John Wilbur
Wilbur, John. A Narrative and Exposition of the Late Proceedings of New England Yearly
Meeting, With Some of its Subordinate Meetings & Their committees, in Relation to the
Doctrinal Controversy Now Existing in the Society of Friends: Prefaced by a Concise View of
the Church, Showing the Occasion of its Apostacy, both Under the Former and Present
Dispensations, With an Appendix. Edited from Record Kept, From Time to Time, of Those
Proceedings, and Interspersed With Occasional Remarks and Observations. Addressed to the
Members of the Said Yearly Meeting. New York: Piercy & Reed, Printers, 1854, pages 277-325.(All italics added by J.W. for emphasis. All words supplied in [Square Brackets] by J.W.
Page numbers from original publication by -pds in {Set Brackets.}
This Document is on The Quaker Writings Home Page.
Contrast this with
George Fox (Doctrinal Works, p. 466): "Is not this your condition, that make such a work about
the body of Christ, and with what bodies people shall be raised up; and the Apostle saith to such:
"Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die; and that which thou sowest,
thou sowest not that body that shall be." So he tells here plainly it is not the same, and calls thee a
fool that questionest. If thou sowest wheat or other corn, let the husbandmen answer thee in
this."
(p. 467.) And the apostle further saith, 'Behold I show you a mystery; we shall; not all sleep, but
we shall be changed.' Mark--be changed. So not the same: which the husbandman will teach thee."
(p. 946.) "And Christ saith, 'Verily I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.' So, what the husbandman soweth,
whether wheat or other seed, he soweth--mark--he soweth not that body that shall be; but God
giveth it a body as it pleaseth Him, and to every seed its own body," &c.
Wm. Penn (Testimony to the Truth of God, Works, Vol. 3, p. 523): "Because from the authority
of Holy Scripture as well as right reason, we deny the resurrection {p. 308}of the same gross and
corruptible body, and we shall have at the resurrection, leaving it to the Lord, to give us such
bodies as he pleases, (and with that we are well pleased and satisfied, and wish all others were so
too;) from hence we are made not only deniers of the resurrection of any body at all, however
spiritual or glorified, but eternal rewards too."
(Defence of Gospel Truths, Works. Vol. 8, p. 549): "Here it is we are cautious, and tread softly,
remembering what the apostle says to the curious and inquistive upon this head, 'But some man
will say, how are the dead raised up, and with what bodies do they come? Thou fool, thou sowest
not that body which shall be, but bare grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and
to every seed its own body.' Here is the ground of our caution, which the bishop is pleased to call
suppression, and others, denying of the resurrection. (We have indeed been negative to the gross
conceit of people concerning the rising of this carnal body we carry about with us, which better
agrees with the Koran of Mahomet, than the gospel of Christ: but that there is a resurrection of
the just and unjust to rewards and punishment, we have ever believed." Bodies we shall have, but
not the same, says the apostle, and so believes the Quaker."(1)
1. Unbalanced parenthesis in the original. -pds