paper, and ink, that is not infallible, nor the Scripture, is not the ground of faith; but CHRIST who was before the Scripture was written; that the Scripture tells you so; and saith God is Divine, and the Scriptures are the WORDS of God, which Christ the Word ends; who is the author of the faith. And Abraham and Enoch had a rule, and had faith before Scripture was written. And the SPIRIT is the rule that leads people into all Truth, so saith Christ. And you that put the LETTER for the ground of your faith, your rule, paper and ink; that will come to dust."

It is very evident here, that in applying the word rule to the Spirit, G. F. uses the term in its highest sense of a ruler, governor, or guide, "that leads people into all Truth;" and is the sense in which our Lord speaks of the Spirit, in the passage to which G. F. refers. It is no less clear that he fully owns the Divine authority of Scripture-" the Scriptures are the words of GOD;" &c., and hence that all he says of them as "6 paper and ink" and "coming to dust," relates chiefly to the outward fabric, or the materials of which the volume is composed; He however sometimes speaks of the mere letter "death, that killeth," in accordance with Paul's definition; but, in using such expressions, he not only has this apostle for his companion; but, like him, G. F. frequently adds; and surely we must conclude always means-" without the Spirit," which Paul says, "giveth Life.”

Here let us revert for a moment to our blessed Lord's precious and emphatic precept and positive injunction, already alluded to: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy: But I say unto you, LOVE your ENEMIES ;-Bless them that curse you ;— Do good to them that HATE you ;—and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." And what reason does our Lord assign for this precept? "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in HEAVEN!"

What a contrast is this to the prayers of two contending armies of Christians, each before the battle, praying to the same God, for victory; or, in other words, for power to kill, wound, and slaughter their fellow Christians!!

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With exceptions, whether of individuals or of bodies of Christians, which amount to no more than very small exceptions to a general rule, compared with the bulk of mankind, who have professed the name of Jesus; night not all those to whom G. F. was writing, be addressed, in common with the whole Christian world, in language similar to this: "Has not this benign precept of the Lip of Truth been to you a "dead letter for a thousand years? Yea, have you not proved by experience, during this long space of time, that "the letter killeth" in every sense of the word. Whilst you have been professing the letter of the gospel of PEACE, have you not been departing from the Spirit of God within, the Light of which has been obscured through apostacy; and the darkness thus supervening the Christian church, has been transmitted for ages and generations; so that not only has trusting to head knowledge of "the letter," blinded your eyes to this precept; but occasioned you to slaughter not by myriads only, but by millions, the human family for whom Christ died; ALL of whom He so positively commands you to “LOVE, BLESS, and PRAY FOR!"

Had this precept been rightly understood, and faithfully acted up to and obeyed by professing Christians; might we not, ere this, have seen the standard of the gospel unfurled from pole to pole? Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace; this precept is beginning to shed its halcyon influence on Christians of every denomination; and yet, when we look towards the isles of the Pacific ocean, and observe the effect of Scripture knowledge there on this subject, may we not see a prospect, that if those who have professed to be the Church of Christ for long, long

ages, do not quickly come more universally to "the Light of Christ in their own hearts," and act up to that Light on this precept, the language of Moses in the name of the most High, may be applicable to them, as their own labours occasion the Scriptures to become more universally known:

"I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people;

I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation ?"

R. Barclay in his third proposition "concerning the Scriptures" states them to proceed from "Revelations of the Spirit of God to the saints;" and to contain :

“I. A faithful, historical account of the actings of God's people in divers ages; with many singular and remarkable providences attending them.

“II. A prophetical account of several things, whereof some are already past, and some yet to come.

'III. A FULL AND AMPLE ACCOUNT OF ALL the chief principles of the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, &c., which by the moving of GOD'S SPIRIT were at several times, and upon sundry occasions, spoken and written unto some churches and their pastors.

