let the Passenger know what he may find within He begins thus Joseph Nott. Reader by this thou mayest know That I have seen a Book with G. T. for George Tross's Name to it a Preacher among the Presbyterians in Exon Dated 1692. And Reader By this compar'd with the Date of J. N's Pamphlet thou mayest know that the Author sat brooding 5 or 6 Months before this Reply was hatch'd For Mr. Tross's Book was Printed in August whereas J. N's Scribble did not appear before Cuckow time this present Year J. N. Now this Book of G. T 's was written in Answer to a Book set forth by Thomas Bampfield Counsellor at Law in Exon by way of Enquiry Whether the Lord Jesus Christ made the World And also by way of Vindication of the Observation of the Seventh-Day as a Sabbath I would have the Reader observe That I am not concern'd to Vindicate T. B's Book Not to insist upon the false Spelling and Canting Phrase of our Quaker I shall comply wiâ—â— his Request and fix on that which he doth with so great Ceremony and Formality desire his Reader to observe And what great and wonderful thing do you think ' t is Why 't is no more but this That he is not concern'd to Vindicate T. B 's Book Alas poor T. B. You and your Book are left to shift for your selves for any assistance Joseph Nott will aford you Could you but have hook'd in this Man of mettle for your Second how soon would G. T. have quitted the field If a Man of such deep Thoughts and profound Learning as J. N. had been profelyted to your Opinion and would but have deign'd to write for a Saturday-Sabbath no doubt but you might have the Satisfaction to see the Quakers open their Holding-fâ—â—th-place-door on the Seventh-Day and their Shop-Windows on the First And oh what Comfort might you have taken in the good Success of your Book if you had seen this Doctor in the Pulpit on Saturday and in the Comb-Shop on Sunday But tho' he hath a Mind to fall out with G. T. he hath never a word in his Budget for T. B. but leaves him to stand upon his own Legs if he can and then proceeds J. N. But to the Latter I say I am sensible that Christ the Substance is come and the Shadows flies away And I am sensible that this Sentence abounds with palpable Non-sense To call G. T. the latter when he had mentioned him 3 times in 3 Lines before he had once nam'd T. B. and not once since And to join Flies a Verb of the Singular Number with Shadows a Nominative Case of the Plural and yet bear us in hand that he is sensible is somewhat unaccountable in a Man of his Gifts But I suppose his Talent lies in something beside writing good Sense or true English or else his Noddle was a little â—â—y-blown and he freakish when thiâ— Preface gave him the Slip. But to be serious Joseph thou art like to prove a hopeful Confuter who canst not distinguish former from latter Art thou the mighty He who didst challenge all the Ministers in Exon to encounter thee Away Trifler away to thy Trade Throw aside thy Pen and handle the Tool which thou wert bred up to Never more write Prefaces till thou hast reconcil'd thy self to good Sense and canst speak true English But why must Mr. Tross be told That Christ the Sabstanâ—â— is come c. Doth he ever deny it Hath He not in that Book which thou aâ—t Nibbling at * The Lords Day vindicated prov'd that the Ceremonial Law was a Shadow of Christ Doth he not affirm Pag. 39. That Christ was the Substance of those Figures the Body of those Shadows in the Ceremonial Law Hath he not prov'd from Coloss 2.16 17 That the Jewish Seventh-Day-Sabbath was one of those Shadows that were to vanish when Christ the Body was come †Pag. 92. seq 11. Prov. 26.7 Hadst thou said thy Say to T. B. who will hug the Shadow tho' the Substance be come it had been better applied But how odly doth a Parable sound out of the Mouth of a Fool or vain Jangler who knows not what he says nor whereof he affirms Tim. 1.17 J. N. But I am concern'd to return a Reply to several things in G. T 's Book for I have perused it and have seen the great Error of the Writer which drew a Concern upon my Mind to write Concern is a great word with him you had it once before and now twice more in this Sentence One would have thought he had no great Concerns of his own and therefore did concern himself with Mr. Tross had he not told us that it was not Curiosity but Zeal against Error drew him on But was it indeed