A Key (Penn)/Section II

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145534A Key (Penn) — Section IIWilliam Penn

OF INFALLIBILITY AND PERFECTION

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Perversion 5: The Quakers must be infallible and perfect, if they have such an infallible Light in them.

Principle: This is also a great abuse of their true meaning. They say, the Principle is pure, perfect, unerrable in itself, else it were very unfit to lead men out of error and impurity. But they never did assert themselves such, merely because it was within them. But that all who are led by it, and live according to its manifestations. are so far perfect, and so far infallible in the right way as they are led by it and not farther. For it is not opinion, or speculation. or notions of what is true, or assent to propositions, though ever so soundly worded that makes a man a true believer: it is a conformity of mind and practice to the dictates of this Divine principle of Light and Life in the soul which denotes a person a child of God. For the children of God are led by the Spirit of God, but if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And let it be noted that though this Spirit be in man. yet it is not of man, but of God, through Jesus Christ.