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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	answer_v	scripture_n	word_n	1,678	5	4.1153	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84760	A sober answer to an angry epistle, directed to all the publick teachers in this nation, and prefixed to a book, called (by an antiphrasis) Christs innocency pleaded against the cry of the chief priests. Written in hast by Thomas Speed, once a publick teacher himself, and since revolted from that calling to merchandize, and of late grown a merchant of soules, trading subtilly for the Quakers in Bristoll. Wherein the jesuiticall equivocations and subtle insinuations, whereby he endeavours secretly to infuse the whole venome of Quaking doctrines, into undiscerning readers, are discovered; a catlogue of the true and genuine doctrines of the Quakers is presented, and certaine questions depending between us and them, candidly disputed, / by [brace] Christopher Fowler & Simon Ford, [brace] ministers of the Gospel in Reding,	Fowler, Christopher, 1610?-1678.; Ford, Simon, 1619?-1699.	1656 (1656)	Wing F1694; Thomason E883_1; ESTC R207293	63,879	81

word as written to have been a rule before it was written Although we shall not doubt to prove that those Patriarchs had the same foundation to build on and the same Law or Rule to walk by though they were not then committed to writing The Apostle tells us Gal. 3. 8. that the Scripture preached the Gospel to Abraham where it is observable that Abrahams light was Scripture light before the Scriptures were written 2. The question between us is not whether the Scriptures be the personall or reall ground of faith but whether as Mr. Thomas well distinguisheth it be the Doctrinall or declarative ground or foundation of faith This distinction whether you will admit or no we must premise because we would not be engaged to fight with a meer shadow If you will own the Scriptures to be a doctrinall foundation or ground of faith i. e. to hold forth from God those Doctrines which and which onely we are bound to beleive our dispute is at an end for we are of a mind we owne Christ alone to be the foundation or ground of faith personall or reall that is to be the person or thing that our faith is built on and the Scriptures to be the onely ground and foundation by way of Doctrine or declaration what we are to beleive concerning Christ and how to beleive on him We hope you will understand us we speak as plaine as we can to avoid cavills about termes All therefore that we are to prove in this question is that all things which vve beleive and do as necessary in order to salvation are to be such as are contained in the Scripture and to be judged by it whether they be so or no. We say All things which we beleive and do as necessary in order Sect. 62 to the salvation of our Soules are to be such as are contained in Scripture If not because to please you we must not argue from Scripture we desire you to satisfie us Q. 1. What thing necessary to be beleived or done in order to salvation there is which we may or must receive from any other Rule or build on any other foundation and what is that Rule or foundation We suppose you are bound either to allow our rule or shew us a bettor Or Q. 2. Whether what the Scriptures containe be sufficient to guide us to salvation or no If you affirme it then we shall think our selves well enough with our old Rule seeing vve may be saved and yet admit no other If you deny it you must out-stare these plaine Texts 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. From a Child thou hast knowne the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation And all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousnesse That the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto every good work And that of John wherewith he closeth his twentieth Chapter These speaking of the signes which Christ did are written that yee might beleive that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that beleiving yee might have life through his name Say not that this concernes onely the Gospel of John or if more onely the Histories of the Evangelists For then we shall make bold to conclude our Position à fortiori If there be enough in one or at most four Bookes to work faith and thereby bring us to salvation much more in all the Scriptures Q. 3. Whether the Scriptures of the old and new Testament be the word of God or no or do you owne no word of God but Christ We suppose here you will answer us as your brethren here do We dare not deny it for feare of the Law we dare not affirm it for then we deny our own principles We know not how you will answer it But we must tell you if you deny it we are sure the Scriptures affirme it of themselves else we desire to know what it is that is called the Word of God in the places following Mar. 7. 13. 2 Cor. 2. 17. 4. 2. What it is that David so often calls by the name of thy word Ps 119. whether Christ spake himselfe or the declarative word of God Lu. 5. 1. If you affirme it We ask further Q. 4. Whether it be not the duty of the Creature to beleive and be guided by the declared word of God rather then by any others word whatsoever Q. 5. Whether there be any such thing in the World as Heresie or Errour If there be not to vvhat purpose are all those Prophesies that foretell and Cautions that forewarne Gods people against them in the Scripture If there be may they be discovered or no If they may not how can it be a duty incumbent upon Saints to avoid them is there any avoiding of an undiscoverable evill If they may by vvhat rule but the written Word Q. 6. Whether there be any duty or sin in the World or no The affinity your Sect hath vvith the Ranters in Principles vvhich G. Fox acknowledgeth makes us beleive that some of you vvould they speak out must answer No but what a man thinkes to be so We vvill not judge the thoughts But if you be more sober vve onely ask you Q. 7. What rule vve have to judge of vvhat is Duty or Sin but the vvritten Law of God Is it the light of every mans private bosome This is the forementioned Ranting Principle Is it immediate Revelation For to this your brethren incline as may be seen in the Quaeries sent to Mr. Baxter of Kiderminster one of vvhich vvas Whether he owned Revelations or no And Naylers Answer to his Quakers Catechisme and that very strongly yea they pretend to the same mission from God to this or that place to do this or that errand which the Prophets had of old and to be limited in their stay in and departure from such places by the immediate commands of God * See Deusberies discovery and his owne confession therein That at Derby he answered the Major that he would stay there till the Lord ordered him to go out of Towne and when he was put out returned and staid till he was free in his spirit to depart p. 8 9. If you be of their mind vve further enquire Q. 8. What certaine token you have to know the commands of God from the commands of Satan seeing he can easily insinuate his suggestions by inward voices as commands of God According to the old Law of God to his people the Jewes Pretenders to a Spirit of Prophesie though they gave evidence of their pretended mission from God by signes and wonders and those coming to passe too yet were to be discovered and judged by the written word Deut. 13. 1 2 3. c. And in the new Testament the Doctrine of an Angell from Heaven is submitted under a curse to the Doctrine preached by the Apostles Gal. 1. 8. And we desire to know

