• and what Particulars are included in these Generals, ALL THINGS THAT ARE LAWFUL AND HONEST; I cannot perceive where their Power terminates, and what Burthens they may not • impose on the Necks of their Curates, &c. by reason of the various Senfes which may be given the extensive Terms contained in this ، Oath.'

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THE reft of this Section, from p. 28, to 33, refpecting the Church-Government of the Quakers, is of no Validity, for 'tis certain, they only cenfured such as profeffing to be of their Society, kept not the Rules of it: But the Vicar, perhaps, fees not the Advantage he here puts into our Hands, who, were we disposed to recriminate, could present him with a large Lift of Sober, Honeft, Confcientious Men, for mere Trifles excommunicated out of the Church of England, of which they did not profess to be Members, and who in consequence of fuch Excommunications have fuffered long and dismal Imprisonments, fome of them even unto Death. But we forbear, and proceed to shew our Reader that our Opponent in several Places of this Section has given up the Point he contends against; for he says,

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PAGE 10. Chrift the word is by his divine • Effence every where, in all Things, and in all Men, and sufficient and able in an extraordinanary way inwardly to teach Men all the Effen• tials of Chriftianity, without any outward • Teaching.

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PAGE II. Christ, as he is the Word

• God, by whom all things were made, enlight

ens every individual Man in the World,

' whether Heathen or Christian, with the Light of • Natural

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• Natural Reason, or (as may be also allowed) with fome common Illumination to strengthen and affift their natural Faculty of Reason and Understanding, whereby they my be • able to discover the Being of a God from his • Works, and in some measure to difcern between moral Good and Evil, or Virtue and Vice, • so that they are without Excuse, if they Walk not according to that Light.'

' and Divine Light sent in upon the Confcience, • a measure of which is given to every Man to < warn them of their Duty, and reprove them ' for Sin.' Where he allows the fame Light to be divine, which p. 11, 12. he says, 'tis most prefumptuous to call fo.

In the Conclusion of this Section, he says, • And they reject all Use of Human Reason in • finding out spiritual Truths, as Carnal Rea

fonings.' Which is not fo, for tho' they justly reject Carnal Reasonings, yet not the Use of Reafon, for they say the Light within can never contradict either Right Reason, or Scripture-Testimony. This brings us to

Sect. III.

Of the Holy Scriptures.

In the Examination of this Section, we shall shew,

I. Our Opponent's Afssertions, and the invalidi

ty of his defending them.

D 3

II Th

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II, The Judgment of the Quakers on this Head, and their Reasons in Support of it. And

III. We shall confider our Opponents Answer to the Objections he has formed.

That the

1. OUR Opponent afferts, p. 33. true Rule and Standard of a Christian's Faith • and Practice in Religion, is the Revelation that • God has made of his Mind and Will to us in • the Holy Scriptures.'

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PAGE 36. That God has committed his • Will now wholly to Writing, so that former ways of God's revealing his Will, as by immediate Revelation, are now ceased, and the Scripture is a filled Canon or Rule, - and our • Sole and Entire Rule of Faith and Manners ⚫ in all that is neceffary to our Salvation."

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PAGE 38. The only compleat entire Rule of a Christian's Faith and Practice.

PAGE 44. The fole infallible Rule of a Chri• stian's Faith and Practice.

The Texts he produces in Proof of these Afsertions are,

2. Tim.iii. 15, 16. And that from a Child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wife unto Salvation, through Faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Rom. xv. 4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our Learning; that we thro patience and comfort of the Scriptures might bave hope.

Luke i. 1-4. For afmuch as many have taken in

band to set forth in order a Declaration of those

things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were Eye-Witnesses and Ministers of the Word: It seem'd good to me also, having bad perfect Understanding of all Things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those Things wherein thou hast been instructed.

Acts i. 1, 2. The former Treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, untill the Day on which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given Commandments unto the Apostles whom he had chofen.

John xx. 31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have Life thro' his Name:

1 Cor. xiv. 37. If any Man think himself to be a Prophet or Spiritual, let him acknowledge that the Things that I write unto you are the Commandments of the Lord.

Gal. vi. 15. 16. For in Christ Jesus, neither Circumcifion availeth any Thing, nor Uncircumcision, but a new Creature; and as many as walk according to this Rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Ifrael of God.

Heb. i. 3. God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last Days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed Heir of all Things, by whom also be made the Worlds.

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Matt. xxi, 37. But last of all be fent unto them bis Son, saying, They will reverence my Son.

Dan. ix. 24. Seventy Weeks are determined up-. on thy People, and upon thy Holy City, to finish the Transgression, and to make an End of Sins, and to make Reconciliation for Iniquity, and to bring in everlasting Righteousness, and to feal up the Vision and Prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Rev. xxii. 19. And if any Man shall take away from the Words of the Book of this Prophecy, God shall take away bis part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the Things that are written in this Book.

We have put these Texts at full length, that our Reader may the more clearly fee whether they prove what they are produc'd for: We think, they do not; for,

1. The Holy Scriptures mention'd 2 Tim. iii. 16. which Timothy had known from a Child could not be the Canon, Rule, or Standard, this Author fpeaks of, because that very Epistle of Paul was no part of those Scriptures, which yet is a part of what he calls the Canon, Rule, and Standard, of a Christian's Faith and Practice.

2. That of Rom. xv. 4. plainly relates to the Writings of the Old Testament, for the Apostle in the preceding Verse recites a Sentence out of the Pfalms, and then says, For whatsoever Things were written aforetime, were written for our Learning. Will our Author maintain that the Writings of the Old Testament are the only True Canon, Rule, and Standard, of a Christian's Faith and Practice ?