To which I answer, Yes, and he that hath it not is note of his. But to lay open my folly at last thou sayest, Doth not the scripture say, Christ is within you, except ye be reprobates? and is not this thus much, are not all they reprobates (say you) but they in whim Christ is within?
Ans. They are indeed reprobates who have not Christ within them; but now, how is thy folly manifest? that in one place thou shouldest confess some are reprobates, who have not Christ within; and yet in page 18, of thy book thou sayest, it is given to every man. And in page 26, of thy book, thou sayest, that a measure of the Spirit is given to every man, and is given within him too, though the scripture declareth the contrary, and thyself also now at last. It is well thou dost recant so much, as to eat thy first words at the last, or at least to show thyself unstable in judgment: Friend, thou mayest see, the more thou dost fight against the truth, the more thou foilest thyself: Partly by helping of it, and partly by contradiction thyself.
One thing more thou dost befool thyself with; and that is, in that thou in the first place sayest thou ownest the words in my book, and yet hath spent some four sheets of paper to vent thy thoughts against them.
But peradventure thou wilt say; those words that I own are not those that I speak against, but the other. to which I answer, There are many things in my book spoken of by me that are truth, which if you own, you must leave professing your self a Quaker. As,
1. That that man that was born of the virgin Mary, called Jesus (I say you will not own) that he in his own person, by himself without us, die completely bring in everlasting life for us, by offering up himself once for all upon the cross.
2. That Christ who wrought out redemption for his children, did after he had wrought it out, go away from them, and not into them in his person.
3. That he ever liveth, that very man to make intercession in his person, in the presence of his Father without, until the end of the world.
4. That that very man who did go away from his disciples into heaven, will come again personally the same man the second time, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall judge them for their sins: and take his to himself, who shall soul and body be with him to all eternity; these things (I say) thou couldest not own, though they are the truth of God. But leaving thee to the great God, who will give thee according to thy works, in this as in other things: I shall come to thy answers to my queries.
Query 1. The first query that I propounded is, If thou sayest that every man hath a measure of the Spirit of Christ within him, why say the scriptures, "Some are sensual, having not the Spirit." And when Christ telleth his disciples, of sending them the Spirit, he saith, the world cannot receive it. Here in the first place thou hast not only answered deceitfully, but hast also corrupted my words in laying down the query, in that thou didst leave out some words, for thou didst lay it down thus: "If thou sayest that every man hath a measure of the Sprit of Christ within him, why say the scriptures, some are sensual, having not the Spirit:" and Christ saith, "The world cannot receive it." (Reader, compare them both together.)
Now thy answer, is, "Some are sensual, having not the spirit, because they receive it not, and some cannot receive it, because they believe not on him from whence it comes." Yet sayest thou, "The measure of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal," as the scriptures say: when there is no scripture faith, a measure of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. But again, see here thy strange confusion. 1. Say, some have it not. 2. To say every man hath it. but you would make a difference between having and receiving: but I tell thee, he that hath not received it, hath it not (Jude 19).