whether you vvill submit your Revelations to this Touchstone or no If so you yeild the question If not then whatever Commands or Prohibitions you receive in the way of revelation you must obey vvhether agreeing or disagreeing to the written Law of God And then how far the examples of Abraham offering up his Son and Phinehas executing vengeance yea and vvhen time serves Ehuds message from God to Eglon may be witnessed in you as you speak we know Judg. 3. 19 not and shall pray vve never may by experience Q. 9. Whether the Scriptures do not establish it selfe as the rule of Faith in referring all pretenders to new light to the Law and the Testimony and telling us expresly That if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in Isa 20. 8. them And whether the light in you and in your companions be not darknesse that will not undergo this tryall Q. 10. Whether the phrases of walking in the Law of the Lord keeping Gods Testimonies taking heed to a mans way according to Gods word not wandering from Gods Commandements Ps 119 1 2. 9 10. 21. 30. 35. 51. 102. 110. 133. 157. laying Gods Jugdments before him going in the path of Gods Commandements not declining from Gods Law not departing from Gods Judgments not erring from his Precepts ordering his steps in Gods word not declining from his testimonies Are not cleare evidences that David made the written word that then was his Rule And you owne Davids Rule for yours p. 8. Q. 11. Whether you think in your conscience that Deut. 5. 32 33. doth not convincingly prove the Scripture to be the Saints rule The words are Yee shall observe to do therfore as the Lord your God hath commanded you and before vve have the repitition of the written Law You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left c. Your answer in your book is in summe P. 7. that all the Scripture was not then written But did not Moses therein establish as much as was then written for the rule the Saints of those times were to walk by Besides these words immediatly refer to the Morall Law before repeated in the same Chapter And will you exclude that from being the Saints rule as well as other Scriptures Then indeed there vvill be no duty or sin but as a man thinks Q. 12. Whether you deale honestly with Calvin in that P. 20. Scripture Eph. 2. 20. whilest you tell your Readers that he saith in Terminis That the Apostle doth in that Scripture intend Jesus Christ to whom the Prophets and Apostles did beare witnesse Whereas Calvin saith expresly It is without doubt that the foundation in this place is taken for the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles And therefore Paul teacheth that the Quin fundamentum hic pro doctrina sumatur minime dubium est Et itaque docet Paulus fidem ecclesiae in hac doctrina debere esse fundatam Calv. in l. Churches faith ought to be founded on this Doctrine And there is not any mention at all of those vvords in Calvin vvhich you quote from him To say the truth vve much vvonder how you could have the brazen face to father a saying upon Calvin vvhich he never said till vve looked upon Marlorate whose mis-quotation or rather the fault of his Printer it seemes deceived you for there vve find among other things there ascribed to Calvin this passage you mention But it concerned a man of your acutenesse not to have taken up a report from another vvhen Calvins vvorks are so common in every Shop and Study that vvith a little paines more you might have conversed vvith the Originall Author whence Marlorate makes his collections But it seemes you vvere vvilling to snatch at any thing that seemed to support your cause vvhere ever you found it And yet you shewed no part of ingenuity in your usage of Marlorate himself vvho together vvith that passage vvhich you quote and under the same note by which he distinguisheth Calvins vvords cites Calvin point blank against you saying that the Apostle shewes in that place how the Ephesians vvere made fellow Citizens vvith the Saints Nempe si fundati sint in Prophetarum Apostolorum Doctrinâ to wit If they be founded on the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles These words and others to the same purpose immediatly precede your owne quotation vvhich renders your dis-ingenuity the more culpable as shewing a vvilfull designe of abusing so reverend a name to delude your Readers Q. 13. In a vvord tell us ingenuously Whether we must or must not beleive the Doctrines which the Scriptures lay downe upon their owne authority If vve must vvhy do you quarrell at those that call them the rule ground foundation of faith seeing every intelligent man will tell you that it is the same thing to beleive the Doctrines of the Scripture upon the Scriptures authority and to make the Scriptures the ground rule foundation of faith If vve must not then tell us what superadded to the Scriptures owne Authority renders their Doctrines more credible We observe the Papists state this question as you do But they vvill answer us ingenuously That they beleive the Scriptures because the Church hath confirmed them And the Socinians are of your mind also but they deale fairely too and speak out That they will beleive the Scriptures as far as reason votes with them Would you speak out vve doubt you must confesse you are very neer these last in your judgment Why do you not tell us plainly that you beleive the Doctrines laid down in the Scripture as far as the light within you concurs with them And then vve shall know vvhat you mean in denying the Scriptures to be the rule and ground of faith Viz. That as much as pleaseth you you vvill beleive and vvhat dislikes you shall be cashiered as an old Declarative or an Almanack out of date as some of your Cater-cosins the Familists have blasphemously called the Bible Q. 14. Lastly Whether God vvill not judge every man vvho lives within the sound of the Gospell by the written word If not what meanes the Apostle Paul when he saith that as many as have sinned in the Law shall be judged by the Law in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Rom. 2. 12. 16. And seeing we are upon this subject give us leave to enquire yet a little further what are those Books out of which the dead shall be judged and whence one day God will draw the rule of his proceedings in the day of Judgment as you may find Apoc. 2. 12. If God vvill judge us out of the written word after death surely we are not to be blamed if we study that Statute-Law and labour to conforme our beleif and practise thereunto whilest we live which must judge us when we dye Or else we pray you

