your own Lamps And now having cased my Spirit of what lay upon me to write I shall at this time conclude with the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians Cap. 4. vers 1 2 3 I therefore beseech you that ye walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith you are called with all Lowliness and Meekness with Long-suffering forbearing one another in Love endeavouring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace John Bringhurst An Epistle of Caution to Friends to take heed of that Treacherous Spirit that is entred into W.R. and his Abettors as appears in his Malicious Book falsly called The christian-Christian-Quaker c. HAving seen a Book written by W.R. I have considered the end of his Writing and Printing it which is to abuse and misrepresent the faithful People of the Lord who in scorn are called Quakers especially such as have been faithful to God in their Day and Generation eminently known to have been such in this our Day by being Instrumental to turn Hundreds and Thousands to Righteousness especially that dear and eminent Servant of God G.F. who for his Works sake in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus many do esteem and honour and honourable he is to this day though such as W.R. and his Adherents who because of Prejudice and Malice endeavour what in them lies to asperse him and abuse him and contradict his blessed Life in which he is still made Instrumental in the hand of the Lord to bring forth blessed things for the Service of God and his Truth from the Oracles of the divine Breath to the Praise of his Name forever The Title of his Book he has Printed is The CHRISTIAN QUAKER Distinguished from the APOSTATE and INNOVATOR Sad it is to consider the Work of the Enemy and the Spoil he endeavours to make in the blessed Church of God and First-born in this our Day blessed be the Lord and honoured be his Name forever who has kept a Remnant faithful from Back-sliding into Error Heresie and Schism who retain their First Love and the Sense they first received in his Eternal Power and Spirit and by this and through this Sense they are able to judge of things that differ And if the Devil say or any whom he has deluded and led into Blasphemy They are Apostatized or are become Innovators and so would cast an Odium upon them and falsly accuse them We know this is the same Spirit though it may be under another Profession that alwayes hated the Truth and despised the heavenly Counsel and order of it and there were such in the Apostles dayes who were unfaithful to God who abused such as kept the Faith and yet retained the Profession of Faith and Christianity in those Primitive Times yea Paul that eminent Servant of God and such as were his faithful Companions in the work of the Gospel were not spared by them who loved to reign as Kings without them and set up themselves as Apostles and Ministers to lord over Gods Heritage and to seduce the Simple-hearted from the Obedience of the Faith and so became Instruments in the hands of Satan to bring in the Apostacy which entered by departing from the Power of God and setting up themselves over the People by usurping Authority over their Consciences yet under the Profession of Faith and a good Conscience which notwithstanding they had made Shipwrack of This cursed Spirit of Satan is now entred into the Heart and Soul of W.R. and such of his Abettors as own the Printing and Publishing of his Wicked Book aforesaid wherein he has accused the faithful Brethren at large and with a full Mouth of that which he himself is grosly guilty of that is Apostacy and Innovation And for his calling his Book The Christian Quaker c. it is notoriously Blasphemous and far unlike the True Christian Quaker and let him prove when at any time any true Christian Quaker was Instrumental to bring forth such a Work as he has done in his Book and to gratifie such a People as he has done by Printing of it to the view of the World as it were to call and invite the Wickedest of men and most Malicious against Truth to see and behold the Quakers Differences and as much as in him lies to represent the Best of the Quakers as I may so say naked to the view of the Rabble and the worst of the Instruments of Satan by them to be Derided Mocked and Persecuted as their Lord and Master Jesus Christ was to render them Bad and Ungodly to put Weapons into the hands of the Wicked to War against them with and as much as in them lies to destroy their Lives and Testimonies in the Truth of Jesus Oh! what shame is this that W.R. and such as own him in his Writing and Publishing of his Book should call it The Christian Quaker c. when it is manifest to the wise in Heart that it was written from a worse Spirit than that of Ham who uncovered his Father's Nakedness to his Brethren and therefore was accursed Now Ham what he did may be said to be a hasty rash Action done on a suddain without Premeditation but W.R. his Work is far worse for he hath long premeditated and laboured to bring forth his Wicked Book in Print and by so doing hath endeavoured to uncover the Nakedness of such as once he counted his Brethren and Elders or Fathers whom God hath clothed but he hath as it were endeavoured to present them naked to the view of the whole World by the Publishing of his Book which already has been read and perused by People Priests and Professors who are great Enemies to the Truth and so at once has gratified them all by Printing and Publishing his Wicked Book against Gods faithful Servants but that alwayes was the Work of