to shew Mr. Tross's Error that thou hast appear'd in Print or to discover thy own invincible Courage Mr. Tross had by clear Scripture and solid Reason routed all those Arguments which Mr. T. B. had pressed for the Service of the Jewish-Sabbath Upon this out comes J. N. swagers up and down threatning what he would do to Mr. T. Just like Thersites an ill-â—avour'd and ill-humour'd Fellow in the Grecian Army at the Siege of Troy who tho he were the greatest Coward that ever drew Sword yet had the Confidence to oppose the stoutest Commanders One day when he concern'd himself to return a Reply to Achilles that Hero knock'd him down and kill'd him with a blow of his Fist But Joseph set thy Heart at rest Mr. Tross is too generous to lay Hands on such a Dwarf as thou 'T is beneath a Man of his Learning and Reputation to observe â—r reply to thy pitiful Cavils Thou mayest sit pluming thy self crowing and clapping thy Wings for Joy of thy imaginary Victory long enough ere he will give thee any disturbance J. N. For I do admire that ever a Man professing Christianity should appear in Print in such manifest Opposition to the holy Scripture and yet of that Number that profess the Scripture to be the only Rule of Faith c. But in this we may see the great Confusion of Babel's Builders None but such as Joseph Nott who have read Mr. Tross's Book would have been put into such a fit of wondering or would thus impudently charge him with Opposition yea manifest Opposition to Scripture None but a Popish Tool would reproach a Man for professing the Scripture to be the Rule of Faith and Life But no wonder that shallow Heads admire what they do not understand No wonder that Crafty Papists imploy silly Quakers to do their work by vilifying the sacred Writings No wonder that the underling Quaker is many times but the Puppet in the Show that serves to make a little Sport when the subtle Jesuite stands behind the Curtain and manages the Wires No wonder that a black Mouth'd Fellow that is drunk with the Fumes of Pride and Self-conceit should foam at the Mouth and revile
Dionysius of Corinth in Euseb Hist. lib. 4. c. 23. * Valesii Edit saith To day we keep the Holy Lord's Day This Lord's-Day which was the Christians chief Festival appears to be that Day which the Jews called the First Day the Heathens Sunday in that several of the Fathers call it Sunday as Justin Martyr informing the Heathens of the time and manner of the Châ—istians Assemblies tells them That their Meeting was on the Day called Sunday or the First Day of the VVeek giving this as the Reason Therefore do we meet upon Sunday because upon it God dispelling the Darkness and informing the first matter created the VVorld and also so because upon that Day Jesus Christ our Saviour rose again from the Dead Tertullian also in his Apology c. 16. tells the Heathens that their Sunday was the Christians Joyful Day and again De Idolol c. 14. he saith that every Eighth Day was the Châ—istians Festival This Day in his Book De Corona Mil. c. 3. and oft else where he calls the Lord's Day and saith it was a Crime to Fast upon it Others I find cited to the same purpose as Theophil Antiochen Clemens Alex. Orig. contracels and others Now let J. N. write a Confutation of these Antient Fathers and reprove them for their bold venture in calling the First Day of the VVeek the Lord's-Day J. N. p. 6. lin 39. And he doth also manifest his ignorance of the Everlasting Day of God's Power that the Saints in Light are enjoyers of And p. 7. lin 5. Here is an invisible day spoken of viz. 1 Thes 5.5 --- 8. And lin 14. G.T. manifests himself to be ignorant of this invisible Day of the Lord and so appears not to be an Inhabitant of the holy City new Jerusalem for they that are Citizens of this holy City are living Witnesses of the Everlasting Day of God's Power dawned and broken forth An Everlasting Day indeed He that can hear let him hear and understand Joseph We hear thee right well but must confess our selves a little at a loss about this Invisible Day which thou talkest of Therefore we desire thee to favour us with an intelligible account what thou meanest by the Everlasting Day of God's Power Where doth the Scripture speak of an invisible Day We know that the word day is sometimes us'd in Scripture in a Proper sense for the time in which the Sun is above our Horizon sometimes in a Metaphorical sense for a time of clear knowledge of heavenly Truths or a state of Illumination and Conversion in opposition to a time or state of Ignorance or Unbelief called Night in Scripture Of such a day are those Texts by thee quoted to be understood 1 Thes 5.5 8. 