you think fit to conceale not without some ground of suspicion that you were rather willing to pick out what you could best sport your self and your credulous Reader withall then to give a solid answer to his Arguments as they come from his hand with such animadversions as he is sufficiently able to make to the disingenuities of your reply will abundantly vindicate him and the Truth Onely we cannot but acquaint you that you have mistaken the mark very much in the arrowes of bitter words which your discourse levels with too much virulency against that holy man Had you dealt with one of those sorry things in black whose Doctrine and life are scandals to the Gospell and blemishes to their holy Profession you might have promised your selfe an easie beliefe from the Readers of your Book to whatsoever load of reproches you should have laid upon him but the man you deale withall is so well known for Piety Meeknesse Humility Heavenly-mindednesse tendernesse of conscience and all other Ministeriall Qualifications that you may as well perswade them the Snow is black as fasten those reproches upon him with any hope of gaining credit to your self or your book except amongst those who are either totally strangers to him or given up to so potent a prejudice against all that beare the name of Ministers that they can easily admit into their Creed whatsoever evill can be said of them But to more sober Readers and especially those of the parts where he lives you might be easily convinced had you any principles left to bottome a conviction upon that the unjust imputations you every where bespatter him withall will render you suspected in all the rest of your book for the falsehood detected in them And we must tel you withal that we cannot prevail wth our reasons or consciences to perswade themselves that you have that infallible Spirit which you pretend to dictate to you seeing we know you to be so grossly mistaken in the censures you spend upon him and divers of his fellow-labourers Nor can we judge that language inspired by the holy spirit of God when we consider that there is no Gall in that Dove that those holy men of God who wrote as they were moved by the H. Ghost tell us that Saints must put away all clamour and bitternesse and evill speaking Ephes 4. 31. and wrath That the wisdome that is from above is gentle Ja. 3. 17. Ja. 1. 16. and that if any man bridle not his tongue his religion is vain And lastly that if you be not a better Master of Language then Michal the Arch-angel or we deserve worse usage then the Devill himself the light in which the Apostle Jude spake will tell you but that you think him too low a Scholar to instruct you that have gotten through the Schoole wherein he was a Disciple that it ill becomes you to bring against your Antagonists a railing accusation But if that convince not you Iude 9. and your brethren of the incivility and irreligion of your tongues and pens in this way we shall refer you from Michaels Dispute to Enochs Prophesie wherein you will find that hard speeches will beare an Indictment at the last Assise as well as Vers 14. hard blowes And in the mean time we hope God will heare our prayers and free us from the mercy of your Hands who find what cruelty there is in the tender mercies of your Prov. 12. 10. Tongues Mean while in hope that a soft answer will turn away wrath Pro. 15. 1. and that we may set you a fairer Copy to write after when you next put pen to paper we shall endeavour by Gods assistance Pro. 26. 4 5. to answer so much of your papers as concernes us in common with other Ministers without answering your passions And Sir upon our first view of your Pamphlet we cannot Sect. 1. but tell you that if your Title-page were calculated for the Meridian of your Book you mistook your self extreamly For Tituli remedia pixides venena to let passe the Title it self wherein you abuse the glorious name of Christs Innocency to patronize your own guilt we cannot but wonder how Seneca an Heathen comes to be so great in your esteem that you that will not allow us to quote Hierome Augustine Calvin or Luther yet think your Book Epistle p. D. credited by the wrested Testimony of a Pagan Philosopher prefixed thereunto Sect. 2. But to let that passe and proceed to your Epistle which only because you direct it to the whole body of the Ministery we suppose our selves concerned in The rest of your Book because we are assured from your Adversary that he will speedily take it in hand we suppose you will give us leave to be so ingenuous as to leave to his able Pen without interpreting it any wise to proceed from any consciousnesse of our own weaknesse that we meddle not with it And here in the first place we con you many thanks for the charitable advice you begin withall and assure you that the more we think of the day and houre which in your entrance you mind us of and that account we must hereafter therein give to the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth the more are we excited to the consciencious discharge of that office which however you revile we are sufficiently assured he will own at that day to be held by commission from him and the more are we encouraged against all that evill entertainment which for the discharge thereof we meet withall from men of corrupt minds 2. Tim. 3. 8. reprobate as concerning the Faith And we hope we shall take warning even from an Adversary to walk worthy of our high and holy calling and not wear our Livery to the disgrace of our Master But we are jealous that whatever use we may make of your counsell you intend it to far another purpose to wit rather as a slye way of casting reproach upon us by insinuating that we stand in need of being so advised then out of any intention to do us good by that advice I wish you were in your language is no other then I proclaime your are not Sect. 3. And although you tell us immediatly after that you will not undertake Epistle pag. 2. rashly to judge us or accuse us to the world from which crime of rash judgment you think your self sufficiently secured by comparing our works with our rule the Scriptures and then proceed as you think cum privilegio to misapply Scriptures to slander us yet we must retort upon you that which you give in way of advice to us that the hower is coming when all coverings shall be removed and the vailes pluckt off from Ep. p. 1. all faces and then we doubt not but you will be found not only a rash but a false accuser and that to the world in Print notwithstanding that colour and covering which you hide