the Enemy in all Ages to do Wickedly For Cain Apostatizing from the Faith and Fear of God became Wroth because God accepted his Brother Abel's Offering and rejected his and therefore he turned against him and slew him Of this Line of Cain is W.R. and his Abettors and not of the Line of Abel for he envyed not nor hated his Brother nor sought to do him the least Injury so that his Wicked Brother Cain sell upon him without a Just cause as now W.R. does in Print against Gods faithful Servants whose Offerings are pure before the Lord and Tiâ—e will clear their Innocency that in what they do they seek God's Glory and the Prosperity of his blessed Truth Well this Blood will cry for Vengeance to God against W.R. and his Adherents as ever the Blood of Righteous Abel cryed against Cain for Murdering him Cain murdered his Brother's Body but W.R. does what in him lies to shed and let out the Life of his Brethrens Souls by rendring them Dead and Apostatized from the Truth that lives forever Those Apostates and Innovators Korah Dathan and Abiram and their Company with the Hundred and Fifty Princes of the Assembly
AN EPISTLE OF Caution to Friends To take heed of that Treacherous Spirit that is entred into W.R. and his Abettors As appears in his Malicious Book falsly called THE christian-Christian-Quaker c. Who under the Profession of Primitive Truth are betraying it to the World and putting Truth 's Lambs into their Bears Skins for the World to worrey because they have no Power to do it themselves who have published their Wicked Book in Askelon the Fire of their Infamy and have told it in Gath the Wine-press to press out their sowr Grapes to set the Peoples Teeth on edge against the Lambs of God With wholsome Advice and Counsel by way of Information that the Simple-minded may not be Ensnared by the Crafts and Wiles of Satan through such Fallen Antichristian Instruments as W.R. and such as are entred into the same Malicious Spirit with him C. T. When the Vnclean Spirit is gone out of a Man he walketh through dry places seeking Rest and finding none Then he saith I will return into my House from whence I came out and when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other Spirits more Wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there and the last State of that man is worse than the first Mat. 12.43 London Printed for John Bringhurst at the Sign of the Book in Grace-Church-street near Cornhill 1681. READER THe following Epistle of Caution to Friends being given me to Print it hath several times rise in my Mind to joyn a short Testimony to it against that Spirit of Division and its Fruits by way of Caution also that no more may be led astray through the subtil Wiles and Insinuations of the Enemy of their Souls who this day I am well satisfied makes it his business first to divide and scatter the Sheep from the Fold and then make a Prey upon them for thus it was with me for some time before I knew of W. R's Book being to be Printed and I being thus prepared by the Enemy needed no Arguments to induce me to that which was become so natural to me Wherefore Reader it rises in my Heart to Caution all such whom it may concern to take heed how they hear lest they hear amiss and how they speak lest by their speaking they add strength to those who are already in some measure led astray by the Enemy to look out at others when they should look at Home and not to harbour up anything one against another or against the Body though seemingly never so small for Prejudice will eat as a Canker nor construe every thing in the worst sense as I did for whoever do the Hurt will be their own as it was mine And as to W. R.'s Book which is part of the Fruits of that dividing Spirit gotten up of late among some professing the Truth entituled The christian-Christian-Quaker Distinguished from the Apostate and Innovator c. it cannot but be expected that I who was in so large a manner concerned as to get it Printed and afterwards disowned it should shew some Reason for my so doing especially since it has been so noised about both in City Country by the Propagators and Encouragers thereof that a Friend Printed it I can do no less in Conscience to God and for the clearing his Truth and People than declare publickly that I was led thereto by the Enemy of my Souls Peace though I saw it not at first to be of an Evil Nature and when I saw my Peace was departed a weight lead came upon my Mind I would have had the peace of the Lord restored unto me while I was concerned in the Book but instead thereof my Trouble was encreased and I saw not a way to escape the Reward I then was sensible would be my Portion if the Lord was not merciful to me in which time of Exercise Breathings often went up to the Lord that if I might find favour in his sight he would be pleased to show me the way how I should come out of this snare great sin against him and enjoy his Peace and the answer I in that day received was That I was not to expect Peace with the Lord while I persisted in the thing which caused his Displeasure which was the real cause of my putting the Book out of my hands before finisht the Spirit of the Lord pursuing me from time to time shewing me of what an Evil Tendency it was till I had rid me of it though now I stand accused of Injustice for so doing and then did the Lord who had given me Trouble speak Peace to me and gave me access in measure to the Throne of his Grace for which blessed Work I desire he may be forever Praised and Magnified by and through me whilst I have a Being here