more theâ— the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them that opposed the Truth nor no Weapon shall I use against thâ—m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Spiritual and the Sword that goes out of the Lamb's Mouth 〈◊〉 the many Scriptures which he quotes page 23. â—o neither say nor sigâ—… 〈◊〉 the Letter the Writings are the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—ed though Mâ—… 〈◊〉 5. 5. â—…id He would 〈◊〉 them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Lord did he then shew 〈◊〉 Letter the Writings the Scripture I say No therefore he did not 〈◊〉 Writings and the Letter the Wâ—rd of God as you affirmed â—nd sâ—… 〈◊〉 prove but thoâ—â—…test 〈◊〉 anâ—â—rovest â—othing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though mâ—ny times the Word oâ— the Lord came to such a Prophet and to 〈◊〉 Prophet as thou 〈◊〉 proved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iâ—â—l and others yet did the Wrâ—… and the Letter come to them or that which the Letter and Writings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let Wise Men judge That noâ— all thou caâ—st â—ay doth not prove 〈◊〉 Writings the Letter is â—…e 〈◊〉 of God or thâ—…â—…ver any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—hat 〈◊〉 better Proof be given which I neâ—â—◠〈◊〉 need not revoke any 〈◊〉 that I have said contrary viz. Thâ—◠〈◊〉 Letter 〈◊〉 tings are the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so called But still I say The 〈◊〉 tings and Letteâ— are not the Word 〈◊〉 the â—â—ing wriâ—â—en of is the Word 〈◊〉 that lives forever Then 〈◊〉 that I charged R. G. with saying whâ—â— I had my 〈◊〉 in my 〈◊〉 the Dispute I had the â—…ing signified in my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which thiâ—◠〈…〉 first Relation had much â—â—â—â—â—fied but now he seeâ—… to acknowledges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and excuses it by supposing it was A Slip of his Tâ—… the higheâ—â—â—…tter of 〈◊〉 in it 〈◊〉 â—s for the words 〈◊〉 only 〈◊〉 self but diâ—… others do will 〈…〉 them spoken by R. G. 〈◊〉 Fellow Dâ—…tant and had he or 〈…〉 a Sâ—… of the Tongue 〈◊〉 had gone no â—…ther 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thâ—◠〈◊〉 in thy 〈…〉 lation gave a wrong Account thereof and had laid down the thing quiâ—◠〈…〉 wise then he spoke it this made the matter more a Transgression and thy 〈◊〉 count to be false neither am I reaâ—y to catch words from the 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 ponâ—â—t as thou chargeâ—â— me buâ— that Charâ—â—â—… â—…â—…ust needs make use of it to shew the Folly 〈◊〉 sâ—â—h men that will so do 〈…〉 of their own Moutheâ— often and by their own words to confound them 〈…〉 â—…hou have me to give away 〈◊〉 just Cause through neglect of hearing 〈◊〉 â—…ing notice of such fouâ— words as to say I had the Thing in my hâ—…d that was 〈…〉 〈◊〉 the Bible when I 〈◊〉 the Bible in my hand and so â—et Deceit a top on me 〈…〉 of reproving Evil I am otherwise taught do thou judge what thou 〈…〉 my Principles are found to agree with the Scriptâ—re for it 〈…〉 shall be â—…ed by 〈◊〉 words and by his words shall 〈◊〉 be condemned 〈…〉 â—…y Answers to his Qâ—eries raised from some words of mine writâ—… 〈◊〉 The Standard c. My Answer sayst thou is little else 〈…〉 thing over again c. Now I say Itâ— needless here to tranâ—… 〈◊〉 and Anâ—…rs over again but let them be looked in my first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Something of Truth Made Manifest c. wheâ—… it may be seen that 〈…〉 sufficiâ—â—t and laid down to the satisfaction of all reasonable 〈…〉 be resolved though thou sayst Thâ—â—â— i◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evidence of Truth 〈…〉 first but dost not at all discover the falsness 〈◊〉 them 〈◊〉 any partiâ—…ar 〈…〉 been right for thee to have â—â—â—e and not to â—ave charged evil 〈…〉 my Answers and prove nothing but 〈…〉 believe him exâ—… 〈…〉 â—is words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oracle for them â—…t â—â—â—e recâ—â—ved the good 〈…〉 cannot believe him 〈…〉 Conclusion he charges me 〈◊〉 â—…sh kind of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Wâ—… can be in the 〈◊〉 of sâ—ch 〈◊〉 that 〈…〉 so ba◠〈◊〉 〈…〉 sâ—… 〈◊〉 wâ—â—ds when in his former he 〈◊〉 â—…luded That I 〈…〉 Doctrine and weakened the 〈◊〉 o◠〈◊〉 Scriâ—… to 〈…〉 â—…ng thoughts of them and such 〈◊〉 because I â—…d affiâ—…d the 〈…〉 saying The Devil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scriâ—… 〈…〉 I not Reason to question what is in his heart who had the boldness 〈…〉 â—o 〈◊〉 evilly against me as he dâ—d 〈◊〉 proving 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—o what I said And in that I did charge Darkâ—ess 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—pon 〈◊〉 I do and may still till he Repenâ—â— for doth he not accuse me falsly in 〈◊〉 things as in saying My Principles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 light c. but proves not partiâ—… his Charge and in his first Book accused us as if we had a Pope in our 〈◊〉 which words are both Lies and Scornful and are not thâ—â—â— things true 〈◊〉 that he is in Darkness and Blindness and so my Charge is 〈◊〉 false upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saith He will not judge E. B. â—astily c. 〈◊〉 Hast not thou falsly judged me already 〈◊〉 many things as I have shewed 〈…〉 the Lord in time may let thee see thy judgment is false and awaken thy 〈…〉 to Repentance and then shalt thou confess I have done thee no 〈…〉 but the Wrong-Dealing lies at thy Door so that by what is said the 〈…〉 thy Book is a Lye and utterly false which is Some Principles of Edw. â—… called a Quaker Examined and found too light 〈…〉 Now in this I shall not be Judge altogether in my own Cause but leave 〈…〉 the view of sober Men and require their Judgment when they have read 〈…〉 â—…erly over what one particular instanced by him is proved to be unâ—ound 〈…〉 light for according to the Testimony of the holy â—en of God in Scripâ—…â—â—â—reby may I confirm the Truth of what I have and do hold forth and to 〈…〉 â—…ns Conscience do commend my self to be approved in the sight of God 〈◊〉 good Report or bad Report of men I regard not but trâ—â—d over them both 〈◊〉 â—â—â—rein the Truth is wronged I am bound to give my Evidence for it and 〈…〉 opposers and that is the very end of this my present Work to contend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truth and not for Mastery though Truth doth give me Mastery over 〈◊〉 and to hold forth the same Faith Light and Truth which the Apostles 〈…〉 before the Apostacy which hath been clouded in all this dark Night of â—…cy which hath been over the World for many Ages since the Man-child 〈◊〉 â—…ght up to God and the Woman â—â—ed into the Wilderness spoken of in the Revelations but now the Light is made manifest and the Glory of the Lord is revealing and the Day is dawned and the Night is over to â—…y and the subversion of this Ministry now in England is clearly seen from 〈…〉 Ministry of Christ was in the dayes of the Apostles And now as concerning this Controversie between Pâ— Tâ—â—â—â—â—â—r and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whoever is not satisfied herewith but desires a full and true Account of the 〈◊〉 may peruse his first Book called
The Qâ—â—kers-Rounds c. 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Answer called Something of Truth Made Manifest in Opposition to a False 〈◊〉 c and then his second Book called Some Principles of Eâ—w Burrâ—… 〈◊〉 and then this my last let them be all read in order and soâ—…ly by 〈…〉 not satisfied about the matter and I doubt not but thereby you may 〈◊〉 who is in the Truth and who is in the Error and they may fee that 〈…〉 he hath not faithfully answered but pass'd by many material particulâ—rs 〈…〉 something hath no way seem'd to clear himself of what I have truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on him but he remains under the guilt of my Charge and to the Ligh◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in every mans Coâ—science and to all whose Judgments are thereby 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 refer my self to 〈◊〉 judged and what I have written I leave to be judgâ—â— And divers other things there are held forth by Philip Tâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have said little to but they are recorded as his Principles among a â—… ber of the Priests and Professors in a Book answered to go abroad called 〈◊〉 Priests and Prossâ—â—s Principles 〈◊〉 the Quaker ' s Answer to them wâ—… 〈…〉 desire further to he satisfied may in reading many hundred of particular 〈…〉 and affirmations of Doctrine held forth by Preaching and Print by the 〈…〉 which are ansâ—…d 〈◊〉 the Error of them shown to which I refer 〈◊〉 〈…〉 to know more if what I have here written be not enough For the â—… tion of Truth is my Crown and Life over all the World London the 20th of the 7th Moneth 1658. Edward Burrâ—… A TESTIMONY Against a Great Idolatry COMMITTED And a True Mourning Of the Lord's Servant 〈◊〉 the many Considerations of his Heart upon that Occasion of the great stir about an Image made and carried from 〈…〉 Place to another happening the 23th day of the 9th Moneth IT came to pass and happened that being at Kingston upon Thames the the 22th day of the ninth Moneth it was ordered the next Morning that I came from thence to London and as I entred in at Charing-Cross I beâ—â—ld a very great Multitude of People gathering together and thronging and pressing exceedingly and the whole Streets were filled from one side to the other upwards and downwards so far as I could see with abundance gazing forth at every Window and upon the Belconies and House-tops and the Glass was â—…d down for people to look out into the Streets and an exceeding number of people there was all the Streets so thronged that I thought it could not be possible that any more could throng in or pass by and there were Guards of Souldiers both of Horse and Foot and they stayed me and stopped my Horse and said I might not pass that way neither indeed could I well by reason of the throng of people and I stay'd a very little but presently passed back another way in a kind of wondering at this great stir I found in my way and I beheld all spirits of people were up in a Wonderment and Admiration and gazing they were and hurrying as if some marvellous and great thing had happened to them or were to be seen by them and I felt the spirits of Men Women and Children were all on Fire and they were in an admiring frame and in a condition not usual And as I passed along I turned in my Mind to see of the Lord what this thing might be and what might be the End of it and why was this gathering and running and thronging of Multitudes in this manner and in this frame and presently upon consideration I perceived that a dead Image and invented Picture would be carry'd that way and that all this pressing and stir and the gathering of this great Multitude was only to see and behold a dead Image without life or breath and then my spirit was grieved and my soul was vexed within me and it run through me Vanity Vanity Folly and Madness What is all this setting of Guards gathering of people in such thronging Multitudes and pulling down the Glass and gazing of Men Women and Children high and low rich and poor people of all sorts that were come together Is all this wondering of people and inflaming of spirits in this admiring mood Is all this said I but to see a dead invented Image of Wood or Wax arrayed and decked with some foolish Inventions Said my spirit Oh Abominable Oh Idolatry Oh Folly and Vanity and my life was grieved What is all this preparation of people in this wondering frame but to behold an Image carried and to see simple foolish people following after it in their Idolatrous Robâ—â— and Gestures such who had invented it and been at cost with it And then my spirit was burdened and the very smell of Idolatry and Abomination entred upon me and the weight of all this Iniquity came into me and vexed the Righteous and the very sence of this Abomination seized upon my Life and I felt the burden of their so great Wickedness the making the Image I felt a burden and all the foolish Circumstances about it for many dayes and the peoples Folly and Madness that so gathered and pressed to behold it and so wondred after it was a burden to me and they that carry'd it in their foolish gestâ—â—â— All this is Iniquity and Abomination said my spirit and I was loaden therewith and said Certainly the Judgments of God will meet with this Work and the Lord will be avenged because of it and their Souls should once feel the burden of it with Terror as mine at this present And it came into me It might be some would be wounded or pressed to Death or some Wickedness would come out of this Wickedness that the Anger of the Lord might break forth and smite such as were the Foundation of this sinful Abomination and my spirit had a deep sence of the greatness and sinfulness of this high and mighty Idolatry and it wounded me and made me sad But immediately from that temper on a very sudden my spirit was changed and I was filled with the Indignation of the Lord God against this Image and this stir about it his Plagues and Fury and Fire run through me to cry Plagues Plagues and Vengeance against them because of this Abomination And I found my spirit set on fire with the very Power of God rising in me against this Idolatry that if I had been moved to it and it had been possible to have done it I could have ridden through the Guards and over the Multitude to have sounded the Judgments of God and his Woes amongst them and through them and I could then have engaged the loss of my life that the Lord might have been revenged upon this Image and Image-Makers and Image-Followers and Image-Wonderers after that my Soul might be freed from its present burden through this grleâ—… Wickedness Said I What silly foolish blind ignorant people are these What a power hath the Devil over
Magistrates so as to punish them for Breach of the Laws for the preventing of these Evils But such Wickedness is too much suffered though there be divers Acts of Parliaments against such Persons and such Actions as well as there is one against our Meetings yet the Act against us is more put in Execution some Places for the breaking of out Meetings which are for the Worship of God than the good Laws for suppressing Wickedness though there is better Law for the one than for the other Divers other Laws and Statutes made for good Ends for the suppressing of Wickedness in the Land there are which are but easily Executed at this day but here is one Act against Peaceable meeting together for the Worship of God which is violently prosecuted and executed upon Innocent Men and let all just Men judge of these things Though there be a Law Enacted against our Meetings so there is against Drunkards and Drunkenness and Unreasonable Tippling in Taverns and Ale-Houses and against Minstrels Fiddlers Pipers and Players Common-Players and Stage-Players that go up and down the Countries and have their Play-Houses in publick Cities which Statutes ought rather to be Executed though they are not But these things we shall leave to all sober People to judge of And seeing that the Law against us is more put in Execution than these other Laws it doth appear That there is more Envy against us and our Peaceable Religious Meetings than there is against Prophaneness and Wickedness Drunkenness and Stage-Playing and such like and such Magistrates wheresoever they are are not excusable in the Sight of God though there is a Law against us while they prosecute it against us and not these other good Laws against Prophane and Ungodly Persons and Practices And therefore seeing we do suffer we must say It is not only because there is a Law against us but it is also or rather Because there is Enmity and Wrath and Wickedness in the Hearts of Men against us which is the main Cause of our Sufferings at this day And let the Magistrates compare this Law made against us with that Saying in Doctor and Student Chap. 2. speaking concerning the Law written in the Heart teaching every man what is to be done and what is to be fled And saith he Because it is written in the heart therefore it may not be put away nor is it ever changable by any diversity of place or time And therefore against this Law Prescription Statute nor Custom may not prevail and if any be brought in against it they be not Prescriptions Statutes nor Customs but things void and against justice and all other Lawes as well the Law of God as the Acts of Men ought to be grounded upon the Law written in the Heart And in cap 4. of the same it s said Every mans Law must be consonant with the Law of God and therefore the Lawes of Princes the Commandements of Prelates the Statutes of Commonalties nor yet the Ordinances of the Church are not Righteous nor Obligatory but as it is consonant to the Law of God And we are sure the Law of God and holy Scriptures do justifie our Meeting together as afore is expressed Also in the Statute 28. Hen. 8. chap 7. it is said in these words That no man of what Estate Degree or Condition soever he be hath Power to dispence with Gods Lawes as all the Clergy of this Realm and the most part of all the Universities of Christendom And we also Affirm and think these things truly compared one with another We leave them to the Judgment of the Law of God Gospel of Christ holy Scriptures and our Neighbours and let Truth determine So be it Edward Burroughs A TABLE OF THE Several Books Contained in this VOLUMN And of the Principal HEADS and Matters contained in the said Books A Warning from the Lord to the Inhabitants of Underbarrow and to all the Inhabitants in England Which containeth 1. A Warning to all who hold up the false Teachers and false Worship page 1. to 11. 2. A true Declaration to all the World of his manner of Life what he had been and what he was at that present p. 15. 16. The Walls of Ierico razed down to the Ground Which containeth an Answer to a Book called The Quarkers Principles dashed in pieces put forth by Enoch Howet called an Anabaptist p. 18 c. An Answer to several Queries Put forth to the People called Quakers by Phillip Bennit a pretended Minister of Christ and John Reeve one who called himself The Last Messenger and Witness p. 29 c. An Answer to a Book called Choice Experiences put forth by J. Turner p. 45. The Copy of a Letter sent to the Assembly of them called Anabaptists in Newcastle p. 51. An Answer to a Book called A Voice from the Word of the Lord put forth by one John Griffith against the People called Quakers p. 54. A Visitation of the Rebellious Nation of Ireland and a Warning from the Lord Proclaimed to all the Inhabitants thereof with a Lamentation over its Unfruitfulness and Rebellion after so many Visitations p. 77. Containing several particular Papers written in that Nation to several sorts of People viz. 1. An Information to the Heads and the Ground of the Law laid down to the Iudges and Iustices c. p. 83. 2. An Exhortation sent to the chief Commander and his Council and the Iust Cause of the Innocent laid before them p. 85. 3. The Unjust Sufferings of the Iust declared and their Appeal to the Iust Witness of God in all their Consciences p. 88. 4. A Challenge to the Priests of Dublin to try their Godd and their Ministry and their Worships p. 90. 5. A Discovery of the Idol Dumb Shepherds in that Nation and a Lamentation ever their starved and strayed Flocks p. 91. 6. An Invitation to all the poor desolate Souldiers to Repent and make their Peace with the Lord and their Duty shewed them what the Lord requires of them p. 93. 7. A Warning from the Lord to the Natives of that Nation of Ireland p. 94. A Trumpet of the Lord sounded forth of Zion Which containeth a Testimony from the Word of the Lord 1. To Oliver Cromwell and his Counsel p. 97. 2. To all the Iudges and Lawyers p. 98. 3. To all Astrologers Magitians South-sayers and Wise-Men p. 99. 4. To all the Generals Collonels Commanders Officers and Souldiers in England Scotland and Ireland p. 99. 5. To all the Priests and Prophets and Teachers of the People p. 100. 6. To all them called Papists and to their whole Body and Head at Rome p. 102. 7. To all them called Protestants of the eldest sort p. 103. 8. To all them called Presbyterians and Independants p. 103. 9. To all them called Anabaptists p. 105. 10. To all them called Free-willers who say Christ dyed for all p. 107. 11. To all them that say They wait and believe for the coming of Christ to
Raign in Person upon Earth p. 107. 12. To all them called Ranters p. 108. 13. To all them called Seekers and Waiters p. 109. 14. The Beast which all the World Wonders after but they whose Names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life hath many Heads and many Horns p. 109. A Description of the State and Condition of all Mankind upon the Face of the whole Earth Sheweth from p. 115. to 123. 1. What man was in his Creation before Transgression 2. What he is in Transgression and how he became a degenerate Plant. 3. The Way of Restauration Salvation and of Life Eternal declared to the Sons and Daughters of Adam in the whole World Truth Defended or Certain Accusations answered cast upon the People called Quakers by the Teachers of the World In which is discovered 1. Who are the false Prophets 2. When they came in 3. How they may be known 4. Who they are that deny Christ and preach another Gospel 5. Who they are that deny the Scriptures Churches Ministers and Magistrates c. p. 124. to 135. The true Faith of the Gospel of Peace Contended for in the Spirit of Meekness Being an Answer to John Bunnian a professed Minister in Bedfordshire p. 136. An Answer to a Book called Stablishing against Quaking put forth by Giles Firmin a professed Minister in Essex p. 153. The Crying Sins Reproved whereof the Rulers and People of England are highly guilty Being Additions to their own Confessions held forth by them in their Declaration wherein these Three Nations were invited to a solemn Day of Fasting c. p. 168. A Measure of the Times Wherein is shewed 1. What the state of things have been in Ages past 2. What the state of things are at this present day 3. What shall be the state of things hereafter from p. 183. to 203. The Testimony of the Lord concerning London Being a Warning to all sorts of People in it what the Lord requires of them p. 214. to 222. A Just and Lawful Tryal of the Teachers and Professed Ministers of this Age Wherein is shewed That they are judged and by the Scriptures proved to be contrary to all the Ministers of Christ in former Ages 2. And are proved to agree with all the false Prophets and Deceivers in their Call Maintenance Doctrine and Practice In which Book is also a Description of the true Ministry of Christ from p. 223. to 239. A Standard lifted up and an Ensign held forth to all Nations Being a Testimony Concerning The True God p. 241. The Son of God p. 242. The Spirit of God p. 242. Man and all Mankind p. 243. The World in general p. 243. Man's Restauration Redemption and Salvation what they are and by whom they are wrought p. 245. True Religion and the true Worship of the true God p. 245. Iustification and Sanctification p. 246. The Kingdom of Christ and how it is to be set up p. 246. Governours and Government and Subjection to them p. 247. The true Ministry of Christ and the false Ministry and the Difference betwixt them p. 248. The Gospel of Christ p. 249. The Word of God and the Scriptures p. 249. The Devil and Damnation p. 250. All Creatures that God made p. 251. The New Covenant p. 252. Faith p. 253. What Works are accepted of God and what Works are not accepted p. 253. Man's State in the first Adam before Conversion and his State after Conversion and what Conversion is p. 254. The Woful Cry of Unjust Persecutions and grievous Oppressions of the People of God in England Shewing the Ground of Persecution in its first Cause and the Enmity which is betwixt the two Seeds p. 256. Truth the Strongest of all witnessed forth in the Spitit of Truth against all Deceit In a Reply to John Bunnian ' s second Book p. 275. Many Strong Reasons Confounded Being an Answer to Richard Baxter ' s Twenty four Arguments which he said Would hinder any reasonable man from being a Quaker p. 310. The true Christian Religion again Discovered after a long and dark Night of Apostacy Shewing who it is of the Sects and Forms of Religion in the Nations that are agreeable to the Scriptures p. 325. A Message for Instruction to all the Rulers Judges and Magistrates to whom the Law is committed Shewing 1. What Iust Government is 2. How far the Magistrates Power reacheth and what the Sword of Iustice is to cut down and what it is to defend 3. An Exposition of some parts of the Law for the Edification of such as desire to judge Righteously between man and man p. 343. The State of the Controversie between Richard Mayo Priest of Kingstone and Edw. Burroughs p. 375. Truth made Manifest Being an Answer to a Book called The Quakers Rounds put forth by one Philip Taverner p. 399. A Testimony concerning the Estate of the True Church Shewing 1. What she hath been 2. What she is pag. 413. The True State of Christianity truly described Shewing 1. What it was in its Beginning and Purity 2. What it now is in its Apostacy and Degeneration And also sheweth the Woful State wherein them called Christians now stand being departed and revolted from the Spirit of Christ and from his Teachings pag. 418. A Declaration to all the World of our Faith and what we believe who are called Quakers pag. 439. Some of the Principles of the Quakers scornfully so called by men Vindicated In Answer to two Printed Books put forth by Philip Taverner a supposed Minister of the Gospel in Middlesex p. 444. A Testimony against a Great Idolatry committed Being a true Mourning of the Lord's Servant upon the many Considerations of his Heart upon that Occasion of the great stir about an Image of O. Cromwell carryed about the 23th of the 9th Moneth 1658. p. 457. A Message proclaimed by Divine Authority From the Chosen Assembly of the Redeemed People in England to the Pope chief Bishop in Rome and to his Cardinals Iesuits and Priests c. being an Invitation and Challenge to them to come forth to Tryal and shew if they have the same Faith Power Spirit Authority and Government as had the Apostles and true Churches before the Apostacy p. 462. A Faithful Testimony concerning the true Worship of God Shewing 1. What it is in it self 2. And who are the true Worshippers p. 474. Some false Principles and Errors Discovered In Answer to a Book supposed to be put forth by Samuel Eaton a professed Minister of the Gospel amongst the Sect of Independents in Cheshire p. 483. A Message to all Kings and Rulers in Christendom Being a Warning from the Lord to them to take heed of Oppression and to cease to grind the Face of the Poor and from drinking the Whore's Cup and from carrying of her and from all Oppressions whatsoever lest the Lord God Almighty execute his fierce Indignation upon them p. 492. An Account of some Grounds and Reasons of the Innocent Sufferings of the People of God