then from the spirit of the Lord and call them the word of the Lord to us when we can produce the printed Books of others of your Fraternity whence they are most of them stollen word for word † T. C. his Quaeres to one of us borrowed to a Title out of a Book directed to all that would know the way to the Kingdom Excepting false english Sect. 32 To your eleventh Article wherein you justifie your confidence in advising us to preach no more to the people then the Lord hath spoken to us and then we our selves witnesse the life and power of in our selves We say that t is true your are noted for confidence enough and none more then your female Declarers who for such a scolding religion as yours is are very well furnished with a Billingsgate confidence Concerning whom by the way we will be bold to examine you upon a few Interrogatories Q. 1. Whether the Spirit of God ever did act any persons with a boldnesse and confidence that breaks the Lawes of Nature and Civility Q. 2. Whether your Prophetesses that come to declare in publick Assemblies and some of them sometimes naked * As at Whitehall not long since and elsewhere Jer. 3. 3. do not break the Lawes of Nature and civility Q. 3. Whether such immodest practises be not too great evidences against many of them that they are so far from Religion that they have much corrupted the principles of common honesty And whether such brazen-faced impudency in such be not in the language of Scripture an Whores forehead Q. 4. Whether Pauls light or yours be better who saith Let the woman learne in silence with all subjection But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence 1 Tim. 3. 11. 12. Whereas you allow your women to teach in our Assemblies and your owne and in the very Streets and Market-places and to usurp Authority over us who take our selves to be men charging us to speak no more in the name of the Lord c. And what confidence emboldens the rest of you to come into our Assemblies and against the wills of the Officers to deliver your rayling charges there to the disturbance of whole Congregations your selves best know Only this we desire to know of you Q. 1. Whether Christ or his Apostles ever practised the like liberty in the Synagogues of the Jewes without leave first obtained from the Rulers We find not that our Saviour Christ at Nazareth opened his mouth to speak to the people in the Synagogue till the Minister delivered him the Book in token of the liberty granted him to teach there Luke 4 17. 20. And we find the Apostle Paul and his companion Barnabas at Antioch sate down and were silent till the Rulers of the Synagogue sent unto them and gave them liberty Act. 13. 14 15. And yet supposing they did their miraculous gifts were a sufficient demonstration that they had an higher authority We see no such in any of you Q. 2. Whether you be not herein so confident as to offer violence to that very Article of the Government by which you yourselves claime liberty in disturbing those who as professing faith in God by Jesus Christ are worshiping him according to their Consciences Q. 3. Whether it be not an apparant designe of Satan to imploy such confident men and women to make such disturbances at such a time when people should go home and meditate upon what they have heard to hinder and divert them But you think that you have warrant for all this confidence Sect. 33 because you only advise us to preach no more to the people then the Lord hath spoken to us c. Which advice of yours were it delivered in a sober private Christian way we hope we should take well at your hands and do assure you that we will to our utmost ability practise accordingly But we doubt that so much will not satisfie except we renounce what God speaks to us in the written word and hearken for Gods voice in unwritten revelations In which sense we must professe we think it were great boldnesse indeed in you to require us not to preach more then God hath spoken to us Seeing you undertake to forbid what God requires and our Saviour Christ and his Apostles accordingly practised The Apostle to Timothy tells him and us that the Scriptures are given by inspiration of God and are profitable for doctrine reproof correction c. To what purpose is the Scripture avouched to be profitable for Doctrine if we may raise no Doctrines from it for reproof correction and instruction if we may not lay it as the ground of all these 2 Tim. 3. 16. And in the same Epistle chap. 2. 2. he commands Timothy to commit what he had heard of him to faithfull men who shall be able to teach others also Had your quaking Generation been on foot then would they not have had the confidence to charge Timothy to speak nothing to the people but what he had heard from God immediatly and those that received Pauls Doctrine at the second hand from Timothy much more But whether the Apostle Paul or you be to be obeyed let sober men judge Sure we are that our Saviour Christ himself took for his Text what the Lord had many years before spoken to the Prophet Isaiah Luke 4. 17. 18. And for the Apostles and Apostolicall men we find them preaching those things which they learned from the Scriptures Apollos Act. 18. 28. shewed by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ And when the great question concerning Circumcision and the Mosaicall observances was started among the Apostles and Elders Act. 15. James quotes the word of the Lord to Amos v. 16 17. in that Assembly And the Apostle Paul Act 26. before Agrippa and Festus professeth He in all his Doctrine witnessed saying none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say So that he preached the word that was spoken to Moses and the Prophets and yet none that we read of charged him to cease from preaching more then God had immediatly spoken to him And we hope we may safely disobey your councels or commands herein under the protection of such great examples As for the other part of your advice to us that we preach no more then we our selves witnesse the life and power of within our Sect. 34 selves We would hope you mean Orthodoxly in it to wit that we practise what we preach wch if it be all you intend herein we assure you we do and we hope shall be enabled by grace to do so more and more But when we look upon the papers of others of your brethren we doubt you mean we must not preach any thing of the Histories and Prophesies of the Scripture See faith full discovery of mysticall Antichrist pag. in their literall sense but only the experiences of the Allegoricall senses their