2 Pet. 1.9 That Text Prov. 4.18 might have led thee to this Notion The Path or course of life of a righteous man is as the shining light It is like unto it and resembles it in purity clearness pleasure and the like But the way of the wicked is as darkness neither pleasant nor safe So a time of clear knowledge when the Gospel is plainly Preach'd or a state of Grace are like the Day For as the light of the Sun removes the darkness and horrour of the night bringing comfort along with it so the saving knowledge of God true Grace wrought by the Gospel removes Ignorance and Error and gives joy and peace to Believers But why dost thou again charge Mr. Tross with Ignorance and uncharitably condemn him as one that hath no title to Heaven Dost think that thou hast Monopoliz'd knowledge to thy self Must all the World dance after thy Pipe Thou art like the Bernardine Monks who thought that the Sun darted its Beams no where but into their own Cell And what fulsome pride and daring arrogance dost thou manifest when thou presumest to judge of a very pious Divine's Eternal condition and magisterially pronounce that he is no Citizen of a New Jerusalem and all because he doth not understand thy nonsensical Cant about an Invisible Day Whether thou meanest by the Holy City the New Jerusalem the Church Militant or the Church Triumphant this is a horribly wicked censure of thine What is so pious strict and charitable a Christian so faithful and laborious a Minister as Mr. Tross no Member of the Church on Earth and hath no right to the Kingdom of Heaven and in a state of Damnation How didst thou come to know this Was it revealed to thee by the Accuser of the Brethren If he be in so dreadful a condition what a case art thou in who discoverest such Devilish Pride and monstrous uncharitableness I advise thee Joseph when thou re-printest these thy learned Works to leave out these Accusations and Condemnations of a person so much better than thy self And beg of God to cure and pardon the pride of thine Heart least thou fall into the condemnation of the Devil If self-conceit had not swoll'n thee up above the just Dimensions of a Man thou wouldst never thus thrust thy self into the Throne of Christ and pass sentence as thou hast upon his Servant Examine whether thy Invisible Enemy did not puff thee up with an opinion of thine abilities whether he did not move thee to proclaim thy folly in pretending to answer so great a Scholar as Mr. Tross What Spirit but a black one would ever have stired thee up to treat so Grave so Good and Reverend a Divine as he with so much Rudeness Scorn and Contempt as thou hast Thou taxest him Ten times over of Ignorance Blindness Darkness of opposing Scripture and contradicting himself This is like the great Boaster we read of in Aul. Gell. Noct. Attic. lib. 1. cap. 2. who defamed all the excellent Wits of Greece and Italy on purpose to extol himself Or like Simon the Wizzard Acts 8.9 who gave out that himself was some great one Thus dost thou give out that thou art some great one a wonder of Wit a Prodigy of Parts Thou endeavourest to blacken others that thou mayst blanch thy self Thou art wise in thine own Eyes and others are ignorant and foolish in thy Opinion But I dare say thou art not thought to be over-laden with VVisdom or Learning by many others And doth it not manifest thy unmatchable Pride as well as notorious folly for such a Fellow as thou who canst neither write good sense nor understand a plain English Author who hast scarce any Books to read or time to study to pretend to confute a Book which thou art never like to understand one half of But Mr. Tross is not the first Learned Man that hath been thus treated by silly Quakers For Mr. Baxter tells us in his Treatise of Knowledge and Love p. 117. that he met with the like usage The Quakers saith he in their Shops when I go along London-Streets say alas poor man thou art yet in darkness They have oft come to me in the Congregation and cried out against me as a Deceiver