in your own wills despising the daily cross of Christ which if you walked in would bring down the high minde and high nature in you and through the Cross that which is low in you would be exalted and the witness of your Ordinances would you have within which you are seeking in the letter without And now Friend to the◠who wert the Speaker when I was present among you thy Name I know not but by thy nature and spirit thy spirit is the same which they speak from which thou seems to deny as false spirits and by that spirit hast thou been deceived and now it workes by thee to deceive others and that spirit infallibly by the eternal Spirit do I judge for the time is come that by the Saints the great Whore must be judged which hath made all the men of the Earth drunk with the Wine of her Fornication and which hath deceived the simple And whereas thou didst Quaery what one thing I will deny as untruth which you had spoken I answered then as now I do I do deny thy voyce and spirit for 〈◊〉 is the voyce of the stranger and not of Christ and though you sweare by that spirit The Lord lives I say surely thou swearest falsely and the false Prophets which used their tongues and said The Lord saith it when the Lord had not spoken unto them spoke the same words of the true Prophet but he that had the true spirit judged the false spirit and so it is now And therefore Friend out of love to thy soul I do advise thee to be silent before the Lord and wait upon him till he manifest himself to speak in thee and by thee for Friend thy Ministry is in the will of man and thou ministers death unto dead minds and the Ministery which is to the Seed thou art ignorant of to that in thy conscience I speak which shall witness for me before the Lord who is appearing in his power to utter his thunders and all Flesh shall tremble at his presence and all Forms of Worship will he dash to pieces at his appearance And yours which is the purest Form shall be broken to pieces that he may rule who is without form and comeliness Now Friends for the Seeds sake have I spoken and written to you and to that in your consciences have I cleared my conscience in the presence of the Lord which you shall Eternally witness whether you will hear or forbear By a Servant of the Lord who is named of the World Edward Burrough An Answer to a Book called A Voice from the word of the LORD by one Iohn Griffith against us whom the World calls Quakers wherein his false Accusations is denied and he proved to be a Slanderer and the Truth cleared from his Scandals A Certain Book being come forth into the world full of Lies and Slanders against the Innocent called A voice from the word of the Lord to those grand Impostors called Quakers to the Author of which Book who calls himself Iohn Criffith a Servant of Christ and to all to whomsoever it may come I am moved to write something in Answer that his lies and slanders and false reproaches may be made manifest and that he may proceed no further for as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so doth he resist the truth being a man of a corrupt mind and reprobate concerning faith and is not a Servant of Christ nor a witness for his Name but a child of disobedience in whom the Prince of the aire rules And first to the title of thy Book I Answer the Word of the Lord is powerful and will cut thee down thou sensual minded man it thou knowest not but takes the words of others declared from the word which was in them and thou useth thy tongue and saith the Lord saith it but I say unto thee the Lord hath not spoken unto thee neither commanded thee to speak of his Name and I charge it upon thee in the presence of the Lord God of Life that thou art of that Generation which Ieremiah was sent to cry against Ier. 23. 31. for thou speaks thy imaginations upon their words which dwelt in the life of God but the life thou knowest not and thy whole Book is no more but an empty sound and voice and is as the untimely fruit of the womb which will wither and perish away and one of them I am whom thou calls Quakers to whom thou sayst thou directs thy speech but that we are grand Impostors I do deny for we are gathered up into the life which the holy men of God lived in and are fallen from the world and from its wayes and nature and I charge thee here to be a slanderer and from the mouth of the Lord I do declare unto thee that thou must have a slanderers reward And whereas thou sayst thou hast discovered their fleshly and filthy mindedness together with the judgments of God attending them I Answer Fleshly and filthy mindedness we have denied by the Power of the Son of God made manifest in us thou hast laid it to our charge but thou hast not proved it nor discovered it and here again thou are a false Accuser fleshly and filthy mindedness shall stand for thy own condition for there thou art in the flesh filth living to thy will in the lust of uncleanness for thou mayst remember thou camest out of the Bowling-Alley to our Meeting though Pharisee-like thy out-side is painted and made clean but thy heart is full of enmity and lies and slanders and false reproaches to that in thy conscience I do speak which shall forever witness me and as for the judgments of the Lord upon thy own head will they fall and with what measure thou metes it shall be measured to thee again we are passed from judgment and from the condemnation and who art thou thou enemy of righteousness that shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect. And whereas thou sayest thou art one that bears witness against those wandring starres I answer this shall stand for thy own condition a wandring star thou art and hath no habitation in the Heaven but speaks swelling words of vanity thou thy self being a servant of corruption we have an abiding place and an habitation in the Lord and are not wandring and here again I charge thee to be a false Accuser and a false witness who bears Witness of thy self for the Father bears no witness of thee but against thee Whereas thou sayst the most high God that made the heavens and the Earth hath moved thee and stirred thee up to bear witness to the Truth and to witness against the abominable fleshly mindedness and yet spiritual pride of those grand Impostors called Quakers by whose sorceries many are bewitched and drawn from the simplicity of the Gospell to another Gospel which is not another Gospel but the vanity of their own minds and their own fleshly and corrupt thoughts which they
the end and numbred thy work into a total sum which is a secret smiting and obscure shooting against the Manifestation or Belief of Christ within which there can be no Salvation without as I have proved and in words only I find thee exalting Christ without and worshipping the name of Mary like the Pope I have good ground so to judge And whereas thou callest the Doctrine of Christ within false Opinions and takeâ—â— in hand to discover it as in Page 203. I say to all honest men who have but any knowledge of the Letter of the Scripture thou art hereby sufficiently discovered who callst the chief thing which is the chief unto Salvation and without which can be none false Opinions God shall judge thee thou wicked heart and much more I need not say but shall leave this to the view of any that are honest to judge so have gone through thy Book and passed by many things only I have spoken to that in which thou hast treated any thing upon us and the Truth I have cleared from many Lyes and Slanders and thy Vail of false Reproaches is rent and our Innocency doth partly appear and thy vail of Hypocrisie is a little removed and thy deceitfull heart weighed and seen And as for the rest of thy Book whicg I have not medled with thus much I say of it I suppose you will confess it was all given forth by one spirit and it is proved some of it is given forth by a lying spirit then let the Reader judge what the rest of it can be though the words be true yet is thy spirit false and at the best what thou hast said is but bearing false witness as to thy self of a true thing I own the words and I deny the voice and here I deal plainly with thee Thou then askst a Question Doth not the Scripture speak of Christ within unto which I further add answer it as thou canst Doth not the Scripture say Christ is within except you be Reprobates And is not this thus much all are reprobate but they in whom Christ is within Answer iâ— plainness and darken not knowledge by words without wisdom And towards the end I find thee making up the sum of thy wickedness with this numbring the Quakers with Ranters Sin Death and the Devil I will not bring a railing Accusation against thee but the Lord rebuke thee thou unclean spirit who hast falsly accused the Innocent to clear thy self from guilt but at thy door guilt lodges and I leave it with thee clear thy self if thou art able And thy wicked Reproaches we patiently bear till the Lord appear for us and we are not greater then our Lord who was said to have a Devil by thy Generation and their measure of wickedness thou fulfils and art one of the Dragons Army against the Lamb and his Followers and thy Weapons are Slanders and thy Refuge is Lyes and thy work is confused and hath hardly gained a name in Babylons Record and by us so much of it at least as is against us is cast by as our spoiled prey and trampled upon in all thy reproachfull speeches who art unclean and of more price to us is thy hatred and envy then thy love can be except the gâ—und were better in which you stand Now a few words I may write in Answer to the Queries in the end of thy Book which thou directst thus Some Questions to the Quakers or a few Queries to those possessed with a Spirit of delusion in this Generation Question 1. If sayst thou that every man hath a measure of the Spirit of Christ within him why say the Scriptures That some are sensual having not the Spirit aâ—â— Christ saith The World cannot receive it John 14. Answ. Some men are sensual and have not the Spirit because they received it not some cannot receive it because they believe not in him from whence it comes yet is the measure of the Spirit given unto every man to profit withal as the Scripture saith And it is given to within him to reprove him of sin but few do receive it and when thou canst learn to distinguish between a thing being given and a receiving of such a thing then thou mayst be answered in thy self It is one thing in God to give the Spirit and another thing in the Creature to receive it He gives it to many that receive it not to follow it and to be guided by it thus far I answer and let them that are led with a spirit of Delusion answer thee further Qu. 2. What is the Church of God redeemed by from under the Law is it by something that is done within them or by something done without them If it be redeemed by something that worketh in them then why did the man Christ Iesus hang upon the Cross in Mount Calvery without the Gates of Jerusalem for the sins of his People and why do the Scriptures say That through this man is preached unto us forgiveness of sins c. Answ. The Church of God is redeemed by Christ Jesus which is revealed within all that believe and Christ Jesus wrought in them mightily and it was he that wrought in them to will and to do this is plain according to Scripture And the man Christ Jesus was hanged upon the Cross on Mount Calvery because they wickedly judged him to be a Blasphemer and through their envy persecuted him to death because he bore witness against them and as in their account he died and hanged upon the Cross for an Evil-doer and this is one ground at least why he hanged upon the Cross and the Scriptures say That through this man is preached the forgiveness of sins because there is no other that can forgive sin nor the blood of any other thing that can take away sin but the Blood of God as it is written And thus far I answer If thou wilt have more seek it from them who are led with a spirit of Delusion Qu. 3. What Scripture have you to prove that Christ is or was crucified within you risen within you ascended within you Answ. There is no Scriptures that mention any one of our particular names and thy Query is raised from thy mis-understanding of us so I judge but Christ is within us that we dare not deny and he is the Lamb that was slain in the streets of the great City which is spiritually called Sodom and Aegypt mind spiritually and he is now risen and ascended this we know through Faith in his Name And I leave thee to receive a fuller Answer from them that are led with a spirit of Delusion if they will give it thee Qu. 4. Is that very man that was crucified on Mount Calvery between two Thieves whose Name is Iesus the Son of Mary is he the very Christ of God ye or nay Answ. Yea he is the very Christ of God which was before the World was by whom the World was made who was made
I perceive thou hast got a catch by some Scriptures being misplaced and not truly quoted which may be the Printers fault for ought I know But all that ever thou hast spoken proves not the truth of what thou hast asserted let shame cover thy face Thy twelfth Argument is Such is the Quakers light viz. which affirms sound Believers walking Evangelically in obedience to Gods Commandments to be in a state of Condemnation therefore it is the Light of Satan c. Answ. Thou being neer at an end hast left the greatest Lye to the last When wilt thou be ashamed and stop thy mouth thy testimony of Lyes is well nigh finished and thou bindest up the sum with an abominable one yet thou confessest in thy Margent We do not say thi◠in many words but by consequence c. Here let all men take notice of thee who hast accused us with a thing and yet confessest we say not the thing thou hast fully manifested thy self we need go no further to lay thee open but thou sayest By consequence c. Friend if thou mighttest be the Interpreter of our Books its like thou wouldest deal deceifully as thy Generation hath done with the Scripture but we write not our Books and leave them for to be expounded by thee but they are as they speak simple plain Language to the ignorant that thy may be instructed thou hast manifested thy skil in wresting our words sufficiently we allow thee not to be our Interpreter we testifie he who is a sound Believer and walks in obedience to the commands of God is in a justified state in the sight of God but we put a difference betwixt condemning sound Believers and speaking plainly in reproof of sin as if we tell the Lyar his portion will be the Lake and the Proud he shall be as stubble before the fire and the Wicked shall be cast into Hell and that no Coveteous Unclean Whoremongers Drunkards c. shall never enter into the Kingdom of God This Language is not a condemning of the sound Believers neither is it so accounted in the Sight of God though falsly judged by thee and we stand to the Judgment of him and not unto thy false Slanders And thou further sayest and desirest the Quakers But to tell thee of one man in the Word of God meaning the Scriptures who was Holy who embraced the Quakers Doctrines Principle and Practises c. David was holy Moses was holy Ieremiak was holy with many more testified of in the Scripture that were of the same Faith with us and of the same Doctrines and Principles and Practices for themselves were Quakers as their own Writings make manifest and hadst thou been in their dayes thou wouldst have spoken no less evil of them then of us for it was such as thou who spoke evil of them and persecuted them and hence I do conclude thy spirit to be the spirit of Satan and not the Spirit of God Thy thirteenth and last Argument is against our Shaking as thou callest it and it is manifest to every one thou sayest whence it comes c. And railest much against it and shufflest off and kicks against the testimony we give out of the Scripture bringing the like examples of the Servants of the Lord. And thou sayest We abuse the examples of Daniel Moses and David to defend these diabolical actings c. God shall reprove thy lying Tongue and rebuke thee with the reproof of his Judgments yea many more than these named can we bring to witness for us in the same actings of the Power of God which thou most wickedly callest Diabolical and leavest the Reader to observe thy foolish Story to which in its place I may answer Then thou goest on and ramblest over a great deal of stuff from an Author like thy self who wrote a Book against us also and whose testimony is no better then thine as being of the same spirit against the Seed of God with thee and his testimony and thine are both for condemnation thou quotest his Lyes to prove thine as though his words were of authority with the Scripture but wrechedness and subtilty lodges under your tongues and though you be of several Opinions and Judgments in your Worships and Ministries yet are you joyned and against us as Herod and Pilato and if it was not such a things as would make for thy wicked purpose thou wouldest scorn to make use of his words to prove thine but the shift of the subtil Fox which would devour the Lamb is taken notice of in all his actings Then thou sayest No you own no such revolation viz by the foregoing words 〈◊〉 you were taught the Gospel by the revolation of Iesus Christ. And here let all men take notice of thee to be one that was never sent of Christ but one who knows not God for as Christ Jesus saith No man knows the Father nor the Son but he to whom the Son reveals him And thou having denied the Revelation of the Son of God hast shut out thy self from his Knowledge For shame talk no more of the things of God but let thy mouth be stopped from making mention of his Name especially on the account of being a Minister all that know God or the Gospel are ashamed of thee some of thy own Brethren will not own thee herein some of this I have laid open before Then thou goest on saying The pretended revelation of the Quakers do cross an Article of Faith and Rule of Obedience in Scripture This is not the least of thy Lyes I deny the Slander the same Truth and Faith and Obedience as ever was witnessed in the Holy men of God which declared forth the Scripture we own and bear witness of and no other The Revelation of Christ in us in Faith and Obedience is witnessed by Paul who is our Example and thou art the man whose spirit is contrary to Scripture as is clearly made manifest and in thee the man of sin is revealed and the Light which should discover him is vailed and I may truly say of thee as thou falsly hast said of us Surely the Devil is the Authour of thy work Then in thy conclusion thou sayst Much more might be gathered out of their Books whereby it may appear by what spirit these Quakers are led by the spirit of Satan scarce trasnformed into an Angel of Light Now to all the honest hearted unto whom this and thine may come even to thy own Hearers at least unto such who have but moderation in their spirits and to that measure of God in their Consciences I do appeal that they by it may judge whether thou hast more discovered the spirit of Satan in us by any thing which thou hast in all thy Books justly proved against us to be evil or sin or error except thy Lyes and Slanders may stand for a testimony or in thy self who hast slandered us unjustly and wrested our words deceitfully and spoken many 〈◊〉 grievous
their wickedness without reproof and ungodliness may be hid under hypocrisie and above all other means that is used at this day to keep up the Kingdom of the Devil and to offend the Kingdom of Christ this is Cheif striving against the Light of the World opposing it and denying it and by crafty Arguments and cunning Speeches seeking sutable Scriptures as they suppose to ground their false Argumentâ— upon against this very thing that the Light of Christ is given to every man that comes into the World or that the Light which convinceth and reproveth every man of sin within him is not the Light of Christ nor worthy to be taken notice of but natural and such like and no way sufficient to Life and Salvation if the Unjust men persecute it is such as walk in the Light of Christ Jesus that cannot fulfill the wills and customs of mâ—n and so are not of thâ—… World but contrary to it in all its wayes and workâ—…â—…ich are evil and if tâ—… wise men of the World make any Arguments it is against the Light wiâ—… which Christ lightneth every man that comes into the World so that all 〈◊〉 envy of the Devil whether under this or that colour and appearance is againâ—… the Light of Christ Jesus and them that walk therein and if the light be 〈◊〉 denyed and not believed in nor regarded then may the Devil have whâ—… Possession of the heart of man and if the Light of Christ Jesus within 〈◊〉 owned and loved and walked in then Christ is received and there the Dâ—… is dispossessed and therefore it stands him upon above all other things 〈◊〉 possess people against the Light within which Christ hath given that then 〈◊〉 may not be discovered in the heart but may keep all his goods in peace aâ—… have quiet possession in his Habitation Well be it so though all men of thâ—… Kingdom doth gainsay the Light of Christ by this or that way of wickedness yet it is precious unto us and I cannot but earnestly contend for it against 〈◊〉 Gainsayers and yet strives not for mastery to our selves nor to exalt any thing of our selves but only the Lord and his truth which he hath made more dear to us then either life or name or liberty and though so it be that this Way be spoken evil against every-where yet the Lord owneth it and us who are faithful therein in the presence of our Enemies to the confounding of the wisdom of this World And whereas Iohn Bunion hath formerly set himself divers wayes to oppose the Truth under the account of his great zeal against Error but especially in a Book sometime since put forth by him thinking thereby to offend the Way of Righteousness and now a second time hath appeared with a defence upon his former called A Vindication c. Of the former and his Defence is more to the laying open his folly and to the uncovering of his blindness and wickedness then his first offence given by him which caused me to write in short four sheets of paper to clear the Truth from what he had spoken against it And now having again a second time appeared in many word without knowledge yet in great zeal hath brought forth many things reprovable even Lyes and Slanders and evil Speeches in abundance yet with great pretence of holiness and soberness and he hath not only belyed me but the Truth which is my chief and moving cause that the Truth may be clear of this my second Reply unto him and not for my own sake in any thing for I more prize to be accounted a fool and dispraised in the World then to be honoured thereby and when iniquity shall come to an end and transgression shall be finished his shall be the Kingdom and the Inheritance of Rest Eternal that hath kept himself clean and pure from a lying and slanderous tongue and who hath done righteously and fullfilled the Will of God For it is not every one that saith Lord Lord that enter into the Kingdom but he that doth the will of the Father which is in Heaven and in that day when the Book of all Consciences shall be opened and every thing brought to Judgement then shall the Light in every ones Conscience answer the Lord in the justness of his dealings and even then if not before shall this Iohn Bunion know the Light in all mens Consciences is of force when he shall be judged and then shall he see he hath wronged the Lord and dealt evil against his own soul in speaking evil of what he hath not known and in giving false judgement of what he hath not understood and till that day I leave him without praying for fire to devour him only may reprove his Lyes Errors Contradictions and False-dealing and clear the Truth from his false Charges and only to the most chiefest things whereof he accuses us in short I may Reply And whereas thou sayst There is one that hath ventured to stand up against the Truth and hath published a Book in which there is a great number of Heresies cunningly vented by him and also many things there falsly Reported of thee To which I answer that same Book published called The true faith of the Gospel contended for c. Shall clear it self from this reproach that I have not stood against any one truth or uttered any Heresie or lye against thee but in that Book did witness forth the Truth against many things falsly laid down by thee against the Quakers and that same Book with soberness read without partiality and prejudice doth clear it self from these false Aspersions and prove thee a Lyer herein and I leave it to the honest hearted to judge who reads that Book while I with patience and not seeking any revenge doâ— bear thy reproaches counting them greater riches then thy praise And Farther thou saist Only by the way thou thinkest good to mind me of my cloathing my self with the words of the Prophets and Apostles c. Answ. True enough by the Way out of the Truth and out of Christ who is the Way hast thou spoken this and so hast uttered in falsehood and by or out of the Way neither have I cloathed my self and yet am I clothed with the Life of the Prophets and Apostles and not only with their words nor do I fight against them though thou falsly sayst it but bears witness unto them in Doctrine and Conversation and before all the seed of Evil-doers and take back thy own words to thy self who art in that Generation which hath the words but are without the Life in the evil life Farther thou sayst I have broken out with a false Testimony of Iohn Burton and thee at which thou seemest to be much offended that I should say thou art joyned with the broken Army of Magog and hath shewed your selves in the defence of the Dragon against the Lamb c. Reply what needest thou be troubied at this