Apostle meanes not such an one as expounds and applies the written Word but either one that preached up the Jewish ceremonies according to the Letter which were the vaile that hid the Gospell instead of Christ the substance of them or else that preached the duties of the Law for justification and so your generation are the Ministers of the Letter who preach up a righteousnesse of workes under the notion of Christ in us to the decrying and blaspheming of the righteousnesse of Faith in Christs person without us And you your selfe speake scornefully enough of it though covertly p. 55. of your Book as of a righteousnesse beyond the Stars and a far off from us so that we feare your heart is the same with them though you be more wary in your expressions In a word if we mistake you you must impute it to your darknesse and ambiguity of expression which you affect in this Epistle that you may like a Carp by running your head in the mud of uncouth and ambiguous language avoid the Net of a just discovery and confutation and to your undertaking which being the justification of the people called Quakers we are necessitated to interpret you by what we know of them To your thirteenth Article concerning the unprofitablenesse Sect. 44 of talking and professing Christ in Orthodox notions except we witnesse we will suppose you understand find and feele by experience the life of Christ in us We would hope you mean as you say and no more and if so we mean and say as you do that it will not availe us or our hearers to talk of Christs dying for us and our being justified by his righteousnesse except we receive a spirit of holinesse from him and be taught by the grace that appeareth to us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world But we Tim. 2. 12. must tell you that we do not make our mortification of sin or resurrection to newnesse of life or any of the fruits growing upon those roots though we could be as holy as ever any Saint was upon earth any part of our righteousnesse in the presence of God but in matter of justification we renounce them all as abominable and filthy rags drosse and dung to the righteousnesse which is of God by faith and desire to be found in him alone who Isa 64. 6. Phil. 3. 8 9. Jer. 23. 5. Gal. 2. 16. is the Lord our righteousnesse We say with the Apostle Knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have beleived in Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the Law Whether you be of this judgment or no we desire to know more fully in your next Those of your generation are not as we shall shew anon from their own papers which speak out what we see you have a mind to conceale In your fourteenth Article you confesse that you both publish Sect. 45 and practise an unmannerly disrespect of all persons in which because you scruple swearing we would as well as we may credit you without an Oath And that you publish and practise it as truth we will beleive But Omne simile non est idem as you may very well know Many of your quaking doctrines as you colour them are very like truth But we have in part shewn they are not what they shew for and shall do more ere vve have done vvith you Mean while vve will a little dispute it vvith you Whether Religion destroy civility and good manners For our parts vve humbly conceive that the fifth Commandement is not yet repealed that commands us to honour our Fathers and Mothers And Solomon vve suppose walked by that Law vvhen he bowed to his Mother 1 King 2. 29. Nor do vve dare condemne the bowing of Abraham before the Sons of Heth Gen. 23. 7. 12. Nor do vve think that cursed Canaanites are more capable of civill honour and respect then civill Magistrates And how far the examples of Luke dedicating his Book to the most excellent Theophilus Lu. 1. 3. Pauls Titles of King Agrippa and most Noble Festus and Act. 26. 7. 25. 1 Pet. 3. 6. Sarahs calling Abraham Lord practised in the old and commended in the new Testament vvill justifie the practise of those vvho bestow Titles upon men according to their quality from that respecting of persons vvhich the Apostle James condemnes it Jam. 5. 1. may be your own second thoughts will better inform you Surely the Apostle James doth not deny the distinction of Magistrates and others in their Seates and Benches We do not find the Apostles when they were called before Magistrates justle with them for their Chaires and Cushions or set themselves down cheek by joule with them upon the Bench. Nor was 1 King 2. 19. Solomon to be charged with respecting persons for calling for a Chair for his Mother Bathsheba and not for all others as well that came to present Petitions to him For a close we are perswaded that this levelling humour never lasted longer in any person then till he himself got into the Chair of Magistracy We know no Prince in Europe that ever King'd it with that state as John of Leyden did when he acted his part at Munster and yet he and his Generation were as much against respecting of persons a while before as any of our Quakers at this day In a word we are no friends to that great distance which meer wealth makes in the esteem of the world between man and man especially between godly poore and ungodly rich men And we hope we can say in the sincerity of our hearts that we know no godly poor man whom we would not and do not prefer in our esteems and respects as we have opportunity to shew it before any wealthy men that are not so But where the goodness is equall in both we suppose the modesty of the inferiour will not suffer him to be agrieved if his Superiour in any sort sit above him or go before him nor do we think it any token of humility which is one of the most eminent graces in true Saints for such an one to justle for the wall with another to whom in common courtesie and civility founded upon the Law of God Nature and Nations it is more due We shall not dispute against you the consequences of this Sect. 46 your Doctrine if it should take place as they touch our selves Let it follow as you say that we shall hereby be stripped of the Titles of Doctors or Divines we perswade our selves as well-pleasing as you think they are to us we have learned of our Master to be contented to be made of no reputation if God think fit to abase us among those with whom we have to do that vve should receive as little respect from others as vve do from