And as to the Publishers of this Book of W.R. it rises in my Heart to entreat you all to sink down and wait low in the Valley of Humillity before the Lord and hearken to hear what Counsel the pure meek Spirit of the Lord who is the Healer of Breaches saith to you and yield unto it for if things were as is pretended in that Book which I cannot believe I aver the Lord is against any ones discovering the Nakedness of his Brethren or Fathers in his spiritual Israel this day as in the dayes of Ham or laying stumbling Blocks in the way of the weak as in the dayes of Balaam c. And let me ask you What advantage will it bring to the Lord's blessed Truth and what Edification will be reaped by it and what Honour will it bring to his Name When I was considering the thing after my Eye began to open a dread from the Lord seized upon me and the Lord shewed me that it would be a hanious offence committed against him and that I should thereby become Instrumental to declare in Gath publish in Askelon all the dirty villifying stuff therein inserted which was forbidden to the People of the Lord in the dayes of Old lest the Vncircumcised in Heart and Ears take occasion to rejoyce over the People of the Lord And what will Truths Adversaries at this day do less think you Well Oh Lord my God who hast shewed Mercy unto me if it be thy will extend thy Mercy unto others who are yet concerned in the spreading and publishing of that Book that they also may come to see their Error and great Sin against thee and Repent and so come to obtain Mercy at thy Hand before it be too late Amen And to all such who have or may have an itching Ear to read that Book it rises in my Heart to caution you to forbear satisfying your minds therein for the Enemy may take advantage upon you thereby to draw out your minds to take every thing for granted that 's therein inserted so cause you to look out at others instead of looking after the triming
from God his appointed Food and Nourishment to eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of the Lord Jesus and discern the Lord's Body in true Temperance Sobriety and Moderation in Christ Jesus where there is neither Damnation nor Condemnation but a true real Growth and Encreasing with the Encrease of God unto a true and substantial Man in Christ Jesus such flourished in their Day and Time Age and Generation and are upon record a good favour to God and his faithful People who are made Partakers of the same blessed and heavenly Life with them Of this Line and Spiritual Generation are such now as live in the true reverend fear of God and in his Power and are shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace and so are safe preserved and continued in the Bosom and under the shadow of a most tender Father mindful of his Mercies and the Continuance of his Kindness who has kept them hitherto over all Apostates and Prophane to the praise of his everlasting Name who is God over all blessed for evermore But there were then and are such now as are Apostatized and gone from the Power of God and the Sence of those who are kept in it yet notwithstanding they may in words profess the Power and Truth as at first appeared and that is the ground of their Ignorance and Weakness of understanding and uncapableness to know and discern what is of God and what is of the Enemy who are his true and faithful Servants and People who still have kept their Habitations in the Truth and who are Apostatized and would bring in Innovations in contradiction to the will of God and his heavenly Power amongst his People and are become twice dead plucked up by the Roots and thorow Perversness Peevishness and Cross-spiritedness enter into the way of Cain and Spirit of Korah and his Company of which number and sort is W. R. and his Adherents that is such as own him in the Writing Printing and Publishing his Book falsly called The Christian Quaker c. But though he and others may harden themselves against good Admonition to their Destruction except they Repent and an Earthly Spirit may swallow them up as outwardly the Earth opened and swallowed up Korah Dathan and Abiram and their Confederates and also the fifty intruding and rebelling Princes and men of Renown so called were consumed with the Fire of the Lord Yet I hope the Lord will be merciful to many who yet see not through their Deceit yet may be somewhat intangled by them and mis-led through their false and insinnuating-spiritedness yet are not hardned to Perdition I hope God will deliver such in due time who in their Hearts singly and nakedly cry to him for a true Decission in matters wherein they have not yet a clear understanding and established Judgment Do not W. R. and his Adherents yet understand the way of the wicked Spirit whither it leads and how it has led many into an evil condition to forsake the living God and his Power and so became Grand Opposers of the same Heavenly Power and Cross of Jesus and some at last have been so fool-hardy to split and break themselves in pieces forever by Printing and Publishing against us out of Envy and Malice as W. R. has done as at large may be seen in his Book to render us degenerated gone from our first Principles and Power of God But how have such prospered Do they not remember the going out of many in J. N. his time and what Scandal they brought on Truth in that day by departing from the Power of God to the wounding of their own Souls and the Souls of many tender-hearted Friends and Brethren and would we not then have saved them with our tender Advice but some perished