made your mouth into the view of the World even a cursed Birth and the Father of it and the Womb that conceived it and it shall rot and perish as the dung and not accomplish any part of the end of your desire for so loathsome it is being truly searched and laid open that it hath not obtained neither the praise of God nor man but is defamed by men and condemned of God Alas alas for thee Iohn Bunion thy several months travel in grief and pain is a fruitless Birth and perishes as an untimely Fig and its praise is blotted out among men and it s passed away as smoak Truth is atop of thee and out-reaches thee and thy formed weapons cannot prosper and it shall stand for ever to confound thee and all its Enemies and though thou wilt not subject thy mind to serve it willingly yet a Slave to it must thou be and what thou dost in thy wickedness against it the end thereof brings forth the glory of it and thy own confounding and shame and now be wise and learned and put off thy Armour for thou mayst understand the more thou strives the more thou art entangled and the higher thou arises in Envy the deeper is thy fall into Confusion and the more thy Arguments are the more increased is thy folly let experience teach thee and thy own wickedness correct thee and thus I leave thee and if thou wilt not own the Light of Christ in thy own Conscience now to reprove thee and convince thee yet in the day of Judgement thou shalt own it and it shall witness the justness of the Judgements of the Lord when for thy Iniquities he pleads with thee and behold as a Thief in the night when thou art not aware he will come and then woe unto thee that art poluted By a Friend to Truth EDWARD BURROUGH Many Strong Reasons CONFOUNDED VVhich would hinder any reasonable man from being a Quaker And Offences taken out of the way But particularly Four and twenty Arguments Overturned and Confuted put forth and sent into the World by Richard Baxter a professed Minister but a frequent Contender against the Wayes of God And this is an Answer to a Sheet of his cried up and down the Streets in London as some excellent piece but is proved to be full of Lyes Slanders and false Reproaches against an Innocent People And this is sent forth in the pursuit thereof that people may not be deceived with every lying Monster which is brought forth to publick view but first let all things be tryed and onely that which is good held fast HOW long shall it be ere the wickedness of the wicked come to an end and the measure of this Generations iniquity be fulfilled who rush into iniquity as a Horse into the battel and who hastens to fill up the largest measure of iniquity of any Generation that ever went before Is it not plain and manifest to all people that have but an eye to see How doth the wicked run on greedily drinking up iniquity as an Oxe drinks water How doth the Archers of Babylon shoot at the Innocent and makes the harmless their prey But this is but for a moment the end thereof is nigh and because the Devils time is but short therefore he is come down in rage and hath filled the hearts of many people with raving envy and despite against the Lord and his people whom the Lord is a gathering out of the mouths of all their Enemies and the Serpents seed it bruiseth the heel but its head is deadly wounded by the Seed of God And whereas many hath set themselves in oppsition against the Lord and their work is become a stink and a proverb to be laughed at in Generations to come yet must not the wicked cease their wickedness till their measure be perfectly accomplished And whereas Richard Baxter a professed Minister in Worcestershire known to many by his fruits to be a corrupt Tree which brings not forth good fruit who sends out of his study Lyes and false Reports and vain Arguments to blind the Eyes of People that they may not see the Truth and hath written once and again against the people of God which he in scorn calls Quakers some of which writings have been sufficiently answered and his shame and folly seen openly by all people yet he as a man not weary of wickedness hath sent forth a Paper which he calls A Sheet against the Quakers wherein what was wanting of wickedness in his former is now fully brought forth out of his Vessel a malicious heart which cannot contain within it self its rage and fury and madness against the Innocent but need must his folly break forth openly that all men may see it And in thiâ— his foolish Paper he hath twenty four reasons which he saith Moves him to conceive that no Christian or reasonable man should be a Quaker or approve of or excuse their way now his Reasons we shall try But first of all I say It had been more honest for him to have made a sufficient Reply to have defended his former works and cleared himself of his former Lyes and Slanders truly charged against him then to have past that slightly and begin anew to revile for that Book which he often mentions and boasts of called The Quakers Catechism was sufficiently answered and his folly laid open by a Friend to the Truth in a Book called An Answer to the Quakers Catechism to which Book he never equally replyed to this day which had been more honest to have cleared himself from what is truly charged against him in that answer then to have begun afresh to reproach and speak wickedness and this all people may consider of 1. His first Reason which he brings forth against the Quakers is That they deny and revile the Churches and Ministers of Christ and yet said he cannot tell indeed of any Church or Ministry which is to be preferred before those that they do despise Answ. To this I answer This is utterly false for we do not deny the Church and Ministers of Christ nor do revile them or any others whatsoever but speaks the truth in nakedness to all people The Church of Christ we own and are of it which are gathered out of the World through the preaching of the Gospel and seperated from the World and all its works and wayes which are evil and are joyned to Christ the Head in the Spirit and one to another as Members of Christ and these are born again and are Redeemed out of the World and are of the Kingdom of Christ and of his Church and Members of his body and this we own to be a Church and are of it who hath no fellowship with darkness nor no part with the practice of the works of darkness And the Ministers of Christ we own who have received the Gift of the Ministry by the Holy Ghost and exerciseth that Gifs by the Holy Ghost whose call is from God
brought forth in the Earth and all that do well will have Praise and live in Rest and Peace and all Evil-doers whatsoever may stand in awe and be afraid of God and just Men and the Execution of Iust Laws Concerning Religion we believe That it is only the Spirit of the Lord that makes men truly Religious and that no man ought to be compell'd to or from any Exercise or Practice in Religion by any outward Law or Power but every man ought to be left free as the Lord shall perswade his own mind in doing or leaving undone this or the other Practice in Religion and every man of what Profession in Religion soever ought to be protected in Peace provided himself be a man of Peace not seeking the wrong of any mans Person or Estate And we believe That to oppose false Opinions and unsound Doctrines and Principles seeking to convince them that oppose themselves by Exhortation or sharp Reproof by word or writing ought nor to be counted a Breach of the Peace or to strive about the things of the Kingdom of God by men of contrary Minds or Judgments this ought not to be punishable by the Magistrates and their Laws for we believe the outward Laws and Powers of the Earth are only to preserve mens Persons and Estates and not to preserve men in Opinions neither ought the Law of the Nation to be laid upon mens Consciences to bind them to or from such a Judgment or Practice in Religion And we believe that Christ is and ought only to be Lord and Exerciser of mens Consciences and his Spirit only must lead into all Truth And we believe That Obedience and Subjection in the Lord belongs to Superiors and that Subjects ought to obey in the Lord those that have Rule over them and that Children ought to obey their Parents and Wives their Husbands and Servants their Masters in all things which are according to God which stands in the exercise of a pure Conscience towards God But where Rulers Parents or Masters or any other command or require subjection in any thing which is contrary to God or not according to him to such causes all people are free and ought to obey God rather then man and we believe That herein God will justifie them being guided and led by his Spirit in all that which is Good and out of all that which is Evil. Again We believe concerning Election and Reprobation That there is a state of Election and a state of Reprobation a state chosen of God and a state rejected of God and that all Man-kind are in one of these states all that are elected are elected in Christ and all that are out of him are in the state Reprobate bringing forth fruits of Death and Darkness being Children of Wrath and Disobedience in the alienation and separation from God in the Transgression unreconcil'd to God the Enmity ruling in the Heart being in the Fall and not restor'd to God again but ignorant of his Power and of his Wisdom having the Understanding darkened that they cannot see nor perceive the things that are Eternal and in this condition his best Works are Sin and whatsoever he doth he cannot be accepted of God for he is dead to God and alive to all evil bâ—inging forth all his works out of that Ground which is cursed This is the condition of all Mankind upon the face of the Earth in the first Adâ—… and this is the state of Reprobation and all that abide herein are rejected of God and â—…ll never inherit eternal Life but go inâ—â— Perdition yet have all such a Day of Visitation that they may return out of the state of Reprâ—…tion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ledge and desâ—…sing the Love of God â—â—ey conâ—… iâ—â—he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wrath of Gâ—…d abides upon them â—…t they tâ—…t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wrath for they believe in the Light and becâ—…â—…ldren of the Light and are renewed in Mind and Hâ—… and receiâ—… the Love of the Father and become planted into Christ the second Adâ—… 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him to bring forth Fruit â—nto the Father and â—ll their Fruit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—om 〈◊〉 grâ—…d which is â—…ssed for they are led by the Spirit of thâ— Faâ—…r and â—…ch are in the state of Election who are â—ade Heâ—rs with Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eveâ—… Inheritance that never fades away And this we faithfully believe That â—…cy is not shewed to the Reprobate nor Judgment to them that are chosen of God And this is to go abroad in the World that all pâ—…ple mâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and whâ—◠〈◊〉 have receiv'd of God and they that believe this and walkâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father shall be saved but they that belieâ—e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be condemned because they do not believe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be â—…tten 〈◊〉 in â—…rt this is given forth by one that hath believed and received the Knowledge of thâ—se things from God A Friend unto all People E. B. Some of the PRINCIPLES OF THE QUAKERS Scornfully so called by men VINDICATED And proved Sound and True and according to the SCRIPTURES In Opposition to the False Charges and Lying Reports given forth against the Truth in two Printed Books put forth by one Philip Taverner a supposed Minister of the Gospel in Middlesex near Uxbridge And hereby Truth is Manifested and Discovered and the Controversie determined by the Judgment of Truth between Philip Taverner aforesaid the Accuser and Edward Burroughs Defendant of the Truth who contends for the Faith of the Gospel and for the Word of God in the Heart against all such Gainsayers as have the Form of Godliness but deny the Power and many such are in this Age. WHereas P. Taverner one of Truth 's Opposers whether throâ—… Ignorance or Subtilty I now determine not hath again appear'd against me and the Truth in Print as in Vindication of himself and his former Work who about four Moneths ago gave a false Relation of a Dispute but instead of mending the matter he hath made his own cause the more vile as may appear to such who take a perfect view of the Proceedings from the beginning to the end thereof Now the intent of this my Reply is to clear the Truth further and to take off his false Aspersions which he hath cast upon my innocent words in my former Book in answer to his first And as for the rest of his Book which hath no relation to mine nor to the Dispute I shall pass it by The Title of my first Book was Something of Truth Made Manifest c. To which sayst thou A plausible Title to cover a Railing and Bitter spirit under that it may walk in the World less suspected c. Reply My words are truth for in 〈◊〉 â—â—ok Truth was made â—â—â—ifest to â—…y in relation to the former Dispute to the Satisfaction of many and as 〈◊〉 â—…ing anâ—â—â—â—â—erness of spirit I do deny only I am zealoâ—â— for the
but that over all you will be preserved in faith and victory I am now according to the Will of the Father in Ireland it is some weeks since I arived at Cork City in much peace and safety with my dear Companions it having been long upon my spirit to visit the Seed of God in this Nation even of love have I felt it in me and not of constraint but of a willing mind and free spirit and not of force and after the time of patience and waiting for many dayes to see my way clear for it the Lord hath ordered it and brought it to pass acceptable unto me and many here and this is the time which this visitation must be effected for till now my way was not clear and but that this Journey hath laid upon me I should have rejoyced to have been present among you either in testimony by suffering or otherwise but this is the will of God and it is in my heart to pass through this Nation and to visit the Seed of God by the Love and Word of the Father as he gives of his Life and Strength and opens the way before me I perceive in this Land Friends are generally well and truth grows in victory and dominion and the Lord is adding to the numberless number of them that must stand on Mount Zion and through the rage of men and above it all the little Flock is preserved in its beauty and the Seed sown in weakness and afflictions is received and quickned in much power which is my joy About Bristol I continued about two moneths in much precious service for the Lord and truth had good authority over all great acceptation in the hearts of many and some convinced and others edified and confirmed as many can witness in the spirit and until after the time of the Fâ—ir I was not clear of that City but imediately after I was free and my way made very convenient and clear to this place and the hand of providence ordered all things very well on that behalf as I do hope in the continuance of the power and presence of the Lord with me through this work and in his power I am committed even to do or suffer all things for his Name sake and that by vertue of his own life that dwells in me And the Lord preserve all the Brethren like-minded that the work of the Lord may be fulfilled and finished by us Amen County of Cork the 21th of the 6th Moneth 1660. E. B. A PRESENTATION of Wholsome Informations unto the King of England c. Being a Defence Pleaded and also appealed unto Him even to the Testimony of the Spirit of God in His own Conscience In Answer to a certain Accusation charged before Him in a Printed Book called The thrice happy Welcome of King Charles the Second by one George Willington of Bristol City against Us whom in derision the Accuser calls Quakers And also herein are laid down divers Considerations in Answer to a Petition directed to the King by the same Author in the Book aforesaid concerning Church-Government and concerning the making and sending forth Ministers and concerning the True Prophets and True Ministers and the False and how they are distinguished in their Call Maintenance and Fractises and that none ought to suffer death of Body or be killed or spoiled in Person or Estate though they may err in their mindes in the knowledge and Judgment of spiritual things All which is soberly presented to the King and His Council for Them to consider The Epistle to the King and his Council KNow ye That it is Righteousness Iustice Mercy and Truth and the fear of the Lord God it is the doing hereof and the walking herein in which you onely may be truly honourable I say if you do these things if you fear the God of Heaven and depart from all Iniquity and if you be doers of Iustice and Mercy and if ye break the yoke of cruel Oppressions and let the oppressed go free then are you worthy to be honoured both in the sight of God and men if so be that you are possessed with the nature I mean with Righteousness Iustice Mercy and Truth then you deserve the name but not otherwise for if Unrighteousness Injustice and Falshood dwell with you and be brought forth by you then are you not honourable to God neither can his servant in feignedness and flattery give the name unto you but and if I should give flattering titles unto you I should provoke the Lord to wrath against me though yet I gained your favour but I have rather chosen to speak the truth from my heart in Righteousness and to be well-pleasing unto the God of Heaven then with flattering Lips and a deceitfull Tongue be a man-pleaser while I grieve the Spirit of the Lord and the chief desire of my heart is to keep my conscience clear in all things though I should gain the displeasure of you and the most eminent accounted of men And if you shall say who art thou I must answer That I am a Servant of the great God of Heaven and Earth him I fear and before his presence I tremble I fear not him that can but kill the Body I flatter not any by feigned words for I regard not the love or hatred of this World I have not learned to practise a flattering tongue nor can I use it towards you or any upon the Earth but words of truth and righteousness are my delight and the dialect of my native Countrey and the characters thereof are not in the eloquency of words of mans wisdom but to demonstrate by the Spirit of the Lord in plainness and soberness with more respect to please the Lord then to please men Thus am I known among my Familiars and thus I desire only to be known unto you not in words only but in substance not in flattery but in an upright heart And this my present occasion thus to write unto you is even in as much as we have been accused even to the King by one George Willington of the City of Bristoll in a Book of his directed to the King even therefore is it that I have taken in hand to answer and publish a defence against his Charge with some sober Considerations chiefly laid down and directed even to the King that he may consider them and my hopes are that he and you of his Council will read and consider the Defence as well as the Charge against us assuredly knowing that it is good reason and equity for you so to do and may prove also of good consequence to you so to do for if the King should receive mis-informations and thereupon proceed in Iudgement Oh what pits and snares of danger did he run himself into even to destroy himself Now to the intent that he and you may be better informed in some particulars concerning us about which we are charged and accused and that you might know the truth and
called Quakers And why they testifie against the Vain Customs and Practices of the World presented to the Parliament Anno 1659. p. 499. An Answer to a Great Cry up and down the Nation That the Quakers Meetings must be broken and suppressed and that this present Parliament intended to do it p. 502. A Cry of great Iudgment and Vengeance upon the Wicked near to be Executed as it was received from the Lord into his Servant E. B. p. 504. To the Rulers and to such as are in Authority Being a true and faithful Testimony concerning Religion and the Establishment thereof and sheweth How it may be established in Persons and Nations page 508. Satan's Design Defeated Being an Answer to a Manuscript sent by Priest Jackson of Sussex to a Member of Parliament p. 514. A Visitation and Warning proclaimed and an Alarum sounded in the Pope's Borders Beeing 1. The Account of a Iourney to Dunkirk p. 525. 2. A Letter to the Deputy Governour p. 527. 3. Queries to the Fryars p. 529. 4. Propositions as a Charge against the Romish Church with a Letter to the chief Iesuit Rector in Dunkirk p. 534. 5. A Warning to the Officers and Souldiers of the English Army p. 537. 6. Some Propositions to the English Priests p. 541. Good Counsel and Advice rejected by Dissobedient Men and the dayes of O. Cromwell passed over and of Richard Cromwell his Son late Protectors of these Nations Shewing the many precious Warnings neglected by them which from time to time were given to them p. 551. To the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England sitting in the year 1659. a Warnining to them to take off Oppression that Truth and Righteousness might be established in the Earth p. 592. A Message to the present Rulers of England Delivered to them in the year 1659. p. 588. To the present Distracted and Broken Nation of England Being a Mourning and Lamentation for the Confusions and Distractions that were then over the Land giving good Counsel and Advice how Peace might be restored p. 598. A Presentation to London Being an Answer to the Young Men and Apprenteces returned to some part of their Petition directed by them to the â—â—yor and Aldermen of the City p. 607. To the present Assembly Members of Parliament at Westminster presented to them in the 11th Moneth 1659. p. 612. An Answer to a Declaration of the People called Anabaptists in and about the City of London p. 615. An Answer to a great Cry The Quakers will soon fall c. p. 623. A Discovery of some part of the War between the Kingdom of the Lamb and the Kingdom of Antichrist Being an Account of several Disputes between E. B. and one Christopher Fowler a professed Minister in London p. 625. A Return to the Ministers of London By way of Answer to their Seasonable Exhortation so called directed to their Congregations p. 642. A Visitation and Presentation of Love unto the King and those called Royalists Consisting of 1. An Answer to several Queries proposed to the People called Quakers from a sâ—â—sed Royalist p. 667. 2. An Objection answered concerning the King's Supremacy p. 678. 3. An Epistle directed to the King and those called Royalists p. 679. 4. Certain Queries returned to them called Royalists to answer p. 684. A Testimony concerning the Book of Common-Prayer so called Being an Answer to an Objection Whether it be not in it self and as practiced in this Nation heretofore and at this present the true Worship of the true and living God p. 693. A Presentation of wholsome Informations unto the King of England Being an Answer to certain Accusations charged before him in a Printed Book called The Thrice Happy Welcome of King Charles the Second by one Geo. Wellington of Bristol City against them whom in Derision the Accuser calls Quakers p. 702. The Everlasting Gospel of Repentance and Remission of Sins held forth and declared to the Inhabitants of the Earth Being a Message of Reconciliation to all People every where in General with certain Propositions of Faith laid down which every one must believe or else they cannot be saved p 724. 732. A Vindication of the People of God called Quakers Being an Answer to a Book put forth by one Geo. Pressick of Dublin in Ireland in which many Lyes and Caluâ—…nies were written against the People of God p. 743. Some Considerations presented to the King of England Being an Answer to a Petition and Address of the General Court of Boston in New-England subscribed by John Indicot delivered to the King in the 11th Moneth 1660. thinking thereby to cover themselves from the Blood of the Innocent p 756. A Just and Righteous Plea presentented unto the King of England and his Counsel Being the true State of the present Case of the People called Quakers 1. Concerning Swearing at all and particularly of the Oath of Allegiance p. 773. 2. Concerning Meeting together to Worship God p. 776. 3. Concerning Tythes among the Jews and among the Christians and why we refuse to pay them at this day p. 779. 4. Concerning giving Security by Bond to live Peaceably or to answer Accusations then and there c. p. 782. 5. Concerning Gâ—â—ernment it self and particularly of this present Government p. 784. 6. Concerning Persecution what it is in it self and how great an Enemy it is to the King and his Government laid down in ten Particulars p. 787. Persecution Impeached as a Traytor against God his Laws and Government Being a Vindication of the Cause of the Ancient Martyrs against the Cruelty inflicted on them by the Papists in former dayes containing an Answer to a Book called Semper Iidem or A Paralel of Phanaticks wherein several of the Martyrs are vilified and and reproached by the Name and Term of Ancient Phanaticks p. 793. The Case of Free Liberty of Conscience in the exercise of Faith and Religion Presented unto the King and both Houses of Parliament Declaring it absolutely needful for them to grant it and shewing the woful Effects and ill Consequence which will infallibly follow upon the contrary to the Misery and Destruction of these Nations p. 813. A Discovery of Divine Mysteries Wherein is unfolded the secret things of the Kingdom of God Being a Testimony 1. Concerning Life and Death with their several Fruits and Effects distinguished p. 823. 2. Concerning the Mystery of God and Godliness and concerning the Mystery the Devil and Iniquity p. 827. 3. Concerning true Liberty of Conscience what it is in it self and how it is obtained and what the true Guide and Rule is of the Exercise of Conscience p. 830. 4. Concerning the Diversity of Iudgments in Religion p. 834. Antichrist's Government Justly Detected of Unrighteousness Injustice c. Shewed and declared 1. In the Case of Imposing upon Conscience in Matters Religious by Force of outward Violence or Pains and Penalties on the Persons and Estates of Men p. 850. 2. In the Case of Heresie shewing what it is in it self who
