prophets. Luke xvi. 29, 31. "They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither would they be persuaded though one arose from the dead." Here he speaks of Scripture as their appointed Guide, and exalts its testimony above a direct communication from the other world.

20. Peter speaks of Scripture as a Guide more sure than a voice from heaven. 2. Pet. i. 19. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy unto which ye do well to take heed until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts." The "word of prophecy" in this verse is the same with "prophecy of Scripture" in the next verse and the "prophecy which holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," in the 21st verse. It does not mean internal light, therefore, (as you pretend) but the external word, to which if we give earnest heed we may, in due time, hope for internal light, or the "rising of the day star in our hearts." According to your interpretation we must give heed to internal light, until internal light dawn in our hearts; i. e. we must follow a light before we have it!! But if the "word of prophecy" here means the Scripture, it follows,-the Scripture is our appointed Guide,-a sure Guide-which we are to follow that we may obtain the Spirit.

21. The Holy Spirit submits His own influences to the test of Scripture of course he would bave all other light submit to the same test. 1 John iv. 1. "Beloved, believe not every Spirit, but try the Spirits whether they are of God. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God, &c." And then, in the 3d and 6th verses, gives two written rules of judgment. Now if the Spirit of the Lord is willing to be tried by Scripture, who is your Spirit that he should refuse? Is he more honorable than the Almighty? or does such a scrutiny make him afraid? PAUL.

A PROMINENT charge, brought against us by my opponent, is, that we dishonour the Scriptures." A charge, which if supported by facts, would certainly justify a severe rebuke-but which, if it remain unproved, must involve the accuser in the guilt of calumny. Let us now examine the evidence adduced to prove the truth of his position.

First. He says, "I am willing to believe the majority of your

Society agree, that the Scriptures were written under the guidance of the WORD or SPIRIT OF GOD, and are therefore to be held in high esteem." Now I would ask, how can it" dishonour the Scriptures" to agree, that they were written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit ?-I cannot conceive how we could honour any Writing with a higher honour !—A more exalted character could not possibly be given to any communication either from men or angels! It is precisely the character which our blessed Lord gave to the doctrine which he preached. "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." John vii. 16. It is precisely the character which the Holy Scriptures give of themselves. "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time (or as the margin has it-at any time) by the Will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Pet. i. 21. To affirm that the Scriptures were penned under Divine influence-under the guidance of the WORD or SPIRIT OF GOD is to grant them the most transcendent excellence! It is the NE PLUS ULTRA" of any production, whether the agent be a mortal or an angel from Heaven! The truth is, that there is no society of people who can possibly hold them in higher estimation than we do-unless they pay them that honour," which belongeth to God only." Neither is there any Society who has more reason to esteem them-none, as I conceive, who is more indebted to them, for the support of their peculiar doctrines, than the Society of Friends. Whilst on many important points, others wholly disregard their direct import, and by means of the weakest sophisms evade the force of the plainest Scripture truths.-We consider ourselves bound, in all cases, to act consistently with the clear testimonies of Christ and his Apostles.

Secondly. My opponent says, "You take from them every honourable epithet." Of the truth, or rather the falsity of this charge, our readers may judge from the former communications of "Amicus," as well as from the uniform testimony of the approved authors of our Religious Society. With special reference to the Inspiration of the holy men who wrote them, we call then "the Holy Scriptures." With reference to the divine truths declared by them, We call them "the Scriptures of truth." See Dan. x. 21. 2 Tim. iii. 15. This is the highest character that any of the inspired penmen give them, so that all the censure passed upon us, for not calling them by the various appellations which my opponent is pleased to give them, is a direct censure of the Prophets and Apostles, as well as our Lord himself, who never gave them any other title than simply "the Scriptures." "Some persons" says my opponent are not aware of the tendency of your doctrine of Internal Light." This is very true, as all of the communications of "Paul" addressed to us suffici