and became perfectly obstinate and ran out from the Truth and never more returned into it that we know of And did not R. R. and some others who became hardned in Prejudice Write and Print against us who kept our Habitations in the Truth and especially most maliciously against that dear Servant of the Living God G. F. who kept his Habitation and Authority in the living Truth over all those unclean Spirits who then troubled the Israel of God But that Day passed over and we saw through it and over it and they who then returned not through Judgment do not so much as retain the Profession of Truth Did not they then say We were gone from the Power and were Apostatized and were setting up Forms and preaching to the People like Priests c. But said they themselves were entring into a further Dispensation of Joy and Liberty and Love but that feigned love turned into Envy and at last it proved they were gone from the Power of God into their own Imagination which would not keep them from doing things unseemly and so became treacherous to their own Souls and to the Truth of God and some perished in their Gain-sayings And one R. S. a Cheshire Man when he turned from the Truth into Prejudice against Good Advice and Order have they not heard how he Apostatized and had his Children sprinkled by the Priest and so became Treacherous and false to God his People and his own Soul and then at last he did as W. R. and his Adherents have now done who own the Printing and Publishing his wicked Book called the Christian Quaker c. I say then at last he maliciously Printed to revile and reproach the Truth and the Possessors of it for when such as W. R. and his Abettors have hardned their Hearts against good Admonition until they have fallen into open opposition against the Power of God his faithful Servants and blessed People who keep the Truth then they have come to be shameless and to enter into the same Opposing Malicious Contradicting Spirit with the envious Priests and Professors and so have become blind Leaders of the Blind and they who have been such Leaders and who have been led by them have fallen into the Ditch and Perished in their Gain-saying except they have found a place for Repentance And many others when they have been hardned in Rebellion and Wickedness against the Truth and the Possessors of it who have kept their Habitations in it maliciously as now W. R. at last hath done have Printed and Published to the view of the World which when they have appeared so wicked it hath been a manifest fign of their Destruction and Death as to Truth as J. Penniman J. B. and others and so now W. R. at last Printing and Publishing his wicked malicious Book it is a manifest token of his Destruction as to Truth and the ruin and undoing of his Soul forever and the Souls of all who in this Spiritedness adhere to him and own the Printing and Publishing of his Book falsly called the Christian Quaker c. except they Repent And this from God I have received concerning his and their state at present and
God that none may fall into this Snare who are yet preserved out of it but that they may be preserved simple before the Lord as in the beginning when the Lords Power broke forth in them and melted their Hearts into Tenderness so will God bless them and still keep them in the Simplicity of his Truth and honour them that they may witness the Election to obtain and never to be deceived by false Glosses and fair Pretences c. I remember formerly God preparatively was at Work in order to reveal that Mystery which had been hid from Ages and Generations since the Apostles dayes and some were convinced of Sin and had sights of good things to come and in some measure came to be separated from the Sins of the Times and they did see a necessity of separating from the gross Multitude in their Worships and so did desire to seek after God and to wait upon him and the Lord touched them sometimes and made them sensible of the necessity of still pressing forwards after the enquiry of better things than they then were made Partakers of and some of these who after this continued simple and had their Eye to the Lord and were so pursued with Judgment for Iniquity that they could not fully give up the Reigns to it and so were under the Spirit of Judgment and Bondage or at Times as I may say great Fears these thus travelling on in their Spirits and being kept in this Exercise when the Power of the Lord broke forth in our Nation it met with many such and they received the Truth with us in the Love of it and came to witness the Operation of it and are preserved in it will be sorever as still they press forwards in their true Enquiry to discern know the Way of God's Spirit and the Products of his holy Power Now there were some who as aforesaid were touched and convicted with the Light of Christ Jesus in their own Consciences and for a time continued seeking after a farther Condition than that of living in Sin under the Notion Profession of Christianity but after a time going from the Simplicity of Innotent Enquiry after the Lord and his Power and Gospel they became Wise in Notions and aspired to Christianity with the Fragments of Old Broken and Weak Experiences together with the Addition of their own Comprehensions Wit and Invention and so became Wise in their own Conceits and so fell back into the low Worldly Things in a Worldly Spirit a Self-Righteous and a Pharisaical State Now these when the Truth and Doctrine of the Light of Jesus in the Evidence of God's mighty Power came to be published as the Pharisees