upon you by those Witnesses vvho vve are assured vvill stand to their vvords vvhenever they are called to make them good The Quakers Doctrines 1. That they are equall with God as holy just and good as Sect. 54 God himself Affirmed by G. Fox and J. Nayler before Witnesses Perfect Pharisee p. 3. See also the Relation of the irreligion of the Northern Quakers vvho attest it in a Book called the perfect Pharisee published by five Ministers of Newcastle 2. Suitable hereunto vvas the blasphemy of one of your Shee-Quakers lately in hold in this Towne vvho being convented before the Major of this Corporation and asked what she was and what was her name roundly answered and stood to it againe the next day I AM THAT I AM which will be attested upon Oath by the Major and one of the Constables 3. Suitable to this was the blasphemy of another of your Brethren who meeting with a godly Londiner occasionally being in this Town on a Lords day lately and asking him the way as he met him to one of our Churches answered him in these words The Church is in God and the Church is God 4. That the being of God is not distinct from them that are begotten by him Sword of the Lord by James Atkinson Quaker 5. That the Nature and Glory of the Elect differ not from the Nature and Glory of the Creator For the Elect are one with the Creator in his Nature enjoying his Glory That the Elect is not distinct from the Creator Howgill and Burroughs two Quakers in an answer to Reeve 6. And that God is not distinct from living Creatures for in him living reatures lives moves c. 7. That God is three persons or subsistences they say is a lye That there is no distinctions of persons in the Godhead Sword of the Lord by J. Atkinson G. Fox Errand to Damascus 8. That the Soul is a part of the Divine Essence See perfect Pharisee p. 6. 9 That Jesus Christ is God and man in one person they say is a lye 10. They deny and detest this Doctrine That Christ being the only God and man in one person remaines for ever a distinct person from all Saints and Angels notwithstanding their Vnion and communion with him Sword of the Lord by James Atkinson 11. That the person that Son of God which died at Jerusalem is not the Redeemer of man from sin but the Redeemer is in every man that light by which he is given to see him c. The discourse of a Quaker vvith Jo Toldervy Foot out of the snare p. 7. 12. That Christ is in every man even Heathen Indians and in the Reprobates he is held under corruption J. Nayler See perfect Pharisee p. 7 13. That Christ was a man had his failings for he distrusted God upon the Crosse Rob. Collison See Gilpins Book p. 2. 14. That we are not justified by that Righteousnesse of Christ which he in his own person did fulfill without us And that whosoever expects to be saved by him that died at Jerusalem shall be deceived For Christ in the flesh was in all that he died and suffered a Figure and nothing but an example 15. That we are therefore to be saved not by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us but by the righteousnesse of Christ inherent in us See both these in the perfect Pharisee with their Testimonies p. 9 10 11. And Howgill and Burroughs Answ to Bennet Q. 9. And another to the same purpose saith That the faith and justification which stands in the comprehension of Christ without will stand us in no stead Fr. Gawler to Mr. Miller of Cardiff 16. That God and man cannot be perfectly reconciled till he be brought into the state of the first Adam and able in his own power to stand perfect And that holy workes and lives of Saints are not excluded from justification Howgill c. Answ to Bennets 11 12. Quaeries 17. That no man that is not perfectly holy or commits sin can ever enter into the Kingdome of Heaven except there be a Purgatory And there is no Saint but he that is so perfectly holy in this life without sin Nayler perfect Pharsee p. 1. 112. 13. 18. That to preach the impossibility of such a freedome here on earth is to preach up sin while the world stands and to bring men into Covenant with the Diuill for term of life See also J. Parnell Shield of faith p. 29. to both these Nayler in his answer to Mr. Baxter p. 28. 19. That Christ took not humane flesh upon him at any time otherwise then he daily doth and that Christ is now conversant on earth among men since his ascension as he was in the Apostles times It is the summe of Howgills and Burroughs answer to two Quaeres of Mr. Bennet See Howgill c. in their answer to Benéts 18 and 19. Qu. 20. That the Scriptures are not the word of God This is their constant judgment though they dare not professe it for feare of the Law as one of the most eminent in these parts confessed before the Magistrates here in the hearing of one of us asking Whether if the Bible were burnt the word of God were burnt or words fully to this purpose See the proof Perfect Pharisee p. 23. T. C. Parnells book p. 10. saith He that saith the Letter is the word is a deceiver 21. That they had a light in them sufficient to lead them to salvation if they had never seen or heard of the Bible The substance of this was affirmed before some Magistrates of this Towne and one of us by the same party And this light extended to Heathen Indians by him Suitable to the assertions of James Nayler in a discourse of his in the book quoted here And he that saith the Letter is the rule and guide of the people of God is without feeding upon the Husk c. p. 11. See way to the Kingdome p 8. See perfect Parisee p. 17. 18 22. That the Scriptures are not the Saints Rule of knowing God and living unto him but that which was before the Scriptures were written This is also your owne concerning which anon more at large Atkinson ubi supra p. 1. Parnell p. 11. 23. That there is no need of outward teachings by reading or hearing of the Scriptures opened and applied See perfect Pharisee p 20. 24. That no mens interpretations of the Scripture or Arguments from them are to be received except those that give them be infallible See Quakers Cat. published by Mr. Baxter where the Quaerists require Infallibility in a Minister And Perfect Pharisee p. 27. This is generally their straine We renounce and deny all your meanings interpretations arguments calling them adding to the Scriptures And concerning it we must have a brush or two with you anon 25. That the light in them is the Gospell and the more sure word of Prophecy so sure that some of them say That it is a like