The MEMORABLE WORKS Of a SON of THUNDER AND CONSOLATION Namely That True Prophet and Faithful Servant of God and Sufferer for the Testimony of JESUS Edward Burroughs Who Dyed a Prisoner for the WORD of GOD in the City of LONDON the Fourteenth of the Twelfth Moneth 1662. The Righteous shall be had in Everlasting Remembrance Psa. 112. 6. And they that be Wise shall shine as the Firmament and they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars forever and ever Dan. 12. 3. In the sight of the Unwise they seemed to dye and their Departure was taken for Misery and their going from us to be utter Destruction but they are in Peace For though they be Punished in the sight of Men yet is their Hope full of Immortality Wisd. 3. 2 3 4 5. 5. 4 5. Being Dead yet speaketh Heb. 11. 4. Printed and Published for the good and benefit of Generations to come in the Year 1672. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY To the People of God In Derision called QUAKERS The Publisher of this Volumn wisheth all Peace and Prosperity in the Lord. Dear Friends I Having had much Exercise and care upon me in Collecting and for the Publishing these Books in this Volumn at length after much Travel Diligence for the effecting this Impression they are through the Assistance and Providence of God as I may well say brought forth and finished for you and your Children and such as are moderate and well-affected who shall desire any of them The reason why this Work hath been so long unfinished was partly the difficulty of Printing and partly it being also thus voluminous and weighty and partly since I began the Printing of this many other things of Truth 's Concernment intervened which required expedition in the publication howbeit this Work hath long lain as a matter of weight upon my spirit to use my utmost endeavours for its accomplishment and greater desires thereof could not be in any of you then in my own particular I having Travelled both to answer and serve Truth as also the desires of many Friends herein whom also I have been willing and desirous to serve in that true Love which stands in the Life and Truth of our God who requires faithfulness of us all that we may remain living Witnesses in our several Places this short time of our Pilgrimage and in the end lay down our Heads in Peace and Assurance of a Crown of Life and Glory as our Everlasting Reward for this is the End that crowns all The Diligence and Works of the Faithful And I having been an Eye and Ear Witness of the Faithfulness Valour and Courage of this Faithful Servant and Prophet of the Lord E. B. in his powerful Testimony and effectual Ministry which the Lord did bless with a very Glorious Success unto me and many more have found my self the more oblieged for the divulging of these his Works which though many of them were given forth in the time of his Youth soon after the Lord first raised him up and when the discovery of Truth was in its infancy both New Strange and a Wonderment to many in our Age it being after such a long time of Darkness and Night of Apostacy yet the Power of the Lord which then broke forth was very Mighty both in him and his dear Companion in the Gospel Fr. Howgill who were sent in the beginning amongst us in this City of London where though they met with much Opposition and Gain-saying by perverse spirits and formal Professors of all sorts who denied and resisted the Power of Codliness yet the Lord so accompained these his two faithful Servants and Ministers of Righteousness as to the confounding the wisdom of the Wise and stoping the Mouthes of many contentious Opposers and convincing of Gain-sayers yea the Lord did manifest and perfect his Strength through Weakness even through Instruments dispised and coutemptable in the Eyes of the Proud and Exalted of the World out of the Mouthes of Babes did the Lord ordain Strength and through Simplicity did his wisdom speak both in this his faithful Witness E. B. and divers other in the beginning So that let none contemn the honest Plainness and harmless Simplicity of any of his first Writtings or Books here inserted for many are living Witnesses that the Power and Wisdom of God did then even while he was young and tender every way appear and shew it self in him through such plainness and Simplicity to the confounding and overturning the wisdom of many that were high and lofty who conceited themselves wise with their opposition of science falsly so called And it may not be unnecessary for Friends and their Children to read and peruse these Testimonies Informations and Vindication of Truth where they are in way of Controversie with many others of like nature given forth by the Servants of the Lord in Truth 's Vindication the Perusal and Reading thereof may be of Service both to you and yours you being in the Light and Inspiration of the Almighty which gives Understanding from which all Scriptures or Writings that are given are profitable to the Man of God for his Accommodation and ought not to be slighted whether they be in plain Testimonies or in Vindications and Answers For though many are come to a particular Satisfaction in the true Light which is the Rule of the Understanding and know so much of Christ as to die for him yet cannot so well dispute for him though that be necessary and few given up and accomplished for that Service therefore there may be need for more to apply their hearts to Wisdom as to be furnished in every respect to stand up for the Truth against its Opposers to convince Gain-sayers and stop the Mouth of Iniquity where ever it opens it self against the Righteous to pervert the right Wayes of God and his Truth since the Labours and Works of this valiant Souldier of Christ are here manifest to your view and to continue on Record as permanent Monuments of his Service for the Lord and as Tokens of God's Love to many it being also apparently manifest how plainly and eminently many of his Prophesies came to pass and were fulfilled upon the Heads of the persecuting Powers Rulers and Government of O. C. and others of that Affinity who trod in the same Path who resisted God's Power in not removing Oppression from off the Innocent It is not my place much to endeavour B's applause in many words because I cannot add to him or what he hath done thereby nor yet to his Faithfull Companion Francis Howgill or his Works which many do also desire might be Collected and Published as these are for indeed he also wrote many weighty things and of much Service to the Truth which would be a very conderable Volmun that will require both much Care Charge and Industry to publish in Print and therefore it would be of much Service to Truth if Friends would so consider the
is neither hast cleaved to it and so art raâ—ed out from the Life and from the Foundation and the Apostle who had his Commission not from man nor by man he exhorted those he preached and wrote to to take heed to the sure Word of Prophesie as unto a Light that shined in a dark place and to wait in it till the Day did dawn and the Day Star did arise and for distinguishing of that in the Conscience what it is he that is not separate from the darkness knows not how to do it But this I say unto thee as we declare unto all the Light which shines into the Conscience is the Light of Christ which he hath enlightned every one withal and it is spiritual like himself and eternal and it leads out of sin and declares against all iniquity and he that comes to own it and to be guided by it it leads out of sin to know the Cross of Christ which is a Mystery to thee and it leads to the eternal Word which was in the beginning before sin was and it will judge all thy imaginations and vain conceivings and it leads to the Inheritance incorruptible out of corruptible if thou hast an ear to hear thou mayst hear it is that which will let thee see thy vain frothy imaginations which thou hast of God and will condemn all thy vain imaginations and hating it it will be thy condemnation and there is the issue of it and all such as steals other mens words and the true Prophets words and never knew the life that was in them all such we deny and shut them up within utter darkness where they and thou art and for the glorious things that thou and thy Partner speaks of which call your selves the two last Witnesses it is manifest that your mysteries are as in thy Book and thy queries where thou putst Elect and Reprobate together and as for tryall of spirits we give liberty and exhort all that may to try and we direct them to that to try by which is infallible and eternall whereby they may see and comprehend thee and all who have not the Spirit But that they should try who have nothing to try with let all such be silent for ever for none understands the Spirit but the Spirit with which we see thee and all who stands in their imaginations are ignorant of it therefore stop thy mouth in the dust and be silent 9 Quer. Do not they that speak to a people that declares against all appearances which are contrary to his way discover himself unto a true discerning Spirit not to be of the Lord unless they can demonstrate a spiritual Commission that he hath received from Heaven by voyce of words through the glorious mouth of the Lord so that no mortal man can disprove him though few for want of understanding receive him Ans. The Way that leads to the Father is but one which is Christ and he that declares from him made manifest in him declares against all Sects and Opinions that which thou calls appearances and the Way is one and the Truth one where there is no rent nor division and he that dwels in the life hath discerning and he that witnesses the annointing discerns he is able to judge and discern and in that thou art seen who wouldst sit on the throne but thou must come down and lick the dust dust is the Serpents meat and they who had their Commission from God and have their Commission from God now they were made manifest to every mans Conscience in the sight of God and this we witness this the Scripture witnesseth and he that believes hath the witness in himself and the father bears witness and they witness the voice of the Lord which is spiritual speaking to them and they declare from that which is spiritual to the Consciences of Gainsayers and this is witnessed but thy voice of words is carnal and is denyed and who art thou made manifest unto that which is mortal cannot discern and disprove thee but that which is immortal can and they who are guided by the immortal denies thee and will receive none of thy Testimony because it is not the same which the holy men of God witnessed and doth now witness which voice shakes the Wilderness and rents the Rocks and makes the Earth to reel to and fro but to thee this is a mystery and sealed 10. Again he that speaketh of an invisible spiritual God or Christ living in the Consciences or Spirits of men thou sayst He questions the truth of all the Scripture records concerning the Life Death and Resurrection and Ascension of the blessed Body of Christ into the Throne of his Immortal Glory And doth he not question Whether the Consciences of the Saints being sprinkled with the Blood of Iesus which dyed without the Gates of Jerusalem are purified from the pollutions of the Flesh and Spirit doth he not question the Resurrection of the Souls and Bodies out of the Earth at the last Day Answ. Here again thou hast made thy shame and ignorance manifest and knows not so much as the Letter of the Scripture Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ not by the will of man and a Minister of the Everlasting God he witnessed the Son of God revealed in him and he said Know ye not that Christ is in you or else you are Reprobates And Christ is not divided And he that is joyned to the Lord is onâ— Spirit And I and my Father are one And where Christ dwells the Father dwells And if thou hast an ear to hear thou mayst â—ear and if the same Spirit be not in you that raised Christ from the dead you are none of his and he that declared these things spake of a spiritual Christ and an invisible God and who shall ascend up to Heaven the word is nigh in thy mouth and in thy heart and this is the same Christ that suffered without the Gate at Ierusalem and no other which Paul travelled till he was born in them if thou hast an ear thou mayst hear and the Apostle did not question the Scripture records for they spoke it and recorded it and they witnessed the Life of Christ and his Death and Resurrection and Ascension and they witnessed him ascended above Thrones and Dominions and to sit at the right-hand of the Father and we witness the same Christ made manifest in us and his Resurrection not because Paul said so but we have seen it and are Witnesses of it the same that ever was the same that did Ascend the same did ascend this is a riddle unto thee and seven seals is upon it and thou that queriest shall never see them opened and they who had Christ in them and the Father and the Son supping with them they had their Consciences sprinkled and none else for his blood thou knowst not and so I say unto thee thou art not sprinkled nor thy Conscience purified from dead works and they who know
stands in time and in the airy Philosophy and imagination and thy great words etetnity and eternities shall stand thee in no stead for that which is Eternal was before thou wast and shall be when thou art brought down to the pit with all thy imaginations And so that thou mightst not glory any more in thy shame I have answered thy Queries and for the simple ones sake that they might not be stumbled by thy stumbling queries who dwellâ— not in the Light EDWARD BURROUGH An Answer to a Book called Choice Experiences Given forth by I. Turner Also the Copy of a Letter sent to the Assembly of those that are called Anabaptists in Newcastle I Have met with a Book called Choice experiences given forth by one J. Turner who by Iohn Spilsbery in his Epistle is called a Daughter of Syon and her self declareth in the 109. pag. of her Book of being brought out of Babylon into Syon but all along through her Book heâ— language is one and the same before her comming out of Babylon and in Syon as she saith her language is the language of Babylon wholly and she is yet a servant in bondage in Babylon unto the Mistress of Witchcraft and never came to witnesâ— freedom in Syon for I know her voyce it s the language of her City where she now dwells which is in confusion in Babylon And whereas she declares of some particulars which she calls Decâ—its whereby she was deceived in the 109. pag. in that which she calls the fifth note of experience concerning notions and pretended spiritualities in which Satan transforms hiâ—self into an Angel of light and how the Lord was pleased to recover her out of deceit I answer It is plain to the spiritual man which discerns of truth and deceit that she is yet deceived and unrecovered out of deceit and here I charge her that she belyes the Lord for he hath not recovered her out of deceit for she hath resisted him in that work as is made appear in her Book and she is now in notion and not in power and in pretended spiritualities and not really in the Spirit and Satan is now transformed in her into an Angel of light by which she is deceived and whereas she talkes of her choice experienâ—es death yet raigns in her and is no whit subdued I speak as in the presence of the Lord who am moved to lay open her deceit to the simple who doth blaspheme the God of Heaven in his Saints in calling Truth error and calling that deceit which by the Spirit of the Lord I own to be truth and calls those corrupt Principles which were owned by the Servants of the Lord in former Generations and which are owned now by them which witness the same Spirit which Spirit of Christ she makes appear she knows not who hath denied him and salvation by him within Whereas she speaks of Satan envying her happiness and waits his opportunity to catch her as a Fish in the Water covering his book with a baite of Mystery and spirituality I answer She is yet in the power of Satan he hath already catched her with his covered hook which is covered with a very fair out side a fair Form of Truth a likeness of it with the likeness of a Church and of a Baptism and of a Fellowship c. is she beguiled already and is unhappy through the opportunities which the Devil hath waited over her for she it under the curse lying in the fall and enmity And whereas she speaks Of having escaped him in his former appearances as a Devil yet now transforms himself as an Angel of light I answer She hath not escaped him as a Devil and here she is a Lyar for his appearance is in her in lying and in speaking evil of those things she knows not and he is transformed in her as an Angel of light but she knows it not but lyes in darkness in the mystery of iniquity in notion and the pretence of spirituality And she saith Those that are so deceived are the fittest Agents to promote his Kingdom I answer Here it is made manifest she who is deceived by the Devil doth much promote his Kingdom by strengthening the hands of evil doers who through her writing hardens their hearts against the truth Whereas she speaks Of Satans drawing persons by corrupt principles which they would have trembled at the thought of before they had such principles I answer This is her own condition she is drawn by Satan to follow corrupâ— principles which if she did see she would tremble at the sight of them And she saith God was not onely pleased to keep her from such things but to discover the way by which persons are brought to such things I answer Here again I charge her that sâ—e belies the Lord which is Blasphemy for he hath not kept her from corrupt Principles he would but she hath resisted him and the discovery from God to her will be plagues and wo for death and darkness raigns which makes manifest themselves in her which is her discovery She speaks of avoiding those ways and forewarning others to avoid them likewise I answer She hath not avoyded the wayes of darkness but hath chosen them and hath avoyded the way of truth as is made manifest who hath denied salvation by Christ within and as she hath avoyded the way of truth her self so she casts a stumbling-block in the way of the simple to avoyed it likewise Whereas she speaks of discovering Satan under these vails and saith by barkening to the voyce of the Tempter she was deceived and beguiled by him in some particular things I answer Satan is not yet discovered to her but lyes under his vayle in Flesh deceiving her and by her bearkening to the voyce of the Tempter she is now deceived by him not in few things but in many I speak it as in the presence of the Lord who shall judge of her and me And she speaks of ever being humbled in the presence of God for it I answer When the dreadfull God shews his presence she cannot stand but shall be confounded who doth here speak to the dishonour of his Name True humility she knows not for the man of sin is exalted in her above all that is called God And whereas she speaks of beginning to be somewhat confused in her judgement and she speaks of not being swallowed up with confusion I answer She is in confusion and hath never been out of it as to every single eye may appear she is not only somewhat in confusion but is rowled and swallowed up in it and it is long since it began in her Whereas she speaks of being weak in Principles I answer It it true the Principle which is of God is and hath been weak in her for it is over-powred by the Principle of Deceit which is not weak but strong and which rules and Guides her in her own will Whereas she speaks of being with a
enviousness might be laid open to the simple And truly I say unto you you have and will miss of your end in putting forth this Book of yours And whereas you say you shall be willing at any time to vindicate every conclusion therein contained against any that shall oppose I answer I challenge you all in this particular to prove those accusations which you have laid to our charge whom you call Quakers in many particulars which before I have demanded what they are is before spoken of And whereas you say you account that light within not witnessed by the Scripture without which some so much talk of to be deep darkness I answer if you know any who speak of any Light which the Scripture doth not witness of we with you freely declare against such and such a light is darkness but the Light of Christ which we speak of which hath enlightned every one that cometh into the world I hope you are not so impudent but you will acknowledge that the Scriptures speaks of this light and dare not deny but that the Scripture witnesses that Christ is the Light of the word for as I said we freely give way and desire that all might search the Scripture whether these things be not so as we declare And whereas you say and exhort to let the Scripture be the rule of faith and practice I Answ. Here you would alwayes keep people in darkeness under your teaching and would make void the new Covenant which is the Law written in the heart and the Spirit of the Lord put in the inward parts to be the rule and guide of the Saints for who walks by the rule without them and teaches men so to do would make void the Covenant of life and peace where the Teacher is not removed into a corner which Teacher all that have faith and an holy Conversation do witness which teaches not contrary to what the Scripture speak but is a teaching and fulfilling of the Scripture and an establishing of it though thou and many may profess the teaching of the Scripture and may in your own wills conform unto it in the outward appearance as the Pharisees did and yet be but Hypocrites and deceived as they were and I say again that faith was before the Scripture was written which faith is declared of in the Scripture which faith comes as is manifested by hearing of the word preached which word is even in the mouth and in the heart if you have an ear you may hear and now I advise you all in the Name of the Lord to cease striving and contending against the truth for verily the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands will dash your image of many mixtures to peices and it falling upon you will grinde you to powder and your conforming the outward man to an outward thing and teaching men so to do and limitting and tying the Holy one to a visible thing will not cover you in the Day of the Lord nay verily though concerning the Scripture without you may walk blameless yet one thing will be found lacking even the cross of Jesus Christ by which all sin is crucified in them who walk in it and I say unto you that your covering is to narrow and it will not hide your secret parts for in the eternall Light of Christ you are seen and comprehended your beginning your time and your end for though you have the Scriptures and Jewish like walks up in the outward appearance of them crying up the Ordinances and Churches yet your praise is of men and not of God for you are enemies to the life of the Scriptures as is made appear by your many Lyes and Slanders against us which you have uttered and I say return your minds every one within to that in your own consciences which reproves you in secret for your secret iniquities it will let you see where your hearts are and how far they are mortified to the world and the love of it and this light wherewith every one of you is enlightned is the Light of Christ and it is the Lords true Witness and shall witness for him eternally against all whose deeds are evil who walk in disobedience of it and all who love it and walk in it it leads unto Christ and into all purity and holiness and uprightness of heart towards God and man and this light leads unto justification all tâ—eâ— who are taught by it and herâ— is your Teacher loving it and your condemnation eternally continuing to hate it And thus I have answered thy Book and the Truth is witnessed and many false Lyes and false Accusations denied and testified against and thus I rest waiting for an answer to clear thy self if thou art able of those things which I haâ—e denied which thou hast charged upon us for God is my Witness this I do desire that Truth may be made manifest and imbraced and Deceit and Errour discovered and denied By one who is a Witness against the Deceits of the World called Edward Burrough TO THE Camp of the Lord IN ENGLAND TO all you Called Chosen Elected and Beloved of the Lord who are of the Circumcision made without hands of the Seed of Abraham who are Iews indeed not after the flesh but in the Spirit unto whom belongs the Everlasting Promise and Covenant which God hath and is fulfilling in you and establishing with you We your Fellow-Citizens of the Heavenly Ierusalem which is the Mother of us all and of the same Body and of the same Seed and same Birth begotten and brought forth by the immortal Word of Life which lives for ever do send greeting and do imbrace you in the Arms of our Beloved who is and is to come God blessed for ever You who are called Quakers who are so not onely in word nor in shew but in Life and in Power whom God hath called chosen to place his Name in and to take up his Habitation among above all the Families of the Earth the Tabernacle of God is with you and his Dwelling-place is among you and onely among you is God known and his Name is great in your Assemblies We who are of the same Root and Off-spring do bring in our witness and do set to our seal That God of a truth is with you and among you and he is the God of the living that answers by Fire he is I am and there is none besides him the First and the Last the Beginning and the End of all things Praise him for ever ye Redeemed of him lift up your heads your Redemer is come clap your hands and shout for joy and let the everlasting Praises of God be in your mouthes for ever and ever Exalt ye his Name above all gods and glorifie him in the sight of all the Heathen and let his marvellous Works stand upon Record from Generation to Generation Wonderful hath his Work been among you and that my soul knows right well
