For it may be clear to the seed of faith, that this Melchizedek, king of Salem, which blessed Abraham, was God, the Father and Creator of all things, as may be seen Heb. vii. 1. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, that met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, verse 2. to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all: first, being, by interpretation, King of Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of Peace, verse 3, without father, without mother, without descent, having no beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a Priest continually.

A

Here it is clear, that this Melchizedek that met Abraham and blessed him, was God, the Father and Creator of all things; and it may be as clear to those that have the true light of faith in them, that this Melchizedek, the eternal God, was in the form of a man; and further, it is plain, that God himself did officiate the office of a Priest himself, and took upon himself the title of the Priest of the most high God, notwithstanding he was the most high God himself; and he acted as God to Abraham, even as a friend of God, and gave him bread and wine to comfort him, and blessed him. Thus the reader may see, that God was in the form and likeness of man from eternity, and that this Melchizedek, King of Salem, the Priest of the most high God, was the eternal God himself, who was without father, without mother, and without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; this must needs be the eternal God himself, who made man in his own image and likeness.

CHAP. XI.

AND as for his being made like unto the Son of God, abideth a Priest continually, that was to signify to Abraham, that this Melchizedek, the eternal God, would take upon him the seed of Abraham, and would become a son of Abraham; and as he had been Abraham's father, so he would in the fulness of time, become Abraham's son; and this Jesus Christ was that Melchizedek that took upon him Abraham's seed, and became Abraham's son, and Abraham became God's father, This is the mystery of God indeed, yet the Scripture is full to prove it; for this Christ is called the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Seth, the Son of Adam, the Son of God. Now mind that all these men were called the Sons of God, before God took upon him the seed of Abraham in the Virgin's womb; but when that child Jesus was born of a Virgin, then those men aforesaid were called his fathers; so that David, in spirit, called his son Christ, Lord; and yet he knew at that time, by the spirit of prophecy, that God would take his seed upon him, and become his Son, and call himself Christ; for God took not upon him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham; that is, he took upon him the seed of faith that was in Abraham, and not the nature of angels, which is the seed of pure reason in the angels; so that God took upon him his own nature that he breathed into Adam, even the breath of life, that became seed in him; that is the seed of faith; therefore Adam is called the son of God, and God is called Adam's son, and Adam is called God's father, in that Christ is called the Son of Adam, the Son of God; that is, God became a Son, as aforesaid, and suffered death, and rose again, and ascended up to heaven again, from whence he came, and is now an High Priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek, being now entered into the same glory which he had before the world was, and is sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, in the same glory which he had before he descended from heaven into the Virgin's womb. Thus the reader may see that eternity became time, and time is become eternity again.

6. See Gen. xxviii. 12. concerning God's appearing to Jacob, And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Verse 13, And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed, Verse 16, And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, surely the Lord is in this place this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. So in verse 22, And this stone which I have set for a pillar, God's shall be house. And Gen xxxii. 1, 2. And Jacob went on his way), and the angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host. So see Gen xxxii, 24. And Jari cob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. Verse 27. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. For as a prince hast thou power with God and man. Verse 29. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name, s And he said, Wherefore is it that thou askest after my name? And he blessed him there, Verse 30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

These are plain proofs of Scripture, to prove that God was in the form of man from eternity, and that he made man in his own image and likeness, in respect of his bodily shape; because God always appeared to the fathers of old, though a spiritual body, in the form and shape of man's body; neither did God ever appear in any other shape, but the shape of man, because it was his own shape; for it would have been a ridiculous thing for God to make man in his own image and likeness, and he himself to have no body, form horlike ness at all. Which way then could he have had any con verse with man, neither could man have had converse with God; for an infinite Spirit, without any body, could never appear to man, nor converse with man, nor bless man. What? blessing can a spirit without a body give to any man that hath a body?.

This is the most absurd opinion that ever was, that God should be a Spirit without a body. This opinion did arise

first from the children of Cain, and so it run through the heathen; and the Quaker's anti-christian spirit is no other but the spirit of Cain, and of the heathen; but the children of Adam, and of Seth, and of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and those of their seed, did know that God was in the form of man in respect of his bodily shape, and God did always appear unto them in the form and likeness of man in respect of his bodily shape, as he did here unto Jacob in his dream he saw a ladder reach from earth to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon it; and that the angels that ascended and descended up and down this ladder were spiritual bodies in forms like men; and the Lord of heaven and earth, he being a spiritual body in form like man, stood above it, or at the top of the ladder, ready to come down, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. So that Jacob knew the place where he saw this vision was no other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven: and as he went on his way, the angels of God met him in the forms of men; and when he saw them, he said, This is God's host; and Jacob knew that God followed hard after his host of angels; so that when they were passed by, Jacob was left alone; then cometh God in the form of a man, wrestleth with Jacob until the breaking of the day.

.1

to sasué su bo CHAP. XII.

.0

And God said unto Jacob, What is thy name? And he said Jacob. And God said, As a prince hast thou power with God and men; so that Jacob wrestled and prevailed with no less person than with the Eternal God himself: and seeing that he had prevailed as a strong prince with God, he was emboldened to ask his name; but the Lord God would not tell him any other name but what he had told him before: I am the Lord God of thy father Abraham, and the God of Isaac; but however God blessed him, and Jacob knew it was

the God of heaven that wrestled with him; For, saith he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Now, Penn the Quaker, do you believe that it was a spirit without a body, that discoursed and wrestled thus with Jacob? Did Jacob prevail with such a God, that is a formless spirit without a body? I wonder how you dare to justify such a God in public, seeing the Scriptures are so full against your antichristian spirit, that denieth the body of God, that made man in his own image and likeness, in respect of his bodily shape, as well as his soul. And what clearer proof of Scripture can be given to prove the Eternal to be in the form and likeness of a man, and that man's bodily shape and likeness is the image of God, than this Scripture concerning Jacob, and God wrestling with him.

7. Again, to prove God to have body and form like man, see Exod. xlii. 12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there, and I will give thee tables of stone; and Moses went up into the mount of God. Ver. 15. And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days, and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Ver. 17. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire in the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel. Ver. 18. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount, and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. Exod. xxxiii. 9. And it came to pass as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the clouded pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. Ver. 10. And all the people saw the clouded pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped. Ver. 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.

Here the reader may see, that God did appear unto Moses in the form of a man, and spake plain words unto him, and said unto him, Come unto me into the mount: so that God did confine himself into that place of the mount, only to talk with Moses. Also God gave Moses tables of stone. Observe those tables of stone that God gave Moses to write on were no stones of this earth, but stones that were of a purer na