called Christ, wherever it is found? Doth not the name belong to the whole body (and every member in the body) as well as to the head? Are they not all of one; yea, all one in the anointing? Was not this the great desire of his heart to the Father, that they all might be one, even as the Father and Christ were one. John xvii. 21, 23. And so being one in the same Spirit (one in the same life, one in the same divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. even partakers of God's holiness. Heb. xii. 10.), Christ is not ashamed to call them brethren, Heb. ii. 11. nor is the apostle ashamed to give them the name Christ together with him. 1 Cor. xii. 12. The body is the same with the head; one and the same in nature; and doth not the name belong to the nature in the whole? So that the name is not given to the vessel, but to the nature, to the heavenly treasure, to that which is of him in the vessel, to that which the Lord from heaven begets in his own image and likeness, of his own substance, of his own seed, of his own Spirit and pure life. Query 25. What was that live coal from the altar, whereby the prophet Isaiah's iniquity was taken away, and his sin purged? Isa. vi. 6, 7. Can any thing purge away sin, but the blood of Christ? Query 26. What are the leaves of the tree of life, which are for the healing of the nations? Is not Christ the tree of life? Is there any other tree of life besides him? Is there any other healer? And what do these leaves of the tree of life heal the nations of? Do they not heal them of their sins, and of the sicknesses and distempers of their souls because of their sins? And have these leaves any of the blood of Christ in them, or no? Query 27. Is not Christ the true vine, the true olive-tree; the living vine, the living olive-tree; the spiritual vine, the spiritual olive-tree; into which all the spiritually-living are ingrafted? As the Father is the husbandman; so is not the Son the vine? And hath not this spiritual, this eternal vine in it juice and sap of an eternal nature? And is not this sap its blood? Query 28. Is there not a choice vine, to which the foal and ass's colt of the seed of Judah is tied? And are not the garments and clothes of the true Jews washed in the wine, and in the blood of the grapes of this vino? Gen. xlix. 11. Query 29. What is that which the earthly nature slays? And what is the blood which the earthly nature shall dis close, and the slain which it shall no more cover? Query 30. What are the robes which are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb? And how are they washed and made white therein? And what is the blood (of what nature, earthly or spiritual?) wherein they are washed and made white? Query 31. What is it to have, or how come we to have, fellowship with Christ in his death, and to suffer and be crucified with him? Is it by having our natural bodies crucified on the same cross of wood (or some such like one) as his body was crucified on, or by having the fleshly nature crucified, subdued, and worn out of our souls, minds, spirits, &c., by the power of the Spirit? Rom. viii. 13. Now if the flesh we are to put off be of such a nature and kind; to wit, inwardly and spiritually corrupt; must not the flesh of Christ, which we are to put on instead thereof, be of as deep, inward, and spiritual a nature? What is the flesh whereof we are to be unclothed, before we can be clothed with Christ? is it outward or bodily? And what is Christ's flesh we are to put on? is that any more outward or bodily than that which we are to put off? Query 32. Is not the flesh and blood, which they that have eternal life feed on, and which nourisheth them up to life eternal (they continuing to feed thereon, and not feeding afterwards on strange flesh, and strange blood),—I say, is not this flesh and blood Spirit and life? For that is it which profiteth. John vi. 63. Is it not the flesh and blood of the Word? Was not the Word made flesh? And did not the Word, who was made flesh, dwell and appear in a tabernacle of flesh, and cause the glory of his own divine flesh to shine through that earthly flesh? Oh! read and consider, that ye who have stumbled and murmured against the truth may stumble or murmur no more, but now at length receive the pure and precious doctrine thereof (and so come to witness the fulfilling of that promise, Isa. xxix. 18.