high and honourable Office of the Ministry who as they are neither able nor apt to Teach so they were never call'd to it nor sent about it And if it be a Sin for J. N. and such as he to Preach Can it be safe Reader for thee to Hear How durst thou by thy presence harden and encourage them in their Sin The Pride of their Hearts could not continue them Preachers Didst not thou and others it may be the more for thee maintain them Hearers If thou be one who hopest to live in Heaven take heed of countenancing and hardening Illiterate Vnordained Mechanicks who intangle themselves with the Affairs of this Life †2 Tim. 2.4 in their proud Invasion of this Sacred Office for which without Repentance they must howl in Hell for ever The second Text is 1 Cor. 1.21 For after that in the wisdom of God the World by Wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe From hence perhaps the Quaker concludes that Folly and Ignorance are necessary Qualifications for the Pulpit And I know not but if Joseph Nott were in Italy where Ignorance and Vice seem the only Indelible Characters of the Clergy by entring into Religious Orders he might quickly be preferr'd to the Office of Confessor to some great Person seeing few are better stor'd with those Gifts which recommend Persons to that Imployment For the great Men at Rome as the Bishop of Salisbury * Letter from Rome informs us like to have to do with a poor ignorant Priest Accordingly some Celebrated Person 's Confessor was a great and notorious Blockhead head whom they us'd because a greater could not be found and whenever they found one better qualified that way if it were a Groom or a Footman that got into Priest's Orders they said they would certainly make use of him If J. N. would but go to Rome and shave his Crown this Penny Pamphlet would quickly get him Promotion But the Apostle Paul is not about to recommend real Fâ—lly but to Caution the Corinthians against vain Philosophy To this end he tells them that tho' the prejudic'd Jewish Rabbies and conceited Grecian Sophi's accounted the Preaching of the Cross Foolishness and ridicul'd the Christian Teachers for exhorting their Hearers to believe in a Crucified Saviour as many of Joseph Nott's Friends do at this Day yet this was the only sound and rational Doctrine adapted to display the Wisdom of God and promote the Salvation of Souls Those who rejected Christianity perished in their Sins whereas those who believed in Christ whom the Apostle preached found his Preaching the highest Reason and that thereby the Power of God accompanying it they were made wise unto Salvation But if the Quaker's Preaching be like their Writing 't is Foolishness indeed which neither this nor any other Scriptuâ—e doth countenance or patronize The third Scripture in the Title Page is Isa 30.1 Woe to the Rebellious Children saith the Lord that take counsel but not of me that cover with a Covering but not of my Spirit These words are a Threatning against Israel because they would neither ask nor take God's Counsel They were about to send Embassadors to Egypt to desire Succour from Pharaoh against the King of Assyria They distrusted the Power and Goodness of God and trusted in an Arm of Flesh thinking to cover themselves from the approaching Storm under the Shadow of Egypt For refusing to use those Means which the Spirit of God by his Word and Prophets had directed them to and using unlawful Means to rid themselves out of Trouble they are call'd Rebellious and this Woe is denounced against them And what is all this to Mr. Tross unless to shew what a woeful Case he should be reduced unto if J. N. and his charitable Friends could have their will of him If he thought to do Execution upon him with a Text he might have cited Rev. 8.13 where are three Woes in one Sentence The last Text is Isa 44.24 25. The Lord frustrateth the Tokens of the Lyars and maketh Diviners mad turneth wise Men backward and maketh their Knowledge foolish In these Words the Lord sets forth his Almighty Power in frustrating the Predictions of the Magicians and Astrologers called Diviners because by holding Intelligence with some evil Spirit they foretold Things to come and Liars because God would make Things fall out contrary to their Prognostications and so prove them Liars notwithstanding the Light and Spirit within by which they were guided And when their Designs should be thwarted and their Reputation blasted Grief and Shame