cleanfing us from the Guilt, and for procuring us the Holy Spirit, to cleanse us from the Filth of Sin. Queft. Was that Chrift's outward human Blood, of which he faith, except a Man drink he hath no Life in him? John vi. 53. * *G. W's Truth de Anf. Yes: It was Chrift's outward human fending, Blood. For it was his Blood of his Body of p. 67. Flesh, that he was to give up to the Death, for the Life of the World; and that was no other but his outward human Blood fhed outwardly on the Cross, which except a Man drink, he bath no Life in him. For the Figure lics in the Word drink, not that we were literally to drink the very material Blood of Chrift, but to feed upon it in our Hearts by Faith; that is, in the Satisfaction and Attonement thereby made to God for our Sins, when he suffered Death for us upon the Crofs. But to put the Figure on the Bloed, as if that were only figurative, and not the true material human Blood which Chrift outwardly fhed for us on the Cross, but an imaginary spiritual inward Blood of his Godhead, or heavenly Manhood, to be shed inwardly within us, whereby he offers up himself a Sacrifice for us; this is a moft unchriftian Notion, without any Foundation in Scripture or Reason, and a fundamental Error of the Quakers, that overthrows the whole Foundation of the Chriftian Faith, concerning the meritorious Virtue and Efficacy of Chrift's outward Blood, fhed outwardly for us upon the Crofs. Queft. Do not the Quakers tell us, that by Chrift's inward fhedding his inward fpiritual Blood of his Godhead within us, they mean only his inwardly fhedding abroad in their Souls, the holy purifying Life and Virtue K 4 which which is in him, as the Word God, and as *W. P's which he is the Life of the World?* Chriftian Anf. Yes: They have herein given us their P. 57, 101. myftick Notion of Chrift's inward fpiritual Blood of his Godhead, thed inwardly within them; which very ill agrees with the Character they give of themselves, as a plain People, that moftly affect Scripture Language. But however, the inward fpiritual Life of Chrift fhed inwardly in their Hearts, cannot be the Blood of Attonement fhed for our Sins, but only that whereby we are renewed and fanctified, and have an Intereft in the Merit of his outward Blood fhed outwardly for us, whereby alone we are juftified, and have the Remiffion of our Sins, as the meritorious immediate Caufe thereof. Cat. p. 12. Queft. What do you think of the Saying, that Chrift in us offers up himself a living Sacrifice to God for us, by which the Wrath William of God is appealed to us? And that Christ Smith's offers himself in his Children, in the Nature W. P's of a mediating Sacrifice? And that Chrift's Rejoinder, Offering is of further Extent, than that of p. 85. the outward, as he fulfils the Law inwardly, and appeafeth the Wrath and Condemnation I G. W., of it? + Light and Life, p. 44° Anf. I think this is plainly to derogate from the Merit of the Sacrifice of Chrift, which he offered of himself without us, in making another imaginary Sacrifice of Chrift within us, which the Scripture tells us nothing of. And it is directly contrary to the Scripture, that Chrift fhould often offer himfelf a Sacrifice to God for us, to appeafe his Wrath against us; as he must do Million of Times, according to this Notion, of his offering himself within us. For For by his own Blood, to wit of his Humanity, outwardly fhed, he entred in once into the holy Place, having, to wit, thereby, obtained eternal Redemption for us; which is therefore never to be repeated, Heb. ix. 12. And he is not entred into the holy Place, that he should offer himself often, as the Jewish High-Prieft entred in once every Year, with the Blood of others, for then must be often have fuffered from the Foundation of the World; but now once in the end of the World, that is, of the Jewish World or State, hath he appeared, to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself, verf. 25, 26. And as it is appointed unto Men once to die, fo Chrift was once offered, to bear the Sins of many; that is, to be a Sacrifice for them, ver. 27, 28. For whereas the Repetition of the Jewish Sacrifices fhewed their Infufficiency; our Saviour, after he had offered one Sa-, crifice for Sins, for ever fat down at the right Hand of God; for by one offering, he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified; that is, hath made fuch a perfect Expiation and Attonement for them, as that there fhall be no farther need of any other expiatory Sacrifice or Offering whatfoever, Heb. x. 12, 14. And why was it prophefied of Chrift, a Body haft thou prepared me; why not Bodies many, if he offers himself up in the Bodies of all the Saints? And is not this to make the Sacrifice that he offered in his own Body, of less Value and Efficacy than the Sacrifice he offers in the Quakers Bodies (whatever they mean by it ;) because they make the Sacrifice he offered of his Body at Jerufalem, a Type, but this in their Bodies the Antitype; that the W. P's Hiftory, this the Mystery?* * Answer to Job.Faldo, p. 336, Queft. 337 Queft. Does not the Scripture fpeak of Mens crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh? Heb. vi. 6. Anf. Yes: But it is fpoke of those who by their Apoftacy from the Chriftian Faith, did really own Chrift to have been justly crucified as an Impoftor by the Jews, and so rendered themselves guilty of his Crucifixion and Death, and are therefore faid to crucify him, not to himself, but to themselves afresh; that is, as much as in them lay, and to their own Destruction; which is quite another Thing than Chrift's offering up himself as crucified within them, for appeafing the Wrath of God against them. And it was only by his being crucified without them that he made Satisfaction to the Juftice of God for our Sins. Quest. Where does the Scripture ever fpeak of Chrift's making Satisfaction to the Juftice of God for our Sins? Anf. Though the Scripture does not use the Words Satisfaction, yet when Chrift is faid to give his Life a Ransom for many, and to have redeemed us with the Price of his Blood, it is the fame Thing in Effect, with his making Satisfaction to the Justice of God for our Sins. For as our Sins had made us liable and indebted to the Juftice of God, to fuffer the Punishment they had deserved; Chrift by his fuffering for us in our Nature, and in our Stead, difcharged this Obligation, and paid this Debt for us, which may therefore properly enough be called his making Satisfaction for us, unless Men will needlefly wrangle about Words. Queft. What need was there of any Satisfaction to be made to the Juftice of God for our our Sins; for it is not called unjust to forgive a Debt without any Satisfaction?* Anf. I will not fay that God could not by his abfolute Power have forgiven us our Sins upon our Repentance, without fuch a Satiffaction to his Juftice, as the Death of his own Son. But certainly it was just for God to require a Sacrifice of Attonement for the Sins of the World, for which he might have justly punished them. And there could not have been a wifer Method for the fecuring the Honour of his Laws, and of his Juftice, Holiness and Truth, and for fhewing his Ha tred of Sin, and for ever difcouraging us from committing it with hopes of Impunity, than fo great an Expreffion of his Displeasure against it, that he would not pardon it, even upon our Repentance, without fuch an Attonement for it, as the Death of his own Son in our Stead. So that now at the fame Time he may fhew his Mercy to Sinners, and his Juftice in punishing Sin: Or as the Apoftle fpeaks, he may be just, and yet the justifier of them that believe in Jefus. And if there was no need of Chrift's outward offering himself as a Sacrifice for our Sins, what need is there of a Sacrifice of Chrift offered within them, more than of one without them? Queft. How is the free Forgiveness of our Sins, confiftent with a Satisfaction made to the Juftice of God for our Sins? + Anf. It is confiftent therewith, because the Satisfaction was not made by us in our own Perfons: And it was the free Grace of God to accept of the Substitution of another. Queft. But how was it confiftent with the Juftice of God, to punish his own innocent Son for our Sins? || Anf *W.P. + W. P. W. P. |