any Creature was made and the whole World is comprehended and mans state in his first Creation is here known what it was and mans state in Transgression is also known what it was and mans state restored again is also witnessed and the difference perceived betwixt the first Adam which was overcome of the Devil though he was innocent and without sin and bore the likeness of his Maker and of the second Adam who cannot be overcome of the Devil whom Satan hath nothing in who is the express Image of the Creator it self He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard it hath not entred into the heart of man that which the Father hath revealed by his Spirit things not lawful to be uttered of which there is no declaring that which is Infinite Endless Eternal and in this I shall end By one who hath measured and viewed in true Iudgment the condition of all Mankind who is a Lover of Souls and a Friend to the Creation of God known in England by the name of EDWARD BURROUGH London the 6th of the 3d Moneth 1656. Truth Defended OR CERTAIN ACCUSATIONS ANSWERED CAST Upon us who are called Quakers by the Teachers of the World and the People of this Generation WITH A clear Discovery who are the false Prophets and when they came in and how they may be known and who they are that deny Christ and that preach another Gospel and who deny the Scriptures Churches Ministers and Magistrates whereby the Magistrates and People of this Nation may see they justifie that which the Scripture condemns and condemns that which the holy men of God justified and may read their example and our example through the Scriptures The Epistle To all you who call your selves Ministers of the Gospel and all People in all Relations under what form of Worship soever in England or in all the World whâ— profess your selves Christians THe mighty day of the Lord is come according as he promised of old and this day is witnessed wherein he is establishing his Mountain and exalting it above all Mountains and is gathering his People which have been scattered in the dark and loâ—â— Night of Apostacy which Christ and his Apostles saw coming into the Churcâ—… then and hath had dominion long over the World and hath reigned till now and reigns nâ—â— in all the Professors in all Forms every where But now the time is come wherein the Kingdâ—… of the World are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ and thousands witness it to the praise of his everlasting Name And therefore the Nations are angry and 〈◊〉 Pâ—inces of the Earth because Michael one Prince is arisen to plead with all who make 〈◊〉 against him And now Herod and Pilate and all Jerusalem are in an uproar and Ammâ—â— and Amaleck and the Egyptians and the Philistines are joyned now against him And all you who live in Forms and know not the Power do now persecute and joyn your selves tâ—gether being in the same nature as the Persecutors of old which were born after the Flesh. And now you Sons of Bondage and of Hagar are to be cast out and now you are all 〈◊〉 manifest that you are in the Flesh for all your Bows are bent and all your Arrows are 〈◊〉 at a People which are accounted by you as the filth of the World and as the off-scouring of all things whom the World calls Quakers in whose foreheads is written the Name of the living God and unto you I say that make war against them and now take part with the Dragâ—â— against the Lamb you shall all drink of the Cup of Fury and indignation of the Lord 〈◊〉 unto the Living God who is holy and jealous for his own Glory and Name which hath manifested his Mind and Will by his eternal Spirit unto us shall you all bow and stoop For now the Lord hath rent the Vail of the Covering which hath been spread over 〈◊〉 the Nations in all Professions and you are all seen by the ternal Eye which is opened in thousands even all from the highest to the lowest who have stolâ—n and painted your selves with 〈◊〉 â—ens words And all your Images which you have set up and all your traditions from â—en in which you have walked are all seen to be stubble and â—ill not abidâ— in the day of the Lord. And all your Churches which you have gathered together by imitation from the 〈◊〉 shall all be scattered and there you all are for you all deny Revelation and say it is ceased and so you call the Letter the Light and the Word but with that which was before the Scripture you are seen and judged even with that which shall endure for ever And seeing you have cast reproach upon the Name of the God of Heaâ—â—â— and Earth whom we worâ—â—ip and which you call delusion for the truths sake are we moved to lay open your â—akedness that you may be judged by that which you say is your rule Here in this Little Book thou who hast any honesty in thee or any desire of truth and wilt search the Scripture thou wilt see thâ—◠〈◊〉 the teachers of the world in all Forms and all Professors ever cryed out who had but the Form against them who had the Life and Power as you all 〈◊〉 now against them who Worship God in the Spirit and have no confidenâ—e in the flesh and therefore in this following Discoâ—rse which 〈◊〉 written by the same Spirit that gave forth the Scripture thou shalt see who are the false Prophets and who they are that preach another Gospel and who they are that deny the Scriptures and thou mayst see when the false Prophets came in and who they are clearly proved to be by their own rules And all you who call your selves Magistrates and Christians you may see your selves to hold up that which Christ the Prophets and Apostles cryed oâ—â— against and Persecute them who stand in the counsel of God and them thâ—â— Declare against all the deceit as the Holy men of God did and so you are the beast which holds up the false Prophets and those whom the Scripture declareth against God is arisen to dâ—… to pieces all them who withstand him and therefore come out of Babylon â—â—d out of all your painted forms and come to own the first Principle which will change your mindes even the Light of Christ which he hath enlightned every one withal and by it you shall see what you are doing Now if you deny this you deny the Corner-stone and you stumble and shall be broken and by thâ—â— which you call natural shall all your Image of gold and silver and all your mixed invented worship be dashed to pieces and 〈◊〉 for the Pit Therefore all be silent and speak not evil of those thingâ— you know not for now you are all seen you who say you are â—â—ws and are not but are of the Synagogue
a blind Ministry which leadeth not unto God but keeps in Darkness ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth And in thy Page ninteenth Thou hast put forth a Question which is How shall we know this transformed Angel of Light c To which I answer Where he rules he is not known nor discerned for the god of the World hath blinded the eye which should make him manifest and this is true in thee who art led by him and perceivest it not and art doing his work and understandest not but the brightness of the coming of the Son of Man in the Children of the Father hath discovered him in the World and in thee and though thou woulst fain put him among the Quakers yet he is found in thy own house thou endeavourest to prove thy Accusation by vain consequence and false conclusions but our Assertion is proved by the Spirit of God and stands upon thy head and shall be witnessed by the Light in thy own Conscience Now something in answer to thy Arguments and false Conclusion And thy first Argument is That the Light of the Quakers will not admit of nor endure the Trial therefore the Light of the Quakers is the light of Satan c. Answ. Thy proposition and ground of thy Argument is a Lye and so thy conclusion is to no purpose for we deny not a Trial but exhort People thereunto that they search the Scripture to see whether these things be not so and are tried by the Scriptures in Doctrine and Conversation and proved to be simple thereby to be in the Truth as it is in Jesus and are testified of in Scripture by the Holy men of God who are unto us a Cloud of Witnesses in our Faith and Life and Sufferings and Tryals c. Friend thou hast fained a Lye upon us and hast confuted thy own Lye this is an easie way to prove us Deceivers if it would stand in trial neither is thy proof That wâ— do deny tryal any wit to this purpose as I. N. against F. Harris Page the tenth which thou quotest let the honest hearted read but subtilly hast thou wrested the words to bring thy false Conclusion and Lye about to take place among the ignorant People Thy Lye is condemned and thy refuge is taken away and thou art left naked for the Destroyer Thy second Argument is The Light of the Quakers putteth out the Light of Nature therefore their Light is the light of Satan c. Thou sayest by the Light of Nature thou meanest the inward Law which God set up in the heart of all mankind châ—â—king many sins against God and man c. Answ What blind confusion is this which is uttered from thy dark mind no whit savory but stuff hardly worth stirring in and quite contradiction to thy own words Page fifteen where thou chargest us with directing to the Light in the Conscience which thou callest Natural but we call it Spiritual and this is it which cheeks the sins against God which thou sayest our Light puts out and that we preach any thing for Light which puts out this light which is the work of the Law of God written in the heart this Argument is also a Lye and so thy conclusion is made void likewise but that the Knowledge and Wisdom and Prudency of the natural man which is corrupted must be put out this we own and the Quakers Light which is the Light of Christ shall confound the Wisdom of the World and be no transgression against God nor from a light of Satan but of Christ and the proof of thy Argument is as thou sayest Wâ— deny honour to all Superiours and seemest to be greatly offended with the word Thou quoting many Scriptures against it but let the wise in heart judge thee herein none of all these Scripture will prove that ever any of the Saints gave flattering Titles unto men or spoke You to a particular Person which thou art to prove or else thou sayest nothing that the word Thou to Superiours is any denying of honour due unto them and herein thy conclusion is also false being the foundation of thy Argument is a Lye and thy Argument made up of confusion saying That Light is Natural which is the inward Law set up in the heart checking the sins against God and man this is one Lye also saying That our Light puts out the Light This is another Lye Friend if Lyes would prove us Deceivers thou wouldst accomplish it How easie a thing it is for thee to confute thy own Lyes when thou hast made them Thy third Argument is Such is the Quakers Light viz. which teacheth men to forsake the Scriptures setting up a spirit in man which shall not be examined by the Scriptures therefore it is the light of Satan c. Answ. The first part of thy Argument is a very Lye and also the last as thou hast laid it down our Light teacheth not men to forsake the Scriptures but into the fulfilling of them to walk in the Life of them and it teacheth to exalt the Spirit of God in man above all things and in its fruits and opperation may be examined by the Scriptures but it self is the Searcher of all things even of the deep things of God and this is not the Light of Satan but of Christ which teacheth men into the fulfilling of the Scriptures and to exalt the Spirit in man which gave forth the Scriptures which is the trial of all spirits and whatsoever conclusion be gathered for an Argument whereof a Lye is the foundation as of this the conclusion must needs be vain and a Lye like its foundation And in thy proof of the major position thou sayest The Scriptures are left by God to be your Light and Rule c. And the Scriptures say Christ is the Light the Way the Truth and the Life and so the Rule and so thou hast set up the Scriptures above Christ and by thy lying spirit crosseth the Scriptures but thou art accustomed to Lye and so art expert therein And thou sayest Christ bids you seâ—â—câ— the Scriptures Iohn 5. 39. It is true he bids the Pharisees who had not Christ Word abiding in them and who had not heard God's Voice nor seen his Shape but persecuted Christ them he bad search the Scriptures and justly hast thou thrâ—â—â— in thy self among the Pharisees and so art an Enemy to Christ according to thy own confession And for the proof of the minor position thou hast not at at 〈◊〉 proved by any way of the Books quoted thy proposition That the Quakers Ligâ—â— teacheth men to forsake the Scriptures c. Let the wise in heart judge And thou sayst But to speak truly The Quakers make nothing of Scriptures c. This is the very falsness and of thy lying tongue and no truth in it and a Question here I ask Whether he be the more guilty of forsaking Scriptures which live the Life thereof
have I not spoken the truth and have I not said well herein for you are joyned with all the wicked in the Nation and as Lyars and Swearers and Drunkards persecutes with violence and as the proud and wanton are filled with scorning and singing wicked rimes in the streets even so also are you come in Print and all of you against them called Quakers the Drunkards and Swearers they beat them and abuse them and cast them as for dead into Ditches with stoning in the high wayes and in the streets beating down with Staves and the wanton they sing there rimes in scorn in Ale-houses and Taverns against them and thou and thy Fellowes and Generation appears in open Print slandering and reviling them yet in pretence of zeal for God and all this you do against us who have the witness that we are of God and that the whole World Lyes in wickedness and now are not you all joyned as an Army and do you not shew your selves in the defence of the Draggon what wrong I have done you let the upright in heart judge whether I have given false testimony against you or no and though you have noted it for a Lye in the Margent yet the Lye is thy own who hath gain-said the Truth herein and called it a Lye and I have dealt justly with thee in the sight of God and all that know him and when the Book of thy Conscience is opened thou shalt also confess to this thing when thou standest condemned with them with whom thou art now joyned against us who have the testimony that we are of God and worshippers of the Father in the Spirit and Truth and my words were spoken by the Spirit of the Lord and that in thy Conscience shall witness them in the day of the Lord though now thou opprobriously sayst they are flung into the wind And whereas thou seemest to be greatly offended that I should say part of the first Book is a Corrupted grain of Babylons treasure c. But have not I spoken the Truth herein also when I say I have numbered 〈◊〉 part of your work and this is the sum thereof that part which I have numbered viz. your Lyes and false Reproaches against the Quakers is a corrupted grain yea and of Babylons treasure too I am not ashamed of my words though thou wouldst defend your work by saying Your discourse was of the Birth Righteousness Death Blood c. And of the second coming of the Son of Mary c. To which I say these things and the knowledge of them by the Spirit of God is not counted by me Corrupted nor of Babylon though now I answer as in my last the words I own but thy voice I deny and knows it to be the voice of the stranger and for this saying have I not nor never shall have any burthen upon my Conscience though thou wouldst say it but 't is cleared in the sight of God even though I say all that thou speakest I deny or thy speaking of any thing of the Kingdom of God with thy lying spirit And whereas thou art offended that I should say you are described to be the Flock of Ishmael and of the seed of Cain whose line reacheth to the murdering Priests c. And thou sayst I am very sensorious and utterest many word without knowledge c. Reply Yea your words doth describe your nature for by your voice I know you to be none of Christs sheep and accordingly I judge in just judgement and in true knowledge and doth not falsly sensure nor utter words voi◠of knowledge and my words shall be witnessed by you in the day of the Lord Envy is of Cains nature and seed and in that you are and Lyars are of Ishmaels stock and you are guilty of that let the sober Reader try and you are among the murdering Priests party and close joyned to them in Doctrine and practise especially in writing against us Now no wrong have I done you that thou needest to be troubled and seek to cover your selves by thy fair words in thy answer as if you were righteous but all will not hide you your works make you manifest to be no less then what I have said of you Then farther thou art hot against me in that I say you are found Enemies to Christ revealed in his Saints and this thou hast noted it in the Margent for false but thou dost not well to be angry it is true what I have spoken thy own words do prove it in saying there was nothing in thee to be taken notice of this was a denying of Christ within and such as deny him are found Enemies to him within So the Lye is thy own who hast denyed Truth let the wise Reader judge and thy many words in a pretending Answer will not cover you from the guilt of what I have charged upon you and not falsly and what I have said hitherto is true and not false though thou feigningly say Thou marvels I should be so overseen as to utter so many false things in so little a space nay my understanding was open when I wrot forth that Book at which thou art so tormented that it hath caused thee some Moneths travel in anguish to clear thy self and yet cannot be at rest and thou art over-seen who resists the reproof of thy Wickedness Then thou goest about to justifie thy Brother Burtons words who wickedly laid it down as thou impudently goest to justifie it who joyned in his Accusation and slanders Quakers with Ranters and this wouldst thou justifie we are one against my just Answer which denied them in the fourth page of my first where I said Between Quakers and Ranters there is no more union c. then betwixt Light and Darkness Good and Evil and that Answer stands untouched by thee and is true and in justifying Iohn Burtons wicked Slander thou art more wicked in comparing the Principles and sayst it will appear they agree in one c. Viz. That the Quakers deny Christ to be a real Man Secondly that they fancy him to be God manifest in their flesh Thirdly that they make his humane nature with the fulness of the Godhead to be but a type of God these thing were charged upon us But what a wicked course hast thou taken to clear him by adding thy own wickedness let all consider that reads for doe not I desire in plainness in my first in these words if thou darest lay the Charge only upon the Quakers write in plainness and bring testimony of thy Accusation and thou mayst receive a farther answer but not a word in plain answer to this is returned though soberly desired neither time nor place nor witnesses evidenced to clear your selves of your first Slanders which had been more honest then to have slandered afresh passing over your first but it seems you cannot clear your selves in honesty and so fulfill your wickedness by adding to your Lyes and Slanders as
Spirit is given to eveâ—… man this thou hast catched at and wouldst prove it unsound but truth is oâ—… thee and both these are true and further I say that Christ is given unto 〈◊〉 World yea to all but all receives him not and they that do not receive him 〈◊〉 Reprobates though he be given but not received and the folly and figâ—… against truth is in thy self who says it is contrary to the Scriptures to say 〈◊〉 Spirit is given to every one thou here lyest of the Scripture as it s proved 〈◊〉 I do not befool my self in saying the words or some of them I own in 〈◊〉 Book though I have written against the Book for though thou speak Châ—… words and the Apostles words yet thy voice is the strangers and thy 〈◊〉 I deny what ever words thou speakst and is not bafooling my self and 〈◊〉 I could justly end my discourse and what is said is sufficient to manifest thee and me to the honest Reader And thus far thy weapons of Slanders are broken and thy refuge of Lyes are layd waste and this also is cast by as our spoyled prey of Babylâ—â—s treasure and trampled upon and know that we are of God and be that is of God heareth us and to our God shall all bow and before him tremble And whereas thou seemest to be greatly offended and stumbling very much at my answers to thy Queries because thy carnall conceptions is not satisfied nor thy vain minde gratified having as thou thinkst great occasion against me thereby which causes thy mouth to be opened in vapouring words aloft against the simplicity of the Gospel not understanding my words for the things of the Kingdom of God is a parable to thee and sealed from thee never to be known in the reason in which thou judgest But in short thus I Reply I did not purpose to answer fully to them to feed any mans wisdom with my knowledge of the things of Gods Kingdom for the Queries were not fully directed to the Quakers so that quench thy anger and according to my answer go seek a further answer or else be thou still unsatisfied from them who are led with a spirit of delusion for such a direction requires no full answer from me nor any of us who are in the truth and not in the delusion neither did I purpose nor do I at any time to answer fully to such things as are directed in a great part to others I am not a servant especially to them that are led with a spirit of delusion to fufil thy will But yet the short answers that I gave which was not in the behalf of delusion but for the truths sake I still own though thou cannot understand them but products many bad lying wicked consequences from them and my purpose was not to feed thy foolish wisdom in answering nor to satisfie thy reason to receive praise from thee or any man for so I know it must be in hearing and seeing thou must not perceive nor understand who art of the Generation hardened and in parable is the Kingdom of Heaven unto thee and I rejoyce the rather in being a stumbling to thee in that state wherein thou standed then that I should have gratified thee for I seek not nor receives honour from man in what I do but is covered from the Worlds knowledge and know this if thou cannot receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a little leaven thou shalt never know it But yet how wicked art thou in this also though not understanding me in what I said yet so fouly wronging me with above 30. false charges and slanders from my words which thou reaches not the knowledge of so it will be enough Reply to sum up thy Lyes and send them back to thee to seek them out and an evidence for them and the Querys and my Answers shall stand as they are to be judged of by honest men while we are both silent in our own cause they are to be seen at large in my first Book The true faith of the Gospel contended for c. in the 26 27 28 pages And whereas further I speak at the end of my Answers of Christ within the hope of glory and said it is that mystery which long hath been hid from Ages but now is made manifest and declared and though the wise of this World cannot receive it but speaks evil against it yet it is dear unto us and so much more precious because despised by such as him and such things are a testimony to us and against you viz. our Enemies c. As in my 29. Page of my first may be sâ—en and most wickedly this or part of it he calls babling and says he passes by it O horrible impudency What marvel that he should so belye me when as he hath called the very Scripture truth spoken forth in righteousness bablings and these things I leave the Reader to Judge of and all his Lyes thrown upon 〈◊〉 â—â—pudently and consider what ground this man hath from my answers to be seen in my first Book to broach out and belch out such a number of Lyes and Slanders in five sides of paper not any one of them charged against me falsly were spoken by me or ever in my thoughts to speak or ground given by any of my words for such productions as it is seen what lodges in the heart of such a Fellow even desperate wickedness who is without any 〈◊〉 or honesty who dare utter such things against the upright who hates not his Enemies but while I am clear in the sight of God from all his false Slanders I matter not what Iohn Bunion says of me who is as a man given up to wickedness who in less then a sheet of paper hath uttered thirty Lyes or more which I may particularly manifest before he can find evidence a great wickedness 〈◊〉 this mans Converts be good while himself is unconverted is he a Minister of Christ for shame let it not be told so well I beg not vengeance against him he leaves my answers to be read who will clear me from his lying consequences 〈◊〉 wickedly conceived and as wickedly uttered By one of Gogs Army against a Member of Jesus Now I come to reckon up his damnable Doctrines and errors which are contrary to the truth as will manifestly appear to him that is spiritual some of thâ—â— damnable without comparison Iohn Bunion said That Christs second coming is not his coming in Spirit for 〈◊〉 coming in Spirit is no coming He saith this or part of it is a lye made of hiâ— by me when as several Witnesses doth testifie in righteousness that those very words were spoken by him in Pauls steeple-house in Bedford Town Mâ— 23. 1656. as is witnessed and yet this man is so impudent that he deâ—â—â— what he spake or is ashamed of his words and so would cast the Lye upâ—â— me who is clear and the wickedness lies at his door and whereas he
the Prophets and Apostles who did zealously give their testimony against such as went for gifts and rewards as the Teachers of England do but this is that which he is offended at and calls it a persecuting spirit which is not so but in love to peoples souls that they may deny the evil and follow the good And that our Ancesters have persecuted to death as he saith This is also a lye and of the Devil for our Ancestors were the Saints who were called of God and were not of the World even as we are not of the World and we are persecuted but seeks not to persecute any and gives our witness faithfully against this Generation and against the sins both of Teachers and people and this I suppose is it even our zeal for the Name of the Lord against unrighteousness which he falsly calls a persecuting spirit 16. His sixteenth Reason is Some Interrogatories saith he What reasonable man should turn Quaker that sees the common fruit of their Doctrine whâ—â— good do they do where-ever they come but saith he hate both godly Teacher and people c. Ans. To this I answer The fruit of our Doctrine is begetting people to the Knowledge of God and a converting them from sin and death and from the wayes and works of unrighteousness to be the Servants of the Lord and every spiritual man doth see this to be the fruit of our doctrine It doth condemn unrighteousness and bring war and a sword upon Earth as Christs Doctrine did And this is the good where we come many are changed from wickedness rudeness and ungodliness to live soberly righteously and purely in this present World without offence towards God and men For to say We make people both to hate godly Teachers and people this is utterly false for we endeavour to bring people to the true Teacher Christ Jesus and to have fellowship with the Saints It 's true in the World our Doctrine doth make division and doth set a man at variance and doth set Father against Son and Son against Father even as Christ did and his Doctrine so he saith we do But again he belyes us in saying We bring people into confusion and abominable error or that we cast people into a malicious mood or tincture of bitterness this is also false and this is my Answer He that doth the will of our Father knows of our Doctrine whether we weâ—â— of God or of our selves and to all the World besides we are unknown and desires to be manifest to every mans conscience in the Sight of God and not to that wisdom which is of this World And though he scorn at such who are made to cast off their Points and Lace yet is not this more then any fruit that his Doctrine hath brought forth for as 〈◊〉 do so did the Apostle exhort against all superfluiâ—â— of naughtiness as Points and Lâ—… are and it seems that such as depart from iniquity become a prey to such wicked menâ— slandering and scornful Tongues and a matter to makes Books of to send into the World 17. His seventeenth Reason Saith he It is no great encouragement to us to turn Quakers when we consider who are their followers very few experienced sober Christians turn to them saith he but such who are ignorant and ungrounded and raw professors c. Answ. To this I answer Let no man take encourgement from without to turn Quakers or to own the Way of Gods Salvation But let every one feel a Measure of God in his own heart converting him from sin unto righteousness and drawing his mind from the vanity and hypocrisie of this World to the truth and singleness of heart And he appears to be of the spirit of the Pharisees who said None but a company of poor people which were accursed followed Christ and so saith he in effect None but such as are ignorant and such like But what if there were not any other but such who owned the Way of the Lord this is a confirmation of it rather then a cause of objecting against it when such who are ignorant are brought to the Knowledge of God But yet his words are false for it is known that very many honest humble sober 〈◊〉 and people who have all their dayes been sincere towards God in what they have known of him have and do own us and indeed all that ever owâ—â— God and Salvation shall own us for we are of God and he that is of God heaâ—… us and the whole World Lyes in wickedness And such as are self-conceited and in pride and wise in their own eyes and in the wickedness of the World such are his followers and not ours though be falsely say it for such as follow Christ have we fellowship with and not with such as walk in darkness 18. His eighteenth Reason Saith he It is an evident Iudgment of God upon these people that turn Quakers and a punishment for their former sins c. Ans. To this I answer The Lord God his Angels and all his Saints and Servants I call to record against thee and they all shall witness that it is Mercy and not Judgement upon them that owns the way of the Lord And them that owned the Quakers in truth and sincerity have and do witness a remission of their former sins and forgiveness of them by Jesus Christ and not a punishment for them And Rich. Baxter may please himself and some others with his reasonless Reasons as these are yet they are not worthy of the name of Reason they be so senceless and utterly false And though he rails against the Anabaptists as well as against us yet any man whose eye is open sees his folly and turns it upon his own head and he may conceit himself in these things for a moment but the day of the Lord will declare it otherwise and that upon us Mercy and Peace shall be and not Judgement nor Wrath. 19. His ninteenth Reason Saith he They are already in division among themselves as the contention between Nayler and Fox and their followers do shew To this I answer Though an occasion may come and be taken against the truth yet wo unto him by whom it comes and to them who do receive it for the Testimony of Truth abids for ever But as about that division he speaks of it hath been answered by writings several times and now I say It happened but as a Tryal to the Lords People and not to destroy them though the Enemy boasts himself because of it yet the Lord knows how to preserve his in the midst of Temptation But these things are now at an end though a Temptation presented it self yet it overcame not and truth is the same and the Testimony thereof doth never change and all these Refuges which the Wicked flyes unto shall not cover them when the Lord appears 20. His twentieth Reason And saith he To make all their delusions more odious wickednesse they father it upon