would drive them to Madness and Distraction And now Reader What canst thou Infer less from this Text than that whoever doth not jump with J. N. in every Opinion is a Liar a Diviner and a Mad man I have but one thing more to Reflect upon in the Title Page and that is this Tho' the Author by setting his Name to his Book hath let the World know to whom they are oblig'd for that rich Treasure of good Sense good Reason and good Language which aâ—e crowded into this little Volume the Scurvy Printer hath not so much as told us his Name or where he dwells so that we are not like to know who Midwiv'd this sweet well-favour'd Babe into the World SECT II. Remarks upon Joseph Nott's Preface The abuse of Prefaces Several Nonsensical and Erroneous Passages exposed The light within Described Wrested and misapplied Scriptures Explained J. N's Chief Talents summ'd up THE use which many a Trivial Writer makes of a Preface is to Wheedle his Reader into a Belief of some great Matters with which the Treatise will entertain him or to bribe his Judgment into a good Opinion of the Author's Piety Learning or Modesty How often are the Thread-bare Stories of glowing Zeal against the Errors and deep Commiseration of the Follies and Vices of the Times together with repeated importunities of Wise and good Friends employed to stand as Motives for the Publication of those Pamphlets which hardly live a Month to an end before they are burnt as Sacrifices to a Pipe or are doom'd to a more Ignominious Death in a Jakes * Sâ—â—mâ—ros metuentia Carmina Pers But whatever the Pretence be commonly Mr. Author 's good Opinion of his Composure was the main Spring that set the Press a going Those whose Skuls are like a House half Furnished having but little Stuff themselves are apt to think others have less Hence it is that when they light on a Notion that is new to them they make Archimedes's Proclamation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and being big with some odd Crochet have no Rest until the Printer hath deliver'd them of the ill-shapen Monster Our Illuminated Author a Man born to oblige the World by his refin'd Thoughts and rare Paâ—ts as other Writers of great Note use to do fronts his Book with a Preface which serves as a Bush to a Blind Ale-House to
Spirit thereby And if any Spirit would perswade us to receive any Doctrine or do any Action contrary to the Written Word we ought to abominate such a Spirit Besides the Confusion there is palpable Non-sense in these Expressions Christ is the Rule The Spirit is the Rule A Person may prescribe a Rule to another but cannot be a Rule himself any more than John Gannacliff is a Laste or the French King an Edict Yet further we have only the Quakers word for all that they affirm concerning Christs being the Rule and nothing that looks like Proof For those Scriptures which they have cited to this purpose will as well prove the Pope to be Christ's Vicar as Christ or the Spirit or Light within to be our Rule Therefore instead of following them any further in their impertinent citing and misapplying Scripture to exalt their Light within into the Throne of Christ and place of Holy Scripture I shall hint the Danger of this Opinion That the Light within every Man is the supreme Rule of Faith Worship and Manners 1. In this Opinion the Quakers join hands with the Papists and do their Work By denying the Perfection of Scripture they go about to take off People from the use of it They say the Light which is in all the Indians and Pagans is sufficient without the Scriptures No wonder then that they speak so slightly of Scripture as sometimes they do 2. They take the ready way to lull asleep their own Consciences when they alone shall be iudges of their own actions This Doctrine leaves every man to himself to believe and do what he pleases for he has no Rule to try his Spirit by 1 John 4.1 He is a Law to himself How doth this gratifie the Pride of mens Hearts when they think that they may do whatever they list And how is it possible to convince such men of their sin and folly who think themselves infallibly guided by the Spirit of Christ which as they say is the highest Rule superiour to the Letter as these Scoffers call the Written Word The Papists make the Man at Rome the Infallible Judge but every Quaker is a Pope in his own Conceit 3. According to this Opinion