for to take a sentence out of their Letters and preach from it as to take a sentence out of Pauls Epistles Discovery of mysticall Antichrist displaying Christs Banners p. 15. and 33. 26. That there is no call to the Ministry but an immediate Call which is generally proclaimed by them See perfect Pharisee p. 29. J. Parnell p 16. 27. There is no Baptisme of Christ but with the H. Ghost and fire And no Supper of the Lord but in the spirituall part for as for the visible part The bread which the world breaks is carnall and naturall See perfect Pharisee p. 28. and J Parnell p. 12. 13. 28. That singing Davids Psalmes in English Meeter is to sing the Ballads of Hopkins and Sternhold King James his Fidlers And to sing them is to turn the Scriptures into lyes and blasphemies One of them in a Letter here at Reading Henry Clark in his discription of the Prophets p 9. 29. That God made not man to be Lord over man but over other Creatures and therefore amongst them there are no Superiours after the flesh But are there any Superiours over them then that are not among them See in the next article J. Parnell p. 22 23. 30. That Christ comes to fulfill and end all outward Lawes and Ja. Parnell p. 18 19. Government of man The righteous are from under the outward Law for they are a Law to themselves Especially if Magistrates be wicked that is not of them the Author quoted in the Margin denies them utterly 31. That there is no Sabbath now but an everlasting Sabbath and that our Sabbath is but a shadow of which they have the substance Ja. Parnell p. 37. And that the first day in the week is no Sabbath 32. That we may not pray before and after Sermons or at set times daies and houres because these things were in the Generation which were enemies to Christ Quaeres sent to the Congregation at Stopport printed in a Book of Mr. Eaton 33. That the Ranters themselves had a pure convincement which did convince them And what their convincements were most men know To wit that there is no Heaven Hell Resurrection Judgment to come that there is no sin but what a man thinks to be so that all that they did was done by the Eternity in them c. G. Fox and J. Nayler in a book called A word from the Lord p. 13. 34. That that word 1 Jo. 1. 8. If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves was spoken by the carnall man Fr. Gawler See Antichrist in man by Mr. Miller of Cardiff p. 7. Idem ibid. 35. That if a man hath sin in him he hath none of Christ 36. They will not acknowledge that Christ ascended with his body into Heaven Idem ibid. THus you see Sir how much paines we have been at to satisfie you that those men you joyne your selfe unto have matters of greater moment then those you mention justly chargeable upon them So that we are no way in feare of the judgment you pronounce against the Offenders of Christs little ones in your next lines For if such as these be Christs little Ones we know not who are the Devills great Ones And when you have any such things justly to charge upon us we shall not cry out of hard measure although we suffer more then any of you yet do Let the Magistrate do so to us and more also if we thus deserve it As to what we lay to your charge whether he will take notice of it or no we have learned not to be over sollicitous seeing we are not out of hope that deliverance will arise for Gods reproached Ministers Truths and Ordinances some way or other And yet we cannot but desire he would vouchsafe this honour to those that are now in Authority over us that Truth and peace might flourish together in our daies under their wings And truly Sir did you know our hearts whatsoever Monsters of persecution and blood you judge us to be you would see that as it is no private interest of our own that drawes us out to appeare against you but the meer concernments of Gods Glory and precious Truth so we desire nothing more then the conviction and reduction of you in a Gospel-way And this we can clearly say that of all those that have suffered any thing in or neer the places where we live we know none of them but have drawn it upon themselves by first making such publick disturbances as brought them within the reach of the Law and then refusing to give bayle out of a fond ambition they had to be imprisoned when they might have avoided it And yet we cannot but wonder how an handfull of you Sect. 55 bidding defiance to whatever of publick Religion is professed in this Nation should think or with any reason expect to be protected in the disturbance of all others who as the present constitution of affaires stands are under an equall liberty with your selves and if you be denied to persecute all others or by processe of Law restrained from it complaine of persecution So that indeed if the Magistrate grant you such a protection walking by the principles you do he denies it to all else seeing no society of Christians whatsoever would enjoy the freedome of their Worship without distraction from you And to perswade the Magistrates to give you liberty of tearing up all the professed Religion in England and blaspheming it publickly where ever you come we suppose it will in reason be required that you shew some extraordinary Authority or commission from God testified by some reall signe to convince them that it is not counterfeit and yet even then as you shall see anon your Doctrines being such as they are they may see just cause to lay some restraint upon you therein In the mean while we must tell you that however you may please your selves in your sufferings and vent your passions against the men from whom you conceive they arise as so many Sauls and bloody Persecuters yet God judgeth not Martyrs by the suffering but the cause and you had need examine in whose Errand you go when you run your selves upon suffering as well as others to examine upon what Warrant they inflict it upon you If every one be a Martyr who makes a loud cry of Persecution surely the Jesuite will not be behind hand in putting in for his share as well as you and if every one be a Persecutor that curbs and restraines unruly and disorderly Consciences wo be to those Judges who arraigne and condemne Fauxes and Ravilliac's who plead conscience for what they do as well as your selves The truth is both you and we and all persons must be able to plead that we suffer not as evill doers and then suffering will be a comfort and a crown otherwise what we suffer we suffer in our owne wrong and shall when we have suffered our Estates out of our Purses and Soules out