Nevertheless, because they are only a Declaration of the Fountain, and not the FOUNTAIN ITSELF, therefore they are not to be esteemed the principal ground of all Truth and knowledge, nor yet the adequate primary rule of faith and manners. Yet because they give a true and faithful testimony of the first FOUNDATION, they are and may be esteemed a secondary rule, subordinate to the SPIRIT from which they have all their EXCELLENCY and CERTAINTY."

Surely it requires no scholastic erudition to decide that the Holy Spirit, which imparts to the Sacred Records their excellency and Divine authority, must be greater than the Scriptures themselves. Had Voltaire, had Payne, had Newport, and other similar characters, attended to the convictions

of the HOLY SPIRIT in their own hearts, it is plain they would have laid aside their infidel principles respecting the Scriptures, before a summons to another world smote their guilty souls with sensible remorse. And what did their intimate knowledge of the letter effect? Being without submission to the Spirit, was it not emphatically to them "the letter killeth "-"the ministration of condemnation; " yea, most emphatically, "the savour of death unto DEATH;"though "the Spirit giveth Life.”

On the other hand, though the Holy Scriptures are secondary to the FOUNTAIN ITSELF whence they proceeded, yet being the only authorized record or written "Declaration of the Fountain," they are, as already quoted, p. 99, from Barclay, in the strongest terms, the primary and only outward or revealed standard whereby to test or judge of doctrines, and this is fully and freely owned by the early Friends; as it also is, that no revelation is to supersede or gainsay the LETTER of Scripture.

In discussing the proposition from which the foregoing extracts are taken, R. Barclay says on this latter point: "We have SHUT THE DOOR upon ALL SUCH Doctrine, in this very position; affirming-That the Scriptures give a full and ample testimony to ALL the principal doctrines of the Christian Faith. For we do firmly testify, that there is no other Gospel or Doctrine to be preached, but that which was delivered by the apostles; and do freely subscribe to that saying: 'Let him that preacheth any other Gospel than that which has been already preached by the apostles, and ACCORDING to the SCRIPTURES, be ACCURSED.'

'So we distinguish between a revelation of a new Gospel and new Doctrines, and a new Revelation of the Good old Gospel and Doctrines: The last we plead for, but the first we UTTERLY CONDEMN." Prop. III., § IX.

What does Barclay say we, the " early Friends," UTTERLY CONDEMN? It is neither more nor less than any NEW GOSPEL and any NEW DOCTRINES. And what do the " early Friends" plead for A" new revelation," or a renewed revelation,—and of what? of "The GOOD OLD GOSPEL DOCTRINES." Is it disparaging the Scriptures, to look for the aid and influence of the Holy Spirit to understand them aright? And yet this is obviously one of the principles involved in J. W.'s denunciation: "My whole soul abhors the Principles of Quakerism. I believe they come from beneath; and whither can they lead?" If J. W. would in humility follow them, I believe they would lead him to the footstool of Jesus, and to the cross of Christ.

Conclusion of Section III.-Inward Light.

Here this section might have closed, had it not appeared desirable to introduce a few further extracts from the writings of Friends, which relate to the subjects of this section.

The preceding quotations besides proving that the "early Friends" did not entertain an idea that the "Light within” would speak in contrariety to the language of Holy Writ, declare also in the most unequivocal terms, their belief in the use, the comfort, and even the NECESSITY, of the Sacred Scriptures for the Instruction of the Church of Christ.

Those quotations are, I conceive, a full refutation of a collateral opinion or charge against the Society, that those who believe in the all-sufficiency of the Inward Light of Christ, will place their whole dependance upon it, and seldom consult, as an authoritative test, a record which they consider but mediate, and secondary to the HOLY SPIRIT. In addition to those quotations may be adduced against this speculation, the uniform CARE of the Society, from its early rise to the present day, to press upon all its members a frequent converse with the Sacred Volume; and the fruit of this care, I apprehend, at the present time is, that there are very few, if any, well