did so they did even rebel against it and as bad as the common Priests became our bitter Enemies under specious and fair guilded Pretences c. Now this I relate as a Caution to those now who have received the Truth in the Love and Simplicity of it that they may take heed and keep to it in Simplicity that their Understandings may be kept open and their Hearts chaste and pure to Christ and God then will they in the Faith still follow on to know that at last they may come to be so established that the Devil can have Power no more to deceive them with all his Glosses and fair Pretences but they who are Careless and keep not to the Simplicity of Truth as it is in Jesus but let out their Minds into a false Liberty and in their Hearts are disobedient to God though they have known the Power of God in some measure and once were desirous to know his Salvation yet notwithstanding going from the Power and Cross of Jesus into a false Liberty of ushering their own Self-Wills and Wits in Truth 's Matters endeavouring to comprehend the Simplicity of the Way of God's Spirit and the Products of his heavenly Power by leaning and trusting to their own Understandings though otherwise they may appear in a Self-Righteousness with fair Pretences and Glosses to deceive the Hearts of the Simple yet for all this God will find them out and this is too much the Condition of W. R. and his Adherents who had they kept to the Simplicity of the Government of the pure and chaste Power of God in their own Particulars they would not have grown so Fool-hardy as to be seen Publishing and Patronizing such a Treacherous Wicked Book as that falsly called The christian-Christian-Quaker c. Now one thing more I have to say at this time in relation to such tender simple-hearted Friends as may be ready to stumble at the appointing of Mens and Womens Meetings fearing lest it should bring in Formality and usher in an Apostacy and some are too ready to strengthen such a jealousie in them by telling them Now you see the Apostacy is coming in for so it came in in the Primitive Times by setting up Councils and Meetings c. Unto which I Answer Though some have in this day been found too much promoting such false Doctrine amongst simple People to make them evil affected with our blessed Meetings in the Power of Christ yet I say the Apostacy first came in by departing from the Power of God and then their Meetings were empty Forms without the Power and they fell into Confusion and Disorder and many Sects and divers false Opinions and so all along to our day the Apostacy hath continued amongst all who have not come to the true Faith that stands in the Power and this we clearly came to see when we were convinced of Gods holy Truth and to declare as we still do and I hope ever shall against all such formal Worships as are set up by the Will and Wit of man but had they stood in Gods Counsel they would have known the Heavenly Worship in Spirit and Truth and been one with us in this day but their Meetings being out of the Power is the Ground we cannot own them and therefore the Primitive Meetings before the Apostacy came in now come to be restored amongst us and the heavenly Power of Jesus to be the Author of them and not a worldly Pope or Bishop c. And so let none be jealous at our appointing Meetings for Gods Work and Service in his holy Truth because they may be very sensible of the Antichristian Meetings all abroad where the Meeters and Assemblers together band together against Gods holy Truth and the Possessors of it And let none be jealous That we have not the same Care of God's Honour and Glory that we had when the Truth broke first out amongst as but rather believe that our Godly Care is encreased and doth still encrease and that we are still of God neither dare nor can appoint or set up any thing against the Truth but for the Service of it as the Lord moves us and that the Power of the Lord may still be the Authority and Ground of all our Meetings and all Friends may encourage one another in that which is Virtuous Holy Clean and Comely to the Praise of the Everlasting and only Wise God who lives and reigns forever And this in pure Love was upon my Spirit to write as a Caution to Honest-hearted Friends to take heed of that Spirit of W. R. and his Abettors and of J. S. and J. W. who shelter under it who will not be seen to Print themselves but have afforded W. R. matter to fill up his Book with who is so Imperious and Malicious that it seems he takâ—â— little heed what he saith or doth Thus have they and their Adherents endeavoured to betray us to the World Judas-like and like all others who have been found in the same Evil and Ungodly Work with them And I truly desire they may come to see what Master they serve and whose Work they are doing and Repent and call in and judge all their Evil Work which they have Printed and spread abroad to defile Simple and Ignorant Minds with for the Wise in Heart see both it and them and are taught how to avoid it all C. Taylor London the 12th of the 3d Moneth 1681. Page 3. line 15. dele who P. 6. l. 36. dele give in THE END Books Printed for John Bringhurst viz. The Life of Christ magnified in his Minister Or certain Testimonies thereof relating to his Faithful Servant GILES BARNARDISTON c. Price 3 d. An Epistle of PAUL to the LAODICEANS Price One half Penny An EPISTLE of Caution to FRIENDS to take heed of that Treacherous Spirit that is entred into W. R. and his Abettors as appears in his Malicious Book falsly called The Christian Quaker c. Price Three half Pence