but one the same to day yesterday and forever who is the Foundation of God and abides forever was preached unto you all to be the Way the Truth the Life and Salvation and there is none besides him why then are there Divisions amongst you and some for one and some for another And herein are you carnal and your minds abroad and not'staid upon him which gives the increase and all this is to be judged with the Life of God Wherefore I beseech you in the Fear of the Lord as you love him and his Glory yea as you love your own souls Come to the Light which lets you see all this and condemns it and strive not one with another nor exalt not your selves one above another but let all that be condemned and all your evil Surmisings and foolish Jealousies separate Worshippings Backbitings be brought to Judgment and let condemnation pass upon it all never more to appear to hinder your Fellowship with the Lord and know the Life of God in you all which is but one which is not at strife nor divided and let that arise that all Vails may be taken off and Hardness of heart judged and the Countenance of the Lord may shine upon you when that exalted spirit which has appear'd in some is brought down of which I charge you all to beware lest there be a total departing from the Lord and his Name be reproached through you among the Heathen and it had been better for such they had never been born Therefore I say unto you all lay it to heart till the Judgments of the Lord take it away and purifie your hearts from all these things which ariseth out of that which is not of the Father that my joy may be renewed who have been in travel for you tell Christ be formed in you that he alone may rule in you over all those things which are at enmity against the Life and hinders your growâ—â— And if you yet harden your heart against Reproof who are stubborn well the Lord will ease him of his Adversaries and break you as a Potter's Vessel And though you oppress the Life of God for a moment yet my Peace with him â—â—â—ll these things never take away but over all these things I tread am not offendâ—â— in him who is my Peace forever And though those things cause sadness of heart yet the Lord giveth no cause of Sorrow to them that are faitful to him but will arise to confound all Deceit and Deceitful Workers who err from his Way and count the Knowledge of his Wayes a Burden and of you all though you perish I am clear who am not hated of the Lord though falsly judged by his Enemies over whom I trample as the Dust and the Living God gives Victory over you all I am not of this World E. B. Something of TRUTH Made Manifest In Relation to a Dispute at Draton in the County of Middlesex in the first Moneth last In Opposition to the False Account given of it by one Philip Taverner in his Book stiled The QUAKERS ROUNDS OR A Faithful Account c. FOrasmuch as one who hath I suppose ambitiously stiled himself Mr. Philip Taverner hath taken in hand to set forth to the view of the World an Account and Relation of a Dispute hapning in the eleaventh Moneth last at Draton near Colebrook to which Relation I am a little engaged to write something by way of answer thereunto that all people may know the Truth and being the Truth is somewhat concerned herein that is the Reason wherefore I have taken in hand to write a little by way of answer to his Relation being without any prejudice towards the man as concerning any Wrong he hath done to me though me as well as the Truth he hath wronged as may appear to such who desire to know the Truth It 's true a publique dispute I had the time and place mentioned with a company of Priests and this same Philip Taverner was one of them and the occasion of the Dispute was thus I being a few weeks before at a Meeting with some Friends in the said Town one Richard Goodgroom in his relation mentioned was present at the hearing of what was spoken but at that time did not object any thing though afterwards in London and other places he went up and down in a backbiting manner and gave forth That I had held forth blasphemous Doctrines or the like whereupon I much desir'd a Dispute for the tryal of those things and it was accomplished and that day the Truth was much made manifest and Deceit confounded And as to all the things objected against me by Richard Goodgroom which he would have seemed to have taken great occasion thereby as if some great matter of Heresie and Error had been utter'd by me I say the very Truth of all these things was demonstrated according as I had laid them down and his Arguments against them made of none effect And though such as hardened their Hearts might go unsatisfied and in greater Unbelief then they came yet I am sure the Upright-hearted and such as desired the knowledge of the Truth were wholy satisfied and this many can give Testimony of with me And though by his Relation it may appear otherwise to some yet wherein he hath related falsly it shall fall upon his own head and his Folly shall truly more appear in the End then he would have or seem to cause any in me to appear at this present and so he might with more Credit to himself been silent then to have meddled in that wherein he hath shewed himself so imperfect For I believe That this same Philip Taverner hath given a Relation of four times as much as he did speak at that Meeting and hath related as though he spake that which he never uttered by so many times fo much as I have said and hath not related so much by many times as was spoken by me and them of my part as many may witness Which Work of his seems not to be perfect neither yet altogether honest as sober Men may judge but such a thing must redown more to his own Dishonour then to the Truth 's Disadvantage And first As to the Title of his false Relation which is stiled The Quakers Rounds or A Faithful Account c. To this I answer That the very Frontispiece and Title of his Book savours of a vain light scornful spirit and so every Spiritual Man may judge of it to be so But why dost thou Philip Taverner say A Faithful Account but that to confirm Falshood with audacious words having a shew of Confidence upon it thereby the more easily to enter ento the Hearts of the People as if it were irreprovable coming also from the hand and under the hand of a Mr. Philip c. having so stil'd thy self to make thy Fame great and to publish thy Work under a seeming Authority but hadst thou had more Humility less
unless saith he I have more then an ordinary Art of hiding my self c. To which I answer Iesuites I deny and all of that Fraternity and whatsoever savours of Popery yet am I hidden from people and what I am he knows not neither the World for from that Wisdom am I hid neither can I manifest my self to that Wisdom that is devilish and knows not God nor the least of his Sons and Servants for in all those things of which we then discoursed the depth thereof could hardly be spoken of because of the darkness of peoples understandings And especially concerning Justification I was very sparing and could hardly freely declare my self yet what I spoke was a great satisfaction to many then present though the one half that I spoke is not truely related though so much as is related shall stand a sufficient Witness for me and against them that oppose me and that my words and meanings were honest This was the thing charged upon me That no man was further justified then he was sanctified Now my intent and meaning in this was honest and as about this Particular much was spoken which now I do not recollect to repeat onely P. T. hath hinted in short at things how they passed and my words shall be for ever witnessed That Sanctification is a Witness of Iustification and no man can further know himself to be justified then he is sanctified nor justified then he is restored And had P. T. but laid down my full answers as I spoke them at that Dispute there would have been no need to have written any thing in answer onely I do remember I did stand to manifest that the New Birth Sanctification and Justification were all agreeing in one and not one without another and that Christ wrought Righteousness perfectly without us and also fulfilled Righteousness in all that believe and no man is justified by the one of these without the other and that hath not the other and they hold the contrary and R. G. did publickly affirm that a man was justified by Christ excluding the New Birth and the work of Sanctification which I denyed and must always deny that any man who is not born again but is in the old nature and not sanctified but is in the Pollutions of the World is justified by Christ's Righteousness neither can he in that State till he be born again and Sanctified have any benefit or manifestation of Justification by Christ and this all men shall witness though because of this I now may be falsly judged And though R. G. did openly testifie that Christ justified Sinners as Sinners yet say I all that are justified are justified through Faith and Faith doth purifie the Heart as was largely spoken by divers of us at that Meeting which is not particularly related which definition of our Justification they could not except against for we never were nor are ashamed to declare what we hold concerning Justification which is through Faith in the Blood of Christ the Seed of the Covenant and though at that time they made much jangling yet to no purpose as to convince us of any Error or any sober men there present of any Error in us as concerning that thing And whereas it is related as if I should say We are men brought up at Plow-tayle and understand not Schollar-like terms my words were not thus spoken but upon the occasion of their speaking words which is not in Scripture Language as inherent Righteousness or the like Whereupon I desired them to keep to the Form of sound words and of Scripture Language that people might understand what they spoke for said I ye are Schollars as you profess and some of us were brought up at Plow or Cart and may be do not understand Schollar-like terms though I did not mean all of us and what some of us do understand as to that I shall not now speak yet this I say the least of us do understand betwixt Truth and Error and betwixt that which is Righteous and that which is Unrighteous and in that is more peace then in the knowledge of Arts or Tongues and our knowledge in that is as Dung and Dross in comparison of the other And as to Justification upon which Subject we contended a long time though they foolishly charged us with it we do deny utterly the works of man and the works of man's righteousness as in relation to our Justification and that it is only and wholly by the Grace and Gift of God and the Righteousness of Christ who is revealed in all that believe in him by which Justification comes yet say we That Faith without works is dead and will not justifie a man but by that Faith which brings forth works even the works of God in us and through us by that Faith are we justified and according to the Apostle's words so we believe not by works of Righteousness which we have done nor by a dead Faith without Works but by a living Faith which worketh in us are we justified let vain men deduct what they may this is truth in the sight of the Lord and all men These indeed are the Particulars upon which the Controversie depended and having been some hours together they were willing to depart and R. G. would give little hearing to me when I charged him with something uttered by him at divers times in my hearing which I should have proved to be unsound Doctrine and Error had he had that patience to have stayed and whereas P. T. doth speak of having a Pope in our Bellies with such like scornful words which a discreet man would not have defiled his Mouth withal but that he must shew himself to be of that Generation of Priests who persecuted the Innocent in every Age and for his telling of our Error and recovering of our feet out of the Snare and delivering us from the Delusion its true his words stand but upon a supposition and that supposition stands upon the Report of others as he seems to intimate which is but a thing far off true credit for what Error and Snares and Delusion did P. T. convince us of in five hours discourse not any at all but the rather was forced to confess to the most part of what we delivered then what need was there to utter these his words in writing as if he had heard some great Matter of Delusion or Error but all these his words I do bear and if he hath harboured such thoughts of us as it appears too much by his words let him cleanse his Heart by Repentance lest his intended evil bruise his own head And whereas he hath commented upon a Book called A Standard lifted up which Book I own and that which is therein written and himself is forced to own what himself objects against and comments upon If saith he E. B. means so and so then his words are truth but if so and so then it is Pope-like or such like Alas
hearts and it was that Light that gave them the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God but thou hast discovered thy self to be a Stumbler at the stumbling-stone and hath taken offence at the Light like the Pharisees who professed the Scriptures as the Priests of England do but were ignorant of the Life the end of the words and knew not Christ the Substance but the Stone at which you stumble will break you to pieces and grind you to powder even Christ the Light of the World that lighteth every man that cometh into the World That the Soul is a part or measure of God as they speak and not a part of man but uncreated and so is that Light which is in every one Answ. The Soul is immortal and God is immortal for God breathed into man the Breath of Life and he became a Living Soul as saith the Scripture and the Soul is related to God for what a man works against God it is against his own Soul for all Sin is against God and against a man's own Soul And God who hath all Souls in his hand who is the Creator and gave Life into the Soul that is immortal and can never die though Death hath passed over it and hath reigned over all from Adam till Moses and Christ is the Light of the World that gives Life unto the Soul and he raiseth up the Soul out of Death and Misery and brings the Soul to rejoyce in God its Saviour and Christ is the Souls Bishop its Pastor and Feeder and who knows Christ knows him that was before the World was made and sees to the beginning and to the ending and his Soul rests in God that is over all That the Light in the Heathen who never heard that Iesus Christ died at Jerusalem is the same for the quality of it with that which is in the most godly Person onely there is a difference in the quantity And men are reconciled to God by following of it This Light they say is the sure Word of Prophesie and that it is sufficient to lead out of all Sin unto God Answ. The Testimony of Iohn is that Christ is the Light that lighteth every mâ—n that cometh into the World and if every man then the Heathen who hath not the relation of Christ's Life and his Death at Ierusalem yea and it is the same Light that is in the Heathen the same in nature and kind as it is in the Saints for the Comforter the Spirit of Truth is one in it self and the same though it comforteth the Saints and reproveth the World and the Wicked for their sins And men are reconciled to God by Christ for he was in God reconciling to himself and none are reconciled but who walk in the Light and follows it for who walks in the Light the Blood of Christ cleanseth them 〈◊〉 all Siâ— and they are reconciled and none else And the Word of God is in the Heart as the Scripture saith Deut. 30. Rom. 10. and that is the Word of Prophesie and that Word is sufficient to lead out of all Sin unto God if men believe in Jesus and receiveth him and the Spirit of Truth leadeth into all Truth all that follow it That Christ as man is not in Heaven yea that he hath ceased to be man and conseqâ—…ly to be Mediator and when I told them he should come in the Clouds in like 〈◊〉 as he ascended and that at his coming the Elements melteth one of their 〈◊〉 told me that the Clouds were scattered and the Elements melted in him Answ. Christ Jesus is ascended into Heaven and sits at the right Hand of the Father yea he is ascended far above all Heavens as saith the Scripture But that is utterly false whereas thou sayest we say he ceased to be man that is â—y Lye and so I pass it And we believe according to the Scriptures that 〈◊〉 shall come in like manner as he ascended and at his coming the Elements shall melt And it is not error for a man to say the Clouds are scattered and â—â—e Elements melted in him for Clouds are Darkness and covers the face of the Sun many times as thou mayest behold in the Firmament But Darkness is yet over thy Heart and the Elements are not melted away and therefore thou art in thy Imaginations putting Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light and calling Evil Good and Good Evil. That the Bodies of Men shall never rise again after death and that the day of Iudgement is come already and that now the Saints do judge the World Answ. We do believe the Resurrection according to the Scriptures For if onely in this Life we have Hope we were of all men most miserable And we believe that the Dead shall arise again after death and every one shall receive according to the Deeds done in the Body they that have done Evil shall arise to Eternal Condemnation and they that have done Good to Eternal Salvation in the day of Judgement And the Lord cometh with and in ten thousand of his Saints to judge the World and the Saints upon Earth do receive the Spirit of Judgement and do judge the World even all things for the spiritual Man judgeth all things even in this present Age if thou canst receive it thou mayest They are utterly against Water-Baptism and administring of the Lord's Supper with Bread and Wine because they say they have the Substance of all within Answ. As for Baptism and the Supper of the Lord we do own it and it is practiced of us in the Life and Power of God but as for your Baptism that is to say sprinkling of Infants calling it the Baptism into the Faith and that they are made Members of the Church thereby and that it is a Seal of Regeneration as you say in your common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book and Directory that we do utterly deny and do say it is no Ordinance of God neither was it ever commanded by him or practiced by his Saints but is an Institution of the Whore of Rome and England received it by a Popish Institution and your practice of it is Idolatry and not any part of the true Worship of God And as for your breaking Bread and drinking Wine in that manner and form as it is practiced in the Church of England among the Unconverted and Unregenerated that we utterly deny also to be of God or to be ever commanded of him or practiced by his Saints and this is neither Heresie nor Error in us but true bearing witness against your Idolatrous Wayes and Practices with which the Nations are deceived whom the Whore causeth to drink her Cup even all people have drunk her Cup and she hath drunk the Blood of them that would not and she hath long sate upon Nations Peoples and Multitudes but now she is made bare and discovered and all you her false Ministers And whereas the Author doth say These are some of the
this shall be manifest in the day of the Lord and in the mean time we are willing to bear and to suffer all things that is put upon us for the Name of the Lords sake Query 1. Whether you or any of you that pretend to Inspiration and Revelation did foresee or was it revealed to you that ever Charles Stuaâ—â— should be proclaimed King 〈◊〉 Reign in England ever anymore or whether or no any of you did believe it or could have believed it by your great Faith which you profess if it had been told you long ago Answ. As for the Proclaiming of Charles Stuart King to reign in England it was not improbable unto our Faith neither is it contrary to that which some of us hath seen for we know that God respects neither persons nor names but doth give the Kingdoms of this World to whomsoever he will and thus much was said as may be seen in a Book called Good Counsel and Advice rejected and divers other Papers c. p. 17. In a Letter to Oliver Cromwel it is said concerning you that are commonly called Cavaliers But what and if for and because of thy Wickedâ—â—â—â— in the sight of God he should raise them up and make them Instruments in his Hand to accomplish his wrath upon thee even like as he made thee once his Instrument to overthrow them c. And here the thing was believed to be possible that the Lord might raise you up again for his pleasure to fulfil his Will because of the wickedness of the Army and Nation and it is now come to pass even as it was seen and believed And also it was expressed in a Letter written in the 10th Mon. 1659. concernning them that were your Enemies and that were at first raised against you The very same spirit of Pride and Oppression and Idolatry is entred into them meaning your Enemies and now lives in them in as high a measure as ever it lived amongst you and â—â—â—ir Iniquities are well nigh finished and the Lord will one way or other correct reprove them and they shall be dealt with in like manner as they have dealt with you for they were no more then a Rod in the Hands of the Lord for a season and they must also be broken and cast into the Fire and whether the Lord may ever may make use of you to reprove them as he did of them to reprove you this I determine not but leave it to him who can do whatsoever he will by what Instrument he pleaseth It is true you have made many Attempts to be revenged upon them but you have not hitherto prospered but could you be humbled and come into the meek Spirit of the Lord then might you prosper but hitherto the Lord hath alwayes defeated you and bowed you down under a People as unworthy as others but their time will come to an end And submit unto the Will of the Lord in what is come to pass and seek not vengeance to your selves and then the Lord will avenge your Cause for the Iniquities of your Adversaries are ripe c. And Charles Stuart must either be converted to God and ruled by him or else he can never rightly rule for God in this Nation though this I believe it is not impossible but that he may be a Rod upon them that once smote him and their Oppressions and Ambitions may receive a check through him c. These things were written in a Letter to all the people of your part long before there was any visible appearance of that which is now come to pass whereby it doth appear that these things in a great measure were foreseen and prophesied of and it was believed as a thing very possible that thus it might be as is already come to pass And as for Visions they are for an appointed time there is a time to see and a time to speak what is seen and revealed things belong to us and when we declare them then you may take notice of it but it was verily believed as a thing possible that such a thing would be and also by the Proceedings and Transactions as they have fallen out for your very Enemies have so acted and proceeded as to destroy themselves and to bring you in over their heads though they little intended the thing yet the effect of their proceedings could hardly prove otherwise then to destroy themselves and make room for you and these things I observed And also thus far we did fore-see and it was revealed to us and believed by mâ—â—y of us fully and we did often Prophesie it that the Lord God of Heaven and Earth would destroy and bring down the Government and Authority as they have stood in this Nation for divers years and that he would bring Iudgment upon the Rulers and upon many of the Teachers and People of this Nation because of their oppressions and unfaithfulness and treachery and hypocrisie and wickedness which abounded amongst them which we have felt and seen and been sensible of and we have often given our witness against them because of their guiltiness in their sinful ways Oh it hath been loathsome unto the Lord even the Oppressions and treacheries of the Rulers Oh how hath Cruelty and Injustice abounded in their Government and their hypocrisie hath been evident in our â—ight in many Particulars and even in that they have cryed against and overthrown King and Kingly Government charging them with oppression and cruelty and pretended to ease the people in a better way of Government when as though Governors and Names and Titles of Government were changed and altered yet oppression ceased not neither was injustice forsaken nor was the heavy yoaks of great bondage removed but the rather these things were increased upon many good people in these Natiâ—â—s and herein was the unfaithfulness and treachery of the Rulers very great in the sight of God and their Government unjust and unequal wherefore the Lord hath been provoked against them to confound them and overturn them and we have often told it them and also the hypocrisie and deceits and sinfulness of Teachers we have seen and testified against and our witness to them both is and will be found true and Gods justice will be fulfilled upon them both and these things we have observed even the heinous guilt of sin against God in both Rulers and Teachers and the aboâ—â—â—â—tions that have been committed both in Civil and Church Government so called also and many people have lov'd to have these things so and we have been sensible how the Lord hath been provoked to overthrow the Governors of this Nation because hereof and this we have foreseen Prophesied of even that Iudgment and Confusion would come upon the Government the Rulers and the Teachers but particularly when and after what manner judgment and overthrow should come upon them was left to the Lord who hath brought to pass his own will according to Justice and it