-24.) and praise him who giveth understanding. Query 33. Is not the true church flesh of Christ's flesh, and bone of his bone? Is not the false, or antichristian church, flesh of antichrist's flesh, and bone of antichrist's bone? What is the flesh of the spiritual whore, which is to be stripped naked and burnt with fire? Shall ever the church which is of Christ's flesh be stripped naked and burnt with fire? Nay, doth not his flesh make able to abide the devouring fire, and to dwell with the everlasting burnings? Query 34. What is the pure milk of the word, which is milked out to the babes from the pure breast? And what is the breast from which it is milked out? Is it of the flesh of Christ, or no? Query 35. Are not the wicked of the seed and flesh of the serpent? Is not that the body of flesh, of sin, of death, which is to be put off? And are not they who are renewed in spirit, of the seed and flesh of Christ? Is not that the body or garment of holiness, of righteousness, of life, which is to be put on? Query 36. Is it not as necessary that the eternal word be made flesh inwardly, that so the children may feed on him, as it was for him to take on him an outward body of flesh, to suffer and die for them, and to fulfil all righteousness, both of the law of the letter, and of the law of the Spirit in? Query 37. Is there not that which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt? And do not they which dwell there, instead of eating Christ's flesh, and drinking his blood, put his flesh to pain, crucifying it in and to themselves, trampling under foot the Son of God, and counting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing? Read the figure. Did not outward Israel suffer in outward Egypt? Did not just Lot suffer in Sodom? Doth not the spiritual seed suffer in and by spiritual Egypt? Doth not the flesh of the holy and just One suffer in and by spiritual Sodom? Query 38. What is that which the Gentile-Christians, who are not Jews inward, circumcised in heart and spirit, who know not the inward temple (the place of the true Jews' worship, where they worship the Father in Spirit and truth), but only worship in the outward court, which God hath cast off, and left out of his measure, Rev. xi. 2.— I say, what is that holy city which these Gentiles tread under foot forty-two months? Is it the church which is of the flesh and bones of Christ, or no? He that knoweth the substance, the seed of the kingdom, the birth of the Spirit, knoweth the flesh and blood which is of the seed. And this flesh is flesh indeed, this blood is blood indeed, even the flesh and blood of the seed's nature; but the other was but the flesh and blood of our nature, which he honored in taking upon him, in which he did the will, in which he offered up the acceptable sacrifice; but yet did not give the honor from his own flesh and blood to it. For the flesh and blood of our nature was not his own naturally, but only as he pleased to take it upon him and make it his. But that whereof he formeth us, and which he giveth us to eat and drink, is the flesh and blood of his own nature; and this was it wherein was the virtue, and wherein is the virtue, life, and power for ever. Happy, oh happy is he who is of it, who is taken out of and formed of him (as Eve was of Adam), and so becomes flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone! Then will he know the mystery of life, feed on the thing itself, and not stumble about appearances and expressions, as those that are out of and from the thing itself do, through the darkness of their mind, and because of their ignorance of the thing spoken of in the Scriptures. AN INCITATION TO PROFESSORS SERIOUSLY TO CONSIDER, WHETHER THEY OR WE FAIL IN THE TRUE ACKNOWL- WE who are commonly called QUAKERS, being a people whom the Lord hath gathered (out of the wanderings, out of the many professions, out of the several scattered estates and conditions, wherein his eye pitied us, and his love found us out) into a measure of the eternal rest; where we have found that life, that power, that manifestation of the eternal Spirit, and that redeeming virtue, which we never were before distinctly acquainted with;-I say, having tasted of this, having known this, having felt this, and come to a real enjoyment of it, in some degree, in our several measures, we could not possibly conceal this treasure, but in bowels of love (and in the movings of the life and power of the Spirit) have been drawn to testify of it to them who are left behind, grovelling under the burden of corruption, and crying out because of the sin and bondage from the powers of darkness, who have in a mist withheld their eyes from beholding that living virtue, which is able to save (and doth save, blessed be his name!) therefrom. Now this we have often found: That this our testimony hath not been received in the same Spirit and love wherein it hath gone forth; but the enemy, by his subtlety, hath raised up jealousies concerning us, and prejudices against us, as if we denied the Scriptures and ordinances of God, and that Christ that died at Jerusalem; professing him only in words (to win upon others by), but denying him in reality and substance. To clear this latter (for my heart is only at this present drawn out concerning that), we have solemnly professed, in the sight of the Lord God (who hath given us the knowledge of his Son in life and power), these two things. First, That we do really in our hearts own that Christ, |