you vve are able through grace to contemne those poore things as dirt and dung And if instead of Doctors and Divines vve meet vvith the Titles of Serpent Cain Esau Satan yea Belzebub himself which are the honourable Titles your Generation in their great civility or Christianity afford us In a word should men call us Dolts instead of Doctors and Devils instead of Divines we hope we can say without vanity vve should esteem it our Crown so the name of Christ might be exalted by the fall of our own The Titles that men give us vve hope some of us can say vve procured without ambition and receive vvithout pride and can lay down vvithout discontent But vve vvonder however how the name of Doctor or Teacher Sect. 47 should come to be so Apocryphall vvith you vvho know it vvas a name of Office in the Primitive times Eph. 4. 11. And vvhy your brethren should quarrell so unmercifully against the name Master or Sir vvhen they might know how often it is given and taken by the Apostles of Christ who surely knew their Masters mind in that prohibition better then they and why if Titles be thus unlawfull do your self give the Sirs to your Readers and Sir to your Antagonist which is all as much as Master Nay vvhy your Son should call you Father any more then our Hearers call us Masters seeing one Text prohibits Both vve cannot imagine And vve know not vvhether it vvas upon this account that a Son of yours lately told one of us that he disowned you But to let this passe and shut up this Article in a word We suppose your other consequence of this Doctrine vvhich you Sect. 48 mention to vvit the stripping the Magistrate of his Titles of honourable and worshipfull shewes some vvorse blood then that that boyles in your Veines against the poore Ministers We doubt that you that vvould strip them of their Titles have no great or it may be too great mind to their Offices For surely there is lesse expresse Authority in the new Testament for Christian Magistracy it selfe then for the Titles bestowed upon them What security then vvill you give them that you vvill not quarrell with their Robes and Maces and afterwards with their Offices as vvell as vvith their Titles We read of most excellent Theophilus and most noble Festus Titles as high as honourable and worshipfull applyed to men in Magistracy But of Christian Magistrates not a vvord of Precept or practise vvould you dared speak out vvhy do you nibble at Titles tell us plainly you ayme at the thing it self most think you do And now vve are arrived to the last of your Articles vvherein you take some pleasure to shew how you can criticize on the vvords Thee and Thou vvhich you vvould faine justifie to be the only proper tearmes to any single person A doughty undertaking and very fit for your learning to mannage We should scarce think it vvorth the vvhile to dispute such a trifle vvith you but only to let you know how unfit you are to dispute down Vniversities that mannage a Grammaticall Question so childishly Should a Schoole Boy of ten years old be bid translate How do you Sir into Latine vvould he not render it Quomodo vales tu It seems your new Grammer vvould correct him vvith a Quomodo valetis vos A learned peice of Pedantry Are you so silly as not to know that Translators respect the usage of words in the Tongues they make use of If the Translators of Hebrew or Greek had rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by you as well as thou to a single person might they not have done as well to an English eare seeing both words are used indifferently by English men you should not be ignorant of the old Rule Loquendum ut vulgus And Horace if you have read him tells you that t is use Quem penes arbitrium est vis norma loquendi that words are to be regulated by But why then do we not say you use the word you to the Sect. 50 great God as well as to men We answer it is not necessary we should give you any answer hereunto but that you have received already Words are proper or improper as use makes them And yet we conceive we well vary the phrase to God upon this account because in our prayers we addresse our selves to God in the Unity of his nature and therefore vve use a word that is not capable of importing plurality as you is And vvhereas you add lastly that the rich think it proper to say Sect. 51 Thou and Thee to a poore man whereas we condemne the poore man for saying Thou or Thee to a rich man We answer for our parts we our selves can say we know not our selves guilty of often making any such distinction and when we do it is rather in a way of familiarity then otherwise seeing we have used in common custome of speech to look upon the word Thou spoken to men as the more familiar word But we insist not much upon these things as supposing them beneath our study or notice but that you vvill engage us in them whether we will or no onely we must tell you at parting that you may do well in your great acutenesse to correct Sect. 52 the French Tongue whence we suppose this manner of speaking came into England as well as our own for the French use vous that signifies you to a single person as well as we And you after that to exercise your pedanticall Ferule upon the royall stile of most or all the Princes in the civill World who with as great a Grammaticall impropriety write in their owne persons Nos and Wee instead of Ego and I vvhich is the stile of ordinary persons And vve suppose you may maintain as learned a dispute vvith the Lord Protector about Nos Oliverus We Oliver as you do vvith Mr. Thomas p. 58. of the Book about the Nominative case and the Verb. These are all the Articles it seemes you will confesse against Sect. 53 your self and your quaking party and because you are willing to flatter your self and perswade your Readers especially the Magistrate to whom this part of your Epistle is intended that these bloody persecutors the Ministers have no higher matters to charge you vvithall you sing Io triumphe the day is our owne for These say you are the horrid blasphemies and damnable Doctrines against the abettors of which you do at this day discharge so much passion and rage both from Presse and Pulpit calling upon the civill Powers for Bonds and Prisons nay Fire and Fagot against all those who fearing the Lord do feare to call darknesse light and light darknesse But stay Sir we have some other matters then these to charge upon your Generation vvhich vve vvill in the next place give you a short Catalogue of collected out of such books as are either published by your selves or justly charged