Immortal Life I am known to you where I desire only to be known of you and though I have been as weak amongst you and in fear and trembling yet the Lord hath been strong and mighty in his Spirit and though I have been as poor and lowly before you yet the Lord hath filled me and you with his Riches and given victory and authority even in your presence though many times I have laboured in Tryals and under great Burdens amongst you and in much opposition by many potent Enemies that have appeared against the Lord yet the Lord hath carried above all and given dominion over them through his eternal Spirit and of these things you are Witnesses Oh when I remember the dayes past and how the pretious presence of the Lord hath been with us and amongst us while I was with you as I hope it is at this day and will alwayes be continued I say the remembrance hereof even of the goodness of the Lord filleth my Heart with holy Praises and the same I desire for you that the Love of the Father and his Presence which hath been is and shall be may be alwayes fresh in your remembrance that you may be comforted for evermore And at this present I know nothing but that the Lord in his Presence and Love and Life is more large and precious then ever and he hath opened his Fountain and we receive of his fulness more abundantly he hath made us strong and we are rich in him even at this day to give our witness for his Name and against Antichrist and all the powers of Darkness in as much Boldness Plainness and Faithfulness as ever yea it is in our Hearts to be as diligent and valiant in the Work of the Lord and to publish his Name and to proclaim the destruction of Antichrist's false Church false Ministry and Worship now more then ever Oh how are our Hearts filled with zeal to go on in this Work we have no fear of man upon us not of him that can but kill the Body we are not afraid of the Storms and Threats and Persecution of the Ungodly for we fear the God of Heaven and him we reverence and worship in our Hearts and not mortal Men whose breath is in their Nostrils and who are as Clay and their Substance soon desolved and what shall these do against us they can effect nothing without the Lord who is our Shepherd that keeps us and as for the Work of the Lord we find it goes on and is prosperous and the Flock of God every where is pleasant and they grow in Knowledge in Wisdom in Faith and in Patience and the Power and Presence of the Lord is with us as ever and Truth keeps its Authority and the Lord hath blessed it with a good Report even to the confounding of our Enemies to perceive the Constancy and Boldness and Faithfulness of the People whose destruction hath long been threatned and waited for but we are yet alive even in him who lives for ever and we live because he lives in us and it is well with us even because he is our saving Health and we can speak of his Praise because he speaks by us Meetings are very large and precious every where in these Parts because of the Presence of the Lord God who is the Fulness of all and filleth all with his Mercy Peace and Blessings and that the same be continued unto you even that you may be filled with the Fulness of God and ever comforted in him is the desire of him who is yours as he is the Lords Sommerset-Shire 25th 4th Moneth 1660. E. B. A TESTIMONY Concerning the BOOK of Common-Prayer So called Being an Answer to an Objection Whether it be not in it self and as practised in this Nation heretofore and at this present the True Worship of the True and Living God Answ. 1. THE Book of COMMON-PRAYER so called in its first Institution and Practise in this Nation did not but differ little from POPERY and the Men that were the Authors of it and that constituted it into that Form and Method as now it is were of much Zeal for their Form and some Sincerity and of more Tenderness and good Conscience towards God in what they knew then were they of the Church of Rome who cryed out against them as Hereticks and the like and they had so much Light from God by his Spirit as that they saw the Idolatry and Corruption of the Church of Rome and did dissent from her and denyed her Worships and Practises in part though they were because thereof persecuted and the Lord stirred up their Hearts to bear Testimony against the Abomination of that time as it was in both Church and State so called and they sought after Reformation and did in some part Reform this Nation and did deny the Popish-Mass and the Popes Supremacy and many Idolatries both in Doctrine and Discipline and instead of the way and manner of Worship as held forth by the Church of Rome these Reformers set up the Common-Prayer to be performed as the Worship of their Church supposing that to be more acceptable then the other and no doubt but the first Institution and Practise thereof was in much sincerity and zeal by many and they were held under persecution and suffered some of them even death â—or denying the Church of Rome and her ways and worships even them who did first ordain and compose the Common-Prayer so called though yet there was much error in their Judgments and darkness in their Understandings and a vail of great Ignorance in many things upon them even while it was brought forth and these things effected in the very beginning and proceedings of them 2. And when it was formed it being imposed on this Nation by force and penalty and set up by compelling all people into the practise of it by violent Laws upon the Bodies and Consciences of men this was great Abomination in the sight of God and made the practise of it detestable unto him for it is contrary to God in the dispensation of the Gospel the way of forcing by compelling constraint through outward Laws any kind or form of worship though in it self never so holy and like unto the true worship yea if the very things that the Apostles practised for worship were imposed on any people by force when as the Consciences of Men were not first perswaded thereunto by the Spirit of God even this were Abomination unto God and not the true worship of him which is not of force but of a willing mind nor in the Ignorance of Mens minds but in the Light risen in their Hearts So that because of Imposing the practise of the Common-Prayer by force it was hateful to God as so practised and the performance of it while it was so held forth in this Nation was no better then the Idolatrous Mass nor no more acceptable to God 3. And as for the Matter in it self partly
Christ and his sake we bear all things having Prophesie and Example before us of the same things that came to pass between the Men of this World and the People and Saints of the Most High And for as much as one that subscribes himself George Willington of Bristol City hath publickly appeared in Print even in the Work aforesaid with his Accusations and Reproaches against the People of God whom he in scorn calls Quakers in his Book called The thrice Welcome of King CHARLES the Second c. Because of which his Accusations are the very present Occasion of this my present Work and that his Accusations may be turned backward and the minds of Men even of King Charles may be better informed for he hath accused us to the King and being we are somewhat concerned in this matter being thus reproached and that to the King who hath yet little knowledge of us and our Principles therefore it is upon me to give reasonable Answers to that Part of his Book wherein we are concerned and accused lest that the King to his own hurt should receive such Accusations for Truth when as they are otherwise and so be induced to proceed upon Reports if the Charge should not be answered And first I shall affirm and prove it in its season That this same Man whose Accusations I am now going to answer hath proceeded in the same spirit of all the false Accusers beforementioned and he hath lifted up his voyce in contempt of the Lord's People and hath rendered an evil Report of the Lord's Elect and though we forgive our Enemies him and such as he yet will the Lord plead with and give unto them according to their Deeds and we only may reprove them and leave Vengeance to the LORD our GOD unto whom it belongs Now though we are and have been thus proceeded against ever since we were a People even falsly reproached and all manner of evil spoken against us foâ— the Name of Christ by them whose Hearts are filled with Fury and Rage against us yet we are known in our integrity unto the Lord who hath placed his Nâ—me with us and we know one another in Faithfulness and Truth and Righteousness and I hope we have a Witness in many Consciences even of our Enemies and also of many in Bristol that as to our Doctrines Practises and Conversations they are according to the Truth and answerable to the Scriptures and justifiable even of the Witness of God in all sober-minded People even of them that have not yet joyned themselves to us and we are known to that in many even to the Witness of God in their Consciences to which in all we daily commend our selves in Doctrine Practise and Conversation that thereby onely we may be known and approved and we praise not our selves neither do we boast of what we are sâ—ving in the Lord yet from time to time we do and can make our Appeal in the sight of God to the just Principle of Him in all Men and even to the King before whom we now stand accused by this our Enemy do I make this desire though yet we are in a great measure Strangers to him in Doctrine Practises and Conversation that he may in all Cases of this and other Matters shew Moderation and the Spirit of Meekness and may first try all things and then he may judge the more justly for we are not afraid to be tryed before him and all the World in any Matter of Doctrine or in any Part of our Religion and we should judge it greatly honourable in the King to hear our Answers as well as our Enemies Accusations and to the Witness of God in him we can appeal for determination in any matter that is or may hereafter come in controversie before him concerning us And it is most certain that the proceedings of George Willington in this case of his accusing us to the King is not in love to Us nor to the King and his Government but altogether contrary as upon divers found Reasons I might â—emonstrate and may in its season and his present work against us is from old in-bred Enmity and Malice against us who would have us destroyed if it were in his Power for he hath formerly manifested himself in writing Reproaches and Slanders against us which were sufficiently answered and hereproved and refuted to his great shame among all sober People to which he never yet replied as being too Ignorant and too weak ever to clear himself from what is charged against him in the Answer given to his former Book but now as I have said out of and from that bitter old long-seated Enmity and devouring Malice he hath again appeared in Print against us supposing himself to have so excellent opertunity more then ever before to have his devouring mind satisfied of us and therefore hath he in haste presented the King with a Welcome partly of Reproaches and Accusations against the People of God but his Heart hath deceived him in this case for we shall live and not die God will preserve us and no man shall destroy us Now it had been a Welcome of love far more to the King to have sought his Mercy and Meekness towards all at his first enterance into the Government and the rather to have stirred him up thereunto then to seek to provoke him to rigour and wrath against any to destroy them as this Welcome of Willinton's tends unto which is not true love to the King but rather a preparing a Net for to entangle him and to lay stumbling Blocks of Iniquity before the Feet of the King that he might be destroyed and fall and never rise And let the King consider this for if he be provoked by any means to dâ—stroy or seek to overthrow the Innocent People of God that same shall be a Net to entangle him to destruction and a stumbling Block to fall upon and be everlastingly broken So that hereby the Welcome of Geo. Willington doth appear to be not of love but of ignorant hatred to the King and indeed it is such especially that part of it now under hand that it deserves reproof more then acceptation even from the King if he rightly consider the ground and end of the Author in his Accusations against us notwithstanding his seeming fawning and Flatteries by which he appears to be some Pick-thank or some News-teller or rather Tale-carrier for some hope of Promotion or Reward But I wish better to the King then that he receive or accept of the false Informations of this Author our Accuser or of any such like lest that he ensnare himself and be taken and stumble and fall in receiving mis-Informations instead of Truth and thereupon proceed in judgement or censure unjustly which is a way to destroy himself Let him take heed to himself I desire better for him and that he may shut his Ear against evil Informations and may never have his Heart opened to the sheding of Blood
or to persecute any for their Conscience and the exercise thereof towards God And now I come to the Accusation it self which is this in substance That the Quakers are Enemies unto and have sought to root out the true Protestant Religion The words are these calling upon the King to honour the Lord which saith he is done by establishing and preserving the true Protestant Religion which of late years hath been in great danger to be rooted out by Anabaptists Quakers and Atheists page 6. line 1 2 3. of his Book Answ. In answer to this divers things are considerable as to the manner of his Charge against us That this Accuser hath proceeded in the same manner and by the same spirit as the Iews Scribes and Pâ—â—â—isâ—â—s and chief Priestâ— proceeded against Christ Jesus for they numbred him with Transgressors as it is written and crucified him between two Thieves that they might add to his Afflictions and bring him under the greater reproach to Ages after and thus this Accuâ—â—â— hath done in numbring the Innocent People of God called Quakers with and among Transgressors even that he may the more add to their Reproach and have his Accusation heard before the King even that it might be received for truth as if the Quakers were no better then Atheists that deny God for for this end this Accuser in these Terms vilified us and made us equal in this account to the Atheists and thus numbered us with Transgressors and Sinners and that unto the King and for this end no doubt that we might be destroyed and cut off and crucified with such as deny the Lord God Oh how unjustly and unmercifully hath this our Accuser proceeded in thus dealing towards us let the King and all People consider 2. As for such as are Atheists who deny there is a God or who deny the true God that is and who live after the desires of their own lusts saying Let us eat and drink for to morrow we must die and there is no pleasure in the Grave nor state of happiness or misery after this Life such we do deny and have no Affinity Amity Union nor Fellowship with them nor they with us and this is well known through the whole Nation and fully believed in Bristol and I am perswaded in the very Conscience of this our Accuser he knows we are not such as deny God nor have any fellowship with such therefore how hainous is this man's Crime both to God and Men who hath abused the whole Nation with his Slanders and endeavoured to mis-use the King's Ears with false Informations and hath perverted his own Conscience in speaking contrary to it and hath vexed the Lord by his Lyes and all in this his numbring of us in Accusation with the Atheists as if we were one with them and no better then they 3. As for the Anabaptists so called the other Party with whom we are accounted and numbred in the Accuser's charge It is well known what difference there is between us and them and how that we have been opposite one to the other in Controversie about spiritual things and also in matters of Judgement about Government and fighting with carnal Weapons c. and they have dealt sometime with us and proceeded towards us too hardly and maliciously as some of themselves know in accusing us to the Powers of the Nation as this man hath done But I shall at this time say no farther of them then this There may be a sincerity and uprightness amongst them in many of them more then is in this our Accuser though there is no small measure of Error in Judgement in them as concerning many Doctrines and Practises held by them and it s not my work now to accuse them neither to reward them evil for their evil but only on this occasion I am forced to clear the truth for the better information of all and I do wish well to them and even that they may confess to the justness of God's Judgment in what hath befallen them in this the day of their reproof who have been too ambitious and hard-hearted towards others that have not been of their Way and Sect and now the Lord deals justly with them in bowing them under others and in defacing their glory which was of man and not of God But to the case in hand I return and say How unrighteous still doth appear the manner of this our Adversary's Charge for whatsoever the Anabaptists or any others may hold or do though I at this time shall neither justifie nor yet condemn all what they profess and practise cannot we be charged guilty of except it first be lawfully proved that we holâ— and practise the same things And as for us who are scornfully called Quakers which Title was given unto us of derision and nick-naming I cannot in this place say much of us lest I should be said to justifie our selves which I seek not to do because it is the Lord that justifies us neither do I love much to be heard in our own Cause when it is onely our own nor do I seek praise of men for us nor of men to be â—…ed yet this I may say on Gods account and in his cause and not of our 〈◊〉 we are the people of the Lord whom he hath called and chosen and 〈◊〉 and though hated of men yet it is for the Lords sake and not for any 〈◊〉 amongst men that can be chaâ—ged upon us And we are Worshippers of 〈◊〉 â—â—ue God in spirit and in truth and we are of God and they that are of 〈◊〉 are not against us but with us and as for any Doctrine or Practise in 〈◊〉 Religion held forth by us they are according to the Scriptures of Truth 〈◊〉 I assert and can prove if need require in opposition to any that shall â—â—â—y it for we are not of a new Religion as if we worshipped strange godds though by the ignorance of men we are so reputed but are of the same Spirit 〈◊〉 in the same way of truth and we walk in the same light and life even as tâ—â— Apostles and Churches of Jesus Christ were of and walked in in the days 〈◊〉 old and this I am ready to make proof of if so it come to pass even beâ—â—â—â— the King and the whole Nation and do further declare That whatsoeâ—â—â— Church-Government Ministry Doctrine and Ordinances Faith and â—â—â—ship and whatsoever Religion in whomsoever that is not according to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament but differing from and coâ—â—rary to that Spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures I do for my self and on the behalf of all them that are one with me utterly renounce and â—â—y and freely give witness against notwithstanding upon whatsoever foundation such Church-Government Ministry Doctrine Faith and Worship be builded if not upon Jesus Christ as the alone Foundation and according to the Scriptures and proveable thereby they are Antichristian and the Lord will confound
not read that the Iews persecuted them for so doing And will you that have the name of Christians persecute the People of God though they meet together in private houses and their own hired houses and cannot come to your Temples and Steeple-houses And will not you suffer such to meet together out of your Publick Places but you will persecute them and call them Hereticks and such like Is not this worse than ever the Iews did to the Apostles And so you are out of the Example of the true Christians who met together and preached and prayed often and not in a Synagogue or Publick Place but you cry against them that do so and threaten to persecute for it and thus you shew your selves out of the true Christian Example and in this you are worse than the Iews and more cruel if you should persecute People for meeting to wait upon the Lord in their own houses or in what place or time as the Lord should move their hearts but if you proceed in this way and will not permit the People of God to meet together in their own houâ—â— and not in your Idol-Temples then the Power of the Lord will confound you and God will break you to peices and you will feel his heavy Wrath upon your Consciences and God will smite you with his Judgements inwardly and outwardly Now for your restraining of people from one way of Worship and forcing them to another and compelling them about Religion by cruel Laws and Commandments of men this is of Antichrist for you to do and of the Devil for all forcing of People to this kind of Worship and from another 〈◊〉 posing upon their Consciences in matters of Gods Kingdom this is also of â—…tichrist and contrary to Christ and his Way for he won People by sound Doctrine and by Love and by a good Conversation and so did his Disciples for they never forced any by outward violence to their Worship nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Church-Government and Ordinances but it was the practice of the Beast and the Dragon that first forced People and compelled them 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ship since the dayes of the Apostles Rev. 13. It was Antichrist that first 〈◊〉 upon People in the Ignorance of their Consciances and contrary to their â—…ences by the Commandments of men false Faith false Worship false Ministry false Doctrine and false Religions so that now if you should force any contrary to their Consciences to your Steeple-houses to 〈◊〉 and say your Form of Prayers we shall say then you are Antichrist 〈◊〉 of the Devil if so be you should endeavour to compel any either against 〈◊〉 Consciences or in the Ignorance of their Consciences to your way of Worship or Religion Therefore take heed how you meddle in these things lest God confound you And as for us we are the People of God we fear his Name and worship him and cannot bow to the Devil and we need not be forced to worship the Lord for his Spirit leads us into all Truth and we need none of your outward Prescriptions or Form of Prayers for the Spirit of God teacheth us in all these things when and where and how we should worship the Lord God who is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth which is free and not by outward force and all the Worship that is otherwise and not in the free Spirit of Christ is of great Babylon whom the Lord will confound and destroy Another general Objection answered Object 2. Again whereas it is said by some Now there must be no more private Preachers unlearned men and men not ordained must not now preach anymore Lay-Persons must not be Preachers that are not so qualified nor so and so ordained and this is the present talk among some People Answ. To this I also answer and say Wo to them that would stop or quench or limit the Spirit of God in Sons or Daughters for such are Denyers of the Scriptures and the Power of God and such bring guilt upon their own Consciences and work fearful Abomination against God And what must not the Spirit of the Lord speak now where it is in this Age as it did in the dayes of old as you may read in the Scriptures for was not Elisha a Plow-man and was not he called from the Plow 1 King 19. and became a Prophet of the Lord unto the House of Israel and had the spirit of Elijah poured upon him and would not you have said he was a Lay-man a Plow-man unordained not fitting to preach if you had lived in his dayes And was not Aâ—â—â— called from following the Flock who had been no Prophet nor no Prophets Son but an Herds-man Amos 7. 14 15. and it was lawful for him to preach the Word of the Lord though he was but an Herds-man and had been no Prophet nor Prophets Son which if he had lived in your dayes you would have called him a Lay-man an unfit Person unlearned and one not ordained for the Ministry and you like Amaziah the wicked Priest of Bethel would now quench the Spirit as he would have done in Amos who was a Trades-man and such a one as you call Lay-men who are not as you say fitting to preach And did not Christ Jesus himself chuse Fisher-men and sent them forth to preach the Gospel and such as were men of Trades and unlearned in Books as it is written Act. 4. 13. When the Ruâ—â—â—s saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived they were Unlearned they â—â—velled and these were Ministers of Christ and preached the everlasting Gospel whom you would have called Lay-men and men unfit to preach 〈◊〉 you lived in their dayes And Paul himself by Occupation was a Tent-â—…er it is said and he laboured with his Hands and yet was a Preacher of the Gospel and there are multitudes of Witnesses in the Scriptures of these things how that men of Trades and unlearned in Letters and Books and never were brought up at Schools and Colledges but followed the Plough and were keepers of Cattel and some followed Fishing such as these in old 〈◊〉 had the Spirit of God given them and they preached the Gospel And what if the Lord at this day give his Spirit to such as these and send them 〈◊〉 to preach the Gospel even to such as were brought up and educated 〈◊〉 â—ay be at Handy-craft Trades and are labouring men and are not 〈◊〉 at Schools and Colledges will you limit the Lord and quench his 〈◊〉 and reproach his Wayes and Servants and now call them Lay-perâ—… and say they are not fitting to preach for they are not Learned nor â—…ed say you and calling them Mechannicks and private Preachers and 〈◊〉 they must not now be admitted to preach the Gospel and in this you 〈◊〉 the Scriptures and the Example of the Saints in former Ages and so neither 〈◊〉 the Scriptures nor the Spirit that gave them forth though you say 〈◊〉 own the Scriptures yet