People are bound to receive the most absurd Notions that any Quaker shall dictate Yea they are bound to believe contradictions For the Light in one Quaker saith that the Light within is God but in another that 't is a Body as I have formerly prov'd Now suppose any Inlightned Sister at Exon should come with a Span-new-Light and tell the Quakers that 't is neither one nor 'tother they ought according to their own Principles to believe her for 't is Christ 't is the Holy Spirit that speaks by her for ought that ever they can prove to the contrary if they do not abandon this Opinion 4. This Doctrine gives up those who embrace it into the immediate hands of the Devil to receive his suggestions as inspirations and to take his impulses for the Commands of Christ and motions of the Holy Spirit But to return from thâ— Digression leaving the Quakers with their Leaden Rule and Dark Lanthorn Light Let us observe the Motions of our Author He thus proceeds J. N. Now such a one as the Latter is G. T. Prithee Joseph adorn thy Snout with that Instrument which the Men of the World call a pair of Spectacles and ken this same Passage a little Tell me if thou canst with all thy Light whom the word Latter does refer to Is G. T. a Quaker or is he a subtle endeavour or what is he where were thy Wits when this dark Expression dropt from thy Pen In thy Preface thou couldst not distinguish latter from former Here thou talkest of a latter where 't is hard to find any f rmer at all Joseph is this the way thou takest to confute Mr. Tross Get thee gone Brawl with a Tinker or squabble with a Porter but write no more Replies Thou tellest Reverend Mr. Hallet (a) Gospel Truths c. page 12. That working with his Hands was a thing he was never brought up unto And thy Pamphlet gives us to understand that thou wert never brought up to writing of Books If thou hast not some better way to get a Maintenance than by Printing Penny-Books I doubt thou wilt have but a cold Kitchen or wilt be forc'd to be chargeable to thy sound Brethren This Huckstering Trade of Retailing out thy Pamphlets at a Penny apiece will never hold long And perhaps thou mayst be called to account for making a Merchandise of the Word and seeking thy gain from thy Quarter (b) Ibid. J. N. For he greatly endeavours to prove That Jesus Christ was not in the beginning and that the World was not made by him which is contrary to the holy Scripture and he also endeavours to prove the first Day of the Week to be the Christian-Sabbath the which he hath no Scripture to prove as he himself doth acknowledge Here are the two Articles upon which Mr. Tross's Book stands indicted at the Quaker's Bar. 1. That he endeavours to prove that Jesus Christ was not in the beginning c. 2. That the first Day of the Week is the Christian Sabbath 'T is great pity Mr. Tross had not ask'd J. N's leave before he presum'd to publish such a Book in which are contained one Position contrary to Scripture and another which he hath no Scripture for if you will take J. N's honest word for it And who dares question the Truth of what a Man of Infallibity saith J. N. I shall set down some of his words in his Book First Concerning Christ Jesus in p. 4. He saith We say that it may be Orthodoxly denied and asserted That Jesus Christ did not make the World For the World was 4000 years before ever Jesus Christ was And in Pag. 5. he saith In the Old Testament Christ is prophesied of to come How could He then create the VVorld And in Pag. 12 he saith VVe have sufficiently answer'd that it was not the Lord Christ that created the VVorld And in Pag. 10. he speaking of (a) To help the halting Quak. over the Stile understand the time before the Fall of Man saith In which time there could not be so much as any need or use of a Jesus or a Christ nor was there so much as the least hint of him given by either Prophecy or Promise And then he saith Much less was he himself in Being And in Pag. 1â—0 he saith I think I have shewn that the Lord Christ did not make the VVorld See here how dextrously this new Confuter goes to work to prove that Mr. Tross holds that Jesus Christ as Mediator or God-Man did not make the World but that it was made 4000 Years before the Incarnation of God the Son How industrious hath he been to skim the Book from P. 4. to P. 130. that he may make it clear that Mr. Tross doth affirm that