New Birth and â—ll such are out of the right way in the way of Error if they have the Form of Godliness but want the Power though they may have Mass or say Common-prayer once a week oâ— oftner yet all this is but Abomination and Deceit whilst they practise Iniquity Hatred Back-biting Lying Drunkenness and the like they that act these things the Plagues of God will be their portion and Misery their end and their Profession in Religion will not save them The Day of the Lord is at hand ye Hypocrites ye false Christians ye â—â—at profess God with your Lips and your Hearts are far away Therefore repent ye and treâ—ble before the Lord lest hâ— smite you with Vengeance and forsake your false Religions both your Mass and your Iâ—…s of Prayer and be not Idolaters in professing love in your mouthes and honour with your Lips wâ—ilst your hearts are departed from the living 〈◊〉 and now come to learn the true Religion Depart from all Iniquity and do not Lye nor Swear nor be Drunk nor Steal nor Murder nor Envy but love the Lord with all your hearts and your Neighbour as your selves And this is the true Religion in which man may be saved and live in Soberness Meekness and â—â—nesttâ—y and speak every man Truth to his Neighbour and live in love 〈◊〉 with another and be kind and gentle and bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit of God Cease to do evil and learn to do well and depart form all â—â—iquity and follow after Righteousness This is true Religion and in it â—ou may â—e saved this is the right way all that walk in it shall have Peace and Blessing from God and all that walk contrary Damnation is their portion Therefore you Papists and Protestants so called turn from your Hypocrisie and learn this way and cease from your false worships that are after the Forms and Traditions of men and not after the Spirit of God and learn to worship God in the Spirit that you may be saved You have a Light from Christ in your Consciences which lets you see what sins ye are guilty of and it reproves you for your sin If you believe in the Light and walk in it that is the right way then you will deny what is evil and follow what is good in your Conversations but if you follow what is evil and act contrary to the Light in your Consciences and repent not Vengeance in flames of fire will be youâ— portion This is the day of your Visitation the Army of the Lamb is gone forth and the Sword of the Spirit is drawn amongst them that will wound your Consciences and God will smite you with the words of his mouth ye Rocks and Hills and Bryars and Thorns and fruitless Trees the God of Heaven will hew you to pieces and pluck you up and cast you into the fire to be consumed Repent for the Day of the Lord is at hand By one that seeks the Good of all men E. B. A VINDICATION OF The People of God CALLED QUAKERS Directed Unto Roger Boyle Called Earl of Orrery Charles Coote Called Earl of Mountrath Theophilus Iones Called Sir Theophilus Iones Being an Answer to a Book dedicated to them by one George Pressick of Dublin In which Book many Lyes and Calumnies are presented against the Innocent People of God And this is for the clearing of the Truth that no Lye may rest upon it And for the Satisfaction of all Sober People in Ireland and elsewhere With a Word of Good Advice to the Chief Governours there THere is Irreconcileable Ennity between the two Seeds to wit the Seed of God and the Seed of the Serpent and these two are alwayes opposite and contrary one to the other in Nature Fruits and Effects and the seed of the Serpent is alwayes persecuting the Seed of God in every Age and Generation and they in whom the seed of the Serpent is living and ruling are alwayes projecting and contriving mischief and hatred against the People and â—â—â—vants of the Lord in whom the Seed of God liveth and reigneth as it is written He that is born of the Flesh persecutes him that is born after the Spirit Thus it hath been in all Generations and thus it is at this day Great is the â—â—â—â—sition that is made by many in Lyes and Slanders in Reviling and Reâ—…hing in Imprisoning and Persecuting and in all manner of evil works 〈◊〉 words against the innocent People of God called Quakers How have the hands of ungodly men been lifted up to smite that People by many kinds of abuses and how have their Tonges been set on fire to reproach and revile and slander in all kind of evil-speaking and all this for Righteousness-sake and not for any evil doing For who is the man and where is he that can justly charge Evil upon that People either in Doctrine Faith or Practice or in any â—â—ing relating to their Religion to God-wards or in relation to their Conversations and walking towards men It is true we have not wanted Accusers to every Authority but such and such things have been falsly charged against us and that to every Power that hath been since we were a People under whom we have been a suffering People even from all that ever have sitten in the Throne since the Lord raised us up to bear Witness of his glorious Name and Truth in the World Now the present occasion of this my present work is Forasmuch as we now stand accused of great and heinous Crimes in the view of this whole Kingdom of Ireland and more particularly before you three in a Book called A brief Relation of some remarkable Passages of the Anabaptists in Germany c. published by one George Pressick of Dublin and dedicated in a special manner to you that his Work may pass with the greater Credit and his Slanders and Calumnies be received for undoubted Truths Now that the Innocency of the Upright may be cleared and that no Lye may rest upon the Truth nor that you neither any others may receive Falshoods for Verities because of our silence therefore it is that the Lord hath put it into my Heart to defend the Cause of God and his People by returning plain and sober Answer to the principal part of his Book wherein we are concerned and falsly Charged and for the end that the false Accuser may be reproved and his Calumnies returned into his own evil and malicious Heart from whence they came and that you and all men may be truly informed and prevented if possible of being seduced into the belief of Falshoods lest that your Hearts and Hands should be stirred up to act or do in your Authority against the People whom God hath blessed and from the ground and cause of Mis-informations and false Accusations without better Testimony which would be a way to destroy your selves and to bring the unjust Sufferings of the Lord's People upon your own Heads which would draw
Name of Phanaticks and then they reproached many by that Name that differed from them and did not conform to their Way of Worship and Religion but this continued not long for when others came over them and they grew under Reproach then they themselves were reproached by that Name Phanatick by which they had reproached others not long before and many that are for the Government of the Church under Episcopacy they now reproach the Presbyterians so called by the Name of Phanaticks so the word is used in scorn to them by Scorners as they used it to others that differed from them in the like scornful spirit And thus the word is made use of only in derision and reproach to any that differ from the publick way of Religion in the Land For when the publick was generally Presbyterians then they that would not conform to that but opposed it were called Phanaticks and now when the publick is Episcopal even the Presbyterians themselves and all that differ from that way and cannot conform to it are reproached by the scornful Name of Phanatick And thus the word hath been exchanged from one sort of Scorners to another and used reproachfully towards divers Persons so that as I have said the word Phanatick is truly proper to none of the Sects more than others but only proper to be used by Scoffers and Scorners against any whom they have a mind to villifie and it s exchanged from one to another and used by divers sorts of People according as Times and Religion do change by the Powers of the Earth So the Term Phanatick is changed into the Mouthes of Scorners to reproach all that differ from the Common General Way of Profession and Practice of Religion 4. Now last of all it is changed yet once more into the Mouthes of the Papists as by Semper Iidem doth appear now under my explanation and now the Papists have gotten the word Phanatick both from the Presbyterians and Episcopals and all must now be reproached by that Name that differ from them and their Way and Religion and they have already begun to cry Phanatick to the Protestants that differ from them in Principles and Practices And thus its manifest that the word Phanatick is truly proper to none but only used by Scorners to all whom they will revile and hold in derision as different from them in Religion such they villifie by the Name of Phanaticks First the Presbyterians used it to such as differed from them then Episcopal men so called used it towards all that differed from them and now last of all the Papists have got it from both and use it to all in derision that differ from them And thus I have shewed First the beginning of the use of the word Phanatick and upon what occasion and its true signification as used at this day Secondly concerning the exchanging of the word from one to another and how that its truly proper to no People but Scorners only use it to deride and reproach such as differ from them and cannot run in the same excess of Vanity Thirdly How the Papists now last of all have got it and use it against the Protestants and in their Mouthes now it remains and the Protestants so called are now the Persons and People that are accounted Phanaticks because they differ from the Papists in Principles and Practises of Faith Worship and Religion and this is manifest by the scope of Semper Iidem Secondly I shall now shew how maliciously the nameless Author of Semper Iidem hath slandred the Martyres and Sufferers for Righteousness sake in former Ages and how he hath accused the Protestants now living and what effect this would work in England if the Author's Intent were fulfilled 1. HE hath slandered accused and rendred the Martyres of old as Infamous as he possibly can even termed them by the scornful Name of Phanaticks even the Protestant Martyrs so called who are said to be the very Fathers of the Protestant Church as Bishop Latimer Cranmer Ridley and many others who have been accounted honourable in England for their faithfulness against the Church of Rome who because thereof were martyred and burned by the Cruelty of the Papists yet these Persons with Robert Woodman Thomas Hawks and many more of the Antient Protestant Martyrs are slandered by the villifying Term of Phanaticks and that they were men of mischief and licentious Tongues and seditious behaviours and they were erronious and obstinate as in the ninth Page of Semper Iidem doth appear and in pag. 16. Latimer is again called one of the Antient Phanatick And thus the main work of this nameless Author throughout his Book is to accuse the Protestant Martyrs that suffered in Queen Maries dayes to be rebellious seditious Hereticks and he villifies them by the very Title of Antient Phanaticks and this is apparent through the whole Pamphlet even by his Calumnies Reproaches and Accusations against the Protestant Martyrs who suffered for bearing Witness against the Church of Rome And thus the very Fathers of the Protestant Church so called stand now in reputation to be Hereticks seditious rebellious and jâ—dged Phanatick and this is for the Protestants so called even the very Bishops themselves in England to consider of 2. The Auther of Pemper Iidem hath accused some of the Protestants even of the King's Friends now living and villifieth them by the Name of Phanatick as William Prin c. whom he calls one of the modern Phanaticks And no doubt but the Intent of this Man with whom I am now in contest reputes even all the Protestants of this present Age to be Phanaticks and such as the Antient Phanaticks to wit the Protestant Martyrs as before-mentioned for he having accused Ridly and Cranmer and many more being such who were some of the first Promoters of the Protestant Religion in England and the very Instituters of that Book called the divine-service-Divine-service-Book it must needs follow consequently and may be concluded from his words and by his meaning That all the Protestants now are such even the present Prelates of England and durst the Author have spoken plain it is likely he would have said the same but that he hath minced the matter a little as well as concealed his Name though his work be cryed up and down London which all sober People may indeed well take notice of seeing that the Martyrs of old who have to this day been of good report and fame for their Piety and Faithfulness in London and through these Lands are now accused slandered and reproached up and down the Streets of London by the Name of Rebels and Seditious and by the Term of Antient Phanaticks Is London so blind that cannot see what is in the Bottom and Intent of such a Work as renders the very Fathers of their Church Hereticks and no better than Phanaticks And as for William Pryn who is also accounted one of the chief modern Phanaticks I shall leave him to answer for himself
know the Iustice of God's Iudgments executed upon them And therefore happy will the King be if he keep himself clear and put far from him this Enomy Persecution Three Considerations I have to present unto the King for Conclusion 1. THe Strength and Safety and Prosperity of the King and his Government stands in the Union good Affection and Love of his Subjects and the People of these Kingdoms one to another and to the King and the more that the People of the Kingdoms are in Love and Union and good Affection one with another and to the King the more strong and safe and prosporous thereby is the King and his Government and the more like for a long and happy Continuance and Establishment And it is the Love and Union and Affection of the Sober and Grave and Just and Upright People and of the Meek of the Land that is the King's Strength and Safty and will much tend to his Prosperity and to the Establishment of his Government and Authority and the King's Safety and Strength and Prosperity doth not depend upon the Affections and Acclamations of the Ruder Sort and of the Wild Multitude though such profess great Subjection and cry up the King and his Government and drink his Healths and Swear the Destruction of all his Enemies and have much Love and great Union for the King and are for him to serve him and Swear Fidelity and Engage themselves very highly in Words and Gestures for the King yet the King and his Government is no whit the safer nor more strong nor prosperous because hereof For his Prosperity and Establishment dependeth upon the Love and good Affection of the Just and Upright and Temperate and Meek Men of the Kingdoms and not upon the Love of the Rude Multitude such cannot be a Blessing to him in their Vaunting and Boasting and Rudeness nor can he stand by them but must stand in the Establishment of his Government by the Love of such as fear the Lord and depart from all Iniquity by the good Affection of such and their Faithfulness and Love may the King be happy and blessed Therefore let him strive to please such and to gain their good Affections to be united to him and this may add to his long Continuance 2. It is the doing of Justice and Truth and allowing all Just and Equal Liberty to all People under his Authority that will gain upon the Hearts of all Just and Good People And as Righteousness Mercy True Judgment and Truth is brought forth in the Land and all the contrary limitted in the King's Government this will gain much upon the Hearts and Affections of all good People to be united in Love one to another and to the KING And this is the way of the King's Prosperity and to make his Government established if so be that he exercise his Rule and Authority in Love and Meekness and Equal Iustice and Mercy and love Righteousness and Truth and hate and deny all the contrary and limit it then the spirits of all People in the Kingdoms would be subjected and subdued under his Power and he should Rule over them and his Kingdoms be Established prosperously and this is the Way of an Happy Government But if so be the KING put on Rigour and be Fierce and Cruel and think to subdue all under him by Will and Force without shewing Justice and Reason to answer the Consciences of his Subjects in all his Proceedings this way can never be prosperous nor Establish him in his Authority but it will work the contrary Effect For if Oppression be brought forth and Heavy Yoaks laid upon the Back of the Poor then will the Wrath of God and of Men be kindleed against him and Murmurings Strifs and Contentions will arise in the Minds of Men against him and the Oppressions of the Poor will reach unto Heaven and God will hear and Revenge their Cause So that it is Ruling and exercising Authority in these Kingdoms in Justice Righteousness Love and Good Reason that must gain the Hearts of People unto right Subjection to make the King and his Government Happy and Established and Rigour Force and Cruelty will never make the King happy but will work contrary For the People are Wise and Understanding will not long bear any degree of the Yoak of Slavery 3. Inasmuch as the People of these Kingdoms are divers and divided and contrary in Judgment one to another in many things and so are dis-united into several Opinions and Parties the King ought to Rule in Wisdom and Love over them all and to shew Equal Justice and Liberty and to eaâ—rcise Righteousness towards them all alike notwithstanding their Difference in Religion and Judgments for if he shall give Liberty to some and Oppress others if he do joyn with one Way and promote that and the men of one Judgment be tollerated and all other Wayes and all others that are different in Judgement be persecuted and oppressed and sought to be destroyed this is not the way for the King to prosper nor to be established to perpetuity for there seems to be no one Way so strong or any one sort of People so many for the King to cleave to and allow and seek to destroy all the rest because there is of other sors of people that ballance that sort in opposition and so the King and his Government seems not secure if he take hold of any one sort of People only to stand thereby in opposition to all the rest persecuting of them because there are many of other Sects that will be discontented and murmur if not more So that the King's Safety is and the Prosperity of his Government and the Establishment of it seems to be By giving Equal Liberty and Iustice and shewing Love and Tenderness to all of all Iudgments and then he may stand by all and none will oppose him but all will be ready to defend and preserve him For he may stand established and be happy in his Government by engaging all sorts to him through Love and Righteousness and Liberty towards all but he cannot according to my Iudgment be established nor prosperous if he choose only the Men of one Judgment to stand by and cleave only to that and persecute and seek to destroy all the rest that are different and so only make one Party his Friends and dis-engage all others in Love and Affection this seems I say not the Way of Prosperity Let the King consider it and the Lord give him a Right Understanding By a Friend to Iust Authority E. B. PERSECUTION IMPEACHED As a Traytor against God HIS LAWS and GOVERNMENT And the CAUSE of the Ancient MARTYRS Vindicated against the Cruelty inflicted upon them by the Papists in former Dayes Being a Brief ANSWER to a Book called Semper Iidem Or A Paralel of PHANATICKS c. lately published by a Nameless Author Wherein is contain'd a Relation of the Martyrdom of many such as Dissented and Opposed
the Church of ROME who are in the said Book Villified and Reproached by the Name and Term of Antient Phanaticks And this is sent forth as an Answer thereunto to Pursue it Apprehend it and Condemn it as a Pamphlet of Calumnies and Slanders against the Protestants both of former and present Dayes who are all of them Scorned in the said Book the one as Ancient the other as Modern PHANATICKS Which is sent abroad as a Warning to ENGLAND to beware of the spirit of the Church of ROME lest it Exalt it self in Cruel Persecution against the PROTESTANTS and all that differ from it HOW Great and Miserable hath been that Darkness and Ignorance which hath over-spread the Nations and Kingdoms of the World since the Apostles dayes And how manifold is that Error into which many have been fallen even as into a Snare of Destruction And how woful is that Strife Division and Contention about Religion that hath highly abounded among the Christian People so called For the whole Christendom have been divided and in Opposition one part against another about the True God and his Worship and concerning the knowledge of Salvation by Jesus Christ And divers kinds of Religion Church-Government and Practices of Ordinances of Faith Worship have been extant in the World and Nations Countries have been all in Division Strife and Contention about these Matters and have been also persecuting one another violently unto Bonds and Death for and because difference in Judgment and Practices concerning Spiritual Things Papists against Protestants and Protestants against Papists and one sort of Christians so called against another and the men of such a Judgment and Faiâ—â— and Way of Religion have been persecuting and seeking to destroy all that have been contrary minded to them And thus have been the woful Divisions and evil Effects thereof in the World among Christians about Faith and Worship and Religious matters this has come to pass because of the spirit of Error Darkness that hath possessed the minds of men since the falling away from the Truth as it was once manifest among the Apostles And thus it s come to pass because of the erring from the Spirit of God and because that hath been wanting amongst men therefore have People been divers and divided about Matters of Religion each one sort following their own Invention and Traditions of men and also persecuting one another and killing and imprisoning one another because of the same and all this because the Spirit of Truth hath not dwelt in the Hearts of Christians as it did in the Apostles not led guided and taught them in true Unity and Fellowship as it did the true Christians in the dayes of old And while the Spirit of Christ hath been wanting and is not received into the Heart to mortifie guide rule and teach in all the Wayes of God and the whole exercise of Religion and Duty towards Him and while there is any kind of imposing and forceing of Religion by Laws of men upon Penalties and Forfeitures and setting up Worship and Church Government by that means and in that way without the immâ—… Teaching of the Spirit of Christ in the Conscience I say while this hath been and is continued nothing but Division Strife Contention Persecution and Nations and Peoples destroying one another about Religion hath been is or can be in the World amongst Christians And of this same to wit of Division and Contention about Religion with the Enmity of such as are so divided one against another to the persecuting and killing one of another that are contrary minded as it hath been brought forth in the World for Generations past we have here a sufficient large Testimony lately published in a Book called Semper Iidem or A Paralel of Phanaticks c. wherein is made mention of what Strife and Contention there hath been in former dayes among the false Christians and how they have cruelly Persecuted Burned and Destroyed one another in this Cause only for and because of the difference in Maters of Judgment and Religious Things and these Persecutions and Cruelties effected contrary to the Example of Christ and his Doctrine who hath exhorted to Love and Peace and not to Kill and Destroy and that a man should love his Enemies and not Kill and Destroy them contrary to which Doctrine the false Christians of all kinds have walked and acted since the dayes of the Apoâ—… who have been Apostatized and fallen from the very Life and Power of Godliness as held amongst the primitive Saints into Forms and empty Shadows being all in strife one with another about such things and have wanted the Spirit of Christ which should have led and guided into all Truth and exercised them in the true Worship of the true and living God who is a Spirit and is only truly worshipped in Spirit and in Truth but out of this Spirit and spiritual Worship the false Christians have been erred and so all divided and in Centention aâ— aforesaid and persecuting one another because thereof each one sort justifying their own Way 〈◊〉 Right and condemning that which hath differed as the Wrong and all as Hereticks that have been otherwise minded But as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Book Semper Iidem c. I would gladly animadâ—… 〈◊〉 conâ—…ing it and do intend to write a few things by way of anâ—â—er thereunto and this is the present Occasion of my present work for having met with the said Pamphlet and perusing of it I found divers Considerations on my spirit to send forth in Answer to pursue the said Semper Iidem up and down the World till it returns again unto the place from whence it came to wit Unto the bottomless Pit out of which it lately arose and in reading the same Book I have principally observed the Mischievout End and secret Evil Intents of the Nameless Author more than the Matter it self contained and though the Author be Nameless yet is his nature and spirit known by his Book and for what end he hath concealed his Name I know not except he was ashamed of his Work and durst not Authorize his Matter by his Name but however the spirit end and intent of the said Nameless Person is perceived and known as much as any Tree can be distinguished by its Fruit and he is of an Envious Disposition of Heart and of Malicious Countenance and in nature and stock of the descent of Cain for his spirit is of an evil constitution hot and fiery and enclinable to destroy all that are not like-minded with himself in the Iudgment of Religious Matters and his proceedings and the end of his work is of an Intent and Purpose wicked enough if every Effect answers the Cause appearing and be not diverted from the End proposed by the Author and this I find by Calculation of his Birth and the Temper of his spirit and of the Time wherein his Book is published and by the Cause and End and Intent of the